Iron Man: Challenge 1 Enteries

[Ferrata]

Vote for your favourite three articles (in any order). Please PM Ferrata with the title as follows:

 

Iron Man 1 Voting (or if you are lazy IM1)

 

Entry 1: Astral Corsairs

Entry 2: The White Company

Entry 3: Black Spectres

Entry 4: Knights of the Emperor

Entry 5: The Omen

Entry 6: Bronze Knights

Entry 7: Storm Riders

Entry 8: Swamp Rats

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Astral Corsairs

The Astral Corsairs were formed as part of the twenty-third founding. The White Scars were the source of the geneseed for this new chapter and Khan Chanua of the White Scars became the Great Khan of the fledgling chapter. His ferocity and cunning on the field of battle were legendary among the chapter he left. By right of conquest, Chanua took the planet of Gorton as a homeworld and settled among the mountains, high above the savage tribes below. The chapter drew many things from the savages but the key thing they drew from them was their belief in strength. As time passed, feats and competitions of strength became more and more common among the marines. The marines sought individual feats of fighting skill. If a marine distinguished himself enough, he would be accepted as part of the Bloodreavers, the household of the Great Khan. From their homeworld, the chapter struck out against any who defied the Imperium. This area of space was not short of strong enemies and the new chapter set out to prove themselves stronger than any other chapter.

Scheme

It was Master Apothecary Arigh who would change the fate of the chapter. Through decades of experimentation, he devised changes to the Corsairs geneseed that would make the marines stronger than any other Astartes. The Great Khan of the time was cautious, despite the thorough work done by Arigh. However, trial volunteers proved the geneseed as perfect, with 4/7 successful applicants of the geneseed being accepted into the Blood Reavers within a decade of their initiation into the chapter. No ill effects were seen across the marines’ lives and the next Great Khan ordered that this geneseed be put to use. Some stocks of the old geneseed would be maintained, to be able to deceive the adepts of the Machine God, as Arigh had planned. Two thousand years passed and the chapter was not discovered. They gained a reputation for their strength and size, not to mention their skill in close combat. Isolated cases of rages and bezerker like moments started occurring across the chapter. They continued to spread. Eventually, due to the investigations of apothecary Chagan, the link between the geneseed and the rages was established. No cure was available for such a problem. Some relief was granted by modifications to the chem-dispensor in the power armour but still many cases occurred. Within the chapter, frantic work was done by the Apothecarian to attempt to save the geneseed and their brothers.

The Nebrasian Butchery prompted closer inspection of the chapter, including their geneseed and their tithing of the precious resource. Master Apothecary Arigh’s deception with the geneseed was exposed. The apothecaries work in rescuing their chapter was in vain as all was laid bare before the scrutiny of the Inquisition and the Magos-genitors of the Mechanicus. The Inquisition moved swiftly, determined to make an example of the chapter for its experimentation and the subsequent deception. The forces of the Inquisition and the Adeptus Mechanicus attacked the homeworld of the Astral Corsairs, catching the marines unaware. This sudden betrayal saw just below half the chapter’s marines die and the chapter’s Fortress Monastery of Gan Sube destroyed. The last marines alive were those of the Librarium as they cast their minds into the warp, seeking their brethren to warn them of the betrayal. As one junior acolyte managed to reach the Storm Master Vachir through the dangerous tides of the warp, Inquisitor Khran began his purge of the Librarium, destroying the last marines on the planet. However, the chapter serfs that remained alive detonated the plasma generators that provided power and claimed a significant part of the strikeforce, in a last gesture of loyalty to their masters. Others escaped the monastery before the explosion, returning to the tribes to rally them against the intruders.

The planet was declared Perdita and an Inquisitational Taskforce remained on site, both to process what little evidence remained and to ensure the chapter would not return. The taskforce has come under attack numerous times from the natives and despite attempts to remove this threat, they continue. The ultimate fate of Gorton lays in the hands of the Inquisition. The remaining marines managed to evade the Imperium’s net due to the psychic warning. Little is known about what has happened from their Excommunication or their reaction to it. Now, it appears that they are now lead by Storm Master Vachir. The last confirmed battle with them was in the Stront system, 996 M41, where approximately 200 marines overran a Knight World and several factory worlds with links to the Mechanicus. Whether this attack was made out of revenge or necessity. Reports included numerous mentions of marines in bezerker like rages, herded by marines even bigger then than them. Whether the chapter struck out of need or revenge is unknown. Several other combats may have involved the chapter but due to lack of survivors, no solid evidence has been found.

Homeworld

Gorton is a feral world on the edges of the northern borders of the Imperium. This desolate ice-covered planet had been overrun by the insectoid Zwis, with the human tribes fighting for their survival against the xenos filth. For over a century, the humans fought against the xenos, with every man and boy forced to take up arms. There was no foreseeable end to the conflict, save for the extinction of the primitive tribes. From the skies, the Astral Corsairs fell upon the Zwis with fury. Their reasons for their presence in the system are unknown and the legends of the chapter indicate they were somehow guided by the Emperor to the planet, which some place down as a warp jump gone wrong. Whatever the case, the marines undertook an extermination of the alien species. The local tribes were awed by the marines’ strength and ability in battle. In turn, the marines were impressed by how the tribes fought. Such worthy recruits would not be wasted and the chapter laid claim to the planet through right of conquest.

Gorton’s surface is mostly covered by ice and rock. The only reason for life on the planet is the hot springs and hidden caves. Around such areas, food and shelter can be found. The tribes fight over such territory, for a tribe with no shelter or food is a dead tribe. The planet contains very little native life, with lichen and moss being the only plant life native to the planet. Within the water, fish and squid can both be found, ranging from finger length minnows to Land Raider sized predatory squid. These animals represent the primary food source for the tribes and primitive ice rafts are used to go fishing across the seas. Enough food must be gathered for the winter season or the tribe must migrate with the weather, for without enough food stocked, the whole tribe would face extinction. A tribe must also guard itself during autumn, as other tribes come looking for shelter and land, running in the face of the coming winter. This season sees the most conflict. Every man, woman and child must fight to protect their caves and their hot springs. Thus this time is often when the majority of new recruits are taken. If the chapter takes a boy from the tribe, that tribe is left with steel weaponry to assuage the loss of a fighting body. The tribes guard these treasures jealously as the majority of the weapons used on world are simply made from bone or, if the tribe is really desperate, ice.

The chapters new recruits are taken from their caves by the recruiting officers and taken up into the mountain. The recruits are separated and then must prove themselves in a variety of tests. The culmination of these tests is when the recruit confonts one of his tribe's myths. The Zwis. Under the mountains, deep within the caves of the Fortress Monastery, the chapter maintains a queen Zwis in stasis, harvesting her eggs once a new recruit begins his ordeals. The recruit must then face a juvenile Zwis in the darkness of a cave, where every shadow could hide the predatory xenos. Once the recruit defeats the alien, the torturous process of implantation and psycho indoctrination starts. Once complete, he will be assigned to a brotherhood, until the Khan of that brotherhood deems him ready to don power armour.

The chapter established the Fortress Monastery of Gan Sube high in the mountains, among the blackened ruins of the caves that the Zwis had lived in. The length and depth of the caves were not a surprise to the marines, who had had to force the Zwis out of them during the last days of the war. They were soon converted to the chapter’s needs and wants. The extent of the Fortress Monastery surprised many of the Inquisitorial Strikeforce during their purge of the chapter, with many remarks comparing it to the warrens of the Hrud but on an Astartes scale. Many of the chapters secrets were not found before the detonation, including the Apothecarion, thus making the current Inquisitional Taskforce's investigation a lot harder.

Geneseed

The Nebrasian Butchery

The world of Nebras had been beset by the Orks for as long as the Imperium had laid claim to it. During a particularly fierce incursion, the Astral Corsairs committed the Arslan company to the fight. In a disastrous drop pod incident, the Khan and his command squad were killed as his drop pod plunged into a camouflaged Ork Gargant. The rest of the company landed safely and were enraged when the news of their Khan's death came through. It is said that day that 104 of the remaining 113 marines fell into a berserk state that day. The marines tore through the Ork horde until they reached Imperial lines. The guardsman panicked at the sight of this beasts in power armour, that had torn through the Orks ranks and which some Orks even fled from. In this panic, they opened fire. Several marine units charged the Imperial line and a number of guardsman died before the rest of the Astartes restrained their brethren and Imperial commanders ordered a withdrawal. With no communication, the marines left the planet, pausing only to recover what little was left of their Khan from the ruins of the Ork horde.

For decades, Master Apothecary Arigh experimented with how to produce a stronger marine, how to advance the geneseed of the chapter. Using the convicted criminals of the tribes, he implanted the necessary organs to test his experiments. What modifications were made is unknown and the Adeptus Mechanicus refuse to divulge any information. Some rumours suggest that the geneseed may have been made to include strains of Ork DNA, pointing to the growth of the marine over the centuries and their increased strength as proof. If this was the case, this could explain the rages that engulfed the marines. Others dismiss this as irrational, as the Ork and Human genomes are not compatible at all.

The changes wrought by Arigh upon the original White Scar geneseed affected mainly the biscopea and the ossmodula. The ossmodula appears to still grow the body’s skeleton, though at a much slower rate. The biscopea is in a constant hyperactive state, aiding muscle mass retention and expansion. These changes made the marines even more adept in close combat as their strength and size increased. With age, a marine continues to grow. The oldest recorded marine of the chapter, Cheren, was approximately 10 feet tall when he fell in a rearguard action against the Orks of Kajit.

However, these manipulations of the geneseed eventually cost the chapter. As millennia passed, Arigh was killed on the field of battle and the geneseed began denigrating. As the purity of the organs began to decrease slightly over time, chemical balances within the marine began to occur. The most common manifestation of this imbalance was an uncontrollable rage. Within this rage, the marine’s intelligence lowered significantly while his pain receptors were all but deactivated. While under the rage, the marine will charge towards the nearest enemy, shrugging off any enemy fire and then start to batter the enemy with whatever they have in their hands at the time. Some animal cunning seems to still remain and on some occasions when full squads have fallen, they seem to work as a pack to bring the enemy down.

Combat Doctrine and Organisation

The chapter retains the brotherhood structure of their primogenitors, only with the first brotherhood being the home of the Great Khan’s household and those who have proved themselves in the fire of battle against mighty foes. All captains have been or are members of the Bloodreavers, as the first brotherhood is known as. The Great Khan controls the number of brotherhoods under his command. He may choose to create or split brotherhoods at his discretion. Although the chapter normally has approximately 1100 marines at any given time, there have been occasions when up to sixteen brotherhoods in existence and as little as six.

The original White Scars doctrine brought to the new chapter by Chanua over the years has been diluted. The chapter still focuses on mobility but often an Astartes foot slogging is all the mobility that a brotherhood needs. The majority of the brotherhoods still retain their mounted ability, either in the form of tanks or bikes. One Khan may focus on mechanized assault while another may specialize in lightning assault behind enemy lines using bikes and landspeeders. For a brotherhood, there is no set structure of units. Some Khans may prefer to have scouts in their force while others will not accept them until they are full brothers of the chapter. There is no one scout brotherhood and the recruits are spread to whichever brotherhood the recruitment officers choose.

The Bloodreavers do not normally contain the older marines of the chapter. These marines have often served in the Bloodreavers but then leave it, to give the opportunity to younger and more eager young ones. Often, such marines leave in groups and form a squad in another brotherhood. Here, they often take up heavy weapons, leaving the younger marines to glorify in close combat. These older marines have no reason to prove themselves any more, having reached the pinnacle of their career. Terminator armour is used predominantly by the older marines of the chapter and are almost used exclusively in teleportation attacks. Dreadnoughts are a rarer sight but the concept of being entombed is not one that is repulsive to many within the chapter. They often serve in those brotherhoods who have adopted drop pod tactics.

Beliefs

The Sundering Blade

This massive blade was the personal weapon of Chanua. It was discovered broken underneath his body on the desert sands of Larb Secundus. Master of the Forge, Gai-Gan took the broken blade and reforged it with the best of his ability, tempering it in the ice of Gorton. Since then, this magnificent blade has been wielded by the Skull Champion of the Bloodreavers, in remembrance of their founding father.

Every marine strives to be the strongest in the chapter. Individual feats of skill and strength in battle are sought by all in the chapter, save the veterans. The Bloodreavers are the ultimate goal for every marine and within the Bloodreavers, the title of Skull Champion is the ultimate reward. The Skull Champion is the champion of the Great Khan and will seek out the fiercest and strongest enemies to slay. He carries the Great Khan's honour and will among the Bloodreavers and is responsible for their organisation. It is him, the Ancient and the Great Khan who consider entries to the Bloodreavers.

The Emperor and Jaghatai are seen as the strongest and most skilled of all humanity alive. The chapter still believes that Jaghatai still lives, testing his strength against the Dark Eldar by raiding the Dark Eldar in their own capital. He obviously does not need help or he would have approached the White Scars or themselves for reinforcement. But their legends say that a day will come when Jaghatai will not face just the Dark Kin of the capricious Eldar and that he will need help. The chapter awaits this call and train as it that day will be tomorrow. If Jaghatai returns, the chapter will present him with the Sundering Blade and present themselves for his command. For they know his return will herald the coming of the End of Days, when the Emperor returns to his true state and gods will walk the galaxy, awaiting a suitable challenger.

It is unknown how these beliefs have changed with their fall. Some investigators, who have discerned some facets of their beliefs, have put forward various theories. The leading theory is that the chapter simply sees their fall as a test of their strength, of their ability to survive in a totally hostile environment with little supply, just as Jaghatai is no doubt experiencing. Others have warned that the chapter may now believe that Jaghatai will only return once the human race is in need of him. Seeing this, the chapter will no doubt strike to weaken the Imperium, with perhaps some degree of vengeance in their minds. No doubt that in the near future, the chapter will reveal its true intentions.

Warcry and Heraldry

The Astral Corsairs' chapter symbol is that of a a skull, riven by a sword vertically. This symbol is used by all the marines, with little variations upon it. Some may actually have a real skull (from a suitably large and strong enough foe) and sword incorporated into their shoulder pad. This practice is mostly carried out by the Bloodreavers, whose other distinguishing mark is their black helmets. Each brotherhood will have individual markings that are decided by their current Khan. Some brotherhoods, such as the Arslan, have had a set symbol and markings from their inception, often to honour the founder and greatest hero of their particular brotherhood.

The chapter's warcry consists simply of a roared cry of “Your death is upon you!” as they hit the enemy lines. Once again, the various brotherhoods may have variations upon this cry, or indeed, individual squads may take up their own warcries in combat.

[Ferrata]

The White Company

Formerly known as: The Lightbringers Chapter of Imperial Space Marines

 

Homeworld: Aldireo II (abandonded)

Colors: White

Heraldry: Escutcheon argent surmounted by bend sinister gules.

Charge is a broken sword, blade down

Motto: Justice without compromise. Vengance without hesitation.

Master: Joseph Kovacs

Geneseed: Ultramarines

Founding Chapter: Dawn Striders

 

The Founding Founding of the Lightbringers

In M44.563 the High Lords of Terra approved of the creation of a chapter of Space Marines. This new chapter would be dubbed the Lightbringers, and their task would be to bring order and peace to the burgeoning Maricopa sector, a material-rich, but distant and ill-managed region in the far reaches of the Segmentum Ultima.

 

To oversee this task, they selected Alexander Dassault, Captain of the Third Compmany of the Dawn Striders chapter of Imperial space marines. A notoriously hard man, even for a Space Marine, Dassault would brook no compromise when it came to pursuing his aims. With him, they sent a hand-picked force of Dawn Strider veterans, the cruisers Pilum and Telum, and a full third of the Dawn Strider's techmarines to help establish the new chapter's infrastructure.

 

As the new Chapter Master, Dassault wasted no time. He established a base on the second planet of the Aldireo system, a well established industrial world at the heart of Maricopa, and immediately began a program of aggressive recruitment. As the chapter began to grow, he assigned other veterans of the Dawn Striders to the command of individual companies. To the first company, he assigned his former staff sargeant and old friend, Joseph Kovacs. Ubrik Polain was given charge of the tenth company and the new recruits, while the four battle companies went to four salty veterans: Nathan Hammond, Gregory Cant, Leonard Ubelhor, and Bertrim Rowe. Yuri Hawthorne and Edward Marsellas were given Tactical reserve companies, while Harrad Goble was placed in command of the Assault Reserves, and Ignatio Clempt the Devastator reserves.

 

By M44.575 the Lightbringers were near full strength, and it was early in that auspicious year that the Aldireo shipyards commissioned the battlebarge Inferno, along with four cruisers: Osprey, Canticle of War, Voidstalker, and McCormick all of which had been laid down more than a decade before. Though the Lightbringers had already fought several minor engagements with local pirates, a plague from which Maricopa had suffered bitterly, and against the forces of the ork Warboss Garlgahg, whose invasions from the galactic north had been a constant threat to the sector, the completion of the greater part of the Lightbringer fleet prompted Chapter Master Dassault to begin operations on a much larger scale.

 

The Early Years

Within a span of years, Dassault's efforts saw piracy and corruption nearly eradicated, and it was here that he demonstrated those traits for which he was selected. His execution of the Emperor’s justice was relentless, implacable as the sea and administered with an efficient brutality that remains legendary to this day. He hunted out the most effective pirate lords, splintering the rest into small and divisive fragments who were easily overcome, before turning on the government itself. He purged the sector’s central bureaucracy, replacing the Governor and many senior officials with men both competent and thoroughly subservient to Dassault himself.

 

Not content, he personally visited each planet, weeding out corrupt officials as one would weed a garden and insuring that the rest would be loyal to him. Though many criticized (quietly) his methods as “extreme,” none could deny the era of peace and prosperity that flourished under his iron fist.

 

The Garlghag Crusade

Though the operations at home were resoundingly successful, operations abroad turned out little but disaster. As he set out on his crusade against the corruption of his own sector, he dispatched Captain Cant and Captain Hammond, their battle companies, and almost a full company’s worth of reserves on a great crusade against the kingdom of the Ork Warboss, Garlghag. They were tasked with assassinating Garlghag and fracturing his horde, in the hope of blunting or eliminating further raids.

 

This proved to be a fool’s errand. Garlghag's kingdom proved much larger and less coordinated than originally estimated. The raids, which had been taken as indicative of the Orks’ strength, proved to be minor, haphazard incursions made at the whim of lesser bosses. Gharghag’s own invasion fleet was nearing completion, and was far larger than three strike cruisers could handle. Ambushed above Garlghag's capital world of Rotterdam, all three, the Voidstalker, the McCormick, and the Telum, were destroyed.

 

Though their ships were destroyed, many of the Lightbringers escaped to the planet below. Once on the ground, Captain Cant (for Hammond's Thunderhawk had been shot down) took control of the surviving forces. His story as it is known ends there, though much can be extrapolated from the events which followed. It is known that he and his marines fought a long and bitter battle against the orks. At some point, their mission must have been a success, for Garlghag was certainly slain, but his death failed to be the divisive element for which Dassault had hoped. Instead, the presence of such a massive Marine force served as a catalyst for unification among the orks (who were no-doubt thrilled at having such a fantastic fight on their hands). A new warboss, Warghoil, rose among them and brought the destruction of the Lightbringers to a successful close (given the trophies the warboss was later observed carrying, there can be little doubt that he bested Captain Cant in combat personally).

 

Warghoil's WAAAAAGH!

The Garlghag Crusade turned out a greater failure than anyone had feared possible: the orks were more unified than ever, and now they had an enemy worth hunting. A WAAAAAGH! was inevitable.

 

Though it had been nearly forty years between the beginning of Cant and Hammond's crusade, Warghoil's WAAAAGH! hit Maricopa like a veritable typhoon of death and destruction. Focused on internal affairs, anticipating success from his two most senior Captains, and having been treated to decades of freedom from ork invasion (for the presence of Marines on their worlds had held their attention admirably) Dassault was entirely unprepared for an invasion of any significant magnitude. The Orks had swept across nearly half the sector before the Marines managed to draw them to a relatively unimportant planet named Agrippa and crush the bulk of their forces.

 

The Ascencion of Chapter Master Rowe

Though the orks were broken at Agrippa, the WAAAAAGH! had devastated the sector and left the Lightbringers with barely three companies worth of marines. Captains Polain, Ubelhor, and Clempt were dead, and, worse, Dassault himself had fallen in the struggle.

 

The remaining Captains quickly convened to pick a new master. Dassault had built the company from nothing and turned a veritable cesspool of a sector into a beacon of civilization. In his marines he had instilled an uncompromising respect for justice, teaching them to pursue the enemies of the empire mercilessly and mete out retribution unflinchingly. Kovacs was, perhaps, the obvious choice to continue Dassault's legacy, having been his friend and protege, but where Dassault had been harsh and uncompromising, Kovacs was vindictive and cruel. With the sector in shambles and the chapter near extiction, the remaining captains feared that his hand might well be too heavy for the delicate task of rebuilding. Instead, they chose Bertrim Rowe, a quiet and unassuming man with a knack for politics which had served Dassault well in his cleansing of the sector's bureaucracy.

 

Kovacs First Company was returned to full strength at the expense of the remaining companies (afer Agrippa there were none among the Lightbringers who did not deserve the status of Veteran) and sent along with most of the remaining fleet to hunt down and eradicate the remaining splinters of the ork forces. Rowe, along with Hawthorne, Marsellas, and Goble returned to Aldireo to rebuild the chapter and oversee the reconstruction of the sector.

 

The Betrayal at Korill VI

In the chaos following the ork invasion, piracy once again took root in the system, and as the bureaucracy began to settle into routine once more, Rowe turned to confront this resurgent menace. The sight of Lightbringer warships patrolling the lanes of commerce became more and more common as Kovacs wrapped up his ork-hunt and began returning his ships to the Chapter proper. Though he never warmed to Rowe, Kovacs eventually took up his place at the Chapter Master's side, commanding the Inferno as was the Master of the Fleet.

 

Though the Lightbringers' anti-piracy efforts were generally successful, one group proved a constant thorn in Rowe's side. They were obviously a small outfit, but they proved both canny and lucky, avoiding patrols and hitting easy targets. The materials they took were never terribly valuable, food-stuffs and building materials, mostly, but their persistant success eventually convinced Rowe to tackle the problem personally. Over the course of a year, he tracked the pirates down to their home world, Korill VI.

 

What they found was a surprise. Instead of a den of vice and villainy, they discovered a large and fairly new community eking their existence out of a harsh and unforgiving world. The foodstuffs and materials pilfered by their young and adventurous men had made the difference between survival and starvation. After deliberation, Rowe decided to hold the pirate captains responsible alone. To sentence them to execution, as was proper, and take the value of the stolen goods out of the community’s ships.

 

Kovacs was dismayed. The former Chapter Master had stressed nothing if not the importance of seeing justice done, without compromise or mitigation. It was clear to Kovacs that all of the pirates were criminals, along with the colonists who had harbored them. He demanded that Rowe alter his decision and find the entire settlement culpable, but Rowe refused. Kovacs pressed the argument, citing the chapter’s tenets and accusing Rowe of failure to live up to them. Rowe, furious, accused Kovacs of being a bloodthirsty psychopath and refused to brook any more discussion. Kovacs drew his sword and cut the Chapter Master down where he stood.

 

After executing Rowe, Kovacs quickly rallied his loyal veterans and took control of the Inferno. Though the ship carried nearly three hundred Marines, and only thirty of those were of the First Company, it had long been the task of Kovac’s veterans to safeguard the security of the fleet and spearhead boarding assaults. In ship-board combat they were unmatched, and those who opposed them stood little chance.

 

The Ascencion of Master Kovacs

Kovac’s first act as Chapter Master was to descend to the colony of Korill and execute every man, woman, and child. His second was to return to Aldireo and solidify his control of the Chapter.

 

Of the remaining three Captains, only Maresellas was at the Chapter Monastery when Kovacs arrived. He and Kovacs met, and he learned of the events at Korill VI. Kovacs told them plainly, neither embellishing his own part nor trying to cover it up. In his own mind, his actions had been correct and he expected Marsellas to agree and acknowledge him as the Master of the Chapter. When Marsellas recoiled, horrified, at the manner of Rowe’s death, Kovacs knew at once that the Captain could not be relied upon. He cut Marsellas down before the captain could even draw his own sword, and ordered his veterans to secure the monastery by force.

 

Disheartened, Kovacs summoned Hawthorne and Goble home from their patrols. When he met with the two captains, it was in the attendance of ten of his loyal veterans. As he had feared, they took the news of Rowe's death no better than had Marsellas, and, at his signal, the veterans fell upon them. Goble was slain, but Hawthorne managed to escape and rally some portions of the remaining Lightbringers. With this force, he managed to escape the Monastery and capture the cruiser Canticle of War, in which he fled Maricopa entirely.

 

Kovacs consolidated his power quickly, though there was little left to be had. Scarcely a hundred Lightbringers remained once he completed purging those he found unacceptable. He immediately began to rebuild the chapter, but it was too late. Hawthorne’s escape had sealed his fate.

 

 

The Breaking of the Chapter

Captain Hawthorne and those Lightbringers loyal to him fled to the nearby sector of Escalante and, by lucky happenstance, there encountered the Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor, Lady Caren Chapple. He met with her, and the story of Kovac’s betrayal secured her assistance. She 'borrowed' the forces of a large Ecclesiachy convent and accompanied Captain Hawthorne back to Aldireo.

 

There they laid siege to the Lighbringer’s monastery. The fighting was brutal, but their forces vastly outnumbered those of Kovacs. He was was driven from his monastery, but had held back the remains of his fleet. Even as the monastery fell, his ships fell upon those of the Inquisitor. The naval battle was fierce, and only the Inferno survived. Kovacs took the chapter’s remaining stores of geneseed and fled to his battle barge, leaving Hawthorne and the Inquisitor in control of the monastery. With only a handful of followers remaining, he abandoned Aldireo and fled, vowing vengeance against the entire Imperium.

 

Those marines who remained loyal to him covered their old badges and markings with white, and painted on the blood-red stripe and broken sword which herald the renegade marines to this day. Kovacs renamed them the White company, saying that they would continue to be the light in the darkness, the pure blinding white to the blackness of the void, and the instruments of justice and retribution in a galaxy which, in his mind, had forgotten the very meaning of those words. He renamed his battle barge Retribution's Blade, and it remains his headquarters today.

 

As for the rest of the Lightbringers, the remains of their monastery was turned over to the local government of Aldireo II, while Hawthorne and his surviving marines took what was left of the army and were re-folded into the Dawn Striders. The name of the Lightbringers Chapter has been officially stricken from the roles of Imperial Space Marines by order of the Lady Chapple, Ordo Hereticus.

 

In the final analysis, the White Company remains a minor, but constant thorn in the Empire's side. Though it has been continually hunted by the Ordo Hereticus, it has not only survived by grown, recruiting new marines as it travels the galaxy, meting out Kovac’s own nigh-incomprehensible brand of brutal justice and terrorizing the populations of the planets it visits.

[Ferrata]

++Security Clearance: Cyan++

++Source Unknown++

++Transmitting…+++

 

My Honoured Lord Inquisitor,

 

Here enclosed is my formal report on the Black Spectres Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes.

 

At your request I have spend the last eighteen months trying to piece together all information possible on this extremely elusive chapter. It has been a trying task, as many data files concerning them are corrupt or well beyond my security clearance and all messages to the chapter have been unceremoniously ignored. However, I have finally managed to unearth some sketchy truths about the Chapter.

 

I believe the chapter to be of the 21st founding. As such they are one of the few chapters to have been allowed to continue after many from that founding were discovered to be mutating into something impure. From what I can discover the reports suggest that the chapter are of the Primarch Corax’s geneseed, and thus descendants of the Raven Guard Chapter. It is implied that like many of their kin they are albinos. This knowledge plus the writings of Lord Militant Karsokov (Cross ref: 2X0-22476) the chapter seem to employ the same covert tactics as their parent chapter. But, unfortunately the reports also suggest that they have a heightened sense of aggression, so will often complete an objective using more than excessive force, possibly due to abnormalities in the geneseed. This was noted especially during the Purging of the Arch-Heretic, when the chapter’s infiltrated strike force laid waste to an entire city killing thousands of Emperor loving innocents, in a fit of uncontrolled rage. Of course this was never further investigated, the evidence was too little.

 

The Chapter places a high value on expert tacticians and many within the chapter excel at battlefield strategy. Even to the point that occasionally some Imperial Commanders will request an envoy from the chapter, so that they can discuss the most effective tactics to break a deadlock and win a campaign. It was said that the Chapter would rather wait until they know everything about an enemy, even letting towns and cities burn, before they would commit themselves to battle. Quite a worrying thought, but when they do go to war they secure victory swiftly.

 

Also, it has been noted that the Chapter has a strange heraldry. They all have the left hand side of their helmets painted black –while the rest of their armour is orange, with their entire colour scheme being reversed on their neophytes. This strange marking is believed to be linked with the death of the Chapter’s first Master: Sla Wlso. He was shot through the left eye fighting the Eldar xenos race. The chapter were so shocked by his passing they painted their helmets in this way so that they would never forget his death. It is even rumoured that higher ranking warriors in the chapter remove their left eye in homage to this event and replace it with a bionic implant. Whether this is true or not I have been unable to confirm. It is common within the chapter it hear Sla’s name in the same breath as Corax or even the Emperor.

 

Unfortunately, I have been unable to discover anything on the Chapter’s beliefs system. Therefore, I am unsure as to whether they are followers of the ‘normal’ astartes beliefs that our glorified God-Emperor was only a man, or they are closer to the beliefs of the Imperial Ecclesiarchy, or even if they have a completely different system, originating from their homeworld or another source.

 

This brings me to my next issue. I have been unable to discover the location of the Chapter’s homeworld. However, I do have a name: Unitate. It is believed that Unitate was taken by the Black Spectres shortly after their inception, then wanting to keep themselves hidden behind a veil of secrecy, the Chapter used all their influence to remove Unitate from official records, thus it can only be found by those the Chapter has trusted with its location. From personal experience with dealing with astartes, I would put my life on it that that list is smaller than my right thumb.

 

Finally, one piece of information that continually came to my attention during my studies was that of the Deathstroke. This is a weapon, a blade of some kind, which has been handed down from master to master of the Spectres ever since their inception. I was carried by Sla when he was requested to lead and train the new chapter. Its origins lie during the glorious time of the Great Crusade. It has been noted that the weapon was carried by Chapter Master Falco of the Raven Guard, as a symbol of his favour which the legion. Why Sla was gifted with such an ancient and illustrious blade only those of the Raptors Chapter will know.

 

I hope that this report is sufficient for the time being. I will endeavour to make contact with the chapter so that I may gather further information. May the Emperor guide your soul.

 

Your Most Humble Servant,

Interrogator-Adept Franko Giovanni

 

++Transmission End++

[Ferrata]

Inquisitional Report

of the Astartes Chapter

The Knights of the Emperor

 

Information:

Geneseed: Ultramarines

Founding: 22nd

Colours: Green with silver trim

Symbol: A single sword with silver wings

 

+ Inquisitor Lord Halum,

Here is the report on the Astartes Chapter known as the Knights of the Emperor, that you requested of me.

 

I have spent the last year with this chapter studying how the react to different threats from the many heretics and aliens of this galaxy.

 

From what I have gathered they fight in an almost perfect way, avoiding blows and sweeping under defences without even a thought it seems.

 

The only reason that I can find of this, is that before any encounter whether it be with foul heretics or swarming aliens, that they meditate for a period before launching into the fray.

 

It seems that they follow the teachings of an Emperor like character that teaches them to become one with their blade and to be in control of any aggression that they might have.

 

They have no particular favoured choice of enemy for they seem to have no anger or hatred of anyone. And the except anyone if they wish to fight a common foe, but they are wary of them.

 

They seem to have this 6th sense of incoming blows or shots and have an uncanny ability to avoid them.

 

Something else that has come to my attention is the chapters major use of huge 2 handed blades, much like the fabled relic blades of other chapters, that have different glows from every wielder.

These blades aren't necessarily as strong as the relic blades but are on level power of the multiple power weapons.

Although some great warriors in the chapter wield highly powerful 'sabers' as they call them.

 

I hope this information helps you my Lord Inquisitor

 

Inquisitor Trilon+

[Ferrata]

[size=0; background-image:url(http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/hq2.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: 8px 2px; padding: 12px 8px 12px 8px; border: 1px solid #DDD; margin-left: 0 auto; text-align: left; color: #fff; text-indent:50px; font-size:130%; width:50%;">Index Astartes: The Omen[/size]

A Space Marine of the Omen

http://warseer.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=46983&d=1224307208

“And it is said in the Book of Ending that the Last shall come from the First; that the Heralds of the Emperor’s Light will cleanse the stars of filth and spread his word. So shall we be the Last Sign, the Ending, the Omen of the Apocalypse.” –Chapter Master Argenos

F

ormed of the geneseed of the Genesis Chapter, first amongst the Successors of Guilleman, in the 22nd Founding, Chapter 698 vowed to protect the Malygos sector of the northeastern Ultima Segmentum, located several systems away from the edge of the Ghoul Stars. They initiated a tour of duty throughout the sector, the proud new Chapter parading its forces to the delight of cheering Imperial citizens. Disgruntled populaces either praised the Astartes or kept silent, normally constant corsair presence lessened considerably, and even a few of the Orks infesting nearby systems hesitated to attack the Malygos sector at this display of martial might.

Then, the Chapter came across Zenla IV.

Home World

T

he planet was a civilized hive world with billions of inhabitants, and an insidious separatist cult had taken root in the planet’s aristocracy and populace. Promising a new age of freedom and prosperity, amongst other such heretical nonsense, the upper class had beguiled the lower classes into following them in their rebellion. The Chapter was met not with fireworks and celebration, but planetary defense guns and fighter ships.

Enraged, the new Chapter set about quelling the planet with all the ferocity Astartes are legendary for. They made planetfall via drop pod and Thunderhawk, braving anti-aircraft fire. Adapting quickly, they split their forces on a hundred missions at once, sabotaging the enemy’s power, capturing weapons caches, disabling communications, and so forth. With this strategy, they

The Age of Battle is Begun

…Ancient enemies appear from the darkness. Sensing weakness they gather for the kill. They know as we know that night approaches and all mortal life will be extinguished. We know, as they cannot, that there will be a new dawn and a new day when we will rise and they will be driven into the darkness forever.

rendered the enemy’s numbers useless. Finally, a teleport assault by Terminators, led by the Chapter Master Argenos, utterly crushed the cult’s leadership during a public oratory designed to stir them to action.

The slaughter and complete superiority of the Space Marines rendered the populace numb with shock. Millions flocked to the churches to gain forgiveness, and queues formed outside them where fanatical redemptionists flogged those too slow to gain entry. Some simply stayed in their homes and prayed, weeping. Others, more suicidal, charged the Space Marine strongholds across the planet in a final death rattle for the separatists.

In a planet-wide address, Chapter Master Argenos described to the planet the magnitude of their sin. He castigated them verbally for their infidelity, insulting them with all the impunity the pure can muster. He described the impossibility of their heresy, that they might live independent of the glorious Imperium. He enumerated to them, in detail, the horrors the galaxy could easily throw at them if the Imperium had not been there to hold it at bay. He spoke of the glory and courage of Imperial Guardsmen, Space Marines, Sisters of Battle, and other organizations dedicated wholly to the defense of planets like Zenla V.

But most of all he cursed their stupidity and ignorance, for wasting life and energy in this conflict that otherwise would have served the Emperor. His words were such that the planet wept as he forced them to realize the depth of their sin. Finally, he withdrew his Space Marines and bid the Emperor have mercy on their souls, declaring his intention to commit Exterminatus in a space of ten hours.

-attributed to the Writings of Reclusiarch Malevols

We prepare the way for the glorious salvation of Mankind. All will be consumed and made one with the Emperor or destroyed in the Ending of Time. But we must hold, brothers, for many are the ways by which the true path may fail. We must hold, and prepare the way for His Glory. Though these dark times are known as the End Times, we must hold the wickedness seeking ascendancy in our galaxy at bay for some time longer. We must hold, cleanse, and anoint this galaxy for the salvation of all Mankind.

The planet panicked. Riots erupted in the streets, and churches collapsed at the bulk of humanity forced into them. Looting, chaos and barbarity was the rule as the planet committed itself to death throes.

Then, amazingly, at the ninth hour, a voice spoke over the chaos. A group of young boys, by the Emperor’s grace, had fought their way into a broadcasting station, and on all channels were speaking in a calming sermon that lulled even the most vicious rioters to listen. Such was the strength of their faith and words that the planet’s populace finally calmed itself and prepared for death.

But Argenos had been listening as the young ones spoke. His heart leapt that such devotion could be found amongst such corruption. With a word, he forestalled the planet’s doom and brought his Honor Guard with him down to the surface. None stood in his way as he strode into the broadcasting station. And he spoke to the boys.

He had decided upon a name for the Chapter. They would be the Omen; their fleet would be a sign for death and destruction for any worlds not compliant to the Emperor. They would cleanse the galaxy a planet at a time if need be. The question he presented to the boys was whether they truly wanted to die, or if they wished to serve their Emperor again.

Resoundingly the boys promised their lives to the Emperor, and the planet echoed them, begging for the forgiveness and mercy of the Chapter. They would prove themselves worthy, they cried. They would praise the Emperor again, they swore. Mercy was all they asked.

From that day forth, the planet would serve the Emperor with a penitent fervor that proved amazing. And in this the Chapter gained a home world from which to recruit. Each decade, on the anniversary of the Quelling, a delegation of the Omen’s brothers descend on the planet and test those youths who aspire to join them. Those that pass and survive the gladiatorial initiations are taken up to the Chapter’s Fortress-Monastery, Unending Vigil, on Zenla’s largest moon, Iracus.

Combat Doctrine

T

he Chapter prosecutes its wars with an indifference to the lives and spirits of others. If need be, they will purge a world of billions to quell an uprising. Their arrival in a system heralds great sorrow to come if the planets in question do not commit themselves to the Emperor’s will, and many a rebellion has lost momentum simply by their presence.

Their ships patrol the Malygos sector, enforcing the Emperor’s will in this fashion. However, at times the enemies of Man will not be stopped by a simple show of force, and further action will need to be taken.

The Third Book of War

It is the age of war and our last days must be lived amidst the sound of our own destruction.

At times like these the Chapter’s brethren will descend on the planet with unyielding prejudice. Drop pods will scream from the skies alongside orbital bombardment shells and lances, and Thunderhawks will soar down to the surface carrying similarly deadly cargo. The Space Marines of the Omen Chapter will follow similar tactics that they used against the Zenla Separatists, rapidly mitigating their defenses and crushing their leadership. The broken populations will then be demanded to bow to the Emperor and atone, and sometimes forced to comply; when the planet is again compliant the Chapter will leave the broken cities and people behind to achieve their next task.

Against outside invaders the Chapter will wage war with similar indifference to human life and property. If the enemy hides in a city, it will be leveled; if the enemy is in a forest, it will be burned; if the enemy feeds from an agricultural center, it will be salted. Then the Chapter will again take its leave, the Astartes having better things to do than help the mortals rebuild.

This has gained the Omen some notoriety and outright hate from some of their more compassionate brethren. The Salamanders, the Titans, the Space Wolves, and others have consistently rattled their sabers when confronted with allying with the dour Chapter, but as yet no blows have been struck. It is unclear how much longer this will last, however.

Organization

T

he Chapter is strictly Codex, and upholds their Primogenitor’s traditions and organization. However, this gains them no friends amongst the Ultramarines or the Genesis Chapter, who find their methods overly harsh and somewhat wasteful. The situation is likely not helped by the indifferent demeanor of the Omen's Marines; the warriors care as little for politics and underhanded maneuvering as they do about the Imperial citizens they would gladly see slaughtered by the millions daily if it were to fulfill their dooming prophecy.

Beliefs

The Book of Ending

This tome is the collection of scriptures and dogma that forms the Chapter Cult. It pulls together many pieces and quotes from different sects of the Imperial Cult that the Chapter have deemed to show a portion of their truth; many a doomsday cult would find a homage to them within this book. It is carried by the Master of Sanctity at all times, and he often quotes passages from memory during battle, both to inspire his allies and terrify his foes of the purge to come.

T

he Omen believes that it is the herald of the Emperor’s wrath upon those who do not believe in Him- as a symbol of this, the heraldry Argenos chose was that of a comet, a sign of judgment and foul times on Zenla. They see him as the ultimate example for all Mankind and a god who demands obedience without question. They also believe that Space Marines are above mortals in every way, refusing to bow to any mortal, be it an Imperial Commander, Inquisitor, or even those Space Marines they see as less than themselves.

In addition, they see the Emperor as a force that will, at the end of time, come forth from Terra and consume all the faithful to be joined with Him. The Omen see their work as a preparation for this time, ensuring that the worlds of the Imperium are faithful to their Master. They also believe that through their efforts, they bring their own formerly rebellious world that much closer to forgiveness.

Geneseed

T

he Chapter’s warriors use the Ultramarines geneseed, proud of its purity and noble heritage. A small flaw has emerged in that the warriors of the Chapter all have bright gray eyes, bordering on a strange metallic coloring, but they are unconcerned by this, relishing in the disconcerting effect of it and seeing it as another trait that sets them apart from mortals.

Battle Cry

“Imperator Edax Omnium! (The Emperor Consumes All!)”

[Ferrata]

Bronze Knights

geneseed: Vulkan ( unconfirmed )

Founding: Unknown but thought to be around the 15th

Symbol and Scheme: the symbol is of a fire wraped sword through a skull, the armor is colored with silver and gold accents with Bronze coloring primarily

Homeworld: there homeworld is a rich industrial planet, with many rare and shiny metals like gold and silver and bronze, the world is part of a 12 planet elliptical orbit system around Red super giant as such the only habitable planet in the system is Dragos the home hive world of the bronze knights, the other planets all have hives for mining the metals there, dragos culture is one like feudal worlds, there are 12 kingdoms each with a number of hives with in the kingdoms, ever 12 terren years or one Dragos year each kingdom holds a tournament selecting candidates for the knights, when 14 candidates are ready a Gold Warrior ( Chaplin ( scheme changes to primary gold secondary bronze for them )) arrives and takes them to the fortress monastery where each one begins there fight with the others, only 12 are selected in non mortal combat, the rest are scent to learn to be trained how to be serfs to the chapter

The Dragos system is out near the Centaurus arm in the ultima segmentum

Doctrine: there combat doctrine is one of slow, devastating attacks presided by orbital bombardments and heavy siege warfare

they are organized in a normal codex fashion with little to no difference determined by the battle to be fought

they believe that the emperor is the king of all and the slayer of false gods, and that they are not but servants to his will, a win gives him there blessing and a lose brings on fasting and the pain glove to beg for his forgiveness

[Ferrata]

From: Lord Inquisitor Gaius Tectomus, Ordo Hereticus

To: Inquisitor Rhen Tibald

Date: 1.831.981M41

Subject: Storm Riders

 

My dear pupil,

 

I have taken great interest in your report about the Storm Riders' actions.

I have ordered an in-depth investigation of this Chapter's history.

I still can't believe that an Astartes Chapter could have used the thrice accursed Obliterator-virus against another loyal Chapter.

I would like you to send me the original pict-feed which awoke your suspicions for further analysis with due haste and, if you still have the tissue samples collected upon the mutated bodies of the Disciples of Iron, I would like you to send them to me too.

 

By the will of the Emperor,

 

Lord Inquisitor Gaius Tectomus

Ordo Hereticus

 

+++++++++++++

 

From: Magos Historicus Alpha Cassius Narië

To: Lord Inquisitor Gaius Tectomus, Ordo Hereticus

Date: 3.758.992M41

Subject: Adeptus Astartes Storm Riders Chapter

 

Honoured Lord,

 

I have, as per your request, spent the last 10 years collating and cross-referencing the data available on the history of the Adeptus Astartes Chapter known as the Storm Riders. I must emphasize how difficult the task was since most of the records pre-dating the Age of Apostasy were completely lost. I have however been able to compile a comprehensive collection of the records still available which you will find attached to this message. I will however summarize here the results of my findings.

 

I have been unable to find any reliable source as to the chapter's founding. Most of the sources agree that the chapter is very ancient, perhaps even a Second Founding Chapter. Some of the most apocryphal ones suggest that the chapter may even have been active during the Great Crusade itself, but I can't accept and condone such revisionist views. It is however sure (see attached data-file R0A/0597) that they were active at the time of the Ozymandias Insurrection in 312M33.

 

The Chapter's beliefs (as can be seen from attached data-files X4F/0586 and X1M/1192) are quite unnerving. [i suppose it is one of the reasons for your interest in this particular Astartes Chapter.] They strongly believe in the teachings of a very old text apparently dating from the Dark Age of Technology which supports the philosophy of the Survival of the Fittest. They believe that the Emperor will not rise from His Golden Throne until the galaxy has been cleansed from the weak and His Strong Followers are ready for the Last Battle.

 

This belief explains why the Chapter often doesn't answer pleas for help, probably deeming the threats far too weak to be worthy of their intervention. One of their Chapter Masters, whose name has been lost, during the Great Hrud Infestation of Akkaba in 589M35, reportedly declared "If the men from this planet can't deal with these vile xenos by themselves, then they don't deserve to live." (See attached data-file G6K/1008, Administratum report of the post-Infestation Akkaba and their estimations of the impact of the Storm Riders' refusal to intervene.) The Chapter apparently only fights when they deem the enemy strong enough to represent a challenge to their brethren. [i have troubles reconciling such an attitude with my previous knowledge of Astartes but I must admit that I am no expert in the habits and customs of Space Marines.]

 

It is also probably this belief which led to the quite characteristic way in which the chapter recruits new members. Numerous local sources mention the arrival upon a planet of "star-demons in armour" who rounded up all the children between 12 and 14 years old and forced them to fight until only a handful survived. Those survivors being then taken away by the "demons". The cross-checking of these accounts with the known positions of the Storm Riders fleet during the last 3 millennia leave no doubt as to the identity of these "demons" (see attached data-file R8T/4275).

 

Some of the most detailed texts still available about the Storm Riders are those who mention their fratricide wars with other Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, notably the Flesh Tearers. While the reasons behind this are unknown it appears that the Storm Riders attacked the Chapter of the Flesh Tearers in 459M37, the resulting conflict was only put to an end by the arrival of an Ork Waaagh, both Chapters agreeing on a truce to deal with the more pressing threat posed by the greenskin Xenos. Some sources mention another conflict between the Chapters in 897M38 but I was not able to find more data on this subject.

 

Another interesting aspect of the Storm Riders, mentioned repeatedly throughout the texts, is that none of their members was ever seen without his full battle-plate and wearing his helmet. The authors of some of the sources I have been able to gather have come to the conclusion that the Chapter may be hiding deformities (see attached data-file X2M/0181) but this hypothesis has never been confirmed.

 

I hope the contents of this report will help you in your duties to His Holiness on Earth.

 

I remain your humble servant,

 

Cassius Narië

Magos Historicus Alpha.

 

+++++++++++++

 

From: Lord Inquisitor Gaius Tectomus, Ordo Hereticus

To: Director Secundus Galatea Mikovia, Officio Assassinorum

Date: 1.760.992M41

Subject: Target

 

Magos Historicus Alpha Cassius Narië, Lutecius, Averoin Sector. Alpha Priority.

[Ferrata]

The Swamp Rats Space Marine Chapter

The Swamp Rats have treaded the line between the faithful and the heretic more closely than most chapters still under in the bosom of the Emperor. The Rats have achieved a somewhat convoluted history in their short life as an active force within the Imperium. Born as one of the chapters of the honourable twenty-third founding, they have roamed space for as few as four thousand years, barely an infant chapter in respect to many other Astartes.

The darkest days of the chapter occurred shortly after their birth as two catastrophic events almost destroying their morality before they had even reached their first millennia. Trusted with the safe guarding, protection and enlarging of the Kinetus sub-sector, they took to battle with fire in their hearts and fury in their lungs. Unfortunately for all their strength and brutal warfare they were unable to control the worlds within the sub-sector falling to a series of harsh piratical raids and throwing themselves against well dug in defenders. Responding swiftly to their failures they allowed themselves to grow vastly pass the enforced codex one thousand battle brothers. To this day no external organisation knows precisely how large the chapter grew, a saving grace for the Rats who might have been treated harsher if such knowledge was free. The massive expansion in manpower allowed them to quickly subdue and secured all planets with the sub-sector and enlarge its borders by almost two-fold, a great achievement for any force in the Imperium.

As the Kinetus sub-sector rested in a rare moment of tranquillity since the arrival of the Imperium, the Swamp Rats headed back to their home world to regroup, resupply and retrain. It was on this return journey that the first tragedy struck the chapter, a fate of their own calling. Disrupting the peace spreading across Kinetus, Kolmorc, a densely populated feudal world, seemingly erupted in rebellion against the corpse Emperor and his heartless servants. Ironically the pacification force sent to put down the revolution would have only proved the belief of the populace. The entire Swamp Rats chapter descended upon the planet with the objective of quashing any anti-Imperial sentiment before dawn. Before the sun rose the following morning the chapter had succeeded in slaughtering the entire population of the planet, deeming them all to be followers of the Dark Gods.

Whilst it took fewer than six hours to make human life extinct it took more than six years for the truth of the ‘rebellion’ to come to light. What was perceived by the chapter as anarchy was a local annual festival in which liberation and freedom were celebrated. Another day of observation would have proved the loyalties of the planet lay with the Emperor, not against. The rash actions of the chapter had condemned their morality to a darkness not achieved by many forces the Imperium battles.

Appalled by their actions, the chapter committed themselves to a self imposed penitence crusade in which they would not recruit until they fell below the codex standard strength. Never again would the Swamp Rats have the ability to unleash such fury, such power. The Sinisum Cleansing as it would become known was named such by Imperial Scholars for the destruction of both heretical and xenos forces in the Sinisum sub-sector, whilst the Rats saw it as a cleansing of their souls. It took them nearly four hundred years to absolve themselves and return to their fortress monastery.

Upon their return, the Rats continued their pre-Cleansing activities and participated in a large number of co-ordinated actions with other Astarte forces. These campaigns were aimed at both fallen chapters and xenos alike and a strong bond of brotherhood formed amongst many of the chapters. The Swamp Rats had a particularly strong tie with the Ruby Bandits chapter and often took to battle alongside one another. Although the practices of the Bandits disallowed any non-member to set foot within their fortress-monastery the Rats were permitted to land upon their home world, an honour granted to no other Imperial force.

A second disastrous consequence of the Kolmorc Massacre was enforced by the Imperium upon the chapter when it came to light what had occurred of the forsaken planet. It was indeed the Ruby Bandits who first stumbled upon the ruins of the civilisation destroyed by the Rats. A council of Chapter Masters condemned the Rats to be abandoned in the cold south of space and left without resources or supplies. It was said that if the heart and soul of the chapter was true, the Emperor would allow them to return to his light, if not they would perish without a tear from the Imperium.

For the second time in their life, the chapter was alone to torment themselves about their actions. Where they once believed themselves forgiven they now stood questioning their morality, their loyalty. Could a force of the Emperor slay so many millions of his citizens? Had they condemned themselves to the darkness so young? It was a long time before they finally returned to the Imperium, a shell of their former selves. It was only when the Bandits rescued the chapter from almost certain extinction the Rats knew they were truly a force of good.