The Scions of Amalath

[Commissar Molotov]

A foreword - my aim with this Chapter was to look at a Chapter re-naming itself. It's a cliché within DIY circles, primarily because it's undertaken with little thought or justification by writers afflicted with the Mark of Chaos Undecided. I'm also keen to explore a Chapter with a distinct 'belief', undertaking missions to further that belief. The Amalathian Conclave was a momentous moment within 40k history (though not one that gets much attention) and I think it's one of 40k's wonderfully tragic things that the Imperium seemed to be on such a high in 999.M40 - yet just a thousand years later the Imperium has been beset by Tau, Tyranids and Necrons, whilst Abaddon has renewed his assault...

 

Another thing I want to do is to try something else. Look at the Joker in the latest Batman film, The Dark Knight. Nobody knows where he came from, or how his face was scarred. It's completely and utterly irrelevant to the story. As GhostLegion mentions in a recent blog, Liber-ites are sometimes obsessed with a Chapter's first Master. In this instance, Orosius proved more influential, and my write-up reflects that - though I'm certainly looking to edit it where necessary.

 

 

The Scions of Amalath

 

ORIGINS

The dawn of the forty-first millennium was a time of spiritual and physical renewal for the Imperium. A great conclave was held upon the planet of Gathalamor, at the mighty Mount Amalath. Gathalamor had once been the capital-world of Cardinal Bucharis during the so-called Plague of Unbelief in .M36. The Apostate-Cardinal had attempted to carve out his own bloody Empire, but had ultimately been stopped by the stubborn ferocity of the Space Wolves. The Conclave was an opportunity for military, religious and political leaders and dignitaries from across the Imperium to gather in their multitudes and reaffirm once more their oaths of loyalty to the Emperor and Mankind. It is said that this gathering was even responsible for spurring Lord Solar Macharius to his conquest of nearly a thousand worlds. During these years, there was a swell of optimisim within the Imperium that everything was once more proceeding as the Emperor had planned, in contrast to the widespread pessimism that had pervaded before and after the trying times of earlier millennia.

 

Many Space Marine Chapter Masters were present at Mount Amalath, and among these was Orosius, newly-elected Chapter Master of the Marines Vigilant, an Imperial Fists successor drawn from the seventh founding. Orosius would later write extensively of his experiences at Gathalamor, and indeed, they would prove to be a pivotal moment in the Chapter’s history. It is said that as he ascended Mount Amalath, Orosius found himself consumed by a vision of the Emperor resplendant. The Emperor laid his blessing upon the Marines Vigilant, and bade Orosius to expend all his energies in fighting to preserve the realm.

 

'I saw the Emperor's wounds, and I wept.'

- Master Orosius, Volume IV of his Teachings of Amalath

 

Orosius returned to his Chapter's fleet, full of purpose. His eyes are said to have burnt with a passion and fervour that could not be denied. He told his Brothers of the Emperor's appearance, of his plans to focus the Chapter on the defence of the Emperor's realm. All accepted Orosius’ account of theophany; of the Emperor’s revelations to the Chapter Master. However, it was his decision to change the Chapter’s name and heraldry that caused the greatest controversy. Arguments raged throughout the arrayed ranks of the Marines Vigilant. Some considered a new identity fitting for their newly-given purpose, whilst to other battle-brothers it appeared to denigrate the Chapter’s long and sacred history. Eventually, Chapter Master Orosius broke his silence by ordering the entire Chapter to withdraw from all its current campaigns and return home.

 

Orosius waited until the entire Chapter had arrived, keen not to exclude anyone from this momentous time. Once the brethren were assembled, he spoke to them of his vision, of the charge given to the Marines Vigilant by the Emperor. After he had finished, every brother that chose to do so was entitled to speak his mind on the issue. Many of the Chapter’s veterans spoke fervently about the long legacy of the Chapter and the sacrifices made by the thousands of Marines that had given their lives for those colours and died to preserve the honour of that name over the long millennia. Others opined that new heraldry to show how the Chapter had been marked out in the Emperor’s sight was entirely appropriate, and that the honoured dead would approve. The discussions raged for three weeks and no end seemed in sight - until the Chapter’s contingent of Dreadnoughts was woken from their artificial slumber. The entire Chapter paused to hear them speak.

 

The oldest of the dreadnoughts was Honoured Lucien, who had been interred into the sarcophagus over six millennia before. He spoke passionately and at length of the Chapter’s founding, of the role of the Astartes in defending the Emperor’s realm. If the Emperor had indeed visited the Chapter, Lucien said, then the Space Marines – his sons and servants – had to put conceptions of pride to one side and take up his charge.

 

For Orosius, the matter was decided. The Chapter would adopt a new name – the Scions of Amalath, in recognition of his vision of the Emperor, and all that the conclave at Mount Amalath had represented – an Imperium resurgent, able to assail its enemies and bring light to the darkness.

 

HOMEWORLD

 

The Scions of Amalath maintain a fortress-monastery on the dead world of Tyr. This facility hold’s the Chapter’s armouries and Librarium; it is where all new neophytes are brought once they are inducted into the Chapter’s ranks. The bulk of the Chapter, however, is committed to roving fleets that cross the Imperium, continually seeking to preserve the Imperium as the Emperor saw fit to leave it.

 

BELIEFS

 

The Scions are known to observe a calendar of holy days throughout the year, with each day marking some momentous event within the Chapter’s history. All the Scions attempt to observe these days wherever possible, unless battle precludes this. Rather than elaborate feasts or other such celebrations, the Scions use these days in quiet contemplation. Honoured Lucien's admonishment led to the Scions' attempts to banish the sin of pride from their psyche, and brothers often examine theirselves for such failings, punishing themselves for any perceived infractions.

 

The Scions refer to their rebirth at the hands of Orosius as 'the reformation'; whilst at first this would seem to discount the millennia of dutiful service undertaken in their incarnation as the Marines Vigilant, the Librarians of the Chapter have taken every effort to document and preserve the history of the Chapter - in both its guises. Neophytes are thoroughly indoctrinated with the Chapter's long and glorious history to ensure that the Marines Vigilant are never forgotten by those that fight under their banner. Monuments to the fallen have been erected upon Tyr and it is customary for one veteran brother in every company to don the Chapter's former colours so that the Marines Vigilant may continue to fight and accumulate honour.

 

The Chapter was infused with purpose at the dawn of the forty-first millennium, and the events of Gathalamor have led the Chapter to develop peculiar belief system in which they worship the 'Emperor Incarnate' - literally, they worship the Imperium itself, believing that to safeguard the Imperium is to safeguard the Emperor. This leads the Chapter to primarily concern itself with re-taking Imperial worlds lost to heresy, corruption or alien influence, rather than prosecuting aggressive campaigns to recover new worlds. Scions forces will often deploy to protect or safeguard large population clusters, industrial areas or the like in an attempt to keep the Imperium strong - as it was at the dawn of the forty-first millennium.

 

In the centuries since Amalath, the Imperium has become ensnared once more in the pervasive stranglehold of terror. The reawakening of the Necrons, the rise and rise of the Tau Empire, Abaddon the Despoiler’s destructive Crusades and the destructive advance of the Tyranids – all signs and portents seem to show that this is the Imperium’s darkest hour, the time in which the sacrifice of the Scions will matter most.

 

ORGANISATION

The Chapter maintains an orthodox ten-company structure in accordance with the Codex Astartes.

 

The Scions have on occasion fielded warriors equivalent in status to the Emperor’s Champion within other Chapters descended from the Imperial Fists. Since Orosius first received his vision from the Emperor, a rare few within the Chapter’s ranks have been fortunate enough to commune with Him on the eve of a particularly portentous battle. These individuals are highly-respected and are often taken by the Chaplains and clad in ancient suits of Power Armour. Taking up blessed weapons and leading his brothers to battle, the Scions see these righteous warriors as a vindication of their purpose.

 

COMBAT DOCTRINE

 

The Scions have typically displayed a marked propensity for conducting campaigns against heretics and apostates, as opposed to the threat of the alien. Where possible, the Chapter favours rapid assaults utilising drop pods to strike at the command and control facilities of an opponent. Killing an enemy orator is seen as a mark of honour within the Chapter - each dead apostate strengthens the Imperium.

 

In this regard, the Chapter has proven a natural ally for the Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus.

 

GENE-SEED

The Scions of Amalath draw their gene-seed from Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists, and share in the genetic legacy of all Dorn’s progeny. The Chapter’s gene-seed is highly stable, with minimal rates of mutation, although the Marines lack the Betcher’s gland and the Sus-an Membrane.

[flintlocklaser]

This is great. Simply great. I particularly like the Scion's notion of the body of the Empire being the body of the Emperor. You've done a wonderful job weaving some real-world religious movements and concepts into this one. An interesting side note is that while I was tangentially aware of the Conclave of Amalath, I wouldn't have guessed that it was as recent an event as it was. The very name 'Warhammer 40,000' kind of stuns us into waving our hands at big swathes of time, but a thousand years is long enough for, as you said, the Imperium to swing from near-disaster to resurgence and back to the precipice again. Very, very nicely done.