IA: Death Heads

[Ace Debonair]

I thought that was from when you tripped down the stairs of the reclusiam with your Power Fist engaged?

 

No, that was the other leg. The bionic one. You'd best stop that infernal squeeking in your mechanical leg, Ace, or I'll oil it with promethium :lol: !

 

You'd be amazed how much the chicks dig the mechanical leg, KHK. :D And the squeak is part of that charm. :)

And actually the incident with the powerfist messed up my other arm, not my leg. The leg was from that debacle with testing the prototype Land-Raider jetpack...

 

Oops, I''m getting off-topic.

I'll try and come up with something for your homeworld name.

 

 

The heretic has willingly chosen to turn his back on the bountiful gifts offered to him by the Emperor. Foremost among those gifts is his life - and the Death Heads are there to exact their dues.

Awesome, Commissar Mol, just awesome.

KHK, take my tip and steal this line. :D

[Donkey Kong]

Thanks Mol, Ace!

 

I think hatred for those who scorn the Imperium is certainly an interesting angle. As I said, it can link to the homeworld. It can also link to the importance of history. Every child on your homeworld learns just why their homeworld was flooded. It provides interesting themes that I think should be threaded through the entirety of your article. The importance of sacrifice is a key one. Another interesting one would be the purifying nature of water (as opposed to the usual 'purifying flame'.) You can imagine Chapter Serfs washing the Chapters' armour clean of the blood and smoke of battle with water from their homeworld. It would also seem to suggest a specific angle toward the heretic rather than the alien. Orks, Tyranids, Tau and Necrons - they are ignorant of the light of the Emperor, too stupid to appreciate it (and as aliens, they do not deserve it.) The heretic has willingly chosen to turn his back on the bountiful gifts offered to him by the Emperor. Foremost among those gifts is his life - and the Death Heads are there to exact their dues.

 

All very good ideas! I'll be sure to use them. And I'll probably follow Ace's advice with that last line :lol: .

 

The Space Wolf paradigm is based around the noble savage. It's a juxtaposition that works for them. They care deeply for the Imperium, as evidenced by the first war for Armageddon. I don't see the same compelling hook in your Chapter. Persecution of traitors does not make your Chapter noble. It rather depends if nobility is something you're aiming for, but I think there needs to be a clear explanation for the departure from the Ultramarines (and by extension the White Consuls). If you're set on the skulls being a clear part of the Chapter's history (and a core part of their beliefs) then you need to explain much more in the origins. Caphon is not really introduced as a compelling character, and so his decisions lack much in the way of narrative weight.

 

I'd certainly like the Death Heads to be noble. I find it odd that you say persecution of the guilty isn't noble, though. This should be one to brood on, I don't know many tropes of the like and I'd like the Death Heads to be different. Even pirates had a brotherly nobility about them.

 

One idea for nobility could be following in the pious footsteps of the White Consuls and actually integrating themselves in the Imperial Cult.

 

Caphon not being compelling is certainly something I'd like to improve on. Caphon is a veteran of the Horus Heresy, he has fought the arch enemy back to the Eye of Terror and held them there. He should be compelling, and I take the blame for not making him so. His decision to have the skull helmet should be influential.

 

The skull being a part of the beliefs should also be one that ties to the homeworld, I think. The Death Heads mark themselves with achievements, in the beginning they should be skeletal, similar to how the Heresy left the world a shadow of its former self. Retribution puts flesh on bones and changes the skull.

 

-> Potential names for their Fortress Monastery: The Pinnacle, the Outlook, Stormhold...? The first two, particularly, work as they've got multiple meanings. Becoming an Astartes is the pinnacle for any warrior of your planet. Just think out of the box!

 

-> The Kraken Helms... consider that a Space Marines' armour is made of ceramite (something I imagine your homeworld couldn't use.) Astartes helms incorporate auto-senses, filters, rebreathers and much more. I would think that whilst the artisans of a Chapter could replicate the design of a helmet, they would have trouble fitting them into a ancient relic which probably is made of lesser materials. (Arguably, a Space Marines' head is bigger than that of a normal man!)

 

The Outlook certainly has a nice ring to it. I think the Astartes making their own Kraken helms probably sounds better then, maybe introducing the Companies as individual warrior houses on the world.

 

I'm interested as to how exactly you're going to make them vicious (especially given the question around 'nobility'.)

 

The Death Heads were always big on close combat. I also imagine that they'd be adding purifying flame to the purifying water if they follow the Imperial Cult, or even if they don't. Shock and awe will be capitalized to an extreme by the Death Heads with drop pods under extensive use, jump pack proficiency will go hand in hand with close combat. Scouts will also be used more in lines with light infantry and skirmishers assaulting enemy lines, like carapace armored blood claws. Infiltrators will be tasked with assassinating leaders and destroying morale. Overall, it's just a big, loud shock army. Battle is rarely noble, the only example I can think of is the Emperor's Champion, and even then it's still just running an enemy through with a giant sword.

 

I'll try and come up with something for your homeworld name.

 

Thanks, Ace.

[Commissar Molotov]

Apologies for the belated reply.

 

I don't consider persecution to be noble. A quick search throws up the definition of 'being morally or spiritually good, being exalted in character; nobleness of mind, character, or spirit; exalted moral excellence.' I don't think that the single focus upon persecution and destruction makes them noble. It's about how you support your theme. Twist it to be defending those that can't defend themselves from the depredations of the heretic, and that's noble. Killing for the sake of killing...? Not so much. For a comparison, consider the Punisher, the marvel anti-hero. By what standard is he a 'good' man? Why should we look up to him? He's a vigilante who steps outside the laws of society. Whilst the 40k universe operates by different moral standards to us, the same sorts of questions apply to you. How do you define these warriors as 'noble'? Protecting those that cannot protect themselves may well be a starting point.

 

I've not read anything that suggests the White Consuls have integrated themselves in the Imperial Cult; I know that they feature in one of the Word Bearers novels, but irregardless, if you're set on the Third Founding I don't believe that the contemporary White Consuls would not be too dissimilar from the Ultramarines. (and as a heresy veteran, Caphon is an Ultramarine!) As a result, I believe that the initial Death Heads would not have been too different from the Ultramarines. I'm also not sure whether integrating your Chapter with the Ecclesiarchy would make them noble by default. I would suggest that it may even bring along too muc baggage that you would have to deal with.

 

I tend to not be a huge fan of hugely influential Chapter founders, as it's often a bit of a clich

[Donkey Kong]

Twist it to be defending those that can't defend themselves from the depredations of the heretic, and that's noble.

 

Probably the best way to do it. It also makes the attack on the homeworld hit that much harder and gives the Marines that much more purpose to the people.

 

I've not read anything that suggests the White Consuls have integrated themselves in the Imperial Cult

 

I blame lexicanum for that one, then ;) .

 

I would suggest that it may even bring along too muc baggage that you would have to deal with.

 

Agreed, it's probably for the best not to.

 

I tend to not be a huge fan of hugely influential Chapter founders, as it's often a bit of a cliché. In the case of this Chapter, I think you need to convincingly trace the path from Ultramarine to Death Head for Caphon. It doesn't seem something that the archetypal Ultramarine would don, and you need to just make it understandable for the reader.

 

This probably sums up Caphon and what needs to be done with him. The only problem is coming up with what that certain something will be. The biggest thing is the symbolism of the skull, it's representing a skeletal being. What would make Caphon feel like bare bones? The Word Bearers attacking Calth could be something if that was his home, but then why would it make him feel skeletal? Another something to sit on, I guess :P .

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

What would make Caphon feel like bare bones?

 

Did they destroy or desecrate something that held a lot of emotional significance for Caphon when they attacked? Was it the attack itself on a place where he felt was protected or safer from the ruination of the galaxy at large? Most Astartes don't form a terrible amount of sentimental attachments to anything other than say their battle gear or their brothers. If Caphon had found something on Calth that caught his heart, that could be a fairly powerful movtive.

[Donkey Kong]

The only problem is the lack of information surrounding the Word Bearer attack on Calth. The attack itself on a place he thought was safe may be enough, but it may be a little general. Maybe Caphon feeling he failed in his duty as an Astartes?

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

That could do it. Duty is something I'd assume is very important to a loyalist Astartes, one of the things they are conditioned to believe in since it is a fairly universally un-self-serving virtue.

 

Something that convinced him he had failed utterly in his duty would do it, I don't think there are too many times when an Astartes would be more troubled than when or if he failed a mission for any reason.

 

I think there is an old marine quote from somewhere that has the gist of: "I know no fear except that my mission left undone." or something paraphrased to be similar. The words themselves don't really matter so long as you get what I'm aiming at here.

[Donkey Kong]

Alright, back to bumping. So, before I try and retype this I think I'm going to go for an outline. Question marks are ideas that I'm questioning myself. Any comments are greatly appreciated.

 

Origins

Third Founding White Consuls, Chapter Master Caphon Derii

Caphon Horus Heresy Veteran, native to Calth, devastated by Heresy, Caphon wears his skull print as a mark of his personal failing as an Astartes

Caphon swears vengeance against traitors

Caphon's dedications makes him a prime choice to lead a training cadre he names the Death Heads for his own mark and has his followers do the same

The symbol, once a mark of Caphon's failure, becomes a symbol of pride for enduring the unimaginable and being stripped to bare bones (?)

 

Homeworld

Caphon and cadre crusade liberating worlds held by traitors

Caphon refuses to take chaos occupied worlds

Caphon feels a connection to Homeworld, attacked by traitors, but emerging victorious

 

Attacked during Horus Heresy by Guardsmen and Dark Mechanicum

Defeat traitors by flooding canyons

Once mountainous, now water world, treasures lost in the great flooding

 

The attack leaves monsters in the world's new seas, the world's scars. The most notable is the kraken, becoming the Chapter's new symbol. (?)

 

caste system

Leadership and Warriors, Merchants, Commoners

Warrior Houses

The Death Heads Chapter is a House and possesses overall leadership: Chapter Master = Planetary Governor (?)

Death Head serfs make up House members (?)

Warriors are leaders

Merchant Guilds, pacts with warrior houses for protection during trade

 

Fortress Monastery "The Outlook"

Island tower

Catacombs beneath tower house deceased and entombed battle brothers

 

Chapter Organization

Codex

Neophyte --> Assault --> Devastator --> Tactical --> Proficient/ Veteran

Captains wear kraken helmets like the heads of the warrior houses to mark their connection to the home world

 

Combat Doctrine

Codex balance and versatility

Close quarters, relentless combat

Hit hard and fast

 

Chapter Cult

Purifying water (water cleansed the world of traitors)

"Orks, Tyranids, Tau and Necrons - they are ignorant of the light of the Emperor, too stupid to appreciate it (and as aliens, they do not deserve it.) The heretic has willingly chosen to turn his back on the bountiful gifts offered to him by the Emperor. Foremost among those gifts is his life - and the Death Heads are there to exact their dues."

Changing of faces, "Alone, I am nothing (skull), but I have done great things (changing faces as a sign of achievement)"

 

Gene Seed

Ultramarines

Pride in purity

 

Battle Cry

"Never forgive, never forget" (?)

[Ace Debonair]

Phew, what a week.

 

Anyway. I promised some ideas for the homeworld name, and By George I'm darn well going to deliver. :lol:

After reading your list of influences, I was mostly influenced by the idea of mediterranean island names, subjected to a good bit of mixing the letters up and adding stuff randomly. :ermm:

 

Rhodan

Aciso

Rophadia

Stroban

Ufroc

Tioco

 

I can do more if needs be, but these were the best ones I came up with.

 

 

EDIT:

And in response, the only thing I'm not sold on immediately in the post above is the battle cry, but danged if I can think of anything better.

Edited September 9, 2010 by Ace Debonair

[Donkey Kong]

Thanks, Ace!

 

I like Ufroc, also future Brothers Aciso, Stroban and Tioco would like to thank you for your contribution :rolleyes: !

[Ace Debonair]

Thanks, Ace!

 

I like Ufroc, also future Brothers Aciso, Stroban and Tioco would like to thank you for your contribution :D !

 

Happy to help.

 

Not using Rhodan, eh? Fair enough, I can steal my own idea and put in one of my IAs. :lol:

[Donkey Kong]

I didn't have much time to work on it this weekend, but here it is so far. The only change I've made is that Ufroc is now, or was, a hive world. The Death Heads seem more like a ganger recruiting type, not just a warrior house. So why not have both ;) ?

 

Caphon's "three wounds" might come off as a little hard to imagine, but it's a black skull, it has the black wings and two heads of the Aquila added onto it, and then has a white Ultramarine inverse omega on the forehead. This was the original Chapter's symbol, it was then replaced with the kraken we know and love (thank you, Dark Elves!).

 

Origins

Even a millennia after the flames of the Horus Heresy have subsided, the fury of those who suffered betrayal at the hands of their brothers burned as brightly as it ever did. A native of Calth and White Consul following the dividing of the Ultramarines, Caphon Derii was no different. Derii would never forget.

With his world put to the torch, Derii adorned his faceplate with a black skull to mark his failure. When the Emperor, was crippled, the Aquila enveloped his face. After Roboute Guilliman was laid low, the inverse omega was branded upon his second skull. Every scar served only to hone Caphon Derii hatred into an instrument of war. His spirit was empty, but his soul thirst to make him whole.

 

Derii’s roll of honors was timeless. A veteran of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, he fought the traitors into the Eye of Terror, and held back the First Black Crusade. And when the third founding called for leaders to combat the horrors of the galaxy, Senior Sergeant Caphon Derii, over a thousand years venerable, was elected to lead. His Death Heads, named for his own sign, would bring retribution to those who turned from His light.

 

Homeworld (In Progress)

Decades after joining his Chapter, Caphon led his angels of death in countless battles to liberate worlds conquered by the archenemy. Although many planetary governors requisitioned the Astartes to make their world their home, Derii could not tolerate the pain of making a home on a world tainted by the forces of Chaos. After nearly a century of searching, the Chapter found Ufroc, a water world bordering between segmentums Solar and Ultima. Hoping to find recruits and resupply, the Chapter docked on the tranquil world.

 

The half sunken hives of Ufroc struck Caphon’s interest. Upon questioning the Planetary Governor on their disposition, Caphon was enthralled by a history he knew all too well.

 

The hive world Ufroc had submitted peacefully to Imperial rule when it was discovered during the Great Crusade. Later, the planet served as a bulwark against Horus and his invading forces, and as a host to one of the greatest battles not involving the Legiones Astartes. War lasted for months, both on the surface and in orbit. In a final, desperate attempt to deny the world to the Warmaster, the loyalists targeted the world's ice caps, destroying them through orbital bombardments. Monumental tides from the broken poles washed over the world, submerging the lower hives, enveloping smaller spires, and drowning the hated traitors.

 

Since the flooding, Ufroc’s aquatic fauna flourished, and the populace has become dependent on the vast oceans. Many legends have grown around the sea and the horrors beneath its depths. Perhaps a creation of daemonic powers, or simple evolutionary adaptations, monsters conquered the oceans, none more fearsome than the Kraken.

The sacrifice of the world’s people only served to feed Caphon’s soul. This world’s ancestors had faced the archenemy and emerged victorious. When the world’s people were examined for recruits, Caphon was overjoyed to find the world’s warrior houses filled with subjects perfect for augmentation. Just as quickly, Ufroc was adopted as the Caphon’s own. Its own wound, the Kraken, would also be adopted as the Chapter’s heraldry.

[Ace Debonair]

Derii’s roll of honors was timeless. A veteran of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, he fought the traitors into the Eye of Terror, and held back the First Black Crusade. And when the third founding called for leaders to combat the horrors of the galaxy, Senior Sergeant Caphon Derii, over a thousand years venerable, was elected to lead. His Death Heads, named for his own sign, would bring retribution to those who turned from His light.

 

I got called on something like this, once. Why not make Derii a Captain? Putting the life of a whole chapter in the hands of a man not used to commanding a single company is a risky move.

 

With his world put to the torch, Derii adorned his faceplate with a black skull to mark his failure. When the Emperor, was crippled, the Aquila enveloped his face. After Roboute Guilliman was laid low, the inverse omega was branded upon his second skull. Every scar served only to hone Caphon Derii hatred into an instrument of war. His spirit was empty, but his soul thirst to make him whole.

 

The highlighted bit doesn't quite read right. It sounds like he went over the skull completely with an aquila, rather than added the wings to the skull. Also, there's a comma after Emperor that can be removed. :lol:

 

Otherwise, that's a nice first draft.

Or re-draft, or whatever the technical term is for starting over. :lol:

[Donkey Kong]

I got called on something like this, once. Why not make Derii a Captain? Putting the life of a whole chapter in the hands of a man not used to commanding a single company is a risky move.

 

For me, the reasons are twofold. First, I don't think any Captain would leave their Chapter. Cato Sicarus isn't leaving the Ultramarines anytime soon. Second, Senior Sergeant not used to command? Ha! This ties in with people having a problem using Special Characters or Captains in every battle. The Captain isn't going to be leading every mission. In fact, he's probably not going to lead most of them. The duty of leading these missions will fall onto others, the Senior Sergeant, Veteran Sergeants, and Chapter Specialists. Funnily enough, it's Commissar Molotov's fault that I think this way. I blame his own Senior Sergeant Caetrus: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...&hl=Caetrus

 

The only problem with this, though is that Derii is over 1,000 years old by the time he's chosen to lead the Death Heads. Any ideas on how to explain this one?

 

The highlighted bit doesn't quite read right. It sounds like he went over the skull completely with an aquila, rather than added the wings to the skull. Also, there's a comma after Emperor that can be removed.

 

That can be reworded, suggestions welcome, and yeah, my bad ^_^ !

 

Hopefully I can get more in this weekend.

[Ace Debonair]

I got called on something like this, once. Why not make Derii a Captain? Putting the life of a whole chapter in the hands of a man not used to commanding a single company is a risky move.

 

For me, the reasons are twofold. First, I don't think any Captain would leave their Chapter. Cato Sicarus isn't leaving the Ultramarines anytime soon. Second, Senior Sergeant not used to command? Ha! This ties in with people having a problem using Special Characters or Captains in every battle. The Captain isn't going to be leading every mission. In fact, he's probably not going to lead most of them. The duty of leading these missions will fall onto others, the Senior Sergeant, Veteran Sergeants, and Chapter Specialists. Funnily enough, it's Commissar Molotov's fault that I think this way. I blame his own Senior Sergeant Caetrus: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...&hl=Caetrus

Well, I'm only repeating criticism I once recieved for the Infinity Knights.

I don't have much of a problem with Derii being a Sergeant.

 

The only problem with this, though is that Derii is over 1,000 years old by the time he's chosen to lead the Death Heads. Any ideas on how to explain this one?

Hmm. Nope. :P

That would make him an Extremely Senior Sergeant, though, right? :lol:

[Captain Juan Juarez]

The only problem with this, though is that Derii is over 1,000 years old by the time he's chosen to lead the Death Heads. Any ideas on how to explain this one?

Hmm. Nope. :P

That would make him an Extremely Senior Sergeant, though, right? :)

 

More of a Senior-Moment Sergeant?

 

Also the name "Derii" doesn't sit right to me, especially when you think of Roman family names - the House of Scipio Arfricanus were the Scipii, explains my reasoning I think.

[Ace Debonair]

The only problem with this, though is that Derii is over 1,000 years old by the time he's chosen to lead the Death Heads. Any ideas on how to explain this one?

Hmm. Nope. :P

That would make him an Extremely Senior Sergeant, though, right? :tu:

 

More of a Senior-Moment Sergeant?

On balance, just Senior Sergeant will do nicely. :P

 

Also the name "Derii" doesn't sit right to me, especially when you think of Roman family names - the House of Scipio Arfricanus were the Scipii, explains my reasoning I think.

 

So... Derio instead of Derii?

Well, that's up to KHK, but it does sound pretty cool. :P

[Captain Juan Juarez]

Also the name "Derii" doesn't sit right to me, especially when you think of Roman family names - the House of Scipio Arfricanus were the Scipii, explains my reasoning I think.

 

So... Derio instead of Derii?

Well, that's up to KHK, but it does sound pretty cool.

 

Well, in theory yes as that would be the masculine form of Deri - if you follow the convention - but it's just something that niggles at me, not particularly important, because I have read alot of Roman history.

[Ace Debonair]

Well, in theory yes as that would be the masculine form of Deri - if you follow the convention - but it's just something that niggles at me, not particularly important, because I have read alot of Roman history.

 

You and your Roman history. :huh:

It's Calthian (Or Calthish, or Calthanian or... well, you get the idea) history you want.

 

Not that I don't think it'd be a good idea to follow the historical trend, mind. ^_^

 

Just as quickly, Ufroc was adopted as the Caphon’s own. Its own wound, the Kraken, would also be adopted as the Chapter’s heraldry.

I think this should say "as the Chapter's own", unless Caphon Derii is impersonating The Rock. ;)

Or you could take out the extra "the" instead, it's all good.

[Donkey Kong]

I'm here to teach you all the proper art of threadnocracy threadmacy thrm threado necromancy of forum threads. I started working more on the Chapter when I caught wind of 11th Company Dark Master's Legends of the Liber. Unfortunately, I couldn't make the cut with what I had done at the time, and I didn't really want to submit my Chapter with what I had. The Death Heads were going to undergo radical changes, and I wanted to have another go through the grinder (ie: my regular critics Ydliar, Ace Debonair, etc.). So, have at them!

 

Author notes:

Origins

I've sort of disregarded Derii's own mark in this version. Is it better this way? Should it be included at all? Ideas?

 

Homeworld

The homeworld's name is Uft'ni. Reason? The Death Heads are tribal, and I wanted a name like the Hawaiian islands. The people of the world are also called Uft'ni.

 

The entire starred (*) section may be turned into a sidebar, opinions for or against? If against, I may will (knowing myself, this isn't a maybe, but an absolute) have to rewrite the paragraph.

 

I'll probably include the Fortress Monestary in a sidebar. For this world, “The Outlook” doesn't strike me the right way. I'd like something more tribal, more meaningful kind of like when you hear something said in a language you don't know, but you know it's important. That's kind of the feeling I get when I say Uft'ni, it has no meaning, but it has a ring to it, if that makes any sense.

 

Chapter Organization

I've finally decided on a name for the First Company. Albeit, it may be bad, and you may all tear me apart for it, but right now I'm rather happy with it.

 

Overall

It's a little bit short, so I'm curious, what do you think needs extending? (excluding the addition of a Gene-Seed and Battle Cry section)

 

Character Ideas

With the current incarnation of the Changing of Faces, I imagine that Astos Narrik would never have changed from the Human Skull, a nonverbal statement of “I have yet to meet a worthy foe.” Is this a good idea, or should Narrik be hunting the biggest, baddest monsters to make his face even more fearsome?

 

Origins

Born from the ashes of the Horus Heresy, the Death Heads would be conceived to breathe new life into the Imperium after centuries of self destruction and decay. Senior Sergeant Caphon Derii of the White Consuls would be the first to teach his fledgling brothers to soar. A child of Calth, Derii bore witness to the Word Bearer's attack on his home as a neophyte of the Ultramarine Legion. His vengeance would be taken in the years following the siege of Terra, as a Battle Brother of the White Consuls, the heretics' push into the Eye of Terror. Bearing the symbol of death, a black skull across his helmet, Derii's fearsome heraldry would be the name of his brotherhood. By the turn of the Millennium, venerable Caphon Derii had risen in the ranks of the White Consuls, and when leaders were called to raise the next generation of Astartes, none were more fit to answer.

 

Homeworld

Uft'ni is a monument to the Imperium, and a lasting tale of the treachery it has suffered. A world of cities built during the time of Old Night, it was peacefully assimilated in the Emperor's Great Crusade. However, it's metal mountains would soon after be drowned in the chaos that followed. In the Heretic's push towards Terra, Uft'ni was prepared as a bulwark against the traitors' advance. The hive cities bore witness to the fiercest fighting of the Heresy excluding the traitor legions.

 

*As men and machines rained through the atmosphere, Uft'ni was slowly engulfed in the fires of war. Months of conflict left the hive cities in ruins, and the Imperials in shambles. Debris rained from the sky and circled the world, forming the red rings, colored by the armor of vessels of the sector fleet, and, as memoirs would go on to say, the blood of loyalists and traitors alike, that would forever remind the Uft'ni of their destroyers. With death ever looming, the means of victory became ever more desperate. The final decision to bombard the ice caps from orbit, and rid of the world of the enemy would change them forever. As the seas rose and swept across the surface, only the tallest spires escaped the rising waters. Untold trillions drowned, Uft'ni and heretic alike.

 

The world's new seas changed more than geography. Countless nobles who had gone into underground bunkers with the families, and drowned in the torrent, left Uft'ni aristocracy frighteningly thin. A world now populated by warlords and their warriors, both members of house armies and planetary defense forces, as well as civilians armed to fight the foe. All still loyal to the Emperor, ages of debate and infighting would ensue, eventually leading to the council of warlords, and their representatives, rotating the title of planetary governor as the powers shifted. Passing centuries brought more changes as terrifying monsters rose from the depths of new oceans. Whether creations of heretical powers or natural creations, none would ever know. The very existence of these horrors, the most fearsome amongst them to be the kraken, brought change to the new lives of the Uft'ni.

 

Derii came to this divided world in hopes of refitting his forces for their eternal crusade. Greeted by the stories of the Horus Heresy, this world fascinated the Death Head. The greatest mark upon it's people in recent times would become the Chapter's new heraldry. Not the bloody ring that engulfed clear, blue skies, but the kraken that lurked in impenetrable, azure depths. Like his own past, Uft'ni wore its wounds as trophies. Like Derii, Uft'ni would create Death Heads.

 

Chapter Organization

A child of Calth, and veteran of the White Consuls, Caphon Derii would craft his Chapter as his gene-father, Roboute Gulliman, would have desired. In accordance with the Codex Astartes, Derii's Death Heads would have ten companies, and a thousand Astartes between them.

 

The First Company is made of veterans drawn from its four battle companies. Each brother is a hero amongst heroes, a legend of the Chapter. Brothers of the First Company would come to be known as Black Spots for Uft'ni marks becoming known as omens of doom. The Black Spots wear their namesake with the heraldry, a single spot between the mandibles of the Kraken. Black Spots seconded to the Inquisition through the Deathwatch wear the mark on their helmets, on the forehead of their skulls, impossible to identify on the traditional black skull worn by the First Company. These venerable warriors are trained in the art of using the Chapter's suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armor, and are spread amongst the four battle companies to aid Captains and foster learning amongst their brothers.

 

The Death Heads Second through Fifth Companies are the Chapter's battle companies, comprised of traditional squads. The Sixth through Ninth Companies are comprised of new warriors, held in reserve to reinforce the first four and support them with additional numbers. The Tenth Company is made of neophytes, recruits to be tempered and tested before advancing to the reserve companies. Each Company is led by a Captain, a veteran of the First Company selected to lead their brothers to war.

 

In keeping with the Codex Astartes, the Death Heads maintain both a Librarium and Reclusiam. For the Death Heads, both maintain a role in the spiritual preservation of the Chapter, the Chaplains of the Reclusiam feed their Brothers spirits on the battlefield and the Librarians record the feats for future stories of heroism.

 

Combat Doctrine

The Death Heads are learned in the countless methods of waging war found in the Codex Astartes. However, generations of Uft'ni influence have given the Death Heads a preference for ferocious shock and awe. Achieved through orbital drops instead of traditional charges. This tactic has left Death Heads with an affinity for close quarters combat, spilling blood with blades more often than bolters. In keeping with this tradition, Death Heads are more likely to forgo armor in favor of lighter, faster vehicles.

 

For the Death Heads whose Uft'ni people emerged from a society brought together through combat, it is tradition for all warriors who wear the kraken to fight side by side. With equal determination. Apothecaries, Chaplains, Librarians, Veterans and neophytes alike, are expected to abide by this unspoken law. To avoid the lines is dishonor, comparable to retreat. Brotherhood is forged in blood, and the Death Heads seal theirs in the fires of war.

 

Pride has led to many unnecessary deaths, as Death Heads have fought toward objectives with unparalleled determination and defended their ground with relentless fortitude. Commanders will refuse to give ground unless ordered to by superior battle brothers. Imperials have both praised and persecuted the Death Heads for the stubbornness, remarking upon admirable conviction, or hardheaded stupidity. For the Death Heads, the opinions of outsiders matters little. Death before dishonor.

 

Chapter Cult

Caphon Derii and Uft'ni have both taken their part in shaping the beliefs of the Death Heads, a combined cult of Imperial loyalty and tribal tradition. The Uft'ni Warlords traditionally wore kraken helmets, and Caphon Derii would begin the same tradition amongst his Chapter. The Death Heads would use their new earned role as Derii's warriors, and each Captain would don a helmet, crafted by the Chapter's forge to meet the standards of the Astartes, and the aesthetic majesty of the Warlords. This seal would bond the Chapter and their home.

 

The Changing of Faces is a practice unique to the Death Heads. The skull mark, originally adopted from Derii's own remembrance of Calth, was the first to be used as both the Chapter's heraldry, and a mark worn by all of it's brothers. Every initiate, upon entering the Chapter, is marked with two signs: his “face”, and the red ring. The first face has always been a human skull, a mark of everything that the initiate is, and nothing at all. Uft'ni tradition has chosen to change the face into more than a mark of the Chapter, but a mark of the individual. In the ceremonies following battles, battle brothers who believe they have surpassed their previous achievements tell of their new victory. Their feat is judged in the company of their brothers, and if declared worthy, the skull of foe they have becomes their new face.

 

The Red Ring of Uft'ni is mark every member of the Chapter bears on their right pauldron. It is a mark to honor a brotherhood sealed in blood, and the first mark of blood that any battle brother wears. Marks of blood are shown as red markings on the armor of battle brothers, serving as symbols of brotherhood between fellow Death Heads, and, on occasion, with Astartes from other chapters. They also serve as trophies for certain victories, along with the trophies taken from defeated foes.

 

The brutal art of trophy taking has been perfected by the Death Heads. The taking of heads, the crafting of trinkets, and the reclamation of relics all coincide with the mentality of Death Heads. Trophies claimed from the battlefield are shared with battle brothers, and given to Reclusiarchs and Librarians to determine their worth to the Chapter. Often, they are returned to their founder with ceremony. However, more often than not, these relics are denied by the Chapter's record keepers. Alien skulls, and necklaces of teeth, all are treasures, but only to their claimer. These barbaric decorations often receive ill responses from fellow Astartes, declaring them worthless at best, and heretical at worst.

 

Although, these claims have never endangered the Death Heads' relationship with the Imperium. Quite the opposite, the Death Heads value their purity as their honor. As Uft'ni was cleansed by water, Astartes of the Chapter, and their serfs, wash armor and purge their trophies with the water of their home. The Chapter's fixation on purity stems from a common thread that first connected Caphon to Uft'ni, the hatred of the traitor. As modern carriers of the Emperor's will, the Death Heads embody his creed for the expansion of humanity. However, those who would fight the Emperor's will are worse than those who already stand in its way. Mutants and Xenos are too ignorant of his grand design, undeserving to bask in the Emperor's light. Their extermination is a service to the Emperor. Heretics know better, and have willingly chosen to deny the bountiful gifts offered to them given by the Emperor, foremost amongst them are their lives – the Death Heads come to exact His dues.

Edited December 29, 2010 by KingHongKong

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

Holy necromantic threado-heresy batman!

 

Well this was unexpected, let me tell you.

 

With the current incarnation of the Changing of Faces, I imagine that Astos Narrik would never have changed from the Human Skull, a nonverbal statement of “I have yet to meet a worthy foe.” Is this a good idea, or should Narrik be hunting the biggest, baddest monsters to make his face even more fearsome?

 

It could also symbolize a statement for humanity being the greatest enemy it will ever face, in it's darker moments anyway, though that seems a little out of character for him. I like the former in him having yet to meet a worthy foe, I like it a lot.

 

T

hese barbaric decorations often receive ill responses from fellow Astartes, declaring them worthless at best, and, at worst, heretical.

 

It would derail the IA completely, but I'd like to see one of these encounters and disputes put into writing. Bit of a counterpoint to the Blazing Sons, who take no trophies and barely have time to repair their wargear before they jump feet first into hell once more. I can see friction there. ;)

[NightrawenII]

I'm here to teach you all the proper art of threadnocracy.

- Lol, it's called Threadomancy.

 

Origins

The Caphon Derii's longevity is somewhat questionable. But you know already.

The best thing I can think of is make him disappear in the warp. I know, this is cliche, but hear me out. What about the captain Caphon and his company disappearing around the time of (or before) the 2nd Founding. After 1000 years or so, his ship emerges from the Warp only to find out that the Fires of Scouring are all but extinguished. Without any place to go, he and his marines are assigned as the tutors and leaders of the fledgeling Chapter in the recent (the 3rd) Founding.

 

Homeworld

A hive world constructed during the time of old night, the world was peacefully assimilated in the time of the Great Crusade.

- I'm not sure if this is fortunate choice of wording, the hive-cities are build, not the worlds.

 

Countless nobles who had gone into hiding with the families left Uft'ni aristocracy frighteningly thin. A world now populated by warlords and their warriors, both members of house armies and planetary defense forces, as well as civilians armed in the chaos. All still loyal to the Emperor, ages of debate and infighting would ensue, eventually leading to the council of warlords, and their representatives, rotating the title of planetary governor as the powers shifted.

- What happened to the forces of Chaos?

 

Whether creations of heretical powers or natural creations, none knew, nor cared.

- I would say the Inquisition is going to care, a lot.

 

Combat Doctrine

However, generations of Uft'ni influence have given the Death Heads a preference for orbital drops.

- Elaborate, please.

 

Lightning strike attacks force Death Heads to fight in close quarter combat.

- This is too long.

 

... it is tradition for all warriors who wear the kraken to fight together.

- Wear the kraken? What?

 

Chapter Cult

Alien skulls, and necklaces of teeth, all are treasures only to their claimer. These barbaric decorations often receive ill responses from fellow Astartes, declaring them worthless at best, and, at worst, heretical.

- Well, the Skulltakers decorate their armour with skulls... Oh wait, they are followers of Khorne?! :rolleyes:

Edited December 19, 2010 by NightrawenII

[Donkey Kong]

Lol, it's called Threadomancy.

 

Whoops! :)

 

The Caphon Derii's longevity is somewhat questionable. But you know already.

The best thing I can think of is make him disappear in the warp. I know, this is cliche, but hear me out. What about the captain Caphon and his company disappearing around the time of (or before) the 2nd Founding. After 1000 years or so, his ship emerges from the Warp only to find out that the Fires of Scouring are all but extinguished. Without any place to go, he and his marines are assigned as the tutors and leaders of the fledgeling Chapter in the recent (the 3rd) Founding.

 

Perhaps, but I'd rather avoid this.

 

A hive world constructed during the time of old night, the world was peacefully assimilated in the time of the Great Crusade.

- I'm not sure if this is fortunate choice of wording, the hive-cities are build, not the worlds.

 

Fixed.

 

- What happened to the forces of Chaos?

 

Cleansed by water, drowned, slaughtered, effectively the end of Gears of War 2 + the Krieg nuking themselves.

 

Whether creations of heretical powers or natural creations, none knew, nor cared.

- I would say the Inquisition is going to care, a lot.

 

Fixed.

 

However, generations of Uft'ni influence have given the Death Heads a preference for orbital drops.

- Elaborate, please.

 

Fixed.

 

Lightning strike attacks force Death Heads to fight in close quarter combat.

- This is too long.

 

Fixed.

 

... it is tradition for all warriors who wear the kraken to fight together.

- Wear the kraken? What?

 

The heraldry is the kraken.

 

Alien skulls, and necklaces of teeth, all are treasures only to their claimer. These barbaric decorations often receive ill responses from fellow Astartes, declaring them worthless at best, and, at worst, heretical.

- Well, the Skulltakers decorate their armour with skulls... Oh wait, they are followers of Khorne?! :rolleyes:

 

So do Space Wolves, and Flesh Tearers, and every other (questionably) barbaric Space Marine Chapter.

[Donkey Kong]

It could also symbolize a statement for humanity being the greatest enemy it will ever face, in it's darker moments anyway, though that seems a little out of character for him. I like the former in him having yet to meet a worthy foe, I like it a lot.

 

Narrik isn't that deep, so I guess I know your vote.

 

It would derail the IA completely, but I'd like to see one of these encounters and disputes put into writing. Bit of a counterpoint to the Blazing Sons, who take no trophies and barely have time to repair their wargear before they jump feet first into hell once more. I can see friction there. :)

 

It might, but there's always a Legends of the Liber 2.0 to look forward to! :rolleyes:

[Ace Debonair]

G-g-g-g-g-g-GHOST!! :)

 

No wait, it's just an old thread. :)

 

I'd sit down and go through everything here, but I don't have the time right now. :)

If you can wait until after Christmas, I'll be more able to give this the ol' once-over devastation and polish. :)