The Stormguard - Trying to get a working backstory.

[CurrentlyVacant]

Evening Chaps,

Thought that I would post the story I have been working on for my chapter, The Stormguard. This is a first attempt, so C&C would be most appreciated. I'll warn you now, tis a bit long!

T

he founding of the Stormguard is lost in the mists of time. It is know that it was a fleet based chapter, founded sometime between the Third and Tenth foundings. To the Imperial Scholar, however, it is the events that led to the chapter claiming a Homeworld that have proved most important in shaping the Chapter that now exists.

The Stormveil system lies in the eastern part of Segmentum Obscurus, close to the border with Ultima Segmentum. The largest planet, Stormveil prime, is a gas giant, silent and unsupporting of life, surrounded by moons, themselves little better than dry, irradiated rocks. The single exception being Levant, a large moon, which supports a primitive ecosystem in it's harsh climate.

Stormveil's modest wealth resulted from two things – the rare gases contained in the atmosphere of Stormveil Prime and the mineral deposits found in the smaller, rocky inner planets. These quickly led to mining colonies being set up, both deep within the tiny, blazing hot inner worlds, and later, orbiting platforms around Stormveil Prime, from which harvester ships would skim the upper layers of the gas giant's atmosphere.

System command was given, by the High Lords of Terra, to the Maestrale family, who quickly set up their capital on the moon Levant, raising glittering, domed cities with the profits of the mining operations, where the great and the good of the system could live luxuriously on the profits resulting from the mining operations.

Those less fortunate toiled on the mining colonies of the inner planets, or on the orbiting network of refineries and stardocks around Stormveil Prime, treated as little more than indentured workers, feeding the profits of the house Maestrale.

It has long been said that pride comes before a fall, and such was to be the case with the Stormveil system. The ruling council of the Maestrale family diverted more and more of the profits of the system into improvements to their palaces and domes on Lavant, installing family members and associates in positions of command within the PDF, and turning them into little more than a ceremonial guard.

In early M35, contact was lost with three of the inner mining planets, advanced units of PDF sent to investigate disappeared. The single transmission which made it offworld from the advance mission made it abundantly clear what was being dealt with – a few seconds of image and vox from the transmitter on one of the landing craft showed the inhabitants of the colony tearing apart the PDF troops in an orgiastic frenzy. Just before the transmission cut, four words gurgled from the ruined face of the commander, whether a warning or a plea, the implications were clear - “Liberate vos ex Inferno”. Lord Maestrale ordered his his astropaths to broadcast a plea for assistance, just as the first reports came in of insurrections beginning throughout the city. Moments later, the sky filled with fire as a gas dredger from one of the orbital refineries around Stormveil plunged from space to hit the main Administratum blocks of the city, burning the Chapel of the Astropaths from the face of the moon. The days that followed were a time of blood and terror, fear and lust, depravity and Daemonic Ecstasy for the unfortunates of Levant.

The distress call that was made by the Astropaths of Levant before their demise was received by the Astartes of the Stormguard, on the day of their ceremony of Annunciation, when their new Chapter Master, Lord Lael, was to be named an officially take command of the chapter's fleet following the death of the previous master in action against a warband of Emperor's Children on Dagonet. Recognising the dire threat to the Imperium, Lord Lael made his first announcement as Chapter Master and ordered the entire fleet to Stormveil.

Time in the churning dimension of energy that is the Warp does not pass in the same way as it does in the material realm. So it was for the voyage of the Stormguard, and, whether by random chance or as a result of the divine guidance of the Immortal Emperor, when the chronometers of their ships reset following their explosive exit from the empyrean, they discovered that the three week voyage they had experienced had lasted a mere ten days in realtime.

The liberation of the Stormveil System was short and brutal. The insurrection on Levant was suppressed within two days, and eradicated within two weeks. After a further two months of fighting, the inner colonies were declared saved. Lael returned to Levant burning with righteous anger. The Chapter had suffered heavy losses, with more that 100 brother marines killed, and a further 300 recovering from grievous injuries; even as Lael prepared his battlegear for the 'celebration', apothecaries and techmarines were fighting to stabilise Captain Alpheus of the 2nd Company within the sarcophagus of one of the chapter's Dreadnoughts.

At the victory parade, Lael summarily executed Lord Maestrale for failing in his duty to the Emperor. In the trials that followed, the Stormguard ruthlessly sought out those who they judged to have failed in the prosecution of their duty to the Emperor. Many were executed, still more were taken with their families and put to work on the inner planetary mining colonies, rebuilding the wealth of the system.

Those who were deemed to have fought well, or to have fulfilled their duty to the Imperium, were placed in positions of power, and given the task of restructuring the worlds of Stormveil, and making the fit for their new purpose; the Tarot had shown Lael that this system was to be the home of the Chapter.

The Stormguard began construction of a fortress monastery on the second moon of Stormveil, a world barren of all life, and bereft of an atmosphere. Docks were built to accommodate the fleet, and mining equipment requisitioned to bore into the cold rock of the moon. Over time, the unnamed moon came to be called Tempest by the inhabitants of Levant.

Rebuilding the Stormguard

It is perhaps an interesting illustration of the interminable bureaucracy of the Imperium, that while the Stormguard became the de facto rulers of the Stormveil system, it took over 200 years for them to be officially granted governorship of the system by the High Lords of Terra. It is perhaps also a testament to the secrecy that is inherent in the Imperium that the precise nature of the uprising that led to the fall of Stormveil was never revealed, by Lord Lael and the Stormguard, save to the Inquisitorial investigation team which arrived on Levant some six months following the trials. Whatever Lord Lael told the Inquisition, his actions during the Stormveil Trials were deemed to have been in accordance with the Emperor's Will, and the verdicts and sentences were upheld. The truth about what power so nearly cast an entire system away from the light of the emperor and into shadow is now know only to the upper echelons of the Stormguard, and is guarded as one of their most holy secrets.

The Stormguard began to rebuild their numbers at a steady pace following the losses received in the Stormveil campaign, and have continued to source recruits from this system ever since.

The greatest honour that a family can have in the Stormveil system is for one of it's sons to be summoned to Levant to the Vigil which takes place every five years on the anniversary of the first day of the trials. Those who are summoned have in fact been identified by preliminary genetic testing at birth as both pure of blood, and potentially receptive to the geneseed. These young boys aged ten to fifteen years will leave their families and travel to Levant, to stand vigil in the Plaza where hundreds of years ago the rulers of the system were tried, convicted and executed for failing in their duty. There the aspirants will await the arrival of the Black-armoured Chaplains, who will judge their souls, and the White armoured Apothecaries, who will judge their bodies. Only those who show the proper understanding of what it is to serve the emperor, and whose bodies are deemed to be suitable receptacles for the Geneseed will be chosen. Those selected will be taken in the Thunderhawks of the Chapter to Tempest, where they will be broken down and rebuilt to better serve the Emperor. It is said that in more than four centuries since the Stormguard fist began to recruit from the Stormveil system, no individual who carries the blood if Maestrale in his veins has ever been summoned to the Vigil. Whether this is true is a matter known only to the Chapter.

Those who are not taken are free to make their way back to their families, however, most will enlist with the Imperial Guard and go on to be trained as Officers, the fact of their Summoning by the Astartes assuring the regiments that whilst they may not be capable of becoming Astartes, they are of the best stock that the worlds of Stormveil have to offer.

Chapter Organisation

The Stormguard are organised differently from the standard pattern set forth in the Codex Astartes, having only eight companies, rather than the usual ten. This is a legacy from the time after the liberation of Stormveil, when a large number of the Chapter's officers had been killed or incapacitated in the fighting. In order to remain effective, the Chapter had to make alterations to it's structure, and these have remained in place since as a mark of respect to those who fell. The 1st Company consists of the Veterans of the Chapter,numbering 100 Brothers who have proven themselves in countless engagements. The 1st Company holds the Chapter's 57 suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armour (not counting those few suits which are bestowed as a badge of rank to holders of office within the Chapter), and these are deployed to the most vital of areas in a battle. The 2nd to 6th companies are Battle Companies (The Stormguard are a particularly active crusading chapter, and so have a higher number of Battle companies than most chapters). These are larger than the standard Codex Companies, consisting of 120 marines each, the additional marines forming two additional Tactical squads. The 7th and 8th companies consist of 100 marines each, and are specialist Assault and Devastator companies respectively, their Squads generally being deployed in support of the other companies, or when their special knowledge of these aspects of warfare is required. These are not 'reserve' companies, but rather are made up of those marines who show a particular aptitude for these more specialised disciplines. The Stormguard also deviate from the Codex in their handling of Neophytes. Scouts are attached to the Battle companies, swelling their size still further, with approximately twenty Scouts serving with each of the Battle Companies (although this number varies greatly depending upon casualties and recruitment), these scouts will learn from experienced Marines, and see many battles before they progress into the assault, devastator and finally tactical squads of the battle companies.

Geneseed

The Primarch line of the geneseed of the Stormguard is not known for certain, however, the lack of the Mucranoid, Betcher's Gland and Sus-Ans membrane point to either Imperial fist or Raven Guard origins. The remaining organs are remarkably stable, however, and the Chapter seems to suffer fewer cases of rejection than might be expected – whether this is a result of more rigorous genetic screening of aspirants, or some innate property of the geneseed is unknown.

Beliefs

The Stormguard view the Emperor as the father of mankind, and believe that all of humanity owes him a great debt. They are known for their ruthless approach to any whom they feel have failed in their duty, the most obvious example being the Trials of Stormveil, but other examples do exist of the Stormguard holding summary trials of individuals and groups who they feel to have fallen below the standard that would be expected of a loyal servant of the emperor. This has led to them striking almost as much fear into the commanders of those they have come to aid as into the enemies of the Imperium.

Battlecry

The Stormguard do not have a 'battlecry' as such, however, before entering combat they will often renew their vows of service, either to a Chaplain, or simply to one another.

Their chapter banner, and much of their equipment bears the motto 'Ad Majorem Imperator Gloriam' – For the greater glory of the Emperor.

I do have a bit more fluffy stuff - hints a bit at what happened in Stormveil, but it is late here, and i have work tomorrow. Will try to get back to it tomorrow evening.

Cheers

Z