IA: Guardians of Masada

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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%;">Homeworld

Masada IV is largely made up of farmland. The hardy populace of the great ranches make surprisingly good recruits for the Chapter. They are, from a young age, made physically and mentally tough. There are no beasts of burden on the planet, infact, there is relatively little nonhuman life. As a result, the farming is extremely difficult, despite the optimal condition of the planet itself. Each man, young and old, has an incredibly steady rifle arm, as any animal found is killed and brought home for supper without a moments hesitation.

The area where the Chapter Monastary was found is as a blistering sore from orbit. Evidently, in some great war, some evidence suggests that war was the Horus Heresy, this world's main hub of civilization was destroyed in a great cataclysmic explosion. The fact that Space Marines were involved is confirmed by two facts, the first being that the 'Great Patriarch' the kinsmen of Masada IV had worshipped before the coming of the Ecclesiarchy was discovered to be, upon the opening of his tomb, a stranded Space Marine of the Imperial Fists chapter. The Second reason is much more obvious, Space Marine relics and equipment can be found in great numbers throughout the ruins. The Citadel itself was filled with manufacturing facilities, as well as a cache of precious technologies such as Tactical Dreadnought armor. This gives the Fortress Monastary the manufacturing power of a small forge world. An outside observer would find this remarkable, for despite the imposing appearance of the outer gate, which is tall enough to fit a Warhound Titan through, it cannot convey the actual size of the internal facilities. These internal facilities and chambers are roughly the size of a small Hivecity. That a force much larger then a Chapter was intended to garrison this facility originally is clear. However, much of the important artifacts and relics have been removed from the less central chambers and moved to the more active areas of the Citadel. Many of these rooms now form the chapter's catacombs, the dwelling place of Chaplains and the location of the Reclusiam. Others have been given over to the Totus Habitum, the center where Techmarines, Librarians, and Apothecaries store their equipment and works. In the deepest, least accessible vaults are stored countless artifacts that may never again see the light of day. As part of several treaties with the Emperor's Holy Inquisition, many Heretical, Thrice-damned Artifacts and Tomes are kept there, guarded by servitors ready to destroy every artifact in the room, as well as themselves, in an instantaneous burst of holy promethium. As for the central halls, all the hallmarks of a Chapter Fortress can be seen, as well as the more unique features.

The cyber beasts that once covered that wastes are now a fraction of the threat they once were. However, at the time of the chapter's founding they were the single greatest threat to the chapter's mission. Though they had no interest in attacking the actual Citadel once driven from it, they still made it quite costly to deploy large forces to search for technology outside the Fortress Monastary. As such, thanks in part to the tremendous amount of resources their infantry can sport on the battlefield, each company makes use of their own suits of tactical dreadnought armor and many initiates take to the battlefield clad in power armor. After spending sometimes a little less then a year as a scout, and receiving all the genetic implants required to use it, the initiate is clad in power armor and will continue his training from there. In the past, this allowed the echapter to gain valuable technologies while maintaing enough Fully equipped marines to ensure the Citadel's saftey, while now it is simply an orginizational quirk born of tradition and an overstocked armory.

Combat Doctrine

As a Chapter descended of the Imperial Fists for the specific purpose of ensuring the secret of the Citadel, it is understandable that the Guardians of Masada specialize in siege warfare. While exceptional in the attack, the chapter excels on the defense. Since the founding, many Imperial bastions have been held only through the exceptional skills of the chapter. Outside of great bastions and mighty sieges, the Guardians still use their skills in defensive posture to defeat enemies. After the opening lightning strikes which Astartes are famed for, the Guardians find the most defensible position in the area. Prefabricated fortifications are preferable, although the Guardians are known for their ability to make an outcropping of rocks into a nightmare of killzones choked with the bodies of any who assault it. More fast moving elements, such as bike squandrons and mounted units harass and direct the enemy force into carefully planned lines of fire. The enemy is systematically taken apart.

In situations where defences cannot be erected, Armored tactics, such as fast moving Mechanized infantry assaults and armored spearheads are typically favored. Dreadnoughts are a particularly important part of every battleplan, they often take critical firing positions among the battle lines that they helped to plan. The leaders of the chapter's battle forces head the words of the dreadnoughts as indispensible advice.

These tactics have been put to the test on several occasions. The siege specialists of the Iron Warriors are a particularly hated foe, whom the warriors of the chapter have clashed with on many battlefields. The intense hatred that the Guardians feel for the Iron Warriors is reciprocated by those Iron companies the chapter has faced. In fact, of the three sieges that have led to a breach of the Chapter's fortress monastary, one was supported by the Iron Warriors, and the other led by them. As a result, in recent years the chapter has seconded several detatchments to Captain Lysander of the Imperial Fists, to aid him in his campaign against the hated Iron Warriors.

Orginization

The Guardians of Masada have a few significant diversions from the Codex Astartes. Most obvious amongst these is the use of specialist equipment. As opposed to Tactical Dreadnought armor being used exclusively by the 1st company, each company maintains its' own suits. These are used by the company veterans. Also, there is no centralized chapter honor guard. Rather, each company has its' own core of highly experienced veterans who form its' honor guard. Each Company equips these warriors in its' own way, for example, the Templars of the 4th company take to the field with Storm Shields and Power Weapons, forming a bodyguard around their Captain that few have been able to penetrate. There are no reserve companies, numbers during extended campaigns are bolstered by Initiates.

There is no one ruler of the chapter, rather, there is a council of the Chapter's highest ranking officers and specialists. This system was decided upon in the early days of the chapter, when mortality rates were especially high as the cyber beasts were beaten back. The Chapter could not afford to have its' figurative head cut off, so a council was formed to ensure the chapter would always have commanders. There are 15 seats on the chapter council. 10 seats are reserved for the Captain of each company, another for the Chief Librarian, another for the High Apothacary, one as well for the Master of the Forge, and yet another for the Master of the Reclusiam. The final seat is taken by the oldest living member of the Chapter, the Venerable Dreadnought Dyssomnias. Dyssomnias has served on the Council since the Chapter's founding, and was already of advanced age upon his internment. However, do to some strange quirk of fate, his Sarchophagus cannot enter the sleep that Dreadnoughts spend most of their time in. As a result, he has been concious through 7984 years of internment(As of M41). That he is even able to function is a miracle within itself, and the fact that he has maintained enough sanity to help rule the Chapter is even more astounding. That being said, he is completely and undeniable mad. He speaks mostly in riddles, confuses his Battle-Brothers with Brothers who have been dead for thousands of years, and regularly mistakes one enemy for another. However, all marines of the Chapter greatly respect the mad old dreadnought, and many initiates vie for the honor of aiding techmarines in attending to his needs, as Dyssomnias is known to regularly speak of days in the chapter's past, of the Heroes of Legend that he fought alongside, and the greatest conflicts that even the oldest tomes in the Librarium do not have recorded.

Another notable divergance is the fact that the Apothecarium, Librarium, and Techmarine order are all, in fact, one body within the chapter. While each specific role has its' own councilmarine, they are all under the command of the most senior member of the orginization, as of M41 this man is Master of the Forge Finnius Voden. The reason for this deviation began as purely practical, the safest place for the facilities of such specialists, as well as their lines of work in the early days of the chapter, were all quite similiar, as they all sought to catalogue the mysteries of the vault, as well as forge a steady foundation for their fledgling chapter. However, over the millenia, this association has evolved into an outright fraternity. As such, all Techmarines, Librarians, and Apothecaries work closley, both on the battlefield and off it, and go so far as too adorn their armor with the same colors, and inverted version of the Chapter's normal color scheme. Other Battle-brothers look to this fraternity with great respect and awe, for these wise men, they believe, truly hold the fate of the chapter in their hands.

A special branch of this fraternity are 'The Seekers'. Drawn from marines with particularly scholarly abilities who are not already specialists, they form a strikeforce directly under the command of the fraternity. From this moment on, they are no longer listed as members of a company, but rather as support staff. They are seekers of knowledge and artifacts, even more so then their normal battle brothers. Acting on scraps of information gathered during campaigns by techmarines and librarians, they seek out ancient, forgotten, and forbidden places. They are constantly at work, and during the time they spend off the battlefield is largely spent in rigorous study and contemplation, attempting to discern ancient texts and starcharts for the location of more additions to the Librarium. However, this is only one third of their duties, for they also serve the Apothecarium. They regularly take to the field with their less elite brothers, ensuring that no corruption befalls them, or their geneseed, and aiding both apothecaries and techmarines in the recover of Geneseed and Wargear after battles. During the many sieges that have befallen the fortress monastary, they guard the Totus Habitum, and neither the forces of Warboss Darkstar, Warsmith Grendel Fortwain, or the Daemon Prince Grendelgelt, have The Seekers ever yielded their sanctum. When called upon to provide aid for Inquisitors, or to provide specialists for the Deathwatch, the marines of The Seekers are among the first to be picked. During such deployments, each marine is wary of his own chapters mission, and is eager to collect anything he can. Each Marine is equipped with some of the most ancient, honored, and ornate suit of the chapter, and they wear the markings of the fraternity upon their armor. Truly, these esoteric scholar-warriors are held in the highest esteem by their battle-brothers, and many marines of the chapter hope to be selected for the elite ranks of The Seekers.

The reclusiam of the Chapter is larger then that of most. They uphold the spiritual needs of their battle-brothers, and maintain purity in the archives and vaults. No artifact may enter into the fortress without the scrutiny of the chaplains. Chaplains keep a watchful eye over their flock, looking specifically for those Marines with the most devout beliefs and righteous hands. These marines are removed from their company, and are sent on a quest alone through a sacred ruin located in the wasteland. There, they are said to commune with the Emperor himself, although the truth is unknowable to any outside the reclusiam. Aspirants who survive the trial are then assigned to a group of Initiates. They lead these young marines with such courage that their lack of skill is compensated for by shear, faith inspired valor. After bringing any surviving initiates into the fold of the company from which he was taken, the aspiring chaplain is given his Rosarius and Cronzius Arcanum, and is made a full chaplain. Upon entering the Inner Reclusiam for the first time, he is presented his death mask by the high chaplain, and is made privy to the secrets rites and incantations of the chapter. It should be noted that, while chaplains deal with faith in the Emperor, Techmarines look after their brothers in the eyes of the omnissiah. This contest for the souls of the battle-brothers has led to bitter feelings between the two groups.

Beliefs

The Guardians of Masada have a firm belief that however mighty a foe is, he is no match for a Marine with the correct wargear and training. This belief, combined with the vast armory of Infantry gear has shaped Chapter Doctrine and training from its' founding. Each Marine is trained to use any armnaments available to them, although this is not especially uncommon amongst Space Marines. What is uncommon is the fact that each Marine is also trained in the basic operation and maintenance of the more standard elements of the Capter's vehicle pool. While command over the Land Raiders and other such specialized vehicles is left to the hardened chapter Tank Corps, every fully inducted Marine can pilot the rhino or razorback they ride into battle, and can man the weaponry of such vehicles equally well. Each warrior also practices the art of the artificer to a greater or lesser degree. All marines, save the inexperienced initiates, with the proper materials are capable of repairing their own wargear in a reasonable amount of time. However, even initiates possess an uncanny knack for technology, which is especially strange considering that the most worlds they recruit from are populated by savages or those that have only recently entered into an industrial age. Perhaps it is a quirk that has developed in their geneseed, but if it is, it is certainly no great harm.

Primarch and Emperor are, as in many chapters, greatly revered by the Guardians. However, as the Chapter is quite close to the Mechanicus, the Omnissiah is also held in the same reverance. The chapter firmly believes that the Omnissiah wishes for them to reclaim the many treasures that still surround their Citadel. To reflect this, each company alternates in sending out an expedition every standard month. These expeditions seek to reclaim archaeotech, find working ruins to form command posts around, and slay the few great cyber beasts that are still bold enough wonder the above ground. Occasionally, a clue to the location of an ancient world, or the remnants of an pre-imperial techocracy will be found, and the Gurdians will go to great lengths to secure more treasures for its' vault. It is impossible to say how much of this is used, and how much simply horded, but it is suspected that after over 9,000 years of filling their vaults with Technological wonders, they have yet to fill them to capacity.

At the conception of the Guardians, a Compact was signed by the the Fabricator General of Mars himself and the temporary Chapter Commander before the establishment of the Chapter Council, one 357 year old Imperial Fist Veteran Sargeant by the name of Dysomnias. This Compact stated taht, due to the sensitive nature of some the more secret artifacts and the intense winds that prevented their removal from the planet, the Guardians of Masada were given steardship and ownership of all the artifacts within the fortress, and all the useable combat materials on the entire planet. In return, any salvagable data wand non-millitant hardware is turned over to the Adeptus Mechanicus. In later millenia, this agreement has been expanded to include the myriad of expeditions the Guardians accompany the Mechanicus on. As a result, the Citadel is filled with many Warmachines that do not fit into standard Adeptus Tactics. These are usually kept in reserve until a great battle, usually one either fought in defence of a Mechanicus Forgeworld, or on the soil of the Masada system itself. The right to field some of these machines had to be bargained for, as there were a great deal of truly ancient machines of war, from the Great Crusade, and occasionally from before.

This hunger for archaeotech has also led the Guardians of Masada to occasionally accompany Mechanicus Expeditions to more dangerous environments. While normally the elite scholar-warriors of the Seekers are selected for such missions, many company veterans have also accompanied such expeditions. While seeking such treasures, the Marines often come into contact with heretical ideas and objects. As such, a Chaplain is a mandatory part of any expedition the chapter mounts.

The Chapter and the cyber beasts have warred with one another since the chapter's founding,and while the above ground is almost entirely dominated by the Marines, though still well travlled by the more gargantuan of the creatures who fear not the scorn of bolter fire, the beasts maintain control of the underground cave systems and the complexes buried there. Only a few permanent footholds into the Great Caves have been established. However, once a year, a great feast day is held. The Marines, and those who are invited to come along, venture deep into the caves to slay the largest beasts they can find. Among those typically invited are the Imperial Fists and Black Templar, who both send several champions to hunt the beasts. In fact, the only marines who are not scions of Dorn that have ventured into the deep with the Guardians of Masada are the Space Wolves, who occasionally commerate the birth of a rivalry between the Space Wolves 6th, and the Guardians of Masada's 4th companies during a campaign in the Meridithii sector. Near the end of a campaign to eliminate an Ork stronghold from the system, both the Space Wolves and the Guardians of Masada volunteered for the final assault. The Wolf Lord and the Captain nearly came to blows in the argument, before it was decided that they would share the honor. The Wolf Lord boasted that he would be the one to cleave the Ork Warboss in twain, to which the captain retorted that he would see the Warboss' skull crushed in his powerfist's grasp. As the siege began, the two forces broke through the Ork defences like lightning, and scant minutes into the siege, the personal guards of both commanders were racing up the steps to the Warbosses' hold. The Waboss and his nobz charged out screaming wildly. This was cut short by a fury of bolter rounds and sword chops. The Wolf Lord and the Captain lunged at the Warboss in the same moment, and all who were there agree that it would be impossible to tell which fulfilled their oath. The Wolf Lord proposed that they call the contest a draw, and invited the Guardians to camp to celebrate a quick, decisive victory. Though not a single Guardian could match one of the Space Wolves in their revelry, a great friendship, and an even greater rivalry, was born inbetween the two companies. As such, the 4th company now has incorporated a wolf into its' heraldry, to honor this, and many other battles fought alongside the sons of Russ. For their part, the Space Wolves of the 6th great company occasionally join in on the Great Hunt in the depths of Masada IV's scarred wasteland. The greatest of their battles alongside the Children of Russ.

A Thousand Sieges

It is said that the citadel of Masada has, over the course of the millenia, withstood a thousand sieges. Many of these sieges were carried out by greenskins coming from nearby sectors, all led by Warbosses with dreams of conquering 'Dat humie fort wat's been der foreva.' However, the more bold Traitors and Renegades attempting to plunder gene-seed or to avenge a lost at the hands of the Guardians of Masada have made numerous attempts to crack the walls of the citadel. Many of these ill-begotten assaults lose a majority of their forces in landfall, as only the most capable pilots can guide there vessels through the terrible winds of the upper wasteland, and unpiloted descents, such as drop pod assaults, are universally scattered throughout the harsh, unforgiving wasteland. Those that reach the ground are subject to cyber beast raids at nights, and harrowing raids by fast moving Guardians. Those forces that do reach the outer gate are met with a tremendous amount of fire, as automated weapons and artillery barrages bombard them. Orks are typically delt with at the forward outposts, the Sentinal towers that deny access to the actual fortress. With the exception of Warboss Darkstar, only traitor marines have bypassed these fortifications. The walls of the Citadel are thinck, and it is particularly difficult to bring to bear the heavy weaponry to destroy them given the conditions of the wasteland itself. Countless traitors have smashed into the bunkers and walls that make up the primary defensive line, and those who survive to retreat are harrowed by the cyber beasts until the bloodied remnats have either escaped to lick their wounds, or succumbed to the harsh wasteland. Thousands of years of preparations and carefully planned strategy make the Citadel virtually impregnable. However, three sieges stand out amongst the others. Three sieges have broken even the walls of the great citadel, the names of their commanders living on in the records of the Great Library as the most abhorred, vile, and cunning amongst those that thought they could claim mastery over the Emperor's loyal space marines.

Warboss Darkstar

It is suspected that Warboss Darkstar was one of the oldest orks in the area of space that the Masada sector is located. Tales of the Darkstar tribe permeated nearby Imperial worlds. Atleast three systems burned to the hordes of Darkstar, their resources depleted and their populations decimated. Around the dusk of M34, the Old Ork sensed that his end was near. Though he still maintained a strong arm, and was more then capable of crumping any other boy in his horde, challenges were becoming more frequent. Old Warboss Darkstar had encountered the Guardians of Masada from time to time, suffering many great defeats, and even the occasional victories against the 'beakies'. Other Ork warbosses had been laid to ruin against there fortress, even in the early millenia of their existance, and tales of the grand human Bastion were whispered among the boys of his horde. Darkstar, knowing his time was soon over, wished for one last hoorah. With a horde that peaked estimates at 3 million strong, Darkstar set his sights on the Masada sector. No warning of the attack came, as Orks began to attack to raid the nearby human settlements. The Guardians defended their tributaries with lightning quickness, felling these decoy assaults with relative ease. However, Darkstar's eyes were focused on the planet of Masada IV. The eventuality of an assault on the Citadel was anticipated, and aside from a few Strike Cruisers deployed in the defense of its sister planets, the entire Guardians fleet stood sentinal above their homeworld. The Ork fleet was massive, and the Imperials were vastly outnumbered. However, the majority of their vessels were dedicated landers, meaning essentially that they were to crashland on the planet in what can be interpreted as an Orkish glory run. Though the fleet took its toll on the invaders, a million orks, packed into a hundred ships, plummeted to the planet below. Thousands died on impact, some ships missing the waste completely and crashing in the mountain ranges, where scattered tribes of feral orks are said to dwell to this day. Others landed in an entirely seperate area of the wasteland, and made a desperate stand against the hordes of cyber beasts that their impacts stirred. Darkstar and roughly 600,000 orks made their way torwards the Masada citadel. The chapter was relatively younger then, and though its fortifications were among the most impressive in the Imperium, an air of doom hung over the marines as they watched the horizon slowly fill with green. For eight days and nights the battle raged, until eventually, after many days of shelling, a breach was made. Darkstar and his horde flooded through, and the marines struggled to hold back the green tide.

It was in this darkest hour, as the very ground the Guardians were founded to protect was defiled by the Ork Hordes that a thundering was heard from behind the gates of the Inner sanctum. This caused a pause in the Ork push, as the thundering grew. Darkstar himself pushed his way to the front of the horde, to see what had stopped the green tide. The defensive line of the Guardians began to chant an ancient hymnal, a chant that was echoed as the thundering increased in sound. As the great automated gates of the Fortress Monastary swung open, Dyssomnius, the oldest greatest warrior of the chapter encased forever sleepless in his Sarcophogus, marched at the head of Fifteen other dreadnoughts and the enitre Totus Habitum, including the newly founded Seekers. These warriors pushed forward, killing hundreds of orks through disciplined salvoes and strength of arms. The founder of the seekers, one Epistolary by the name of Ciaphas, himself met Darkstar in single combat. It is unknowable what went through the ancient ork's alien brain as Ciaphas land the fatal stroke with his Force Weapon, but it is said that the ancient beast was felled with a twisted, predatory girn on his face. This is a matter of conjecture, as the emotions of the ork race are truly unknowable. Regardles, the horde was driven back, and the few thousand orks that remained were soon claimed by the wasteland. The chapter's losses were great, but it would endure, and the secrets of the chapter's charge would not be defiled by those who could not understand its impoortance. So it would stand for millenia more.

Warsmith Reiker Fortwain

Warsmith Reiker Fortwain of the Iron Warriors was a bitter, twisted soul among bitter, twisted souls. During the days of the Great Crusade he had been an officer with a great deal of promise, and when the Heresy, it looked as though he would be an even greater champion of the Dark Gods. However, on the planet of Ryakov, Reiker was shamed by a force of Imperial Fists. Before that battle, Reiker had never found a fortress, after 300 years of campaigning, that he could not crack open. But the forces of the Imperial Fists were well prepared, well dug in, and most certainly filled with righteous hatred. For fifteen days, the Iron Warriors under his command hammered at the fortress, however as the Iron Warriors prepared for the assault on Terra, Reiker's superiors demanded his withdrawl from the planet. Reiker was furious, and though he did pull back, he never forgot the planet he could not take, nor the Space Marines who prevented his victory. During the age of the Scouring, Reiker returned to Ryakov. Filled with such fury was he, that he had every Exterminatus capable ship under his command fire upon the planet, and had all others bombard the surface until the planet itself was little more then an asteroid field. After this, during the internecine wars that broke many of the Chaos Legions down into petty Warbands, Reiker hunted those who had determined his siege of Ryakov was to be ended prematurely. Five Warsmiths were slain to his fury, and he subsummed their forces into his own. Establishing a base within the Eye of Terror, he and the thousands under his command launched a series of devastating raids on planets the Imperial Fists were known to visit for recruits. Eventually, in M35 on one such raid, he encountered a crusade force which had come to the planet after a succesful campaign. However when he made landfall, he found that not only were there Imperial Fists on the planet, but a more recently founded group of Marines of a uniform he did not recongnize. However, the marines on the planet were thought to number only a little above the strength of three companies, and the forces he commited to the campaign outnumbered them Three to One. Within a month, a shocked and furious Reiker was driven from the planet by the stalwart defenders, and his fleet was crippled by the uncomming fleet of the Successor chapter. As Reiker and the few warriors of his force that remained returned to their Fortress in the eye of terror, Reiker's officers nervously noted that he was even more furious then usual. As rampaged through the bridge, killing the occasional menial and punching dents into the bulkheads, he swore vengence on the petty bastard sons of the Imperial Fists; he would have his revenge on the Guardians of Masada.

For the coming months, Reiker gathered intelligence on the locations of Guardian strongholds, and determined the location of their Fortress monastary. After months of careful planning, he engarned the support of the few Warsmiths he called allies, and together, they mustered a force almost seven thousand marines strong. From here, traitors within the sector, corrupt officials all, made note of when a great fleet of the Guardians left, to aid their closest brother chapters in an especially pressing siege. It is estimated that when the Iron Warriors attacked, only five hundred marines were stationed planetside. However as the Fortress Monastary's sensors picked up the incoming force, they sent a distress signal to their Brothers deployed far away. It would be atleast three weeks before they could return, and in the meantime their force was grieviously outnumbered. However, they did have one advantage. For all his careful planning and obsessive research, he had not accounted for the vast amount of ruins on the planet's surface. As his troops landed in their thousands, the search began for the fortress of the Guardians. Reiker had heard stories of the terrible cyber beasts, and to his credit, was actually prepared for them. As his forces methodically made their way through the ruins, all the while being harried by the cyber beasts and the fast moving elements of the Guardians, they eventuall found an outpost. Though certainly not the main fortress, he surmised that it may contain information as to the location of the main fortress. Manning the fortress was a skeleton force of fifty initiates, most having only recently received the right to wear power armor, led by a single, if highly charismatic, Chaplain. Realizing their doom, the Chaplain called upon his young brothers to sell their lives dearly, for Emperor and Primarch. Such was the fury of these initiates that they slew three times their number before succumbing to the Iron Warriors. The Chaplain himself slew two of the supporting Warsmiths in the attack, until the sheer numbers of the Iron Warriors were brought to bear against them. Reiker counted the battle a victory however, for the Chaplain had been unable to destroy the records in time. Scouring the facility for the knowledge he sought, he eventually determined the location of the Monastary.

The remaining Guardians fell back to the fortress, and awaited the uncomming horde. In the time that they had held the Iron Warriors back, they had called for the other planets of the system to send their forces to aid in the defence of the Citadel. Thousands of Guardsmen and Skiitari stood alongside the Guardians that remained, but Captain Uriah Sentril, Warden of the Gate and captain of the 1st company, knew that this would likely be a final stand. As the Iron Warrior siege advanced, the Battle hymn of the Imperium rose up from the battlements and bunkers. Though they may all die, one Imperial officer remarked, 'At least we die to the songs of angels'. For two weeks, the Iron Warriors battered away at the front wall before breaching it. A sense of triumph overcame Reiger as he led his forces through the Gates of the Inner Sanctum, for he had heard stories that no other invader had stepped this far into the fortress. However, after five pushes into the depths of the Fortress, he simply could not break through to the core of the fortress, so determined were the remaining defenders. His army set up camp within the outer walls, and prepared for a sixth push. Their chance never came. The Guardians who were deployed before the siege began, as well as a sizable force of Imperial Fists and Black Templars, made landfall inside the fortress. As the Iron Warriors were suddenly set upon, the remaining defenders surged out of the broken gateway to the Inner Sanctum, and began to enact revenge on the Iron warriors for their fallen comrades. The battle lasted a full day and a night, and many brave soldiers of the Imperium gave their lives, but they enacted an even bloodier toll on the Iron Warriors. Eventually, Reiker was all that was left of his invasion's command structure. Bitterly, he made the choice to pull back. A scant fourth of his force remained, and as they withdrew under fire, and returned to their ships, Reiker once again sword vengence. He would see Masada under siege again, he exclaimed, even if it took millenia. He was, as fate would have it, correct. He would again assail Masada, but not under his own banner. A far greater evil would amass forces to claim the bastion of Guardians, and he would play his part when the time came. However, his forces returned to their Fortressworld to lick their wounds, and they would not be a danger to the Imperium for centuries to come.

Daemon Prince Grendelgelt

Grendel Thinbrow, Blood Claw of the Space Wolves chapter, was regarded by more senior Space Wolves as unpredictable, even for a Blood Claw. Fresh from a campaign in the Meridithii sector, the Space Wolves of the Great Company of Sven the Broad Chested responded to reports of a possible traitor presence on a nearby Sub-Sector. As the Wolf Lord prepared a force to take to the surface of the planet of suspision, a Hiveworld that had recently severed contact with its' sister planets, Grendel began to hear voices, deep in his mind whispering of his superiority over all his brothers. He dared not speak of them, for they spoke of ideas and plans that would be considered heretical, and so he was left alone with these temptations, and slowly his will began to slacken. As fate would have it, Grendel was one of fifty warriors selected to accompany the Wolf Lord to the single sprawling Hive complex and the relatively desolate world. Shortly after they made landfall, they came under attack from waves of cultists. For several weeks, the Space Wolves fought a running battle against the Traitors, destroying vital facilities and sustaining few casualties. When reports of a Warp stom began to surface from the Strike Cruiser, Wolf Lord Sven came to the descision that it would be best to abandon the tracherous planet to the Warpstorm as punishment for its disobediance. However, as his forces began to gather for extraction, they came under attack from a force of Chaos Space Marines. This sudden engagement was further complicated as several of the Blood Claws, Grendel amongst them, began to behave strangely. Showing reckless disregard for the orders of their Wolf Lord, the Blood Claws charged off after a retreating arm of the renegade force. Sven himself led a small team to gather up the impetuous Blood Claws. Hours later, only a few returned to spit oaths of seething hatred and fury at what had transpired. The Blood Claws had led them into a trap, and betrayed them. Over the course of the campaign, the sorcerers of the Chaos Warband had whispered false promises to the youngest recruits of the Space Wolves, and those Sons of Russ that had fallen had fallen absoloutley. Sven, moments before losing consiousness due to wounds so terrible that all around him were sure he would die, ordered the Exterminatus of the planet. However, the Space Wolves discovered that the Renegades had made good their escape aboard a vessel which had remained hidden beyond the range of their sensors. As the Apothecarians struggled to save Sven, he swore an oath to hunt those traitors until the stain on his honor had been erased.

For his part, Grendel Thinbrow swiftly rose through the ranks of his new Warband, eventually coming to power after only 50 years in the service of the Dark Gods. Over the course of the following centuries, he gathered hundreds of Chaos Space Marines under his banner, and countless cultists sung his praises. Eventually, after one thousand years of raiding out of the Eye of Terror, he achieved the goal of all Traitor Marines, Daemonhood. Choosing to remain at the head of his Warfleet, he raided and pillaged for a thousand years more before distant, half forgotten memory crawled into his head. He remembered a chapter of Space Marines that he had fought alongside shortly before joining in the glory of the Dark Gods. He remembered how they had boasted of their own fortress, and though it could not be compared to The Fang, fortress of the Space Wolves, in impregnability, they told of a truly exceptional bastion. Grendelgelt, as he had come to call himself, remembered the Guardians of Masada, and in his black heart the seed of desire was planted. He would take this bastion and he would bring low the entire chapter, so he told his closest Captains. The Warsmith Reiker Fortwain heard of this, and pledged his support. The Dark Apostle Saxton, who himself had some grudge against the Guardians, also pledged his forces to the Daemon Princes campaign. Slowly but surely, more and more Warlords pledged their support to cracking the iron vice that was Masada.

Sven the Broad Chested never forgot the betrayl wrought upon him by Sven and his compatriats. Though kept alive only by the armored sarcophagus of a dreadnought, he continued to lead his great company in a hunt for the traitors for 300 years. During this time, every one of the twelve Blood claws that had followed Sven was hunted down and slain. However, by this point, Sven had begun to spend more and more time in the slumber that dreadnoughts partake in and, eventually, a new leader was chosen to lead the great company. Keeping his predescessors' title, Alec the Broad Chested gave up on the hunt for Grendel, and returned to more normal deployments. Almost two-thousand years later, and after several succesions of leadership, Sven's company, now called the Great Company of Wilter Redbeard, returned to Masada to take part in a tradition founded through that conflict in the Meridithii sector ages past. While the Space Wolves had not always sent representitives to the Great Hunt, they had come in full force for this particular Hunt. It was the 100th hunt the Space Wolves had taken part in, and they were determined to outhunt the champions of the Guardians. Chance, Fate, or perhaps a more sinister manipulating force led Grendelgelt to mount his attack in the third week of the hunt. At the head of a force of several hundred battle hardened marines and uncountable mutants and cultists, Grendelgelt descended upon the world of Masada. Using tactical data gathered by Warsmith Reiker, Grendelgelt was able to bypass the majority of the ground instalations, and thanks to daemonic blessings placed upon the transports that made landfall, he was able to avoid the majority of the harsh weather that had proven the downfall of countless warlords. Taken by suprise, backed into a corner, and cut off from the majority of the chapter, the token force that had remained to guard the citadel during the celebration, made up only of the Seekers and those Initiates who were too young to take part in the Hunt, was hard pressed to hold against the waves of Daemonspawn and Cultists that the Invaders threw forth to wear their defenses. Grendelgelt, wary of a counter attack from the Guardians he had bypassed, assigned Warsmith Reiker to lead a rearguard against any such attack. Reiker, however, had no way to know what was in store for him.

It is said that out of the myriad of forces of the Imperium, few are as horrible to face as a company of Space Marines. A force numbering Six companies strong, including the Space Wolves participating in the Hunt, descended upon the hastily, though expertly, crafted fortifications of the Warsmith. While the Chaos Space Marines struggled defiantly to hold their positions against the tide of righteousness, the mutants, cultists, and heretics who manned the majority of the fortifications were swept away in what seemed like mere moments. Reiker himself, surrounded by his dead followers, was finally ended by a direct shell blast from the expert gunnery of the Guardian's prized vindicator, [i; 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%;">Shroud of Gore[/i]. After the rear guard had been wiped out, and while the force of Marines gathered itself for the lightning attack that would bring the siege to a close, Sven's auto senses noticed an insignia he had not seen for centuries. In his pride and arrogance, Grendelgelt required all those under his command to bear his personal seal, a seal that Sven knew all too well. Accompanying a roar of fury, Sven informed Wolf Lord Wilter of what he had found. As a blood paw, Wilter had often heard the tale of the Treacherous Grendel Thinbrow, and the idea of finally bringing this traitor to justice filled him with a fervor so palpable, even the Guardians, who were already enraged by the attack made on their homeworld, could not help but partake in the feeling of raw joy of the opportunity for bringing so old, and reviled a traitor to justice. Immediately, they thudered forth in their transports to relieve the forces in the citadel, and to slay the Daemon Prince. Their intervention could not have come at a better time, for even the Seekers, well versed in the Hymn of Contingencies though they were, could not hold form much longer against the sheer onslaught of chaos-imbued horrors. Grendelgelt sat in the rear of his force, and as such was in the midst of the counter attack when it was joined. Sven, carving his way through the traitors, finally found the last of his quarry, who was in the process of butchering a pack pf Grey Hunters. Meeting his old commander for the first time in over two thousand years, it cannot be said if Grendelgelt realized who was interred in the dreadnought he battled, but battle they did. Eventually, Grendelt struck Sven such a blow, that even the great dreadnought faltered. Taking this opportunity Grendelgelt shoved his sword through the old dreadnought. However, his victory was short lived, as Sven's mighty Power claw surged forth, thrusting through Grendel's exposed chest. The two duelists died in the same moment, and a second later the dreadnought's reactor went critical, and their bodies were engulfed in a timultuous blast.

Seeing their commander defeated, the remaining chaos marine retreated. Under the command of the Dark Apostle Saxton, the scant hundred remaining marines, and several thousand traitors escaped capture and execution. The whole battle had taken only three days, but had wreaked a grevious toll on all involved. For aiding in the slaying of a traitor that had avoided retribution to long, the runepriest of the Space Wolves created tne runed badges, which were gifted to each of the captains of the Guardians of Masada. In return, the Guardians recovered the head of Grendelgelt, seared it of all flesh, emblazoned it with gold, and gifted it to the Space Wolves upon their next visit to Masada. From then on the bond between the Space Wolves and the Guardians of Masada grew ever stronger, and the head of the treacherous, weak willed Grendelgelt remained among the trophies of the Space Wolves for the rest of its' existance.

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%;">Battlecry

A yell of "Our Bodies shall not falter, the Line will be held!" followed by a combined roar of voices and bolter fire.


Edit: I think I should mention that this is my 1st ever IA, input would be appreciated.

[Whit]

UPDATE

 

Sorry for the double post, but I've corrected the grammar errors that result from typing an article in Notepad at 2 in the morning. Also, I've added a substantial amount of background info, edited a few things, made a few things a bit more clear, I hope.

 

If you have any questions, comments, or Ideas for this IA, please, do not hesitate to express them.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The Guardians of Masada have a firm belief that any warrior, even a Marine, is only as strong as the equipment he carries.

This goes against the belief of EVERY SINGLE ONE of history's great generals, who believe a weapon is only as useful as the warrior who uses it, and rigorously train these warriors to best use the weapons available. Those who rely too much on their equipment, will be :cuss -beat when the equipment is INEVITABLY damaged, malfunctions, or runs out of juice.

Each Marine is trained to use any weapons and armor available to them. This includes vehicles, and each Marine is proficient enough to man a vehicle to some capacity, able to continue operating transports should the dedicated crew fall.

Unrealistic. Real world armies tend to rely on specialists, not the "jack of all trades, master of none" types. Don't repeat mistakes CKO made in Silent Pythons Version 1.0, i.e., try to "gold-plate" EVERY SINGLE ONE of the Marines by making them master everything. If a Marine is already proficient with a weapon or a vehicle, his time is better spent increasing his mastery of what he's ALREADY PROFICIENT in- to be "master of ONE trade, jack of some others."

[Whit]

Thanks for the input Bjorn. In response however:

 

1) I can see your point if they relied completely on technology, but you cannot deny that if Space Marines ran around in Togas throwing rocks, they wouldn't be nearly as effective. Every Marine ever, renegade or loyalist, relies on technology for a great deal of, well, everything. The Guardians just take this one step further, by outfitting their warriors with the best equipment they provide, kind of like the Salamanders in a way.

 

2) I think their is a differance between 'Gold-platting' and what I described. While I admit that paragraph was short, and not very well fleshed out, I didn't mean to say that they were all Omni-specialists. If I recall correctly, almost every Space Marine chapter teaches their Marines how to operate fast attack platforms like Bikes and Land Speeders, why not teach them how to drive a Rhino, or a Razorback?

 

Still, I thank you for your valid, if angry sounding, points. I'll keep them in mind in future revisions.

[Shinzaren]

Thanks for the input Bjorn. In response however:

 

1) I can see your point if they relied completely on technology, but you cannot deny that if Space Marines ran around in Togas throwing rocks, they wouldn't be nearly as effective. Every Marine ever, renegade or loyalist, relies on technology for a great deal of, well, everything. The Guardians just take this one step further, by outfitting their warriors with the best equipment they provide, kind of like the Salamanders in a way.

 

Well this is partially true, your statement that a warrior is only as good as his weapons is not. A marine armed with nothing but a knife would still destroy a normal man with a power sword. A marine with a bolt pistol would destroy a Guardsman with a big better bolt pistol. The difference is the man. Every chapter outfits their marines with the best equipment they can provide btw, that's not unique. What is unique is that your chapter has access to better equipment than others.

 

2) I think their is a differance between 'Gold-platting' and what I described. While I admit that paragraph was short, and not very well fleshed out, I didn't mean to say that they were all Omni-specialists. If I recall correctly, almost every Space Marine chapter teaches their Marines how to operate fast attack platforms like Bikes and Land Speeders, why not teach them how to drive a Rhino or Razorback

 

I agree with this; it makes sense, especially for a vehicle heavy force. They might not be masters, but they can at least and point and shoot with it. However, your paragraph does need to be expanded and reworded a bit to clarify.

 

Don't worry to much about Bjorn's anger. He's a space puppy so he's already clinically insane :P He just hasn't killed anything in a while I'm sure. Nothing to fret over. ;)

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Still, I thank you for your valid, if angry sounding, points. I'll keep them in mind in future revisions.

Sorry if I sound angry- that was not my intention, it was an accidental consequence of the means I use to emphasize my points. As for the points themselves, you know the joke about how military service members lose the ability to appreciate a war movie, because their experience keeps telling them, "They [sylvester Stallone and his ilk] are doing it wrong!" etc.? I served four years in the US Army; I get like that when reviewing war-related media.

[Shinzaren]

Ok, so I had a huge 3 paragraph response about how Mattias's whole section needs to be removed, but it was getting pretty vengeful towards the end, and not a worthy response for your hard work. Basically, what Mattias accomplishes is too much, too improbable, too unbelievable, and pulls the reader right out of the suspension of disbelief. Not only that, but it adds nothing to IA. Pare it down, remove it, do something. Its a crazy long, unbroken paragraph that isn't necessary to understand who and what the Guardians are about. Not only that, but it was way to OP.

[Whit]

Yeah, I kinda got that notion while I was writing it. I kinda just wanted to add some more meat to the IA, so I threw that in. I think later I may add something more believable, maybe he simply led a charge? I don't know, but I think I'm going to remove the whole siege story until I can think of a better way to incorporate it.

 

I'll definately be making some changes to the IA later today. Including adding 'IA' to the title. :P

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Well, the lesser emphasis on "LOL my Spess Mehreens is the best! Them is better at everything than other Chapters' Mehreens!" is an improvement. You handled the Wolf-Guardian rivalry well.

[Whit]

Revision Number 4#!

 

I think that after I correct and fiddle a little more with this version, I'm going to submit it to the Librarium.

 

Added: Various grammar changes, as well as certain parts cleared up a bit. Also, and this is a big one, added the backstory for a Sect within the chapter called 'The Seekers'. I really like the idea I've got going for them, and would appreciate input.

 

Also: I'm thinking about inserting the stories of the 3 sieges that I've mentioned once or twice in the IA. Would this be a good idea? Also, as a note, they most certainly wouldn't be as Mary Sue as that first story. :rolleyes:

[Razblood]

Overall I think this is a pretty good IA.

 

It gives the chapter character and the only thing I would criticize is the "Seekers", seem a bit Blood Raven/Relictor like to me B)

 

But then again it gives a bit of a twist on descendants of Dorn I suppose.

 

 

I really need to get mine written up :/

[Bjorn Firewalker]

In fact, the only marines who are not scions of Dorn that have ventured into the deep with the Guardians of Masada are the Space Wolves, who occasionally commerate the birth of a rivalry between the Space Wolves 6th, and the Guardians of Masada's 4th companies during a campaign in the Meridithii sector.

Emphasis mine, on a word I believe is misspelled. Was "commemorate" the word you intended to use?

 

Also, to form such close relations between scions of different Primarchs, requires something more dramatic (in my opinion). Maybe say a Wolf Lord's Great Company was pursuing a Daemon Prince, intending to avenge a slight against their honor- coincidentally, the same Daemon Prince who laid seige to Masada?

[Whit]

Hmm, I like that idea. I think I'll be adding the Sieges to the IA in the form of side bars, and I'll definately include the Space Wolves in one, although the segment does mention 'Many other battles', so I think I'll keep the story in. I'll just add a snippet about how 'fate ordained they would meet again' or something like that. Anyway, I'll get right on that in the morning.

 

Also, thanks for the grammar advice, can't believe I missed that.

[Espada Azul]

A little quibble: the Space Wolves do NOT have numbered Companies. Instead, they have Great Companies that have actual names based on the totem their Wolf Lord adapts. For example, the Great Company of Erik Morkai (a personal favorite), or the Great Company of Bjorn Stormwolf.

[Shadey]

I liked your wolf/guardian rivarly and your seekers. Though tbh whenever I see seekers, i think seekers of Slaanesh :).

 

One thing you should think about is the Ad Mech would have a lot of the same goals in regards to artifacts and technology, and they aint neccessarily going to share and let the Guardians walk away with whatever they want when the Ad Mech wants said tech for themselves. It leaves a lot of room for conflict with the Ad Mech, even taking into account the close relationship.

 

I think you should list some of the draw backs to the relationship, maybe the ad mech has claimed items they want and vice versa, maybe there is an agreement of joint or alternating custodianship over items. Maybe your Guardians get the marine tech but any other tech is to be turned over to the AdMech.

 

Another drawback to the relationship could be that the Guardians are forced/coercered/asked into providing military support to AdMech interests. You mentioned Guardians often accompany Ad Mech expeditions but you could take it a step further, eg research leads an AdMech team to a hostile world, "ok Guardians now its time to earn your keep, you enjoy a favoured relationship, now we want you to invade this planet for us." with or without Skiitari/titan support.

 

Also what about the worship of the Ommnisiah? is it entirely voluntary or a condition applied by the AdMech. Maybe there was some reistance at first but is now pretty much a part of the chapter.

 

Other than that, sentence structure/flow could be better here and there (sometimes sentances are too long, other times too short), and there are some tense and word errors (some missing words), but for the most that is just nit-picks.

 

Nice work for the most though, you have obviously put a lot of effort into this. Keep in mind it may take a few more edits to get it right (im already up to about five edits on an IA I have yet to even post).

[Whit]

Hey, quick update. Got about halfway through a revision before I had to go to a buddies house. Added a bit about Admech relations, and did a bit of editing to the Space Wolf paragraph. Also, bit of a glitch. Every time I edit the IA, the code for the title and the 'Origins' header gets all mixed up, so I'll fix that when I finish revision 5 tomorrow.

[Whit]

Okay, MAJOR additions have been added. Under orginization, I've added some info regarding chaplains, as well as two of the three sieges I intended to write about. Critiques regarding them are quite welcome. As for the third one, I wanted to run an idea by you guys:

 

Okay, so several people (or maybe just one) have mentioned that the Space Wolves would require more reason to have a close relationship with the Guardians. So, what if the Daemon Prince was a rogue Space Wolf? My basic idea involves a particularly reckless Blood Claw causing the deaths of many brothers, and then leading his brothers to escape from the consequences. Eventually raising his own Warband, he became a Daemon Prince and an even greater stain on the honor of the Great Company that the Guardians fought alongside. So what do you think? Would that be feasable, or should I come up with something else?

 

Comments are appreciated, and sorry for the lateness. And the Double Post

[Dazzo]

What is the chapter symbol and do they use standard codex markings?

[Whit]

Well, after a break that spanned several months, I've finally decided to finish this thing. The only real update is the finalization of the 'thousand sieges' section. I intend to come up with Insignia and a chapter symbol next. However, if anyone has any ideas on what I can do to further improve this IA, it would be much appreciated.

 

PS: I'm aware this topic is old, but I got a Mod's permission to bump it, so we should be okay.

[NightrawenII]

Hmm, lets give it shoot...

 

Origins

Over the course of several decades, 3 whole Skiitari regiments were sent to clear the fortress, and make way for the Mechanicus science teams. These delpoyments met only with disastor, as even the well drilled soldiers were made into mincemeat by the larger beasts.

- If the Admech was so keen on the gaining the access to the site, they would sent more than 3 regiments. Also SKITARII are not really pushovers.

 

Homeworld

There are no beasts of burden on the planet, infact, there is relatively little nonhuman life. As a result, the farming is extremely difficult, despite the optimal condition of the planet itself. Each man, young and old, has an incredibly steady rifle arm, as any animal found is killed and brought home for supper without a moments hesitation.

- Eh, if the animals are so rare, wouldn't make them this practise extinct in very short order?

- What about the stockbreeding? The Grox is very common animal.

 

The Second reason is much more obvious, Space Marine relics and equipment can be found in great numbers throughout the ruins. The Citadel itself was filled with manufacturing facilities, as well as a cache of precious technologies such as Tactical Dreadnought armor. This gives the Fortress Monastary the manufacturing power of a small forge world. An outside observer would find this remarkable, for despite the imposing appearance of the outer gate, which is tall enough to fit a Warhound Titan through, it cannot convey the actual size of the internal facilities. These internal facilities and chambers are roughly the size of a small Hivecity.

- This is somewhat stretch, to be honest. From the description it seems like important facility, yet it was, for unknown reason, abandoned and forgotten for over thousands of years.

- Second, I don't like the idea of single Chapter having the mini-forge solely for themself. The over-abudance of the rare equipment just proves my point.

 

As part of several treaties with the Emperor's Holy Inquisition, many Heretical, Thrice-damned Artifacts and Tomes are kept there, guarded by servitors ready to destroy every artifact in the room, as well as themselves, in an instantaneous burst of holy promethium.

- Lol, yeah. Why not destroy this cursed book outright, but keep it in vault for heretics to come and steal it? :eek

 

Combat Doctrine

As a Chapter descended of the Imperial Fists for the specific purpose of ensuring the secret of the Citadel.

- This is not right. If you want angry dragon sitting on the gold, there are far better choices than the Chapter of Astartes.

 

After the opening lightning strikes which Astartes are famed for, the Guardians find the most defensible position in the area.

- IMHO, the Astartes are not guys, who wait for enemy to find them, but other way round.

 

Organisation

The Chapter could not afford to have its' figurative head cut off, so a council was formed to ensure the chapter would always have commanders.

- If you don't want your head to be cut off, you will be keeping it out of the reach of these swinging blades.

 

That being said, he is completely and undeniable mad. He speaks mostly in riddles, confuses his Battle-Brothers with Brothers who have been dead for thousands of years, and regularly mistakes one enemy for another.

- ... and they keep him in the Council?!

 

However, over the millenia, this association has evolved into an outright fraternity. As such, all Techmarines, Librarians, and Apothecaries work closley, both on the battlefield and off it, and go so far as too adorn their armor with the same colors, and inverted version of the Chapter's normal color scheme. Other Battle-brothers look to this fraternity with great respect and awe, for these wise men, they believe, truly hold the fate of the chapter in their hands.

- A witch and a man with dual loyality are both held in great esteem. Yeah... :eek

 

Beliefs

However, even initiates possess an uncanny knack for technology, which is especially strange considering that the most worlds they recruit from are populated by savages or those that have only recently entered into an industrial age. Perhaps it is a quirk that has developed in their geneseed, but if it is, it is certainly no great harm.

- lol, the best Gene-seed ex Machina I have ever seen. :eek

 

For the rest... I don't have the willpower to wade through such wall of text, maybe tomorrow.

As far I can tell, you have good ideas, but they simply can't survive closer scrutiny.

[Whit]

Thanks Nightrawen. In response to a few of your critiques, I think I have an explanation.

 

Origins:

 

I'm aware that Skiitari aren't pushovers. The fact that they were sent in, and nearly wiped out, was supposed to demonstrate the need for a force even less likely to be pushed over IE: Space Marines. However, I'm not exactly familiar with the delpoyment strategies of the Adeptus Mechanicus. I believed at the time of writing that after essentially throwing away three highly valuable assests, the appeal was made to Space Marines in the area to aid the Mechanicus in taking the facility.

 

Homeworld:

 

Wow, I didn't even think about that. Maybe, as opposed to having relatively little life, its relatively undiverse? Perhaps the only other animals on the planet were hyper-lethal killing machines, who happened to breed faster then the humans, who's settlments were relatively small before imperialization, could kill them. Then, after imperialization, when the settlements grew bigger, the Space Marines had more exotic, deadlier animals brought to the planet, to ensure that those who survived on the planet would have to have the killer instinct they had for generations. The Marines ensured that the hard life of the populace would continue as it always had, on a larger scale, so as to breed strong recruits. I guess that would mean no grox too. Dunno, just a thought I came up with to remedy that problem.

 

Also, on the subject of the facility, while never overtly stating this, I thought that the majority of ruins, the population of endess cybernetically altered killing machines, and the presence of so many marine bits, bobs, and skeletons, heavily hinted that it wasn't simply abandoned, it was consumed. Probably in a big war, involving lots of space marines. Also, systems are lost all the time, and this case it was only for about two or three thousand years, which is pretty good, all things considered.

 

As for the Marine having a mini-forge, plenty of chapters do. Raven guard, Salamanders, and a few others have all been mentioned as having facilities that had the capabilities of a small forge world, and while the Guardians are no Chapter of Legend, I don't think the Imperium has much problem with Space Marines being able to manufacture their own gear, even on such a large scale.

 

On the subject of cursed things, I was under the impression that the inquisition saved things like that all the time, in case they became a macguffin in some future daemonic conflict. The Guardians Inner Inner sanctum is as secure, if not more so, then an inquisition vault, and those self destruct servitors ensure that, if any non-inquisitor did get close, they and all the artifacts would be instantly flamed.

 

Combat Doctrine

 

Space Marine chaptrs are founded for a variety of reasons; to patrol an area of space, to keep tyranids from reaching a hyper lethal species, and a variety of other reasons. As valuable of an asset as the Archeo ruins are, the real prize, held in the Innermost Inner part of the Inner sanctum (That one level of Inner above the Inquisition stuff) lays something highly important. Something immovable, highly dangerous, and in need of guardians. As, even in their decreased numbers today, the cyber beasts proved to much for any Mechanicus force, a garrison made up of the descendants of those who had cleared the facility seemed like a viable option at the time.

 

As for the 2nd point on this one, yeah you're right. Astartes are typically famed for their lightning assaults, and the Guardians do do these. However, they try to bring their expertise into play as much as possible. I dunno, I feel like I covered this somewhere shortly after that. They do do the raiding, and the attacks and such, but they use this to guide the enemy into ambushes and meat grinders.

 

Orginization

 

The chapter council thing was started, as is explained, during the turbulant years of the Chapter's infancy, where they struggled to keep the number of Marines at a consistant level due to the swarms of Cyber beasts just outside their walls. Many of the chapter's tradition and orginisational quirks originate from this time period, during which time the majority of Battle-Brothers were in a constant state of warfare. Casualties were high, and many of the original Chapter Commanders fell in comat. The council was the soloution to that problem, and it has worked well ever since.

 

On the subject of Dysomnias and the chapter-wide love of Techmarines and Librarians (and Apothecaries, but that's not as wierd) I think that there are a few easy explanations. First off, on Dysomnias, if we were talking about an orginization devoid of sentimentality, completely devoted to logic and efficiency, then yes, Dysomnias would not serve on the council. However, we are talking about power armored warrior monks who revere long dead heroes and elders as much if not more so then the rest of the Imperium loves saints. Dysomnias is seen as a living link to the founding of the chapter, and as such is treated as a patriarchal figure for the chapter. That being said, his actual role in vital chapter decisions sis debateable. As for techmarines and librarians, well, the whole chapter has a much closer relationship to the Mechanicus then most, not to mention their importance in maintaining the fortress and artifacts that have become the main focus of the chapter. Librarians are typically seen as the guardians of said artifacts, which is likely why they are held in such awe by their brothers, the whole psyker things plays second fiddle to that in their minds.

 

Geneseed

 

Yep, ya got me. No excuses, no explanations, that one really doesn't make much sense at all. Anybody have any suggestions on improving it?

 

Anyway thanks for the input. I don't mean to come across as dismissive in any of these counter-arguments, but if any of them came off as such, I apologize.

 

Getting to work on Iconography now, doing a little research and seeing what I need to see.

[NightrawenII]

Also, on the subject of the facility, while never overtly stating this, I thought that the majority of ruins, the population of endess cybernetically altered killing machines, and the presence of so many marine bits, bobs, and skeletons, heavily hinted that it wasn't simply abandoned, it was consumed. Probably in a big war, involving lots of space marines. Also, systems are lost all the time, and this case it was only for about two or three thousand years, which is pretty good, all things considered.

Yes, but there is difference between backwater planet on the fringes of known universe and mini-FW. The importance of such facility is just too high to be forgotten/abandoned/lost. And if the lots of SM were involved then it's even more likely of someone asking questions. To lost such system, you need a Warpstorm ex Machina.

 

As for the Marine having a mini-forge, plenty of chapters do. Raven guard, Salamanders, and a few others have all been mentioned as having facilities that had the capabilities of a small forge world, and while the Guardians are no Chapter of Legend, I don't think the Imperium has much problem with Space Marines being able to manufacture their own gear, even on such a large scale.

RG and Sallies are 1st Founding, so they really don't count.

As for others, Why would you give production facility to one Chapter, if the said facility can support several Chapters?

 

On the subject of cursed things, I was under the impression that the inquisition saved things like that all the time, in case they became a macguffin in some future daemonic conflict. The Guardians Inner Inner sanctum is as secure, if not more so, then an inquisition vault, and those self destruct servitors ensure that, if any non-inquisitor did get close, they and all the artifacts would be instantly flamed.

Yes and No.

Puritans burn these things on sight.

Radicals are prone to keep them, but they are going to use such artifact, so in their case it's like playing with fire.

 

Space Marine chaptrs are founded for a variety of reasons; to patrol an area of space, to keep tyranids from reaching a hyper lethal species, and a variety of other reasons.

Area of space =/= single planet.

The bit about tyranids is wrong.

 

As valuable of an asset as the Archeo ruins are, the real prize, held in the Innermost Inner part of the Inner sanctum (That one level of Inner above the Inquisition stuff) lays something highly important. Something immovable, highly dangerous, and in need of guardians. As, even in their decreased numbers today, the cyber beasts proved to much for any Mechanicus force, a garrison made up of the descendants of those who had cleared the facility seemed like a viable option at the time.

If there is something so dangerous... then the entire planet would be subject of exterminatus long time ago. The Imperium's answer to the threats it cannot conquer or use is annihilation.

I just think that having Chapter of marines is be waste of Emperor's resources. Because if you are guardian of something, you are sitting here and guarding it, not wandering elsewhere.

 

As for the 2nd point on this one, yeah you're right. Astartes are typically famed for their lightning assaults, and the Guardians do do these. However, they try to bring their expertise into play as much as possible. I dunno, I feel like I covered this somewhere shortly after that. They do do the raiding, and the attacks and such, but they use this to guide the enemy into ambushes and meat grinders.

Then we are going to agree on disagree. I just think that it's better to not be here when the hammer struck.

[Whit]

This is actually pretty fun, going back and forth on these points. :P

 

Yes, but there is difference between backwater planet on the fringes of known universe and mini-FW. The importance of such facility is just too high to be forgotten/abandoned/lost. And if the lots of SM were involved then it's even more likely of someone asking questions. To lost such system, you need a Warpstorm ex Machina.

 

That'd be true if the forgeworld had survived, or if it was a forgeworld. The fact of the matter is, it's left ambiguous what the system was intentionally. Perhaps it was a marine stronghold, lost to orbital bombardment during the Heresy, or maybe it was a Non-imperial civilization, crushed to pulp by marines who would turn on eachother shortly thereafter as the Heresy began. Many planets were lost, destroyed, burned, and otherwise erased during that time, it would not be impossible for such a place to slip through the cracks, in fact, it has a fair chance of happening.

 

As for others, Why would you give production facility to one Chapter, if the said facility can support several Chapters?

 

Maybe because it might not sit well with them to share a fortress monastary?

 

Yes and No.

Puritans burn these things on sight.

Radicals are prone to keep them, but they are going to use such artifact, so in their case it's like playing with fire.

 

While I can understand puritans burning everything on sight, reading a few BL books (Namely the Grey Knights series) left me with the impression that the inquisition is filled with vaults filled to the brim with all sorts of bits and bobs that the general populace would be executed over owning, from xenotech to heretical writings.

 

The bit about tyranids is wrong.

 

Actually, while I can't seem to find my copy of C: SM right now, I do remember there was a chapter that had to keep some incredibly lethal aliens in check in the Grendl stars, and had to play keep away with the tyranids to keep them from harvesting the alien's biological potential.

 

If there is something so dangerous... then the entire planet would be subject of exterminatus long time ago. The Imperium's answer to the threats it cannot conquer or use is annihilation.

I just think that having Chapter of marines is be waste of Emperor's resources. Because if you are guardian of something, you are sitting here and guarding it, not wandering elsewhere.

 

However, it's been stated that whatever it is, no matter how dangerous, the Magos see it as highly valuable. They would have removed it from the facility, if it were movable. They'd hold the facility by themselves too, if their forces had been capable of doing so. In the end, a chapter of Space Marines, well and able to ensure the saftey of the artifcact, with close ties to the mechanicus, allowing them access to the artifact when they needed it, seemed like a pretty good option.

 

As for them being a waste, it's not like they don't go out and do crusades, campaigns, and other manly marine duties. It's just that they also have a responsibility to defend their fortress monastary not just for the good of their chapter, but for the good of the Mechanicus as well.

 

Then we are going to agree on disagree. I just think that it's better to not be here when the hammer struck.

 

Who's to say the hammer would strike? If they do their jobs right, the enemy will be whittled, confused, seperated, and under the concentrated fire of a cunning ambush layed by power armored super soldiers. Although I can see the reason for your trepidation.

[NightrawenII]

That'd be true if the forgeworld had survived, or if it was a forgeworld. The fact of the matter is, it's left ambiguous what the system was intentionally. Perhaps it was a marine stronghold, lost to orbital bombardment during the Heresy, or maybe it was a Non-imperial civilization, crushed to pulp by marines who would turn on eachother shortly thereafter as the Heresy began. Many planets were lost, destroyed, burned, and otherwise erased during that time, it would not be impossible for such a place to slip through the cracks, in fact, it has a fair chance of happening.

Hm, well if you think that the purpose of the planet and the citadel si left ambiguous, then you are sorely mistaken. If you want it to be ambiguous, then don't hit me with obvious-hammer of *as well as a cache of precious technologies such as Tactical Dreadnought armor.* and the like.

As for the second part... simply NO. Losing the stronghold full of precious equipment and manufactories with its Astartes garrison is going to raise Big Red Flag even during such turmoil like Heresy or Scouring.

 

Maybe because it might not sit well with them to share a fortress monastary?

Who said they must be stationed here?

 

Actually, while I can't seem to find my copy of C: SM right now, I do remember there was a chapter that had to keep some incredibly lethal aliens in check in the Grendl stars, and had to play keep away with the tyranids to keep them from harvesting the alien's biological potential.

Iron Lords are keeping the Barghesti in the Grendl Stars region. Fighting off of the Hive Fleet Kraken(??) was just bonus.

 

However, it's been stated that whatever it is, no matter how dangerous, the Magos see it as highly valuable. They would have removed it from the facility, if it were movable. They'd hold the facility by themselves too, if their forces had been capable of doing so.

#A Inquisition don't care what the magos or Mechanicus think.

#B Admech have far more abilities to turn the world into impregnable fortress than single Chapter ever could hope to achieve.

 

In the end, a chapter of Space Marines, well and able to ensure the saftey of the artifcact, with close ties to the mechanicus, allowing them access to the artifact when they needed it, seemed like a pretty good option.

 

As for them being a waste, it's not like they don't go out and do crusades, campaigns, and other manly marine duties. It's just that they also have a responsibility to defend their fortress monastary not just for the good of their chapter, but for the good of the Mechanicus as well.

Two words, Separation of Power.

Working as the watch-dogs of Mechanicus is not very good idea for the Astartes.

 

As for them being a waste, it's not like they don't go out and do crusades, campaigns, and other manly marine duties. It's just that they also have a responsibility to defend their fortress monastary...

All of these are compromising their primary task, the defence of Masada. The burden of defending one single world in the Imperium of million(s) worlds *is* waste of the Emperor's Finest.

[Ecritter]

Two words, Separation of Power.

 

That's three words. :D