The Viridian Swords

[The Oakenshield]

Here is my chapter, enjoy!

 

 

 

The Viridian Swords were founded in M37 to watch over the many Ork empires present in the Maelstrom. They maintain many outposts on the edges of the Maelstrom, all reporting back to Calphas, their homeworld.

 

CALPHAS

 

Calphas is world covered in a vast, primordial forest of trees as tall as Titans. The only things taller than the trees are the massive mountains that jut out of the earth in ranges stretching to both horizons. The atmosphere is thin, and the temperature cold. The vast majority of the population inhabits the shores of of Calphas' many frigid lakes, fishing their gargantuan fish and eels. In some places cities are built, but they are nothing compared to the hives of other worlds. In winter, the lakes freeze, and another source of food must be found, for ice-fishing is notoriously unreliable, as the holes used to bring up the fish must be the size of a small house.

 

So many of Calphas' people are trappers by winter. They range into the woods, searching for game, all of which is large and dangerous, but provides a long-lasting supply of food. Hunting in winter on Calphas is not an easy task. The snow is several metres deep, even under the trees, which can be exhausting for someone unprepared, and the hunter must be alert and ready at all times. If he spots his quarry while he is exhausted, he might have to return home empty-handed, or die alone under the trees if the "prey" is feeling hungry.

 

It is from this stock of people that the Viridian Swords commonly recruit. They do not go forth, however, to search for new candidates, for the boys of Calphas have all heard of the Swords, and many long to escape their dreary life. So it is that small bands of brave or foolhardy young Calphites travel to the Repositorium of the Swords, set amongst the mightiest mountains of the planet, and offer themselves as new members. The first test is to wait outside the imposing doors for 3 days in summer, or 1 in winter without, any response from the warriors on the other side. Once this test is passed, they are admitted into the main hall to be examined by the Apothecaries.

 

 

THE REPOSITORIUM

 

The Repositorium is the fortress of the Viridian Swords. A large portion of the massive edifice serves as a library, where at all times a few Brothers may be seen in silent contemplation, reading or even writing and illuminating new texts, a skill highly valued among the Swords, among its Battle-Brothers, just as it is among the people below. It is said that even while massive battles raged in and around the fortress, the library remained deathly silent, seemingly stifling all noise.

 

Atop the mountains surrounding the Repositorium are many smaller fortress, each linked to the main citadel by tunnels and endless underground staircases. It is even rumored that in the Master’s quarters are two-way teleportation arrays keyed to all of the smaller bastions.

 

Each of these small forts is crowned by orbital defense array, manned by servitors, consisting of massive laser batteries for use against space craft and missile pods for destroying the orbital ships of invaders.

 

THE VIRIDIAN SWORDS

 

The Swords’ geneseed comes from Dark Angel stock, although unlike most of their successor chapters, the Viridian Swords do not pursue the hunt of the fallen relentlessly, instead preferring to focus on defending against intruders from the Maelstrom.

 

Their present leader is Supreme Grand Master Samuel, who has held the position for 122 years and served with the chapter for three centuries before leading it. He is famous for having defeated the largest Waaagh! Calphas has ever seen.

 

 

WAAAGH! ZID

 

In M41.933, Warboss Zid gathered a massive force of Orks to his cause, and founded a small empire in the Maelstrom. Zid soon tired of fighting other Orks, however, and was determined to attack the Imperium. He ordered his Meks to construct a massive fleet of Roks, and in a few months, the crude craft were filled to the gunnels with Boys and ready for launch.

 

The Weirdboys of Waagh! Zid guided the massive craft through the warp, and tore back into real space near the planet of Calphas. Immediately the planetary defense arrays opened fire, blasting many Roks into pieces. Many of the craft, however, plunged to the surface, their outer layers burning up from the intense heat of atmospheric decent.

 

Zid personal craft crashed to earth in the valley of the Repositorium, Orks spilling forth. The planetary defense bastions were quickly overwhelmed being defended only by a skeleton crew of Marines and Neophytes. Crude missiles were fired into the titanic doors of the Repositorium in massive salvos again and again, and the Marines within returned fire from the battlements above. Inside, Master Samuel knew that the gates could not hold forever, so determined to sally forth and attempt to kill Zid before the Repositorium was defiled and its defenders trapped within. Choosing his best followers, he ordered the badly damaged doors opened, and they charged into the mass of Orks beyond. They were hopelessly outnumbered. Slaying Orks left and right, Smauel searched for the largest amongst them, knowing that he must be the leader. Seeing an Ork standing head and shoulders above the rest, he charged through the press of greenskins and faced him in single combat, his Veterans engaging the Warboss' retinue. The Viridian Swords manning the walls poured endless volleys of withering fire into the Greenskins, but they were sure Samuel was doomed, for his men were surrounded, and his opponent mighty indeed.

 

But so was Samuel. He suffered grievous injuries form his opponent, but used his gun to blast away one the monsters legs, and the crush its thick skull in his powerfist. Seeing the death of their leader, the Orks began to waver. The Marines defending the Repositorium rushed out to their Master’s aid, and this was the final straw for the horde, which broke and fled.

 

The apothecaries tended to Samuel, who healed quickly. Meanwhile, he sent forth the majority of the chapter to aid the the Calphas Planetary Defense Force in scouring the remaining Orks from Claphas, many of whom had landed thousands of miles from their leader. This was not difficult, for the Orks had lost all resolve from hearing no news of their mighty commander.

[kiwitexansfan]

I like the write up of the homeworld, well done.

 

Oh, and how do you explain a DA successor not seeking the Fallen, when all the founding Marines would of have had this hammered into them as DA marines

[The Oakenshield]

They simply use geneseed originally tithed from the DA and given to them for the recruits by the Adeptus Terra. They were given new duties and only the Master knows of the Fallen and the hunting duties were revoked by the Inner Circle.

[Kristoff]

I like the write up of the homeworld, well done.

 

Oh, and how do you explain a DA successor not seeking the Fallen, when all the founding Marines would of have had this hammered into them as DA marines

 

Not every Dark Angel knows about hunting the Fallen. Either the Marines tithed to start the new chapter were not involved with the Secret to begin with, the chapter was created with objectives that would preclude them from being able to pursuing the Fallen, or the ones in the new chapter who were part of the Inner Circle were killed off before passing on the Secret.

 

The Dark Angels is explicit in saying that not all of their child chapters hunt the Fallen.