Lords of Oblivion "V2.0"

[Allerka]

My Lords of Oblivion are nearing the eighth anniversary of their creation, as it were. My current IA article was written about three years ago, and, having grown as a person, a player, and my Marines as a Chapter, I feel it's about time to go back and revisit it and touch up or expand parts of it. After some reflection over the bulk of this year, I've come to feel some parts aren't overly cohesive, some are confusing, some thematic elements I wanted to present aren't as strong as I'd have liked, and all that jazz. So I'm writing out my thoughts, thinking aloud as it were, on what I want to do, what I want to change, and why. I've also gotten a lot of inspiration from A Thousand Sons, which I just finished reading.

 

I'll run down the sections of the IA article to start.

 

Opening quote: While a typically bad-arse Space Marine quote, it doesn't really convey anything about the character of the Chapter. More in-line with what I'm looking for, I'm thinking of a quote from my story "The Hunt for Veck" I wrote a year or two ago:

 

'"And what makes you think we use physical torture to extract information? We are the Lords of Oblivion. We value strength of the mind above all else. And if we know how to make our minds strong, then surely we know how to break them as well, without ever touching the body.”

 

-Captain Valos Tiburin, to a heretic captured in battle'

 

This is one of several quotes from my homegrown codex thrown in for flavor, which help emphasize the my Chapter's devotion to mental strength, and obviously would fit the themes below much better, I think.

 

 

Origins: In typical IA fashion, I go into detail about the origins of the Chapter. However, the bulk of the section is more about the history of Firien, the Lords of Oblivion's homeworld, rather than the Chapter itself. So a re-write to further expand the actual creation and initial history of the Chapter would work much better, I think, as well as help explain their organization and why they differ from their gene-seed Chapter, the Iron Hands.

 

A basic rundown of what I have planned is, the Chapter is green-lit for creation in late M38, to be based on Firien. The Iron Hands are initially approached to provide the raw materials and manpower, however they refuse (perhaps due to having recently suffered losses from an extended campaign or most of the Chapter is away from Medusa). Instead, the Brazen Claws are approached, who agree to provide the resources. However, the strike cruiser carrying all the resources and Space Marines fails to arrive on time. Several months of searching eventually discovers it adrift and without power in a system near Firien. A search of the ship finds the crew and Space Marines aboard entirely dead or missing, except for a comatose Librarian named Allerka (and maybe a handful of other survivors). After being revived, Allerka explains the ship was attacked by a Chaos raiding party that used powerful psykers to flay the minds of the crew and his fellow Space Marines, leaving them vulnerable to easily being killed. Allerka, being a powerful Librarian in his own right, was able to withstand their attacks and fight back, eventually killing dozens to hundreds of the attackers before they retreated and fled.

 

The founding is nearly called off because of the death of most of the Brazen Claws that were going to be responsible for training the would-be new recruits, but Allerka insists on going through with it. However, the attack en route has left him deeply disturbed at how easily his fellow Space Marines' minds were destroyed by the attacking psykers, and he vows to ensure his Chapter won't be vulnerable to the same thing. He pulls a logistical miracle and is able to almost single-handedly oversee the formation of the Chapter, which he elects to call the Lords of Oblivion, taking the name from the mythology of Firien surrounding the ancient Dremori guardians of the planet, and the color scheme is based on his personal heraldry. In addition to the normal training, he implements a rigorous program to train his Marines in how to defend themselves from psychic attacks through sheer force of will, to be utterly dedicated to their mission, and to be able to withstand the untold horrors of the galaxy. While generally successful, before long this program also begins to see the rise of numerous members of the Chapter developing at least a latent level of psychic ability, and the Librarium of the Chapter quickly expands beyond typical Codex levels to accommodate this.

 

 

In a nutshell, I think this better helps explain why and how my Chapter is so psyker-heavy. I'm also basing the Brazen Claws off of SCC's version of them, hence why the Lords of Oblivion are, at least initially, much more Codex-oriented than the Iron Hands.

 

 

Major Campaigns: Currently this is more a random sampling of campaigns across their history, and I think I want to re-write this more like the current codex sections, which focus particularly on, say, the last quarter of the 41st millenium. For the 13th Black Crusade and Salvation of Firien section, though, I think that needs a bit of a re-write, including a complete dropping of the "undead Dark Eldar" bit and just do a daemonic invasion of Firien. The final results would be essentially the same, with 2/3 of the Chapter lost in the campaign and the daemons defeated, but many of the Chapter's allies having forsaken them in light of their willingness to ally with the Dremori.

 

I can also go into further detail about the Chapter's history and re-structuring following the Salvation of Firien. Given their following of the Codex nearly saw the Chapter destroyed, the Lords of Oblivion have largely decided to abandon the Codex, and individual Captains are free to organize their Companies however they see fit. While some of the Companies have remained largely Codex-esque in size or scale, some have begun to diverge greatly, the most notable example being Captain Ith'mak and his 5th Company, which consists largely of the new Saurok Rider squads (my Chapter's equivalent of Thunderwolf Cavalry). This can also help cover why I use Codex: Space Wolves to represent my Chapter, and why my homegrown codex is based on that one, rather than Codex: Space Marines.

 

 

Homeworld: I think this section can stay largely the same, perhaps with a little bit of condensation for brevity's sake.

 

High Paladin Allerka blurb: This can probably use a bit of shortening, as well, in addition to updating details to reflect some more recent fluff I've written.

 

The Dremori and Oblivion: I can probably condense this into a single section, and it definitely needs some redefinition on some aspects. I can probably cut out the bits on the various sub-species, as it's not really relevant to the Lords of Oblivion.

 

Squad Markings: I've been thinking a lot about this, and I've decided to drop the "vague Oriental vibe" I've had going for years. Really, it should have never been there in the first place, but was a byproduct of my anime/Japan obsession. So the squad markings will be replaced with more actual "Oblivion" type symbols, though I may still keep the numbers the same, or go to something similar. It's going to be enough of a pain re-painting the squad markings without doing the squad numbers as well on both their shoulder pads and kneepads, not to mention trying to get the guy who did my artwork to re-paint all that stuff, too (and getting the posters re-printed for my apartment :)).

 

 

Combat Doctrine: This section pretty much needs to be re-written from scratch to accommodate more recent fluff and changes. About the only parts that would remain is the strong preference for melee combat and the increased use of psykers. I can go into detail again about how individual Captains are now allowed to organize their Companies as they see fit, the increased size of the Librarium (even with the Chapter barely at half strength, the Librarium is still larger than most full-size Codex Chapters, in addition to most officers being junior psykers as well). I can also go into more detail about how these latent powers work, along the lines of the different "cults" of the Thousand Sons, sort of like different specializations many of the officers develop their powers into (though obviously not nearly to the level of the Thousand Sons).

 

 

Organization: Again, updating to reflect the greatly diminished manpower of the Chapter, as well as expanding the role of Librarians and psykers within the Chapter. Perhaps a quick summary of the currently active Companies, and how they differ from each other.

 

 

Beliefs: More explanation on their interest in mental strength, and perhaps some more history as to why they feel that way. Perhaps some incidents where Battle-Brothers powers grew too quickly and they destroyed themselves due to lack of discipline, lending an additional motivation for the Chapter to abhor mental weakness. Also dropping of the Samurai's Robe bit, instead changing it to the robes being typically worn by junior psykers still in training (on the tabletop, I use models wearing robes to represent models with Mark of the Wulfen, which in my Chapter's case could be either psykers who haven't learned how to fully control their powers yet, or have a specific specialization in unleashing bursts of warp energy or something). Definitely want to keep the Commisum Legare and the Scriptorum Oblivio, I feel that's still an important part of their character.

 

 

Gene-Seed: Pretty much the same, perhaps some hints of growing mutation in regards to all the psykers in the Chapter, but I'd still want to keep this ambiguous as to whether it's the gene-seed, the people of Firien, or the extra mental training (or even some combination of these) that's causing it.

 

 

Battle-cry: A relic from the original IA articles, I'm just going to drop this section entirely.

 

 

Would you like to know more?: The links here definitely need updating. The homegrown codex has been rewritten entirely and moved to a different host, I've switched to using deviantART for hosting all my model pictures, and I can add a link to my short story, Fire and Shadows, once I get around to cleaning it up and publishing it on the Librarium.

 

 

Other thematic changes: Another thing I've decided to change is to give the Chapter a more definitive reptile/dragon theme, but not necessarily to the level of the Space Wolves or Salamanders use motifs of their respective animals. I'm not 100% on how I can really do this, other than having, say, my Saurok Riders and using reptiles as equivalents of any kinds of wolf units from the Space Wolves codex, and the occasional dragon-themed title.

 

 

I think that's enough to get the ball rolling. Of course, any further questions and such, feel free to ask. Thanks!

[Octavulg]

'"And what makes you think we use physical torture to extract information? We are the Lords of Oblivion. We value strength of the mind above all else. And if we know how to make our minds strong, then surely we know how to break them as well, without ever touching the body.”

 

The last line could be tighter: "And if we know how to make our minds strong, then surely we know how to break yours without ever touching your body"

 

Origins: In typical IA fashion, I go into detail about the origins of the Chapter.

 

No! You don't say! :D

 

A basic rundown of what I have planned is, the Chapter is green-lit for creation in late M38, to be based on Firien. The Iron Hands are initially approached to provide the raw materials and manpower, however they refuse (perhaps due to having recently suffered losses from an extended campaign or most of the Chapter is away from Medusa). Instead, the Brazen Claws are approached, who agree to provide the resources. However, the strike cruiser carrying all the resources and Space Marines fails to arrive on time. Several months of searching eventually discovers it adrift and without power in a system near Firien. A search of the ship finds the crew and Space Marines aboard entirely dead or missing, except for a comatose Librarian named Allerka (and maybe a handful of other survivors). After being revived, Allerka explains the ship was attacked by a Chaos raiding party that used powerful psykers to flay the minds of the crew and his fellow Space Marines, leaving them vulnerable to easily being killed. Allerka, being a powerful Librarian in his own right, was able to withstand their attacks and fight back, eventually killing dozens to hundreds of the attackers before they retreated and fled.

 

Dozens to hundreds? Easy there...

 

The founding is nearly called off because of the death of most of the Brazen Claws that were going to be responsible for training the would-be new recruits, but Allerka insists on going through with it. However, the attack en route has left him deeply disturbed at how easily his fellow Space Marines' minds were destroyed by the attacking psykers, and he vows to ensure his Chapter won't be vulnerable to the same thing. He pulls a logistical miracle and is able to almost single-handedly oversee the formation of the Chapter, which he elects to call the Lords of Oblivion, taking the name from the mythology of Firien surrounding the ancient Dremori guardians of the planet, and the color scheme is based on his personal heraldry. In addition to the normal training, he implements a rigorous program to train his Marines in how to defend themselves from psychic attacks through sheer force of will, to be utterly dedicated to their mission, and to be able to withstand the untold horrors of the galaxy. While generally successful, before long this program also begins to see the rise of numerous members of the Chapter developing at least a latent level of psychic ability, and the Librarium of the Chapter quickly expands beyond typical Codex levels to accommodate this.

 

Psyker ability is genetic, not something that can be produced through training.

 

One alternative would be to just have them prefer psykers due to their obvious ability to defend themselves (and those around them) from such attacks.

 

I can also go into further detail about the Chapter's history and re-structuring following the Salvation of Firien. Given their following of the Codex nearly saw the Chapter destroyed, the Lords of Oblivion have largely decided to abandon the Codex, and individual Captains are free to organize their Companies however they see fit. While some of the Companies have remained largely Codex-esque in size or scale, some have begun to diverge greatly, the most notable example being Captain Ith'mak and his 5th Company, which consists largely of the new Saurok Rider squads (my Chapter's equivalent of Thunderwolf Cavalry). This can also help cover why I use Codex: Space Wolves to represent my Chapter, and why my homegrown codex is based on that one,

rather than Codex: Space Marines.

 

Why would they abandon the whole Codex, when they could simply abandon part of it? The Codex isn't exactly a comprehensive whole - there's a lot more to it than just some structural restrictions.

 

That's what sprang to mind. I should probably reread the original article in order to compare, but I've been pretty busy lately. It'll be on the list, though. :)

[NightrawenII]

Allerka, being a powerful Librarian in his own right, was able to withstand their attacks and fight back, eventually killing dozens to hundreds of the attackers before they retreated and fled.

(~)

He pulls a logistical miracle and is able to almost single-handedly oversee the formation of the Chapter, which he elects to call the Lords of Oblivion, taking the name from the mythology of Firien surrounding the ancient Dremori guardians of the planet, and the color scheme is based on his personal heraldry.

"Aaargh! I'm blind!"

"He is too awesome."

;)

You are doing one of the mistakes Octalvug mentions in his Guide, ie. base your Chapter formations, beliefs and customs on the deeds of single man.

Yeah, Chapters are influenced by the training cadre and the 1st Chapter Master, but you are pushing the lines too hard. IMHO.

(BTW, naming him after yourself doesn't help at all.)

 

In a nutshell, I think this better helps explain why and how my Chapter is so psyker-heavy. I'm also basing the Brazen Claws off of SCC's version of them, hence why the Lords of Oblivion are, at least initially, much more Codex-oriented than the Iron Hands.

What Octavulg said.

Your Chapter might be psyker-heavy, because they see a librarian's protection as a necessity. Not because of some quirk in Chapter training or, Emperor forbids, the gene-seed mutation.

 

For the 13th Black Crusade and Salvation of Firien section, though, I think that needs a bit of a re-write, including a complete dropping of the "undead Dark Eldar" bit and just do a daemonic invasion of Firien. The final results would be essentially the same, with 2/3 of the Chapter lost in the campaign and the daemons defeated, but many of the Chapter's allies having forsaken them in light of their willingness to ally with the Dremori.

 

I can also go into further detail about the Chapter's history and re-structuring following the Salvation of Firien. Given their following of the Codex nearly saw the Chapter destroyed, the Lords of Oblivion have largely decided to abandon the Codex, blah blah

How it come?

The result of Daemons invasion is always huge amount of death and destruction. Blaming a codex in such case is just excuse on the Author's part.

 

High Paladin Allerka blurb: This can probably use a bit of shortening, as well, in addition to updating details to reflect some more recent fluff I've written.

To be honest, having a paragraph describing how awesome and flawless your Chapter Master is.... How to say it... propaganda-hammer into face??

Just ask people around there, what they think about MattWard's take on Ultramarines. (This is just rhetorical question, any such thread will result in FlameWar very quickly. :) )

[Allerka]

The last line could be tighter: "And if we know how to make our minds strong, then surely we know how to break yours without ever touching your body"

Hmm, makes sense.

 

 

Dozens to hundreds? Easy there...

I know, I was just throwing a number out. ;)

 

 

Psyker ability is genetic, not something that can be produced through training.

 

One alternative would be to just have them prefer psykers due to their obvious ability to defend themselves (and those around them) from such attacks.

True. A preference for psykers could work as well, though I thought of something else that could tie into it, as well...

 

 

Why would they abandon the whole Codex, when they could simply abandon part of it? The Codex isn't exactly a comprehensive whole - there's a lot more to it than just some structural restrictions.

Yeah, I should have specified better. I was just referring to the organizational sections. Also, I think something we've failed to take into account is the possibility of the document actually being "obtained" by enemies of the Imperium. Would give them a huge advantage in intel, to say the least.

 

 

You are doing one of the mistakes Octalvug mentions in his Guide, ie. base your Chapter formations, beliefs and customs on the deeds of single man.

Yeah, Chapters are influenced by the training cadre and the 1st Chapter Master, but you are pushing the lines too hard. IMHO.

(BTW, naming him after yourself doesn't help at all.)

I was thinking of having a second squad of vets show up soon after to replace the ones killed. I guess that could make it more believable. And who says he's named after me? :D

 

 

What Octavulg said.

Your Chapter might be psyker-heavy, because they see a librarian's protection as a necessity. Not because of some quirk in Chapter training or, Emperor forbids, the gene-seed mutation.

No, gene-seed mutation definitely wasn't on the list of possibilities.

 

 

How it come?

The result of Daemons invasion is always huge amount of death and destruction. Blaming a codex in such case is just excuse on the Author's part.

See above in regards to the Codex being obtained by an enemy force.

 

 

To be honest, having a paragraph describing how awesome and flawless your Chapter Master is.... How to say it... propaganda-hammer into face??

Just ask people around there, what they think about MattWard's take on Ultramarines. (This is just rhetorical question, any such thread will result in FlameWar very quickly. :) )

True. Like I said, that part needs work too. Looking at the other Chapter Master (or notable personality) blurbs in the official IAs, I see that, while they still have a bit of "he's totally awesome" in them, which is perfectly understandable, they tend to focus more on specific actions of the CM, sometimes a little bit on how they came to the position, and usually some details on their personalities and such. I'm thinking obviously I can go more into that stuff, but also use this to introduce a little more ambiguity into the situation there (because things definitely aren't what they seem).

[NightrawenII]

Yeah, I should have specified better. I was just referring to the organizational sections. Also, I think something we've failed to take into account is the possibility of the document actually being "obtained" by enemies of the Imperium. Would give them a huge advantage in intel, to say the least.

In case you haven't seen this.

 

What Octavulg said.

Your Chapter might be psyker-heavy, because they see a librarian's protection as a necessity. Not because of some quirk in Chapter training or, Emperor forbids, the gene-seed mutation.

No, gene-seed mutation definitely wasn't on the list of possibilities.

:P ???:

Gene-Seed: Pretty much the same, perhaps some hints of growing mutation in regards to all the psykers in the Chapter, but I'd still want to keep this ambiguous as to whether it's the gene-seed, the people of Firien, or the extra mental training (or even some combination of these) that's causing it.

[Allerka]

In case you haven't seen this.

That was a rather silly discussion. It basically turned into whether or not the Codex is the ultimate 40K McGuffin. Though they did still have some points I'll have to keep in mind when justifying why and how my Chapter breaks from it.

 

 

^_^ ???:

Gene-Seed: Pretty much the same, perhaps some hints of growing mutation in regards to all the psykers in the Chapter, but I'd still want to keep this ambiguous as to whether it's the gene-seed, the people of Firien, or the extra mental training (or even some combination of these) that's causing it.

I meant the revised list in my head. Obviously.

[Heru]

I should have specified better. I was just referring to the organizational sections. Also, I think something we've failed to take into account is the possibility of the document actually being "obtained" by enemies of the Imperium. Would give them a huge advantage in intel, to say the least.

I am really very surprised Allerka, considering how long I've known you and how long you have been a member on the B+C, that you would say something so... so utterly newb... (in regards to it being something "small" and easily captured I mean).

 

The Codex Astartes isn't just some document, it is a freaking massive collection (like thousands and thousands of documents) that can be interpreted in many different distinct ways (and most Chapters do interpret it's writings differently). It wouldn't even say something like "just do this when attacking a held position". Tactical doctrine would be flexible offering suggestions not dictates. It is only when it comes to Chapter/Company/Squad organization that it gets really picky (and even then there is moderate flexibility).

 

If "capturing" it were such a big threat, the Ultramarines would already be utterly destroyed, considering Codex adherent Chapters have and do go renegade and traitor. An enemy who knows the Codex does become more dangerous yes, but it isn't a huge advantage at all.

 

It is more of an advantage to know your opponent and how they use the information, what habits they have developed etc. Even a non-Codex Chapter is vulnerable to that.

 

 

Edit: My end point is, that I don't think one battle "that almost saw the Chapter destroyed" is big enough reason for a Chapter to go "it's the fault of the Codex", especially considering how big Chapters are on maintaining traditions.

 

A gradual process is more believable in my opinion. Perhaps they are often fighting against a particular smart ex-Codex traitor Chapter (or group of traitors) that knows them well enough to dog them over a long scretch of time and really make them suffer for their Codex reliance. Thus they start pushing the boundries and doing things differently, under eventually they are no longer "Codex".

[Octavulg]

Alternately, capturing is a big threat, and the Ultramarines are saved by bad writing.

 

Of course, the Ultramarines simultaneously adhere to the Codex completely and work outside it whenever necessary, so a little more inconsistency in this area is hardly going to hurt anyone.

[Allerka]

I should have specified better. I was just referring to the organizational sections. Also, I think something we've failed to take into account is the possibility of the document actually being "obtained" by enemies of the Imperium. Would give them a huge advantage in intel, to say the least.

I am really very surprised Allerka, considering how long I've known you and how long you have been a member on the B+C, that you would say something so... so utterly newb... (in regards to it being something "small" and easily captured I mean).

 

The Codex Astartes isn't just some document, it is a freaking massive collection (like thousands and thousands of documents) that can be interpreted in many different distinct ways (and most Chapters do interpret it's writings differently). It wouldn't even say something like "just do this when attacking a held position". Tactical doctrine would be flexible offering suggestions not dictates. It is only when it comes to Chapter/Company/Squad organization that it gets really picky (and even then there is moderate flexibility).

 

If "capturing" it were such a big threat, the Ultramarines would already be utterly destroyed, considering Codex adherent Chapters have and do go renegade and traitor. An enemy who knows the Codex does become more dangerous yes, but it isn't a huge advantage at all.

 

It is more of an advantage to know your opponent and how they use the information, what habits they have developed etc. Even a non-Codex Chapter is vulnerable to that.

 

 

Edit: My end point is, that I don't think one battle "that almost saw the Chapter destroyed" is big enough reason for a Chapter to go "it's the fault of the Codex", especially considering how big Chapters are on maintaining traditions.

 

A gradual process is more believable in my opinion. Perhaps they are often fighting against a particular smart ex-Codex traitor Chapter (or group of traitors) that knows them well enough to dog them over a long scretch of time and really make them suffer for their Codex reliance. Thus they start pushing the boundries and doing things differently, under eventually they are no longer "Codex".

And here we get into what I see as a major issue. The way you and the UM guys have described the Codex completely and utterly screams "Super-McGuffin" to me. A magical document that guides its adherents to near-guaranteed victory because it has enough wisdom and flexibility to allow them to adapt to any circumstances, yet if an enemy obtains the same document, it does them no good whatsoever, because there's a section on that in the Codex too? Am I the only one that sees the gaping holes of logic in this?

 

Bah, now I'm derailing my own thread. I do like the idea of a gradual transition, though, and I know exactly how it could work, too. Would certainly make more sense, for the most part. The biggest divergence is just in organization (though that would ultimately lead to shifts in fighting style, too, depending on who's involved). I need to write this out more.

 

 

Alternately, capturing is a big threat, and the Ultramarines are saved by bad writing.

 

Of course, the Ultramarines simultaneously adhere to the Codex completely and work outside it whenever necessary, so a little more inconsistency in this area is hardly going to hurt anyone.

Indeed. After reading that aforementioned thread on what exactly the Codex is, I'm convinced it can now be boiled down to, "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted." Everything is a suggestion (not fact), and there's sections on not following it anyway, meaning you can do anything you want anyway.

 

 

Ok, I'm being too vague about all this. Rather than just conceptual stuff, let's get cracking on some details. I'll put up rough drafts of each section, one at a time as I write them, and we can go over this with a fine-toothed comb, as it were. I'll see if I can't have the Origins up shortly.

[Heru]

A magical document that guides its adherents to near-guaranteed victory because it has enough wisdom and flexibility to allow them to adapt to any circumstances,

I never said that it guarantees victory, it just has more than one option for solving problem X. Which option is taken depends more on the Chapter, and how they go about enacting it can change it in other unpredictable ways.

 

yet if an enemy obtains the same document, it does them no good whatsoever, because there's a section on that in the Codex too?

No I never said that either. Of course it gives the enemy an advantage, but they can't plan to combat every option. It takes knowing the Chapter in question, to know which option/s they are most likely to take and how they will go about enacting it. Basically you can't just be a bad guy with the Codex and suddenly you know how to beat every Codex adherent Chapter out there.

 

Btw I don't like the Ultramarines, and I do have a couple of non-Codex Chapters too. :D

[Allerka]

After some discussion with Octa, I've decided to go ahead and use the as-yet-unnamed new Forge World format for this. The notable battles section especially can, I think, help to cover the transition process that drives the Chapter to discontinue use of parts of the Codex. Here's the starting chart, I'll see if I can get part of the main section up when it doesn't feel like my skull is going to explode (yay allergies!).

 

LORDS OF OBLIVION

http://www.templargames.com/images/Heraldry%20-%20mini.jpgCHAPTER NAME: ..................................... LORDS OF OBLIVION

FOUNDING: ........................................................ SEE BELOW*

CHAPTER WORLD: ..................................................... FIRIEN

FORTRESS MONASTERY: ................. CASTELLUM ACIES, FIRIEN

GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR): ... IRON HANDS (BRAZEN CLAWS)

KNOWN DESCENDANTS: .............................................. NONE

 

"And what makes you think we use physical torture to extract information? We are the Lords of Oblivion. We value strength of the mind above all else. And if we know how to make our minds strong, then surely we know how to break them as well, without ever touching your body.”

-Captain Valos Tiburin, to a heretic captured in battle.

 

*I've been tossing around the idea of changing when the Chapter was founded. Currently, it's late M38, so it's been kicking around for about 3,000 years by the "present" day, enough time to give it a decent amount of history and establishment, but still not long enough that it has as much weight as other, older Chapters. Otherwise, the time is a bit arbitrary, and it really highlights the oddity of the supposed fact that the same guy has been Chapter Master the whole time. I was thinking about reducing the age of the Chapter to ~1,000 years, so it was basically founded in either late M40 or early M41 instead. It still keeps the "semi-established but young" component (though potentially pushing that a bit too far, as I know a Chapter that's "only" a thousand years old would have virtually no pull anywhere. However, I can counter this with a sort of attitude of enthusiastic learners, taking notes on how to do things from all the other Chapters they fight alongside to ensure their own success**), and it reduces the unusual part of Allerka's age from "obviously weird" to "unlikely but still mostly plausible" (as there is More Than Meets the Eye going on there).

 

**This general attitude of "learn as you go" while the Chapter adjusts its tactics, doctrine, organization, etc. to figure out what works best for it can also help lay the ideological foundation for their later, further departure from the typical Codex organization, as well.

[Allerka]

Alright, here's a rough draft of the first part of the main blurb section.

 

---

The Lords of Oblivion have steadfastly defended their worlds and beyond, proudly bearing the traditions of Ferrus Manus and surviving against horrors that would have destroyed the minds of lesser men. Despite their stubborn defiance of fate, the Chapter has faced the threat of extinction on several occasions, the first being at the very birth of the Chapter. Towards the very end of the 25th Founding, Adeptus Mechanicus explorator fleets and Rogue Traders ranging beyond the Imperium in the Segmentum Solar discovered growing Ork empires in systems that were devoid of life only a matter of centuries before. These growing Ork empires were drawing perilously close to the worlds of the Sco'ken Cluster, a series of worlds within a stellar gas bubble that mined and processed vast quantities of promethium and plasma for use across several sectors in the heart of Imperial space. As such, another Chapter of Space Marines was elected to be raised to safeguard these worlds in the event of future invasion.

 

The planet of Firien was chosen to serve as the homeworld for the Chapter, for its above-average gravity and hostile environs made for a suitably hardy people to be potential Astartes. The forge world of Valtorek in the neighboring system would also be ideal for readily supplying the Chapter. Noticing the culture of Firien was nearly identical to that of Medusa, the homeworld of the Iron Hands, it was decided to approach that venerable Chapter to form the basis of the new Chapter. However, the Iron Hands were almost entirely deployed at that time on protracted campaigns, and were thus unwilling to provide the suitable resources. Not to be entirely defeated in their efforts, the emissaries of the High Lords learned that the Brazen Claws, another Chapter of the lineage of Ferrus Manus, was also based near the Eye of Terror, and so they were approached. The Brazen Claws readily agreed to the formation of a new Successor Chapter, and several squads of its Brothers were dispatched on a strike cruiser, the Ferrum, for Firien.

 

The Ferrum failed to arrive at Firien on the appointed day, or even within a week of its scheduled arrival. After a month of no sign of it, a search was mounted. Before long, the vessel was discovered adrift at the very edge of the Firien system, devoid of power. Boarding crews found the inside of the ship to be an abattoir, blood covering the walls and bodies floating free in the gravity-free corridors. Eventually, survivors were discovered deep within the ship. A handful of the Brazen Claws had barricaded themselves within one of the ship's armories and had defended their position for days from their attackers for days. The unknown assailants were identified as being Chaos Space Marines, intent on seizing the lone battle barge for their own, and they very nearly succeeded. They had at their command powerful sorceries that had flayed the minds of the Brazen Claws and their serfs, leaving them near-comatose and easy prey for the Renegades. It was only by virtue of the survivors being accompanied by a Librarian named Allerka that the survivors were able to withstand the same attacks. During their fighting retreat, the Astartes had forcibly ejected the ship's plasma reactors into space and detonated them, crippling the ship, and then fought a stubborn defense, forcing the Renegades to pay for every step in blood. Indeed, dozens of slain Chaos Marines of an unknown warband were found, the only identifying marks on their armor being sigils of Slaanesh. Eventually, the Chaos Marines withdrew, leaving the survivors stranded.

 

Salvaging the ship, the surviving Brazen Claws arrived on Firien, though there was much argument about whether to continue the Founding or to merely return to their Chapter. The Astartes eventually elected to begin the Founding. Veteran Sergeant Simeon, the surviving senior officer, took charge of the logistical efforts. In recognition for his services during the recent battle, the honor of choosing the name and heraldry of the Chapter was given to Allerka. Delving into the libraries of Firien, Allerka studied the history and mythology of Firien for well over a week without rest before he returned with a name, the Lords of Oblivion. The name was taken from numerous myths regarding a race of beings called the Dremori who co-existed with the humans of Firien until shortly before the arrival of the Imperium during the Great Crusade, when they simply vanished to a place known only as Oblivion. Despite the passing of millenia, the Dremori retained a powerful mythological presence on Firien, and Allerka knew the name would garner instant respect and reverence from the people of Firien. The heraldry was based upon Allerka's personal heraldy. Red and blue became replaced by blue, green, and white.

 

As the newly reborn Lords of Oblivion oversaw the construction of their Chapter, one concern remained ever present in their minds. The attack on their way to Firien troubled them greatly. The sight of so many of their Battle-Brothers been slain so easily was unlike anything any of them had encountered before. They were all too familiar with the hatred of weakness their gene-seed brought upon them, but they were used to directing that towards the body. Instead, they resolved to direct those energies towards expunging weakness of the mind, to ensure something like this would never happen again. As they recruited aspirants across Firien, the Astartes found themselves favoring those that Allerka found to possess some degree of psychic ability. Firien was far from lacking in aspirants with these tendencies, indeed the rate of latent psykers born on the world was higher than many other worlds, and the Black Ships arriving were nearly an annual occurrence.

 

While Simeon and the other Space Marines engaged in the normal training of the aspirants, Allerka found himself nearly swamped with training all the psychic aspirants in their abilities. His tests of their skills often involved unleashing devastating attacks, and many of his would-be pupils had their minds utterly destroyed in these tests. Those that passed, however, became increasingly resistant to anything Allerka could throw at them, and the Chapter's Librarium grew at a prodigious rate.

 

After nearly a century of training and organizing, the Chapter neared full strength, its armory filled with armor and weapons supplied from Valtorek, and its own fleet of ships in orbit around Firien. This was to come none too soon, for new reports from the Sco'ken Cluster indicated that the Orks were preparing to invade the worlds there and seize their resources. The Lords of Oblivion readied themselves and set out for their first campaign.

 

---

 

That's just shy of 1,100 words, and probably longer than it needs to be. Really, I guess it's just an excessively long Origins section, but that's pretty much the whole story, so we can go from here in figuring out what is most essential and trimming as needed. I hope this serves as a more suitable iteration of the beginning story than my initial idea presented above, as well.

 

I think instead of Organization, I'm going to do Notable Battles next, as it's a more logical progression from this, and helps explain how Allerka becomes Chapter Master, as well as how the Chapter transitions away from Codex-based organization. THEN I get to Organization and outline how the Chapter is different post-Salvation of Firien.

 

In terms of overall length though, I think I'm still good to go to remain within the format established in the initial batch of these articles. I noticed most are 5-6 pages of pictures and 3-4 pages of text, so 8-10 pages long total. I can easily do 3-4 pages-worth of pictures still, though more than that is probably excessive given the fact that this'll be online, rather than in a book. Though I think that can also justify a slightly higher word count as well. Maybe. Thoughts?

 

I'm in the writing fevah now, so I'm gonna hammer out the rest of the sections, but I'll post them later after I (hopefully) get some feedback on this first section (might as well take this in order, right? :P).

[NightrawenII]

Towards the very end of the 25th Founding, Adeptus Mechanicus explorator fleets and Rogue Traders ranging beyond the Imperium in the Segmentum Solar discovered growing Ork empires in systems that were devoid of life only a matter of centuries before.

Segmentum Solar is in the middle of Imperium, surrounded by other Segmentae.

 

... were dispatched on a strike cruiser, the Ferrum, for Firien...

~

... intent on seizing the lone battle barge for their own, and they very nearly succeeded.

Is the Ferrum Battle Barge of Strike Cruiser?

 

The name was taken from numerous myths regarding a race of beings called the Dremori who co-existed with the humans of Firien until shortly before the arrival of the Imperium during the Great Crusade, when they simply vanished to a place known only as Oblivion. Despite the passing of millenia, the Dremori retained a powerful mythological presence on Firien, and Allerka knew the name would garner instant respect and reverence from the people of Firien. The heraldry was based upon Allerka's personal heraldy. Red and blue became replaced by blue, green, and white.

I'm not sure if it's wise name your Chapter after alien-race.

[Allerka]

Towards the very end of the 25th Founding, Adeptus Mechanicus explorator fleets and Rogue Traders ranging beyond the Imperium in the Segmentum Solar discovered growing Ork empires in systems that were devoid of life only a matter of centuries before.

Segmentum Solar is in the middle of Imperium, surrounded by other Segmentae.

Yes, but that doesn't mean the whole of the Segmentum is under Imperial control. Our galaxy has a minimum of 200 billion stars. Even an Imperium of a million worlds is just a drop in the bucket compared to that, especially if it's spread out across almost the whole galaxy. One of the core books, I recall reading a mention that there tends to be huge tracts of unexplored/unclaimed space between worlds, so it'd hardly be uncommon for even worlds in the Segmentum Solar to come under threat.

 

 

... were dispatched on a strike cruiser, the Ferrum, for Firien...

~

... intent on seizing the lone battle barge for their own, and they very nearly succeeded.

Is the Ferrum Battle Barge of Strike Cruiser?

Whoops, it's a strike cruiser.

 

 

The name was taken from numerous myths regarding a race of beings called the Dremori who co-existed with the humans of Firien until shortly before the arrival of the Imperium during the Great Crusade, when they simply vanished to a place known only as Oblivion. Despite the passing of millenia, the Dremori retained a powerful mythological presence on Firien, and Allerka knew the name would garner instant respect and reverence from the people of Firien. The heraldry was based upon Allerka's personal heraldy. Red and blue became replaced by blue, green, and white.

I'm not sure if it's wise name your Chapter after alien-race.

It's not so much naming it after the aliens as it is the myths, and the name gives the Chapter a sort of other-worldly quality, emphasizing to the people of Firien how they're not ordinary men. To make an analogy to modern-day mythology, I suppose it'd be like they called themselves the Valhallans, or the Shivans. Great, now I've got Thor (The Powerhead) playing in my head.

[Ecritter]

If any segmentum is completely under control of the Imperium, it'd be Solar.

 

Chapters don't name themselves ... the Emperor does.

[NightrawenII]

Yes, but that doesn't mean the whole of the Segmentum is under Imperial control. Our galaxy has a minimum of 200 billion stars. Even an Imperium of a million worlds is just a drop in the bucket compared to that, especially if it's spread out across almost the whole galaxy. One of the core books, I recall reading a mention that there tends to be huge tracts of unexplored/unclaimed space between worlds, so it'd hardly be uncommon for even worlds in the Segmentum Solar to come under threat.

Then I propose:

... Adeptus Mechanicus explorator fleets and Rogue Traders ranging beyond the Imperial control in the Segmentum Solar discovered growing Ork empires...

This way it's easier to understand. :tu:

 

It's not so much naming it after the aliens as it is the myths, and the name gives the Chapter a sort of other-worldly quality, emphasizing to the people of Firien how they're not ordinary men. To make an analogy to modern-day mythology, I suppose it'd be like they called themselves the Valhallans, or the Shivans. Great, now I've got Thor (The Powerhead) playing in my head.

Hm, I don't know what are the Shivans... but your analogy is flawed:

- The Valhallans didn't live with humans on the planet, until recently.

- This is the Sci-fi settings, it screams alien-race at me.

- The Einherjar are dead-heroes. B)

[Allerka]

If any segmentum is completely under control of the Imperium, it'd be Solar.

Not really. It's at least 20,000 LY in diameter, which is easily millions of stars and planets. The entire Imperium could be contained to that section alone, still have a million worlds, and still not cover more than half of it. This is part of why the Orks are EVERYWHERE; the galaxy is freaking huge.

 

 

Chapters don't name themselves ... the Emperor does.

Since when? Chapters are only founded with the Emperor's "permission" via proxy by the HLoT, but the first Chapter Master decides the name and heraldry of the Chapter.

 

 

Then I propose:

... Adeptus Mechanicus explorator fleets and Rogue Traders ranging beyond the Imperial control in the Segmentum Solar discovered growing Ork empires...

This way it's easier to understand. :)

Fair enough.

 

 

Hm, I don't know what are the Shivans... but your analogy is flawed:

- The Valhallans didn't live with humans on the planet, until recently.

- This is the Sci-fi settings, it screams alien-race at me.

- The Einherjar are dead-heroes. :)

It's a reference to Shiva (and Freespace 2 :P), the Hindu god of destruction (and would obviously be a suitable name for a Chapter). And you actually prove my point. Just like the Valhallans, the Dremori don't live on Firien any more, they've gone "beyond" the mortal world to Oblivion (whatever it is), leaving only myths and a promise to return if Firien is ever threatened again. Though I suppose the Einherjar would be a more accurate comparison. Besides, it's hardly the first case of psuedo-religious/mythological imagery in 40K.

[Heru]

Chapters don't name themselves ... the Emperor does.

Not quite.

 

At a Chapter's Founding the newly assigned Chapter Master must name his regiment and choose its heraldry. There are strict rules to govern this process. The Codex Astartes provides the Chapter Master with a roll of approved naming elements and also forbids the use of certain names. New leaders are careful to try to avoid duplicating the name, icon and livery of an existing Chapter. However this is more difficult than may be imagined. There are approximately a thousand Chapters spread across the galaxy, and only the Adeptus Terra on Earth have anything approaching a complete catalogue of these units and their heraldy. Many new Chapter Masters therefore create new heraldries to avoid any possible duplication. Over the millennia this has led to a vast proliferation of icons and liveries.

There is also examples elsewhere where the High Lords assign the Chapter it's name and heraldry (Mentors).

[NightrawenII]

Just like the Valhallans, the Dremori don't live on Firien any more, they've gone "beyond" the mortal world to Oblivion (whatever it is), leaving only myths and a promise to return if Firien is ever threatened again. Though I suppose the Einherjar would be a more accurate comparison. Besides, it's hardly the first case of psuedo-religious/mythological imagery in 40K.

Not exactly.

But you are not naming your Chapter after Einherjar, but after Jötunn or Æsir (or Fomoire,, but lets leave these out of this discussion. :) ). There is difference:

Einherjar are dead heroes, but humans nevertheless.

Jötunn and Æsir are race of mythical-beings. In the regard of w40k, they can viewed as the xeno-races.

[Allerka]

Not exactly.

But you are not naming your Chapter after Einherjar, but after Jötunn or Æsir (or Fomoire,, but lets leave these out of this discussion. ;) ). There is difference:

Einherjar are dead heroes, but humans nevertheless.

Jötunn and Æsir are race of mythical-beings. In the regard of w40k, they can viewed as the xeno-races.

Now you're just getting at semantics. My point is, the Astartes choose the name because of the symbolism of what Oblivion means to the people of Firien, and it instantly establishes them as figures of mystery and legend, far removed from the daily affairs of mortals. Yes, Space Marines are generally seen as that anyway, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to imagine the people of Firien not being sure how to react to their planet suddenly becoming the domain of Space Marines, and so Allerka chooses the name to essentially say, "Hey, here's an analogy you're familiar with to help understand how to think of us," as well as being a gesture of respect by them to the people to show they understand Firien's culture, rather than just coming in and start dictating policy. It's pure psychology and politics, not xeno-worship.

[Ace Debonair]

Not exactly.

But you are not naming your Chapter after Einherjar, but after Jötunn or Æsir (or Fomoire,, but lets leave these out of this discussion. :D ). There is difference:

Einherjar are dead heroes, but humans nevertheless.

Jötunn and Æsir are race of mythical-beings. In the regard of w40k, they can viewed as the xeno-races.

Now you're just getting at semantics. My point is, the Astartes choose the name because of the symbolism of what Oblivion means to the people of Firien, and it instantly establishes them as figures of mystery and legend, far removed from the daily affairs of mortals. Yes, Space Marines are generally seen as that anyway, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to imagine the people of Firien not being sure how to react to their planet suddenly becoming the domain of Space Marines, and so Allerka chooses the name to essentially say, "Hey, here's an analogy you're familiar with to help understand how to think of us," as well as being a gesture of respect by them to the people to show they understand Firien's culture, rather than just coming in and start dictating policy. It's pure psychology and politics, not xeno-worship.

 

Would a workable compromise be to have the Lords of Oblivion believe the Dremori to have been humans?

Or even to have it so popular myths on the planet talk about great and heroic warriors who became Dremori?

 

Neither would neccesarily have to be true, of course. :P

[Allerka]

Would a workable compromise be to have the Lords of Oblivion believe the Dremori to have been humans?

Or even to have it so popular myths on the planet talk about great and heroic warriors who became Dremori?

 

Neither would neccesarily have to be true, of course. :lol:

Yes. Yes it would. Actually, the second one would even fit their character, with famous warriors mysteriously vanishing across history, having "ascended" to Oblivion (and the truth being the Dremori actually do take them to Oblivion to live with them).

 

After hammering out the various sections on my laptop across last night and today, I've noticed how everything, while covering most of the important details, are much longer than the FW examples. Total, everything written comes to just under 4,000 words. Granted, I could justify that by having my text-to-pictures ratio more in favor of text than pictures, but I've decided this article will basically be a summarized version of the full background that'll be presented in my Codex: Lords of Oblivion project (the army list section has long-since been completed, but I've needed to finish up the background section for a while now).

 

Anyway, here's a summarized version of the main blurb part:

---

The Lords of Oblivion have steadfastly defended their worlds and beyond, proudly bearing the traditions of Ferrus Manus and surviving against horrors that would have destroyed the minds of lesser men. Formed towards the end of the 25th Founding in response to growing threats from Orks against the Sco’ken Cluster, the Chapter was based on the world of Firien, a lush but dangerous planet, and home to a hardy people who value strength and self-reliance.

 

The Brazen Claws, sons of Ferrus Manus, were selected to provide the officers to oversee the formation of the Chapter. However, tragedy struck as the strike cruiser bearing their detachment was ambushed by Chaos Space Marines on the edge of the Firien system. Most of the Brazen Claws were killed in the fighting, their minds destroyed by foul sorceries, but a handful survived by virtue of the protection of a Librarian named Allerka.

 

Continuing on to Firien, the surviving Brazen Claws began the formation of the new Chapter, under the leadership of Veteran Sergeant Simeon, now Chapter Master. In gratitude for his skills during the battle against the Traitors that nearly destroyed them, Allerka was given the honor of choosing the name and heraldry of the new Chapter.

 

After considerable research, Allerka chose a name from the mythology of Firien: the Lords of Oblivion, a term that serves as both the name of the Dremori, mythological protectors of Firien who once co-existed with humanity, and the masters of Oblivion, the otherworldly domain the Dremori and their chosen champions supposedly live in.

 

As the Lords of Oblivion grew in size and strength, the survivors of the Brazen Claws developed a preference for those aspirants with psychic potential. They were all disturbed by the ease with which the attacking Renegades had defeated their Brothers, and vowed they would not fall prey to such tricks again. As such, the hatred of weakness endemic to the sons of Ferrus was directed, not at weakness of the body, but at weakness of the mind.

 

After nearly a century, the Chapter neared full fighting strength, with a Librarium already larger than most other Chapters of Astartes, and their arms and armor supplied by the nearby forge world of Valtorek. Their readiness came none too soon, for reports came in that the Orks were massing to invade the Sco’ken Cluster at last. The Lords of Oblivion departed immediately for their first campaign.

 

Since then, the Lords of Oblivion have fought with relentless vigor to earn themselves a place of honor in the Imperium. They are always eager to fight alongside more senior Chapters and learn from those with longer histories, gleaning knowledge from these other Chapters to better forge their own legends. Though they are sometimes viewed with suspicion due to their numerous psykers, their hard efforts to maintain good relations with other Chapters, as well as the permanent presence of an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor with the Chapter, goes a long way towards allaying these suspicions.

 

It was not until the recent Salvation of Firien campaign, when their homeworld was subjected to a massive invasion by both daemons of the warp and Chaos Marines, that everything the Chapter had spent a millennium working for was destroyed in less than a year. Even now, almost a decade later, the Chapter struggles to rebuild both its fighting forces and its standing in the Imperium.

---

 

Only 550-ish words, much shorter and succinct, while still covering the important details, I think. I'll post the next section, Selected Battle Honors, maybe tomorrow.

[Allerka]

Alright, moving on to battle honors, then. Again, this is more the "full length" version where I'll throw out all the details so we can see everything I had in mind, revise as needed, and then I'll summarize for the final article.

 

 

Selected Battle Honors

 

The Sco’ken Cluster Campaign

[880.M40-882.M40]

The Lords of Oblivion arrive in their full strength at the outer worlds of the Cluster almost to the day after the first Ork ships vomit forth from the warp. Simultaneously invading a half-dozen worlds at once, the Orks strike at a variety of critical targets, and the Lords of Oblivion split their strength to counter the Orks on each world. Four of the worlds are purged without significant loss, and the Chapter re-assembles for a massed strike on the main Ork force on Dorsyl, where the warlord leading the Orks is located.

 

Launching a massed Drop Pod assault, the Lords of Oblivion land two full Companies within a matter of minutes into the heart of the Ork swarm. At first, the Orks, driven to confusion by the sudden appearance of Astartes in their midst, are easily culled by the dozens. However, the warboss, Rayzor Gitsmacka, charges the Space Marines’ positions at the head of an entire mob of Ork psykers, the so-called Weirdboyz. Unleashing their deadly attacks, many of the non-psyker Battle-Brothers are destroyed in a variety of brutal methods by the Weirdboyz, and Rayzor himself smashes through those still standing. Chapter Master Simeon leads a counter-charge against the warboss, but a combined psychic assault destroys his honor guard around him, and, while fighting Rayzor in hand-to-hand combat, is caught by a blow from the Ork’s power klaw and killed instantly.

 

Nearby, Allerka sees Simeon fall, and gathers the nearest of his Librarians, charging towards the warboss. While his Librarians strike back at the Weirdboyz and destroy them in psychic duels one by one, Allerka charges towards Rayzor and unleashes his own psychic attacks. Without the protection of his Weirdboyz, Rayzor is easy prey to Allerka’s fury, and his body is lifted into the air and incinerated by lightning in full view of much of the Ork horde. At the sight of their leader’s death, the Orks fall into disarray and are easily routed.

 

The Lords of Oblivion complete their purging of the Cluster over the next several months and return to Firien with a third of their numbers dead, but they are victorious. With the Chapter Command completely destroyed, Allerka is the only surviving member of the original Brazen Claws contingent. Deferring to his far greater experience, the surviving Captains elect to make Allerka their commander, and so he becomes the next Chapter Master.

 

The Sagrado Worlds Crusade

[760.M41]

Having long since secured the Sco’ken Cluster and expanded the borders of the Imperium to include over thirty new worlds beyond, the Lords of Oblivion depart Firien for the Ultima Segmentum to answer the call of duty in a new warzone. A large group of worlds in the Sagrado Sector have declared their separation from the Imperium, even convincing an entire Chapter of Astartes to turn with them, and the Lords of Oblivion join the efforts to bring these worlds back under Imperial control.

 

Along the way, their fleet is ambushed by Chaos forces. In a defensive boarding action on the Vanguard of Firien, the Chapter’s main battle-barge, Captain Nikolai Mal’fas, commander of the 3rd Company, is fatally wounded. Placed in a life-sustaining Dreadnought sarcophagus, Captain Mal’fas relinquishs command of the 3rd Company to his Command Sergeant, Valos Tiburin. After the battle, slain Chaos Marines are examined and identified as devotees of Slaanesh. High Paladin Allerka, still master of the Lords of Oblivion, recognizes the armor of these Renegades, having seen them centuries before.

 

Arriving at the Sagrado Worlds, the Lords of Oblivion commit to battle, and fight across a dozen and more worlds in numerous key engagements of the campaign. Throughout the campaign, however, they are repeatedly attacked and harassed by Chaos Marines in armor of wildly contrasting colors, wielding weapons that destroyed their targets purely through sound. Eventually, the leader of these Traitors is identified as a champion known as Faldred. Before the Lords of Oblivion can bring Faldred to justice, he escapes into the warp, and the Chapter withdraws from the campaign before its conclusion without so much as any explanation to the other commanders. The leaders of the Chapter are disturbed by Faldred’s almost prescient ability to predict their tactics. Upon their departure, Captain Tiburin makes a public vow to the Chapter to hunt down Faldred and destroy him.

 

The Thirteenth Black Crusade and the Salvation of Firien

[999.M41]

The Lords of Oblivion are on campaign with their closest allies, the Storm Fists Chapter, when both Chapters receive word of massing Chaos forces at the Cadian Gate. Making their way to the Gate, they come to the world of Andruin, on the outskirts of the battlezone, which is already suffering the full brunt of both a Chaos invasion and the sudden appearance of Necrons on the surface of the world. The two Chapters immediately bring their full might to bear, joining the Angels Paradox already on the surface, and several months of hard fighting sees much of the world cleansed of both Chaos and Necrons.

 

During the campaigning, rumors come to the Lords of Oblivion of their daemonic foes being led by a Lord of Change, though these sightings are never officially confirmed. As the fighting enters its third month, High Paladin Allerka is suddenly struck by terrible visions of Firien in flames. He speaks with the Master of the Storm Fists, and the two Chapters withdraw from Andruin, certain the Angels Paradox can handle the remainder of the campaign, and make haste for Firien.

 

When they arrive several weeks later, they find Firien is indeed in flames. Through means unknown, several massive rents in reality were opened on its surface, and a vast horde of daemons in untold numbers poured forth to destroy everything. Though the people of Firien fought back, dying in their millions to stop the daemons, they had no hope on their own of stemming the tide. The two Chapters quickly descend to the surface and engage in desperate fighting all across the planet.

 

Over the course of the next year, two more Chapters, the Storm Giants and the Iron Angels, also allies of the Lords of Oblivion, would lend their strength to the fight, and several squads of Grey Knights, summoned by Inquisitor Elliott Durand of the Ordo Malleus, also arrive to help combat the Chaos threat. Most surprising of all, though, is the sudden return of the Dremori. Not publicly seen since before the Great Crusade, the appearance of the myriad races of the Dremori is a welcome sight as they bring their own fantastical powers to bear, and offered their hand in friendship to High Paladin Allerka. Knowing to refuse would mean fighting a two-front war against both Chaos and the Dremori, Allerka accepts. However, this willing alliance with xenos races infuriates the other Chapters. Refusing to go back on his alliance with the Dremori, Allerka stands by his decision. As a result, the other three Chapters withdraw from the conflict and leave the Lords of Oblivion to their fate.

 

Seeking to take advantage of the chaos, a minor kabal of the Dark Eldar, the Bringers of Pain, launch a number of raids on the refugee camps across Firien, slaughtering dozens and taking hundreds more prisoner. Once the cause of the mysterious attacks ss identified, Allerka's rage nearly consumes him, and he immediately leads a lightning strike against the hidden webway portal, its location easily divined amid the torrents of warp energy, and the Dark Eldar are crushed in less than an hour, their escape route cut off. Allerka teleports into the midst of the Dark Eldar force and destroys their leader, Mordrin, with a tremendous blast of psychic energy. Satisfied, Allerka returns to the more pressing crisis at hand.

 

To further exacerbate the situation, it becomes apparent before long that Faldred has once again appeared to attack the Lords of Oblivion. As the campaign goes on, the Lords of Oblivion learn that the entire invasion was, in fact, Faldred’s plan, orchestrated in conjunction with K’Laernik, a powerful Lord of Change. The Lords of Oblivion suffer devastating losses in battles against Faldred, who seems to know their every move and strategy, and counters them with ease. Even after adopting alternative tactics as illustrated in the Codex Astartes, Faldred is easily able to counter the strengths of their Battle Companies, knowing exactly what they are capable of.

 

However, the stubbornness of the Lords of Oblivion, and their successes against the daemonic elements of the invasion force, drive them to continue fighting for their homeworld, rather than abandon it. A combined strike by the Lords of Oblivion and the Dremori on the largest of the warp portals is successful in destroying it. During the fight, High Paladin Allerka engages in a massive physical and psychic battle with K’Laernik, and destroys the daemon, though he is grievously wounded in the process.

 

With his daemonic allies destroyed, Faldred is forced to withdraw from Firien, and the world is saved, though at terrible cost. Over two thirds of the Lords of Oblivion have fallen in the fighting, and nearly half the planet has been reduced to warp-blasted ashlands, along with almost half of the planet’s population and defense forces gone. Furthermore, Allerka’s alliance with the Dremori, who disappear once more soon after the campaign was over, cost him the political support of his closest allies among the other Chapters of the Space Marines, and even some elements of the Inquisition have called for the Chapter’s purging, only halted by the efforts of Inquisitor Lord Elliott, who appears to be one of the only allies the Lords of Oblivion have left.

 

The Dark Crusade and Medusa V

[002.M42-004.M42]

While the Chapter attempts to rebuild, High Paladin Allerka realizes that efforts must be made to restore the Chapter’s standing. He commits the 3rd Company, the only Company still at anything resembling full fighting strength, to depart on crusade after only a year of recovery. It does not take Captain Tiburin long to find a fresh challenge. His ship, the Mortis Caritas, receives an astropathic communication from the Black Templars, who have called for a new crusade against the xenos foes of the Imperium.

 

Receiving a brief message from High Marshall Helbrect, the 3rd Company proceeds to its assigned world of Uijong, which has come under assault from WAAAGH!!! Stedmean. The Lords of Oblivion are easily able to route the Ork forces; though, during the fighting, they discover Space Marine weaponry in the possession of the Orks, and quickly learn that the Orks have been supplied and directed by none other than Faldred, who has apparently been tracking the movements of the 3rd Company and set a trap for them.

 

However, Captain Tiburin is a peerless tactician, and with lightning fast decisions, ss able to lead his Company to victory, evading the worst of the traps and utilizing what assets he has to in turn ambush the Emperor’s Children. Within a matter of hours, the Traitors have once again withdrawn in the face of grievous losses, and Tiburin, ignoring the remaining Orks upon Uijong, sets off in pursuit of Faldred.

 

The two forces clash on several more worlds over the next year, before they come to the world of Medusa V, which is embroiled in intense fighting as warp storms close in around it. Attempting to lose the Lords of Oblivion in the chaos, Faldred leads his forces on a complex route through Hive Euralyes and the orbiting space that is choked with battling ships. His efforts are in vain, however, and Tiburin is able to maintain his pursuit away from Medusa V, leaving the warzone only hours before the warp storms completely engulf the planet.

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Over 1,900 words this time, even more than the first section, heh. But these are the most important campaigns in the Chapter's history: the Sco'ken Cluster establishes how Allerka becomes Chapter Master; the Sagrado Crusade marks the beginning of both the Captaincy of Tiburin, as well as the formal beginning of Faldred's attacks on the Chapter, his establishment as essentially the Chapter's arch-nemesis, and the beginning of their turning from the Codex's organizational precepts. The 13th Black Crusade/Salvation of Firien are of course the Chapter nearly getting wiped out, and the beginning of their larger divergences; finally, the Dark Crusade/Medusa V basically function as the "Where are they now?" component, though my expanded fluff stories go a couple years past that now, heh.

 

I'm not sure if I'd be able to cut any of them in their entirety without drastically compromising the integrity of the narrative, so I'll really have to work at cutting each in half and get this below 1,000 words. Plus the 550-ish words of the main section, that'd put me at 1,500-1,600 words. The full Organization and Disposition sections I've written add up to ~600 words, so that would come to about 2,100-2,200, plus another 400-500 for the two addendum sections I have (the Scriptum Oblivionis, and a blurb on Allerka), which puts me smack in the middle of the 2,000-3,000 word length we're trying to establish for these articles. I COULD add another section at the end for a special character (Captain Tiburin is the most obvious choice), but since I have a full-blown codex this article is designed to serve as an introduction to, that seems kind of redundant.

[Allerka]

And here's the summarized version.

 

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The Sco’ken Cluster Campaign

[880.M40-882.M40]

The Lords of Oblivion arrive in the Sco’ken Cluster as the Orks are attacking a half-dozen worlds at once. They engage the Orks across each of the worlds, and four are purged in short order. The Chapter regroups to attack the heart of the WAAAGH!!! on the world of Dorsyl, and two hundred Space Marines land in a span of minutes amidst the warboss’ main force.

 

Eager for a real fight, the warboss, Rayzor Gitsmacka, charges the main force of the Lords of Oblivion at the head of an entire mob of Weirdboyz, the Orks’ equivalent of psykers. The Weirdboyz decimate those Astartes unable to protect themselves against the psychic assaults, and Rayzor smashes through many of the survivors.

 

In an effort to keep the Lords of Oblivion from being routed, Chapter Master Simeon leads a counter-charge, but he and his honor guard are all killed in the fighting. Seeing Simeon fall, Allerka rallies the Astartes around him and leads a second charge, this time at the head of a force of Librarians. While the Librarians destroy the Weirdboyz with their own formidable powers, Allerka uses his powers to destroy Rayzor in a blast of lightning, in full sight of the Ork horde.

 

Leaderless, the Orks fall into disarray and are wiped out over the next several months. The Lords of Oblivion return to Firien with a third of their numbers dead, and the surviving Captains elect to make Allerka the new Chapter Master, deferring to his far greater experience.

 

 

The Sagrado Worlds Crusade

[760.M41]

The Lords of Oblivion join in a crusade to reclaim the Sagrado Worlds, an entire sector that has broken away from the Imperium. En route, the Chapter is ambushed by Chaos forces, and Captain Nikolai Mal’fas, commander of the 3rd Company, falls in battle. His Command Sergeant, Valos Tiburin, assumes command. Strangely, the armor of the slain Chaos Marines matches descriptions of that worn by the Traitors who ambushed the Brazen Claws on their way to Firien at the birth of the Chapter.

 

Joining the Crusade, the Lords of Oblivion battle the rebel forces on a dozen worlds over the course of the year, but are frequently harassed and ambushed by Chaos Space Marines identical to those who attacked them en route to the battlezone. Eventually, the Lords of Oblivion learn the leader of these Chaos Marines is named Faldred, a champion of Slaanesh. The Chapter attempts to ambush Faldred and destroy him, but the traitor almost seems to have expected the attempt, and escapes into the warp, laughing.

 

Highly disturbed by Faldred’s seemingly prescient knowledge of their tactics, the Lords of Oblivion withdraw from the battlezone without a word. Captain Tiburin makes a public vow to destroy Faldred, no matter how long it might take.

 

 

 

The Thirteenth Black Crusade and the Salvation of Firien

[999.M41]

Hearing word of a growing threat from the Eye of Terror, the Lords of Oblivion and their closest allies, the Storm Fists Chapter, make their way to the Cadian Gate. They come to a world called Andruin, on the outskirts of the warzone, and lend their aid to the Angels Paradox in their fight against the forces of Chaos and the Necrons.

 

During the fighting, rumors come of a Lord of Change directing the daemonic forces of the Chaos army, but the Lords of Oblivion do not encounter it. As the conflict enters its third month, Allerka is struck by visions of Firien in flames. Fearing the worst, he convinces the Storm Fists to return to Firien with his Chapter, and they set out.

 

They arrive to find the visions were correct, and Firien is indeed under assault by a combined force of daemons pouring forth from several tears in reality and Chaos Marines under Faldred’s command. The two Chapters rush to save Firien in a year-long campaign. Over time, two more Chapters, the Storm Giants and the Iron Angels, join the battle. Most unexpected, however, is the appearance of the Dremori to also aid the defense of Firien, in fulfillment of their ancient promises.

 

Emissaries of the Dremori approach Allerka and offer their hand in friendship. Knowing to refuse would turn the Dremori into enemies, Allerka accepts to the shock of his allies. The other Chapters demand he revoke his alliance, but Allerka refuses and the other three Chapters withdraw from the battle, leaving the Lords of Oblivion to their fate.

 

However, the Lords of Oblivion and the Dremori eventually prove successful, defeating both the daemon leading the invasion, a Lord of Change known as K’laernik, and the forces of Faldred, who had masterminded the entire attack.

 

The cost of victory is astronomical, however. Nearly half of Firien is warp-blasted ashlands, and over a third of its population is dead. The Lords of Oblivion have also seen the loss of over two thirds of the Chapter, as well as the loss of their best allies.

 

The Dark Crusade and Medusa V

[002.M42-006.M42]

Knowing alliances and the Chapter’s standing must be restored, High Paladin Allerka dispatches Captain Tiburin and his 3rd Company into the galaxy once again to fight alongside the Black Templars in a Dark Crusade. As they near the warzone, Captain Tiburin attempts to contact the Black Templars to see where his forces might aid them. The response they receive directs them to a world called Uijong, which has come under attack by WAAAGH!!! Stedmean.

 

The Lords of Oblivion arrive at Uijong and readily route the Orks, though discover the presence of Astartes weapons among the Orks, and quickly learn that the Orks have been supplied and directed by Faldred, who also falsified the orders for the Lords of Oblivion to lure them into yet another trap. Fortunately for them, Captain Tiburin’s peerless tactical acumen was sufficient to break free of the trap and inflict devastating loses on the traitors, forcing them to withdraw into the warp once again.

 

Giving chase, Captain Tiburin leads the pursuit across several worlds over the next two years until they come to the world of Medusa V, a world already embroiled in titanic warfare. Faldred disappears amidst the chaos, but Captain Tiburin’s relentless pursuit rediscovers the traitors after several months, and the two armies battle their way into space, leaving Medusa V behind only hours before the warp storms consume it entirely.

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Just over 1,000 words, practically a perfect length, I think. So combined with the above, we're at ~1,550.

[NightrawenII]

To be honest, the High Paladin Allerka is obvious "Mary Sue".

- he is over 1000 years old for no apparent reason.

- he is super-deadly combatant.

 

They come to a world called Andruin, on the outskirts of the warzone, and lend their aid to the Angels Paradox in their fight against the forces of Chaos and the Necrons.

Angels Paradox? You could call them Emperor's Gardeners as well. :lol:

 

Knowing to refuse would turn the Dremori into enemies, Allerka accepts to the shock of his allies. The other Chapters demand he revoke his alliance, but Allerka refuses and the other three Chapters withdraw from the battle, leaving the Lords of Oblivion to their fate.

This line is problematic at best. Why did he not consult the decision with the other Chapter first? He should know, what will be their reaction to the alliance with Dremori.