=][= Winter 2010 Community DIY Challenge =][=

[Ace Debonair]

You may mention the fortress-monastery in vague terms, but may not give it a name. If in doubt, send me a rough draft first. I want everyone to have a little freedom for developing the fortress-monastery later on, so I don't want any of the earlier elements (including this one) to be too binding in any area.

 

Fair play.

I'll get to work on the rough draft and see how vague I can keep it. ^_^

[Brother Tyler]

And we have our winner. Only one member submitted anything for Recruitment:

 

The Obsidian Hunters primarily recruit from their homeworld of Illustris, although not every member of the chapter is a native. Regardless of where they came from, though, recruits must face the same gruelling trials of strength, intelligence, endurance, willpower and courage.The ultimate test, however, is the test given to recruits before implantation of the Chapter's geneseed.

 

Successful Aspirants are brought to the Obsidian Hunter's Fortress Monastery, hidden away in the central mountains, at the furthest end of the deepest valley. After only two days to rest and adjust to the terrain, they are then armed with a hunting knife and a primitive firearm, and sent into the wild in groups.

 

Their goal is simple - for each aspirant to find and kill one member of the 'clanless' - the wandering, bloodthirsty raiders who dwell in the hills. Children are warned of them since birth, and told tales of their bloodthirsty, murderous nature.

 

To kill one of these men is no easy feat - these 'clanless' are in actuality most often dangerous prisoners taken from Imperial prison worlds, selected and brought to Illustris by the Obsidian Hunters to keep their recruitment traditions alive. The former prisoners are often hardened killers, who think nothing of slaughtering aspirants for their equipment - many of them carry the same arms that the recruits are issued with.

 

Aspirants are warned prior to this task that their enemy is bigger, stronger, has more experience of killing, knows the terrain better, and will not hesitate to punish the recruits for even the slightest mistake. The only advantage the recruits have is teamwork, and perhaps the element of surprise, although the more wary 'clanless' know they are perpetually at risk, and are ever-watchful.

 

The prisoners brought to Illustris are ordered never to leave the mountains. They have devices buried into their spines that act as tracking devices, so they can be monitored by the chapter's servitors at all times. To remove these devices will leave the former prisoner paralyzed from the neck down. Prisoners who do leave the mountains are hunted down and killed remorselessly by the Obsidian Hunters themselves.

 

During the recruitment trial, aspirants must not only find and kill one 'clanless' apiece, but they must return with the former prisoner's tracking device as proof of the deed. Recruits themselves are tracked by devices worn on their collars to ensure that they also do not leave the mountains, either by accident or design. The signal issued by these collars will also indicate whether or not the recruit lives.

 

If a recruit is killed, most frequently his killer will take his collar. The others in his squad must also retrieve that collar and avenge their fallen brother before being considered worthy of joining the Obsidian Hunters. Recruits who fail to do so are simply forced to return to the wilderness. In the rare instances where a recruit is killed by a colleague, the entire group must not only begin their trial again, but the recruit responsible for the killing is stripped of his weapons beforehand.

 

It is only after this arduous process is finally complete that recruits are allowed to return to the fortress monastery, and formally begin training to recieve the Chapter's geneseed, marking the beginning of a long life in servitude of the Emperor

So congratulations to Ace Debonair, who now rates to display a(nother?) star on his "Contributor" image in his signature (just as soon as I create those star versions, that is).

[Brother Tyler]

Element 9: Legendary Hero

T

hough every Space Marine is a heroic individual, there are those among them who have forged even greater legends. The Librarians of each Space Marine Chapter maintain the litanies of honor won on the field of battle and record the living histories of the warriors for future generations of battle-brothers. Such sagas of valor are the greatest examples of martial spirit in the galaxy and, over the centuries, have become mythic and epic tales that are told across the Imperium.

CHALLENGE: Describe one of the greatest heroes of the Chapter.

LIMITATIONS:

Requirements: The legendary hero must have served within the Chapter during M37 or M38 (or a span bridging both millennia).

Restrictions: The legendary hero must be dead by M41 (which also means that he cannot be interred in a dreadnought sarcophagus, lost in the Warp, etc.).

Format: All submissions should be from 500 to 1,000 words in length and must provide details on up to five notable achievements of the individual, as well as the legacy the legendary hero has left within the Chapter. Members are limited to one submission apiece.

Deadline: All submissions should be submitted to me via PM no later than Wednesday, 16 February 2011 (which means I

[Ace Debonair]

And we have our winner. Only one member submitted anything for Recruitment:

...

So congratulations to Ace Debonair, who now rates to display a(nother?) star on his "Contributor" image in his signature (just as soon as I create those star versions, that is).

[old simpsons joke ] Woohoo! De Fault! The two sweetest words in the English Language! [/ old simpsons joke ] :pinch:

 

I'm honestly a little surprised that nobody else pitched any ideas for recruitment. I'm pretty sure I would have come second to any competition. ;)

 

Great heroes, eh?

Now there's a wealth of stuff that can be done for this one. ^_^

Edited February 10, 2011 by Ace Debonair

[Dosjetka]

I may actually try this one...

 

Ludovic

[Ace Debonair]

Bah. Arising complications in real life are forcing me to sit this one out. :D

 

I'll just wish the best of luck to the other Challengers in this one, then. :P

[Brother Tyler]

And we have our winner. Only one member submitted anything for a Legendary Hero of the Obsidian Hunters:

 

Ancient Ybund Cr'undhon the Simple

Ybund gained an infamous reputation in the Chapter in the latter half of the thirty-eighth millennia. Surrounded by competitive, intelligent tribal warriors, Ybund was a simple and humble man. He neither took part in the debates that echoed through the great halls of the Fortress-Monastery, nor did he feel the need to compete with his brothers. This brought him much disdain by his brethren, seeing him as lesser than themselves, for he had a slow mind and lacked a fiery heart. They did not see his grinding determination, his pure soul and his desire to only to do good. Though he never rose to a position of command within the Chapter, he spent the last century of his service as the Chapter

[Brother Tyler]

Element 10: Enemies

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hough the myriad forces of the Imperium all fight with a common goal, they don

[Ecritter]

Do we have a set location for the Chapter as of yet?

[Brother Tyler]

Element 5: Homeworld

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he feudal world of Illustris in the Segmentum Tempestus near the Veiled Region was selected as the homeworld of the new Chapter. With a technology level that included mastery of blackpowder weapons, the inhabitants of Illustris provided a strong population base from which to recruit prospective Adeptus Astartes.

Expanded upon here. :teehee:

[Ecritter]

Thank you. That will limit the enemies a bit more I think.

[elohimalpha]

Congrats Ferrata! Nice to see something out of the ordinary

 

I was looking forward to getting in on this, and got about as far as picking out a name . . . /sigh

[Ace Debonair]

Deadline: All submissions should be submitted to me via PM no later than Wednesday, 23 February 2011 (which means I

Edited February 24, 2011 by Ace Debonair

[Brother Tyler]

Once again, a victory by default. Our winning entry was submitted by elohimalpha (per the author, it's 64 words over, but I guess that doesn't matter much :lol: , and I added blank lines between the paragraphs below):

 

Brazen Lords

Late in M40, while conducting training maneuvers on Illustris’ second moon, elements of the Obsidian Hunters’ 3rd Company received a distress signal from a badly damaged strike cruiser that had emerged from the Warp. The transmission was weak; the only words discernable “pursuit” and “must not capture”. The Chapter designations of the cruiser were unknown but, after performing the Rites of Verification, it was determined to be a true vessel of the Astartes. Commander Ni’vicon, who was leading the Hunters’ training cadre, authorized the ship to assume a low orbit around the moon. But the damage to the ships’ engines was more extensive than at first presumed, and the cruiser swiftly crashed to the surface, missing a heavily populated sector by scant miles. The Hunters steeled themselves to render what aid they could and to recover the bodies of their unknown Brothers. While in route to the crash site, the Hunters received another transmission; another ship bearing identical Chapter designations to the previous had entered orbit. An Astartes identified himself as Commander Aculeo Calidus of the Brazen Lords, leader of the task force Eternal Retribution. For nearly a decade he had been pursuing a “renegade element”, the very same that had crashed on the moon. When pressed for further details regarding the renegades, Commander Calidus became increasingly agitated, and when the Hunters offered their assistance, not only was the offer rebuffed, Calidus ordered the Hunters to stand down. Never one to take orders from interlopers, especially when civilian lives were threatened, Commander Ni’vicon led his forces to the crash site with all possible speed. This situation contained far too many unknowns for his taste.

 

Upon their arrival, the Hunters found a tide of abominations streaming from the broken ship. Things that may have once been men lurched howling toward the nearby villages by the hundreds, their intent clear. Commander Ni’vicon had seen enough to confirm the worst of his fears – he ordered his men to purge the mutant taint. Bolter fire scythed through the masses of horrors, but they still came on. Ammunition supplies, already low from previous training exercises, soon failed. Taking up their swords, the Hunters soon cut a gore-soaked path towards the entrance of the ship. Before they reached the entrance, the ground shuddered under repeated impacts – 5 drop-pods, brass and steel, stood smoking in their impact craters. Four full squads and a dreadnought emerged, guns leveled at the maelstrom of battle in front of the ship. Calidus gave the order to open fire, and it soon became clear that the Brazen Lords weren’t interested in discerning mutant from Marine. Two Hunters went down with wounds, Ni’vicon himself sustaining several grazes.

 

Trapped between hammer and anvil, Ni’vicon ordered his men into the remains of the ship – far better to face the abominations in close quarters than the withering firepower of the Astartes. Once inside, the Hunters were able to seal off access hatches behind them, forcing the bulk of the mutant horde out to face the Brazen Lords. With some breathing room, Ni’vicon sent a distress signal back to Illustris, and searched for a way to buy some time before help could arrive. Exploration of the ship revealed laboratory after laboratory, with twisted demonic runes and archaic chemical formulae intermingled, covering nearly every inscribable surface. Further searching led the Hunters to the doors of a vast chamber of plasteel tubes – growth vats for the mutant horde. From a dais overlooking the sea of vats sat a Marine on an ornate throne, surrounded by and infused with all manner of cables and wires. The Marine sat motionless, and Ni’vicon despaired that the one person that could give them answers had been long dead. Still, he approached – dead men may tell no tales, but secrets; perhaps.

 

This strange Marine bore the markings of both an apothecary and the Disciples of Mars; the man had clearly been a genius before he abandoned reason. An explosion rocked the ship, and the Marine on the throne stirred to life, twitching and babbling. Ni’vicon had him sedated, and once the Marine was pacified, Ni’vicon set about gathering information. The Marine revealed in drowsy monotone that he was High Priest Favian Reperio, and that he had been tasked by his Chapter Master, in secret, to enhance the Brazen Lords’ gene-seed. To aid in his experiments, Reperio was entrusted with one of the Brazen Lords’ most precious relics: a piece of archeotech the Chapter had recovered whose very existence they kept from Mars. His experiments were carried out over decades, but never bore satisfactory results. Eventually the existence of his experiments came to light, and Reperio fled, knowing that he’d be condemned as a heretic. The Chapter Master, long dissatisfied with Reperio’s lack of results, gave the order to have him hunted down and brought before him alive, to make an example of heretics in full view of the Chapter (secretly he hoped to glean some wisdom from Reperio before his execution). He had finally been caught up to seven years ago, and the long pursuit had eroded what was left of his mind. Now, at the last, his “children” would die, and “the gift he had held so close to his heart” would be torn away.

 

Ni’vicon saw his way out. He ripped Reperio away from the cables that innervated him, dragging him screaming to an observation deck overseeing the entrance. The battle was in its final throes, the bodies of mutants in piles everywhere. Stilled by the appearance of Reperio alongside the Hunters, Calidus called up to them. If the Hunters would hand him over, they could leave unharmed. Without hesitation, Ni’vicon raised his sword and, in one clean stroke, severed Reperio’s head from his body.

“The fate of heretics and traitors,” Ni’vicon called down, tossing the head to Calidus. “You have your proof. Leave while you still can.”

Calidus seethed, but knew reinforcements from Illustris were imminent.

“This isn’t over!” Calidus bellowed, boarding his transport.

“No. It isn’t,” Ni’vicon murmured to himself.

++++++++

Back on Illustris, examination of Reperio’s corpse revealed a dataslate surgically implanted above his heart. After hearing Commander Ni’vicon’s account, the Chapter Master determined that the relic should be turned over to Mars without even attempting to access the data it contained. Since that day, The Hunters have enjoyed the favor of Mars, while the Brazen Lords have earned their ire.

 

So a star for elohimalpha on his banner image (whenever I get off my lazy butt and get those star images done, that is :P ), and congratulations on the submission.

[Brother Tyler]

Element 11: Allies

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hough the forces of the Imperium are myriad and diverse, they all work to a single shared goal: enforcing the Emperor Edited February 25, 2011 by Brother Tyler
Adjusted the word count requirement.

[elohimalpha]

Ahh, nothing so sweet as a victory uncontested :ermm: Soon I will amass more stars, then ???, and then - profit!

 

To completely change the subject, has anyone painted up any of the Hunters yet? I haven't been brave enough to try

[Ace Debonair]

Ahh, nothing so sweet as a victory uncontested :D Soon I will amass more stars, then ???, and then - profit!

 

To completely change the subject, has anyone painted up any of the Hunters yet? I haven't been brave enough to try

 

Congrats, buddy. ^_^

 

I haven't painted any Hunters up, personally. I'm not exactly a stellar painter in the first place, though, so that's probably for the best. :)

 

I think I'll have a bash at this challenge, though. I have an idea... :blush:

 

EDIT:

 

Quick question:

 

How come this one is required to be twice the length of the 'enemies' section?

Any particular reason, or is it just part of the challenge?

Edited February 25, 2011 by Ace Debonair

[Brother Tyler]

Because I forgot to change the word count requirement. :)

 

I'll go change that now.

[elohimalpha]

Woot, thanks Ace! Do attempt this one - you've got a pretty good shot at winning by default! I've had a couple of ideas, but had to chuck them - this isn't some Gears of War bro-mance. Back to the idea bucket.

 

*Edit*

Well, now I have to enter this one if I'm going to get more "stars" than Ace or Brother Cambrius. Must... have... stars...

Edited February 26, 2011 by elohimalpha

[Ace Debonair]

Because I forgot to change the word count requirement. ;)

 

I'll go change that now.

Phew, that's saved me from conjuring up five hundred words' worth of filler. :cuss

Good times. :P

Woot, thanks Ace! Do attempt this one - you've got a pretty good shot at winning by default! I've had a couple of ideas, but had to chuck them - this isn't some Gears of War bro-mance. Back to the idea bucket.

I'd rather face some stern competition and get curb-stomped by people with better ideas than win by default, to be honest.

Well, better again would be to triumph over the stern competiton, but I know better than to expect that. :angry:

*Edit*

Well, now I have to enter this one if I'm going to get more "stars" than Ace or Brother Cambrius. Must... have... stars...

Ah, motivation. That makes for worthy adversaries. :wallbash:

[ANGRYMARINE]

I was going to give this a shot, something about them forming an alliance with Eldar from the Biel-Tan craftworld against Necrons, but then I realized that today is March 2nd... FML

 

Also, who are the Brazen Claws supposed to be?

 

EDIT: That was fast anonymous Moderator or Admin, I thank you for speedy deletion, much like the White Scars speedily kill on their bikes.

Edited March 2, 2011 by ANGRYMARINE

[Brother Tyler]

And another victory by default. Another star on the banner for Ace Debonair for the winning submission:

The Obsidian Hunters have a long and decorated history of successful campaigns against the enemies of mankind. However, while many of these victories are solely due to the work of the Obsidian Hunters, many have only been made possible by co-existing with other Imperial forces.

 

These fire-forged alliances have, in some cases, lasted centuries. Possibly the best-known of these alliances is with the Obsidian Hunters' fellow Space Marines, the Infinity Knights.

 

The two Chapters share a long history of co-operation, starting with the Obsidian Hunters helping to subdue an Ork Waaaagh in the Bardufa system in early M41, in the process saving the Knights' second company from near-certain annihilation.

 

The favour was returned almost a hundred years later, when two companies of the Infinity Knights arrived to reinforce the Obsidian Hunters against a vast army of traitor Guardsmen during the Kaben Campaign.

 

Since then, the two Chapters have fought alongside each other on a myriad of battlefields, against an almost incalcuable number of foes. Often, the two Chapters almost compete to see who amongst them can strike the most telling blow against an enemy force.

 

Indeed, several notable Obsidian Hunters have been awarded with the distinctive Mayneson-pattern curved chainswords usually favoured by the Infinity Knights. Likewise, several of the Knights' veterans can boast equipment traded to them from their brothers in the Obsidian Hunters' ranks, bearing the markings of their brother chapter.

 

The effects of this alliance on the Chapters concerned is a most interesting one to many researchers and scholars. Despite being steadfast allies, when working together the two chapters fight together with an intensity found in few battlefields, each Chapter racing to eliminate a greater number of the Emperor's enemies than the other once the battle begins.

 

Scholars postulate that there is also somewhat of a rivalry between these two sons of Guilliman. Since the Obsidian Hunters strongly favour what they see as the laws of the Codex, and the Infinity Knights firmly stand by their rather different interpretation of the Codex, there could be some justification behind these theories.

 

The most pronounced eveidence of rivalry stems from the campaign in the Breccul Sector, where the two Chapters battled a splinter warband of the Word Bearers legion, known as the Host of the Million Voices, and their vast army of daemons and cultists.

 

Both Chapters debated over the strategy to be used to crush this menace. The Infinity Knights felt that the Hunters' proposed tactics isolated the Infinity Knights from taking part in the key conflicts, using them primarily to subdue cultists rather than destroy the traitor Astartes.

 

The Hunters, naturally, protested that since there were more Obsidian Hunters present than Infinity Knights, the Hunters should take care of the biggest threat.

 

Both Chapters, unable to resolve their differences quietly, adopted their own campaign strategy, each vying to crush the traitor Astartes in their bases of operations before the other Chapter could accomplish the same goal.

 

Each Chapter would come down like a meteor on enemy fortifications, the Infinity Knights crushing their enemies with a zealous fury, the Obsidian Hunters fighting with a cold, practiced discipline. Both raced to the Hosts' final bastion on the world of Zyla - a vast, twisted fortress, from which daemons and cultists poured, reinforcing the enemy lines.

 

The Zylan bastion was reached first by the Obsidian Hunters. They besieged the fortifications, striking down dozens, then hundreds of enemies as they swarmed out of the gates. Finally the Astartes of the Host appeared - tipping the odds in favour of the heretics as the Hunters were driven back under weight of numbers. The Infinity Knights arrived late to the battlefield, but still in time to plunge into the fray alongside their Emperor-sworn brothers.

 

With the combined forces of both Chapters, the enemy was driven back into their stronghold. Moments before the final assault, Captain Shu of the Obsidian Hunters and Captain Haclan of the Infinity Knights argued over who would be the one to strike the enemy commander down.

 

When the final battle began, both Captains led the charge, plunging boldly into the waves of enemies. They fought like tigers, with the skill and ferocity of true heroes. Captain Shu, however, took a grievous wound in the combat. As the apothecaries caught up with him and dragged him away, he made an impassioned plea to Captain Haclan to strike down the enemy leader for the honour of both Chapters.

 

Haclan and his honour guard fought tooth and nail to reach the enemy commander. History has forgotten many details of the confrontation, but the end result remains written in the histories of both Chapters, for Captain Haclan was slain by the Host's Chaos Lord.

 

However, the last survivor of his Honour Guard, Company Champion Almir, managed to sever both arms from the opposing Chaos Lord, and drag the maimed carcass of the traitor before the still-wounded Captain Shu. Handing the Obsidian Hunter Captain Haclan's sword, Almir dragged the Chaos Lord to his knees, allowing Captain Shu to strike the final blow against the Traitors.

 

To this day, neophytes in both Chapters are taught lessons of humility and servitude via this tale. A victory for an ally is a victory for the Chapter, and to be driven by a lust for glory is not the same as being driven to serve The Emperor.

Congrats to Ace Debonair.

Edited March 8, 2011 by Brother Tyler

[Brother Tyler]

Element 12: Selected Battle Honours

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he Space Marines are the sword of humanity, carrying the fight to the foe with precision, skill and terrifying swiftness. Though they are few in number, the valour and dedication of the Space Marines is as without measure as the superhuman might they wield Edited March 10, 2011 by Brother Tyler
Deadline extended.

[Dosjetka]

Noooooooooooo! I forgot to finish off and submit my entry :D

 

Anyhow, congrats Ace ;) I do like your entry.

 

Deadline: All submissions should be submitted to me via PM no later than Thursday, 10 March 2011 (which means I

[Brother Tyler]

Time flows strangely in the Warp. :)

 

Fixed :P