IA ++ Cremators

[Consul of Scorpions]

T

he Cremators are known for one thing and one thing only, burning whole worlds. They are the terror of Imperial Commanders, Recidivist Governors, and Xenos Raiders alike, for the Cremators burn everything to the ground in order to stamp out the blemish of impurity. The Chapter answers only when called for and act on Imperial soil only by the orders of higher authorities within the Imperium; it is a rare general or governor that is happy to see the black and orange heraldry of the Cremators gracing the system under his martial command.

Origins

The space marine chapter known as the Cremators was born in fire, death, betrayal, and guilt with the burning of their homeworld, its name expunged, and the decimation of their leadership and numbers. Stout of heart and with an iron will descended from their Imperial Fist lineage, the Cremators have been borne from the ashes and descend on embattled worlds with only one objective on their minds; “Burn the Skies! Shake the Earth! Break the World!” for their penitence demands nothing less than devoted annihilation and nothing more than grim fervor.

Early History

“Only in death and fire can sin be forgiven”

Most of the Cremators’ history is expunged, leaving only a fractured account. The Chapter was once typical in its nature and called the Solar Castellans, ruling over an expansive hive world named Ardenica near the core of the Ultima Segmentum. Chaos-worshipping cults that had been thought eradicated from the dust of the world sprang up from the labyrinthine warrens beneath the Ardenican hives. At this point, the varied texts speak of many accounts of blood-sacrifice, rioting, and corruption among even the Chapter’s leadership. The ensuing bloodbath ended in the fires of Exterminatus with only a handful of loyal marines escaping the destruction to be put on trial. Somehow, the Castellans were given clemency and allowed to rebuild their shattered reputation from the gene-stocks that managed to survive Ardenica's razing along with the remainder of unpurged tithes from vaults on Mars, taking up the mantle of the Cremators and completely reforming the Chapter and its operational strategies. Following the Faustos Incident, the Cremators have isolated their activities to xenos-held worlds along the Eastern Fringe, particularly those considered irrevocably infested by Orks; they have also been spotted waging their craft on Exodite worlds and Tau colony outposts over the decades.

Homeworld

“Sic transit gloria mundi”

The Cremators’ homeworld is a nameless, smoldering rock, blackened by Inquisitorial Exterminatus, and will remain unviable as any sort of habitat for several millennia. The Chapter shuns all attachment to a homeworld now, seeing it as corrupt and impure to anchor their duties to one location. They travel throughout the galactic disk, wherever calls for Astartes aid are sent out by Imperial servants, displaying their contempt towards the shackles of the earth with their own ritual version of the firestorm enacted upon their long-dead birthplace.

The Faustos Incident

The most well-remembered campaign undertaken by the Cremators Chapter, and its first use of the World Breaker Devices, unfurled upon the surface of Faustos, a fairly typical industrial world that had been almost overrun by Warlord Grakt'ooth's WAAAGH! The call for aid was finally answered by the Cremators and the 23rd Gettrian Armored Cavalry regiment, raised from Gett, a planet the Faustians had taken primary action in reclaiming many centuries ago, began to push back hard against the Ork onslaught as news of the Cremator's arrival trickled down the chain of command.
+++
Taken by surprise, the defence forces of Faustos had time for little more than to seal its citizens inside emergency bunker complexes. The arrival of the Gettrian regiment provided hope for rescue, but the mobile squadrons of Guardsmen found themselves ground to pieces alongside the PDF against Grakt'ooth's own heavily mechanised and ramshackle horde of boyz. With the Cremators throwing their weight into the fray, Grakt'ooth's WAAAGH! focused a great deal of its orkpower against the Chapter's landing zones, much to the confusion of Guard and Naval strategists who nevertheless capitalized on the openings granted to their forces.
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As the campaign wound to its now-foreseeable close, anomalous tremors in the Faustian crust built to an apocalyptic cresendo as a portion of the planet's north western continent partially collapsed under a volcanic super-eruption, destroying three of the largest Faustian industrial hives and a large portion of the Ork WAAAGH! that had engaged a mechanised company of Gettrians on the ash plains there. Only as more landmasses fell into the oceans and pools of erupting magma was the complicity of the Cremators in this natural disaster revealed; their work done, the Chapter left the system as Faustos' destabilization continued, swallowing up anything foolish enough to remain, including several billion human lives that the Third Fomalhaut Battlegroup failed to evacuate from Faustos' burning surface in time.

Organization

T

he Cremators Chapter is organized into twelve ‘Breaker Centuries’ superficially similar to standard Codex organizational doctrine, but only composed of up to eighty battle brothers sans support, command, and neophyte elements, which are attached in an ad hoc manner during the planning stages of each campaign. The primary goal of each Breaker Century is the proper deployment of a World Breaker Device, as it takes all twelve of the temperamental and arcane devices in order to carry out the Chapter’s signature form of Exterminatus; the complete and utter annihilation of a planetary body. Each device sets up a sequence of harmonic vibrations within a planet’s crust, but is virtually harmless alone or uncoordinated. A handful of the machines acting against a local area can cause massive earthquakes along most fault lines. But only with all twelve World Breakers in place and properly tuned can continents be sunk and seas of magma brought rushing to the surface as the planet’s interior destabilizes in a cataclysmic firestorm that can last for months before homeostasis reasserts itself and the process of tectonic formation can begin anew.

Each Breaker Century is an amalgam of typical Codex troop formations, but they are individually expected to provide for themselves a supply of equipment and recruits and to remain liquid and effective in the Chapter’s campaigns. The inability of a Centurion (equiv. Captain rank) to keep his troops and ships in a state of readiness and repair will see them absorbed into the other Breaker Centuries and a replacement formed out of newly initiated neophytes and a promising Veteran, given only a single Strike Cruiser with which to prove themselves. As it is both necessary and encouraged for each Captain to procure supplies for his Century, the Chapter tends to become a well-known and oft-seen presence in whatever sector they most recently campaigned within; much to the horror (and eventual disappointment) of many citizens whom expect such visits to be accompanied by a front-row seat to the next Apocalypse.

Combat Doctrine

"With each century in arms, we fall to the earth and shake the bones of the world to its fiery core; with each step we take, another foe is felled, their body lies broken and shattered; with each star we part from, another world shall be left pure and golden; we do this in remembrance of our sin and in earnest, each step is one towards repentance" - Edicts of the Conclave of Ashes

Solar Castellans Colors

The doctrine of ‘world-breaking’ was born out of fury and betrayal when the Chapter’s homeworld was destroyed by an Inquisitorial Sanction, their Chapter Master and the entire First Company having been found under the influence of pagan tribes aligned in worship under the Ruinous Powers that were thought to have been wiped out when the Chapter first established themselves upon Ardenica. The surviving nine Companies had fought to a man against their elder brethren, some battling rebellions within their own ranks, with only a fraction managing to survive both the civil war and Exterminatus. The rebirth and continued service of the Chapter, their previous titles and associations buried forever under the mandate of the same rosette that burned their home to ashes, was earned in countless trials and service, purging any of their traitorous brethren that managed to survive the Exterminatus as they had. However, black rumors still circulate that a few escaped the fires.

Only two Captains, twelve battle brothers, and barely half of the Chapter's initiated neophytes, over twenty percent of which were relegated to serf status pending irrecoverable delays in their implantation schedules, endured the arduous shame of betrayal and castigation, many others taking their lives in atonement for their grievous failures. Both of the Captains were charged with rebuilding their Chapter and their honor with the admonition that if such corruption ever touched the Cremators again, the consequences would be far worse than those suffered by the original traitors. The process of rebuilding the newly christened Cremators Chapter was a long one, its current form not being realized until late in the thirty-ninth millennium when the twelve Centuries rallied after several decades of recruiting and minor actions across the Ultima Segmentum. In what is written among the histories of the Chapter’s Librarium as the “Conclave of Ashes”, the Cremators’ leadership conceived of their infamous doctrine of total annihilation regardless of the cost; it was then that the World Breakers were truly born.

While many question the Cremators’ acquisition of the World Breaker Devices, the answer would be quite easily obtained if one took notice of the Explorator fleet headed by Calliope Alamos, an Arch Magos Geologis and rumored radical. Those who have noticed this disturbing trend call into question the possibility that Arch Magos Alamos might manipulate the headstrong Cremators into committing their single-minded campaigns on the wrong world. Indeed, words spread of a growing plot against the Techpriestess and the Cremators at large by elements in both the Inquisition and the Priesthood of Mars. However, with the threat of dissolution and excommunication already hanging over their heads, it seems like the Masters of the Cremators Chapter have been entrusted with their own fate, and most likely the fate of Magos Calliope, whether for providence or perdition.

[clearfloat][/clearfloat]

Beliefs

"This is not revenge, remember that, for many brothers that have come before you have taken it upon themselves to seek it and each has fallen unto the gaze of corruption; what we do is repent for our sins and the the sins of those before us, never forget the folly that set us upon this path" - Chaplain Raginmund

R

eligious views within the Cremators are obsessed with purification through pain, an aspect of Dorn's geneseed pushed to extremes by the Chapter's personal history, and even the slightest error can send a brother-marine into a state of guilt-fueled distress until the proper amount of self-inflicted punishment has been endured. The role of Cremator Chaplains, being selected (oddly enough) from the most stoic and compassionate initiates, is to monitor the rites their brothers undertake and the origin of guilt that sends them into such frenzies. The Reclusiam’s duty is to prevent cases of destructive or aberrant self-torment and keep the Chapter as a whole mentally and emotionally stable (if not exactly healthy or sane). The role of Chaplain is great enough that the ranking office in the Reclusiam is equal if not superior in rank to the Chapter Master himself; the Apothecary is also heavily involved in ensuring the Chapter's continued mental health. The chapter’s persecution of enemy leaders is quite distant and informal compared to the typical responses common of the Imperial Authorities; those who instigated any recidivist action in which the Cremators respond to will usually find themselves blown away by a volley of artillery strikes or the sudden eruption of the planet’s interior beneath their feet. The number of times the Chapter has been required to personally hunt down a specific individual can easily be counted on one's own hands with room to spare.

Geneseed

The Cremators hail from the legacy of Rogal Dorn and, as such, lack the Betcher’s gland and Sus-an membrane. Additionally, several other zygotes have deteriorated in quality to non-functional levels and much speculation abounds as to what this type of decay implies with the loss of the Cremators’ Neuroglottis, Preomnor, and Omophagea. The propensity for self-inflicted punishment is also enhanced beyond what is expected of Dorn's legacy, hinting at further deterioration. Because of their lack of digestive support, marines of the Cremators Chapter carry an alchemical jelly devised by the Apothecarion that is ingested with meals of questionable safety, the jelly performs the detoxification and predigestion functions lost by the Premnor, any meals that remain unsafe become unpalatable to the marines’ stomachs and are regurgitated quickly thanks to the jelly’s effects.

Battlecry

“Burn the Skies! Shake the Earth! Break the World!” quickly followed by

“To ashes! To ashes!” the first part is exclaimed by leaders as a rallying cry, often before an engagement though just as easily during battle as a quick celebration or to initiate a verbal headcount; the second part is the response by all direct subordinates or shouted as a quick whoop.

[NightrawenII]

The Cremators are known for one thing and one thing only, burning whole worlds. They are the terror of Imperial Commanders and Recidivist Governors alike, for the Cremators burn everything to the ground in order to stamp out the blemish of impurity. The Chapter answers only when called for and it is a rare general that is happy to see the black and orange heraldry of the Cremators gracing the system under his martial command, the politicians are often much less pleased when they discover just exactly whom they have been saved by, or rather condemned.

~

the Cremators have been borne from the ashes and descend on embattled worlds with only one objective on their minds; “Burn the Skies! Shake the Earth! Break the World!” for their penitence demands nothing less.

- If the above is true, Why would the Imperium left them to continue such madness?

 

The doctrine of ‘world-breaking’ was born out of fury and betrayal when the Chapter’s homeworld was destroyed by an Inquisitorial Sanction, their Chapter Master and the entire First Company having been found under the influence of pagan tribes that were thought to have been wiped out when the Chapter first established themselves there.

- :huh: Contradiction with the previous informations.

 

Only two Captains, twelve battle brothers, and barely a handful of neophytes endured the arduous shame of betrayal and castigation, many others taking their lives in atonement for the Chapter’s grievous failures.

- Do you hear that sound? That's the Bell of Lost Souls tolling in the honor of another lost Chapter.

 

Ehm, the rest of the article is huge mess of wicked ideas and doesn't make sense at all.

[Consul of Scorpions]

Ugh, semantic arguments, how I despise these.

 

First of all, it is not a contradiction with the previous information. See, they were called the Solar Castellans; 'were called'; that's information of key importance as the Cremators (the reincarnation of the Chapter) are known for world-breaking. Though I'll not be the last to admit, my organizational style in writing is highly... atypical. :tu:

 

Second, perhaps 'a handful' is misleading, but in context with twelve fully inducted marines, it implies a much larger number than you're [probably] thinking. But I suppose I should clear that up by using more concrete values. How does "Only two Captains, twelve battle-brothers, and barely half of the Chapter's neophytes endured the..." sound? It doesn't put down a concrete number, which is something I'd like to stick to in order to enhance the sense of gravitas, rather than play Chapter logistician with the article, but implies enough of the young recruits survived to allow the Chapter to try and rebuild, rather than be absorbed/summarily executed. Since a single company seems to be enough to start a new Chapter, one company should at least be enough to bring it back.

 

...wicked ideas...

Thanks... I think... that was a compliment, right? :)

 

Finally, the issue of their... rather specific modus operandi. Frankly, the idea that a planetary governor or Guard commander needs to call for help, in the chapter's opinion, seems justification enough to do their thing; which I had assumed would be justification enough for them to garner some support from especially militant entities in high-up places. Obviously, they don't approach every problem with this solution, just every one involving a planet, which is not to say the entire population is put to the sword, but the Cremators do like their landscaping hobby.

[NightrawenII]

First of all, it is not a contradiction with the previous information. See, they were called the Solar Castellans; 'were called'; that's information of key importance as the Cremators (the reincarnation of the Chapter) are known for world-breaking. Though I'll not be the last to admit, my organizational style in writing is highly... atypical. :P

Ehm...

I was refering to the second part of the sentence. In the Early History, you have a chaos-worhipping cults and now you introduce a pagan tribes.

 

Second, perhaps 'a handful' is misleading, but in context with twelve fully inducted marines, it implies a much larger number than you're [probably] thinking. But I suppose I should clear that up by using more concrete values. How does "Only two Captains, twelve battle-brothers, and barely half of the Chapter's neophytes endured the..." sound?

Still wrong. The neophytes are guys without full set of organs, so if you don't have the rest of the gene-seed, they are nigh to useless.

Look into Amicus, there is thread about "destroyed" Chapters.

 

Since a single company seems to be enough to start a new Chapter, one company should at least be enough to bring it back.

Source???

 

Edit:

Finally, the issue of their... rather specific modus operandi. Frankly, the idea that a planetary governor or Guard commander needs to call for help, in the chapter's opinion, seems justification enough to do their thing;

Yeah, but when people call deratizator, they don't expect him to set up charges and blow up the whole house into heavens... Seriously.:P

 

which I had assumed would be justification enough for them to garner some support from especially militant entities in high-up places. Obviously, they don't approach every problem with this solution, just every one involving a planet, which is not to say the entire population is put to the sword, but the Cremators do like their landscaping hobby.

The Cremators are destroying planets on the regular basis. That's wrong.

[Consul of Scorpions]

1) pagans == cultists; I'm probably mincing terms here, but they mean the same thing in my mind as far as the Imperium's judgement goes (and I just realized those words do mean the same thing, now if only there were a humorous emote for RTBBD (read the big blue dictionary)).

 

2) I never stated their geneseed was lost in the exterminatus (I'm being a jerk, but still- THAT'S A LOOPHOLE!), additionally, the Chapter is supposed to be an old one (more loopholes!), they should have sufficient backups from all the gene-tithes they've sent to Sol (there they are again!), the betrayal was spiritual, not genetic (though an extra several eyes would be on every aspect of the chapter nowadays)

 

3) You find the lack of source if you think me wrong (you are not my boss!), I don't feel this issue requires as much attention and it feels like nitpicking and that hurts my ego (oh, the inhumanity), so we'll table it for now.

 

4) They still evacuate and cordon off the house before they explosively fumigate it though~ (please let me have my super-quakes, please~)

 

5) They are consistently "resetting" planets, it's not necessarily a regular thing. I would argue that their highly specific and temperamental hobby does not even go off without a hitch every time, resulting in a sunken continent here, massive earthquakes there, a volcanic super-eruption every now and then, and, maybe once in a harvest moon, a complete stirring of a tectonic system. The effectiveness has more to do with what they are capable of than what they actually pull off, I would think, allowing conventional forces to strike at the enemy's retaliation to the Cremator's so very obvious strategy. (yes, I'm pulling this explanation out of my butt, it's still valid) Is this not the essence of the Art of War? Make thine enemy react to you, do not react to him. World-breaking is so spectacular a move that the foe must always react to the Cremator's deployment (and they can deploy in a number of geomantic configurations, mind), be it swarming their concentrated lines of defence and air/orbital support or make a retreat from a compromised planethead, or risk losing everything by disregarding the threat.

 

"It's just crazy enough to work," comes to mind. Despite its strategic dominance, the principle of holding the gun to your daughter's head with full intention of pulling the trigger in order to dissuade the kidnapper from trying to manipulate you is THE riskiest tactic, but it's also so unconventional and asymmetric that they have no choice but to adapt to a completely altered playing field. Do you call the seeming bluff and risk losing your hostage and then perhaps your life or livelihood? Or do you, in the Imperial case as one will lose one's life either way, try to find a way out of a bladed Chinese finger trap?

 

While what I have said does imply that the Chapter commits to cleansing a world to the utmost extreme, I never did cover their reaction to the possibility of a victory without total annihilation. And I thank you for making me explain this invisible part of the concept... now I just hope you don't still unswervingly disagree with it.

 

 

Granted, they'd be about as popular as Kryptman, but after the first few examples (read: flipping THE MAN, or in this case, THE MEN, the proverbial bird (read: they rebuilt their fleet before deciding to fumigate said planets and have the support and supply of an equally interested Explorator fleet, aka: a, IMNSHO, virtually autonomous military/scientific force)), I think, one might begin to receive a wider range of possible outcomes.

 

In light of that last parenthetical note, this might be more of a renegade chapter... the Liberty's thoughts?

(yeah, I just totally made up that term for the congregation of Liberites)

 

 

((Anything in parentheses is supposed to be my attempt at either humor, a serious aside, or both even though that would be contradictory; none of it is meant as an attack))

 

[Ace Debonair]

1) pagans == cultists; I'm probably mincing terms here, but they mean the same thing in my mind as far as the Imperium's judgement goes (and I just realized those words do mean the same thing, now if only there were a humorous emote for RTBBD (read the big blue dictionary)).

It's also a reilgion. And I'm yet to catch any of it's followers worshipping the Chaos Gods.

Perhaps a different word might be more suitable, all things considered.

 

2) I never stated their geneseed was lost in the exterminatus (I'm being a jerk, but still- THAT'S A LOOPHOLE!), additionally, the Chapter is supposed to be an old one (more loopholes!), they should have sufficient backups from all the gene-tithes they've sent to Sol (there they are again!), the betrayal was spiritual, not genetic (though an extra several eyes would be on every aspect of the chapter nowadays)

 

I reccomend actually stating these things in the IA. :)

Nobody wants to analyze other people's work for possible loopholes, just so it makes sense. :)

 

3) You find the lack of source if you think me wrong (you are not my boss!), I don't feel this issue requires as much attention and it feels like nitpicking and that hurts my ego (oh, the inhumanity), so we'll table it for now.

 

I've always been told that if you have less than two companies left, your chapter's almost certainly going to die.

Since a fair few people have said that to me, I'd assume the same could apply here.

 

In any case, the difference between having only one and only two companies left isn't really here nor there. :D

 

 

"It's just crazy enough to work," comes to mind. Despite its strategic dominance, the principle of holding the gun to your daughter's head with full intention of pulling the trigger in order to dissuade the kidnapper from trying to manipulate you is THE riskiest tactic, but it's also so unconventional and asymmetric that they have no choice but to adapt to a completely altered playing field. Do you call the seeming bluff and risk losing your hostage and then perhaps your life or livelihood? Or do you, in the Imperial case as one will lose one's life either way, try to find a way out of a bladed Chinese finger trap?

 

Given that Astartes have orbital bombardments, or are fantastically powerful elite ground troops, I'm not sure I can think of more than one situation in which these quake-makers would be useful.

 

While what I have said does imply that the Chapter commits to cleansing a world to the utmost extreme, I never did cover their reaction to the possibility of a victory without total annihilation. And I thank you for making me explain this invisible part of the concept... now I just hope you don't still unswervingly disagree with it.

So, what is their reaction to fighting without the overkill? ;)

 

In light of that last parenthetical note, this might be more of a renegade chapter... the Liberty's thoughts?

(yeah, I just totally made up that term for the congregation of Liberites)

The problem with a renegade chapter that is close to death at any point is that they pretty much die.

I mean, they don't get any of the support from the AdMech, and having to avoid all the xenos, traitors and Imperial forces is going to leave you with scant time to recruit and rebuild.

[NightrawenII]

1) pagans == cultists; I'm probably mincing terms here, but they mean the same thing in my mind as far as the Imperium's judgement goes (and I just realized those words do mean the same thing, now if only there were a humorous emote for RTBBD (read the big blue dictionary)).

Tribe=/= Cult, simple.

 

2) I never stated their geneseed was lost in the exterminatus (I'm being a jerk, but still- THAT'S A LOOPHOLE!), additionally, the Chapter is supposed to be an old one (more loopholes!), they should have sufficient backups from all the gene-tithes they've sent to Sol (there they are again!), the betrayal was spiritual, not genetic (though an extra several eyes would be on every aspect of the chapter nowadays)

You have never stated it wasn't lost in the exterminatus.

 

Present things in order, and explain yourself well

If you mention something, make sure you've explained what it is first. This is a basic rule of almost anything, and yet, it is violated. Often. People read IAs in order, and if you mention things without explanation, people will start to think they've missed something, and go looking for it in the bit they've already read. If they don't find it, they're not going to be happy. Likewise, explain things well - do not describe a battle against Orks and then mention "and then the mountain which they'd been fighting next to this whole time fell on their heads". People will wonder why this mountain wasn't mentioned before. ~Octaguide

 

3) You find the lack of source if you think me wrong (you are not my boss!), I don't feel this issue requires as much attention and it feels like nitpicking and that hurts my ego (oh, the inhumanity), so we'll table it for now.

- Everyone is the boss of you. ~Octaguide. ;)

- Rule of thumb in discussion. If you made a statement, be prepared to back up it with proof. Otherwise it's just fallacy.

 

5) They are consistently "resetting" planets, it's not necessarily a regular thing. I would argue that their highly specific and temperamental hobby does not even go off without a hitch every time, resulting in a sunken continent here, massive earthquakes there, a volcanic super-eruption every now and then, and, maybe once in a harvest moon, a complete stirring of a tectonic system. The effectiveness has more to do with what they are capable of than what they actually pull off, I would think, allowing conventional forces to strike at the enemy's retaliation to the Cremator's so very obvious strategy. (yes, I'm pulling this explanation out of my butt, it's still valid) Is this not the essence of the Art of War? Make thine enemy react to you, do not react to him. World-breaking is so spectacular a move that the foe must always react to the Cremator's deployment (and they can deploy in a number of geomantic configurations, mind), be it swarming their concentrated lines of defence and air/orbital support or make a retreat from a compromised planethead, or risk losing everything by disregarding the threat.

Assuming the enemy wants the planet intact. If they are here just for beating & pillaging, they could care less about Cremators deployment.

 

"It's just crazy enough to work," comes to mind. Despite its strategic dominance, the principle of holding the gun to your daughter's head with full intention of pulling the trigger in order to dissuade the kidnapper from trying to manipulate you is THE riskiest tactic, but it's also so unconventional and asymmetric that they have no choice but to adapt to a completely altered playing field. Do you call the seeming bluff and risk losing your hostage and then perhaps your life or livelihood? Or do you, in the Imperial case as one will lose one's life either way, try to find a way out of a bladed Chinese finger trap?

Hmm, if I do understand it right. The Cremators shoot the daughter first and then shoot the kidnapper, or what?

[Consul of Scorpions]

Yes, shoot the daughter first, that was the whole idea of what makes the tactic so... :)-inducing and thus strategically effective. In the case of my expansion of the idea, they fully intend to shoot the daughter unless the kidnapper is removed from the equation, anything else would be... crazy.

 

Pagans and Cultists: I am using the terms very much correctly, though your point of objection is valid, we are both correct and the wording will not change in this case. Tribe>=Cult

 

Unimportant Thing: Everyone is boss and no one is boss (thus spake the Octaguide); effectively, I was being silly as was stated in spoiler, it was not serious claim of defence.

 

Loopholes: that is why we discuss them, you pose problem with literature, I propose fix, you declare with your opinion whether or not it will work and why not if so (any claims of ultimate victory, as said in regards to unimportant things above, are meant to be comedic rather than serious and are more to lighten my mood and prevent undesirable moments in the history of social telecommunication, so... yeah, you should ignore most things in parentheses unless they pose a problem).

 

I've always been told that if you have less than two companies left, your chapter's almost certainly going to die.

Since a fair few people have said that to me, I'd assume the same could apply here.

Well, you the first that's said as much to me so... *ahem* source? :D

 

Given that Astartes have orbital bombardments, or are fantastically powerful elite ground troops, I'm not sure I can think of more than one situation in which these quake-makers would be useful.

Their introduction dramatically alters the strategic battlefield, I will elucidate upon this in the article, but I want to try and get your understanding first, just in case there's a logical hole in here somewhere.

 

The core concept is that the enemy force must either deal with the WBDs, face fiery death at the hands of distant foes, or retreat: this is dictating the objective.

 

The Astartes in this case would primarily defending their WBDs and may choose the time and place of their deployment: this is dictating the battlefield.

 

As Astartes numbers are few, and an enemy's numbers are usually greater than theirs, they work best in cases where their reduced frontage becomes an advantage, such as when defending the WBDs (and, as noted earlier, will have mobile support elements to deal with targets out of reach of the bastion forces): this is dictating the flow of the battle and fighting to one's strengths and other's weaknesses.

 

Finally, the enemy is in a situation in which they are already fighting another force and have a strategic goal in mind for defeating it. If the Cremators were to acquiesce to allowing that situation to continue, they would have less of an advantage as they would be reacting to the enemy's offensives at times (remember how the article says they had operated in a more normal manner prior to the Conclave of Ashes in which this strategy was instituted? this was not an immediate decision). When world-breaking, the foe must react to the Cremator's strategic goals and, in essence, must take them to be their own, though in an oppositional sense; just like how Tyranids aren't fighting to take and hold ground, they're just fighting in order to procure a meal; it changes the whole course of a war in which they are included and requires drastic tactics to combat.

 

With the bulk of the enemy's energy focused, one would assume, on preventing their prize from being taken from them (keeping in mind each WBD can individually set up localized earthquakes), any other Imperial forces present will have more room to breath and may pick their targets and places of battle more strategically than they were beforehand.

 

So, what is their reaction to fighting without the overkill?

From the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates: There is no 'overkill.' There is only 'open fire' and 'I need to reload.'

 

Additionally, this is the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, there is never such a thing as overkill. And I wouldn't call it overkill, more like... 'Conditional Exterminatus'.

 

Assuming the enemy wants the planet intact. If they are here just for beating & pillaging, they could care less about Cremators deployment.

Aren't you glad they burned in rockslides and continent-sized lakes of magma? :P

[Aqui]

I could understand the Cremators undertaking their "hobby" on planets occupied by enemy forces (Tau, Eldar/Dark Eldar/'Nids/Chaos et al), as the Imperium might turn a blind eye (unless there are things on that Planet of value), but going around burning Planets occupied by the IoM would garner serious attention from the High Lords of Terra. This would result in Excommunication from the Imperium or even an order for other Chapter(s) to destroy them.

 

One way of explaining what they do could be: The Cremators were sent to stop a rebellion on a Planet, but the situation was untenable. The Cremators decided to burn everything, but were admonished by the HLoT. To make amends, they decide to take their Modus Operandi to Planets that are occupied by the enemies of Mankind.

[Consul of Scorpions]

...a good point and an excellent compromise, thank you.

[Ace Debonair]

I've always been told that if you have less than two companies left, your chapter's almost certainly going to die.

Since a fair few people have said that to me, I'd assume the same could apply here.

Well, you the first that's said as much to me so... *ahem* source? ^_^

 

Well, now you're asking the wrong guy. :)

I'm just passing on the info that was passed on to me way back in the day when I tried to have a chapter reduced to a single company. :(

Given that Astartes have orbital bombardments, or are fantastically powerful elite ground troops, I'm not sure I can think of more than one situation in which these quake-makers would be useful.

Their introduction dramatically alters the strategic battlefield, I will elucidate upon this in the article, but I want to try and get your understanding first, just in case there's a logical hole in here somewhere.

 

The core concept is that the enemy force must either deal with the WBDs, face fiery death at the hands of distant foes, or retreat: this is dictating the objective.

 

The Astartes in this case would primarily defending their WBDs and may choose the time and place of their deployment: this is dictating the battlefield.

 

I think I follow.

 

Although, now I'm wondering if the AdMech in general is rightly peeved that the Cremators haven't handed the earthquake-making devices over for study and the like.

I mean, tech like that - the sort that can literally alter entire battlefields - would certainly be a heck of a treasure. :lol:

So, what is their reaction to fighting without the overkill?

From the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates: There is no 'overkill.' There is only 'open fire' and 'I need to reload.'

 

Additionally, this is the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, there is never such a thing as overkill. And I wouldn't call it overkill, more like... 'Conditional Exterminatus'.

Actually, that was in response to you saying you didn't acknowledge how they felt about fighting without the use of those devices.

Because you didn't acknowledge it, I was actually asking how the Cremators view the concept of warfare without the quake-machines. :P

[Captain Juan Juarez]

[Although, now I'm wondering if the AdMech in general is rightly peeved that the Cremators haven't handed the earthquake-making devices over for study and the like.

I mean, tech like that - the sort that can literally alter entire battlefields - would certainly be a heck of a treasure. :)

 

Unless you consider it modified - perhaps pilfered? - terraforming tech? Maybe a little AdMech animosity?

[Consul of Scorpions]

I've always been told that if you have less than two companies left, your chapter's almost certainly going to die.

Since a fair few people have said that to me, I'd assume the same could apply here.

Well, you the first that's said as much to me so... *ahem* source? :D

 

Well, now you're asking the wrong guy. ;)

I'm just passing on the info that was passed on to me way back in the day when I tried to have a chapter reduced to a single company. :P

Yeah, I understand, but I'd like to know why some people think this is the case.

 

Given that Astartes have orbital bombardments, or are fantastically powerful elite ground troops, I'm not sure I can think of more than one situation in which these quake-makers would be useful.

Their introduction dramatically alters the strategic battlefield, I will elucidate upon this in the article, but I want to try and get your understanding first, just in case there's a logical hole in here somewhere.

 

The core concept is that the enemy force must either deal with the WBDs, face fiery death at the hands of distant foes, or retreat: this is dictating the objective.

 

The Astartes in this case would primarily defending their WBDs and may choose the time and place of their deployment: this is dictating the battlefield.

 

I think I follow.

 

Although, now I'm wondering if the AdMech in general is rightly peeved that the Cremators haven't handed the earthquake-making devices over for study and the like.

I mean, tech like that - the sort that can literally alter entire battlefields - would certainly be a heck of a treasure. ;)

The implication is that this Explorator Fleet following them is using the Chapter to gather field test data for the devices. There's a whole separate issue on what other elements of the Priesthood think, but the answer is probably akin to "we want those toys".

 

So, what is their reaction to fighting without the overkill?

From the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates: There is no 'overkill.' There is only 'open fire' and 'I need to reload.'

 

Additionally, this is the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, there is never such a thing as overkill. And I wouldn't call it overkill, more like... 'Conditional Exterminatus'.

Actually, that was in response to you saying you didn't acknowledge how they felt about fighting without the use of those devices.

Because you didn't acknowledge it, I was actually asking how the Cremators view the concept of warfare without the quake-machines. :D

Ah, now that is a much clearer query. Well, for starters, they must not like it all that much since there was a long period of implied normative doctrine while the Chapter was building up its numbers. I guess they would fall back on Codex principles and, in the case of their devices failing, make a fighting retreat.

[Consul of Scorpions]

Edits made, not everything [recently] discussed was covered.

[Consul of Scorpions]

The final draft is up.

 

EDIT: Comments are appreciated, we're still playing ball. (And I'd like to know if this article is worthy of competing for a spot in the Librarium)