The Astral Swords V.2.0

[.Torch.]

I completely re-wrote the chapter. I just wasn't really feeling the whole thing with the Orks, and there were lots of plot holes in the story as well. This ones a bit better :lol:

 

Origins

The Astral Swords were founded as part of the twenty-sixth founding in 738.M41. It was during this time that the high lords of Terra commissioned two more chapters to guard the planets closest to the maelstrom. The Astral Swords were guided during their infancy by Captain Davro Orpheus of the Ultramarines, who would later become their first chapter master. The Astral Swords formed their base on the planet of Astros, and were the closer of the two chapters to the maelstrom. The other chapter known as the Sons of Iron took up residency on the planet of Helios. The single moon that orbited Astros proved a perfect building ground for greater planetary defences. Astros once held a sizeable fortress on its only orbiting moon, and the Astral Swords rebuilt and refurbished it to the highest standards. Christened ‘Luna’, the fortress was seconded only by the great monastery that once stood atop the northern pole of Astros. Below on the surface of Astros the planet’s surface that once almost buckled under the pressure of chaos began to heal. The citizens were organised into vast legions of imperial troops to help boost the battle line. The skies of Astros turned black, and the ever growing spires of the mechanicum began to break the sky itself.

During the early years, both chapters relied heavily on each other’s support. Both chapters have histories littered with heroic raids and daring rescues in support of each other. It was over these decades that the newly appointed Chapter Master Orpheus formed a close friendship with Master Gabriel Xavier of the Sons of Iron. The two chapter masters formed a bond which became legendary in the defence of the Imperium. Master Xavier, previously of the Iron hands was strong and unwavering, whilst Orpheus was courageous and noble, and it was not uncommon for both to lead joint assaults on chaos war bands.

History

Despite the vast difference in background of both Chapter masters, their loyalty to their cause allowed them to form an alliance which often saw marines from both chapters exchanging war gear and experience. It was when Captain Luther of the Astral Swords first company was given the honour of guarding Luna on Astros’s moon that chaos began to whisper. Luther felt betrayed, as though he was being contained in the walls of Luna. The final straw for the Captain came when Master Orpheus announced that Captain Tiberius Orad of the third company would lead the chapters secondary forces behind Master Orpheus in a joint campaign against the nearby chaos planet of Ochre Prime with the Sons of Iron. Chapter Master Orpheus saw that should the campaign fail, he would have the unwavering courage of Luther to defend Astros.

It was while Master Orpheus visited Helios to discuss the campaign with Master Xavier that the forces of chaos began to whisper to Luther. He began by sending messages to the generals of Astros’s ground forces. Although it is rare for a Space Marine to fall to the clutches of chaos, these men were not Astarte’s and were easily persuaded by false promises of wealth and fame. There was a flaw in the plans of Luther however; the fifth company had been left by Master Orpheus to guard the chapter’s fortress monastery. Slyly though, Luther had dragged the first three companies of the Sons of Iron into his scheming. The Captains of these companies were also sick of being left on defensive duties and Luther had ordered them to assassinate Master Orpheus and Master Xavier during the meetings on Helios.

Meanwhile and messenger was sent to the fifth company to preach Luther’s word. Needless to say, the messenger was sent back to Luther with his head between his legs; still attached of course. And so it was that Luther ordered the generals of Astros to advance their armies of guardsmen on the walls of the chapter’s fortress monastery.

It was at this time that the planned meeting of the chapter masters took place on Helios. As the two masters sat across a magnificent golden table, they began to open the discussions for the forthcoming campaign. It was all of a sudden that Galiyus, chapter champion of the Sons of Iron drew his blade, swiftly severing his chapter master’s head from his body, his master look of shock set in stone across his severed head. On this action the remaining three members of the honour guard leapt across the giant table and drawing all weapons on Orpheus. It was a lucky moment for the chapter, as Orpheus had appointed Captain Orad to lead his honour guard, and Orad did not fail him. Leaping to his Masters defence Orad slew the first to reach him. The rest of the Astral Swords surrounded Master Orpheus, but he instead rushed passed them, intending to avenge Master Xavier.

Back on Astros the fifth company held firm within the walls of their fortress monastery, killing thousands of guardsmen as they approached the walls and spitting death from the monasteries great towers. Although many of the Astral Swords companies had already begun to encircle the chaos planets in the Ochre system, the fifth company was able to alert the fourth company, who were stationed in outer orbit of Astros, to the heresy below. The fourth company was led by Chaplain Ulixuis, a harsh leader and devoted worshipper of the Emperor. Ulixuis entrusted his company to deliver the message to Master Orpheus, and led a small force of veteran assault troops to the surface of Astros in drop pods.

Landing in one of the worst battles of the heresy, Ulixuis’s mere two drop pods smashed in to the enemy forces below. As the guardsmen reached the gates of the monastery on a bridge of their own dead, Ulixuis appeared shouting glorious battle charges. Together with his veterans, Ulixuis cleared the area surrounding the gate. Those who were foolish enough to challenge the fearsome chaplain died quickly, and it was a mere twenty minutes before the forces of guardsmen fled the field. Blooded and angered, Ulixuis seized control of the fortress on Astros and began laying plans for a deadly counter attack.

As the situation on Astros worsened, Helios’s surfaces burned. The traitors and loyalists now clearly defined, a full conflict had opened upon Helios. In the great monastery of the Sons of Iron, the first, second and third companies of the Sons of Iron lay siege to the loyalists in the inner sanctum. The inner sanctum was built as a shrine to the Emperor, and was not designed for a prolonged defence. It is not known what happened to the Sons of Iron honour guard within the walls of the sanctum, although in the history of the Astral Swords it is listed that Galiyus was slain by Master Orpheus, some initiates whisper that he broke the champion’s neck with his bare hands. The situation now had all gone to chaos, after being betrayed inside the monastery the remnants of the Astral Swords and the Sons of Iron had gathered in the inner sanctum for a final stand. Distress signals were sent to the Ochre system, but it would take weeks for the reinforcements to arrive.

It was only when the Astral Swords fourth company entered the lower orbit of Helios that Master Orpheus was able to lead a devastating counter attack on the heretics. With the help his trusted captain, Orad, the Astral Swords sent the traitors from the Sons of Iron retreating in to the maelstrom. When the message was delivered that Luther had betrayed him, Orpheus prayed to the Emperor for forgiveness, as he knew he would have to slay yet more of his brothers.

Back on Astros the fifth company led by Chaplain Ulixuis and his veterans had claimed the skulls of the traitorous generals in the name of the Emperor. The traitor Luther knew that he could not quell a space marine company so easy, he had sent the traitorous and foolish guardsmen merely as a sacrifice. As he opened communications with Ulixuis on the surface of Astros below, he spat out vile words of heresy and mocked the space marines below for their part in the sacrifice of the guardsmen. Enraged Ulixuis challenged Luther to finish the job, and Luther accepted. Luther’s pride got the better of himself in those harsh exchanges and he ordered the first company to descend to the surface of Astros and assail the fortress of Astros.

As the morning dawn on Astros one hundred marines clad in tactical dreadnought armour descended on Astros. Although they were guardsmen, the forces of Astros numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and quelling their rebellion had taken its toll on the fifth company and Ulixuis. With false promises of daemon hood, Luther led reckless but effective charges on the Astral Swords main base. Renaming themselves the Children of Luther, the chaos terminators fought expertly inside the monastery. It was inside the shrine of the Aquila that Luther committed his most vile acts, warps portals were opened and daemons spilled forth into the hallowed halls.

When Master Orpheus landed on Astros, he found it twisted and changed. Storming the monastery Orpheus and Orad led the equivalent of five space marine companies comprised of battle brothers from both the Astral Swords and the Sons of Iron. When Orpheus met with Luther in the hallowed library of the chapter he did not recognise his favoured captain. Luther had over run and destroyed the fifth company who had held their last stand inside the library. The broken form of Ulixuis lay slaughtered across a mound charred scriptures, surrounded by the elite of the forth company. Master Orpheus knew that trying to reason with his fallen captain was out of the question, Luther’s form was twisted and warped already his power armour had turned to a rotting green. When Luther challenged his master he had gained far greater powers than the Astartes had comprehended. The chaos lord summoned forth a horde of lesser demons, the demons swarmed around Master Orpheus’s honour guard. Luther then lured the chapter master in to the inner sanctum, where he imprisoned the master with himself. The two titans clashed for twenty four hours inside the inner sanctum and it is not known who was victorious within those dark chambers. The only records of the heresy that remain are the accounts of what happened precisely two days later.

It is recorded that two days after the assault on the Astral Swords monastery all of the battle brothers withdrew from Astros completely. It is written that Captain Orad ordered the surface of Astros to be ravaged by the orbital cannons of the Astral Swords fleet. Due to the vast casualties taken by both chapters in the fighting it was decided that the remaining Sons of Iron would be merged into the Astral Swords battle companies. The fate of both Master Orpheus and Captain Luther is largely unknown as Captain Orad did not assume the role of Chapter master. The general running of the chapter is also held in shadow, with most affairs being controlled by the Council of the Blades.

 

Organisation

After the heresy of Captain Luther the Astral Swords undertook a great re-organisation of their chapter. Although they deviated hugely from the guidelines set in Guilliman’s tome, the Astral Swords believed it was necessary to prevent further corruption. Under the direction of the Council of Blades, the chapter was reorganised into five companies.

The first company is known as ‘The Great Company’, and numbers well over four hundred battle brothers and is led by the Council of the Blades itself. It is rare indeed for the full company to be fielded as one force, and it will often be a smaller section of the company led by a representative from the council that graces the field of battle.

The Second company is a standard space marine battle company, and it too is led by a member of the Council of the Blades. After being blessed with full battle armour and promoted from the scout company a battle brother must further prove his loyalty to his chapter by spending a undetermined amount of time in the second company. This company is led by one of the most senior members of the Council of the Blades and it often takes the most daring and suicidal missions alongside the third company. It is the councils vision that only through these challenging task can a space marine truly prove his loyalty and gain promotion to ‘The Great Company’.

The third company is designated as the chapter’s assault company. It is where the scouts are pushed through their training and tested mentally and physically for the taint of chaos. This company numbers around two hundred marines from scouts to fully fledged battle brothers. If a battle brother is suspected of taint or misdeed he will be banished to the third. Here he will be equipped as an assault marine and be forced to relive the horrific scout training once more, deep striking into only the harshest battle conditions. The sergeants of such squads are often blood thirsty warriors who balance on the edge of sanity.

Those battle brothers who were formally of the Sons of Iron reformed the fourth and fifth companies, because of their war gear reliant background these two companies have become the heavily mechanised companies of the Astral Swords. The fourth and the fifth now boast a huge array of biker squadrons, land speeders and devastator marines, due to this they have siege specialists who are seconded only by the strong willed brothers of the Imperial fists. A marine can only join one of these companies at the discretion of the council, for to wield such power the council must have a deep trust within the battle brother in question.

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

Sorry, I must have missed this while looking through the Liber. Now onto the torment...erm... Criticism.

 

Origins

Christened ‘Luna’, the fortress was seconded only by the great monastery that once stood atop the northern pole of Astros.

 

Luna was the name of the massive military base on the Moon in Segmentum Solar. And do I see not one, but two fortress-monasteries. They probably wouldn't be able to garrison a massive monastery, a huge defense base, and still go out and purge the unclean. I might just make the moon their fortress-monastery.

 

Below on the surface of Astros the planet’s surface that once almost buckled under the pressure of chaos began to heal. The citizens were organised into vast legions of imperial troops to help boost the battle line. The skies of Astros turned black, and the ever growing spires of the mechanicum began to break the sky itself.

 

This needs to be explained more clearly.

 

History

It was when Captain Luther of the Astral Swords first company was given the honour of guarding Luna on Astros’s moon that chaos began to whisper. Luther felt betrayed, as though he was being contained in the walls of Luna. The final straw for the Captain came when Master Orpheus announced that Captain Tiberius Orad of the third company would lead the chapters secondary forces behind Master Orpheus in a joint campaign against the nearby chaos planet of Ochre Prime with the Sons of Iron. Chapter Master Orpheus saw that should the campaign fail, he would have the unwavering courage of Luther to defend Astros.

 

I sense a common plot usage approaching...

 

The Captains of these companies were also sick of being left on defensive duties and Luther had ordered them to assassinate Master Orpheus and Master Xavier during the meetings on Helios.

Meanwhile and messenger was sent to the fifth company to preach Luther’s word. Needless to say, the messenger was sent back to Luther with his head between his legs; still attached of course. And so it was that Luther ordered the generals of Astros to advance their armies of guardsmen on the walls of the chapter’s fortress monastery.

It was at this time that the planned meeting of the chapter masters took place on Helios. As the two masters sat across a magnificent golden table, they began to open the discussions for the forthcoming campaign. It was all of a sudden that Galiyus, chapter champion of the Sons of Iron drew his blade, swiftly severing his chapter master’s head from his body, his master look of shock set in stone across his severed head. On this action the remaining three members of the honour guard leapt across the giant table and drawing all weapons on Orpheus. It was a lucky moment for the chapter, as Orpheus had appointed Captain Orad to lead his honour guard, and Orad did not fail him. Leaping to his Masters defence Orad slew the first to reach him. The rest of the Astral Swords surrounded Master Orpheus, but he instead rushed passed them, intending to avenge Master Xavier.

Back on Astros the fifth company held firm within the walls of their fortress monastery, killing thousands of guardsmen as they approached the walls and spitting death from the monasteries great towers. Although many of the Astral Swords companies had already begun to encircle the chaos planets in the Ochre system, the fifth company was able to alert the fourth company, who were stationed in outer orbit of Astros, to the heresy below. The fourth company was led by Chaplain Ulixuis, a harsh leader and devoted worshipper of the Emperor. Ulixuis entrusted his company to deliver the message to Master Orpheus, and led a small force of veteran assault troops to the surface of Astros in drop pods.

Landing in one of the worst battles of the heresy, Ulixuis’s mere two drop pods smashed in to the enemy forces below. As the guardsmen reached the gates of the monastery on a bridge of their own dead, Ulixuis appeared shouting glorious battle charges. Together with his veterans, Ulixuis cleared the area surrounding the gate. Those who were foolish enough to challenge the fearsome chaplain died quickly, and it was a mere twenty minutes before the forces of guardsmen fled the field. Blooded and angered, Ulixuis seized control of the fortress on Astros and began laying plans for a deadly counter attack.

As the situation on Astros worsened, Helios’s surfaces burned. The traitors and loyalists now clearly defined, a full conflict had opened upon Helios. In the great monastery of the Sons of Iron, the first, second and third companies of the Sons of Iron lay siege to the loyalists in the inner sanctum. The inner sanctum was built as a shrine to the Emperor, and was not designed for a prolonged defence. It is not known what happened to the Sons of Iron honour guard within the walls of the sanctum, although in the history of the Astral Swords it is listed that Galiyus was slain by Master Orpheus, some initiates whisper that he broke the champion’s neck with his bare hands. The situation now had all gone to chaos, after being betrayed inside the monastery the remnants of the Astral Swords and the Sons of Iron had gathered in the inner sanctum for a final stand. Distress signals were sent to the Ochre system, but it would take weeks for the reinforcements to arrive.

It was only when the Astral Swords fourth company entered the lower orbit of Helios that Master Orpheus was able to lead a devastating counter attack on the heretics. With the help his trusted captain, Orad, the Astral Swords sent the traitors from the Sons of Iron retreating in to the maelstrom. When the message was delivered that Luther had betrayed him, Orpheus prayed to the Emperor for forgiveness, as he knew he would have to slay yet more of his brothers.

Back on Astros the fifth company led by Chaplain Ulixuis and his veterans had claimed the skulls of the traitorous generals in the name of the Emperor. The traitor Luther knew that he could not quell a space marine company so easy, he had sent the traitorous and foolish guardsmen merely as a sacrifice. As he opened communications with Ulixuis on the surface of Astros below, he spat out vile words of heresy and mocked the space marines below for their part in the sacrifice of the guardsmen. Enraged Ulixuis challenged Luther to finish the job, and Luther accepted. Luther’s pride got the better of himself in those harsh exchanges and he ordered the first company to descend to the surface of Astros and assail the fortress of Astros.

As the morning dawn on Astros one hundred marines clad in tactical dreadnought armour descended on Astros. Although they were guardsmen, the forces of Astros numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and quelling their rebellion had taken its toll on the fifth company and Ulixuis. With false promises of daemon hood, Luther led reckless but effective charges on the Astral Swords main base. Renaming themselves the Children of Luther, the chaos terminators fought expertly inside the monastery. It was inside the shrine of the Aquila that Luther committed his most vile acts, warps portals were opened and daemons spilled forth into the hallowed halls.

When Master Orpheus landed on Astros, he found it twisted and changed. Storming the monastery Orpheus and Orad led the equivalent of five space marine companies comprised of battle brothers from both the Astral Swords and the Sons of Iron. When Orpheus met with Luther in the hallowed library of the chapter he did not recognise his favoured captain. Luther had over run and destroyed the fifth company who had held their last stand inside the library. The broken form of Ulixuis lay slaughtered across a mound charred scriptures, surrounded by the elite of the forth company. Master Orpheus knew that trying to reason with his fallen captain was out of the question, Luther’s form was twisted and warped already his power armour had turned to a rotting green. When Luther challenged his master he had gained far greater powers than the Astartes had comprehended. The chaos lord summoned forth a horde of lesser demons, the demons swarmed around Master Orpheus’s honour guard. Luther then lured the chapter master in to the inner sanctum, where he imprisoned the master with himself. The two titans clashed for twenty four hours inside the inner sanctum and it is not known who was victorious within those dark chambers. The only records of the heresy that remain are the accounts of what happened precisely two days later.

It is recorded that two days after the assault on the Astral Swords monastery all of the battle brothers withdrew from Astros completely. It is written that Captain Orad ordered the surface of Astros to be ravaged by the orbital cannons of the Astral Swords fleet. Due to the vast casualties taken by both chapters in the fighting it was decided that the remaining Sons of Iron would be merged into the Astral Swords battle companies. The fate of both Master Orpheus and Captain Luther is largely unknown as Captain Orad did not assume the role of Chapter master. The general running of the chapter is also held in shadow, with most affairs being controlled by the Council of the Blades.

 

Yes, I was right. I don't recommend the massive marine chaos conversion. Most chapters would not have a hundred suits of terminator armor. Marine chapters don't merge. They aren't guard. And, if you do this, Luther is not exactly the best name to pick. Both marine's renegade things are too similar.

 

Organisation

After the heresy of Captain Luther the Astral Swords undertook a great re-organisation of their chapter. Although they deviated hugely from the guidelines set in Guilliman’s tome, the Astral Swords believed it was necessary to prevent further corruption. Under the direction of the Council of Blades, the chapter was reorganised into five companies.

 

Same as above. This is very commonly used in conjunction with the massive devastation thing.

 

The first company is known as ‘The Great Company’, and numbers well over four hundred battle brothers and is led by the Council of the Blades itself. It is rare indeed for the full company to be fielded as one force, and it will often be a smaller section of the company led by a representative from the council that graces the field of battle.

The Second company is a standard space marine battle company, and it too is led by a member of the Council of the Blades. After being blessed with full battle armour and promoted from the scout company a battle brother must further prove his loyalty to his chapter by spending a undetermined amount of time in the second company. This company is led by one of the most senior members of the Council of the Blades and it often takes the most daring and suicidal missions alongside the third company. It is the councils vision that only through these challenging task can a space marine truly prove his loyalty and gain promotion to ‘The Great Company’.

The third company is designated as the chapter’s assault company. It is where the scouts are pushed through their training and tested mentally and physically for the taint of chaos. This company numbers around two hundred marines from scouts to fully fledged battle brothers. If a battle brother is suspected of taint or misdeed he will be banished to the third. Here he will be equipped as an assault marine and be forced to relive the horrific scout training once more, deep striking into only the harshest battle conditions. The sergeants of such squads are often blood thirsty warriors who balance on the edge of sanity.

Those battle brothers who were formally of the Sons of Iron reformed the fourth and fifth companies, because of their war gear reliant background these two companies have become the heavily mechanised companies of the Astral Swords. The fourth and the fifth now boast a huge array of biker squadrons, land speeders and devastator marines, due to this they have siege specialists who are seconded only by the strong willed brothers of the Imperial fists. A marine can only join one of these companies at the discretion of the council, for to wield such power the council must have a deep trust within the battle brother in question.

 

I don't quite understand the organization.

 

 

Don't focus so much on the one battle. Tell us more about the chapter's personality: who they are, what their views are, etc. Has someone recommended the Guide to DIYing and Octavulg's Octaguide 2.0.

[NightrawenII]

Hmmm, what Chapter Master Ignis Domus said.

 

You are focusing on the single battle with obvious rip-off's of names and plot.

+

You are using cliche* to explain your Chapter un-orthodox doctrines and organisation.

 

I don't quite understand, why are you drawing the Sons of Iron into this. This is the Index Astartes of Astral Swords, so the story should focus on them.

 

 

 

 

* Chapter-mauled-early-in-the-history, which later follows with That's-why-we-don't-do-things-by-the-book Chapter is over(ab)used here in the Liber.

[Shinzaren]

A guy named Luther gets left behind to man the fort, and turns to Chaos? Where could I have possibly heard that before? Of course, he converts half the chapter and holds the Fortress hostage. Boy... that does sound familiar...

 

And you have guys named Orad (Orar in hiding?) and Orpheus?

 

Even if the names are pure coincidence, a suggest a change, as they conjure up to many other people and events. Luther for sure, if nothing else.