First Draft: Knights of Lament

[Totalise]

Long time lurker first time poster. Was inspired to write this after reading some of the excellent ones already on here. Its a chapter i've been considering building for a long time now. Here goes C & C welcome.

 

Index Astartes: Knights of Lament

 

Founding:

 

The Knights of Lament exact founding date is unknown however Imperial Scholars speculate they were created between 989.M41 and 999.M41. The Tyranid threat had been growing significantly in the latter years of the 41st millennium, but the Imperium did not begin to fully register the threat until roughly 989.M41, when splinter fleets of Hive Fleet Leviathan broke through the Ork Empire of Octavius that they had been pushing into. Numerous Adeptus Astartes chapters had been founded nearby in preparation; the Knights of Lament were one of them. They were created from Lamenters gene stock (What little had been stored) and supplemented by Blood Angels, Flesh Tearers and Blood Swords gene stock treated with the same experimental procedure used originally to produce the Lamenters. Numbering 234 Astartes within one year they were ordered to prepare to combat Leviathan.

 

Initial engagements were actually with fleeing remnants of the Ork Empire that attempted to settle on Imperial Worlds nearby including the Knights of Lament homeworld Marn. These opening battles against the Orks were brutal and savage. The Orks having been fighting for so long were far stronger, smarter and tougher than the standard orkoids. The Chapter suffered accordingly being small in size and lacking some of the heavier equipment associated with a fully fledged Astartes chapter. A masterful defence of their fortress monastery however, dug deep into the winding paths of the tallest mountain on the planet, saved the young chapter from certain annihilation. Chapter Master Kiba Miral led the surviving 54 Astartes against hundreds of thousands of Ork warriors. Utilising pre-prepared killing zones, minefields and the natural maze like paths of the mountain to destroy pockets of Orks wherever they were discovered and resist the larger more organised attacks. For over a week the Orks threw themselves into the mountain fortress before it was all ended.

 

Leviathan the destroyer of worlds had arrived. The Orks seeing their most destructive foe, fled (A fact which has astounded Imperial onlookers). Master Miral recognising the threat also chose flight, knowing that to stand and fight would be a pointless waste of the Imperium’s precious resources. Thus the planet Marn was abandoned, but not before the Knights of Lament set their own fortress to explode. The resulting blast took nearly a third of the planet; the remains were scoured bare denying the Tyranids their prize. It was during this period that the Chapter began its re-birth. Utilising the recovered progenoid glands of their fallen battle brothers and supplementary gene stocks from assorted Blood Angel successor chapters they grew beyond their original size within a decade. Re-equipped by the Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World in the Aduna sector and numbering 350 Astartes, they began to prove their worth and bring honour to the name; Lamenters.

 

Kiba Miral continued to the lead his brothers in their quest to stem the advance of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Though taking steady losses with every battle they were able to recruit from worlds as they resisted, or as was more common, fell back keeping a relatively stable number of around 400-450 Astartes. This figure was pushed up by 300 when a fellow Chapter the Blood Dragons were caught by the Leviathan’s multiple splinter fleet advances and all but destroyed. The survivors were folded into the Knights of Lament forming an offshoot of the chapter organisation. They were organised into 2 assault companies for their unmatched battle ferocity and bloodlust. A brief respite from the constant attrition of fighting Leviathan was ordered upon Miral and the Knights of Lament and they were re-deployed to the fortress worlds around the Maelstrom. Battles against the heretics, pirates and traitor Astartes were relatively minor allowing the Knights to again increase in size. Numbering roughly 650 Astartes by 001.M42 they were returned to the Tyranid front to combat Leviathan.

 

The battles proceeded much as they had before with Leviathan making small gains but paying immensely. The Knights of Lament fought fiercely across a number of worlds before receiving the call from Praxis. The Praxis system contained 6 planets, one with a major Hive World and a number of satellites for studying stellar phenomena. A splinter fleet of Leviathan designated ‘Manticore’, arrived in the system and began consuming the outer most planets. The Praxis PDF was mobilised and expanded, and the government called for aid from the Astartes. All 6 Companies of the Knights of Lament deployed to the planet bringing with them almost the entire chapter fleet and most of its ground vehicles. Kiba Miral personally led the defence of Praxis city the largest hive on the planet where a vast network of trenches and defence emplacements had been constructed. The siege of Praxis-Hive lasted a month before an evacuation was ordered. 3 of the other major hives on the planet had fallen to the Tyranids along with the Knights companies that were defending them. In all 304 Astartes, 10.6 million Praxis PDF soldiers and 100’s of millions of civilians had been consumed by the swarm. Miral and the surviving 346 Astartes mourned the loss of their brothers. It is said that many of the battle brothers renewed their laments, adding the names of comrades from the other companies. 4th Company launched a counter attack but were beaten back swiftly by the Tyranid swarm with severe losses. The defence crumbling, Miral ordered the evacuation of as many civilians and PDF troops as possible within 24 hours. In that time he vowed that his remaining brethren would hold.

 

In all just 30 million were evacuated before the Knights defences collapsed at the bottom of the 22nd hour. Many of the mass conveyors that were processing the evacuation were destroyed upon landing or taking off. Barely 200 Knights escaped the ensuing carnage. The Knights of Lament were again ordered back to the Maelstrom fortress worlds having suffered almost irrecoverable losses. 1 Battle barge, 3 Strike Cruisers and 10 escorts had been lost prosecuting the evacuation from Praxis and none of the 400+ Astartes’ casualties had had their gene seed recovered. To this day the Knights have yet to recover and have essentially been limited to second line duty around the maelstrom policing the border regions and protecting Imperial Convoys heading to the Tyranid front.

 

Homeworld/Homeship:

 

The Knights of Lament homeworld was originally the planet Marn near the Adeptus Mechanicus forge world Gryphonne IV. The planet was essentially an ash waste after a super-volcano destroyed the climate millions of years back in the planet’s history. A hardy population of humans eked out an existence, building small settlements either underground or in the mountains. The ash is poisonous if breathed in or consumed so the populace wears multiple layers of clothing and occasionally breathing masks though these are rare.

 

Not many records exist for Marn, it was a fairly backwater planet and had been unremarkable since its discovery. The Adeptus Biologis and Mechanicus did study the remains of the super-volcano, now the largest mountain on the planet and nicknamed the ‘Wailing Heights’, but found it to be of no particular interest. The human population was split into many tribes or factions that competed fiercely for resources. Among the tribes there was a distinct divide between those with greater access to natural resources (usually the mountain dwellers) and those with few (Surface and Underground dwellers). The mountain tribes employed figures known as Knights, armoured in a very primitive form of powered armour and carrying high tensile blades to secure resources or wage wars. Other tribes usually wore patches of armour covering layers of clothing and carrying similar bladed weaponry and whatever else they could fashion. Fighting was usually one sided with the mountain dwellers better equipped against the others. However, throughout the planets history it has been known for Surface tribes to conquer a mountain tribe, usually moving into their conquered land. One of the most successful tribes on the planet made its home on the ‘Wailing Heights’. When the Imperium founded the Knights of Lament, the tribe resisted the building of the Astartes fortress monastery and were wiped out. The chapter took the name ‘Knights’ in memory of the heroic tribe even though their actions were against the decree of the Emperor.

 

The Knights of Lament built their fortress monastery on top of the extinct super-volcano and created geo-thermal vents into it as power sources supplementing a number of plasma reactors. The fortress though comparatively small compared to the grand effigies that chapters such as the Ultramarines could build was large enough to support several companies for years with vast stocks of ammunition and a highly capable forge-armoury. During the Ork invasion the Monastery was the last line of defence for the Knights who held the vast numbers of the Ork horde at bay for weeks. Armoury records now kept aboard the Battle Barge Fury of the Lamenters indicated that the ammunition stocks would run out within a month at the rate the Knights consumed it. This added to the problems facing Chapter Master Kiba Miral when Hive Fleet Leviathan arrived, and his subsequent decision to evacuate.

 

Mounting up in the chapters only Thunderhawke gun ships, all of which were housed in hangars nearby or on landing pads the survivors retreated into orbit. They brought with them the entire Chapter Librarium, as much of their armour and weapons as could be carried and all of their medicae equipment. Unfortunately, many of the Chapter relics had to be left behind in the halls of prayer including the most prized relic; the helmet that belonged to Primarch Sanguinius, donated to them by the Lamenters who in turn had been gifted it by the Blood Angels. Master Miral’s lament now cites his mourning for the loss of the relic as well as his failing to protect his brethren. Not wanting the planet to be consumed by the Tyranids let alone the monastery and its relics, Miral ordered the Monastery plasma reactors overloaded and that melta bombs be placed on the machinery above the geo-thermal vents.

 

As the Chapter escaped aboard its small fleet the Astartes witnessed the destruction of the mountain from orbit. The fortress monastery was detonated violently as the reactors exploded and the geo-thermal machinery collapsed into the shafts. The violence of the explosion kick started reactions within the planets core that re-ignited the extinct super-volcano. A third of the planet was destroyed with the remains consumed by fire along with the Tyranid presence.

 

The new Monastery was founded aboard the Fury of the Lamenters and the Knights became a fleet based chapter. Because of their loss, the Blood Angels donated a venerated Battle Barge Sanguine Blade and the Adeptus Mechanicus donated 3 Strike Cruisers. Although far from being a powerful fleet, the Knights are more than a match for any well armed opponent. During the subsequent campaigns against the Tyranids, a fellow chapter, the Blood Dragons were almost wiped out during a particularly violent series of attacks. The survivors were incorporated into the Knights of Lament along with their fleet elements. This added a further 2 strike cruisers and a number of escorts. The last recorded roster was as follows:

2 Battle Barges – Fury of the Lamenters & Sanguine Blade

5 Strike Cruisers – Vengeful, Faith Eternal, Endurance, Miral’s Storm, Bane of Tyranicus

4 Frigates – Nova: Astute, Litany of Strength & Gladius: Gladius, Invictus Imperator

15 Hunter Destroyers

 

Organisation:

 

After their near destruction at the hands of Hive Fleet Leviathan, the Knights of Lament number just 196 marines. However, they have already embarked on an expansion project and the last reported position of the Chapter indicated it was moving between the fortress worlds surrounding the maelstrom, recruiting.

 

Being so low in number, the chapter is organised into 3 Companies. 1 Full Veteran company, though the survivors could all be considered veterans amongst other chapters, and 2 Companies at roughly half strength one of which is made up of members from the Blood Dragons. The Dragons form a specialist company dedicated to close combat and ship to ship boarding actions. They typically suffer the heaviest losses during many engagements particularly against the Tyranids. The Veteran Company contains solely tactical squads as per Knights of Lament doctrine. The Second Company contains most of the Devastator units.

 

There are a total of 3 Librarians and 3 Chaplains to administer to the companies and they can often be found leading particular squads during battle. The remaining Chaplains play an integral part in the Chapter now leading the prayers of mourning written by fellow battle brothers and the unique spiritual needs of the Blood Dragons. 1 Chaplain always represents the Dragons as a Blood Priest (not to be confused with Blood Angels apothecaries). The Blood Priest leads the Dragons in combat and attempts to make sure that the flaws of their gene seed, namely the Black rage and Red Thirst, never take hold. If it does they are responsible for caring and attending to their brother and eventually granting the Emperor’s Mercy. Librarians play a much more active role in the Chapter than their compatriots in others. With so few relics surviving the evacuation of Marn and a relatively small Librarium the typical functions of a Librarian are much reduced. Instead they help initiates write their laments upon joining the chapter and record them in the archives.

 

The Knights have only 2 Techmarines to tend to the fleet, but this is made easier by the fact that the Chapter possesses no vehicles (including Dreadnoughts) and they have a vast staff of Servitors brought over from the Blood Dragons. The Techmarines rarely take to the field of battle anymore unless the objective includes the use of particular technologies or the Chapter is taking to the field with Adeptus Mechanicus support.

 

Apothecaries are likewise rare with only 2 tending to the Chapter. Both are in a perpetual state of mourning, believing they failed the Chapter when they had to leave behind the bodies of 400 brothers on Praxis. In battle they are ruthlessly violent towards Tyranids and Orks, to the point where they will ignore fallen battle brothers rather than tending to their gene seed. The Apothecaries are revered by the Chapter, being the only ones capable of bringing their salvation.

 

Doctrine:

 

The battle doctrine of the Knights is basic but highly effective. They focus primarily around the use of combined bolter fire supplemented by Devastators, preferring to destroy their enemies at range rather than risk the bloody mess of an assault. Tactical squads form firing lines and then advance towards the enemy pouring a near constant wave of bolter fire across their positions. Occasionally, support from the orbiting fleet will be given to disrupt enemy battle lines even further.

 

Once within 100m of their foe, the Knights lines will break and the Blood Dragons units begin a vicious assault. The Knights tactical squads provide covering fire, again supplemented by the Devastators. At this point it is expected that the enemy will be broken and confused by the assault and only now will the Knights commit themselves to close combat overwhelming the foe. The Blood Dragons will continue the pursuit until the enemy is utterly destroyed or they are called back.

 

Obviously the use of this strategy is dependent on the battle field terrain, but the principles of mass firepower followed by a surprise assault of always the staple of any Knights of Lament attack.

 

On the defence it is said that the Knights rival the Imperial Fists in terms of their ability to react to an attackers (or besiegers) efforts and blunt them. Again the focus is massed firepower with the Blood Dragons assault troops held in reserve to counter-attack breaches in the Knights’ defence lines. Prepared defence positions are also the hall mark of Knights of Lament strategy. During the defence of the Praxis hive city, the Knights helped dig a vast system of trenches around the city and set-up killing zones laced with mines and other explosives and covered by auto-turrets. The defence lasted a month before it was broken.

 

Ship to ship boarding actions are more often than not carried out by the Blood Dragons assault troops who favour the close range encounters. Standard Knights tactical squads will follow in to mop up resistance and help to penetrate key areas such as a starship bridge or engine room. According to Chapter records 16 ships including a traitor Astartes strike cruiser of the Death Shadows have been forcibly taken.

 

Beliefs and Practices:

 

The first and most important practice of the Knights of Lament is the writing of a lament. Newly inducted initiates are required to write a lament (poem, song or a few sentences of mourning) about the parent chapter the Lamenters which they learn about during training. They can also write about losses during their time in the scout company. As a battle-brother progresses through battles, campaigns and ranks he adds to his lament. Chapter Master Kiba Miral’s is the longest in the Chapter and doesn’t fit wholly onto his power armour. Instead he has quotes from it printed on purity seals and parchments. Other battle brothers wear their laments similarly on purity seals and occasionally on parchments if they are long enough.

Upon the death of an Astartes his lament is added to the ‘Book of Mourning’ and occasionally read out during prayer sessions or in battle rites. The loss of a brother’s lament after his death is considered an affront and grievous loss to the Chapter, much the same as Gene seed. Further, the capture of the laments is said to enrage the Astartes, although only one incidence of this ahs occurred. [During one of the many patrols the chapter undertook around the Maelstrom, Traitor Astartes of the Red Corsairs captured a Hunter Destroyer bringing a squad of Knights back to the main fleet. Everyone onboard was slaughtered and the frigate was turned back towards the Maelstrom itself. A Strike Cruiser bearing the 2nd company intercepted them. Upon discovering that their brother’s laments had been taken from their armour and desecrated by the renegades, the assault troops were enraged and massacred the traitors leaving one survivor. He was dragged before Chapter Master Miral who had the renegade tortured. Rumour has it the traitor is still imprisoned in the bowels of the Fury of the Lamenters.] Prior to and after every battle the Chapter reads various laments from serving battle-brothers or those recorded in the Book of Mourning. These laments are often the company commander’s or lead sergeant’s writing depending on the mission.

 

The few Blood Dragons left in the Chapter do not observe the practice of writing Laments but gladly listen to them during prayer. They do however undertake in the ritual consumption of their enemies blood a tradition passed down to them by the Blood Angels. This is usually carried out in the presence of a Blood Priest who makes sure proceedings do not get out of hand and ‘spoil’ the chapters image or incur the wrath of the Inquisition.

 

The Knights of Lament are typical of any other Astartes in their devotion to the Emperor as a powerful man rather than a God. Though they have been known to fight fiercely at Temple sites devoted to the God-Emperor (Praxis). Unlike other space marines however, they do have a healthy respect for the common man and have shared their laments and prayers with squads of Imperial Guard on numerous occasions. Squads used to make ‘pilgrimages’ to the many tribes of Marn, particularly squads stationed at the Monastery as well as Neophyte teams who even trained in hand to hand fighting against some of the more war like tribes.

[NightrawenII]

1st, welcome among our ranks, young scribe. On this wonderful site, there is one place, the place where even the sage-brothers of Administrator and Moderati team treads softly. In this darksome forum lurks an malevolent and predacious entities, craving for the souls of these innocent, who walks here unsuspecting anything evil.

 

Guess what... Yeah, you are in this forum. THE LIBER ASTARTES. And be warned unwary traveler. In the grim and dark depths of the Liber, there is just slaughter of the Stupid Ideas and laughter of the Bloodthirsty Liberites.

 

2nd, We have here the Guide to DYIng and the Octaguide 2.0. Edit: We have SM Painter here.

 

Now, onto feasting on this poor and innocent soul... I mean C&C. :D

 

Founding

The Knights of Lament exact founding date is unknown however Imperial Scholars speculate they were created between 989.M41 and 999.M41.

- No.

The 26th, the last Founding of the Astartes Chapters was in the 738.M41.

And the Imperial Scholars forgot, what happened in the last decade?

 

The Tyranid threat had been growing significantly in the latter years of the 41st millennium, but the Imperium did not begin to fully register the threat until roughly 989.M41, when splinter fleets of Hive Fleet Leviathan broke through the Ork Empire of Octavius that they had been pushing into. Numerous Adeptus Astartes chapters had been founded nearby in preparation; the Knights of Lament were one of them. They were created from Lamenters gene stock (What little had been stored) and supplemented by Blood Angels, Flesh Tearers and Blood Swords gene stock treated with the same experimental procedure used originally to produce the Lamenters. Numbering 234 Astartes within one year they were ordered to prepare to combat Leviathan.

- Oh, the biggest Hive-fleet of Tyranids so far was not fully registered as the threat until recently?

- The BA gene-seed is unstable and corrupted. And Lamenters are not exactly success at all.

- It takes 55 years to grown enough gene-seed to create the Chapter only.

 

Chapter Master Kiba Miral led the surviving 54 Astartes against hundreds of thousands of Ork warriors. Utilising pre-prepared killing zones, minefields and the natural maze like paths of the mountain to destroy pockets of Orks wherever they were discovered and resist the larger more organised attacks. For over a week the Orks threw themselves into the mountain fortress before it was all ended.

- You can beat the numbers with superior tactic or equipment. However, there is limit to that. Quantity is a quality on its own, so to speak.

 

The Orks seeing their most destructive foe, fled.

- Wait. The Orks, the ORKS fled from fighting?!?! ;)

 

This figure was pushed up by 300 when a fellow Chapter the Blood Dragons were caught by the Leviathan’s multiple splinter fleet advances and all but destroyed. The survivors were folded into the Knights of Lament forming an offshoot of the chapter organisation.

- Chapters do not merge. They are not the Imperial Guard regiments.

 

Homeworld/Homeship

Not wanting the planet to be consumed by the Tyranids let alone the monastery and its relics, Miral ordered the Monastery plasma reactors overloaded and that melta bombs be placed on the machinery above the geo-thermal vents.

- So, they had enough time to set up the charges, yet not enough to save the prized relic?

 

Organisation

Apothecaries are likewise rare with only 2 tending to the Chapter.

- Nonsense. There is so much jobs requiring the Apothecary, having just two is unfeasible.

- 2nd, your Chapter is suffering losses beyond belief. Under *normal* conditions will be your Chapter considered destroyed, several times.

 

Beliefs

The loss of a brother’s lament after his death is considered an affront and grievous loss to the Chapter, much the same as Gene seed.

- Why are they so obsessed with these laments?

 

+++

Overall, very few good ideas, a lot of bad ideas and inconsistency.

[Totalise]

Thanks for the feedback, still a WIP so plenty of things to change like dates pretty sure i got the wrong arrival time for Leviathan. I tried some new ideas regarding Space Marines evidently some didn't work, but some did.

 

Will probably have a new draft with changes and additions by the weekend.