IA: Claws of Forca

[Saerivic]

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The Claws of Forca

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Tactical Marine of the Claws of Forca

At the start of the 25th Founding, the High Lords of Terra tasked the Mortifactors with the creation of a new chapter. Captain Tyrrell and the 3rd Company was chosen to lead the fledgling chapter. Several additional Chaplains were sent to accompany them to ensure the founding and to keep them from losing their way. The new Chapter Master and his Chaplains spent a year engaged in the ancient blood visions of the Mortifactors. Unified visions eventually led them to a lost feral planet in the Segmentum Tempestus, Forca. The barbarity of the tribes as they fought both the wildlife and each other reminded them of their old home world Posul. They began construction of their fortress-monastery, The Holocene, on a nearby moon.

Homeworld

Forca's crust is covered in predominantly water with many volcanic island chains and two large continents. Each continent carries a sharp ridge of mountains along several coasts with deserts spanning most of each continent. Winds off the ocean carry moisture, allowing strips of lush jungle to form. Beneath the canopy the humans play both the parts of predators and prey with the planets natural inhabitants, great feathered reptiles.

Groups of warriors, led by their priesthood, form hunting parties to track and kill large dinosaurs. After finding their prey's path between grazing areas, they climb the trees and wait in silence armed with thin weapons made of hardwood lined with obsidian shards. Using a tool made from the climbing claws of smaller reptiles attached to their feed, they jump from tree limbs to land on the great herbivores back. Using the stone-edged tools, they hack at the great herbivores spine to bring it down. A successful hunt will feed a tribe for many days, but they must butcher and move the meat quickly before the jungle's scavengers find them, for even the smallest carnivore is more than a match for a human, and the majority of them travel in packs.

Research into the Great Hunter

After further research by the Chapter's Prey Lords, it has been noted that the Kukulcan form their territories around the tribes of Forca. At the center of each territory is a canopy village, where the predator's paths regularly cross in search of sacrifices. While the tribes' priests believe that they appease the local Kukulcan with sacrifices, it is theorized that the sacrifices caused the greatest of the beasts to shift their territories to protect these spots.

The Kukulcan, the apex predator of Forca, is feared by both humans and reptiles. Standing more than three times the height of a human, it's kind is the stuff of nightmares to the people sheltered in the jungle. To keep themselves safe from a wandering Kukulcan, they developed the practice of carving flat spaces off the top of thick branches in the jungles canopy, using vine ladders to access them. The only structures built on the jungle-floor were a small temple built of stones, whose sheer walls kept the smaller scavengers from climbing, accessible only by a vine ladder from above. Here the priesthood would sacrifice captured people from defeated tribes. Tied down atop a obsidian table covered in ridges of stone, the captives were raised 15 feet above ground-level, where their tormented cries would eventually be the focus of one of the great hunters. As the sacrifice is accepted, the priests chant fervent praise to the Sun to sate the beasts appetite for a time.

Religion amongst the tribes of Forca centers around worship of the gods of nature, the priesthood, and ritual human sacrifice. At the arrival of the chapter to the planet, Chaplains began leading small groups of marines to make contact with the natives. The tribal priests claimed the marines to be messengers of the god. Coming from the sky, walking taller than any human they had ever seen, and displaying power unbeknown to the locals, the tribes themselves readily followed the priests claims. Over time, the Chaplains taught the people of Forca that the Sun and all the other aspects of life they worship were but parts of the Emperor, including that of the mighty Kukulcan, seen to weed out the weak. This has brought the tribes to worship the Emperor wholly. As the chapter established communications with the tribes, they began monitoring their youth and hand-selecting several to be taken to begin training as Space Marines. Seen as a great honor to be accepted to accompany the messengers back into the sky, any tribe readily gave over any chosen.

Combat Doctrine

-Favor Jet Packs
-Favor Ambush

Organization

-Organized into 10 Companies
-Keeps a higher number of Chaplains than ordinary
-High-ranking Chaplains are called Prey Lords
-Chaplains often lead companies
-Assault Squads are more numerous

Geneseed

-Mutation in the Omophagea
-Causes first few ingestions to bring searingly vivid visions
-Imprinting feelings and images on the forefront of the marines mind
-Subsequent feasts yield decreasing use of Omophagea
-Marines that Omophagea continues to bring vivid visions are inducted as Chaplains

Chapter Cult

-Engage in blood visions

[Saerivic]

Questions for my IA I have if anyone wants to take a crack at answering them.

 

Should I include a reason for the tribe to be on the planet? Or perhaps it was lost to time as they fought to survive with what was available.

 

What kind of issues could the Imperium see in their worship of the Emperor?

 

Under the topic of Geneseed, it's not so much a mutation, just something they may experience. Unless that is, the 'visions' they're given are strong enough to effect their psyche.

 

What would be pros/cons of having a Dreadnought be the current chapter master? Not the only leader of the chapter, as he'd probably have help. But I think I'd like to keep head of chapter static for many years.

[Blacklight]

Questions for my IA I have if anyone wants to take a crack at answering them.

 

I'm still working on my own, but hey, I'll help out if I can :(

 

Should I include a reason for the tribe to be on the planet? Or perhaps it was lost to time as they fought to survive with what was available.

 

It would depend, really. If they were migrated there, then it couldn't hurt, but if they were just always there then no. If it doesn't add a lot of meat to the IA, then you can leave it out. If you decided to do a mini-Codex later on that's definitely something you could add in.

 

What kind of issues could the Imperium see in their worship of the Emperor?

 

From what I understand most Chapters don't view the Emperor as a god, but there's always the ability to change that. So long as the Inquisition doesn't think you're committing heresy, you should be fine. And from what you described, it doesn't seem too much like they'd consider it heresy.

 

Under the topic of Geneseed, it's not so much a mutation, just something they may experience. Unless that is, the 'visions' they're given are strong enough to effect their psyche.

 

It's honestly possible. One of their implants (can't remember which) allows them to experience memories from consuming flesh, I just don't know if it's applicable to creatures. I don't think it's been done before.

 

What would be pros/cons of having a Dreadnought be the current chapter master? Not the only leader of the chapter, as he'd probably have help. But I think I'd like to keep head of chapter static for many years.

 

This sounds a lot like what I'm doing for my chapter. If you want to see what the debate there has stirred up, check the link in my signature. But a brief overview, pros: long-lasting (Bjorn the Fell Handed has lived for 10,000 years, though he isn't a chapter master and only wakes once every thousand years or so), powerful, extremely wise (depending on age). Cons: need to find some way to keep them awake for longer periods. My chapter deals with this by keeping their dreadnoughts active and busy, but it just depends on the chapter. If you have to rely on putting them in stasis sleep, then you have long periods during which your chapter is without its chapter master unless he appoints someone to rule while he sleeps.

 

Just be sure to note that if you do go the dreadnought route, you gotta be ready to fight for it. It's a fairly hotly debated topic as you can tell from my IA. You have to explain a lot if you want your dreadnought to be more active than is usual, and even then most people are going to nail it with questions. But, if you're like me and love your dreads, it's worth fighting :D

[CKO]

Should I include a reason for the tribe to be on the planet? Or perhaps it was lost to time as they fought to survive with what was available.

 

No, you do not have to give a reason for the tribe to be on the planet. There is a long universal story with STCs for people being on planets, you do not have to waste your time explaining something like that.

 

What kind of issues could the Imperium see in their worship of the Emperor?

 

As mentioned earlier by Blacklight most chapters do not worship the Emperor, but I dont think the Imperium will have any problem with your chapter doing it as long as it continues to behave like a chapter should.

 

Under the topic of Geneseed, it's not so much a mutation, just something they may experience. Unless that is, the 'visions' they're given are strong enough to effect their psyche.

 

There is nothing wrong with mutation in geneseed as long as its recorded and deemed ok by the Adeptus Mechanicus. However dont fall into the bad IA category because your marines are more powerful because of psychic abilities or mutation in geneseed.

 

What would be pros/cons of having a Dreadnought be the current chapter master? Not the only leader of the chapter, as he'd probably have help. But I think I'd like to keep head of chapter static for many years.

 

Ask Blacklight about that one :cuss , just remember not to mess up your current chapter master like Matt Ward did Calgar. :)

[Saerivic]

Thanks for the input!

 

There is nothing wrong with mutation in geneseed as long as its recorded and deemed ok by the Adeptus Mechanicus. However dont fall into the bad IA category because your marines are more powerful because of psychic abilities or mutation in geneseed.

 

Yeah, by no means is it going to magically make them better. In my mind:

Say the mutation effects the Omophagea, looked it up to make sure I got it right before opening my mouth, and the first few things eaten that give memories to be more vivid and searing than normal. Their ritual hunt of the apex predator being their first 'meal' for the omophagea leaves them reliving the creatures rather violent last moments, leaving a very savage impression on them. Hence, they become more savage outlook on life.

 

This sounds a lot like what I'm doing for my chapter. If you want to see what the debate there has stirred up, check the link in my signature. But a brief overview, pros: long-lasting (Bjorn the Fell Handed has lived for 10,000 years, though he isn't a chapter master and only wakes once every thousand years or so), powerful, extremely wise (depending on age). Cons: need to find some way to keep them awake for longer periods. My chapter deals with this by keeping their dreadnoughts active and busy, but it just depends on the chapter. If you have to rely on putting them in stasis sleep, then you have long periods during which your chapter is without its chapter master unless he appoints someone to rule while he sleeps.

 

It's definately a good discussion going on, read through it all. I believe I'm going to stay away from the Dread CM, but there's of course no reason for an old one or two to be around, even if asleep. I do love dreads though, just don't think having tons of them would be the way I want to go with this chapter.

 

Thanks again for the input you two, now I just have to settle on colors, and possibly a name. And then think up a whole new slew of issues.

[CKO]

Your mutation is a cool idea, if you continue to come up with ideas like that your IA will be a good one.

[Saerivic]

Found an old color scheme on some of my older marines that I loved. Modified it a little bit and sticking with it.

[Saerivic]

Built up the Origins and Homeworld sections. Origins still needs additional info.

Added Outlines for Combat Doctrine, Organization, Beliefs, and Geneseed.

Formatted it somewhat to be a little more like a proper IA.

 

Considering exclusion of Librarians and the inclusion of more Chaplains.

[CKO]

I like the way it is developing keep up the good work.

[NightrawenII]

A unified vision of a group of primitive humans savagely ambushing a large beast led them to a lost feral planet in the Segmentum Tempestus, Forca.

- Doesn't make sense, at least for me. For vision to leads you somewhere, there needs to be some signs of direction or place. Bunch of barbarians huting a beast is not exactly telling indication, where to find a planet in space.