Brother Augustine Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Wanted to post this here for suggestions before putting it in the Librarium. Origins The Sons of Iron were founded during the 24th founding from the gene-line of Roboute Guilliman. The exact year of the founding is unknown, just that it was somewhere in either the late M39 or early M40. When the Chapter was still young the Eldar invaded their home world of Ironhold. The aliens were eventually repelled but not before they managed to destroy the original fortress monastery, along with the records contained therein. In addition to this the invaders sabotaged the Chapter's Geneseed storage Facilities, destroying much of it and leaving a nearly undetectable strain of corruption in the remainder that caused the percentage of aspirants whose bodies could not accept the Space Marine implants to skyrocket. As a result the Chapter's recruitment rate is greatly diminished and the Sons of Iron hold the Eldar race in bitter enmity. Home world The Sons of Iron are based on the world of Ironhold which is located on the Eastern Fringe near the borders of the Tau Empire. The planet is well industrialized without becoming a barren wasteland, a trait picked up from their parent Chapter. The inhabitants of the planet are raised to serve the chapter and the children train hard hoping to join either the Marines themselves or at least be selected to serve the Chapter directly. The areas outside of the cities and townships are mostly untamed wood-lands rich with many kinds of animals, and especially dangerous predators, many of whom are used in the Chapter’s trials of initiation. The Chapter's Fortress Monastery,the Spire, is located near the Planetary Capital where the Chapter’s designated representatives run the government of the planet ensuring that the Chapter can focus on warfare rather than the finer points of running a planet. Recruitment The Chapter has serfs posted in each settlement, no matter how small, to keep an eye out for potential aspirants. These can be children who show exceptional physical or mental capabilities, good leadership traits, and occasionally daring or aggression beyond the norm. If the serfs find such children they inform the Chapter headquarters and the now potential Aspirant is sent before them. The Chaplains and Librarians of the Chapter then examine and interrogate the Potential and judge his worth. If they deem him worthy a notice is sent to his family and he becomes a cadet. If not then he is sent home and is considered for advancement in society for the remainder of his childhood. Occasionally, a potential aspirant will receive a second chance if he shows marked improvement in the area that he initially failed. However often times the aspirant will grow too old before this time and will instead be integrated into the rest of society where he will serve the Chapter another way. Those potentials who become cadets train their minds and bodies for approximately one year in the Spire and then enter into the trials of Initiation. Overseen by senior members of the Chapter staff the Aspirants must perform a variety of tasks designed to test their physical and mental limits, as well as their combat prowess and bonds of brotherhood, including barefoot marathons through the mountains, hunting of the chameleonic night stag (a beast which leaves almost no sign of its passing), and fighting off a pack of Razorfang Mastiffs, a large indigenous canine that lives and hunts in perfect harmony and can only be overcome by teamwork, intelligence, and strength of arms. Of all of the trials this is the final, most difficult, and most important trial that the aspirants must endure. It is also the only test that is absolutely necessary to pass in order to be granted entrance into the Chapter as it tests the Aspirants ability to set aside their differences and ambitions and work to protect their future brothers with their lives. Those who cannot or will not work together are sent back to their families, if they survive the Mastiffs. Combat Doctrine While the Chapter is primarily adherent to the tenets of the Codex Astartes, they display some noted differences from their parent Chapter. Unlike most Chapters the Sons of Iron rarely send their battle companies into war zones alone. They will almost always send their force with support from at least one other Company as well as elements of the First and Tenth companies, preferring to limit the number of engagements that they can participate in order to maximize their effectiveness in the conflicts that they choose to engage in. This way the overwhelming Astartes presence will help to end the conflict more quickly than if a single company arrived, as well as allowing the brothers to cover each other and protect one another from enemy attacks and fire. The Chapter also holds it as one of its most sacred tenets that the marines must protect their brothers at all costs, and no brother is permitted to sacrifice his life unnecessarily. Only in the direst of circumstances, and only when doing so would benefit the Chapter more than his continued existence. Due to the Sons of Iron's location the Chapter often finds itself engaged in combat with various Xenos races and have become expert alien fighters, and it is quite common for members of the Chapter to volunteer for terms of service in the Deathwatch, perfecting their skills at killing aliens as well as passing their knowledge to other Chapters, and there are entire squads amongst the First Company that are veterans of that Organization. While as Space Marines the Sons of Iron are experts in all forms of combat, as a whole the Chapter prefers to fight their enemies at range where the marines can pick them apart with their bolters and tend to prefer to only engage the enemy in close combat when the advantage of numbers is gone or the enemy is fleeing, broken in the face of the disciplined barrage of bolter fire. Organization In their Organization the Sons of Iron follow the tenets laid down in the Codex Astartes, however due to their nearly constant shortage of battle-brothers the Companies are often unable to operate at maximum capacity. The Battle companies are typically kept as close to full strength as possible but the reserve companies typically have two or more squads missing as they have been transferred to the battle companies to bring them to full strength. The First Company is usually kept around eighty to one hundred battle-brothers, depending on marines earning entrance into the prestigious Company, and how many are transferred to fill command roles in the rest of the Chapter. Unlike the other Companies of the Chapter, the First is led not by a Captain, but rather by the Chapter Master himself. This has been the tradition since the founding of the Chapter when the “First Company" was no larger than a handful of squads. When the Chapter reached operational strength the Chapter Master remained in direct command of the First Company and a Captain was never appointed. Beliefs The Chapter extends their philosophy of brotherhood to other Chapters, counting all Loyal Space Marines as their battle-brothers regardless of gene-line or creed, and will fight just as hard to protect marines from other Chapters as they would their own. This allows them to work well with the other chapters that they often find themselves engaged alongside. Like most Chapters the Sons of Iron do not believe in the divinity of the Emperor and Primarchs, per se, but they do acknowledge their immense abilities and believe that they watch over the people in the Imperium and protect them. They also believe that one day their forefathers will be returned to them and that when that day comes the Emperor will finish his Great Crusade and the works of Chaos and the Xenos races will be undone once and for all. Geneseed The Chapter’s Geneseed is mostly pure, and all of the implants work perfectly, however due to the Eldar sabotage to their genetic information, the geneseed has approximately a 25-35% failure rate in the aspirants who receive the implants. This means many potential marines are unable to complete their journey to join the Chapter’s ranks or, if they are truly unfortunate, survive the implantation process. Battle cry The brothers of the Sons of Iron have no standardized battle cry, rather individual squads or Companies will develop their own over time as the members of the squad change and as they enter into different conflicts. Battle cries can be anything from calls to remember a certain battle, or the name of a Chapter hero who died fighting against a particular enemy. The Chaplains of the Sons of Iron also tend to drive the brothers to remember ancient wrongs against the Chapter with such cries stirring up the sacred hatred in their brethren’s hearts and driving them onward in the face of the enemy. However the most common cry uttered by the brethren are the ancient words of the Emperor himself, “And We Shall Know No Fear!” Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222389-sons-of-iron/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodWulf Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 "Ironhold which is located on the Eastern Fringe near the borders of the Tau Empire" You might want to indicate which Segmentum as well. You want to write your IA to be readable and understandable by people new to the game and setting as well as seasoned Vets. Also, it's located near Tau space but no mention of any conflict or battles fought with them? Maybe this was to be added later. "the Spire" Why is it called the Spire? I seem to recall some other Chapter's Fortress being called this but I cant pin it down. "Unlike most Chapters the Sons of Iron rarely send their battle companies into war zones alone. They will almost always send their force with support from at least one other Company as well as elements of the First and Tenth companies, preferring to limit the number of engagements that they can participate in order to maximize their effectiveness in the conflicts that they choose to engage in." This is pretty much how every Chapter fights.... just a couple things that stood out to my quick read through (need to sleep). The writing could stand a little clean up of redundancy, and a bit more fleshing out of a few of the sections. Its a solid start so dont feel discouraged in the least. I like the color scheme! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222389-sons-of-iron/#findComment-2658271 Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightrawenII Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Agreed with BloodWulf on all points. Wanted to post this here for suggestions before putting it in the Librarium. Librarium is going throught the major overhaul and reforms, so no cake for you today or tomorrow or after tomorrow or... you get the idea, right? :) The Sons of Iron - I have this adamant rule to not comment the colour-scheme(Btw, nice scheme.) or names of Chapters, because of the different tastes and the like. However, in your case I make exception. 1st, I'm not fan of "Sons of XYZ", this is because the Space Marines are sons of their Primarch and via the Primarch, the Emperor. Sons of Guilleman is veeery nice name, until you realize that all Chapters of Ultramarines gene-seed *are* sons of Guilleman. 2nd, how could be someone son of iron? I somewhat understand the poetry behind the idea of being son of sky and earth, but enough is enough. In addition to this the invaders sabotaged the Chapter's Geneseed storage Facilities, destroying much of it... - And we are finished right at the beginning. Gene-seed is blood, heart and soul of the Chapter. Any Chapter, who losts its gene-seed stock is DEAD. No excuses, no exceptions. Home world The Sons of Iron are based on the world of Ironhold which is located on the Eastern Fringe near the borders of the Tau Empire. - Oh, the Chapter Sons of Iron based on the planet Ironhold. A little creativity, young padawan. Recruitment Those who cannot or will not work together are sent back to their families, if they survive the Mastiffs. - If you send everyone home, where do you get the Serfs and these shiny Servitors? Combat Doctrine Due to the Sons of Iron's location the Chapter often finds itself engaged in combat with various Xenos races and have become expert alien fighters, and it is quite common for members of the Chapter to volunteer for terms of service in the Deathwatch, perfecting their skills at killing aliens as well as passing their knowledge to other Chapters, and there are entire squads amongst the First Company that are veterans of that Organization. - Well, considering you are from 24th Founding, most Chapters has the advantage of fighting Xenos for longer time than your Chapter exists. - The 1st Co. Veterans idea is MISS(= Me, I'm So Super.). Organization When the Chapter reached operational strength the Chapter Master remained in direct command of the First Company and a Captain was never appointed. - The First Captain is the candidate on the post of Chapter Master. +++++ Few, personal*, words in the end. The purpose of Index Astartes is present us with the image of your Chapter. For the sake of entertainment (and to save the space, effort and time of yours and your reader) the IA presents only the unique, different and/or interesting aspects of Chapter. Statements of obvious are unnecessary, showing and explaining the uniqueness of the Chapter is the aim. * Because some people could interpret it in different way. :huh: Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222389-sons-of-iron/#findComment-2658538 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Augustine Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 "Ironhold which is located on the Eastern Fringe near the borders of the Tau Empire" You might want to indicate which Segmentum as well. You want to write your IA to be readable and understandable by people new to the game and setting as well as seasoned Vets. Also, it's located near Tau space but no mention of any conflict or battles fought with them? Maybe this was to be added later. Yes I had planned on adding conflicts engaged in at a later date. "the Spire" Why is it called the Spire? I seem to recall some other Chapter's Fortress being called this but I cant pin it down. Good to know. I had a feeling that I would be changing that when I wrote it down. Consider that under edit. "Unlike most Chapters the Sons of Iron rarely send their battle companies into war zones alone. They will almost always send their force with support from at least one other Company as well as elements of the First and Tenth companies, preferring to limit the number of engagements that they can participate in order to maximize their effectiveness in the conflicts that they choose to engage in." This is pretty much how every Chapter fights.... Really? I was under the impression that the Companies acted on their own except under special circumstances. Oh well, learn something new every day right? I appreciate the advice and I'll keep working at it. Thanks Much! *Edit* I just took a look at the Map of Imperial Space from the DIY Guide and correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the Entire eastern border of the Imperium the Ultima Segmentum? I don't mind adding it in to the article but I just wanted to make sure I was reading the map right. *Edit* The more I look at that map the more this whole thing Changes in my mind. By the time I repost the second draft I think it will almost be a new chapter. We'll have to see what happens then. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222389-sons-of-iron/#findComment-2659380 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Augustine Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 I understand the comment on the name and I will admit it is not my crowning achievement as far as creativity goes. Whether it stays there as the article develops is to be seen. Also thanks for the tip about the Librarium, but knowing me, posting this there is a long way off. I want to get it as good as I can beforehand anyway and I know how long that can take. In addition to this the invaders sabotaged the Chapter's Geneseed storage Facilities, destroying much of it...- And we are finished right at the beginning. Gene-seed is blood, heart and soul of the Chapter. Any Chapter, who losts its gene-seed stock is DEAD. No excuses, no exceptions. I am aware of that, but note that not all of their gene-stock was destroyed, simply a large enough portion to cause problems. *edit* In the second draft I have changed "much" to "a portion" RecruitmentThose who cannot or will not work together are sent back to their families, if they survive the Mastiffs. - If you send everyone home, where do you get the Serfs and these shiny Servitors? Not everyone who can't make it in to the Chapter is sent home. However the ones who cannot work with the others are denied the honor of serving the chapter directly. *Edit* This is likewise addressed in the second draft, which I will post in this thread when I get finished with it. Combat DoctrineDue to the Sons of Iron's location the Chapter often finds itself engaged in combat with various Xenos races and have become expert alien fighters, and it is quite common for members of the Chapter to volunteer for terms of service in the Deathwatch, perfecting their skills at killing aliens as well as passing their knowledge to other Chapters, and there are entire squads amongst the First Company that are veterans of that Organization. - Well, considering you are from 24th Founding, most Chapters has the advantage of fighting Xenos for longer time than your Chapter exists. - The 1st Co. Veterans idea is MISS(= Me, I'm So Super.). Fair point. Easy enough to fix for the second draft as well. OrganizationWhen the Chapter reached operational strength the Chapter Master remained in direct command of the First Company and a Captain was never appointed. - The First Captain is the candidate on the post of Chapter Master. Not always, if no one else the Crimson Fists First Company is led by the Chapter Master instead of a Captain so it isn't as though this is unprecedented. However it is quite possible I am missing your meaning here. Thanks for your words of wisdom and I appreciate your time. Also on a personal note, I love the Helsreach reference in your signature, couldn't believe the Salamanders did that. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222389-sons-of-iron/#findComment-2659390 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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