Kights of the Inferno

[Pack Master Kael]

Origin-

 

In 143.M41 Abaddon the Despoiler Launched his 12th Black Crusade from the Eye of Terror. After almost 20 years the Crusade was stopped in its tracks and Abaddon was forced to retreat back into the Eye of Terror. The Imperium reclaimed the worlds that they had lost to Abaddon and the crusade. The Segmentum, however, was still teeming with vile xenos, that had attacked while the Imperium was distracted with the Black Crusade, and remnants of the Black Crusade army that did not flee back into the warp. Shortly after the end of the Crusade the High Lords of Terra, acting on behalf of the Immortal God-Emperor, requested that the Adeptus Mechanicus of Mars create a new chapter to patrol the Segmentum Obscurus and help eliminate the threat of xenos and heretic presence in the area. The Mechanicus answered the call of the High Lords by creating Chapter 863 in the 25th Founding. With all of the rebuilding that was taking place following the black crusade the Mechanicus and the High Lords agreed that it would be best to create a more self sufficient chapter. Displaying great skills at the forge along with unparalleled tenacity in battle it was decided that the Salamanders would train a new chapter born from Vulkan’s geneseed. The Chapter was granted two battle barges, Angel’s Descent and Spear of Wrath, and a small collection of strike cruisers from the masters of Mars. A cadre of Firedrakes along with a Chaplain, Librarian, Master of the Forge and Techmarine, and a few scout sergeants from the Salamanders were given the honor of training the nascent chapter. Since the chapter was operating under the command of the Firedrakes and had no official Chapter Master, they were simply referred to as their Imperial designation of Chapter 863. After 50 years of recruiting, training and accompanying Chapter 863 in combat the cadre of Firedrakes noticed one marine who stood out among the rest as a potential Chapter Master. Kar Azradorn was one of the first to join the ranks of Chapter 863. He displayed skills as a furious close combat fighter, being able to keep those around him disciplined and an unrivaled tactical awareness. The Firedrakes decided to give Azradorn battle command of their next engagement to see if the Chapter was ready to stand on its own. A week later Chapter 863 received a request for aid from the nearby Forge World of Synford, which was famous for its production of Baneblades.

 

A heretic cult had taken root in the hab stacks of the laborers. The local PDF and the armies of the Mechanicus could not dislodge the heretics from their fortified positions in the hab stacks. The heretics were even slowly gaining ground and so Synford pleaded for help from the Adeptus Astartes of Chapter 863. Azradorn gathered every battle brother and scout in the chapter, all 327 of them. A smaller force would have been capable of handling the mission but Azradorn did not want any to feel left out when they were fighting to prove themselves worthy of being an Adeptus Astartes Chapter of the Imperium. The heretics were crushed under the massive fire power that was wrought by the Astartes and the ferocity with which they fought. The Salamanders agreed that Azradorn and the Chapter were ready to stand on their own. They instated Azradorn as Chapter Master and he presented the Firedrakes with a suit of ornate armor that the new Master of the Forge crafted as a token of thanks to their Salamander brethren. The Firedrakes captain in turn presented Azradorn with his master crafted thunder hammer, Vulkan’s Wrath, and storm shield as sign of respect for Azradorn and his new chapter. The ceremony started a tradition between the 2 chapters and now every time there is a new Chapter Master they present a gift to and receive a gift from the Salamanders. As the Salamanders departed to rejoin their chapter the scout sergeants elected to stay behind with the nascent chapter claiming it was their responsibility to train all who rise from Vulkan’s geneseed. Azradorn knew immediately that the new chapter should be named the Knights of the Inferno in honor of their parent chapter and the knights of their home world Coseflame whose courage and honor burn in the eyes of every one of his brothers. The Adeptus Mechanicus was so grateful that any time The Knights of the Inferno requested supplies they were filled without delay, sometimes the adepts would even send extra supplies and weaponry to The Knights in appreciation for what they did.

 

Home World-

 

Coseflame is a feudal class world of the Calixis Sector in Segmentum Obscurus. The planet was chosen as their home world for two major reasons. The first reason is that the location of Coseflame makes it ideal for policing the area of space assigned to them by the High Lords of Terra. The second is that it is a world full of strong recruits and ore for the Chapters forges. The chasm city states of Coseflame are constantly at war with one another and this regular exposure to battle creates great aspirants for The Knights of the Inferno. The planet’s surface is covered in lush, fertile forests and jungles in the equatorial region. The planet’s axis sits at a 45 degree angle away from the sun causing the southern pole to be an arid desert and the northern pole to turn into a frigid tundra. The various climates provide excellent training grounds for the recruits of The Knights of the Inferno. Most of the population lives in the forest and jungle regions but some of the people do live in the more hospitable parts of the poles. The Chapters Fortress Monastery, The Forge, is built at the base of Mt. Deathfire, Coseflame’s largest volcano, located in the Badlands Desert of the southern pole. The Forge is surrounded by a river of liquid fire as The Knights dug a channel from the volcano around the monastery and back into Mt. Deathfire. This river of lava is used by the brothers in their forges, adds a layer of defense to the fortress and ensures that the volcano does not erupt.

 

Combat Doctrine and Practices -

 

The tech of Coseflame is at the gun powder stage and most battles are won by the side with more long range artillery pieces. The preferred method of warfare is to devastate the enemy force with long range fire power while close combat elites close to finish the opposing force off. The Knights of the Inferno have adopted this affinity towards warfare from the local populace. The brothers deploy a large number of Devastators, Whirlwinds and Predators. While the long range fire power pours into the enemy close quarter specialists like Dreadnoughts and Terminators close in to finish off anything still standing.

 

The warriors on Coseflame believe that weapons and armor have their own spirit and that to ensure that they do not fail in battle the warrior must bond with the spirit. They believe that the spirit bonds with the person who forges it and this belief leads to all warriors forging their own weapons and armor. This belief along with training under the Salamanders has led to every battle brother in the Knights forging and repairing their own weapons and armor. The basic marine in The Knights of the Inferno is said to posse skills at the forge that match or surpass the skills of most other chapter’s Techmarines.

 

On Coseflame psykers are seen as respected advisers as well as superb warriors. The population is known to produce slightly more psykers than is average and this has shown in the number of psychic recruits that are accepted into the chapter. The Knights of the Inferno has around twice as many librarians as most of their brother Astartes. The Chief Librarian is seen as the 2nd in command of the chapter and the first person the Chapter Master will look to for advice. Every Captain in The Knights has a Librarian as his 2nd and advisor. Every major action that The Knights undergo is first brought before The Inferno Lords, a group of 6 of the best Librarians, the Chapter Master, Master of the Forge and Master of the Sanctuary to decide the best action to take.

 

Geneseed –

 

The Knights of the Inferno are blessed with being born from Vulkan’s geneseed. Their Malenochrome gland is malfunctioning just like their Salamander brethren. The skin of The Knights of the Inferno also turns an onyx black color. It is unknown if this is a side effect of using Vulkan’s geneseed or if the color comes from living on a home world with similar radiation to that of the Salamanders home world Nocturne. It should be noted that unlike the Salamanders their eyes do not burn a fiery red, instead their eyes glow a flickering orange. It is almost as if a raging inferno has been lit behind their eyes. There have been reports from Imperial Guard officers who say that the intensity of the glow changes and reflects the intensity with which the brother is battling to the point where it would seem as the eyes themselves are on fire. It is not known if this is due to a slight difference in radiation or if it is because the stronger psychic affiliation of The Knights. They do not seem to suffer from the slower reflexes that the Salamanders have, research into the reason for this is being conducted by the Adeptus Mechanicus. It is thought to be linked with something in the DNA of the people of Coseflame.

 

Recruitment-

 

The Knights of the Inferno hold a tournament of games Known as the Trials of the Inferno. It is an 8 day tournament held every year (2 Terran years) and culminates with the Day of Fire; when the sun is eclipsed and makes the sky appear as if on fire. The games in the tournament are based around the tournament that was had between The Emperor and Vulkan on Nocturne. The trials mostly revolve around testing strength and endurance but a few tests of intelligence are in the tournament as well. On the Day of Fire the contestants are pit against each other in combat. The Inferno Lords(if the Inferno Lords are deployed to war fronts the most veteran members stationed on Coseflame will attend the tournament) watch the tournament and at the end of the 8th day choose the aspirants that will be taken for further testing at the hands of the Apothecaries. Those who fail the gene testing or are not selected to be aspirants will often elect to be trained to serve in the chapter’s fleet or to defend chapter fortresses while the brothers are deployed to war.

[NightrawenII]

Okey...

 

First off, all Chapters are self-sufficient.

 

If the article about the Cursed Founding is anything to go by, then... Chapter is created and trained in the founding facility, presumably at full strenght. The name and heraldry of Chapter is chosen at its founding by the new Chapter Master. After that it's released into Universe.

 

Forge World is protected by the regiments of Skitarii and home of the Titan Legion(s). Neither of them is not really pushover and more than enough to crush such uprising.

 

The basic marine in The Knights of the Inferno is said to posse skills at the forge that match or surpass the skills of most other chapter’s Techmarines.

- MISS(= Me, I'm so Super.)

 

On Coseflame psykers are seen as respected advisers as well as superb warriors.

- I bet, the occasions, when their head explodes, get possessed or turn themself into gate of Hell are ignored altogether. ^_^