The Dragons of Oricalcos

[Andurin Marvak]

First off, thank you for reading. And I'm entirely open to criticism, so shoot if you smell a rat. Or Nurgle. Without Further Ado...

 

Origins

 

Almost as an afterthought, or as close to an afterthought as an undertaking this serious can be, the Dragons of Oricalcos were conceived in the final planning stages of the Twentieth founding. Due to increased ork and pirate activity on the Northeastern Fringe, and the fading of the light of the Astronomicon in those parts, it was deemed necessary to bolster the area yet further. It was decided that the Oricalcos System, a relatively minor pilgrimage site for those devotees of Sanguinius who were ardent enough to make the trip, was as good a place as any. It was Far enough away from any other Chapters of Astartes so as to avoid ruffling any prideful feathers, and precisely in the area where pirates frequented poorly governed worlds and had the local PDF on their payroll. The convenient location of some rising Warbosses in the surrounding area was also deemed appropriate grounds for Marine insertion. The Adeptus Mechanicus asking for the return of a favor was very relevant to the matter as well. The presence of highly valuable mineral deposits in the system was originally reason for them to mine, but the high chance of shipments being stolen, or raided by orks, was cause not to.

 

With the location selected, the High Lords moved on to decide which gene-seed to use. As was customary with most foundings, the geneseed selected was that of Roboute Guilliman. After all, it was the most pure and effective, why play with other, less viable options when the best was available? Chapter Master Dante of the Blood Angels was asked for a handful of specialists and veterans to train these new guardians of one of their renowned Primarch’s holy sites. While their geneseed was different from a chapter that the Blood Angels usually would train, the High Lords assured them through vague promises of political ramifications and other necessary evils that this was the best choice. In reality, the Lords did not wish to admit to anyone that they were in some ways beholden to the Adeptus Mechanicus, and therefore required an excuse in Shrine Form to save face. They also would rather not use the faulty geneseed and increase the number of chapters subject to the Red Thirst.

 

When the Blood Angels arrived on Oricalcos, the verdant civilized world from which the System derived its name, they were in for a shock. They had been expecting a monument to their Primarch’s life, as they knew it. As it turned out, it was just a bunch of shady and illicit shrines at which corrupt members of the Ecclesiarchy and greedy merchants tried to separate pilgrims from their money. The local legends told of how Sanguinius had come to the planet, stopped for a few days after admiring the landscape from space, and walked among the people with no trace of hubris, doing all sorts of miracles. The most famous deed of the Angelic Primarch involved a “dragon” that had once ravaged the countryside of the majestic capital, Avalon. Sanguinius had reportedly walked alone and unarmed to this castle-sized behemoth and raised one hand. The dragon instantly calmed, and bowed his head low. The primarch then commanded him to guard the people of this planet until he returned at the end of the Great Crusade.

 

It was rumored among the people that the dragon cried tears of blood the moment Sanguinius was slain.

 

There was more than a little initial outrage among the Angels, and the first several years of touring the system in search of suitable recruits also involved beating some respect into the local Ecclesiarchy and it secular bunkmates. Between the tales of their Primarch that not one of them had ever heard before, and the utter greed of the men and women who were supposed to be serving the people, there was plenty of anger and blame to go around. How silly it seemed afterwards that at least this most important of tall tales was unerringly true.

 

It is said that the Great Dragon Raziel’s waking shook the entire capital. As this occurred, the Blood Angels and the local PDF struck, thinking that the city was under attack. Their weapons were not very effective against his toughened hide, and as he thundered up from beneath the fountain that bore his likeness at the city’s center, the PDF and Arbites ran in fear. Only the Blood Angels and a few Knights of the local nobility dared stand and face him. He did not attack, and lay himself prostrate at the feet of the Sons of Sanguinius, though his maw could have swallowed one of them whole. All present were stricken with visions of Sanguinius subduing the dragon, which the Sanguinary Priest and Chaplain would later declare as true instances of guidance and revelation.

 

The first recruits came from two places; the Death World of Nox and the Noble Houses of Oricalcos and Arkon. Strangely, the young sons of the nobility, thought to be the weaker of the two groups, proved to survive training and augmentation in greater numbers. The Angels were impressed, for these young ones apparently survived through sheer strength of will and sense of duty, for while well-trained and conditioned, they were not forced to fight for survival every waking moment of their lives. In time, it became a matter of routine to only dip into the Death World’s population when a larger number of recruits than normal were necessary to maintain the Chapter’s strength.

 

Taking all things into consideration, the first Chapter Master, or Dracorex, as he came to be called, Raul, with the blessing of Veteran Sergeant Allegheri and his attached warriors, chose to call the young Chapter the Dragons of Oricalcos, in honor of the powerful, cunning, and ferocious reptiles that roamed the inhabitable planets of the system. The fledgling Astartes brought a wonderful change to the system. Pirates and orks now had something much worse than poorly trained PDF and the highly trained but under-equipped and under-manned Knights of Oricalcos to fear. With the predators gone, the prey were free to find less ignoble sources of income, and churches and shrines were once again places of respect. With the civilized planets living a life now full of hope and prosperity, traders (along with the Adeptus Mechanicus, who could finally get at the rare ores they had so longingly coveted) began to flock to the system in droves, for it was the only truly safe haven for lightyears upon lightyears of interstellar space. The economy grew by leaps and bounds, and under the guidance of the Dragons, the population was well governed and well protected. This lasted for many millennia, and while war was ever-present, the Dragons and the new PDF, the Home Guard, saw the worst of it, as opposed to the civilian population of yesteryear.

 

All of this changed with the coming of Hive Fleet Adder. Unbeknownst to many, a large splinter fleet from Kraken, possibly with the purpose of swinging around and surprising Imperial forces from behind, broke away from the main body of organisms and struck out between the galactic arms, alerting sensors placed on the lifeless Doton to their presence. Unfortunately, it was only a small portion of the swarm that was detected, and the still highly un-governed system of Daurich, with its pirate dens and general lawlessness, was utterly consumed despite the local Guard Regiments detached to destroy what was supposed to be a smaller threat. This did give the Dragons and the now-seasoned PDF forces of the Oricalcos system, along with the Adeptus Mechanicus operatives who were mining the dead worlds of the system, time to prepare for the onslaught.

 

The genii present in the swarm were strangely lacking in diversity. Instead of the frighteningly adaptable and varied creatures encountered by the Ultramarines in the invasion of Hive Fleet Behemoth, only a few types of the xenos were present. The terrifying and massive Trygons, the sinister Hive Tyrants, carnifexes, and swarms upon swarms of Hormagaunts. Strangely, none of the aliens had any sort of ranged capability, barring the bioelectricity stored by the trygons. There was even a distinct lack of genestealer infestation preceding the assault. This did not lessen their innate lethality, though. Once planet fall was made, they instantly burrowed into the soil, and regrouped in terrifying patterns that left even well prepared defenders reeling. Their numbers were vast beyond reckoning, as with any swarm, but somehow, they were faster than a lumbering horde of bodies.

 

In the end, the Dragons of Oricalcos, well taking heavy losses and barely surviving, made it through due to their already lightning fast assaults, honed by years of fighting raiders and ork Waagh blitzes. Their rapid response to any unburrowed tyranids won that war for them, but not without great sacrifice. It is rumored that the sudden disappearance of the Chief Librarian at the time, Keeper of the Hidden Flame Coranus, may have had something to do with their rapid departure. It was he who guessed that somehow, the Norn Queen was crippled or flawed in some way, and that whatever defect had occurred was responsible for the very unique nature of this swarm. No sign of him was ever found after he infiltrated the Hive Command Ship and temporarily rendered the tyranids leaderless, allowing the Adeptus Mechanicus to annihilate the living vessel with him onboard.

 

Homeworld

“I can see why Sanguinius decided to rest here for a time, Abbess. Your planet is indeed a beautiful and majestic one.”-Veteran Sergeant Allegheri, to the Abbess of the Daughters of the Angel

 

The Oricalcos system contains four planets, the civilized world of Oricalcos from which the system derives its name, the Forgeworld Prosperity, the deathworld Nox, and the agri-world Arkon. There are also large numbers of massive orbital space stations that used to be run mainly by pirates that have since been cleared out and used by the new Oricalcan Home Guard as orbital defense platforms.

Oricalcos is a temperate planet that is quite livable, its large population mostly confined to hive cities for the sake of convenience. With the removal of its defunct government and the re-introduction of law and order, the planet has begun to thrive, and has some of the best schools of agricultural technology and warfare in the Galactic Fringe. Traders greatly appreciate the safety of the area, which is rare so far out into this Sector, and as a result the local merchants are thriving.

Those that are not businessmen or local workers travel to either Prosperity or Arkon. On Arkon, men and women who have attended Oricalcan Agricultural Universities run massive farms that feed the system, and grow cash crops of spices that are traded for back on Oricalcos. The Adeptus Mechanicus employs those with a knowledge of mining on Prosperity, where they repair and construct the tools needed to extract valuable minerals from nearby asteroids and Nox. Aside from this, the Mechanicus runs its forges for the benefit of the Home Guard and the Dragons of Oricalcos, supplying them with all manner of ranged weaponry and training their techpriests and Weaponsmiths. Nox itself is a harsh, desert world covered in a dense atmosphere of clouds, almost in eternal night. The cold is kept at bay only in areas of volcanic activity, which are oasis’s of life on the otherwise barren planet. Here, tribes of man wage war on one another for the most fertile plots of land, and compete with the lethal fauna, most of which can easily devour a man whole.

There is one group of animals that is present throughout the entire system. The locals call them dragons, in keeping with old Terran legends of similar scaly beasts that had great wings to bear them aloft and mighty jaws that spit great gouts of flame. These dragons are highly intelligent animals, even smarter in some aspects than Terran chimpanzees while still young in years. The older they become, the wiser they grow. The oldest, Raziel, the great slate-scaled beast that the Chapter takes its heraldry from, while unable to speak, appears to have an almost human intelligence. They are usually found in tight knit family groups, with a mated pair and wingless youngsters. The juveniles often roam the land in fraternal or sororital groups until they reach breeding age. Mating is for life, and it is still unsure as to how they choose, for it varies between hunting prowess, the ability to fight off rivals, the size of territory held, and other things, depending on the individual dragon. It is, however, the males who must impress the females, who, while smaller, are easily ferocious enough to ward off an unwanted suitor.

These dragons are not the only megafauna put to good use by the Chapter. On Arkon, there are swift predators the locals have named lindworms. Large enough to carry an astartes to war, even in power armor, they form lethal packs that strike at both livestock and wild game, using speed and group coordination to take down animals much larger than themselves.

Once the Chapter was fully established in the system, and had become part of the local government, a new policy was instituted. Aside from the local PDF, which is trained by the Chapter, each Battle Brother, from Scout to Dracorex, has a fief of varying size from which they draw Men at Arms. These soldiers are usually commoners, but for Drakes and the Dracorex, and other high-ranking members of the Dragons, they are from Noble Houses with a long history of Knightly Orders dedicated to waging war.

At any time, a Dragon may call his soldiers to fight another fief’s troops, at a pre-ordained time and place. These men will function on their own, while the two Dragons have an affair of honor at the center of the fray. No Dragon would kill or even seriously wound another, but for the Men at Arms this is common. These Gauntlets, as they are called, serve two purposes; the honing of an Astartes battle skills, and the production of excellent warriors to become new Astartes. The Men at Arms bring their sons to war the moment they can hold a weapon, in hopes that they might be awarded the prestige of having a Space Marine in their family lineage when their son successfully “Runs the Gauntlet”.

 

Combat Doctrine

“Strike your prey with every ounce of fury you possess. Tear at it until it can no longer move. And if it tries to flee before you get close enough, fly swiftly and burn everything behind it so it cannot escape.”

 

While they are well trained and experienced in all the many and bloody ways of war, the Dragons of Oricalcos have a method of combat that was first devised to combat the speed and ferocity of small Waaaaghs and pirate raids. A combination of various high-speed drop ships, tanks, and when feasible in the environmental conditions, a scattering of dragon and lindworm riders, hammer the foe with hellish accuracy, unleashing waves of infantry that tear the enemy limb from limb. Often times, a group of Devastators will be ferried around in a transport to apply heavy fire to areas that need it most. In a battle where any member of the Drakkenwatch or the Dracorex himself is present, they are always allowed to strike the first blow, usually from dragon-back. Standard practice is for these warriors to pick out the most prominent enemy of the field and take them apart, although it is also acceptable to charge into where the numbers of the enemy are thickest. The Burning Wardens also take on this role, or act as heavy support, working with their martial prowess and their own arcane might to tear apart formations and cripple the foes of the Emperor. Occasionally, a group of Penitents will be sent to break the back of the enemy lines, and fall in battle to repent for their sins against the Chapter.

 

Organisation

“Your fealty is as thus; you swear fealty to your Sergeant, your Sergeant swears fealty to his Drake, the Drake swears fealty to the Dracorex, the Dracorex swears fealty to the Lord Commander of all the Sons of Sanguinius, the Lord Commander swears fealty to Sanguinius Himself, and Sanguinius swears fealty to the Emperor.”

 

While for the most part the Dragons are organized according to the Codex Astartes, as Guilliman is there gene-father, the highly heraldic marines have renamed some positions within the Chapter, and have a few groups of warriors not found within the boundaries of the Codex. Instead of Captains, they have Drakes, while their techmarines are given the title Weaponsmith, with the highest ranking one called the High Weaponsmith. Librarians are known as Burning Wardens, and are lead by the Keeper of the Inner Flame.

 

Non-codex Squad Designations

 

Bikers: Lindworms; As opposed to being kept within the support sections of the other companies, these soldiers are held within their own company. This is partially due to the use of bipedal, serpentine creatures dubbed lindworms by Arkon natives, when the atmospheric conditions allow, instead of the usual bikes. Marines within the Lindworms are assigned both a bike and a lindworm to care for and maintain, although occasionally the bike must go to the Forge or the lindworm to the Hatchery for care that the Battle-Brother cannot provide. Those who ride attack bikes within the company are those who lost their mounts in battle, and were bereaved enough by the experience that they no longer desire to work with the beasts. As the beasts hail from only one planet of the Oricalcos System, it is traditionally only recruits from Arkon that ride them to war.

 

Penitents: These warriors are exceptional in every aspect of the art of hand-to-hand combat, and are known by far to excel beyond, in some cases, the Drakkenwatch itself. However, their gift has been recognized at a high price. They have slain a brother during a Gauntlet. Therefore, like the Great Dragon Raziel, they are doomed to fight the enemies of the Emperor and Mankind until dead, and are sent on suicide missions until even their own mighty frame is no more.

 

*Muster of vehicles and dragons not included, as both are in high supply due to the local fauna and the nearby Mining/Forgeworld. The Number of Chaplains and

 

Drakkenwatch: This elite unit consists entirely of the Dracorex’s personal bodyguard. It is this unique division that causes the Chapter to be over ten companies of marines, as the number and strength of this “bodyguard” has grown from twelve men to one-hundred and twenty over the short time the Dragons have been in existence. This is supposedly so that the Drakkenwatch not only outclasses all the other companies, but outnumbers them as well, in the unlikely event of warring within the chapter. All members are chosen personally by the Dracorex and are usually the most battle hardened or heroic warriors of the standard companies. While all of them are trained to use Terminator armor, it is very rare that they actually do, and that privilege is traditionally given to the Second Company. It should be noted that while approximately 220 Dragons are capable of wearing Terminator armor, the Chapter only has 120 suits that are in working condition. It is also to be noted that all members of the Drakkenwatch, if not rich enough to feed and house their own fully-grown dragons, are at least trained in the care and use of the beasts in combat. Largely, they ride juveniles, which are much smaller and by nature, easier to care for. The Dracorex himself is Overseer of the Roost, and decides who shall be given the honor of working with the Chapter’s dragons.

 

1st Company “Oldscales”: 10 Squads of Oldscales

All members of the 1st Company are those chosen by the Drakes of all the Companies for their tactical acumen and all around toughness. They and their Drake take on the role most other Chapters would reserve for their Librarium, with the Drake awarded the title Master of Lore. They serve in a powerful advisory role, and train the new recruits when not actively fighting. All members of the 1st Company are trained to ride dragons in combat, but only the Drake and a few of the most important warriors actually own one.

 

2nd Company “White Fangs”: 2 Squads of Devastators, 2 Squads of Assault Marines, 6 Tactical Squads

 

3rd Company “Foehammers”: 2 Squads of Devastators, 2 Squads of Assault Marines, 6 Tactical Squads

 

4th Company “Scaled Swords”: 2 Squads of Devastators, 2 Squads of Assault Marines, 6 Tactical Squads

 

5th Company “Leviathans”: 2 Squads of Devastators, 2 Squads of Assault Marines, 6 Tactical Squads

 

6th Company “Behemoths”: 10 Tactical Squads

 

7th Company “The Penitents”: 10 Squads of Penitents

 

8th Company “Emberwings”: 10 Squads of Assault Marines

 

9th Company “Kilnmouths”: 10 Squads of Devastators

 

10th Company “Shadow Wyrms”: 10 Squads of Scouts

 

11th Company “Swiftclaws”: 20 Squads of Lindworm Riders

 

Beliefs

 

Most notable among the practices of the Dragons is the utter loathing they have for the use of servitors, dreadnoughts, and their like. While they do accept bionics as a medical good that enables one to keep on fighting after grievous injury, the overuse of them is frowned upon, as a warrior which is more machine than man no longer relies on the strength of the flesh gifted to him by the Emperor. They view dreadnoughts as the ultimate stain on a warrior’s honor. The act of entombing a warrior that can no longer fight is abhorrent, as the warrior is denied his just reward of taking his place at the Emperor’s side and forced to fight with limbs that are no longer his own. They also have no love for any technology that destroys man’s ability to think for himself. While heretics are always deserving of death, they see those who worship or serve out of fear as worthless, and value the choice one makes to serve the Emperor as opposed to one’s self or any other master. Therefore, there are no servitors of any kind in the service of the Chapter, only highly dedicated Bondsmen who strive to be of utmost use in the hopes that they too might one day have a son become a member of the Dragons.

 

Geneseed: Roboute Guilliman

 

Battle-cry

"For Sanguinius!"/"For Guilliman"(lesser used)/"Dragons Ascendant!"(upon victory)/"Dragons, fall from the sky!"(while assaulting)

 

Recommended Listening

Dragon Rider, by Two Steps From Hell

Hell March 3, by Frank Klepacki

Het Gelders Volkslied, by Heidevolk

Back to Back, by Hammerfall

[NightrawenII]

And suddenly, huge wall of text appears... Looky here, some useful codes.

 

Hello and welcome in the Liber. If you don't know, we have two useful guides here. The Guide to DIYing and Octaguide 2.0.

 

Now...

 

Origins

The presence of highly valuable mineral deposits in the system was originally reason for them to mine, but the high chance of shipments being stolen, or raided by orks, was cause not to.

- The Adeptus Mechanicus possess its own armies and fleets.

 

Chapter Master Dante of the Blood Angels was asked for a handful of specialists and veterans to train these new guardians of one of their renowned Primarch’s holy sites. While their geneseed was different from a chapter that the Blood Angels usually would train, the High Lords assured them through vague promises of political ramifications and other necessary evils that this was the best choice. In reality, the Lords did not wish to admit to anyone that they were in some ways beholden to the Adeptus Mechanicus, and therefore required an excuse in Shrine Form to save face.

- 20th Founding was most likely in the late M35 and althought Dante is old. I somewhat doubt, he is that old.

- What has Mechanicus to do with the BA training cadre?

- Why would BA ever accept the training a Chapter of other gene-seed? And why would HLoT consider the BA as a training care?

- Fabricator-General of Mars is High Lord of Terrra.

 

Sanguinius had reportedly walked alone and unarmed to this castle-sized behemoth and raised one hand. The dragon instantly calmed, and bowed his head low. The primarch then commanded him to guard the people of this planet until he returned at the end of the Great Crusade.

- :huh: Check your genre. This is Sci-Fi, not Fantasy.

 

There was more than a little initial outrage among the Angels, and the first several years of touring the system in search of suitable recruits also involved beating some respect into the local Ecclesiarchy and it secular bunkmates.

- I don't understand, where people get the idea that the training cadre is creating entire Chapter from scratch. The new Chapter is created and trained in Founding Facility, at least according to the Cursed Founding article.

 

The first recruits came from two places; the Death World of Nox and the Noble Houses of Oricalcos and Arkon.

- Why three places? Most Chapters is satisfied with one planet. The others are fleet-based.

 

All of this changed with the coming of Hive Fleet Adder.

*snip*

allowing the Adeptus Mechanicus to annihilate the living vessel with him onboard.

- and purpose of this is...?

 

Homeworld

The Oricalcos system contains four planets, the civilized world of Oricalcos from which the system derives its name, the Forgeworld Prosperity, the deathworld Nox, and the agri-world Arkon.

- Forgeworlds of Admech are rare. Having one in your system, is too much convenient.

 

At any time, a Dragon may call his soldiers to fight another fief’s troops, at a pre-ordained time and place. These men will function on their own, while the two Dragons have an affair of honor at the center of the fray.

- Ahem, but What?

 

Combat Doctrine

While they are well trained and experienced in all the many and bloody ways of war, the Dragons of Oricalcos have a method of combat that was first devised to combat the speed and ferocity of small Waaaaghs and pirate raids.

- Waaagh! is anything but small, and 'small' Waaagh! doesn't exist.

 

+++++

What is their attitude in the combat? Are they "cold and calculating", "feral and savage" or "fervour and devout"? What kind of combat they prefer? Close-range firefights, hand-to-hand combat, blasting the enemy from afar with big guns or crush him under the steel tracks of tanks? Collateral damage? Do they fight to protect or to destroy? What is the War-philosophy of Dragons(- in one sentence)?

 

Doctrine = behaviour in the warfare.

 

Organisation

Bikers: Lindworms; As opposed to being kept within the support sections of the other companies, these soldiers are held within their own company.

- Frowning upon idea of Marines riding animals into battle. :P

- Why do your marines ride dragons into battle?

- The 6th Reserve Company is trained to fight as Bike Squadrons.

- Second, the Bikers don't exist. The Assault Marines of company can be fielded as Bike or Land Speeder squadrons.

 

Drakkenwatch

- Why do you have this formation instead of proper Veteran Company?

 

the Chapter only has 120 suits that are in working condition.

- Lol, that's actually too much suits.

 

1st Company “Oldscales”: 10 Squads of Oldscales

All members of the 1st Company are those chosen by the Drakes of all the Companies for their tactical acumen and all around toughness. They and their Drake take on the role most other Chapters would reserve for their Librarium, with the Drake awarded the title Master of Lore. They serve in a powerful advisory role, and train the new recruits when not actively fighting. All members of the 1st Company are trained to ride dragons in combat, but only the Drake and a few of the most important warriors actually own one.

- Why? Librarium is Librarium, Veteran Company is Veteran Company.

 

Beliefs

- Needs some work.

What are the desired and pursued traits? What are the loathed and despised traits? How do they view Imperium, Emperor and Primarchs? Who is praised, for what and how? For what is the Chapter fighting? Emperor, Imperium, humans or some unfathomable idea? How do they view normal humans? What is their behaviour towards normal humans? What is their relationship with other imperial organisations? The relationship with Mechanicus might be interesting. How do they see the xenos, the mutant and the heretic? What is their 'perceived' role in the Universe? etc. etc.

 

Hope this helps. Cheers.

[Ecritter]

- I don't understand, where people get the idea that the training cadre is creating entire Chapter from scratch. The new Chapter is created and trained in Founding Facility, at least according to the Cursed Founding article.

 

Where is this article I've seen you mention a couple times now?

[Darkchild130]

I was also wondering this.

 

Darkchild

[Heru]

- I don't understand, where people get the idea that the training cadre is creating entire Chapter from scratch. The new Chapter is created and trained in Founding Facility, at least according to the Cursed Founding article.

 

Where is this article I've seen you mention a couple times now?

I believe he may be referring to the Cursed Founding article from the Index Astartes books, though how the Cursed Founding worked should have no particular relevance to how any other founding works, considering it's special status (just like the 1st, 2nd and 13th Foundings).

[NightrawenII]

- I don't understand, where people get the idea that the training cadre is creating entire Chapter from scratch. The new Chapter is created and trained in Founding Facility, at least according to the Cursed Founding article.

 

Where is this article I've seen you mention a couple times now?

I believe he may be referring to the Cursed Founding article from the Index Astartes books,

Correct and

though how the Cursed Founding worked should have no particular relevance to how any other founding works, considering it's special status (just like the 1st, 2nd and 13th Foundings).

Depends, how do you know the process of creation in 21st was different from the process in "normal" Founding?

 

I don't think the training cadre has equipment and resources to create a new Chapter from the scratch. For me, it makes a lot of sense for new Chapter to be created and trained in specialized facility, before achieving the active status.

This way, you could produce the Chapters more efficiently and faster than just sending training cadre + gene-seed stock on some backwater planet.

[Andurin Marvak]

Origins

The presence of highly valuable mineral deposits in the system was originally reason for them to mine, but the high chance of shipments being stolen, or raided by orks, was cause not to.

- The Adeptus Mechanicus possess its own armies and fleets.

 

I know. Perhaps I should have made it more clear that the area was nasty enough for them to surmise that losses in troops would outweigh the gains?

 

Chapter Master Dante of the Blood Angels was asked for a handful of specialists and veterans to train these new guardians of one of their renowned Primarch’s holy sites. While their geneseed was different from a chapter that the Blood Angels usually would train, the High Lords assured them through vague promises of political ramifications and other necessary evils that this was the best choice. In reality, the Lords did not wish to admit to anyone that they were in some ways beholden to the Adeptus Mechanicus, and therefore required an excuse in Shrine Form to save face.

 

- 20th Founding was most likely in the late M35 and althought Dante is old. I somewhat doubt, he is that old.

 

I keep forgetting that not everyone is Bjorn the Fell-handed.

 

- What has Mechanicus to do with the BA training cadre?

 

It related to the political reason the Chapter was founded.

 

- Why would BA ever accept the training a Chapter of other gene-seed? And why would HLoT consider the BA as a training care?

 

I'm switching their geneseed to BA, it's too difficult to create loopholes for what I originally wanted to do, and it's starting to smell of bad writing even to me.

 

- Fabricator-General of Mars is High Lord of Terra.

 

Unfortunately, I over-looked this. So that being the case, the FGoM would just put the pressure on the other Lords if he wanted some nice PA warriors to watch over his operations. Looks like I just need to change this up a bit.

 

Sanguinius had reportedly walked alone and unarmed to this castle-sized behemoth and raised one hand. The dragon instantly calmed, and bowed his head low. The primarch then commanded him to guard the people of this planet until he returned at the end of the Great Crusade.

- :huh: Check your genre. This is Sci-Fi, not Fantasy.

 

I'm aware. Should I be more clear earlier on that the "dragons" are not of the magical variety, and just hold that name because of an old terran legend?

 

There was more than a little initial outrage among the Angels, and the first several years of touring the system in search of suitable recruits also involved beating some respect into the local Ecclesiarchy and it secular bunkmates.

- I don't understand, where people get the idea that the training cadre is creating entire Chapter from scratch. The new Chapter is created and trained in Founding Facility, at least according to the Cursed Founding article.

 

All the information I've gone over(including reading many IA's and the DIY guide found on this site) seem to indicate that this is how it works. This is the first

I've heard of a Founding Facility.

 

The first recruits came from two places; the Death World of Nox and the Noble Houses of Oricalcos and Arkon.

- Why three places? Most Chapters is satisfied with one planet. The others are fleet-based.

 

I just counted their home system as one place. It seems like a large percentage of chapters (Ultramarines and their ilk) do this. However, I'm eliminating Nox, because it makes the way they recruit too illogical otherwise.

 

All of this changed with the coming of Hive Fleet Adder.

*snip*

allowing the Adeptus Mechanicus to annihilate the living vessel with him onboard.

 

- To show that they have faced extremely large scale action and that the enemies weren't just "SPEHSS MAHREENS, OH NOES, WE'RE DEAD".

 

Homeworld

The Oricalcos system contains four planets, the civilized world of Oricalcos from which the system derives its name, the Forgeworld Prosperity, the deathworld Nox, and the agri-world Arkon.

- Forgeworlds of Admech are rare. Having one in your system, is too much convenient.

 

That was the purpose of inducting them into the reason for the Chapter's existence in the first place. I wanted a viable reason to have a Forgeworld nearby.

 

At any time, a Dragon may call his soldiers to fight another fief’s troops, at a pre-ordained time and place. These men will function on their own, while the two Dragons have an affair of honor at the center of the fray.

- Ahem, but What?

 

How else will they determine who is fit for recruitment? They just say, "Okay, I feel like fighting you and your men, let's test our skill. Whoever does better might have their kids become marines like us."

 

Combat Doctrine

While they are well trained and experienced in all the many and bloody ways of war, the Dragons of Oricalcos have a method of combat that was first devised to combat the speed and ferocity of small Waaaaghs and pirate raids.

- Waaagh! is anything but small, and 'small' Waaagh! doesn't exist.

 

Good point. I'll fix this.

 

+++++

What is their attitude in the combat? Are they "cold and calculating", "feral and savage" or "fervour and devout"? What kind of combat they prefer? Close-range firefights, hand-to-hand combat, blasting the enemy from afar with big guns or crush him under the steel tracks of tanks? Collateral damage? Do they fight to protect or to destroy? What is the War-philosophy of Dragons(- in one sentence)?

 

Doctrine = behaviour in the warfare.

 

I agree, this area needs some heavy beefing up.

 

Organisation

Bikers: Lindworms; As opposed to being kept within the support sections of the other companies, these soldiers are held within their own company.

- Frowning upon idea of Marines riding animals into battle. ;)

 

Not much I can do for you there.

 

- Why do your marines ride dragons into battle?

 

The business with Sanguinius and Raziel. Although I admit, I need to be more clear about this.

 

- The 6th Reserve Company is trained to fight as Bike Squadrons.

- Second, the Bikers don't exist. The Assault Marines of company can be fielded as Bike or Land Speeder squadrons.

 

Now that I think about it, screw the Lindworms. The dragons are enough, I don't need cold one cavalry, my marines are not lead by Slann Mage-Priests.

 

Drakkenwatch

- Why do you have this formation instead of proper Veteran Company?

 

I need more background on why the CM's bodyguard went from twelve individuals to 120...because technically they already have a Veteran Company.

 

the Chapter only has 120 suits that are in working condition.

- Lol, that's actually too much suits.

 

I was worried about that, but was unsure how many suits any chapter would have. It seemed like they had enough for 1st company, which technically is what the Oldscales are. This will be easy to fix.

 

1st Company “Oldscales”: 10 Squads of Oldscales

All members of the 1st Company are those chosen by the Drakes of all the Companies for their tactical acumen and all around toughness. They and their Drake take on the role most other Chapters would reserve for their Librarium, with the Drake awarded the title Master of Lore. They serve in a powerful advisory role, and train the new recruits when not actively fighting. All members of the 1st Company are trained to ride dragons in combat, but only the Drake and a few of the most important warriors actually own one.

- Why? Librarium is Librarium, Veteran Company is Veteran Company.

 

Now I feel silly. Originally, these were going to be counts as SW, and I missed changing this part, I guess. The Librarium is the Librarium.

 

Beliefs

- Needs some work.

What are the desired and pursued traits? What are the loathed and despised traits? How do they view Imperium, Emperor and Primarchs? Who is praised, for what and how? For what is the Chapter fighting? Emperor, Imperium, humans or some unfathomable idea? How do they view normal humans? What is their behaviour towards normal humans? What is their relationship with other imperial organisations? The relationship with Mechanicus might be interesting. How do they see the xenos, the mutant and the heretic? What is their 'perceived' role in the Universe? etc. etc.

 

This I know was not as filled out as it could have been, but I felt a general critique was necessary first, as their beliefs would come from their heritage, which I felt needed to be previewed so that I could tweak it beforehand.

 

Hope this helps. Cheers.

 

And it has, immensely!