Terminus Chapter

[Midgard]

THE END IS HERE: The Terminus Chapter

For that is fitting that we have no past, because there is little time left for the future. Stand fast brothers, and remember that the bonds between us are strongest when the blood runs thin – attributed to Epistolary Sphrantzes, First Company, M.41.

Teetering on the very limits of Imperial tolerance due to genetic flaws, the Terminus Chapter’s history of dedicated service is barely enough to stave off unwanted attention. Forced to always strive harder than their peers to find a modiculum of acceptance, Space Marines of the Chapter have adopted a variety of unconventional tactics to survive as a coherent force while never wavering from their sacred duty, driven on by the knowledge shared by all Battle Brothers - it is the Time of Ending, and all shall play their role.

Origins

T

he 21st Founding of Adeptus Astartes was a time of great hope and celebration. Dozens of new Chapters of Space Marines took to the stars in the largest founding in almost six thousand years, ready to dispense the Emperor’s justice upon the alien, the heretic, and the mutant. And yet, the very ambitions that prompted the High Lords of Terra to announce such a fortuitous event proved to be their undoing, for in their pride and arrogance the Mechanicus of Mars thought themselves the Emperor’s equals, striving to improve upon the perfection of His works only to find themselves lacking.

Time and again the blasphemous experiments of the Martian Adepts brought forth disaster. The names of the Chapters spawned in what became known as the Cursed Founding are to this day mentioned only in the hushed tones – insane Flame Falcons, mutated Black Dragons, luckless Lamenters, treacherous Blood Gorgons. Truly did the Mechanicus fall far from His grace for letting loose such abominations upon the stars!

Those were the dark times that gave birth to the Terminus Chapter, and for all the millennia that passed, the Chapter still bears marks of their cursed legacy that no amount of service to the Emperor’s realm could possibly erase.

Many of the Chapter’s early records were lost during the turmoil of Age of Apostasy, however, it is known with certainty that the early training cadre came not from one but from at least three different Chapters with distinct origins. The Mechanicus records indicate the Chapters as Imperial Eagles, themselves descended from the proud line of Rogal Dorn; the Sons of Nereus from the line of Roboute Guilliman; and the Starbreakers, of uncertain lineage. This peculiar heritage, combined with the nomadic nature of the Chapter during its formative years, had produced an offspring unlike any of its predecessors.

The records indicate that by the middle of M36, the Chapter had acquired the right to found its Fortress-Monastery on the civilized world of Byzantion Prime deep in the Segmentum Tempestus. It is hard to tell what prompted that choice, as the folk of Byzantion Prime were civilized and prosperous, yet of little martial skill. Perhaps this was the beginning of the Chapter’s trials to come, but in the chaos of Goge Vandire’s Reign of Blood very few inquisitive eyes cared to look in the direction of a new and untested Chapter of Space Marines.

Byzantion Prime

“Are you sure?” Chapter Master Valentinian, a former Imperial Eagle, said with a frown. Arcadius, the Chief Librarian, suppressed a bitter laugh. Valentinian was still a descendant of a different gene-line, and found trusting other Marines difficult. “This is… the Terminus you were speaking of?”

Slowly, Arcadius nodded. “This is the world I have seen in my visions,” he said, staring at the illuminated planet from the Chapter’s sole battle-barge. Their journey was long, and the path ahead was going to be even longer. And then, could they mold this new fledgling Chapter into something more than its predecessors and teachers – all three of them. The Sons of Nereus, implacable in defense; the Imperial Eagles, faithful to the memory of Macragge; the Starbreakers, the pale-skinned specialists of hidden war.

They were going to create something new – a force both strong and honorable, cunning and righteous. They would need the people that could accept such differing forms of guidance and mold it into a cohesive whole. The civilized folk of the planet, this Byzantion Prime, they were going to be the fuel feeding the forge of the Emperor’s Chosen, the warrior-scholars that would one day stand at His side and receive His benediction in the time of Ending. The time that was now fast approaching.

Secure in his faith, the Librarian smiled. “This is the end of our journey, and the beginning of the End.”

While the Chapter’s original purpose was lost to history along with its earlier records, its presence was quickly felt in the systems surrounding Byzantion Prime as the Chapter’s Marines made short work of a nearby fledgling Ork empire of Gurrzakh while clearing the shipping lanes of pirates and other malcontents. These early campaigns established the young Chapter as a Codex-adherent force, trained in the best traditions of the sons of Dorn and Guilliman with an unusually competent scout cadre. As the Chapter grew more confident, it lent squads and even full Battle Companies to Imperial forces fighting in actions across the Segmentum, while building the defenses of its home world to be utterly impregnable.

The Breaking

I

t was not until several centuries into the Chapter’s recorded history that the first signs of trouble appeared during routine examinations by the Chapter’s Apothecaries. It soon became apparent that inexplicably, several of the Battle Brothers implants began to malfunction until they stopped working altogether. The Belcher’s Gland and the Sus-an Membrane were the first to go, followed by malfunctions in the Mucranoid and Melanochrome organs. Given time, the Apothecaries might have been able to reverse the trend, but time was a precious commodity, as a massive Ork Waagh! was approaching the sub-sector, and every able-bodied Space Marine was needed in order to stop it.

The combined force of the Terminus Chapter led by Chapter Master Diogenes himself made its stand on Ancyra IV, expecting to be bolstered by the Imperial Guard regiments from the other planets of the sector. It is said in the legends of the Chapter that the battle raged for seventeen days, with many deeds of valor performed by the Imperial defenders in the face of insurmountable odds. Time after time the greenskin horde threw itself at the ramparts of the makeshift bastions only to break against the resolute defenders. It seemed as if the very ground of that rugged, mountainous world turned to sickly green as hundreds of thousands of Orks assaulted the Space Marines, climbing over the bodies of their fallen comrades only to die in turn. It was a moment of courage and glory when the legends were written with bolter and blade upon the foul flesh of the alien – and yet it would soon become known as the young Chapter’s darkest moment yet.

Unbeknownst to Diogenes and his brave defenders, their fate was sealed from the moment they set their power-armored boots upon the cursed soil of Ancyra IV. Whether by cruel trick of destiny or by human error, the promised Imperial Guard regiments were delayed in the Warp, leaving the Marines to stand alone against the Orks. For all their courage and skill, the warriors of the Emperor could not hope to survive the onslaught, and one by one, they fell until Captain Alexios, the highest ranking officer now that Chapter Master Diogenes fell to an Ork blade, called for a withdrawal.

It was with a heavy heart that the survivors of the Terminus Chapter limped back to Byzantion Prime. Only two hundred Marines lived to tell the tragic tale of Ancyra IV, with the Chapter losing not only its Master, but seven of its Captains, most of its Chaplains, and both of its Dreadnaughts. Most of the Chapter’s Fleet was lost fighting a delaying action against the Orks, while the surviving ships were barely space-worthy by the time the beaten Chapter returned to its home world. As the Imperial Guard regiments promised to the Chapter finally arrived long after the battle was lost, they faced an untenable situation with no Marine support left, dying in droves even as the battered remnants of the Terminus Chapter withdrew. Even as Captain Alexios, now the acting Chapter Master due to his seniority, made it into the hallowed halls of the Fortress-Monastery, he knew that the worst was yet to come.

With nowhere to run, the Chapter’s survivors and the Imperial Guard regiments that did not make it to Ancyra IV in time made their last stand at Byzantion Prime itself. For two years the Orks fought their way through the outlying planets of the system, laying waste to all in their path and putting the fabled defense grid of the Chapter’s home world to the test. Alexios was forced to order his Apothecaries to use the Chapter’s precious stocks of gene-seed in order to create as many new Marines as possible to replace his losses, knowing that he was only delaying the inevitable and yet refusing to shy away from his sworn duty. Even then, the losses from boarding actions and fighting on the system’s many planets and moons ate into the remaining fighting strength of the Chapter, forcing it to adopt more unconventional tactics and non-Codex organization so that it may fight another day while hoping that astropathic calls for help would fall on friendly ears.

The Aftermath of Ancyra IV

The Chapter’s scholars spent many years debating the exact causes of the disaster, with some laying blame at the hands of the late-arriving Imperial Guard, while some suspecting that their Chapter was subject to the cursed luck of the 21st Founding. The most controversial theory, rarely spoken of in the open due to the embarrassment the admission causes the Chapter, is that the defeat at Ancyra IV was due to a very mundane tactical error made by Chapter Master Diogenes.

While Diogenes claimed to have been guided by the tenets of the Codex Astartes until the very end, close examination suggests that he put too much faith in favorable Warp currents and factors outside of his immediate control, contrary to the suggestions of the Codex. As a result, an ideological rift began to develop between the Chapter’s Marines, some of whom cited the great disaster, known to future generations as the Breaking, as a reason to take a looser approach to the Codex, while to the others the Breaking had only reaffirmed the need to remain Codex-adherent.

As the Terminus Chapter was preparing itself for the oncoming end, the salvation appeared in form of the Novamarines, whose intervention relieved the siege of Byzantion Prime. The reunion was far from happy, as the Novamarines were horrified at the deviations from Codex allowed by Alexios in order to survive the siege, and at the apparent lack of rigorous selection process for the newly indicted members of the Chapter. Only the presence of the diminished but not completely extinct Ork threat prevented further complications between the Chapters.

As the Novamarines left to continue their own mission, Chapter Master Alexios was left with a shell of a Chapter to rebuild from. It is a testament to his leadership and pragmatism that the Terminus Chapter survived, albeit in a form not envisioned by its founders.

The Reforging

B

y the time the Novamarines departed, the once-proud Terminus Chapter numbered barely two hundred Marines, most of whom suffered from significant implant malfunction. The decentralized nature of guerilla operations, with individual regiments and squads operating independently for months at a time, took its toll on the Chapter’s organizational structure. The hastily promoted Captains tended to work independently of one another, with only the minimal direction from the Chapter Master. Already the tempers began to heat up over the disagreements on organizational, strategic, and operational matters. It seemed that the Chapter was beginning to unravel as the younger, less experienced Marines began to question the wisdom of their Chapter Master, while the older warriors were consumed with self-doubt at the chastisement they had received from the Novamarines and at their own Chapter’s recent disasters. It seemed that all it would take for the situation to explode was a single spark.

Faced with an explosive situation, Chapter Master Alexios was forced to act quickly. Gathering his Captains, he made an impassionate plea to set aside their differences for the sake of the Chapter’s survival. Already, he said, their gene-seed was beginning to degrade, and while the implant failures resulted in an unexpected benefit of faster creation of Marines, it was not going to be long before the High Lords noticed something was amiss. Many Chapters, Alexios continued, had lengthy and glorious rolls of honor even with genetic deficiencies – but only if they presented a unified face to the rest of the Imperium. A Chapter at odds with itself and rife with genetic deviancy could not make a case for its continued survival, resulting in it being disbanded or worse.

Therefore, he proposed, the new Captains would be free to conduct the operations of their companies using their own tactical and organizational preferences – in return, all would agree to maintain Codex-prescribed limits on Company size, and Chapter organization as a whole, while heeding the call of the Chapter Master when asked to deploy their forces in a Chapter-wide undertaking. After all, there was some precedence for independently operating Battle Companies in the Starbreakers, one of the three Chapters tasked with training the Terminus Chapter in its infancy. Never again would the adherence to one doctrine, or to one man’s way of war hamper the Chapter, while the Chapter Master would swear to abide by the Chapter arrangement agreed upon. To an outsider, the Terminus Chapter would appear as somewhat Codex-adherent, well organized force with independent-minded but disciplined and loyal officers.

While there was some dissent amongst the younger Captains, the officers saw the wisdom of Alexios’ words, allowing them to rebuild their companies in a shape more suitable to their chosen tactics. Some, Alexios included, still believed in the wisdom and the tactical flexibility allowed by the Codex Astartes organization – as a result, their companies were organized largely accordingly to the Codex. Some others looked to more unconventional sources of inspiration, resulting in very different types of command structure that eventually survived the Captains that instilled those changes into their charges.

Organization

L

ike most Codex-adherent Chapters of Adeptus Astartes, the Terminus Chapter is organized into ten Battle Companies of 100 Marines each, along with the supporting crews, specialists, and Chapter command staff. Each Company is led by a single Captain, and boasts its own pool of vehicles and Dreadnaughts. Where the Terminus Chapters differs from most of its peers is in the Company-level organization, which is often wildly different between Companies.

Nine of the Terminus Chapter’s ten Companies are considered Battle Companies, and all are equally capable of taking to the field with little to no support from their peers. The Chapter maintains no dedicated Reserve Companies or Scout Company, with each Battle Company responsible for the replenishment of its own ranks. The sole exception is First Company, which, like that of many other Chapters, consists of hardened veterans given the right to wear one of the Chapter’s precious few suits of Terminator armor. These veterans, known as Cilibanarii after the heavily armored knights of Byzantion Prime’s legend, form the Chapter Master’s personal guard, and serve as the Chapter’s mobile reserve to be seconded to Battle Companies during the crucial campaigns.

The Chapter’s Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Seven Companies are largely organized accordingly to the Codex Astartes, with the sole deviation being that each Company is responsible for its own recruitment, and as such maintains its own training cadre, Scout squads, and attached Apothecaries. The mostly-Codex Companies, known as the Stalwarts, tend to be slightly larger than Codex-prescribed restrictions, as in addition to 100 full Battle Brothers, each company also includes a sizeable Scout contingent with attached Sergeants, and several specialists such as Apothecaries. As a result, each Company is a largely self-sufficient unit, capable of operating on their own for extended lengths of time.

The Chapter’s Third Company, known as the Kataphraktii after the mobile cavalrymen of Byzantion Prime’s ancient history, specializes in mechanized warfare, and maintains a large motor pool of Land Speeders in addition to no less than six Dreadnaughts and several Predator tanks. While their specialized approach to battle made the Kataphraktii less versatile than their peers, the appearance of their armored might has been a welcome sight to many worlds in the area under the Chapter’s protection.

The Sixth Company has highly unconventional internal organization and battle doctrines, at least by most standards, and as such is viewed with some suspicion by the rest of the Chapter. Known as Varangians, or “outsiders” in their homeworld’s language, the Sixth Company adopted the moniker with pride in the millennia since it was reconstituted after the Breaking. The Company’s founder, Captain Nikephoros, believed in using the aggression of the younger Marines in assault roles, while letting older, more experienced warriors engage at range. Having received several suits of Tactical Dreadnaught Armor for their courageous defense of an Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World early in M38, the Sixth Company is the only Company outside the First that can wield its own Terminators, who are usually tasked with leading their power-armored brethren in battle.

The Cursed Eighth

The gene-seed degradation of Terminus Chapter’s Eighth Company took on a worrying turn when the Company returned from a particularly lengthy campaign away from the rest of their brothers. It is unknown what might have caused the degradation, although some point to the Company’s need to recruit aspirants away from Byzantion Prime during its fifty year isolation as being a possible cause. Curiously, however, the Tenth Company exhibits no signs of the Eighth’s Curse despite using some of the very same recruitment grounds utilized by the Eighth during its isolation. Some of the more hot-headed Marines in aristocratic Third and Ninth Companies believe that the Eighth’s penchant for recruiting from lower classes of Byzantion Prime is the reason for the Curse, reflected as the Emperor’s displeasure at His Angels of Death being produced from such base stock.

The Eighth Company has suffered greater degradation of gene-seed than most other Battle Companies, a fact that remained unknown due to the Company’s famous independence until it was too late to correct it. By the time the Chapter Master interfered, offering to replenish the Company’s gene-seed stock with less degraded stock from the other Companies, the Eighth Company already reorganized to make best use of the flaws, thus declining the Chapter Master’s offer. Now, the Eighth Company’s Marines view the flaw, which gives the sufferers prodigious strength and speed at the cost of most of their sanity, as somewhat of a blessing, and incorporate all who exhibit the signs of the Flaw into separate units which are then unleashed upon the Chapter’s enemies in close combat. Due to the prominence of the Flaw and the Company’s refusal to replace its gene-seed stock, the Eighth Company is assigned with great many Chaplains in order to ensure that its Marines stay true to the light of the Emperor.

The Ninth Company was formed from the surviving Assault elements of the post-Breaking Chapter, and embodies the assault doctrines of the Terminus Chapter. Uniquely amongst their brethren, the Marines of the Ninth Company refuse to utilize Librarians, believing that doing so is dangerously close to succumbing to Warp-taint. The Company’s Battle Brothers tend to be nigh fanatical in their pursuit of combat, believing that the Chapter’s enemies must be purified with bolter and blade where the enemies could witness the Chapter’s wrath first-hand. As such, many have taken to announcing oaths before battle, swearing to complete specific objectives or die trying.

Unlike most other Space Marine Chapters, the Terminus Chapter’s Tenth Company is a full Battle Company. Not long after the Chapter’s gene-seed failures became apparent, a series of Chapter Masters attempted to expand their recruitment stock outside of Byzantion Prime. The Tenth Company was the first recruited exclusively from other planets, and as such it is still seen with some distrust by the Chapter’s other Companies. While the Tenth Company’s gene-seed appears to be somewhat more stable than that of their peers, the Company’s mongrel nature resulted in a general inconsistency of traditions. Thus, unlike the other Companies, the Tenth Company does not have a permanent Captain, but instead a council of officers with a title of Lieutenant, each with his own specialization. Depending on the specifics of a mission, the Lieutenants confer temporary seniority upon one of themselves to act as a Captain for the duration of the mission. While it has led to significant flexibility on the field of battle, some critics within the Chapter pointed that this fluid organization creates much greater potential for unproductive conflict within the Company. Currently, there had been calls for a permanent Tenth Captain to be appointed in order to mitigate these concerns.

Home World and Recruitment

B

yzantion Prime is a civilized world on the outskirts of Segmentum Tempestus orbiting twin stars, a red giant near the end of its main sequence and a closely orbiting white dwarf. The red giant feeds stellar materials into the white dwarf, getting it ever closer to a critical mass that, by Mechanicus estimates, will result in a nova within a million years. This knowledge of impending doom led the world’s population to a fatalistic set of beliefs that considers every day a gift from the Emperor, who is thought to stave off the coming apocalypse.

The planet has a relatively pleasant climate largely not polluted by its sizeable industries, with a moderate population sufficient to maintain its level of technology, but not anywhere near the level of a hive world. The planet is ruled by a loose oligarchy of noble families and mercantile dynasties, albeit not without a degree of social mobility present for particularly talented or lucky commoners. The aristocrats owe their fealty to the Chapter Master of the Terminus Chapter as their liege lord, with a council of advisors hand-picked by the Chapter Master from Byzantion Prime’s aristocracy overseeing the planet’s daily affairs on his behalf. This is accomplished by the means of an intricate and all-pervasive bureaucracy regulating every aspect of Byzantion Prime’s political, economic, cultural, and social life. It is uncommon for the Space Marines to interfere in their home world’s affairs on a significant scale, however, it did happen in times of crisis or when the ruling oligarchs failed their liege lord’s expectations.

The Terminus Chapter tends to recruit mostly from Byzantion Prime’s aristocratic families, many of whom consider it a point of honor to have a scion of a family join the Chapter. While some commoners inevitably make it into the Chapter’s ranks, they are often looked down at by their brother Marines, and some Companies, most notably the Third and the Ninth companies, refuse to accept otherwise suitable recruits without aristocratic pedigree.

Any prospective aspirant identified at the age of ten by the planet-wide bureaucracy and judged to be compatible with the Chapter’s gene-seed is given a series of examinations testing his intelligence, aptitude, psychic potential, and personality. The few that pass the tests are sent to the Chapter’s Fortress-Monastery, the Holy Wisdom, where the Chapter’s Chaplains hold the final round of examinations for purity, dedication, and commitment to the Emperor’s ideals. The aspirants found wanting are returned to their families, although some choose to live out their lives as the Chapter serfs in order to escape the public shame of being rejected. The successful aspirants then begin the process of transformation into Space Marines.

On Aspirants

I can teach you how to fight, but I cannot teach you how to think.

- Scout Sergeant Bardas, Second Company, circa M.40

The aspirants’ intelligence and diligence in their studies are considered more important than their combat skills. The Terminus Chapter believes that it is easier to teach fighting skills to neophytes with the right mindset than it is to teach the right mindset. As different Companies tend to have different ideas on what type of recruits they are looking for, some aspirants rejected by one Company had long and illustrious careers in other Companies, the Captains of which have judged the aspirants to be appropriate fit for their units.

The sole exception to these recruitment practices is the Tenth Company, which tends to recruit almost exclusively from off-world. While almost all Companies have been known to occasionally recruit from planets other than Byzantion Prime if they happen upon suitable candidates, the Tenth is the only Company in which the majority of Marines were not born on Byzantion Prime. The Company still utilizes similar criteria to their brethren, however, the variances between the cultures it recruits from resulted in giving the Tenth a reputation of being somewhat unruly and independent even in comparison to their peers.

Beliefs

T

he Terminus Chapter’s beliefs are the result of both their founding and their home planet. Trained by a cadre from three different Chapters with their own often contradictory beliefs, the Terminus Chapter incorporated the fatalistic streak of its home world’s culture with the bits and pieces of its founding cadre’s teachings.

While it has a healthy respect for the Codex Astartes, instilled by the legacy of first Chapter Master Valentinian (himself coming from an Ultramarine-descended Chapter), the Terminus Chapter places high significance on the power of prophecy. The Chapter believes that a prophecy guided them to Byzantion Prime, and while the various Companies differ in their acceptance of future revelations and psyker gifts, all believe that the Chapter has a part to play in the Emperor’s grand design. The independent streak of the Starbreakers, responsible for training the Chapter’s covert operations and guerilla warfare elements upon their inception, has eventually transformed into a belief in the Terminus Chapter’s exclusivity, fostered by the Chapter’s Chaplains who never cease to remind the Battle Brothers about their Chapter’s unique place in the Emperor’s plan.

This fatalism led the Chapter to accept the flaws of their gene-seed as a necessary humbling of their hubris, while the side effect of slightly quicker transformation of aspirants to Scouts and eventually to full Marines is seen as a validation of righteousness of their path. The Chaplains preach that when the End Times arrive, the Emperor will reform the Legions of Space Marines, needing every warrior at his side. As such, the lack of certain functionalities in their gene-seed is seen as an acceptable trade-off for the ability to quickly provide the Emperor with many warriors when He returns.

The Chapter holds the Emperor as the supreme personification of humanity and a venerated divine ancestor. They believe that the Emperor has two natures, one human, one divine, with the human nature responsible for the creation of the Imperium and of the Space Marines themselves, and the divine nature responsible for the spiritual salvation of humanity. As such, it is not uncommon to hear the Chapter’s Chaplains both offer prayers to the Emperor as a deity, and to praise him as a corporeal and very human ancestor, often in the same sentence. Consequently, the Chapter cult tends to venerate the Emperor separately in both of his guises, as an ancestor and as a god, with separate rituals established for both types of veneration.

As the Terminus Chapter does not know its Primarch, they venerate the loyalist Primarchs. Ironically due to its non-Codex organization, the Chapter affords special reverence to Roboute Guilliman and Rogal Dorn, both ancestors of the Chapter’s training cadre. Some amongst the Chapter also elevate Corax of the Raven Guard to the same level of respect, as he was the originator of many doctrines taught to then-fledgling Terminus Chapter by the third part of their training cadre, the Starbreakers. With the knowledge of their own gene-seed failings and the Starbreakers’ uncertain parentage, some within the Terminus Chapter attempt to trace a genetic connection to the Raven Guard line, known to experience its own gene-seed difficulties, although this belief is generally frowned upon by the Chaplains.

Gene-seed

T

he source of the Terminus Chapter’s gene-seed is unknown, although its many deficiencies prompted some of the Apothecaries to speculate that at some point it was subject to extensive tampering. It is certain that the 21st Founding was the time of many questionable experiments, however, it is not known whether or not the Terminus Chapter was directly affected, or if its’ later troubles were caused by an unrelated factor.

As it is, the Chapter’s gene-seed completely lacks Belcher’s Gland, Sus-an Membrane, and Mucranoid implants, with noticeable dysfunctions in Melanochrome, Neuroglottis, and Omophagea organs, and some mutations in the Catalepsean Node. While most of these mutations do not affect the Chapter’s combat capability, the Apothecaries still try to restore functionality of the existing, if malfunctioning, organs. Their task is made more difficult by some Companies developing their own genetic idiosyncrasies while preferring to keep their own stocks of gene-seed.

The Chapter’s Marines skin tends to darken with age until it is bronze-brown, while their hair becomes pure white only a few decades into service. Their sense of taste is highly peculiar, resulting in the Marines being completely unable to taste certain things while gaining heightened sensitivity to other tastes. Similarly, the mutation in the Omophagea results in the Marines experiencing phantom pain of their recent kill being consumed. Finally, the Terminus Chapter’s Catalepsean Node has experienced some mutation that allows select Battle Brothers to experience visions while in half-sleep at the price of being unable to experience REM sleep.

Battle Cry

The End is here!

[NightrawenII]

I would imagine a lot of intellectual fine-tuning of their doctrine (i.e. lots of theological sophistry), with average Battle Brothers recruited from civilized societies and generally expected to be knowledgeable in matters of philosophy, theology, and the like.

Space Marines are first and foremost warriors. Recruiting such people is rather contraproductive. Another thing to consider, it is neccesary to be male around age of 12 for gene-seed to work. It's hard to be a esteemed philosopher or theologian at this age. ;)

 

On the tabletop, I would like to create a force that can be played with several different codices, and quite possibly with a set of (optional) homebrew rules. Therefore, I would assume they are generally non-Codex in organization, with some Battle Companies operating as Codex Companies (a "fluffy" excuse to use C:SM), while some other Battle Companies may follow differing visions of their respective Captains (an excuse to use C:SW, C:BA, C: BT, C: DA, or, quite possibly, C:GK if I can think of a good "fluffy" excuse to have GK equivalents in a gene-seed deficient Chapter). I am not a "power gamer" and do not participate in tournaments, therefore, the use of various codices would allow me to have a more cost-efficient method of effectively fielding several different PA armies for different playing experience while still allowing for it to be justified by my Chapter's fluff.

How do you represent your Chapter on the tabletop is irrelevant in the DIY creation and it should be your least concern. Really, more often than not this results in bad writing.

 

Second, C:GK seems to me like bad choice. Simply because the GK are too powerfull. I can't see how could Chapter with deficient gene-seed match the level of their awesomeness.

[Midgard]

I would imagine a lot of intellectual fine-tuning of their doctrine (i.e. lots of theological sophistry), with average Battle Brothers recruited from civilized societies and generally expected to be knowledgeable in matters of philosophy, theology, and the like.

Space Marines are first and foremost warriors. Recruiting such people is rather contraproductive. Another thing to consider, it is neccesary to be male around age of 12 for gene-seed to work. It's hard to be a esteemed philosopher or theologian at this age. :lol:

 

I would imagine their logic on it would be that anyone with the right mindset and compatible biology could be made into an Astartes and taught to fight - but if they don't have the right mindset, then no amount of combat proficiency will make them into Astartes material. Naturally no one would expect a 12 year old to be a theologician, but I would assume that any full Battle Brother would be expected to have at least a passing understanding of theological and philosophical doctrines behind the Chapter's existence. I think I might not have phrased that very well - I intended to convey that once a recruit is accepted, he will be expected to learn not only the military disciplines taught by the Chapter, but also its guiding principles.

 

Ultimately I want to give them an outlook that has quite a bit in common with post-Manzikert Byzantium, conveying both its focus on learning and military skill while making do with deficient resources and lack of uniform military structure (which could be conveyed by different Captains fighting in very different manners). That, and the apocalyptic streak in their beliefs (i.e. "the world is about to end any time now"), resulting in them interpreting any event as a self-fulfilling prophecy of coming Apocalypse/End Times.

 

 

How do you represent your Chapter on the tabletop is irrelevant in the DIY creation and it should be your least concern. Really, more often than not this results in bad writing.

 

I can definitely see this point, and would not base the IA article on how the force would play on tabletop - however, I would like to justify the different applications of the force in the eventual IA. Not to worry though - I am more interested in Chapter fluff, history, characters, beliefs, and so on than I am in outlining exact structure of each Company, and what I am thinking of here is mostly to add a sentence or two that would enable me to remain flexible in terms of organization if need be without making it a focus of the article.

 

Second, C:GK seems to me like bad choice. Simply because the GK are too powerfull. I can't see how could Chapter with deficient gene-seed match the level of their awesomeness.

 

There is definitely a bit of conflict there - the only way I can possibly justify that is through an elite force that is extremely few in number, something like Honor Guard. And even then, I would have to cut A LOT of corners (i.e. no GK-specific vehicles like Stormravens or Dreadknights, and so on). So in the long run, GK codex use might not be viable in this scenario.

 

Thank you for your feedback! Do the above explanations make sense, or do they present potential weak points for the prospective IA article? I am trying to figure out all the prospective issues before I begin writing the article proper.

[NightrawenII]

I would imagine their logic on it would be that anyone with the right mindset and compatible biology could be made into an Astartes and taught to fight - but if they don't have the right mindset, then no amount of combat proficiency will make them into Astartes material. Naturally no one would expect a 12 year old to be a theologician, but I would assume that any full Battle Brother would be expected to have at least a passing understanding of theological and philosophical doctrines behind the Chapter's existence. I think I might not have phrased that very well - I intended to convey that once a recruit is accepted, he will be expected to learn not only the military disciplines taught by the Chapter, but also its guiding principles.

 

Ultimately I want to give them an outlook that has quite a bit in common with post-Manzikert Byzantium, conveying both its focus on learning and military skill while making do with deficient resources and lack of uniform military structure (which could be conveyed by different Captains fighting in very different manners). That, and the apocalyptic streak in their beliefs (i.e. "the world is about to end any time now"), resulting in them interpreting any event as a self-fulfilling prophecy of coming Apocalypse/End Times.

Interesting, this explanation gives me impression of Marines, who don't rely on their enhanced bodies, but rather on their minds, ie. inteligence and knowledge, to prosecute the enemies of the Imperium. With the feeling of inevitable doom.

 

Nice concept, I'm looking forward to it.:tu:

 

Thank you for your feedback! Do the above explanations make sense, or do they present potential weak points for the prospective IA article? I am trying to figure out all the prospective issues before I begin writing the article proper.

I don't see any problems yet. In all fairness, I don't have problems with the concepts or the themes, but the execution is often... wanting.

 

Cheers and good luck. :o

[Midgard]

Thank you for your input - I hope to start working on the actual IA soon(ish), and post a first draft here in the next month or so, time permitting. As always, I am open to suggestions, comments, and ideas on how I can improve this (and while I am going to commit one of the cardinal sins of IA by suggesting mixed gene-seed, it would be used only as a story convenience to explain gene-seed malfunctions and lack of successors and ties with other Chapters).

[Crimson Fisting]

Really? Already DIY Chapters popping up that use C:GK as a base? :wallbash:

[Midgard]

Really? Already DIY Chapters popping up that use C:GK as a base? :wallbash:

 

I was not intending to use C:GK as the main base for this chapter, and probably am not going to (as it would not fit with the rest of the fluff). The only reason I was mentioning C:GK is that I would like to have a cost-effective way to bring a DIY Chapter to the tabletop and to experiment with different codices to see which one is more fun to play. As I am more interested in the fluff side of things (I very rarely get any gaming in), I would like to write my Chapter IA in such a way that would not make the occasional use of C:DA, C:BT, C:BA, or C:SW "unfluffy", while still being able to field a Codex-compliant company (which, I suspect, would be the main use of the Chapter). Besides it would give me a good excuse to purchase the respective codices without spending a fortune on corresponding armies.

 

And no, I was in no way intending to write up an uber-Chapter where everyone from the lowest servitor to the Chapter Master is a Marty Stu of the highest proportions. In fact, my basic idea was to create a Chapter that is deeply flawed in many ways, with the story of the Chapter taking precedence over the details of their organization and the like. Eventually, my aim would be to run a narrative campaign with a small circle of friends focused mostly on telling a story as opposed to winning it all, and I would like to keep the Chapter's actions within that campaign true to the IA fluff - therefore, I need to leave the fluff options in terms of codex utilization sufficiently open without making it a central theme of the Chapter (which it will not be - it is essentially a convenient "out" if I want to field a different styled force in the context of that campaign).

[Midgard]

Well, the beginnings of the IA article are here. Any feedback, comments, or pointing out of obvious plot holes will be appreciated, and will be considered in future revisions and updates.

[NightrawenII]

My thoughts:

- I'm not fan of story-telling Index Astartes, mainly because the "unecessary" details dilute the facts and important informations, but anyway...

- Why is your Chapter trained by the Marines from three different gene-lines? I'm not against this idea, just Chekhov's Gun.

- The sidebar longer than the screen of my monitor is bad.

- What happened to these IG regiments? They have been lost somewhere in the writting... ;) :tu:

- Why one Chapter of SM makes difference, while other was almost obliterated?

- The "unconventional tactics" is relatively generic term.

 

Cheers, NightrawenII.

[Midgard]

My thoughts:

- I'm not fan of story-telling Index Astartes, mainly because the "unecessary" details dilute the facts and important informations, but anyway...

- Why is your Chapter trained by the Marines from three different gene-lines? I'm not against this idea, just Chekhov's Gun.

- The sidebar longer than the screen of my monitor is bad.

- What happened to these IG regiments? They have been lost somewhere in the writting... ;) :tu:

- Why one Chapter of SM makes difference, while other was almost obliterated?

- The "unconventional tactics" is relatively generic term.

 

Cheers, NightrawenII.

 

Thank you for your input!

 

To address your points, you are right that the three Chapters used are a Chekhov's gun - my idea on these guys is for them to be basically an attempt to fix the Raven Guard/Imperial Fists gene-seed, with typically disastrous results. So in a way, all three Chapters are actually "related" to the Terminus Chapter, which I was trying to hint at by the nature of implant failures. I probably should make it more obvious that the third Chapter was more guerilla/stealth/covert ops-oriented, which was incorporated into the Chapter's doctrine, and very likely to have been a Raven Guard successor.

 

As a side note, I more or less took hint from real-world history, with Ancyra IV being a rough equivalent of battle of Manzikert, and the intervention of the Novamarines being a rough equivalent of the First Crusade. While it is not a direct parallel (there was no siege of Constantinople in the aftermath of Manzikert, for example, and some other events have been altered not to be an exact carbon copy), I wanted to play upon an idea of another, more traditional Chapter rescuing the Terminus Chapter - only to create major, long-term frictions due to divergences from the same beliefs.

 

The IG regiments not arriving (perhaps due to being lost in the Warp, or some such) was a very rough equivalent to the reasons for Byzantine loss at Manzikert (albeit the historical battle was lost due to treachery of a commander that did not support the Byzantine Emperor's maneuver, leaving the Emperor to be surrounded and captured by the Seljuks) - I did not think that having actual treason would be very fitting for a story of a Marine Chapter's last stand in this scenario, and therefore altered the storyline to make it more... 40K. I could perhaps add a sentence that either the regiments were lost in the Warp, or perhaps arrived after the battle was already lost, and thus slaughtered by the Orks.

 

Ultimately, the Chapter Master here would commit a grave mistake of counting on non-Astartes force to be there, and making his battle plan accordingly, gambling everything on the outcome. That said, I am open to suggestions on how it could be written in a way that makes more sense, or provides additional rationale for the decision. Perhaps there was something important on the planet, or there was a real chance that a more important world would be attacked if the Orks are not immediately held up?

 

Consequently, to address the point about one Chapter making a difference where another failed, I was thinking that the Terminus Chapter was not overcome by sheer numbers, but by bad tactical decisions made by its (now deceased) Chapter Master - the Novamarines did not make the same mistakes, and did not overcommit to one battle. I am open to suggestions on how to properly present it in the IA.

 

I admit that the "unconventional tactics" bit is somewhat of a cop-out rather than a defining statement. Ultimately I would like for them to have a Chapter organization where different Companies operate semi-independently to the point where they would use different Codices, although each Company would still be roughly at Codex-prescribed 100 Marine strength. This is not an exact equivalent for the culture I used as an inspiration (late-period Byzantine Empire), but it is close enough to both allow me a cost-effective way to play around with different Codices on the tabletop, and to represent the fractuous and partially mercenary nature of real-world Byzantine armies that often fought in very different ways, with the core Companies still being largely Codex-adherent (i.e. using C:SM), while individual companies would represent the Varangian Guard aspect of Byzantine military (using C:SW for one Company), elite Byzantine forces (C:DA to model the Kataphraktii equivalent - Ravenwing, and the Cilibanarii equivalent - Deathwing, minus Deathwing not actually being cavalry), Western European mercenaries (C:BT), and Balkan/Slav mercenaries (C:BA). Again, I am open for suggestions on how to best represent that in an IA article.

 

As a side note, I must confess in being more interested in the story aspect of the IA and the universe, which sometimes leads me to be more lengthy than I need to be. The side blurb could probably be shortened, as I was writing it as if it was a short story and not a side blurb, which probably was not appropriate for the IA article. As a result, the "story-orientation" is a part of my personal preferences, however, perhaps it might be a better idea to cut the IA down to size while perhaps writing more of a full-fledged story or two featuring the Chapter. Depending on the feedback here, I might seriously consider doing that - at least if anyone is interested in reading that.

 

Thank you once again for your feedback, it is very much appreciated!

[NightrawenII]

I'm not sure about other issues, but my muses don't work on switch... :D

 

I admit that the "unconventional tactics" bit is somewhat of a cop-out rather than a defining statement. Ultimately I would like for them to have a Chapter organization where different Companies operate semi-independently to the point where they would use different Codices, although each Company would still be roughly at Codex-prescribed 100 Marine strength. This is not an exact equivalent for the culture I used as an inspiration (late-period Byzantine Empire), but it is close enough to both allow me a cost-effective way to play around with different Codices on the tabletop, and to represent the fractuous and partially mercenary nature of real-world Byzantine armies that often fought in very different ways, with the core Companies still being largely Codex-adherent (i.e. using C:SM), while individual companies would represent the Varangian Guard aspect of Byzantine military (using C:SW for one Company), elite Byzantine forces (C:DA to model the Kataphraktii equivalent - Ravenwing, and the Cilibanarii equivalent - Deathwing, minus Deathwing not actually being cavalry), Western European mercenaries (C:BT), and Balkan/Slav mercenaries (C:BA). Again, I am open for suggestions on how to best represent that in an IA article.

In this case, you can use the deficient gene-seed as your advantage. Say the Marine are assigned to company in dependance on his purity of gene-seed and completeness of transformation.

 

For example the 1st Co. is not made from the veterans, but from the marines, whose gene-seed works at peak efficiency.

While the 10th Co. is formed from failed aspirants or marines with worthless gene-seed.

[Midgard]

Hmm, definitely something to consider, although I was more going for the "bare minimum" gene-seed as opposed to it malfunctioning to the point of not even producing true Astartes. That said, I think I have an idea on how to incorporate your suggestion (genetic differences between the companies) - the disaster may force the Chapter to essentially retrieve the gene-seed of its training cadre (which would respectively be of Ultramarine, Imperial Fist, and Raven Guard heritage, several times removed) and attempt to cultivate it in select recruits.

 

The only caveat is that under most circumstances, there would be little to stop the Chapter from gradually replacing the faulty gene-seed with the fully functional one - it might take a long time, but eventually the "deficient" gene-seed would be phased out. Unless, of course, there are unexpected benefits with their own gene-seed - perhaps the Chapter discovers that it can produce Marines with deficient gene-seed much faster, and that the reduction in function actually increases compatibility with prospective recruits? As a result, they make a decision of using defective gene-seed in order to keep their ranks full (combined with the phobia of ever risking extinction again), while a very small percentage of the Chapter would essentially get the "lineage of heroes" - or, to be more specific, the Ultramarine/Imperial Fist gene-seed (Raven Guard have problems of their own that will not fix the Chapter's situation).

 

That company could be represented by a Dark Angels codex, focusing on Deathwing (if these guys are considered the elite of the recruits, and carry precious fully-functioning gene-seed, they will naturally get to wear Terminator armor in large numbers) and Ravenwing (ability to disengage as not to lose the rare functioning gene-seed). Everyone else would end up as "mass-produced" Marines with their respective flaws.

 

I should probably clarify that "mass-produced" does not mean quick - it simply means that instead of the journey to produce a Marine from a recruit taking 5-6 years, it can be done in 3-4 years. It still does not allow the Chapter to field hordes of power armored infantry, but it does allow it to replace its losses somewhat quicker than most other Chapters, even if most of its Marines are slightly less functional than their counterparts elsewhere.

 

Does that sound like a solid development on this idea?

[Arkangilos]

Ok, No one has mentioned this because it isn't really that important, but you CAN use stormravens. They are not GK specific, in fact, they were first mentioned in Codex:Blood Angels.

 

Also, who says you can not have your own device that is similar to the Dreadknight? I mean, Astartes can make their own stuff too. The Blood Angels had their Baal Preditors and Furioso Dreadnaughts, the Black Templars used to be the only ones that had their Land Raider Crusaders, etc. Maybe you found an STC of a vehicle that maybe was not the Dreadknight, but for all intents and purposes had the Dreadknight stats. That would allow you to use their codex specific tanks. And, not only that, but maybe the only company that has access to that is the company that had found the STC?

 

I know it does not really matter and is not what you were trying to get anyways, but just a thought.

 

The "massed produced" idea that you have would also explain why they value their minds above their bodies...

[Midgard]

Thank you all for comments! The significantly updated and revised version of the IA has been edited into the original post. Comments and criticism are very much welcome!

 

Any suggestions on the paint scheme? If I were to go with strictly Byzantine theme, it might end up being purple and gold, but I don't know if it is going to look good with my (atrocious) painting skills. I would like for this Chapter to stand out from my Raven Guard, Orks, and Chaos (Word Bearers with a Sorcerer and some Plague Marines), but not sure what color(s) to use.

[Galrion]

Didn't have a chance to read the whole thing, just kind of skimmed it. I actually started with the concept of a byzantine, cursed founding. Ended up going along a very different path. I liked what I saw in yours.

 

Possibly purple and silver for Byzantium (my initial plan)? Or red and gold from the later flags? Or pick a color scheme from one of the breakaway states like the Despot of Morea or Trebizond. I don't know their colors off the top of my head.

 

Well, a quick look and the breakaway states had color patterns like red and white, red and gold, black and white. Not a heck of a lot of variety.

[Galrion]

Uniquely amongst their brethren, the Marines of the Ninth Company refuse to utilize Librarians, believing that doing so is dangerously close to succumbing to Warp-taint

Why? What made them distrust librarians, whereas the rest of the chapter is ok with them? Nothing wrong with it, so long as there's a reason.

 

 

The Sixth Company has highly unconventional internal organization

which is what? The tenth seems pretty out there (for this chapter), what are they doing that is getting them some heat?

 

Novamarines were horrified at the deviations from Codex allowed by Alexios in order to survive the siege

Which were?

 

result in a nova within a million years. This knowledge of impending doom led the world’s population to a fatalistic set of beliefs that considers every day a gift from the Emperor, who is thought to stave off the coming apocalypse.

This seems a little much. I don't think something happening in a million years would lead to this kind of fatalism. I'd think it would need to be some kind of disaster that strikes with some kind of frequency. Solar storms that devastate land or something. Can't remember what Salamanders have to deal with exactly, extreme volcanic activity every..20 years due to planetary/stellar phenomena?

 

psychic potential

Why this? Do you field more librarians? I didn't see this mentioned.

 

Belcher’s Gland, Sus-an Membrane, and Mucranoid implants, with noticeable dysfunctions in Melanochrome, Neuroglottis, and Omophagea organs, and some mutations in the Catalepsean Node.

That seems like a whole rack of problems, how is it that it doesn't impact their combat abilities?

 

Ultimately I want to give them an outlook that has quite a bit in common with post-Manzikert Byzantium, conveying both its focus on learning and military skill while making do with deficient resources and lack of uniform military structure

Find it odd that you had a similar idea to mine, although I tried too much to go with the whole length of their history and ended up not making alot of sense, so I ended up just focusing on pre-Manzikert. You certainly told it better than I did. :D

 

This seems to be a really decentralized power structure. How do you choose your chapter masters? With all the differences between companies, including actual dislike, I'm not sure how stable it would be. Purest geneseed? That opens its own can of worms.

 

 

Also, other successor states: Duchy of Naxos had blue/silver color. Early byzantine flags also had a black double eagle on yellow. So black/yellow?

[Midgard]

Uniquely amongst their brethren, the Marines of the Ninth Company refuse to utilize Librarians, believing that doing so is dangerously close to succumbing to Warp-taint

Why? What made them distrust librarians, whereas the rest of the chapter is ok with them? Nothing wrong with it, so long as there's a reason.

 

In all honesty, this is just an excuse for me to field the Ninth Company using the Black Templar Codex B)

 

That said, I will need to have a bit more back story on the reasoning behind that.

 

 

The Sixth Company has highly unconventional internal organization

which is what? The tenth seems pretty out there (for this chapter), what are they doing that is getting them some heat?

 

I wrote them as basically using Space Wolves Codex without being, well, overly "wolfy", but not entirely sure how to portray that beyond what was already mentioned. I don't have the C:SW yet, but thought the concept of the Varangian Guard fits pretty well with it.

 

As for the Tenth, I envisioned the "Stalwart" companies operating under C:SM, specifically, similar to Ultramarines with Ultramarines or generic HQ selections. The Tenth Company is intended to be a catch-all for C:SM using HQ selections other than Calgar, Sicarius, Tigurius, and Cassius - specifically, Kor'Sarro Khan, Vulkan He'stan, and Kayvaan Shrike. Essentially, the Tenth Company is intended as more unconventional applications of non-mechanised variations of C:SM.

 

Novamarines were horrified at the deviations from Codex allowed by Alexios in order to survive the siege

Which were?

 

I will need to fill that in, but I was thinking tactical deviations, differences in squad organization, use of mixed Scout-Marine squads (due to lack of full Marines), single Marine operatives behind the enemy lines, rushing "incomplete" recruits into battle, and other similar deviations caused by the lack of manpower available. I specifically listed the Novamarines as from what I gather they are one of the more strict Codex-adherent Primogenitor Chapters - the Genesis Chapter would have been even more appropriate, but I thought it would be a little too corny with the name of my DIY Chapter.

 

result in a nova within a million years. This knowledge of impending doom led the world’s population to a fatalistic set of beliefs that considers every day a gift from the Emperor, who is thought to stave off the coming apocalypse.

This seems a little much. I don't think something happening in a million years would lead to this kind of fatalism. I'd think it would need to be some kind of disaster that strikes with some kind of frequency. Solar storms that devastate land or something. Can't remember what Salamanders have to deal with exactly, extreme volcanic activity every..20 years due to planetary/stellar phenomena?

 

Perhaps I need to do some revisions... I think fatalism is something that goes well with a culture inspired by late-period (Komnenoi/Angeloi/Palaiologoi-era) Byzantium, but was not sure how to best put it in, especially when a culture is supposed to be civilized. I have a (very short) piece of fiction specifically referencing that, which is where I got the idea of a star on the verge of going nova. Perhaps it might be better to note that the star could begin the terminal process at any time, but there is (something?) valuable on its planets, causing for them to remain settled extensively. So the planet literally exists under the proverbial sword of Damocles, with the apocalyptic chain reaction possibly starting at any time.

 

psychic potential

Why this? Do you field more librarians? I didn't see this mentioned.

 

I would imagine that this Chapter would field the average number of Librarians, I just thought that a culture as steeped in bureacracy as Byzantium would want to perform multiple examinations of possible recruits. Do you have a suggestion for a better way to phrase it as not to give the wrong impression?

 

Belcher’s Gland, Sus-an Membrane, and Mucranoid implants, with noticeable dysfunctions in Melanochrome, Neuroglottis, and Omophagea organs, and some mutations in the Catalepsean Node.

That seems like a whole rack of problems, how is it that it doesn't impact their combat abilities?

 

Belcher's Gland and Sus-an Membrane are absent in Imperial Fists, while Mucranoid is also absent in Raven Guard. As both of these Chapters seem to have no deficiencies in combat, I assumed that outside of some highly specialized situations, the absence of those implants is not going to drastically alter an average Marine's combat capability.

 

Similarly, the other organs, while helpful, are unlikely to alter combat effectiveness of Marines in a straight-up fight. The Salamanders and the Raven Guard have major Melanochrome dysfunctions with no significant effect on their combat capabilities; the Neuroglottis controls smell and taste, which are helpful but not essential to a Marine; the dysfunction in Omophagea may mean the Marines are more picky about what they eat, but are still capable of the organ's basic functions (and still combat-capable), while Catalepsean Node mutation is not drastic enough to affect combat capabilities (and is not too different from the "canon" Blood Ravens mutation in the same, which has no effect on their ability in combat).

 

Ultimately, I have picked the organs which are either canonically known to have very specialized uses (and that many Chapters of renown seem to do just fine without), or which will not impact battlefield functionality of most Marines with the exception of some extremely uncommon situations (that cannot be properly reflected on the table-top or even in DOW series of computer games anyway).

 

Ultimately I want to give them an outlook that has quite a bit in common with post-Manzikert Byzantium, conveying both its focus on learning and military skill while making do with deficient resources and lack of uniform military structure

Find it odd that you had a similar idea to mine, although I tried too much to go with the whole length of their history and ended up not making alot of sense, so I ended up just focusing on pre-Manzikert. You certainly told it better than I did. :)

 

Thank you! Byzantine history is somewhat of a pet interest of mine, and I thought the Empire in general has much in common with 40K Imperium of Man, lending itself really well to 40K treatment.

 

This seems to be a really decentralized power structure. How do you choose your chapter masters? With all the differences between companies, including actual dislike, I'm not sure how stable it would be. Purest geneseed? That opens its own can of worms.

 

Great point. My thoughts on the matter (to be elaborated in a later revision of the draft IA) are that the First Company drafts directly from all other Companies, and the only way to become a Chapter Master is through serving in the First Company. While a Captain can be promoted "from within" his own Company without ever serving in the First, only the First Company veterans are considered sufficiently "rounded" and familiar with all various combat styles of the Chapter to be able to serve as a Chapter Master. Any Battle Brother admitted to the First Company is expected to cast off the allegiance to his previous Company, and only those who do not show explicit favoritism can expect to be promoted to command ranks. The Captain of the First Company is essentially a second-in-command for the Chapter, and a Chapter Master in waiting, promoted based on combat record, abilities, and ability to utilize the disparate combat styles of the Companies to greatest effect.

 

 

Also, other successor states: Duchy of Naxos had blue/silver color. Early byzantine flags also had a black double eagle on yellow. So black/yellow?

 

I would really like to avoid using much black - I already have a Raven Guard army, which is primarily black, and while the color is very easy to paint (which helps, considering my painting skills are... bad), I would like for these Marines to have a distinctly different color scheme that I can still paint. Visually, I am leaning towards something in silver/grey with some navy blue and red, but I am not yet decided, and would like for this Chapter to be relatively easy to paint (at least for my skills). Purple is pretty hard to get right, and yellow, I keep on reading how difficult it is to get good-looking Imperial Fists, so it might be a bit beyond my painting skill at the moment. So perhaps a color scheme that incorporates Boltgun Metal, Mithril Silver, and perhaps some Blood Red and Ultramarine Blue over an undercoat of Chaos Black?

 

Thank you for your input!

[Midgard]

EDIT: Double post removed... sorry about that! B)

[Galrion]

Perhaps I need to do some revisions... I think fatalism is something that goes well with a culture inspired by late-period (Komnenoi/Angeloi/Palaiologoi-era) Byzantium, but was not sure how to best put it in, especially when a culture is supposed to be civilized. I have a (very short) piece of fiction specifically referencing that, which is where I got the idea of a star on the verge of going nova. Perhaps it might be better to note that the star could begin the terminal process at any time, but there is (something?) valuable on its planets, causing for them to remain settled extensively. So the planet literally exists under the proverbial sword of Damocles, with the apocalyptic chain reaction possibly starting at any time.

 

Don't see anything wrong with the fatalism, could definately work with an advanced culture. Maybe explain why it hasn't gone into nihilism. But yeah, anything that makes the threat more immediate. But be able to answer why the nobles for that world don't leverage some of their wealth to abandon it.

 

psychic potential

Why this? Do you field more librarians? I didn't see this mentioned

 

I would imagine that this Chapter would field the average number of Librarians, I just thought that a culture as steeped in bureacracy as Byzantium would want to perform multiple examinations of possible recruits. Do you have a suggestion for a better way to phrase it as not to give the wrong impression?

I don't think you need to mention it all. You already talk about personality, intelligence, and aptitude. You could talk about adaptablility or faith, but I don't think that is necessary. Although with a chapter pulling in so many different ways adaptability might not be a bad thing to test for.

 

Belcher's Gland and Sus-an Membrane are absent in Imperial Fists, while Mucranoid is also absent in Raven Guard. As both of these Chapters seem to have no deficiencies in combat, I assumed that outside of some highly specialized situations, the absence of those implants is not going to drastically alter an average Marine's combat capability.

 

Similarly, the other organs, while helpful, are unlikely to alter combat effectiveness of Marines in a straight-up fight. The Salamanders and the Raven Guard have major Melanochrome dysfunctions with no significant effect on their combat capabilities; the Neuroglottis controls smell and taste, which are helpful but not essential to a Marine; the dysfunction in Omophagea may mean the Marines are more picky about what they eat, but are still capable of the organ's basic functions (and still combat-capable), while Catalepsean Node mutation is not drastic enough to affect combat capabilities (and is not too different from the "canon" Blood Ravens mutation in the same, which has no effect on their ability in combat).

 

Ultimately, I have picked the organs which are either canonically known to have very specialized uses (and that many Chapters of renown seem to do just fine without), or which will not impact battlefield functionality of most Marines with the exception of some extremely uncommon situations (that cannot be properly reflected on the table-top or even in DOW series of computer games anyway).

It just that with widespread breakdowns of that magnitude I'd expect it to have some other impact. Additionally it just seems convenient with close to half the organs not working, that they're all sorta "extras" instead of core organs. I suppose you could mention that those other do fail, but when they do the marine doesn't make it and that the marines that do make it show massive breakdowns, but that they're still functional.

 

Thank you! Byzantine history is somewhat of a pet interest of mine, and I thought the Empire in general has much in common with 40K Imperium of Man, lending itself really well to 40K treatment.

 

Absolutely agree. I don't know how the writers developed the ideas for 40k, but it fits very neatly with Byzantine history and culture. Just more so.

 

 

I would really like to avoid using much black - I already have a Raven Guard army, which is primarily black, and while the color is very easy to paint (which helps, considering my painting skills are... bad), I would like for these Marines to have a distinctly different color scheme that I can still paint. Visually, I am leaning towards something in silver/grey with some navy blue and red, but I am not yet decided, and would like for this Chapter to be relatively easy to paint (at least for my skills). Purple is pretty hard to get right, and yellow, I keep on reading how difficult it is to get good-looking Imperial Fists, so it might be a bit beyond my painting skill at the moment. So perhaps a color scheme that incorporates Boltgun Metal, Mithril Silver, and perhaps some Blood Red and Ultramarine Blue over an undercoat of Chaos Black?

 

Thank you for your input!

I've done Fists and Stirland, on the fantasy side, and yellow can be a bit fickle. I went with a dirtier yellow for my Fists (think CAT yellow). It took a huge amount of layers to get it right back in the day. Once they put out the foundation paints I found it much easier to get the color I was looking for. A basecoat of Iyanden and a couple layers of yellow. But this isn't the paint forum so I'll stop there.

 

I'd say if you're going to do a metallic color, I'd pick one. I wouldn't try to incorporate lots of boltgun and mithril. I generally try to stick to two main colors. You can use an accent color if you like, but it can start to look busy. I personally think red is a pain in the rear to paint, especially to make it look good. Although I haven't tried it since foundation paints came out. Since this is going to be a scheme for a force you actually plan to field I'd go with colors you're comfortable painting.

 

You're welcome!

[Midgard]

Don't see anything wrong with the fatalism, could definately work with an advanced culture. Maybe explain why it hasn't gone into nihilism. But yeah, anything that makes the threat more immediate. But be able to answer why the nobles for that world don't leverage some of their wealth to abandon it.

 

I am a bit short on ideas for explaining the fatalism, because my possible explanations (area under constant pressure, warp storms, homeworld culture, etc) would either make it difficult for this Chapter to ever be present outside of its immediate area (because all of their forces are needed in the immediate region under their protection, or because they cannot leave it in numbers), or would be very cliche (the infamous "homeworld culture" explanation seems to exist in every other Chapter out there as an easy out). Given the historical basis for the Terminus Chapter, the easiest way to do it would be to present a paranoid organization under siege by everyone and aware of its own decline, but I cannot imagine such Chapter surviving for very long before it falls apart, or becomes heavily nihilistic (and possibly turns to Chaos). So any suggestions on how the threat could be made immediate without making the Chapter home-bound or being destroyed would be very helpful, as well as any other suggestions on how to make this concept work.

 

(This article is not dead by the way, just being worked on very slowly)

[Galrion]

You could make the fatalistic view specific to the chapter and not involve the homeworld. Perhaps the geneseed stock is depleting faster than it can be replaced due to massive degeneration? Not sure how the mechanics of that work out. Maybe someone better versed in the science of the whole geneseed process can explain it. They know they are a dying chapter, that ultimately no matter what they do they will cease to exist. They try their utmost to prolong their existence in order to honor the Emperor, etc.