Scions of the Moon DIY

[Lord Melvin]

This is my first shot at an IA (and my first DIY altogther), so bear with me on this.

So my intent here is to create a chapter that combines elements of the Raven Guard and the White Scars. I was inspired by the book The Hunt for Voldorius in that I liked the speed and fury in combat of the White Scars, but also the stealth and ability to sneak up on other Astartes of the the Raven Guard. I tried to put the two together without too much of each, but I'm going to leave it up to you (the forum) to help me nit pick this thing to death.

Battle-Brother Duron, Second Company

Origins:

-Created during the Twenty-Sixth Founding

-White Scars sucessor

-Veterans from Abaddon's 12th Crusade selected as founders

Homeworld:

-Kaimon IV, the fourth planet of 7 in the Kaimon system.

-Located in Segmentum Obscurus

-Located west of Eye of Terror

-Desert world, covered in sand dunes and canyons

-Wide open plains ideal for bike/cavelry riding

-High level of proficent riders.

-Small settlements are separated by huge deserts. Usually set into cliff and caves to provide shelter from sandstorms.

-The system of Kaimon has long been a staging ground for chaos forces. While the Chaos Space Marines have no interest in the sparsely populated planets, the system lacks any features that would make it appealing to attention of the Imperium, and thus makes it ideal for heretics and deserters hiding from the Inquisition. Kaimon IV, having the most densely populated settlements, would fall victim to raids made by heretic forces looking for supplies and slaves. With the coming of the Scions, however, this quickly changed.

-Kaimon has a period of time known locally as the Festival of Light, where a full moon rises for a week straight. During this time, the people feast and party like there is no tomorrow, and legend has it that at the peak of the festival, great warriors clad in armor of shadow will descend on mounts that growl like thunder, and sweep away their enemies in a storm of fire. When the Scions came to Kaimon and found that it had been occupied by heretics that were terrorizing the populace, they then launched a series of counter-raids against the heretics, and drove them off. Having come during the Festival of Light, the people saw them as a legend made real, and called them the Scions of the Moon. The chapter master found the name fitting, and thus made it official.

Combat Doctrine:

-Primarily bike riders

-Heavy emphasis on speed and stealth over all-out combat.

-Favored tactic is to coast for as long as possible before engaging engines to preserve element of surprise.

-Combine elements of White Scars and Raven Guard tactics

-Largely operate in small force of 1-3 squads, rarely stay in one place for long before moving on. Squads are expected to remain in the field until all objectives are complete.

-Scouts normally hold objectives in addition to scouting, while power armoured troops take the the field.

-Land Speeders are used in liu of Thunderhawks for aerial scouting, as they are quieter, smaller, and faster. The Land Speeders are sometimes used for small deployments into enemy territory, but this is discouraged due to the fragile nature of the vehicles and the limited number of troops than can be transported. The chapter's Thunderhawks only deploy when transporting bikes planetside.

Captain Ephraeus Torpedon, Second Company

Organization:

-Higher number of bike squads than usual. Normal battle company composition is 1 Captain, 1 Command Squad, 8 Bike Squads, 2 Scout Squads. There are 6 battle companies, two reserve companies, and no scout company. The two reserve companies contain 8 bike squads and 10 each of Land Speeders and Predators.

-The First Company, while officially comprised of veterans, rarely operates as a company. In fact, it is the smallest of the nine companies in the chapter, as the veterans only those who have bested an enemy champion in single combat. These honoured warriors are gathered as command squads, and accompany the captains into battle. To ensure that experience is distributed and that arrogance is kept under control, the veterans are exchanged between companies when they gather.

-Chapter Master goes by the name Morpheon, regardless of previous designation.

-Scouts attached to battle companies to facilitate training, as companies rarely operate in the same region.

-Each company is responsible for maintaining its own equipment in the field, and it is common for companies to go for decades without recieving new gear.

Beliefs:

-The best defence is a strong offence. The Scions rarely hold position, and almost never occupy fortresses. The only units to reliably hold an entrenced position are the Predators, as they often cannot operate in the same stealthy parameters as the bike squads.

-Only a fool choses glory over sucess. The Scions, while certainly keeping track of achievements and victories, do not flaunt their sucesses like other chapters do. Indeed, they never ask for recognition for their deeds, only accept it when it is given. It is expected of every Scion to withhold personal feelings regarding a task until it has been completed.

-Oft times, the Scions have been regarded as spineless or lacking spirit by even their parent chapter for not openly revelling in victory.

Gene Seed:

-The Scions of the Moon use White Scars gene seed.

-While retaining the fury of the White Scars, the Scions's chaplains ensure that no measure of that is directed against a brother. Each Scion goes through more rigorous mental therapy than normal to prevent any feuds, and as part of their meditation each battle-brother works to contain and focus the fury that burns inside. In battle, the Scions are encouraged to use this as a tool, resulting in brutal and merciless attacks on the enemy. It is said that even if the enemy repented, surrendered, or revealed itself as an ally, that the Scions of the Moon would not rest until each and every one was destroyed, but this is refuted by the chapter as myth and slander.

Battle Cry:

-Before battle-> "If the stars go out and the moon doth fall, may the Emperor guide our blades to the enemy's heart, and let us not rest till he [the enemy] falls."

-During battle-> "Fear the wrath of the heavens! For we are the Scions of the Moon, and your end is nigh!"

Please be uncompromising in your critiques. I don't want to half-arse this IA, and I especially don't want to tread on any established toes. I would rather have a bullet-ridded piece of excellence than a slightly singed Nurgling.

Cheers!

EDIT: Added some more information in homeworld section

[Lord Melvin]

Anyone have anything to say about it?

[Captain Leo Mariusz]

Sounds not unlike my DIY the Brothers Sempiternus. Successors to the Revilers/Raven Guard using both stealth and fast attack. The name is kind of tricky because the Moon orbits Earth and I don't see any correlation between your chapter and the Moon.

[Lord Melvin]

Well, the Moon isn't the only moon in the Imperium, right? It just has the honour of being called "THE Moon". If you look at another planet (seeing as most of them have more than one moon) you can either name one (Check out Triton!) or point out a generic one (Hey check out that moon of Jupiter. You know, the one with liquid nitrogen for rain?) However, the name is as much a WIP as the chapter itself, so if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears!

[thade]

Well, the Moon isn't the only moon in the Imperium, right? It just has the honour of being called "THE Moon". If you look at another planet (seeing as most of them have more than one moon) you can either name one (Check out Triton!) or point out a generic one (Hey check out that moon of Jupiter. You know, the one with liquid nitrogen for rain?) However, the name is as much a WIP as the chapter itself, so if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears!

I'm afraid I don't follow. If they're the "Scions of the Moon", you really should hammer out "What moon? Why are they Scions of it? What happened there that was so important that their entire Chapter is named after it?"

 

Why not the magic two-word combo? One of which can easily be Scion. Pick a color (e.g. Blue Scions, Dark Scions), a piece of gear (Scion Swords, Scions of the Sword, Scion Shields), or flip it around and name the moon/planet/whatever Scion (Swords of Scion)...but that last idea still begets "Why are they Scions of that moon? What happened there?"

 

It's okay to pose questions like that, so long as you prep answers. :)

 

I link this so much I should sig it. B&C DIY Guide!

[Lord Melvin]

I see what you mean. I unfortunately forgot to put something in the homeworld section describing why the Scions chose Kaimon IV as a base of operations.

 

"Kaimon has a period of time known locally as the Festival of Light, where a full moon rises for a week straight. During this time, the people feast and party like there is no tomorrow, and legend has it that at the peak of the festival, great warriors clad in armor of shadow will descend on mounts that growl like thunder, and sweep away their enemies in a storm of fire.

 

When the Scions came to Kaimon and found that it had been occupied by heretics that were terrorizing the populace, they then launched a series of counter-raids against the heretics, and drove them off. Having come during the Festival of Light, the people saw them as a legend made real, and called them the Scions of the Moon. The chapter master found the name fitting, and thus made it official."

 

I dunno if that last bit is a little out of character for Space Marines though. I just like the idea that the chapter was named due to their habit of attacking at night, and in this case heralded by the moon rising.

[Commander S. Caesare]

okay, that last comment is very much Night Lordish.

 

Night riders!

[thade]

haha, you sure you're a loyalist? :)

 

A "scion" is a descendant/kin of a notable family, according to le dictionary. Your marines are "children of the moon"? It sounds a bit gentle for a marine to me. Just me though. <3 If you like the word Scion and we're unable to sway you, do it, man. Just paint little crescent moons (or full moons, given your little blurb there) on their shoulder plates.

[Lord Melvin]

How does Pillagers of the Moon sound? Maybe a bit too much in the other direction.

 

I think I'm going to stick with Scion. I feel it has a nice ring to it, and other words that mean herald or something like it sound too cluttered in a name (Harbingers of the Moon? The Lunar Portents?)

 

As it is though, the name is but a small part of the chapter. I'm more concerned with any discrepancies in the background.

[thade]

My only recommendation (which is completely personal, take it or leave it) is to have at least half of your chapter name be aggressive. So, Scions of War, or Scions of Pain...Scions of Jet Fighters and Punching. Sword Scions, Scions of Fire (Salamanders successor waiting to happen!), Scions of the Wolf (hey, your own SW company).

 

Scions and Moon don't go together, in my mind, as neither one smells of...well, jet fighters and punching. Moon doesn't even sound that aggressive with anything. Flaming...Moon? Moon...swords? I can't get anything good out of it.

 

As for "Lunar"...be very careful. That seems like a "stay away from me" word to me, on account of the Luna Wolves. Which aren't the Luna Wolves anymore. I suspect the Lords of Terra would not include the word "Lunar" in any Adeptus Astartes chapter name anymore.

[voi shet magir]

Space Marines are all jerks already. They do not need to be the Turnbull AC's, all with identical patches on their vests to show how tough they are. Some people think they should be portrayed as emotionally regressed, but I think an eight year old's drawing of a Poison poster is unnecessarily infantile, even for that perspective.

 

Stars and planets, to primitive observers, might just look like small points of light in the sky. Moons are celestial bodies which are obvious to the naked eye as being solid ground. They are the only visible locations that cannot be walked or swum to. Moon people are not natural or comprehensible. This is one of the only scion/son names which I do not dislike.

 

Anyway, I think you should think about what a "bike squad" is. Bikes are ridden either by assault squads as a reserve/flanking unit, or occasionally by tactical squads as a more mobile alternative to Rhinos. They are probably suboptimal for the latter role, most of the time.

 

Just take the "savagery" from White Scars, which is the thing which inclines them toward mounted warfare. The conventional infantry tactical squad takes ground from the enemy and presses up against a battle line, drawn between ground they hold and ground the enemy does. White Scars use the entire contested space, and do not cling on to space they may have momentarily cleared the enemy from in an assault, and go for the throat when they have the opportunity. Bikes are often better for this than mechanized or motor infantry, so they use bikes more frequently.

 

Raven Guard are actually very different. They emphasize reconnaissance so that they can assault more fixed and better defended objectives. They figure out what is important to the enemy, then blow it up, without attempting to defeat enemy forces in the field.

 

"Scions of the Moon" is a stealthy or mystical name that suits both of those approaches. This business of coasting sounds dodgy, but the elusiveness you imply is very strong. They sound capable of bloody slaughter on a small scale, under a ill-omened eye of heaven. They moon, after all, is where watchers stand in judgment of earthly pettiness.

[Lord Melvin]

Just take the "savagery" from White Scars, which is the thing which inclines them toward mounted warfare. The conventional infantry tactical squad takes ground from the enemy and presses up against a battle line, drawn between ground they hold and ground the enemy does. White Scars use the entire contested space, and do not cling on to space they may have momentarily cleared the enemy from in an assault, and go for the throat when they have the opportunity. Bikes are often better for this than mechanized or motor infantry, so they use bikes more frequently.

 

Raven Guard are actually very different. They emphasize reconnaissance so that they can assault more fixed and better defended objectives. They figure out what is important to the enemy, then blow it up, without attempting to defeat enemy forces in the field.

 

"Scions of the Moon" is a stealthy or mystical name that suits both of those approaches. This business of coasting sounds dodgy, but the elusiveness you imply is very strong. They sound capable of bloody slaughter on a small scale, under a ill-omened eye of heaven. They moon, after all, is where watchers stand in judgment of earthly pettiness.

 

^^ This. This exactly. All over the place this.

 

When I imagine my chapter at war, they aren't screaming battle cries as they charge into the enemy lines, nor do they avoid the larger battlefield in favor of subterfuge. They do a little of both. They favor night assaults because night is when the enemy is relaxed and off guard. They favor bikes because it gives them the advantage of speed. I don't want to say they are the best of the White Scars and Raven Guard combined (because that would be dumb), but I used elements of both chapters when I developed the background of my own. That being said they still fall victim to the usual failing of gene-seed, they just redirect it into a form that works for them, much like how every other space marine is able to channel his fear or anger into strength.

 

If I wanted a brutal chapter, I would use names like the Space Sharks, Flesh Tearers, Chacharodons (sp?) for inspiration. Instead, I chose something that is a little more subdued, a little more mysterious, like the moon would be if you didn't have a telescope or orbit capable vehicles.

 

I understand what you're saying thade, but for what this chapter does, I don't think a more aggressive name would fit. Maybe if I make another chapter someday I'll call it "Thade's Starkillers" or something cool like that :)

[voi shet magir]

Yes. The Age of Darkness anthology has a story which is exactly on point for your Chapter. If you do not feel like owning a book full of poor writing, you can download the only good and relevant one for $3.00/£1.50 from BL. I might forward some spoilers.