Dusk Knights

[Brother Gathurn]

+++Incoming message+++

Sent: Inquisitor Malgado

Priority: Beta minus

Subject: Dusk Knights

 

As requested by Brother Captain Gaaden I have sent a preliminary message about the Adeptus Astartes Chapter The Dusk Knights with whom i have had a long and profitable relationship with. More information will be forthcoming.

 

The Brazen Hounds were formed as a successor chapter of the Imperial Fists designed to stabilize the border with the Tau, ideally to reclaim some of the Imperial territory. Along with the fledgling chapter went a sufficient number of Imperial Fist mentors. Roughly 200 years after their mentors had left they had established themselves a reputation of sorts as fierce adherents of Dorn's style of fighting, perishing to the last man for their cause.

 

Their most relevant battle as the Brazen Hounds was on Tauros IX. Their could be reports written on the battle itself and there is no reason to go into unnecessary details. Essentially the full strength of the chapter was decimated due to a group of incompetent guards and the chapters refusal to retreat from a suicidal defense of a pass. One of two remaining captains ordered his remaining men to begin purging the guard of anyone “treasonously” incompetent. The second captain disagreed arguing that went against the teachings of Dorn to simply kill guard they disliked. Captain Damascus informed his remaining brother captain that the teachings of Dorn had their time. He called the guard officers together and butchered them all. However the chapter was decimated and without a miraculous influx of recruits, was doomed to a quick end.

 

It was at this point that my master Lord Inquisitor Zulivich intervened. He approached Chapter Master Damascus and pointed out that they were not the only under-strength chapter, suggesting that with the assistance of the Inquisition they could combine to form a full strength chapter. The chapter was renamed the Dusk Knights. The first dieing chapter to join them was the remaining Astral Knights, those who had not been present when the world engine was destroyed.

 

Together with inquisitorial help these dyeing chapters have formed a cohesive fighting force, if one with varied techniques due to their different origins. They also have an extremely close relationship with the Inquisition, as we find chapters that have been decimated by battle and willing to join the Dusk Knights.

A more complete report can be sent if you need more information.

 

 

+++end message+++

 

 

So basically that’s the basic story of my DIY chapter. Does this seem reasonable to you? They serve as a place for chapters that can no longer survive on their own and don’t wish to die in a glorious last stand, or don’t have enough remaining battle brothers for a last stand of sufficient glory 

[DarkCrusader]

I think its a well done IA.I especialy like the originality of your layout as a inquisitors mesage.lol if you dont mind i would like to steal that idea for my IA.its alot more fun to read than a wall of words =D.Altogether its a good sketch for an IA.Cant wait to see the full thing

[Brother Gathurn]

Well it's still pretty much a wall of text. The final thing will be as much a story as an IA I hope. Assuming I sit down and do it. Really what I'm after is how realistic the story is. Do you think that a chapter would change their name for that? I like their relationship with the Inquisition, but the story of the transition from Dorn's style to one that's really more like the Raven Gaurd (props to ferratta for his great story about Dorn's death)

[DarkCrusader]

Hmm..actualy,a change of battle doctrine would be quite original.most IAs just change the colourscheme or name of a previous chapter(which is fine) to create a new chapter.your idea would be cool.the only hangup i have is practicaly,you have to re-teach evry marine into a new style of fighting..and for any chapter master,that would be a HUGE pain.but other than that you have some good ideas. :pirate:

[strongbow]

I quite like the idea of a banner to which dying chapters can go to to make sure they last longer and do not give their lives away in futile missions.

 

However I do not think that they would give up their chapter colours and take on a different name, not in its entirety anyway. Perhaps what might be better is that the dying chapters that agree to be part of this form some kind of alliance/collusion. A loose organisation that has a unifying element (e.g. paint a should pad a certain colour, or have a certain symbol painted onto a knee pad) to show that they are part of this greater force. You'd have to justify otherwise how these chapters would give in to leadership of someone from outside of their chapter all of a sudden.

 

An interesting twist might be what happens to dying chapters that are approached by the inquisition but do not want to join? Are they pressurised?

 

Also, the inquisition has kind of made itself a private army here - could that be problematic? Again a theme that could be explored.

 

However one problem you have is that the imperium had not yet encountered the Tau as we know them by the time of the most recent founding - in other words no chapters have been created to deal with the Tau because the Tau emerged later than the most recent founding. So you need to change that to something else.

 

One of two remaining captains ordered his remaining men to begin purging the guard of anyone “treasonously” incompetent. The second captain disagreed arguing that went against the teachings of Dorn to simply kill guard they disliked. Captain Damascus informed his remaining brother captain that the teachings of Dorn had their time. He called the guard officers together and butchered them all. However the chapter was decimated and without a miraculous influx of recruits, was doomed to a quick end.

 

This is confusing. Damascus has said that Dorn's teachings have 'had their time'. Does that mean he wants to change then? If so why does he kill the guards? (I'm assuming the 'guards' are imperial guardsmen).

 

I'm also assuming that Damascus is promoted to chapter master. You should specifically say that this is happened rather than expect the reader to work it out.

[Brother Gathurn]

Also, the inquisition has kind of made itself a private army here - could that be problematic? Again a theme that could be explored.

 

That certainly has been problematic, Inquisitor Tenvius has used them as a private army to attempt to decrease the power of the Ecclesiarchy :) . To a some extent they have become a tool of Inquisitorial politics. Not quite a pawn, maybe a rook.

 

Perhaps what might be better is that the dying chapters that agree to be part of this form some kind of alliance/collusion.

That is an excellent idea. That was the biggest problem, was that I didn't think that a whole lot of dyeing chapters would be willing to switch their chapters name. That would solve it, and allow me to paint lots of different colors.

 

The killing the guard was also poorly written. I intended that to be a confrontation between the two remaining captains over, while both still spitting mad over their defeat, about whether or not to kill the guard who's fault it was they lost, and whether their death had been an honorable way to die, since it certainly wasn't a usefull one. I intented for Damascus to basically be saying :): Dorn, what did dieing honorably get us? I suppose in reality arguing about purging the guard would have little to do with that. Perhaps this would work better.

 

When the two remaining captains met they discovered a difference of opinions. The more senior of the two, who would be chapter master, was Captain Damascus. He informed the other Captain Pellus that his company, The 3rd had it's fill with last stands and nobility. When he declared "From this day on no more shall we die for Dorn!! We shall fight to win, and to win only." It almost came to blows, but Captain Pellus, despite once being a champion of the Feast of Blades, did not have the heart. He told Damascus that they would die soon whether he liked it or not and walked away. Damascus could no longer merely express his rage by talking, he was an Angel of Death, built by his Emperor to conquer the galaxy and took out his anger the only way he knew how. He ordered the remaining 157 Brazen Hounds to purge the guard of everyone who had had anything to do with the incompetent mistake, not defending an important bridge, that had lead to their defeat.