Index Astartes - Black Circle WiP

[Julgolax]

Index Astartes

- Index Traitoris

 

Designation: Black Circle, a.k.a. Circle of Crom

Heresy Event: Doom of Korse

Current Stronghold: Palace of Korse

Current Leader: Chaos Space Marine Lord Crom

Current Heraldry: burgundy and black

Last Known Composition: est. 620 marines, 800+ militant cultists

Tactical Specialty: Drop Pod Assault, Cultist activities

Common Announcement: "Kneel or die before the mighty warriors of the Circle!"

 

Details of Trechery: The planet Korse was once a feudal world governed by Imperial Regents. It had existed for nearly a millennium without so much as skirmish wars with aliens or the rare instance of civil strife. It all changed when the space marines of the Night Howlers chapter descended upon this world under the pretences that they were there to help quell a rebellion. There had not been rebellion for nearly half a century and the purplexed Regents had not the time to inquire before the chapter had revealed themselves from the far side of the planet. Bearing sigils of the Ruinous Powers and descending from the skies on trails of fire in drop pods, the secret PDF forces had almost no time or warning before they were under siege. The Night Howlers had gone unnoticed for nearly a century before their fleet returned to Imperial space and what happened in that time, only they can say. The Night Howlers were no more and these once fierce and noble sons of Russ became monstrous warriors of Chaos, no longer bound to moral code and law of the Imperium, no longer serving the Emperor. They had pledged themselves fully to the gods of Chaos. Korse fell within a week, for the PDF forces had lost 82% of it's forces within the first 24 hours after planetfall. The dark warriors were lead by a mighty armored lord who called himself Crom. He declared that the planet's population was now his and that the only way to save themselves from annihilation was to bow before him and pledge themselves to his rule. The castle-cities of Korse had only a single astropath and an ancient communication chamber, they had no way of getting a plea for help out let alone having time to survive until aid came. Lord Crom invaded the principle capitol of Korse himself and standing before the High Regent of Korse, he offered one last time his altermatum. The High Regent did not falter and raised his ancestral power sword to meet the enemy leader. Crom brandished his ancient power sword, twisted by the powers of Chaos into a daemonic sword of jagged black metal glowing with a corona of burgundy flames. A quick bout ensued between the over 8-foot-tall warrior and the 5-foot-tall High Regent and though his power sword was substantial, the daemon sword would not be stopped by mere mortal weaponry. Shattering the blade and with a blazing arch, Crom bifurcated the High Regent and tore his head from his neck. On the closing of the 7th day, the planet was undisputably theirs and the planet already began showing signs of the invaders corruption. Skies blackened with unnatrual storm clouds, putrid rain fell and the planet was rocked by sporadic earthquakes and shattered ground erupted plumes of fire. No more was the planet a rugged jewel of Imperial prosperity, but became the home of the Black Circle, and the Palace of Korse began to rise off the soot-blackened moutainsides of Gallius peak. The planet went unnoticed for decades and by the time system patrols reached the planet, they had discovered a twisted garden of Chaos. People who were once proud and strong were reduced to mobs of servants, thugs, cultists, and barbarians. The green hills, grey mountains, and blue seas were corrupted into mutated plantlife, blackened spires of rock, putrid oceans of miserable slime, and ruled by traitors and heretics.

 

Details of Leader: Chaos Lord Crom was supposedly once a leader of the Night Howlers chapter before it's heresy. Imperial historians and Inquisitors can only speculate as to who he was before he took power, but it is certainly clear that he is a skilled warlord and deadly tyrant. From gathered reports of spies and observators, the Black Circle are religious about the fell powers and like others of their trecherous ilk such as the Word Bearers Legion, take efforts to corrupt populations of people and gain followers by desecrating Imperial establishments and forcing their religion upon conquered enemies. The Black Circle or the Circle of Crom as it is also known, has been seen raiding planets from one end of the quadrant to the other around their homeworld of Korse. Pict-caputres of Lord Crom have shown him to be corrupted beyond all pennance. His power armor, likely artificer armor, has been tainted and changed over the centuries to represent his office, his power, and his devotion to evil. Chaos fetishes, spikes, trophies, and even his Iron Halo have been corrupted into an efigy of Chaos.

 

Tactics: The Black Circle utilize drop pods and Thunderhawk gunships for their preferred tactic of orbital invasion. The combat forces of the warband most likely maintain their original chapter's armory and fleet assets as well as the tactical diversity any chapter of astartes can bring forward to bear. The warband is now, however free from Imperial constraints and can organize it's forces in any way the commanding officer dictates. They also have been reported using cultists and other military deviants to access intelligence, raid supply lines, infiltrate and attack enemy forces from within, and spread corruption throughout Imperial hierarchies. As for xenos, Inquisitorial intelligence can only speculate on their exact tactical executions against alien forces but logic dictates equipment and SOP doctrines are possibly not too deviant from Imperial tactica.

 

I am drawing from the idea of Chaos Strongholds in the CSM codex for this warband because I love the idea of small empires spread throughout the Imperium like "cankers". Also, I love the independence of a traitor chapter finding it's own way so far removed from the Eye of Terror. Hearing the booming words of the gods from shrines, the whispers during prayer, the daemon screams when the warriors of the host bind warp spirits into their weapons, it all goes into making an empire of darkness where legions of slaves and followers toil in service to the immortal warrior-host. By the way, I chose the name Crom because 2 reasons, 1 this chapter was once a Space Wolves successor the "Night Howlers" and 2, I love the lost lore, the name, and the meaning behind Crom the Conqueror. He was further inspiration for the traitor chapter.

 

I'm curious about a color scheme though, I was thinking black armor with Tin Bitz armor trim and an emphasis on burgundy colored flames, runes, and eye lenses.

 

The other color scheme I had in mind was basically the opposite, but I fear it might be too similar to the Word Bearers. Dark Burgundy armor, black or Tin Bitz trim, yellow eye lenses, and yellow-green flames and runes.

 

What do you think?

[Julgolax]

I feel the abyss of silence entombing me...

[Warsmith Aznable]

I like the idea of strongholds as cankers throughout the Imperium as well. I think, however, it should be developed as to why thy haven't been the subject of a crusade yet. What keeps a Segmentum Battlefleet from bulldozing into the system and cracking open the planet with cyclonic torpedoes?

 

I am always pleased to see Space Wolves live up to their full potential, shake off the lie of the Imperium, and really live as they were created to.

 

I feel the abyss of silence entombing me...

 

You may get more ready responses in the Liber Astartes section, which specializes in this sort of thing.

[Brother Ambroz]

I like it but I agree with Max. What's to stop the Imperial fleets from just annihalating the planet or declaring exterminatus? I think it'd be cool to see how they turned as well eventually.

[Julgolax]

Well remember also, this is a space marine chapter turned renegade, which means they have up to 3 battle barges, between 3 and 10 strike cruisers, thunderhawk gunships galore, drop pods which can be used in orbit-to-ground or orbit-to-orbit boarding actions, plus several thousand cultists, slaves, and renegade guardsmen have joined them, which COULD mean even more fleet assets. Think Red Corsairs but on a smaller scale yet. Crom's foretold destiny is to gather armies and mass slaves for the push back into the galactic core and beyond, leading his warriors in conquest for the dark gods. What other destiny would be fitting for a tyrannical, self-aggrandising, zealous, blood-thirsty, super-human, 2.2 meter tall Chaos Space Marine Lord?

 

The Black Circle is representing the star of Chaos Undivided as it is Crom's charge to gather armies for his attacks and unlike the Black Legion and the Word Bearers, he does not share command among his zealots and soldiers, they are given a task and are free to execute it however necessary unless directly commanded by Crom himself. IF this doesn't jive with the lore than I think that's fine because that's what makes special characters now doesn't it?

 

I still cannot decide weather or not I want to equip him with a daemon sword and storm shield or two daemon mauls, or perhaps even a daemon halberd. I'm intending on using the weapons from the Chaos Lord on Manticore set as soon as I can find bits to buy separately. I also dont have a clue on what mini to base him on. I know I'm 110% sure that I do not want him in terminator armor. I just want power armor that is decked out, something akin to this excellent piece of artwork found on warhammer wiki, http://images.wikia.com/warhammer40k/images/7/76/Pre_heresy_lion_el_johnson.jpg

 

The spikes, the ornate plates, and a daemon's head instead of a lion's head integrated into the chest is awesome. I'm also reminded of that sick artwork on page 5 of the Chaos Space Marine codex. THAT'S a chaos lord...

[Warsmith Aznable]

Well remember also, this is a space marine chapter turned renegade, which means they have up to 3 battle barges, between 3 and 10 strike cruisers, thunderhawk gunships galore, drop pods which can be used in orbit-to-ground or orbit-to-orbit boarding actions, plus several thousand cultists, slaves, and renegade guardsmen have joined them, which COULD mean even more fleet assets. Think Red Corsairs but on a smaller scale yet.

 

Even the Red Corsairs have to hide in the Maelstrom, though.

 

But you're right, the C:CSM describes exactly a renegade world protected by a large fleet too dangerous for the Imperium to use with its given resources.

 

If that's the way you want to go then I think it would deserve to be mentioned in a more assertive way.

 

I think your "details of treachery" section could be trimmed down a lot. I'd specifically remove most of the narrative story elements, like:

 

A quick bout ensued between the over 8-foot-tall warrior and the 5-foot-tall High Regent and though his power sword was substantial, the daemon sword would not be stopped by mere mortal weaponry. Shattering the blade and with a blazing arch, Crom bifurcated the High Regent and tore his head from his neck/

 

That whole section could be reduced to:

 

"Years after being presumed lost during a crusade into the Eye of Terror, the Night Howlers Great Company of the Space Wolves chapter resurfaced during a raid on the feudal world of Korse. The unprepared PDF was contemptuously swept aside and the former Wolf Lord, now rippling with a daemonic aura and radiating the blessings of Chaos, personally slaughtered the Imperial Governor in a mockery of trial by combat. The Night Howlers and their Wolf Lord were gone, in their stead were the Black Circle and Lord Crom, their noble Fenrisian heritage symbolically cast off along with their oaths to the Emperor. Once was a lawful and productive planet of the Imperium, Korse trembled with the legions of Chaos cultists and cries of the enslaved population, held in servitude and protected by the strength of the an entire Space Marine chapter's fleet assets perverted to the service of the Ruinous Powers."

 

546 words versus 151, and the same information is imparted.

 

That's just a suggestion, because a pile of details that repeat the same idea and superfluous narrative can drown out that otherwise good idea by exasperating the reader.

 

But "The Doom of Korse" doesn't say much about what makes the Black Circle different. You've got Space Wolves turned Word Bearer wannabes who have a strong fleet and took over a random Imperial planet. You spend time describing the fetishes on his armor that is "likely artificer armor", but I don't know anything about the man himself. How do the details support the IA? Why did they turn to Chaos? What event was so momentous that it shattered their loyalty to their Emperor, Primarch, and home world? Why was Korse the perfect place for Lord Crom to call home? What happened to the Night Howlers who didn't think turning to Chaos was such a good idea? They're founded off of Space Wolf gene-seed (or are a lost Great Company), so what about the curse of the Wulfen and the other aspects of their gene-seed? And forget a Segmentum battlefleet coming after them, I think the loyal sons of Fenris would probably lose their minds and drop whatever they were doing to come pay a visit to any renegade Space Wolf descended chapter (or lost Great Company) that had the brass to set up shop in Real-space.

 

The use of cultists and Alpha Legion style tactics is under-developed. This seems to me the aspect that promises the most creativity in making the Black Circle come alive. Space Wolves turned zealous Chaos Undivided cultists leaves a big question unanswered. It provides a motivation for their activities and opportunities to show us what they're really about, but you spend the bulk of the IA recounting how Lord Crom built his house and what he was wearing while he did it. Out of 954 sentences 766 are mostly about a single battle, that Lord Crom likes spikey bits and skulls on his armor, and that they are all really into Chaos these days. Then there are these little tidbits that make me say, "This is an interesting idea that I would like to know more about" but then you end with what amounts to, "and after the epic battle where Lord Crom earned his flying castle, they got on to doing other nefarious stuff of a similar nature." The Imperium eventually found Korse and saw that it was a twisted, corrupt planet, but what then? You stop right where actual tension comes into play.

 

Those are the negative aspects of the IA, I think. Here is a summary of what I think works and should be built on:

 

Lord Crom was once one of the greatest assets that the Imperium had in its arsenal to ensure the survival of the human race. He had a "road to Damascus" moment off-stage and now thinks Chaos Undivided is the best thing for everyone, and he's the man to make this happen. He's got a bloody great fleet of shoot-y spaceships that make him too dangerous to take on directly and isn't afraid to use them. He is particularly dangerous not just for the brass it takes to dare the Imperium to come visit him in his floating castle, but because he chooses the potentially more far reaching method of attacking the very soul of the human race, picking his targets carefully from among Imperial planets he has successfully undermined with the use of well supported cells of saboteurs and Chaos cultists. He has the ability to not just hold a planet in Imperial space, but can raid well beyond his immediate sphere of control, keeping the Imperial fleet guessing where he'll show up next, and the entire area nervous and on its toes.