A Vague Idea

[Brother Augustine]

A while back I had an idea for a Chapter and haven't really been able to develop it. All I have so far is the Gene-line (Dorn) and a major defining event in their history. The idea was that Early in the Chapter's history a little less than half of the Chapter (around 3 or 4 Companies) as well as the current Chapter Master were corrupted by the Ruinous Powers and turned traitor. The rest of the Chapter jumped on this as fast as they could to prevent the word of it from getting out and an all out war broke out between the two factions resulting in the Deaths of hundreds of battle brothers and the destruction of their homeworld. In the time since they have become a fleet-based Crusade Chapter in order to atone for the incident.

 

And that is all I have so I was wondering if I might get a hand in fleshing this out, assuming that this idea shouldn't just be flushed outright.

[Ace Debonair]

Sounds alright as a concept.

 

The questions that come to mind are:

 

What causes the renegades to turn?

 

Does the chapter go all Dark Angels and go all-out to eradicate any evidence that these traitors ever existed?

 

If not, how does this vast betrayal of kindred effect the chapter's personality and outlook?

[Leonaides]

Actually - the bigger question is how the fraggle-droppings did your chapter manage to continue. Assuming that the Chapter Master wasnt a complete tactical idiot, I'd expect something around a 1:1 kill ratio. so your chapter might have been reduced to 2-300 marines, which is well into the unsustainable losses territory at which chapters cannot actually survive without outside help. So someone would have to know and have been willing to keep it quiet - which then leads to why did they keep it quiet - has your chapter had to agree to do something? maybe several thousand years of favours?

[Shinzaren]

Actually - the bigger question is how the fraggle-droppings did your chapter manage to continue. Assuming that the Chapter Master wasnt a complete tactical idiot, I'd expect something around a 1:1 kill ratio. so your chapter might have been reduced to 2-300 marines, which is well into the unsustainable losses territory at which chapters cannot actually survive without outside help. So someone would have to know and have been willing to keep it quiet - which then leads to why did they keep it quiet - has your chapter had to agree to do something? maybe several thousand years of favours?

I disagree. 2-300 marines is definitely something they can recover from. As long as they have the gene-seed, they can rebuild. Any losses incurred to armor/weapons/ships/etc could easily be written off. They could simply report that they had a massive engagement. Hell, if they really wanted to sell it, they could find a planet with little to no life and simply destroy it from orbit. They tell everyone that they sustained massive losses and had to resort to Exterminatus and then they rebuild. Now, if the gene-seed is lost, they are definitely and permanently screwed. However, aside from that, it is recoverable, albeit over a very long time. Even with a kill ratio of 1:1; armor, weapons, and vehicles can be recovered from the fallen and repaired. This level of decimation is actually a fairly common DIY tactic, and one I myself have used. I would say that instead of focusing on the recovery, focus first on how the renegades went renegade and then focus on how the chapter rebuilt and how their beliefs adapted to this extreme betrayal. How do they see themselves now? Tainted, like the Dark Angels? Stronger for having survived and remained loyal? Examine how this earthshaking event changed the chapter.

[Brother Augustine]

The Corruption began during a Campaign where the Chapter Master leads a massed Invasion/Crusade into a mostly unregistered area of space. When they returned they refused to say anything about the campaign. While the Loyal Captains found it strange, they didn't push for answers believing that something serious must have happened that their brethren were sworn to secrecy about. By the time they learned the truth, it was too late. While on campaign the Chapter Master and his men were approached by a Daemon Prince named Malfeas the Deathlord. He seduced them with promises of power and they agreed to conquer in his name.

 

After the war the Loyalists believed that they had already destroyed the last of the Traitors, not realizing that they had been spirited away by Malfeas at the last minute. The Loyalists, while their numbers were greatly reduced had maintained control of around 90% of the Chapter Armory/Techmarines and all of the Dreadnoughts. (Actually have a side bit planned titled "March of the Ancients" where the Techmarines wake up all of the Dreadnoughts to repel a massed infantry invasion of the Armory) Anyway back on topic, they don't have any reason to go all Dark Angels-y cause they think the Traitors are all dead. They do however feel responsible for not seeing it coming until it was too late. Believing that they had become too complacent, they vowed to never allow themselves to rest again and became a Crusading Chapter. They do not tolerate traitors of any kind and will actively seek out renegades and crush them wholesale. However, they do not ignore other enemies, traitors just have a special place in their hearts. They don't try to actively hide that it happened, they just prefer not to talk about it.

 

:EDIT: Just correcting some typing errors.

[Brother Augustine]

An idea occurs to me.

I have information on the renegades as well, should I include that here or give them their own thread?

[Leonaides]

they vowed to never allow themselves to rest again and became a Crusading Chapter

Point of order - surely a crusading hcapter that spends long periods of time separated into its contingent parts is more susceptible to the kind of heresy that ensnared the Chapter Master? And it might be a more likely response that every marine is psychicly screened after serving away on a mission by those who remain sentry at the chapter fortress... Until then, they would be kept locked in their cells and treated as a threat until they had passed scrutiny...

[Brother Augustine]

Hadn't thought of that to be honest. I guess it would be unlikely that would all travel in a massed Crusade so that they could all keep an eye on each other. But wouldn't the Imperium be kinda iffy about them taking a new world? Or would they just not question it?

 

However, if I do give them a new static fortress, can I blatantly steal that idea of yours? Cause frankly I think its awesome and it would totally fit!

[Brother Augustine]

I have a question for the LHD or anyone else who is good with this sort of thing.

 

The paintscheme I am currently running with is Primarily Liche Purple with Bleached bone as a secondary color, and Shining Gold for Details (Pauldron Trim, Chest Aquila, etc.) But I am having trouble determining the Color of the Chapter Symbol. The symbol will be set against a field of Purple, and I don't know if it makes any difference but it is the Cross & Skull Pauldron from the Black Templars sprue.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

:EDIT:

Actually, I'm looking at the test model, and I am not sure I want to stick with the purple. So for now I have made no progress on Heraldry, but I'll deal with that later.

I should have some more detailed information about the Chapter War soon.

[Ace Debonair]

I have a question for the LHD or anyone else who is good with this sort of thing.

 

The paintscheme I am currently running with is Primarily Liche Purple with Bleached bone as a secondary color, and Shining Gold for Details (Pauldron Trim, Chest Aquila, etc.) But I am having trouble determining the Color of the Chapter Symbol. The symbol will be set against a field of Purple, and I don't know if it makes any difference but it is the Cross & Skull Pauldron from the Black Templars sprue.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Anything that isn't purple should work fine! :eek

Presumably the skull will be bone coloured, so you can pretty much use whatever colour for the cross - red, black, gold, grey, turquoise... It should look pretty much ok.

 

:EDIT:

Actually, I'm looking at the test model, and I am not sure I want to stick with the purple. So for now I have made no progress on Heraldry, but I'll deal with that later.

I should have some more detailed information about the Chapter War soon.

 

If you want me to start throwing colour schemes around, just say the word.

My Heraldry Department hat is right here. :(

[Brother Augustine]

If you wouldn't mind, that would probably be very helpful

[Leonaides]

Re thieving ideas - you cant thieve it if I've already given it to you, and I wouldnt post it if I wasnt willing for you to use it. So fill yer boots, I'll be interested to see where you take it.

[Brother Augustine]

Thank you very much, sir.

 

Now, More Background information that has been developed.

 

Chapter Master Ananias Chaeron of the [Chapter Name] felt his whole life that he was being called to the stars. When he was given the chance to be Astartes he leaped at the oppurtunity seeing that he would be able to answer this call. But even after he fought his way across the stars and back he still felt like someone or something was calling him. As his career continued he discovered that many others felt the same way as he. These Marines formed a secret Brotherhood within the ranks of the Chapter. When Chaeron became a Captain he filled his company's ranks with as many of his brethren as he could, keeping them all close together. Finally he ascended to the rank of Chapter Master and carefully manipulated things so that his brothers would be in positions of power. His only worry was his Honor Guard, whom he inherited from his predecessor and were not apart of the brotherhood.

 

Eventually the time came that Chapter Master Chaeron and his Brotherhood had found the source of the mysterious calling, and were preparing an expedition to discover its true nature. Under the guise of a military campaign the Brotherhood set out into the depths of the [sector Name] of the Segmentum Obscurus, to an unclassified world that they called Stygia. (forgive me if this is already a canon planet name, I'll Change it if it is.) On Stygia, they encountered the Daemon Prince Malfeas the Deathlord who explained that it was he who had been calling out to them for their whole lives, because they had the strength and skill to serve him well. If they would release him from his imprisonment, they would enjoy his patronage and they would form an Empire in which they would be kings. He would grant them power if they would give him their souls. To a man, they agreed and unleashed the Daemon.

 

The Chapter Master's Honor Guard, who had remained on the flagship despite their protests noticed a massive spike in warp energy on the planet's surface, which was immediately followed by the deaths of several astropaths. Fearing the worst they attempted to contact the Chapter Master and the others to no avail. Finally after several attempts to contact him, Chaeron answered. He reassured his guardians that the warp spike had been cause by the opening of a warp portal on the planets surface, but that the problem was being dealt with. However the Chapter's Champion Heinrich Faust, sensed that something was amiss and demanded to know more. He was answered with a burst of noise in the blasphemous tongue of the warp. Realizing that somehow the Chapter Master had fallen, Faust made a move to fire the ship's weapons upon the surface of Stygia before the traitors could make it back to [Chapter's Homeworld]. Unfortunately, Malfeas had other plans in mind and unleashed his own Daemonic Sorcery on the vessel, crippling it and leaving it floating in orbit over Stygia.

 

When the Brotherhood, or the Malfean Order as they now called themselves, left the system they opened fire on the crippled vessel, breaching its hull and leaving the crew and Honor Guard to die in the icy cold of space. They then returned to [Homeworld] leaving around one hundred brothers as well as Malfeas outside of the system in one of the remaining ships. When the Order returned to [Homeworld] their ships and armor showed evidence of a heavy conflict and the fact that two ships had been lost along with a full company's worth of Marines and even the Chapter Master's honor guard caused many of the other Captains to question what had happened. With a heavy heart, Chaeron told his Captains that the conflict in [sector Name] had been fierce, but on the nature of his foe he was strangely silent, claiming that he had been sworn to secrecy by Inquisitorial decree. Accepting this answer the still loyal Captains went about the process of campaigning and fighting in the name of the Emperor wholly unaware of the coming tragedy.

[Brother Augustine]

Had some ideas for paintschemes

Loyalists:

Traitors: