The Rainbow Warriors

[Aqui]

Okay, after seeing This thread, it got me thinking. Are the Rainbow Warriors just a joke? Do they deserve to be? If not, then perhaps someone should step into the breach and give them the Fluff they might deserve.

As my brain has developed a mental block (again) regarding my DIY's and not having the chance or concentration levels needed at present to get my part of the Liber Challenge else where on this Forum up to scratch (hopefully, I'll be able to get a lot done at the weekend), I thought I should get started on something totally new. This hopefully will be it.

My approach is going to be on a similar line to what GW have done with the Space Sharks/Carcharodons, in so far as to give them a better name, but tie in the existing one and have that as the name that the Millions of unwashed refer them as.

What little that is known about them will be included, so the Planet will be known as "Prism" and there will be a Brother Vermillion etc et al.

One idea about the name "Rainbow Warriors" I had is to have the Planet they come from be in a region of space where there is a Nebula that looks like a vast Rainbow in space and the term for them is tied in with that. However, that isn't set in stone yet, and should I find an unacceptable back story for it, I'll find something else to explain it.

The main hurdle I have is to find a more suitable "High Gothic" name for them that rolls off the tongue, but fits them in a subtle way, but not obscure.

Any ideas? Encouragement? Derision?

Edit: I was going to put this in the Liber Astartes, but I failed to notice that I put it in Index Astartes . If the Forum Mods don't think this is the correct place to put it then I apologise in advance and will be grateful if you could stick it in Liber instead (I'd prefer it in the Liber).

EDIT:

"Ten things":

* Fast, close combat attacks is always best "Strike first, strike hard, strike fast!"

* Venerate Jaghati Khan

* Close bonds of Brotherhood, forged through battle

* Hatred of Eldar, especially Dark Eldar

* Progress through Chapter is denoted through colours on armour (i.e. Spectrum) with Ultra-Violet and Infra-Red being "Ultimate" Colours held by Khans and the Great_khan.

* Chapter feels that using Dreadnoughts is wrong (Warriors should not be forced to exist in a "half-life" )

* Extensive use of cybernetics only to be used in extremis - if a Brother is too far gone to save, then the Emperor's Peace should be given.

* Vows to find their Primarch, as does their Primgenitor Chapter

* Whilst the Chapter has a central structure, each company is able to fight alone.

* Honour is most important to them, any slight to that honour is dealt with immediately.

[skullheaderhalf=990000; background-image:url([url=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/hq2.gif]http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/hq2.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: 8px 2px; padding: 12px 8px 12px 8px; border: 1px solid #DDD; margin-left: 0 auto; text-align: left; color: #fff; text-indent:50px; font-size:130%; ">The Rainbow Warriors

"From above on high they came, in a huge metal eagle the likes of which had never been seen before or since. Such was it's ferocity, it split the heavens and, in the distance, a massive rainbow arced the sky!" - an account of a Native of Pochutec (laterly to be known as "Prism") of the first time a ThunderHawk Gunship was encountered on their Planet.

[Bannus]

Edit: I was going to put this in the Liber Astartes, but I failed to notice that I put it in Index Astartes...If the Forum Mods don't think this is the correct place to put it then I apologise in advance and will be grateful if you could stick it in Liber instead (I'd prefer it in the Liber).

Done.

[Aqui]

Edit: I was going to put this in the Liber Astartes, but I failed to notice that I put it in Index Astartes...If the Forum Mods don't think this is the correct place to put it then I apologise in advance and will be grateful if you could stick it in Liber instead (I'd prefer it in the Liber).

Done.

 

Thanks Bannus.

[Aqui]

So before I start formatting etc, I'll make a list of stuff I want/would like to put in their IA.

 

First, what we do know of them:

 

Rainbow Warriors

 

Home World: Prism, Ultima Segmentum

 

Known Marines: Brother Vermillion, Brother-Captain Varagol (Source: Lexicanum - I've heard of Vermillion, but not Varagol. I'll roll with it for now :D )

 

What I would like to add:

 

Region of space their home world occupies is a vast multicoloured Nebula, which is mostly unexplored, and home to a lot of Pirate etc activity. RW tend to take them on and destroy them. In the Ultima Segmentum, the Alaitoc Craftworld is at the outer edge (estimated), perhaps they encounter each other on a few occassions? If not Alaitoc, perhaps a smaller unknown Craftworld causes the RW some trouble?

 

Their "Real name" and the hardest part for me. I don't want to just put "Rainbow Warrior" in Latin and be done with it (I've had a look and they don't sound right)

 

Background and ancestry. Unless someone is able to suggest something original, I think the only viable option is the UM's.

 

Eventually, this is where the IA will be posted. In hindsight I should have put it higher up, but alas....

[CutlassCam]

Hmmm... Prism Warriors?

Soldiers of Light?

Sky Sunderers? (Because they split the sky/light; like a prism, creating a rainbow?. In fact; I like this one, I might use it for my new chapter.)

[Aqui]

Hmmm... Prism Warriors?

Soldiers of Light?

Sky Sunderers? (Because they split the sky/light; like a prism, creating a rainbow?. In fact; I like this one, I might use it for my new chapter.)

 

Sky Sunderers does have a certain Gravitas, doesn't it? :D

 

I'll have to think a little more about their "other" name. Thanks for the reply :D

[momosgarage]

They are actually talked about by GW design staff, so I would say they have more thought put into thier background than many other lesser known chapters. Here's my answer from the other thread, :

 

I actually posted an explanation to the illustration of the Rainbow Warriors being purged by the SoB in a thread on RT era SoB a few years ago. SoB in Rogue Trader were essentially what they are today. There were also two models made at the time that don't look much different in style from what we have now, the sculpt was just of lower quality (One had a power sword and the other had a bolter). You could easily build a sister's style army in 1st edition. According to the short description in RT, the Adeptus Sororitas were a part of the Administratum and were organized in the same way as Space Marines were described in the 1st edition book. You could build a Sororitas army based on the Administratum profile or the Adeptus Arbites profile. So using the space marine force organization chart and Adeptus profiles in Rogue Trader, a Soroitas Army could be made, especially since there were models available at the time.

 

The picture in RT has a clear written description of what is happening. The picture is even referenced by Andy Hoare in WD 292:

 

"This gave us a basis for the character of the army - vengeful warrior-adepts tasked with enforcing the purity of other Imperial organisations. The Rogue Trader art even shows a Battle Sister exacting that vengeance upon a Space Marine, so this seemed particularly appropriate (in fact, the Space Marine is from the Rainbow Warriors Chapter, and as we haven't heard of them for some time I guess the Sisters' mission was successful.)"

 

Most folks don't own the old books, so I understand why its not easy to connect the noted RT illustration with the later 5th edition SM codex notation which lists the Rainbow Warrios homeworld as <<record deleted>>. I would say when we put these three pieces of evidence together, we have a clear answer. They were purged by the SoB.

 

Personally, I'd play them like Renegade Space Marines as described in the Index Astartes: Rogue Sons article from WD 302 (BTW, also and Andy Hoare article).

[Freman Bloodglaive]

Don't forget Captain Scarlet.

 

Their attack cry? "Spectrum is green."

[Ace Debonair]

Their "Real name" and the hardest part for me. I don't want to just put "Rainbow Warrior" in Latin and be done with it (I've had a look and they don't sound right)

 

The Lightsworn.

 

Yes, it's taken from yu-gi-oh, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't make a badass name for a chapter. :D

[Castiel]

Mauris Bellator is Latin for rainbow warriors.

As for my own thoughts:

The Light Blades

The Refractors

Greenpeace :ph34r:

[MagicMan]

I really like the Aztec/Mayan idea for the Rainbow Warriors.

 

Maybe with a different name, like Jaguar Warriors in Latin. Or Sons of Quetzocoatl.

 

 

 

Check out this snazzy image i found :

 

 

 

http://media.moddb.com/images/groups/1/3/2055/1304045419230.jpg

[Shuggnuggath]

From doing a quick search on google it seems that the Rainbow Warriors are some kind of saviours in native american legends.

[MagicMan]

I think its a great idea for a chapter, the names a bit duff, but i love the Aztec theme idea.

[Aqui]

Their "Real name" and the hardest part for me. I don't want to just put "Rainbow Warrior" in Latin and be done with it (I've had a look and they don't sound right)

 

The Lightsworn.

 

Yes, it's taken from yu-gi-oh, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't make a badass name for a chapter. :lol:

 

:blink: If you hadn't told me it was from Yu-gi-oh, I wouldn't have known and thought seriously about using it.

 

Now, I'm torn between what could have been a cool name, and the knowledge of where it's come from!

 

Mauris Bellator is Latin for rainbow warriors.

As for my own thoughts:

The Light Blades

The Refractors

Greenpeace :P

 

:lol:

 

I really like the Aztec/Mayan idea for the Rainbow Warriors.

 

Maybe with a different name, like Jaguar Warriors in Latin. Or Sons of Quetzocoatl.

 

 

 

Check out this snazzy image i found :

 

 

 

http://media.moddb.com/images/groups/1/3/2055/1304045419230.jpg

 

I thought I'd seen something a while ago, but assumed it was a totally different Chapter ^_^ And the pic is done by Phillip S. If I decide to go the Aztec/Mayan route I'll make sure I'll ask him if I can use it ^_^ It is a cool idea, and something far superior to anything I've thought of thus far :D

 

From doing a quick search on google it seems that the Rainbow Warriors are some kind of saviours in native american legends.

 

Could you give me the search parameters that you used, as I'd like to see if I could weave some Native American in too.

 

Thanks all, it's given me a lot to think about. I was going to try to give the RW a background from scratch, but it certainly won't hurt to add in elements from the above. I'll be back to this in a couple of days to see what I can come up with ;)

[Brother Ulkesh]

If you search for hopi indians on Wikipedia, you should find some stuff about their legends. I was inspired to look a while ago after seeing Phillip S's IA for the RWs.

[Aqui]

If you search for hopi indians on Wikipedia, you should find some stuff about their legends. I was inspired to look a while ago after seeing Phillip S's IA for the RWs.

 

Thanks for the tip :yes: I'll be looking at Mayan/Aztec stuff too and see if I can mix the three together in a way that works :D

[Aqui]

Whilst looking at some stuff on Wikipedia, I found the word Pochutec (a now extinct language that was in use in some "Aztec" areas.) I like the sound of it, so have decided to use it in the name of the "Official" Chapter name.

 

Scions of Pochutec

Regents of Pochutec

Fists of Pochutec

Angels of Pochutec

 

I was thinking of having Pochutec as the proper name of Prism, perhaps Prism being the ImpGoth name for it.

 

Still not sure whether to have the Ultra Marines as the "Parent" Chapter. I'd prefer to use Imperial Fists or Salamanders, as they seem to fit the look of the picture Phillip S has made. Raven Guard could be a possibility, but I'm wary of their Geneseed's instability issues.

 

The more I look at the pic MagicMan posted, the more I'm convinced that I should pursue the "Aztec" feel of the Chapter.

 

I'll have a think about things at work (later ;) ) and work out an outline for them.

[Shuggnuggath]

There will come a time when the Earth grows sick and when it does a tribe will gather from all the cultures of the World who believe in deeds and not words. They will work to heal it...they will be known as the "Warriors of the Rainbow."

 

Thats the Hopi legend that inspired Greenpeace.

[Ace Debonair]

Their "Real name" and the hardest part for me. I don't want to just put "Rainbow Warrior" in Latin and be done with it (I've had a look and they don't sound right)

 

The Lightsworn.

 

Yes, it's taken from yu-gi-oh, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't make a badass name for a chapter. :)

 

:D If you hadn't told me it was from Yu-gi-oh, I wouldn't have known and thought seriously about using it.

 

Now, I'm torn between what could have been a cool name, and the knowledge of where it's come from!

 

There's been chapters on this forum based on Japanese cartoons, so I think half-inching a badass name from a card game is hardly a crime. :lol:

 

Or, you could always mix it up a bit.

Sunsworn, Starsworn, all sorts of cool possibilities. ^_^

[Aqui]

There will come a time when the Earth grows sick and when it does a tribe will gather from all the cultures of the World who believe in deeds and not words. They will work to heal it...they will be known as the "Warriors of the Rainbow."

 

Thats the Hopi legend that inspired Greenpeace.

 

That. Is. Awesome! Thanks Shuggnuggath. I'll try to rework the quote to reflect the 41st Millennium!

 

Ace, you are correct, (The Bahltymir Reavers' name is a combination of an American Football team and a reference from Firefly/Serenity, so I can't talk :D )

[Castiel]

I'm going to throw in a vote for Angels of Pochutec. I reckon that the Salamanders geneseed would work best alongside that quote, as it seems to fit in with their background better than with the Fists.

[Master Chaplain]

Doesn't sound like a joke to me.

[Lord Cuthbert]

Why not just roll with the Polynesian slant? I would prefer to have maori rainbow warriors any day.

[Aqui]

I'm going to throw in a vote for Angels of Pochutec. I reckon that the Salamanders geneseed would work best alongside that quote, as it seems to fit in with their background better than with the Fists.

 

True, but I wanted to try to examine all possible angles before deciding :lol:

 

Lord Cuthbert: Perhaps I could combine Maori elements with Mayan and Incan.

 

Would be a hell of a mix!

 

To show everyone where I want the "Rainbow Warriors" moniker fits in, I've been trying to find a single sentence that would summarise them. I think this might be it:

 

"From above on high they came, in a huge metal eagle the likes of which had never been seen before or since. Such was it's ferocity, it split the heavens and, in the distance, a massive rainbow arced the sky!"

 

The sentence is from the point of view of a Native of "Prism" or Pochutec as they know it, and (hopefully) describes the moment the first time a Thunderhawk is seen landing on their Planet. The Rainbow being formed by the THawk smashing through a cloud formation, causing rain.....and the inevitable Rainbow.

 

Pochutec is a Planet where the natives regressed to Bronze age? like technology and culture. The original settlers had crash landed on the main continent, and over 300 or more years had lost most of their knowledge of the technology that brought their ancestors there. Most of their current cultural infrastructure is based on historical records from Ancient Terra, a mixture of races and ideas, mistakenly understood to be the "Golden Era" of the Homeworlds' History. Over the years many different clans, took their own interpretations of those records and molded them into their own beliefs, which inevitably caused great conflict. Only one aspect of their cultures remained similar. That one man, the Inti was their saviour and that He was the protector of their Planet, and the Heavens, dealing evil gods terrible blows and fighting back the darkness.....

The Planet Pochutec was rediscovered when a scouting party from [insert name of Chapter] dropped out of warp to investigate the relatively unknown system of Astra Spectra. The Planet is part of a small system of Worlds that are located in a Nebula renowned for its spectacular colours. Initially, they landed upon a more developed world, and upon meeting the indigenous population were told of another planet, a death world. Densely covered in jungle, the two main continents had approximately 10 Clans, whom through disputes of a religious nature were at constant war. Seeing an opportunity to seek out new recruits, the scouting party made way. The planet is renowned for its heavy rainfall, the seasons rarely breaking from perpetual precipitation. Bursting through the clouds in one of the continents dry seasons, it started to rain again, but above the Clans’ settlement, the Thunderhawk had a caused a rainbow to form, something the locals took to be a sign, one of great portent and omen. Once first contact was made, it was decided that upon the next Founding [insert Founding] a new Chapter would be created, using the natives to keep this and neighbouring systems safe from various Eldar attacks, in particular that of the Alaitoc Craftworld rumoured to be relatively nearby.

 

It took some time to bring the world to acceptable compliance, due to the fact that each Clan had its own language, and initially refused to parley with the others. However, when it was firmly established that the Marines were the servants of the Emperor, whom the natives worshiped as the Inti it was far easier. Despite all this, the clans still wage war against each other, still believing that their way of worshipping the Emperor is best. The Rainbow Warriors do not interfere in these matters as it ensures that only the best Warriors are taken to be made into Marines.

 

Recruitment:

 

As war is a constant on Pochtec, all Clans know that the Rainbow Warriors are watching and will ever strive to attract their attention. They believe that they live beyond the realm of man and sit at court with the Emperor in the stars. Whilst their grasp is somewhat primitive, it isn’t inaccurate. An old space station that was abandoned millennia ago in a system nearby, was brought into orbit around the planet and serves as the Chapters’ headquarters. Small encampments known as Huaca are scattered across the planets’ surface and act as training barracks for new recruits. All Clans are forbidden from approaching these areas, superstition ensuring that this edict is adhered to at all times.

Aspirants are usually taken from the battlefield after the skirmish is over. If an individual, fallen in battle, showed great courage and is not mortally injured they are taken as well. Recruitment is made by a Space Marine Apothecary and Chaplain pair. This ensures the physical and moral fibre of the Chapter is ensured.

[Heru2012]

I was going to suggest something like Legio Spectra for the naem, but going with the aztecy/mayan themes cool as!