The Red Messengers

[Destecado]

As it appears that the Librarium is still closed for repairs, I hope is it alright to post this thread here. I’ve begun building a new chapter, which is definitely still a WIP. Actually, I’m still in the planning stages, but wanted to open up a discussion thread to let other users give their input and help shape the new chapter.

 

As the name of the Thread indicates, the Chapter / Warband is called the Red Messengers. I like marines, but I am not a fan of the Imperium. I wanted to create a renegade chapter, but not one that has fallen to Chaos. What I wanted were renegades that were loyal to the emperor or at least his vision of the Imperium of Man, not what it has become.

 

Overview:

 

The Red Messengers are a splinter faction of the Emperor’s Light Bearers. The nature of the schism is up for debate. Also up for discussion is the reaction of the Light Bearers…do they pursue them unceasingly like the Dark Angels hunt their fallen” brethren or do they publicly denounce them and put on a show of hunting them down, while privately finding satisfaction in their actions? I know the latter may be a controversial view, but there are historical precedents.

 

The High Lords of course decry the Red Messengers as renegades. Imperial Propaganda paints them as little more than vicious slathering beasts in service to the ruinous powers (namely Khorne). And, while many walk the knife-edge they view the carnage that follows in their wake as serving a higher purpose.

 

 

Inspiration:

 

The primary inspiration for the name of the chapter came from a late night viewing of an episode of Babylon 5, “Comes the Inquisitor”. Specifically Sebastian’s response to Sheridan at the end of the episode…

 

“The city was drowning in decay. Chaos. Immorality. A message needed to be sent, etched in blood for all the world to see. A warning. In the pursuit of my holy cause, I…did things. Terrible things. Unspeakable things. The world condemned me, but it didn't matter because I believed I was right and the world was wrong. I believed I was the divine messenger.”

 

Hubris and self-righteosuness factor heavily in the view point of the Red Messangers. The depiction of Space Marines as the embodiment of the Emperor’s wrath…Angels of Death…was one of the reasons I chose Light Bearers as the name of the Chapter from which the Red Messangers broke away. The name Lucifer is derived from the latin lucern ferre, literally “light-bearer”.

 

The Light Bearers are called the shinning host due to their gleaming armor. The high cromed armor was inspired by that worn by King Arthur’s knights in the movie Excalibur (1981). The armor of the Red Messangers is equally chromed, but unlike the brothers of the former chapter, their armor is red chrome. It has the appearance of chrome covered in blood (an effect, which can be seen near the end of the movie). It appears as if they have been drenched in the blood of their enemies.

 

Extending the Lucifer metaphor…Lucifer also refers to the “Morning Star”. This was the name given to the dawn appearance of the planet Venus, which heralded daylight. In the case of the Red Messangers, I am referencing the weapon. Instead of blades, many of the close combat weapons used by the marines of the Red Messangers resemble morning stars (spiked clubs or maces). Power weapons are spiked power mauls.

 

 

Names:

 

For those interested in generating manes for the original “traitors” my thought was to use variations of the names of the Argonauts, who accompanies Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece. Traditional versions place the number at about 50, but the names and number vary depending on the autor. Such discrepancies provide a wealth of names to choose from.

[Brother Tyler]

I'm moving this to the Liber Astartes forum, where members develop DIYs.