Imperial Angels

[Brother Cyrrus]

Ok, just shooting this out quick in the hopes someone will see it and find it interesting enough to give me a 'go ahead' if I actually take the time to try and flesh it out. Imperial Angels, haven't decided between extension of Imperial Fists or Blood Angels...open to other suggestions of course. My biggest concept piece revolves around the divinity of the Emperor and, by extension, the Primarchs and the Space Marines themselves. The idea is that if the Holy Emperor, Blessed By All, is himself a being of pure divine power...and he then took directly of himself to create the Primarchs, who themselves are so far above mortal men, are they not demi-gods themselves, worthy of praising with regards to the virtues they embody? In turn, are the traitorous Primarchs not to be reviled and used as a method of instructing novitiates against certain vices? Again, by extension, as blood and body relatives to the Primarch, and the Holy Emperor, aren't the Space Marines themselves like unto angels?

[Dosjetka]

An interesting concept, I must say, but I can't picture your Chapter with so little information.

 

Do they have any rituals that they perform to show their devotion to the Emperor? Why were they created? If they do believe in the Emperor's divinity, then maybe they believe they have a holy mission to achieve? Is this belief stemmed from their home world or from their Founding Chapter? How do they fight and why do they fight that way? What battles have they fought in? Have they any glorious victories or some horrid defeats? Where are they situated in the galaxy? Where would one look if one seeked their help?

 

All these questions should be answered so that we, readers, can fully understand what your Chapter is about ^_^ Then we can help you along with the creation of your Chapter :)

 

Looking forward to seeing this develop :P

 

Ludovic

[Muras]

Hmm, I sort of like the idea. Have you considered maybe doing it as a Renegade chapter who worships the empreror very openly, and perhaps their faith manifests Angelic beings who are effectively Imperial Daemons? Think you could really pull something interesting out with that theory, using counts as Daemon princes as Living Saints they ally with or some such.

 

-Pred

[Brother Cyrrus]

Good questions, stuff I've thought a little about and just wanted to see if a quick pitch got interest. The Renegade Chapter idea does sound interesting...though I'm not certain if I'd do that as this exact chapter, or as a Dark Angels/Fallen concept where you have a Chaos Undivided CSM chapter that acts as their foil, worshipping the Traitors directly as living manifestations of their patron deity.

 

Rituals...well part of this idea stemmed from the Imperial Fists traditional use of the pain glove. I had initially figured that it was a chapter built from a vision granted to someone (likely an Imperial Fists Librarian or Chaplain) of the Emperor and either outlining some divine plan for them, or as a more "visiony" deal of seeing the Emperor in his battle against Chaos to keep the Empyrean safe for the Imperium. So the pain glove would be a central ritual similar to the Imperial Fists in an attempt to commune with the Emperor by connecting to him through his pain. In addition I saw this as a Librarian heavy chapter, the psychic powers of the Librarians helping in their connection to "the Divine". They would view themselves as an angelic host to the Emperor, owing fealty and allegiance to him alone and acting on his will as his right hand to purge Chaos from the Galaxy. Simultaneously they are his left hand and shield the worlds they bring into the fold, being the protectors of Humanity. As far as a holy mission the youngest novitiates believe in the fight against Chaos and a desire to end their crusades finally with the crushing defeat of Chaos...perhaps specifically Abaddon seeing as Horus is no more. Unfortunately the elder Marines see no real end in sight, just a never-ending battle between the glory of the Emperor and the darkness of the galaxy.

 

Fighting style I go back and forth on a bit. I had this idea of an assault-heavy force by combining Black Templar parts with the awesome BA Sanguinary Guard models, so you get that image of fluttering tabards and gleaming wings with power swords drawn. Very angelic. Then using DA Vets for Devastator squads and any other "infantry" models so that there was the robed monastic look. But I also had an idea of trying to incorporate the Eldar Aspect Warriors, like each Company is made up of a separate Primarch Cult devoted to that Primarch's "style"...say, Assault Squads for Sanguinius, Scouts for Corax, Assault Termies for Dorn, etc. Just wasn't sure how to incorporate that, if it should be just in the fluff or find a way of marking their "devotion" on the models as well. I also had an idea of using alien tech, after having the Chapter Techmarines purify it and the Librarian/Chaplain's sanctify it, so that Librarians may use Eldar Singing Spears as power weapons or outfit a Scout squad with Eldar sniper rifles...or even the Tau carbines. Only from the "safe" aliens at least, the ones whose tech isn't as likely to devour you body and soul if you pick it up.

 

Hadn't considered victories or defeats much. I did envision, assuming an Imperial Fist background, that they would build grand Cathedral Fortresses on their worlds attempting to recapture the lost grandure of the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra while maintaining the structural integrity and defensiveness inherent to Dornian philosophy. The ruining of the Palace to defend against Horus would be a point that still stings to them...as a real world instance, it's to them as if someone warped the pearly gates and ribbed them with razor wire in the name of defense...necessary? Maybe. Sacrilege? Definitely. Inside each of the Cathedrals, in the central hall, I see a 9 point star. Each point represents one of the Primarchs, and in the center is the aquila and thunderbolt of the Emperor. For minor audiences with other chapters the ambassador stands within their parent Primarchs ray while the Imperial Angels present remain on theirs. In the case of a brother chapter from their progenitor visiting they stand on much less ceremony and meet in more comfortable surroundings. For larger meetings they have a similar array, only here is a ten point star. At the apex of the 9 Primarch rays is a seat for the representative of each Primarch, while the 10th ray stretches like an arrow towards a massive golden throne to remind all present of the Emperor's presence and a smaller, human sized seat at the foot of the throne for official envoys from Holy Terra. At their homeworld, in their founding monastery, the only difference is that at each Primarch's seat there is a Primarch sized throne for the hopeful return of the Primarchs and a smaller seat recognizing the Marines who rule in regency.

 

Gonna cut it here for now...working third shift and doing this between naps.

[Brother Cyrrus]

Alright, lets see what else I can pull from my head for this chapter of Imperial Angels. For major battles they have participated in every Black Crusade since their founding. Their devotion to stemming the tide of Chaos into the Imperium is such that they have even pulled their presence from other fields of battle to stand against the Crusade. It is easily seen that nine time out of ten their battle brothers will board their Thunderhawks, take to orbit, and translate to Warp as soon as they hear of a new incursion from the Eye of Terror. Since their founding there hasn't been a single occasion where the Imperial Angels did not abandon a world or an ally if the Crusade was headed by Abaddon. One of their major goals is to capture their corrupted brethren where possible to be brought back for an attempt at redemption. No matter the end result of the interrogation, whether they repent their grievous sins against the Holy Emperor, their Primarch, and their thrice damned souls or hold to their twisted masters the corrupted will be dispatched with mercy and their corporeal remains rendered to ash with cleansing fire.

 

As for defeats they have, of course, at one time or another suffered a defeat at the hands of every major player in the known universe. They have lost to Tau, Craftworld Eldar, Dark Eldar, Necrons, Orks, the corrupted remains of Imperial Guard, mock battles with their brother chapters. Their greatests defeats, however, have almost all invariably come from the Black Legion, followed closely by the Word Bearers. Where the Black Legion has beaten and slaughtered their way through hundreds of Imperial Angels the Word Bearers have infiltrated and swept away entire worlds with their oratory. The only foe they respect as equally as the corrupted are the Necrons. The Imperial Angels recognize them as an evil more ancient still than the Marines who have fallen to Chaos, and view them as an aspect of implaccable death. Like death the Necrons appear to be unceasing, unfeeling, and incapable of truce. Their physical appearance also certainly lends itself to this judgement.

 

I think I'm about tapped for now, hope I've kept them interesting enough for a bit more input?

 

::EDIT::

 

Made an attempt at matching positives/negatives to loyalist and traitor primarchs, virtues and sins to be taught to the novitiate. Suggestions? Opinions?

 

Lion El'Jonson - Pride

Jaghatai Khan - Unity

Leman Russ - Ferocity

Rogal Dorn - Steadfastness

Sanguinius - Piety

Ferrus Manus - Strength

Roboute Guilliman - Loyalty

Vulkan - Endurance

Corax - Subtelty

 

Fulgrim - Vanity

Perturabo - Relentlessness/Unrepentant

Konrad Curze - Dementia

Angron - Rage

Mortarion - StagnationMagnus the Red - Arrogance

Horus - Ambition

Lorgar - Seditious

Alpharius Omegon - Treachery

 

The two "forgotten" Primarchs are something I also wasn't sure what to do with...the only information we really have that I can think of is that they were flawed in some way and that's why they were forgotten. Something went wrong with them and they were the first "traitors" if you will...don't know where to go with that with this chapter other than maybe represented as a mystery of some kind? Gray obelisks bearing their numerical designation as a reminder that they existed while not honoring them in any way?