A rough idea for an Index Astartes

[Olis]

Oh and just as a side note of why I don't want a road, it is because I don't find it very discreet and I do believe that the staircase as a final challenge is quite a good one ;)

 

Anyone well versed in /tg/ lore will find this hilarious. Squad broken! :)

[Dosjetka]

Oh and just as a side note of why I don't want a road, it is because I don't find it very discreet and I do believe that the staircase as a final challenge is quite a good one :)

 

Anyone well versed in /tg/ lore will find this hilarious. Squad broken! ;)

I'm not sure it that's a good thing or not :)

 

Ludovic

[Aqui]

Thank you for popping by Aquilanus ;)

 

For the statue idea, you missed something in the post above yours, where I stated that I was thinking of doing a staircase. As I was imagining having a mountain range somewhere on the planet, with massive (Himalaya-like) mountains, I thought it would be great as it is a test of endurance and strength of will going up all of those stairs (and since there has been a fair amount of casualties, there would be a heck of a lot of stairs). But I do greatly appreciate your input (your point about farm-able land is a very valid point) and I may, instead of having statues all the time (these could be reserved for very important or particularly revered individuals), I could use your very good flagstone idea :) So each flagstone would be a step and the statues would be space out at regular intervals on the staircase to act as vigils over the new recruits.

 

I quite like that actually :)

 

Oh and just as a side note of why I don't want a road, it is because I don't find it very discreet and I do believe that the staircase as a final challenge is quite a good one ^_^

 

Cheers,

 

Ludovic

 

In my own defense, I was tired, hence missing that particular bit (also, it just proves that I miss things all the time). :angry:

 

But a staircase idea would work.

[Dosjetka]

In my own defense, I was tired, hence missing that particular bit (also, it just proves that I miss things all the time). <_<

 

But a staircase idea would work.

No worries, happens to us all :lol: And I don't believe that you miss all the time. Maybe just from time to time :D

 

I'm glad it gets your appeal ^_^

 

Ludovic

[Andrew J]

Glad I could be of service brother and I am glad that you like some of my ideas. My only thought with the staircase is that of the chicken before the egg thing. Would there just be regular stone steps there from the beginning and they add inscriptions to steps as time goes on? Or was there not a staircase in the beginning and they slowly have started to carve out the steps over time?

 

Personally I would go with the first idea, as the first steps a recruit would see on his final challenge for the chapter would be bare and boring, while following Aquilanus' idea of it building in importance till they finally reach the chapter.

 

Also a Morningstar is an old medieval weapon similar to a maul/club with spikes. Morningstar weapon. I dont know if that is helpful or not or if it even fits with your chapter at all. Just thought that would help you out if you wanted to go that way.

 

Another thought I had was that I have wanted to make a chapter with a metal name of some sort, particularly Tungsten, Iridium or Platinum. All are hard metals, some of the hardest in the world in fact and thought that might work with the idea of hardy people or strong willed/dutiful space marines in some way.

[Captain Juan Juarez]

Origins:

• Early Founding (gives me time to make them develop their character at a comfortable pace)
  
• Not sure what else. I'll update this space whenever I do actually find something more to add!
  

 

History is good, it can add character and all that chewy goodness but you need to do something with it.

 

Every Chapter will have moments of great triumph and great peril if given enough time, but one of the pitfalls of an early founding is to fail to make use of that breadth of time.

 

 

Home World:

• A verdant world with hardy and honest people. Low tech Agri-World? Named Kotia.
  
• The Chapter maintains vigil from afar.
  
• There may be an area of the planet where the Chapter erects a statue every time an Astartes from its ranks dies as a way to remember the fallen and to honour them. Also shows their respect for those who built the Chapter and who lived on with their mutation, refusing to replace their missing heart and instead enduring the hardship afflicting them.
  

 

I always wanted to be hardy and honest, but had to settle for devious and underhand.

 

So little intereaction with the natives; what effect does this have when there is contact though?

 

What technological level is the planet? Are they savages with flint and fire, or do they have a fledgling Industrial Age?

 

If you have a long history, also bearing in mind a Marines lot is to die in battle, then eventually you'll have nowhere left on the planet for statues to go; the Chapter will launch a Crusade, not for the Emperor but more closet space B)

 

Recruitment & Gene-Seed:

• Recruited every X years/months. The aspirants must travel far and alone, only using their cunning, wits, strength and endurance to overcome the challenges that lie ahead. During the whole trial, the Astartes watch for potential aspirants from afar, only revealing themselves once the aspirant is deemed adequate enough for recruitment.
  
• The gene-seed of the Chapter has but one mutation: every single Astartes does not posess a secondary heart. This mutation from an unknown source first appeared around M??.
  
• The Chapter's Astartes refuse to replace their missing heart by a bionic or biological replacement, instead choosing to endure the affliction as best as they can. This has reshaped their beliefs, but not their way of making war.
  

 

If they watch from afar, why the hell do the natives put themselves through it? If they know "the Sky Lords are watching.." then that's an incentive but other it sounds too much like "Bob the Elder thinks you should..".

 

Some would say a certain afflication is felt by many women too.. Except that's a first heart :lol:

 

How did it reshape their beliefs and more importantly what did they believe before?

 

 

 

Beliefs:

• The refusal of the Astartes to replace their missing hearts stems from a trait embedded into each of the Kotia's inhabitants from the youngest age: that of endurance and survival against all odds. All younglings are taught that however hard things may seem, one must make do with what is at their disposal and must continue their struggle, no matter what affliction they have to suffer. This belief is so strong amongst Kotia's population that it is something ingrained within the minds of every Astartes and has actually become a central part to the Chapter's beliefs.
  
• Due to this belief, the Chapter also views service to the Emperor and Mankind as the most important thing. Service shapes the minds and bodies of all and leaves little room for hubris, arrogance and such unhealthy thoughts and feelings.
  
• Also due to the fact that they are missing one of the most important Space Marine organs, the Astartes see a stronger link between themselves and the Emperor's Flock, making the Chapter more approachable and less disdainful towards the frailer humans. Also, the Chapter states that without humans, Space Marines would never exist and so respect is due to them too, not just to the Astartes (two-way respect).
  
• Another very important aspect of the Chapter's belief system is that of remembering the fallen who have served the Chapter and the Emperor for their whole lives, despite the mutation they suffer. After all, each being in the universe is just a small drop in the ocean of souls that is the galaxy and so on is easily forgotten. But those who have dedicated their lives to the Emperor must be remembered, be they human or Astartes. This is another trait that makes a relation between Astartes and Imperial humans a lot stronger.
  

 

It's a commonly held belief - also one that features in BL fiction - that life before indoctrination is all but wiped from the mind with little to nothing remaining of that prior existence. This means you need to figure how they retain this chacteristic that is "ingrained", when it could just as easily be erased by indoctrination and the induction process.

 

All Astartes believe in service, in my opinion, so this isn't anything special but you should focus more on the Mankind aspect if you go forward with it.

 

Organisation:

• As a whole, the Chapter strictly adheres to the guidelines set down by the Codex Astartes. However, the roles of certain members of the Chapter has been slightly changed to better suit the needs and beliefs of the Chapter.
  
• Chaplains are not only the leaders of the Chapter's cult, but also the guardians of the Chapter's knowledge.
  
• Librarians are still skilled psykers who can wreak havoc on the battlefield and destroy the enemy with but a thought. But those very skills are also employed by the Chapter to try and glimpse into the future to try and discern what could happen. Though it may seem futile to some, it is viewed as a vital practice and no force is dispatched before the Librarians have been consulted to see if such a thing is favourable (more on this soon).
  

 

Why are Chaplains guardians of the knowledge - no, not the taxi thing ;) - rather than the traditional Librarians?

 

 

Battle-Cry:

• "Though afflicted, we continue to serve!"
  
• Or something like that.
  

 

Unbowed! Unbent! Unbroken!

[Dosjetka]

Andrew:

 

Glad I could be of service brother and I am glad that you like some of my ideas. My only thought with the staircase is that of the chicken before the egg thing. Would there just be regular stone steps there from the beginning and they add inscriptions to steps as time goes on? Or was there not a staircase in the beginning and they slowly have started to carve out the steps over time?

 

Personally I would go with the first idea, as the first steps a recruit would see on his final challenge for the chapter would be bare and boring, while following Aquilanus' idea of it building in importance till they finally reach the chapter.

The first idea does indeed seem to be the better one and, as you said, if follows Aquilanus' idea, which I quite liked ;)

 

Also a Morningstar is an old medieval weapon similar to a maul/club with spikes. Morningstar weapon. I dont know if that is helpful or not or if it even fits with your chapter at all. Just thought that would help you out if you wanted to go that way.

 

Another thought I had was that I have wanted to make a chapter with a metal name of some sort, particularly Tungsten, Iridium or Platinum. All are hard metals, some of the hardest in the world in fact and thought that might work with the idea of hardy people or strong willed/dutiful space marines in some way.

Aha. I had forgotten about the Morningstar as a weapon. It may work then, in the end...

 

As for using names of metals for a dutiful Chapter, it's a good idea, but I can't really find the nae of a metal that I like or that I find sounds right. Cheers anyway though!

 

 

CJJ:

 

History is good, it can add character and all that chewy goodness but you need to do something with it.

 

Every Chapter will have moments of great triumph and great peril if given enough time, but one of the pitfalls of an early founding is to fail to make use of that breadth of time.

I will try and do my best and fill up the breadth of time I have at my disposal then. Failing that, I'll make the Chapter a later Founding ;)

 

So little intereaction with the natives; what effect does this have when there is contact though?

I'm guessing the inhabitants of Kotia would be fearful, as any human would be, but as they only ever see a couple of Astartes at any one time, it's not too bad fear-wise. I'd say that in the beginning the inhabitants saw them as monsters, invaders from the heavens. Now, after countless generations, the Space Marines have become a part of the Kotian's way of life. They appear at appointed times and rarely at any other time. Each has great respect for the other, but the Astartes choose to stay away, as not to disturb the way of life of these people too much (ie. if the Astartes were around, they would be asked to hunt perhaps and a refusal could spark off things: who knows?).

 

What technological level is the planet? Are they savages with flint and fire, or do they have a fledgling Industrial Age?

No, not savages. I was thinking more medieval-style technology. But not necessarily a medieval-style mindset.

 

If you have a long history, also bearing in mind a Marines lot is to die in battle, then eventually you'll have nowhere left on the planet for statues to go; the Chapter will launch a Crusade, not for the Emperor but more closet space.

I'm sure the Chapter will find a way to keep on building their stairs. They may make the tectonic plates crash together artificially to make higher mountains, who knows? ;) (I was joking there. It doesn't fit their mindset at all, in my mind)

 

If they watch from afar, why the hell do the natives put themselves through it? If they know "the Sky Lords are watching.." then that's an incentive but other it sounds too much like "Bob the Elder thinks you should..".

Yes, "The Sky Lords are watching" seems to be the best (and easiest) explanation to why they continue to participate in these contests. But something I'd like to introduce is an exchange between the Astartes and the people of Kotia: if the Astartes take recruits, they will offer something in return. It is only fair to do so and this tradition has been followed since the first days of the Chapters presence on the planet. Maybe this exchange was put in place as to calm the fears of the local tribes/clans/villages?

 

How did it reshape their beliefs and more importantly what did they believe before?

Not sure about this one. It's something I'll have to look into. Cheers for bringing it to my attention though :)

 

It's a commonly held belief - also one that features in BL fiction - that life before indoctrination is all but wiped from the mind with little to nothing remaining of that prior existence. This means you need to figure how they retain this characteristic that is "ingrained", when it could just as easily be erased by indoctrination and the induction process.

I don't think I want to go down the "mind wipe" path, especially since the Astartes have a close link with the local populace (more in terms of mentality and biological origin than physical proximity). I believe that they would find it abhorrent to do such a thing. Well, all of this is clear in my mind, I'll just have to convince the reader of it though ;)

 

All Astartes believe in service, in my opinion, so this isn't anything special but you should focus more on the Mankind aspect if you go forward with it.

Exactly, as the service to Mankind is at best secondary to most Chapters and I want service to Mankind to be on par with service to the Emperor for these chaps.

 

But tell me, how do you think I could focus more on it?

 

Why are Chaplains guardians of the knowledge - no, not the taxi thing ;) - rather than the traditional Librarians?

Due to the extra role of "seers" of the Librarians, I thought that the Chaplains would be ideal candidates for being story collectors and tellers. Especially with their exceptional oratory skills. But I don't get the taxi reference :P

 

Unbowed! Unbent! Unbroken!

Already used by Ace for his Stonebound ;) But I may inspire myself from it.

 

Thank you to you both for finding time to comment on this, it means a lot to me.

 

Ludovic

[NightrawenII]

Origins:

Not sure what else. I'll update this space whenever I do actually find something more to add!

I said it once, but unfortunately I can't find it. :P

 

The 'Origins' section should be like proper mini-skirt; short, full of hopeful promises and yet modestly restrained. :D

 

They rarely leave the Fortress-Monastery, but when they do, it is to act as support to the Scouts when out on a mission and some heavy support is needed (more about this in the Combat Doctrine section).

This is odd. The Dreadnought is IMHO, too 'stompy' for support of scouts.

 

Home World:

A verdant world with hardy and honest people. Low tech Agri-World? Named Kotia.

Lol, when I made this suggestion I had hidden reason for that. - Because of the nature of their homeworld and the chapter relationship with it; the marines see themselves as Angels of Salvation and Protection rather than usual Angels of Death.

 

The refusal of the Astartes to replace their missing hearts stems from a trait embedded into each of the Kotia's inhabitants from the youngest age: that of endurance and survival against all odds. All younglings are taught that however hard things may seem, one must make do with what is at their disposal and must continue their struggle, no matter what affliction they have to suffer.

Trap within wording.

Bionic heart is not at their disposal?

 

"+"

Due to this belief, the Chapter also views service to the Emperor and Mankind as the most important thing. Service shapes the minds and bodies of all and leaves little room for hubris, arrogance and such unhealthy thoughts and feelings.

There has been interesting quote concerning Black Rage:

"The Inquisition and the Administratum say we are weak, because some of us have given in to the Black Rage – they are fools! The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"

~Chaplain Argastes

 

And let's not forget good old Nietzsche: "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger."

;)

 

~NightrawenII.

[Arkangilos]

How about Iron Hearts for a cool name?

 

The 'Origins' section should be like proper mini-skirt; short, full of hopeful promises and yet modestly restrained. :tu:

 

Bahaha, this was the greatest comment I have read all day! Mind if I sig it?

[NightrawenII]

How about Iron Hearts for a cool name?

 

The 'Origins' section should be like proper mini-skirt; short, full of hopeful promises and yet modestly restrained. :D

Bahaha, this was the greatest comment I have read all day! Mind if I sig it?

Go ahead.

 

Iron Hearts are rather infamous Chapter, thanks to "Primarch Rubinek" incident.

[Aqui]

Iron Hearts are rather infamous Chapter, thanks to "Primarch Rubinek" incident.

 

I haven't seen that name for a long time :D

[Ace Debonair]

Home World:

• A verdant world with hardy and honest people. Low tech Agri-World? Named Kotia.
  
• The Chapter maintains vigil from afar.
  
• There may be an area of the planet where the Chapter erects a statue every time an Astartes from its ranks dies as a way to remember the fallen and to honour them. Also shows their respect for those who built the Chapter and who lived on with their mutation, refusing to replace their missing heart and instead enduring the hardship afflicting them.
  

 

Also due to the fact that they are missing one of the most important Space Marine organs, the Astartes see a stronger link between themselves and the Emperor's Flock, making the Chapter more approachable and less disdainful towards the frailer humans. Also, the Chapter states that without humans, Space Marines would never exist and so respect is due to them too, not just to the Astartes (two-way respect).

 

I realise this probably qualifies as being pedantic, but how can they be approachable whilst maintaining vigil from afar? :blush:

 

 

EDIT:

 

Also Nightrawen's miniskirt comparison is the second-best thing he's ever written, right after the fifth Chaos God being Laziness.

If I had the room, I'd add both of them to my signature!

[Dosjetka]

Just quickly popping by, so I'll only reply to the rest of the criticism/comments/suggestions in a couple of day's time!

 

I realise this probably qualifies as being pedantic, but how can they be approachable whilst maintaining vigil from afar? :D

They are more approachable by other humans in general, not the ones from their home world. And I what I mean by approachable is more open and less disdainful ;)

 

Ludovic