The Teutonic Brotherhood.

[Jake-Mulraney]

The Teutonic Brotherhood.

ORIGINS:

998.M41. Crusade of the Ophidium Gulf.

During this Crusade the Black Templars Sword Brethren played a crucial role in the final battle which allowed the Black Templars to capture the mysterious leader of the enemy who was known as the "Voice of the Emperor". One Sword Brethren in particular was able to break through the enemy lines and make way for the rest of the army to take the Stronghold. He was also able to not only fend off the forces within and around the stronghold but also route all survivors of the fledgeling empire which swore allegiance to "The voice of the Emperor". His tactical manoeuvrability and battle prowess rivalled that of the High Marshal himself.

His name was Konrad Von Winrich.

When the Ophidium Gulf departed from the Veiled Region of the Galactic South it was suddenly attacked by a Daemon horde and in the battle Konrad faced a Daemon prince in close combat. He was severely outmatched but the Castellan Raimer came to aid Konrad. Before engaging in combat Raimer said this to Konrad “Konrad. The Emperor protects. Purge in his name and he shall make you invincible. Your bravery is the Emperors tool in destroying these monstrosities. Serve the Emperor and Dorn and you shall always emerge victorious!” Together they vanquished the Daemon Prince but Konrad was wounded and knocked into a coma.

Whilst unconscious Konrad received a number of “visions” from the Emperor detailing the creation of a successor chapter to the Black Templars. It was to be called “The Teutonic Brotherhood”. He brought this up with the Black Templars Apothecaries and asked them to examine his body for the taint as he didn't quite understand whether he was being drawn to rebellion by the Ruinous Powers or whether the vision was real. After merciless examinations and numerous holy rituals Konrad was relieved to hear that he was indeed free of any taint from the Ruinous Powers. The vision did however confuse and irritate the Apothecaries who decided to have Konrad meet with the High Marshal.

This caused a huge controversy in the chapter and many of their ranks claimed that Konrad was a heretic. Only a few of his close friends and compatriot veterans who had also received visions of Konrad's future sided with him and wished to join him in founding a new chapter. These men were dubbed the “Apostles Of Konrad”.

These men were as follows...

Ulrich Meynar. Chaplain. Captain of the 2nd division of The Teutonic Brotherhood

Mattius Calarke. Sword Brethren. Captain of the 3rd division The Teutonic Brotherhood

Jack Crovetius. Sword Brethren. Captain of the 4th division of The Teutonic Brotherhood

Stephiun Gurlock. Techmarine. Captain of the 5th division of The Teutonic Brotherhood

Leopold Verinicus. Apothecary. Captain of the 6th division of The Teutonic Brotherhood

Yarkulf Von Cygnar. Sword Brethren. Chapter Champion and Captain of the 7th division of

The Teutonic Brotherhood

Seeing the situation before him as potential descent the High Marshal almost decided to quell the idea by slaying Konrad. It was only after seeing the chapter Apothecaries and acknowledging the evidence and proof that Konrad was free of the taint did the High Marshal also receive a vision from the Emperor.

It was in this vision that the Emperor ordered the High Marshal to allow Konrad to form the The Teutonic Brotherhood. The High Marshal never told anybody about the vision, instead claiming that not to allow Konrad to do as he had asked would cause too much controversy within the chapter. With the Consent of the High Marshal and the High Lords of Terra Konrad formed the The Teutonic Brotherhood.

He and his apostles claimed that their new chapters Homeworld would be Zionis and (guided by more visions from the emperor) that their first Sacred Duty would be to set up a launching point for their chapter to be able to attack from. Their second Sacred duty would be to repeatedly launch crusades into unknown space paving the way for the Imperium to expand to new planets.

After landing on the planet the 7 marines went to the capitol city to begin recruiting. That city was Acre. After the Techpriests constructed a Fortress-Monastery attached to Acre a full company of 70 recruits was ready to move in and begin their training. Each of the 7 founders of the chapter took on 10 pupils to mentor. The chapter kept the procedures of the Black Templars as their main recruitment programme, using a veteran Apothecary to examine the recruits and make sure they were fit to serve The Teutonic Brotherhood. When the 70 recruits had passed training and undergone their transformation from human into Angel Of Death whatever the chapter lacked in the way of structure was made up for with the aid of the Black Templars. After 500 years The Teutonic Brotherhood had finally become a self-sufficient chapter which could take charge of all aspects of its existence without any aid. After establishment was finalised they were instantly sent into action to fulfill their second Sacred Duty. This was the first of many crusades to be launched from Zionis and it was a monumental series of wars for the chapter.

“The New-Bloods Crusade”

Led by Konrad and Yarkulf (Who had gained Konrad's favour as a chapter champion) a detachment of 200 Marines comprised of Konrad's 1st division and Yarkulf's 7th division was taken into the unknown reaches of space. After locating an unexplored planet Konrad decided to make planet fall but was interrupted by an alert of incoming fire. Their was another faction which was set on claiming the planet. Orks!

The conflict lasted a few moments as the superior firepower and battle prowess of The Teutonic Brotherhood far outmatched that of the puny force assembled by an almost unknown Ork Warboss. Konrad knew the world was inhabited by Orks and that the land battle would prove far more difficult than the space battle.

This did the very opposite of deter the newly dubbed Grand-Master from making planetfall. It would be seen as a glorious triumph for the chapter to make a victory against insurmountable odds on their very first crusade. And so he continued in his conquest of this new planet. The initial landing force swept away an off-guard horde of Orks to the south of the planet whilst suffering very few casualties thus clearing a landing zone for the rest of the army to pile in on the planet.

Konrad and Yarkulf split into two forces and went in opposite directions around the planet striking down all the Orks in their path on their way to meet at the northern most part of the planet. It was in the north that the largest concentration of Orks had been detected so Konrad hoped to end the battle swiftly by attacking form both sides of the enemy. Whilst tactically a very sound strategy it proved extremely hard to pull off as the numbers in the Ork forces almost doubled that of the Teutonic Marines. The battle was extremely assault orientated. After a long and harsh final battle, suffering losses almost equal to 2/3s of their original force The Teutonic Brotherhood emerged victorious when Yarkulf sevvered the head of the petty Warboss atop a hill. The Orks fell into disarray and the remaining Teutonic Brothers were able to make short work of the scattered foe.

This was considered the chapters greatest victory and the hill on which Yarkulf slew the leader of the enemy became the foundation for the first city established on the newly dubbed planet “Onamis”.

HOMEWORLD:

Name: Zionis.

Location: To the far south of the galactic map on the edge of the Veiled Region.

Geography: A merciless desert dotted with hidden canyons spans across the equator of this planet. Verdant valleys and lush hills cover the hemispheres. Rocky mountains paired with frozen tundras make the far north and far south very dangerous places indeed.

Since the planet was very familiar with the Black Templars it was seen as only fitting that a successor chapter of the Templars make it their homeworld. The Teutonic Brotherhood was accepted by most of the inhabitants as brave heroes. It was this friendly relation between the planet and the chapter that made the recruitment initital process so easy and quick. The planet is well known for producing capable soldiers and even more capable thinkers so it is no surprise that many of the planets inhabitants are in some wing of the military. This was seen as a suitable reason for potential marines to be recruited from the planet. The planets culture is extremely religious oriented and it's inhabitants believe in the emperor with all their hearts and all their souls. They actually believe the Emperor to be The Messiah. Heresy does not exist on this planet.

There is a holy day once a week where the populace will gather and sing praise to the emperor for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. The inhabitants have one holy ritual each year and it is simply called “The Celebration”. It is to glorify the great deeds of the Emperor and to pray to him for protection and safety. A large party follows the main ceremony and this usually lasts for a week.

COMBAT DOCTRINE:

The Combat doctrine of The Teutonic Brotherhood is almost identical to that of the Black Templars. The only difference is that all marines in this chapter must be armed with a close combat weapon and cannot enter battle without one. The preference for close combat is one which was modelled on the Black Templars teachings but also given greater significance in the “New-Bloods Crusade”.

Another example of where close combat was integral in victory for the chapter was in the “Forlorn Hope Crusade” where 360 Marines faced a horde of Daemons and Konrad stood toe to toe with a Herald of Khorne. It was on a planet named “Starkenn” that this great battle took place and on the same day Konrad and his division discovered an ancient relic where a great Sword of unimaginable power was perfectly preserved and undiscovered for thousands of years. This sword became the Heraldry of Konrad and he named it “Devil-Bane” Since he used it to slay the Herald of Khorne. He remembered back to that day before the founding of his chapter and remembered what Raimen had said to him. This later became one of the holy scripts of the chapter and many Brothers meditate on it to overcome all their problems in life and to defeat great opponents. It is impossible to find a Teutonic Brother who does not know it off by heart.

The main battle tactics which are favoured by The Teutonic Brotherhood are pincer movements which force the enemy to fight a battle on two fronts, a tactic revered since its success on Onamis against the Orks.

The primary strategies employed on the battlefield involve using Rhino's and Land Raider Crusaders to barge through enemy lines allowing the Brothers inside to funnel out and decimate the opposition in close combat.

It is also customary for the marines in this chapter to take solemn personal vows before each battle to slay a certain number of enemies or to complete a certain action which would benefit the chapter in battle.

ORGINISATION:

The Chapter Master of The Teutonic Brotherhood is known as the Grand-Master.

Current Grand-Master – Konrad Von Winrich

His second in command is always his Chapter Champion.

Current Chapter Champion – Yarkulf Von Cygnar

Below the Chapter Champion come the chapter captains which retained the Black Templar title of Marshal.

Known Marshals to date:

Ulrich Meynar. Chaplain-Marshal of the 2nd division of The Teutonic Brotherhood

Mattius Calarke. Knight-Marshal of the 3rd division of The Teutonic Brotherhood

Jack Crovetius. Knight-Marshal of the 4th division of The Teutonic Brotherhood

Stephiun Gurlock. Tech-Marshal of the 5th division of The Teutonic Brotherhood

Leopold Verinicus. Apothecary-Marshal of the 6th division of The Teutonic Brotherhood

Below the Marshal is the “Teutonic Knight”. The Teutonic Brotherhood equivalent of the Black Templars Sword Brethren.

Before becoming a Teutonic Knight a Teutonic Brother must undergo at least 100 years of service and prove themselves in either battle, prayer or fasting. The only Knight to prove himself by fasting, so far, is Yarkulf Von Cygnar.

Teutonic Brothers are the standard troops for the chapter.

In order for a Teutonic Recruit to become a Teutonic Brother he must complete "The Trial of Mind, Body and Soul" on top of the usual training programme for marine recruits.

The “Trial of Mind Body and Soul” is a series of brutal tests which a Teutonic Recruit must go through in order to become a Brother. It involves a 2 week physical examination which will have one of two results; Death or success. If an applicant succeeds in the 2 week physical examination he must then be tested mentally. He is pitted against the strongest librarians of the chapter to withstand 4 days of mental abuse. Once again there is only two outcomes for this test; Death or success. The final part of the trial is the trial of the Soul. In this trial a Chaplain of highest skill and ability takes the Recruit under his wing for spiritual guidance. He will put the Recruit into solitary confinement for 1 week. The Recruit is expected to do nothing but pray and fast. After this the Recruit will emerge a better ready man for the next part of the trial of the Soul. The purging. The Chaplain is expected to completely wipe the Recruit of sin. This trial also has only two outcomes; Death or success. The completion of the trial will allow a recruit to gain the honor of the Gene-seed. The recruit also gains the right to be called a Teutonic Brother.

It is because of this trial that many Teutonic Recruits decide not to advance in rankings for many years after joining because the failure rate of the Trial of Mind, Body and Soul is 60% which means 60% of Recruits who take the trial die in the process. It is optional when a Recruit takes his Trial of Mind, Body and Soul.

The leadership of the chapter is comprised of Marshals who are devoted to a certain field of speciality and this is a common trait in the chapter which resembles how it was formed by seven individuals. Out of the seven founders there was an Apothecary, a Chaplain and a Techmarine. This is shown in the rankings by having the individuals speciality come before the title. E.G A Chaplain who has gained the rank of Marshal is known as a Chaplain-Marshal. It is expected that the division he leads will be very religious and probably more zealous than the rest of the divisions, incorporating many chaplains into the division.

The chapter has such a strong admiration for it's Grand-Master that it won't go to war without his approval or his Chapter Champion's approval. While the Grand-Master is unavailable his Chapter Champion acts as a temporary Grand-Master. Any of his Marshals can take charge of any active crusades if the Marshal originally in charge of that crusade becomes unavailable for some reason. This is usually discussed by the Marshals wishing to take charge of the crusade and the Grand-Master or Chapter Champion before hand.

BELIEFS:

The belief system of The Teutonic Brotherhood is extremely similar to that of the Black Templars since it is a successor chapter to them but there are a few significant differences.

The first and foremost is that The Teutonic Brotherhood has adopted the idea that the emperor is the Messiah and has publicly announced this. This belief came into fruition after the Fortress-Monastery on Zionis was built. Konrad considered the ideas very carefully for a year whilst fasting before he made up his mind.

Due to this strict belief Techmarines in the chapter are never allowed to worship the machine spirits and are forced to go to confession every day.

The reasons why the chapter believe the Emperor is the Messaiah are as follows. It is impossible to replicate a human body even remotely similar to that of the Emperors or even his Primarchs. It is because of the Emperor that mankind still exists today and no mere human is capable of such a feat. The emperor has lived far longer than any other mortal.

During the “Forlorn Hope Crusade” Konrad faced a Herald of Khorne in single battle and remembered the words of the Castellan Raimer which later became one of the holy scripts of the chapter and many Brothers meditate on it to overcome all their problems in life and to defeat great opponents. It is impossible to find a Teutonic Brother who does not know it off by heart.

This belief drives The Teutonic Brotherhood to such a state of zealousness that they will swear great oaths to decimate the enemies of the Emperor.

It is common for the Brothers of this chapter to denounce the use of heavy ranged weaponry as this is seen as dishounorable and not worth the great skill they have been granted by the Emperor and by their Primarch. They use troops and elite infantry to an extent that almost exludes vehicles entirely. The exception to this is the Rhinos and Land Raider Crusaders which the chapter use to get the troops to the frontlines quicker. Sometimes the chapter uses Razorbacks but Rhinos are prefered as more Brothers can fit inside a Rhino. The close combat efficiency of the chapter is legendary and their are few, if any, battles involving this chapter which won't spiral into a series of genocidal assaults at the strongest point in the enemies lines.

GENE-SEED:

The Teutonic Brotherhood uses the Gene-Seed of Dorn. This is appropriate as they believe in self discipline and since the Dorn Gene-Seed doesn't allow for the Sus-an Membrane they must overcome there pains and fears through true belief in the emperor and force of will. Each Brother in the chapter is aware of their Gene-Seed and is encouraged to be proud of it. Luckily the Gene-Seed of Dorn was not Mutated when converted to the needs The Teutonic Brotherhood.

Battle Cries:

In The Teutonic Brotherhood it is the custom for Brothers to shout, over and over again at the top of their voices "Stark! Stolz! Edel!" Which Translates to Strong, Proud, Noble in the ancient tongue of their homeworld, Zionis. Many legends surround the mere force of their shotuing. Some even believe that they have destroyed whole cities with the destructive echoing of their shout alone.

“Prayer Of The Teutonic Brotherhood”

“The Emperor is my shepherd. I shall not want. He leadeth me into battle and layeth my blade into the hearts of his enemies. The Emperor is the light and the way for without him we would surely be lost to the evils of the universe. I prayeth for the safe return of my Brothers so that they may live to serve the Emperor to a greater extent. If I am to fall in battle I pray that it may be in glorious tales of victory. I thank the Emperor for each living moment I have for they are his. I thanketh the Emperor for the Gene-seed of Dorn and am proud to hold such lineage. I swear to do the Emperor and Dorn proud by my efforts in battle. Thanks be unto the Emperor. Amen”

Hope you guys enjoyed the read and please help me by pointing out plot holes and errors in my timeline.

Thanks.

Jake :)

[Bjorn Firewalker]

I doubt the Black Templars would be in danger of a Chapter war, just because of one Marine's visions. Suspicions of Chaos-taint are more likely brought up by an Inquisitor. Maybe the vision should come later, e.g., after the Black Templars crushed the forces of the Voice of the Emperor, he faced a Daemon in single combat, and had the vision while recovering from his wounds?

 

As for the Chapter's name, "Teutonic Marines" sounds bland. Maybe "Sons of Teutobod" will work better?

[Jake-Mulraney]

I doubt the Black Templars would be in danger of a Chapter war, just because of one Marine's visions. Suspicions of Chaos-taint are more likely brought up by an Inquisitor. Maybe the vision should come later, e.g., after the Black Templars crushed the forces of the Voice of the Emperor, he faced a Daemon in single combat, and had the vision while recovering from his wounds?

 

As for the Chapter's name, "Teutonic Marines" sounds bland. Maybe "Sons of Teutobod" will work better?

 

 

Very interesting. I make my first post without thinking about the guide.

 

I see there are no responses so I decided to re-write it.

 

Whilst constantly refreshing the post to see if there were any replies I spend the better half of my day re-writing it following the guide.

 

After finnishing the re-write I finally spot the reply you made XD.

 

Thanks for the advice Bjorn I especially love the idea of Konrad recieving the vision while healing from a wound. I'll re-write and incorporate it. Thanks. :ph34r:

[Bjorn Firewalker]

It seems wasteful to sacrifice 60% of the neophytes, just to find who's worthy of promotion to the rank of Knight. Better to perform the Trial of Mind, Body, and Soul upon Initiates- those who've yet to have gene-seed implanted- so the Chapter's not sacrificing useful Battle-Brothers in NON-COMBAT situations, when they'll be needed in coming battles.

[Jake-Mulraney]

It seems wasteful to sacrifice 60% of the neophytes, just to find who's worthy of promotion to the rank of Knight. Better to perform the Trial of Mind, Body, and Soul upon Initiates- those who've yet to have gene-seed implanted- so the Chapter's not sacrificing useful Battle-Brothers in NON-COMBAT situations, when they'll be needed in coming battles.

 

Okay I think it's fixed now. :)

[TrashMan]

You have thesame demon-slaying paragraph twice. Kinds redundant.

 

Also, if I were you I'd settle for a somewhat weaker deamon.

A demon prince is a kinda a very tall order for anyone.

[Jake-Mulraney]

You have thesame demon-slaying paragraph twice. Kinds redundant.

 

Also, if I were you I'd settle for a somewhat weaker deamon.

A demon prince is a kinda a very tall order for anyone.

 

Haha. I got rid of the second paragraph. It's hard to keep track of things when you are typing on about 4 hours sleep. :)

 

Hmm. I thought about the Daemon Prince part and I think you may be right. What would be equally as epic to slay but not as powerfull as a Daemon Prince? I don't know Daemons at all and don't have access to the GW site for unit types as I'm typing this at college and the GW site is blocked. D:

[TrashMan]

Well, Greater Demons are something even Primarchs struggle with, so they are out.

Demon Princes are very much equal in strength.

 

Maybe a Herald of X?

The Strength of a demon does varry depending on factors, so maybe you could have a weakened Bloodthirster?

[Jake-Mulraney]

Hmm. I was thinking a Soul Grinder or perhaps a Herald of Khorne (On Juggernaught) or a Fiend of Slaanesh?

[Bjorn Firewalker]

No Techmarines? I thought there was an understanding between the Machine Cult and the Ecclesiarchy, in which the Emperor is recognized as the Omnissiah, the Machine God's incarnation? Without Techmarines, who'll maintain the Chapter's Land Raiders- a vehicle used by Space Marines ONLY, the manufacture and maintenance of which is unlikely to be found outside of a Space Marine Chapter- or organizations that use Space Marines, such as the Ordo Malleus' Grey Knights, or the Ordo Xenos' Deathwatch.

[Jake-Mulraney]

No Techmarines? I thought there was an understanding between the Machine Cult and the Ecclesiarchy, in which the Emperor is recognized as the Omnissiah, the Machine God's incarnation? Without Techmarines, who'll maintain the Chapter's Land Raiders- a vehicle used by Space Marines ONLY, the manufacture and maintenance of which is unlikely to be found outside of a Space Marine Chapter- or organizations that use Space Marines, such as the Ordo Malleus' Grey Knights, or the Ordo Xenos' Deathwatch.

 

I thought their might be a problem with that. I am out today so I wont be able to change it till tonight. Perhaps some suggestions on how this could work? It would be much appreciated. (My lack of knowlledge about how the imperium works is due to the fact that I'm a Tau fan[even though I try to research it first I don't always get it right], so please bare that in mind when I say dumb things. :huh:)

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Perhaps make the Techmarines swear to honor the Emperor, in his guise as the Messiah, above all others? Let this cause some tension with the Machine Cult, which demands they show equal worship to the Omnissiah- but not enough to make Mars decide, " :) the Teutonic Brotherhood! We're not training their members to be Techmarines, and their machines can rot for all we care!"

[Jake-Mulraney]

For some reason the post wasn't changed when I editted it.

 

I am so raged about this!

 

Wont be seeing another update for a while.

 

Sorry but I just can't deal with making adjustments for over an hour and then the website failing to put my update up. It sucks!

 

I worked so hard on the update!

[Jake-Mulraney]

Re-editted. But not as good this time.

[Leonaides]

Suggestion- write your story in word or equivalent on your computer, then copy/paste onto the board. That way if something goes wrong you've still got it all written out on your computer. Also, that librarian needs some explaining, as templars don't have any and even go so far as to refuse to fight alongside them...

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Due to this strict belief Techmarines in the chapter are never allowed to worship the machine spirits and are forced to go to confession every day. Whilst this angers the Adeptus Mechanicus they are unable to use their sway over the Ecclesiarchy have the them doom the chapter due to the Ecclesiarchy's strong alliance with the chapter.

Okay, I think this is a reasonable compromise regarding the Techmarines' position in the Chapter. However, I doubt the Mechanicus is so petty that it would doom a Space Marine Chapter over how the Machine God is worshipped. Even if it was, the Mechanicus has no sway over the Ecclesiarchy, which considers Techpriests borderline heretics, anyways- the Ciaphas Cain novels describe tension between the two organizations, such that in Duty Calls, a Techpriest has to hide the altar he raised to the Machine God, so the Order of the Sisters of Battle wouldn't feel insulted by its presence in their convent.

The chapter has such a strong admiration for it's Grand-Master that it won't go to war without his orders.

If the Chapter never goes to war without the Grandmaster's orders, does it mean the Marines never deploy unless the Grandmaster himself is leading them, i.e., it always deploys at the Chapter level, never at the Company or Squad level? That significantly limits the number of crusades the Teutonic Brotherhood can launch at any time, robbing them of the flexibility needed to deal with multiple threats at once.

 

Also, in any military organization, the chain-of-command has second-in-commands so if the commander-in-chief is unavailable for any reason, orders can still be issued. What if the Grandmaster is in suspended animation, due to severe injuries he received in a previous campaign? Does this mean the Chapter will not go to war, and will sit in its fortress-monastery until he awakes? What if the fortress-monestary is attacked while the Grandmaster is off-world, fighting a crusade, and those left behind are unable to communicate with him, due to a warp storm? Does this mean the fortress-monastery's defenders will wait there, surrendering the initiative to the enemy?

[Jake-Mulraney]

Fixed. :)