The Old Guard

[oiaughwea]

Origins & Homeworld

A problem persists in the Imperium of Man: Space Marines die. Generally this loss is offset by the duties of the Apothecary who retrieves the Chapter's due from the bodies of the fallen, though there are circumstances where whole swathes of a Chapter may be so brought to ruin that there can be no recovery. In these circumstances there are simply too few Astartes remaining to keep the Chapter operational and it is demobilized. When this happens a new problem arises: What to do with the left-over equipment, support staff, artifacts, records, and most importantly the remaining Marines? The 1084th Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, The Old Guard, is a single Chapter made from these remnants. Astartes, rough men of stern demeanor and immense stature clad in grey power armor with various symbols and insignia, the icons of dead Chapters and fallen brother-marines. These Astartes know the bitterness of defeat and live only for retribution.

 

Combat Doctrine & Organization

A Fleet-based Chapter, the Old Guard often lends it's aid to nearby crusading Imperial Guard fleets in need of forces capable of decisive lightning assaults.

 

Organizationally, the Chapter favors adherence to the tenets laid down in the Index Astartes except in one specific case. Unlike other chapters, the process of recruit selection and indoctrination through the use of Scout Squads has been removed entirely as there is no single Chapter gene-seed to draw from and use for recruitment purposes. Instead, the role of the scout squad is replaced by Imperial Guard veteran squads drawn from the masses of nearby crusade fleets. Ostensibly, a Guardsman in a support role would be no match for the enemies a Space Marine Chapter would be called upon to fight, though the presence of full-fledged Astartes fighting at their side can be a powerful motivating factor as no Guardsman would wish to be found wanting by the superhuman Space Marines. Often assigned scouting roles, these veteran units of guardsmen are most often deployed days or even weeks ahead of scheduled assaults to place homing beacons in forward locations to facilitate deep striking units of Assault and Terminator Squads, provide accurate coordinates for drop pod assaults and orbital strike bombardment, as well as the disruption of enemy supply lines and assassination of high value targets.

 

Chapter Cult

Foremost among the rites of the Chapter is the Induction Ceremony, where new Brother-Marines are accepted into the Old Guard. The ceremony is conducted by the ranking Chaplain as each new inductee swears oaths of vengeance for their fallen chapters and brethren and declares solemn oaths of fealty to their new Chapter. During the ceremony each inductee will be tasked with carefully removing their old chapter colors and repainting their armor dull grey while leaving their left shoulder pad blank with no chapter markings, to be left so until their oath of vengeance has been fulfilled. This act will be overseen by the Chapter's Honor Guard and Techmarines and all due reverence will be shown to the armor's Machine Spirit during this process. Terminator Squads are an exception to this rule, instead retaining the Crux Terminatus and repainting their right shoulder pad grey.

 

Individuals of Note

The Chapter Master, known colloquially as The Lion for his vicious battlefield prowess and favored weapon, an ancient lightning claw, bears the Lion of Terra on his right shoulder pad and an ancient, battle-worn Crux Terminatus on his left. A stern individual, The Lion is seen as champion and protector on the worlds he and his chapter have assisted, having many times eschewed military advances to ensure the welfare of Imperial citizens.

 

Edit: On second thought, disregard this. A neat idea, but it is missing something. I'll come back to this when I come up with something doable.

[whiteraven17708]

I like this its kinda a new take on the DIY I say run with it well done!

[oiaughwea]

Thanks. :wacko:

[Overlord-Rakszan]

Information is very unorganised and rough.

If you could also look into significant events that have made the chapter what it is today.

I havent had time to look at it to in depth so Ill leave that to some other guy who enjoys ripping into giving this a good look over.

 

Other than that I like where this is going.

Cheers.