Why Go Renegade?

[feuer_faust]

Why go renegade?

 

Why, indeed. The question is a viable one, and one that maybe gets passing attention in the process of chapter or war band creation. At the end of the day, you will field your army with whatever codex makes you happy, true. But we're talking about fluff here. What can possibly turn Space Marines against everything that they are mentally programmed to be loyal to?

 

The Traitor Legions split when their reverence for the Warmaster and wounded pride clashed with the Emperor's designs, and it was pretty epic. How do lesser chapters (or companies, or individuals) cease to cleave to the Imperium? I've a few ideas that could be explored in greater detail, or constructively criticized, or used as inspiration for further ideas.

 

Perhaps the disloyalty is the result of direct contact with warp energies, say a sorcerer cast a slow-acting spell on a marine that caused him to slowly doubt and question every command given to him. Think Inception, but with power armor, where the battle brother's doubts and insecurity grow until he is either discovered and disciplined (possibly fatally) or he finds a way to simply leave his chapter and strike out on his own, trusting only himself. How would he even do this, save perhaps in the middle of some battle or by literally abandoning all of his gear and hoofing it.

 

Another possibility is that the party in question, say a company, is growing further discontent with their lot as Mankind's protectors. The humans never quite seem to figure out for themselves how to solve problems that eventually require direct marine intervention, and the Imperium's reward for hardship is more hardship. As the duty becomes a burden, maybe the company simply decides to ignore commands and requests, choosing where and when they will strike at their own pleasure. This is fairly close to the authority marines already have, though.

 

Lastly, it could be simple greed. The marines realize that their might is absolute, and very little can contend with them. They turn into tyrants, eventually depriving Terra of its tithes in order to amass its own wealth and power.

 

Any other ideas?

[Messor]

Two of my DIYs, though they consider themselves loyalist, fall loosely under the last two, and I think to go renegade and not chaos(at least not immediately), the second suggestion is the most likely/believable. I'm inclined to think it takes a little chaos to make a Chapter believe its power "absolute", but it certainly could happen. The Cerberus Chapter believes it can best serve humanity being free of bureaucratic shackles and amassing power and strength in one place(itself).

[Brother Argent]

Another reason is this: Marines being super restrained, ritualised and monastic group are trained that life is only killing killing and more killing, all for the service of something else. There is no I in Adeptus Astartes. Although modern fluff has moved a little from that idea that was the original idea of Space Marines. Yeah, sure, they get individual acolades etc but only for how well they fight and die for someone else. Someone weaker and more prone to failure then they are. Sometimes its all gotta give. Maybe one day a space marine wakes up and decides, hey, today I am going to do something for my self. Maybe instead of facing certain death for those guys I am going to look after myself. Maybe he makes the reasons to himself that the Imperium is better served with him alive then dead. Maybe this is true but once a marine sets aside total service for a little self service things go down hill. He soon realises that he doesn't HAVE to sacrifice evertything for people who, honestly, take him for granted. He starts to become more and more selfish, and after a while the penny finally drops. I can get so much for myself by not using my super human power, what if I used the powers I have but for ME. Its about this time that the Chaos Gods come a whispering... From then on its a quick path to Excommunication, an extra head or two and tentacles coming out from where they really shouldn't...

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

Betrayal. When you fight for everything you believe to be right and true and thend your allys think you are a traitor. Then you have two options - fight and die or flee to the embrace of Chaos.

[Aqui]

My Traitors turned renegade because of miscommunication with one of my other DIY's in a campaign to purge a planet of Chaos. The Steel Wings and Bahltimyr Rayvens didn't like each other from the start and did not tell the other what they were doing. Come the end, the Steel Wings decided the planet was too far gone to save and went for Exterminatus - they did give a warning, but the Rayvens didn't get it. Result was the Rayvens were swallowed by the ground near an active Volcano and trapped below the surface. Many died outright, whilst the others survived after a fashion. the Chapter Master prayed the the Emperor but was never heard, so listened to other voices who promised him a way to escape, gain revenge and a path to power. He took it, but because of their cursed founding heritage (Raven Guard successors - who had their Geneseed stabilised, or so it seemed), many started to mutate horribly and are known as the Changed. They are now known as the Bahltimyr Reavers and have to do whatever the Chaos Gods tell them to, otherwise they are "gifted" with more "Changed" Marines. The Chapter Master grudgingly does as he is told, but is ever searching for something to bargain to stop his Marines from all being cursed as well.

[Uaronain]

Oh well…. As much as I HATE to admit it; I can see why some could be tempted to find another path. For everything that is wrong with the Imperium (also the same things that hold it together ironically)

 

While still working on my own loyalist DIY I have encountered lots and lots of material that has made me wonder what if we adopted this or that outlawed aerotech or some other form of tech heresy in secret etc and that is how the seeds of heresy are sown ... temptation.

[Nicili]

I have always liked the idea of being pushed to the edge, and ending up with only one way left to go. Something along the lines of a persons true nature coming out when all hope is lost.

 

I always like to think as those who turn to chaos as broken. There is not hope for redemption, no hope for forgiveness, no hope to go back to the Imperium. Instead, its survival that takes over. Basic instincts come out, (which what Chaos is all about) and the emotions that arise are primal, animalistic, and unrefined. That's why Chaos is depicted as evil. Its not about a moral code, or right and wrong. Its not about allegiances to leadership. Instead, it is debasing humanity. I feel Chaos, and especially in the sense of Chaos Space Marines, is taking a being, and destroying its judgement, reasoning, and wisdom; and instead creating a dangerous animal. With respects to Chaos Marines and Chapters, this is incredibly dangerous, and with Chaos Gods using men as pawns and granting them boons, it only drives them that much more.

 

Well, that's at least my personal take on it, and something I will be adapting into my future Renegade DIY, when I get around to actually writing it...

[Brother Argent]

I figured, since my last didn't really make much sense I would just give a simple dot point explanation on why my five (yes five) renegade Chapters go renegade.

 

White Talons (Chaos Undivided) - Commander of First Company becomes exposed to Daemon/minor Chaos God on board a reclaimed Battle Barge. Slowly corrupts him with whispers in his mind etc. Eventually seizes control of much of Chapter and flees into Warp.

 

Angels of Decay (Nurgle) - Formally Angels of Ultramar, Fighting on heretical world. Inquisitor deems planet too far gone but doesn't want the possibility of traitors in the Navy etc to give advanced warning so surprise viral bombs the planet with marines still on the surface. Marines survive when Nurgle makes them an offer to survive and get vengeance. Now half decaying/eaten marines.

 

Black Disciples (Tzeentch) - Formally detachment of the Angels of Evisceration, a Blood Angel Successor whom embraced the Red Thirst/Black Rage until it began to destroy the Chapter. Chapter Master seeks a way to cure the Thirst and is offered it by a traitor captured on a heretical world. Chapter civil war divides those who believe the traitor and those who dont. Traitor is Chaos Sorcerer and tricks the Chapter turning them into essentially mindless automatons.

 

Unnamed - (Slaanesh) - Super restrictive and stoic Dark Angles whom live in complete monastic withdrawal. Eventually during protracted Campaign against Slaanesh worshipers Chapter slowly becomes corrupted, with marines letting go of their inhibitions and eventually joining the traitors.

 

Iron Legion - (Khorne) Highly martial and Knightly Imperial Fist Successor whom take martial pride to the extreme. After a bitter defeat at the hands of fellow loyalists they decide that marines are the ultimate challenge with fighting. They decide that to prove themselves they must fight other marines as much as possible. Whilst they start out only fighting renegades etc they eventually go whole hog and start attacking loyalists. Seeking ways to make themselves stronger they turn to Khorne and continue to pit themselves against the Imperium.

 

Well that is the basic idea behind them. In reality renegades can turn for almost any reason.

[Brother Winter]

There is another thing that would prevent a Space Marine from falling (multiple things actually). The first and strongest is the feeling of belonging, especially among their own squad. There's a reason why they call each other "brother", and there is a reason why in most military units that see combat, there is a huge amount of trust amongst the people in the units. This is because you are placing your life in somebody else's hands. The term "brothers in arms" exists for a reason. So you'd have to think of how to overcome that as well.

 

Second, is that the Chaplains are the spiritual keepers of the Chapter. They're not like Commissars, whose every solution to the problem is a bolt to the head. Space Marine chaplains, for the most part, act also as confessors and are as easy to talk to as a good priest is (for those of you who are Christian or Catholic). And a Space Marine wandering off threatens the Chapter in that they are taking the Chapter's wargear and most importantly, the geneseed.

 

So, stuff to think about while you're writing.

[Octavulg]

Rogue Trader had the designs on the desk be a spell that allowed Warp beings into whoever traced the symbols.

 

Artifacts are a neat way of having that sort of thing happen, so long as they're subtle about it. Giant glowing books of Chaos are the sort of things Marines don't touch.

 

Another workable possibility is that they were forced into renegadeness and then adapted to it.

 

But, really, the reasons should stem from within the Chapter.

 

For example, with my Chapters:

 

The Ice Lords could be driven into it by a confrontation with the Dark Angels (or by an opportunity to screw the Dark Angels over). They also would strike out at perceived acts of protectors against the protected.

 

The Stone Hearts could...actually, they're kind of reasonable to go falling to Chaos en masse. Individual marines, of course, can have individual marine problems. And there's the possibility over resentment at the loss of the "old ways" of the Chapter, or of greed and/or bloodlust in the duelling rituals.

 

The Bronze Prophets have the usual Cursed Founding genetic issues (either opening them to corruption or to investigation), the possibility of Warp influences infesting their psykers, and, of course, the prophecies leading them astray.

 

The Steel Dogs have the damnati, many of whom hate the chapter and thus would probably cheerfuly invite evil influences in. Conversely, corrupt one officer and a whole bunch of damnati might go. There's also the possibility of an uprising among the damnati, of some Inquisitor being disturbed by their practices (which is really open to all chapters), or of simple exposure to Chaos as part of the Astartes Praeses.

[AlanofAngels]

I always, personally, felt like the most compelling reason for a chapter to go renegade was the belief that the Imperium was not functioning to meet humanity's best interest (i.e. the discrepancy between the Emperor's ideals and perhaps the High Lords of Terra's). Gotta say, hard to nail this one.

[darth_giles]

Maybe one day a space marine wakes up and decides, hey, today I am going to do something for my self. Maybe instead of facing certain death for those guys I am going to look after myself. Maybe he makes the reasons to himself that the Imperium is better served with him alive then dead. Maybe this is true but once a marine sets aside total service for a little self service things go down hill. He soon realises that he doesn't HAVE to sacrifice evertything for people who, honestly, take him for granted. He starts to become more and more selfish, and after a while the penny finally drops. I can get so much for myself by not using my super human power, what if I used the powers I have but for ME. Its about this time that the Chaos Gods come a whispering... From then on its a quick path to Excommunication, an extra head or two and tentacles coming out from where they really shouldn't...

This was where the Impalers were starting to go towards the end of their Penitent Crusade; they had taken a lot of daemon weapons out of circulation but almost a thousand years of being lost in the Halo Zone, and were starting to wonder just what the point of it all was. Plus there was the argument about whether or not to use daemon weapons or just sit on them like a warp-powered toxic waste dump.

 

Either way, it took an actual miracle and a lot of intercene bloodshed to bring them back from the edge, and even then they came back a really messed up.

[Thunder_god]

Perhaps they have stumbled upon the 'Imperial Truth'...that would certainly make me question everything I thought I knew...

[rookster]

I have three others, First there are those renegades that though still loyal or beliving themselves loyal to the emperor may not trust or come into conflict with how his lords are running the imperium.

 

Second, Librarians though normally stronger then your average psycher are still looking into and touching the warp, it would be quite easy to start looking to the warp to help fight against chaos think radical inquisitors, useing xeno against xeno or chaos against chaos, once that starts its a slippery slope.

 

Third, there is the idea of being forsaken by either the imperium or possibly their own chapter, perhaps a series of campaigns that see a company or a chapter ground down to small numbers until they start to feel misused or sacrificed for nothing, until doubt about the cause begins to take root and they slowly turn away from the emperors light.

[Astral Pathfinder]

I remember readings about corruption by Xenos. Parasitized or something..It's another option to the whole chaos-thing sometimes too easy (chaos space marine codices...I go the 3 last versions, the last one is a shame about this)

 

I like when marines go renegade for their own will/reasons instead of Chaos. Think of Badab war...

[Banelord]

They all don’t have to turn into “Chaos Zealots” straight away, some just fall due to Human desires, such as greed or simply freedom. Being ruled by the dogma and tradition, fighting and watching your brothers die without as much as a thank you might be just enough for some marines to break away and try and make their own future. Chaos just happens to take advantage of it. 

[hobointherain]

i toyed with turning my chapter into renegades, mostly because I'm fascinated with the idea of a newly turned traitor chapter, that has yet to succumb to chaos and still believes itself to be righteous in its actions. However, I decided against this due to some random whimsy I had at the time. In the fluff however, I wrote a brief story called the Maer Incident, where the chapter came to blows with the Mechaniucm over some Titan support that never materialised when needed. The chapter managed to occupy a a forge complex and very nearly declared open war on the Mechanicum. Only the intervention of the Inquisition and the Iron Hands persuaded them to reach an accord and cease hostilities. I think a little bit of rebellion adds something interesting to a chapters history

[Ferrata]

When I set about making the Wings of Death, I went through a number of different fall stories, but most of them always felt forced; like the destination was more important than the journey and I was just filling space until I could get to the Chaos. I started reading other people's chapters, and I can tired/bored/didn't like with chapters that were tricked into falling, when it wasn't their fault. I decided to make my chapter embrace Chaos knowingly, willingly and whole hearted. Their fall is basically a fallen hero attempting to reclaim some fame, but is driven to despair by the perceived favoritism towards another chapter. They just want to impress the Imperium and become god-like again, but they were shunned (or they thought they were) until they embrace Chaos because at least Chaos pays attention to them. 

[Astral Pathfinder]

Plus: chaos iconography tends to turn space marines into horned beasts, and personnally i prefer the functionnal style of the power armor.

The same way i do LOVE the way FW stylised the sons of h. Iconography, and if i ever go black legion, would rather use this Eye instead of the yellow one.

[Firepower]

Because chicks dig bad boys? ;)

 

On a serious note, one of my favorite excuses is the Soul Drinker route (as I understand it from hearsay, as I never read the novels myself).  Rather than a disappointment with the people they protect directly, it is a discontent with the administration and governance of the Imperium as an institution.  Basically, with a slightly more 21st century view of morality, it would be very easy to look at the government you fight for and go 'Holy hell, why would I work for these jerks?!'  Of course, flipping them the bird means the loyalists will come to regard you as simple renegades, traitors, heretics, what have you.  From there, you can try to walk the very thin line of renegade-but-not-Chaos, or just say screw it, and turn to Chaos as protection from your new enemies or as a replacement for the faith you once had, like the Word Bearers did.

 

And sometimes you do have the Chapter that just thinks 'You know, it would be super cool to shoot fire from my eyes and lightning bolts from my arse, and some voices in my head promised they could make that happen.'  Bam, renegades.