IA: Knights Tigris

[Captain Badger]

Ok the following is my work to date.

There is quite a lot so I will give you all time to rip it to pieces digest it and point out any glaring issues. Hope you enjoy

IA: Knights Tigris

Origins:

The Knights Tigris were created as a part of the 14th founding from the genetic lineage of Rogal Dorn. As such they possess defects of the Betcher's gland and the Sus'an membrane, preventing the production of acid spit and suspended animation respectively. No futher genetic aberrations are known.

It was recognised that due to growing xenos activity on the Eastern fringe a greater Astartes presence was required. The Knights were created to watch over a large area previously fequented only rarely by other chapters, to the Eastern side of Ultramar. Here the light of the Astronimican shines so weakly that interstellar travel is not lightly undertaken. This has ensured that many of planets guarded by the Knights Tigris are under developed.

To assist the chapter on this front they were originally granted a sizable fleet consisting of 3 battle barges, 7 strike cruisers and a large complement of smaller patrol craft. Recognising that the Knights would find little opportunity to rearm and replace lost kit the Administratum also granted them a significant complement of dreadnought armour and technical elements.

Homeworld:

By definition the Knights Tigris are a fleet based chapter, drawing recruits from all over thier domain. However there is one world from which they draw a vast proportion of thier recruits and which plays host to one of thier most important rituals.

It is the world of Bal'a'dar, its name given to it by the local population and one the Knights have kept. Bal'a'dar is a death world with much of its landmass given over to dense rainforests and mountain peaks. The world is balanced between the gravitational pull of the systems two stars keeping the planet warm and tropical in climate. The only semblance of night is caused by its single large moon which possess enough gravitational pull to cause riptides dozens of meters high along the cost. It is due to this fact that the native population have chosen to retreat to the mountain passes to create thier homes.

The planet's original settlers were as technologically advanced as the majority of the Imperium is today. However, for whatever reason they failed to conquer the planets deadly ecosystem and became stranded. Over the millenia they regessed into feudal clans, what little technologie they still possess jealously guarded and fought for. Having lived in the thin air of the mountains the people of Bal'a'dar are possessed of astonishing stamina closer to sea level, which they use to great effect when they hunt food in the jungles. The continuous conflicts between clans and the constant threat of the local predators have made the locals an extremely hardy race, ideal for Astartes recruitment.

The Planet is the only one on which the Knights Tigris have constructed a permanent base of operations. This is permanently guarded by a small squad, each member drawn from one of the chapter's companies and led by an apothecary from the first. It is thier task to oversee the recruitment, protection and the rituals based on this planet.

Chapter Culture:

The Knights Tigris are unusual in thier choice of which of thier primarch's examples to follow. They idolise Dorn's rage after the Emperor's mortal wounds as the purest of all emotions, thier very name a metaphor displaying this belief. They seek to emulate the ferocious courage and lethality it leant him in battle and also to learn from how it blinded Dorn and eventually brought about his death. In this way the chapters creed centralises abround the strength that hate can lend in battle but also how to reign it in, in order to direct that hate in the most efficient manner. The chapter's chaplaincy is integral to this belief, bringing it to life on the battlefield, chanting the litanies of hate and the psalms of Dorns final days in equal measure.The chapter's black armour further emulates Dorn after the battle for Terra, the purity and symbolism of the colour resonates well with the Knights' beliefs.

One of the Knights Tigris' most sacred rituals is the acension of a battle bother into the vaunted ranks of the veteran squads. When a space marine has been singled out as ready to progress to this level he is despatched to the world of Bal'a'dar. Once there he is stripped of all his wargear save for the combat blade he is issued upon his induction into the chapter's ranks. His task is to decend to the planets surface and hunt the planet's apex predator, the Bal'a'darn Tiger. These beasts possess more in common with creatures of the ursine genus than any panthera known. Thier size ensures that they even consider Astartes fair game. Thier black, striped pelts lending them excellent camoflage in the dense jungles. Many of the battle brothers who embark upon these hunts are close to death upon return, and those that are not bear formidable scars from the tiger's raking claws. No matter thier physical state the ritual is not then completed. The battle brother then copies the patterns of his prey's stripes onto his armour by hand under the watchful eyes of the company chaplain. Only when he has completed has he earned the rank of veteran. All those who have completed the ritual are said to have "earned thier stripes."

Recent History:

++ Inquisitorial Report Mark 866M41: Inquisitor Thaddeus Hakk, Ordo Xenos ++

The KnightsTigris have defended the Imperium’s galactic eastern rim for millennia, their illustrious combat history no less than could be expected of any chapter of space marines. They have excelled at defending and allowing the worlds of the Eastern Rim to prosper. Yet it is this latter fact which has drawn to the attention of my peers and heralded my own Inquiry into the chapter’s nature.

It is a well known fact that the vast territory the Knights Tigris protect is bordered to the ever expanding Tau Empire and yet for centuries the chapter had fought no battles with this threat, nor had the Tau sought to seize any of their worlds. The very nature of what this implies need not be expressed in words but to launch accusations at the Emperor’s chosen is a fool’s errand. At
least without the proper investigation required to call them into question.

During my time with the chapter I was given access to their librarium records aboard their flagship the “Knight of Fury” under the supervision and assistance of their own chief librarian. It is extremely unusual for an agent of the Inquisition to be aided in such a way but I soon learned the reasons why.

The chief librarian guided me to archives predating the Damocles Gulf Crusade by almost 50 Terran years, informing me that the chain of events which led to this chapters fall from grace began here. The earliest of the archives stipulate the economic wealth and stability of the vast majority of the worlds under their protection. It painted a clear picture of an area of Imperial space struggling to prosper. Trade was hindered due to the distance to the Astronomican; newly re-colonised worlds remained small outposts; whole sectors dependant on single manufactorum planets, unable to support their own populations; and above all, a general lack of PDF forces across the whole region.

At first I did not see the significance but then I came across records which detailed the Imperial tithe demanded of the system for the Damocles Gulf War. The Knights knew they alone protected this area, other chapters either too distant or too busy to help. The tithe would strip the worlds bordering Tau space of all PDF forces with no way to replenish them. Worst of all, it was not this area of Tau space that would be invaded, leaving the Tau cadres there to claim worlds at will.

The Knights Tigris objected to the tithe, their chapter master appearing personally before the Crusades commanders. Among them were the representatives of other space marine chapters. Their refusal to agree to his demands was harsh. The negotiations were long and grew bitter as the commanders of the crusade called the loyalty of the Knights into question. Foremost among the accusers was the Marshall of the Black Templars 199^th crusade. Stung by the rejection of his own blood kin, and the pressing danger of a massive ork incursion, the chapter master left the negotiations in defeat.

The Chapter’s records of the battle with the ork Waaagh represents one of the bloodiest eras of its history. The Waaagh threatened one of the most developed worlds in their region of space. If it fell there would be no halting the regression to feudalism across an entire sector. A full three companies worth of the chapter’s marines fell during the engagement which lasted over a year. The world was torn asunder, all industrial capacity destroyed. In its aftermath the Knights Tigris appealed to the Adeptus Administratum to rebuild the world but word of their objection to an Imperial tithe had spread and the remote
world’s application was rejected.

In desperation the sectors systems did the only thing they could do. They sent envoys to the Tau Empire for trade agreements. Reading this section of the archives as written by the Chief Librarian provides a fresh account into this bleak era in the chapter’s history, and one that many Inquisitors would find both damning and redeeming.

The chapter’s first response to the first planets to take this course of action was one of anger at what they perceived to be a betrayal of Imperial creed they were charged to uphold. They began to deliver ultimatums to each planet they discovered had negotiated with the Tau, refusing to protect such planets and even resorted to threats to those governing bodies who could be easily cowed. As the tally of planets dealing with the Tau grew the Knights found they could only look on helpless. Several planets had responded to the ultimatums with a promise to join the Greater Good should the Imperium abandon them now. Recognising themselves as the only true Imperial authority in the sector they had no choice. If they wished to preserve the Imperial rule of these worlds they had to permit the xenos taint.

This decision was not taken lightly however. There are detailed records aboard the Knight of Fury detailing dozens of councils held by the chapter master seeking a political solution to the problem. Each one longer and involving more of the chapter than the last. But even Astartes know when they cannot win. Short of declaring a whole Imperial sector traitor and launching a crusade upon their own recruiting worlds they were at a loss. They chose to turn their backs deciding it was for the “greater good of the Imperium”. An irony I found most amusing considering what followed.

As the Damocles Gulf Crusade turned from a period of glorious conquest to one of rapid Imperial retreat the Tau went on the advance on all fronts. A portion of the crusade’s forces were pushed into the chapter’s space before the alien onslaught. Leading this force was the Black Templars 199^th crusade. The Knights Tigris rushed into the fray eager to cleanse their name before the eyes of their brothers.

As the Astartes fell back the worlds they defended became harder to do so. The Tau’s intelligence of Imperial positions and strength was flawless; saboteurs annihilated supply lines; PDF forces turned upon their loyalist allies. The worlds the Knights had allowed to trade with the Tau had become rotten to their core and this was all too clear to the Templars. The more damning evidence disrupted the Imperial war effort the harder the Knights fought to clear their name. Not only this, but they found the Templars were also fighting harder in order to make their effort appear weaker. Forced into a direct competition in which only kills
mattered the chapter’s attrition rate grew massively.

It was during this period that the chapter lost almost all of its ground armour and it's reserve companies became permanent additions to the battle companies in order to keep them at full strength. But it was not all for nothing. The Tau advance in the sector was halted and several lost worlds returned to the Imperium’s fold. What’s more, the chapter regained the esteem of the Black Templars for even they could not deny they owed the Knights a debt in the blood, selflessly shed, to prove their purity.

When the chapter’s archives are combined with another study conducted by myself I can conclude that all xenos taint was either scoured from the planets during the conflict, or caused them to succumb to the Tau’s advance. Either way, the Imperial space the Knights Tigris still hold under their protection is now free from the alien influence which had caused their fall from grace. However I am well aware that
this does not yet absolve the Knights Tigris in many of your eyes.

The chapter’s misfortune was to continue as just a couple of years later a shadow in the warp fell across their southern territories. Amongst the worlds affected was their primary recruiting world of Bal’a’dar, a name I am led to believe, gifted to it by the indigenous population, and one the Knights have kept. Not only was this world home well over 40% of the chapter’s potential recruits it was also the sight of a ritual hunt that was integral to their chapters culture.

[Messor]

Are you copying and pasting into the standard editor, or the BBcode editor? When looking at the post editor, there's a lightswitch icon in the upper right. Turning it on activates the bbcode editor, which has no formatting without putting code in it. Pasting their should let the document flow naturally. Another possibility, in the standard editor there are are three clipboard icons towards the right. Paste as plain text should also be able to remove any faulty formatting clinging from Word.

 

edit: Oops, forgot to say anything about the work! The Knights Tigris are quite interesting so far. Not sure if that's how the dynamic of relationships would work if a Chapter could be found 'in league' with xenos, especially by Black Templars, but the idea of a Chapter doing something that goes against everything it believes to protect its wards has a lot of merit. I'm sure you can pull it off. Honestly, if anything is off-putting to me, its that the Chapter is showing things like this to an Inquisitor. I'd expect something like an Imperial scribe or something. Its more surprise than anything, though. The Chapter could probably get away with it, though that depends on the Inquisitor.

[Captain Badger]

Thanks for the advice, I havn't tried the lightswitch yet so maybe that will sort it.

The idea behind the inquisitors access is that the chapter is going through a phase of transparency in an effort to clear its name. This will hopefully be expanded upon in the next installments.

Cheers for the complements.

Edit: I succeded in a primitive solution for the formatting. I backspaced every line and it seems to have worked. If I deleted any punctuation etc. by mistake I apologise but its too late at night to comb through it now

[Messor]

Ah, that makes sense in regards to the inquisitor.

[Octavulg]

Ok the following is my work to date. Unfortunately as you can see I'm havinng trouble with the formatting pasting this from Word. Can anyone help? Short of typing it all out again I'm not sure how to fix it.

Work in Wordpad. And that means cutting and pasting into Wordpad should also fix it. I'd bet that the complicated editor is an RTF editor, and so that's how Wordpad fixes it.

The KnightsTigris have defended the Imperium’s galactic eastern rim for millennia, their illustrious combat history no less than could be expected of any chapter of space marines. They have excelled at defending and allowing the worlds of the Eastern Rim to prosper. Yet it is this latter fact which has drawn to the attention of my peers and heralded my own Inquiry into the chapter’s nature.

"Report of Inquisitor X" at the start would help make the first-personness more natural, I think.

It is a well known fact that the vast territory the Knights Tigris protect is bordered to the ever expanding Tau Empire and yet for centuries the chapter had fought no battles with this threat, nor had the Tau sought to seize any of their worlds. The very nature of what this implicates need not be expressed in words but to launch accusations at the Emperor’s chosen is a fool’s errand. At least without the proper investigation required to call them into question.

Implies, not implicates.

 

It's not working badly, though you've stopped rather in the middle of things. I do wonder why any Marine Chapter would reveal such things to an Inquisitor. Inquisitors are, after all, basically crazy.

[Captain Badger]

 

 

Ok the following is my work to date. Unfortunately as you can see I'm havinng trouble with the formatting pasting this from Word. Can anyone help? Short of typing it all out again I'm not sure how to fix it.

Work in Wordpad. And that means cutting and pasting into Wordpad should also fix it. I'd bet that the complicated editor is an RTF editor, and so that's how Wordpad fixes it.

>The KnightsTigris have defended the Imperium’s galactic eastern rim for millennia, their illustrious combat history no less than could be expected of any chapter of space marines. They have excelled at defending and allowing the worlds of the Eastern Rim to prosper. Yet it is this latter fact which has drawn to the attention of my peers and heralded my own Inquiry into the chapter’s nature.

"Report of Inquisitor X" at the start would help make the first-personness more natural, I think.

It is a well known fact that the vast territory the Knights Tigris protect is bordered to the ever expanding Tau Empire and yet for centuries the chapter had fought no battles with this threat, nor had the Tau sought to seize any of their worlds. The very nature of what this implicates need not be expressed in words but to launch accusations at the Emperor’s chosen is a fool’s errand. At least without the proper investigation required to call them into question.

Implies, not implicates.

It's not working badly, though you've stopped rather in the middle of things. I do wonder why any Marine Chapter would reveal such things to an Inquisitor. Inquisitors are, after all, basically crazy.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Implicates is fixed, as is the Inqusitors name. The date was chosen at random but I think it's late enough to fit.

 

I have stopped at an awkward place but the next bit should be up either later tonight or tomorrow. I hope it will all come together, if not, it can be changed.

 

 I will try the wordpad thing, save myself some bother.

 

[Captain Badger]

Ok the next little bit is up. Some details about the plants primary recruiting world and the scene is set for a coming 'nid encounter but unfortunately that is all I have time for toninght.

 

Any critique is welcome.

[Captain Badger]

It has occured to me that while what I'm writing is good at describing the chapters situation the reader still has no idea who they are. I think a decent solution to this, and one which would bring it more in line with the norm, is to make it the history section. This means I could also relocate some of the given info and make the whole IA more accessable. i.e easier to get a feel for the chapter without having to trawl through pages of text. I realise that reading all that is hard when its not your own project.

 

What do you think, good idea?

[Ace Debonair]

It has occured to me that while what I'm writing is good at describing the chapters situation the reader still has no idea who they are. I think a decent solution to this, and one which would bring it more in line with the norm, is to make it the history section. This means I could also relocate some of the given info and make the whole IA more accessable. i.e easier to get a feel for the chapter without having to trawl through pages of text. I realise that reading all that is hard when its not your own project.

What do you think, good idea?

Sounds good.

Anything that helps the reader get a handle on the Chapter's personality quickly and easily is useful stuff.

[Octavulg]

Yeah, you're basically writing Later History, rather than History.<br /><br />Though, really, Later History is just as integral to who they are now. Still good to begin at the beginning, though.<br /><br />Lots of Tau-loving chapters lately. Must be something in the water.

[Captain Badger]

Lol, after what happens to them I don't think they have any love for the Tau at all. I just find them an underdeveloped race with many useful plot devices beyond RAAAWR KILL STUFF. One of the reasons I also like the new 'crons.

 

I think i'll set about sorting the early stuff before continuing with the current section. It may take a while though as I'm currently flat hunting for the first time and revising for exams.

 

Thanks for the input as always.

[Octavulg]

Just as a note - right now, you've used 1600-odd words. Most IAs are about 3500. They go up to about 5000 before it starts getting really ridiculous.

[Captain Badger]

I think it'll be around 3500 when I'm done. The other sections are all shoter and that one is roughly 2/3rds done, maybe more. Some of what is written will also be relocated.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Captain Badger]

Ok, made a start on the Origins, Chapter culture etc. Not yet taken anything out of the History section so that still the same.

 

Have a read, see what you think. I hope to get that bit finished in the next couple of days.

[Captain Badger]

Ok slight edit long time in coming. Homeworld and Chapter culture sections finished (maybe). Life has caught up with me recently so progress is slow.