Space mairnes custom order

[Rilian]

Hi, I'm starting a new space marines army. I've painted some minis and came up with a colour sheme, but I didn't figure out any reasonable name for that order and fluff. Here's the example of colour sheme:

 

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6124/ter1d.jpg

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

The first idea was a Hospitaler order and maybe a name with a rose cos of the purple colour but I'm not sure if I like that anymore... Hope You guys can help me up with some ideas.

[WolfLordKejl]

Knights of the Cerulean Cross

[Rilian]

Sounds good, I didn't know that word:)

Thanks

 

funny, I checked it. That word exists in Polish too (I'm from Poland) :)

[XKhalilX]

the scheme is nearly identical to my children of eternity. although my purple is more a violet purple. and they use white helmets :-)

 

great minds DO think alike ;-)

[Octavulg]

You can name them almost anything. Do you want them to have any particular character/personality traits?

I wouldn't go with Knights of the Cerulean Cross just because it's really, really long (and not very Space Mariney).

Imperial Hammers would go with all the Thunder Hammers you have.

[Aegnor]

Knights of the Cerulean Cross

I like it.

[Rilian]

They got so mamny hammers, cos they're the assault terminators, not every squad in the army have thunder hammers;)

 

I like names that gives the feeling it's a knightly order (I played Empire in WFB for years before I started with 40k)

[Brother Tyler]

Octavulg makes a good point with regard to the length of the name - most Chapters have much shorter names. However, there's no rule that a Chapter can't have a long name.

 

I think that the thing that prevents me from making any suggestions right now is that you've given us practically nothing upon which to develop ideas. Normal convention would be for the Chapter's name to be evocative of some aspect of the Chapter - it's outlook (e.g., Doom Eagles), role (e.g., Executioners, Exorcists), doctrine (e.g., Rampagers), Chapter badge (vast majority), or some combination thereof (again, vast majority of Chapters). The older Chapters from the 2nd Founding, especially those named for their parent Legions, often invoke aspects of their Primarch. Chapters aren't required to be named in such a fashion, however, so there are sometimes Chapters whose names might be fairly generic, simply drawing upon martial themes.

 

You've given a well-painted squad of terminators, but really nothing else to go on. As Octavulg says, the field is wide open.

 

Now the Brothers of the Cerulean Cross is actually a neat name. I agree with Octavulg's point that it is a long name. While most Chapters have much shorter names, however, there is nothing saying that a Chapter can't have a long name. We've seen a number of DIYs with long names developed over the years here at the B&C. The blue cross name, however, appears to derive from the blue crosses upon the storm shields of the Terminators. If you go with that name, do you plan on adopting it as the Chapter badge? You don't have to do this, but it seems like the obvious conclusion. Alternately, you might provide some other explanation for the source of the blue cross name.

 

Personally, I'd avoid "hospitallers" anything. The historical military orders that used "hospitallers" were generally founded around providing and protecting hospitals for crusaders. This isn't a role that really suits the Adeptus Astartes, and has, in fact, been applied to the Hospitaller Orders of the Adepta Sororitas. I like the idea of names similar to the historical military orders, but not the hospitallers.

 

If you go with the Knights of the Cerulean Cross, you might also consider a shorter informal version. Parallels would be the historical military orders - the Knights Templar (or Templars) were formally known as the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon while the Knights Hospitaller (or Hospitallers) were formally known as Order of Hospitallers, Knights of St John, and the Order of St John. So you could use "Knights of the Cerulean Cross" as the longer formal version, with something like "Cerulean Cross" as the shorter informal version (I considered Cerulean Knights, but they're purple, not blue). Personally, I imagine that this is the way it is with most Chapters - they have a longer formal name that very few people know (perhaps it is kept secret from outsiders) and a shorter informal name that is used by outsiders (including in Imperial records).

[Rilian]

The first thought was like that:

Couple of small contingents of the older orders were sent to a battle without a chance of survival. Against all odds some of the marines survived and combined their strenght. They founded the order and swore to protect those who are abandoned. In years the order had gained some strength. Now they are send to those worlds that are lost.Officially they just collect geneseed but they always search for those who survived. Most of the saved decide to join them in their mission to protect those who are abandoned. In years of service the order developed their own ways to save those wounded marines and are best in it amongst all the chapters

 

That was the first idea. It has connection with hospitaler-like missions. I just don't know if I like that idea anymore:P

 

I'm not good in space marine fluff, cos I'm new to marines. I only know that that order is to be a pure good one, cos my empire in WFB and my IG aren't THAT loyal and good as they should be:P

 

As the order is formed from marines for different orders i planned using lots of bits from many different minis and the iconography that mixes all chapters. The second terminator squad is made of dark angel ones and i plan buying the third from the space wolves range.

[Brother Tyler]

If I'm reading your concept correctly, it looks like this Chapter was formed from the survivors of other Chapters.

 

Now some Liberites will balk at that because Chapters, for the most part, are created from whole cloth. The High Lords of Terra decide that there will be a new founding, the Adeptus Mechanicus provides the necessary gene-seed and materiel, and the new Chapters are created. However, the canon also provides for situations where two or more Chapters are amalgamated into a new Chapter. Such a situation might provide the basis for your DIY. Basically, you might have a situation where two (or more Chapters) with compatible gene-seed suffer significant battle losses. The damage done to the Chapters is so much that none of them appear to be viable for self-reconstitution. Since they have compatible gene-seed, however, they can be amalgamated into a new Chapter. Such an origin might provide you with your rationale for the Chapter having a special concentration on healing its wounded and recovering the gene-seed of the fallen battle-brothers. This type of origin might also explain some of the eclecticism in the appearance of different battle-brothers.

 

As for how this influences the Chapter name, you might decide that the newly created Chapter merged elements of the original Chapters into the new Chapter name, paying homage to what they were individually before while creating a new organization.

[Rilian]

What do you think about Brotherhood of Benevolence?

[Brother Tyler]

Benevolence is not a trait that I associate with the Adeptus Astartes, not even those that might have a more compassionate approach to normal humans.

 

My suggestion if you want your DIY to be an amalgamation of the survivors of multiple Chapters is to do some bare bones development of the original Chapters - at the very least identifying their names, heraldry, and a few bullets on their personalities. Then explore the events that led to their amalgamation - perhaps both/all were reduced significantly in size, perhaps one remained large enough to form the core of the new Chapter (or the other Chapters were simply absorbed into the largest of the Chapters). It would be easiest to use just two Chapters, but you may want the larger challenge of three or more. Regardless, the new Chapter was born out of multiple Chapters.

 

So if the multiple Chapters merged into a new Chapter (as opposed to merging into the larger Chapter), perhaps they chose a special name representative of the original Chapters (incorporating elements of both/all names), the events surrounding the older Chapters being reduced and the new Chapter being created (perhaps they were part of a larger crusade upon which they drew their name), the common aspects of the parent Chapters formed the essence of the identity they established in their new name (perhaps they point to their common heritage of either the Primarch or parent Legion in their name), they point to their re-birth and/or resilience (incorporating elements such as the phoenix, being indomitable, etc.), or perhaps they simply used standard naming conventions to create a new identity (which means any naming methodology used in standard DIY creation will work).

 

If you really want to go with "benevolence" or "benevolent" in the Chapter name, that's up to you. It seems counterintuitive when considering the fact that Space Marines are about war, not charity. Just my opinion.

[Rilian]

You're probably right...

 

I like your idea with that re-birth thing. I'll stick to that for now. Something indestructible is good aswell. Thx m8:)

[Rilian]

Ok. I came up with Adamant Hydras. When you cut a head, 2 new grows back.

I found the symbol of Uroboros. Very cool iconography but the name isn't very cathy;P

[Octavulg]

However, the canon also provides for situations where two or more Chapters are amalgamated into a new Chapter.

If by "provided for" you mean "one mention in the 3e BRB that has never been referenced since", then yes.

 

Not that it shouldn't be done, it's just not very well provided for when compared to the normal process.

[Malthe]

I'd shy away from using Hydra in a name, because of the Alpha Legion.

I am sure you could easily find a way to justify the name, but most people would likely wonder if there was a connection.

 

How about the Knights Adamant?

I'm not sure if it's been used before, but I think it sound cool and you get both chivalry and indestructability in the same package.

 

I don't know if you want to write an IA (you certainly don't have to!) but if you do make sure to check out the DIY guide and/or the Octaguide. Both are great!