IA: Forge Lords (First Chapter, WiP, C&C appreciated)

[Perth]

Forge Lords

Appearance: The plates on Forge Lords power armor are left unpainted and trimmed with decorative bronze. Squad markings are painted black on the Marine's right shoulder, with the Chapter badge of a blacksmith's hammer striking and anvil on the left. Veterans are presented with a helmet of bronze upon promotion. Commanders earn the right to wear a black cape, and exchange for red upon promotion to Captain.

Organization: The Forge Lords chapter is divided into seven companies of Space Marines, rather than the standard ten. Each is a self contained fighting force composed of 150 battle brothers, in addition to support personnel such as pilots and tank crew. Each company contains 70 Tactical Marines, 20 Assault Marines, 20 Devastator Marines, 10 Sternguard Veterans, 10 Vanguard Veterans, and 10 Terminators, often used as honor guard. The companies are each led by a Captain, and a subordinate with the rank of Commander. The Captain of the first company also serves as the Chapter Master, but in truth holds little more power than any other Captain, serving only to settle a rare dispute between the other Captains. Each company also contains a Master of the Forge, who commands a small army of service crew and servitors. He oversees not only the maintenance of the Company's armor and weapons, but also serves as the Captain of each company's warship. Due to the betrayal of Malphistar, no Librarians are employed by the Chapter, and the sole Chaplain rarely leaves his post within the Crucible.

The Crucible : The Crucible is a large space station currently in orbit around the third planet in the mineral rich Ademyte system, located near the southern border of the Eye of Terror. It is a mix of repair station, defense platform, and factory. Nearly all equipment utilized by the Chapter was manufactured within it's forges, it also houses the geneseed gifted from the Ultramarines chapter in the 23rd founding.

Equipment: Even when compared to other Space Marine Chapters, the Forge Lords are well equipped. Each squad of marines has access to a Rhino, which can be hastily modified into a Razorback on short notice. Depending on the Captain's preference, each Tactical Squad is equipped with either a special issue weapon such as a Plasmagun, and a heavy weapon, or a pair of special weapons. Each company also boasts an impressive selection of battle vehicles, such as Predators, Dreadnoughts, Land Raiders, Whirlwinds, Storm Talons, and most notably, Vindicators. Bikes are viewed as impractical and rarely employed.

Tactics: The tactics of the Forge Lords are well suited to siege breaking and demolition. Drop pods are rarely used outside of securing a landing zone for transport craft. Once in contact with the Imperial Guard command, the Captain will decide how to split his company, often in two with his Commander leading the second detachment, and rarely more than three. The exception to this rule is the Sternguard, who are often deployed independently from the rest of the Company as a Special Operations kill team.

Fleet: The Forge Lords Chapter boasts a fleet consisting of four mighty Battle Barges, accompanied by numerous support craft such as Thunderhawks.

Beliefs: Forge Lord philosophy centers around the cooperation, but distinct difference between man and machine. As such, a Forge Lord marine will honor his armor for the abilities it gives him, but see it as just that, armor rather than himself. Bionics are never employed by the Forge Lords unless to replace a body part necessary for battle.

Religion: The Forge Lords are notedly nonreligious. They respect and honor the Emperor for their creation and his power and sacrifice, but do not treat him as a god. While maintaining good ties with the Adeptus Mechanicus, and respecting their gift of knowledge, they also do not worship the Machine God. It is the view of the Chapter that time spent in worship, rather than in training or combat, is wasted.

Recruitment: Prior to the Betrayal, the Forge Lords would recruit from the populace of their home system of Ademyte. However, the actions of Malphistar left the impression that Ademyte was too close to the Eye of Terror's chaotic energies, potentially tainting recruits. As such, recruitment has been shifted South-West to the Arnil system.

Training: If an aspirant survives his initiation, he is first deployed to the Chapter training grounds on Ademyte III, where he will participate in field drills and wargames with other trainees, and occasionally regiments of Imperial Guard. It is in training that it is determined what role the future Marine will take for the Chapter, be it Tactical, Devastator, or Assault, rather than progressing through all three roles. Once the trainee is determined to be ready by the Master of Recruits, he is assigned to a Scout squad and deployed into the field. Most aspirants will die in their time as Scouts, however once sufficient experience has been gained, the survivors are assigned to fill a vacancy within a Company, and become full Battle Brothers.

Scout Organization: The Forge Lords have no specific Scout Company, nor are Scouts assigned to a specific Company. Rather, Scouts are dispatched in small groups to battlefields across the galaxy, serving as special assets to Imperial Guard commanders. Scout Sergeants are regarded as the most experienced within the Chapter, and hold the most honor with the exception of Captains and Commanders. When the Forge Lords set to war, it is almost always at the behest of a Veteran Scout Sergeant.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Perth