As yet, unnamed Chapter based on Knightly imagery

[corai]

I'm working on a marine chapter DIY based around Arthurian Legends and imagery and thought I'd start somewhere to collate all my snippets on background etc. As yet, I've still not hit upon a name that quite works for me, but I've a couple of good suggestions to work with. In the mean time I've started fleshing out the background. The plan is the have a full index Astartes article written which will include Dramatis Personae, chapter organisation, beliefs etc but for now I've just started with a bit of hastily written prose exploring the origins of some of the major players

 

Any feedback, most welcome.

 

Thanks

Dan

++Origins - part 1++
It was a cold night. But then when was it not on Sauvage? Little more than a moon, orbiting one of the larger dead worlds of the Avalon Stars, a collection of systems within the reclaimed Bastion Sub Sector, Sauvage was plagued by poor weather.

Fellig pulled his fur-lined coat tighter about his shoulders. It was too small for him, and barely fit over the rounded lines of his Watchman’s armour. All in all, a poor substitute for a roof over his head and a roaring fire. The chill was getting to him tonight more than usual (not least because he had run out of Cully’s homemade Sacra two hours since and the its warming buzz was starting to abandon him). The life of a night watchman, condemned to walk the battlements of Castle Sauvage scrying for danger, was not a glamorous one, but it was not the worst job a peasant could expect to be appointed. At least he was not a dung collector, or rat-taster like his brothers.

In truth, there had been no real reason for the night watchmen to maintain their vigil for many years. The forests surrounding the settlement had long since been hacked back in the name of progress and xenos beasts rarely threatened the walls any more. There was a legend that a great dragon had once come to the castle and threatened the safety of the entire moon, only being sated when the first-born sons of every noble were offered up to it. Emperor-knows what the beast would have done with them. Gobbled them up Fellig supposed.

Fellig was abruptly shaken from his idle thoughts by a great booming from the sky. As suddenly as the booming ended, a mighty roar erupted, accompanied by a beam of dazzling light from on high. The battlements of Castle Sauvage were illuminated as though the midday sun shone upon them. Fellig felt sick. Was this his fault? Had his thoughts of a mythical dragon, brought on by ill-discipline and idleness summoned forth the beast itself? The roaring grew louder and Fellig realised he was no longer cold. Quite the opposite in fact, the fur-lined cloak of his uniform now left him quite uncomfortable hot. Was he feeling the dragon’s breath even from this distance when he could not yet make it out as more than just a point of light in an otherwise cloudless sky?

Fellig panicked. He fumbled for his sword, his hand grasping around the area he thought it would be hung, his eyes never leaving the light source, growing ever louder and nearer with each second. Where was his sword? Finally he relented and tore his gaze from the dragon long enough to inspect his scabbard. Finding it empty he was ready to curse his luck before realising it was empty as he had traded the sword to Cully three nights ago for the Sacra. What use had the sword anyway, it was purely ornamental for a watchman never called to action. Deciding that he would probably not have been able to defend the moon single handed, even were he armed, Fellig changed tack and sprinted for the alarm bell. Reaching it quickly he found three of his fellow night watchmen already in attendance, along with Watchmaster Elric who was already furiously ringing the bell. Fellig hadn’t heard it over the din of the roaring dragon. Elric abandoned the bell, and drew his sword in defiance, as did Fellig’s three contemporaries. When Fellig was unable to follow suit he felt the eyes of Elric on him. Somehow, the disapproval of his superior (and the inevitable flogging to follow – were he to survive the night) seemed little worry compared to the ancient dragon which descended on their courtyard!

* * *

The drop ship made landfall a little after midnight. It settled down in the courtyard of Castle Sauvage and, as the access ramp lowered, was greeted by an honour guard of thirty elite men-at-arms (the bedraggled peasants of the night watch having been banished to their barracks), at the head of which stood Lord Uther and Lady Ygraine themselves.

Light from the ship’s interior threw the scene into stark relief, and two figures appeared, silhouetted in the doorway. It as difficult to judge from the courtyard, but it seemed as though one were a midget of some variety. As the shorter man ambled down the ramp into the firelight of the courtyard, his features became clear. An elderly man, walking with the assistance of a cane he was, never the less, exquisitely dressed and carried himself with a sense of total authority. A skullcap covered what looked to be an otherwise bald head and a long beard the iron grey of a thunderhead whipped about in the wind created by the drop ship’s down thrust. About his shoulder a psyber familiar buzzed, the grotesque creation appearing to be reminiscent of the owls of ancient Terra.

He approached Lord Uther and pulled himself up to his full height. Uther was stunned to see he stood as tall as any man present. The other man, still stood in the silhouetted light of the drop ship must be a giant by contrast. The psyber familiar shot off, searching through the crowd of soldiers for some unknown quarry.

When the old man spoke, it was heavily accented. Clearly he was not native to Sauvage. ‘Do you know who I am?’

‘My men tell me you are a dragon’ Uther’s reply elicited a few sniggers from the men-at-arms, but most were either too disciplined, or else too afraid of this stranger from the sky, to react.

A wry grin split the old man’s face and he reached into his robes. Uther’s escort braced themselves, prepared for a weapon to be drawn on their liege lord but all the old man withdrew was a small pendant in the shape of a stylised letter I. ‘My name is Inquisitor Ambrosinus Myrddin, and I am here for the Tribute’

The Pysber familiar, having found what it sought at the rear of the assemblage began buzzing excitedly. Myrddin summoned it back to him with its name and began a quick conversation in a language none other present could understand. ‘Archimedes informs me there is another here present who hides away from the light of our craft. A son?’

Ygraine stiffened and made to bolt. Uther’s arm shot out to restrain her. His next words evidenced none of the warm joviality of his earlier exchange. ‘We have all heard the legends Master Myrddin. But I will not stand by and watch a dragon come from the sky and once again carry away a generation of my subjects. You had best hope you have more men aboard that dragon of yours because we will not release our children without a fight’ At a nodded symbol the men-at-arms snapped into battle ready formation.

Myrddin sighed heavily. ‘I do not seek a generation’s worth of your children. Merely the one here present.’

‘My son.’ It was not a question

‘Surely you would not seek bloodshed over a single boy?’

‘I will’

‘Very well. I’m afraid there are no more of my men within the belly of our craft, but in truth, I would not need them’ He surveyed the scene again, his keen eyes now noticing the archers hidden about the battlements, clinging to the gloom, careful not to skyline themselves. ‘Although I suspect the metaphor will no doubt be lost on you, Lord Uther, I regret to inform you that you have brought a knife to a gun fight. Syr Ector?’

At the summons of his name, the giant stepped forwards. The drop ship gangplank shuddered with every footstep. Each movement accompanied by the hiss and grind of gears and servos driving an enormous suit of armour. Uther gave the symbol to his men and a volley of arrows was loosed at Ector. Not one was able to so much as scratch the black steel of his terminator war plate. Ector stopped beside Myrddin. He had not yet drawn the sword belted to his waist (itself the height of one of Ector’s soldiers) but the sense of menace was overwhelming.

When Myrddin spoke again it was with a cold edge ‘I will have the boy. It is important.’ He never threatened to unleash Syr Ector upon Uther and his men. He didn’t need to.

Tears in his eyes, Uther marched to the rear of his escort and produced the boy from his hiding place behind a pile of barrels. Little more than ten summers old, the young boy was never the less brave as he was marched to the front of the party, ready to be delivered into the hands of monsters from the sky and removed from everything he had ever known. Not a single tear stained his face as he ascended the ramp into the belly of the dragon, nor did a quiver move his lip as the ramp closed behind him, sealing him from his old life for all time.

With the ramp fully closed the interior of the drop ship was once again bathed in the ruddy gloom of its red running lights. The buy found himself a corner to sit and hunkered own, his knees pulled tight to his chest. Myrdden moved over to him and knelt beside him, the rocking and buffeting of the craft’s ascent seeming to offer no concern to the elderly inquisitor.

‘You need not be afraid of us boy. What we are offering you is a life of great adventure. A body crafted for strength and endurance. You will be a knight as Syr Ector is. And a grand one at that.’ Frustrated at the lack of conversation, Myrdden sighed as he had in the courtyard and warmed his tone ‘Surely you have heard of the great Knights which protect the Avalon Stars. There must have been tales even on so remote a world as Sauvage?’ Still nothing. Myrdden’s patience had fast eroded, unaccustomed as he was with talking to juveniles too ignorant to recognise the authority of the Inquisitional symbol he wore ‘Well fine then, sulk all you want. Once the Apothacarian is doen with you, chances are you won’t remember any of this anyway!’

When the boy offered no response, Mrydden sighed again and ambled back to his seat beside the hulking terminator. When Syr Ector finally spoke, the booming report of his voxcaster casued the boy to start. ‘Are you sure of this one, Myrdden?’

Myrdden accessed the psychic senses throbbing just beyond the veil of his mundane existence and again cast his prescient gaze over the small frame of the huddled boy. The paths were clear. ‘I am quite sure Syr Ector. The boy is destined for great things. He is a worthy candidate for your chapter’

Ector raised his hands, clad in massive armoured gauntlets and carefully released the claps holding his war helm in place. With his helmet removed he was able to speak in his flesh voice ‘What do they call you child?’

Still nothing.

‘Come now boy, don’t tell me we have come all this way for nothing. I was to understand you would be of great value to Syr Ector and his knights. If that is not the case, well then ,we shall jolly well just toss you from this ship right now, and quite a fall you’ll have too! Is that what you want’

Finally the boy spoke, his voice little more than whisper at first ‘No sir’

‘Then answer Syr Ector. Tell us all, what is your name boy?’

‘Artorius, sir.’

[Gaius Atticus]

I hope you will have a Librarian named Merlin, and your Chapter Relic better be a power sword called Excalibur!

 

I was trying to think of a suitable name and colour scheme for your Chapter but my only idea was in order to show to the heraldry of each marine you could paint it on their knee pads.

[corai]

I hope you will have a Librarian named Merlin, and your Chapter Relic better be a power sword called Excalibur!

 

I was trying to think of a suitable name and colour scheme for your Chapter but my only idea was in order to show to the heraldry of each marine you could paint it on their knee pads.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

Merlin has alredy made an appearence in the story. Myrdden Ambrosinus is the original latin name of the roman commander likely to be the inspiration for Merlin. Since Merlin has been shown as Arthur's advisor, but outside the command structure of Camelot, and possibly the person responsible for engineering it all, I thought an Inquisitor was the perfect fit for him.

 

and rest assured, the Relic Blade 'Excalibur' will be making a key appearence in Origins part 2!

 

For the chapter name and heraldry, I'm leaning towards the Questing Knights (a bit trite I know). Dark, carbon steel armour with white surcoats (ala Black Templars) with a grail chalice being the chapter symbol. Chalice on left shoulder pauldron and knight's own heraldry on the right.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks

Dan

[Ace Debonair]

For the chapter name and heraldry, I'm leaning towards the Questing Knights (a bit trite I know). Dark, carbon steel armour with white surcoats (ala Black Templars) with a grail chalice being the chapter symbol. Chalice on left shoulder pauldron and knight's own heraldry on the right.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Dan

No tabard, but:

Perhaps something like this could be suitable for your chapter's colours?

[Gaius Atticus]

I like the idea for the shoulder pads and I ahould have gotten the Merlin reference!

 

Will you be using bikes (to reoresent horses)?

[Veteran Sergeant]

I dunno, it's one thing to pay homage, but another thing to just transplant the characters into the setting. I'm a big fan of Arthurian legend, but just straight injecting Arthur, Uther, Ygraine, Ector, etc into the 40K Universe without even a name change seems kinda... iffy.

 

It's so much more fun to find those kinds of little details hidden in the story, rather than being whacked in the face with it.  The characters you're writing are Space Marines, in 40K. Not mythical characters from Dark Ages Britannia. I'd go lighter on the Arthurian references. Make it thematic, not derivative. You'll end up with a much stronger written piece. 

[Ace Debonair]

I dunno, it's one thing to pay homage, but another thing to just transplant the characters into the setting. I'm a big fan of Arthurian legend, but just straight injecting Arthur, Uther, Ygraine, Ector, etc into the 40K Universe without even a name change seems kinda... iffy.

It's so much more fun to find those kinds of little details hidden in the story, rather than being whacked in the face with it. The characters you're writing are Space Marines, in 40K. Not mythical characters from Dark Ages Britannia. I'd go lighter on the Arthurian references. Make it thematic, not derivative. You'll end up with a much stronger written piece.

I totally second this. Subtle is much more fun than blatant.

I wasn't sure how to say it though, so I thought I'd just make the colour suggestion.

[Ecritter]

How about Knights of Python ... extra points for those getting the reference.