IA: Star Wardens

[Bongfu]

Index Astartes

http://i.imgur.com/VmTdLqL.gif

The Star Wardens Space Marines Chapter

Founded during the mysterious 13th Founding, the Star Wardens know, at least, their progenitor is the Iron Hands. While their exact purpose is lost to the Dark Founding’s mystery, some scholars point to strings being pulled by the Adeptus Mechanicus. Strong ties are not unheard of between Adeptus Astartes and the Priesthood of Mars. It is, however, that the Star Wardens seem to navigate the complexity of Mechanicum society with a familiar ease which concerns some upper levels of the Imperium.

Further exacerbating their rumoured purpose, they were founded during the tumultuous time known at the Moirae Schism. Two different philosophies within the Adeptus Mechanicus split it into a civil war that spilled over into the ranks of even the Adeptus Astartes. Two nearby forgeworlds, Artemia Majoris and Urdesh, launched a series of campaigns against one another. The Star Wardens sided with the world of Urdesh, forging a strong bond with the world that would be broken only by the most violent of means.

In late M41, the sector came under renewed attack by the forces of Chaos. The Imperium was hard pressed to fight against the Archon Nadzybar and his forces. Clan Scipii was tasked to stave off the archenemy's advance long enough to get reinforcements from nearby Imperial worlds. Unfortunately the combined power of, eventually, three war clans would not be enough to drive them back.

Facing a long war, the Star Wardens dug in on their homeworld hoping to weather the coming storm until aid could come. They went dark to the rest of the sector even to the calls of Urdesh when it came under attack by the forces of Chaos. In truth, they had fallen into their own war in the depths of their fortress monastery.

Civil War

Seeds of division had already been planted by the clan system. Petty rivalries grew into treacherous acts during the Sabbat Worlds crusade. The clans who believed in using librarians banded together to construct a psychic device that would end the reign of Chaos on the sector. Fearing taint, the other clans who were suspicious of the powers of the warp set out to sabotage their project. This devolved into a slug fest and eventually into a full out civil war. Clan against clan. At first it was only two major players, but as tensions got higher more factions splintered. Some clans were annihilated outright while others seeded members from other clans.

No one knows if the beginnings of of the split, what would become known as the Scouring, was caused by the taint of the archenemy or if that came later. It stands that at least a third of the clans betrayed the light or the Emperor or the Blessing of the Omnissiah and turned to much more savage deities to call master.

By closing years of the Sabbot Worlds Crusade, what appeared to be the loyalist forces of the Star Wardens emerged victorious. While they sat upon a burning world, they fared a bit better than those around them. Warmaster Slaydo finally broke through the dead comms to the lost chapter and sought their help retaking the forgeworld of Urdesh.

When pressed for answers as to their absence they cite failures in communications due to sabotage.

Thrantoss is a bustling world situated in the Cabal systems. While its towers scrap the very tops of the atmosphere, the world has been almost completely gutted, giving way to vast underground complexes. Even the planet's core itself is used as a massive geothermal engine made by some magos of an age past. The deepest structure is the Labyrinth, Fortress-Monastery of the Star Wardens. It is said that the fortress uses the very heart of the planet as a forge in which to construct their engines and weapons of war.

Initial examination of the chapter's belief system were met with the cold steel wall of secrecy. Upon further examination of their psyche, it is largely believed they venerate the Omnissiah before the Emperor. While not heresy within itself, it is very uncommon for those in the ranks of the Astartes to brush the great leader of the Imperium off so easily. After all, their progenitor was a son of the Emperor.

In so many ways more extreme than their parent legion, the Star Wardens worship bionics. Every Forge Lord seen outside their homeworld has been heavily augmented to the point that some of them do not resemble space marines so much as magi in the Ordo Reductor. Where as, the initiates to the Iron Hands remove their hand for bionic replacement, the Star Warden initiates much remove both eyes. They are replaced with bionics that allow them to see in all manner of light range bands. Much more functional than a bionic hand.

Ritual wise, much attention seems to focus on their equipment and machines. While most astartes do take great care to appease the machine spirits of all their battle gear the Star Wardens go to obsessive lengths to ensure theirs is in excellent condition. It is not uncommon for great losses to incur on the battlefield in order to recover a wreck vehicle such as a landraider or even a rhino.

Another strange custom is the markings of their power armour. Starting at the legs, battle brothers and forge lords alike will have star patterns painted onto their armoured ceramite. Each large star seems to represent a major campaign, while each smaller star undoubtedly represents each world that astartes has visited.

While undoubtedly worthy of the Adeptus Astartes title, the commanders and tacticians of the Star Wardens are an unimaginative stock. The Codex Astartes means little to the machine obsessed clans, instead they rely on brutal shock and awe to win the day.

An opening attack by the Star Wardens is sounded by the thunder of orbital bombardments and precision hits from strike craft. Techmarines and servitors blast the enemy defenses with thunderfire cannons and rapier batteries. If the enemy is still breathing after that they are met with the roar of land raiders and rhinos crashing through their lines.

As a last resort, the astartes of the Star Wardens will engage close combat protocols and purge the enemy with chainsword and powerfist. Though this is rarely ever needed with the firepower they bring to the field.

On the battlefield it's not uncommon for them to accompany or be accompanied by the forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus. From tech-thralls or Magos, all have been seen inside Star Warden formations. Observers have seen techmarines acting as leaders for Skitarii units and Magi guiding space marines on the field of battle. Though any other chapter would disdain taking orders from anyone less than their direct superior, the Star Wardens have become almost intertwined in the workings of the Urdeshi military arm.

Further evidence of their deviation from the Codex Astartes is the clan structure that exist within the chapter.

The similarities with their parent legion, the Iron Hands, stops at the use of the word clan. In actuality they are more akin to the feudal state which exist on most forgeworlds. Lords battle for power through merit and prestige. Promotions often happen through politics rather than battlefield merit. This practice was one of the main reasons for the Scouring.

Each Clan is led by a Forge Lord, which oversees a collection of Battlesmiths who make up the upper echelons of the clan. While each clan is responsible for its own recruiting, they all recruit from their respective clan forges.

Deviance also comes in the form of each clan’s duties within the chapter. There are five known war clans who act as traditional space marine companies. There are also an unknown number of forge companies, whose sole responsibility seems to be manufacturing wargear for the other clans. Lastly, there is at least one known seeker company. Their duties are the most shrouded, but the most detailed sources points out their great curiosity for relic hunting and dismantling technology of all makes.

In times of war each clan would be a force in its own right, but in rare circumstances two or more clans may come to operate together. When this happens, the command duties are earned by a ritual duel. The winner has overall operational command, but it is customary to allow the other Forge Lords to act as seconds.

Clan Ranks:

Forge Lord: Senior commander of the Clan. Essentially has the same duties as a Codex Astartes Captain.

Battlesmith Primus: Master of the clan forges and mind. He holds ranks and duties of both a Master of the Forge and Reclusiarch.

Battlesmith: Serving techmarine. They are generally found in the forges, but also serve on the battlefield. Their presence is a great boon to morale for the clan in battle.

Centuro: Essentially the sergeants of the clan. They lead the Steel-Brothers into battle.

Princep: Your basic battle brother. They can fill a variety of roles depending on skill and the needs of the battle.

Hastati: New recruits to the clan who have undergone basic gene-enhancement.

They have the gene-seed of Ferrus Manus. They share a similar disdain for mortal flesh as their progenitor legion did. No mutations are reported to exist.

"Purge the weak!"

"We are cogs in his great design!"

"Deus ex Machina!"

989.M37 - Battle of Artemia Majoris. Victory over the traitor Magos Gravlox Septimus.

429.M39 - Accompanied Explorator Magos Gakthron Rex to recover a space hulk in the Sabbot Worlds region. Blessed is the Omnissiah for the fleet recovered an STC for a more energy efficient light bulb.

774.M41 - Conquest of Urdesh. Victory over the archenemy.

Princep Veretius - Clan Marius

[Bongfu]

WIP Pictures of the Models

http://i.imgur.com/rlgVS8Gl.jpg

 

Note the colour scheme is reversed. That was my mistake with the space marine editor and it will be corrected shortly. 

[Bongfu]

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[Olis]

I am shocked and amazed this article didn't get any attention the first time around, brother. I really must apologise for that.

 

Fairly solid article so far, brother. Interesting to see that you've decided to tie your Chapter to the Sabbat Worlds, or at least base them fairly near it in galactic terms. Is Artemia Majoris in the Sabbat Worlds or is it a Forge World of your own manufacture?

[Bongfu]

I am shocked and amazed this article didn't get any attention the first time around, brother. I really must apologise for that.

Fairly solid article so far, brother. Interesting to see that you've decided to tie your Chapter to the Sabbat Worlds, or at least base them fairly near it in galactic terms. Is Artemia Majoris in the Sabbat Worlds or is it a Forge World of your own manufacture?

Too be fair, there are a lot of articles in the Liber Astartes

As far as Artemia Majoris is concerned, it is a real Forgeworld (listed on Pg 8: IA1)that suffered from a Heresy. It is located in Pacificus, but where I have not been able to figure out. So I took some creative liberties

[Olis]

Creative liberties is where the Liber thrives. I must say, I like the idea of your fortress being an underground bastion in the centre of the world. It's so rare to see this type of monastery that it feels unique. ;)

[Bongfu]

Creative liberties is where the Liber thrives. I must say, I like the idea of your fortress being an underground bastion in the centre of the world. It's so rare to see this type of monastery that it feels unique.

Thank you. I try to be unique, but in this case it was merely a plot device for more grander schemes I want to take with the story. It made it easier for them to "disappear" below the surface to fight amongst themselves while the planet top raged under the real Chaos incursion.

I will be expanding the story here as well as tying in the revival the Urdeshi Legiones Skitarii and a lone knight.

[Draakur]

Gotta say, I really like this. From top to bottom.

 

The feel so far is of slightly more conflicted/eccentric Iron Hands, but with enough variation to be their own unique entity. I really like the fortress-monastery/forge tie-in at the centre of the planet, lot of strong visuals come from that. I dig their combat doctrine, the colour scheme and Chapter symbol, and the rest. You've handled the concept of the civil war briefly but efficiently I think. 

 

Questions:

 

- You mentioned you're not done yet - If I may, I feel if there's one thing missing, it's some information on "who they are", what the Star Wardens stand for, etc. I personally would love to hear more about their philosophy, their unique Chapter practices, rituals etc, and probably unique relationship with the AM (which I'm assuming so far is more interesting than 'they get along well and get free stuff/help' etc)?

 

- Who is Warlord Slaydo?

 

- To what extent are the details of the Chapter's civil war known outside the planet? Is it 100% lips sealed so far? According to the official timeline the civil war has only just happened I realise, so maybe the Imperium has not yet had the chance to investigate thoroughly?

[Olis]

- Who is Warlord Slaydo?

 

That's 'Warmaster' Slaydo. He's the commander-in-chief of the Imperial forces liberating the Sabbat Worlds. It's lore that's a part of the Gaunt's Ghosts series.

[Bongfu]

Gotta say, I really like this. From top to bottom.

 

The feel so far is of slightly more conflicted/eccentric Iron Hands, but with enough variation to be their own unique entity. I really like the fortress-monastery/forge tie-in at the centre of the planet, lot of strong visuals come from that. I dig their combat doctrine, the colour scheme and Chapter symbol, and the rest. You've handled the concept of the civil war briefly but efficiently I think. 

 

Questions:

 

- You mentioned you're not done yet - If I may, I feel if there's one thing missing, it's some information on "who they are", what the Star Wardens stand for, etc. I personally would love to hear more about their philosophy, their unique Chapter practices, rituals etc, and probably unique relationship with the AM (which I'm assuming so far is more interesting than 'they get along well and get free stuff/help' etc)?

 

- Who is Warlord Slaydo?

 

- To what extent are the details of the Chapter's civil war known outside the planet? Is it 100% lips sealed so far? According to the official timeline the civil war has only just happened I realise, so maybe the Imperium has not yet had the chance to investigate thoroughly?

 

 

All good questions. In short, no I am not finished yet. I will flesh out their story a bit more here in this article and some planned fan fiction. I agree they need more "personality" and I am working on that. 

 

As far as the civil war goes, they are pretty hush hush about it. Though trouble will sprout up in the form of (spoiler alert) the inquisition. 

 

In truth I want to wait until I have the fluff done for their sister forgeworld Urdesh. While it has some good tidbits from the Gaunts Ghost series, I am in the process of building a Skitarii/Cult Mechanicus force from Urdesh. It will hopefully shed some more light on how both factions interact with one another. 

 

Just stay tuned :)

[Bongfu]

Updated and reorganised.