The Knights of Olympia (Heavy WIP)

[Tonal]

WARCRY: "From Faith Cometh Honor!"

SUCCESSORS OF: The Ultramarines, Second Founding Successors.

PRIMARCH: Roboute Guilliman.

CHAPTER MASTER: Palatine Placeholder

HOMEWORLD: The Knights are a Fleet-based Chapter led by the mighty and ancient Hephaisteion with recruits being taken from planets around the Imperium.

ALLEGIANCE: The Imperium of Man.

COLORS: Dull grey battle-plate with gold trim and black shoulder pads alongside a golden death mask.

 

+++Chapter Overview+++

To the Imperium at large, the Knights of Olympia are merely another successor of secretive origins descended from the Ultramarines, albeit one that has strayed far from Guilliman's teachings.

 

Due to their untrustworthy origins and numerous accusations of practicing of ancient Heresy-era rites and customs, the Knights are under constant surveillance by the Inquisition. However, they have managed to fend off the threat of being declared Excommunicate Traitoris thus far through a combination of strong ties to several chapters of their brother Astartes, as well as a close relationship with the Adeptus Mechanicus.

 

+++Chapter History+++

Imperial Records indicate that the Knights of Olympia were founded from the splitting of the Legions following the Heresy and Great Scouring. The command of the Chapter was granted to a small group of veterans collected from the Ultramarines' siege specialists, and placed under the overall guidance of the little-known Ultramarines' hero Zygmund Tarrasch for his great valor and unbreakable resolve throughout a series of campaigns against the Iron Warriors in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy.

 

Aside from these bare facts about the Knights' origins, little is known of the Chapter. The only other mention of the Chapter in official Imperial Records is that of a number of campaigns and crusades lead against the heretical Iron Warriors Legion, as well as numerous reports of bitter feuding against the varied successors of the Imperial Fists.

 

These official records aside, it is known that the Knights of Olympia lead periodic campaigns into the Eye of Terror of their own initiative. This has done the Chapter's dubious reputation no favours, but the Knights have yet to prove themselves anything but loyal to the Emperor and his Imperium.

 

+++Chapter Organization+++

The Knights retain a loosely Codex-compliant chapter structure based of the ancient Astartes Legions. The Chapter is split into two Grand Battalions of five hundred Knights apiece, each led by a First Captain. These Grand Battalions are in turn divided into five Companies of hundred Knights, each led by a Captain.

 

Unlike a pure Codex chapter, the Knights have a slightly higher-then-normal number of Astartes due to their elite Ironguard formation. Rather then the Chapter's Veterans forming the Knight's First Company, they form the elite formation known as the Ironguard. Composed of thirty Knights in total the Ironguard are led by the Chronicler, the Chapter's champion and the keeper of their history.

 

+++Chapter Beliefs+++

Like the majority of Space Marine chapters across the Imperium, the Knights of Olympia strive to uphold the virtues of the Imperial Truth, although perhaps to a greater degree then most.

 

Despite their distain for the Imperial Cult, the Knights are pragmatic and recognize the value of the Eclessiarchy to the common man, and thus treat the organization with civility and honor, if not friendship.

 

In their own company, and among their allies, the Knights have been noted to possess a fervent belief in the Imperial Truth equal to that of any preacher or zealot, a facet which has been known to greatly amuse the more cynical elements of the Knight's Chaplains.

 

 

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Hail brother Astartes! So, I've been working on my DIY allies for my Salamanders for quite some time now, and finally got a rough WIP up for general consumption. Chapter traditions, tactics, relics, and notable Astartes are still unfinished and will be updated.

 

Comments and criticism are welcome, and cookies for whoever can guess the Knights' secret.

[Ace Debonair]

 

 

Comments and criticism are welcome, and cookies for whoever can guess the Knights' secret.

 

Could it be that they're Word Bearers successors, by any chance?

[Tonal]

Close, but not quite! Glad it's not as clear as I was worried it was, although I hope to put up some other stuff tonight, which might make it more obvious.

[Ace Debonair]

...Iron Warriors?

I figured it was more likely to be Word Bearers down to their zealous faith, but the name and grudge with Dorn's sons says Iron Warriors.

...That and the gold Iron Warriors badge... and the 'Ironguard'... And their ties to the AdMech.

I should have made this guess first, shouldn't I?

[Tonal]

*hands a cookie*

 

Perhaps not as subtle as I'd hoped, then! I'm thinking I may remove their grudge with the Imperial Fists, though. If Polux of all people can befriend an Iron Warriors Warsmith, then I'm sure they could work it out.

 

But yes, they're an Iron Warriors successor! :P Warsmith Dantioch's awesomeness in The Iron Within and Unremembered Empire compels me. I know the B&C is pretty wary of Traitor Loyalists, but I'm hoping I can make it work with some help!

[Ace Debonair]

*Eats cookie - first meal in my entire time on this board*

If you're looking to add more subtlety, changing the name should be step 1.

Olympia is the Iron Warriors' homeworld, and not exactly thought of fondly by the Imperium at large. You'd get a lot of in-universe funny looks for using it as a name for your Chapter!

Step 2 should be giving them more characteristics of their own - their strong faith is a very good example. The more you can mask over or distract from the Iron Warrior personality the less obvious it'll be that they're successors.

I can't actually think of anything else you could add off-hand, though.

[Dosjetka]

The Iron Warriors definitely came to mind as soon as I saw the Chapter name and starting reading the first few lines. It's a shame that I didn't post here earlier, that cookie could have been mine!

Anyway, I would definitely follow Ace's suggestions if you'd like to make the influence a bit more subtle. The name change is an obvious change but would pull them away from immediate recognition as loyalist Iron Warriors. Another element that you could change is their organisation. While I realise that it's cool to have a different Chapter layout, they are Ultramarine successors and so should at least resemble their Founding Legion in some respects (organisation being one, but there are many other things that you could add to make them less Iron Warrior and a bit more Ultramarine. Perhaps mixing in a bit more of a Greco-Roman theme would be worth it. Just make sure that you don't go over the top with names and such).

One thing I don't really understand is their faith. The Imperial Truth is (to me) a concept, an ideal, a grand vision, and not a form of religion. Also, the Imperial Cult is in complete opposition to the Imperial Truth since it promotes the idea that the Emperor is a god, whereas the Emperor himself was strongly against such beliefs. This would mean that the Knights would dislike, even hate, the Ecclesiarchy (though they can still have grudging respect and reluctant admiration concerning the effectiveness of the Cult over Imperial citizens).

Anyway, that's my two pence worth. I'll make sure to post again if I come up with something else