Marines Teutonic - Take 2

[Deathwolf1805]

I have posted this chapter here before, got some good feedback, went away and developed it. So here I am again, for opinions on the new, revised and (hopefully) improved Marines Teutonic. Image of colour scheme at the bottom.

Origins
The Marines Teutonic were formed during the Third Founding, drawing from Imperial Fist Geneseed. As an early founding, from a chapter who had so far founded only three others, they had a close bond to their Founding Chapter. Much of the Imperial Fist mentality and culture rubbed off on them, including a stubbornness, unwillingness to surrender and tenacity in the face of certain death. Unlike the Imperial Fists they were given stewardship of an entire solar system, far away from Terra, to make their own. Soon after their creation the chapter was devastated by a Waaagh led by the Ork Warboss known as The Beast. The new chapter was swiftly tempered in the fires of war, suffering extensive casualties as they were cut off from their allies, their system become the eye of the storm within the green skin torrent. The war left a deep imprint on the Chapter, manifesting in extreme xenophobia towards inhuman races, though oddly this did not extend to ab-human races. This isolation also prevented them from turning into carbon copies of the Imperial Fists. Notably some of the more pain reliant aspects of the Imperial Fists, such as the use of the pain glove, were eliminated and a softer note with regard to the Imperium's human inhabitants was introduced.

The Marines Teutonic were heavily involved during the Age of Apostasy including the storming of Terra alongside their founding and brother chapters. To this day they have a general distrust of the Ecclesiarchy and despise the Adepta Sororitas for, as they see it, breaching the spirit of the Decree Passive, if not the word. The chapter pays lip service to the Ecclesiarchy and avoid associating with them where possible.

Later History
In more recent times The Marines Teutonic have been involved in a number of notable campaigns, including the Third War for Armageddon and the destruction of the Necron World Engine. After the destruction of the World Engine, the chapter absorbed some of the few surviving Astral Knights, many of whom found that joining the Sable Swords, who had taken over the monastery and duties of the Astral Knights, was simply too painful. The most obvious of these is Silvio Amrehta, formerly a sergeant in the Astral Knights who has risen to the rank of Captain of the Second Company in The Marines Teutonic. The current Grand Master of the Chapter is Heinrich von Stauffenberg, a considerably younger commander than most Chapter Masters at only 300 years old.

Home World
The Marines Teutonic are not based on a world itself but rather on an asteroid, Acre. The entire asteroid has been hollowed out and taken over by the chapter monastery, effectively forming a large space station located inside an asteroid belt. The Acre System is comprised of mainly Feudal or Knight Worlds from which the Teutonics recruit. On these planets, Teutonic rule is absolute. The Teutonic cult is followed by the inhabitants of these worlds, who view the marines as somewhere between gods, angels, rulers and protectors. Wars among the humans are not uncommon and the Teutonics do nothing to dissuade them, believing that the conflicts are good for developing suitable recruits. Each of the inhabited planets, ten in total, have smaller fortresses on, which house defence garrisons and are where the planets or administered from. Many of the asteroids in the belts that surround and bisect the system have been extensively Terraforming and are used for different environmental training, including ice, void, aquatic, radiation and volcanic. The largest of the has even been heavily industrialised to provide one of the most comprehensive urban and ship to ship boarding training facilities in the The sun that the system orbits is large, cooler than most and give out a lot of radiation. This means that while the inhabited planets are habitable to humans they are cold, with long winters and mainly evergreen vegetation. Those that would have been more comfortable to live on are warmer, but so heavily radiated that they cannot sustain life.

Beliefs
Much like the Salamanders, The Marines Teutonic believe strongly in their duty to protect the lives of the Emperors subjects, a view that has led to clashes of personality between them and certain other chapters who view humans as expendable. The Teutonic Cult puts a lot of emphasis on personal honour and glory, urging its followers to reach for the stars and achieve more than they believe is possible. They also regard the Emperor as a great man, brilliant general and spiritual liege of the chapter, but not as a divine being. Most significantly is the teaching that it is better to die in battle than give one inch of ground to an enemy. Duels are common, both to satisfy honour and demonstrate skill, as is a variation on the scrimshawing practises of the Imperial Fists, except using all the bones of the body rather than only those of the hand.
The most unusual of their beliefs is however that Dorn is still alive. Whereas many within the Imperium believe that Dorn died on The Sword of Sacrilege, the Teutonics maintain that he survived and will return to lead them one day. The chapter possess a single relic of their beloved Primarch, his Storm Shield. Given to the chapter by Dorn himself upon their founding, is now kept at the heart of their Reclusiam. The Chapter insist that they are merely the stewards of this artefact and Dorn himself will come to reclaim it when the time is right.

Combat Doctrine
The Marines Teutonic specialise in Drop Pod Assaults, Boarding Actions, Urban Warfare and other close range fire fights. It is said that nothing can survive a Teutonic Planetary Landing. Because of this tendency to engage the enemy up close, Flamer and Melta weapons are commonly chosen. Unusually, Plasma weapons appear far less frequently in the Teutonic arsenal than in those of other chapters. Quite why this is so is unknown, even to the Teutonics themselves, but it may well have something to do with the temperamental nature of the weapons. In accordance with their beliefs, the Teutonics also seek to minimise civilian casualties where possible, frequently risking their own lives and delaying evacuation in order to rescue Imperial Citizens. In the persecution of those that would harm the Imperium however they are unwavering. No tunnel is too deep, not fortress too strong, no army too mighty. The Marines Teutonic reduce the mightiest fortresses to rubble, clease the most secure bunkers of even insect life and break armies like water upon rocks. Once they mark you as an enemy, nothing can save you.

Organisation
The Teutonics do not abide by the Codex Astartes, the organisation restrictions to be pedantic and serve no point other than making a space marine chapter a less effective force than it could be. While they would not, and could not, attempts to reach the size of the Legions of old they are not adverse to bending the organization and throw the size restrictions out the window. All of their Companies are battle companies, with no reserve companies, while Veterans and Scouts are attached at the company level, with the first and tenth companies being identical to the rest. With two additional squads, one veteran and one scout, present in each company, the Chapter would reach over 1200 marines at full strength, a number that is rarely reached. The Scouts are drawn from experienced marines who have shown themselves to be adept at stealth and infiltration. Chapter neophytes form two ten man Devastator squads within each company, allowing them to get a taste of battle from as far away as the Teutonic combat doctrine allows - that is to say still very close. The chapter claim that mixing their companies like this provides greater flexibility and allows the veterans and scouts to better pass on their vast knowledge. They defend their use of veteran battle brothers who have shown themselves to be skilled infiltrators as scouts over untried recruits by pointing out that deep behind enemy lines, without support or extraction, is a place for proven warriors, not wet eared recruits.

The Chapter relies on Infantry tactics with aerial support rather than ground based vehicles due to their specialism at drop pod assaults. They do however possess more Land Speeders than most chapters, using them in many roles usually performed by the predator tank. The rank of Captain is reclassified as Meister (or master in low gothic), while the Chapter Master is known as the Hochmeister or High Master. Other titles ranks such as Sergeant, Librarian and Brother are also translated into Teutonish, the language of the Teutonic Home Worlds.

The Teutonics have a close relationship with the Imperium’s human defenders, coordinating closely with Imperial Guard regiments that they serve alongside. They also have an unusual relationship with those who fail the trials to join the chapter. In many chapters such men join the chapter as serfs. But the Teutonics instead offer the rejected competitors three choices. They can, as some do, become serfs to the chapter, acting as pages to the marines and keeping the chapter fortress and planetary bases running. Those who show an inclination for it join the Teutonic Navy, crewing the vessels that the Teutonic use to reach their battles. Most however go into the Teutonic Guard, a number of Imperial Guard and Planetary Defence Force Regiments tied to the chapter. The Guard also recruit men for the Teutonic Worlds without the right temperament to become Space Marines and women, who can’t become Space Marines due to their gender. These elite regiments make heavy use of gene alteration and bio-mechanical enhancements, pushing the guards to the physical limits of the human body and then some.

Gene Seed

The Teutonics are a successor chapter of the Imperial Fists, The traits of unyielding stubbornness and self-sacrifice were passed on to them. Practically the only imperial organisations that they maintain strong links with are the Imperial Fists, Crimson Fists and Celestial Lions, even offering geneseed samples to help the Crimson Fists and Celestial Lions rebuild their shattered chapters. The Chapter Geneseed is relatively pure, though a slight mutation means that all brothers of the Chapter develop blond hair and blue eyes.

Battle Cry
“Death Before Dishonour”
Alternatively “Dorn Protects,” is used as both a battle cry and formal greeting, as well as for signing off vox networks.

[recon0321]

Would like to see these guys painted....

[greendestiny]

I enjoyed the write up.  The color set up is pretty awesome but I think it would be really hard to paint.  I look forward to seeing some of your work.