Angels of Conviction

[Conviction]

Hey all, I've edited this DIY chapter quite a few times. I've scrapped and edited a ton of ideas so hopefully it flows well. Please rip it apart and let me know what you'd like me to expand on. I think it is a good start but any and all advice is more than welcome.


 

Index Astartes


Angels of Conviction

Origins

The High Lords of Terra recognized that the military resources of the Imperium were overstretched in the Segmentum Obscurus, and ordered a new chapter of Space Marines in the 22nd Founding to face these enemies. From the outset, they were to be created from the most stable gene-seed stocks available to the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Ultramarines were chosen as the primogenitors of the Chapter due to the absolute purity of their gene-seed. For 55 years, the Adeptus Mechanicus produced a set of 1,000 new Astartes organs for the creation of the Chapter. During this time, Forge Worlds were turned over to the manufacturing of the mighty arsenal of weaponry, ammunition, Power Armor, vehicles, and starships that the Chapter would require.

Notable Campaigns

Barrón Uprising (434.M38) - Barrón was a Civilized World and the former capital world of the Dread Rim. The Planetary Governer, Daramor Thraxis, led a secessionist revolt that grew like wildfire in the system. When the secessionists became known to the Imperium, the Angels of Conviction were tasked with suppressing the revolt. Three battle companies fought the rebellion, stretched across numerous planets and sub-sectors. The Chapter unleashed their wrath against any population that supported the corrupt Planetary Governer. After nearly 20 years of continuous warring, the three companies had incurred many losses and been unable to recruit fast enough to replace them. Because of these losses and the fact the revolt was nearly quelled, the Prevailers Chapter sent brothers from their chapter to assist the depleted Angels of Conviction companies in the secessionist's destruction. This final push eradicated Governer Thraxis and the remnants of his allies. Peace was brought to the system for the first time in its history and the Angels of Conviction were rewarded for their triumph with a fiefdom in the Dread Rim. As a gesture of appreciation, the Angels of Conviction would send squads to assist the Prevailers in future campaigns, sometimes an entire company, should the campaign be especially brutal.

Olamon Heresy (867.M40) - Cardinal Olamon was a power-hungry man who desired to build an empire in his own glory. He controlled a small diocese of the Ecclesiarchy on a Cardinal World called Marrimont. To achieve his aims, he enslaved the population of Marrimont and began to indoctrinate a radical view of the Imperial Cult where he was the reincarnation of the Emperor. With a large group of fanatical devotees and mercenaries he conquered the neighboring planets. Eventually, 23 planets were under his reign and it wasn’t long before the Imperium took notice. The Angels of Conviction, forces of the Ordo Hereticus, and regiments of the Imperial Guard were deployed to exterminate the heretic forces. After 7 years of brutal fighting, the Mad Cardinal’s reign was put to an end. His heretical forces were condemned to death and the penalty of Decimation on the populous of these worlds was enforced. Every tenth person was slain as righteous punishment for the perversion of the God-Emperor’s faith.

Fall of the Prevailers (701.M41) - The Prevailers were a Chapter of Astartes during the same founding as the Angels of Conviction. These successors of the Imperial Fists had undertaken many campaigns with the Angels. After fighting together in numerous battles, the two Chapters had become close allies. The High Lords of Terra tasked the Prevailers with cleansing an alien empire that had been turned to the Ruinous Powers. The Astartes fought the warped alien forces of Chaos, yet could not overcome their enemy after a decade of fighting. The Chapter had lost nearly half of its forces, most being veterans. Over time, the Prevailers fell to the whisperings of the Dark Powers that they had been fighting and began butchering the citizens of Imperial planets. When their fall had become known, they were declared Excommunicate Traitoris. Having been such close allies of the Prevailers, the Angels of Conviction were ordered to prove their loyalty to the Emperor by destroying the Astartes traitors and purging the Chaotic taint of the alien empire. Working with a large contingent of Imperial Guard and Inquisition forces, the Chapter launched their assault. Heavy casualties were taken by all. The Angels of Conviction themselves were decimated with the 5th company being lost entirely, and the 1st, 2nd, and 6th companies taking horrendous casualties. The Imperial forces remained strong and were victorious after more than fifty years of brutal engagements. The entire traitor chapter was destroyed and the alien empire purged.

Chapter Homeworld

The Dread Rim is a heavily contested sector that serves as a bastion of the Imperium's defense against the constant and persistent threat to Imperial space in the Segmentum Obscurus. These worlds are extremely well-defended, usually with large numbers of Imperial Guard regiments and Imperial Navy forces.

The Chapter was given its Homeworld by the High Lords of Terra on the Cemetary Moon of Conviction for their part in the Barrón Uprising. Conviction circles the Hive World of Athica. The moon was chosen as a chapter fief, so that the Chapter can watch Athica carefully. This vigilance ensures no uprising will occur again on a capital world of the Dread Rim. Conviction is covered in fields of endless burial plots that contain the remains of the honored Imperial dead. These memorials commemorate the massive battles participated in by the Athican Dread Guard for the Imperium of Man. Conviction’s only city and administrative capital, Astudan, is staffed by Ecclesiarchy priests, serfs, indentured servants, and other personnel needed to maintain the funerary monuments and bury the newly-arrived dead within the vast necroplex which extends across the moon. The Fortress-Monastery of the Angels of Conviction towers above all these buildings and gravesites in Astudan.

Athica became the capital world of all the sub-sectors in the Dread Rim after the Uprising of Barrón, having been one of the few planets that had remained loyal to the Imperium during the insurrection. The planet is a Hive World that is home to over 18,000,000,000 Imperial citizens. It is a vital center for the region, producing many regiments of the Astra Militarum and Planetary Defense Forces across the segmentum. Those citizens who do not join the Guard are left to terribly arduous lives in Hive Cities where everyone is only equal in their hardship.

Although the Chapter has no dominion in Athica, the Angels of Conviction find potential aspirants who have been able to survive the worst of circumstances in the Hive Cities of the planet. They are brought to Astudan to undertake Challenge Trials. The first trial is spent with a Chaplain, where the aspirant´s faith and spirituality are tested. Should he be found faithless or spiritually weak, he is purged. To test this, the aspirant is given a psychoactive concoction that produces the most horrific terrors the aspirant can imagine. The terrors last for days while the concoction remains in the aspirant´s bloodstream. Those aspirants whose psyches survived intact must face each other in mortal combat. The remaining survivor becomes a neophyte of the Angels of Conviction.

Chapter Organization

The Angels of Conviction are adherents to the organization of the Codex Astartes, having descended from the Ultramarines. The Chapter is rarely gathered en masse except at the commencement of a major Campaign called by the Chapter Master. Most often the forces of the Angels of Conviction are dispersed to multiple task forces deployed to various expeditions and war zones spread over the vast distances of the Dread Rim. It is not unheard of for individual task forces to be out of communication with the rest of the Chapter for years or decades at a time.

Chapter Combat Doctrine

The Angels of Conviction are a fairly pragmatic Chapter of Astartes, for they seek to cause maximum attrition amongst the foe whilst minimizing their own casualties by any means necessary. Fluidity, timing, and technique are all subservient to their desire to be the last man standing in a field of enemy corpses. Displays of prowess with Bolter or sword are worth little to the dead. For the Chapter has seen endless fields of graves and understand that the ultimate sacrifice is not an unnecessary one.

All ranks are able to make tactical decisions and are encouraged to act on their own initiative. The Angels of Conviction combine arms in flexible, balanced battle groups. Each of these battle groups can present an opponent with a diversity of threats in order to press their attack swiftly so that the foe is overwhelmed before he can react. They are best known for their persistence in finishing an operation no matter how long it takes, no matter where the enemy has ran, and no matter how many times they have to regroup and attack again. Because of this, the Chapter has seen many of their campaigns become decades long affairs.

Chapter Beliefs

The entire moon of Conviction is a tribute to the fallen soldiers of Mankind. This solemn notion has given the Angels of Conviction a much higher respect for the mundane man than other Astartes. They understand that there are great evils that fill the Galaxy and it takes more than the one chapter of Space Marines to defend what the Emperor has built. It is not uncommon for the Chapter to fight alongside the forces of the Astra Militarum because of this.

The Chapter’s Astartes are faithful followers of Athican Adventism, a variation of the standard creed of the Imperial Cult. This is due to the recruitment of Aspirants from Athica, where the entirety of the population are practitioners of that doctrine. It is a unique belief among the followers of Athican Adventism that the Emperor allows Daemons to demonstrate to all the worlds of mankind that his Law is righteous and necessary. Breaking his Law leads to moral catastrophe as evidenced by those who have fallen to evil. The brethren of the Chapter see themselves as the Emperor’s Chosen to purge the forces of evil throughout the Imperium and that He will rise again off the Golden Throne and bring salvation to Mankind. They care little for the individual glory of the warrior, but are instead consumed by the task of bringing death to those that defy the Emperor's will or seek to thwart His holy purpose. This demonstration of their faith in the Imperial Creed has won them political support from the Ecclesiarchy.

The fall of the Prevailers had an immense impact on the Chapter. Having been such close allies with the Chapter, it was like losing brothers from their own Chapter. It reinforced their distrust of any who do not venerate the God-Emperor. Chapters of Astartes in particular that believe the Emperor was merely a man, are not to be trusted. The belief that the Emperor is anything but a God is folly and can only lead to enslavement by the Ruinous Powers. Should any Astartes fall to Chaos, it is the duty of the Angels of Conviction to purge their souls on behalf of the Emperor. This has led the Chapter to become fanatical about gene-seed purity. Any Chapter who does not have pure gene-seed is viewed as tainted and untrustworthy. All of these beliefs have strained their relationships with a majority of Astartes chapters who do not approve of their views.

Notable Angels of Conviction

Chapter Master Atherol - Atherol was inducted into the Angels of Conviction during his adolescence on Athica. His record of service to his Chapter proved to be exemplary. From a raw Neophyte he rose steadily through numerous campaigns by displaying steadfast dedication to his Chapter's creed. He had become an icon to his Chapter over his years of service, being a veteran of some of the most terrible wars and battles in the Chapter's recent history. He was meritoriously promoted to Chapter Master after rallying the Angels of Conviction when the preceding Chapter Master was slain during the Fall of the Prevailers after eventually leading them to victory over the forces of Chaos.

Captain Eldon - Eldon is the Captain of the Angels of Conviction’s 6th Company. He is a long-time servant of his Chapter, having battled in wars and crusades for the past 700 years. His entire company was committed to the invasion by his Chapter Master during the Fall of the Prevailers. He was one of the few surviving members of his company and fought valiantly against the traitorous enemy.

Veteran Brother Halvor - A respected and legendary warrior within the Angels of Conviction, Brother Halvor wields one of the Chapter's Vehement Blades and holds a seat on Atherol’s Battle Council. He earned use of the blade as the sole surviving member of his squad tasked with hunting down the last remnants of the Prevailers and striking them down himself.

Chapter Fleet

The Angels of Conviction control three battle-barges, the Advent of the Emperor, Silent Vigil, and Dauntless. All are used with the purpose of assaulting other planets. These Battle Barges are primarily configured for the close support of planetary assaults and surface landings and carries numerous bombardment turrets and torpedo tubes. A large amount of the starship's hull space is dedicated to launch bays for intra-system spacecraft like Thunderhawks and Drop Pods and up to three of the Chapter’s companies are capable of deploying simultaneously from each one. One company is almost always left in reserve on Conviction.

Chapter Relics

Vehement Blades - These ancient relic blades are of immense spiritual value to the Chapter. The blades have been blessed by the Chapter’s Chaplains and it is said among the battle-brothers that the closer to death a battle brother becomes, the brighter they shine. A beacon to the brothers of the Chapter and the enemies of mankind, showing the Conviction of the Emperor. They are only ever gifted to the greatest of Battle-Brothers, often reserved for its Company Captains and Chapter Master. If a hero of the Chapter proves himself worthy, he may be allowed to wield one of the blades in battle. But this is a rare and great honor bestowed to few.

Heart of Conviction - The Heart of Conviction is the ancient Battle Standard of the Chapter and it is considered to be their most revered Chapter relic. It has been preserved since their founding, each generation passing it on to the next as a burning torch of their endless zeal for the immortal Emperor who made them. It has persevered through countless battles and campaigns fought by the Chapter.

Warcry

“Unknown”

Chapter Colors

The Angels of Conviction Power Armor colors are primarily cream with exception of the Left Shoulder Pad, which has the inset colored black. The aquila on the chest is black in color and the eye lenses on the helmets are a ruby red. Symbols for squad-type are primarily black and are located on the right shoulder pad. Cream colored squad numbers are designated within the shoulder symbols. Sergeant status is marked with a golden skull on the helmet. Veteran Sergeant is marked with a black helmet stripe and golden skull. Full Veteran status is marked with a black helmet.

Chapter Badge

The Angels of Conviction honor their heritage by using the inverted Omega symbol of the Ultramarines, turned ninety degrees on its side resembling a ‘C’. The ‘C’ is beset by an angel wing on its left side.

[Sergeant Lowe]

just a few things that I'd like to point out

1. Exterminatus is used only as a last resort when there is no other option.
2. In regards to the part about the Imperial Guard. It is accepted that once a space Marine chapter takes up residence on a planet that it no longer has to raise any regiments as the chapter now takes any one that would possibly have joined the Guard however the planet may still have a PDF.
3. Also rather than describing the colour scheme have you thought of using the space marine painter.

 

Other than those these points this seems to be pretty good and well thought out

[Conviction]

What sort of extreme would warrant an Exterminatus then? If the entire planet were consumed by Chaos? I've been relying on the Warhammer 40k wikia for all of my knowledge about the game as I don't have any codices yet. It has a wealth of information but seems a tad bare in some sections I was interested in.

 

I'll admit I did not know that about the IG and Chapter Homeworlds. That said, they technically took up residence on the moon of Athica. Not sure if that workaround works...or if I'll have to do some more editing.

 

I did use the space marine painter but realized I had to host the image. I was going to come back and edit it in sometime later but figured I'd use a descriptive method as a placeholder for now.

 

Thanks for all of the help and feedback. It's greatly appreciated.

[Demus Ragnok]

just a few things that I'd like to point out

1. Exterminatus is used only as a last resort when there is no other option.
2. In regards to the part about the Imperial Guard. It is accepted that once a space Marine chapter takes up residence on a planet that it no longer has to raise any regiments as the chapter now takes any one that would possibly have joined the Guard however the planet may still have a PDF.
3. Also rather than describing the colour scheme have you thought of using the space marine painter.

 

Other than those these points this seems to be pretty good and well thought out

 

I missed the mention of exterminatus.

 

Chapter homeworlds are exempt from raising Guard regiments but they may have whatever level of PDF they choose. So that could be an option instead.

[Conviction]

Would switching the homeworld to a planet in the same sub-sector that is used as a cemetary world get around the IG thing? Otherwise I'll probably scrap this concept and come up with something different. I quite liked the idea of having a hive world that has mass deaths from its IG regiments being honored and the Space Marines acting as angels over the fallen. Having a PDF just doesn't have the same impact in my opinion.

[Lysimachus]

Note that although it is true that a Chapter's homeworld is exempt from the IG levy, the Ultramarines do raise Regiments in addition to their PDF. So you do have some basis for saying that your Chapter does the same, particularly if the idea of sending as many as possible to fight for the Emperor is something they view as important.

[Veteran Sergeant]

Gotta be careful on the "We raise our own regiments" thing. The Ultramarines get away with it because they're the Ultramarines. Being First Founding and winning the franchise wars (in the future, all restaurants are Ultramarines) gets you a bit of leeway. They're not raising any IGuard regiments. Their PDF is just IGuard quality. So the Ultramarines definitely possess a ton of combat power they could theoretically bring to bear, and it definitely skirts what is allowed by the dictates of the Codex as we understand it. Which I actually like, since it means even the Ultramarines interpret the Codex as they see fit.

 

A Chapter is unlikely to be assigned a Hive World as its homeworld. It's incredibly inefficient. Think about it. A Hive World is typically a massive generator of something. At the very least, it's easy to raise IGuard regiments from. A single Hive World can, quite literally, supply enough potential recruits to sustain every Space Marine chapter in existence. So assigning it to one is a huge waste of resources.

 

So, in that regards, it's kinda unique for his Space Marine chapter to have its homeworld on a moon in a Hive system. I mean, there's no hard and fast rule on how Space Marine chapters have to recruit. They just have to have some way to get their hands on young boys (they've got some popsicles in the basement). Fleet-based Chapters like the Black Templars drive roam around the galaxy in panel vans their battle barges, and then pick up recruits from a variety of worlds. His Chapter could very well just hang out on the moon and occasionally grab a batch of 8-10 year olds from the planet. So long as they aren't interfering with the operation of the Hive World, I imagine that everyone is happy with this arrangement. The planet/sector gets a free Space Marine Chapter, and the Chapter has a steady supply of recruits. It's essentially a Fleet-Based Chapter with a home base.

That said, my advice is to give them a founding Chapter. Since their gene-seed is pure, I'd go with the Ultramarines. Having "mysterious" heritage always seems kinda cheap and boring because it's used so often. And 22nd Founding is fairly recent by 40K standards. Knowing their heritage doesn't really change any of the things in your back story either. Ultramarines successors aren't pigeonholed into any kind of role, and you don't have to use the Ultramarines Chapter Tactics on the tabletop just because that's how you wrote your story. The Mantis Warriors, for example, are a White Scars successor, but there's no indication in their fluff that they are pre-disposed to using bikes and sporting epic mustaches. The Fire Hawks are Ultramarines (despite FW changing them to special snowflake mysterious, they were a confimed UM successor dating back to 2nd Ed), and they believe in the Imperial Cult. Your Chapter Cult section says that because they don't know their heritage, they have certain beliefs. You don't need to worry about that. They can simply behave any way you wish. Maybe they just hung out with the Ecclesiarchy too long. Spent a few hundred years on crusade with some wacky cardinals and came out of it believing they were really angels.

[Beta galactosidase]

 

That said, my advice is to give them a founding Chapter. Since their gene-seed is pure, I'd go with the Ultramarines. Having "mysterious" heritage always seems kinda cheap and boring because it's used so often. 

 

Taking off from this, do not give them a founding chapter at all, especially not an unknown one.  Do not comment at all, because the founding chapter is so irrelevant that while you are writing about it someone could steal your bike, and then all you'd have is no bike and a bunch of information-light sentences.

 

 

 

So the entire point of the codex:ultramarines paragraph about the PDF is that Ultramar is exempt from tithing regiments, but they are so rich they give regiments to the Guard out of magnanimity.   Even if your chapter were that cool that they raised good PDF, and were able to get away with it the way the Ultramarines are, and were exactly like the Ultramarines in those regards, then they would either have PDF whom they control but who never leave the system, or Imperial Guard regiments who leave the system but are controlled by the Departmento.

[Prefect Apollyon]

As another side point, unknown Primarchs are boring. It is lazy unless done well, so there's the warning. There has to be a damn good reason for not knowing this piece of info.

 

Unless they are Dark Founding, they should know who their Primarch and their parent Chapter is. Well, unless your parent Chapter is the Blood Magpies.

[Conviction]

The chapter in no way raises its own regiments. That is all Athica. In fact, the chapter I created only recruits from Athica as it has trillions of people and easy recruits. Other than that, they don't govern the planet whatsoever. Their homework is the moon of Athica. I think I need to rewrite that section as it clearly hasn't translated well from my head to typing lol.

 

I worried about giving them a progenitor as I thought it would effect their belief in the imperial creed. Switching them to ultra geneseed, which i had them as in my head and was also considering dorn, wouldn't bother me too much. i just didn't want to have them believe in a version of the imperial creed for their chapter cult and choose a primarch and have people ask why in the world they believe in the god-emperor if they have guilleman as their primarch.

 

Thanks all for the feedback. Ill make some edits tonight. Keep throwing more at me. This has helped me immensely!

[LongGone]

The thing about Ultramarines successors, and to a lesser extent some of the sons of Dorn, is that a lot of of them have very little in common with their original legion. Their homeworld, their original leadership, and their early history have a bigger impact on their belief system than the fact that they have a certain primarch's geneseed in them. Or I should say that it can have a bigger impact. You should peruse the Lexicanum to see just how far successors can stray from their parent chapters. 

[Veteran Sergeant]

Yeah, the only reason I suggested Ultramarines was the pure geneseed thing. We don't really know when exactly the Fists geneseed began to deteriorate, but it's missing organs.

[Conviction]

I ended up going with Ultramarines for the purity aspect. It was a good suggestion and made a lot of sense once spelled ouy for me.

[Conviction]

I had a thought that I'd love to get any opinions on. I feel my chapter is still a bit too generic and too much like the Ultramarines. One of the major reasons for this is that I have them facing a ton of enemies, one being the Tyranids. It comes off (to me) like I'm trying to emulate the Ultras too much. Granted they have the same gene-seed but I'd like some originality. One of the things I thought would help with that are changing my Chapter to a preferred enemy where they tend to fight one xenos most often. Chaos comes as the easiest choice for me. They would be the exact opposite of my chapter, having lost their conviction towards the emperor's cause. I was thinking of showing in their earlier history fighting an uprising in a system, then fighting a world tainted by chaos, and lastly eliminating a renegade SM chapter. That said, I feel this concept seems done to death with Chaos. Or does anyone think it would help give my chapter more personality as they slowly start to build a real hatred towards Chaos over time?

 

Obviously, I'm a bit stuck on the Chaos idea as it flashed into my head almost completely fleshed out (which also makes me think I've just stolen a bunch a conmcept that has already been done). What enemy hasn't really been done to death that might bring a unique personality to my chapter?

 

Appreciate the help as always.

[Veteran Sergeant]

Everything's been done.

I wouldn't worry too much about how to make them different. That leads down a bad path usually. And there are only so many major enemies to fight in the universe, that eventually everyone will have fought everyone else.

I'd take your initial campaign against the Prevailers and flesh it out. Maybe make it a Chapter that yours was close with, having allied before, so when they fell, the AoC took it as an affront to their honor, and made them duty-bound to be the ones who purged them. Maybe have their initial Fall having been exposed by betraying and ambushing one of your Chapter's heroes/companies. The eventual high costs of the Inter-chapter conflict becomes motive for the Chapter to hunt down renegades and traitors out of spite and revenge.

[Gorkimedes]

Chaos doesn't only touch humans, Black Library novels showcase a bunch of alien empires built around worship of the warp. Could have factions close to your chapter get ensnared / lured into one of those with your chapter taking it as a personal offence.

[Conviction]

Both suggestions were really good and I've incoporated them together. I think that it has really helped show my Chapter's character. It was really solid advice and I'm glad I asked for some help in this area.

 

I'm still looking to improve the Chapter though. I think one of the larger areas I can show some character in the Chapter is in the beliefs section. You can see the rough outline I've done but I'm a bit stumped on how to go from here.

[Darrell]

I like what I've read so far. It's a good, solid start to an IA. Nothing too crazy, just Space Marines being Space Marines, which is good! You've come up with some history, given them a world, some characters.

 

But, I think it needs something. It needs life.

 

I wouldn't call your Chapter generic, but you do need a final touch. You've gone with Guilliman geneseed, Codex organization, Codex tactics. These are good, because you don't need special titles and crazy strategies to be different. But, since you can't really creatively expand on those sections of your IA, you'll need to use your Beliefs section. For me, that is essentially what defines a Chapter anyway. So, it's a good spot.

 

You don't need to necessarily make your Chapter different, you just need to explain why they are the Angels of Conviction.

 

They recruit from a hive world. Do they recruit from all classes, or only a few? How has this affected the Chapter? Do they possibly recruit from other worlds as well? Why? They're based on a cemetery world, where their most numerous companions are Mankind's fallen. How has this changed their outlook? Are dead Astartes laid to rest with fallen Guardsmen, or are they kept separate? Has Conviction given them hope and respect for what even the most mundane man can accomplish? Has it jaded them, turning them grim and convincing them that death in service to the Emperor is inevitable? A duty? Did the fall of the Prevailers affect them? How?

 

You mention Vehement Blades are held in high regard, but do not mention why. Are they weapons of fallen heroes? Blessed? Were they forged in a special place, in a special way, or by a special person? Relic blades are all treasured, as their name suggests, so why are yours even more so?

 

Perhaps consider their relationship with other Imperial organizations. How do they get along with the Guard, Navy, Inquisition, Mechanicus, Administratum? Other Chapters? Their feelings or relationship with other Chapters can help demonstrate how the Angels of Conviction do or see things differently.

 

Do they have holy days? If so, what are they? What do they celebrate? How do they celebrate? Why do they celebrate?

 

Answering questions like these can add some more depth, but be wary of going too far and weighing the IA down. You want to be informative without being too wordy. Even a well-written IA is hard to get through if it's ten pages long.

 

I think you're off to a fantastic start. Keep at it!

[Conviction]

I was able to expand a lot on what you've mentioned. I'll continue to do so later today. This was yet another post that really helped me consider more aspects to my Chapter than I originally had thought of.

[Conviction]

It´s been a while but I´ve made some slight updates to the DIY chapter of mine. I still cannot come up with a Warcry and it is absolutely killing me. Any and all critique is welcome. I have always greatly appreciated the contributions everyone has made to my chapter. They have come a very long way.

[Conviction]

[Redacted]

[Conviction]

Done some editing to the Chapter. Will continue to do more over the next few days. The new Codex has reinvigorated me!

[ImperialCitizen]

As another side point, unknown Primarchs are boring. It is lazy unless done well, so there's the warning. There has to be a damn good reason for not knowing this piece of info.

 

Unless they are Dark Founding, they should know who their Primarch and their parent Chapter is. Well, unless your parent Chapter is the Blood Magpies.

I just CAN'T look at your profile pic without thinking in my head '' I DO COOOOOCAAAAAAAAAAAINEEEEEEE'' If you know what I mean.

[Doctor Perils]

 

This is pretty cool on the whole. I liked the originality of quite a few things, like the use of a cemetary world for instance. No glaring problems, I'll nonetheless try and make a few comments if I may :

 

 

 

Hey all, I've edited this DIY chapter quite a few times. I've scrapped and edited a ton of ideas so hopefully it flows well. Please rip it apart and let me know what you'd like me to expand on. I think it is a good start but any and all advice is more than welcome.

 

Index Astartes


Angels of Conviction

 

 

Origins

The High Lords of Terra recognized that the military resources of the Imperium were overstretched in the Segmentum Obscurus, and ordered a new chapter of Space Marines in the 22nd Founding to face these enemies. From the outset, they were to be created from the most stable gene-seed stocks available to the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Ultramarines were chosen as the primogenitors of the Chapter due to the absolute purity of their gene-seed. For 55 years, the Adeptus Mechanicus produced a set of 1,000 new Astartes organs for the creation of the Chapter. During this time, Forge Worlds were turned over to the manufacturing of the mighty arsenal of weaponry, ammunition, Power Armor, vehicles, and starships that the Chapter would require. 

Notable Campaigns

Barrón Uprising (434.M38) - Barrón was a Civilized World and the former capital world of the Dread Rim. The Planetary Governer, Daramor Thraxis, led a secessionist revolt that grew like wildfire in the system. When the secessionists became known to the Imperium, the Angels of Conviction were tasked with suppressing the revolt. Three battle companies fought the rebellion, stretched across numerous planets and sub-sectors. The Chapter unleashed their wrath against any population that supported the corrupt Planetary Governer. After nearly 20 years of continuous warring, Daramor and his supporters were eradicated. Peace was brought to the system for the first time in its history and the Angels of Conviction were rewarded for their triumph with a fiefdom in the Dread Rim.

Olamon Heresy (867.M40) - Cardinal Olamon was a power-hungry man who desired to build an empire in his own glory. He controlled a small diocese of the Ecclesiarchy on a Cardinal World called Marrimont. To achieve his aims, he enslaved the population of Marrimont and began to indoctrinate a radical view of the Imperial Cult where he was the reincarnation of the Emperor. With a large group of fanatical devotees and mercenaries he conquered the neighboring planets. Eventually, 23 planets were under his reign and it wasn’t long before the Imperium took notice. The Angels of Conviction, forces of the Ordo Hereticus, and regiments of the Imperial Guard were deployed to exterminate the heretic forces. After 7 years of brutal fighting, the Mad Cardinal’s reign was put to an end. His heretical forces were condemned to death and the penalty of Decimation on the populous of these worlds was enforced. Every tenth person was slain as righteous punishment for the perversion of the God-Emperor’s faith.

Fall of the Prevailers (701.M41) - The Prevailers were a Chapter of Astartes during the same founding as the Angels of Conviction. These successors of the Imperial Fists had undertaken many campaigns with the Angels. After fighting together in numerous battles, the two Chapters had become close allies. The High Lords of Terra tasked the Prevailers with cleansing an alien empire that had been turned to the Ruinous Powers. The Astartes fought the warped alien forces of Chaos, yet could not overcome their enemy after a decade of fighting. The Chapter had lost nearly half of its forces, most being veterans. Over time, the Prevailers fell to the whisperings of the Dark Powers that they had been fighting and began butchering the citizens of Imperial planets. When their fall had become known, they were declared Excommunicate Traitoris. Having been such close allies of the Prevailers, the Angels of Conviction were ordered to prove their loyalty to the Emperor by destroying the Astartes traitors and purging the Chaotic taint of the alien empire. Working with a large contingent of Imperial Guard and Inquisition forces, the Chapter launched their assault. Heavy casualties were taken by all. The Angels of Conviction themselves were decimated with the 5th company being lost entirely, and the 1st, 2nd, and 6th companies taking horrendous casualties. The Imperial forces remained strong and were victorious after more than fifty years of brutal engagements. The entire traitor chapter was destroyed and the alien empire purged.

Chapter Homeworld

The Dread Rim is a heavily contested sector that serves as a bastion of the Imperium's defense against the constant and persistent threat to Imperial space in the Segmentum Obscurus. These worlds are extremely well-defended, usually with large numbers of Imperial Guard regiments and Imperial Navy forces.

The Chapter was given its Homeworld by the High Lords of Terra on the Cemetary Moon of Conviction for their part in the Barrón Uprising. Conviction circles the Hive World of Athica. The moon was chosen as a chapter fief, so that the Chapter can watch Athica carefully. This vigilance ensures no uprising will occur again on a capital world of the Dread Rim. Conviction is covered in fields of endless burial plots that contain the remains of the honored Imperial dead. These memorials commemorate the massive battles participated in by the Athican Dread Guard for the Imperium of Man. Conviction’s only city and administrative capital, Astudan, is staffed by Ecclesiarchy priests, serfs, indentured servants, and other personnel needed to maintain the funerary monuments and bury the newly-arrived dead within the vast necroplex which extends across the moon. The Fortress-Monastery of the Angels of Conviction towers above all these buildings and gravesites in Astudan.

Athica became the capital world of all the sub-sectors in the Dread Rim after the Uprising of Barrón, having been one of the few planets that had remained loyal to the Imperium during the insurrection. The planet is a Hive World that is home to over 18,000,000,000 Imperial citizens. It is a vital center for the region, producing many regiments of the Astra Militarum and Planetary Defense Forces across the segmentum. Those citizens who do not join the Guard are left to terribly arduous lives in Hive Cities where everyone is only equal in their hardship.

 

Although the Chapter has no dominion in Athica, the Angels of Conviction find potential aspirants who have been able to survive the worst of circumstances in the Hive Cities of the planet. They are brought to Astudan to undertake Challenge Trials. The first day is spent with a Chaplain, where the aspirant´s faith and spirituality are tested. Should he be found faithless or spiritually weak, he is immediately purged. On the second day, the aspirant is dropped completely naked 100 miles away from the fortress-monastery among the endless graves. He is poisoned and told that he must venture back to the fortress-monastery for an antidote within 24 hours or die. Upon his successful return, the aspirant is given a psychoactive concoction that produces the most horrific terrors the aspirant can imagine. The terrors last for the duration the concoction remains in the aspirant´s bloodstream. The aspirants body is healed and tended to while he remains under the concoction to prepare him for the next day should his psyche remain intact. Two aspirants who have survived the previous challenges must face each other in combat. Whoever wins the duel to the death becomes a neophyte of the Angels of Conviction. 

 

Chapter Organization

The Angels of Conviction are hard-line adherents to the organization of the Codex Astartes, having descended from the Ultramarines. The Chapter is rarely gathered en masse except at the commencement of a major Campaign called by the Chapter Master. Most often the forces of the Angels of Conviction are dispersed to multiple task forces deployed to various expeditions and war zones spread over the vast distances of the Dread Rim. It is not unheard of for individual task forces to be out of communication with the rest of the Chapter for years or decades at a time.

Chapter Combat Doctrine

The Angels of Conviction are a fairly pragmatic Chapter of Astartes, for they seek to cause maximum attrition amongst the foe whilst minimizing their own casualties by any means necessary. Fluidity, timing, and technique are all subservient to their desire to be the last man standing in a field of enemy corpses. Displays of prowess with Bolter or sword are worth little to the dead. For the Chapter has seen endless fields of graves and understand that the ultimate sacrifice is not an unnecessary one.

All ranks are able to make tactical decisions and are encouraged to act on their own initiative. The Angels of Conviction combine arms in flexible, balanced battle groups. Each of these battle groups can present an opponent with a diversity of threats in order to press their attack swiftly so that the foe is overwhelmed before he can react. They are best known for their persistence in finishing an operation no matter how long it takes, no matter where the enemy has ran, and no matter how many times they have to regroup and attack again.

Chapter Beliefs

The entire moon of Conviction is a tribute to the fallen soldiers of Mankind. This solemn notion has given the Angels of Conviction a much higher respect for the mundane man than other Astartes. They understand that there are great evils that fill the Galaxy and it takes more than the one chapter of Space Marines to defend what the Emperor has built. It is not uncommon for the Chapter to fight alongside the forces of the Astra Militarum because of this.

The Chapter’s Astartes are faithful followers of Athican Adventism, a variation of the standard creed of the Imperial Cult. This is due to the recruitment of Aspirants from Athica, where the entirety of the population are practitioners of that doctrine. It is a unique belief among the followers of Athican Adventism that the Emperor allowed Horus´rebellion to demonstrate to all the worlds of mankind that his Law is righteous and necessary. Breaking his Law leads to moral catastrophe as evidenced by Horus and all others who have fallen to Chaos. The brethren of the Chapter see themselves as the Emperor’s Chosen to purge the forces of evil throughout the Imperium and that He will rise again off the Golden Throne and bring salvation to Mankind. They care little for the individual glory of the warrior, but are instead consumed by the task of bringing death to those that defy the Emperor's will or seek to thwart His holy purpose. This demonstration of their faith in the Imperial Creed has won them political support from the Ecclesiarchy. 

The fall of the Prevailers had an immense impact on the Chapter. Having been such close allies with the Chapter, it was like losing brothers of their own Chapter. It reinforced their distrust of any who do not venerate the God-Emperor. Chapters of Astartes in particular that believe the Emperor was merely a man, are not to be trusted. The belief that the Emperor is anything but a God is folly and can only lead to enslavement by the Ruinous Powers. Should any Astartes fall to Chaos, it is the duty of the Angels of Conviction to purge their souls on behalf of the Emperor. This has led the Chapter to become fanatical about gene-seed purity. Any Chapter who does not have pure gene-seed is viewed as tainted and untrustworthy. All of these beliefs have strained their relationships with a majority of Astartes chapters who do not approve of their views.

 

Notable Angels of Conviction

Chapter Master Atherol - Atherol was inducted into the Angels of Conviction during his adolescence on Athica. His record of service to his Chapter proved to be exemplary. From a raw Neophyte he rose steadily through numerous campaigns by displaying steadfast dedication to his Chapter's creed. He had become an icon to his Chapter over his years of service, being a veteran of some of the most terrible wars and battles in the Chapter's recent history. He was meritoriously promoted to Chapter Master after rallying the Angels of Conviction when the preceding Chapter Master was slain during the Fall of the Prevailers after eventually leading them to victory over the forces of Chaos.

Captain Eldon - Eldon is the Captain of the Angels of Conviction’s 6th Company. He is a long-time servant of his Chapter, having battled in wars and crusades for the past 700 years. His entire company was committed to the invasion by his Chapter Master during the Fall of the Prevailers. He was one of the few surviving members of his company and fought valiantly against the traitorous enemy.

Veteran Brother Halvor - A respected and legendary warrior within the Angels of Conviction, Brother Halvor wields one of the Chapter's Vehement Blades and holds a seat on Atherol’s Battle Council. He earned use of the blade as the sole surviving member of his squad tasked with hunting down the last remnants of the Prevailers and striking them down himself.  

Chapter Fleet

The Angels of Conviction control three battle-barges, the Advent of the Emperor, Silent Vigil, and Dauntless. All are used with the purpose of assaulting other planets. These Battle Barges are primarily configured for the close support of planetary assaults and surface landings and carries numerous bombardment turrets and torpedo tubes. A large amount of the starship's hull space is dedicated to launch bays for intra-system spacecraft like Thunderhawks and Drop Pods and up to three of the Chapter’s companies are capable of deploying simultaneously from each one. One company is almost always left in reserve on Conviction.

Chapter Relics

Vehement Blades - These ancient relic blades are of immense spiritual value to the Chapter. The blades have been blessed by the Chapter’s Chaplains and it is said among the battle-brothers that the closer to death a battle brother becomes, the brighter they shine. A beacon to the brothers of the Chapter and the enemies of mankind, showing the Conviction of the Emperor. They are only ever gifted to the greatest of Battle-Brothers, often reserved for its Company Captains and Chapter Master. If a hero of the Chapter proves himself worthy, he may be allowed to wield one of the blades in battle. But this is a rare and great honor bestowed to few.

Heart of Conviction - The Heart of Conviction is the ancient Battle Standard of the Chapter and it is considered to be their most revered Chapter relic. It has been preserved since their founding, each generation passing it on to the next as a burning torch of their endless zeal for the immortal Emperor who made them. It has persevered through countless battles and campaigns fought by the Chapter.

Warcry

“Unknown”

Chapter Colors

The Angels of Conviction Power Armor colors are primarily cream with exception of the Left Shoulder Pad, which has the inset colored black. The aquila on the chest is black in color and the eye lenses on the helmets are a ruby red. Symbols for squad-type are primarily black and are located on the right shoulder pad. Cream colored squad numbers are designated within the shoulder symbols. Sergeant status is marked with a golden skull on the helmet. Veteran Sergeant is marked with a black helmet stripe and golden skull. Full Veteran status is marked with a black helmet. 

Chapter Badge

The Angels of Conviction honor their heritage by using the inverted Omega symbol of the Ultramarines, turned ninety degrees on its side resembling a ‘C’. The ‘C’ is beset by angel wings on each side.

 

 

 

The first thing that really struck me was when I read Ultramarines successor. It might seem trivial, but I had read "Angels of conviction" and seen a cream and black armour colour scheme and immediatly thought "wow, that's a cool Dark Angel successor name and colour scheme." It quite amused me then to see I was wrong about the chapter's gene-seed.

If I were you, I'd mention something about this similarity to Dark Angel colours and name, even if it's as simple as saying that people sometimes make this mistake. You could also go full hog and say that they replaced a dark angel successor that had the same number and colour scheme (like the mentors replaced the star scorpions). 

 

I like the arc about the Prevailers. I'd probably try and integrate them into one of the previous campaigns so that the reader can start to feel the same kinship towards both chapters, though I must admit you've done a surprisingly good job of showing how close the chapters felt. You might still want to show how the angels felt devastated by what they did. For instance, the battle-brother who killed the chaos chapter master of the prevailers was subsequently interred in a Dreadnought, but has been plagued with madness ever since.

 

All three of your sample campaigns are quite long by space marine standards. You might want to include a sentence about the chapter's predilection for protracted wars.

 

On Athican Adventism : I like the fact your chapter follows, not the beliefs of the first founding chapters, not the beliefs of mainline ministorum, but a variant of this last one. However, you'll have to go a bit further in explaining this one, because Imperial Citizens are not supposed to know about the Horus Heresy : those that discover this are now either agents of the Inquisition, mind wiped, or dead. The Imperium believes that the simple knowledge of the existence of the Heresy leads to more heresy, so I'd recommend you change it slightly (for instance talk about it as some sort of legendary battle between a devil-god and the Emperor, or some-such), or else find a rock hard reason for them to know about it and not be PURGED.

 

I like your use of a relic that isn't a weapon: people often forget (me included) that not all space marine relics are weapons, and that a battle standard may well be sacred in the eyes of an Astartes.

 

And finally, I like the idea of a big "C" as their chapter symbol, but I'm not sure about wings sprouting out of it on each side. I'd say only on the curved side, or else try and inkscape/photoshop a representation of your idea.

 

 

 

 

Most of these comments are pretty much my opinion, except for the one on Athican Adventism. But really, all of these are just minor concerns, it's really pretty good. 

[TDF]

I think the Horus Heresy is known about by if not the majority than certainly a significant minority of the Imperial citizenry. Of course, the details will be obfuscated, mythologised and other forgotton, but I think the betrayal at the dawn of the Imperium will be known. Just look at the Blanche artwork of the gate of the Imperial palace. It shows the Emperor killing a demon-serpent-Horus.