Uberlord Gendo Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 The history of Serpenta Astra is clouded in mystery. Chapter legend suggests their original homeworld was a tombworld and that Necrons proceeded to annex the region. The chapter then embarked on a millenium long penitential crusade. Of any of this, there is no record, but the Serpenta Astra reenter Imperial Record in M38 over the embattled world of Rylnor Prime. The Czaltekh dynasty had claimed the Rylnor Cluster as its own and all seemed lost for the Guard defenders, when the Serpenta Astra fleet dropped out of warp over Rylnor Prime. With the ferocity they would later be known for, the Marines rushed the Necron defenses and destroyed their forward operating base. Official history attributes their success to their mastery of siege warfare, but fragments of journal of the Late Inquisitor Uendroi suggest that the Serpenta Astra opened negotiations with Prince Czernjec, who coveted the throne and aided him in initiating a Civil War in return for ceding the Rylnor Cluster to the Imperium. Before Uendroi could make these charges known, he was arrested and executed as a Heretic under charges of working with Daemons. The status of Czernjec is unknown as an Ork Waaaagh is known to have invaded that region. In any event, the Serpenta Astra has become famed for their prowess in siege warfare. One of their preferred techniques is to sow discord in the enemy ranks to bring about the fall of their foes from within. In some cases, as in the rebellion of on Panluan VII, the Serpenta Astra infiltrated the enemy's Taicheng fortress and demolished it from within. Similarly, the Vikhugrhof of rogue Space Marine Mordsark and his corsair band is said to have been brought about by marines pretending to have gone rogue from an Ultramarines derived chapter. No-one questioned the new arrivals until it was too late. Twin explosions brought the shields and generators down as Caestus Assault Rams and Boarding torpedos slammed into the fortress. Official Imperial History still records the victory as being attributed to the Basilisks and Medusae of the Imperial Guard bringing the void shields down so that the marines could assault. Any way to know for certain has been lost when the records of the Yilthin Artillery Regiment were lost following a Tau EMP strike. The Chapter's Primarch is unknown and there are no records of anything before M38. Founding unknown. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285157-serpenta-astra/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veteran Sergeant Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I'll fill in what I always say about using Latinized names. First, there are zero GW chapters that do it. The closest you get was when FW decided to go fan-fiction and latinize the Space Sharks. The reality is that High and Low Gothic are not Latin. So if you're telling us the name of the chapter is in Latin, all you're doing is translating whatever it is in the made up language of High Gothic, into real-world Latin. And in the end, the name is the same. The Star Serpents (or Space Serpents depending on how you want to translate it). Basically, if you don't think it sounds cool in English, it doesn't really help to change it to Latin. Anatinus Iratos is still Irate Platypi. Second, awakened Necrons are a fairly recent development in 40K and it would be hard to figure out how nobody in the Chapter remembers something that happened a few hundred years ago. Especially something as big of a deal as losing your home world to Necrons. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285157-serpenta-astra/#findComment-3559243 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demus Ragnok Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Snakes in Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaace! Aside from that a little mystery is good. When everything is a mystery... Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285157-serpenta-astra/#findComment-3559253 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prefect Apollyon Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 The new Necron fluff opens the possibility that they awoke long before the current date. That's a non-issue, so long as it was after 897.M41, or are recorded as an "unknown mechanical Xenos" before this date. If done correctly its fine to include Necrons. Agree with the name though. If he wants it, its his Chapter, not a real issue. The issue I have is all the "Unknown." Primarch unknown, their history unknown... Sounds lazy if not done right. This hasn't been done right. EDIT: Demus just beat me to my point. Also OP, don't be disheartened by criticism, we're trying to help. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285157-serpenta-astra/#findComment-3559255 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberlord Gendo Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 The name was more of a quick stab at it. The real idea here is that I'm trying to imply that they're an Alpha Legion band in deep cover. I see I've been to circumspect. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285157-serpenta-astra/#findComment-3559328 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prefect Apollyon Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 No one ever expects... the Alpha Legion! I had a feeling you were going in that direction. You will struggle to get this right. If this isn't Pariah standard mind-screwing/genius, people here won't buy it. Even if it is, you'll get many people telling you there is enough scope in the 9 Loyal Primarchs to go with than using Traitor Gene-Seed/Alpha Legion infiltration. If you are determined to go in this direction, no one can stop you. You will have to fill most of the gaps, but leave subtle hints that their origins/methods are dubious. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285157-serpenta-astra/#findComment-3559340 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberlord Gendo Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 To be honest, I more curious what it would take to do it right--just did what you saw there as a test run. So, how do you make it work? I mean the easiest way is to do it as a regular IA about a chapter that's lost its records, but that's not going to lead to Alpha Legion. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285157-serpenta-astra/#findComment-3559524 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prefect Apollyon Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 How I would do it? Make them a completely Codex Chapter, with nothing remarkable about them. Have their Chapter infiltrated and (over time) completely taken over by the Cell. Give them a decent military record, but with it blurred around the edges. Have them use their old Gene-Seed to pay the 5% tithes to not build suspicion. Basically, make them ordinary, make sure it isn't obvious and obviously never actually say it in the IA. Too many mysteries and the Inquisition will come sniffing, so hide them in plain sight, so to speak. What you want is that if someone read the IA, they wouldn't suspect AL involvement, but if you then let them know it would make complete sense and blow their mind. As I said, no one ever suspects the Alpha Legion! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285157-serpenta-astra/#findComment-3559615 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberlord Gendo Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Yeah, I'd been trying to avoid the 'basically novamarines route'. I suppose I'd probably find it more interesting to read and write an AL POV op planning thing, as AL would do it quietly enough that it'd not show up in an IA. I mean half the chapters on this forum could probably be AL operations, generally minor chapters, all of them. So yes I agree that a 'real' Alpha Legion operation would never be suspected, to the point where guesses would be stabs in the dark, on par with the Minotaurs being an Alpha Legion operation. (Involving a 9,000 year plan to subvert the council, etc) Or that the Storm Wardens are an Alpha Legion job, the thing that sealed away their first chapter having been planned. They'll come out of stasis for the final battle, thus preserving AL plans or something. So, short version--anyone ever write something from the AL POV? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285157-serpenta-astra/#findComment-3560587 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lysimachus Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 If my memory serves, Flintlocklaser's Steel Ghosts are a covert AL cell, might be worth a read-through? Big problem to my mind is 'if the AL were really making up their own Chapter would they really name themselves after serpents and paint their armour blue with green details?' Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285157-serpenta-astra/#findComment-3560593 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorkimedes Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 It's so obvious ... They'd never suspect a thing ! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285157-serpenta-astra/#findComment-3560613 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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