Obisidian Hunters - A new challenge for the Liber

[Ace Debonair]

I noticed these guys were missing from the Tabula Astartes.

Brother Tyler indicated they'd be allowed in if given a properly unified article, so I figured I might as well take the reins here since nobody else has volunteered in the last three years.

Important Note:

This will not be an Index Astartes style article.

Petitions to transform it into one will be summarily ignored, as everyone's had plenty of time and opportunity to do exactly that if they so chose.

However, if anyone wants to do an IA for the Obsidian Hunters, I'll be happy to see that entered into the Tabula Astartes in place of this summary. And for anyone who might be interested, here's the link to the original Obsidian Hunters topics:

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/214941-winter-2010-community-diy-challenge/

Now, on with the show!

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The Obsidian Hunters

After the Dominion of Fire was brought to an end in M39, a new Founding of Adeptus Astartes Chapters was called for. One of the Chapters honoured in this Founding was the Inceptors, one of the Primogenitor Chapters created in the 2nd Founding from the Ultramarines Legion. The gene-seed of the Inceptors was used to create the new Chapter, and brethren from the parent Chapter were tasked with the initial training of the new Astartes.

The new Chapter were called the Obsidian Hunters, and they would go on to do many great deeds in the Emperor's name.

'Heraldry of the Obsidian Hunters

Chapter Emblem of the Obsidian Hunters

Illustris

Presumed lost from the rule of the Imperium in the tempestuous wake of the Horus Heresy, the world of Illustris lies near the Veiled Region in the Segmentum Tempestus.

The world of Illustris is a world dominated by it's geographical features. There is one large, central landmass, that wraps around almost fully half of the planet. The core of this vast continent is composed of towering, jagged mountains and deep, ancient valleys. Away from the inhospitable centre, forests and plains form the majority of the planet's terrain. Whilst there are other, much smaller islands on Illustris, they are highly perilous places, and as a result humans and their civilisation have only flourished on the central continent.

There, the human settlements are largely made up of individual, isolated clans. Each clan generally has two or three fixed settlements, and migrate from one to the other at set times throughout the year. The people of these clans are hunter-gatherers and farmers by nature, who pit themselves daily against storms, wild beasts, and occasinally against other clans. As a rule of thumb, clan members are only allowed to marry people from other clans. In such instances, it is tradition for the man to move into the woman's clan, although this tradition is not always observed. On rare occasions, couples from the same clan elope together. Some disappear into the mountains, and are the rumoured source of the 'clanless', a semi-legendary horde of bloodthirsty raiders who plunder and kill wherever they go. Others will travel to distant clans in far-off lands, and start a new life there. Illustris has few major cities, and it is only those fortunate enough to dwell within the walls of these great cities who do not undergo any migration.

Each of the clans, and even the cities, must swear allegiance to one of four 'Dominions', vast empires ruled by a collection of powerful dynasties. Wars to take control of border territories, or even to annex the lands of distant clans into part of a dynasty, are commonplace. When a clan's lands are taken over, that clan's allegiance is usually forced to switch to the conquering Dominion, under the threat of mass execution.

The people of Illustris consider themselves honourable and courageous. Even after being defeated and absorbed by another Dominion, clans will willingly fight for their new masters to uphold the honour and reputation of their clan and it's warriors. The people of Illustris generally make excellent soldiers, disciplined and steadfast warriors that seldom question the decisions of their commanders, and fight with the ferocity of tigers. The cultures of the clans value good warriors highly, and the most fearsome of them pass into local legends. Almost every clan has a tale or two of a clan-born legendary warrior, who others strive to emulate.

The most famous one of these is Giashi Quan, a vengeful warrior who took his knife and rifle, travelling alone into the mountains to hunt and kill the raiders who butchered his beloved wife. The tale goes that seventy years later he returned, with a belt made from the skulls of the ones responsible, and a sword said to have been forged by the mountain spirits. The story then details his journey back into the mountains, where according to rumour he buried the sword at the furthest end of the deepest valley.

Of particular note is the surprisingly strong bonds between the clans, despite the frequent skirmishes and bloodshed overseen by the Dominions. In many cases these go far beyond simple trade rights, and many clans have a long, documented history of their interactions with other clans. Particularly, clans whose history is consistently violent and contains mostly warfare tend to view each other as worthy adversaries. Members of one clan marrying into another are, surprisingly, not demonized by their former clansmen, except in rare cases.

All four of the Dominions are fairly evenly matched in warfare, and wary generals make much study of their enemies' strengths, as well as their own. On the rare occasion that one Dominion rises above the others in terms of power, the other Dominons have always bonded together to combat them, although such alliances have proven to be fragile and quickly broken once the common threat has been toppled.

The history of Illustris shows a marked difference between the lives of it's nobles and commoners. The nobles keep to the major cities, spending thier days mired in an eternal struggle to manuever into greater prominence, whilst watching their backs against the ambitions of other nobles. The great dynasties that rule each of the four dominions eternally contest each other, both within their own dominion and abroad. Who gives the orders is almost irrelevant to the peasantry, however, who are forced to obey them regardless, pressured to do so by both their peers and personal codes of honour and obedience thousands of years old.

The one definitive surviving link to previous Imperial rule can be found in the somewhat decrepit temple on the far north of the continent. Far more splendid and magnificent than any of the other structures found on Illustris, it is home to the ancient line of Illustrian kings, dating from long back before the dynasties that rule the Dominion were established. As time has passed, however, the wealth and power of these kings has diminished, to the point where now they have almost no influence on national politics, their voice barely heeded more than any ordinary clan leader. With the decrease in power has come the decay of the temple, that clearly once used to be a vast shrine to The Emperor. Ancient documents suggest the line of kings to be descended from governors installed during the long-lost days of Imperial rule.

Various prayers and catechisms within the Illustrian culture refer, at times, to a Great Emperor, a figure who created marvels and whose very presence could tame and command the great beasts of the wild. Others talk of him being attended by an army of enormous statues, grey as the stones and yet alive. While such tales are largely considered mythical within Illustrian society, most Imperial scholars believe these accounts to refer back to the days of the Great Crusade, long before the Horus Heresy. When Illustris was claimed back into the Imperial fold, little changed on the world, although the site of the ancient temple was quickly transformed into a servicable space port.

Recruitment

The Obsidian Hunters primarily recruit from their homeworld of Illustris, although not every member of the chapter is a native. Regardless of where they came from, though, recruits must face the same gruelling trials of strength, intelligence, endurance, willpower and courage. The ultimate test, however, is the test given to recruits before implantation of the Chapter's geneseed.

Successful Aspirants are brought to the Obsidian Hunter's Fortress Monastery, hidden away in the central mountains, at the furthest end of the deepest valley. After only two days to rest and adjust to the terrain, they are then armed with a hunting knife and a primitive firearm, and sent into the wild in groups.

Their goal is simple - for each aspirant to find and kill one member of the 'clanless' - the wandering, bloodthirsty raiders who dwell in the hills. Children are warned of them since birth, and told tales of their bloodthirsty, murderous nature.

To kill one of these men is no easy feat - these 'clanless' are in actuality most often dangerous prisoners taken from Imperial prison worlds, selected and brought to Illustris by the Obsidian Hunters to keep their recruitment traditions alive. The former prisoners are often hardened killers, who think nothing of slaughtering aspirants for their equipment - many of them carry the same arms that the recruits are issued with.

Aspirants are warned prior to this task that their enemy is bigger, stronger, has more experience of killing, knows the terrain better, and will not hesitate to punish the recruits for even the slightest mistake. The only advantage the recruits have is teamwork, and perhaps the element of surprise, although the more wary 'clanless' know they are perpetually at risk, and are ever-watchful.

The prisoners brought to Illustris are ordered never to leave the mountains. They have devices buried into their spines that act as tracking devices, so they can be monitored by the chapter's servitors at all times. To remove these devices will leave the former prisoner paralyzed from the neck down. Prisoners who do leave the mountains are hunted down and killed remorselessly by the Obsidian Hunters themselves.

During the recruitment trial, aspirants must not only find and kill one 'clanless' apiece, but they must return with the former prisoner's tracking device as proof of the deed. Recruits themselves are tracked by devices worn on their collars to ensure that they also do not leave the mountains, either by accident or design. The signal issued by these collars will also indicate whether or not the recruit lives.

If a recruit is killed, most frequently his killer will take his collar. The others in his squad must also retrieve that collar and avenge their fallen brother before being considered worthy of joining the Obsidian Hunters. Recruits who fail to do so are simply forced to return to the wilderness. In the rare instances where a recruit is killed by a colleague, the entire group must not only begin their trial again, but the recruit responsible for the killing is stripped of his weapons beforehand.

It is only after this arduous process is finally complete that recruits are allowed to return to the fortress monastery, and formally begin training to recieve the Chapter's geneseed, marking the beginning of a long life in servitude of the Emperor.

Beliefs and Traditions

The Obsidian Hunters believe fervently in the glory of their Primarch, giving honour to him and to the Immortal Emperor. As all Space Marines do, they credit the Emperor, not as a God, but as the ultimate example of the heights to which mankind may ascend. They believe that Roboute Gulliman was his favored son, chosen by the Emperor himself as the greatest of the Primarchs. By honoring the Holy Codex penned by Gulliman, the Hunters pay homage to their progenitor, and through him, their Emperor. Though faith and a shared belief in Roboute Gulliman’s vision bind and unite the Chapter, the varied and often competitive nature of their birth world has affected the chapter to a certain degree as well.

Illustris is a divided world, whose tribes, cities and Dominions constantly vie with each other for strength and dominance. This competitive spirit has slowly worked into the Chapter, as recruits inherently recognize others of their tribe, and the tribes they warred against. Though brothers all, the drive to excel, and to outpace their former enemies is still strong. It is never directly encouraged, but certain commanders do nothing to weed out such minor conflicts, and some are rumoured to even encourage them, using competition to push their charges even harder. So it is that it is not uncommon for whole squads to be banded together from a single tribe, and compete endlessly with the brothers of other squads for glory and honour. Such grouping of former tribesmen is never directly encouraged but; like flocks to like, and the pragmatic commanders realize it can be a useful tool. Though competitors, the Obsidian Hunters are brothers all, and would never hesitate to lay down their lives for another, even though their tribes may be bitterest rivals.

Each Obsidian Hunter is taught of the glory of the Emperor, and his greatest son, Roboute Gulliman. They recognize him as the greatest of Primarchs not only for his incomparable military mind, but for his genius in the aspects of logistics, training, recruitment, and leadership. They point to Ultramar as an example of how one great mind, given purpose and direction was able to shape a whole region into the most efficient society in the Imperium. They point to the uncounted worlds not only pacified in the Great Crusade, but also lifted up. Gulliman taught that Space Marines are more than warriors; they must also be leaders of men, guiding the weak and incapable into the future, as the Emperor bids. As such, each Hunter is trained in more than just battle. They are trained to deal with normal men, be they Guard Commanders, Planetary Governors, or simple militia. As Gulliman showed, all of mankind owes fealty to the Emperor, and all men must be treated with respect. Due to this extra training, relations between the Obsidian Hunters and the other organizations of the Immortal Emperor are among the best in the memory, with each Hunter recognizing the value in even the lowliest Guardsmen.

When not bringing death and ruin to the enemies of their Emperor, the Obsidian Hunters spend much time in prayer and debate. As their Primarch taught, Space Marines must be more than warriors. Great debates and arguments can often be heard throughout the monastery, covering everything from the most recent deployment, to the mighty tomes of the Holy Codex. Each Hunter is a scholar, as well as a killer, honing not only their bodies and weapons, but also their minds. Tactics, military strategy, and logistics are all covered topics in the learning machines of the Hunters, and each recruit is expected to have a better than average grasp on the myriad issues that make up a battle. For did Gulliman not demonstrate that Marines are at their most deadly when lead by a commander who understands every minute facet of warfare? Lectures lead by their oldest warriors -those whom injury or age have made unfit for battle- are frequently held, and are attended by all; from lowliest recruit, to mightiest captain. Past deployments and battles are picked apart and analyzed, so that future generations may learn from the success or failure of those who came before. It is in this way that the Obsidian Hunters have earned a fearsome reputation not only as mighty warriors, but also as cunning strategists, and leaders of men. Their expertise is such that, when deployed alongside other forces of the Imperium, they are often asked to lead, sometimes taking charge of entire theatres of deployment.

Battle Brothers and Sworn Enemies

The Obsidian Hunters and the Brazen Lords
Late in M40, while conducting training maneuvers on Illustris’ second moon, elements of the Obsidian Hunters’ 3rd Company received a distress signal from a badly damaged strike cruiser that had emerged from the Warp. The transmission was weak; the only words discernable “pursuit” and “must not capture”. The Chapter designations of the cruiser were unknown but, after performing the Rites of Verification, it was determined to be a true vessel of the Astartes. Commander Ni’vicon, who was leading the Hunters’ training cadre, authorized the ship to assume a low orbit around the moon. But the damage to the ships’ engines was more extensive than at first presumed, and the cruiser swiftly crashed to the surface, missing a heavily populated sector by scant miles. The Hunters steeled themselves to render what aid they could and to recover the bodies of their unknown Brothers. While in route to the crash site, the Hunters received another transmission; another ship bearing identical Chapter designations to the previous had entered orbit. An Astartes identified himself as Commander Aculeo Calidus of the Brazen Lords, leader of the task force Eternal Retribution. For nearly a decade he had been pursuing a “renegade element”, the very same that had crashed on the moon. When pressed for further details regarding the renegades, Commander Calidus became increasingly agitated, and when the Hunters offered their assistance, not only was the offer rebuffed, Calidus ordered the Hunters to stand down. Never one to take orders from interlopers, especially when civilian lives were threatened, Commander Ni’vicon led his forces to the crash site with all possible speed. This situation contained far too many unknowns for his taste.

Upon their arrival, the Hunters found a tide of abominations streaming from the broken ship. Things that may have once been men lurched howling toward the nearby villages by the hundreds, their intent clear. Commander Ni’vicon had seen enough to confirm the worst of his fears – he ordered his men to purge the mutant taint. Bolter fire scythed through the masses of horrors, but they still came on. Ammunition supplies, already low from previous training exercises, soon failed. Taking up their swords, the Hunters soon cut a gore-soaked path towards the entrance of the ship. Before they reached the entrance, the ground shuddered under repeated impacts – 5 drop-pods, brass and steel, stood smoking in their impact craters. Four full squads and a dreadnought emerged, guns leveled at the maelstrom of battle in front of the ship. Calidus gave the order to open fire, and it soon became clear that the Brazen Lords weren’t interested in discerning mutant from Marine. Two Hunters went down with wounds, Ni’vicon himself sustaining several grazes.

Trapped between hammer and anvil, Ni’vicon ordered his men into the remains of the ship – far better to face the abominations in close quarters than the withering firepower of the Astartes. Once inside, the Hunters were able to seal off access hatches behind them, forcing the bulk of the mutant horde out to face the Brazen Lords. With some breathing room, Ni’vicon sent a distress signal back to Illustris, and searched for a way to buy some time before help could arrive. Exploration of the ship revealed laboratory after laboratory, with twisted demonic runes and archaic chemical formulae intermingled, covering nearly every inscribable surface. Further searching led the Hunters to the doors of a vast chamber of plasteel tubes – growth vats for the mutant horde. From a dais overlooking the sea of vats sat a Marine on an ornate throne, surrounded by and infused with all manner of cables and wires. The Marine sat motionless, and Ni’vicon despaired that the one person that could give them answers had been long dead. Still, he approached – dead men may tell no tales, but secrets; perhaps.

This strange Marine bore the markings of both an apothecary and the Disciples of Mars; the man had clearly been a genius before he abandoned reason. An explosion rocked the ship, and the Marine on the throne stirred to life, twitching and babbling. Ni’vicon had him sedated, and once the Marine was pacified, Ni’vicon set about gathering information. The Marine revealed in drowsy monotone that he was High Priest Favian Reperio, and that he had been tasked by his Chapter Master, in secret, to enhance the Brazen Lords’ gene-seed. To aid in his experiments, Reperio was entrusted with one of the Brazen Lords’ most precious relics: a piece of archeotech the Chapter had recovered whose very existence they kept from Mars. His experiments were carried out over decades, but never bore satisfactory results. Eventually the existence of his experiments came to light, and Reperio fled, knowing that he’d be condemned as a heretic. The Chapter Master, long dissatisfied with Reperio’s lack of results, gave the order to have him hunted down and brought before him alive, to make an example of heretics in full view of the Chapter (secretly he hoped to glean some wisdom from Reperio before his execution). He had finally been caught up to seven years ago, and the long pursuit had eroded what was left of his mind. Now, at the last, his “children” would die, and “the gift he had held so close to his heart” would be torn away.

Ni’vicon saw his way out. He ripped Reperio away from the cables that innervated him, dragging him screaming to an observation deck overseeing the entrance. The battle was in its final throes, the bodies of mutants in piles everywhere. Stilled by the appearance of Reperio alongside the Hunters, Calidus called up to them. If the Hunters would hand him over, they could leave unharmed. Without hesitation, Ni’vicon raised his sword and, in one clean stroke, severed Reperio’s head from his body.
“The fate of heretics and traitors,” Ni’vicon called down, tossing the head to Calidus. “You have your proof. Leave while you still can.”
Calidus seethed, but knew reinforcements from Illustris were imminent.
“This isn’t over!” Calidus bellowed, boarding his transport.
“No. It isn’t,” Ni’vicon murmured to himself.

Back on Illustris, examination of Reperio’s corpse revealed a dataslate surgically implanted above his heart. After hearing Commander Ni’vicon’s account, the Chapter Master determined that the relic should be turned over to Mars without even attempting to access the data it contained. Since that day, The Hunters have enjoyed the favor of Mars, while the Brazen Lords have earned their ire.

The Obsidian Hunters and the Infinity Knights

The Obsidian Hunters have a long and decorated history of successful campaigns against the enemies of mankind. However, while many of these victories are solely due to the work of the Obsidian Hunters, many have only been made possible by co-existing with other Imperial forces.

These fire-forged alliances have, in some cases, lasted centuries. Possibly the best-known of these alliances is with the Obsidian Hunters' fellow Space Marines, the Infinity Knights.

The two Chapters share a long history of co-operation, starting with the Obsidian Hunters helping to subdue an Ork Waaaagh in the Bardufa system in early M41, in the process saving the Knights' second company from near-certain annihilation.

The favour was returned almost a hundred years later, when two companies of the Infinity Knights arrived to reinforce the Obsidian Hunters against a vast army of traitor Guardsmen during the Kaben Campaign.

Since then, the two Chapters have fought alongside each other on a myriad of battlefields, against an almost incalcuable number of foes. Often, the two Chapters almost compete to see who amongst them can strike the most telling blow against an enemy force.

Indeed, several notable Obsidian Hunters have been awarded with the distinctive Mayneson-pattern curved chainswords usually favoured by the Infinity Knights. Likewise, several of the Knights' veterans can boast equipment traded to them from their brothers in the Obsidian Hunters' ranks, bearing the markings of their brother chapter.

The effects of this alliance on the Chapters concerned is a most interesting one to many researchers and scholars. Despite being steadfast allies, when working together the two chapters fight together with an intensity found in few battlefields, each Chapter racing to eliminate a greater number of the Emperor's enemies than the other once the battle begins.

Scholars postulate that there is also somewhat of a rivalry between these two sons of Guilliman. Since the Obsidian Hunters strongly favour what they see as the laws of the Codex, and the Infinity Knights firmly stand by their rather different interpretation of the Codex, there could be some justification behind these theories.

The most pronounced eveidence of rivalry stems from the campaign in the Breccul Sector, where the two Chapters battled a splinter warband of the Word Bearers legion, known as the Host of the Million Voices, and their vast army of daemons and cultists.

Both Chapters debated over the strategy to be used to crush this menace. The Infinity Knights felt that the Hunters' proposed tactics isolated the Infinity Knights from taking part in the key conflicts, using them primarily to subdue cultists rather than destroy the traitor Astartes.

The Hunters, naturally, protested that since there were more Obsidian Hunters present than Infinity Knights, the Hunters should take care of the biggest threat.

Both Chapters, unable to resolve their differences quietly, adopted their own campaign strategy, each vying to crush the traitor Astartes in their bases of operations before the other Chapter could accomplish the same goal.

Each Chapter would come down like a meteor on enemy fortifications, the Infinity Knights crushing their enemies with a zealous fury, the Obsidian Hunters fighting with a cold, practiced discipline. Both raced to the Hosts' final bastion on the world of Zyla - a vast, twisted fortress, from which daemons and cultists poured, reinforcing the enemy lines.

The Zylan bastion was reached first by the Obsidian Hunters. They besieged the fortifications, striking down dozens, then hundreds of enemies as they swarmed out of the gates. Finally the Astartes of the Host appeared - tipping the odds in favour of the heretics as the Hunters were driven back under weight of numbers. The Infinity Knights arrived late to the battlefield, but still in time to plunge into the fray alongside their Emperor-sworn brothers.

With the combined forces of both Chapters, the enemy was driven back into their stronghold. Moments before the final assault, Captain Shu of the Obsidian Hunters and Captain Haclan of the Infinity Knights argued over who would be the one to strike the enemy commander down.

When the final battle began, both Captains led the charge, plunging boldly into the waves of enemies. They fought like tigers, with the skill and ferocity of true heroes. Captain Shu, however, took a grievous wound in the combat. As the apothecaries caught up with him and dragged him away, he made an impassioned plea to Captain Haclan to strike down the enemy leader for the honour of both Chapters.

Haclan and his honour guard fought tooth and nail to reach the enemy commander. History has forgotten many details of the confrontation, but the end result remains written in the histories of both Chapters, for Captain Haclan was slain by the Host's Chaos Lord.

However, the last survivor of his Honour Guard, Company Champion Almir, managed to sever both arms from the opposing Chaos Lord, and drag the maimed carcass of the traitor before the still-wounded Captain Shu. Handing the Obsidian Hunter Captain Haclan's sword, Almir dragged the Chaos Lord to his knees, allowing Captain Shu to strike the final blow against the Traitors.

To this day, neophytes in both Chapters are taught lessons of humility and servitude via this tale. A victory for an ally is a victory for the Chapter, and to be driven by a lust for glory is not the same as being driven to serve The Emperor.

Heroes of the Chapter

Ancient Ybund Cr'undhon the Simple
Ybund gained an infamous reputation in the Chapter in the latter half of the thirty-eighth millennia. Surrounded by competitive, intelligent tribal warriors, Ybund was a simple and humble man. He neither took part in the debates that echoed through the great halls of the Fortress-Monastery, nor did he feel the need to compete with his brothers. This brought him much disdain by his brethren, seeing him as lesser than themselves, for he had a slow mind and lacked a fiery heart. They did not see his grinding determination, his pure soul and his desire to only to do good. Though he never rose to a position of command within the Chapter, he spent the last century of his service as the Chapter’s Standard Bearer, and acted as a moral compass, and the closest of friends, for two Chapter Masters.

Since Ybund, there has been a joke within in the Chapter that “it is better to be slow and good, than fast and bad.” The importance of being right through intellectual discussion is still rife within the Chapter, however the respect given to those who are truly pure, no matter their ability to argue, is immense. Pure, good and humble – the tenants of a true Space Marine.

Battle of Snad-Mukun
In the villages of Snad-Mukun, Ybund proved his worth as a soldier of the Imperium whilst still a humble scout in the ranks of boisterous youngsters. Eldar Pirates had landed on the fields of Snad-Mukun and begun to systematically slaughter the population, or those unfortunate enough were abducted by the foul Xenos to suffer a fate worse than death. A small number of logged buildings, known to locals as Kein-Sabare, came under the assault of the despicable Aliens. Scout Sergeant Mnaol Ak’ondanaj led his small squad in the defence, a seemingly successful course of action that forced the Eldar to flee back into the sand dunes. Whilst his brethren chased after the agile creatures that had tormented the civilians for so long, Ybund stood his ground and aided the people of Kein-Sabare. He built defences out of the hard rocks found scattered in the sand, dug trenches and planted traps and mines. In the following weeks, once the scout squad had moved to a new location, the village held out numerous assaults from the Eldar and became a safe haven for the many wandering caravans of people.

The Roadblock of 928
A speed obsessed clan of Orks had been a blight in Imperial space for as long as those alive could remember . This would change with the arrival of the Obsidian Hunters. When the Orks assaulted the Hive of Kail Pi-7, they found a strong chain of adamantium that would not falter in their way. Highways became clogged with the burning hulks of Ork vehicles as firing lines besieged them. No more was this true than at crossroad des-928NA. The position was meant to be abandoned after the first twenty-nine hours to allow the Orks to believe they had won a small victory across the east side of the city. Unfortunately, Ybund never received the message to fallback, his vox broken by a stray bullet. Whilst the rest of the flank retreated to safer lodgings, Ybund stood firm unwilling to falter without direct orders to. He had been supplied with only two cases of rockets for his launcher, and by the end of the fourteenth hour he had run dry. Instead of falling back, he managed to use the wreckages of trucks and tanks alike to either block the roads or to act as bombs. His defence would earn him the honours to progress him into the veteran company of the Chapter.

The Assault of Ajui
When stationed on the jungle world of Ajui-291, Ybund lead the assault on the fortress that formed the heart of the Chaos cults that had infected the planet. Whilst two captains argued about the best approach to tackle the walls and terrain, both absorbed in the intellectual debate, Ybund was honour bound to act. Unable to stand motionless when he could hear the screams of loyalist citizens being mutilated, he began marching towards the fortress. Taking his advance as a signal from the captains, those around him followed. The blunt force of the assault surprised the defenders, who soon found themselves surrounded by the giants of the Chapter.

The Faithful of Oapli
The Battle Standard was to have said never to fall when in the hands of Ybund, and whilst this can never be truly verified, his actions on Oapli surely support the theory. With the Chapter retreated to the safety of an Imperial Church to hold off the mutated vermin that had off-run the hive, Ybund stood firm in the doorway. Although he was wounded beyond count, the banner he grasped never dropped. For over four days the force held out within the church before reinforcements could arrive to rescue them. The arriving captain found Ybund still resolutely in the doorway, the piles of enemy almost hiding him from sight.

His Final Day
Along with his great friend and Master Kanyu Jac’Ujaiki, Ybund took part in the orbital assault on Space Station 8X72-vmp against a horde of humans that had become possessed by the Ruinous Powers. Deep into the metal bowels of the structure the Chapter Master and advisor struck, clad in the Terminator Armour of heroes before them. Unfortunately, be hidden and unseen forces, Kanyu was struck down by a mysterious disease of Chaos. As he collapsed to the ground, Ybund leapt to the defence of his friend and stood vigil over the body. When the rest of the assault force found them both, the ill-body of the Chapter Master had acted as beacon for daemons of the warp. Ybund had been badly beaten, but still lived on – leaning on the banner pole that still remained high. Handing the standard to a brother, Ybund took his last breathe and forever passed into the legends of the Chapter.

Notable Actions

Waaagh Blakkeye

Contributors

Liberites responsible for creating this Chapter include Brother Cambrius, elohimalpha, Codex Grey, Ferrata, Shinzaren, Ace Debonair, and of course everyone who voted for their submissions.

In the closing days of the 40th millennium, the Obsidian Hunters noticed a marked increase in ork traffic through the sectors neighboring Illustris. The Hunters destroyed several minor ork fleets in a matter of weeks, but still they kept coming, giving the Hunters as wide a berth as they could. Such strange behavior and growing numbers could only bear one fruit: trouble. The Chapter High Command appointed Captain Ir’hin the head of strikeforce Veiled Spear, tasked with tracking the orks to their ultimate destination and destroying them completely.

The Obsidian Hunters stalked their prey through the Warp, eventually emerging on the outer reaches of the Andret system. Scanners revealed the signatures of an immense fleet, with a colossal Space Hulk at its chaotic center – the nascent Waaagh Blakkeye. The Hunters knew that to assault the Hulk directly would be tantamount to suicide, the lives of Brothers wasted and their mission incomplete. Knowing that any reinforcements would likely arrive too late before the ever-growing fleet moved on, Captain Ir’hin formed a plan. Remaining outside the scanner range of the main fleet, he ordered a short-range distress call sent out while simulating damage to his ships. The ships, powered down and venting exhausts, waited in the void, looking to casual observers like the victims of ork raiders. After several hours of tense waiting, Captain Ir’hin’s trap proved its worth. Ork ships, newly arrived from outlying sectors and eager to begin looting, fell upon the Hunters’ seemingly vulnerable vessels. Caught completely unawares, the Hunters made short work of the greenskins, trapping several of their ships in the process. Using the captured ork ships as an escort and relaying a message that they had a “’umie gift for da Boss”, Captain Ir’hin limped his fleet towards the Space Hulk.

Before boarding, Ir’hin commanded one of the “ork” vessels to find and destroy any and all communications arrays – fighting aboard the Hulk would be difficult enough without reinforcements from the rest of the ork fleet arriving. With that quickly and covertly accomplished, the Hunters docked their ships. The ork boarding parties were the first to fall, but far from the last. Methodically, surgically, the Hunters dispatched the ork bands they found roaming the ship, taking care to strike from ambush, where the orks couldn’t bring their vastly superior numbers to bear. As they tracked the Waaagh’s Warboss, the Hunters again disabled any communications devices they could find. Eventually they made their way to the heart of the ship, where a massive conclave of orks had gathered, anticipating word from their Boss. Their quarry close at hand, Captain Ir’hin ordered the bulk of his men to fall back and secure the path to their ships, and to be ready for a fighting retreat.

Ir’hin, with hand-picked Brothers, crept along the walkways above the horde in total silence, knowing that the slightest noise would mean their deaths, the deaths of their Brothers, and the shame of failure. They made their way to a heavily defended room, knowing that the warboss would be surrounded by his strongest guards. Dispatching the outer guards by stealth, Ir’hin and his men took up the guards’ weapons and moved into the room. Abandoning all pretense of stealth, the Hunters made as much noise as possible, butchering the orks in an explosive assault. When the carnage ended and the warboss was slain, Captain Ir’hin and his men, wounded but alive, dragged in the bodies of the guards outside. With all the orks killed by ork weapons, it would appear to the rapidly approaching orks outside that Boss Blakkeye’s guard had turned on him, and then on each other. Slipping silently into a nearby vent, the Hunters made their way back to their ship, and made their way to the edge of the fleet unchallenged.

Upon learning of the death of their warboss, the ork mob fell to infighting, each splinter fleet eager to take control of the Hulk. The battle raged on for hours, with what orks remained aboard the Hulk or immediately surrounding it. Suddenly, the Hulk began to buckle, then belched fire from its underbelly. Explosions continued along its midline in a great chain, sundering the vessel in a matter of minutes. Ir’hin smiled to himself – he still had a great sense of timing.

The Garthid Campaign

The Obsidian Hunters have won countless victories on countless battlefields. Although with each of these victories the historians scribe another page into the glorious history of the Imperium, a few campaigns stand out even amongst the vast successes of the Chapter.

One such notable victory that veterans of the Obsidian Hunters recall with particular fondness is the Garthid Campaign, fought in the early years of M41.

When the Lord Governor of the Garthid system turned his back on the Imperium, claiming the system for his own, the Imperium's response was brutal and swift. Imperial forces arrived swiftly, from many sides, flooding into the system. The rebellious naval forces were destroyed in the first weeks of the campaign, and from there the Imperium's ground forces moved in. Whilst the main forces on either side were comprised of Imperial Guard, the Imperium had brought a company of Astartes from the Brazen Lords chapter to tip the scales heavily in their favour.

The campaign went smoothly, up until the Brazen Lords launched an assault on the Lord Governor's headquarters on Garthid Prime. As the Lords gained entry into his vast fortress-compound, they found themselves facing not only renegade guardsmen, but a force of traitor Astartes. The traitors had planned their moves well - immediately the revelation was made, another, larger force of traitors concealed outside the compound moved in, ambushing the Brazen Lords and preventing Imperial reinforcements from lending any aid to the trapped Astartes.

General Atmus of the Corlic 7th division was the leader of the campaign, and he reluctantly put out a call for aid. The Obsidian Hunters would be first to respond, sending two companies into the fray.

On their arrival at Garthid Prime, the Obsidian Hunters 7th Company landed en masse on the far side of the Lord Governor's compound, using the Company's Dreadnoughts to breach the walls and create a diversion. As the renegade forces moved to respond, the 3rd Company landed near the beleagured Brazen Lords, ambushing the traitor forces that penned the Lords in and crushing them utterly. From that point, the flow of the battle favoured the Imperium heavily, and even the Lord Governor's final fortified bunker presented barely any challenge to the Space Marines. The Brazen Lords lost half of their company in the campaign, with many others suffering debilitating wounds, preventing them from taking part in the final stages of the battle.

From there, the Imperium's re-conquering of the Garthid system went smoothly. Without a leader, the rebellious worlds were in many cases eager to rejoin the Imperium, and the few that resisted were taken back by crushing force. Indeed, with the Obsidian Hunters advising General Atmus on his plans of campaign, many battles were won with minimal Imperial casualties.

Captain Navus of the Brazen Lords later thanked the Obsidian Hunters for their assistance in the campaign. Although even the watching guardsmen could see it was an insincere, half-hearted display, any subsequent reports that mentioned it simply dismissed it as injured pride on the part of Navus.

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I think that's everything there is so far on the Obsidian Hunters.

Again, this isn't going to become an IA, or at least I'm not writing one up.

C&C is welcome enough, I suppose, although I'll only really be polishing the structure and flow of each piece rather than reworking them entirely, since these were the pieces voted in by our younger selves all those years ago.

That said, I am very much open to suggestions for expansion if folks think we need more detail on one or more currently undevelopoed aspects of the Chapter.

We could probably use another Chapter Hero, albeit with a smaller story, if only because setting aside a section for one marine doesn't quite sit right with me, no matter how badass Ancient Ybund is.

EDIT:

Added a contributors sidebar, so it looks less like I'm just taking the credit for the Chapter.

[Ace Debonair]

Just a quick test to see if I can reserve the Second Post.

EDIT:

Sweet.

Second post reserved for later use if required.

[Dosjetka]

Goodness, a blast from the past.

 

I'll admit it from the start (almost), I haven't read through but I definitely will be doing so soon, since I did participate somewhat in the creation of these chaps. All I have to add is a thank you to you, Ace, for bringing them back up from the depths of the Liber ^_^

[Ace Debonair]

Somebody had to do it.

It was that or leave Illustris in the darkest archives, and I couldn't let a place like that go to waste.

Also, congrats on your promotion, Moderati Ludo.

Hopefully the new melta makes up for not having a functioning oven in the Culinarium.

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I'm thinking we could use an 'early years' section of sorts, but I'm honestly not sure yet. Anyone else think we need more detail for the Chapter's early days?

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EDIT:

Also I can't seem to shrink the badge, no matter what I do.

Slightly awkward!

EDIT EDIT:

Furthermore, I wonder would anyone be interested in me firing up another challenge to fill out the remaining 'Legendary Hero' slot?

It'd be like the first one - invent a Space Marine who has done great deeds worthy of remembrance and tell his story in about 500-600 words, with a few limitations and guidelines that I'll settle on later.

It'd be a case of post your story in this thread (or PM it to me), and then once the submission deadline goes past there'd be a few days where folks could vote on a winner, just like the old days.

It'd be a good way to expand the list of names in the Contributors box, so if anyone wants to go down in Liber History...