Gone, but never truly forgotten - A lost chapter wip

[brotherAkkyshan]

Hi everyone...

First off I think I should introduce myself. I've been a member here since 2007 (according to my profile anyways!) but I've tended to drift in and out of the hobby on a regular basis. I started collecting/playing back in the Rogue Trader days, and of course my army of preference was the Dark Angels. Of course back then they wore black power armour and the chapter was made up of psychopaths and criminals! Played a fare bit of Space Hulk (again, Dark Angels... Native American influences and all!) too.

I've been buying but not playing for a couple of years now, never really getting into a particular army. A lot of plastic and lead (but no Finecast!) has come and gone (on ebay) in that time. Recently my local gaming club decided to start a Kill Team campaign based around boarding missions and I thought this would be a great way to play Terminators again so I purchased a few... A few too many for Kill Team! In fact I now have a 1500pt Deathwing army waiting for some paint. As much as I love the look of the Deathwing I'm not too good at painting lighter colours, my style lends itself more to the darker end of the pallet. So I started looking around at alternatives in the form of the successor chapters and the one that really grabbed my attention was the Lions Sable. Obviously there is no 'official' scheme as they no longer exist but I've got a couple of ideas up my sleeve... Ideas that link in the Lions to a couple of existing chapters. I'm going to hopefully have a go at doing an Index Astartes style write up for them and hopefully post it here soon. I'll also throw in a couple of pics too when I get round to actually breaking out the brushes!

Cheers for listening to an old gamers ramblings.

[Larhendiel]

Welcome brother! I look forward to see your painting and I hope you will enjoy some games in future. My personal fauvorite for deathwing is playing zone mortalis

[brotherAkkyshan]

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++ Inquisitorial Report 1607/B – ‘Lions Sable Astartes Chapter +++

Subsector: Segmentum Obscurus

Crossfile to: Dark Angels successor chapters, the ‘Unforgiven’ (late .M30 – present)

Input Date: 0411908.M41

Input Clearance: Holy Inquisitor [deleted] of the Ordos Hereticus

Author: [deleted]

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Sirs,

 

It is with much excitement I submit the following article. Whilst pursuing the witch coven of ‘[deleted]’on Thracian Primus I was given the opportunity to seize many heretical texts amongst which was found the following report on a long unknown Astartes chapter, the ‘Lions Sable’. The document appears to reference a chapter that appears in no Imperial record I can find, including the holy Apocrypha of Davio. The Apocrypha I believe was written sometime in the 33^rd millennium, implying that this particular chapter was long forgotten even by then.

 

I hope that you find this document an elightening and informative read. I hope I haven’t overstepped the bounds of my authority but I have taken the liberty of contacting the Dark Angels chapter directly as I’m sure this will be of interest to them also. 

 

Your obd’t servant,

 

[deleted]

 

Thought for the day: Deeds not words

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The following document appears as it was received, including hand scribed amendments by recently deceased Inquisitor [deleted].

 

The Emperor protects!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

Lions Sable

 

• GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR):- Dark Angels
• FOUNDING:- 2^nd Founding
• CHAPTER MASTER:- Grand Master Barachiel
• CHAPTER WORLD:- Nachwald
• MAIN COLOURS:- Dark green, black
• SPECIALITY:- Hunting for the Fallen
• BATTLE CRY:- ‘For the Lion!”
• CURRENT STRENGTH:- Unkown
• KNOWN DESCENDANTS:- None

 

 

 

ORIGIN

 

After the devastating events of the Horus Heresy the remaining loyalist legions were broken down into smaller ‘chapters’ in line with Roboute Guilliman’s Codex Astartes. The remaining six thousand Astartes of the First Legion were divided into six smaller chapters. The first of these chapters retained the Dark Angels name, the last of the ‘successor’ chapters were the Lions Sable. As the last successors to be created the Lions have often felt the pressure of competition with their fellow chapters. This has led the chapter to develop a tendency for stubbornness and dogged determination. The Lions commanders will often deploy willingly into situations other chapters might not, and will also refrain from withdrawing when the tide of battle turns against them. This has caused questions to be asked on a number of occasions by the High Lords of Terror, something that has not gone unnoticed by the Dark Angels and their successors.

 

CHAPTER HOME WORLD

 

The ebon world of Nachwald is shrouded in near perpetual darkness due to the irregular orbit it follows around a slowly dying star. Colonised before the Age of Strife due to its high mineral content it is seen as a near miracle that humans were capable of surviving for so long unassisted. The Lions Sable took the planet as their home world in order to watch over the inhabitants and select the hardiest as neophytes. Lack of warmth and sunlight as well as fierce competition for resources, including food, has led to the population developing into extremely hardy and resistant specimens of humanity. Much of the population now lives within the planets crust in vast, connected cave and tunnel systems. The Lions use many of these characteristics to their advantage, for example their neophytes display great resistance to adverse atmospheric conditions making them excellent planet fall specialists. The Lions display lower than average loss ratios for new neophytes, their natural hardiness allowing them to survive the genetic alterations new Space Marines endure.

 

PRESENT ACTIVITIES

 

The Lions are currently involved in the hunting of [deleted] along with their brothers the Dark Angels, the Angels of Vengeance and the Angles of Redemption. Little is known of their whereabouts at present, though speculation points to the world of Brigia.

 

BATTLE HONOURS

 

The fall of Charox Alpha – 343.M31

 

Elements of the Lions Sable 3^rd and 4^th companies respond to calls for assistance from the Revilers Space Marine chapter who are struggling to contain a daemonic incursion on the planet of Charox Alpha. Despite bitter close quarters fighting and huge losses to the planets civilian population the Lions and the Revilers manage to stem the tide of warp entities. Captain Icarus of the Revilers elite 1^st company slays the leader of the sorcerer cult responsible despite protestations from the Lions commanders causing some ill feeling between the two chapters. As the remaining cultists are hunted down and exterminated members of the Lions Sable inner circle arrive to oversee the operation. Relations between the two chapters remain frosty throughout the clean up operation.

 

The Lord of the Dance – 491.M31

 

Following information received from cultists captured some forty-eight years earlier, the Lions Sable track down a possible Fallen Angel proclaiming himself to be ‘The Lord of the Dance’. The hive city Primus on the planet Davon IV feels the full brunt of the assault as members of the Lions elite Terminator Company deep strike into the heart of the city. After weeks of fighting the Fallen is finally captured. Though the mission is deemed a success records concerning civilian losses are lost en-route to terra when the Battle Barge ‘Tempestium’ suffers a serious plasma reactor fault. Though the ship itself survives the ships astropaths did not. Heavy crew losses force the ship to return home to Nachwald and reports concerning the mission were never filed.

 

[Addendum]

Reports were in fact filed with the requisite authorities on Terra but not until nearly fifty years later (exact date unknown). By the time they are fully examined the chapter had been lost within the Eye of Terror. Nothing further is known of the fate of the captured Fallen Angel.

 

CHAPTER ORGANIZATION

 

The Lions Sable follow the Codex Astartes as laid down by Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines Legion. Unlike their own progenitor Legion, the Dark Angels they are not able to provide all members of their 1^st company with Terminator armour, so often veterans take to the field in ornate power armour. The Lions also do not have a 2^nd company composed entirely of bike-mounted troops. The Lions 2^nd company is structured as a standard battle company with six tactical squads, two assault squads and two devastator squads. The reasons for both these divergences are unknown but are most likely due to lack of resources. As the last of the successors the Lions have been gifted less specialist equipment than their brothers.

 

RECRUITMENT

 

The majority of the chapters recruits come from their home world of Nachwald due to the populations increased resistance to genetic manipulation and their general hardiness. Neophytes go through the same rituals and genetic modification as recruits for other Unforgiven chapters, but appear to suffer fewer losses. For this reason the chapter specifically recruits serfs from within the planets population unlike other chapters who rely on using failed aspirants. The Lions have also been known to recruit serfs and in particular servitors from populations they have either subjugated or liberated.

 

CHAPTER COLOURS

 

The master artificers of the Lions Sable paint their brother’s power armour predominantly black in honour of their progenitors the Dark Angels original livery. The shoulders and lower legs are painted dark green to mimic the Dark Angels newly chosen scheme thus acknowledging the chapters past as well as it’s future.

 

BATTLE STANDARDS or CHAPTER BANNERS

 

The chapters banner is commonly known as the ‘Banner Rampant’. It is rumoured that chapter artificers have produced copies of the banner and it is these that can be seen accompanying Chapter Master Barachiel and his command squad into battle. Something strenuously denied by the chapter.

 

COMBAT DOCTRINE

 

The Lions Sable are known even amongst the other Unforgiven chapters as being particularly stubborn and intractable. Quick to deploy and reluctant to leave a battlefield the chapter has fostered a fearsome reputation amongst elements of the Imperial Army that have fought alongside them. The chapter seems to have refrained from over specialisation in any one particular area preferring to maintain a degree of adaptability.

 

BATTLE CRY

 

“For the Lion!”

 

BELIEFS

 

Like most Astartes the Lions Sable do not worship the Emperor as a true God. Though they hold him in the same high esteem as their progenitor Lion El’Johnson members of their inner circle also secretly acknowledge his flaws holding him responsible for elements of his own downfall. Once brothers become aware of the incidents that occurred on Caliban during the Great Crusade they are encouraged to see the Emperors fatal mistake of appointing Horus as War Master over their primach Johnson as an integral part of the Legions downfall. This is a view that is not shared openly with other successor chapters or members of their inner circles.

 

[Addendum]

In fact this view would be considered heretical in many if not all other Imperial organisations including other Astartes chapters. Where or when this information was attained will never me known and therefore cannot be corroborated.

 

GENE-SEED

 

The Lions Sable utilized the gene-seed of the Lion, Lionel El’Johnson, Primarch Fidelis of the Esteemed Dark Angels and followed rigid protocols set forth by the Dark Angels themselves in regards to the harvesting and maintenance of its purity.