IA: Angels of Contrition

[Harlan Skorus]

GENESEED (PREDECESSOR):- Dark Angels*

FOUNDING:- 23rd Sentinel Founding

CHAPTER MASTER:- Grand Master Sephalion

CHAPTER WORLD:- Etzabaidat

FORTRESS MONASTERY:- Eternal Task

MAIN COLOURS:- Iron Grey, Crimson

SPECIALITY:- Naval Boarding

BATTLE CRY:- Nos vero per bellum/We are cleansed through battle

CURRENT STRENGTH:- Full strength (~1000, exact figure unknown)

KNOWN DESCENDANTS:- None

*See Geneseed, below.

Formed during the 23^rd Sentinel Founding (Late M.37 or early M.38, depending on sources), the Angels of Contrition are a Dark Angels successor Chapter that have developed a focus on ship-to-ship boarding actions and naval combat. The Chapter maintains a nominal presence on the feudal world Etzabaidat, although outside of recruiting purposes the Chapter remains fleet based. Formed in response to dire portents foretold by the Emperor's Tarot, the Angels of Contrition have made a name for themselves tackling Space Hulks and other Chaos vessels ejected from the Warp near the Eye of Terror in large-scale boarding assaults. The Angels of Contrition wear grey armour, with crimson hands and details; their badge is a downward pointing crimson sword, flanked by two crimson blood drops.

Already reeling from six Black Crusades launched by Abaddon, the Imperium's grip on the Segmentum Obscurus was tenuous enough by the middle of the 37^th Millennium. The Emperor's Tarot was consulted time and time again, and each reading came with the same dire portents: plans beyond the comprehension of the Imperium, an attack that would leave them trailing in it's wake, confused and bloodied. A rapid reaction force was ordered into creation by the High Lords of Terra, and not long afterwards the Angels of Contrition were created as part of the 23^rd Founding.

Created from the gene stock of the Imperium's most resolute warriors, the Dark Angels, the Angels of Conviction were given a sizeable fleet, a powerful armoury, a world from which to recruit, and a particular goal: to patrol the Segmentum Obscurus, responding to any confirmed reports of Chaos activity outside of the Cadian Gate, to meet the foes that slipped through the net cast by the Astartes Praeses. It is unsure whether or not the Angels of Contrition were created in time to try and halt the 8^th Black Crusade - since accepted as the cause of the readings that led to the creation of the Chapter – but they have nonetheless continued their patrols of the wider Segmentum Obscurus, meeting the forces of Chaos wherever they can be found. Since their inception, the Angels of Contrition have also taken on the more sinister duties of the Unforgiven, hunting down the Fallen that betrayed their progenitor Legion millennia ago.

Over the thousands of years since, the Angels of Contrition have forged themselves a reputation of an aloof, distant Chapter that rarely interacts with outside organisations other than the Dark Angels and their other successors. Nonetheless, they have explored and destroyed scores of Space Hulks, and fought in numerous campaigns against the forces of Chaos. Notable victories include the destruction of the Infernal, a Chaos Repulsive-Class Grand Cruiser, in 422.M39; a dozen defeats of Chaos raiders in the final actions of the Gothic War; and their finest hour to date, the assault on the daemon-infested Space Hulk Eternal Perdition in 961.M41, in which the entire Chapter deployed to the Space Hulk, battling through a horde of Nurgle cultists and daemons to destroy the gigantic vessel.

The Angels of Contrition have a recognised homeworld in Etzabaidat, a tribaliustic feudal world in a far-flung system on the edges of the Segentum Obscurus. Etzabaidat is a planet split into two distinct environments; the lowlands are a desert wasteland spotted with the ruins of a bygone age, barren and inhabitable, plagued by great seas of radioactive gas that are blown about the planet in swirling storms. Meanwhile, the population of Etzabaidat is divided into a series of city-states known as Hiri-Handiko (high cities), each occupying a separate mountain or mountain range, living off the arable highlands that rise from the tides of gases like islands. Status in Etzabaidat's cultural system can be measured by the location of one's holdings: the wealthy and elite populate the highest reaches of the townships, furthest away from the toxic clouds below, and the population grows poorer as the settlement descends towards the planet's lowlands. With living space on Etzabaidat limited, slums often spring up outside the boundaries of the mountain city's walls, forming sprawling settlements of their own perched precariously on steep slopes.

In line with the strains put on their society and the measure of socio-economic status, those who inhabit Etzabaidat worship the stars; each one, they say, is another brave soul ascended above the hellish climates of their homeworld. The emphasis on the cultural ideal of the Lgoera (the ascension) – a belief that only through sacrifice can one provide for themselves and others, an idea in keeping with the planet's limited resources - leads to communities that have tight-knight family institutions. Unlike many feudal worlds, the farmers and providers are found among the nobility rather than the lower class, with especially those producing food to sate the ever-burgeoning populations of their cities given a high status within society. The culture of self-sacrifice also can be seen in Etzabaidat's military traditions, with family members bartering their service and lives in order to secure resources for their families.

The city-states are locked in an eternal conflict that consumes the planet; a conflict born of necessity as much as pride or hatred. The farmlands of Etzabaidat are not in abundance, and the planet can only able to support a limited population; wars are fought as much as a method of controlling population growth as they are about trying to acquire more of the limited farmland of the planet. Battles are fought, invariably, as a series of hellish sieges, defending armies largely unwilling to commit their forces to the deadly lowlands, whilst the attacking force tries to force it's way to higher ground before the unpredictable radioactive storms bear down upon them. Occasionally more conventional field battles break out on the lowlands, but prolonged engagements are rare; the lowland atmosphere makes them and unreliable gambit at best, leading to a history of rushed, violent wars. Numerous alliances are formed, usually lasting only as long as the short wars that follow them before dissolving again, and many are shorter still.

The Chapter does not maintain a base on the planet itself, preferring to distance itself from the planet's occupants and instead holding a small installation on the largest of Etzabaidat's sixteen moons. All of the remaining moons have been turned into either orbital weapons platforms to defend the planet should it ever come under attack, or docking stations the Chapter uses to make repairs to it's fleet when it returns to the world for recruiting. The natives of Etzabaidat see the Angels of Contrition as Altzairu Aingeruak, steel angels from the stars that come when the most promising of the planet's young warriors ascend to the heavens above, to gain eternal glory in an endless battle that is the reward of those who live proud lives. Etzabaidat culture has a strong emphasis on the pride of the family unit, and so to have a member of the family ascend with the Altzairu Aingeruak is seen as significant proof of the family's worth and esteem, enough in itself to provide a stepping stone into nobility. Despite having an official homeworld, the Chapter is for the most part fleet-based, as befits the task issued to them upon their creation. The Battle Barge Eternal Task functions as the Chapter's mobile fortress-monastery, accompanied by two other Battle Barges (Repentance and Cleansed By Fire) and ten Strike Cruisers, along with numerous Escort vessels.

The Hildako

The nature of the rapid and brutal ways of war on Etzabaidat have led to a culture among the planet's aspiring warriors of the Hildako-Bizidunak, the dead that walk. Part fuelled by the belief of the honourable death that wars bring, and in part an acknowledgement that to war on Etzabaidat is to invite death upon oneself to an almost-certain degree, those who join the Hildako-Bizidunak give up rights to all their possessions; going so far as to give up their name to be henceforth referred to simply as 'the Hildako', seen no longer as a person but as a living spirit of war. This is done in a raucous funeral ceremony (the Hiltzen) that concludes with the tattooing of tribal masks on to the faces of the newly-made Hildako, marking them among the ranks of the already lost; for to be Hildako is to have forfeited more than your clothes, home, or name; it is to have forfeited your life.

Those who pledge themselves to the Hildako-Bizidunak are pledged their city-state, promising to fight for their kin whenever called upon in the deadly battles of Etzabaidat. They take up serrated curved blades known as a Zizalia, going to war clad in nothing but tribal markings painted upon their bodies in ash. In return, their families are provided with food and land until their next generation comes of age; their lives pay for the guarantee of life for their families. It is considered a great honour in Etzabaidat society to join these warrior groups, ensuring sustenance for their families, and freeing up living space and resources from others. The need to tightly regulate population and the benefits conveyed on the family for having a member join the Hildako also has the effect of family members being pushed into the order at absurdly young ages, with many of Etzabaidat's wars being fought by those barely in their teens – or younger. The youngest Hildako in records was the equivalent of six Terran years old.

The Chapter's recruits are taken exclusively from the ranks of the Hildako, with the youngest and fiercest of the Hildako-Bizidunak providing the Angels of Contrition with their numbers. Their tattooed faces make for fearsome visages, and their promise to give up their lives for those they lived with on Etzabaidat now becomes a solemn oath to do so for the entire Imperium. Having relinquished their name upon induction into their fearsome order, those Hildako that prove themselves fit to join the Angels of Contrition take a new assumed name; many of the Chapter's recruits choose names styled after the heroes of their original legion, the Dark Angels, leading to names that are often at odds with the warrior's actual heritage, and many of the Chapter's other naming conventions.

Since their founding, the Angels of Contrition have assumed a role that focuses on sudden overwhelming displays of strength, which coupled with their fleet-based nature, has gravitated them towards a specialism in large-scale boarding actions of enemy fleet vessels or orbital platforms. They focus on close-range anti-infantry weapons, favouring plasma weapons and flamethrowers; only rarely do the Chapter find themselves facing enemies at range or with significant amounts of heavy armour support, making long range weaponry such as lascannons and missile launchers a rare sight throughout most of the Chapter. Notably, the Chapter's Assault Marines also forgo jump packs, which are obsolete in ship-to-ship boarding actions; they will deploy via drop pods when engaging ground forces. This focus on naval warfare and boarding actions also extends to the way in which the Chapter's Reserve Companies organise themselves, with no Scout Company to speak of; new recruits, labelled Initiates, fight alongside full Battle Brothers in mixed units known as Probator Squads. The Angels of Contrition favour the use of Caestus Assault Rams when boarding hostile vessels, with the Caestus' magna-meltas able to pierce the thickest Space Hulk's armour to leave boarding points for successive waves of Thunderhawks and Stormravens carrying reinforcements.

Despite their fleet-bound nature, the Angels of Contrition still maintain a fully-equipped Ravenwing equivalent, the Ghostwing. This fast attack element often forms the core of any efforts made by the Chapter to hunt down the Fallen, along with spearheading any assaults on ground forces that may have retreated from space after assaults by the Angels of Contrition. The Ghostwing also can operate as a scouting force in lieu of the Scout Company in ground engagements. The Chapter armoury operates with more limited tank support than many Chapters; some vehicles are used alongside Ghostwing forces, but generally they are unsuited to boarding actions, and as such the Chapter maintains only a minimum of armoured vehicles. Should the Chapter find itself fighting on a more conventional battlefield, the Chapter employs numerous aircraft from it's fleet to provide ground forces forces with mobility and fire support. The Angels of Contrition do, however, have a strong contingent of Dreadnoughts, with thirty four of the venerable warrior machines as of the start of the 13^th Black Crusade – including three of the uncommon Mortis-pattern Dreadnoughts. Unlike the other Chapters stemming from Lion El'Jonson, they also make use of Ironclad Dreadnoughts to provide armoured close-range support, along with flights of Stormraven gunships to ferry these venerable warriors to battle.

Straying in places from the guidelines of the Codex Astartes, the Angels of Contrition are for the most part organised in the same manner as many Chapters of the Unforgiven. They are currently led by Grand Master Sephalion, who rules over the Chapter's Inner Circle; consisting of the ten Company Masters, Master Chaplain Alazar, and Master Librarian Tharzial. The 1^st Company of the Angels of Contrition, known as the Bloodwing, functions in the same manner as the Deathwing of the Dark Angels; the Angels of Contrition's 2^nd Company, the Ghostwing, is their equivalent to the Ravenwing. The 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th Battle Companies are formed in the same manner, a mix of Tactical, Assault and Devastator squads, like any Codex adherent Chapter.

The Angels of Contrition's 1^st Company, named the Bloodwing, are the Chapter's equivalent to the Deathwing of the Dark Angels. Always found at the forefront of any attack, the Bloodwing (so named for the blood-crimson they paint their armour) are the finest warriors the Chapter has. Unlike the Deathwing, the Bloodwing is not solely comprised of Terminator squads; originally well-equipped with Tactical Dreadnought armour to suit their main occupation, the Bloodwing lost over half it's number during the assault on the Space Hulk Eternal Perdition in 961.M41, with no chance to reclaim the suits before the Space Hulk was destroyed following the overloading of the ancient reactor system at it's core. Forty three suits currently remain to the Chapter, those that survived the Eternal Perdition and the handful of suits that have been obtained since. The rest of the Bloodwing deploys in Veteran squads much like more conventional Chapters.

In place of the 2^nd Company found in Codex adherent Chapters, the Angels of Contrition operate a Ghostwing that functions largely like the Ravenwing of the Dark Angels. Armoured painted pure white where the rest of the Chapter sports a dull grey, the Ghostwing lead any ground engagements the Angels of Contrition find themselves in, much like the Bloodwing do for boarding actions. When examined closely, it is apparent between the Bikers and the Pilots of the Ghostwing, the Company is kept over-strength, allowing the Ghostwing to strike with the same speed and overbearing force on the ground that the Angels of Contrition utilise in ship-to-ship combat. In purely naval engagements, the Ghostwing often act as attack craft pilots or commanders, working alongside the Chapter's techmarines. Much like the Ravenwing, the Ghostwing hold a position of great honour among the Angels of Contrition that know their true purpose; their function as a rapid attack force means that it often falls on them to chase and capture or destroy any of the Fallen the Chapter come across.

There is one main structural difference between the Angels of Contrition and other Dark Angel successor Chapters, found among the reserve companies of the Chapter. Being a Chapter primarily formed for the purpose of large-scale naval boarding actions, the Angels of Contritions have little need for a Scout Company; dedicated scout squads are seen as unnecessary in the tight confines of a Space Hulk, where stealth has less importance than a traditional battlefield; quick application of force is more useful than stealth, as every moment spent on the unpredictable vessels adds to the risk of the Hulk dropping back into Warp space. Instead, the 6^th Company has become the Chapter's Assault Reserve Company, and the 7^th the Chapter's Devastator Reserve Company. The 8^th, 9^th and 10^th Companies form the Chapter's Tactical Reserve Companies, each formed of Probator Squads, a mix of Tactical Marines acting as both mentors and assessors to Initiates in a similar manner to the Crusader Squads of the Black Templars.

In Lion El'Jonson, the Angels of Contrition revere the first among the Emperor's sons, and one of his staunchest supporters. They consider Lion El'Jonson being the first found Primarch to be more than simple coincidence; Lion El'Jonson was destined to be the first among Brothers, and as such is held above the other Primarchs. This has led them to hold a slightly distasteful view on Chapters descended from the other legions, many of whom who they view as noisy upstarts that waste time boasting whilst the Sons of the Lion act. This has earned them no friends among the Astartes outside of the Unforgiven. Like many of the Dark Angels successors, the Angels of Contrition are seen as a very insular Chapter among other Imperial organisations, including other Space Marines Chapters; their fleet-based nature and preference towards naval warfare only serves to heighten this, as they rarely find themselves working in concert with any of these outside organisations. Their view of the Emperor as not a God, but simply the one amongst mankind who best knew the value of sacrifice – the trait held most esteemed in their roots on Etzabaidat – further serves to isolate the Chapter from the wider Imperium.

Considering themselves honoured to have joined the descendants of the First Legion, the Angels of Contrition fully embrace their role as one of the Unforgiven, using their fleet-based nature to rapidly redeploy according to any rumoured sightings of one of the Fallen. This, along with their proximity to the Eye of Terror and their experience in destroying Space Hulks and other corrupted ships, has left the Chapter well-versed in combating all forces of the ruinous powers. Their time spent battling Chaos forces has left the Angels of Contrition with a deep-seated mistrust of Abhumans and Radicalists, and they have in the past refused to work alongside forces containing abhuman detachments, or with certain members of the Ordo Malleus who might employ less than pure means in combating the forces of Chaos. It is not only in this that the Angels of Contrition are considered haughty; they rarely interact with their homeworld, considering themselves to have completed their Lgoera and having escaped Etzabaidat's petty struggles. The Chapter embrace the belief of their homeworld that they are the Altzairu Aingeruak, largely keeping to their star-bound fleet, and although their duties require it, the Chapter often express a mild distaste for formulaic ground warfare, prefer to arrive from the stars in trails of exhaust fumes and flames, ending fights rapidly and violently before withdrawing once again to their fleet; this continues even during protracted wars, with the Angels of Contrition often neglecting to deploy permanent ground forces, rather acting as a rapid reaction force striking repeatedly from orbit.

A consequence of their roots on Etzabaidat is the Angels of Contrition's somewhat aberrant views on the conflicts the Imperium sees itself drawn into. On a planet where life is often thrown away in bloody battles for little gain, the lower levels of Eztabaidat society have developed a belief that only through testing oneself in the most extreme circumstances can mankind better themselves. Being drawn largely from the poorer classes more likely to nominate family members to the Hildako, the Angels of Contrition carry this belief with them; that only through war can mankind learn to flourish and take it's rightful place as ruler of the stars. This view, while earning them no allies among forces they consider weak and unworthy (which accounts for most Imperial forces outside of other Chapters of the Unforgiven), has earned them some respect amongst Inquisitors who follow the Isstvanian school of thought. It always find the Angels of Contrition all too-willing to engage in the hostile environment presented by many warped Space Hulks, often when the far safer option would be to destroy these vessels through a simple massed bombardment; more pragmatic Chapters view this as needless risk-taking and glory hunting, where the Angels of Contrition view it as a necessary test of their skills.

Squads within the Angels of Contrition are viewed in a slightly different manner than might be the norm among the Astartes. Owing once more to the Chapter's roots on Etzabaidat, where upholding of the family unit is seen as the highest virtue, Angels of Contrition squads hold closer bonds than most, almost becoming family units in their own right. Much like the honour bestowed upon a family by one of it's members joining the Hildako, a member of a squad that ascends to the Bloodwing confers significant honour not only on the Marine in question but also the squad from which he came from. Conversely, Angels of Contrition have been known to be driven into a terrible frenzy considered unseemly by some of their Space Marine brethren, should one of their squad members fall in battle. Another belief stemming from their base among the Hildako is the Chapter's liberal use of Dreadnoughts – whilst a select few are piloted by heroes of the Chapter who were dealt mortal blows, the majority of these machines are piloted by talented recruits selected shortly after they have ascended to the ranks of a full Battle-Brother. Being Hildako, they are already considered as dead by the standards of Etzabaidat, and so have already satisfied the chief requirement most Chapters have placed on being eligible for internment in a Dreadnought. This is a large part of the reason why, despite the dangerous engagements the Angels of Contrition engage in, they still have a larger contingent of Dreadnoughts than most Chapters. It is speculated that they trade relics found on Chaos vessels and Space Hulks with the Adeptus Mechanicus in return for an increased number of Dreadnought chassis for them to make use of, along with an increased number of Terminator armour suits and fleet assets; although this has never been directly proven, the Chapter does sport an unusually powerful fleet for a comparatively new Chapter, and has a larger than would be expected contingent of Techmarines tending to it's powerful armoury.

Relics of the Chapter

The Angels of Contrition have a number of relics and objects that they consider as sacred. Like their parent Chapter, the Angels of Contrition have three sacred standards - the Standard of Penitence, the Standard of Reproach, and the Standard of Castigation - gifted to them upon their founding by the Dark Angels, alongside the ancient Fire Raptor gunship Divine Providence that often accompanies the Ghostwing to battle. These standards are usually carried into battle by the three Battle Companies, filling the Brothers around them with purpose and wrath. Each Company bears some marker or emblem of their devotion to the 1^st Legion, usually carried into battle by servitors or serfs alongside the Company Master (in the case of the Ghostwing, it is carried by a Spiritshroud – the equivalent to a Darkshroud of the Ravenwing). The Grand Master of the Chapter carries two badges of office: the first, and the most sacred of the Chapter's relics, is an ancient scarred shield known as the Untiring Vigil, said to have been carried to battle by one of Lion El'Jonson's closest retainers on Caliban during his youth. It is carried by a Watcher in the Dark, an ever-present shadow to the Grand Master, and signifies the relationship between the Angels of Contrition and their founding legion. The second badge of office is the Grim Confession, an ornate double-bladed glaive wreathed in crimson arcs of energy, that features an inbuilt plasma-blaster of a long forgotten design. It is suspected that the weapon may be an altered design of a Nemesis force weapon; the Angels of Contrition refuse to explain where they might have obtained such a weapon, although it is not outside of the realms of possibility that it could have been salvaged from one of the many Space Hulks they have boarded.

The Angels of Contrition are thought to be descended directly from the Dark Angels Chapter, although given they are part of one of the more recent foundings, this may not be entirely accurate; rumour often link them to either the Angels of Absolution or the Guardian of the Covenant, although when questioned directly the only answer the Angels of Contrition is that they are “descendants of the first legion”. The Chapter's gene-seed has no significant defects, as is the norm with descendants of the Dark Angels.

Recruitment

Recruitment on Etzabaidat is a simple process; the Chaplains of the Chapter, unarmed and unarmoured, will descend upon the city-states of Etzabaidat accompanied by retinues of serfs. A great ritual known as the Arima Galdu Topaketa (the Gathering of Lost Souls) will be organised, during which the Chaplain will watch as the the serfs form a tight unit, and are set upon by any of the city's Hildako that choose to participate (this is usually all of them; Hildako are not known for their fear of battle, no matter how outmatched). Many of the young Hildako suffer terrible damage or death at the hands of the older, stronger serfs, but those that show particular resilience or resolve are paraded through the city before being shepherded away to the Chapter's recruiting station within Eztabaidat's moons. Although there is some pattern to who is chosen for recruitment, with fortitude favoured over direct strength, there is a lack of defined criteria that only serves to heighten the mystical awe those of Etzabaidat hold the Angels of Contrition in. Imperial observers have called this practice barbaric due to the high possibility of death among the hopefuls, but it continues as one of Etzabaidat's stranger rituals.

The Angels of Contrition usually fight in cold silence, eschewing the bombastic battle cries of other Chapters. Their motto is said to be Nos vero per bellum! - “We are cleansed through battle!” - which comes from the response to the Chaplain's pre-battle litany of Sanguini, ignis, et in morte - “In Blood, In Fire, and in Death”.

Grand Master Sephalion

Hailing from the Hildako of Hiri-Handiko Barazimor, the young warrior who assumed the name of Sephalion was already widely-known as a fierce and grim youth before he was picked as a potential recruit for the Angels of Contrition. As a child, he was easily excitable, quick to laugh and anger, and seemed a peculiar fit for the Hildako. His wild nature came to the fore during his Hiltzen ceremony, during which he blinded a man who questioned his worthiness in a savage and bloody duel despite the man being twice the age of the wiry youth.

Shortly after, Barazimor went to war with a nearby rival, Jolthaki, and the child went with them. The armies were not heard of again – not until the child returned, a year to the day after the army departed from Barazimor, the only survivor. Gone was the expressive, fiery youth; a sullen, grim-faced thing came back, that refused to speak of what had occurred on the toxic wastes below, and would often be found thrashing about in his sleep, caught in an unspeakable nightmare. Many tried in vain to persuade the child to answer to what had happened during the battles below, but he refused to speak a word. When the Angels of Contrition next sent a delegation to Barazimor for recruitment, the child fell into a sudden fit before attacking the Chaplain present, stabbing the colossal warrior in the leg with his Zizalia and kicking and biting those who tried to subdue him, terrified that the fearsome Chaplain would kill the poor mad creature in retaliation. Impressed by the child's ferocity and undaunted nature, the child was instead taken away by the Angels of Contrition, marked for greater things.

Sephalion's dour nature has carried with him, exacerbated by the secretive and pious nature of the Dark Angels successors. A formidable warrior, his resolve drove Sephalion to greater and greater feats until, in 951.M41, he was inaugurated as the Grand Master of the Angels of Contrition. Sephalion led the Chapter in it's greatest victory, a Chapter-level assault on the Eternal Perdition, during which he personally fought and killed a Great Unclean One in the assault of the ancient reactor core of the Space Hulk. Following the assault, Sephalion led the Chapter in two hundred and fifty-nine days of prayer, one for each life they had lost aboard the Eternal Perdition, to cleanse the Chapter of any lingering taint.

In recent years, Grand Master Sephalion has been haunted by the nightmares that ailed him as a youth. Convinced that these dreams have some sort of prophetic value, the Grand Master has become even more of a recluse, spending larger periods of time in fervent prayer and self-reflection. Guiding the Angels of Contrition against the forces of the 13^th Black Crusade, some of Sephalion's recent behaviour is beginning to mark him as erratic even among his most ardent followers; the recent decision to gift the Grim Confession to Interrogator-Chaplain Alazar (a weapon carried by the Grand Master of the Chapter for thousands of years) and recent bouts of fatalism have the Grand Master currently under close scrutiny even among his own Chapter.

Interrogator Chaplain Marzuviel

Interrogator Chaplain Marzuviel was the most prominent of his order to serve with the Angels of Contrition. Having served the Chapter from the early years of M38, Marzuviel rose quickly through the ranks of the Chaplaincy, the strength of his faith glossing over a nature often said to have been bloodthirsty to the distant extremes of acceptable behaviour among the Astartes. Despite this cruel streak (or perhaps because of it), Marzuviel holds the honour of having been the only Interrogator Chaplain within the Chapter to have forced the repentance of more than one of the Fallen in his lifetime.

Marzuviel was present for the Assault on Koram, when the Angels of Contrition were part of a multi-Chapter task force aiming to retake the planet that had fallen to Chaos. Marzuviel led the Angels of Contrition's forces in an assault on the orbital defence stations surrounding the planet, and although the stations were taken, they came at a heavy cost; almost all of the two hundred-strong task force perished, and Marzuviel himself was gravely wounded after being cut off from his forces and surrounded, fighting his way free but sustaining a number of mortal wounds in the process. He was interred in one of the Chapter's Dreadnoughts, a source of knowledge and guidance to the Interrogator Chaplains that have served the Chapter since his internment. In battle, Marzuviel is often to be found leading his brother Dreadnoughts of the Bloodwing, venerable warriors all, in sudden and savage assaults against the sternest resistance.

Brother Haephus, 3rd Battle Company, 1st Squad

Veteran Sergeant Barbariel, 3rd Battle Company, 1st Squad

Sergeant Ekias, 5th Battle Company, 4th Squad

Company Master Laraziel, 9th Tactical Reserve Company

Unknown Initiate, colour scheme designation 'Probator'

Unknown, colour scheme designation 'Ghostwing'

Unknown, colour scheme designation 'Bloodwing'

Chapter Badge

Angels of Contrition Chapter emblem

Chapter Banner

Angels of Contrition Chapter banner

Edited August 4, 2014 by Harlan Skorus

[Teetengee]

Do these marines see battle on the table tops of our world, and if so what rules do you use for them? Very interesting stuff you have here.

[Messor]

You've put a lot of effort into this! Nice job!

 

First thing I noticed was that in one instance in the origins you wrote "Conviction" instead of "Contrition".

 

I do need some convincing about their purpose. I don't have a lot of experience with naval forces but the way I see it, Space Marines are more conquerors and strategic assets then destroyers. But that's what the Chapter seems founded to do: destroy these space hulks as they appear. What I don't see is how this is a better strategy than pounding them into a oblivion with fleet/planetary guns. When you board a ship, part of what you're doing is taking it. But what will the Imperium do with a space hulk or Chaos vessel? It would make more sense if, maybe, the Chapter lingered around planets in order to protect them from threats straying too close. Strictly ship to ship work is what the navy is for. If it's a role you want the Chapter to assume, it would be good to establish a clear advantage they offer in doing so.

 

I also see the same things here that came up in GreyCrow's article: You mention the young warriors being recruited. How young? Because the implantation process requires preteens. There wouldn't even be a point to pitting a 12 year old against a fully implanted marine Chaplain.

 

You've also done a great job fleshing out the home world, but not tied it too much to the culture of the Chapter. The result is, I care less about it. Try to find ways for the home world culture to inform the Chapter culture. I noticed one example of this in your reference to the nobles, but that only confused me. Why would the the culture of the nobles (who appear not to fight) affect the Chapter (who recruits from the planets fighters)?

 

This is a really solid looking write up! Keep at it!

[Harlan Skorus]

Thank you for your responses! Sorry I haven't got back to you sooner - unexpectedly busy week. I will edit this with proper responses tomorrow.

 

EDIT: Proper responses! Let us match our wills and words.

 

Tentengee

 

 

Do these marines see battle on the table tops of our world, and if so what rules do you use for them? Very interesting stuff you have here.

 

 

Unfortunately I have not collected models since the dying days of 3rd ed, so nope. I have some experimental rules for them I made whilst bored, but it's more or less Codex DA with a couple units added and a couple removed.

 

Messor

 

 

First thing I noticed was that in one instance in the origins you wrote "Conviction" instead of "Contrition".

 

Noted and purged. Thank you.

 

 

I do need some convincing about their purpose. I don't have a lot of experience with naval forces but the way I see it, Space Marines are more conquerors and strategic assets then destroyers. But that's what the Chapter seems founded to do: destroy these space hulks as they appear. What I don't see is how this is a better strategy than pounding them into a oblivion with fleet/planetary guns. When you board a ship, part of what you're doing is taking it. But what will the Imperium do with a space hulk or Chaos vessel? It would make more sense if, maybe, the Chapter lingered around planets in order to protect them from threats straying too close. Strictly ship to ship work is what the navy is for. If it's a role you want the Chapter to assume, it would be good to establish a clear advantage they offer in doing so.

 

This is a very good point. I originally wanted to go for the Space Hulk thing for recovering artifacts and the like but changed it as I didn't want them to become Relictors/Adeptus Mechanicus lackeys. The change wasn't fully considered. I like the impetus on boarding actions which I think the Space Marines do offer a significant advantage in (in the same way they do in tough infantry battles - heavier armour, heavier guns, etc) but will work on trying to make this fit better. I'm wondering if making them a sort of linebacker for the Astartes Praeses is enough reason for them to exist - it would still allow for lots of hot ship on ship action, but I don't know if it's enough cause for a Chapter to need to do it.

 

 

I also see the same things here that came up in GreyCrow's article: You mention the young warriors being recruited. How young? Because the implantation process requires preteens. There wouldn't even be a point to pitting a 12 year old against a fully implanted marine Chaplain.

 

See, I had the hilarious grimdark idea in my head of this superhuman dude walking through a bunch of brick huts and having a bunch of tattooed twelve year olds hurling themselves at him willy-nilly, and the ones stupid enough to stand up after getting their jaws broken would be recruited. But that's possibly a bit overkill. I want to keep the emphasis/implications of the Hildako being indoctrinated child-soldiers, but the recruitment method is probably a little OTT, yeah. If the Chaplain was replaced with serfs, would this work? Probably not. Hrm.

 

 

You've also done a great job fleshing out the home world, but not tied it too much to the culture of the Chapter. The result is, I care less about it. Try to find ways for the home world culture to inform the Chapter culture. I noticed one example of this in your reference to the nobles, but that only confused me. Why would the the culture of the nobles (who appear not to fight) affect the Chapter (who recruits from the planets fighters)?

 

Another very good point. The reference to nobles et al is meant to point at the AoC being a means for the underclasses to achieve greatness but is probably a little rough. I will work to include a little more culture into the Chapter, I can see how it seems a little flat as is.

 

Thank you both!

 

Edited June 20, 2014 by Harlan Skorus

[Harlan Skorus]

Many edits! Changed the format a bit, a lot of the words, and tried to work some of Messor's points into it.

[Messor]

The first sentence of the second paragraph under origins still says "Angels of Conviction".

[Harlan Skorus]

No it doesn't. You are mad.

 

(Maybe next time I will remember to change my master copy as I update my posts so things like that don't happen, bleh...)

[Teetengee]

It seems strange to me that they would look down on the lower forces when most of them came from these lower castes. The only way it really seems justified in my mind is that the lower classes (or at least those who join the hildako) saw their poor treatment when a lower caste as proper.

[Harlan Skorus]

I'm not sure I agree with you on this one (without getting too soapboxy it is absolutely possible for people's view to change in line with an alteration in societal standing) but I removed it anyway because I'm not sure I liked it.

[Teetengee]

Fair enough.