Templars Vindictis

[Batt85]

"Non nois, Emperor, non nobis sed monini tuo da gloriam!"

Chant of the Templars Vindictis

 

"Vertas Vos Liberatus!"

War cry of the Templars Vindictis when engaging Traitor Marines

 

 

Founding Chapter: Classified - *Security Level Inquisitus Ordo*

 

Founding: Classified - *Security Level Inquisitus Ordo*

 

Homeworld: Classified - *Security Level Inquisitus Ordo* 

 

Fortress Monastery:  Classified - *Security Level Inquisitus Ordo*

 

Chapter Master: Master Vourinus

 

Specialty: Close quarters/melee

 

Fighting strength: Classified - *Security Level Inquisitus Ordo*

 

Colours: Black power armour (upper torso and shoulder pads) white power armour (waist downwards) 

 

Chapter badge: Blood cross on shoulder pads and left knee

 

Chapter Banner: lower half black field with blood red cross, upper half white field with golden throne

 

*Access Granted.  Greetings.*

 

 

In the days of the Great Crusade the Word Bearers legion where the epitome of devotion to the God Emperor, spreading the word of his divinity to all who they conquered and establishing solid ground works of faith to Him.

The Emperor condemned this practice, knowing faith and superstition were what shackled humanity, not freeing them.  His message was the antithesis of the Word Bearers and His son, Lorgar was chastised for regarding his father as a deity.  

Deeply spiritual as he was Lorgar knew it was through faith in a divine being that would hold humanity as a species.  

 

It was shortly before the XVII legion were rebuked by the Emperor Himself, with the Ultramarines at His back, that Lorgar commissioned a detachment of his 500 Astates and a division of Imperial Guard, to establish an enclave within the Empire to be a bastion of faith to the Emperor and ensure his divinity was praised.

Before the orders could be carried out, the entire XVII legion was summoned by the Emperor and given their public reprimand.  Like many of the Word Bearers on that day, the expeditionary Astartes held a deep hatred towards the Ultramarines for their chastisement.

However their faith was unmovable, and like their Primarch, thought the Emperors renouncement of his divinity further proved that he was a God, albeit a God not given to hubris.

They began their journey to a system within Segentum Solar to follow out their orders:

 

1. Locate a system that is largely unnoticed by the empire and establish a fortress monastery

2. Spread and preach the word of the emperor, so all are devout followers

3. Protect the faith from all xenos

 

Upon arrival in a system all but forgotten by the empires outwards perspective, the expedition came upon two habitual planets in the solar system, both being medieval worlds.

 

The worlds took the coming of the Astates and imperial troops with great ease, though some factions did resist and were snuffed out in a series of brief skirmishes.  Once the Astartes began preaching the word, and contracting builders to construct enormous cathedrals the populace of the two planets accepted that the steel grey warriors, backed up with their division of guardsmen were there to stay.

 

During the Pilgrimage of Lorgar, the worlds, which were renamed Orbis Fidem I and Orbis Fidem II, were resolute in their faith, but policing the system was a challenge to the limited number of guardsmen, the general requested the captian of the XVII Legion Expedition for permission to raise an extra 11 divisions, drawing upon the populace and resources of the native worlds.  The captain saw the need for extra man power but was reluctant to raise 11 fighting divisions to be placed under the command an Imperial General.  so a compromise was agreed.  The Imperial guard could raise 8 divisions, with 6 stationed on the worlds, under the title Urban Divisions, and the remaining two, along with the division diverted from the crusades, would police the system, scouring it for xenos threats, under the new name Free Companies, called so because they were not imperial military.

 

Within the confines of their fortress monastery the Word Bearers began devising ways to replenish their ranks should their numbers dwindleeither through combat loses or the onset of age.  They recruited gene slaves and being direct descendants to their gene father, began to use their own gene in preparation to re fill their ranks

Because of the isolation of the system, and their orders to keep their presence secret, the Horus Heresy passed by the inhabitants of Orbis Fidem I and II unmarked. The loyalists too focused on their efforts to stem the tide of Horus' advance, and the traitors too absorbed in their desire for a swift victory paid little heed to a system that could only yield two medieval worlds.  While planets burned and millions perished on a single battlefield, the people of Orbis Fidem I & II thrived.    

It is believed that in his all consuming desire to dispose his own father, that Lorgar overlooked the expeditionary force he had sent. Others believe he considered them lost, wiped out or of so little use to his cause he left them to their teachings until the conquering traitor legions of Horus could bring them to heel, to expunge them from existence.  Others theorize that these Astates were so immersed in their teachings and belief of the Emperor, that they would not and could not be swayed from their faith.  

 

The defeat of Horus and the routing of his legions left the empire teetering on the brink of collapse.  From the fires and ash of treachery the Codex Asates was forged, and the surviving legions broken down in compliance with the laws laid down by Rouberte Guilliman and agreed by his surviving loyal brothers.

The imperial guard also saw a major restructure.  No longer where they allowed to be versatile and utilize many forms of combat.  They too were broken down and only allowed to follow a set style of combat, (shock troops and steel legions).

 

During the second founding, a space battle took place close to the system where the XVII legion had their enclave.  They observed the battle at a distance lest they betray their presence.  Fate it seemed was about to unveil the secret enclave.

An imperial battle cruiser damaged and unpiloted drifted into the Word Bearers system, screaming a distress call.  Two cruiser from the system where scrambled to save the ship occupants, and more importantly shut off the distress call that was leaving trail to their worlds.

 

Several strike teams of Word Bearers boarder the ship to purge any threats and rescue survivors.  Upon boarding the ship they found dead personel, and Astates.  Astates who bore armour colours and insignia unknown to the Word Bearers.  These diseased Astates were marines of the Doom Eagles.  There were no survivors aboard but the Word Bearers learned something that day.  They had been removed from the galaxy for so long and didn't know what had happened beyond their own borders.  The existence of the mysterious Astates alone warranted further study and so the computer core was salvaged and the vessel scuttled.

 

Back in the fortress monastery, the captain read the recent histories of the empire with a sickening dread.  His brothers and their Primarch had turned traitor.  Worse still they were the instigators of treachery.  Their legions fall was perhaps one of the greatest out of all the others.  How could a legion who's core value was the divinity of the Emperor turn on Him? An empire almost toppled, near half the legions lost to Chaos or calamity, brother Astates and Primarchs spilling each others blood, the Emperor interned on the Golden Throne because of grievous wounds.  It was the stuff of nightmares.  Then a terrible realization came upon the captain; the XVII Word Bearers Legion would never be redeemed.

He assembled his command and addressed them.  He explained all that he had learned and felt the mood shift from horror to shame.

 

"We are betrayed, by our Primarch and brothers! We are the only noble legacy of the Word Bearers! But it is not enough, our mere existence condemns us! We have followed Lorgars orders, we did now wrong, but now we must look outwards and spread the message to the God Emperor! We must show ourselves to the galaxy.  But we must shed our colours, and abandon the legion. The XVII is damned to the darkest pits! We shall seek out xenos, drive them off worlds, but where we encounter Traitors there will only be purging fire! We shall crusade! We shall have revenge!"

After he roared the last sentence, he tore off his shoulder pads that bore the insignia of the Word Bearer and XVII, and stamped on them, crushing the metal beneath his feet.  And from that speech a crusading chapter was born.  They were no longer Word Bearers, they were Templars Vindictis.

 

The scuttled battle cruisers trail was discovered along with the existence of the XVII remnants.  An Inquisitor was aboard the search and rescue ship when they discovered the two worlds.  The Inquisitor landed and began making inquiries to to the people, who freely told him the planet was under the juristriction of the Word Bearers.  Not knowing the full story and rightfully acting to what he saw as a Chaos incursion so close to Terra, he reported his finding to the Lords of Terra and Inquisition.  Immediatly a response was sent.  The Inquisition were taking no chances.  The entire chapters of Ultramarines, Black Templars and Grey Knights were mobilised and sent to wipe out the threat.

 

When they arrived they scanned the system and discovered a large concentration of Astates on the third uninhabited planet in the system.  The three chapters immediately made planet fall in drop pods and burst out expecting a hail of bullets and death.  Before them stood a host of Astates.  But these were not Word Bearers, the steel grey armour was gone, replaced with black and white.  A blood red cross was emblazoned on their shoulder pads.  An Inquisitor stepped on to the field and both sides stood immobile.  

From the unknown host three figures stepped forwards and strode to the centre of the field.  The three chapter masters and Inquisitor met them.

 

Wordlessly the captain handed a rolled silk to the inquisitor.  He grasped the end and unrolled enough to see the XVII Legions crest.The Ultramarine and Black Templar masters hissed at the sight, whist the Grey Knight glared menacingly.

"So you are all Word Bearers?" asked the inquisitor, though he meant it to sound like a statement.  He was reeling from the shock that there was such a large gathering of XVII.

"Lord Inquistor," began the captain, "we more than any in the imperium have known the deepest of betrayals.  We have stayed loyal were our fallen legion has not.  We hereby surrender our title and take a new name, and will crusade to wipe name Word Bearers from the galaxy."

"There is no way I can know your hearts are loyal," replied the Inquisitor.

"We shall swear fealty to the Emperor," he paused a moment to consider the next part of his pledge.  "And we shall be at the Inquisitions disposal."

The chapter masters stirred at this, and glanced at each other.  To be put at the Inquisitions disposal would mean they would forever be scrutinized.  But if the new chapter were to survive then this was the sacrifice it would have to make.

"What are we to call your marines?" asked the master of the Ultramarines.

"We are Templars Vindictis"

"Swear your loyalty before these Masters," ordered the Inquisitor.

On that order, the three Astates knelt on the hard ground.  As they did, the front rank of their new chapter raised the orders new banner, Half black and half white, in the black field was a blood red cross, and in the white a golden throne.  Behind them the rear most ranks knelt too as their new master, Master Vourinus swore their chapter the empire and Inquisition for as long as any of their brother drew breath. 

[deathspectersgt7]

A Interesting take.