The Inheritors

[Commissar Molotov]

Keenly aware that the Liber stands rather empty these days, I wanted to throw around a conceptual idea for a Chapter that I am keen to develop.

 

Some of you may remember my Castigators - a long time ago, I said that they had two Chapters descending from them - the Redemptors and the Contemptors. My original ideas had the Redemptors operating at the edges of the Imperium, far from the light of the Astronomican, enduring to bring the light of the Imperium to the darkest corners of the galaxy. Of the Contemptors, they were said to be excommunicated.

 

The Redemptors did get created, and there were some rather nice ideas. Of course, in the many years since, the name "Contemptors" has gained far more popularity with the line of dreadnoughts.

 

More and more, though, I have liked the idea of a twenty-sixth founding Chapter formed from the Castigators. I read in a thread a few weeks ago that some of the Liber feel it's a trope that is over-used, but I think it has merit. I think back to the Chapter Traits rules from the Space Marine codex and I really liked the idea of "Aspire to Glory". In some recent literature the idea has been put forward that the Space Marine Chapters of M41 are "thin-blooded", that they are a far cry from the dim and distant legacy of the Horus Heresy and the Legions of Old. These are Chapters who have little in the way of relics; who have a distant connection to their Primarch and the Emperor. They have no honour rolls of their own, and must strive to prove themselves worthy of the mantle placed upon them.

 

This has another layer of poignancy when you consider that the Castigators are descended from the Black Consuls, who are in the most recent fluff said to have been (apparently) destroyed at Goddeth Hive in 455.M41. The 26th Founding, in 738.M41, could've provided a training cadre from the Castigators the opportunity to honour their founders in the Consuls by inheriting their legacy. I have toyed with the idea that the Inheritors could perhaps have donned the colours (and even the insignia) of the Black Consuls in an attempt to continue and honour their legacy. I anticipate "Aspire to Glory" to be a key theme - the idea that they are driven to justify their place among the Astartes and prove themselves the equal of their elder peers.

 

As I mentioned, the Chapter would likely have limited supplies of equipment and relatively few relics. For example, I don't expect they would have any suits of Terminator armour. I'm not sure what they would have brought across from the Castigators. That also applies to the Castigators' attitudes - would the Inheritors have access to psychic Librarians, for example?

 

I will leave the idea as it stands for the moment, but would welcome any input.

 

 

[Tyrannicide]

You raise an interesting point. The forefathers and training cadre of a 26th Founding Chapter would leave a bigger imprint than those of any other founding. Being so distant from the legendary first founding and the Primogenitors that followed leaves a far larger canvas to fill in. Less attachment to a legacy and the honorable traditions of older, more established Chapters might allow for a 'purer' focus with a less complex belief system. Inheriting the mantle of the Black Consuls is a cool concept. Envision a handful of original Consuls that still live, edging closer to death and forgotten by the Imperium they serve. They'd be unaware of the entirely new Chapter created in their likeness, going to battle underneath their badge. Perhaps you could explore the Inheritors taking over not just the image of the Black Consuls, but their duties as well. With the death of the Consuls the star systems they once patrolled and those they liberated have now begun to slip back into discord without an Astartes presence.   

[Stercus]

I'm not sure I'm the right person to jump in as the first responder to a thread about a chapter descended from the castigators, with all the liber pedigree that entails, being little more than a newcomer here myself, but here goes:

I very much like the idea of a new chapter trying to live up to the achievements of a predecessor. As newcomers to the brotherhood of astartes, are these guys reckless to find glory of their own, or cautious not to tarnish the achievements of those who came before? How closely will they follow the path of their trainers? I think these questions make for a great foundation.

I'm trying to develop a couple of chapters myself, the current main one of which is a late-teens/early-twenties founding successor of the Imperial fists that take the ideal of duty and following the path of the humble soldier as their goal. I'm interested to see how you run with this, and hopefully can help throw a few scraps into the pot myself. Certainly, having looked through some of your previous work I know I'll be inspired to some new ideas.

 

Edited: {second responder}.... People are quick round here.

[Lysimachus]

An interesting idea. I think a lot of the time people use the 26th as a bit of a crutch, either because they can't be bothered to come up with however many millennia's worth of history, or because they want a Chapter founded to fight the Tau/nids (and although the 26th technically doesn't work for that either, it's still the closest you can get!). That said, a Chapter of this Founding has great potential if done well.

 

I like the idea of 'inheriting' the Black Consuls legacy, although I'm not sure I'd have them take their exact colours. Is it ever said in-universe whether the Imperium actually believed the BC were totally wiped out? Without absolute confirmation I can't see that they'd let their colours be reassigned. Maybe make their look reference the BC without copying entirely e.g. reverse the scheme to white with black eagle head?

 

As to what they inherit, I'm unsure how the Castigators would view sharing their stuff - they don't generally seem to have an open, sharing kind of vibe, but the privilege of being part of a Founding could be the exceptional circumstance that proves the rule.

 

The thing that I'm sure they would share is their attitudes and beliefs, things that the Castigators come across as being very vocal about. So I'd say no Librarians, at least initially. Could be an interesting twist to an IA if the new Chapter later wanted to use them and the Castigators then felt they had to disown their own 'Inheritors'?

[ToyShip]

I think the Castigators' outlook was derived from the population of their home-planet, in addition to the prejudices brought to the table by their founding master. It would be interesting to flesh out how the Inheritors start off as Castigators in everything but name and colors, but as they fight their own battles they start to become unique. The culture(s) of the initial group of neophytes would probably have a significant influence on such a young chapter, as much as the training cadre. It's interesting to think about how much would the chapter's culture change in the 60-ish years since its founding.

 

I'm not so sure about inheriting the colors of the Consuls, but I definitely like the thought of them taking control of their holdings. Depending on how you would think the Consuls would interact with their human protecorates, you could come up with some interesting stuff there. No rebellions or anything, but perhaps the humans are wary of their new overlords?

 

Glad to see you around, Mol. Looking forward to more!

[NightrawenII]

Keenly aware that the Liber stands rather empty these days, I wanted to throw around a conceptual idea for a Chapter that I am keen to develop.

Blame xeno-specie conspiring with underground goverment agency or something.

More and more, though, I have liked the idea of a twenty-sixth founding Chapter formed from the Castigators. I read in a thread a few weeks ago that some of the Liber feel it's a trope that is over-used, but I think it has merit. I think back to the Chapter Traits rules from the Space Marine codex and I really liked the idea of "Aspire to Glory". In some recent literature the idea has been put forward that the Space Marine Chapters of M41 are "thin-blooded", that they are a far cry from the dim and distant legacy of the Horus Heresy and the Legions of Old. These are Chapters who have little in the way of relics; who have a distant connection to their Primarch and the Emperor. They have no honour rolls of their own, and must strive to prove themselves worthy of the mantle placed upon them.

You have basically explained why is 26th Founding so popular with new hobbyists and thus somewhat held in contempt.

This has another layer of poignancy when you consider that the Castigators are descended from the Black Consuls, who are in the most recent fluff said to have been (apparently) destroyed at Goddeth Hive in 455.M41. The 26th Founding, in 738.M41, could've provided a training cadre from the Castigators the opportunity to honour their founders in the Consuls by inheriting their legacy. I have toyed with the idea that the Inheritors could perhaps have donned the colours (and even the insignia) of the Black Consuls in an attempt to continue and honour their legacy. I anticipate "Aspire to Glory" to be a key theme - the idea that they are driven to justify their place among the Astartes and prove themselves the equal of their elder peers.

The question is what would the Inheritors... well inherit. Unless I'm mistaken the Castigators are 14th Founding, which means you are looking at 5,000 or so years of following their own path, separate from their forefathers. I'm not sure what will be left of Black Consuls in memory of Castigators after such long passage of time.

Of course they could follow the legacy of what the training cadre think is true, but that's entirely different story.

If I recal correctly, Apothete did something similar with his Exonerators. And when I'm on it, wasn't *Inheritors* name of Darth Potato's chapter?

~ NightrawenII

[Tyrannicide]

And when I'm on it, wasn't *Inheritors* name of Darth Potato's chapter?

Mol was as big a driving force behind that project as I was, and he suggested the name in the first place.

I think the big man's earned his due 'round here. :D

[Commissar Molotov]

Darth: The slight disadvantage of the training cadre having a bigger imprint is that the Castigators are so outspoken about their views - particularly those regarding psykers. Even the more moderate among the Castigators would not be inclined to accept psykers. The Castigators had psykers originally, when they split from the Black Consuls, and have lost them along the way. But how would a new Chapter descended from the Castigators re-acquire psykers? With the Redemptors, I argued that they used sanctioned psykers (and had the idea of a human psyker surrounded by Astartes bodyguards.) With the Inheritors, I can only think that perhaps they go to the Codex - Guilliman allowed Librarians, the Consuls had Librarians, and by honouring their memories they should allow themselves all the weapons at their disposal. Obviously it still means they would need someone to train their Librarians. Really not sure.

 

I do like your idea of "how would the Consuls view their imitators?" - but I don't want to step on the Consuls' fluff. It's not entirely clear if the Consuls had a homeworld, and I don't want to potentially contradict any fluff. So I don't imagine the Inheritors taking up station on the Consuls' territories or the like.

 

Stercus: Thanks for your input; I found it thought-provoking. I do like this quote: "As newcomers to the brotherhood of astartes, are these guys reckless to find glory of their own, or cautious not to tarnish the achievements of those who came before?" I suppose it is a line that the Chapter has to walk down - glory versus humility, perhaps.

 

Lysimachus: I actually address some thoughts lower down to Nightrawen - I believe the Imperium does think they're wiped out, but it's not uncommon for a Space Marine Chapter to go off the radar for a while. I personally don't believe the Consuls are wiped out, and wouldn't want to turn round to a Consul player and say "Oh, sorry, your Chapter has no relevance" but it is enough of a window for the founding of a new Chapter to exploit.

 

From an aesthetic point of view, the Castigators are scarlet; the Redemptors white with scarlet arms... I don't really want the Inheritors to be white as well. In the Castigators' fluff, after the death of Baraquiel, they carried out a fourteen-year crusade in black armour. Admittedly, that was a play on Spider-Man's black suit, but I do like the idea that black has significance to the Castigators and it helps honour the Consuls. Perhaps they do need a new symbol, but they use the Consuls' eagle-head as an honour badge or the like. Hasn't the eagle head now been labelled as a Unification Wars symbol? Loken has one on his armour. Is that why the Black (and White) Consuls took it as their symbol? To show loyalty to the Emperor? Still, it does mean I would need to consider a new symbol.

 

In terms of inheriting from the Castigators, they would obviously have some weapons/armour/materiel, though I imagine the Adeptus Mechanicus would provide much of that - rhinos and the like. The Castigators only have 21 suits of Terminator Armour themselves, so I don't imagine them sharing that.

Toyship: The slight issue with the 26th Founding being in the 700s of M41 is that most of the training cadre should still be alive. After 260 years, the Inheritors would still be on their first or second Chapter Master. I don't want to walk the Liber trope of having the entire training cadre wiped out - because then what is the point of it, thematically? I mentioned to Darth that I think if they deviate from the Castigators then it needs to be a deliberate choice, rather than a slow and subtle deviation. The Chapter Master needs to realise that they are not Castigators any more, and shouldn't act like it. Perhaps they are guided by the Emperor's tarot. If "the Emperor" orders them to embrace the psyker as a weapon, it probably would be done, though grudgingly. Then again, in many Chapters the Librarians are kept at a distance and treated with suspicion - just not the outright disdain of the Castigators.

 

Nightrawen: Well, I think part of the reason the Liber is so quiet is that it's been shunted down to the bottom of the board. Plus, most of the posters here seem to throw their lot into the Liber Cluster thread.

 

In my experience of the Liber, the 26th Founding was chosen by hobbyists who didn't want to come up with a history or background for their Chapter - that it was a lazy way of creating a Chapter. But this concept is based around the Chapter being very young in the galactic scheme of things. In that sense, I'm not really bothered about the "contempt" of Liberites - I remember several posts from Octavulg and Brother Tyler talking about negative attitudes in the Liber.

 

"The question is what would the Inheritors... well inherit."

 

Well, that's an interesting idea in itself. My thoughts are that the Black Consuls aren't truly destroyed - it just appears to the wider Imperium that they are. I believe post-Goddeth Consuls have appeared in the Deathwatch roleplay. The Chapter is crippled, and may never be able to recover from its losses (q.v. Crimson FIsts) but they're not extinct yet. But the thought of losing a Primogenitor Chapter, and the Chapter the Castigators descend from - that's a grievous loss to the Imperium, and to the Castigators. You're right to say that the Castigators have diverged from the Consuls, but I still imagine they would've kept in some form of contact. If nothing else, they would pay their dues to the Consuls as Baraquiel came from them.

 

If a Castigator was chosen to found a Chapter in the waning years of the Dark Millennium, I don't find it much of a stretch that they would look to the Black Consuls, recently destroyed, and try to honour their memory and right the wrongs that led to their destruction. The Astartes are founded on oaths of brotherhood and remembrance.

 

[NightrawenII]

And when I'm on it, wasn't *Inheritors* name of Darth Potato's chapter?

Mol was as big a driving force behind that project as I was, and he suggested the name in the first place.

I think the big man's earned his due 'round here.

And there I was expecting a duel with chainswords. *sigh*

.

.

.

I don't want to sound negative but...

I believe post-Goddeth Consuls have appeared in the Deathwatch roleplay.

Yes, you are correct, in Rites of Battle. However, they have joined DeathWatch before the Goddeth incident and they themselves don't know the fate of their Chapter. Plus, the book says *two and a half centuries* after the report of the Black Consuls demise.

Edit: I don't think, you should concern yourself with the ultimate fate of Black Consuls. The lore says they are destroyed so they are destroyed. The end, no qualms over it.

~ NightrawenII

[Olis]

Hmm... Inheritors... Inheritors... where have I heard that name before... 

 

Heh, don't worry brother, I'm not making some obtuse claim to the name. I just thought it interesting that someone else here in the Liber wishes to utilise the name too. ^_^

 

At the moment my version of an Inheritors chapter is going through... shall we say 'beta testing'? Beta testing. Yes. But they will see the light of day, with any luck, sometime before the next millennium. :)

[Commissar Molotov]

Thanks for the insightful contribution to the thread ;)