IA: The Revenant Guard

[Targetlock]

Here is the work-in-progress background for my DIY chapter, still adding and coming up with new stuff for it. comments and criticisms welcome :)

 

Index Astartes: The Revenant Guard

 

 

Homeworld: Revenant

Progenitor Legion: Disputed

Formation Date: M39

Motto: Draw steel!

 

Origins

 

The Revenant Guard was founded in one of the later foundings, the exact founding and reasons for the founding are lost to history. Their Homeworld is Revenant, a dangerous snow covered and mountainous Feudal World, where the people live in warrior clans and their lives are short and brutal, surviving against the harsh conditions and monstrous wildlife, more akin to a death world.

Their huge castle-like fortress lurks on the highest spire of the world-stretching mountain range known as ‘The World’s Blades’.

 

Codex Astartes

 

Like several other chapters, the Revenant Guard disregards the Codex Astartes, preferring training fighting organisations and beliefs based on their homeworlds war-like customs.

The Chapter is divided into fighting companies, each with its own supply of veterans, tanks and warriors. each of the 8 companies are active across the sector, except one company that stays within the home system designated ‘The Wardens’. Each company is an individual force in its own right, the Commanders forming the inner council led by the Knight Marshal, the title of the chapter master. Though each of these companies has lore and history of their own, some known for favouring a particular style of combat.

 

Beliefs

 

Being from a warrior society, the chapter is a very melee-focused chapter, believing this to be the most honourable form of combat. their passion of up close melee with their foes and a love of the thrill of the hunt and hunting down foes of the Imperium, though they fight with a sense of honour and code of combat based on the warrior orders of their culture and of ancient Terra. Like most chapters they believe the emperor is a man rather than a god, venerating him as the pinnacle of human achievement.

Most of there chapters philosophy are inspired and based on the folklore and culture of their homeworld.

 

Gene-seed

 

The chapter origin is of disputed origin, the chapter claiming to be of space wolf origin though how this came to be is unknown. The Geneseed is tainted, making the bearers hair go completely white soon after it is planted and over time the bearer senses heighten further than that of a normal marine and their teeth develop into fangs giving them a feral appearance. The gene-seed has a dark side to it, many of the marines having to fight an inner feral natue that is contary to their teachings that threatens to cnsume them. Of what happens to those who fall to this gene-curse, the chapter does not speak of.

 

Revenant

 

Revenant is a dangerous feudal world, its landscape covered in eternal ice and snow where the people live in warrior clans their lives a constant battle for survival against harsh conditions and brutal wildlife. the conditions and environment are brutal and tough, wracked by storms and bitterly cold wind and snow. the wildlife is just as vicious, a mark of bravery in the clans is in hunting the creatures and taking trophies, a tradition still held by the chapter and as an initiation rite. Their societies lore is filled with ancient tales and legends and these legends is of the white sword. Legends say Revenant was once a forest world, an eden and a garden of plenty but the people became too greedy and decadent , so Baal the greatest of the gods and god of winter punished the world by drawing forth his blade plunging into the worlds heart turning the land into the frozen realm it is now.

 

 

To the clansfolk the chapter is viewed by the people as the agents of winter, watching over and passing judgment over them at the command of the emperor whom they view as the winter god in one of his forms. The white sword symbol of the chapter represents judgment and power and is used by the chapter as its symbol.

 

Chapter Units

 

The Revenant Guard have several unique and unusual unit designations.

 

 

Storm Priests

 

The Chapter Librarians have an affinity with storms and the wrath of winter. Because of the powers they can command the chapter are mistrustful of Psykers, even their own. when a storm priest is not at war, he is constantly accompanied and watched over by a Warden, often kept away from the rest of the chapter.

 

The Sword Brothers

 

The sword brothers, also known as the Knights of the Court of Blades or Whitecloaks is the name for the chapter veterans. Rather than a seperate veteran company, each fighting company having a small group of these warriors. Each squad is often watched over and led into battle by one of these veterans, watching over the new recruits and fellow battle brothers. They sometimes form squads usually the personal guard of one of their honoured commanders. It is the greatest honour to be chosen for the sword brothers. Within the sword brothers, there is The Sentinels, a small group of warriors within the sword brothers that always fight in mighty terminator armour usually at the side of the knight marshal or on rare occasions assist the other fighting companies.

 

The Stormriders

 

The Revenant guard share an affinity with the animals of Revenant especially those of the huge wolves that prowl the frozen steppes and mountains, the beasts the major sources of legend. The chapter has for a long time trained and kept some of the larger of these wolves, known as Stormwolves or questing beasts, drawing from an ancient Revenant legend of the wolf riders. Only the greatest of the chapters warriors chosen from the sword brothers to be a member of the Stormriders, some of the forces commanders are among their ranks.

 

Lone Blades

 

A few among the chapter warriors stand out as lone fighters, being the last members of a squad they no longer wish to rejoin the company of their battle brothers. Some fight for lost honour, shamed and outcast others fight for revenge or possibly a noble end.

 

Heroes of Renown

 

Among the chapter there are heroes and warriors that stand out from their brothers, their lives a legend among their brothers, though some of these legends are darker than others.

 

 

Mordred the Ruthless, Master of the Outcasts

 

Mordred the ruthless is a character of infamy among the chapter, his reputation as a vicious fighter just is as famous as that of ruthless and cunning trickster. He would have probably been chosen as a member of the sword guards long ago if wasn't for his nature as a trickster, he is also responsible of for the death of a fellow battle brother in a drunken duel, only his reputation as fighter sparing his life. In battle he leads a group of fellow reprobates and misfits, known as the Outcasts.

 

In game counts as Lukas the trickster

 

Godric the Slayer, Champion of the Court

 

One of the old chapter traditions is that of the slayer, the lords executioner the lords champion sent forth to hunt those of the chapters greatest foes, enemies and heretics who have escaped the chapters wrath. The champion also has the unspoken but known task of slaying those who have failed the chapter, be they heretics or traitors, the huge axe he bears a symbol of this task. The current champion is Godric, the mightiest yet having slain many great foes and returned their heads to the chapter halls. Godric is a cold, grim individual of few words who stalks the halls like a caged beast and fights with mad passion, his hatred for his foe reckless and granting him great strength and courage.

 

In game counts as Ragnar Blackmane

 

Melchior the Grim, High Priest of the Chapter

 

Melchior is the high chaplain of the chapter and one of the oldest living members, a venerable and wise warrior. He is as well known for his wise counsel as for his fighting prowess, he has a reputation for the slaying of mighty beasts and foes. He is the High marshals first adviser, his many centuries of service giving him much knowledge and insight.

He wields in battle the Frost Crozius, a brutal looking Crozius carved from frost diamond and deathly cold to the touch, passed down from each high priest to the next, it is a symbol of power and the emperors might.

 

In game counts as Ulric the Slayer

 

Grendel, the Beast of Winter

 

Bound under the chapters halls is Grendel, an ancient and deadly dreadnought, the warriors identity long lost, the name purposely scratched off and all records destroyed, the name Grendel taken from an ancient Revenant legend of a monstrous beast. Grendel is a whirlwind of destruction in melee more like a vicious beasts ripping and shredding those in its path. After the battle it is bound and chained and returned to its prison til it is needed again.

 

In game counts as Murderfang

 

The Stormwalker

 

The Stormwalker is the title of the master of the storm priests of the chapter, the title is also his name, sacrificing their identity when they assume the mantle, their identity hidden and forgotten beneath the grim mask only in death are they known, though the current holder of this position is considered by many to be the greatest. The Stormwalker is treated with fear and respect by his battle-brothers, secluded from his comrades only appearing in times of war and council.

 

In game counts as Njall Stormcaller

 

I will also post up pics of the army when i get a chance :)

[Olis]

Rest assured, I will comment on this tomorrow. 

[Lysimachus]

So, am I right in assuming they're a SW Lost Company that found a world like Fenris on their travels and decided to stick around? That's the only explanation that really makes sense with all the things that are the same.

 

My advice would be to focus on the things that make them different to the Wolves. They seem more knightly order than feral clans, especially given the names they've taken? More honour bound and serious, less drinking/feasting/carousing? (Although be careful not to turn them into Wolf Templars!)

 

Speaking of things that are unusual, I like their view of their Psykers and giving each one a 'minder', cool idea. As an aside, you've not said it but I'm guessing the Warden Company is something that rotates between all the Co.s as otherwise that one Co. sees relatively little combat time and less opportunity for honour/glory.

[Olis]

Okay, I'm back and ready to go. 

 

First things first, the unknown primogenitor and the unknown founding. Both of these things are a fairly common route that budding IA writers take, thinking they will add mystery or help cover over indecision. Long story short, they do not. I think this may be simply because both devices aren't directly tied to the story of the chapter in those cases. They are mentioned early on and then left at that. Not knowing where you came from is a big deal, perhaps even more so if you are a space marine. So, I think, if you are committed to selling that point, then you should make it a bigger deal than it already is. Granted, you've said it's disputed that it's the Space Wolves, but in that case why is it disputed? Who is doing the disputing and what makes people think it's Space Wolves geneseed?

 

So then, the chapter disregards the codex. Fair enough. It's your chapter. What would the reason be, in-universe? Since 5th edition, the wiggle room for chapters tossing the codex out the window has diminished in the official fluff. It falls to you to justify this break from the norm because, apparently, all chapters want to be codex-adherent (not a line that I've agreed with). That said, could it be interesting that this Space Wolves offshoot became more codex adherent? The question is, is this offshoot a lost Great Company, or a legitimate successor chapter created whole cloth from stored geneseed?

 

By the way, I like the gene-curse. A befanged mouth and a shock of white hair is quite a singular look. :tu:

[Targetlock]

thanks for your comments. to answer the various comments:

1. deciding their primogenitor legion was the hardest part for me as i like so many of the chapters. i decided on the space wolves as the army uses their codex and probably my fave chapter. I personally prefer this chapter was some kind of successor rather than a lost company or something, but i was saying its disputed thinking mainly by the space wolves themselves because of how few successor chapters that were created from them. but yes making it a mystery is a bit boring, i just hadn't thought of a good explanation yet.

2. the basic idea of the chapter is a knightly order but based on a frozen feral world and inspired by the worlds legends and folklore, the chapter almost those legends come to life. and no i don't want wolf templars! they aren't zealots, more of a feral knightly order.

3. Yes the Warden company does rotate between each of the companies.

4. The white hair and fanged look came through when i was painting the models and realised the white looked quite cool, so all of them have white hair because of this.

3. I certainly agree that not all chapters want to be codex-adherent, they want to be their own element, their own way of fighting. any suggestions of a good background reason of why my chapter would be like this?

4. With this background it has made me realise that maybe my chapter hasn't got the best name, i think a name that suits their background and origin would be more suitable. any suggestions?

Thanks for the comments

[Lysimachus]

thanks for your comments. to answer the various comments:

 

1. deciding their primogenitor legion was the hardest part for me as i like so many of the chapters. i decided on the space wolves as the army uses their codex and probably my fave chapter. I personally prefer this chapter was some kind of  successor rather than a lost company or something, but i was saying its disputed thinking mainly by the space wolves themselves because of how few successor chapters that were created from them. but yes making it a mystery is a bit boring, i just hadn't thought of a good explanation yet.

 

2. the basic idea of the chapter is a knightly order but based on a frozen feral world and inspired by the worlds legends and folklore, the chapter almost those legends come to life. and no i don't want wolf templars! they aren't zealots, more of a feral knightly order.

Ah, ok. The biggest problem for me is that if the Wolves don't know anything about them - which if gene line is disputed, presumably they've not had contact with one another, rather than somehow both SW and new Chapter have forgotten all about it? - then why would they just happen to pick a world that is so similar to Fenris, not to mention that also just happens to have a species of wolf large enough to be ridden by a fully armoured Space Marine?

 

That's why I assumed it was a Lost Great Company thing, as they would have chosen it for the reminder of home and would have brought their own wolves that could have then bred and spread across the new world. As more new recruits are chosen from the populace, they become less wolfy and more knightly?

 

By the way, is this a GoT House Stark kinda feel to them? Just trying to get a picture in my head!

[Olis]

Okay, if you wish to explore the chapter having Space Wolf geneseed, then you are going to need to figure out how and why someone created just such a chapter. What was the motive to make them?

 

Perhaps it was a matter of necessity, maybe the High Lords envisioned a chapter to combat the forces of Chaos - there had been two Black Crusades in the 39th millennium and this was an attempt to shore up the bulwarks? Or possibly a knee-jerk reaction to Tau expansionism, prior to the Damocles Gulf Crusade? 

 

As for a reason to be a non-codex force? Well, severe losses would do it. It occurred to the Scythes of the Emperor, so there is precedent. Apart from that, I suppose a schism inside the chapter might do it, too. Ideological reasons seem like a good idea but once they affect how the chapter is organised, it would permeate all aspects of life in the chapter, therefore becoming too dominant a facet of the IA, I think.

 

The name. That depends on what you like, I suppose. You could stick to the traditional adjective-noun format (Orange Wombats, for example) or go for something a little bit different like: 

• 'Brotherhood of...'

One official example is the Brotherhood of a Thousand (which is a terrible name imho) but you could easily appropriate this style (and make it sound better).

• 'Sons of...' 

Orar, Medusa, Guilliman, Dorn. It's fairly easy to see where the names come from - heroes, worlds or the primarchs themselves. 

• 'Marines...'

Typically names such as Marines Malevolent, Marines Errant or Marines Exemplar. You could possibly rename your chapter Marines Revenant.*

• 'Angels...'

Sanguine, Vermillion, Porphyr - generally speaking Blood Angel-y related stuff but not limited to them. The Angels Porphyr haven't got a listed primogenitor (yet).

Of Vengeance, of Redemption, of of of... seems to be more of a Dark Angels-y thing.

 

 

*In which case you could explore a more ghost-laden theme, what with the word revenant relating to ghosts/reanimated corpses. Or maybe keep the whole GoT Stark thing going and simply add in a morbid nature with skeletal stylings a la Legion of the Damned.

[Targetlock]

Not a major GoT fan, more aiming towards a feral knight kind of style, there is a norse legend of a ghostly king who rides the sky with his hunting wolves which i quite like, will have to look up the name.

I like the idea of the chapter being formed as a result of a chaos incursion, but just need to come up with the geneseed origin. maybe i could take the lost company or force idea that was the founding portion of the chapter that was later expanded on or something. the lost company being trapped in the warp or something and then finding this home which in similar to fenris they took as sign that it would be their new home and being cut off from the chapter they went their own way. 

by the way the chapter colours are purple with red decorations, chapter symbol being a white sword (easy to paint, looks cool)

possible names (not using Angels, as my chaos force is the Angels of Rot):

 

The Order of the Storm

The Brotherhood of the Storm

Knights of the Wolf

The Revenant Knights

[Banelord]

These guys sound a lot like the “Knights of the White Wolf” from Warhammer and, TBH, would make a good foundation for a space marine chapter. Here’s a link: http://warhammerfb.wikia.com/wiki/Knights_of_the_White_Wolf

[Targetlock]

Okay so after some thinking ive decided to go with the lost company idea, prefer to my original idea. here is a rough idea of what im trying to go for:

Origins

The exact cause of the founding of the Revenant Guard is an unusual one, sometime late in the 38^th millenium, the company led by Erik Whitewolf was caught in a warp storm, seemingly lost forever to darkness, the force eventually appearing lost far from their intended destination in strange lands. Their ship was damaged in the storm and they were forced to crash land, seeing their new home resembled their lost home Fenris, they took this as new sign and made this their new home, Revenant being and the surrounding worlds being cut due to a large surrounding warp storm.

Eventually the storms cleared and eventually imperial contact was re-established with these lost worlds. The lost company had become its own force, a separate and unique inspired and influenced by their home world after many years outcast. The force was stringently investigated by the inquisition and eventually a new chapter was formed and over the years reinforced in number. The Chapter still pays homage to the Space wolves as their founding chapter, though the space wolves remain uncertain of these lost brethren.

Being lost for years would explain the lack of following the codex astartes, and also how the chapter has incorporated the homeworlds ideas and beliefs over the years, also will borrow the idea of the original warriors bringing the wolves with them and breeding them.

could have the original company leader still alive within a dreadnought, counting him as bjorn fellhanded

Any ideas or ways to improve this? plus i think a new name is in order to suit their origins better.

[Targetlock]

any further comments or suggestions?

[Tenebris]

They still feel and act like a version of Space Wolves lite.

 

I would try to distance them from the puppies in character as well as form, I would also avoid tropes like Sword Brothers and the like.

[Targetlock]

okay thanks for the feedback, any suggestions of how to this maybe? any input welcome :) this is a very much work in progress project.

[Tenebris]

My suggestion is to go as far away as possible from the Space Wolves in a general term. 

 

Make the planet a temperate one or even a desert one, make the ranks more in line with the codex (thus suggesting that the chapter adapted to the rule of law etc...) avoid common points with the wolves and so on. 

 

As it is now they read and feel like pure Space Wolves stranded somewhere but still SW at their core. Nothing bad with that but explaining a SW legacy is very tricky (namely the chapter had only one successor and it went bad for them) thus I always advice to avoid it altogether. 

 

Focus for example on the knight character, hell even go full highly civilized as a contrast but try to keep away from the classic Space Wolves idioms and traits. 

 

The geneseed can be a curse, an unknown faculty, the chapter struggles with it and so on and so forth. No need to have pets like the Space Wolves or venerate the wilds, for all that is concerned they could be a chapter stranded in a radioactive wasteland with biological and mutated horrors from the Dark Age which they somehow learned how to tame and use in war... they could even have a Mad Max feel about them. 

 

In short, your article is mirroring almost to the letter the Space Wolf Chapter which can prove to be a problem in the long term as you will advance your narrative and play your army. When you will explain they will not be considered Revenants but just Space Wolves painted in a different manner from the hearing of your fluff. 

 

Last advice, and advice I usually give to those who like to participate in my column Inspirational Friday and here in the Liber. When you devise the background of your army always be mindful of how it will look and feel when you will be explaining it to a fellow player, with your own words. 

 

Follow the "10 min rule" as I call it, a classic in roleplay games. Try to make a presentation of your chapter in 10 minutes of talk, in those 10 minutes you have to convince the audience why your chapter is unique and how do you invoke this on tabletop. 

 

Following this rule your 10 minutes would sound exactly like a Space Wolves Chapter, which is not your aim in the first place. They play similar, but they are not Space Wolves, at least not in the fall of M41.