IA: Crimson Lions

[Sigvard]

Hello All.

A long time ago, I posted about my chapter based on a Spartan theme. There was loads of valid critiscism about making them a bit hammy due to all the references and also because they were a DA successor that had abandoned the hunt for the fallen there was some friction as to the reason. However the Sons of Sparta have been reborn as the Lions of Sparta (Formerly Crimson Lions) who are now a Blood Angels successor (due to me doing much more reading and really getting on with the Blood Angels ethos). I present them to you now for consideration and critique.

 

 

IA:Crimson Lions

The Lions of Sparta

 

Primarch: Sanguinius

Founding Chapter: Blood Angels

Chapter Master: Orion Leonidas

Homeworld: Fleet Based

Fortress Monastery: The Xiphos

Colours: Bronze and Red

Speciality: Anti Xenos Warfare and Close Quarters Combat

Battle Cry: For Sparta, For the Emperor, To the Death

 

Homeworld

Once situated on a feudal world near to the Jericho Sector (now referred to as the Jericho Reach) the chapter less than 700 years ago lost their chapter world and neighbouring recruiting worlds. An Ork uprising lead by a huge Warboss by the name of Starkilla came out of the Jericho Reach and laid waste to a hundred planets before it was stopped in the Paragon System at the gates of Paragon Forge. The course of destruction that Waagh Starkilla took led it right through the heart of the Sparta system which was home to a number of feudal and agricultural worlds and also Sparta V, the chapter planet of the Crimson Lions. With the chapter spread out across the stars the chapter world fell and from that moment the chapter became fleet based and made their duty to exterminate the Ork at any possible opportunity.

 

Origins

The chapter came into being in the 35^th millennium as part of the 20^th founding ordered by the High Lords of Terra. Initially fleet based the chapter was fitted with a large compliment of ships and sent out into the stars to fight the enemies of the Imperium of Man. At inception the chapter was named the Crimson Lions and for the purposes of Imperial records and interaction with the wider Imperium they retain this name, in the beginning they sought out their progenitors to learn of their Primarch and of the  deficiencies that been identified in their bloodline. The Blood Angels taught them of their father Sanguinius and the legacy bestowed upon them by his blood and by the visions of his death, these first years proved difficult for the chapter as the red thirst was strong within them and they had not yet mastered any of its intricacies. But with the guiding hand of their forebears the chapter journeyed once more into the void, whilst still very much under the effects of the Red Thirst and Black Rage the new chapter had taken all the measures taught to them by the Blood Angels to turn them into tools to use against the enemies of the Emperor.

 

So it was the Lions journeyed through the Imperium and built a reputation as fierce warriors and champions of good to the inhabitants of the Imperium. The chapter to this day is strictly loyal to the Codex Astartes and obeys all of its tenets, they found with the codex came focus and with focus came mastery over their affliction. They chose to hone their focus even more and found themselves adeptly skilled at fighting the xenos races that threatened the Imperium on all sides, reciting the tenet “Suffer not the xenos to live” almost as mantra as a religious zealot may do. They adjusted their battle doctrine to specialise in warfare against the xenos afflicting the human race. Flamer weaponry became common in the chapter armoury and many officers were given further training in hand to hand combat against the vile xenos races the chapter would come to fight.

 

The greatest of the chapter’s achievements was liberating the Sparta system from the Ork Empire that held it in its clutches, seeing battle for over a hundred years, the chapter and their Astra Militarum allies wrenched control of the system in a long and bloody feud and were rewarded with the recruiting world of Sparta V.

 

Notable Engagements

.M36 –Crimson Lions are involved in the crusade to drive off Hive Fleet Ouroboris from the Helican Sector. This is the chapter’s first encounter with the Tyranid menace and the find they are adept at taking war to the vile xenos races.

10. M37 - ** Redacted by order of the Inquisition, Ordo Malleus, Chamber Militant**

20. M37 - ** Redacted by order of the Inquisition, Ordo Malleus, Chamber Militant**

811. M37 – 7^th Black Crusade – The Crimson Lions are tied up for many years in a war of attrition with a cell of Alpha Legion operatives, eventually High Chaplain Astinos destroys the cell with a force comprised of chapter veterans and assault marines. 50 years later High Chaplain Astinos is assassinated with no trace of who could have been responsible other than a poisoned serpentine blade left in his heart.

250. M38 – The Spartan Crusade - The Crimson Lions begin a hundred year long war against the Ork Empire deeply rooted in the Sparta system. At the cost of many lives from the joint task force of Astra Militarum and Astartes the system was ripped from the grasp of the Orks. Within 15 years the rich planets of the system were cleansed and settled by the Imperium.

235. M39 – The chapter encounters chaos renegades aboard the Space Hulk Sorrow’s Deliverance. Terminators from the first company are dispatched and purify the ancient vessel and then condemn it to the heart of a star.

995. M40 – The chapter is involved in the reclamation of the corrupted worlds left in the wake of the Macharian Crusade.

320. M41 – Waagh Starkilla invades 100 worlds and leaves the Sparta system in ruins and the chapter without a home world as the Ordo Xenos declares Exterminatus on the Ork infested worlds.

800. M41 – The chapter encounters the Tau for the first time on the planet Castellan III. It is a large expeditionary force on the eastern fringes of the Segmentum Ultima. The chapter suffers heavy losses in the first encounter as the advanced technology of this rapidly advancing race takes its toll.

999. M41 – Orion Leonidas answers the call of Commander Dante and deploys the entire chapter to the Baal system. On route to assist their progenitors a distress call from the Desolation home plane of the Aurora Dragons  is received. Eager to help their sworn brothers they split their battle fleet in two and send 2 full battle companies including the Chief Librarian to assist them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waagh Starkilla

320. M41 – An Ork Warboss by the name on Starkilla assembles a Waagh of millions of Orks and leads an incursion into Imperium territory, over a hundred worlds are assailed by the huge Warboss and his Waagh and left to burn in the wake of Ork rage. A huge task force is assembled consisting of the Imperial Navy, Ordo Xenos, Vindicare Temple and full compliments of the Crimson Lions and Aurora Dragons Astartes chapters. The force is sent to a massive star system which is predicted to be the next target after setting out from the home system of the Crimson Lions which is terms of astral-navigation only a short distance away.. However there were errors in the calculations and Imperial Seers read the signs incorrectly whether through genuine fault or due to some foul influence and on breaking from warp the force encountered no resistance from any hostiles or any trace of hostile forces ever entering the system. It was not long before distress calls were received across the entire fleet coming from multiple planets in the Sparta system, the Ork Waagh had come to the home system of the Crimson Lions and without delay the Fleet set out once more.

 

The journey should have been over within a matter of days after a journey through the warp but once more the Fleet was hampered as warp storms threw the ships from the empyrean and it was many days until they were able to get on their way again. Upon finally entering the system they found it in ruins, the star dock of the Sparta V was ruined and all other planets in the system were ablaze, of the Waagh fleet there was little sign with only a few large Ork vessels in orbit over the homeworld of the Crimson Lions, with fury and precision the Ork vessels were laid to waste by the chapters’ vessels as they sped to answer the only remaining distress signal left in the system coming from their fortress monastery. Deploying on mass with their battle brothers from the Aurora Dragons they made planetfall around their fortress and cleared the Ork forces in a hail of bolter fire and with roaring chainsword blade. All who were left inside the fortress were evacuated along with any relic, heraldic item or war-gear that could be taken, once back with the fleet Scythio Leonidas, Chapter Master of the Crimson Lions saw that he had failed in his duty and was filled with a rage beyond grief and retribution, such was the power of this rage he nearly struck down the Inquisitor who gave the order for system wide Exterminatus.

 

As the fleet departed to cut off the Ork Waagh before it could destroy another system Scythio Loenidas retreated to his private chambers with his High Chaplain and the High Priest of the Sanguinary Order and was not seen again until the fleet broke from the empyrean in the Paragon system where Waagh Starkilla had stopped once more. The Ork fleet surrounded the planet designated Paragon Forge, a huge forge world used by the Adeptus Mechanicus to produce weapons for the local Astra Militarum forces. With a battle plan decided the ground element of the fleet deployed on mass to Paragon Forge. Against the wishes of the war council Scythio Leonidas now clad in artificer armour coloured in the pure black and red of the Death Company deployed via drop pod with entire first company.

 

Alongside them went the 1^st Company and Artair Ros; Chapter Master of the Aurora Dragons, both in agreement that if you cut the head off a snake the body will surely perish. So it was as the two veteran companies created an impenetrable wall of ceramite around their leaders whilst they did battle with mighty Warboss known as Starkilla, the battle was brief and bloody but ultimately ended in the death of Starkilla. The battle cost Scythio his life saving the Aurora Dragons chapter master from a killing blow knowing his life was forfeit due to the Black Rage. When the battle was over Artair Ros took a pledge of brotherhood with the Crimson Lions. When Orion Leonidas was selected to be chapter master he took the Blade of Scythio and reforged it from it shards and took it as his chosen weapon of war, his first action was to declare chapter homeless, they would become fleet based and never take another planet as their own, they would always be known within the chapter as the Lions of Sparta.

 

The Immortals

Being a successor of the Blood Angels almost all of the chapter’s structure can be traced back to their progenitor. Even the inclusion of the Sanguinary Honour Guard, whilst in most Blood Angels successor chapters they fall completely in with the ancient chapter, with the Crimson Lions they are not quite the same. They are known as Immortals, each warrior is an ancient legend with skills beyond almost all of their battle brothers. Upon acceptance into the ranks of the Immortals the Astartes surrenders his former identity takes on that of his predecessor and only will he be selected should one of these mighty warriors fall. He will be given weapons and armour meticulously cared for by the previous bearer, he will take on the name as well. As such the order of Immortals has been eternal since the chapter’s inception, with each member living eternally through each new Astartes taking on his legacy.

 

 

** edit - The  chapter has been renamed the Crimson Lions with only one mention of the Lions of Sparta.

 

[Conn Eremon]

I won't touch the abundance of references, since it appears you've already gone through that and decided to continue with them, but I think changing the name from the Crimson Lions is a mistake. For one, it just sounds like a far superior name than the Lions of Sparta. For another, it feels like it would be the most appropriate as I see your lore's progression going. The 'lions of Sparta' sounds more like a nickname, something that they can be referred to as following their claim on Sparta, but wouldn't transplant the original Crimson Lions. Kind of like how you could have the Dark Angels call themselves the Angels of Caliban on occasion, but you don't see the Crimson Fists becoming Rynn's Fists.

 

I actually did something similar with one of my DIYs. The Guardians of Midas only came to guard the Midas Cluster well after their original formation. But their original name was just the Guardians, and the Chapter became exclusive to the Midas Cluster. So it's not that I think it's impossible. I just think Crimson Lions is the more solid name.

 

Personally, I would keep the Crimson Lions and turn the Lions of Sparta into a subtitle, kind of like how the Imperial Fists were once known as the Emperor's Praetorians. Like as if the article began:

 

Index Astartes: Crimson Lions Chapter

The Lions of Sparta

[Elias]

In my opinion, spartan themed chapter is very good, but you also need to add some more ''sparta'' to it. I mean not only history, but culture, combat doctrine and beliefs. for example involve Phalanxes, greek names and so on. 

[Sigvard]

Thanks for feedback guys, the references are far less than what was previously there. Th Leonidas thing is not going to change as he was the greatest war leader in the history of the actual nation, I like the idea of each chapter master taking on the name of this ancient Terran warrior king.

 

I think. You are right about the name - what is more galling about.that is the fact that the Crimson Lions is an after thought. But I think I will go with what you say and change from that. In terms of making them more Spartany I am running with advice from my previous post a long time ago, a liberal helping of references is better than overdoing it.

 

The chapter draws their names from a pool of Ancient Greek names but many angels successors do that anyway so that is not a big deal, fighting in a phalanx would be a bad idea so that will not happen. The only three other things that have carried over is the name of the Chapter Fortress being the Aspis, the name of a Spartan shield, the Xiphos the Flying Fortress monastery, the Spartan Sword and finally the battle cry, but I think it works. But I think if it was to be any more than that we are in dangerous territory of making the chapter a bit hammy.

[Olis]

Do you have a link to the previous DIY attempt? I think a quick way to access that would be useful to see where you came from and see what has been toned down. 

[Sigvard]

Sorry Olis I don't, it was a long time ago and I pretty much set fire to that version of this Chapter as there was little to positive feedback. I guess I am just wanting people to take this one on its merits as it is a first draft and then if feels right for me I can make the changes that are brought up here.