Tenebris Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Index Astartes <<Chapter Badge>> Chapter of the Broken Seal, Word Bearers Chaos Space Marine Warband [imageright][/imageright]Origins The origins of the Chapter of the Broken Seal are shrouded in myth and allegory though a few facts are known to the imperial scholars of proscribed lore. In the glorious days of the Great Crusade the Chapter of the Broken Seal had the privilege to be one of the "Hundred Faithful", the first one hundred companies of the XVII Legion which left the Sol system to crusade on distant stars. Designated as the 71st Company of the XVIIth Legion, the Chapter of the Broken Seal soon became a byword for iconoclasm, religious persecution and zealous crusading. When Lorgar the Urizen, primarch of the XVIIth Legion joined his sons, the Chapter of the Broken Seal was already a veteran formation among the newly christened Word Bearers and it harbored a reputation for vicious pogroms, forced indoctrination and total compliance of the conquered worlds. A fact which many imperial scholars of the occult speculate nowadays, is that the Chapter of the Broken Seal did practice the outlawed collection, transcription and archiving of proscribed and esoteric texts, thus heralding its descent to Chaos. Tacitus of Caladona writes in his "Essay of the Fallen" that the Chapter of the Broken Seal fought at the forefront of the Horus Heresy acting as a "medical corps", guarding over the wounded and the dying and hosting injured astartes on board their fleet of hospital ships. This humanitarian role earned the Chapter great renown among the forces of Warmaster Horus and allowed the Broken Seal to survive the Horus Heresy relatively unscathed and reinforced by the many astartes who owed their lives to the 71st Host. Following the events of the Horus Heresy and the dire years of the Scouring, the astartes of the Chapter of the Broken Seal appear several times in the imperial records depicted as heralds of Chaos and zealous crusaders of the Dark Gods. The actions of this Word Bearers warband could be divined in many military campaigns and pogroms forced upon the Imperium of Man, especially in the Segmentum Obscurus. It is clear that the Chapter of the Broken Seal is still active by the fall of M41, and Inquisitorial reports suggest sightings of its distinctive threefold rune as far as in the Calixis Sector. Home World The Chapter of the Broken Seal, like many other Hosts of the Word Bearers legion, commands several holds and shrines upon blessed Sicarus, the adopted home world of the XVIIth Legion. The most prominent hold of the 71st Host is the Library of Vellum, an imposing library keep where countless priceless manuscripts, data-slates and scrolls are sheltered. Along with this most important fortress monastery, the Chapter of the Broken Seal maintains the legendary Toreni Agoge, a scholam where astartes and helots alike study the mysteries of faith, medicine and warfare. On the daemonic forge of Ghalmek, in the depths of the Maelstrom, the Chapter of the Broken Seal controls the important "Observatory of Ghur", a facility of astrological and astronomical research. In its long history the Chapter of the Broken Seal conquered countless worlds though since the escape of the XVIIth legion into the Eye of Terror no less than three dozen worlds were consecrated to the Pantheon by the crusading 71st Host. Many of this worlds were given as a tribute to the Dark Council, various Chaos factions and other Word Bearers Hosts in return for warriors, daemonic engines and military support. Currently the Chapter of the Broken Seal maintains a nominal control over two hive worlds, Radotopia and Elenopolis, both located on the edge of the Eye of Terror and in the process of compliance and indoctrination. Combat Doctrine <<Information on the Chapter’s combat doctrine>> Gnoetic Purgation Iconoclasm Aniconism Censorship of proscribed texts; Index Librorum Prohibitorum Domus Sapientia Organisation According to the tenets of the Word the 71st Host is organised around the Cohort, a formation of 12 warriors and the building block of the Chapter of the Broken Seal. It is the Cohorts that provide the line unit of the Chapter and each of this space marine squads is led by an Aspiring Champion holding the rank of Sergeant. Groups of three Cohorts are collected into a formation known as a Coterie commanded by a Lieutenant, a junior officer which serves the Chapter as a field commander. There are three Lieutenant ranks, 1st, 2nd and 3rd, representing the seniority of a junior officer. Several Coteries are linked into a Company which is led by a Battle Captain which often acts as a Delegatus according to the decree of the Dark Apostle. It is the Battle Captains who command the ships of the 71st Host fleet, lead the war operations and rituals upon a battlefield and who also act as a council of peers for the Chapter's Coryphaus. The Coryphaus is the overall commander in chief of the 71st Host, the most senior officer of the Chapter and the official Master of Rites. It is the duty of the Coryphaus to command the war effort, plan the main strategies and enact the rituals required by the Dark Apostle. The general persecution of a military campaign as well as its logistic and strategic planning are also the province of the Coryphaus. The sole commander, leader and spiritual guide of the 71st Host, is the Dark Apostle, who acts as the Chapter's representative in the Dark Council and its high priest. It is the vision of the Dark Apostle which drives forth the 71st Host and it is the duty of this master of faith to see the compact between the warriors and the Pantheon honored and enacted. Alongside the line formations and its commanders the Chapter of the Broken Seal maintains a host of specialist ranks like Sorcerers, Warpsmiths and Chirumeks who are responsible for the technological and esoteric resources of the Chapter. It is the duty of this consuls to serve the Chapter in their faculty and to align their charges to the will of the Pantheon. It should be noted that there is a vast but clearly defined organisation of helots who act in support to the Chapter of the Broken Seal. Many of this units are organized like the main astartes units, in multiples of 12 or according to the tenets of the Word, yet some elements like the Brass Diaconate and the Annointed are separate from the command structure of the 71st Host but act in parallel to its command, owing their allegiance the first to the Dark Mechanicus and the second to the Coryphaus. Beliefs <<Information on the Chapter’s beliefs and warrior cult>> Orthodoxy Orthopraxy Monastic Code Eight Seals Nine Secrets Six Words Seven Invocations Gene-Seed The gene-seed adopted by the Chapter of the Broken Seal in the creation of its astartes and the cultivation of space marine organs is mostly of the XVIIth Legion stock, the Word Bearers. The gene-banks of the Chapter are said to hold a vast repository of the legion gene-seed and the 71st Host actively expands its warrior clades in order to keep them in line with the tenets of the Word. Unlike many other Word Bearer Hosts the Chapter of the Broken Seal is known to employ "Chimeric" sources of geneseed in the creation of its warriors, in the firm belief that all space marines are equal in the Word and every son, cousin or brother is allowed to become one with Chaos. This belief contrasts with the many orthodox practices of the Chapter of the Broken Seal yet it is undeniably one of its sources of strength, allowing for many talents, doctrines and attitudes to work in concert in the Word. Chapter Motto The Chapter of the Broken Seal wades into battle chanting the litanies of the Word or whispering dire curses. If there are words by which the 71st Host lives and dies, those words are the following: "The ink of a scholar is more holy than the blood of a martyr." Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/305085-index-traitoris-word-bearers-chapter-of-the-broken-seal/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenebris Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Index Astartes <<Chapter Badge>> Chapter of the Broken Seal, Word Bearers Chaos Space Marine Warband [imageright][/imageright]Origins - Extended The Chapter of the Broken Seal begun its existence as a company among the fabled "Hundred Faithful", the first one hundred companies of what was the XVIIth Legion, soon to be known as the Imperial Heralds. The official designation of the Chapter was the 71st Company and under this numeral it has fought in the last battles for the Sol system, alongside with the other proto-legions and the already infamous Wolves of Luna. The Chapter of the Broken Seal grew in number in the first years of the Great Crusade, the first influx of recruits scheduled to reinforce the existing companies and bring them to a chapter level of strength. It was in this years full of hope and dreams that the XVIIth has revealed its true vocation and grim demeanor, receiving the moniker Iconoclasts among the other astartes legions. The Chapter of the Broken Seal was partly responsible for such an infamous name, namely because the 71st Host was know as very ardent enforcers of the Imperial Truth and hunters of the apostate and the impure. It was the 71st Host that raided and burned the legendary library temples on Fabiona Secundus, it was the 71st Host that shattered the forces of the Arch-Philosopher Nerias of Nur and it was the 71st Host that hunted down and destroyed the vile Witches of Ambrosia, a powerful sect of female sorceresses. It was pogroms like these and many others that earned the XVIIth legion the moniker Iconoclasts and the Chapter of the Broken seal was always at the forefront of this wars of faith and doctrine, presenting the ruthless nature of the new Imperium of Man and acting as some of the most zealous hunters of the witch, mutant and heretic. When the XVIIth Legion was rejoined by its primarch, Lorgar the Urizen, Aurelian of Colchis, the integration between the two was one of the smoothest among the Legiones Astartes yet it heralded many changes for the Chapter. Even before the first teachings of Lorgar came to pass unto his sons the Chapter of the Broken Seal was know for its zealotry in the persecution of everything and everyone which offended the nascent Imperium, yet this was in truth only their public face. Unknown to most, even to their brothers, the Chapter of the Broken Seal harbored a secret which in time proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Always considering themselves as scholars many astartes of the Broken Seal wept when they had to burn proscribed texts and scrolls, thus many of them begun to secretly hoard this lost and dire knowledge of mankind, the xeno and the spirits associated with it. It was considered normal for the Word Bearers to read the illegal books first before they were put to the pyre yet the Broken Seal transgressed in that they copied many of them or spared entire libraries form the hungering flames unleashed by the Ashen Circle. Slowly the data banks of the Chapter ships were filled with esoteric lore, countless secrets, half-truths, prophecies and rituals considered initially an indulgence but what soon became an obsession. It is said that the astartes of the Broken Seal are draped in secrets and this applies still nowadays, yet what was a dire transgression once, soon became one of the main assets of the Chapter. When the first revelation begun to filter down from the Chaplains to the warriors, when the first tenants of the "new faith" were written and when the first rituals were enacted, the Chapter of the Broken Seal was surprised to see most of their proscribed text sequestered by the Chaplains for further study, and when the Captains voiced their opposition to what was perceived a theft of their greatest achievement, most had to die. It is unknown how many astartes were purged for their affront to Lorgar and his ministers of faith yet when it was clear that many deaths were orchestrated and many a vocal opposition was silenced the Chapter of the Broken Seal tightened its ranks and sealed its data-cores, allowing for only snippets of arcana and lore to filter out to those seeking their hard earned knowledge. For fifty years every book, every iota of data, every cuneiform text were painstakingly restored, hidden and sealed from the prying eyes of their brothers and their enemies. As the Horus Heresy unfolded, the Chapter of the Broken Seal, as the 71st Host was known due to its guardianship of lost texts and data-banks, acted as one of the main line formations of the XVIIth Legion, serving upon the treacherous battlefield of Istvaan V, in the Battle for Calth and later on in the long years of the Shadow Crusade. In all those years the Chapter fought with dire zealotry and drive, feeling vindicated for their acquisition of forbidden lore and the secrets they harbored close to their chest. Countless are the atrocities committed by the Broken Seal in those years yet it is the burning of the Library of Thasos, a monument to human knowledge guarded by the 191st Company of the Ultramarines, that earned them the praise of their Primarch. Lorgar ordered the library burned but not before its data-banks were purged and the arcane formuale of its philosophers taken from them by the psychics of the XVIIth legion. An entire world was shrouded in ignorance, a theatrical show of force said to have enraged Lord Guilliman a lot. On Terra the Chapter of the Broken Seal fought in the rearguard, maintaining the few operational drop zones, guarding the rear echelons of the Word Bearers host and providing healing and recovery to the weary warriors who have been battering themselves upon the high walls of the Imperial Palace for days on end. The historians of the XVIIth legion attest that it was not the marital might that earned the Chapter of the Broken Seal the gratitude of the Dark Council and the Legion but it was it unbreakable loyalty to the Word, its observation of ritual and law, but above all, its noble conduct as one of the most active hospitaler detachments of the Traitor Legions. By the end of the Horus Heresy the Chapter of the Broken Seal acted as a medical formation and most of its ships were in fact hospital-ships on which many a warrior was restored to life after a deadly battle. In those dire days the Chapter of the Broken Seal spent its coin good, earning the respect of many legion commanders, warriors and serfs and spending it later on in favors and contracts. On the walls of the Imperial Palace the threefold rune of the Chapter of the Broken Seal was a heavenly sight for the wounded and dying as were the many Apothecaries and Chaplains which ministered to the fallen warriors of the legions. Warriors like Centurion Dugal of the World Eaters legion and Kammik Lenotar of the Iron Warriors owed their lives and the lives of their men to the Broken Seal and later joined the Chapter in its flight from Terra. When the Battle for Terra was lost and the legions fled, the Broken Seal ferried the many dead and dying into the Eye of Terror and settled with its legion upon blessed Sicarus. In time the Chapter of the Broken Seal was rebuilt yet no longer it acted in its missionary role but was tasked to fight in the vicious Slave Wars and the wars of conquest ordered by the Dark Council. For centuries, or weeks, or days the Chapter of the Broken Seal fought and bleed for the XVIIth Legion and so it does still now. Be it a Black Crusade, a major incursion into Realspace or wars of faith and conquest, the Chapter of the Broken Seal is always at the forefront of them, sometimes acting in the vanguard as a host of zealous crusaders, sometimes serving in the rearguard, healing, restoring, guiding their brethren of the XVIIth and other brother legions. Home World - Extended The Chapter of the Broken Seal has a long and storied history of service to the Word Bearers legion, a service which was rewarded by the Dark Council when the Word Bearers relocated their legion on blessed Sicarus. The reward for the long centuries of diligent and unwavering service to the Word was given in the form of the Library of Vellum, a towering monastery fortress located in the western region of holy Sicarus. The Library of Vellum was engineered by the ancient architect of the legion, Devanasius of Rhorum, a controversial figure who was one of the few libertines tolerated by the dour Word Bearers due to his incredible talent in architecture and martial engineering. In an age past Devanasius was responsible for the creation of many magnificent monuments to the Emperor like the Sanctuary of Zera and the Cathedral of the Holy Quest, all sponsored by the XVIIth Legion thus it is understandable that his prodigal genius was employed by the Word Bearers in their consecration of Sicarus. One of the most impressive works of Devanasius, now a champion of the Dark Prince himself, is the mighty Library of Vellum, a towering fortress with tall and imposing towers, vast domes and an elaborate arched front. This monastery was given as a reward to the Chapter of the Broken Seal and many of its features were built to the exact specifications of the warrior scholars of the 71st Host. The Library of Vellum itself is one of the most important shelters of knowledge and dark lore on blessed Sicarus. It is said that the Chapter of the Broken Seal wrote a myriad of books to fill its shelves and emptied the data-banks of its fleet, pouring esoteric, medical and philosophical knowledge on a specially treated human skin vellum known as "Thaluk" or "Smoked Parchment" due to its ashen appearance, hence the name of the monastery. The Library of Vellum is the main hold of the 71st Host on Sicarus but not the only. The Chapter of the Broken Seal maintains a presence in various shrines across the planet as well as it commands the Harbor of the Lost, a small spaceport in the northern region of Sicarus. Before the Horus Heresy the Chapter of the Broken Seal recruited mostly from the feudal world of Yropica, known for its many warrior-monk sects, as well as from holy Colchis, but both fiefdoms were relinquished when the legion retired to the Eye of Terror. Currently the Chapter of the Broken Seal controls two words on the fringes of the Realm of the Eye, Radotopia and Elenopolis, both hive worlds conquered by the Chapter several decades ago. It should be noted that at least three dozen worlds were conquered by the Chapter of the Broken Seal since the dire days of the Horus Heresy, dutifully consecrated to the Pantheon and offered to the Dark Council for administration and tithing. Several of this worlds were restored to the imperial fold and three were destroyed recently by the Tyranid xenoforms, one, Henan III, was savaged by a Hrud invasion a decade ago. The Chapter of the Broken Seal maintains only a nominal right over the conquered worlds and sometimes uses them to levy troops for its crusades. On Ghalmek the Chapter of the Broken Seal was offered a permanent fortress, the Graven Wall, but the command of the Chapter elected to relinquish the right over the fortress in return for the "Observatory of Ghur", a tower used by the legion to study the astral phenomena and to divine the eternal tides of the Warp, a pursuit much honored on Ghalmek in its eternal quest for knowledge. In truth the most known bastion of the Chapter of the Broken Seal is the Toreni Agoge, an academy where both Word Bearers and many of their helots study various fields of knowledge, ranging from naval combat and doctrine, to the healing proprieties of lesser spirits and entities. Only the most perspective servants of the legion are allowed into the Toreni Agoge of which only the most capable ones survive its ruthless training and study regime. It is said that Toreni of the Annunake himself still imparts his many lessons from the confines of his Ferrum Infernus sarcophagus. Combat Doctrine - Extended <<Information on the Chapter’s combat doctrine>> Gnoetic Purgation Iconoclasm Aniconism Censorship of proscribed texts; Index Librorum Prohibitorum Domus Sapientia Organisation - Extended <<Information on the Chapter’s organization/organisation>> 71st Host 71st Company Cohorts, Demicohorts, Decurions Dark Apostle Coryphaus Beliefs - Extended <<Information on the Chapter’s beliefs and warrior cult>> Orthodoxy Orthopraxy Monastic Code Eight Seals Nine Secrets Six Words Seven Invocations Gene-Seed - Extended The Chapter of the Broken Seal, much like its brother chapters, maintains a gene-bank with the adeptus astartes geneseed of the XVIIth Legion along with samples of gene-material from the other legions, samples acquired on the many battlefields in the Imperium of Man and in the dreaded Eye of Terror. The majority of the genetic material used to create new space marines as well as to replicate the astartes organs for advanced surgeries comes from the gene-banks of the Word Bearers and its purity is maintained to exacting standard though additional purification cycles are required due to the baleful influence of the Warp, an influence which often results in unpredictable mutations or outright abominations, all culled before they spread onto the other genetic samples. The chosen specimens for the genforging are harvested from the vast slave pens on Sicarus or from the conquered cultures, an ancient practice of the Word Bearers legion and still conducted by the Chapter of the Broken Seal. These specimens are subject to a brutal training and conditioning regime, a regime which was already proven in the halcyon days of the Great Crusade and perfected during the holy wars of the Horus Heresy. The Chapter of the Broken Seal maintains the quota demanded by the Dark Council and it is even able to tithe some of its warriors to other, less fortunate Chapters. It is a long standing tenant of the Word that for every fallen warrior two should rise from his ashes, thus the Chapter's Harvesting Station is always operational and scores of aspirants are being geneforged at any given time. The implantation process of the Word Bearer geneseed is a ritual led by the Dark Acolyte and the host of the Chirumeks and Apothecaries of the Chapter. The aspirant receives the astartes organs as he progresses in his understanding of the Word and his role in it. Usually the Chapter of the Broken Seal inducts the newly geneforged into the depleted Cohorts where they learn the mysteries of faith and the necessary skills for a space marine of the Word Bearers legion. On the argument of the geneseed recovered from enemy warbands and loyalist chapters, the Chapter of the Broken Seal maintains a strict policy, all must embrace the Word and all can be born into it so the Apothecaries are allowed to geneforge astartes from the various "Chimeric" sources recovered from the many battlefields. Sometimes this policy has led to some friction between the "pure" and the "impure" astartes but all dissent was ruthlessly quelled and many an officer of the Chapter is not of the XVIIth Legion bloodline. The battlefield recovery of the geneseed is usually conducted by the Apothecarion Echelon of the Chapter which is assisted by a host of helots trained in the healing arts, battlefield surgery and in the principles of bionic reconstruction. The Chapter of the Broken Seal, like its brother chapters, employs the so called "Daemon Flesh" to recreate working limbs and appendages as well as to restore function to the mauled Helbrutes and other Daemonic Engines. Chapter Motto - Extended The Chapter of the Broken Seal has not a specific battle-cry since its warriors prefer to chant unholy songs or recite the tenants of the Word as they fight their enemies. If there is one creed by which the Chapter of the Broken Seal lives and dies is the following: "The ink of a scholar is more holy than the blood of a martyr."An ancient maxim which exemplifies the creed followed by the astartes of the Broken Seal Chapter. The words come from an ancient Terran proverb and are said to be inscribed on the first page of every tome written by the Chapter. Always the scholars, the space marines of the Broken Seal often quote this revered hadeeth and strive to spill more ink than blood in their service to the Pantheon. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/305085-index-traitoris-word-bearers-chapter-of-the-broken-seal/#findComment-3994722 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenebris Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 Index Astartes <<Chapter Badge>> Chapter of the Broken Seal, Word Bearers Chaos Space Marine Warband [imageright][/imageright]The Word and the place of the Broken Seal in it <<Information on the orthodox view of the Word and the chapter's role in it>> We seal the secrets within ourselves, for only in our minds they are hidden, and guarded from prying eyes. Only when the time is right and the Pantheon speaks to us we reveal these secrets and reap the benefits of our knowledge. Alliances, Compacts, Feuds <<Information on the Chapter’s relationships>> Allied under the law of Legion accord with Abaddon the Despoiler and the warbands fighting the 13th Black Crusade, Compact with several warriors from the other legions, bonded by the Word Chapter Fleet The Megillot, Desolator-Class Battleship http://shrani.si/f/t/l9/4my8Utzx/1/chaoswarbandofthebrokens.png <<Information on the Chapter’s naval assets>> Desolator-Class Battleship Repulsive-Class Battlecruiser Idolator-Class Raider Squadron Cults, Serfs, Bondsmen <<Information on the Chapter’s mortal assets>> Daemonic Hosts <<Information on the Chapter’s dealings with the Neverborn>> Accolades, Triumphs, Honors <<Information on the Chapter’s achievements>> Current strength and operations of the Chapter <<The Chapter’s current situation>> 272 Adeptus Astartes Operating in the rear echelons of the 13th Black Crusade, Subjugation of conquered imperial worlds, Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/305085-index-traitoris-word-bearers-chapter-of-the-broken-seal/#findComment-3999316 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olis Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Moved to the Liber. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/305085-index-traitoris-word-bearers-chapter-of-the-broken-seal/#findComment-4030809 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenebris Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 Thanks. The Chapter of the Broken Seal is a pet project of mine. Feel free to provide insight, comments and critique on the matter. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/305085-index-traitoris-word-bearers-chapter-of-the-broken-seal/#findComment-4030810 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.