Steel Crusaders; a chapter grown from disgrace

[Black Templar 307th Comp.]

The player: SO I started 40k in about 2010 or 2011, right towards the end of 5th. I loved the Black Templars (and that's still where my heart is), but once they folded that chapter into the codex; I decided to expand my horizons. If they'd just given us our own codex, I'd be a BT only player to this day. But my stance is if they're going to give me a codex, I am going play the whole codex. I started playing White Scars lists, Iron Hands lists, Salamanders lists...but I wasn't going to buy and paint a bunch of new models just to play these different armies. Hell, I haven't painted everything I owned for the BT army yet. So I decided at some point along the way, that my boys needed to have their own chapter. So this will be the thread where I track their fluff, their progress and how I go about things. They started as the Van Halen Crusade, a Black Templars crusade named for their founder, Marshal Edward Van Halen (I'm a hair metal fan), and they're now becoming their own chapter and I'll be painting future acquisitions into this new scheme.

 

The Fluff

 

Overview

They made it sound like a great honor, a reward for his service to the Deathwatch. Upon returning to the Black Templars, Sword Brother Edward Van Halen was promoted to Marshal, given a small group of neophytes and initiates and sent to Sector 307 of the galaxy to try and secure the natural resources there in the name of the Imperium. They made it sound like an honor; but "Marshal" Van Halen knew what it really was; it was a death sentence. Shrouded in secrecy and sealed by the Inquisition, few know the full story of his service in the Deathwatch. Rumors surround his kill team. Rumors of disgrace and heresy. The Inquisition was thorough, but found no evidence of the charges. In the absence of evidence it was decided to remove the team from the Deathwatch and ship them back to their home chapters to be dealt with. The Black Templars decided to send Van Halen on a suicide mission with a bunch of young, inexperienced Initiates and neophytes who were considered to have "little potential". They sent him to a contested sector of the galaxy rich in resources, but also rife with xenos and chaos saying "If you are innocent, then The Emperor will protect you." The sector is violently fought over by Necrons, Chaos Forces, Tyranids, Tau, Orks, Eldar, Dark Eldar...all competing for a group of star systems and their abundant resources. Even allies in this sector are wary of the disgraced Marshal; he frequently clashes with Grey Knights in the area as well as the Paladins, a space marine chapter who has had struggles of their own fighting the xenos in the area.

 

However, the cunning Marshal has survived and thrived. Establishing a fortress monastery on Sizerion; an almost inhospitable world far from its sun, steeped in cold and snow. The Van Halen Crusade grew in this place and flourished, winning many victories in the Name of the Emperor. Though the cloud of suspicion still hangs over his head, his success has been undeniable. Grudgingly, Terra approved the most meager means of support to the Van Halen Crusade as they secured several major mining planets. Realizing that the Black Templars' focus and scope was too limited, Marshal Van Halen began to diversify his tactics; employing tactics he learned and observed from those he met in the Deathwatch. Seeking the guidance of those who knew these tactics better than he, Marshal Van Halen reached out through contacts to his former kill team members. The High Lords of Terra made an offer to Van Halen: Most of the members of his suspect kill team had proven as resilient as he had. Fielding constant complaints from the various Adeptus Astartes chapters to whom they had returned the members of the suspected heretics to; the High Lords of Terra offered to transfer these men to the Black Templars under Marshal Van Halen's command. The Marshal eagerly accepted, knowing the men to be innocent and knowing he could trust them.

 

At first, the marines showed up and attempted to blend into the Black Templars. However it became clear that these men still held loyalty to their chapters in their hearts. Instead of forcing them to fit into the Black Templars mold, Van Halen made one more request of Terra; allow him to found his own chapter moving forward. The High Lords agreed, with the Inquisition advising them that if these men ever proved to actually be heretics, they'd all be in one place and they wouldn't disgrace their former chapters.  Chapter Master Van Halen christened his new chapter the Steel Crusaders, the name paying honor to the chapters Black Templar roots. 

 

So Far only a few of the disgraced kill team members are known, along with their original chapters. They are listed by their new ranks in the Steel Crusaders:

 

Chapter Master Edward Van Halen, Black Templars

Vanguard Commander David Lee Roth, Master of the "Jump", Black Templars

Captain Vince Neil, White Scars

Master of the Forge Zakk Wylde, Iron Hands

Master Librarian Michael Starr, Blood Angels

Master Librarian Ozzy Osbourne, Ultramarines

Captain Gene Simmons, The Purifier of Flame, Salamanders

Master Apothecary (Name Unknown) "Dr. Feelgood", Chapter Unknown (The Doc's a weird guy) 

 

 

Colors: Red, Black and White

 

The Steel Crusaders look a little strange at present. Instead of changing the armor of existing marines, many of the senior officers and veterans retain their Black Templar armor. In fact, many of the more decorated and experienced members of the Steel Crusaders are the inexperienced Black Templars who showed "little potential" that were shipped out with the Marshal to share his fate. Thus far none of the Steel Crusaders who have been recruited since have received their Crux Terminatus, nor have any of them earned a place amongst the chapter's Sternguard Veterans or Vanguard Veterans. However, several tactical squads have earned their power armor, and as time goes on, more of these men will rise in the ranks and join or supplant their former Black Templar superiors.

 

The Steel Crusaders retain the Black Templar cross as a symbol. Their armor is painted red, with black and white accents. Their shoulders are white borders, with silver crosses on a black field. Their vehicles are painted red, black or white, with crazy stripes in the other two colors painted erratically over the hull with little seeming reason or rhyme.

 

Gene-Seed: Imperial Fists/Black Templars. Despite several estranged members of other chapters calling the fledgling chapter home, they're considered a Black Templars successor officially. Thus their gene-seed is from that stock.

 

Combat Doctrine: The Right Tool for the Right Job

 

"A wise man ignores the politics of Guilliman; but only a fool ignores his tactics."

--Chapter Master Edward Van Halen of the Steel Crusaders

 

At first, Chapter Master Van Halen was a devout follower of the Black Templars' ideals. Emphasis on swordsmanship and close combat were his hallmark. Indeed, Van Halen was an exemplary Black Templar in his time with the chapter; attaining the rank of Sword Brother and earning his terminator honors. His red axe with its black and white stripes struck fear into the hearts of those who saw it swinging across the battlefield. It was because of his excellence that he was selected to the Deathwatch, after all. After intermingling with marines from other chapters and fighting under commanders who believed in a different way; Edward saw a benefit in being flexible. His original allotment for his crusade weren't great swordsmen, so he put bolters in their hands and staged ambushes and skirmishes in his early battles. When they established their manufactorum and began getting more advanced war gear, the Chapter Master would constantly refer back to his time in the Deathwatch. He borrowed biker tactics from White Scars. He borrowed combat formations form the Ultramarines. He encouraged his tech priests and Techmarines to show the same level and reverence and devotion to their craft as the Iron Hands did. The greatest strength of the Steel Crusaders is their flexibility; the ability to adapt to the situation at hand without needing to uphold chapter traditions that might lead to poor tactical decisions. The greatest asset of the Steel Crusaders is the mind of their commander, and the fact that he's bringing his officers along to follow in his mold.

 

Founding: 26th

[Arendious]

While cribbing character names whole-cloth is a time honored tradition in 40k (Looking at you, Inquisitor Clouseau), you might consider a little bit of disguise work on your leaders. 'Ozymandius Ausboorne' mayhaps?

 

I do like the concept of a bunch of problem children being plunked together and forced to found a chapter.

[Black Templar 307th Comp.]

While cribbing character names whole-cloth is a time honored tradition in 40k (Looking at you, Inquisitor Clouseau), you might consider a little bit of disguise work on your leaders. 'Ozymandius Ausboorne' mayhaps?

 

I do like the concept of a bunch of problem children being plunked together and forced to found a chapter.

 

That I might do, the thought has crossed my mind. Im still very early in the writing process. I'll bear it in mind going forward.

[Chronotonic]

Haha

 

Dr Feelgood

[Arendious]

"Relax, Brother, he'll make you feel alright."

 

Edit: Just thought of something to consider. What becomes of the gene-seed of your command team, once they finally fall? Passed on in the chapter, or returned to their previous units?

[Chronotonic]

I see dreadnought guys running around saying

 

"back in my old chapter we did it this way and we were happy about it too"

[Brother Jynx]

Let me model a Librarian for you, gonna put the sunglasses on him!

[Hallowedsons]

Ozzy Osbourne.... Great lore though man! However, from what I just read it sounds like their actual battlestrength isn't much higher then a company.... So maybe they should receive more geneseed. And what is their recruiting world?

[Black Templar 307th Comp.]

Ozzy Osbourne.... Great lore though man! However, from what I just read it sounds like their actual battlestrength isn't much higher then a company.... So maybe they should receive more geneseed. And what is their recruiting world?

Haven't settled on a recruiting word yet. As for strength, well they're strong enough to field 3000 points, lol. Not sure how strong that would be off the top of my head. No more than 200 armored marines?

[Chronotonic]

It would be company strength

 

 

Or a bit close to it anyway

[Chronotonic]

But if you go bare bones tact squad you could get a few more squads in 10 would put you are 2k without rhinos

[Black Templar 307th Comp.]

Ozzy Osbourne.... Great lore though man! However, from what I just read it sounds like their actual battlestrength isn't much higher then a company.... So maybe they should receive more geneseed. And what is their recruiting world?

Can a chanpter have more than one source of Geneseed?

[Olis]

Can a chanpter have more than one source of Geneseed?

 

Strictly speaking, no. A Chapter could, given circumstance, have more than one recruiting world, however.

[Delta E.T]

You made me giggle mate. Cool chapter

[Castellan Snaeper]

I like it, I agree that playing around with the spelling of the names should be considered. 

 

As a note, consider the specifics of the creation of the chapter should be sealed by the Inquisition (so they could state they were simply removing a heretical chapter and wipe their hands of the whole ordeal), because the Sons of Medusa are famously known for being the only Chapter founded by breaking away from another.

 

So I'm not saying that what you've got going on can't happen, it just can't be publicly known, and the Inquisition is good at keeping things like this on the down-low, so you should be good.