The Grail Wardens: a Liber Astartes Group Project

[Sir Perfluous]

Alright, so this is what I've got so far:

 

The Carmine Cardinals, the Knights Resplendant, the Crimson Knights, the Silver Sons (unless you wanted them to be added later?), and the Sanguinary Crusaders all took part of what becomes known as the Red Crusade.

 

During the crusade, they fought back the tides of chaos to the world of Golgotha. During this battle, a rift opened. This would doom the entire campaign, and so Librarians of the chapters got together and put their essence (or whatever), into an object (it can already be shaped as a grail, or the grail can be made around it). The grail would have to be constantly protected, because if it leaves the world, it's power fades and the rift reopens. However, Golgotha is heavily corrupted. Chaos mutants, mutated wildlife, left over cultists, and warbands constantly attack the temple where the grail was stored. So the four chapters swore a pact (adding their blood to the grail [unless the blood was the blood of the Librarians?]). So long as all four chapters lived, they would send men to guard the grail. So were born the Grail Wardens.

 

Centuries later (or a thousand years later, which would be better?), two of the chapters had stopped providing men. Reasons aren't really known to the other chapters (but maybe the men at the temple know. I mean they would still have men there until they died or returned).

 

At first this wasn't seen as an issue, as the forces of chaos had been kept at bay.

 

But eventually, all communication from the Temple had ceased. The last communication said that there was an unknown traitor in their midst, and that they needed more men urgently. The enemy had strengthened.

 

 

The chapters that still existed sent a force to examine the situation while they gathered to hold council (all that were left). They had decided to find the chapters sired by the missing ones, that their blood was still bound by the oath. They sent out to get them.

 

Meanwhile, the task force sent to Golgotha arrived to find the place ransacked by mutants and horrors (not the daemons of Tzeentch, but like horrible things). They reported back that replacements were no longer enough. The grail was gone, and the planet was lost. A fully fledged crusading force would be necessary. They put it forth with the utmost urgency, for the rift had not yet reopened, but would soon. If it did, the sector would be lost once more. They also found one survivor. A member of the Knights Resplendent. (This whole part, in my head, is dark and eerie like a horror movie... with space marines).

 

At the same time, the Black Hands warband and several other cultist armies and warbands attacked the whole of the sector. The rift slowly began opening again, and more worlds were lost.

 

And now we are where we are. The new chapters have been brought in (Sir Perfs, the Crimson Host, the Red Sentinels, the Silver Sons). The original chapters that survived are also gathering their forces.

 

 

 

Phase One: Gathering

Phase Two: Securing the System.

Phase Three: The retaking of Golgotha (maybe the task force sent died, or maybe they left, either way, a good place to start a quest would be to start where the events began).

Phase Four: TBD

I like this. It brings in a few ideas we haven't discussed, but I think they work well. The one thing I would like to add is that I always envisioned a great desperate battle after the Grail was discovered to be lost, which enabled the rift to be sealed temporarily. If all the chapters came together in response to the call from Golgotha, found the Wardens destroyed by the hand of Chaos and the betrayal of the Knights Resplendant, then began one final battle together as the daemons from the Warp began to spill out along with Mr Nasty. It would also probide a less mysterious way to kill of the Carmine Cardinals and any other now extinct chapters.

 

I'm not just trying... I dunno, to get some of the glory for my chapter or something... pfft, no, I wouldn't do that...

 

But seriously, good ideas.

 

In your summary, did the descendants of the original Crusaders send squads to Golgotha?

Edited September 18, 2015 by Sir Perfluous

[Arkangilos]

the idea behind the Crimson Cardinals not dying here is that this isn't supposed to be some defining thing for the chapters involved (at least in my head), rather some common thing out chapters did, as a sort of famous action.

The Crimson Cardinals died out before the events happened, but no one bothered to replace them because no one saw a need. That is, until hell started breaking loose again.

It's not that we want their death to be mysterious, it's just their death doesn't involve the situation here. So basically it's not a mystery because we want it to be, it's one because it has nothing to do with this campaign.

 

ALTHOUGH! It makes for a good title... "The Last Cardinal."

 

Maybe the last one alive sacrificed himself in a way that slowed the rift's opening.Their chapter was wiped out decades before, but the ten that were stationed there lived on. 

 

Finally, before this all happened there was only one left, and he was instrumental in delaying the inevitable long enough to give the Imperium time to react.

 

His sacrifice would be the last heroic deed his chapter would commit... And it would be forgotten. (Oooo that's depressing).

Edited September 18, 2015 by Arkangilos

[Kelborn]

Nice job! I'm with you Arkangilos but I as well think that we should add a huge battle like Sir Perf mentioned.

[Arkangilos]

Well the original people did have a huge battle. They didn't just vanish, lol.

 

The newer chapters won't be part of that battle, though. Just the original wardens that were there.

Edited September 18, 2015 by Arkangilos

[Sir Perfluous]

His sacrifice would be the last heroic deed his chapter would commit... And it would be forgotten. (Oooo that's depressing).

That is awesome. Regardless of what we end up implementing, this is being included. I command it.

 

 

The thing is, though, that the newer chapters have very little to do with the story as it stands (again, I'm not saying this purely because I'm playing one of them!). Their ancestor was part of a thing, and now some people are telling them that it's really important that they find a thing, so the they go off and do it. They need a more personal connection, I think, and that battle could give it to them.

Edited September 18, 2015 by Sir Perfluous

[Arkangilos]

There will be plenty of opportunities for the descendant chapters to have heroic stands. But the idea was that they were called in *after* the need was found (ie, when communication was lost and reports came in that they were over run). That's when the original chapters decided to bring in the blood lines. But also, we have to convince your chapters to meet an obligation they didn't agree to. By that point the planet has been lost. Basically the new chapters are starting off the same way the originals did. As the saviors Edited September 18, 2015 by Arkangilos

[Sir Perfluous]

There will be plenty of opportunities for the descendant chapters to have heroic stands. But the idea was that they were called in *after* the need was found (ie, when communication was lost and reports came in that they were over run). That's when the original chapters decided to bring in the blood lines. But also, we have to convince your chapters to meet an obligation they didn't agree to. By that point the planet has been lost. Basically the new chapters are starting off the same way the originals did. As the saviors

I might have mistaken you, then. Were you talking about the first or second battles for Golgotha in your previous post?

[Olis]

ALTHOUGH! It makes for a good title... "The Last Cardinal."

 

Maybe the last one alive sacrificed himself in a way that slowed the rift's opening.Their chapter was wiped out decades before, but the ten that were stationed there lived on. 

 

Finally, before this all happened there was only one left, and he was instrumental in delaying the inevitable long enough to give the Imperium time to react.

 

His sacrifice would be the last heroic deed his chapter would commit... And it would be forgotten. (Oooo that's depressing).

 

Firstly, this would make for an interesting short story, I think.

 

Secondly, how long would it be between when this last Cardinal falls and the discovery of his remains by (presumably) the Sanguinary Crusaders? 

[Arkangilos]

I don't think the discovery would be that much later. The original chapters sent a small task force as soon as the final reports asked for help, and then stopped coming in. So maybe a few months?

 

And I was thinking about that for a good short story too! Hence the title. It is just perfect with opportunities for greatness.

 

@sir perf: I'm m talking about when the Grail is stolen. By the time the new chapters get involved, the Grail has already been stolen and the defenders that were stationed there (not the task force consisting of the original wardens), have been wiped out. Your guy rescue the task force

Edited September 18, 2015 by Arkangilos

[Sir Perfluous]

I don't think the discovery would be that much later. The original chapters sent a small task force as soon as the final reports asked for help, and then stopped coming in. So maybe a few months?

 

And I was thinking about that for a good short story too! Hence the title. It is just perfect with opportunities for greatness.

 

@sir perf: I'm m talking about when the Grail is stolen. By the time the new chapters get involved, the Grail has already been stolen and the defenders that were stationed there (not the task force consisting of the original wardens), have been wiped out. Your guy rescue the task force

Firstly, I support the short story idea.

 

Secondly, if we didn't discover that the Grail had been taken for months, how was the rift closed? Was it the Cardinal?

 

Thridly, does this mean no awesome battle? Because if so, you have robbed me. :p

 

And I have a few more questions. One is that presumably the successor chapters of the Cardinals would have been doing their own thing whilst the Grail was where it should have been and everything was all fine and dandy, so would it actually be possible for your chapters to take them away from whatever they were doing before and give them a new objective? Presumably they were defending a sector or something, and I'd imagine that the order to reassign them would have to come from pretty high up.

 

And again, forgive me for repeating myself, but there seems to be no personal connection between the newer chapters and the Grail other than that they were told to find it by their parent chapter. As you said before, the reason Golgotha was overrun was that it took a long time to convince the chapters that it was worth it to aid in its defence. The story I have concocted regarding my own Grail (though now it seems to be more of a bath) involves a mythology that my chapter has built around the Grail of Golgotha, and I can't see where that could have developed from (though maybe I'm just not seeing well). This, of course, applies to all the successors, mine is just the easiest for me to refer to.

 

I'm sorry if it turns out I've misunderstood you in any way.

[Arkangilos]

Alright, I'll quote what I said earlier and add explanations. But what I said earlier is *not* the campaign, it is the back drop, what leads up to it. It is to explain why we will have the epic battles that we will have.

 

At first this wasn't seen as an issue, as the forces of chaos had been kept at bay.

 

The forces of chaos constantly fought them, but they had held them back. In fact, it seemed like they were winning, so they didn't need to find a way to replace the chapters that could no longer send in reinforcements. It was a nonissue. 

 

But eventually, all communication from the Temple had ceased. The last communication said that there was an unknown traitor in their midst, and that they needed more men urgently. The enemy had strengthened. 

 

It was during the end of the communications that the big battle happened. During the this battle, the grail was stolen. Communications ceased to be sent because they lost.

 

The chapters that still existed sent a force to examine the situation while they gathered to hold council (all that were left).

 

Before communications were lost, they got together to decide how to proceed with the growing threat.

 

 They had decided to find the chapters sired by the missing ones, that their blood was still bound by the oath. They sent out to get them

 

This was, again, before communications were severed. The journey to get them takes time (they have to find them, after all), and convincing them takes time.

 

Meanwhile, the task force sent to Golgotha arrived to find the place ransacked

 

This was *during* their meeting, *before* they went out to find the new chapters. They sent the reinforcements *after* communication had been lost, but *before* finding the other chapters.

 

 They reported back that replacements were no longer enough. The grail was gone, and the planet was lost. A fully fledged crusading force would be necessary. 

 

They said, "Hey guys, the grail is gone, and everyone is dead. We'll need to actually take everything back, now. Send a whole crusade."

 

They put it forth with the utmost urgency, for the rift had not yet reopened, but would soon. 

 

At the time I wrote that, I didn't know why the rift had not yet opened (I just assumed it would take time for the protection to wear off). 

However, we now know that it was the last Cardinal that sacrificed himself in a way (to be fleshed out) that stopped the rift from opening.

 

At the same time, the Black Hands warband and several other cultist armies and warbands attacked the whole of the sector. The rift slowly began opening again, and more worlds were lost.

 

At the same time that all of the above was happening, the Black Hands and a whole force of chaos were invading the sector. The rift was slowly opening. 

 

That is the *back story* to get to where where we are now.

 

The scope of this campaign (when all chapters get involved) begins with Phase One, which is when they all gather.

 

 

You will all have to decide what makes your chapters answer the calls.

 

As for the Myth of Golgotha and explaining it for you, here is an idea.

 

Most people think a common question, "Why do we exist?"

The HLoT might have founding your chapter to do something else, but "why do you exist?"

 

Well, maybe an answer to that question came in the sense of a prophecy from the very first chief librarian. Maybe in his vision he saw that your chapter was instrumental in holding back the tides of chaos on Golgotha and returning a lost relic. So maybe that is why it's big on that. It's not technically why you were created, but it is metaphorically why you were created. Like what a lot of us spiritual people think.

 

The epic battle can be when the relic is returned, a new ritual needs to happen. If the ritual does not happen, it won't work. (It was likely corrupted when it was stolen). During the ritual, our forces needed to buy time, and so we have an epic last stand battle to look forward to so the ritual can be completed... again, like one thousand years earlier.

Edited September 18, 2015 by Arkangilos

[Sir Perfluous]

Right, thank you. It seems I'm just having a hard time getting the timeline straight in my head, is all. You've cleared a lot of my confusion up, thanks.

 

And really, my chapter doesn't need a prophecy or anything big built up around it. I mean, thanks and all, but I'm alright for them to just participate in all this. :)

[Arkangilos]

The prophecy was to try and answer this:

 

And again, forgive me for repeating myself, but there seems to be no personal connection between the newer chapters and the Grail other than that they were told to find it by their parent chapter. As you said before, the reason Golgotha was overrun was that it took a long time to convince the chapters that it was worth it to aid in its defence. The story I have concocted regarding my own Grail (though now it seems to be more of a bath) involves a mythology that my chapter has built around the Grail of Golgotha, and I can't see where that could have developed from (though maybe I'm just not seeing well). This, of course, applies to all the successors, mine is just the easiest for me to refer to. 

 

[Sir Perfluous]

 

The prophecy was to try and answer this:

 

And again, forgive me for repeating myself, but there seems to be no personal connection between the newer chapters and the Grail other than that they were told to find it by their parent chapter. As you said before, the reason Golgotha was overrun was that it took a long time to convince the chapters that it was worth it to aid in its defence. The story I have concocted regarding my own Grail (though now it seems to be more of a bath) involves a mythology that my chapter has built around the Grail of Golgotha, and I can't see where that could have developed from (though maybe I'm just not seeing well). This, of course, applies to all the successors, mine is just the easiest for me to refer to.

 

Ah, OK. Well in that case, it might work, but it might seem to be a bit forced. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

[EesiOh]

I would be cool with the Archangels being brought in with the second wave (they are pretty old because 4th founding so making them a successor wouldn't make much sense) Instead how about they were approached to be in the originals but for whatever reason declined, now the grail is missing they have been approached again. After being told to remember their vows made by Rylai Greth they join in. 

[Slave to Darkness]

http://s3.amazonaws.com/gameskinnyop/2/9/3/29374fca50814146318ff6a453338d04.jpg

Random, that pretty much how Flint died in a story I wrote about a daemon world, the 'daemon' looked just like that :P

https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/313265-the-grail-wardens-a-liber-astartes-group-project/page/11/#findComment-4175509

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[Olis]

Your Chapter master is pretty fly for a white guy

 

You're the first one to bring up the source of the symbol. I knew someone would get it.

[Doctor Perils]

This one's going to be a long one.
 
First of all, Golgotha works for me. Which would give us the Golgothane/Golgothine Rent ?
 

There are many possibilities concerning this temple. 
The whole planet could be covered with several shrines or something like that to prevent the spreading of chaos.
But to be true, they don't help very much. Their are still mutants and heretics lurking in the shadows of the temple. What about some mutants, former servants of the original chapter, who still lurk inside the depths of our temple? By now, they were no threat for the wardens but with the recent events, they start to attack them. Hearing the call from inside the rift, they try to do everything the voices tell them.
 
Does some of you know the game Until Dawn? The wendigos could be a good pattern for those mutants.

 
Whereas the mutant-infested temple-keep is cool, we'd have to find a way for them to survive in a place guarded by mutant-hating psychopathic murderers called Space Marines.
 

Alright, so this is what I've got so far:

The Carmine Cardinals, the Knights Resplendant, the Crimson Knights, and the Sanguinary Crusaders all took part of what becomes known as the Red Crusade.

During the crusade, they fought back the tides of chaos to the world of Golgotha. During this battle, a rift opened. This would doom the entire campaign, and so Librarians of the chapters got together and put their essence (or whatever), into an object (it can already be shaped as a grail, or the grail can be made around it). The grail would have to be constantly protected, because if it leaves the world, it's power fades and the rift reopens. However, Golgotha is heavily corrupted. Chaos mutants, mutated wildlife, left over cultists, and warbands constantly attack the temple where the grail was stored. So the four chapters swore a pact (adding their blood to the grail [unless the blood was the blood of the Librarians?]). So long as all four chapters lived, they would send men to guard the grail. So were born the Grail Wardens.

Centuries later (or a thousand years later, which would be better?), two of the chapters had stopped providing men. Reasons aren't really known to the other chapters (but maybe the men at the temple know. I mean they would still have men there until they died or returned).

At first this wasn't seen as an issue, as the forces of chaos had been kept at bay.

But eventually, all communication from the Temple had ceased. The last communication said that there was an unknown traitor in their midst, and that they needed more men urgently. The enemy had strengthened.


The chapters that still existed sent a force to examine the situation while they gathered to hold council (all that were left). They had decided to find the chapters sired by the missing ones, that their blood was still bound by the oath. They sent out to get them.

Meanwhile, the task force sent to Golgotha arrived to find the place ransacked by mutants and horrors (not the daemons of Tzeentch, but like horrible things). They reported back that replacements were no longer enough. The grail was gone, and the planet was lost. A fully fledged crusading force would be necessary. They put it forth with the utmost urgency, for the rift had not yet reopened, but would soon. If it did, the sector would be lost once more. They also found one survivor. A member of the Knights Resplendent. (This whole part, in my head, is dark and eerie like a horror movie... with space marines).

At the same time, the Black Hands warband and several other cultist armies and warbands attacked the whole of the sector. The rift slowly began opening again, and more worlds were lost.

And now we are where we are. The new chapters have been brought in (Sir Perfs, the Crimson Host, the Red Sentinels, the Silver Sons). The original chapters that survived are also gathering their forces.



Phase One: Gathering
Phase Two: Securing the System.
Phase Three: The retaking of Golgotha (maybe the task force sent died, or maybe they left, either way, a good place to start a quest would be to start where the events began). (Or even, the original task force sent reclaims the temple and has to hold it with the one survivor (who might be one of the traitors, or one that remained loyal from the chapter) and the retaking of Golgotha is what saved them.
Phase Four: TBD

I think I agree with all this.
 

The one thing I would like to add is that I always envisioned a great desperate battle after the Grail was discovered to be lost, which enabled the rift to be sealed temporarily. If all the chapters came together in response to the call from Golgotha, found the Wardens destroyed by the hand of Chaos and the betrayal of the Knights Resplendent, then began one final battle together as the daemons from the Warp began to spill out along with Mr Nasty. It would also provide a less mysterious way to kill of the Carmine Cardinals and any other now extinct chapters.

I'm not just trying... I dunno, to get some of the glory for my chapter or something... pfft, no, I wouldn't do that...

But seriously, good ideas.
 
In your summary, did the descendants of the original Crusaders send squads to Golgotha?

 

The big battle you're talking about doesn't need to be on Golgotha: it could just as well be a space battle against the Knights Resplendent who are yet to make their get-away, but the Black Hands (and co. if they are going to survive any of this) intercept both fleets...

 

the idea behind the Crimson Cardinals not dying here is that this isn't supposed to be some defining thing for the chapters involved (at least in my head), rather some common thing out chapters did, as a sort of famous action.

The Crimson Cardinals died out before the events happened, but no one bothered to replace them because no one saw a need. That is, until hell started breaking loose again.

It's not that we want their death to be mysterious, it's just their death doesn't involve the situation here. So basically it's not a mystery because we want it to be, it's one because it has nothing to do with this campaign.
 
ALTHOUGH! It makes for a good title... "The Last Cardinal."
 
Maybe the last one alive sacrificed himself in a way that slowed the rift's opening.Their chapter was wiped out decades before, but the ten that were stationed there lived on. 
 
Finally, before this all happened there was only one left, and he was instrumental in delaying the inevitable long enough to give the Imperium time to react.
 
His sacrifice would be the last heroic deed his chapter would commit... And it would be forgotten. (Oooo that's depressing).

 

Though the Bell of Lost Souls did not toll that day, it is said that the Custodians witnessed a single tear running down the Emperor's dessicated cheek...

 

 

 

And I have a few more questions. One is that presumably the successor chapters of the Cardinals would have been doing their own thing whilst the Grail was where it should have been and everything was all fine and dandy, so would it actually be possible for your chapters to take them away from whatever they were doing before and give them a new objective? Presumably they were defending a sector or something, and I'd imagine that the order to reassign them would have to come from pretty high up.

And again, forgive me for repeating myself, but there seems to be no personal connection between the newer chapters and the Grail other than that they were told to find it by their parent chapter. As you said before, the reason Golgotha was overrun was that it took a long time to convince the chapters that it was worth it to aid in its defence. The story I have concocted regarding my own Grail (though now it seems to be more of a bath) involves a mythology that my chapter has built around the Grail of Golgotha, and I can't see where that could have developed from (though maybe I'm just not seeing well). This, of course, applies to all the successors, mine is just the easiest for me to refer to.

I'm sorry if it turns out I've misunderstood you in any way.

 

For most of the chapters involved, the crusading forces aren't going to be the full chapter. And Space Marine chapters are often largely independent, and often go out to different warzone all around the imperium, so I don't think 

 

I would be cool with the Archangels being brought in with the second wave (they are pretty old because 4th founding so making them a successor wouldn't make much sense) Instead how about they were approached to be in the originals but for whatever reason declined, now the grail is missing they have been approached again. After being told to remember their vows made by Rylai Greth they join in.

 

The sanguinary crusaders are 2nd founding, so the Archangels could easily descend from them. The thing is, the second "wave" only concerns the participants in the Red Crusade and their descendants, at least for the moment. We have to find a convincing argument for the Archangels being roped in

[Arkangilos]

We could make the archangels a first wave chapter.

If they were my successors they wouldn't be searched for, though. The reason we hunted down the second wave chapters is because their parents were gone, but the oath needed to continue. I mean, we can change that, but thats what I thought.

Another alternative is that no one sought them out, but they heard of a massive war, and once our forces came across them, we invited them into the alliance?

 

On a side note, any word from Cesar?

Edited September 19, 2015 by Arkangilos

[Doctor Perils]

So I've done a new version of the emblem for the Grail Wardens:

which I've envisioned being worn on a tabard during their secondment to the Grail Wardens:

Once they leave, they can wear the symbol upon their left greave as an honour mark.

Edited September 19, 2015 by Lord Thørn

[Olis]

Not a bad idea at all. Sure beats rehashing the old Deathwatch shoulder pad idea.

[Doctor Perils]

Note that I've put ermine for the moment on the tabard, but that's by no means an obligation

[Slave to Darkness]

 

 

http://1.1.1.2/bmi/image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_11321/gallery_77459_11321_66018.png

 

Reminds me of thesehttp://www.reocities.com/Area51/Atlantis/7305/iaxmas1.gif Oh happy memories

Edited September 19, 2015 by SlaveToDarkness

[Doctor Perils]

Because of the ermine ? Or because of he red with white trim ?

[Arkangilos]

I like it, but with the other emblems, I feel that it is a bit too cluttered.