Index Astartes: Gatekeepers

[Stercus]

Index Astartes: Gatekeepers

Chapter Name:

Gatekeepers

Geneseed:

Imperial Fists.

In common with their ancestral chapter, the Gatekeepers lack a functioning sus-an membrane and Betcher's gland. There is no additional degradation apparent in their tithes to the Mechanicus.

Founding:

19th. M35

Descendants:

Not Recorded.

Chapter Origins:

Created from the geneseed of the Imperial Fists as part of the 19th founding, the Gatekeepers were placed under the command of Veteran Sergeant Harpus Goethe and a cadre of his men from the First company. The Chapter fought for over a century before they adopted colours or emblem, garbling themselves in bare ceramite with only company and squad designations until such time as Goethe conceded that they had earned a device of their own. The chapter recruits from a number of worlds across a wide swathe of the galactic northwest, and to bind together men from many disparate cultures an overriding sense of duty and selflessness is cultivated aggressively by the officers. The Gatekeepers are fiercely proud of their roots as scions of the Imperial Fists legion: They are dutiful and steadfast, and view themselves firmly as soldiers of the Imperium, rather than individual warriors. They do not hunt for glory or honour, merely to wage the righteous war and destroy the enemies of mankind. The chapter are formidable siege-breakers, using powerful guns to shatter ramparts before striking at close range to overwhelm the defenders. They lack the fury and rage of the Black Templars or Blood Angels, but rather attack with cold methodical precision, each bolter shell and blade-thrust tactically placed and measured.

Battlecry:

For Duty! For Dorn!

Chapter History:

The Gatekeepers have fought steadfastly for thousands of years, content simply to slay the foes of the Imperium and safeguard its people, never looking for recognition or glory. Their early battles included many struggles with widespread Ork infestations in the galactic East, most notably in the Mittelveld sector where the Garsnik Waagh was finally crushed in the grey ruins of Nuneaton. In M38, the chapter was instrumental in hunting down the renegade astartes chapter "The Creeping Dark" and shattering their hateful fortress. In more recent times, The Gatekeepers have seen action against many xenos threats as the approaching Tyranid hive fleets scatter civilisations in their wake, and have brought the emperors justice to all who threaten the Imperium. At the current time the Gatekeepers are deployed at the head of a joint strike fleet code named "Poseidon" alongside the Harvesters and Sons of Aetius chapters and the Imperial guard of the Kelthorian IX and Fallast 222nd regiments. This fleet is tasked with eliminating or containing the Tyranid splinter fleet designated "Hymir".

Notable Characters:

Harpus Goethe. First commander and former Imperial Fist. Led the chapter for over three hundred years before finally falling beneath a tide of orks during the purging of Nuneaton hive. Fights on from the sarcophagus of an ironclad dreadnought.

Leviticus Trent. Current chapter master. A noted strategist and formidable fighter, he was gifted the pelt of an Inwit ice-bear by the Imperial Fists for his part in the campaign to crush the Dark Eldar of the Twisted Knife cabal.

Colour Scheme and Chapter Symbol:

A particular quirk of the Gatekeepers chapter is that they eschew the bright armour of other Astartes. Their battle plate is a dull green, businesslike rather than ostentatious, the armour of a humble soldier over that of a glorious knight. To honour their lineage and the blood of Dorn, their pauldrons are a rich regal blue, trimmed in weathered gold.

Checkerboard patterns in black and white are a common motif, and the company colours are displayed on the gorget armour at the marine's throat rather than the more conventional pauldron rims.

The chapter symbol is a mailed fist grasping a key.