Grave Lords chapter - my first attempt at this (WIP)

[Swedsman]

Gene-seed: Iron Hands

Color scheme: Black armor with a bone-colored helmet and left arm + pauldron

Emblem: A Celtic cross with a skull in the center. Also their left pauldron is painted with a skull emblem looking similar to the Punishers emblem

http://s15.postimg.org/4w0my4uq3/spacemarine_1.jpg

Warcry: In mortem, in Aeternum! ”Glory in death, eternally!”

Chaptermaster: Charon the Grave Lord

Leader of the chapter and Captain of the mighty Acheron, Charon the Gravelord is a marine equally admired by his followers as he's feared by his foes. This venerated warriors legacy echoes through the millenias of the Empire, some say even back to the glorious day the Emperor himself walked as a shining beacon of hope amongst hir people. Only Charon himself knows for sure, and is a secret he's sure to take to his grave. What is known is that sometime in the early days of the empire a genetic defect lead to one marine to develope an extemely potent Omophagea, the genetic implant given all spacemarines that gives them the ability to gain knowledge through the consumption of once flesh. The marine served loyaly for the Iron Hands and proved himself to be such a fierce warrior the Empire took notice and decided to perform an experiment.

Through extraction of the Marines DNA they created a series of clones, each identical to the original. These where stored safely in cryonic sleep, awaiting the unevitable end of the fierce Marine. Some sources claim this would tell well over a thousand years. Upon awakening the clone was more or less a blank slate, less human then animal. After being fed with the remains of it's previous body however it was overtaken by the memories of it's past life, complete to the finest detail with perfect recognition of his previous battles and all his skills he'd learnt over the centurys. It doesn't matter who he was before, that marine died that day. Charon The Gravelord had risen to take his place, and over the Milenias this process have been repeated, ensuring his power, his knowledge and his name have continued to rise ever higher

It is unknown just how powerfull this mutation is, Charon is very enigmatic and protective of his past and it's hard to get him to talk about the subject. Memories fade, especially as theyre carried across the millenias. What remains though is the skills and the wisdom of battles too numerous to count.

Charon is a tre giant of a man, even for Spacemarine standards, standing one head above his pears, not unusually more so. He wears a heavy Terminator in a mate, greyish tone, resembling a withering mausoleum. The details are modest and few in numbers, lacking alot of the ornaments typical for a Chaptermaster armor. Instead he carries names, every inch of his armor a name is carved. Be it a worthy enemy, a beloved friend or venerated soldier, thousand of name not sure even he can remember decorates his suit, making it more or less a Tombstone. His faceplate carries a steelcasting of his original deathmask to remind everyone, including himself, who he is. In battle he carries with him his mighty powerhammer Entropy, a relic from the empires early days and bane to enough foes to bring a smile to Emperor himself.

Homeworld: Fleetbased – The Acheron

The Grave Lords travels the stars onboard a spacefairing monastry named Acheron, a heavily modified Battlebarge large enough to house the entire chapter and their impresive arsenal. The ship has been modified greatly to fit their preffered style of battle. Most notable it features two rows of guns lining its sides and most of the golden ornaments have been stripped and replaced with more practical, less elegant fortifications. This thanks to the chapters good relationship with the Adeptus Mechanicus that it's inherited from its roots in the Iron Hands Legion.

There's no real safe travel through the warp, though it doesn't get much safer then aboard the Acheron. It's heavy armament, strong hull doubled by powerfull voidshield and ofcourse it's ginormous size is enough to to challenge even the toughest of chaos fleets. If this wasn't enough it's under the direct command of Charon as it's Captain, arguably one of the most skilled and if not atleast most experienced spacefarers in the Imperium, with many millenias of experience with the warp under his belt. This gives the Chapter a unusually high mobility and since they don't have a homesector of their own they can travel all over the galaxy to wherever the Imperium needs their supreme firepower.

Specialization: Heavy Weaponry

The Grave Lords favours heavy firepower over all else and each Marine puts great pride in their weapon of choice. Their ranks is to a large degree made up of Devastator units and Terminator squads. They generally frown upon vehicles as they want to be able to experience the force of their guns first hand, to be put on Tank duty is considered a great shame and is used as punishment within the chapter. They greatly prefer instead to use heavy Centurions for added armor and firepower on the battlefield.

Tactics and Battle formations:

he Grave Lords march to battle shoulder to shoulder in a long, wide front, utilizing their extreme firepower to the max. The center of the line is made up of their weaker units; the most inexperienced or exhausted units. At the flanks they keep their heaviest troops, the Centurions and tanks plus artillery. That way they're extremely tough to flank and can rapidly deploy inwards to the most vulnerable point of the battleline.

This formation is best utilized against hordestyle enemies such as Tyranids, Orcs or Chaos. Although they lack in mobility they more then make up for this in added firepower. The Chapters high deployemet range and lack of a homeworld to call their own means they're more of a support Chapter that's called in wherever the Empire needs the hammer to fall hardest and thus they've made both plenty of allies aswel as enemies across the stars.

Beliefs and Organization:

The very core of the Grave Lords chapter is that of a strong sense of comradery and loyalty between eachothers. There are no single individuals within the chapter, each recruit are handed a battlebrother even before he's been accepted into their ranks and the two of them will train toghetter, fight toghetter and either succeed or die toghetter. Not only does this breed a fierce loyalty within the chapter, it's also offers tactical benefits as each duo are trained to fight in synchronsed fashion, making sure one always have ammo left to cover the other one, should he need to reload his gun. In battle the Grave Lords fights as a single unit, be it just two brothers alone or a full army of hundreds they stand shoulder to shoulder, united as one solem unmovable object and unstopable force at once.

Special Chapetr Units:

Battlebrothers:

The Gravelords follows the Codex Astartes just as any other chapter, although with a slightly more leaning towards heavier troops. Though they also differ themselves fro other chapters by not counting indivudals as one, rather every unit in the Chapter is made up of two oathsworn Battlebrothers. All squads are thereby tweaked in number slightly so that they can be divided into numbers of two. Too symbolyze this uniqe band of brothers that's the very fpundation of the Chapter each marine forgoes the traditional Unit marks on their right pauldron and instead paints it like a skull.

Revenants:

There is no greater shame or greater sorrow amongst the Gravelords then to outlive once brother. These marines are without honour, outcast and shunned by the rest of the chapters. These men are deployed as the few Assault Squadrons within the chapter, charging their enemies in seldom seen fury as all that shame and sorrow over the lost of their brother are turned into anger and vengeance on the field. Wielding dual chainswords these lost souls descend upon their enemies like avenging angels from above, hacking, slashing, tearing and ripping their enemies to pieces with no regard of their own lives, because they're already dead. From reqruitment, through training and over every battle they've been taught that alone they're nothing, that the two of them make on greater whole. That day the other died he left nothing but a walking shell behind, a living dead who's only hope of retaining some honour in his Chapters eyes and forgiveness in the life after is to slay as many enemies of the Emperor he can before finally being returned with is brother and maybe made whole again in death. These units paints their facearmor and skullpauldron in the blood of their fallen brothers to remind them of their burden and duty to avenge them in this life so they're worthy of their forgiveness in the next.

The Immortals:

The greatest soldiers of the Gravelords, the Immortals are the elite Terminator squads equiped with the best weapons and armor the Chapter offers. Few in numbers, but for a good reason, to enter the ranks of these elites of elites one must serve the Chapter atleast over 300years and prove himself an exceptional warrior to even be considered the honor. If one proves himself in the eyes of Charon he will have a clone created with the same mutated Omophagea the Chapetermaster have, sharing with his commander the gift of rebirth upon death. Although none of these quite reaches the age of Charon himself there are those who lived lives over five millenias through this form of reincarnation, carrying the wisdom and the fighting skills of generations with them into battle. These Terminators all where Skullhelmets and usually arms themselves with powerweapons to mimic their leader.

Origin:

Their origin can be traced back to the small planet of Soltan on the very western tip of the Imperium deep within the Halo Stars. An agricultural planet very much like that of earth only slightly smaller. It orbited a yellow star much like ours with a mild climate and rich flora and fauna that made the planet ideal of human inhabitants. As it was found it had yet produced any advanced enough species to challenge human colonization and as such it was swiftly populated by farmers and factory workers. The planet earned a reputation as a paradise and it's yield of crops was stunning. All that however was to be undone as one day sick, ungodly clouds of green fog started forming over the endless fields, pouring down foul smelling black rain slowly killing of the crops. Those with knowledge of what was happening called for aid of the Imperium and a detachment of Space marines of the Iron Hands was sent to investigate. However, as soon as they entered the system a powerful warpstorm erupted, cutting of the distressed planet and the Marines from the rest of of the Imperium. Two centuries passed...

As the warpstorm finally calmed down the Imperials would be met with a dead planet. The once glowing golden fields of wheat was now endless foul marshlands rotting away the very core of the earth. The lush, verdant forests was now stripped of all that once was green, leaving dead rotting trees standing like skeletons amongst the twisted, mutated abomination that remained of the planets fauna. The lakes and rivers ran black and thick as puss, like open festering sores upon the world. The cities stood dead and lifeless, the impressive Imperial architecture now withered away to nothing but giant mausoleums marking the resting place of what once was a proud and thriving human colony. The world truly was dead.

An Imperial strike force led by the Inquisition touched down in the former capitol Ferlanda to collect imperial records and to attempt to learn more of lost detachment of Iron Hands. As they wandered the dead streets they literally had to wade through a sea of bodies and rot, the plague father sure had lived up to his foul reputation on this cursed planet. As things didn't seem to possibly get any worse the party was suddenly attacked from all sides by the minions of nurgle together with heretics who in desperation allied themselves with the dark God to escape the decay of their planet. A fierce battle was thought in the streets of the city as the Inquisitor and the Marines fought valiantly against the daemon horde, though they where vastly outnumbered by the tide of filth. They where pushed further and further back into the city- Every building, every sewer and every craves of the city seemed to spring open like giant coffins unleashing more and more vile horrors. The group pressed on to make it to the Imperial palace at the center of town, the most heavily fortified building on the planet. A once impressive staple of Imperial architecture, now nothing more then a giant tomb. As they pushed up the stairs they found to their despair the whole thing shut tight from the inside, to break open such a fortification would take considerably more firepower and time then they had. As they prepared to make their final stand on the steps of the palace however something equally unexpected as miraculous happened

The doors and windows of the Palace flung open and on the inside the remaining Imperial Guards and Spacemarines of the Iron Hands unleashed a furious barrage of artillery and heavy bolter fire down upon the daemon horde bellow. This unexpected support reinvigorated the tired strike force and together they pressed back in a massive counter assault annihilating the opposition. The day was won against all odds and relief had finally come for the Marines and Guardsmen who for two centuries fought a hopeless battle. Street by street, building by building until they where pressed back into the last bastion left on the planet they fought, never surrendering, never backing down. The Inquisitor was so impressed by their actions that ultimately saved his life that he was kind enough not to purge the survivors as he ordered a full Extermenatus of their planet and instead pushed for them to be organized into a new Chapter lead by the Iron Hands who had fought alongside them. Thus the Grave Lords where born.

Authors note:

This here is my very first attempt at creating a Space MArine chapter so I would very much apreciate all feedback I could get! Though please don't be too harsh, I'm new to this after all

[Erasus]

Hello!

Firstly well done for writing all this and posting it here, I take my hat off to you for such hard work

[TDF]

If I may I would like to add a few points to Erasus' critique.

 

A battle barge is usually described as being able to deploy around three companies at once. A mere cruiser is too small to contain an entire chapter of space marines and all their paraphernalia. Either reduce the stated capacity of the ship or boost its size. A unique relic ship from the Dark Age of Technology seems appropriate for an Iron Hands successor with good ties to the Mechanicus.

 

Close combat weapons "almost unheard of"? No plan survives contact with the enemy. You may wish to hold them off with ranged firepower, but sooner or later they're going to impact the lines and then any space marine without at least a backup combat knife is going to be at a severe disadvantage. Perhaps roving squads of assault marines whose role is to counter-attack and shore up the sections of the line that look like faltering.

 

As Erasus said, having a single dominant battle plan is rather foolish. The codex astartes is set up so a chapter can wage war in innumerable ways against a myriad of foes. Obviously chapters have their own preferences, but the way you've described here goes beyond that into "when all you've got is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail" territory. It shouldn't be too much work to tone this down and produce a chapter that can still do just about anything, but has a particular emphasis on ranged firepower.

 

I like the pair of brothers idea and the emphasis on being a unified fighting force rather than a collection of individuals. Would neophytes without all the implants still be grouped into scout squads or would the chapter abandon the codex in this respect and have them fight alongside their older brothers Black Templar-style?

 

When I first read the section about the chapter master I assumed the hereditary aspect was based on geneseed, but after reading Erasus' comments and looking back it seems I was wrong and it is about natural birth. It seems a strange and unnecessary custom. Chapter masters are respected for their centuries of experience and any Imperial official who looks down on one for not having a prestigious family tree is quite frankly an idiot.

 

Erasus seems to think the origin story is talking about the Great Crusade era. I assumed it was post-Heresy. You might want to put a date in to clarify the chronology. I agree with him that two centuries is a very long time, especially for the poor guardsmen. It seems that the individual Inquisitor authorised a new chapter without it being part of a Founding declared by the High Lords, which is unusual to say the least. Perhaps the rescue just happened to coincide with a founding and the survivors were honoured by being assigned to form the nucleus of a new chapter. That's assuming they could be proven beyond all doubt to be pure and undefiled, which seems kind of unlikely after two centuries on a plague planet. The Inquisition is nothing if not paranoid. What I'm saying is that at the moment it comes across that the survivors became the Grave Wardens on the whim of a single inquisitor. I think it should be a more stringent and carefully considered decision process.

[CYGNUS]

Excellent Work Swedsman!

[Achilles_Prime]

Hey, like your concept on your Iron Hands successors! Good job!!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Having a skull-like symbol occupy the entire pauldron, reminds me of Maugan Ra.

[Swedsman]

Made some tweaks and edits and also added some new stuff

 

I hope you all enjoy this, and I'm always open to critique and suggestion should you not!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Nitpick: "Charon is a tre giant of a man, even for Spacemarine standards, standing one head above his pears, not unusually more so," should be "Charon is a TRUE giant of a man, even for Space Marine standards, standing one head above his PEERS," (emphasis mine- note that "Space Marine" is TWO WORDS).

 

The descriptor "not unusually more so," part can be deleted, simplifying the sentence and making it easier to read.