Liberalia Martiale 2016 - What was once unthinkable...

[Olis]

Hail, Knights of Titan! I, Olis, warmly welcome you to the Liberalia Martiale. Now, I know what some of you may be thinking: Why has that flamey-headed git from the Liber started waving his flag over here? Let me tell you: I want to challenge your creativity. I want you to challenge the old taboo of the Grey Knights - that they have no successors. Never mind that the Exorcists may or may not have been. This is an exercise in DIY Chapter creation.

Could it be that this thought exercise might give us all a better understanding of the grey Knights themselves? Okay, probably not, but you never know until you try. ^_^

As my standard challenge, I will offer to fully write out an IA for a random DIY chosen by the residing Mods here. All there needs to be for qualification is twenty-five unique entries, all from different people. Each entry does not need to be any longer than two paragraphs. Let's keep this short and sweet.

So, what sort of catalyst would I like you all to use? Mythological creatures of any variety for the theme or name. Seeing how much mythology of many cultures tie into 40k, it seems sensible to me for a Grey Knights DIY successor to be influenced by animals or demons from real cultures.

As a successor, what would your Chapter specialise in? 'Daemons', perhaps, might not be the most interesting answer. On the other hand, maybe it is if the way they fight and prepare to battle daemons is unique. It depends. The trouble is, how does one go about making a successor to the Grey Knights? It's not territory well trodden...

Example

Chosen creature: Ankou

Chapter name - Angels Vigilant

Chapter symbol - A Lantern

The Angels Vigilant, created in secret during the Nova Terra Interregnum by the Ur-Council using stolen Grey Knight gene-seed, formerly were dedicated to striking at the forces of the High Lords as they began the process to overthrow the Nova Terran empire. In recent years, long after being rehabilitated and subsumed into the Imperium, the crusading Chapter has become adept at countering xenos armies - especially those of the newly arisen Necrons.

Prominent amongst the Angels is the idea that no member is forgotten. Each fallen Angel is commemorated at a specific columbarium, where their names, deeds and personal heraldry are displayed in stasis for eternity. The Chapter's armour is a light blue with white trim.

[Gentlemanloser]

Will edit more detail in later;

 

Chosen creature: Fomori / Formorians

Chapter name -

Chapter symbol -

 

Seduced by the teaching of a Radical Inquisitor, a GK stationed to watch prospective Exorcists became enamored with the idea of using the powers of the Daemonic to fight the Daemonic.  But to take it one step further, to it's radical conclusion.

 

Unlike the Exorcists, the Dameons were never exorcised.  Successful recruits subverted the Daemons possessing them, regaining control over their bodies.  Failed supplicants were restrained and bound like Daemonhosts.  Only those with the strongest will and purest soul, backed by the gene-seed of the GK themselves (but without the psycho indoctrination of Titan, and the immunity to warp exposure that provides), these Marines keep their sense of self and master their inner Daemons.

[jeffersonian000]

Chosen creature: Ibis

Chapter name: Knights of the Word

Chapter symbol: an Ibis with wings spread over an open book and key

 

Formed during the Thorian schism of the early Ecclisiarchy, Brother-Captain Mordecai "the Black" was commissioned by the High Lords of Terra at the behest of the Ordos Hereticus and Mallus to head a cadre of veteran Grey Knights to train a new chapter of Psyker Astartes to assist in rooting out and eliminating potential daemonic infestations within the Church. Following the Grey Knight selection and training regime, but with a focus on investigation and clandestine operations within the Ecclisiarchy itself. These Astartes of Chapter 999 became known as the Knights of the Word.

 

In honor of their founder and first Grand Master, the Knights of the Word took on black surcoats and gold inlay armor, while retaining the book and sigil of the Grey Knights, replacing the Sword with an Ibis triumphant. The Key and Scroll are also prominent icons of these elusive Inquisitor Knights.

 

SJ

[Olis]

Two good entries, brothers. Anyone else fancy picking up the gauntlet?

[Inquisitor =D=]

Chosen Creature ; Wraith

 

 The Shade's Bane

Crest; A Ghostly figure in chains on a field of red

Armor; slate grey trimmed in a deep crimson with brass accents.

 

  In the mid 38th millennium Brother Captain Zuriel of the 7th Great Brotherhood of Titan lead a desperate assault on the space hulk Fist of Urhuk. The hulk was foretold to materialize near a valuable forge world in the Segmentum Tempestus. To further complicate matters the hulk was the known flagship of the traitor turned greater daemon Urhuk of the Night Lords legion. If Urhuk was not dealt with swiftly he and his coterie of traitors and Daemons would make planet-fall and from there be nigh on impossible to remove fully.  And so Brother Captain Zuriel took 50 Knights, armed with personal teleporters, to strike Urhuk before he had time to act. The action did not go as planned for as soon as the Fist of Urhuk had transitioned into real space it faded back into the immaterium taking the Grey Knights with it.

 Zuriel's force did reemerge from the warp nearly 1000 years later but as to what occurred in those years only the emperor knows. What was and still is most striking about his return is he now seems to be at the head of an unknown host of knights in dull grey and red armor. He has yet to make direct contact with his former brothers and indeed seems to go out of his way to avoid them, going so far as to quickly withdraw from a conflict and warp jump to some unknown locale. The archaic flagship titled "The  Wraith's Cask" seems to possess some lost technology masking its warp signature and defying scrying attempts, is unusually swift and capable of highly accurate micro warp jumps.

 The Shade's as they have come to be known favor their personal teleporters striking swiftly at the heart of an enemy force and withdrawing just as quickly often leaving incendiaries and explosives behind to erase any evidence.

[breaklance]

Chosen creature: medusas

Chapter name: Knights of the stone (or stone knights)

Chapter symbol: basically this http://malik-roberts.tumblr.com/post/57086171579/medusa-head-tattoo-design-by-malik-roberts-ig

The face grey, snakes black on a field of emerald.

 

Brother Captain Constantine Gorgon was a venerable grey knight librarian on his way to becoming a grand master. His skills in combat were exquisite, his leadship boundless, his psyker abilities astounding, and his faith peerless. But fate had other plans for him. On the planet of Verity XII he led his strike force of Knights into battle against the forces of Slaanesh and their dark eldar allies. In the course of battle brother gorgon engaged in a duel with a vile princess of Slaanesh whose beauty was mesmerizing even to the grey Knights. Gorgon could not defeat her for the princesses hypnotic powers had the dark eldar in a frenzy constantly throwing themselves in the way of Gorgons killing blows. Fearing her powers were beginning even to affect himself he blinded himself with his force dagger, grabbed an incinerator and charged the daemon one last time shouting words of banishment. This time Gorgon succeeded, his incinerator scorched the daemon marring its face and humbling its powers enough for Gorgon to banish the creature. However as it faded back to he warp it cast a curse on the brother captain. In her rage she gave him back his eyes but tainted and corrupted so that he would never see beauty again because he destroyed her beautiful visage, that everything his eyes touched would be destroyed.

 

When Captain Gorgon opened his eyes again all he saw was death. Dark eldar and brothers locked sculpted in exquisite detail from stone, horrible screams of anguish permanently etched on their faces. In the time that followed Gorgon tried everything to have this curse removed or his eyes replaced but nothing worked. His eyes could not be removed and replaced with cybernetics and no spell could break his curse. Gorgon lamented this for a long time as a grey knight who had been corrupted, he had not been turned but his taint brought him great shame. But an inquisitor would find use for Gorgon in time because his victims were neither dead nor alive but stuck in a form of permanent stasis of unending agony - their bodies were gone but not their soul which remained trapped in stone. With the inquisitors help him led a cleansing crusade for hundreds of years seeking revenge against the dark eldar and their chaotic gods. This inquisitor of the ordo xenos would go on to study Gorgons tainted gene seed and using it, the brother captain, and his remaining faithful grey Knights would form a new chapter of astartes. One that exhalted the virtues and skill of the grey Knights but bound to the service of the ordo heretics where their founding chapter served ordo malleus. The successor Knights would go on to hunt all aliens and attempt to cleanse the galaxy of their heretical dark gods worship. Some rare few of this new chapter with exceedingly great psyker powers would end up manifesting this curse themselves and so (all librarians) would ritualistically "blind" themselves tying a blindfold around their eyes so that their cursed sight would only be used on their enemies. They would train excessively to "see" with the warp. Some of the chapters greatest warriors would try to emulate this and began a ritual themselves of wearing a blindfold through 100 battles like their founding master attempting to heighten their lesser psyker powers bad other senses (so chaplains, champions would do this and probably an elite unit like Paladins)

[raverrn]

I'm going to give it a shot by matching GW's most recent fluff writing. Let's see how close I can get!

 

Creature: Headsman

Name: Dreadbanes
Symbol: A skull except the eye sockets are smaller skulls ad infinitum.

Colors: Black and dark grey

 

Created after Grey Knights used the blood of slain Sisters of Battle as a powerful ward, the Dreadbanes are a chapter steeped in blood and death. Each initiate is dunked into a pool of imperial guardsman blood each day, drink the blood of Space Marines as wine, and personally spill the blood of their own servants before each battle in rituals of sacrifice. They march to battle clad in thick, gore-drenched Bloodplate, armed with Dreadbolters firing Banebolt rounds that make a mockery of even the thickest armor. When the time comes to clash with more cowardly foes they draw their Dreadaxes, while the most blessed wield fel-cursed Mortispears that steal the very life force of their victims. There is nowhere to hide from the Dreadbanes, for when they go to war Dreadfighters sweep the skies and dark Bloodraiders prowl the earth, pinning down their foes with Bloodcannon and Banemissile fire. All the stunned enemy can do is cling to cover as the grim Dreadbanes march ever closer...

 

 

 

http://cdn.playbuzz.com/cdn/af843f3a-faee-4be6-8e2a-8cb27c2a07ad/16e8c22f-641c-4324-b962-b6db22bba1bf.png

[boreas]

Wow, Ravern! I wa pretty sure you'd end this with.... wait for it... Female Grey Knights ;p

[casb1965]

Creature: Eagle

 

Chapter Name: Sons of the Sigil

 

Symbol: 

 

Armour: Ceramite Grey, Black and Green trim

 

History:

Whilst sending Titan in to the warp Malcador the Sigilite, unbeknown by others, also sent the Nemesis class Battleship "Emperor's Sign" out into space. Upon the vessel were 11 Grey Knights (7 Paladins, an Apothecary, a Librarian, a Brother-Captain and a Techmarine), they were tasked with forming a successor to the Grey Knights were they not to return from the warp.

"Emperor's Sign" scoured the Obscurus Segmentum collecting those who showed signs of high psychic levels and initiating them into the Chapter. Malcador tasked the Chapter with the protection of the Emperor and Terra from any Xenos or Traitor threats.

 

Chapter Motto: "As the Emperor says, we do." 

[Olis]

While you did make me chuckle, raverrn, I dread to think that I may very well end up having to make a full swing of it for your Chapter...

[Gentlemanloser]

When's the deadline? I need to go back and flesh out my submission.

And do you need 25 unique entries from just the GK? If so, come on guys! MOAR entries!!

Food for though;

Demons were not always regarded as evil. The ancient Greeks spoke of a person's daimon as his or her personal spirit, guardian angel, or soul. In many cultures, demons were merely inhuman supernatural powers that could be evil or good at various times, depending on whether their actions harmed or helped people. Human witches, wizards, and sorcerers were thought to gain some of their abilities by summoning and controlling demons through magical practices.

Warlocks, Guardian Angels, Soul Stealers. And that's just looking at Demons. (Personally I love the idea of Sin Eaters...)

There's a wealth of mythological creatures. Jotuns, Typhonic Beast, The Wild Hunt, the Black Dog/Shuck (Can be nicely tied to the Inquisition, or Dominican Monks through Domini Canis "This story drew resonance from the fact that his order became known, after his name, as the Dominican order, Dominicanus in Latin which a play on words interpreted as Domini canis: "Dog of the Lord."". ), or if you want to move away from animals more to gods there's influences like Ahura Mazda.

Loads of options!

[Olis]

When's the deadline? I need to go back and flesh out my submission.

*cough*Next year.*cough* What? Me? I didn't say anything...

And do you need 25 unique entries from just the GK?

A-yup. I may or may not have made similar challenges elsewhere.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

There is heresy, then there is heresy....

 

Jks, loving the submissions so far :) but I'll take no part in this. 

[Olis]

There is heresy, then there is heresy....

Jks, loving the submissions so far but I'll take no part in this.

Not even a little bit for giggles?

[Damo1701]

Creature: Lucifer - The Morning Star - Brightest of the Bright

Name: Luciphant Excommunicants
Symbol: Aquilla with horns

Colors: Red/Emerald

 

Where the Luciphant Excommunicants came from is an utter mystery.  There is no record of them in any chapter annul, or the great library of Terra, despite a One Thousand year search (to date).  The Excommunicants appeared during a particularly dangerous warp breach in M36 on the planet Hiades, in the zone between the Imperium and Ultramar recognised space.  Toting weapons similar in look and feel to nemesis weapons the Excommunicants appeared as though from the warp itself when the Imperial citizens had given up all hope of salvation.

 

Upon conclusion of the battle, and sealing of the warp rift, the mysterious marines vanished as quickly as they appeared.  However, sundered suits of armour were recovered when the Grey Knights appeared.  Closer examination revealed a stylised similarity to their own Holy panoply, however, where the Sacred names were etched and carved into their own armour, the Grey Knights found a single phrase repeated.  "We who were Excommunicated for being deluded by Lucifer hereby repent!"  Biological remains were too degraded by the manner of their deaths to give any form of analysis.  Speculation runs amok amongst the Librarians of the Grey Knights.  Are these Marines who have fallen from the Light of the Emperor fighting to win redemption?  Are these marines survivors of the Legions?  Maybe the truth will be known.  The Inquisition is being kept at arms length, and all reports of these marines are being intercepted by the Grey Knights.  Brothers lost in the warp?  Traitors seeking to return to the fold?  The answer will be found!

 

*While I used Lucifer as the inspiration, knowing he was the base for Horus, I wondered about those who followed Horus, until the consorting with Daemons was made "public" within the Legion.  A known death sentence for getting caught leaving, however, fleeing at the first opportunity (and we all know how well the warp works) finding, or being drawn to other Legionnaires of similar feeling, and finding battle plate different to their own.  Customisation wouldn't be beyond them, so, adapting wargear, using a colour scheme that they did not know might be in use, and you have a band of marines psychically attuned to the Warp through constant exposure, fighting to redeem themselves in the eyes of the Emperor...*

I hope that makes some sense...