Deathwatch: Kill Team Fluff/Background Assistance

[Apostle of the 30th Host]

Hey!

I’m thinking of adding an Aquila Kill Team to my collection as I have always loved the Deathwatch and the individuality of its members.
As it’s going to be a while until I next get a chance to buy or build any more models, (plus the fact that I’m a total fluff nut when it comes to 40k – I love the background and building character into my own armies) I wanted to explore the fluff of my Kill Team and establish a unique background for each member, which will later be portrayed upon building them.

I was hoping to get a few opinions on the notes I have so far and maybe generate a bit of discussion to help me, and like-minded memebers of the B&C, to establish a bit more individuality to our Kill Teams and build on what I have.

Aquila Kill Team Arian
Consists of a Librarian with the Dominus Aegis and a 5-man Veteran Squad with Stalker Boltguns.

I am currently trying to give all members of the team names, a Chapter (based on those Chapters I would consider best suited to missions using Stalker Boltguns – e.g. Raven Guard), a ‘call sign’ that they are known as amongst their squad, and a short backstory as to how they earnt that nickname.


Brother-Prognosticator Arian, ‘Argent Guide, of the Silver Skulls.
Chapter:
I picked the Silver Skulls as this will be a Divination Librarian, and the Silver Skulls have a unique type of Librarian who specialise in this discipline.
Furthermore, the Silver Skulls’ background as tribal head-hunters made me feel as though they would be suited to more stealth based missions.
Call Sign:
I picked ‘Argent Guide’ as a reference to the old Silver Skulls Deathwatch Relic of the same name.
Backstory:
I feel as though it would be likely that this nickname was granted by his squad mates in reference to his Chapter colour ‘Argent’ (Silver) and his guiding role on the field.

Brother-Sergeant Karayan Moriorum, ‘Kauyon’, of the Raven Guard.
Chapter:

Raven Guard seemed an obvious choice for a stealth team.
Call Sign:

Reference to the Tau philosophy of the Patient Hunter.
Backstory:

Needs more fleshing out but I imagined him being the lone survivor of a Kill Team sent to assassinate an Ethereal. They were caught before the mission could be completed but he was stranded on a hostile planet.
Hunted by the Tau, he managed to evade capture and slowly turn the tide on his pursuers, picking them off. He is eventually referred to as ‘Kauyon’ by the Tau, a mark of respect for their adversary who had come to embody the patient hunter.
This nickname appears to have stuck on his return to the Deathwatch, although none are aware of the full story: he is eventually captured, but released by the Ethereal as a mark of respect; gifted with a Bonding Knife as a symbol of safe passage off the planet. He still carries the knife to this day.

‘13’ of the Mentors.
Chapter:

I picked the Mentors due to their special forces style Elite Cadre which seem well suited to the kind of missions a Stalker Boltgun would be used for.
Call Sign:

‘13’ is the number of chapters in The Art of War by Sun Tzu. This reference seemed appropriate due to the Chapter’s affinity for military strategy.
Backstory:

The Mentors are a very secretive Chapter. I can imagine this Astartes arriving at a Watch Fortress and refusing to give his name, merely referring to himself by a number. This is tolerated by the Watch Master and is how he is now known.

Brother Eirik, ‘Banisvatr’, of the Space Wolves
Chapter:

I though a Space Wolf hunter/tracker would be of great use to the Kill Team.
Call Sign:

‘Banisvatr’ means Black Death in Fenrisian.
Backstory:

As is common for Space Wolves, I imagined Eirik joining the Deathwatch alongside a fellow Space Wolf, his biological brother. His brother is killed in action, and his Eirik flies into a rage, seeking furious vengeance and slaughtering every Xenos within reach. He becomes known as the Black Death, ‘Banisvatr’ in his tongue, in reference to the colour of his armour and the death left in his wake.

Brother + Unnamed +, ‘?’, of the Crimson Fists
Chapter:

Many of the surviving Crimson Fists on Rynn’s World resorted to guerrilla tactics to combat the Orks until they could be assisted. Thus giving him a suitable skill set for such missions.
Call Sign:

As yet undecided…
Backstory:

N/A

Brother Gabriel, ‘Silent Cry’, of the Exorcists
Chapter:

Although perhaps not an ideal choice for the type of mission, the final member was an Exorcist due to the unique Deathwatch Relic which was a Stalker Boltgun.
Call Sign:

‘Silent Cry’ was a reference to the aforementioned relic.
Backstory:

+ undecided as yet +



+++ If anyone else has done anything similar yet, please post your notes here too to generate further discussion +++

[Vel'Cona]

Good stuff.  Going to be real fun to play in the upcoming Kill Team ruleset "reboot".