Index Astartes:Silent Hunters poll

[Bjorn Firewalker]

 

Why do you want abhumans?

 

If you can answer that then maybe we can be of more help

I wanted to show how deep into the abyss the chapter has gone in order to find answers as i was thinking that the members of the chapter were suffering from visions leading them to the world they now inhabit

Fabius Bile had a hand in the Silent Hunters' creation, didn't he? (It may not be a direct hand- Bile's agents could've passed a genetic template to an AdMech Genetor, with the suggestion, "Try doing this to Space Marine gene-seed," while this agent used sorcerous means to report the results of the Genetor's experiments- but Bile's influence would nonetheless be felt.)

[Naoki the curseblood 99]

 

 

Why do you want abhumans?

If you can answer that then maybe we can be of more help

I wanted to show how deep into the abyss the chapter has gone in order to find answers as i was thinking that the members of the chapter were suffering from visions leading them to the world they now inhabit

Fabius Bile had a hand in the Silent Hunters' creation, didn't he? (It may not be a direct hand- Bile's agents could've passed a genetic template to an AdMech Genetor, with the suggestion, "Try doing this to Space Marine gene-seed," while this agent used sorcerous means to report the results of the Genetor's experiments- but Bile's influence would nonetheless be felt.)

Perhaps it would explain why they were forced to recruit abhumans Edited February 21, 2018 by Naoki the curseblood 99

[Tarvek Val]

That exact scenario did happen, I believe it was with the Blood Angels? If you're interested in going the Fabius Bile route, check out the second Blood Angels omnibus.

[Naoki the curseblood 99]

I like the idea of visions, this could easily also be worked into a connection with the Night Lords Legion if you so wished (one of the VIII Legion's original heroes, as well as Konrad Curze, were visionaries whose waking moments were plagued by the bleak futures they saw ahead of them). I just cannot see any Chapter willingly recruiting abhumans though... They'd be too fearful of judgement of the Inquisition and other Chapters.

I see your point there

[Naoki the curseblood 99]

That exact scenario did happen, I believe it was with the Blood Angels? If you're interested in going the Fabius Bile route, check out the second Blood Angels omnibus.

i haven't read that book but i'm uncertain if i can afford it

[Tarvek Val]

I believe it was around $15 (US dollars) when I purchased it. It wasn't the best 40k fiction I've read (nor the worst, by far!) but some aspects of it might appeal to you.

[Naoki the curseblood 99]

I believe it was around $15 (US dollars) when I purchased it. It wasn't the best 40k fiction I've read (nor the worst, by far!) but some aspects of it might appeal to you.

i see very well then

[Naoki the curseblood 99]

just an update i've thrown out the idea of them using abhumans as recruits Edited February 24, 2018 by Naoki the curseblood 99

[Tarvek Val]

That's probably for the best in the long run, it'll make things a lot simpler for you moving forwards.

[Naoki the curseblood 99]

That's probably for the best in the long run, it'll make things a lot simpler for you moving forwards.

an idea i have in mind is much their gear is either salvaged or crafted but i wont make this technology perfect

[Naoki the curseblood 99]

Alright, I have a good WIP draft of the Silent Hunters entry please note that my grammar isn't the best and I was unable to find anyone to proof read it so please forgive me if the quality isn't the best.

 

 

ORIGIN:

The Chapter that would become the Silent Hunters were once known as the Nocturnal Nomads would as many before it came forth from the clandestine experimentation of the 21st 'Cursed' Founding. The High Lords of Terra and Adeptus Mechanicus had grown to be rather concerned regarding the Ghoul Stars region and given how the region was relatively unknown as well as the fact the Death Spectres, who kept vigil over it needed a means to better perceive threats coming from within it thus both the High Lords and the Mechanicus decided that a Chapter would be needed to provide valuable information regarding the mysterious region of space and while at first, it seemed this Chapter would fair better than others from the 21st Cursed Founding much to the Imperium's dismay, however, this supposed success was doomed to suffer from the telltale scars upon them by both the Magos Biologis seemingly successful attempt to restore their gene-seed but also they would go silent for reasons only discovered rather recently.

 

Through an exceedingly long and difficult process, Magi Biologis managed to restore and repair the near irreversible damage done to the gene-seed of Corvus Corax's lineage however it is unclear whether or not the Nocturnal Nomads descend from either the Death Spectres or the Raptors with some even believing them to bear a chimeric gene-seed specifically a loyalist and traitor mix or in the more extreme cases the Night Lords themselves but regardless they were tasked with reconnaissance of the Ghoul Stars and the neutralization of any threats with The Nocturnal Nomads being required to report any of their discoveries to the Death Spectres if unsuccessful in the destruction of the foe. The Nocturnal Nomads received new Mucranoid's and Betcher's Gland previously thought lost with even the Melanchromic Organ, responsible for the pale skin and hair as dark as night, was restored to acceptable working condition. The other unique traits of Corax's gene-seed were carefully re-prized with the new organs, blessing the Nocturnal Nomads with all the enhanced reflexes and heightened senses of their forebearers and to further prepare the Nocturnal Nomads for their task, A mixed cadre of both Raptors and Death Spectres Astartes were placed within the Chapter the former deemed appropriate by their skills of arms in the art of subterfuge, infiltration, and guerrilla warfare while the latter was assigned to aid in teaching the young Chapter of the dangers they were likely to face in the Ghoul Stars region, in addition, they both shared the same assignment of leading the Nocturnal Nomads through their first battles and reporting whatever they discovered to their superiors however much speculation and debate leaves many uncertain of whom they actually descend from but while considered a success at first their gene-seed began to show it’s flawed nature.

 

CHAPTER HOMEWORLD:

The world of Aquali was discovered by the Nocturnal Nomads during their reconnaissance within the Ghoul Stars region and due having suffered heavy losses sought to make this world their primary recruitment world and whilst this may be their main recruitment world they do seek out other worlds for recruitment as required for a fleet-based chapter of their nature and as a means of precaution in case they were to lose their main recruitment world.

Aquali is commonly mistaken to be the crown jewel in the sub-sector Vixenia before the sub-sector was quarantined due to its nature of being a hollow planet formed by archeotech during the dark age of technology by many an outsider, however, to those who neighbored this world tell a far different story they tell of not a gorgeous and blissful paradise world but rather a brutal and uncaring death world that few would dare go to willingly if it had not been for Catachan's infamous reputation is so widespread amongst the Imperium many of the inhabitants of sub-sector Vixenia would consider Aquali to be the deadliest world in the Imperium but even then the people of this sector fear the world for Aquali has a rather infamous reputation amongst the inhabitants of the sub-sector.

 

The world's archeotech is malfunctioning as, during the Age of Strife, the device had been starved of vital parts to ensure the world functioned properly. Because of the warp storms isolating the planet, the archeotech devices responsible for maintaining the world, turned what was once safe, peaceful ocean world into a death world with bioluminescent flora both above and underwater. The world has numerous underwater cave systems, some ancient and overgrown ruins of the structures who were used by the ancestors of the local populace which are commonly used to hide from predatory flora and fauna. The dangers of Aquali only seem to increase as more and more dangers come into being by the nature of the malfunctioning world thus any who dare call it home must be able to adapt to it constantly. The world's limited sunlight is the result of the artificial sun designed to bring light and warmth to the hollow planet having malfunctioned. 'Sunlight' is only visible for nine hours in a 256-hour cycle. Fortunately for Aquali's inhabitants, the archeotech device still produces heat, although the planet's flora adapted in terrifying ways to survive; many trees within the tropical rainforests becoming carnivorous, able to uproot themselves in search of prey; many flowers flap their pedals to fly like a mosquito, use their thorns to pierce skin the way a mosquito's proboscis does, and drink blood like a mosquito; many kinds of grasses grow silicate coatings capable of shredding unprotected skin, so they may maximize the effects of any light that reaches them many of the plants have bioluminescent properties.

 

One should not forget about the lethal yet intelligent fauna which is able to plan their attacks from the Aqualyan Tree Lynx which ambush unfortunate Aqualyans from above and proceed to tear their heads from their shoulders with claws which tear through steel with ease to the terrifying Aqualyan Berserker Shark which in it's maddened blood lust it'll attack anything that crosses its path but even at a distance the Aqualyan natives aren't safe as the Aqualyan Harpoon Ray will launch its stinger like a projectile with deadly accuracy and like an electric eel can unleash an electric shock which is able to kill a human outright within a 20m range, but then there is the apex predator on Aquali known infamously as the Aqualyan Sea Tiger which is the largest of the many breeds of aqualyan sea cat which is able to go on land. While it is able to be tamed more often than not though it hunts for prey so far any kind of predator which has tried to rival it is put back in its place by the lethal yet intelligent predator. Despite the fact that it has killed many an Aqualyan, the Sea Tiger is respected by the natives thus many try to slay or tame such a beast as it is considered the perfect predator if one engages it head-on at range or melee finds out too late the secret to its success it's ability to phase through matter as much like a ghost any arrow or harpoon fired upon it so long as it sees or hears it coming will merely go through it as if the Sea Tiger weren't even there. the reason for this is due to the Sea Tiger being a warp born creature thus granting it this ability but with how long the species has been on Aquali for it has developed the ability to reproduce in real space via the womb of females acting as a connection to the warp allowing Sea Tigers who have fallen to be reborn by said females making exterminating them near impossible to do without destroying such a world but to worsen matters the malfunctioning archeotech constantly makes new dangers for the Aqualyans to face thus adapting to the matters at hand like the waters of their home is a necessity and a nomadic lifestyle is a necessary measure to ensure that they aren't killed in their sleep or other vulnerable circumstances the closest thing to a safe haven is the underwater cave systems.

 

It is whispered that what some would consider paranormal phenomena occurs there however no one knows what is the cause of this some consider it was the by-product of the chaos assault as they attempted to take Aquali and change it into a demon world while the act was prevented many strange things occur there some of the native Aqualyans claim to see the souls of their kin others claim to see visions of narsi herself yet the world doesn't show signs of being owned by any of the chaos gods nor a demon prince had it not been for such strange phenomenon and it's malfunctioning nature others suspect it must be something else regarding its placement in a Ghoul Stars region. Whatever it is the inquisitors who aid the hunters keep a careful eye in case such activity changes to a far worse kind.

 

FORTRESS MONASTERY:

The Hunters Pride is a massive submarine which acts as the fortress-monastery and dates back to when the archeotech hollow world was first built during the dark age of technology with the Chapter having restored what they could within it thus much of the damaged archeotech weaponry was replaced with Imperial weaponry to make up for what they lost and so far it has held its own against the creatures on Aquali and those foolish enough to invade.

 

AQUALYANS:

The inhabitants of the death world that is Aquali are known as Aqualyans who are nomadic hunters with an abnormal interpretation of the Imperial Cult known simply as The Hunt which has influenced the Chapter cult to a considerable extent and because of their resilient nature and skills in the arts of stealth, survival, crafting and hunting they are excellent recruits for the Chapter given that they are able to adapt rather well to the constantly changing circumstances of their lives as they dare Aquali to throw its worst at them a proud yet secretive people knowing well the value of stealth and besides the honour code of The Hunt they are willing to go to great lengths to catch and kill their query Aqualyans while tribal in nature have a good understanding of technology as they have managed to learn how to make both gunpowder and pneumatic technology not to mention primitive medicines allowing them to combat hostile wildlife survive some toxins, diseases and injuries which would be the death of a native from another feral or death world and using primitively made rebreathers navigate underwater to a considerable degree however while they are able to fight well enough to survive to a decent degree life for them is a constant game of cat and mouse for them those who lose to the local predators and plant life die for their failures but those who learn the value of stealth and of a well thought out plan or two thus are able to use their wits, physical strength, mental fortitude and a mixture of stealth, hunting and guerilla tactics can turn the tables on the creatures which hunt them teaching them that there is no retreating to formulate a new plan before coming back with a vengeance and claim their rightful prize.

The Aqualyans have learned how to tame Aqualyan Sea Cat along with other creatures born of Aquali although at a great risk however while it is possible for non-Aqualyans to tame them albeit at greater risk it is believed the latent Aqualyan Sea Cat genes discovered within the Aqualyans by the Silent Hunters which do explain how some have been developing the phasing ability of said apex predator while it seems to be relatively dormant it can surface as a fight or flight response and while many who use it either die or suffer major injuries thanks to the shamen within each of the tribes who have ties to the Silent Hunters Apex Predator, in fact, a rare few members of the Chapter's Hunt Vixens who have infiltrated the prefered tribes for recruiting new members for the Chapter to inform their superiors of potential recruits both within and outside of the tribe and with their instructions the 'shamen' of the major tribes have taken precautions via necklaces and other trinkets with runes to prevent them from phasing however some of the shamen ones outside of the Chapters influence seem to have learned how to phase naturally but said Phaseblood tribes seem to have many hardships thus the hunters must keep these tribes from dying out without making them suffer and struggle any less least the next generation of Silent Hunters be weaker than before furthermore, they must ensure that the population of psykers is kept to a minimum without wiping out the Phaseblood tribes.

A common tradition many tribes share is sending out some males and females of their tribe at a young age roughly at the age of a juvenile to find a mate to propagate with after they survive with only a hunting companion typically an Aqualyan Sea Cat or some other tamed hunting partner such as the Aqualyan flying cat or the Aqualyan forest wolf these children are considered an opportunity for the Silent Hunters as they'll take such children after waiting for a year or two excluding half of them the few which remain due to the hostility of Aquali's ecosystem regardless of any hunting companion as while it may survive if fortunate it's owner may not. There are approximately fourteen main tribes and about four Phaseblood tribes however this number may be incorrect regardless at best they can get sixty-four at the best of seasons but in most cases, it is less than that who survive and are taken by the Chapter leaving those who are not taken to continue with what their tribes had them sent to do in the first place the Chapter may be unable to convert females into Astartes but they have their own uses within the Chapter.

 

Due to the nature of Aquali being a death world Aqualyan tribes typically come to blows over the limited resources and in certain cases seek to absorb smaller tribes into large ones however due to Aqualyans being willing to go to great lengths to survive while betrayal among allies typically frowned upon by Aqualyan Culture may become unavoidable due to survival and The Hunt being deemed more important than blind loyalty especially to other tribes thus the Aqualyan Shamen have learned a means of keeping such agreements in check the Aqualyan Blood Oaths which are Warpcraft Rituals but are akin to agreements in major part albeit more subtle and tend to work with Aqualyan Blood Debts these rituals are of no harm unless one of either party involved in the Blood Oath break the agreement and commonly as a consequence of their actions are in essence marked for death in most part but more extreme variants are known to exist and to break such agreements tends to result in those who break the agreement being hunted and killed on sight unless they earn the forgiveness of those who did not break the agreement. Due to the effectiveness of such Blood Oaths the Silent Hunters have been utilising it so that those outsiders they recruit be they fellow Renegade Astartes or those who are recruited from outside of Aquali as well as any allies thus preventing their allies from betraying them with no consequence.

 

A few notable mutations that the Aqualyans seem to have developed blue cat-like eyes which seem to larger by 15% and have enhanced low light and long-ranged vision capabilities, their bones are more flexible akin to cartilage yet maintain their normal durability and their lungs seem to be larger by 10% and are more efficient in their natural functions allowing Aqualyans to hold their breath for longer periods of time yet by means which baffle the Silent Hunters the Aqualyans despite this are compatible with gene-seed implantation leading some to suspect these mutations and the Aqualyan Sea Cat genetics within them seem to have been the byproduct of genetic experimentation which concerns many within the Chapter and thus as a precaution planets in the sector are recruited from to act as a comparison between the two genetic makeups.

 

CHAPTER RECRUITMENT:

The Hunt or Be Hunted Trial is one of the only Trials known to the inquisitors who rediscovered the Silent Hunters with rumours running rampant of over actions being done in secret going as far as for them to claim that they expose each member to daemonic possession. In The Hunt or Be Hunted Trial all aspirants need to succeed in to begin the path to become a Silent Hunter regardless of whether the aspirants come from from Aquali or are outsiders brought there matters little for are sent to kill an Aqualyan Sea Cat with the gear they are given but this does not mean that a simple Aqualyan Sea Cat is the only prey of choice as those who kill more dangerous individuals members if not different and more dangerous breeds are allowed but even killing an Aqualyan Sea Cat is a considerable feat enough let alone one of their more dangerous cousins. They must return with the head of their prey after killing it but they start in the seas nearby the largest island on Aquali which is a long distance from the deepest of the underwater caverns which the Aqualyan Sea Cat mainly call home but any of the deadlier breeds may bring glory and guarantee recruitment into the Silent Hunters for the one who returns with the head of such a creature but in these cases, they must find these more lethal prey elsewhere. The aspirants are always given a basic rebreather with enough air to survive underwater or the few rainforests full of spores from the local plant life which can vary from toying with the mind of the aspirant to killing them via parasitic infections and other horrors with refilling it is easy to do in safe places and in addition to this they are given a basic form of backpack be it a slingpack or rucksack to carry any other gear to use. Before being sent they are given some time to prepare for this trial taking any weapons, medicine, tools and other such necessities for the trial, however, several things are forbidden in the trial explosives being a good example of an item restricted from use in the trial and in the case of a ranged weapon they only get one shot for it regardless of what it is be it a bow, harpoon rifle or even the rare slug thrower they only get one shot regardless, for this reason, most choose weapons which can reuse their ammo. Once ready they are sent off for this hunt and must traverse many islands and waters while surviving Aquali's dangers avoiding or killing predatory flora and fauna while surviving the deadly environments from tight and claustrophobic underwater cave systems, the vast and dangerous oceans to the lethal and large rain rainforests and then finally the frost-covered ruins and forests in the far and frozen south. They must not only find one of their wandering and ghostlike query but they must also survive the worst Aquali has to throw at them learning to adapt and endure or break under the pressures the long hunt will bring. The trial is a harsh and unforgiving one with many dying during the trial but should one be flexible enough to adapt and not break with the values of a cunning mindset and a skill for hunting and stealth they'll likely survive.

 

Another challenge is the fact that the Silent Hunters themselves might increase the tension via getting involved in person often harassing the aspirants to see how they handle themselves under the pressure and while fatalities are a rare occurrence such things have happened while the aspirants are forbidden from killing each other much like taking the head of the Sea Cat killed by another aspirant is, such things have occurred in the middle of the trial but should such a discovery be made by the rune seekers waiting for them or the Astartes watching them then they'll be punished in brutal fashion. Those who either return to the Astartes or are found by one of the Astartes stalking them after they have succeeded even if on the verge of death will be considered worthy of becoming a member of the Chapter and those males who become Astartes are to prepare this skull to act as the first of potentially many trophies and are expected to carry it on their person for the entirety of their service while the females will join the Hunt Vixens and Spiders with this trophy being the first of many in their path to become truly accepted within the Chapter since this is merely believed to be the first trial. Some may have this first trophy altered to be made into a part of their armour with any necessary medical attention being given to them after their success before they are to continue with their next trials.

 

CHAPTER HISTORY:

In their early history, the Nocturnal Nomads were a fleet-based Chapter due to the nature of why they were created despite being a young blooded Chapter they had a determination to prove themselves to the Imperium and didn't fear death for they were the angels of death like any other Chapter they knew no fear. However their task of operating as a long range reconnaissance force within the Ghoul Stars region often meant that they would be alone for extended periods of time fortunately they found a frequent ally in a Carcharodons Astra or simply known as the Space Sharks leading to the Nocturnal Nomads early survival fortunately for the Nocturnal Nomads the mixed cadre of Raptors and Death Spectres aided the young Chapter in learning to adapt to and survive on their own this resulted in the Chapter at first becoming codex divergent but as time passed in their relative isolation they formed their own unique organisation while they still utilized tactics from the codex they came to the belief that they were to adapt to the circumstances at hand even more so than the Raptors who influenced this tendency in part although the Nocturnal Nomads had taken it further to considerable extent to the point of disregarding the Codex Astartes organisation guidelines excluding limitations on the size of the Chapter while off putting it seemed to be having results as they successfully warned the imperium of new xenos threats and in their extensive scouting out of the newly discovered foes at best were able to cripple such hostile xenos before they could attempt any attacks upon the imperium of man or at worst merely provided the information gathered during such reconnaissance operations to warn the Death Spectres of the impending threat but within their many centuries of service the young Chapter was about to have matters go completely against them as their gene seed began to develop it's hidden yet flawed nature during the Age of Apostasy where thier silence went unnoticed by all but the Death Spectres.

 

The Nocturnal Nomads were presumed destroyed after several centuries if not, a millennia of service that is unclear but they were not destroyed rather they were forced into becoming renegades according to the surviving members of the Chapter after their rediscovery by a conclave of radical inquisitors during the 38th millennium after being tasked with investigating the rumours of a large fragment of a crusading fleet of Emperor's Children, they had fallen to several gene seed mutations during their task in doing extensive reconnaissance within the Ghoul Stars region attrition had reduced the Chapter to bellow strength with half of the Chapter having been killed in their many battles and the mixed cadre were either dead those few who survived had left long ago to reinforce their own Chapters but matters only grew worse as their gene seed began to develop it's flaws first starting with a mutated Melanochrome which made their skin thick and leathery as well as making it a dark grey in coloration, which was considered to be of minor concern compared to the other problems they had to deal with unfortunately for the Nocturnal Nomads this would only prove to be the beginning of a butterfly effect as not long after both their bletcher's gland became overactive resulting in the Chapter being silenced as the loss of their tongues as the acids released by the overactive bletcher's gland burned their tongues away from then on they would become the Silent Hunters.

 

This loss of their ability to speak combined with the death of several of their Astropaths and The Age of Apostasy which was in the making caused the Imperium to lose contact with the now Silent Hunters the Chapter knowing they needed to rebuild so that they could survive the long voyage back the Imperium came across a world that at first glance was a blessing. the world of Aquali, seeing the value such a world with its population being perfect for recruitment had the Chapter's remaining officers came to the agreement that they would take this world as their new recruitment world as they found the Aqualyans which inhabited the world and the nature of the world itself being a hollow world too tempting to resist for rebuilding their depleted numbers and continuing their task from the High Lords of Terra as required.

 

However, in their haste to rebuild they neglected to realise that the population had the genetics of an Aqualyan Sea Cat which overtime began to affect the gene-seed within the Chapter which while subtle it had its impact and the catalyst for this was an assault upon the sector by a Warband of Chaotic Astartes led by a former Ultramarine Captain now a Daemon Prince. This conflict known as the Vixenia War is what led to the Chapter forsaking the Codex Astartes and their severe mutations as a civil war broke out within the Chapter with three subsections those who fell to Chaos out of self-preservation, those who refused to forsake the Codex Astartes for fear of falling to damnation by doing so and those who wished to discard the Codex Astartes after finding that traitors were using their knowledge of the Codex Astartes to outmaneuver them. Ultimately it was those who wished to discard the Codex which won between the three after those who refused to discard the Codex were slaughtered after they were betrayed by members within their own ranks who sided with the traitor subsection and in the process, they gave the terminator plate of the Chapter to the Chaos Warband which to this current day the Silent Hunters have only reclaimed three of the few suits they had.

 

A 200-year long guerilla war took place as the remaining Silent Hunters did everything they could to combat the traitors losing most of the worlds within the sector to the traitors in the final days of the vast conflict the traitors attempted to turn Aquali into a daemon world however the warp energies acted as a catalyst for the Silent Hunters as many within the Chapter would mutate extensively with many developing digitigrade legs, cat-like eyes, long sabre teeth and in some cases large claws all of which being akin to the many breeds Aqualyan Sea Cat and in a series of vicious ambushes and assaults the traitors were either slaughtered or routed at the climax of the war their Daemon Prince Fabian the Vengeful being decapitated by the first Apex Predator of the Chapter by his mutated bare hands leading to the end of the bloody conflict.

 

Much rebuilding was necessary both within the Chapter and those worlds which they could salvage three of the seven being sacrificed via heavy orbital bombardments and other extreme methods in an attempt to cull the traitors to a more manageable size and the Chapter was reduced to half of a battle company having to rebuild from the ground up thus resulting in the Silent Hunters creating the Wanderer’s Protocol. The inquisitors of this minor Ordo known as the Ordo Exsecutioni made a pact with them where in exchange for the services of the Silent Hunters at their beckoning call and the Silent Hunters having their past records destroyed or hidden to all but a strict few. The Silent Hunters were given free rein over the quarantined sub-sector where they'd leave to raid nearby planets and sectors and they had their inquisitorial companions to be gifted supplies and such from allied Rogue Traders.

 

The Silent Hunters were discovered to have endured by raiding any who entered the sector and destroying any who dared try to flee and the cabal of radicals found them of great value as the Chapter made quick, brutal and quiet work of many a potential threat having killed other renegade and Chaos Astartes, Xenos of many a kind and the occasional Inquisitor or similar high ranking members of the imperium with their raids managing to go unnoticed to a degree often getting mistaken for dark eldar or other xenos raiders but things wouldn't continue to go this well forever as the Chapter was forced to take more desperate actions after the fall of Cadia akin to that when they first became isolated with the supplies from the Rogue Traders they were allied with coming into their home sector less and less frequently and the supplies hoarded and stored for any warp storms or similar phenomena began to run dry thus it grew difficult to keep afloat with the light of the Astronomican being cut off from then making their attempts to avoid the gaze of the Imperium proved to be impossible due to navigation and coordination proving nigh impossible with the imperium uncertain of how to scale them as a threat many puritan inquisitors considered it best to destroy the Chapter to ensure that the relatively small threat they posed when compared to the traitors who brought Cadia down didn't grow to such an extent where they were a big enough threat to cripple if not drag the imperium down while many radicals those who were in the cabal of radical inquisitors which rediscoved the Chapter, to begin with, included argued that wasting any resources on them would only hurt the imperium more than it'd do to help.

 

CHAPTER CULTURE:

As a Chapter which has existed longer as renegades then being a part of the Imperium the Silent Hunters are typically very isolationist, fiercely independent and rather savage in nature with for it’s Hunt Brothers typically being encouraged to act on their own initiative should the need arise with the Silent Hunters being a very individualistic chapter and it is incredibly rare for them to call for aid and are very reluctant to accept such aid from any outsiders lightly unless they will have something to gain in such a thing or if they can see that the battle is a losing one.

 

They have a grim determination to survive and endure refusing to yield easily yet and will not beg for mercy. They are not being blinded by pride or the traditional honour of other astartes having been in hostile domain for much of their infancy having few allies if any to rely on followed by their isolation has left them to be a fiercely determined yet adaptable force able to survive and endure the worst of conditions this has made them view secrecy and concealment fondly for without such things they would have been extinct long ago.

 

The Chapter's Astartes view the skills of survival, hunting, marksmanship, adaptation and stealth as some of the most important as while a kill with fine blade is respected a kill from afar is a prefered thing amongst the Chapter given its effectiveness and it lessening the risk the Hunt Brothers need put themselves in however independent thought and action is one thing that is viewed very fondly amongst the Chapter especially with Hunt Brothers who committed impressive deeds by themselves with little more than their gear, the environment and wit. Those who killed entire squads of foes on their own or a sole survivor of a bloody massacre which left his Patrol dead being respected as much as the Chapter's Leads or should such a deed warrant it, they may be as respected as the Predators. A saying within the Chapter exemplifies this view well that being “The deeds of a single individual can outweigh those of entire armies.”

 

The Silent Hunters abhor those who earn their rank by family ties and most other means that are not through their own efforts for in the eyes of the Silent Hunters earning such high ranks is to be done by the individual and them alone. Any Chapter who follows the Codex to excessive extents, bears the blood of Guilliman or is of Primaris stock earn their scorn. They abhor the weak or those who lack the wit and individual thought to use their strengths and they despise those who rely on others only rather then fending for themselves yet they are much more forgiving with civilians on this matter but otherwise in the eyes of the Silent Hunters if you cannot fend for yourself then you are little more than a sheep to them unworthy of respect or pity. They respect those who are skilled survivors or hunters if not both and view most outsiders with suspicion unless they earn their respect. Should someone aid the Silent Hunters in a time of need even against their wishes then the Chapter will be in their debt and will honour such a debt without complaint or protest but scorning the Silent Hunters has a similar effect as threats and attacks will be returned in kind. The ancient Terran saying “An eye for an eye” is the simplest way to explain this mindset as an act of aid will be returned in kind much like an act of hostility would be done as well.

 

The Chapter may not follow the edicts of the Codex Astartes but they begrudgingly respect it to some extent given reasons behind its inception yet refuse to organize to its teachings and doctrines in all but the size limitations dictated by the tome.

The Silent Hunters believe that death is not to be ashamed of and should one die fighting for humanity and the Chapter then it is worth it with each brother and their trophies should they be recoverable being buried in the depths of Aquali's oceans.

 

Each Hunt Brother is not only expected to but encouraged to take pride in their weapons and wargear with many considering them an extension of themselves and tend to modify their weapons as their Runesmiths and Huntsmiths who have taken some of the teachings of the Techmarines and long ago before their mutations came to the surface teach many amongst the Chapter how to modify their weapons via adding stocks, scopes, laser targeters, bayonets and various other modifications fashioned from bone, leather, adamantium and various electronic components to their bolters and other such ranged weapons or modifying lightning claws as to make wielding a sidearm easier and other such adjustments but the Hunt Brother in question must have used said weapon before as they must learn how to use it before modifying it is allowed thus most bolters and bolt pistols are modified in various ways that fit each Hunt Brothers preferences however a normal Hunt Brother's weapons while pretty well crafted are not on par with those who are a part of the Venator guard who have some of the most expertly-crafted weapons within the Chapter excluding those of similar or higher status within the Chapter.

Some of the Astartes from Aquali have modified their bolters to be able to fire harpoons making the so-called Harpoon Bolters which unlike a Combi Harpoons, Harpoon Bolters have the harpoon loaded in the same barrel used for firing bolter rounds which while undoubtedly effective in the use of aquatic combat as well as being these harpoons being versatile and powerful projectiles with modifications allowing them to adapt to certain threats such as poison coatings, improvised explosives and in the case of the Rune Hunters phase harpoons which are made typically from the stringers of Aqualyan Harpoon Rays as well as other local Aqualyan wildlife. Certain Astartes within the chapter while very rare might modify such weapons to use abnormal firing modes including Bolt Action or Lever Action however as to compensate they might use higher calibre bolt rounds sometimes such modifications may be encouraged in more dire times as bolter rounds become more difficult to produce and gather.

 

THE HUNT:

The Hunt is an abnormal interpretation of the imperial cult formerly call the Emperor The Apex and as an even stranger belief they believe that he has a bride known as Narsi who is said to be the one who judges every Aqualyan who dies and see if they are worthy of becoming an Apex Kin who are akin to the wraiths and furies of ancient Terran legend as these hunters are said to have earned the love of Narsi and the Apex thus becoming spectral predators who hunt for the Apex until either all of the worthy prey they can find lay dead or the stars themselves expire.

As stated prior this belief has influenced the Silent Hunter's Chapter cult to a considerable extent that even more, atheistic members may do so out of tradition instead of religious necessity.

 

In the hunt, it is believed that to earn Narsi's and the Apex's love they must kill worthy prey.

How they consider prey worthy is the more dangerous means the better however they must also be armed properly as killing an unworthy prey without good reason will stain their honour. The hunter is allowed to use most means to kill their worthy prey and retrieve its skull or other such bones as a trophy for their accomplishment. However, the hunt forbids targeting, unworthy prey who are either children, elderly, most civilians and an unarmed combatant as they want to be challenged leading to this belief influencing their organization as patrols are known for separating to operate in pairs if not on their own as hunting while outnumbered is a favoured means of making a hunt more difficult some who have bionics may remove or otherwise disable them to make it more difficult and thus make them more worthy in Narsi's and the Apex's eyes some may refuse to take such bionics in the first place or may refuse to wield certain weapons deeming it makes the hunt easier.

 

Granted not every Silent Hunter is so extreme in the interpretation but it varies depending on the tribe or clan the Silent Hunter originated from if they even originated from Aquali, to begin with as the hunters have recruited Astartes from non-chaos renegade warbands or loyalist Astartes who were in essence left for dead by their former brothers while some may see the Apex and Narsi as gods others view them as the greatest hunters amongst mankind seeing it as their duty to honour them by hunting but all of them share the common habit of taking trophies of their kills typically being the skulls of their foes and via alchemical transmutation using archeotech found upon Aquali to make the bone as hard as ceramite yet typically coating the bones in Cameleoline as to help the Hunt Brother avoid detection via the material hiding the bones from sight to an extent muffling the noise of the bones rattling against one another to an extent.

 

CHAPTER ORGANISATION:

The Silent Hunters' are organized into Clans there were four in total within the Silent Hunters these are the Apex, Hunt, Garrison and the Vigil Clans with each of them being able to easily operate independently via recruitment before and while on the move and the careful management and maintenance of their weapons and war machines while some may have their own specialties such as the Vigil Clan being the experts in scouting duties or the Apex Clan being where the veterans are mainly placed.

 

Each Clan can separate into small task forces known as Expeditions or if necessary Demi Clans as for the organizations which are akin to a codex Chapter's Apothecarion, Librarius, Armory and Reclusiam are known as Tribes these being the Alchemist, Rune, Smith and Shaman Tribes with each clan having members from the tribes within their to aid them as necessary.

 

The clans can send their own units to other clans before setting off to make said Expeditions and Demi Clans, however, having a full Clan let alone the entire Chapter go to war is a rare thing indeed and is considered to be a terrible omen. Each clan typically numbers around 250 Hunt Brothers and at best over a hundred neophytes, each clan has three Predators acting as Captains within a codex Chapter although ever since they have ended up in the Ghoul Stars they are rarely able to maintain full chapter strength typically having clans end up understrength but still forced to operate despite this.

 

One of these Predators within the Apex Clan being called an Apex Predator with the two Predators acting as command aides and if necessary replacements should he perish each clan has members of the Alchemy, Rune, Smith and Shaman Tribes involved at max three per Clan with the heads of the Tribes known as Apexes always being part of the Apex Clan, however, the Rune Tribe has a lot of influence due to many members including members of other tribes being trained in the use of any psychic powers yet not being removed from the Tribes they are embedded within before such abilities were discovered.

 

Each of the Clans can have their warriors taken out of their own clans and be assembled into Expeditions or Demi Clans to combine the talents of other Clans another notable difference is the Chapter takes longer than the norm in training its members due to its various offshoots which whom are typically sent into the next stage of training, for example, a Sabre Nomad will progress to either a Scavenger or a Watcher, unlike codex Chapters who'll send Astartes who complete parts of training towards the next stage, in this case, a scout becoming a devastator.

 

WANDERER’S PROTOCOL:

In times of desperation, the Silent Hunters will enact this protocol typically in times of crisis when they have lost a large amount of Hunt Brothers or worse Gene Seed to the point where rebuilding to full chapter strength is likely to take centuries if not millennia alone then in such a situation among with other situations of dire constraints each Clan is to be reduced to 125 Hunt Brothers with the Tribes being reduced to 12 in number and the rank of Apex Predator being assigned to one Predator in each Clan and similar ranks with the Tribes being assigned one of the three assigned to the Clans. The Clans will during the time in this state remain fleet based and separate from the rest of their brethren searching far and wide for resources and potential recruits.

The main goals behind this protocol is to rebuild the Chapter to a state where it’s combat effective while also preventing the extinction of the Chapter via each Clan maintaining their own separate command structure, supplies and recruits with the final goal having these Clans build up in size until restoring the Chapter is possible.

While effective as it has saved the nomads in situations where other chapters would go extinct the protocol has flaws, as Clans have been wiped out before they could rebuild fully thus leading to delays of the and the Clans have over time with the use of this tactic, have developed deviations in culture and tactics thus leading to the concern of the clans breaking from the chapter entirely if not civil war but so far neither has happened.

 

The Chapter's terms and various specialists are listed below.

Apex Predator: Chapter Master/Clan Leader

Predator: Captain

Apex Rune Seeker: Chief Librarian

Apex Alchemist: Chief Apothecary

Apex Shaman: Master of Sanctity

Apex Smith: Master of Forge

Rune Seeker: Librarian

Alchemist: Apothecary

Rune Alchemist: Librarian/Apothecary mix

Shaman: Chaplain equivalent

Rune Shaman: Librarian/Chaplain mix

Huntsmith: Techmarine

Runesmith: Librarian/Techmarine mix

Apex Hunters: Terminator Armoured Honour Guard/Veteran

Venators: Veteran

Archers: Veteran offshoot

Headhunters: Veteran offshoot

Sabre Whalers: Veteran/Devastator offshoot

Owl Nomads: Veteran/Assault offshoot

Rune Hunter: Veteran/Scout/Librarian mix

Raiders: Tactical Marine

Breacher: Tactical Marine offshoot

Trackers: Tactical/Scout mix offshoot

Trappers: Tactical/Scout mix offshoot

Falconers: Assault marine

Firehawks: Assault marine offshoot

Gunners: Devastator marine

Sentinels: Devastator marine offshoot

Sabrea Nomads: Scout Marine

Scavengers: Scout Marine offshoot

Watchers: Scout Marine offshoot

Rune Nomad: Scout/Veteran/Librarian

Hunt Vixens: Trained Female Chapter serfs

Hunt Spiders: Trained Female Chapter serfs female

Lost Hunters: Expendable troops

Patrol: Squad

Lead: Squad Sergeant

Apex Lead: Veteran Sergeant

Rune Lead: Librarian/Squad Sergeant mix

Hunt Brother: Battle-Brother

 

GENE SEED:

Physically the Silent Hunters suffer from an overactive Betcher's Gland which renders many of them mute via the acidic levels of the acidic spit growing too great for even their superhuman flesh to endure as their tongues dissolve away before the organ finally shuts down, it was one of the first of the mutations they suffered from before their isolation and believed destruction the other being a mutated Melanochrome which makes their skin thick and leathery as well as making it a dark grey.

 

One should not forget the physical effects which developed due to the unstable genes of the many breeds of Aqualyan Sea Cat in their main recruiting population from Aquali which has affected the gene-seed itself to a degree thus even non-Aqualyan Astartes may suffer such mutations albeit at a less high risk than Aqualyans. Their eyes take a cat-like appearance and their night vision becomes more powerful after the occulobe becomes overactive and in the more severe cases they might grow large claws or sabre like teeth, their legs might begin to change from a normal plantigrade into a digitigrade nature or in the most severe but thankfully rarer cases they'll devolve into some monstrous hybrid of an Astartes and an Aqualyan sea cat.

 

These mutations tend to enhance their senses, eyesight being the prime example as they are able to spot targets from further distances or see in the darkness far better than a normal Astartes however they may need to wear helmets or auto-sense goggles to protect their eyes from bright lights.

 

The process of which is a disturbingly slow and somewhat subtle one and whilst not all of them will develop such extreme mutations the odds are not in their favour and they always bear the appearance of some form of Aqualyan Sea Cat. The last and unique physical mutation is due to the genes being of an Aqualyan Sea Cat they are "gifted" with a stronger connection to the warp and many may inherit the unique phasing ability the many breeds of Aqualyan Sea Cat have allowing them to use this ghost like ability as they phase through matter as if they weren't there however most are trained to subconsciously hold it back and use runes carved into the armour they wear and in more severe cases their flesh to keep them in reality thus who are considered able to be trusted with this ability are trained how to use it as a specialist unit known as "Rune Hunters" or if they are strong psykers they will be trained into "Runesmiths" a role combining the psychic training of a Librarian and training used by the Astartes of the Chapter who have been trained by a mixture of Hereteks they have given refuge to and those Astartes whom were trained into techmarines and have been teaching each next generation since their isolation or the "Rune Shaman" and "Rune Alchemists" both of these roles combine the psychic training of a Librarian and the spiritual practices of the Chaplains in the case the Rune Shamen or the medical training of the Apothecaries however with recent events the Silent Hunters are enforcing such training on any aqualyan recruit with the potential to use this phasing ability thus the amount of those who can use this gift is growing. This mutation has in combination with their home being within the ghoul stars has given the Silent Hunters a dark reputation as ghostly hunters who are deathly silent and unrelenting with some daring to whisper that even Daemons can't see them coming before it is far too late.

 

These abnormal genes from the Aqualyan Sea Cats are believed to affect the Astartes psychologically with the mental affliction known as "The Hunter's Solitude" but some whisper that this may be proof of them not being purely of Raven Guard lineage. affliction within the Astartes of the Silent Hunters is most frequent with Aqualyan Astartes will over time grow more and more distant from his kin to the point they actively avoid working in patrols instead hunting alone as ghostly voices will whisper into their minds and these Astartes depending on their sanity will either isolate themselves in order to ensure that they don't endanger their kin or simply to hear these voices better. The afflicted can only be convinced to be around others out of necessity, otherwise, they will not be with allies under most circumstances but the afflicted can follow orders and they can coordinate to a surprising degree via having members do synchronised ambushes, scout ahead along with other tasks perfect for small teams it seems to enhance their mental focus, reflexes and in the more extreme cases numbs them of any pain or these voices will whisper warnings into their minds be it warning them of threats outside of their normal perception bordering on the edge supernatural as they might perceive threats from orbit in the most extreme cases but a strange thing about this flaw is it doesn't seem to apply to the Astartes' hunting companion so long as they are not a fellow Astartes or human thus the afflicted may have a hunting companion with them but only if these companions have a strong bond. A disturbing discovery is that the consumption of raw flesh and blood from recent kills can sometimes make certain that these voices either quieten down or enhance them furthermore via these ghostly warnings and sometimes ease the madness of those who begin to lose themselves to having suppressed it for too long this being known as The Hunter's Hunger. However, such a method is frowned upon however if necessary it can be authorised or in the case of the more severely afflicted individuals they might be forced to do so to make it possible to linger around their brothers least they become Lost Hunters.

 

Suppressing The Hunter's Solitude for too long only worsens these whispers as they'll scratch and claw at the mind of the unfortunate Hunt Brother more aggressively the Astartes might begin to suffer hallucinations seemingly of their own future as every recorded vision has ended up being revealed as true what is worse is this visions will begin to harass the Astartes in their dreams until they let the Solitude run it's course eventually least they be rendered into little more than blood-crazed beasts. Those who fall into such a state are called Lost Hunters and while very few in number and while they may have some hope of regaining their sanity but they must hunt alone for a time feeding on the flesh and blood on any kills. They are placed into solitary units known as Lost Hunters who are typically sent into the enemy's rear to wreak havoc upon them and they must either satisfy this primal hunger within them to ease this madness or they will die via the blessing of a hunter's death. Those who fall to it are unable to lead and act by instinct seeking to hunt and kill any prey they can find. Those in this state will form the mutations associated with the Aqualyan Sea Cat genes at a more rapid rate then normal even if they have not shown signs of such mutations.

 

This flaw has led to the Chapter training their Astartes so they can both survive and fight independently while still ensuring to have these Astartes work in some form of coordination and thus these Astartes tend to carry much more gear than usual. So far these methods have been successful in maintaining their ability to operate effectively but these ghostly whispers concern all within the chapter.

 

COMBAT DOCTRINE:

The Silent Hunters will always begin with careful reconnaissance before any engagement let alone deploying any full strike force onto a world as while many call this behaviour overly cautious if not cowardly the main reason being is simple the Silent Hunter Expedition forces much like a Demi Clan or Clan they tend to be as flexible as possible but the Hunt Brothers of the Chapter don't like taking needless risks especially during combat thus such recon may take weeks, months of very rarely years. If the information gathered is satisfactory via careful recon or spy work on the part of in the case of the former Sabre Nomads, Watchers and Scavengers and the latter Hunt Vixens and Spiders they may deploy assets which are chosen intentionally as to exploit the weaknesses of the foe to the extreme without any hint of mercy. Only, when information about the foes is obtained and researched, do the Silent Hunters formulate a strategy using the forces fitting to crush the foe. Depending on the nature of the foe and the circumstances of battle the Silent Hunters will do everything they can to avoid prolonged open engagements instead either attacking via quick and ruthless ambushes using Sabre Nomads, Scavengers, Watchers, Owl Nomads, Rune Nomads and Hunters to cut them down quickly but quietly if at all possible but if stealth is not an option and the opportunity is too vital and rare to wait for a fresh chance via alternative means then using highly mobile assets such as Falconers, Firehawks, Trackers and transports full of Raiders and Breachers to conduct quick raiding attacks before pulling out to avoid the foe overwhelming or otherwise counter attacking them in engagements of a more defensive nature where they are outmanned and outgunned and stealth while possible can't be guaranteed then Trappers, Watchers, Gunners and Sentinels will prepare traps and ambushes to slow or cull the foe which is hunting them turning the tables on them. Even when on the defensive the Silent Hunters will prefer to be on the move or in concealed positions rather than hunkering down like most would unless necessary in a similar manner to their former name they are constantly repositioning to avoid detection and destruction.

The Silent Hunters prefer to deal with priority threats first whenever an opportunity for a vital target in need of termination comes to rise then one of the many types of Venator or a Rune Hunter may be deployed to slain for the Hunt.

 

The use of Psychological warfare while rarely used by the Silent Hunters they will put such tactics to use in more dire constants or when a debt needs to be repaid in blood. However such tactics are not applied in the traditional sense as the method the Silent Hunters use is more versatile as instead of using only the fear of the foe they'll use any emotion against the foe be it fear, anger, pride and sorrow. The Silent Hunters tend to get an idea of the foe's thought process via careful recon and spying on them and more importantly find any flaws in their personality or mental state and use it against them in ruthless fashion from leaving the headless corpses of foes abandoned or hung within eyesight, letting themselves be seen for brief moments only to slip into the shadows without a sound, luring an overeager or altruistic foe into traps via using themselves or their wounded as the bait or on certain occasions have the heads of an enemy commanders' lieutenants and bodyguards placed into their bed before they awaken from their slumber.

 

Each patrol and it’s members can break off to operate alone for some time while keeping which vox range as to keep contact and formulate plans of engagement with one another each being trained extensively as to make each Hunt Brother is trained extensively to become a skilled combatant and more importantly an expert in survival on their own and together a patrol is a force to be reckoned this way of organization makes predicting them difficult especially within the hisses and snarls they make to communicate via what they call predator voice however the Hunt Vixens and Spiders are trained to act as a means to aid their Astartes brethren in communicating to those unfamiliar with predator voice or the various forms of non-verbal communication.

 

Due to the nature of the Chapters tactics to alter drastically on the surface as patrols may have members use their own tactics and break off from the patrols to hunt individually, the leads must keep track of their brethren via communication and careful observation thus modifications to armour to allow patrol leads to better keep track of their men are rather common and to make doing so easier for the leads and the patrols they lead each patrol to tend to be up to 3-5 brothers at best rather than 5-10 Astartes however some units make use of higher numbers such as Hunt Vixens.

 

The Silent Hunters are skilled in using deception, stealth and quick yet brutal attacks even in raids both in the void and on the surface of planets having covens of Rune Seekers and other psykers on ships cast illusions potent enough to have large portions of a ship's crew if not entire crews butcher each other as they perceive each other as other threats or fire upon allied void craft as they mistake one another for the enemy or in more subtle cases they may go completely unnoticed as if they were not even there like spectres as they discreetly have their cargo infiltrate upon the planet via modified dropships to evade detection but in more desperate circumstances they rely on their Rogue Trader contacts to get them onto the surface discretely typically compensating the Rogue Traders for their aid via a share of the plunder, however, the hunters have been known to do their own raids while a planet is already under attack typically considering the plunder as payment for their hidden aid in the shadows.

Edited April 18, 2020 by Naoki the curseblood 99

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Nitpicking:

You still have a lot of typos, e.g., using "trail" in place of "trial" in "The hunt or be hunted trail is the trail" (in my opinion, the name should also be capitalized as "The Hunt or Be Hunted Trial"), lack of commas, failure to capitalize names such as "Cadia" and "Astronomicon", etc. You should proofread your works before passing them on to proofreaders, or you'll risk wearing out the latter's patience.

[Naoki the curseblood 99]

Nitpicking:

You still have a lot of typos, e.g., using "trail" in place of "trial" in "The hunt or be hunted trail is the trail" (in my opinion, the name should also be capitalized as "The Hunt or Be Hunted Trial"), lack of commas, failure to capitalize names such as "Cadia" and "Astronomicon", etc. You should proofread your works before passing them on to proofreaders, or you'll risk wearing out the latter's patience.

Fair points, unfortunately, autocorrect tends to be very unreliable at the worst moments and I tend to be rather busy here and there so I don't often get much time to write this let alone proofread.

Took me months to get this done.

Edited April 5, 2020 by Naoki the curseblood 99