WIP Adamant Dragons

[SoulessGod]

Hi there everyone!

 

After years of thinking about it but never actually doing it I have finally painted my first model! So I though I would do up my own space marine chapter because it was another thing I have always wanted to do in the hobby!

 

As such I have got a name and some ideas that I would like help with if I can get it.

 

What I have so far:

 

Adamant Dragons

 

FOUNDING: Ultima

Parent Chapter: ++Exorcists++

Genesire: ++Restricted++

CHAPTER MASTER: Uthaer Thuban

 

Founding

 

The Adamant Dragons are a Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes founded during the Ultima Founding.

 

After the appearance of the great rift several inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus came to the collective decision that more specialist resources would be required to guard against the probable increase in daemonic incursions into Imperial territory.

 

Pooling a significant amount of their personal resources they besaught Belasarious Cawl to allow them control of a newly formed chapter of Primaris Space Marines and the required materiel to effectively deploy them where required.

 

It was decided that the initial formation of the Adamant Dragons would be overseen by 6 members of the Exorcists Chapter. A captain, lieutenant, two veteran sergeants and two Librarians.

 

These members were requisitioned by the inquisitors with all information relating to their task being privy only to the group of inquisitors and the upper echelon of Exorcist command.

 

The marines underwent the same hypno-conditioning and were released to the inquisitors and their Exorcist mentors.

 

After their initial input the six members of the Exorcists chapter returned to their homeworld.

 

In their place Chapter Master Uthaer Thuban was given control of the chapter to assist him he promoted Chief Librarian Aldor Eltanin, Captains Galad Rastaban and Furen Athebyne as well as Librarians Haral Alrakis and Furyk Kuma as company commanders.

 

The chapter has made several requests for information regarding their genesire even going so far as to submit genetic samples for testing but each time have not been granted access passed security measures put in place by unspecified inquisitorial decree.

 

Homeworld

 

The Adamant Dragons are based on the feudal world of Malkier Prime which they were gifted by Imperial decree after their successful deployment against a demonic infestation that had taken control of one of the planets monarchs and through him the fortress city of Manetheren.

 

The Adamant Dragons have since taken the planet and it's populace under their stewardship. Taking the fortress city of Manetheren for their own the chapter regularly travel between the feudal nations seeking out recruits and conducting diplomatic visits with the noble families who rule the other nations.

 

Some inquisitors that have dealings with the chapter insist that marines that are deployed on sensitive missions or tasks submit themselves for mind scrubbing prior to rejoining the chapter proper.

 

This scrubbing conducted by Inquisitorial staff who are permanently attached to the chapter and monitored by a senior chapter apothecary who is not privy to the memories being removed.

 

I think that's everything I have so far, more to come soon though!

[Olis]

Okay. So let's say they really don't know who their gene-sire is. Is there a particular explanation you have in mind? Given that they are an Ultima Founding Chapter, they're new enough for potential genetic drift to be ruled out (in fact I think their being so new can be detrimental to this line of thinking). Both the Chapter itself and the Admech could, in theory, pull a brother to one side and just give him a blood test or some such.

 

Another explanation could be that the information is restricted. In which case, why is it restricted? Why would the Chapter not be allowed to know who they came from? I get that, what with the mention of daemons and the Exorcists, this plants the DIY somewhat within the sphere of the Inquisition. Also that the Inquisition values secrecy and skullduggery... but that would still beg the question of why. If indeed this is the Inquisition messing with this particular Chapter, I suggest that the tendrils of secrecy may bite deeper into the character of the Chapter than you might have first envisioned. What else might the Inquisition deny to a potential 'pet' Primaris Chapter? Perhaps the brothers are regularly mind-wiped and barely even remember who they are, let alone who they came from...

[SoulessGod]

Ok, a very good point I put unknown as they would know were they came from the Exorcists, who to the best of my knowledge have there genesire information restricted I'll edit my initial post to reflect that.

 

As for the Inquisition I definitely want them involved. If not in their creation then they will find out about them soon after, probably from the Exorcists.

 

Mind wiping is an interesting thought I feel like the Adamant Dragons hold there personal and chapter history and identy very highly so would attempt to resist any mind wiping that occured, more than likely unsuccessfully at first. Perhaps in a sort of passive sense learning to assist inquisitorial operatives in taking what they were tasked to in order to stop whole sale memory removal.

 

Following that thread a little further perhaps they have have a drive unlike their parent chapter to discover their true genesire, this being possibly the Grey Knights.

 

Being anti daemon specialists they have obviously been deployed along side the Grey Knights on multiple occasions, however the Inquisition sees allowing them any knowledge of these deployments as a risk so there memories are altered to replace the Knights with a different chapter with a more mundane genesire that confuses the chapter as to its history, or they just wipe the encounters from their memory which would lead to them becoming much more suspicious.

[Olis]

Here's a thought - mind-wipes don't necessarily mean that identity will be a problem, just select information (with perhaps a touch of spill-over) has been removed. This could lead to potential crises of paranoia and breaks from the hypno-conditioning that astartes normally have, which adds a lot of flavour imo. While they may be normal astartes, the mental bonds that ensure loyalty and service are in peril.

 

That is not to say that they are automatically at risk of turning traitor, just that they may be more prone to mental flaws or syndromes that astartes would not usually suffer. This could be a secret the Chapter itself tries to keep and maintain, adding yet more depth to their already murky (though short) history. 

[SoulessGod]

The paranoia and mistrust weakening the effect of the hypno-indoctrination and brainwashing I find interesting and agree it would allow for more characterful marines.

 

I also like the idea of the meddling causing other mental conditions. It would be interesting to explore how combat stress injuries would play out with memory scrubbing.

 

Do the Imperium have the technology to replace memories or just erase them?

[Olis]

Hmm. I can't say for sure either way for the former, but they can definitely do the latter. ;)

[SoulessGod]

Update to the general fluff. Will come up with a few short stories to convey some stuff that's not supposed to be 100% reliable.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

More details are needed to make your IA coherent.

The chapter has made several requests for information regarding their genesire

As far as I know, the Exorcists (and the Grey Knights, their alleged Progenitors) don't give a damn regarding their Primarch's identity, so why should the Adamant Dragon care? Did Chaos extend its influence towards one of the Inquisitors involved in the Chapter's creation, and this traitor Inquisitor is leading the Adamant Dragons towards places where someone buried (real or false) evidence their Primarch is Magnus or Lorgar?

Taking the fortress city of Manetheren for their own

Why were the Adamant Dragons allowed to take a fortress city? Was it depopulated in a devastating war, and the Chapter rebuilt it because of its defensible location? Did Daemons possess the city's rulers, and the Chapter was ordered to purge the city of Chaos-taint as a test of the Marines' skills? Did they simply seize the city from its original rulers, whose descendants now plot to overthrow the Marines and reclaim their birthright?

 

How will the planet's populace view the Marines' presence? Have the other nations formed alliances to defend their territories from the "thieving Astartes" (if Manetheren was simply seized from its original rulers)? Are they simultaneously relieved such mighty defenders are on-world, and concerned these defenders are at risk of succumbing to "Manetheren's curse" (if the city's original ruler was a Daemonhost)? Are there pilgrims traveling to Manetheren to "honor their ancestors," or protestors to scream, "Stop desecrating our ancestors' graves!" (if the city was an empty ruin the Marines rebuilt and reoccupied)?

[SoulessGod]

Bjorn thanks for your input.

 

As to the reason why the Adamant Dragons have an interest in their genealogy. As discussed with Olis it might make sense for sensitive information to be wiped from the minds of Adamant Dragons that deploy alongside inquisitors.

 

Part of the way I was going to javw that affect the Dragons was to erode the sense of self that was imparted during their initial indoctrination by the inquisitors, the mechanicum and even the Exorcists. This would then lead to a moment where they question their purpose as purely tools of the inquisition and form a more independentchapter identity part of which involves researching their genealogy. The corrupted inquisitor's influence sounds like and interesting idea too.

 

As for the fortress city I agree the paragraph proceeding your quote does need expanding to explain the circumstances of the infestation and the attitude of the other kingdoms to the marines.