IA Star Ravens LASC19 WIP

[Rikev]

Starting a WIP post for my LASC chapter the Star Ravens.

 

Successors of the Raven Guard.

 

Chapter symbol white Raven over a red diagonal line with a background of sky blue. The line represents links with the Imperial Navy.

 

Armour colour sky blue with company colours on the shoulder trim. White chest eagle. Black boltguns. Codex compliant markings.

 

Homeworld is a gas giant where people live on giant grav arks in the upper atmosphere and harvest the minerals from the exotic gases in the air. Houses a large Imperial Navy airbase on one ark. Planet has pirate warbands hidden in the gas clouds that prey on lightly defended arks and the air transports that fly between them.

 

Doctrine is focused on aircraft and anti grav warfare. For ground combat, they excel at boarding actions and fighting in tight artificial environments.

 

Recruitment comes from young promising pilots in the Imperial Navy plus skilled civilian aircraft operators. Due to the nature of the planet, many people learn to fly some form of craft at a young age.

[golfdeltafoxtrot]

Sounds like an atmospheric version of the Grey Ravens I'm working on.

 

It's a good start, looking forward to seeing it develop.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Recruitment comes from young promising pilots in the Imperial Navy plus skilled civilian aircraft operators.

Imperial Navy pilots will be too old to safely accept gene-seed implants- the vast majority of Space Marine recruits are preteens FOR A REASON- and I STRONGLY doubt the Navy will be happy a Space Marine Chapter is seizing naval assets for itself.

[Rikev]

Sounds like an atmospheric version of the Grey Ravens I'm working on.

 

It's a good start, looking forward to seeing it develop.

Aaargh, sorry! I was so intent on not making them similar to another chapter I didn't see yours directly under my nose! But it is very WIP and hurriedly written at the moment.

 

As for the navy links, I want the planet to have a flying culture from a very young age. Imperial Navy provides a means of identifying potential recruits and the Marines provide protection and assets in return with joint missions, etc. Or some means where cadets compete against each other. Those identified within the civilian population of the arks with particularly useful skills like fast reactions would also be a potential source of recruits.

[Messor]

Sounds pretty cool. Glad to see a couple of interesting Raven chapters emerging together.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

As for the navy links, I want the planet to have a flying culture from a very young age.

I can believe the Navy will set up flight schools on a planet, to train pilots at young ages so their potential will be fully developed. The problem is doing so on a Chapter planet: The Marines will NOT be happy some other Imperial institution is butting into THEIR domain, seizing assets that are rightfully THEIRS- even if they're unsuitable for gene-seed implantation, these pilots will remain useful as Chapter serfs, maybe serving as crewmen aboard battle barges and strike cruisers.

 

And what's stopping the pirates from infiltrating the flight schools and using the training the Navy provides, against the Imperial law and order that institution is meant to uphold?

Imperial Navy provides a means of identifying potential recruits and the Marines provide protection and assets in return with joint missions, etc. Or some means where cadets compete against each other. Those identified within the civilian population of the arks with particularly useful skills like fast reactions would also be a potential source of recruits.

Why should a Chapter tolerate the Navy butting in on its domain and seizing its assets, and vice versa? Why should the Navy expend resources providing flight training to potential Space Marine recruits, instead of pressing these youths into its own service? You need to add details on an alliance between the Sector Fleet and the Chapter, to answer these questions.

[Rikev]

I could exploit a sense of military tradition in that wealthier noble families see their children take up the mantle of pilot amongst the more conventional air force. Maybe change the Imperial Navy to a PDF given authority to defend the planet in support of Astartes forces? Then they cream the top from these recruits. Or the base was crippled by an attack and the Astartes bailed them out of trouble, incurring a debt of honour.

 

The pirates I am still considering what they are. Human, Eldar or something else to make the planet more dangerous beyond the conditions itself as it's easier than writing in some kind of wildlife.

[Messor]

 

 

I could exploit a sense of military tradition in that wealthier noble families see their children take up the mantle of pilot amongst the more conventional air force. Maybe change the Imperial Navy to a PDF given authority to defend the planet in support of Astartes forces?

 

That would be an appropriate and probably the simplest solution. Given that the world is a gas giant, it makes perfect sense that the PDF would be flyer based, and as a result, produce pilots just as skilled as can be found in the Navy, and recruits just as valuable to the Ravens.

[Brother Lunkhead]

Hail Brother Rikev,

 

Very fine idea you have here. I really like the aeronautic based setting you have here It would make for a unique chapter world for your Astartes.

 

Of course the first thing they are going to do is purge the pirate problem. Having pirates on a chapter world is not the same thing as having different cultures in conflict producing hardy strains of boys for the space marine mill. Generally, pirates are a freedom loving independent enterprising lot that don't play well with others. To them you are either a customer for their plunder or a ripe fruit to be picked. The general idea is good, so in no way am I suggesting you abandon it. I suggest you broaden the scope. Make your homeworld the hub of a multi-system gas mining culture with pirates being the main problem (perhaps this is where you were heading in the first place). You could have different clans of gas miners vying for influence and power and dealing with the pirate problem in different ways. This will keep your cultural scene dynamic and provide necessary conflict producing hardy strains of boys for the Star Ravens mill 

 

 

 

 

 

I could exploit a sense of military tradition in that wealthier noble families see their children take up the mantle of pilot amongst the more conventional air force. Maybe change the Imperial Navy to a PDF given authority to defend the planet in support of Astartes forces?

 

That would be an appropriate and probably the simplest solution. Given that the world is a gas giant, it makes perfect sense that the PDF would be flyer based, and as a result, produce pilots just as skilled as can be found in the Navy, and recruits just as valuable to the Ravens.

 

 

Flyer based PDF is a great idea.... not so much for space marine recruitment though. The problem is that your PDFers (it's a real word....HONEST), even the youngest recruits are going to be too old. I suggest (and this may be what you meant) is recruiting from military flight scholums and directly from mining clans (most certainly they train their own children to fight and fly at an early age because of the pirate problem) across the sector.

 

You've got some great ideas for the Star Ravens. They just need to be expanded.

 

 

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Maybe change the Imperial Navy to a PDF given authority to defend the planet in support of Astartes forces?

As this is a Chapter planet, I think the Chapter will insist on direct control over the Planetary and System Defense Forces, likely via Chapter serfs in positions of authority.

The pirates I am still considering what they are. Human, Eldar or something else to make the planet more dangerous beyond the conditions itself as it's easier than writing in some kind of wildlife.

The pirates' presence may make the Chapter seem like one of incompetents for tolerating blatantly criminal elements on a planet under its direct control- I doubt any Space Marines will be happy about that. Brother Lunkhead's suggestion of "having different cultures in conflict producing hardy strains of boys for the space marine mill," with "different clans of gas miners vying for influence and power," is a good one.

 

As for Eldar/Aeldari/Drukhari pirates, the xenos will have arrived via their stealthy ships, or via a Webway portal. No Space Marines- loyalist, renegade, or Chaos- will tolerate the loss of face they'll suffer from letting xeno pirates plunder a planet under their direct control. (It's another matter to direct the xenos to attack a planet they claim but do not control, i.e., use one enemy to weaken a second, before wiping out both enemies after they weaken each other.) The xenos' presence should drive the Marines to scour the entire star system to eliminate any non-Imperial ships and/or hidden Webway portals present.