LASC 2019 Index Astartes: Dawn Blades

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Index Astartes

(poor painting skills aside, this is a decent representation of the symbol: red sun with a pair of crossed blades on a field of white.)

The Dawn Blades Space Marines Chapter

Origins

Established as part of the 18th Founding, the Dawn Blades were created as a response to a massive ork Waaagh to retake the subsector of Ocrod in the Ultima Segmentum, and stand watch in the Segmentum in defiance of the Emperor's enemies. What followed was a long and brutal war three centuries long that saw the loss of more than two hundred marines over the duration. Upon the conclusion of the crusade (which had been backed by a multitude of other Imperial forces), the chapter declined the offer of a homeworld, instead choosing to stay fleetbound as they had for three centuries.
The chapter's designation sprung from their actions, as a predilection for early-morning raids led to rescued civilians and beleaguered Imperial forces to claim that they had been rescued by the Dawn itself. Over time as the sentiment repeated itself throughout the sector, the chapter adapted to it, and adopted it as their chapter name.
In the time since their inception, the Dawn Blades have crusaded throughout the Ultima Segmentum, seeking and destroying the enemies of the Imperium wherever they were to be found, striking at the edge of the sunrise as they have for millennia.

Home World/Homeworld

The Dawn Blades do not maintain a homeworld, being fleet-based, but they do have a favored recruiting world, Ocrod Tertius, a world of desert wastes and hardy settlements, the central administration planet of the system, subsector, and sector, all named for their capital world. The planet allows the chapter to maintain a recruitment platform and a shipyard in orbit, in exchange for routine sweeps of the planet for feral orks that pop up from time to time as well as continued defense of the planet against any other hostile attackers, a duty the chapter gladly fulfills.
In lieu of a fortress-monastery, the lord of the chapter (currently Shogun Kujo Kamakura) has his seat of power aboard the battle barque Shogun's Might as both lord and captain. The battle barque has housing for the entire chapter, though it can only support up to three companies and the Forge in operational matters.

Combat Doctrine

The Dawn Blades tend to favor overwhelming strikes, committing their entire force to one overwhelming strike, in order to swiftly defeat their foes. The tactic harkens back to the blitzkrieg strategies that the chapter used at its inception to retake the Ocrod Sector from Ork control, executing the first strike and leaving the remaining mess for the Imperial Guard and Navy to clean up. They also have a cultural predicilction for early-morning attacks, as might be guessed by their name.
When a swift blow fails to end the war in their favor, the Dawn Blades settle into a more adaptive, calculated operational pattern more favored by their forefathers the Iron Hands. Their stubbornness and tenacity is well-embodied in the Dawn Blades, who are unrelenting in their assault once it has begun.

Organization/Organisation

The chapter is, for the most part, organized along the lines of the Codex Astartes, with a few exceptions.
Fourth Company has fallen out of use as a true Battle Company, instead functioning as the chapter's penitential unit. Its size fluctuates from decade to decade as marines from across the chapter see themselves as fallen from the light, a Fallen Dawn (as they were coined by an unnamed sergeant of Captain Arual Valpas's company when they set out with him to fulfill oaths of redemption sworn after a particularly embarrassing and bloody defeat). The Fallen Dawn operate out of the Strike Cruiser Blade of Martyrs, 4th company's Strike Cruiser.
Companies rotate Hearth duty, in which a company returns to the Chapter Barque for several reasons. One is garrison duty--after all, the Shogun's Might is the chapter's home, and needs protecting as much as a fortress-monastery would on a planet. This also allows for the company's vessel to be refit and repaired at one of the many imperial worlds the Dawn Blades have recruitment and resource agreements with, as well as downtime for the company's marines.
10th Company does not have its own capital ship, but does have several escort-class vessels it uses for recruitment and defensive purposes--a void platform is maintained above the chapter's primary recruitment world of Ocrod Tertius for training and housing purposes, and there is always at least a demi-squadron of ships prowling about it at any given time.
The chapter Armory has also operated, sometimes against the recommendation of the Shogun, as its own independent force, especially under the command of Master of the Forge Ceticus Stormmoon, who has always been war-hungry. When the Primaris were added to the chapter, they were assigned to the Forge to test their mettle at the insistence of Stormmoon, who merely saw the new-bloods as tools for war, thinking though they may have been. To mark their status as part of the armory and machines of war, the Primaris of the chapter paint their right shoulderpad a deep red.
The 1st Company is called Samurai by internal tradition,(a term whose origin the chapter's history does not record), and paint their armor a gleaming silver. Captains who rise from the Samurai Company are entitled to the title of Daimyo instead of the title of Captain, to mark their status above the others.
As a break from the norm, and perhaps the most egregious break with the Codex Astartes, the chapter's honor guard, the Shinsengumi (idiomatically translated from Frensan as 'Arrows of the Shogun') are instead spread throughout the chapter, one accompanying each company as an advisor and champion. The first of these is known as the Saisho-Shinsengumi, and functions as the chapter champion and the bodyguard of the Shogun himself. Each is armed with relic weapons known as an Edge of Dawn as well as their own personal weapons.

Beliefs and Traditions

The chapter's name for the Emperor, Solis-Imperator, springs from a combination of the chapter's own name, a belief that they are manifestations of the dawn, and several worlds whose local religions of a sun god and the surrounding pantheon were in fact the Emperor and his many sons. This mutated over time to become the current warrior cult of the Chapter as it enters the 42nd millennium. While the chapter does not view the Solis-Imperator as a total deity, they do have a belief in his power and his authority as undisputed ruler of the Imperium.
Outside of their warrior cult, the Dawn Blades also have three traditions ingrained in chapter memory from their reconquest of the Ocrod Sector, each taken from worlds that made a particular impression on the chapter.
Tradition of the Forge: one of the recruitment trials for Dawn Blades recruits includes the forging of their own blade, which they then use in duels to determine martial prowess amongst the candidates to determine who is most worthy. This initial test teaches a recruit the value of their own wargear, and how a warrior is only as good as his blade. Each Dawn Blade is a competent weaponsmith, and will personally craft, modify, or otherwise be bent over an anvil for hours on end to improve their weaponry.
Tradition of the Arts: the Dawn Blades have a curious predilection for beauty in the martial. Many marines will, in the tradition of the forge, embellish and beautify their own weapons, for the Solis-Imperator deserves only perfection in war. Other marines are renowned throughout the chapter and subsector as creators of devotional artwork, as well as more peaceful scenes that are used as focuses for meditation, in order to sharpen the mind for war. Still others pen hymns and poems to glorify the lord of the Imperium.
Tradition of Xenia: Whenever Imperial delegates or other Astartes come aboard a Dawn Blades vessel, or the rare occasion when xenos like Eldar seek to make a temporary alliance, the fullest hospitality is extended to them (though very begrudgingly in some cases). This tends to include a welcoming feast, an offer of repair and resupply, and a gift given as proof of openness and willingness to be open. Institutions that have longstanding relationships with the chapter often extend the same courtesies to Dawn Blades personnel, which has led to the chapter and its warriors obtaining some very interesting (and on some occasions unwanted--but never rejected) wargear.

Gene-seed/Geneseed

The Dawn Blade's gene-seed is very pure for its age, and the only noted deviation from normal gene-seed is a remarkable stubbornness and refusal to give in, which is inherent in the Iron Hands gene-line. It is noted that this stubbornness of mind also leads to the chapter having a simple refusal to die, which results in many marines shrugging off wounds that should have killed them long enough for an Apothecary to reach them, or simply fighting until they keel over from a million and one wounds. As such, the chapter has few dreadnoughts, and those that it does have are treated as practically divine manifestations of the Solis-Imperator's will, due to their rarity in the chapter.

Battle-cry

"Nam Claritas Solis-Imperator" Idiomatically translated from High Gothic as 'for the glory of the Sun-Emperor'.

USING A DAWN BLADES ARMY IN WARHAMMER 40,000

Links to chapter characters: LINK

Notes/Admin:
11/1/19: HEY I HAVE A BASIC IA DONE FOR THESE GUYS (reformmated from my Iron Gauntlet entry a few years ago)! Will be updated as time goes on for the LASC, but after I add images I'd say this is good for now, just need chapter symbol. Edited November 1, 2019 by Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Currently undergoing construction. Not yet updated to reflect M42 yet.

The Blazing Dawn

 

Circa 700M35: The Dawn Breaks: The Dawn Blades (Founding designate 18th/4th) are founded as part of the 18th founding.

 

769M35: The Reclamation War: The entirety of the 18th/4th chapter are tasked with cleansing and retaking the Ocrod Sector. What follows is a vicious campaign approximately 3 centuries long that sees the sector retaken at great cost.

 

000M36: The Killing Blow: Upon the sector capital world of Ocrod Primaris Chapter Master Tobias Shogune slays the ork warlord Skullknocka' Ironbone, causing Waaagh! Skullknocka' to disintegrate as it devolved into internecine fighting. The body of the Waaagh! takes forty years to cleanse from the system, but the remaining operations are trivial compared to previous battles fought.

 

007M36: The Dawn is Forged: the name of the chapter is decided; the Dawn Blades, and the worlds of the Ocrod system are given to the chapter as recruiting worlds. The chapter declines to settle on a world, preferring to stay fleet-bound. They do, however, take full advantage of the fact that they have recruiting and equipment tithe rights to the system.

 

076M36: The First Dusk: Chapter Master Tobias Shogune is slain during actions against chaos incursions; the chapter enters a period of one year of silence, marking their shoulder pads black, and do not fill the position for one year, out of respect for their fallen chapter master. When the period of mourning is over, they choose a new chapter master and re-engage with redoubled fervor. Each subsequent Chapter Master paints the shoulder trim of his warplate matte black out of respect, and takes Shogun as a title to mark his impact on the chapter. The chapter Barque, previously Strength of the Master is renamed to Shogun's Might to reflect this change in nomenclature.

 

086M36: A Chapter Scorned, A Grudge Formed: A senior Adeptus Mechanicus Magos heavily insults the honor of Chapter Master Tobias, and is bodily removed from the Shogun's chambers, and subsequently the chapter barque. The Magos becomes extremely angry, and dictates that all forge worlds under his control or influence refuse all but what is required by treaty to the chapter. The Dawn Blades see a 36.74% drop in the supply of war materiel, with a correlated drop in combat effectiveness.

 

204M37: The Shadowglass's First Dance of Death: The Sixth Company, supported by thirty members of the 1st company, under the command of 1st Captain Zephinac, is combating a small Chaos incursion when an Eldar Harlequin troupe engages alongside the Dawn Blades. When the Chaos incursion is defeated, the Harlequins challenge the Dawn Blades, specifically their command elements, to single-combat duels.

 

Oddly, however, when the Harlequins withdraw from the field, they do so as if departing a group of friends for a long period, rather than tentative allies. The Zephinac awakes the next morning to find next to his armor-stand a blacker-than-black pane of glass, depicting the duels that had been fought, with shadows and light constantly in motion, each glance yielding a new scene. There was a small handwritten note accompanying it, saying "You fight well. Perhaps we shall let you see a show at some time in the future."

301M37: The Shadowglass's Second Dance of Death: The Harlequin troupe that attacked the 6th company appears without warning in the 1th company's command chambers aboard the Shoguns Might. Zephinac, still 1st captain, glances but briefly at the Shadowglass hanging on the wall and then to the Troupe Master. After heated debate and near-drawn weapons, he allows the Troupe master five minutes. In that time the Troupe Master convinces the captain to let the Troupe stay for one show, given to present Dawn Blades command elements. When they depart, the next morning Zephinac finds another Shadowglass in his quarters. It goes with the first, and depicts humans and eldar fighting together against Chaos. The two Shadowglasses are kept as artistic curiosities as inspiration and also studied to attempt to incorporate their technology into camo cloaks and scout armor.

436M37: Forging Bonds of Brotherhood: A gene-seed transport of the Black Guard is seized by Dark Eldar forces, along with the Apothecary and his trainees. The war party skips across Imperial space before coming in direct contact with Dawn Blades fleet elements escorting the Battle Barque. The Eldar fleet is destroyed and the gene-stock recovered, along with its stewards.

 

The gene-stock is returned to the chapter. In gratitude for the act, the Black Guard chapter master presents the Shogun with a set of artificer battle-plate, and three of the chapter's famed Thunderfire cannon. The two chapters have borne a strong relationship ever since.

 

506M37: 1st Captain Zephinac falls in battle against an Eldar Corsair battle group. His body is sufficiently damaged to require internment into a dreadnought, but there are no dreadnought sarcophagi, refused to the chapter as they were; the strike force only had sensory-coffins to hand for servitors and serfs to pilot the chapter's vehicles. From the webway portals spill Harlequins of the Shadowglass troupe, who offer technology sufficient to integrate a sensory sarcophagus with a fallen War-Walker that Zephinac had wrecked. Zephinac consents, and the changes are effected.

 

When the campaign was over, and the strike force returned to the battle barque, the chapter's few Techmarines attempted to remove him from the War Walker but were stopped by the captain's hellfire-pattern wargear loadout. I killed it, I get to keep it, was his reason. All he would consent to were easier-to-maintain Imperial weapon mounts instead of the rarer and more unreliable Eldar weaponry.

 

The Eldar equipment and data ripped from the onboard computer were handed over to a Radical Ordo Xenos Inquisitor in exchange for a pardon for Zephinac, on condition he was kept away from other Imperials and only awoken rarely.

As a result, Zephinac is awoken for two reasons. To tell stories to neophytes, and to be deployed when its worth getting the Inquisition potentially called to beat whatever threat theyre facing. The first is regular but is always isolated, and the second is much more rare but much more visible to the outside Imperium.

946M37: Cant of Thunder: The Thunderfire cannon battery gifted to the chapter several centuries before are instrumental in the sieging and destruction of a minor Eldar webway gate and outpost discovered upon Lithor IV. The attending Techmarines report that the cannon battery seems to almost drum a battle-song with their fire patterns. A war with the eldar follows as they seek retribution.

645M38: The Second War for the Ocrod Sector: Chaos forces under the guide of Word Bearers Chaos Space Marines rise up and attack the Lithor Subsector. All of the reserve companies deploy, along with the 10th company and the Chapter Honor Guard accompanying the Shogun. In the course of the war, two of the honor guard die, taking bullets meant for their Shogun. To mark their sacrifice, he immortalizes the blood splatters on his helm with blood-red paint across the whole helm. It becomes a sacred relic for the chapter, commemorating the sacrifice of battle-brothers who have died, both known and unknown. Forty-three battle brothers fall, though the chaos forces are put down ruthlessly.

 

597M38: The First Fallen Dawn: In a battle against the Tau, Captain Arual Valpas, in command of a Battle Demi-company and the strike cruiser Blade of Martyrs, takes it upon himself to bait the entire Tau army and the reinforcing armada to the planet's surface before withdrawing his men and declaring an unsanctioned Exterminatus by cyclonic torpedo. The world and Tau fleets are all destroyed, with the Blade of Martyrs heavily damaged and perhaps twenty-three of the original 56 marines that deployed (counting Captain Valpas himself but not counting the handful of vehicle crew), still living. For the unsanctioned Exterminatus, Valpas is censured, stripped of rank, and tasked with a solo penitent crusade to slay the Chaos warlord known as The Lady of the Harrowing. Despite the protests of the chaplains, every one of the remains of Strike Force Valpas insists on accompanying him to the Lady of the Harrowing's stronghold.

 

The Shogun, intrigued at what would make twenty-odd Astartes willing to follow an honorless captain on a penitent crusade, allowed them, on the condition they would explain.

 

The single remaining veteran sergeant stepped forward. "We owe a great debt of shame to the civilians of the world we killed. We shall redeem ourselves for this under Valpas's command until he has killed the Harrowing and we have all fulfilled our oaths of Censure." He tapped a purity seal affixed to his left pauldron, and read it aloud from memory. "The one who receives this oath, should our campaign against these accursed Tau fail, and the Imperium lose this world, must decapitate in close combat one hundred Tau and take the head of the first, to symbolize his first step on the road to redemption. In his quest he shall not be part of the chapter proper, and shall be accompanied only by others under oath of censure. The final step shall be to come before the Reclusiarch and seek his blessing to reenter the chapter." He moved to Valpas's side and saluted the chapter Master. "This is why we choose to accompany our captain. We are the Fallen Dawn. May we rise anew, blazing in glory." Behind him, the remaining marines raised their right fists and gave a single, wordless, roar.

 

The Shogun indicated his approval and dismissed them to their tasks.

 

The Blade of Martyrs became the base for the Fallen Dawn, and as the millennia rolled on, many would rotate in and out, each seeking redemption for some deed unasked by their brethren and supported unanimously by their fellow Fallen Dawn.

 

879M38: Harrow's Call: the Lady of the Harrowing is slain at the hands of Captain Valpas. He returns to the chapter a celebrated hero. He is permitted to keep his armor in the black plate and silver trim of the Fallen Dawn, but with a rising sun instead of a setting one on the shoulder pad, with flames along his cloak, to symbolize his fall and rebirth. Alongside him, half of his brothers from the original Fallen Dawn re-enter the chapter as well, their oaths of censure fulfilled and their second Dawn obtained.

 

465M39: The Lost and Broken: a force of Thousand Sons and Alpha Legion appear without warning on the 5th Company Strike Cruiser. They are detained and questioned, and soon it becomes apparent they are loyalist marines, running from a force of traitors and having only the warp available to them as a means of escape. They are treated well, though despite exemplary behavior the Alpha Legionaries were kept under a watchful eye. When the Thousand Son who acted as the psychic nexus for the jump was rested enough, they departed, though not before allowing one of the techmarines to scan their MkIII armor and a Phobos-pattern bolter so as to allow the Dawn Blades to make them and equip their forces with them.

 

576M41: Render unto the Emperor what is the Emperor's: The Black Ships come to tithe the world of Ocrod Secundus. This angers the Dawn Blades, and demand that the psyker cargoes are subjected to the chapter's inductment trials; those that pass shall be taken, and those dregs who fail will enter the Black Ships.

 

The Black Ships call upon a Hereticus Inquisitor after much debate and rattled sabers (both metaphorical and literal) to resolve the matter. Upon deliberation, he rules that five random psykers shall be drawn to give to the chapter to test.

 

It is so, and five are drawn, and the Black Ships leave. Two survive the trials and testing. They are Crez and Hojak. They are inducted into the chapter Librarius, Crez specializing in Biomancy and Hojak a skilled electromancer. Crez will eventually become Chief Librarian, and become known as the Fleshrender for his signature psychic attack, a maelstrom of energy that rends flesh from bone. Hojak will fall fighting bravely against Tau half a century later.

 

853M41: Honor and Duty over Insult: the Dawn Blades Second Company, led by Captain Daron Lenoch, launch an assault on a Necron Tombworld, accompanied by an entire Demi-company of Fallen Dawn and a heavy Armory presence. Their goal: to rescue a contingent of Adeptus Mechanicus Magi captured by the Necron royalty and scheduled for public execution, broadcast on all Mechanicus channels within range. The Dawn Blades set aside their grudge with the Adeptus Mechanicus, and manage to fight their way into the throne room of the Phaeron himself. He towers over the remaining marines, included among them Lenoch, the Armory's battlefield commander, and the current Fallen Dawn commander. He stands resplendent in green and blue trim, and speaks a grating piece. "I am impressed. I have observed and interrogated these...creatures. That you would move to rescue them, despite your animosity, speaks to your honor. Here," he gestures, "take them and go. You have proved yourselves worthy of this boon."

 

At this, Lenoch approaches the Necron noble and speaks directly, despite the wound in his lower torso, gushing blood. "Tell me why. Why do you capture them and then release them? To test us, weaken us, why? I demand an answer!"

 

The noble said nothing, only waving a hand in the air and then pointing at the wound of the captain. Minute scarabs swarm from the floor and cover the captain's body, despite his efforts. When they withdraw, the wound is closed with flesh. Lenoch turns and sees with horror that the same fate has befallen all of his forces.

 

That day, the Dawn Blades exited the tomb with half of the arrived marines dead, but the other half reforged from the hardest battle of their lives, the Adeptus Mechanicus in tow, kept silent only by Necron tech troves they 'plundered' on the way out.

 

The Dawn Blades and Adeptus Mechanicus repaired relations that day, with the Dawn Blades having exclusive access to the Necron tech recovered.

 

891M41: The Third War for the Ocrod Sector: A Nurglite Chaos fleet appears without warning from a warp portal in the Ocrod System, overwhelming the local PDF. The entire chapter returns to the sector to put the invasion down. Heavy casualties are taken in a 30 year campaign to kill every heretic in the sector. SDF forces are doubled, and have Astartes naval officers attached to ensure that the next fleet that decides to invite itself over gets a mauling. Every world attacked by the Chaos fleet has Apothecarion personnel deployed to ensure no plagues appear, and to ruthlessly annihilate the ones that do.

 

906M41: [Records Lost]: the Dawn Bl...des Second Company have re...ouped loss...s from th...ir invasi...n of the Necron Tom...world. Ca...tain Le...o...h rec...i......s [Records Corrupted. Access Terminated, Please Return This Cogitator to Your Nearest Dawn Blade Techmarine for Rehabilitation. Process Normal, Cogitator Will be Returned Intact.]

 

+++Reopening File...Ident Codes Matched...Unlocking...Welcome, guest. Beta-level access restored.+++

 

951M41: Close Scrutiny: Inquisitors from all ordos arrive in the sector to investigate whether or not the sector is irrevocably corrupted from two wars with Chaos, minor incursions of Eldar, and multiple ork uprisings, both minor and major. The Chapter is deemed clean, but three worlds are determined to be irreversibly saturated with Chaotic and xenos taint. Grey Knights and Sisters of Battle oversee the cleansing and Exterminati.

 

973M41: Broken Earth: Tau fringe worlds encroaching on the Ocrod Sector are attacked and retaken swiftly, ending a protracted but low-tempo war with the tau fleets in the area. Earth caste fortifications shatter like a glass pane hit with a thunder hammer. The methods by which the chapter are able to do so as opposed to before remain hidden.

Edited November 4, 2019 by Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch

[Brother Tyler]

I'm not sure if this helps, but I whipped up some Chapter badges. It's difficult to tell if you're using straight European swords or curved Japanese swords, so there are two versions:

[Gamiel]

Fourth Company has fallen out of use as a true Battle Company, instead functioning as the chapter's penitential unit.

Do they really have that many fallen that they have enough to fill a true Company? Would not an 11:th, symbolic, company be a better idea? Like the BA's Death Company, which is a company in name only

 

 

Tradition of the Forge:

Tradition of the Arts:

Tradition of Xenia: 

Suggest italicizeing those parts

 

Tradition of the Forge: one of the recruitment trials for Dawn Blades recruits includes the forging of their own blade, which they then use in duels to determine martial prowess amongst the candidates to determine who is most worthy. This initial test teaches a recruit the value of their own wargear, and how a warrior is only as good as his blade. Each Dawn Blade is a competent weaponsmith, and will personally craft, modify, or otherwise be bent over an anvil for hours on end to improve their weaponry.

The Silver Templars have something similar, maybe the two Chapters could bound over that. Or become antagonistic since the other guy do it wrong!

 

Other marines are renowned throughout the chapter and subsector as creators of devotional artwork, as well as more peaceful scenes that are used as focuses for meditation,

Suggest giving examples of the kind of art they make and/or material used

 

 

 

 

Also, suggest making a list/presentation of the Chapter's non-standard nomenclature.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Gamiel