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I have a concept for a Chaos Space Marine character but I am unsure if it would be compelling or not. Most Chaos characters we know (excluding the notable Honsou) fought during the Horus Heresy and continue the Long War. My idea for a character was a newly inducted Black Legion Chaos Space Marine, absolute bottom of the totem pole, whom has no idea why he's fighting the Long War or why he should worship a god or the gods. He does not know who his gene sire is either having no discernible features like a Salamander or a Night Lord would. All he knows is his gene seed was stolen from a no name space marine chapter's fortress monastery during a raid. The fragments of his childhood he does remember are of him being raised on a daemon world by a cultist mother. While the Black Legion is highly disciplined compared to other traitor legions there are still divisions amongst the ranks on the basis of Chaos worship, internecine rivalries, level of loyalty to Warmaster Abaddon, and devotion to the Long War. His central conflict in the story would be finding a reason to fight when all these factors pull him one way or another. Which god should he follow if any? If he chooses not to what will the Dark Apostles/god followers say or do to him? Which Aspiring Champions in the warband should he support? Is Abaddon's vision worth fighting for? Does the Long War or the Great Game of the gods matter more? All of these questions his character would have to face. Do you think this would be an interesting character?
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This is exactly the stuff Chaos needs more of. Sure, it's cool to have everything reach back to the mythic past of the Horus Heresy, but Chaos has new recruits as well. I really look forward to seeing what comes of this.

Man, this is making me want to get back a bit into my Chaos, a group of Iron Warrior nobodies from a backwater garrison world that have turned into tyrants, given up all links to their prior Legion, and turned to Slaanesh worship to make things more interesting.

  • 4 weeks later...

Well, writing about a newer CSM would be more difficult. With the HH era being so expanded its easier to fit an old vet in without them being too OP. Just being there and still alive is impressive enough. That's their hero's journey/ origin story alone before you just add in some minor embellishments if any. I think ADB's BL books or the NL trilogy would be a good yard stick to measure your character against. NL for the minor heroic journey and the BL ones for the epic heroic journey. Also the Word Bearers trilogy by Anthony Renyolds would be worth looking at as well. 

If you are looking for some ideas, I recommend looking at Ardaric Vaanes, Renegade Space Marine and former Shadow Captain of the Raven Guard. He's a major supporting character in Graham McNeill's Uriel Ventris stories. His hero's journey is worth checking out:yes: He's also one of the better written characters in the series imho.

 

You'll find him featured in the following works:

  • Dead Sky, Black Sun (novel)
  • The Skull Harvest (short story)
  • The Heraclitus Effect (short story)
  • Iron Warrior (novella)
  • Courage and Honour (novel)
  • The Chapter's Due (novel)

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