TCFKA the Red Ravens - The StormCrows the "Villta Veiðin"

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

So here's some more characterization for the StormCrows.

 

Philosophically, the StormCrows are pragmatists and champions of humanity. They will always act in a way that benefits humanity. Chaos Incursions and Genestealer Cult infestations, are obvious threats, as are tyranid swarms and ork Waaaghs. But the StormCrows also see the Inquisition and Ecclesiarchy as threats to Human existence, with those two organizations having the propensity to eliminate entire worlds to keep secrets, something that the StormCrows see as a waste of life. The StormCrows also see the Inquisition in particular as being a corrupt institution which actively encourages humans to commit heresies against the Imperial Truth.

 

The Inquisitors of the Inquisition tend to actually enjoy their jobs, which means that they derive pleasure from torture and murder, regardless of whether the subject is human or not. This is something the Storm Crows view with intense distrust. To them, this is a heretical pursuit of pleasure. The StormCrows enjoy their celebrations, and fellowship, but they do their work with grim efficiency, taking no pleasure or satisfaction in the killing and destruction of the Imperium's enemies, Instead, they derive mere satisfaction from protecting the Citizens of the Imperium.

 

They are cold, calculating, and methodical killers. In armor they are spectral warriors who eliminate the enemies of the imperium with ruthless efficiency, but to meet one when they are not fighting, one would think they had met a long lost friend. They are jovial and outgoing, in stark contrast to their brooding brethren of their parent legion. They do not allow their grim profession to dampen their lofty spirits.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

So I alluded to something in one of my short stories that there is a deep vault of relics in which the StormCrows keep their spoils of war. Their Hidden Reliquary contains a vast library of the hidden history of the Imperium, a vast stockpile of xenos weapons, an armory of Archaeotech and Heresy era weaponry and armor left over, from their days as part of the XIXth Legion. Also contained within their reliquary is a vast collection of scrolls and books about sorcery and psychic power.

 

I was wondering about one thing though. As part of their image as spectral warriors, if summoning the spirits of their ancestors from the warp would be heresy, or cool fluff, to make them feel unique.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

So I alluded to something in one of my short stories that there is a deep vault of relics in which the StormCrows keep their spoils of war. Their Hidden Reliquary contains a vast library of the hidden history of the Imperium, a vast stockpile of xenos weapons,

Very useful for false flag operations.

Also contained within their reliquary is a vast collection of scrolls and books about sorcery and psychic power.

 

I was wondering about one thing though. As part of their image as spectral warriors, if summoning the spirits of their ancestors from the warp would be heresy, or cool fluff, to make them feel unique.

It can go either way. Best have the Chaplains stand beside the Librarians, ready to declare, "It's for your own good," (i.e., to kill the Librarians if they lose control, as is done for psykers in Codex: Imperial Guard), during the summoning. Don't perform the summoning in front of Puritan Inquisitors unless the Stormcrows are ready to eliminate witnesses. In-game, have the summoned spirits count as members of the Legion of the Damned.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

 

So I alluded to something in one of my short stories that there is a deep vault of relics in which the StormCrows keep their spoils of war. Their Hidden Reliquary contains a vast library of the hidden history of the Imperium, a vast stockpile of xenos weapons,

Very useful for false flag operations.

Yes, but it's also mostly for the same reasons why the US military stole and kept Soviet equipment, it's useful to gather intelligence on your enemy's weapons and equipment to know what the shortcomings are, and how to exploit they enemy's weaknesses, both in terms of gear and doctrine.

 

 

It can go either way. Best have the Chaplains stand beside the Librarians, ready to declare, "It's for your own good," (i.e., to kill the Librarians if they lose control, as is done for psykers in Codex: Imperial Guard), during the summoning. Don't perform the summoning in front of Puritan Inquisitors unless the Stormcrows are ready to eliminate witnesses. In-game, have the summoned spirits count as members of the Legion of the Damned.

I do think that's a good concept, especially with the new Judicar model that's coming out. As for doing the summoning in front of Puritan Inquisitors, I think it's safe to say that the StormCrows are not concerned with eliminating those who bear witness to their secrets, especially if those witnesses are Inquisitors, either by killing them outright or turning them in to servitors (fitting to their low opinion of the Inquisition). I think it would be cool for them to abduct guardsmen and civilians who witness their secrets rather than kill them outright. Lending creedence to the mythology that if you gaze upon "The Wild Hunt" They'll steal you away to join the cavalcade of their eternal ride...

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

 

 

So I alluded to something in one of my short stories that there is a deep vault of relics in which the StormCrows keep their spoils of war. Their Hidden Reliquary contains a vast library of the hidden history of the Imperium, a vast stockpile of xenos weapons,

Very useful for false flag operations.

Yes, but it's also mostly for the same reasons why the US military stole and kept Soviet equipment, it's useful to gather intelligence on your enemy's weapons and equipment to know what the shortcomings are, and how to exploit they enemy's weaknesses, both in terms of gear and doctrine.

Good idea.

As for doing the summoning in front of Puritan Inquisitors, I think it's safe to say that the StormCrows are not concerned with eliminating those who bear witness to their secrets, especially if those witnesses are Inquisitors, either by killing them outright or turning them in to servitors (fitting to their low opinion of the Inquisition).

Safer to just incinerate the bodies, leaving nothing with which to identify them. I doubt the Chapter wants another Inquisitor to recognize a servitor's face, or chance upon the DNA of someone the Inquisition is searching for.

I think it would be cool for them to abduct guardsmen and civilians who witness their secrets rather than kill them outright. Lending creedence to the mythology that if you gaze upon "The Wild Hunt" They'll steal you away to join the cavalcade of their eternal ride...

 

Very fitting.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

 

 

 

So I alluded to something in one of my short stories that there is a deep vault of relics in which the StormCrows keep their spoils of war. Their Hidden Reliquary contains a vast library of the hidden history of the Imperium, a vast stockpile of xenos weapons,

Very useful for false flag operations.

Yes, but it's also mostly for the same reasons why the US military stole and kept Soviet equipment, it's useful to gather intelligence on your enemy's weapons and equipment to know what the shortcomings are, and how to exploit they enemy's weaknesses, both in terms of gear and doctrine.

Good idea.

I really liked the image of a Sgt training initiates saying, "This is a shuriken catapult, used by the Aeldari of the Craftworlds. It's a dangerous and short ranged weapon. Don't be fooled, the Aeldari are fast, and their weapons reflect it. They can get far too close, so don't let them. Use your Bolter's superior range to kill them before they can get in range, or keep them pinned down if they manage to close the distance. Use fire superiority to close with them and kill them in close combat." Basically lend some credibility to them being professionals. It's not just what they were made for, they eat, sleep, and breathe warfare.

 

 

As for doing the summoning in front of Puritan Inquisitors, I think it's safe to say that the StormCrows are not concerned with eliminating those who bear witness to their secrets, especially if those witnesses are Inquisitors, either by killing them outright or turning them in to servitors (fitting to their low opinion of the Inquisition).

Safer to just incinerate the bodies, leaving nothing with which to identify them. I doubt the Chapter wants another Inquisitor to recognize a servitor's face, or chance upon the DNA of someone the Inquisition is searching for.

Yeah, Incinerating any Inquisitor who witnesses their secrets is probably safer, and it's pragmatic. That said, I don't like absolutes, so I think there might be a couple of Inquisitors who are allowed to know that the StormCrows have secrets, and maybe to know about their use of warp phantoms, because they have proven to be trustworthy. There are always exceptions to the rules...

 

I think it would be cool for them to abduct guardsmen and civilians who witness their secrets rather than kill them outright. Lending creedence to the mythology that if you gaze upon "The Wild Hunt" They'll steal you away to join the cavalcade of their eternal ride...

Very fitting.

 

Yeah, I liked that thought. It felt fun and like it would be fitting for a chapter that's not known to leave traces of their passing. Also, fitting that those guardsmen and civilians would be pressed into the service of the chapter, to become one of their serfs and support personnel.

 

The use of the spirits of the fallen would have to be reserved for extreme circumstances, a Skald would have to recite an incantation, almost a prayer to the ancestors to summon their help. The Cavalcade, as the StormCrows call it, would also serve to embolden the warriors of the chapter, knowing that the honored dead have returned from the grave to bear them, on ethereal wings, to victory and glory. Meanwhile, it inspires terror and fear in the hearts of the enemy, as the ghosts of long dead warriors wash over them, tearing their souls out of their bodies and leaving naught but corpses.

 

The Scribes tell of Hero-Skalds saving the day by a fortuitous invocation of the prayer of the dead.

 

With my attention turned to AoS, I've been gearing up to paint nighthaunt, and I had this idea of painting up some marines like ghosts using a very similar scheme.

 

Edited June 27, 2020 by Ulrik_Ironfist

[Bjorn Firewalker]

I really liked the image of a Sgt training initiates saying, "This is a shuriken catapult, used by the Aeldari of the Craftworlds. It's a dangerous and short ranged weapon. Don't be fooled, the Aeldari are fast, and their weapons reflect it. They can get far too close, so don't let them. Use your Bolter's superior range to kill them before they can get in range, or keep them pinned down if they manage to close the distance. Use fire superiority to close with them and kill them in close combat."

This earned a Like. I appreciate professional behavior- something all too rare in 020.M3.

[Machine God]

I really liked the image of a Sgt training initiates saying, "This is a shuriken catapult, used by the Aeldari of the Craftworlds. It's a dangerous and short ranged weapon. Don't be fooled, the Aeldari are fast, and their weapons reflect it. They can get far too close, so don't let them. Use your Bolter's superior range to kill them before they can get in range, or keep them pinned down if they manage to close the distance. Use fire superiority to close with them and kill them in close combat." 

@Ulrik_Ironfist - Nice.

 

Very Heartbreak Ridge.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

 

I really liked the image of a Sgt training initiates saying, "This is a shuriken catapult, used by the Aeldari of the Craftworlds. It's a dangerous and short ranged weapon. Don't be fooled, the Aeldari are fast, and their weapons reflect it. They can get far too close, so don't let them. Use your Bolter's superior range to kill them before they can get in range, or keep them pinned down if they manage to close the distance. Use fire superiority to close with them and kill them in close combat." 

@Ulrik_Ironfist - Nice.

 

Very Heartbreak Ridge.

 

Only a little.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Ulrik_Ironfist

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

A note on the relationship between the StormCrows and the Inquisition. The StormCrows believe that the Inquisition is allowed to operate too freely, and that Inquisitors, far too often, abuse their authority and misunderstand their mandate. The StormCrows believe that knowledge is power, and that knowing the consequences of certain behaviors in regards to the warp and chaos can help stem the tide of incursions, and the rise of chaos cults. At the very least, it would give the common people the ability to point out exactly what is amiss, making investigations easier.

 

They dislike the Scorched Earth policy of the Inquisition, as it is a waste of life. Especially when glorious deeds have been accomplished by the Imperial Guard of a world that suffered a chaos incursion. When the Guard faces chaos, and prevails, even with the help of Astartes, the Imperium grows more impervious to the lure of chaos. The StormCrows believe that knowledge is power, and to be forewarned is to be forearmed. According to the data they have collected, Cadians are the most prepared to deal with chaos, and the least likely to fall under its sway, as they have trained to deal with it from a young age, where other planetary defense forces, who know nothing, are more likely to fall to chaos out of despair and madness, caused by witnessing the horror unprepared.

 

The StormCrows get along with only one Inquisition Ordo, the Ordo Arcanum (Another of my creations) who serve as watchdog for the Ordo Malleus and Ordo Hereticus. They also serve as a watchdog for all organizations which use Psykers, to assure that Chaos does not take hold.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

It will help to date and name incidents in which the Chapter clashed with the Inquisition, in a "Chapter History" section. WHEN did the Chapter get such a negative opinion of the Inquisition? WHAT foolish act did the Inquisition commit, to justify such an opinion? WHO was the Inquisitor that gave such a foolish order, and WHY did he/she give it?

 

Show, don't tell.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

+++++ For Official Use Only +++++

 

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

 

FROM: [REDACTED]

 

ATTN: STORMCROWS CHAPTER MASTER AND CAPTAINS

 

RE: Office of the Emperor's Holy Inquisition

 

DATE OF INCIDENT: 5 045.935.M37

 

Let it be known that on this date the Inquisition proved itself our enemy and an enemy of humanity. I dictate this memorandum as my last mortal act, before being interred into a dreadnought sarcophagus, as a result of injuries sustained during the Incident I will now describe.

 

We were on extended campaign on the industrial world of Shexia, during a chaos incursion originating from a warp rift in the Segmentum Pacificus. Traitor guard and renegade astartes had lay siege to the defenders of the world, and we were dispatched to render assistance. Also dispatched was an Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus by the name Clement of Maccabeus Quintus.

 

Our first impressions of this inquisitor were foreboding. The man was a rabid zealot, something which we had found dangerous in [REDACTED] during the Horus Heresy. We found this concerning, but heeded the inquisitor's authority, as was our duty. Events took a turn for the worst when the Inquisitor refused to heed our tactical advice. He ordered suicidal charges over the tops of trenches into prepared and fortified positions. It became apparent that this inquisitor had very little grasp of tactics. We came to learn that he was a Puritan Militant Judicar, which essentially meant that even us, the Emperor's Finest, His Angels of Death, were expendable cannon fodder for his one man war on Chaos.

 

Our Captain, [REDACTED], felt that this situation was untenable. he began to act on his own, allowing us to exercise our own initiative to accomplish our mission objectives. This insubordination was unacceptable to the inquisitor, and he executed our Captain, and his staff, for heresy. We did not know of this at the time. Confusion spread among our ranks as new orders flooded in, demanding that we return to the previous tactics of suicidal charges rather than raiding actions. 

 

Our sergeants pulled us back, many casualties were incurred as the cost of withdrawal. many chapter assets were lost as a result, irreplaceable relics of the Heresy were lost, particularly a number of our Sicarian tanks and Spartan assault tanks.

 

Upon returning to the headquarters, we learned from our Imperial Guard allies, that our Captain had been summarily executed by the Inquisitor. Brother Sergeant [REDACTED] broke, he succumbed to ash blindness and tore through the command bunker, in a furious suicidal rage, killing everything which stood in his way. He was gunned down by the Inquisitor's bodyguard. I was able to broadcast to our brothers that Captain [REDACTED] had been killed, and to heed no orders issued under his name.

 

Our entire offensive was thrown into disarray. I was gunned down by the inquisitor and left for dead. We made many Veterans for the Einherjar that day. Many men became ash blind, and we crushed the chaos forces which threatened the world, before turning on the inquisitor. He fled, but he was apprehended by our strike cruiser [REDACTED].

 

Our company was almost entirely wiped out during that campaign. It will take millennia to replenish the ranks, and the [REDACTED] company may never truly recover.

 

As for the Inquisitor, we made an example of him. His corpse was ritually mutilated, his ribcage split from his spine, his lungs were pulled out and splayed like wings and he was staked out in front of his homeworld's inquisitorial temple, for all the world to see. This is an ancient punishment, on our homeworlds, for regicide, for each of our Captains is as a Jarl. We do not tolerate the murder of our leaders, for this we will never forget, or forgive.

 

Til Veiða!

 

+++++ END RECORD +++++

Edited June 28, 2020 by Ulrik_Ironfist

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job, overall. My only problem with it is the fact Lorgar was referred to by name; as the Traitor Legions were declared damnatio memoriae after the Horus Heresy (menial workers the Night Lords captured in slave raids portrayed in Aaron Dembski-Bowden's novels, didn't even know the VIII Legion existed), the name should also be redacted, and Lorgar's identity inferred by other references.

[Brother Lunkhead]

How was the Inquisitor able to summarily execute an Astartes Captain and his staff? Did he have a retinue of Space Marines loyal to him?

[Bjorn Firewalker]

How was the Inquisitor able to summarily execute an Astartes Captain and his staff? Did he have a retinue of Space Marines loyal to him?

War robots or heavy combat servitors? In fact, a close relationship with the AdMech may help explain why the Inquisitor had such an unhealthy worldview: we know Techpriests often have difficulty relating with those outside their order, with a tendency to view humans as biological tools to be used (even expended) as necessary.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Good job, overall. My only problem with it is the fact Lorgar was referred to by name; as the Traitor Legions were declared damnatio memoriae after the Horus Heresy (menial workers the Night Lords captured in slave raids portrayed in Aaron Dembski-Bowden's novels, didn't even know the VIII Legion existed), the name should also be redacted, and Lorgar's identity inferred by other references.

I felt that it would be something that members of the Storm Crows would know since they keep their own histories, which are not redacted by the Inquisition. Since they have their origins pre-Heresy. It also fits their belief "Know thy enemy as you know thyself".

 

 

How was the Inquisitor able to summarily execute an Astartes Captain and his staff? Did he have a retinue of Space Marines loyal to him?

The author of the memorandum doesn't know. It's to be assumed that the captain and his staff was taken by surprise and by overwhelming force. It's possible that He was able to cripple them through psychic ability or some such thing. Or perhaps the Inquisitor had archaeotech augmented troops with him in his retinue.

 

 

 

How was the Inquisitor able to summarily execute an Astartes Captain and his staff? Did he have a retinue of Space Marines loyal to him?

War robots or heavy combat servitors? In fact, a close relationship with the AdMech may help explain why the Inquisitor had such an unhealthy worldview: we know Techpriests often have difficulty relating with those outside their order, with a tendency to view humans as biological tools to be used (even expended) as necessary.

 

All of that is possible. Not much is stated about the Inquisitor, or his minions, simply that he was somehow able to kill a space marine captain and his staff. I wanted it to remain unknown, since I wrote it from the perspective of a secondhand account of the incident. The author of the memorandum does not have all of the information, or if he did, it was damaged when he was severely wounded enough to warrant being placed inside a dreadnought.

Edited June 28, 2020 by Ulrik_Ironfist

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

+++++ For Official Use Only +++++

 

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

 

FROM: [REDACTED]

 

ATTN: STORMCROWS CHAPTER MASTER AND CAPTAINS

 

RE: Ordo Hereticus, Chambers Militant, Adeptas Sororitas

 

DATE OF INCIDENT: 3 152.999.M39

 

Today is a grim day. Once more that infernal office, the Inquisition has crossed us. This missive marks my account of the incident. No doubt, the Chapter will wish to redact portions of this report for official dissemination.

 

We approached the world of [REDACTED], having tracked our quarry to the world. We were in pursuit of a Chaos warband, which had been marauding through the Segmentum Tempestus. We were in force, as the Segmentum is our Home territory, and we do not take kindly to Chaos trespassers. We  encountered an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, one Irenaeus of Terra, and his force of Sororitas in tow. We have had very few direct dealings with the Ordo Hereticus, or the Ecclesiarchy. We tend to keep our distance from them, as they have all the subtlety of a Thunderhammer, even the Berserkir of our beloved first company have more subtlety...

 

Nevertheless, in the interest of expediency, we opted to work together. This would prove to be a mistake. They immediately began with an announcement to [REDACTED] stating that they would conduct a thorough inquisition of the world, and that all who harbored the vile witches would be burned at the stake.

 

They were not exaggerating. They assumed guilt, and demanded proof of innocence, and immediately began putting the world to the torch. Such wanton slaughter is not our way. We are hunters, soldiers, not butchers, and above all we are champions of humanity. We attempted to get ahead of them, to find our quarry before the Inquisition did.

 

We did find it. We rooted it out, and we presented the heretics to them. The Inquisitor and the priests insisted that the world was unclean, and that the  taint of chaos had fallen upon it, and that all who confessed were traitors, and those who did not were lying traitors.

 

We were appalled. We challenged them. We had given them the heretics, yet they insisted upon their crusade of flame and torment. Surely this satisfied naught but Chaos itself, the very thing we sought out and destroyed.

 

This was a miserable waste of valuable life, workers who toiled for the Imperium. This flew in the face of all the Emperor had taught our forebears, the teachings passed on to us from the Days of the Great Crusade.

 

We Unleashed all our might. Our Skald was forced to call upon the ancestors to ensure the wanton slaughter stopped. We claimed many that day. The heretics we had pursued were burnt, the Inquisitors were torn asunder by the specters of our fallen brethren. Upon seeing Astartes return from the dead to punish their wickedness, many sororitas fell to their knees and begged forgiveness for their sin of hubris. Those who did not found themselves impaled upon pikes of stone as the phantoms reshaped the earth.

 

Many citizens saw the cavalcade and fled for the safety of their homes. Those who could not, out of fear, or fascination, were swept up by our brothers, to become serfs or initiates themselves. The Sororitas who begged forgiveness were taken as well, and all that was left of our passing was corpses. Today the Ecclesiarcy's zealotry made an enemy of the Villta Veiðin, and such enmity we do not forget.

 

Thought for the day: Life is the Emperor's currency, spend it well.

 

Til Veiða!

 

+++++ END RECORD +++++

Edited June 29, 2020 by Ulrik_Ironfist

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Again, good job.

Surely this satisfied naught but chaos itself, the very thing we sought out and destroyed.

"Chaos" is always capitalized when referring to the Great Enemy.

The Sororitas who begged forgiveness were taken as well, and all that was left of our passing was corpses.

Does this mean you'll paint Adepta Sororitas models in Stormcrow colors, to serve as Chapter serfs?

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Again, good job.

Thanks. I'm trying not to have too much overlap, so If I'm going to do a lore dump, I'll do it like this, as a firsthand account.

 

 

Surely this satisfied naught but chaos itself, the very thing we sought out and destroyed.

"Chaos" is always capitalized when referring to the Great Enemy.

Fixed.

 

 

The Sororitas who begged forgiveness were taken as well, and all that was left of our passing was corpses.

Does this mean you'll paint Adepta Sororitas models in Stormcrow colors, to serve as Chapter serfs?

 

I wasn't, but now I guess I have to... Because that's a fantastic idea...

 

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

So I've got an idea about those sororitas that were captured:

 

+++++ For Internal Use Only +++++

 

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

 

FROM: [REDACTED]

 

RE: New Serfs

 

ATTN: CHAPTER MASTER

 

DATE: 2 170.999.M39

 

We have begun the process of indoctrinating our new serfs. The civilians who witnessed our secrets have taken to their new roles well, some of the children who were fascinated by us have expressed interest in becoming members of our ranks. Many of them are strong children and could do well, and we shall forward their nammes for consideration for the upcoming class, though they are 12 years of age, they will need at least four years of preparation, making them a risky proposition. Those that are too old, will be sent to train with our Chapter militia, and will be inducted when they come of age.

 

One matter of consideration is the Adepta Sororitas we captured. They know too much about our secrets for us to let them loose. We have been subjecting them to our deprogramming routine, attempting to undo a lifetime of indoctrination to teach them of the Imperial Truth, and disabuse them of the notion that the Emperor is a God. What is odd is that they do not seem resistant. To the very perplexing contrary, they seem eager. Perhaps it is because of the Fræðimaður himself knew the Emperor, during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, and he is overseeing their deprogramming.

 

The religious devotion these women show to their daily routine rivals our own. It is possible that they may become a fearsome addition to our forces. If we are successful in overcoming the programming of these formidable Valkyrja they could be useful as shock troops and purgation squads and punishment details.

 

Til Veiða!

 

+++++ END RECORD +++++

 

 

+++++ For Internal Use Only +++++

 

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

 

FROM: [REDACTED]

 

RE: Valkyrja

 

ATTN: CHAPTER MASTER

 

DATE: 2 264.003.M40

 

Two years ago we were successful in overcoming a lifetime of programming. This has been our most fruitful victory, and it has spurred us on to training and equipping newer generations of these Sisters of Battle. This opens new possibilities for us, as we can now project our authority in a more effective manner, allowing us to free up more astartes for essential duties such as recruiting and our pursuit of the Imperium's enemies. 

 

We have deployed the Valkyrja to mete out punishment of the nobles on Skaði's Hive world. They are the heljar hrafnar, hell's ravens, and they are our judgement. When they are not employed in delivering our retribution, they have taken to other duties, such as instructing our foundlings and chapter serfs in the Imperial Truth. They have become an invaluable addition to our Militia, and they are even training new recruits, from among our Serfs strongest young women.

 

Soon we shall have shield maidens to stand with us on the battle fields hunting chaos and the foul xenos witches which threaten the Imperium. Time will tell however, and we should not allow us to get ahead of ourselves.

 

I shall continue to make periodic progress reports.

 

Til Veiða!

 

+++++ END RECORD +++++

 

EDIT: Spelling

Edited July 1, 2020 by Ulrik_Ironfist

[Bjorn Firewalker]

the Freiðimaður himself knew the Emperor, during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy,

Is the Freiðimaður a Venerable Dreadnought? Or one of Cawl's clones, who is assisting the Chapter (and regularly sending reports to the original Cawl) for some reason?

 

Also, I searched for the term "Freiðimaður" on Google, which found no results, and suggested the term "fræðimaður" in its place. Wiktionary defines the latter as "learned person, scholar." Is "fræðimaður" the term you intended to use?

Edited July 1, 2020 by Bjorn Firewalker

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Also, I searched for the term "Freiðimaður" on Google, which found no results, and suggested the term "fræðimaður" in its place. Wiktionary defines the latter as "learned person, scholar." Is "fræðimaður" the term you intended to use?

 

I'll address this first. Yes, I misspelled it, using German lettering convention rather than the "ash" character from Icelandic. It is supposed to be how you thought, and I translated it as Loremaster, their term for the Chief Librarian.

 

 

the Freiðimaður himself knew the Emperor, during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy,

Is the Freiðimaður a Venerable Dreadnought? Or one of Cawl's clones, who is assisting the Chapter (and regularly sending reports to the original Cawl) for some reason?

He's the Chief Librarian. Aside from gameplay reasons, there is no reason he couldn't be a Dreadnought. I had not intended him to be, simply I had intended that He had been a lowly legionnaire during the great crusade, and survived, and since Astartes are functionally immortal, it made sense to me. He joined the Librarius as a skald, when his psychic potential awakened sometime around M33, and he rose to become the Chief Librarian.

 

Also, If you'll note the dates of the Memorandums I did for the lore dumps, their beef with the Inquisition is almost 4 millennia old by the time of the Indomitus Crusade.

Edited July 1, 2020 by Ulrik_Ironfist

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

This isn't going to be a lore dump like I have been doing. This is more about the Chapter's organization than it is it's relationships with other Imperial factions.

 

In the StormCrows chapter does things slightly differently than the typical Codex chapter. Since each battle company fills a specific style of combat, equipment is assigned as need permits. The second company for instance makes heavy use of Phobos pattern armor and Has filled it's allotment of Dreadnoughts with Invictor warsuits instead. The second company uses a motto in High Gothic "celeri, tacere, mortiferum" (swift, silent, deadly) to describe how they operate (I wanted to model them on viking raiders, and also a bit like the USMC Raiders to give them a bit more modern military professional credibility).

 

Each member of a battle company is a hardened veteran. As with all other Codex compliant chapters, they start as scouts, and then progress to fire support roles, close support roles, and then to the battle line roles. They will see action as reserve company members before they are ever selected for a position in a battle company. Some will never be selected, while others might progress very quickly. Some may be skip that progression by succumbing to the ash blindness, and becoming Berserkr and becoming a member of the first company.

 

Everyone in the StormCrows serves a purpose, and there is no shame in knowing one's limitations or fated purpose. The grizzled old Sergeants in the 6th and 7th companies who were never chosen to become Battle company troops will still see a purpose by training the newest battleline that will go on to surpass their mentors. THey may even serve on campaign as attached reserves to the battle companies.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

So I thought that I'd do a bit more expansion on the origins of the StormCrows. Since they have their Origins in the Great Crusade I figured I'd dive into that a bit since I'm gearing up to start doing their Horus Heresy progenitors. (Some will be made up since I can't find any lore, feel free to correct anything wrong).

 

Originally the Raven Guard drew the bulk of their recruits from the Asiatic Dustfields, but not all. The 12th Chapter of the Raven Guard were drawn from the Scandanavian Reaches (Modern day Iceland, Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark Netherlands, The Baltic States, and Northern Russia west of the Urals), ancestral grounds of the feared Viking Rievers of the early Age of Terra, and continued to be a breeding ground for hardened peoples ever since through into the beginning of the Age of Strife.

 

The 12th Chapter, The StormCrows (so named for their resemblence to the frequent and furious tempests which wracked their Terran homelands), was among the number of the XIXth legion that pacified the Asiatic Dustfields during the unification wars, and continued to serve faithfully. They were a harsh group, never willing to shy from a fight or a challenge. They were consummate warriors, always seeking to prove themselves. Moreover they were group minded, and knew that to survive was to trust their brethren, and so the 12th Chapter gained the reputation for being fearsome and unbreakable. Every fallen brother would increase their wrath, every attack would strengthen their defense. They excelled as shock troops under Warmaster Horus, specializing in raiding tactics and finding weaknesses.

 

Once Corax was found, and began purging the legion of Terran-born astartes, the 12th Chapter had to prove itself. They were too heavy handed, against the defeated, for Corax's liking, their brutal efficiency lacked Corax's vision of justice. Corax would not exile them immediately, as the 12th Chapter would show that it wished to conform with Corax. So Corax would give a cadre of his close companions, Deliverance-born astartes who had helped liberate the moon, to aid them in embracing the vision of Corax. The 12th would be exiled, with the caveat that they would be welcomed back to the fold if they showed that they had fully embraced Corax's justice. It was this shame that caused them to color their Insignia red, marking themselves as dead to the legion, until they could return.

 

The campaign they embarked upon during the great crusade to prove themselves worthy of the raven lord, would see them change drastically. It was not their methods in war which gave Corax pause, it was how they viewed the defeated. The 12th Chapter, Would soften their harsh view, beginning to treat the liberated not with suspicion, but welcome them. One of the regions they liberated would go on to become their recruiting grounds, the Skaði Cluster. It was also this campaign which would see them gain the name Öskumenn or "Ash men", and earn them their enduring reputation. The tyrants which ruled the cluster did so with a bloody hand. Slavery and mass executions were common, The people lived in fear and then came the armor clad ghosts. They tore through the defenses, burning their way through the capital, killing all who would terrorize the people. The Öskumenn gave arms to the liberated, and encouraged them to fight for their freedom.

 

The Deliverence born astartes would deem the StormCrows ready to return, but the StormCrows felt differently. They felt that merely liberating these worlds was not enough. They needed to see to it that these people would remain free, and began to train their militia. Some of this militia would follow the StormCrows to the stars and fight beside them in the latter days of the great crusade and through the Horus Heresy. Legends would arise, as the StormCrows had made their home in the cluster, about the ghostly, ashen-armored, men who fought beneath the raven banner sweeping through and punishing the wicked overlords. These legends would also tell that those who dared to look upon the cavalcade would be swept up to join them.

 

The 12th Chapter would rejoin their legion during the Horus Heresy, Serving Corax as shock troops and raiders. Their Red Badge and Ash-Stained armor serving to distinguish them from their sable armored kin. They would split from the legion once more during the second founding, going off to parts unknown to hunt the traitors and the infuence of chaos wherever it might be found.

 

They would not resurface until mid M35, When the Ordo Malleus encountered them exterminating a Chaos cult and the Daemons it had summoned. The StormCrows had been on the world already for some time, waging a shadow war for the world's very soul. Suddenly millennia old rumors and sightings of grey glad space marines bearing the symbol of a blood red raven made sense. After the world was cleansed, the Inquisition questioned the Astartes. They were asked their founding and name. The StormCrows had knowledge of the various foundings, and they answered that they were a second founding chapter, the StormCrows. Only they would know their true nature as the 12th Chapter of the vaunted XIXth Legion...

 

To this day, they see themselves as sons of Corax, before any other division. It is a secret which they only share with the current chapter master of the Raven Guard Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, they are Væringjar ("Sworn Men") sworn to be Corax's talons, and to serve his sons, as they had sworn to defend the Imperium to Lord Commander Guilliman himself, upon The ArchTraitor Horus's vile betrayal...

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The Chapter history you wrote, is acceptable. The StormCrows' relationship with their Primarch is well-written and detailed. I have questions about the following, though:

The 12th Chapter would rejoin their legion during the Horus Heresy, Serving Corax as shock troops and raiders.

Did the Chapter arrive before or after Alpha Legion infiltrators sabotaged the Raven Guard gene-seed supplies? Will the StormCrows suffer the same gene-seed instability as most Raven Guard successors? Or will they be like the Carcharodons Astra, unaffected because their Chapter was absent during the Alpha Legion infiltration?