Astartes Praecipus - The Cardinal Guard

[TheSpeckledTrout]

The Cardinal Guard

Low Gothic: Cardinal Guard

High Gothic: Astartes Praecipus

Founding Legion: VII, Imperial Fists

Founding: 9th Founding (“Nexus Founding”)

Current Chapter Master: Attico Diomedes

Homeworld: Cathea, Ultima Segmentum

Fortress-Monastery: Basilica Fidelum

Colors: Red (primary); White, Black (secondary)

Speciality: Drop Assaults, Hive Combat

Strength: 874 Marines (est. M41.789)

Battle Cry: “Tua Venit Tempus! Mors!”

Recorded History

Of the Cardinal Guard chapter, much can be gleaned from Imperial record and Inquisitorial investigation. It seems that, since the earliest days of the Adeptus Astartes, the Cardinal Guard have maintained a strong presence in Segmentum Ultima, defending their own pocket of space, often from the corrupting influence of the nearby Perfidian Gap. The chapter itself, established during the historically muddled “Nexus Founding” in late M34, has conducted itself in a brash and confident manner, flouting their own brand of bravado and zeal - leading some to erroneously believe them an offshoot of the Black Templars chapter.

From the 9th Founding to the 42nd millennium, the Cardinal Guard have played a military and cultural role, emphasizing their defense and reinforcement of the Eccleshiarchy’s cherished strongholds in the region. Whereas other, mightier chapters of the Feast of Blades have shirked a quasi-political role, the Cardinal Guard have taken a strong stance alongside the Imperial Faith, allowing themselves to be regularly utilized as living icons of the God-Emperor . Where records can be located, the Cardinal Guard boast a proud history of nearly 5,000 years of service on recognizable fronts: Armageddon, Bellephon, Taladorn, Pharos, and multiple actions across the Ghoul Stars fighting Hive Fleet Jormungandr.

Fighting Doctrine

The Cardinal Guard, as observed and recorded with some detail, retain near-Codex strength, often meeting a nine company quota of fighting marines and boasting a healthy scout company - though recent martyr actions have set the chapter back by nearly one full battle-company.

The chapter’s primary means of attack, and their most practiced, is the “drop assault” action, wherein the chapter often deploys from a sizable dropship and speeder fleet, landing squads of marines in pivotal locations, rapidly re-deploying at a moment’s notice - a battle dogma that has served the chapter well fighting in the densely packed hives of their protectorate Shrine Worlds.

Like so many of the varied chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, the backbone of the Cardinal Guard is the Tactical Squad - organized in tight five-man formations - forming firing lines, securing hive-blocks, and clearing the zones mortalis that so often compose the Cardinal Guard’s battlefields. The Tactical Marine, at the heart of these squads, is commonly armed with the ubiquitous load-out of the Adeptus Astartes; his bolter, bolt pistol, gladius, and a compliment frag and krak grenades. Wielding Cathean-born tenacity and trans-human ingenuity, a lone Cardinal Guard is capable of engaging enemy forces, safeguarding Imperial civilians, assessing situational integrity, and communicating with allied forces, all while planning his next action - a testament to any space marine’s incredible abilities.

Cathea

Imperial records of Cathea place it in the Ultima Segmentum, south east of the Perfidian Gap warp storm, a theta-class world of icy forests and caustic climate, unsuited for proper colonization, but home to a persistent race of man, long ago crash-landed on the death world.

Having survived the amniotic climate, hazardous fauna, and sub-zero temperatures, the population was eventually visited by the founding company of Chapter #446, who would build their fortress monastery and recruit from the world’s youth - to great success. To Imperial scholars, it is not entirely clear how or why the chapter settled upon Cathea, it defies belief that such a boon would fall under the chapter’s provenance by luck alone.

The Feast of Blades

The Cardinal Guard stand with the sons of the Dorn, as stalwart as any other chapter, and have answered the call of the Imperial Fists without hesitation or delay on countless occasions - including summons to the Feast of Blades, an event at which the chapter has rarely claimed any great honor - winning only once, on the 725th Feast.

It is unknown, even to the most privileged scholars, if the Cardinal Guard are pledged the Last Wall, or if chapter command is yet to be elucidated of such rites.The dangers of the Cicatrix Maledictum, such that the galaxy has been cleft in two, greatly diminishes any such pledges if they exist, and leave the Cardinal Guard under the hierarchical leadership of Commander Dante, of the Blood Angels chapter.

Edited December 10, 2020 by TheSpeckledTrout

[Gamiel]

Looks good.

Based on the name do it feel like they send one/some of their brothers to protect the local cardinal/s, is it so? If not, any history behind the name?

Do you have any thought about:
- how their worship of the Emperor take form?
- their culture? What would an outsider notice if s/he was allowed to stay with them?
- their relationship with the different ecclesiarchial organisations? Any they are near? Any they have problem with?

Edited December 10, 2020 by Gamiel

[TheSpeckledTrout]

Looks good.

 

Based on the name do it feel like they send one/some of their brothers to protect the local cardinal/s, is it so? If not, any history behind the name?

 

Do you have any thought about:

- how their worship of the Emperor take form?

- their culture? What would an outsider notice if s/he was allowed to stay with them?

- their relationship with the different ecclesiarchial organisations? Any they are near? Any they have problem with?

 

Thank you for the feedback!

 

Moving question by question:

 

- The name is largely ceremonial, but harkens back to their defense of an Eldar Corsair action on an Ecclesiarchy void convoy transporting a sizable contingent of Imperial Missionaries. Nineteen marines sacrificed themselves for the safety of the mortals, so the local Cardinal honored the chapter with the name.

 

- It's direct adoration, mostly, using traditional Imperial/Western means. Paraphrased, a milder dogma than the Black Templars.

 

- Culture is huge topic, something that I need to expand on in the legion format, then condense into chapter format. Cathea has Roman frontier vibes, at least in its undeveloped form, and breeds marines that are mission oriented, but not entirely inhumane. Non-combat time is likely spent visiting with the worlds surrounding the Perfidian Gap, doing "tours" with the Ecclesiarchy. They're personable, in the way you'd expect a someone used to be flocked by attention to be sociable and capable of using a crowd's energy.

 

- The Cardinal World of the region - St. Vivarus, is the closest tie, and likely had some influence on the early chapter. Relations outside of that have been largely peaceable - considering the more civil nature of the local dogma, the Cardinal Guard are much less likely to appreciate some of the more 'barbaric' methods of Emperor-worship.

 

 

[Brother Lunkhead]

Looks like you're off to a solid start

 

Colors look very good.

 

What is the significance of your chapter's heraldrdy? Looks to be a gladius/spatha passing through.... what? I like it, but I'm not quite sure what it represents.

 

Cardinal number XIX on right pauldron: significant number to the chapter?

 

Chapter moto - "Tua Venit Tempus! Mors!": 'Your time has come! Death!' Is that what you are going for?

 

They all look good. I'm just curious

[Ryltar Thamior]

Nicely done Marine there for the colour-scheme exemplar, some interesting parts incorported - and always a fan of that XXth style helm 

[TheSpeckledTrout]

Looks like you're off to a solid start

 

Colors look very good.

 

What is the significance of your chapter's heraldrdy? Looks to be a gladius/spatha passing through.... what? I like it, but I'm not quite sure what it represents.

 

Cardinal number XIX on right pauldron: significant number to the chapter?

 

Chapter moto - "Tua Venit Tempus! Mors!": 'Your time has come! Death!' Is that what you are going for?

 

They all look good. I'm just curious

 

Thanks for the reply!

 

A quick disclaimer, these guys are switch-hitting for an alternate universe legion, where they are the 19th. But, I'll justify the design choices in true Games Workshop fashion - in retrospect!

 

- The heraldry is my stab at an original design choice - a downward gladius superimposed on a stylized stag's head. I like it because it's evocative of the Dark Angels, Ultramarines, and something entirely different at the same time. Cathea can best be described as a freezing amniotic forest world - the frost stag being native fauna.

 

- The XIX is heraldic, a reminder of the 19 marines who sacrificed themselves during the battle that earned the chapter its name.

 

- "Tua Venit Tempus" is a real life motto of a military unit I have worked with. It's just fun - and slightly evocative of the Dark Angels and Blood Angel's battle cries, when used in Low Gothic.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

- The name is largely ceremonial, but harkens back to their defense of an Eldar Corsair action on an Ecclesiarchy void convoy transporting a sizable contingent of Imperial Missionaries. Nineteen marines sacrificed themselves for the safety of the mortals, so the local Cardinal honored the chapter with the name.

This gives the Chapter character, and should be included in your IA, under "Chapter history."

- Culture is huge topic, something that I need to expand on in the legion format, then condense into chapter format. Cathea has Roman frontier vibes, at least in its undeveloped form, and breeds marines that are mission oriented, but not entirely inhumane. Non-combat time is likely spent visiting with the worlds surrounding the Perfidian Gap, doing "tours" with the Ecclesiarchy. They're personable, in the way you'd expect a someone used to be flocked by attention to be sociable and capable of using a crowd's energy.

The "tours" can be justified as deterrence patrols, i.e., the Marines' visible presence discourages would-be enemies from acting against the Imperium and its subjects; shows of force to raise and maintain Imperial subjects' confidence in the Ecclesiarchy and other Imperial institutions; and recruitment drives, diversifying the Chapter's source of recruits to reduce its vulnerability to strikes that could and would devastate the Chapter planet and its population, e.g., what the Space Wolves suffered from when Magnus the Red attacked Fenris.