LASC 2021: Updates for D-P L's chapters, Indomitus Edition

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

I have updates for my three chapters, some presented as in-universe documents, some not. I have provided links to the initial articles, as opposed to reposting three articles. 

 

Thunder Coyotes

 

Record of Interactions with Chapter, Dawn Blades, 'Co-located' Fleetborn Chapter in Area of Operations

• Envoy dispatched to Battle Barque for purposes of introductions. Envoy received cordially and appropriately, though prevented from full tour of present chapter fleet, excused as current hyperkinetic war footing, with no time for such things. In recompense, a finely wrought power axe is gifted to the Thunder Coyotes, in addition to the typical gifts demanded by the chapter's traditions and an envoy of their own.
• Thunder Coyote Envoy reports that Ultima reinforcements have been delivered to the Dawn Blades. A degree of classism and a superiority complex begin to assert themselves. Envoy reports that nearly half of initial reinforcement group is discreetly bundled off to the Deathwatch for 'not being up to chapter standards.'
• Coyote Recce team identifies covert Dawn Blades chapter facility on surface of Ocrod Secundus. Facility is locked down tightly, and data-security nets prove impossible to penetrate. Physical penetration is attempted, but foiled by a squad of Dawn Blades performing an ' urban operations training exercise' about the area of the facility. Coyote force delivered to Qoslomoya with diplomatic but slightly excessive haste. The Dawn Blades envoy feigns ignorance of the facility and refuses to speak of the matter.
• Joint combat operation undertaken by Dawn Blades and Thunder Coyotes against Chaos incursion and warp rift. The chaplains and hymns of the chapter prove particularly effective against the daemonic assault, and combined with the psychic might of both chapter forces are able to force the micro-rift closed, followed by a declaration of Exterminatus on the affected planetary populace by the Dawn Blades Saisho-Shinsengumi, operating on the authority of his leige-lord. Protests that he does not have such authority by Thunder Coyote officers are quelled by a communique from the Shogun, confirming that he has delegated that power to his champion while he tends to Inquisitorial matters, and guarantees that all such incidents are reviewed after the fact.
• Reports of increasing hostility between the Firstborn and Rubicon marines and the original Primaris Paradigm marines reach the Thunder Coyotes' ears. The chapter lodges a formal protest to the treatment of the Primaris Paradigm troops, which is summarily dismissed as relating to internal chapter matters.
• Following a report of open violence between the factions in the Dawn Blades, the Coyote envoy is recalled from the chapter, and recommends that the Dawn Blade envoy return to his own brothers for the time being. No further official contact is had between the chapters for multiple decades, though Recce teams continue to keep tabs on their cousins.
• A Tyranid splinter fleet requires the two chapters' cooperation as ordered by the Sector Governor. The Tyranids actively avoid the Dawn Blades chapter barque for reasons unknown, but happily attacks the other vessels in their fleet.

Omega Cohort

 

The Arrival of the Unnumbered Sons, and the Salvation of the Omega Cohort

Primus Apothecary's Annual Report, Collating Data-Trends and Fitness Reports for the Chapter:

 

Lord Tigumedes,

 

I will mince no words. It is my great pleasure to report to you that this new Primaris Paradigm has delievered to us an innumerable amount of more compatible candidates for ascension. The gene-stocks that the Ultima Crusade has brought to us, alongside five-score and still ten more full-blooded Primaris descendents of our Lord Corax, have proven impeccable in nearly all respects. The Mucranoid Gland still retains its atypical coloration, but this is no great loss. Our integration rates have skyrocketed to easily triple or even quadruple their pre-Crusade levels. Additionally, the incidence of the synesthesia affliction has fallen drastically, to perhaps twelve in one hundred successfully ascended Neophytes from nineteen of twenty previously.

 

By miracle, we have been saved, praise the Emperor. It is my strong and immediate recommendation that all Whisperers be tested for compatibility with the new Black Carapace, if age permits, and implanted with all possible haste. Additionally, based on my observations of the new Primaris troops, all current Silent-Speakers, including yourself, my Lord, are recommended to undergo the Rubicon Primaris. It cannot be denied that the process is dangerous (first reported with a six in ten casualty rate, now improved to I believe about fifteen out of one hundred), but the combat benefits and down-the-line durability in my medical opinion drastically outweigh the casualties we are certain to lose to the operation. I will perform your surgery yourself, should you consent to it, as the primary surgeon.

 

Attached please find my complete data-reports, and related addenda.

 

Signed, Chief Apothecary Saniel, Omega Cohort.

 

Greeting Address to the Legio Bolter and Chainsword staff, Chapter Master, Omega Cohort:

 

Hail, cousins. I have entrusted this letter to the aide of my predecessor, whom has passed from the Emperor's Service as an Astartes of flesh and blood two months prior to the dispatch of this missive, due to complications with his Rubicon Primaris procedure. Please recieve his Whisperer as my envoy, and accord to him the full honors as deserved.

 

My chapter, as we suspect the Legio knows, has been until very recently ravaged by terrible genetic mutation due to corruption in the gene-seed. Our manpower has been perpetually very thin, and I suspect that had the Ultima Crusade not reached us when it did, we would have shortly died out, unable to replace our power-armor-capable brethren. However, I shall not dwell overmuch on this, for it has been rectified by the grace of Lord

Commander Guilliman, and our Chaplaincy has declared us absolved of the sin that we must have committed to have earned such a terrible fate, as evinced by our salvation.

 

The Omega Cohort is pleased to accept the invitation of Daimyo Lenoch to join the Legio Bolter and Chainsword, and will detach for permanent Legio duty a demi-squad of Primaris Paradigm Astartes, and a demi-squad of Firstborn Paradigm Astartes, experienced in stealth operations, for distribution as you see fit.

 

I look forward to cooperation in full with the Legio.

 

Signed, Chapter Master Taeban Ghoststrider, Omega Cohort; Lord Governor Taeban The Protector, Omega Colony.

 

Dawn Blades

 

The Primaris Paradigm, and the Duality of The Rubicons and The Forgechained:

 

The Dawn Blades have a complicated relationship with their Primaris contingents. Contingents, plural, for they have two: the Rubicon Primaris, who are ascended Firstborn marines, and the Forgechained, who consist of the hundred or so Primaris marines that the chapter has received in reinforcement over the past seventy five years or so (and that is a number which has been whittled down by excruciating trials and combat casualties) from the Unnumbered Sons.

 

The Rubicons enjoy full rights as any Firstborn member of the chapter would, and are treated as such by the rest of the chapter. There are around ninety members of the chapter so ascended, distributed fairly evenly over the chapter's companies and leadership, except the 2nd Company, whose only Rubicon member is Lieutenant Shonar, due to aggressive and long-term deployment patterns in the wake of the Noctis Imperium. In contrast, the Forgechained are assigned exclusively to the Forge, and are treated practically as slaves. They do not deploy except under the direct supervision of The Master of the Forge Ceticus Stormmoon, or a trusted subordinate, and have a shoulderpad painted in Techmarine Red surrounded by a chain to signify their assignment. Their 'representative' in chapter matters, such that they are allowed one, is given the title Saisho-Dorei, who has a nonvoting seat on the council of Shinsengumi. However, despite their deep distrust of the fleshlings that were given to them, the Dawn Blades adopted their technologies after a brief chapter-wide debate, if only because it help alleviate their previous materiel shortages. The Redemptor Dreadnought Chassis that accompanied the initial delivery of Primaris was dismantled and reverse-engineered within days, and while the chapter itself often has little use for Dreadnoughts (due to its typical casualties being either easily recoverable with bionics or total losses save geneseed), its weaponry and targeting systems were quickly applied to existing vehicles, improving their combat efficiency over the next several decades by eleven point four percent.

 

 

A great amount of friction exists between the Rubicons and the Forgechained, it should be noted, as well as between various camps in the Forgechained themselves. The Forgechained look at the Rubicons and see what could be for them, while the Rubicons look down upon the Forgechained as children playing with their father's power swords--dangerous, untrained, and liable to hurt themselves as much as someone else. Despite his own personal distrust of them, however, Stormmoon is as defensive of his Forgechained as he is of his vehicle pool--though whether relegating them to the status of semi-sentient machines is an improvement or a degradation is hotly contested among the Forgechained who actually give a damn about their status. Some of them, it must be noted, are happy to be elevated to the status of machine (these are mostly gene-sons of Ferrus, whom the chapter as a whole claims as their gene-father), while the others, led by the few sons of Vulkan, protest their treatment but recognize that they are still subordinate to the Chapter Master's authority through Stormmoon.

Edited March 29, 2021 by Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch

[Brother Lunkhead]

Regarding the Forgechained:

 

I understand the resentment and mistrust of these Ultima Founding Marines, as they were not raised as neophytes to marines and steeped in the traditions of the Chapter. Therefore they are seen as interlopers. However, they are combat tempered as part of the Unnumbered Sons in the the intense fighting of the 12 years of the initial phase of the Indomitus Crusade. Granted, that isn't much time to the average Space Marine, but twelve years of intense fighting is good practical experience nonetheless.

 

Given this, are the Forgechained treated as a reserve force? If they are, how regularly are they deployed and how do they fit into the order of battle? Have any of them distinguished themselves in the eyes of the Forge Master or any other members of the chapter command cadre? Are they allowed awards for distinguished service? Are they allowed modifications to their livery at all? Is there a rank structure among the Forgechained or are they all seen as the same, with no positions of authority, even within their own ranks? Do they have an informal rank structure, recognizing and respecting leaders and those especially skilled within their own ranks?

Edited April 11, 2021 by Brother Lunkhead

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

The Forgechained tend to go to war in direct support of the Armory, which is part of why they all have a mech-red pauldron, to signify their 'company' so to speak. They provide security for supply lines, Forward Operating Forge support (when the Dawn Blades have need of a less kinetic or more drawn out warfare like sieges in opposition to their preferred method of war), or just acting as mechanized infantry when a battle company or reserve company is unable to provide such things. In the latter case, if Stormmoon himself is unavailable, they will be placed under the control of a chapter Techmarine, who will delegate tactical, but not strategic, command to a Forgechained marine the rest of the contingent deems has the experience to wage this specific conflict, much as the Iron Council elects a warleader for a specific campaign. This marine is entitled to the rank of Lieutenant for the duration of the campaign, but has no authority over Firstborn or Rubicon marines that may be present in the same warzone. They also maintain the squad formations they had prior to their delivery to the chapter from the Ultima Crusade, at least those that were not rendered combat ineffective by mass weed-outs and combat casualties.

 

On the whole, the Forge treats them as tools to free up more valuable or important troops for more important matters, like forward assaults. If they are good as two marines, the saying in the chapter goes, let them do the work of two marines in the rear and so put more troops to the fore.

 

Overall, the chapter command cadre is fairly split. Samurai Master Por voted to accept them, and supported Reclusiarch Diorus's plan to test and reject prior to accepting the remainder. The Chief Librarian, Crez, is neutral on the matter, but keeps a wary eye on them for the slightest taint of warp corruption. Shogun Kamakura himself dislikes them, but has been convinced of their tactical usefulness. The Chief Apothecary finds them intriguing in a biological sense but refrains from experimentation beyond observation to improve the efficiency of the Rubicon Marines.

 

As to this, 

 

 

Do they have an informal rank structure, recognizing and respecting leaders and those especially skilled within their own ranks?

 

Beyond what has been mentioned, the Saisho-Dorei is chosen via a contest of blades from a preapproved pool of candidates that Stormmoon feels have 'assimilated' best into the chapter cult and culture. The first was granted the privilege of forging an Edge of Dawn, one of the chapter's champions' blades, for his own use, which following his death in combat was passed down to the next as has been with all the other Edges of Dawn in the chapter.

 

Hope that answered your questions.

[Brother Lunkhead]

Thanks, that's very illuminating and well thought out. I've just a few more questions. Does the mech-red paldron that the Forgechained wear bear the cog symbol of the Forge, or is it blank?

 

 

Beyond what has been mentioned, the Saisho-Dorei is chosen via a contest of blades from a preapproved pool of candidates that Stormmoon feels have 'assimilated' best into the chapter cult and culture. The first was granted the privilege of forging an Edge of Dawn, one of the chapter's champions' blades, for his own use, which following his death in combat was passed down to the next as has been with all the other Edges of Dawn in the chapter.

If the Forgechained are so isolated and shunned by the Chapter proper, how are they expected to assimilate at all into the chapter cult and culture. Does the Forge Master take responsibility for this or are they assigned a Chaplain? A Chaplain would make the most sense, as it is their specific duty to uphold the Chapter's traditions as well as to watch for deviancy and corruption. If this is the case, I'm curious to, if over time, the assigned Chaplain comes to respect them and perhaps become an advocate for further assimilation. Of course he would just as likely (perhaps more so) support and enforce the Chapter's orthodoxy.

 

In spite of the fiction of it all, I find myself feeling very sympathetic towards the Forgechained and a sense of outrage as to their treatment. That's a mark of a very fine narrative. Good work, Brother

Edited April 11, 2021 by Brother Lunkhead

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Thanks, that's very illuminating and well thought out. I've just a few more questions. Does the mech-red paldron that the Forgechained wear bear the cog symbol of the Forge, or is it blank?

It's not blank, but it doesn't have the cog in favor of the typical squad markings. If you have a poke in my gallery you'll find some pics that hopefully are useful.

 

 

 

If the Forgechained are so isolated and shunned by the Chapter proper, how are they expected to assimilate at all into the chapter cult and culture. Does the Forge Master take responsibility for this or are they assigned a Chaplain?

 

Stormmoon takes responsibility, as he was voluntold for the original duty of testing the Ultima reinforcements, and afterwards decided they'd do less psychological damage to the chapter (are we being replaced, who are these things, are they tech-heresy for improving on the Solis-Imperator's work?) if they remained in his care and away from the rest of the chapter.

 

These tests included, but were not limited to, some of the duels that aspirants undergo (though not as lethal), forging one's own combat knife, and an abridged version of many other things (some tests, like feats of strength, really aren't necessary, since the Forgechained were already full-blown marines). The assimilation is things like 'do you worship the Solis-Imperator and make great works of art and song in His name,' 'do you accept your place as a tool in service of the Omnissiahan aspect of the Solis-Imperator' (basically do you accept the fact that you're a gene-slave), etc, etc, as well as a question to their loyalty to their father Ferrus Manus even if they're not a genetic son of him. Given his role as warrior and priest, he often preaches to the Forgechained as if they were Rhinos or other vehicles, and the Chaplaincy as a result tends to leave them alone.

 

(as a side note, Stormmoon is 'afflicted' with a rare gene-condition that caused him to grow to giant proportions even for Astartes. When the Primaris first met him they were not expecting their new commanding officer to be as large as they were, especially unarmored. He appropriated a suit of Gravis Armor and was pleased to find an armor that matched his bulk.)

 

 

 

In spite of the fiction of it all, I find myself feeling very sympathetic towards the Forgechained and a sense of outrage as to their treatment. That's a mark of a very fine narrative. Good work, Brother thumbsup.gif

 

Thank you very kindly.