IA: Scions of Gehenna (V2.0)

[Mazer Rackham]

The Mazer Rackham Studio Press Presents:

 

++ Index Astartes: Scions of Gehenna ++ 

(V 2.0)

 

Introduction:

 

"Rogal Dorn, The Imperial Fist, my Son...you have failed. You did not save me from Horus...now you cannot save your Legion...and more - you cannot save the Imperium..."

 

 

The Primarch was awake in a moment.  Dark dreams clouded his mind, even as black warplate adorned his flesh.  His vision was shattered – his own sons lying broken and scattered across the wasteland of the Iron Cage. The Iron Warriors would suffer for it. His kin would avenge. They would scourge the traitors from the galaxy, as would all his sons, until the end of humanity itself.

 

Whether they were a Legion or not.

 

+++

 

The old Scions of Gehenna can be found here: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/261719-ia-scions-of-gehenna/?p=3185510 in the dim and distant past of these hallowed halls.  I thought it was time to try and dust them off and update them a bit.  I'm going to try and keep the new version true to their roots, but with an updated focus on the squad level, since really this IA is in support of a DW RPG character or two.

 

Concepts/ideas:

• Founded as the Legiones Ducemus Ferrum (High Hothic) by the 116th Writ of Succession by the High Lords, form Imperial Fist Genestock.
• Cognomen: The Iron Dukes Legion
• Founding date: 052.M32 (3rd Founding)
• Did not attend the summons in 544.M32 to attend the “Last Wall Protocol”
• Reason for Founding: Standing Force, Chaos Incursion Countermeasure.
• Geneseed Purity: New Generation (an attempt to correct Sus-An Membrane deficiency – failed, both Betchers’ Gland and Sus-An Membrane do not function).
• Chapter Demeanour: Cleanse and Purify
• Chapter Flaw: Faith in Suspicion – The Scions of Gehenna (The Gehinnom) do not trust the Ecclesiarchy, since the Incident of Glass and Darkness in 209.M36.
• Chapter RPG Characteristic Modifiers: +5 BS, +5 Willpower
• Figure of Legend: Chapter Master Renthus Draekor, lost in the warp 092.M33
• Homeworld: Aridenus Secundus (Civilised, Urban but now Post apocalyptic, Feudal)
• Homeworld Relationship: Stewardship
• Organisation: Divergent (Inception) Unique (Current)
• Specific Chapter Wargear: Modified Throne Pattern Shotgun

The Throne:

A reinforced Astartes Shotgun, or a fully automatic Astartes Assault variant, the Throne and its ammunition is simpler to manufacture than Boltguns and Bolt shells.  As supplies dwindled during the final years of the Great Siege, desperate times called for equally desperate measures, and the Throne was issued to Brethren in place of the holy Bolter as stocks dwindled through attrition.

• Combat Doctrine: Siege and Urban Warfare Operation Specialists
• Chapter Belief System: Revere the Primarch (Rogal Dorn)
• Chapter Friends: Adeptus Mechanicus (Ordo Centurio Ordinatus Gehenna)
• Chapter Enemies: Iron Warriors, The Order of the Martyred Vision of St Jaeda
• Heraldry: Non camouflage uniform of grey with single left pauldron in yellow, upon which is a black portcullis with speartips upright.  In theatre, the Gehinnom wear and use camouflage appropriate to the environment, albeit mainly solid colours, so tan in the desert, green for jungle worlds or environments.  In Urban environments they prefer to use either standard warplate colour or a scheme of their own devising called Berlinertarn, a three/four colour assortment of blocky lozenges (green/grey/white/brick red).
• Chapter Status: Endangered, possibly extinct.

Battlecry:

 

Chaplain/Captain/Sergeants: “Serve the Emperor!”

All: “We do so ‘ere Gehenna comes!”

 

+++

 

There are a lot of additions to come to this, thanks mainly to the Deathwatch: Rites of Battle book, the Chapter started life as a siege breaker arm of the Imperial Fist line, but diverged as things went on.  The Chapter’s homeworld is currently swamped by the Cicatrix, so no Primaris  Marines as reinforcements, no Indomitus Crusade, no Ultima Founding.  This is strictly Old School^TM - especially as the hideously conceived and mangled German (for which I apologise to our native speakers) of "Berlinertarn" above is basically this:

 

  

 

I plan to have the Chapter with a standing roster of something like a reinforced company, since the Chapter would have operatives on the fleet, in transit, taking up arms elsewhere on a crusade etc.  They’ll essentially be arranged into ad-hoc squads along Deathwatch lines.

 

The original IA is now nearly ten years old, so plenty of things could have happened to them in universe for them to end up like this, but I plan on having the Chapter in decline from about M.36 (maybe) onward when the Ecclesiarchy blew up most of their homeworld...

 

Anyway, that’s it for now, thanks for looking!

Edited October 3, 2021 by Mazer Rackham

[Minigiant]

 

• Did not attend the summons in 544.M32 to attend the “Last Wall Protocol”
• Chapter Belief System: Revere the Primarch (Rogal Dorn)

 

Looking forward to seeing how you balance this

 

[Mazer Rackham]

I'm debating the same thing, wondering if it would provide an easier route to just alter it, explain it away or provide a strange dynamic to their reverence, perhaps they were excluded from the summons, or the officers who joined the Gehinnom were opposed to the Last Wall, much like Marshal Bohemond of the Templars, who felt that they should be out crusading, punishing heretics, not reforming the Legion.

 

It's certainly an opportunity to add a bit more colour!

[TechCaptain]

If you don't mind me speaking up. I think it would go well to have that little bit of conflict with having the reverence still but maybe something against how or when the last wall stuff is invoked thinking maybe only the Primarch should call them or whatever. 

[Mazer Rackham]

It's a sound point - the more I've thought about it, the manner in which the Gehinnom revere Rogal Dorn is looking more and more a contributing factor in the Chapter's conflict with the Ecclesiarchy during the Age of Apostasy.

 

It could cause members of the chapter to question whether or not it was worth it for a "distant" grandsire...

 

It's certainly a conflict of internal culture worth exploring.

[TechCaptain]

Glad I could help. And great creative work. Good to see you back at creating. I found Internal conflicts (as long as they shy away from being way over the top.) are a good way to spice a Chapter. With them being Dorn type worshippers, I assume they are stubborn in their views of how things go, which could also lend to how they work with other chapters. Worshipping the idea more then the anything sort of. 

[Mazer Rackham]

Absolutely, low level stuff is interesting nuance, OTT is heavy-handed "look at what I did here!"

 

Appreciate your comments, I hope your projects continue as well.

 

This IA will definitely be a slow burn so I can do it justice, so it's more a placeholder and idea crucible for now.

[TechCaptain]

I get that. Most of my projects are in slow burn kind of status as well. Medical/Army stuff taking a priority. It is finally time for me to leave the US Army. (Still going to take months to get everything straight.)

[Gamiel]

Any idea about their chapter culture?

 

I'm debating the same thing, wondering if it would provide an easier route to just alter it, explain it away or provide a strange dynamic to their reverence, perhaps they were excluded from the summons, or the officers who joined the Gehinnom were opposed to the Last Wall, much like Marshal Bohemond of the Templars, who felt that they should be out crusading, punishing heretics, not reforming the Legion.

 

It's certainly an opportunity to add a bit more colour!

A possibility could be that they were given a task by Dorn and considered that task more important than the call of the Last Wall (maybe they had recently lost a notable amount of their numbers and felt that they could not spare any to the Last Wall while also doing their main duty).

 

Whatever internal strife that decision led to should be over long ago since that was over 6000 years ago. The interesting part is if any of the other sons of Dorn at that time resented them for their decision and if that resentment still linger, maybe as something long forgotten but that make some Chapters see them as untrustworthy by tradition.

[Mazer Rackham]

Interesting points!

 

Any idea about their chapter culture?

 

I've not dived too deeply into it so far, although I am settled that they don't use the pain glove, so they've dealt with the issue at some point, but how remains to be seen.

 

A possibility could be that they were given a task by Dorn and considered that task more important than the call of the Last Wall (maybe they had recently lost a notable amount of their numbers and felt that they could not spare any to the Last Wall while also doing their main duty).

 

Whatever internal strife that decision led to should be over long ago since that was over 6000 years ago. The interesting part is if any of the other sons of Dorn at that time resented them for their decision and if that resentment still linger, maybe as something long forgotten but that make some Chapters see them as untrustworthy by tradition.

 

I did consider that - perhaps Dorn said, go here, do this, and they took it completely to heart, because, you know, it's the Big Man.  That then means it's either: betray his word by leaving their duty undone, or they lose honour by not attending the Last Wall summit, and the respect of their peers.

 

Given they Revere the Primarch, I think they would likely land on the "he said, so we did" side of it, because Dorn would know the truth of it...

 

It could lead to a snub by not inviting them to the Feast of Blades, or that could be a continuation "We don't have time for that" or even that the Gehinnom see it that way, but the other sons of Dorn are actually distancing themselves for a millennia old debt of honour.

 

Just a few floating notions... :)

[Gamiel]

 

• Homeworld: Aridenus Secundus (Civilised, Urban but now Post apocalyptic, Feudal)
• Homeworld Relationship: Stewardship
• [...]
• Chapter Belief System: Revere the Primarch (Rogal Dorn)

If they revere Dorn as the protector and bastion bilder could they be soffering from some interesting cultural traumas since they seems to have been unable to truly protect their homeworld. 

 

Now if they more focus on him as crusader, monster slayer, or conquerer maybe this is not as big a-trauma but they have still have been unable to truly protect their homeworld. 

 

In what ever cause, how have they reacted to that? 

Edited September 8, 2021 by Gamiel

[Mazer Rackham]

Some great suggestions there to try and spark a theme, thank you.

 

This comes at an interesting juncture, as I was discussing something about it with Xin Ciethan as to whether they worshipped the thing itself (the Primarch) or the perception of him, (builder, crusader, as you suggest).

 

If the latter, then the whole edifice of their faith comes tumbling down around their ears, along with their homeworld, so it sows bitterness, putting them more in line with the sons of Purturabo, whom they swore to destroy.  Perhaps they hate the Iron Warriors because of how similar they've become.

 

If the former, it could level out along the lines of the Celestial Lions, that "deep, nourishing well of resolve" I think ADB described it in his book Blood and Fire.  Married with the pragmatism and clear-headedness of the Crimson Fists, (The Gehinnom do not strike me as Zealots other than to their adoration of Dorn), the there could be a cultural shift of failure to live to his word, but not to his mission, to give up is the ultimate failure.

 

I'll have plenty to do when re-drafting!

[Gamiel]

 The Primarch was awake in a moment.  Dark dreams clouded his mind, even as black warplate adorned his flesh.  His vision was shattered – his own sons lying broken and scattered across the wasteland of the Iron Cage. The Iron Warriors would suffer for it. His kin would avenge. They would scourge the traitors from the galaxy, as would all his sons, until the end of humanity itself.

 

Whether they were a Legion or not.

That your start you index post with this text makes me think that their mission would be to hunt Iion Warriors, or maybe stand guards over something that the IW wants (maybe as a kind of bait for the IW to come to them).

 

 

This comes at an interesting juncture, as I was discussing something about it with Xin Ciethan as to whether they worshipped the thing itself (the Primarch) or the perception of him, (builder, crusader, as you suggest).

I would say that as a single chapter it's hard to take in the whole of Dorn so after some thousand years you find yourself focusing on one or two aspects of him.

 

 

Regarding their inability to truly protect their homeworld, maybe it was a cost they desiced to take to be able to do their Primarch given mission (or what they now think it is, missunderstandings can happen during millenias). 

 

Maybe they have decided to put a large part of their resources to rebuild their homeworld or make favours for groups that can help them with that.