New Article - Index Astartes: Vigilant Fists

[Brother Tyler]

Another well-written Chapter. It's interesting to go back to the earliest posts and versions of the article to see how the Chapter and your writing developed over the years. I have the Eye of Terror file open on my other monitor and comparing that version to the latest version is fun. I also like how you incorporated Aerion the Faithful's artwork into your article.

[Codex Grey]

After much rumination, I've decided to change the name of this Chapter from the Heralds of Light to the Vigilant Fists.  Maybe nobody cares, but in case you do here's my thoughts on the matter.

 

I've never been satisfied with the name, or any of the names they use to have.  As the latest attempt to come up with a name that represents who they are, sounds cool (at least to me) and is reasonably distinct from other names, Heralds of Light checked those boxes for me for a while. Now they don't anymore.

 

A core part of the Chapter's identity is their defensive flavor. They don't always defend, but do so more often than most other Chapters, in large part because of their role in watching over the Eye of Terror. Being a herald means bringing something from one place to somewhere else, which feels more aggressive than defensive. Vigilant Fists, on the other hand, marries the defensively coded concept of vigilance, which perfectly fits with their duties, with the symbol of a fist, a very aggressive concept, thereby creating a nice balance between the two.

 

I still like the name Heralds of Light, but after some time I come to find it a bit unwieldy, and there is something about Of Light I'm just not that into anymore, which I can't quite explain. I quite like how Vigilant Fists sounds though. It feels more classic somehow.

 

Heralds of Light might be the more distinct of the two, but that on its own is not enough for me, and I do think Vigilant Fists is distinct enough while also adhering to and honoring the naming-conventions of their two main predecessors in the Imperial Fists and Crimson Fists.

 

The reason why I haven't changed the name before now is partly because I had yet to come up with an alternative I liked, but also because part of me didn't want to change something that has existed "out there" online for some time, including through various B&C channels. Still, I don't think that should stop me from changing an aspect of my own Chapter.

 

 

[Brother Tyler]

One of the interesting things about DIY development is how ideas and preferences evolve over time. Personally, I never had a problem with the "Heralds of Light" moniker, seeing it as being similar in format to the Angels of Vigilance, the Sons of Orpheus, and similarly named Chapters. However, as I always emphasize, a DIY is for its creator*, not the audience. Ultimately, the creator makes all decisions based on their personal preferences. Besides, there's nothing wrong with the Vigilant Fists name, either.

 

* Unless the creator is creating the DIY for someone else, in which case that someone else is the ultimate authority.

 

I've updated all entries in the Tabula Astartes to reflect the change in the Chapter's name.

[Codex Grey]

I've been thinking about creating a more comprehensive overview of the Chapter's Organization, including names of key leaders and a visual presentation of the information.

 

As part of this, because it's fun, I've been trying to come up with words/mottos for each Company, sayings that represent their individual duties, identities and the Chapter as a whole.

Here's what I have so far:

 

1st Veteran Company(Master of the Keep) - Flame Keepers

The Flame Burns Eternal

 

2nd Battle Company (Master of the Watch) - Radiant Ramparts

We are the Wardens, We are the Walls

 

3rd Battle Company (Master of the Arsenal) - Blazing Blades

By Our Blades the Night Ends

 

4th Battle Company (Master of the Fleet) - Ardent Arrows

None Defy Us, None Escape Us

 

5th Battle Company (Master of the Marches) - Shining Shields

Death Before Defeat

 

6th Reserve Company (Master of Rites) - Beacon Guard

Never Flinch

 

7th Reserve Company (Chief Victualler) - Astral Watch

Never Blink

 

8th Reserve Company (Lord Excecutioner) - Dawn Riders

For Another Day!

 

9th Reserve Company (Master of Relics) - Storm Callers

The Storm Answers to Us

 

10th Scout Company (Master of Recruits and Reconnaissance) - Moon Rangers

From the Shadows, Light

I think I'm happy with most of these, though the Astral Watch's Never Blink is both similar and weaker than the 6th's Never Flinch. The idea was to have something similar, almost as a rivalry between the two, but I'm not sure and I'm struggling to come up with an alternative for the 7th. I also think the 1st's could be stronger and I might change some around.

I'm open for suggestions. 

EDIT: Also also, while I quite like By Our Blades the Night Ends, it might work better thematically for the 8th, the Dawn Riders. Maybe I could use something similar to what I had in mind for the Chapter Motto for the 3rd instead.

Another attempt with a few changes below:

Chapter - Death Before Defeat

1st Flame Keepers - The Flame Burns Eternal

2nd Radiant Ramparts - We are the Wardens, We are the Walls

3rd Blazing Blades - Armed with His Light

4th Ardent Arrows - None Defy Us, None Escape Us

5th Shining Shields - The Line is Drawn at Our Feet

6th Beacon Guard - Never Flinch, Never Falter, Never Fail

7th Astral Watch - From Stars to Stars

8th Dawn Riders - Night Ends by Our Blades

9th Storm Callers - The Storm Answers to Us

10th Moon Rangers -  In Darkness, Light Shines Brighter

Edited October 22 by Codex Grey

[Codex Grey]

 

And here's my attempt, in the same style as my Heraldry pages. Changed some minor aspects of the Company Words, and also the name of the 1st Company from Flame Keepers to Knights of the Flame. Still not a 100% sure about the 1st Company words. Might change that and other details later, but I'm happy for now.

 

Most of the numbers were pulled from out of thin air and old Ultramarines Org. charts. If a number seems right, then it's intentional, if one seems too high then the Chapter's Combat Doctrine requires it, and if a number is too low it's because they still haven't recovered completely after loosing their homeworld 

 

 

 

 

[Lysimachus]

As always, your design skills are top notch!

 

I like the Company names too. The only one I wondered about was the 6th, which if memory serves, is the (sometimes) Bike-mounted Reserve Co, so I'd maybe have used the Dawn Riders name there. Also, the dawn kneepad badge would well with the orange of the 6th Co?

 

Edit: that said, I suppose the Dawn Riders is also appropriate for the 8th Assault Co, so it still works 

 

Edited November 11 by Lysimachus

[Codex Grey]

Thanks, Lysimachus!

 

10 hours ago, Lysimachus said:

I like the Company names too. The only one I wondered about was the 6th, which if memory serves, is the (sometimes) Bike-mounted Reserve Co, so I'd maybe have used the Dawn Riders name there. Also, the dawn kneepad badge would well with the orange of the 6th Co?

 

You're not wrong, and the thought has occurred to me, but several other things made me land on the 8th. (Warning: Long and possibly uninteresting explanation)

 

The symbols came first, and my goal was to use the standard Codex Astartes symbols and colors for companies as a starting point, but then add a bit of knightly heraldic flare to them.  I did consider changing up the base colors and symbols, but that felt both like an unnecessary Codex deviation and a cop-out for my self-imposed challenge. The only one I changed was the first company, but the first company are the veterans, the special boys who often get special treatment in many Chapters, so giving them the flame symbol felt justified. Also, the added blue works well with the color scheme, and the blue of the 9th Company has always been a more light or cyan blue to me.

 

So the challenge was to use the standard symbols as a creative framework. Then, even though I renamed them from Heralds of Light, light is still an important thematic element to the Chapter. So I wanted to incorporate sources of light into the company symbol as much as possible. For some companies, this came to me fairly quickly, like the 3rd company's diagonal red stripe made me think of a red comet or falling star/meteor streaking across the night sky, and since meteors have historically been symbolically tied to swords, done. The top halved green field of the 4th reminded me of aurora borealis.

The diagonal halved grey field, however, did not remind me of anything for some time, until I thought of the black half as the silhouetted side of mountain, and the grey as the morning mist or lingering smoke of a battlefield lit by the rising sun.

 

Then came the names, and Dawn Riders seemed like the perfect fit for a Assault Reserve Company, who I assume ride plenty of bikes as well, even if the 'Riders' part of the name doesn't have to be literal.

Besides, the 6th and 7th are primarily Tactical Reserves, and within the Vigilant Fists they also share the responsibility of overseeing Chapter's various starbeacons, which I wanted to incorporate into their symbols as well.

 

 

Okay, I'm done now. Thanks for reading. 

 

 

Edited November 11 by Codex Grey

[Lysimachus]

That all makes good sense to me, fair enough!