Index Astartes: Gloam Wardens

[Necca34]

Request Granted: Unforgiven Master/Commander Level Access

Chapter Overview, Gloam Wardens

 

 

Chapter Oath

The stars grow cold; dark eternity awaits.

It shall not come so long as I draw breath. 

For I am the twilit shield of Man, the starlit sword within the void.

I am the fury of Humanity, the first strike and the bloody end.

I am the shadow cast by scornful sun, the hidden blade and unseen fate.

I am the searing blaze of the horizon, the final flame to spite the night.

I am Warden of the Gloam,

And against the dying of the light, 

My rage shall know no bounds. 

 

Warcry: “Rage against!”, or simply, “Rage!”

Motto: “Furite contra mortem lucis” (“Rage against the dying of the light.”)

Founding: 13th (Official Records), -REDACTED- (Unforgiven Shared Database)

Successors of: Dark Angels

Primarch: Lion El'Jonson

Chapter Master: Lord Commander Zalmavet

Homeworld: None (Fleet Born and Based)

Fortress-Monastery: Shroud of Retribution (Invincible-Class Fast Battleship, heavily modified to accommodate the 1st and 2nd Companies of Adeptus Astartes, conduct planetary assault operations, and warp jump with a docked Dark Sovereign-Class cruiser)

Allegiance: Imperium of Man

Allies: Unforgiven Chapters, Ultramarines (41st Millennium), Ordo Xenos

Sigil: A downward-facing longsword bisecting an eclipsed golden sun, its rays unfurled into outspread wings. The field of the Sigil is burnt orange that fades to a deep, twilit blue.

Colors: Charcoal Armor, Gloam (twilit blue) Pauldrons and Knees, Sunset Orange Fabric Lining, Ink Black Carapace and wire casing, Steel Gray Trim. Weapons are generally dark steel, bronze, with touches of metallic red. Gloam Warden eye lenses are generally a burning blue. 

Combat Doctrine: The Gloam Wardens are partially Codex-compliant like other Unforgiven chapters. They excel in researched, calculated, synchronized warfare that combines shock-and-awe assaults with covert decapitation strikes to minimize loss. However, if initial strikes do not encourage an immediate surrender, brutal, total destruction of enemy forces will follow. Though fully capable of traditional battle-line combat, the Gloam Wardens prefer to avoid drawn-out, attrition-based warfare. This doctrine is also reflected in their fleet. The Gloam Warden flagship is a heavily modified Invincible-Class Fast Battleship, capable of matching speed with the swiftest strike cruiser.

Recruitment: Due to their history, the Gloam Wardens exclusively recruit Aspirants from among their crews of Chapter Serfs. Serfs of all genders are tithed from a myriad of Imperial shipyard worlds and seafaring feudal worlds at adolescence and set to work within the chapter’s fleet. To the Gloam Wardens, it is crucial for all aboard their vessels to have an understanding of how the massive starships function, to feel the successive reward of toil, sweat, and selflessness, and to respect the authority of experience. They are therefore as selective in their serfs as most chapters are of their true aspirants.

Beliefs: The Gloam Wardens hold tight to the ancient Imperial Truth of ages past, much like their progenitor chapter and several of their fellow Unforgiven. They do not believe the Emperor is a god, as their chapter records document when he walked among mortals.

 

 

Request Granted: Master/Commander Level Access

Chapter History, Gloam Wardens - 30M-36M

 

The Great Crusade:

 

The history of the Gloam Wardens is directly tied to the 57th Chapter of the Dark Angels Legion during the Great Crusade, though official Administratum and Inquisitorial records have found no corollary connecting the two lauded forces of Adeptus Astartes. 

 

Exalted for their auspicious victories, iron willpower, unshakable resolve, and seamless mastery of the subtleties of war, the 57th Chapter was often utilized as a first strike scalpel to remove the leadership, military infrastructure, and grotesque menagerie of horrors spewed forth by the enemies of Mankind. They were amongst the vanguard of the First Legion, composed of Terran soldiers from multitudinous zones of recruitment and Calibanite knights of noble bearing who had fought side by side with the Lion Himself before the Emperor's descent. All had seen the Emperor in his glory at the apex of his power.

 

The 57th Chapter was notoriously thorough in their preparations; formulated plans were reviewed so meticulously it was said the Chapter could foresee battlefield eventualities through calculus alone. Chapter Librarians and Scribellum would assemble in vast buttressed archives within baroque Legion battleships to compile troves of lore, testimony, scholarship, and fragmented information about the Xenos, hostile humans, monstrous entities, and traitorous organizations uncovered by their robust network of informants, intelligence, and covert surveillance. Though they used a wide array of strategies, tactics, and occasionally the sheer firepower of the Dreadwing Protocol, the 57th Chapter became synonymous with a combined approach to waging war with an emphasis on misdirection to achieve the fastest possible surrender or destruction of Mankind's enemies. Synchronized, merciless assaults on military industrial targets would distract an enemy as stealth operations surgically assassinated leadership and obliterated precise objectives of cultural or strategic significance. This would either incentivize surrender of the Emperor's foes or lead to their eternal annihilation upon the descent of additional Angels of Death.

 

Of particular note is the composition of warships assigned to the 57th Chapter. Theirs was not a fleet built for the cacophony of battle line engagements or prolonged planetary assaults. Nay, the 57th Chapter's vessels were constructed to outrun heavy capital ships, screen the rapid deployment of their legionaries, and survive until the emergence of a main battle fleet. This is best exemplified by their deployment on the planet -REDACTED-, when, after a thunderous opening salvo from the fast battleship Shroud of Retribution, the cruiser Dark Silence emerged from its -REDACTED- directly above the capital buildings of the enemy's governmental complex, inciting the surrender of the -REDACTED- and an uncontested imperial victory.

 

The 57th Chapter's story ends in the backlogged records of the Second Rangdan Xenocide, when their fleet was lost in orbit around the fourth planet of the -REDACTED- System to a -REDACTED-.

 

The Time Between:

 

It would be fully 6,000 years before the re-emergence of the 57th Chapter of the First Legion, though this is known only to the Inner Circle of the Unforgiven Chapters, the highest levels of Inquisitorial clearance, and an exclusive cadre of Archmagos Dominii of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

 

To all else, the Gloam Wardens were created during the 13th Founding of Space Marines using the gene seed of Lion El'Jonson.

 

Chapter Emergence:

 

980.M35 - At the height of the Hrud Rising campaign, the Dark Angels Chapter pulled their forces from prosecuting the Emperor's foes, abandoning their duties and their allies. The Ultramarines filed a formal complaint to the High Lords of Terra, which remained unanswered, but not unremembered, indefinitely.

 

To the Inner Circle of the Unforgiven chapters, the reason is thus: a small, damaged fleet of onyx warships bearing the bleached winged sword of the First Legion, appeared in the blighted churn of cosmic dust where once had spun the planet Caliban. A powerful surge broadcast a singular message across ancient coded vox channels used only by the Unforgiven: “We return, Brothers.”

 

Expecting the broadcast to be a mocking taunt by the Fallen, sent from the very source of their chapter's shame, the Dark Angels emerged from their warp jumps and immediately engaged in boarding actions against the antideluvian fleet. To their utmost surprise, they were not met by tainted chaos spawn, but by deferential battle brothers garbed in venerated patterns of ancient armor, and serfs prostrated with desperate gratitude. They spoke of a six-millennia sublight odyssey taken to reach Caliban, their home, filled with horror, bloodshed, dread, and desperate survival. When Dark Angels techmarines and Mechanicus tech priests interfaced with the data archives, calligraphi servitors, and historitors of the lead ship, the information gleaned corroborated with the stories told by those aboard. 

 

The fleet, it seemed, was a relic of the Great Crusade, having been lost during the Rangdan Xenocides but not destroyed as indicated by official records. Their warp engines were not functional, their navigators long dead, and the vast majority were wholly incapable of emanating a Gellar Field due to damaged machinery, corroded hardware, deceased psychers, or a combination of the three. Even their long-range communication could not function, their vox broadcasts limited to a few hundred kilometers. They could, however, receive scant communiques from First Legion-specific frequencies.

 

They were helpless to act and aid their loyal brethren during the galactic conflagration of the Horus Heresy.

 

They could do nothing but seethe in silent rage when half the legion turned upon their brothers, Caliban was obliterated, and -REDACTED-.

 

Generations passed, and the population of Astartes dwindled. Unable to tithe or recruit, they were forced to select new aspirants from the progeny of chapter serfs. Though much was lost through data purges and servitor refreshment to ensure the antiquated systems could still function, these lost legionaries maintained the ramshackle vessels had once crashed upon a harsh world of blistering heat and crumbling cold, where only the short hour of twilit gloom permitted living beings to traverse its surface.

 

On this unknown planet, bioluminescent flora and fauna had evolved to enact an entire life cycle in the span of one short eventide. The survivors would venture beyond the shelters of their fallen fleet for food and supplies in this time twixt light and darkness, desperately working toward the day their ships could rise once more. The gloaming was not without horrors, with long-corroded records telling of an existential threat: xenos that stalked from above to satiate an unquenchable hunger, devouring Astarte, serf, and servitor alike when caught foraging for survival.

 

After nearly a century of waiting, one vessel, the cruiser Dark Silence, was finally starworthy. Though her warp engine was irreparably damaged, she possessed a fully operational -REDACTED-, much like her sister ship Dark Sovereign. This allowed her to escape the planet's orbit undetected by the -DATA CORRUPTED-. A skeleton crew of Astartes, serfs, and tech priests soon departed, searching for aid or resources to return to the rest of the fleet, knowing their journey might take hundreds, if not thousands of years.

 

In her absence, those upon the surface of -REDACTED- continued their desperate fight for survival. Life was lost to the ravenous monstrosities above them far more quickly than the Chapter serfs were able to naturally procreate, and though the scant handful of Mechanicus personnel attempted to maintain the intricacies of the crashed fleet's operational systems, their inability to replace aging servitors slowly forced whole sections of vessels to become inoperable and uninhabitable.

 

It was not until M32 that Dark Silence was at last reunited with the rest of the 57th Chapter, its holds filled with resources mined from mineral moons and the shells of shattered starships adrift in the void. While many hoped she would return with Imperial reinforcements, her haggared crew brought grim tidings of decaying vessels manned by swollen corpses, cruisers of twisted, barbaric Astartes blighted and mutated beyond recognition, and once-living worlds turned to desolate husks choked of life. The galaxy, it seemed, was descending once more to darkness with alarming rapidity.

 

Though it took solar decades to successfully repair a fraction of the fleet that crashed upon -REDACTED-, ten vessels were eventually declared starworthy, though unable to warp jump. One cruiser, the Ratiocination, was retrofitted with additional engines to increase its acceleration and maximum sublight speed. Armed with a malfunctioning -REDACTED- Cannon, her interior was lined with gargantuan fuel tanks, remote-detonated explosives, and Dreadwing archeotech, bereft of life support save the secondary bridge. Within this small inhabitable cell, mind-wiped servitors, created from serfs who stole and hoarded rations, were surgically shackled with conductive cerebral ligatures to directly commune with the Ratiocination's sublight navigational systems. These near-mindless drones of flesh and metal would atone for their betrayals by steering the cruiser into the remaining -REDACTED- in orbit above the planet.

 

For the remaining Adeptus Astartes of the 57th Chapter, a primordial stirring, never experienced by most but familiar to all, steeled their minds for coordinated, simultaneous, collective action. Upon a short-range signal broadcast throughout the fleet, all vessels ignited their now-functional engines in concert and began their starborne exodus.

 

As the ten vessels flared through the atmosphere, the Ratiocination flew straight at the -DATA CORRUPTED-*

 

*OF NOTE: Significant data corruption exists regarding the 57th Chapter's escape, likely due to the billions of access requests received throughout four thousand years of sublight travel. After this corruption, the ensuing data tranches chronicle the events of the 57th Chapter's odyssey from -REDACTED- to the shattered remnants of Caliban. The most recent tranches are meticulously detailed, including ship manifests, daily logs, nutrient distribution, birth rates of chapter serfs, gene seed purity, maintenance logs, disciplinary actions, etc. Older data tranches have been regularly purged of irrelevant information, decreasing from solar daily documentation to weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually, bi-annually, decadally, and centennially.**

 

**These chronicles, regardless of detail level, required significant investment of time to thoroughly review. They are available upon request per specific entry, but may take time for clearance to be granted.

 

Interrogation and Assurance of Purity:

 

Supreme Grand Master Tatraziel was wholly aware of the existential complexity of the situation at hand. Though the Adeptus Astartes, serfs, mechanicus, and servitors aboard the 57th Chapter ships demonstrated no initial signs of corruption or mutation, all were summarily placed under uncompromising mental, physical, medical, psychic, and ideological interrogations by the Dark Angels’ Grand Masters themselves. The gene seed of the emergent space marines was painstakingly examined by contemporary Chapter Apthecaries while each serf underwent excruciating mental and spiritual dissection by the harshest Interrogator-Chaplains. After decades of rigorous testing, the results were shocking - the Chapter's gene seed remained pure and free of mutation, Astartes maintained the strength of the Lion's ideologies and held tightly to the Imperial Truth, and serfs, though malnourished from their journey, were of hearty stock and sound mind. The singular concern was the deep codependency exhibited between Astartes and serf, a wholly unique trait due to the serfs supplying all Chapter aspirants for nearly six millennia. Indeed, the 57th Chapter refused to even consider aspirants for induction lest they serve as crew for at least two solar years.

 

Also of interest were the Watchers in the Dark that accompanied the 57th Chapter, who immediately reassimilated with the Watchers of the 36th Millennium, the only distinction being their faded grey-black robes weaving amongst the browns and greens of their contemporaries.

 

Tatraziel and the Inner Circle members then reached a quorum: as their own forces had been depleted by the campaign against the Hrud, the remaining 57th Chapter would eventually be assimilated into the Dark Angels and other Unforgiven chapters. However, they needed to acclimate themselves to the 36th Millennium, and robust curricula were implemented to educate marine and serf. Moreover, though at fractured strength, the 57th Chapter members were reluctant to separate. Though none of the original legionaries still lived, their descendents held a shared identity that was difficult to deny.

 

It was during this time the Inner Circle received word the High Lords of Terra had ordered a Thirteenth Founding of Adeptus Astartes, alongside the expected orders for a cadre of progenitor officers. Lord Commander Sathariel of the 57th, in many ways a more venerable Angel of Death than the Supreme Grand Master, immediately volunteered himself, his Marines, his fleet, and their crews to lead this new chapter of Unforgiven, swearing mighty oaths of binding to Tatraziel, pledging this new chapter would rise from the darkness of the void to become a vanguard of righteous fury once more, all whilst prosecuting the enemies of Mankind and pursuing the Fallen Angels to the dark matter beyond the galactic rim and back to redeem the Unforgiven.

 

Tatraziel, moved by Sathariel's eloquence, agreed. Moreover, the Supreme Grand Master -REDACTED-, ensuring the excess Adeptus Astartes from the 13th Founding would replenish Dark Angel numbers in the 57th Chapter’s stead. -REDACTED- also ensured the new Chapter would be fleet-based, maintaining the nine vessels of their odyssey whilst receiving additional ships selected by the Adeptus Mechanicus as a bespoke fit for the nascent chapter. Sathariel and his Angels could continue living as they had for millennia, albeit far more capably and with the ability to Warp jump.

Edited 1 hour ago by Necca34

[kabaakaba]

Excellent work. I'm generally not a big fan of warp shenanigans, as they're a bit silly even for 40k. But not in the case of the Dark Angels. Because secrets within secrets within secrets.Well, you know. It just suits them. 

Great job again.

[Necca34]

@kabaakaba, yeah I don't generally enjoy them, either. It's part of why I *tried* to do the opposite here - the 57th Legion was unable to go to warp, so they doggedly pushed on at sublight speeds to reach the Caliban System - which took thousands of years...

 

Not sure if there's something I can do to make that clearer?

[kabaakaba]

No! It's absolutely clear, it's me who don't read what he writes. 

 

 

Warp shenanigan is bad.

Astartes Generation fleet is cool. 

Entire plot with pretend they are new chapter is a very dark angels vibe.

-_- 

[Necca34]

@kabaakaba no worries whatsoever, and thanks! Yeah I kind of love the secrets within secrets vibe but there's also something about 30k Dark Angels' aloofness that needed a different way of humbling.

 

Any weird lore discrepancies? Other info you'd want to know? Figuring I'll post the "notable campaigns" soon. 

[Necca34]

Request Granted: Master/Commander Level Access

Campaigns of Note, Gloam Wardens - 36M-42M

 

M36

101.M36 - The hive world of Thraxis Prime is under assault by ebon-clad chaos space marines, who burn, loot, and cull slaves from the largest hive city, Pax Thraxia. The rapid-deployment of charcoal and twilight-clad Adeptus Astartes catches the slavers by surprise, including squads of assault marines that emerge from the sky itself. This is the debut of the Gloam Wardens upon the galactic stage.

 

143.M36 - The Gloam Wardens appear during the War of Recovery, primarily focused upon precision Shadowfall strikes, covert operations, and the rapid retrieval of humans under xenos occupation. In many instances, these rescue operations coincide with the aggressive deployment of the Deathfall and Doomfall, who exact merciless slaughter upon the enemies of Mankind with uncompromising wrath. 

 

290-31.M36 - As the Dark Angels and Angels of Vengeance deploy to relieve the beleaguered Silver Skulls, the Gloam Wardens enact a series of rapid deployments to other worlds under the yoke of the red-robed Cult of the Old God. Distracted by the main thrust of Unforgiven and Ultramarines Successors, the cult members are unprepared for the decapitation tactics used to decimate their heretical hierarchy.

 

439.M36 - The Gloam Wardens are amongst the Unforgiven chapters called to aid the Dark Angels in their prosecution of cults and corruption in the Rebulus System. They gain a fearsome reputation for violent fury directed toward human leadership that abuses its power, mercilessly eliminating their associates and either brutally executing such leaders or taking them aboard their charcoal starships for a lifetime of interrogation.

 

723.M36 - The Gloam Wardens are active during the Fifth Black Crusade. They specifically use their fleet to harass raiding squadrons, for hit-and-run assaults, and for swift boarding actions of isolated heretic ships. Perhaps their greatest achievement is the destruction of the corrupted Dictatus-Class battleship Throne of Apostasy, dealing a crippling blow to the Despoiler's forces in the far galactic north. Of particular note is the speed with which the Deathfall teleport aboard the Chaos Battleship, overload its warp engines, and teleport back to the Shroud of Retribution.

 

991.M36 - A sudden, roiling warp storm rips through the Promethean-class Strike Cruiser Galatine and her escorts. There are no survivors. A surge of new aspirants are recruited from the Gloam Warden serfs, who are replaced by the heartiest specimens found at several imperial shipyard worlds. Galatine is replaced by the Mk I Strike Cruiser Durendal.

 

M37

10-23.M37 - The Gloam Wardens muster alongside multitudinous Imperial forces in the wake of a Warp-tainted supernova in the Maxil Beta System. They spend over ten solar years containing the outbreak of death, mutation, and daemonic possession whilst detaining or eliminating several Fallen in the midst of the tragedy.

 

811.M37 - Like most Space Marine chapters, the Gloam Wardens spend a majority of the 7th Black Crusade pursuing Archenemy forces. They use the time wisely and establish a network of observers, informants, and intelligence-gatherers throughout much of the galactic north, returning to their ancient doctrine of using knowledge against their enemies.

 

M38

299-309.M38 - Like their parent Chapter, the Gloam Wardens aid the decade-long Altid Crusade and successfully bring four new prisoners to the Dark Angels for interrogation within The Rock.

 

537.M38 - During the 9th Black Crusade, the Gloam Wardens act as a rapid response planetary defense for worlds assaulted by the hordes of chaos space marines.

 

M39

001.M39 - The Gloam Wardens Swordfall comes to the aid of the planet Galdan IV and are entangled in a war of attrition with the Steel Brethren Warband during the 10th Black Crusade. They are eventually reinforced by the arrival of the Shieldfall.

 

242.M39 - The Saberfall responds to reports of Xenos presence in the Alchabidia System. They discover a small T’au advance fleet made planetfall on the second moon of Alchabidia 3. What is expected to be a swift decapitation strike becomes a prolonged engagement of many solar months. Chapter reinforcements arrive when the Bladefall emerges from warp, only to find the T’au fleet has been bolstered with many additional ships. Unable to engage the Xenos forces in battle line formations, the Gloam Warden vessels descend upon the planet to retrieve their brothers and cause massive damage to the fledgling T'au colony.

 

M367.M39 - The Gloam Wardens are summoned to rotate into the Angevine Crusade, joining the third push as ordered by General Drusus. They deploy at full Chapter strength against the horrific Yu’vath and are instrumental in crushing the xenos’ resistance.

 

384-519.M39 - The Gloam Wardens do not stop at the close of the Angevine Crusade, swearing to push the Emperor’s prosecution of the Alien through the Halo Stars to the Galactic Rim. This Twilight Crusade, as it has become known, sees the liberation of hundreds of worlds from occupation and the extermination of several repulsive xenos. When the fleet resupplies at Mortikah VII, a Master-level librarian of the Guardians of the Covenant notes the path of the Twilight Crusade begins to match closely with the recorded route the 57th Chapter of the First Legion took from -REDACTED- to the Caliban system.

 

519.M39 - The Twilight Crusade ends when the Gloam Wardens are recalled to aid several Unforgiven chapters during the Hundred Planet Rebellion. For a solar decade, they wade through the bloody entrails of Alldric the Subvertor's cultists and personally execute many of his lieutenants.

 

M40

123.M40 - A Historitor within the vast data and communication processing grange of the Gloam Wardens fast battleship Shroud of Retribution immediately forwards an intercepted communique to Grand Master Gadreel and Master of Librarians Nahum. Shortly thereafter, companies 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 of the Gloam Wardens and half the Chapter Fleet appear in the Hazeroth Abyss and rapidly move through a newly reinforced Imperial cordon. The commanders of Battlefleet Calixis order the fleet to remain in Imperial space, but are promptly ignored. The Astartes are projected to be traveling to the destroyed watch-station Sentry-17.

 

123-142.M40 - Chapter records indicate the Gloam Wardens obsessively search for evidence of -REDACTED- in order to -REDACTED-. They are ultimately -REDACTED-.

 

127.M40 - The Bladefall responds to rumors of ebon-clad Astartes attempting to carve out an operational domain in the Finial Sector who are committing bloody atrocities against the populations of several feudal worlds. Their adaptive tactics throw the Archenemy off guard, unprepared for the swift versatility of the descendants of the First Legion.

 

142-144.M40 - The Gloam Warden detachment returns to the Calixis Sector from the Hazeroth Abyss. Several of their vessels are notably damaged. They make a sweep of several Imperial shipyard worlds, tithing additional Chapter Serfs to replenish the fleet's manpower and remain utterly silent regarding the events beyond the cordon. 

 

673.M40 - The Dark Silence, undetected, unloads several companies of Gloam Warden Shadowfall marines to the space hulk Cauldron of Savagery. While aboard, the hulk comes under assault by a hastily cobbled fleet of rogue trader and Battlefleet Calixis vessels. It is driven into the gravitational pull of the star Pellucidan, and the Marines race against time to accomplish their secretive mission. They return to Dark Silence with little time to spare. The night-black cruiser momentarily appears on Imperial Navy scanners, then jumps to Warp.

 

M41

139-160.M41 - As the Gothic Sector was isolated from the rest of the galaxy for nigh a solar decade, the Gloam Wardens’ participation in the 12th Black Crusade was limited to its final months. Ineffective as a long-term battle line fleet, they instead hunted the myriad splinter forces of the Archenemy, striking from nowhere and disappearing just as quickly. Their fleet was also ideal for hunting the various pirates and Aeldari corsairs who caused great turmoil, a job in which they proved most efficient.

 

392.M41 - The Gloam Wardens issue an unusual request to be at the vanguard of the Machurian Crusade, citing a near-spotless record in scores of conflicts against xenos, mutants, and heretics. The inquiry is sent directly to the High Lords of Terra and scrupulously copied to the Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels, but it is summarily denied. Though their request was supported by Supreme Grand Master Naberius, they were denied by the High Lords of Terra, citing their violation of direct orders some thousand years past. When successive rounds of Astartes are called upon to join the crusade and the High Lords reconsider the request, the Gloam Wardens state they are directly involved with engaging heretic forces on the hive world of Juno.

 

439.M41 - When the Macharian Crusade devolves into civil wars, intense political corruption, Astartes infighting, heresy, chaos worship, and worse, a massive force of Space Marine chapters are summoned to pacify the galactic southern stretch of the Segmentum Pacificus. The Gloam Wardens are ordered to suppress several incidental petty warlords. Lord Commander Artheriel deems the assignment insignificant and instead orders the Gloam Wardens toward the far galactic west. They encounter worlds of entrenched cultists, ruinous demons, re-emergent xenos, and Fallen Angels, each of which they extirpate with utmost prejudice.

 

470.M41 - After the High Lords declare the suppressions of the Macharian Heresy successful, the Gloam Wardens are formally censured for shirking their orders. An investigation of the Chapter by each Inquisitorial Order is commanded. Grand Master Naberius exhibits a rare rage toward Lord Commander Artheriel, who is aloof and unconcerned, much to the Dark Angel's chagrin.

 

471.M41 - The investigation into the Gloam Wardens is inconclusive. Darrow Lithol, Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, determines the formal censure is adequate consequence for the Gloam Wardens’ actions, as does Amicia Saeron of the Ordo Malleus. Mileena Truholt of the Ordo Xenos notes admirable performance by the Chapter against alien threats. The three inquisitors return to Terra from the Shroud of Retribution aboard the same transport. While en route, Inquisitor Truholt is forced to kill her companion Inquisitors for -REDACTED-.

 

742-745.M41 - The Gloam Wardens fight valiantly during the Damocles Gulf Crusade, utilizing the legendary tactics of their forefathers as a precision, rapid-strike vanguard. The T'au begin to whisper of “ghosts in grey” that preclude a sept's doom.

 

775-780.M41 - The Gloam Wardens are amongst the dozens of Space Marine chapters recalled to the Segmentum Solar to suppress the Fourth Quadrant Rebellion. They fight alongside the Dark Angels and other Unforgiven chapters. Conspicuously, they are noted to execute a far larger percentage of Fallen Angels than other Unforgiven chapters, bringing far fewer to the dungeons of the Rock for the Interrogator Chaplains.

 

959-961M41 - Azrael of the Dark Angels, less than a decade into his tenure as Supreme Grand Master, specifically requests the Gloam Wardens to send the Dark Silence and Shadowfall to aid their progenitor chapter during the Pandorax Campaign. They are accompanied by the Shroud of Retribution, Caliburn, and several additional escorts to bolster the Dark Angels fleet.

 

995-999.M41 - As the forces of Abbadon swarm ceaselessly from the Eye of Terror at the start of the 13th Black Crusade, the Gloam Wardens assemble at Chapter strength at the behest of Supreme Grand Master Azrael. They acquit themselves valiantly throughout the campaign.

 

997.M41 - A strike group of Gloam Wardens ships including the Radiant Terminus, Gram, Gandiva, and Gae Bulg bolster Imperial defenses during the Third Tyrannic War. Gram is heavily damaged and nearly lost, if not for a merciless broadside of impeccable timing spewed forth by the Radiant Terminus.

 

998.M41 - During the Battle of the Caliban System, the Gloam Wardens arrive with several other Unforgiven fleets behind a massive chaos armada already engaged with the main thrust of the Dark Angels’ starships. The Gloam Wardens do not withhold the capabilities of their ships, and mercilessly -REDACTED-, helping to ensure a victory for the descendants of the First Legion. Their fleet splits into two task forces to counteract the seemingly infinite battlefields against the forces of chaos.

 

999.M41 - The Gloam Wardens, their fleet split between two task forces, are separated indefinitely by the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum. Task Force Crepusculum, consisting of the Shroud of Retribution, Dark Silence, Caliburn, Zulfiqar, Sharur, Kusanagi, and 12 escorts are within the Imperium Nihilus, while the Radiant Terminus, Celestial Immolation, Gram, Jingu-Bang, Gandiva, Gae Bulg, Durendal, and 8 escorts composing Task Force Occasus lie within the Imperium Sanctus.

 

M42

During the existential uncertainty of the 41st Millennium, the Gloam Wardens, split in two, participate in the following campaigns of note:

 

Task Force Crepusculum:

-Helps bolster the Cadian System in the aftermath of the Fall of Cadia, mercilessly pursuing the Despoiler’s lieutenants and slaying many.

-Follows the scryings of the venerable Master Librarian Nahum, which lead the task force to the Shrine World of Darkmor. The Deathfall, Shadowfall, and Swordfall are deployed and suffer heavy losses, including Lord Commander Artheriel.

-A new Lord Commander is chosen by a Ballot of Brothers: Zalmavet, former Shadowmaster of the Second Company.

 

Task Force Occasus:

-Joins Roboute Guilliman’s Indomitus Crusade, leading once again from the forefront of the main force. They are instrumental in countless battles, including the Battle of Raukos.

-The Gloam Wardens assist Guilliman during the Plague Wars, increasing the chapter’s reputation in the eyes of the primarch despite heavy losses.

-Depleted and devoid of their usual recruiting shipyard worlds, Blademaster Trakaziel of the 4th Company, acting Commander, accepts four Companies of Primaris marines to reinforce the Gloam Wardens. He immediately sets them to work with the chapter serf crew, ensuring they understand the workings of the ships upon which they will serve like all Aspirants of the chapter.

 

The Primarch’s Summit and the Primaris Unforgiven:

-Task Force Crepusculum attends the emergency council of the Supreme Grand Masters. This is the first task of newly elected Lord Commander Zalmavet.

-The council is interrupted by the arrival of the Indomitus Crusade, reuniting the forces of the Gloam Wardens and swelling their ranks with Primaris Space Marines.

 

The Dark Imperium:

-The Gloam Wardens, now reunited, wander the stars addressing wails of astropathic distress, communiques of dire import, and evidence of nefarious xenos activity. They continue to mercilessly hunt down any indication of the Fallen, though they are equally inclined to seek evidence of the -REDACTED-. If and when they are called to fleets of greater numbers, they continue to serve as the Emperor’s vanguard, bringing swift annihilation to the enemies of Humanity.

Edited August 12 by Necca34

[Adeptekon]

9 hours ago, Necca34 said:

The Dark Imperium:

-The Gloam Wardens, now reunited, wander the stars addressing wails of astropathic distress, communiques of dire import, and evidence of nefarious xenos activity. They continue to mercilessly hunt down any indication of the Fallen, though they are equally inclined to seek evidence of the -REDACTED-. If and when they are called to fleets of greater numbers, they continue to serve as the Emperor’s vanguard, bringing swift annihilation to the enemies of Humanity.

Getting deep here. My fleet has been sending out distress calls from the dark side of the imperium, they'll take any help at this point 

 

Otherwise well done!

[Necca34]

@AdeptekonOn it!

 

It's a totally unplanned and ridiculously convenient coincidence that half the chapter was with Bobby G and the other half with "not a legion" when they came together, but I can always use Dark Age archeotech...I mean the "edit" button...to make things more interesting if a "split" chapter is more interesting haha. 

[Adeptekon]

1 hour ago, Necca34 said:

@AdeptekonOn it!

 

It's a totally unplanned and ridiculously convenient coincidence that half the chapter was with Bobby G and the other half with "not a legion" when they came together, but I can always use Dark Age archeotech...I mean the "edit" button...to make things more interesting if a "split" chapter is more interesting haha. 

Makes sense to me, schism gives some added drama assuming they will evolve differently 

Edited August 2 by Adeptekon

[Necca34]

I'm nearly finished with the Gloam Wardens fleet info - I'll likely post it later today - but am having a little bit of a creative crossroad/dilemma. Maybe I just need to write it out for my brain's sake, though community thoughts are appreciated as well...

 

I'm trying to sort out a clear "motivation gimmick" to the Gloam Wardens in the 41st Millennium other than their combat doctrine. I definitely have far more actual lore for what happened BEFORE their exodus fleet was discovered by the Dark Angels. I know I want to use the following concepts:

-As they're direct descendents of the Great Crusade-Era First Legion, they consider themselves more "Dark Angel" than the actual Dark Angels.

- Though they often view the Unforgiven's obsession with constantly nagging them about hunting the Fallen, they also feel they have a bit of catching up to do in seeking out their traitor brethren. It's akin to a parent asking a child to do something, the child saying "no" on principal, then doing said task in their own time and in their own way.

-They know and possess information about the Rangdan Xenocides that has been purged from Imperial records for millennia. However, when under investigation by the the main Orders of the Inquisition, the representative of the Ordo Xenos personally executed their companions from the Ordo Hereticus and Ordo Malleus.

-They are equally secretive and unpredictable as other Unforgiven chapters, but are just as likely to leave a battlefield in pursuit of rumors and information about certain xenos (slaugth, non-demonic possessions/zombification, use of rad weaponry, and indication of bone or brain consumption) as they are to seek the Fallen.

 

So, essentially, they are actively seeking to find evidence of the emergence of anything Rangda-like while pursuing the Fallen on their own terms. They are very willing to shirk orders to accomplish these goals.

[Adeptekon]

I think you have a lot of territory to explore for their secret motives, lost primarchs and all. They seem almost renegade except that they made the cut once they were audited. Maybe their secret is for them alone because to reveal it would be too dangerous, maybe they are hunting Rangdans? Maybe (and I just learned of this) they are collaborating with the Order of the Broken Claws?

 

Edited August 11 by Adeptekon

[Necca34]

I have a suspicion the Guardians of the Covenant have inherited a portion of the legacy of the Rangdan Xenocides, specifically the duties of the Order of the Broken Claw. Their Chapter symbol is the icon of the Great Crusade/Horus Heresy Deathwing, so there's a real throwback to the First Legion in plain sight. Moreover, their fortress-monastary lies far from anything remotely resembling civilization, near the border of the Halo Stars, and preserving knowledge is kind of their "thing." The last known members of the Order of the Broken Claw were responsible for guarding remote outposts containing knowledge and tech dating back to the Xenocides, so it kind of checks out. In fact, I wonder if the "covenant" is in fact the eternal guardianship of these ancient, sacred, and forbidden secrets. 

 

I have some subtle hints in the "Notable Campaigns" that the Gloam Wardens have at least crossed paths with the Guardians of the Covenant. Timeline-wise, their ancestors would have lost contact with the rest of the legion before the Order was formed. However, that doesn't mean they haven't shared information with one another. 

 

I think their big secret is that the Rangda were not entirely wiped out. When the 57th Chapter's fleet crashed, they were hunted by Rangda survivors of the second Xenocide. Once their ships were repaired, they didn't stick around long enough to see if they were able to completely obliterate the ship that kept feeding on them.

 

Now, rumors all too familiar are circling back 11,000 years later. The Slaugth are certainly connected to the Xenocides, whether by being the actual Rangdan Cerebrovores, the puppeteers behind the Rangda, or simply the carrion-feeders cleaning the carcasses in the wake of the "big bads."

 

During the Xenocides, wherever the Rangda went, the Slaugth followed.  So are the Rangda still around? Did the Gloam Wardens fail at eliminating them? Is that an extra shame to pile on top of the usual Unforgiven guilt?

 

Ok. I think I found the gimmick!

Edited August 11 by Necca34

[Adeptekon]

I just ran into some interesting commentary on The Ordo Sinister and DAOT and the Emperor's lab experiements. Lot of room to expand this out no doubt!

 

I've been thinking about writing in your Wardens on my next act. Maybe the Xenos Armada that shot down my BT's is who they are looking for :) 

[Machine God]

Nice IA, although I'm not a fan of the small font size. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Necca34]

@Adeptekon, OK there's my wiki binge for my spare time today...

 

@Machine God, I can fix that later when I'm at my desktop. I hate editing meaty posts on my cell phone!

[Adeptekon]

9 hours ago, Machine God said:

Nice IA, although I'm not a fan of the small font size. 

 

 

 

 

 

crtl+scroll helps

[Necca34]

Request Granted: Master/Commander Level Access

Fleet Composition, Gloam Wardens

 

The phantasmic shadows emerge from the Empyrian with haunting stillness, an ethereal host of embral steel suspended in celestial currents. To many, the vessels are ghosts of an age long lost, when Mankind traversed the stars to exercise righteous might against a hostile, unrelenting galaxy. They move forth, shockingly swift, clad in colors of charcoal smoke and twilit skies, bristling with dark metal and ancient brass. Glazed upon each prow with the heat of starfire is a symbol: a silver sword splitting an eclipsed golden sun, its corona unfurled to a pair of soaring wings.

 

The Gloam Wardens' fleet is much like that of their progenitor chapter, the Dark Angels, and by extension the ancient First Legion of the Great Crusade. Composed of 34 warships of various classifications it is a robust choir of starships, though of moderate size for a fleet-borne Astartes Chapter. Several ships are true relics of the Dark Age of Technology, incorporating archeotech long-forgotten or forbidden by the Mechanicus of Mars and tended by the direct gene descendents of the First Legion Forge-Wrights of the Great Crusade. The fleet is organized to function as a whole or divided into smaller task forces, generally utilizing multiples of three ships. The most common configuration involves the Shroud of Retribution, Radiant Terminus, and/or Celestial Immolation serving as task force flagships, with cruisers and escorts equally distributed between the three.

 

Perhaps the most striking feature of the Gloam Warden fleet is the sheer speed with which they traverse the endless vacuum of the void. Many vessels are traced to the once-lost 57th Chapter of the First Legion, wherein crashed ships that survived a horrific, xenos-infested planet arose once more and embarked upon a many-millennia exodus. None of the vessels had living astropaths, navigators, or a functioning Warp Drive. During this time, the sublight engines of this already speed-focused fleet were honed and tuned by the gene-seed progeny of the First Legion Forge-Wrights to achieve near-light speeds without venturing into the Immaterium, modifications that were religiously documented. These modifications have been approximated as closely as possible upon more recent patterns of the fleet’s warships. However, the Gloam Wardens fleet does not excel in prolonged battle-line engagements and functions far more effectively as a rapid strike delivery of the Astartes who call its ships home.

 

Shroud of Retribution

Flagship/Chapter Headquarters

Invincible-Class Fast Battleship

In the eleven millennia since its construction, the Shroud of Retribution has provided far more for its Chapter than the vast majority of fortress monasteries. It has led crusader fleets, stood as a bastion upon -REDACTED-, served as a silent arc at sublight speeds during its Exodus, and led the Gloam Wardens through light, darkness, and the time between them. One of but a handful of fast battleships constructed for the Great Crusade, the Shroud of Retribution was never intended to go head-to-head with the heaviest ships of the line. It was, however, intended to outrun and outmaneuver them, as well as the vast majority of cruisers. With a competent captain in command, she is capable of significantly frustrating enemy battleships and outgunning anything else. Within, the Shroud of Retribution has been transformed over thousands of years, yielding an interior that deviates from standard Imperial and Astartes templates. It has also been adapted to warp jump while docked with the Dark Silence.

 

Locations of Note Within the Shroud of Retribution:

• Chapter Command and Control - The heart of the Shroud of Retribution, and therefore the entire Gloam Wardens fleet, is the command bridge and attached communication nodes, with which the Lord Commander, his lieutenants, and the esquire serfs coordinate the chapter's interstellar missions.
• Apothecarion and Gene Seed Vaults - The Gloam Wardens gene seed is nearly as purely preserved as that of their progenitors, the Dark Angels. Meticulously cared for by the 57th Chapter's, and then the Gloam Wardens’ Apothecaries, the only barely noticeable deviation from the source material is a tendency toward pale, silver-gray eyes. This precious source of the chapter's survival is fiercely protected with an array of security measures including layers of reinforced armor and octuple-verification access.
• Teleportarium Simul Saltantium - Directly beneath the Sanctuarium Veritatis, the Teleportarium consists of a hexagonal chamber lined with electrical and psychic conduits that stem from the astropaths tethered to an ancient mechanical device at its center. The hexagon is indented with obsidian-walled vestibules and teleport homers, from which the Deathfall's Terminators can simultaneously teleport.
• Cuniculus Fortitudinis - Like most Great Crusade-era battleships, the Shroud of Retribution has a grand thoroughfare running nine kilometers beneath its dorsoventral spine.
• The Exodus Chronology - The Cuniculus Fortitudinis is lit by a six kilometer-long mural of luminescent paint, mosaic glow-tiles, and self-shimmering calligraph ink depicting the horrors and triumphs of the 57th Chapter’s 4,000-year exodus from -REDACTED-. The Gloam Warden Librarians and Scribelli are constantly adding to this mural, and have been doing so since the creation of the Chapter.
• Librarium Primus - This primary Librarium houses the majority of the Chapter's collective knowledge and runs through the main thoroughfare of the Shroud of Retribution opposite the Exodus Chronology. Towering shelves of ancient texts, moldering scrolls, screen-cracked data slates, and repository cogitators line an entire kilometer from floor to vaulted ceiling, interspersed with brass-wrought doors that lead to antechambers brimming with forbidden lore, sacred texts, and hallowed collections accessible only by the Inner Circle of the chapter.
• The Sanctuarium Veritatis - The Gloam Wardens uphold the ancient Imperial Truth, worship no God, and reject the deification of the Emperor. As such, their Flagship holds no Reclusium. In its stead is the Sanctuarium Veritatis, a domed chamber at the center of the Exodus Chronology in which a calm silence lingers. Cultured stone pathways and benches traverse calm waters stilled with bespoke gravity generators beneath slowly drifting globes of faded twilit blue. It offers a place of contemplation and calm. One often finds the chapter's Chaplains present to provide services of consultation and enlightenment, lead cants of meditation, and administer the various traditions, ceremonies, and rites that surround the Chapter's culture. It also serves as a starborne assimularum for Chapter-wide convocations of great import.
• The Sacra Reliquia - The intricately crafted armors and masterwork weaponry used by the veterans of the Deathfall are contained within this vaulted, exhibit-like hall of bronze, brass, dark stone, and black-enameled paneling. Each wall is lined with hexagonal recesses of smoothly-hewn obsidian, in which tower night-black suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armor illuminated by suspended globes of amber light. An antique panolpy of archaic wargear lines the central atrium set within and upon matching obsidian plynths. Glowing screens and data slates lauding the provenance, previous wielders, and current stewards of these Relic artifacts connect members of the Deathfall with the responsibility of their heritage. Only members of the Deathfall and Inner Circle of the chapter are permitted within the chamber. The recessed vestibules in which the Tactical Dreadnought suits of armor are held are directly connected to the Teleportarium below via lifts lined with repulsor pads beneath each interlocking tile.
• The Atramentum Arca - Secured by retinal, genetic, coded, and key slate security measures, this heavily shielded chamber, lit with a moulded ribbon of crimson illumination surrounding its ceiling, contains the vast troves of long forbidden weapons and archeotech from the Dark Age of Technology. Bestowed upon the 57th Chapter of the First Legion, these abhorrent instruments of destruction are reverently maintained by the Gloam Wardens. It is exclusively accessible by members of the Doomfall, its esquires, and the scant remaining Watchers in the Dark that have been present with the fleet since the Great Crusade.
• Deathfall Quarters - Simple, single cell accommodations for the Inner Circle battle brothers of the First Company connect directly to the Sacra Reliquia. The dormitory of their esquires is adjacent to these accommodations.
• Doomfall Quarters - Simple, single cell accommodations for the Inner Circle battle brothers of the First Company access the labyrinth of corridors through which the Atramentum Arca is accessed. The dormitory of their esquires is directly above the Doomfall's cells.
• Quarters for One Additional Company - Should an emergency befall the Chapter, the Shroud of Retribution houses an additional suite of Astartes cells attended by dedicated serfs.
• Ancillary Chambers - Accommodations for Shieldfall, Blazefall, Shadowfall, and Torrentfall Company contingents.
• Serf Initiation and Training - As a significant component of the Gloam Wardens Aspirant Trials consists of crewing the vessels of the fleet, the Serf Initiation and Training section of the Shroud of Retribution is noticeably larger than those in most other Astartes fleets. Dormitories, mess halls, gymnasiums, lecture halls, study cells, combat training facilities, and workshops are set within a heavily armored section of the ventral bow of the ship.

 

Radiant Terminus

Space Superiority

Charybdis-Class Grand Cruiser

A relic of the early fleets constructed during the Great Crusade, the Radiant Terminus is stacked with archeotech weapons batteries and plasma cannonades capable of the total decimation of both starfaring and planet-side targets. It maintains the deadliest concentration of firepower within the Gloam Warden fleet. This aggressive punch has a disadvantage, however. As such weapons consume significant amounts of energy, the Radiant Terminus must reroute power from sublight engines, void shielding, or a combination of the two for its most potent engines of destruction to be fully functional. Competent captains will therefore only use these weapons amidst highly coordinated battle maneuvers that ensure enemy vessels will neither directly target or rapidly pursue the Radiant Terminus when she fires a full broadside. Despite this limitation, she is faster than many capital ships and can take significant punishment.

 

Locations of Note Within the Radiant Terminus:

• Advanced Communication Apparatus - A large astropathic amplification globe lies at the center of the Radiant Terminus bridge. Glowing orange power cables vein the ceiling of the bridge, pulsating rhythmically with a low hum, which converge upon a polished, black enameled sphere. Enclosed within the sphere, six astropaths are psychically tethered to one another with strings of neuro fiber, their collective psychic sextet amplified with the archeotech sphere surrounding them. This significantly minimizes lag in communication, allowing near-instantaneous coordination with other vessels in the fleet. 
• Secondary Apothecarion and Gene Seed Vault
• The Torrens Ruinam - The Radiant Terminus has been modified to employ enough dorsal drop pods to house the entire Torrentfall Company, consisting of the chapter's reserve Tactical squads and their armored support. These drop pods can be launched simultaneously or precisely timed to minimize loss. 
• Librarium Secondus - Backup databases of pertinent information and Inner Circle-level lore repositories are contained within a far more traditionally-structured large chamber of shelves and cogitators.
• Torrentfall Quarters - Simple, single cell accommodations for the battle brothers of the Sixth Company. They are located along a secondary thoroughfare traversing just beneath the dorsal spine of the ship.
• Arrowfall Quarters - Arrowfall members are boarded in rooms of two bunk beds and rotate bunk mates each solar month to develop a sense of camaraderie and ironclad loyalty to one another. Their quarters are located aft of the Arrowfall Equipment Repository and to port of the Arrowfall Hangar.
• Torrentfall Relic Armory - Across the secondary thoroughfare from the Torrentfall Quarters, the Torrentfall Relic Armory houses unique and honored arms and armor in use by the Sixth Company.
• Arrowfall Equipment Repository - Directly connected to the Arrowfall Hangar, this warehouse-sized chamber is filled with armor, weapons, communication equipment, surveillance devices, travel rations, and everything else required for the Tenth Company to succeed in its missions.
• Torrentfall Hangar - The largest hangar aboard the Radiant Terminus, the Torrentfall Hangar houses the vehicular assets used by the Sixth Company.
• Arrowfall Hangar - The smaller of the two hangars aboard the Radiant Terminus, the Arrowfall Hangar houses the various transports used to ferry scout squads to their destinations.

 

Celestial Immolation

Void-Borne Support

Jovian-Class Battlecruiser

Specifically refitted for Gloam Wardens use upon approval of their creation by the High Lords of Terra, the Celestial Immolation was heavily modified to serve as the Flagship of the Gloam Wardens as they were initially conceived. However, when the sanctioned Gloam Warden vessels were merged with the void ships of the 57th Chapter of the First Legion, its carrier capacity and vast amounts of easily retrofitted interior space led to a second refit as the fleet-borne chapter's forge, armory, and hangar. Heavily armored and shielded, the Celestial Immolation does not hold the self-contained aggressive power of the Shroud of Retribution or Radiant Terminus and remains the slowest warship of the Gloam Wardens fleet. However, it can outrun battleships and many cruisers, and its robust defenses and squadrons of smaller ships make it a formidable foe when correctly screened by escorts and cruisers.

 

Locations of Note Within the Celestial Immolation:

• Fornax Crepusculi - Vast machine and servitor operated forges bypass the need for direct Mechanicus involvement with Chapter affairs. The Celestial Immolation is capable of manufacturing ordinance, weaponry, ammunition, small vehicles, and repairing or replicating the vast array of components used by the Gloam Wardens ships, Astartes, and serfs.
• Cryptae Honoratae - The Dreadnoughts of the chapter are sheltered in individualized vaults of charcoal-enameled steel, brass trimmings, baroque iconography, and obsidian tile. Beside each reposing construct is a pedestal upon which a beautifully maintained, illuminated tome lies open. Hand-scribed by the chapter's Librarians, these tomes chronicle the honored deeds and distinctions performed by the Dreadnought in life and in death. Ornate shelves behind each Dreadnought are lined with the armor and personal possessions they held in life. Though cramped compared to the Dreadnought dormitories of traditional Fortress-Monasteries, the Cryptae Honoratae is still a place of veneration and reverence. 
• Chapter Hangars - Cavernous bays lined with small void craft, aerial assault vehicles, gunboats, transports, speeders, tanks, and other mechanical weapons of war occupy the forefront of the Celestial Immolation. This is the domain of the Shieldfall, cared for by specialized Forge-Wrights who follow the ancient traditions of Terran craftsmanship. Though a handful of Techmarines exist within the legion, they are relegated to simpler duties than in most chapters and are far less loyal to Mars than the Mechanicus might hope.
• Chapter Armory - While each Company-assigned void ship contains arms and armor enough to furnish its Adeptus Astartes, the vast majority of the chapter's weapons and armor are obsessively maintained aboard the Celestial Immolation. 
• Shieldfall Quarters - Simple, single cell accommodations for the battle brothers of the Eighth Company. They are adjacent to the Chapter Hangars and directly to the starboard of the Cryptae Honoratae.
• Blazefall Quarters - Simple, single cell accommodations for the battle brothers of the Seventh Company. They are adjacent to the Armory.
• Forge-Wright Quarters - The Forge-Wright brothers dwell in simple one-room chambers that overlook the Fornax Crepusculi.
• Techmarine Quarters - Mechanicus-trained Techmarines dwell in chambers one floor below the Forge-Wrights.

 

Dark Silence

Stealth Incarnate

Dark Sovereign-Class Cruiser

The crown jewel of the Gloam Wardens fleet, the Dark Silence is a crippled, yet incredibly deadly piece of archeotech of Old Night. Her Warp Drive is irreparably damaged despite thousands of attempts to fix it and she is only capable of traversing the Immaterium while docked upon the Shroud of Retribution. However, she is blisteringly fast at sublight speeds, heavily protected by many layers of void shields, armed with potent archeotech weaponry, and possesses a fully functioning cloak. It is fitting, then, that the rapid-strike and stealth specialist Shadowfall calls her home. Indeed, this company of sound-deadened jump packs and muffled speeders is known to descend upon their prey from the sky itself, emerging from the air without teleportation or transport. It is only when their silent dives have landed that the immense cruiser's hull ripples the fabric of the materium, revealing its wicked, dagger-like silhouette against the orange crust of sunset. This dramatic reveal often leads to the immediate surrender or utter annihilation of the Gloam Wardens’ foes. The Dark Silence retains its First Legion colors - night black trimmed with subtle gold embellishment.

 

Locations of Note Within the Dark Silence:

• Veil of Old Night - At the heart of the Dark Silence is a chamber enshrined with security systems and protective measures of unparalleled complexity, accessible only by the Commanders of the Chapter. Within lies the Gloam Wardens’ most sacred and precious possession - the Veil of Old Night, a reliquary, cylindrical piece of archeotech capable of rendering the Dark Silence wholly invisible to vision, scan, or psycher. To do so consumes immense physical and psychic power, rendering the ship's void shields and weapon systems inoperable and its astropathic choir silent, so intense and draining is their focus. When the cloak is dropped, these systems return within moments. 
• Armamentarium Tenebrarum - Though the Deathfall and Doomfall have access to the most obvious relic weapons and armor available to the chapter, the Shadowfall maintains a significant plethora of potent equipment. From footfall dampers, weapon silencers, jump pack sound suppressors, and other stealth technologies to Great Crusade-era power swords, plasma weapons, and an array of archeotech armaments, the Shadowfall's panoply of war is set within a spartan vault unravished by time. Consisting of smooth black paneling, a floor tiled with obsidian, and indigo light vents upon the ceiling, the room feels at once part of a long lost past and infinitely more advanced than current Imperial technology. 
• Stabulum Umbrae - The moderately sized hangar aboard the Dark Silence contains the Shadowfall land speeders, bikes, various landing craft, and fighter squadron. Its doors are capable of opening under cloak, permitting the assault companies of the Shadowfall to seemingly leap from nowhere.
• Confessionale Atra - In the darkest bowls of this most secretive vessel, the Gloam Warden Interrogators pursue their grim work within this sparsely furnished room of cold metal and dim light. Much like the Interrogator-Chaplains of the Dark Angels themselves, they seek to make Fallen Angels repent. Yet, they hold close another duty: find those with rumors, evidence, or contact with anything resembling the -REDACTED- and coax out all they know.
• Shadowfall Quarters -Simple, single cell accommodations for the battle brothers of the Second Company.
• Ancillary Chambers - Accomodations for Deathfall and Doomfall Personnel

 

The Promethians

Speed and Precision

Promethian-Class Cruisers

Gifts to the First Legion of Old by the Emperor Himself, the Promethian-Class cruisers of the Gloam Wardens fleet are Dark Age relics of stunning speed and power. Armed with archeotech weaponry of exceptional range, these vessels are capable of clearing paths through enemy fleets and speeding through them to deliver their cargo. Named for legendary swords of ancient Terran myth, each is home to one of three Gloam Warden Battle Companies.

 

Caliburn

Promethean-Class Cruiser

• Swordfall Quarters
• Swordfall Armory
• Swordfall Hangar

Gram

Promethean-Class Cruiser

• Bladefall Quarters
• Bladefall Armory
• Swordfall Hangar

Zulfiqar

Promethean-Class Cruiser

• Saberfall Quarters
• Saberfall Armory
• Saberfall Hangar

Strike Cruisers

Bespoke Versatility

Various Classes of Cruiser

The vessels considered Strike Cruisers within the Gloam Warden fleet are often used as heavy escorts and assigned to task forces led by larger vessels. However, each is capable of accommodating a full company of Adeptus Astartes for enhanced strategic versatility.

 

Gae Bulg

Mangonel-Class Cruiser

• Quarters for One Adeptus Astartes Company
• Orbital Bombardment
• Boarding Actions

Sharur

Vanguard-Class Cruiser

• Quarters for One Adeptus Astartes Company (often the Arrowfall)
• Reconnaissance
• Deep-Space Expeditions

Jingu Bang

Mk. I Strike Cruiser

• Quarters for One Adeptus Astartes Company
• Versatility - can be outfitted for various mission profiles

Gandiva

Mk. I Strike Cruiser

• Quarters for One Adeptus Astartes Company
• Medium range void combat

Durendal

Mk I Strike Cruiser

• Quarters for One Adeptus Astartes Company
• Reinforced ramming
• Close range void combat

Kusanagi

Mk I Strike Cruiser

• Quarters for One Adeptus Astartes Company
• Enhanced maneuverability
• Rapid firing weaponry

 

Escorts

Nimble Protection

Various Classes

 

Cocidius, Montu, Šulinkatte, Ishkur

Tiamat-Class Destroyers

• High Technology Power

Amarynthus, Hou Yi, Nimrod, Oromë, Kanati

Hunter-Class Destroyers

• Accurate Screens

Cant of Solitude, Irrefutable Calculus, Aenigma Chalybis, Veil of Consequence, Shattered Pain, Inconspicuous

Gladius-Class Frigates

• Versatile Workhorses

Graven Spectre, Wraith of Inevitability, Phantasm, Resistant Spirit, Revenant Judgment, Indiscernable 

Pilium-Class Corvettes

• Relentless Harassment

[Adeptekon]

On 8/11/2026 at 9:56 AM, Machine God said:

Nice IA, although I'm not a fan of the small font size. 

 

 

 

 

 

Run through here, choose voice, download or play online: https://www.text-to-speech.online/en/

[Necca34]

Request Granted: Master/Commander Level Access

Chapter Composition and Organization, Gloam Wardens

 

The Gloam Wardens follow the standard Unforgiven organization set forth by their primogenitors, the Dark Angels. However, as the Gloam Wardens are directly linked to the 57th Chapter of the First Legion, aspects of the ancient Hexagrammaton are woven throughout the chapter’s composition. Specifically, the First, Second, and Reserve Companies reflect a specific “Wing” of the Hexagrammaton, and rotate members into Battle Companies 3-5 for a more fluid, less restrictive system of assignments. Additionally, the Vanguard Marines are attached to the Second Company (Shadowfall) instead of the 10th Scout Company (Arrowfall).

 

As the 57th Chapter survived its exodus from -REDACTED- by relying on Chapter Serfs and their progeny for Aspirants, the non-Astartes members of the Gloam Wardens fleet hold an elevated importance. Indeed, the Chapter does not select its aspirants from rigorously tested citizens of recruiting worlds. Instead, it recruits quality crew members as Chapter Serfs and meticulously monitors them over the course of two years. Male crew who have demonstrated sufficient mental, physical, and spiritual fortitude are elevated to the role of Aspirant-Squire, wherein they attend to and accompany fully inducted Astartes into battle. This true trial-by-fire is the final test before selections are made for the creation of new Space Marines.

 

Chapter Composition:

 

Gloam Warden Astartes Ranks:

The Gloam Wardens rank titles closely resemble those of the old First Legion, though they generally correspond to Codex ranks with a few exceptions. 

 

Lord Commander - Equivalent of Chapter Master.

Lord Specialists - Equivalent of Masters.

Warden-Commander - Equivalent of Captain.

Warden-Lieutenant - Equivalent of Lieutenant.

Knight-Warden - Equivalent of Sergeant.

Knight-Brother - Equivalent of Battle Brother.

Vanguard - Same meaning as a Codex-Compliant chapter.

Squire - Equivalent of Neophyte. Assigned to 10th Company.

Aspirant Squire - Aspirants who fulfilled crewing duties. Assigned as the personal aides de camp of Battle Company Brothers as the second part of their trial.

Aspirant - Considered a potential Astartes, but must complete two full years amongst the Mariners before promotion to Aspirant Squire.

 

Gloam Warden Fellmasters:

Fellmasters are sages, mentors, critics, advisors, and, should the moment require it, battlefield commanders with uncompromising purpose. Exemplars of their Falls, they are voted upon by their brothers, honored as the epitomes of their chosen discipline.

 

Deathmaster - Fellmaster of the Deathfall

Shadowmaster - Fellmaster of the Shadowfall

Tempestmaster - Fellmaster of the Tempestfall

Blazemaster - Fellmaster of the Blazefall

Shieldmaster - Fellmaster of the Shieldfall

Doommaster - Fellmaster of the Doomfall

 

Circle of the Last Light (Inner Circle) Members:

Lord Commander

Lord Specialists

Warden-Commanders

Fellmasters

Shadowfall Riders of Silence

Shadowfall Angels of Night

 

Specialists:

The Gloam Wardens terminology for specialist positions often differs from standard Codex-adherent Chapters. Functions and/or equivalencies are noted when applicable. Terminology that is Codex-compliant is not elaborated upon to avoid redundancy.

 

Apothecarion

Lord Medicae - The lead Apothecary of the Chapter

Apothecaries

Serf Medicae

• Curens - Responsible for general well-being and medical care of serfs
• Practitioner - Responsible for assisting Apothecaries with medical duties
• Chymiater - Responsible for aiding Apthecaries with gene-seed monitoring, Astartes creation, and Astartes medical care when necessary

 

Veritatius

As the Gloam Wardens adhere to the ancient Imperial Truth, they do not have a Reclusiam. However, the Veritatius serves a similar purpose, caring for the spiritual and philosophical well-being of the Chapter’s Space Marines. As members of the Unforgiven, their Seekers follow in the footsteps of the Dark Angels in their relentless pursuit of Fallen Angels. However, they seem equally interested in hunting for evidence of -REDACTED-.

Lord Veritas - Equivalent of Master of Sanctity

Sanctuarch - Equivalent of Reclusiarch

Seeker - Equivalent of Interrogator-Chaplain

Chaplain

Judiciar

Serf Veritae

• Sacratium - Aids Sanctuarch and Chaplains with maintaining sacred relics, locations, and assets.
• Monachus - Aids Sanctuarch and Chaplains with ceremonial rites and assemblies
• Sapien - Aids Seekers with their duties, schedules, and record-keeping. Privy to more secrets than most Serfs. 

 

Librarius

Lord Librarius - Equivalent of Chief Librarian

Epistolaries

Codiciers

Lexicaniums

Acolytes

Navigators

Astropaths

Serf Scribes

Scribelli

 

Armory

Many Gloam Wardens artifacts and relics hail from the Great Crusade or, in some cases, Old Night and the Dark Age of Technology. These priceless and irreplaceable pieces of archeotech are jealously cared for by the Chapter Forge-Wrights, successors to the Theologiteks of ancient Terra.

Lord Artisan - Lead Forge-Wright; supervises Forge-Wrights, Techmarines, and Serf Smiths

Forge-Wrights - Learned in remaining ancient technological wonders of Old Night from ancient Terran traditions; trained in reason and wisdom in place of dogma and lore.

Techmarines

Serf Smiths

• Artificer - Lead Serf Smiths who report directly to the Lord Artisan. Can craft and repair the most complex Chapter equipment and machinery not restricted to Forge-Wrights and Techmarines.
• Smith - Capable of crafting and repairing the vast majority of Chapter equipment and machinery.
• Journeyman - Capable of repairing Chapter equipment and machinery but not permitted to craft unsupervised 
• Apprentice - Only permitted to repair equipment and machinery under the direct supervision of a Journeyman.
• Servitors

 

Logisticiam

Lord Chamberlain - Lead administrator of the chapter. Responsible for ensuring all aspects of the Gloam Wardens fleet are running smoothly and at maximum efficiency. Works closely with the Lord Commander and Lord Celestial.

Household Serfs

Chapter Steward - Lead serf of the chapter who reports directly to the Lord Chamberlain. Takes charge as Lord Chamberlain in an emergency situation. Is generally a former Aspirant deemed to have the mental acuity and fortitude to become an Adeptus Astartes, but not the physical resilience or stamina to survive gene seed implantation.

Steward - One Steward is assigned to each Gloam Wardens void ship, wherein they direct the non-fighting chapter serfs aboard the vessel. 

Esquire - Upper level Serf rank that is equally adept in combat or noncombat roles.

Page - Messengers responsible for shipboard communication.

Refactorian - Serfs in charge of Chapter meals, including food preparation, table setting, and coordinating the rotating serfs responsible for serving food.

Serf - The general rank of most Chapter Serfs.

• Villein - The lowest sort of Serf, often assigned duties generally relegated to Servitors in other Space Marine Chapters.
• Servitors - Most logistical servitors are neurally linked to their ship’s cogitators.

 

Fleet Command

Lord Celestial - Overall fleet commander and Commanding Officer of the Shroud of Retribution. Second only to the Lord Commander concerning naval operations. 

Void Ship Astartes

Void Ship Serfs

• Chapter Constable - The foremost Chapter Serf starfarer, often possessing or surpassing the Lord Celestial’s experience with void ship operations and combat. Assumes command of naval operations if the Lord Commander or Lord Celestial are otherwise occupied.
• Constable -  One Constable is assigned to each Gloam Wardens void ship, wherein they direct the fighting chapter serfs aboard the vessel. 
• Esquire - Upper level Serf rank that is equally adept in combat or noncombat roles. Non-astartes bridge officers are generally Esquires.
• Midshipman - Mid-ranking serf responsible for a group of twenty Mariners.
• Mariner - The working serf crewmembers of the Gloam Wardens void ships.
• Watchman - Squad leaders of serf Armsmen responsible for repelling boarders and assisting Astartes with void combat actions.
• Armsman - Well-equipped non-Astartes warriors trained in boarding action combat
• Void Ship Servitors

 

Chapter Organization:

 

Chapter Command:

Zalmavet, Lord Commander of the Gloam Wardens

 

Veritatius:

Chazaquiel, Lord Veritas

2 Sanctuarchs

10 Chaplains

5 Seekers

30 Serf Veritae

 

Librarium

Nahum. Lord Librarius

3 Epistolaries

8 Codiciers

6 Lexicania

6 Acolyta

24 Serf Scribelli

 

Armory

Traburiel, Lord Artisan

10 Forge-Wrights

8 Techmarines

27 Serf Smiths

46 Servitors

 

Apothecarion

Avelear, Lord Medicae

10 Apothecaries

18 Serf Medic

 

Fleet Command

Galathon, Lord Celestial

120 Void Ship Serfs

300 Armsmen 

 

Logisticiam

Pelador, Lord Steward

Chapter Serfs

Servitors

 

1st Company: Deathfall (Deathwing Variant)

Like the majority of Unforgiven chapters, the Gloam Wardens 1st Company, the Deathfall, consists almost entirely of Astartes clad in Tactical Dreadnought Armor. All are battle-hardened Veterans. They are the mighty hammer used to fell foes found and confirmed by the Shadowfall, striking suddenly and mercilessly once the Second Company has sown confusion and eliminated targets with efficient precision.

• Lacriel, Warden-Commander of the Deathfall
• Ambroziel, Deathmaster
• 2 Warden-Lieutenants
• Seeker
• Apothecary
• Company Ancient
• Company Champion
• Deathfall Knights
• Deathfall Command Squad
• 20 Terminator Squads,
• 6 Venerable Dreadnoughts (Ananiel, Jehoel, Kushiel, Matriel, Nuriel, Yurba)
• Land Raiders
• Color Scheme: Deathfall armor is painted twilit blue. Individual suits of armor are inscribed with the names of all who've worn them, in addition to chronicles of all battles in which the armor served. Ancient, relic suits of Terminator armor are found within the chapter's arsenal, including the vaunted Saturnine and Cataphract patterns.

 

2nd Company: Shadowfall (Ravenwing Variant)

The Shadowfall is, in many ways, the most elite Company within the Gloam Wardens Chapter and epitomizes their combat doctrine. Masters of speed, stealth, and efficiency, they soundlessly descend upon their enemies, often from the hangar of the cloaked Dark Silence, appearing as if from the sky itself. Equipped with archeotech speeders, noise-suppressed jump packs, and a plethora of potent weaponry, the Shadowfall's dramatic entrances misdirect enemies, allowing the vanguard Squads to wreck havoc unobstructed. They effectively combine the ancient Ravenwing and Firewing Protocols. They relentlessly pursue evidence of the Fallen and shadowy rumors of existing fragments of the Rangda.

• Vazrien, Warden-Commander of the Shadowfall
• Maliahgel, Shadowmaster
• 2 Warden-Lieutenants
• Seeker
• Apothecary
• Shadowfall Command Squad
• Company Ancient
• Company Champion
• Riders of Silence (Black Knights)
• Angels of Night
• 3 Close Support Squads
• 4 Attack Squadrons
• 2 Support Squadrons
• Embral Advance (Vanguard)
• Land Speeder Patterns, Repulsors
• Color Scheme: Shadowfall armor is painted shadow-black with dark metal trim. Like the Deathfall, each individual suit of armor is inscribed with the names of its wearers and an extensive history of the battles in which it fought.

 

3rd Company: Swordfall (Battle)

The Swordfall is the first company to answer calls of distress, summons from other Chapters, and requests for aid from non-Astartes Imperial forces. They are the most visible Gloam Wardens Company.

• Warthiel, Warden-Commander of the Sword
• 2 Warden-Lieutenants
• Chaplain
• Apothecary
• Command Squad
• Company Ancient
• Company Champion
• Company Veterans
• 6 Battleline Squads
• 2 Close Support Squads
• 2 Fire Support Squads
• 2 Dreadnoughts
• Rhinos
• Razorbacks
• Repulsors
• Color Scheme: The Swordfall livery follows the standard Gloam Warden colors of charcoal armor, gunmetal trim, twilight-colored pauldrons and knee pads, tarnished gold aquila, bright blue ocular lenses, and twilight blue fabric lined with fiery orange.

 

4th Company: Bladefall (Battle)

The Bladefall is the first company to respond to xenos incursions, Heretic attacks, and active exterior threats to Imperial sovereignty.

• Belcelot, Warden-Commander of the Blade
• 2 Warden-Lieutenants
• Chaplain
• Apothecary
• Company Ancient
• Company Champion
• Company Veterans
• 6 Battleline Squads
• 2 Close Support Squads
• 2 Fire Support Squads
• 2 Dreadnoughts
• Rhinos
• Razorbacks
• Repulsors
• Color Scheme: Standard Gloam Wardens livery

 

5th Company: Saberfall (Battle)

The Saberfall is the company called upon to answer threats from within the Imperium itself. They address genestealer cult presence, heretic uprisings, active mutations, 

• Gariel, Warden-Commander of the Saber
• 2 Warden-Lieutenants
• Chaplain
• Apothecary
• Command Squad
• Company Ancient
• Company Champion
• Company Veterans
• 6 Battleline Squads
• 2 Close Support Squads
• 2 Fire Support Squads
• 2 Dreadnoughts
• Rhinos
• Razorbacks
• Repulsors
• Reserve Companies
• Color Scheme: Standard Gloam Wardens livery

 

6th Company: Torrentfall (Tactical Reserve)

Though a Tactical Reserve company in official records, the Torrentfall is in actuality a remnant of the ancient Stormwing Protocol of the Hexagrammaton, its members in constant rotation between the active battle companies.

• Roladdai, Warden-Commander of the Torrent
• Lohenziah, Torrentmaster
• 2 Warden-Lieutenants
• Chaplain
• Apothecary
• Command Squad
• Company Veterans
• Company Ancient
• Company Champion
• 10 Battleline Squads
• 1 Dreadnought
• Rhinos
• Razorbacks
• Repulsors
• Color Scheme: Standard Gloam Wardens livery

 

7th Company: Blazefall (Assault Reserve)

Though an Assault Reserve company in official records, the Blazefall is in actuality a remnant of the ancient Firewing Protocol of the Hexagrammaton, its members in constant rotation between the 2nd Company and active battle companies. Its members train in a wide array of deadly close combat and covert arts.

• Roubieth, Warden-Commander of the Blaze
• Safriel, Blazemaster
• 2 Warden-Lieutenants
• Chaplain
• Apothecary
• Command Squad
• Company Veterans
• Company Ancient
• Company Champion
• 10 Close Support Squads
• 1 Dreadnought
• Rhinos
• Razorbacks
• Repulsors
• Color Scheme: Standard Gloam Wardens livery

 

8th Company: Shieldfall (Mechanical Reserve)

Though a Mechanical Reserve company in official records, the Shieldfall is in actuality a remnant of the ancient Ironwing Protocol of the Hexagrammaton, its members and crews are in constant rotation between the other Chapter Companies.

• Marbared, Warden-Commander of the Shield
• Pendraziel, Shieldmaster
• 2 Warden-Lieutenants
• Chaplain
• Apothecary
• Company Veterans
• Company Ancient
• Company Champion
• 3 Attack Squadrons
• 2 Support Squadrons
• 10 Dreadnoughts
• Rhinos
• Razorbacks
• Repulsors
• Land Raiders
• Jetfighters, Gunboats
• Color Scheme:Standard Gloam Wardens livery

 

9th Company: Doomfall (Devastator Reserve, Dreadwing Equivalent)

Though a Devastator Reserve company in official records, the Doomfall is in actuality a remnant of the ancient Dreadwing Protocol of the Hexagrammaton. Though some members of the Doomfall rotate between the three Battle Companies, the Doomfall is quartered aboard the Shroud of Retribution, often used to supplement the destructive punch of the Deathfall. They have access to a wide array of archeotech weaponry and are trained in the use of terrifying devices of Old Night. 

• Gastiel, Warden-Commander of Doom
• Emriel, Doommaster
• 2 Warden-Lieutenants
• Seeker
• Apothecary
• Command Squad
• Company Veterans
• Company Ancient
• Company Champion
• 10 Fire Support Squads
• 2 Dreadnoughts
• Rhinos
• Razorbacks
• Repulsors
• Color Scheme: Standard Gloam Wardens livery

 

10th Company: Arrowfall (Scouts)

The Arrowfall consists of the initiated Squires of the chapter and are used for long-range reconnaissance missions.

• Castiah, Warden-Commander of Arrows
• 2 Warden-Lieutenants
• Chaplain
• Apothecary
• 10 Squire (Scout) Squads
• Color Scheme: Standard Gloam Wardens livery

Edited 1 hour ago by Necca34
Added HeroForge-created images to approximate Chapter Appearance. Images will be replaced with painted miniatures...eventually.

[Adeptekon]

I like how you're making it your own chapter, and not just going with the standards.

[Necca34]

@Adeptekon, thanks, that's a really awesome thing to say!

 

I always enjoy successor chapters that aren't carbon copies of their primorgenitors and was interested in how a small fleet of 30k-era Astartes would evolve over time. So I'm glad they're not coming across as a carbon copy Unforgiven Chapter. 

 

Gotta figure out the characters, now!

[Necca34]

Well, I bought my first box of Intercessors. I also found a few of the old Dark Vengeance miniatures at a local shop for significantly less coin than expected. The Slow Grow shall begin!

 

Guess I'll need to post a painting blog.

 

In the meantime, I updated some of my previous posts with "artwork." Google Gemini did a halfway decent job with the Chapter Sigil, though I plan to replace the image once I start painting the minis. I've also done my best with HeroForge to create some color scheme tests. I didn't create most of the Space Marine proxies myself - I used the work of Hero Forge users empt999, Caninehat, SagetheBard, and DrSlavender and then tweaked and colored until I was happy enough. They at least give you the aesthetic concepts I have in mind.

 

Next up: Character Dossiers...