I.A. The Warborn........The Unbent, The Unbroken, The Defiant, Second To None!

[Bloodwraith]

UNBENT, UNBROKEN, DEFIANT, SECOND TO NONE

 

 

CHAPTER NAME: The Warborn

 

FOUNDING: 2^nd (But the Brothers of the Warborn will tell you they predate their Primogenator)

 

GENESEED: Ultramarines

 

COLORS: Orange, Black and White

 

SYMBOL: Orange Crossed Axes on an Black Field.

 

 

CHAPTER MOTTO: Address: Unbent, Unbroken.   Reply: Defiant, Second to None!

 

WAR CRY: No Quarter…Wrath and Fury! (Simplified at times to Wrath and Glory!)

 

CHAPTER OATH: Vitam meam Legioni Tertiae Decimae Primigeniae devoveo. Gloria Legionis, gloria mea. (I devote my life to the Original Thirteenth Legion. The Legion’s glory is my glory.) In less formal settings it is shortened to:.Gloria Legioni Antiqua Tertia Decima (Glory to the original 13th legion)

 

FLEET BASED: They use a captured old space station from the great crusade era as their base of operations. The station has been retrofitted with Warp Translation capability with maneuver and thrusters engines, but it primarily remains on the outskirts of the Ghoul Stars. The Station is Named The Call of Tartarus

 

 

        The Call of Tartarus: is a pre-heresy and possibly pre-age of darkness, likely a Ramilies class or divergent sub-class mobile space station. The Tartarus is about 25-30 Km in diameter and approxamately 95 Km in circumfrence. While the Tartarus does maintain a formidable combat array of weaponry capable of matching most small fleets by itself, its original function was as a repair/refit station or resupply hub. Tartarus does have drive and maneuvering thrusters and is warp capable. However, the station is rarely taken out of the Charon system in the northern most area of the known space of the Halo Stars. The Warborn have at times been known to let ships from other chapters dock and repair at the station. Due to the law of tithes within the chapter's writ, they have numerous tithe worlds in the region that they regularly draw supplies, serfs and initiates from. While the Warborn claim no home world, they do have a dozen or more worlds they claim as protectorates and tithe worlds to include an alliance with the minor Forge World of Beacon. Because of these factors, Tartarus is normally well stocked.

 

 

        The station was a simple spoil of war. During the scouring, Tartarus was a last chance outpost in the Halo Stars for the Dark Mechanicus. The Warborn (still a Black Shield Element at the time) laid siege to the station at the cost of many of their own ships but were eventually able to capture the station. After recieving their writ of succession, they spent the better part of the next 300 years cleansing, repurposing and refitting the station to serve as their equivalent of a fortress monastery. In the current era, the Warborn have successfully refitted their fleet and while Tartarus maintains a semi-permanent location, their fleet allows them to move swiftly through the Ghoul stars to maintain their ancient oaths.

 

CODEX COMPLIANT: Non-Codex Compliant (The Warborn abhor the Codex)

 

BELIEFS: The Warborn believe they are the true inheritors of the the 13th legion since their founding members were surviving Terran sons of the the pre Primarch era and culture of the legion. While they revere their primarch as a son of the emperor the original founding sons felt cast off and marginalised by their Genesire. Everything that made the 13th what it was, was cast off and washed away. These brothers formed a resentment against their own primarch and future brothers taken from Maccrage, often leading to minor internal  personality struggles amongst them. The brothers of the remaining Terran born marines also saw themselves passed over for advancement because they did not meet their gene-sires desired trates for the reformed and renamed Ultramarines. This animosity has continued into the 41st Mellenia and has had 10000 years to festor. While they do not hate their brothers, their belief that they are the true inheritors of the 13th and see their "brothers" as pretenders.

 

        Their retort is often along the lines of you are no son of the 13th you are an Ultramarine, you were something new, the 13th was born and died on Terra. You are Guillimans creations, something completely different, not true warriors of the 13th. This has led to a 10000 year long chapter rivalry especially for the Warborn.   The Warborn will never refer to themselves as a chapter or a suuccessor, they will only use the names The Warborn or the sons of the 13th orwe are the 13th. Any refrence to them being a successor will meet with a harsh rebuke and continued slights to their honor on the subject, could lead to harsh and escaliting responses.

 

 

      

 

            The Warborn trace their origins to the Terran Remnants of the 13^th Legion that struggled to incorporate into and inculcate the ideals of the Primarch Robute Guilliman’s Ultramarines.  The Terran Born sons of the 13^th were aggressive and stubborn lot. Their history as the sons of the unbent and unbroken enemies of the Emperor of Mankind, transitioned deeply into the early proto legionnaires of the 13^th. While loyal to the Emperor and the dawning of the Imperium of man, these men were resolved to maintain their connection to their origins.  Over the later years of the Unification wars, the Warborn proved their worth as warriors time and time again, but they were always an axe, never a scalpel, always bringing full destruction as was brought to their ancestors, never accepting capitulation. They saw it as their mandate from the Emperor, if the 13^th was sent in, then none were meant to survive, and all was made to be laid to waste.

 

 

        Upon the finding of their gene-sire, many Terran born marines within the 13^th struggled with the plans the Primarch had for the legion. These marines who partially or wholesale rejected the Maccragian ideals found that their method of war and culture was not compatible with the new Ultramarines, they and their ways would inevitably be replaced. Many of these original and far more aggressive Terran Born Astarte’s were formed into destroyer companies, Moritat and assault squads. Some even went as far as to break away and form Black shield units, still dedicated to the emperor and the Imperium but holding no love for their Primarchs restructuring and moves to replace them and their legions culture.

 

        These various units proved their metal and worth on countless war zones across the great crusade. The 2nd Cohort 2nd Chapter of destroyers known as the Defiant Sons was one such force. The 2nd Chapter refused reinforcements that were not Terran Born transfers from other units. This became one of their defining attributes, that and their defiant Chapter Master. They gained their moniker because aside from their refusal of reinforcements, it became common place for their Chapter Master Priscus Rudai to question all deployments, but not why or where they were deployed, but specifically the limitations placed on them for their rules of engagements. Often preferring true scorched earth and desolation tactics but rarely being fully let off the leash. Rudai would be slain late into the scouring, but the culture he created within the 2nd Cohort  would carry over into the culture of one of the new 2^nd founding chapters.

 

 

        At the end of the Heresy and scouring, Guilliman began his implementation of the Codex. This reorganization didn’t just affect the legions but reached out to all loyal Black Shield elements. One such element was a loyal Black Shield warband of breakoff Terran Born sons of the 13^th. These warriors maintained their original Legions moniker of the Warborn. They fought viciously across the 500 worlds to defend what they could from the betrayal of the Word Bearers and earned the respect of their Gene-sire. With the creation of the 2^nd founding Guilliman offered the remaining sons of the old legion a chance to serve in their own Chapter. Guilliman would merge the remnants of the Black Shields and 2nd Cohort, 2nd Chapter defiant sons. Dominus Versus Thrax (Dominus is their internal rank equivalent to chapter master) of the Black shield was chosen to be the first Dominus/Chapter Master of the 2^nd founding Warborn chapter. Thrax was a very competent dualist and solid tactician. His black shields had successfully harassed Horus’s supply lines and rear guard, taking minimal losses, all throughout Horus’s push to Terra.

 

 

        When he attended the ceremony for receiving of the writs of succession, he showed in normal combat plate, not ceremonial armor as most of the others had. When he was called forward to receive the writ of succession, he bowed but did not kneel as the rest did. He took the writ and carefully examined it. My Lord he said to Guilliman. There has been an oversight. We are the Warborn, the first of the 13th, The law of tithes and right of refusal are not in this writ as they should be, this must clearly be an administrative oversight. Guilliman stared deeply into the eyes of Thrax, the rest of those in the ceremony went eerily silent. Guilliman looked over at his scribe servitor, moments later a new writ was produced and handed to Thrax. Thrax read the new writ, saluted and proclaimed, “For the Emperor!” Primarch, Robute Guilliman congratulated him and his new chapter on their official succession. "Be mindful and stalwart in your oaths, be a bastion against the dark and unknown. You and your brothers will stand guard in the void beyond the Halo Stars, you will be the Imperiums first line of defense against the xenos and unknown that lie beyond. You are my 2nd sons." In true form, the statement, 2nd sons hit him likel a dagger to both hearts, he thoughtfully made his protest,  Thrax did not kneel, though he did bow respectfully…. He politely but emphatically stated: My Lord, we are no second sons of your Ultramarines, we are the sons of Terra, the Warborn and members of the original 13^th reformed, this new writ and the rights you have generously allowed, all but confirms it. We are the unbent and unbroken sons of Terra, we are the defiant sons and we are wrath and fury made manifest, and we are…Second….to NONE! With that Thrax thanked the Primarch for their writ Thrax bowed again making way for the next future chapter to recieve their writ and abruptly departed. Thrax chose not to remain for the rest of the ceremony, leaving to organize, train and equip his chapter.

 

 

     This statement he made at the writ of succession ceremony has become to motto and war cry of the Warborn. Versus Thrax chose the crossed axes of his ancestral Terran war clan, the Cerr Uthers. This Albain clan chose annihilation over submission, only the children were spared and many of these children were now veterans of the unification and crusade, present in this new chapter. Orange and Black were chosen as their colors. During the unification wars, Orange was used as a symbol of defiance to the conquests. It is also the opposite of Blue. Thrax made it clear to his brothers, and ensured it remained embedded in their chapter culture, they were no successor of the Ultramarines and they were not sons of Maccrage (the latter he would then spit acid on the floor after saying the name), they were the true inheritors of the 13^th, the Unbent and Unbroken.

 

       These ideals led to the refusal to adopt the codex. The Warborn would operate in triumvirate formation or the Trident as they also refer to it. Three Battlelines One of the three always on the offensive, one of the three in reserve but always acquiring resources using the tradition tithe systems and one always in refitting and training.  Each Battleline was equipped with every type of force, vehicle, ships and resources, capable of independent action from the other two. The Battlelines were led by Doctores (The equivalent of a company master) who answered only to the Dominus. While the chapter does use traditional legion style unit type markings, this chapter is a true combined arms force concept. There is however heavy proclivity towards melee and martial combat. The chapter still uses the more traditional legion style fighting pits.

 

 

        The Warborn will never accept any statement or inference that they are a successor of the Ultramarines. In fact, this has led to more than one honor duel in the past. But the Warborn do not accept first blood. If you accept an honor dual with a brother of the Warborn, then it is always to the death. Because of this belief that that are the true 13^th and the Ultramarines are simply their Gene sires polished lap dogs, the millennia before the Primarchs return, saw the two chapters come to blows on several occasions. Now they will outright refuse any call from aid from the Ultramarines. Seeing them as unworthy replacements for what the legion was.

 

        The Warborn will not second themselves to anyone in a warzone. They will happily join large scale actions, but they will act of their own accord and come and go as they chose. They will withdraw from any campaign where they are ordered to subjugate themselves to another commander. They have even earned the Inquisitions Eire for refusal to submit to Inquisitional writs. While eventually supporting these Inquisitorial requests, they were done on terms the Warborn chose. The Warborn believe in total war, scorched earth. They have no care for civilians, infrastructure or desires of others. When once asked by the chapter masters of the Nova Marines after the quelling of Orpheus IV in 789 M.35, “Why brother, why did you destroy it all.” Then Dominus Malacose Crix responded: “We are the Warborn, the sons of the original 13th, we took our tithe. These people were traitors, the buildings can be rebuilt, we give no quarter….and WE ARE NOT BROTHERS!”

 

 

        Because of the Warborn’ s nature, many Imperial forces will refuse to fight alongside them. The Warborn do not care, a Warborn Chaplain named Varin, once retorted a rebuke from a Salamanders Captain. “Salamander Captain: It is these actions you and your brothers have performed, why so many in the Imperium shun you and refuse to join you on the field. Varin removed his helmet to look at the Salamander in the eye. He let out a defiant chuckle, is this supposed to be an insult, do you seek to chastise me? We care not what you or any others within the Imperium think or feel. We prefer to fight alone and in the dark….so take your torches, take your men and take your insufferable beliefs….AND LEAVE!”

 

 

      The Warborn have a loose alliance with the Death Spectres, neither chapter ever seeks to dominate or seek command over the other, instead choosing to cooperate efforts while maintaining operational autonomy. The Warborn are a hyper aggressive chapter, organized into combined arms units. Each one of the triumvirates maintaining a force of nearly 800 marines. This allowed each to launch offensives with devastating efficiency. The third of the triumvirates is mostly made of new recruits and initianati.

 

 

        Since the Primarchs return, little has changed for the Warborn aside from the acceptance of the Primaris. Tensions mounted when the torch bearer fleet reached them. Initially the Warborn refused everything. But eventually they accepted the Primaris Technology, the equipment and medicae support for transition. But they refused all the grey shield reinforcements. “Lord custodian, these marines are NOT our brothers, they were not chosen by our Ludis, they have not endure our rights or embrace our culture, they do not come from our chosen tithe worlds, and they have not bled in our pits. They are Ultramarines in all but name and color and we will not have them. If you make us take them Lord, then we will kill them. We will use them as cannon fodder or cast them off into the void after your departure. Take them to be used by any of the other chapters that align with those inferior sons of our Gene sire. Or leave them and know I will simply do what I tell you here and now, we will do, the writ our Gene-sire gave us nearly 10 Millenia ago stands. We will not kneel, even symbolically to any but the Master of Mankind Himself.” The Lord Custodian agreed not to waste the resource knowing what would happen had he left the marines behind and these grey shields were re-allocated to other chapters in need within the region.

 

        With the return of their Gene-sire and his ascension to Imperial Regent and Lord Commander of the Imperium and the reception of the Primaris technology, the Warborn decide it was time to send an emmesarie. They sent a single Chaplain, High Reclusiarch Corbin Dax. The reclusiarch bore a simple parchment scroll. When he arrived at Guilliman's fleet he requested an audience on behalf of his Dominus. After seven days the Reclusiarch was granted his audience with the Lord Regent. High reclusiarch Dax entered the war room where the Primarch was busy planning his numerous campaigns, pouring over logistical date, deployments, fleet strengths, logistical shipment schedules, and casualty reports. The reclusiarch walked to within 13 paces of the Primarch and saluted using the old legion salute of the 13^th and then bowed. "I am high reclusiarch Corbin Dax or the Warborn chapter and inheritors of the 13^th legion, I have come at the behest of our Dominus Verran Achillean. We pledge our blades to the master of the 13^th and ask that you reaffirm our writs for law of tithes and rights of refusal.

 

        Our chapter has stayed true to our oaths made nearly 10 millennia ago, we have maintained custodianship of the 13ths history and stood guard in the darkest regions of the Imperium against the unseen, unknown threats we were created to destroy. We ask you to reaffirm your pledge and writ as we reaffirm our oaths to you."  Dax handed the primarch an ornate wooden vessel with the original writ of succession inside. Guilliman inspected the document and was impressed by the care that was given to ensure it maintained its near original condition. Guilliman moved towards his desk, sat and began to write. Within a few minutes he stood, stamped the document with his seal and presented it and the original back to the reclusiarch. "I grant you this reaffirmation of your writ of succession, law of tithes and right of refusal. Your chapter has served beyond reproach and has brought honor and glory to the 13^th and the Imperium. I am honored to have such warriors as you. You shall continue to be the imperium's hammer and iron gauntlet, your is not the way of the diplomat or the reconstructionist, yours is the path of the bringers of final judgement the path of the executioner, continue to serve the Imperium, the 13^th and me as you have for the last 10 millennia." Reclusiarch Dax received the wooden vessel, saluted in the traditional way of the original 13th, bowed and left the room. Since that day, no other sons of the Warborn have laid eyes on their gene-sire.

 

 

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER IMPERIAL FACTIONS:

 

INQUISITION : STRAINED - The Right of Refusal: The right of refusal within their writ of succession allows the Warborn to refuse any call for aide, assistance or outside operational control. If the reques tries to force the chapter to subjugate themselves to any individual or organization the is not the High lords of Terra, The Custodes acting under Imperial Order or the Lord Regent Himself, the Warborn have the right to refuse subjigation. This writ pre-dates the creation of the Inquisition and has on a couple of occasions led to intense standoffs with Inquisitors and their forces.

 

        The Warborn take the stance that their writ and orders from the Primarch included a duty to stand watch a defend a specific sector of the Imperium. These orders and their writ were issued before the existence of the Inquisition and the Inquisition while having Imperial authority was given that authority by the High lords. Thus, their mandate does not supersede the mandate of the Warborn.

 

        While almost every interaction with the Inquisition has led to the Warborn cooperating in some negotiated form, it has never been at the level requested and never giving full operational control of the Warborn brothers that were attached. Their defense of their writ against Inquisitorial requests has never led to direct conflict but relations between the two elements are not great either. The Warborn currently have four brothers serving in the Deathwatch. This strained relationship may have been further exasperated when the Primarch returned, Robute Guilliman Lord Regent and master of the XIIIth reaffirmed the Warborn's writ.

 

ULTRAMARINES : STRAINED - as mentioned previously, the Warborn see themselves, not the Ultramarines, as the true inheritors of the 13^th Legion because their original members were exclusively Terran Born survivors of the 2^nd Chapter 2^nd Cohort Destroyers and of the Terran born Black shields of the Warborn Black shield warband. This and taking the original moniker of the legion and maintaining the original traditions has led to many altercations between the brothers of these two chapters over the millennia. The Warborn consider themselves a legion and not a chapter and their rejection of the Codex in favor of the more traditional legion organizations and tactics is another clear indication. While they do revere their Primarch there is also a very present and very open resentment towards him as well.

 

MECHANICUM : GOOD – The Warborn have an established pact with the minor forgeworld of Beacon. Beacon keeps the Warborn relatively well refitted and restocked in exchange for the Warborns pleadge to act/respond to any call for assistance that Beacon may make. This pact was fulfilled on several occasions but none clearer than the Moirae schism when the Fabricator General of Beacon called for aid. The Warborn began a campaign and over the next solar year, purged every rebellious Moirae cultist from Beacon.

 

OTHER SPACE MARINE CHAPTERS : STRAINED - The Warborn have very few true allies amongst the other Space Marine Chapters. Partially because of their insular nature and their near operational exclusivity to the Ghoul Stars. They do, apparently, have a strong bond with the Death Specters chapter. But their refusal to yield command to any other chapter, or to take operational orders from others, makes them an exceptionally difficult allie to work with. They have their own operational objectives and act on them without coordination or consideration and will often depart a conflict when they believe their objective has been achieved.

 

 

HISTORICAL REFERENCE: In Horus Heresy Book V - Tempest 

 

[it is described that the first batch of recruits of the XIIIth shows a marked increase in cohesion, forming of hierarchies and goal-orientation after gene-seed implantation compared to other Legions]

"In terms of recruitment, evidence is apparent for a net being cast across Terra for initiates for the XIIIth, with intake from areas as diverse as the sub-equatorial maglev clans of Panpocro, the war families of the Saragon Enclave, the proud Midafrik Hive Oligarchy and, most latterly, the anthropophagic [meaning cannibalistic] tribes of the Caucasus Wastes. As varied in culture and origin as these groups were, they all had one factor in common; their violent and often bitter resistance to the latter stages of Unification, a resistance broken ultimately in each case not by negotiated surrender but near annihilation, with in some situation little remaining save interned refugees and orphaned populations left by the savage conflicts which had brought these peoples to heel.

It was this that led to the first informal cognomen by which the XIIIth Legion was known by the forces alongside which they served - 'the War-born'. It may then be theorised that the particular psychological effects of the XIIIth Legion's gene-seed may have been used deliberately as a final weapon of the Unification to bleed away potential rebellion on Terra, and also to further absorb the strength of the savage tribes of Old Night into the fledging Imperium.

Further evidence for this can be perhaps inferred by the fact that no evidence remains of the XIIIth Legion seing active deployment on Terra itself during the Unification Wars' bitter dregs - as both the VIIth and VIIIth Legions' early incantations were, for example - with their first full battle honours recorded as being for the Pacification of Luna, and the brutal Sedna Campaign at the edge of the Sol system. "

 

TIMELINE:

 

Pre-Crusade Foundation

 

• c. 550.M30 — The Primordial Strain: The Emperor begins creating prototype Space Marines beneath the Himalayan Mountains.

 

• C. 700.M30 — Beginning of Unification Wars: Creation of the Thunder Warriors, unification of Terran and the beginning of the Astartes Project yielding the Proto Astartes Legion. Birth of the Original 13^th Legion during this decade.

 

• 712.M30 — End of Unification Wars: Terra is fully conquered, ending the reign of tech-barbarians. (Proto Astartes Legions used alongside the Thunder Warriors and the Custodes) Betrayal of the Thunder Warriors. Proto Astartes Legions used to help cull the Thunder Warrior Legion remnants.

 

• 739.M30 — Treaty of Olympus Mons: The Emperor forms an alliance with the Mechanicum of Mars, securing heavy industry and technology in exchange for Martian autonomy.

 

• 792.M30 — The Primarch Project & Scattering: Twenty superhuman Primarch infants are engineered, then scattered across the galaxy by Chaos warp-storms.

 

Launch and Early Expansion

 

• 798.M30 — The Great Crusade Begins: With Terra and the Sol System secured, expeditionary fleets push out into the stars to reclaim lost human worlds. The 13^th Legion Warborn, begins earning honors across the galaxy in service to the Emperor and the great crusade. The creation of the warrior culture that would be later instilled into the 2^nd founding rebirth of the Warborn.

 

• 801.M30 — Rediscovery of Horus: Horus Lupercal is found on Chogoris/Cthonia, becoming the first reunited Primarch and eventual commander of the Luna Wolves.

 

• 832.M30 to 927.M30 — The Primarchs Return: Over nearly a century, the Emperor systematically discovers and recovers most of his lost sons (such as Leman Russ, Vulkan, Rogal Dorn, and Roboute Guilliman), assigning each to lead their respective Space Marine Legion. The 13^th Legion undergoes a complete reorganization and cultural shift focusing on different martial principles and Maccragian indoctrination and Culture. Black shields of the “13^th Warborn” Break off from the Legion, remain loyal but refuse these new Maccragian princeps. Remaining Terran Born marines are reconsolidated into destroyer and moritat units.

 

Climax and Twilight of the Crusade

 

• 981.M30 — The Great Triumph at Ullanor: The Imperium celebrates its greatest military milestone by crushing a massive Ork empire. The Emperor names Horus as Warmaster (supreme commander) and returns to Terra to build the Webway project, while Horus takes total military control.

 

• 000.M31 — The Council of Nikaea: The Emperor bans the use of psykers and sorcery within the Legions, alienating Magnus the Red and deepening internal rifts.

 

• 005.M31 — The Isstvan III Betrayal: Horus falls to Chaos and purges loyalist elements of his fleet, officially ending the Great Crusade and igniting the Horus Heresy.

 

The Horus Heresy (ca. 005–014.M31)

 

• The Fall of Warmaster Horus (005.M31): Horus Lupercal is corrupted by Chaos during the Davin campaign, turning against the Emperor.

 

• The Isstvan III Atrocity (003–005.M31): Horus purges loyalist elements within the traitor Legions, marking the official outbreak of open civil war.

 

• The Dropsite Massacre on Isstvan V (006.M31): Four loyalist Space Marine Legions are betrayed and nearly annihilated by Horus's forces.

 

• The Siege of Terra (014.M31): Traitor forces assault the Imperial Palace; Horus is slain by the Emperor, but the Emperor is mortally wounded and entombed upon the Golden Throne.

 

The Aftermath and Middle Ages of the Imperium (M31–M41)

 

• The Great Scouring (ca. 014–M31): Loyalists counter-attack, driving the remaining traitor legions into the Eye of Terror. 13^th Warborn Black Shields earn great renown for their merciless persecution of assaults and harassment of the traitor legions retreat.

 

• The Second Founding & Codex Astartes (021.M31): Roboute Guilliman breaks the massive Space Marine Legions into smaller, self-contained Chapters. The 13^th Warborn Black Shields and the 2^nd Chapter, 2^nd Cohort of Ultramarines destroyers are merged to form the Warborn Chapter. The writs of succession with the law of tithes and rights of refusal included are granted to the Warborn, along with their mission of standing constant vigil on fringe space of Imperial Territory.

 

• The War of the Beast (32.M32): An apocalyptic Ork attack threatens Terra, requiring a massive mobilization of surviving Chapters. The Warborn fought and defended several worlds in the Ghoul Stars region against portions of the Greenskin Waagh. Origin of the alliance pact between the Warborn and the minor Forge World Beacon.

 

• The Nova Terra Interregnum (Mid M34–Late M35): A massive schism splits the Imperium into two rival domains for a thousand years. The Warborn didn’t take either side of the conflict, instead they focused on their own mission and their oaths.

 

• The Age of Apostasy (M36): High Lord Goge Vandire seizes absolute power in a bloody reign of terror, ending with his overthrow and the rise of the Adepta Sororitas (Sisters of Battle). The Warborn sided with the insurrection and purged many of Vandire’s supporters from within the Worlds of the Ghoul Stars.

 

• The Badab War (M41): A major secessionist conflict breaks out among several Space Marine Chapters. (The Warborn played no role in the Badab War)

 

• The First through Thirteenth Black Crusades (781.M31–999.M41): Abaddon the Despoiler leads repeated massive incursions out of the Eye of Terror. The Warborn fought and dealt with every chaos incursions into their area of operations but did not take part in any of the more known larger scale conflicts of the Black Crusades.

 

The Modern 40k Era (Late M41–Present / Era Indomitus)

 

• The Fall of Cadia (999.M41): The fortress world of Cadia shatters during Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade, tearing the galaxy in two via the Cicatrix Maledictum (Great Rift).

 

• The Resurrection of Roboute Guilliman (M41/M42): The Primarch returns to life with alien and divine aid, launching the Terran Crusade.

 

• The Indomitus Crusade (Era Indomitus): Guilliman leads a massive military campaign across the galaxy, introducing the Primaris Space Marines to reinforce the beleaguered Imperium. The Warborn sent an emmesarie to the Lord Regents fleet to meet with him and reaffirm their oaths and rights granted to them by their writ of succession.

 

• The Plague Wars (M42): Mortarion and his Death Guard launch a massive invasion of Ultramar, which Guilliman ultimately pushes back.

 

• Current Era (M42 Current): The Imperium remains fractured and besieged on all sides by Tyranids, Orks, Necrons, and Chaos, with the galaxy permanently split by the Great Rift. Currently the Warborn are actively engaged in several combat operations within the Ghoul stars to include

Edited Tuesday at 09:07 AM by Bloodwraith

[Necca34]

Interested in seeing how they're organized. I like the three-pronged approach to warfare and the concept of their fortress-monastery. I actually don't know very much about the pre-Guilliman XIII Legion so I'm fascinated to see what you come up with. It's a fantastic concept to have a sect of Roboute's gene seed that never accepted his authority or the changes he created.

 

There's lots of room for political censure, and Inquisitorial investigating could be woven into their lore. I'm curious to see if there's a specific xenos they particularly dislike.

 

I love the idea that this most dude-bro of dude-bro chapters is pretty much shunned by everyone else, but they're too proud and bull-headed to realize they're living their lives two steps from Khorne...

[Bloodwraith]

1 hour ago, Necca34 said:

Interested in seeing how they're organized. I like the three-pronged approach to warfare and the concept of their fortress-monastery. I actually don't know very much about the pre-Guilliman XIII Legion so I'm fascinated to see what you come up with. It's a fantastic concept to have a sect of Roboute's gene seed that never accepted his authority or the changes he created.

 

There's lots of room for political censure, and Inquisitorial investigating could be woven into their lore. I'm curious to see if there's a specific xenos they particularly dislike.

 

I love the idea that this most dude-bro of dude-bro chapters is pretty much shunned by everyone else, but they're too proud and bull-headed to realize they're living their lives two steps from Khorne...

The Warborn was the original name of the 13th Legion before they were reunited with Guilliman. They got the name because they were one of the few legions whoes recruits werent specifically from one geographic region. The Warborn were drawn from all over Terra, they were the children of those who opposed the Emperor and refused to bend the knee, chosing death/annhilation over subjugation. Only under hypno indoctrination did the candidates submit. They were also reffered to as the unbent and unbroken because they never bent the knee and were never broken technically.

[Necca34]

@Bloodwraith, yes that's an important part of when they were formed, but I'm not very up to speed on how they actually fought during the Crusade prior to Guilliman. Were there any big, chapter defining events (think the Rangdan Xenocides for the Dark Angels or the execution of one of the lost legions by the Space Wolves)? I know the XIII was very cohesive and generally a "let's work together and follow orders" sort of Legion due to their gene sire, so perhaps there's a slight deviation to the Warborn's gene seed from the standard Ultramarines or they encountered something that made them logically question their primarch's teachings to the point of rational disagreement.

[Bloodwraith]

8 minutes ago, Necca34 said:

@Bloodwraith, yes that's an important part of when they were formed, but I'm not very up to speed on how they actually fought during the Crusade prior to Guilliman. Were there any big, chapter defining events (think the Rangdan Xenocides for the Dark Angels or the execution of one of the lost legions by the Space Wolves)? I know the XIII was very cohesive and generally a "let's work together and follow orders" sort of Legion due to their gene sire, so perhaps there's a slight deviation to the Warborn's gene seed from the standard Ultramarines or they encountered something that made them logically question their primarch's teachings to the point of rational disagreement.

Prior to Guilliman they were like controlled besearkers and brutal more a kin to destroyer squads. It’s why when Guilliman reorganized the legion with Maccragian recruits, the majority of terrans were moved into destroyer and moritat units. So them being defiant and destructive is par for the course. Basically they were the antithesis of what Guilliman wanted his legion to be. They served in several Unifocatiob battles to include the siege of Luna alongside the Luna Wolves. 

Edited August 21 by Bloodwraith

[Necca34]

@Bloodwraith, ok that certainly tracks, then. Good stuff, can't wait to see more! Black and orange is STRIKING, so I'm excited to see anything visual you eventually come up with, something that's taking me far longer than anticipated with my own IA.

[Bloodwraith]

Updated with Artwork

[Necca34]

Looking good! What did you use for the artwork? Trying to figure out what resources are out there after being out of the hobby for a decade...

[Bloodwraith]

10 minutes ago, Necca34 said:

Looking good! What did you use for the artwork? Trying to figure out what resources are out there after being out of the hobby for a decade...

My answer is likely unpopular here, I use Davinci AI to help me generate images and then edit them

Edited August 22 by Bloodwraith

[Adeptekon]

3 hours ago, Bloodwraith said:

My answer is likely unpopular here, I use Davinci AI to help me generate images and then edit them

You're not monetizing them and as long as you didn't just use someone's work to train it on and ensured your prompts were generating what you uniquely envisioned I don't see an issue, but since it clearly resembles a space marine GW may disagree as their policy on AI is incredibly strict. But the cat is out of the bag on that. I'd say better of the image generators know what a Primaris looks like. The irony is so do I, but if I draw one it's fine.

[Necca34]

@Bloodwraith, I started out as so anti-AI. I'm a musician and teacher by trade among a family of artists and writers, so there was initially a huge gut reaction to just despise AI art. But I think it's pretty easy to identify and is capable of providing a visualization of ideas to really help conceptualization. I also agree with @Adeptekon - you're not profiting from any of this, you're not training the AI with someone else's work, and at the end of the day you're promoting the hobby. Chances are, some will see this thread and get inspired to buy up some plastic space minis, so GW is getting some free attention!

[Bloodwraith]

Updated the beliefs section of the chapter.

[Bloodwraith]

Updated the return of the primarch section

[Necca34]

@Bloodwraith, good stuff! I really love how you've woven stories and dialogue into your IA. It's very readable. 

[Necca34]

@Bloodwraith, good stuff! I really love how you've woven stories and dialogue into your IA. It's very readable. 

[Adeptekon]

Guilliman's black sheep. They must be really good at what they do to get away with talk like that. Great chapter, just in time for halloween too.

[Bloodwraith]

5 hours ago, Adeptekon said:

Guilliman's black sheep. They must be really good at what they do to get away with talk like that. Great chapter, just in time for halloween too.

When you are talking about chapters linked to cast offs or Blackshields almost all of the official Known ones, The Ashen claws and Charcaradons for example, carry this exact attitude. Loyal but resentful, dutiful son but disgruntled. These sons love their genesire, but also resent him because "they and their ways were not good enough" all they were good for were being Destroyers and Moritat, so they leaned into it. Also I dont invision them as being "Completely disrespectful" think of them like a father and son arguing over the son going to med school like the father wants and the son saying, nope I am joining the Army. Because they were formed by the last of the original Terran born proto legionaires, they and their 40K inheritors see themselves as the true and original 13th. This creates a nice dived/rivalry with the Ultramarines but not a hatred, they feel like their history has been ignored and replaced and it creates like a resentful relationship between brothers, like two siblings where one feels like the parents show favoritism to them unwarrantedly.

[Bloodwraith]

More updates, added in lore on their Space port, allies and relationships with imperial factions.

Edited September 1 by Bloodwraith

[Bloodwraith]

Added in the 30-40K Major timeline