Fabius Bile's ties to the Cursed Founding Chapters

[LSM]

While looking over some old material for the recent Legion of the Damned release, a couple things caught my eye.

 

The sources in question were:

• 2003's Index Astartes Volume III; specifically the article on the Cursed Founding by Graham McNeill
• 2004's Chapter Approved 2004; specifically the article on the Cursed Founding by Graham McNeill, Andy Chambers, and Phil Kelly

 

(Both these books are reprinting material previously seen in preceding issues of White Dwarf magazine.)

 

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To begin with, the Index Astartes pages of lore are presented in a "nesting doll" story-in-a-story-in-a-story fashion.

• The top level is an Inquisitorial report, dated to 999.M41. The writer has intercepted AdMech communication which indicates that an expedition has discovered an archealogical site on the planet of Incunabla, that seems to be where the work was done on the Cursed Founding. The Inquisitor thinks that the Thorians were involved (though does not say in what capacity), and has dispatched Grey Knights to do clean up.
• The second level is some log entries from the AdMech expedition (998.M41). Incunabla is said to be a desolate world, close to Terra. The leader of the expedition is extremely well funded and equipped by the Departmento Munitorum, and has some strange device which allows them past the magnetic fields and optical distortions that are hiding the old facility. 
• The facility itself is down at the bottom of a great elevator shaft, and it is noted that there are signs of small arms fire on the walls, hastily constructed barricades, etc. Hidden at the heart of the facility was a secret laboratory, filled with techno-arcana including six incubation tanks - three empty, three containing what appeared to be huge Space Marines. One of the tubes appears to still be functioning.
• The two corpses are taken for autopsies, while the writer begins the eight hour revivification process on the sixth specimen. The autopsy report shows "evidence of 'hot-housing' the genome" which suggests that the subject is less than one year old. Internal organs are suggested to have been "many times more efficient than even the Space Marines of the present day", and there are a number of other organs which are not normal for Space Marines. Dissection of the brain revealed a "most curious organism" with additional organs and "a hithero unknown configuration of matter" that rapidly turned into a puddle of grey ooze. The examiner concludes that, having performed autopsies on Space Marine before, these subject are superior in every way.
• While waiting for the revivification of the third specimen, the writer notes the ancient fragmentary logs of the Base Commander who was originally working on the project. These form the third level of the story, and tell us that what would become known as the Cursed Founding was internally referred to as 'Project Homo Sapiens Novus' - with the "...goal of recreating the [fragment destroyed] and imbue them with psychically attuned minds to resist the .................. of Chaos." [From other sources, these would date to ~995.M35; six thousand years earlier.]
• The Base Commander pridefully notes the "enhanced warriors" of the Flame Falcons as the latest of their Chapters, leaving for their designated new homeworld of Lethe. Soon after, they discover a stinking organic substance rapidly growing in the gene-banks, which is destroyed with incinerators. Then they get word from the Apothecaries of the Black Dragons (another new Chapter) of irregularities in their first initiates - bony protrusions emerging on their arms and heads; and after that there are almost daily reports of spontaneous mutations in the Chapters that had been created at the facility and sent out into the galaxy. They worry about the ramifications of their experimentations coming to light.
• The Base Commander suggests halting the program, but the Inquisitor who is overseeing things (Crescere) assures them of the Emperor's blessing and threatens their life if they fail to continue. They secretly create a seperate group of six subjects, unknown by Crescere, to monitor. During routine training, two of the secret test subjects go berserk and kill thirty others subjects before collapsing in a pile of mutation. Crescere incinerates the bodies without examination, and demotes the Base Commander. The third of the secret subjects seems to be entirely stable, giving them some hope.
• Months later, the Astropaths in orbit note an unsanctioned psychic signal originating from their facility. Crescere interrogates (to death) the base's Astropath, and discovers her to have not been the source. Soon after, the Imperial forces in orbit are attacked. A planet-wide visual broadcast goes out: "From his build I knew he must be a [fragment destroyed] but his armour was adorned with symbols and runes that made my eyes sting to look upon them. Over his shoulders hunched a grotesque device with obscene mechanical limbs like a spider reaching forward, each one ending in what appeared to be a bizarre weapon or torture device." A drop pod assault on the facility commences.
• They want to destroy the remaining secret subjects (and the research material in general), but the third subject bursts into the command centre and starts killing everyone. As they flee they see the figure on the screen smiling "as though welcoming a long lost son" and they realise that the third subject was the source of the psychic signal. They hide as the invaders hunt down and kill the facility staff. They pray that the secret laboratory is never discovered, and profer the belief that Project Homo Sapiens Novus was doomed from the start (as they prepare to kill themself).
• One last entry from the AdMech exploration team in 998.M41, who decide that they can't wait to share news of the great find, and transmit their current logs. (There's still an hour to go on the sixth subject's revivification, and they apparently didn't understand that this was going to go poorly for them.) 
• An addendum to the Inquisitorial report in 999.M41, noting that the Grey Knights found no one and nothing in the facility. The site is bombarded with cyclonic torpedoes and expunged from records.

//

 

So in this there are two things to note. First: Fabius Bile shows up at the end - the use of drop pods indicate that the base is attacked by Space Marines. (Elsewhere Frater Gamiel suggested that the description could also fit a Haemonculus, but I hadn't mentioned the drop pods. I also think the use of "spider" is suggestive of Bile, though I'm not entirely sure when he gained that nickname).

 

The other big thing though is that this is referred to as 'Project Homo Sapiens Novus'; Project New Men. Bile's New Men are a classic aspect of his lore. (I think introduced as a term in 1999's Codex: CSMs, as it is not used in 1996's Codex: Chaos; that original source just uses 'Enhance Warriors'.) This is especially notable, as without it one could easily surmise that Bile merely showed up to raid the facility after being made aware of it. The project sharing the name indicates (to me) an intended deeper connection. This would also help explain why the test subject contacts Bile, and Bile viewing them as a "long lost son".

 

In 1996, Bile's Enhanced Warriors gained +1 M, S, T, and A.

 

In 1999, the Enhanced Warriors gained +1 S, T, A, and Ld, as well as an ability called 'Genetic Corruption'. Before the game began, the player would roll a d6 for each Enhanced Warrior, and on a 1 would roll a second d6: on a further 1 they went 'Berserk!' (remove d3 models from the squad), on a 2-5 they had a 'Meltdown' (remove the model from the squad), and on a 6 Bile had 'Created a Monster' (add +1 to all the model's stats except Sv; remove as a casualty at the end of battle).

 

The 2002 Codex: CSMs then simplified this. You rolled 1d6 for the squad: on a 1 they suffered from 'Berserk Rage!' (make a Sv roll for each model, and remove fails; survivors gain +1S), on a 2-5 Bile achieves a 'Stable Mutation' (+1 S and I), and on a 6 Bile has 'Created a Monster' (+1S, I, and A; remove them as casualties at the end of battle).

 

//

 

This brings us to the rules for playing a Cursed Founding Chapter from Chapter Approved 2004. There are a number of restrictions to indicate the poor resources of many of these forces (0-1 on most tanks, Terminators, etc), 'Outcasts' (no allied Assassins, Grey Knights, Deathwatch, etc), 'Ill-fated' (removes 'And They Shall Know No Fear'; no Drop Pod Assault). They also gain a custom Psychic Power ('Howl of the Cursed'), a couple new units (Abominations and Cursed Knights), and one of six Chapter Traits to apply:

• Ossific Blades (a melee Hit roll of 6 auto-wounds and ignores armour; Black Dragons)
• Berserkers (+1 Attack, auto-pass Morale and Pinning Tests, must Assault, must Sweeping Advance; orginal Minotaurs)
• Apparitions (enitre army deploys via Deep Strike rules, 6++; Legion of the Damned)
• Aura of Doom (enemy must pass Ld Test to Charge the unit; Lamenters)
• Immolation (always in Cover when shot at/Charged; Flame Falcons)
• Augmented Skelton (+1T; Sons of Antaeus)

 

The Abominations are Space Marines with +1 A, Fearless, 'Death Spasm', and limited options.

 

The Cursed Knights... well: "These individuals are Space Marines who appear to have escaped their chapter's curse. They are strong, tall and proud in form and yet this veneer of perfection hides a curse often more extreme than that affecting their Brethren." 

 

They have +1 A and Ld, and have the rule... 'Genetic Corruption'. 

 

You rolled 1d6 for the squad: on a 1 they suffered from 'Berserk Rage!' (make a Sv roll for each model, and remove fails; survivors gain +1S), on a 2-5 they achieve a 'Stable Mutation' (+1 S and I), and on a 6 someone has 'Created a Monster' (+1S, I, and A; remove them as casualties at the end of battle).

 

The exact same rule as Bile's Enhanced Warriors!

 

Surely that's not a coincidence - the writers even used the same result names: 'Berserk Rage!', 'Stable Mutation', and 'Created a Monster'. The Cursed Knights of the Cursed Founding are Enhanced Warriors, Bile style.

 

//

 

One could also argue the opposite: that the Cursed Founding is not based on Bile's techniques in creating Enhanced Warriors, but that Bile's Enhanced Warriors (in the current setting) are based on the technology used for the Cursed Founding instead. But Bile seems to have started his New Men Project before this Project Homo Sapiens Novus, making me think that the former is more likely.

 

There is also the curious phrasing of them attempting to recreate [fragment destroyed] (with additional psychic powers to resist Chaos). What would they be "recreating"? The Emperor's original work on the Legions? New Primarchs/lines of gene-seed? Something... sinister? Were a radical group of Inquisitors attempting to make use of Bile's work?

 

Edited 10 hours ago by LSM

[MoriyaSchism]

Why would Bile make more of something he considers a failure? Bile is completely indifferent to Space Marines and even views them as beneath his New Men. I always interpreted this story as the Cursed Founding being something the Imperium covered up to the point of not even its own agencies not knowing about it. The thing about the New Men created by Bile is that they are seeded on worlds and that they can reproduce which is something Space Marines are incapable of. If you really want to pin this on Bile a more likely theory is that some of the subjects for this project were probably New Men infiltrated into it as aspirants to sabotage it.

 

A radical group would never be able to muster the resources to found over a dozen Space Marine Chapters or even get the green light to mess with geneseed to fix it, something like that would probably require approval from the High Lords and everyone else involved in founding new Space Marine Chapters. Geneseed, armaments, training personnel and aspirants would have to be provided. I think "Radicals" being responsible for everything in the Imperium that's shady and goes wrong is something that doesn't sit right with me. Yes the Imperium is stagnant and superstitious, but I don't like that there is not a single ounce of struggle to make something to turn the tide or gain a battlefield advantage. Old fluff was filled with that, from small things like Chapter Tech-Marines designing improvised vehicle patterns to large undertakings by major state bodies to create new and improved soldiers for the Imperium (gland warriors, Afriel Strain, Cursed Founding, the original Dark Founding with the Exorcists and so on) regardless of the final result. Today everything is dependent on big players or characters that appear out of nowhere to create wonder-tech that works perfectly (Cawl) and intermediaries that wash Terra's hands clean of any responsibility like Radicals or Renegades.