The Chapter of the Cave Bear

[Erasmus]

The Mass of fur, claws and teeth came down on him again.

He gropped around for the first weapon he could find. He felt a rock. He grabbed it and with all his genetically engineered strength, he swung it round at blistering speed and smashed the bear in the side of the head. The blow was enough to smash the side of the bears head and crush its skull into its brain.

Dargon looked down at the dead Giant Cave Bear, blood still flowing freely down his unarmoured chest and he was assailed by a vision. The vision that was to become the Chapter of the Cave Bear.

 

An Extract from- The Life and times of the First Great Bear.

 

Origins

The origins of the Chapter of the Cave Bear lie during the years of 717 M38 and 721 M38, when the High Lords of Terra decreed the there would be another founding of Space Marine Chapters. Ten were to be founded and the Geneseed of the Ulramarines and Ultramarines successors were chosen to build these new Chapters.

From the Heralds of Ultramar, Captain Dargon was chosen to be the Commander of one of the new Chapters. He took with him 40 marines and chose the Gyer to be their new home world.

While the fortress was being built, Dargon went exploring, to see the cave drawings that had been described to him, on entering one cave he was attacked by a Giant Cave Bear, there was a short fight and Dargon Won. While he was regaining his strength a Shaman from the nearby clan found him and when Dargon explained to him what had happened the Shaman said that it was an omen and that the Marine had to go through a vision quest, it was in this vision quest that it is believed that Dargon was told by the Emperor that his new Chapter should follow the ways of the Clans. He returned to the fortress building site with the corpse of the bear and declared that he had been visited by the Emperor, in bear form, and that he had been tested and he had passed.

From that moment the Chapter of the Cave Bear was born.

 

 

Home world

The History of Gyer is steeped in heresay and guess work.

It is believed that the planet was colonised just prior to the Age of Strife, soon afterwards the planet was pluged into an Ice Age, and the colonists reverted to a Stone Age level of Technology. As with most primitive cultures they tried to explain the world around them by assigning just about everything, a spirit. The highest of which is the Giant Cave Bear. They worship the Cave Bear, make Totems of him and believe that through vision quests he guides them.

During the great crusade, when the Emperor was headed in the Direction of Ultramar to meet Roboute Gulliman, his ships stopped in in the Gyan system and when the people met him, they believed that he was the spirit of the cave bear in human form and began to worship him and the Cave Bear as the same being.

The planet is largely still covered in mile thick Ice sheets i both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The population live on the Steppes along the equator and live a Hunter/Gatherer life.

Gyer is also home to a large variety of animal life forms including- Mammoths, Sabre tooth Lions, Deer and bears of many differing sizes. The Gyans survive by hunting these animals and using every part of their bodies.

 

Organisation

Although the Chapter was founded by a Codex Adhering Chapter, the chapter has changed over the centuries into something that more resembles the social structure of the Gyans Clan based social structure.

Since the Marines began using the Gyans to make more Marines, their belief system has changed to become the same as the Gyans, This has helped to change the chapter from a good all round force to a more close combat force.

 

The Chapter Master is now known as the Chapter Cief, with the honourific title Great Bear. Company Captains are known as Clan Chiefs.

The CHaplains took on the extra role of Apothecary and following their Clan equivilant became knwn as Shaman-Chaplain. The Chapters Librarians became known as Seers after the name given to those in the Clans who had "spirit abilities". There are no Seers left in the clans as these sre all recruited into the Chapter as Seers or are killed.

The Techmarines remain basically the same apart from several preyers and rituals have been added to the ones already performed.

 

All chapter Hierachy wear Tactical Dreadnought armour and are armed with either Storm Bolter and ThunderHammer or a pair of lightning claws.

Each company-clan has one Terminator squad armed with lightning claws and a Dreadnought armed with a variety of weapons.

 

The company-clans have six tactical squads, two of which are made up of Neophytes, Cubs in the Chapter slang, these squads are made up of between eight and fifteen cubs armed with bolt pistols and chainswords with a smattering of power weapons. The other four squads are the Kodiaks, these are cubs that have proved themselves worthy, they are armed with bolters and chainswords and are led by a Grizzly, these are Veterans and are armed with Tactcal Draednought armour and a variaty of weapons.

 

The Chapter is not fond of using Landspeeders or jump packs, because only Birds and Thunderhawk gun ships are supposed to fly. Each company does however have a single squad of cubs riding Bikes.

 

With as many marines as possible armed with close combat weapons the chapter has no devestator squads, instead it relies heavily on Tanks, namely predators.

 

Each Company-clan differs in size depending on the size of the clans it recruits from. Each company keeps very close ties to its home clan and the clans even obey the Companies commanders.

 

Beliefs

The Chapter of the Cave bear has been recruiting from the Clans of the Bear for so long that their belief systems are the same. They both belief that the Emperor takes on the form of the Giant Cave Bear and guides them through vision quests.

 

Battle Cry

The Chapter of the Cave Bear doesn't really have a battle cry as such, they just growl. A favourite saying of the Chapters is:- Honour the Cave Bear, Honour The Emperor.

 

 

 

 

 

I apologise if this is quite long. I havent finished looking at the rules yet but it will follow very closly to the Space Wolves codex. Apart from they can't use Leman Russ' or Long Fang Squads. Also the names of wargear will be different. But I'll make amendments when I come up with them.

[schoon]

One minor item: you might want to pay a little more attention to your formating codes.

 

That out of the way, let's have a look at your fluff...

 

While your leader story is very evocative, you then downplay its implications later on, essentially saying it was a short and easy fight. If this is to be the key encounter that gives your chapter its character, it should be epic, heroic, challenging, and transforming.

 

It might be even better if he encountered the creature while on his vision-quest, which perhaps was undertaken to gain the good faith of the planetary natives.

 

...and while it may be just me, the chapter name is a little too close to "Clan of the Cave Bear." The Bear is a great basis, but if you're not wedded to your current name, you might want to play with the possibilities a bit, perhaps even using Kodiak or Grizzly if those appeal to you.

 

Gyer seems a little too Earth-like, especially with the menangerie of Earth ice age creatures. It can be fun to create entirely new creatutes and ecosystems, and it helps make your planet more exotic and alien.

 

I think it would be unlikely that the chapter would entirely adopt the native beliefs. More likely, the chapter and natives met somewhere in the middle. Remember Space Marines are very heavily indoctrinated, and it takes a long time for their ways to change (or a very big event or both).

 

It seems odd to have all the chapter leadership wearing Terminator armor, in addition to limiting their tactical options.

 

The only other decision that I'm not sure of (in fluff terms) is the one to omit Devestator squads; why?

 

Keep up the good work :rolleyes: