The Castigators

[Commissar Molotov]

wooh! A Castigatorial Limerick! How dirty! How much do YOU Castigate? Lol...wow.....

 

There once was a red Terminator;

Not Ultramarine, 'twas a Castigator!

His greatest delight

Was a rapid deep-strike.

But it failed - we'll see him later.

 

;)

[ToyShip]

:lol:

[Tyrannicide]

Looking now at the Chapter's 'political' distribution, I'd say there would need to be an even amount of 'Zealots' and 'Moderates' amongst the Captains, while Quintilius could be more of a 'Liberal', as ToyShip suggested. He would definitely have to be the anchor on some affairs, and would need to be more of a neutral factor to keep the Captains and their respective companies in-check. As for the Company Captains, just glancing at Tigris and Malus, I'd say the eighth's Captain would be more of a zealot. Tigris is the 'Assault Captain', and he'd be much more of a young firebrand, as you'd say. (Eager to prove his worth to Quintilius and his fellow comrades.) While Tigris is a zealot, his counterweight, Malus would probably be more experienced in the Astartes art of war, and I picture him as a extreme moderate. For several reasons, but mainly because he'd have to keep his devastator squads under control, and it would be more suiting, if he was more of a lesser extremist. I'm not too sure yet, as far as Ramus and Lucien go, I'll think about them later. Venatus would probably be the oldest Captain in the Chapter, beside Caphius, eh? I think he would, since he's the Scout Company Captain, he needs to be a character that is truly experienced in all aspects of being a Space Marine, but he will also be someone, who all of the Castigators would meet, upon entering the Chapter. You could possibly fashion Venatus as a zealot, since he would be one of the first Space Marines, to inject that fiery determination into the young recruits of the Castigators.

 

Now for the Captain heraldry, I'm not too certain. <_< The only one that sprang to mind, when looking at the charts was Tigris's. It could be something similar in style to, two crossing combat knives. Some may see this as corny, and I'd not want to create something for the Captain, that didn't represent him well. I'll be thinking of more ideas, in the next few days, on the Captain's personal insignia, and not to forget, Quintilius's too.

[ToyShip]

I agree with all of the above Darth Potato. Your understanding of their tempers seems to be in pretty good conjunction with me. As for Ramus, as the Master of Rites, I think he would need to be more of a moderate, but i suppose argument could me made for Zealot too. He is captain of a reserve company, so i would see him as being less fiery than his battle company brothers.

 

Two Cents

[Tyrannicide]

Definitely since he would be more battle wearied and conversant with combat, per se. I think ultimately, the amount of zealots and moderates, should both number somewhere around five. While Quintilius will be the anchor factor, the liberal.

[Commissar Molotov]

It seems the obvious thing to do to make exactly the same number of moderates and zealots. Although you could equally argue the zealots are a small but exceptionally vocal minority. I mean, Caphius is old. He'll never make it to Chapter Master, though he covets the position. Somehow Escalus, who is far younger than Caphius, has been made First-Captain, and it's relatively common knowledge that Quintilius has been eyeing Timon up as a potential successor. Quintilius has to keep in mind the politics of the position, and the potential damage Caphius would wreak if he were Chapter Master. With that said, I don't think you can consider Quintilius a 'Liberal'. I've deliberately avoided using the term 'Liberal' in the Castigators because it conveys entirely the wrong connotations. Quintilius wouldn't be that lax.

 

It also seems somewhat obvious to me to make Tigris a zealot, just because he's the Captain of the assault reserve. It seems this paradigm in 40k that 'Combat' = 'Screaming Zealot'. I'm not sure if making Tigris a zealot is just too obvious.

 

I'm not sure about Venatus being the second-oldest; though I have considered utilising that new Scout Sergeant model for him. I'm not sure. Though he would be in a position to see Losanco regularly, seeing the impact of mutant raids and the like. The question is perhaps whether he associates 'mutants' with other things.

 

Perhaps it's important to clarify the differences between 'zealots' and 'moderates'. All in the Castigators hate mutants. They've been brought up to hate mutants. The nicest, happiest Castigator in the Chapter would still hate mutants. The Zealots will go further - they would hate astropaths, navigators, Librarians in other Chapters - perhaps even Marines from other gene-seeds. Perhaps not to the extent of attacking them, but they'd be completely convinced of their own superiority. Zealots might be inclined towards more radical actions, doing whatever they can to exterminate their enemies. Some might well fall back to traditional weaponry and equipment, such as the trusty flamer.

 

Not entirely sure about the idea that Reserve Company Captains need to be less fiery than Battle-Company Captains. You could even have a Reserve Captain who has stayed a Reserve Captain because his views are unpopular, perhaps. I'm not sure if that would work.

[Ferrus Manus]

Well, personally i think that the type of company they command would dictate what sort of personality they had. I mean i see Tigris as a fiery passionate zealot because he is the Assualt-Captain and his tactics are to get personal with the enemy. But at the same time i see Malus as moderate/conservative as he commands the devastator company which needs a calm and level head IMHO not someone whose strength of their beliefs makes them want to charge at the enemy.

[Commissar Molotov]

Certainly. Yet that just seems a little obvious to me. It would be equally possible to have a level-headed Assault Captain that carefully and dispassionately constructs his battle-plans before carrying them out with ruthless efficiency. It would be equally possible to have a zealous Devastator Captain that relishes crushing the enemy with the sort of high-grade firepower that is the preserve of the Adeptus Astartes.

[Ferrus Manus]

Now for the Captain heraldry, I'm not too certain. The only one that sprang to mind, when looking at the charts was Tigris's. It could be something similar in style to, two crossing combat knives. Some may see this as corny, and I'd not want to create something for the Captain, that didn't represent him well. I'll be thinking of more ideas, in the next few days, on the Captain's personal insignia, and not to forget, Quintilius's too.

 

I can see why you thought of that for Tigris' heraldry, but a thing I have noticed is that the Castigator's are very sword heavy- which isn't nessecarily a bad thing, Purgator, Sword of Sorrow, Blade of Thorns etc, so maybe for the reserve captains they could be armed with other weapons i.e mace, axe... and the sword be considered a badge of 'office' as in the office of Captain of a Battle Company, this would add more importance to the named weapons given to each of the Captains. So then for instant if Tigris was armed with an axe, then maybe his heraldry could be an axe surronded by a halo of light, covered in thorns etc...

[Commissar Molotov]

I can see why you thought of that for Tigris' heraldry, but a thing I have noticed is that the Castigator's are very sword heavy- which isn't nessecarily a bad thing, Purgator, Sword of Sorrow, Blade of Thorns etc, so maybe for the reserve captains they could be armed with other weapons i.e mace, axe... and the sword be considered a badge of 'office' as in the office of Captain of a Battle Company, this would add more importance to the named weapons given to each of the Captains. So then for instant if Tigris was armed with an axe, then maybe his heraldry could be an axe surronded by a halo of light, covered in thorns etc...

 

There's no rule that the Castigators' Captains have to have swords. Caphius doesn't have a sword, he has a Power Fist. I can't remember what Darth Potato has given Sirius. So there's certainly no rules as to what Tigris would have to fight with. Indeed, some Captains might have several weapons options. I've certainly nothing against the various Captains with differing weapons.

[Darrell]

Since making Tigris a zealot is the obvious choice, it may not be the best choice. I could see Tigris being a moderate simply because his tactics must be more refined in order to preserve the lives of his marines. He could be a level-headed, thorough tactician as Mol mentioned earlier. Just because he likes to punch a man's head off doesn't mean he have to froth at the mouth while he's doing it. Conversely, I could see Malus being a zealot since he has a bit more room for aggression in a more supportive environment. His armor or weaponry is covered in kill marks of vehicles from his latest trip to the field and he despises the tainted machine spirits that have been 'mutated' by servitude to traitors or xenos. Perhaps that's a bit too extreme and Techmarine-ish, but it's just a possibility to express a more zealous attitude.

 

I don't like to think of any Castigator as being "Liberal", either. I would imagine that the most Liberal Castigator is akin to a more zealot-inclined Moderate of another Chapter. I think Moderate and Zealot work well enough and says a bit about the Chapter in that there are no Liberals. The difference between a moderate and a zealot is the former can work with other Chapters without letting their prejudices consume them entirely. There are no Castigators that say "Well, maybe those mutants and psykers aren't so bad...", which is part of why the Castigators are so fun to read about.

 

As far as heraldry goes, I'm afraid I can't be of much use there. It's never really been one of the things I've tried to create for a Chapter.

[Commissar Molotov]

Interesting post, Darrell. I think it's definitely some food for thought. I'm somewhat stuck on the Reserve Captains.

 

Also, an interesting point of discussion - is it really the case that Reserve Captains are 'not as good as' Battle-Captains? Arguably, the Reserve Captains do an important job in the Chapter. What qualifies a Captain to do one over the other? We have plenty of examples of Veteran Sergeants becoming Captains, rather than Reserve Captains shifting up to become Battle-Captains...

 

 

 

(In other news, the first draft of Castigorkamunda is done. PM me your email address if you want a copy.)

[Commissar Molotov]

Just some notes of mine that might fuel the discussion of the Castigators' political landscape. I hope to be further re-detailing my organisation in the light of the new Codex: Space Marines (including Veteran Assault Squads, for example).

 

• Chapter Master Quintilius
  Quintilius has led the Castigators for the last hundred years. His grizzled face speaks of his long centuries of service; before he ascended to the venerated office of Master, he had served the Chapter with honour for over three hundred years. In battle, he is a formidable figure, surrounded by the devastatingly skilled warriors of the Chapter's Honour Guard.
   
  But Quintilius is acutely aware that the duties of a Chapter Master do not solely reside upon the battlefield. he does what he must to quell the more zealous voices within the Chapter and to mediate fractious truces with the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and the Navis Nobilite, organisations of psykers and mutants upon whom the Chapter's existence depends. Those organisations that share long-standing relations with the Castigators see Quintilius as a moderate; under his command, the Castigators have enjoyed strengthened relations with the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Inquisition and even other Chapters of the Astartes.
  
• First-Captain Escalus
  Clad in Terminator Armour and wielding the mighty sword Purgator, First-Captain Escalus is an awe-inspiring and imposing figure. His is the responsibility of leading the Hallowed First Company, and he has carefully honed the Veteran Cadre of the Castigators, creating a fearful force of retribution. Escalus has earnt the unwavering loyalty of those under his Command, as well as the respect of his fellow Captains. The Castigators possess only twenty-one suits of Terminator Armour, carefully maintained by the Chapter's artificers. As First-Captain, Escalus is permitted to don the armour of the Terminator to led the Chapter's First Company to Victory.
  ----> Purgator:
  
• Captain Caphius
  Caphius is a member of the Old Guard, the oldest currently-serving Captain in the Chapter. He styles himself after the famed Hero-Captain Lycidius, adhering rigidly to his doctrines. Indeed, some say that Caphius sees himself as Lycidius's spiritual successor. He sees his Company as a furious weapon in the arsenal of the Imperium, and has hand-picked the most faithful and furious Marines from the reserve Companies to supplement his forces. In battle, Caphius leads from the front, knowing that his Sergeants and their Marines are each as devoted to the cause as he is. The Second Company is known to use a high proportion of flamer weapons in order to ensureheretics and recidivists receive no succour. Brash and bombastic, Caphius attempts to ensure he is in Command of any operation to which he is assigned.
  ----> The Hero's Mantle: Caphius wears a blessed cloak once worn by Hero-Captain Lycidius himself.
  
• Captain Sirius
  Captain Sirius's heraldry is that of a blazing star. The sun is of special significance to the Castigators - the people of Losanco Secundus live in darkness and survive by moonlight. To venture to the bright-side and to see the sun is to face death - a transition that all Castigators must make. Sirius displays the blazing power of the sun - it is a fitting analogy for the potent firepower he wields as Master of the Castigators' Arsenal.
   
  Sirius is gruff and imposing, by turns stern and ferocious. On the field of battle, he commands heavy batteries of plasma fire with deft skill - batteries that proved useful in the Third Company's campaigns against the Tyranid swarms.
  
• Captain Timon
  Timon is the current Captain of the Fourth Company, and he carries the honorific title 'Master of the Fleet'. Timon first made his name fighting against the Dark Eldar, before he was appointed Captain of the Fourth.
   
  Whilst others in the Castigators are brash and bombastic, Timon is soft-spoken. However, only a fool would consider him to be weak or mild. It is said that Timon's actions, both on the battlefield and off, have greatly impressed Chapter Master Quintilius. His moderate tendencies have been an asset to his role as Fleet-Master; He is nominally in charge of every vessel owned by the Chapter and all of the serfs crewing them. He diligently oversees every arrangement made to ensure the Chapter can fight effectively. Such arrangements include dealing with the fleet's Navigators, Techmarines and Astropaths.
   
  Timon is a skilled Captain, experienced in the ways of war. Thus far, he is the only Commander of the Castigators to have fought against the loathsome Tau. His presence within the battle-lines has earnt him the respect and loyalty of those under his command. Timon has been allowed to lead exploratory crusades throughout the Ultima Segmentum, and the Fourth have travelled further than any of the other Battle-Companies, participating in many wide-ranging campaigns and gaining great victories for the Castigators.
  ----> The Blade of Thorns:
  ----> The Chastener:
  
• Captain Anteas
  Anteas is a young Captain, the youngest in the entire Chapter. He has worked hard to ensure he has the full loyalty of every Marine under his command. Backed up by a core of experienced Sergeants, the Fifth Company is battle-capable, and already several trophies and tributes adorn the walls of the Fifth Chapel. Anteas is known to confide in his Sergeants and his Lexicanium, often attempting to discern the best route of action. He has clashed on several occasions with Captain Caphius, who considers him to be incapable of the decisive action warranted by a Commander of the Adeptus Astartes. Within the Chapter, Anteas is known as a moderate, and this has not endeared him to the more zealous elements within the Chapter.
  ----> The Sword of Sorrow:
  
• Captain Ramus
   
  
• Captain Lucien
   
  
• Captain Tigris
  Tigris is a strong, well-liked Captain. Only relatively recently inducted as Captain of the Assault Reserve, he greatly values the respect of his peers, and aims to win it through glorious victory. He meticulously plans his asasults in order to ensure the enemy cannot thwart him before launching into the fray at the head of his Battle-Brothers, leading by example.
  
• Captain Malus
   
  
• Captain Venatus
  

[Ferrus Manus]

He has clashed on several occasions with Captain Caphius, who considers him to be incapable of the decisive action warranted by a Commander of the Adeptus Astartes.

 

So what are the results of these clashes? Do the Captains refuse to fight with each other? Or do they simply begrudge one another, akin to the dislike with Uriel and Learchus? The potential 'cracks' between the various parties of the Castigators is something intresting that could be discussed.

[Commissar Molotov]

There's a strong dislike. Ultimately, they'll do whatever they're ordered to do by Quintilius. Doesn't mean that they have to do it with much grace. Caphius and Anteas fought alongside each other on the world of Maethax, where Caphius was stymied by the Word Bearers. Anteas and the Fifth really won the campaign for the Castigators, but Caphius took the glory and accolades. That's part of what my next Castigators fiction will focus on.

 

EDIT: Today I finally fiddled around with .TGA files and got the Castigators into Dawn of War: Dark Crusade. That was pretty fun.

 

 

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z121/mnesimache/Castidow1.jpg

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z121/mnesimache/Castidow3.jpg

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z121/mnesimache/Ultragator.jpg

[ToyShip]

Looking good Mol, always nice too see more. I like how you've added in some battlegear references too. I think Anteas is my favorite so far, as it seems like he has the most to prove. I sort of see him being taken under one of the other captains' wing, to show him the ropes, so to speak. Just an idea though.

[Commissar Molotov]

Nice thought. I was going to say that if anyone did that, it'd be Timon, but the thought of Escalus doing it could be good.

[The Fabricator General]

Perhaps I'm biased but i would lean toward Timon 'tutoring' Anteas. Quintilius obviously understands the importance of accepting the astropaths/techmarines of the chapter and would hope that Timons views would reenforce Anteas's already moderate character.

[Commissar Molotov]

:o

 

He's alive!

 

I'm interested in Timon tutoring Anteas, definitely.

 

(Did you get my PM, Fab?)

[The Fabricator General]

Yes I'm alive. Sorry Mol I didn't get a pm, on that topic shouldn't I have a replie button on my pms?

[Commissar Molotov]

Yes I'm alive. Sorry Mol I didn't get a pm, on that topic shouldn't I have a replie button on my pms?

 

Click the 'quote' button, and you can reply.

 

I'll re-send the PM.

[TyrantKaiser]

The Castigators have a great feel to them, and it is a very well-developed chapter. Tell me, what's your secret, Commissar?

[Commissar Molotov]

The Castigators have a great feel to them, and it is a very well-developed chapter. Tell me, what's your secret, Commissar?

 

Haha, I wouldn't say I necessarily have a 'secret'. It's just a lot of effort and a lot of enthusiasm. :)

[TyrantKaiser]

Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say. :)

[brother varen]

commissar, in your new website are you going to link in the 2 successor chapters ( the Redemptors and the Contemptors)? Have you made IAs on these chapters?

 

Is anyone modeling any of the Castigator battle companies? Any pics?

 

I like the idea of Captain Malus being a zealot. Seeking any target to prove himself to the emperor, the bigger the better. He must purge the battlefield of all things "tainted", and what better way then an overpowering field of fire power. :tu:

 

Captain Lucien, the 7th tactical reserve, i think should be a moderate. My reasoning would be because the 7th reserve can use land speeders. Land speeders must be tactically planned and persise or many lives would be lost. The Castigators can ill afford that, with their slow replacement.

 

Captain Ramus, the 8th tactical reserve, I can see him as being a zealot and a close friend to Captain Caphius. Maybe Captain Caphius took him under his wing to make sure that the old ways never die? What better way to make sure Captain Caphius has the best and furious replacements.