Erasmus of Baal
09-14-2010, 04:53 PM
I've written about 10 different custom Chapter stories before, this is the first one that I actually like in its completed version. The only problem is, it's not finished: I still need some kind of homeworld/excuse-why-they-don't-have-one. Suggestions for that would be helpful, but I'm mostly just looking for any kind of input you want to give, even just "I liked it" or "it sucks" would be nice. Edit: I've inserted a planet-history that will likely be somehwat changed on account of suggestions made concerning the rest of it. Comments and criticisms remain welcome!
The Guardians of Eternity
The Guardians of Eternity claim to be the remains of the second Legion of Space Marines, but because of the unspoken fate of the second Legion, this claim is highly dubious at best. Speculation has suggested many other connections, with the most credible of these being to the sixth (Space Wolves), ninth (Blood Angels), eighteenth (Salamanders), or nineteenth (Raven Guard) legions; however, none of these can be proven by any means. The argument for a connection with the Blood Angels is the strongest, however, as the Chapter was able to assimilate a Blood Angels Successor Chapter into its ranks with little problems.
They do not make public most of their claims about the second Primarch save to refer to him as the “Green Dragon,” but they do claim a single relic to belong to him: a green helmet, heavily stylized to appear as though a dragon’s head. Part of the reason little knowledge is shared about their Primarch is, quite frankly, that little is known about the Primarch even amongst the Guardians of Eternity, and they are uncomfortable about sharing their beliefs on the matter. Their colors were originally pure gold, with colors on the shoulderpads and helmet indicating rank: Captains wore red, Veterans wore white, Sergeants wore blue, regular Marines wore yellow, and Scouts wore black. In spite of this, the Chapter was not as strictly stratified as one might think or even as stratified as other Chapters. The command hierarchy, despite having these indications of rank, was very loose and it was not unheard-of for a Marine recently given his first suit of power armor to go directly to the Chapter Master with personal concerns. (Granted, this was indeed the exception, and when this happened the Chapter Master almost always directed the new Marine to some other authority which could help.)
The most curious of the Guardians’ traditions is the practice of musical forms. While a wide variety of these are explored, the most popular being the flute, none is required, and some Marines enjoy the melodies of their brethren without joining in the playing. According to the traditional stories of the Guardians of Eternity, the Green Dragon played the flute, but again, there is no solid evidence of this, most notably there is no archaic flute which is claimed to have been used by the Primarch. Since the conjoining of the Sons of Blood, however, a form of melodic chant has become incredibly popular.
The Sons of Blood were a Blood Angels Successor Chapter founded alongside the Omega Marines in M40. Theirs was an honorable, if short-lived, history. They journeyed as a whole Chapter in their fleet and defeated many foes all across the galaxy, from fighting entrenched Chaos warriors in the Segmentum Pacificus, to battling Tyranids in the Segmentum Pacificus, to slaughtering Orks in the Ultima Segmentum. It was during this last that the Sons of Blood met with the Guardians of Eternity. The campaign against the Orks was a long, drawn-out conflict that required much aid from the local Imperial Guard regiments, and two companies from the Guardians of Eternity returning to their homeworld from a separate campaign chose to join in. After the Orks were defeated, shortly after the Space Marines had left the planet, the Imperial Guard stations were overrun by an advancing Necron army. The ensuing engagement was hard-fought on both sides, but the Space Marines were victorious. However, the Sons of Blood had always fought at full strength and rarely stopped to recruit, so their numbers were by this point dangerously low—hardly over a full company. Upon their return to the Chapter Planet, Captain Erasmus, leader of that force of Guardians of Eternity, asked the Chapter’s apothecaries if a gene-seed merging could be done, and the head apothecary, although shocked at the proposition, ultimately agreed that it could be done. He presented the idea to the Chapter Master of that time, who was initially horrified at the eccentric thought, but ultimately agreed to the plan so long as it was watched over closely. The union had a number of interesting effects. The Guardians of Eternity gained many of the Blood Angels’ traditions, such as the use of Sanguinary Guard and Sanguinary Priests, and also some of the Blood Angels’ other battlefield advantages, such as Lucifer-pattern engines, Stormraven gunships, and a small dose of the Red Thirst. However, in all other respects, the Chapter is till clearly the Guardians of Eternity; they have maintained their own traditions in full while assimilating those of the Sons of Blood, most notably that of the Order of the Iron Will. The Flaw is as of yet barely manifest at all in the Guardians’ gene-seed or behavior, but it still shows clearly in their ferocity during battle.
The entire Chapter’s armor is currently a shining gold, with red shoulderpads and helmets. Their Sanguinary Guard wear red armor, but their arms, Death Masks, jump packs, and wings are all colored gold. The Guardians of Eternity bear little if ever any Chapter iconography, although their absorption of the Sons of Blood has resulted in a great amount of Blood Angels iconography being added to their armor by way of tribute. Scouts still wear black shoulder-pads, even though the tradition of shoulderpad color indicating rank has been done away with.
In accordance with their claims of heralding from the times of the Great Crusade, the Guardians of Eternity originally did not have a distinct chaplainry; instead, superiors would guide their subordinate brothers spiritually (for example, a Sergeant would serve as spiritual leader for his squad) with results that were strongly positive so long as the Primarch was with them. In M32, well after the last myth of the Primarch ends, the Chapter Master Dulceo determined that there was a need for “Marines of strong spiritual strength and health with a desire to lead their brothers and even their superiors into contentment of soul with our eternal defense of all Mankind.” He instituted the Order of the Iron Will, a rough equivalent to the Chaplainry of other Chapters. They were originally denoted by the mark of a cross on one of their shoulderpads, but in M34 the head of the Order of the Iron Will, Lord Olivius, determined that this was “insufficient sign and symbol for warriors of such nobility of spirit.” Therefore, the Order of the Iron Will began wearing silver armor rather than gold, and all were given cross-shaped conversion field generators which functioned similarly to a Rosarius. Since the absorption of the Sons of Blood, the Order of the Iron Will has continued wearing their silver armor, but has taken up wearing black shoulderpads and helmets in recognition of the Sons of Blood Chapter’s chaplainry. (It should be noted here that Lord Olivius has the dubious honor of being the only Space Marine on record to die of old age; after expiration, however, he was interred in a Dreadnought, which was later altered to be a Furioso Dreadnought, and has taken up the new colors of the Order of the Iron Will with enthuse.)
Also in accordance with claims of being a pre-Codex Chapter, the Guardians of Eternity do not have their veterans in a separate First Company apart from the rest of the troops. Each Company furnishes its own Veterans, which are used in a variety of different ways as the situation or Captain’s preference requires. The Veterans, as traditions dictate them to be little better than any other Marine, they denote themselves only with moderately superior wargear and a symbol on one of their shoulderpads, an ancient symbol indicating an ending (the Greek letter Omega). Similarly, while the Chapter does have a general pool of vehicles for Companies to requisition when campaigns may require them, some vehicles are permanently assigned to a Company. These are mostly transports, notably Rhinos and Drop Pods, but in some cases are Land Raiders and, more recently, even Stormravens. Scouts, however, are still separated out for their training, although the casualty rate is surprisingly low as they are often used in stealthy roles, such as hiding near a far-flung objective, preventing enemy reinforcement, until other forces arrive to assist in taking it.
The Guardians of Eternity have three worlds that they influence politically, much as it is relevant: Eltar, Phaedos, and Inanio Planitia. Their Fortress-Monastery is actually on the Dead World of Inanio Planitia. A city once stood (it was destroyed in a cataclysmic combat long ago) where the Fortress-Monastery now is, and there stands a statue at the center of the Fortress-Monastery bearing a very particular ring and sword. It is said that these have special powers; no such powers are apparent, but the sword is used in the rites of initiation, similarly to the rite of Insanguination by Blood Angels and their Successors, and the ring is used for rites of succession, such as inducting Marines into the Order of the Iron Will, the Apothecarium, or into a Captaincy or Chapter Mastery. The Hive World Eltar and the jungle-covered Death World of Phaedos are used for recruits despite being in wholly different areas of the galaxy; the Guardians of Eternity, therefore, have a permanent base on each planet. Typically, one Company is stationed at each recruiting planet, and two companies plus all non-active-duty Scouts recruits are stationed at the main Fortress-Monastery. Companies in more active duty merely use these three planets as resupply and staging points. The Chapter owns one Battle Barge, typically stationed at the ready at Inanio Planitia, and ten Strike Cruisers, one for each active Company, one stationed at each recruiting planet, and one serving as the Chapter Master’s personal flagship.
The Guardians of Eternity
The Guardians of Eternity claim to be the remains of the second Legion of Space Marines, but because of the unspoken fate of the second Legion, this claim is highly dubious at best. Speculation has suggested many other connections, with the most credible of these being to the sixth (Space Wolves), ninth (Blood Angels), eighteenth (Salamanders), or nineteenth (Raven Guard) legions; however, none of these can be proven by any means. The argument for a connection with the Blood Angels is the strongest, however, as the Chapter was able to assimilate a Blood Angels Successor Chapter into its ranks with little problems.
They do not make public most of their claims about the second Primarch save to refer to him as the “Green Dragon,” but they do claim a single relic to belong to him: a green helmet, heavily stylized to appear as though a dragon’s head. Part of the reason little knowledge is shared about their Primarch is, quite frankly, that little is known about the Primarch even amongst the Guardians of Eternity, and they are uncomfortable about sharing their beliefs on the matter. Their colors were originally pure gold, with colors on the shoulderpads and helmet indicating rank: Captains wore red, Veterans wore white, Sergeants wore blue, regular Marines wore yellow, and Scouts wore black. In spite of this, the Chapter was not as strictly stratified as one might think or even as stratified as other Chapters. The command hierarchy, despite having these indications of rank, was very loose and it was not unheard-of for a Marine recently given his first suit of power armor to go directly to the Chapter Master with personal concerns. (Granted, this was indeed the exception, and when this happened the Chapter Master almost always directed the new Marine to some other authority which could help.)
The most curious of the Guardians’ traditions is the practice of musical forms. While a wide variety of these are explored, the most popular being the flute, none is required, and some Marines enjoy the melodies of their brethren without joining in the playing. According to the traditional stories of the Guardians of Eternity, the Green Dragon played the flute, but again, there is no solid evidence of this, most notably there is no archaic flute which is claimed to have been used by the Primarch. Since the conjoining of the Sons of Blood, however, a form of melodic chant has become incredibly popular.
The Sons of Blood were a Blood Angels Successor Chapter founded alongside the Omega Marines in M40. Theirs was an honorable, if short-lived, history. They journeyed as a whole Chapter in their fleet and defeated many foes all across the galaxy, from fighting entrenched Chaos warriors in the Segmentum Pacificus, to battling Tyranids in the Segmentum Pacificus, to slaughtering Orks in the Ultima Segmentum. It was during this last that the Sons of Blood met with the Guardians of Eternity. The campaign against the Orks was a long, drawn-out conflict that required much aid from the local Imperial Guard regiments, and two companies from the Guardians of Eternity returning to their homeworld from a separate campaign chose to join in. After the Orks were defeated, shortly after the Space Marines had left the planet, the Imperial Guard stations were overrun by an advancing Necron army. The ensuing engagement was hard-fought on both sides, but the Space Marines were victorious. However, the Sons of Blood had always fought at full strength and rarely stopped to recruit, so their numbers were by this point dangerously low—hardly over a full company. Upon their return to the Chapter Planet, Captain Erasmus, leader of that force of Guardians of Eternity, asked the Chapter’s apothecaries if a gene-seed merging could be done, and the head apothecary, although shocked at the proposition, ultimately agreed that it could be done. He presented the idea to the Chapter Master of that time, who was initially horrified at the eccentric thought, but ultimately agreed to the plan so long as it was watched over closely. The union had a number of interesting effects. The Guardians of Eternity gained many of the Blood Angels’ traditions, such as the use of Sanguinary Guard and Sanguinary Priests, and also some of the Blood Angels’ other battlefield advantages, such as Lucifer-pattern engines, Stormraven gunships, and a small dose of the Red Thirst. However, in all other respects, the Chapter is till clearly the Guardians of Eternity; they have maintained their own traditions in full while assimilating those of the Sons of Blood, most notably that of the Order of the Iron Will. The Flaw is as of yet barely manifest at all in the Guardians’ gene-seed or behavior, but it still shows clearly in their ferocity during battle.
The entire Chapter’s armor is currently a shining gold, with red shoulderpads and helmets. Their Sanguinary Guard wear red armor, but their arms, Death Masks, jump packs, and wings are all colored gold. The Guardians of Eternity bear little if ever any Chapter iconography, although their absorption of the Sons of Blood has resulted in a great amount of Blood Angels iconography being added to their armor by way of tribute. Scouts still wear black shoulder-pads, even though the tradition of shoulderpad color indicating rank has been done away with.
In accordance with their claims of heralding from the times of the Great Crusade, the Guardians of Eternity originally did not have a distinct chaplainry; instead, superiors would guide their subordinate brothers spiritually (for example, a Sergeant would serve as spiritual leader for his squad) with results that were strongly positive so long as the Primarch was with them. In M32, well after the last myth of the Primarch ends, the Chapter Master Dulceo determined that there was a need for “Marines of strong spiritual strength and health with a desire to lead their brothers and even their superiors into contentment of soul with our eternal defense of all Mankind.” He instituted the Order of the Iron Will, a rough equivalent to the Chaplainry of other Chapters. They were originally denoted by the mark of a cross on one of their shoulderpads, but in M34 the head of the Order of the Iron Will, Lord Olivius, determined that this was “insufficient sign and symbol for warriors of such nobility of spirit.” Therefore, the Order of the Iron Will began wearing silver armor rather than gold, and all were given cross-shaped conversion field generators which functioned similarly to a Rosarius. Since the absorption of the Sons of Blood, the Order of the Iron Will has continued wearing their silver armor, but has taken up wearing black shoulderpads and helmets in recognition of the Sons of Blood Chapter’s chaplainry. (It should be noted here that Lord Olivius has the dubious honor of being the only Space Marine on record to die of old age; after expiration, however, he was interred in a Dreadnought, which was later altered to be a Furioso Dreadnought, and has taken up the new colors of the Order of the Iron Will with enthuse.)
Also in accordance with claims of being a pre-Codex Chapter, the Guardians of Eternity do not have their veterans in a separate First Company apart from the rest of the troops. Each Company furnishes its own Veterans, which are used in a variety of different ways as the situation or Captain’s preference requires. The Veterans, as traditions dictate them to be little better than any other Marine, they denote themselves only with moderately superior wargear and a symbol on one of their shoulderpads, an ancient symbol indicating an ending (the Greek letter Omega). Similarly, while the Chapter does have a general pool of vehicles for Companies to requisition when campaigns may require them, some vehicles are permanently assigned to a Company. These are mostly transports, notably Rhinos and Drop Pods, but in some cases are Land Raiders and, more recently, even Stormravens. Scouts, however, are still separated out for their training, although the casualty rate is surprisingly low as they are often used in stealthy roles, such as hiding near a far-flung objective, preventing enemy reinforcement, until other forces arrive to assist in taking it.
The Guardians of Eternity have three worlds that they influence politically, much as it is relevant: Eltar, Phaedos, and Inanio Planitia. Their Fortress-Monastery is actually on the Dead World of Inanio Planitia. A city once stood (it was destroyed in a cataclysmic combat long ago) where the Fortress-Monastery now is, and there stands a statue at the center of the Fortress-Monastery bearing a very particular ring and sword. It is said that these have special powers; no such powers are apparent, but the sword is used in the rites of initiation, similarly to the rite of Insanguination by Blood Angels and their Successors, and the ring is used for rites of succession, such as inducting Marines into the Order of the Iron Will, the Apothecarium, or into a Captaincy or Chapter Mastery. The Hive World Eltar and the jungle-covered Death World of Phaedos are used for recruits despite being in wholly different areas of the galaxy; the Guardians of Eternity, therefore, have a permanent base on each planet. Typically, one Company is stationed at each recruiting planet, and two companies plus all non-active-duty Scouts recruits are stationed at the main Fortress-Monastery. Companies in more active duty merely use these three planets as resupply and staging points. The Chapter owns one Battle Barge, typically stationed at the ready at Inanio Planitia, and ten Strike Cruisers, one for each active Company, one stationed at each recruiting planet, and one serving as the Chapter Master’s personal flagship.