Arianod Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 A note of explanation before you read: the Iron Crusaders is, as of the 5th Edition of the game, an "official" chapter, since they are mentioned in the rulebook. However, back in 2000 when I started building my space marine army, I gave them the name "Iron Crusaders"; so these Iron Crusaders are my own DIY chapter. The 5th Ed rulebook only gave the name of the Chapter and identified them as "fleet-based" and "last seen heading towards the Ghoul Stars"; so I set about reworking the original background I had written for my marines -in which they were a largely isolated Chapter holding a small sector of seven star systems just beyond the reach of the Astronomican- to conform to the new official fluff; what you're going to read is the first step in that process. THE IRON CRUSADERS http://fotos.subefotos.com/6f60ae40b7f561040d31392c7a07ba69o.jpg CHAPTER COLOURS AND INSIGNIA The Iron Crusaders' colour is a dark reddish ochre, the colour of iron ore. Chapter insignia is a diagonal cross or saltire, black on white. BATTLE CRY Semper fideles! HISTORY The Iron Crusaders are among the least known Chapters of the Astartes. They appear to be a crusading, spacebound Chapter, forever roaming the fringes of Imperial space and taking on whatever threats against Humanity may present themselves, sometimes acting alone, sometimes joining with other Imperial forces. Those who have had dealings with the Chapter describe them as proud, guarded and extremely secretive, always preferring to keep their own counsel and rarely deferring to other Imperial authorities, as space marines are wont to do. The Chapter's origins are shrouded in mystery: references have been found in official records dating back as far as M31, in the immediate aftermath of the Horus Heresy, which would make them a Second Founding Chapter; but the fact is that the name “Iron Crusaders” isn't mentioned in any extant records of the Second Founding. What follows is the Chapter's known history, or as much of it as can be gathered from different sources. M31: The Great Scouring. The Chronicle of the Liberation of the Fifth Quadrant, penned around by an unknown Raven Guard librarian, contains what is believed to be the earliest account of the mysterious Chapter: an Astartes force first mentioned fighting alongside the Raven Guard at the Battle of the Gates of Tuonela, and then again at Dungloaming and Rindravore. These marines are referred to as "the Crusaders" or "the Iron Brethren" and described as wearing black armour, which is consistent with the Iron Crusaders' livery prior to M33. Interestingly enough, the "Iron Brethren" aren't said to have a diagonal cross as their icon, but rather to have their icon or icons "crossed out". The leader of these marines is named as one "Lord Robur": according to some, this would be none other than Eliphas Robur, Lord of Sanctity, one of the High Chaplains of the Raven Guard; a hero credited with many great exploits during the Horus Heresy and the Great Scouring, but who seems to have mysteriously disappeared from all chronicles and records after the final stages of the Scouring. The Liberation of the Fifth Quadrant ended in 995.M31 with the defeat of Chanzarr the Necromancer, a renegade psyker in league with some minor chaos power who had carved out a pocket empire for himself during the turmoil of the Heresy. After the Gates of Tuonela, Chanzarr and his last remaining forces were routed out of the Rindravore system, and Corax sent "a battlefleet" in pursuit of the renegades. This fleet is generally supposed to have included the "Crusaders", who are never mentioned again in the Raven Guard's records. M31-33: Protectors of Alboranth. The Alboranth subsector is a group of five star systems in the Segmentum Ultima, near the Dominion of Storms: a relatively isolated corner of the Imperium, due to the systems' distance from the galactic plane and the difficulty of Warp travel in those regions of the galaxy. The Iron Crusaders are clearly identified for the first time in 175.M32 as a Space Marine Chapter with a Fortress Monastery on the planet Alboranth (Alba III) and a firm presence in the whole of the subsector. According to the Chapter's own Chronicles, this presence would date back to the late M31 or early M32, when four battered battle barges, the only survivors of a larger battlefleet, arrived in Alboranth after a series of terrible mishaps in the Warp. Landing on Alboranth, they would have proceeded to free the planet and the whole system from the dominion of the Dagorites, a heretical sect headed by a "warlock" of dark and terrible power. There is a theory that this "warlock"could have been Chanzarr the Necromancer, but there's little chance of proving it right or wrong, since the Masters of the Iron Crusaders had his name erased from all the Chapter's records, so as to deny their vanquished enemy the honor of living on in the memories of men. According to the Chapter's chronicles, after the cleansing of Alboranth the Iron Crusaders took some time to reorganize and bring their numbers back to fighting strength; then they embarked on a series of campaigns to scour the surviving dagorite rebels from their lairs in the moons of Eugenvast -the system's largest gas giant- and various asteroids, while at the same time repealing constant incursions of greenskins from the neighbouring Hor system. Around 025.M32 the Chapter's second Grand Master was Regis Delamon, a native of Alboranth, and he mobilized the full strength of the Chapter in a Crusade against the Orks. Delamon led the Iron Crusaders on no less than six consecutive campaigns over the course of fifteen years; after the Delamian Crusade, the Hor and Rened systems were all but free of greenskins. By 175.M32, the Iron Crusaders had extended their presence to Quhart and Ucelay; that's when an Explorator fleet from Formund arrived in Alboranth and the IC regained contact with the Imperium. Initially, reintegration into the Imperium meant few changes for Alboranth and for the Iron Crusaders: apart from appointing governors, establishing tithe levels and generally laying down the basic Imperial structures, the Adeptus Terra largely left the subsector and its inhabitants to their own devices. The IC continued to wield extensive authority and their fleet kept the five systems free from the unwelcome attentions of xenos and renegades. Grand Master Delamon commanded the Chapter for another seventy-five years, and completed his legacy by organizing a system of "Ork hunts", regular pre-emptive campaigns against the three neighbouring Ork-held systems, in order to keep the greenskins disorganized and reduce the risk of Waagh! He also established a permanent watch over the limits of the dreaded Xalul nebula -an immense cloud of cosmic dust lying outside the boundaries of the subsector, which had become a haven for the last remaining Dagorite warbands- before falling in action against Eldar corsairs in 250.M32. M33: The Navarmora Crisis. Over the centuries, however, Imperial planetary authorities throughout the subsector came to resent the power of the Iron Crusaders. Frictions appeared, then worsened, and eventually escalated: between 935.M32 and 998.M32, up to seven pleas of intervention were elevated to the Adeptus Terra, signed jointly by the governors of the nine most important worlds in the subsector, against all kinds of alleged abuses of power from the Masters of the Chapter. Things came to a head with a dispute between the Chapter's Master of the Fleet and the governor of Navarmora (Ucelay) over the rights of taxation on the system's commercial traffic: the Iron Crusader's fleet blockaded Navarmora and threatened to destroy any space vessels which refused to pay tax. This prompted an enquiry by the Adeptus Terra, which in turn called for the intervention of the Inquisition: in 3274998.M32, Lazarus Horvald of the Ordo Hereticus arrived in Navarmora with an Inquisitorial mandate, backed up by a sizeable number of armed vessels, to undertake a full investigation of the Chapter's stewardship of Alboranth. It's hard to ascertain exactly what happened after that, since many records have been lost and others appear to have been heavily censored, most likely by Inquisitor Horvald himself; but it is clear that Horvald's methods clashed with the Crusaders' pride and the situation quickly deteriorated: five months after his arrival, the Inquisitor left Navarmora with considerable haste, and with fewer ships than he had arrived with; one year later, he was back with a fleet three times bigger, plus a few battle barges from the Imperial Fists and Dark Angels Chapters, demanding that the Iron Crusaders relinquish all their rights over Alboranth and leave the sector. Again, it is unclear whether hostilities actually broke out between Horvald's forces and those of the Iron Crusaders; but the Chapter eventually backed down. A treaty was signed; The fortress-monastery on Alba III was dismantled and a large battle barge built to act as a new, spacebound base of operations; and in the first year of the 33rd Millenium, the Iron Crusaders fleet abandoned Alboranth and the Chapter began a new phase in its history. It's also at this moment that the Chapter reportedly abandoned their original black livery and adopted their present dark red colour scheme; the Chapter icon also was slightly altered, the white cross on a black field changing to black on white. By the Treaty of Navarmora, a new Chapter, the Iron Praetors, was also created to take over the IC's watch over the Xalul nebula and the neighbouring Ork domains. To this day, many believe that the Iron Praetors were actually split from the Iron Crusaders and should therefore be considered a successor Chapter of the IC. As for the Iron Crusaders themselves, with their habit of appearing unheeded and departing unheralded, it's a difficult task to keep track of the their movements over 8.000 years of errancy. They seem to have been active mostly in the Segmentum Ultima, waging their own crusades against Orks, rebels and heretics, but few of their exploits can be confirmed. In the last millenium, the Chapter has reportedly taken part in the purging of Scholos, the first and second Alamanthine supressions and several naval actions against the eldar raiders of Ulastyr. They also lent their strength to the lords of Metalica in a series of campaigns against the greenskins of Charadon, destroying the hordes of Lord Raider Gargothrag and several minor Ork warlords. A 300-strong task force defended Hive Volcanus and fought the Orks of the Ash Wastes during the Third War for Armageddon. Later, the whole Chapter fleet relocated to the Cadian sector to join Imperial efforts against Abaddon's Black Crusade; they were noted for singlehandedly stopping Chaos Lord Akiroth's invasion of Olcris and driving his forces back into the Eye of Terror. After this, something strange happened: ostensibly, the IC fleet retreated from the Cadian sector in order to reorganize and recover from heavy losses sustained during the Olcris campaign, with the intention of returning to the fray against the forces of Chaos; however, the next reports of their presence, five months later, place the fleet half a galaxy away, in the Segmentum Ultima, apparently heading towards the Ghoul Stars. What purpose brings them there, nobody knows. GENESEED The Iron Crusaders' geneseed cannot shed light upon the riddle of the Chapter's origins, as it doesn't correspond with any of the original Legions. It is believed that the geneseed must have mutated at some point during the Chapter's long millenia of isolation, becoming distinct from that of its parent Legion, whichever it may have been. The mutation is stable -in fact, the Iron Crusaders' geneseed seems to be remarkably stable, having shown no significant changes over several millenia- but it has resulted in the loss of Betcher's Gland, the Omophagea and the Melanochromic Organ; it also gives the IC thick, tough skin with a distinctive grayish tinge. Many biomagi of the Adeptus Mechanicus have tried at different times to unravel this mystery: the Ultramarines, Iron Hands and even Raven Guard have been suggested as likely parent Legions for the Chapter, but no conclusive evidence has been found so far. ORGANIZATION Like most chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, the IC have a strength of 1000 battle brothers organized into ten companies -called "banners"-. The Chapter's battle order, however, deviates slightly from the Codex Astartes, in that the Eight and Ninth Banners are not reserve companies, but two special units particular to the Iron Crusaders' organization: The Eight Banner is a fast, hard-hitting strike force primed for mobile warfare and extensively equipped with bikes, attack bikes and drop troops, as well as most of the Chapter's land speeders. Though it does lend its units to boost the stregth of battle companies when necessary, it's mostly meant to operate as a united force. Apparently, no less than three Thunderhawk gunships -or similar craft- are permanently attached to this company. As for the Ninth Banner, it specializes in siege and urban operations and it's noted for its extensive use of vindicators, ironclad dreadnoughts and siege infantry. During the Third War for Armaggedon, it was deployed in its entirety as part of Task Force Kaelis, distinguishing itself in many savage clashes against the Orks amid the smouldering, tortured labyrinth of Volcanus Hive. BATTLE DOCTRINE The Iron Crusaders' battle tactics are typical of the Adeptus Astartes, emphasizing speed, hard-hitting firepower and brutal hand-to-hand combat. They disdain camouflage and stealth, preferring to engage their enemies head-on, and they observe the ancient Astartes tradition of carrying their standards into battle. The Chapter seems to have limited access to certain types of wargear, such as jump packs, land speeders, drop pods and terminator armour, which isn't surprising considering their errant nature and somewhat strained relationship with the rest of the Imperium. In battle they tend to be stubborn and inflexible, and they hardly ever retreat, no matter the odds. This philosophy has led the Iron Crusaders to many epic victories and many catastrophical defeats over the centuries; but in the Chapter's strict code of honour, a glorious death is the next best thing to an honourable victory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demus Ragnok Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 GENESEED The Chapter's geneseed cannot shed light upon the mystery of its origin, as it doesn't correspond with any of the original Legions. It is believed that the geneseed must have mutated at some point during the Chapter's long millenia of isolation, becoming distinct from that of its parent Legion, whichever it may have been. It's a puzzle for the biomagi of the Adeptus Mechanicus, many of whom have tried at different times to find a definitive answer: the Ultramarines, Iron Hands and even Raven Guard have been suggested as likely parents, but with no conclusive evidence. Whatever its origin, however, experts agree that the Iron Crusaders' geneseed is remarkably stable. Unknown and mutated but stable. Just seems odd to me. But then the Minotaurs and Carcharadons seem to have similar gene seed oddities so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arianod Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 Unknown and mutated but stable. Just seems odd to me. But then the Minotaurs and Carcharadons seem to have similar gene seed oddities so... Not just them: the Salamanders have black skin and red eyes; Blood Ravens have perfect memories; the Space Wolves have the Mark of the Wulfen, the Blood Angels the Red Thirst and Black Rage, and other Chapters are missing certain organs; all those are the result of stable mutations. All geneseed can mutate, just like normal genes; it's only considered "unstable" when it's especially prone to mutation. The IC's geneseed must have mutated at some point, but hasn't shown any significant changes over several millenia, so it's considered fairly stable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew J Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Love the color scheme and your story. Read through and thought the same thing as Demus. I do understand your reasoning though. Maybe try to put in there that they have had stable normal mutations much like you mention in your reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arianod Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Thanks, Andrew. I just corrected the passage on geneseed, and expanded it a little. Hope it's all clear now. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Priest Haelaeif Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Love the fluff and colour scheme, you created a really cool chapter. Only thing that looks strange to me is the bit where the eight banner is equipped with drop troops, but later you say the chapter has little access to jump packs and drop pods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeoilSage Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Not a bad IA. I'm a little leery about the mysterious origins and Second Founding bit (though that's just my personal preference, not anything wrong with your entry). It's the Spike argument: "If every vampire who said they were at the Crucifixion had really been there, it would have been like Woodstock," that is, some legions must have numbered in the millions for all the Second Founding Chapters there are (which is possible, I suppose). I'm thinking they're likely an Imperial Fists Second Founding. The little details add up. Regardless, it's a good write-up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arianod Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Thanks guys, it's nice to get such positive feedback! I'm presently working on expanding the History section, there should be an update towards the end of this week (if everything goes O.K.) Also trying to polish some pics and charts on Chapter iconography and stuff. Not a bad IA. I'm a little leery about the mysterious origins and Second Founding bit (though that's just my personal preference, not anything wrong with your entry). It's the Spike argument: "If every vampire who said they were at the Crucifixion had really been there, it would have been like Woodstock," that is, some legions must have numbered in the millions for all the Second Founding Chapters there are (which is possible, I suppose). Actually, I was there and it was like bloody Woodstock, you wouldn't believe how hard it was to get to the front. I had to bribe a Roman legionnaire to let me slip through! Now, seriously XD I think that a lot of present day Chapters can indeed trace their origins back to M31. Some of the legions were huge, and numbered in the thousands even after all the bloodshed of the Heresy. Still, note that the Iron Crusaders are believed by some to be a Second Founding Chapter, but they don't claim to be one. They just don't like to talk about their origins, thank you very much. I'm thinking they're likely an Imperial Fists Second Founding. The little details add up. Except for the little detail of the Imperial Fists being hostile to them, maybe? :ph34r: Love the fluff and colour scheme, you created a really cool chapter. Only thing that looks strange to me is the bit where the eight banner is equipped with drop troops, but later you say the chapter has little access to jump packs and drop pods. Yes, that's a point that needs to be expanded upon. And it shall be ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeoilSage Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Eh, works for me. I still think they might be IF, even if they're hostile to the Iron Crusaders. But that's just an opinion, not a statement. A good Chapter all around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arianod Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 History section updated as planned! Now it includes a fairly comprehensive account of the Chapter's first three millenia of history (spoiler: there's only war!). The next instalment should cover the rest of the History -though not in so much detail as this one- plus a little information about the relationship of the Iron Crusaders with the Iron Praetors and other Space Marine Chapters. In the meantime, may the Emperor's light be with you! ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wargamer Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 I confess I only skim-red this, but I quite like the Chapter. One thing I'm not clear on - are the Eighth and Ninth considered Battle Companies, or Reserve Companies? Also, when you say 'Tactical' Companies, do you mean that they are composed of ten Tactical Squads each? As to the Geneseed, my immediate gut reaction was "Imperial Fists". :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arianod Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 I confess I only skim-red this, but I quite like the Chapter. One thing I'm not clear on - are the Eighth and Ninth considered Battle Companies, or Reserve Companies? Also, when you say 'Tactical' Companies, do you mean that they are composed of ten Tactical Squads each? :cuss They're composed of ten Tactical Squads, as is usually the case with Tactical Reserve companies. As for the Eighth and Ninth, they're neither Battle nor Reserve: they're specialized units, much like the Dark Angels Ravenwing. Still, when one of those Banners is not being deployed as a whole unit, it will often lend some of its squads to strengthen a Battle Banner, so they do act like Reserve Companies in that respect. By the way, thanks for calling my attention on that paragraph: you made me spot a little mistake there that I'd missed, the bit about the Chapter having "only three Battle Banners". That was an idea that I had toyed with but ultimately discarded; it only slipped into the post because I copy-pasted the relevant text from an old document. Now it's been fixed ;) As to the Geneseed, my immediate gut reaction was "Imperial Fists". :P :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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