The Liber Cluster

[Olis]

Helterskelter - Perhaps stating that:

 

What the Renegades were unaware of, was that the Doomsayers were total masters of void warfare, literally to the exclusion of all other forms of fighting. 

 

Is a little too black and white (ba-dum-tish). I'd advise toning the statement down somewhat, maybe saying something like they "excelled at void warfare, with few amongst the Liber Praeses that could match them" and that they "focused disproportionately at relevant styles of combat". You could then go on to claim they have a diminished motor pool due to their preferred style of tactics. ;)

 

Also, a colour scheme suggestion - maybe also have the other arm in black? Just the one arm looks a bit off, to me. :)

 

Yeah, the Lord Marshall's a fun guy, did he ever tell you about the time he headbutted this Ork Warboss to death in a one-on-one duel? Man, he was picking bits of greenskin grey matter out of his moustache for weeks...

 

Please, please tell me he sports a Horseshoe Mustache. ^_^

[Tiberius Cato]

The way I see it, the Eagles of Glory obviously have a rivalry with the Scarlet Sentinels. They'll work with them if necessary but prefer the company of other chapters, who don't seem to be too fond of them.

The Conflagrators are berzerk pyros, something about that reaks of heresy. They make great allies due to their ferocity, but need to be watched.

The Iron Ravagers choose to give up their flesh and bone in favour of steel. The Eagles are campassionate to mankind, not machines.

The Blackjaw Kindred are a strange bunch. They have an odd fascination with the Conflagrators, who hate the Eagles. So they can't be trusted entirely.

The Blades of the Lion think they can go about the cluster solo, not going to fly, they need the Eagle's help if they're going to accomplish anything.

The Aetheric Swords are constantly singing. It is unorthodox but it is of little issue as they seem look at the Eagles as equals rather than look down upon them.

The Doomsayers are worthy allies of the Eagles. Where the Eagles lack in orbital firepower the Doomsayers fill that void, likewise the Eagles provide the ground support as the Doomsayers seem to prefer staying aboard their ships to blast enemy vessels to pieces.

[Teetengee]

@HelterSkelter and the Doomsayers:

I suggest that the chapter the doomsayers save ultimately goes rogue leaving a bitter taste in their mouth (moar grimdark).

I am planning on posting a suggestion for said chapter, a Blood Angels descendant that falls to Khorne known as the Angels Exultant. First I need to work out more of a concept for them though.

[helterskelter]

Post edited to be less black and white (I think :p). They also are fond of a boarding action or two, just need to figure out a few more details so I don't obliterate the word limit! The mods or myself can edit in the most popular choices for ally/enemy, though the eagles look a good choice for the ally part!

[Nomus Sardauk]

 

Yeah, the Lord Marshall's a fun guy, did he ever tell you about the time he headbutted this Ork Warboss to death in a one-on-one duel? Man, he was picking bits of greenskin grey matter out of his moustache for weeks...

Please, please tell me he sports a Horseshoe Mustache.

Are you kidding? It's mandatory for anyone ranked higher than Sergeant! :D

[Tiberius Cato]

The mods or myself can edit in the most popular choices for ally/enemy, though the eagles look a good choice for the ally part!

Ofcourse they are! They bring the powah on the ground and leave the Doomsayers to the PMO. Plus with the alliance there is potential for the Eagles tofurther expand their influence! :P

[Ace Debonair]

Let's see.

 

The Views of the Aetheric Swords on:

 

The Lords Inviolate:

The Aetheric Swords largely view the Lords Inviolate as blood-brothers, and  are always careful to treat them with the honour due to kinsmen. They don't always get along, however - Speakers for the Lords Inviolate can sometimes come across as condescending, which often brings a bitter taste to meetings between the two forces. On top of this, sometimes cunning Librarians of the Aetheric Swords, their minds aflame with their own ambitions, have been known to drive a wedge between the two Chapters in order to advance their shady personal goals.

 

The Sons of Calderon:

The Swords are wary of the Sons of Calderon. They worry the Chapter is too closely bound to the Machine God and the Adeptus Mechanicus, rather than the Emperor. Though the Sons show little to no sign of a divided loyalty and the two Chapters work reasonably well together, the Aetheric Swords are nevertheless watchful.

 

The Conflagrators:

The many rituals and chants enacted by the Conflagrators are something the Aetheric Swords look upon with respect, placing a similar importance on ritual and rites of preparation for battle. The sometimes overly aggressive and entitled nature of the Conflagrators, however, does rub some of the Swords entirely the wrong way. The wiser Captains of the Swords will nevertheless act as a mediating influence - giving room for others to speak their minds without provoking the Conflagrators' ire.

 

The Eagles of Glory:

This Chapter appears brash, arrogant and perhaps at times deluded. But there can be no doubting their skill at arms, courage, conviction or dedication to the Emperor, and for this the Eagles of Glory have the respect of the Aetheric Swords. The two Chapters lack understanding of each other's ways, but can prove to be highly effective when working together.

 

(As an aside, the Eagles of Glory are fantastic and have my total approval)

 

The Blackjaw Kindred:

If there's one Chapter in the Liber Cluster more unorthodox than the Aetheric Swords, it's the Blackjaw Kindred. The Swords find them quite unsettling, dedicated to worship of abstractions of the great Primarchs and the Emperor. However, their culture seems built on solid ritual and seems to understand the significance of the Undying Choir, in their own way. The two Chapters would probably coexist fairly well, but prefer to leave each to their own devices.

 

The Iron Ravagers:

Again, caution is the keynote with this Chapter. They embrace the strength of the machine tightly, and risk separating themselves from the Emperor in favour of a metallic God. The Iron Ravagers are no doubt mighty allies, but are also thought of as a cautionary reminder that servitude must always be to The Emperor first and foremost.

 

The Blades of the Lion:

The isolationist nature of the Blades, coupled with their mercurial tendency to leave campaigns unfinished, make it hard for the Aetheric Swords to have trust in this Chapter. They are given the respect due to any brother Space Marine, albeit somewhat warily.

 

The Scarlet Sentinels:

Though they would no doubt loathe the comparison, the Scarlet Sentinels seem very much like the Eagles of Glory to the Aetheric Swords - both are stubborn and arrogant, with perhaps too much of a thirst for recognition by their peers. They do, however, also share similar virtues of honour, strength, and dedication to the Emperor above all else. Again, the personalities of the Sentinels and the Swords may cause considerable friction, but the two Chapters have worked together effectively in multiple campaigns.

 

(Another aside, these guys are excellent, and their rivalry with the Eagles makes them all that much better)

 

The All-seeing:

The Aetheric Swords treat the All-seeing with considerable caution. They are unpredictable, and sometimes interpret the Emperor's Tarot in wildly different ways to the Swords' own Librarians. The two Chapter's dual reliance on Librarians as advisors does help smooth relations slightly, but it is rare to see both Chapters work together without incident.

 

The Doomsayers:

The Aetheric Swords consider the Doomsayers to be very unusual - what true servant of the Emperor shies away from facing down His foes face-to-face across a battlefield? But still, their skill-at-arms is hardly lacking, and their expertise at naval warfare has enacted the Emperor's will throughout the Cluster. The Aetheric Swords can respect such prowess.

 

The Black Judges:

Only the Emperor can evaluate the worth of his subjects. To claim to know the Emperor's will so thoroughly as to pretend authority other Space Marines is an affront to the Aetheric Swords. The Aetheric Swords and Black Judges are best kept apart when possible, as the presence of each will rankle the other.

 

(Another Chapter I really like, even if that doesn't come across in this section)

 

The Angels Exultant:

The Aetheric Swords feel equal parts anger and grief towards the Angels Exultant. That a brother Chapter should fall from grace so harshly is a stern reminder to remain ever devoted to duty in the Emperor's name. To put the Angels down is a duty to be undertaken solemnly, rather than an occasion for frantic rage. The Undying Choir sings only of great sorrow when facing these once-proud Space Marines.

 

The Heralds of Letum:

The distrust these sons of the Khan have for those who can read the ebbs and flows of the Great Aether is so great as to limit any interaction with the Aetheric Swords to a bare minimum. On the very rare occasions where co-operation is required, relations between the two chapters have been quite tense, usually requiring intervention from other Chapters to keep tempers in check.

(I personally like these guys fine, but could see them and the AS at each other's throats!)

 

 

The Black Falcons:

The Aetheric Swords and the Black Falcons have little common ground, but neither does either Chapter particularly antagonize the other. The Aetheric Swords prefer open, honest combat over a stealthy approach, but can appreciate the precarious situation of the Falcons enough to allow some leeway.

 

The Iron Drakes:

Unusually for sons of the Gorgon, the Drakes do not preach superiority of machine over humanity, but they also favour a more underhanded approach to warfare than the Aetheric Swords are comfortable with. Nevertheless, respect is given to the Drakes for seeing the strength in their own (and others) Emperor-given flesh.

 

 

EDIT:

I've updated the Aetheric Swords' profile to stress the Druid-y nature of their Librarians a little and make rituals more of a thing for the Chapter.

[Conn Eremon]

We've got quite a few going on!

 

I'll be adding to the roll of Liberites:

The Conflagrators

The Eagles of Glory

The Blackjaw Kindred

The Iron Ravagers

The Blades of the Lion

The Scarlet Sentinels

 

These three have not yet been added:

The Aetheric Swords

The All Seeing

The Doomsayers

 

They're all under 400 words as of right now. If they can boost their word count up above 400, I'll add them in. There are no placeholders, though.

 

The Lords Inviolate and the Sons of Calderon are currently (I believe, I haven't been reading the past couple pages with looking for votes in mind) tied up. If you haven't said which one you want to lead the other Liberite Chapters, have your say now. That said, if it ends up as a tie, I got my mind on something special to do with that. But ultimately, I'll pick my own favorite as the tie-breaker.

 

The 2nd post has been updated (though that does not mean that it is up to date). There are currently 7 more slots left for Liberite Chapters. 4, if the Aetheric Swords, All Seeing and Doomsayers get their word count up.

[Wade Garrett]

As an FYI, "Grandfather" is the Blackjaw equivalent of a Chapter Master, Patriarchs are Captains, and Vandaleurs are Sergeants.

 

The Blades of the Lion:

If relations with the Scarlet Sentinels are cool, the Kin and the Blades get on like a house on fire: with death and collateral damage all the way around.

 

The blood feud stems from their first campaign alongside each other, when the two forces defended an agri-world from a Chaos incursion.

 

Precise details are hard to come buy, but it seems the trouble began with a Chaplain of the Blades inquiring about the female figure emblazoned on the shields of the Blackjaw warriors who volunteered to defend the settlements.

 

The exact nature of his response upon being told it was a representation of the Lion, Heavenly Lord of Harvest, Mothers, and the Hearth, is perhaps fortunately lost to posterity, but what is recorded is that the brawl that followed inflicted more casualties upon the two Chapters than the entire cultist uprising that preceded it.

 

Eventually, cooler heads prevailed and it was agreed to settle matters with a duel...and once again the two forces's differing cultures would lead to unfortunate results.

 

As with most Dark Angels successors, the Blades regarded swordsmanship as the epitiome of honorable combat and equipped their representative thusly.

 

Meanwhile, the Kin consider melee weapons to be fine tools for hunting or the general carnage of a battlefield, but in their Chapter, gentlemen of high status duel with pistols, either bolt or plasma.

 

By the time a Battle Company of Lords Inviolate forced a cease fire, the Blades had savaged the Kin forces in theatre in bloody retaliation for their "murdered" champion, and thus began a vicious feud where both sides regard one another as honorless scum who insult the good name of Lion'El Jonson merely by existing.

[Ace Debonair]

These three have not yet been added:

The Aetheric Swords

The All Seeing

The Doomsayers

 

They're all under 400 words as of right now. If they can boost their word count up above 400, I'll add them in. There are no placeholders, though

My word count tells me 540+ words on the Aetheric Swords now, Cormac.

This is what happens when you tell me to 'talk more' about a Chapter! 

[Conn Eremon]

How do you feel about the Blackjaw Kindred being kindasortamaybe former insurrectionists?

 

An idea I had while reading the bit about them demanding the identity of the newcomers, was that maybe there was something extra to it. Most depictions of naval encounters shows that most ships can identify most other ships, even after millennia of chaos and confusion. So maybe it included a loaded question. Do you hail from Old Earth, or Nova Terra? The response is Old Earth, and an explanation that the Nova Terra Interregnum has ended and the Imperium is once again united.

 

Pregnant pause. "Hail and well met, brothers."

 

Edit: I'll take your word for it, Ace, and add them to the list.

[Wade Garrett]

Ooooohhh.

 

There were Chapters founded by the Nova Terra High Lords, after all. It'd be another reason for why they've got the exact background on all the Primatchs a tad...skewed, and it would be another reason for them to loathe the Blades, who do a lot of poking around in odd corners and interrogations of local Heretics (who may well have knowledge of the Kin's secret.)

 

In other topics, for the Ten Heavenly Lords I have:

 

Guilliman: War

Russ: Learning, Wisedom, and Magic

Ferrus Manus: Strength, Beasts, Storms

Corax: Trickery, Theft, Deception

Vulkan: Death, Punishment, Fire

The Lion: Home, Mothers, Agriculture

The Khan: Sea, Law, Civilization

 

I am open to suggestions for Sanguinus, Dorn, and the Emperor.

[Olis]

The Conflagrators:

The many rituals and chants enacted by the Conflagrators are something the Aetheric Swords look upon with respect, placing a similar importance on ritual and rites of preparation for battle. The sometimes overly aggressive and entitled nature of the Conflagrators, however, does rub some of the Swords entirely the wrong way. The wiser Captains of the Swords will nevertheless act as a mediating influence - giving room for others to speak their minds without provoking the Conflagrators' ire.

 

Cool, my guys chant now. I like it. I wonder what sort of chants Redemptionist-Marines would make?  

 

 

The All-seeing:

 I'll come back to this when there's more information to work with. 

 

Ditto. :)

 

The Blades of the Lion:

the Kin and the Blades get on like a house on fire: 

 

I'm not entirely sure this is the right phrase, given the context. They seem to do the very opposite to getting on like a house on fire. ^_^

[Ace Debonair]

Olis:
 
I'd imagine chants along the lines of 'purge the unclean, purge the alien, purge the traitor'.
The Conflagrators would be awesome buddies for the Red Lords and the Sons of Pyron, I think!
 
 
Also, Wade's got it exactly right about the Blades and the Kin, they get along like a house on fire. Ever seen a burning house close up?
 
 
EDIT:
Cormac - I'll be fair, I might have ninja-edited the Aetheric Swords since you took your word count.
In fact, I'm almost certain of it - I keep having ideas and going back to add them!
 

I am open to suggestions for Sanguinus, The Khan, Dorn, and the Emperor.

 

How about water, ice and spite for the Khan?

 

Water to reflect his somewhat mercurial temper (water can be calm or stormy), Ice to represent his cold and aloof demeanour pre-heresy (even if it was because he was largely ignored) and spite because Khan seems a bit spiteful towards his brother Primarchs? (Khan seems to try and score verbal points off his brothers at the drop of a hat, even while duelling Mortarion)

[Wade Garrett]

Ol, have you ever seen an actual housefire? It certainly seems like an apt description of their relationship to me.

;)

 

Edit: Drat! Sharrowkyn'd by Ace!

[Reyner]

Love the idea for the honour duel Wade! These Dark Angels are going to be very fun.

[Ace Debonair]

As soon as I saw Olis call that simile into question I felt the hand of destiny pressing heavily upon me, and I knew in that moment what I had to do, no matter the cost.

[Olis]

Ace, Wade, I'll take your word for it brothers. ^_^

[Tiberius Cato]

I imagine if you take the right precautions you could burn a house down to witness the similie without law enforcement grabbing you for arson.

[Ace Debonair]

OK, let's stop examining figures of speech now before we go too far off topic.
Nobody burn anything down just yet.

Let's just say the Blackjaw Kindred and Blades of the Lion's relationship isn't great and leave it at that.

[Tiberius Cato]

Just out of curiosity, do the Kindred paint their jawline black? the name evokes an image of an unhelmeted marine performing a ritual and taking ash or something and rubbing it along his jawline.

[Olis]

Just out of curiosity, do the Kindred paint their jawline black? the name evokes an image of an unhelmeted marine performing a ritual and taking ash or something and rubbing it along his jawline.

 

That sounds pretty funky, tbh. Not my place to approve it but, hell, lovely bit of flavour that. ;)

 

 

So... while we're idling away, speculating on who likes who... Anyone got any interesting (and I do actually mean interesting :P ) places they'd like to add? 

[GreyCrow]

Trying my hand at this, this is a fun community project, hope you guys like it !

The Black Judges

"The guilty were always once innocent"

Among the Imperial forces operating in the Liber Sector, the Black Judges are ones of the Chapters that earned a dire reputation for their cold effectiveness and their ruthless treatment of the Imperium’s enemies and citizens alike. Indeed, their unusual behavior, even for members of the Adeptus Astartes, has led some to speculate that their assignment to the Liber Sector has been taken as a precautionary measure to keep them away from the Imperium at large.

Highly secretive and distant from other Chapters, they dutifully enforce the supremacy of the Imperium through brutal shock attacks in the cover of the night that leave their targets always almost entirely devastated save for a few survivors. It is not out of mercy that the Black Judges keep these poor souls alike, but so they can spread the story of the assaults.

While zealous prosecution of the Imperium’s threats is usually highly praised, the Black Judges direct their wrath undiscriminately towards xenos, heretics and citizens at the least amount of suspicion of treachery or heretical behavior. Squads or even lone Black Judges regularly conduct secret investigations on suspected threats, creeping and watching at night over their preys, in search for the least sign of deviance. When they finally find it, or if proof is lacking but suspicion is high, they pounce unseen from the shadows and unleash punishing volleys of boltgun fire or rip their targets apart with the chainswords. They will often knock their weapons together before and during a fight in complete darkness or babble strange sounds, and it is rumoured that their geneseed has mutated to provide them some minor echolocation capability.

When purging xenos, they will often spend long periods, sometimes months, observing their targets from the darkness, until the moment at which they can cause the maximum physical and psychological devastation arises. At that moment, they will unleash the full might of their so called “Prosecution Campaigns” and will obliterate the foe’s morale and ability to sustain the fight.

This effective tactic has been caused for concern amongst the other Liberites Chapters, mainly because more and more reports have come from both fringe and central worlds of lone survivors from utterly devastated settlements telling the story of black clad armoured giants seemingly appearing out of nowhere and laying waste to everything and everyone they saw. While the Black Judges seek to maintain order at all costs through fear, this perception is not shared by other members of the Imperial Adepti present in the Liber Sector.

Their livery is of a dark royal blue on their limbs underlying the gleaming pitch black armour of their upper body. Each Black Judge wears a large night-black cape in order to better conceal their features when investigating or before an assault, and when the red of their eye lenses and Aquila is finally revealed, it is often the last thing a person will see. They are a fleet based chapter, always romaing in the darkest interplanetary voids of the Liber Sector. Although it is still unconfirmed as of yet, they appear to be recruiting by abducting prospective candidate and letting them fight amongst others, the Trial by Trial, to decide the ones righteous enough to join their rank as evidenced by the highest disappearances rates throughout the Sector recorded after particularly exhausting engagements involving the Black Judges.

The Black Judges strongly believe that everyone is guilty of a crime against the Imperium. If no proof is found, it is either that the individual is a particularly adept at covering his devious tracks, or that the crime is only moments from being committed. Reports of missing Astartes squads in operational theatres close to Black Judges operations have aroused suspicion against them, but the Black Judges are being tolerated for the efficiency at which they break the enemies’ ability to fight back in joint campaigns… for now.

EDIT : Finally got the full size picture in darnit ! :p

[Teetengee]

Angels Exultant

I am thinking a grail/goblet would make for a good icon for the Angels Exultant.

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/sm.php?b62c=@i6hFq_iaj0o.i8khi___iaj2Fiaj2F__._.hHzJlhHzJl..@@@@@hXbsbhXbsb@@hXbsbhXbsb.hHzJl.hHzJl@@@@@@@@@@.@hHzJlhHzJl@iaj2F__@@____iaj2F@iakk7&

 

The Angels Exultant were believed to have been created from Blood Angels geneseed. They share the predisposition for bloodshed and close quarters fighting often seen in the sons of Sanguinius. To those familiar with the successors of that lineage however, they seemed strange. The flaw did not seem to manifest as strongly in these marines than in their forebears. Every battle group contained at least one chaplain and often several human priests whose chants in glory of the Emperor seemed to unite and direct the soldiers around him. The black rage seemed absent even though the red thirst was clearly present.

 

The truth was far stranger. The Angels Exultant did indeed suffer from their own form of the black rage. In three ways it was different, firstly the chantings and glories to the God emperor seemed to subdue the rage enough to form a functional fighting force that had slightly more grasp at tactics than run at the enemy as quickly as possible and kill them with your chainswords. Secondly, the rage was not a permanent change but a transient one, though no one could be sure when it would end. Thirdly however was far less fortuitous, as it occurred far more frequently than even perhaps the flesh tearers. These all necessitated the training of the most zealous of recruits into the large chaplaincy at the core of the chapter. The most zealous of those who failed to pass the rigors of becoming a marine instead of being made a serf or a servitor would often be inducted into their priesthood.

 

When they reached the Liber Cluster the Angels Exultant were quickly set upon by a renegade force. For some unknowable reason the renegades made a point of targeting the chaplains and priests of the chapter. This targeted destruction often would leave insufficient priesthoods to maintain the facade the Angels Exultant had carefully cultivated. Sometimes squads or whole battle groups would have to be destroyed from space, alongside any allies who had witnessed the devolution of those on the ground into flesh eating monsters.

 

Greatly weakened by this enemy’s attacks, in addition to the normal losses accrued as they tried to continue in their reclamation of the Liber Cluster, the renegades finally decided to strike in force. A great space hulk tore out of the warp and opened fire on the Angels Exultant fleet. Finally though fortune smiled on the Angels. The Doomsayers came and with their aid the enemy was routed. Expressing their thanks to their timely saviors, the Angels Exultant decided to follow the enemy to their base of operations, which had been revealed via a joint boarding action of both Doomsayers and Angels Exultant battle brothers.

 

When they arrived on the planet Arrax, the Angels found little but red sand and ancient ruins. However, searching the planet with their scanners showed that it was filled with lifesigns. Seeking to end this enemy once and for all, the entire remains of the chapter deployed all across the planet in order to quickly root out and destroy the enemy. However, the enemy had made pacts with the strange xenos that inhabited this planet.These creatures, the Sakis were essentially living sand, and thus the Angels Exultant were entirely unable to notice their presence, even directly below their feet. Meanwhile, the renegades were performing a ritual under the earth. At its height, the Sakis targeted the chaplains and priests in sacrifice to Khorne. When the ritual completed the rage surged through the Angels Exultant and hundreds of heralds of Khorne were summoned to the planet. These daemons perverted the holy chants that had once kept the raging Angels servants to the emperor into blasphemous glories to the lord of skulls. Those few Angels Exultant who had retained their sanity were quickly slain by their frothing brethren.

 

The remaining renegades(perhaps including a member of the fallen to tie in with the Blades) came forth and took over the chants of hate as the daemons returned to the warp. They lead the Angels back onto the very ships which had brought them to the planet and flew away. They have plagued the Liber Cluster ever since, though their ultimate goals are still yet to be understood by the forces of the Imperium.

 

Edit: Added Planet Name Arrax. Also tenses are all over the place because I cannot seem to decide whether I want to tell this from a historical or active point of view.

[Olis]

The Black Judges, eh? I can see them having disagreements with my Conflagrators on what to do with prisoners... :lol: