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[Formosus XVI]

Hello everyone. This is my first DIY chapter that I've committed to paper. I will add more as time permits, but I wanted to get the opening up so I don't lose it. I would of course like opinions on what has been written so far, especially regarding lore-friendliness.

 

 

+ Index Astartes +

 

 

 

(This humble clerk apologizes for his poor image creation skills.)

 

+ The Royal Martyrs Space Marines Chapter +

 

 

_{Royal Martyr power armor before the application of chapter, company, and squad markings.}

 

 

+ Origins +

 

In the early stages of the Nova Terra Interregnum (M35), the Senatorum Imperialis foresaw that a number of Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes would need to be founded to combat the usurpers gathering power in the Segmentum Pacificus.

 

The Adeptus Ministorum was an institution growing in power at the time, and as a result it was able to specify the parameters for the founding of several Adeptus Astartes chapters. The Royal Martyrs, founded shortly before the profound upheaval that ended the Nova Terra Interregnum known as the Cataclysm of Souls, was one such chapter. Officially, the Royal Martyrs were part of the the 11th founding of Adeptus Astartes chapters, and were taken from Ultramarines geneseed.

 

The first inductees into the newborn Royal Martyrs were true to the chapter name, taken from the scions of  powerful families of the Segmentum Solar (almost all relatives of Cardinals, faithful Planetary or Sector governors, or even the Ecclesiarch himself) not destined to inherit their ancestral holdings. The original training cadres of Ultramarines were not very happy with this arrangement, thinking that the recruits would be soft, but a surprising number survived training and went on to become exemplary Space Marines.

 

Part of the rider attached to the proclamation of the 11th founding by the Ecclesiarch stated that, while the original battle and tactics training of the Royal Martyrs were to be completed by Ultramarines, the new Chapter's theological education was to be completed solely by Ministorum priests. Furthermore, other forms of training were to be overseen by Ministorum agents, and once the chapter was on its feet, the Ultramarine training staff was to return to their mother chapter. This arrangement made the Ultramarines reject the offer to educate this new chapter, but they changed their minds at the last moment before the first Astartes glands were to be grown. No official reason was given for the change of heart, but it is believed within the Royal Martyrs that the High Lords threatened to use Black Templar geneseed instead if the Ultramarines would not comply.

 

The early campaigns of the Royal Martyrs were almost all within the context of the Nova Terra Interregnum, and later the Cataclysm of Souls. The Royal Martyrs were dispatched around the Segmentum Pacificus, and even in parts of the Segmentum Solar, to support uprisings against those who sought to destroy the unity of the Imperium and the Emperor's Holy Faith for their own petty personal ambitions. As the dust settled on M35 and the usurpers on Nova Terra were defeated, the Royal Martyrs finally settled down from being a fleet-based chapter to their own homeworld. 

 

At the completion of the Cataclysm of Souls, the Ecclesiarch was so pleased with the service of the Royal Martyrs that he gifted a relic power maul, as mighty as a thunder hammer, know as the Main de Justice to the Chapter Master. He also authorized a unique chapter badge depicting the head of the weapon to be bestowed upon the chapter; previously the Royal Martyrs had used a slight variation of the Ultramarines inverted omega rune.

 

_{The Main de Justice, the relic power weapon wielded by the Chapter Master of the Royal Martyrs}

 

+ Homeworld +

 

The Royal Martyrs primarily operate along the border of the Segmentum Solar and the Segmentum Pacificus. The location of their fortress monastery is on the agri-world of Asón in the Segmentum Solar, in a sector that abuts the Segmentum Pacificus. The Royal Martyrs, half jokingly, half affectionately, refer to the series of border sectors that they "watch over" as the Segmenta Avia. 

 

Unlike many Space Marine chapters, the Royal Martyrs do no recruit from their homeworld due to their unusual recruitment doctrine (see below). Rather, Asón is seen as a perfect place to practice their renunciation of higher titles and power for the good of the Imperium. The various farming and fishing collectives on Asón elect their planetary governor when the old one dies (pending approval from the subsector governor, of course), and these collectives are more mercantile concerns than noble houses, so the Royal Martyrs consider the planet to have no true nobility or royalty.

 

Otherwise, Asón is a fairly pleasant temperate world with many different biomes. Its primary export is a kind of sardine that is fished from the planet's nutrient rich oceans in great trawlers, then canned and sent off to hive worlds and Imperial Guard regiments as a cheap food appropriate for lower hive dwellers and enlisted men. Besides these sardines the planet produces many other kinds of foodstuffs, from barely edible fungus paste to real, actual beef (1500 Terran pounds sterling for a quarter kilogram).

 

The Royal Martyr's fortress monastery is the sprawling rococo monstrosity known as the Windswept House, so named because it is located on cliffs that tower far above Asón's second largest ocean, where it is frequently buffeted by high winds. The monastery is located away from any kind of settlement and does not have road access to anywhere else, as it is intended as a retreat for the Royal Martyrs. Other Astartes might scoff at the apparent frivolity of the Windswept House, but the fortress monastery is well fortified. Almost every statue or fresco conceals some kind of automated defense, and it is riddled with secret corridors and rooms which are known only to the Royal Martyrs and their chapter serfs.

 

To date, Windswept House has been breached four times, each time by an Eldar strike force attempting to recover suits of armor from their elite warrior sergeants that had been taken by the Royal Martyrs as trophies, though all attempts have failed. Furthermore, the fortress monastery has been besieged innumerable times over the past 5000 years by Ork Waaaghs that periodically crop up. With the help of the Royal Martyrs, Asón's PDF has always manage to repulse such attacks on the planet. More recently, minor attacks by questing tendrils of Hive Fleet Leviathan have been defeated, but the government of Asón and the Royal Martyrs are waiting for the "big one" that is sure to come.

 

_{The Reclusiam at Windswept House}

 

_{The Librarium at Windswept House}

 

+ Combat Doctrines and Operational History Overview +

 

The Royal Martyrs have been in existence for approximately 5000 years, so their combat doctrine has had to change to tackle the different challenges that they have faced over the ages. These changes can broadly be reflected in three eras: From their founding to the end of the Cataclysm of Souls, from the Cataclysm to the conclusion of the Age of Apostasy and issuance of the Decree Passive, and from the Decree Passive to the modern era.

 

Originally founded as a fleet-based chapter, the Royal Martyrs were intended to be used by the High Lords as rapid reinforcement for rebels struggling against the false High Lords of Nova Terra. As such they had an over-strength fleet for a typical Astartes chapter. Their combat doctrine in this period focused heavily on the use of gunships for air support, drop pods to provide fast relief for beleageured rebel forces, and heavy weapons to provide powerful cover and "punching force" for their typically under-equipped anti-Interregnum allies. As over 95% of their opponents in this era were non-Chaos aligned humans whose own tactics and strategies were largely the same as the Imperium's, their own tactics and strategies reflected this.

 

At the conclusion of the Cataclysm of Souls, the Royal Martyrs were granted their fief on Asón and transitioned from being a fleet-based chapter to being one with a distinct theater of operations. However, their cozy relationship with the Adeptus Ministorum combined with being a still-young chapter without strong internal opinions, saw them still used as a force primarily against the enemies of the Ecclesiarchy. The Chapter Masters would prioritize requests for their intervention from the Ecclesiarch or important Cardinals over other missions. Thus, they mostly retained rebellious Imperial factions as their primary enemy. However, without the urgency of the Cataclysm of Souls, the Royal Martyr's troop and tactical dispositions slowly changed to match that of a more generalist Space Marines chapter. No emphasis was given to any particular formation or troop type, and the Royal Martyrs overall became a more tactically and strategically flexible chapter.

 

The Royal Martyrs strongly resisted the advances of Goge Vandire, who had killed the previous Ecclesiarch and seemed bent on merging the Adeptus Ministorum with the Adeptus Administratum. The Royal Martyrs joined with Sebastian Thor on his crusade to purify the Ecclesiarchy and were forced to fight against Vandire's "Brides of the Emperor" and those units of the Frateris Templar that sided with the insane High Lord. It was with a great deal of mental and spiritual anguish that the Royal Martyrs undertook this fight.

 

At the conclusion of the Reign of Blood, the issuance of the Decree Passive by the new High Lords was a body blow to the Royal Martyrs. The prohibition of keeping "men under arms" by the Ecclesiarchy could easily be broadly read as making its close relationship with the Royal Martyrs illegal. Though, as an Astartes chapter, they were nominally independent, it was clear to all that the Royal Martyrs had acted as an institutional Space Marine force for the Adeptus Ministorum. The reorganization of the Brides of the Emperor into the new official armed force for the Ecclesiarchy as a way to dodge the Decree Passive also displaced the Royal Martyrs from their position.

 

These legal changes in the structure of the Imperium led to the reorganization of the Royal Martyrs once again; a reorganization that endures to the present day. Without legal recourse to provide military power to the Adeptus Ministorum as they once had, the Royal Martyrs began to shift focus toward protecting their home region of the borderlands between the Segmentum Pacificus and the Segmentum Solar. This forced renewal saw the Royal Martyrs focus on enemies external to the Imperium as their primary foes for the first time in 2000 years.

 

The chapter's "Segmenta Avia" contains numerous agri-worlds. Furthermore, the chapter's recruitment doctrine leads to almost all of its brothers being recruited from agri-worlds, pleasure/paradise worlds, or feudal worlds. This conjunction of logistics and personal taste saw the Royal Martyrs move from being protectors of the Adeptus Ministorum to being protectors of these kinds of rural worlds. Furthermore, the chapter saw that such worlds were often overlooked by other Astartes chapters and even the Imperial Guard and Navy, who frequently prioritized worlds with manufacturing power.

 

These types of worlds in the Imperium frequently come under assault, or are the target of nefarious plots, by Eldar seeking to reclaim planets that they had terraformed into paradises in ages past. The Royal Martyrs stand against these attempts at reclamation by the pitiful fallen race, and the Eldar have become their primary foes. They have fought against the Eldar in everything from huge traditional conquest campaigns to the Eldar's more frequent hit-and-run tactics. Operations of the latter sort often result in the Royal Martyrs having to attempt to unravel some hidden attempt to unleash a super weapon that would destroy human life on the planet.

 

In order to combat the Eldar threat, the Royal Marines have adopted some of the tactics that they used thousands of years ago during the Cataclysm of Souls. They have once again adopted a policy that allows for rapid redeployment of forces, especially the use of drop troops, and support by an air force. This allows them to counter the highly mobile Eldar and quickly reinforce PDF or Guard units that have been subject to an Eldar ambush. The use of these tactics also allows them to overcome the rural, and even wild, nature of the worlds they protect. By using drop pods and an air force, the Royal Martyrs can overcome problems of moving through heavy vegetation on the ground. To provide the power necessary to back up their mobility tactics, the Royal Martyrs especially like to use heavy weapons, which they have found very effective against relatively light Eldar armor. Artillery (especially Whirlwinds) that can cover large areas with explosions or shrapnel- and therefore overcome Eldar holo- fields, are also favored.  In order to counter the psychic threat of the Eldar as well as preempt and disrupt the Eldar's precognitive seers, the Royal Martyrs try to ensure that their Librarium is almost always at full strength. Librarium training focuses on divination and precognition, often through the Emperor's Tarot, in order to beat the Eldar at their own game.

 

After the Eldar, by far the most frequent threat to the Imperium that the Royal Martyrs have had to combat are Orks, a periodic plague on mankind. Though the Royal Martyr's battle tactics have evolved to deal with Eldar, they've found that they are also effective against Orks. Studies on Ork tactics by the chapter indicate that they are drawn to test themselves against big threats and heavily fortified locations. Using their rapid deployment tactics developed against the Eldar, the Royal Martyrs have found that they can often confuse an Ork horde by not presenting any single target that seems worthy of attack.

 

More recently the arrival of the Tyranids has provided a challenge to the Royal Martyrs. Drawn to the biomass heavy worlds that the chapter protects, the endless numbers of the Tyranids are not a threat countered by highly mobile forces. While the Royal Martyrs have re-adopted the quick strike tactics that served them well in the Cataclysm of Souls, they have not done so to quite the extent that they did during that era. They deploy a more conventional Astartes force against Tyranids, though possession of a great amount of area bombardment artillery can sometimes given them an edge. Still, the Royal Martyrs prefer to engage Tyranids only when they can act as the cutting edge of an Imperial Guard cleansing advance.

 

Despite this new-found focus on protecting "rural" worlds, both in their "Segmenta Avia" and around the Imperium, the Royal Martyrs have never forgotten what they believe to be their true purpose- to serve as warrior monks for the Adeptus Ministorum, nor their great debt of gratitude to the Ecclesiarchy for its support in their founding. As a consequence, the Royal Martyrs have looked for ways to skirt the Decree Passive and assist the Ecclesiarchy in military operations when they can. To this purpose Chapter Masters following the Age of Apostasy have rebuilt the chapter's void fleet to pre-Cataclysm of Souls levels. They have committed a third of the fleet to carry roughly one third of the chapter around the Imperium with the dual goal of both protecting under-served rural planets and providing support to the interests of the Ministorum. In the latter capacity they will often deploy a small number of squads to support Adepta Sororitas missions, though they are always careful to not take a leading role in such operations. In this way, the Royal Martyrs assigned to the fleet often end up combating Chaos-tainted humans, though only very rarely do they fight traitor Astartes or large numbers of demons.

 

+ Subsection A: Disposition toward Imperial Allies +

 

In general the Royal Martyrs "get along" with the other Imperial military commanders during joint operations. They rarely withhold important operational information from non-Astartes forces as some Space Marine chapters are wont to do. They are known to work especially well with Imperial Guard, Navy, and PDF commanders who share their aristocratic background, often bonding over shared interests or similar youth experiences. The situation is a little more complicated with the Sisters of Battle, as while the two organizations share a great faith in the Emperor and his church, the Royal Martyrs have some lingering resentment at being displaced as a military instrument of the Ecclesiarchy. When assisting the Sisters of Battle, the Royal Martyrs usually remain polite if slightly frigid at first. If the campaign is lengthy usually the heat of battle and shared belief will lead to increasing friendliness and coordination. The Royal Martyrs rarely fight directly alongside large Mechanicus forces, who are generally not deployed to protect the types of worlds that the Royal Martyrs consider their charges. As the Mechanicus is a vital component of the Imperium the Royal Martyrs strive to work well with the armies of the Machine Cult when necessary, but the strange beliefs and sometimes grotesque practices of the Mechanicus are very off-putting to the Royal Martyrs. When possible, the Royal Martyrs have their Techmarines deal directly with Mechanicus agents and commanders. If it is not possible, usually the Royal Martyr propensity for magnanimity is enough to ensure sufficiently cooperative efforts, if not close camaraderie.

 

It is their fellow Astartes that the Royal Marines often have the hardest time working with. Deep conversations about chapter beliefs and recruiting practices do not often occur on the battlefield, but if they do it sometimes leads to cold relations with their fellow Space Marines. As orthodox adherents of the Imperial Cult, they are in theological disagreement with many Space Marine chapters over the divinity of the Emperor, a very serious topic. Royal Martyrs do not understand why some chapters recruit from what they consider to be the scum of the Imperium- ultra violent hive gangers, maximum security prisoners, barbarians who can't even read, and the like, and have a hard time respecting other Astartes commanders who come from these backgrounds. They also strongly dislike Space Marine chapters that  erase the pre-geneseed implantation memories of their members, as the Royal Martyrs consider their royal connections, families, and upbringing to be vital parts of who they are individually and as a chapter. For their part, many Space Marine chapters consider the Royal Martyrs' policy of recruiting people who are not engaged in a life-or-death struggle every moment of their pre-Astartes existence to be the height of folly, given what life is like once one becomes a Battle Brother. These differences between Royal Martyr commanders and other Space Marines can lead to friction during campaigns regarding everything from target priority to troop deployment.

 

_{Battle Barge Dieu et Mon Droit auspex pict capture of a Royal Martyrs 9th Company Devastator squad firing upon unknown Craftworld Eldar disabling a solar power array on the garden world Blofonheim.}

_{The Devastators are supported by 9th Company's resident Techmarine, Ferrante Nemours, who draws the fire of the hateful xenos into his custom artificer armor.}

 

_{+ Organization +}

 

_{The Royal Martyrs are overall a Codex Astartes compliant chapter. The major exception to this is that the chapter's fleet command is organized as an additional subgroup called the Armada, similar to the Librarium, Reclusiam, Apothecarion, and Armory. The Master of the the Fleet is a company captain-level position that commands the Armada from the chapter's Battle Barge flagship Dieu et Mon Droit. Below him are the captains of the chapter's other capital ships (usually, two other battle barges and nine strike cruisers) who are all veteran sergeants. The chapter's escort ships (usually 20-30 frigates) are crewed and captained solely by chapter serfs. The Master of the Fleet and the veteran sergeants that command the other capital ships are usually selected from 1st company battle brothers or sergeants, or battle brothers or sergeants whose record and length of service could see them promoted to the 1st company, who have expressed an interest in void combat. The Armada does not contain any rank-and-file battle brothers and was adopted to ensure there were no conflicts of interest that might arise by having the Master of the Fleet also be the commander of a particular company. With the exception of the Chapter Master, the Master of the Fleet and the Space Marine veteran sergeant captains below him have complete discretion over the disposition of their ships; any other squads or companies they are carrying are merely passengers. Serf captains can be commanded by their Marine passengers, but orders that deviate from mission parameters must be checked with the Marine captain of the capital ship they have been assigned to escort if it is at all possible.}

 

_{The chapter has a strong superstition against what they call "translation of captaincies."  This is the moving of the captain of one company to be the captain of another. There has been a much higher incidence of grisly mortality with unrecoverable progenoid glands for captains who are moved from one company to another. Thus, if a captain dies, his replacement is almost always promoted from within the ranks of his company, and not via a transfer from another company. Transfers between companies are usually done only at the rank of battle brother. Because of this situation, the "reserve companies" of the chapter are not considered to be of lesser rank or honor than the battle companies; indeed the 9th Devastator company is considered second in honor only below the veterans of the 1st company.}

 

+ Subsection A: Chapter Serfs +

 

The serfs of the Royal Martyrs are split into two groups, Hereditary Serfs and Vowed Serfs.

 

Hereditary Serfs are Imperial subjects whose families are bound to serve the Royal Martyrs in perpetuity. The Hereditary Serfs exist in a "pool" and are assigned to duties or jobs as need by the Ordinator of the House and his staff. Such serfs fulfill most of the menial roles in the chapter, from janitors in the Windswept House to naval ratings on the chapter's battle barges. The highest position that most Hereditary Serfs can hope to attain is that of Valet, a personal attendant to one of the Royal Martyr's battle brothers and who are also charged with cleaning and basic maintenance of his wargear. Artificer and medicae are also desired positions. Hereditary Serfs are not permitted to worship with the Royal Martyrs and are ministered to by regular human Ministorum clerics and maintain their own separate chapels. The Royal Martyrs tend to take an affectionate, if patronizing, view of their serfs, though individuals will vary widely. A Royal Martyr who treats the Hereditary Serfs badly will probably receive a quiet talking-to from his chaplain or other superior. If the behavior continues, it is unlikely to be addressed further unless it becomes outright murder, but it will certainly be a black mark against the Marine's chances of promotion.

 

Vowed Serfs are serfs that had been recruited by the chapter for induction as Marines, but failed the process and survived. Usually, it is because the aspirant's body rejected one or more Astartes bio-modifications, though occasionally it is because he was severely and irrevocably maimed in a pre-implantation training exercise. Before any kind of training can begin, an aspirant is put through extensive psychological tests and required to take the monastic vows of the chapter (hence the term Vowed Serf), so no known aspirants have failed induction for reasons of poor character. Vowed Serfs follow the same monastic schedule as the Royal Martyrs themselves (see below) and must remain chaste and celibate. The highest positions among the serfs are reserved for Vowed Serfs; the highest being the Ordinator of the House. The captains of the chapter's frigates, bridge officers of all the chapter's void ships, and the sacratiums that care for the Reclusiam are also all positions reserved for Vowed Serfs. Vowed Serfs have the honor of being addressed as "Brother" by the Royal Martyrs and are assigned to a company or special command, and are permitted to worship with them in the Reclusiam of Windswept House or one of its satellite sanctuaries on the chapter's ships. Vowed Serfs come from the same royal blood as the Royal Martyrs themselves, so it is almost unheard of for them to be mistreated, but if it happens the Marine in question is likely to be severely disciplined, and may even be subject to duel challenges by battle brothers that were part of the same "inductee class" as the abused Vowed Serf.

 

_{Pict capture of 4th Company Captain Yves Hugo St. Cloud (deceased) in 433.M37 during a moment of downtime at the conclusion of the Vittefleur Pogrom.}

 

_{+ Chapter Beliefs and Practices +}

 

The circumstances surrounding their founding mean that the Royal Martyr's chapter cult is an orthodox part of the Adeptus Ministorum. Each of the chapter's chaplains is also a fully qualified Ministorum priest who can minister to any Imperial subject in need. As always with Adeptus Astartes cults, the chapter's cult has some unique emphases.

 

+ Subsection A:  Royal Warrior Monks +

 

The Royal Martyrs maintain, when not in the middle of a warzone, a monastic way of life that has existed among mankind before even the Dark Age of Technology. Before he is accepted for training, a potential aspirant must vow to remain chaste and celibate, and must renounce any claims to titles, land, fortunes, or any other temporal good to which he may be entitled. Royal Martyrs members are not required to cut off all contact with their families, though it is severely restricted: each member may send one letter per year to a person of his choice who is not a member of the Royal Martyrs or its serf. They may receive any number of letters. Both outgoing and incoming letters are read by the battle brother's company chaplain (or the Master of Sanctity for members of special commands and lesser chaplains) for moral and theological purity before they are sent or delivered. Not even the Chapter Master is exempt from this; he must submit his yearly letter and have his letters read by the Master of Sanctity as well. The Master of Sanctity has his letters screened by the Chapter Master. Only Techmarines are exempt from this treatment; though still limited to sending only one letter, instead their correspondences are vetted by the Master of the Forge, who is the only member of the chapter who has no one read his own letters.

 

Once the difficult training and initial implantation of the geneseed have been completed, all Royal Martyrs at the scout level and above are required to adhere to the classic monastic threefold division of time: 8 hours of prayer, 8 hours of work, and 8 hours of rest per day.

 

The 8 hours of prayer are completed by performing a series of sung prayers in the Reclusiam or any subsidiary temples that are spread throughout the day called the Officium Divinum. The Royal Martyrs maintain a complex calendar indicating what prayers are to be sung on what days of the year. The habit of performing the different "hours" of the Officium Divinum eventually becomes so ingrained in the chapter's members that they can often sing them from memory, and will do so on the battlefield. Because of their long experience singing the Officium Divinum, even musically untalented battle brothers eventually develop a modicum of facility with singing. It has been a great surprise to many of the Royal Martyr's  battlefield allies when the squads they are fighting with suddenly break out in baroque polyphonic singing while chopping off Ork heads or gunning down fleeing Chaos cultists. Techmarines are not required to partake in the Officium Divinum or other worship services with the other brothers, and conduct their own religious rituals within the Armory's shrine to the Omnissiah.

 

For the battle brothers of the Royal Martyrs, 8 hours of work usually means combat training. Each company captain has his own routine for training, but nothing deviates overmuch from "standard" Astartes training that one might find in a typical Ultramarines successor. Usually it is a mix of exercise, target practice, and fighting mock battles or duels. Royal Martyrs members who are part of a special command, such as the Librarium, Armory, or Apothecarion, usually alternate days between combat training and taking care of whatever it is that their special command requires.

 

8 hours of rest means a number of different things. Sleeping is the most obvious answer, but as a Space Marine needs far less sleeping time than a regular human, it leaves a lot of time for other pursuits. Traditionally, eating and bathing are subtracted from this part of time. Otherwise, the Royal Martyrs are encouraged to pursue the aristocratic activities to which they were accustomed before they entered the chapter. Physically inclined Marines will often go hunting or fishing, engaged in athletic games (right now a game where small balls are hit with mallets from the backs of equine quadrupeds is popular with the chapter's brothers), or continue exercising or fighting mock duels. More intellectually inclined brothers add time for silent prayer and contemplation or the reading of scholarly works of history, theology, and philosophy. Culturally inclined brothers will write and read poetry or otherwise create and enjoy artistic works. An enduring pass-time for the chapter has been for the Marines to sit for portraits for each other, and the Windswept House had galleries with 5000 years of  portraits painted of Royal Martyr Space Marines (and occasionally other subjects, probably the most common are Imperial Guard commanders they have served with) by their brothers. Rakish brothers will often play cards (just for bragging rights- they take vows of poverty and own no personal possessions with which to gamble), engage in witty repartee (referred to by uncultured chapter hereditary serfs as "bants") or arrange wine and cheese tastings.

 

+ Subsection B: The Pontifical Cult +

 

The involvement of the Adeptus Ministorum, and especially the Ecclesiarch, with the origin and history of the chapter has led to a culture of great reverence for the office of Ecclesiarch and the person who holds it. Chaplains are expected to intimately know the writings and sermons of the Ecclesiarchs, including its current incumbent, and battle brothers are also encouraged to read these works. Perhaps the greatest manifestation of this respect is the enormous Pontifical Narthex, the antechamber to the Reclusiam in the Windswept House. The Narthex contains a fresco of every single Ecclesiarch, from the first to Decius XXII, the current office holder. Many of the frescoes were painted by Royal Martyr battle brothers.

 

+ Subsection C: The Cult of the Martyrs +

 

It should be no surprise given their name that the Royal Martyrs revere martyrdom above all else. The believe that martyrs have a special place at the side of the Emperor, helping him combat the evil powers of the warp. Because of this, most Royal Martyrs prefer to move on to their eternal reward rather than be interred in Dreadnoughts. Apothecaries of the chapter will administer the Emperor's Mercy to critically maimed brothers unless the brother in question has specified beforehand that he wishes to continue to serve the chapter as a Dreadnought. Consequently, the Royal Martyrs have far fewer Dreadnoughts in their ranks than many other Space Marine chapters.

 

The Royal Martyrs divide martyrdom into three levels: white martyrdom, red martyrdom, and Royal or purple martyrdom.

 

White martyrdom is the giving up of luxuries, ease of life, and worldly glory and titles in service to the Emperor and his Imperium. Royal Martyrs consider themselves and all Space Marines to have obtained this level of martyrdom. Ministorum clerics, astropaths, and currently serving Imperial Guard members are also said to have this level of martyrdom. White martyrdom is the only level of martyrdom that can be freely given up; for example, an Imperial Guard soldier who completes his tour of duty and returns to civilian life loses his status as a white martyr. The Royal Martyrs venerate their Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, as the highest example of white martyrdom (as he is still alive, technically).

 

Red martyrdom is reserved for people who give their lives in service to the Imperium. Since Space Marines are never known to die of old age, all Royal Martyrs and other Space Marines will eventually achieve this level of martyrdom. Imperial Guard members who die in battle and psykers who give up their lives to the Astronomican have also obtained this level of martyrdom.

 

This highest level, Royal or purple martyrdom, is only for people who have been killed specifically because of their worship of the Emperor. Typically, only being killed by Traitor Marines, Chaos cultists or worshipers, or demons can provide this kind of martyrdom. Ironically the Royal Martyrs rarely reach this level because they rarely combat such foes, though those who do are the greatest heroes of the chapter. Primarchs who gave their lives during the Horus Heresy are the archetypes of purple martyrs and are greatly revered by the Royal Martyrs.

 

_{Fresco of Ecclesiarch Greigor XIV in the Pontifical Narthex of the Reclusiam of the Royal Martyr's fortress monastery, the Windswept House.}

_{Greigor XIV is the Ecclesiarch who gifted the Royal Martyrs their current heraldry and the relic thunder hammer Main de Justice.}

 

+ Geneseed and Recruitment +

 

When the 11th founding of Space Marine chapters was being discussed, the Ecclesiarch of the time required that some of the new chapters be founded according to his specifications in order to obtain his support for the proclamation. When the plans for the founding were drawn up, the Ecclesiarch specified that the geneseed for the chapter that was to become the Royal Martyrs be taken from a specific, stasis sealed gene-vault on Mars: vault number 0018-0011-1302. The other High Lords considered the specificity of this request to be unusual, so they established an inquiry to look into the contents of the vault. It was discovered that, during the scheduled inventory of geneseed vaults 40 years prior, the august Magos Genetus Lōc Terenell had certified that 0018-0011-1302 contained an unused stock of Ultramarine geneseed. Unfortunately, Lōc Terenell had been assassinated by Moirae schismatics 10 years after his inventory, and was not available to comment on the matter directly. The Fabricator-General of Mars insisted that the unique tripcode indicating that Lōc Terenell had certified the contents of the gene-vault could not be hacked or spoofed, so the matter was quickly resolved. Vault 0018-0011-1302 was opened and its contents emptied in order to be cultivated for implantation into the first generation of Royal Martyrs.

 

Other than this historical footnote, the geneseed of the Royal Martyrs is much like any other Ultramarine-derived geneseed, and does not possess any unusual characteristics or deviations.

 

+Subsection A: Recruitment+

 

In keeping with their founding stock of recruits, the Royal Martyrs will only take aspirants from those who possess royal blood; generally, that means from hereditary rulers who possess the rank of planetary governor or above. In order to avoid destabilizing the political environment, they will generally only take on aspirants who would not directly inherit important titles if the current holders die. Thus, the Royal Marines are a chapter of second sons, cousins, and princes du sang. The Royal Martyrs believe that this ensures that they will receive the best people the Imperium has to offer while simultaneously avoiding the pitfalls they believe harm chapters who recruit from violent gangers or other similar undesirables. It also does not hurt that the entire chapter is related to some of the most wealthy and politically powerful families in the Segementums Solar and Pacificus. The chapter prefers to recruit from the "rural" worlds it has a penchant for protecting (a mutually reinforcing phenomenon). They generally avoid recruiting from hive worlds and other heavily industrialized worlds; the chapter has observed that the royalty on these worlds tend to be unusually decadent and corrupt, though they do not ban the practice. The Royal Martyrs do have a longstanding by-law that if the chapter's strength dips below 60%, they may recruit from what they call the "Pairie de l'Empire"- essentially the most powerful nobility that, nevertheless, does not control any planetary governorships or higher titles. This state of affairs is called "La Condescendance" and it ends when the chapter is at 60% or higher strength.

 

The "Segmenta Avia" - the series of sectors on the border of the Segmentum Solar and the Segmentum Pacificus- that the Royal Martyr's claim as their home region was settled during the Dark Age of Technology by settlers from the now mostly forgotten portion of Terra known in history dataslates as Europa. The ancient country of Franc provided most of the colonists, but there are some oddities out there; the pleasure world of Bisaldeo was settled, for example, primarily by people from the area to the south of where the Imperial Palace is now. The royal family of Bisaldeo is unusually psychically active and, over the years, has provided roughly 40% of the Royal Martryr's librarians. The cultural character of the Royal Martyrs generally reflects the origins of its recruits in the colonies settled by Franc and her near neighbors (though, of course, altered by over 10000 years of separation). Since the same pool of families makes up the majority of recruiting stock for the chapter, it is common for a battle brother to have one or two relatives also in the chapter, though often generations apart. Having said all this, roughly 1/3 of the chapter at any time is patrolling the wider Imperium with the portion of the chapter's fleet that is dedicated to that task. The wandering fleet can and does recruit as it needs according to the standards set by the chapter as a whole.

 

When looking for new recruits, the Royal Martyrs keep an eye out on the young relatives of a planet's ruler when they descend to assist him for potential recruits. More commonly, the Royal Martyrs are contacted directly and asked to come look at a young man as a potential inductee. A chaplain is dispatched with a medicae team to interview the young man and conduct some preliminary psychological tests. The chapter looks for young men who are forthright, honest, faithful, energetic, courageous, and magnanimous. They are generally not worried if the boy has any combat experience (something hard for a 10-12 year old aristocrat anyway), and indeed a violent or bloodthirsty temperament is likely to see the potential recruit rejected. If the child's character meets with the approval of the chaplain, and the medicae team certifies that he is not sickly or a weakling, he will be taken to the Windswept House for preliminary training. There, he will be subject to a year of harsh military discipline and exercise, further psychological profiling, and the early levels of indoctrination. If, after this year, he is not found wanting, he will be asked to take the monastic vows of the Royal Martyrs and his real training can begin as a neophyte and he is prepared for implantation of the geneseed. If the child does not take the vows (very rare due to undergoing some indoctrination), or is found to be unacceptable, he will be returned to his family (who will have to deal with a 12-13 year old who is now probably a marksman on par with the best snipers in the local PDF and knows how to kill a man with his bare hands in a variety of different ways). On exceptionally rare occasions a recruit will be found to have Chaos or Xenos taint during his introductory year. He will be granted the Emperor's Mercy and his family will be told that he was killed in an unfortunate training accident (the Royal Martyrs do not like to outright lie, but a bit of mental reservation such as this is not beyond them). Thereafter the Royal Martyrs will keep as close a watch on the family as they can, and if the taint in the boy was serious, they may contact Inquisitorial representatives to investigate the matter further.

 

_{Lōc Terenell, certifier of the purity of the Royal Martyr's geneseed, captured in a pict as a young genetor in 244.M34.}

 

+ Chapter Motto +

 

The Royal Martyr's motto is "Unam Sanctam" which, when translated to Low Gothic literally means "One holy." A translation that better captures the meaning is "One faith," or even "One Church." When going into battle, the motto is expanded into the battle cry "Unam sanctam, unum Imperium!" or "One faith, one Empire!" When leading or fighting with a PDF or Guardsmen, they will often drop this cry and use the much more commonly known "For the Emperor!" so their allies can join in and thus be spiritually strengthened.

 

+ Appendices +

 

Dramatis Personae

Royal Martyrs Order of Precedence and Chapter Minutae

The Royal Martyrs Fleet

Edited by Formosus XVI, 24 November 2018 - 10:39 PM.

[Beta galactosidase]

This is very satisfying, and it seems to understand and inhabit the spirit of the background in a way that is very infrequently understood.

The how and the rationalization in the Origins section is just past adequate, and I think that as more about the chapter gets posted, the origins and the story portion will recede in prominence compared to the rest of the writing.

It's a really pleasing post, thank you and keep going.

[Formosus XVI]

Thank you for your kind words curvacious.

 

A small edit was made to the chapter origins to explain the chapter badge and the iconic weapon of the Royal Martyrs.

 

I've also added the combat doctrine section. I'm really worried that it has too much extraneous information; if anyone has suggestions on paring it down I would be grateful.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The additional details on the Chapter's history and beliefs allow it to stand out. The Windswept House's decorative architecture now seems justified, the Chapter serving as caretakers and guardians of Ecclesiarchal treasures, rather than magpies (see 1d4chan's "Blood Ravens" article) or peacocks (see anything featuring the Emperor's Children).

[Formosus XVI]

The additional details on the Chapter's history and beliefs allow it to stand out. The Windswept House's decorative architecture now seems justified, the Chapter serving as caretakers and guardians of Ecclesiarchal treasures, rather than magpies (see 1d4chan's "Blood Ravens" article) or peacocks (see anything featuring the Emperor's Children).

 I won't lie Bjorn.

 

They are intentionally a little peacocky.

 

Small edit: Are the qualities you described frequently considered to be out-of-universe poor attributes for Space Marine chapters? (Presumably stealing everything under the sun would also be considered and in-universe poor attribute for a Space Marine chapter).

Edited by Formosus XVI, 21 January 2017 - 11:50 PM.

[Beta galactosidase]

I guess you should pare down all of it. It doesn't seem to have any color or any useful structure.

One place to stay is that it addresses so many things other than combat doctrine. There is also this iterative approach - this is how they feel about X faction, then moving on to Y faction here is his they feel, and then here is another faction. It neither servers as an excuse for color, nor do the subject changes seem prompted by anything.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The additional details on the Chapter's history and beliefs allow it to stand out. The Windswept House's decorative architecture now seems justified, the Chapter serving as caretakers and guardians of Ecclesiarchal treasures, rather than magpies (see 1d4chan's "Blood Ravens" article) or peacocks (see anything featuring the Emperor's Children).

I won't lie Bjorn.

They are intentionally a little peacocky.

Small edit: Are the qualities you described frequently considered to be out-of-universe poor attributes for Space Marine chapters? (Presumably stealing everything under the sun would also be considered and in-universe poor attribute for a Space Marine chapter).

The "Blood Magpies" meme may be stupid, but like all of 4chan's memes, they wouldn't exist in the first place if Games Workshop's writers had exercised greater care. I repeat the memes as a warning: the examples set when the Blood Ravens' backstory was written, is one to AVOID.

[Formosus XVI]

Some updates: I've cut down a bit of background information on Maiden Worlds that everyone knows already. I have also changed the Combat Doctrine section to also be the Operational History Overview section and clearly labeled the bit about the Royal Martyr's relations with other Imperial factions as a sub-section.

 

I've added a small section on the chapter's organization. Not a lot there though as they are a primarily codex compliant chapter.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job thus far.

[Formosus XVI]

I've updated the organization section with information about the chapter serfs and chapter beliefs.

Edited by Formosus XVI, 23 January 2017 - 02:01 AM.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

As the per-Heresy Emperor's Children also had great interest in art, do the Royal Martyrs take great pains monitoring each other for signs of Chaos-taint- cooperating with the Inquisition if they feel the need, which most Chapters will not- to prevent themselves from falling under Slaanesh's influence, and to defend their honor if others compare the Royal Martyrs to those traitors?

[Formosus XVI]

As the per-Heresy Emperor's Children also had great interest in art, do the Royal Martyrs take great pains monitoring each other for signs of Chaos-taint- cooperating with the Inquisition if they feel the need, which most Chapters will not- to prevent themselves from falling under Slaanesh's influence, and to defend their honor if others compare the Royal Martyrs to those traitors?

 

Well, to be honest, I am not sure. Unfortunately I have never gotten a good sense of how much people in the 41st millennium actually know about the Horus Heresy, demons, chaos gods, and the like. I've tried to leave that a little vague in my write up so far for that purpose. I've read fiction where people will be murdered by the Inquisition merely for seeing a demon or Traitor Marine, and yet right now I am reading the Word Bearers trilogy, where it is strongly implied that the Elysian drop troops that are sent to engage them in the first book have a good grasp on what the Horus Heresy was generally, and seem as unphased as one can be upon encountering furies.

 

What do you think is the right amount of knowledge to give a chapter that was founded long after the Heresy, but long before the current era, and who does not frequently fight against Chaos-tainted foes?

Edited by Formosus XVI, 23 January 2017 - 04:40 AM.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Space Marines receive far more training and discipline than guardsmen; therefore, they're thought to be far more resistant to Chaos-taint, and can be trusted with far more secrets. There will be limits, though; 'The Emperor's Gift' states Marines that learn of the Grey Knights' existence (with the notable exception of Chapter Masters who allowed to ask for their aid) will be mind-wiped to erase their memories of the Grey Knights.

[Formosus XVI]

Space Marines receive far more training and discipline than guardsmen; therefore, they're thought to be far more resistant to Chaos-taint, and can be trusted with far more secrets. There will be limits, though; 'The Emperor's Gift' states Marines that learn of the Grey Knights' existence (with the notable exception of Chapter Masters who allowed to ask for their aid) will be mind-wiped to erase their memories of the Grey Knights.

 

In that case I would say that while the Royal Martyrs are probably aware of the Emperor's Children and their fall, they probably do not know specifically that one of the 3rd Legion's defining characteristics was an appreciation of art (I feel like that would be information mostly lost to time.)

 

If an Inquisitor were to inquire about it and insinuate that their artistic endeavors were leading them on the path to heresy, they would likely feel insulted, as they believe that art inspired by the Emperor and his subjects does exactly the opposite. However, they know the price of resisting the Inquisition for non-First Founding Chapters, being somewhat aware of the unfortunate fate of the Celestial Lions.

 

With that in mind they would likely grudgingly submit to an inspection of their works after making it clear that they are not very happy. After all, they are a loyalist chapter and pride themselves on their monastic discipline, so they have nothing to hide from the Inquisition on this front.

 

Internally, the Reclusiam is very powerful within the Chapter, and any works the brothers create are likely to be inspected for orthodoxy by either the company chaplains or the Master of Sanctity before they are permitted to be shared with the rest of the chapter or released to the public. Brothers are required to make a confession of sins to their company chaplain at least once a month when possible, and most do so much more frequently, in order to keep everyone on the straight-and-narrow. Chaplains themselves will go to the Master of Sanctity, and the Master of Sanctity will confess to a Ministorum Priest who ministers to the serf population.

Edited by Formosus XVI, 24 January 2017 - 04:44 AM.

[Formosus XVI]

Ok, after having re-typed everything after losing it, Geneseed, recruitment, and chapter motto are now up. I will eventually be adding a post detailing major figures in the modern chapter with little blurbs, as well as list of the ships in their fleet with their command staffs, in a separate post and linking to it from the main post. My guess is that most people do not want to see that, but I want it here for easy reference.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

"One Faith, One Imperium!" is a good battle cry.

[Claws and Effect]

There's a head spinning amount of detail there.

Kudos.

[Formosus XVI]

+ Dramatis Personae +

 

+ Chapter Master: Maxence Louis de Beauharnais +

 

Chapter Master Maxence is relatively new to the job, having served in his position as chapter master for just 25 years, and clocks in at just over 300 years of age. Before he was elected to this position at the death of the previous Chapter Master, Maxence served as a battle brother of the 3rd company, then was promoted to the 1st company where he eventually became a sergeant of one of the company's terminator squads. His prowess in battle saw him selected by previous Chapter Master Auguste-Philippe d'Anjou to serve as the chapter's champion. While on a campaign against the Tyranids of the Leviathan strain, Chapter Master August-Philippe and the captain and most of the specialist marines and command structure of the 2nd Company were slain in an unexpected massive invasion of Subsector Pomona by the hateful xenos creatures. Maxence's bravery as he stepped in to lead the campaign saw the chapter and their support from several Imperial Guard regiments snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Maxence personally slew no fewer than three Hive Tyrants and the Broodlord responsible for summoning the Hive Fleet. With such a masterful showing the company captains and senior leaders of the specialist commands hand no option but to elect Maxence as their new Chapter Master.

 

Unfortunately, Maxence is not very popular with his fellow marines. Though all respect his strategic and tactical acumen, as well as his skill in both close combat and at range, Maxence has a dower personality and is something of a martinet (most Royal Martyrs tend to be on the jolly side, when not in the middle of battle). Also against him is the fact that the Beauharnais family are not of royal extraction; Maxence was recruited during La Condescendance when the Royal Martyrs were under 60% strength. While all brothers renounce their claims to worldly titles and honors once taking their vows, there is and always has been a subtle discrimination in the ranks against those of lower birth; only Maxence's superlative skill at arms saw him rise as high as he did.

 

There is no mechanism for removing a Chapter Master for simply being unpopular, however, and Maxence's wise strategic decisions during his brief time as Chapter Master have seen the Royal Martyrs emerge victorious far more often than defeated from conflicts they enter, so there is no movement to unseat him- just some grumbling from the battle brothers. The fact that Chief Librarian Jagaddeva and Master of Recruits (and oldest non-dreadnought Marine in the Chapter) Plaisant Strasbourg are among Maxence's strongest supporters also helps to solidify his rule.

• Chapter Champion: Gregoire-Egon Merovetch de Rondel is unusual in having been recruited from a hive world, avoided for recruiting by the Royal Martyrs, one of only two in the chapter (the other is his cousin, Master of the Forge for the chapter). Gregoire-Egon  is thought of as being a little thick, and his strategic and tactical thinking are lacking. However, he has never lost a duel against anyone in his 212 years of existence, including against an uppity Space Wolves Wolfbaron (or whatever those savages call their Company captains).
• Chapter Standard Bearer: Junípero Oriol lives to hate the xenos, and is said to fall asleep to comforting dreams of rending Eldar limb from limb after serving with the Deathwatch for 75 years. He won't explain why his hatred for the Eldar is so great to anyone except his confessor. Whispers in the refectory claim that the only time he lost a standard, to a female Commorraghite wearing barely more than undergarments no less, was during his Deathwatch service.
• Ordinator of the House: Josquin von Blofonheim received the highest marks of any neophyte in the Royal Martyrs for the past 1000 years, and great things were expected of him. Much to everyone's chagrin, his body rejected the Ossmodula, and he was only rescued from dying ignominiously on the surgical table by the skills of the Master of the Apothecarion. He entered service as a Vowed Serf, and applied the same prodigality to that position as he did to his Marine training, becoming something like the chapter's mascot. He was a close confidant of former Chapter Master Auguste-Philippe, though his relationship with Maxence is a little more formal.​

​+ Master of Sanctity: Guénolé +

 

Guénolé is a living saint: moderate in all things, learned, valorous in battle, dedicated to serving the Emperor and his Imperium, and possessed of the wisdom to know just what buttons to push to get his brothers to rise to the challenge of being Space Marines. A small few might say that Guénolé can be manipulative, but never within earshot of his legion of admirers. 

 

Guénolé was raised on the feudal world of Wambaix, where his father was one of the most powerful kings; a third son, he had pledged to join the clergy of the distant God-Emperor who lived in the stars far away. Feral Orks that dwelt in Wambaix's badlands began to multiply at an alarming rate, creating a Waaaagh that began to attract the attention of their space-faring kin, which would have certainly doomed the Wambaixians. Guénolé recalled the stories of a holy relic (really a deep space communications array) interred in the catacombs beneath the royal cathedral, and through his faith managed to both locate and activate the device at the tender age of 13. Royal Martyrs responded to the distress call, cleansed the Orks from Wambaix, and got a new recruit or two out of the deal as well- including the precocious boy who managed to call them in the first place.

• Reclusiarch: Antonio Tommaso Barberini is a fine Space Marine, but his greatest quality is his singing voice and talent for composition. Antonio has composed hundreds of devotional polyphonic choral works for use in Ecclesiarchal services, and it is said that his arrangements for the Catechisms of Hate have even spread to other Adeptus Astartes chapters.

​+ Master of the Apothecarion: Fraser de Fénelon-Corbenic

 

As Master of the Apothecarion for just under a century, Fraser de Fénelon-Corbenic has studied under some of the finest medical minds in the Segmentum Solar, including a Magos Genetus. There are very few who know as much about Astartes geneseed as he, and he does not share his knowledge with just anyone. Any Scout Marine who is interested in apprenticing as an Apothecary must endure Master Fraser's very intellectually demanding lectures, and even more demanding battlefield surgery tests. Master Fraser was recruited from the civilized world of Calais Nouveaux, where the ruling Fénelon family has a number of branches that have provided more than one Marine to the Royal Martyrs. Perhaps Fraser's most famous battlefield exploit was recovering enough genetic material from 3 squads of Royal Martyrs that had taken a direct hit from a Void Spinner discharge to be able to reconstruct their progenoid glands. While this was feat enough, he managed to stalk the Void Spinner without being noticed by its advanced sensor systems, climb onto it, open the hatch, and kill the Eldar crew inside with just his Narthecium and burning desire for vengeance.

 

+ Chief Librarian: Jagaddeva +

 

The Royal Martyrs are famous (or infamous) for preferring that their candidates for recruitment have happy, or at least not nightmarish, childhoods. That was not to be the case for Jagaddeva however. A member of the ruling Sambhar dynasty of the pleasure world Bisaldeo, Jagaddeva was reviled by his people when at the young age of 11 he murdered his own father, Chamunda, the reining king, in his sleep. Claiming that he had sensed that his father was secretly in league with demons, his family were appalled at this suggestion, and even his mother called for him to be put to death.

 

Before that could happen, however, the Royal Martyrs' flagship Dieu et Mon Droit descended to the planet, claiming that the ship's resident Librarian had heard Jagaddeva's cries for vindication across the Empyrean. They demanded that the Sambhars perform an autopsy on Chamunda's body. Unwilling to defy the Emperor's angels of death, the new king (Jagaddeva's elder brother) had Chamunda's body opened, only to discover the man's internal organs were mostly mutated beyond the ability identify, proving his association with the nefarious powers of the Warp. Further investigation by the Royal Martyrs uncovered a hidden shrine to Tzeentch in Chamunda's private meditation garden. Once the former king's corruption was beyond any doubt, the Royal Martyrs left, taking the psychic prodigy Jagaddeva with them.

 

This grisly tale of justified patricide has informed Jagaddeva's personality ever since, and he is unusually grim and withdrawn for a Royal Martyr. This seriousness of character, while a cause for estrangement with most of his brothers, has made him a friend and ally of the equally serious Chapter Master Maxence. Jagaddeva's precognitive and extrasensory powers are mighty, and he has even been known to read the future better than Eldar Fareers on occasion.

 

+ Master of the Fleet: Théodore Marie Chevignard +

 

The Chevingards are one of the most powerful families in the Segmentum Pacificus, holding not only a half dozen planetary governerships as hereditary fiefs, but three subsector governerships and one sector governership as well. It was not just because of his exalted lineage that Master Théodore was selected for recruitment into the Adeptus Astartes however; his father was Lord Admiral of the Muspelheim sector and he grew up on the mightiest battleships and star fortresses of the Imperium. By the age of 10, he had actually been in a number of naval engagements with his father's fleet (though he was safely ensconced in the palatial officers' quarters). The Royal Martyrs' fleet had battled alongside the Imperial Navy of Muspelheim on numerous occasions, and impressed with the honor and sagacity of Lord Admiral Chevignard, they were very happy to learn that he had a son at just the right age to be recruited into the chapter. The then Master of the Fleet asked the Lord Admiral if he could inspect his son for possible induction, and after much cajoling, the Lord Admiral finally relented.

 

Pegged from almost the first moment he set foot in the Windswept House to become the Master of the Fleet, Master Théodore has led a destined life. Though his regular combat skills are adequate (for a Space Marine), his masterful ability to command void ships is only capable for one who has the sea in his very blood. Though his father is long dead, Master Théodore is well respected among Imperial Navy commanders in the Royal Martyrs' "Segmenta Avia" thanks to working to improve relations with them tirelessly. While Master Théodore is second-to-none in his void combat capability, not everything is under his control in a battle, and he has suffered his share of naval defeats. Despite this, he has always managed to read the flow of battle and arrange an orderly withdrawal, and in his 125 year tenure as Master of the Fleet the Royal Martyrs have only lost 3 ships (all escort frigates).

 

+ Master of the Armory: Hercule Merovetch +

 

The fabulously wealthy rulers of the Segementum Solar hive world Beta Reticuli II, the Merovetch family provided some of the founding recruits for the Royal Martyrs in M35 when it was only a civilized world. For this reason, the Merovetches (and, during La Condescendance, the other high nobles of Beta Reticuli II), are often considered as a potential recruitment source for the Royal Martyrs, despite the chapter's dislike of hive and other industrialized worlds. When King Roland Merovetch received a letter from his youngest son Hercule that the implantation of all of the Emperor's holy geneseed has been completed and Hercule was now a full Space Marine, the King ordered a week of rejoicing on the planet. Furthermore, he commissioned the Gladius-class frigates Merovetch le Roi (named after the eponymous founder of the Merovetch family) and Fomalhaut to be constructed at the Adeptus Mechanicus shipyards orbiting Beta Reticuli II and delivered to the Royal Martyrs free of charge.

 

These gifts certainly didn't hurt the advancement of Hercule in the ranks of the chapter, but his real strength was his knack for being able to jerry-rig just about anything into working, no matter how broken down. Even as a Scout Marine, the Techmarines of the Chapter's armory had their bionic eyes on him, and when the geneseed implantation was complete, they offered to take him on as an apprentice. He studied in the armory in addition to completing his other duties, and eventually the Master of the Forge felt the time was right and sent him to Mars to complete his training and be inducted into the Machine Cult.

 

Now the same age as Chapter Master Maxence, Hercule served faithfully for many decades as a Techmarine, and now has over150 years under his belt as the Master of the Forge. Outwardly an orthodox member of the Machine Cult, Hercule can't resist a bit of tinkering here and there in his private workshop-chapel, an heretical hobby that has had the positive side effect of keeping some of the chapter's older equipment in better condition than it should be.

 

Master Hercule and Chapter Master Maxence had some kind of disagreement in their youths, which has led to an icy relationship ever since; both refuse to speak of it except to the chapter's members who are still around that were inducted with them, and then only rarely. In any event, it was serious enough for Master Hercule to be one of only two votes against selecting Maxence as Chapter Master. It is believed in the chapter that Maxence selected Gregoire-Egon Merovetch de Rondel, Master Hercule's distant cousin, from the qualified candidates to be chapter champion as an attempt to mollify the Master of the Forge.

 

+ 1st Company Captain and Master of Rites: Trianon Saulot Genucio +

 

The Captain of the Royal Martyr's First Company is everything that a Royal Martyr aspires to be: brave, skilled at war, possessing abiding faith in the Emperor,  magnanimous, a certain joie de vivre, and an excellent tenor singing voice. Besides these enviable personality qualities, Captain Trianon is surely of the most exalted lineage in the chapter, rivaled only distantly by the Master of the Fleet; he is the nephew of the reigning Ecclesiarch. Captain Trianon has the most extensive record of victory against Traitor Marines in the chapter, something that contributed greatly to his promotion to the Captain of the 1st. He has personally killed one Chaos Lord of the Emperor's Children traitor legion and driven half a dozen others Traitor Marine leaders and their warbands from the field.

 

When the previous Chapter Master was killed by a Tyranid swarm, Trianon thought it only natural that he would be elected as the new Chapter Master. He graciously voted for the eldest non-Dreadnought member of the chapter, the Master of Recruits, expecting to receive all the other votes. He was bitterly surprised when everyone but himself and the Master of the Forge voted instead for the chapter champion Maxence Louis de Beauharnais, who had admittedly pulled out the most stunning turnaround victory the chapter has had in the past 1500 years.

 

Though quick to forgive his brothers for this slight against his honor, Trianon continues to clash with Maxence due to personality differences (Maxence is serious and a little po-faced, Trianon exuberant and joyful), command styles (Trianon is fine with letting his veterans do their own thing as necessary, Maxence has a tendency to micromanage), and, as he willingly admits to his confessor, a bit of wounded pride on his part. When push comes to shove Trianon will obey his Chapter Master, comforted in knowing that the Emperor surely still has great things in mind for him.

• 1st Company Chaplain: Fidel Reccared Almodóvar dey Luján was rescued as a child from Eldar slavers by the Royal Martyrs; it is said that he bit the fingers of his captors in order to give the Royal Martyrs an opening to fire. When it was discovered that the boy they had found was the 3rd cousin of the Planetary Governor of Luján, permission was requested and granted to train him.
• 1st Company Apothecary: Xaphon Ulliel is nearly as experienced and knowledgeable as the Master of the Apothecarion in medical matters. He is known to his brothers for his sometimes inappropriate sense of gallows humor, but more often a well timed joke can raise the spirits of the 1st when needed- or serve as a suitable distraction from painful battlefield triage. 
• 1st Company Librarian Epistolary: Draçon Fex was recruited during La Condescendance and is from the eponymous Archbarony of Fex, a subdivision of the planet Enférac. He is an even greater battle-psyker than the Chief Librarian (who is no slouch), with a command of harmful psychic abilities that are capable of incinerating whole squads of enemies.
• 1st Company Techmarine: Douglas Quincy Bain-Mogg's love for Terminator armor borders on obsession, an obsession he is thankfully allowed to indulge as the chapter's second most senior Techmarine. Every suit of Terminator armor in the possession of the first company has been subject to his devotional ministrations, and as a result are all in fine working order.
• 1st Company Champion: Trumbo is an enormous behemoth who stands nearly nine feet tall. Records indicate that he is one of the only Royal Martyrs to ever be recruited from a feral world, but he can't speak about it himself because his tongue has been pulled out courtesy of an Ork Painboy. When freed by his battle brothers, he is said to have beaten the Painboy in question to death armorless and with his bare hands.
• 1st Company Standard Bearer: Pierre Chance van Oldenbarnevelt is said by the women of the Imperium to be a waste of a Space Marine, as he is very pleasing to look upon. The chemical castration and indoctrination methods used during the making of a Space Marine render Pierre nothing more than slightly perplexed by such talk (though the Scouts whisper he keeps a comb hidden with the rest of his wargear). In any event, there is no denying he strikes a suitably heroic figure presenting the banner of the 1st.​

​+ 2nd Company Captain: Crispin Mauser +

 

Crispin Mauser was the grand nephew of the reining monarch and planetary governor of the civilized world Mulhouse before being recruited into the Royal Martyrs are the relatively late age of 15. The boy's heroic exposition of his uncle as an embezzler of the planetary tithes, and his ability to fend off the trained assassins his uncle sent to eliminate him before he could inform the authorities, attracted the attention of the Royal Martyrs. His age and what ended up being mediocre initial screening scores almost resulted in his rejection, but Chief Librarian Jagaddeva intervened with cryptic messages about the boy filling some needed role in the indeterminate future. Crispin did almost die, due to his advanced age, from the geneseed implantation, and likely would have in certain other Astartes chapters, but the high skill standards to which the Royal Martyrs hold their apothecaries saw him pull through.

 

Never an ambitious Marine, Crispin and the squad he lead as a sergeant in the 2nd company were never known for heroics, but they were quietly praised for their workmanlike dedication to getting the job done. Few "prestige" targets such as Autarchs or Weirdboys fell to the tactical squad he commanded, but they did tally the highest kill rate of rank-and-file enemies with the fewest casualties of any squad in the 2nd company. Still, few could see this mysterious critical future role he would play that Jagaddeva had predicted for him.

 

All that changed on the planet Echidna Tetartos, where almost the entire command structure of the 2nd company was killed thanks to a far greater genestealer infestation than was anticipated. This massacre saw the beginning of the Subsector Pomona Invasion that resulted in the rise of Chapter Master Maxence. When the dust of the tyranid onslaught had settled, 2nd company had taken the leading edge of the attack and was reduced by roughly 70%. Crispin Mauser was the only remaining sergeant in the company thanks to his conservative tactical decisions, and those of the 2nd that survived were alive thanks to these same decisions. When elected to the position of Chapter Master, Maxence Louis de Beauharnais made his first official act the appointment of Crispin Mauser to the captaincy of the 2nd.

 

Captain Crispin is aware of his green status as a company captain, and knows that he likely never would have attained such a rank except for the near obliteration of his company. As a result, he is quietly deferential to his fellow captains, but his true loyalty lies with Chapter Master Maxence. Right now, his highest priority is rebuilding the 2nd company, which is still in the process of recovering even 25 years later.

• 2nd Company Chaplain: Charles-Perdrix-Noé Maurras was formerly the chaplain of the 1st company, but Master of Sanctity Guénolé made the unprecedented decision of reassigning him to the 2nd to help the shattered company rebuild. Not as charismatic as many other chaplains, Charles-Perdrix-Noé is probably the greatest theologian in the chapter and once argued a Word Bearer warband leader into submission before clubbing him to death with his Crozius Arcanum.
• 2nd Company Apothecary: Clément Périgord is a fresh Apothecary, just out of his apprenticeship and assigned to the rebuilding 2nd company. The scion of a combined pleasure and ocean world, Clément is a strong swimmer. When assigned to monitor a scout squad as an apprentice, a rebellious planetary governor tried to drown them by destroying a dam where the squad was stationed. Clément managed to rescue all of the novices on his own, despite the crushing rush of water.
• 2nd Company Librarian Epistolary: François-Séraphon is the only surviving member of the 2nd company's command structure from the Subsector Pomona Ivasion, besides Captain Crispin himself. Despite having seen so many of his battle brothers die over the years coupled with the isolation of being a psyker, François-Séraphon retains the sunny disposition expected of a Royal Martyr. He claims that a dream vision of the Emperor, standing rejuvenated and victorious over the forces of darkness in the galaxy, is what gives him strength.
• 2nd Company Techmarine: Edmond Petit de Menthon has recently returned from Mars with the full rank of techmarine and blessings of the Machine Cult. Edmond is a very strict and orthodox adherent of the Machine Cult, perhaps due to his relative youth. To get him out of the Armory where Hercule Merovetch's heretical tinkering might be discovered, Master Hercule has assigned him to the 2nd company where that company's rebuilding process sees Edmond constantly busy.
• 2nd Company Champion: Melchior Le Houx was the best remaining melee specialist in the 2nd company, so the position of company champion has fallen to him by default. He knows he has a lot to learn in order to compete with the champions of other companies, so he trains relentlessly day and night to close the gap. Even when on assignment, any spare moment he has is spent sparring or exercising.
• 2nd Company Standard Bearer: Drodegha, formerly a regular battle brother, was the most senior remaining Marine without a title left in the 2nd company, so he was selected to become the 2nd's standard bearer. Recruited by the Royal Martyr's long range patrols, Drodegha's home planet of  Fiachrac is distant from the "Segmenta Avia." Fiachracan aristocrats are known for holding grudges, both personal and familial, and Drodegha struggles with the Royal Martyr ideal of being magnanimous.

​+ 3rd Company Captain and Master of the Marches: Buer Wilhelm von Quadt-Siegmaringen +

 

A very distant cousin of the governor of subsector Rhyneguld Nebula in the Segementum Pacificus, Captain Buer's family lived in what one might call genteel poverty. Other than being poor (for an Imperial aristocrat), Buer's early life was somewhat bucolic until all 16 of his older siblings suffered from psychic awakenings. With nearly his entire family whisked away by Black Ships to either become Astropaths or sacrifice themselves to the Astronomican, Buer put on a happy face to mask the pain inside. His immediate family grew estranged from the wider clan due to the shame of having produced so many witches, and his father had to take an officer's commission with the Imperial Guard in order to make ends meet. It was through his father's service in the Loken Reclamation Wars that Buer was introduced to the Royal Martyrs; in an effort to reestablish his reputation Buer's father thought it might be good to have his son become a Space Marine. He had Buer tested and, much to his surprise, the 11 year old passed the preliminary tests and was invited to Asón to begin his trial training year.

 

After many long years of service with the 3rd company as a devastator sergeant, Buer was promoted to lead the company he had essentially grown up in when its previous captain was assassinated by Eldar aspect warriors while overseeing a campaign against the elfin xenos on the agri-world Freefall. Using his newfound clout as a Space Marine captain, Buer immediately contacted the Adeptus Astra Telepathica to inquire about his siblings. He discovered that, while all of them had survived the Black Ship, only 5 were soul bound to the Emperor to become astropaths. The rest had entered the Astronomican ages ago and spent their last months boosting the signal of that holy beacon.  He quickly called in whatever favors he could to have all five of his siblings re-assigned to the Royal Martyrs, where they now serve as the backbone for the chapter's interstellar communications command. Captain Buer's devotion and affection for his mortal family are highly praised in the Chapter, and it is considered a great honor to have one of the von Quadt-Siegmaringen siblings assigned to a company or Armada ship as a resident astropath. 

 

Captain Buer has garnered a reputation for being suitably stoic for a Space Marine without being a stick-in-the-mud, and many regular battle brothers of the Royal Martyrs wish he had become Chapter Master rather than Maxence Louis de Beauharnais. It is not quite right to say that Captain Buer regrets voting for Chapter Master Maxence, as the man is demonstrably a genius at waging war, but he does sometimes side with Captain Trianon of the 1st on important issues.

• 3rd Company Chaplain: Potifer Haynes is the oldest member of the Royal Martyr's Reclusiam, but has refused promotion to the position of Reclusiarch or reassignment to the 1st Company -the stepping stones to Master of Sanctity- on numerous occasions. A fixture of the 3rd Company, it is doubtful even the Chapter Master could order him from his beloved company without being subjected to one of Potifer's thunderous chastisements.
• 3rd Company Apothecary:  Étienne Féau d'Izernay became an apothecary almost by accident when, shortly after he completed his Scout training, he was ordered to report to the Apothecarion for training. A severe shortage of suitable volunteer apothecary apprentices saw Étienne, whose real ambition was to wield a plasma cannon as a Devastator, impressed into the position solely because of his training profile. Though a dutiful and now very experienced apothecary, Étienne never lost his love of heavy weapons and has been known to rescue his brothers with a heavy bolter barrage before rushing in to give them first aid.
• 3rd Company Librarian Epistolary: Lope Salgado y Gomez was meditating alone after a fierce battle against Orks on the agricultural moon Cantabria Menora when he was attacked out of nowhere by  a Culexus Assassin. Nearly slain by the assassin, he was saved at the last moment by Apothecary Étienne who was looking to check up on his brother (and who just happened to have borrowed a plasma cannon from the 3rd's Devastator squads). To this day, Epistolary Lope has no idea who called the hit on him, or why they would have wanted to do so. All inquiries into the matter with the Administratum have received only stony silence in return.
• 3rd Company Techmarine: Galehaut ap Corma was trained on Mars by several ex-Explorators, so he has an interest in both space and void exploration. Because of his expertise in these matters, the 3rd company or elements of it are often assigned to the Royal Martyr's long range patrols. To date, Techmarine Galehaut's greatest accomplishment was triangulating the location of forbidden artificial intelligence cogitators from the Dark Age of Technology on a distant world of the Segmentum Obscurus, finding them on the abandoned colony planet, and presenting them to Master Hercule for ritual destruction.
• 3rd Company Champion: Dalton Haynes-Hautefort is the 2nd cousin, four times removed, of his company chaplain Potifer Haynes. While he first thought it would be a blessing to be in the same company as his respected ancestor, he soon realized that Potifer had Dalton assigned to the 3rd so that the elder Haynes could push the younger hard and keep him from disgracing the family name. At first a little resentful, Dalton soon realized that the extra scrutiny from Potifer was the real blessing, as it pushed him to become the 3rd's greatest combatant.
• 3rd Company Standard Bearer: Laurent-Damien Brûlart de Sillery earned his position recently as standard bearer of the 3rd, even though he is just five years out of scout training. The previous standard bearer had been torn apart by a horde of ravenous hormagaunts; Laurent-Damien risked life and limb recovering the standard with nothing more than an Imperial Guard issue flamer plucked from a dead body. Captain Buer named him the company's new standard bearer on the spot, and he has quickly become the 3rd's mascot and favored son.

​+ 4th Company Captain: Régis de Cambacérès +

 

It is very rare for brothers to both be accepted into a Space Marine chapter, even in one that relies on family connections such as the Royal Martyrs, but Captain Régis de Cambacérès has both the honor and the burden of serving with his two identical brothers, a group of triplets. Captain Régis is second born, and has the most balanced personality of the three.  Régis is an accomplished swordsman, gunner, a sound tactician and strategist, knowledgeable about void combat, without being a prodigy at any of these things. It was exactly for this reason that he was assigned to the 4th company when he had completed his scout training, as the 4th company has long been the "generalist" company of the Royal Martyrs that the Chapter Masters have always attempted to keep from developing a strong character in any direction. 

 

Captain Régis grew up aboard the massive space station and port Parme-dans-les-cieux that acts as the main gas mining hub for the Micoté system. There, on a system wide route pre-set and unaltered since the dawn of the Imperium, Parme-dans-les-cieux circles the five gas giants of Micoté as vapor extraction ships dart down to the planet's airy surfaces to scoop up gaseous chemicals needed for the Imperium to function. The de Cambacérès family are one of five hereditary rulers of Parme-dans-les-cieux who rotate between the governorship every 500 years. Parme-dans-les-cieux has come under attack by Craftworld Eldar every 200-250 years since it was constructed at the beginning of the Great Crusade, as the xenos seek something in the mists of the planets that it mines. Since their inception, the Royal Martyrs have helped fend off dozens of these incursions and has a strong relationship with the de Cambacérès and the 4 other families that rule Parme-dans-les-cieux.

 

Régis and his brothers were recruited during the repulsion of one such Eldar attack, a rare frontal assault from the fanatical revanchists of the craftworld Biel-Tan. Along with another Adeptus Astartes chapter, three Imperial Guard regiments, elements of the sector Navy, and a Rogue Trader, Biel-Tan's attack was defeated. The Royal Martyrs recruited the three younger sons, triplets, of the then non-reigning de Cambacérès, including Régis.

 

An incident during their early service as battle brothers, where the 4th company was taking its turn on the chapter's long-range patrols, saw a quarter of the company killed by unknown xenos that were later identified as Necrons. The horror of the event broke the mind of Régis's older brother and made his younger brother become morose and withdrawn. Only Régis had the mental fortitude to emerge with his personality unchanged by the horrors of the mechanical dead. The incident set in motion the series of events that would eventually see Régis made the company's captain, not the least of which was the death of the company's standard bearer, which Régis was promoted to fill.

• 4th Company Chaplain: Known only to younger Royal Martyrs as La Mitrailleuse, Captain Regis's older brother renounced his personal name after the Necron incident and conforms to the worst stereotype of the Astartes Chaplain: an insane fanatic who will fly into a rage at the slightest hint of deviancy from the Imperial Creed, genetic impurity, or xenos taint. La Mitrailleuse can only be calmed (if that), by his two younger brothers, and must be deployed well away from any Librarians or Sanctioned Psykers unless he turns on them in a fit of righteousness. In truth the 4th receives little spiritual direction from him, but his fury on the battlefield has been said to make Blood Angels in the grips of the black rage feel inadequate.
• 4th Company Apothecary: Dagobert Vertumnus Talmont-Saint-Hilaire could have been said to have been an Adeptus Astartes follower as a youth; his father's position as an Imperial Guard general allowed him to catch news of the Emperor's angels as they campaigned around the galaxy. When his father directed a reclamation effort against a rebellious planetary governor, Dagobert got his dream of meeting these legendary heroes. Both he and his father were overjoyed when he was found worthy of joining a successor of his favorite chapter, the Ultramarines. Dagobert was quickly pegged for above-average intelligence and given Apothecary training. Now, no amount of ultra-violence seems to dim Dagobert's joy at literally living his dream.
• 4th Company Librarian Epistolary: Huiarnivu Le Goarnig is the most senior Librarian in the chapter after venerable Jagaddeva, and will likely succeed as Chief Librarian after the current one dies (assuming Huiarnivu does not pre-decease Jagaddeva). Huiarnivu's age and long experience in war allows him to deal with the spiritual isolation of not being able to worship with his brothers in the 4th, on account of  La Mitrailleuse's intolerance for psykers. Thankfully the companionship offered by most of the 4th's other battle brothers (who are aware of La Mitrailleuse's eccentricities) is greater than in many other Astartes chapters. Huiarniuv fills his free time with readings of the Emperor's Tarot for portents, a skill in which he is nearly the equal of Jagaddeva.
• 4th Company Techmarine: Ferron de La Ferronnays spent a number of years seconded to the Deathwatch, where he served with and developed a close friendship with an Iron Hand. This has resulted in Ferron introducing a number of Iron Hand smithing and maintenance techniques into the 4th's armory. As a member of the Machine Cult, his relationship with La Mitrailleuse is strained (though, like all Royal Martyrs techmarines, Ferron worships with his fellow Techmarines in the Armory and not with the company he is assigned to). Thankfully the mad Chaplain knows next to nothing about machine upkeep, as the Iron Hand alterations Ferron has introduced into the company's wargear would likely result in assault upon his person by La Mitrailleuse.
• 4th Company Champion: Lebrun-Jacques de Cambacérès is the taciturn champion of the 4th company. Many think that Lebrun-Jacques has taken a vow of silence, but in truth the champion is simply unusually quiet and withdrawn for a Royal Martyr since the incident with the Necrons many decades ago. Many foes believe his lack of boastful challenges are a sign of weakness, but they quickly find how mistaken they are after they have tasted his blade. He is probably the finest melee fighter in the chapter after the chapter champion, tied in skill with the champion of 1st company.
• 4th Company Standard Bearer: Louis-François-Sébastien de Fauré is the chipper and outgoing standard bearer of the 4th, and close friends with the company's apothecary Dagobert. The two are noted Ultramarines enthusiasts and are said to know many facts and tidbits about the Ultramarines and their other successor chapters. To date Louis-François-Sébastien's proudest moment was when, after the purging of the Yan system of an ork Waaagh, he recovered the fallen standard of Genesis Chapter's 7th company and returned it to that company's captain. He received a letter of commendation from the Genesis Chapter's chapter master for this action which hangs in the 4th company's Recluisam chapel to this day.

​+ 5th Company Captain and Master of the Watch: Gian Galeazzo Monçada +

 

The most pious of all the captains of the Royal Martyrs (already a pious lot), Gian Galeazzo Monçada and his company are currently serving their term as guardians of the Windswept House. Though he is eager to return to the field, he realizes that protecting the Windswept House is a vital for the chapter, especially given the arrival of the Tyranids in the Segmentum Solar. That the Fortress Monastery's hall of battle trophies contains four suits of armor sacred to the Eldar, which they have attempted to reclaim four times, also increases the necessity of proper protection.

 

Captain Gian Galeazzo was born to the ruling family of the agri-world Soncino, who styles themselves as grand dukes. Soncino made extra money as it rented its two moons, Catafalcito and Morimondo, to a nearby hive world for use as cemetery worlds. The humid summers of Soncino would drive the Monçadas to their palace on the cool cemetery moon of Morimondo, and a young Gian Galeazzo would spend these months playing among the sacred shrines, mausoleums, and attendant priests. Though he might have grown morbid, instead he saw the peace afforded to the dead, and the dignity of the rites that honored them, and developed a serene disposition that is hard to read. Few other captains knows where he stands on issues until he chooses to speak his mind. Captain Gian Galeazzo's unflappable bella figura is the subject of much emulation by younger members of the chapter.

 

The Eldar of the craftworld Nemeith attempted to divert a continent-sized swarm of spacefaring, corpse-eating amoebas away from an Exodite world and onto Morimondo and Catafalcito when Gian Galeazzo was just 12 years old. They nearly succeeded, but Gian Galezzo discovered the location of the beacons the Eldar had set to draw the amoebas in during his exploration sessions in the tombs of the wealthy that lay outside his family's palace. Sufficiently forewarned, and aware that the system's small defense force would be unable to repulse the frightening space creatures, they contacted the Royal Martyrs who responded with elements of their fleet. After the amoebas were blasted from the sky and squads from the 5th company hunted down the Eldar rangers that had planted the beacons, they learned that the timely warning came from little Gian Galeazzo. The young royal was screened for entry into the Royal Martyrs, found to be acceptable, and he was taken away to begin his life as a Space Marine.

 

Gian Galeazzo is now the veteran of hundreds of campaigns against the Eldar, primarily the Craftworlds and the Comorraghites, as well as Orks and other assorted xenos. He earned his promotion when the previous captain of the 5th was sucked into the warp thanks to a direct D-Cannon hit. Then sergeant Gian Galeazzo and his squad of Devastators annihilated the offending D-Cannon, then went on to board and destroy the Eldar Dragonship leading the attack on the planet in their care, and then tracked down the whereabouts of the large Webway portal spacestation in a nearby system that gave the xenos easy access to many Imperial targets. With this knowledge in hand, the Royal Martyrs were able to destroy the portal with their fleet and end a major incursion point into Imperial space.

• 5th Company Chaplain: Robin de Saint-Aignon encourages the devotion of his company members to the myriad of saints endorsed by the Adeptus Ministorum. He often designs, and has his sacratiums prepare, purity seals that take the form of beautiful depictions of these saints and their deeds, instead of written words.
• 5th Company Apothecary: João Alfonsinid was experienced enough as a battle brother to be considered for a sergeant position before he was called to take up the apothecary's mantle. With his squad killed by Commorraghites on a remote asteroid mining colony and no apothecary in sight, João performed an extraction of their progenoid glands with just his combat knife. He managed to store the glands safely for two weeks, all the while being hunted by wytches and mandrakes, before he could be extracted.
• 5th Company Librarian Epistolary: Vasu-deva, a younger cousin of Chief Librarian Jagaddeva, lives in the shadow of his older relative. Though he has much to learn before he attains the levels of power had by his older relative, he is still a formidable psyker. He is said to have developed a psychic technique by which he can cause Ork Weirdboys to suffer the catastrophic backlashes that afflict them from time to time more frequently.
• 5th Company Techmarine: Nicodème Martin de Montmorin Saint-Hérem is something of a homebody and enjoys being assigned to the Windswept House. He has made it his personal mission in life to ensure that the mechanical defenses of the Royal Martyr's fortress monastery are in tip-top shape, and can usually be found roaming the halls, directing a veritable flock of artificer serfs and servitors in repairs and maintenance.
• 5th Company Champion: Liutprand enjoys a good beer, and has even had the pleasure of having had drinks with a Space Wolf after a rousing Ork smashing campaign. It is a quirk of fate that the gene-enhanced nature of the Astartes makes them immune to alcohol, so any Space Marine is just as capable of drinking as much as any other, so no drinking contest ensued. Still, many bawdy and manly songs were sung that day.
• 5th Company Standard Bearer: Piermarco Barozzi is the most accomplished artist in the chapter, and has designed and had his valet and other artisan serfs execute numerous works of art throughout the chapter's hodlings. After the 5th's banner was destroyed by an unfortunately lobbed blob of acidic Tyranid spittle, Piermarco labored for two weeks alone to create the new one.

​+ 6th Company Captain: Onésime Jules Báthory d'Ecsed +

 

It was with a heavy heart that Onésime, formerly a battle brother of the 4th company, was transferred into the 6th company many years ago in what he knew was a move that would set the stage for him becoming that sad company's captain. The truth is that the Imperium frequently suffers from rebellions where the people involved do not turn to the Ruinous Powers (and may not even know that they exist) or consort with xenos. The 6th company of the Royal Martyrs have the unpleasant task of being specialized to deal with rebellions where they will be facing essentially Imperial targets. Not even fellow Astartes are excluded from this specialty, and the brothers of the 6th company spend many hours reading what battle reports they can get involving Space Marine chapters , studying their brothers in case they should have to face them.

 

As soon as Onésime was aware of the specialty of the 6th company, he knew he would eventually be inducted into it, as he had suffered at the hands of overzealous Sisters of Battle who had attempted to purge his homeworld of Loin Nancy of all life. When it was discovered that the medicae of Loin Nancy's capital city's premier hospital were Nurgle cultists, the local Cardinal asked for the nearby minor Order of the Heavenly Fires to cleanse the taint from the planet. The Sisters did not stop with the hospital, however, deciding that they were not going to take any chances and would purge the whole city. Then they decided that they were really not going to take any chances and attempted a systematic cleansing of the planet.

 

Onésime, the nephew of the reigning planetary governor, and a cousin of the Cardinal who had called in the Order of the Heavenly Fires, was there when the self-same Cardinal confronted the Sisters when they had begun setting whole districts of the capital on fire. The Cardinal summoned the leading prioress to his cathedral and tried to tell them that their work was done, and for his effort they decided that he must have been corrupted by Nurgle, and set him on fire. Onésime nearly was killed in the resulting conflagration, but due to his small size (he was only 10 at the time), he managed to escape to the palace and warn his uncle of the Sisters' genocidal intent. To this day, the burn scars from the cathedral fire scar Onésime's chest, neck, arms, and hands.

 

Knowing that the local PDF would not be able to both stop the Order of the Heavenly Fires and remain free from further scrutiny, Onésime's uncle decided to send an astropathic distress call to those he thought would be beyond reproach: the Royal Martyrs. The capital and a number of lesser cities were nearly leveled by the time Royal Martyrs 6th company arrived. Some brief but heavy fighting and intense negotiations with the Sisters of Battle saw the latter eventually back off. When the Royal Martyrs departed, they took little Onésime with them, and he eventually became a full member of the chapter.

 

Now an elder Space Marine, Captain Onésime has repressed thousands of mundane rebellions, chastised hundreds of overzealous Imperial servants, and even fought excessively deviant fellow Space Marines more times than he can count. This ironically has made Onésime, a soft-spoken and friendly person by nature, one of the most well-known and hated members of the Royal Martyrs by outsiders. The Chapter and he personally have come under the scrutiny of the Inquisition on many occasions because of the unique mission of the 6th, but each time they have been exonerated of any wrongdoing.

• 6th Company Chaplain: Imninon bears the heavy scars across his face and chest from a duel with a Skull Bearer company champion. The challenge arose when Imninon questioned the validity of some of the Skull Bearer's more eccentric practices during the Fourth Quadrant Rebellions. Unaware that Skull Bearers, following the traditions of their Executioner forefathers, only duel to the death, Imninon was forced to kill his opponent. The harrowing incident impressed upon Imninon how important it is to keep the Royal Martyrs from falling into barbarism.
• 6th Company Apothecary: Guigues La Tour du Pin et Albon probably has the most experience of any Royal Martyr Apothecary in treating un-augmented human physiology, thanks to serving on many battlefields at their sides. Royal Martyrs normally have a paternalistic, if patronizing, attitude to regular Imperial subjects (especially those not of exalted lineage). Apothecary Guigues's hands-on experience with their frailty has pushed that tendency in him to 11.
• 6th Company Librarian Epistolary: Zwentibold is an accomplished telepath, a necessary feature in order to be appointed as the resident Librarian of the 6th. This is because it is often necessary to psychically scan the thoughts of Imperial opponents in order to find out if they have been truly corrupted by evil, or if they are merely misguided.
• 6th Company Techmarine: René de Froulay de Tessé is unusual in the Royal Martrys in that he was raised on a Forge World. The second son of an Administratum ambassador to the Forge World, the de Tessé branch of the de Froulay were distant relatives in the male line who barely qualified as royalty. Finding such a candidate was necessary, however, in order to have someone familiar with the many vehicles produced by the Adeptus Mechanicus for the Imperial Guard, as well as with their own Skitarii armies. An incoming Techmarine of the 6th company is secretly, and heavily, probed by both the Master of Sanctity and the Chief Librarian before he is appointed in order to ensure that he would side with the Royal Martyrs in any conflict with the Adeptus Mechanicus.
• 6th Company Champion: Wenceslas Bořivojovic hails from a distant planet in the Ultima Segmentum, and was recruited on one of the Royal Martyr's long range missions.  Wenceslas prides himself on being one of the only Royal Martyrs with direct experience of the nefarious Tau. The strange fish people offered the false promise of material prosperity to his father, the local subsector governor, at the cost of giving up all human identity. His father bravely refused and the Tau dispensed with their negotiations and began an invasion, attracting many traitors in the process. Only a timely intervention by several Imperial Guard regiments and the Royal Martyrs were able to save the sector from becoming a faithless, deracinated cog in the Tau machine.
• 6th Company Standard Bearer: Jean de Châteauneuf believes that it is his duty, as the standard bearer of the 6th, to act as an inspiration to those Imperial subjects who are still loyal on a rebelling planet. He has been known to break away from the 6th and rally betrayed PDF regiments and confused Guard platoons back into the fight on behalf of the Emperor.

​+ 7th Company Captain: Alveré Félicité de Lamennais +

 

Captain Alveré Félicité de Lamennais was raised among the golden and crystalline spires of Sainte-Malo, the product of the planetary governor's morganatic second marriage. With no prospect to inherit, Alveré was groomed from a young age for a major command with Sainte-Malo's PDF. By 12 years of age, he had begun to learn the basics of riflery and leadership. He was never to receive his commission, however, as a series of lightning raids by Eldar on Sainte-Malo's royal palace resulted in the assassination of his father and several other senior administratum officials and highborn Sainte-Maloans. Similar raids took place all over the Segmentum Pacificus sector where Sainte-Malo was located and the whole sector government was thrown into an upheaval.

 

The Royal Martyrs responded to calls to search for the perpetrators of these terrible crimes, and this was Alveré's first encounter with his future chapter. While the Royal Martyrs were able to destroy several Eldar pirate bases in the sector, the exact reasons for the raids was never discovered. At the conclusion of the campaign, Alveré's brother (and now reigning monarch of Sainte-Malo) allowed Alveré to be tested for induction into the Royal Martyrs, happy to be rid of a potential rival for power, however distant. Alveré passed the tests of his trial year and took the vows of the Royal Martyrs.

 

Captain Alveré was eventually assigned to the company that sought vengeance for those who cause his father's death- 7th company. The 7th company is dedicated to combating the Eldar menace, and seeks to foil their plots whenever possible. Like most of his subordinates in the 7th, Captain Alveré is brighter than the average Space Marine, and has an inquisitive streak that is necessary for even attempting to pull apart the tangled webs of Eldar lies and schemes. While he is a dedicated servant of the Imperium, the sometimes unorthodox lines of thought his special position can lead him to has him occasionally clash with the more traditional elements of the Royal Martyrs, including Chapter Master Maxence. On the other hand, it is largely due to his influence that the Royal Martyrs enjoy a good relationship with the Ordo Xenos -in which he served for 99 years- especially with its radical Inquisitors.

• 7th Company Chaplain: Louis-Guillaume de Moustier is the Royal Martyr with the most time spent seconded to the Death Watch- 125 years. In his time there he often knew that despair could come to those who were exposed to the sometimes superior technology and even physiology of alien species, even given the strict indoctrination Space Marines are subject to. As a result he has developed many rousing sermons and techniques to assure his fellow Space Marines of their superiority as both humans and recipients of the Emperor's own blessed genetic heritage.
• 7th Company Apothecary: Toussaint-Tristan-Maugier de Quelen is probably one of the only people in Imperium who can be said to be an expert on Eldar biology. Apothecary Toussaint-Tristan-Maugier keeps a large number of Eldar organs and limbs recovered from battlefields in his personal laboratory, all to better understand how to kill the hated xenos. Needless to say, he does not advertise his collection to those outside of the chapter.
• 7th Company Librarian Epistolary: Pondicherry Frém has recently been promoted to the rank of Epistolary in order to replace the equally recently killed former Librarian of the 7th. Frém is uncommonly brave (which is saying something considering he is both a psyker and a Space Marine), a necessary quality for the high-turnover position of the 7th's resident Librarian, as they must face down the masterful psykers of the Eldar race.
• 7th Company Techmarine: Constantian Courtmanche, in contrast to apothecary Toussaint-Tristan-Maugier's willingness to experiment on Eldar bio-samples, hates xenos technology with unbridled passion. After a fight, he combs the battlefield and systematically crushes and destroys any remaining xenos equipment, as he claims the destruction of the false knowledge they offer is a pleasing sacrifice to the Machine God.
• 7th Company Champion: Maximianus Valerius Mercutius attempts to wed both speed and endurance in his personal combat style, as he often must match blades with nimble Eldar warriors. Whether this is possible or not for a heavily armored Space Marine is debatable, but the fact that Maximianus is still alive after many such encounters seems to speak in his favor.
• 7th Company Standard Bearer: Jean Baptiste Hyde de Neuville is the foil to his brother, Techmarine Constantian, as he often attempts to take trophies from fallen foes for display in the company chapel in the Reclusiam. Though he has never recovered something as glorious as the chapter's four suits of Exarch armor, his fondest trophies are the swords of a Howling Banshee coterie that managed to disarmed him. Though they thought he was easy prey, he instead beat them all to death with the pole of the 7th's standard. The swords are prominently arrayed above the 7th's altar in the Windswept House.

​+ 8th Company Captain and Lord Executioner: Michelin Motard +

 

Captain Michelin Motard is one of the few members of the Royal Martyrs who is known by name throughout the upper echelons of the "Segmenta Avia" - and sometimes beyond. This is because he is one of the finest wine critics in the borderlands of the Segmentum Pacificus and the Segmentum Solar. His once-a-year personal letter is released to a publisher every other year in the form of a review of the wines he has tasted, and is sometimes even consulted by the highest levels of of the Imperial nobility on Terra. Captain Michelin only reviews the best wines, so to be included on the list is a high honor. Whispers have been spread that winemakers who are dropped from the list have occasionally killed themselves over the shame of having produce an inferior product.

 

Many who know of Captain Michelin from his hobby of wine tasting expect him to be soft, and the typical Space Marine who learns of it often can barely conceal his contempt. They are then surprised to learn that the jovial and avuncular Michelin is a master of the chainsword and boltpistol. As captain of the 8th, the Royal Martyr's assault company, he has jumped with his assault marines into the jaws of death an uncountable number of times and emerged unscathed. The combat drills he puts both himself and his troops through are the most difficult in the chapter, but he's always there to lend a helping hand to his subordinates, whom he regards with paternal affection. The wine and cheese he personally selects to be served afterward also serve as a motivating factor.

 

Captain Michelin nearly voted against Chapter Master Maxence because their personality differences led to some small interpersonal conflict, but Maxence's rescue of the Pomona Subsector invasion convinced Michelin to overlook any petty differences for the good of the chapter. They still butt heads occasionally, but so far Captain Michelin might be classified as a tepid supporter of  Maxence.

• 8th Company Chaplain: Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffier is a relatively new chaplain, having completed his training under Guénolé just 15 years ago. A former battle brother of the 8th Company, Captain Michelin requested Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste as the new chaplain for the 8th after the previous one was eaten by a squiggoth. Besides his familiarity with the 8th, Captain Michelin made the request because Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste's stern demeanor allows him to play bad cop to Captain Michelin's jollier good cop.
• 8th Company Apothecary: Horace de Faÿ de La Tour-Mauborg is the fourth son of a Rogue Trader whose hereditary Trade Warrant was signed by the hand of the Emperor himself at the beginning of the Great Crusade. Besides being an exemplary space marine and apothecary, the enormous interest from his trust fund is now paid into the coffers of the Royal Martyrs thanks to his vow of poverty. These factors contribute to him being in the running for becoming Master of the Apothecarion when Master Fraser finally moves on to his eternal reward.
• 8th Company Librarian Epistolary: Gottfried Helmut Ermanaric von Hohenlohe-Inglefingen supports his brothers in the 8th with his extensive knowledge of psychic techniques that bolster the resolve and fighting prowess of others. Under his influence, a single squad of  the 8th's assault marines, newly promoted from 10th company, were able to kill six troops of gaudily dressed Eldar and the faceless psyker that lead them before being forced to withdraw. 
• 8th Company Techmarine: Basil Vincenz von und zu Manndorff zu Pfannhofen und Wissenau possesses a laser focus that allows him to make intricate repairs to machinery even in the middle of battle. Basil has repaired malfunctioning or damaged jump packs and drop pods while in flight. His expertise also extends to aircraft, and the techmarines of other companies will often consult him about the upkeep of their Stormtalons and Thunderbirds.
• 8th Company Champion: Botheric, the scion of a feudal world, likes to joke that his mononym is very out of place in the elaborately named command structures of the 8th Company, and that the only reason he was selected as champion was to give some companionship to the equally humbly named Captain Michelin Motard. The jocular Botheric is what some might call big boned (for a Space Marine) and is only surpassed in size by Trumbo of 1st company. The two have a friendly arm-wrestling rivalry, which Botheric is slightly behind on (his record is 1674-1689). Always ready with a joke, he quips that Trumbo's inability to speak at least means the larger man can't brag about it. 
• 8th Company Standard Bearer: Emmaus Henry Vycturnyen de Noaylles-Guyllemynot was born the son of a cobbler, but his father's heroic rise to lead a rebellion against a Planetary Governor corrupted by the Ruinous Powers saw his family installed as the new rulers of Noaylles V when, with the help of the Royal Martyrs, the rebellion was successful. The former Chapter Master of the Royal Martyrs, Auguste-Philippe d'Anjou, formally bestowed the kingship of Noaylles V, their heraldic crests, and additional names, on Emmaus and his family at the conclusion of the rebellion. Somewhat self-conscious of his humble origins, Emmaus is always front and center with his banner, leading the 8th into the fray just steps behind Captain Michelin. He has been known to lose his temper when someone teasingly calls him by his original name, Emmaus Cordonnayer (literally, Emmaus Shoemaker, in the Noaylles V Low Gothic dialect).

​+ 9th Company Captain and Master of Relics: Kai Gustaf Bernadotte +

 

The beautiful alpine garden world of Sunsmøre lies in subsector Trifectas, on the far side of the Segmentum Solar from the location of the Royal Martyr's fortress monastery on Asón. The Bernadotte kings of Sunsmøre say that they ruled over a part of Terra long before even the Dark Age of Technology; a laughable claim backed up by nothing more than the family's oral history, but tolerated because Sunsmøre provides many luxury services to the elite of the Imperium.

 

The youngest scion of the ruling branch of the Bernadottes at the time of his induction into the Royal Martyrs, Captain Kai was unlucky enough to see one of the few times that sleepy Sunsmøre, with no special resources (other than some good skiing slopes and rejuvenat spas) and a small population (1.2 billion), was the target of  a direct attack by an enemy of the Imperium. The vile Dark Eldar came out of a previously unknown webway gate on a moon of the planet one close to Sunsmøre's sun. They then repaired an even larger gate hidden by xenos cloaking technology in orbit around the same moon which allowed them to bring void-ships into the system.

 

The Dark Eldar came in force, thinking that the people of Sunsmøre would be easy prey for slave-taking and torture, and that the Imperium would not spend any resources defending a mere pleasure world. Sunsmøre's PDF gave as much as they could, but equipped with mere lasguns and a few second-rate tanks and jets not even produced on a proper forge-world, they were unable to do much to protect the planet from the Eldar's raids. Sadly Sunsmøre's elite essentially agreed unknowingly with the Dark Eldar that they would never receive aide from the wider Imperium. They were both wrong.

 

An astropathic distress call reached the wandering portion of the Royal Martyr's fleet, who made all haste into the system. The battle was fierce, but the Royal Martyrs managed to destroy the large webway gate that could admit spaceships into the system, and began a systematic mopping up of what Dark Eldar had not managed to escape through it.

 

As for Kai himself, the 14 year old rushed to man a mortar on the balustrades of the royal palace after the crew had been killed by a strafing run from one of the Dark Eldar's barbed fighter planes. Armed only with the knowledge he had attained as a first-year student at Sunsmøre's PDF officer's academy, Kai held the post for two hours before the palace was relieved by the Royal Martyrs. When news of this reached the Royal Martyr's force commander in the aftermath of the fighting, he requested that Kai be inspected for potential induction into the chapter. The grateful king agreed; his son passed the tests, and despite being a little older than is "safe" for initial implantation of the geneseed, he survived the process and became a Royal Martyr.

 

Now a veteran of countless battles, Captain Kai attempts to live up to the Royal Marty ideal of being a perfect gentleman, a perfect monk, and ultimately a perfect martyr. In this respect he has something of a friendly rivalry with Captain Trianon of the 1st. While Kai is not as composed as Trianon, the specter of pride does not hang over him as it does over the Captain of the 1st. Captain Kai is probably the only elector of the Royal Martyrs who fully regrets casting his vote for Chapter Master Maxence. He feels that, caught up in the moment of Maxence's amazing victory over the Tyranids, he cast his vote rashly. While he recognizes that Maxence's skill as a commander and personal combatant are worthy of the position, he realizes now that it takes good interpersonal qualities to be an effective Chapter Master. Having come to this conclusion Captain Kai generally sides with Captain Trianon if any conflict arises between the latter and Chapter Master Maxence- though only in council with his fellow officers and never in front of lower-ranked Royal Martyrs.

• 9th Company Chaplain: Bulstrode Whitelocke oversees the spiritual welfare of the 9th. Hailing from a world where devotional images are forbidden, Chaplain Bulstrode has never quite gotten  the rococo glory of the Royal Martyrs. As such, the 9th goes into battle with considerably fewer purity seals and sacred images affixed to their armor as Bulstrode simply designs far less of them- he prefers to sermonize his brothers directly while they take up firing positions as a way to remind them of their sacred duties as the Emperor's angels of death.
• 9th Company Apothecary: Chilton Hailes is, technically speaking, the worst non-apprentice apothecary in the chapter; having said that, he is still a very good apothecary. It was for this reason he was assigned to the 9th, as their devastator squads tend to not take as much damage as the squads that must get closer to the enemy in order to engage. To make up for this slight failing, of which he is aware, Chilton knows a little bit about a plasma cannon and heavy bolter repair, and can effect basic repairs to those weapons if necessary. Apothecary Chilton has a mildly unfriendly relationship with the apothecary of 3rd company, Étienne Féau d'Izernay, because the latter desperately wanted to be devastator marine, or failing that be assigned to 9th company as their apothecary. Unfortunately Étienne is the better apothecary and so was assigned to a more front-line company, and both Chilton and Étienne know it.
• 9th Company Librarian Epistolary: Lance Angélique de Talleyrand, known simply (and somewhat rudely) in the chapter just as "Talleyrand," is infamous for his silver tongue and manipulative ability. Coupled with his potent psychic powers, this makes him unpopular with his brothers, though they rarely can resist his suggestions when dealing with him personally. Both Master Guénolé and Bulstrode Whitelocke have suspected him of Tzeentchian corruption following a lone encounter with a Herald of the Changer of Ways who was manipulating cultists on the world of Krammel II. No corruption has even been found, and the irreproachable Chief Librarian Jagaddeva loudly objects whenever he comes under the scrutiny of the Reclusiam. Indeed, Epistolary Lance is Master Jagaddeva's closest confidant in the Librarium.
• 9th Company Techmarine: Ferrante Nemours is unusually "normal" for a techmarine, and does not sport quite as many implants and bionic gegaws as a typical member of his specialization. Nemours hates being confined to the armory and prefers to be on the front lines, effecting battlefield repairs on the heavy weapons of the 9th, whose machine spirits he regards with parental love and devotion. Techmarine Ferrante will often assist his brothers in battle by drawing the attention of enemies, who can rarely pierce his artificer armor, while they prepare to fire.
• 9th Company Champion: Methuselah Fane has served as the company champion of the 9th for many centuries. He has the special mission of having to intercept any of those who hope to close with brothers in order to disrupt their fire. While he has succeeded far more often than he has failed, Champion Methuselah is extremely conscientious and grieves over every brother he has failed to protect. He has the name of every brother who has died during his tenure as the champion of the 9th inscribed on the inside of his armor, so he neither forgets them nor his duty.
• 9th Company Standard Bearer: Haagen Bernadotte-Løvenørn is from a branch of the Bernadotte family that broke off from the main line many centuries ago, though they still resided on Sunsmøre. A much younger and distant cousin of Captain Kai, Haagen did not grow up on Sunsmøre, but with his father, who was a general with Imperial Guard and therefore constantly shipped around the Imperium. A model Royal Martyr, Haagen looks up to his older cousin and hopes to follow in his footsteps as captain of the 9th. 

​+ 10th Company Captain and Master of Recruits: Plaisant Strasbourg +

 

Plaisant Strasbourg is the oldest member of the Royal Martyrs, clocking in at well over 800 years of age. The chapter's Master of Recruits for as long as anyone can remember, Captain Plaisant is a stern and almost humorless taskmaster over his trainees. Though his training methods win him few friends, no one can argue with his effectiveness at taking raw recruits and preparing them for the horrors of war that they will inevitably be exposed to as Space Marines. While most of the rest of the company greatly respects him, they are happy to be away from him when they are finally assigned to one of the main companies. His harsh training methods do, however, create a cadre of battle brothers every generation that are fiercely loyal to him and seek to emulate him. Chapter Master Maxence is one of this number, and he counts Captain Plaisant as one of his closest allies within the chapter. Captain Plaisant is one of the only people in the chapter aware of the source of enmity between Maxence and the Master of the Armory that occurred when they were both part of the same scout squad. He has not done anything to end it, as far as anyone knows, and he refuses to speak of it.

 

Plaisant's career saw him promoted from the scout company into the 4th. When he was offered a position as sergeant, he requested a transfer back to the 10th when they had an opening. His request was granted and he has served with the 10th ever since as a trainer. Captain Plaisant remains tight lipped about his time before he became a Royal Martyr, and is the only member of the chapter to never send his yearly personal letter to friends or family. Some claim it was because his home world was subject to an Exterminatus order, while cooler heads simply believe that he is so old that he has no remaining loved ones outside of the Royal Martyrs.

 

As Master of Recruits, Plaisant is rarely away from the Windswept House, as his duties at overseeing new trainees there keep him busy. As such, he makes sure to pick only the finest sergeants to lead scout squads, as these full battle-brothers are responsible for field training. He coordinates with the Chief Librarian, Master of the Armory, and Master of the Apothecarion in assigning apprentice specialists to both scout squads and the regular squads of other companies as part of their training.

• 10th Company Chaplain: Jean-Antoine Hoppenot is one of Captain Plaisant's inner circle and probably one of the only people in the chapter who can truly be called his friend. Chaplain Jean-Antoine has an eagle's eye ability to spot corruption in recruits, and it is largely thanks to him that the Royal Martyrs have suffered no defections to Chaos in the past couple of centuries. Chaplain Jean-Antonine's time as a battle brother gave him more experience than most Royal Martyrs with the Ruinous Powers, and he is carefully watching both the recruits and his battle-brothers for signs of Tzeentchian or Slaaneshi corruption. He believes that the background of the recruits, as well as the internal culture of the Royal Martyrs, makes the chapter uniquely prone to the damnation offered by these two demon overlords. Jean-Antoine is the chaplain most often dispatched to examine potential neophytes, and therefore has much firsthand knowledge of the "Segmenta Avia" and even the wider Imperium.
• 10th Company Apothecary: Ludwig Olaff Alvaric von Strelitz-Mecklenberg is the apothecary assigned to overseeing the implantation of the Emperor's holy geneseed into the recruits of the Royal Martyrs, and therefore is the chapter's most accomplished surgeon after the Master of the Apothecarion himself. Ludwig does not spend much time with the recruits beyond this -they are tended to by apprentice apothecaries- because the remainder of his time is spent with Master Fraser monitoring and caring for the chapter's geneseed stores.
• 10th Company Librarian Epistolary: Rollo-Marie de Villiers has an unusually outgoing personality for a psyker, which has allowed him to fit in fairly well with the Royal Martyrs. He was appointed to his position largely because of his friendly nature, as it helps the new recruits be at ease while becoming accustomed to working with psykers. Rollo-Marie assists the Chief Librarian in assigning the Librarium's Lexicanium and Codicier rank Librarians to squads as the need arises. 
• 10th Company Techmarine: Wrmaelon much prefers to be out in the field rather than in the Armory, despite his advanced age (he is over 500 years old). This makes him ideally suited to the 10th company, as he has both the experience to spot potential Techmarines while enjoying the rugged lifestyle of a Scout Marine. Wrmaelon has relatively few cybernetic augments, as he finds them to be a detriment both while out in the wild and also while attempting to remain hidden.
• 10th Company Champion: Boris Toll-Bringer is a recruit from a frigid ice world in the Segmentum Obscurus. The level of technology on his home planet wavers between that of a Feral world and a Feudal world. Boris is the last surviving member of a royal family that lost all of its lands; he lived as a child as the guest of court that had taken pity on his family. Despite just being a child, he showed admirable courage during an Ork invasion of his homeworld, and was rescued by the Royal Martyrs. Boris does not look like anything special as far as Space Marines go, and that is intentional.  Thanks to both his personal experience and his long tenure with the 10th, he is a master of stealth and is as close to an assassin as can be found in the Royal Martyrs.
• 10th Company Standard Bearer: As per the Codex Astartes, the Royal Martyr's 10th Company does not have a standard or a standard bearer.

 

Edited by Formosus XVI, 25 November 2018 - 11:06 PM.

[Formosus XVI]

I've begun work on my Dramatis Personae. The Company Captains (hopefully at least 5 of them) will be up tomorrow, today I've finished the Chapter Master and officers of the special commands.

Edited by Formosus XVI, 26 January 2017 - 01:58 AM.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

There are some typos, but the Dramatis Personae are well-written. (FYI, Space Wolves Captains bear the title "Wolf Lord". The lack of stratification- no Barons, Earls, Dukes, etc.- is admittedly a reason for your Chapter to mock them.) Keep up the good work.

[Kyknos of Athena]

Just overread, but the "Noble" theme, the chapter colours, the name and chapter badge seem to harmonize very well.

LIke the introduction  of baroque reference quite a lot, which is something rarely seen in the grim-dark (at least explicitly).

Would definitely keep the chapter badge, maybe with an adition of a hint of "traditional" imperial symbols as well (?).

[Formosus XVI]

There are some typos, but the Dramatis Personae are well-written. (FYI, Space Wolves Captains bear the title "Wolf Lord". The lack of stratification- no Barons, Earls, Dukes, etc.- is admittedly a reason for your Chapter to mock them.) Keep up the good work.

 

Working on the typos, I figure that I would give it a day and read it again as a way to catch them. I'm sure you know the human ability to miss our own typos (we know what we meant to write after all). And yes, misremembering the title of the Wolf Lord was a bit of in-universe color 

 

Just overread, but the "Noble" theme, the chapter colours, the name and chapter badge seem to harmonize very well.

LIke the introduction  of baroque reference quite a lot, which is something rarely seen in the grim-dark (at least explicitly).

Would definitely keep the chapter badge, maybe with an adition of a hint of "traditional" imperial symbols as well (?).

 

Where would you suggest traditional Imperial heraldry? All I can think of is putting the main de justice on top of an Aquila, which I feel would be a little busy. Not that good taste has ever stopped the Imperium of Man before!

 

Alright, off to work on the Dramatis Personae.

Edited by Formosus XVI, 29 January 2017 - 05:41 PM.

[Formosus XVI]

Some additional work done on the Dramatis Personae. It is proceeding not as quickly as I had hoped, but I will hopefully get the 5th and 6th companies done tomorrow.

[Kyknos of Athena]

 

Just overread, but the "Noble" theme, the chapter colours, the name and chapter badge seem to harmonize very well.

LIke the introduction  of baroque reference quite a lot, which is something rarely seen in the grim-dark (at least explicitly).

Would definitely keep the chapter badge, maybe with an adition of a hint of "traditional" imperial symbols as well (?).

 

Where would you suggest traditional Imperial heraldry? All I can think of is putting the main de justice on top of an Aquilla, which I feel would be a little busy. Not that good taste has ever stopped the Imperium of Man before!

 

Hmmm, maybe not the aquila itself, but lightenings pointing away from the hand? More an informal nod to very old imperial history a la the custodes heraldry.

I don´t think this would that be, well, heretical given other chapters have also lightenings of some kind in their chapter badges and iconography.

 

Coming from the tip of the upward pointed fingers maybe?

Edited by LordVelype, 29 January 2017 - 05:21 PM.

[Formosus XVI]

Just some updates on progress: It's going a bit slower than I would like, but nearly done with the dramatis personae. Once it is complete I will give it a once-over for typos, but I am excising the ones I find when I see them.

 

I know it is a lot to read but any commentary is welcome; fair warning though, some parts are intentionally not as grimdark as some like 40k to be. I prefer my medieval space future to be a little bit more noble and bright.