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IA: Argent Sons


Kroupus

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Index

 

Argent Sons

 

Warcry

Various prayers and tribal chants, often patched through to the enemies radios and speakers.

 

Founding

24th Founding

 

Successors of

Raven Guard (Allegedly)

 

Successor Chapters

None

 

Number

600

 

Primarch

Corvus Corax (Allegedly)

 

Chapter Master

Commander Tsep Basarab

 

Homeworld

Ardyal,

Reaumur Sector

 

Allegiance

The Imperium of Man

 

Colours

Silver, black and red

 

 

The Argent Sons are an Adeptus Astartes chapter based on the world of Ardyal. In the late M41 they sent their entire chapter on a crusade led by Inquisitor Toshan.

 

Chapter History

 

In M39 a long deemed obsolete class Imperial cruiser came out of a warp storm. Later examination by tech priests determining it to be a vehicle assigned to a Terran 19th Legion company. The marines on-board made landfall in the Vallakia region of Ardyal. Within a month of the attack they had brought the region to compliance, preaching a message of the Emperor seen as quite traditional.

 

Imperial forces of the 22nd Cassan regiment, assigned to the Recongregator Inquisitor en'Ord , as well as the White Vipers chapter, landed on Vallakia shortly after. Ambushed almost immediately, the 22nd bore the brunt of the damage, the attackers stopped only after seeing the crest of the Emperor on the White Vipers' Standards. Emerging from the woodland, clad in damaged ancient armour, they knelt before the Imperial forces.

 

All information after this has been locked behind Inquisition security. The space marines, newly named the Argent Sons, were given the planet as a homeworld, with reinforcements and more modern equipment supplied by the Inquisition and White Vipers.

 

After a full century of battle and building, the Argent Sons are at six companies as dictated in the Codex Astartes.

 

Given the entwined history of the Argent Sons and the Inquisition, it is not uncommon for the chapter's forces to embark as retinues for Inquisitors of both the Ordo Malleus and Ordo Hereticus.

 

Notable Campaigns

 

¤ Sacking of Galben 7

Destroyed an uprising of a Khornate cult alongside Inquisitor Chlad . Lost 20 men after daemons were summoned from the blood of the fallen cultists.

 

¤ St Barila Campaign

Launched a guerrilla campaign against an Ork Waagh on the Shrine World of St Barila. Sewing discontent through ambushes and destroying supply lines, they halted the Waagh with minimal civilian casualties.

 

¤ Battle of Outpost H512

In the preliminary battle of Inquisitor Toshan's Second Great Crusade, the Argent Sons were supported by the zealot Redemptionists in destroying the Slaaneshi forces of The Glorious Host.

 

Chapter Homeworld

 

Ardyal is a small death world, it's technology similar to the Middle Ages in Age of Terra history. Tribal conflicts of greed and honour keep the world in constant civil war. Vast regions of the land is infertile, making what scarce resources around extremely valuable. Cannibalism is rife in such squalid conditions, especially during the harsh summers that can last a full Terran year.

 

What fauna exists is usually carnivorous. Great batlike creatures called charop blot the night sky, able to lift a fully armoured man to its mountain nest. On the open plains, one of few fertile lands available, great wyrms hide in burrows to attack. Scythe like fangs puncturing through steel and bone to drag it's victim underground.

 

To keep the world in obedience to the Emperor, The Argent Sons oversaw a planet wide campaign of compliance. Entire tribes were destroyed to set examples to the others. All being forced to obey the Imperial Creed. Yet a few tribes of the strongest natives outside Vallakia were then left to feud amongst themselves. It is from here that the Argent Sons collect children to become future Battle Brothers. Chosen from the families of the greatest warriors, the steel giants arrive and take the child to the mountains for training.

 

The Argent Sons try to keep the tribal conflict to a minimum inside the chapter by mixing tribal members in each squad. Where conflict does take place they are resolved in honour duels.

 

The Vallakian mountain range is a large memorial. Warrior skulls pockmark the sides of the mountains, a tomb of battle thousands of metres high covered with scrolls of High Gothic fluttering in the wind. Carved towards its highest peak is an effigy of the Emperor himself. It looks over the villages, a reminder that their lives are forever judged by their God.

 

On the same mountain range, lies the fortress monastery of the Argent Sons. Built into the mountains itself, The Ardyal Keep extends deep into the range, a weaving hive of activity. From here the chapter keeps watch over the various towns of Vallakia. Any activity determined to be heretical will be swiftly punished.

 

Whispers of heretical speech were quelled by squads of assault marines taking the accused. The guilty put in stocks or cages, the ring leaders being chained and left to die, tongues sliced out and their heresy carved into their bodies.

 

Some of the sinners that were repentant were taken to the prisons below the Keep. Here, on great wheels, tens of thousands run, grinding down grains to feed the chapter serfs.

 

The loyal Vallakian followers of the Emperor live a life of fear. Although they need not worry of theft or murder, their lives are one of fear of punishment. Their days are of work or prayer, supplying the tithes required for the Imperium of Man.

 

In Vallakian villages the new initiates of the Argent Sons spend their first year's work as viillage wardens, both a police force and a symbol of the Emperor. Servo skulls buzz around the skies, their cameras linked directly to the warden's helmet.

 

Chapter Beliefs

 

The Argent Sons believe that the Emperor is fighting a perpetual war with chaos within the warp. Through an honourable death they can don golden armour and fight alongside him in eternal war. Whether this is an Ardyal myth from tribal traditions is unknown, yet it is deeply rooted.

 

After battles the Space Marines are known to collect the heads and bones of enemies that showed martial pride. They bleach the bones and use them to decorate armour and vehicles.

The bodies of fallen brethren that did not die a martyr's death are brought back and consumed. The Space Marines believe that this will let the warrior live on in his brothers until they can both die as martyrs.

Those that did die as martyrs will have their skeleton enclosed on traditional armour and used in shrines, either on vehicles, in their monastery or on their homeworld.

The chapter utilises a high number of dreadnoughts. The injured brothers believing that not dying in battle was a sign by the Emperor that his time had not come.

 

Chapter Relics

 

The Argent Sons venerate their fallen brothers, bones used in decoration of armour and vehicles as well as The Vallakia mountains themselves being used to store the skulls of Argent Sons and allies alike.

 

Body of Brother Martyr Laondan- Slain fighting a Khorne Herald, his body has been gilded and placed in traditional armour inside the Ardyal Keep.

 

Skull of Chaplain Petresque- The final Space Marine to die against the Ork Warboss and his retinue, taking out two bodyguard Nobs and striking the fatal blow on the Warboss himself.

 

Chapter Geneseed

 

The chapter geneseed is pure and shows no sign of mutation. The exception being an Astartes developing pale skin and darkening of the eyes, betraying Raven Guard origins.

The warriors have developed overactive omophagea and oolitic kidney implants, possibly from the cannibalistic nature of Ardyal's natives.

The recruits of the homeworld do not have any active psychic abilities, meaning there are no Librarians. The chapter relies on Imperial psykers to help the fleet in their travels.

 

Combat Doctrine

 

The night before a battle, the Chaplain shamans gather for rituals of bloodletting to view portents for the coming conflict. Visions of martyrs and fallen brothers will fill their minds as well as what they see as the Emperor's will. Any brothers singled out will be chosen for the martyrdom rituals. Knowing they are chosen to die, they often take up jump packs and form the primary frontal assault.

 

It is common practice for the Argent Space Marines to broadcast to the communications of an enemy, filling the airwaves with tribal chanting and battle hymns. This ominous chanting, along with skeletal covered armour, attacking the opponent's psyche before any shots are fired.

 

In the Second Great Crusade, they are often supported by a large collection of Emperor cultists, be they Redemptionists, Frateris Militia or Cult of the Emperor Revenant as well as their own prisoners. In these situations the Argent Sons employ sneak attacks while the cultists swarm the defences.

 

In cases of heresy, The Argent Sons are quick to apply retribution. The same approach as on their homeworld, heretics are chained, with warnings to others carved into their skin.

 

They have used this tactic to demoralize an entrenched foe, kidnapping guards in silent attacks. The bodies being sliced with warnings and placed back in guard towers or gun emplacements for the next soldier to find.

 

Chapter Appearance

 

The Argent Sons armour is silver, red and black and adorned with the skeletons and totems of fellow brothers and enemies alike. The battle brothers are individualistic with their armour, believing it to be an extension of their worship to the Emperor, adding to it their tribal cloth, prayer scrolls and oaths.

 

Vehicles of the chapter may have a macabre effigy built into the chassis. The sides of their rhinos and Land Raiders covered with totems and prayer scrolls.

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Firstly, let me welcome you to B&C and the Liber. I'm gratified that you've joined the site to pursue writing your DIY Chapter. 

 

Second. Starting off relatively low-key on the critique, let's explore the Founding. We can assume, if the story remains broadly the same and the Chapter first reappears sometime in M39, it would probably be logical for the powers that be to crowbar them into the 24th Founding. Make them 'official' and whatnot. I'm advising this because the 'unknown' part does not sit well with me. Both the reader and the Chapter know when exactly they were 'founded' even if they were originally legionnaires from the Great Crusade era. I suggest replacing that 'unknown' with a numbered Founding, presumably the 24th. 

 

We can get into things further later but for now, let's start as we mean to go on. ;)

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I am not going to poke at what's fine and good or this answer would get unnecessarily long. Instead I'll poke at what's kinda shady in the eyes of known canon (and physics).

 

 

Chapter Geneseed

The chapter geneseed is pure and shows no sign of mutation. The exception being an Astartes developing pale skin and darkening of the eyes, leading to rumours of Raven Guard origins.
The warriors have developed overactive omophagea and oolitic kidney implants, possibly from the cannibalistic nature of Ardyal's natives.

All chapters are required to submit their geneseed to Mars as a tithe so that their Magos Biologis can check it for purity (This also allows Highlords of Terra to create new chapters when they want). This means that while the geneseed origins might not be widely known, the Chapter itself and Mars will be aware of the origins.

 

 

Some of the sinners that were repentant were taken to the prisons below the Keep. Here, on great wheels, tens of thousands run, providing back up power to the monastery.

I'll point out that this is horribly inefficient as far as 'energy creation' goes. Human body is terribly inefficient in turning 'food' into 'motive energy' as vast majority of it is used to keep our bodies functioning, meaning that the chapter would need [someone] to provide food for these tens of thousands individuals, thus increasing the administrative efforts.  This is why most non-stone age societies harnessed running rivers (free motive force) for energy production. Heck, even burning wood to run a turbine is more efficient way to generate energy.  Now, I can see that the the main purpose of the system is to be a 'hell' for the sinners but on paper (and in practice) it's horribly impractical.

 

Human can produce about 50-100 watts per hour. Assuming that 50000 of the people are working at given time to allow sleep and eating, and going for the 100 watts to be generous we get 50 Megawatts power output of these poor bastards.  Meanwhile one steam turbine (that can be ran by burning anything really) produces 100 Megawatts. (And takes much less 'fuel' than these people).

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I'll point out that this is horribly inefficient as far as 'energy creation' goes. Human body is terribly inefficient in turning 'food' into 'motive energy' as vast majority of it is used to keep our bodies functioning, meaning that the chapter would need [someone] to provide food for these tens of thousands individuals, thus increasing the administrative efforts.  This is why most non-stone age societies harnessed running rivers (free motive force) for energy production. Heck, even burning wood to run a turbine is more efficient way to generate energy.  Now, I can see that the the main purpose of the system is to be a 'hell' for the sinners but on paper (and in practice) it's horribly impractical.

 

Human can produce about 50-100 watts per hour. Assuming that 50000 of the people are working at given time to allow sleep and eating, and going for the 100 watts to be generous we get 50 Megawatts power output of these poor bastards.  Meanwhile one steam turbine (that can be ran by burning anything really) produces 100 Megawatts. (And takes much less 'fuel' than these people).

 

Hey thanks for responding. It's first draft so comment away :)

 

I will take out the energy part. I was mainly alluding to this being a punishment. (http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=12275)

 

Seriously, anything you think needs adding or subtracting then mention it

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Perhaps the treadmills are used to grind grain for the chapter's serfs and not to power the orbital lasers? :P

 

Food for the faithful :)

 

At the moment it's a group of ideas I think are pretty cool and attempting to make coherent.

Elements of the old witch hunts, Vlad the Impaler and others.

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