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Anges de Vindication (2.0)


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THE ANGELS OF VINDICATION
fH4F5Id.png CHAPTER NAME: .............THE ANGELS OF VINDICATION
FOUNDING: ..................2ND [M.31]
CHAPTER MASTER: ............RICHART, DUC DE NORMENDIE
CHAPTER WORLD: .............NORMENDIE
FORTRESS MONASTERY: ........KAEM
HERALDRY: ..................SABLE WITH OR HELM AND PAULDRONS WITH ARGENT DECOR
GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR): ...LEGIO I, DARK ANGELS
KNOWN DESCENDANTS: .........NONE








"UN DIEU, UNE FOI, UN EMPIRE!"


E
stablished in the Second Founding of the thirty-first millennium, the Angels of Vindication are a venerable chapter that trace their roots back to the dark days of the Heresy itself. Originally hailed as the 66th Chapter of the First Legion, the Angels of Vindication were part of the First Legion's deep space operations – an expeditionary force sent into the galactic north in exploration of the vestiges of humanity lost to the Halo Stars. According to records kept by the Chapter to honor their fore-bearers little contact was made in this endeavor beyond eradicating the odd warren of Xenos pirates.

However while attempting a rendezvous with the Primarch's fleet the 66th were trapped; snared by the warp storms spawned by the Arch-Heretic's betrayal. Immediately they were beset by what we now know as Daemons – what the pitifully ignorant heroes of yore knew only as some curious strain of warp-based Xenos. The fleet was plunged into desperate close quarter fighting as seemingly endless hosts of daemons poured through tears in reality and butchered much of the mortal crew of the fleet in the ensuing melee. Among those lost included the Grand Master of the 66th, Sigifrid, slain by the Great Unclean One who led the fell nurglite host. The great beast itself was then felled by Sigifrid's right hand man and blooded brother, Paladin Robert. Inflamed with the passionate rage of losing a kinsman, Robert led a furious counter-charge against the nurglite host and expelled it from most of the fleet and sealed the breaches with the assistance of the 66th's Librarians.

Although the Fleet had survived it was not left intact by the Daemonic incursion - the warp drives had failed and the gellar generators barely hobbled along. With no other course of action available Robert ordered the fleet to limp towards the nearest habitable world, traveling at sublight velocity in a year's journey. Upon arrival the 66th found a Feudal World put to siege by another host of daemons led by the herald of the beast Robert slew. Taking no heed of their weakened position Robert flung the remaining might of the 66th upon the daemonic horde and annihilated it. The natives of the world were dumbfounded by their salvation, and offered the Astartes anything they requested in their infinite gratitude for their deliverance. Yet their salvation was not complete – it would be years until the ascension of the God Emperor would calm the immaterium at the Heresy's conclusion. Time and time again the 66th and their new mortal allies would be beset by the daemonic legions of Chaos, their mutual respect bolstering with each succeeding melee. Once the storm abated and communication was reestablished with the wider Imperium it would be this world and its people that the 66th would adopt as their own, named Normendie by the native tongue of the world.


A nightmare manifested before him, a future he believed impossible. This was not what destiny had planned for them surely, to see such a ruinous end? He stared, his gaze locked upon the horror before him as utter despair churned his emotions in means he thought lost to his posthuman soul. His brother, the infant he had held in his arms when delivered from the womb of their mother, his truest friend, the wellspring of his unflinching zeal – torn open and left a despoiled carcass casually spread across the floor.

It was too much to bear, too much pain; more than the loss of his own right arm had inflicted. It cut deeper, the loss of blooded kin, down to his heart which proved jaded to loss no longer. He fell to his knees with a thud as his poleyns shattered the tiled floor, his gaze fixated on the corpse of his only true family in the galaxy. His legionaries may call each other brother, but is merely a bond forged in the fires of war. It was nothing when compared to the intensity of love felt between true kin, and was absent of the bond shared by siblings. He had seen countless of so-called “brothers” fall before, but none could have brought him to tears as now. Slowly he unsealed his helmet, removing it to see his brother with his own eyes and not the false digital readings of soulless technology. It did little to ease the gale of grief that consumed him, even worsening it as tears swelled in his eyes. Finally he shook his head from gazing at his brother's rent body and threw himself back, loosing a howl of anguish.

But Robert was not alone. As he howled at this living nightmare, his brother's slayer burbled with laughter that felt like ice upon the ears – unnatural and more than a mere auditory vocalization. Something fouler than mere speech, a black tongue that could be heard with both one's ears and soul. Its origin was a coiled wyrm, a great serpent of sickly coloration with rotting tissue that leaked a foul-smelling aura of corrosive gases. Robert silenced his grieving and looked to the beast with eyes burning for vindication. He lifted the hammer from his brother's limp hands and pointed at the serpent.

I christen thee DAEMON. For that is what thou are. Thou are no mere alien. Naught from a womb did thou spring, for nary a mother could bear such evil into the world. My liege claims thine ilk are a lie, that suchlike beliefs are mere superstition. Now I know the truth. I see the work of thy host. I see how all is laid to ruin in thy wake. I see the corruption wrought by thy presence. I see the despair sowed before thee, and I refuse to see it inflicted on innocents.

I DENY THEE! I DAMN THEE! I CARE NAUGHT FOR HOW IT IS ACHIEVED – I EXCOMMUNICATE THEE FROM THIS REALITY BACK TO THE HELL FROM WHENCE THOU CRAWLED FORTH!”


Immediately as he finished his castigation of the abomination Robert unsheathed the sword bound to his hip and ignited the power field. Spinning on the balls of his feet to add more momentum to the throw Robert cast the blade at the creature. Flying in a hissing spin as the energy field burned the air around it, the blade flew past the Daemon and cleaved through the reinforced observation window into the darkness of the void. Confused by the missed strike the Daemon refrained from retaliation as the glass behind it exploded into thousands of shards from the pressures of the escaping atmosphere. Unyielding to the gale of the vacuum's depressurization Robert barreled forth like lightning, crashing into the Daemon's belly in a full tackle that brought it to the edge of the abyss. Immediately the wyrm lunged at him with its maw, spewing fetid corrosive gases with the intention of putrefying his flesh – only to its dismay its foul vapors were sucked into the void. Before the daemon could recoil for another strike Robert met its chin with the hammer, pulverizing its bones and throwing the abomination into the void beyond the chamber.

No heed was paid to the threat the course of action posed to his life, for Robert was consumed by a murderous mixture of hatred and grief. From his belt he drew a melta charge and affixed it to the head of the hammer, then with a running jump threw himself after the abomination with complete abandon. The daemon had already fallen a kilometer from the observation tower, spinning as it was driven towards the deck by the momentum of the hammer-blow. Drifting up and away from the daemon in the zero gravity, Robert ignited the exhaust thrusters on his warplate and came screaming from above like a meteor – hammer in hand. To those onlookers from the windows below them, he scene was quintessentially classical. The fell wyrm twisted and lurched in desperation to escape its annihilation which it could only passively watch in abject terror, cowardly and weak to its dying breath. The angel clad in black plate polished to a sheen that reflected the maelstrom in the distance as a dulled rainbow, descending upon fiery wings while hefting a glowing hammer above his head.

Robert's face slowly contorted into a pained roar as he cried out his brother's name into the void's despotic silence. Sigifrid. The brother who was his anchor to humanity, the one who reminded them of their origin and preserved their humility. The abomination had taken that from him, yet what stung the most was that Robert knew he could have saved Sigifrid. Had he not been delayed, had he fought with greater fury to respond to his kin's distress call; he would have been able to prevent Sigifrid's death. He had failed, both in his duty as a praetor and as an elder brother. In that moment he swore an oath to himself, that his brother's legacy would not be erased by this wretched creature. He would not forget his brother's passion for humanity and would never sacrifice his own upon any altar.

Crying Sigifrid's name into the silence of the void, Robert fell upon the daemon with the fury of a vindictive sibling. The hammer swung in a murderous arc that sang with reverberation as it struck true to the wyrm's brow; the power-field and melta charge engaging in unison to deliver the daemon's sentence. The ardent fury of a newborn star was sheathed in a crackling maelstrom of cerulean lightning that smote the daemon, carving a canyon from its flesh in a conic blast of nuclear ire. Charred flesh and frozen droplets of blood filled the vacuum in a swirling cloud of butchery, dispersing into the void as a thinning mist that marked the daemon's undignified end. Smitten, its body mangled beyond recognition, the wyrm broke upon impact with the ship's deck in a sickly smear of rancid gore.


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Normendie


Normendie, homeworld of the Angels of Vindication, is an isolated planet standing on the very fringes of civilization itself. Located near the north-west of Segmentum Obscurus in the Gaulic Sector, Normendie has served as an ideal launching point for the unceasing crusade of the Angels of Vindication. One which they see as a continuation of the Great Crusade itself. Though it is not without allies – the Chapters of the Star Dragons and Blood Swords make for stalwart allies and the unerring legions of Vostroya are distant neighbors – Normendie stands surrounded by hostiles and the entire sector frequently depends upon the Angels for its defense. Orks, Necrons, Eldar, xenos pirates, and the Arch-Enemy itself surround the sector and threaten it without respite. As such, since the founding the Angels of Vindication have made it their duty to carve civilization out of the Gaulic sector, and establish the Imperium's presence in their unwavering vision. These colonial outposts may not be under the direct rule of the Angels, yet their populace sees them as their overlords due to descending from the brave settlers shipped out from Normendie. Because of this cultural bonding the neighboring sub-sectors retain a tight unity and will mobilize for the defense of any with glee. For in space this remote, one can never depend upon salvation from the outside, only your compatriots.

The world of Normendie itself is unrecognizable from its original landscape of pastoral lands and meager cities built of stone and mortar. Now the land has been paved over and excavated to make way for the staggered construction of what became an endless cityscape of neo-gothic spires that left only the oceans untouched. The culture however has only flourished since the exponential growth in population. The noble houses of the world have propagated excessively and intermarried to such a degree that their heraldry could only be described as pornographic in complexity; the seals used to officiate documents for private or public business are longer than the very documents they authenticate. Even the notion of noble blood has extended with the rate of bastard issues exploding alongside the exponential population growth. This has resulted in a shift amongst the population on views of the low-born with all families being so heavily intermarried that all parties now are bound to some great house as their overlord. Thus there is no single 'underclass', each great house reigns over land allotted to it by the Duke ten millennia ago and incorporates all holdings within that border. Furthermore the Chapter makes heavy use of servitor labor in goal of freeing their people from the despair of menial work. These servitors are collected from a plethora of worlds in the prosecution of the Chapter's campaigns, seized from populations found 'wanting' in their faith and purity – then converted into servitors so they might cleanse their souls through a lifetime of hard labor.

By these means Normendie has been transformed into a veritable paradise world where most work performed by the population is purely administrative, engineering, clerical, or entertainment. While the great houses do vie for political supremacy, this jockeying is checked by the power of the Duke and the Chapter. Who use their allotted powers to strictly enforce the peace and prohibit unsanctioned bloodletting between houses. Outlets remain however for violence, mostly in the form of tournaments and judicial duels. The tournament takes special note in the culture of the world, for it is also how the Angels of Vindication conduct their recruitment of neophytes (called Esquires in local tongue). The noble youths (and the occasional bastard) aged between 15 and 19 years compete in a grand melee aboard a suspended garden recreating the old landscape of Normendie; the lot clashing on horseback while armed with the finest plasteel warplate their family can afford. However the Chapter does not exclusively look for physical prowess on the field (although it is appreciated), for it is their belief that the gene-seed will more than mend any want in raw strength. Rather the Chapter seeks those who display the greatest valor upon the field in glorious last stands or charging groups of foes who encircle a friend. Though fatalities are infrequent due to the quality of the resplendent plate worn by these fighters – they do occur. Should a youth display sufficient qualities to deem him a candidate, the Apothecarion will make the bother of resuscitating those not yet succumbed to brain death for induction.

Due to maintaining such close cultural ties with their homeworld and its people, an interesting cultural osmosis has occurred within the Chapter culture that saw them overtaken by the Imperial Cult. The formation of this cult is credited with Robert himself - the founder of the Angels of Vindication - who over time came to believe that while previously not a deity; the Emperor ascended to godhood when enthroned and aided in the salvation of Normendie by scouring the Warp Storms that consumed the Sector. After the first century of the Chapter's existence more Astartes were swept up by the faith's power, culminating in the Chapter's total conversion in M.32. Due to this fairly unique divergence from the typical Astartes atheism the Angels of Vindication have found interaction with mortals to be more agreeable than most other Chapters - especially for those succeeding the First Legion. In particular the Chapter has had a lengthy history of cooperation with the Ecclesiarchy and the Adepta Sororitas; the Angels of Vindication often providing aid for the defense of relics or establishment of new Shrine Worlds in the darkness of the Halo Stars. While this scribe applauds the Chapter for seeing the truth of the Emperor's divinity, it must be noted that this relationship has corrupt motives as well. Courtesy of their cooperation with the Ecclesiarchy and host of allies within the Adeptus Ministorum, they have found the means to shield themselves from the ire of the Ordo Astartes and the mandate limiting Chapter Strength. Every attempt by the Ordo Astartes to send agents to the Halo Stars to issue and edict demanding the Angels of Vindication cease recruiting until attrition brings them to an acceptable strength is thwarted by political machinations.

Yet even if their faith gifts them unorthodox boons, one cannot question the resolve of the Imperial Cult within the Chapter in the present day. Cathedrals are as common as markets in the planetary hive, for it is the Chapter's belief that one's spiritual sustenance is as important as physical nourishment. Chaplains from the Chapter's garrisoned battalion tour the planet preaching sermons to the masses when not training recruits, and even on campaign the Angels of Vindication will frequently hold mass with native population. Brothers of the Chapter commonly inscribe the insides of their helmets and the flat of their blades in litanies from the cult, and will angrily berate their cousins for lack of spiritual well being whenever criticized by other Chapters for falling to the 'whims of mortals'. As the Angels of Vindication see it, their belief merely enhances their morale in campaigning and reminds them constantly of their divinely ordained purpose.

Curiously despite arguably being a member of the self-described "Unfogiven" that comprise the successors of the First Legion, the Angels of Vindication are admittedly on poor terms with most of their brother-chapters. While still respecting the Supreme Grand Master's will, they find themselves ostracized for their differences. Although the strange behavior of the Dark Angels is an enigma to all, even the Angels of Vindication are pushed out of close-knit community of the successors for a seeming failure to conform to organization standards and cultural differences. An element of this could perhaps be attributed to a claim of legitimacy - Normendie was partially settled by Calibanite crew of the 66th's fleet and some of the Chapter itself hails of blood descending from the lost homeworld of the First Legion. Thus it may be possible that the Dark Angels consider the Angels of Vindication a political threat, a remnant drawing strongly from the old legion culture more than the Dark Angels can lay claim to. Or it may be that the culture of the successors has shifted in the days since the Second Founding, and the Angels of Vindication are a curious relic in their eyes, a bauble of a bygone age that no longer bears relevance in the modern galaxy.


Angels of Vindication First Host
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Knight Banneret Eudes

Angels of Vindication Second Host
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Knight Paladin Maurice




ORGANIZATION


The Angels of Vindication openly care little for the Codex Astartes beyond its changes to squad structure. They deviate heavily from most of its organization and retain much of their old crusading structure. Comprising an undisclosed-but-numerous count of battle-brothers, the Angels of Vindication are broken up into three Hosts of the Great Crusade's age which consist of multiple companies rallied under the banner of a Marchis; a title referencing the "border lords" of Normendie's past. In these hosts are companies bearing similarity to the traditional company structure, but more notable is the Chapter's continued use of the Stormwing, a company structure dismantled by the rest of the Unforgiven after the Second Founding. The Angels of Vindication have maintained the Stormwing since their founding, finding the employment of forces specialized in void warfare quite useful in storming the many derelict hulks drifting on the galaxy's edge. Along with the Stormwing, the Chapter also maintains the traditional Deathwing and Ravenwing companies endemic to the Unforgiven.

Hosts are always deployed two at a time by the Chapter in a philosophy the Angels of Vindication refer to as the “three circles” principle. The first “circle” is comprised of the freshest host, sent to the furthest reaches of space to respond to distant calls of aid or finish campaigns another host was forced to abandon. The second circle is the host previously occupying the first orbit, now returning to the Normendie for resupply while engaging on light campaigning en-route. The third inner-most circle is the homeworld itself, as the most exhausted host buries its dead, tends to its wounded, inducts new knights into its ranks, and trains the aspirants on the homeworld. Once the host of the second circle returns to the homeworld, the third circle will then set sail in what is an endless cycle of crusading.

In the start of their career as an inductee of the Angels of Vindication, an "Esquire" as they are titled, shall receive most of their training in the safety of the homeworld. During their instruction they will not only be trained in physical endeavors such as fencing or marksmanship drills but the social arts as well. Courtesy of exposure to their planet's culture the Angels of Vindication have embraced the importance of philosophical and artistic endeavors as vital parts of the warrior culture. Esquires thus see an extensive education on studies raging from the more practically applied concepts of military theory to poetry as a means of refining one's rhetoric. Upon reaching the limits of what theory or simulation can teach the Esquires will be attached to a Host for live combat experience as recon squads - snipers/spotters that assassinate enemy VIP's and coordinate orbital bombardments.

Eventually an Esquire will complete a sufficient amount of missions that the Master of the company they are bound under will commend them to the Marchis of the host for completing their augmentations with the black carapace. Normally this procedure is completed on the homeworld when the host has returned from campaigning to replenish its losses, however each host has the means to complete the augmentation process aboard its battle barges. When promoted from Esquire, the newly ascended brother enters the lowest rank in the Chapter, that of Knight-Bachelor. Knight Bachelors are line brothers who lack the right to bear their familiar arms upon their armor, instead emblazoning the arms of their commanding sergeant. Typically they will be cycled through Devastator, Assault, and Tactical squads until earning the promotion to Knight-Banneret - the Angels' title for Sergeants. As a Knight-Banneret brothers earn the right to emblazon the arms of their house, and the right to lead their own squads as sergeants. After sufficient time spent leading a squad, a Knight-Banneret will be promoted to the rank of Knight-Paladin; a veteran of the Chapter. Upon this promotion Knight-Paladins will then join a Paladin (veteran) squad. Paladin squads act the spine of the Angels of Vindication in any engagement, their freedom of restrictions allowing the Knight-Paladins to equip themselves in a manner precisely tailored for the task at hand or the brother wields with peerless skill. Depending on the particular skillset of the respective Knight-Paladin they may also be promoted to the venerable elite companies of the Deathwing, Ravenwing, and Stormwing in their Host.


COMBAT DOCTRINE



The Angels of Vindication have drifted little from the means the First Legion prosecuted warfighting; preferring to use rapid and overwhelming force to annihilate the very ability for the enemy to mount a resistance effort on the opening strike. In this regard, and courtesy of their remote nature, the Angels of Vindication have a penchant for mounting planetstrike campaigns with the first exchange being one of orbital bombardment. They care little for the controversy of wielding such weapons against the surface of planets and lay waste to all exposed airfields and garrisons with the utmost contempt. Only key assets of the world shall be spared their ire: manufactorums, relics, void shield generators, and hive cities are the only targets they may hesitate to rain fury upon. After the immediate conclusion of the opening bombardment the Host will then begin mass deployment of multiple companies' worth of marines across the planet to draw out the enemy and destroy them piecemeal. Armor columns are wiped out by constant air patrols by the Stormwing, embedded infantry are uprooted from their warrens by shock infantry, and enemy fortresses are demolished by the Chapter's armor. So thorough and punishing is their assaults that it is not atypical for campaigns by the Chapter to be ended in literal hours - only token insurgent forces remaining after their assets are brutally vaporized.

Such campaigns however are always decided in the immediate hours of the clash for orbital supremacy. It is in this theater of war that the Stormwing and Deathwing truly shine, using their unique capabilities in conjunction to swiftly cripple entire flotillas or seize defensive guns and turn them upon their former owners. The Stormwing are primarily employed as pilots above all else, honing their skills in the Chapter's gunships to cut down enemy craft from the void and to launch devastating bombing runs on ship hardpoints. Occasionally they may be deployed as specialized breacher squads; punching a hole through voidsmen to deploy teleporter beacons for the Deathwing. Edited by Volt
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  • 2 years later...

Hey Volt!

Really interesting concept. I think my only issue is the size of the chapter. I know that in M42 it wont matter but as a second founding chapter, someone would have brought the hammer down on them for having more than 1000 marines.

Any thoughts on why they went so long with this organisation?

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Good job. As the then 66th Chapter was trapped on Normendie during the Heresy, they likely missed out on Luthor's betrayal and Caliban's subsequent destruction; unless the Lion's successor trusts them with knowledge of the Fallen and then makes the Angels of Vindication acknowledge the Dark Angels Supreme Grandmaster's authority, they would have no need to consider themselves "Unforgiven," no need to hunt for the Fallen, no place for "Interrogator-Chaplains" in their chain-of-command, and will likely viewed with distrust by the post-Heresy Dark Angels and their successors.

 

Is the Stormwing optimized for void warfare, boarding actions, and combat in the confined spaces of starship and void station interiors? That detail would be welcome to explain why the Angels of Vindication retain the formation.

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I know that in M42 it wont matter but as a second founding chapter, someone would have brought the hammer down on them for having more than 1000 marines.

Any thoughts on why they went so long with this organisation?

Good point. There are loopholes to get around this, e.g., the fact Chapters are allowed to recruit above Codex-mandated limits, in anticipation of heavy casualties from an upcoming crusade- one the Black Templars famously take advantage of. Another is the fact the "1000 Marines per Chapter" limit does not include support personnel in the count, e.g., vehicle and starship crews- one my own Iron-hearted Angels use to justify having 1800 Marines, as they have a large and powerful fleet- the Angels of Vindication can count 1700 of its 2700 Marines as starship crews instead, e.g., as shipboard security.
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Hey Volt!

Really interesting concept. I think my only issue is the size of the chapter. I know that in M42 it wont matter but as a second founding chapter, someone would have brought the hammer down on them for having more than 1000 marines.

Any thoughts on why they went so long with this organisation?

Essentially they're on the arse-end of the Segmentum Pacificus in the Halo Stars to such a degree that their only neighbors are the Star Dragons and even they're a distant friend. The "gaulic sector" is located to the direct left of Calixis and is downright dangerous to reach as sometimes the light of the Astronomicon wanes there. As of yet no member of the Ordos Astartes has been willing to travel that far to serve an order to break up into other Chapters, both because the trip there is lethal and because they could wind up stranded with those they just served orders to. Or vanish on the return trip. Or in true Dark Angel fashion, "vanish". Then they've also got fairly good relations with the Faith Militant due to the Imperial Cult bleeding into the Chapter over millennia due to the degree of interaction with locals resulting in most of the Chapter believing in the Imperial Cult. Which in turn is their largest group of allies due to being mostly cut off from the rest of the Unforgiven culturally and gravitating more to regional alliances out of pramatism. They also blend more with the old DA culture than the new one, as some of the planet's population is actually comprised of Calibanites who were former crew on the 66th's fleet.

 

 

 

Good job. As the then 66th Chapter was trapped on Normendie during the Heresy, they likely missed out on Luthor's betrayal and Caliban's subsequent destruction; unless the Lion's successor trusts them with knowledge of the Fallen and then makes the Angels of Vindication acknowledge the Dark Angels Supreme Grandmaster's authority, they would have no need to consider themselves "Unforgiven," no need to hunt for the Fallen, no place for "Interrogator-Chaplains" in their chain-of-command, and will likely viewed with distrust by the post-Heresy Dark Angels and their successors.

 

Is the Stormwing optimized for void warfare, boarding actions, and combat in the confined spaces of starship and void station interiors? That detail would be welcome to explain why the Angels of Vindication retain the formation.

The stormwing are mostly optimized for boarding actions outside of radiation-filled space hulks. The Halo Stars are rife with abandoned ships or forgotten strongholds drifting through space, so the Stormwing were simply never disbanded unlike the rest of the Unforgiven as they found frequent use acting as breacher squads. Their other primary role is serving as the main pilots for a Batallion's aircraft, with the Ravenwing mostly focusing on bikes and speeders.

Edited by Volt
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Well, all that info would be great if it was worked into the article somehow. You thought this through and I think conveying it would be fantastic.

Sure people will disagree, the first argument I would say is that in 10000 years someone would have made the journey. But like I said, it's well thought out and should be a part of your IA.

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Well, all that info would be great if it was worked into the article somehow. You thought this through and I think conveying it would be fantastic.

Sure people will disagree, the first argument I would say is that in 10000 years someone would have made the journey. But like I said, it's well thought out and should be a part of your IA.

Oh it's still a WIP.

Edited by Brother Lunkhead
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I notice the picture is labeled "24th Company". Is that a typo? I also have to ask if the Company has any aerospace support, e.g., Stormhawks, Stormtalons, Stormravens- as 945.M2 to 019.M3 history has taught us, if a military doesn't have aerospace superiority, it is blind and crippled against those that do.
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I notice the picture is labeled "24th Company". Is that a typo? I also have to ask if the Company has any aerospace support, e.g., Stormhawks, Stormtalons, Stormravens- as 945.M2 to 019.M3 history has taught us, if a military doesn't have aerospace superiority, it is blind and crippled against those that do.

Going to add it soon to the article, but the Chapter is comprised of 3 Battalions which are further split into 30 Companies. Each Battalion contains 10 of those Companies which are all organized in the same manner

 

1st Company, Deathwing          11th Company, Deathwing         21st Company, Deathwing

2nd Company, Ravenwing        12th Company, Ravenwing        22nd Company, Ravenwing

3rd Company, Stormwing          13th Company, Stormwing         23rd Company, Stormwing

4th Company, Tactical               14th Company, Tactical             24th Company, Tactical

5th Company, Tactical               15th Company, Tactical             25th Company, Tactical

6th Company, Tactical               16th Company, Tactical             26th Company, Tactical

7th Company, Assault                17th Company, Assault             27th Company, Assault

8th Company, Assault                18th Company, Assault             28th Company, Assault

9th Company, Devastator          19th Company, Devastator       29th Company, Devastator

10th Company, Devastator        20th Company, Devastator       30th Company, Devastator

 

The Stormwing always pilot craft when not involved in boarding actions, and depending on the campaign's needs the Assault Companies will either deploy as infantry with/out jump packs, or pilot additional aircraft and skimmers to assist the chapter. Likewise the Devastator Companies act as another pool of bodies for piloting vehicles, with the devastators being combat-squadded with the non-heavy weapon specialists piloting predators, vindicators, etc. Each Company is also further broken up into 6 lineman squads and 3 specialist squads, with the specialists typically being 5 man opposed to the 10 man line squads. Company Veterans, typically referred to as Knight-Paladins, select whatever loadout they desire that's in stock in the armory and adapt for whatever mission is at hand. Paladins have designated Razorbacks for their transport (post invention) while line squads have dedicated Rhinos. Assault Company Veterans may also have designated Storm Eagles for their transport.

Edited by Volt
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To minimize the chance the Angels will draw the Inquisition's attention, how about limiting the Chapter to 10 Companies... with 270 Marines each. Say each Company has 100 Battleline Marines, 100 Reserve Marines (stationed aboard the Angels' ships as "shipboard security" and "counter-boarding forces" when they're not needed on the field, to keep them out-of-sight), 70 Support Marines (Techmarines, Stormwing pilots, starship crewmen, etc.)...

 

To further this deception, make the Angels' many strike cruisers look identical, so enemies have difficulty knowing how many ships the Chapter has.

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To minimize the chance the Angels will draw the Inquisition's attention, how about limiting the Chapter to 10 Companies... with 270 Marines each. Say each Company has 100 Battleline Marines, 100 Reserve Marines (stationed aboard the Angels' ships as "shipboard security" and "counter-boarding forces" when they're not needed on the field, to keep them out-of-sight), 70 Support Marines (Techmarines, Stormwing pilots, starship crewmen, etc.)...

 

To further this deception, make the Angels' many strike cruisers look identical, so enemies have difficulty knowing how many ships the Chapter has.

Wouldn't they actually dodge the requirements as a crusading chapter and never gathering their strength in a single location? The only time battalions congregate is when the inner sphere and second sphere, otherwise acting as an independent campaigning force.

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Wouldn't they actually dodge the requirements as a crusading chapter and never gathering their strength in a single location? The only time battalions congregate is when the inner sphere and second sphere, otherwise acting as an independent campaigning force.

If you're taking inspiration from how the Black Templars are organized, note the Templars are organized in ad hoc "Fighting Companies"- NOT NUMBERED- to obscure how many Marines they have. Instead of labeling that unit as the "24th Company," label it as "Master [insert name]'s Crusading Company," and if anyone asks why the Angels have so many "Company Masters," use "We often have to promote Lieutenants to replace Company Masters who fell in battle; such are the necessities of fighting an unending Crusade. You say our Chapter seems to have 27 Companies? As our ships often travel through Warp turbulence that disrupts Astropathic communications, and our Marines often forced to fight in conditions of vox silence, we can't know how often the other Companies must replace their own Company Masters, and are entirely reliant upon the communications protocol our First Grandmaster established to verify each other's identities," to explain the apparent discrepancy.

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Wouldn't they actually dodge the requirements as a crusading chapter and never gathering their strength in a single location? The only time battalions congregate is when the inner sphere and second sphere, otherwise acting as an independent campaigning force.

If you're taking inspiration from how the Black Templars are organized, note the Templars are organized in ad hoc "Fighting Companies"- NOT NUMBERED- to obscure how many Marines they have. Instead of labeling that unit as the "24th Company," label it as "Master [insert name]'s Crusading Company," and if anyone asks why the Angels have so many "Company Masters," use "We often have to promote Lieutenants to replace Company Masters who fell in battle; such are the necessities of fighting an unending Crusade. You say our Chapter seems to have 27 Companies? As our ships often travel through Warp turbulence that disrupts Astropathic communications, and our Marines often forced to fight in conditions of vox silence, we can't know how often the other Companies must replace their own Company Masters, and are entirely reliant upon the communications protocol our First Grandmaster established to verify each other's identities," to explain the apparent discrepancy.

 

Was doing some researching on legion org, Hosts might be means of obfuscating numbers, organizing the Chapter of three Hosts with undefined limits on their numbers while the Angels of Vindication secretly maintain their old strength as the 66th.

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Was doing some researching on legion org, Hosts might be means of obfuscating numbers, organizing the Chapter of three Hosts with undefined limits on their numbers while the Angels of Vindication secretly maintain their old strength as the 66th.

This seems fair. So the three Hosts' leaders form a Triumvirate? Is a Host leader referred to as "Triumvir", or does he hold a different title, e.g., "Host Master" or "Duke"? If a Host leader dies, do his Marines- and ONLY his Marines- elect a new Host leader from among his Company Masters, or does the entire Chapter reassemble so all its members may elect a new Host leader from among all the Chapter's Company Masters? (The last is admittedly a bad idea, as outsiders- including the Ordo Astartes- are more likely to notice the Angels' numbers are above Codex-proscribed limits during the gathering.)

Edited by Bjorn Firewalker
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Was doing some researching on legion org, Hosts might be means of obfuscating numbers, organizing the Chapter of three Hosts with undefined limits on their numbers while the Angels of Vindication secretly maintain their old strength as the 66th.

This seems fair. So the three Hosts' leaders form a Triumvirate? Is a Host leader referred to as "Triumvir", or does he hold a different title, e.g., "Host Master" or "Duke"? If a Host leader dies, do his Marines- and ONLY his Marines- elect a new Host leader from among his Company Masters, or does the entire Chapter reassemble so all its members may elect a new Host leader from among all the Chapter's Company Masters? (The last is admittedly a bad idea, as outsiders- including the Ordo Astartes- are more likely to notice the Angels' numbers are above Codex-proscribed limits during the gathering.)

 

The more appropriate title for a leader of a battalion would be Marcheis considering that their rank wouldn't be bound to titles of land - the Duke is Duc de Normendie simply because the Chapter Master is technically the owner of the planet. Plus only the Duke would have the legal ability to grant land rights, thus no rank holding any property could be elected by members of any host (the original form of Marquis, Marchis, being just a general term for marcher lord before it became an official rank. Hosts would definitely self-appoint all roles however, at least temporarily, as the main goal of the Chapter is to keep a perpetual war footing without losing momentum.

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I'm surprised your Chapter Master would merely claim the title of "Duc," considering many of his peers choose greater titles, e.g., "High King" (the Space Wolves Chapter Master).

It's mostly done out of a mixture of humility and respect. As the chief title of the entire Imperium, the Emperor is the Emperor and thus devoid of equals. To name yourself King would be dangerously encroaching upon blasphemy by implying you are a peer of the Emperor in title.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Updated with a lore snippet and chapter tactics.

The additional details are most welcome. I like the story of Robert avenging Sigifrid.

 

Question:

Knight Banneret Eudes

What's a Knight Banneret? Was it the original name for the rank of "Knight-Bachelor," before you changed your mind?
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Updated with a lore snippet and chapter tactics.

The additional details are most welcome. I like the story of Robert avenging Sigifrid.

 

Question:

Knight Banneret Eudes

What's a Knight Banneret? Was it the original name for the rank of "Knight-Bachelor," before you changed your mind?

 

....:censored:

 

I knew I forgot something

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