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Space Marine Chapter Articles ---

Nightscream
"...we lurk in the darkness. We lurk in every shadow. No amount of light will prevent us from killing you while you sleep in your beds. No walls will protect you from our blades. You are as helpless as children in the blackest night with ravening creatures of the night all around. For they we are, right now and you cannot see. In the dark, in the light, it matters not..for we see you..and our blades hunger."

- World-wide vox-transmission played on a loop, broadcasted to the rebellious world of Atargatis, c. M37

The Nightscream are a mysterious Successor Chapter created from the lineage of the Raven Guard during the ill-fated and oft-maligned 21st Founding, the so-called 'Cursed Founding', sometime during M36. Misfortunate, physical idiosyncrasies and rampant mutations often plague the Chapters created during this time. The Nightscream too, fell victim to the ineptitude of the Magos Biologus genetors that attempted to improve upon the Emperor's design, proving far less-skilled than the Master of Mankind's mastery of the genetic sciences. This proved disastrous for the Chapters created during this Founding, which resulted in seriously flawed gene-seed being given to them. Only much later would these flaws become readily apparent, affecting the overall character and doctrine of these Chapters.

The Nightscream were one of these Chapters affected by the Mechanicus' failed attempts at genetic manipulation, which resulted in the Chapter suffering from a debilitating flaw that affects their vision, which rapidly worsens until the affected battle-brother is rent completely blind. However, this unnatural blindness has resulted in them developing far superior senses than even a standard Astartes - superior hearing, an enhanced sense of smell, tastes and acute sensitive touch. But their most unique ability is that the Astartes of this Chapter have developed a form of echolocation which grants them an omnidirectional field of vision. This latter ability allows them to detect objects in their environment by sensing echoes from the sounds that bounce off of objects. This grants these transhuman warriors extreme spatial awareness, allowing them to react much quicker than an average Astartes. The advent of such unique abilities has given rise to rumours that the Astartes of this Chapter possess latent psychic abilities which grants them some kind of innate 'sixth sense', but this couldn't be further from the truth, although their natural abilities do serve to increase these warriors' already fearsome capabilities to preternatural levels.

Throughout the millennia of their existence, the Nightscream have developed superb expertise in stealth, infiltration and deep strike tactics deep behind enemy lines, committing acts of sabotage, assassination of enemy commanders, and the sowing of destruction and chaos behind the lines mid-battle. This Chapter are also experts at conducting psychological warfare on their foes - broadcasting vox messages whispering dire warnings, making shrill, haunting cries that echo throughout the long night, and randomly killing sentries as they penetrate ever deeper into an enemy's position. Through the use of such terror tactics, often whole rebellious cities have willingly surrendered rather than face the wrath of these silent killers.

The Cursed Founding
The Nightscream are a Chapter whose origins, like many of the Chapters created during 21st Founding, have been purposely obfuscated or been lost to the midsts of history, due to the unforeseen circumstances surrounding their inception. Though initially deemed successful by their creators, many of these Chapters would go on to be plagued by ill-fortune or be subjected to unforeseen genetic idiosyncrasies or rampant mutations.

Due to these unfortunate set of circumstances, this particular Space Marine Founding would be dubbed the 'Cursed Founding'. Like many of their fellow Chapters created at this time, the earliest records following the Nightscream Chapter's inception have been lost, but what is known with any certainty is that they were a fleet-based Chapter.

Nightfall
The Astartes of this Chapter were created with experimental gene-seed taken from the lineage of the heroic and mysterious Raven Guard Chapter, which was heavily modified, in order to remove some of the more undesirable traits. It is also believed that these Astartes might have received additional experimental Astartes organs that were crafted by the Magos that took part in "Project Home Sapiens Nova". The experimental organs implanted into their makeup helped enhance their already formidable senses commonly displayed by the average transhuman warrior, including various enhanced senses as well as superior balance and coordination. However, despite these groundbreaking advancements, like many of the Chapters created during this time, there would be long-term side effects that went unforeseen by their creators. Though initially deemed successful, soon many of the Chapters created during this Founding were plagued by spontaneous random mutations or devolved into something no longer human or sane. Though the Nightscream escaped the latter fate, within a matter of months, they began to show signs of acute blindness, which greatly affected the overall mindset of the Chapter. Refusing to give into their fate, the Nightscream vowed to sell themselves dearly in a final Crusade into the outer void, before their physical deficiencies could fully overtake the entirety of the Chapter. What occurred during this voyage into the furthest reaches of known Imperial space and beyond, is unrecorded. But when the Nightscream Chapter eventually emerged from their long and mysterious sojourn into the unknown, many centuries later, they were a far different Chapter than the one they had once been - one that had been irrevocably changed.

Residing in Darkness
Initially, the Nightscream had begun their existence with much promise and were highly favoured by their Adeptus Mechanicus creators, hailed as one of their greatest successes of their experimentations. Thus, the newly incepted Chapter was blessed with advanced weaponry and a large number of highly experienced Techmarines to oversee the care and maintenance of their specialist equipment. It was fortunate that the Chapter possessed an abundance of these specialist Astartes, for when they began to experience rapid macular degeneration these Techmarines, alongside their Apothecary brethren, would help play an instrumental role in the Chapter's salvation. However, soon the Astartes of this Chapter began developing other unexpected and much more serious genetic idiosyncrasies; overactive sensory sensitivity to light, sound, taste and smell. In order to compensate for these troublesome physical abnormalities, the Chapter's Techmarines and Apothecaries worked in tandem, developing several modifications to their battle-plate to overcome their overactive sensory sensitivity.

The Techmarines installed specialised in-built acoustic dampeners to compensate for their battle-brothers' overactive auditory senses. As the Astartes of the Chapter began to suffer the effects of macro degeneration they developed an extreme sensitivity to light, which forced the Techmarines to remove the optic lenses from the helmets of their fellow Astartes. But despite the loss of their sight these affected Astartes quickly realised that had developed a form of radar sense to compensate for their loss of vision. This newly acquired trait allowed a blind battle-brother to build a mental image by actively creating and listening for sounds, allowing them to interpret the sound waves reflected by nearby objects and enabling them to accurately identify their location and size. The modifications made to their battle-plate, combined with intensive regular training, helped the Astartes of the Nightscream Chapter to adapt and overcome their handicaps, and within a matter of decades, they were able to fully incorporate their inherent 'gifts' and utilise them to their full potential.

Officer Ranks

 * Kithlord - Chapter Master equivalent.
 * Shadewalker - Captain equivalent.

Specialist Ranks

 * Lord Speaker of the Dead - Reclusiarch equivalent.
 * Wraithspeaker - Chaplain equivalent.
 * Lord of Fates - Chief Librarian equivalent.
 * Doomscryer - Librarian equivalent.
 * Chirurgeon Primus - Chief Apothecary equivalent.
 * Chirurgeon - Apothecary equivalent
 * Lord Anvilar - Master of the Forge equivalent.
 * Forge-Wright - Techmarine equivalent.

Line Ranks

 * Shade Master - Sergeant equivalent.
 * Harrow-Brother - Battle-Brother equivalent.
 * Nightshade - Scout Marine, Vanguard Infiltrator and Primaris Reiver equivalent.
 * Wraithkin - Aspirant equivalent.

Specialist Formations

 * Kith Guard - Personal Honour Guard of the Chapter Master.
 * Gloomwrought -

Squad Formations

 * Darkmantle - Assault Marine equivalent.
 * Nighthaunt - Devastator Marine equivalent.
 * Nighthaunt - Devastator Marine equivalent.
 * Nighthaunt - Devastator Marine equivalent.

Specialised Equipment

 * Wraith Pattern Power Armour - The Astartes of the Nightscream Chapter wear a variant pattern of battle-plate known as the Wraith-pattern, which includes a built-in cameoline field. When the field is activated, the armour's surface mirrors ambient lighting conditions, allowing its wearer to bend into his surroundings. When this field is disengaged, the surface of the armour takes on a flat black finish in its passive state. This specialised pattern of battle-plate also utilises in-built acoustic dampeners which enables a battle-brother to move silently and swiftly, without being detected by an enemy. Combined with their superior skills of subtle movement and affinity for the dark, a Nightscream Astartes might as well be invisible.
 * Whisper Array - A Whisper Array is a highly sophisticated communications array designed by the Chapter's Techmarines that allows a Nightscream Astartes to relay long-range communications over great distances while using their specialised sub-vocalised language known as 'Whisper-Speak'. This low-level frequency language consists of various patterns of breathing, clicks and pops, as well as sub-vocal growls, enabling a battle-brother to convey short but very precise commands and directions through their helmet's internal vox communication channels, which are highly encrypted. This allows an Astartes not to give away his position while conducting highly dangerous infiltration and assassination missions deep behind enemy lines.

Chapter Beliefs
"The enemies of Mankind should fear us, for we are the Emperor's wrath made manifest. To fear us, is to fear Him on Terra. Lesser men may fear the xenos, mutant, heretic or the daemonic, but we do not. We do not fear the gathering darkness, for we have dwelt in it for all our existence. We do not fear, for we are fear itself."

- Wraithspeaker Dendraar Abrulash

Due to their prolonged exposure to darkness, down the millennia, the Nightscream have become nearly devoid of emotion. They are known to be grim-natured, troubled and often driven, their souls touched by darkness. They are often seen as cold and pitiless to outsiders and are merciless and unforgiving with their enemies. Battle-Brothers of this Chapter hold very little regard for their own lives, often viewing a present incarnation as but one in an endless cycle and death as foretold and impossible to change, which can cause some of their most senior brethren to become jaded after several centuries. Their affinity with the darkness defines them as a Chapter and influences every aspect of their culture.

The Nightscream also embrace living to the limits of serving the Emperor without fail. Despite their stoic and grim demeanour they still strive for personal greatness in the eyes of Him on Terra, so that when they fall, stories of their great deeds will be passed down by the Chapter's Wraithspeakers to future generations of Astartes, and grant them a sort of immortality. In their search for personal glory, most Nightscream battle-brothers ignore comfort, morality, and safety, traits they considered banalities.

Physical Traits & Notable Idiosyncrasies
The Nightscream bear all the genetic markers reminiscent of a Successor Chapter descended from the lineage of Corvus Corax's bloodline. They share many of the physical attributes of their Progenitors, including a defect in their Malanochromic organ that change their skin colour to a paler than normal colour. Most Nightscream Astartes have dusky gray skin and colorless complexions that varies from alabaster to dark gray; black hair, with older battle-brothers having wiry grey hair after several centuries; and milky coloured eyes lacking any sclera or clear pupil. Shadows on their bodies or clothing always seem to be deeper and darker than shadows elsewhere, and shadow seemed to follow them and reach out when they are angry. Due to their affinity for the darkness, they can easily blend into the shadows at will, and are often lost from view. It is said that a Nightscream Astartes will only reveal themselves at a time and place of their choosing. This is usually when they are primed to kill an enemy at close-quarters.

Like their genetic forebears, the Nightscream also do not possess the Mucranoid organ which allows a Space Marine to survive extremes of heat, cold or even exposure to the vacuum of space or the Betcher's Gland organ, which allows them to spit a venomous toxin. They do not lament such losses, as they have been granted various other 'gifts' inherent in their modified gene-seed.

Another unusual aspect of the Nightscream is their preference for wearing their helmets at all times when they are in the presence of other Imperial military forces, fellow Space Marine Chapters or Imperial authorities. They will never remove their helmet in the presence of anyone outside their Chapter. Though this has caused some consternation amongst their allies, who believe the Nightscream to be haughty and vain, the truth of the matter is twofold; the first being their innate blindness which causes their eyes to become milky white in appearance. The vacant dead stares of these Astartes can be quite unnerving in the presence of sighted individuals, therefore the Nightscream opt to wear their helmets at all times, except when they are aboard their own vessels, amongst their own kind or Chapter Serfs, outside the presence of outsiders.

The second reason they wear their helmets at all times is more practical, rather than personal choice. The helmets of the Nightscream Astartes have specialised volume-controlled vox units. The reason for this is due unforeseen genetic drift down the millennia, which causes a notable physical abnormality that affects the larynx of a Nightscream Astartes. This abnormality causes the pitch of their voice to drop to a sepulchral whisper, which is near impossible to hear by baseline humans. Even with the advent of their modified vox units and the volume turned all the way up, it is still difficult for someone to understand them. This does not seem to affect a Nightscream Astartes at all, as their superior auditory senses allows them to hear a range of sound on several different frequencies or levels of pitch.

Despite their innate blindness, the remaining four senses of Nightscream Astartes are enhanced to near superhuman levels, resulting in them becoming radar-like. These battle-brothers claim to constantly feel numerous things, including balance, direction, minuscule changes in air density, vibrations and blankets of temperature variations that are usually imperceptible to baseline humans. That, combined with their acute hearing and olfactory senses, enables Astartes of this Chapter to evaluate their surroundings in an omnidirectional sense, which allows them to perceive the general shape of objects and surroundings of their environment. Their superhumanly enhanced senses grant them tremendous awareness of their surroundings on a wide range, thus making them alert to inherent danger, which has given rise to rumours of these Astartes possessing an innate 'sixth-sense' that makes them aware when dangerous is present.

Acute Hearing
It has also been witnessed, and verified, that the hearing of a Nightscream Astartes is far superior to not only other transhuman but sharper than a bat's and is extremely acute. The Astartes organ known as the Lyman's Ear seems to work at a far superior level than an average Astartes, allowing a Nightscream battle-brother to clearly hear conversations, heartbeats and even breathing from several metres from their position. They are able to hear and memorise the sound of someone's heartbeat, and in a crowded room full of people, are able to single them out from amongst a crowd. They can also detect changes in a person's heartbeats, which allows these Astartes to predict how they feel and what actions they'll take, such as attack or flee. Their hearing is also so acute that they can tell whether people are lying or not, based on the subtle changes in the rate of their heartbeats. When forced to improvise when fighting extremely stealthy enemies, such as Aeldari Rangers, Harlequins, Tau Pathfinders or Ork Kommandos, they can effectively keep track of their movements by listening to their breaths and the sounds of fabric swishing through the air or brushing against foliage or scraping against the ground.

Echolocation
The superior hearing possessed by these Astartes has allowed them to utilise their inherent abilities in new and unique ways, despite their perceived handicap of not being able to see. The Nightscream have learned to develop an exceptionally advanced form of echolocation. Following the implantation of their Chapter's gene-seed, newly inducted Neophytes begin to suffer the effects of rapid macular degeneration, which eventually causes their eyes to develop a milky white sheen, rendering them totally blind. They then undergo intense physical training at the hands of the Chapter's senior instructors, to learn to compensate for their loss of sight until their inherent radar and auditory senses begin to fully function. Once fully trained and mastered, they are then able to begin utilising the skills of echolocation. Through the use of this 'radar sense', they are able to detect objects in their environment by sensing echoes from those objects, by actively creating and listening for sounds - for example - making clicking noises with their tongues, the stomping of their enemies' feet, raindrops falling on a weapon, the handle of a hatch being turned, rattling chains or even a person's heartbeat. They can interpret the sound waves reflected by nearby objects, accurately identifying their location and size.

Some Magos Biologis theorise that this radar sense functions via these Astartes' brain's generation of energy within a certain portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The signal emanates (both consciously and unconsciously) from sending regions of their brain, after which it travels outward, bounces off objects around them, and returns to receiving regions of their brain. Another theory is that this particular sense functions more closely to sonar in which a Nightscream Astartes hears the faint echoes of sounds as they bounce off nearby objects. This radar sense may operate by a combination of these techniques or by other, unknown means.

It is not known what exactly causes the blindness in Nightscream Astartes, but some believe that this is primarily due to a failure in their Occulobe organ. This implant sits at the base of the brain after being implanted along the optic nerve and is connected to the retina. Normally, it helps provide hormonal and genetic stimuli which enable a Space Marine's eyes to respond to the optic-therapy that all Neophytes must undergo in their Chapter's Apothecarium. These procedures, in turn, would then allow a Chapter's Apothecaries to make adjustments to the growth patterns of the eyes and their light-receptive retinal cells. The end result, is that Space Marines achieve a visual acuity that is far superior to that of baseline humans, allowing them to see in low-light conditions and near-darkness almost as well as in bright daylight. However, the Astartes of this Chapter suffers from a mutation which causes severe macular degeneration, which results in a battle-brother's eyes becoming milky white orbs, absent of both visible iris or sclera. With the absence of their vision, Neophytes are unable to undergo the usual optic-therapy and hypno-indoctrination training, therefore, the Chapter's Apothecaries instead employ a form of infra-sound in order to achieve the same results.

Superior Olfactory & Taste Senses
Another notable superior sense these Astartes possess are incredible olfactory senses which is sharper than a dog's, allowing them to detect the scent of stale lho-stick or the smell of alcohol on a person's breath several floors above their position or through several walls. Their senses are so acute, it is said they can even smell a person several yards away and detect if they are sick with infectious disease or other deadly diseases, such as cancer. They are also known to possess enhanced taste which enables them to detect the presence of an individual by tasting copper in the air from the blood of an open wound or taste the acrid smell of a person's sweat.

Enhanced Vibration & Electrical Field Detection
Nightscream Astartes can feel the presence of those around them through vibrations, air currents and body temperatures. This enables them to dodge attacks and projectiles by feeling them cut through the air, creating ripples of currents only detectable by them. They can also locate enemies through walls and from different floors by feeling vibrations an enemy makes from moving, such as their footsteps. This enhanced touch also enables battle-brothers of this Chapter to sense changes in heat in their environment. They can even feel the heat generated from the blood spilling from a gunshot wound, to one-half of a degree.

These Astartes are also able to detect electric fields, similar to a shark. When out on a mission, they can often detect a hidden room or bunker by feeling an electrical current coming from a wall. They can also hear the electricity buzzing inside the wall and feel a stop in the current where a mechanism for unlocking a secret room is.

Enhanced Equilibrium
It has also been observed that the sense of balance displayed by lightly armoured Nightscream Reivers, Infiltrators and Scout Marines are near superhuman, giving them perfect equilibrium, coordinated dexterity, reflexes and agility, resulting in high levels of acrobatic and gymnastic ability. Selected for their innate physical abilities, these chosen few display enhanced dexterity and reflexes even before the intense training they receive at the hands of their Chapter's instructors, as they can effortlessly catch objects thrown at them while hearing the sound they make. They can also instinctively react to oncoming blows nearly effortlessly through the use of their other senses, such as avoiding attacks with a sharp weapon at close quarters by hearing the noise of its approach.

Sign Language & Whisper-Speak
Due to their enhanced autoritory senses and whispery, sepulchral voices, the Nightscream developed a unique form of communication that has taken the medium of both complex series of physical sign language forms used in conjunction with whispers, clicks, various pitches and frequencies. Known as 'Whisper-Speak', this unique language is similar to several notable forms of sign language, including 'Thoughtmark' utilised by the mysterious Silent Sisterhood and the battle-sign utilised by the Adeptus Astartes. Despite their stoic and silent demeanour, each battle-brother is in fact, very vocal and highly individualistic, communicating with subtle hand and finger gestures and vocalised low-level frequencies that only one of their kind can understand.

'Lay-Cant' is the symbolic sign language commonly employed by the Astartes of this Chapter. Though small in scale, it is full of delicate gestures of finger and thumb, which can be utilised to convey concepts of great subtlety or intricate nature. This formal variation is utilised when dealing with difficult philosophical and technical abstracts. In the heat of battle, the Nightscream Astartes utilise a variant form known as 'Battle-Cant', which consists of highly efficient and abrupt tactical cants. This detailed form is geared towards ready and precise expression of strategic concepts and actions. 'Battle-Cant' utilises large, sharp motions to enable a battle-brother to convey their thoughts in line of sight and can be seen at extreme ranges.

When it is not viable to utilise these silent hand gestures while conducting infiltration or assassination missions, Nightscream Astartes instead rely on low-level frequency, sub-vocalised commands, which can be relayed over highly-encrypted vox frequencies through the use of a highly sophisticated communications array attached to their backpacks, known as 'Whisper Array', for very long distances. Using whispers, various patterns of breathing (both inhalations and exhalations) clicks of their tongues, popping noises with their mouths and sub-vocal growls, they are able to communicate short, precise directions to one another, so as not to give their position away. In this way, they are able to carry on entire conversations in a private vox-channel, without any outsiders being none the wiser.

Inherent Weaknesses
Though the innate abilities granted to these battle-brothers are considered a boon, there are severe drawbacks to possessing such superhuman abilities. Just as their senses are stronger, they are also more sensitive; their main weakness is their vulnerability to powerful sounds or odors that can temporarily weaken their innate radar sense. This is especially true when battling against the putrid followers of the Plague God Nurgle or the perverse followers of the Pleasure God Slaanesh.

These weaknesses can be used to immobilise an Astartes of this Chapter. Under extreme circumstances a Nightscream Astartes can be easily immobilized, suffer great pain, and/or be left disorientated. Once the disruptive effects wear off, a battle-brother's radar sense is able to return to its normal calibration. Fortunately, the Apothecaries and Techmarines of the Chapter have devised various means to help compensate for these inherent weaknesses by incorporating sensory deprivation - such as in-built acoustic dampeners in their helmets - and battle-plate outfitted with enhanced filtration and life-support systems for noxious environments.

Though uncommon, in unique situations where multiple objects, sounds, temperatures, and smells are in close proximity, a Nightscream battle-brother's radar sense has been known to fail, leaving them to rely on their other senses. It is also rumoured (though unconfirmed) that should these Astartes be in a large body of water, their radar sense is rendered useless. They can lose several senses while in the water and have great difficulty telling which direction sound is coming from. This might explain why younger battle-brothers are often immersed in specialised water-filled deprivation tanks during their scheduled sleep cycles, as they struggle to master their enhanced senses and continuous sensory overload. Due to the nature of their inherent radar sense and biological mechanism in which it works, several Magos Biologus have theorised that these Astartes' echolocation would be rendered all but inert in the void of space or similar vacuum environments. This would explain their reluctance to perform void operations when pressed.

Combat Doctrine
"There are no 'frontlines' or 'flanks'..to us the battlefield is a linear thing. We fight we we are most effective; deep behind enemy lines, our blades drawn, ready to deliver the Emperor's judgment upon the foe."

- Harrow-Brother Rhabyn Annok explaining his Chapter's style of warfare to an Astra Militarum officer.

Thanks to their innate abilities and strong affinity with the darkness, the Nightscream are deceptive and subtle warriors, preferring to attack from ambush and assassinating their chosen targets without being seen. Some battle-brothers enjoy watching their enemies succumb to despair, as their very presence brings about feelings of sadness and the awareness of one's own mortality. Nightscream Astartes seem to possess an almost preternatural skill at stealth, especially while in shadow. With their adeptness at utilising darkness and shadow, and the advent of their Wraith Pattern Power Armour, they can hide even while in plain sight with nothing to hide behind. Only full natural daylight, or the equivalent, can chase away the shadows and reveal them. Skilled at sneak attacks and often able to hide in plain sight, many Nightscream Astartes favour ambushes. They are adept at backstabbing and making sneak attacks on their victims. Very few of the enemy has managed to survive confrontations with these silent killers, but those few that have often described the experience as fighting living darkness, before succumbing to their wounds.

Chapter Colours
The Nightscream primarily wears flat-black coloured power armour with silver trim and some silver highlights. As a Chapter composed of primarily blind Astartes, the do not display the standardised rank and and unit signifiers in accordance to the precepts of the Codex Astartes, often decorating their battle-plate with very little iconography and the esoteric, tribalistic totemic markings commonly found on their recruitment worlds, whose exact meanings are impenetrable to outsiders. But more often than not, the Nightscream have a tendency to go into battle without emblems or markings of any kind; a faceless, anonymous army of killers without distinction or division in its ranks.

Chapter Badge
The Nightscream Chapter's badge is a stylised bat icon, the Umbran Night Bat, a vicious predatory creature known for his ability to kill its prey at night and inhabits the Chapter's recruiting world of Umbra.

By the Nightscream
"Cursed..cursed from the cradle of our birth. Our vision was taken from us, not by chance, but by sheer fate. Forevermore, we have been denied from ever seeing the glory of the Emperor shining brightly...but by His grace, we can still hear it."

- Unknown Nightscream Astartes

"Blindness may be the price I pay for the God-Emperor's sacred touch, but I can 'see' more than you can possibly imagine. No, it is you who are truly blind, ignorant and imperiled as a helpless child in the blackest night with ravening wolves all around."

- Shade Master (Sergeant) Vozirr Sinn, showing his disdain for an arrogant Imperial official.

"Attention people of Dhumon. Your transgressions against the God-Emperor have been deemed 'Diabolic Extremis'. You have been judged for your sins and found wanting. We have come to carry out the Emperor's judgment..and the verdict is guilty. The sentence...death. No clemency or mercy will be granted. Run, hide..it matters not. The time for retribution is at hand. Prepare to face thy doom."

- Final vox-transmission cast worldwide, before the assault on the rebellious world of Dhumon commences, c. M39.

Gallery
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Redemptors
The Redemptors are a Successor Chapter of the zealous Castigators Chapter, created during the 19th Founding (ca. 975-991.M35). As proud inheritors of lineage of Roboute Guilliman, like their forebears, the Redemptors have continuously served to bring the light of the Emperor to the darkest corners of the galaxy, and cast down the apostate, the daemon and the xenos, that would dare assail Mankind.

Gallery
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Scarlet Skulls
The Scarlet Skulls are a fleet-based Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. Shrouded in mystery, this Chapter has served the Imperium of Man for millennia. The Scarlet Skulls do not shrink from battling the enemies of Mankind, and reserve a special grudge for renegades and corsairs. Throughout their millennia of service, their constant enemies have been Dark Eldar and Chaos Space Marine renegade Chapters such as the Red Corsairs. The Scarlet Skulls specialize in boarding actions and planetary raids, but maintain a mechanized company in the event of protracted ground battles.

History
The Scarlet Skulls are a bellicose Chapter which has garnered reputation for carnage and subterfuge. Its formation, use and purpose was shrouded with mystery and deliberate concealment from the rest of the Imperium. It is evident that this secrecy was colluded by the highest circles of power. Imperial scholars believe the Scarlet Skulls were created following the climax of the catastrophic event known as The Beheading. In 546.M32, the byzantine politics of the Imperium had taken a calamitous turn when the Grand Master of Assassins, Drakan Vangorich, deployed his elite assassins of the Officio Assassinorum, and the High Lords of Terra were slain to a man. Afterwords, the Imperium swiftly descended into anarchy as rival factions fought for supremacy and the open seats on the Senatorum Imperialis.

This sorry situation would last for almost a full century, until the direct intervention of Chapter Master Agnathio of the Ultramarines and fifty other Chapters Masters arrived upon Terra to contain the anarchy. Only then did the political squabbling finally cease, and when they departed, twelve new High Lords of Terra had been chosen. They more than likely authorised the 4th Founding of Space Marine Chapters to help bring order to an Imperium rife with civil discourse and insurrection, and to restore the rule of Imperial law. It is believed that this Founding took place sometime during the late 32nd or early 33rd Millennia.

Over thousands of years, the Skulls have garnered a reputation for ruthlessness and deception, never shying away from so-called ' dirty tactics ' if it means achieving their objectives and overall mission accomplishment. Despite this unsavoury use of unorthodox methods, or in some cases because of this, they have earned the respect of several brother non-Codex Chapters. One notable exception to this is the Ultramarines. There has been no love lost between these two Chapters. One account written by an Astra Militarum trooper that took part in the Battle for Seclorum IV claims that two Space Marine Captains -- one Ultramarine and the other from the Scarlet Skulls -- had such a fierce argument over how to proceed with the campaign that by the end of it the two had come to blows. The report continues, saying, that the brawl escalated until battle-brothers from each Chapter were forced to step in and pull the two Captains apart. Soon after the altercation, the Ultramarines departed the world, leaving the Scarlet Skulls to extinguish all traces of xenos themselves.

Currently, the Veteran 1st (Valor), 2nd and 4th Companies are on crusade, conducting their 'Fourth Hunt for the Red Corsairs' within the Maelstrom Zone in the Ultima Segmentum near the Warp Storm known as the Maelstrom - the treacherous region where the Red Corsairs are said to maintain their vast empire consisting of Renegade Space Marines and various Traitors. Meanwhile, Battlefleet Epsilon III (consisting of the 1st (Honor), 3rd, 7th and 11th Companies are currently patrolling near the Eastern Fringe. Battlefleet Alpha (consisting of the 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th Companies) are performing defensive manoeuvres in Sub-Sector Incursio, near their recruiting worlds.

Chapter Recruitment
The Scarlet Skulls have no home-world as such but do have several recruitment worlds in Sub-sector Incursio, in the Gothic Sector. The Battlefleet Omega is ever ready to take the fight to any fowl scum who would seek to prey on these worlds. They, along with the IG 307th Expeditionary Force who are assigned to the sub-sector Incursio, are the first and last defense. The 307th has a history of working well with and campaigning along side of the Skulls. There have been numerous occasions where guardsmen of the 307th have gone on to become Astartes in the Scarlet Skull chapter. Each aspirant must go through a set of trials devised by the Training Sergeants at each Worlds Keep-cathedral. The trials generally consist of survival, mock battles, tests of physical capabilities.

The Recruitment Worlds

 * Darkuk - A rocky Agri-World filled with great mountains, cliffs, and canyons in the Raqus System.
 * Mosmarra - A desert Death World in the Hinevah System.
 * Dagos IV - A densely populated Hive World in the Dagos System.
 * Covaas (Dagos V's Moon) - A poison gas filled Death World extremely rich in resources.
 * Dagos IX - A world of barren rock populated only by small mining colonies at the far end of the Dagos System.

Notable Campaigns

 * 4th Black Crusade (001.M34) - The oldest official documentation that the Administratum has concerning the Scarlet Skulls is a report concerning the assault on El'Phanor. The report contains a list of Chapters who participated in the assault. Upon further Inquiry the Administratum found that they had no record of this Chapter's founding, nor could they find any other mention of the Scarlet Skulls prior to this event, with one notable exception, the so called Galphi Document. The Document is a letter from Lord Dellio, then Governor of Galphi, to his brother, an Admiral in the Imperial Navy. In the letter, the Governor, recounts a civil revolt on his planet. He tales how the noble Astartes showed up with perfect timing just as the riots began to spread. He makes no mention of the Chapters name but gives a brief description of their colors, as well as making note of their extensive use of ' Bleeding Skulls ' in their livery. Many dispute whether or not this document refers to the Scarlet Skulls, or even if the document itself is legitimate.
 * Olc Troi (Unknown Date.M35) - During the 35th Millennium, the Scarlet Skulls' Battlefleet Iota pick up a faint but desperate astrotelepathic message begging for assistance. The Iron Warriors were currently in the process of rampaging across the face of Hive World Olc Troi. In a succession of swift assaults on Iron Warrior strategic positions, the Scarlet Skulls manage to cripple the enemies fighting force. The Iron Warriors, in full retreat, are harried by the Skulls each step of the way. In the final battle for the Olc Troi, the full might of the 4th Company comes to bear on the remnant Iron Warrior force. Unexpectedly the Iron Warriors disappear while the planet comes under orbital bombardment by the Iron Warrior Fleet before it disappears into the Immaterium. The 4th Company is decimated, and spends the next several years on reserve status rebuilding their strength. It is a bitter victory for the Scarlet Skulls.
 * War of Assassins - The Fall of the Forty (492-542.M37) - In 492.M37, a senior member of the Officio Assassinorum, known only as Occisor, rebelled against the Imperium and - along with seven other assassins - went rogue and established a power base on the planet Atrum Ugolo. In the annals of the Scarlet Skulls, what followed would be come known as the War of Assassins. The Skulls were called upon to aid the Officio Assassinorum to hunt these renegades down. For five decades the hunt was on, and the Skulls pushed their spy networks to the limit, but eventually started finding valuable information that they were able to push forwards to their Officio Assassinorum allies. By the end of the so-called war the Rogue Assassins had taken the lives of 40 Lord Masters of the Scarlet Skulls over the course of this bloody and brutal campaign. The Scarlet Skulls' annals refer to this lamentable event as the 'Fall of the Forty'.
 * Atrum Incendus Uprising (325-332.M40) - After receiving disturbing reports concerning the Forge World Atrum Incendus in the Segmentum Obscurus the Scarlet Skulls despatch their 5th Company to investigate. By the time they arrived, Atrum Incendus was in full blown rebellion. When they made their way down to the surface, their Scouts quickly discovered hidden cells of Word Bearers Chaos Marines operating on the planet. Immediately, they sent an astropathic message to their Chapter for reinforcements. The Chapter despatched the entire 3rd Company, as well as supporting elements from both the 7th and 11th Companies. Also in tow where serveral regiments of Astra Militarum including: four Darkuk Infantry Regiments, two Mosmarra Drop Troops Regiments, and two Dagos Armored Regiments, along with a demi-Legio of Titans from the Legio Tempestas Regis. All told, it took seven years to bring the world back into compliance.
 * First Hunt for the Red Corsairs (917.M41) - In 917.M41, the Scarlet Skulls experienced their first encounter with the Renegade Red Corsairs. A vast Chaos Space Marine fleet under the command of one of Huron Blackheart's lieutenants emerges from the Maelstrom and proceeds to ambush the Scarlet Skulls' Battlefleet Delta, stealing away with several of their vessels. Battlefleet Epsilon is formed and gives chase alongside Battlefleet Alpha. The so-called 'First Hunt for the Red Corsairs' ends triumphantly, when the Scarlet Skulls manage to defeat the Red Corsairs in battle and recover their lost ships.
 * The Third War for Armageddon (998.M41) - When Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka leads the largest WAAAGH! ever seen in Imperial history and proceeds to assault the vitally important Hive World of Armageddon, the Scarlet Skulls contribute Battlefleet Epsilon which comprises both the 2nd and 4th Companies, along with a detachment of several elite members of the Veteran 1st Company, to include three Dreadnoughts to the Imperial forces' war efforts. Fighting closely alongside the Omega Marines, members of each Chapter forge strong fraternal bonds of brotherhood with one another in the fires of battle. Following their participation in this brutal campaign, the Scarlet Skulls adopt a campaign badge to mark this conflict - a black-coloured Greek letter 'omega' symbol centred behind the scarlet coloured Chapter icon to signify their utmost respect for the Omega Marines.

Chapter Organisation
The Scarlet Skulls loosely follows the guidelines of the Codex Astartes, seeing it as a basic guidelines rather than as law set in stone. Because of this The Skulls are somewhat over-strengthen, Usually having anywhere from 1,100-1,200 Marines on Average.

1st Company
The elite 1st Company serves as the Chapter's Veteran Company, however the Skulls divide it into two parts: 'Honour', and 'Valour'. Honor mans the Chapter flagship, the Wandering Skull, commanded by the Lord Commander, while Valor joins other Battle Companies in the field and is led by the First Captain.

Battle Companies
2nd through 4th are fairly standard Battle Companies in accordance to the dictates of the Codex Astartes, although each Company is designed to be self-sufficient.

5th Company is an Assault Company designed around fast-attack and line breaker assault. The Assault Companies house all of the Chapter's Bikes, Landspeeders and several Rhinos. Often times these units will get tasked out to other companies for support.

Reserve Companies
The 6th, 7th, and 9thCompanies are set up exactly like the standard Battle Companies, and the 8th is also an Assault company. The reserve companies generally stay with the Battlefleet Omega, as they are responsible for the protection of their recruitment worlds and the entirety of Sub-sector Incursio.

Scout Company
The tenth company is the scout and recruiting company as per codex. Each Fortress-Cathedral has Senior Sergeants of the 10th who are constantly recruiting and training new marines. As the different companies visit the recruiting worlds the new marines are immediately transferred over. There is no command staff for the tenth instead they fall under control of the Lord Black and the Bloody Brothers.

Mechanised Company
The Scarlet Skulls have an additional, 11th company which is entirely mechanized and responsible for most of the vehicles as well as the keeping of the sacred war gear for the chapter. Often they are tasked out to other companies but they insure that they keep a strong core together in case they are ever called on for ground assault.

The High Table
The High Table is the advisory counsel to the Lord Master. The Scarlet Skulls are not a democracy but each Lord Master is encouraged to heed the advice of their Table. In the event that the Chapter is without it's Lord Master, the High Table votes on the Chapter's decisions, including the election of a new Lord Master. The only one who doesn't get to vote on these occasions, is the First Captain. He will only cast a vote in the event of a tie.

The members of the High Table are as follows:

Lord Black and the Bloody Brothers
Lord Black is the Keeper of Secrets, Guardian of the Rites, and historian for the Chapter. When it is time to appoint the new Lord Black the Lord Master will, in secret, select the candidate. Once selected, the Lord Master waits until the time of battle to bestow the honour. Afterwards the honoured brother who was been chosen is marked in the Chapter's annals as having died heroically in battle. Henceforth, he will then be known as only Lord Black for the rest of his life. The Lord Black never leaves Battlefleet Omega and never takes part in battle unless he is defending the Recruitment Worlds. The Lord Black also acts as Captain of 10th Company and maintains the Chapter's spy network. The Lord Black is assisted in his duties by the Bloody Brothers. It is said their name comes from the fact that the entirety of their battle-plate is painted scarlet, not just their helms. There are 24 Bloody Brothers total, which are selected chosen by the Lord Black, and only he knows their identities. Like the Lord Black, the Bloody Brothers give up their former names and past identities. Forevermore, they're names are replaced with one of the letters from the ancient Phoenician alphabet:

Alpha and Omega typically accompany the Lord Black wherever he goes and act as his second and third in command.

Rank Structure

 * Lord Master - The senior rank of Lord Master is equivalent to Chapter Master. He wears black-coloured artificer armor, which is completely unadorned other than black-on-black scroll work, scarlet-coloured helm and Chapter Badge.
 * Lord Captain & Lord Admiral - These are essentially equivalent ranks. They represent the two most senior Astartes within the Chapter and are invaluable advisors to the the Lord Master. While in space the Lord Captain defers to the Lord Admiral, however, when on the ground, the situation is reversed. The Lord Captain has black-coloured battle-plate with gold trim on the pauldrons. The Lord Admiral wears golden artificer armor with black trim on the pauldrons. The Lord Captain is the Master of the Arsenal while the Lord Admiral is Master of the Fleet.
 * Lord Commander - The Lord Commander is a senior officer of the Chapter. His rank is designated by two black-coloured pauldrons with white-coloured trim. The Lord Commander also serves as the Master of the Watch.
 * First Captain - The First Captain is a senior officer of the Chapter. His rank is designated by two white-coloured shoulder pauldrons with black-coloured trim. The First Captain also serves as the Master of Recruits.
 * Captains - Captains are seniors officers who command the Chapter's individual companies. Their rank is designated by two gold-coloured shoulder pauldrons with black-coloured trim.
 * Colour Sergeants - Colour Sergeants serve as the Chapter's honoured Standard Bearers. They are designated by painting the right arm of their battle-plate scarlet in colour as well as the trim of the shoulder pauldrons. The right shoulder pauldron still retains the colour of the company they are assigned to. Colour Sergeants are the most senior-most sergeants within a company, and serve as the commander's second-in-command. The rest of the command squad answers to the Color Sergeant. Other duties include recording the history of the unit, managing the Roll of Honour and performing executive officer duties.
 * Master Sergeants - Master Sergeants serve as Company Champions and third in line of command of the company. They are directly responsible for all company training. Their rank is designated by two gold-coloured shoulder pauldrons with the trim of the right shoulder pauldron painted in the the designated company color.
 * Sergeants - Serving as the backbone of the Chapter, the Sergeants of the Scarlet Skulls are Veteran Space Marines that have been put in charge of the Company's individual squads and are always leading from the front where the fighting is the most fierce. The denote their rank by painting a three scarlet-coloured chevrons on their left vambrace (forearm). A First Sergeant is the most senior Veteran Sergeant in their field (i.e. Tactical, Assault, Devastator, or Veteran) and typically denotes their seniority by a stylised scarlet-coloured lozenge (diamond) symbol painted on the left vambrace (forearm). First Sergeants are also responsible for company training.
 * Corporals - Corporals are the senior-most battle-brother in a squad who serves as Sergeant's second-in-command. Whenever a ten man tactical squad breaks up into two five man combat teams, the Squad Sergeant takes one team and the Corporal is charged with command of the other. They denote their rank by painting a pair of scarlet-coloured chevrons on their left vambrace (forearm).
 * Battle-Brothers - Battle-Brothers are full-fledged Space Marines that serve as the rank-and-file of the Chapter, and as such, have no special markings to identify them, other than their Chapter's basic colours and Company/squad designations.
 * Initiates - Initiates makes up the Chapter's Scout Squads of the Chapter. They have not yet earned the honor of wearing the Scarlet skull. Instead, they are authorised to wear a plain light gray shoulder pauldron with a white-coloured skull centred upon it.

Combat Doctrine
The Scarlet Skulls combat doctrine is fast and ferocious. Preferring larger numbers of "boots on ground" over vehicles and extra gear. They are devious in their tactics and use whatever edge they can find. The Scarlet Skulls maintain a vast spy network and are relentless in their search for intel against their chosen foe.

Notable Scarlet Skulls

 * Lord Master Hobard Morgan - Current Chapter Master of the Scarlet Skulls
 * Captain "Black" Benatus - Current Captain of the 4th Company and Commander of ground forces for Battlefleet Epsilon.
 * Captain Polycrates - Captain of the 4th Company at Olc Troi during the 35th Millennium.
 * Ixot Cleodis - Hero of the Assault on Baxtan.

Astartes/Imperial Fleet Strength
Scarlet Skulls Fleet Strength is rather large as the are a fleet-based chapter. There are always at least two Battlefleets, Alpha and Omega. Whenever ships from these two Battlefleets must separate to go elsewhere for whatever reason, then a new Battlefleet is founded, taking its name from the Greek Alphabet. The Battlefleet then exists until its mission is complete at which time the Battle fleet is absolved. The names progress in Alphabetical order, starting at Beta and going to Psi. Once Battlefleet Psi is dissolved it starts anew back at Beta. In the Chapter's annals, it is recorded that the battle fleets are listed by the chronological appearance of their name - i.e. Battlefleet Gamma I or Battlefleet Epsilon II.

Chapter Colours
The Scarlet Skulls Chapter primarily wear black-coloured power armour with scarlet painted on the exhaust ports of their back packs and helms. A white vertical stripe on the helm, denotes a Colour Sergeant (Company or Chapter Banner Bearer). On the plastron (chestguard), is a black-coloured Imperialis with a scarlet-coloured skull is displayed. The inset of the left pauldron is light grey in colour, and displays the Chapter's iconography. The inset colour of the right colour displays the company colour (i.e. White (1st Company), Yellow (2nd Company), Red (3rd Company), Green (4th Company), ect.). A black-coloured squad specialty symbol centred on the right shoulder pauldron designates operational specialty -- Tactical, Devastator, Assault or Veteran. A scarlet-coloured gothic numeral on the left poleyn (knee guard) designates squad number. Each squad typically picks a unique design of their own and applies it to the right poleyn (knee guard).

To further distinguish themselves from the rank-and-file, the Chapter's Chaplains power armour wear a black and scarlet quartered-pattern on their battle-plate. Scarlet Skulls Librarians and Apothecaries wear the standard Codex-authorised colours with the exception of a scarlet-coloured helm and the entire left arm, which is kept in the Chapter's black colour. This is so that is associates themselves more closely with their fellow battle-brothers. Techmarines wear red and black halved-pattern to show their association with the Chapter as well as their allegiance to the Omnissiah.

Chapter Badge
The Scarlet Skulls' Chapter badge is a large scarlet-coloured skull centred on a field of light silver. Most unusually, when the Scarlet Skulls are on campaign, a design is added behind or below the central Chapter icon. Sometimes, even the shape of the skull is changed and become the campaign badge. Heroes of notable campaigns often choose to continue to wear the individual campaign design for the honour.

Relics

 * The Alpha Sword - A superlative master-crafted blade said to be used by the first Lord Master.
 * Omega Armor - The most ancient set of master-crafted artificer armor the Chapter holds, said to have been a gift from their Progentiors. It is worn by the Lord Master of the Chapter.
 * The Gilded Skull - An Astartes skull gilded in gold with ruby studded eyes. It is not known who the skull belongs to, but is said to be the most valued relic of the Chapter.

Honors

 * Iron Skull - unlike other Chapters, the Iron Skull is not awarded for leadership. It is an honor given to any Scouts when they attain full brotherhood. The Iron Skull, known to the Chapter as the Scarlet Skull, is the symbol of the Chapter. Some say it symbolizes that a regular Scarlet Skull Battle-Brother is the equal to all other Chapter's sergeants.
 * Sacred Bones - Bones belonging to the Chapter's heroes are handed down to Battle-Brothers who have shown great valor. Sacred Bones are placed in silver gilded reliquaries and worn on a Battle-Brother's power armour, so that their past brethren might witness their valorous deeds on the field of battle.
 * Crypt Scrolls - Scrolls written with encrypted text that holds the Chapter's secrets within. It is said that no one in living memory has been able to decipher the words.
 * Campaign Seals - Similar to Purity Seals, these seals are affixed to company banners and denote famous battles the company has participated in.
 * Golden Laurels - A golden Laurels is awarded for great and extraordinary valor resulting in, or attributing to victory. These are more rare than Imperial Laurels.
 * Scarlet Seals - Scarlet Seals are affixed to Imperial Laurels to denote that in this act of valor, this Astartes was severely wounded.

Notable Quotes
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By the Scarlet Skulls
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Trivia
I cannot take credit for this one -- the Scarlet Skulls were originally created by Thisarmysucks (or TAS) over on the Warhammer 40,000 Fanon Wiki. He's a Noncommissioned Officer currently serving with the United States Army's 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Due to his hectic schedule and VERY active lifestyle, he's not often online, and unfortunately his original article had to be removed due to some minor non-canonical issues. Not wanting to let such an awesome Chapter fall by the wayside, in honour of TAS, I've brought his Chapter out into the limelight for everyone to marvel at and enjoy!

Gallery
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Kelpher's Hunters
The Kelpher's Hunters are a successor Chapter of the feral Space Wolves. They were created as a part of the 27th Founding, also known as the Ultima Founding. They are a very unusual Chapter; with their link to the hounds of Kelpher and their history that stretches beyond the Great Crusade, they are truly unique. Made up of the new Primaris Space Marines, the Hunters join the growing list of new successor chapters to the Space Wolves. Despite the Chapter's belief in the god-hound Garmr and the inclusion of many parts of the Kelpher 9 hunter and shamanistic culture, they are among the most steadfast and loyal of Space Marines.

Colonisation of Kelpher 9
During The Golden Age of Technology, Kelpher 9 or K9 was colonised as part of terraforming project. It's inhabitants lived inside bio-domes, protected from the harsh weather of the planet by massive heating systems. Original tests were positive, including allowing some lowland areas to be free of permafrost, but the project was put on hold when badly needed supplies were no longer delivered to the planet. Unknown to the inhabitants of K9, the galaxy had become consumed by warp-storms; the development of the Chaos God Slaanesh had cut off warp-travel for humanity, and Kelpher was one in millions of worlds that to fend for themselves.

For the first few years, the bio-domes sheltered their inhabitants, but soon the power generators failed and the people were exposed to the elements. The adventurous amongst them ventured out to find new shelter, and while most stayed even they were forced away as the domes collapsed. Humanity's technology was lost beneath the snow. What little progress was made terraforming was undone, and full winter gripped the whole planet once again. The newly formed tribes attempted to survive, but failed miserably. Used to technology, they weren't able to produces tools to hunt the primitive life-forms native to K9. It seemed that human life on K9 was to end, not with a bang, but with a shiver.

The Hunter and the Hound
When all was darkest and coldest, hope came to Kelpher 9. It took the shape of tall bearded hunter, seeming almost otherworldly, and his hound companion, covered in fur harder than iron but softer than silk, with a warmth like a furnace. They visited all the groups of survivors, silently at first, giving peace offerings such as kills for meat, tools for the tribes to use, bringing back lost hunters. Once the tribes had accepted them, the two began to teach, showing the humans how survive on K9's winter storms. Tool crafting, building movable shelter, how to bring down even the largest beasts.

Among their most important teaching was the benefits of the link between man and dog. Hundreds of Terran dogs had been brought to K9, as therapy for the colonists, a possible species to populate the terraformed planet, or possibly as a joke. Vast numbers of the dogs had died out, but the hardiest had survived and evolved, flourishing in their new environment. With the help of the Hunter's own hound, known as Garmr, these Kelpher hounds were tamed, and through some arcane power the Hunter bonded the two races. Their fates became bound together, as did their lives. The humans depended upon the hounds, and the hounds depended on the humans.

After the ritual, at the end of a great feast to celebrate the bond the Hunter and Garmr took their leave of the tribes. Watched by a tribesman and his hound on guard, the two walked out into the storm. The Hunter bade Garmr to sit, and with tears in his eyes said goodbye. He walked away and vanished; Garmr remained sitting, until he was also lost in the mist. Thus the two passed into the mythology of Kelpher 9. While the hunter was said to returned to his kingdom in the stars, Garmr remained on the planet, watching his children from the shadows, defending them from peril. The humans and hounds of Kelpher thrived with their new way of life, almost forgetting their true home amongst the stars. But their home did not forget about them.

The Crusade Arrives
The arrival of the Space Wolves' Strike Cruiser Ice Dagger was, by all accounts, an accident. The ship was mid-warp, travelling alongside one of the fleets of The Great Crusade, when it was suddenly pulled from the warp into the Kelpher system, at least a light year from it's intended destination. The ship's engines were damaged in the reversion to real-space and it was caught in K9's gravity well. Unable to halt their decent, the crew and marines aboard could only strap in and watch as they fell towards the ice, forming a meteor that was seen across most of K9.

The landing was harsh, on both the ship and it's crew. Almost all of the mortals on-board died on impact, including the Astropaths, while almost a third of the Space Wolves suffered major injury. The Ice Dagger was buried under ice and rock, it's superstructure almost split in twain and open to the elements. Without Astropaths, and lacking knowledge of where they where, the Wolves were trapped. But then they began receiving vox signals from somewhere on the planet. The signal was not using Imperial patterns, but it was possible that it was coming from an outpost on the planet, left behind by another Crusade Fleet. All the Wolves' vehicles has been badly damaged in the crash, and by the time they were fixed the rest of the mortal crew would be dead. Using Jump-packs was impossible due to the heavy winds and snows. So a pack was selected to trek to the source of the signal. Among them was Arcturus Monfang, a Fenris born marine of some renown amongst his company.

Only a few miles from their ship the Wolves accidentally walked into a hunt. The native humans and hounds and been hunting a Grendal, an monstrous creature that had climbed out of the deep valley search of food. Confused by the marines' bulky shapes and strange smell, the Kelpians attacked them as well, and the Wolves were forced to fight both them and the Grendal, while trying to convince the former that they were peaceful. In the confusion a bolt shell meant for the Grendal went wide, and struck an ice sheet above the fight. It released hundreds of tons of snow into an avalanche. With the mountain shaking around them no one was able to get away, and were all picked up by nature's fury and tossed into the deep valley below. Hours later, Arcturus awoke, the only survivor of his pack. The only Kelpian that was still alive was one of the hounds, pawing at his bonded's broken body. The two knew that they needed the other to survive; the valleys of K9 were filled with foul beasts, hidden pitfalls and cannibalistic tribes banished from above. A truce was made, and thus Arcturus Monfang met Garmr the Reborn.

At the birth of the hound and his bonded human, their tribe's shaman had declared him a rebirth of Garmr, come to guide his children into a new era. He now guided Arcturus though the darkness. Hordes of starved cannibals threw themselves towards the source of flesh, while plants gave off sicking scents designed to kill. Apparently safe paths collapsed in a instant while hidden eyes watched the travellers' every move, waiting for a moment of opportunity. Worse was that the pair was stalked by the Grendal, who having survived the fall and seeking revenge.

To this day it is regarded as certain death to walk through the valleys of K9, yet somehow Arcturus and Garmr survived. Along the way, even though hours before they had been enemies, they learned to respect each other. By the time they managed to escape to higher ground, an unbreakable bond had been forged. Before they managed to leave the shadows the Grendal finally attacked, only to be beaten back by the combined power of two beasts, one of Fenris and one of Kelpher. After Arcturus tore off his arm the Grendal ran screaming back into the darkness.

The Chosen Twelve
The fight was witnessed by Garmr's fellow tribesmen, who realised that Arcturus must be a great warrior like the Hunter, not a hostile from another tribe. They welcomed him into their camp, and listened to his tales of the Imperium, of Leman Russ and the Emperor of Mankind, and of the Great Crusade's mission to reunite all the lost members of humanity. The Kelphians were taken by the idea, seeing echoes of the Hunter in both the Emperor and Russ. By the time a second pack was deployed to discern the fate of the first, numerous runners had been sent to other tribes to share the news.

Almost nineteen tribes received the news, and journeyed to the cooling Ice Dagger to meet the Sky Warriors. There they learnt of the Imperium and Fenris, and reacted much the same way as the first tribe. In the meantime, the source of the signal was discovered; one of the bio-domes from the Dark Age of Technology. Although badly damaged, an automatic system had detected the arrival of the Ice Dagger in the system and had begun to send a distress signal. The Space Wolves' Priest of Iron were able to adapt the technology, allowing them to boost their own signals and reach the wider Imperium. The Wolves had a way home.

In the end however, the bureaucrats of the Imperium had little use for the Kelpher system. All of the worlds, including K9, were either Dead or Death Worlds will little incentive to colonise in anyway. And the inhabitants of K9 would never able to offer much in the way of tithe, or even army forces. Instead the world was given to the Space Wolves Legion as a holding, the trapped Ice Dagger as an outpost.

Soon the Crusade called, and the Space Wolves made to leave the would upon new ships. However they did not come alone. Both of the Kelphian Shamans and the Wolves' Rune Priests had visions of a great future war, where the blood of both Fenris and Kelpher would fight together, under the banner of Russ. To facilitate this prophecy fifty aspirants were selected from the various tribes and tested for gene-seed comparability. About half past, and then only twelve went on to survive the various trials. They, and their hounds, became Kelpher Pack. Another hound left K9 that day. Although Arcturus had expected Garmr to stay on the planet, the hound insisted on accompanying him. The Kelphians explained the bond forged between could only be broken in death. Knowing that his new canine ally was a mighty warrior, Arcturus agreed to his presence, and Garmr left K9 along side the Wolves.

Home-world
Located to the south-west of the Eye of Terror, just inside the borders of Segmentum Pacificus, the Kelpher system is an inhospitable place. Only one of it's twelve planets was deemed colonizable during The Dark Age of Technology, and only after an extensive terraforming project that was never completed. The planets are named numerical, moving outwards from the sun; so Kelpher 1 is the closest to the sun while Kelpher 12 is the furthest away.

Kelpher 9, or K9, is a mountainous ice world, where the few flat surfaces are covered by compact layers of permafrost or deep, stagnate ice lakes. Numerous mountain ranges, formed from aeons of weathering, collide and join at random. Between them are deep valleys, where little light reaches. It is here that most native life on Kelpher survives, growing in the heat generated by geothermal springs, and feeding off each other. The hostility of these lower regions is why most of the human population of K9 in the cold highlands.

Wandering tribes of hunter-gathers constantly migrate across the mountains, tracking the herds of Auðumbla that migrate in search of Frost-Grass. Forced to contest with the various predators that also hunt across the mountain slopes, Kelphians rarely stay in a single place for long, meaning they have no permanent dwellings.

Fortress-Monastery
The Space Wolves Strike Cruiser Ice Dagger has spent ten millennia buried beneath the northern-most glacier on K9. It has mostly been used as an outpost by the chapter, a secret listening post manned by a small crew, mostly made of revolving packs from different Great Companies. During the Indomitus Crusade it was given to the newly-born Primaris Space Marine Chapter by the Space Wolves to serve as their Fortress Monastery.

It's centuries trapped below the frost has effected the Ice Dagger heavily. It's metal walls have become covered by ice, giving the halls and corridors of the vessel a crystalline appearance.

Chapter Culture
Despite being Sons of Russ, most of the culture of the Hunters comes from K9, as it is their home-world and source of inanities. Some traditions have become expanded upon or become more significant.

The Bonded
"You are not servant and master, nor pet and owner. You are one being, a Hunter and Hound. Bonded in spirit and blood. Know this, and reach heights unachievable alone."

- Virgil Frost-Ghost, Chief Shaman

To those not from Kelpher 9, the bond between the human population of the planet and the Kelpher hounds, is merely symbolic, showing the dependency the two have for each other. The hounds are merely well trained, able to communicate information to their masters far better then normal dog should. The truth is that there exists a low level psychic bond between the human and their hound, one that allows them to share simple messages and emotions. Experienced hunters can look though their hound's eyes and use their other senses, and vice versa. In-fact, in the bond, neither has control over the other, neither is the master. It is a partnership of equals, forged to survive the harsh environments of K9.

In the Hunters, the bond is strengthen massively.

Specialist Ranks

 * Great Hunter - Equivalent to a Chapter Master or a Great Wolf, the Great Hound is currently Arcturus Monfang, the first to hold the title. The Great Hound travels between the different Hunts, offering his skill in leadership and battle to his Chiefs.
 * Hunt Chief - Equivalent to a Captain or a Wolf Lord. Hunt Chiefs lead their Hunts separately from each other, only working together on joint-campaigns. Most of the Chiefs are surviving members of the Chosen Twelve, although new marines have risen through the ranks.
 * Merki-Bera (Banner-Carrier) - Each tribe on Kelpher has a Merki, a tall pole that is engraved with the history of the tribe, usually placed in the middle of camp and carried by a chosen warrior. Each of the Hunts also has their own Merki, and is carried by equivalent of a standard bearer. It's presence on the battlefield invigorates the Hunters and drives them to great deeds, so that their own names may be added to the pole.
 * Hunt Eye - The Hunters' equivalent of a Lieutenant acts as a second to the Hunt Chief, leading part of the Hunt. They are so named because they are the eyes and ears of the Hunt Chief on the battlefield.
 * Pack Spear - Equivalent of a Sergeant, Pack Spears lead a squad of marines into combat.
 * Ice Shaman -

Arcturus Monfang
"First, he comes in burning ice, to reunite us. Second, he comes in grief, to return our departed father. Third, he comes forged anew, to lead us to war."

- Kelphian Prophecy. Predates arrival of Ice Dagger by several centuries

Notable Quotes
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