Sons of the Creed

The Sons of the Creed are a Codex-compliant Chapter created during an Unknown Founding from the lineage of what is usually assumed to be that of the vaunted Ultramarines. This assumption is due to both their astrographical closeness to Ultramar as well as the numerous occasions down the millennia they have fought alongside the Scions of Guilliman. A lauded and honorable Chapter, the Sons of the Creed have fought the foes of Mankind since at least the 33rd Millennium, standing as a bulwark against the myriad of threats that assail the Imperium both from without and within.

Founding
The origins of this lauded and valorous Chapter is not well-documented in the annals of Imperial history, for like much of Mankind's written historical records, accounts in regards to this Chapter's inception have been lost due to the vagaries of time and circumstance. However, what is known with any certainty, is that the Sons of the Creed were first attested as allies of the Ultramarines during the War on Vengeance in 510.M33. This has led the majority of Imperial historiographers to conclude that the Sons were created a century or two earlier during the Fourth or Fifth Founding. A minority of scholars, scorned as 'revisionists', challenge this view pointing to accounts of dark armoured 'Knights' defending human communities on the Eastern Fringe dating as far back to the Genocide in the wake of the Horus Heresy. Critics correctly observe that 'dark' can mean Ultramarine blue, and most likely does.

The War on Vengeance (510. M33)
The Sons of the Creed fully emerged into the light of history in mid-M33 when a strike cruiser carrying the Sons' 4th Company joined the fleet the Ultramarines sent against Veegur II, the home planet of the Veegetur, a vegetative alien race whose recent conquests on the edge of Ultramar space had endangered the Forge world of Accatran. The sapient plant life of that world proved a formidable but not unbeatable enemy, the final Imperial victory being aided in no small part by the living weapons engineered by the genetors of the Adeptus Mechanicus. By the time that victory was achieved the Sons of the Creed had more or less taken over direction of the war from the Ultramarines. They imported human colonists to replace the former xenos occupants and adopted Veegur II, renamed Vengeance, as their Chapter's home world.

The Wars For Vengeance
While the Veegetur were completely eradicated on Vengeance the species unfortunately survived in seed ships that managed to elude the Imperial Fleet. Three further wars would be fought for Vengeance, in 899.M33, 600.M34 and finally 106.M39, before the Veegetur were finally cleansed from the galaxy.

Chapter Organisation
The Sons' companies comprise five, rather than ten, double-strength squads each company specializing in a particular style of combat; the 1st and 6th Companies are heavy armored line breaker formations; the 2nd and 7th are Assault Companies; the 3rd, 5th and 8th are Tactical Reconnaissance Companies; the 4th and 9th are Devastator Companies.

Chapter organisation is Codex-standard with two exceptions; Sons squads number twenty Marines, five per company, and have Chaplains attached. Company grade Chaplains seem to outside observers to function almost as co-commanders heading a squad of reclusiaries, paralleling the Captain's Command Squad, including an Apothecary, a Standard Bearer, Standard Guard and a Chaplain's Acolyte, a battle brother in training to become a Chaplain in due course.

Combat Doctrine
The Sons favour straightforward massed frontal assaults they are not given to manouvre or stratagem.

Chapter Culture
The Sons labour under an unexplained but heavy load of shame. Nobody outside the chapter knows the details but somewhere, sometime, they bitterly failed the Emperor and Humanity. The Chapter is dedicated to an unending, millenia old, self imposed Crusade of Penance defending the Hagar Cluster from all enemies.

Sons of the Creed find no joy in battle, no glory in victory. War is nothing but a duty to be performed in the name of Him On Earth and in defense of his people. They are grim, taciturn men - even by Space Marine standards - nursing their secret shame but unexpectedly kindly towards the mere mortals they protect and startlingly lacking in the arrogance that normally characterizes even the best Space Marines.

They are one of the rare Chapters who fully accept the Imperial Creed and worship the Emperor as God and Savior of Mankind. Their spiritual exercises are strongly penitential burdened as they are by an a 'Original Sin' whose exact nature no one outside the Chapter knows. When deployed with Sisters of the Creed Sons share their devotions. Hearing dual choirs of Battle Brothers and Sisters, bone shakingly deep voices singing contrapunctually with soaring sopranos, is an unforgettable and highly moving religious experience.

Chapter Colours
The Sons of the Creed primarily wear black coloured power armour. The left shoulder pauldron is edged with the company colour as is the right poleyn (knee guard). Per the Codex, the Chapter's Apothecaries wear white coloured power armour and the Librarians wear blue with black coloured shoulder pauldrons. The Chapter's Techmarines wear red power armour with black coloured shoulder pauldrons.

Chapter Badge
The Sons of the Creed's Chapter badge is a stylised white coloured voided sun centered upon a field of black.

Relations
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Adepta Sororitas
Several Orders Majoris and Minoris of the Sisters of Battle operating in the Hagar Cluster coordinate closely with the Sons. The Chapter call them 'Sisters of the Creed' and treat them like Battle-Brothers, addressing them as 'Battle-Sister' or more affectionately 'Little Sister'. The Sororitas in return call the Sons Marines 'Battle-Brother' or 'Big Brother'.

Order of Our Martyred Lady
Known as the Order of the Fiery Heart these famously fierce and devout warriors feel the same holy fury and vengeful hatred toward the enemies of the Emperor as was felt by their foundress and patron Saint Katherine, companion and shield-bearer to the Blessed Alicia Dominica. The fiery spirited Katherine was named a Living Saint long before her martyrdom at the hands of the Witch-cult of Mnestteus. Her daughters mourn her death to this day in their black power armor and under their new name, the Order of Our Martyred Lady.

Order of the Valorous Heart
The Battle-Sisters of the Order of the Valorous Heart are driven by the belief that they must atone for the Sisterhood's acts as accomplices of  Goge Vandire during the Reign of Blood in the 36th Millennium. The foundress and patron saint of the order is Lucia, who was the youngest of Alicia Dominica's five companions and perhaps the one most gravely affected by their experience. St. Lucia's inextinguishable sense of sin is reflected in the extremely penitential spirit and practices of her order. A disproportionate number of Valorous Heart Sisters exile themselves to the Sisters Repentia and they are invariably deeply suspicious of those who call themselves prophets of the Emperor.

Order of the Daughters of the Creed
This Order Minoris was founded by St. Polcasta. Her vocation was inspired by the recruitment of her only brother into the Sons of the Creed. Only a teenager herself she entered the local house of the Valorous Heart as a novice. She rapidly became known for both her penitential exercises as her valor in battle. As a Sister Palatine she received permission to found her new Order, a mingling of Sons and Valorous Heart spirituality and traditions. The Daughters' rule lays emphasis not just on penance but on service to the Emperor's people - the more menial the better. They are especially fond of cleaning up slum quarters and the down sumps of Hives. This of course brings them into conflict with gangers and criminals of all kinds who they happily proceed to convert through the Emperor's Grace at the point of their sarissas. They are frequently if not exclusively found working and fighting beside the Sons. These battle-sisters wear black coloured carapace armour with a bone-coloured surplice and visor. A golden Aquila and silver lilies are emblazoned upon their armour.

Order of the Blood of Martyrs
This Order Minoris is a successor of the Order of Our Martyred Lady founded by the Blessed Terisa Angelez sole survivor of the horrific massacre on the planet Nightmare. Terisa rose from her ashes like a holy phoenix, her fiery spirit and passionate faith echoing those of St. Katherine the Martyr. Death in the Emperor's service is regarded by the Sisters as the finest fate and most profound achievement possible to a mere mortal. It is their highest aspiration and they have more than once been accused of inviting it through deliberate folly. The Sisters follow a code of no surrender, no retreat. Each takes a vow to die where she stands before yielding either ground or advantage to the Unholy. As more than one Lord General has observed their attitude is 'Magnificent, but it isn't war.' This battle-sisters wear black carapace armour with bone coloured pauldrons and visor with a black and red breastplate and red surplice. A red Aquila and bone lilies decorate their armour.

The Order of the Osseus Crown
This Order Minoris was founded by St. Geil Petrossa in the wake of the First Tyrannic War. The first sisters were battle battered veterans, often the sole survivors of their units. They included sisters from other Orders Major and Minor, Guardswomen and PDF. Survivor guilt is the basis of the Order's spirituality and their central ritual 'The Lament' in which sisters lacerate their face and breast while keening their grief for the fallen. The Lament marks every transition of a Sister's career as well as their after battle 'celebration'. These battle-sisters wear bone-coloured carapace armour, a black trimmed breastplate and pauldrons with black gauntlets, visor and surplice. Their armour is decorated with a red Aquila and black lilies.

Citizens of the Hagar Cluster
The Sons of the Creed firmly believe that the prayers of the Emperor's people strengthen their arms and contribute to their victories, an idea also embraced by Sisters of the Creed. This has led the common folk of the Cluster to feel far more involved in their own defense than is normal and contributed towards an extremely positive relationship between normal humans and the Sons.

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Notable Quotes
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By the Sons of the Creed
"Pray for us."

- Sons of the Creed vox-sign

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About the Sons of the Creed
"Who are those guys?"

- Governor Xystes VII of Antiukh