Imperial Sentinels

"We are the watchers in the Void, we are the shield that guards the realm of man, we are His watchful gaze made manifest, we are the Imperial Sentinels and we shall have our vengeance!"

- Lord High Sentinel Caspian Artorious

The Imperial Sentinels Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes have been waging war across the stars in the name of the God-Emperor for seven thousand years. A serious, dour and subdued lot off the battlefield and an inexorable, unstoppable line of black and gold on it the Sentinels have earned the respect, even reluctantly and begrudgingly, of many they have fought beside. They are highly disciplined, fearless, and know not the meaning of the words hubris or arrogance. The warriors of the chapter do not break formation to pursue an apparently routing foe unless ordered to. Some chapters of Astartes deem them cowardly and/or dishonorable for not seeking personal glory, but an Imperial Sentinel desires not fame nor reward, only victory at any cost.

Founding and Early Beginnings
Founded sometime in late M32 or early M33 alongside the Howling Griffons in the 6th Founding to replace lost chapters from the War of the Beast. Post-traumatic stress disorder gripped the Imperium collectively following the titanic conflict that saw the return and death of the Salamanders Primarch Vulkan and as such their mandate upon inception was to pursue and annihilate the greenskins wherever they could be found. For six Terran centuries they perfected their skills as void combat and sieging enemy strongholds. Minor WAAAGH!s that could've once threatened the Imperium were thrashed in transit or fell in droves after being caught in carefully laid out kill zones.

By the time they emerged from this time of blooding to join the Dark Angels in the Red Stars Campaign they stood at full chapter strength and boasted one of the largest and mightiest fleets for such a young chapter. The Imperial Sentinels proved their worth, systematically tearing apart the WAAAGH! of the Ork Warlord Zogax the Great. Smashing the shambling voidcraft known as Kroozers upon their gilded and armored prows, putting untold thousands of xenos brutes to the sword, or delivering judgement from the heavens either with orbital bombardments or the payloads of Stormbird strike craft. A century later they fought alongside the sailors of Battlefleet Tempestus, breaking the Siege of Lakadamon.

A New Foe
For a millennium the Imperial Sentinels become dormant as far as Imperial records are concerned, that is until the beginning of the War of Recovery. During the course of the conflict they obtained a shard of an STC, a new pattern of Krak Grenades, and upon the war's conclusion travelled to the nearest Forge World, Proxima, home to the Legio Invicta of the Collegia Titanica. After translation back to realspace the Sentinels' warfleet was beset by warships of an unidentified Iron Warriors Chaos warband. The Sentinels fought through the besieging voidcraft to high orbit of the Forge World before disgorging hundreds of drop pods, almost the entire strength of the chapter. The arrival of His Angels of Death revitalized the Skitarii and PDF defenders whilst removing some of the pressure from the beleaguered God-Machines of Legio Invicta. With the orbit lost and the tide of battle turned firmly against them the Traitor Marines reaped a toll before succumbing to defeat.

The discovery made by the Chapter Apothecaries upon examination of the Traitor gene seed in comparison with that of the Sentinels and their supposed Primogenitors the Imperial Fists was horrifying and shameful. Even after suffering immense losses the chapter had always had extremely rapid and stable gene seed, now they knew the terrible truth as to why. The Imperial Sentinels were not Sons of Dorn, but Scions of Perturabo. To keep the chapter united in purpose the then Lord High Sentinel, Caspian Artorious delivered a rousing speech and vowed that the chapter would not lay down their arms till their traitorous father and brothers lay dead, dying, or in chains.

Rededication
With newfound purpose and oaths of hate and vengeance inscribed the Sentinels sailed for war. They undoubtedly found it, but when is unknown until the Second and Third Wars for Armageddon. Arriving with the forces of Lord Commander Dante of the Blood Angels in the former to relieve the depleted Guardsmen of the Steel Legions and in the latter fighting primarily in the void, claiming the honor of destroying two space hulks. Despite holding the same rank as the Black Templars' High Marshal Helbrecht, Taren Lash surrendered overall command to the elder Chapter Master at the start of the war, earning the Templars' favor with the concession, despite not having altogether of a choice in the matter. They sailed alongside what they once regarded as their brothers but now would be more akin to cousins in pursuit of the Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka upon the discovery of his flight from the embroiled world. After news spread of the Fall of Cadia and the return of the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman they abandoned the hunt for the greenskin and instead now sail to join the Indomitus Crusade.

Chapter Homeworld
The Imperial Sentinels lay claim to no terrestrial fortress-monastery or set of recruitment worlds being a Fleet-Based Chapter, their spiritual and strategic home being the unique Progenitor-Class Battleship Warden of the Righteous.

Command Ranks
Lord High Sentinel Chapter Master

High Sentinel Company Captain

Master of Sanctity Head of the Chaplains in charge of the Chapter's spiritual needs off the Battlefield

Reclusiarch Head of the Chaplains in charge of the Chapter's spiritual needs on the Battlefield

Master of the Forge Head of the Chapter's Techmarines

Chief Apothecary Head of the Apothecarium

Master of the Fleet The naval commanding officer when the Chapter Master is indisposed of this is the only rank held by a mortal.

Specialist Ranks
Sentinel Guard Title for a member of the Chapter Master's Honor Guard

Headquarters
Lord High Sentinel Taren Lash, the Sentinel Guard, Reclusiarch Remaan Soyus, Chief Apothecary Lycovan Soyus

Companies
1st Company Under the Command of High Sentinel Elyssius Solarak, consisting of the Terminator-clad Veterans

2nd Company Under the command of High Sentinel Pelial Stronos, Battleline Company

3rd Company Under the Command of High Sentinel Lukas Keath, Battleline Company

4th Company Under the command of High Sentinel Benedaan Cortlis, Battleline Company

5th Company Under the Command of High Sentinel Ramiel Aquixes, Battleline Company

6th Company Under the Command of High Sentinel Alvontos Beriar, Battleline Company

7th Company Under the Command of High Sentinel Kaeroec Tryllius, Armored Support Company

8th Company Under the Command of High Sentinel Seraphiel Mendare, Aerial Support Company

9th Company Under the Command of High Sentinel Heliros Tarax, Aerial Support Company

10th Company Under the Command of High Sentinel Davon Vibar, Scout Company

Recruitment
Aspiring recruits for the Imperial Sentinels are drawn from the crews of the warships that make up the Chapter Fleet. The trial to begin one's training is brutal and simplistic, a no-holds-barred cage match to the near death. For the victor, a chance at becoming a gene-forged super soldier, but for the loser lifelong shame and reassignment to menial or dangerous shipboard tasks.

Once an Aspirant has passed their first test they undergo a lengthy and trying training regimen bringing the participants to peak physical condition, marksmanship skills that would give the Vindicare Temple of Assassins a run for their money, and the familiarity with the cockpit of a voidfighter that can only come from thousands of combat hours logged. During this time they have periodic implantations, culminating in the final gene-seed implantation surgery.

An opportunity to undertake the final challenge and be awarded the title and equipment of a full Battlebrothers must be earned through one hundred confirmed kills either in the Scout Company or the chapter's squadrons of Stormbird strikecraft. Once that condition has been met the Neophyte must last for ten minutes against a fully-fledged Battlebrother in Power Armor.

Combat Doctrine
The Imperial Sentinels never do anything half-cocked as it were, either the entire chapter goes to war or none of it. They completely eschew Assault Squads, holding disdain for them as you can't carry heavy weapons and still maintain flight. The chapter prefers to draw the enemy into a bullheaded assault on their own turf with defensive positions set up and thus will often harass and harangue the enemy with Scout Sniper squads for weeks. Even the most disciplined of armies will lose all cohesion if their officers all end up dead from a sniper's bolt. Once properly provoked and battle joined the Imperial Sentinels will let the enemy crash like a wave upon the shore. The Devastators will unload with torrents of heavy weapons fire, aerial vehicles will drop the Emperor's wrath from the heavens, Snipers will sow further confusion by slaying the remainder of the command structure, and finally the Lord High Sentinel and his retinue will strike where the fighting is fiercest. Entire worlds have been taken by a quarter of such a force, no army can best a full Astartes chapter in combat short of another Astartes chapter.

Chapter Fleet
As a void-specialized and fleet-based chapter the Sentinels maintain a larger and more ship-to-ship focused collection of warships. Their chapter flagship is the mighty and one-of-a-kind Progenitor-Class Battleship. This mighty warship was dubbed the Warden of the Righteous and lives up to it's name. The key characteristics that make the Warden unique are it's replacement of the typical bombardment cannons in favor of more Macrocannon batteries and Lance Turrets, the heavier armor and much larger plasma core, and it's miniature manufactorum. The last of those features helps to keep the Imperial Sentinels well supplied with ammunition and basic replacement parts so long as raw materials are available. While skirting dangerously close to the role of the Imperial Navy with such a ship no one save the most zealous and paranoid Inquisitors pay any heed, lest they be introduced to the business end of a Macrocannon the size of a hab block.

Aside from their flagship Battle Barge the Imperial Sentinels have three other vessels of similar classification but lesser in grandeur, armament, and tonnage. The names of these ships are as follows, Wrath of the Ages, Harbinger of Vengeance, and the Ironbreaker. Next down the line is a strong backbone of eight cruiser-class ships, similar in design aesthetic and role to the comparable vessels of the Imperial Navy. These powerful warships house a host of Lance and Macrocannons in addition to Bombardment cannons, doling at the Emperor's fury in the black void of space. Non save ships of similar or same classifications can withstand sustained salvos of a cruiser's main armament. Following this core of mainline capitals hips is the humble but no less deadly light cruisers, of which the Sentinels crew five such warships. These vessels are powerful enough to take on and destroy escorts with ease and even larger vessels in coordination with allied ships. And last but not least by any stretch of the imagination are the escorts, frigates and destroyers to patrol, reconnoiter, and dissuade enemy warships from getting to close to the larger capital-class vessels of the chapter. Twelve of these ships round off the chapter fleet of the Imperial Sentinels, making the total accounting just shy of thirty voidcraft.

Chapter Colours
Obsidian primary with blood-hued crimson secondary and gold detailing.

Chapter Badge
The Imperial Sentinels Chapter badge consists of a crossed ebon-coloured sword and bolter with a gold coloured citadel superimposed over the top of this symbol, centered upon a field of crimson.

Allies

 * Adeptus Mechanicus(Legio Invicta/Forgeworld Proxima)

Enemies

 * Every Iron Warriors Warband known to the Imperium
 * Perturabo, Daemon Primarch of the Iron Warriors
 * Blood Axe and Da Gofs Ork Tribes

About the Imperial Sentinels
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