Thunder Lords

The Thunder Lords are a loyalist Adeptus Astartes Chapter, coming from the 12th Founding, being successors of the XIII Legion, the venerable and honoured Ultramarines. Although somewhat Codex-divergent, they still abide by many of the Codex Astartes rules and guidelines, including sticking to the 10 Company limit. The Thunder Lords, though once a very isolationist Chapter and only staying in their system and defending it, have recently began to spread themselves out and help the sub-sector, and even to the Segmentum that they reside in, the Segmentum Pacificus.

Chapter History
The Thunder Lords, founded in the 34th Millenium during the 12th Founding, were made to rule over a highly rebellious system known by its capital planet of Yoltova, and they were meant to defend it. Recruiting from all across the system, each company recruiting from a different planet, although they do intersect frequently in recruitment. For the first century of the Chapters existence, they eliminated several rebellions and chaotic incursions across the system, with the Chapter itself suffering very few losses due to the fact that most of those rebellions, were poorly funded, and relied upon makeshift melee weapons to fight the Astartes. But, this made the Astartes of the Thunder Lords overconfident in themselves and even, what some would say, pompous. Thus, when they sent nearly four companies out of the Yoltovan System to assist the Imperium at large, those companies suffered grievous casualties.

The four companies, led by the Captain of the 3rd Company, Tolandus Endric, had come across the system of Saritun, which was under siege by an Ork Warband, led by Warboss Kurggzhan Gravekrusha. The four companies, which the Planetary Defence Forces of the Saritun planets later referred to the Astartes by the cognomen, ' Titans ', was an uninspired name, but one which the bore stoically. Nevertheless, as the Titans and the PDF's of the system fought back against Gravekrusha's WAAAGH!. The Astartes and the PDF fought valiantly and were able to break the siege. While they are not sons of Dorn, from the way the Thunder Lords fought, Dorn would have been proud to call them his honorary sons. But, as stated previously, their victory came at a terrible cost, with the planet of Saritun XI, a Forge World that was valuable to the system, being subjected to Exterminatus. Not only that, but also, as stated previously, horrible casualties were incurred by the Imperium. With two of the four companies being slaughtered during the battle, and millions of PDF and civilians suffering the same fate at the hand of the Greentide. Upon the companies return, the Chapter was shocked by the casualties. They did not expect such losses, and so, the Chapter Master recalled any plans that they had made to send help to the wider Imperium. To prevent further losses, the Chapter will now focus purely on defending the Yoltovan System.

Stewards of Yoltova
Centuries after the pyrrhic victory on Saritun XI, the Thunder Lords had finally rebuilt themselves to full Chapter strength, although due to their Codex Astartes divergence their full strength is at 2,000 Astartes. Although one thing since Saritun had changed in the Chapter, the Chapter now followed in the foot steps of the Ultramarines in terms of governing. Now, the Yoltovan PDF and Guard Regiments, have been renamed to the Thunder Praetors and the Thunder Guard. A symbol to show that the Yoltovan System, is now completely governed by the Chapter, with the planetary governors being replaced by Captains of the different companies. Although this caused some suspicions from the likes of the Inquisiton and the High Lords of Terra. These suspicions were soon shoved aside once the Ultramarines Chapter Master at the time had claimed that they were simply doing what the sons of Guilliman do best - govern and protect. So, for several millennia, the Thunder Lords remained in Yoltova, never leaving the system to assist others, and staying to govern and protect. Because the system had the strength of 2,000 Astartes defending it near constantly, the system was later declared and documented into the Imperiums Records, as a Fortress-System. Although many attacks were attempted, even a contingent of one of Abaddon's Black Crusades, were attempted upon the system, none had made it through and the system never fell over several millennia. However, the greatest threat to the system, did not come from outside, but instead from inside the very Chapter itself. And it all started, when the galaxy was torn in half.

The Great Rift
The days following the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum and the Fall of Cadia, were ones of madness and rebellion unseen since the times following the Horus Heresy or the times of the War of the False Primarch. Rebellion, insurrection, Chaos and gene-stealer uprisings all running rampant across planets in the Segmentum Pacificus. Yoltova however, did not suffer such rebellions as many other systems and planets had. There were minor ones, but the Thunder Lords swiftly dealt with them, slaughtering the insurrection groups with precision strikes of Tactical Squadrons, and the sheer brute and overwhelming force of the PDF and Adeptus Arbites. During this time however, the third company, led by Captain Frohan Tarvanius, had received a distress call from a nearby planet from the system of Ultana. Although the other Captains told him not to leave Yoltova, he did not listen to them and instead chose to leave to assist the defenders in need. For that is what the Emperor's Angels of Death do - bring destruction to his enemies and salvation to his subjects. Thus, the 200 Astartes of the 3rd Company left the Yoltovan System to assist Ultana.

Once the company arrived in the Ultanan System, they began to push back the Forces of Chaos of the Sorcerer-Lord known as Rathnus Tolfain, who had taken the opportunity of the Great Rift to attack and besiege the Ultanan System. The Imperial Guard and PDF stationed there, had done their best in defending the system, but once the Thunder Lords arrived, only the sect of the Adepta Sororitas order known as the Order of the Sacred Rose and a regiment of Armageddon Steel Legionaries were left, along with many local militias.

The battle for the system raged for a decade, with casualties on both sides stacking high, but the Imperium was winning. Upon the planet of Hordanus in the Ultanan system, Rathnus made himself seen. He would not give up until the system had fallen into the Ruinous Powers vile clutches. When he landed planetside to fight alongside his soldiers, for the first time in the entire siege, Tarvanius, several Terminators and a small force of Sacred Rose Sororitas, had met him. There, the two forces clashed, with Tarvanius eventually getting close enough to Rathnus to duel him. Tarvanius, using his Power Axe known as Thunder Strike, and Rathnus using his chaotically corrupted blade known simply as Torment, the two champions fought.

Although, the sorcerer's psychic abilities gave him the upper hand in the duel, Tarvanius, suffering greatly due to the powers of the warp that the Sorcerer cast. When a Veteran Sergeant known as Korrygan Thorne attempted to assist Tarvanius, he was struck by psychic lightning and sent back many meters into the side of a Predator battle tank. With Thunder Strike in the dirt, and Tarvanius greatly injured, Tarvanius uttered what he believed to be his last words to the Sorcerer. The Sorcerer laughed and pulled Torment back to stab the Captain, until a scream of utter determination was heard from the south. Tarvanius glanced over, and a Sister Repentia was charging towards the Sorcerer. The battle after that, went rather unexpectedly. The Repentia and Tarvanius both finished off the Sorcerer, and later thanked each other for the others help. After two more months of fighting, the Imperial forces had made the Chaotic forces retreat, marking yet another victory for the Imperium. While Tarvanius and the 3rd Company were deemed as heroes and saviors of Ultana, the company would not receive the same treatment, upon their return home.

Chapter Civil War
Upon their homecoming, the 3rd Company was scolded by Chapter Master Haldan Yulmund, who informed him of what the Thunder Lords did, and that what he did was an act of betrayal and heresy. Tarvanius countered that, with telling him that if the 3rd Company hadn't left Yoltova, then the Ultanan System would have fallen to Chaos. Something the Imperium could not afford. Their argument became heated and later turned bloody when Haldan fired a plasma shot at Tarvanius. It was that one shot, that began a half decade-long conflict that split the Chapter in two.

Tarvanius, half of the Chapter's companies, and half of the PDF's and Guard regiments of Yoltova, versus Yulmund and his forces of the same size. Both great armies in their own right, but both were apart of a conflict that would bring destruction to much of Yoltova. This civil war, went mostly unsung as not many rememberancers or even official Ministorum scribes were there to record the conflict. What is known about the war, is the outcome of it. It ended, with Tarvanius slaying Yulmund and Tarvanius becoming Chapter Master for only a few days. For he, along with the companies that chose his side during the war, decided to break off and create a new crusading Chapter of Astartes known as the Thunder Titans. Tarvanius had left his most trusted Veteran Sergeant Korrygan Thorne in charge of the Thunder Lords while he was gone, for he knew that Thorne would make the Thunder Lords more helpful to the wider Imperium. As a side note, both Tarvanius and Thorne had become latent psykers during the civil war, Chief Librarian Osiris believing it to be the after-effects of their battle with Rathnus. But, nevertheless, Tarvanius left, and Thorne has been left in charge.

The Thunder Lords, under Thorne, have both accepted the new Primaris Marines, and are also assisting the Segmentum Pacificus as a whole. A change of ways, but one that Thorne believes will make the Chapter more combat-ready. The Thunder Lords today are involved in multiple campaigns across the Segmentum, even occasionally running into the Thunder Titans every so often.

Chapter Organisation
The organization is fairly Codex-compliant, save for a few things. One being, that the Chapter possesses 2,000 Astartes as opposed to the standard 1,000. They also have three reserve Companies - being the 7th, 8th, and 9th - all three of whom are used to defend Yoltova while the other Companies are off fighting across the Segmentum. Besides this, the Chapter has an unusually high amount of Assault Troops and Thunderhawks at their disposal, but that is usually attributed to the Chapters assault-focused combat doctrine.

With the Chapters larger numbers, naturally comes larger Companies, with each Company having 200 Astartes and two Strike Cruisers as opposed to just one. Besides the expanded numbers, the Chapter, as stated earlier, is Codex-compliant, but not as strict or adherent to it as their founding Chapter, the Ultramarines. Although the Ultramarines and Inquisition have looked down upon the Chapter ranking over the standard 1,000 battle-brothers, with the newly introduced Primaris Space Marines joining the Chapter's ranks following the resurrection of Roboute Guilliman, it seems that the Inquisition and the Ultramarines will not be bothering the Thunder Lords, mostly due to the fact that Guilliman does not care that the Chapter has more than the Codex-mandated, maximum alloted amount of battle-brothers, only that they fight the myriad of enemies that currently all corners of the Imperium. Although some of the more radical parts of the Inquisition are still finding other ways to force the Chapter to reduce their numbers, how they will enforce such a mandate is a mystery to all but them.

Chapter Recruitment
Recruitment for the Thunder Lords is very straightforward and surprisingly standard with all things considered. With the Chapter recruiting from the many worlds of the Yoltovan System, but more commonly the death world of Kortan. The world is stuck within constant thunderstorms and rain. Although it makes the soil of the world quite fertile, it also makes very hardy people who know how to fight and, not surprisingly, swim. Astartes will take recruits from Kortan and the other worlds, begin the trials which include jogging across an entire continent and arena fighting. If they pass the trials, then they will be sent to get their gene-seed implanted. Simple and standard recruitment, which is quite odd for the Thunder Lords but, maybe there is just a lack of information on the subject. Although when they initially began, each company recruited from a different planet in the system, that seems to have changed. Records are unsure as to whether this change was recent or happened long ago.

Combat Doctrine
The Thunder Lords combat doctrine consists of a focus on melee and assault tactics, with a strong usage on jump packs, drop pods, Stormravens and Thunderhawks to transport their many battle-brothers directly into the heart of battle. Not only this, but they use the Land Raider Crusader and Redeemer patterns frequently as an efficient way to transport their Terminators and Centurion-armored brothers, instead of relying upon the Terminators Teleportarium strike tactics. A special and unique unit to the Thunder Lords, are a unit known as the Storm Breakers. This unit, usually used as Honor Guards for the Chapter Master or Captains, are a unit of psychically-powered Astartes  wielding Heavy Thunder Hammers and Jetpacks. Using their psychic abilities, they enhance both the effects of the Hammers they wield, but also the Jump Packs, sending them higher into the air while also giving the Hammers a stronger and deadlier strike. When a splinter Fleet of Hive Fleet Leviathan attacked a planet in the Segmentum, it was said that a single Storm Breaker had launched himself into the air, his entire body crackling with psychic lightning as he then slammed his Hammer into the earth, electrocuting and even disintegrating hundreds of Termagaunts. While this is usually passed of as folk-lore and legend, it does explain the low recruitment rate of the Storm Breakers and the units numbers. At the Chapters height, it was said that there were twenty Storm Breakers throughout the Chapter. After the civil war, there were ten, then when Tarvanius left with five, there were only five left in the Thunder Lords.

Besides the Thunder Lords excelling at assault tactics, this does not stop them from being superb defenders, as evidenced by their millennia as defenders of Yoltova. Although still utilizing many of the same assault tactics, their skills at ranged are nothing to scoff at. More notably, the Scouts of the 10th Company are renowned across several sectors as some of the best at assassinations and overall skill with a Sniper Rifle.

Chapter Beliefs
The religious beliefs of the Chapter revolve around worship of the Emperor as a god of the sky and the weather, more specifically, thunder. Thus, the Chapters temples in their fortress-monasteries, where the Astartes gather for daily prayer given to them by the Chapters Kapellans, the name they gave to the Chaplains of the Chapter. The temples are adorned with iconography of the Emperor and Roboute Guilliman, along with many of his saints and former Chapter Masters, surrounded by lightning bolts and thunder. One notable piece of artwork that covers the ceiling of the temple, showcases the Emperor and every fallen Chapter Master, all raising their hands to fire one giant bolt of lightning towards a single dark being. The dark being is believed to be a representation of the Chaos Gods and perhaps even the Arch-Traitor Horus Lupercal.

While this interpretation raises many eyebrows in the ecclesiarchy, the Thunder Lords psychotic belief in it and the fact that they work well with many Adepta Sororitas sects and Orders, shows that they do not have much to worry for. If they do have an issue with it, they are told to bring it up with a Storm Breaker.

Deathwatch Service
The Thunder Lords, although swearing to stay strictly in Yoltova so many millennia ago, still did send Astartes out to join the Deathwatch, the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition. Thunder Lords serving in Kill-Teams, while being a valuable asset, tend to take much of the glory and credit. They also tend to charge directly into melee and its because of this that many Thunder Lords have died while in service to the Deathwatch. Thorne once served in the Deathwatch for a time and, as of M42, is only one of ten Thunder Lords to have returned from the Watch.

Notable Chapter Space Marines

 * Chapter Master Haldan Yulmund - Chapter Master Yulmund, was a former Chapter Master of the Thunder Lords, serving from an unknown time until his death in early M42. He was on the opposite side to Tarvanius during the civil war that broke out in the Chapter. At the end of the war, he was slain by Tarvanius.
 * Chapter Master Korrygan Thorne - Chapter Master Thorne is the current Chapter Master of the Thunder Lords and a close friend to Captain Tarvanius. He has personally led the Thunder Lords across the Segmentum since the civil war to push back both the chaotic and xenos threats that threaten it.
 * Unknown Chapter Master - Although this Chapter Master is unknown, he was the one who declared that the Thunder Lords become more isolationist and individualistic, stopping any crusades or offensives that the Chapter was involved in.
 * Captain Tolandus Endric - Captain Tolandus Endric and his expedition was the primary reason for the Thunder Lords isolation, as his crusade was the one that got slaughtered by the Orks in the Saritun system. Not much else is known about him, or his deeds.
 * Captain Frohan Tarvanius - Captain Tarvanius was perhaps one of the most influential figures in the Thunder Lords history, as he changed it from being isolationist and individualistic to being more offensive and helpful to the wider Imperium of Man. Tarvanius also caused and won the civil war that broke out in the Chapter in early M42, with the war ending after Tarvanius killed Yulmund in single combat. He later left to form his own crusading Chapter, leaving Thorne in charge.
 * Chief Librarian Jarandus Osiris - While not much is known of Osiris, what is known is that he diagnosed both Thorne and Tarvanius with latent psychic abilities, and trained both of them for a short time to learn how to handle their abilities.
 * Master of the Forge Gordan Ironheart - Along with Osiris, not much is known of Ironheart besides that he forged the Thunder Fist and prevented Drukhari pirates from breaking into the reliquary and stealing it.
 * Storm Breaker Thor - Not much is known of Thor besides that he was the first to ever become a Storm Breaker and thus a renowned historical figure. He is also the soul that is imbued in the relic Thunder Hammer known as the Hammer of Thor.

Chapter Fleet
The fleet of the Thunder Lords is quite vast, with each Company having two Strike Cruisers. The following are the names for notable ships in the Chapters fleet:


 * Eye of the Storm (Battle-Barge) - The Eye of the Storm is the flagship of the Chapters fleet and is commonly used by the Chapter Master when he goes to war with his brothers. Although as of late, the Battle-Barge is usually seen docked in the Chapter's docking yards.
 * Thunderbolt (Strike Cruiser Alpha: 2nd Company) - Thunderbolt, is a Strike Cruiser that broke a siege upon the world of Hadrianus during M42. Although the Cruiser crash-landed on the planet, it was later salvaged and rebuilt and still serves in the Chapters Fleet today.
 * Stormblade (Strike Cruiser Beta: 3rd Company) - Stormblade, was the name of the Strike Cruiser that Tarvanius personally used during the Battle for Ultana. Although the ship took much damage, the ship was later used as a battering ram by its captain to destroy the Sorcerer Rathnus’ chaotic Battle-Barge. Although the ship was destroyed in the process, the Thunder Lords would remake the Strike Cruiser and it was one of the first ships to again leave Yoltova after Tarvanius left.

Chapter Relics

 * Dainslief - Dainslief is a blade wielded by the first Chapter Master of the Thunder Lords back in M34. The blade had been used to slay many heretical and traitorous leaders, serving the Chapter for a long time until the Chapter Master was killed. The blade was sent into the reliquary, and now Captains of the First Company carry the blade.
 * Armour of Gungnir - The Armor of Gungnir, is a set of ancient Cataphractii Terminator armor. The armor is just one of many Cataphractii and Tartaros Terminator armours in the Chapters Reliquary, but this one is unique as it was worn by Captain Tolandus Endric, the ancient and long dead Captain of the 3rd Company who convinced the Chapter Master at the time, to make the Thunder Lords the defenders of Yoltova.
 * Hammer of Thor - The Hammer of Thor, is an ancient Thunder Hammer that was imbued with the first Storm Breaker of the Chapter's soul. The Astartes name was Thor, being named after the ancient Terran god of thunder. The Hammer of Thor is now commonly wielded by the Chief Librarian of the Chapter. It is currently wielded by Jarandus Osiris, the current Chief Librarian
 * Thunder Fist - The Thunder Fist, is a master-crafted power fist with an in-built storm bolter built inside of the palm of the gauntlet. Although it is unknown as to when the Fist joined the Chapter's reliquary, what is known is that many Captains and Masters of the Forge tend to have wielded the Fist. A notable one, being Master of the Forge Gordan Ironheart in M36, who used the Fist to destroy a Drukhari assassin who attempted to steal it, along with many other relics, to sell to it's buyers. Obviously, the Drukhari failed and was killed by Gordan. It is currently wielded by Chapter Master Korrygan Thorne, along with his personal thunder hammer.

Chapter Colours
The Thunder Lords Power Armor is colored with a deep shade of blue, and a trim of white, with a lighter blue on the shoulder pauldrons. The blue on the pauldrons is the same color as that of the Ultramarines, used as a way to honor their primogenitors. Besides this, the Thunder Lords only way of distinguishing companies is via the different colors upon the shoulder pads. Purple, Blue, Lighter Purple and even black and grey are some of the colors used to distinguish the companies.

Chapter Badge
The symbol of the Chapter is a hammer with lightning bolts coming off of it, surrounded by a crescent ring of cogs, with the cogs having thunder bolts coming off of them. What it means is up to interpretation, but what many believe is that the cog represents the enemies battle lines, with the hammer being the Thunder Lords that are pushing it back.

Chapter Relations
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Ashimar Nova Guard
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Notable Quotes
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By Your Chapter
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