Mordekaisers

"Kaiser! The enemy has sealed off the deck! We're trapped!" "No, brother, the enemy is trapped on this deck with us! Slaughter them all!"

- Kaiser Markus Stahlhelm

The Mordekaisers (translated to High-Gothic as ' Murder Lords ' ) are a Successor Chapter created as a 24th Founding of the Imperial Fists. While it is confirmed that their Primarch is indeed Rogal Dorn, it can’t be confirmed which Chapter they are descended from for there is no record of which specific Chapter the Mordekaiser’s gene seed comes from. Some scholars believe the Mordekaisers descend from the Excoriators due to both chapters leaving their battle damage untouched. The Excoriators deny any link to the Mordekaisers. Either way, the Mordekaisers are merely recorded as Sons of Dorn.

Upon their creation, the Mordekaisers were sent to the far reaches of the Galaxy into the Ghoul Stars. Their destination was the Imperial Starport Morgen Schwach, located near Lunaphage before the Malefactus Warp Rift. The Mordekaisers purpose was to patrol and defend the areas surrounding the Starport and warp rift. Fitting for a chapter descended from Rogal Dorn, the Mordekaisers take their duty seriously and defend the the sector vigorously. Of course, when needed, the Mordekaisers will answer summons for aid all across the Galaxy, especially when a fellow Chapter of Dorn is in need.

Chapter History
It was only after their first decade of combat that the Mordekaisers established their identity. The entire Chapter had deployed in answer to the sudden appearance of a space hulk near Morgen Schwach. The Hulk was full of chaos renegades ranging from pirates to heretic astartes. The fighting was so grueling that every single one of the surviving Mordekaisers left the purged hulk with significant armour damage and various wounds. However, rather than repair them, the Chapter decided to bear the damage proudly. To them, the fact that they had survived despite the wounds and damage was a sign that they could survive anything the Galaxy could throw at them. As such, the Mordekaisers refuse to repair all but the most significant damage and prefer to engage in void and boarding operations, relying on their inherent hardiness and skill in close quarters to emerge victorious.

M42
"Bah! You old breed shall behold the might of the Primaris! Come brothers, let us show these old breeds who holds the true power!"

- Last words of Primaris Marine Uwe, right before he was vaporized by an Ork Zappa.

When the Great Rift split through the Galaxy, the warp rift of Malefactus shuddered and spewed all sorts of daemonic horrors from it’s maw. The Mordekaisers rallied to hold back the tide from engulfing Morgen Schwach and the neighbouring sectors. Despite their best efforts, they were slowly pushed back into the Starport and casualties mounted. But as the Mordekaisers were preparing to face another wave, a fleet appeared led by none other than Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines. From the ships came a new breed of space marine, the Primaris. With these reinforcements, the Mordekaisers drove back the forces of chaos. The victory was hard earned for a quarter of the Chapter had been slain. Guilliman recognised the valour of the Mordekaisers and honoured their countless centuries of service while gifting them the technology to create new Primaris marines.

This was not accepted gladly, however. The Mordekaisers were reluctant in accepting this new breed of Astartes. Markus Stahlhelm, Kaiser of the Chapter, secretly distrusted the Primaris but, recognising their tactical use and because refusing a Primarch was out of the question, accepted them. Even though the Primaris and Astartes work together in combat. Tensions quickly brewed nonetheless. Many Mordekaisers feared that the Primaris were here to completely replace them while several Primaris believed that they were far superior to the "old breed".

Tensions became so bad that Guilliman assigned a permanent detachment of five Custodes to watch over the Chapter in order to prevent any full blown conflicts. However, at the battle of Belmid-4, something changed. During the battle, several squads of Astartes and Primaris found themselves surrounded onboard a Chaos vessel. They fought side by side against unending waves of daemons and chaos, in fact one marine directly saved a Primaris’s life from a heretic’s chainsword. Soon the halls were stained with the blood of traitors and the marines stood together in victory. As fate would have it, these squads contained the main stirrers of the tensions, both Astartes and Primaris, who now found respect for each other. They left the vessel and declared their brotherhood, putting an end to much of the conflict.

Since then, the Mordekaisers have stood proud and continue to guard Atlantus against Malefactus. With their extreme belief in a final Imperial victory and their endurance, they strike down their foes with zeal.

Notable Campaigns

 * Founding of the Mordekaisers (Unknown Date.M39) - The Mordekaisers are founded as part of the 24th Founding, records of their primogenitor are unknown but is confirmed they are descended from Rogal Dorn. The newly formed Chapter is sent to the far reaches of the Ghoul Stars and take up stewardship of Starport Morgen Schwach.


 * The Nudil Purge (Unknown Date.M39) - The Mordekaisers first combat action is to purge an Ork warfleet. In half a standard month, they utterly destroy all traces of the fleet.


 * First Defence of Morgen Schwach (Unknown Date.M39) - A Space Hulk bearing the forces of chaos suddenly appears before the Starport of Morgen Schwach, prompting the immediate response of the Mordekaisers. The following fighting was so brutal that every single surviving Mordekaiser had received some form of armour damage. From so forth, the Mordekaisers developed a belief of being able to survive anything and began to bear their damage proudly.


 * The Galakos Raid (Unknown Date.M41) - The Mordekaisers destroy an entire Drukhari Kabal in a swift and decisive fleet attack. The Drukhari fight fiercely but are broken by the hardiness and ferocity of Kaiser Heinrich and his honour guard of terminators.


 * Second Defence of Morgen Schwach (Unknown Date. M42) - The Mordekaisers are besieged by a sudden onslaught of Chaos forces when the Warp Rift of Malefactus swells as a result of the Great Rift. The Chapter are almost overwhelmed when Roboute Guilliman arrives to aid them. After defeating the forces of chaos, Guilliman leaves the Mordekaisers with Primaris reinforcements, a gift the Chapter does not readily accept.


 * The Battle of Belimid-4 (Unknown Date.M42) - The Astartes and Primaris finally resolve their conflicts as the Battle of Belimid-4 gives them cause to work together and accept each other as brothers. Despite this, some Mordekaisers still fear that the Primaris are their replacement.


 * The Magrin War (Unknown Date.M42) - The entire Mordekaisers Chapter meets the sudden appearance of three traitor warbands: The Senseless Noise, Venom Spiders and, their ancient foes, the Desolate Sons. The war encompasses the entire sector until the traitors are broken and scattered. Although victorious, there is doubt on whether the Desolate Sons were prevented from achieving their goal.

Chapter Organisation
The Mordekaisers mostly follow the Codex Astartes save for a few deviations; several titles are changed and several unit loadouts are changed. One notable feature is that the seventh Company is comprised entirely of Breacher squads, an ancient configuration from the days of the Legions. The Mordekaisers use Breachers to secure beachheads or engage in Zone Mortalis battlefields, casualties are often heavy which is why the Breachers are often attached across the Chapter rather than kept to their own Company.

The Mordekaisers also do not use Hellblasters, Inceptors or any of the Vanguard Primaris. The long ranged plasma weaponry of the Hellblasters and the Inceptor's reliance on their jump packs are of little use in the tight confines of a ship while the usually brutal and up close combat situations mean that the lighter armour and purpose the Vanguard serve would be ineffective. As such, Hellblaster, Vanguard and Inceptor squads are only formed in the rare occassions when the Mordekaisers fight on a planet.

Because of the close quarters fighting, long ranged heavy weaponry is seldom used, thus devastator squads take short ranged heavy weapons like heavy flamers or multi-meltas. Assault squads are deployed with jump packs and often sent in with flamers and shotguns along with the standard chainsword/bolt pistol loadout. Many veterans favour the storm bolter for it's effectiveness at short range.

Order of Battle
Like all Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marines Chapters, the Mordekaisers are divided into 10 companies comprised of 100 Space Marines each. Each company is led by a hero of the Chapter with the rank of Hauptmann, who -- in addition to his company command -- is in charge of a particular aspect of the Chapter's logistics:

Mordekaiser Librarians
Due partly to prejudice and a small number of psykers within the population, the Mordekaisers' Librarius is rather small. The Mordekaiser Librarians make use of their psychic powers to strengthen their battle brothers, healing grievous wounds or erecting psychic walls against incoming blows.

Rarely, a Librarian may have the ability to see a few seconds into the future. Such an ability can mean the difference between life and death, or even between victory and defeat.

Combat Doctrine
The Mordekaisers are masters of void operations, ship-to-ship combat and boarding operations. They also prefer to engage in close quarters combat, using close ranged weaponry such as meltas and shotguns due to the nature of ship warfare. The Mordekaisers also make use of their battle damaged armour to cause a psychological impact. Again, due to the confined nature of boarding operations, the Mordekaisers eschew long ranged weaponry due to their ineffectiveness in a close ranged environment. It is for this reason that assault squads do not deploy with jump packs and also why the Mordekaisers do not employ Hellblasters, Reivers and Inceptors. The former because of the dangers of using heavy plasma fire and the latter two because there is little need for stealth or jump pack deployment. The Mordekaisers also make use of the ancient breacher formation from the days of the Great Crusade. The breachers are made up of the most headstrong and hardy of the Chapter, armed with devastating close combat weaponry, they are the first into every breach in order to clear the path for their brothers. Many of them are armoured in Mark III armour due to it’s effectiveness in ship-to-ship combat.

The Mordekaisers have little use for rhinos and various patterns, using them only for beachhead protection. In fact, the Mordekaisers don’t even have a single land raider for such vehicles are of little use to them. Instead, the Mordekaisers make heavy use of dreadnoughts due to their ability to act as walking heavy support. Strangely the Mordekaisers have four contemptor dreadnoughts and two leviathan dreadnoughts, a rare number of ancient walkers especially for a Chapter formed so long after the Great Crusade. The Leviathan Dreadnoughts are released only in the most dire of circumstances, their might highly effective in the claustrophobia of a Zone Mortalis battlefield.

For all their skill in void combat, it is perhaps also the Mordekaiser’s biggest weakness. Their specialisation has made them weaker in any other theaters of combat, they perform poorly in open warfare or sieges. As such, they are relegated to supporting Imperial forces in orbit and engage enemy fleets. This does not faze the Chapter for, not only do they relish the chance of fighting in ships, their skills are just as useful in the confines of a hive city.

A typical Mordekaiser battle plan is to ensure that an enemy vessel is boarded and cleared as quickly and efficiently as possible. Once a breach is made, breachers will pour in to clear a path, they will usually be supported by devastator squads or aggressors. The devastator squads make use of heavy flamers, multi-meltas and heavy bolters to provide firing support while aggressors are used as heavy support. Once the way is clear, intercessors will arrive and act as line holders while tactical and assault squads swarm in. Teleporter homers will be placed to allow terminators to teleport in and strike into the heart of the enemy. This has been the base of several Mordekaiser battle plans and has been effective many times.

Several ships in the Chapter Fleet are outfitted with Ursus Claws which allow them to catch vessels and reel them in for easy boarding.

Chapter Beliefs & Traditions
The first thing an observer would notice of the Mordekaisers is their tendency to bear all but the most serious of battle damages, scars and markings. A single Astartes would need at least five dents, scratches and marks on his armour before he would call himself a true Mordekaiser. The drawing of a face with X’s for eyes and either a smile or frown is common, a tradition inherited from the gangers of Morgen Schwach that held that the faces warded off death. The reason for this is that the Mordekaisers believe that they are nigh unstoppable, their superhuman endurance, even more pronounced as sons of Dorn, and discipline making them forces to be feared. They believe that their battle damage signifies that they can survive whatever comes before them. This extends to the reverence the Mordekaisers have for dreadnoughts, even after the most grievous of wounds, still serve proudly. The Mordekaisers are also known for their extreme sense of brotherhood to their parent Chapter and other Chapters who share their blood. Whenever a Chapter of Dorn is in need of aid, the Mordekaisers will rush to their call if they can.

Another belief that the Mordekaisers hold close is their hope for a better future. The Mordekaisers genuinely believe that the Imperium will eventually triumph and rule the Galaxy and they want to be there to see that victory. The Mordekaisers fight valiantly in the hope that tomorrow will bring the inevitable victory of mankind.

The Mordekaisers are also known for their rigid discipline. When not in battle, the Mordekaisers patrol the sectors around Morgen Schwach. They also insist on doing many tasks that most Chapters have serfs to do. The Mordekaisers will clean their quarters and ships, cook their meals and maintain their wargear and armour. This is to instill a sense of duty and discipline within the Astartes and to prepare them for post service when they are no longer needed once the Imperium is victorious.

The Mordekaisers regularly walk amongst the people of Morgen Schwach. Ever since their arrival, their first Chapter Master, Wilhelm, made it a point that the Mordekaisers shall be known to their wards and maintain good relations. These interactions are so commonplace that, where any other citizen would quake in fear at the sight of an Astartes, particularly one in damaged armour, a citizen of Atlantus would barely bat an eyelid. In fact, group of Mordekaisers frequently go out into the port to visit places or lend assistance. These groups will either patrol the halls, help with repairs or even help in cleaning an area. Whatever it is, the Mordekaisers will gladly help.

Chapter Gene-Seed
From the heritage of their progenitor, the Mordekaisers' gene-seed is very stable and has never exhibited signs of mutation. However, over time they have lost the use of two of the special organs produced by the basic Astartes genetic template: the Betcher's Gland, which allows a Space Marine to produce poisonous/acidic spittle, and the Sus-an Membrane, which allows an Astartes to enter a state of suspended animation.

Being sons of Dorn the Mordekaisers are able to take a large amount of punishment, a fact they are not afraid to show in the state of their armour. Superficial things scrapes, dents and the like are ignored and several occassions where Mordekaisers have fought on with terrible wounds have been recorded. These facts point to their supposed origins from the Excoriators, a Chapter of Dorn who are known to also bear their battle damage. But with the records lost and the Excoriators continued denial, none may truly know.

Primarch's Curse: Death Before Dishonour
All Space Marines are the product of their genetic inheritance, benefiting from its blessings as well as suffering from its shortcomings, and the Mordekaisers are no different. Their Primarch was a deeply devoted warrior who fought tirelessly at the right hand of the Emperor, but even this towering exemplar had his flaws, as he himself is known to have acknowledged. Perhaps because of his dedication, Dorn was devastated when the Emperor fell, and shouldered far more than his fair share of the blame. He cast himself into a crusade of redemption that only ended in the terrible crucible of the Iron Cage, re-forging the Legion in the bloody furnace of war. Dorn's glorious legacy lives on through the Imperial Fists, but so too does his curse. This usually occurs in three levels:


 * Level 1 (Suffer Not Failure) - The Battle-Brother believes himself deficient in some manner, whether real or imagined, and becomes truculent and obstructive when ordered to redeploy in the face of a stronger foe. When acting as a squad leader or Deathwatch Kill-Team leader, he makes demands of his squad that others might consider unreasonable, and views any disagreement as outright disobedience.
 * Level 2 (Beware Hubris) - The Battle-Brother spends his every waking moment brooding on past battles, seeking even the slightest flaw in his own deeds, and those of others. While he stops short of outright criticism of his Battle-Brothers, he condemns his own actions as falling short of the example set by his Primarch, and seeks to redeem himself in the fires of battle.
 * Level 3 (None Are Flawless) - The Battle-Brother obsessively reviews every detail of every mission he takes part in, finding fault with his own actions and those of his squad. He becomes withdrawn, maudlin and confrontational, and unwilling to accept or issue any order that does not result in imminent battle.

Chapter Recruitment
The Mordekaisers recruit from the many gangs in the deeper tunnels and halls of Morgen Schwach. The small spaces of the starport mean that fights over territories are common. The chapter is known to swoop in during fights and take potential candidates to their fortress monastery for implantation. Before implantation, the gang members are placed into a maze of tunnels and made to find their way out. The catch is, they must work together to find the exit. This means that the gang members must get over their rivalries and work as a team. Not only does this erase the gangers previous allegiances to their gangs but it instills the sense of brotherhood and discipline that the Mordekaisers hold so dearly.

Once they have received their implantations, the neophytes become scout marines. As scout marines, they are tutored in the Chapter’s ways by performing menial tasks. Neophytes clean, cook and run errands for full battle brothers. This further instills discipline. When in battle, neophytes will act as hit and run units or objective takers, their smaller size making them suited for quicker movements. Based on individual performance, the neophyte will either advance to a devastator squad or become a Primaris marine. Interestingly, it would seem that the ganger influence never leaves the neophytes as they tend to wear battle paints in the form of faces with X’s for eyes and either a smile or frown. a tradition believed to ward off death.

Chapter Fleet
Instead of having a home world, the Mordekaisers make their base of operations on the starport of Morgen Schwach, a port in the Ghoul Stars near the Malefactus Warp Rift. Morgen Schwach is where the Chapter dock their ships, the Chapter themselves specifically residing in a fortress within the port. The port is a maze of small tunnels ruled by gangs who bear oil painted markings to identify themselves. Thus they are perfect sources of recruits for the Mordekaisers.

The Mordekaisers fleet is quite large; boasting three Battle barges, 10 strike cruisers and numbers of escorts. This makes them incredibly devastating in fleet battles. Several of the ships are outfitted with Ursus Claws, which allows them to cripple ships and reel them in for boarding.

Deathwatch Service
Despite their considerable distance from much of the Imperium, the Mordekaisers regularly send marines for the Long Vigil when required. A Mordekaiser marine will often use close ranged weaponry and or take up roles as devastators or assault marines. Mordekaisers will gladly work alongside other sons of Dorn due to their shared blood. However, they will generally work well in any kill team although their rigid discipline and damaged armour might be a point of contention with more laid back or upstanding Chapters.

Notable Members

 * Kaiser Wilhelm - Wilhelm was the first Kaiser of the Mordekaisers. It is believed that he was once of the Excoriators although the record supposedly proving this is long lost. He was well known for bearing two power fists that he used to rip through armour and flesh alike. He ruled for 700 years before finally falling at the battle of Morgard, slaying an entire ship of orks before succumbing to his wounds.


 * Kaiser Heinrich - Heinrich succeeded Wilhelm as Kaiser. He was a ruthless and pragmatic strategist who preferred to lead from behind the lines, only charging into battle when needed. His strategies have outlived him as they have remained in use by the Mordekaisers long after Heinrich fell.


 * Kaiser Markus Stahlhelm - Markus Stahlhelm succeeded Heinrich in the first year of the 40th millennium. A large hulking brute even without his cataphractii terminator armour, Stahlhelm is a terrifying force to reckon with. Armed with a pair of lightning claws, he storms through enemy ships and leaves a trail of destruction in his wake. In the recent years of M42, he had the honour of meeting Primarch Roboute Guilliman himself, although he wasn’t too accepting of the Primaris reinforcements. He still leads the Mordekaisers to victory today.


 * Hauptmann Jannik - Jannik is Hauptmann of the 2nd Company. He is known for his effective use of overwhelming breacher/assault charges.


 * Hauptmann Fabian - Fabian is Hauptmann of the 5th Company. As the first Primaris to be elevated to such a command, Fabian feels he has much to prove to some of the conservative Hautpmanns. He recently led the 5th Company against the Chapter's most hated foe, the Desolate Sons, at the Battle of Karacya where his tactics and slaying one of the warband's greatest champions won the day, and the respect of his peers.


 * Horst the Unwise - Horst the Unwise was once Hauptmann of the 6th Company until he made the unwise decision of challenging a Hive Tyrant to a duel, his ravaged form was barely recovered and interred into the sarcophagus of a contemptor dreadnought from where he has fought for five centuries. His title is an example of the Mordekaiser's laconic wit.


 * Venerable Klaus - Klaus has been interred within a Contemptor sarcophagus since the days of Kaiser Heinrich. His ancient and weathered frame serves as inspiration for the Mordekaisers, for Klaus has survived many blows that should've slain him.

Chapter Relics

 * The Blade of Brand - Brand was an ancient hero of the Mordekaisers known for throwing himself into the thick of battle. He fell after 250 years of service to a tyranid horde. All that was recovered was his hand, still holding onto the sword. Unable to remove the sword from the hand the Mordekaisers have kept it as a relic. A reminder of their duty to the Imperium and that even in death they still serve.


 * Lightning Fang- The Lightning Fang is an ancient chainsword with teeth that is rumoured to have come from Storm's Teeth, the chainsword that was once wielded by Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial Fists.

Chapter Appearance
The Mordekaisers are identifiable by their battle damaged armour. The Mordekaisers care little for aesthetic and simply repair their armour to the point of functionality, ignoring superficial damages and grime. Many higher ranking Mordekaisers extend this to their attires, not bothering to fix holes in capes or repairing helmet crests. All together this gives them an intimidating look; a space marine is a sight itself, but one that looks like it has been through hell is even more terrifying. The Mordekaisers also scratch kill markers, badges and ganger signs into their armour. Others draw lines in their vox grills to make their helmets look like faces while those with a Mark Vi helm draw lines to make the helmet look like a bird's beak.

The Mordekaisers will also bear Imperial imagery on their armour. The fact that they rarely repair them is frowned upon by the Ecclesiarchy.

Chapter Colours
The Mordekaisers colour their helmet, torso and backpack grey and their limbs a dark green. Colour is used also used to identify ranks; Sergeants wear a light green helmet, Standard Bearers/Ancients wear dark blue helmets, Lieutenants have light green helmets with a black stripe down the middle, Hauptmanns (Captains) have bronze helmets and the Kaiser wears a gold helmet.

Chapter Badge
The Mordekaisers' badge is a damaged skull with a crown. To them it is a perfect representation of their name for it means, when translated to High Gothic, "Murder Lords", a name the Mordekaisers are keen to live up to.

Allies
The Mordekaisers like to maintain good relationships with other Chapters descended from Rogal Dorn, they will rush to the aid of a fellow Chapter of Dorn if they are able to. They maintain particularly close ties to the Wolves of Retribution, a fellow Chapter of Dorn who also operate in the Ghoul Stars. They also have a friendship with the Silver Ferns who, while not sons of Dorn, have their respect due to their ferocity in close quarters.

Enemies
The Mordekaisers have one foe they particularly hate; the Desolate Sons, a Heretic Astartes Warband that worships Nurgle. It is believed the Desolate Sons are traitors of the traitor, which is why the Mordekaisers will fight tooth and nail to wipe them out.

By the Chapter
"Foes of the Imperium hear me! Know that it is the Mordekaisers who stand before in the void! Know that it is us who will be your doom in the ever-darkness between the stars! We will cripple your engines, ruin your weapons and rupture your hulls! We will board your ships and spill your blood along the walls! We will consign you to oblivion in the void! This I swear!"

- A typical Mordekaiser message sent out to enemy fleets before battle.

"For millennia you have fought so hard for the Imperium and Emperor. So much has been lost since the Heresy, so much has been sacrificed. So many noble warriors, so many heroes, so many brothers lost to history. You have sacrificed so much to the Imperium and have received such little thanks. For ten thousand years you and your kind have defended the Imperium against all odds but now, that the Galaxy is split in two, we have come to share the burden! So rest now, brother of the old kind, for you have earned it. The Primaris have come to help."

- From the writings of Intercessor Brother Lukas.

"Long has it been since my feet have touched the dirt of a planet, brother. It saddens me that it is not with my own two feet that I have done so again."

- Venerable Manfred lamenting his interment to a Dreadnought to Brother Ernst, during the Tyli Campaign

About the Chapter
"I must say, these "Murder Lords" may wear their armour like they've been through hell but, by the Emperor, if it weren't for them smashing through the T'au fleet, we'd never have won this campaign."

- General Alexandros of the 50th Cadian Regiment reflecting on the Mordekaisers' actions.