The Ashen

The Ashen are a loyalist space marine chapter of the 23rd Founding. They are suspected to be successors of the Raven Guard. However, gene seed analysis and records of the chapter is fragmented and missing vital sections. Due to this the Adaptus Administratum dispute any official claim of Linagae.

They are a codex compliant chapter that diverges in some aspects. They are a half strength chapter, only mustering 500 fighting marines in 5 companies and they do not strictly adhere to the standard practice of codex markings.

The Ashen are a little heard of chapter mostly adhering to their sectors of space tasked with fending off hostile incursions and pirate attacks on imperial assets and worlds.

Chapter History
The planet Cinere was invaded by sizable ork pirate forces in the latter part of the 37th millennium. Initially thought to be the start of an ork Wagggh it was later found to be an audacious attempt by the ork pirate boss, Ripear Glasseye, to claim the resource rich system as a base of operations. The orks made planet side en mass mostly unopposed. At the time the Men of Ashen Skull were not established. Planetary defence forces were robust but lead by a complacent command, who although reported the event, dismissed offered aid.

The ork attack headed directly for the hive city Minander. The Planetary defence forces answered blunt and direct in response. Fighting conditions soon became impossible, with roads choked by the husks of burning vehicles and craters. The orks took to the sludge lakes wading through on foot and making swift inroads. Taken by surprise at this the defence forces were ordered into the lakes, fighting continued in knee deep industrial waste. Vehicles bogged down, men faltered struggling more in the resistance of the sludge than the larger orks. Command harried the troops with poor tactical decisions desperate not to allow the invaders to enter the hive city and take a foot hold.

Fighting continued for 2 days until the ‘Deflagration.’ It is unknown what caused the initial reaction. It is speculated that the orks whilst cannibalising a processing plant out in the waste lakes set of a chain of explosions that ruptured holding tanks and sent burring liquids out into the sludge. This mix burnt so hot that the lakes began to pyrolyze and burn themselves, the flame front spreading swift and wide like a rolling wave. Orks and men alike could not move quick enough through the knee-deep lakes and burnt alive. Those that made it to the pockets of raised ground or small out stations suffocated as the air was heated and filled with smoke.

Both sides suffered catastrophic losses. After 4 days of intense burning and the sky darkening from smoke, the fires petered out exhausted of fuel. The hive city suffered damage on its outer walls, one notable area having buckled and collapsed from the heat, offering easy access to the internal service tracks and roads of the hive.

Dried crusty grey ash was all that remained of the lakes.The skeletons of countless men and orks covered the beds, burnt to ash but still in identifiable shape, ashen skulls looking to the sky their jaws open in silent screams.

Over the 4 days of the Deflagration the orks had rallied finding their number greater than expected, they attacked again. One last all out assault over the now dry and ashen lake beds.

It is rumoured that urged on by the civilians of the hive, the remaining guard revolted against the command and its poor leadership. This was investigated in due course and although doubts exist, the dead nor the surviving have ever spoken of it to be true. Fragmented records indicate that much of the command were lost to the Deflagration having left their command stations to spur on the troops in person.

With so few of the Guard left to fight, the ordinary folk of the hive armed themselves with make shift weapons and stood with the remnants of the fighting force. Men, women, soldiers, gangers, spanner monkeys, service engineers,the wealthy and poor all armed themselves with what they could to defend the weak, wounded and above all, home.

It is to note that after the unfortunate death of the high command, an SOS was sent out by the acting staff. The Raven Guard answered the call.

The orks made for the breached wall of the hive city. Fighting was brutal. Poorly armed civilians against orks were no match, but the bravery and selflessness of the civilian militia held them back just enough allowing the remnants of the better trained and equipped Planetary Defence Forces to effectively retaliate without being overrun. The fighting kicked up the ashen crust of the dried lake beds, the skulls and bones of ash fell apart on contact and stirred into the air causing a thick fog of ash that reduced visibility and clog up lungs.

Fighting continued for 2 days, ork blade and bolter answered with lazgun and spanner, auto pistol and iron bar. Men and women were torn apart with ease and throw like rag dolls, but they fought on taking orks down by sheer tenacity and fevered group attacks. Those with respirators worked in small teams weaving through the ash fog and ducking behind burnt out wrecks to throw melta bombs at the ork vehicles. At the dawn of the 3rd day the Raven Guard arrived.

Three Thunderhawks landed at the city with a compliment of space marine forces. They joined the rag tag militia in the ashen fog, its poor visibility no problem for their reticules and targeting systems. Over the next couple of days the remaining orks were destroyed, their makeshift camps burnt with strafing runs of promethium.

The Raven Guard were impressed at what they had seen. The men and women of Cinere were tenacious, selfless, innovative and above all, fighters, acting coordinated and brave manoeuvres in the worst of conditions. They had not cowered away to die but fought to live. They looked upon the ash covered and bloodied people as the warriors they had become.

It was proposed that the people of the planet would make fine recruits for the Raven Guard. As history shows, they became a new Space marine chapter of their own, their inception part of the 23rdSentinel Founding. They are known as The Ashen, named after the burnt and ashen bones and skulls of the Deflagration. They were supported through their infancy by the Raven Guard, imparting their teachings, battle doctrine and bequeathing the chapter a number of venerable and relic dreadnoughts to impart their wisdom and experience. 6 veteran marines were also permanently assigned, 5 acting as captains and the 6th as chapter master. In time the mantle of these roles were take by those of the Ashen whose disposition and example set them out as leaders.

Notable Campaigns
-- Records awaiting validation by the Adaptus Administratum --

Chapter Homeworld
Their homeworld, Cinere is located in the small system of Cera near the border of the Segmentum Tempest and the Uhulis Sector. It is a cold planet of vast open scrub lands, heavily polluted and industrialised.

Cinere has two distant moons. These and the systems dense asteroid belts are mined and taken planet side to be processed and manufactured in the industrial hive complexes. There are two main hive cities on the planet, Minander and Inchander. Minander is the larger and houses the mainstay of the populous and industry. It is surrounded by vast shallow lakes of polluted sluge and run off. On approach to the landing docks it is said to look like an island in an emerald sea, that is until close enough to see the truth.Raised road run out from its limits and over the knee deep lakes providing access.

The planet due to is back water location acts as a way station and trade port for imperial shipping in the area. In its orbit are two large space stations, one for trade the other an industrial plant.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
Heavily influenced by the teaching of the Raven Guard and their lesser number than standard Chapters, Captains are independent and guide their company as they see fit to carry out the will of the chapter master. The chapter Master will at times join his forces to lead and oversee his orders.

Companies are rotated so that one is always stationed at its Fortress on Cinere. This gives down time for training, repairs and respite from war and provides a deterrent and reaction force for the area.

It is lost from records as to why the chapter never grew beyond 5 companies but this practise has stayed with the chapter. Each Company acts as an independent element and unlike standard codex chapters, has a full assortment of troop types with in. All 5 companies are considered battle companies with veterans and new recruits in all.

Chapter Gene-Seed
Gene seed analysis shows a strong correlation to that of Raven Guard lineage but there is enough differential to bring this into question. Records of the chapters founding held by the Adaptus Mechanics and Administratum are fragmented and missing vital sections so the validity of any official claim is disputed.

Chapter Beliefs
The fallen are honoured by the chapter for their sacrifice and brotherhood. The dead are reclaimed whenever possible from the field of battle and their armour or surviving parts of it salvaged and repaired.

The gene seed is taken, then the bodies cremated in homage to the Deflagration and the ashed bones left in its wake. Some of the ash is then blended with paint and applied to the left arm and pauldron of either the repaired armour or if no left arm or pauldron is present, to a currently serving set. All serving armour has the ashen paint of many of the fallen upon its left arm. This not is not only a symbolic gesture to the battle in which the chapter was founded from but to honour the chapters fallen and carry their spirits into battle.

Notable fallen brothers may have their ashes carried by company veterans in small urns about their person. It is considered an honour to carry such and urn and why the Veterans are called The Ashen Ones.

New recruits once accepted into a company have their faces dusted in the ash of the fallen so that they are born of ash and will likewise will return to ash.

It is a firm tradition and superstition of the chapter that yellow is lucky colour. The humble origins of this is said to be from a hive city smuggler during the fighting after the Deflagration. The name of the smuggler has been lost to time but the story of the yellow painted guns is legend.

A smuggler distributed her illegal weapons cashe to the civilians fighting the orks. It was said that despite the crude nature and state of the illegal weapons, not one ever faltered a shot, jammed or burnt out even in the harsh fighting conditions. Any gun said to be painted with a yellow stock or grip as was the custom of the smuggler to mark out her wares was said to be 'Hell of a yella,' and did its job flawlessly. As such, chapter weapons are still painted yellow.

The Chapter honours and respect the Emperor but as influenced by its founding chapter, does not venerate him with religious fervour. They are level headed, practical and hold true to the character of the founding and continued mentality of the recruits of Cinere.

Chapter Colours
The Ashen wear dark purple armour with an ashen grey left arm and puldron. Most infantry units do not wear the chapter badge but a shaped puldron of ashen skulls.

Weapons, cloaks and sashes are of ‘lucky’ yellow.

Chapter Badge
The Ashen Skull and Raven symbolises the burnt bones of the fallen after the Deflagration and the rescue by the Raven Guard there after. It is a badge of remembrance and respect.