Astral Leviathans

The Astral Leviathans is a loyalist Space Marine Chapter of the mysterious 13th Founding, the so-called 'Dark Founding', from an unknown parent chapter. The Astral Leviathans have seen extensive combat in the outer fringes of the Imperium combating Renegade planetary governors and militias, their majority of their campaigns being waged against humanity itself, this comes into the chapters very close ties with the Ordo Hereticus and the Ecclesiarch. The Chapter's holy rituals and dedication to the Imperial Creed plays a large part in the Chapter's daily life which is reflected in it's battle-brothers, who are some of the most zealous and fanatic of Astartes. To display their devotion, their armour and vehicles are often heavily adorned with purity seals, scriptures, and litanies of battle.

Notable Campaigns
The Leviathans landed with great zeal and hatred for those who would betray the Imperium. They made quick work of the outer most planet scouring it of taint and quarantining the refugees that they allowed to live for interigation by the Ordo Hereticus at a later date. When moving onto the next planet they were met with much greater resistance. This was a penal world, the arbites present having been corrupted along with most of the inmates, and those that did not fall to the dark temptaions were sacrificed to weaken the veil and bring force a host of Slaaneshi daemons. The Astral Leviathans fought hard for every square foot of the planet, the piles of enemys slain becoming monuments to the zeal and lethality of the chapters forces, after four months the Astral Leviathans broke into the last stronghold on th eworld, Merital penal block C-139856EA. Regulus Proctus, the Chapter master, ended the siege when he dueled and slayed a kepper of secrets. The duel cost the Chapter master bother legs and an arm, reaulting in his entombment in a venerable Leviathan chasis siege dreadnought. After the short battle just out of orbit the drop pods and thunderhawk gunships made planet fall in a rapid strike deployment, the doors rolling back to unleash the zealous astartes on the misguided populace, slaughtering them to the last man woman and child. Two weeks into the genocide and Tau fleet appeared in system, quickly the astartes fleet moved to engage and destroy the enemy space craft, half of the tau fleet screened against the imperials as the other half moved to deploy ground forces. The ground war was a short and bloody campaign, the Astral Leviathans moving quickly and scything down the Xenos before they had a chance o deploy heavy armor or set up any forward bases of operations. The rapid and aggressive strikes forcing the tau into a defensive battle with no ground to stand on. Three months was all it took to cleanse the planet of all xenos and xenos supporters.
 * To Hunt a High Lord (ca. 100-600.M36) - The chapter was enraged when they learned of a High Lord of Terra daring to say he received a vision of the God-Emperor, who spoke to him personally. Chapter rhetoric stated that only the most holy of battle-brothers received words or visions from the God-Emperor. Once they had defeated a mighty Ork Waaagh! in the Segmentum Pacificus, the chapter quickly cut its way towards the Jericho Sector to cut down the imposter who ruled in bloody tyranny under false words spoken from heretical lips. The Astral Leviathans also sent three companies to the siege of the Ecclesiarchy fortress, helping to bring an end to the Age of Apostasy.
 * Meritas Cluster Campaign (Mid-M38) - Astral Leviathan detachments where deployed in the Meritas Cluster, under request of the Ordo Hereticus. A cult of slaanesh had taken root in the systems government and corrupted the Planetary Govenors to the dark desires of she who thirsts. The cult had spread much deeper than anticipated and turned a greater majority of the populace along with the Planetary defense forces present in the system.
 * 10th Black Crusade (001.M39) - A massive joint campaign of the Forces of Chaos, comprised of Black Legion forces under Abaddon the Despoiler's command and the Daemon Primarch Perturabo of the Iron Warriors, launches out of the Eye of Terror to strike the Helica Sector. All Astral Leviathan forces respond to aid the beleaguered Imperial sector.
 * Tau Xenocide (050.M39) - The Astral Leviathans' 4th Battle Company clashes with Tau forces after pursing reports of Gue'Vesa on the planet of Haridanse. Upon arrival in the Osryius system the company fleet intercepted a small Gue'Vesa fleet in orbit over Haridanse, the astartes made quick work of the traitorous fleet shattering the ancient imperial war ships and sending the fragments of once mighty vessels to the planets surface below in a catastrophic meteor shower.
 * 11th Black Crusade (301.M39) - When the Black Fleet of Abaddon the Despoiler and a large greenskin fleet of Ork WAAAGH! Murgor assail the Relorrian System, a portion of the chapter responds to the 11th Black Crusade as the rest of their Chapter forces are tied up elsewhere.
 * Angevin Crusade (322-384.M39) - The Astral Leviathan deploys the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th companies to participate in the Angevin Crusade - the massive Imperial Crusade into the region of space in the Segmentum Obscurus known as the Calyx Expanse that brings this dangerous frontier region under Imperial control, and eventually becomes known as the infamous Calixis Sector.
 * Return of the Leviathans (366.M39) - The remaining companies of the Astral Leviathans report to the Angevin Crusade to bolster the deteriorating forces.
 * Time of Rebuilding (Late-M39 through early-M40) - The Astral Leviathans return to their home sector to rebuild and recuperate after the Angevin crusade and smaller yet brutal conflicts after that.
 * Desecration of Mathrica (352.M40) - The Astral Leviathans 1st, 3rd  and 5th companies respond to imperial calls for aid in the Rathmein System. Upon arrival they were quickly engaged by a combined Traitor forces comprised of the World Eaters and Word Bearers Traitor Legions. After six hours of brutal naval conflict and boarding actions taken by the World Eaters, the battle barge Scorched Blade takes position over the Shrine World of Mathrica. This world was under the protection of the elite 1st Company flagship and three badly damaged strike cruisers. Not willing to see a world of the Imperium fall into the hands of the Ruinous Powers, the Imperial vessels enacted Exterminatus and launched a relentless salvo of incendiary torpedoes which ignited the planet's atmosphere and slaughtered millions of heretics at the cost of Three companies and the four penal legions involved.
 * First Sather Campaign (758.M40) - Still reeling from the loss of three companies, the Astral Leviathans are forced into action due to a now classified anomaly on the hive world of Sather (Orutan system). The resulting conflict bled the chapter dry claiming the live of six penal legions and near 400 battle-brothers, leaving the chapter woefully under-strength, with less then 300 brothers-at-arms remaining, no penal legions and only ten suits of terminator armour. The planet was left a gas giant, the core destroyed, and all records sealed by the Inquisition.
 * Second Sather Campaign 836.M40) - A small contingent of Word Bearers appeared at the edge of the system and began a bloody assault on the stations guarding Sather, the fighting had only lasted a mere twenty minutes before another enemy reveled itself. Amid the Imperial and heretical warships trading blows in the open space, small Eldar vessels attempted to cut through the carnage to the world below for unknown reasons. Soon after, a fleet of Angels Revenant appeared above the world and quickly broke the stalemate, cutting a swathe through the Heretic Astartes to relieve their embattled brethren. It is still unconfirmed if the Eldar carried out their mysterious objectives.
 * WAAAGH! Slasher (456-459.M41) - The Chapter is embroiled in a series of pitched battles against a minor Ork WAAAGH! led by Warboss Hide Slasher.
 * 13th Black Crusade (999.M41) - Abaddon's infamous 13th Black Crusade cuts a swathe across the Imperium after destroying the fortress world of Cadia. With the Imperial planet's destruction, the Immaterium final tears through the veil of reality and the Cicatrix Maledictum (the 'Great Rift') is formed, cutting the Imperium of Man in half and silencing many channels of communication. When the Great Rift is formed, it cuts off the Orutan System (the Astral Leviathans' home system) from the rest of the Imperium. Fighting a desperate campaign for survival, the severely beaten, bloody Chapter is near-death as they hold out until the resurrected Primarch Rouboute Guilliman and the Imperial forces of his Indomitus Crusade arrive to save the battered Chapter from destruction and filling its ranks with the mighty Primaris Space Marines.

Karthas
The home world of the Astral Leviathans has a radius of 44,441 Terran miles. The surface covered in 86% water, massive oceans and islands dotting the planet’s surface. This created many diverse cultures in the face of the brutal death worlds and the massive creatures of the deep that plagued the naval based humans. Most of the cultures were built around brutal blood sacrifices, cannibalism, and martial prowess. Karthas was chosen as a vital world in the Imperium due to the populace making wonderful candidates for astartes chapters along with the massive amounts of promethium under the planets crust. The Astral Leviathans take no control on the planet, leaving the populace savage and lethal with pure stock for future recruits.

Fortress-Monastery
Fathoms Keep is a massive complex of ceramite, reinforced glass domes, and void shields placed in the deepest trench of the Argevuian Sea. The oceans held back by the majesty of the mechanicus' designs and labor. Vast schools of fish and large oceanic predators stalk the surrounding sea floor providing great training for the astartes housed within the mighty fortress. Hundreds of torpedo silos dot the gothic architecture while high chapels and arches are dotted with hurricane bolters and las cannons.

The fortress draws power from the massive amounts of geothermal energy within the planets core. Great swathes of the sea bed covered with thick armored cabling drawing heat from the planet and running it to the monasteries generators. The excess energy is stored in a number of electromagnetic pulse cannons and great thermal cannons ringing the base of the stronghold.

A set of massive ceramite coated adamantium doors are the main entrance, controlled from within the deepest sanctum of the monastery and only coded to be activated by the battle brothers of the Astral Leviathans. These great doors rest very near the forts hangar bays allowing any modified thunder hawks or other submersible cargo haulers to resupply and repair before making the journey back to the surface of the chapter’s fleet in orbit. The only other entrance is a large underground highway that leads to the nearest landmass, the continent of Gratia, 400 miles from the nearest city. Where this highway breaks back to the surface is another humongous fortified complex known as the "Break". The Break is mostly a gargantuan gate house protecting the highway, rumored to be able to fend off even the likes of titan legions.

Once through the gates to Fathoms Keep the submerged artificial biome is based on a great field of sand, the center dominated by the inner sanctum, the chapters keep. Around the keep two layers of large circular walls, with many gun batteries and battlements. Outside of the inner sanctums lay the supplementary buildings, hangars, launch pads, guest chambers, and the serf housing.

Upon gaining entrance to the inner keeps gates you find a grand hall of blue tanzanite, the name of every fallen battle brother along with their deeds carved into the stone. The hall is 25,000 feet in length. Statues of every Lord Commodus (chapter master) line the vast hall. Beneath this hall is the chapter crypts in which lie the dead and great treasures of the chapter, some of the treasure being the shattered Tartarus Armour of Regulus Proctus, and other storied relics.

Flanking the entrance hall are two cathedrals lined with many benches and reliefs depicting mosaics of the emperor. A grand pulpit resides at the head of each one where one of the chapters soul smiths will preach to the chapter serfs or any honored visitors.

The grand hall ends at an imposing stone door depicting the duel of chief Sharp maw and the imperial commander that discovered the world and lead to the founding of the chapter. This door rises into the ceiling revealing an opulent throne room, the throne of the Lord Commodus situated at the far end. This is where any dignitaries or guest would meet with the Lord Commodus. This room is also used as the chapters Assimularum.

Just before the entrance to the throne room you have a choice of turning left or right, up or down. To the left lies the great forges and armories of the chapter’s fortress monasteries, the fires always blazing away under the tutelage of the chapter’s war smiths crafting ammunition and repairing armor and the chapter’s vehicles. The right leads to the great dormitories and chapels of the Astral Leviathans companies. Great rooms filled with Spartan styled reef beds and sunken reliefs for foot lockers. Heading down will take you to the great libraries and crypts of the chapter. Grandiose rooms are stored with thousands of tomes and scrolls of knowledge. At the far end lies the teleportarium, stair cases leading up to the armories and chapels above. Taking the stirs up above the throne room is the apothecarium and operation rooms.

Recruitment
Only boys with born sons are accepted as recruit aspirants. Like all Astarte's chapters recruitment is a merciless series of trials beginning with a race across the mighty Argevuian Sea. The survivors are then split into groups according to how they placed (from first to last) in the race. They are then thrown into gladiatorial pits which are designed to be completely flooded in ten minutes forcing the aspirants to kill quickly or drown. The survivors from the pit fights are then taken and drugged with massive quantities of potent hallucinogenics and dropped in live-fire training fields of battle-brothers to test the strength of their mind. The few who make it past this point are not fortunate, for then they are tortured for five days to see how well they can withhold a information. The great few who have made it past the torture will be faced with one final trial - they must combat a full-fledged battle-brother and on merit of their defeat, if they live, are finally welcomed into the ranks of the scouts.

Chapter Organisation
The Astral Leviathans chapter is mostly organized according to the dictates of the Codex Astartes. The main difference is the Chapter's use of larger amounts of devastator squads and armored vehicles, as well as a smaller amount (but more elite) assault squads and the special formation of elite pilots known as the 'Winged Hussars'.

Combat Doctrine
The chapter is exceptional at naval combat both in the void and in the aquatic variety. The marines themselves more comfortable in or around the water due to their home world. The chapter has a variety of specialized wargear for use in underwater assaults - from specialized rounds to highly-modified bolters and plasma weaponry designed to operate at peak efficiency under any aquatic stresses, along with altered vox grills, to emit a much faster set of sound waves that can only be understood when filtered through salt water, which is fitted in special filter compartments in the Astartes' helmets. The chapter prefers the use of power tridents and shorter, but more brutal, variants of the standard power sword. When on land, the chapter has a love for heavy armour and brutal predator-based assaults. At full strength the chapter can house and maintain 38 predator tanks along with a large contingent of land raiders, stalkers, hunters, and 25 vindicators. When close combat is brought into play the chapter is lacking, as they much prefer to reduce the enemy to a bloody pulp with heavy bolters or assault cannons, leaving the chapter with only ten Vanguard Veteran assault squads. These marines are specially selected by the Chapter Master after three days of prayer and meditation undisturbed in the Chapter Cathedral. After the initiates are selected they are taken from the Chapter's Fortress-Monastery to "Fang Tooth Isle". This island is of significance to the planet's populace, many making pilgrimage to the isle, due to a cult of monks that reside in the jungles of the island behind a cascading waterfall. The monks belong to an ancient order known as the "Glatius Prefectus".

The Glatius Prefectus has studied the art of gladiatorial combat since before the founding of the chapter, teaching the ways of the blade to any who desire such knowledge.

special formations
The company has many special formations that are implemented into a variety of combat situations:


 * Encroaching Tide - The Encroaching Tide formation consists of devastator squads, tactical squads and Predator Destructors. They form a chain starting with a predator, then one tactical squad, then another predator, then a devastator squad and repeat. The formation rolls forward with a deluge of bolter fire cutting down anything that lays before them. This formation excels in breaking enemy morale and crushing fortified trench lines.

Chapter Beliefs
The chapter reveres the Emperor as a god, for in their view He is a being that is the pinnacle of perfection and the Astartes are His most holy warriors, believing that they were created solely to slaughter all those opposed to His holy verdict. They know themselves to be above the average man, the top echelon of humanity. Their beliefs are so strict that any who defy the Imperial Cult are cut down and butchered - usually entire family trees are brutalized - the same for any mortal who says they speak for the Emperor for only a battle-brother is worthy of the Emperor’s visions and words. This has led to a complex relationship with the Ecclesiarchy and the Ordo Hereticus, as both believe in their divine purpose. Many cannibalistic and macabre rituals are performed in His holy name prior to, during and after battle. Victories are usually followed by a massive feast of the defeated foe, tracing its roots back to the tribal beginnings of the chapter. A major quantity of the chapter's wars and campaigns are foretold in the visions of their chapter master as he meditates in his chamber, which has led the Astral Leviathans to believe they are the most loved of the Emperor's warriors. This had led to many conflicts over campaign authority as the chapter refuses to bow to any mortal man or Astartes, aside from their own kind. These strong beliefs also extends to the chapter's proud display of its heraldry at all occasions, even in combat, as they carry their bright purple banners, waving them high for all to see, thus destroying any chance of surprise or stealth.

Chapter Gene-Seed
The Astral Leviathans suffer from a number of genetic idiosyncrasies within their gene-seed. This causes the Marines of the Astral Leviathans to grow two extra rows of serrated fangs. They also possess an over-active Betcher's Gland, which causes the widening the jaw and stretching of the lips to accommodate their monstrous teeth. A long, thick and forked tongue is also a common physical trait of these Marines, which forces then to wear specialized helmets to resist the very potent acidic saliva.

Notable Astral Leviathans

 * Regulus Proctus - Lord Comodus Regulus Proctus, he held the position for three hundred years before being mortally wounded while slaying a keeper of secrets in the Meritas Cluster Campaign resulting in his entombment in a Leviathan dreadnought chasis.
 * Maximus Carthinius - Maximus Carthinius, the current Lord Soul Smith of the Astral Leviathans. He was appointed in 897.M41 for his zeal and his profound affect in psykers. Lord Maximus grew a profound hatred for psykers as a tactical marine in the sixth company. From that point he trained in with the chapters lore masters to better his understanding of psychic attacks and how to better defend against and survive them.

Chapter Colors
The Astral Leviathans adorn themselves primarily in silver coloured battle-plate with the boots, greaves, and pauldrons painted a deep purple. Squad specialty symbols are a white, with a black Gothic numeral (which designates squadron) placed over the center of it. Company designation is identified by the Codex-compliant company colorus which adorn the shoulder pauldron trim and poleyns (knee guards).

Chapter Badge
The Astral Leviathans' Chapter badge is a stylised icon representing the deadly leviathan, an ancient symbol from Karthasian mythology that represents a primeval sea monster who would one day devour the stars when the end of days finally befalls mankind. The Chapter's depiction of this cthonic creature takes the form of a deadly predator that stalks the stars, devouring the foes of Mankind. An apt symbol for this brutal Chapter.

Chapter Relations
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Allies
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Enemies
Novus Krakens

Notable Quotes
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By the Astral Leviathans
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