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- "Actions speak louder than words but faith echoes through the eons."
- —Chapter Master Holger Hominsin
The Gilded Hammers are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter that are semi-Codex compliant. Born of an unknown Founding and of uncertain lineage, the chapter does not seek to find their gene-father as they have adopted a unique system of worship around all nine loyal Primarchs as a kind of pantheon under the God-Emperor of Mankind. All of their most ancient Heresy-era equipment seems to have had all paint and ornamentation removed at some point prior to the first reports of the Gilded Hammers existence as a Chapter.
The chapter has a distrust of the Adeptus Mechanicus particularly Mars, as well as outright hostility for Stygies VIII, and they field no Tech-Marines among their number. Instead all aspirants are taught the workings, maintenance, and creation of their equipment. Their Librarius is more than double the size of most other chapters and split into two different segments one of which acts similar to a normal Librarius, known as the Brothers of the Tome, while the other takes over the maintenance of the Gilded Hammers armory, known as the Brothers of the Manuel.
The Gilded Hammers maintain a close relationship with the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition. This relationship extends into the chapter's Deathwatch service as the Gilded Hammers provide a much larger amount of Astartes to the Deathwatch than most other chapters. When the surgical strike of the Deathwatch isn't enough then the wrath of the Gilded Hammers is called down to crush the xenos underfoot, a task that they take no small amount of satisfaction in doing.
Chapter History
First Recording 799.M33
The first recording currently in existence of the Gilded Hammers comes during the War of the False Primarch (780.M33 - 860.M33). First appearing in 799.M33 when they descended in Chapter force upon a Renegade Chapter, who's name has been stricken from the records, in support of Imperial forces being besieged. The variety of tactics and multiple fronts of attack caused the Renegades to panic believing that multiple Chapters were assaulting them and forcing their hasty withdraw.
The first official meeting of Imperial personnel with the Gilded Hammers happened between Lord General Hieron Bosh of the Haillin Sea Guard and the first Chapter Master Holger Hominsin. The meeting would cement the loyalist intentions of the Gilded Hammers and the Lord General's support and trust would help avoid several near incidents where the Gilded Hammers were believed to be part of the traitorous forces.
Following the War of the False Primarch the Gilded Hammers would switch from a Fleet-Based chapter to having a consistent recruitment world and permanent settlement. Their Fortress-Monastery and twin Recruitment-Worlds were awarded to them by the High Lords of Terra for their service in the war. The Gilded Hammers home system of Vildverden would end up being relatively near to Haillin, home of the Haillin Sea Guard, and the two forces would often be deployed alongside one another in the coming millennia.
The Watch Begins 912.M33
After the conclusion of the War of the False Primarch, the Gilded Hammers would need more than 50 Terran Standard Years to finish the various legal proceedings needed to legitimize the Gilded Hammers as a Chapter. Following this their reward would finally be conveyed and the abandoned space port, now known as The Merchants Harbor, would be brought into working order and fortified. It was just after the completion of The Merchants Harbor that the Gilded Hammers would first be asked to send Battle-Brothers to join the Death Watch. The concept of the Deathwatch thrilled the Chapter and would see 5 veterans, 2 librarians, and the Chapter Master of the time, Holger Hominsin, all join the Deathwatch. This massive contribution to the Death Watch would be well received and the beginning of the strong bond between the Ordo Xenos and the Gilded Hammers. The bond would be cemented when Holger Hominsin was elevated to the rank of Watch Master within the Deathwatch.
The Pact of the Lighthouse 092.M34
Following a system wide war of extermination against a psychically active xenos species, the First, Fourth, and Fifth Companies lead by Chapter Master, Svin Kamar, along with elements of the Haillin Sea Guard would become completely stranded within the system. The xenos's final act of defiance would come in the form of a mass psychic flashbang that would result in the deaths of all of the fleets Astropaths and Navigators as well as all Gilded Hammers Librarians in the fleet becoming incapacitated and some 140 battle brothers who were near the epicenter of the psychic explosion. The supply lines were no longer due to arrive as the last supply convoy had been given instructions that the war was over and that the fleet would be moving on soon. Worst case the fleet would be stranded forever while less pessimistic speculation put rescue at 45 years away and with several ships of the fleet badly damaged and quite a number of wounded either prediction would spell massive losses for the fleet. There was, however, a small hope.
Early into the war a Cruiser had been boarded and their Navigator, Margaret Rubjerg, heavily wounded and placed into stasis and this stasis had kept her from experiencing the fate of the others. After 2 days of effort from the Apothecaries Margaret Rubjerg was brought to a semi-stable condition, she could guide a single ship a relatively short distance and likely perish on reentry. After much discussion a plan put forth by Margaret herself was agreed upon. She would take the First Company's Battle Barge "Betrayed Father" to the world of Knude where her house, House Rubjerg, had set up their headquarters.
Seven days later the "Betrayed Father" would be pushed out of the warp by Margaret's final efforts just outside of the system in which Knude resides. The Battle Barge would be met by a mass of panicked vox pleas for help coming from Knude and House Rubjerg. A small naval group along with the Imperial Guard regiments they had been transporting had fallen to Chaos and where planning to sacrifice the Navigators of House Rubjerg to their dark gods or worse twist them to their own purposes.
The void battles above Knude were vicious as the "Betrayed Father" slowly crept along the edges of the system slaughtering the small ships left on watch and would draw the Battleship leading the Traitor Navy into its clutches. The First Company's Terminators lead by Chapter Master Kamar would teleport into the Battleship's command deck and slaughtering everyone within. Kamar would personally crush the traitor Admiral's skull under his boot thus tearing out the throat of the traitor navy and causing the remaining ships to scatter.
The Gilded Hammer's descent upon Knude was a swift execution of traitor leadership and relief of the Planetary Defense Force and House Runjerg's private army. Once the enemy was scattered and the danger passed for the moment House Rubjerg would receive the surprise of their lives. An Astartes honor guard would carry the body of Maragaret Rubjerg with all of the care and reverence usually reserved for Astartes. Kamar would kneel before the assembled Navigator house and deliver a speech that would be kept by both parties as an honor and a contract.
- "Do not thank us Navigators we did nothing. It was your kin that gave her life to bring us here, it was your kin that was our salvation, it was your kin who saved all of us. We, the Gilded Hammers, and I, Chapter Master Svin Kamar, swear to always watch over you. Even if the Astronomicon grows dark and your third eye blind we will be there to protect you. "
- —Chapter Master Svin Kamar
From that day onward all of the ships of the Gilded Hammers would have House Rubjerg Navigators who would always be given both a seat on any council whether of war or policy and an honor guard of 5 Gilded Hammers would always be stationed to guard and serve the leaders of House Rubjerg. Additionally the heraldry of House Rubjerg would bear the symbol of the Gilded Hammers in its design and a banner of House Rubjerg is placed alongside the company banners hanging in The Merchant's Harbor Grand Hall.
The Slaughter of Exnayon 977-980.M41
The Slaughter of Exnayon was a catastrophic pair of wars that would see six companies of the Gilded Hammers reduced to less than quarter strength and the death of Chapter Master Ingo Gortison. The first of the wars would be the destruction of a small Necron Tomb found on the world of Exnayon, an Imperial agri-world. This conflict while bloody would be successful and the tomb destroyed. However this tomb was not only being targeted by the Imperium and had the attention of an entire Craftworld , Craftworld Umeltayon. The fleet of the Gilded Hammers would cause massive damage to the Craftworld but would be forced to break off and leave the Gilded Hammers on the ground to hold out until the rest of the Chapter can arrive. The Gilded Hammers would be forced to fight a bloody defensive war inside of the Necron Tomb they had just destroyed. Librarian Od Trisin would take command following the death of Chief Librarian Kaymon Frekton and Chapter Master Ingo Gortison and would rally the Gilded Hammers for the Aeldari onslaught. The Aeldari would be made to bleed dearly for whatever their prize was. They would be forced to withdraw when the rest of the Gilded Hammers arrived under the command of Sergeant Jan Emprason, and nearly tore their Craftworld from the void, which would have been the second Craftworld destroyed by the Gilded Hammers had it not fled. Od Trisin would ascend to the post of Chief Librarian while Jan Emprason would take up the mantel of Chapter Master.
The War of Lights 999.M41
The War of the Lights would take place on the world of Knude and would be the first major battle Jan Emprason would lead as Chapter Master of the Gilded Hammers. House Rubjerg would be besieged on their world of Knude by the forces of the Word Bearers and the Gilded Hammers would answer their call in full Chapter strength. Jan Emprason would prove himself more than capable as Chapter Master and show himself to be peerless at the helm of Betrayed Father. In the final days of M41 the decisive battle of the War of Lights would be fought at the gates of House Rubjerg's citadel. Jan Emprason would fight the Word Bearer Daemon Prince Kashfincy as the Noctis Aeterna would begin. Jan Emprason would smash in Kashfincy's skull with the Gilded Hammer and the last few void battles would end as the light of the Astronomican would grow dark. There on Knude as M41 came to an end, Jan Emprason would be given the title "Angel of Oath" for his fulfillment of the Pact of the Lighthouse.
The Light Bearer Crusade 000.M42-096.M42
A God Walks
When the light of the Astronomican returned all of the carefully laid plans of action would be thrown out as the news the Gilded Hammer received would give them a chance they never thought would come. A God walks among us, a son of the Emperor reborn - a Primarch rises - Roboute Guilliman lives and he calls for war. The Gilded Hammers would set off for Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade on the same day the news arrived.
The Gilded Hammers would encounter the fleet led by Guilliman himself near the beginning of the crusade. Their hails to the fleet would be met by an honor that would go down in the history of the Gilded Hammers as one of their finest hours, Guilliman himself would address them. Every single member of the Gilded Hammers would gather on the embarkation deck of the Betrayed Father, 672 Astartes some severely wounded and requiring life support systems, 71 Dreadnoughts, and even Holger Hominsin, all brought to hear his words. Guilliman himself would arrive to welcome this massive boost of manpower for the burgeoning crusade and to give the Gilded Hammers the knowledge of the Primaris. His words were standard and similar to those spoken to hundreds of other Chapters but to the Gilded Hammers it was the most beautiful thing they had ever heard and those words would be carved upon the floor of the deck that Guilliman stood upon. He would give them one order, to go to their Homeworld and begin taking back all those worlds silenced in the Night of a Thousand Rebellions. With Guilliman returned to his ship, the new supply of Primaris weapons and armor taken aboard, the information on manufacturing the new Gene-Seed, and orders from a God, the Gilded Hammers would begin what would be called the Light Bearer Crusade.
The War of Lights was undertaken just after the last part of Gilded Hammers recruitment had begun and upon the Gilded Hammers return home all of those who succeeded would be the first to receive Primaris Gene-Seed. These Primaris Scouts would be brought to full Primaris Marines and form the first squads of Primaris in the Gilded Hammers. The first 10 years of the Light Bearer Crusade would be consolidating forces and reestablishing contact with allies in the Inquisition and Haillin Sea Guard and rallying a sizable force to begin the crusade in earnest.
Bearers of the Light
Having gathered the forces of the Haillin Sea Guard, several Inquisitors and their retinues, the Knights of House Dagian, a squad of Custodes, Battlefleet Lakmar, and even the Skitarii and Titans of Forge World Masmori, the Gilded Hammers would strike out into Segmentum Pacificus and bring the Emperor's light to those who would reject it. This would mark the first time that the Gilded Hammers had willingly fought alongside the Mechanicus or Custodes and the first fielding of the new Primaris Marines.
This group would set off into the rebellious depths of Segmentum Pacificus and bring nearly 200 worlds back into the Imperium as well as gather additional forces from those worlds they freed. As the crusade grew larger it would begin to split into several sub-crusades that would bring more worlds back to the Imperium. The Light Bearer Crusade would see nearly every kind of threat to the Imperium fought and killed. The performance of the Primaris would be praised by all for their strength and the constant heat of war would see them meld into the Gilded Hammers seamlessly.
The Light Bearer Crusade would culminate with the Battle for Fortress World Hayshin. Hayshin had been a formidable fortress before it had rebelled and was made nigh impenetrable by their new masters, the Iron Warriors and Dark Mechanicum. The Battle for Fortress World Hayshin would take 5 years of void war, siege, and slaughter before finally ending in the breaking of the Faishin Fotress. Before the gates of the fortress, two Warlord Titans would duel to the death, Arioch power claw against Arioch power claw. The fight of the God Machines would end with the Titan of Masmori, Blinding Claw, cutting its foe to scrap before using the last of its power to tear down the gates and roar defiance into the area beyond and power down standing before the now broken gate. Around its legs and the broken form of its foe, the forces of the crusade would storm into the final citadel. Within the day this last bastion of chaotic influence would be broken, Mas Culson would claim the head of the Chaos Lord leading the traitors, and in its ruins the leaders of the crusade would meet. With over a hundred worlds brought back into the Imperium and new forces joining and branching off constantly, the crusade would be called to a close.
Chapter Organisation
The Nine Sons and the Father
As a semi-Codex compliant Chapter, the Gilded Hammers only nominally adhere to the dictates of the Codex Astartes, preferring to utilize their own unique table of organisation. Like most Codex-oriented Chapters, the Gilded Hammers also maintain the maximum allotted number of ten companies that comprise the Chapter, with one-hundred battle-brothers in each company. However, the ten companies of the Chapter are modeled after the nine Loyalist Primarchs and the Emperor, whom the Gilded Hammers revere as a pantheon of gods who watch over the Imperium. The companies do not correspond to that of a normal chapter in terms of arms as each company has squads of each type and a significant amount of vehicles and dreadnoughts. Terminators are likewise located in each company however the few suits of Cataphractii armor left are reserved for the First Company. Dreadnoughts are sometimes assigned to specific squads rather than companies and are awakened more often than in most other chapters.
The First Company is the Emperor's Company always deployed in the Battle Barge Betrayed Father. Their trim is gold and their right knee shows the heraldry of the Adeptus Custodes. The Second Company venerates the angelic Primarch Sanguinius and the Blood Angels. The Bleeding Angel Leviathan Dreadnought is permanently attached to the Second Company. This Company is always deployed in the Battle Barge Bloodied Wing, and this company includes the Arcane Specialists in the Librarium under the Lord of the Tome. Their trim is red and their right knee bears the symbol of the Blood Angels.
The Third Company venerates Primarch Jaghatai Khan, the Khan of the White Scars. Their trim is white and their right knee bears the symbol of the White Scars. The Fourth Company venerates Primarch Leman Russ and the Space Wolves. Their trim is blue grey and their right knee bears the symbol of the Space Wolves.
The Fifth Company venerates Primarch Corvus Corax and the Raven Guard. Their trim is pure black and their right knee bears the symbol of the Raven Guard. The Sixth Company venerates the stoic Primarch Rogal Dorn and the Imperial Fists. Their trim is yellow and their right knee bears the Imperial Fists symbol.
The Seventh Company venerates the Primarch Lion El'Jonson and the Dark Angels. This Company includes the Chaplaincy under the Lord of the Secrets. Their trim is dark green and their right knee bears the symbol of the Dark Angels. The Eighth Company venerates the unforgiving Primarch Ferrus Manus and the Iron Hands. This Company is always deployed in the Battle Barge Chrysaor, it also includes the Apothecarion of the Chapter which is led by the Lord of Gilding. Their trim is alternating black and white and their right knee bears the symbol of the Iron Hands.
The Ninth Company venerates the Primarch Vulkan and the Salamanders. This company includes the tech specialists of the Librarium under the Lord of the Manuel. Their trim is light green and their right knee bears the symbol of the Salamanders. The Tenth Company venerates Primarch Roboute Guilliman and the Ultramarines. Their trim is blue and their right knee bears the symbol of the Ultramarines.
Unique Squads
The Gilded Hammers are known for having a number of unique squads within their ranks scattered through the various companies. These squads can come and go and will form and reform depending if there are those of the proper disposition to create such a squad.
- The Faces - The Faces are a formation usually, but not always, made up of Vanguard Veterans of the First Company. The Faces create masks to cover their helmets in the likeness of their own face frozen in an expression of rage. They are the first into the breach, the first aboard an enemy ship, and their job is to open the way and then head straight for the enemies commanders. In addition to their iconic masks they all wield Storm Shields and a power weapon of the their choice. Often they will move in support of a champion to take down the enemy leaders or to take a specific objective ahead of the main thrust.
- The Sleepless - The Sleepless is less a proper squad formation and more of a designation for a common occurrence as it is the name for when more than three Dreadnoughts act in a loose squad formation as opposed to attaching themselves to a normal squad or acting in leadership or individual roles. The Sleepless usually do not form except in times of need or when special vengeance needs to be enacted. The vengeance of the Sleepless is a sight to behold with the whispered litanies of the Gilded Hammers being blasted over the vox.
Chapter Combat Doctrine
Grand Ships of the Void
Ships appear from the void, ripping into existence so close much closer than any other would dare, they bear no paint save that of their symbol and of the Aquila. Stalking through the void they rip bloody tears into their enemy, boarding ship after ship and crushing their enemies under ceramite boots. The Gilded Hammers are masters of void wars and boarding actions for no matter what world one of the Gilded Hammers is born, wars on the sea are a fact of life and ascension to the Astartes has forged it into an art form. The Astartes that command the chapter's ships are masters of determining when and where a void shield will fail and exactly how to get Astartes aboard the enemy ship and let them reap their bloody toll. The greatest strength of the chapter in the void is their cooperation, when the chapter assembles in full force it is a brutal display of prowess and rage for the full fury of the Gilded Hammers has seen a Craftworld torn from the void.
Deathwatch Service
Extensive is the best way to describe the Deathwatch service of the Gilded Hammers. Their close relationship with the Ordo Xenos and the trust this has fostered means that they are always in demand by Inquisitors and their experience in killing most every kind of Xenos is valued highly by the Watch. Most major Watch Fortresses have at least one Gilded Hammer somewhere in its number while some have up to a half dozen Gilded Hammers. The number of Gilded Hammers in the Deathwatch is an Inquisitorial secret but the Gilded Hammers know and the number who stood watch as M42 began was nearly a full companies worth of veterans. The sheer number serving in the Deathwatch does not mean that those sent are of lower quality as the Gilded Hammers can claim to have one of the highest number of Watch Masters come from their ranks with 2 currently serving in that role. Their service is exemplary in quality and those who are struck down but do not die are given high priority for being made into a Deathwatch Dreadnought and those who complete their service either in honorable dismissal or in a glorious last stand can expect to have some part of their equipment that they have modified sent back with them. This has led to many Deathwatch issue equipment ending up in the Gilded Hammers armory including a single Corvus Blackstar and four Guardian Spears to mark the passing of particularly skilled Watch Masters.
Chapter Gene-Seed
Gene-Seed Flaws
The Gene-Seed of the Gilded Hammers has a rather strange pair of flaws. Known collectively as the Sound, the flaws manifest on a drastic disruption to the vocal ability and hearing ability of the Space Marine. The Space Marine's hearing is drastically increased in sensitivity making them capable of picking up sounds from across a room that even another Space Marine wouldn't hear right next to their head but also making the already deafening sound of an Astartes battle into an unbearable cacophony. The vocal change manifests as an inability to make noises above a loud whisper. Both of the flaws grow over time on a neophyte instead of being immediate. The Sound means that Gilded Hammers, even scouts, wear their helmets at all times when in the field and have developed a special pattern of helmet because of it. There are some smaller features to the Gene-Seed. One such feature is a better rate of compatibility with dreadnoughts and the ability to be awakened as a dreadnought for far longer periods of time. Another is increased endurance which when combined with their silence makes a Gilded Hammer seem unbreakable all the way until death. Lastly there is a prevalence of low level psykers that will often form the ranks of the technical half of the Gilded Hammers Librarium.
Gene-Seed Origins
Due to their long relationship with the ever vigilant Inquisition, the Gilded Hammers Gene-Seed has been analyzed several times in secret by Inquisitors but the results were strange. The Gene-Seed is very stable but appears to have been heavily tinkered with making it impossible to tell who their Gene-Father is. This was done before they first appeared and likely for the same reason their equipment lacked insignia. The Gene-Seed shows signs of most known legions but not completely like any of them with signs of hybridization, tinkering, and stable mutation making it impossible to narrow down. The only things that are clear are that the Sound was put into the Gene-Seed on purpose and that the Gene-Seed is extremely stable despite its oddities.
Primaris Gene-Seed
The Sound remains in the Primaris of the Gilded Hammers due to a combination of having been given no Unnumbered Sons and long hours of toil by the Chapter's Apothecaries to keep what they referred to as "The lesson carved into our very being" when questioned on the matter.
Chapter Beliefs
The Nine and the One
When the Gilded Hammers first appeared, they brought with them a unique version of the Imperial Cult . The Emperor is a god and his sons, made of his artifice and power, are a pantheon under his rule. Where ever the Gilded Hammers go they whisper the words of their creed of "The Nine and the One" and their sheer conviction and the authority that comes with being one of the Emperor's Angels of Death mean that no small number of worlds that they have fought on have taken up their version of the Imperial Cult. The Gilded Hammers teach the events of the Horus Heresy to their neophytes both as a history and a myth with the two versions being taught alongside each other. This dual depiction blends together around the figures of Ferrus Manus and Sanguinius and has lead to them being put in higher reverence in the eyes of the Gilded Hammers. The chapels of the Gilded Hammers are built to amplify the smallest noise to a volume that is overwhelming for even the unaugmented so that even their whispered litanies ring with power.
The Quiet Hatred
The Gilded Hammers are known for the depths of their quiet hatred for the inhuman flesh of xenos. The Gilded Hammers do not hate the machines and technology of the xenos as much as they despise the continued life of xenos and their malign sentience. They do not believe that a xeno made machine is inherently disgusting but rather that it is being used by a xenos and used to extend their lives that enrages the Gilded Hammers. This tendency has led to more than one piece of xeno tech being used by a Gilded Hammer to slay the xenos who made it. This is made less dangerous by the endorsement of the Ordo Xenos who are willing to overlook these infractions so long as the tech is turned over and in some cases a piece of equipment will be given the seal of approval to be kept or studied though this is very rare.
Tradition Unbreakable
Unlike many chapters who's homeworld will influence them, in the Gilded Hammers case it was they who would influenced their homes. Upon being granted their twin worlds of Vildverden II and Vildverden III, they would descend to the surface not to conquer or to drag away possible initiates but to spread their faith first and foremost and set the groundwork for the recruitments to come. On Vildverden II they would come to be called "Distant Storms" for their quiet rumbling tones and the grey of their robes and would be readily accepted as the angels of the Nine and the One and the idea of gaining such divine and impossible strength was an enticing idea which would pave the way for the smooth recruitment to come. On Vildverden III, the Gilded Hammers would receive a significantly less open welcome. The pre-established religion of the feudal world did not take kindly to the new religion the Gilded Hammers brought with them. Called as "Signless Monks" which was a local phrase for a scammer, the Gilded Hammers would slowly begin to supplant the existing religion. In religious debates the Gilded Hammers would break every argument and though they spoke at but a whisper, their words would echo loud in the minds of those that heard them. When at last the religion of Vildverden III would use violence to attempt to stop this growing faith, their warriors would be slaughtered without effort and word would spread of these "Iron Monks". Within 5 years, the Imperial Cult of the Gilded Hammers would come to be the only religion on Vildverden III.
Fortress-Monastery
The Merchant's Harbor
The Merchant's Harbor is the Fortress-Monastery of the Gilded Hammers, located on the moon of Vildverden III. The Merchant's Harbor was originally a spaceport and observation post during the Dark Age of Technology which was only briefly explored just prior to the Horus Heresy and left untouched as a low priority until it was gifted to the Gilded Hammers as their Fortress-Monastery following the events of the War of the False Primarch. The Merchant's Harbor would be refurbished and found to be far better than any had thought it to be with numerous facilities exceeding that of all but the most powerful in the Imperium. It would take ten years for the entirety of the area to be cataloged and put into use.
The Merchant's Harbor is not only a Fortress-Monastery but also an active trading post for Rogue Traders and on occasion is used by the Inquisition to establish false identities as Rogue Traders or to make contact with trustworthy ones. This makes the Merchant's Harbor one of the few places that Rogue Traders can safely sell off any xenotech or xeno related information without worrying about Inquisitorial or Mechanicus retribution. In addition, there is quite a large number of navigators from House Rubjerg living at the Merchant's Harbor which comes with quite a number of benefit for them, which includes being in one of the safest places possible, being able to easily manage their business through the Rogue Traders, and maintaining the goodwill of the Gilded Hammers.
The Merchant's Harbor, while more open than most any other Fortress-Monastery, is no less well armed for it. The areas actually used by the Gilded Hammers are located in the heavily reinforced underground sections as well as the main spire. The weapons batteries and void shields are all of the greatest workmanship and numerous defense satellites and picket ships fill the nearby void. Ground assaults are useless as there is no way into the Merchant's Harbor except from the air as the whole fortress is surrounded by a massive reinforced wall more than 20 feet thick and going nearly a mile into the crust which bristles with numerous weapons batteries. After the wall there is a mile wide climate controlled area this is used for trading very large or dangerous goods or as a killing field in times of war. Then the facility itself has a standing force of some eight thousand Haillin Sea Guard troops made up of units who were officially killed in action while fighting alongside the Gilded Hammers as well as the Gilded Hammers themselves and their serfs.
Chapter Armory
Overview
Their Armory is vast and spans from the beginning of the Legiones Astartes to the present of the Adeptus Astartes. All weapons, armor, and vehicles of the Gilded Hammers are masterfully made and perfectly maintained. From new suits of Phobos and Gravis armor that have never known any paint save for chapter and company marks to ancient suits of Cataphractii Terminator armor that has had whatever insignia it once had scoured and its paint stripped down to the metal. By any measure the breadth and quality of the armory is astounding but it is the sheer number of rare items that have been heavily modified for some long dead hero of the chapter. Each new generation of Astartes does not subtract from the armory but create new items of great power and masterful work that will, when they fall, join those of the armory till it is needed again.
The Mute and Watcher Pattern Helmet
The "Mute" pattern helmet is a costly but durable and effective pattern of helmet that looks like a shorter, broader Mark VI helmet. The helmet is significantly up armored compared to a normal Astartes helmet allowing it to be used by Terminators. The helmet includes numerous redundant vox and audio systems to allow the enhanced hearing of the Sound only be an upside and the reduced voice volume to be a non-issue.
The "Watcher" pattern helmet is the standard helmet pattern for both normal and Primaris marines incorporating elements from the Mute, Phobos, and Gravis patterns. The new systems have lead to the helmet looking like a featureless mask with only the eye lenses breaking the flat plain of the face plate. While it is a strict upgrade over the Mute pattern, there are some special units of Mute that remain in use, especially those that were incorporated into Terminator Armor or ancient suits of significance.
Brothers in Death
The Gilded Hammers count nearly 100 Dreadnoughts in their armory most of which are in use and see consistent service. This number is nearly unheard of among even those chapters with more than the usual number of Astartes. Dreadnoughts of every pattern find themselves in the Gilded Hammers numbers. Due to a quirk of the Gene-Seed, Gilded Hammers find staying awake for long periods of time as a Dreadnought an easy feat with Dreadnoughts walking the halls of the Merchant's Harbor not being an uncommon sight. The Gilded Hammers also have a number of rare Dreadnoughts most notably 3 Leviathans, 3 Librarian Dreadnoughts given as a gift from the Blood Angels as a symbol of honorary brotherhood, and 7 Deredeos.
Chaplains interred in a Dreadnought will retain their title of Chaplain and those who serve in this form for many years can join the ranks of Venerable Chaplains, who's authority in the Chapter is second only to the Chapter Master or a Venerable Captain. Captains interred into a Dreadnought will no longer be the captain of any specific company but still maintain the title and authority and those few counted as Venerable Captains are peerless leaders and will often act as a high command for several companies and their Captains. With the return of Guilliman and the advent of Primaris Marines, Redemptor Dreadnoughts have found their place in the Gilded Hammers as heavy support units and line breakers. The strain of a Redemptor is felt by Gilded Hammers but only so far as bringing their use time to that of what other chapters would get at best from a normal Castraferrum Dreadnought making their use far less of a trade off.
Chapter Recruitment
Trials of the Twin Worlds
The Gilded Hammers recruit from the tribes of Vildverden II and the kingdoms of Vildverden III. The two worlds hold celebrations every nine years, starting on what is called the Day of Fate's Ride, where children of the proper age are brought from all corners of the world to compete in the most grueling tasks the world can provide to find those who are worthy under the scrutiny of the Captain of the Tenth Company, Lord of Gilding, and Lord of Secrets. The tasks of Vildverden II are feats such as traversing the Stormsheets, a massive storm wracked tundra of ice and predators, hunting and killing a Carm Eel, a land eel of nearly ten feet in length and with vicious teeth and a slimy hide that turns aside any but the most precise cut or devastating blow, and honor duels in the style of tribe champions, till death or concession. The tasks of Vildverden III are feats such as a mock seige that pits two large groups of challengers against each other, working with a group of fellow fellow challengers to repair and navigate a large ship through the hurricane winds of their world, and traversing the Maze of Kist, a masterfully crafted puzzle ruin that requires several people working together to complete. Those who complete the trials of their world will be screened for fitness for geneseed implantation and those who are found fit are given the choice to either return in victory or continue into the stars. Those who choose to continue are taken off world and down to the other world. There the true trial would begin, as those of Vildverden II were put to the trials of Vildverden III in secret and vice versa. The groups of Feudal Worlders of Vildverden III are broken apart and set to the lonely, savage trials of Vildverden II while the tribals of Vildverden II are brought into groups of disparate origins and forced to work through the cooperative and completely unfamiliar trials of Vildverden III. The results are the strongest and most resourceful of both groups being brought together for one final trial. This final trial is expected to take a full year and brings the full group to the Merchant's Harbor and tasks them with learning Gothic and making it out of the Monastery in any way that they could. All those who visit the Merchant's Harbor during this time are taken under oath to return if one of these challengers is found aboard then they must return. This second return means the beginning of the path to becoming a full Astarte of the Gilded Hammers.
Honor for the Dead
A small number of recruits to the Gilded Hammers come from the Death World of Haillin who's Astra Militarum Regiment, the Haillin Sea Guard, has a long and close history with the Gilded Hammers. These recruits are drawn from the children of those members of the Sea Guard who impressed even the Gilded Hammers with their performance on the battlefield which almost invariably means by dying a hero's death. These few sons of heroes are given the choice of either a place in the Schola Progenium or a chance at becoming a member of the Gilded Hammers should their age, gene fitness, and timing of the next recruitment line up properly. This handful of aspirants has raised no more than two hundred Astartes over the millennia but each has more than proven their worth to the chapter with the current Captain of the Tenth Company being from Haillin.
Chapter Fleet
The Gilded Hammers have always maintained an extremely effective fleet and always used it to its greatest potential. One of the few boasts made by the Gilded Hammers is that their ability in a void war is unmatched and nothing they have done has ever called this into question. Their Fortress-Monastery, the Merchant's Harbor, is a sprawling complex that helps the Gilded Hammers keep their fleet sharpened to a killing edge. All of their ships are like them, quiet and stripped of insignia on the outside while deadly and filled with righteous killing power within. Many of their ships are of older make and one of them, The Herald, was of such old make that its armaments made it unacceptable to be kept in service and it would lie inert in one of the grand refitting stations of the Merchant's Harbor for nearly 5000 years.
Notable Ships
- The Herald - The Herald was the original flagship of the Gilded Hammers when they first appeared and would be a point of contention in their recognition as an official chapter. The grand old Battle-Barge was significantly up armored and bears a grand lance battery upon its prow. This lance would force the incredibly powerful ship to be deactivated and put to rest in a sealed hangar to avoid the ire of the Imperial Navy and Inquisition. In 767.M38 Lord Inquisitor Harkyen Falton would order it brought to life once more to aid in destroying Craftworld Iquiman, a task which it would execute with terrifying lethality. Since then it has remained active but any deployment will see it crewed by Inquisition approved serfs and no less than 3 Inquisitors or, in rare cases, a Lord Inquisitor, for even the Inquisition's loyal hammers can't be trusted with such a weapon.
- Betrayed Father - Betrayed Father has been the flagship of the Gilded Hammers since The Herald was deactivated and. This does not mean that it is by any means inferior just that it is more acceptable in its armament. Large even for a Battle-Barge, Betrayed Father is the best ship in the Gilded Hammers fleet when it comes to boarding actions and is the designated ship of the First Company and Chapter Master. A vast teleportarium, a specially outfitted Bombardment Cannon made specifically to break through Void Shields and other similar technologies, and an incredible array of boarding vessels make Betrayed Father capable of getting Astartes aboard any ship that comes within its reach.
- Bloodied Wing - Bloodied Wing is a Battle-Barge designated for use by the Second Company and is specialized for swift assaults from orbit.
- Chrysaor - Chrysaor is a Battle-Barge designated for use by the Eighth Company and is specialized in supporting bombardment and deployment of vehicles.
Chapter Relics
- The Gilded Hammer - The Gilded Hammer is a microcosm of the Chapters mysterious origins. The Gilded Hammer itself is a massive hammer of such size and weight that either herculean strength or peerless skill is required to use it effectively even for an Astartes in full battleplate. The entire weapon is covered in an unknown golden metal which is chipped, filed down, and gouged along every surface. These imperfections however are the work of no enemy and have existed just as is since the weapon was first recorded in the hands of first Chapter Master Holger Hominsin. What made these markings is unclear as no artifice of the Chapter has been able to even scratch the weapons surface. However the reason for the marks is very clear, to erase all previous allegiances and ornamentation from the weapon and leave no evidence of who or what it once served. The weapon appears to have only one effect. The weapon breaks whatever it impacts. A hammer of its size and weight should have quite a bit of force but the effects of the Gilded Hammer aren't something impact would account for as it rips easily through any kind of shield technology and causes damage over areas far exceeding what its striking the object would account for. The weapon is often wielded by the Chapter Master, but there is no shame in a Chapter Master admitting the weapon isn't suited for them and using another in its place.
- The Mark of the Watcher - The Mark of the Watcher is one of the rarest and most well crafted of the weapons in the Gilded Hammers armory. Granted to the Gilded Hammers alongside the body of Watch Master Holger Hominsin after his fall as a mark of service honorably discharged. The Mark is a Guardian Spear that has seen the artifice of hundreds of masters within the Gilded Hammers all built on the modifications made by Holger himself when he still wielded it. The blade has been lengthened and strengthened to form a glaive rather than a spear that cuts through armor with an ease that few weapons can claim. The bolter has been completely overhauled to a form closer to a storm bolter than a traditional bolter. The greatest modification is the weapons ability to interface with the optics of the wielder and the advanced target acquisition technology worked into it allowing the wielder to see through almost any veil or glamour.
- His Light - His Light is the most ancient war machine in the Gilded Hammers Armory and deployed only for the most dire of wars. A Falchion Super Heavy Tank Destroyer who's every bolt and plate has been gone over, reinforced, and worked to an obsessive degree of care, His Light has a tally of Engine Kills that would be impressive for even a Titan to claim. Most often His Light will be deployed alongside a super heavy detachment of the Haillin Sea Guard as a leader and centerpiece and titans both traitor and xenos have felt their combined wrath many times. The massive tank is manned entirely by members of the armory half of the Librarius and their psychic powers are all bent to the perfect use of His Light.
Notable Members
- Chapter Master Jan Emprason - Jan Emprason, the "Angel of Oath", is the current Chapter Master of the Gilded Hammers Chapter. By the end of the Indomitus Crusade, Jan Emprason can count his years as a Space Marine at around 175 years with 130 of those years being in his capacity as Chapter Master. Jan was born underweight and with a scorching fever on the Feral World of Vildverden II on the Day of Fate's Ride. He would have died then and there had it not been the one day every 10 years that the Astartes journey to the world. As luck would have it one of the Apothecaries administered the sickly infant some medicine, not out of kindness or some prophetic feeling but simply not wanting this day to be marred by an infants death. The young Jan would be considered a blessed child and would do nothing to discount this idea as he grew up strong and healthy and proved himself to be a genius at sailing. His ascension into the Gilded Hammers went as normally and he remained rather unremarkable save for being slightly taller and stronger than many of his battle brothers. His ascension to the rank of Chapter Master would come from the Slaughter of Exnayon. When Craftworld Umeltayon appeared, he was the highest ranking Gilded Hammer in the void and would take emergency control of the full fleet while only holding the rank of Sergeant. Showing incredible leadership and ability in the void war he would lead the fighting retreat and the vengeful return and for this he would be made Chapter Master after only 45 years of service. Jan Emprason goes to war in an ancient and revered suit of Mark 7 armor equipped with a jumppack known as the "Protector's Fate". He wields the Gilded Hammer and the Storm Shield "Cradle Unbroken". Though undoubtedly a master on the battlefield, he truly shines when at a ship's helm where he is nearly unrivaled.
- Chapter Champion Mas Culson - Mas Culson, the "Dripping Blade", is the Company Champion of the Second Company as well as the Chapter Champion. Slightly short and thin for an Astartes, Mas has proven himself over and again to be a brutal, efficient duelist. His skill has given him the right to wield the Ulfberht, a simple looking power sword that tears through whatever it strikes and causes wounds twice the size of what it should. After a particularly close duel that would end with Mas staving in the skull of an Ork Warboss with his shield, Mas would begin the creation of what would become his signature equipment, the Cutting Board. The Cutting Board is a circular shield between the size of a combat shield and a storm shield. It's defining feature being the energized chain teeth that run along the edge nearest Mas's fist. This feature has ended the lives of nearly as many foes as his sword has. He got his title from the swiftness of his duels slaughtering one commander before igniting his jump pack and killing the next before either his sword or shield has had time to dry.
- Captain Peter Mikkel - Peter Mikkel is the Captain of the Fourth Company and the first of the Gilded Hammers to cross the Rubicon Primaris. An old man by marine standards with his hair and beard turned white, Peter was huge and muscular even before becoming a Primaris, he has become nearly 10 feet tall without his Gravis Armor. Encased in specially modified Gravis Armor reinforced with parts from his old Cataphractii armor and his cherished Broken Fangs, a pair of chainfists that wrap over the knuckles of his massive gauntlets. Before he took up the position of Captain or crossed the Rubicon, he held the rank of Watch Captain in the Deathwatch and was completely undefeated in unarmed fighting for the entirety of his service despite challenging every Astarte stationed at his watchpost several times. Peter's greatest triumph would come when he faced down a Daemon Prince of Khorne and fought toe to toe, beating the infernal creature to a pulp.
- Chief Librarian Od Trisin - Od Trisin, the "Hero of Exnayon" , is the Chief Librarian of the Gilded Hammers. Od is neither the most senior nor most powerful Librarian as those positions are held by the current Lord of the Manuel and Lord of the Tome respectively. He is, however, by far the best leader of the Gilded Hammers Librarians and a formidable psyker with a wide breadth of skills. Od's specialty is his telepathy and scrying abilities that allow him to coordinate with incredible speed and precision across great distances. He would use this to great effect in the Slaughter of Exnayon where he would hold together the decimated forces of the Gilded Hammers for months against the Eldar's siege.
- Holger Hominsin - Holger Hominsin, the "First Hammer", was the first Chapter Master of the Gilded Hammers, the first Gilded Hammer to attain the rank of Watch Master in the Deathwatch, and by all accounts a peerless warrior and leader. He would fall in service to the Deathwatch and would be recovered in the wreck of his Watchpost surrounded by the bodies of a dozen Harlequin Players, a Solitaire, and a Troupe Master. He is currently still alive but kept in a specially made stasis tank until such a time as he is truly needed and the Armor of the Nine, a dreadnought created from pieces from destroyed Knights, Land Raiders, and countless other priceless vehicles, is completed. Since his internment in his stasis tank he has only been awakened twice, once during the Death of Craftworld Iyaritaian and once to hear the words of Roboute Guilliman.
- Venerable Chaplain Egede - Venerable Chaplain Egede is one of the oldest Gilded Hammer alive, second only to Holger himself. He was the Lord of the Secrets at the chapters founding and would be foremost among those who spread faith to Vildverden II and III. He would serve with distinction until he would gut a Ork Warboss and get most of his left side chopped off in return. He would be quickly be given a place of privilege in one of the few Contemptor Dreadnoughts and one that would be specially modified for his use with a massive Crozius and a master-crafted Multi-Melta. Egede is often awakened to take command when the Chapter Master cannot and is a walking repository of the Gilded Hammers secrets from across time.
Chapter Appearance
Chapter Colors
The Gilded Hammers primarily wear unpainted grey ceramite which makes up the main body of their battle-plate. Their left shoulder pauldron proudly bears the Chapter's symbol trimmed with the color of the Primarch venerated by the company with the right knee bearing the symbol of that Primarch's First Founding chapter.
Chapter Badge
The Gilded Hammers' Chapter badge consists of a stylized golden hammer centered upon a black background with seven small silver stars encircling the central symbol. One very large gold star sits above the head of the hammer. To either side of the gold star are two large red stars. The seven small silver stars symbolize the 7 loyal Primarchs to survive the Heresy while the two red stars are the 2 loyalist Primarchs whose blood was spilled by their traitorous brothers and died for the Emperor. The larger golden star at the top of the circle represents Emperor Himself, set above all others.
Relations
Allies
Ordo Xenos
Long years spent fighting the xenos as a chapter, thousands of brother sent to the Death Watch, and several artifacts either found or transported to the Ordo Xenos has forged as close to a friendly relationship as the Ordo Xenos can have with any group. The Ordo Xenos will often call on the Gilded Hammers when a heavy hand and heavy firepower are needed more than subtly and stealth and the Gilded Hammers will sometimes draw on the resources of the Ordo especially in obtaining technology that they otherwise couldn't. The Gilded Hammers have earned themselves an astounding level of trust in what the Ordo Xenos will call on them to transport or do and it is said that the Librarius of the Gilded Hammers contains more knowledge of Xenos than some Inquisitors will know in their life time. On several occasions junior inquisitors have seen one or more of the artifacts left in the Gilded Hammers' possession and tried to call them to heel only to be overridden by the fact that the Chapter Master has higher clearance in the Ordo than they do.
Haillin Sea Guard
The Haillin Sea Guard are a regiment of the Imperial Guard from the ocean world of Haillin which is a galactic stones throw from the home system of the Gilded Hammers. The relationship between the Haillin Sea Guard and the Gilded Hammers is as long as the Gilded Hammers recorded history. The Haillin Sea Guard were the first to meet the Gilded Hammers and would vouch for their loyalty to the Imperium in the confusion of the War of the False Primarch. The two groups have built a history of mutual respect and cooperation with both having come to the others aid on countless occasions. When the Gilded Hammers march to war no small number of Haillin Sea Guard march with them and no small number of times have the Haillin Sea Guard's calls for aid been answered by the Gilded Hammers and more than once has the Ordo Xenos shown unusual leniency to the Haillin Sea Guard when the Gilded Hammers were present. A small number of children from Haillin are given to the chapter and a few battle brothers of the Gilded Hammers bear the tanned skin and dark eyes of the Haillin.
House Rubjerg
A now prosperous Navigator Household with the main bulk of their assets on the world of Knude but with many small holdings scattered throughout the Imperium. The Navigators of House Rubjerg have a reputation for guiding ships slowly but with incredible accuracy and precision which before the Pact of the Lighthouse had earned them the ire of many impatient ship captains. The events of the Pact of the Lighthouse would see the failing house nearly crushed only to rebound in far greater strength than ever before. The fleets of the Gilded Hammers are exclusively manned by Navigators of House Rubjerg as well as those close to the Gilded Hammers and their allies such as the Haillin Sea Guard. The Gilded Hammers in turn send 3 of their number to aid House Rubjerg in whatever their undertaking. The presence of the Emperor's Angels have cleared no small number of deals for House Rubjerg and having the backing of an Astartes Chapter with ties to the Inquisition have made them a formidable force in the machinations of Navigator politics.
Sons of Sanguinius
The Gilded Hammers have an especially close relationship to those Chapters descended from the Blood Angels. An ill-fated battle against orkz alongside the Angels of Light would see the then Captain of the Second Company, Bors Nieson, mistaken for a fellow Blood Angel successor and information about both the Black Rage and Red Thirst passed to the Gilded Hammers. Bors would take this information in stunned silence before doing something that would stun the Angels of Light even more than Bors had been. He knelt before them, confessed that he was no Blood Angel, removed his helmet and wept for the nobility of these Sons of the Angel surpassed even the tales told to children.
- "All my life I believed Sanguinius to be the bravest and most noble of Primarchs and his Sons to be the greatest among us. Now I see the truth. They were even greater than I could ever imagine. To suffer in silence and to act as beacons of hope even as you are torn apart from within. Martyrs one and all leading us to salvation even as they fall to damnation. The greatest of us and yet even greater still. If my life must be forfeit to keep your secret then I give it gladly."
- —Captain Bors Nieson, Second Company
This would give the Angels of Light more than a little pause and they would hold off judgement until the Blood Angels as a whole could be contacted. The resulting council would see the Captain Bors Nieson given the option to swear himself to secrecy and to never reveal what he knew on pain of death. This deal was readily accepted and Captain Nieson would take this knowledge to his grave. While the Gilded Hammers do not know of the Blood Angels flaw they do still keep close ties with one another.
Enemies
Unforgiven
While the Gilded Hammers maintain an at least amicable relationship with the other eight first founding chapters and their descendants, the sons of the Lion and the Gilded Hammers have had relations ranging from bitter distrust to outright hostile. The enmity comes from the side of the Dark Angels and their successors and stems from the insult they find in another chapter bearing their symbol and holding the Lion in such high regard while knowing nothing of the Fallen. This quiet enmity would come to a head when one of the Fallen named Tarianiel reached out to the Gilded Hammers seventh company on the world of Taytwaan. Tarianiel was being tailed by the Angels of Redemption and the Angels of Redemption would fall upon the Gilded Hammers in force with the full intention of slaughtering all who had seen their dark secret. The battle that followed would see the seventh company annihilated. The last few alive would learn of what the Fallen were from Tarianiel while blockaded in the medicae bay of their ship. Minutes later, the remaining Gilded Hammers would come out from behind their blockade bearing a stasis pod containing a savagely beaten Tarianiel. They knew that none would not be allowed to live with what they knew and so asked to die in honorable combat and their wish would be granted. The ships, equipment, and progenoid glands of the seventh company would be returned to the Gilded Hammers by the Angels of Redemption. Ironically, this would see the Angels of Redemption, out of all the Unforgiven, have the least enmity for the Gilded Hammers while the Gilded Hammers would hate them the most of all the Lion's Sons.
Stygies VIII
The Gilded Hammers makes its mistrust of the Adeptus Mechanicus readily apparent, but they have never been officially hostile to any forces of the Mechanicus. However, unofficially the Gilded Hammers and their Ordo Xenos allies have fought the forces of Stygies VIII for possession of xenotech more than a few times. These wars are locked under Inquisitorial Seal and neither side will admit to having participated. This does come with several downsides for the Gilded Hammers as Stygies VIII will, despite its proximity, never supply them nor their allies in the Haillin Sea Guard with any of its output.
Notable Quotes
By:
- "We have not forgotten the Pact of the Lighthouse. Even if the Astronomicon grows dark and your third eye blind we will be there to protect you. So here we are your protection has come, the oath kept, and none shall harm you in this darkest of nights. We are the Gilded Hammers, the Ordo Xeno's Hammer, the Slayers of a Craftworld, and the Emperor's Angels of Death. So stand tall and make ready for when dawn comes we march for Terra."
- —Chapter Master Jan Emprason to the gathered Navigators of House Rubjerg during the Noctis Aeterna
- "You are a fool. How did you convince yourself that you'd be able to take the life of a lady of Rubjerg under our aegis. Hubris or stupidity either way you have damned yourself and your house."
- —Brother Hyalt seconded to the House Rubjerg addressing a foolish Navigator of a rival house.
- "I do not need to shout. My purpose rings louder than your war cry ever will."
- —Mas Culson to a Noise Marine of the Emperor's Children
- "The Sound is our reminder. No longer shall our voices carry on the wind. Silenced in mourning we must stand. The past is scraped away as were our words. Now we hear only His voice. Punished to hear all but never speak. We march forward. None shall stand before his will. For the Nine and the One."
- —Battle Litany of the Sound, whispered before every battle
- "The Bleeding Angel, Venerable Chaplain Egede, Venerable Captain Gormsson, and a dozen brothers in death are awakened. 15 Dreadnoughts march to war. The wrath of the Gilded Hammers has been kindled and only death comes where we strike."
- —Librarian Od Trisin addressing the war council on Ghyernimos II
About:
- "You have served us faithfully for millennia and have accomplished many great feats but what I demand of you now will be your greatest challenge. We give you every member you have sent to serve in the Deathwatch along with their squads. We give you our full support, a privilege few will ever gain. We give you permission to raise The Herald from its slumber. We ask but one thing of you in return. Destroy Craftworld Iquiman. Tear the disgusting home of the Eldar from the void and show them the consequences of crossing the Imperium."
- —Lord Inquisitor Harkyen Falton of the Ordo Xenos declaring the beginning of the Immar Crusade
- "Ever heard a Marine whisper? Now that's fear from somewhere ancient. How to describe it? It's like an earthquake or a far off storm. It's a herald of something you can't stop or fight no matter how strong you are."
- —Anonymous
- "Don't be cocky boy. You are one apprentice and they are a chapter who has fought things that would see you executed just for looking at them and they've done it for longer than that blasted rock you were born on has had a name. If they think you are a problem then so does the Ordo Xenos and they'll kill you simple as that."
- —Inquisitor Seytem Darl of the Ordo Xenos addressing his apprentice on route to the Merchant's Harbor
- "I despise them more than any other dog of the Corpse Emperor we've fought. Not because they fight like all the legions of old nor because of their misguided loyalty, no... They remind me too much of those who would not bear the new word. You felt it didn't you? That same fury, that same... faith as the brothers we killed before the Heresy."
- —Dark Apostle Ecieridon of the Word Bearers
- "Of the 100 Astartes in this Watchpost, two of our Librarians, one of our Apothecaries, three of our Battle-Brothers, and the Watch Master are all from the Gilded Hammers. So don't mock their voice, its authority more than makes up for its volume."
- —Watch Captain Aysmen addressing a newly seconded Astarte