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This article, Voidborne, was written by VyrVorsa1. Please do not edit or 'acquire' this fiction without the writer's permission. |
- "It is in the Void that we shall find exaltation. Just as our primogenitor before us roamed the stars with freedom in his heart and battlecries on his lips, we shall find our path in the endlessness. The dark beckons, brothers. Make ready!"
- — Attributed to the first Voidmaster Tasyen Krall, M36
The Voidborne are a Successor Chapter to the White Scars. Founded during the 19th Founding in the mid-36th Millennium, their designated purpose and charge was and still remains, to crusade on the very borders of the Imperium, deep in the cold of interstellar space where they engage the fleets of heretics, Xenos, and mutants alike and bring them to ruin.
While nominally Codex-compliant, the Voidborne have a troubled history with more rigorous and zealous adherents of the Avenging Son's book due to their disregard for more overt tactics and outright aversion to many of the methods of warfare found therein. A fleet-based chapter by design and choice as opposed to circumstance, the Voidborne operate almost exclusively in space and specialize in its many tactical intricacies. Void combat, boarding actions, and rapid assaults are their passion and they lean into them with all the fury and joy of their Primarch.
Chapter History[]
The Age of Apostasy, M36[]
Ancient Pict-capture of Patriarch Voidmaster Tasyen Krall, circa 740.M36
Some time in the 36th Millennium a need was found for more Chapters on the fringes of the Imperium where, by sheer distance and neglect, the enemies of Humanity have found root. Thus was chosen as a candidate to form a new chapter Tasyen Krall, then the khan of the 8th Brotherhood and a veteran of countless battles. He was initially averse to the idea of leaving his brothers and his ancestral home, but the Voice of the Storm, then a fiery and passionate White Scar named Baidu Dalatai, advised the fledgling Voidmaster to proceed with the great khan's blessing in his hearts.
Resolved after this interaction, Krall accepted the honor of leading a new Chapter of brothers into the darkness never to return to the Horde or to see his home, Chogoris, again. As a sign of mourning and as a reminder to his brothers to ever stay honorable and loyal, he embraced the black of the Ebon Keshig for his shoulder guards, and as a symbol of new beginnings, he bared his armor to a gleaming ceramite silver. The eternally watchful eye he took as his heraldry, a warning and promise that the Voidborne would ever keep a firm gaze on the dark abyss for the enemies of the Imperium.
The Age of Redemption, M37[]
The deranged rule of Goge Vandire and the near-heretical Age of Apostasy left a gaping wound in the heart of the Imperium, one that was slowly becoming healed during M37 as the Age of Redemption progressed. While part of many conflicts and Crusades of the time, the Voidborne kept to themselves, pursuing their duty and establishing potent relationships and treaties with powers that be in the Ghoul Stars and Eastern Fringe of the Ultima Segmentum. These treaties would pay dividends in millennia to come as the Chapter slowly expanded their fleet and by extension their sphere of influence.
Wrath of the Chaos Sun (ca. Mid.M37) - The Voidborne were one of several dozen chapters organized into a Crusade to cleanse the aftermath of the Maxil Beta supernova fallout. They saw combat mostly in the void, cleansing fleets, stations, and moons of warp infestations. The bitter conflict left the Chapter ravaged with only around half of its Battle Brothers combat-ready. After the Crusade ended in victory, they withdrew into the void once more obligated to recruit and resupply before being called to war once again.
The Waning (ca. M38 - ca. 750.M41)[]
Wrathful Heralds Purgation (ca. early-200s.M38)[]
One of the largest early purgations the Voidborne conducted happened in the early 200s of M38 against a rising Chaos cult led by the Wrathful Heralds Heretic Astartes Warband on the industrial rings of Forge-World Sigmad VI in the Megrit sub-sector of the Ultima Segmentum.
The purgation was initiated due to a large influx of refugees to the system orchestrated by the Warband in decades prior. The purgation lasted for six months and spanned the entirety of the rings bringing industrial production to a minimum. Ultimately defeated and purged, the cult managed to achieve their goals and set the Forge-World's production back for decades.
Govior VI incident (ca. Mid.M38)[]
A naval engagement between the Voidborne and the system fleet of Urodrus Majoris commanded by an egotistical and since-delared-heretical Commander Silas Melonain. The Commander saw the Voidborne, who were in-system under orders from Inquisitor Livia van Hal to battle a rebel uprising on the system's many asteroid mining stations, as an unwelcomed and unnecessary arrival. Months of cooperation, or lack thereof, dragged the operation to the point of conflict when a Cobra destroyer commandeered by rebels, at the time unbeknownst to the Chapter, rammed into the Chapter's Strike Cruiser Blooded Spirit. The ensuing explosion of the Cobra's reactors, which is now known were in disrepair, sheared the Crusier's prow cleanly off killing many Chapter serfs and Battle-Brothers.
Four squads of the 5th Company were lost in the explosion, including Honored Brother Vladya Gogol, interred in an ancient Contemptor chasis. The incident turned what was initially a strained cooperation into all out war. The Voidborne, scorned by their losses, set upon all of the Naval vessels of Govior VI and purged their crews for the sin of rebellion against the God Emperor. The mining stations were soon to follow and the purgation only stopped when Inquisitor Livia van Hal ordered cessation of hostilities to let cooler heads prevail. By that time over six million citizens were dead on wrecked ships and damaged mining stations.
The Voidborne retreated and cut communication with the Inquisitor who was left to mop up and report to the Inquisitorial Conclave of the disaster. No inquiries were dispatched against the Voidborne after the incident, affirming that they had indeed followed their orders to the letter, even if many more citizens were lost in the operation than intended.
Siege of Garian Zeta (543.M38)[]
Garian Zeta is a Forge-World in the Garian sub-sector of the Ultima Segmentum. A small Forge-World by comparison to many, the world had no access to Titan legions, though the Questor Mechanicus Bastaal Household was extant and defended the world from any invasions successfully for millennia. Comparably calm for millennia, the sub-sector was plunged into disorder quickly by Dark Mechanicum forces aiming to occupy the Forge-World and steal its secrets. It was revealed that Garian Zeta had its own variants of common Scitarii weaponry, as well as some Astartes ships and wargear valuable to the Mechanicum.
The Voidborne were the closest to engage the enemy and deployed an overwhelming force of three Boyar Companies and two Reserve Companies, including three Strike Cruisers, sixteen Escort and their at-the-time only Battle Barge to the conflict. The war was grueling and slow with the Dark Mechanicum creating a cordon through the Garian Zeta defenses and sieging the world through orbital bombardments and large troop landings. It took the Voidborne a full year to break through the blockade and crush the Mechanicum's supply lines forcing many of them to retreat. The mop up operations took another six months with corrupted engines rampaging through the Forge-World.
After the incident the Chapter and the Forge-World signed a writ by which Garian Zeta would supply the Voidborne, and the Voidborne would come to their aid when necessary, a partnership that would last for millennia.
Waaagh! Blitza (456.669.M38)[]
Rethumura VI, an industrial world on the edge of the Morrum sub-sector in the Ultima Segmentum, found itself in the path of a large Ork Waaagh!. The Voidborne and several other chapters, including elements of the Doom Eagles, Novamarines and Solar Hawks, engaged the Waaagh! in space and on the planets around the Rethumura system. The engagement lasted for five years before the last of the Orks were exterminated. A contingent of Nova Marines were left on the world for another century to put down any Ork stragglers, and continue purgations until they were satisfied none were left.
Boros sub-sector Crusade (ca. Early.M39)[]
The Boros sub-sector in the Ultima Segmentum was comprised of many feudal and agri-worlds acting as a food basket for many of the sub-sectors around it. It saw centuries of strife from rebel corsairs and Ork invasions, but one of their largest crises were multiple Drukhari incurison during a period of a century which saw millions of citizens murdered or abducted. A Crusade was called by the Segmentum authorities almost fifty years after the raids started.
The Voidborne answered, along with elements of the Ultramarines, Shadow Haunters, Penitent Blades and Mortifactors Chapters. Elusive by nature, the Kabals managed to avoid many of the planned engagements by the Chapters, however with time their desperation grew and they risked more and more engagements to capture more slaves. The Crusade lasted for forty-six years of frustrating skirmishes and managed to purge and prosecute the Kabals to the point of retreat in search of less well defended spoils. The Chapters and the Astra Militarum suffered many losses in the Crusade, leading the majority of Chapters to retreat and regain their losses.
Defense of Occilius-27-Zeta (Early-400s.M39)[]
The Kabal of the Shivering Serpent used the Occilius-27-Zeta system as their raiding ground for centuries before a missive from the planet's governor reached the ears of the Voidmaster. Immediately dispatched aboard several escort vessels, the 6th Company sought out and destroyed any and all Webway gates they could find on the planet, forcing the raiders to attack them in space where the Voidborne would have the edge.
While the initial operation lasted only a year and seven months, leaving the Kabal scattered and fighting with themselves after their Archon's demise, the 6th left several squads and an escort vessel to patrol the system for nearly nine more years, with intermittent skirmishes erupting every so often.
Great Awakening (M41)[]
The Unflinching Piety, destroyed during the First Tyrannic War
First Tyrannic War (745.M41)[]
In 745.M41 the first Tyrannic invasion smashed through the south-eastern edge of the galaxy like divine judgement. The Voidborne, at the time led by Voidmaster Nikumoj Kronin, found themselves swiftly in the thick of the fighting in the Enkidah system, an agri-system on the borders of Ultramar. An emergency missive was sent to all outbound Voidborne ships at large in the galaxy to regroup, after which the message had been swiftly cut off. Alarmed yet cautious and with little time to spare, Voidborne across the eastern borders of the Ultima Segmentum retreated from their crusades and flew with all speed to their Master's aid.
As the ships of the Voidborne arrived piecemeal into the Enkidah system, each found their Librarians disturbed and their Astropaths and Navigators paralyzed by what they described as an overwhelming Shadow obscuring their minds to the Warp. One of these vessels was The Storm's Break, the Chapter's Battle Barge led by Captain Vaslav Daro of the 3rd Company, exiting Warp just outside the system as their navigator began to scream in pain and horror. Local vox, when it eventually came through, painted a grim picture for the Captain: The Unflinching Piety, the Chapter's Hades-Class Heavy Cruiser — re-captured from the Wrathful Heralds Chaos Warband in early M38, cleansed and blessed by the Holy Ordos, Mechanicus, and Ministorum, and rechristened as a spoil of war due to the Chapter's exemplary service, and the Voidmaster's personal ship for millennia — had been overrun and his brothers were fighting for their lives. Along with the venerable cruiser dozens of Imperial navy ships, Chapter destroyers, tenders, and haulers of fleeing civilians were in the biofleet's crosshairs. Stationed around Purgatio Ferrus, a large Naval Ramilies Class Star-fort stationed to protect the primary agri-world Enkidah I, the armada delivered a stalwart defense against the abominable creatures.
Daro re-organized the incoming ships into a counter-attack with The Storm's Break at its center. Dozens of destroyers and Strike Cruisers assaulted the Tyranids' flank in an attempt to break through and assist their beleaguered brothers. The attack failed, and as several ships burned in the cold vacuum Kronin ordered Daro to regroup all survivors and lead them out of the battle while he, the majority of the First Company, and their impromptu allies held the Tyranids at bay. Despite protests, Daro, ever loyal and obedient to the very end, retreated as ordered thereby saving his Chapter and many other lives from annihilations at the expense of his Voidmaster and brothers. As Kronin's ship broke up under the overwhelming onslaught of bioforms, the refugee fleet blind-jumped out of the system.
Voidborne First Company battles Genestealers during the First Tyrannic War.
Exiting Warp just inside the Realm of Ultramar, the fleet attempted to find their bearings and recount their numbers. Out of thirty-seven ships fleeing the battle, only twenty-nine remained intact. Daro and his brother Captains, those left standing, assembled to evaluate their situation. Fully two-thirds of their astropaths were dead, their brains liquified by the overwhelming presence of the Tyranids and all but three of their Navigators remained, making it a hard prospect to warp that many ships anywhere without catastrophic losses. Instead, it was decided to emit distress beacons and log the fleets location for future rescue, while The Storm's Break, The Rising Fury, and His Unrelenting Wrath took to the Warp at speed to regroup with other forces in Ultramar, to warn them and shore up their defenses.
The three ships saw combat in twelve other theaters, defending what they could from the merciless Hive. Daro, now voted as the flotilla's High Commander, took it upon himself to harry and harass the enemy at every stage, never giving them an option of ignoring his armada as it chipped away at the Hive Fleet. Four more Strike Cruisers joined, along with seven destroyers, all from the Nova Marines, Doom Eagles, and White Consuls Chapters.
The eventual break-up and retreat of Behemoth came as a sudden and unexpected development for the armada. Once news of the Battle of Macragge reached them, the Ultramarine Successors returned to their own Chapters with oaths of brotherhood and honor, and stories aplenty about the Voidborne. Daro, finding only impotent rage at his own inability to save many of his Chapter from death, led his remaining ships back to the Enkidah system where they found the Piety mauled and bifurcated, with wrecks of Navy and Voidborne ships floating in decaying orbits. The Chapter salvaged what it could: nineteen out of one-hundred Terminator suits, a badly mauled Destroyer, and the Purgatio Ferrus, the Navy's overrun Star-fort which was in poor but salvageable condition. Rechristened as The Tempest Eye, it would serve as the Chapter's Fortress Monastery for centuries after the war.
Fully one half of the Chapter were dead and gone. What remained of their gear was scavenged, as were many other pieces of equipment. No gene-seed was ever found, nor was any biological matter upon the stricken vessels. All were devoured. The Voidborne left that doomed battleground and would not emerge for another eighty years, not until their new Voidmaster decided they were strong once more.
Furia Magenta rebellion (826.M41)[]
The Furia Magenta was a massive Macrohauler located in a large pilgrim fleet in the Nephilim Sector. In 826.M41 a civil figurehead, one whom the lower-deck crews revered as their leader, demanded better food rationing and sleeping accommodation so that the workers might delve into their labor more efficiently and without fear of starvation and death. The rebellion, for that is what the corrupt shipmasters called it, was immediately pronounced heretical and all the force of the onboard militia was put against the rebels, but the masses were simply too many. As soon as guns levelled, the rebellion exploded into outright war.
It was only by the intervention, intended or not, of the Angels of Death that the rebels were put down, literally. The Voidborne, with the blessing and writ of the Noble house controlling the Macrohauler, stormed through the rebels like a scythe through wheat. The rebellion was put down in a mere two days and mop up operations for the next week. Many Voidborne alive today were part of that fleet as the Chapter took its due.
A pair of breachers working in tandem during a space hulk cleansing.
Battle of Nuriya (846.M41)[]
An Eldar Corsair fleet entered the system of the agri-world of Nuriya in 846.M41 for, at-the-time, unknown reasons and proceeded to attack the orbiting platforms and system vessels of the Planetary Defense Forces. The Voidborne Gladius Frigate Obsidian arrived in-system on a supply mission. Before it was destroyed, the Obsidian dispatched an astropathic missive to the main fleet which arrived in force a mere week after the initial conflict.
Finding much of the system in disarray, with PDF ships skirting the edges of the system and Corsairs raiding the planet surface, the Voidborne deployed two companies onto the planet while the fleet chased the corsair ships. The battle ended with a dozen Eldar ships destroyed as the rest retreated.
The Voidborne lost six escorts and one Strike Cruiser in the conflict, necessitating a recommission of ships from Garian Zeta. Their job done, the Voidborne departed without so much as a word, leaving the shell-shocked citizenry to rebuild.
Invasion of Ignulast XIII (858.M41)[]
During the siege of Ignulast XIII a genestealer cult, The Starborn of the Coming Wave, had commandeered the Space Hulk Damnation of Sanctity to crash into the populated agri-world.
The Voidborne Chapter was summoned to curb the threat. All nineteen Terminators along with the Voidmaster and the entirety of the 4th 'Sword' company teleported aboard the hulk and slaughtered the cult in a week of fighting. Much of the 4th Company was destroyed in the action necessitating a fresh wave of recruitment for the Chapter.
Waaagh! Godchewa (899.M41)[]
Waaagh! Godchewa deployed a fleet of ships and a dozen rocks upon the planet of Trantyra VI in the Ultima Segmentum. The Voidborne were dispatched to cull the invasion.
Charnel Butchers Warband (996.M41)[]
A minor but significant skirmish upon an astropathic waystation in orbit of the dead world Evura IV which involved several Breacher squads of the 3rd Company and Tactical squads of the 10th led by Lieutenant Drakkan Koval against a Khorn warband called The Charnal Butchers. Attacking the waystation for unknown reasons, the Butchers likely aimed to disrupt communication across several sectors.
Thought at the time to be an odd and worrying choice for a Khorne warband, the Butchers have since been identified as part of the Black Legion and were likely dispatched to prepare for the larger upcoming XIIIth crusade.
Era Indomitus (M42)[]
The Indomitus Crusade (999.M41 - Concurrent)[]
Shield Captain Nicolaos Attilon, 001.M42
The opening of the Great Rift brought concern and no small amount of anxiety to the Chapter's command. They had heard of Cadia through astropathic missives and now found themselves alone on the dark side of the Astronomican. However, the arrival of the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman brought many changes to the Imperium, and the Voidborne were not spared the upheaval. While on Campaign in the Eastern Fringe the Chapter was hailed by an Imperial Cruiser of unknown origin.
Bedecked in gold auramite and bristling with Dark Age weaponry, the Immaculate Majesty warped in-system with a massive Battle Barge trailing its warp entry. The Indomitus Crusade had arrived. Shield-Captain Nicholaos Attilon conferred with Voidmaster Vaslav Daro directly for several hours before the announcement was made to the whole fleet — a Primarch had returned and sent reinforcements in the form of a new breed of warrior, the Primaris Marines. The technology to create these superior brothers was handed to the Apothecarion and the Solemn Salvation, the Battle Barge which arrived with the Custodes, was pressed into service.
Immediately Daro started on plans to achieve his Regent-given orders — assault the Ghoul Stars and push the enemy back.
The Ghoul Stars Crusade (999.M41 - Concurrent)[]
The North-eastern fringe of the Imperium of Man is called the Ghoul Stars, a poorly charted region of many dead worlds dominated by monsters and horrors of humanity's worst nightmares. Sent to reinforce the beleaguered Death Specters Chapter, the Voidborne arrived at the head of a fleet of warships, the largest they and their allies had ever assembled. Headed by the Solemn Salvation and three of the Chapter's five Strike Cruisers, the fleet of Rogue Trader House Von Tannen joined the fray in search of new world to explore and technology to usurp.
Led by 3rd Company Captain Nathanail Hadrian, 11th Company Commander Khazan Shiben, Komodor Drahomira Wolosof, and Lord Alfred Von Tannen, the ships emerged in the Tsadria system which they made their base of operation for the Crusade. Here they would defend against the Necron of the Drazak who raid human worlds for flesh-bounty, against rebel corsair fleets pillaging the unsuspecting citizenry, and against Eldar Craftworlds weaving eldritch sorceries against Humanity.
Notable Campaigns[]
- Wrath of the Chaos Sun (ca. Mid.M37)
- Wrathful Heralds Purgation (ca. early-200s.M38)
- Govior VI incident (ca. Mid.M38)
- Siege of Garian Zeta (543.M38)
- Waaagh! Blitza (456.669.M38)
- Boros sub-sector Crusade (ca. Early.M39)
- Defense of Occilius-27-Zeta (Early-400s.M39)
- First Tyrannic War (745.M41)
- Furia Magenta rebellion (826.M41)
- Battle of Nuriya (846.M41)
- Invasion of Ignulast XIII (858.M41)
- Waaagh! Godchewa (899.M41)
- Charnel Butchers Warband (996.M41)
- The Indomitus Crusade (999.M41 - Concurrent)
- The Ghoul Stars Crusade (999.M41 - Concurrent)
Chapter Organisation[]
Order of Battle
 | ||||
| LIBRARIUM | RECLUSIAM | FLEET COMMAND | APOTHECARION | ARMOURY |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
5 Strike Cruiser 25 Escort Vessels 135 Support vessels 512 Boarding Torpedoes |
Battle Tanks Dreadnoughts Centurion Warsuits 36 Thunderhawk Gunships 24 Thunderhawk Transports 2 Stormbird Gunships 10 Overlord Gunships 12 Stormeagle Gunships 12 Fireraptor Gunships 180 Xiphon Interceptors | |||
| BOYAR COMPANIES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Blade of Boros |
Nightstrike |
The Fearless |
The Grim |
Swift Cleaver |
Stormcut |
The Bull |
| RESERVE COMPANIES | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
Ironhand |
Bloodsworn |
Old Blade |
Deviations from the Codex Astartes[]
Breacher Sergeant Barnabas Volyn 3rd 'Spear' Company, 3rd Breacher Squad.
The Chapters organization is Codex inspired but deviates in many aspects, specifically in the way they train their initiates, how they organize their support squads, and how they organize their recon and battle companies.
- Training initiates - Initiates start in the 10th company in Battleline squads each led by a company veteran, and progress through 9th and 8th Company Support squads before being deployed in a Boyar Company. The company veterans train and coordinate the initiates before and during combat, steeling their resolve and acclimatizing them to their roles. This method is used throughout the three Reserve companies where the Initiates are often deployed as back field objective holders or given objectives achievable with their inexperience.
- Breacher Squads - Breachers are Company Veterans of the Battle Companies who have shown a specific proficiency in frontal assaults and have completed at least five successful Crusades or Campaigns. They are used as the primary attack force of the Voidborne. Breachers are and envelope term for:
- Company Veterans
- Vanguard Veterans
- Bladeguard Veterans
- Support Squads - The Voidborne do not distinguish between Close or Fire Support squads. All Devastator and Assault squads are designated as Support squads for the Breacher Company Veterans who act as the main Company force, and therefore share the same iconography even if their wargear differs. Support squads are and envelope term for:
- Assault Squads
- Devastator Squads
- Centurion Squads
- Aggressor Squads
- Hellblaster Squads
- Eradicator Squads
- Recon Company - The 2nd Company are the designated recon force made up of five Veteran Scout squads and five Veteran Tactical squads for flexibility. They are all equipped with Stalker-pattern weaponry and often carry cameleoline cloaks. The Recon Company is conprised of:
- Scout Squads
- Sternguard Veteran Squads (usually with Stalker pattern weaponry)
- Inceptor Squads
- Reiver Squads
- Incursor Squads
- Eliminator Squads
- Suppressor Squads
- Chapter Veterans - The 1st is made up entirely of Chapter Veterans, that is those Brothers who have seen dozens of Crusades or Campaigns and survived. While they are all ordained with the Crux Terminatus upon entry to the 1st, the Chapter only possesses nineteen Terminator suits, therefore they are of supreme value and importance to the Chapter and are by their very scarcity hereditary based on seniority and skill. When one Veteran dies another inherits his armor and his place in the Aketon Guard.
- 11th Company - Delivered to the Voidborne along a cache of technology and equipment as reinforcements, the 11th are entirely comprised of Primaris Marines acting as a provisional support and reserve Company deployed in individual squads alongside Boyar companies for better integration. The Voidmaster has decided that, as attrition takes its toll, and voluntary converions take place the Primaris brothers will start replacing Firstborn in Boyar Companies.
Boyar Companies[]
Captain Aspar Bassa of the 2nd 'Dagger' Company.
- Aketon Company - The 1st is made up exclusively of Chapter Veterans, with only the Aketon Guard donning the rare Terminator armor. The Aketon Guard serve as the Honor guard for the Voidmaster and other Chapter leaders.
- Dagger (Kyndzhal) Company - Made up entirely of Astarted blooded by dozens of campaigns, the 2nd Company functions as advanced recon. Usually the first into unknown territory, their modus operandi sees them gathering intel and dispatching enemy leaders with long-range fire.
- Spear (Tryzub) Company - One of the five main Battle companies of the chapter, its primary modus is to spearhead assaults deep into enemy weak points and leave them vulnerable for other companies to exploit.
- Sword (Shashka) Company - The most aggressive of the Battle companies, it is filled with those Astartes who feel the bloodlust and joy of combat most of all. 'Sword' works best in conjunction with ‘Spear’ to break enemy morale once a breach is open.
- Hammer (Molotok) Company - A rapid deployment company, the name 'Hammer' is anything but proverbial. They descend upon the enemy in boarding torpedoes and drop pods, smashing any resistance in their wake.
- Mace (Bulava) Company - The most eerie of all companies, 'Mace' company utilizes displays of terror and dread upon the enemies of Humanity. Their forte are terror attacks using flamers, explosives, and heavy bombardment which leave the enemy stunned as they face opposition, all in the name of the Emperor of Mankind.
- Claw (Kulak) Company - Rapid deployment is not only the bread and butter of the 'Hammer' company. Talon deploy from descending ceramite birds of prey, using jump packs and overwhelming force in the enemy's core to destabilize and crush any foe.
- Shield (Bronya) Company - The 3rd Reserve Company is made up of Initiates who have proven themselves in the arts of Battleline and Support warfare and now train in the Breacher Assault roles.
- Mortar (Buklya) Company - The 2nd Reserve Company is made up of Initiates who have proven themselves in the arts of Battleline warfare and now train in Support roles.
- Initiate (Novochok) Company - The 1st Reserve company is made up entirely of new recruits who train in Battleine roles.
- Provisional (Primaris) Company - The 11th was created upon the delivery of Primaris reinforcements to the Chapter. It is a provisional organization and considered a battle company in all but name. The Voidborne Primaris brothers have slowly begun reinforcing the main Boyar companies ever since.
Ranks[]
Officer Ranks[]
- Knyaz (Voidmaster)
- Voevoda (Captain)
- Laytanat (Lieutenant)
- Verhovni Komandyr (High Commander)
- Komandyr (Commander) - provisional rank of the 11th Primaris Company
Voidborne Apothecary Artem Chumay
Specialist Ranks[]
Many of the rank names the Voidborne use are limited to their own cant, used exclusively for inter-Chapter communications. When addressing outsiders, however, they use Codex-compliant rank nomenclature as much for ease of coordination as secrecy.
- Svazhtanik (Master of Sanctity, Relusiarch and Chaplains)
- Lakarnik (Master of the Apothecarion and Apothecaries)
- Vezhtaik (Chief Librarian and Librarians)
- Uchenik (Master of the Forge and Techmarines)
- Marzhalik (Ancients (Standard Bearers)
- Chudevik (Chapter and Company Champions)
Line Ranks[]
- Votrok (Veteran Sergeant)
- Riyter (Sergeant)
- Bulavy (Veteran)
- Boyar (Battle-Brothers and Scout Marines)
- Novochnik (Aspirant)
Specialist Units & Formations[]
- Aketon Guard - Personal Honour Guard of the Voidmaster.
Chapter Recruitment[]
The Voidborne recruit almost exclusively in space, and from almost any source they can find. Armed with tithes granted by the Administratum, the Chapter may recruit from any Imperial ships in their area of operation, save those of the Holy Ordos, Adeptus Mechanicus, and Imperial Household itself. Often these ships take the form of mass haulers taking pilgrims to Shrine worlds, Imperial Navy penal vessels, cargo convoys, and others. They have also been known to recruit from retinues and households of less prominent or bankrupt Rogue Traders and Nobles whom they share their territories, and appropriate treaties, with.
Challenges and tests are conducted with the aspirants that put them through life-threatening gauntlets and pit them against captured enemies and each other to separate the weeds from the bloom. The surviving aspirants are then transferred to the Chapter Monastery, The Tempest Eye for implantation and training.
Combat Combat Doctrine[]
Voidborne Commander Khazan Shiben of the 11th Company.
Weapons and Armor[]
The Voidborne use their tithe to acquire weapons and armor from various Forge Worlds in the galaxy, but mostly focus on those whose political leaning favors them, such as the forge worlds of Xanur Prime and Gherian Zeta. Still, the supply runs are infrequent and it is often that the brothers of the Armory have to scavenge, repurpose, or recover gear for such is life in the Void. This has led to many battle brothers mixing armor marks over the years, so much so that the Tech marines have had to rediscover new ways of connecting armors with power plants and vice versa. Their charge is such that maintenance can be done on the bare necessities to keep the wargear functional leading to the rapid discoloring of many armors over the centuries, each taking on a rustic, tarnished hue.
Many of the Chapters weapons and armors are a mix of patterns, mostly due to having various sources to choose from, but also due to persistent yet reverent retrieval of wargear from other Chapters, usually whatever was left on Space Hulks and abandoned ships or void stations. The wargear is diligently cared for and, often, returned to the parent chapter should the Voidborne cross paths with them at any time. This practice has led many Chapters to form bonds of honor, blood, and brotherhood with the Voidborne, but equally as many have found the practice akin to sacrilegious tomb raiding and theft.
Chapter Fleet[]
The Voidborne hold no treaties or accords that allow them to settle inhabited words, instead being granted a tithe and writ which allows them to scour any Imperial fleet, save those of the Holy Ordos, Adeptus Mechanicus, and Imperial Household itself, for recruits.
Fortress-Monastery[]
The Tempest Eye is the massive Fortress Monastery of the Voidborne chapter. A Ramilles Class Star-fort upgraded and modified over the centuries to accommodate the needs of the Chapter, it now holds all of the Chapter's Reserve Companies and major training facilities somewhere in interstellar space in the Eastern fringe and is mostly used as a mobile resupply platform for the Chapter's crusades.
The Storm Fleet[]
- Main article: The Storm Fleet
The Chapter has acquired several dozen ships across the centuries, each in a different and unique way. Some were recovered from space hulks, some gifted for unwavering service, and others simply taken from enemy fleets and repurposed for the Chapter's use. This practice has created a rather unique and, some would think, mismatched fleet of ships. Most are scouting or runner vessels used to scan sectors for enemy activity or make supply runs to friendly planets respectively, however the main fleet is made up of six vessels of the line.
Chapter Culture[]
Primaris Judicar Batu Temuunen of the 3rd Company.
Unlike many other Chapters, the Voidborne's culture was never developed from a single world, instead, it is a result of the amalgamation of many different aspirants' cultures from all over the Imperium. While initially dominated by the culture of their parent Chapter, the Voidborne very quickly evolved their own mien, that of outwardly-stoic warrior philosophants with a joyous yet bloodthirsty undercurrent. Internally the Chapter's mannerisms, outlook, and even language are completely different than what they appear to display to outsiders, being extremely secretive about all things regarding themselves. This curiosity was never developed as part of some deliberate scheme, quite the opposite, it has come into being as a consequence of long-term isolation in deep space. Voidborne trust their Battle-Brothers of other chapters as well as Imperial society only as much as is needed to accomplish any duty they are called upon to do, exceptions notwithstanding.
As they were initially a subset of the White Scars culture, many founding Battle-Brothers found their life in claustrophobic void-spanning coffins bleak and unbearable, the only thing holding their sanity in check was their dedication to duty and trust in the Emperor's plan. They created any means to stave off idle thought from gladiatorial bouts, to mock battles, and even blood sports with captured enemies. But as time went on and new generations of aspirants diversified the gene pool, the joys of riding on thundering mechanical beasts with the wind in their hair faded, yet were never truly gone.
From these initial cravings Rozgin was born, a form of recreational contest that pitted Battle Brothers against each other in a gauntlet race, often organized in celebration of victory, usually among the remains of enemy void vessels. A favored pastime, it was often done in Stormtalons or Xiphon interceptors, though some skilled pilots managed particularly glorious and dangerous runs in Thunderhawk gunships much to the dismay of the Master of the Forge. This and many other pastimes were created as a manner of socialization, competition, and celebration and have been almost ritualized to the point of being essential.
Relations with Chapter Sefs[]
Each Battle-Brother is assigned a serf, a Kabaliy, who cares for his wargear when not on campaign. It is considered a position of honor in the Chapter as every Kabaliy is either a failed aspirant who did not have it in them to become an Astartes, and yet somehow survived, or part of their family bound in service to the Chapter. These serfs remain with the chapter for life, some often tending to the wargear of many different Battle-Brothers over the years, while some serve one master for generations. Battle-Brothers show their serfs the same kind of respect as they do their peers, for without a Kabaliy their wargear would fail them, and without them the Kabaliy would be dead or designated for servitor duty.
Chapter language[]
Over the millennia the Voidborne have developed an internal language used exclusively in their own ships or over internal communications. The language is significantly different from Gothic and draws its origins from the void cant used on many ships in the eastern regions of Segmentum Ultima. Not as complex as High Gothic, it is more akin to its standardized, widely used variant in terms of grammar, but phonetically it is different in many ways, appearing to Imperial ears as more guttural and falling far less smoothly off the tongue. When outsiders hear it, they liken it to insults being thrown to-and-fro, and those who learn to understand it somewhat due to proximity or training, find the exuberant use of diminutives and metaphoric figures as well as the emphasis and annunciation of consonants create a sort of cypher built into the language that the Voidborne understand with ease while outsiders have trouble understanding the meanings shared.
Its primary function is as a battle cant used in combat communications, which necessitates standardization of call signs, ranks, and orders, but it has developed into its own form of conversational speech as well, allowing brothers to discuss in private while still being in company. While the spoken variant is often introduced and learned verbally, there is no written language since the Voidborne found no use for it over the years, instead using Gothic for these purposes.
Chapter Gene-Seed[]
The Chapter's gene-seed, like that of their primogenitor, is stable and devoid of any mutations, though after nearly 5000 years of isolation some superficial curiosities have surfaced, like the expedited hair and beard growth. In keeping with their primogenitors, many younger Voidborne become aggressive and display a need to engage the enemy and to feel the rush of hand-to-hand combat. The feeling is often described as "overwhelming joy" by the Voidborne.
Notable Members[]
Notable Characters[]
Other Notable Characters[]
- Voidmaster (Knyaz) Tasyen Krall - The 1st Voidmaster and patriarch of the Voidborne Chapter.
- Voidmaster (Knyaz) Nikumoj Kronin - Voidmaster during the First Tyrannic War
- Chief Apothecary (Lakarnyik) Lenard Hridlik - Senior Apothecary and master of the Chapter's Apothecarion.
- Reclusiarch (Svazhtanik) Baran Bacall - Senior Chaplain and master of the Chapter's Reclusiam.
- Master of the Forge (Uchenyik) Cessemir Bratis - Senior Techmarine and master of the Chapter's Armoury.
- Chief Librarian (Vezhtayik) Leonide Karakala - Senior Librarian and master of the Chapter's Librarium
- Captain (Voevoda) Ambrosius Kazillias - Current commander of the Logisticiam and Master of the Marches.
- Captain (Voevoda) Aspar Bassa - Current commander of the Chapter's 2nd Company ('Dagger').
- Captain (Voevoda) Naul Abates - Current commander of the Chapter's 4th Company ('Sword').
- Captain (Voevoda) Gesimund Odovacar - Current commander of the Chapter's 5th Company ('Hammer').
- Captain (Voevoda) Vithmir Aligern - Current commander of the Chapter's 6th Company ('Mace').
- Captain (Voevoda) Aithan Hadua - Current commander of the Chapter's 7th Company ('Talon').
- Captain (Voevoda) Rhima Valamer - Current commander of the Chapter's 8th Company ('Shield').
- Captain (Voevoda) Faustas Vekeris - Current commander of the Chapter's 9th Company ('Mortar').
- Captain (Voevoda) Narin Kegen - Current commander of the Chapter's 10th Company ('Initiates').
Chapter Relics[]
The Voidborne hold many relics, mostly weapons, and armor worn by the heroes of the chapter over the centuries. One notable set is that of their founder, Tasyen Krall, a polished Mark IV 'Maximus' pattern armor with a history as old as the Imperium of Man, ensconced in a stasis field aboard The Tempest Eye in the mortuary crypt of the Voidmasters, and only removed in rare cases when the Voidblade champion is requested.
- Panoply of Quan Zhou - Mastercrafted Mark IV 'Maximus' pattern armor work by the first Voidmaster, Tasyen Krall. Worn into battle by Voidblade Edik Koshla.
- Boyna Panoply - Tartaros pattern Terminator armor, worn into battle by the Voidmater Vaslav Daro
- Kozak Panoply - Crusade pattern Artificer armor, worn into battle by 3rd 'Spear' Company Captain, Nathanail Hadrian
Deathwatch Service[]
Pict-capture of Deathwatch Veteran Sergeant Drakkan Koval
Many Voidborne Battle-Brothers have served and yet serve in the Deathwatch. The honorable treaties between the Chapter and the Xenos hunting Chamber Militant have paid dividends to the Chapter in centuries past, not least because of their experience and knowledge in fighting the likes of Tau and Tyranids. Lieutenant Szambor Tulsa o proved invaluable at the siege of Gherian Zeta when one of the tendrils of Hive Fleet Kraken, a minor one by comparison to most, assaulted the world for a full three years. It was only with the knowledge of Brothers like Tulsa and other Deathwatch Veterans that the Chapter and their Mechanicus and Astra Militarum allies prevailed.
Notable current and former Deathwatch Veterans:
- Lieutenant (Laytanat) Szambor Tulsa - Returned to the Chapter, current Lieutenant of the 3rd 'Spear' Company
- Sergeant (Riyter) Drakkan Koval - Serving the Long Vigil
- Codicier (Vezhtayik) Jarslaw Kubelik - Serving the Long Vigil
- Sergeant (Riyter) Jaris Nokto - Deceased, cause of death: bifurcated by Crusher Carnifex
- Veteran Sergeant (Knyaz'ya Riyter) Medved Labow - Deceased, cause of death: REDACTED
Chapter Appearance[]
Voidborne Chapter heraldry and appearance.
Chapter Colours[]
The Voideborne primarily wear unpainted battle-plate, with the exception of their shoulder pauldrons which are painted a deep black. In lieu of the usual Codex-proscribed squad specialty and specialist markings, the Voideborne prefer to utilize their own unique variations, which are also the same grey color that matches their unpainted power armor. Squad specialty symbols are as follows:
- Battleline - Single chevron.
- Support - Four arrows forming an 'X'.
- Veteran - A large crux.
- Apothecary - A large bifurcated skull with a Prime Helix symbol centered within.
- Chaplain - A large skull centered above two crossed femurs forming an 'X' ('skull and bones').
- Librarian - A large skull crowned by an Iron Halo.
- Command - A skull with a scroll underneath it, often including a word of devotion or name of the wearer.
Chapter Badge[]
The Voidborne's Chapter badge consists of a large stylized grey-coloured eye centered upon a field of deep black.
Helmet Markings[]
Per the Codex, the Voidborne also make use of uniquely colored helmets to help designate the various ranks and specialists of their Chapter:
- Battleline (Boyar) - Grey helmet.
- Sergeant (Riyter) - Grey helmet with a golden skull or crux centered upon the forehead.
- Commander (Kamandyr) - Grey helmet with a golden skull or crux centered upon the forehead.
- Lieutenant (Laytanat) - Grey helmet with a black vertical stripe painted upon the forehead with a golden skull or crux is centered upon it.
- Captain (Voevoda) - Grey helmet with a black faceplate and a golden skull or crux centered upon the forehead.
- Voidmaster (Knyaz) - A white helmet with a golden skull or crux centered upon the forehead.
Specialist Helmet Markings[]
- Chaplain (Svazhtanik) - Black helmet with a skull faceplate and a golden skull or crux centered upon the forehead
- Librarian (Vezhtayik) - Blue helmet with a golden skull or crux centered upon the forehead.
- Apothecary (Lakarnyik) - White helmet.
- Techmarine (Uchenyik) - Red helmet.
Brotherhood & Squad Markings[]
Voidborne Company and squad markings are unified on the right knee pad or greave
Company or squad markings are merged upon the right knee or greave, dependent on the armor Mark. All company markings are black and ceramite silver, while the squad markings are painted in silver or white High Gothic numerals.
- 1st Company - Diagonally split right armor plate
- 2nd Company - Vertically split right armor plate
- 3rd Company - Vertical stripe through the middle of the right armor plate
- 4th Company - Left-sided diagonal stripe through the middle of the right armor plate
- 5th Company - Horizontally split right armor plate
- 6th Company - Upright chevron upon the right armor plate
- 7th Company - Downward chevron upon the right armor plate
- 8th Company - Right-sided diagonal stripe through the middle of the right armor plate
- 9th Company - Two vertical stripes along the sides of the right armor plate
- 10th Company - None
- 11th company - None, Primaris apply company markings upon reassignment
Relations[]
Allies[]
- Forge-World Gherian Zeta
- Forge-World Xanur Prime
- Rogue trader House Von Tannen
Enemies[]
Notable Quotes[]
By the Voidborne[]
About the Voidborne[]
- "See before you the might of the Voidborne Chapter, their fleet a formidable force that traverses the endless void with awe-inspiring grace and power."
- —Zerafin Serahylon to a newly inducted Primaris Space Marine of the Angels of Anguish Chapter.
- "Amidst the boundless expanse of the void, the Voidborne Chapter find their strength, for they are forged in the crucible of the stars. Embrace the darkness like the Voidborne, my brothers and sisters, for within it lies the canvas of our destiny. We are not bound by the limits of the earthen grounds, but rather, we are liberated by the infinite possibilities of the cosmos. Let the void be our guide, and with each step we take beyond the stars, let our spirits soar, knowing that we are the chosen protectors of the heavens. Embrace the void, and let it ignite the flames of our purpose, for it is in the darkness that our true brilliance shines."
- —Fleet-Mistress Aahlani Casida of the Aasvogels, admiring the Voidborne Chapter while addressing her fleet.
- "Very few remember the roots of the Vth Legion being deeply rooted in the darkness of the void prior to the arrival of our gene-father, the Khagan. Even fewer know how to harness this latent potential that runs through the veins of every scion of the former Star Hunters. These predators of the infinite expanse, the Voidborne, they have done both and carried out the latter far beyond what the Star Hunters of old were able to achieve. They have my begrudging respect, despite their lack of fervor in honouring the Khagan's ancient rites."
- — Cavus Khro'Szaruk Vyzhnir of the Lightning Wraiths' 4th Pillar of Wisdom.
| Nineteenth Founding Space Marine Chapters | |
|---|---|
| Dark Angels Successors | • |
| White Scars Successors | Voidborne • |
| Space Wolves Successors | N/A |
| Imperial Fists Successors | Charnel Hammers • Knights of Sol • |
| Blood Angels Successors | Ashen Angels (Wardens of Ash) • Auricblood Knights • |
| Iron Hands Successors | • |
| Ultramarines Successors | Knights of the Silver Blade • |
| Salamanders Successors | Ashborne Drakes • |
| Raven Guard Successors | Ashen Crows • Horned Machetes • |
| Unknown Lineage | Sin Seekers • Storm Knights • |
| Renegades | War Lions • |
Gallery[]
Chapter Appearance[]
Miniatures[]
