Bulwark Against The Terror (Warhammer 40k Chapter Master Quest)

You are a son of Vulkan, the Great Dragon, the Blacksmiter, the Hammer of Salvation.

You bear his blood within your veins, a genetic legacy of ten thousand years.

You are a hero of the Salamanders, a proven warrior and leader entrusted with a sacred task.

You alone have been appointed to shepherd and guide, to command and shape the first Successor Chapter the scions of Nocturne have ever produced.

But who are you?


[] Captain N'Varr of the 4th Company, Master of the Fleet.

N'Varr is relatively young amongst the Salamanders' officer cadre, yet he has shown much promise as a diplomat and an administrator. He has implemented several reorganizations within the Chapter fleet that have already proven their effectiveness, and master-minded the logistics of multiple sector-wide campaigns with a talent that borders on genius. His diplomatic skills have also earned him much renown, arranging to bring warring imperial factions to the negotiating table on many occasions, welding disparate armies that would otherwise have been at each other's throats together into coherent alliances, resolving disputes and soothing bruised egos.

But for all that, he has yet to truly prove himself as a Captain upon the Anvil of War. Certainly, he has led the 4th Company to many victories, but he has never been thrust into a position of sole command over a desperate battle against overwhelming odds, where the responsibility for the survival of entire worlds depends on him and him alone. Such inexperience could prove fateful for a newly-founded Chapter, yet Tu'Shan sees that it could allow him to come into his own, and put his talents to use.


[] Captain Shal'Dar of the 6th Company, Master of Relics

Vulkan was known across the galaxy for his compassion, and desire for peace. Yet when roused by injustice and cruelty, the Great Dragon's wrath was beyond compare, like a pyroclastic cloud erupting to consume all before it. It is this burning anger that Shal'Dar embodies, perhaps better than any other Salamander alive.

A rarity among the Sons of Vulkan, Shal'Dar was not born on Nocturne but the planet of Talovon, the last survivor of his tribe discovered by a Salamander strike force in the wake of a Dark Eldar raid. Since then, he has carried with him a hatred for the Eldar species that borders on obsession, one that has brought him to the attention of the Chaplains time and again. Yet each time his fury has been judged pure, and he has risen through the ranks by the virtue of his martial prowess and unflinching zeal. Never once has his wrath fallen upon the innocent, always taking care to direct his unforgiving attention towards the myriad enemies of mankind. Yet even so many see the brutality with which he conducts war and the grim satisfaction he takes in his work, and wonder if the Promethean Flame burns perhaps too brightly in him. Nevertheless, it is an age of unrelenting war, and perhaps the Imperium has need of more warriors like Shal'Dar.


[] Veteran Sergeant Ko'Tan.

By tradition, the First Captain of the Salamanders leads the Chapter, the seat of Chapter Master held in reserve for the Primarch's return. Thus, when Tu'Shan is called upon to handle the matters of the greater Chapter, oversight of the First Company falls to the senior-most Sergeant of the Firedrakes as his deputy. Ko'Tan has held this position for a century and a half, proving his dedication, worth and talent over and over again.

It was he who led elements of four different Companies in the purge of Hive Fleet Turso, repelling the foul Tyranids and saving the Forge World of Har-Chothon. It was he who defeated and killed Warsmith Quixus the Unmaker in personal combat, avenging a millenia-old grudge the Salamanders held against the Iron Warrior lord for the massacre of the Yrridian Hive. It was he who shattered the Drukhari host predating upon the world of Talovon, commanding only three squads of Salamanders against many times their number in Eldar raiders. In truth, Ko'Tan's experience and accolades exceed many of the Salamanders higher officers, and under ordinary circumstances he would have ascended to the rank of Captain long ago.

However, it was on the world of Ochilon-Three that Ko'Tan's rising star was dulled. When the robotic Necrontyr awakened from their tombs beneath the planet, roused by the chaos of the campaign taking place above, he chose to make an informal peacefire with the Heretic Astartes Warband known only as the Unforged. He reasoned that his first duty was to protect the civilian population under his care, and the traitors would distract the xenos sufficiently to allow the Salamanders to evacuate the planet. This alone would not have caused such uproar, but he chose to continue the ceasefire even after leaving Ochilon-Three behind, allowing the heretics to limp away when he had the opportunity to finish them for good. When questioned upon his return to Nocturne, Ko'Tan himself simply held that his honour would not allow him to strike, before submitting himself to judgement.

While there are many who sympathized with his decision, the fact still stands that he extended mercy to traitors, enough to disquiet even the most compassionate of the Sons of Vulkan. Whilst he was never officially censured, neither would he be allowed to progress further in the ranks. Tu'Shan now recognizes the inception of the Salamanders' first Successor Chapter as a chance for Ko'Tan to redeem himself, for not even his greatest detractors could dispute that he is more qualified to lead the new Chapter than anyone save the venerable Pellas Mir'San, who has already refused the honour. He is a peerless warrior and a proven commander, yet still a dark shroud hangs over him. For it is also a punishment of a sort, to leave beloved Nocturne and his brothers behind to found a new brotherhood amongst the stars.


[] Forgefather Vulkan Tor'Kell.

Tor'Kell's ascendancy to the mantle of Forgefather was one marked with tragedy, for it was with a heavy heart that Tu'Shan decreed that his predecessor, Vulkan He'Stan, was to be assumed dead after being missing in action for many years. He'Stan had chased after the Song of Entropy into the webway itself, following a trail of leads alongside two squads drawn from the 7th Company, never to return. Though their loss was keenly felt, particularly tragic was the fact that He'Stan was carrying on him three of the five Artefacts of Vulkan the Salamanders had recovered, the Spear of Vulkan, Kesare's Mantle and the Gauntlet of the Forge.

Though the Sons of Vulkan held out hope for the longest time, eventually Tu'Shan was forced to appoint another Forgefather, for the Quest for Vulkan cannot be halted. Tor'Kell volunteered for the role almost out of desperation, as He'Stan's personal friend and one who had collaborated with the Forgefather to decipher the clues leading into the webway. He swore that he would discover He'Stan's fate and recover the lost Artefacts, or die trying.

Having previously held the position of one of the Chapter's three Masters of the Forge, Tor'Kell dedicated himself to the task with machine-like focus, seeking to trace He'Stan's steps. He claims to have found several possible trails, but the galaxy is vast beyond reckoning and every step fraught with peril, especially in these days. He cannot investigate every lead, not alone.

And so, when the High Lords approached the Salamanders about their intent to found a Successor Chapter, Tor'Kell saw an opportunity. He made his case before the Pantheon Council, that he would take command of the new Chapter, and dedicate it to the Quest. Though of course no Son of Vulkan would ever shirk from their duty to preserve the Imperium, the resources of an entire Chapter would allow the Forgefather to prosecute his search far wider across the galaxy. Breaking with the Forgefather tradition in such a manner is not lightly done, but the loss of three Artefacts already recovered is a spiritual wound each Salamander can feel in their soul, and such a crisis has forced Tu'Shan to consider Tor'Kell's radical proposition.