Jalente System, Aetelian Sector, Ultima Segmentum. 719 M41
Time is a fascinating concept. For you, the Great Crusade had been a year ago, but for the wider galaxy it´s been ten millennia, and it had only taken a year to get you up to date on everything that had transpired in that time. At the beginning, you almost thought that the Inquisitor was insane, due to the sheer impossibility of what he told you. The Warmaster leading a rebellion against the Emperor with half of the Legions? The shattering of the loyal legions into Chapter and the traitor ones into warbands? Most of the Primarchs missing, dead or turned into daemons? The fact that the Imperial Truth was wrong, with Dark Gods, and Daemons now proven fact? The Emperor confined to the Golden Throne and worshiped as a god? Madness, sheer insanity, laughable in every conceivable way. And complete and utter truth, with plenty of evidence to prove it.
The fact that your Legion and Primarch are among the Traitors doesn´t surprise you. The situation was degenerating at a rapid pace with the influx of Nostraman criminals, and the Primarch, despite his promising start, wasn´t able to put a stop to it. You only kept command of the 63rd by proving yourself skilled enough, smart enough to generate an image of strength, and even then you had to let things slide, knowing that your Marines only bothered with following your orders because it allowed them to torture and terrorize. It was natural then, that the promise of abandoning even that thin margin of restrain would convince them to betray every oath they swore. And what Curze had done to Nostramo… You despised that dark sick planet, but there was no justice in blowing up… Only desperation and sick sadism.
During this year, you and your companions had been staying in the inquisitorial Fortress in the system. The first few weeks you were extensible tested for corruption, a potential consequences of fighting against the xenos you now recognize as daemons of Tzeench. It had been a somewhat painful process, but you had done worse to others regularly during Compliances. Once your purity was proven, the Inquisitor had left you mostly alone, arguing that he needed to debate with his peers what to do next. You have fallen into a routine of training and reading all unclassified documents in the Inquisitorial Fortress, the few of them there are. Your reading an account of the Age of Apostasy when Inquisitor Harker summons you to his quarters, where you arrive after a short walk. Two stormtroopers guard the door, but they let you inside after announcing your arrival. The room is furnished sparsely, with just a cot, a wardrobe and a bureau covered with parchment and dataslates. Behind that desk Inquisitor Harker sits, his face set in his characteristic grim expression.
"I took a great risk taking you in." He starts. "The vast majority of my colleagues would´ve shot you without a second thought, among them most of the Inquisitors that know of this fortress."
"Why did you do it then?" He doesn´t answer for a moment, before letting a defeated sigh.
"My old mentor has a… project she´s working towards, and you and your men would be beneficial for its success."
You nod in understanding. Despite the censorship on most of the inquisitorial records, what you´re able to discern does indicate that the Inquisition is secretive, ambitious, and for the most part, divided. "And what is that project?"
"It will be best if she explains it." The door opens, letting in one of the stormtroopers outside. As the door closes she removes her helmet, revealing a face far older than that of a soldier on active duty. Wrinkles and scars cover her features in equal measure, with thinning white hair in her head and a smile that reveals that most of his teeth are metallic replacements. You can hear the sound of machinery of bionic organs and the relieved sigh she lets as Harker cedes his seat to her does not inspire confidence. However, you don´t miss how her pale blue eyes examine you, with a focus and intellect that reminds you of the old Legion Master, before an Eldar Autarch beheaded him. A dangerous woman, this one.
"Apologies for the disguise." She gestures at the uniform, speaking with a kindly, soft voice. "But when you reach my age and rank, there are enough foes and rivals out to for your blood that discretion is always needed. Lady Inquisitor Ingfried Von Moltke, Ordo Astartes, at your service."
"Captain Severus of the Eight Legion." She snorts in amusement.
"I know who you are Captain. The Imperium has lost much, but there are still plenty of records of the Traitor Legions, despite the efforts of other Inquisitors. You were born on one of the old prison complexes under one of Europa Hive Cities, selected for induction into the Eight Legion during the First Founding of the Legions. A mostly unremarkable service record, except for it´s length and one particular incident, …"
Choose One Option:
-[] During the destruction of the Saragorn Enclaves on Terra, you and your squad clashed against the culmination of it´s experiments on psy-breeding. You alone survived against its psychic might and slew him in turn. (+1 Willpower)
-[] When your company was tasked with the elimination of the High Hierarch of Anfora, you kidnaped him, torturing him for weeks while his forces desperately searched for you. They found his butchered remains a month later, on his manor where you had been the whole time. (+1 Agility)
-[] You killed Warboss Trigurg HedKrumpa in single combat, tearing him limb by limb with your hands. (+1 Strength)
-[] Your drop-pod crashed behind enemy lines during the Alarian Xenocides. After five days of non-stop fighting, you managed to regroup with your company and concluded the campaign, despite suffering multiple wounds. (+1 Toughness.)
-[] When part of the nobility of the Hive World of Erfurt rebelled against the Imperium, you sabotaged the waste disposal units of the Noble houses spires, drowning them, their lineages and their servants in their own filth. The other nobles fell in line. (+1 Intelligence)
-[] Thanks to your keen senses, you detected an ambush from an Eldar Strike Force that had manipulated the world of Tarca into a civil war. Without the element of surprise, you and your men inflicted heavy casualties on the xenos, forcing them to flee. (+1 Perception)
-[] You concluded the Complience of Fertoa by instigating a general insurrection in its population, making them fear you more than they feared the gene-forged enforcers of its tyrant. (+1 Fellowship)
"…Then you were declared Lost to the Warp in 983.M30, until know."
You raise an eyebrow. "I´m flattered that you´ve bothered to investigate me, but I would like if you start explaining what you want out of me and my men."
"Due to the increasing threats to the Imperium, the High Lords of Terra have sanctioned a new Founding of Space Marine Chapters, the 26th. Right now, the Mechanicus is already selecting the geneseed for the raising of the new chapters, but there are plenty of progenoids that aren´t for selection, despite being in perfect condition."
You can easily conclude what she´s talking about. "That of the Traitor Legions."
She nods. "Exactly. My associates and I are displeased by this waste, and we spent decades lobbying to the Senatorium Imperialis to correct this. Fortunately, we recently received approval to make a test run, so to speak. A single chapter of Traitor stock, under strict watch from the Inquisition. Only one last hurdle remained, the lack of experienced Astartes willing to lead a chapter with traitor blood. Then you arrived. A veteran Captain of the Great Crusade, a Marine born on Holy Terra who laid eyes on the God-Emperor Himself, back when he still walked among us." She mentions the Master of Mankind with awe and religious fervor, and if the two inquisitors notice your displeasure at the nomenclature, they choose not to remark on it. "That´s what I need you for, to lead a chapter of your own gene-line in the defense of the Imperium. If by the next Founding your chapter remains loyal and active, more traitor geneseed will be used."
"And what about my men?" You never really spoke with Valzadai and Karark Zel, and Myrok Kuthil always seemed to avoid you, but they are the only familiar people you have in this strange times.
She shrugs. "Take them with you, you´ll need experience officers. So, do you accept?
"Yes." There is no way you´ll refuse. The fact that she or Harker might kill you if you refuse is irrelevant. You were made in order to fight for the Imperium, to vanquish its foes and bring order to Mankind. The Eight Legion glories are ash, its scions degenerate murderers and it´s Primarch a rotting corpse, but you have a chance of bringing back it´s true spirit back to life.
And you won´t waste it.
"Excellent. Then we have much to discuss concerning your chapter. First of all is the organization of your chapter…."
Will your chapter follow the precepts of the Codex Astartes?
-[] Yes. If there was something the Lord of the Thirteenth excelled at, that was at logistics and organization. It is the basis of most Chapters and you can see what it is so. (Your chapter follows the organization of the Codex Astartes.)
-[] No. The precepts of Guilliman may be appropriate for others, but there aren´t something you find amenable for warriors of the Eight. (You disagree with one or more teachings of the Codex. Write-in the changes you want to make in their categories. If you don´t want to change that particular part, leave it blank.)
-[] Number of Companies (The standard is 10):
-[] Company Roles (the standard is 10th Company are Scouts, 9th 8th 7th and 6th are Reserve, 5th 4th 3rd and 2nd are Battle Companies, and Lastly, 1st are Veterans and Terminators.):
-[] Marine Distribution in Companies (The standard Battle Companies have 6 Tactical Squads, 2 Devastators, and 2 Assault Squad. The standard Reserve Companies are full of marines of 1 type (6th and 7th Tacticals, 8th Devastators, 9th Assault), 1st has Veterans and 10th scouts. Each also has a Command Squad, formed by the Captain, an Apothecary , a Chaplain, a Standard Bearer and a Company Champion.)
-[] Other Changes (Apothecaries and Chaplains in one role, Dreadnought can be captains, You don´t have scouts…. Whatever you may like):
-[] Numbers: The Inquisition forbids this.
"And where will my new Chapter be located?"
"Here in the Aetelian Sector." Harker replies "The previous Chapter that guarded this sector, the Wind Watchers, fell to Ruinous Powers in M39 and since then a replacement has been needed. Besides, I´m the Inquisitorial agent that will monitor your Chapter, so it will be more convenient for me to do so."
"Will we be stationed in the old Wind Watchers homeworld?" It will be convenient to have an already built infrastructure, even if it had some millennia of misuse.
"Gashuudal was subjected to Exterminatus with cyclonic torpedos." States Harker. "However, I have a list of planets that would be suitable for your needs, especially taking into account the particularities of your geneline."
Choose a Homeworld:
-[] Orellana, Feral World.
-Vast jungles cover the continents of this planet, except for the magnetic poles. The flora of the planet is of surprising resilience and size, with the canopy of the jungles obscuring the light of the systems star almost in its totality. As such, both the fauna and the local human tribes are well adapted to low light environments. This tribes live in a state of constant warfare against each other, so the Administratum tithe is collected from Voidborn living in an orbiting space station, which regularly descent to trade with the tribes, exchanging natural resources for medicine and weaponry. (Bonus to Neophyte Quality and Fortress Monastery Defensibility, Great Penalties to Industrial Development.)
-[] Braicam, Feudal World.
-Possesing a single continent, Braicam medieval kingdom is constantly struggling against tribes of Feral Orks that populate the planets mountainous regions. Otherwise, it is an unremarkable world, except for the fact that it rains every single day, keeping the planet in constant low luminosity. (Great Bonus to Neophyte Quality, Penalty to Industrial Development and Fortress Monastery Defensibility.)
-[] Milae, Civilized World.
-A cold, mountainous world. Milae´s population mainly lives out of the mining of various precious resources from the planets depths, including a rather sizable deposit of adamantium. Milae sun is a red star, and it barely lights the planet. (Bonus to Industrial Development and Neophyte Quantity, Great Penalties to Neophyte Quality)
-[] Zatloczony Tertius, Hive World.
-Zatloczony Tertius hosts a population of hundreds of billions, concentrated on the four hive cities of the planet. While theoretically under the control of House Szymansky, in practice they only control the capital, with the rulers of the other hives paying lip service at best when not actively conspiring against it. Millenia of industrial pollution had made it so that toxic fumes and pollutions cover completely the atmosphere. (Great Bonus to Neophyte Quantity and Industrial Development, Extreme penalty to Defensibility)
-[] Luctus, Death World.
-A previously prosperous world, a Dark Age of Technology weapon detonated on its surface, covering the planet on a deep almost impenetrable mist, poisonous enough to kill humans in minutes and even unarmored Space Marines in hours. The human population lives in underground vault, occasionally emerging to plunder the ruins in search of ancient technology, braving the mutated wildlife and deadly air. (Great Bonus to Neophyte Quality and Defensibility, Extreme Penalty to Neophyte Quantity)
-[] Fleet-Based Chapter
-None of this options appeal to you, your chapter will remain fleet based, constantly travelling the sector. (You can have multiple recruitment worlds, but acquiring them will require negotiations and availability of recruits might vary.)
QM note: To avoid the mess of last vote count, please vote by plan
