Solaris Knights
Founding Chapter:
Imperial Fists
Founding:
Between the cursed 21st and the 25th founding
Chapter Master:
Lord Knight Blayke Incansc
Homeworld:
Schorro
Fortress Monastery:
The Blinding Redoubt
Colours:
Deep orange with red trim and yellow soft armour.
Speciality:
Assault (close combat + assault weaponry (flamers, plasma, melta)
Strength:
Current strength stands at about 90-95%, with all Orders save the Order of the Blinding Sun and the Order of the Shining Ray at full strength. The Order of the Blinding Sun and the Shining Ray are at approximately 90% and 80% strength respectively.
Battle Cry:
Purge the darkness, bring the light!
Insignia:
Orange armet in glory facing right.
Organisational Structure:
[Solaris Knights] High Order of the Solaris Knights/[Codex Astartes] HQ
Lord Knight/Chapter Master – Blayke Incansc
Shieldbearers/Honour Guard
Lord Paladin/Chapter Champion – Fhuro Dempter
Lord Librarian – Vero Nihm “The Fireheart”
Lord Chaplain – Torkus
Lord Apothecary – Narhem
Forgelord
Fleetlord
[Solaris Knights] Order of the Red Giant/[Codex Astartes] First Company
Paladin
Chaplain
Apothecary
Standard Bearer
Terminator Grand Knight x4
[Solaris Knights] Order of the Shining Ray/[Codex Astartes] Second Company
Paladin
Chaplain
Apothecary
Standard Bearer
Tactical Grand Knight x6
Assault Grand Knight x2
Devastator Grand Knight x2
Dreadnought
[Solaris Knights] Order of the Burning Light/[Codex Astartes] Third Company
Paladin
Chaplain
Apothecary
Standard Bearer
Tactical Grand Knight x6
Assault Grand Knight x2
Devastator Grand Knight x2
Dreadnought
[Solaris Knights] Order of the Ever-burning Flame/[Codex Astartes] Fourth Company
Paladin
Chaplain
Apothecary
Standard Bearer
Tactical Grand Knight x6
Assault Grand Knight x2
Devastator Grand Knight x2
Dreadnought
[Solaris Knights] Order of the Blinding Sun/[Codex Astartes] Fifth Company [Pre-Calliphon Tragedy]
Paladin - Astantos
Chaplain - Lorev
Apothecary – Umero
Standard Bearer – Sarghom
Tactical Grand Knight Arlus
Tactical Grand Knight Nhoro
Tactical Grand Knight Garno
Tactical Grand Knight Temtor
Tactical Grand Knight Vanis
Tactical Grand Knight Darnem
Assault Grand Knight Veltan
Assault Grand Knight Placta
Devastator Grand Knight Harding
Devastator Grand Knight Morvo
Dreadnought Daedlum
[Solaris Knights] Order of the Luminous Corona/[Codex Astartes] Sixth Company
Paladin
Chaplain
Apothecary
Standard Bearer
Tactical Grand Knight x10
[Solaris Knights] Order of the Swift Illumination/[Codex Astartes] Seventh Company
Paladin
Chaplain
Apothecary
Standard Bearer
Tactical Grand Knight x10
[Solaris Knights] Order of the Searing Flare/[Codex Astartes] Eighth Company
Paladin
Chaplain
Apothecary
Standard Bearer
Assault Grand Knight x10
[Solaris Knights] Order of the Supernova/[Codex Astartes] Ninth Company
Paladin
Chaplain
Apothecary
Standard Bearer
Devastator Grand Knight x10
[Solaris Knights] Order of the Bright Star/[Codex Astartes] Tenth (Scout) Company
Paladin
Chaplain
Apothecary
Standard Bearer
Scout Grand Knights
Each order holds the same number and type of squads as their Codex Astartes company counterpart. The only exceptions in terms of organisation are the novices: aspirants welcomed into the chapter but not yet part of the scout company.
Background
Overview:
Records surrounding the founding of the Solaris Knights, amongst others, have been long lost to the Imperium, although their first recorded deeds place their creation as some point between the cursed 21st founding, and the 25th founding.
Schorro is the homeworld of the Solaris Knights, and is the 2nd planet closest to the sun in its system, part of the Segmentum Pacificus. Its distance from the fiery star has rendered it almost inhospitable, save wandering tribes and a handful of small communities that live however they can off the harsh, arid land. Most of the planet is swathed in desert and cracked, baked earthen plains, but one select area of the world is home to one of the most fascinating jungles for systems around. The alien floras manage to turn the heat and light of the sun’s rays into nourishing water and vitamins which slowly feed the parched earth around them, allowing them to spread. Their origin, however unclear, is welcomed by those tribes which pass close, until they realise that exotic environments breed exotic animals to live within them. The bones found in the sands around the forest aren’t unlucky travellers, fallen and roasted to death, but those who discovered that the oasis they sought was far from refreshing.
It is not surprising, then, that The Blinding Redoubt, the mighty fortress monastery of the Solaris Knights, is housed in the heart of the jungle. Of the few that survive that jungle long enough to discover the monastery, fewer still are of age to become a Space Marine, and so it is that aspirants are lured into the jungle by strange, flashing lights and half-seen images but above all, the fresh scent of water. Those too old for the implants receive what augmentations they are able to in order to enhance their abilities, and join the crews of starships, the senior ranks of the planetary defence force, monastery attendants, or, for a select few, stewards of the jungle: their aims to rile up predators when a group of aspirants draws close and direct the aspirants’ steps; to catalogue the species of the jungle, and to cull them when necessary.
Aspirants who reach the monastery are welcomed in to recover, only to be sent out again in the company of the stewards, where they learn to stalk the dark undergrowth beneath the towering trees. Darker things than mere animals take refuge in the jungle’s cavernous depths, where no light has penetrated the soaring canopies for decades. It is here that the aspirants bring light to those who dwell in darkness, be it the foul greenskins, super fauna, or even lost travellers who have given their souls over to that which lives only in darkness.
Upon their return – should they do so alive or even at all – then they are welcomed into the Solaris Knights. Beginning their days as novices, they receive their first organs and are trained and taught by the Paladin – Captain -, Chaplain, and Apothecary of the Order of the Bright Star - the codex equivalent being the tenth company – so named for the youth and brilliance their scouts represent. During this training, several novices are selected as Pages, the personal attendants to the paladin, chaplain, and apothecary. They receive extra training in the fields of their superiors, with the pages of the paladin usually becoming the Grand Knight – Sergeant – of one of the squads of the Order of the Bright Star; pages of the chaplain following in his footsteps; and of the apothecary swelling the ranks of the medical staff and, eventually, becoming apothecaries in their own right.
Once their training is complete, novices ascend to the Order of the Bright Star and assume fully their roles within the chapter.
Notable Dates:
Solar Eclipse – 142.41M – Unbeknownst to the majority of the Solaris Knights, the whispers of Chaos have penetrated the minds of several of their number over the years leading up to Abaddon’s twelfth black crusade. In the final stages before the assault, the renegades in the ranks of the Solaris Knights finally make themselves known. The Paladin of the 3rd company, the Order of the Burning Light, responds to a distress call from an Imperial Navy fleet under attack by traitorous Imperial vessels. As the order reaches the battle the traitors break off, and the flagship of the Imperial Fleet welcomes a party of representatives from the order onto their vessel. Within minutes, the Imperial Fleet has been brought under the command of the Order of the Burning Flame by the renegades within their ranks.
In-fighting breaks out within the Order as loyal Astartes realise what has happened, and brother fights brother until marines still loyal to the Emperor gain control of a Gladius escort and manage to flee to get word to their brothers. Heretical acts are carried out through most of the orders, however none is close to the scale of the betrayal of the 3rd company. Despite swift actions, a few heretics manage to escape to join the renegades, now calling themselves the Lunar Barons.
Shamed, the remaining loyalists of the Order of the Burning Light announce a crusade against the heretics, vowing not to return until every last one of their fallen brothers is dead.
When a rogue vessel is found returning to Schorro to beg the Lord Knight’s forgiveness, they gladly join the crusade, and impart valuable information about the plans and fleet movements of the Lunar Barons. Within months the Lunar Barons are ambushed by the crusaders as they attempt to raid an Imperial world near the border between the Segmentum Pacificus and the Segmentum Obscurus. No Lunar Barons are left alive, and the crusade is called to an end, its task complete and, redeemed, the name of the order of the Burning Light is restored to its former glory.
The Firestorm - 338.M41 – After a brush with the Eldar Craftworld of Saim-Hann, the Order of the Luminous Corona react to a perceived invasion of a nearby Imperial World by the Eldar warriors. After a quick and bloody battle, the Paladin of the order becomes suspicious of the intentions of the aliens, and breaks protocol by seeking contact with them. It is explained an unknown enemy of great power is to make its way through the system, and that the actions of the Wild Host were done to draw attention to it.
Wary of the xenos’ words, the Paladin nonetheless agrees to entertain the idea, and is advised to order an evacuation of the system. When he refuses to even think about taking such advice from xenos, the Order of the Luminous Corona immediately comes under attack by the Craftworld’s forces, and is forced to flee the system to preserve their fighting strength and collect reinforcements. Some weeks later, they return to find a system of nothing but orbital fields of charred rock.
676.M41 – The bloodied remains of a previously unidentified alien are found near the Fortress Monastery on Schorro. When further remains are discovered, an investigation into them is launched. Soon after the Monastery is besieged by the xenos, having been flushed from their nests, and the chapter stages a stalwart defence of their home, followed by a complete cull of most fauna in the surrounding jungle.
Specimens of most animals are captured and those deemed untainted by the unknown xenos are biologically reproduced and are soon reintroduced to the jungle. Recruitment is halted until the jungle is declared fit for use once again.
When the Tyranids invade the Galaxy a hundred years later, their genes are compared to the stocks of those taken from the feral xenos and are found to be remarkably similar in a lot of respects, hinting that the Tyranid invasion may have been planned for many years beforehand. These claims have been rejected by the Imperium, however they have yet to be openly refuted.
785.M41 – The Unnirex system, suffering constant pirate raids, finally manages to get a distress signal past the psykers of the pirate vessels. Lord Knight Incansc himself leads the 1st company, the Order of the Red Giant, into the system and the pirate vessels are quickly subdued, their contents spread amongst the planets on the Unnirex system and the captured vessels refitted and crewed to serve as a minor defence fleet for the system in the future.
Siege of Vandor Secundus - 850.M41 – The Vandor system rebels, overthrowing Imperial rule. The capital, Vandor Secundus, is heavily fortified in expectation of reprisal attacks. The Solaris Knights dedicate 5 Orders to the cleansing of the Vandor System, ending in the Siege of Vandor Secundus where Paladin Daedlum of the Order of the Blinding Sun sacrifices himself to manually ignite melta charges that failed to detonate remotely beneath the citadel. Against all odds, Daedlum barely survives the destruction of the citadel that had held the siege at bay, and his broken body is entombed in a Dreadnought so that he may continue to serve the Order of the Blinding Sun.
Calliphon Tragedy – 945.M41 – Solaris Knights 5th Company, the Order of the Blinding Sun, responds to a distress signal from Battlefleet Calliphon as they are overwhelmed by an unpredicted Ork invasion of the heart of the Calliphon sector. The greenskins are swiftly beaten both in space and on the surface of Calliphon Prime following the arrival of the Order of the Blinding Sun; however they were simply a means of attempting to cleanse the planet of humans as the Necron tomb beneath the planet’s surface is awakened.
Although the Order of the Blinding Sun fights valiantly against the Necrons, their enemies are simply too great in number and power to be defeated by a single company. The 3rd and 4th companies, the Order of the Burning Light and Ever-Burning Flame respectively, respond to calls for reinforcements but arrive too late to change the tide of battle.
During the evacuation of the few remaining Imperial and Astartes troops, the Blinding Sun Strike Cruiser Shadow’s Bane suffers critical damage from repeated surface-to-orbit attacks by Necron pylons and is crippled beyond repair. After receiving permission from Lord Knight Incansc to perform an Exterminatus the decision is made to crash the damaged cruiser into the planet to neutralise the pylons, allowing the ships of the 3rd and 4th companies to safely get close enough to unleash cyclonic torpedoes against the planet.
With the loss of their strike cruiser and the terrific casualties taken on Calliphon Prime, the Order of the Blinding Sun are reduced to fewer than 15 battle-ready Astartes, and are retired from active duty for a great many years until they are once again strong enough to return to service. For a time, the Order of the Blinding Sun ceases to exist as the remaining veterans temporarily join the Order of the Bright Star to watch over the recruits who would one day refill their ranks.
Paladin Astantos has sworn to exact revenge against the Necrons for what they did to his order, and the Order of the Blinding Sun now train tirelessly in their effort to be ready when their adversaries once again make themselves known.
966.M41 – Morvul IV suffers a heavy raid by the Dark Eldar Kabal of the Hypnotic Eye. A chance passing by the Order of the Shining Ray allows them to intervene and the xenos are forced to retreat back into the webway.
989.M41 – The Order of the Shining Ray are ambushed by Eldar Corsairs en route back to Schorro. Outnumbered, the order’s vessels are quickly boarded by the corsairs, containing many Dark Eldar sporting the familiar appearance of the Kabal of the Hypnotic Eye. In a climactic assault on the bridge of the strike cruiser Brilliance, the Archon of the Hypnotic Eye is slain by Paladin Nostremus and the Eldar are slowly repelled. Despite losing almost 30% of their overall strength in the ambush, the Order of the Shining Ray retain combat-ready numbers.
Total Eclipse - 899999.M41 to present – Worrying reports of systems going dark reach the ears of Lord Knight Incansc. When the Calliphon Sector goes dark, the Orders of the Burning Light, Ever-Burning Flame, and Blinding Sun are sent to investigate. They soon return with the remnants of Battlefleet Calliphon, the vessels of which show signs of weaponry that Paladin Astantos of the Order of the Blinding Sun recognised only too well.
A fleet approaches the Schorro sector; a fleet of unimaginable power; a fleet whose hatred of life knows no bounds. The reports of the battlefleet only serve to reinforce what is already known.
The Necrons return.
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That's what I've got thus far. I'm not sure on the numbers for conflicts (I tried to research and discovered it was pretty much up to the author, and that
GW's numbers are useless) and I think I'm pushing the whole 'knights' thing to the limit, but they're the only real concerns at the moment. The Order of the Blinding Sun haven't been updated yet because I'm still writing the fluff for the Calliphon Tragedy, and I haven't decided just who is going to be part of the remaining 15 marines (aside from Astantos).
