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Here follows a good chunk of fluff for several DIY or semi-DIY chapters...see my post in the Army List forum for how this translates into game terms, but I'm also interested in which one you think is the most interesting/compelling background story...have at it!

-Adso

Celestial Lions



Advantages: Blessed Be The Warriors, Trust Your Battle Brothers
Disadvantages: Aspire To Glory, Have Pride In Your Colors

The Celestial Lions were once a powerful, ancient chapter whose glorious history stretched back to just after the Second Founding. Well known for their loyalty, ferocity, and honor, the Lions were known across the sectors surrounding Elysium VII as benefactors and protectors. Their warrior ethos was so influential and their loyalty so comeplte that they eve raised many regiments of Elysian Drop Troops, trained by Marine Brethren, for the use of the Imperium. However, when they stood against the needless Inquisition virus-bombing of a pacified rebel planet, they incurred the wrath of several Radical inquisitors. These Inquisitors conspired to nearly destroy the Chapter when it was deployed during the Third War For Armageddon. Throwing the Lions against impossibly stacked odds over and over again, sabotaging their supplies, and even materially aiding the Orks with weapons and intelligence, the Radical inquisitors whittled down the Chapter to less than Company strength.
Only a desperate final assault, aided by Elysian Drop Troops who abandoned their own assignments to aid their fellows, managed to receive several Narcethia and genessed packages from fallen Apothacaries before the Orks could loot the bodies. The bloodied Lions then retreated and went into hiding, and are rebuilding their forces on Elysia. Outwardly humbled, the Celestial Lions now burn more fiercely than ever for honor and justice to be served.
Since their near-destruction, the Lions have adopted unusual tactics in addition to their traditional assault-oriented Codex approach, which utilize their few remaining full Marines as well as possible – usually their skills and ferocity are most useful in an assault role – while supplementing them with large numbers of Cubs and Elysian troopers, more loyal to the Marines than the Imperial levy.


Knights Peregrine:

Advantages: Be Swift As The Wind
Disadvantages: Have Faith in Suspicion

Founded after the First Black Crusade to help guard the lesser-known entrances to the Eye of Terror, known as the Fields of Idross, which lie far to the galactic south of the Cadian Gate, the Knights Peregrine are a proud, cold group, long used to surviving with little help from the Imperium. The Knights Peregrine draw their geneseed from the planet Renais VIII, a cold and mountainous world sculpted by glaciers and a harsh orbital loop which keeps in far from the sun. Their recruits come from the hunter tribes and small nations that populate the planets craggy surface, few of whom have progressed beyond simple firearms and coal power – unlike many Chapters, the Knights Peregrine have not gifted their retainers with technology or infrastructure, preferring their warrior skills intact and their minds unclouded.
The Knights range outward from Renais across a huge area of space, responding constantly to Chaos raids and infestations on colonies and isolated outposts. Their duties mean they have pioneered a unique style of warfare based around rapid response and redeployment of bikers and scouts, supported by heavier troops and rarely tied to defensive squads. Indeed, among the Peregrines, duty in one of the bike-mounted “Hunter Squads” is considered far more honorable than duty in infantry “Eyrie Squads.” In addition, their constant battles against Chaos have made them wary and downright contemptuous of psychics, and the Chapter maintains no Librarium for fear of corruption by the Eye.

Sons of Polaris:

Polaris III was an unfortunate choice for a homeworld, in retrospect: far on the Eastern Rim, it lay between the nasceent Tau Empire and the approaching mass of Hive Fleet Behemoth. However, the Sons of Polaris were founded centuries before either threat was understood, as a guard against rebellion and Ork incursion on the far frontiers – and when both the Tyranids and Tau emerged, their trial by fire was harrowing and terrible. Two long centuries of constant defensive holdouts, running battles and desperate attacks on vulnerable enemy supply lines and concentrations left the Chapter harried and desperate. However, the Taros Crusade and some of the reinforcements sent against Hive Fleet Behemoth from the Space Wolves arrived in time to save the Sons of Polaris from devastation, and they then took a leading role in their wars. They serve as assault elements, scouts, and boarding troops across the sector, drawing recruits by company from whatever worlds the fleet they accompany visit.
Their long trial left the Sons with a desire to close with and take vengance on their long time enemies, as well as an intimate understanding of close-range and guerrilla tactics which proved useful against both the Tau and Tyranids. However, their lack of a stable home Forge means they have few or no heavy vehicles, and rely on drop pods and land speeders for support and deployment. This lack is something the Sons are at peace with, though, since it allows them to close to flamer, meltagun, and chainsword range all the more quickly – besides, heavy vehicles are often a liability in the boarding actions and assault roles where the Imperium employs their scattered Companies.

Advantages: Take The Fight To Them, Cleanse and Purify
Disadvantages: Faithful Unto Death, Eye To Eye

Jade Dragons:

Jinyue is a verdant world of river valleys and island chains, home of the Second Founding chapter Jade Dragons, and located on the far Northern edge of the Terran Sector. The Jade Dragons are closely tied to the mythology and culture of their world because of their age – unlike many more recent Foundings, the Dragons have lived with and among the people on Jinyue for many, many thousands of years. However, Jinyue has a secret of its own, a secret that is key to the secrecy and subterfuge of the Dragons. Jinyue is an Eldar maiden world, filled with ancient artifacts and suffused with psychic energy, subtly altering both the human population and the Marines who draw from them. However, the unthinkable sacrelige of a Marine Chapter established on a Maiden World has long since come to the attention of the Eldar, and the Dragons have long fought a shadow war in the Webway, the jungles of their home, lush forests of other Maidenworlds, and even the crystal cities of the Craftworlds, to protect their unique planet.
Every Jade Dragon is sworn not only to the Imperium, which they serve faithfully, but also the Twin Thrones of Jinyue and their Chapter – forging a psychic bond which has thus far passed under the notice of the Inquisition. The Dragons draw strength and skill from this bond, defending one another to the death in combat and sharing some sense of danger with one another. In addition, they are skilled at stealthy assault, aided by their psychic ‘sixth sense’ and their many unauthorized missions though the Eldar webway. However, they avoid contact with the Inquisition at all costs, and even other Marine chapters when they can, lest their secrets be revealed.

Advantages: See But Don’t Be Seen, Trust Your Battle Brothers
Disadvantages: We Stand Alone

My $0.016:

Lions - Aspire to Glory is a weird fit for an old Chapter. Faithful Unto Death sounds more like it IMHO. Flesh Over Steel or Eye to Eye would be the two remaining choices for Major Drawback - had I my codex, I'd have some ideas for their advantages as well. How are they planning to rebuild their chapter if they don't let thei scouts infiltrate?

Knights - fluff fits traits.

Sons - as you specifically mention Land Speeders AND Drop Pods in their fluff, I don't think Eye to Eye is as fluffy a drawback as it seems - that would mean fewer speeders than heavier vehicles. Flesh Over Steel would be fluffy, but would make their drop pods compete with their Speeders - perhaps appropriately. Remember, Eye to Eye is "we don't like no sneaky flankin'" and Flesh Over Steel is "we don't need no stinkin' tanks"

Dragons - fluff fits traits. Get my personal vote (of the concepts the way you have them posted) as it would seem to have a sort of intuitive visual style to it - sort of Altaioc in power armour - and has a strong ...uh, consistency...of fluff and traits. The ones you selected get thumbs up for showing their secrecy and insularity.

The Knights and Dragons look reasonably well thought-through, but the Lions and Sons could use a little more work in terms of lining up their traits and fluff. I like the basic idea behind the Lions best - as stated, because I'm using it myself! - although not your interpretation of it into the rules. So my vote for pure concept goes to the Lions, and for execution (or execution thus far) to the Dragons.

ill start on each on

golden loins! lol
not bad, my only quibble is you have the marines coming from elysium vii, then drop troops from elysia, both are seperate worlds, other then that i actually quite like your fluff on these guys, give you an excuse to use

knight pereguine
they dont draw their geneseed from a planet - the recruits they do but not their geneseed, it comes from the repositarys if the AM or high lords

sons of polaris
i like these and cant really pick anything out

jade dragons
not bad, a bit wierd but not bad, though iirc there is a jade dragons chapter out there created by one of out own dakkites!

other then those few bit i like it. might have to have a look at some other chapters like the red hunters, the knight exemplar and some of the others
cheers
millest

Thanks for the feedback!

I like the idea behind the lions perhaps the best, too -- nobility in a universe with no room for it, persecuted yet defiant, etc. What Traits do you think might better capture the ferocity and honor of an ancient chapter, but also reflect the desperation of their state post-Armageddon War? I think Have Pride In Your Colors and Faithful Unto Death are good disadvantages...but please, chip in. The reason their Scouts don't infiltrate is a combination of their pride, and that the Lions are meant to be almost chivalric / paladine in their sense of right and wrong.

The Sons....hmm, you're right. I think "We don't have no stinkin' tanks!" is most appropriate for a Chapter scattered but strong -- after all, when you're off fighting by Company attatched to Guard regiments, you don't have time or space to build and carry Land Raiders.

The Jade Dragons -- yeah, I was thinking of going for a real "warrior mystics" look heavily inspired by Asian themes. Scouts would have kind of a ninja-ey look, TacMarines would be gussied up with jewelled swords, bolters modelled to their forearms a la Dire Avenger Exarchs, etc.

Millest -- thanks for the corrections! I think it would be quite fun to have a Chapter from the same world as the Elysian Drop Troopers, so I'll just alter my backstory a little. After all, the Drop Troops have to have someone to look up to, and it makes sense that they would want to emulate the elite status / lightning attacks of their Marine benefactors.

On the geneseed thing -- I thought there was some correlation between the Chapter's mentality and fighting style and their planet of origin -- hence Fenris and the Vikingness of Space Wolves, the Mongol-ness of the White Scar's recruits feeding directly into the Marine's scarring rituals, etc. I could well be wrong, though.

Who are these Red Hunters? I like the name....oh, and if anyone HAS established a Jade Dragons thing, come and say so! I'd hate to step on your proverbial toes.

See the Army List forum for how these are working out!

-ADSO