Ordo Hereticus Report:
Subject: White Minotaurs
Date: 1 M42
Thought for the Day: A Closed Mind is a Healthy Mind

My lords, the following is a brief summary of the history, organisation and tactics of the White Minotaurs chapter of the Adeptus Astartes and the results of an ongoing investigation into alleged heretical behaviour.

Founding: Little is known about the founding of the White Minotaurs aside from the fact that in various histories dating to M36 they were referred to as a young chapter. It has been proposed that they are part of the so called dark founding however this is mere speculation on the part of idle minds. Any concrete evidence relating to their founding was apparently lost during what they collectively refer to as The Cataclysm which occurred sometime in M39.

References: [CENSORED]

Geneseed: No current samples of White Minotaur geneseed where available from the Adeptus Mechanicus Biologis who claim to have never dealt with a chapter of that name, a claim which warrants further investigation. Tests on a body wearing White Minotaur armour captured by the Ordo Hereticus indicates Ultramarine geneseed. It should be noted however that it was impossible to verify whether the body was that of a former White Minotaur.

References: Report by Adeptus Mechanicus Archivist Decius Faber, Ordo Hereticus Autopsy Report AAGS5519

Chapter Characteristics: The White Minotaurs are an infuriatingly secretive chapter as countless Inquisitors investigating their behaviour have discovered, whilst this is not uncommon amongst the Astartes it does delay investigations in an unacceptable manner. Despite this they are also very impulsive and prone to acting on a mere whim. This combination of a distrust of non chapter members and a hasty nature results in unusually high casualties amongst the chapter's battle brothers.

In one incident during the latter decades of M41 the entire second company was surrounded by a horde of Orks on the planet of Infelicitas XI. Disaster for the embattled White Minotaurs was only averted with the timely intervention of the Storm Wardens fifth company who broke launched an assault directly at the warboss leading the Ork forces. With the warboss's death the combined Astartes forces easily wiped out the remaining Orks. This battle cost the lives of fifty members of the White Minotaurs second company including the captain, it has yet to recover from these losses.

The Infelicitas XI incident shows the nature of the White Minotaurs very well, their impulsive attack on the Orks without any support nearly cost the chapter an entire company of marines. However despite their losses they stayed in the system to ensure it was cleansed of the xenos menace continuing to make hasty and unsupported attacks against the Orks. Although is must be said that these subsequent attacks were more successful culminating in the destruction of several under construction “stompa” class titans on Infelicitas IV. Within two months of that action Waaagh Skullchoppa had been crushed.

During the whole war the only communications made by the White Minotaurs where to confirm their presence in the system and request assistance from the Storm Wardens. All other attempts to communicate with them were met with stony silence. Only the Dark Angels and their successors are more secretive.

References: The Wars of Segmentum Obscurus M40 Volume MCVI

Chapter Organisation:

The White Minotaurs employ a deviant form of chapter organisation which bears little or no resemblance to that which was laid out in the Index Astartes. Currently each of the 4 active companies numbers no less than one hundred and fifty battle brothers and twenty neophytes. Formed into two squads of company veterans, six tactical squads, two assault squads, two devastator squads, at least two reserve squads and at least two scout squads. According to what little information could be extracted from the chapter they adopted this company structure following the M39 disaster.

One interesting result of this unusual organisation is that each company is a completely self sufficient force which maintains it's own war gear and recruits it's own members. However it has also resulted in a strong rivalry between companies which has occasionally resulted in inter chapter violence. Inquisition records state that the third company is currently engaged in a self imposed “Crusade of Redemption” as a result of the last such outburst.

The chapter is host to an unusual organisation known simply as the Hunters, quite what role they play in the chapter hierarchy is unknown but their members sport an array of unusual war gear and sightings of them have been reported on many worlds the White Minotaurs are rumoured to have fought on pre M39. Whatever their role it seems that they are held in utmost esteem by their battle brothers and hailed as heroes of the chapter.

The most famous currently active is former first company sergeant [CENSORED] who recovered several suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armour and one of the chapters precious Land Raiders during the latter years of M41. His war gear is typical of the hunters, his armour is devoid of chapter or personal heraldry and initially appears to be hastily cobbled together from older marks of power armour. However on closer inspection it is revealed to be a much more modern suit seemingly crafted with the intent of making it look older than it is. Additionally he bears a power weapon which takes the form of a halberd, a wrist mounted flame thrower and most bizarrely what appears to be a small void shield generator.

The chapter is run by a council which consists of the chapter master (who also acts as the first company captain) , the remaining captains, the Hunter Prime (head of the Hunters), the Master of the Apothecarion, the Chief Librarian, the Master of Sanctity and the Master of the Forge. Each of these council members has equal authority however the Chapter Master retains a veto on all decisions made. An unusual system which does little to cool company rivalries.

The chapters motor pool is limited and varies from company to company. For example the first company and third companies are the only ones to operate the Land Raider and only have very few of these venerable weapons and the second company seems to be the only one with reliable access to bikes and land speeders (although other companies do possess these in limited numbers). The chapter fleet is similarly limited with a single Battle Barge, a mere five Strike Cruisers available and limited numbers of Thunderhawk gunships.

References: [CENSORED]

Base of Operations:

The White Minotaurs home planet is the fifth planet in the Minos system nestled in the heart of Segmentum Obscurus. The only structure on the world is the vast labyrinthine fortress monastery known as Knossos. Several Inquisition operatives have been lost within this imposing building.

From Minos the White Minotaurs guard several surrounding systems with commendable zeal however they rarely venture beyond these self imposed borders unless they are following their own mysterious agenda.

Tactics:

Given the individual nature of the various companies it is not surprising to observe wildly different tactical approaches with in the chapter. The second and third companies in particular seems to have specialised is two very different forms of warfare and the titles of their captains reflect this. The second company led by the Master Of Vengeance specialise in rapid warfare using hit and run tactics to neutralise an opposing force by removing the command structure with surgical precision. Comparatively the third company led by the Master Of The Void are masters of void warfare and ship boarding actions, on the rare occasions that they do fight on planets they utilise drops pods with greater frequency than other companies. Intriguingly the forth company follows more standard Adeptus Astartes tactics, however the title of the company captain (Master of the Siege) indicated a former specialisation in siege warfare.

References: The Wars of Segmentum Obscurous M40 Volume MCVI

M39 Disaster:

No complete records of what the White Minotaurs call The Cataclysm exist, all that is known is that sometime during M39 they were suddenly reduced to a handful of marines and adopted their current deviant organisational structure. Some of the more ancient dreadnoughts in service with the chapter do have memories of that time but refuse to speak on the subject. What few existing documents which cover the immediate aftermath of this incident are jealously guarded by the chapter as they search for any clues about what happened.

Investigation Results:

Extensive investigations over several centuries have revealed much deviant behaviour within the chapter but no signs of heresy, their apparent loyalty to the Imperium is exemplary. Despite this it is my recommendation that they be placed under constant watch by the Ordo Hereticus for any further signs of deviancy.

SpankHammer III wrote:Well I do tend to gravitate towards fluff because I can just about do that, where as looking at other peoples painting just makes me bitter and jealous, case and point the free handing on your White Mino's fill me with all kinds of negative emotions