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This is a chapter that I have been working on for quite a while now. The idea is to convey the feel of a fanatical crusader, a true holy warrior. Criticism would be greatly appreciated. Keep in mind that this is a constant WIP and few things will remain constant. Thank you.


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Name: Apostles of Dorn.

Founding: Unknown. Imperial records indicate that the chapter was created during the 13th or 14th founding.

Gene-seed: Imperial Fists.

Homeworld: Arcuriis Prime. Located on the western fringe of the Segmentum Ultima in close proximity to the anomaly known as The storm of the Emperors wrath.

Organization: The chapter adheres to the Codex and follows its notes of chapter organisation almost to the letter. However due the the rather unorthodox way the chapter works a few things have been altered and added. One example to this is the use of exemplars instead of sergeants and veterans. This rank is given to anyone who truly has proven that they embody the values and beliefs of Dorn and has proven themselves time and time again on the battlefield. They work in exactly the same way but they are a constant source of inspiration to the newer recruits and it is a rank that all brothers want to aspire to.

Combat doctrine: The chapter highly values the teachings of the book of five spheres and prefers to fight the enemy face to face. Therefore vehicles are used almost exclusively as a transportation method unless the battle requires otherwise. A slow and steady advance is preferred.

Beliefs: The chapters loyalty to the Emperors and his Imperium is without question, there has never been any corruption found within the chapter. However, due to their fanatical devotion to their primarch Rogal Dorn they have been visited by more than one Inquisitor from the Ordo Hereticus. So far their rather unorthodox beliefs have been tolerated. They hold a deep seeded hatred towards the Iron warriors and will often go out of their way to hunt them down and destroy them. Once every 7 years (Rogal Dorn was primarch over the Imperial fists, the seventh legion) the Chapter master meets with the head librarian, the head chaplain and the captains of the first and second company to participate in a ritual performed deep within their fortress monastery. They all assemble in a chamber with a large statue of Dorn at its centre. Incense and various other precious herbs and oils are burnt to honor their primarch and when these are lit the ritual known as the Council of the Pure has begun. The following three days their are locked within the underbelly of the fortress monastery, meditating. After this each member of the council will be asked if he has chosen the Hammer or the Shield. If shields outnumber hammers then the chapter will focus the following 7 years on defending the Imperium as best as they can. Coming to the aid of anyone who calls for them. If the hammers outnumber the shields then the chapter will spend the next 7 years on the offensive, seeking out and destroying the enemies of the Emperor anywhere that they can be found, usually through a series of Crusades. This ofcourse usually leads to a high amount of casualties and it is highly likely that a period of the hammer will be followed by atleast one period of the shield.

Colours and heraldry: +++; TRANSMISSION ERROR ;+++

Battlecry: Emperor protect us. Dorn guide us!

"To Him, we owe our very existence. So I ask you brothers, what could possibly honor Him more than to devote our lives to His service?" Brother-Chaplain Nikolai Varmov.

Recruitment: The recruitment process for this chapter is also rather unorthodox. The Apostles of Dorn pull in recruits from all over the Arcuriis system and even beyond, as long as the candidate is dedicated to a life in the service of Dorn and the Emperor he is accepted into the recruitment program. Each candidate goes through a myriad of physical and psychological test similar to those of any other chapter. After he passes these he is questioned by the head chaplain himself as only those who truly think and act like Dorn will ever have the honor of joining the chapter ranks. A true brother of the chapter must not only give his life in service of the Emperor but also to his favoured son, Rogal Dorn. If a candidate does not pass this final test he has ultimately failed his trial and is denied. He will spend the rest of his days in the chapter monastery (The Iron fist) or the chapters crusading flagship (Imperator) as a servitor or acolyte so that he may come to know the glorious and just ways of Dorn through a life of service.

Notable members of the Apostles of Dorn.

Chapter Master: Titus Wrex

Head Librarian: Brother Enoch

Head Chaplain: Nikolai Varmov

Captain of the 1st company: Brother-Captain Carius

Dante, venerable dreadnaught. Previous captain of the second company and High exemplar of the Apostles of Dorn.

Legendary within the chapter, Dante is the subject of countless tales of glory and he is a living role model for every single member of the chapter. As a previous captain of the 2nd company and High exemplar his list of achievements is great indeed. He grew up in an orphanage in one of the many hive cities that cover the surface of Arcuriis secundis. From an early age it was clear that he embodied the values and beliefs of a true son of Dorn, protecting the weaker children and being truthful in almost every occasion. His one flaw was his fiery temper that sometimes got the better of him and eventually would get him thrown out on the streets where he quickly learned to fend for himself. His charismatic and protective behaviour quickly gained him lots of friends and before long he was the head of one of the largest gangs within the Hive city. He spent many years leading the gang known as The Bloodbrothers where he gained knowledge within administration, recruitment, training and Urban combat. After working with The Bloodbrothers for a decade he decided to leave his newfound family in search for something greater, a noble cause, which then led him to a recruitment shrine belonging to the Apostles of Dorn located just outside the city walls.

He was looking for a family and a purpose, and that is exactly what he found. He passed all tests with flying colours and was accepted into the ranks of the chapter early in the 38th millennia. He quickly rose through the ranks and after only two decades of service he was honored with the title of Exemplar. During the following century he proved himself time and time again on and off the battlefield and so after the death of the captain of the second company in a crusade against the iron warriors, Dante was promoted to captain of the second company and given the honorable title of High Exemplar. For over 200 years He served with High distinction as the captain of the second company in dozens of notable campaigns and hundreds of engagements. His deeds are still celebrated today and he is considered one of the most successful marines in the chapters history.

His most legendary victory was during the siege of Coorma V, an Imperial planet that had fallen to the ruinous powers. Tens of thousands of traitor guardsmen were supported by a cohort of traitor marines belonging to the Emperors children. The leader of the traitor forces was a demon prince of Slaanesh known as Plutus.

After a intense three day bombardment of the city where the traitors were holding up the Apostles of Dorn stormed their fortifications under the command of captain Dante. In the final hours of the battle Dante approached the daemon prince and challenged it to a duel. The abomination accepted and a bloody and furious battle ensued. The melee lasted for hours before finally Dante managed to find and opening in Plutus' defences and decapitated the creature. The remaining traitor guard scattered and fled and the traitor marines were killed down to the last man. The city had been taken and the corruption had been sought out and destroyed but at a heavy price. During his duel with the daemon prince Dante was mortally wounded. He had lost an arm and had received multiple deep wounds to his chest and back. He was dying. However the Emperor and his favoured son had other plans for him. He was kept Alive and put inside a Contemptor pattern dreadnaught in honor of his service to the chapter and the Emperor.

He spent the Next millennia in stasis and has only recently awoken from his great slumber. Although he is not able to stay awake with his brothers within the chapter all the time He insist on being as active as possible within the chapter and participates in everything from daily prayer and the training of new recruits to offering council to the chapters commanders in various ways whenever possible. He has watched many of the chapters current captains and veterans grow from initiates to full fledged warriors and is often seen as a father and a mentor to his fellow marines. His guidance and council is highly respected by all and he remains one of the most inspirational characters in the chapters history and even to this day he still inspires incredible acts of courage and strength to his brothers on the battlefield.

Notable engagements.
The 5th Black Crusade (723.M36) - This is the first recorded conflict of the Apostles of Dorn. The crusade came during the season of the shield and the whole chapter was mobilized to fight the ruinous powers that were spewing out of the Eye of Terror. It took over half a century for the chapter to recover after the heavy losses it suffered, including the loss of the their chapter master Thorim Steelfist and the entire 5th company, the 8th company and the 9th company. It was after this conflict that the recruiting process of the chapter was changed to adapt to the highly active chapters needs.

The 4th Crusade of chapter master Ahron Vizus (488.M37) - After two consecutive seasons of the hammer, chapter master Ahron Vizus finished a glorious campaign against the Dark eldar raiders from the Kabal of the Bloodied moon. They had raided numerous neighbouring systems and after some small scale skirmishes against the raiders and over a year of chasing shadows the foul xeno's were finally cornered and destroyed.

The Cleansing of Coorma V (495.M38) - This was the conflict that came to a climax when Dante led his men in the assault against the traitor guard and the foul warriors of the Emperors children legion. The conflict was short, bloody and brutal and after the fighting on Coorma V had seized, a fifth of the chapter lay dead or dying on the surface of the planet and the chapter had almost lost one of its greatest hero. After the final battle Dante was the given the incredible honour of continuing his service for the Emperor and Dorn through a Contemptor pattern dreadnaught.

The 10th Black Crusade (001.M39) - During chapter master Fervious Ovarion's first season of the shield the entire chapter was again mobilized to deal with the forces of Chaos. This time they would go up against the Iron warriors, their most hated enemy. A gruesome war of attrition began between the two foes that lasted almost 6months. It was a sweet victory indeed when the dust had settled and the battle was finally over. Though the casualty rate was high, this war is still celebrated within the chapter as a milestone in avenging their lost primarch.

Sabbat Worlds Crusade (755-765.M41) - The chapter participated for a whole 10 years in the Sabbat Worlds Crusade under the guidance of chapter master Heinrich Vermicks, the only chapter master to have instigated 4 consecutive seasons of the hammer. The chapter served with distinction in the crusade before leaving to investigate rumours of chaos taint in the far northern reaches of the Segmentum Ultima, here they spent the next 18 years rooting out and cleansing any signs of chaos that could be found.

Third war of Armageddon (998.M41) - During chapter master Titus Wrex' 2nd season of the shield, three companies from the Apostles of Dorn was sent to aid in the defence of Armageddon under the command of Brother Carius, captain of the 1st company. The battle force were mostly on the defensive but also participated in missions behind enemy lines and several ambushes on the Orks supply lines, proving the versatility of the chapters fighting capabilities.


Recent Engagements
This section is devoted to the games that I will play with my chapter. I will do my best to convey the games into short stories that hopefully will be to your liking.

The Battle for Hive Gorgon - Small skirmish game. 2v2 500points per player. SM and IG vs Orks and Chaos. Report can be found on Page 1.

Good work.
The hammer and shield thing is a nice touch.

Thanks purple. Much appreciated!

Nice job!
By the way.
The Imperial Fist's Successor also follow this lovely book
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Book_of_Five_Spheres#.TxYdpIHF_To
And i Love this lore its well written I expect to see good things from this Chapter!

Thanks for your kind words Asherian! Yeah I mentioned the book in the combat doctrine section. I think I might expand a bit on its importance within the chapter. hopefully it wont disappoint.

Good start, what exactly do you have planned? Just an IA or do you plan on writing some tales?

Basically just expanding on what is there already, cleaning it up a little. Adding some tales, memorable quotes, campaigns, other engagements and traditions. Currently working on the fluff for the Characters section and doing some cleaning up on the rest of the stuff. Been working a fair bit on early concepts for various conversions for the models and also the paint job. Also not entirely sure on what codex to use. Im kinda torn between using the standard SM or the BT one.

On a side note, I love you DP. Kenpachi is the boss. Dressed up as him at the last comic convention i went to

Updated. Added the entry for Dante. It is messy because its 2am in the morning and my writing is a bit sloppy at this time of night. Will clean it up in the morning. In the meantime, enjoy.

Update! Added some notable engagements and polished some previous work.

The Battle for Hive Gorgon

"Targets sighted brother-captain. What are your orders?"

"Permission to engage sergeant. Lay waste to the enemies of the Emperor."

Captain Adonis drew his relic blade.

"The Emperor protects us." He bellowed into his comm-feed.

"Dorn guides us." His battle brothers replied.

The sound of bolter fire soon filled the air as a score of space marines opened fire on their targets. A dozen greenskins fell to the ground after the first well placed volley found their targets. The remaining orks quickly turned and ran after seeing their kin slaughtered so effortlessly by their enemy. The second wave of the foul xeno's came only seconds after the first was taken care of. This time the orks were accompanied by 3 Killa kans.

"Colonel Komorov!" The space marine captain had no weapons capable of dealing with the tough armour of these walkers and so decided to call upon his Imperial guard ally who seemed only too happy to offer his services to an astartes.

"My lord, how can I be of service?" The colonel bowed gracefully as he approached Adonis.

"My brothers lack the means to dispose of the heavily armoured walkers that the Orks have sent towards our lines. Perhaps you have something a little more adept at dealing with this problem Colonel?"

"Ofcourse my lord. I will order my heavy weapons teams to focus fire on the walkers."

"You have my thanks Colonel."

The colonel bowed once more, turned, and quickly returned to his position on the east flank of the battlefield. His guardsmen were doing a surprisingly good job keeping the Orks at bay. This was the first time the Captain had fought along side the men of Vostroya and he could not deny it, he was impressed by their effectiveness. The first bombardment from the heavy weapons teams barraged the enemy walkers and a lascannon stopped one in its tracks. The other two were caught in multiple mortar bombardments, severely slowing their advance. Less than half of the greenskins now remained and it looked like another glorious victory was at hand, and with minimal friendly casualties.

Just as captain Adonis was about to join the glorious bloodshed himself he felt a strange sensation running up his spine. His hair stood on edge and a cold sweat suddenly made itself known on his body. A noise similar to that of a melta gun firing filled the air, followed by a loud thud that came from behind him. His reflexes and training kicked in and he quickly turned and raised his storm shield to protect himself in case of any incoming danger. A bombardment of bolter rounds harmlessly bounced of the storm shield, protecting him from sustaining any damage himself. In front of him stood a most horrifying sight, a chaos lord wielding a storm bolter and an axe crackling with the power of his foul gods.

"Heretics! Traitors! No mercy for such foul beings! Exterminating with great prejudice!"

Clearly the lord was not alone, his battle brothers had already engaged the champions retinue.

Adonis did not waste any time. With a triumphant roar he charged the heretic, his relic blade at the ready. He blocked an oncoming attack from the lords axe with his shield and brought his sword down on his foes left arm. The creature let out a roar of pain as the blade cut straight through its power armour and cut its arm clean off, just above the elbow. It staggered back to try and regain its footing then charged at the captain once more, its axe once more failing to land a decisive blow. Adonis was quick to counter the attack and with one fell swoop he cut the creatures head clean off its shoulders, its limp body slowly falling to the group.

"Death to the enemies of the Imperium!" He roared into his comm-feed as he stood victorious over his slain foe.

At the sight of their leaders death the chaos forces immediately began to withdraw along with what remained of the Ork forces.

"Captain Adonis, shall we pursue them?"

"No brother, our mission is complete. The eastern flank is safe for now. Our work here is done."

Another glorious victory for the Imperium and the Apostles of Dorn had been won today and with minimal casualties. Emperor be praised.




So obviously this game was REALLY one sided. It ended at turn 5 as our opponents didnt have any models left on the field. I sustained 1 casualty and my IG ally lost a dozen of his guardsmen. The Emperor definitely smiled upon us that day.

Hope you enjoyed that quick read. C&C would be greatly appreciated as I would really like my writing skills to improve.

Cheers.

Like where you are going with this. I would love to see more backgroun on the characthers, and maybe a tale or two unrelated to the TT

Thanks Trondheim! Will try and expand on the background story as much as possible. Ill try to fit in some stories aswell. Having a hard time getting my creative juices flowing lately.