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Hello dakkadakka, I am currently starting a new Space Marine army, and I thought I write right about the founding now, and see if it would be shot down.
After reading about the Word Bearers, I decided I would love to have a chapter based on them.
I know what you are thinking, “oh great, another guy trying to start a chapter with traitor geneseed…”
and I guess you are correct for doing so, but please hear me out.
I read through many articles on the internet, about space marine chapters with traitor geneseed,
and especially, why I shouldn’t do that, or at least most flaws when people write that.
And after reading all of that, I still wrote up a chapter using traitor geneseed. I will try to show you my senese in this chapter, and how it is not just “omg lol! Traitor geneseed”

And well, here it is:
Before their fall to chaos, the Word Bearers held the Emperor in the highest regard, thinking him to be a god. But, after he punished them for doing so, they turned to chaos.
My idea for my chapter, was that a part of the word bearers (about 500) under a chaplains guidance, saw through the corruption chaos brings, and stayed true to the emperor. And so, instead of staying with Lorgar, they stole a ship, and escaped.
They founded a fortress on a new planet, and began to rebuild themselves. (See, I try to put a little more background, because, I knew that no one in the Imperium would ever randomly decide to make a chapter with traitor geneseed, these guys were loyalist)

(editied thanks to advice) During the heresy, they worked with loyalist forces, fighting against the traitors armies, under the disguise their armore gave them. Then, after hearing of the second founding, they saw this as their chance to rejoin the Imperium. Devastated after hearing the extent the traitors had done, they repainted their Grey armor of the Word Beares, black, and renamed themselves, the Dark (for their brother’s actions) Crusaders (for their endless crusade against the traitors)

See, I tried to counter the main points against traitor geneeseed, or well, traitors “going good.” See, for this chapter, it wasn’t just some imperial guys decided to make a traitor geneseeed chapter, as this was foolish, it was actually part of a chaos legion, the Word Bearers, who loved the emperor, staying on his side, and reforging themselves as a chapter

Also, another part of the chapter, much like the Dark Angels secret, only high ranking members of the chapter know the true story of their founding, others just think their chapters genseed is unknown.

And well, that really is it for now, i know the writing doesn't go in much detail but, I sort of fell in love with all the other lore I wrote about them, and im just asking the dakkadakka community, do you think it would be okay if I did keep this lore? Or should I just make it that the Dark Crusaders are a Black Templar founding?

I don't mean to sound harsh, but you should spend less time finding excuses, and more time building the chapter. I like the idea that they fractured away, but that doesn't seem like them unless they were cooperating with Alpha-loyalists. If you want them as a splinter they likely infiltrated and struck, doing maximum damage, then withdrew and reemerged under the guidance of the Chaplain.

Beaviz81 wrote:I don't mean to sound harsh, but you should spend less time finding excuses, and more time building the chapter. I like the idea that they fractured away, but that doesn't seem like them unless they were cooperating with Alpha-loyalists. If you want them as a splinter they likely infiltrated and struck, doing maximum damage, then withdrew and reemerged under the guidance of the Chaplain.

Hey man, thanks for the advice!
But yea, the idea of this thread is for me to make excuses for my chapter, i plan on writing more lore background for them later (thanks for the help on that) but over all, do you think i could work with this lore? Or should i just scrap it?

p.s and if i do keep my chapter, i will definitly change it so they worked in the Horus Heresy, that was a really good idea!

Oh I'm more than inclined to help and actually the chapter seems to be a fine chapter already. I'm thankful you took my advice under consideration, I like the thought about loyalist-cells within the traitors which seem to greatly hinder their advances.

Of course they shall be focusing much on their IG allies as they are instrumental in securing anything, despite being understated in the fluff.

Are the chapter Codex Adherent or not?

You can make the chapter a carbon-copy of the Black Templars, but that doesn't seem so Word Beary. They should maybe combine the position of Chaplain and Librarian. The less adherent to the Codex Astartes the more interesting for me.

Oh yah, these guys are not going to be Codex Adherent, they aren't very fond of the Ultramarirines!

I plan on copying some stuff of the black Templars, cause i see the Faith of loyalty of the Word Bearers geneseed translating to Black Templar this, but im not so sure.

Also, i may combine Chaplian of Librarian (that actually soudns like a really good idea) but i might just make the Chapter Master a chaplian with librarian abilities.

Also, could you give me any help about what the inquisition would think of them? Would the inquisition not know about the chapters origins? Or maybe they do know, and are keeping watch

Sounds good for me, if you want we can maybe merge our fluff, I can send it to you in a PM.

If you want your CM can face a commissar I developed in single combat, but he can be impressed enough about the guy's skill to relent in the last moment realizing the guy is speaking the truth, so he is explained to that 10k years has passed and so on. It's just a suggestion about how your chapter can return to prominence nothing else, and beating that commissar is not a small task even for a Chapter-Master. It's just a suggestion, but it can have it anchored how they returned to life, and also how a Hive-Fleet suddenly disappeared.

Let me try and fine tune the origins of your chapter-


Chapter: The Dark Crusaders
Founding Chapter: Word Bearers
Founding: (Insert Here)
Chapter Master: (Insert Here)
Homeworld: (Insert Here)
Fortress-Monastery: (Insert Here)
Colours: Black
Specialty: (Insert Here)
Strength: (Insert Here)
Battlecry: (Insert Here)

I like the Lexicanum's structure in how a chapter is presented, as it gives you focus and clarity to what you are building.

Start thinking of what the Black Crusaders do. How do they go about achieving their aims? What exactly is their backstory (you've already mentioned it, just need to flesh it out). Who is their current leader? What besides their origin makes them unique? Are they tragic, fated to forever be at odds with the Imperium because of their origin? Or are they simply renegades that yearn to be apart of the Imperium but cannot ever be fully entrusted as a full fledged Space Marine Chapter?

Here is what the start of an origin story could look like:

Chaplain Fengalus (you can use your own) never felt at ease with the zeal and devotion that Lorgar exhibited after the chapter was scolded for straying too far from the path of the Imperial Truth. As a witness to the razing of Monarchia and then a participant to the re-swearing of oaths before the Emperor, Fengalus and his flock of warriors were chastened, but never lost faith in the Emperor.

In their Pimrarch, the holy warrior once saw a man so reverent in his devotion to his Emperor, that he believed that no other living being could of been as pious as Lorgar was. He had followed the man when he had gathered the most promising and virtuous men of his home planet Varcryn Prime, all the way to the final crusades that marked the golden age of the Word Bearers in their devotion to the Emperor.

Seems nice enough as an idea.

Thanks for all the herlp you guys posted!
This pages was really for me to see if my traitor gene-seed chapter was acceptable
and so now ive decided im going to keep!

I will make a new thread where i actually form my chapter, and thank you Warone for the format!

Also, my chapter joined the imperium duing the 2nd founding, and stayed there to present day. (they kinda just slipped in during that time, and i think im goign to have their chapter master speak with a inquisitor or something)

And, they currently are a chapter under the imperuim (but this make just because very few people know their true founding)