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Shadow's Hunters



Chapter Name: Shadow's Hunters!
Status: Labeled Heretics by some, though still technically loyal
Color Scheme: Black, Orange Shoulder Pads, Orange Details
Icon: Black or White Falcon
Battle Cry: For the Greater Good!
Founding:22
Primarch: Corax
Genetic Mutations:low psychic abilities
Home World: T'gris
Fortress Monastery: Destroyed
Active Marines: 847
Recruitment: Mostly from Gue'vesa, also others.
Chapter Master: Ra'van Al'la
Title of Chapter Master: Shas'o
Sworn Enemies: Black Legion,
Rival Chapters: Iron Hands,
Chapter Relics: Corax's Final Gift: A vial of uncorrupted Primachs Geneseed.
Perception of Humanity: Regards the Imperium as misguided. Believes that all humans serve a part in the workings of the Imperium and that all (except those tainted by chaos) should be forgiven and given second, third etc chances.Aims to convert as many humans as possible to the Greater Good!

The Shadow's Hunters spent many centuries fighting on behalf of the Imperium. Many victories were claimed by the Chapter, but not without cost. The Shadow's Hunters valued human life, and in time, they they clashed with the Inquisition. For some time, their humanism earned them a reputation as saviors to many worlds, but when they fought off a Chaos incursion on their recruiting world of T'gris, the clashes came to a head. After slaughtering the last of the cultists in a decades-long war, an Inquisitor declared the world Exterminatus. What was left of the Chapter was sent on a penitent Crusade in the western-most reaches of the galaxy. For fifty years, they spilled the blood of traitors and heretics, xenos and daemons... and then they were claimed by a warp storm. Their ships were spat out onto an unpopulated world on the Eastern fringe, and the gravity of the world pulled their warships into crash-landings. Without resources to leave and their chaplain dead, the Shadow's Hunter were left in the most ignaminous position a Space Marine could be left in- they farmed.

For a hundred years, nearly a thousand of the Emperor's Chosen were forced to till earth and herd animals to provide their own sustenance. The world itself lacked any remotely heavy metals- there was no way off. In time, though, they had a brief turn of luck. Other settlers arrived on the world- human colonists from a region that was unknown to the Imperium. The Marines helped the colonists, taught them the truth of the Emperor, and protected them from the beasts that inhabited the world. For fifty years, this peace held... and the Inquisition came. When the head Inquisitor determined the humans there were too mutated to be allowed to live, the Shadow's Hunters fought back.

Unfortunately for the Inquisition, they were not the only force to arrive at this world. Tau scouts had detected several strange presences, and due to their disconnect from the warp, the strange gravitational fields did not affect the Tau warships. As the Marines fought a losing battle with the Inquisition, the Tau arrived in orbit and opened fire on the Imperial vessels. After deploying troops against their foes, the Tau warriors encountered the Space Marines attacking the same enemy.

Initial encounters were tense, but both groups realized they shared an enemy. The Water Caste agreed to leave the world to the Shadow's Hunters, but kept up dialog. In time, the Hunters began to view the mutants on their world as their dependents, and trade with the Tau showed them that perhaps the Inquisition was wrong about all xenos as well. A working relationship developed between the two groups, and slowly Tau influence spread through the world, including into the Chapter.

That was really well written, I'm impressed.

 EmpNortonII wrote:
Without resources to leave and their chaplain dead, the Shadow's Hunter were left in the most ignaminous position a Space Marine could be left in- they farmed.

Heh... no. They would just go into hibernation and wait for rescue. Even if they decided to remain awaken, they would just use the various serfs and servitors on their ships to do the toiling. Pretty much in the same way the original Deathwing did not pick up animal husbandry just because they were stranded on a random planet.

Also, Space Marines would never take in mutants. If anything, they would test the newcomers for mutations immediately and kill every unpure colonist. If anything, a chapter founded by the Raven Guard would do this fanatically, as the Raven Guard has a special "no-no" for mutants.

However, the story might work if the chapter itself is corrupted and is succumbing to various mutations.

 AtoMaki wrote:

 EmpNortonII wrote:
Without resources to leave and their chaplain dead, the Shadow's Hunter were left in the most ignaminous position a Space Marine could be left in- they farmed.

Heh... no. They would just go into hibernation and wait for rescue. Even if they decided to remain awaken, they would just use the various serfs and servitors on their ships to do the toiling. Pretty much in the same way the original Deathwing did not pick up animal husbandry just because they were stranded on a random planet.

Also, Space Marines would never take in mutants. If anything, they would test the newcomers for mutations immediately and kill every unpure colonist. If anything, a chapter founded by the Raven Guard would do this fanatically, as the Raven Guard has a special "no-no" for mutants.

However, the story might work if the chapter itself is corrupted and is succumbing to various mutations.

Serfs and servitors are all dead, excepting maybe any serving armored vehicles.

Would they even have the tools to test for mutation? At any rate, several mutant strains (Ogrun, ratlings, etc) are not killed off by the Imperium.

... and with the right sort of solar radiation, perhaps that's the case. I'll let the OP decide if he likes it.

 EmpNortonII wrote:

Serfs and servitors are all dead, excepting maybe any serving armored vehicles.

Well, you do need someone to survive, because otherwise, the Space marines would have absolutely zero reason to stay awake.

 EmpNortonII wrote:

Would they even have the tools to test for mutation? At any rate, several mutant strains (Ogrun, ratlings, etc) are not killed off by the Imperium.

They would do that, even if they don't have the tools. Their apothecary would just make up something. With the Raven Guard, mutation is srs business. And I mean "Ultramarines vs Tyranids" tier.


Also, try to make up a reason why the Inquisition didn't just turn the planet into ash with Exterminatus.

Where did these colonists come from anyway.

 Quickjager wrote:
Where did these colonists come from anyway.

And why can't their spacecraft be used?

Do all the engineers and techmarines die?

 AtoMaki wrote:

 EmpNortonII wrote:

Serfs and servitors are all dead, excepting maybe any serving armored vehicles.

Well, you do need someone to survive, because otherwise, the Space marines would have absolutely zero reason to stay awake.

 EmpNortonII wrote:

Would they even have the tools to test for mutation? At any rate, several mutant strains (Ogrun, ratlings, etc) are not killed off by the Imperium.

They would do that, even if they don't have the tools. Their apothecary would just make up something. With the Raven Guard, mutation is srs business. And I mean "Ultramarines vs Tyranids" tier.


Also, try to make up a reason why the Inquisition didn't just turn the planet into ash with Exterminatus.

A defective Sus-an membrane would force them to stay awake.

Of course, if the OP went the hibernation route, they might have been captured by Tau while in suspended animation and the latter part of the background could just be discarded.

I suppose the Inquisitor's ship suffered damage during the journey that prevented its cyclonic torpedoes from being used. Might be that the weapons had to be ejected into the Warp when something activated them on the ship.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

SomeRandomEvilGuy wrote:

 Quickjager wrote:
Where did these colonists come from anyway.

And why can't their spacecraft be used?

Do all the engineers and techmarines die?

The only ones that made it through would have been those that landed with the Chapter.

Mayhaps the colonists were given a one-way trip. Maybe the gravity well prevented the ship from leaving.

I'm thinking maybe a minefield would make more sense as to why ships ended up destroyed or crash-landing instead of simply escaping.

Still trying I see.
Tau space isnt big enough for that sort of love the alien transgression to go unnoticed. So its either a penance crusade against the Tau to prove their loyalty through death or slaughtered to a man.

Not to mention a vial of uncorrupted Primarchs gene seed. Where did this come from? why isnt it untainted? Why did they get it and not the Raven Guard?

 EmpNortonII wrote:

The only ones that made it through would have been those that landed with the Chapter.

Mayhaps the colonists were given a one-way trip. Maybe the gravity well prevented the ship from leaving.

I'm thinking maybe a minefield would make more sense as to why ships ended up destroyed or crash-landing instead of simply escaping.

Minefield wouldn't really explain the Tau being fine. Not sure if they have better scanners on ships (the Imperium seems competent with upscaled technology like plasma on tanks not overheating).

The gravity well prevents Warp travel, no? Otherwise why would the Tau be immune to it's deleterious effects? Why can't the Shadow Hunters just sublight travel out of it's range?

Why do the Shadow Hunters actually join the Tau instead of just leaving after they're "rescued". Unless much of the high command was dead one would think they'd know that one zealous Inquisitor does not speak for all. Also why do they think that they'll be able to fight against both the Imperium and Chaos? Working against one helps the other after all.

This looks much better than the previous iterations.

Just one question: Why did they go on the penitent crusade in the first place? It looks as if a planet got declared Exterminatus and then the just decided it'd be fun to go murder aliens for fifty years without any reinforcements.

Why would SM farm. Hunt yes, farm no. Theyd turn into little hunting parties.

If they go against the Inq, they're not technically loyal. Theyre Traitorous Extremus. It doesn't matter what they think of themselves.

the ancient wrote:
Still trying I see.
Not to mention a vial of uncorrupted Primarchs gene seed. Where did this come from? why isn't it untainted? Why did they get it and not the Raven Guard?

I actually remember some piece of fluff that mentions this. Though, it was maybe a vial of uncorrupted blood, and not geneseed. This has something to do with the curse of the Raven Guard Croax has unleashed on his own Chapter after the Istvaan Massacre.

the ancient wrote:
Why would SM farm. Hunt yes, farm no. Theyd turn into little hunting parties.

If they go against the Inq, they're not technically loyal. Theyre Traitorous Extremus. It doesn't matter what they think of themselves.

I think they's probably need to do both to really have the adiquite nutrients. It would be quite hard for humans to survive on meat alone, we need the balance.

 Co'tor Shas wrote:

the ancient wrote:
Why would SM farm. Hunt yes, farm no. Theyd turn into little hunting parties.

If they go against the Inq, they're not technically loyal. Theyre Traitorous Extremus. It doesn't matter what they think of themselves.

I think they's probably need to do both to really have the adiquite nutrients. It would be quite hard for humans to survive on meat alone, we need the balance.

Space Marines are not normal humans though. They can survive on rocks and other non-organic matter if they have to.

Guys, I apriciate the stuff, BUT THIS IS MY CHAPTER, so here's my, um , Continuation, of the story on my thread, T/H SM P2

If this is not intended for feedback or commentary, it should be in the Dakka Fiction section, not the Background section.

It's still ridiculous and is not feasible at all if you stay remotely true to the fluff, but at least it's more coherent.