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2015/10/14 10:49:49
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
Preamble: Okay, first of all, keep in mind that English isn't my mother tongue. Grammatical weirdnesses WILL happen, and I strongly encourage you to point these out to me, in a polite manner of course.
Secondly, I want this to be as realistic as possible considering the already existing surges of stupidity of the fluff. It (hopefully) isn't fan-ficcy enough to cause eye bleeding, brain damage and death but keep pointing out mistakes, incoherences and so on.
Thirdly (and finally), It's a Work In Progress.
That being said, let me introduce this fan-made chapter to you.
I'M CURRENTLY REWRITING THE ENTIRE BACKGROUND. IT CHANGES NOTHING TO THE ACTUAL CONCEPT, BUT PLOT HOLES WILL HOPEFULLY BE FILLED
Sons of Iron
"We are a beacon of knowledge blazing out across a black sea of ignorance.
By science alone we will prevail.
Taming an ancient death, leaving a bloody trail.
Guarding Mankind from a distance."
Spoiler:
Bolter & Chainsword V1 colour scheme
From left to right, top to bottom :
Hunter's Path Devastator Minor | Death Path Devastator Minor | Red Hand (Apothecary)
Hunter's Path Devastator Major | Death Path Devastator Major | Reclaimer Minor
Warcry: "For the Alter Mechanicus!" (When alone)
"Purge the flesh!" (When with Imperial forces)
Motto: Low Gothic : "With Knowledge comes Power. With Power comes Victory.""
High Gothic : "Scientia est potentia. Potentia est victoria." Or just "Scientia potentia est."
Founding: 9th founding
Successors of: Iron Hands
Successor Chapters: N/A
Active Forces: < 300 Astartes
Primarch: Ferrus Manus
Geneseed Mutation: Next to no psykers
Chapter Master: Lithius Tantale
Homeworld: Onyx (Segmentum Obscurus)
Allegiance: Mankind
Known Artifacts: Necrosuit, Blade of the Fallen (see Artifacts)
Chapter Emblem: An eye in a cog circled by barbed wire (drawing coming soon)
Colours: Black, Grey and Blue (or Green)
The Sons of Iron are one of the 9th Founding Chapters. Founded in the 35th millennium from the Iron Hands Chapter, their ties with the Adeptus Mechanicus, as well as their own understanding of technology allowed them to build a secret research center in the cleansed upper parts of a Necron Tomb on their homeworld Onyx, where 700 Astartes lost their lives fighting the mechanical threat. Their Chapter Master, Lithius Tantale, exploited a growing schism within the Adeptus Mechanicus and brought a thousand of rogue Tech-Priests to Onyx, forming its only civilian population. The Chapter never recovered from this loss, still fielding around 300 Astartes.
Officially, the Sons of Iron are known for their discreet operations, secret agendas, outstanding equipment, nearly non-existent recruitment and disrespect of the Codex Astartes, deploying in 15-men Lances and 5-men Squads mainly behind enemy lines, killing designated targets, sabotaging infrastructures and disrupting supply lines.
Officiously, almost all their secret interventions aim to recover or salvage ancient Imperial STCs or Xeno technology, as well as taking Xeno prisoners should the opportunity arise. They spread disinformation to mislead Imperial Inquisitors and fellow Astartes, resorting to an Alpha Legion-like use of psychological warfare. Technology and prisoners are brought to their homeworld and extensively studied, allowing them to understand and even produce some Xeno weapons over the course of centuries, notably Tau. Two millenniums after their creation, they were able to field Necron Weapons, mostly Flayers and Blasters, neurally linking them to their wielders and modifying their armors to match the intense power demands of Necron Weaponry, adding a huge power source to the backpack. Such power generator can be highly unstable if damaged, but this drawback is eclipsed by the power of Necron weapons. Although able to use them, the Sons of Iron are still unable to understand or produce them, and thus rely on what they can salvage on Onyx, only fielding 30 of them and studying the rest.
This use of Xeno weapons forced the Sons of Iron to extensively modify their sets of Power Armour, adding miniature fission reactors not unlike those used by the Tau, as well as redundant cooling systems and power cables passing through the soft joints of the armor. The glowing green or blue hue slowly became part of the Chapter's visual identity, and was added to their eyes, helmet pipes and vox caster. The opacity of said joints can be modified at will by the wearer, allowing him to remain unseen when needed.
Although downright heretical, the Sons of Iron consider (and present) themselves as loyalists, limiting the use of unconcealed Xeno-based weaponry to Imperium-free operations and fighting the enemies of Man with hatred and zeal, notably Chaos. Their use of disinformation and concealment allowed them to remain hidden from Inquisitors.
Their Astartes and tech-priests are separated in two paths: The Hunter's Path and the Death Path, each studying Xeno weaponry.
The Death Path consists in the extensive study of Necron weaponry. Bringing death and destruction to the enemy of Mankind is its only objective. It has a subcell called The Living Shield, specialized in the study of Necrodermis and aiming to create self-repairing sets of Power Armour. Only one such set currently exists, worn by Lithius Tantale.
The Hunter's Path currently encompass about 75% of the Sons of Iron tech-priests. Specialized in Tau and misc Xeno technology, they are the Path which yielded the best results, being able to produce Pulse and Rail Weapons as well as miniaturized fission power plants and upgraded drones and cogitators. They are responsible for most of the Sons of Iron technological advances, but will eventually shift out of existence should Necron technology finally be understood.
Backstory:
Spoiler:
For he was not a giant amongst the men, standing as tall as all my Battle-Brothers.
Clad in a regular, unornamented, Mark VII Shell, albeit of an uncanny metallic colour, he walked among us, his eyes unnaturally green.
He was one of us, yet a stranger, an anomaly.
But when he raised his deep, muffled voice, we knew he was our rightful master, the hero we needed.
—Anonymous Son of Iron, about Lithius Tantale
The Sons of Iron were a successor of the Iron Hands chapter, founded mid-35th Millenium. This somewhat unlucky chapter lost more than 700 Astartes warriors during its first real campaign, remembered within the chapter as the Reclamation of Onyx.
Onyx was a barren, cold world northeast of the Segmentum Obscurus, in the Cygnus Arm, and home to thousands of malfunctioning Necrons, half-broken by thousands of years of inactivity.
The Sons of Iron found themselves trapped deep within the Tomb World, fighting above a lake of flowing Necrodermis, their weapons inefficient and their Chapter Master slaughtered by a Necron Lord. A lone Space Marine, Lithius Tantale, moved by the energy of despair, stood his ground against the damaged Lord, managing to cut him in half with his own Warscythe before falling in the liquid Necrodermis.
In a burst of rage triggered by the death of their Chapter Master, the remaining 497 Sons of Iron repelled the Necron Warriors wave after wave of living metal. It was not enough, though, and dozens of Astartes fell, flayed alive by Gauss Weapons.
Lithius Tantale emerged from the lake of Necrodermis with the Fallen Necron Lord's Warscythe in hand, his body unharmed and his armor flowing with living metal, repairing itself. With the help of his newfound resilience, he led the Chapter back to the surface, at the cost of a hundred more Space Marines.
Enraged by the death of so many fellow Space Marines, the now Chapter Master Lithius Tantale and the remains of his Chapter returned to the caves with the intention of claiming this world for themselves, cleansing the Xeno filth. Tantale found the Necron Lord reconstructing himself and slew it a second time before scattering his limbs. The Sons of Irons then sealed the deepest parts of the caves, effectively halting the Necrons' awakening.
Enraged by the inefficiency of Imperium's technology against xeno threats, Tantale decided to build a gigantic facility within the cleansed Necron tomb, dedicated to the study of Xeno weaponry and technology, hidden from the Imperium. Using his chapter's ties with the Adeptus Mechanicus (Coming from its Iron Hands' lineage), he exploited growing schisms within the Mechanicus to raise a secret group of tech priests, all repudiating the Machine Cult to some extent, calling themselves the Alter Mechanicus.
For the next five hundred years, the Sons of Iron sent several squads to Xeno-occupied space, leading looting raids to fuel their technological hunger while distracting Inquisitors and hiding their real motives. Forever scarred by the loss of almost 700 Astartes in a few days, the chapter never fully recovered, able to field at most 300 Astartes. Knowing the Sons of Iron heretical activities cannot stay hidden from the Imperium forever, Lithius Tantale ordered new excavations beneath the surface of Onyx, to find and reclaim more advanced Necron technology, specifically looking for a way to travel in the galaxy without the Warp, and thus further than the Astronomican range, in order to finally escape the Imperium's grasp if needed.
60 Astartes were stationed in the Daedalus, should the Necrons awake a second time, crippling the already weak Chapter. To cope with their very small numbers, the Sons of Iron shifted their tactics, abandoning the mechanical, overwhelming and calculated deployment methods of their progenitors to the profit of guerrilla, ambush, stealth or blitzkrieg tactics, with a strong emphasis on independent squads and snipers use. They hit hard the enemy weak points, leaving naked corpses stripped clean of their gear, even taking some xenos as prisoners. Furthermore, they started to rely heavily on psychological warfare, systematic misleading and disinformation to distract the Imperium from their secretive activities, distrustful of this illegitimate theocracy betraying the Emperor's teachings and afflicted with the worst plague of all: Stagnation.
Map: Work in progress.
Spoiler:
Homeworld:
Spoiler:
Onyx is a barren, frozen landscape. With an average temperature of -15°C (5°F), it is way too cold to support a luxuriant biosphere. It is not devoid of life, though, as massive forests of twisted conifers cover up most of the temperate zones of the planet. Huge creatures, taller than the mightiest Imperial Dreadnought, roam the tundras, absorbing the heat of natural geothermal vents. The underground Fortress-Monastery of the Sons of Iron, The Daedalus, is located in the northern hemisphere, in the middle of a mountain range constantly swept up by violent winds and blizzards. It occupies the uppermost parts of a vast Necron tomb, of which 60% remain sealed off, deep beneath the ground. Although the Necron Lord was killed and its remains scattered for extensive study, preventing a large scale awakening, potent Necron war machines probably still sleep undisturbed in the crypts. Sons of Iron thus proceed with extreme caution while exploring the depths to retrieve Necron artifacts, out of fear of triggering the doom of their chapter and world.
Life on Onyx:
Life on Onyx is far from easy. A lot of civilians here are rogue Tech-Priests and Serfs, all working in the Fortress-Monastery or one of its laboratories or facilities. Our of fear of being discovered, the Sons of Iron forbade civilians to leave the planet, except for a few lucky ones, such as the Consul, the civilian in charge of everyday life in The Daedalus, in close relation with the Chapter Master. The Sons of Iron closely and secretly watch the population, looking for spies and corrupted operatives.
Although caring of their human servants, the Sons of Iron enforced a highly restricted and dictatorial regime, and any sign of treason is swiftly punished. On the other hand, loyal civilians, even the lowliest worker, can expect at least a Upper Hive-like lifestyle.
No other human settlement exists on Onyx, given the extremely harsh conditions, and the population (excluding the Astartes) never exceed 700 000, all descending from the 1100 Tech-Priests initially brought to the planet who were still able to sexually reproduce, and all were raised according to the Sons of Iron beliefs and teachings.
Onyx Culture :
Onyxiis are a discreet and hard-working people. Descending from more than one hundred generations of Tech-Priests, they bathe in the veneration of technology since a very young age, and most of them get their first bionic under the age of ten. The strongest and cleverest children are selected and tested for possible integration to the Sons of Iron Chapter should they need reinforcements, or to become Iron Squires.
Like the Sons of Iron and their Iron Hands progenitors, Onyxiis are not kind toward weakness. However, they don't despise human flesh as much as the Iron Hands, or other Tech-Priests, wanting to preserve it via artificial means instead of outright replacing it. Bionics are mainly installed to their limbs and back, their faces and trunks remaining mostly preserved, although eye-replacing bionics are frequent. Mechadendrites are used by the wealthiest Onyxiis, almost always installed on their backs.
Onyxiis only revere one divinity: the Omnissiah, in the same fashion as the Sons of Iron do. They believe the Omnissiah to be a non-existent God, that will one day come to life, constructed by Mankind, to guide them toward better days. The Emperor is deeply respected as the greatest Human to have ever existed, and Lithius Tantale as a hero. Cults worshipping the Emperor and Tantale as gods exist on Onyx, but are severely repressed by the Sons of Iron and are not popular within the Onyxiis.
Onyxii names are mainly inspired by Celt, Norman and Breton names from the Age of Terra.
The Iron Squires
The natural affinity with technology of the Sons of Iron allowed them to train and gear a small but very efficient Planetary Defense Force, called the Iron Squires. Composed of 300 Tech-Priests and lowly civilians, these men and women are extensively trained to close quarter battle, and the use of many weapons, ranging from the average lasgun to Tau Pulse Rifles. Most of them are equipped with Ignatus Pattern Power Armour and the custom Onyx Pattern Mk3 Hotshot Lasgun (Still called Hellgun by the Iron Squires), allowing them to defend the Daedalus efficiently even against armored foes.
They provide an invaluable help to their masters Astartes, and are ready to give their lives for the Chapter. Their devotion and highly recognizable armour make them legends amongst the civilian population of the Daedalus, and earned them the respect of the Sons of Iron themselves.
Their symbol is a clenched armoured fist enclosed in a cog.
Fleet:
Spoiler:
The Sons of Iron fleet is comprised of only 3 vessels:
The Sons of Iron found a forgotten Interex outpost guarded by automated drones. Some of the drones were disabled and taken for study, and the outpost was looted.
The Chapter created its first advanced technology following these events, notably the Seeker drones, able to autonomously map an area in 3D, linking it to its squad Auto-Senses. Particularly useful inside Space Hulks.
3 Astartes died during this raid.
Space Hulk L012 (213.M37):
The Gladius Frigate Infinite Succor found a 17 kilometers long Space Hulk orbiting the White Dwarf Sulfre.
The Space Hulk infested by Megarachnids, huge, strong and resilient spider-like xenos who survived the battle of Murder less than 10,000 years ago. Their communications scrambled by the Megarachnids' atmospheric devices, two squads were almost instantly wiped out, leaving only three survivors. With the help of reinforcements from the Unbroken Entelechy Frigate, they were able to drive the gigantic spiders back to their nest, the nuclear reactor of an old Adeptus Mechanicus ship from the Dark Age of Technology. Unwilling to damage this invaluable piece of technology, the Sons of Iron managed to drain the section's air by punching a hole through the hull with Melta bombs, suffocating the Megarachnids to death.
The sector being cleared, the Astartes proceeded to study the reactor, taking key pieces and cogitator circuits with them. In a nearby data storage room, they found several Data-Slates detailing the construction, use and maintenance of advanced fusion reactors, probably stored here as backup for a STC unit.
This outstanding discovery allowed the Chapter to create highly efficient fusion reactors and cooling systems, solving their biggest issue concerning Xeno and Plasma weaponry.
Eryd Unrests (218.M37):
The Sons of Iron crushed a civilian unrest on the Rogue Trader owned world of Eryd, fielding functional Necron weapons for the first time. They then imposed a bilateral trade agreement of "exotic" goods to the Rogue Trader dynasty, in exchange of allowing them to keep their Warrant of Trade.
War in Decay (245.M38):
Raids on the Tau (742.M41 - 999.M41):
Hive Fleet Behemoth (745.M41):
Reclamation of Doton (995.M41):
Combat Doctrine:
Spoiler:
To cope with the obvious look of Necron weapons/Xeno-based weaponry and the small number of Space Marines available, Sons of Iron fight alone, in small independent cells called Lances. Each Lance contains 3 Squads, and each Squad contains 5 Astartes.
The whole chapter is composed of 20 Lances and one Elite Squad: The Reclaimers.
When fielded with other Imperium forces, they are equipped with standard bolters, plasma guns and melta. As their Lances aren't numbered or distinguishable in any way for an exterior observer (Although they internally are, for convenience), some of them are always fielded with other chapters, their allies oblivious to the fact that they're always fighting alongside the same Sons of Iron.
Moreover, Sons of Iron marines can shift between Lances and Squads at will, and the Majors (Equivalent to a Sergeant) never fight bare-head, thus hiding the whereabouts of the chapter.
Their combat doctrine is motivated by two main rules that every Lance must follow:
1) Stay alive at all costs
2) Salvage whatever you can if you can do it safely
These rules are easily explainable by the small number of surviving Astartes within the chapter. Any loss is catastrophic, as their secret activities prevent them to mass-recruit aspirants.
There have been several instances of Sons of Iron Squads or Lances using civilians, Imperial Guards and even Astartes as meat shields to save their lives, making false evidences in the process.
Resulting from such an obsession with self-preservation, Sons of Iron usually never fight in melee. Their use of Xeno technology and flanking tactics generally allow them to kill most opposing forces before they can even fight back.
Due to their preference for long-range engagements and their lack of scouts, Sons of Iron regular Astartes make an extensive use of sniper weaponry. A Sniper Squad is actually their equivalent of a Tactical Squad, with only 1 or 2 Astartes out of 5 armed with a Sniper Rifle, 2 with regular medium-range weapons (Mostly Pulse Rifles and Plasma Rifles) and 1 specialist, whose equipment highly varies depending on the mission, ranging from Necron weaponry to rocket launchers.
When alone and without risks of being flanked or surrounded, they usually divide in 3 groups. 1 sniper (usually the Major) will reach for the nearest high ground while 3 other Astartes hold the enemy in place. The second sniper (called Lone Wolf) will then move unseen and flank the opposing force.
Their second most-fielded squad are the Devastators. Just like the Codex Astartes' Devastator Squad, they specialize in long-range, heavy weaponry. Each Devastator Major is given a Necron Gauss Weapon (Usually a Flayer or Blaster) and a Tomb Pattern Mark VIII Power Armour, specifically modified to suit the huge energy needs of Necron weaponry. Other members of the squad are mainly equipped with modified Plasma Guns, as the reinforced cooling system of the Tantale Pattern Mark VII armour is more than enough to fire these weapons freely without fearing overheating. They can also use rocket launchers, heavy flamers and melta guns.
The rarely seen Shock Teams are the Chapter's own Eversor Assassins equivalents. Equipped with heavy weaponry and Tau stealth field generators, they often wait for days without moving in places they know will be occupied by Xenos or heretics, before laying waste to their foes and suddenly disappear to strike elsewhere. Often leading assassination or sabotage missions, they also help reclaim well defended artifacts. There are only 6 Shock Teams in the whole chapters, composing the 17th and 18th Lances.
There is only one Sons of Iron squad breaking the "no melee" rule: The Reclaimers.
The Reclaimers are the Sons of Iron equivalent to a Terminator Squad. Although they're using heavily modified Mark VIII Power Armour sets, The Reclaimers are able to get unharmed into the toughest fights, wrecking all opposition with Necron Hyperphase Swords and Staffs of Light reclaimed from the depths of Onyx.
These five Astartes are the finest Sons of Iron warriors, usually serving as bodyguards for Lithius Tantale, they can be sent to any battlefield in dire circumstances, the Chapter Master being more than capable to defend himself.
To sums things up, the Sons of Iron are organized as follows:
The Chapter Master Lithius Tantale leads the Reclaimer Squad, composed of 5 elite warriors.
Each Reclaimer leads 5 Lances.
Each Lance is led by an Ultra, characterized by his squad (He can be a Sniper Ultra, a Devastator Ultra, etc).
Each Ultra leads 3 Squads.
Each Squad is led by a Major, characterized by his squad (He can be a Sniper Major, Devastator Major, etc).
Each Major leads 4 Minors (They can be Sniper Minors, Devastator Minors, etc).
Following this organization, Lithius Tantale is both the Chapter Master of the Sons of Iron and a Reclaimer Major.
Vehicles:
Sons of Iron almost never field vehicles, except for 5 Dreadnoughts (2 of them Venerable) and 40 Thunderhawks (1 per Lance plus backup), preferring Guerilla tactics to outright, open warfare, way more costly.
All 3 "regular" Deadnoughts are equipped with shoulder-mounted Rail Rifles and various Pulse weaponry. The 2 Venerable ones are fitted with Necron Gauss Cannons and Heavy Cannons.
Artifacts:
Spoiler:
Necrosuit: A set of Power Armor coated in Necrodermis during the Reclamation of Onyx. Worn by Lithius Tantale.
It looks like an unremarkable set of Mark VII Power Armour, all covered by the greyish black colour of Necrodermis. It lacks the glowing joints of the Sons of Iron armours, as well as any mark or specific ornament, as it was impossible for the chapter to carve them into Necrodermis.
The tech-priests tried to reproduce this armour using the Necrodermis lake of Onyx, but only encountered failure thus far.
Lithius Tantale was never seen removing his armor for thousands of years, and it is believed that the flowing Necrodermis entered his armor and merged it with his very flesh, explaining his very old age.
Blade of the Fallen: The Warscythe that slaughtered the original Sons of Iron's Chapter Master. Owned by Lithius Tantale.
Several Necron Weapons: The Death Path studied Necron technology for centuries. Although not able to manufacture Gauss weapons, they managed to create an interface between them and a Power Armour. Sons of Iron equipped with such weapons are neurally linked to them to circumvent the need for a mechanical trigger.
The Sons of Iron currently possess 73 Gauss weapons, including 48 Flayers, 18 Blasters, 5 Cannons and 2 Heavy Cannons.
Flayers and Blasters are extremely popular within Sons of Iron's Shock Teams and Devastator Squads, and at least two of their Dreadnoughts are fitted with Cannons and Heavy Cannons. Most of these Gauss weapons are studied on Onyx, and never used by the chapter.
Several Tau Weapons: Followers of the Hunter's Path are much more numerous than their Death Path counterparts, and thus possess much more xeno weapons. Specialized in the study of Tau Weapons, they have several hundreds of them. Much more easily understandable than Necron's cryptic Gauss Weapons, Tau-based Weaponry is produced by the Chapter's facilities. Many Sniper Squads have at least one Pulse Sniper Rifle, and Hunter Path's Dreadnoughts are fielded with shoulder-mounted Rail Rifles similar to those used by XV88 Broadside Battlesuits.
Misc Xeno Artifacts and Weaponry: Several Hrud Fusils, etc.
Chapter Beliefs:
Spoiler:
The Sons of Iron do not venerate the Emperor of Mankind, seeing him as nothing more and nothing less than the forefather of all Astartes chapters, and the righteous ruler of Mankind. They deeply respect his work and his sacrifice, but are internally very critical of the Imperial Cult.
Likewise, they do not believe in the Omnissiah in the same way as the Adeptus Mechanicus. To the Sons of Iron, the Omnissiah will come to life in a distant future, as all technology tends to complexify itself to the point of being indistinguishable from a God, eclipsing every other divinity. They worship technology by innovation and understanding, not prayers or rites, as making scientific and technological progresses bring them closer to the Omnissiah, and do not recognize Machine Spirits.
Moreover, they believe that, in the far future, extremely advanced technology will completely protect Mankind from the Warp, isolating the Ruinous Powers.
Unlike nearly every human of the Imperium, Sons of Iron deeply respect those Xenos who are able to best the Imperium in the art of warfare, such are the Tau, Eldars and Necrons. Still, they believe that any threat to Mankind should be terminated or at the very least contained without mercy.
As every Son of Iron Space Marine is a precious, irreplaceable soldier, always switching between Lances and Squads, nearly all of these Astartes know each other to some extent. Thus, the death of one of them is a painful event to the whole Chapter.
Dead Astartes' bodies are always retrieved, no matter the cost, and sent back to Onyx. There, their remains are cleaned, their gene-seed extracted and the body's flesh purged away, its decaying being seen as unclean. A funeral procession usually led by the Dead Astartes' Squad then takes the skeleton through the repurposed Necron Tomb, to the Necrodermis Lake. The bones are then respectfully coated in living metal and taken back to the Chapter's crypt.
The Iron Records
Every belief of the Chapter, as well as all their technological advances and discoveries, their history, legends and myths as well as their objectives are written in a series of hardened Data-Slates called the Iron Records by Lithius Tantale himself.
The "Iron Flaw"
The psychological flaw afflicting the Iron Hands chapter and most of its successors was called the "Iron Flaw" by the Sons of Iron.
While sharing this hatred for weakness, the Sons of Iron consider stagnation as the biggest flaw afflicting Humanity, even more than their own flesh.
The Sons of Iron have megalomaniac tendencies, wanting to bring a technological salvation to Mankind. However, should Terra eventually fall and an usable Necron Drive be found, the Sons of Iron plan to flee out of the Milky Way with their civilian population, leaving everything behind to found another Imperium.
Honour Badges:
Spoiler:
Machina Redivivus: Invariably awarded to the few Sons of Iron resurrected within the shell of a Dreadnought. Usually takes the form of a skull encased in a cog, with glowing eyes.
Scientiae Claritatis: Awarded to the Sons of Iron who made incredibly valuable discoveries. Takes the form of an uppercase Phi (ϕ), the circle replaced by a cog.
Accurate Bellator: Awarded to the best marksmen. Takes the form of a crosshair encompassed by a cog.
Some random quotes:
Spoiler:
Lithius Tantale is assumed to be one of the oldest living non-traitor, non-dreadnought Astartes, the Sons of Iron being much less exposed to danger than other Chapters. The Necrodermis coating his armor might have merged it with his flesh, preserving it.
His long life fashioned his calm, collected and almost sullen voice. He sometimes enjoys talking in long, rhyming phrases, or declaiming poetry in Low or High Gothic.
"The Great Stagnant is but a misguided father, asking secretly for the help we can offer."
-Lithius Tantale, 324.M37
"We cannot save what begs to die, for stagnation brings them decay. These foolish men should close their eyes, for finally we will betray."
-Lithius Tantale, 995.M41
"In girum imus nocte ecce et consumimur igni."
-Lithius Tantale, 999.M41 (Dactylic Hexameter, High Gothic, about the Imperium's course of action)
"The Reaper comes knocking our door, smelling the souls we cannot save. The Great Stagnant approaches its end, dragging us deep into its grave."
-Lithius Tantale, 999.M41
TO-DO LIST/FAQ:
Spoiler:
Q: Why were the Sons of Iron founded ?
A: The Imperium needed an armed presence in the most remote locations of the Segmentum Ultima.
Q: Why is Lithius Tantale so old ?
A: Necrodermis merged his armor with his flesh. This, and story purposes.
Q: Who are their enemies ?
A: They mostly fight against Tau and minor Xeno threats. They fought a couple times against Chaos, but they don't like it as Warp-tainted technology is unrecoverable.
Q: Any rival chapter ?
A: The Emperor's Children (death of Ferrus Manus), of course. They don't really like the overzealous Black Templar not the Ultramarines either. Feth the Codex Astartes.
Q: Why didn't they replenished their numbers over the course of 5000 years ?
A: This one's a bit tricky. Mainly, they don't want to because their stuff is expensive and they want to give the same gear to everyone. Their civilian population isn't that large either, peaking at 700 000, and entirely composed of tech-priests descendants.
TL;DR:
Heretical Space Marines chapter, albeit loyal to the Emperor. Will be declared Excommunicate Traitoris if their activities are discovered.
Are able to use Tau and Necron guns with modified sets of Power Armour.
Fight a bit like Raptors, with less camouflage and more firepower.
Hate Chaos.
Have a fetish for gears.
Their tech-priests love toaster sex.
So, all of this is subject to change, of course. I don't want to make them OP or anything (Even considering Necron weapons, they use only 30 of them because the required modifications to a set of power armour are really expensive and prone to fail).
Don't forget to comment, point out inconsistencies, etc.
This message was edited 104 times. Last update was at 2015/12/07 19:56:57
Scientia potentia est.
In girum imus nocte ecce et consumimur igni.
2015/10/14 11:49:38
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
My biggest question would be is how do they hide all of this stuff when an Inquisitor or another chapter comes along? It's mentioned they switch mottos, but I for one would be interested in how they hide all of this.
As for grammar, I didn't notice any major mistakes at all, it was well organized and made sense when it was read.
I would tone down on the xenos tech reliance though, if anything make it for the sake of them not being caught when someone sees a squad full of marines using pulse rifles.
Overall, it was very interesting, and with some tweeks, while still going against the major part of fluff involving xenos tech, it could turn out pretty nice. Love the color scheme by the way, I'd like to see some models painted like that, the blue is really cool.
Irishpeacockz-Blackjack needs a pay raise for being the welcomer to the crusade
Palleus-Write a school essay about Kroot! Pride. Prejudice. And Cannibalsim.
2015/10/14 11:57:54
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
2BlackJack1 wrote: My biggest question would be is how do they hide all of this stuff when an Inquisitor or another chapter comes along? It's mentioned they switch mottos, but I for one would be interested in how they hide all of this.
As for grammar, I didn't notice any major mistakes at all, it was well organized and made sense when it was read.
I would tone down on the xenos tech reliance though, if anything make it for the sake of them not being caught when someone sees a squad full of marines using pulse rifles.
Overall, it was very interesting, and with some tweeks, while still going against the major part of fluff involving xenos tech, it could turn out pretty nice. Love the color scheme by the way, I'd like to see some models painted like that, the blue is really cool.
Thanks!
They operate alone most of the time. But most of them have standard-issue bolters or bolter-looking Pulse Rifles when fighting alongside Imperium forces. The only ones unable to switch weapons are the Devastators/Shock Teams, because of the Necron Gauss Weapons they use, thus they're not fielded in large scale battles. The Lances/Squads division of the chapter allows Marines to shift from squad to squad/lance to lance at will, as Lances/Squads are not numbered like Ultramarines companies for example. In this regard, they can be seen as similar to the Alpha Legion, to a lesser extent.
This, and they're really cautious and suspicious. Civilians and tech-priests stationed on Onyx cannot leave the planet. Ever. Only Astartes and some rare honorific members can.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2015/10/14 11:59:50
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2015/10/16 08:46:25
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
I liked the new additions, especially the funeral rites. One suggestion I have, take it or leave it, it's up to you, but what if the tomb wasn't entirely cleansed, and the Sons of Iron have to fight their way to get more necron tech to work with. You could still have a section of the tomb secure, and still do the funeral rites with the living metal, but it'd help with making the chapter less OP. It also plays on your lesser amounts of marines, since the tomb would have to be under constant guard, maybe one of the venerable dreadnoughts became a dreadnought after fighting in the tomb and wishes to ensure the necrons never do harm to others? Thus leading the defense and raids on them?
It's entirely up to you, but if you're looking for suggestions I figured this might take your fancy.
Irishpeacockz-Blackjack needs a pay raise for being the welcomer to the crusade
Palleus-Write a school essay about Kroot! Pride. Prejudice. And Cannibalsim.
2015/10/16 12:51:56
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
2BlackJack1 wrote: I liked the new additions, especially the funeral rites. One suggestion I have, take it or leave it, it's up to you, but what if the tomb wasn't entirely cleansed, and the Sons of Iron have to fight their way to get more necron tech to work with. You could still have a section of the tomb secure, and still do the funeral rites with the living metal, but it'd help with making the chapter less OP. It also plays on your lesser amounts of marines, since the tomb would have to be under constant guard, maybe one of the venerable dreadnoughts became a dreadnought after fighting in the tomb and wishes to ensure the necrons never do harm to others? Thus leading the defense and raids on them?
It's entirely up to you, but if you're looking for suggestions I figured this might take your fancy.
I was actually planning to write something about that. They sealed off the deepest parts of the Tomb World, below the Necrodermis Lake, with all the badass overpowered Necron wargear, and do not want to go in there for now, just in case a Tesseract Vault suddenly appears and wipe them out.
Actually the two venerable Dreadnoughts were among the only injured Space Marines who "survived" the Reclamation of Onyx.
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In girum imus nocte ecce et consumimur igni.
2015/10/16 13:16:00
Subject: Re:[40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
Looking reasonably good to me, though I do have a few critiques. The first thing that's bothering the Motto. " Know and Grow" seems a bit off to me. And I can't seem to see how it links to the Chapter. I personally would go with something like "With Power through Technology, Victory is at Within Reach." I reckon something like what I've just suggested would be good because it ties in with their love of technology (in particular, Xenos weaponry).
Another thing that bothered me:
Knowing the Sons of Iron heretical activities cannot stay hidden from the Imperium forever, Lithius Tantale ordered new excavations beneath the surface of Onyx, to find and reclaim more advanced Necron technology.
I'm just not seeing how whether or not their activities staying hidden from the Imperium has any direct link to new excavations beneath the surface of Onyx. Maybe relate to how they go about obtaining and storing Xenos technologies, with this Onyx case as a specific example.
Heretical Space Marines chapter, albeit loyal to the Emperor. Will be declared Excommunicate Traitoris if their activities are discovered.
Especially given their size and the fact that they are dabbling in Xenos tech, not being seduced by Chaos, they'd more likely be destroyed outright. They might also have their records expunged, but I'm not sure anyone apart from the Emperor could do that and he's slightly incapacitated. And even if they were in a position to be labelled as Excommunicated Traitors, this may (I emphasis: may) run into the same problem as having their records expunged.
Finally, with the colour scheme: I feel that it is rather good, but may need some more highlights. Not bold colours, but never-the-less highlights. For example, a dark colour highlight on the edges of the shoulder pads.
Other than that, it's looking really nice! Keep working on it! I look forward to future updates.
2015/10/16 13:41:39
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
Thanks for the critiques, I'll update the main post soon.
I originally wanted to shamelessly use the Blood Ravens motto, as I really like it. But I couldn't think of anything original in the same vein, so I sticked with "Know and Grow", roughly meaning "With Knowledge comes Prosperity" or something like that.
Wait, actually I could use "With Knowledge comes Prosperity"...
The deeper excavations have mainly one objective : Find any salvageable Necron technology related to FTL travel, or large scale warfare. But yeah, I must admit it's pretty poorly written.
As for the Excommunicate Traitoris thing, isn't it the standard procedure when a chapter gets involved in heretical activities ?
For the colour scheme, I like it this way. It looks somewhat professional and mechanical.
As I haven't any emblem yet, I still don't know where to put it and what colours use. Keep in mind that the Majors and Reclaimers will look different, but I've not decided to what extent yet (I'll probably make a Reclaimer colour scheme out of a Terminator armour, even if they use heavily modified MkVIII).
And no highlights or secondary colours for the Chapter Master, as his armor is entirely covered in Necrodermis (save for the eyes, for convenience).
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/10/16 13:44:56
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2015/10/16 16:19:55
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
LethalShade wrote: I originally wanted to shamelessly use the Blood Ravens motto, as I really like it. But I couldn't think of anything original in the same vein, so I sticked with "Know and Grow", roughly meaning "With Knowledge comes Prosperity" or something like that.
Wait, actually I could use "With Knowledge comes Prosperity"...
The word 'prosperity' implies social and financial success more than anything, though I get the gist of what it's trying to say. Again, taking your motto and extending it, it could be: "With Knowledge comes Power. With Power comes Victory." Alternatively, it could simply be shortened to: "With Knowledge comes Power."
LethalShade wrote: The deeper excavations have mainly one objective : Find any salvageable Necron technology related to FTL travel, or large scale warfare.
As I said before, maybe just link it back to how they go about it. Maybe come up with some fluff as to what sort of precautionary measures they take and then give this as a specific example of how extreme measures are taken to ensure they are not found out.
Well as you said, English isn't your mother tongue. Plus it's a WIP, so there's going to be some stuff that doesn't quite make sense because the fluff to support it simply isn't there yet.
LethalShade wrote: As for the Excommunicate Traitoris thing, isn't it the standard procedure when a chapter gets involved in heretical activities?
I don't think it's the default. I think at least part of the reason that the traitor legions were listed as 'Excommunicated Traitors' was simply because they couldn't be destroyed. I still think that destruction and subsequently being listed as "Heretics" is a more likely scenario. But I might be wrong. I'm mainly going by intuitive logical deduction based on what I know.
2015/10/17 08:57:43
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
Sgt_Smudge wrote: I'm usually very critical of chapters like this, but I really like this one. Good grammar, detailed and knowing use of fluff, cool backstory.
Yep, I really like these guys! Good job.
Thanks!
IlumiNini : I updated several things based on your feedback, such as the Motto.
+Added "Homeworld" field
+Added "Life on Onyx" subfield
+Added "Fleet" field
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In girum imus nocte ecce et consumimur igni.
2015/11/03 13:29:37
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
A: They mostly fight against Tau and minor Xeno threats. They fought a couple times against Chaos, but they don't like it as Warp-tainted technology is unrecoverable.
Given where you've located Onyx, it seems that they would be fighting Chaos and Orks a bit more than "A couple of times".
Also, it seems like a long way to travel from where they are to the Tau Empire, meaning that no matter how much they might want to, actually fighting them on a regular basis would be a bit difficult. also, especially since they have less than 300 Astartes, traveling such a distance to fight Tau seems a bit iffy to me.
Q: Why didn't they replenished their numbers over the course of 5000 years ?
A: This one's a bit tricky. Mainly, they don't want to because their stuff is expensive and they want to give the same gear to everyone. Their civilian population isn't that large either, peaking at 7000, and entirely composed of tech-priests descendants.
I can understand the Astartes numbers, but the civilian population seems really small, especially given the time frame that the planet/Chapter have been active for.
Q: gakky chapter so op please nvr breed
A: Please feed yourself to a grot.
A little bit unnecessary, mate. If people are really commenting or messaging you in such a way, then either ignore it or report it to the moderators. There's no need for this.
2015/11/09 22:08:50
Subject: Re:[40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
A: They mostly fight against Tau and minor Xeno threats. They fought a couple times against Chaos, but they don't like it as Warp-tainted technology is unrecoverable.
Given where you've located Onyx, it seems that they would be fighting Chaos and Orks a bit more than "A couple of times".
Also, it seems like a long way to travel from where they are to the Tau Empire, meaning that no matter how much they might want to, actually fighting them on a regular basis would be a bit difficult. also, especially since they have less than 300 Astartes, traveling such a distance to fight Tau seems a bit iffy to me.
Truth is I really don't know where to locate Onyx. There isn't many truly remote and isolated places in this fething galaxy.
Q: Why didn't they replenished their numbers over the course of 5000 years ?
A: This one's a bit tricky. Mainly, they don't want to because their stuff is expensive and they want to give the same gear to everyone. Their civilian population isn't that large either, peaking at 7000, and entirely composed of tech-priests descendants.
I can understand the Astartes numbers, but the civilian population seems really small, especially given the time frame that the planet/Chapter have been active for.
Strict (very strict) birth control. This, and the entire civilian population is confined into the Daedalus, because the conditions outside are really harsh. Plus they don't want to manage too many people at once.
Q: gakky chapter so op please nvr breed
A: Please feed yourself to a grot.
A little bit unnecessary, mate. If people are really commenting or messaging you in such a way, then either ignore it or report it to the moderators. There's no need for this.
True. But you know this is a fake FAQ, as no one cares enough to ask me these questions. It's just my "Add to the main post" list, taking the form of a Q&A.
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In girum imus nocte ecce et consumimur igni.
2015/11/09 22:14:59
Subject: Re:[40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
LethalShade wrote: True. But you know this is a fake FAQ, as no one cares enough to ask me these questions. It's just my "Add to the main post" list, taking the form of a Q&A.
Ahkk fair enough haha.
2015/11/10 10:35:23
Subject: Re:[40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
Just had a few thoughts relating to where you might locate Onyx:
I figured that you could put Onyx on the eastern fringes of the Mordant Zone, near where Ymgarl and The Ygma Monolith are (with 'near' being a very relative term). That would place it relatively near the Tau Empire, which would be ideal for their pursuit of Xenos tech.
Also with that location may be an inherent form of brotherhood with any 'local' Space Marine Chapters, in particular the Ultramarines (and by 'local', I mean Chapters with home worlds or home sectors relatively nearby).
Depending on how you write it, you may also be able to tie in their relationship with these Chapters to why the Inquisition may be inclined to not pay too much attention to the specifics of what they're doing. BUT: Be very careful how you go about writing this (if you decide to do so) because I feel like you'd be walking a fine line between cool fluff and really bad fluff.
Also with this location comes the inherent ability to better explain why they might not fight Chaos or Orks as much. That being said, the proposed location may (I emphasize 'may') require you to have your Chapter actively involved in fighting the Hive Fleet Behemoth as well as extreme splinters of the Hive Fleet Leviathan, but that's totally up to you.
The proposed location (I feel) opens up better options for my understanding of what you want from this Chapter. Up to you, though. This is your Chapter after all haha.
A thought on their 'Combat Doctrine' (Because I don't know what else this would come under)
I haven't read through all of the edits properly (so pleae forgive me if you've said this already), but I feel like the Sons of Iron would want to fight independently as much as possible. What I mean is that in any given theater of war, they would rather handle the who situation themselves so that they may employ their Xenos tech without as much fear of being discovered as they would otherwise endure fighting beside their battle brothers from the Imperium.
For example: Lets just say the Sons of Iron were required to assist in the capture of a city. They might bring a sizable Astartes force with their Xenos tech and run the entire assault by themselves (without Imperial Guard, without other Astartes, etc etc).
2015/11/10 10:55:56
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
Hehe, that's approximately where I just placed them.
I ran into some problems when I suddenly realized "Wait, the Tau are a newly discovered species so Pulse weaponry is a new thing for the chapter" (hence the dates). But the Hunter's Path studies everything that isn't Necron anyway.
I agree with their combat doctrine, that's what I had in mind.
As for the "Brotherhood", thing, I guess you mean that the Ultramarines could praise the Sons of Iron's reliability/honor/courage/whatever to whoever close enough to hear them.
They may had some violent contacts with Eldars of the Iyanden and Alaitoc craftworlds too, even if they can't use their tech at all (only usable by a psyker, IIRC).
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2015/11/10 11:05:37
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2015/11/11 04:02:17
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
LethalShade wrote: As for the "Brotherhood", thing, I guess you mean that the Ultramarines could praise the Sons of Iron's reliability/honor/courage/whatever to whoever close enough to hear them.
Sort of, but essentially yes. I was thinking that they could have worked with the Ultramarines closely, thus when the Inquisition (or whoever else comes poking) sees the Imperial records for the Sons of Iron, they'd see an impeccable Chapter. In addition, there would be what you said, which is where the Ultramarines will vouch for them.
LethalShade wrote: They may had some violent contacts with Eldars of the Iyanden and Alaitoc craftworlds too, even if they can't use their tech at all (only usable by a psyker, IIRC).
Well that's a whole other ball game and I'll leave that to your creativity for now haha
2015/11/19 13:39:41
Subject: [40k] Sons of Iron - Custom Heretic/Loyalist Chapter (Work In Progress)
+ Added "Notable Campaigns" field (incomplete).
+ Added "Onyx Culture" subfield ("Homeworld" field).
+ Massive retcon of Onyx population (Basically, I added two zero).
+ Added "Some random quotes" field about Lithius Tantale.
-> More a personal obsession with writing than a piece of meaningful fluff.
-> The "High Gothic" Latin quote is totally legit. I didn't made it up, though. It was allegedly written by the Roman poet Virgil.
IllumiNini : I thought about the possibility of fielding an entire Lance at any given time to serve into the Deathwatch (to both give a good image of the Chapter to the Inquisition and spy on them).
This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2015/11/20 12:29:35
