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For Holy Terra - Because space is scary

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I'm going to have to redo my freehand of the symbol, but otherwise this one's coming along nicely and is almost done!

For Holy Terra - Because space is scary

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This one is coming together nicely.  My first real attempt at shading and object source lighting with the airbrush worked very well.  You can see it clearly on the studded pauldron near the top, and the brightness difference between the left and right views.  Just a little bit of edge detailing rounds it out.

For Holy Terra - Because space is scary

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I really like the way the chapter symbol looks on the pauldron.  I've got to rework the one for the scouts, though.

For Holy Terra - Because space is scary

Yeomen Vigilant Tactical Squad, still headless:

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And the Halo Knights Rhino (with the start of some weathering):

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For Holy Terra - Because space is scary

For Holy Terra - Because space is scary

The original Chapter is believed to have been founded in M35, but little else is known, as all records were destroyed by the Inquisition in early M40 after being wrongly implicated in the Sorensen secession. Reduced to half strength and implicated in the revolt by a fellow Astartes chapter (name not recorded)

The original chapter was placed under Inquisitorial authority after the revolt and given the options of being declared traitors or taking the Phoenix option.

The Chapter master Karl Diessen, knowing that the Chapter had been manipulated into the revolt and wrongly accused, swore revenge and chose the Phoenix option as the only way to bring justice to his fallen brothers and the Chapters survivors.

Inquisitor Brant was the architect of the Chapter's re-founding under the Phoenix option, a resource used by the Inquisition on only 4 other occasions to save a chapter that had lost their way or had been subverted by external forces before becoming completely lost to the Emperor's Light.

After Diessen chose exile for the chapter, Inquisitor Brant took what remained of the chapter's fleet and military assets and directed them to the Hadrada subsector and the world of Belmincor.  A sparsely populated, arid world with continent-spanning deserts and massive mountain ranges, Belmincor was the polar opposite of the Chapter's old home. Brant had revealed the existence of an abandoned fortress in the Kable mountains on Belmincor that was thought to pre-date the Imperium by millennia, and this he chose as the Chapter's place of rebirth.

On arriving and making planetfall on Belmincor, the remnants of the Chapter, including all battle brothers, scouts, senior marines and even the chapters ancient and venerated dreadnoughts walked into the desert and scrubbed away the former colours of their Chapter with the sharp abrasive sands of their new home world. All battle honours and icons of their former life were removed and buried in a mass pit, the last items being the Chapter's holy battle banners. With this last rite concluded and their old life expunged, the Marines in their now-bare metal war plate marched into the Kable mountains to take up residence in the derelict fortress. The symbolic long march would take days, so Diessen sent ahead the scouts to secure the fortress for their arrival and the establishment of the Chapter's new home.

As the first scouts reported back it seemed to Diessen that there new home was cursed, and Brant had betrayed them, for nearly a dozen scouts had mysteriously died whilst investigating the ruins, and no reason could be found. The Chapter Master, his retinue, and the senior apothecary rushed ahead in Land Speeders to investigate the deaths. On arriving at the ruins they were greeted by Inquisitor Brant and his staff in a grand chamber of the fortress, and Chapter Master Diessen confronted Brant on the betrayal.

Calming the enraged Diessen, Brant revealed the deaths were the result of the ruin's current occupants, a snake known locally as a ghost viper, and was significant as being one of the few lifeforms in the galaxy that was deadly to all other beings -  including Astartes.

Brant had planned the Chapter's rebirth ever since their disgrace to culminate in this chamber as Brant revealed the schemes and machinations behind their downfall. An Inquisitor named Bartimus Tait was the architect of their fall, and Brant's nemesis within the Ordos. Fearing that Tait had subverted an Astartes Chapter, Brant had set about uncovering Tait's network of agents and trying to discover his plans. The revolt in the Sorensen system curtailed Brant's investigations, and at first seemed a genuine intra-system conflict between trade cartels and local governance, an event all too familiar on a local system level, but then as the conflict escalated into open war and Astartes Chapters and Imperial Guard were called in, the conflict turned into a secessionist revolt by a cabal of local governors, and unfortunately Diessen's Chapter found themselves supporting what they had thought were the system's true leaders instead of the fomenters of the rebellion.

Tait had shown his hand in this as another Chapter (name unknown) attacked Diessen's warriors before anything of the situation could be made clear, and named them traitors.

The result of this was Tait strengthening his position in the sub sector and that of the Chapter tied to his plans whilst ridding himself of a Chapter that would stand against him when his time to strike for power came.

Brant seized the opportunity to salvage a noble Chapter and reforge it into a weapon against Tait and his growing network of supporters in the conflict to come. Diessen, finally knowing the truth, pledged his warriors and all the Chapter's resources in support of Brant and his clandestine war against the arch-traitor Bartimus Tait.  His only condition was that he would kill Tait and the traitor Chapter Master that had wrongly accused him of rebellion against the Emperor.

Renaming the Chapter the Ghost Vipers, and rebuilding his battle companies on Belmincor, the Ghost Vipers also took the unusual step of requesting assistance from the Raven Guard to help train his marines in the ways of clandestine warfare and lightning strikes that the first founding chapter were renowned for.

Diessen also began recruiting his own agents and informants so the Chapter would never be used as pawns in another's power games again. Brant supplied specialised advisors to the Ghost Vipers to train the Chapter's covert strike teams in working in the shadows and subverting and sabotaging enemy plans from the inside.

Organization and Tactics:

The Ghost Vipers appear to be organised as a standard Codex Chapter, but it has been noted that they never seem to increase their numbers above 750 Battle Brothers - yet casualty rates for the Chapter are incredibly low and no deviation in the gene seed has been detected.

Relying on lightning attacks and, what some would state as underhand tactics, the Ghost Vipers seem to know what the enemy are planning down to the last detail in many of the conflicts they have participated in. There are a few notable exceptions to this, especially when fighting Orks, the Chapter has fallen back on tried and tested tactics straight from the Codex Astartes.

Heraldry:

The Ghost Vipers take their name from the deadly snake they share their fortress monastery with, and also there Chapter colours. A bone white body with dark orange left shoulder, left knee and left fist, but this is not a hard rule in some companies. The amount of dark orange and the addition of more black is seen. The black is a mark of respect to the Raven Guard even though it is thought they are not the Ghost Viper's progenitor legion.

In the years since the re-founding of the Chapter, a lot of new heraldry has been introduced by the recruits from Belmincors' desert clans, and the dozen other planets the Chapter recruits from. As you would imagine, a lot of snake icons and winged serpents (by the assault companies) have been used, but also more macabre images of death masks and spectral icons too.

Notable Members:

Karl Diessen is revered by the Ghost Vipers as a visionary and the saviour of the essence of the original chapter. A vengeful warrior and aggressive leader, Diessen was also no fool and saw the short coming in his character as not the direction the Ghost Vipers should follow. Taking advice and council from Inquisitor Brant and his senior captains, Diessen is credited with remoulding his warriors into the covert ops specialists they are today.

Najash Riongera is the Chapter's current Master and architect of their most recent victories. A Belmincor native recruited from one of the deep desert clans famed for their survival and hunting skills, Najash is nearing 300 years in service to the Imperium and is renowned for his strategic skills in the wider Segmentum, and is often consulted by sector generals and fleet admirals on strategies to end long-running conflicts.

Kendar Hassiophis is the Captain of the Assault Company and the Chapter's premier swordsman. In combat he uses a power glave as his favoured weapon and has reaped a bloody toll of the Imperium's enemies.

Harli Pythonidae commands the Chapter's veterans of the First Company, and also is Castellan of Belmincor and charged with its defence.

Dargon Lanthanotus is the Chapter's first Chaplin, and is also know as the 'First Viper' by many, as he tends to lead the first assault in any battle, stating that it's up to him to lead the way as the vipers strike from the dark into the light. He casts a grim shadow to keep his charges safe - well, as safe as attacking an Ork bunker can get.

Cotho Viperidae commands the Chapter's scout company officially, but also heads up the Ghost Viper's more covert units. In the long clandestine struggle that saw the chapter come into being as the Ghost Vipers, the legacy of the network of agents that Diessen and Brant set up has been maintained and even expanded when necessary for a particular theatre of operations.

Langos Eupodophis is the senior captain of the Battle Companies, and is usually tasked with command of all standard Codex battle situations the Chapter encounters, which makes him the most well-known officer of the Chapter in Imperial circles apart from Master Riongera himself.

For Holy Terra - Because space is scary

Submitted by Graham:

Founded in the chaotic years following the Nova Terra Interregnum, the Halo Knights were one of many Chapters tasked with bringing the heretic worlds back into the fold of the Imperium. Serving with distinction, the Halo Knights were rewarded with the opportunity to claim one of the recaptured worlds as the Chapter’s homeworld, which the Knights’ Master Drago Arcteris turned down, instead requesting that the Halo Knights remain as a Crusading fleet, bringing the Emperor’s Justice wherever it was needed. The High Lords of Terra, perhaps insulted by the refusal of their gift and certainly inspired by the Chapter’s own iconography, agreed to master Arcteris’ request and sent the Halo Knights on a crusade to the very edge of the Imperium. For a thousand years the Halo Knights guarded the edges of the Segmentum Pacificus from encroaching Ork hordes, Eldar corsairs and the agents of Chaos, gathering members from the worlds they saved or conquered to replace their losses. The Knights were slowly diminished over time, as the constant battles the Chapter engaged in claimed more losses than could be replaced and by the closing of M38 the Chapter was a shadow of its former self, with only four companies of Battle-Brothers to its credit.

The end of the Chapter came during the Parssus Crusade against the Dark Eldar of the Cabal of Grief, vicious slavers who preyed on the outlying worlds of the Segmentum Pacificus and eluding all Imperial attempts to end their savagery. The Halo Knights took up the call to battle and through a series of planned raids against Cabalite strongholds lead the xenos pirates into the waiting gunsights of an Imperial Navy fleet. While the Navy battleships ground down the Dark Eldar ships to rubble and dust, the Halo Knights stood ready to catch any ships that broke free of the Imperial encirclement. At the climax of the battle, the Dark Eldar flagship Lament of Thorns broke free of the Navy blockade and fled for open space. Determined to see the end of the foul slavers’ reign of terror, the Halo Knights pursued in the Chapter’s lone Battle Barge Argent Glory, chasing the xenos cruiser far beyond the borders of the Imperium. The Argent Glory and the core of the Halo Knights leadership and fighting strength was never seen in the Imperium again. What remained of the Halo Knights were disbanded by the High Lords of Terra and folded into other Chapters, ending the short but successful history of another minor Chapter.

The Argent Glory and the Halo Knights inside survived however, hounding the Lament of Thorns beyond the rim of the galaxy into the scattered Halo Stars themselves. Finally crippling their prey, the Knights boarded the Dark Eldar cruiser and systematically eliminated every xenos warrior they could find. Far beyond the borders of the Imperium and running short of supplies, the Argent Glory began the long, cautious journey back to the Imperium. As power and supplies dwindled, the Halo Knights made a shattering discovery, human-populated worlds far beyond the Imperium, colonized long ago but never appearing on any star chart or record within the Argent Glory’s libraries. Fearing some trap or heresy but critically short of supplies, the Halo Knights made contact with these worlds and discovered their origins. Claiming descent from the ancient Imperial crusade under Admiral Usurs in M33, the dozen inhabited worlds of the Halo Stars had been settled and held since the Admiral’s crusade and had been waiting for contact with the Imperium for generations (while never recorded in official histories, Admiral Usurs had been exiled beyond the Imperium by the High Lords of Terra and the crusade into the Halo Stars had been a way of ‘diplomatically’ removing the Admiral from power. The Admiral’s reports of conquered and settled worlds were never followed up and abandoned).

Inspired by the resilience and tenacity of these colonists, long sundered from the Imperium, the Halo Knights’ Chapter Master Broma Hargull made the decision to remain in the Halo Stars, protecting the scattered human worlds at the edge of the galaxy until the Imperium finally came to reclaim its own. The long vigil of the Halo Knights continues to this day, a single Space Marine Chapter aided only by the few worlds they choose to protect, exemplars of the honour and chivalry espoused long ago by their ancient Primarch, Rogal Dorn.

Organization:

The Halo Knights are a fleet-based chapter, perpetually patrolling the Halo Stars between scattered human worlds. Central to the Chapter’s fleet is the ancient Battle Barge Argent Glory, the same vessel that brought the Halo Knights to the Halo Stars nearly three thousand years ago. The rest of the Chapter Fleet is made up of over a dozen Strike Cruisers and numerous smaller escort vessels. Whenever possible, the Halo Knights prefer to operate as a whole Chapter, or at least to divide themselves between as few fronts as possible, to deliver maximum strength against their foes as possible rather than trying to hold down multiple engagements. This doctrine means that the Halo Knights are always on the move as they hammer down each battle in turn before moving on to the next, but does ensure that they are never spread so thinly that their strength is wasted.

Having been so long in isolation from the rest of the Imperium, the Knights have drifted from the rule of the Adeptus Astartes, instead adopting a structure closer to their crusading kin, the Black Templars. Each new recruit to the chapter is put through rigorous testing by the Chapter Chaplains before being seconded to a serving Knight as a Squire. The Squire will follow and serve his master Knight on and off the battlefield, all the time learning the ways of the Chapter and of war. Only when his master is satisfied will the Squire be raised to the full rank of Knight and don the full suite of Space Marine Power Armour. With the newest members of the Chapter folded into the regular line units, infiltration and scouting duties fall to the Knights Errant, experienced battle-brothers who have an inherent knack for subterfuge and unconventional warfare. Clad in full suits of power armour in dull or mottled hues, the Knights Errant range ahead of the main battle force, identifying targets of opportunity and wreaking havoc on poorly protected supply lines and depots. The sudden appearance of armoured Knights wielding heavy weapons from the rear or flank has turned the tables on many enemies over the years and will do until the chapter is no more, such is the respect earned by the independent and often unorthodox Knights Errant.

Instead of rigidly organized Battle Companies, the Halo Knights create Task Forces in a more flexible, ad hoc manner suitable for the requirements of the task at hand, its members drawn from standing Companies that specialize in a given battlefield role. This inherent flexibility allows the Halo Knights to respond to multiple calls for aid with little delay, invaluable for a Chapter that must patrol so large a territory.

With only a limited ability to resupply their fighting forces through the Forge World of Grougal, the Halo Knights have several elements missing from the Chapter armouries. Foremost of these is the almost complete absence of Tactical Dreadnought Armour. The singular suit of neigh-invulnerable “Terminator” armour left to the Halo Knights is reserved for the exclusive use by the Chapter Master and over the centuries has been modified and upgraded with a host of protective wards and augmentations to further enhance its abilities.  The Halo Knights also have a severe shortage of Land Raider transports, having lost many to slow attrition over the centuries without means of replacement. As such the use of such valued vehicles has become reserved for the veteran 1^st Company, allowing the finest warriors of the Chapter to be delivered directly into the thickest fighting. Without ready access to Land Raiders the Halo Knights rely heavily on the many vehicles based on the venerable Rhino chassis, the Predator and Vindicator tanks, Razorback transport and Whirlwind missile launcher.

Tactics:

The standard battle doctrine of the Halo Knights is of encirclement and siege, which proceeds in ever-shrinking circles as the enemy is reduced to static positions before the Knights grind them down with concentrated heavy weapons support. On arriving in a battle zone the large Chapter Fleet begins the encirclement and blockade of enemy planets. As reinforcements from local Imperial Navy flotillas arrive, the Chapter Fleet will tighten the blockade and begin direct bombardment of surface positions. Once the enemy is cut off from escape or reinforcement the Halo Knights begin landing operations, centered around the ancient Battle Barge “Argent Glory” which carries the bulk of the Chapter’s ground forces into battle. When the landing zones are secured and the Knight Errant have identified the enemy’s most important positions, the Chapter makes full use of its extensive armoury of tanks and armoured vehicles, surrounding enemy forces with roaming squadrons of Predator tanks with bike and Landspeeder outriders. Once contained, the Halo Knights will besiege the enemy with companies of Marines delivered by Rhino and Razorback transports before grinding them down under Vindicator and Whirlwind barrage.

Heraldry:

The Chapter Icon of the Halo Knights is a vertical sword within a twelve-pointed ring. Armour is silver-grey in colour with bronze trim and highlights. Chaplains, Librarians and Tech-Marines retain the main armour colours with the distinctive colour of their station displayed on the shoulder pads. Librarians also wear a sand-coloured ceremonial robe and hood. The Knight Errant have armour in more subtle tones of darker greys and non-metallic browns and are often daubed with a disruptive pattern suitable for the local terrain. Since Task Forces of Halo Knights are never statically organized, a Knight’s personal heraldry adorns either the right shoulder or knee pad; the Chapter Icon of the Halo’d Sword adorns the left or both shoulders. Veterans are distinguished by the reversal of the Chapter colours on the shoulders, silver trim on bronze; the helmet is also bronzed.

WIPs

For Holy Terra - Because space is scary

The Yeoman Vigilant Chapter is a second founding chapter of the Imperial Fists. Their homeworld, Selentine, is on the Eastern fringe. Their Fortress Monastery is in a desert garden, and is called Dark Eden.  Those that come out of Dark Eden are outwardly straightforward, but always seem to have a hint of thought just out of reach.

Organization:

Yeoman initiates are chosen almost at random from an outside observer. The recruiters call it "Pruning the garden of humanity." Because of an overactive Catalepsen Node, all of the Chapter have recurring vivid dreams. These dreams shape the Chapter's decisions, and movements on a whole. Whenever a Yeoman suffers déjà vu when looking at a recruit, that recruit is accepted even if he does not pass trial. Each of these recruits, while taking longer to train, will be able to vivid dream almost immediately.  Recruits are instructed by full initiates, often those with leadership value that have yet to make squad sergeant.

Chaplains make up the true leadership of the Yeoman Vigilant, as they are the interpreters of dreams and the guides of the Chapter. They, like in other Chapters, guide the spiritual heart, but they also guide the individual spirits of their wards. Chaplains guide scout sergeants, asking them to pay close attention to the dreams of the squad, making them become meticulous in their attention to detail both before and after their impants. Once the scouts become full-fledged Yeomen, they go directly to the chaplains of their company when their sergeant is unable to discern the meaning of the most recent vivid dream anomaly.

Librarians in the Yeoman Vigilant Chapter are kept apart from their battle brothers as soon as they are discovered, as a psyker a librarian can be known to influence the dreams of other battle brothers. The Chaplains of the company will make sure to separate the known psyker as soon as they can, so that the dreams of the company will not be influenced by a single yeoman.

Those that excel in leadership quickly go from Tactical sergeant to Veteran sergeant, and then into the Brotherhood (who have access to Terminator armour).  Those in the Brotherhood can continue to lead their previous squad, or work as a brotherhood squad.

Before battle, any Yeoman may lead the litany of battle, if they feel so called. If that is well received,  the chaplains will bestow litanies and prayer books on the chosen yeoman, and will fight with him in battle.  If they find him lacking, they have him continue his studies. If he's found worthy, they bestow upon him black armour, and he will begin to be tutored directly by a senior chaplain for battle.

Colors:

The Yeoman Vigilant Chapter's colors are red, tan, and black, each significant to a battle-brother's life and training.  As the chaplains teach, when a scout is chosen, he knows of the material plane, as the embodiment of reality; signified by tan, or sand coloring. And as the acolyte reaches scout level, he is bestowed blood red armour;  for embodiment of self, knowledge of the body. When a scout is confirmed as a full battle-brother, he will receive black shoulderpads, showing that he has begun to learn the embodiment of death. As a brother fights more and more, he will be bestowed black armour plates, until he's accepted into the brotherhood, who wear all black, or the Chaplains, who wear black except for their white skull mask, noting the embodiment of the spirit.

The Marine pictured is a full battle-brother with at least twenty full scale missions completed.

Tactics:

The Yeoman Vigilant Chapter adheres to the codex astartes as a book of guidelines, and will adapt their tactics as they see fit guided by their dreams. More often than not, they will be in the right place at the right time for a counter charge, or show up to foil an enemy spearhead, with direction of the Chaplains, and they would be considered lucky if it did not continue to happen over and over again. Moderation in battle is something the chaplains teach early on, so the Yeoman do not have large numbers of either assault marines or devastators, they rely instead on the tactical marines.

Notable Members:

Chaplain Father Matthias is the oldest Space marine in the Yeoman Vigilant, who fought on Terra as an Imperial Fist before the Second Founding. His upper armour is white, noting his understanding of the embodiment of the spirit.  He does not often lead as he is venerable for even a space marine, his skin feeling more like stone than leather. He is not one to be crossed, and the source of wisdom for the entire chapter. When he leads, it is because he's dreamt of the battle, and will override the chapter master's decisions. He is noted as a prophet, and will call a council of chaplains for study and scrutiny of certain details of the Chapter's dreams.

Ezekiel Toredor is the current Chapter Master for the Yeoman Vigilant Chapter,  a recent addition after the previous chapter master, Argus Ulsus, led the spearhead assault against the Tyranid hiveship and ordered the battle barge entangled with it to self-destruct, lopping off the head of the Tyranid advance, and giving Imperial forces long enough to send reinforcements from  navy shipyards in adjacent systems.  Ezekiel is a competent leader who, while young for a Chapter Master, has charisma not seen in a Space Marine captain in quite some time.  Whenever he meets an outside force commander, they cannot help but like him. This has helped when showing up seemingly randomly in the galaxy, to fight off a force that they did not even detect.  He often wears brotherhood Terminator armour and wields a massive power mace.

Notable Campaigns:

Ork Invasion of Terminus Prima:  1^st, 4^th, and 8^th companies deployed, Terminus Prima Held, Ork Waaagh continues to the galactic south.

Assault on Dark Eden: The Purged launch a lightning assault onto the fortress monastery, Chaplain Father Matthias and those under his command held the gates for twelve hours before reinforcements from nearby battle cruisers lifted the tide,  3^rd company, 5^th company completely lost.

Defense of Gratis Minor: 2^nd company lands in system randomly a full week before tyranid hive ships appear in system.  Tyranid fleet repelled, lost Cruisers "Dark Sword" and "Solomon's Redemption." Battle barge "Edenborn" badly damaged.

Crushing of Zarathian resistance:  The campaign was only classified as a campaign after investigation. Not so much a series of battles, but a one-sided  slaughter, tactical squads waded through ill-equipped, ill-trained resistance fighters, the inquisition later found the ritual site and plans for unleashing a daemon horde that was stopped by the 4^th company.  The 4^th company after questioned was ignorant of any of the plans laid in Zarathia.

And the WIP (already primed and basecoated!):

For Holy Terra - Because space is scary

Submitted by Josh at Blue Ink Alchemy:

++++++++++ CLASSIFIED INFORMATION FOLLOWS - EYES ONLY - PUNISHABLE BY DEATH ++++++++++

We were unprepared for the sheer amount of civilians turned by this cult. You have to understand, most of the men under General Corvinus' command were career Guardsmen who'd chosen to settle on Serevar, raising families and establishing homes. To see those homes burned and familes and friends turned to mindless, screaming followers of some blaspehmous god was too much for some to bear.

Even the sight of the Chaos forces arriving through tears in the Warp didn't shake some of them from their catatonic states. The laspistols of the Commissars were working overtime. I was worried that so many summary executions would leave us without adequate forces to defend ourselves. The cultists had taken out our orbital links. Help would not arrive in time. It looked more and more like my Kasrkin and myself would be the last line of defense between those stalwart enough to hold to their faith and the seething, stripping, screaming tide of human flesh craving their blood.

We'd taken our positions. Thoroughfare barriers made for poor fortifications against the traitors and their archaic plasma weapons and artillery, but it was all we had. We told people to stay in their homes. We checked and re-checked our hellguns. We listened as the command post was overrun, General Corvinus falling back to behind our line. And I lead my men in prayer.

When I heard the bike engines, I feared the worst.

I couldn't see them, at first, but I could hear them. When I did catch a glimpse, it took precious seconds to register what I'd seen. It wasn't the garish colors and deadly spikes of the enemy armor. It was gray, like slate or cold steel, blending into the ferracrete of the buildings. Other figures took positions on top of the buildings behind us. I heard the phut-phut-phut of sniper rifle fire, and former friends and family began dropping, perfect holes in their faces, trampled underfoot by the meaty shields pushed by the traitorous warriors.

The sight gave my men hope. We opened fire with our hellguns. We burned body after body as they hurtled towards us. I couldn't count on our weapons being as effective on the ancient but powerful armor once worn by the Emperor's finest warriors, but what choice did we have? Kasrkin don't back down. Even when the traitors broke rank and charged us, raising vicious chainswords and opening fire with their bolters, we stood fast. We began to fall but we returned fire. I prayed I would live long enough to take at least a few of the blasphemous monsters with me.

And then the drop pods began to fall.

The one that landed directly behind us shook the ground, forcing us to our knees.  By the time we recovered, between each one of us left standing was a Space Marine with a heavy weapon. In the field, the pods split open and gleaming warriors in the same grey armor I'd seen poured into the fray. One was sheathed in blue, the mark of the psykers they call Librarians. Was he the reason they'd arrived when they did? Had the path of the Chaos forces through the Warp gained their attention? Whatever the cause, the Space Marines destroyed the traitors and their heretic followers in short order.

General Corvinus came out to greet his saviors. I was too tired to protest. The Librarian met him, then stepped aside for an even taller warrior. He carried his helmet under one arm, his right hand resting on the bolt pistol holstered at his side. I heard Corvinus greet him as "High Commander". They traded a few words before the High Commander drew his sidearm and shot General Corvinus in the head. The Space Marine then turned his attention to me.

"You will lead these men."

With that, he and his battle-brothers left the field. My promotion was waiting for me when we returned to the garrison. We later learned Corvinus was engaged in heresey and Chaos worship himself, at least according to Inquisitorial sources. The agents who informed me of this also disclosed the Inquisitor who employs them is upset that the Space Marines arrived here before they could. That is, however, their opinion even if it is only one I share.

Repairs on the planet's surface continue and members of the Ecclesiarchy minister to the survivors. All is well, for now.

General Abram Kadeen
Interim Commander, Callimar 41st, Callimar Proxima
Report Filed [date redacted]

++++ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Educate men without faith and you but make them clever devils. ++++

History:

The Imperial Wraiths were mustered out of the Imperial Fists during the Second Founding. The goal was for the Force Commander at the time, Titus Obscurus, to take initiates showing promise in infiltration and develop those skills along with standard combat training to carry out covert operations against the enemies of the Imperium. The Imperial Wraiths were ceded the second moon of Xellious VII in the Hawking Sector, with other planets in the sector serving as recruitment worlds.

However, not long after the chapter was established, tragedy struck. An excavation on Xellious IV unveiled an ancient artefact of unspeakable power. Before the Inquisition could intercede, the artefact was activated and Chaos energies swept over the planet. Aspects of every unclean god overthrew the minds and bodies of the population, and traitorous legions spewed forth from the Warp. Within a fortnight, the entire sector was in turmoil and the fortress-monestary on the second moon of the seventh planet was scoured by the fires of Tzeench.

After pitched combat with these forces, the Imperium managed to reclaim the sector. It seemed, however, that the Imperial Wraiths had been lost. Decades passed before evidence to the contrary emerged. On the other side of the Imperium, before any other Space Marines could respond to a planetary distress call, a massive cathedral-dreadnought dating back to the Horus Heresy emerged from the Warp. Drop pods in shades of grey rained from the sky, producing Space Marines with grim determination and heavy weaponry. They bore iconography that was a pale reflection of their previous symbols and called themselves the Tenebrous Wraiths.

Rumors are that it was one of the Wraith's own Librarians who oversaw the excavation of the artefact that nearly destroyed the chapter and they have chosen to remain apart from their battle brothers out of shame. An even more insidious contention is that they are in the throes of a Chaos god, a tool of deception to lull mankind into a false sense of security. While no injunction has been issued forbidding them from approaching Holy Terra as yet, the /Dies Irae Veniendum Est/ invokes as much dread as it does relief when it appears in orbit around a world.  Their unpredictable movements, taciturn behavior and nihilistic prayers make others uneasy, but in combat they are every bit as implacable and righteous as their more boisterous battle brothers.

Organization:

In an attempt to allay some fears amongst the Inquisition, High Commander Brutus Obscurus submitted a general report on chapter strength to the Ordo Hereticus. His first contention was that at no time has the chapter deviated from the Codex Astartes, despite tumultuous periods in which the chapter astropaths struggled to navigate their massive home successfully through the Warp. He claimed the cathedral-dreadnought is home to four battle companies, each consisting of three tactical squads, three devastator squads and two assault squads, as well as a dedicated recruit company and a command company of five librarians, six chaplains, four squads of veteran space marines. The report contains a total mustered strength of just under four hundred battle brothers.

The only individuals permitted to ascend to the /Dies Irae Veniendum Est/ are recruits. Dignitaries, regional commanders and other Space Marines are always met elsewhere. This makes it difficult to gauge the exact nature and capabilities of this vessel, which is slightly larger than a battle barge but appears to carry fewer weapons.  The Chapter does not maintain any other battle barges, only a handful of strike cruisers to escort their final bastion. Manufactorium parts and raw materials are either acquired in the field of battle or 'requisitioned' from planetary governments. Still, the Techmarines of the Tenebrous Wraiths appear to be up to date on current pattens of Imperial wargear, and no Space Marine of the chapter bears any appearance of Chaos influence.

Recently the Tenebrous Wraiths acquired the means to produce Terminator armour from the forges aboard the cathedral-dreadnought, but the Techpriests of Mars insist that such manufacture is time-consuming and costly in raw materials. Nevertheless, the chapter's armored strength remains diminished, with only six Land Raider variants, eight Predators and two Vindicators. They have no Whirlwinds or Land Speeders to speak of. They do, however, have a great number of Rhinos, Razorbacks and bikes, and it appears that the /Dies Irae Veniendum Est/ was retrofitted in such a way that most of its planetary bombardment capabilities have been replaced with increased Drop Pod capacity.

Heraldry:

The cloaked spectre of the Imperial Wraiths is gone, replaced with the stark skull-and-scythe iconongraphy the chapter now bears.

Previously, the colors of the chapter were white with yellow trim, in honor of Dorn's Imperial Fists. After their disgrace and absence, they opted for a gray pallate with brass trim that harkens back to the glory days before the Horus Heresey. The left pauldron always bears the icon of the chapter, while the right is colored to match one's squad: white for scout, green for tactical, orange for devastator, red for assault and silver for veterans.

Tactics:

The Wraiths often dispatch a Thunderhawk with scouts on bikes before making their main assault. These scouts report on enemy positions and strength. Once the field is mapped, drop pods rain from the sky. Against entrenched enemies, armored units may be dispatched, but in those cases the task of the armor is to breach the enemy defenses to allow rapid transports to surge into the enemy and dispense death by bolter and chainsword.

++++++++++ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: It is better to die for the Emperor than to live for yourself. ++++++++++

"Let it be known we choose to stand in shadow.
We who have seen Man's heroes become villains.
We who remember the best of us falling to the worst.
We who seek to cleanse our Galaxy of our weaknesses.
Let it be known we protect the light of the Empire,
and in its shadow we stand eternal and vengeful.
We are the Wraiths. We shall not forget.
From the Shadows! To OBLIVION!" - Pre-battle benediction of the Tenebrous Wraiths

WIP is a diorama of two Honor Guard. I can't wait to paint that banner!

Click to enlarge

For Holy Terra - Because space is scary