Author's Note: I wrote this some time ago as part of a collaborative online project to create a group of Space Marine chapters for Warhammer 40k that worked together and were dedicated to some form of purity (in part to counteract all the "Hurr, my marines are different in this way from the Ultramarines that pollutes most DIY chapters.) I'm proud of this work, but it is waaay too long for the size of the article that one typically uses to describe a Space Marine chapter. I need to pair it down, and I wanted to store this someplace else in the cloud to keep it safe(r). I also need to clean out some of the html from where I copy pasted it from Bolter and Chainsword. So, essentially, "to be continued" is what could describe this one.
Strength Through Service
The Warlords
[center][smindent=30][i]“Despite their dark and controversial history within the Imperium, my time with the Warlords has convinced me of one thing: there is no chapter of the Adeptus Astartes who more thoroughly carries the Imperial ideal in its soul than these warriors. Their eyes look upon the galaxy with His wisdom. Their hands carry His justice to the stars. Their hearts beat in unison with the Emperor’s.�? Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor Maltheus, M.37[/i][/smindent] [/center]
[skullheaderhalf=328c26]Origins[/skullheaderhalf]
[captionright=Heraldry after the Judgement][img]http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1195684035/gallery_21629_1530_7633.png[/img][/captionright]
Since the conclusion of the Horus Heresy, standing Imperial dogma has been to limit the power wielded by a chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. Though they are mankind’s greatest hope against the countless enemies arrayed against them, both Xenos and Heretical, these powerful warriors also represent a great danger if that power is ever turned inward. Thus, after the defeat of the arch-heretic Horus at the Battle of Terra, the wise Roboute Guillman put forth in the Codex Astartes guidelines to limit the power held by any one chapter master. The wisdom of these guidelines has been tested time and again since their inception, and have ever held strong in light of the betrayals of the Badab uprising. It is ironic, therefore, that one of his very own successor chapters, the Warlords, has perhaps tested these limitations more than any other in the history of the Imperium.
Captain Voren of the Novamarines Fourth represented all the qualities desired in a chapter master for the fourteenth founding of the Adeptus Astartes. With precautions against impurity reaching levels that had perhaps never been seen previously, the selection criteria was rigid to an unheard of degree when Voren was chosen. He was cunning, daring in battle, and utterly devoted to service in the name of the most holy Emperor. Perhaps his only criticism could have been the overzealous tendencies he demonstrated on the field of battle itself, preferring to eradicate every hint of an enemy rather than accept any terms of surrender. He believed that the Emperor’s sacrifice during the conclusion of the Battle of Terra was a model for all Imperial citizens to follow, that only through complete dedication and purity of purpose could a man call himself a true citizen of the Empire and, in doing so, make himself worthy of the privileges associated with bearing such a title. Any Imperial citizen who would reject this duty was guilty of betraying and dishonoring the Emperor’s sacrifice, and deservi0ng of the only punishment fitting for such a crime, death. He felt that, at their core, all Astartes should be “Lords of war, terrible but necessary leaders tasked to ensure the safety and prosperity of the human race.�? It seemed that the Adeptus Terra agreed with his assessment, as Voren was one of the first officers selected during the fourteenth founding to serve as a chapter master for the newly created Warlords.
It’s said that Voren himself oversaw the selection of candidates for the first and all subsequent zygotes. Taking only the smallest handful of completely loyal staff from his former command, he insisted on personally building the chapter from the ground up. Many recruits who were rejected by the chapter master with no more explanation than to say “I found his dedication questionable�? went on to serve with honor and distinction in their own chapters. Voren simply required that his own marines were, to a man, a cut above the rest.
The chapter master left the forges of Mars only at the behest of Baraquiel, chapter master of the Castigators, to take part in the swearing of the great oath with his fellows in what has today been dubbed by some as the Astartes Vocates. He returned even more invigorated, telling his advisors that he had been “…moved with joy by the faith and dedication I saw on display amongst the oathbrethren,�? saying that it “Lit a fire in my heart which could never be quenched to see such heroes of the Imperium united by faith and dedication to service in the Emperor’s name.�?
[skullheaderhalf=328c26]The First Battle of Pellidon[/skullheaderhalf]
The first mention of action for the Warlords came from their deployment to the industrial world Pellidon III in the Segmentum Pacificum. The fledgling chapter was tasked to quell an uprising that had been broiling on the planet for over three years since the elimination of their planetary governor and his household by Ordo Malleus Inquisitors. With the planetary governor’s house purged, the council was now devoid of a tie breaker vote to select a successor, resulting in the eight remaining houses dividing equally behind two candidates with no constitutional means of resolution. What began as political squabbling quickly degenerated into open warfare, with efforts by the Administratum to mediate the dispute ending in failure. Aggravated at the loss of production from a key industrial world in the sector, the Lords of Terra felt this was a good opportunity for the young Warlords to prove their battle readiness and to return the world to full operation. While a seemingly innocuous order in and of itself, Captain Voren saw the tumultuous planet as the Emperor-supplied beginnings of his vision. He eagerly loaded his company of personally selected and trained Warlords aboard their Battle Barge, the Imperator Animus, and went to action.
Where the war had previously been bogged down in a bloody stalemate, the addition of Astartes forces on the side of the Puritanical Faction resulted in the termination of the conflict within a matter of weeks. Appeals for surrender by the opposing Libertarian Faction were ignored, and the rival army was butchered by the thousands until finally there were simply no Libertarians left to fight. Why this was deemed necessary at the time is a mystery, as records of the evidence used to brand the Libertarians as heretics is incomplete or missing entirely. Perhaps the complete, methodical devastation of the enemy without any contact with the Administratum or elements of the Inquisition should have been an indication of what was to come, but Voren had demonstrated a merciless streak in the past and the execution of "heretics" could hardly be seen as innapropriate. The Administratum were taken just as off guard as everyone else, therefore, when the Warlords claimed Pellidon III as their new home world mere hours after the cessation of combat was declared. Since this action, in effect, freed the industrial planet from any obligation to provide tithes to the Imperium, this caused a justifiable degree of outrage amongst the ruling bodies within the segmentum. However, the Imperium’s hands were tied, as all new Space Marine chapters are allowed to select a homeworld, and the Warlords refused all pleas to reconsider. With no recourse left to them, the Administratum accepted the Warlords’ decision and pledges to maintain tithes indefinitely and reluctantly left the chapter to settle into its new home.
[skullheaderhalf=328c26]The Imperial Ideal[/skullheaderhalf]
With the acquisition of Pellidon III, Voren saw his grand vision begin to take shape. The machinery of the industrial world was quickly put to work towards the maintenance and growth of the new chapter. Within a decade, industrial production exceeded pre-occupation figures by over a thousand fold, leading to its reclassification as a full forge world specializing in production of weaponry and armament. Private ownership rights for property were revoked by necessity to allow all available land to be put to use for production. This decision was rationalized as being needed for “unification of purpose�? for the world. The ruling council for the planet was dissolved, with members of the surviving factions either absorbed into the new regime or quietly executed. Resistance to the new order was almost non-existent, as the threat of Astartes retaliation caused most insurrections to falter before they even began. The slaughter of Libertarian forces was still fresh in the populace’s memory. Those foolish enough to resist were made a very public example of, with reeducation and propaganda programs painting objectors as the worst sort of heretics and traitors in the eyes of the general public. In short order all resistance was plowed completely under by the new government. Even still, the Warlords’ desire for control was not satisfied.
Voren made no secret of his vision to see his self proclaimed “Ideal Imperium�? expand to nearby worlds. That most chapters of the Adeptus Astartes were content merely to govern their own homeworld he saw as a grave error. He envisioned the Warlords spreading the peace and prosperity that he had just brought to their new home to other systems, creating a vast network of influence and resources that could be tapped at need to further aid the war effort within the Segmentum.
Opportunity seemingly knocked with the development of a full out rebellion on nearby Pellidon IV. Suggestions by historians that the Warlords or Pellidon III officials in some way encouraged or even instigated the insurgency, though persistent, have never been confirmed by Imperial historians. Official records indicate that the insurgency was triggered by remnants of the corrupted house of the former governor loyal to the cause of Chaos, though these records were likely created by the same propaganda machines at work on the home world. In any case, the Warlords’ response was swift and eager.
Unlike their actions on their homeworld, the Warlords had no ally in this new conflict. Frustrated with increasing taxation and trade obstructions from the Pellidon III Administratum officials, the planetary government seemingly went to war more from a desire to overthrow the planetary dictatorship than to break free of the Imperium itself. Compounding this was the Warlords’ relative inexperience. They had not yet progressed to full chapter size and most of the Warlords’ Marines were experiencing their first taste of true battle while Pellidon IV’s population had a long standing history of service in the Imperial Guard, with many veterans returning home to serve in the PDF after battling abroad. An overconfident Voren, expecting an easy victory, was shocked to hear reports of the decimation of the elements of the fourth company he had sent to handle the engagement. Furious at this embarrassment, he threw the first and second companies into the battle as support, driving the Pellidon IV rebels into hiding to avoid the wrath of the angered Astartes. The expected crumbling of the planetary resistance after the commitment of such a massive force failed to materialize, however, and the battle quickly degenerated into brutal guerilla warfare against the occupying forces. After the fifth week of the conflict passed with, still, no sign of surrender on the part of the Pellidon IV rebels, Voren became impatient.
Without warning, Astartes forces were recalled from the planet’s surface. The rebels celebrated in the streets, believing themselves to have somehow removed the Warlords’ heart for the battle. The awful truth, however, became immediately apparent, as the Imperator Animus turned its eye balefully upon the planet surface, unleashing a devastating series of orbital bombardments, blasting the most densely populated hive cities of Pellidon IV to rubble within the opening salvos of the attack. The infrastructure of the planet was utterly destroyed and over two thirds of the planet’s population was annihilated during the course of the month long bombardment. The Warlords had finally overstepped their bounds.
[skullheaderhalf=328c26]Judgment[/skullheaderhalf]
A massed Imperial Navy fleet, under the command of the chapter master of the Judicators, arrived from the warp shortly after cessation of the month long bombardment, ordering the disarmament and immediate surrender of all Warlords forces. The destruction of Pellidon IV’s infrastructure and populace had provided enough evidence for the Administratum to begin an inquiry into the Warlords’ actions. Further arousing suspicion were the repeated refusals the chapter had made towards offers of Inquisitorial assistance in routing out the heretical influences from the insurgency. This led an already suspicious Administratum to dig deeper into the chapter’s activities, revealing the most damning evidence of all: pictrecords showing evidence of colony ships being constructed and outfitted mere days after to the outbreak of rebellion on Pellidon IV. That the Warlords had never truly intended to pacify the populace and had intended to annihilate them from the beginning became painfully obvious, and implicated Voren and the planetary government in empire building and gross misuse of power that had not been seen since the days of Horus. The fact that the Warlords and their colony fleet were not immediately destroyed on the spot, especially given the shadow of the thirteenth founding which still loomed over events of the era, is testament to the diplomatic ability of their Chapter Master and the already growing reputation for dedication to the oath of purity that all Astartes Vocates chapters embodied. The colony fleet was ordered home and a special tribunal was called to determine the young Warlords’ fate.
Though the chapter’s guilt in the gross destruction of human life was irrefutable, the disturbing but undeniable fact remained that the Warlords’ actions were not truly beyond the realm of an appropriate response to heresy. Whether the force utilized was warranted or not, the entire populace of Pellidon IV had revolted against the Empire. They had shown no sign of surrender or repentance from their anti-imperial stance. The Warlords were within their right to utilize any force they deemed necessary to end the conflict. Examined from this angle, there were simply no grounds to warrant destruction of the chapter. Further complicating matters was the fact that the brutal regime on Pellidon III put in place by the Warlords was only maintained by the presence of the chapter in the planetary system. It seemed no adequate judgment could be reached, but in the end Voren, nearly weeping with shame at having seemingly failed the oath he had sworn only ten years earlier, threw his chapter on the mercy of the court and accepted personal responsibility for the crimes, whatever they were determined to be.
Faced with the unpalatable consequence of further violence and loss of production from the inevitable rebellions resulting from purging of the Chapter, and finding the execution of his oathbrethren almost too unpalatable to stand, the Judicators chapter master made the only decision that could realistically be made. The Warlords were stripped of their heraldry, a move unprecedented before or since in Imperial history, until such time as a Master-Balancer of the Judicators deemed them worthy of having their honor restored. The Astartes would cover up all chapter and personal heraldry. No member of the Warlords who died in the line of duty would have his name recorded in the official records. They would become nameless, faceless, thankless servants of the Emperor.
Further, they would release Pellidon III from its status as home world and relocate to Pellidon IV. The populace of the rebellious world, or the fragment of it that still survived amongst the blast craters, were ruled too far lost to heresy to be recovered, and the world was subjected to immediate Exterminatus. Every marine in the Warlords as well as the entire planetary government were mustered aboard the battle cruiser Basilisk’s Eye and forced to bear witness as what had once been the future of their pseudo-empire was subjected to the world killer virus and incinerated into a lifeless hulk. Humbled and chastised by their punishment, the Warlords began the arduous task of building an airtight fortress on the barren rock that was their new home and prepared to do their duty, as always, in the Emperor’s name.
[skullheaderhalf=328c26]Redemption[/skullheaderhalf]
Early records and personal writings in the planetary archives indicate a perhaps understandable level of bitterness from both the Warlords and the government of Pellidon III at having their aspirations so thoroughly dashed. However, the loyalties of both entities remained firmly with the Imperium and their oath to accept any judgment, no matter how severe, and so they resolved to make the most of their situation through dutiful service. Voren was the first of his warriors to take his armor to the chapter’s forge, taking up the hammer and scratching away his name and chapter symbol personally when the techmarines refused to deface the ancient artifact. He ordered that their auto-reactive shoulderpads be painted over with black, a reminder of the penance that lay before them and the path leading up to it which lay behind. He immediately swore an oath over his armor, now devoid of decoration, that he would not rest, and would remain proudly nameless in service of the Emperor, until they were deemed worthy of having their heraldry restored. This oath was echoed by the entire chapter, including dedicated serfs, and served them in good stead to carry them forward through this difficult period in their history.
The outbreak of the conflict many centuries later with a chapter of the Astartes Vocates which fell to heresy did much to ease the tensions experienced between both the Warlords and the Administratum. The Imperium now had a more active enemy to combat, and the Warlords had an opponent on which to vent their frustrations. Rumors persist that the master of the fallen chapter attempted to bring the Warlords with him in heresy, but was flatly rejected by the Warlords’ second company, who died to a man in the retaliatory massacre. The chapter served with distinction in a primarily fleet based effort, committing the first and third companies to disabling the system’s orbital defenses while the Judicators’ lead strike force attacked the home world. This victory, however, came at heavy cost, as in the course of the fighting chapter master Voren was mortally wounded holding the bridge of a captured strike cruiser from traitor marines. The first company apothecaries managed to rush him into stasis in preparation for interment within a dreadnought, but Voren, who had never truly recovered from his grief following the destruction of Pellidon IV, elected to step down from his office and appoint a new chapter master.
Later writings by the then Venerable Brother Voren indicate that, as his chapter fought against their brother Astartes, he began to realize how closely the fall experienced by the fallen Oathbrethren echoed the fate that very nearly befell his own. That Astartes could, in attempting to best serve the Imperium, unknowingly end up in the grips of heresy did much to cause the Warlords to reexamine their own actions. “It is not a far cry,�? he wrote, “To imagine the symbol of the Warlords in place on the power armor of the enemy rather than the symbol of the (NAME DELETED BY THE INQUISITION.) That I nearly led my brethren to such a fate is a thought too appalling to bear.�? Apparently, this paired with the Warlords’ role in the chapter’s purge did much to redeem the chapter in the eyes of the High Lords as well, as they were allowed to begin recruiting again on a probationary basis shortly after the conclusion of the conflict.
By the time of the Melkar III purgation in M40, the Warlords had been remade into a stronger force than ever before, forged in the fires of patriotism and tempered by the knowledge that a heretical mind could still betray a loyal heart. Forced to do battle for centuries with no possibility of recognition or personal glory, the marines had redefined their view of the Imperium and their role within it. They gained a reputation for fierce loyalty to the Imperium as an entity, but also became known for sublimating or even outright defying Imperial authority if and when they felt that the greater good was served by doing so. While this trend often earned them enemies amongst those adepts or officers they had seemingly betrayed, it just as often won allies to the Warlords cause from elements of the Inquisition or Imperial Military that deemed the actions to be necessary and appropriate. It was thus that a changed Warlords chapter set out aboard the Imperator Animus, carrying elements of the first and third companies, to join an Inquisitorial task force alongside elements of the Judicators chapter battling Chaos cultists. It was only after Imperial forces were fully committed to the battle that the awful truth of the engagement became clear, that a cult of Nurgle was operating in the Hives, converting the majority of the population to mindless plague zombies. When it became evident that the entire population was lost and that the cultists were attempting to escape aboard civilian and military transport ships, the Inquisitorial fleet was forced to bombard all but a single spaceport in the planet’s capitol. Knowing that the brunt of the Plague God’s forces would be coming for them next, the majority of the Warlords’ third company volunteered to stay behind and hold the diseased hordes off while the rest of the Imperial forces escaped ahead of the planet’s pending Exterminatus. Just before radio contact was lost, the captain of the third company asked that his men be given no recognition, in keeping with their ongoing punishment. “Tell my brothers only that, this day, Warlords died in service to the Emperor.�? Shortly thereafter, cyclone warheads completed the work of burrowing to the planet’s core and purging all life from the planet’s surface.
In recognition of their service, the Master-Balancer of the Judicators, both impressed and grateful of the Warlord’s courageous actions, lifted the Pellidon IV judgment and restored the chapter’s honor. With hearts exultant at their vindication but saddened by the heavy price it carried, all the forces of the Warlords returned home exactly five thousand years and one day after the Exterminatus of Pellidon IV and began a ceremony oddly similar to the one undergone five millennia previous, the restoration of the chapter’s heraldry and the bestowing of names to all battle brothers who had helped to make it possible.
[skullheaderhalf=328c26]Beliefs[/skullheaderhalf]
[smindent=30][i]“From the moment you were born to the day you die, you belong to the Emperor. As he sacrificed his life for you to live, so shall you do for your fellow man. When you are tired, he will make you keep moving. When you have given your all, he will ask for more, and you will give it to him. When you are wounded, he will force you to keep fighting until the moment of your death. And when you die, and die you shall, you will not be remembered for your deeds or your heroism. But you will be remembered by your brothers as a Warlord who served the Emperor, and that is the greatest reward you will ever receive.�? –Nameless Venerable Brother, War College lecture on the subject of the duties of the Astartes.[/i][/smindent]
The Warlords are thoroughly and completely dedicated to the Emperor’s vision of a unified Imperium. Only by acting in concert, with singularity of purpose and purity of thought, can humanity stand against the horrors that await it in space. Service in the name of the Imperium is the duty and privilege of all Imperial citizens, and any who shirk that duty weaken the Imperium in doing so. The Astartes are given the greatest privilege of all, to dedicate their lives to the Emperor’s service as its elite warriors. In being chosen to become a Warlord, a recruit is given the means to serve not only himself or his world, but to have millions of lives served by his every action. To this blessing, no other gift can ever begin to compare.
To the Warlords, the question of the Emperor’s divinity is rarely if ever addressed. For the battle brothers that make up the chapter the question is not only heretical, it is pointless. Where does one draw the line between God and Man? Does any such line truly exist, and if it does, does it carry any significant meaning? These questions are seen as the height of triviality, an exercise engaged in by bored philosophers with no better way to serve the Imperium, and as such are below the Astartes. No matter the answer, the Warlords’ devotion to the Emperor and his works would remain constant regardless.
As such, the Warlords carry this idea of unity through service into their daily lives. When not actively combating the enemies of the Imperium, battle brothers drill constantly, with every Astartes seeking that degree of ultimate ability that will best allow them to carry forth the Emperor’s vision to the stars. During their training, neophytes are instructed in every facet of the care and maintenance of the power armor and weaponry they hope one day to inherit, both as a means of instilling discipline in the raw recruits as well as to further ensure the personal stake that all Warlords have in finding success on the battle field. In many ways, the Warlords consider themselves to be much the same as a their wargear, tools through which the Emperor can carry his will to the stars. Thus, it is considered a great honor to be assigned a place in a Devastator squad and entrusted with the care and operation of a more powerful piece of wargear, and promotion to sergeant of a tactical squad is often celebrated by granting the marine an antique suit of power armor. This represents both a gift and a responsibility, as it is now their burden to ensure that the armament they have been granted is put to the best use on the battlefield. To a Warlord, a bolt round that misfires is merely a sign of inadequate maintenance on the part of the marine who prepared it. An offense such as this will likely be punished by a period of self-imposed fasting and contemplation on their failure to the Imperium of Man, along with a redoubled focus on personal wargear maintenance for the duration of the penance period.
While they acknowledge that they are not alone in their level of devotion to the Imperium, the events of their own fall as well as their witnessing of the fallen Oathbrethren’s and many other supposedly faithful servants’ betrayals have instilled in them a level of distrust towards other elements of the Imperial machine. Long periods of isolation from their battle brothers, traveling from combat zone to combat zone with only the members of their unit to rely upon, left an isolationist streak that remains to this day. They have no tolerance for authority figures whose actions waiver from the Warlords’ view of what is best for the Imperium in any engagement. This has made them both a boon and a burden to the forces of the Inquisition, whose records contain almost an equal number of instances where the Warlords served them loyally as cases where they have openly defied them.
While they would like to say that this mistrust does not extend to their fellow Oathbrethren in the Astartes Vocates, the fallen chapter’s fate demonstrated plainly that even the most loyal of Imperial hearts can still be swayed by the taint of heresy. While this mistrust is rarely acted upon, it has on occasion led to events like the Interdiction of Celio VI, where a Warlord Captain temporarily assumed command by force of an Imperial Guard artillery battery to order bombardment of a civilian zone. While the bombardment prevented the escape of heretic forces with a stolen cyclon missile warhead, the act drew criticism both for causing massive civilian casualties and for crossing the boundaries of what military power should be allotted to the Astartes. Their actions were eventually exonerated both for the successful completion of their mission as well as their past history of service, but not without leaving some concerns on both sides of the event. While events like Celio VI are rare, they have left the Warlords with a “colorful�? service record, at best.
[skullheaderhalf=328c26]Organization[/skullheaderhalf]
[rightsidebar=Chapter Master Arthur Salahar]The current master of the Warlords first served as a tactical marine for the 2nd company’s third tactical squad. After distinguishing himself in the battle of Omicron VI by leading his unit behind enemy lines to destroy three dozen captured Basilisk heavy artillery emplacements which were held by traitor guardsmen, he was appointed squad sergeant. He rose quickly through the ranks to finally become Captain of the 2nd shortly before the outbreak of the Damocles Crusade, where the Warlords were given the honor of serving with their parent chapter, the Novamarines. Salahar saw his first test as commander on the fields of Verdenia Primeris, where he led the entire 2nd company along with support elements from the 6th and 9th and elements of the Sublimators chapter against an occupying Tau force. Though suffering grievous defeats in the early days of the campaign, Salahar recovered quickly by making contact with local resistance cells to supply reconnaissance data as well as studying the unorthodox Tau methods of warfare. After adapting a version of the Mont’Ka philosophy for his own use, the T’au forces soon found their own tactics being used against them, with what seemed to be obvious targets of opportunity suddenly being reinforced through a cunning series of ambushes, leading to the devastation of Tau forces on the planet. By the end of the campaign, the Tau Shas’O had given him a codename which translated to “Quicksilver,�? both in reference to his silver hair (as witnessed by a Gue’vasa spy) and the seeming trend of his forces to simply flow around and away from any blow that was dealt to them. After months of bitter fighting the planet was retaken and the Tau fleet driven away, only to be handed back to the enemy during the general withdrawal across the Damocles Gulf, a wound to Salahar’s pride that remains to this day. Now promoted to the level of Chapter Master, he has begun a personal crusade to retake Verdenia from the Tau in honor of the battle brothers who fought and died there decades earlier, and has vowed to see the planet back in Imperial hands before he dies. [/rightsidebar]
Being Ultramarines successors, the Warlords pay due diligence to the primarch Roboute Guillman as the greatest military strategist of the modern era. The Warlords obey strict adherence to the Codex Astartes with one caveat: the first company. During the five thousand year penance, the chapter’s ideas about individual service and accomplishment became skewed to the point that individual honors are rarely if ever given to individual marines. As such, the ability to select those marines who are “more�? or “less�? worthy of accolade to serve in the first company became outmoded and deemed unnecessary. Tactical Dreadnought armor was distributed to the four individual battle companies along with responsibility for their maintenance and protection. The longevity of these holy artifacts within a battle company is a point of personal pride for its members, and it is rare to the point of being unthinkable for any Warlords’ force to leave a suit behind when withdrawing from a combat zone.
The honor of being a member of the first company is instead given to the chapter’s extensive core of dreadnoughts, the Nameless. During the period of penance, many Warlords took their vow to serve until their chapter’s honor was restored literally, fighting on through wounds that should have killed them to be given the blessing to continue serving the emperor as a dreadnought. Though it pressed the forges of Pellidon III to their limit at times to keep up with this demand, the Warlords chapter master has always commanded that any marine who is worthy and wishes to be given the privilege to be interred in a dreadnought shell will be granted this boon. Though this practice must by necessity have been abandoned in many combat zones, the chapter still maintains an average of between 40 to 50 of these venerable war machines at any one time. Many of these are ancient enough that they have literally become nameless, serving the Emperor for so long that they have forgotten their own personal identity and know themselves only as a Warlord. The lack of records during the penance period have made it impossible to determine who some of these nameless brothers really are, and though it is impossible to confirm and would make him the oldest living marine by a large margin, rumors persist that Voren himself lives on in one of the many dormant shells, sleeping and dreaming of battling the Emperor’s enemies and restoring his chapter’s honor.
One of the most important ceremonies the Warlords maintain, the Day of Redemption, marks the date on which the chapter concluded their personal penance. This is a day marked by meditation, concluding with a meeting of the chapter to read first the tale of the chapter’s fall, their redemption at Melkar III, and the honors gained in the previous year by individual marines and the chapter as a whole. This is the only time where deeds are recorded and honored. If possible, the entire chapter assembles within their fortress-monastery on Pellidon IV for this occasion. If any of the battle companies are currently on active duty, the chapter makes what efforts it can to ensure a cease fire for the day and the reading of honors is transmitted across the galactic void by the chapter’s astropaths. Of special significance is the naming ceremony, where newly inducted battle brothers are given a new name by the chapter council to replace that which they’ve carried since birth, symbolizing the trust and honor the chapter is placing in them by granting them the privilege of serving the Emperor.
[skullheaderhalf=328c26]Homeworld[/skullheaderhalf]
The revocation of Pellidon III’s status as an Astartes homeworld did little to slow the planet’s dedication to the Imperium. Whether out of true loyalty or simple self-preservation, the current planetary ruler, along with his ancestors stretching all the way back to the original planetary governor himself, have spared no expense in ensuring that the world is ready to provide whatever the Warlords need for full battle readiness. A majority of their manufacturing capabilities were long ago turned over to the creation of implements of war both for the Astartes and the Imperial Guard regiment stationed in the system. The second largest city-district on the planet composes the chapter’s personal forge. Manufactorums tower into the skies and burrow deep below the surface, churning raw ore into processed material day and night, providing the means for construction of the bolters, vehicles, and wargear needed for the Warlords to carry forth the word of the Emperor to the stars. Most important of all, the facility tasked with creation of Dreadnought sarcophagi rests as the pulsing, beating heart of the forge itself, constantly working to grant fallen battle brothers the Emperor’s Blessing.
In accordance with Voren’ teachings, the populace is taught from an early age that the Empire only functions as a result of service by individuals. The message of strength through unity is broadcast from every video screen and posted on every public message board. By the time a citizen reaches adulthood, they are so indoctrinated in this belief that to even consider resisting one’s duty is almost unthinkable (and those individuals who do think about it are quickly rooted out and eliminated.) Men and women wake up in state owned apartment complexes. They eat artificially produced nutrient broths containing the state recommended levels of all important vitamins and minerals while listening to the news voxcasts delivered straight from the mouths of the only source they have been taught to trust: the government controlled media outlets. Each family engages in the recommended number of minutes of calisthenics every morning to ensure proper bodily maintenance for optimal labor efficiency. Jobs are assigned based on aptitude tests conducted at the end of the state mandated educational program. Marriages are arranged based on genetic compatibility. Deaths are scheduled based on a citizen’s ability to complete physical aptitude tests as they progress in age. The entire world is a living machine, working day after day in the name of the Emperor.
Pellidon IV, by contrast, is a tomb world, its pitted and cratered face interrupted only by the Warlords’ chapter keep. The fortress-monastary serves as a place of quiet contemplation paired with vigorous training. Much of the fortress was left exposed to the eternal night of space, with only a layer of transparent plasteel and void shielding separating the marine from the black expanse. This was done by Voren’s order as a reminder of the role the chapter played in making the world as it is today. Chapter meetings and ceremonies are conducted within a large central auditorium, austere and undecorated beyond the banners of the respective battle companies. The Warlords gather here both to plan the beginning of a new campaign as well as to commemorate their victories.
Much of the fortress is taken up by the facilities of the Librarium. As the Warlords place a great deal of emphasis on mental preparation for combat, extensive archive halls provide record storage for all the chapter’s engagements. Lecture halls dot much of the surface areas of the fortress, wherein Librarium staff, veteran marines, and even venerable brothers encased in Dreadnought armor present lectures for both neophyte and experienced battle brother alike on topics ranging from the Codex Astartes to combat tactics utilized by Xenos and Heretical forces throughout history. Vaults buried deep beneath the planet’s surface contain the chapter armory as well as relics from previous battles and the sacred sepulchers. The rest of Pellidon IV has been given over to use as a training facility. The vast crags and ash plains, while not especially terrain rich, provide a variety of training grounds for new Astartes to learn to ply their craft.
[skullheaderhalf=328c26]Gene Seed[/skullheaderhalf]
Like a full two thirds of the Astartes Chapters founded since the end of the Horus Heresy, the gene-seed of the Warlords’ chapter comes from the sons of Roboute Guillman, the Ultramarines. Like many chapters created during the fourteenth founding, their gene stock was especially pure to begin with, and great effort has been taken by the apothecaries of the chapter to ensure that it remains as such.
If the life of an average citizen of Pellidon III is controlled by their superiors within the planetary government, this is doubly true for those selected for service within the Warlords. The state of a Space Marine’s existence is literally determined by the chapter from their first moments of life to the time the Emperor calls them home in death. Compatibility testing is performed on all male children at birth, and any child meeting the stringent genetic purity qualifications is taken away immediately to the chapter keep on Pellidon IV (giving birth outside of a state sponsored medicae facility is permissible, but failure to submit a male child for testing within six days is a class J offense, punishable via death by firing squad.) Astartes recruits are raised from infancy by chapter serfs on the cold, lifeless planet surface within the chapter’s fortress. Most do not survive to return to their homeworld.
The chapter controls every aspect of a potential Astartes’ development, including supplying the applicant with the numerical designation that will identify them until the chapter sees fit to bestow them with a name. Training begins literally when the neophyte is old enough to hold a bolter and chainsword. Rigorous testing for genetic purity and implant compatibility is a near constant process through most of an applicant’s early life, interrupted only by periods of brutal physical conditioning and hours spent in lectures with the Librarium learning the art of warfare in the 41st millennium. Those who are eliminated prior to becoming an Astartes are either killed during the course of training, employed as chapter serfs, or (in the case of those who survive unsuccessful implantation procedures or are otherwise physically unable to serve the chapter) converted into servitors. No matter their fate, the chapter ensures that every potential recruit does their part in making the Warlords as strong and battle ready as possible.
[skullheaderhalf=328c26]Combat Doctrine[/skullheaderhalf]
[smindent=30][i]“We will bring the righteous hammer of the Emperor down on these heretics, and make certain they know that the time of their judgment is upon them.�? – Chapter Master Arthur Salahar, prior to the purgation of Regia VII.[/i][/smindent]
The battle brothers of the Warlords chapter prefer in all cases to bring their most devastating weaponry to bear on any engagement. They are not interested in seeing an enemy defeated. They want to see the enemy eradicated. The distant, impersonal nature of a whirlwind missile or orbital bomb suits them, as the destruction of the enemy is seen as a product of the chapter, and by extension the Emperor, rather than an individual effort.
The Warlords are perhaps most effective in fleet based efforts, where they can be given free reign to unleash whatever weaponry is available upon enemy forces in preparation for boarding actions. This paves the way for ground based attacks, which are often heralded by relentless orbital bombardment interspersed with drop pod assaults. Extended surface campaigns typically make heavy use of the Whirlwind anti-personnel vehicle and heavy infantry charges by dreadnoughts. By the time the whir of jump pack engines reaches the ears of the enemy, their defenses and personnel are likely decimated beyond the point of possibly offering any resistance. The chapter’s tactics, however, remain flexible. Their complete control of industrial output on their homeworld makes resource allocation less of a problem than with other chapters, and most battle barges and strike cruisers carry a complement of excess weaponry and wargear beyond what is recommended in the codex to allow for a change of tactics on the fly.
More than most other chapters, the Warlords do not hesitate to make the hard decisions on the field of battle if they feel that the gains for the Imperium outweigh the consequences, even if it means sentencing large portions of the Imperial citizenry to death. Their service record is littered with instances of collateral damage that perhaps could have been avoided. The gas attacks on Hive Correthon to eliminate an infiltrated genestealer cult, the artillery bombardment of Celio VI, and numerous other events have left a swath of destruction in the Warlords’ wake that has left some Administratum officials leery of utilizing them for anything less than the direst of circumstances.
The Warlords have seen Exterminatus face to face on their homeworld, and have recommended it on several occasions when they felt it was more efficient than spending resources trying to save a doomed world. The intentional destruction of all life on a world is the most difficult decision that any man could ever be forced to make, but the Warlords face it with the same dire, steady assurance that it is done for the greater good, expending the life of one world to save thousands. This once led current Chapter Master Salahar to nearly come to blows with the Ultramarines 3rd Company Captain Ardias after calling the loss of the Ultramarines 1st during the Battle of Macragge “A pointless, worthless waste of manpower.�? They have often fallen on the side of Inquisitors such as Inquisitor Lord Kryptman, supporting his efforts to initiate Exterminatus on worlds that stood in the path of hive fleet Behemoth and aiding in his escape when Kryptman was dubbed a traitor. Due to the incursion of massive Xenos threats in the near proximity of their home world from both the Tau Empire as well as the Tyranid invasion, this preference for utilization of weapons of mass destruction and minimization of Imperial military casualties has only continued to grow.
[skullheaderhalf=328c26]Battle Cry[/skullheaderhalf]
“The Imperium Prevails�?
Used both as a battle cry as well as a salutation.
[leftsidebar=Author's Note]AWOL is a Bolter and Chainsword forum lurker, checking from time to time and posing comments when he feels they're warranted and when his PHD studies grant him time to contribute. Thanks for development of the Warlords goes to all the members of the Astartes Vocates and many others, without whom my chapter could never have been given the life they currently enjoy. Though the Vocates creative flame has begun to dim, the Warlords will do their best to carry it forward from now to the end. [/leftsidebar]
