Fluff Revisited

Thanks to Mike Mini's recent post on the back ground of his chapter Sons of Minos which I recommend you all go have a look at.  I felt it was time I worked out and settled on the proper back story and fluff for the arctic templars.

Of course the time to do with with has more to do with the fact I put my Back out last week so I cant paint!

So fist off why is fluff so important. Well to me it give my lads something else other than a nice paint job and seeing as they are going through a rebirth of sorts with new paint jobs and new models for some of the older models and considering Ive progressed along in the hobby as well.

Additionally it allows me to plan future work with little more than just a list and color scheme to work with. Some depth of story sets up for a few new characters maybe, and ability to also then work on unit histories as well.

So I got out my Deathwatch - Rites of Battle book and the deathwatch book as well which I have stowed away for all sorts of tidbits of lore etc about the 40k verse and got to work.


So I present the rebirth of the Arctic Templar's:

Arctic Templar’s:

Chapter Founding:

Created to counter Ork activity in the region located in and around the Dominion of Storms in Segmantum Ultima

Chapter Founding Date:

34^th Millennium alongside the honoured dead during the year of ghosts

Progenitor Chapter:

Crimson fists

Gene Stock Purity:

Flawed- Arctic Templar’s in the working of their genetic coding  suffered damage to their gene seed causing a mutation in the Catalespean Node, This has seen marines not sleep for days, weeks and months when the need was required.  Sleep though when the marine does enter it will be for many days on end.  As such the strike cruisers of the Templars will often be silent during long warp voyages as marines take the deep sleep before the next campaign.  It is said this has improved their resistance to the warp as the deep trance and rituals that the marines enter into before sleep intone the protection of the emperor and improve the Gella fields efficiency rating, though no Adeptus Mechanicus technicians can find a visible link between the rituals and the improved Gella fields efficiency during warp travel.

Chapter Flaw:

The flaw in the gene stock and the capacity to stay awake for weeks on end does have its downside as through constant drilling when not sleeping marines have developed a martial culture of single combat, and without fail send aspirants to the storm of blades events of their original chapter the imperial fists.

It has also seen to the taking of personal trophies of their enemies be it symbolism in kill tokens or in some cases the skull of the enemy, cleaned of flesh and intoned with Imperial script from the Lectitio Divinitatus and adorned with gems and imperial symbols.

 

Demeanour:

The Arctic Templar's are swift and often seen to move faster than the average Adeptus Astartes, the suggestion is that the ability to train longer and harder due to gene flaw has created marines of resolute will with punishing speed in close combat. 

Founding father:

5^th Company Captain of the Crimson Fists Serverus Wolfe- famous for killing the Orc Warlord Gorbog Dakarunt  at the gates of Hastus on Iacton12- Orks in this sector to this day fear and loathe his name.   Serverus rose to glory when becoming locked in the protective electric field of the warbosses kustom generator killed the Ork with his power sword.  Serverus was forced to use all his will and was spurred on by blind rage at the death of his mentor and close counsel Garvel Drake at the hands of the Warboss moments earlier. 

Dorn’s Wrath

The Rage that was exhibited by Serverus was said to resemble the terrible anger of Dorn in the Iron Cage, and has been noted that Arctic Templars have an uncommon trait of being filled with blind rage at times in the face of enemies.  This is an un-expected development in the successor chapters from Rogal Dorns Gene Seed and has placed the chapter on watch from the Ordo Hereticus .

Current Chapter Master:

Harkon Thrydwulf

Home World:

Unlike The crimson fists and more akin to their Primarch’s Sons the Templar’s are a space born chapter recruiting from numerous worlds though preferring feral and feudal worlds for recruitment purposes.

Chapter Characteristic:

Their flaw has also seen the legends arise of the chapter fighting on without respite longer than their allies.  The legendary stand against Ork Warlord Kargmarloz  at Ravion 9 where the Raven Company after making planet fall executed a defense of the local spaceport for 5 months, never sleeping and never ending in counter attacks against ork containment lines.

Imperial troops present at times commented that while the spaceport was under seige often the impression was that it was the orks who where under siege.  Arctic Templar’s have been observed taking otherwise mortal wounds and continuing to fight their enemies such is their fervor and anger towards the Ork.

Chapter organisation:

The chapter is a divergent organization though originally being closely aligned to the codex, almost as if the fate of the Crimson Fists was on Rynn’s world was foretold by the successor chapter.

Suffering from disastrous combat casualties in the campaign to reclaim the lost worlds of the Tartus System from chaos renegade activity and then being forced to confront a resurgent ork waggh has seen the Templar’s being organised now into  large battle companies, the most notable Wolf and Raven, with others such as Raptor, Griffon and Fox being less active and operating on a refit rotation due to recent campaign activity.  It has been this way for over 400 years and the two formations now number each the same as several battle companies with similar structures that cover all elements needed for the execution of their assignments.

Often elements from both all battle hosts will operate together as each in its own way has developed specific battlefield roles.

Combat Doctrine:

The Arctic Templar’s favor the use of Thunderhawks, Stormravens and Drop Pods over Armour, though they do maintain and large vehicle park of Land Raiders , Rhino’s and Predators of varying class for protracted campaigns.

Chapter Weaponry: 

As such the chapter has access to rare and customised weaponry, it has a close relationship local Adeptus Mechanicus forge worlds thanks to agreements of mutual defense.

Chapter Beliefs:

Honour the ancestor: The Chapter holds its Progenitor as  high as other chapters would hold a Primarch often heard to say “glory to the Wolfe and the Emperor” as they engage in battle.

Chapter Status:

Although the near destruction of the chapter was over 400 years ago, and numbers have risen, the chapter is still listed as endangered,  as it still does not report a full complement of 1000 marines and that the records on Terra only record now two active battle companies.

Friends of the Chapter:

The chapter has close relationship with several imperial guard regiments in the sector, notably the Elysian 116^th drop regiment, which it has operated with in serveral warzones.

Chapter Enemies:

The chapter has many enemies most notably the Ork Warboss Shakarg Wortzod who has been thwarted in several planetary raids by the Templar’s.

There is also a deep and seeded hate for the renegade marines of the Astral Wolves who are responsible for the death of their chapter master in a major boarding action in the Invictus System.