I'll start off with my Emperors Dragons. Cultural basis: Wales

Colors: Green/White/Red

Standard: Red 'aquila'-esque double headed dragon over a green/white checked background.

Homeworld: New Caernarvan.

Specialty: Siege/Morale manipulation.

Motto: The Battle Song guides.

T he Emperors Dragons are something of an anomaly in the ten thousand years of Imperial history, partly because they were not founded within any large-scale Founding as with the other chapters. The other part of it is that they were founded on the basis of an Inquisitorial jibe being taken seriously.

In the year of His Majesty the Emperor, 37496, Inquisitorial Representative Sfosa Juung found himself having to listen the chants and hymns of the Imperial Fists at their time of prayer. After half an hour of basso-dirge, he quietly excused himself, reportedly muttering to a fellow Inquisitor afterwards, "The Astartes can take fortified planets, destroy immense armies, quash dire heresies, but they cannot hold a high note. What I wouldn't give to have some that could!"

When the Inquisitorial Representative speaks, things are done which can't be undone. Such was the creation of the Emperors Dragons, a result of favours asked of the Space Wolves and Adeptus Mechanicus, all in response to a jibe. The planet where they would be founded was New Caernarvan, a newly Civilised World in the Segmentum Tempestus with a distinctive lyrical and oral tradition based society. The Space Wolves' spare geneseed was asked for and acquired  ^*

That would change with their first siege mission, Ferromunda, where they managed to end the secession of a world with only a thousand civilian casualties...

O n Ferromunda, the Emperors Dragons were deployed en-masse, ahead of the Krieg siege regiments, in front of the Central Hive. The Hive had all of its defenses, including a deflector screen, online. The Imperium would be in for a long and hard siege. Upon receiving data that the seceding party had kept the citizenry largely unaware of the danger lurking over them, the Chapter Master at the time was struck by an idea. Using every acoustic amplifier at their disposal, the Dragons began to sing forth exactly what the population would be in for if they did not surrender, as well as their duty to the Emperor. For thirty days and nights, this went on, the Lord Commander of the Krieg growing impatient as to the lack of shells bursting on the screens. On the 31st day, the sounds of gunfire echoed from inside the hive, and by the end of the day, the screen was lowered, and the gate was opened. A countercoup had been staged, and all that was necessary was to clean out the remaining dissidents.

This became the calling card of the Emperors Dragons, to wander from battle to battle, either bringing the enemy quietly to their knees or bolstering the courage of the weary guardsmen to charge into victory. They usually worked mop-up operations afterward, and became thought of as just that, clean-up and choir.

Then, on one typical mission to cleanse a hive world of its heretical and daemonic uprising, the Dragons discovered a Noise Marine. The moment they stepped from their drop pods and heard the unholy cacophony of the doom siren amplified by sound systems across the city, something snapped. Witnesses amongst the guard report that each Space Marine stared out at the source of the noise, growling at an increasing volume until each and every Astartes ran to assemble directly in front of the city. A melodious but terrifying roar drowned out the wail for a full ten minutes before the next stage began. Using Whirlwind and Earthshaker strikes as punctuation, the Dragons began snarling forth in an operatic style hymns and ballads of hate and derision, of how worthless this uprising was. The Noise Marine and his cultists responded with obscenities and praise for the Prince of Excess, at the same earsplitting volume. This continued on for days, the Imperial Guard having evacuated all but the stormtroopers and artillerymen to cut costs on audioreceptive augmetics. When the hive's walls finally gave out under the physical and sonic barrage, the Dragons sprang into action, hitting the central spire with every ounce of firepower at their disposal. The ground force advanced shortly afterward, completely silent. By the end of the day, not one single heretic was left alive, and the Noise Marine's charred and mangled body was suspended from the destroyed gate.

I ''n the year M38. 631, the Dragons were set upon by a truly unfortunate set of circumstances.

edited 21st Feb '11 5:50:34 AM by Colonial1.1

The Ardent Hammers

Cultural basis: Dwarves (Shut up, they're a recognized culture now).

Colors: Blue/White/Red

Standard: Blue hammer wreathed in white fire, on a field of red flames.

Specialty: Melee Combat. Rather than the Thunder Hammers commonly wielded by Terminators, their namesake Ardent Hammers use a promethium delivery system that allows the hammer to be heated to a temperature usually associated with the cooler stars. The hammer itself (as well as their armor) is made of various unknown materials that allow it to survive the heat.

Motto: The Hammer to break them, the Fire to cleanse them.

edited 3rd Jun '10 1:10:34 AM by Chabal2

The Rangers Rampant

Cultural basis: Scotland

Colors: Royal Blue, White and Red.

Standard: A Red Lion on a Campbell Tartan◊ background.

Specialty: Maneuver warfare.

Motto: Our faith burns bright, our foes burn black.

EDIT: New (Optional Category) Battle Hymn: My Hate Is Like A Red Red Rose

O my Hate's like a red, red rose

That’s newly sprung in June;

O my Hate's like the flaming death

That fires from my gune.

As foul art thou, thou chaos scum,

So full of hate am I:

And I will hate thee still, thou scum,

Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my foe,

And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:

I will hate thee still, my foe,

While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee foul, my greatest Hate,

And fare thee foul, a while!

And I will smite thee yet, my Hate,

Tho’ it were ten trillion mile.

edited 3rd Jun '10 2:15:42 AM by Gloom

Feel free to add more detais to your chapters, like what their traditions are, and such.

Renowned for their incomprehensible accents and general belligerence, the Rangers Rampant strike fear into the hearts and ears of their opponents with their Sonic Battle Bagpipes. Also known for never entering battle while sober, consuming vast quantities of their specially brewn whiskey, which is alternately used for melting enemy tanks.

So this is where the Space Marine thread is...I'll be posting the chapter we discussed in the other thread then, Colonial.

The Dragon's Teeth

Cultural basis: Sparta.

Colors: forest green and [[yellow:amber]].

Standard: the snarling jaws of a Tyrant Wyrm, bone-white against a quarted green and amber background.

Specialty: Orbital insertion into the heart of enemy territory. They destroy the enemies' leadership and then fight their way out from there, inflicting massive casualties.

Motto: Eat the head and eat the eggs,/Send the enemy to their graves!

Homeworld: Echidna Matris, in the Segmentum Tempestus. It is an enormous terrestrial planet, roughly three times the size of earth, and although its terrain is surprisingly varied, the planet is largely dominated by humid savannahs and rain forest. The ecosystem is dominated by numerous permutations and species of phobosaur, bizarre animals which mix the features of reptiles and arthropods; the largest of these beasts would easily rival a warhound titan in size. While most phobosaurs are gentle or at least indifferent to humanity, the carnivores are voracious, insatiable, and tend to attack in huge swarms driven by the commands of distant queens.

Because the creatures spawn rapidly in aggression, the Dragon's Teeth could not simply dissuade the phobosaur attacks by wearing down their vast swarms, and so they were forced to develop their current combat doctrine; drop into the hives from above, kill the queen, her drones and grubs, and from there on out decimate what remains of the hive.

Their experience in dealing with phobosaur attacks has made the Dragon's Teeth well-suited to battling Tyranids. That said, they do just as well, if not better in some cases, against Tau, Eldar and various heretics; basically, if the enemy army has a head to cut off that will leave the troops in disarray as a result, the Dragon's Teeth will perform admirably against them.

Orks and Necrons, on the other hand, are a whole 'nother story entirely; dropping down right next to the Warboss and killing him will only succeed in bringing the whole WAAAGH down on their heads, and dealing with the Necrons by the Dragon's Teeth doctrine calls for them to deal with the Lord and the tomb itself in one fell swoop—which, except in certain circumstances, is not a viable option.

Notable individuals:

Their Chapter Master, Alcander Draco, was born and bred on Echidna. He was marked for greatness right from the start; during his selection, a seventy-foot tall Tyrant Wyrm attacked the proceedings, killing half the aspirants and a third of the Astartes overseeing the selection. While the other boys panicked, however, Draco saw the root of the problem—the Tyrant—and took steps to remove it. Stealing a chainsword from a slain Space Marine, he climbed up a terraced balcony near which the beast was rampaging and, while the Dragon's Teeth tried to bring it down with bolterfire, leapt onto the beast's neck and stabbed it through the brain, killing it instantly.

the overseers, suitably impressed with his levelheadedness and valour, allowed him to forgo the trials—unarmed duels to the death performed to weed out the weak—which aspirants are normally forced to endure, and after a year had received all but one of his implants and become a Space Marine Scout.

Draco would see further glory shortly after receiving his final implant and becoming a full-fledged Astartes twelve years into his service, doing battle with Ork warbands and the westerly fringes of Hive Fleet Leviathan (Echidna Matris is located near the border between the Segmentums Ultima and Tempestus). He received the honour of becoming the Chapter Master—or Alto Rex, as the Dragon's Teeth refer to the position—in his eightieth decade of Astartesdom by slaying a Hive Tyrant in single combat, and has held the position ever since.

The Chapter was founded in 549.M35 by Ajax Lacadaemon of the Imperial Fists, who desired a fighting force that could break through an enemy's defences quickly and dispatch their leadership as swiftly as possible, before being loosed upon their disorganized forces. After locating the Death World of Echidna Matris and noting the ideal conditions for training soldiers to such a doctrine, Lacadaemon was granted permission by the then-current Chapter Master of the Imperial Fists to establish his Chapter.

Ajax served as the Alto Rex of the Dragon's Teeth for five centuries, leading his brothers to victory after victory against xenos and heretics; it seemed that no force could stand against the rapid and overwhelming power the Chapter could bring to bear. This spotless record would be forever tarnished by the events of the Thermopylae Crusade, when a vast Ork Waaagh lead by Warboss Skullkrushah swept through the Segmentum Tempestus, smashing all in its path as it moved inexorably towards Naval Base Bakka.

Echidna Matris lay directly in the Waaagh's path, and so Ajax mobilized the entire First Company of the Dragon's Teeth for a preemptive strike on the Warboss's temporary headquarters on Thermopylae. Impossibly, however, Skullkrushah had foreknowledge of the Space Marines' arrival, and when the Dragon's Teeth teleported onto Thermopylae they found only an empty fortress, hastily abandoned by its Orkish defenders.

It was then that the greenskins sprung their trap, opening fire with stolen Imperial cannon and shelling the fortress from afar; a quarter of First Company perished in the first few minutes of the bombardment, and Ajax himself was grievously injured. Despite losing an eye and one arm, and not having the benefit of augmetic prosthetics, Ajax rallied the Dragon's Teeth and turned what should have been a swift and easy victory for the Waaagh into a much longer and far more even battle.

They held that fortress against the greenskins for a month and a day, slaughtering hundreds of Orks for every Dragon that fell, and the sheer magnitude of their impact on the Waaagh was such that Skullkrushah himself, having grown impatient at having his Waaagh stalled in order to deal with the Dragon's Teeth, took to the field in an enormours Stompah and leveled the fortress, killing all the remaining Space Marines but Ajax.

The Warboss, seeing that the Alto Rex was still alive, descended from his profane machine to congratulate his opponent, and offered Ajax the chance to serve him as a slave. Ajax's only response was to stand tall despite his injuries, cock his unique powerlance and hurl it through Skullkrushah's chest like a javelin, inflicting a crippling and mortal wound to the Warboss. Ajax was gunned down seconds later, the boyz having filled the air with so much Dakka that it was impossible to see the Chapter Master until they had stopped firing.

Despite the loss of the entire First Company, this proved to be a pyrrhic victory for the Orks—over the course of twenty-eight days they had lost more than seven thousand greenskins in order to kill a mere hundred Space Marines, and thanks to his crippling injuries Warboss Skullkrushah was suddenly vulnerable, a tempting target for contenders to the position. The Waaagh stalled on Thermopylae for a further two months as the most powerful boyz waged a battle for supremacy, and by the time things had been sorted out every single element of the Imperial Navy in Segmentum Tempestus had been mobilized and deployed around Bakka; thus, Ajax had bought the Imperium the crucial months it needed to ensure its defence and muster a fighting force with which to smash the Waaagh to pieces.

For his heroic actions, Ajax Lacadaemon is held in the highest regard by the Dragon's Teeth, being second only to the God-Emperor and their Primarch Rogal Dorn. His remains were recovered after the close of the Thermopylae Crusade and interred within a Dreadnought, despite the fact that he was almost certainly dead; it is said that Ajax will awaken during the Dragon's Teeth's darkest hour, when he shall rise from his slumber and take to the field, destroying the leadership of the Enemies of Man in the Final Battle before finally allowing death to claim him.

edited 13th Sep '10 4:32:37 PM by SullenFrog

The Oathkeepers

Chapter Colours: Bronze with black trim.

Insignia: The Seal Of Salviera (five interlocking white rings inside a circle).

History: Founded following the War of the Raven Stars, a massive war waged in defence of the colonies of the Raven Stars on the Segmentum Tempestus against many different enemy factions.

Several chapters, most notably the Scorpion Knights, The Azure Templars, the Imperial Wolves and the Sanctifiers, were involved in the war. During the course of the war, the Imperial Wolves suffered horrific casualties as part of a final desperate rearguard action, keeping the Spaceport on the Hive World of Salviera Prime protected form Chaos, Orks and Eldar alike. The Scorpion Knights lost nearly 700 marines when their fleet was annihilated by a Warp-Powered super-weapon. Both chapters suffered too many losses too bear as a chapter, although most of the missing Scorpion Knights were later found when their flagship drifted out of a warp rift some 850 years later.

In response to the massive casualties, the Oathkeepers were founded to fill the gap left by the destroyed chapters. They consider Salviera Prime their home-world, and recruit their initiates from various worlds across the Raven Stars.

The Oathkeepers take their name from the Oath Of Vengeance sworn by their Chapter Master, swearing to kill everyone they could find responsible for the destruction of the Imperial Wolves and Scorpion Knights. Their temple, built over the spaceport that saw the Wolves' last stand, houses the Book Of The Fallen (containing the names of every marine that fell during the War of the Raven Stars)and the Book Of The Doomed (containing the names of every major enemy figure involved who survived the war).

In addition to the normal posts of a Space Marine chapter, the Oathkeepers hold the post of The Vengeance,second only to the Chapter Master himself. The Vengeance is one of the Oathkeepers' most formidable warriors. The Vengeance wanders across the galaxy, investigating anything that might be the work of someone in the Book Of The Doomed. If their suspicions are correct, then the chapter will bring an enormous force to bear against them, led by the Vengeance. If possible, they will capture the target alive and conduct a ceremonial execution on Salviera. If not, the body will be recovered and nailed to the memorial wall on Execution Hill. There has only been one instance of this not occuring: The Slaaneshi cultmaster known as Alzaereshi was considered too vile to be killed, and was handed over to the Inquisition.

http://warhammer40kfanon.wikia.com/wiki/Knights_of_Vengance

You didn't say anything about traitor legions.

Chapter: Doom Guard

Colors: Crimson with yellow trimming and green weaponry

Dedication: Chaos Undivided

Symbols: (badge) A flaming demonic skull, (banner) A proper passage from a sacred text of chaos or an oath to Khorne or Tzeentch

History: An offshoot chapter of the Word Bearers, Who left as these individuals could not stand being too close with the worshipers of Slaanesh and Nurgle. (they are disgusted by the actions of their allies I.E it grosses them out and they stink) As such they formed their own group whom are mostly comprised of Khornate fanatics and Tzeenchian sorcerers. The piety and iron grip of the group's cabal of Lords keep their troops from killing each other and has even managed to get them to work in tandem, coordinated assaults which usually takes most enemies by surprise.

Tactics: Powerful close-combat infantry supported by heavy weapons and Sorcerers

edited 18th Aug '10 6:34:50 AM by Strigon

The Vigil-Wardens

Colors: Navy and black

Standard: A sword with angelic wings. It has two servo-skulls wreathed around its hilt and a cherub hovering over its tip.

Specialty: Naval (space) warfare and boarding actions.

Motto: Protectors of all.

Homeworld: Seraphos Prime, in the Segmentum Angelus. The planet itself is around the size of Earth, and its climate is a wet one. It rains most of the year, only stopping in the hottest month. It is an agri-world, with very few predators but an abundance of edible herbivores and plants.

Though it seems unlikely that a Space Marine chapter devoted to naval warfare would hail from such a planet, it is a testament to their training and devotion to the God-Emperor of Mankind that they do their jobs so well. Most of their training (apart from escape and evasion, as well as any other parts of training that requires an outdoors environment) takes place off-world, in special space stations constructed just for this purpose.

History: This chapter puts most (if not all) of its energy into protecting the warships of the Imperium, either assisting the crew or warding off any boarders (and taking part in boarding actions themselves). Thus, they often have specialised equipment to aid them in their mission, such as compact bolters that pack just as much punch - if not more - than their full-sized counterparts.

To keep morale high, the Vigil-Wardens can often be heard softly singing their battle-hymns, wandering through the corridors even as volley after volley is both fired and loaded. Specially designated Marines will wear a thurible on their armour, which waves gently as they move. This results in a sweet, calming smell being released from the thurible, which will also release a dark blue plume of smoke.

In combat, all except their chaplains will stop singing. These chaplains are known as Guard-Lords, and are often senior members of the chapter.

The Vigil-Wardens are just as adept at combat on the ground as in the confines of a vessel. In fact, they have benefited from their long stays onboard ships, as it allows them to be much more maneuverable than their battle brothers due to their sharpened reflexes. They often have a strong initiative, knowing that in a battle with boarders it is often the combatant who hits first wins.

Um, is it okay if I use a style that isn't anything like Warhammer 40 K?

Well, it wouldn't really be a Space Marine chapter then. But that's just my opinion.

edited 18th Aug '10 12:28:23 PM by Flanker66

Except they'd still wander space and blow stuff up, like all space marines. Right?

Or do I have to follow the stereotype of the grizzled Power Armor-clad Super-Soldier?

Stop me if you're familiar with the universe.

From my experience, the Space Marines are augmented to be fanatically devoted super-soldiers, who often wear extremely unwieldy (and strong) power armour. They wield slightly... unusual weapons.

But I think Colonial 1.1 would probably be able to give us the "last word".

Thing is, I know nothing about either Warhammer series. So I was thinking a kind of Ghost Recon-Mass Effect hybrid style with maybe a bit of Republic Commando thrown in for fun. Would that be permissible?

Do you want me to PM Colonial for you? Sorry if I'm bothering you, but I'm not as deep into the 40k universe as he is.

Yes please. Like I said, I have no clue about anything in either WH series, so any help and/or clarification is very much appreciated.

No problem. He's writing up the recap for the Imperium of Man comes to Gensokyo thread, so it could be a while.

Okay, bear something in mind here: Space Marines are basically Knights IN SPACE, sometimes with a bit more of the Warrior Monk ethic. Now, they can be practical, but they cannot be entirely un-feudal. Ya get me?

Oh. I was just thinking of some sort of hybrid in styles between the crews of the 'Normandy's and the squads of Ghost Recon, but I guess I can live without posting my idea.

Maybe we should have a more general thread where people can post the ideas they have of various organizations they'd like to be a part of?

@Colonial: does my Space Marine chapter sound as if it could be an actual one, or is it too unrealistic?

Not entirely so. Just another unique chapter.

If you want to get a feel for various SM chapters, google the LEXICANUM. You have info on all the canon chapters. On the wikia I linked before, you have non-canon, but fluff-correct chapters.

Chapter: Striking Lions

Cultural basis: Netherlands

Colors: Main undercoat of the armor is bright orange. Red shoulders and blue legguards. The armor is rimmed in white.

Standard: A regal golden Lion, roaring and pouncing on its prey.

Homeworld: The lake swamp world of Acheron, although the majority of the chapter is housed on a Naval fleet helmed and maintained by the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Situated near outer edge of the Imperium of Man Acheron is faced with frequent assaults from any of the myriad opponents of the Empire, most often the hated Orks.

Acheron used to be a world teeming with life, but a Tyranid invasion ravaged the ecosystem leaving it a Death World. The Striking Lions return regularly to test newbloods against remaining clusters of the Tyranid brood.

Specialty: Orbital Insurgency, Guerilla Warfare, Espionage and counter-intelligence.

A sizeable chunk of the Space Marines consists of scouts. Terminator squads are rare compared to other Space Marine chapters.

Motto: First stike against mind a body.

Space Marine deployment: Exceptional ties with the Adeptus Mechanicus left the chapter with a Naval fleet in tip top condition. The fleet is deployed in unstable regions where Space Marines are dropped planetside before being picked up several months later.

Once planetside, the Space Marines engage in tactical warfare, gouging the strenght of all who oppose the Imperium of Man. Areas of great tactical importance are relayed to the fleet as soon as contact can be established.

At the end of a tour, the Space Marines are picked up while under the cover of the main fleet executing a first strike. During this blitz attack the most tactically viable targets are leveled.

The Striking Lions maintain ties with other Space Marine chapters, who are called upon to cleanse a world once it has been deemed corrupted or if an enemy prescence has been verified.

The tactics of the Striking Lions are often frowned upon, as they tend to "leave the party when it is just getting started", but most other chapters realise that the Imperium of Man would be practically blind on the happenings on its frontiers if not for the Stiking Lions' advanced scouting.

Recent years: The Striking Lions are recovering from the Tyranid attach on Acheron while finding itself deployed in Imperium held worlds working to combat dissidents. The Striking Lions are reporting more and more Chaos inspired cults and the Orks are on the rise again on the fringe. Before long, the Striking Lions may find them once more on the forefront of battle.

edited 19th Aug '10 7:36:41 AM by X-File

Some chapter history posted.