The Crimson Fists Marine Chapter Proposal (Long)

From: Tom Webb <tom.webb_at_...>
Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 09:19:28 +0100

Chapter Organisation:
Purchased as a normal marine army with the exception of the 1st Company,
which includes the Chapter Master and 4 Detachments of Terminators (An
extra detachment to represent the increased size of there first company,
with the points values raised accordingly.)


                         +++The Crimsons Fists+++

The Crimson Fists are one of the oldest Space Marine Chapters, being part
of the Second Founding in the 31st millenium. They are descendants of the
original Imperial Fists Legion, which had the great honour of being based
on Terra itself. The Crimson Fists took their name from the ritual which
Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial Fists, conducted to initiate the new
Chapter Masters. Both Dorn and the Chapter Master slit the palms of their
left hands and clasped them together in a strong warrior's handshake; their
blood mingled together, physically strengthening the Chapter Master's
gene-seed and forming a symbolic bond between the Primarch and his genetic
sons.
The endeavors of the Chapter have been recorded in the many volumes of the
Rynn Chronicles, although much of this valuable history was lost with the
unfortunate destruction of the Crimson Fists' Fortress-Monastery on Rynn's
World. Those few burnt and tattered tomes that remain tell of nearly ten
thousand years of illustrious devotion to the Emperor and unflinching
prosecution of the Crimson Fists' duties.
   "Once a Crimson Fist becomes a full Battlebrother, his left gauntlet is
   painted crimson. Upon becoming a member of the Crusade Company he is
   allowed to paint his right glove also. The most honoured Crimson Fist
   warriors are gifted with one of the Chapter's ancient power gloves as a
   symbol of their might at arms."
The most legendary campaign executed by the Crimson Fists was the Crusade
of Righteous Liberation, conducted for three hundred years during the 36th
Millenium. At this time, now known to Imperial historians as the Age of
Apostasy, the Imperium was wracked by internal strife and physically
disrupted by swirling warp storms. Much of the turmoil arose from a massive
schism within the religious organisation of the Ministorum of Terra. After
the arch-traitor Goge Vandire was finally killed, the Crimson Fists took it
upon themselves to wrest back control of Imperial worlds that had fallen
from the Emperor's grace. The whole Chapter left Rynn's World aboard its
battle barges and strike cruisers and forged its way through the warp
storms to liberate those planets which had fallen into anarchy or been
invaded by alien races.
The first such world they came across was Welte, which they found
subjugated by the Ork warlord Ghar Nazzghar - loathed by many at the time
as the brutal Plunderer of Polemis. A force taken from four different
Companies descended upon Welte, whilst the rest of the Chapter dropped back
into the warp to locate other such stricken worlds. Led by the valiant
Captain Sandriaz, the Crimson Fists fell upon Ghar Nazzghar like a blue
storm. They struck at his ore mines, burnt the slave factories and wrecked
the ramshackle convoys that transported food and weapons across Welte's
treacherous dust bowls. Ghar Nazzghar's Orks soon found themselves
scattered across much of the world trying to protect the few installations
that still stood.
It was then that Brother-Captain Sandriaz mustered his force once more and
attacked Nazzghar's stronghold in the ruins of what was once Welte Prime,
the world's capital. With most of his warbands chasing ghosts across the
dust bowls, Ghar Nazzghar could do nothing as the blue-armoured Space
Marines advanced relentlessly through the shattered town. Nazzghar himself
led a final counter attack, but he and his cadre of burly Ork warriors were
wiped out as they ran the gauntlet of the Crimson Fists' deadly fire. With
Ghar Nazzghar dead, the Crimson Fists left Welte, leaving the fragmented
Orks to the Imperial citizens who had been so brutally enslaved and
repressed.
Welte was just the first of eighty four worlds re-conquered by the Crimson
Fists during the Crusade of Righteous Liberation. Over the Crusade's three
hundred years, the Chapter's numbers dwindled through age and battle
losses; whilst crusading, the Crimson Fists were unable to recruit
initiates to replace their losses. Finally, after breaking the four-century
long rebel siege of Barenthal on Excelsiva II, Chapter Master Kordova
declared the Crusade of Righteous Liberation to have ended. Only one
hundred and twenty eight Space Marines were left and ever since then, the
numbers of the Chapter's First Company has always been kept at one hundred
and twenty eight warriors, and its Captain is also always the Chapter
Master. They are known amongst the Crimson Fists as the Crusade Company,
and it is considered a bad omen if the Chapter goes to war without the
Company being at full strength.
Like other Imperial Fists descendants, the Crimson Fists have always been
noted for their zealous devotion to the Emperor, even more so than other
Space Marine Chapters. On at least two occasions this has led to the
Crimson Fists being called upon by the High Lords of Terra to exterminate a
fellow Space Marine Chapter. The first of these was the Sons of Gideon, who
were deemed Excommunicate after a routine Inquisitorial inspection had
found the Chapter's geneseed had been corrupted to such a degree that
chemical imbalances in the Space Marines' brains had driven them insane.
The Crimson Fists destroyed their homeworld of Gideon IV and the proceeded
to hunt down the remnants of the Third Company which had escaped the attack
and was butchering it's way through the four billion inhabitants of the
Colar star system The second Chapter to have suffered the wrath of the
Crimson Fists were the Marines Vigilant. The Chapter had fallen under the
mind-control of a rare warp entity which had eradicated all martial
instinct of the Space Marines, rendering them useless as a military force.
The unfortunate Marines Vigilant put up no resistance at all as the Crimson
fists used orbital mass drivers to turn the renegade Chapter's verdant home
planet into lifeless desert. The Crimson Fists' willingness to turn on
their brother marines has earnt them something of a reputation as the
Adeptus Terra's lapdogs amongst the more unorthodox Space Marine Chapters,
such as the Space Wolves, White Scars and Exorcists.
   "Nothing is known of the fate of Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial
   Fists. Some myths claim that he yet lives, secretly commanding the
   Companions of the Adeptus Custodes - the exceptionally deadly warriors
   who guard the Golden Throne itself."
At the present time, the Crimson Fists are currently recovering from a
catastrophic war against yet more Orks, during which a malfunctioning
missile detonated the armoury of their Fortress-Monastery, totally
destroying it and wiping out a large proportion of the Crimson Fists'
initiates and stored geneseed. However, if there is one thing that rings
clear in the annals of the Crimson Fists, it is their stubborn tenacity to
fight to the end. Lord Kantor, the current Chapter Master, has already
combated several attempts for the Chapter to be disbanded due to
irrecoverable battle losses and has vowed bloody vengeance on all of
Ork-kind; those who are wise in such things know that this is not an empty
boast.

Chapter Organization:
The Crimson Fists are in most respects a Codex chapter. As a result of a
large crusade the Crimson Fists were once reduced to a mere 128 Marines.
From that day the chapters 1st Company, known as the Crusade Company, has
been kept at 128 Marines, and its Captain is also always the Chapter
Master. It is considered a bad omen if the Chapter goes to war without the
Company being at full strength.
Chapter Colors:
The Crimson Fists took their name from the ritual which Rogal Dorn,
Primarch of the Imperial Fists, conducted to initiate the new Chapter
Masters. Both Dorn and the Chapter Master slit the palms of their left
hands and clasped them together in a strong warrior's handshake; their
blood mingled together, physically strengthening the Chapter Master's
gene-seed and forming a symbolic bond between the Primarch and his genetic
sons. The Crimson Fists have also carried this on into their colours. Their
basic armour colour is a deep blue, usually with metallic trimmings. Once a
Crimson Fist becomes a full Battlebrother his left gauntlet is painted
crimson, upon becoming a member of the Crusade Company he is allowed to
paint his right glove also. The most honoured Crimson Fist warriors are
gifted with one of the chapter's ancient power gloves as a symbol of their
might at arms.

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Received on Mon May 13 2002 - 08:19:28 UTC