I'm gonna post about my current
8th edition project here, which is a pretty big one. I am building an
entire Chapter of Primaris Space Marines. Right now I've started on the
5th Company and I'll be working my way down to the 1st company. This will
give me time to integrate newer releases that might impact the 1st and 10th
companies. I'm going to store the lore I've built up here for now.
In terms of rules, this is an Imperial Fists successor chapter, though they
have their own chapter traits: Bolter Fusillades and Rapid Assault. I
chose Bolter Fusillades because that ties them back to the Imperial
Fists. Rapid Assault felt like it represented warriors who were used to
rapidly redeploying on foot in urban combat situations.
Without further ado, here are The Knights Revenant.
History
of the Knights Revenant:
The Knights Revenant were
founded near the cusp of the 36th Millenia as part of 21st Founding, also known
as the so-called "Cursed Founding".
Descended originally from
Imperial Fists gene-seed, the chapter initially seemed to be free from the
troubles that so many other chapters of that Founding were experiencing. Unlike
their Primogenitors, the Knights Revenant had access to the full suite of modifications,
specifically the Sus-An Membrane and the Betcher's Gland (which Imperial Fists
no longer have).
While many chapters of the 21st
Founding suffered from catastrophic physical and psychological flaws and
mutations, others such as the Lamentors and the Knights Revenant seemed to be
ill-fated in other ways.
In the early 40th Millenia, the
Knights Revenant began to suffer heavy battlefield losses. A fleet based
chapter, they had no official recruitment center, which made it harder for them
to replenish their numbers. Along with the loss of life, a significant amount
of materiel was lost as well, including every suit of Terminator armor that the
Chapter possessed.
Attrition not only impacted the
reserve and battle companies, it impacted leadership as well. As the Knights
Revenant found themselves outnumbered by larger and larger ratios in their
latter days, heroic acts by their commanders led to higher turnover which
contributed to degrading the three companies that the chapter could still
field.
Still, the Knights Revenant
were prompt with their gene-seed tithes, perhaps concerned that failure to
provide gene-seed for testing would seal their fate as a chapter of the Cursed
Founding in the eyes of the Inquisition.
As their ability to engage the
enemies of the Imperium began to diminish, they began to work with other
chapters more frequently, supplementing their forces when possible. This has
led to a generally favorable opinion of the Knights Revenant from other Space
Marine chapters.
In the late 41st Millenia as
Abbadon the Destroyer's 13th Black Crusade led to the destruction of Cadia and
the eruption of the Great Rift, the Knights Revenant were tasked with stopping
Red Corsairs from raiding Imperial Worlds. For the first time in over a
thousand years the three companies of the Knights Revenant engaged in battle
together.
From their battle barge,
Loyalty Enduring, they engaged a much larger Red Corsair cruiser, The Nameless,
in battle. Chapter Master Doreth led his Knights Revenant in a daring boarding
action which saw The Nameless crippled and unable to reenter the Warp. But as
the battle raged on, losses began to take their toll.
In a last ditch effort to
destroy the chaos warship, Doreth and his hand picked veterans sabotaged the
teleportarium on the Nameless after engaging in an emergency teleport back to
the Loyalty Enduring.
At this time, the ships of the
Indomitus Crusade arrived with reinforcements for the Knights Revenant. They
found Chapter Master Doreth dying from battle wounds as well as from damage
inflicted on him by the unstable teleportation. He recognized the Greyshields
surrounding him on his command deck as fellow Knights Revenant even as he died.
The Primaris marines assigned
to reinforce the Knights Revenant immediately boarded The Nameless, working to
find and support their battle brothers. None had survived, however.
This
left the marines assigned as reinforcements in a unique situation. Unlike other
Ultima Founding chapters, the Knights Revenant were not meant to be a solely
Primaris chapter. In the years since, the Knights Revenant luck seems to have
improved. The officers of the Primaris Knights Revenant chose among them a new
Chapter Master and adopted modified heraldry to honor those White Skullls that
had died before them.
It's unclear if the curse of the 21st Founding still haunts the Knights
Revenant. Chapters like the Mortificators still refuse to take the field
with them but the Imperial Fists, from whom they are descended, proudly count
them as allies.
Knights
Revenant Organization:
Following severe attrition, the chapter was forced to adapt their strategy for
organization and deployment.
The chapter was reduced to essentially three companies: the 4th, 5th, and 9th.
Chapter recruitment was so low by the time of the Indomitus Crusade that the
9th was essentially operating as the Scout Company as well as a Fire Support
Reserve Company.
The 4th and 5th Battle Companies were broken down further into sections,
essentially each section was about 1/3rd of a company in size, with small units
of 5 to 6 marines in each of the squads. Tactical Squads fielded no heavy
weapons though their sergeants typically carried Plasma Pistols to give the
squad some capability to deal with heavier targets.
Lacking the armored might of Predators and Land Raiders, and with heavy weapons
relegated to each section's Devastator Squad, the Knights Revenant historically
turned to Land Speeders as their close fire support units. The small speeders
filled the roles of flyers like Storm Talons in other chapters.
Following the events of the Indomitus Crusade the Knights Revenant were able to
operate as a fully functioning chapter for the first time in over two thousand
years.
Concern for the future of the chapter has led to the Knights Revenant
decentralizing some of their command elements in a way that is not totally
Codex compliant.
The chapter is still a fleet based chapter and following the Indomitus crusade
has brought its remaining battle barges out of hiding and into battle once
more. Each of the five battle barges is home to two companies of Knights
Revenant and each battle barge carries its own Apothecarion, Reclusium (though
the 1st Company's battle barge is recognized as the Chapter Reclusiam), and
Librarius. This was in response to the loss of these particular edifices during
the chapter's initial decline.
With so many losses in leadership positions, the initial waves of Primaris
reinforcements had additional command elements in place. This means that a
company typically has three to four Lieutenants and 1 or even two Captains.
Typically each company has a Company Captain who is in charge of the company
and may also have a Captain-Adjutant who is second in command in their
company. Captain-Adjutants are often the Captain of the Reserve Company
stationed with the Battle Company.
Command roles typically see Lieutenants tied to leading specific sections of
the company. In smaller engagements this means that Lieutenants have
command of their own forces. In larger engagements which utilize more
than one section, the Company Captain or Captain-Adjutant has overall command.
Despite reinforcing during the Indomitus Crusade, White Skull officers still
tend to lead from the front, so attrition in their ranks is still higher than
average.
Battle Company Organization:
Each Battle Company follows the standard Codex Astartes approach to organization
of six Battle Line units, two Close Support units, and two Fire Support units.
Squads 1-4: 10 Intercessors typically carrying Auto Bolt Rifles
Squads 5-6: 10 Infiltrators typically carrying a Comms Array
Squad 7: 3 Inceptors typically armed with Assault Bolters
Squad 8: 10 Incursors
Squads 9-10: 10 Hellblasters typically armed with Assault Plasma Incinerators
Company Command: Captain, Captain-Adjutant, 4 Lieutenants, Company Ancient
Company sections:
1st Section: Squads 1 and 10, led by First Lieutenant
2nd Section: Squads 2 and 9, led by Second Lieutenant
3rd Section: Squads 3 and 7, led by Third Lieutenant
4th Section: Squads 4 and 8, led by Fourth Lieutenant
5th Section: Squads 5 and 6, no direct command oversight, each squad is led by
a Veteran Sergeant.
5th Section has no dedicated commander. They don't typically operate as a
Section, having a greater degree of autonomy than the other squads in the
Company. They are essentially fielded as a heavy scouting force and
supplement the other Sections in smaller engagements.
Therefore a patrol might consist of 1st Section with the 5th Squad attached
while a larger engagement might find 1st and 2nd Sections led by their
Lieutenants with 5th or 6th Squad attached.
Engagements involving three or more Sections are led by either the Captain or
the Captain-Adjutant. Company wide engagements are always led by the
Company Captain or Chapter Master if present.
Knights Revenant tactics:
As with all Space Marine chapters, the Knights Revenant were more than capable
of engaging in most types of warfare, though as their numbers initially
dwindled they operated more clandestinely than overtly.
They were particularly adept at boarding actions and dense urban combat and
favored assault weaponry. This is partly due to the chapter lacking much of the
equipment and transports that other chapters have access to. Much of the
chapter became very accustomed to fighting on foot and so much of their chapter
training was centered around this style of combat, dodging from cover to cover
while laying down fire with assault weapons like Flamers.
With the advent of the Indomitus Crusade, the Primaris Knights Revenant found
the new Cawl-Pattern weapons well suited to this style of combat. Auto Bolt
Rifles and Assault Plasma Incinerators are highly favored in the chapter.
As a successor chapter to the Imperial Fists, the Knights Revenant drill
constantly with Bolt weapons. Their proficiency with these weapons is well
known by other Space Marine chapters who have taken to the field of battle with
the Knights Revenant.
The Battle Barges of the Knights Revenant:
When
the Indomitus Crusade found the Knights Revenant they were locked in ship to
ship combat with Red Corsairs on board an ancient chaos ship known as "The
Nameless". The Knights Revenant battle barge "Loyalty Enduring"
bore the Knights Revenant into battle for two millenia though records indicated
that initially the fleet based chapter had several of these ships.
Once The Nameless had been scuttled and the gene-seed of the Knights Revenant
that had died in boarding actions against it had been recovered, Doreth's dying
command to thralls aboard the Loyalty Enduring was to reunite the fleet.
And so it was that the Knights Revenant entered the Warp and after translating
back to real space the new marines found themselves in a forgotten corner of
the southern edge of the Imperium. There, hanging in the dark like ghosts of a
forgotten age, were the four other battle barges originally commissioned for
the Knights Revenant.
They are known collectively as "The Enduring":
The Loyalty Enduring: the flagship of the 5th company and for many years
the flagship of the chapter as a whole. It is now home to the 5th Company and
the 9th Company.
The Strength Enduring: the flagship of the 4th Company and the 8th
Company.
The Faith Enduring: the flagship of the 3rd Company and the 7th Company.
The Courage Enduring: the flagship of the 2nd Company and 6th Company.
The Honor Enduring: the flagship of the 1st Company and the 10th
Company.
Each ship save The Honor Enduring carries a redundant
Apothecarion, Reclusiam, and Librarius. For all purposes, The Honor
Enduring is the flagship of the chapter and its Reclusiam,
Apothecarion, and Librarius are dedicated to all 10 Companies. Chaplains,
Apothecaries, and Librarians are not tied to a specific company. They rotate
through all companies, including the 10th's Vanguard Company, in turn. This is
to prevent any deviation from chapter approved procedure or doctrine.
Leadership
of the Knights Revenant:
At the time of the Indomitus Crusade the Chapter Master of the Knights Revenant was Doreth. Doreth had served for three and a half centuries as Master of Recruits. While it was difficult for the Knights Revenant to recruit, he was very adept at finding good candidates, leading to a very high success rate both with implant surgery survival and training survival. He was also adept at recognizing a recruit that may be worthy of other chapters and for directing those chapters to take on those initiates.
With his passing even as Primaris reinforcements arrived, the last of the original Knights Revenant ascended into history. Like other chapters, such as the Iron Hands, the Knights Revenant then adopted a council for their leadership decisions. Each Captain and Lieutenant is part of this council. The title of Chapter Master is tied directly to the Company Captain of the 1st Company.
Here is the list of Company Captains at the time of this writing.
1st: Lev Griphone
2nd: Onver Grest
3rd: Ponem Vogrist
4th: Seon Hivlem
5th: Mirhl Stenilov
6th: Vilim Greshen
7th: Toomin Pregh
8th: Nestir Gellim
9th: Phellig Toprev
10th: Holin Restig
Heraldry of the Knights Revenant:
The Original Knights Revenant color scheme consisted of white armor with dark green shoulder pads.
The chapter symbol is a simple white skull.
To honor their fallen brothers, the Primaris Knights Revenant retain the dark green shoulder pads trimmed with white. The left knee is also dark green while the right knee carries the company color.
The rest of their armor is gunmetal. This is due to the fact that prior to their deployment, their armor was unpainted as they were initially to await Chapter Master Doreth's decisions about where each squad would be assigned.When it became clear that they would need to deploy quickly and be recognizable to any potential Knights Revenant still alive on the Nameless, they adorned their armor in the most direct fashion.
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