Void Wardens
| Void Wardens | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Battle Cry | We are the sword from the shadows! | |
| Founding | M37 (23rd Founding) | |
| Successors of | Presumably Blood Angels | |
| Successor Chapters | None | |
| Chapter Master | Sadow Kynex | |
| Primarch | Unknown | |
| Homeworld | Fleet Based | |
| Strength | 950 | |
| Specialty | Shock tactics | |
| Allegiance | Imperium | |
| Colours | Red, Black, and Silver. | |
Summary
Aspirant Trials
The Void Wardens’ methods for initiation start with the acquisition of suitable candidates. Usually a group of 10-30 aspirants are selected at one time. The aspirants are then taken aboard the Void Warden's flagship and placed within am area. The aspirants are allowed to select between a small selection of weapons, mostly long knives or short swords. The Aspirants are then set against wave after wave captured beasts, prisoners taken from other ships within their fleet or captured in war, and sometimes even xenos species including Tau, Kroot, or even the occasional Eldar. The trial usually lasts until there are 1-3 combatants left standing or if the chapter is in need of new recruits the numbers might fluctuate. The survivors of this trial are taken to begin their journey as space marines.
It is at this point that the newly altered aspirants of the Void Wardens of undergo screening for any psychic potential. Any of the aspirants found to have psychic potential are sequestered from their brothers and trained to withstand and channel the warp. Alongside their normal training regiment they are also trained in mental and spiritual techniques to strengthen their mind and resolve against the corrupting influence of the ruinous powers.
The final trial of an initiate before the inclusion of the black carapace involves a trial by combat. The imitates, whom had previously been serving in scout squads, are given chainswords and bolt pistols and ushered into combat. The initiates' goal is to collect the most impressive trophy by besting their foe in close quarters combat. If the initiate survives a few battles or slays an especially noteworthy opponent then they are finally given the black carapace and inducted into the chapter as a battle brother.
Home Fleet
The Void Wardens are a fleet based chapter. Their flagship is the Silvanet, a Gloriana Class Battleship. The Silvanet was gifted to the chapter by the Adeptus Mechanicus for the void warden's recovery of a large cache of archeotech. The Silvanet is the flagship of the Void Wardens and where the chapter keeps their stores of trophies, technology, and relics from past glories. The massive ship serves as a reminder to the chapter of the rewards that duty and sacrifice can reap. The ancient Gloriana Class Battleship can easily hold the entire chapter because of its massive size, however when the chapter needs to split its forces it employs 4 strike cruisers to deploy in multiple areas. The Void wardens also employ a number of gladius frigates as escorts.
| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| Silvanet | Gloriana Class Battleship |
| Golden Dawn | Strike Cruiser |
| Hallowed Spirit | Strike Cruiser |
| Sanctified Wrath | Strike Cruiser |
| Resurgence of Hope | Strike Cruiser |
Chapter Appearance
Equipment
The Void Wardens most commonly use either the traditional Mark VII or the Mark IV Power armor sets. Veterans of the Void Wardens often use Mark VIII "Errant Armor." The Space Marines of the Void Wardens most commonly use the Neria pattern boltgun. The Neria pattern is distinctive because of it's slightly longer barrel optimized for mid to short range combat and an optional bayonet attachment is often included on the bolter's design. The chapter also utilizes Stalker pattern bolters to strike form a longer range or preform assassinations against enemy commanders that have been deemed as too well defended to attempt an assault against.
The Void Wardens commonly use rhinos, predator tanks, land raiders, and Storm Talons to supplement their forces in combat. Bikes and lander speeders are often eschewed by the chapter in favor of vehicles that offer more protection for their crews and passengers.
Chapter Colors
The Void Wardens use deep scarlet colored armor with slightly brighter trim around the edges. The chapter also prevalently features black inserts along the left pauldrons and silver on top of their backpack. The veterans of the chapter commonly wear black helmets to signify their upgraded status.
Culture
Autuc Cult
The chapter cult of the Void Wardens traces its origins back to a small feudal world within the Segmentum Obscurus. Their doctrine centers around embracing your personal power and doing what you can to perfect yourself. This translates well to the life of the astartes of the Void Wardens. This firm focus on self-betterment has driven the marines to be be fiercely competitive with other chapters and their glories. The followers of the Autuc Cult view the emperor as the pinnacle of humanity. The Ecclesiarchy has recognized the Autuc Cult as a non-heretical faith, mostly due to the allowance of space marine cults within the Imperium. Users of psychic power within the cult are often praised for their "gifts" and seen as an improvement beyond the base human. Although this raised some eyebrows form their more wary brother chapters it has yet to be brought up as a point of contention.
View On Humanity and Xenos
The Void Wardens have a distinct view on humanity. Although they find humans to be inferior to themselves they still attempt to defend citizens of the Imperium. Many of the Void Wardens believe humans to be similar to wayward children, wandering into trouble all the time because they do not understand how the universe works yet. They see the Adaptus Astartes as the first and best hope for humanity to survive against the legions of their enemies.
The Void Wardens view xenos species as a mixed bag. Although they admire the destructive capabilities of the various xenos races' weapons they disdain the species which wields them. The Void Wardens have a particular enmity for the Eldar. The Void Wardens have had multiple fights with the Eldar warriors and have gown to hate them with a fervor. In the few cases that an Eldar warrior is taken alive from the field of battle the Void Wardens often return the unlucky Xenos to their flagship where they are imprisoned and subjected to as much pain as their bodies can take before they are executed and their Spirit stone taken from the corpse after it has successfully trapped the Eldar's soul. The enmity between the void wardens and Eldar stems primarily from the Void Warden's invasion and successful take-over of an Eldar Exodite world.
Ediona
The Ediona are small creatures native to Neria. They usually come to the size of a small child and have comparable intelligence. Librarians of the Void Wardens use them as familiars because of their moderate intelligence and mostly humanoid shape. The Silvanet has large warrens of the animals staying within their walls and are commonly trained to assist the space marines and serfs with their tasks. The typical Ediona appears around 2-3 feet tall and ranges from pallid to deep purple in color. They often have horns or thick tendrils covering their heads and wear robes.
Trophies
The Void Wardens after being victorious on the field of battle commonly take the heads of those that they killed. The marines sometimes mouth the heads upon trophy racks on their armor, displaying them as grisly testaments to their prowess. The heads are also kept within their flagship in the Hall of Glory, a large room littered with trophies and testaments to the chapter's strength as well as serving as a reliquary for artifacts. The most common heads taken are that of the Eldar.
Downtime
During time in which a marine from the Void Wardens are not engaged in combat the marines preform a variety of tasks. Most often the marines are either training, reading through the history of the chapter, or sitting in quiet meditation. However many marines also practice art like painting, sculpting, forge craft, and other pursuits. They believe that such acts hone the mind and the soul to round out their attributes. The Void Wardens also take part in large feasts. The feast commonly has many courses of food ranging from thick stews to sweetened breads along with a strong herbal tea. More often than not the feasts are open to all crew and serfs who wish to join in the celebrations. The marines and other participants occasionally engage in displays of valor, strength or skill but never mixing their two numbers within the same competition.
Inquisitorial Interaction
The Void Wardens have encountered the Inquisition on multiple occasions. They often assist radical inquisitors with their research and missions, leading to the more puritan factions in the inquisition looking upon the Void Wardens with suspicion. Throughout the history of the Void Wardens they have been called into service from nearly every ordo but the most common ordo for them to assist is the Ordo Hereticus in their fight against heretics, witches, and other rogue elements of the Imperium.
Rituals
The Void Wardens are known for their lavish feasts and festivals in honor of various heroes, memorable battles and other feats of glory. When not embroiled in conflict the marines take time to meditate and practice artistry in order to hone their mind to the same level as their bodies.
Feast of Ascension
After the final test is completed for aspirants a great feast is held in their honor usually a week or two after the trial. The aspirants are each ushered in front of their new brothers and lauded for their abilities and welcomed into the fold as new initiates. The feast usually consists of a four course meal with elders telling stories as the battle brother eat. At the conclusion of the meal the aspirants are once again led up before the chapter where they take a knee in front of the chapter master, flanked by two chaplains of the order. The new initiates each recite the oath of allegiance and brotherhood to the Void Wardens. After the final oath is taken the initiates stand before the chapter and lead them in the shouting of the chapter's motto: "We are the sword from the shadows!"
Purge of Spirits
The Librarians of the Void Wardens annually convene together to collectively purge themselves of any trace of the warp by engaging an a three day long ritual of meditation, recitation of sacred oaths, fasting, and ritual bloodletting. Upon it's completion three chaplains must enter and pour water that was taken from the "Blessed Font," a fountain located within the Silvanet, upon the foreheads and palms of each participant. After the anointment is completed the Librarians are deemed pure and may return to their duties.
Notable Campaigns
Atrocian Campaign: 799.M37- 822.M37
This is first recorded campaign that the Void Wardens were involved in. The Void Wardens were deployed on the feudal world Addax in the Atrocian Sector to help combat an Eldar strike force emerging from a webway gate on the planet. Unbeknownst to the marines Addax was an unclaimed Eldar maiden world that the Eldar have recently returned to. The marines, upon landing, engaged in a grueling 23 year long war of attrition against the Eldar forces. The war concluded in an imperial victory after the webway gate that was being employed was destroyed, forcing the remaining Eldar to engage in a last stand against the marines that ended with the extermination of the stranded Eldar forces under the combined fire from both the Space Marines and the remaining Planetary Defense Forces.
Odex Station Conflict: 159.M38
This was a short and brutal conflict that took place in the large battle station, Odex. The Void Warden's fleet docked with the station to refuel and resupply while a low level heretical incursion was taking place. The incursion soon blossomed into a full rebellion. Inquisitorial representatives from the Ordos Hereticus led the Void Wardens into the station on a three month long purge of all tainted elements. It was a there that the Void Wardens had their first encounters with radical inquisitors and the idea that chaos can be used to fight against chaos. Although the conflict could barely be considered a skirmish for the astartes this encounter has changed the founding doctrine of the chapter and have influenced select librarians withing the Void Wardens to begin looking into the malefic lore that the warp holds.
Controversy
Geneseed
The Void Wardens' geneseed is considered to be flawed. The Void Wardens eye color often changes to black, blue, or purple after the implantation of the augments. Space marines of the Void Wardens also display hardened claw-like growths upon their fingers. Veteran Space Marines of the Void Wardens also have shown a propensity towards collecting the heads of defeated foes.
Founding Chapter
The founding chapter of the Void Wardens has been a subject of debate within the administratum. The most likely founders would seem to be Blood Angels. The chapter's colors and amount of assault squads point them towards the Blood Angels being their primary founder. Their slightly mutated geneseed also points towards the Blood Angels because of the higher instability found within that geneseed. However their noted lack of the Red Thirst and Black Rage suggests that they are instead taken from the stock of a different founding legion.
Librarians
A select few of the librarians of the Void Wardens have gathered into a small inner circle called the Luxuria Infernatus. This circle deals specifically with the Malefic branch of Daemonology. The librarians within this group have been known to employ bound daemons and other chaotic beings in order to assist the chapter's service to the emperor. This is a closely guarded secret of the chapter and is also a secret to all but the highest ranks within the chapter and a select few inquisitors who work with them. If their cooperation was ever to be found out the Void Wardens would surely be cast out and labeled traitors, making this the most damming and closely guarded secret of the entire chapter.
Gallery
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Void Warden Power Armor.
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Void Warden veteran.
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Void Warden Terminator Armor.
