Steel Marshals

This page details people, events, and organizations from The /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe event The Horus Heresy.

The Steel Marshals were the 26th Legiones Astartes, founded from the geneseed of their Primarch, Roman Albrecht, and led by the 26th Sacred Band before their Primarch's discovery during the Great Crusade. Where other Legions would crush the enemy and grind them into dust, the Steel Marshals break the enemy, destroying the corrupt and parasitic, and bringing those who remain into the fold of the Imperium of Man. Though the other Legions find these tactics time-consuming, none can contest the results. As more worlds were brought into the fold, the Marshals grew stronger. Through the strength and will of humanity, the Marshals proclaimed, the galaxy would be conquered.

Steel Marshals
Battle Cry	"Ad Victorum!"
Number	XXVI
Founding	First Founding
Successor Chapters	Grey Wardens, Steel Seekers, Tempest Marshals, Steel Knights, Storm Wardens
Primarch	Roman Albrecht
Homeworld	Centauri Primus
Strength	170,000
Specialty	Offensive Siege Experts, Close Quarter Assault
Allegiance	Loyalist
Colours	Steel with Golden Trim, some Purple to display Veteran Status

Summary of Legion XXVI

Numeration: The XXVILegion

Primogenator: Roman Albrecht (also known as "The Duelist, the Lord Knight, the Blade of the Emperor, The Wild Warrior")

Cognomen (Prior): The Tempest Knights.

Observed Strategic Tendencies: Siege Assault, Tunneling, Massed Infantry

Noteworthy Domains: Centauri Primus (Legion Homeworld)

Alliegence: Fedelitas Constantus

Legion History

Before the rise of Imperium at the hands of the Emperor, the first Astartes rallied behind the Emperor and his son Hektor, slowly marching across the Hives of Terra. Those Space Marines who would one day form the core of the Legions Astartes, the first three hundred, were organized into the 30 Sacred Bands. Of these Sacred Bands, the 26th Tempest Knights would one day form the heart of the Steel Marshals. The members of the 26th Squad included:

Dietmar Hohn - The Lord Commander of the Tempest Knights

Helmut Woidich - The Warden of the Tempest Knights

Arthur Marzluff - The Marshal of the Tempest Knights

Konrad Wohlfarth - Master of the First Chapter

Kilian Fach - Master of the Second Chapter

Gustav Wild - Master of the Third Chapter

Dieter Seeger - Master of the Fourth Chapter

Helmut Heidelberg - Master of the Fifth Chapter

Engelhard Loehr - The Iron Baron, Future Magos of the Techmarine Convent

Otto Henkenschuh - The Floating Blade, Future Chief Librarian of the Legion Librarus

WIP Dietmar is the hot-shot 'its muh Legion' guy who's reluctant to give command over to the Primarch. Dietmar is very much a 'murder first and raze it all' kind of guy, so when Roman appears and starts talking about the 'Retainer's Creed' bullshit, he's very much against it. Helmut is neutral on the matter, happy to keep the new Primarch's homeworld safe leaving Arthur to be 'pro-Roman' as far disposition goes. Roman actually renames the Legion partially because of Arthur, who, to Roman, exemplified the Crusade's ideals at the time. Dietmar turns tator because he's assmad. WIP

Legion Tactics

The Steel Marshal's are a force built to raze enemy strongholds to the ground and crush the heart of their resistance. While other legions crush the enemy by weight of bombardment or armor, or else defeat the fortifications by cautious planning or brutal swiftness, the Marshals wage war through grit and strength of the marines themselves. They specialize in aggressive engineering, using excavators, drills, or their own bare hands to undermine the enemy and bring their walls crashing down. "Friendly" rivals to the Gatekeepers, they were clever in building forward positions, strong points and muster grounds from which to prosecute the extensive mining and engineering projects that circumvent enemy defenses and drive the men into the enemy from unexpected angles.

Once a means of bypassing the enemy's static defenses has been formed, the Marshals drive the onslaught home with a spearhead of heavily armored infantry. Specialist formations equipped with flamers and area-denial weapons drive the enemy from the breach, clearing the way for their battle-brothers to erupt from the earth and get to grips with their foe. The fighting here is often brutal and close quarters, as the Marshals often emerge within the bastions of the enemy and are forced to fight from room to room with swords and axes as much as they do with gun and flamer.

Legion Equipment

Trademark of the Steel Marshal's arsenal is an extensive array of mining engines, geo-augurs, and similar devices. Heavy lift vehicles line the bays of their transport craft, which haul the equipment needed to excavate on a grand scale.

The individual marines are heavily armored; the legion boasts a large stockpile of Mk 3 "Iron" power armor. Terminator formations are common, and have developed early-pattern storm-shields. Additionally, the individual marine is quite often armed with incendiary weapons and power weapons are common, even among the rank and file. A variant of the common power sword used by the Steel Marshals was the Austrich Power Blade, a weapon designed to deflect and parry rather than block, it's use in duels and close quarters combat made it popular for officers to use.

Unique to the Steel Marshals is the Castra pattern dreadnought, which eschews long ranged heavy firepower for close in heavy weaponry. Sporting a breacher siege drill for its main weapon with underslung heavy flamer, it is meant to grind through earth, stone, rockcrete and plasteel to immolate the foe within their fortifications. It would pave the way for future developments that lead to the "Ironclad" dreadnought.

Legion Doctrine

In the wake of Roman Albrecht's arrival, the Steel Marshals adopted a strong, unified culture espousing the virtues of the crusade and the strength of man. This code quickly evolved into a fully fledged philosophy that permeated the culture of the legion. It espouses unwavering resolve, peerless courage, and above all the endless strength of man. Though bordering on a religious fervor, this ideal within the legion remained detached from superstition and mysticism. Instead, it promotes ritual to reaffirm the virtues of reason, and to prove the endurance and willpower of the individual marine through trials of stamina and tests of strength.

The shift became most marked in the prosecution of war; where the Marauders would raze the foe to the ground and move on, the Marshals burn the heart from the enemy and offer the defeated the chance to join the imperium as proven survivors and adherents to the doctrine of the Retainers Creed. In this respect, new recruits would in many cases be drawn from the best and hardiest of the natives of worlds brought into the fold; they would be claimed by the Marshals to add new blood to the legion and strengthen the belief that to be man is to be ascendant in the galaxy.

Roman Albrecht, Primarch of The Steel Marshals

Youth

It was to be fated that the young Primarch would be flung to the world of Centauri Primus, a planet of nobility and honor. Unlike many of his brothers, the young Primarch was not found by the natives of the planet, but spent many years alone in isolation in the vast wilds. It wasn't until a wealthy hunter happened upon the wild Primarch that he would be introduced to society. The lower noble took him in, giving him the name Roman, since he had "roamed the wilds so long." Roman quickly learned language, and any study that the noble, Olivaw Albrecht, taught the young man. Once Olivaw was sure that Roman was sufficiently 'civilized', the single father took him to see the rest of his world. New to the ideas of cities, Roman explored every inch of it, and eventually happened upon a manor where the rival of his adoptive father lived. Olivaw was spotted by Valrious Talon, and 'welcomed' into his home.

Though Roman had not known it, Valrious had challenged Olivaw to a duel. When weapons were drawn, Olivaw explained the situation to him. Not willing to allow his older father to die against the younger, more fit Valrious, Roman took the blade and accepted on his fathers behalf. Valrious mocked the 'wild boy' and readied himself. As the duel began, the inexperience of Roman was obvious, but even as they clashed blades the Primarchs natural strength and abilities kept him safe, until he eventually overpowered and killed Valrious in a series of rapid strikes. Shocked, Olivaw approached the boy, explaining what this meant. Since it was the House Albrecht that killed Valrious, House Talon would come under the fold of Albrecht, along with their vast network of wealth and power. Brimming with pride at not only protecting his adoptive father, Roman Albrecht had earned his last name and doubled his fathers holdings. It would not be the last time he would defend the honor of House Albrecht. He was quickly inducted into the Couro Prido as a full member, and his ascension was guaranteed.

The Coming of The Emperor

As the young Albrecht rose to power, gaining fame and dominion over the competing houses, his rivals acted quickly to move against him. Disregarding the ancient Couro Prido, the rival Houses declared Roman a 'barbaric usurper', gathering their forces within their own cities. With outright rebellion not only against Roman, but the Couro Prido, the rival Houses gambled that Roman would step down from his title of 'Master Duelist' and give in to their demands. Much to their surprise, and to the astonishment of the people, Roman declared them renegades and enemies of the Couro Prido, and announced that he would break down their walls and bring them to justice. With great haste the young Primarch gathered his loyal men at arms, utilizing what little armored support they had, and set the first fortress, Castle Harkan, to siege. WIP