Steel Marshals

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

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 XXVI Legion

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

The Steel Marshals were the 26th of the Legiones Astartes, founded from the geneseed of their Primarch, Roman Albrecht. They were led by the 26th squad of Hektor Cincinnatus' 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.

Legion History

Centauri Primus
Segmentum	Segmentum Tempestus
Sector	Arthurius Sector
Sub Sector	Priori Subsector
System	Centauri Dominus
Population	15 Billion
Temperature	Temperate

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 squads of Hektor Cincinnatus' Sacred Band. Of these men, the 26th Squad, dubbed the "Tempest Knights" by Hektor would one day form the heart of the Steel Marshals. These (in)famous warriors were:

Dietmar Hohn - The Lord Commander of the Tempest Knights (Status: Deceased, Battle of Terra. Traitoris Excommunicatus.)

Helmut Woidich - The Warden of the Tempest Knights (Status: Deceased, Defense of Rosskar.)

Arthur Marzluff - The Marshal of the Tempest Knights (Status: Deceased, passed away amoung the Steel Seekers.)

Konrad Wohlfarth - Dread-bringer of the Brasilia Hives (Status: Deceased, Battle of Terra. Traitoris Excommunicatus.)

Kilian Fach - Hero of the Saturn Front (Status: Deceased, The Scouring.)

Gustav Wild - Butcher of Hive Boliv(Status: Deceased, Battle of Terra. Traitoris Excommunicatus.)

Dieter Seeger - The Blade-bound (Status: Unknown, last seen on Penitent Crusade into the Eye of Terror.)

Lutz Noeske - Honor Guard to Hektor (Status: Unknown, was with Hektor before outbreak of the Heresy. Presumed Dead.)

Engelhard Loehr - The Iron Baron, Future Magos of the Techmarine Convent (Status: Interred inside a Contemptor Dreadnought, The Scouring.)

Otto Henkenschuh - The Floating Blade, Future Chief Librarian of the Legion Librarus (Status: Unknown, lost with the Battle Barge Priori in a warp storm.)

Led by Dietmar Hohn, the first Tempest Knight, the 26th Band followed Hektor's lead, sieging enemy citadels from foot or below the ground, their natural talents even showing then. They were instramental in the taking of the Brasilia Hives. The southern continent refused the Emperor and his might, and it was laid to the 26th Squad to bring them into compliance. Storming Hive Ven'zula, the Tempest Knights would soon become infamous as brutal killers, the most aggressive of them moving ahead of the troops, leaving a bloody path to follow. The worst of the lot, Konrad and Gustav, relished the bloodshed and would care not for collateral damage except when Dietmar reigned them in, and the Lord Commander only did so when under Hektor's supervision.

Such savage tactics would not mar the rest of the Sacred Band long, however. With their successful sieges, they were proven and the raising of the Legion began. The first real battles as a Legion saw them in the sieges of Saturn's moons. It was during these battles that the honorable members of the Sacred Band, and many in the nascent Legion, were able to prove themselves. Kilian Fach distinguished himself during this time after charging the gates of Hyperion's largest fortress, Hold Keats, with but a melta-charge and his boarding shield. Other such tales of bravery survive, but are paralleled by darker deeds during that time.

The Tempest Knights served without fail during the next five decades, seizing worlds that would not comply with the Emperor's will, with Dietmar leading the Knights into bloody sieges, though the Lord Commander mostly allowed the other Sacred Band members to lead their own men into battle. It would be at the end of one these campaigns that the Legion would find out their Primarch, and new homeworld, were found. While many rejoiced at the discovery of their primarch, Dietmar quietly voiced his opposition to Hektor. Why should a man he had never met command his Legion, let alone someone from such a lowly planet? Perhaps Hektor dismissed it as uncertainty, or he managed to calm the man, but it was here that the seeds of betrayal were laid within the Knight's highest ranks.

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 Retainer's 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

Appearance

Roman was taller than an ordinary man, but he was short for a Primarch - only slightly taller than most of his Astartes. If this bothered him, he never showed it. A short-lived nickname for the newly discovered Primarch, "Short-sword", was quickly forgotten after he and Hektor fought a 'friendly' duel for three hours. With short-cut brown hair and grey eyes, Roman wasn't as handsome as his other brothers. His chin bore a small scar that he would not discuss. If ever pressed, his adoptive father (for the short time that he was alive after Centauri Primus union with the Imperium) would say that Roman was found with it in the wilds, and would not speak of how he got it.

Youth

It was 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, this son of the Emperor was not found by the natives of the planet and spent many years alone in isolation in the vast wilds. The isolation only ended when Olivaw Albrecht, a nobleman of Centauri Primus, happened upon the feral child while out hunting. The aristocrat took the Primarch into his household and named him "Roman", since he had "roamed the wilds so long." Roman quickly learned language and the other skills of a nobleman from his adopted father. 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