The Crusaders

The Crusaders
Number	X
Founding	First Founding
Successors of	N/A
Successor Chapters	Crusaders Obscurus, Crusaders Pacificus, Crusaders Tempestuous, Nova Defenders, Thousand Swords, Ultima Crusaders
Primarch	Thomas Gaudin
Homeworld	Sturmundrang
Specialty	Armored Frontline Combat
Allegiance	Imperium of Man

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

Summary of Legion X

Mechanized infantry that uses Blitzkrieg tactics. Commonly operates as a peacekeeping force. Aggressive, but tempered. They make a point of being fair and honorable where they can.

Legion Tactics

The Crusaders are an army of rapid mechanized assaults. Using Land Raiders and tanks on the ground and Thunderhawks in the air, they break through enemy lines. Once this has been achieved, mobile forces race deeper into enemy territory, disrupting the rear areas and threatening the front lines with encirclement.

The infantry tactics of the Crusaders are to continuously gain ground and to push the enemy back. They are known for their modified Land Raider platforms each containing 10 marines, forming a single "troop". The Land Raider will advance towards an enemy position supported by artillery or gunship fire. Once it has reached its objective, the Land Raider will disgorge the Space Marines and fight alongside them. As this is happening, other Land Raiders will continue on to their own objectives in a leap frog tactic. This allows the Crusaders to cover tremendous amounts of ground and completed multiple objective simultaneously. Once a "troop" completes it's objective it will return to the Land Raider and move on to other objectives. This maintains a very rapid and disorientating assault

If the enemy does not give ground or manages a counter-attack, a Crusaders troops is perfectly capable of digging in their heels and calling in support. The same rapid manoeuvres that deliver attacking troops can also bring up reserves, or fire support via artillery or Thunderhawks. The Crusaders are a fast-moving, multi-pronged spear. Their tactics, and the difficulty to dislodge them from any position, has earned the Legion an unofficial nickname; "The Barbs."

Legion Equipment

Legion Doctrine

The Crusaders make a point of being fair and honorable where they can. They were the second most powerful legion after the Heresy. Thomas Gaudin offered a logical and well thought out alternative to the military organisation of Gaspard Lumey presented in the Institutorum Astartes. The Crusaders accepted much of the Institorum, but made a change in the chain of command of the Chapter. They included the new "Lieutenant" rank, given command over two squads of five marines, which form a single "troop". Due to their strength, hardiness, and strong sense of justice, the Crusaders have taken the role of a peacekeeping force. Sending fleets out to patrol their section of the galaxy, they also keep a sizable force planet side to mobilize as a quick reaction force or to reinforce other Legions if needed.

Notable Crusaders

Leon Heldt was serving as Gaudin's page when the Emperor came to Sturmundrang. Still young enough to be inducted into the Adeptus Astartes, Heldt graduated as a fine Space Marine. Despite many offers of promotion to command, his highest aspiration was to serve as the Primarch's bodyguard. Heldt laid down in life for Gaudin and the Emperor during the fateful assault on Hektor's flagship.

The Sacred Band

Anton Kantner led Tenth Squad during the battles of the Merican Hives. Kantner took pride in always accomplishing his tasks ahead of schedule. Although this zeal sometimes offended other members of the Sacred Band, it also established the Tenth Legion's tradition of letting nothing slow, let alone stop, their advance. After Gaudin was rediscovered, Kantner laid down his command without ill-feeling, and was rewarded with a place as the Primarch's Equerry.

Erik Faas was a much-feared commander. His weapon of choice in the Merican Hive campaign was the flamer, and it was well-suited to his temperament. Though Faas could be jovial and kind to his men, he is best-remembered for his declaration to the Legion at the start of the Great Crusade:

Do not be swayed by the false virtues of compassion or mercy. No carelessness, driven by warm feelings, should dissuade you from utter loyalty to the cause of Mankind. We go to the stars to destroy the Alien, the mutant, and all who would endanger the human race!

Marcus Drag is often forgotten by outsiders who recount the history of The Crusaders, for he had few great victories associated with his name. But for the Legion and their many successors his name is highly honoured. Drag was a skilled tank driver and commander, and he certainly contributed to some of The Crusaders finest hours - especially their lightning strike during the Siege of Terra, when he laid down his life fighting against the Traitors. Yet it was his role behind the scenes that truly defined this warrior's role. He worked tirelessly to plan and establish The Crusader's network of fortresses throughout the interior of the Imperium. Drag's achievement allowed the Legion, and later their association of Successor Chapters, to rapidly redeploy across the Galaxy to confront the Imperium's direst foes. It is for this that he is remembered as The Peacemaker.

Max Toten, on the other hand, was the best-known of the Crusaders outside of their Primarch. Toten's tall, bearded figure stood out among his peers, and his great voice and charisma could rally the forces of the Imperium like few others. Though not the most skilled general of Gaudin's inner council, he was regularly entrusted with critical commands because of the effect he had on morale. Thankfully for the Crusaders, Toten was humble enough to take advice from better planners. Max Toten's final battle was the massive naval engagement at the beginning of the Traitors' attack on the Solar System. He volunteered to take command of the point ship in the Imperial forces, understanding that this duty was a death sentence. Though Toten and his command were lost early in the engagement, his selfless courage would continue to inspire the Crusaders through the dark days of the Siege of Terra. He is venerated as a saint in many parts of the Imperium. Void-farers, especially sailors in the Imperial Navy, often carry medals bearing a likeness of "Saint Max" to invoke his protection.

Gabriel Bain was initially groomed for duty as an Apothecary in the embryonic Space Marine Legions, but his combat and leadership skills improved much more quickly than his peers. A sober and stiff-mannered Marine, his cool demeanour masked a tendency for daring in both personal combat and command. Bain was Tenth Squad's point-man throughout the Pacification of the Merican Hives, and tanks under his command would reprise the role during many of The Crusader's armoured actions.

Severin Hahn

Elias Selig

Walter Blum

Lucas Braun

Rook North was an exemplary warrior. He was also something of a blowhard, composing and performing many fine songs - about his own heroic exploits. His bragging did not endear him to his peers. However, The Crusaders prize results more than personality and North certainly got his results. He would fight in every great campaign of the Legion, from its origins in the Merican Hives to the pyrrhic victory at the Siege of Terra. North would eventually be dispatched to guard an ancient relic in the Galactic South-East as the Master of the Nova Defenders Chapter.

Thomas Gaudin, Primarch of The Crusaders

Youth

Not much is known of Gaudin's early childhood once he landed on Sturmundrang, only that the planet was mired in a bloody and stagnant civil war. The use of chemical and nuclear weapons rendered the very air caustic to breath, so much so that it was impossible to survive for more than a few seconds on the scarred surface without a breathing apparatus and a body suit. All that is known of Gaudin's arrival on Sturmundrang is that he was raised in a neutral domain by it's ruling Lord. Due to Gaudin being able to survive on the surface of Sturmundrang without assistance thanks to his enhanced physiology, Gaudin was recognised by his surrogate family as a truly valuable individual.

Due the neutrality of his foster domain, Gaudin's home had a very small standing army of men but a fairly sizeable reserve of vehicles, mostly infantry fighting vehicles and tanks. These vehicles were a necessity for effective military movement as they were sealed from the caustic air, used a recycled air filtration system and were able to refill air tanks for ground troops. Noticing how stagnant the fighting was on his world, Gaudin used the little troops he had to revolutionise warfare on Sturmundrang. By having a small number of men, Gaudin was able to give them all specialised training and to establish nearly all of them into IFV's and tanks those who could not were placed in reserve or put in support roles i.e. artillery, supply, communication and medical care. Long since sickened by the seemingly endless and brutal war, Gaudin vowed to use his new army to unite the planet under one banner.

Using this small, well trained and highly mobile force, Gaudin set out beyond his lords borders and began his crusade across the war-torn, toxic surface. Having been taught that mercy is a necessary and sadly rare virtue among leaders by his adoptive father, Gaudin offered terms to all those who would listen. If they refused to listen to them or refused to obey them, Gaudins army would crush them under track and boot. In rare cases a pocket of resistance managed to halt the roaring advance of the crusaders, sometimes for days other times for weeks or even months. Impressed by the guile and courage shown by these men, Gaudin would allow any survivors who were willing to either join his army or to return home to their families. In most cases they joined his forces and were placed in veteran companies, acting as the spear tip in his advance.

The Great Crusade

From the moment they were united with their Primarch, the Crusaders fought in the burning edge of the Great Crusade. Relentlessly they pushed from war zone to war zone, were honoured by each of their brother Legions, and rose high in the estimation of many. In their methods of war, the ways of Sturmundrang and the echoes of the X Legion's victories combined. They drove ever on, without pause or respite, shattering their foes time and again with their fast moving armoured strikes.

As the Great Crusade progressed, the Crusaders rose high in honour and in the favour of the Emperor. Ever dependable, they were often used to reinforce flagging campaigns, to hold crumbling fronts and break deadlocked sieges. The Emperor also frequently called on both Thomas Gaudin and his sons to fight beside Him, bestowing this honour on the Crusaders more than on any other Legion save Hektor. When the Crusaders descended on Ophelia VIII, the Emperor led the assault at the head of 100 Custodians and 10,000 Crusaders and their tanks. Again during another campaign, the Emperor called on not only Hektor and the Wolves of Dawn, but Gaudin and the Crusaders to form His vanguard in breaking the Shrouded Dynasties.

High in favour and honour though they were, the Crusaders’ status did not sit well with some of their brother-Legions. The Mastodontii, the only Legion to exceed the Crusaders in the number of vehicles and in the skills of armoured warfare were known to both respect and dislike them for their ‘abuse’ of their vehicles Machine Spirits. It is believed similar instances such as this is why Gaudin was never considered for the position of Warmaster. But the Emperor still intended to reward his crusader. Even as Hektor took up the reigns of the Great Crusade, Gaudin was invested as the Praetorian of Terra. As Hektor would push the Great Crusade on, the Crusaders would withdraw with the Emperor to Terra to establish a guard around Him there.

At the time of the Istvaan III Atrocity, the bulk of the Crusaders were returning to Terra with their Primarch. Though the Emperor had called all of the Crusaders to Terra, in practice such a total withdrawal of forces from the Great Crusade would have been impossible. Some forces stayed on the edge of the Great Crusade to complete campaigns or unfinished duties. Other forces remained scattered across the Legion's fortresses and bastions and still others had yet to rendezvous with the bulk of the Legion, which meant that just under two thirds of the Legion would end up in the Sol System by the time of the Siege, with a quarter of that engaged in the Martian Civil War.

The strength of the Crusaders was never large in numbers. Though not small, their tallies of warriors during the Great Crusade never rose above 105,000 Astartes. Their Armoured Reserve was vast, with only the Mastodontii beating them in the numbers of vehicles, though while the Mastodontii favoured heavier vehicles like the Fellblade and Typhon, the Crusaders preferred faster vehicles such as the Predator and Sicaran. The Crusaders also used a specially modified pattern of Rhino fitted with ‘Lucifer’ pattern engines to increase its speed, vital for the type of warfare the Legion espoused.

Notable Successors

Thousand Swords

Thousand Swords
Battle Cry	No Mercy! No Surrender!
Founding	Second Founding
Successors of	The Crusaders
Homeworld	Crusade Fleet Rotbart
Specialty	Close Combat
Allegiance	Imperium of Man

Chapter History

While the Crusaders had redefined their role after the heresy, many within the legion vehemently disagreed with the new direction. They felt that to become peacekeepers and border guards was a violation of the original purpose of the Great Crusade, which had given them their name. The Imperium was battered, but not broken, and it was only right for them to push forward into the unknown and continue gaining ground for humanity, as the Emperor originally intended. Emboldened by their desire for revenge, they proposed to separate from the main force of the crusaders to continue pursuing the traitors towards the Eye of Terror, regaining the worlds despoiled by those that they once called brothers.

The Arkangel Crusade

After a great number of victories, here is where the Thousand Swords met their first great loss. In the heat of battle, their first chapter master, Peter Wrangel, was cut down by a turbo-penetrator round from behind. The shooter was never found, but the chapter still harbors a distrust of all assassins to this day.

Notable Members

Peter Wrangel – First Chapter Master

Chapter Combat Doctrine

The Thousand Swords prefer a more aggressive approach than their progenitors, preferring to charge head on towards the enemy. Throughout the years, they have developed a culture based around the honour of close combat, seeing it as cowardly to stand back and bombard their opponents from afar.

Chapter Beliefs

The Thousand Swords shun the use of psykers in any capacity outside of what is strictly necessary to guide their ships, and therefore make no use of librarians. They believe that meddling with the warp is what caused the Hektor Heresy in the first place, and want to have as little to do with it as possible.

Chapter Homeworld

The Thousand Swords have no fixed homeworld, stationing themselves on a fleet of ships, heading farther and farther out into the far reaches of the Imperium.

Nova Defenders

Nova Defenders
Battle Cry	We defend to the end!
Founding	Third Founding
Successors of	The Crusaders
Homeworld	Rylethon
Specialty	Static firepower (gun-line tactics)
Allegiance	Imperium of Man

The Nova Defenders were the proud guardians of an ancient relic in the Galactic South-East. While much of their history was obscure, they rose to some fame with the arrival of the Tyrannids.

Chapter History

After the defeat of Hektor, the Loyalists launched a great counter-offensive across the Galaxy. Thomas Gaudin's Crusaders, though bloodied in the Siege of Terra, were unbroken. They played a critical role in the fighting, sending forces to every Segmentum. Deep in the galactic South-East, elements of the Third Company discovered an ancient structure on the Feral World Rylethon. The precise nature of the Lighthouse of Rylethon was never determined, but the assessment of every inspecting Magos shared one common thread: the artefact was a potent relic of the Dark Age of Technology. Thomas Gaudin accepted the wisdom of the Adeptus Mechanicus as it was and moved to establish a Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes to safeguard the Lighthouse.

Gaudin also took the opportunity to remove a thorn from his side. Captain Rook North was a superb warrior who had fought with great distinction on Terra and in the Scouring. However, he was also over-fond of his own looks and all too free with his opinions. Finding a place for such a warrior had been difficult enough during the dark days when the Loyalists had to hang together or hang separately. Finding a place for him during peace time was even worse. The opportunity to reward North with a far-off assignment was too good to pass up.

746.M41 Battle of First Night A splinter of Hive Fleet Behemoth attacked the Nova Defenders homeworld, causing great losses to the Chapter and devastating Rylethon. However, the arrival of other Imperial forces ensured the Nova Defenders' survival and gave the Imperium an early victory over the Tyrannid menace.

Notable Members

Chapter Master Rook North

Chapter Master Rook North

Rook North would be the first to tell others that he was a narcissist. He would also be the first to inform them of his courage, tactical brilliance, honourable nature, good looks, and as anything else about himself that he had time to impart. But if the man bragged, he certainly had plenty to brag about. He was one of the first intake of Terrans who had fought alongside Hektor in the Merican Hives. North had gone on to fight in all of the most illustrious campaigns of the Crusaders, even before they were reunited with Gaudin. Even when the Primarch carried the Emperor's broken body from the Sun Chariot, North was at his side, fiercely defending his lords.

He was the original Crusader, and he never let anyone forget about that.

Chapter Combat Doctrine

The Nova Defenders are known for their inexorable advance and heavy firepower. The Chapter possessed a surprising number of Land Raiders, no doubt a reward from the Priests of Mars for their ceaseless vigil. They also favoured carrying pavise combat shields.

Chapter Beliefs

Standing as Guardians over the Lighthouse shaped the Nova Defenders. The Marines regarded their charge as a symbol of man's once and future brilliance, and came to think that their duty would lead to a new golden age.

Chapter Homeworld

Rylethon was an ocean world, peopled by primitive fishermen. The Nova Defenders tended to recruit from more warlike planets elsewhere in the Sector.