Flesh Helms

Flesh Helms

Battle Cry	[Inarticulate screaming.]
Number	Unknown
Founding	Unknown (Claimed to be 2nd)
Successors of	Raven Guard
Successor Chapters	None
Chapter Master	Gottfried
Primarch	Corax
Homeworld	Unknown-named Battlebarge
Strength	~100 marines
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Black, Green & Peach

The Flesh Helms are another product of fat/tg/uys playing around with the Chapter Creation tables from Rites of Battle. This time, /tg/ decided to experiment by producing the worst chapter ever; a chapter even the most war-ravaged Imperial citizen would be disappointed to encounter. And so were born the Flesh Helms, the Emperor's millennial questors (whatever that entails).

Fluffy Bits[edit]

The Founding[edit]

The Flesh Helms, despite claiming to be a Second Founding chapter, are best thought of to have originated from the Raven Guard, although the exact moment they splintered has been lost, somewhere in the Archives.

They first began as an abnormal variation in the Raven Guard geneseed. There are many differences, but the most readily apparent is their Betcher's Gland. Raven Guard normally lack this organ; the ancient Flesh Helms, however, retained it, in a damaged state. It does not produce the acidic material as it should, although it does create a large variety of vocalization problems. Some are inaudible, others perpetually scream and still others have voices the Raven Guard would describe as "maddening."

As well, they lack their Mucranoid, leaving them unable to sweat the temperature-resistant coating Space Marines use to survive in a vacuum. Additionally, like the Raven Guard, their Melanchromic Organ is deficient. Some do display the same skin and eye patterning as Raven Guard, but Flesh Helms will also display a large variation in tones that normal Raven Guard would not, from hot pink skin to deep orange, to light blue to even normal skin that is racked with blemishes.

Their abnormal gene seed also has cost them their Occulobe and Lyman's Ear, meaning that their vision is no better than a normal human's, and they are no more immune to motion sickness or dizziness than a normal human would be. This has profoundly negative results only due to what is required of a Space Marine to endure, both in training and in battle. Perhaps most detrimental is their mutated Catalpsean Node, which causes them to stay awake for weeks at a time, or to inconveniently pass out into a coma in the midst of combat.

All of these problems created intense problems within the Raven Guard. Eventually, the screeching voices, passed out bodies and horrified faces necessitated a splintering of their forces. All of the afflicted brothers were purged from the ranks of the Raven Guard, to form their own chapter.

Fortunately for these then-nameless brothers, they would find a long-time ally in the form of the Administratum. Some may deride this pivotal moment as a flippant dismissal, but when members of the Administratum dubbed them "Flesh Helms" and suggested that they "go chase a Squat," the newly named chapter knew they had discovered the Emperor's divine purpose for them all. At once, they departed to search for the fabled Squat homeworlds. As they left, their brave allies in the Administratum suggested that they might be looking for the next thousand years. Spurned by challenge, the Flesh Helms set out upon what they began to refer to as their "Millennial Quest." And they, the "Millennial Questors."

They never figured out that the Administratum was being sarcastic.

The Millennial Quest[edit]

The initial years of their search proved difficult. Their numbers were low. Their Tech Marines had the unfortunate tendency of falling asleep during repairs, or working for such extended periods that their repairs were little more than insane, ambiguous metal architectures. This made an enemy of the Adeptus Mechanicus, over time. As a result, the Flesh Helms are no longer allowed to utilize Tech Marines, or Devastators, for similar concerns.

Without the ability to repair vital systems, the search slowed to a crawl. Rumor began to spread that AdMech, at some point, had also purposefully sabotaged critical ship components to prevent them from searching for the Squats. AdMechs officials had already dubbed this a "waste of the revered Emperor and the Omnissiah's valued resources," as the Squats were "quite obviously a mythical beast." Numerous other interactions with the Adeptus Mechanicus over the centuries have made them a hated enemy of the Flesh Helms. As well, the lack of support from any Imperial group has created in their ranks an intense disliking of the Imperium, which is mutually shared by all who know the name, "Flesh Helms."

The moment that changed the Flesh Helms forever came when, while on a hot lead concerning the Squat homeworlds, an accident occurred, which destroyed much of their fleet. Their Fleet Commander, responsible for the mission, was tragically lost, never to be seen again, along with most of their brothers and ships. All that remains of their chapter is a handful of brothers, and a single ship, which unfortunately has no remaining atmospheric controls. As such, their ship is always in a constant vacuum. As they also lack a Mucranoid Gland, they can not survive in this environment without their suits, but without a homeworld, this battlebarge is all they have left. The AdMech is unwilling to repair it, it is assumed, as the Flesh Helms are far too proud and determined to have it repaired. They will never leave their airless, crippled home.

Beliefs[edit]

This moment shaped their chapter personality, forever. Now, they are obsessed with purity. Despite themselves being the most afflicted chapter in the history of the Imperium, the Flesh Helms are staunchly opposed to any further mutations. Indeed, they consider their current plight to not only be bearable, but favorable. The Emperor, after all, with the help of their noble allies in the Administratrum, have given them their Millennial Quest, with the ultimate goal of proving themselves to the Imperium, in order to reshape it back into what the Emperor had originally intended. As such, Marines that would be considered "pure" are deemed impure by the Flesh Helms. Those less pure than the Flesh Helms are also impure.

All of this - the omnipresent impurity of the entire universe, their limited numbers, the constant passing out and endless waking moments, the horrible shrill screaming of their brothers in helmets they cannot remove - has not damaged their psyches, no matter what others may claim. It has made them incredibly tenacious and stubborn. Their entire doctrine now revolves around the reality of their fight against the universe, itself, as well as their seemingly endless mission.

Tactics[edit]

In combat, Flesh Helms value the use of both drop pods and assault marines, which allow them to enter into melee combat cleanly and effectively. Unfortunately, as they are not immune to motion sickness or dizziness, this often causes them great discomfort. As well, they will sometimes arrive unconscious. Those who are capable of fighting will often have been awake for nearly a month, already, making them prone to mistakes and bouts of paranoid rage.

However, once they have stopped vomiting, or have woken up or had a nap, Flesh Helms are very difficult to kill. They are not easily pinned under weapons fire. As they have limited numbers, they take the death of a brother very seriously; it will often send them into fierce rage, punctuated by their horrific battle cries. They are also difficult to attack psychically. Their attackers will often hear their target screaming back at them, in their own minds. As well, they are well trained in how to detect small disturbances in the warp - a measure to ensure no other warp-related accidents may occur. Unfortunately, they have a near pathological fear of the warp and non-euclidean geometry makes them puke themselves.

In all things, they maintain focus on their mission to find and eradicate the Squats. It has, admittedly, made them extremely suspicious of short and/or bearded individuals. As they are already very tall, being Space Marines, this often includes many people. They have a particular intense hatred for midgets. They will often interrogate suspicious targets with unique methods only they may utilize. Potential Squat conspirators will often crack and tell the Flesh Helms anything they want to hear, after having barely heard their captors ask their first question. Their Millennial Quest is all-consuming, and they are determined to never relent in its pursuit.

With the help of their allies in the Administratum, for the glory of the Imperium's renewal, and the restoration of their broken chapter, they will see the Emperor's goals realized and reclaim their lost brothers. The Flesh Helms will rise again!

Crunchy Stuff[edit]

The "Flesh Helms"
The chapter was founded as a counter against Squats.
They claim to be a Second Founding chapter, which, of course, no one believes.
Their Progenitor are the Raven Guard, having lost the Mucranoid and Betcher's Gland, already. The Melanchromic Organ also has a unique mutation that causes the skin of the Space Marine to be turn into a variety of different colours.
They are Flawed.
Their genes are deficient:
- They have additionally lost two Zygotes: their Lyman's Ear and their Occulobe.
- They possess a Disturbing Voice, which drives others mad.
- They have a Mutated Catalpsean Node, making them both fall asleep in mid-battle and stay awake for weeks at a time, to the misfortune of others.
Faith in Suspicion: the Imperium hates them, and they hate the Imperium.
They are incredibly tenacious and stubborn. (+5 toughness, +5 willpower)
Their Fleet Master, in chasing down a hot lead on the location of the Squats, was tragically lost in the warp, along with most of their main fleet, which was also their homeworld. This left their fleet permanently Airless. They still rule there, to this day, too stubborn to leave but unable to fix it in any way.
They are uniquely organized.
They fight primarily via Drop Pods, although with no Lyman's Ear they tend to stumble out, vomiting. Then, due to their Mutated Catalpsean Node, they will pass out. Sometimes they skip the first step, entirely, and arrive unconscious. They're far too stubborn to change their tactics, however.
After the loss of their Fleet Master, the brothers were trained to detect minute disturbances in the warp. Their Psyniscience Skill is granted as a Trained Skill. This does not help much, given that they have a near pathological fear of the warp and non-euclidean geometry makes them puke themselves uncontrollably. They are also capable of re-rolling failed Willpower Tests against psychic powers, as psychics often hear the loud, screeching voices of the battle brother in their minds.
Oath of Vengeance is their squad attack pattern. They do not take the loss of a brother lightly, and will storm the killer, if they do not fall asleep in mid-stride.
Courage Under Fire is their squad Defense Stance. This usually comes in the form of a shrill, annoying encouragement for allies to break being Pinned. They're usually happy to oblige.
Due to their unusual organization, they have no access to Devastators or Techmarines.
They specialize in assault or hand to hand combat, as their opponents seem to detest being in close range to them.
They have an esoteric belief that their original mission, to destroy the Squats, is still a valid one.
They are endangered, as they have yet to recover from the same tragedy that took the life of their Fleet Master and crippled their fleet.
Their ally in their mission to find and eradicate the mythical Squats is the Administratum, although the value of the Administratum's help has been held in question.
Being prone to Faith in Suspicion, they have made an enemy of the Adeptus Mechanicus over the years for a variety of reasons. At first, when their members were still part of the Raven Guard, it was due to the habit of their Tech Marines falling asleep on the job, and damaging equipment. (This being why they are no longer allowed to have them.) Afterwards, the large portion of the Fleet which was lost to the warp contained representatives from the AdMech. After the disappearance of the Fleet into the warp, rumors swept through the ranks that the AdMech had purposefully sabotaged critical components of the ships to prevent them from searching for the Squats, who the AdMech insisted "obviously didn't exist," and was a waste of resources. Later, upon being denied access to Squat technology (reportedly interred at Mars) the chapter became assured that the Mechanicus was somehow part of a conspiracy to delay their mission.
Xenos Bane doctrine rules their training doctrine, especially concerning the Squats.

Gallery[edit]

The heraldry of the Flesh Helms chapter.
Heraldry proposal.
Variant colour scheme. Other common variants include stripes.
A helmet colour variant based around the chapter's heraldry.
Current defacto Chapter Master Gottfried
Proclaiming himself to be the only member of the Flesh Helms to have actually "bagged himself a squat", Brother Gilbert wears the face of an over-weight rattling on his helmet.