Editing The Mercurials

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{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = The Mercurials
|Heraldry =[[File:Mercurialssigil.png|200px]]
|Battle Cry = ''"Don't mess about!"''
|Number =
|Founding = Second Founding
|Successors of = [[Void Angels]]
|Successor Chapters = 
|Chapter Master = Augustin Caron (Founding)
|Primarch = [[Gaspard Lumey]]
|Homeworld = Fleet-based
|Specialty = Lightning warfare
|Strength = 1,000 at establishment
|Allegiance = Imperium of Man
|Colours = Red, white and black
}}
'''The Mercurials''' are a Codex-compliant Second Founding Chapter, once part of the mighty [[Void Angels]] Legion of [[Gaspard Lumey]].  Proud and uncompromising, their military traditions have come to epitomise quick-striking, relentless warfare.  They are best known as the killers of [[Maria Vespa]]

==Chapter History==
Augustin Carron was one of the heroes of the [[Core Worlds Campaign]].  His command style combined boldness with attention to detail.  After the death of [[Antoine Antonelle]] during the '''[[Battle of Rai]]''', he would take on the post of Equerry of the Fifth Legion, and was seen as Gaspard Lumey's heir-apparent.  However, with the reforms of the ''Institutorum Astartes'', Caron was tapped to lead a new Chapter based on his experiences and analysis of the Scouring.

The first test of the Mercurials came on the world Magdala in 025.M31.  Planetary Governor Gesher Hyx called on the Chapter to apprehend Maria Vespa and Augustin Carron presided over her trial.  Although Vespa was able to refute charges of witchcraft and mutation, she could not deny that her followers were falling out with the Imperial Truth and Carron sentenced her to death.  This act, minor at the time, would have tremendous ramifications.  The Marian warriors of the Sisters of Battle never forgave the Space Marines for killing their founder, and hold a special hatred for the Mercurials.


===Notable Members===

'''Chapter Master Augustin Caron'''  Born on [[Ciban IV]], Augustin Caron was one of Gaspard Lumey's most-trusted lieutenants.  He was a veteran commander of the Great Crusade and one of the army commanders in the mighty Task Force Rubicon.  It came as little surprise when he was selected to lead one of the new Chapters of the Second Founding.  Caron based himself on the ''Codex Astartes'' of the Reformation, but emphasised the role of speed and mechanisation far more than Gaspard Lumey. 

==Chapter Combat Doctrine==
Unlike their mighty sires, the Void Angels, the Mercurials disregard the psychological factor of warfare.  Carron's time fighting against the Traitor Legions convinced him that the most dangerous foes of the Imperium could not be defeated through attacks on their morale.  Instead, he emphasised the Fifth Legion's manoeuvre strategy and aimed to fight at such a high tempo that the enemy was unable to effectively respond. This required a change to the ''Institutorum Astartes'' doctrine: rather than the second Squadron infiltrating on foot or by bike, it would deploy by jump pack from gunships.  The Mercurials also made heavy use of transport vehicles for their Battle Squadrons.

The central concept of the Mercurial battle doctrine was the "decision point", a small area of the battlefield on which the Chapter can concentrate forces to achieve a break-through.  Once the enemy line was broken, mobile forces poured into the enemy's rear areas to disrupt lines of communication.  The independent spirit of Mercurial subcommanders was critical to their success in this fast-moving style of warfare.  Rather than issuing strict instructions, this Chapter's commanders merely expressed their general intent and left their subordinates to interpret the best course of action according to the situation on the ground.

==Chapter Beliefs==
Caron was a proud inheritor of the Imperial Truth, but in the period of his leadership that doctrine was under assault.  The Founder of the Mercurials responded to waves of religious backwardness with his own kind of extremism, becoming a chauvinist whose belief in the superiority of man tolerated little deviation from the ideal.  As inheritors of his legacy, the Mercurials have an ugly habit of carrying out mass purgings of mutants and psykers.

==Chapter Homeworld==
The Chapter knows no single homeworld, instead crusading across the Galaxy on its fleet of strike cruisers.  However, the Mercurials think of [[Ciban IV]] as their true home, and are always keen to receive news from Lumey's homeworld.

==Chapter Appearance==
[[File:Mercurialsassaultalpha.jpg|thumb|200px]]
The Mercurials are notable for spurning robes when out of armour, preferring to wear fatigues or dress uniforms.  Their fondness for chainswords extends to wearing these grotesque weapons for ceremonial purposes.

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