Sable Swords
| Sable Swords | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Number | Unknown, but probably ~1000 | |
| Founding | Most recently 926.M41 (debatable) | |
| Successors of | Unknown | |
| Chapter Master | Unknown | |
| Homeworld | Obsidia | |
| Specialty | Unknown | |
| Allegiance | Imperium of Man | |
| Colours | Black and White | |
The Sable Swords are an Astartes chapter founded most recently in 926.M41 as a replacement for one of the most badass chapters to ever grace the galaxy with their existence. They're also a total bitch to research, as GW is too busy churning out book after book about Robert Girlyman and his superhuman band of Ultrasmurfs to give a rat's ass about the less popular chapters.
Organization
The Sable Swords are a planet based chapter with a Fortress Monastery on Obsidia (which they inherited from their predecessors, the Astral Knights). The Sable Swords follow the Codex's guidelines with few exceptions, and generally see no point to going to all the work of developing your own chapter specific organization system.
Chapter History
Foundation
In the later half of M41, notorious Necron Tet Guevara hijacked an entire fucking planet and started driving it around the Vidar Subsector like a sports car, hit and running a few agri worlds here and there. The Imperium decided to shut Guevara's murderous rampage before it got out of hand, ordering the local sector fleet as well as 15 Space Marine chapters including the aforementioned Ultramarines and Astral Knights to get right on that.
Unfortunately, the task force ran into a little problem when it turned out that a protective shield prevented the World Engine from being damaged. Luckily, the Astral Knights were on hand to save the day, and long story short they rammed their battle-barge into the shield and drop podded in to kick some Necron ass. Almost the entire chapter was destroyed by this incredible act of bravery, and a new chapter had to be founded to fill the void left by the Astral Knights. Thus, the handful of surviving marines from the Astral Knights (who survived by sheer virtue of not being at the World Engine battle) were merged with this new chapter, which adopted the old Fortress Monastery of the Astral Knights. This new chapter (The Sable Swords) essentially became the Astral Knights, except black and with the heraldry upside down.
Debt to the Novamarines
A few years later, the Space Elves started acting up on Larical's Folly, and the Sable Swords had to go deal with that. Naturally, they took their entire chapter with them to fight a mid-level threat from a dying race, leaving Obisidia virtually undefended except for the local PDF (who famously can't defend shit). This leaves Obisidia open to attack from a horde of flesh eating mutants.
The Sable Swords don't receive word of the attack in time to turn around and defend Obsidia, so they prepare to watch as their home world and her people are literally consumed by the invaders. But, due to a stroke of uncharacteristically good fortune, the Novamarines happen to be nearby and intervene just in time, saving Obsidia. Out of extreme gratitude to the saviours of their homeworld, the Sable Swords swore an oath of eternal debt.
Captain Noiran
Once again finding themselves fighting the Eldar, which they seem to do a lot (despite being known for their extreme hatred of the Weaboo Space Communists), the Sable Swords track a group of mildly annoying Eldar space pirates to the Augran Nebula. While ultimately successful, the task force ends up losing a key member. Captain Noiran, the leader of the task force gets all turned around somewhere in the Nebula and gets kidnapped by the pointy eared bastards, who make it known that the Captain is alive and well. To this day, the Sable Swords continue to search for the lost Captain, who the rest of the galaxy assumes is dead but Codificier Sundic insists is totally alive somewhere out there.
Canon Conflict
Although numerous sources state that the Sable Swords were founded in 926.M41, the Sable Swords also are referenced in M32 during the capture and execution of Drakan Vangorich, former head of the Officio Assassinorum. There are numerous theories attempting to explain why this Canon Conflict exists, the most likely of which are:
- There have been two chapters with the name "Sable Swords"
- The Imperium's record keeping is shit
- Games Workshop is incompetent and can't keep track of its own damn canon