Void riders
{{ |Name = Void Riders |Heraldry = Unknown |Battle Cry = Unclear - likely mindless shouting/laughing/screaming |Number = Unknown |Founding = 21st Founding |Successors of = Unclear, possibly Blood Angels |Successor Chapters = None |Chapter Master = None |Primarch = unknown |Homeworld = The Battlebarge The Journey's End" |Specialty = Rapid deployment/ surprise arrack/ CQB |Strength = ~1000 full astartes, many hundreds of scouts, initiates and auxiliary |Allegiance = Imperial |Colours = Dark Blue/Black }}
Fluff Overview
The Void Runners were created during the so called 'Cursed' 21st Founding, intended to serve near the Maelstrom, combating piracy, Daemons, insurrectionists and whatever else needed to be brutally killed in the name of the Emperor. While their genetic origin isn't exactly clear, there is some evidence that they are descendent from The Blood Angels, due to a significant Gene-Seed flaw similar to that of the Blood Angels, however this could just be a result of the alleged curse.
The flaw with the Void Runners is that they have incredibly short life spans for space marines, living on average between 50 and 100 years, before dying a painful agonizing death resulting from sudden organ failure. The exact organ failure differs for each marine, some experiencing early onset issues and living with a slowly failing body for many decades, losing limbs, eyesight or other senses over time, while others will just suddenly begin vomiting blood, experience sudden skeletal failure, internal haemorrhaging, or just having four simultaneous heart attacks out of the blue.
As inconvenient as this reality may seem, this 'flaw' has resulted in an extremely unique, if unorthodox culture and modus operandi for the chapter. First and foremost of which is the fact that they have no actual officers or chapter masters within their chapter. This is due to the simple grim reality that given their short life spans, they simply don't have time to appoint or structure a dedicated leadership from among the ranks. The closest they have to an officer cadre is a fairy large number of chaplains, who themselves are constantly tutoring and leading noviciate scouts to fill the role of the chaplaincy when the current members inevitably expire. More experienced or venerated battle brothers will at times be looked to for leadership or guidance on the field of battle, even acting as ad hoc field commanders, but there is no formal recognition. Their lack of traditional leadership also means they eschew the standard organizational structure of other chapters; as opposed to companies they are divided into Battle Groups, which can wildly fluctuate in number, going as low as around 50 full fledged astartes, while sometimes growing as large as nearly 200 per group. Each Battlebrother will also take a novitiate scout under his wing as his personal ward to train, ensuring that when he eventually dies, someone will carry on his fight, donning his armor and wielding his weapons. Some battlebrothers will take multiple wards, passing his legacy onto the most experienced, and so on.
While there are no inter-chapter rivalries between battleground, their structure and training method fosters strong fraternal, almost familial ties within the Battle Groups.
In battle, the ever looming presence of death only encourages the Void Runners to fight more zealously, ferociously, and recklessly, as they hope to avoid a mundane death, and earn their death on the Battlefield. Because of their barbarous nature in battle, some speculate that their genetic flaw may be the direct work of Khorne, while others think that their decaying bodies are due to Nurgles influence. While some have tried to investigate the chapter, or study their exact intentions, the Void Runners themselves have never spent much thought on the subject, simply because they do not have enough time to spare any on efforts not related to battle.