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I've been working on this for the better half of a month now. It's a ton of information on my own custom chapter, the Arch Angels.

Origins
While the Arch Angels have had a long and glorious history in fighting for the Emperor and the Imperium, their exact origins are unknown to either the Admistratum or the Inquisition. The reasons for this are unknown, either the records have been expunged or there is a much darker reason for this. It is clear that their origins are a secret the Chapter is less than willing to reveal, even to high members of the Inquisition, leaving many to speculate their early history, while also leading to many executions from less-than-kosher ideas.

The Arch Angels, however, are a very proud order, if not a little too secretive for it’s own good, valuing courage and faith above all other traits in their allies. They have been known to scold entire Imperial Guard Regiments for retreating from a battle and even performing summery executions for cowardice. This has them at odds with various Imperial Guard Regiments, who claim that their men are theirs and not the Arch Angels to execute or punish. This, however, doesn’t stop them from dispensing punishment and other disciplinary action to who ever they regard as unworthy of the Emperor’s light.

The earliest record of Arch Angel activity dates back as far as M34, though references to their services in litanies of other chapters and Imperial organisations prove that they existed and fought the enemies of the Emperor centuries before this. The inclusion of an individual named ‘Ragnarok’ in their litanies and statues of unknown heroes has many more scholars speculating without cease, many coming up with outlandish theories of the Arch Angels being one of the missing First Founding, to which the chapter will not confirm or deny.

While many speculations exist, many seem content that the chapter fights for the Emperor and the Imperium alone.

Homeworld
The Arch Angel homeworld is known to Imperial archives as Zion, located in the Segmentum Tempestus. Their chapter fortress is a mighty Monastery in the center of the planet’s largest city, named after the planet itself. This Monastery resembles an Imperial Cathedral, large towers and spires loom over the buildings around it and the grand stained glass windows depict stories and bits of history from the chapter’s history, over glorified images of heroes striking down depictions of the Ruinous Powers. Here they maintain their records and history, relics, training doctrine and handle all recruitment.

The chapter recruit from the neighbouring worlds, ranging from sprawling hive worlds to feral worlds of club wielding savages. The recruits chosen all seem to have the same thing in common, they are members of great reverence in their society, may they be a great hunting champion or a skilled gang leader, the Arch Angels look for courage in their initiates and only chose the greatest of heroes.

While Zion appears to be their central base of operations, Arch Angels have been sighted in other parts of the Imperium… sometimes, thousands of light years away from their supposed homeworld.

Combat Doctrine
To say the Arch Angels are nothing more than zealous savages is an unfair assumption to make. On the battlefield, while they do show the same amount of fury and zeal as some of the more headstrong chapters, they also show an surprisng amount of awareness of the tactical situation. The chapter has shown considerable skill at bending their tactics when needed, fighting with fervour when possible but also fighting defensively when the situation calls for it. Many instances have seen the Arch Angels preferring to fight their enemy face to face rather then using guerrilla tactics, and this has seen them been compared to the Black Templars or the Space Wolves. While these chapters are consistent in their behaviour, the Arch Angels show a surprising amount of restraint when out of battle, bowing and speaking like perfect gentlemen of nobility, anyone who as seen both sides of their behaviour have a hard time putting it together.

In many cases, the chapter will call off an attack and demand the enemy’s leader show himself to the leader of the chapter’s forces. If the leader shows himself, the two engage in a duel with no outside retaliation, the entire attacking force standing behind their leader as he duels. If the enemy forces attempt to interrupt the duel it is met with swift and destructive retaliation. If the duel is won in favour of the Arch Angels, the enemy are given the chance to leave, failure to comply is met with certain death. No one knows what happens when the Arch Angels lose a duel, as they are skilled swordsmen.

Organisation
The Arch Angel chapter is organised like any other Codex Chapter. 10 Companies of ten squads each, following the prescribed mix of Battle Companies, Assault, Tactical and Devastator Companies. The only difference in this chapter is the names given to the ranks.

Scouts are known commonly as Squires in the chapter and Battle Brothers as Brother Knights and Sergeants as Champions. Veterans are known as Nobles and Captains are known as Dukes or Lords, while the Chapter Master himself is known as the High Lord and King of Zion. While it all coincides with the structure dictated by the Codex Astartes, there is another company that exists within the Arch Angels. Known to the chapter as the Templars, these Astartes are a secretive order that have renounced proper membership of the chapter and work only under the command of the High Lord. There is only speculation as to why these Space Marines would choose to be separated from their other brothers.

Beliefs
It is clearly known that the Arch Angels don’t revere the Emperor as a god, but as the mightiest of men, which has them as at constant odds with the Ministorum. It has been very clear they respect courage and faith above all else and will choose allies and recruits based on courageous acts and has indeed seen them punishing those they deem as cowards harshly. The Arch Angel code of honour and fighting is an integral part of their order, and is strictly maintained by the Master of Sanctity and the other Chaplins in the training of new recruits and is practised even by the Nobles of the chapter even in their many years of experience.

The chapter is known for it’s obsession for relics and artefacts, especially those dating back to as far as the Horus Heresy. The reason for this obsession is widely unknown, but the chapter has been known to commit entire companies to secure known relics or even chase down rumours, allocating great amounts of resources to get the job done.

While there is not a lot of ritual within the chapter, there is a ritual that takes place upon the initiation of a Squire to the rank of Brother Knight. The squire is brought before the High Lord and other Lords, and while on one knee, recites the oath required to become a fully fledged Brother Knight. Inquisitors have observed this ritual and have memorised the oath: “I [insert Squire’s name] will carry the Will of the Emperor as my torch. I shall cast back the shadows of foul heretics and ignorant xenos. I shall cleanse myself of my sins in the blood of my enemies, lest I die in shame. I shall forever fight alongside my brothers, help them, save them and put them into their eternal rest until the day I join the Emperor. Only in death will my duty end.” When the Squire has finished he will stand and be approached by the High Lord, who slap him hard with the back of his hand across his jaw, supposedly to cleanse him of past sins. If the Squire survives, he will be treated and fully accepted into the order, and what can be called a formal party will begin, where the newly inducted Knights are welcomed as brothers by the other Knights of the chapter, food and alcohol is served. If they die, that’s the end.

Geneseed
For the most part, the Arch Angel geneseed is without any kind of mutation and is recorded as being stable for the time being and their geneseed tithe is on a regular basis like most chapters. Unfortunately, despite tests, the identity of the geneseed cannot be confirmed much to the frustration of the Inquistion. No type of tampering has caused this, but Inquisitors talk of alterations in the geneseed, despite the clear lack of evidence.

Battlecry
“Sins are forgiven in blood of the enemy!”

pirate

Naming has been covered.

Next, youre writing this like an index astartes article, but the "If they die, that’s the end." couldve been written better.

More importantly though is One: the hive ganger thing with recruiting. Someone appropriate for marine recruiting is not going ot be a hero. Only children are recruited. The oldest most chapters will recruit is age 12. Becoming a marine require a lot of physical change, and of course the organ implants, so it has to be a child.

Next is the tithing of geneseed. The inquisition may analyze it, but geneseed tithes are sent to Mars. Mars produces marine chapters, and so they would recognize the geneseed or alert the inquisition to it. A good example of crazy geneseeds, imperial reactions, and stuff similar to what you seem to be going for is the 21st founding. Id recomend getting a Chapter Approved book, or seeing if you can find it online. Some very interesting fluff, and some nice army lists.

Also, how do you intend to represent this chapter game wise?

Inquisitor in a DA force just suspends their Hunt for the Fallen, no idea if any special rules concerning that hunt are in new DA codex.

Have you read anything on Space Marines? It specifically says that Space Marine recruits are all heroes in their own soceities. Plus, they don't have to be children, just old enough to accept the implants.

And it's just an unidentified geneseed. They don't have the original gene sample to compare it to.

To represent them, I'm using a powerful mix of Black Templer and Dark Angels pieces.

EXPUNGED!

Oh, and quick question:
Does the DA command squad have the same rule as in SM command squad,
ie: can attach a Commander, Chaplain and a Librerian in the command squad
and have it counted as a sincle HQ unit? :-/
I don´t seem to see such rule in the DA codex. <.< >.>

@Asmondai: One might easily assume "yes" to your inquery.
Since DA & SM are one and the same, they will still use the same command structure.
Theres and exception to every rule, so do a "What I Say Goes" roll before you try it.

a) The Inquistion exist for a reason. They investigate any out off the ordinary. Does it really matter that I haven't metioned Mars, since I'd expect it's a given fact.
b) Those two missing chapters also exist for the sole purpose of people making their own. And if die hard fans have a problem, they can go to hell, plenty of people like my chapter.
c) Kingdom of Heaven. The Chapter is an order of holy knights. Plus, those ones are really easy to remember. So there.
d) If they refuse, the chapter view them as cowards and kill them. Simple.

Traits have already been chosen as well.

Trait: Pious

Advantages:-
Suffer not the Alien to live (Orks)
Suffer not the works of Heretics

Disadvantages:-
Eye to Eye

Oh´rigthy. 3nodding

Nah, I´m too lazy to repaint my space marines from DK army back to DA´s.
Beside, it´ll be damn alot of work to get the right bits for them. >:E
Still need to thing how DK´s will be thougth.... :-/