Editing Celestial Lions

{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Celestial Lions
|Heraldry = [[File:Celestial_Lions_Livery.png|150px]]
|Battle Cry = "We are the Emperor's pride. [[A Song of Ice and Fire|Hear us roar!]]" 
|Number = 
|Founding = Sometime in the 38th Millennium 
|Successors of = [[Imperial Fists]]
|Successor Chapters =
|Chapter Master = Unknown
|Primarch = Rogal Dorn
|Homeworld = Elysium IX
|Specialty = Messing with the [[Inquisition]], flanking tactics 
|Strength = [[Grimdark|Less than 95]], [[Noblebright|rebuilding]]
|Allegiance = [[Imperium]]
|Colours = Gold, with blue helmet and pauldrons.
}}
{{topquote|Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults, whoever rebukes the wicked incurs [[Blam|abuse]].|The Bible, Proverbs 9:7 (New International Version)}}

The '''Celestial Lions''' (calling them "Celestial ''Loins''" would be a joke in poor taste, given their tremendous losses of late) are a chapter of [[Space Marines]] in the [[Warhammer 40,000]] universe.  They are an object lesson of what happens to people who try and mess with the [[Inquisition]] without serious backup (like being a [[First Founding]] chapter).  It is unknown if the Inquisition is going to survive the return object lesson of what happens to those who fuck with the Space Marines.  Especially Space Marines who are now best-buds with the Black Templars.

== Chapter Culture==
The Celestial Lions are a very brotherly, compassionate chapter with a prominent African spin on their culture, whose fraternal nature comes from the fact that they only recruit from the warrior tribes of the world Elysium IX. As they all come from a culture that values community, legacy, and courage, all the Lions hold those values as paramount. More than most other chapters, their world's culture holds sway in their conduct. The Lions are very informal to those within their own ranks, with even basic battle brothers talking to their superiors as brothers and equals, though they are disciplined on the battlefield and they show great respect to the officers of other forces, particularly the other [[Black Templars|sons]] [[Imperial fists|of]] [[Crimson Fists|Dorn]]. Another quirk of their chapter culture is the [[Space Wolves|value they place on storytelling and the great respect they give to talented storytellers]]. Within their chapter it is common for a squad to gather and tell stories of their heroes and their own exploits before an engagement. If an outsider is present in one of their ships or bases the visitor is expected to pay for their "food and fire" by telling a story from their own people's legends or that individuals exploits and as such they love serving alongside guardsman for the [[Ollanius Pius|stories]] [[Ciaphas Cain|they]] [[Commissar Yarrick|tell]]. Though they are very different from their [[imperial fists|typical]] [[Black Templars|grim]] cousin chapters, they are proud sons of [[Rogal Dorn|Dorn]] through and through. Most of this can be inferred from the short story in the Helsreach book.

==Clash with the Inquisition==
The Celestial Lions came into conflict with the [[Inquisition]] during the pacification of the world Khattar. Khattar was a [[Ecclesiarchy|Shrine World]] with a large, faithful population. When the upper echelons of the priesthood fell into worship of the [[Chaos|Ruinous Powers]] an Inquisitor Lord by the name of Apollyon (which is the Greek equivalent of "Destroyer" ie. [[Abaddon]]) called for an Imperial Navy blockade of the world in addition to Astartes support, a call that the Celestial Lions answered. After months of brutal fighting the Celestial Lions managed to cut the head off the local heretic priests and with that, the world's population lost the will to fight and surrendered to the Astartes. As the Lions were withdrawing, Inquisitor Apollyon decided that [[wat|since the priesthood had been corrupt, the surrendering and repentant civilian population must also be corrupt]], so he ordered Exterminatus on the planet. The Lions [[RAGE|were not fucking amused]]. After Apollyon refused to be held accountable for the senseless massacre, saying it was necessary, the Lions sent a Strike Cruiser with a delegation of Deathspeakers and Warleaders (Chaplains and Captains, respectively) to [[Terra|Holy Terra]] with the intention of entreating the High Lords of Terra to call the Inquisition to task over what they'd done. The ship was discovered two years later in Ork-controlled space, with nobody left alive in it and nowhere even close to its intended destination.

==Third War for Armageddon== 
Fast-forward to the Third War for [[Armageddon]]. The entire chapter was deployed to a single hive, and thanks to spectacularly bad intelligence they ended up outnumbered, unsupported, and taking heavy losses at every battle, culminating in a mission in which the supposedly inactive Gargants they were sent to destroy proved to have been lying in wait for them along with several Ork warbands backing them up- all of which had apparently been warned of the Lions' planned attack some time beforehand.  Matters came to a head when "[[Ork]] [[What|snipers]]" managed to take out most of the survivors (especially the Apothecaries), and their last [[Apothecary]] was found dead next to the Chapter's last [[Land Raider]] (having been shot through the head with a [[lasgun]] at point blank range and the gene-seed he was carrying stolen), leaving them without any means to recover the [[gene-seed]] from their fallen. The remaining 95 Lions realized that they had been marked for death and decided that they would fight off all the Orks on Armageddon or die trying, and contacted [[Grimaldus|Chaplain Grimaldus]] of the [[Black Templars]] to administer their last rites, but he insisted that the remainder of the Chapter could still restore its honour (and thus be allowed to leave) by slaying the warlord leading the Ork forces in the area. To support his weakened cousins Grimaldus used his influence as the 'Hero of Helsreach' to get support from several regiments of [[Imperial Guard]]. While much of the remaining forces of the Celestial Lions were wiped out in the attack, they were successful in redeeming themselves when Ekene Dubaku killed the Orkish Warlord with Grimaldus's help. The Inquisition abandoned their campaign against the remaining Lion's as the lesson had been thoroughly learnt and the Black Templars were now aware of it. Ekene, the Lion's only surviving Pride Leader (i.e. Squad Sergeant) was then named the new Chapter Master and given a couple of parting gifts by High Marshal Helbrecht himself: a suit of relic Imperial Fists power armor dating back to the [[Great Crusade]] along with a matching Relic Blade and the Strike Cruiser ''Blade of the Seventh Son''.

==Ultimate Fate==
The Lions are now working to rebuild with the help of a temporary detachment of Black Templar specialists, including some apothecaries and techmarines. Though it'll be hard considering there's less than ninety-five of them left, another Imperial Fists successor chapter recovered from near-extinction in less than a century after being reduced to 12 Marines in total. Plus, while the Inquisition may get away with bullying later-founded chapters, it would be tantamount to suicide for anyone to mess with the [[Black Templars|largest space marine <strike>legion</strike> chapter]] excluding the <strike>[[Dark Angels]]</strike>. Of course, the Inquisition oh-so foolishly forgot that the other Chapters, especially within their legion, would want to know what the hell happened anyway.  Either way, messing with any Space Marine Chapter is the single dumbest thing you can do.  Ever.  As a certain Craftworld [[Invaders|learned]].  Being an Inquisitor also won't help you because anyone you could go to for help views the Astartes as semi-divine beings and would execute the Inquisitor rather than help them.

With the Indomitus Crusade going on. It's more than likely Guilliman sent some Primaris Marines to rebuild the Lions. This seems to be backed up by the fact that ADB is writing a book about an allied chapter, the Emperor's Spears, receiving Primaris reinforcements. One member of the chapter was also able to serve in the Deathwatch, implying they had the latitude to spare a marine.

Unfortunately though, the novel Spear of the Emperor states that Ekene Dubaku was assassinated by a [[Callidus]] posing as a servant of some guy from the [[Mentor Legion]]. Nobody expects the Inquisition indeed.<!-- could use a more appropriate comeback, any better ideas-->

==Trivia==
* "[[Ork Snipers]]" has since become slang for [[Vindicare]] assassins, or more generally for any implausible cover story for an [[Inquisition]] action.
** You know who else have golden armour, blue details and star patterns? [[Stormcast Eternals|Hammers of Sigmar]]. Funny, huh?
**Blue glitter paint, or clear glitter over blue, is much easier than painting individual stars. 
* Also, "Ekene Dubaku" is a badass as fuck name.
*They love catnip

==Gallery==
<Gallery>
File:Black Library Armageddon by ukitakumuki.jpg|Black Templars [[Grimaldus]] and Pride Leader Ekene Dubaku kickin' Ork assess. Note how Grimaldus is far too much of a badass to look where he’s shooting.
File:Black Library Blood and Fire by ukitakumuki.jpg|Ekene Dubaku rocking the Bolt Carbine... Totally awesome. In other news, Grimaldus still isn’t looking where he’s shooting.
File:Celestial Lions Astartes.png|Artworks for these guys are about as few as what's left of them.
File:Ork Snipers.jpg|So True.
File:Celestial Lions.jpeg|We present to you, the celestial lions!
File:Celestial lions apothecary by rhoadesd20-d5941zd.jpg|A Celestial Lion Apothecary falling victim to an "Ork Sniper"
</Gallery>

{{Marines-Official}}