Throne Bearers
This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.
| Throne Bearers | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Battle Cry | "Forward, ever forward!" | |
| Number | 32 | |
| Founding | Second Founding | |
| Successors of | Steel Marshals | |
| Chapter Master | Temerian Westoris (Founding) | |
| Primarch | Roman Albrecht | |
| Homeworld | Fleet-Based | |
| Strength | 1,000 at establishment | |
| Specialty | Close Quarters Combat, spreading Imperial Doctrine | |
| Allegiance | Imperium of Man | |
| Colours | Red and Steel | |
The Throne Bearers were an Institutorum Astartes-compliant Space Marine Chapter and a proud successor of the Steel Marshals from the Second Founding.
Chapter History
Notable Campaigns
The Throne Bearers took part in what became known as the Fringe Crusade, a series of conquests spanning more than two hundred years and returning dozens of planets to the Imperial fold at the furthest reaches of Ultima Segmentum. Seeking to do what few others dared and remind the Galaxy that the Emperor's reach encompassed even its most distant suns, the Chapter and their ever-growing retinue of auxilia forged a bold path deep into the cosmos, recapturing worlds that in many cases had known the Imperial yoke for a scant handful of years before the Emperor's war machine was forced to turn inwards once more. In one unusual case, the conquest of star system Haral-Pelyii, the Great Crusade had never made landfall upon its three major worlds. As one of the few densely populated systems on the Ultima Fringe, Haral-Pelyii was quickly earmarked to become a major Imperial waystation and anchor point to control these dimly lit stretches of space.
The forces of Chaos were weak at the Fringe, and the Throne Bearers rarely saw much sign of dark forces at work. Most frequently they came in contact with Orkish warlords, and slew so many greenskins that they jokingly considered changing their heraldry to include green-painted boots, in honor of the oceans of Ork blood they found themselves wading through. Mutants and abhumans were common as well, mostly disorganized rabble. Some the Throne Bearers were forced to exterminate, but some of the more tractable specimens were shown mercy, for the Throne Bearers did not hold them responsible for having had the misfortune to be born so far from the Emperor's grace. Most importantly, two planets of Ogryn-type abhumans were restored to the Imperial fold, both vast and forbidding ice worlds with little to offer besides heavy assault units for the Imperial armies. This frequent contact with strange and unexplained relics of humanity's past ultimately doomed the Throne Bearers, for they did not recognize the Vetrovnak threat for what it was until it was too late. What records remain tell of an attempt by the Chapter to make contact with what they believed to be nothing more than a slightly more advanced abhuman race encountered in the void, but which proved to be a fatal enemy.
All that now remains of the Throne Bearers and their deeds during the Second Vetrovnak Incursion is the single escort vessel Crimson Storm, which fled with a skeleton crew of surviving auxilia units in an effort to warn the Imperium of what was to come, while the Throne Bearers remained behind to fight and die valiantly as their heritage demanded. Engulfed by a tidal wave of killers in the void, the little fleet of Imperial vessels was swiftly consumed and destroyed. Crimson Storm and its payload of dataslates would prove most valuable to Fabrice Diallo in his attempts to piece together the truth within the chaos of astropathic failures, and the Throne Bearers are honored within the halls of Terra as having done their duty to the very end. In honor of their Successor, Crimson Storm was added to the Steel Marshals' own fleet, and flies with them to the present day.
Notable Members
Chapter Master Temerian Westoris fought alongside his battle-brothers during the Steel Marshals Legion Salvation of Reichmar IV, serving honorably in his capacity as one of the 184th Expedition Fleet's Librarians. Having earned his stripes blazing a path through the unending Ork swarm, and being familiar with the distant reaches of Ultima Segmentum and its warp currents, the Librarian was considered a prime candidate to lead a Successor Chapter into those distant realms as its Master. With his arcane might, Temerian developed great skill in sorting the wheat from the chaff at the edge of space, keenly discerning those abhumans who still kept alive their human spirit from those with friendly faces but foulness inside. His great failure was not piercing the Vetrovnak's twisted psyche, for if he had then perhaps disaster might have been averted and the Imperium granted more preparation against the coming war.
Chapter Combat Doctrine
To fight as a Throne Bearer was to fight as a Steel Marshal, for the Chapter's veterans never forgot the lessons learned as part of the parent Legion. Pulling out the enemy's heart with masterful precision and crushing it in front of their terror-stricken eyes was the apex of battlefield prowess, and the Throne Bearers' siege and armored forces were equally feared like their Progenitor.
Where they differed from the 10th Legion was chiefly the lack of specialized formations. Lacking the huge reserves of warriors a Legion could call upon, the Chapter decided to focus on perfecting what they deemed the "core" of Roman's philosophies, becoming more generalist as they did, but terrifically effective at those basic concepts. Fear not the warrior who can do ten thousand tasks, but flee from the one who has performed a single mission ten thousand times.
Chapter Beliefs
Most Chapters formed during the Second Founding pattern themselves closely on their Progenitor Legion, and the Throne Bearers are no exception to this trend. They are men of stout heart and high moral caliber, bringing death to the Emperor's foes as surely as they endeavor to uplift those who would be Terra's allies. Regrettably, this tendency to show mercy when and where they could proved to be their undoing, as they sought to halt the Vetrovnak first with words, raising their blades a moment too late.
During their short but impressive existence as a Chapter, the Throne Bearers crusaded across hundreds of worlds in the Great Scouring's wake, offering swift judgement to Traitors, but an outstretched hand to those who showed sincere repentance. The Throne Bearers did their Primarch's legacy proud, helping countless populations rejoin the Imperial fold after having been tricked by heretic lies and sparing entire sectors from the horrific vengeance more bloodthirsty Chapters might have wreaked. Though the Throne Bearers are now long gone from Imperial ranks, their legacy lives on with planet after planet of fanatic Imperial loyalists who have never forgotten recieving mercy when they needed it most.
The Throne Bearers felt themselves duty-bound to bear the weight of legacy and duty upon their backs with pride, and every Neophyte was instructed to walk "as if the Emperor's very gaze rested upon their shoulders", to stand straight and proud no matter the circumstances, and to shun any action which might taint them in Terra's eyes. It is said that Astartes shall know no fear, but it is also told that the Throne Bearers had never even heard of the concept, for not once in their history had they shied away from doing the right thing, no matter the consequences. In a galaxy of war and horror, these men did their level best to hold on to their humanity, looking to the dawn even in darkness.
Yet in the end, the sun never rose.
Chapter Homeworld
The Throne Bearers never felt that taking a homeworld would be appropriate for their mission, preferring to recruit from planets they visited or liberated. Notably, the Chapter leadership forbade press-ganging of recruits, insisting that any young boy who wished to join be permitted to undergo the Chapter's chalenges, so long as he did so of his own free will. No Throne Bearer was ever ripped away from their family, and every Throne Bearer felt a personal stake in the Chapter's future. Recruitment was slow for these Astartes, but their loyalty burned fierce and bright until the very end.
Six vessels bore the Chapter through the stars, the Battle Barges Iulianus Rising and Grace of Sol sailing alongside the Strike Cruiser Heartfire and her Escorts Black Sword, Crimson Storm and Athemnon's Spear.
Chapter Appearance
Boldly clad in blood-red and shining steel, the Throne Bearers make no secret of their presence on the battlefield.