Expanded Minor Chapters

This page is for minor space marine chapters who's background was created by the good ol' fa/tg/uys in an effort to flesh out the lore of all these minor Space Marine chapters which exist within the lore of Warhammer 40k but don't really have more than a name and a color scheme (or in some cases, just a name).

Auric Patricians

"As Astarte, we are the Emperor's chosen: superior to mortal men in all regards." - Chaplain Esultar

Auric Patricians
Battle Cry	Glory and splendor!
Founding	Unknown
Successors of	Ultramarines
Chapter Master	Mihalo
Homeworld	Aurica
Strength	Unknown
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Gold, black

Aurica is a world of nearly unparalleled splendor: a hive-city of impossibly tall spires of marble and gold. Beautiful beyond compare, second only to Holy Terra, claim its inhabitant. However this beauty has a price, for the underclass of Aurica is one of the most downtrodden of all the Imperium. Beneath the facade and the spires, subhuman mutants and disease-ridden humans work tirelessly in uncountable masses to allow the beautiful city of Aurica to live in luxury. It is from this decadent upper class that the Astartes Chapter of the Auric Patricians recruit, watching over the hive-world from its moon. The best and brightest sons of the Aurican Nobility are sent to the Astartes in hope of joining their rank and bringing glory to their houses. Prone to over-estimating the qualities of their sons, many send them to their death. To test the resolve of their initiates, the Astartes send them down to the horrific underhive, where violence and mutation reign.

The Auric Patricians share the arrogance of the nobles they are drawn from. They are uptight elitist who deem all non-nobles and non-Astartes as lesser, inferior beings only worthy of contempt. Likewise, they fear mutation greatly and suspect all other chapters (except maybe their Ultramarine progenitors) to be impure and tainted. Their pompousness and decadence is, likewise, only barely dulled by their transformation to battle-brother as many wield elegantly-crafted weapons or request specially-designed armor adornments which reflect their house of origin and its history. They are proud to be Astartes, it is true, but they keep their pride as Aurican Nobility as well.

Deathwatch

Auric Patricians characters are created using the rules for Codex Successor Chapters given in the Deathwatch Honour the Chapter Rulebook with the following modifications:

+5 Weapon Skill, +5 Ballistic Skill

Chapter Demeanor: Use the Aspire to Glory Codex Demeanor from Honour the Chapter.

Primarch Curse: Use the Divine Purity Chapter Curse using the rules given for Red Scorpions.

Death Knights

"Ummm ladz? Where'd da boss get dat big 'ole in his 'ead from all of a sudden?" - final words of Gaznik, Ork Nob.

The Death Knights are an Ultramarines descendant chapter founded late in the 38M as a crusading chapter tasked with taking back an important Imperial sector recently conquered by the Orks. Upon arrival however, they found that the Human populace were, oddly enough, content with the Orks, even fighting along side them against the Marines. It turns out this was because the sector had grown to resent the Imperium for its heavy taxation of its agriculture over the years, and the Orkish invasion provided just the catalyst they needed to declare their independence from the wider imperium. The Chapter, made up of ex Ultramarines, realized that it now needed to abandon some of the more revered portions of the codex Astartes in favor of more subversive measures, including using my spy's and assassins to dispatch the Orkish and rebel leadership

Slowely but surely, the Death Knights managed to subjugate these worlds and drive out most of the remainder of the Orks.

They struck a deal with the Inquisition that, rather than subject these worlds populace to purges, that they would allow the Death Knights to control them directly to use as both recruiting worlds and, if they were ever to rebel against the imperium again, as "target practice" for the Chapter. So the Death Knights now control these worlds, hated by the populace, and regularly come down to kidnap potential Astartes candidates from their parents during the night, dressed in black robes and axting silently lest they cause a mob to form.

In battle, they rely on a larger than average contingent of Scout squads, most often trained as snipers and in the art of stealth, which tactics they continue to emulate upon becoming full-fledged battle brothers. Bolt-silencers are almost universal throughout the chapter, and the importance of the use of a knife in CQC so as to eject minimum amounts of ammunition is paramount to their doctrine.

Dragon Lords

"The dragon has returned on wings of fire!" - The Chapter announcing its return to the Imperium

Dragon Lords
Battle Cry	Hear the Dragon's Roar!
Founding	Unknown
Successors of	Salamanders
Chapter Master	Unknown
Homeworld	Unknown, previously Erwynn's World
Strength	Unknown
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Green, White

The Dragon Lords are a chapter of Salamanders successors of which little is actually known. They disappeared in the Drachenritter sector in M35 and returned to the Imperium in M40. What hapenned in those 5000 years or why they disappeared are not known. Combined with their heavy use of vicious, reptilian xeno in battle has caused the Inquisition to be quite suspicious of them. The Imperium is currently compiling all the data they can on this chapter before deciding on the final verdict. In terms of genetics and organization, the Dragon Lords are mostly identical to their Salamanders ancestors with the exception of the monstrous xeno they bring into battle:

Stardrakon: Massive reptiles with thick scales and great wings, Stardrakons are capable of somehow surviving in the void - allowing them to fly through space. Their slab-like muscles and ridiculously sharp claws make them well-suited for attacking small voidcraft.

Kraggoth: Great serpents with scorching fire-breath and mighty jaws, ridden by Veterans into battle.

Cold Ones: Mighty land-borne reptilian creatures capable of going head-to-head to Dreadnoughts, Cold Ones are a force to be reckoned with.

Deathwatch

Dragon Lords characters are created using the rules for Salamanders given in the Deathwatch First Founding Rulebook with the following modifications:

Bonus Talent: Skill Proficiency (Wrangling), Rival (Inquisition)

Guardians of Celeres

"The Emperor's vengeance is swift and merciless. Strike at their hearts, brothers!" - Chapter Master Sellic, while performing a raid within the Realm of Celeres.

Guardians of Celeres
Battle Cry	For the Home we Guard, Our Lives are Forfeit!
Founding	M33
Successors of	Unknown
Chapter Master	Acroteleutium Sellic
Homeworld	Celeres
Strength	300-500
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Green, White Pauldrons

The Guardians of Celeres have their origins when a small, under-manned young chapter escorted an Imperial colonizing effort in the Segmentum Tempestus in M34. Then called the Green Blades, the chapter helped with the foundation of the settlement which would one day become the great city of Celeres. Once it was secured, the chapter left...only to find itself called back soon after as Orks were overruning the settlements. Heavy casualties were taken but ultimately the orks were held back. On the brink of extinction, the chapter opted to settle down in Celeres and recruit from the colonists. In time, most marines eventually came from Celeres and the chapter eventually renamed itself based on the monicker given by the citizen: the Guardians of Celeres.

The Guardians are not codex-compliant. They specialize in rapid-deployment and swift surgical strikes within their domain, the Realm of Celeres. The Realm is an alliance of semi-independant planets and systems in close proximity, ruled by a Senate on Celeres. It is rare for them to deploy more than a few squads outside of large war-zones. In general they face the constant threat of alien raids which they need to respond quickly to. Larger deployments are usually done with 'Numerus Auxillia', human warriors of the Celeres Planetary Defense Forces.

The Guardians usually number around 300 and 500 and form in large companies which usually number in the hundred, like a codex-compliant chapter. When the chapter is at a higher battle strength, these companies grow in size: rarely do they split into smaller companies. Their companies are all Battle Companies, as the concept of 'Battle' and 'Reserve' companies is pointless to how the chapter operate. Scouts and Veterans are, likewise, part of their respective companies rather than organized in special ones.

The chapter specialize in various formations which make heavy use of heavy and special weapons. Squads are assembled as needed for the mission and the marines are expected to learn to master all possible weapons the chapter use and adapt to whatever tactic their sergeant for the mission might demand. Some of the formations used by the Guardians of the Celeres include:

Breacher: Like the Breacher Squads of the Legiones Astartes. Used in hazardous assault situations, such as boarding.

Crematoris: This formation has its origins in the formation of the Celeres. Crematoris Squads are equipped with Flamer weapons.

Formido: When the Guardians need to strike fear into their enemies, they form squads into Formido: terror units. These are commonly used against rebels. Because they are dishonorable, Formido duties are given to marines which are deemed to not live up to expectations. As such, marines of the Guardians strive to meet the expectations of their commanders to avoid such a punishment.

Ballistarius: In these rare moments the Guardians need to deploy their heavier artillery, such as Thunderfire Cannons, each cannon is assigned a squad for defense.

Halo Brethren

"Our Brethren are our honor. Those that have came and went, those that are, and those that will come in the days beyound, are our bulwarks against all." - Chaplain Clovis, addressing pilgrims.

Halo Brethren
File:Halo Brethren.jpg
Battle Cry	"For those lost, and those yet to come!"
Founding	M34
Successors of	Dark Angels
Chapter Master	Chapter Master Thoedric Oous
Homeworld	Herbeuse
Strength	120
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Gold, Burgundy Pauldrons, Helmet, and Robe

The Halo Brethren were unfortunate to have a defective gene-seed that takes a lot longer to be fully accepted into a neophyte's body, making replenishing their forces a very long and arduous process. The Chapter suffered more causalities than the Imperial Fists or the Sable Swords when they went to kill the Grand Master of the Officio Assasinorum, signifying the beginning of their downfall. Several key battles they took part in afterwards, victory or defeat, they lost many battle-brothers, leaving them at ~200 left. To mitigate their lack of manpower, they use highly battle serfs as auxiliaries along side their marines, as well as having two companies of Scouts, so as to have a constant stream of marines coming in. The battle serfs would be trained under members of the veteran scout and select few marines to make sure the serfs are battle-ready and well versed in chapter tactics.

The marines proper of their chapter spend most of their time in brutally intensive training on their homeworld to ensure their survival and effectiveness. The marines are incredibly skilled to make up for the fact that they'd essentially be deploying on a battlefield by themselves. As a result of the time, training, and diminished numbers of the marines, each marine is considered highly sacred, with the preservation of their battle-brothers being of the highest priority in the field, both for marines and serfs. Serfs more than often give their lives to put themselves in between a bullet and their angels, and the peasants of their home-world are raised in worship of their protectors, leaving the reserves never wanting. They are not above retreat to minimize casualties. That coupled with their uncommon structure, use of normal humans in battle, they are treated with little regard among their peers, despite the combat prowess of each individual marine.

Each Marine cares deeply about their serfs, despite their high casualty rate. The marines feel the deaths of their serfs gravely, and mark both their armor and their chapter-keep with the names of the fallen. An individual marine will either mark his armor with the name of each serf that died to protect him/in his care, or will inscribe scrolls upon scrolls with their names in his personal chambers, and meditate upon the lives of those who died. There is a strong familial bound between the marines and their human-counterparts. Each marine knows that his life is more sacred than those of his battle-family, and that weighs upon his soul heavily. In turn, they make an effort to care for their human retinue, as a stern yet caring and compassionate father would.

The humble fortress-monastery of Sala ne Anèl resides atop a grassy knoll, far removed from the rest of medieval civilization on the world of Herbeuse. The monastery is home to the fabled "wall of halos", which records the name of each fallen member, Astartes and Human alike. In each Hamlet, in every corner of the peaceful world, resides iconography of the Halo Brethren, the focus of much religious devotion amongst the population. People all across the agri-world go on pilgrimage to their most holiest of monasteries, to catch a mere glimpse of the Emperor's angels and offer up their's or their kins' service. The marines are more than happy to meet their devotees, offering up their wisdoms and blessings for the awestruck visitor. While they remain secluded and detached from the politics of the world, they are the eternal protectors of the quaint little world.

The name of the chapter itself has changed its meaning. Where as it once referred to the Astartes, now it refers to those who died for them, the true Halo Brethren.

Marines Errantor

"The only cleansing any loyal Imperial requires is the Emperor's holy light'." - Battle-Brother Collybiscus, when inquired on his hygiene.

The Marines Errantor are a renegade chapter of Imperial fists stock, founded in Millenium 35, who harbor a longstanding grudge with the Black Templars after coming to blows with them over the fate of the unknowing families of a Chaos cult, with the Templars demanding that they be purged while the Marines Errantor insisting that they be spared.

This altercation lead to the chapter being exiled from the wider Imperium for a period of 1000 years at the behest of the Black Templars. To their shock, the Marines took the ruling with solemn acceptance, and their fleet warped of to the halo stars, not to be seen again until almost 4000 years later, where the clean, well kept armor of the marines had become old and worn, their robes became little more than rags, their hair grown to be mangy and unkempt. When asked why they appeared so dirtied by an inquisitor, the Chapter Master simply stated "The Imperium's enemies care not for appearances, only deeds." Ever since, they have been noted for their terrible hygiene, and their armor is easily identifiable bye the hue of rusted copper, the Imperial Aquila trimmed with a dirty silver. Their chapter heraldry is that of a Staff with an orb at the top, as to say that it's their burden to lead the quest for knowledge, sacrificing any attempt at appearances and ritual to do so.

In battle, the Marines are noted for being able to enter the filthiest of conditions and stand in the harshest of weather and barely flinch. They're extreamly hardy and resistant, their toughness being second only to their extreme stubborness. They hold an utter contempt for advanced tactics and weapons, holding their skill with a bolter as paramount to their battlefield success. Indeed, their favored tactic is to land on the enemy via drop pods before proceeding to empty out and mop up what remains of their forces. To the Marines Errantor, the quicker the better.

They needless to say aren't very well liked by the Mechanicus considering how poorly they treat their gear, with much of their armor being rusted and worn, many with dents and an odd smell, implying that the marines aren't big fans of cleaning or even ever taking off their armor, for any reason. They recruit from one planet, a desert world deep within the Halo stars, where roaming desert tribes fight to survive through vicious sand storms and scrounge up what little water they can to trade for basic goods. The Marines Errantor have entrenched themselves as part of this desert ecosystem, offering a village a years worth of water should one of their young men manage to complete their tasks. These men of course are then recruited as part of the chapte, becoming battle brothers should they survive scout training.

The Marines themselves, while technically allowed back into the Imperium, willingly isolate themselves off in the Halo Stars and avoid all contact with outsiders, lest they are there to petition for their aid in a conflict, in which case the High council will convene in order to decide if they intervene or not. That said, they still occasionally are found roaming outside their sector, going across the Imperium as both nuisances who scavenge abandoned ships and space stations for scrap, and to protect any worlds in trouble that they happen upon in their journey.

Persecutors of Darkness

"The Emperor is the LAW, and the LAW is absolute! I am the harbinger of justice! I am the mercy afforded to heretics!" - Brother-Marshal Lex, whilst giving testimony in court.

Persecutors of Darkness
File:Persectors of Darkness.jpg
Battle Cry	Freedom through Law! Security in Wrath!
Founding	M34
Successors of	Dark Angels
Chapter Master	High Marshal Fyrr
Homeworld	Ius
Strength	1,000
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Blue, Red Accents, White Right Pauldron

There's chapters allied with the Mechanicus and Inquisition and stuff, but I don't know any that work closely with the Adeptus Arbites! Persecutors of Darkness are stalwart marines whose specialty is dealing with the Imperium's most disgusting foe: High Traitors and the obscenely corrupt. They root out Heresy throughout the Segmentum Pacificus before it can fully rear its ugly head. While the consequences for treachery is sift and brutal, the chapter's definition is ranges greatly. Those that obstruct the Imperium in its holy endeavors is a traitor deserving of death. In this, they work closely with the Adeptus Arbites, inform the chapter on criminals too large for them to properly handle.

A Dark Angel successor founded in 33M, they inhabit the world of Ius, a medieval urban world with sprawling concreate mega-cities, ruled by an iron fist. Their Fortress Monastery of Raus towers over the planet's capital, where intensive study of the Law occurs inside its brutalist halls. The planet's Enforcers directly answer to the marines of Ius, acting as both a PDF and police force. Outside of the culturally primitive Mega-Cities lies only farmlands and red-grass plains, with the occasional nomad tribe forever roaming.

Each marine is well versed in the Imperium's Law, and trained in the tight alleys and crowded streets of their homeworld. The Marines are experts in cramped environments, being urban and hiveworld specialists. Combat shotguns are just as common as bolters in the chapter, and power mauls coupled with large combat shields are chapter favorite. Veteran squads even employ cyber-mastiffs

Red Legion

"I assure you, my 'good friend' that I do everything in my power to assure the health and efficiency of my chapter's Gene-Seed. Is our Legion not strong and swelling with new blood?" - Chief Apothecary Tural when discussing with another Marine.

Red Legion
Battle Cry	The Legion fights on!
Founding	M36
Successors of	Unknown
Chapter Master	Rashad
Homeworld	Oxatan
Strength	1,200+
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Red

The Red Legion is a space marine chapter of unknown origins, known to have taken part in many bloody and disastrous battles. A (mostly) codex-compliant chapter, there is seemingly nothing particularly noteworthy about them safe for their history, which the people they fight with are generally unaware of. If they knew then it is likely they would not want to fight alongside the Red Legion.

Several times in their history, the Red Legion have suffered catastrophic losses which would have crippled other chapters. In spite of this, the chapter has recovered in the span of a decade, sometimes even exceeding the 'expected' strength of one thousand marines. The truth is a sinister one: the Red Legion make use of forbidden archaeotech (or maybe even xeno) biological engineering combined with mass-slavery to provide fresh bodies to speed up gene seed production. This has made their geneseed incredibly unstable and ridden their marines with genetic defect which do not appear obvious as they rarely manifest as overt grotesque mutations. Many of their zygotes are deficient and of lower quality or even missing on certain battle-brothers. Overall their marines are, on average, slightly weaker than the average marine of an healthy chapter. Their sanity is, likewise, heavily impaired and the chapter is known to harbor many depraved secret cults where the marines partake in their demented obsessions. This make them somewhat aloof and unwilling to fight alongside other chapters, especially the more zealous and purity-obssesed ones.

Members of the Red Legion sent to the Deathwatch are rare. These are usually those with little defects (at least by the standards of the Red Legion) and a very sharp mind.

Deathwatch

Red Legion characters are created using the rules for Codex Successor Chapters given in the Deathwatch Honour the Chapter Rulebook with the following modifications:

+5 Intelligence, +5 Perception

Starting Talent: Meditation, Paranoia

Implants: Roll on the Missing or Inactive Zygotes chart (1-9) from Rites of Battle to represent the random implant deficiencies of the character.

Chapter Demeanor: Use the Aloof Codex Demeanor from Honour the Chapter.

Primarch Curse: Use The Secret Chapter Curse using the rules given for Dark Angels, modified at Rank 3 to 'Unless the Battle- Brother’s Kill-team is solely comprised of Red Legions, its Cohesion is reduced by 2.'

Red Wolves

"Waeles am byth" - Askladd Yydrelli, chief Librarian

Red Wolves
Battle Cry	Teribus ye teri Imperator!
Founding	M35
Successors of	Raven Guard
Chapter Master	Llywelyn Eagle-Eye
Homeworld	Waelas, commonly known as Bloodfall in Low Gothic
Strength	1,000
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Red, Black pauldrons

A chapter of Raven Guard successors based on the Feral World of Waelas, the Red Wolves are forest combat specialists. They make multiple raids and ambuscades on a foe, before finally striking the killing blow at last.

This specialty stems from the nature of their homeworld - Waelas is almost entirely plains, interrupted by large forests. The plains are inhabited by various breeds of large beasts. Children are taught to flee into the forests for safety, and to lose pursuers in the undergrowth - making way to their secluded home villages.

From the age of 10, every children is given a longbow made from the yew and elm trees of the forests, as to link them to their homes. Those who go on to become part of the chapter wield bows as well, having made several modifications to them - including explosive anti-personnel arrowheads and laser sights.

Devastator Squads are non-existent within the battle companies, their roles having been folded into specialized Tactical Squads who wield the same weapons- with the Devastator Company largely being composed of veterans of these squads. Thus, Scout Squads jump from their status as initiates straight to the Assault squads.

Tributors

"The Sons of Sanguinius have come to take their tribute." - Captain Aybek

Tributors
Battle Cry	By the blood of Sanguinius we come for you!
Founding	M38
Successors of	Blood Angels
Chapter Master	Timur the Bloodied
Homeworld	Qalaw
Strength	700
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Tarnished Metal, Red and Purple-Red

The Tributors are a Blood Angels successor chapter native to the world of Qalaw, a dark industrial world choking under a constant layer of smog. Qalaw is not the original homeworld of the chapter, their previous one having been rendered unusable. The Tributors recruit from the tireless workers of Qalaw, young men used to living in utterly horrific conditions.

The relationship between the Tributors and the people of Qalaw is a complicated one, a mixture of fear, devotion and resolution. The Tributors frequently take an unfair amount of tithe from the planet to support their campaigns across the galaxy. In turn, they bring war prisoners to Qalaw to refill the ever-depleting scores of laborers which dig into the planet crust in search of rare and exotic (and often lethal) materials.

In terms of organization the Tributors are mostly identical to their Blood Angels ancestors. What set them apart from them, however, is mentality, demeanor and combat tactics: recruiting from Qalaw has left its mark on the Tributors who are rather dour and stubborn by the standards of their lineage. Likewise, they shun the more ornate and aesthetically-pleasing armors and banners of their brethren to which they see little use. Due to the cramped nature of their homeworld (which is nothing but toxic slums, factories and deep underground tunnels) they make far less use of jet packs than their fellow Blood Angels descendants.

Deathwatch

Tributors characters are created using the rules for Blood Angels given in the Deathwatch Core Rulebook with the following modifications:

Bonus Talent: Iron Jaw, Resistance (Poison), Rival (Blood Angels and Successors).

Restrictions: Fellowship advances cost twice the normal Experience Points to Tributors characters.

Widowmakers

"Beneath the might of the Emperor, of Man, of the Universe itself, we are mere dust along the road. Defend the weak, nurture the sick, beat back the wicked. These are the things that give you value. But do not delight in purpose. A man with purpose has everything--and a man with everything is nothing." - Third Company Chaplain Pilus

Widowmakers
[[Image:center]]
Battle Cry	You die in vain.
Founding	M35
Successors of	Unknown
Homeworld	Istodard
Strength	1,115
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Blue, Silver and Teal

In the twilight years of M35, a small penal colony was established on the far edge of the Imperium's borders on a planet called Istodard: a lonely, rocky world in the Heath system, accompanied only by a tiny moon and two monstrous gas giants floating at the threshold of the star's gravity. The colony was delegated to work the sulfur and iridium mines of Istodard, prisoners being freed after a number of years of penance. Soon after the colony got on its feet, however, a combined Death Guard and Night Lords warband and their servants swept through the region after shutting down long-distance communications and corrupting Administratum records of the area in a deft attack. Istodard was presumed lost, but the Administratum was relatively unconcerned, as the entire subsector held relatively little value and the loss of a few criminals mattered little.

Fortunately for the colonists, the Imperium was wrong in assuming their demise. For one reason or another, the warband left Istodard alone, perhaps not considering the colony even worth their time.

A short while after the criminals and their overseers realized they would be without Imperial support, a bloodless revolt was staged. The minimal PDF would not be enough for Istodard's planetary warden to maintain control without serious bloodshed (likely costing his own life), so he relented and the colonists took control, establishing a modicum of democracy based around individual civil service and self-sacrifice. In exchange for not attempting to fight the rebels, they would maintain Imperial traditions Istodard is still far from a republican utopia, however: the planet's biosphere is still in relatively poor condition, with farming limited to rocky mountain terraces. Pollution control was put into immediate effect to relegate the damage from the mines, but as those resources remain their primary export, the government still has trouble finding a balance.

The Widowmakers themselves came to Istodard twenty-odd years later, out of a nearby nebula that had hidden them for some time. The locals feared it was a return of the Chaos warband, and readied their poor militia as best they could with meager weapons they had bargained from xenos or fashioned on their own. However, the two Marine cruisers instead hailed the Senate chambers directly and struck some sort of deal that is still shrouded in mystery today. Not even the current generation of Widomakers know the full truth of the secrets shared that day, and the Senate kept no records whatsoever. What IS certain is that the Widomakers were bound in their secret treaty to serve Istodard and protect its subsector with all their might, drawing recruits from the able young men of the world.

The Imperium rediscovered Istodard in M40 when a voyaging Rogue Trader was picking through the area for valuables and data left behind by the Chaos Marines from their crusade centuries before. What he found was a strange sight indeed: a free (but struggling) planet trading its dangerous minerals with xenos, guarded by its very own Space Marine chapter, all while maintaining a majority of Imperial decrees and traditions since the time they lost contact. He quickly organized efforts to bring them back into the fold, and was rewarded handsomely by the Administratum.

Now to the truly curious matter: those Marines.

The Widowmakers are dour, not unlike the people of their world. They have no knowledge of their lineage, having passed through three generations of Marines without written records from before their arrival to Istodard. Their current and third Chapter Warden, Caius Galvisius, suspects that they were somehow descended from loyalist remnants of the Death Guard, though he shares this thought only to his closest confidants. Other veterans share similar theories, but likewise keep their ideas to themselves.

The chapter holds a disdain for the heraldry and pompousness of their cousin Marines, and indeed dislike most of the rest of the Imperium aside from its citizens. In turn, their brothers find their lack of respect offensive, and a few chapters outright refuse to work with the Widowmakers.

They hold no illusions about their task, and do their best to kill cleanly and efficiently. They believe that hatred and excess bloodshed leads to more violence and war, and do not delight in their purpose. Strategically, they take a classical approach: move fast and hard. Cut the head from the snake and the rest will be no threat at all. Widomakers make it a point to move offensively when on defense, and use bait and misdirection on the offensive. Tactically, they avoid getting bogged down in melee unless they know they can win--and Widomakers do utilize the intimidation such strikes can cause. Otherwise, they fight quickly, yet not at range. Bike squads and Land Speeders crush flanks while Rhinos disgorge Marines into the heart of the foe, such that they may cut it out and disrupt the enemy. Such blitzkrieg tactics enable them to take a minimum of casualties for maximum damaging effect.

Recruits are drawn from the proven men of Istodard's PDF/Imperial Guard and Stormtrooper regiments. For them, though, it is not an honour to be elected for Scout candidacy: it is a curse. In the Guard, at least, one eventually returns to his family and his home. But becoming a Widomaker means your life is destined to end in battle, an unending existence of war and strife. This problem is somewhat unique to the Widowmakers: a strange flaw in the geneseed of the Widomakers prevents them from converting younger men, and also causes them to be more susceptible to disease than other chapters. Thus, it is more mentally strenuous for citizens of Istodard to leave their old lives behind, whereas other chapter recruits never know much of a life outside the folds of brotherhood. To counteract this, the chapter officers have drawn an idea from the Salamanders and permit Marines to live freely on Istodard, at least as much as they can afford to.

However, the idea that the Marines are prisoners reaching salvation through service in their own Chapter exists even in its organization. For example, the Chapter Master is called the Warden, and Captains are instead Guardians. Even Battle Brothers consider themselves lowly servants to the higher goal--that of peace and safety for humanity. The Chaplains impress upon the warriors that not only is faith THEIR shield, but THEY are the shield of faith, protectors who cannot live without being defended by that which they serve.