26th Founding

The 26th Founding of Space Marine Chapters occurred during 738 of the current millennium. There are only two known Chapters that were Founded at this time -- the Mentors and the Storm Giants. The Mentors was created from the gene-seed of unknown origin. Little is known about this Chapter in Imperial records, though the Mentors are known to be a reclusive and suspicious Chapter of Astartes who no longer trust other Space Marine Chapters or the Imperial government, preferring to work alone and unobserved by all save the foes of Mankind and the Emperor. They are the second Chapter of Astartes to be designated number 888 (the first being the now-lost Star Scorpions). This came about because the Star Scorpions, a Chapter created during the 25th Founding, suffered from both a high rate of mutation within its gene-seed and had the terrible misfortune of becoming lost in the Warp after coming under attack from very powerful daemonic entities. While stocks of the Star Scorpions' gene-seed had survived the loss of the Chapter, the high rate of mutation found within it made it useless when the Adeptus Mechanicus moved to try to reconstitute the Chapter and eventually the Magos Biologis and chem-architects were forced to concede defeat. For a time it seemed that the number 888 would never be raised again, but some years later, a new Founding in the offing persuaded the Mechanicus to revisit the Chapter regalia. Thus the 26th Founding occurred and the Mentors Chapter was born. They received the uniforms and number of the extinct Chapter but instead of the redundant gene-seed, they were given an entirely new generation of genetic material collated from the storage banks of Terra's gene-laboratories.

The Storm Giants are another Chapter created during this founding, though their origins remain unknown. Many suspect that they are a Successor Chapter of the venerable First Founding Chapter, the Salamanders of Nocturne. The Storm Giants are primarily a Fleet-based Chapter, preferring to meet any threats to the Imperium of Mankind on their own terms. They also do not want to be tied down to any one world, having to defend a Fortress-Monastery in case they are ever attacked, as has happened to too many other Space Marine Chapters. As a Fleet-based Chapter, the Storm Giants can stay mobile while avoiding those that would bring ill fortune upon their Chapter.