Storm Wardens

The Storm Wardens are a Codex Astartes-compliant Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown origin and Founding located on the Forbidden World of Sacris in the Calixis Sector of the Segmentum Obscurus. The Storm Wardens are stoic defenders of Mankind often found upon the borders of the Imperium. Until just recently, these Astartes were most focused upon the great Warp Storms that troubled the Halo Stars region of the Segmentum Obscurus on the galaxy's western edge. There, they protect Imperial frontier planets from the predatory actions of xenos, Chaos Renegades and Heretics. They are often unknown and unsung heroes to the worlds that they defend, as the Storm Wardens are a highly insular Chapter and there are only a small handful of monuments and Imperial records outside of their fortress-monastery on their homeworld of Sacris' moon of Highcastle that celebrate their long list of battle honours.

The world called Sacris is classified as a Forbidden World by the Adeptus Terra, though it was originally a Feral World of highland moors and dark, gloomy swampland. It is inhabited by primitive human tribes of warriors who gather around charismatic clan warlords and continually battle for supremacy in the planet's shadowy swamps. The tribes of Sacris have a fierce code of honour and deeply believe that a man's word is his bond. The tribes worship the Emperor of Mankind as a stern divine father who judges the souls of all men by their strength at arms and the purity of their honour. The culture of Sacris has had a strong impact upon the Storm Wardens, as many of the Chapter's Neophytes come from the tribes. It is not uncommon to see Storm Warden Scout Marines with woad-painted faces like those of the native tribes. Humans are not the only inhabitants of Sacris, however; a sizeable colony of the Abhuman Ogryns survived on the planet's rocky southern continent, possibly the descendants of Ogryns owed a debt of honour as the result of an ancient oath sworn by the Storm Wardens before the Nemesis Incident. Whatever the truth of their origins, the Storm Wardens do not show the usual Imperial distaste for Abhumans and have fought beside many Imperial Guard regiments in the past that included units of Ogryns and Ratlings.

At the present, automated Imperial orbital beacons encircle Sacris, declaring the world forbidden to all traffic and communion with the wider Imperium and spreading rumours that the planet is home to a deadly plague. The reason for this deception is unknown, save for the fact that it was Owin Glendwyr's final command as Chapter Master. Later Chapter Masters have continued this false quarantine, though they do not know the purpose for it or what danger Sacris might present to the rest of Mankind. The Storm Wardens maintain their fortress-monastery on Highcastle, the single ivory-coloured moon that orbits above Sacris. Crenellated Gothic towers surmounted by Gargoyle-Servitors define this great stronghold. Inhabited by all the Storm Wardens, it holds massive chambers where the Chapter's many vehicles and wargear are maintained. The fortress-monastery's halls bear a multitude of blank banners and deep scars left behind by the Nemesis Incident. Highcastle's lower halls (the term refers to the fortress-monastery as well as the moon of Sacris) extend deep below the moon's surface and contain the automated nanofurnaces that provide the raw materials and physical conditions necessary to craft new weapons and vehicles for the Chapter, overseen by the Master of the Forge. Deeper still are the stasis chambers, though none but the Storm Wardens' Dreadnoughts know their true location. Highcastle is a seemingly impregnable citadel, although much of the fortress remains inaccessible and unknown, even to the Storm Wardens. The age of Highcastle is difficult to determine accurately, but the fragmentary records remaining to the Chapter from before the Nemesis Incident reveal that Highcastle was present in this part of the galaxy even before the Angevin Crusade and the resulting formal incorporation of the Calixis Sector into the Imperium of Man.

The Nemesis Incident
In 945.M36 the Storm Wardens aided the Inquisition in operations against an infestation of Enslavers, psychic entities from the Warp, in the Steropes Cluster. What came to pass in the alien Steropes' cyclopean ruins is unknown but shortly after the Storm Wardens returned to Sacris, something endangered the Chapter and potentially the Imperium itself. At the conclusion of the Nemesis Incident, the Storm Wardens' Chapter Master Owin Glendwyr discussed with an Inquisitor Lord of the Ordo Xenos what needed to be done. A dire decision was made. By the authority of the High Lords of Terra, Glendwyr had much of the interior of the Storm Wardens' fortress-monastery on their homeworld of Sacris' moon of Highcastle sealed. All records of their history, the Primarch from which they descended and the date of the Chapter's Founding were destroyed or hidden away. Furthermore, the Storm Wardens' homeworld of Sacris in the Calixis Sector was forbidden to have contact with the Imperium at large. Following this, according to the only record of this time that still exists, the sacred history of the Chapter called the Liber Tempest, many Storm Wardens, including the entire Veteran 1st Company and Chapter Master Owin Glendwyr himself, were placed in hidden stasis vaults. The Chapter's Venerable Dreadnoughts have taken vows of silence and stand guard over these hidden chambers.

The Inheritors
After the Nemesis Incident, the Storm Wardens rebuilt their 1st Company of Veterans. Those who joined its ranks became known as "The Inheritors," knowing that they represent their Chapter's honour until their ancestors awaken from their timeless slumber in stasis. Ever since the Nemesis Incident, the Storm Wardens have redoubled their diligence and their fortress-monastery of Highcastle now mounts sophisticated scanning technology reluctantly given by the Adeptus Mechanicus as payment for an ancient pact between the Tech-priests and the Chapter.

Notable Campaigns

 * Kraazgrug's Folly (Unknown Date) - One of the most famous of the Storm Wardens' campaigns took place on the plains of the Agri-world called Keffik's World in the Scarus Sector. An Ork warband led by the Warboss Kraazgrug had been ravaging a number of settlements and threatened the food supply for an entire Sub-sector. Just before the Orks overran the last of the star system's defences, an Imperial astropathic distress signal was relayed to Sacris. In response, the Storm Wardens deployed several companies of the Chapter, supported by many armoured vehicles. These forces were placed under the command of Captain Lorgath Maclir as Force Commander (prior to his elevation to the rank of Chapter Master) and included a small group of Space Marines from the Chapter's elite 1st Company. Maclir's plan was to face the Warboss' Wartrukks and Warbuggies on the open plains of the planet's northern continent. However, the Orks' vehicles manoeuvered through the depths of a potent dust storm and Captain Maclir was forced to change his strategy. Using Scout Marine Bike Squads, Stormravens and Land Speeder Typhoons, Maclir used his swiftly-moving skirmishers to lure the main body of the Greenskins' army into a box canyon. The Orks and their Warboss were eliminated with an unrelenting hail of heavy weapons fire from the rim of the canyon and no Ork left the battle alive to trouble the peace of the Emperor again.
 * The Cleansing of Vigil (Unknown Date) - The Cleansing of Vigil took place in the lightless tunnels below the surface of the Dead World of Vigil against the alien Slaugth and their warrior constructs. The conflict consisted of a series of bloody, close-range firefights in confined subterranean conditions. Due to these conditions, the Storm Wardens' favoured armoured vehicles were impossible to use and their advance became cautious and methodical. To make matters worse, the Slaugth forces seemed adept at provoking the Storm Wardens out of such careful tactics. The toll of casualties eventually grew high and this tested the morale of the Chapter. Despite their losses, the Storm Wardens finally pulled through and Vigil was cleansed of the Slaugth. Those Veterans who survived the Cleansing of Vigil have learned to pay closer attention to the wisdom of the Codex Astartes. Chapter Master Lorgath Maclir promoted many of these Veterans to serve in his Honour Guard.

Recruitment
The Storm Wardens descend from their fortress-monastery on Sacris' moon of Highcastle to the foggy moors and feral tribes below to hold a series of games and ritual combats to select only the fiercest and most intelligent warriors to join the ranks of the Adeptus Astartes. Often, Aspirants must struggle against the fen-trolls and other dangerous native animal life of Sacris during these trials, facing combat in the mist-covered moors in what is actually a combination of a running skirmish with a marathon race. The recruits must navigate past pockets of toxic swamp gas, through infestations of swarm leeches, across the quicksand-filled plains and then reach the Storm Wardens' landing site. Those recruits who survive that far then compete in the games that pit potential recruits against each other in contests of raw physical strength and skill at arms. Simply to be able to compete in these trials elevates the status of a man among the feral tribes of Sacris. Whether he succeeds or fails, he has tested himself against the greatest warriors on a harsh world and thus earned great respect. After passing the trials, many of these Aspirants take with them to Highcastle the Sacris claymore, an heirloom weapon given by the Storm Wardens to successful Aspirants as a reward for their tenacity that is cherished by the tribesmen. It is also common that when a Storm Warden dies, his claymore is ritually returned to his tribe on the homeworld. Many blades have earned great fame and a place in legend for their tribe in this way.

The Way of Honour
The Storm Wardens, like the feral tribesmen they recruit from, value personal honour and physical strength at arms over all. It is said that many Storm Warden Astartes prefer to challenge enemy commanders to single combat in order to test themselves against the mightiest of enemies. Storm Wardens often seek out single combat with a foe they consider worthy of the honour, although more than a few Veteran Sergeants and Captains have fallen against particularly dangerous opponents this way. As noted, the Storm Wardens are an unusually insular Chapter and rarely visit other worlds in the Imperium. In fact, the Calixis Sector is largely unaware that it is even home to an Astartes Chapter, with the exception of certain Inquisitors and the Sector Governor Lord Hax of Scintilla. Much of the Chapter's standoffish culture results from the Storm Wardens' deep sense of personal honour. Some Imperial analysts believe that these Space Marines prefer not to stain themselves through association with so many of the disreputable worlds of the sector that surrounds them. Despite their remote natures, the Storm Wardens rarely clash with the Imperium's other power centres as Space Marine Chapters often do, having assisted both the Inquisition and the Imperial Guard in numerous campaigns and battles throughout the Imperium's history. Many Imperial frontier planets under dire threat from xenos or Chaos have witnessed the incredible sight of the Storm Wardens' Drop Pods entering their atmosphere, each containing a squad of ten Astartes who will defeat the foes of the Emperor and defend Mankind. This is the true Way of Honour.

Tempest Blades
A tradition has grown up within the Storm Wardens, based around the notion of the pursuit of the last duel. Warriors who have attained the acclaim of their entire Chapter are hailed as so-called Tempest Blades, and grouped together into special veteran squads within the 1st Company. On the field of battle, Tempest Blade squads seek out the most powerful enemies and engage them in close combat, no matter the odds. Sometimes the enemy is a band of champions, in which case the Tempest Blades disperse to fight each foe individually, while at other times the enemy is so large and powerful that they must pool their power, though no others outside of the squad are allowed to intervene. Occasionally, the most senior Tempest Blade declares that he and he alone may engage the foe, his Battle-Brothers forming a perimeter around the fight so that none may interfere or influence the result.

But Tempest Blades are far more than veteran squads, for they embody much of the character and aspirations of the Chapter. Each Tempest Blade is the inheritor of the teachings, honour, and often the wargear, of a named predecessor, following his example and passing it on by his own deeds. Thus, each Tempest Blade is said to be continuing the deeds of a particular ancestor, and none can be declared a member of this inner order unless they have proven themselves worthy of he whose deeds they intend to follow. Tempest Blades are the masters of close combat and carry to battle the most sacred of relic weapons and artificer armour. Many carry the huge claymore power blades symbolic of the warrior clans of Sacris. Every Storm Warden is skilled with the great claymores of Sacris, and many strive to master the subtleties of wielding so large and deadly a weapon. Tempest Blades have perfected the use of such weapons, wielding large, heavy implements of destruction deftly and gracefully. Others bear Thunder Hammers, Power Axes, glaives, or halberds, all distinctly two-handed weapons. Because they bear such oversized weapons, the Tempest Blades must rely on their own skill at parrying or avoiding enemy attacks, some becoming adept at utilising the hafts of certain weapons to turn an enemy’s blow.

It is the aspiration and most cherished dream of every Tempest Blade to earn a place in the Lexicon Heroica, a great tome maintained by the Librarians of the Storm Wardens Chapter. In the pages of this multi-volume archive, the deeds and the manner of the death of the greatest of heroes are written, and it is through the Chapters and verses therein that the Tempest Blades follow and continue the traditions of their ancestors. Each studies the deeds of a particular figure of legend and seeks above all else to live up to the example set by his predecessor. Thus, a continuous lineage is established, examples from thousands of years ago driving the Chapter forward. Of course, the earliest volumes of the Lexicon Heroica are missing, sealed away beneath the Chapter’s fortress in the wake of the Nemesis Incident.

It has been observed by some outside of the Storm Wardens Chapter that there is something tragic, almost fatalistic in the traditions of the Tempest Blades. Each is engaged upon a quest that can only end in his own death. The Tempest Blades themselves might counter that it is the manner of a warrior’s death that defines him. They hold the belief that only at the moment of death does a warrior gain true insight, learning the limits of his own ability and in so doing knowing himself as no other warrior can. For this reason, the Tempest Blades hold those interred within the sarcophagus of a Dreadnought as especially holy, for these have experienced the point of death, gained the ultimate insight, and returned to fight on. For many Tempest Blades, such a fate is the ultimate revelation, and one they yearn to attain at the culmination of their own service.

It is not unusual for Tempest Blades to take the Apocryphon Oath and take up the Long Watch, for in so doing they might reasonably expect to encounter foes no warrior has previously faced and test themselves against truly unique challenges. In the service of the Deathwatch, a Tempest Blade carves his own legend, transcending the traditions of his forebears so that one day, his own deeds will be studied by future generations and his name recorded in the hallowed pages of the Lexicon Heroica.

Halo Stars Garrison
The Storm Wardens currently have their attention as a Chapter fixed on the great Warp Storms that plague the Halo Stars near the Calixis Sector's borders. The frontier worlds that border them are protected by the Storm Wardens from xenos threats, Chaos renegades and heretical recidivists. Because of the Storm Wardens' insular nature, only a very small number of monuments and documents celebrate their often heroic defence of these worlds.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
The Storm Wardens are unemotional defenders of the Imperium of Man, often found at the outermost edges of Imperial space where they are needed most. Even amongst other Space Marines, the Storm Wardens are considered clannish and distant. They are slow to make friends but those who persist they respect and protect. A Storm Warden's word is his bond; honour, to him, is of the utmost importance. Storm Wardens are also meticulous planners of tactics and strategies, often spending the night before battle planning ahead, where other Chapters would be in deep meditation. In battle, the Storm Wardens lay aside any personal disputes and stick to the decided plan and, usually, they will seek out enemy champions and commanders to test themselves against. The military traditions of the Chapter stongly mirror those of the feral tribes of Sacris, emphasising close combat and testing oneself against the strongest foes on the field. Like most Codex Astartes-compliant Chapters, the Storm Wardens perform well at all forms of combat, but they prefer one devastating strategy. Using heavy armour, their assaults use numerous Predator main battle tanks and Land Raiders. The enemy is first subjected to a savage but brief bombardment from either a Strike Cruiser in orbit or a strafing run by a Thunderhawk gunship. This pins the enemy in place for an armoured assault by the Chapter's Predators and Land Raiders, supported by Rhinos and Razorbacks carrying Tactical and 1st Company Sternguard Squads into battle. It is this armoured assault that has its roots in the tribal culture of Sacris. Many Storm Wardens use their armoured vehicles as steeds to carry them into combat, where they launch assaults against the enemy and fight according to the tenets of the Way of Honour. Their preference for fighting alongside their armoured units has led to many stunning tactical feats and also evens the balance of forces so that they can fight their enemy on more even and thus honourable terms. It is no surprise, then, that the Storm Wardens maintain a large number of Techmarines in their ranks and there is some speculation that, like the Iron Hands, the Storm Wardens have a closer relationship with the Adeptus Mechanicus than other Astartes Chapters.

Chapter Beliefs
The Battle-Brothers of the Storm Wardens are known for their all-consuming drive to test themselves at every opportunity, fighting duels with one another and engaging in lethal, one-on-one close combat against enemy champions on the field of battle. This drive is deep-seated, and some hold that it is a trait inherited from the Chapter’s unknown ancestor Astartes Legion, though none can say exactly which Primarch it might apply to, for all were driven in their own manner. By way of this continuing quest for excellence, the Storm Wardens have produced many truly legendary heroes, but they have also suffered some of the most tragic losses. Some of the Chapter’s greatest figures of legend have risen to their position by way of the great deeds they have performed, only to be defeated by an enemy they could not better and which they might not have engaged alone had they not been seeking to honour their tradition in such a way.

The Storm Wardens are highly insular, and rarely visit other worlds. In fact, the Calixis Sector is largely unaware of their very presence, with the exception of several high-ranking Inquisitors and Lord Sector Hax. Much of the Chapter’s aloof nature has to do with the high value that the Storm Wardens place on personal honour, and some speculate that these Space Marines prefer not to associate with many of the disreputable worlds that surround them. Despite their generally remote and detached nature, Storm Wardens rarely cause friction with the Imperium’s various Adepta, having assisted both the Inquisition and the Imperial Guard in numerous campaigns and actions throughout their history. Many Imperial Frontier Worlds under dire threat have witnessed the sight of Storm Warden’s Drop Pods entering the atmosphere, each containing a squad of Space Marines intent on repelling any attack upon the Imperium’s borders.

Notable Storm Wardens

 * Lorgath Maclir - Lorgath Maclir is the current Chapter Master of the Storm Wardens, a cunning strategist who constantly challenges his captains with tactical exercises and who obsessively studies the Tactica Imperialis. Some rumours claim that Logarth managed to memorise these precepts of war, an impressive feat even with an Astartes' genetically-enhanced memory.
 * Owin Glendwyr - The Storm Wardens' former Chapter Master upon the conclusion of the Nemesis Incident five thousand standard years ago. Owin was placed in stasis soon after the incident in the Chapter's fortress-monastery on its homeworld of Sacris.
 * Kynar Half-Hand - Kynar Half-Hand is the Captain of the Storm Warden's 7th Company. Kynar arrived in the Achilus Reach with the vanguard of the Achilus Crusade. Within the Jericho Reach there are few who have earned a reputation for grim determination and uncompromising violence like that of Brother-Captain Kynar Half-Hand.

Chapter Colours
The Storm Wardens have blue and white Power Armour with white trim and a white Imperial Aquila.

Chapter Badge
The Storm Wardens' Chapter badge is a grey lightning bolt imposed over a blue shield.

Gallery
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