F

ighting across the Segmentum Pacficus, the Vengeance Crusade

has its roots in the finest hour of the Black Templars Chapter. Under the leadership of the Vengeance Marshal the crusade has continued since that time, bringing retribution and revenge on those who would turn from the Emperor and break their oaths of loyalty. Forming part of the greater 2035th Imperial Expeditionary Army, under Warmaster von Romm of Cadia, The Vengeance Crusade supports the Army in its goal to re-conquer the worlds lost to the strife and anarchy surrounding the 13th Black Crusade. The Vengeance Crusade was formed immediately following the Siege of the Ecclesiarchal Palace during the Age of Apostasy by High Marshal Sigenandus. It has continued since that time unabated, although heavily altered. The current Vengeance Crusade is commanded by Lord Marshal Aleck Todt, one of the shadowed Reiksmarshals of the Black Templars, and is fighting across the wartorn Adamark Sector in the marches of the Segmentum Pacificus. The original goals of the Vengeance Crusade were to destroy all those who broke faith with the Emperor during the Age of Apostasy, but this was later changed to destroy all of those who break faith with the Emperor, by Marshal Sylass after the treachery of Calo V, where the Vengeance Crusade was crippled by the treachery of the Iron Wolves Chapter, leaving the Crusade with only forty-three remaining souls. It is due to his leadership that the Vengeance Crusade has continued on in the Emperor's name. The Black Templars are not a Chapter known for their mercy, and the Vengeance Crusade is synonymous with brutality. Enemies who would attempt to dissuade the Imperial assault by hiding in heavily populated centers quickly found the Templars have little regard for their 'honorless tactics' and bomb them without mercy in spite of the heavy and sometime total casualties of such actions. The Crusade has not come so far to be stopped by civilian considerations. Unusually for the survivors children who are deemed clean by the Inquisitorial examination squads will be taken by the Chapter. What is done with the survivors is unknown. At its current strength, the Expeditionary Fleet is truly massive. Comprised of ships from the Sector Fleet, pilgrim vessels, Rogue Traders, merchant ships intent on opening new avenues of trade on

the conquered worlds, colony ships to repopulate the planets cleansed by the Crusade, Inquisitorial cutters and cruisers,Imperial Guard troopships, Missionarius chapel-cruisers, Mechanicus Explorator ships, attendant cruisers and gunboats, other Astartes Vessels, as well as the Black Templars Vengeance Crusade Fleet. The flagship of the Black Templars is Fist of Illumination, a Venerable Battle Barge. Altered extensivly, the Fist of Illumination has a number of modifications that the Inquisition and Navy would be less than approving of, but the nature of the Crusade and the presence of sympathetic Inquisitorial and Naval forces in the fleet have not called for censure, yet. The Venerable Battle Barge has been retroffited with several extra shield generator and multiple turrets, making it a formidable opponent for even other dedicated battleships. Some of the Chapter Serfs can trace their own ancestry in service to the chapter back millennia, with their forefathers having served the same guns they now serve, making the ship almost like blood relation to the serfs, many of whom consider it their home. The crew is one of the best and most professional in the Crusade Fleet, each crew member is a veteran of hundreds of planetary assaults, withering broadside clashes, and repelling boarders. This extends to the rest of the Vengeance Crusade Chapter Serfs, they are a powerful fighting force in their own right, capable of repelling assaults on their ships and even, on rare occasions accompanying their Lords in counter-boarding. The Serfs are easily the equal of the Imperial Navy Security Forces and the elite teams under the nomads are rumored to be as well trained as Imperial Stormtroopers, although this is likely conjecture and gossip in the Serf population. Unique amongst the Adeptus Astartes the Vengeance Crusade does not recruit from any worlds in particular, but rather from a fleet of nomadic mercenaries that fight across the galaxy in the name of the Emperor. These warriors have a strong martial culture that breeds tough and able warriors, on par with those of the other famous warrior cultures across the galaxy. These nomadic clans compete with one another for glory and honor on the field of battle as well as employment. These nomads, while respected, have also earned the ire of some branches of the Administratum, particularly the Munitorum. They have no world to call home, and as such, cannot be held responsible for tithes, or so they claim. The warriors of these clans still fight for the Emperor, but a with a noticeably higher wage than their contemporaries in the Imperial Guard. Some small factions of the Inquisition have even gone so far as to claim these bands actively disloyal for charging planetary governments fees for their aid, but this

has gone unpunished, due to inaction or the fact that these clans roam freely across the galaxy and can not be pinned down long enough to enable censure. The clans do not separate, instead they form a massive flotilla easily the size of a sub-sector fleet, although with notably less warships. The bulk of the fleet is instead comprised of habitation ships. A unique class of troop ship that is slightly heavier armed, but less shielded. These ships are not meant for combat and remain in wilderness space while the warships of the clans take the warriors to their newest employers system. The fleet contains a contingent of these mercenaries permanently attached to them, stationed aboard various vessels throughout the fleet, to train the newly pressed Serfs and crews. Whether they are fulfilling another ancient debt or are employed by the Vengeance Marshal is unknown. The Templars contact the nomads through the members of the clans who live in the crusade fleet, but how they contact the flotilla is unknown. The Crusade has a long standing oath with the warriors, that whenever called upon by one of the Reiksmarshal's they will make all haste, upon completion of their current contract, to the traditional recruiting ground on the planet Manda'yaim (called Reiksworld in High Gothic), the ancestral home of the nomads. On Reiksworld the Rites of Aspirancy will occur, with the greatest of the youth of the current generation being selected to become Black Templars. It is known that in the years that the Vengeance Crusade has continued over one half of its members where once members of the nomads. Numbering almost eight hundred members the Vengeance Crusade is one of the larger Crusades moving across the western marches of the Imperium. Organized into four Fighting Companies the Crusade is able to project force onto systems quickly and efficiently with little time or effectiveness lost if a Fighting Company must remain behind to continue pacification, once the primary operations are complete and the Crusade moves on to its next objective. The Fighting Companies are designed with specific goals in mind and as such are organized differently. Fighting Company Erebrecht and Mann are designed for Mechanized Assaults, and have a high number of armored vehicles, land speeders, and bikes. These Fighting Companies are deployed in open country operations against a numerically superior and technologically inferior enemy, such as Orks or traitor guard regiments. Fighting Company Altman and Skirata are designed primarily for orbital assaults and city sieges. During City Sieges they eschew the use of Rhinos and Predators for the power of the Vindicator and Land Raider Crusaders. These two Fighting

Companies are often employed against a technologically and numerical equal force, such as traitor marines and some Eldar. The Marshal's Household number 61 Individuals, and is blessed to claim 36 suits of tactical dreadnaught armor. These warriors are tasked with the most dangerous missions of the Crusade, often clearing Space Hulks, spearheading the orbital and mechanized assaults of the Crusade, or deploying to disrupt the enemy command structure. The Household will often fight together, although on occasion Marshal Todt will dispatch squads of Sword Brethren with the Fighting Companies if their mission requires the experience and skill of the warriors of the Household, but only for the duration of the mission, and never longer than required. The Household is very much a fighting force in its own right, to be used to crush the enemy where he is strongest. Each Crusade conforms to a unique set of beliefs shaped by the Marshal and Chaplains of the Crusade. A Crusade with Chaplains who preach the Black Templars are the divine retribution of the Emperor are likely to be fiery and zealous even amongst their brothers. A Crusade whose Marshal prefers armored assaults will often use armored assaults to destroy their foes. It is in this way that each Crusade is shaped by those who command it, explaining the great diversity amongst the Crusades. The Vengeance Crusade is very much shaped by both Marshal Todt and Chaplain Theodoric, the Crusade's Master of Sanctity. Marshal Todt considers himself a Crusader of old, bringing the light of the Emperor to the dark places of the galaxy, yet he remains true to the Oath of Vengeance, and is fanatical in his pursuit of destroying oathbreakers and cowards who turn from the Emperor's Light. For him, and by extension, his Crusade there can be no mercy or respite until they are brought to answer for their crimes. It is an unfortunate fact that when fighting against those of the cursed traitor legions and their renegade allies, the Vengeance Crusade will throw caution to the wind, and attack with little to no forethought or planning. It is this recklessness that has caused some concern throughout the Crusade Fleet, but with the recent arrival of Captain Jorunn and his company, Marshal Todt has shown greater restraint in his leadership of the Crusade. Chaplain Theodoric is a zealot as only a Black Templars Chaplain can be. Few in the Crusade can match his desire to destroy any enemy of the Imperium, and even fewer can match his skill with a storm bolter. Adopted from the 'Six Actions' of the nomads the Crusade recruits from, there are six core tenets of belief that the Templars in the Vengeance Crusade adhere to:

The Bearing of the Cross All Black Templars of the Vengeance Crusade must where the Black Cross of Sigismund on their armor. Some of the more devout brother have this tattooed into their skin to show their supreme dedication to the Chapter Creed. The Histories Brothers of the Crusade are tasked to memorize the Book of Marshal Sylass. A tome with history of the Black Templars Chapter and his personal interpretation of the Chapter's vision and mandate, as well as his mission for the Vengeance Crusade. It is through this that the Crusade continues so closely to his original ideals and goals. Passages are often inscribed onto the armor and vehicles of the Crusade as well as the Crusader Seals gifted to the warriors. The Oath of Vengeance All Crusaders must swear the Oath of Vengeance upon elevation to Initiate. It is this sacred vow that forms the bedrock of the beliefs of the Crusade. Every member of the Crusade has this Oath tattooed onto the left bicep. "Unchanged as the others fell, We fight on, Those that would break faith with the Emperor are weak, they will perish, while the Chapter is eternal, to the darkness, we bring fire; to the ignorant, we bring faith, those who betrayed us will know us, and beg for forgiveness and we do not forgive" The Covenant The Crusade has sworn to never cease until every traitor in the Imperium has been brought to justice, and the Emperor's realm has been restored to its former glory. It is this that has given the Crusade the drive to carry on thought the millennia. The Traditions The fifth tenet is the respect for the traditions of the Crusade. The honoring of the oath with the nomads, the Mass of Ascension, the teaching of neophytes, the act of tattooing the Oath of Vengeance, the adherence to the tenets of belief, the Day of Penance, and the Feast of Sylass are only a few of the many traditions of the Vengeance Crusade. To break the fifth tenet is considered blasphemy, and is punishable by death in the Vengeance Crusade. The Oath of Fealty

The ultimate belief is that in the High Marshal. The Black Templars of the Vengeance Crusade consider their Crusade mandated by the High Marshal, in honor of the Crusades founder, Sigenandus. When a new High Marshal is elected, a selected envoy, be it a Castellan or Honored Initiate, will travel to the Eternal Crusader and renew the Oath of Vengeance on the Sword of the High Marshal's. This is considered the supreme act of dedication and it is a much sought after honor to be selected as the envoy. If ever required, the Vengeance Crusade would cease and move to rejoin the High Marshal. The non-Astartes, Naval, Mechanicus, and Imperial Guard forces in the Crusade, known as the von Romm Crusade to those outside of the Black Templars Command Structure, are led by the elusive Lord Inquisitor Locke of the Ordo Malleus. A cold man, and ruthless as all Inquisitors must be, he is a powerful force in the Expeditionary Army. A powerful man, Lord Inquisitor Locke attached himself to the crusade during Abaddon's onslaught, and took control of the non-military portions of the Crusade, to make sure no backroom politics would decide the direction of the Crusade. With him came the Imperium's finest, the Grey Knights. The Crusade frequently encountered massive Daemonic threats on the civilized worlds engaged in combat with, or conquered by the Traitor Legions and their Renegade allies. The Grey Knights under his command, led by Brother-Captain Arcturus, frequently deployed to combat the daemonic, and even non-daemonic forces of the enemy, and it was Brother-Captain Arcturus and his retinue that killed Warsmith Bellator at the the Battle for Edessa. Though the Grey Knights have departed, Lord Inquisitor Locke still oversees the Ordo Hospitallars under Sister Beatrice, Missionarius Galaxia under Preacher Baptiste, and the Ordo Dialogous under Sister Lizabeth. After the end of the Black Crusade the Expeditionary Army has moved against the forces of no less than three Craftworlds as well as the Ork Empire of Gathrog. The newly encountered Xenos threat has brought the forces of Inquisitor Patrocles, along with a kill-team of Deathwatch Space Marines, tasked with killing the Arch-Dictator Gathrog. Inquisitor Patrocles was not alone, along with a sizable detachment of Sisters of Battle from the Order of the Ebon Chalice, under the fiery Canoness Rowena, came Inquisitor Jager of the Ordo Hereticus. The good Inquisitor has taken it upon herself to see that the worlds reconquered and inducted into the Imperial fold have sufficient faith to avoid anymore large scale defection and surrender on the worlds of the Imperium's border regions.

The Reiksguard are the Sword Brethren of the Reiksmarshals and bear the Reikscross on their armor, to show their unique status amongst the Chapter. Some go so far as to replace one of their Chapter symbols with it, to show their extreme dedication to their Marshal. The Reiksguard will often adorn their armor with symbols and inscriptions detailing their role in the Chapter. The Reiksmarshals are the historians and record keepers as well as a war council of sorts for the Black Templars. Formed by Ludoldus, the Eternal Crusader, after his elevation to High Marshal. The Reiksmarshals will meet once every five hundred years to decide what should be included in the Chapters Histories in the Reclusium of the Eternal Crusader, the names to be added to the Rites of Honor, and the Actions of the Chapter that should be stricken from the records. There are seven members on the council and each member has a single vote, with the High Marshal acting as the tie-breaker. The number seven is symbolic as the number of the Imperial Fists Legion and the number of Dorn's Huscarl Templars, the ancestors of the Black Templars. The High Marshal is the commander of all Black Templars and the head of the Reiksmarshals, the position is not mutual exclusive, one does not need to be a Reiksmarshal to be the High Marshal and it should be noted that High Marshal Helbrecht was inducted only after his elevation to the rank of High Marshal. It is important to note that the Lord Marshals hold no power over the other Marshals of the Chapter, due to the unofficial nature of the Reiksmarshals. The Lord Marshals themselves are just as insular as their contemporaries, with little to no contact with other Marshals.

Holy War The Adamark Crusade 242714.M40: The Day of the Feast of the Emperors Ascension. Kor Phaeron, Black Cardinal of the Word Bearers assaults the world of Galicia at the head of the largest traitor fleet to assail the Imperium in a millennia. The horde obliterates the system defenses and begins the planetary assault immediatly, the Word Bearers wanting to take full advantage of the initiative won by his dangerous warp break so close to the planet. As the population is celebrating the feast, the skies above their world darken and dropships of all size descend with contrails of black smoke and fire, unleashing the deadly reavers onto the world. Hordes of cultists assaulted the rural settlements; massive guns fired day and night into the armored fortress walls of the Hive cities as the Black Cardinal began his relentless assault. Supported by

Traitor Titans, Dark Mechanicus, and hundreds of regiments of renegade guard forces they quickly establish a firm hold on the planet. Hive Massila is taken within a single day, Illyrium is breached, the remaining Hives of Taren and Artu could barely withstand the relentless assault. By the end of the fifth night, the world had fallen. The High Lords knew that this was no ordinary chaos foray, and Kor Phaeron has picked a Sector that if lost, could destabilize the whole Segementum, and give the Word Bearers a stronghold from which they can strike out even into the Segmentum Solar. It is with this knowledge that they order Imperial High Command to commit all available resources to holding the Word Bearers and their Black Crusade within the Adamark Sector. To this end they appoint Otto von Romm as Warmaster and he is given total control of all Imperial Forces engaged against the Word Bearers. Von Romm is joined by over one hundred highly trained and well equipped Regiments of Imperial Guard, three lesser Titan Legions and thirty regiments of Skitarii, contingents from eight Chapters of Adeptus Astartes, and greatest of all: a sizable force of Grey Knights attached to the Crusade under Lord Inquisitor Gotmund of the Ordo Malleus. On Adamark at the altar of the Lux Imperator in the Cathedral of the Emperors Valor, each commander swears to see the Word Bearers driven from the Sector. With this the Crusade departs to meet the Black Cardinal in battle. Kor Phaeron had not been idle in conquest. With Galicia taken and the indoctrination of the population underway, the Word Bearers swiftly fortified their new world, turning it into a Fortress world capable of withstanding the Imperials. While Galicia was being broken and remade the traitors began to assault the surrounding systems under Mindaugas, Coryphaus of the Black Cardinal. In the frozen wastes of Hansa ancient groves were turned into natural temples to the Chaos Pantheon. At Volinus the fortress cities were bombarded from orbit while the Word Bearers and their renegade allies dug siege lines. The Imperials had been too slow in their muster, and the Word Bearers took full advantage. Von Romm divides his Crusade into four battlegroups: Angelus, Seraphus, Nephilus, and Lupus. Each battle group is dispatched to one of the embattled worlds in an effort to confront the Word Bearers while they are occupied with assaulting the Imperial defenders. Battle Group Angelus is dispatched to Volinus, under Lord General Hagan and Captain Castael of the Blood Angels. Here they would attack the Word

Bearers and force them to break off the sieges and retreat into the grasslands surrounding the Hives. Hansa was to be relieved by Battle Group Seraphus, the largest of the Battle Groups. Here Mindaugas had consolidated the largest portion of the invading fleet and Von Romm believed that a victory here early in the war could give the Imperials the initiative. Commanded by Lord Inquisitor Gotmund and supported by High Marshal Sigenandus and Captain Julian of the Ultramarines, the two respective chapters who had committed the most forces, it was believed that overwhelming numbers, motivation, and discipline would see the traitors driven from the world. At Alesia Battle Group Nephilus would attempt to reinforce the world before the Word Bearers defeated the formidable orbital defenses. Commanded by Lord General Adarus and Grand Master Azazel of the Guardians of the Covenant the Battle Group was tasked with preventing the Word Bearers from landing on the world that would provide the war effort with many of the raw materials and manpower needed to defeat the traitors. Finally, Battle Group Lupus was entirely comprised of three great companies of Space Wolves led by their savage Great Wolf Aerik Thorgir. The ruthless wolves of Fenris were to investigate Torun, which had gone silent, and many feared had already fallen. The Space Wolves led their fleet and a portion of Battle Fleet Adamark into the unknown willingly, ready to scourge the hated Word Bearers from the Allfathers realm. Organization: The combined forces of four separate Crusades, led in person by the High Marshal, the Adamark Crusade is the largest Crusade to be deployed by the Chapter since the Age of Apostasy. Numbering well over two thousand strong, and supported by a Crusade Fleet that rivals the combat power of sector battle groups, the true might of the Black Templars is seen at Adamark. The High Marshal, given his unmatched expertise at naval warfare and logistics, was given overall command of the combined Imperial Fleet of Battlegroup Seraphus by mandate of Lord Inquisitor Gotmund. Marshals Todt, Erebrecht, and Ludolf each lead a Crusade of roughly five hundred knights, as well as the Crusade of the High Marshal. Each Crusade has been organized in a manner to deal with any and all threats the Word Bearers may bring against them. Organized into

three or four fighting companies and spearheaded by each respective Marshals Household forces, each Crusade contains manpower that would crush lesser foes. For five thousand years the enigmatic Angels of Retribution have brought judgement upon those deemed impure and weak in the Emperors sight. What few records of the chapter exist indicate that the chapter was created in M35 during the 10th Founding, though these records are contradictory at best, and in some cases entirely false. The Grimoire of Urias the Black Angel provides the most complete record of the chapter, though many Imperial scholars have brought this ancient tomes validity into question. The chapter has a troubled past, frequently coming into conflict with other institutions of the Imperium for their abrasive actions. The Ecclesiarchy has, on numerous occasions, filed grievance with the Chapter Master, the case once even coming before the lower tribunals of Terra. With their brother Astartes relationships are strained and often outright antagonistic. It was during the infamous Tyber Crusade that Grand Master Uzazael refused to commit his forces alongside the Heralds of War chapter after the Heralds captain led a strike force behind enemy lines to rescue an Imperial Emmissary the Angels of Redemption had deemed tainted. The lack of support led to the Heralds of War suffering severe casualties in the remainder of the Crusade. The chapter is fiercely independent, rarely responding to calls for aid or petitions to join Imperial Crusades. On more than one occasion the chapter has simply moved through a besieged sector lending no aid unless the Chapter Fleet is under attack. This practice stems from the chapters unique belief that the Astartes are the angels of the Imperium, sent to punish those who have broken faith or live unrighteously. Frequently the chapter will undertake anti-mutant pogroms or punitive crusades against worlds they have deemed disloyal or deviant. These self-imposed undertakings have seen the chapter almost declared renegade more than once, and it was only after the direct intervention of of a Legate-Inquisitor, that the chapter was told in no uncertain terms to cease the violence against loyal Imperial institutions or face retribution themselves. Though reports of the chapter continuing these banned practices continue, they cannot be verified as none live who can testify against the Chapter. The Grimoire describes the chapter as having been founded by a training cadre drawn from multiple successors of the Dark Angels Legion, and the geneseed used to create the chapter was a standard gene-stock issue. Urias states that this was done specifically by the

High Lords to stem the dependence upon the founding chapter that the successors of the Dark Angels exhibit. The chapter was granted lordship over a feudal world, Helix, in the Segmentum Tempestus at their founding. The world proved capable of producing the hardy specimens needed to become Astartes in high numbers and the chapter rarely fought at full strength. The Angels of Retribution continued to operate as a crusading chapter, returning to Helix once every ten years to refit and rearm their vessels as well as take on new recruits. The fortress-monastery was situated deep within the northern mountain ranges and contained advanced forges capable of producing the basic Codex-pattern wargear used by Astartes chapters at an incredibly high rate and only the rarest of warmachines had to be procured from the Adeptus Mechanicus. Organization The Chapter follows the same heraldic and organizational patterns of the Dark Angels and their successors, with the special Deathwing and Ravenwing formations as the first and second companies, respectively. As with all Dark Angels successors the chapter maintains the capability to armor every warrior in the first company in the feared tactical dreadnaught armor. Each suit is a mobile shrine covered in illuminated script and depictions of the deeds of the wearers. The second company, known as the Seraphs, is given a much broader mission, frequently working with the 10th Company. The 2nd Company will range ahead of the Chapter Fleet onboard their augmented strike cruiser to gather intelligence and designate targets for the chapter to engage. Often the 10th and 2nd Company will secretly insert these teams onto worlds, loyalist and renegade alike. These teams spend weeks monitoring their targets, collecting intelligence on everything from troop movements to the private practices of Imperial Governors. After the forfeiture of their homeworld the chapter was unable to produce much of the wargear needed and were forced to rely heavily on the Adeptus Mechanicus. This dependence has seen the chapter frequently aiding the Mechanicus in their wars and explorations for lost STC constructs. Though the chapter chafes at such dependence, they endure it stoically as the Emperors Will. Though the chapter still follows codex doctrine, the nature of their plight has seen them alter their combat doctrine to compensate. The chapter frequently relies on heavy orbital bombardments and airmobile warfare to compensate for their lack of heavy vehicles and mechanized capabilities. Denial is the main tactic used by the Angels of Redemption, forcing the enemy to engage them on their terms and under their conditions. If these conditions cannot be met the chapter will often refuse to commit their forces, seeking alternative means to force the enemy to capitulate or

even destroying the entire world outright. The chapter fleet is centered on their flagship, the Archangel, a venerable battlebarge predating the chapters founding. Unusually for a crusading chapter the chapter fleet is small in comparison to the massive warfleets of the Black Dragons or Iron Crusaders. Containing only two battlebarges, four strike cruisers, and two-dozen rapid strike vessels; the chapter fleet is forced to operate jointly or face being destroyed piecemeal. Though dispersed throughout the warzones the chapter commits its forces to, the fleet is never unable to regroup if attacked. The sixth and seventh companies have a place of pride within the chapter not normally associated with the tactical reserve companies. These companies fight from the two heavily armed strike cruisers that hold them. These companies almost exclusively acting as space-borne interdiction forces, and frequently are deployed as a dedicated boarding force during the chapters void wars. Given the dispersed nature of the chapter the eighth and ninth company have been dispersed amongst the battle companies similar to the first and tenth companies of a codex-adherent chapter, reinforcing them to facilitate extended operations during the planetary deployments of the chapter. The chapter has many martial traditions not normally associated with the Dark Angels or their successors. The assault squads of the chapter are held in the highest esteem, with battle-brothers frequently competing in tournaments to earn a place amongst these venerated warriors. The Angels of Retribution see the assault squads as the ultimate manifestations of their chapter cult, and these brothers are given the rank of Knight-Brother to denote their special place within the chapters rank structure. The assault squads are frequently held in reserve and deployed directly into the thick of the fighting, the shock of their arrival and their fearsome appearance breaking the moral of the defenders. These warriors consider themselves to be set apart, the chosen few charged with delivering the final blow in the Emperors service. Selected Battle Honors: The Tyber Crusade The Angels of Retribution were the first chapter to respond to Warmaster Tybers call for aid against the renegades of the Galilean Sector, deploying in chapter strength after returning from Helix. The chapters record during the war itself was exemplary, the 1st Company breaking the back of the renegades defense at the capital world

allowing the Astral Hounds to kill the warp mad leader of the separatist forces. It was the aftermath that would see the name of the Angels of Retribution reviled. Once the Imperial Army Group had secured victory and began occupying the worlds of the Galilean sector to rebuild, the chapter began a systematic purging of the worlds deemed beyond redemption. The first world to suffer their wrath was Justus Novem, a civilized world in the heart of the sector. Justus had been one of the few world to remain unconquered by the renegades during the war, but the hardships of the conflict had seen many turn to chem abuse and other worldly pastimes to ease the suffering. The productivity of the world was stagnant and the population was bitter and vocal against the oppression of the Imperium. Scout teams patrolled the world informing those that would listen to paint a winged sword above the door to their homes in blood, or suffer the wrath of the Emperors divine judgment. The population was given a single day to repent, and those true to the Emperor would be spared. At midnight the following day the chapter deployed in force all across the planet, a single company in each of the cities and the slaughter began. The world had survived with a population of nearly six billion by the end of the war, barely a tenth of them survived the weeks following. Those that resisted condemned their neighbors and families to death. The chapter razed entire hab-blocks to cinders, hospitals had their doors sealed from the outside before being set on fire. The slaughtered continued until the Legate-Inquisitor assigned to the rebuilding of the sector intervened. The chapter was forced to desist or be destroyed by the might of the Imperial Navy. Reluctantly the Chapter complied and returned to orbit, to await judgment. Grand Master Uzazael was tried before the Segmentum tribunal for overstepping his authority and found guilty. The Chapter Master was forced to forfeit his homeworld to the survivors of Justus Novem and take his Chapter on a penitent crusade for nearly two hundred years. The chapter chose the Ork Empire of Octavius as a target and the worlds within burned with their fury. Upon returning to the Imperium the chapter was granted full pardon and sent to the Segmentum Pacificus, where they could vent their vengeance on the worlds that had fallen away from the Imperium during the Macharian Heresies.

Im trying the IA9 format, but I dont really like how jumbled it makes everything. It rolls Origins, Geneseed, Homeworld, and Beliefs into one, and Combat Doctrine and Organization into the other side. The selected Battle Honors is great though. It gives people a precedent to include events that changed the chapter into a nice little section and the opportunity to showcase how the chapter fights.