Sons of Terra

The Sons of Terra are tenacious marines with a martyrdom fixation from an unknown founding and of mysterious genetic stock. To them, above all other things and to the exclusion of any sort of decency, the Imperium must survive.
== Martyrdom & Sacrifices ==
They are not only willing to kill many so that more may survive, but they do so with a zeal that borders on the religious. They have “martyred” civilians, planetary defense forces, and even other astartes in the furtherance of their greater purpose of saving the Imperium. The Inquisition has many concerns about them and their methods but the Sons of Terra have not yet been disbanded (though they have been censured). They see the sacrifices they make and the sacrifices they force others to make by way of their seemingly callus actions as a sort of holy martyrdom and feel the guilt for committing such an act is a sacred burden for their souls alone to bear.
For this reason for each burden of guilt they have, the ritually scar themselves; the larger the scar the heavier the burden. They wear “sacrifices” with pride and thus things like missing eyes and cybernetic replacement limbs are seen as marks of high service.
== Gene Seed ==
While unconfirmed it is believed that there was some tampering with their gene seed and it is not purely of one primarch. There is a hint that they have hybrid genetics from two or more of the primarchs or quite possibly their gene seed is a modified form of a traitor legion. Given their feral nature it is possible Space Wolf gene seed is involved but this is unlikely due to the prohibitions against it. There is also a persistent rumor that they have Marines Malevolent generic material, or at least material from the same source (but this is probably more related to their attitude). The more heretical rumors suggest that they have the genetic material of shamans from ancient Terra, preserved for thousands of years, spliced in. Their genetic information is classified at the highest level.
== Chapter Cult ==
It is said that the Sons of Terra worship an older law than the Imperium; their beliefs are closer to those of Neolithic humanity, whose shamans sacrificed themselves so that The Emperor might be born. They believe strongly in reincarnation and believe that their fallen brothers return to them in each life. Their views on martyrdom and death spring from this notion; like the shamans of old who drank poison to give life to the Emperor so too should the individuals of the Imperium spill their blood so that greater forces can be born to aid it. They believe that a person who dies during a gallant action or who dies for a good cause is reincarnated stronger and better. They believe that the Imperium’s ultimate destiny is to die gallantly and be reborn, piece by piece, until they are strong enough to defeat Chaos.
They are fervently revear The Emperor, whom they call “the New Man” or “The Collected One”. They see him as the ideal person; the shape of things to come and the highest aspiration one can strive for. He is the blueprint for all of their desires and designs and his great plans and actions are the most profound actions ever to be taken. The Sons of Terra are uneasy about him being sustained fully on life support; they believe that when the time is right the Emperor will die and reincarnate into something even more powerful. This “full death” will only come when the rest of humanity is ready.
== Recruitment ==
The Sons of Terra take great numbers of applicants and test them harshly. When the chaff has been separated from the wheat the remaining candidates’ reincarnation cycle is discerned by reading the Emperor’s Tarot. Those who possess the soul of one of their fallen brothers or who the tarot say are new souls deserving of entry (which is rare) may join. Oddly one does not need to be born after the death of a fallen battle brother to “have their soul”. They believe that after death a body may be infused with the soul of a dead warrior or that the body may be “an vessel made for a great soul” so that when they are scheduled to die it is ready for them. Once accepted they are given the old marine’s possessions and recognized by the chapters as one of their brothers. Implanting someone with the gene seed of a previous marine is seen as “returning” their flesh to their soul. The number of reincarnations a soul is believed to have has religious significance.
== Forces ==
=== Organization (Houses) ===
The Sons of Terra are highly irregular in terms of their force organization. They almost completely disregard the Codex Astartes and buck under any authority or oversight. The Sons only work in squad sized units called “houses” and have little to no higher level organization and certainly nothing on the level of a battle company. Squads tend to stick together for their entire life-cycle, replacing marines and promoting them within a given squad as they see fit. Veteran squads known as “Manors” center around a veteran “Laird” (equivalent to a chaplain-captain) who have fealty to a Baron (their equivalent to a chapter master). Deployment is rather diplomatic as the Baron actually, at least in theory, issues a command (more commonly, approves of a Laird’s command) and the Laird takes what they need by invoking their authority from the Baron to call upon chapter resources and houses to fight their battles. Using too many forces weakens the chapter so Lairds take pride in making boastful claims about how little they use (sometimes to the chapter’s detriment). The chapter has between 10 & 20 houses (depending on the period) for ~1,000 marines.
=== Manors ===
There are several unattached units that are allocated as the need arises; such as Wickermen (apothecaries), techmarines, other auxiliaries, and vehicles. Such units are assigned to double-sized squads called “manors” under the command of a Laird and all but the Laird serve as “retainers of the manor”. Such units are the veteran units of the chapter and there are three “layers” to them: the Laird (a sort of captain) is at the center, his old squad of veterans form the “court” of the manor, and the auxiliaries form the “retainers” of the manor. When the squad deploys the court deploys with the Laird but the retainers are either assigned to other squads for the duration of the operation or are left to fill their roles outside the battle. A squad is promoted to a manor when the last Laird passes and their squad does not have a marine worthy of exaltation to the rank of Laird; which occurs rarely as the marines in the squad are among the most veteran of the chapter. The collections of manors is equivalent to the 1st company of most chapters.
=== The Prime Barony ===
The most senior Laird is known as the “Baron” and his squad is known as the “Prime Barony of Terra” and technically comes with a grant of land on Holy Terra itself. Though, in theory he wields undisputed power many periods in the chapter’s history have seen the chapter’s administration look more like a council when there was a weak Baron and sometimes a popular Laird will overshadow the current Baron. As a Baron can only be released from its position by death (and reincarnation) they will sometimes take on very glorious but near-suicidal missions near the end of their lives to both earn a better place in the cycle of reincarnation and allow their worthy successor to take their place sooner.
== Units ==
=== Wickermen (Apothecaries) ===
The job of an Apothecary, referred to as a “Wickermen”, is to kill the dying and retrieve their gene seed rather than to treat injuries. Wickermen also take special care to kill any injured or dying they find on the battlefield (enemies and allies alike). Wickermen collect trinkets from the glorious dead to be honored in the halls of the chapter cult and to become artifacts. For example, there is a banner from the 123rd Somnium Regiment that holds a place of great honor among their sacred artifacts. This is because they died down to the last man in a human wave attack against an Eldar of Craftworld Nova’Cor and the few injured survivors were put down by the Wickermen of the Sons of Terra.
=== Lairds (Chaplain-Captains) ===
Lairds of the chapter serve the role of both chaplain and captains. They ensure spiritual purity of their men and leads them into battle. They often have long-standing grudges or pacts with the senior member of various houses that they call to service during operations.
=== Dreadnoughts ===
There are no dreadnoughts among the Sons of Terra as they find the idea of preventing a soul from reincarnating as sacrilegious. It is not an honor to be place in one but a hindrance of the reincarnation process.
=== Old Souls ===
A marine who is believed to have been reincarnated 3 times or more is venerated as an “Old Soul”. These warriors do indeed seem wiser, their minds guided by lifetimes of battle, and they act as the chapter’s veterans. Some join elite veteran units while others serve as squad leaders. It is an odd sight indeed by an old soul scout who has just joined may be more venerated and respected than a “new soul” on their 1st incarnation as a space marine who has achieved great things.
== Notable Campaigns ==
Heresy at Utolf: Fighting off a necron invasion of Utolf, the Sons of Terra were surprised to find that an Astartes chapter that had been called to assist them had turned renegade. Forced to fight on two fronts the adaptable chapter dug in and fought the bloody campaign for over two years. Their loose, independent, formations were a great asset and they were eventually able to turn the two foes against each other and destroy the victor.
The Brighgate Campaign: The Sons of Terra fought off a covert invasion of tyranids from Hive Fleet Tarrasque that was instigated by a genestealer cult. Their first Baron died and he was not succeeded until the end of the campaign, causing strife within the chapter as each Laird campaigned for the position. Eventually an honor duel was fought and the 2nd Baron, Cade Sigmur, was determined.
Hardash Attack: While fighting the orkish forces under command of Warboss Redmeat a gretchin who would be later known as "Grotfiend" killed the warboss and lead his forces to victory against the Sons of Terra and other forces. To this day the Sons have a particular hatred for the Orkish warband known "Grotfiend's Greenskins".
Battle of Biddlewood: The Sons would get a second chance at Grotfiend during the Battle of Biddlewood. They witnessed the mass execution of orks by gretchin under Grotfiend's command and contributed many of those casualties with their own bolters. The battle was ultimately a draw as some unknown event left the planet highly radioactive and uninhabitable, forcing both to give up the moon of Biddlewood.
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Category:Chapters of Unknown Lineage