Sons of Gwydion

The Sons of Gwydion are a 26th Founding Chapter who have a penchant for being malicious tricksters. Their sardonic wit and grim humor are only matched by their faith in the Emperor and creative battle plans. The Sons of Gwydion are a storied chapter who have been on the brink of excommunication a number of times and kept out of the headlines for their crassness. Their success is often attributed to other chapters (most notably the fictional “Specters of the Rune”), specifically to deny them the glory they deserve.
== Gene Seed & Founding ==
The Sons of Gwydion are from the 26th Founding with genetic stock from the Storm Wardens. Their gene seed was harvested some time before Operation Hammerfall, though their origin is unknown outside their chapter to all but the Inquisition and their progenitors. Like everyone, the Sons of Gwydion are denied the knowledge of their own lineage, a point of contention between the successor chapter and the Storm Wardens. There is some suggestion of genetic “cleaning” or subtle modification as the Sons of Gwydion are exhibit some differences than their progenitors. It has been suggested by some that this has something to do with the Nemesis Incident, to enhance them, or some other purpose but the result was a decidedly grimly mirthful disposition. The Storm Wardens do not acknowledge the Sons of Gwydion, true to their clannish taciturn nature, and this infuriates the Sons of Gwydion who stop at nothing to peevishly antagonize them at every given opportunity as a result.
== Gwynedd (Homeworld) ==
Bared from Sacris, the chapter draws from the planet Gwynedd for its recruits. Gwynedd is a temperate, medieval world settled by the same genetic stock as Sacris. It is said that the same settlers split from Sacris after a civil war and settled Gwynedd. Gwynedd is a poor world but its people are faithful to the Emperor, dedicated to their simple pastoral lives, and unflinching in their taunting of the rest of the galaxy. This grim humor that its people passed onto the Sons of Gwydion is born of a rough and rugged lifestyle and is a combination of realism, grim determination, and their harsh lifestyle. Their name comes from a great cultural hero named “Gwydion” who is said to have tamed the wild, fought with the Warp itself for the soil of Gwynedd, and tricked it into defeat. The planet itself is two steps from a deathworld; the weather storms violently and they have thrice been invaded by renegade fleets. Each time they fought them off with naught but sword and stone.
The people of Gwynedd are proud of their chapter but pay them homage not though praise and adoration but with backhanded compliments, taunts, and gifts of simple meals. This ernest love goes farther to recharge the spirits of the marines than any pompous ceremony or enforced praise. When a recruit is taken a marine must come to the surface to barter with the man’s family. This is largely ritualistic, as no man has refused the call once offered, but is a source of community bonding between the chapter and the people. Traditionally a single Throne is exchanged, though sometimes things like livestock, food, or other trade goods are involved. At the end a toast is made where the man’s mother (or other female relative) and the petitioning marine drain a tankard of ale while their arms are intertwined.
== Chapter Talents ==
The Sons of Gwydion have a unique talent for detecting the possessed. They have a 6th sense regarding those under the influence of a deamon, genestealers, and particularly the mind slaves or the Enslavers. They also seem particularly resistant to warp powers and none have fallen to the sway of Chaos. This has largely gone unexplored, even by the Inquisition, as it appears more to be superstition than actual fact (How can you disprove a negative?). Some have whispered that the Sons of Gwydion are puppets of a larger plan, that Chaos leaves them alone because they are somehow (wittingly or unwittingly) in league with the ruinous powers, or that their founding was an experiment that resulted in a marine that was more resistant to Enslavers.
== Chapter Disposition ==
While some consider them “immature” or “irreverent” their grim humor is their way of expressing their faith in a manner of speaking. They know, against all odds, that Imperium rides on the shoulders of the warriors of the Emperor. Their outlook reflects a sort of grim acceptance of this and is an acknowledgement that they can get better while simultaneously accepting their own mortality in a manner of speaking. Their “tricks” are often malicious, cruel pranks played on their enemies that end their pathetic existence. This wickedness is a sleight against their foes; an humiliating end for a dishonorable foe. Their humor is also a reflection of their comradely; a bonding mechanism that serves them well in the face of danger. A flippant comment or quip in the trenches helps rally their battle brothers and carving a smiley face into a warboss’s chest spurs others to greater acts of heroism.
== Armor & Humility ==
They describe their own armor as, “The worst trick The Emperor ever saw fit to bless a chapter with since the Adventurer’s Guild”. Despite, or perhaps because of this, they see their armor as a mark of pride; a reminder to remain humble in light of their status. The chapter recognizes its own potential for hubris and they will occasionally take themselves down a peg by adding an item of personal self-deprecation to their armor to keep themselves humble. This is often subtle and the result of an in-joke. For example: 2 marines may paint a golden band around the ring fingers of their armor to recall that time they were tapped on a death world for 2 months together and now pretend to fight like an old married couple. This is both a sign of a bond and a joke between them and the two are stronger for it.
== Chapter Organization ==
The Sons of Gwydion do not follow the Codex Astartes very well. They vaguely group into 5 clans but when a clan is deployed sometimes marines from other clans will tag along or join if requested. Each clan is roughly 100 marines, with the total number of marines in the chapter around 500. Unlike other chapters where strict adherence to battlefield role is observed, the Sons of Gwydion famously cross-train their marines quite regularly. This means they don’t have masters of ranged weapons like the devastators of other chapters or hyper-aggressive assault marines; they kind of “use what they can when they can”. This makes them very flexible but they lack the benefits of specialization too.
Within each of the 5 clans there is a clan chief, who serves as the head of the clan (akin to a captain). Each wields considerable influence and the chapter is largely run by council, one is given ultimate authority over the others and is called the Chapter Master. Each of these warrior clans has a number of battle brothers, a librarian, and a number of jokers (scouts). The clans have a warm relation with one another and don’t seem to represent much more than an organizational convenience, though it is rooted in tradition. Though rare, marines can switch between clans. Recruits who have passed their initial training are “claimed” by clans, though each new recruit generally requests a clan or two to be sorted into. The only time these recruits are denied their claim is if it would upset the numerical balance of the clans.
== Sleips ==
The chapter's homeworld of Gwynedd has large, 6 legged, great-maned, horse-like creatures with long tails known as "sleips". They have been bred and raised by the inhabitants of Gwynedd for centuries and many were even genetically modified to allow them to do the kind of hard work required of them and survive in less-than-ideal environments. Taking it a step further the chapter serfs of the Sons of Gwydion rear these great beasts. Some become pack animals, mounts for serfs when they are called to defend their keeps, and a rare one is given to a clan chief so that they might ride them into battle if they so choose. Such sleips are augmented with subdermal plates and other cybernetic enhancements and are known as "mecha-sleips". They are said to snort fire, call thunder with their hoof-beats, and instill terror in the fearless as they bare down on their foes in a charge. Many chiefs will ride them but few do so into battle for their value as a symbol is too great should they fall.
Note: This is a good representation of a sleip.
== Clans ==
* Crows: The crows are a more secretive lot and often act unbidden.Their chief is joined by “The Crow Brother”, a wisended contrarian who acts as his council.
* Clan of the Hound: The hounds are the most influential clan and have had the most chapter masters over the years. They maintain the vehicles of the chapter and all tech marines are members of this clan.
* Mountain Clan: The Mountain Clan often takes their pranks too far, bordering over the obscene. They are often crueler than they need to be and their "jokes" walk the line between outright insults and humor.
* Redbloods: The Rebloods are typically stationed on or near Gwynedd and act as a sort of homeguard. They are responsible for the initial selection and training of the chapter’s recruits. They are knowledgeable in siege warfare in a way others are not.
* Illtooth: The Illtooths are more subdued than the other clans and are very selective of their members. They are closer in discipline and disposition to traditional marines and always sponsor the chaplains when they are seconded.
== Units ==
Though they lack traditional specialists, there are still some marines dedicated to special roles.
* Horned Ones: The horned ones are veteran marines drawn from the best fighters of each of the clans. Their name comes from the ceremonial horns they wear on their helmets. Tenure as a horned one is temporary with only a few representatives from each clan representing them. Each is gifted with a two-handed sword, chapter relics, with symbols of their clan worked into the design. While they are somewhat synonymous with the Tempest Blades of the Storm Wardens, they have no special love of dueling and are better thought of as chapter champions or simply as veteran marines. They work well together and represent the unity of the clan.
* The Great Horned One: The senior horned one, called “The Great Horned One” is the chapter’s champion and is one of the most prestigious positions in the chapter. It is a requirement than any Captain fill the role of the Great Horned One for a time. The choice of who will become the next Great Horned One is decided by the chiefs watching a contest between them and voting. Being confirmed as one is effectively a vote for the next Captain. Great Horned Ones serve until they are called elsewhere, often to a role like Lieutenant, Captain, Crow Brother, etc.
* Jokers: New members of the chapter are referred to, in chapter slang, as “Jokers”. They are hazed pretty hard and it is not uncommon for Jokers to find themselves up shit-creek without a paddle due to pranks designed to test themselves. This means sometime they’ll find themselves deployed without armor or with a rubber weapon, covered in neon-orange paint, or while wearing a dress. This quickly weeds out the weak and eventually they prank back, earning their armor and the respect of their peers.
* The Crow Brother: The Crow Brother is a unique role in the Sons of Gwydion; a single battle-brother guided by divine inspiration to do the unexpected. Always from the Raven Clan they are essential to the religious practices of the chapter cult. They serve as wise “sacred clowns” who behave as contrarians and often play devil’s advocate. They do the opposite of what is expected, do foolish things, but always for a greater purpose demanded by the Emperor. They are wildcards who do the unexpected, appear unexpectedly, and have saved the chapter from destruction several times though their unorthodox methods. They are bound by the same rules as their battle-brothers and refuse no orders but, to free them, their commanders give them no orders. They act independently, surprisingly, and with little oversight. Their armor is painted black and they wear a headdress of feathers. The Crow Brother is famous for its conflict with the Chaplains.
* Chaplains: The unfortunate soul who serves as a chaplain in the Sons of Gwydion does a thankless job. They are faced with the insurmountable task of trying to keep the mischievous marines of the chapter in line. No Son of Gwydion has ever claimed the role willingly forcing chaplains from other chapters to be seconded to fill it. These people are kept at arm's length by the rest of the tight-knit chapter and there is always a contentious relationship between them and the seconded chaplain.
* Librarians: The chapter has few psykers but makes great use of them when they do arise. The gifts they seem to have for detecting the possessed or infected is greatly expanded; allowing them to seek them out though occult means on a system-wide basis.
== Specters of the Rune ==
There exists a (probably) fictitious chapter from the 12th founding that the Inquisition loves to attribute the accolades of the Sons of Gwydion to. This is, partially, to not attract attention to the Sons' Storm Warden roots but also because the Sons of Gwydion have a somewhat antagonistic relationship with the Inquisition (and many other organizations). However, the Sons of Gwydion do not care too much and just incorporate it into their taunts ("We were big in the Fringe Stars but you probably haven't heard of us.") The Specters of the Rune are, on paper, a chapter but no one has ever meet them. It is possible that they are a real chapter on some remote fringe of the Imperium like the Death Spectres but none have been seconded to the Death Watch in at least a century and they only appear occasionally in easily fabricated reports.
== Notable Sons of Gwydion ==
* Chief Lugh Gyffes: The current chapter master is sometimes known by the epithet “Gyffes, the Black Jester of Gwynedd” for his particular brand of black humor and bloody track record. It is said that he is the most skilled thief, assassin, commando, saboteur, and subversive marine ever trained. He is famous for sneaking into places none thought possible and obtaining things illegal. He displays his prizes, often adorning his artificer armor with tokens of his conquests. He leaves a “Fool” card from the Emperor’s Tarot on those he kills and when he wants to claim a theft. Gyffes has infiltrated Sacris many times, much to the consternation of the Storm Wardens, and has left his signature calling card to infuriate them. Among the more seditious and unsubstantiated rumors are claims that one of his cards was found on a hidden stasis vault of the 1st Company and that he has read a copy of the Liber Tempest but keeps its content hidden out of respect. He is also famous for assassinating Rasmo the Husk in the final battle of Operation Helsing and is being hunted by the greater daemon to this day.
== Notable Campaigns ==
* The Terror Whale Hunt: One of the early actions of the chapter was to engage a single Tyranid hive ship that had got swept up in the Warp and deposited near Gwynedd. They tracked the ship for nearly a year before they found it. It was assaulted by the Clan of the Hounds and destroyed from the inside.
* The Slave Camp Massacre: A remote world had fallen to Enslavers once a mutated cult of psykers began to experiment with their power. The Sons of Gwydion purged the planet and scorched the surface. They had sensed this with their talents and acted before Imperial approval had come down. It turns out they eliminated 2 undercover Inquisitors and their retinue during their purge, one having been of rather high rank.
* The Fall of Yidnar: After discovering an Eldar exodite colony on a moon known as Yidnar who had masked their presence for nearly a century, the Sons of Gwydion attacked and destroyed the colony. It turns out that their farseer had been covertly possessed and this had tipped off the chapter's Librarians.
* Operation Helsing 
:: Main Article: Operation Helsing
:: Early in their existence the Sons were called in to help with Operation Helsing along with several other 26th founding chapters. A protracted war between the Imperium and the Rasmodine was fought for many years. The conflict saw many young space marine chapters (Sons of Gwydion, Emperor’s Marauders, and Order of the Stone Lion) as well as the older Megamarines take the field with support from the 6th Neo-Jerionite Regiment to oppose the migration. They liberally used planet-buster when progress was slowed and only by pledging the dying Rasmodine species to Nurgle (their "Deity of the Divine Disease") could they survive. Ultimately a Deathwatch Kill-Team was used to assassinate many queens. The final battle saw the Sons of Gwydion luer the last of the Rasmodine into a trap and their chapter master assassinated Rasmo. Rasmo lives on as a greater daemon of Nurgle whose all consuming goal is to take revenge for his exterminated race.
* The Blitz of Gwynedd: In retaliation for the destruction of Yidnar Craftworld Nova'cor struck at Gwynedd, the homeworld of  the Sons of Gwydion. The local population is said to have repulsed the 1st attack and the Redbloods quickly returned. It was a bloody battle, a pyrrhic victory for the chapter, but the Eldar forces were repelled. After this battle the other clans donated warriors to fill the lost ranks of the Redbloods.
* The 1st Battle of Iridos 4: Though attributed to the Specters of the Rune, the Sons of Gwydion claim to have been present at the 1st Battle of Iridos 4 (though it is possible both chapters were). They are said to have fended off an invasion by an unknown alien force of laughably weak strength.
* The Midnight Slaughter: Caught unaware by an attack from Enslaver thralls, the chapter scrambled to purge a nearby planet of the infestation.
* The Unmasking of the Vigilant (932.M41): During a joint operation with several chapters from the 26th Founding, the Sons of Gwydion are said to have stolen an artifact from a chapter known as "The Vigilant". This only came to light when the Sons of Gwydion sheepishly came forward and admitted it, turning over the "trinket" they'd taken only after they it had been revealed to be undeniable proof that they had fallen to Chaos. The resulting "Hunt for the Fallen" crusade was carried out by the Star Marshals, the Hawkeyes and the Guardian Stones. The Inquisition chastised the Sons of Gwydion for their theft of chapter artifacts but thanked them in the same breath.
* The Nob-Blood Riots: The Orks of Klan Wildstorm began to sell their own blood, apparently passing it off as an aphrodisiac and strength enhancer. It was popular among the other ork klans but eventually it made its debut on a human world and the orks got mighty upset. A large number of sneaky gits snuck in tried to steal it back ("It wern't for 'umies!" they said). The Nob-Boss who ran the whole thing, Double Blood, caused the station they were on to nearly collapse with his ruckus. The Sons of Gwydion was the nearest and responded quickly. They were joined by the 135th Somnium Regiment and the orks were quickly subdued.
== Rumors ==
* It is rumored that the Sons of Gwydion are a renegade chapter and may serve the ruinous power known as Malice, the chaos god of anarchy.
* Some claim the Sons of Gwydion have stolen chapter artifacts from 20 other chapters.
* It is believed that the Storm Wardens are not their real parent chapter and that they are a Ravenguard successor.
* There is indication that they were made far before the 26th Founding. It is possible that they are actually the Specters of the Rune chapter re-founded as a new chapter after some calamity (possibly something to do with the Nemesis Incident). 
* Despite what you may have heard, the Sons of Gwydion do NOT have 2 shamrock pelts in their vault (they have 3).
* They are actually the loyalist survivors of the Sons of Gideon chapter that the Crimson Fists destroyed.
SonsOfGwydion HornedOne.png|A Horned One
SonsOfGwydion Tac.png|Battle Brothers often adorn themselves with bizarre accessories.
SonsOfGwydion ArmorColor.png|The armor colors of the chapter
Category:Storm Warden Successors
Category:26th Founding