Emperor’s Marauders

The the “Emperor’s Marauders”, commonly called the “Hobgoblins” by Imperial sources, are a renegade space marine chapter from the 26th founding and are of Imperial Fist lineage. They are infamous for their close nature with fringe elements of the Imperium and continued service on the Deathwatch, even after their excommunication.
== Nickname ==
The term “Hobgoblin” is an affect lavished upon them by their foes and one they have embraced enthusiastically. They are so called as they are everyone’s worst nightmare, a constant boogie man that both the Imperium and other factions use to describe their predator, retaliatory, vicious practices of reprisal. They also have epithets like “Bugbears”, “Boogiemen”, and “inglorious swine” but “Hobgoblin” sticks. The Imperium tends to use this term to describe them as the “Emperor’s Marauders” is very hard to spin negatively.
== History ==
Created during the 26th founding (738.M41) the marines of the chapter were exemplars of the ideals of their progenitor chapter until a misunderstanding (intentional or not) put them in hot water with the Inquisition. The Emperor’s Marauders had been initially founded to guard a large part of one of the outer edges of the Imperium, an area frequently in contact with Xenos (particularly Eldar). One of their foundational missions was to secure and explore a massive space hulk that had impacted a planet and was rife with both xenos and demonic forces (see “Fortress-Monastery: The Forsaken Armada” for more information). They developed a deep mistrust of xenos technology and as their chapter creed developed it began to focus more and more on the destruction of aliens and their technology. Because of this the chapter often butted heads with over-zealous Ordo Xenos Inquisitors who wished to study the creatures and equipment they carried. Wishing to follow the letter of the law they often refused the inquisitors on moral grounds and “forgot” to acquire equipment from their foes despite the requests. This started a bitter streak between them and a sect of the Ordo Xenos that did them no favors.
=== The Fall ===
After the defense of an Imperial world on the outer edge of the Imperium the Emperor’s Marauders acquired a vast number of xenos artifacts and specimens that they intended to destroy, as was their habit. En route out of the system they encountered a surprise inspection by an inquisitor by the name of Gaston de Winter inspected their ship. Though highly irregular Inquisitor de Winter had overseen the battle and had, in fact, called them to the aid of the planet, so they allowed him to search their hold. His findings were damming but highly politically motivated. He accused them of worshiping and glorifying the xenos tech as well as several other damming heracies. The inquisitor called for their excommunication and destruction (see “Theories” for more information). Believing their fellow astartes would stand with them the Emperor’s Marauders returned to their homeworld. After attempting to explain themselves they were still denounced by the Inquisition and their fall from grace began in earnest. They found themselves “missing” shipments of vital supplies due to Inquisitorial inspections and embargos, assigned to suicidal missions, and being removed systematically from places of honor (due to “oversights”, “delays”, paperwork, etc).
=== Independence ===
The Emperor’s Marauders began to fend more and more for themselves, guarding the local population of their sector with whatever they could scrounge up. They began to work with local organizations and a fractured group of renegade Adeptus Mechanicus splinter group called the “Sons of the Dragon” for their maintenance and supplies. In time they became self sufficient and deeply interwoven into the societies they protected. They moved their fortress-monastery to a labyrinthine space hulk that had impacted a super planet so they could both guard and ravage it. It proved to be a treasure trove of pre-heresy era weapons and designs but also home to many xenos and deamons. During this troublesome time their nickname, the “Bugbears”, began amongst inquisitors and imperial officials who felt like they’d turn on them at any moment. There were several covert military actions taken by the Inquisition through proxies against the Emperor’s Marauders and the chapter fought back against them with bloody results. 
=== The Durellious Crusade ===
The Inquisition used their increasing independence as a sign of them going renegade. Finally the Inquisition got its way and a decisive order of “Excommunicate Traitoris” was issued regarding them, marking them as a renegade chapter and calling for their destruction. The Black Orthodoxy and the Star Marshals were called in to purge them and secure the lucrative space hulk they now occupied. This war, the Durellious Crusade, was short and bloody but ended due to the revelation that the Emperor’s Marauders had a massive super weapon (supposedly) designed by The Emperor himself capable of destroying not only the space hulk but quite possibly the entire sector. A ceasefire was called and, despite the eternal vigilance they preach, the Emperor’s Marauders have been more or less left alone.
== Views & Relationship with the Imperium ==
Wrongly accused of a crime they didn’t commit they lost faith in the Inquisition but not in the holy vision for humanity of The Emperor or the path they set out for his angels of death. They attempt, so far as they can, to maintain peaceful or at least non-aggressive relationships with other chapters and provide aid when and where they can. They often do so with munitions, support squads, and occasionally full companies. While this often goes unappreciated or are treated to a swift death by their brothers from other chapters, the Emperor’s Marauders are nonetheless still willing to make ovatures.
Fringe and criminal elements frequently trade with an employ the Emperor’s Marauders. Rogue Traders are always happy to trade with them and their Fortress-Monastery is a safe port to dock at. The many artifacts and terrible munitions they retrieve from their space hulk are invaluable and several STC are rumored to have originated from there (though reportedly found elsewhere). They still regularly provide aid to planetary defense forces in their region of space, act as a mercenary force for their allies, and frequently enforce order in the unchecked regions of space that they reside in.
Thrice missions have been planned to assault the Bugbears’ fortress and twice it was called off. The only military conquest the Imperium has launched against them was the Durellious Crusade which was abandoned after the discovery of the Imperatorskata Bomba and this has served as sufficient deterrent that the later attempts were scrapped in the planning stages.
== Sons of the Dragon ==
The Sons of the Dragon are a small splinter group from the Adeptus Mechanicus who not only study the finds of the marines of the chapter but also maintain their equipment. Their schism came after they studied the works of "Mad Magos Vitruvius", a member of the Kekere caste from Ile. Vitruvius suffered from painful visions which always resulted in brilliant discoveries and a deeper understanding of the machine spirits he was working with. What at first appeared to be madness, mutation, or psychic powers (or all three) was proven to the satisfaction of the Inquisition to be divine visions. Some of his creations were bizarre but always served a greater purpose for the Imperium. The Sons of the Dragon discovered his inspired journal and began to follow in his footsteps. They have a heavy reliance on divine vision and believe they can commune with Vitruvius' spirit.
== Fortress-Monastery: The Forsaken Armada ==
Their fortress-monastery is known as the “Forsaken Armada”, a space hulk primarily comprised of pre-heresy era Imperial battle barges that impacted a super-earth style planet, causing great fissures and locking it in an irregular orbit at the fringe of the system of a supermassive sun. The ships are a treasure trove of ordinance, weapons, and armor; an Ork WAAAGH couldn’t use it all in a thousand years. The sprawling complex is not only the training ground of scouts but also hosts frequent expeditions into its depths to recover artifacts from the depths of the sprawling complex. It is rife with dangers however; xenos of all sorts inhabit its depths and some speculate that there is an active webway gate (or, possibly, many) within. There are frequent Eldar infiltrations through the Forsaken Armada and it has been theorized that the Eldar have been tossing whatever nasty things they can into there to kill the marines who guard it and cover up their own incursions.
Within the heart of the Forsaken Armada is a device known as the “Imperatorskata Bomba” or “The Emperor’s Bomb”. Legend has it that the weapon was designed by the Emperor himself and his mark is said to be upon it. The Imperatorskata Bomba was being transported when a warp storm swallowed it up. The Imperatorskata Bomba is a weapon of unfathomable power; perhaps capable of destroying a system and rendering it uninhabitable for a thousand years. One theory puts it that the weapon could punch a hole straight into the immaterium and cleanse it of a billion deamons. The Emperor’s Marauders have never stated outright that they would use the weapon if the Imperium was to try to attack them but they have categorically not said they wouldn’t.
The Emperor’s Marauders both treasure and respect the Forsaken armada. It is both a source of their greatest success and a trial for their faithful. They must remain eternally vigilant against its many dangers, acting as sentinels against enemies trying to use it, while simultaneously exploiting its riches for safety and profit.
== Chapter Creed ==
The Marauders have a fanatical dislike of all things xenos. They will go to great lengths to wipe an alien artifact form a world and will spend valuable marine lives to hunt down rumors of an xenos incursion.
== Deathwatch Service ==
Still observing the old tithes the Emperor’s Marauders send battle brothers for Deathwatch service. The reaction to them has been... mixed: seven have been shot on the spot upon arrival, three were imprisoned and tortured by the Inquisition’s Ordo Astartes, and twenty six have served with distinction. Three of their marines have even achieved the illustrious rank of Deathwatch Watch Master. It seems their experience in dealing with the various xenos on their homeworld lends itself well to the life of a deathwatch marine. The Ordo Xenos accept their service only begrudgingly and often they legally say that the Emperor’s Marauders marine serving on the deathwatch is doing so as penance or as part of a death sentence.
== The Path To Redemption ==
With the resurrected Primarch Roboute Guilliman leading the Imperium’s forces once again to glorious battle the Emperor’s Marauders have began to make ovatures that imply that they are looking for redemption. They partook in actions adjacent to the Indomitus Crusade and provided many supplies to the Imperium from their space hulk that helped combat the 13th Black Crusade. The Ordo Xenos has showed signs of relenting a bit on their stance, with fewer and fewer Hobgoblins being shot on sight when they arrive for Deathwatch duty.
== Combat & Organization ==
The chapter is fairly codex compliant with 8-10 companies at any given time. They tend to use older equipment as their space hulk is filled with many pre-heresy weapons but keep it in exceptional shape with the help of the Sons of the Dragon. They have a disproportionately high number of atomic weapons employed by their units and they are additionally insulated against radiation. Like the Imperial Fists they are exceptionally skilled at siege warfare and prefer to bombard their enemies at great distances. They employ many Devastator squads and fewer Assault squads. Most of their artillery is tank or ship mounted and they have a disproportionately high number of tanks and very few fast moving vehicles like bikes and land speeders.
=== Emperor’s Champions ===
The Emperor’s Marauders still maintain the tradition of a chapter champion, as do many Imperial Fist successor chapters. They are referred to as “Black Champions” due to their disgraced status. They wield a reliquary weapon known as “Black Hope”. This powerful saber, recovered from the Forsaken Armada, is supernaturally light and wickedly curved. It uses technology forgotten in the modern era to not only cut through armor as if it were a power weapon but also causes their body to combust violently. Because of this it is almost always wielded with a storm shield.
== Notable Campaigns ==
* The Hellespont Affair: The worst Tyranid infestation in a country occured when the Star Slayers of Siege rogue trader armada unknowingly carried a genestealer cult to the world of Novis Numbre. Within a decade 63% of the planet's population was part of the cult on some level and the Marauders purged the infected population.
* Scrapmonger's War: The Emperor's Marauders, having isolated and raided a spacehulk, came into contact with a greenskin horde under the command of the legendary gretchin Grotfiend the Mighty. The two groups were both apparently looting the spacehulk for technology and the resulting battle occured in and around the spacehulk itself. The battle was fierce and filled the halls with gretchin and marine bodies alike. The gretchin, for all their patheticness, were both cowardly and tiny so they could slip though the clustered wreckage and hallways far better than the marines. In the end the spacehulk exploded, killing many and everyone lost their scrap.
* Defense of Tumen IV: A planetary defense action taken by the Marauders against an attack perpetrated by the Eldar Craftworld Nova'cor while the Marauders were still aligned with the Imperium. They were called to defend the planet by Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Gaston de Winter. The Marauders famously defeated the Eldar swiftly with an ingenious new firing pattern known as "Marauder Prime" that minimized civilian casualties.
* Operation Helsing 
:: Main Article: Operation Helsing
:: Early in their existence (before their excommunication) the Marauders 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.
* Durellious Crusade: As mentioned above several elements of the Imperium, most notably the Star Marshals and Black Orthodoxy chapters of space marines, assaulted the Marauder's Fortress-Monastery. The crusade was short and bloody but ended prematurely via ceasefire due to the revelation that the Emperor’s Marauders had a massive super weapon (supposedly) designed by The Emperor himself capable of destroying not only the space hulk but quite possibly the entire sector. The Emperor's Marauder former head Techmarine, Lance Northwind, was captured by the Star Marshals and placed in their infamous prison known as "The Box".
* Decon XVI: On the fringe of the Imperium, in the Koronus Expanse, the Imperium’s first true encounter with a planet eater was a disaster that they narrowly avoided turning into a bigger disaster. The beast approach the Decon system and consumed three planets before the Wardens and elements of The Erit’s Grand Elucidatory Unit arrived to forstall it. Tyranids of Hive Fleet Tarrasque, sensing the value of consuming the DNA of such a beast, set off to intercept it. 
: Only when two space marine chapters, the loyalist Emperor’s Servants and the renegade Emperor’s Marauders, arrived could the threat be neutralized. The Emperor’s Servants, along with the planetary defense forces and the Wardens, fought the tyranids while the Emperor’s Marauders used some kind of super weapon from their treasure trove to implode the creature. There was a small skirmish after but the Marauders were allowed to leave.
* Raid of Barbelon: Several squads of exiled marines from the Emperor’s Marauders chapter attempted to use a super-weapon they had developed within their space hulk to destroy the Nix on Barbelon. While the Steel Wind chapter has no love for the Nix the intrusion by renegade marines was unacceptable. Battle City Virfortis was besieged by the attacking Marauders for three weeks before a surprise attack from the 1st Barbelo Regiment convinced the renegade marines to retreat. Upon inspection of the wreckage the renegades left behind, it was likely that their super weapon would have eliminated the Nix.
== Theories ==
* Inquisitor de Winter’s Motives: Many theories surround Gaston’s actions but the leading ones were that the Emperor’s Marauders had upstaged him, had made him look bad, had acquired artifacts that he had wanted to study (implying his fall to Chaos),that he was bribed (or corrupted), or simply that he didn’t like them.
* Chapter Name: It has been suggested that they were originally called the “Emperor’s Chosen” and that "Chosen" was changed to “Marauders” as a way to demonize and demean them.
* Divine Disease: One more bizarre theory suggests that the "Divine Disease" that infected the Rasmodine and gave them free will may have influenced those who fought in Operation Helsing. The other chapters that fought in prolonged contact with the "Free Rasmodine" all seem to have some odd things about them.
== Tabletop Options ==
=== Emperor’s Marauders Battle Hardened Formation ===
Battle Forged Armies of the Emperor’s Marauders benefit from the “And They Shall Know No Fear”, “Defenders of Humanity”, and the following tactic:
Chapter Tactic- Forsaken Artillery: For EMPEROR’S MARAUDERS units disembarking from a vehicle doesn’t count as movement for the purpose of shooting Heavy weapons.
MarauderVet.png|A Veteran of the 1st Company of the Marauders
MarauderSgt.png|Armor Design for a Hobgoblin Sergeant
MarauderTac.png|The Typical Armor Design For a Tactical Marine
Marauder Tac 2.png|A Tactical Marine from the Emperor's Marauders
Marauder Tac 1.png|A Tactical Marine from the Emperor's Marauders
Marauder Sgt 1.png|A Sergeant from the Emperor's Marauders
Marauder Dev 4.png|A Devastator Marine from the Emperor's Marauders
Marauder Dev 3.png|A Devastator Marine from the Emperor's Marauders
Marauder Dev 2.png|A Devastator Marine from the Emperor's Marauders
Marauder Dev 1.png|A Devastator Marine from the Emperor's Marauders
Marauder Ass 2.png|An Assault Marine from the Emperor's Marauders
Marauder Ass 1.png|An Assault Marine from the Emperor's Marauders
Category:Renegade Chapters
Category:Imperial Fists Successors
Category:26th Founding