Corvus Brethren

Corvus Brethren armorial with Chapter iconography.

Corvus Brethren Battle-Brother of the 4th Company, 3rd Battleline Squad.

### **Specialty**

Multi-Vector and Sub-Orbital Attack, Drop Pod Assaults, Harrowing Actions & Strategic Decapitation Strikes, Sabotage, Terror Campaigns, Punitive Actions

### **Battle cry**

"From the shadows!" (Usually followed by) "We leave only blood!"

### **Colours**

Black torso, legs, pauldron insets, backpack, helmet stripe, White helmet, backpack exhausts, pauldron trims, Crimson arms

### Successor Chapter(s)

N/A

A dark, sinister Chapter, the **Corvus Brethren** are a bellicose and violent force. Born during the 21st 'Cursed' Founding, the ill-fortune of their birth follows them like an evil shroud. Few know them and few trust them. Whilst officially they come from the lineage of Corvus Corax, tensions between the two regarding the Brethren's brutality have called this into question, especially given the warriors of Badb Catha's blatant disrespect for their supposed progenitors. Endlessly blighted by in both gene-seed and luck, the Corvus Brethren are a coldly resolute force. Enduring the endless predations of the Dark Eldar and leaving a bloody path littered with the countless foes of the Imperium.

## History

The early history of the Corvus Brethren is a relative unknown, given the catastrophic times of the Age of Apostasy. The first definitive record of them alongside the barbaric Executioners, during the purge of Uulstah III. It would be during this campaign, when the two Chapters were abandoned by allies, wary of both the curse of the 21st Founding and the grim reputations of both Astartes, that the warriors of Stygia-Aquilon and Badb Catha were bound together as bloody brothers. For countless centuries, the Corvus Brethren have been blighted by the degenerate raiders of the Dark Eldar. It is unknown when the residents of Commoragh acquired a hunger for the Phantoms of Badb Catha, however, given the loss of records it has effectively always been the case in archives of the Imperium.

Given the rather obvious instabilities in their gene-seed and the frankly cruel and savage manner by which they wage war, many within the Imperium have demanded the Inquisition investigate the purity of the Chapter. The Corvus Brethren however, have ignored these aspersions against their character, the Inquisition itself, has vowed to purge them, should these warriors of the 21st Founding stray from the Emperor's path. However, given Balor, their current Ruirí's (Chapter Master) maintained purity and sanity (albeit frayed) despite his enslavement in the dark city of Commoragh is seen as a shining example of the Chapter's dark, but loyal character.

## Notable Campaigns

* **Eradication of Uulstah III (M37.561-564)** - This would be one of the pivotal battles in the Corvus Brethren's history. Alongside the Executioners, the Corvus Brethren fought the malevolent
* **The Doom of Shadowfall (M40.10-11)** - Shadowfall was a forge world that dabbled in tech-heresy, unfortunately however, toying with such things brought them to the attention of the Dark Mechanicum. Soon, heretek negavolt cultists rose up infecting the great machinery of the world with daemonic viruses, given to them by the Dark Mechanicum. Soon, Shadowfall became a horrific den of daemon forges. As the worlds around it became inundated with nightmarish assaults from mechanical abominations birthed from the hellforges that now grew cancerously across the planet. As cries for aid went out, two sinister Chapters responded; the Corvus Brethren and Abyssal Rukhs.

## Chapter Homeworld

A temperate, feral planet, Badb Catha is a gloomy, cold world, mist-cloaked forests and bleak, frigid heath-filled valleys.

### Fortress-Monastery

In the depths of the 'Crow's Otherworld' lies a looming, ominous fortress, the mist-wreathed home of the Corvus Brethren. Named after the terrifying banshee spirit, feared at the cruel queen of phantoms, Morrigan's Eyrie is a fearful den, brimming with savage ghosts of the night.

## Chapter Organisation

Given the endless, devastating raids by the Dark Eldar, which, up until the escape of Balor the Death-Sighted from Commoragh had been incessant and vicious, combined with their unstable gene-seed, the Corvus Brethren are almost always incapable of fielding a fully manned Chapter. Given the sheer attrition their ill-fortune incurs, the 10th Company of the Phantoms of Badb Catha is over-strength, taking in an additional hundred recruits. Unfortunately, with the blight of mischance that follows all hailing from the 21st Founding, the Corvus Brethren's numbers are still in decline.

The armouries of the Corvus Brethren has also undergo some modifications to suit its callous masters; the Scáthach pattern blades. From lightning claws, to power swords, the blades of the Corvus Brethren are crafted to be as cruel and serrated as possible, causing dragging, agonising wounds. As well, the Chapter has a large supply of chain-axes and vicious barbed spears.

### Officer Ranks

**Ruirí** - Chapter Master equivalent. The Ruirí are grim, sinister warriors. The current Ruirí is Balor the Death-Sighted, who served as the Cúchulainn during the M38, before his capture by the Dark Eldar.

**Dagda** - The Dagda, a druidic order of psykers are, to the Corvus Brethren, a strange fusion of Librarian and Chaplain. Whilst the Chaplains still remain, as a way to maintain the spiritual purity of the Chapter and to inspire their brothers, the Dagda serve as a conduit for understanding, a way by which the Corvus Brethren, masters of brutally pragmatic warfare and terror do not fall prey to the bloody, short-sighted cruelty that brought ruination to the Night Lords; by linking their battle-brothers with the spirits of their long-dead forebears in the Chapter, the Dagda ensure, that the vicious horrors they visit upon their foes are a means to an end, not simply the end they become for so many blinded by their own sadism. As well as that usual purpose, the Dagda as well, can bring their psychic gifts to bear, weaving primeval, mist-filled nightmares for their enemies, submerging them in the cackling half-life of Cathan mythology, where cavorting spirits and shrieking phantasms blight those unworthy of the Emperor's love.

### Specialist Ranks

* **Cúchulainn** - The Chapter Champion of the Corvus Brethren. Terrifying and relentless warriors, the position is currently held by the ominous, disturbingly pale warrior Nuada Silver-Handed.

## Chapter Recruitment

When the time comes for recruiting, all of Badb Catha knows. Across the land, ominous bellowing warhorns echo across the planet (known by the world's feral residents as the 'Dirge of the Otherworld') Hearing this frightful call to war, the tribes and settlements of the world answer the summons; warriors are assembled, painted the blue of 'Woad' (translating into Low Gothic as Night-Soul Skin) To the potential recruits, this is key, for they believe that the Corvus Brethren are deadly and terrifying phantoms, so passing into the 'Crow's Otherland' requires they begin their transformation, the Corvus Brethren bear the black of midnight, so, those wishing to become one of their number must apply the blue of dusk.

Once clad in the Woad, these hopefuls travel from across the planet, to the gates of Morrigan's Eyrie. Once assembled, this vast army is told of their trial; for five days, this vast army must battle a small force of Corvus Brethren for five days. Though only armed with the most basic of weapons, they are still Space Marines, and the Corvus Brethren do not relent, their brutality is unrelenting and the massacre is on a horrifying scale; at night unlucky hopefuls may be found skinned alive, some may simply vanish, never to be seen again. Throughout this hideous ordeal, the worth of each aspirant is judged. Those wounded but still found deserving are healed, those unworthy but still living are simply abandoned in the merciless forests of Badb Catha. In the end, those who endured, despite the sheer hopelessness of facing Space Marine, are accepted into the Chapter, scarred, terrified, but alive. As masters of fear, the Corvus Brethren must subject every single hopeful to it, to scour the terror from them.

## Chapter Beliefs

The beliefs of the Corvus Brethren are heavily influenced by the mythology of Badb Catha and, the circumstances by which the Chapter exists. On their world, they are seen as spirits of the night, warriors of the queen of ghosts; Morrigan, the vengeful and cruel goddess that punishes those who stray from the path given to them by her husband, the 'Father of Light, Manach' (the savage, Badb Cathan name for the God-Emperor of Mankind)

Believing their task was given to them by this terrifying, mistress of the gloom, the Corvus Brethren are every bit of vicious and vengeful against those who would stray. Decorating themselves with tokens of their homeworlds, the Phantoms of Badb Catha aim to make themselves the fearful spirits that lurk in the dark, icy forests at midnight. Shadows cloaked in barbs and reeking of blood, the Corvus Brethren are the primeval fear of Badb Catha.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

The gene-seed of the Corvus Brethren is heavily flawed and unstable. Though they are believed to be drawn from the genetic lineage of the Raven Guard, the Chapter only show some similarities; both share a malfunctioning Melanchromic organ, which gives the Chapter's members pale skinned and dark-eyed. Unlike the sons of Corvus Corax, the warriors of Badb Catha have not lost their Mucranoid and Betcher's gland. Instead, they bear a defective Occulobe, giving them black irises and sclera, enhancing the Space Marine's night vision. It does however, make the Corvus Brethren more sensitive to bright light. Many claim that these differences, and similarities, link the Corvus Brethren to the traitors of the Night Lords. Such baffling claims have found little foot-hold given the two Chapters have very little interaction beyond the usual hatred.

Whilst these differences are curious, the greatest flaws in their gene-seed, is a grim, infamous phenomenon known amongst the Corvus Brethren as the 'Void Frenzy'. When a battle-brother is put under sufficient stress the two organs; Ossmodula and Biscopea re-activate and go into overdrive, causing such aggressive and uncontrollable growth the the Battle-Brother almost literally explodes out of their skin. Though their body cannot sustain these agonising and grotesque changes, before their body fails, the Battle-Brother is transformed into a unstoppable mass of rage and destructive violence as a blood-drenched bellowing beast of pain, muscle and madness.

## Combat Doctrine

When the Corvus Brethren wage war, they do so only on their terms, rarely do they allow themselves to be forced on the defensive. Cloaked in shadows them come, spreading terror and pain across the lands of the Emperor's enemies. Where other Chapters simply purge and destroy their enemies, the Corvus Brethren send a message. The warriors of Badb Catha are the vicious phantasms that lurk in the shadows of forests, the cruel spectres of the night that delight in mutilating those that would defy the Master of Mankind.

Where their supposed progenitors prefer fast, stealthy assaults to quickly decapitate their foe, the Corvus Brethren do so, with the desire to brutalise and spread fear to those that would defy the Lord of Terra. Water supplies are fouled, their aqueducts filled with rotting, mangled body-parts. When the Corvus Brethren march, they wish for their foes to know the price of defying the Emperor. Their last days of existence will be painful, miserable, terrifying. Night after night the Corvus Brethren will strike, crippling their enemies and enslaving those untainted enough to serve them.

If they are, as they claim, descendants of the Raven Guard, they are dark, horrible aspect, gratefully forgotten and long abandoned by the Legion of the Raven Lord. They are the brutal, shadowed violence that defined them during the nightmarish, ashen times of the Unification Wars.

## Deathwatch Service

Given the genetic instability, and endless raids by the Dark Eldar, the Corvus Brethren rarely have Marines to spare for the Long Vigil. Because of their close bonds, the Corvus Brethren and Executioners always send battle-brothers together in remembrance of the Scourging of Uulstah III, both Chapters will always aid each other.

The warriors of Badb Catha are prized for their prowess in scouting and ambush. Where their apparent cousins in the Abyssal Rukhs are prized for their cold professionalism and almost artistic skill in assassination, the Corvus Brethren are different, whilst both are ominous shadow-stalkers, the barbaric bloodlust results in them being skilled extensive terror operations; as showcased during Kill-Team Lanius' deployment to the world of Khena where Apothecary Nur of the Abyssal Rukhs and Librarian Aislinn of the Corvus Brethren reaped a bloody tally, constantly striking from the shadows, leading their enemies on a carnage-strew chase and allowing for the rest of the Kill-Team to fulfil their true objective.

## Notable Members

* **Balor the Death-Sighted** - The Overking of the Crows, the Sìth-Render, the Thrice-Frenzied, Balor is the current Ruirí (Chapter Master) of the Corvus Brethren. Before his ascent to Chapter Master, Balor once held the rank of Cúchulainn (Chapter Champion). During his time serving in this capacity, he was, as with so many of his Chapter, kidnapped by the hateful, voracious Kabal of the Livid Blade. During his time, enslaved in the Dark City of the Drukhari, Balor was sold to the insane haemonculus Kild'uran. During his time, enslaved by the degenerate xenos, Balor held the dubious distinction of having fallen victim to his Chapter's fatal gene-curse three times. Each time he succumbed to the Void Frenzy in the arenas of Commoragh, his obsessive captor would resurrect him, however, given the petty arrogance of the Dark Eldar, his revival, after brutally butchering his opponents in the mindless rage his fatal mutations caused, was made intentionally imperfect. During his final resurrection, Balor was brought back, still missing an eye, with his other, remaining one, changed, looking now like a terrifying, flame-wreathed orb. It is said, that when Balor gazes upon someone with it, he sees them as they are in death.
* **Dagda Aislinn** - This Dagda of the Corvus Brethren served as part of Kill-Team Lanius. During the mission to the zombie-infested world of Currehn, Aislinn sacrificed himself alongside fellow members Vitale, Alike, Haniel and Ke'Shuul Veltru to ensure the missions success, allowing himself to fall to the Void Frenzy, alone with his body, his physic powers went out of control, wreathing him in searing warp-lightning, transforming the muscle-bound abomination into a roaring beast of nightmare. His force staff; Eyes of the Phantom Queen, was passed on to his brother-in-arms, Khulth of the Executioners, who returned it to the Corvus Brethren.

## Chapter Fleet

* ***Macha* (Battle-Barge)**
* ***Nemain* (Battle-Barge)**

## Chapter Relics

* **The Red Branch** - A bizarre weapon, its handle carved from the wyrdling trees that have been bathed in the lambent energies of the webway, the power sword known as the Red Branch flickers with echoes of the space-time compressing powers of the Eldar's labyrinthine dimension, seeming to shift through the material world with far greater ease.

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Corvus Brethren primarily single colour with details in two different colours; black covering the torso, legs, pauldron inset, backpack and helmet stripe. The secondary colour, white decorates the helmet, pauldron trim and backpack exhausts. The final colour is a dark crimson on the arms.

As well as these colours, the Corvus Brethren regularly decorate their armour with symbols of death and icons of shadowy monsters of their homeworld's lore. Such accoutrements are added to increase the vicious Marines' already unnerving aura of rough, brutal menace.

### Chapter Badge

The symbol of the Corvus Brethren is a crow's skull, staring ominously in reference to Badb Catha's war spirits; skeletal crows which are believed to flock to sites when the stench of incoming battle summons them.

## Relations

### Allies

* **Executioners -** Since the joint campaign on the world of Uulstah III, the descendants of Fafnir Rann have been the Corvus Brethren's closest allies. So close is their bond, that the Executioners are privy to the Chapter's shameful secret; the Void Frenzy. Since this time, the two Chapters are bound-by-blood, a grim fraternity. Whenever members of the two Chapters meet, the traditional greeting 'Joined by Uulstah's blood. Greetings'. It was High Executioner Arkas Hakkon's words that saved Balor the Death-Sighted from the fatal interrogations of the Inquisition after the former Cúchulainn escaped from Commoragh.

### Enemies

* **Twisting Void** - The Haemonculus Coven that enslaved Balor, led by the insane flesh-crafter Kild'uran, along with the Kabal of the Livid Blade, these vile creatures are the most loathed of the Chapter's enemies, with Balor in particular swearing to capture his once captor and torture her until she removes the hydra gauntlet she grafted to his arm.
* **Kabal of the Livid Blade**

## Notable Quotes

### About the Corvus Brethren

"*Poor, thing, look at you. So frightened. Ever since those filthy mercenaries attacked and you went missing, I've been ever so worried about you my pet. You wilful little creatures are so flighty. Come back peacefully and I won't have to tear your skeleton out.*"
— Kild'uran, Mistress of the Twisted Void Coven

[Source]

 White Scars Successors
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 Iron Hands Successors
 Ultramarines Successors
 Salamanders Successors
 Raven Guard Successors
 Unknown Lineage
 Renegades

[Source]