Lost Crusaders

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"*We were provided no salvation, so you shall receive no salvation.*"
— Genesis Stormbringer, first Chapter Master of the Lost Crusaders
The **Lost Crusaders** are a Renegade chapter of Space Marines. They have been forced to reside on the dead planet Xalnone. Currently, their founding is unknown due to the destruction of many lore documents pertaining to the Chapter. They are a successor chapter of the Iron hands, though this has yet to be comfirmed.

The Lost Crusaders have been permanently separated from the rest of the Imperium, who believe they perished long ago, because of this, the chapter is forced to make use of what little equipment they can get their hands on to steal from other Chapters. Unfortunately, this tactic proves successful enough to keep the chapter afloat. Since "The Great Betrayal" as it is known by the chapter, they have forever sworn revenge against the armies of man. Though they still do fight the Imperium's enemies, they only do so when absolutely necessary, for the most part, they get into scraps with small armies from other Chapters.

The Lost Crusaders not only ignore the *Codex*, but actively defy its teachings, they believe that obeying the *Codex* is akin to siding with the Imperium, something the chapter would rather avoid. Despite this, their tactics are still somewhat influenced by the codex, their pre-heresy counterparts known as the Unholy Crusaders were extremely dedicated to following the codex, almost to the same extent as Ultramarines, and many of the members have their origin in codex compliant or semi-codex compliant chapters.

Despite their aversion to the *Codex* itself, the Lost Crusaders are still influenced by their parent chapter, though not to the same degree as the Iron hands themselves. Those who were a part of the original Unholy Crusaders maintain the belief that flesh is nothing but a liability, although the Lost Crusader's circumstances lead to a lack of cybernetic enhancements, leaving many of the veterans of the chapter disgruntled.

## Chapter History

### Loyalist years

The chapter's history before "The Great Betrayal" is shrouded in mystery, as nobody really knows who they were or what they did. Based on some evidence that was thankfully not destroyed, what is known with absolute certainty is that the chapter used to be known as the '*Unholy Crusaders*' and that they were a fleet based chapter insistent on using each ship until they were no longer functional, but this is about the extent of the information that can be gleaned from old documents that have any mention of the chapter.

The reasoning behind this lack of information can be traced back to The Great Betrayal itself after the Wanderers had escaped Xalnone, they took to the Lost Crusader's old fortress-monastery and stole as much lore as they could. The data still exists, however nobody except the Wanderers have access to it, and they have sealed the documents in a great vault that is only to be opened by those who are approved by the Chapter Master himself, making them all but inaccessible.

The reason behind the stealing is unclear, but it is likely to try and cover up the Lost Crusaders existence, lest the Wanderers be considered heretics. However, many still remember the Unholy Crusaders, including one member of the Blood Angels, Elyptus Octaro, he was dedicated to discovering what happened to the Unholy Crusaders, though he would never suspect the lore would be hiding in a sealed vault of a fairly insignificant chapter.

The curiosity and utter belief that the Unholy Crusaders were still alive came from an encounter with Kordhatan Hellcaller, an apothecary of the Lost Crusaders, the colour scheme of the chapter had hardly changed from their pre-heresy days, and Elyptus knew it was them the second he saw Kordhatan. Elyptus had been sent to find any remaining Xenos after a bloody battle fought by the Ultramarines to ensure the safety of the apothecaries soon to come, the company that was sent to complete this task had split up, leaving Elyptus staring down Kordhatan alone.

In most situations like this, a Lost Crusader would attempt to convince any Space Marine he sees to their side, however, this does not include Blood Angels specifically, this is because the Black Rage is something the chapter would rather keep out of their gene-seed, plus the risk of a Blood Angel going berserk and killing many other members of the Lost Crusaders is too great. Now, Elyptus has been trying to get recruited into the Lost Crusaders, completely unaware that they will never take him, leading Elyptus to take every opportunity to join, but never being accepted.

### The Great Betrayal

This is the chapter's defining event, the event that initially split them off from the Imperium, thus making them a renegade chapter. It occurred during the [TO BE ADDED] millennium, and it is frequently told as a distant legend by the veterans of the chapter.

The story begins with a mission to exterminate a Tyranid hive on the planet Xalnone (though it was known by a different, now forgotten, name at the time). The Unholy Crusaders at the time were sent to accomplish this task with another chapter known as the Wanderers, who the chapter now knows as traitors and mortal enemies. Initially, when they were sent to this planet the infestation seemed manageable but as the mission went on it became increasingly clear that an Exterminatus would have to be enacted and that there was no hope for the planet to survive. However, due to a miscalculation, the ships intended to pick up the soldiers arrived after the Exterminatus had already begun. The Wanderers had managed to get ahead of the Unholy Crusaders, and when they got on the ships, they demanded they leave immediately, leaving their 'Brother Chapter' to die. Fortunately, the Exterminatus was done rather hastily and Xalnone has exceptionally deep cave systems despite it's nature as a desert planet. This might have allowed the Unholy Crusaders to survive, but also many of the Tyranids that the Exterminatus was supposed to eliminate. This event cemented the Lost Crusaders' hatred for the Imperium, and in particular the Wanderers who had betrayed them.

### Early Post-Betrayal

After the devastation that was caused by 'The Great Betrayal', the Chapter began the long and painful process of rebuilding themselves from the ashes they had become. This was exceptionally difficult as few actually managed to survive, and those who did were typically severely wounded with much of their equipment destroyed, but slowly, the chapter began to break out of this difficult early phase.

It was also at this point that the chapter's first leader, Alach Hellclaw, was appointed, though this leader wouldn't last long. The name '*Lost Crusaders*' was decided on after much discussion between members of the chapter. This name was chosen as it demonstrated how they had abandoned the Imperium after being betrayed and symbolised their newfound helplessness as they attempted to tame the hostile planet they had been stranded on.

Being forced to adapt to this new environment also allowed them to come up with some rather peculiar tactics. After the Exterminatus had left Xalnone scorched and covered in a thick layer of ash, along with the planet's already vast deserts, this caused the chapter to begin taking on a new specialisation in the form of desert combat. Currently, they are experts at digging out trenches and temporary bases within the sand and concealing themselves amongst the numerous piles of ash that cover most of the planet, combined with their already devastating disruption and stealth tactics plus their black armour, it makes them masters of ambushes and avoiding combat altogether, a necessity to survive on such a desolate planet such as Xalnone and not be taken out with their small number of units.

## Chapter Homeworld

The Chapter's home planet of Xalnone is a small Earth-like planet with vast deserts where an Exterminatus was previously performed, on a somewhat frequent basis great storms of sand and ash sweep across the landscape causing the chapter to frequently be forced to bunker inside of one of the many caves converted into bases for the members of the chapter to wait out the dust storms and refill on supplies. The planet is also frequently swarmed with Tyranids from nearby caves though they are also typically taken out by the dust storms. It is also worth noting that in many places the heat from the explosions during the Exterminatus was high enough to turn the sand covering the surface into glass, these are typically referred to as "glass valleys" and they are somewhat frequent on the planet.

### Fortress-Monastery

The so-called 'Heart of Revenge' is the single largest achievement that the chapter has ever accomplished, though it still isn't that grandiose. It has been built deep underground in a large hollowed-out cave, it takes the appearance of a large casino, mostly full of poker and blackjack tables, the walls are painted red and there is a red carpet adorning the floor. Many Marines can be found here, gambling their weapons and sometimes relics in intense betting games.

## Chapter Organisation

The chapter's organisation, if you can call it that, is severely lacking due to their sudden ejection from The Imperium, in general, they only manage to maintain the bare minimum in terms of organising their ranks. Since the chapter's members originate from so many different chapters, there are often disagreements about how exactly the organisation should be carried out. Because of this, calling anything regarding the chapter's army 'organised' is inaccurate. Although there is some method in the madness, there are ranks and there is a general sense of the hierarchy, but nothing can solve the disagreements between those who originate from different chapters before becoming Lost Crusaders.

### Officer Ranks

**The Forgotten Champion** - The equivalent of the Chapter master in other Chapters, the Forgotten Champion decides on everything the Chapter does, with advice from his counsel, the Survivors, though the manner in which one is recruited is strange compared to others similar to them. The manner in which a new Chapter master is selected is through a gambling competition, rather than a democratic vote or other such methods, after a Chapter master has died the Lost Crusaders will spend a week mourning the death of their leader, in this time frame all decisions will be made by the Survivors, the process then proceeds with an announcement from the Survivors to start their gambling, whoever has won the most relics by the end of the month will be granted the position of Forgotten Champion, this system is imperfect, but given the Lost Crusaders low numbers, essentially selecting at random wouldn't be much worse. Despite their lofty position, Forgotten Champions are still expected to partake in most major battles, this is because they are probably the most qualified fighter in the Chapter(while using Poker and Blackjack to decide your leader is ill-advised, it isn't the worst method to select a leader) and because the chapter can't afford to have some of their members not on the front line.

**Survivors** - This is the counsel that governs the Lost Crusaders, and they can be appointed through various means. The first method is to be appointed by the Forgotten Champion himself, although this has only happened once in the chapter's history, as this requires an exceptional feat to be performed by an individual involving the Forgotten Champion, the one case where this did happen was with Sappholach Thamev, he earned his position by saving Genesis Stormbringer from a collapsing building, Sappholach was barely able to survive the impact after shoving Genesis out of the way, but after his recovery, he was able to become one of the Survivors, where he pushed many ideas that would benefit the chapter, such as tunnels connecting bunkers that were close together. Another method to become a Survivor is to be recommended enough by your fellow space marines, this is more frequent than being appointed by the Forgotten champion himself, but still doesn't happen very often, after enough people have suggested one individual they will be interviewed by the current Survivors to determine whether or not they can join.

### Specialist Units & Formations

**Shadow Watchers** - The Shadow watchers are a specialist stealth unit built from the very best of the chapter's scouts. Usually a recruit becomes a proper space marine after serving their time as a scout, as is common in other chapters, though if they are a member of The Lost Crusaders they may also become a Shadow Watcher if they display exceptional talent in stealth and infiltration. After a candidate is chosen, they must endure further training and a more extreme version of the "Trial of the Scorched Sand" Being left for 2 weeks rather than the usual one week in addition to not being afforded the luxury of a weapon to fend off Xenos. A member of the chapter is only allowed to partake in this trail if they have already received their power armour and implants after becoming a Space Marine.

The Shadow Watchers deal in only the most important of stealth missions, as well as commanding a great deal of respect within the chapter. In direct combat they are capable, but it would be a waste of their talents, in fact they are weaker than your typical Astartes in that respect, however their exceptional talent in remaining unseen in more or less any environment barring an open field in direct sunlight is far more useful for a chapter as small as the Lost Crusaders. Because of the nature of the chapter, most raids they partake in focus on stealing supplies and defeating their enemies through the cutting of supply lines, either starving their enemies or leaving them defenceless without ammunition.

## Combat Doctrine

"*If the blood of an army is its supply line, we shall bleed the enemy until we drown*"
—Korvyryon Cybit, member of the Survivors council
The Lost Crusaders fight primarily through targeted strikes at key supply lines of the Imperium, as such they often target Adeptus Mechanicus and Adeptus Administratum, although more often than not, killed Tech priests or scribes do not even have their causes of death investigated, if their cause of death is labelled it's likely to be labelled as a chaos warband or even accidental casualties from loyalist chapters. This is favourable for the Lost Crusaders since it means they can maintain their status as presumed dead, but it also means their attacks are ultimately inconsequential since not even the Imperium bothers to spare a thought to the damages.

The chapter will do absolutely anything in its power to avoid direct combat, but sometimes even all their tricks won't be enough to escape the inevitable call to battle all inhabitants of the galaxy must endure. When required, the Lost Crusaders fight with finesse and tenacity rather than pure brute strength, their goal is to expend the absolute minimum number of resources required to win a battle. In a sense they resemble the Iron hands, calculating the odds of winning a battle and what would be required to win a battle before anyone begins the purging. Like the Iron hands, the Lost Crusaders take an almost mechanical approach to combat, relentlessly marching forward without flinching, though even under these circumstance battle cries still erupt from the vox casters of the Marines in loud droning waves in a vain attempt to intimidate enemies.

There is one exception to this dedication to their absolute efficiency when fighting, and that is when facing down loyalist Space Marines, in which case they become enraged with a primal fury the Iron hands have largely forgotten. Their battle cries turn from mechanical fear inducers into horrific banshee cries, the volume of which is only surpassed by those suffering from the Black rage, their usually cautious battle tactics are overwritten in favour of one command echoing through the minds of every Astartes in the chapter. *Purge.*

## Chapter Culture & Beliefs

There are often arguments amongst various members of the Lost Crusaders on what the chapter's traditions should be because they are comprised of such a mess of different chapters, but typically the chapter leaders who were originally part of the Unholy Crusaders before 'The Great Betrayal' win out in the end. They keep the Chapter somewhat structured in its beliefs and culture. Most of the Lost Crusaders follow a pessimistic line of thinking and believe the Imperium to be largely evil, with the only exception being the Emperor Himself. Gambling is also deeply ingrained within the culture and identity of the chapter, with Marines often gambling possessions away for entertainment.

Other than these main factors, the Chapter is hugely diverse in opinions and beliefs among its army. Some are compassionate and still see good in the Imperium despite the horror they have endured because of them, while others have found solace in a deep hatred for mostly everything and wish to see the armies of man perish even though they are the one thing keeping the Chapter alive.

## Chapter Recruitment

The Lost Crusaders will recruit more or less anyone willing to join them, as such, many members of the chapter aren't trained as thoroughly as is typical of an Astartes, but most of the members consist of other Space Marines who have been abandoned by the Imperium and lost their loyalty.

### Trial of the Scorched Sand

The 'Trial of the Scorched Sand' is the Lost Crusader's test to see if someone is worthy of joining their ranks. It consists of leaving an Aspirant far away from any of the Chapter's bases with 3 days' worth of rations and a simple laser rifle that is typically used by Guardsmen unless they have come from another space marine chapter, in which case they will instead receive a bolt pistol along with whatever armour they arrived with. The applicant must either survive a week without the intervention of the chapter at large or find their way back to the fortress-monastery. This is an extremely difficult task due to the harsh climate and few lifeforms on Xalnone. In some cases, recruits have even been reported as eating the flesh of the Xenos that live on the planet, a typically frowned upon practice that is sometimes necessary to complete the trial.

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Chapter's marines typically wear outdated sets of power armour painted black with bright gold trimmings, however, the most interesting part of their design is their striking red helmets painted using pigments made from the blood from their fallen battle-brothers. Until a recruit has had their first battle they will don black helmets instead, before making the paint to be used to dye their helmets. The small amount of data regarding the chapter before 'The Great Betrayal' shows that this tradition of painting helmets red a long-held one, existed even before they called themselves the Lost Crusaders. The black and gold colours are likely due to the composition of elements on Xalnone, making black and gold dyes easily accessible from within the planet's deep caverns. It is also worth noting that on occasion the scout squads of the chapter will wear black helmets if they must remain undetected, though this is rare due to the chapter's tradition being incredibly important to them and the chapter's collective high competency in stealth.

### Chapter Badge

The Lost Crusader's chapter badge portrays a flaming broadsword inserted into a stone, the hilt is comprised of two menacing spikes.