Lords of Ash

Lords of Ash armorial with Chapter iconography

Lords of Ash Chapter colour scheme

The **Lords of Ash** are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter created during the recent Ultima Founding. Hailing from the proud gene-line of Vulkan and the Salamanders, the Lords of Ash embrace many of the same cultural traditions as their progenitors.

Through the Indomitus Crusade, the Lords of Ash were used as reinforcements of ongoing battles and crusades. Their battle doctrine favoring rapid assaults, and overwhelming firepower allowed them to turn the tide in the waning wars within the Imperium. The galaxy now split into two, the Lords of Ash have never been more needed.

## Chapter History

Once wardens of their own homeworld, the chapter currently operates as vast void fleet composed of their chapter vessels, support auxiliaries, and allied forces. The chapter is now a void fleet due to the destruction of their world. Disputed Imperial records indicate the Lords of Ash chose to destroy it, others claim it was forced upon them. Regardless of their past, they have been fighting throughout the Obscurus Segmentum in order to protect Imperium Nihilus.

The Lords of Ash have rarely been at full chapter strength since their founding due to jumping from subsequent costly campaigns. A founding principle of the chapter is self-sacrifice for the benefit of mankind. This has resulted in taking heavy casualties in whichever battlefield they enter.

For the greater benefit of the Imperium, the Lords of Ash have helped in creating the Aegis Obscurum: a joint defence force composed of multiple Space Marine chapters, Knight Houses, Orders of the Adepta Sororitas, Regiments of the Astra Militarum, and Adeptus Mechanicus forces. With these allies, the Lords of Ash have seen greater success, but still struggle to support the Obscurus Segmentum.

## Notable Campaigns

* **Purging of Lumos Prime (002.M42)**-The chapter had attempted to purge the chaos cults that plague Lumos Prime. The young chapter, in their naivete, believed they could purge the elements of chaos within the population, but for every underhive, noble house, or secret group they cleansed in the Emperor's name they found two more. After six months of cleansing the planet in secrecy, Tyron Aquiot, an Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor, arrived to purge the chaos elements he had been investigating within the system.

* **Birth of the Lords of Ash (002.M42)**- The Lords of Ash are created after the failure upon Lumos Prime and the world is destroyed. In shame, the chapter takes to the void to fulfill their duty to the Imperium and defend Imperium Nihilus.

* **Jearis System Castigation (013.M42)**- The Lords of Ash crusade against elements of the Dark Mechanicus within the Jearis System. Upon Jearis 3, the chapter found the fractured Knight House Grimhold. The household had been defending the system valiantly for 3 years, but they had suffered the loss of many of their war engines. With the aid of the Lords of Ash, the Dark Mechanicus was nearly exterminated and their remaining forces were forced into the warp. House Grimhold and it's head, Arthur Grimhold, pledged their allegiance to the chapter and joined the Chapter's void fleet.

* **Defence of the Segmentum Obscurus (027.M42)**- The Lords of Ash, along with House Grimhold, join a collective of Imperium forces in the Aegis Obscurum. This joint defence force has taken to defending as much of the Segmentum Obscurus as they can and recruit forces into it in order to reestablish the Imperium's hold of the segmentum.

* **The Dawn Crusade (039-046.M42)** - A costly war for the Lords of Ash wherein they aided the Dawn Hawks chapter retake the Y'liel system from the Death Guard. The chapter suffered heavy losses amongst their 2nd and 6th Companies during this crusade and forced the chapter to return to Validus, the operating base of the Aegis Obscurum.

* **The Coming of the Great Devourer (067.M42)**- The Lords of Ash encounter a splinter fleet of the the Tyranid invasion. Initially, the fleet attempted to fight the Tyranids in naval combat, but the longer the battle went, the more Bioships of the Tyranids arrived until they threatened to entirely overwhelm the chapter. Having lost nearly one quarter of its fleet fending off the Tyranids, they were forced to retreat and escape through warp travel.

* **The Scions of Nurgle Cometh (100.M42)**- Warbands of the Death Guard come hunting for the Lords of Ash, having sworn vengeance from the Dawn Crusade. The two forces engage upon the Shrine World Harmonium. The pestilence of the Death Guard takes a heavy toll on the populace and chapter, but with the help of the Order of the Crimson Heart, another member of the Aegis Obscurum, they are able to eliminate the forces of chaos.

## Chapter Homeworld

Upon their creation, the chapter was granted Lumos Prime as their homeworld. Lumos Prime was a flourishing shrine world dedicated to Saint Katherine. The planet lies with the Segmentum Obscurus, near the fringes of the Calixis Sector. The world was once a beautiful landscape of towering gold, marbled columns, and oceans of deep blue. Now, the planet floats through the void cracked and hollowed. In M42, *Exterminatus* was declared upon Lumos Prime by Inquisitor Tyron Aquiot of the Ordo Hereticus, after his discovery of a Chaos cult of Khorne had taken hold of the planet.

## Chapter Recruitment

As a roaming void fleet, the Lords of Ash have no set planets to tithe neophytes from. A portion of the population of Validus is used to create new members of the chapter, but most neophytes are tithed from the planets they encounter during their campaigns. Approximately ten percent of able bodied boys and girls are taken as tithe. These youths are used to replenish the chapter and its allies. Though no specfic requirements are necessary for recruitment, those selected are those who demonstrate high levels of empathy and belief in community.

## Chapter Organisation

### Officer Ranks

**Chapter Master**- The Chapter Master of the Lords of Ash is known as the "Great Drake". Responsible for the entirety of the chapter as well as the direct leader of the 1st Company in lieu of a Captain.

**Captain**

**Lieutenant**

### Specialist Ranks

* **The Fangs**- Lieutenants of the 1st Company are also called the Right and Left Fangs. These battle brothers are actually more akin to a Chapter Master than a Lieutenant. Combined with the Great Drake, these three space marines form a triumvirate that leads and directs the Lords of Ash.

* **High Chaplain**- The High Chaplain of the chapter is the ranking member of the reclusiarchy within the Lords of Ash. Upon ascension, the Chaplain will be interned within a relic Redemptor Dreadnought Chasis.

* **Chief Librarian**

* **Chief Apothecary**

* **Master of the Forge**

* **Chaplain**

* **Apothecary**

* **Techmarine**

* **Librarian**

* **Chapter/Company Champion**

* **Ancient** - Standard Bearer equivalent.

### Line Ranks

* **Veteran Sergeant**

* **Sergeant**

* **Scale**- The rank and file battle brothers of the chapter

* **Scout**

* **Neophyte**

### Specialist Units and Formations

**Ashen Guard**- The elite honour guard of the Great Drake. Veteran space marines who have proven themselves amongst the Bladeguard Veterans. Captains, Fangs, and the Great Drake are predominantly selected from the Ashen Guard.

### Order of Battle

#### Companies

**1st Company: The Dragon's Head**

**2nd Company: The Scything Fangs**

**3rd Company: The Crushing Maw**

**4th Company: The Soaring Drakes**

**5th Company: The Swift Wyrms**

**6th Company: The Iron Scales**

**7th Company: The Dragon's Spine**

The Lords of Ash are split into 7 Grand companies and each is represented by a portion of a dragon:

The 1st Company is the head of the dragon. It is composed of the veterans of the chapter led by the Great Drake. The Lords of Ash have a unique command structure within the 1st Company. To outsiders, there is the chapter master and his 2 lieutenants. Within the chapter, the lieutenants are more akin to chapter masters themselves and serve as a triumvirate. It is rare to see 2 of the 3 deployed on the same battlefield and all 3 have never been deployed together in the history of the chapter. The triumvirate ensures their is never a gap in leadership should one of them perish and that a strong hand leads the chapter on all battlefields. The 1st Company is the rally point of the fleet and is always accompanied by the 2nd and 3rd companies.

The 2nd and 3rd companies are the right and left claws of the dragon. These are the main battle companies that lead campaigns and act as the vanguard of the chapter. After one or both are deployed, the 1st Company may join the battlefield.

The 4th and 5th companies are the wings of the dragon. These companies are crusade forces and often split from the main force of the chapter to partake in side campaigns, answer calls of aid, and pursue the enemies of Man.

The 6th company is the tail of the dragon. They are the rear guard of the chapter and are responsible for rebuilding and restoring the damaged worlds of the Imperium.

The 7th company is the spine of the dragon. The 7th is responsible for creating, indoctrinating, and training the neophytes of the chapter. The scout squads of the 7th company will join other company contingents and deploy in the field with them.

## Chapter Beliefs

From their brother Chapter, the Salamanders, the Lords of Ash follow the tenets of the Promethian Cult. In particular, the concepts of self-sacrifice, community, and bravery are held in high esteem. Many of the traditions of the Promethean Cult have been adapted for the Lords of Ash and their lives in the void.

* **The Star Walk** - Adapted from the Burning Walk of the Salamanders, the Lords of Ash use the Star Walk to atone for grave mistakes, dishonor, or as a means to provide benefit to the chapter as they perish from the trial. When a marine undergoes the Star Walk, his duty is to entirely replace and retrofit the reactor complex of one of the ships of the fleet. He must continue this trial until he completes the ordeal or perishes. For the duration, the reactor complex is put into a low operating state, but is not shut off. The extreme radiation normally kills the marine shortly. Only a single individual has survive the Star Walk, claiming that reciting passages of the Promethan Cult is responsible for his survival.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

Utilizing the gene-seed of Vulkan, the Lords of Ash have the usual gene flaws of maintaing coal-like skin from exposure to high levels of radiation and piercing red eyes. The Lords of Ash Gene-Seed has two other documented deviations. Their Melanochrome is especially active within these marines, granting greater resistance to all kinds of radiation, but the coal skin becomes easily present once a scout receives this implant. The radiation of the ships within the fleet is the suspected cause for the rapid change. The Lords of Ash are missing the Omophagea entirely from their gene-seed. This mutation is likely from its underuse and background radiation promoting mutations in their gene-seed.

## Combat Doctrine

The Lords of Ash favor a style of war that hits hard and hits fast. Units of regular and heavy Intercessors advance and lay down suppressing fire. Outrider squads, Invader ATVs, and Inceptors move in quick to flank enemy lines and eliminate target priorities. Impulsors carry the company command members and Bladeguard Veterans. Repulsors lead the transport convoys to deliver Flamestorm Aggressors to immolate the enemy forces. Gladiators and Repulsor Executioners focus on entrenched heavy weapons and their firing teams. Eradicators eliminate the vehicles and structures. Finally, a plethora of various dreadnoughts hammer the enemy with their tools of war.

Each battle is waged with wave assault from the chapter's companies. First on the field is the second and third companies. Once engaged and a defensive line drawn, the first company deploys to support and drive the enemy back. Once the enemy begins to fall back or foolishly holds their ground, another company will pincer the enemy forces. This last company is dependant on availability or field specialty.

Though this has been effective throughout their history, it relies heavily on putting the Scales directly in the way of enemy fire and destruction. Depsite each Scale understanding the importance of their actions, this doesn't relieve the gravity of the orders issued by the company and chapter commands.

## Chapter Relics

**Pyremaker**- When the Lords of Ash first arrived upon Lumos Prime, they were given this sword in recognition of their stewardship. The priests claimed the sword was the blade once wielded by St. Katherine herself. Though the Lords of Ash knew this to be false, they recognized the sword to be much older, Great Crusade era if not earlier. They graciously accepted the sword into the chapter. Upon inpsection by the Great Drake and Master of the Forge, they found the blade to indeed be pre-Imperium. Through much study, they were able to learn that it can create a power field with such an intense amount of heat that it super heats the water in the air around it and ignites the air into a sheathe of roaring flame. They still do not understand how its small powercell is able to produce such an effect nor any means to disassemble the sword without possibly destroying its internal workings. At present, it is wielded by the "Right Fang".

**Lumos' Fury**- Before the destruction of Lumos Prime, High Chaplain Vulkan retrieved the Imperial aquila atop the pole on the Lords of Ash's fortress-monastery. This aquila was forged into the head of High Chaplain Vulkan's crozius, where he wields the planets fury and anguish in his hand.

**Shield of the Covenant**- When a Salamanders' envoy came to the Lords of Ash, they brought knowledge of the Promethean Cult and a shield forged from the boneplate and scaled hide of a Nocturnian Firedrake. The shield is one of many made from the same beast and given to the new sons of Vulkan. "Let the spirit of Nocturne protect its sons", spoke the Salamanders Chaplain. Since receiving this gift, the "Left Fang" has carried it into every battle. The shield has endured blasts from fallen Chaos Knights, corrosive acids, and myriads of bolt, las, and plasma shots. Never has the shield failed to protect a son of Vulkan.

## Gallery

Lords of Ash offical data-file displaying the Chapter's heraldry.

 White Scars Successors
 Space Wolves Successors
 Imperial Fists Successors
 Blood Angels Successors
 Iron Hands Successors
 Ultramarines Successors
 Salamanders Successors
 Raven Guard Successors
 Unknown Lineage

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