Exalted Paladins

Exalted Paladins armorial with Chapter iconography.

Exalted Paladins Firstborn Company Champion of the 2nd Company, Command Squad.

The **Exalted Paladins** are a Space Marine chapter which are a Successor Chapter to the Iron-bound Thanes (before the World Burning and the renaming to Ashen Thanes) and are descended from an unknown Primarch. They are renowned throughout the Imperium for their fanatical zeal towards worshipping the Emperor and are one of the few Chapters to go from being bleet-based to possessing their own homeworld to call their own.

## Chapter History

### Early History

Due to the loss of the history of the Ashen Thanes prior to the event known as the World Burning, little is known about how they earned the esteemed honour to have a Successor Chapter. What is known is that the Exalted Paladins were founded to be a crusading chapter similar to the Black Templars. Soon it became apparent however that something had changed in the gene-seed, whether through mutation or experimentation is unknown. While all the zygotes still function, the Exalted Paladins developed a tendency to slide towards emotional and mental extremes, similar to the Aeldari. To counter-act this the Chapter developed a strictly religious culture to channel their Battle-Brothers' emotions towards worshiping the Emperor.

### The Pale Wasting

When an unrecorded Terror arose in the Ghoul Stars, the Exalted Paladins accompanied their parent chapter in the wars of the Pale Wasting. While the events of the wasting are still suppressed, the Exalted Paladins returned much reduced in strength and, if anything, more zealous. It is also noted that while they lost a great number of marines, they somehow increased the size of their fleet.

#### Age of Apostasy

While many chapters of the Adeptus Astartes did their best to avoid involement in the Age of Apostasy and the actions of the mad High Lord Goge Vandire, the Exalted Paladins gave such importance to the worship of the God-Emperor that they became furious when they heard of the insane High Lord. They utterly refused the notion that the mad orders issued by Vandire were from the Emperor. When word came to them of Sebastian Thor, the Chapter Master went to meet him as one of the Confederation of Light (a group of Astartes Chapter Masters). Upon meeting with Sebastian the Chapter Master of the Exalted Paladins agreed with the others to support him. While some of the others, (the Fire Hawks, Imperial Fists, Black Templars, and ▒▒▒░░▓▒) would accompany Sebastian Thor to Terra, others including the Exalted Paladins would move to cease the civil war raging through the Imperium. It was at this time that the bond between the Balck Templars and the Exalted Paladins would be formed.

#### Settling of Cúarthol

Tired of constantly being on the move and desiring a Home World of their own, the Exalted Paladins laid claim to the newly discovered world of Cúarthol. After obtaining permission from the High Lords of Terra, the Planet was colonized by the Imperium, and a mighty Fortress-Monastery, Bandouin, was constructed.

#### World Burning

In 173.M37 the home world of the parent chapter of the Exalted Paladins, the Iron-Bound Thanes, came under attack by the Forces of Chaos. Arriving too late, the Exalted Paladins found both the Chapter and their home world in ruins. Though the two chapters had become estranged due to the Exalted Paladins religious fervor, they were united by the flames of hatred. It is said that the Chapters swore powerful oaths of unity and Brotherhood the same day the Iron-bound Thanes took on the name Ashen Thanes. Since then, whenever a World Eaters warband emerges from the Eye of Terror, the two Chapters will drop all else to destroy the traitor marines in a storm of holy fire and vengeance.

## Notable Campaigns

* **First War of Exaltation (456.M35)** - Whenever the entire chapter gathers for a single crusade it is called a War of Exaltation. In 456.M35 the Exalted Paladins gathered under Prophet Hadriam in order to retake the Carrie Sector from a Ork WAAAGH! With only a small Imperial Navy and Astra Militarum force to aid them, the victories gained were truly astonishing, liberating nearly half the planets lost before reinforcements arrived to aid them in their war. These results stemmed from the ceaseless energy of the Exalted Paladins, always eager to move on to the next battle, their zealous behavior inspiring the Guardsmen more than any commissar. The price of their, almost reckless behavior and tenancy to lead from the front led to heavy casualties.
* **Second War of Exaltation (761.M35)** - In 761.M35 a large Chaos Cult managed to spread corruption through an entire subsector leading to it's central planet becoming a Daemon World. When the Exalted Paladins arrived they unleashed an Exterminatus immediately upon the planet via a 2 stage melta torpedo destroying the planet. They then reconquered the next several planets with such fury and zeal that the few remaining planets chose to end their uprisings and willingly hand over the cultists in the hopes of sparing themselves. The only reward they got was the contempt of the Exalted Paladins, and having their fate turned over to the Inquisition as the Astartes lost the will to fight them in disgust at their cowardice.
* **7th Black Crusade (811.M37)** - When Abbadon burst through the Cadian gate, he and his forces disappeared leading to an event that would later be known as the Ghost War. During the war the Exalted Paladin's Prophet Haldir and Baron Callinius would encounter a warband of the Thousands Sons Legion. During the battle the Exalted Paladins were at a distinct disadvantage due to the psychic prowess of the Thousand Sons sorcerers, when they recived aid from an unexpected source. A mysterious group of Grey-clad Astartes who countered the Thousand sons psychic attacks with their own. After the battle only the Prophet Haldir would retain any memory of the Grey Knights due to his powerful warp resistance and a single pict cap he managed to conceal. Since then the knowledge of the strange warriors has been a well kept secret passed from King to King.
* **Third War of Exaltation (561.M36)** - In 561.M36, the Exalted Paladins homeworld was attacked by a force of Drukhari while the chapter was away. Upon returning and seeing the damage inflicted by the Drukhari, the Chapter engaged upon a War of Exaltation against the Dark Aeldari as best they could. Using the Emperor's Tarot to predict where the Raiders would strike next, the Astartes attacked raiding group after raiding group for nearly 6 years, till more urgent matters called them away.
* **Fourth War of Exaltation (173.M37)** - After the burning of the Ashen Thanes world in 173.M37, the two chapters reunited for the first time in nearly 2 millennia. While the Ashen Thanes were still too weak to pursue vengeance upon their destroyers, the Exalted Paladins vowed to uphold their vow of vengeance until the Ashen Thanes were strong enough on their own. To this end, the Exalted Paladins led a crusade into the Eye of Terror itself. The tales of the wars and battles that followed were a combination of Horror and Glory. While much of the Crusade was lost, it was noted that very few of the Astra Militum that accompanied them fell to Chaos, and not a single Astartes did.
* **Fifth War of Exaltation (Unknown Date.M39)** - Often referred to as a Dark Crusade due to how little knowledge there is of what occurred. All that is known is that it started in M39, nearly a third of the Chapter was lost while the fleet was nearly untouched, and that afterwards they possessed far more Relics than before.
* **Sixth War of Exaltation (532.M40)** - One of the larger crusades of the century, the 6th War of Exaltation was led by the Exalted Paladins Astartes Chapter and included support from 12 Astra Militarum regiments as well as 2 other Astartes chapters; the Ashen Thanes and the Twilight Shadows. The latter was a surprise as both the Exalted Paladins and the Ashen Thanes actively despised the Twilight Shadows due to both their stealthier tactics, as well as the knowlage that the Twilight Shadows would be actively gathering information on them. The target of the Crusade was the Ork Empire of the Great Warboss Gitsmash Bonebreaka in the south Segmentum Pacificus which had grown large enough to pose a significant threat. With incredible momentum the 2 forces clashed, the furious zeal of the Exalted Paladins driving the crusade on towards the center of the empire like a bolt through flesh. When they reached the planet of the Ork Warboss the crusade ground to a halt as, while the Imperial Forces held the edge in firepower, the Ork reinforcements from the rest of the Empire seemed endless. Ork fleets were blasted to flaming wreckage crashing down on the planets surface only to be rebuilt into new fleets. only through numerous orbital bombardments upon the planets great scrapyards were the Imperial forces able to gain any head way. With casualties mounting higher and higher and the Ork warboss protected by a powerful shield from orbital bombardment, the Exalted Paladins King decided to end the Ork WAAAGH by killing the Warboss and had the Ashen Thanes and his own paladins land on the planet to try and fight their way to the Warboss. With Thanes and Paladins fighting side by side even Orks had no chance in close combat against them. The Warboss was more cunning than they thought however and he began to send Orks more specialized in heavy firepower to counter the more close combat oriented Astartes. After losing 5 squads to a pair of Gargants and things looked their grimmest, the onslaught slowed. As the Astartes wondered what had changed, the Orks still fighting them were suddenly wiped out by a surprise attack from the Twilight Shadows. While the Orks had been distracted by the Thanes and Paladins, the Twilight Shadows had flanked them as well as planting numerous motion activated bombs to cover their rear. With the Twilight Shadows covering the flanks the Astartes force was able to easily reach the warboss who was quickly overrun by the combined might of the Astartes. With the Warboss dead the Empire quickly broke down into smaller factions warring for control and became easy prey for the Imperial Forces. After enacting numerous Exterminatus, the Ork threat was abolished and the chapters parted ways.
* **Defense of Ania-Anga (ca. Date Unknown.M42** - After the destruction of Cadia, Abaddon felt confident enough to try striking at the Forge World of Ania-Anga, a vitally important Forge World. He arrived in system with a massive force, only to find the defenders up to the challenge. Every planet in the system had been equipped with Orbital defenses, so even if the Despoiler tried to establish a base in the system, it would be hard fought for. In addition to the Mechanicus' own defenses there was also the majority of the local Battlefleet, as well as both the Angels of Rebirth and the Exalted Paladins chapters. While they managed to stop the Warmaster of Chaos from ever setting foot upon the Forge World it was a hard fought victory, with the defenders taking heavy losses despite their superior numbers. Eventually the War culminated in the Despoiler trying to take the Angels of Rebirth out of the fight by boarding their Battle-Barge *Fist of Herleven* where he was confronted by the Angels of Rebirth Chapter Master, Lord Harbinger Koios Vivifica, in a battle that greatly resembled the battle aboard the *Vengeful Spirit*. While Abaddon may have been mightier than the Lord Harbinger he was weary from earlier fighting, and could scarcely react in his heavy Terminator armor, to the lightning attacks of his lighter armored foe, both physical and psychic. Before he could strike a lethal blow however, more of the Black Legion intervened, giving the Despoiler time to retreat. By the end of the war the Exalted Paladins had suffered considerable damage to their fleet, including losing the Flag ship of the Dúath Barony.

## Chapter Homeworld

Cúarthol is a feudal world on the edge of the Segmentums Pacificus and Segmentum Tempestus. Settled in M36 by the Exalted Paladins, the Astartes chose it for it's similarity to their parent chapter's homeworld Tuar-Hithlum and it's culture was deliberately manipulated to be similar to theirs. It possesses a similar climate, gravity, and orbit to Ancient Terra. Cúarthol has 4 moons; 1 large, 3 smaller. Felowe, the largest, is orbited by the other three; Curthwe, Velowe, and Fenowe.

The planet follows a variation of the Imperial Creed that venerates the Primarchs as the primary saints. At the base of the mountain where the Chapter's fortress-monastery is built is a large Holy City with 10 temples in it, 1 for each of the Primarchs and the largest and grandest for the Emperor.

As part of making it similar to their parent chapter's homeworld is making sure that Cúarthol was settled by colonists drawn from Taur-Hithlum, making Cúarthol the only other planet in the Imperium to share Tuar-Hithlum's native language of Anglund. Culturally the planets are similar but not the same. Both have the populations living in separate kingdoms that occasionally war with each other, and for both, the Astartes are considered to be the true rulers of the planet. Unlike Tuar-Hithlum, the Imperial Creed taught on Cúarthol venerates all of the Primarchs not just Leman Russ, though he remains one of the 'big three' Primarch that are venerated more than their brothers, (the other two being Sanguinius and, surprisingly, Lion El'Jonson).

## Chapter Organization

The Exalted Paladins are a non-*Codex* compliant chapter. Instead of being organized into 10 companies of 10 squads, they are organized into 5 'Baronies'(Companies) of 18 squads with the Chapter Master leading the "Emperor's Own" comprising 10 squads. Each Barony is lead by a 'Baron' (Lieutenant Commander) who in turn has 2 Knight-Captains under him. Also instead of having a Training or Reserve companies they instead maintain a certain amount of Undecided marines (similar to Scout Marines, though generally they have all their gene-seeds implanted) standing by and training at their fortress-monastery, who are used to replace fallen marines whenever a Barony returns to resupply and rearm. There can be up to 200 undecided marines at once (though that many is unusual) and was once used to replace a Barony that had been completely wiped out.

### Baronies

The chapter, instead of following the *Codex*-proscribed 10 Companies instead maintains 5 Baronies, as well as the "Emperor's Own" formation, that serve directly under the King/Prophet (Chapter Master). There is no 'order' to the baronys and all are considered equal. The following Baronies include:

* **Aglar Barony**
* **Celeb Barony**
* **Randir Barony**
* **Erynel Barony**
* **Dúath Barony**

### Officer Ranks

* **King/Prophet**- Chapter Master of the Exalted Paladins. The only way to become Chapter Master is by being either a Baron or High Justiciar. If he was a Baron previously he if called King, if High Justiciar he is called Prophet.
* **Baron**- A high ranking officer of the Exalted Paladins. Has 18 squads under him which will include, Assault, Tactical, and Devastator squads. They also have a single squad of Terminators, as well as 1 or 2 squads of either Clerical, Armored, or Cleanser marines.
* **Knight-Captain**- A high Ranking officer under a Baron. There are 2 per Barony and each lead 6 squads.

### Specialist Ranks

* **Clerical Marines**- Clerical Marines are marines trained in a similar manner to Chaplains and are specialists in fighting the powers of Chaos. Generally maintained by Baronys that specialize in fighting Deamons and Traitors. Typically use standard marine equipment with sargents using Thunder Hammers (or a Deamonhammer if they can get one).
* **Armored Marines**- Armored marines are trained to support their vehicles and Tanks, they will generally remain close to the vehicle and will have received some basic training in how to maintain them (though not to the degree of the Techmarines). Typically equipped with either storm shields and bolt pistols or anti-tank weaponry.
* **Cleanser Marines**- Cleanser Marines are trained to combat large amounts of light infantry such as Ork hordes or, more recently, Tyranids. They have grown so proficient in fighting Orks that they have learned how to minimize the spread of Ork Spores. Typically equipped with Flamers, Plasma weapons, and Melta-guns.
* **Justiciar**- An extension of the Chapter's Reclusiam that along with serving as Chaplains also take the role of Apothecary. Marines who have earned the position of Justiciar have equal authority as Knight-Captains. When a marine is considered to be tainted by Chaos beyond recovery it is the duty if the Justiciar to grant them the Emperor's Peace.

### Specialist Units & Formations

* **Emperor's Own**- Ten squads of elite veteran marines that accompany and directly serve under the King/Prophet (Chapter Master), alongside the 25 Battle-Brothers chosen to serve as the Chapter Master's personal Honour Guard. This unique specialist formation is comparable to a *Codex*-oriented Chapter's Honour Guard or their 1st Company formation.

## Chapter Recruitment

The Chapter recruits are selected from the squires of the 9 kingdoms. Once chosen a chapter serf is sent to inform them of their fate as well as pay the family a 'were-guild' (man price) for the boy, similar to their parent chapter.

### First Trial: Soul

The first thing the recruits must do is make the pilgrimage to the Holy City at the base of the mountain where the Exalted Paladin's Fortress Monastery is built, Bandouin. There they must study in each of the Temples of the Primarchs as well as the Great Temple of the Emperor. Some acolytes study for years before considered worthy, others only a few months. When the Chapter recruiters consider them worthy, they are allowed to enter the cave dug in the base of the mountain.

### Second Trial: Temptation

After being let in, the Acolytes are given strict training regimens of exercise and combat in the first level of the caves. While training the acolytes are given the barest amounts of water as well as food designed to be disgusting but nutritious to survive, vastly different from their days studying in the Holy City. Every day they are constantly tempted with promises of finer foods, soft beds, and relief from the harsh training. Those who except these offers fail this test and are sent back to the Holy City to study before getting a single chance for redemption. This trial will last typically around six months.

### Third Trial: Body

Taking place in the caves and chambers above the second Trial, the third trial makes the physical training of the second look simple and safe. While the acolytes that make it this far are given far better food to sustain them they are also put through far greater trials. Having been told at this point of the Astartes true purpose, failure at this point is considered intolerable, any acolyte who is requests aid or is too injured to continue is considered unworthy and is doomed to become either a serf or a servitor. Tests include live fire exercises, duels with fellow acolytes, and having to slay the most dangerous wild life the planet has to offer. Most of those who fail to become Astartes fail here with 40% of all Acolytes dying or failing.

### Fourth Trial: Damnation or Exaltation

The final and arguably most dangerous single trial, the Acolytes are informed of the truth of Chaos and then must confront a lesser daemon. Summoned with great care within a great armored cavern within the mountain, with both regular Astartes and either a Chaplain or Justiciar present. The lesser daemon is often selected based on the weakness of the Acolyte, one with great curiosity will face a lesser daemon of Tzeench and so on. The Acolyte, armed with anti daemon weapons must destroy the Lesser Daemon with not a hint of corruption on his soul. Unlike the other trials, failure here is punished with immediate death if he either fails to banish the daemon or shows any hint of corruption. A full half of the remaining acolytes fail this test, those who survive begin the gene-seed implantation and most who make it that far survive to become full Astartes.

### Accepting of the Mantle

Promotion to the rank of Knight-captain or high is a great honor within the chapter. Before a potential Knight-captain is promoted they must fulfill a task assigned to them by their Baron. Such tasks range from slaying Daemons or powerful xenos, to preforming acts of penance to cleanse themselves of any perceived faults. These tasks are invariably dangerous, though the King/Prophet can intervene if he deems them too dangerous.

For a Knight-captain to advance to Baron is a similar affair, though on a larger scale. It is one of the few cases where the entire chapter will gather. The Knight-captain will be brought before the other Barons, the Justiciars, and the King. The Knight-captains character, victories and defeats, and spiritual condition will be discussed and eventually a it will either be put to a vote, or, if the King already believes him worthy, will appoint him to the position of Baron. The vote requires 2/3rds to pass.

During the middle of a crusade, if its an emergency, a new Baron or Knight-Captain can be appointed on the spot by either the consent of the entire Barony, or the King/Prophet.

## Chapter Culture & Beliefs

The chapter's marines spend equal time training in combat and worshiping the Emperor and his sons, the Primarchs. The Chapter spends most of its time apart in its individual Baronys which spend the majority of their time on various crusades. The Chapters will return briefly after every crusade to rearm and bury marines who had died, as well as fill the vacancies with Undecided marines. The only few times the entire chapter will gather is either for a crusade that requires the entire chapter, the appointment of a new Baron or King, and a grand gathering held typically every 5-8 years called the "Festival of the Primarchs" that involves a great feast as well as a tournament and a Grand play put on for the Planets citizens in the Holy city that outlines the Great Crusade as well as the Horus Heresy. The Play is carefully made to avoid disclosing the existence of Chaos, instead portraying Horus's rebellion as being just an attempted coup. In 245.M38 a Harlequin troop came to Cúarthol during the Festival and, in a strange show of respect for each other, both carefully and politely watched the performance of the other.

While at home, it is not unusual for the Marines to descend the mountain to visit the Holy City. This serves two fold purposes as it allows them to keep an eye on the worship of the populace as well as instruct them. The second purpose it serves is that, for some reason, being around the native populace of their planet calms the extreme and obsessive tenancies of the Astartes.

As is already known, much of the Exalted Paladins lives revolve around worship. Their variation of the Imperial creed involves worshiping the Primarchs as well as the Emperor and much of the worship on their homeworld reflects the worship of the Astartes. Many Astartes worship only 1 Primarch, usually the one they feel most similar to themselves or respect over the others which has led to an almost hierarchy based on the worship. Sangunius, Leman Russ, and Lion El'Johnson are the most widely worshiped by the chapter, with Roboute Gulliman, Vulkan and Rogal Dorn as second-most. Ferrus Manus, Corvus Corax, and Jagati Khan on the other hand have nearly no worship from the Exalted Paladins.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

"*Many, even among their fellow Astartes and the Inquisition consider them strange for their fervent worship of the Emperor. Few realize that it is only by ceaseless prayer that they are kept clean of the taint of Chaos.*"
—Inquisitor Caluis, Ordo Hereticus
Like their parent chapter, the Exalted Paladins suffer from no failed gene-seeds. However they are not without mutation. They are afflicted by a strange mutation that affects the minds of the Astartes, making them tend to slide towards mental and emotional extremes with extraordinary swiftness as well as making it difficult for them to change once there. What this means is that once a Exalted Paladin feels an emotion such as fury in battle, it can quickly change to a nigh-uncontrollable rage. It also means that when a Exalted Paladin believes something, it is extraordinarily rare for them to experience doubt in their beliefs.

The danger presented by this is that any taint of Chaos in a marine can rapidly spiral into full-blown corruption if not detected quickly enough. To combat this the Chapter spends much of the time it is not actively in combat focused on worshiping the Emperor so that when they do battle, it is a righteous wrath they feel instead of pure fury which can quickly lead to corruption by Khorne. They also have a strict list of activities that Marines are allowed to pursue when not in combat so as to prevent Slanneshi corruption. Their Librarium is small as only a few are strong enough to control their rampant curiosity and not fall to the whispering of Tzeentch. As a final measure against corruption, they have an unusually large number of Chaplains and Justiciars to continually watch for any signs of corruption. Only marines who can control their emotions and obsessive tendencies are allowed to become officers or Chaplains.

Despite these problems, the gene-seed implantation of the Exalted Paladins has a remarkably high success rate with over 80% of the neophytes surviving implantation. However it has been proven that the people of Cúarthol are genetically indisposed towards the Exalted Paladins gene-seed meaning that those from other planets would have a lower chance of survival.

### Primaris Space Marines

When Roboute Gulliman revealed his Primaris Space Marines during the Indomitus Crusade, one of the worlds he visited was Cúarthol. The Exalted Paladins had just returned from their defense of the forge world Ania-Anga and the Prophet (Chapter Master) Mormegil met Primarch Gulliman personally. When Guilliman requested to know the Exalted Paladins' lineage so as to assign Primaris Marines to their ranks, Mormegil asked to speak privately. What knowledge was revealed in that brief interlude is unknown but the end result was that Primaris Marines were not assigned to the chapter, but they did receive Primaris gene-seed from Primaris marines that had already fallen during the crusade. Of what lineage the gene-seed was from is known only to Prophet Mormegil and Lord Commander of the Imperium.

While the Primaris gene-seed has no defective organs or physical mutations, it proved to only worsen the mental extremes of the Exalted Paladins. Thus only those Astartes who have proven themselves over a hundred battles of controling themselves are given the additional gene-seed implantation to cross over the Rubicon to become Primaris Marines. As such, generally only the King/Prophet, Barons, Knight-Captains, Justicars, and members of the 'Emperor's Own' (the Chapter honor guard) are given the additional implants.

## Combat Doctrine

Each of the five different Baronies has a different style of warfare, though if necessary all are capable of adapting their strategies. While all the marines are naturally talented when it comes to close-quarters combat, they tend to discourage engaging in melee combat as it increases the possibility of corruption. That being said they are prepared to fight and sell their lives dearly if necessary.

The entirety of the Exalted Paladin's tactics can be said to center around a single point; superior durability. While individual baronies may promote greater movement, or more ingenious tactics, the chapter as a whole relies on more heavily armored vehicles and power armor to simply outlast their opponents. Their vehicles, from Land Raiders to Rhinos to Thunderhawks tend to be more heavily armored than those of other chapters, with the cost of being slightly less agile.

## Deathwatch Service

Like many Chapters the Exalted Paladins, are sometimes reluctant to give their Astartes up for serving with the Long Watch. In their case, it is fear for their Astartes being vulnerable to corruption if not constantly watched over, and therefore they only recommend those that know how to control themselves. So far they have only ever recommended Chaplains.

## Notable Members

Unlike other chapters, the Exalted Paladins do not venerate any of their living brethren as heroes or ever refer to them as such. Firmly entrenched within the culture of the Exalted Paladins is the reality that any of them could fall to Chaos should they fail to resist its temptations. In the greater Imperium however there are many stories of various members of the Chapter, spread by those who had the honor of fighting alongside them in one of their crusades:

* **Prophet Mormegil** - Prophet both in title and literal, formerly the High Justiciar, Mormegil has been leading the Exalted Paladins since late M41. Renowned far and wide for his prophetic visions that lead him to battlefields where he and his Emperor's Own are needed. The Adeptus Ministorum insist that the visions are given to him by the Emperor as an answer to devoted guardsmen's prayers. In combat he is clad in mighty Terminator Armor and wields a master crafted Flamer and the relic power sword *Oath of Unity.* Despite the fact of his visions, Mormegil is not a psyker, leading many of his chapter to claim them as proof of the divine blessing of the Emperor. Of all his chapter, Mormegil was the first to get the enhancements to make him into a Primaris Space marine.
* **Baron Aglar** - Eldest of the non-dreadnought Astartes of the chapter with over 6 centuries of experience. He leads his barony in mighty crusades against Xenos of all species, from minor races to Ork Empires. While older than the Chapter Master, Mormegil often consults with him on strategy. Clad in Artificer armor and a jump pack, he leads a elite assault squad in the thick of battle and wields the dual Thunderhammers *Stone Grinders* with prodigious strength and skill.
* **Baron Celeb** - Perhaps the most devout of the Barons, Celeb's Barony makes use of the majority of the Chapter's clerical squads with a third of their squads being clerical squads. With courage that borders on recklessness Celeb leads his crusades almost solely against the forces of Chaos. His most recent foes include the Hell Dogs serving Valkyura Warpschild. In an epic battle, Celeb and his Barony tore through even the elite guard of the Chaos Witch but failed to kill her due to the unexpectedly powerful resistance from the Hell Dogs. Later reports indicate that the kill ratio was roughly 3.5 Hell Dogs to every Astartes that fell making it one of the worst disasters to occur to the Barony. In battle, command of his Barony falls to his Knight-captains as he leads his squads with what can only be described as divine wrath. Even blows that would fell a dreadnought do not slow the relentless fury of Baron Celeb who goes clad in Artificer Armor wielding the *Scarlet Glaive.* Virtually unknown outside the chapter is the fact that Celeb is a psyker. Undiscovered until he was already a tactical marine, Celeb is unusual in that he has virtually no control over his power. It activates when he goes into battle, his divine wrath channeling the power of the warp to turn him, as well as other Paladins within 10-15m, into nigh indestructible juggernauts. Due to his lack of control over the power, it is difficult to place how powerful his potential is.
* **Baron Randir** - Baron of the barony of the same name, Baron Randir is regarded as one of the best field strategists in Exalted Paladins history. Famed much for his extraordinarily skillful placement and usage of vehicles, his barony makes extensive use of Armored squads. Many times, enemy advances have been halted due to precise whirlwind missile strikes and enemy retreats cut off by unexpected Land Raiders and Predators. A master of Tactical Marines as well Baron Randir leads his men while clad in the Artificer Armor, *Governor of War,* there are legends among the Guard that nothing goes on within a 5 km radius of him that he does not know of.
* **Baron Erynel** - While Celeb fights with divine wrath, Erynel leads his Barony with strictness bordering on cruelty. Nobody is without guilt in his eyes and the Astartes under his command rarely go a week without a harsh reprimand for some inflection regardless of how serious it is. On the battlefield he is no less forgiving and does not hesitate to fire on enemy weak points near his allies. in his own words they are "guilty of being in the way". Similarly he never uses anything less than the most devestating force possible, even when there are easier or safer solutions. When he himself enters the fray, he does so clad in ancient Terminator Armor and wielding the relic power axe *Fear Spliter.*
* **Baron Dúath** - Youngest of the Barons, only 20 years after his appointment to Baron, his barony fleet would suffer devastating losses during the defense of Ania-Anga. This has lead to him having a reputation as a poor commander which is rather unfounded, his fleet was not devastated due to poor command but rather because the enemy was too numerous. In combat he wears Terminator Armor and uses both a Masterwork Storm Bolter and the Relic Power sword Beast Master.

## Chapter Fleet

"*By the Authority vested in me by the God Emperor of Mankind I Judge the inhabitants of Gamma-Sigmar guilty of Xenos association and declare them Excommunicate Tratoris. Judgement has been passed and now sentencing comes, may the Emperor have mercy on our souls.*"
— King Goldwin before enacting an Exterminatus by obital bombardment
The Exalted Paladins, as a crusading chapter, maintain a large fleet, split into 6 smaller fleets for each Barony and the Throne fleet (Emperor's Own and Honor Guard). There are few chapters that can boast larger fleets, almost none of them outside the First Founding chapters and Black Templars. Almost as a testament to their extreme methods, the Chapter fleet is one of the most versed at Exterminatus, and maintain a considerable stockpile of Cyclonic Torpedos.

### Throne Fleet

* ***Sanctus Novius* (Relic Battleship)** - The original Flagship of the Chapter, the *Sanctus Novius* is a mighty behemoth of a vessel at nearly 12 Km long. While powerful and well armored it is distinctly slow and vulnerable to large torpedo salvos. Was damaged in the protection of Forge World Ania-Anga and is currently being retrofitted by the Mechanicus.
* ***World Shield* (Battle Cruiser)**
* ***Word of the Prophet* (Strike Cruiser)**
* ***Glorious Vanguard* (Strike Cruiser)**
* **Various smaller craft**

### Aglar Barony

* ***Heiliger Krieger* (Apocalypse-Class Battleship)** - A strange acquisition of the Exalted Paladins, the *Heilier Krieger* was first seen among their fleet after the Pale Wasting. None are sure where they got such a powerful craft, given how by the time the ship was inspected, it had already been purged of all trace of it's former owner. Some among the chapter believe that it belonged to one of the less fortunate chapters that was annihilated during the conflict.
* ***Star Child* (Strike Cruiser)**
* ***Son of Snow* (Strike Cruiser)**
* ***Return of the Lost* (Strike Cruiser)**
* **Various smaller craft**

### Celeb Barony

* ***Poing Blindé* (Iron Clad Battleship)** - A truly ancient vessel, and easily the oldest one in the employ of the Exalted Paladins, it predates the Great Crusade. Built before the rediscovery of Void Shield Technology it features a 7 m thick adamantine hull. Having been retrofitted with void shields it is now considered a nearly indestructible vessel. The cost is it is quite slow, and has less storage capability than other battleships of it's size.
* ***Earth Master* (Strike Cruiser)**
* ***Void Killer* (Strike Cruiser)**
* **Various Smaller craft**

### Randir Barony

* ***Eye of Purity* (Battle-Barge)**
* ***Bearer of Flame* (Strike Cruiser)**
* ***Hope of Youth* (Ania class cruiser)**
* **Various Smaller Craft**

### Erynel Barony

* ***Tabhair Damnation* (Battle-Barge)**
* ***Judgement* (Strike Cruiser)**
* **4 Destroyers**
* **Various smaller craft**

### Dúath Barony

The Dúath Barony recived the worst losses of Voidcraft during the defense of Ania-Anga. While the Mechanicus has promised to resupply them with ships in time they currently have the smallest fleet of the Baronys, consisting only of;

* ***Harbinger of Faith* (Strike Cruiser)**
* ***Mourner of the Lost* (Strike Cruiser)**
* **Various smaller craft**

## Chapter Wargear

The Exalted Paladins use a few pieces of wargear that are unique to their chapter.

### Unique Armor

* **Restraint-Pattern Power Armour**- The armor used by the Exalted Paladins is unique in it's design being made to be more defensive than most by incorporating slightly thicker plates, and for it's distinctive helmet. What truly sets it apart is that it is designed to inject a powerful tranquilizer into the Asartes blood stream if the chapters officers deem the Astartes mood unstable or dangerous.

### Unique Weapons

Many of the unique weapons used by the Exalted Paladins are shared by their Parent Chapter the Ashen Thanes or are similar:

* **Telchar Blade**- Like the Ashen Thanes Mahtan sword, each full initiate is given a Telchar blade that he will keep throughout his life. Unlike the Mahtan sword it is a 2-handed sword that a unaugmented human would be unable to carry. Each is 6 feet along the blade and is covered entirely by etchings made by the blades owner. These etchings are typically the various Oaths made by the Marine as well as various prayers. Higher ranking officers may chose to have their Telchar Blade converted into a power weapon.

* **Bolt Cannon**- So heavy only Terminators, Centurions, and Dreadnoughts can carry them the Bolt cannon fires an enormous 1.5 caliber Bolt via magnetic acceleration with devastating effect. Using over sized kraken Perpetrator rounds it is primarily used as an anti Vehicular weapon, though it also very effective against heavy Infantry. It strikes so hard that a well placed shot can cripple or destroy an Ork Dredduff with the drawback that it has to recharge the capacitors between shots, (taking roughly a second), making solely semi automatic. The Exalted Paladins got this weapon from the Ashen Thanes who, in turn, re-engineered old imperial mass drivers to make it.

### Unique Vehicles

* **'Grond' Thunderbird**- Modified to use a Plasma Blastgun instead of a Turbo Laser they are used for rapid deployment as well as heavy bombardment and anti-titan.

* **Land Speeder Cannoneer**- A variant of the Land Speeder that uses a pair of bolt cannons for anti-vehicle weaponry as well as a heavy flamer for infantry. Typically used in squadrons of five that hunt light to medium armored vehicles.

* **Land Speeder Hurricane**- A modified version of the Land Speeder Storm, that is slightly larger and more armored so as to accommodate fully armored Marines faster over rougher terrain than a Rhino could handle.

## Chapter Relics

* ***Oath of Unity***- A Power sword variant of a Ashen Thane Mahtan sword given to the Exalted Paladins after the World Burning to commemorate the reunion of the Ashen Thanes and Exalted Paladins.

* ***Power Mace***- A large power Maul used by the Justiciars as a symbol of their office. Incorporates the Chaplains Rosarius into the Mace so that it both is a powerful weapon and protects the wielder.

* ***Stone Grinders***- A pair unique Thunder hammers that, instead of releasing a single enormous burst when hitting release multiple smaller blasts that 'grind' the unfortunate target into a powder. Currently used by Baron Aglar.

* ***Scarlet Glaive***- A large power spear with an incorporated Plasma pistol, named for its long scarlet Blade. Currently used by Baron Celeb.

* ***Governor of War***- a Unique set of Artificer armor with a extraordinarily good Vox communicator as well as Auto Senses, allowing the user to communicate clearly in the midst of battle. Worn by Baron Randir.

* ***Fear Spliter***- A Master Crafted Power Axe covered in pyschicly active runes that increase the blades cutting power based upon the fear in the victims mind, (no extra effect on soulless beings). Used by Baron Erynel.

* ***Beast Master***- A Master Crafted Relic Blade which has a hilt designed to resemble a Large beast of some sort. Wielded by Baron Duath

* ***Scrolls of the Primarchs***- Scrolls and tomes written by various Primarchs that include either notes on combat tactics and various predictions and prophesies.

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Exalted Paladins, being a offspring chapter from the Iron-Bound Thanes, have a very similar color scheme to the Iron-Bound Thanes, before their change to the Ashen Thanes. Solidly silver-white and blue they also bear a slight similarity to the Space Wolves.

### Chapter Badge

The Exalted Paladins Chapter badge takes the form of an upwards-pointed sword centered upon an Iron Halo, representing their religious nature as well as referencing their fondness for their Telchar Blades.

## Relations

### Enemies

* **w:c:warhammer40k:Forces of Chaos**

* **Traitor Legions**

## Notable Quotes

### By the Exalted Paladins

"*Other Chapters have heroes among them, we have only martyrs to look to.*"
—Baron Jonathan
"*I tire of this game Witch! When will you stop hiding behind slaves and monsters and fight me face to face?! My Scarlet Glaive thirsts and all I've used to quench it's thirst so far is the blood of your mutts. AND IT IS NOT ENOUGH!*"
— Baron Celeb to Valkyura Warpschild
"*Celeb I would have words with you! You may be a Baron of the Exalted Paladins and I will not take it from you. But I fear my predecessor should never have given it to you to begin with. You are a fighter unlike any we have, and I can foresee that your death will not come at the hands of any tainted by Chaos. But what of those under you? What good is your strength if you are no more lucid than the Cursed of Sanguinius' blood? I know that you seek to bring the Emperor's Judgement to the enemy yourself, but every time you give into your urges your Paladins suffer, this time more than most.*"
— Prophet Mormegil to Baron Celeb after a battle against Valkyura Warpschild's Hell Dogs cost the Exalted Paladins four squads.
"*We teach restraint of passions out of necessity, other Astartes could do with the same lesson.*"
— Sergeant Beoning on the Iron Hands
### About the Exalted Paladins

"*Such zeal noble Paladin, such fervor and purpose. So focused and uncompromising in your beliefs... You remind me of the Word Bearers. They too worshipped the Emperor once. Perhaps you too will one day see the light, and see the corpse god for what he really is...*"
— Valkyura Warpschild taunting Baron Celeb
"*Talking with them gives the impression that they are restraining themselves, with great difficulty, from killing you.*"
— Beor Achlin, Abyss Gazers Librarian
"*Poor, petty, unenlightened children. Tsk. Your faith is admirable, but it is in lies. Truth will remain true whether there are those to believe in it or not. In time, my young brothers, you will experience the same enlightenment I did aeons ago. For the Truth is but one step away now. For all of us.*"
— Azunar in a cryptic warning
"*Tch, zealots. These citizens must be training in the firing range not in some pointless festival!*"
— Commissar Tanya learning about one of the cultures of the Exalted Paladins
"*I'm not saying I'm afraid of them. I'm saying check the shadows twice.*"
— Unknown Hell Dogs operator on the Exalted Paladins

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

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