Braves and Bolds

Armorial of the Braves and Bolds

A Battle-Brother of the Braves and Bolds, 3rd Company, 7th (Fire Support) Squad.

## Space Marine Chapter

### **Allegiance**

Imperium of Man
(*Fedelitas Totalis*)

### **Successor of**

Ultramarines
(Roboute Guilliman lineage.)

### **Allies**

Chapters of the Round Table:Sol Knights
 Witchburners
 Perilous Griffons
 Pure Sons

### **Specialty**

Vanguard Marines and ScoutsHit-and-run Tactics, Infiltration, Sabotage, Assassination and Reconnaissance.

### **Battle cry**

"Run away!"
(Allegedly)

### Successor Chapter(s)

None

The **Braves and Bolds** are a Loyalist Successor Chapter from the 23rd 'Sentinel' Founding, descendant from the genetic lineage of the Ultramarines. Originally a fleet-based chapter, the Braves and Bolds found a homeworld in Bristol, a backwater feudal world that was terrorized by a being only known as "The Vicious" or "The Foul". After slaying the beast, the Chapter erected their fortress-monastery at Badon Hill and took the task of defending Bristol and the surrounding worlds.

The Chapter has grown a mixed reputation, with their feigned retreat tactics perceived as dishonorable by some chapters with whom they have fought alongside. Despite this, the Braves and Bolds are proud members of the Round Table, an alliance of five Space Marine Chapters and some Imperial Knight Houses. Together, the Round Table has been assigned the important quest of seeking an ancient relic - to make them an example in these dark times.

However, the Braves and Bolts hide a number of secrets even from their sworn brothers of the Round Table. It is rumored that Badon Hill imprisons another "beast", one even more powerful than the mythical "Foul". Their allies also have the unwritten rule of not asking them about a particular incident that happened during the Galina Crusade.

## Chapter History

### Origins

The Braves and Bolds trace their origins to the 23rd Founding (also known as the “Sentinel Founding”) although little record is kept from the times before their claim of the world of Bristol II, at the star cluster of the same name. According to the Chapter’s Librarians, their first Chapter Master, Brother Gaston, was a Captain from the Novamarines until he was offered the leadership of his own Chapter. The Braves and Bolds were supposed to be a fleet-based chapter, being their flagship a battle barge known as the *Indicum Leuctra*, engaging repeatedly in a number of actions against lesser xenos races until a malfunction in their navigation systems sent them accidentally to the Bristol Cluster.

### Pacification of Bristol

Bristol was a world formerly sworn to the Adeptus Mechanicus of the Ewing System. Its defense rested upon an old Questor Mechanicus House, the House Quinn, but unfortunately, diseases and a posterior succession crisis wiped out entirely the House by the time the Braves and Bolds descended on the planet. The battle-brothers found a backwater world, terrorized by the constant attacks of “monsters”, especially one called “The Vicious Beast” or simply “The Foul”.

Reports of the battle itself are scarce, probably due to being lost at the immense Chapter’s Librarium, but the tradition among the battle brothers and inhabitants of the planet says that the Braves and Bolds managed to find the Foul, but fearing that the fight may put on risk the nearby villages, the entire company retreated, attracting the monster to a hill isolated enough to fight without restrictions. It was there where the First Company stopped and encircled their objective. After that, the only thing known is that nearly a dozen brothers were killed before finally slaying the beast.

The pacification of the planet took another two months, but in the end, both the Braves and Bolds and the people of Bristol were linked. The inhabitants gave Chapter Master Gaston the old title of Brave Sir and, in return, he decided to turn Bristol into the Chapter’s homeworld, adopting the colours of the extinct House Quinn and the image of “The Foul” on the Chapter’s heraldry.

### The Dragon of Angnor

The first major campaign of the Braves and Bolds after their establishment on Bristol occurred in the world of Angnor during the 38th Millenium. Angnor was a Frontier World recently colonized and relatively near the Bristol Cluster. Unfortunately, Angnor was also a Necron Tomb World and it began to awaken a mere one hundred years after the first settlement.

The Penal Legions garrisoned there were insufficient to stop even the first wave of Necron Warriors and therefore the planet soon pleaded for any help from nearby worlds. The first force to arrive was a half-company of the Braves and Bolds, under the personal leadership of Sir Concorde.

At first, the Chapter managed to stop the Necron advance and created a “safe zone” from which they could protect the civilians and receive reinforcements. A posterior diversion offensive gave the Penal Legions enough time to reorganize and reinforce the Chapter’s operations. Despite all the efforts, the Necron Warriors continued to awaken for the rest of the year until Sir Concorde received a message from their leader, Teph’Lam the Erratic. In their conversation, the Erratic left implicit the existence of a powerful weapon, a Dragon —possibly a C’tan Shard— that had the capacity to vanquish everyone on the planet, maybe even the Necrons themselves. Sir Concorde understood that the whole world was lost. Their only option, he resolved, was to evacuate all the people that the fleet could transport and then reduce Angnor to shreds.

Around six of each ten surviving non-combatants were evacuated and transported to nearby asteroids and moons to ensure most of the remaining civilians would escape from the destruction. The Braves and Bolds, who to this point numbered a full company plus several support squads from the Pure Sons, established a series of defensive tactics that created isolated bags, slowing Necron advance towards the evacuation zone. Suicide commandos from the Penal Legions were deployed all along the subsoil of the planet to put demolition charges.

Once most of the defenders were safe, Sir Concorde led the remaining forces up to the evacuation points and left the planet, where he detonated the charges and ordered the bombardment. There was little left of Angnor after that, and no signs of either Teph’Lam or the Dragon.

### Galina Crusade

The Galina Crusade meant a turning point for the Braves and Bolds. Even today the mental scars of Ewing-9 are imprinted into the Chapter’s psyche, and their previous military strength wasn't recovered until the arrival of the Primaris reinforcements, millennia later.

The Crusade was declared to defend and reconquer the worlds of the Galina sub-sector from the constant attacks of the Dark Mechanicum. Galina sub-sector contained a group of systems where —the rumors pointed— were located several pieces of archaeotechnology, including the possible presence of an STC. The Imperial forces involved belonged mainly to the Adeptus Mechanicus of nearby Forge Worlds, including several Questor Mechanicus Houses. Oddly enough, House Quinn was still at the registers as sworn to the Adeptus Mechanicus of Ewing-3, so a message was sent to Bristol demanding the fulfillment of their oath.

Instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, Chapter Master Sir Roger decided to involve the Chapter in the Crusade, and departed with most of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Companies and half of the 10th Company. The tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus were stunned at finding that not only House Quinn was extinguished but also a Space Marine Chapter offered to take their place. However, they agreed and soon the marines were assigned to the task of escorting and scouting for the Legio Sila of the Collegia Titanica.

#### The Tricephalous

The Legion was assigned to protect Ewing 9, a jungle world far from the sun of the Ewing System, but with a tropical climate caused by volcanic activity and a greenhouse effect. In this world, the help of the Braves and Bolds was providential for they were able to maneuver better than most of the Knights in the rough terrain.

Acting as a spearhead for the Chaotic invasion of the planet were the Tricephalous, a lance of Chaos Knights that belonged to House Deidre. These corrupted Knights attacked most of the Mechanicus installations, slaying and capturing slaves before disappearing without a trace.

#### Battle of the Dark Forest and Death of Sir Roger

What started out as a reconnaissance mission into the Dark Forest turned into hell when several Scout squads were ambushed by supporting Daemon Legions, including several Daemonic Engines. Fully aware of the risk of annihilation for half of the Chapter's neophytes, Sir Roger decided to create a distraction in order to allow the minstrels to escape, even if that meant he had to put himself in danger.

Unfortunately, the whole situation was staged by the Tricephalous with the specific purpose of getting rid of Sir Roger. Completely aware of how popular the Chapter Master was among his battle brothers, they believed that striking him directly would demoralize the remaining forces enough to remove them from the theatre of operations (at least temporarily).

### Notable Campaigns

* **Pacification of Bristol (ca. M37)** - Previously a fleet-based Chapter, the Braves and Bolds claimed the feudal world of Bristol after slaying the Vicious Beast that kept terrorizing their inhabitants. This Beast, also known as ‘The Foul’, was since then used by the chapter in their heraldry. It is said that the chapter managed to capture an even more dangerous type of monster, which is severely guarded at the bottom vaults of Badon Hill.
* **The Dragon of Angnor (233.M38)** - A massive awakening of Necrons on the world of Angnor put the nearby systems on alert, with an entire company of the Chapter coming to deal with the xenos. When it was known that the Necrons were willing to use a C’tan Shard that was in their power, Sir Concorde, the former chapter master, decided to bomb Angnor into oblivion. Thanks to the Chapter’s skills, around 60% of the remaining population on the planet managed to be evacuated before it crumbled. It is unknown if there were any xenos survivors or what happened to the Shard.
* **The Galina Crusade (718.M38)** - During the Galina Crusade the Braves and Bolds were in charge of dealing with the Tricephalous, a group of Chaos Knights that were devastating the jungle world of Ewing-9 as a speartip of much larger Chaos invasion. While successful at first, the capture and hideous death of the chapter master, Sir Roger, had a profound impact on the Chapter, releasing a wave of reprisals and rage rarely seen among Guilliman’s sons.
* **The Red Mourning (718-720.M38)** - During a period of three years, the Braves and Bolds launched a brutal reprisal against any group (traitor or not) involved in Sir Roger’s death. The vengeance only ended with the Galina Crusade itself, when all Chaotic forces were expelled from the theater of war. The Galina Crusade and the Red Mourning reduced the chapter to half of its former strength, their number not being able to fully recover until the Indomitus Crusade, millennia later.
* **Arimathean Crusade (25.M39)** - The rumours of the appearance of the Black Beast attracted several Imperial Knight Houses and Astartes Chapters to the Arimathean Sector. Among these were the Solar Knights, the Witchburners, the Perilous Griffons, the Pure Sons and the Braves and Bolds. While the available information implied that the so-called Black Beast was some kind of daemon prince o a powerful chaos warlord, the Imperial forces found instead a large Ork WAAAGH! led by Warboss Aaaaargghh. After twenty years of a crusade, most of the worlds in the system were recovered, although, in an anticlimactic turn of events, Warboss Aaaaargghh was neither killed by the Astartes nor Imperial Knights, but instead by a rival warboss, after which the Waaagh effectively dismembered.
* **The Round Table (36.M39)** - Following the aftermath of the Arimathean Crusade, the Solar Knights reunited all the chapters and Imperial Knight Houses that participated and proposed an eternal brotherhood pact. By this point the bonds between all the involved were strong, so there was much rejoicing when the Round Table was established.
* **Dalthicus VII (038.M39)** - [REDACTED]
* **Imperial Inspection (923.M41)** - After the end of the Badab War, the Ordo Astartes put an eye on chapter alliances. After several years of monitoring the Round Table’s activities and methods, it was determined that there were no signs of heresy among them. It is rumored that, when asked about the possibilities of the Round Table being a threat against the Imperium, Inquisitor Carolas burst into laughter.
* **Indomitus Crusade (M42)** - When Roboute Guilliman, Regent of the Imperium, launched his Indomitus Crusade, the Round Table was assigned with the important quest of seeking an ancient relic - to make them an example in these dark times - crucial for the Crusade’s success. Oddly enough, the Round Table would go in the opposite direction of all the other Crusader fleets.

## Chapter Homeworld

Located in the cluster of the same name in the Segmentum Tempestus, Bristol has remained as a backwater world, with its inhabitants living mostly peaceful and boring lives. The land surface is covered by thick forests and high mountain ranges which make difficult contact even between neighbor communities, reflected in the amazing variety of Bristolian dialects. Another interesting aspect of Bristolian culture that has permeated into the Braves and Bolds is the love for music. Ever since long before the Long Night, Bristol had kept several musical instruments STCs and it is common to have non-Astartes musicians attached to each Company and organization within the Chapter.

### Forest Monsters

The peace of Bristol is constantly interrupted by constant attacks of the so-called forest monsters, strange creatures that appear suddenly and for which the Chapter's scholars have no clear answer. Long before the arrival of the Braves and Bolds, its defense rested on the ancient Questor Mechanicus House Quinn, but it disappeared after a succession crisis that completely destroyed it and left the planet impotent to defend itself.

Now, Bristol's defense is the duty of the Minstrels (Scouts) of the 10th Company, supported by the meager but capable Auxilia. While none of the abominations that wander the forests had ever been a threat like "The Foul" was at its time, the Chapter Masters had always considered the hunting of these monsters as good training for the new recruits, while also allowing the Chapter to strengthen their relationship with the inhabitants of Bristol.

### Fortress-Monastery

While offered the ancient seat of House Quinn -or better said, its remains- at Ronan's End, Chapter Master Sir Gaston decided to erect the Fortress-Monastery supposedly at the very exact place where the “Vicious Beast” was slain, as a symbol of the commitment of the Chapter to the Bristolians. Despite its primitive-looking aspect, Badon Hill extends several kilometers under the surface, counting not only with facilities for the correct functioning of the Chapter but also enough living space for the chapter serfs, being a small city by itself.

## Combat Doctrine

### Flying Circus Strike Force

The Flying Circus Strike Force is a Space Marine formation created by the Round Table, which allows to mixing of the individual strengths of the disparate chapters into a united and efficient force. The formation was the first battle-tested on the moon of Batley Tertius during the Arimathean Crusade and has since then been perfectioned until becoming a signature of the Table.

The usual contribution of the Braves and Bolds to the Flying Circus comes in the form of Vanguard Marines, supported by Minstrels if the High Command considers the situation to not be too dangerous. In combat, Braves and Bolds battle-brothers go always ahead of the main force, being in charge of reconnaissance, infiltration and sabotage. Fire Support squads have also served with their Witchburners counterparts, sometimes even forming mixed squads.

## Chapter Relics

One aspect noteworthy about the Braves and Bolds is the presence of numerous elements not related to war

* ***Grim Reminder*** - Originally named Grim Duty, it is a master-crafted Astartes Heavy Thunder Hammer given to Sir Gaston when he departed from the Novamarines. It is said to have been used to deal the final blow to the Vicious Beast, and has been passed from Chapter Master to Chapter Master ever since. Grim Reminder was temporarily lost after Sire Roger’s death, but the Chapter finally recovered it during the Red Mourning. It is now adorned with the skulls of prominent members of House Deidre, including the pilots of the Tricephalous War Lance.
* ***The Bright Side*** -
* ***The Beverley Five* -**

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

There are no records of the original colors used by the Braves and Bolds before establishment in Bristol. The current colors come from the extinct House Quinn, with their power armor painted green except for the right arm, which is white. Battle Brothers use green for their helmets, while Sergeants use red, Veterans use white and Lieutenants and Veteran Sergeants use a combination of these three colors.

Slightly deviating from the Codex Astartes guidelines, the Company colors are indicated only in the right kneepad and, following the style of other Round Table chapters, using special crosses as campaign badges.

### Chapter Badge

The Braves and Bolts badge is a black representation of the Vicious Beast of Bristol over the white and green checkered field from House Quinn.

## Notable Quotes

### About the Braves and Bolds

[Source]

 White Scars Successors
 Space Wolves Successors
 Imperial Fists Successors
 Blood Angels Successors
 Salamanders Successors
 Raven Guard Successors
 Chimeric Lineage
 Unknown Lineage
 Renegades

[Source]

## Gallery

Braves and Bolds ArmorialA Battle-Brother of the Braves and Bolds, 3rd Company, 7th (Fire Support) Squad. The symbol on the right knee indicate his participation in the Arimathean Crusade.