The Revenants

Summary.
The Revenants are a Space Marine Chapter that was founded roughly in the early 39th millennium, as part of the same Founding as The Forge and The Emperor's Firebrands. Their gene-seed is derived from the Imperial Fists, but the Revenants share little in the way of common beliefs with their illustrious gene-ancestors, having instead adopted the philosophy of their home planet - a small Civilised World named Peace - which states that although they have a duty to defend the Imperium from its many enemies, they do not need to enjoy killing or conflict. Though this has led to some derision (and worse) from certain quarters of the Imperium, it has not prevented the Chapter from fighting the enemies of the Imperium with distinction and valour.

Essential Information
Chapter Name: The Revenants.

Current Chapter Master: Aldus Flynn

Homeworld: Peace

Marine Numbers: 1100, approx.

Gene Seed Ancestry: Imperial Fists.

War Cry: "For Peace and the Emperor!"

Status: Active.

Founding
The Revenants, upon their initial founding, were sent to Peace in the Battle Barge Emperor's Might, which continues to serve to this day. At the time, they had been trained with the traditional values of courage, duty, and honour; their belief, like the beliefs of most Space Marine Chapters, was that war was their purpose and the enemies of man deserved no pity. The Chapter was assigned to the planet Peace by the High Lords in the hope that their presence would convince it’s still pacifistic in nature inhabitants (whose planet had, at the time, never been invaded) to be more forthright in their war making. At that time, Peace had never raised many regiments to serve the Imperial Guard, creating only the bare minimum of it's Legions of Tears, as they are known. The High Lords did not wish to go to the extremes of purging that some had suggested. Instead, they wanted to make the planet a more viable resource and a more productive conflict asset, and thought that placing one of the newly Founded Chapters there would be an excellent way of achieving precisely that.

The earliest Revenants expected to find a planet of spineless pacifists in need of “motivation”, their initial expectations no doubt coloured by those who had ordered them to settle there. When they got to Peace, however, they discovered a planet of humans who were not, in fact, necessarily pacifistic, but merely found war to be a horrid necessity of the universe they lived in, rather than an honourable endeavour to be sought out – hardly a position that they could be blamed for taking given the horrors of the 41st Millennium. Despite some reservations about allowing the semi-pacifistic attitudes to endure from some of the more zealous brethren, the Revenants left the people of Peace alone.

Adopting the Doctrine.
Although they had found nothing to damn the people of Peace on concerning their attitudes, the Revenants did not immediately take up the so called "Doctrine of Peace", nor did they champion it in the way they do today. Instead, they merely tolerated it's existence, as an interpretation of the Imperial Creed that was different from their own - and indeed at first this was not a popular decision, with many within the Chapter feeling that the duty of the Chapter was to remove this "heretical" dogma. Nonetheless those voices were not heeded.

The move towards embracing the Doctrine only came when the recruitment drive began seriously on Peace. Many of the new recruits had been raised from the cradle with Peace's ideals, and despite psycho-conditioning and hypno-indoctrination, they did not lose those ideals upon their ascension to the rank of Astartes. The philosophy of the Doctrine began to be advocated amongst the Chapter, though at first it was regarded as a sub cult. This sub-cult developing was tolerated by the Chapter's most important officials (with considerable scrutiny and oversight) but not overtly endorsed - that is, until the actions of Brother-Codicier Kryptus, some sixty years after the Revenants' initial Founding.

Kryptus, a Marine born and raised on Peace, championed the Doctrine with greater fervour than any Marine before him, believing it to be the most civilised way to make war for the Astartes. Helped by the fact that by this point almost all of their recruits had been brought up believing in the Doctrine, as well as by Kryptus' renown following his defeat of Hal Orion, the Revenants slowly began to follow the Doctrine as a whole. Eventually, one hundred and seventy years after their Founding, Kryptus was present at the enshrining of the Doctrine as the official variation of the Imperial Cult followed by the Chapter, and it was his hand that wrote the first version of the Doctrine of Peace now kept as a relic by the Chapter. Since the enshrining of the Doctrine as their chief guide in war and in peace (no pun intended), the Chapter has followed it's guides and rules to the letter, and it's members - with some exceptions - never break faith with it, in many ways treating it as their Chapter's personal Codex Astartes.

Continued Service
In the two millennia since their Chapter's inception, the warriors of Peace have fought in many campaigns and earned themselves many battle-honours. Despite this, the Revenants have received comparatively little recognition or fame for their various actions when compared with other Chapters. There are two main reasons for this, and one is firmly entwined with their Doctrine. During battle, they do not tend towards glory-seeking, unlike some other chapters, for they believe that they have done nothing worth glory - they have at best fulfilled a necessary duty, one that may well save Imperial lives, but ultimately is still a sign of the dark time the Imperium is in.

The other reason is that other chapters and Imperial forces tend, upon hearing of its' existence, to find their Doctrine to be cowardly or deviant, albeit mostly not seriously enough to be considered truly heretical. This prevents them from being completely recognised for the times when they perform their duties admirably, and there are many such instances on record. There are even some malicious rumours spread by some sources that they refuse missions due to the Doctrine, but the Revenants vigorously dispute these – the Revenants may dislike what they have to do, but when pushed, a Revenant is a warrior without peer as any Space Marine is.

Home World
Peace is a civilised world with roughly twenty one million inhabitants that lies eighty seven light years from Holy Terra, it's proximity making it comparatively safe from threat of invasion. It was colonised, named and inhabited by a colony of mostly pacifist philosophers and farmers who had left Earth and avoided their warlike species some time before the dark ages of technology, leaving them rather untouched by the trials and tribulations of that turbulent age. They remained blissfully unconcerned by the universe at large until the Space Marines of the Emperor arrived and brought them into the Imperium in the 32nd millennium. Though they accepted the creed of the Imperium at the time and gave the proper tithes of men, material and weaponry, their pacifistic tendencies, although tempered by Imperial allegiance, remained and the planet, although still loyal, was mostly concerned with keeping itself to itself.

When the Space Marines who would become the Revenants arrived and began their recruitment drives, it was feared that these avatars of the constant wars of the age might unduly influence the people of Peace. Instead, the opposite effect was noted - the ideals of the pacifistic inhabitants began to influence the Space Marines instead, culminating in the adoption of the Doctrine of Peace, a document which was originally written for the soldiers sent from Peace to abide by so that their consciences could be appeased when they went to war.

The capital city of Peace is the Paxus Maxima, a marble city often draped in black flags and other symbols of mourning, representing the world's sadness at the eternal war. These symbols are only taken down on days of festival, such as Imperial Holidays or the Day of Recruitment, when the high ranking members of the Revenants come to choose the latest batch of recruits for the Chapter.

The Revenants' Fortress Monastery lies on an island in the middle of the largest ocean on Peace. It is, as is typical for any Fortress Monastery, strongly defended and manned by Chapter Serfs, and is the centre of the Revenant’s organisation. It is here that the Chapter Master (when not engaged in military operations) will sit in the strategic operations room at the highest point of the Fortress and, at any one time, command the movements of his men.

Training
Potential aspirants for the Revenants are recruited into the Chapter at a young age, based on their physical rating and their intelligence scores. Once a potential recruit is identified by the recruiting scouts, data-cogitators and other means used by the Chapter, they are then approached by a member of the Chapter (usually of the rank of Sergeant or above) and asked whether they wish to attempt to join. This is an honour not all accept, for many of the young of Peace, even at the tender age of recruitment, will not abide the idea of causing bloodshed. Often the case is that they simply do not wish to leave their families. The Revenants respect these decisions - usually enough recruits accept that they are not forced to conscript warriors.

The young men who do accept this great honour are taken to the Revenants' fortress-monastery. Here, they are subjected to strenuous tests of stamina and intellect: they are presented with tactical situations in order to see which of them will make good leaders, and, following this, those who pass (or survive - though few die in these tests, unlike the tests presented by other Chapters) are inducted into the Training Company. Those who are not become Chapter serfs, still a noble pursuit, for these serfs form their own community within the Chapter's keep, helping maintain the great fortress against attack.

The Training Company is - in terms of the development of the Marines therein, their number and the equipment they are presented with - roughly equivalent to the Scout Company of other Chapters. However, said Scouts are almost never used in battle; instead, they are trained in a variety of lifelike situations, in order to preserve them until they are deemed ready for combat. They will, over the course of many years training, be tested with battlefield simulators, live-fire exercises, tactical drills, battle-practice, and other methods of honing their instincts and abilities without exposing them to “real” danger. Simultaneously, they will be given various documents to study and assimilate, including intelligence reports on all the Imperium’s current enemies, in order to better prepare them for the day when they will face these enemies in the crucible of combat. This process is designed to produce a Marine ready to face whatever the galaxy is about to throw at him without risking one of the vital recruits of the Chapter in a war that the Chapter deems they are not yet ready for.

During these years, the recruits will be regularly observed performing their drills and training simulations, and will usually be “earmarked” for certain Companies by the Captains of said Companies. Once they have completed their time as trainees, and are clad in their power armour, they will be assigned to the company they were earmarked for. Sometimes, competition to have a recruit will be heated, but most times these disagreements end amicably – there are almost always enough decent recruits to go around.

During the training years, certain Aspirants - either those deemed to not be learning their skills efficiently in the training simulators, or conversely those who are deemed worthy to do so because they are learning exceptionally well - are sent on actual combat missions, supervised by a company of their elders; these Aspirants are almost constantly watched over, and every effort is made to make certain that they are not harmed, with the full Brothers' always placing the Aspirants' safety before their own. Should they survive the mission they are sent on, these Aspirants are given a single pauldron of Power Armour, to mark them out as especially honoured warriors. If they are killed, it is a regular occurrence for the squad charged with their care to seek a mission of penitence to make up for this gravest of failures to their Chapter.

Once their time in the Training Company is complete, a Marine will have the Black Carapace implanted and be given their suit of Power Armour. They will then be assigned to a squad in the Company they were earmarked for, and be sent into battle. The members of this squad will teach the new Marine the things they could not learn in the Training Company; all the tricks, shortcuts, methods, habits and other things that only veteran warriors of true battle can know. The more experienced warriors will also endeavour to keep their younger Battle-Brothers alive. After a time, such Marines will have either gained enough experience to not need such looking after and training, or they will have been slain. Should the elders of a squad lose a new Marine, they will (again) almost always endeavour to complete some great task as an act of penitence, for the loss of a new warrior brings great shame upon the Marines of the squad: it is their responsibility to see to the young warrior's safety, after all.

Other Chapters have been known to criticise this training system for a variety of reasons. Notable among those who critique are the Space Wolves, mainly because they consider it weak and a bad way for a warrior's skills to be tested and ascertained, and the Ultramarines, because it breaks with the Codex Astartes considerably – an unforgivable heresy to the sons of Ultramar. The Revenants do listen to these complaints but their methods stand, for they understand the future of the Chapter is more important than their standing in other Chapters' eyes. This has earned them few friends, but it has saved the lives of their warriors in battle.

Organisation
The Doctrine of the Revenants Chapter, otherwise known as the Doctrine of Peace or merely the Doctrine, is their philosophy and their manner of combat on the field. It is an adapted version of the original battle-doctrine created for the Legions of Tears, suitably adjusted for Astartes.

Although the Doctrine contains the sum of their most important practices and beliefs, it does not contain actual tactics of war per se. For these, the Revenants continue to rely upon the Codex Astartes as a base, though over time individual Captains and leaders have augmented the hallowed tome with their own personal tactics. Instead, the Doctrine contains instructions on the manner in which a warrior will comport himself, and the attitudes he will display as a Revenants Space Marine. So highly regarded is this Doctrine that there are many harsh punishments that are inflicted against those who fail to follow it correctly, or who flout its conventions - those who do so are few, but their punishments have been all the harsher for this. The worst of these tend to be fasting exercises, but there have been instances (though none in recent times) of Marines being exiled for flouting the Doctrine's conventions. These Marines sometimes try to regain their honour in the Chapter's eyes (a difficult task), but many choose to become hermits and contemplate their failure.

This Doctrine has at times brought them almost to conflict with the rest of the Imperium. Some Inquisitors - most notably the deceased renegade Inquisitor Nieman - have attempted to have them declared Excommunicate, but such Inquisitors have been silenced quickly, and often vanish mysteriously, although at no fault of the Revenants themselves (most would hazard a guess at other elements of the Inquisition, as these elements find the complainers a nuisance).

Allies

 * The Brotherhood of Peace: the Brotherhood, due to Marius Tron's actions during the fall of the Stone Giants, see the Revenants as great and loyal allies, who came to their aid during their hour of need. It is this which inspired the Brotherhood's name and heraldry. The Brotherhood of Peace have all become fanatical devotees of the Doctrine, more so than the Revenants in fact.


 * Cadia: whether through their refusal to see glory in war or their dedication to the peoples of the Emperor above all else, the Revenants have the respect of several Cadian Imperial Guard units, most notably the 105th, who still remember the battle of Zion, where the Revenants defeated Chaos.

Enemies

 * The Forge and the Emperor's Firebrands; though formed at the same founding as these two Chapters, there is much distrust between them, often spilling into brawls. The Forge's warrior code is anathema to the Doctrine, and that is the way the Forge like it. The Firebrands are honour bound to support the Forge, but even were they not, a similar attitude exists among their warriors, who believe in Crusading for the Emperor's eternal glory. The Revenants consider both these Chapters to be typical of the majority of their brothers, and have little to do with them.


 * The Ultramarines: although not strictly enemies of the Revenants, the Ultramarines see their deviation from the Codex Astartes as mildly heretical, and their attitude to war as unforgivably lax. This has led to the Ultramarines being - if not exactly openly rude - at least snobbish. Marneus Calgar is known to have castigated Aldus Flynn by astropathic message for leading a fifth of his Chapter on a vengeance quest. Flynn's reply was unrecorded, which is probably for the better.


 * The Restorers: the two Chapters have cordially detested one another since the first incident that divided them, and there is no sign of this hatred abating.

Battle Honours
Despite disliking the need for war, the Chapter has proved adept at it during their comparatively short history;
 * Cleansed the Zion system of dangerous Chaos presence, M39.
 * Destroyed minor splinter of Hive Fleet Leviathan; Kal-Dor, M41.
 * Engaged Chaos forces during the 13th Black Crusade; Cadian system, M41.
 * Led the combined Imperial forces at the battle of Ragnarok; Ragnarok IV, M41.
 * Battle of Orbis, M41.
 * Battle of Nenia Pomarium, M41.
 * The War for Sanctatum, M41.

Notable Members
Chapter Master Marius Tron; former chapter master of the Revenants, killed by the renegade Inquisitor Hans Nieman.

Chapter Master Aldus Flynn; current chapter master of the Revenants.

Yan Rill; promoted to Captain of the Fourth Company after his actions during the battle of Ragnarok, killed during the 13th Black Crusade.

Brother Sergeant Lon Oppo; Yan Rill's senior Sergeant, he was noted for his sense of humour in the field and his ability to see the negative side of anything. He served with Rill for fifty years. He killed himself and the Dreadnought who had slain Rill during the 13th Black Crusade, shortly after Rill himself was killed.

Brother Codicier Kryptus; one of the more prominent survivors of the battle of Zion, which cleansed the system of Chaos completely. Kryptus was a sensitive soul who disliked the sound of dying beings of any variety, and thus was gratified by the lack of noise the Thousand Sons Traitor Marines made.

Senior Chapter Officials

 * Aldus Flynn, Chapter Master.


 * Chief Librarian Pollux; Pollux is the tenth Chief Librarian since Kryptus, and as such has inherited the pistol. His role as Chief Librarian includes giving advice to the Chapter Master, and attempting to foresee future threats to the Chalter. Pollux is quiet, only speaking when the words have some relevance to a given situation. He has little pride, and is happy to admit his limitations.


 * Chapter Champion Varsus: Varsus, as is his right, is the prime wielder of the Sword, and a brave warrior. Though he follows the Doctrine absolutely he is also a mighty fighter, and has never faltered in battle.


 * Senior Chaplain Artorious; Artorious is the keeper of the Doctrine. It is on his word alone that new elements can be entered into the sacred text, and in battle he wears the text slung across his back, as an inspiration to those around him. In personality, he is devoted totally to the Chapter, and to the Doctrine, and has often argued harsh punishments for those who go against it; despite this, he agreed to the alterations Marius Tron decreed and became close friends with him. He found it hard, initially, to establish a rapport with Flynn, the man who replaced Tron, but the two have now developed an understanding.

Company Command

 * 1st Company: First-Captain Argus, Veteran Sergeant Callastan.

Argus has commanded the First Company for so many years it is difficult to imagine a time when he has not. He saw the death of both Marius Tron and his predecessor in the position he currently holds, and some younger Marines are wagering that he will outlast Aldus Flynn too; and yet he has no designs on the Chapter Master position.

Veteran Sergeant Callastan is a stern, unrelenting soldier who has focused on the task of death almost to the exclusion of all else for all of his life, and has both the scars and the skill to prove it.


 * 2nd Company: Captain Antonio Janus, Senior Sergeant Pacidius Kastan.

Janus is about as close to "reckless and impulsive as a Space Marine can get. He lost an eye trying to kill a Defiler, and ended up destroying it with a missile launcher. In battle, he tends to have the simple attitude of "kill it quickly", which marks him out as unusual but brave and noble.

Senior Sergeant Pacidius Kastan is relatively young but cool headed and logical. He was selected for the position of senior Sergeant for precisely these reasons; to provide Janus with an anchor.


 * 3rd Company: Captain Garrett Thaddeus, Senior Sergeant Aleron Iago.

Garrett Thaddeus is a strange Marine: devoted utterly to both the Doctrine and the Emperor's service, he devotes all free time to his studies of combat and his duty rosters. He wears a lightning claw in battle.

Aleron Iago is a simple Sergeant; give him an enemy, he will kill it. He has no desire to do anything but end the enemies of the Emperor where they stand, although his devotion to his Chapter's Doctrine is absolute.


 * 4th Company: Captain Severus, Senior Sergeant Rufus Varl.

Jared Severus is a comparatively young Captain who finds it difficult to trust in his own ability to command. Continued service is slowly making him more comfortable with both command and his ability therein.

Sergeant Rufus Varl is older than Severus by a good margin, but has never desired promotion beyond his current status. He is missing half his skull from a Tyranid attack, and had it replaced with an artificial substitute. He is well known for his marksmanship – he often uses his personalised Godwyn pattern Bolter, upon which he has a modified scope to allow for additional shooting capabilities.


 * 5th Company: Captain Martin Caldus, Senior Sergeant Gol Escalus.

Caldus is as close to a traditional Space Marine as one can get in the Revenants. He pays little more than lip service to the Doctrine (except in the presence of Artorious), relishes the thought of combat and believes in an honourable death on the field. In short, he is as close to a traditionalist as the Chapter has.

Escalus is a newly promoted Senior Sergeant with a scant sixty years behind him. It remains to be seen how he fares.


 * 6th Company: Captain Zacharius Rachan, Senior Sergeant Dellin Angelus.

Rachan is a solid and dependable Captain. His tactics are predictable, but workable, and his combat skills are adequate if not exceptional. He is an "average" example of a Space Marine Captain; a paragon of virtue and duty, intelligent and devoted - but little more than that.

Angelus is a zealous Sergeant who it is known would be a Chaplain if he did not prefer his current position. He can often be heard quoting holy tomes to his brothers.


 * 7th Company: Captain Ventus, Senior Sergeant Levis.


 * 8th Company: Captain Terriss, Senior Sergeant Xian.


 * 9th Company: Captain Anthony, Senior Sergeant Seron.


 * 10th Company: Captain Fallow, Senior Sergeant Boreas.


 * Trainee Company: Trainer-Captain Corvinius, Scoutmaster-Chaplain Jerias.

Relics
The relics of the Revenants include:
 * Kryptus's Pistol. The plasma pistol is master crafted, but more importantly, it is said to be imbued with some of Kryptus's power from life. It is entrusted to those who inherited Kryptus' mantle as Chief Librarian, and is said to never overheat. Rarely, it is also entrusted to those who need it's prestigious aid, such as Captain Severus of the Fourth Company on Sanctatum.


 * The Sword. Unnamed save for the noun itself, the Sword is a Master Crafted Power Sword, two handed and ancient. It is believed to have been brought to the chapter with the first Chapter Master. Its use is usually confined to the Chapter's Champion, and others may only be allowed to use it in the most dire of emergencies, such as when Chapter Master Magnus Fallan used it to slay the Daemon Price Ka'Thra'Ree, when Captain Janus of the Second Company was entrusted with it to lead the Revenants' forces on Armageddon. When Aldus Flynn sought to find and slay Hans Nieman, the killer of Tron, the sword - a symbol of the Chapter - was the weapon he eventually used to kill the traitor. Most recently, the sword was again entrusted to Janus, who used it to help banish the Daemon Halor in Sanctatum.


 * The Doctrine. The original document of the Doctrine of Peace was drafted in the early days of the Revenants, by a scholarly recruit who sought to perfect the Astartes: this recruit would later become Kryptus, Chief Librarian of the Chapter. The original version remains today, written on a Parchment upon which was set a purity seal by the head Chaplain of the time, upon the Doctrine's adoption. Though the Doctrine itself has been amended and copied many times over, the original Doctrine remains untouched on display in the hall of heroes on Peace.