Mechanicum and Astramalleus History

So, I continued with the blood red wash on the lower floor panels. A 40K playing friend of mine stopped by for a completely different reason and remarked on the watchtower I had built and was painting. For some reason, even though I put a large floor on the top so that anyone on top would have a commanding view (or at least an impressive one) of the field, for some reason, it never occurred to me that this was a watchtower. Oh well, a good idea is a good idea so I decided to bring a little attention to the upper level of it, too. I did the same wash on the short wall at the top to kind of bring the eye to it and remind people that it was a high place to watch out for. Once I painted the big skulls gold and highlighted with a little more mithril silver to catch the metallic nature of the building, I was as done as I was ever going to be.

Before I get to that Razorback I was talking about before, I think I'm going to paint those warpgates. Tomorrow I'm going to hit the craft store to look for some suitable jewels so it might be nice if I could possibly apply some of them tomorrow after I get home. Besides, the Razorback has waited this long. A couple more days won't hurt anything.

The Astramalleus or "Star Hammers" are an Ultramarine descended Chapter chartered during the 23rd founding in the fallout of the Age of Apostasy. Because of a change in the fundamental rites and doctrines of a Marine Chapter, a young Captain, aided by many veteran troops, managed to steal a Battle Barge and defect. After wandering for years, they managed to find a planet where they could live safely but gave it up to successfully defend a world in the throes of an Ork invasion. They were successful in their efforts but were found by their Chapter and tried by the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines. The verdict was that the survivors would found a Chapter of their own and then begin a crusade until the original defectors were all dead.

The first step was the naming of a new Chapter Master. Walach was the unanimous choice. Walach then formed a council of veterans called the Gerusia devoted to discussing and implementing policies for the good continuance of the Astramalleus. The first Gerusia convened with only ten Marines, but Walach, foreseeing the Chapters eventual full strength, set the permanent number at thirty, allowing positions for each of the ten Company Commanders, the head Chaplain, Librarian, Techmarine and Apothecary and the rest of the positions filled by the most senior Sergeants of the Chapter. One of the positions would eventually be permanently assigned to the Sergeant of the First Squad of the First Company. The Gerusia began deliberation on how to grow and perpetuate the Chapter.

With the Verdict of Ultramar began a time referred to in the Annals of the Astramalleus as the Remuneration. As part of the punishment of the original renegades, the newly formed Chapter was bound to return equipment, materiel and geneseed to the Grey Storms with interest. The forms and amounts of repayment were codified along with a schedule intent of completing the return of the debt over the course of one thousand years. The Astramalleus did not wish to wait that long. The nascent Chapter separated the problem into two basic categories: geneseed and materiel. The Gerusia decided that the answer to both problems lay in the native people of Besradine.

To answer the geneseed need, the Chapter began to choose a large number of strong, aggressive young warriors to induct into the Chapter. Higher numbers of inductions meant more Marines who could carry and mature geneseed in the future. They especially focused on young men from families with many siblings. It was thought that families that sired warriors who were receptive to the training and treatments would have a good chance of having more progeny who could undergo the process successfully. Further the Apothecaries were given directions to observe and experiment with ways to increase yield. Whether the methods lowered rejection rates or sped up maturation didn't matter as long as untainted geneseed was generated. In the fullness of time, the apothecaries would find certain combinations of herbs and compounds, both natural and synthesized, which would accomplish both aims. A 6% lower rejection rate and a 4% higher maturation speed would barely be noticed in the early phases but over millenia, it would add up. This would lead to a speedy increase in Marine ranks and, once the Remuneration was completed, a massive Scout Company and ample amounts of geneseed.

The materiel need was solved in a different way. By gaining workers and teachers from Hajic, the Chapter began to build settlements and foundries on Besradine and teaching some of the native peoples how to run them. By bringing the fruits of the Imperium, civilization began to occur on Besradine and as agriculture began to take hold, the populations began to increase, creating more workers and more possible recruits. As the original renegades had taken to scrounging when required, the new Chapter would continue by keeping found equipment. Anything that could be positively identified as belonging to another Marine Chapter would be returned. Anything unidentified and suitable for immediate use would be assigned to the Techmarines for repair. Anything not suitable for immediate use would be broken down for study by the new foundries. At first, the foundries would figure out how to make small parts of basic utility but eventually, their mastery would allow them to build entire weapons and vehicles from scratch, filling the Chapter's armories and replacing equipment officially provided by the Adeptus Mechanicus which would have to be surrendered to the Grey Storms. Eventually, the Astramalleus would only request "replacement" equipment from the Mechanicus too complicated for Besradine's foundries to create themselves.

In the course of 150 years, the new Chapter was off to a solid start and choices made would guarantee its perseverance into the future. And in the 150th year since the Verdict, representatives of the Ultramarines visited Besradine with a message for Walach.

The time of the Crusade had begun...