Iron Stars: Rouge chapter.

[Alexei Vor Yaruk]

In the far halo zone of Segmentm Tempestus, near to the invisible border that divides it from Segmentum Pacificus, lies a world that has been lost and alone since the age of strife. This is Nalishim, home world of the Iron Stars chapter.

Nalishim is isolationist and xenophobic in the extreme. Though they maintain a level of technical prowess almost as high as that of the golden age of technology they do not wish to have anything to do with the other worlds of the galaxy even in so little as it would take to conquer them. Nalishim is a beautiful world where vast expanses of well tended gardens are interspersed with tight packed, tall built towns and cites. It boasts a rather similar topography to earth with mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, and a healthy mix of land and oceans.

Among them selves the populous of Nalishim is quite gregarious; dancing, teem rock-climbing, and competition sailing are all popular sports. All adults work, in factories or as gardeners spending long stretches of their time alone. This makes the mild crowding of the towns seem less of a problem and more a welcome respite from the lonely work hours. But even here the specter of war looms overhead and much of the production that goes on is in preparation for defeating the next wave of death to fall from the sky.

At least five times imperial ships have found Nalishim but each time the Star Navy has captured or destroyed the vessel and put the crew to the sword. One such incident was a very off course freighter carrying a shipment of gene seed from one of the many ultramarines successor chapters. The geneo scientists of Nalshim analyzed the samples and soon realized their purpose. After some further examination and experimentation they were able to create a kadre of ten space marines. Thus the Iron Stars were created from the stolen geen-sead slowly building in number with each passing year. They exist solely to protect their home-world, and are the most elite branch of the Nalishim ground forces.

The Iron Stars are possibly the least xenophobic of all people on Nalishim and they have at times gone out into the outer galaxy when their librarians foresaw a way to halt a threat to their world before it could arrive. The administradum has noted the unknown chapter but has other things to worry about with the hive fleets pressing from the south and the hordes of chaos from the north. They also are much less concerned than they could be due to the fact that the Iron Stars always are seen destroying some Xenos threat.

[nemogbr]

So what is the doctrine of the Iron Stars?

Have they been able to copy the Legiones Astartes in entirety?

What do they know of the outside galaxy?

Does the world actually send intelligence operatives to gather info on the Imperium?

Did they keep the Navigators for their abilities or have they no ability to send ships via the Warp?

Just my two cents, hope it's useful.

[numberofthebeastxxx]

Sorry I don't care how technologically advanced the planet is, im finding it hard to believe they just "discovered" how to make space marines. The geneseed would not be transported in bulk, only in small quantities. Gene-seed is arguably the most precious resource of the Imperium, if it was transported it would be escorted by a bunch of heavily armed ships or at least a space marine cruiser or two. It would NEVER be transported on just one ship. An escort of geneseed would be able to fend off anything save something with the firepower of a chaos raiding force. I'm not even going to go into the possibility that your saying they stole it from an actual space marine force... We have to believe that on 5 different occasions they were destroyed without being able to send one distress call? Also, they had geneseed... so what? How did they create a space marine? Even if they could find a way of using it it's far more likely they would create something vastly different from a space marine. How would they know about all the extra organs, re-enforced bone structure, implanted under-the-skin armour, cerebal implants, etc. etc. etc. It takes 1000 years or so to make a full chapter and that's when you actually know what your doing.

I don't mean any offense but there are huge holes in your fluff.

[The_Giant_Mantis]

Originally Posted by numberofthebeastxxx

Gene-seed is arguably the most precious resource of the Imperium, if it was transported it would be escorted by a bunch of heavily armed ships or at least a space marine cruiser or two. It would NEVER be transported on just one ship. An escort of geneseed would be able to fend off anything save something with the firepower of a chaos raiding force.

Spot on..

Also, dark age of technology? So they know how to create STCs.. They can build fully sentient robots to fight and labour for them (why would they even need space marines?) It just doesn't make sense.. If these people are so aggressive, why haven't they simply conquered the galaxy with their awesome technology?

[Alexei Vor Yaruk]

Just my two cents, hope it's useful.

Thank you, it will be.

Originally Posted by nemogbr

So what is the doctrine of the Iron Stars?

They emphasize speed and striking hard form unexpected directions thus, 'be swift as the wind' and 'see but don't be seen', the counter point is 'aspire to glory' as they only have the terminator suites from the guards on the ship that was ambushed.

Have they been able to copy the Legions Astartes in entirety?

No, some of the zygotes were lost during testing. The omniphagia, and betchers gland are no more in the Iron Stars.

What do they know of the outside galaxy?

Little, as I said Isolationists. All they know is the over all layout of the impirium. ( Five segmente majorus, tera is the capitol, chaos threatens from the eye, etc.)

Does the world actually send intelligence operatives to gather info on the Imperium?

No. Again, Isolationists.

Did they keep the Navigators for their abilities or have they no ability to send ships via the Warp?

They were killed with everyone else but even without a navigator you can make 'short jumps' of some five light-years at a time fairly safely.

[Alexei Vor Yaruk]

Originally Posted by The_Giant_Mantis

Spot on..

Also, dark age of technology? So they know how to create STCs.. They can build fully sentient robots to fight and labour for them (why would they even need space marines?) It just doesn't make sense... If these people are so aggressive, why haven't they simply conquered the galaxy with their awesome technology?

As I said, Isolationists to a severe degree. Think closed era feudal japan and you would be getting close.

Early golden age, not the days of the STCs & iron men. Which by the way they remember. Thy don't create robots for the same reason no one else does. They are scared of necron infiltrators. (Even though they have no idea what a necron is.)

[Ebon Hand]

I think the story is doable, but some things could be changed to make it smoother. Instead, you could make them a chapter whose record were lost, and were forgotten along with the planet during the Age of Apostasy. Thus, they have no idea what the outcome of the war was, and have kept their policy of xenophobia ever since, attacking anything that comes near and isolating themselves.

You could also say that their Librarian exhibit a strange ability to drown out other Psyker's signitures, so no distress calls made it through when the Iron Stars staged their ambushes on Explorator Fleets. The Imperium would probably think they were lost in warp storms or fell victim to Xenos raids.

[Xerxes]

Originally Posted by Alexei Vor Yaruk

Though they maintain a level of technical prowess almost as high as that of the golden age of technology

It's not the Golden Age of Technology, it's the Golden Age of Humanity. And the Golden Men got wiped out by the Stone Men. No record of quite why, but it's probably because the Stone Men focused on the development of technology rather than spiritual development. So such a techonological state couldn't exist. Sorry.

Originally Posted by Alexei Vor Yaruk

they do not wish to have anything to do with the other worlds of the galaxy even in so little as it would take to conquer them.

Why not? I'm not saying that they would automatically want to, but give a reason at least.

Originally Posted by Alexei Vor Yaruk

At least five times imperial ships have found Nalishim but each time the Star Navy has captured or destroyed the vessel and put the crew to the sword.

Besting the Imperial Navy every time? Without a dedicated spaceport world of its own to service the Battlefleet they would need to see off such ships? And wouldn't the Imperial Navy get a bit suspicious if ships that went into a particular sector just all disappeared without trace? They'd mount a powerful expedition to see what was happening, surely?

Originally Posted by Alexei Vor Yaruk

After some further examination and experimentation they were able to create a kadre of ten space marines.

Reverse-engineering space marines would be tricky, even with Golden Age tech, which as I've said above is impossible. And it takes more than gene-seed to make a battle-ready marine. Power armour for one thing, and bolters, which, this world not being a forge world, they won't be able to produce. I've already explained why I don't believe the "Golden Age" story, so don't cite that as "proof".

Originally Posted by Alexei Vor Yaruk

The Iron Stars are possibly the least xenophobic of all people on Nalishim and they have at times gone out into the outer galaxy when their librarians foresaw a way to halt a threat to their world before it could arrive

They don't want to carve an empire, and yet they venture off-planet? Why not just take over the galaxy for the safety of their home planet, with their "superior" technology? But that doesn't work. Aside from the technology, if they're worried about other worlds they have reason enough to carve out their own empire. And librarians, without Imperial training? Rubbish.

Originally Posted by Alexei Vor Yaruk

Thy don't create robots for the same reason no one else does. They are scared of necron infiltrators. (Even though they have no idea what a necron is.)

Again, rubbish. The necrons and the Iron Men aren't the same thing; the Iron Men were merely sentient robots. They began to develop a self-interest above that of Humanity, and so they were crushed. It was an Imperial edict (or some kind of Mechanicus decree) making machine intelligence beyond the kind in a land raider heretical; the technology to make the Iron Men fell with the Stone Men.

Take Ebon Hand's suggestions, they make a lot of sense. It doesn't need to be anywhere near as grand as you make out. That just makes them unfeasible.

[Hard A**]

Iron Stars: Rouge chapter.

Do we have any explanation yet as to why they are the Red chapter ?

[Alexei Vor Yaruk]

I will no be drawn into another argument with you Xerxes. However, I will give my point of view on this, it defers from yours but neither of us is going to change any time soon I think.


The Isolationism is cultural. Very much like old Japan they see all outsiders as not people but THINGS that happen to look like people. The planet is well connected via large intercontinental rail causeways and the population has thus remained very homogenous. They bare little resemblance to the people of the Impirium and this only serves to reenforce the Them vs. Us attitude they have developed. They do not wish to be contaminated by these (for want of a more accurate word) Gaijiin, so they have NO dealings with them. They know that even with all their advanced technology they are not numerous enough to conquer the impirium so they stay on their own world and continue to fortify their own star system with ever enlarging numbers of ships and deep space gravitic mines.

The planets population is in ecence rutilated quartz. Let me explain that, rutilated quartz is quartz with veins of raw gold running through it. They are in your terms the descendants of a 50/50 mix of the 'golden men' and the 'stone men'. I personally believe that such distinctions are unrealistic but even your own view of it is now satisfied. Thus they have technology far in advance of ours and even in broad terms better than the Impirium. While the Impiriums tech is better in many cases it is not better consistently, 90% of the time it is worse. theirs is constant in quality and durability. As an example: if they were to build a plasma gun it would not 'get hot', but rather simply not fire that round or the next as the emergency cutoffs kicked in.

This in turn shows how even with only one hundred progniods to start with they were able to redevelop the process required to implant marines fast enough to create a total of 10 to start their private chapter. Lots of high speed analyzation computers and a fare bit of their own scientific know-how were able to unravel the gene codes. From there it was easy. At that point they could use simulation programs for most of the work. Even so another 50 of the prognoids were used up in failed experiments.

What you think is fine for you, but I think that the 'Iron Men' and the necrons were the EXACT SAME THING! Think about it, who else would have been powerful enough to challenge the whole of mankind's galactic hegemony? Who else could have scared humanity SO MUCH that 20,000 years later robots still terrify them? Only the Necrontir and C'tan have that kind of power. (Well so do the nids but they were not yet around then... )

The planet is as I said out in the halo zone, the impirium is not likely to send ships so far from the light of the astronamican, and when it does it half expects them to never come back. But even so 4 out of the 5 times the ships were just astoundingly off course. So since they never arrived at their destinations people thought that the warp-storms which had in fact merely put them off course had in fact destroyed them.

The chapters Librarians are not really called that, I used that word because it was the one everyone would know. But that is unimportant, what matters is this, if the scholastica psycana can teach a psyker to tame their powers surely if others had found the same tequniques they could do the same! Thus the planet trains and controls its own psychic population, and does a better job than the Impirium too. They are not trying to hide here after all.

Finally while the suggestions Ebon Hand made are good ones, and could make for a interesting chapter in themselves they would defeat the reason I wrote up this chapter. I wanted to think of a way that you could have a chapter that was never under the impiriums control, and what they would be like as a consequence. Now you know my reasons. Take from them what you will.