My marine fluff!

The Heralds of Vengeance

The Heralds of Vengeance were founded some time during M35, to combat a threat that has now long been lost in the records of the Imperium. Created from the gene-seed of Rogal Dorn, much of the chapter’s laurels have come from combating the forces of Chaos. A fleet based chapter, the Heralds are able to mobilize quickly against the incursions of the archenemy. Indeed, the Heralds have won much renown in battles against the Black Legion of Abaddon the Despoiler during each of the Black Crusades since M35. As a result, much of the chapter’s battle doctrine comes from their experience against traitor forces.

The Heralds of Vengeance display many characteristics of the sons of Dorn. They are extremely stubborn; preferring to sell their lives to giving the enemy any ground. As a result, more than a handful of battle brothers have been lost in glorious last stands when it would have proven more prudent to fall back and regroup. This is evidenced by their battle cry: “For Dorn! For the Emperor! Not one step back!”. They are also taciturn, even for space marines. In inter-chapter operations, they prefer to keep to their own council. This has led some of their brother chapters to be wary of the Heralds. One way in which the Heralds of Vengeance differ from their gene-brothers is doctrine in battle. The Heralds tend to be aggressive on the field, to the point of appearing bloodthirsty, preferring to be on the attack rather than idle defenders. This becomes amplified when the Heralds of Vengeance take the battle to the forces of Chaos – especially the Black Legion.

While technically a codex-adherent chapter, the Heralds have taken some liberties with the teachings of Guilliman. Most chapters follow standard codex chapter organization, with the first company being comprised of veterans, the tenth company being comprised of scouts, and the sixth through ninth being reserve companies. The Heralds, however, feel that it is much more effective to have each company be structured as a battle company, with the first company veterans and tenth company scouts being equally distributed throughout each of the companies. This ensures that each company is able to call upon a wide variety of tools to prosecute their campaigns.

In M41, Chapter Master Drenivir leads the Heralds of Vengeance. He is regarded as one of the greatest to ever lead the chapter, and the victories the Heralds have accumulated under his command are the envy of many other chapters. At present, the chapter has it’s strength split in half and at two opposite sides of the galaxy, with five companies opposing Abaddon the Despoiler and his 13^th Black Crusade around the Cadian Gate, and the other five companies bringing the fight to the Tau Empire and Tyranid Hive Fleets on the Eastern Fringe. In this way, Drenivir can be sure that the Heralds of Vengeance are at the forefront of the battle to protect the Imperium from the forces intent on it’s destruction.

That's what I have for now. I feel like the backstory of 40k is one of the things that really pulls people into the game. I always like when people take the time to give a little story behind their army. I'll be attaching this to my list at the tournaments for my opponents. Let me know what you think!

- Max