So I was in my mind thinking about the possibilities of running a game where the characters are playing members of a single Chapter and not being part of the Deathwatch. While I considered playing one of the official Chapters I figured that making my own would allow me much more freedom. Pretty much everything except the name of Ascendants and their nature as a Chapter marked by the Soul Forging is work in process.

I also know they are fairly similar to the Black Templars and so I’m actually thinking about maybe changing the founding Chapter from the Ultramarines to the Black Templar and say that they were like this from the start. But I’d rather keep things the way I’ve written if possible.

I’d love to hear any and all comments and suggestions.

The Eight Companies

1 Company (Sol Aurum): works as the finest battle group as well as maintaining the Chapter’s internal order and hierarchies and root out any corruption, heresy or treachery from within the Chapter
2 Company (Luna Argentum): the company that has its task to cover up the Chapters secrets and protect them from outsiders
3 Company (Mercurius Hydrargyrum): the company that is specialized with lightning attacks
4 Company (Venus Cuprum): is the company specialized to deal diplomatically with others
5 Company (Mars Ferrum): the Chapter’s chock troops
6 Company (Jupiter Stannum): acts to protect the Chapter’s fortress-monastery as well as the other monasteries established upon different worlds
7 Company (Saturn Titanium): the Chapter’s penance Company where those who falters in their faith can refind their faith, honor and purpose in service to the Emperor
8 Company: Functions as all Scout companies does in standard Codex Chapters

Founding Chapter: Ultramarines

Soul Forging: The arcane and esoteric art of soul forging is the Chapters most closely guarded secret. It is the foundation upon which all of it has been constructed. Soul forging takes the form of meditation, fasting and prayer on mystical riddles through which the Ascendant forges his own soul purer and reaches self-knowledge, and through that understand how to overcome their own weaknesses and perfect themselves in their service to Him on Terra. It is said that the ones who manages to follow it until its end, which no one has ever managed since the legendary Voice of the Emperor, shall ascend to reach unification with the Emperor and truly be a vessel of His divine will.

An example “riddle” is the following, which is used for Astartes of the second triad’s first degree
“I stand bound by three chains in darkness. I break my chains by the hammer, and thus find the gateway.”

By meditating and praying on this riddle the Battle Brother can know more about himself, his flaws and how to break them. He can watch into himself to see what three things within him binds him into darkness and how to break them and see what comes when liberated from the broken flaws.

The Chapter considers the Emperor to be the zenith of human potential and the manifestation of humanity collective will and purpose. In death all pure humans ascend to unify themselves with the Emperor, and the greatest and most purified souls will maintain their self-awareness even after this and will be able to continue to guide their living brethren. Mutants of all kinds are naturally excepted from this with the possible exception of psykers who have undergone the Soul Forging, the rest of them are only mutants.

Foundation: The reason for the Chapter’s foundation was the combination of the poorly defended Tamerion sector in the Ultima Segmentum, alongside a prophecy concerning a terrible evil that would arise in the East that only the Emperor’s finest would be able to halt, and the exact location for that was through a dozen esoteric disciplines identified as the Tamerion sector. For that reason the High Lords of Terra decided to add another Chapter to the defence of the Imperium and mankind. Drawn from the gene-seed of the Ultramarine successor Chapter Sons of Iron the Chapter was named the Steel Paladins, although after a great disaster in the past where the Chapter lost its homeworld it renamed itself into the Ascendants and took its present form, under the guidance of the Voice of the Emperor, but not without a bitter struggle that put the old Steel Paladins against Ascendants and shed the blood of brothers.

Ever since its creation the Chapter has however looked for the Great Enemy that it was created to destroy. Across the millennia many xenos races, Chaos warbands or heretical teachings have been identified as the Great Enemy, but never have the prophecy been fulfilled and so the Chapter continues its vigilance. At the end of the 41st millennium the Chapter holds five threats to potentially be the promised enemy; the Tau, the Tyranids, the Necrons, the Void Worms and the Chaos Space Marine warband Brotherhood of Decay. Chapter Master Soteros has yet to commit his Chapter to fully engage either one of these horrors but there are groups requesting action against one or another.

Recruitment: Due to their loss of their world due to negligence the Chapter undertook a crusade of penance and founded several monasteries across the Tamrion sector where monks undertook a baser form of Soul Forging and spread their creed to the human population. These monasteries have become the focal points for the Chapter’s recruitment and there they collect those the monks deem to be of suitable character and take them to the fortress-monastery. There the candidates are subjected to mental and physical tests before the best are made into Initiates or if they survived are made to become Chapter serfs. Unlike most other Chapters the Ascendants tests their initiates as a group and counts on the challenges to forge their souls into a single unified power in service to the Emperor.

Relations: Due to their unique organization the Ascendants have made themselves something of a Pariah for the Ultramarines and their fellow successors. These Chapters will not deny outright that the Ascendants descend from them, but will not make their disapproval a secret for anyone. The Chapter does however maintain some good connections with certain parts of the Ecclesiarchy and the Solar Lions Chapter.

Chapter Demeanor: Purity Above All

Battle Doctrine: Shock and Awe