Name: Krieg's Chosen
Shoulder Artwork: Raised fist clutching a knife.
Shoulder Caption: From the Trenches We Fight!
Color Scheme: Moss green mottled with dark browns and light tans. Except for their left hands, which are painted entirely black.
Founding: Founded in the 2nd founding, successor chapter of Imperial Fists, noncompliant to codex.
Legion Number: VII
Primarch: Rogal Dorn.
Chapter Master: Hans Strongarm.
Home world: Krieg, recruits from Krieg and neighboring systems. They are currently under investigation for excessive use of the Vitae Womb.
Main Base: Fortified moons of Krieg code named Mourning, Atonement, and the main base of Vengeance. One fortress monastery in command of 9th battalion, several crusade fleets are spread throughout galaxy currently.
Allies: Death Korps of Krieg, Imperial Fists, Space Wolves, and Iron Hands. Adeptus Mechanicus and Legio Titanica, to the point Warhound Titans have been attached to the Chapter permanently alongside Reaver class titans.
Number of Marines: Several thousand, ranging at times from 1,000 to an excess of 10,000. Fluctuates from recruitment/death rate, most battalions are constantly on deployment.
Specialty: Trench warfare, chemical weapons.
Battle Cry: For the Emperor! For Krieg!
Colors/ Battle Standard: Standard Krieg battle colors.
Successor Chapters: Sons of Krieg, Graybacks (excommunicate traitoris), Siege Beasts.
Background/Further Information
Equipment/weapons:
Tactical Squads (Trench Boys): Standard bolters with additional armaments of bayonets, krak grenades, bolt pistol, and chain sword. Basic tactical marine squads often carry 8 bolters, a flamer, and a heavy bolter for day to day operations.
Devastator squads (Uberbringer Des Todes aka death bringer): larger in size than standard devastator squads, numbering twenty marines. Death squads carry missile launchers and lascannons, preferring to kill their enemies from afar. Often though, at least five marines carry either plasma cannons or heavy bolters for close range work. Besides their heavy weapons, Death Squads wear spiked hard covers on the tops of their heads, resembling their imperial guard brethren, with an armored gas mask over their faces. Unlike other chapters, but closely mirroring the Space Wolves, the most veteran of Krieg's Chosen are chosen for the Death Squads.
Variant: Bunker Busters: Death Squads armed with melta guns and rocket launchers, numbering five men, they are the most inexperienced of the Death Squads, charged with clearing out dangerous enemy emplacements to prove their worth. Their gas masks and helmets are white, to show they have yet to be proven true Death Squad material.
Assault Squads (Krieg Reapers): Assault squads can number as many as fifteen jump pack armed marines, and as few as five. Assault squads often carry chain axes, chain swords, or power axes. To differentiate themselves from other marines, Reapers wear helmets resembling skulls.
Terminator Squads (Behemoths): Behemoths wear the sacred armor of their chapter, acting as shock troops and vanguards for the Colonels. Make excessive use of assault cannons, heavy flamers, and cyclone missile launchers. The true elite of the Reapers and Death squads are selected to become Behemoths.
Dreadnoughts (True Chosen): Only the most veteran and heroic of Krieg's Chosen are entombed in the sacred sarcophagi that are the Dreadnoughts. Armed however they see fit, though the close combat weapons are rarely seen, Krieg's Chosen bombard their foes from afar. Oddly enough, Krieg's Chosen boast a high number of Dreadnoughts. It is rumored they recovered a dreadnought STC and have a hidden pact with the Mechanicus to produce them.
Support units
Vindicator squads (Thunder Horses): The thunder horses of Krieg's Chosen are heavily armored, and sport extra heavy bolters to mow down enemy infantry. Painted in their chapters colors, Thunder Horses work alongside Land Speeders to annihilate their foes and carry the charge through enemy positions.
Aspirants: Regular Krieg soldiers attempting to become marines, these soldiers are already veterans of countless battles with the Imperial Guard, but have yet to prove themselves enough to accept the chapter's gene seed. Armed with the standard weapons of the Death Korps, they are the true new meat.
Heavy Arms: Aspirants more senior than the rest, operate the Basilisks and the various mortars, divided into squads based on support, tank hunting, and bombardment. For this purpose, they use the Quad launcher, commonly referred to as a 'thudd gun.' Often enough, when under attack, artillerymen use grapeshot for devastating effects. Often enough, techmarines and their servitors are perfectly happy to be attached to the Heavy Arms in the field.
Titan Trios: Two Warhound Titans attached to a Reaver Titan in support of a select battalion. They are only deployed when in dire need of annihilating a foe, well, more than normal anyways.
Land Speeders (Flying Coffins): Land Speeder squads that support thunder horses in combat, often seen running reconnaissance and strafing missions.
Organization: Krieg's Chosen is organized into separate thousand man 'battalions'. Each battalion is commanded by the equivalent of a space marine captain, referred to as Colonels. These Colonels report to the impressively armed and guarded moon base referred to as Rebirth. In command of Rebirth, the High General and his council make decisions over who they aid and what battles they wage. Colonels have their own separate moon bases, or even crusade fleets they use as their main bases.
Facts
1. Every fallen Colonel and High General has been turned into a True Chosen, and lie slumbering in their main fortress of Rebirth.
2. Are often seen as cold pragmatists, have an intense hatred for the ultramarines because of their fervent desire to see Krieg's Chosen dissolved.
3. Have participated in most, if not all, of the 13 black crusades, running interference on war bands that splinter off from the main attack.
4. Currently, three battalions are engaged in fighting Tyranids of Hive Fleet Moloch in open space/on feral worlds.
5. The Inquisition seeks to end this successful chapter for their nigh heretical ways (practical tactics.)
6. All fallen Chosen are recovered, and interred on the graveyard world of Ivanis IV.
7. Once, Hans Strongarm tore off the hand of an ultramarine captain and repeatedly pimp slapped him with it after said captain was a dick to a Krieg aspirant. He never returned the hand.
8. Crusade Fleets of Krieg's Chosen only return to Rebirth once a year, to rearm and celebrate new initiates into the Chosen. One of the only times excessive drinking is allowed.
Organization
Krieg's Chosen is led by the High General, advised by the Honor Guard, he commands the Chosen. Colonels under him command 1,000 man Battalions, which are broken into 100 man companies commanded by Majors. The 13th battalion is currently the only battalion exceeding the 1,000 man mark, needing the extra men to hold back an advance of Tyranids invading Western Space.
Famous Battles
Battle of Rhodes: 1st battalion of Krieg's Chosen engaged elements of Chaos undivided on feral world Rhodes. Turned already rainy and muddy planet into a network of trenches and bunkers, former population was conscripted by Chaos to serve as foot soldiers. It lasted five years before victory was achieved when Colonel Black of the 1st battalion killed the aspiring champion of the chaos forces. 48% casualties.
Siege of the Ninth Monastery: Krieg 9th battalion fortress monastery came under attack from Word Bearers war band. Entire 9th battalion recalled to defend Monastery. Siege lasted three years, before Chaos forces retreated after a decisive route by auxiliary Titan Trios annihilated Chaos vanguards, 64% casualties.
Purging of Athos: While elements of Krieg 5th battalion were still on planet Exterminatus was ordered on Athos, destroying the 500+ men still on planet, effectively crippling the 5th battalion. The head of the Inquisitor that had ordered the Exterminatus was taken by Colonel Wilhelm Bauer in revenge, 54% casualties.
Skirmish amongst the Eye: Crusade fleet of the 3rd battalion engages forward vanguard of the 10th Black Crusade, taking heavy casualties before blunting the advance of Abbadon's latest failure. Then falling back to lick their wounds, the 3rd battalion unleashed timed charges into the path of the crusade, devastating the main force, 84% casualties taken.
Battle of Praxis: 7th battalion engaged Tau on Eastern fringe of space on uninhabited world Praxis. Tau stealth suits in jungle massacred Krieg Patrols. Eventually the forests were burned to the ground to eliminate Tau advantage. Ultimately planet was claimed by the Imperium and became a colony under Krieg's control. A total of 23% casualties were taken by Krieg forces.
Awakening of Hive World 1224: Hive world came under attack from awakening Necrons. Death Korps sent to combat them, overwhelmed, they called upon Krieg's Chosen to aid them. 4th Battalion sent to help. Necron forces annihilated by combined Heavy Arms barrages and Titan Trio Black, heavy losses incurred, 67% casualties, all deaths.
Drop Zone on Athos: 2nd battalion of Krieg's Chosen landed dead center in Tau formation on Athos. Kroot auxiliaries engaged in close combat, pathfinders and fire warriors close by. Crisis battle suits and Hammerhead gunships joined fray. Deployment of 6th company 9th battalion, made entirely of Behemoths massacred Tau in crossfire with elements of 3rd company 2nd battalion. 73% casualties taken, 23% deaths.
Enemies (Most Hated Anyways)
Orks: Krieg's Chosen save a special hate for the green skins that wrecked the 8th battalion's excursion into finding another home world. The Chosen will not end a campaign until even the feral Orks are exterminated.
Chaos: Obviously, Krieg's Chosen hate all of Chaos equally. When they confront Chaos, all bayonets are fixed, and bombardments increase three fold. Iron Warriors in particular feel the wrath of the Chosen in combat, having inherited a hate of them from their Fist forebears and their gene seed.
Ultramarines: Krieg's Chosen truly hate the Ultramarines, who have tried long and hard to get the Chosen to conform to Codex standards. In one infamous meeting, Hans Strongarm nearly killed Marneus Calgar. He only stopped from beating the Captain to death when Logan Grimnar held him back, then was taken away to have his own serious wounds attended to.
Famous Marines
Sergeant Johan Krauss: Leading a Trench Boy squad for an excess of 200 years, Sgt. Krauss was finally mortally wounded fighting an Ork Warboss by himself. Dying, Sgt. Krauss was interred in a dreadnought and still serves to this day.
Reaper Sergeant Paul Baumer: Still currently in service, Baumer was part of a Reaper squad that took apart a Chaos Defiler. Luckily, Baumer and his comrades were not massacred, but suffered severely from the explosion of the Defiler via melta bombs. Paul Baumer is currently serving his 154th year of service, and commands his own Reaper squad now.
Aspirant Wolfgang Lebensraum: Only an aspirant, Wolfgang Lebensraum was almost totally destroyed in hand to hand combat with a Chaos Terminator, but somehow managed to get his bayonet into the traitor's throat, the aspirant was immediately given the chapter's gene seed and placed in a Trench Boy squad. He lost his right arm in the fight, and currently has a flamer attached to a new mechanical arm in place of it.
Colonel Sebastian Grey: former commander of the 10th battalion, Colonel Grey was accepted into the True Chosen after leading a successful campaign on Armageddon against the Orks. Having repelled a major Ork engagement he was severely wounded to the point prosthetics would not save him. He was immediately inducted into the Honor Guard of former generals and colonels slumbering on Atonement.
Major Gunther Hammersmith: Commander of the 1st company 1st battalion during the Battle of Rhodes. Surprisingly, he survived the battle to lead his men in a campaign against the Chaos forces on Ivanis II.
Behemoth Captain Erwin Ironheart: Commander 6th company 10th marines. He led Behemoth squads into battle against disciples of Nurgle on Space Hulk Gamma Bravo Sigma, destroyed hulk with minimal casualties after discovering caches of untainted Space Marine armor and weapons.
Forge: A True Chosen that rotates from battalion to battalion. Refuses to talk, will only fights Chaos. Often said to be searching for his true enemy, a fallen Dreadnought that was once his brother, Forge has yet to find him however. With an impressive body count, tallied upon his body with each tally denoting one hundred kills, Forge has been in service since he was a Scout Marine in the Imperial Fists reportedly. No one has been able to ascertain this however.
Librarian Charles Dushek: A long time serving marine, Dushek entered service 100 standard years after the Heresy. He has since served as a Librarian popping heads with the 10th Battalion.
Apothecary Heinrich Hanson: A gun toting apothecary that serves with more distinction on the front lines than any Death Bringer squad put together, the apothecary has seen service in hundreds of engagements, always bringing his dead boy's home. Was reported to have attached a chain sword to his groin plate and 'rape tyranid scum' with it during a violent skirmish with splinter fleets of Leviathan.