Teuton Brotherhood

"Want to know why we archive all we come across brother? So many of our fellow man fight because of necessity and care not for the truths of our Imperium or the Emperor. For he is no god. He was a man, like you and I. But he was the best of all man and, perhaps, the best that man will ever be. We must forever strive to be like him and in that way, we seek to become the perfect man. The only way we can strive for perfection is to understand what is perfection, yet, how can we do that if we live in an Imperium of ignorance? We must study all that we come across when we are not busy fighting, for Astartes in ages past were not only weapons of His will but were scholars, artisans, and philosophers as well. We must take up the torch of our fallen brothers and lead the Imperium to a new Golden Age of Reason and Enlightenment, as our glorious Emperor intended."

- Unknown Teuton Battle Brother

The Teuton Brotherhood is a loyalist Space Marine Chapter that was founded by the Black Templars during the third founding. They are commonly referred to as just The Brotherhood by most Imperial Citizens and their fellow Astartes. They are a secretive Chapter with an affinity for close combat and assault actions. The are also known to field very powerful psykers. Their Chapter Color Scheme is Black, Crimson, and Gold. The Black stands for their mourning for the death of Dorn and the wounding of the Emperor. The Crimson stands for the blood they must shed to defend mankind. The gold stands for the dream of the Emperor and their duty to finish the Great Crusade.

The Chapter is known for never abandoning a campaign once committed. Like their Gene-fathers, the Imperial Fists, they are extremely stubborn and will take gruesome casualties to hold a position or to take one. They are also known for accompanying many Black Templar Crusades and serving as the Assault Troops, making up the bulk of the initial assault upon a given enemy position/vessel.

 The Chapter is also obsessed with obtaining knowledge and have their own library filled with the books, tomes, scrolls, and fragments they have gathered. They don't discriminate when it comes to what kind of information they gather and will accept all forms of technological, philosophical, scientific, historic, and artistic knowledge. They are also desperately looking for a cure to their geneseed flaw, while also doing their best to hide it from all that are outside of the chapter, and hope that in their search of ever more knowledge that they can finally find a cure and become perfect Astartes.

They have a good relationship with the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Teuton Regiments, and Death Korps of Krieg due to a long history of cooperation. They are also close to the Imperial Fists and Black Templars. However, the Inquisition does not trust the Chapter nor do the Sisters of Battle and they have also had poor relations with the Minotaurs.

 Motto: 

Motto: Never back down from a fight, to do so brings shame not only upon you, but the Emperor himself.

Founding
The official version of the Chapter's origins are that during the Third Founding, the Black Templars were given leave to create a new Chapter based on their recruiting world of Koein where they converted the Chapter Keep into a Fortress Monastery. Castellan Leon became the newly created chapter's Chapter Master and took his Fighting company and turned them into the first of the Teuton Brotherhood.

Unofficially, it is said that the Black Templars had discovered something within a system not previously known to the Imperium. High Marshal Bohemond is rumored to have commanded Marshal Teuton to keep vigil over this artifact and ensure that it remained a secret from all except for the most trusted servants of the Emperor. The importance of this artifact must truly be exceptional for a Chapter Master of such prestige to found a Chapter specifically to guard this discovery. It is said that no one but the Masters of the Chapter and the Inner Circle know what this artifact truly is or if it even exists.

Gene-seed
The Brotherhood is a Black Templar descendant and therefore have all the flaws of their parent Chapter's gene-seed. They do, however, have a unknown flaw within their own geneseed which no other sons of Dorn have to suffer with.

T he Chapter suffers from a flaw in their geneseed, similar to that of the Thousand Sons, wherein the Witch Hunters (Librarians) may suffer from uncontrollable mutation when put under too much strain when using their psychic abilities or have psychic powers used on them. None within the Chapter know when this began but the Chapter Apothecaries believe that this flaw in their geneseed is due to the proximity to the eye of Terror and the influence of the warp. The Chapter Librarians must undergo many years of training to understand their limitations and control themselves while being close sly watched over by the Chapter Apothecaries.

The Brotherhood also suffer's from "Dorn's Darkness" wherein they relive the moments in which Dorn discovered the lifeless body of Sanguinius and the broken body of the Emperor. Normally, the sons of Dorn who suffer from this feel great sadness and hopelessness but the Brotherhood are taken to another extreme. This usually occurs when the Astartes is in the midst of battle and he sees the image of their fallen god and angel. This enrages him to the point of reaching an uncontrollable berserk state. He is filled with a demand for vengeance with complete disregard for his own life and casts aside everything besides his sword. The Astartes, when in this state, is able to withstand wounds that would lay a normal Astartes low but they also do not listen to orders, similar to the Pre-Heresy World Eaters. The Apothecaries do not know why their brothers go into this berserk state but it has cost the Chapter many battle brothers.

These flaws have led to the Inquisition distrusting the Chapter, for some believe that they are being touched by either Tzeentch or Khorne and are a potential threat to the Imperium.

Combat Doctrine
The Teuton Brotherhood has specialized itself to become masters of close combat and assaulting enemy positions. They prefer to fight on foot and do their best to get into melee as soon as possible with their foes. They also employ very powerful psykers who make use of both the Librarius and and Fulmination Psychic Doctrines, making them extremely useful against the forces of Chaos or threats that make extensive use of psykers. The Brotherhood is specifically called upon to aid in three types of campaigns due to their specialty: breaking sieges on Imperial Worlds, fighting against the Orkz, and dealing with the forces of Chaos.

Siege Breaking
The Brotherhood is extremely proficient at employing the usage of "Steel Rain" - massed drop pod assaults - and use this to full effect on forces besieging Imperial fortifications. They drop into the heart of the besieging force and wreck havoc in close quarters. There are usually specific kill teams tasked with executing the enemy leadership and others to destroy weapons, munitions, and/or vehicles considered high priority. The rest of the Brotherhood will kill as many of the enemy as possible and hopefully break the backs of their foes through the shock and awe of such an attack. This will usually coincide with an attack from the Imperial forces they have come to relieve so as to ensure the enemy routs from this two-pronged assault. However, for this to work, the Brotherhood must establish Void Superiority. If Void Superiority is unachievable, they will lead a spear head assault to the enemies' command and attempt to "cut the head off the snake".

Armament*
The Brotherhood is a melee oriented Chapter. There is no uniform armament for the Brothers, much like the Knights of Koein, they arm themselves according to what they feel they are most proficient at.

Weapons
Brother Knights (Tactical Marines) prefer to bring a Bolter along with chain weapons. Some will use flamers instead of Bolters but the Brother Knights will never bring Plasma or Melta Weapons. Brother Knights can occassionaly do not bring a firearm and bring a Boarding Shield instead. Wardens (Devastators) prefer to bring Heavy Bolters, Missile Launchers, Heavy Flamers, or Lascannons with combat knives, they do not bring Plasma Cannons nor Multi-Meltas. Knights-Errant (Veterans) always bring Power Weapons and bring either Stalker Bolters, Storm Bolters, or just Bolters, or they can instead bring the signature Power Halberds with integrated Bolters. In place of firearms, Knights-Errant can bring Combat Shields or Boarding Shields instead.

Armor
Most Brother Knights and Wardens use Modified Mark III Power Armor. This "Teutonic Armor" is even more heavily armored than the already formidable Mark III armor but is slower. They also have plumes upon their helms similar to that of the Noble Houses of Koein, each Cohort having their own specific color. They give up the strength of their rear armor for more frontal armor and do not mind the slower movement and they like the unique looks of their armor due to their noble backgrounds. Most Knights-Errant use Mark VI Corvus Armor due to their more specialized usage when carrying out their Assassination Missions. The Brotherhood also like to add on Warg Pelts, fangs, and other fetishes upon their armor. They also collect the skulls of enemies they have defeated in battle and hang them from their armor. This usually means that the Templars of the Cohorts have many skulls adorned on their armor. The Brotherhood also customize their armor and many times add their own insignias somewhere upon their armor or shields.

Vehicles*
The Brotherhood make extensive use of Rhinos, Land Raiders, especially the Land Raider Crusaders. This is due to their slow infantry movement and exposure to concentrated artillery fire.

Teuton System
The Teuton System is on the very fringes of the Cadian sector and is therefore affected by the warp. The Teuton system has 5 planets; Adule, Marien, Svjold, Koein, and Vera. Adule and Marien are both dead worlds without any moons. Svjold is an agri-world with a population of 1 billion. It has one moon named Svjold Secundus that has been converted into a trade post/port. Koein is an disunited techno-barbarian feudal Temperate World that has a unknown population of a few 100 millions and has 3 moons, Koein Primus, Koein Secundus, and Koein Tirtius. Koein is the homeworld of the Teuton Brotherhood and is the main recruiting world for the Chapter. Koein also suffers from an infestation of feral orks which the aristocracy continually fights against. Koein Primus has a Teuton Brotherhood battlestation/port encompassing it where the Astartes fleet is docked. Koein Secundus is a port for Civilian usage much like Svjold Secundus. Koein Tritius is a Forge "World"/Moon under the jurisdiction of the Adeptus Mechanicus, for it is very rich in Ademantium and is an outpost for observing the destroyed Necron Tomb on Marien. Vera is a Frozen Hive World with a population of 300 billion and 5 main hives. This planet is the homeworld for the Teuton Regiments and maintains close ties to the Teuton Brotherhood. The rest of the planet is a frozen tundra inhabitted by feral orks. Vera has no moons.

Koein
Koein is the Teuton Brotherhood's homeworld. It is the 3rd planet out of five in the Teuton System and it is the largest in the system. It is a Temperate World inhabited by disunited Feudal techno-barbarians. The planet has one large continent with deserts, jungles, forests, mountains, rolling planes, large lakes, and one large and unforgiving ocean. It has a vibrant ecosystem but is quite deadly due to the natural predators as well as xeno incursions/infestations. Koein has been a battleground for the entirety of mankind's existence on it due to the wars waged amongst the humans, against xenos, against the both intelligent and instinctual predators, and chaos.

Humans
The humans living on Koein are descendants of a colonial effort that took place during the dark age of technology. The have regressed to a state of Feudal Techno-Barbarism due to their isolation during the Age of Strife and are now divided into countless warring noble factions. Each faction is ruled by an aristocracy of knightly nobles who wear a combination of primitive plate/chain armor and the "elites" wearing ancient power armor and use crude solid-slug ranged weaponry and well as melee weapons that the knightly orders of Ancient Terra would wield and rarely crude chain weapons. The nobility are tasked with fighting the wars and defending the peasantry, in return, they are given leave to rule. The majority of the human natives live in or around castles of stone and woodwork or in villages/towns surrounded by large walls, where they make a living from agriculture, smithing, carpentry, mining, harvesting wood, and the limited trade between the different human settlements.

Human Culture on Koein
The Humans on Koein live a Feudal lifestyle. They are a divided people ruled by many noble families, where war is the natural state. They are in constant battle against the Feral Orkz of the planets, the warp mutated predators, and each other. The planet is extremely dangerous to live on and most human settlements are fairly large but isolated, making trade or carving out a "nation" very difficult with the exception of few villages or towns being made by colonists from these larger settlements by the order of the Prince/Duke.

Nobility
This has led to life similar to the Feudal Age on Terra, the Nobles are the Warriors of society and have the best weapons and armor available in the Fortress'/Castle's/Town's/Village's arsenal. Only rarely are the peasants levied into service, and this is usually only done when an Ork Waaagh! has started, there is a xeno threat, or an predator infestation is nearby. The nobles, depending on where their settlement is on the planet, ride different types of mounts into battle. Many ride the Warhorses found on Koein into battle, armed in heavy plate and chain armor or even the rare power armor from the Dark Age of Technology. However, some houses prefer to fight on foot. The knights usually are armed with swords, but some Noble houses prefer axes, maces, or even spears. There is no real uniformity, even amongst the knights from the same house, but household tradition tends to lead to many of the household following a similar martial tradition.

The Nobles tend to to be very good warriors, but when they are at peace with the neighboring human settlements and there is no ork threat, the Knights tend to take on quests. These Quests usually involve going north to hunt Scorpions but also sometimes a very brave knight or group of knights try to take on a Fiend. Many knights have fallen during these quests but those who do succeed are praised as heroes and usually end up becoming part of the Household leadership. Some quests may not be slaying on of these beasts but also challenging an Ork Chieftan or Champions of other noble houses to personal combat. Most diplomacy between Orkz and humans is impossible, but these duels have become common and the orkz respect this tradition. This not only gives the Chieftan some sport but also determines whether he is worthy or not of being Chieftan in the first place. The results of these duels varies greatly but has formed into a tradition for the Noble Houses. For, dueling is now one of the most sacred of traditions and is how most disputes, that cannot be settled peacefully, are decided.

Monastic Knights
The Knights are also tasked with guarding against the demons that emerge from "The Great Storm" (Eye of Terror). There are an abundance of psykers found on the planet due to the proximity to the Eye and many possessions occur. The Aristocracy of the planet initially tried to purge all psykers from the populations but they just kept popping up and causing rebellions amongst the peasantry. So, instead, they started to try and use them instead. They have found that even though they are the most susceptible to possession, they are also the best at fighting demons and monastic orders of psychic knights have emerged, not tied to any Noble House in particular and usually have their own small Keeps and host of serfs. They call themselves Templars and are contracted by different Noble Houses to patrol the different settlements and look for psychic knights and peasantry and take them to the Monastic Keeps for training. Most Templars are peasantry that have shown psychic talent and have been found and trained, some are of Noble birth as well. However, most nobles that turn out to be psychic return to their household and take the position of Warrior Priests who protect the Household from psychic enemies such as Chaos Cultists/incursions, Ork Weirdboyz, or demons.

The Teuton Brotherhood only recruits from the Nobility of Koein and have adopted the Questing and Dueling Traditions into their own. They also eventually brought Librarians back due to this tradition in the Aristocracy and the Librarians have take this role of Witch Hunters.

Crusades
These Templar Orders also have the right to declare Crusades to either counter an Ork Waaagh!, cleanse a predator infestation, or destroy a xenos threat. These Crusades are usually led by the Order that calls for it and knights from the different Noble Houses in the area answer the call and fight under the Red Crossed Banner. This is the one and only time that multiple houses will forget about past grievances and fight alongside one another, but none of the noble houses are obliged to answer the call. Many houses are usually busy with their own problems and perhaps send a small host of knights and militiamen if they send anything at all. Other houses are very dedicated to these causes and most of their knights are sent off to fight in this cause along with many of the peasantry who have been given arms and armor to fight. Many other Templar Orders also answer the call and it is usually the Templars that make up the majority of the knights within the host. These Crusades are not common and usually only are called when a Great Doom approaches.

Peasantry
The peasantry live destitute and fearful lives. They view their overlords as saviors from the horrors that await in the dangerous world outside of their settlements and will do all they ask. Only a few peasants live half-way decent lives and those are usually the smiths, engineers, or traders within the settlement. The rest of the peasantry are serfs, farmers, lumberjacks, hunters, breeders, carpenters, miners, masons, butchers, tanners, tailors, cobblers, and militiamen. Living within the fortress' or towns/villages of the Noble Houses provides the most safety but the least opportunity for making a decent living. They must pay high taxes to the nobility so that they can maintain their arsenal for the eternal wars of the planet. Most peasants don't care for the politics of the nobility, they only care for the survival of their families and are more than willing to die alongside their masters in defense of their homes.

There are some Free Towns that have either rebelled from Noble ownership or have had their original overlords defeated and must try and survive on their own and usually make a decent living from trade. Since these towns do not have their own Knights to protect them, they must raise a fighting force of levies who can fight off the various threats around the planet. They can get protection from Templars but not for long, unless they want to become serfs of that order. So they do their best to survive on their own. Smiths and Engineers are in high demand in these Towns for making decent weapons and armor is absolutely necessary for that Town's survival and if the engineers can make firearms it has an even better chance. However, not only Orkz and predators will come knocking at the gates, many Noble Houses will seek to subjugate the Town because Towns tend to have the best industries when it comes to craftsmen. They are also usually located in resource rich areas, whereas, the castles and fortresses of knights are located in defensible positions. This leads to a great need in Towns being able to play on the inter-noble conflicts and use the rival noble houses to their advantage. It has been more than once that Free Towns have caused large scale wars between various factions for its own survival.

Chapter Culture *
The Chapter has adopted multiple traditions from the people of Koein. They have adopted Dueling, Questing, Templars, love for close combat, keeping trophies, and the usage of serfs over servitors. The idea of Crusades also combined with the old Black Templar ideology of Crusades and now the Brotherhood uses them as names for their large scale campaigns. Duels are the most common way in which disputes are settled, they also host duels with other Chapters whenever they come to Koein or when they meet with them at their own Fortress Monasteries or Battle Barges as a test of skill and growth of camaraderie. Dueling is also very important during battles, for if any leader of the Brotherhood sees an enemy leader, he is honor bound to challenge him/her to a duel to the death.

This idea of Questing is also a large part of the Culture of the Brotherhood. All new Neophytes must kill a Warg with only a combat knife and bring the body back to the Fortress Monastery on foot. This is the beginning of their training. Once they have completed their training as an Initiate, they are promoted to Questing Brother and they are given a suit of modified Mark III Power Armor and must go and kill a Scorpion with only his Chain Sword and Bolt Pistol that only has one magazine. He must bring back Scorpion's Stinger and once he has returned is he allowed into the Brotherhood and is given the rank of Brother Knight. Even Brother Knights go questing for there are always two companies on Koein at one time, usually the most battered after a campaign or battle, and while the Brotherhood waits for their numbers to replenish, the Brother Knights go questing to either kill one of the great beasts or kill an Ork Nob or Chieftain in an honor duel.

Chapter Organization *
The Teuton Brotherhood is a non-Codex compliant Chapter and have many differences from the standard Space Marine Chapter.

Ranks within the Chapter

 * Chapter Leadership:
 * Grand Master
 * Master of the Witch Hunters (Master Witch Hunter) - Chief Librarian
 * Master of Initiates
 * Master of Tradition
 * Master of Crusades
 * Master of the Templar (Master Templar) - Chaplain
 * Master of Apocetharion (Master Apocetharion)
 * Master of of the Forge (Forge Lord)

Firstly, is the organization, each Company is called a Cohort led by a Paladin. Each Cohort has are meant to be self reliant in that they are prepared for all types of combat. Instead of the First Cohort being the "elite" Cohort, each Cohort maintains their own squads of Terminators, Veterans, and Initiates. Squads are made up of 10 Astartes.
 * Line Ranks - Equivalent:
 * Paladin - Captain
 * Brother Templar - Champion/Chaplain
 * Witch Hunter - Librarian
 * Knight-Errant - Veteran
 * Brother Knight - Tactical Marine
 * Warden - Devastator Marine
 * Questing Brother - Initiate

Company Organization

 * 1) Command Squad
 * 2) * Paladin, Banner Bearer, Company Templar, Techmarine, Apocethary, Witch Hunter, Four Knight-Errants
 * 3) Terminators/Knight-Errants
 * 4) * One Terminator/Knight-Errant Sergeant, one Templar Terminator/Templar, one Terminator Apothecary/Apothecary, six - seven Terminators/Knight-Errants, one Witch Hunter Terminator/Witch Hunter
 * 5) Brother Knights
 * 6) Brother Knights
 * 7) Brother Knights
 * 8) Brother Knights
 * 9) Brother Knights
 * 10) Wardens
 * 11) Wardens
 * 12) Questing Brothers

Grand Master
Now the Grand Master is not attached to any Cohort, he may choose to accompany any he wants to. He is always accompanied by his Inner Circle who range from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 10 members. It is customary for the Grand Master to be armored in the Chapter's Crimson Cataphractii Terminator Armor with a black trim and wield the Ancient Lighting Claw of Teuton, which has an integrated bolter, in his right hand along with a power spear or pistol in his left.

Inner Circle
The Inner Circle are the elite of the Teuton Brotherhood. They guard the Grand Master at all times as well as guarding the sacred vaults deep within the Fortress Monastery. These Brothers take a vow of Silence and are the best warriors the Chapter has to offer. The Chapter Master leading his Inner Circle can change the tide of battle in an instant as these formidable warriors cut through the enemy ranks as wheat falls before the scythe. Their true numbers are unknown but its rumored to vary between 10 - 20. Each member of the Inner Circle is armored in Cataphractii Terminator armor as well painted black with a crimson Trim and wield Power Halberds with integrated bolters.

Knight-Errants
Knight Errants are the veterans of the Brotherhood. They fulfill one of two roles on the battlefield; kill-team or front line. If there is a high-valued target that needs to be exterminated, the Knights-Errant's duty is to hunt and kill this target. If there are no targets that need to be hunted down, the Knights-Errant serve as the Tip of the Spear for most engagements if there are no Terminators to do so. They provide support for the Command Squad and the Champion or Sergeant will usually deal with enemy Champions or leaders in Single Combat.

Brother Knights
The Brotherhood maintain no dedicated Assault Marine Squads. This is due to the fact that the Brother Knights fulfill the role of both Tactical and Assault Marines. Each Brother Knight arms himself as he wishes and all are adept at both ranged and melee combat.

Initiates *
The Initiate squads both fulfill different roles. The 9th initiate squad is the infiltration, sabotage, recon, and assassination squad usually led by a veteran marine. They are armed with snipers, shotguns, bolters, and combat knives and wear carapace armor. The 10 initiate squad is a support squad to the devastator squad. They provide small arms support to the devastators with bolters and shotguns.

Chaplains and Librarians *
After a long campaign against the Word Bearers Traitor Legion and eventually slaughtering the warband in its entirety within its Flagship, members of the Chapter discovered that the Lecto Divinitatus was, in fact, a work made by the Lorgar and that the office of Chaplain was a creation of Lorgar as well. This was discovered after the Chapter Librarians and Chief Librarian went through the ancient books within the vessel that dated back to the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. This discovery would later lead to a direct confrontation with the Minotaurs Chapter and the Inquisition.

Iachton (The Brotherhood's Grand Master at the time) ordered that the Librarian ranks be expanded and that they were to be the Keepers of Chapter Tradition, Experts on accumulated Chapter knowledge, and be the Chapter's Teachers, passing their knowledge on to new Librarians as well as new Battle Brothers. Instead of a Master of Sanctity, 2 new offices would emerge. There would now be a Master of Tradition as well as a Master of Initiation. These 2 roles, along with Chief Librarian would all be filled by the Chapter's psychically talented Astartes.

Recruitment *
The Teuton Brotherhood recruits from the Feudal World of Koein. They hand pick the greatest warriors as well as leaders they believe they can mold to the needs of the chapter. However, since the Chapter maintains a distant relationship with the disunited warring factions of Koein, they send their initiates to either convince or kidnap these promising recruits and bring them back to the fortress monastery. After the acquisition of the potential recruits, they would be brought to the training grounds within the Chapter Monastery and each would be giving instruction by the Master of Initiates.

The Master of Initiates would pit the recruits in blood duels as well as mock battles that are a free for alls or fought in teams. This was to examine their fighting styles as well as their ability to control their emotions in battle. If recruits showed a lack of control, they would be punished as well as if they would ever commit any dishonorable deeds to achieve victory. The Master of Initiates, along with the Chief Librarian would make the recruits undergo psychic tests as well as make them endure psychic torture to find the strongest willed and hopefully find psychically talented recruits. Many recruits fail and die due to being too weak willed to endure. For, the Teuton Brotherhood does not truly care if the recruit is the strongest, fastest, or the best warrior in his group, they care about who has the strength of will to fight on when all hope seems lost, determination to dedicate their lives to the Chapter and the Imperium, and loyalty to their new brothers and Chapter. They also look for recruits whose minds are curious and hunger for knowledge. The Brotherhood seeks these qualities within their recruits because they believe anyone can be turned in a soldier and be good at it, but only a few can be molded into an instrument of the Emperor and bring hope and enlightenment to those under their charge.