Onyx Knights

The Onyx Knights are a 23rd founding space marine chapter. They are largely the most active chapter based within the Malitox sector. despite an impressive battle record and an altruistic nature, the reputaion of the chapter varies between Imperial organisations. They are popular with the Imperial guard but unpopular with the Inquisition and the Adeptus Mechanicus. Their reputation with other marines runs the range with some chapters viewing them favorably while others call them disgraces to the astartes.

History
The Onyx Knights were part of the 23rd founding. they were based on planet Trax within the Malitox sector which at the time was seriously lacking in space marines. To this day the Onyx knights are one of the few space marines based within the sector. From the very start, the Onyx Knights gained a reputation as stalwart defenders of the largely untamed sector. they would eventually adopt a philosophy of putting the lives of citezens and guardmen first while on the battlefield. This ideology would come to both hurt them and help them in the coming years.

The first time that their doctrine would hurt them is during an Ork invasion on a planet called Redos. A large Ork warband landed on the planet and began to reek havoc on the population. Several Imperial guard regiments and the Onyx Knights were mobilized in response. Despite the best efforts of the Imperial Guardsmen and the Onyx Knights, the Green Tide could not be stopped. The Chapter Master at the time decided that the best coarse of action was to evacuate the planet, make a quick retreat, and come back another day for one more go.

As the Onyx Knights were covering the evacuation of the civilians, their Chapter Master recieved a transmission of the vox. as it turned out an Adeptus Mechanicus expidition had come to the planet. The Mechanicus had discovered that a working STC was on the planet and had been recovoring it from an ancient underground vualt when the Orks attacked. The techpriests requested that the Onyx Knights protect them while they finished recovering the STC. Knowing that the chances of recovering the STC before they were overrun were slim, and that to pull his troops away from the evacuation would possibly condemn thousand of Imperial citezens and guardsmen to death the Chapter Master refused the request.

As a result the recovery team was forced to make a retreat before they could attain the STC. The planet was retaken later on but the STC was never recovered. It's destruction at Ork hands is almost a certainty. To make matters worse the recovery team waited to the last possible moment to make their escape. As the team were escaping many members, including the Magos in charge of the recovery were gunned down by Orks. There has been a lasting animosity between the chapter and the Adeptus Mechanicus since. As a result the Adeptus Mechanicus provides very little equipment to the Onyx Knights, and outright refuses to train new tech marines for the chapter.

This caused the Onyx Knights to become a chapter with comparativly few vehicles including tanks and land speerders. order to make sure the chapter maintains a decent force of techmarines, new one are trained and taught by the previous generation. The Onyx Knights have found ways to compensate for their lack of of highspeed and armored support. The Onyx Knights are known to field troops of a particularly high level. This is more than likely due to their unique scout company. The officers of the Chapter are all very skilled tacticians and the the battle brothers trust them so much that they would willingly follow orders that would seem insane. The current Chapter Master Magnarius Tonn has gained particular renown among space marines, along with the captains of companies 1-5. Also, in order to meet the demand for their skills the chapter is larger than the codex dictates. The whole chapter numbering about 1500(about 50 extra marines per company). Due to their circumstances the Inquisition allows them to field these extra forces, but is always keeping an eye on them.

The Betrayal
For many years after the Onyx Knights continued their duty without interruption, protecting the planets of the Malitox sector from all that threatened it. unfortunately tragedy struck at the very heart of the chapter. At the center of this tragedy was the man that held the rank of Chapter Master just previous to Magnarius.

The Chapter Master's name was Malaki Corvis. Under him the chapter experianced a period of glory that it had never known before and has not come again. Despite the disputed reputation of the chapter as a whole, Malaki was widely considered one of the greatest space marine Chapter Masters of his time. He even gained favorable mention from Dante of the Blood Angels and Marneus Calgar of the Ultramarines. That made what was going to happen even worse.

The Onyx Knights were called upon to defend the Vortex subsector from an Alpha legion force. The fighting came to it's climax on a planet called Tentorkahn. The chapter decided to use a two pronged assualt, forcing the Alpha Legion into a pincer and wiping them out. The main force would attack directly, acting as a decoy for a smaller force to manuever around to the enemies flank and deliver a fatal blow. Third company Captain Regis Drazen was to take command of the first group. Meanwhile Chapter Master Malaki took charge of the second force. When the Onyx Knights from the main force engaged the Alpha Legion they were suddenly attacked along their flank by none other than their own comrades.

For reasons unknown the Chapter Master had turned to chaos. When he had turned and why is still a mystery. Not only had he turned to chaos and allied with the Alpha legion forces, but it seems he was leading them himself. This treachery caught the Onyx Knights completely off guard. luckily captain Drazen knew a thing or two about betrayal and was not going to allow his forces to merely be wiped out. He quickly reorganized his force and fought back.

The fighting lasted for over a month and was costly. how much longer the chapter would have lasted could not be predicted, but annihilation was inevitable. Luckily several Imperial Guard regiments came to reinforce the Onyx Knights and Malaki was forced to make a retreat. He Left the planet for the Eye of Terror. Following him was a full third of the entire chapter, including half of the first company. The traitor Onyx Knights and the Marines of the Alpha Legion warhost would combine under Malaki to form a chaos warband called Ebony Knights.

The incident nearly destroyed the chapter. With the betrayal of the Chapter Master the chapter was left leaderless. The battle had cost the lives of numerous battle brothers and it took a while for the chapter to regain full strength. The chapter came dangerously close to being excommunacated or disbanded. Luckily some of the other space marine chapters and more than a few Imperial guard regiments spoke up in the Onyx Knights defense.

After careful diliberation the Chapter decided on Magnarius Tonn as the next Chapter Master. Magnarius had been a young sergeant of the first company. Despite how incredibly young he was, Magnarius was a true genius when it came to tactics and strategy. There was further controversy about his appointment due to the fact That Malaki Colvis had taken Magnarius under his wing. In the end it was the recommendation of captain Drazen that decided it.

Since then the Onyx Knights have recovered to full strength. They have sworn an oath that they will bring the Ebony Knights to their knees and reclaim their lost honor. In the meantime the Onyx Knights continue in their duty to protect the worlds of the Imperium. Since the incident the Inquisition has kept a wary eye on them and they have fallen out of favor with many of their fellow space marines.

Notable Companies
While the entire chapter is filled with skilled warriors and heroes, certain companies have made names for themselves. In fact the captains of the first five companies and the captain of the fifth company are some of the greatest heroes in modern times. The skills of the 10th company captain are also formidable but he is not well known and that is the way he likes it. With so many honored heroes running the companies, the young Chapter master often feels inadequate. He knows that any of them could have easily been the chapter master instead of him.

1st Company
The First company of the Onyx nights is just like any other. It is filled with some of the chapter's greatest heroes and warriors. It has one particular thing that sets it apart from normal. Unlike most other First companies it has only one squad of Terminators. The company used to have more but once the Adeptus Mechanicus removed their support of the chapter the number of Terminator slowly declined. The squad has been designated the Lancelot Squad and is lead by First captain Gawain Drekmon. The Lancelot Squad is the most powerful squad in the chapter having lost no more than one of its members in any given battle.

2nd Company
The 2nd company are well known for their dedication and loyalty to their comrades. The captain of the 2nd company is Pelanor Kroyts, a marine that personifies humility and loyalty. This company often acts as the workhorse for the chapter, doing the jobs that the others do not wish to do. The second company works tirelessly to support their brothers and never asks for any thanks in return. As such the 2nd company has gained a reputation as the most reliable company in the chapter, if asked most of the other captains would that they would want the second company at their back in a difficult battle.

3rd Company (Drazen's Aces)
The 3rd company is most famous because of its captain. Regis Drazen is a dreadnought that has been around since the Great Crusade. Records state that he was originally a part of the Space Wolves. Since then he has been transferred to numerous fledgling chapters, so that his experiance could help them grow. The Onyx Knights are the latest in a long line of chapters he has been apart of. Unknown to both his current and former comrades, Regis has a dark secret. Drazen has a reputation as an eccentric captain. he is unusually open minded and easy going for a space marine, especially one that is over 10,000 years old. He encourages imagination and innovation in his seargents and looks for the sharpest marines within the new recruits for his chapter. As such, the 3rd company have become poster boys for unorthodox tactics and strategy.

4th Company (The Exalted)
The 4th company of the Onyx Knights is commonly reffered to as the Exalted. Back during the Colvis betrayal the captain of the company was slain in combat. With the company leaderless things were looking dire. seeing that his brothers needed him the company Chaplain, Vornan Talisad, took up leadership of the company for the battle. Thanks to him the 4th company avoided destruction during the incident. The battle one Vornan the trust of the company and with no other candidates he has taken up control of the company as the acting captain. The 4th company are known for their zeal and faith. They have absolute faith not only in the emperor, but also in the abilities of their captain. They fear no death on the field of battle trusting their captain completely to lead them to victory, a trust he has yet to betray.

5th Company (The Junkers)
The 5th company is among the most unique parts of the chapter. this is primarily due to their arsenal. With the exception of the 1st company they are the best equiped fighting force in the chapter. This is because the Junkers, as they are commonly known, have one of the biggest collection of borrowed, salvaged, or looted equipment in the Imperium. The company captain, Raphael Kilkin, believes that one should not cut corners in battle out of pride. Whenever a battle is finished he can often be found speaking with the commanders of other imperial forces, requesting any equipment they would be willing to lone them. The 5th company will also loot or salvage equipment on the battlefield. The company lives by a rule, if they can get it to work they will use it. This is why they have very little Ork weaponry, as once they have attained Ork equipment it often blows up or turns into junk. Raphael Kilkin is generally considered to be a completely shameless individual by many of his comrades.

10th Company (The Shadow Bolts)
The scout company of the Onyx Knights is one of the most unique aspects of the chapter. The 10th company like any other codex chapter is a scout company used in training young inexperianced marines and give them actual battle experiance before they become actual Battle Brothers. The scouts of the tenth company fufill all the roles that traditional Space Marine scout do, but they also preform additional high risk actions in addition. The Shadow Bolts, as they have been nicknamed, do numerous special operations for the chapter, including guerilla warfare behind enemy lines, infiltrating enemy strong holds, rescue and retrieval ops, and any other operation that requires a subtle touch. Due to the fact that the young marines are forced to do such dangerous and difficult operations not many survive to become full battle brothers. This is the way the chapter likes it, as this quickly weeds out the recruits that are weak or stupid and leaves those that survive to become battle brothers with a good deal more skill and combat experiance. Many of the Onyx Knights have stated that their time in the 10th company was the most dangerous and frightening part of their lives. The operations that these recruits undertake are very difficult and vital, Because of this only veteran sergeants of the first company are given the right to lead the scout squads.The current captain of the 10th company is name Telhanduras. He is a mysterious figure that rarely appears in front of his comrades, usually contacting the other captains via aides. When he does appear he is always fully armored, so no one has seen his face. Under his leadership the Shadow Bolts fight in concert with the other companys, supporting their comrades from the shadows.

Combat Doctrine
The Onyx Knights Follows the Codex Astartes less as a set of rules and more as well thought out guidelines to be followed if the situation allows. They have less vehicles and major military hardware than most chapters, so they focus more on good strategy and hight quility in soldiers. Each of the Companies also have their own ways of doing things on the battlefield. The captains of these companies usually base their strategy on what they expect the other captins to do. Thus despite the fact that the companies often fight using separate strategies, they compliment each other very well in battle.

Incident on Redos
As stated above, the Incident on planet Redos gained the Onyx Knights the enmity of the Adeptus Mechanicus. As such, The Adeptus Mechanicus has denied the chapter all but the barest essential support. Furthermore, the Adeptus Mechanicus refuses to ask the Onyx Knights for aid of any kind, even going so far as to deny the Onyx Knights access to their Forge Worlds. Furthermore, the bad relationship between the Onyx Knights and the Adeptus Mechanicus has led to animosity between the Chapter and the Blazing Claws due to that chapter's close ties with the Mechanicus.

The Betrayal of Malaki
It goes without saying that the Onyx Knights were hurt deeply by their Chapter Master's fall to Chaos. Malaki had been a well respected Astartes before his fall, and many of the men he took with him were warriors with illustrious careers. This betrayal was a bad enough shock to the chapter itself, but one of it's biggest impacts was how it made the rest of the Imperium view the chapter. The Traitors were some of the best of the chapter, and if they fell one wonders about the purity of those remaining. To this day the Inquisition and many of the other Space Marine Chapters view the Onyx Knights with caution, and sometimes disgust. one particular chapter that views the Knights with contempt is the Iron Scorpions. This rivalry was started shortly after Malaki betrayed the Chapter. Seeing a chapter on the brink of falling into heresy, Urexus Banesword sent the Chapter a manuscript with the The Thirteen Commandments of Iron, Hoping that the Chapter could use them and become one of the few chapters that could truly be called pure. However, the commanding officers believed that the Cchapter would not be able to adopt such a strict code because of their unorthodox nature. Magnarius politely sent the manuscript back to Urexus, with a note explaining that they had decided not to adopt the Commandments. While the tone with which they did this was polite, it was the gesture that gained them an enemy. The Iron Scorpions saw this as a refusal to repent for their sin, and as the Onyx Knights insulting the treasured beliefs of their chapter. There has been animosity between the two chapters since.