Mythril Lords

Mythril Lords are a Loyalist Chapter of the Third Founding. The origin of their gene seed is unknown and highly debated. It is said, that they still remember who their gene father is, but they have remained silent about it. Others say they purged the information after a falling out with their progenitor. The truth of the matter although still remains a mystery to all, but the Chapter. They are a Chapter with a zealous attraction to flame and since the Chapter's inception it has always had an exceedingly high number of psykers. They originated as a fleet based Chapter though eventually found a home world.

Chapter history
They were a Chapter created for the Great Scouring. On the day that their Chapter was made whole, they knelt in front of the imperial Eternity Gate and sang their graces to The Emperor. Their first Chapter master, Nyarlathotep, spoke to them of the days to come and what mankind had lost. As he spoke, the gloves of his hands began to burn as they had caught alight. A golden flame was gifted to them. The Chapter took that small flame from Terra and have worshiped it as the soul of their Chapter. They have become a gracefully effective Chapter, often appearing and quickly dispatching enemy forces.

The Fissure
A few centuries after the Third Founding (c. 300-450.M32.) the Mythril Lords Chapter was growing in power and size. There was one among the Chapter, that was to become more than all others, Set Oschea Iscariot. He had earned the title of "The Fate Seer" due to his prowess in discerning and changing how events were meant to unfold. He quickly ascended the ranks from a scout to battle brother to veteran and then to captain. Many thought that one day he would take the mantle of Chapter Master.

Set although was always trying to delve deeper into the future, to know the fate of the Imperium and how to best serve man. He saw a fate though that caught his attention, he saw the death of an entire world. He felt every single life become extinguished in a single moment, Exterminatus. His heart filling with sorrow and he began to look for some way to change the world's fate.

Set glimpsed into the future of the Imperium and saw all that it would become. It horrified him to his very core. He proclaimed that mankind would slowly destroy itself, piece by bloody piece. They say it drove the Mythril Lord mad, for a month the pysker isolated and fasted in search of a fate that could save mankind. He found what he was looking for in time, yet the fate he saw was treason. The Imperium would have to fall and the children of man would have to hide through the coming age of darkness.

Set would come out of his self imposed isolation in time, baring forth the visions that had been haunting him. The ramifications of his words startled much of the Chapter. Set's reputation for foreseeing the future was well known even outside the Chapter, his visions had helped save the lives of many brothers within the Mythril Lords. It made his words resonate among much of the chapter in a way that few others could. A gap between the Mythril Lords grew over time between those who thought the Imperium was mankind's only hope and those who thought that the Imperium was not suited protect all of man.

This growing tensions accumulated into little more than philosophical debates for a time. Chapter Master Nyarlathotep thought that crushing such debate would only validate the beliefs of those against the Imperium. He saw that so long as the ideals of both groups were that mankind had to be protected, than they would still fight as one even among disagreement. For a time it was so, the chapter united more by their love of man than their ideas on how it had to be done. Azoth and Nyarlathotep had to strength to quail any aggression between the two parties if they ever arose, which was rare. Set himself even working to keep civility among his brothers.

The peace within the Chapter was maintained for some time, but eventual it broke. The conclusion of a campaign to assist failing Imperial forces in the galactic north against a Word Bearers force sparked debate between two zealous brothers. A shouting match quickly turned into a battle of minds and fists. The tensions that had been growing under the surface began to splinter forth into open conflict. Some tired to intervene but their was little that could be said to calm either side once they came to blows. A psychic storm war brewing as they fought. Ideas and emotions clashing in the warp and serving as a beacon to what was to come.

Nyarlathotep and Azoth took a step to stop the conflict, but they were too late as such a clash of powers does not go unnoticed by the denizen's of the warp. A creature used the already weakened barriers to push into the materium. The creature was able to kill several several of the Lords, before being banished back into the warp by Azoth and Nyarlathotep. The two brothers were able to bind the creature, though in the throes of its death it released its power in a singular explosion.

The bothers were able to hold the daemon's tide of psychic power, but at the cost that they broken from the effort they exhumed. Both sides of the conflict stopped at that moment as they saw their leaders fall. Brothers on both sides of the conflict fell down and wept at the sight. Azoth stood on the edge of death, while his brother was broken of body. Neither of the sides had wanted this to come to conflict, let alone the death of the leaders.

The two parties turned on each other as quick as the began to grieve. It was only by intervention that bolters were not fired. Nyarlathotep commanded the Lords to let those that followed Set to leave and with the last of his strength passed his life onto his brother, saving Azoth at the cost of his own. Thus Set and his Seers disappeared from known space. The Fate Seers searching for a way to convince their brothers what must be done and see that man is freed from the binds of the Imperium. The Chapter for a time was torn asunder and the blame was put to Set.

The Chapter has hunted Set and his Seers ever since.

The Usurs Crusade
In 265.M33, the Chapter was volunteered to accompany Admiral Usurs's Exploratory Fleet. Just As the High Lords wished to be rid of the admiral, the growing Adeptus Ministorum wished to be rid of the Mythril Lords, who openly and verbally opposed them. The two even coming to blows in the War of the Confessor. Thinking this as an opportunity to do so, a formal request was made by the High Lords of Terra. Given the opportunity to reunite lost colonies of man was seen as a gift to the Chapter. The Chapter Master of the time, Iah, humbly accepted. There was another motive for the actions besides their want to crusade. The librarians of their chapter had foreseen a force, a darkness coming for their Chapter. Iah thought to see if they could avoid the fate or meet it head on by going to the edge of the Imperium.

The exploratory fleet would continue on for twenty years, with the admiral making numerous relays to Terra as to what the fleet was finding. The Mythril Lords would for the first time set up a home world due to this campaign. The would also begin seeding the worlds with small Imperial forces that could guard the planets and form the base for later recruiting worlds. One day, the Admiral would simply go silent and nothing was heard from the fleet for years.

When Admiral Usurs went silent, the High Lords thought the Chapter was lost as well. A candle for the Mythril Lords was lit in the Chapel of the Fallen on Terra. Time though would come when they would return from the edges of deep space. Their numbers were dented but, in good order. This sudden appearance led to numerous inquiries. The Chapter only responding that a warp storm had decimated much of the fleet. The Chapter claimed that much of the warp at the farthest edge the galaxy was inhospitable and had drowned the worlds they found. They still do not speak of the events that led to the silencing of Usurs.

Unknown to the rest of the Imperium is that those worlds are not lost among warp storms. They had became the sovereign worlds of Mythril Lords and the Myserian Empire.

The truth of the Lords participation was thanks to the manipulations of Fate Seer Set. The traitor had attempted to draw the Lords away from the greater Imperium and draw more of them into his plans. Set managed to remove Chapter Master Iah and sabotaged much of the other Imperial forces, while making it appear as if the Lords were losing control of their powers. It was an attempt to turn the Imperial forces against the Lords and force the Lords to retaliate in kind. These plans were fouled though by Brother Weylyn who discovered the plans and drove the Chapter against the Seers. Set and many of his Fate Seers escaped that day, his final words a boast of a victory rather than a loss. He had one in some way, the Lords had a growing empire hidden from the Imperium, just as he wanted.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
The Chapter is taught that it must be fast, brutal, and yet retain a measure of grace. Their doctrine reinforces the notion that they must constantly keep on the move. They mean to strike quick and hard. Due to this, they employ a vast amount of vehicles and jump packs compared to most other Chapters. They prefer close range combat relying on short ranged weapon. They have an affinity for promethium and energy based weapons, concentrated on plasma over las tech. The Chapter is known suffer at defensive campaigns, while the Chapter excels at offensive campaigns. Often found abandoning strategic locations to meet the enemy in combat. They employ with a great deal vehicles.

Chapter Organization
The Chapter does not organised the companies entirely by rank, excluding the first and tenth company. The Chapter delegates those ascending from the tenth into different companies by the affinities of the marines. Each company is supposed to be entity of its self though and still be able to take on any role necessary.

1st Company: The veterans and strongest pyskers of the Chapter reside here. While one of the slower moving companies of the Chapter due to their terminator armor, they make up for this by warping into the heart of the enemy or the use of the Chapter's remaining stormbirds.

3rd Company: The primary fleet commanders of the Mythril Lords. Scouts that show an affinity for naval command, boarding, or piloting are inducted into this company. The company controls the Aquila Ignus, the primary vessel of the Mythril Lords fleet. When the company must make planetary engagements it is composed mostly of assault marines.

4th Company: The Wardens. They are the guardians of Mysera. While much of the Chapter will forgo static defenses the Wardens are the least attuned to such attributes. This is not to say they do not prefer speed but they are often the most solemn of their brothers. The company holds the majority of the Chapter Devastators.

Chapter's Beliefs
The Chapter never forgot The Emperor's dream of a galaxy united under the Imperial Creed. The Mythril Lords thus have always stuck to the idea that this is a godless galaxy. While there might be beings of great power they are not gods. While this is of little difference compared to other Chapters, it is the manner in how they treat these ideals. The Lords will often spread their anti-theistic beliefs to Imperial citizens that they are fighting with or defending. This for a while was of no problem, but this has caused them troubles with the rise of the Ecclesiarchy and the Imperial Creed becoming the official faith of the Imperium. They have also grown more radical in this belief as time has progressed.

While originally, they treated The Great Crusades values as those that mankind must return to if they are every going to be free from this endless defense. Their love of such values allowed them to not only make worlds compliant once again during the great scouring, but spare some worlds from much of the blood shed. They now in many ways worship the idea of the crusades to the point it is the Chapter's faith. A faith which they openly spread among the imperial populace. The Chapter conscripting and converting hundreds of thousands of orators to help seed their ideals among worlds the protect or conquer.

They have given a symbol to their beliefs by invoking fire, even using the Crusader's Flame as what could be described as a holy icon. The Chapter say it is a gift from The Emperor. They took this as a command from him to bear forth the light of the crusades. This is why all gloves in the Mythril Lords are painted gold, to represent them carrying the flame.

The Adeptus Ministorum and Ordo Hereticus
The Mythril Lords have always had a strained relationship with church. The Mythril Lords though offer the same respect to the Ministorum as it offers the Mechanicum. The Ministorum is only a necessity of the modern age. To this day they tolerate each other.

The Mythril Lords and the sisters of battle often are on the most strained of terms given that they preach to opposing belief systems very strongly. This has made it very hard for the two too work together. This runs deeper than just an issue of faith. After the events caused by Goge Vandire's reign, they saw the sisters as symbol of that traitor. This is due to the undo slaughter of billions of innocents done in Vandire's name and that has continued on in the Sisters. This distaste grew into a violent hatred after the virus bombing of a world that the Mythril Lords had once protected and converted into a bastion of the Imperial Creed.

The Trials of Antonia III (WIP)
"'The Emperor is a man, not a god. He is the greatest of all men. The greatest of us all and yet we are still his equal. We are the race that those traitor's so called gods fear. What gods would fear mortals, but false ones.They fear us, because in every sense we are intrinsically greater than them. The Emperor knew this better than any one. We are not bound by singular desire, we are able to rise above our nature. That is why we together will fight, we will kill, we will die, but we will stand on the fields of Antonia and take it back.' - Force commander Malicar to the last people of the Antonia sector" (c.M36). The Antonia system rests isolated on the far eastern fringes of the Ultima Segmentum. The location made the system all but completely cut off from the Imperium. For three years the system had missed paying its Imperial tithe and no force to investigate had yet returned. Scouts were sent to investigate the occurrence. Only one returned baring information that the worlds of Antonia were under siege. Normally, such information would elect a liberation fleet, yet due to an approaching warp storm that would seal off the sector for an unknown amount of time. It was decided to allow the worlds to fall rather than risk loosing the resources to the warp. The Mythril Lords, who had been resupplying at Kar Duniash, were made aware of this knowledge.

An aspiring sergeant, known as Malicar, from the ninth company appealed to the Chapter Master and made the request to take up arms. While the Chapter was needed elsewhere, they could not condone allowing the death of Imperial citizens if they could stop it. The sergeant was granted the cruiser Song of Flame and his force was drawn from volunteers of each company. The force made its way to the Antonia sector, only to find the worlds thrown into battle with chaos cults.

The primary hive world, Antonia Prime, was lost to the will of a corrupted governor and the primary stronghold of the chaos forces. The remains of the PDF and Arbites were holding out on the small hive world, Antonia IV. The forge world, Antonia II, was trapped in a state of perpetual war between the Skitarii and the rebelling tech priest.

When the Mythril Lord fleet arrived the space of Antonia III was being contested between the loyalists and traitors. Antonia III is an agri-world of immense size, being the largest planet in the sector. Due to this, the factions were in constant conflict for the resources that were stored on the planet. The traitor forces were pushed back with the timely intervention of Mythril Lords, although not before a small war band had managed to make it planet side. The detachment of the Lords made planet fall to squash the rebellion and save the Imperial citizens. Little did they know this delay would have disastrous consequences.

The other worlds of the Antonia would fall though in the time it took to pursue this Warband, even with the help of the local populace. The second hive world fell first, there numbers only boosting the forces of chaos. The forge world seemed as if it could have held indefinitely. Their superior weapons and unbreakable will of the tech priests seemed to be holding strong and that is one of there kind turned against them and allowed the heretics into the inner forges.

Now all chaos forces were turned the Agri-world. The remaining Imperial forces in orbit including brothers from the third company, while not caught off guard could not withstand the chaos forces for long. They Lords fought as best they could, in order to delay the enemies and allow their brothers to establish a defense. When the rest of the Imperial forces were faltering in orbit their cruiser was evacuated to the planet as much as possible. The captain of the ship, Brother Arken, collided the cruiser with the largest of traitors vessels and activating the warp drive and ripping both of the ships apart.

Force Commander Malicar found a single ember clinging to the glove on his open palm. He knew what had happened before his brothers came to inform him. As they had not chaplain with them, He called upon of people of Antonia III asking if any could provide an empty lantern. The people brought him one, though they questioned the act. The ember and lantern would rest at the commanders side for much of the rest of the campaign.

The Brothers of the Elder Slumber
The brothers draw their gene seed line as decedents of the first Chapter Master. They alone have the uncanny ability to control the dreadnought Azoth. The line is carefully monitored and recorded. Only the most solemn and loyal recruits are every given the seed. There is only one outside of their gene line who has ever been part of the brotherhood. Much of the gene seed in the line is stored away in case the living members are lost. The Brotherhood normally numbers fifteen.

Relics

 * 1) The Crusader's Flame: A piece of the flame burns on each world under their name and it stands as an inferno on their Chapter home of Mysera. They say the flame is fragment of The Emperor's Spirit. The shard of him was his dreams and hopes for humanity and the crusades. It is unsure if their is any merits in their word. The Mythirl Lords intend to one day bring it back to Terra and offer it to the Emperor, believing that once it is large enough it could restore him and the age of the Imperium will begin again. The legends say that this sacred flame has grown of its own will and not by the tending of the Lords. Some say it had grown with the death of every Mythril Lord since the first. It has grown to the point that a shard of the flame burns in the stave of every Chaplin in the Chapter.
 * 2) The Gauntlets of Nyarlathotep: The gauntlets of the first Chapter Master, they burn powerfully in a golden color. They are safe to touch by those who are faithful to the Imperium and yet produce an unnatural flame that destroys those who stand in its way. They believe that fragment of The Emperor's Spirit survives within them, and that they are connected to the flame. The shard of him that was his dreams and hopes for humanity and the crusades. This is why all gloves in the Mythril Lords are painted gold.
 * 3) The Record of the Dead: An endless series of scroll work that contains the name of every Mythirl Lord to ever die in the service of The Emperor. It is said the the spirits of the legions past could be contacted through it, as a method to ask for advice or leadership. It is a vast repository of names and has been passed from the masters of funerals of the Chapter.

Colors
Their chest and trim are a light bluish silver color. A mark of technology and the strength it gives mankind, along with being a symbol of their heritage. Their arms, shoulder, Aquila, and helm the color of oxidized copper. A symbol of life, vibrancy, and the paradise they wish to create. Their gloves and upper legs are the the color of brazen gold. It stands for the flame that they carry, the once golden Imperial age, and wealth of the empire

Badge
Their badge is a upward sword with a pair of wings, the feathers shaped like fire embers. The badge has slight alterations though depending on the company.

Home World
Mysera is a paradise world that rests just on the galactic rim of the galaxy in a system separate from much of the greater Imperium. As the Chapter has grown more and more rejected by the greater Imperium the Mythril Lords have found solace in their home world.

Upon the world rests the record of the dead. An endless series of scroll work that contains the name of ever Mythril Lords to ever die in the service of the emperor. It is a vast repository of names and deeds.

Space Marines

 * 1) Weylyn Urshe: A feudal world child found during the early M33. He was born to the River Boyne on the world of Gwydion. He was a noble boy, already arranged to be wed when he grew up and be a knight. That changed when the Word Bearers came to the world. The Chaos Space Marines had been gathering up the psykers, even weak ones, as a means to summon daemons through sacrifice. When the Mythril Lords came to purge the Word Bearers who recently took over the world, the child destroyed several Word Bearers cultists in a fit of psychic power and was found by the captain of the third company Khonsu "The Moon Guard". He would win many honors as a sergeant under Khonsu and eventual became the Chapter Master.
 * 2) Vincent Telvenceraw: The current keeper of The Record of the Dead and master of funerals for the legion. He is often see as a cruel having little of the empathy the legion is know for. Though this also makes him very effective in combat, he will often get distracted by torturing a xenos rather than killing it. A man with jet black air and amber eyes with flakes of crimson blood red, his skin is very pale like a corpse. Some wonder if this is just a mutation of his geneseed. Few question his loyalty though.
 * 3) Cassius the light bringer: A Chaplain of great zeal and fervor, who is seen to be radical even among his Chapter. Preaching the Imperial truth as he cuts apart his enemies, holding blade and stave together. While his unbound zeal might normally cause some censor even among the Mythril Lords, he has led normal men in the army to feats worthy of the Astates and thus been allowed to continue unabated.

Dreadnoughts

 * 1) Azoth the Sleeping One: The twin brother to Nyarlathotep, the first of the Chapter Masters. He was saved from death at the price of his brother. Azoth fell into a deep slumbers of nightmares and it is said that to approach his coffin is to allow you mind to be filled with his anguish for the brother he loved and lost. Only those who are direct descendants of Nyarlathotep's gene seed line have ever been able to wake him or put him to rest, yet when woken few furies are as potent as this dreadnought, that has alone consumed small worlds. For such reason, only the word of Chapter Master allows Azoth to be awoken.

Trivia:
Their name along with many others are literary references from Tolkien to H.P.Lovecraft

They are mostly inspired by Irish myth. Urshe for example is a great warrior in celtic myth