Knight Wardens

"WE ARE THE WARDENS AND FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!"

- Captian Jas-tai, Gakku War

The Knight Wardens are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter whose origins can possibly be traced back to the 3rd Founding. While their Progenitor Chapter is unknown, they have close ties to many Codex Astartes-oriented Chapters such as the venerable Ultramarines and the Blood Angels. This may be due to their first Chapter Master, Ori Tali's notable actions, when these Chapters fought alongside one another during the Radivarr Conflict in the early 32nd Millennium. This conflict stood out as the Chapter's finest moment. Though severely outnumbered - Imperial forces only numbered two Space Marine Chapters supported by several Imperial Guard regiments - they boldly faced a massive invading force comprised of three Traitor Legions and four Renegade Imperial Guard regiments. Despite these insurmountable odds, Imperial forces managed to emerge victorious. This campaign stands out, as while the other Imperial forces where being battered, the Knight Wardens led a daring assault, willingly sacrificing themselves to draw the majority of the renegades' unforgiving fire, thus ensuring that their allies were able to outmanoeuvre and assault the enemy's flanks. At the time, the Knight Wardens were not well liked by their veteran kin, due to their recent inception. But thanks to the tactical brilliance of Chapter Master Ori and his Chapter's bold actions, the Imperial forces were able to defeat the Forces of Chaos and achieve a crushing victory. This action cemented their warrior bonds between the Chapters.

Most unusual, is that the Knight Wardens maintain cordial relationships with some of the 21st Founding (the so-called 'Cursed Founding') Chapters, such as the Black Dragons. While no one knows when these two Chapters formed their bonds of friendship, it is believed to have occurred when the Knight Wardens' homeworld of Deftran was being besieged by the voracious Tyranids, a splinter fleet from Hive Fleet Leviathan. Though woefully outnumbered by the ravaging xenos, the Knight Wardens valiantly defended their Chapter homeworld. Only when their fortress-monastery was surrounded by a sea of chitinous claws and vicious Tyranid xenoforms, that the Knight Wardens sent an astropathic distress message requesting assistance. Help came in the form of two Chapters with darkly famed reputations - the Black Dragons and the Sons of Antaeus. Though there were unconfirmed reports of these two Cursed Founding Chapters being sighted within the sector, the bond formed between these three Chapters cannot be denied. Regardless of their dark reputations, these three Chapters became allies. Despite their valiant reputation, the Knight Wardens have been investigated by the Inquisition numerous times over the millennia due to their questionable relationship with these two Chapters.

Chapter History
Most of the history of the Warden's date back close to the 3rd founding which is when they are assume to have be founded.

Mal-tai Sector
The Mal-tai Sector is a large region of space that the Knight Wardens control. The sector itself has at lest 7 systems with important planets that they protect much like the Ultramarines and their Realm of Ultramar withing the Ultramar Segmentum. The Knights also recruit form these worlds giving them a good reputation amongst the people of these words. Much like the Ultramarines, they play a vital role in the sector as a whole, which includes trading, administration and education. Each planet in the sector has a different role in which to serve the Wardens' needs.

Planets
Jango - Jango Is a feudal word comprised of knights and swords. It is also a prime recruiting world for the Wardens as the planet's warriors and warlords see the Wardens as 'Angels of Battle', and wish to join their esteemed ranks, which is no easy feat. When the time comes, each nation brings out their young to be tested for entry into the Wardens' ranks. If they are accepted, then they are taken to become a Space Marine. If they should fail, these failed Aspirants are sent to the planet's Imperial Guard headquarters to be trained as a Imperial Guardsmen. Hai-pol - Hai-pol is a Mechanicus controlled forge world where most of the weapons that the Wardens use are made. They do not use their own patterns however, but the utilise the standard patterns that most Space Marines have access to. The planet itself is barren, as such, there is nothing but forges across it's surface dedicated to making arms for the Imperial forces within the sector.

==== Kaiya - Kaiya is a mining planet where the materials for needed for crafting the Wardens' equipment is made, thus making it a highly valued target for heretics and xenos raiders. The hard working population seen by Dark Eldar raiders as a prime target for acquiring valuable slaves and materials. Because of this, many of the Knight Wardens' Scouts are sent to the planet to watch over it. ====

Laputama - Laputama is desert world populated primarily by warrior women. The planet is important, as while it is mostly a desert, this world breeds women that are some of the toughest in Imperium. Every few years these women battle each other to see who is the strongest. Those who win, get to mate with one of the opposite sex from their planet's small population of males. Those who lose, do not, and are killed. While this practice is allowed by the Imperium, the Wardens' dislike this kind of behaviour. Because of this, the 'weak' that are weeded out from amongst the planet's warriors are brought forth to the Wardens' stations to assist their Space Marine overlords with operations. As for the strongest, however, they are then taken to the feudal world of Jango and the female warriors mate with the planet's virile male stock. This allows for superior offspring. If the child is male, they are sent to the feudal world of Jango, but if they are female, then they go with their mothers.

==== Utomia - Utomia is an agri-world and the primary food source for the entire sector. Much like with Kaiya, the planet is a prime target for pirate and xenos raiders. Recently, a daemon of Khorne tried to conquer and enslave the planet, thus cutting off the vital food source needed by the rest of the sector, but failed thanks to the Wardens' rapid response. ====

Warden's Gate
Unlike other Space Marine Chapters, the Knight Wardens fortress-monastery, known as Warden's Gate, is an ancient star fortress that is much like the Imperial Fists' own mobile fortress, the Phalanx. The Warden's Gate is believed to be a relic from the Dark Age of Technology and was found during the early years of the Great Crusade by an unknown Space Marine Legion during early Imperial Compliances carried out within the sector. Following the Horus Heresy, this star fortress was abandoned and until around the time of the 3rd Founding, during the supposed inception of the Knight Wardens' Chapter. When they were granted the Mal-tai Sector as their demesne to rule as they saw fit, they laid claim to the ancient star fortress. With the assistance of the Adeptus Mechanicus Archmagos masters of Hai-pol, they successfully refitted it to the Chapter's purposes. In return the Tech-Priests were allowed to remove certain relic-technologies from the ancient star fortress and were granted free access to the ancient and unique lore stored in its data-tabernacle. Warden's Gate is a vast, mobile warp-capable star fortress which possess formidable firepower capable of taking out even the largest enemy fleets.

During one notable campaign, when the Black Dragons Chapter were caught in a massive space battle with a large Chaos warfleet, the Knight Wardens answered their request for aid and despatched the Warden's Gate to assist their beleaguered cousins. The mighty space fortress fired a deadly salvo upon the Chaos warfleet with its formidable array of weapons within mere moments of its emergence from the Warp, while the Black Dragons' damaged vessels took refuge within the star fortress's massive docking facility to affect repairs. The Chaos warfleet was subsequently heavily damaged and forced to make a hasty withdrawal, losing several vessels in the process.

Chapter Culture
The Chater culture can be said to be tame compaired to other Chapters as they do take care of their motral servants. Since most marines come from the strongest of Jango and Laputama there is a clear warrior culture amoung them which they capitolize on as much as they can. While the Wardens are clearly warriors they do take to some of the civil arts as well like tappastires or painting which is ecuraged by Chapter command saying that "It shows to beauty of what humanity was once, and what can be.". While not every marine takes part in this as some are more strict then others many of them do admire their Brother's work.

Three-Goddess
While the chapter does follow the Imperial cult to some extent their Chapter cult dominates most of the planets in ther command. Their cult which is looked over becuase on how they fit it into the Imperial cult revolves around three Goddess. Theses Goddess are belived to be the creators of mankind and gide them through the Empror who they belived was sent by them to save humanity from Chaos.

Gene-seed
Becuase it is not on any other record of other Chapter it stands to reason that the Warden's Gene seed is of great intrest to a number of orgnisations, most of which the Inqusition. Being mostly pure, the Gene seed has few complications other then normal space marines however there are two major factors for the gene seed that must be taken into accout.

Sun eyes
Due to a mutation in the Occulobe implant the Warden's eyes change colour from their normal one to a deep shade of blue. Why is has happened is unknown but the mutation allows for the marines to aquire targets faster then their helmet's head's up display menaing that they have an unnatural quickness about them. this however can be called being well trained but which space marine chapter train's their brothers to react in an instant to hostiles who haven't fired yet?

Warden's Curse
The Warden's curse affects the Wardens in such a major way they cannot fight any longer. How the curse works no one quite knows but the chances of it happening to a brother are around 50/50. The curse is a rare but quite prominant due to what it can do. Much like the Blood angels Black rage, the curse causes the marine it affects to go mad. While this is unnerving the Warden's take the affected marine to a section of Warden's Gate called rest where the marine goes to rest. Thier ramblings however are recorded as it is noted that the frist marine affected by the curse had said to say: ''"The Knight Wardens are here, to protect the relics of humanity, we will do the Emoprors will." ''

The curse also causes a marine to die within a week after the madness begins, this is due to the overload on the Gene seed of the marine making it useless. After the marine dies they are sent out into the void following a feast to honour their memory.

Relic Wardens/10th Company
While the wardens closely adhere to the Codex Astartes, there is one thing that stands out above their friendship with the 21st Founding, that is the 10th Company. It is know that the Chapter has at least 900 space marine battle brothers in 9 companies to be called on. But the strange thing about this is the materials they have. The Chapter has enough recruits, gene-seed and equipment to outfit an entire chapter yet they only have 9 companies which is strange even to the Chapters who they are friends with

The reason for the 10th Company, whose existence is not well understood, it stands to reason why they might possess a secret Company. Given that the Chapter does not know who they are descended from, it's not too far-fetched that they might want to know. Their gene-seed is not on record, and as such, they wish to know who they are descended from to prevent their Chapter's destruction, or cement themselves as a Loyalist Chapter.

Because of this it is likely that the chapter deleted exsistance of this Company out of necessity in order to find out who they are.

Another name given to the 10th is 'Relic Wardens'. This name was given to them by the famous Commissar Yarrick, of Armageddon fame, when he found a Space Marine with Knight Wardens heraldry carrying a relic weapon from the Horus Heresy era. Before the Space Marine could answer anything, he ran away causing the Imperial Guard forces to fire along with the Space Marines who wounded him, but not outright killing him. But before they could catch him, the Space Marine fired a single bolter round into his head, in order to prevent them from asking him anymore questions. But because he found such an ancient relic, the Commissar named him a 'relic Warden'.

The 'Relic Wardens' are said to be 100 Space Marines-strong at all times, which means that promising recruits are selected from early on in their training. While normal Knight Wardens' tactics tend to stay at the usual Chapter strength for greater combat efficiency, they do tend to split their forces into Companies when needed. When this happens however, they split up their Scout Marines between the various Battle Companies to make sure that if they lose one Space Marine, then the next in line can become a fully-fledged battle-brother. This allows for the Chapter to be at full-strength at all times. With these tactics, it makes sense that the Relic Wardens may use this same tactic to stay at full-strength as well.

While they are part of the Knight Wardens Chapter, none of the Chapter command knows anything about them or even knows of their existence. To the Inquisition, most of all, this means that the 11th are operating as a separate entity in the Imperium and beyond. When the Inquisition makes any official inquiries, all they ever get in response is, "You know the rumours, they're the 'Relic Wardens' ."

First contact with the Relic Wardens occurred in 224.M34 on the world of Ignrum. The planet was devastated after a major Chaos incursion. While the Imperial Guard was cleaning up, a ship came into orbit claiming to be a Knight Wardens' vessel, sent to assist. Thus all attention was dropped, but no sign of the Space Marines could be seen. When the 34th Cadian Regiment went to see what was going on, they came into a combat zone where Space Marines in quartered-blue and silver livery, were fighting native Orks. While this wasn't unusual, what could not be ignored were the ancient weapons that these Wardens used - relic weapons ranging from pre-Heresy era bolters to archaeotech weapons of great power. They lost few of their number as they brutally fought the greenskin army. When they saw the Imperial Guard, they called for immediate pickup and quickly departed the field of battle.

When brought to questioning, the one thing that the Imperial Guardsmen consistently repeated over and over, was that while they looked like normal Knight Wardens Space Marines, their arms and armaments were most unusual. Normally the Wardens would have their Squad specialty symbols stenciled boldly on their right pauldrons and their Chapter iconography displayed upon their left one. These particular Astartes had their Chapter emblem on the left, per the Codex, and gothic numeral 'X' stenciled on the right.

It is hard to say if the Relic Wardens do exist, but if they don't, then why do the Knight Wardens possess an ever growing number of relic weapons in their armoury?