Retributionists

"Silence is the ultimate fate of all things. Let those who oppose us learn this."

- Ronan Burrick, 2nd Chapter Master of the Retributionists

The Retributionists are a loyal Space Marine Chapter descended from the lineage of the stalwart Imperial Fists. Created during the Third Founding, the Retributionists were originally known as the Alabaster Fists and were primarily formed to aid in securing supply routes for allied chapters during crusades. After an ambush was carried out against the chapter by chaos forces and almost all of the chapter was lost, the Alabaster Fists renamed themselves the Retributionists, and vowed to repay the slaughter of their brethren tenfold. Since then, the Retributionists have taken part in countless crusades and campaigns, among even more of their specialized incursions. The chapter is known for their unimaginable cruelty towards forces of chaos, and the unique silence of some of their brethren rarely ever broken.

Founding and the Ambush
The Retributionists were founded during the Third Founding, and were derived from the Imperial Fists. Originally known as the Alabaster Fists, the Retributionists were gifted a battle-barge, the Whisper of Eternity, and a mission: aid the Crimson Fists in the Brokia System and sustain their supply route. While en route to their Crimson Fist brethren, the chapter was ambushed by a small warband of the Emperor's Children. Taken off-guard and by surprise, the Whisper of Eternity was rammed and boarded, initially dealing severe casualties to the Alabaster Fists.

With the death of the first Chapter Master, Vick Thanden, the Chapter seemed doomed to be a short lived farce; however, a hero arose. Just a sergeant at the time, Ronan Burrick rallied his company and made a bloody path toward the main deck of the barge. After a long and terrible fight, the warband was pushed off and forced to retreat.

With only three companies left intact, their mission was deemed impossible, as with so few numbers they could not be of much help in securing extremely dangerous routes for their brothers in the Crimson Fists. Broken and disheveled, Ronan came to the aid of the morale of the chapter once more. After speaking to his brethren in such an uplifting manner, he was deemed by his brothers the new Chapter Master, and his first action was to call for a moment of silence, now still held even today by some of the chapter. Along with this, he renamed the chapter the Retributionists, and together with his brothers vowed to strike down every chaotic heretic they came in contact with.

Finding the Homeworld
After the regrouping and calming of the chapter, Ronan made contact with the Crimson Fists, explaining the ordeal and status of his chapter. With recommendations to stave off the mission and recollect themselves, Ronan abided and led his Chapter to the nearby system of Maless, an untouched, forgotten system. There, the Retributionists landed on Maless Prime, which they renamed Confession, and from there on the system itself was renamed the Confession System. Upon Confession they built their mighty Fortress-Monastery, the Silent Hall, and they began to rebuild, calling for the granting of planets to recruit from, and started their path.

A New Path
Now known as the Retributionists, their first major priority was to regain strength in numbers. Outside the extremely low amount of recruits being taken from the settlers of Confession, the twin Forge Worlds of the Weranova System were granted as recruitment worlds for the Retributionists, along with the right to recruit from the hive cities of Vilaxis Minor. Over the steady course of one hundred years, the chapter had gained enough troops to set out on their own without required assistance from other chapters. Several crusades were taken part in, and expeditions were called.

Eventually, Ronan Burrick began a set of expeditions which he called "incursions." These special incursions would be the main type of conflict the Retributionists would take part in, dealing massive blows against several chaos-held worlds and strong-points in the galaxy. The most well known of these incursions would be a disastrous one, the Incursion on Scarcaea.

The Call
Early in the 34th Millennium, the Retributionists were tasked with securing Imperial authority in certain regions of Segmentum Obscurus. As part of this task was the mission of Scarcaea.

A daemon world for much of its history, Scarcaea was home to forces of the Black Legion that were tormenting Imperial routes throughout the galaxy. In order to stop this, the High Lords of Terra sent the Retributionists a direct calling to annihilate the Black Legion from the system. At least, this was accepted by the Retributionists. The truth was that this directive was planted by the forces of Scarcaea to destroy the Retributionists.

With the presence of the Retributionists, along with plenty of other chapters, the Scarcaen rulers were becoming irritated, and set a trap to cull their primary enemy. Great fortresses were erected on the main planet of Scarcaea, and open targets were placed in strategic regions that would not give away the trap in order to lure the Retributionists into severe ambushes and massacres.

In response to their call, the Retributionists dispatched four companies in the battle-barges Whisper of Eternity and Ronan's Deliverance, and the strike cruiser Dorn's Retribution to break the system and annihilate the chaos forces inhabiting it.

The Beginning
Upon arrival to the system, void combat broke out above Scarcaea. The fleet was engaged by two despoiler-class battleships, but eventually, the higher amount of armament of the Retributionists Fleet was able to break through the rather minimal defenses of the planet, and a planetary incursion could now commence. The companies sent, the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 7th, were first informed on their individual requirements and responsibilities during the incursion, and with that, the 1st and 2nd companies were sent to secure landing upon the planet.

The two companies chose to land on the outskirts of a daemon-ruined hive city to begin the assault and to draw out as many enemies as possible. This worked, but only due to the Black Legion's allowing it to. Masses of traitor marines and minor daemons swooped against the 1st and 2nd companies and against their make-shift defenses. After a short period of time and large casualties for the chaos forces, the 5th company was sent via drop pod assault to crash into the center of the Black Legion's line. This worked wonders, sending the enemy forces into disarray, and forcing many to pull back into the ruined city, which dragged now three Retributionist companies with them. Once inside the city however, things took a turn for the worse. The entire city was rigged as a trap.

Everywhere they went, the Retributionists were set upon by unyielding numbers of enemies. There was not enough time for torture, burnings, anything but killing. Brother after brother fell as more daemons came forth, accompanied by swaths of traitor marines.

Even worse, the Retributionists' response to this was to send the 7th Company down as reinforcement, but the Black Legion, knowing this would be the course of action due to studying the Retributionists' battle-tactics, had their own reserve that, once the 7th Company hit the ground, surrounded them, tearing much of the company to shreds from bolter fire, daemons being thrown at them, and many more sources of severe casualties.

The Realization
It was at this point that the leaders of the Retributionists on the planet, including the chapter master, Ronan Burrick, realized their mistake and found the traps set to be obvious to them now. With orders given to the individual First Captains of each company involved, Burrick, two captains from the 7th Company, and Brailen, chaplain of the 1st Company made a death warrant. They would take a thunderhawk to crash into the top spire of the city, and detonate a world-killer bomb prematurely.

In order for this to succeed without suffering loss to the gene-seed stocks of the chapter, the companies needed to be rallied, but morale was already extremely low. It was not until Alec Ilexia, future chapter master, called the companies together while there was a break in the fighting, and successfully rallied them to retreat and evacuate.

After this, Burrick commenced the flight to the spire. After the crash, Burrick, Captains Germain and Tackus, and Chaplain Brailen, fought through scores of daemons and traitor marines. They needed to wait before detonating in order to make sure their brethren successfully left the planet. Eventually, the time came.

The End
With the gene-seeds of the fallen secured, and the rest of the companies leaving the atmosphere for the fleet, the detonation began. A flash of bright light shocked through the darkness of space as a wave of flame viewable from space engulfed the planet of Scarcaea. Their chapter master was gone, but so was their enemy.

Beaten and down-trodden, the chapter returned home, successful in their mission, but not in their vengeance. Upon returning to Confession, a new chapter master had to be accepted. Roaringly, throughout the entire Fortress-Monastery, the silence was broken. The name Alec Ilexia echoed through the halls. A new chapter master was selected, and the construction of two memorials, one to the now-proclaimed "Glorious Four" that sacrificed themselves to save so many, and one to the leader of the four, was begun.

Harldassus Crusade
In the middle of the 37th Millennium, the Retributionists were called deployed to aid the Exorcists and the Celebrants in a crusade in the galactic-northern reaches of Segmentum Pacificus. The Harldassus System and several around them had been taken by the Word Bearers four centuries ago and it was deemed time for those systems to be reclaimed.

The Retributionists sent their 4th, 5th, and 9th Companies to meet with Exorcist and Celebrant forces in the Vinara System, once the three forces met, they went on their way toward the Harldassus System. Their first target system, Jui-nai, was once home to the mighty Forge World of the same name. Since the collapse of the region into the hands of Chaos, the Forge World was handed over to the Dark Mechanicum. Under their rule, the world became one of twisted machinations and designs. Inorganic material partially formed into living tissue, and the essence of Chaos imbued in almost all machinery, the chapters on crusade would have to smash this world.

Excelling in landing-zone possession and combat, the Retributionists led the assault on Jui-nai. The defenses the inhabitants had positioned on the planet worked well, destroying early deployments of the companies, but eventually they were taken and dismantled by the 4th and 9th Companies along with companies from the Exorcists and Celebrants. Though the horrors of the Mechanicum on the planet were terrifying in effect and stature, they were easily matched and out-so by the 9th Company, which, with its fast deployment and regrouping strategy was able to quickly dispatch the enemy forces.The Planet of Jui-Nai and the rest of the system fell quickly under the forces of the three chapters. Those of the Dark Mechanicum that escaped the planet were quickly destroyed by the fleet, while those left on the planet were left to the hands of the Retributionists. Mass piles of bodies burned, and even taller piles of scrap metal and living metal-tissue along with them. After the planet was cleansed, the fleet wiped the surface clear with orbital bombardments and moved on.

These successes came one after another, until only the Harldassus System remained.

Confession
Confession, the homeworld of the Retributionists, is a cold, windy world. A large, rocky planet, Confession's surface is dominated by roaring pine forests and large semi-ice-covered lakes. The occasional mountain chain and grooved hills is evident, and the cloudless blue sky is ruled by a gruelingly bright sun. Along with the chill of the cloudless sky and the bare warmth of the sun is the severe winds that wrap the world in a chilled grasp. Few settlements can bare the conditions of the planet, and those that do are deemed worthy of recruiting from by the Retributionists, though these cases are rare, and the majority of the planet is untouched by civilization.

Fortress-Monastery; the Silent Hall
On their homeworld of Confession, the Retributionists' Fortress-Monastery, the Silent Hall, stands among the towering pines as a half stone, half metallic behemoth of architecture. Around the Silent Hall there is a ring of nodes and landing pads, along with several shrines to the chapter's glory and most honoured members. Inside, among the still and pristine atmosphere of the Hall, a pin could drop and be heard, as while within the Hall, as the name suggests, all are silent, though this is occasionally broken during times when the voice is truly needed to communicate.

The Silent Hall is broken into several sections, ten of which are home to the relics and shrine-rooms of the ten companies while there are many others, including some dedicated to the Apothecarion of the Chapter for their works and privacy, and others dedicated strictly to the House Guard and their Warden.

Aesthetics-wise, the Hall is a gleaming white with black and deep-red fixtures and tinted windows.

Personalities
The Retributionists are quite "to the point" on most things, with the exception of victory over chaos forces they come into contact with, and the inevitable desecration and destruction of chaos structures and so on. Other than this, most brothers of the chapter exhibit the stone-faced and humourless nature of their Primarch and First Founding Legion.

The Silence of the chapter breeds a level of secrecy within its ranks, which causes mistrust and hostility at times bet

Relationships
Most other chapters find it hard to form any bond or even gain any closeness with the Retributionists, due to the chapter's level of silence. The Silence of the chapter breeds a level of secrecy within its ranks, which causes mistrust and hostility at times between them and other chapters. Also, the severe and extreme cruelty the Retributionists show toward their enemies when these foes are of chaotic nature alienates many more level-headed chapters.

The exception to this is the Exorcists, that have come to rely on the Retributionists time and time again as allies and close friends. These two chapters have formed tight-knit bonds not only due to their specialties, but due to their outlook on Chaos and the twisted horrors they have all witnessed.

Notable Campaigns

 * The Incursion on Scarcaea (314.M34) - A disastrous campaign held as a trap by the Black Legion to ensnare the Retributionists and annihilate as many of them as possible; this trap failed thanks to the efforts of the "Glorious Four."
 * Harldassus Crusade (457.M37) - Retributionists tasked to aid in the reclaiming of the Harldassus System from the Word Bearers Legion, fought alongside the Excorsists and the Celebrants.
 * The Incursion on Balten IV (987.M38) - A small planet of the Balten System in Segmentum Obscurus. Home to the Slaaneshi demon Amak Timea and a warband of Emperor's Children's staging ground; ended with the overloading of a communications spire which destroyed Timea's lust ring.
 * 13th Black Crusade (999.M41) - Currently, six companies of the Retributionists chapter is tasked with leading counter-offensives against Abbadon the Despoiler's forces in the Cadian Sector of Segmentum Obscurus.

Veteran Company
Complying with the Codex Astartes, the Retributionists Veteran Company is comprised of two main groups:
 * Terminators- Though the minor component of the Veteran Company, the terminators of the Retributionists are as honoured as they are armoured.
 * Veterans- The bulk of the Veteran 1st Company is comprised of just that, Veterans. These battle-hardened warriors, most of which still remember the haunting atrocities of the Battlebarge Ambush, are adorned with the dried blood of their enemies. These experienced brothers also hold the high honour of being allowed to burn torture in supreme cruelty the chaos forces they encounter and entangle.

Battle Companies
The 2nd through 5th companies of the Retributionists stand as the main force during their expeditions and missions. Each company is specialized in all forms of warfare, with each company having its respective strengths, and all companies together sharing their strength and hatred for and against Chaos.
 * 2nd, 3rd, and 4th- These three companies share a similar suite of deployment methods and strategies. All three prefer foot and ground vehicle transport, as do all of the Retributionists, but these companies hold the responsibility of representing the bulk of the chapter's strategical maneuvering. Being equipped with plenty of vehicular aid, these companies present themselves as the most mobile as well. Differences arise in the specialties of each company. The 2nd boasts the most experience with upfront action, and specializes in assault squad combat. The 3rd calls upon their skill in close quarters fighting as well, but prefers more projectile methods rather than the chainsword. Lastly, the 4th holds to a strict doctrine of vehicular combat, mastering the art of hit and run tactics against enemy strong-points, and breaking through with masses of heavy support when called upon.
 * 5th- The 5th Company differs from the previous in the sense that they specialize in drop pod assaults, being utilized in strategic assaults, and they work most closely with the 2nd Company in this aspect. Due to their deployment method, they form the most level-headed and balanced fighting preference in the sense that they do not prefer hand-to-hand over projectile or vise-versa.

Reserve Companies
The 6th through the 9th companies represent the most crucial faction of the Retributionists: reinforcements. The Retributionists specialize in breaking Chaos strong-points, which demands heavy aid at times from reserve companies in order to maintain morale and structure on the battlefield.
 * 6th- This reserve company is made up of vehicular specialists and devastators. All vehicle warrants on the battlefield are put through this company, meaning they work very closely with the 4th Company.
 * 7th and 8th- These two companies hold the bulk of tactical and assault reinforcement personnel and are called upon the most in the field when such aid is needed.
 * 9th- The 9th Company makes up the special tactics force. They are called upon when immediate aid is required. Differing from their fellow reserve companies, the 9th specialize in Thunderhawk gunship deployments rather than foot and vehicular. This is the source of their speed and tactical essence.

Scout Company

 * Scouts- The 10th Company, made up of scouts, is essential in Retributionist tactics, as they hold the responsibility of relaying accurate information of chaos positions and undertakings. Due to the dangerous nature of this responsibility, the scouts of the Retributionists are in many ways more hardened than others, as they must undertake the hardest silence as they spy on the enemy.

House Guard
A minor differentiation from the Codex Astartes, the Retributionists do not rotate headquarters staff, at least the House Guard. Instead, each company excluding the 10th is represented by between three and eight House Guards that are sent to the Silent Hall from each of the companies. From these "gifted brethren," leaders from each company are selected, and from these brothers, a Warden is selected by the Chapter Master. The Warden is tasked with overseeing the security not only of the Fortress-Monastery, but of the home world as well. Those gifted to the House Guard serve in their position for life, as does the Warden, and they rarely ever leave the home system of Confession. The differentiation factor in the House Guard is based company by company and squad by squad, just as it is for the full companies, but instead of company differences for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th being chestguard skull-based, it is robe-based.

Squads, known as Watches, have their differences marked by a Gothic numeral still, but instead on the left poleyn. Lastly, the primary colour of the armour is black, instead of white.

Combat Doctrine
While the Retributionists hold some of the same stone-faced and humourless nature of their First Founding Legion, the Imperial Fists, on the battlefield, they also have a tendency to prefer eye-to-eye combat rather than impersonal transgressions. Man-to-man combat is honoured heavily within the chapter, especially when facing the forces of chaos, in which many of the brothers of the Chapter wreak unimaginable cruelty and vengeance upon their foes.

Along with this, the Retributionists, most of them, hold, to a certain degree, a level of silence when carrying out battle maneuvers. This is due to the "Pledge of Silence" many take, some still holding it from the time of the Battle-Barge Ambush. Occasionally, the silence on the battlefield is broken by a battlecry, but that battlecry is rarely ever vocally responded to. Instead, most battle cries foreshadow a massive offensive in certain positions.

The most common of the chapter's strategies is laid out in Ronan Burrick's definition of incursions, the main form of mission the Retributionists employ. This strategy calls for a minimum of three companies when in offensive measures, and two in defensive. When in offensive measures, at least two companies of battle status, including the veteran 1st Company is deployed to secure landing on the planet once orbital control is achieved. After or if landing is secured, the two companies on the ground advance after setting up minor defenses as a way point. When additional enemy forces are engaged, the third company involved, this either containing the 5th, or one of the reserve companies comes in behind the enemy's line, and a swift flanking maneuver is initiated. This usually, if it is not expected, causes severe casualties for the enemy and results in the ceremonial torture and burning of the enemy if they are heretical in Chaos.

The 10th Company is extremely important despite its minor use in the strategies of the chapter. Retributionist scouts, when deployed, are tasked with infiltrating enemy strong-points and pinpointing weak positions. This is usually a tactic used against the forces of chaos, whether they be minor cultists or daemonic hordes with traitor marines, which means the scouts must be trained with the highest resilience, patience, and silence in order to survive and return.

Notable Retributionists

 * Ronan Burrick- Second Chapter Master of the Retributionists, most honoured and venerated member of the Chapter, it was he who regrouped the morale and sense of pride in the Chapter during the atrocity of the Battle-Barge Ambush, sacrificed himself as part of the "Glorious Four" to save the companies present from total annihilation along with Brailen of the 1st Company, and Captains Germain and Tackus of the 7th Company during the Incursion on Scarcaea.
 * Brailen- Chaplain of the 1st Company; he sacrificed himself as part of the "Glorious Four" to save the 3rd, 4th, and 9th Companies from total annihilation during the Incursion on Scarcaea.
 * Alec Ilexia- 3rd and current Chapter Master of the Retributionists; rallied the chapter's contingents on Scarcaea to allow a successful evacuation of the planet while the "Glorious Four" sacrificed themselves to plant a world-killer bomb.
 * Deregan Pynor- Lord Apothecary of the chapter since its founding; creator of the "Vengeance Seeker" drug that allows for the chapter's near-dead to be fueled with one final rage of hatred and energy against their foes on the battlefield.
 * Venadain- Captain of the 5th Company during the Harldassus Crusade; led a successful push of Retributionist, Excorsist, and Celebrant forces against a Word Bearers force on Harldassus Secundia, killed the daemon Bal' Biggarah.

Chapter Fleet

 * Whisper of Eternity (Battle-Barge)
 * Germain's Ash (Battle-Barge)
 * Ronan's Deliverance (Battle-Barge)
 * Spear of Confession (Strike Cruiser)
 * Wrathful Silence (Strike Cruiser)
 * Dorn's Retribution (Strike Cruiser)

Relics and Wargear

 * The Messiad- a tome containing the names of those that died during the battle-barge Ambush.
 * Hailfist- Ronan Burrick's power-fist, currently held by Chapter Master Alec Ilexia.
 * Brailen's Pike- a spear of immense size and electrical energy used by Brailen before his sacrifice on Scarcaea; currently in posession of the daemon Quenthe Black-Scar, picked up and escaped with Black-Scar shortly before the world-killer bomb destroyed Scarcaea.

Chapter Colours
The Retributionists primarily wear white coloured power armour. The eye lenses on the helm, the inset of the shoulder pauldrons, the top of the back pack, the left gauntlet, groin guard and left poleyn (knee guard) are deep red in colour. The exhaust ports of the back pack, the shoulder pad trim, the couter (elbow guards) and wrist guard are all black in colour. The Aquila or Imperialis on the plastron (chestguard) is also black in colour. A black coloured squad specialty symbol on the right shoulder pauldron indicates squad type (Tactical, Devastator, Assault or Veteran). Squad Numbers are represented by Gothic numerals on the right poleyn, while Company Numbers for the 2nd through 5th Companies are determined by the colour of the central skull and the chestguard, the 1st Company denotes themselves with laurels and a central skull on their helmets, and the reserve companies and scout company are determined by the colour of their left legs.
 * 1st (Veteran) Company- Laurels and Skull on helmet
 * 2nd Company- Deep red skull on chestguard
 * 3rd Company- Black skull on chestguard
 * 4th Company- Dirty Gold skull on chestguard
 * 5th Company- White skull on chestguard
 * 6th Company- Deep red left leg
 * 7th Company- Black left leg
 * 8th Company- Dirty Gold left leg
 * 9th Company- White left leg (unchanged)
 * 10th (Scout) Company- Light Gray left leg

Chapter Badge
The Retributionists' Chapter badge is a pure white left fist squeezing a black heart. This represents the hand of the Retributionists destroying the essence of chaos wherever they go.

By The Retributionists
Feel free to add your own "Be it an eternity of suffering or a day, we will make the forces of chaos squeel beneath our feet as we crush them into the dust beneath the glory of the Imperium and its Emperor."

- Alec Ilexia, Chapter Master of the Retributionists

"Fallen in combat may we be, but the fallen shall rise again in hatred and anger. They shall rain down upon the enemy swiftly and silently and destroy them in cruel aspiration and vengeance. They will repay the twisted heretics for their slaughter of our brothers tenfold, and will soak the worlds we churn with their corrupted blood before we burn the world to a cinder to wash it of its taint!"

- Deregan Pynor, Lord Apothecary of the Retributionists

About The Retributionists
Feel free to add your own "These Retributionists, a bloody debt do they come for, a bloody debt indeed. I almost pity those twisted fools."

- Pedro Kantor, Chapter Master of the Crimson Fists, upon seeing the corpses of chaos space marines                      left behind by the Retributionists