Brethren of Spite

"A galaxy full of adventure awaits us boys. We have legends to make and tales to tell, come with me and we'll be the greatest raiders and corsairs to sail on the tides of the warp"

- Cain

The Brethren of Spite are a group of fleet based pirate Chaos space marines operating in the Imperium of man’s Eastern Fringe. Originally making up the core of the “Brotherhood of Man” Space marine chapter, the Brethren formed from secessionist splinters that remained after the chapter collapsed in late m.37. The Brethren are led by Cain, the former captain of the 2nd company and now Chaos lord of the Brethren. The Brethren of Spite are known to worship Chaos undivided, while certain squads have adopted a specific god to worship.

Early
"Death will not be the punishment of our foes, no, it will be much worse. When they crawl from their blackened holes, they will look up at our glorious accession into the heavens, lit by the golden light of the Emperors throne."

- Cain, Captain of the second company

Though not much is known about the Brotherhood of Man before their civil war and their rebirth as the Brethren of Spite, what is known is that the organisation of the chapter and its tactical doctrines are relatively the same. The Brotherhood of man extensively used its fleet as the basis of its chapter and recruited on selected worlds across the Imperium, which it's forces where spread across. With the constant warfare that raged thought the galaxy, the Brotherhood found their fleets spread thinly across the void of space. The chapters numbers began to dwindle to a mere four hundred strong as the eternal conflict of the galaxy took its toll, and soon members of the chapter began to object to chapter commands actions, and the perceived future extinction of the chapter.

The leader of those who objected was Cain, a skilled shipmaster who had served the chapter faithfully for two hundred years. He believed that the chapter needed to regain its numbers before involvement in any further major engagements, but chapter command would have none of it. Realising that without action that the chapter would be destroyed by Chapter commands incompetence, Cain rallied his brothers against the Chapters leadership. Coup and Fall "If our enemies be our brothers, then so be it, they will be the death of the chapter and I shall not allow it to pass."

- Cain

While Cain possessed a large force of the Brotherhood at his disposal, Chapter command had sway over most of the specialists of the Chapter. This meant the loyalist forces possessed Veterans and Sergeants, who had many years of fighting experience to use against the separatists. The war was grueling, both sides taking heavy casualties, before Chapter command was defeated. The war had lasted 3 years, leaving the chapter at only 240 members, and deprived of most of its original leadership. A new chapter command was formed, led by Cain as its chapter master.

But the chapter faced a new hurdle. It had lost most of its specialists and along with that, almost all of the tenth company. It quickly began to recruit new members, but with few experienced Chaplin’s and Librarians to monitor the recruits, corruption began to worm its way into the chapters growing ranks. As well as this, the chapter began to withhold its gene-seed tithe, claiming it required it in order to survive. However the Inquisition looked upon the reformed and rebuilding chapter with a sense of suspicion. The murder of its specialists and original commanders could be seen as heresy, and with its numbers swelling, what if it were to suddenly turn upon the Imperium with the same abandon as its chapter command?

A small fleet of Ordo Hereticus ships were able to locate the Brotherhood’s fleet over one of their recruiting worlds, and attempted to hail the fleet, demanding that the Brotherhood man surrender and allow its members to be interrogated and scanned for heresy. Cain ordered that his ships open fire on the Inquisition fleet, before fleeing from the eventual reprisals, deep into the Eastern Fringe. As they descended further and further into the void, they also descended further into madness and anarchy. Spiralling into chaos, the chapter looted and raided dozens of worlds under Cain's command, slaughtering thousands and enslaving defeated foes as they struck at their former allies. Imperial outposts and space stations greeted the arriving Astartes, only to find themselves under attack. The Brotherhood of Man was reborn as the Brethren of Spite.

In service to Chaos
In the aftermath of the Brethren of Spites savage rampage had left them bloodied and their ranks thinned. Moving to a new extreme, the Brethren began to steal and loot gene-seed from defeated renegades and chaos servants, alongside their corrupted war gear and ships. This taint was like a virus, which spread throughout the chapter as it continued to savage it's foes. Cain and the Brethren's other war lords slew the leaders of Chaos war bands and took their beaten and subdued men as their own.

Discovery of the Ark and early raids
"We have our ships, we have our guns, we have our armour. The galaxy is ours to plunder, come on lads, let's get to it."

While the Brethren marauded through the eastern fringe, they would happen across a great discovery. The twisted cadre of warriors where able to find an Ark Mechanicus silently drifting through the void, deep within the eastern fringe. Though scarred by laser fire and without crew, the Brethren of Spite where able to slowly but surely repair and re-crew the craft through the assistance of Dark Mechanicus 'Hereteks' who were paid through activities found within the great crafts vaults. The ship was named the "Covenant of Sin" by Cain, who considered it a gift from the gods.

Now the Brethren of Spite possessed a sizable fleet of twenty ships and around four hundred astartes, along with numerous militia and pirate groups they had enslaved. Cain himself sought little more but to continue his trail of marauding and destruction, and was happy to oblige to his corrupt lieutenants and captains own goals, in order to keep them in check. The eastern fringe of the Imperium of man hosts numerous shipping lanes which are vital to those far out worlds under the Imperium's command, and are well guarded, however, the Brethren's sizable fleet could easily overwhelm other ships quickly in battle. Soon the Brethren of Spite began to target the shipping lanes, and destroyed and looted numerous craft. Even well guarded convoys could not properly counter the Brethren's tactical advantage of numbers, and when the Imperium possessed any advantage, the Brethren would retreat. Hit and run attacks soon formed the core of the Brethren of Spites tactical doctrine.

But the Brethren of Spite's actions where not without consequence. In an attempt to tackle the rising raids and attacks, larger and better defended convoys where used instead. These small battle groups could fend off the Brethren's smaller strikes and forced them to adopt larger groups when assailing the Imperials, but this cost the Brethren of Spite resources, and could led to them being bogged down in large naval battles. This led to a lower rate of Brethren activity against the Imperium. The Brethren however refused to be pushed away from their hunting grounds. Deploying fleets of cruisers and dreadnoughts, the Brethren of Spite continued to raid and loot Imperial shipping lanes on the Eastern Fringe.

Battle over Atacia
"Come on then you jammy cunts, get to it. I want to see what your made off Imperial Fists!"

- Cain

The knowledge a successor chapter has betrayed the Imperium is not well taken, espically by the Imperial Fists, a chapter whose culture was based around the ideas of self control and flawless discipline in combat. The news that the Brotherhood of Man had become a fleet of renegade pirates enraged the chapter, and as soon as it was possible, a fleet of the Imperial Fist ships were deployed alongside the main Imperial fleet to head the counter attack against the Brethren. They planned to eliminate the traitors in a single swoop, breaking their leadership and resistance and mopping up whatever remained. When the Imperial Fists arrived at the first signs of a Brethren raid, they found a small flotilla of craft eagerly awaiting the next Imperial convoy to arrive. Upon siting the Imperial Fists vessels, the Brethren fled as fast as they could, but the Imperial Fists were quick to pursue. After a day long pursuit, they discovered the Brethren had laid a trap. Now the outnumbered Imperial fleet found itself surrounded by the full might of the Brethren's gathered armada, now led by their command vessel the Covenant of Sin. Cut off from reinforcements and unable to retreat, the Imperial Fists found themselves engaged in a hopeless fight above the arid moon of Actacia.

Caught in the noose of the renegades, the Imperial Fists realised that attempts to flee were futile, and that their only goal now was to take as many traitors with them as possible. The Imperial fleet dived deep into the Brethren's armada, smashing through smaller craft and critically damaging other ships, the Imperial Fists fleet found itself battered by the massive fire power of the Chaos ships guns. Soon the Ark Mechanicas that led the Brethren of Spite began to bare down on the Imperials, it's great main weapon struck a mighty blow to the Imperial Fist's battle barge that headed their fleet. The shot crippled the craft, and left it drifting in the void. With the Imperial fleet whittled down by the savagery of the Brethren, the Space marines made one final gesture of resistance. loading into their gunships, drop pods and other boarding craft, they launched themselves towards the Covenant of Sin.

Upon breaching the first bulkhead the Imperial Fists strike force found themselves already under counter attack by the experiments of the Brethren of Spite's vast science division. GriefKommando, Astartes further modified and altered through the use of extensive and unstable chem stims and steroids charged the Imperial's with no fear. They possessed no thought of self preservation, their minds and bodies numb to pain. Clad in power armour, these monstrous shock troops broke through the ranks of the Imperial Fists assault teams and crushed several underfoot or in their grasp. Though they quickly fell to the concentrated fire, the GriefKommando had done their work. The Imperial Fists had lost any advantage, and their heroic last stand was under threat of becoming a slaughter.

The Brethren, uninterested in giving the loyalists any form of honourable combat, began to open airlocks and vent the oxygen out of the sections of the craft that the Imperial Fists had landed on. The Brethren of Spite soon revealed that the Covenant of Sin was more than just the leading ship of their armada, it was a space borne fortress. Automated turrets and traps lined the corridors and hallways of the ship, while at every corner and turn more of the science divisions rabid and insane experiments ambushed or assaulted the Imperial Fists. By the time the scattered Space marines had linked up, they found their combined strike team was barely over a hundred men.

Organisation and tactical doctrine
"A galaxy full of loot, treasure, women, glory and adventure, what else could a man possibly ask for?"

- Anonymous Brethren.

The Brethren as a loyalist chapter where a fleet based chapter. When the chapter turned traitor, they maintained this organisation refusing to take up a fortress world of any form, and used their fleet strength to conduct raids on shipping lanes and lone worlds. Most of these craft are commanded by veteran Space marine shipmasters, with crews hand picked. Some smaller craft are commanded by human renegades or even xenos, though they rarely advance above anything other than command over a frigate. The Brethren of Spite have become veterans in ship to ship combat, learned in the art of raiding and piracy, the Brethren rarely engage in battles that do not serve their needs or desire for loot and adventure. Long drawn out wars are despised by the Brethren of Spite, favoured over quick planetary raids and close quarters boarding actions and ship to ship combat.

Within the Brethren, several cults have spawned since from the corruption of Chaos. These are those who have fallen into the worship of specific gods among the Chaos pantheon. Since it's status as renegade, the Brethren have possessed such cults in numerous forms. Possibly the most notable are those of Khorne, with many of the assault company falling into the worship of the Blood god and becoming Berzerkers. Such troops are pressed into service when a line must be broken, or a enemy formation must be scattered. Even Cain's terminator guard are servants of the Blood god. The servants of Nurgle can also be found among the ranks of the Brethren, Plague Marines a core part of those defending the ships of the war-band from counter attacks.

Command Structure
While much of it's original chapter organisation has been lost, some of it's old hierarchy remains;


 * Ship masters: Some Chaos lords and other minor leaders like Aspiring Champions will commonly command a space craft of some sort.
 * Fleet masters: Some Ship masters will come into the command of small group of void craft, these powerful champions are commonly known as Fleet masters. Both cunning and vicous, Fleet masters will have many years, if not centuries of experience and have gathered a group of lesser champion ship masters to their service.
 * Grand admiral: Cain's personally title, Grand Admiral was a common designation of the Brethren's chapter master when they were part of the Imperium. Cain has retained it though, a symbol of his naval power.

Science Division
The Brethren of Spite hosts an extensive "Science Division", made up of numerous hereteks, renegade tech marines, apothecaries and rouge scientists who have been enlisted into the Brethren's ranks through the offer of support in the form of resources, and access to the ancient vaults of the Covenant of Sin. The Science Division is a well protected asset, held securely on the Covenant of Sin's depths to produce and maintain all matter of dark technology and weaponry for the Brethren of Spites use. Super soldiers, daemon engines and weapons, and all manner of other forbidden technology to be unleashed upon the foes of the Brethren.

Cain
Leader and grand admiral of the Brethren of Spite, Cain was once the chapters second company leader, and continues to lead it in his new form. Having lead numerous raids against the Imperium, Cain is venerated in both ground and naval battles since his corruption.

Drow Thel
Former Eldar Autarch of Saim-Hann, Drow was captured and corrupted by the Brethren of Spite. Now a fully fledged member of the Brethren, Drow now leads the Brethren as one of their ship masters and commanders. Drow has led numerous raids and war parties against the Imperium.

Fleet
The Brethren's of Spites fleet contains a varied array of ships, though several have been noted in their regularity in raids and attacks;
 * Covenant of Sin: The Covenant acts as the flagship for the Brethren of Spites war-fleet, and is a feared sight among Imperial admirals. The ship has been heavily modified to support more weapon batteries, along with heavier armour and shielding. The Covenant was discovered by the Brotherhood of man after they fled the Imperium, drifting on the eastern fringe, and quickly formed the centre of their naval strength.

Culture and beliefs
"There's nothing here to loot, and the crew aren't worth the effort. Just flush them out the gods dammed air-lock already..."

- Recording of an Brethren of Spite member aboard a boarded Imperial freighter

The Brethren were, before their corruption a closely knit chapter, bound by their strong codes of brotherhood, however this quickly fell apart and vanished as the chapter descended into piracy and Chaos. Now, like many other renegade chapters and war bands the Brethren are ruled by the iron fist of their leaders and their acts of piracy. The Brethren have become skilled reavers and corsairs, veterans raiders who have looted and pillaged hundreds of Imperial satellite worlds and shipping lanes. Masters of naval combat, the Brethren favour it above all else, rarely engaging their foes in ground based warfare. Weakness of any form is quickly and openly purged, whether it be weakness of the mind, the body, or the soul. While Chaos has been embraced by the Brethren of Spite, fanatics, apostles and cultists are looked upon with a mix of despair and hatred. Such individuals are few among the Brethren, while Possessed are kept for their combat efficiency and excellent affinity for guiding ships through the warp. Some of the Brethren have resorted to modifying their bodies for greater martial abilities, like replacement mechanical limbs and combat stims provided by the Brethren's extensive science division.



Livery and symbolism
The Brethren of Spite's universal uniform is a deep gun metal, marked further by black and obsidian. This however, has spawned several variants, with ship masters designating their own followers armour to their whims. Most commonly, this will be the adding of a hue that is commonly associated with their patron power, or the decoration of symbols that do the same. The Brethren also make use of their own symbols, fanged or cracked skulls.

Geneseed
The Brethren of Spite are descended from the Imperial Fists, and where part of the 13th founding. What is odd though, is that while the 13th founding is shrouded in mystery and with many chapters formed from it ignorant of their heritage, the Brethren are fully aware of their origins. Being descended from means the Brethren lack of Betcher gland and Sus-an Membrane, however due to their recruitment of various renegades and traitors, alongside the theft of gene-seed leaves the mutations and alterations within the Brethren varied and unusual.

Recruitment
"All matter of traitors and rouges have come under his banner. They are a varied lot the Brethren, which makes them all the more dangerous."

Like all Chaos and renegade war bands, the Brethren really on slaves and cultists as their main form of recruits for new astartes warriors. However, other methods of creation have been observed. Psycho surgery and psychic brain washing on other captured astartes can create entirely new personalities, ready for combat alongside their new brothers. The theft of Space marine recruits have also occurred, and has led to several chapters swearing vendetta's on the Brethren of Spite for their heresy. During their early days as pirates, the Brethren recruited all manner of rogue and corrupted space marines into their ranks, inevitably corrupting the chapter with their influence and tainted gene-seed. This mass recruitment also led to the induction of individuals like Sorcerers, Dark Apostles and other specialists into their ranks, who inevitably have passed on their knowledge and teachings to their own acolytes within the Brethren of Spite. It's known that the Brethren were able to acquire the services of at least one Berzerker surgeon, alongside a Nurgle sorcerer capable of bestowing loyal servants of Nurgle with the gifts of the Plague marines.