Background and Origin: The Angels of the Lion were originally a part of the Dark Angels Legion. In the aftermath of the Horus Heresy their Primarch, Lion el'Jonson, elected a force of crusaders, intent on taking them with him on one final war to hunt down the escaped traitors. This force was sent to a staging planet to wait while the Lion completed the reorganisation of the Legion on Caliban. When the Crusaders' ships took a separate course from the rest of the Legion, they did not know that the Lion would not return from Caliban. Decades passed on the chosen world, named Ariel. The leaders of the Crusaders slowly realised they had to take action, for it was not the place of an Imperial Space Marine to stand waiting. The envoy despatched to Caliban learned the terrible truth at the grief-filled construction of the Tower of Angels. The Crusader command ultimately reached the conclusion that the Lion was not dead, the he would return to them beyond time itself. They would be prepared, ready for the war that had been given as their destiny. The Crusaders also realised that they had to defend their Imperium and to eradicate the shame of the Legion. Thus they applied for a chapterhood, and though such a force appearing to the Imperium as if from nowhere was unheard of, the Adepts of Terra did grant them their wish. So the Angels of the Lion were born. This was formally added to the records as a part of the third founding and resulted in the Chapter's number of 48. The Chapter followed the ways of the Unforgiven until the 41st millennium. In 894.M41 a large contingent of the Angels of the Lion were mobilised to reinforce the Imperial forces in the aftermath of the first War for Armageddon. It soon came to their attention that the Fallen Angels were gathering in large numbers on a secluded world, and there they set their course. They were expected. The Chaos Lord Morgroth had set them a masterful trap. The Angels escaped, but with heavy casualties, including the Chapter Master. It fell to Grand Master Asmodel to lead the Strike Force. His first action was to vow revenge on the traitors. He would not run again. |
LEGIO INFITIALES VENIA |
ANGELS of the LION By Michael White (Sandalphon) |
This article has been published with the kind permission of Michael White. Planetary image created by Shadow Guard |
Despite their losses, the Angels were not able to return home. The war kept them occupied and finally threw them near Arx, where a massive Chaos incursion was beginning. They were met there by a fleet of Space Wolves with whom the Angels joined forces. The cooperation between Asmodel and Vinor Suncrusher of the Space Wolves was extremely effective and though the fighting lasted for another two years the traitors were pushed back to the Arx Gap. The two commanders had formed a strong friendship and the Strike Force could finally return home, where the Inner Circle elected Asmodel their Supreme Grand Master. Leading the Chapter at this moment of danger was not an easy task. The decades of war away from home had caused casualties of over 70% of battle brothers to the Chapter. Something needed to be done, for another war might endanger the very existence of the Angels of the Lion and they had not forgotten their real task, their coming Crusade. So Asmodel began the task of re-organising the way the Chapter operated. He ignored the few objections and began by reorganising the recruitment process of the Angels of the Lion. In this he was helped by Master Enediel of the scout company. The Chapter needed a huge number of new recruits to replace the fallen brothers, but they needed to be worthy of the Lion. Their training had to be very effective. This was achieved by integrating the scouts closely with the battle brothers as early on as possible, so that they might be tutored by their more experienced brethren as much as possible. All this adhered to Asmodels' ideal that his chapter would be led by example. The new effective recruitment system also required more effective processes in the Apothecarion. Master Apothecary Angelus Sanctus, aided by Masters Avoghai and Aradiel, both Apothecaries in their past, devised many new ways to increase zygote growth which enabled a very high rate of implantation. Their stable gene-seed ensured that the Chapter began regaining its strength with a speed unheard of. The process also unexpectedly bestowed a marvelous singing voice to each marine. Finally the scout company was elevated to be the Second company, a final gesture to show how much the new recruits and the future they promised was appreciated by the Angels of the Lion. |
Chapter Structure The organisation of the Angels of the Lion bears superficial resemblance to that of the Dark Angels, but Asmodel made a few notable changes to it. He promoted his most trusted adjutants to the rank of Grand Master, forming the New Inner Circle and casting aside those who doubted his intentions. To each of these ten warriors he gave a company to command, for he had seen how the Space Wolves acted as independent companies, shaped and bound together by the personality of the company's leader. This Asmodel strove to emulate in his Chapter. The companies were also appointed Masters, who would lead them in their daily operations as the members of the Inner Circle were often busy with their other duties. Finally Asmodel created a new company in great secrecy. The eleventh company, the Intelligence Wing, would seek out and uncover the enemies of the Chapter and would attempt to find the Lion so that the Chapter might fullfill its destiny. These tasks were given to the eleventh member of the Inner Circle, Grand Master Rico, Asmodel's bodyguard. |
Home World: Ariel is located in between Caliban and Arx in the Segmentum Obscurus. It is a world of green forests and immense oceans. The lands of Ariel consist of three continents and two large islands. Two of these continents are covered in forests much resembling those of Caliban, perhaps the reason why the Lion chose Ariel as his base of operations. Here live the peoples of Ariel, in small villages hidden in the forests. Only a few larger settlements exist and these are completed with large castles of stone and iron. The people live in a feudal state and strength in arms is highly valued. Wars among states and settlements are common and vicious predators sneak in the forests. The third continent consists of rocky hills and huge mountains. It is here, in the middle of the largest mountain range, the Angels of the Lion built their Fortress Monastery. No human lives on this continent, only the mountain lions stalk their prey. The main space port of the planet is located here and the Angels of the Lion train on the steep slopes of the high mountains. |
Supreme Grand Master Asmodel 1st: (Lion Guard) Octavianus, Master of the Fleet 2nd: (Greetingwing) Enediel, Master of Recruits 3rd: Avoghai, Chief Victualler |
4th: Angelus Sanctus, Master Apothecary 5th: Bartol, Regent of Ariel 6th: Lazarus, Master of the Chaplains 7th: Anacron, Chief Librarian |
8th: Aradiel, Lord of the Household 9th: Trajanus, Master of the Forge 10th: (Ravenwing) Sandalphon, Master of the Ravenwing 11th: Rico, Master of Intelligence |
Most of the planet's surface is covered with water, however. This has led to strong traditions of sea-faring and many of the natives are skilled sailors. The heritage of waging war on the sea has carried on to the Angels of the Lion, and they maintain a strong navy. The large islands, situated on the opposite sides of the world on its equator, are filled with orbital defence batteries and other surface-to-space weapons. They act as the last line of defence against an assault. The weapons are manned by servitors and aside from the occasional training operations, the islands see little activity. Ariel has one moon, Sebastio. It is a fortress moon and houses a fully operational space-dock with ship-building capacities, training grounds for marines, staging areas for outbound strike forces and large storages facilities filled with weapons. The moon's primary function, however, is that of an orbital defence platform. It's surface bristles with weapons of immense power, from lance batteries to mighty nova cannons. Sebastio's fire power is greater than that of a Ramilies class starfort. In addition to this star of death, Ariel is orbited by two space stations designed for monitoring the space around it and carrying armaments to act against any threats. |
