Consecrators

"What is our quest? To purge our shame through the death of those who turned from the Lion."

— Consecrators Interrogator-Chaplain

The Consecrators is an Unforgiven Successor Chapter of Loyalist Space Marines created from the gene-seed of the Dark Angels during an unknown Founding. The Consecrators Chapter's history is largely a mystery. No record of its existence is to be found prior to the third century of the 40^th Millennium. The Consecrators prefer arriving without warning and, upon defeating their foe, disappearing without a word. This cryptic Chapter wields all manner of ancient relics and holy patterns of armour, weapons and vehicles. It is as though the Consecrators have inherited the most revered heirlooms of the I Legion, preserving them through the ages to bear them against the foes of The Lion.

Chapter History

Consecrators Battle-Brother — Consecrators Chapter Colour Scheme

The Chapter's first appearance is in the works of the field notary Corwen Quilp, in his account of the Second Kuppukin Schism. At the height of this terrible war, Loyalist forces were surrounded within the Sanctum of Silence by a screaming sea of Renegades, mutants and Traitors, when the entire Consecrators Chapter deployed at Chapter strength with no warning whatsoever. It appeared that the Imperial forces had but solar hours to live, until the Consecrators plummeted from the heavens. All Vox-hails were ignored, but the Unforgiven went to war on the defenders' behalf with a terrible fury. In just six solar hours, the Adeptus Astartes wiped out the schismatists' entire high command structure, and left the Traitor horde as little more than broken, twisted corpses. Its task complete, the Chapter withdrew without a word, not to be seen for another three solar decades, when its 4^th Company fought alongside the Dark Angels at the Arrulas Intervention. Other such heroic intercessions have been noted since, the Consecrators always remaining silent. Though his descriptions are vague, Quilp is very specific about one element of the Consecrators' appearance -- he noted that the brethren of this Chapter bore all manner of sacred relics, and used the most ancient patterns of Imperial Power Armour, weaponry and vehicles. It was as if, Quilp commented, the Consecrators had inherited the most revered arms of the ancient I Legion, preserving them lovingly, and bearing them down the ages against the foes of the Lion and the Emperor of Mankind.

Notable Campaigns

Second Kuppukin Schism (200.M40) - At the height of this terrible civil war when the world of Kuppukin rose up in rebellion against the Imperium, Loyalist forces were surrounded by the foe when the entire Consecrators Chapter deployed in their support. Though never answering friendly transmissions, the Consecrators launched an immediate attack upon the enemy and, within six hours, the Consecrators had wiped out the schismatists' entire high command structure, breaking the back of the rebellion, and essentially winning the war.
Arrulas Intervention (230.M40) - The only known instance of the Consecrators aligning themselves with their progenitor Chapter. This joint operation was conducted by the Consecrators' 4^th Company fighting alongside the Dark Angels.
Achilus Crusade (801.M41) - The Consecrators deployed to the Jericho Reach in 801.M41 to join in the Achilus Crusade. The majority of the Chapter's involvement in the Crusade was primarily focused on a number of actions in and around the Slinnar Drift. On their initial deployment, the Consecrator's 3^rd Company, with support elements drawn from the Chapter's 1^st and 10^th Companies, came under Ork attack en route for Shedu. Their Strike Cruiser, the Heritor of Ages was beset by an Ork Kill Kroozer named the Growler. Caught by surprise as it exited the Warp near the outskirts of the Slinnar Drift, the Heritor of Ages' Auspex-scanners were blinded by the ambush occurring so close to the Strike Cruiser's time of translation back into realspace. The Strike Cruiser still managed to escape after inflicting severe damage on its Ork attacker, but was crippled following the battle, ultimately forcing all hands to abandon ship. With no life-sustaining worlds other than Shedu to operate from within range of their Thunderhawks and lifepods after they abandoned ship, the remaining Consecrators were forced to remain in the Slinnar Drift, though it is not generally known how long they remained an effective and operational force under such conditions. Several Chapters launched missions to locate the lost Consecrators force, but their ultimate fate remains unknown.
Massacre at Darkmor (Unknown Date.M42) - Elements of half a dozen Unforgiven Chapters descended upon the Shrine World of Darkmor, including multiple companies from the Angels of Vengeance, the Consecrators and the Guardians of the Covenant. All had followed their Librarians' scryings to the planet, searching for the newly materialised Fallen Angel Cypher. It was not long before they discovered that they were not the hunters, however, but the hunted. The Warp Storms that subsided to allow their armies into Darkmor's orbit returned in force. On the planet's surface, the Unforgiven found the world's vast cathedrals in ruins and its populace slaughtered. Awaiting in ambush were armies of daemons, Chaos Space Marines and Renegades. What followed was the worst single incident of losses suffered by the Unforgiven since the Forgotten Wars. Less than a hundred Space Marines from an original contingent of a thousand managed to escape, and they did so only because they pursued Cypher, who, in his attempt to flee, led them to a secret teleportation device.

Chapter Organisation

Like their fellow Unforgiven Chapters, the Consecrators follow the Dark Angels' pattern of organisation, and so are considered to be in partial compliance with the Codex Astartes. This includes possessing formations similar to the elite Deathwing and Ravenwing. Though these elite formations have performed admirably, they have not garnered the recognition of their Dark Angels' counterparts. Like the Dark Angels, the Unforgiven Successor Chapters also have a clandestine Inner Circle, comprised of the Chapter's elite and senior commanders, who possess knowledge of the Fallen and of the true events that occurred on Caliban.

Notable Consecrators

Supreme Grand Master Nakir - Current Chapter Master of the Consecrators Chapter. Nakir cuts a striking figure clad in black war-plate and a long white cloak. His armour is a mix of archaic marks from the time of the Imperium's founding and the Horus Heresy -- pieces of Mark Three and Mark Four combined, studded with bonding rivets across the chest. A knightly helmet taken from a suit of ancient Crusade Armour -- officially designated Mark II -- completes the battleplate. This is crested front to back with a red brush. Nakir's face is surprisingly young, gaunt to the point of being skeletal. His eyes are a piercing blue, at odds with the mop of black hair on his scalp. His brow is tattooed with an Imperial Aquila in black, and a broken blade in red adorns each of his cheeks. There is a scar across the front and right side of his throat and evidence of an implant -- the wound that gives him his distinctive gravel-like growl of a voice. Nakir had been an Interrogator-Chaplain before his ascension to command of the Consecrators, the so-called Master of Souls. Even now a symbol of his past hangs at his waist, a wooden rod in the shape of a small Crozius Arcanum, studded with six black pearls. Each was a trophy of a Fallen made to repent, a remarkable feat for any Dark Angel, and almost unprecedented in one of Nakir's short service. He leads a Chapter dedicated to unearthing the secrets of the past. In battle, Nakir wields one of the legendary Heavenfall Blades, the Sword of Sanctity. This ancient obsidian blade is made of the same black material as its cousins. It was originally given to Grand Master Orias, the first lord of the Disciples of Caliban, who later fell in battle against the Orks of the Quolon Pass. Nakir had recovered it three decades earlier, and wished to return it to its proper master. But Azrael informed his fellow Chapter Master, that the blade had already found its proper master and that it was Nakir's by right of recovery. Supreme Grand Master Azrael knew that Nakir would bring honour to the cousin of his own blade, the Sword of Secrets.
Deathwatch Techmarine Anaximan - A Techmarine of the Consecrators Chapter who stands the Long Vigil, Brother Anaximan was responsible for rendering battlefield repairs to the adamantium frame in which Brother Pardis of the Tigers Argent was interred when it was crippled by the attacks of a number of the biomechanical constructs the fallen Mechanicus of Samech deployed to protect their planet. Had the Techmarine not been able to affect his repairs, the Old One would undoubtedly have been slaughtered by the hideous monstrosities, a deed for which Brother Anaximan has been awarded due honour.
Corpulax - Corpulax was originally a member of the Consecrators Chapter, but was infected with the Zombie Plague while battling the plague-ridden forces of Typhus. Left for dead, Corpulax awoke as a reanimated corpse. However, unlike other plague victims, Corpulax retained his intelligence and cognitive abilities. He eventually became a willing servant of the Plague God Nurgle and for the last three centuries, has orchestrated an inexorable rise to power, until finally, he became one of Abaddon's most trusted warlords. Fighting in dozens of battles on his lord's side, or carrying out the Warmaster's bidding, Corpulax continues to spread the terrible plague that he was infected with. He is single-handedly responsible for disseminating the virulent plague that wiped out every inhabitant of the city of Atika during the Pandorax Campaign.

Chapter Fleet

Heritor of Ages (Strike Cruiser) - During the Achilus Crusade, the Consecrators' Strike Cruiser, Heritor of Ages, was set upon by the Ork Kill Kroozer Growler, a vessel that according to Departmento Tacticae advisers should have been operating near the Jericho Reach. The Consecrators' vessel was caught by surprise as it exited the Warp on the outskirts of the Slinnar Drift to take a stellar reading and correct course, its sensors blinded to the entirely opportunistic and completely unpredictable ambush. Though it managed to escape after inflicting severe damage on the Growler, the Heritor of Ages was crippled and after a week all hands were forced to abandon ship.
Reliquaria (Battle Barge) - The flagship of the Consecrators' Chapter fleet.

Chapter Relics

Radiant Arrow - Though this venerable Plasma Gun is plain and unadorned, it is impossible for a trained eye not to notice its superlative craftsmanship and quality. The perfect proportions and design of the weapon speak to a wondrous artifice now lost to the Imperium. The Consecrators proudly hold that the weapon has never once performed less than perfectly, despite the volatile nature of Imperial plasma weaponry. Radiant Arrow is an Astartes Plasma Gun which cannot jam, overheat, or otherwise fail and which is impervious to malfunction caused by psychic or technological effects.
Sword of Sanctity - The Sword of Sanctity is a master-crafted Power Sword wielded by Grand Master Nakir of the Consecrators. It is one of the few Heavenfall Blades from the Chapter's armoury and utilises small amounts of obsidian in its workings, similar to the Sword of Secrets wielded by Supreme Grand Master Azrael of the Dark Angels. Originally presented to Grand Master Orias, the first Chapter Master of the Disciples of Caliban, the weapon was lost after he fell in battle with the Orks of Quolon Pass. It was recovered millennia later by Grand Master Nakir of the Consecrators, who presented it to Supreme Grand Master Azrael. Azrael instructed Nakir to keep the blade, as he had earned the right to wield it by the effort he had expended in its recovery.

Chapter Appearance

The Consecrators bear a close resemblance to the Dark Angels Chapter before the Horus Heresy and the Second Founding, maintaining the Legion's original black colours and many Consecrators wear the older variants of Astartes Power Armour that have been kept by the Chapter since the Dark Angels Legion's early days before and during the Horus Heresy, including suits of the Mark II "Crusade", Mark III "Iron", Mark IV "Maximus", Mark V "Heresy" and Mark VI "Corvus" armours. No marks of armour more recent than the Mark VI have been observed. In addition to bearing such venerated patterns, the Consecrators carry many weapons and other items that would ordinarily be considered relics. The Consecrators' elite 1^st Company all wear revered suits of ancient Terminator Armour, black-clad as the rest of their Battle-Brothers save for helmets of off-white that symbolised their brotherhood with the Deathwing. Like their Chapter Master, their armour is a mix of styles and types, gathered from armouries and forgotten Legiones Astartes depots scattered across the galaxy.

Chapter Colours

The Chapter wears black Power Armour, with a red stripe located down the centre of the helmet. As the Consecrators are known to wear older pattern of Power Armour and wargear, on occasion, this may compel them to display squad numbers and squad designations elsewhere upon their armour instead of on their shoulder plates. Like their parent Chapter, Veteran Consecrators are commonly found wearing crimson hooded cloaks and tabards; this symbolises their shame over what the Fallen Angels had done near the end of the Great Crusade. Cloaks and hoods are worn by the Veteran Consecrators and the Chapter's Inner Circle because they have learned enough about the Dark Angels Legion's history, and thus their shame, prior to obtaining their rank within the Chapter.

Chapter Badge

The Consecrators' Chapter badge is a variation of the Dark Angels' own badge, a red winged flame topped by a red Iron Halo centred on a white background roundel. This roundel is centred on a field of black.

Sources

Codex Adeptus Astartes - Dark Angels (8th Edition), pp. 19, 23
Codex Adeptus Astartes - Dark Angels (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 44, 167
Codex: Dark Angels (4th Edition), pg. 75
Deathwatch: Rites of Battle (RPG), pg. 59
Deathwatch: The Emperor's Chosen (RPG), pg. 76
The Unforgiven (Novel) by Gav Thorpe