Lore

Head Canon

How I justify my modeling/painting for my Charnel Guard army

Formation of the Chapter: 

After the Heresy War, Zephon is given command of a new chapter, the Charnel Guard.  Starting with some of the surviving Blood Angels, they begin to build their strength, and start recruiting potential neophytes from planets they stop by for resupply, or that they are sent to defend.  They are given the battle-barge "The Invictrix" that will serve as their flagship, as well as their fortress monastery.  

Land, Genes, and Sleep:

Arken Land joins his old "friend", with the intent to accompany the chapter to new worlds and make new discoveries.  Land, during long boring void travel, begins to work on various projects, to include alteration of the Chapter's Gene Seed, and manipulating the Astartes Physiology.   The details of the gene seed alterations are a chapter secret, known only to Land and Zephon, and result in some subtle changes to the physicality and character of the chapter's Astartes warriors.  One change that stands out to Astartes from other chapters, is the lengthening of their eye-teeth, which can be startling to outsiders. 

Land learns how to manipulate the Sus-an Membrane of Astartes warriors, and they use this as a tool to deal with brothers succumbing to the Black Rage.  They are put to sleep against their will and put into long-term storage on the Invictrix.  When there is an upcoming battle, they are awakened.  In the unlikely event that their symptoms have decreased or ceased, they are put back into normal service, though monitored closely by Wardens.  If they are still showing signs of the black rage, they are assigned to the Cadre of the Black Skulls, where they will fight and die. 

Over time, they start using this method on all Astartes in the chapter, keeping only a skeleton crew of Astartes awake during travel/ between engagements.  This has become the standard of operation for the chapter over the years, unless they are currently engaged in conflict, only 5% or less of the chapter's strength is awake.  They believe that this helps to slow the eventual progression of the Black Rage, and keeps the Chapter rooted in it's fundamentals(that doesn't really work). When there is a battle to be fought, companies are rotated from sleep shortly before the battle, and given some time to prepare: learning about the enemy/situation, getting up to speed on any new weapons or technology that has come to the chapter since they were last awake, etc. 

Thralls:

The Invictrix, and accompanying ships are mostly run by Thralls in the service of the Chapter.  There are "Waking Thralls", who serve the active or "awake" Astartes, and "Sleeping Thralls" who maintain the ship and do all the things that the sleeping Astartes would normally do on space voyages or while garrisoned. 

The Astartes in the Chapter have a very close relationship with their thralls.  They depend on them to get them up to speed upon waking, and to monitor and protect them while sleeping.  They show higher levels of respect to their thralls than many other chapters, and the thralls are afforded many comforts that may seem unnecessary to outsiders.  They are fed well, have comfortable housing within the ship, and are afforded opportunities to socialize with the other thralls onboard.  Socializing, of course, leads to increased population on the ships, which suits the chapter's need for more loyal servants.  There is never a lack of candidates for Neophyte training, and there are always thralls available for service.  There is even a way for a chapter thrall to request ending their service of the chapter or "retire", though none have ever done so.

Bones:

On a nameless, smoldering planet, where the clash of ceramite and the roar of bolters filled the air with the acrid scent of battle, an Astartes lay grievously wounded. His lifeblood poured into the putrid soil as his brothers fought on. His Waking Thrall knelt beside him, witnessing the struggle of the Apothecary to piece him back together so he might rejoin his brothers in the battle.  Pushed away by the Apothecary, the Thrall’s gaze fell upon his masters’ severed finger, still encased in the ceramite finger section of his gauntlet. With care, he retrieved the limb and removed it from the armor casing, intending to present it to the Apothecary for reattachment.  When he approached the Apothecary again, it became clear that he was too late, as the Reductor was already removing his Master’s Progenoid gland.

Grief-stricken, the thrall shuffled away as he was ordered to the rear of the company, and after the battle, returned to the flagship with the rest of the surviving warriors and retinue.  Upon his return to the ship, he was immediately reassigned to a newly awakened brother, and ordered to present himself.

As the thrall introduced himself to his new master, he unconsciously clenched his fists, and realized he was still holding the severed digit.  In his attempt to conceal what he held, he succeeded only in stuttering and shifting his hands awkwardly, alerting the towering Astartes warrior that he was hiding something.

"Speak up Thrall!  Why do you stammer?" the Astartes demanded, his voice a low rumble that echoed through the chamber. "What have you got there?"

He slowly raised his trembling hand, and uncurled his fingers to reveal what he held. "It... it belonged to my master, sir" he confessed, his voice barely a whisper against the solemn silence of the chamber. "He fell in the battle, and I... I didn’t know what..."

 “Silence!” his new master bellowed, as he reached out.  The thrall shrank back, closing his eyes as he awaited to be struck or killed for his transgression.  But instead, he felt the giant’s hand under his, pulling it up into view.  He opened his eyes, and beheld the warrior staring thoughtfully at the gruesome item in front of him.

"A finger?" he said. "You hold onto a finger as if it were a holy relic?"

The Thrall lowered his gaze, shame etched upon his features, and the Astartes' demeanor suddenly shifted.  He felt the enormous fist close around his hand.

"It is obvious that you were a loyal servant to my brother” he declared, “You honor him by attempting to preserve this.  Keep it.  Would that we all had such trinkets to remember the lost."

The relic of flesh eventually became a relic of bone, adorning the thrall's neck as a solemn emblem of remembrance. Over the years, this would become a tradition among the Waking Thralls, to proudly wear or display a bone of their fallen Master.  Over the centuries, this tradition would spill over into the practices of the Charnel Guard warriors as well, who would adorn their plate with the bones and skulls of their fallen brothers, and display them in their quarters. In the 41st millenium, the halls and chambers of Charnel Guard ships are lined with the bones of fallen brothers, and even the bones of enemies who were deemed worthy of remembrance. 

The Company of Death:

BOOK LIST

Below is a spreadsheet of all the Warhammer books i have listened to, with some notes.  This is mostly for me to keep track, but maybe useful to you.

I wish I didn't have to say this, but these are my opinions.  All were listened to as audio books.  Open to suggestions on further reading, though I will not revisit those I skipped in Horus Heresy.