Adeptus Astartes (all Chapters)

Apothecarion Gene-Vaults of Luna & The Cursed 21st Founding

Every Space Marine Chapter owes its existence to the nineteen (or twenty-two, for Primaris) bio-engineered organ implants developed by the Emperor and Director Amar Astarte in the subterranean gene-laboratories of Terra and the Selenar cults of Luna. Every standard century, each Chapter must submit five percent of its harvested progenoid glands to the Adeptus Mechanicus Genetors on Mars to be screened for mutation and stored in the Vaults of Terra to seed future Foundings.

Around this official lineage of roughly a thousand Chapters swirl some of the Imperium's darkest secrets: the two Lost Legions (the II and XI, designated 'The Forgotten and the Purged', whose Primarchs were erased from every statue and archive on Terra before the Heresy); the disastrous 21st 'Cursed' Founding (M36), when Mechanicus Biologis Magi attempted to tamper with Primarch DNA and created mutated Chapters like the Flame Falcons, Black Dragons, and lamenting Lamenters; and the 'Pentarchy of Blood', when five ruthless Chapters were unleashed by the High Lords to exterminate eleven other Space Marine Chapters declared Traitoris during the War of the False Primarch.

Sub-Factions, Secret Orders & Classified Relics

• The 21st 'Cursed' Founding — Chapters engineered in M36 through forbidden genetic splicing: the Black Dragons (who grow adamantium-hard bone-crests from their forearms), the Sons of Antaeus (unnaturally massive and resilient), and the Lamenters (plagued by catastrophic misfortune).
• The Pentarchy of Blood (Carcharodons, Flesh Tearers, Charnel Guard, Death Eagles & Red Talons) — Five ferocious Chapters convened in 860.M33 to annihilate eleven Chapters during the classified 'War of the False Primarch'.
• The Exorcists & Minotaurs — Secretive Chapters tied to the Inquisition and the High Lords of Terra; the Exorcists deliberately allow every Scout initiate to be possessed by a lesser daemon for twelve hours and exorcise it to render their souls invisible to the Warp.