Saints

The Saints are one of the First Founding Chapters of the Space Marines. They were originally the personal troops of Primarch Frida Evangelina, elevated to the status of Astartes after their arrival in the far off system of Campos de Oro. As their parimarch was numbered 11, they claim the right to the title of the XI Legion.

The Saints and their successor chapter send their troops on long journeys from Campos de Oro to aid the Imperium and to earn the right of their ancient primarch (who is held in stasis) to one day meet with the Emperor and atone for her sins.

They maintain recruitment-chapels on various worlds spread throughout Campos de Oro where many still serve as a bulwark against the waves of xenos that still try to destroy the human colony.

The Saints began as a group of supporters of young Frida who eventually morphed into armed protesters. Later they became an elite cadre of fighters that acted as the primary military force that protected the generation ships against the many xenos that attacked them en route to their destination. Eventually their primarch used her genetic knowledge, along with machines and plans developed by the Emperor himself, to produce a legion of marines to defend the colony from all would-be conquerors.

They have since returned to the Imperium to allow their primarch, who lays in stasis, to meet with the Emperor and atone for a sin she committed. They are not trusted by the Imperium at large, as they mysteriously appeared from beyond Imperial space during the 13th Black Crusade, but the Imperium has no problem using them to fight their battles. Currently the Saints and their successor chapters are on a 500 year long crusade to prove their honor and loyalty to the Imperium and earn the right to bring their sleeping primarch before the Emperor.

Gene Seed
The Saints gene seed is that of the 11th Primarch Frida Evangelina. Their gene seed is noted to have several flaws/divergences. Firstly, as their primarch was female, it is possible to create both female and male marines with it. Secondly, the chapter seems to have a greatly diminished Oolitic Kidney that renders them more susceptible to poisons. The chapter produces a higher than average number of psykers, but not dramatically so, and they have a slightly higher than average chance of mutation. The marines of the chapter have inherited both Frida’s scientific aptitude and her obsessive nature though her DNA. This often leads to exceptionally bright marines but also sends many of them spiraling down into heresy when they get lost in some obsession (as she did with Delilah’s Mirror).

Chapter Beliefs & Disposition
While the Saints are a chapter of the Adeptus Astartes in chapter and disposition they grew up in a fundamentally different environment than the other chapters. They have since been influenced by Imperial dogma and brought more into line with the other chapters of the Astartes. They are unique in that they venerate Erda in addition to the Emperor (though as a lesser entity) and regard her as their “mother”. The chapter paints their armor as a way of both expressing their faith and as a means of identification. Battle siblings of the chapter will soon learn the ritualistic painting of their squad mates and can tell them apart from other members of the chapter at a glance.

Chapter Organization
The chapter is split into two different parts, those on the Evangelian Crusades and those back in the Campos de Oro system serving as the honor guard for the regent of Campos de Oro. The first composes the majority, 8 whole companies, while the Campos de Oro detachment is composed of the 1st company and the scout company. Those in the Campos de Oro system are known as the “Guardia Real” (“Royal Guards”) and those in Imperial space are known as the “Cruzados” (crusader) companies.

Beyond that the chapter is organized in a relatively Codex-compliant fashion. In total the chapter has 10 companies of about 100 marines each. While each of the companies originally had one of the old generation ships from Diaspora Fleet they have since given them to some of their successor chapters. The chapter has some atypical equipment as their technology developed independently of their Imperial counterparts.

Guardia Real Companies
The Guardia Real are the 1st and 10th companies of The Saints. The 1st company is the honor guard of the Regent of Campos de Oro. This position is currently filled by the Chapter Master of The Saints but their involvement is mostly ceremonial, most of the logistics are delegated to a council of planetary governors. The chapter master, who is currently Isabel Cadaval (daughter of Yasmine the Hierophant), is advised by Diego the Blind, a venerated dreadnought who served as the Primarch’s right hand man during her life. The 10th company is the training company and contains most of the scouts. Those recruited out of the system are transported back to Campos de Oro for training. They get their training in the xenos extermination campaigns the chapter frequently embarks on. Members of the 1st company have a unique golden skull on their chest to denote their veteran status. This is in place of the white helmets most veterans normally use (as all members of the chapter have white helmets).

Cruzados Companies
The Cruzados companies (companies 2-9) are dedicated to the Evangelian Crusades. The Cruzados Companies are commanded by the Cruzada-Comandante/Cruzado-comandante (Crusader Commander) who also serves as the Captain of the 2nd company (currently Captain Carmelo Evangelina). The Cruzados Companies are under the command of the Warmasters of the Sanctified.

Cadres & The Codex Astartes
While initially the Saints were not organized in compliance of the Codex Astartes, they were generally organized in a similar fashion prior to that. As they were essentially a private army of Frida's followers before they were organized in smaller "cliques" of about 25 marines who were placed under the direct command of their Primarch's advisors (Gabriela Mastache, Diego Deluna, Delilah, Yasmine the Hierophant, and later Carmelo) who often managed several of these cliques. They were formally called "cadres" and many had specialized roles and equipment before Diaspora Fleet reached Campos de Oro. There they transitioned to a standing army and grew to a size of about 125,000 marines. They were broken into 25 marine cadres and took on a combined-arms role (though many still retained specialist functions) and 40 cadres were considered a "mission". After arriving in Imperial space they were told to break up their forces into chapters and they obliged (as their missions were essentially chapters and 2 cadres were basically companies). A bit of shuffling occurred within their ranks but today they are essentially codex complaint, though they retain a "cadre" level of organization within each company of 25 marines (~5 squads). They are lead by a "Cadre Commander", typically a senior Sergeant or Lieutenant.

The Sanctified
The “Sanctified” is the collective term for The Saints and their successors chapters. The Chapter Master of The Saints is the de facto leader of The Sanctified and holds council with the leaders of the other successor chapters. Many of the Sanctified have been given powerful generation ships from Diaspora Fleet to serve as the flagships of their fleets.

There are two Warmasters who lead the two branches of the Evangelian Crusades. They are given tactical command over all Imperial forces engaged in the campaign. The Warmaster of the webway branch of the crusade is led by Cruzada-Comandante Carmelo Evangelina (a powerful psyker and adopted daughter of the primarch) of the Saints and the tyranid extermination branch is led by Cruzada-Comandante Valencia Penate of the Children of the Grail.

The Grailwind
A mysterious artifact recovered by the Children of the Grail (a successor chapter of The Saints) allows passage between Campos de Oro and Imperial space. It is theorized to be an ancient webway gate in space that can link any two points so long as they are sufficiently far away in real space. The artifact is tricky to operate and only a powerful psyker can activate it (often killing them in the process) and even then certain astrological events need to be in alignment in order for it to function. When the time is right the Sanctified pass between Imperial space and their home system, exporting trade goods and troops while importing technology, advisors, ideologies, and supplies from the heart of the Imperium.

Specialty
The Saints are skilled generalists but specialize in shipboard activities due to their background as the main boarding/repelling force of Diaspora Fleet. They are exceptional navigators, top notch fighters in the void, and are all capable for commanding vessels large and small.

Their many xenos crusades have made them exceptionally good at defeating such foes and foiling their technology (even utilizing a bit of it sometimes). This puts them in the cross-hairs of the Ordo Xenos, with whom they have hot/cold relationship with. On the one hand they make excellent xenos hunters but on the other hand the Saints have a tendency to conduct their own research, autopsies, and analysis on xenos species and it's not clear if they share all their information with the Inquisition.

Their primarch's scientific mind and obsessive nature lends them to R&D and scientific observational work of the chapters (on par with chapters like the Mentor Legion and Iron Hands). They can maintain their own armor and equipment without the aid of a techpriest in a pinch due to having to be self-reliant on their own skills for so long but, since their re-connection with the Imperium, have become increasingly allied with the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Equipment

 * Oro Pattern Power Armor:  This variant of Astarte power armor developed independent of traditional space marine armor. It was based on Mark II Crusade Power Armour, though notes for Mark III Iron Power Armour were in their database as well and has conveniently evolved many of the features common in modern power armor. The void seals and oxygen systems of Oro pattern armor are notably better and the boots have special features that allow them to adhere to the hulls of voidcraft much better. Since returning to the Imperium they have swapped data with their brethren and both Imperial power armor and Oro Pattern Power Armor have improved as a result. Still, the sanctified prefer to keep their own "unique" armor as they are more at home in it.
 * Desintegrador Pattern Plasma Pistol: The desintegrador is a high-tech style of plasma pistol (akin to a master crafted plasma pistol) that originated with an xenos species known as the X'crax in the Campos de Oro system. It emits a wild lash of discriminating energy at a short range the snags a target, immobilizing it as it disintegrates them.
 * Ogresa Pattern Bolter: The standard bolters produced in the Campos de Oro system are large, heavy, blocky, ugly looking weapons that suffers from a lower rate of fire but has been engineered to never jam. The heavy bolter version of these "ogres", as they're called in Low Gothic, have become popular outside Campos de Oro for their reliability under fire and are used as squad support weapons.

13th Black Crusade
The Saints arrived in the later days of the Black Crusade from Campos de Oro. Their arrival was met with violence from the Imperium, who suspected they were a ploy sent by the forces of chaos. At the Battle of Drakon’s Bason The Saints faced an Inquisitor and his conscripted Imperial Guard forces after communications breakdown. Both sides suffered considerable casualties and the battle ended when Captain-Librarian Carmelo Evangelina spoke directly to the mind of the Inquisitor’s psyker.

After negotiations The Saints were kept at an arm’s length. While they were not trusted they were allowed to participate in solitary campaigns against the enemy. They are noted to have fought with distinction during battles adjacent to the Diamor Campaign as well as playing an important role in the orbital conflict around the Battle of Lion's Gate. Their presence in the Sol system (around Saturn) would be the closest The Saints would ever get to Holy Terra.

The Evangelian Crusades
After the 13th Black Crusade The Saints embarked on a crusade to prove their loyalty to the Imperium. This is due to their wish to allow their Primarch (who sleeps in stasis) to confess her sins to the Emperor and seek absolution. Roboute Guilliman authorized the Evangelian Crusades, though he is not fully convinced of the identity of Frida Evangelina.

This series of crusades, embarked upon by The Saints and their successor chapters, targeted a number of xenos worlds on the fringe of the Imperium. Initially they targeted bestial xenos worlds the Imperium had been ignoring but the campaign was eventually split in two: one ripping through the webways and other targeting a lesser tyranid Hive Fleet (Hive Fleet Wendigo).