The Protectors of the Skolarii Sector

I have played many battles over the current tournament season with my Chaos Space Marines. But they aren't just generic Space Marines to me. No, they have their own tragic history.

Origins
The Exigators Chapter was created in the early 35th Millenium, shortly before the Age of Apostasy, as part of the 21st (cursed) founding. They were based in the eastern fringes of the Imperium at the very edge of the Astronomicon. Their purpose was to bring the Emperors law to the scattered star systems in the area, and to claim new worlds in the Emperors name. To further their aims they were supplied with the best equipment the Imperium could provide and underwent intensive combat training in numerous theatres. Only when they were totally prepared were they unleashed upon the Eastern fringes. According to their doctrine the fleet divided into company sized armies and some divided again into smaller detatchments. All was well for twenty years and many worlds were conquered or brought back into the Emperors fold. Then something went wrong.

Spontaneously, across the entire Chapter, the Exigators gene-seed mutated. Some marines died as their bodies underwent massive traumatic adjustment. Others devolved to motionless vegetables, while others still became slavering beasts howling for blood. This was not like Chaotic mutation, visible externally, but entirely internal, implants and organs rejecting their hosts, cancers running amok. In desperation the Chapters apothecaries concocted a serum to stabilize the gene seed. It was only a stop-gap measure until the Exigators could regroup and return to the Imperium to seek a more permanent remedy. As the Chapter traveled back through the warp the brothers began to turn grey, their skin succumbing to some horrible necrotic disease, a by product of the serum. The marines hair came out in clumps, their cheeks becoming sunken, their eyes glassy. The Exigators have not yet found a cure, but they fight on in undeath, always hoping.

Home World
The Exigators Chapter was never linked with any particular home world, instead they are fleet based, inhabiting numerous battle barges and strike cruisers. In recent years they are rumoured to be operating out of the Horsehead Nebula in sub-sector 2 of the Skolarii sector.

Combat Doctrine
The Exigators were intended to be a highly disciplined force, specializing in small-scale surgical strikes rather than massed battles. Subsequently their training focusses heavily on infiltration techniques, using available cover and attacking at night where possible.

Organisation
The Chapter has a de-centralized structure, reflecting its combat doctrine. The Chapter is broken down into single companies and their accompanying strike cruisers. The Exigators often reduce further into individual detatchments.

Gene-seed
The Exigators gene-seed was subject to spontaneous mutation in the Chapter’s early history. A serum was produced by their apothecaries to halt this mutation, which was in itself successful but it carried it’s own hideous side effects, rotting the brethrens flesh, till they have become dried out husks.

I hope to play the Exigators a few more times this year to end the season on a high.