On the origins of the Guardians of the Covenant: Crossed Swords, sigil of the Order of the Shadowed Flame

 +++ ASTROPATHIC COMMUNIQUE FRAGMENT +++

TO: Ordo Astartes, Subdivision Maledictum, Sigillite Clearance: Beta-Nadir-4 FROM: Inquisitorial Agent-Nominate Kael Dravyn, Vigilant Primus, 13th Scintillan Archive RE: Investigative Report on Insurgent Astartes Warband "Order of the Shadowed Flame" ATTACHMENT: Codicological Analysis – Symbolic Origin of Crossed Swords Insignia

+++ REPORT BEGINS +++

Subject: The Crossed Swords Emblem — Historical Reclamation by the Order of the Shadowed Flame

Abstract: This document explores the reappropriation of the Crossed Swords insignia, historically associated with the Deathwing of the I Legion, by the renegade warband known as the Order of the Shadowed Flame. Cross-referenced with compiled transmissions, recovered battlefield data, apocryphal sermon-recordings, and intercepted legion vox-echoes. Particular emphasis is placed on the philosophies of their founding circle: Chaplain-Magus Malachai, Commander Eryan Valedorn, Warden Seraphon, and Artificer Zydron.

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I. ORIGIN OF THE SIGIL IN FIRST LEGION DOCTRINE

The Crossed Swords emblem originates within the pre-Heresy structure of the Dark Angels Legion. Traditionally associated with the Deathwing, the elite inner circle of the Hexagrammaton, the crossed swords were symbolic of martial excellence, loyalty to the Primarch, and the burden of secret knowledge.

Notably, this icon was not exclusive to the Deathwing. Records from the Rangdan Xenocides reference the "Pyric Host," a Terran-formed battalion whose survivors bore crossed blades as a vigil mark for their fallen. Suppressed citations indicate that this symbol once conveyed silent sacrifice and fraternal oath — distinct from the more codified interpretations later enforced by Calibanite hierarchies.

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II. THE FOUNDING CIRCLE AND THEIR PHILOSOPHY

The Order of the Shadowed Flame coalesced during the waning years of the Heresy, formed from scattered and ideologically disillusioned elements of the Dark Angels. Core founders include:

• Malachai – A mystic and orator, formerly of the Dreadwing. Believed to have transcribed the "Dictum of the Ashen Path," wherein he reframed the crossed swords as a covenant between belief and consequence.

• Eryan Valedorn – A Terran-born line officer, veteran of the Pyric Host. Later served under Deathwing command. His final address (see Ref: Alpha-Eidolon-9) contains several rhetorical invocations of the swords as symbols of oath reclaimed.

• Seraphon Ur'felix – Warden of flame and master of the Librarius, believed to have broken from the Ironwing. His armor bears the first known iteration of the flaming sword-cross variant.

• Hercuton Zydron – War-Marshall and Deathwing veteran, originally attached to a Calibanite forge-fane. Repainted and redeployed Deathwing vehicles have been linked to his command cell.

Their unifying motive appears to be the rejection of Legion silence, secrecy, and withdrawal during key conflicts of the Heresy. These Astartes came to see the First Legion’s obsession with hierarchy and secrecy as a betrayal of the Imperium’s needs.

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III. SYMBOLIC RECLAMATION AND REPAINTING PRACTICES

Upon forming the Order, the founders made extensive use of Deathwing-derived wargear. Crossed swords, once badges of rank or oaths to the Lion, were not removed — they were overpainted, burned, or ritualized.

These acts were not merely pragmatic, but symbolic:

• Sword One: Oath to Mankind — a reassertion of the Imperium’s founding ideals.

• Sword Two: Consequence of Betrayal — representing their own perceived betrayal by the Legion, and the violence of their response.

Crossed, the swords form a new meaning: a Covenant — the sacred intersection of belief and action.

Malachai’s surviving sermons refer to the emblem as a “mark of the blade that speaks”, in contrast to the silenced swords of the Deathwing.

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IV. VARIANTS IN THE SHADOWED FLAME

Numerous sub-orders and strike-cells of the Order of the Shadowed Flame exhibit the following variants of the emblem, with its use often tied to the Astartes War Leaders that led them:

• Crossed swords wreathed in crimson flame (Master Valedorn’s colours)

• Blades set within lantern halos (Master Zydron’s iconography)

• Crossed swords behind a cracked Calibanite helm (Master Seraphon’s "broken brotherhood" symbol)

Each variant retains the core form while adding layers of narrative or personal belief.

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V. CURRENT USAGE AND THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Despite its heretical origin post-Schism, the Guardians of the Covenant continue to use the emblem into M41. Variants have been sighted on armor fragments recovered from Halo Star conflicts, and inscriptions on ancient hulls referencing the Covenant of Flame and other texts held sacred to this Chapter.

It is evident that the Chapter sees the crossed swords not only as a historical legacy, but as a sacred sign of penitence, rebellion, and philosophical war — the core of their martial and metaphysical identity.

“Each sword alone is lost. Crossed, they remember. Crossed, they judge.”
— Malachai, Dictum of the Ashen Path, Fragment III

+++ REPORT ENDS +++

On the origins of the Guardians of the Covenant - ORDO REDACTUS // REDACTED TRUTH

 ORDO REDACTUS // REDACTED TRUTH

Subject: Guardians of the Covenant

Classification Level: ██████████

Date Reconstructed: M42.019

Authorizing Authority: Ordo Hereticus, Sub-Sector Calverna

Clearance Required: Ω-Crux Protocol

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Extracted from fragmentary remnants of sealed vault-data recovered from the ruins of Station Barakiel in the Halo Stars. Contents verified against Apocrypha of Skaros and the Index Excommunicatus – Volume XIII.

> “Even in penitence, treachery casts a long shadow.”

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➤ Origins

Though publicly lauded as an obscure yet faithful Chapter founded in the aftermath of the Scouring, recent findings strongly suggest the Guardians of the Covenant were not born of loyalty—but of betrayal.

Evidence from recovered Legiones Astartes ciphers, matching tactical markings found on derelict battle-plate, points to their origin as a Blackshield warband formed during the late Horus Heresy. They operated under numerous codenames—most notably the Shadowed Flame, Penumbral Order, and in one unredacted sigil-plate, the Fourth Vow.

Their genetic markers trace to the First Legion, but all references to a parent Company or Crusade fleet have been struck from Dark Angels’ internal records. Not uncommon, yet this level of redaction is extreme—even by Unforgiven standards.

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➤ Treachery

Recovered vox-logs and war scrap from the Siege of Terra confirm the presence of a unit bearing the now-iconic sigil of the Guardians—pre-crimson, but bearing dual-bladed heraldry and sealed helms with liturgical scrolls.

Witnesses describe them fighting alongside Iron Warriors and Sons of Horus, displaying no Daemonic allegiance, yet executing Loyalist forces with precision. Their war doctrine emphasized decapitation strikes and strategic annihilation of Imperial morale assets—libraria, remembrancer enclaves, data-crypts.

One fragment from a slain VIII Legion Remembrancer reads:

> “They kill like priests. Like they mourn each throat they cut.”

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➤ Exile and Transformation

Following Horus’ death, they did not flee to the Eye. Instead, they surrendered to Terra. Their Praetor, one Eryan Valedorn, was executed without trial. The surviving warriors—numbering less than a hundred—were banished to the Halo Stars, their armorial stripped, their oaths nullified.

There, they began again.

Over millennia, they assumed a new identity: the Guardians of the Covenant. They forged a dual path of thought and war: the Theoreticum, dedicated to understanding, and the Practicum, dedicated to defense. Their crimson robes—first worn in pride—became grom reminders of blood spilled in sin.

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➤ Verdict

They are a Chapter of penitents. But not innocents.

Their betrayal is buried, but not erased.

Their knowledge is vast—and dangerous.

Their loyalty, measured by their willingness to be forgotten.

The question is not whether they will fall again.

The question is—if they do—who will be left to stop them?

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+++ Data-Slate Sealed. Archival Access Denied Without Inquisitorial Seal ORDO-M42-BLACK.

+++ Transmitting to Librarius Obscura, Segmentum Pacificus.

Finally: Iron Warriors army shot!

It took me a while, but finally I've got an army shot for my Iron Warriors. Aside of a primered Shadowsword that was too unfinished to display, this is the entirety of my (ever expanding) Iron Warriors army.

As you can see, most of it is finished to a decent tabletop quality. The only things left unfinished are the Daemon Prince, the Dreadclaw and its squad and the bases of several models, which still need to be ordered over at Dragon Forge.

As I've said in my previous post, the dreadclaw has some areas painted yellow. These areas will be covered with hazard stripes when the thing is done. Also, I'm planning on getting a Hell Blade chaos fighter some time in the future, and of course a Land Raider and more Vindicators.

Xzar the Exalted and the Forlorn (Sounds like an obscure Metal band)

Forge World Mk. V assault marines make decent Raptors!

The Brass Sons with their Rhino.

Arrakis the Thrice-Damned, Helbrute and Arch-Heretek Vairecx with bodyguard

The Scions of Medrengard with their Rhino

Chaos Lord Harkor the Demolisher with his Rending Guard

The Iconoclast, a Vindicator Tank and Iron Judges, autocannon Havoc

Last but not least, the Hellraker

March of the Super-Heavies

Hi folks,

This weekend saw some work on my Brass Scorpion. I gave it an extra black ink wash and started to work on the brass trims. Still a lot of work and weathering needs to be done. Anyway, during the painting one of its leg segments broke off. A simple glue snap, I can glue it back on easily.

Further to this, I have picked up a second hand Shadowsword tank, and chaosified it by adding lots of spikes and eventually an Iron Warrior sticking out of the top of the tank.

Anyway, see to yourself.

Legendary Guardians of the Covenant

In a Chapter of but a thousand warriors, each and every Space Marine is a legend on its own.

Having endured a gruelling training, surviving to become a Battle-Brother and carving his legend through the annals of the Imperium itself, each and every member of the Chapter is a hero beyond belief. Though even in this brotherhood of heroes, there are a few warriors that truly stand out. They are warriors whose prowess of battle and keen intellect are second to none. They and they alone have achieved singular greatness and are the purest exemplars of their Chapter.

They are the epitome of what each Battle-Brother strives to become.

They are legendary.

Xandor Solaceon - Supreme Grand Master of the Guardians of the Covenant,  The Lord Guardian, the Crimson Angel, Satrap of Sub-Sector Halcyon

Even for an Astartes, Xandor Solaceon is ancient. Taking the mantle of Chapter Master almost four hundred years ago, the story of Solaceon is one of many legends. Solaceon, the current Supreme Grand Master is believed to be over eight centuries old. His ornate suit of artificer armour is as much battle plate as it is life support. His armour sports an ancient single-thruster winged jump pack and he wields a large power falx.
He is a fearsome warrior, wise and pious. Many Mortikans revere him as a Saint, entire generations growing up and dying, taking comfort in the fact that Solaceon is always there as an avatar of the divinity of the God-Emperor.
To the Battle-Brothers of the Chapter, Solaceon is the ultimate authority. An individual with the wisdom of ages. It was Solaceon that single-handedly slew the Daemon Prince N'zar, he also turned the tide in the Lelith Incursion and successfully led the 77th Halo Crusade, which led to the creation of a new sub-sector at the edge of known space.
By ancient tradition, the position of Chapter Master will be vacant only after the passing of the current one. Due to his extreme age, the Lord Guardian shares the burden of leading the Chapter with his fellow Grand Masters and spends a lot of time in the Spire in study and meditation. However, when the Lord Guardian enters the battlefield, the tide of battle will surely turn.


Galax Trayarch - The Knight Eternal, Grand Master of the Convenio Mentoris, High Suzerain of Mortikah VII

Clad in a suit of baroque terminator armour, Grand Master Trayarch is a giant, even amongst his brother Astartes. As Grand Master of the Convenio Mentorus, he is the Master of the Knights of the Covenant, and thusly named the Knight Eternal. Trayarch has held his post for nearly two centuries, and can always be found at the forefront of any large theatre of war. He typically wields Deicide, an archaeotech thunder hammer, with origins in the Great Crusade, which he wields with devastating effect.
The Knight Eternal earned praise from the wider Imperium, when he boarded a Hive Ship of a splinter fleet of Hive Gorgon, slaying the Norn Queen after a battle that is said to have taken over a day to complete. Of the thirty elite Knights and Mentor Terminators that boarded the Tyranid vessel, only five survived. Those survivors currently form Trayarch's command squad, named The Five.
Through great sacrifice, the Guardians of the Covenant eventually turned the tide of the war halted the progress of Hive Fleet Gorgon significantly.


Parcival Drachyon - The Stygian Prince, Grand Master of the Convenio Venator, Praeses of the Black Knights

The illustrious career of the Grand Master of the second company is one steeped in glory. Parcival Drachyon currently leads the Black Knights, an elite faction within the fabled Convenio Venator, the gathering of hunters. Drachyon, like his knights, wears jet black armour. This, together with his noble Mortikan heritage, earned him the title, the Stygian Prince.Drachyon rides into battle a relic without equal: Mercurion, an ancient Scimitar-pattern Jetbike, a precious heirloom from the days of the Great Crusade.
The Stygian Prince is a veteran of centuries and his wisdom knows few equals, despite this, he is considered hot-headed by some, hungry for glory by others. Drachyon is the absolute master of rapid attacks, often hitting the enemy with surgical strikes, breaking the foe's will even before the main assault. The Praeses of the Black Knights rose to fame with the wider Imperium after fighting alongside the Ultramarines Third Company in a gruelling campaign against the corrupted hive world of Virago, where they clashed with their traitorous brethren of The Purge, a Chaos Space Marine warband.


Luthenas Vairez - Master of the Convenio Armatura, Master of the Forge, Lord of Mechanisms, Keeper of the Last Guardian.

The Master of the Forge, Luthenas Vairez, has spent decades on Mars and Ryza, learning the secrets of the Adeptus Mechanicus. He came back after almost a century of absence, the annals of the Spire registered Vairez as lost to the warp. The stalwart Techmarine was immediately promoted to Master of the Forge and he went to work on The Last Guardian, an immobilised but nonetheless fearsome Fellblade super-heavy tank, which he made battle-ready after a decade of intensive work. Vairez is legendary within the Chapter, both as a mechanic and an innovator. His unorthodox armour sports an arcane conversion beamer and he himself wields a thunder hammer, often with a storm shield.


Kaesar Lucius -  Former Grand Master of the Chapter, The Doomed Crusader

The story of Kaesar Lucius was a grand one, albeit with one that ends in misfortune. He was a fearsome warrior. A Battle-Brother of great wisdom, and unmatched skills in battle. Lucius was an active crusader, and claimed a lot of uncharted space for the Imperium. Over two millennia ago, Kaesar Lucius stood on the eve of embarking on the biggest crusade into the uncharted territory of the Halo Zone. The crusade would later be christened as the Armeneus Crusade. Hundreds of thousands of troops, Spireguard, tanks and a full five companies of Guardians of the Covenant would travel with a fleet of such magnitude, that it was said the stars themselves were blotted out.
All would prove for nought. The crusade left, and would never be heard of again. The final fate of Kaesar Lucius and many Battle-Brothers and brothers in arms would be left to question for eternity.


Leicas Huriel - Legendary founder of the Chapter

Leicas Huriel was a Dark Angel and the arch-father of the Chapter. Not much is known about Huriel. He was a member of the Inner Circle and was known as an oddity within the Dark Angels Chapter, in that he though the scholarly arts were equal to the martial arts. Despite this, Huriel was considered a font of wisdom. When the High Lords of Terra created a new Chapter from Dark Angels' Gene-Seed, it was only natural that Leicas Huriel would be the one to lead it.


Lenko Hollix-Varnus - Librarius Dominus, Chief Librarian, Keeper of the Seven Keys

The Chief Librarian of the Guardians of the Covenant stands in stark contrast with Brother-Librarians from other Chapters. The Librarius Dominus of the Sons of Mortikah is not a keeper of secrets, but a giver of knowledge. Even within a brotherhood of warrior-scholars, Lenko Hollix-Varnus takes the moniker to a new level. He a scholar in extremis, when not at war, he leads the Librarium in documenting and categorising every piece of knowledge and art the Chapter brings into existence.
Formally attached to the First Company, he wears dark blue and gunmetal terminator armour. Hollix-Varnus is the name of an influential noble Mortikan family, which has provided the Guardians of the Covenant with many recruits.
Aside of all this, Lenko is a formidable battle-psyker, wielding the devastating powers of the warp to great effect.

Ivanh Olmas - Hero of the Lelith Campaign, Chaplain of the Convenio Fides

Olmas is perhaps the most recently forged legend within the Guardians of the Covenant Chapter. He is a Chaplain assigned to the Convenio Fides. Olmas was chosen to lead the expedition against the Lelith as Force Commander. Despite heavy losses, Ivanh Olmas stood his ground and none found him wanting. His selfless actions prevented even heavier losses amongst his Brothers, and due to this he was named the Hero of the Lelith Campaign, Saviour of Choris. He refused any official commendations, for he stated that he was only doing his duty and expected his brothers to do just the same. Nevertheless, his star shines brightly and he is well liked -and feared- by the brothers of his ministration.


Sajanus Mordecai - Dark  Reclusiarch, Keeper of the Faith, Grand Master of the Reclusiam

A dark and brooding figure, Sajanus Mordecai is amongst the oldest Astartes in service of  Chapter. His ornate artificer armour is bedecked with sinister memento mori and numerous texts from holy scriptures. Mordecai is said to embody the spirit of the Chapter and carries the title Keeper of the Faith.  Though a fully trained Interrogator-Chaplain, even holding two of the fabled black pearls in his keepsake, Mordecai currently uses his skills to interrogate the many vile Xenos the Guardians of the Covenant encounter, and he does this with terrifying succes.
Aside of his Crozius Arcanum, Mordecai wields Spiritbreaker, a master-crafted power fist and is commonly seen donning the Angel's Pinions, a winged jump pack akin to that of the Chapter Master himself.

Apocalypse: Guardians of the Covenant vs. Iron Warriors. PICTURES!

Hey folks,
Been a while, I know. Even though my very own Iron Warriors got a little more love than my Guardians last month, I haven't forgotten my well-dressed marines. In fact, I've had an apocalypse match the other day with the entirety of my (painted) army, around 6000pts. It was an awesome match that took the better part of a day to finish. Unfortunately I lost due to my opponent being in favour with the Dice Gods.
Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun. Apocalypse has both the best and the worst 40k has to offer. 10/10 Would play again.
Enough words. Check out the epic pictures.

 

Lore of the Guardians of the Covenant: Famous Campaigns and Battles. Part I

During their long history, the Guardians of the Covenant have fought a great many wars and crusades. Though most have been lost in the sands of time, forgotten save for a tattered banner of withered scroll somewhere deep in the Spire, there are some battles which have shaped the history of the Chapter and the people of Mortikah as we know it.


Castellax Campaign

The Castellax Campaign was a joint operation by the Ordo Xenos and the Guardians of the Covenant. The campaign was centred around the forge world of Castellax which was beset from all sides by a vast ork invasion fleet. Castellax had been an important forge world during the Great Crusade, producing all manner of war gear of the Legiones Astartes. As of the forty-first millennium, the world was heavy with war relics that could never be replaced if lost.
The Inquisition answered a desperate plea by the Adeptus Mechanicus that a vast ork fleet was approaching. The xenos were bent on looting the the planet and moving on to the nearby heavily populated sub-sector. If the orks succeeded at Castellax, the Imperium would be thrown into another bloody war of attrition.
Warp travel is fickle, and it took a good part of four months to journey from Mortikah VII to Castellax. During that period, the vile orks gained a secure foothold on the south pole of the planet. Using it as a staging ground to invade the rest of the planet by looting enough precious war machines to build their own ramshackle abominations. The Mechanicus-aligned knightly House Rajax together with the Legio Silentium and the local Taghmata Omnissiah barely held back the green tide.
At the beginning of the fifth month of the journey, the Black Ships of the Inquisition together with several battle barges and strike cruisers of the Guardians of the Covenant, translated back to realspace near the Castellax system. The Space Marines deployed with drop pods and thunderhawks and even a few storm eagles made the descent, bringing the Emperor's Fury upon the vile orks. The battle was costly, as the orks already looted enough to make gargants and other heavy weaponry. In the end, the forge world of Castellax was liberated. The Adeptus Mechanicus, as a token of gratitude gifted three precious relic dreadnought chasses, which were kept in stasis for millennia, to the Chapter. And thus was the bond between both factions was further strengthened.


Kheres Crusade

The Kheres Crusade, or informally named the Crusade of Angels due to the Space Marine Chapters involved, was an operation between the Blood Angels and the Guardians of the Covenant. The former were exacting revenge on the vile hrud. The fighting was fierce and both forces fought to a standstill. Ever more hrud poured from the warp and the strike force consisting of the Blood Angels third company simply did not have the numbers and resources to wage a bloody war of attrition. What the Blood Angels were doing in a remote corner of the Imperium battling the hrud, no one but they themselves knew.
Though far from Imperial space, their pleas for assistance in battling the hrud were not misplaced. The Guardians of the Covenant Fourth Company answered the call in force, relieving the embattled Blood Angels and driving back the vile warp-spawned xenos. In gratitude of this timely intervention, the Blood Angels gifted a dozen ornate angelus-pattern jumppacks, resplendent with ceramite wings. Normally worn by the Chapter's elite, the Sanguinary Guard, the Grand Master of the Guardians of the Covenant fashioned them for his own armour and the remaining others for his Honour Guard. They can still be seen wearing the jumppacks to this day.


Lucian's Folly

The undertaking which eventually became known as Lucian's Folly started as a crusade into the Halo Zones to claim several uncharted sectors for the Imperium. By request of the High Lords of Terra, fully half of the Chapter was committed to the crusade. This force, led by Grand Master Lucian crusaded forth to bring the Emperor's light in the remote darkness of the Halo Zones. To Imperial scholars, this event is known as the Armeneus Crusade, but to the people and brothers of Mortikah VII, this tragic even will be forever etched into public consciousness as Lucian's Folly.
The undertaking begin with great applause and fanfare, as a great many Mortikans gladly joined the Astra Militarum in order to partake in the crusade. The departure of soldiers for the crusade was of a magnitude so immense, that the place where the many ships lifted off eventually grew into a bristling spaceport, named in honour of the lost Grand Master.
Where the Armeneus Crusade began full of wonders, glory and Imperial prowess, it ended in utter tragedy. Five months into the campaign, all astrotelephatical communication was lost after a warp surge seemed to brutally end the lives of every telepathic choir tuned in to the location of the crusade. Attempts to re-establish communication has proved futile, all traces of the crusade, which had numbers well into the hundred thousands as well as half a Chapter worth of Astartes, went cold. No contact was ever made again. The Imperium was set back by this loss, but the Chapter was sent reeling by the loss of five hundred battle-brothers, including the Grand Master and many veteran members of the Chapter. Never again would half the Chapter be committed again to one single campaign.