What's in a name?

So I recently started a new Chaos Space Marine army. At first I had done a ton of research to decide what legion/warband of Space Marines with spikey bits to would best represent me on the battlefield. I toyed with the idea of using Alpha Legion (aka Closet Imperial Loyalists who want to free the Emperor from his tortured existence as a living corpse). I also really liked the Word Bearers. In the end though, I decided to go with the Word Bearers. Lorgar was the first to fall, and as such, he was super cool.

However, like I always do, I ended up changing my mind once again. I decided it would be cooler to have my own fallen chapter of space marines. So first thing they needed was a name and a theme to set them apart. From there I could flesh out their back story in stages.

Eventually I decided on the name "The Consumed". Which was not their original chapter name. I haven't quite gotten to deciding their original chapter name. More or less the name relates to many aspects of the way they fell and their current outlook on the rest of the universe.

The pieces of the back story that I have put together in my own head start with the High Chaplain (what's up with these guys going all psycho anyway?!) falling to Papa Nurgle. Of course, I haven't decided exactly how that happened, it just did. Of course he then attempted to convert the rest of his brothers to the cause of Nurgle, starting with the higher ups. The Chapter Master, the Chief Librarian and the Chief Apothecary.

Unfortunately for the High Chaplain, the other Chaos Gods had other plans, and worked to establish their own foothold within the Chapter. The Chapter Master fell to vanity and vainglory, quickly becoming one of Slaanesh's. In the Chief Librarian's attempts to save his chapter he delved into knowledge to dark for him to control. His mind was blasted by Tzeentch and dark truths have left him stark raving mad, but terribly dangerous. Finally the Chief Apothecary butchered many of the corrupt marines in an attempt to save the Chapter from corruption, but in the end he became a slave of Khorne when he realized he liked the act of slaughter a bit too much.

So in the end the Chapter represents Chaos Undivided, for the most part... One of the things I wanted this Chapter to have was a lot of internal conflict and skulduggery. The majority of the Chapter was destroyed in the conflict and not a single loyalist was spared. The remaining battle-brothers each sided with one of the four command during and after the initial meltdown. The four space marines in command get along as much as could be expected, but each has his own plans to attempt to usurp power from the others.

So the Chapter Command was consumed by greed and hatred, which lead the Company to consume itself, and thus be consumed by Chaos. This act of consumption was not lost upon the Chapter and has become a part of their doctrine. The majority of the Chapter does in fact revere the other Chaos Gods in some form or another. Seeing them as key parts in the universal digestive process. Khorne is the gnashing teeth that tear the meat from the bone and masticate it to a pulp. Slaanesh is the euphoria and content at having fulfilled the need. Tzeentch represents the power and nutrients provided by the meal. Nurgle is the final act of defecation, ridding the body of the waste and setting the cycle to repeat once more. It is a balance that the Chapter recognizes as a whole, and thus gave birth to their most important ritual: After battle The Consumed eat the corpses of their foes and their own fallen alike. When their bellies are full the rest is left to rot.

So what does everyone think? Too gruesome? Not gruesome enough? There of course will be more, and at some point I may even write some short stories as I finish fleshing these guys out.