Red Talons

Red Talons
Founding	Second Founding
Successors of	Iron Hands
Chapter Master	Smashfucker
Homeworld	Raikan
Strength	Unknown
Specialty	Rip and Tear
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours	Red and Black

The Red Talons are a Second Founding successor chapter of the Iron Hands. They have no relation to the Tribe of the same name in Werewolf: The Apocalypse.

Thanks to Forgeworld, Horus Heresy: Massacre has finally shed some light on these guys. Though it's not explicitly stated, anyone with half a brain cell can figure out that they were founded by Iron Father Autek Mor and his Morragul Clan (Mor's flagship was called the Red Talon for God's sakes). The Morragul Clan was noteworthy as being composed of some of the most bloodthirsty and hard-ass marines in the X Legion, so much so that even Ferrus Manus found them to be distasteful. Read: these guys were founded by the marines that even a Primarch known for beating a dragon senseless and drowning it in lava with his bare hands considered a bit too extreme.

Iron Father Autek Mor. In case you still had any doubts, note the chapter symbol.

To elaborate, Autek Mor was best known for killing several of his own men in duels over "slights" before the Heresy, to the point that Ferrus and the other Iron Fathers used his Clan as a dumping ground for those Legionaries who couldn't control their rage and fight with the self-control that the Iron Hands prized. After the Isstvan V Massacre, he waged a war that was pretty much the opposite of Shadrak Meduson's resistance. For example, he attacked Gethsamaine Colonus and blew up every major city. When the bombs went off, the population were hesitantly celebrating their liberation by the Iron Hands.

He also destroyed the World Eaters' main recruitment centre and muster world, Bodt, by dropping a fucking moon on top of it.

Outside of their founding, not a whole lot has been written about these chaps. What is known is that during the War of the False Primarch they, along with some other friendly fellows, wiped out eleven entire chapters that had been declared Traitors. Yeah... These guys don't play. Also went on a killing spree during the Moirae Schism when other Iron Hands didn't pick the right side of that little miniature Heresy.

Also of note is that, if the Codex artwork is to be believed, they are organized along Codex lines, rather than the Clan Council system of the other Iron Hands successors. Also of interest is that they are never mentioned as being particularly tech-obsessed. I suppose this should be taken as a given what with their heritage and all, but still it seems that Rip and Tear seems to be more of their thing than The Flesh is Weak.

tl;dr: Iron Hands successors that look and act like Flesh Tearers.

Campaigns

The Red Talons are notable for their exemplary service both during and after the Horus Heresy. Their deeds are quite impressive for a minor chapter that tends to remain in the sidelines of the fluff.

• Vengance of the Red Talon - After the Drop Site Massacre, Autek Mor and his Battle Barge "Red Talon" go on a punitive Campaign that targets the rearguard of the Traitors. He travels from system to system exterminating all planets that accepted the Warmaster's Dark Compliance. The most brutal punishments are reserved for those planets that surrendered without a fight, or opposing little resistance. And although using exterminatus on billions of people for the crime of not dying to the last for their Emperor seems a little excessive, it ends up proving beneficial in the long run as it sends a message across the galaxy that not taking a side in the conflict won't be tolerated.
• Destruction of Bodt - Autek Mor leads his Iron Hands against the World Eaters recruitment world of Bodt. With the help of some Imperial Fists and the Agathon Solar Auxilia, he orders an attack on the traitor facilities in order to create a distraction for him to raid some secret vault. He leaves the planet as soon as he gets what he wanted, but not before dropping the FUCKING MOON on top of the remaining World Eaters and their allies.
• Time of Rebirth - After the Second Founding, the newly formed Red Talons chapter spends it's first campaigns fighting against the opportunistic Xenos that ravage the Imperium in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy. Most notably against the Galthites and the Paramours, an Alien species that lives in the unihabitable galactic core.
• War of the Beast - The Red Talons defend a Forge World named Lankast from the Orks.
• War of the False Primarch - One of a few chapters that got their purging on with the Space Sharks, Flesh Eaters, Charnel Guard and the Death Eagles (Pentarchy of Blood). This war was extremely secretive to the point that the only thing we know about it is that the Pentarchy destroyed eleven other Space Marine chapters deemed heretics.
• Aftermath of the Abyssal Crusade - The Red Talons purge the Argent Hammers and the Fists of Olchis after their return from a 800 year trip inside the Eye of Terror.
• First Scouring of Coriolanthe - The Chapter attempts to assist the Inquisition and the Grey Knights in the defence of the Pleasure World of Coriolanthe againt the Night Lords, but are the Imperials are forced to retreat when an unidentified traitor Titan Legion shows up.
• Draxian Incursion - Some Xenos start conquering imperial space, and so the Space Wolves and Red Talons are sent to engage them. All records of this campaign are expugned by the Ordo Xenos.
• Orask Wars - At the very edge of the Ultima Segmentum, the frontier world of Orask comes under attack by Tyrannids. An entire company of the Red Talons assist the Imperial Guard and the titans of the 'Legio Magna'in a brief but bloody battle in which the Imperials emerge victorious albeit at the cost of heavy losses. The Senatorium Ultima of Ultramar honoured the Chapter with the gift of a famed relic.