Ashen Claws
| Ashen Claws | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Battle Cry | Unknown | |
| Founding | First Founding (technically) | |
| Successors of | Raven Guard | |
| Successor Chapters | None | |
| Chapter Master | Nehat Nev | |
| Primarch | Corvus Corax | |
| Homeworld | Atargatis Prime | |
| Strength | It's... complicated | |
| Specialty | Drop Pod spam | |
| Allegiance | Aligned with elements of the Imperium out of pragmatism/desperation | |
| Colours | Dark grey/black and red | |
The Ashen Claws are a Renegade Space Marine Chapter, which is in fact the 18th Chapter of the OG Raven Guard, back when it was still a Legion and had the manpower to fill multiple Chapters. These guys are a perfect representation of the convoluted nature of Renegade Chapters, as well as a case study in how to piss off two of the greatest powers in the galaxy and still survive to kick some serious ass.
If you want to play as a Chapter of loose-cannon Blackshields who don't play by the rules, these are your dudes.
History[edit]
The 18th Chapter of the Raven Guard Legion took its name from the Xeric tribes of Terra, a group of slaver warlords which supplied the Legion with savage new recruits. Since their Primarch, Corvus Corax, wasn't found until over a century after the Great Crusade kicked off, these Legionnaires spent much of their time under the command of Warmaster Horus. The Ashen Claws were treated by Horus almost like an extension of his own Legion, rather than a Chapter of the Nineteenth; to this end, they even had a strategy named after them, in which a unit would be used as bait to allow the rest of Horus' forces to strike the unsuspecting enemy on their flanks (Eat your heart out, Tau).
Unfortunately, when put into action by Shade Captain Nerat Kirine during the Battle of Hell's Anvil, the bait in this instance just so happened to be the Thorosian Imperial Army assets attached to the Ashen Claw/Luna Wolf contingent; around 10,000 guardsmen were killed during the battle, while the Astartes not only took all the credit for defeating the rebellious foe, but suffered virtually no losses in return. This incident (and the Chapter's unsavory Terran past) would weigh heavily on Primarch Corax upon his return to the Imperium, and would influence the way he viewed this particular Chapter through the rest of the Great Crusade and beyond.
While Corax tried his best to purge the Ashen Claws and the other Chapters of the Raven Guard of their old ways, he couldn't help but be reminded of his experience fighting against the repressive rulers of Lycaeus in his youth, due to the fact that his Legion had so often served in brutal occupational duties in his absence. When Horus ordered the Raven Guard to conduct a frontal assault on the xenos-corrupted humans of the Aukum-Sothos Cluster, Corax balked at the seemingly wasteful expenditure of Marines, but also saw an opportunity to rid his Legion of its more suspect battle-brothers. Therefore, when it came time for the Raven Guard to assault Gate 42, Corax ordered most of his Terran-born companies to fight in the vanguard, led by captains who he thought were closest to the Warmaster and his influence. In a costly battle, Corax personally led his sons to victory, but in the process lost thousands of Astartes. From this battle alone, the Raven Guard Legion was whittled down to 80,000 Marines, making it the smallest of all the Legiones Astartes.
Corax was secretly relieved that most of the Horus-influenced members of his command were lost in the battle, but the cost had been so high that he still vowed to never allow his troops to serve under Horus again. In the end it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since the lack of Warrior Lodge-corrupted Legionnaires meant that the Raven Guard was relatively spared when the Horus Humbug kicked off and the other Legions suffered from internal revolts. However, even then his efforts to rid his Legion of Terran influences was not completely successful, since now-Praetor Kirine and several thousand Terran-born Ashen Claws survived the battle, now royally pissed at their Primarch for callously tossing them into a meat grinder, despite their genuine loyalty to the Imperium and their brethren. Corax, like any caring father, took all of his unwanted sons and sent them away to the galactic fringe of the Ghoul Stars, ostensibly to carry out a Crusade action, but in reality just to be rid of these stubborn thorns in his Legion's side.
It was during their Crusade that the Ashen Claws learned of the conflict that engulfed the rest of the Imperium in death and destruction. By this point, trawling through the Ghoul Stars had given the Ashen Claws plenty of time to stew in their anger and depression, both at themselves for their shameful past, and their Primarch for abandoning them. Hearing about a galaxy engulfed in flames only amplified their disgust for both sides of the war, and thereafter the Chapter became a piratical raiding force concerned only for their own skin. In the chaos of the Heresy, the entire Nostramo Sector was abandoned by the Imperium, forbidden to all Imperial spacecraft and left to fend for itself against xenos, rebel, and Night Lord forces fleeing the Dark Angels after the Thramas Crusade. It was in this forgotten vacuum that the Ashen Claws found a refuge to eke out a living on the furthest edges of known space. Astropathic fragments intercepted indicates that as late as 062.M31 the Ashen Claws was still bringing worlds into compliance according to edicts of their 'Second Crusade'.
During the Heresy, the Ashen Claws would fuck with the many Night Lords holdings scattered around the sector, but also ran afoul of scattered Loyalist forces on several occasions. Notably, during the Battle of Desperation (real smooth, GW), a three-way free-for-all developed between the Ultramarines' 10th Chapter, the Night Lords, and the Ashen Claws, during which the Ashen Claws temporarily aligned themselves with their Smurf brethren, only to quickly turn on them once they managed to dispatch the Night Lords fleet and raid the planet below; when the Night Lords mounted a counterattack on the Ultramarines, the Ashen Claws took the opportunity to slip away with their ill-gotten gains. This disrepute earned them the title of Renegade, leaving them to be hunted by both Chaos and Imperial Space Marine Chapters alike.
One strange exception, however, lies with a fellow exiled Chapter: the Carcharodons. Having formed a bond of sorts millennia ago with the Ashen Claws, this particular Chapter relies upon their Renegade brethren in desperate times, when it is in dire need of fresh Aspirants. Normally, the Carcharodons would usually harvest new manpower from Imperial worlds during their Red Tithes, but in rare instances, the Ashen Claws are relied upon as a last resort. Even then, this relationship isn't all sunshine and rainbows: more often than not, the Ashen Claws drive a hard bargain, trying to milk the Carcharodons of as much Imperial hardware as possible in exchange for Aspirants drawn up from the many tribes and Renegades of Atargatis Prime.
In the late 41st Millennium, the Ashen Claws would come to the aid of the Carcharodons to slaughter Genestealer Cultists on Piety V, showing that even the most fragile of alliances can be strengthened through a session of wholesome, cathartic genocide.
Oh, and Chapter Master Tyberos of the Carcharodons may have "gifted" himself his supremely badass lightning claw/chainfist hybrids from the Ashen Claws; perhaps that might explain why the Ashen Claws get so damn pissy with his Chapter to begin with.
An (Unnecessary) Analysis of their Numbers[edit]
Being an unsupported Renegade Chapter from the Nineteenth Legion, which was already undermanned before the clusterfuck that was the Horus Heresy, it'd be reasonable to assume that the Ashen Claws number less than a traditional Chapter by the turn of the 42nd Millennium. However, the lore seems to imply that the opposite is the case.
The Raven Guard are stated to have lost almost 75,000 Astartes during the Battle of Isstvan V, to the point where only around 4,000 combat-effective battle-brothers remained; however, this number leaves out the unknown number of Marines operating alone in the far reaches of space, meaning that the Ashen Claws were probably not included in this total.
At the outset of the Heresy, it's stated that the Ashen Claws had around 4,000 Astartes at their disposal, give or take a few hundred or so with attrition from a nine-year Crusade. Nonetheless, this is still several magnitudes larger than a typical Chapter today, not even taking into account that they were taking thousands of potential recruits prisoner during their so-called "Second Crusade" in the 31st Millennium. Even if only a small proportion of these prisoners are worthy of becoming new Ashen Claws, this still means that over the course of more than ten millennia, the Ashen Claws could not only have replenished their numbers to pre-Crusade levels, but may even have surpassed it altogether. This would be supremely ironic, given that the Raven Guard have a reputation as a perpetually-understrength Chapter (along with the Salamanders).
Additionally, considering the fact that the Carcharodons actually rely on the Ashen Claws and no other Chapter for their Aspirants may imply that the Ashen Claws themselves have manpower to spare, but just don't have enough equipment to fit out so many potential Marines; this could also be due to the fact that their relationship as fellow exiled Chapters might make them more kindred spirits than it seems, but I digress.
Ultimately, the Ashen Claws are either slightly below 4,000 Marines strong, or large enough to rival the goddamn Black Templars for the title of "largest current Chapter" (meaning more than 6,000 active Marines are in the field). Make of this what you will.
Combat Doctrine[edit]
Unlike their more loyal brethren, the Ashen Claws are entirely in favor of closing the distance between themselves and the enemy as quickly as possible, subtlety be damned. In this case, it's via the generous application of Drop Pods on top of the next poor bastards to pop up on their Auspex.
From what little evidence has been gathered from this Chapter's raiding activity, it appears as though these Marines prefer to soften their targets with waves upon waves of screening craft; mostly fighters, bombers, and the odd gunship or two. Following this, the Ashen Claws deploy a ridiculously huge swarm of Drop Pods from their fleet, after which they participate in more traditional hit and run attacks to whittle down their foes.
Interestingly, unlike most other Chapters, the Ashen Claws don't give a rat's ass about taking land or destroying their adversaries outright. Like Blood Ravens with a coat of black paint, these sticky-fingered pirates prefer to attack worlds simply to seize ammunition, supplies, and (more often than not) new cannon fodder, rather than any particular long-term objective. However, that's not to say that the Ashen Claws aren't up for some good old-fashioned purging: during the Great Scouring, a Retribution Fleet of the Blood Angels found on multiple worlds evidence of Space Marines rampaging through entire hive cities and fortresses, with any survivors being permanently sealed alive underground as a warning to surrounding planets. Despite the fact that this was a dead ringer for the barbaric acts committed by the Sons of Horus during their daddy's temper tantrum, what made these acts of wanton violence particularly interesting was the fact that all of these affected worlds were already aligned with the Traitors' cause to begin with, via their oaths of service to the Night Lords; it was as if the Ashen Claws were singling out these worlds for a healthy dose of karma.
Along similar lines, it's telling that the modern-day Ashen Claws have conspicuously passed over Imperial worlds in favor of attacking Chaos-aligned or xenos territory, even if it might be more convenient for them to steal from loyal subjects of the God-Emperor. Whether this is due to their fragile relationship with the Carcharodons, a lingering sense of loyalty to the Imperium, or some other reason, we'll probably never know.
Despite, or perhaps because of, their lack of support from the Imperium at large, the Ashen Claws possess a wide array of rare equipment that one would be hard-pressed to find in modern Imperial forces. Besides Voss-pattern Lightning Strike fighters, Storm Eagles, and Hoplon-pattern Assault Cruisers, these renegades have a huge hard-on for Kharybdis Assault Claws and Dreadclaws to assist their dynamic entries from orbit. Either the Ashen Claws have somehow managed to tame the Loyalist-munching tendencies of these particular craft, or perhaps these guys are a bit more Chaotic than they'd like to believe...
The Ashen Claws' fleet consists of at least thirteen capital ships and dozens of smaller void craft; an impressive amount for a lone Chapter. Their capital ship, the Wicked Claw, is an Infernus-class battleship dating back to the glory days of the Great Crusade, and has the absurd size and OP armament to match. The Imperium retired this class of ship ages ago, fearing that just one of these monsters is too powerful to be left in the hands of any one commander; maybe the mere presence of this fucking thing is to thank for the Ashen Claws' continued existence.
The Ashen Claws employ unaugmented human crews (by this point, probably all press-ganged or recruited from worlds under their direct domain) for their fleet of warships and their remaining squadrons of Lightning fighters. One such plane somehow managed to shoot down four Ultramarines Xiphon-pattern Interceptors during the Horus Heresy... in the same battle. You know, the Viper expy that can canonically solo entire squadrons of Eldar aircraft? I know the Voss-pattern Lightning is considered an "upgraded" model, but this is downright comical.
While it's almost a guarantee that the Ashen Claws have pretty much the entirety of FW's lineup of Heresy-era tanks and ground vehicles, this isn't exactly a focus of their M.O., given their rapid method of deployment and tendency to not want to stick around too long for a proper ground assault. Therefore, any armored vehicles are more often than not left to gather dust on Atargatis Prime, except in extreme circumstances.
Daily Routine[edit]
04:00 - Reveille - The Ashen Claws awaken from their refurbished, second- third- thousandthhand beds.
04:30 - Morning Meal/Morning Prayer - Most Ashen Claws no longer feel beholden to pray to the Emperor; while a few Marines choose to pray anyways out of a nagging sense of loyalty or honor, most choose to spend this time eating a light meal from the stacks of comestibles that have been "liberated" from unfriendly planets or ships. (also why would they be praying anyway, these guys deserted pre-Heresy)
05:00 - Morning Firing Rites - The Ashen Claws practice their firing drills. Since there's not much ammunition to spare on practice, the amount of time spent on these drills is half that of most Chapters.
05:30 - Battle Practice - The Ashen Claws head to the battle cages to practice in live fire exercises. Instead of servitors, the Marines train on captured Chaos and xenos prisoners, since it's surprisingly cheaper than the former.
08:30 - Morning Drop Pod Practice - The Ashen Claws climb into their beloved Drop Pods and practice deployments over the empty wasteland outside the Lost Eyrie. Any Drop Pod that accidentally strikes the fortress itself is turned into scrap metal for more Power Armour and bolters.
12:00 - Midday Meal - A light meal is prepared by the Chapter serfs. Dried meat, bread, hard cheese, and Astartes-grade grog (probably stolen from the Space Wolves) are usually served, when available.
12:30 - Tactical Indoctrination - The Ashen Claws assemble for briefings on the enemies they will be facing; instead of more traditional concerns such as the adversary's strength, equipment, or movement, the assembled Marines discuss what is worth snatching from the battlefield instead, and how to best acquire their future supplies.
13:30 - Afternoon Battle Practice - The Ashen Claws assemble for close-combat drills, this time on static targets. A few of these targets look eerily similar to Imperial soldiers.
14:00 - Meeting the Carcharodons - Representatives of the Carcharodons arrive to barter for fresh meat (both literally and figuratively), in exchange for shiny new Imperial tech that the Ashen Claws are sorely in need of. The Ashen Claws pull out every trick in the book to annoy or confuse the Carcharodons in order to gain the initiative in negotiations, which more often than not leads to what can only be described as Pawn Stars but with way more swearing and bloodshed.
16:30 - Evening Raid - After showing the Carcharodons the door, the Ashen Claws raid the nearest Chaos/xenos-held planet or convoy to let off some steam. Ammunition, food, and new beds are the most prized items.
20:30 - Evening Meal - A light meal is prepared by the Chapter serfs. Unlike many other Chapters, this meal is just as frugal as the others, without any unnecessary ceremony or luxuries, since the Ashen Claws are always in need of carefully rationing their goods.
21:00 - Weapons Maintenance - The Ashen Claws repair their wargear to the best of their ability. Any captured equipment is either repainted or cannibalized to refit old Ashen Claws hardware.
23:00 - Free Time - The Ashen Claws are given free time. Most participants of the raid will sort through their booty, during which some battle-brothers will participate in formal duels to decide who gets to own any new bed(s). A few enterprising Marines teach young Aspirants old space shanty songs, or more useful skills like tying knots or burying prisoners alive. Those unfortunate souls who have been "bonded" to by the Chapter's Kharybdis Assault Claws try their damndest to pry themselves away from their adorably yandere killing machines. Many Ashen Claws choose to simply stare out into the desolate wasteland of their quiet, lonely frontier world for an hour, silently contemplating their lot in life.
00:00 - Rest - The Ashen Claws retire to their beds for the evening. Bitter muttering can be heard from the loser(s) of the bed duel(s).