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Astral Knights

2018-12-21T18:34:51Z

2600:1006:B161:3979:80C1:C286:C7CC:1C5E: /* Recruitment */

{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Astral Knights
|Heraldry = [[File:Astral Knights Livery.jpg|150px]]
|Battle Cry = Extinction is our gift!
|Founding = Unknown
|Successors of = [[Imperial Fists]]
|Successor Chapters = Unknown
|Chapter Master = Artor Amhrad
|Homeworld = Obsidia (Later given to the [[Sable Swords]]
|Specialty = Unknown (It may be dying in a badass way, who knows?)
|Strength = 772, all but a few veterans and trainees nobly sacrificed (AKA Deadsies)
|Allegiance = [[Imperium of Man]]
|Colours = Silver and dark blue
}}
{{spoilers}}
{{topquote|Death closes all: but something ere the end, Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.|Lord Alfred Tennyson, ''Ulysses''}}

The '''Astral Knights''' were an Astartes chapter that went out WITH A FUCKING BANG!! At the time of their "demise", their Chapter Master was a guy named Artor Amhrad, an [[awesome]] motherfucker, whose replacement was a Dreadnought named Brother Thade. Major spoilers for [[Ben Counter|Ben Counter's]] ''The World Engine'' ahead.

==History==
Little is known of the Astral Knights' early history, but evidence suggests they were founded fairly early on; they have extremely old relics in the form of the Battleship ''Tempestus'' (with a machine-spirit from the [[Dark Age of Technology]] that is highly hinted at as being a true AI), the ancient gunship ''Maxentius'' and an entire armoury of incredibly ancient and potent gear, so ancient and potent they are only allowed to the current chapter master and he is only allowed to have one at once. We do know they participated in a purging of Varvenkast, a hive world in the Varv system, and the destruction of the [[Necron]] world-ship ''Borsis'' (AKA [[The World Engine]]) in the same system many years later.

==The Purging of Varvenkast==
On order of the [[Inquisition]], a small strike-force of Astral Knights was sent to the world of Varvenkast in the Varv system. They were tasked with eliminating a cult on the planet that had so infested the hive that an entire section had to be purged. This turned out to be a ruse, however, by the then current chapter master, Derelhaan. Derelhaan had made up the corruption story to have an excuse to destroy the last remnants of a rival house from their home planet of Obsidia. Amhrad (then a captain) found out and with the help of [[Chaplain]] Masayak and [[Librarian]] Hyalhi defeated Derelhaan, became chapter master, and made an oath to always protect Varvenkast. This was all covered up, of course.

==The World Engine==
[[File:AstralKnightsWorldEngine.jpg|772px|thumb|center|Truly badass.]]
Many years after the Varvenkast incident, Varvenkast was again threatened. This time the world destroying Necron [[Star Wars|death star]], Borsis, was on a direct path past it and destroying everything in its way. The massive assembled fleet consisting of dozens of [[Imperial Navy]] ships and space marine chapters (including the [[Ultramarines]], the Red Consuls, and the [[Invaders]]) couldn't penetrate the powerful shields protecting the World Engine and so made ready to abandon the system and the 21 billion souls on Varvenkast to their fate. However, chapter master Amhrad decided he would be awesome that day. He told the collective chapters to go fuck themselves and outlined his amazingly complex plan that would save billions. They would ram the ''Tempestus'' into the World Engine and deploy their ENTIRE chapter to the surface in an effort to destroy it. Fuck yes. The assembled chapters called him an idiot but since Amhrad had the biggest and bestest ship he technically led the liberation force and he had final say. The Imperial Fleet retreated to a safe distance while Amhrad enacted his plan...

Needless to say, it worked perfectly. The shields were no match for an ENTIRE kilometers long battleship and while the crash killed every human on the ship and many battle-brothers, most of the chapter made it to the surface. They immediately sent out scouting parties to figure out what the hell was going on. These parties came back with freed slaves and tales of fighting Necrons. From the slaves, Amhrad found out about the Overlord of Borsis (as the Necrons called the World Engine), Heqiroth. He dispatched a team led by captain Zahiros to assassinate the Overlord, but they failed due to many of the slaves being sleeper agents planted by the Necrons. In the meantime, Hyalhi, now Chief Librarian, took an honor guard into the depths of Borsis to find what they could find. After fighting some flayed ones, a mortally wounded brother by the name of Ghazin allowed himself to be [[anal circumference|fatally probed]] by a mass of brains hooked to a computer. It was here that Hyalhi learned of Yggra'nya, the being that powered the World Engine. The Astral Knights also discovered that Borsis was making a bee-line to [[Mars]], presumably to free the [[Void Dragon]].

After a failed alliance with the former overlord of Borsis and an ambush that killed a ton of Astral Knights, Amhrad knew there was only one option remaining. Devastator-Captain Khabyar led an attack utilizing the entire chapter against the seat of Heqiroth's power. This was only a distraction, however, and Amhrad himself led an elite force of five brothers (plus himself) to Yggra'nya's prison. Yggra'nya had spoken to Hyalhi and revealed itself as the [[C'tan]] known as The Worldbuilder. It promised to destroy Borsis and leave the galaxy (in its words to find a people more ready to accept its "benevolent" rule) if freed. Using their lives and a bunch of melta bombs, Amhrad's force managed to free Yggra'nya with only Hyalhi surviving. Hyalhi watched from the wreckage of the ''Tempestus'' as Yggra'nya utterly destroyed Heqiroth and powered down Borsis' shields, allowing the Navy to finish the job. Hyalhi entered a savior pod and died, but not before locking the memories of the battle in his mind for the Inquisition to find.

==Legacy==
With the World Engine destroyed and Hyalhi's memories fully in the Inquisition's hands, the Astral Knights accomplished far more than saving Varvenkast. The information in Hyalhi's head gave the Inquisition a new understanding into Necron culture and battle and gave them knowledge of the Star Gods (Hyalhi swore to Yggra'nya that the Imperium would hunt it down). In addition, they saved the entirety of the Imperium by stopping Borsis before it got to Mars and Terra. It is said that a small force of Veterans and trainees remained on Obsidia, but the Inquisitor making the comment follows that up by saying they are not nearly enough to rebuild the chapter. The remains of the ''Tempestus'' (which were flung away when the World Engine exploded) were salvaged to be used to repair other ships of the same class.

Finally, to not let their [[Fortress-monastery]] go to waste, the [[Sable Swords]] were founded just to take care of the thing. You know that you are a badass of the umpteenth degree if they found an ENTIRE CHAPTER OF SPACE MARINES just to look after your crib after you kick the bucket. This creates an interesting clash of the [[canon]] however, since the Sable Swords were around during [[The Beheading]], nearly 9400 years prior. Of course, it's also likely that the Sable Swords also lost their own home world through some means or just took it because they had to admire these fucking badasses.

...However, there is one thing to be mentioned of the replacement chapter- the remaining Astral Knights could not have said "Fuck that shit!" any harder. Thade, irate at the fact that his chapter was being handed over to what were- in his techno-prosthetic eyes -the greenest Space Marines since the Salamanders, was positively livid. It didn't matter that this replacement Chapter was full strength- the Astral Knights were descended from the Imperial Fists, and you know how they (and their descendants) are...

Now, logically, after the Sable Swords arrived to take over things, what should've happened next was a civil war that would see the Astral Knights ground to dust, but not before the Sable Swords 1st Captain (one Captain Daegan) had his head squished like a grape (courtesy of Thade's crusher arms on his Dreadnought). In fact, it almost did happen. Thade went so far as to deliver the Space Marine equivalent of calling the Sable Swords dickless, when Daegan basically told Thade to gather what was left of the Chapter and go on (what was basically) a suicide crusade. What happened afterwards is best left up to the imagination of the readers.

So GeeDubs, we know you read our site, since you have been resurrecting chapters due the Ultima Founding, what about bringing back the Astral Knights with new deeds and stuff? Pretty please?

==Recruitment==
The Astral Knights recruited from the world of Obsidia. Obsidia is a world with a heavily divided caste system of nobles and peasants. Unlike [[Space Wolves|some planets]] that make the marines into legend, the people of Obsidia are fully aware of the Space Marines in their midst and the nobles strive to join them. Every so often, the chapter finds a noble truly deserving and takes them into their ranks, usually already having their path picked out for them (for example, [[Techmarine]] Sarakos was told he was going to be a techmarine even before he was recruited). Peasants have no chance of being recruited and any peasant parent's dream is that their children will somehow rise to the ranks of nobility. It is unknown how such a moronic recruitment method works. On top of the rarity of anyone being badass enough even on a Death World, survival of the tests and training is about one in one thousand. Either there are millions to billions of nobles (admittedly not impossible in the Imperium), or somebody is severely stretching what counts as nobility. Or the chapter lies to keep the nobles from annoying them with their incessant whining.

==Notable Members==
[[File:Artor-Amhrad.jpeg|thumb|200px|right|Artor Amhrad... Pure awesomeness.]]
Note that the marines of the Astral Knights seem divided on one main point. Many of the marines still cling to their lives as nobles and strive to keep that nobility alive while the rest of the marines become the typical "we don't care about our past" type.

*'''Dreadnought Thade:''' The last "Chapter Master" (more of an Acting Commander, really, but nobody would've challenged the guy for it, so...) of the Astral Knights, Thade was something of an angry old man of a lord watching over a destroyed kingdom. Life handed him a rough hand when the Sable Swords took over. What happened to the guy and the last thirty of the Knights under his command is left to people's imaginations, but he either led his remaining troops into a suicide "Crusade", got them all killed by flipping out and attacking their replacements, or anything in between. Wherever the Astral Knights are, know that the hearts of all who worship badasses go with them... Here's looking at you, Chapter Master Thade.
*'''Chapter Master Lord Artor Amhrad:''' The chapter master of the Astral Knights during the battle for Borsis. Amhrad discovered the previous chapter master's treachery and became chapter master after Hyalhi and Masayak helped him kill the traitor. He then made an oath to the people of Varvenkast that they would come back and save them in a time of dire need and he sticks to this oath to the very end. He dual-wields a matched pair of one-handed power axes due to his training with a saber and swordbreaker as a noble (not that that makes any sense since the two fighting styles would be radically different). Amhrad dies blowing up Yggra-nya's prison after being mortally wounded by the baddest [[Lychguard]] on Borsis, the Judicator.
*'''Chaplain Masayak:''' A chaplain of the Astral Knights who strictly follows the Codex Astartes. He has an interesting theory that even if a battle seems impossible to win, as long as he and his brothers believe hard enough, [[Orks|they can make the impossible possible]]. He was with Amhrad when the latter accused chapter master Derelhaan of treachery and delivered the killing blow while Derelhaan was distracted with Hyalhi (specifically he buried half his crozius into the back of Derelhaan's head). He was the last man standing with Amhrad before getting his head unceremoniously scissored off by the Judicator as he went to help his chapter master up.
*'''Chief Librarian Hyalhi:''' Chief librarian of the Astral Knights, and a powerful one at that. He is rare among librarians in that he has an unparalleled mastery of divination and sees the threads of fate much like [[Eldar]] Farseers do. This sets him apart from his brothers even more than usual. He has a hand-picked honor guard that he specifically chooses for their attitudes and thoughts as opposed to pure martial skill, reasoning that he needs advisers more than yes-men. Using his skill at dodging due to seeing the strands of fate, he distracted former chapter master Derelhaan long enough for Masayak to deal the killing blow. Hyalhi survives Borsis long enough to get to a savior pod with the memories of the chapter locked in his head for the Inquisition to find (making the novel somewhat of a flashback seen through different eyes but told from the same source).
*'''Techmarine Sarakos:''' The techmarine who first discovered Yggra'nya when a [[scarab]] interfaced with his data-port ifyouknowwhatimean. He was somewhat disliked by his brothers for his lack of emotion and humor. Due to his exposure to Yggra'nya and his tech-expertise (not to mention the plasma cutter in his servo harness), he was chosen to be part of Amhrad's five-man group to free the C'tan. He died by being overwhelmed while using a Lychguard as a living shield to deflect his fellow's blows.
*'''Captain Sheherz, Master of the Fleet:''' The Astral Knights' Master of the Fleet and (literal) captain of the ''Tempestus''. He calms the machine-spirit of the mighty ship to prepare it for its final task and is killed by a Necron warrior after being incapacitated in the crash.
*'''Assault-Captain Zahiros:''' Probably the third best example of an Astral Knight who can't let his past go, Captain Zahrios was the leader of the force sent to assassinate Heqiroth near the beginning of the campaign. The Necrons knew they were coming, however, and he was killed (in a duel with the Judicator) along with his entire force. However, he did manage to destroy an extremely important artifact before his death.
*'''Captain Ifriqi:''' Ifriqi led the assault on one of Heqiroth's strongholds. However, it was a trap and Heqiroth unleashed millions of scarabs on the Knights. Ifriqi died with most of the others after being drowned in a sea of metal pincers.
*'''Devastator-Captain Khabyar:''' The captain who led the final assault on Heqiroth as a distraction for Amhrad. He reaped a terrible toll but was eventually killed in battle.
*'''Codicier Valqash:''' The brother who accidentally discovered Yggra'nya's prison. He is one of Amhrad's five and leads the others to the tomb before being killed while guarding the others. He is the complete opposite of Hyalhi, being aggressive and using extremely aggressive psykic powers.
*'''Scout Sergeant Faraji:''' Faraji was the sergeant of the scout squad who initially discovered that Borsis was headed to Mars. As such, Amhrad took Faraji with him when he went to free Yggra'nya. Faraji was killed before he even managed to prime his meltabombs by praetorians who cut his legs off and then blasted his chest and head into ash. But seriously, he was just a scout sergeant, what did Amhrad expect?
*'''Brother Ghavin:''' A member of Hyalhi's honor guard who was mortally wounded in a battle with flayed ones. He volunteered to interface with a strange machine covered in brains and in doing so managed to communicate Yggra'nya's name before dying.
*'''Brother Kodelos:''' A former prince of Obsidia who loved flying and the second best example of an Astral Knight tied to his past. He was the pilot of the gunship ''Maxentius'' and managed to survive its crash landing. He ends up having a personal crisis of sorts, as he was supposed to nobly die in the sky, not on the ground like a commoner. He is saved by Khabyar's forces and joins them in their desperate attack. In his depression he realizes that key members of the chapter are missing and he puts together that the whole attack is a distraction. This proves to him that he can still be useful and he is reinvigorated and spurs his brothers on to fight harder. He is killed in the final stages of the battle when a [[Triarch Stalker]] sheers him in half with its gauss weaponry. He is the winner of the least Space Marine Space Marine contest, as he cannot drop his past and when denied a glorious death he starts to question everything (not to the extent that it affects his performance, but he mentions that everything his body is doing is automatic). Kodelos had an interesting quirk where the other brothers who couldn't drop their past called him "prince" mockingly, to which he would respond that they were peasants.
*'''Former Chapter Master Derelhaan:''' The previous chapter master of the Astral Knights, Derelhaan was the scion of a house which totally destroyed a rebel house back in the day and the best example of an Astral Knight who just couldn't let his past go. He found out about some survivors of the house on Varvenkast and had the entire section of the hive they were in purged, just in case. Amhrad calls him on his bullshit and Derelhaan throws the captain into a wall. Before he can deal the killing blow, however, Librarian Hyalhi steps between them and distracts him long enough for Chaplain Masayak to embed his crozius in his head. This incident caused the Astral Knights who knew of the treachery to swear an oath to protect Varvenkrast in its time of extreme need. Note that only a few brothers know of this incident. Officially, Derelhaan died to insidious booby traps and the chapter's purge was totally justified.

{{Marines-Official}}

Astral Claws

2018-12-21T17:58:17Z

2600:1006:B161:3979:80C1:C286:C7CC:1C5E: /* The Badab War */

{{Heresy}}
{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Astral Claws
|Heraldry = [[File:Astral_Claws_Heraldry.jpg|150px]]
|Number = Pre-Badab War: Between 1,500 and 3,000
|Founding = Unknown, possibly 10th Founding
|Successors of = Unknown; tactics and armor ornamentation, (and LOYALTY) indicate Dark Angels, but the colors scream Ultra-Smurfs
|Successor Chapters = Tiger Claws, two unknown
|Chapter Master = [[Lugft Huron]], "The Tyrant of Badab"
|Homeworld = New Badab, formerly Badab Primaris
|Specialty = Fast attack, artillery. Don't question it. (artillery and fast-attack Astartes working together is terrifying)
|Strength = Pre-Badab War: Between 1,500 and 3,000
|Allegiance = [[Imperium of Man]], post-M41 [[Huron Blackheart]].
|Colours = Silver, Blue, and Gold
}}

The '''Astral Claws''' were a [[Space Marine|Space Pirate Marine]] chapter of unequaled badassery and the top dogs in ship-to-ship fighting and boarding actions. After having served the Emperor faithfully for over 5,000 years, decided they'd had enough of the [[High Lords of Terra|ungrateful fuckheads]] who ruled the Imperium and would rather do it alone. Their ensuing war of secession, known as the [[Badab War]], dragged dozens of [[Space Marine|Spess Mahreen]] chapters into the fray and killed countless millions of innocent civilians and worthless Planetary Defense Forces. Overall, it was pretty cool.

After having been royally facefucked by the vastly (numerically) superior Loyalist forces, the surviving 200-or-so Astral Claws <strike>got the fuck out of Dodge</strike> fled Badab Primaris for the relative safety of the [[Maelstrom]], from which they currently operate as the pirate renegade space marines, the [[Red Corsairs]].

==History==
[[File:AstralClawsMarine.jpg|thumb|left|An Astral Claw's space marine, in all his metallic glory.|150px]]
===Enter the Astral Claws===
The Astral Claws saw their first depiction in a publication covering the Badab War, printed sometime in the mid-1300's. <s>Unfortunately</s> Fortunately, the poor bastards look like they were designed by the awesome <s>a blind</s> Jackson Pollock, sporting a <s>atrocious</s> tiger-stripe color scheme, which needless to say is the most awesome colour scheme GW ever came up with. Needless to say, most <s>dignified</s> people are tards <s>didn't give them a second glance</s>. Not to mention the fact that the fluff surrounding the Astral Claws in the first Badab War book was hella weak, even by Games Workshop standards. Anyway.

The Astral Claws received a much-needed makeover in Forgeworld's Imperial Armour Volume IX: The Badab War Part 1. The 'Claws got a new, significantly less horrifying design, and the old Tony the Tiger pattern was pushed off onto one of the Astral Claws' successor chapters, the unfortunate Tiger Claws. With IA nine came a slew of new background for both the Astral Claws and the Badab War itself.

===The Tyrant's Own===
[[File:TyrantofBadab.jpg|thumb|right|Lugft Huron at rest. In combat form, he can reach heights of over 200 feet.|150px]]
In Imperial Armour IX, the history of the Astral Claws was expanded upon considerably. For those of you that give a damn, the chapter was formed sometime in M35 as a crusading chapter, and was responsible for kicking ass from one side of the Imperium to the other. Eventually, the chapter racked up enough victories and battle honors that even the [[Ultramarines|Ultrasmurfs]] would have have a bitch of a time being unimpressed. When the [[High Lords of Terra]] decided that the [[Maelstrom]] zone was becoming disturbingly rife with tomfoolery, they looked to the hardest motherfuckers they could find to put things in order: The Astral Claws. Together with the [[Mantis Warriors]] and [[Lamenters]] [[Space Marine]] chapters, the Astral Claws formed a collective known as the Maelstrom Wardens. And, to quote a historian of the 38th millennium, "they got shit done." This is what happens when chapters that are honestly devoted to destroying threats are founded. Unlike nearly every other chapter who basically sit around all day doing nothing while waiting for a “worthy” threat to appear, these three chapters and the few others like them throw themselves into the Eternal War mind, body, and soul.

When suddenly, [[Lugft Huron]].

Huron was (and still is, if a bit loony) the spiritual love-child of Arnold Schwarzenegger and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The first mention of this sonnovabitch comes in the form of an account of his having killed an Eldar Warlock with his bare hands. While he was still a scout. No, I'm not making this shit up. From that point on, Huron enjoyed a meteoric rise to power, ascending in rank and prestige from [[Devastator Squad|Devastator]] Marine, to 1st Company Veteran, to 3rd Company Captain, to Pope, to Lord of the Dance.

It should come as little surprise then that when the time came to elect a new Chapter Master in the wake of old Chapter Master Placeholder's death by [[Ork]] choppa to the face, the majority of Astral Claws entered their vote as "Fuck yeah, Huron." Huron led his Chapter to all new echelons of facerape in the name of the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emprah]], riding a mechanized polar bear into battle at the forefront of the mighty Astral Claws.

Huron and his allies quickly set to work in crushing Chaos cults, [[Ork]] incursions, and all other forms of bullshit that plagued the Maelstrom zone. However, not even the greatness of the three chapters was enough to keep a lid on the brewing shitstorm that was bubbling up all over the Maelstrom zone. An attempted coup on Badab Primaris, the Astral Claw homeworld, led to a short-lived civil war on the Hive World. Huron's boys quickly put the rebels in their place, and proceeded to mete out swift justice upon those involved via bolter. In the wake of the conflict, Huron decided he'd had quite enough of little shits throughout his system trying to take what was rightfully his, and proceeded to execute most of the existing body politic on the planets his was bound to protect. Taking on the utterly awesome title of "The Tyrant of Badab", Huron made the Maelstrom zone his personal pocket empire, and began ruling it with an adamantium [[Powerfist|powerfist]].

In hopes of ending strife within his territories once and for all, Huron petitioned the [[High Lords of Terra|useless bureaucrats on Terra]] for assistance in taming the Maelstrom, hoping that the powers-that-be would see the merit in dedicating several more [[Space Marine]] chapters to the defense of a critical system of the Imperium. The High Lords, being the useless pricks that they are, denied poor Lugft's proposal, stating that the Imperium's resources would be better spent on augmenting the Lords' already substantial personal supply of prostate massagers.

This made Huron angry. And if there's one thing you never do, it's piss off an Austrian dinosaur.

===The Badab War===
Seeing that the useless fucks on [[Terra|Planet Shitforbrains]] would rather focus their efforts elsewhere, The Tyrant of Badab took the defense of the [[Maelstrom]] into his own, massive, metal hands. Huron reorganized the Planetary Defense Forces of the Maelstrom Zone (or, at least, all of those who hadn't been killed to a man) into the so-called "Tyrant's Legion", a Huron-approved parallel to the Imperial Guard. Furthermore, the Astral Claws Chapter Master decided that if the Imperium didn't give a [[Kroot|Kroot's]] ass about the Maelstrom Warders, he wasn't going to give an Emperor-damn about them. Huron began withholding his chapter's gene-seed tithe, using the delicious [[Primarch]]-goop to make even '''moar''' Astral Claws! This practice swelled the Astral Claws' numbers to well above codex-imposed norms. Though the final tally of Huron's warriors is a matter of speculation, it's estimated that the Astral Claws were between 50% and 250% over-strength at the outset of the Badab War (1,500 and 3,500, for those of you who don't speak fluff).

Oh, right. The Badab War.

Well, as some wise asshole once said, the only things certain in life are death and gene-seed tithes. Eventually, the Space-IRS came knocking in the form of an Administrative fleet from the Kathargo sector. Huron and the Tyrant-loyal Maelstrom Fleet detachment saw to it that they were never heard from again.

[[File:Redcorsair.jpg|thumb|right|Astral Claws: they're back, they're red, and they're pissed.|150px]]
Shortly thereafter, Huron wrote and delivered the '''Articles of Just Secession''', which declared the Maelstrom zone independent of Terran authority. Thomas Jefferson Huron assured the [[High Lords of Terra]] that he and his battle-brothers would continue their duty in defending the Maelstrom, but would no longer recognize the authority of the Imperium in dictating how they went about their sacred duty. And so The Maelstrom Warders gripped their giant, steely balls in one hand, gave the Imperium the finger with the other, and told the whole of the galaxy to come at them. And come at them it did.

For twelve long, bloody years, the Maelstrom Warders, backed by the considerable power of the Maelstrom Fleet and the Tyrant's Legion, weathered the wrath of Imperial retribution. Before the war was out, the Astral Claws and their band of merry men had crossed power swords with the [[Fire Hawks]], [[Marines Errant]], [[Novamarines]], [[Minotaurs]], [[Salamanders]], [[Red Scorpions]], [[Exorcists]], [[Space Sharks|Carcharodons]], [[Executioners]] (after they had had enough of Huron's shit), [[Raptors]], [[Howling Griffons]], [[Sons of Medusa]], [[Star Phantoms]], the [[Inquisition|Ordo Hereticus]], Ellen Degeneres, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. While the war remained in flux for a good number of years, with the Secessionists holding their ground against the Loyalist onslaught, the end result of the conflict was something of a foregone conclusion. Outnumbered, outgunned, and surrounded, Huron's allies capitulated to the Loyalist forces one by one. But the Tyrant would not be bowed.

Screaming his defiance from his seat of power on Badab Primaris, the heavily fortified Palace of Thorns, Huron and the Astral Claws made their last stand. Standing atop one of the palace's countless spires, blaring ''[[Noise Marines|Iron Maiden]]'' solos on his gold-and-blue electric guitar, Huron watched as the Loyalists assaulted his stronghold. The remaining Astral Claws fought tooth-and...well, claw, to defend their Chapter Master and their homeworld, but were ultimately overrun. While scooping the eyes out of an unfortunate Son of Medusa's head with a melon baller, Huron took a multi-melta blast to the side from a Star Phantom company captain. Those Astral Claws still fighting rushed to defend the Tyrant, and managed to escape with Huron's broken body. The survivors fled their dying planet for the "safety" of the Maelstrom itself, vowing to return to reap vengeance on the Imperium that abandoned them, apparently having forgotten that they were the ones to start shooting at said Imperium in the first place. Also, that their secession was pointless and unnecessary, as the High Lords were indeed content to let Huron defend the Maelstrom however he chose and was already doing. The whole thing was utterly meaningless. Also, he could have just made numerous “honor companies” like most chapters do instead of with-holding the tithe.

===Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Huron===
Unsurprisingly, Huron survived the shot that could have crippled a Land Raider, and after Lord Apothecary Garreon and Forgemaster Armenneus Valthex applied a little technomancy here and a little black magic there, he was back on his feet and angrier than ever. After a quick change of paintjob, Huron traded his former epithet for the equally awesome "Blackheart", and the Astral Claws took on the name of the [[Red Corsairs]]. And so, with a cry of "fuck bitches, get money", the remnants of the Astral Claws set out to reclaim what was once theirs, initiating a campaign of plundering, pillaging, and piracy that has lasted to the latest iteration of the Warhammer lore. [[Abaddon]] even gave him a freaken [[Blackstone Fortress]] just to get on his good side for the 13rd Black Crusade.

{{Template:Marines-Official}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Space Marines]]

Astral Claws

2018-12-21T17:44:46Z

2600:1006:B161:3979:80C1:C286:C7CC:1C5E: /* The Tyrant's Own */

{{Heresy}}
{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Astral Claws
|Heraldry = [[File:Astral_Claws_Heraldry.jpg|150px]]
|Number = Pre-Badab War: Between 1,500 and 3,000
|Founding = Unknown, possibly 10th Founding
|Successors of = Unknown; tactics and armor ornamentation, (and LOYALTY) indicate Dark Angels, but the colors scream Ultra-Smurfs
|Successor Chapters = Tiger Claws, two unknown
|Chapter Master = [[Lugft Huron]], "The Tyrant of Badab"
|Homeworld = New Badab, formerly Badab Primaris
|Specialty = Fast attack, artillery. Don't question it. (artillery and fast-attack Astartes working together is terrifying)
|Strength = Pre-Badab War: Between 1,500 and 3,000
|Allegiance = [[Imperium of Man]], post-M41 [[Huron Blackheart]].
|Colours = Silver, Blue, and Gold
}}

The '''Astral Claws''' were a [[Space Marine|Space Pirate Marine]] chapter of unequaled badassery and the top dogs in ship-to-ship fighting and boarding actions. After having served the Emperor faithfully for over 5,000 years, decided they'd had enough of the [[High Lords of Terra|ungrateful fuckheads]] who ruled the Imperium and would rather do it alone. Their ensuing war of secession, known as the [[Badab War]], dragged dozens of [[Space Marine|Spess Mahreen]] chapters into the fray and killed countless millions of innocent civilians and worthless Planetary Defense Forces. Overall, it was pretty cool.

After having been royally facefucked by the vastly (numerically) superior Loyalist forces, the surviving 200-or-so Astral Claws <strike>got the fuck out of Dodge</strike> fled Badab Primaris for the relative safety of the [[Maelstrom]], from which they currently operate as the pirate renegade space marines, the [[Red Corsairs]].

==History==
[[File:AstralClawsMarine.jpg|thumb|left|An Astral Claw's space marine, in all his metallic glory.|150px]]
===Enter the Astral Claws===
The Astral Claws saw their first depiction in a publication covering the Badab War, printed sometime in the mid-1300's. <s>Unfortunately</s> Fortunately, the poor bastards look like they were designed by the awesome <s>a blind</s> Jackson Pollock, sporting a <s>atrocious</s> tiger-stripe color scheme, which needless to say is the most awesome colour scheme GW ever came up with. Needless to say, most <s>dignified</s> people are tards <s>didn't give them a second glance</s>. Not to mention the fact that the fluff surrounding the Astral Claws in the first Badab War book was hella weak, even by Games Workshop standards. Anyway.

The Astral Claws received a much-needed makeover in Forgeworld's Imperial Armour Volume IX: The Badab War Part 1. The 'Claws got a new, significantly less horrifying design, and the old Tony the Tiger pattern was pushed off onto one of the Astral Claws' successor chapters, the unfortunate Tiger Claws. With IA nine came a slew of new background for both the Astral Claws and the Badab War itself.

===The Tyrant's Own===
[[File:TyrantofBadab.jpg|thumb|right|Lugft Huron at rest. In combat form, he can reach heights of over 200 feet.|150px]]
In Imperial Armour IX, the history of the Astral Claws was expanded upon considerably. For those of you that give a damn, the chapter was formed sometime in M35 as a crusading chapter, and was responsible for kicking ass from one side of the Imperium to the other. Eventually, the chapter racked up enough victories and battle honors that even the [[Ultramarines|Ultrasmurfs]] would have have a bitch of a time being unimpressed. When the [[High Lords of Terra]] decided that the [[Maelstrom]] zone was becoming disturbingly rife with tomfoolery, they looked to the hardest motherfuckers they could find to put things in order: The Astral Claws. Together with the [[Mantis Warriors]] and [[Lamenters]] [[Space Marine]] chapters, the Astral Claws formed a collective known as the Maelstrom Wardens. And, to quote a historian of the 38th millennium, "they got shit done." This is what happens when chapters that are honestly devoted to destroying threats are founded. Unlike nearly every other chapter who basically sit around all day doing nothing while waiting for a “worthy” threat to appear, these three chapters and the few others like them throw themselves into the Eternal War mind, body, and soul.

When suddenly, [[Lugft Huron]].

Huron was (and still is, if a bit loony) the spiritual love-child of Arnold Schwarzenegger and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The first mention of this sonnovabitch comes in the form of an account of his having killed an Eldar Warlock with his bare hands. While he was still a scout. No, I'm not making this shit up. From that point on, Huron enjoyed a meteoric rise to power, ascending in rank and prestige from [[Devastator Squad|Devastator]] Marine, to 1st Company Veteran, to 3rd Company Captain, to Pope, to Lord of the Dance.

It should come as little surprise then that when the time came to elect a new Chapter Master in the wake of old Chapter Master Placeholder's death by [[Ork]] choppa to the face, the majority of Astral Claws entered their vote as "Fuck yeah, Huron." Huron led his Chapter to all new echelons of facerape in the name of the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emprah]], riding a mechanized polar bear into battle at the forefront of the mighty Astral Claws.

Huron and his allies quickly set to work in crushing Chaos cults, [[Ork]] incursions, and all other forms of bullshit that plagued the Maelstrom zone. However, not even the greatness of the three chapters was enough to keep a lid on the brewing shitstorm that was bubbling up all over the Maelstrom zone. An attempted coup on Badab Primaris, the Astral Claw homeworld, led to a short-lived civil war on the Hive World. Huron's boys quickly put the rebels in their place, and proceeded to mete out swift justice upon those involved via bolter. In the wake of the conflict, Huron decided he'd had quite enough of little shits throughout his system trying to take what was rightfully his, and proceeded to execute most of the existing body politic on the planets his was bound to protect. Taking on the utterly awesome title of "The Tyrant of Badab", Huron made the Maelstrom zone his personal pocket empire, and began ruling it with an adamantium [[Powerfist|powerfist]].

In hopes of ending strife within his territories once and for all, Huron petitioned the [[High Lords of Terra|useless bureaucrats on Terra]] for assistance in taming the Maelstrom, hoping that the powers-that-be would see the merit in dedicating several more [[Space Marine]] chapters to the defense of a critical system of the Imperium. The High Lords, being the useless pricks that they are, denied poor Lugft's proposal, stating that the Imperium's resources would be better spent on augmenting the Lords' already substantial personal supply of prostate massagers.

This made Huron angry. And if there's one thing you never do, it's piss off an Austrian dinosaur.

===The Badab War===
Seeing that the useless fucks on [[Terra|Planet Shitforbrains]] would rather focus their efforts elsewhere, The Tyrant of Badab took the defense of the [[Maelstrom]] into his own, massive, metal hands. Huron reorganized the Planetary Defense Forces of the Maelstrom Zone (or, at least, all of those who hadn't been killed to a man) into the so-called "Tyrant's Legion", a Huron-approved parallel to the Imperial Guard. Furthermore, the Astral Claws Chapter Master decided that if the Imperium didn't give a [[Kroot|Kroot's]] ass about the Maelstrom Warders, he wasn't going to give an Emperor-damn about them. Huron began withholding his chapter's gene-seed tithe, using the delicious [[Primarch]]-goop to make even '''moar''' Astral Claws! This practice swelled the Astral Claws' numbers to well above codex-imposed norms. Though the final tally of Huron's warriors is a matter of speculation, it's estimated that the Astral Claws were between 50% and 250% over-strength at the outset of the Badab War (1,500 and 3,500, for those of you who don't speak fluff).

Oh, right. The Badab War.

Well, as some wise asshole once said, the only things certain in life are death and gene-seed tithes. Eventually, the Space-IRS came knocking in the form of an Administrative fleet from the Kathargo sector. Huron and the Tyrant-loyal Maelstrom Fleet detachment saw to it that they were never heard from again.

[[File:Redcorsair.jpg|thumb|right|Astral Claws: they're back, they're red, and they're pissed.|150px]]
Shortly thereafter, Huron wrote and delivered the '''Articles of Just Secession''', which declared the Maelstrom zone independent of Terran authority. Thomas Jefferson Huron assured the [[High Lords of Terra]] that he and his battle-brothers would continue their duty in defending the Maelstrom, but would no longer recognize the authority of the Imperium in dictating how they went about their sacred duty. And so The Maelstrom Warders gripped their giant, steely balls in one hand, gave the Imperium the finger with the other, and told the whole of the galaxy to come at them. And come at them it did.

For twelve long, bloody years, the Maelstrom Warders, backed by the considerable power of the Maelstrom Fleet and the Tyrant's Legion, weathered the wrath of Imperial retribution. Before the war was out, the Astral Claws and their band of merry men had crossed power swords with the [[Fire Hawks]], [[Marines Errant]], [[Novamarines]], [[Minotaurs]], [[Salamanders]], [[Red Scorpions]], [[Exorcists]], [[Space Sharks|Carcharodons]], [[Executioners]] (after they had had enough of Huron's shit), [[Raptors]], [[Howling Griffons]], [[Sons of Medusa]], [[Star Phantoms]], the [[Inquisition|Ordo Hereticus]], Ellen Degeneres, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. While the war remained in flux for a good number of years, with the Secessionists holding their ground against the Loyalist onslaught, the end result of the conflict was something of a foregone conclusion. Outnumbered, outgunned, and surrounded, Huron's allies capitulated to the Loyalist forces one by one. But the Tyrant would not be bowed.

Screaming his defiance from his seat of power on Badab Primaris, the heavily fortified Palace of Thorns, Huron and the Astral Claws made their last stand. Standing atop one of the palace's countless spires, blaring ''[[Noise Marines|Iron Maiden]]'' solos on his gold-and-blue electric guitar, Huron watched as the Loyalists assaulted his stronghold. The remaining Astral Claws fought tooth-and...well, claw, to defend their Chapter Master and their homeworld, but were ultimately overrun. While scooping the eyes out of an unfortunate Son of Medusa's head with a melon baller, Huron took a multi-melta blast to the side from a Star Phantom company captain. Those Astral Claws still fighting rushed to defend the Tyrant, and managed to escape with Huron's broken body. The survivors fled their dying planet for the "safety" of the Maelstrom itself, vowing to return to reap vengeance on the Imperium that abandoned them, apparently having forgotten that they were the ones to start shooting at said Imperium in the first place.

===Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Huron===
Unsurprisingly, Huron survived the shot that could have crippled a Land Raider, and after Lord Apothecary Garreon and Forgemaster Armenneus Valthex applied a little technomancy here and a little black magic there, he was back on his feet and angrier than ever. After a quick change of paintjob, Huron traded his former epithet for the equally awesome "Blackheart", and the Astral Claws took on the name of the [[Red Corsairs]]. And so, with a cry of "fuck bitches, get money", the remnants of the Astral Claws set out to reclaim what was once theirs, initiating a campaign of plundering, pillaging, and piracy that has lasted to the latest iteration of the Warhammer lore. [[Abaddon]] even gave him a freaken [[Blackstone Fortress]] just to get on his good side for the 13rd Black Crusade.

{{Template:Marines-Official}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Space Marines]]

Astral Claws

2018-12-21T17:39:27Z

2600:1006:B161:3979:80C1:C286:C7CC:1C5E:

{{Heresy}}
{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Astral Claws
|Heraldry = [[File:Astral_Claws_Heraldry.jpg|150px]]
|Number = Pre-Badab War: Between 1,500 and 3,000
|Founding = Unknown, possibly 10th Founding
|Successors of = Unknown; tactics and armor ornamentation, (and LOYALTY) indicate Dark Angels, but the colors scream Ultra-Smurfs
|Successor Chapters = Tiger Claws, two unknown
|Chapter Master = [[Lugft Huron]], "The Tyrant of Badab"
|Homeworld = New Badab, formerly Badab Primaris
|Specialty = Fast attack, artillery. Don't question it. (artillery and fast-attack Astartes working together is terrifying)
|Strength = Pre-Badab War: Between 1,500 and 3,000
|Allegiance = [[Imperium of Man]], post-M41 [[Huron Blackheart]].
|Colours = Silver, Blue, and Gold
}}

The '''Astral Claws''' were a [[Space Marine|Space Pirate Marine]] chapter of unequaled badassery and the top dogs in ship-to-ship fighting and boarding actions. After having served the Emperor faithfully for over 5,000 years, decided they'd had enough of the [[High Lords of Terra|ungrateful fuckheads]] who ruled the Imperium and would rather do it alone. Their ensuing war of secession, known as the [[Badab War]], dragged dozens of [[Space Marine|Spess Mahreen]] chapters into the fray and killed countless millions of innocent civilians and worthless Planetary Defense Forces. Overall, it was pretty cool.

After having been royally facefucked by the vastly (numerically) superior Loyalist forces, the surviving 200-or-so Astral Claws <strike>got the fuck out of Dodge</strike> fled Badab Primaris for the relative safety of the [[Maelstrom]], from which they currently operate as the pirate renegade space marines, the [[Red Corsairs]].

==History==
[[File:AstralClawsMarine.jpg|thumb|left|An Astral Claw's space marine, in all his metallic glory.|150px]]
===Enter the Astral Claws===
The Astral Claws saw their first depiction in a publication covering the Badab War, printed sometime in the mid-1300's. <s>Unfortunately</s> Fortunately, the poor bastards look like they were designed by the awesome <s>a blind</s> Jackson Pollock, sporting a <s>atrocious</s> tiger-stripe color scheme, which needless to say is the most awesome colour scheme GW ever came up with. Needless to say, most <s>dignified</s> people are tards <s>didn't give them a second glance</s>. Not to mention the fact that the fluff surrounding the Astral Claws in the first Badab War book was hella weak, even by Games Workshop standards. Anyway.

The Astral Claws received a much-needed makeover in Forgeworld's Imperial Armour Volume IX: The Badab War Part 1. The 'Claws got a new, significantly less horrifying design, and the old Tony the Tiger pattern was pushed off onto one of the Astral Claws' successor chapters, the unfortunate Tiger Claws. With IA nine came a slew of new background for both the Astral Claws and the Badab War itself.

===The Tyrant's Own===
[[File:TyrantofBadab.jpg|thumb|right|Lugft Huron at rest. In combat form, he can reach heights of over 200 feet.|150px]]
In Imperial Armour IX, the history of the Astral Claws was expanded upon considerably. For those of you that give a damn, the chapter was formed sometime in M35 as a crusading chapter, and was responsible for kicking ass from one side of the Imperium to the other. Eventually, the chapter racked up enough victories and battle honors that even the [[Ultramarines|Ultrasmurfs]] would have have a bitch of a time being unimpressed. When the [[High Lords of Terra]] decided that the [[Maelstrom]] zone was becoming disturbingly rife with tomfoolery, they looked to the hardest motherfuckers they could find to put things in order: The Astral Claws. Together with the [[Mantis Warriors]] and [[Lamenters]] [[Space Marine]] chapters, the Astral Claws formed a collective known as the Maelstrom Wardens. And, to quote a historian of the 38th millennium, "they got shit done."

When suddenly, [[Lugft Huron]].

Huron was (and still is, if a bit loony) the spiritual love-child of Arnold Schwarzenegger and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The first mention of this sonnovabitch comes in the form of an account of his having killed an Eldar Warlock with his bare hands. While he was still a scout. No, I'm not making this shit up. From that point on, Huron enjoyed a meteoric rise to power, ascending in rank and prestige from [[Devastator Squad|Devastator]] Marine, to 1st Company Veteran, to 3rd Company Captain, to Pope, to Lord of the Dance.

It should come as little surprise then that when the time came to elect a new Chapter Master in the wake of old Chapter Master Placeholder's death by [[Ork]] choppa to the face, the majority of Astral Claws entered their vote as "Fuck yeah, Huron." Huron led his Chapter to all new echelons of facerape in the name of the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emprah]], riding a mechanized polar bear into battle at the forefront of the mighty Astral Claws.

Huron and his allies quickly set to work in crushing Chaos cults, [[Ork]] incursions, and all other forms of bullshit that plagued the Maelstrom zone. However, not even the greatness of the three chapters was enough to keep a lid on the brewing shitstorm that was bubbling up all over the Maelstrom zone. An attempted coup on Badab Primaris, the Astral Claw homeworld, led to a short-lived civil war on the Hive World. Huron's boys quickly put the rebels in their place, and proceeded to mete out swift justice upon those involved via bolter. In the wake of the conflict, Huron decided he'd had quite enough of little shits throughout his system trying to take what was rightfully his, and proceeded to execute most of the existing body politic on the planets his was bound to protect. Taking on the utterly awesome title of "The Tyrant of Badab", Huron made the Maelstrom zone his personal pocket empire, and began ruling it with an adamantium [[Powerfist|powerfist]].

In hopes of ending strife within his territories once and for all, Huron petitioned the [[High Lords of Terra|useless bureaucrats on Terra]] for assistance in taming the Maelstrom, hoping that the powers-that-be would see the merit in dedicating several more [[Space Marine]] chapters to the defense of a critical system of the Imperium. The High Lords, being the useless pricks that they are, denied poor Lugft's proposal, stating that the Imperium's resources would be better spent on augmenting the Lords' already substantial personal supply of prostate massagers.

This made Huron angry. And if there's one thing you never do, it's piss off an Austrian dinosaur.

===The Badab War===
Seeing that the useless fucks on [[Terra|Planet Shitforbrains]] would rather focus their efforts elsewhere, The Tyrant of Badab took the defense of the [[Maelstrom]] into his own, massive, metal hands. Huron reorganized the Planetary Defense Forces of the Maelstrom Zone (or, at least, all of those who hadn't been killed to a man) into the so-called "Tyrant's Legion", a Huron-approved parallel to the Imperial Guard. Furthermore, the Astral Claws Chapter Master decided that if the Imperium didn't give a [[Kroot|Kroot's]] ass about the Maelstrom Warders, he wasn't going to give an Emperor-damn about them. Huron began withholding his chapter's gene-seed tithe, using the delicious [[Primarch]]-goop to make even '''moar''' Astral Claws! This practice swelled the Astral Claws' numbers to well above codex-imposed norms. Though the final tally of Huron's warriors is a matter of speculation, it's estimated that the Astral Claws were between 50% and 250% over-strength at the outset of the Badab War (1,500 and 3,500, for those of you who don't speak fluff).

Oh, right. The Badab War.

Well, as some wise asshole once said, the only things certain in life are death and gene-seed tithes. Eventually, the Space-IRS came knocking in the form of an Administrative fleet from the Kathargo sector. Huron and the Tyrant-loyal Maelstrom Fleet detachment saw to it that they were never heard from again.

[[File:Redcorsair.jpg|thumb|right|Astral Claws: they're back, they're red, and they're pissed.|150px]]
Shortly thereafter, Huron wrote and delivered the '''Articles of Just Secession''', which declared the Maelstrom zone independent of Terran authority. Thomas Jefferson Huron assured the [[High Lords of Terra]] that he and his battle-brothers would continue their duty in defending the Maelstrom, but would no longer recognize the authority of the Imperium in dictating how they went about their sacred duty. And so The Maelstrom Warders gripped their giant, steely balls in one hand, gave the Imperium the finger with the other, and told the whole of the galaxy to come at them. And come at them it did.

For twelve long, bloody years, the Maelstrom Warders, backed by the considerable power of the Maelstrom Fleet and the Tyrant's Legion, weathered the wrath of Imperial retribution. Before the war was out, the Astral Claws and their band of merry men had crossed power swords with the [[Fire Hawks]], [[Marines Errant]], [[Novamarines]], [[Minotaurs]], [[Salamanders]], [[Red Scorpions]], [[Exorcists]], [[Space Sharks|Carcharodons]], [[Executioners]] (after they had had enough of Huron's shit), [[Raptors]], [[Howling Griffons]], [[Sons of Medusa]], [[Star Phantoms]], the [[Inquisition|Ordo Hereticus]], Ellen Degeneres, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. While the war remained in flux for a good number of years, with the Secessionists holding their ground against the Loyalist onslaught, the end result of the conflict was something of a foregone conclusion. Outnumbered, outgunned, and surrounded, Huron's allies capitulated to the Loyalist forces one by one. But the Tyrant would not be bowed.

Screaming his defiance from his seat of power on Badab Primaris, the heavily fortified Palace of Thorns, Huron and the Astral Claws made their last stand. Standing atop one of the palace's countless spires, blaring ''[[Noise Marines|Iron Maiden]]'' solos on his gold-and-blue electric guitar, Huron watched as the Loyalists assaulted his stronghold. The remaining Astral Claws fought tooth-and...well, claw, to defend their Chapter Master and their homeworld, but were ultimately overrun. While scooping the eyes out of an unfortunate Son of Medusa's head with a melon baller, Huron took a multi-melta blast to the side from a Star Phantom company captain. Those Astral Claws still fighting rushed to defend the Tyrant, and managed to escape with Huron's broken body. The survivors fled their dying planet for the "safety" of the Maelstrom itself, vowing to return to reap vengeance on the Imperium that abandoned them, apparently having forgotten that they were the ones to start shooting at said Imperium in the first place.

===Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Huron===
Unsurprisingly, Huron survived the shot that could have crippled a Land Raider, and after Lord Apothecary Garreon and Forgemaster Armenneus Valthex applied a little technomancy here and a little black magic there, he was back on his feet and angrier than ever. After a quick change of paintjob, Huron traded his former epithet for the equally awesome "Blackheart", and the Astral Claws took on the name of the [[Red Corsairs]]. And so, with a cry of "fuck bitches, get money", the remnants of the Astral Claws set out to reclaim what was once theirs, initiating a campaign of plundering, pillaging, and piracy that has lasted to the latest iteration of the Warhammer lore. [[Abaddon]] even gave him a freaken [[Blackstone Fortress]] just to get on his good side for the 13rd Black Crusade.

{{Template:Marines-Official}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Space Marines]]