Fire Breathers

"Bear witness to a good man pushed too far." - Anonymous Fire Breather

Fire Breathers
Battle Cry	Burn in the Flames of our Faith!
Founding	Second Founding
Successors of	Scale Bearers
Successor Chapters	N/A
Chapter Master	Smarag Ajdar
Homeworld	Tarak
Strength	900
Specialty	Warbeasts and Fast Attack.
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours	Red and Orange

The Fire Breathers are one of the chapters to be founded by the Scale Bearers, during the Third Founding.

Chapter History

The Fire Breathers were born to the planet Tarak. Tarak was a planet that ran wild with enormous, winged, lizard beasts that breathed fire, like the Dragons that used to roam Terra before The Emperor. The first Scale Bearers to land on the planet was a number of small scout teams. Those that were discovered were easily routed by the local humans, as they had trained the creatures to aid them in battle, a strategy that they had not anticipated. Captain Smarag Ajdar managed to find a chieftan of the planet and negotiated an end to hostilities. The Orks had been roaming the area and constantly attacking the tribes to test their Squiggoths against Monsterous creatures of this world. As such, they were apprehensive of all visitors from beyond the stars. The Locals were quick to agree to join the Imperium, if it meant protection from the Orks. As such, during the Third Founding, they founded a Chapter to do so. The Fire Breathers were born, with Ajdar being promoted to their Chapter Master and their beasts given the name Rexes. The Fire Breathers were given the job of destroying all Orks in the area and expanding to destroy any other threat that dared stand before them.

Tarak, during the early years, was under constant threat by an Ork Waaagh! known as Waaagh! Squigsmasha, a band of Orks that made heavy use of Squiggoths. The attacks were so bad, that it came to the point where, for a short time, a small contingent of Stone Men were deployed to assist in the design and building of their defense. However, these years of being confined to a single world proved invaluable to the Fire Breathers, as they were able to find local humans that were ripe for Gene Seed implantation and others who were veterans of bringing the Rexes to heel.

During these years, Smarag heard rumours of a nest where a Rexes, so immensely large in scale, that it blocks out the very sky, each step is an earthquake and flames of purest death. After 2 years of searching, he found a woman that kept a whole herd of Rexes with her. He asked her of the legend and she said that she would lead him to it. But gave him the solumn warning that if he wasn't worthy of commanding it, then he would not come back. Nobody is entirely sure what happened. What is known is that, during the next Ork attack, a beast that looked the size of a hive-city came to the Fire Breathers aid.

Notable Campaigns

The Age of Founding: This is the 100 years that it took the Chapter to fully entrench themselves on the planet, during which time, they were under constant attack from Orks. When their defenses were complete, they took their attack to the enemy, with Commander Spearclaws was able to slay the Warboss and bring their first campaign to a close. The Great March: The Great March was the first crusade that the Fire Breathers took part in. Assisting in an offensive by their parent legion, the Scale Bearers. Rexes and Sors fought side by side in a campaign against the Black Augers.

Notable Members

Chapter Master Smarag Ajdar: Formerly a Captain in the Scale Bearers, he was promoted to Chapter Master when the decision was made to found a new Chapter, as he had been well received by the Locals.

Captain Varil Swordtooth

Captain of the Fire Breathers 1st Company. Swordtooth was just a boy when the Scale Bearers arrived. Already a gifted trainer, he had already seen action against the Orks at the age of just 9. Swordtooth was actually one of the first to meet Smarag when he arrived, he quickly befriended the Space Marine and worked to make him feel welcome in their village. When the Chapter was founded, Swordtooth was one of the first to be recruited and was trained by the Chapter Master, personally. Swordtooth serves the Chapter Master with unwavering destinction.

Captain Throh Thundertail

Captain of the Fire Breathers 2nd Company. Thundertail is a Vetran of the Scale Bearers and one of the oldest Captains of his time, at over 700 years old. He was originally Captain of the First Company, but Smarag believed it best to put the younger recruits into such a position, so as not to rely too heavily on the veterans that came from the Scale Bearers (Which is why he trained Swordtooth personally.) Thundertail is an old man with a long, flowing, silver beard, who wears Terminator armour, weilds a Power Axe and a wrist-mounted Storm Bolter. Throh is one of the few in the chapter to utilize Terminator Armour, as he never learned to train or ride Rexes. Instead, he rides a Chariot that is pulled by his personal Sor from his time in the Scale Bearers. He is fond of children and spends many nights on the homeworld, sat by a roaring fire and telling them tales of the great battles he fought in.

During the Battle of Hell Valley, he was badly wounded by a Daemon Prince and was enterned in a Dreadnought. His Chariot was reforged so that it could carry his new body. He also had 2 Rexes Firefeet added to the front to pull it. He claimed to be the fastest Dreadnought in the Imperium.

Thousands of years later, long after he had fallen in battle, children of Tarak held to the belief that, during the winter, Captain Throh would return, riding the chariot across the skies. He would take good children to be given the Geneseed and become a Fire Breather, whilst bad children were fed to his Sor.

It is noteworthy that he is one of the few Fire Breathers to not wear a helmet into battle, this is due to his great beard being unable to fit in one, and he refuses to cut it, stating that a helmet rarely stops a bullet anyway. When he was interned into a Dreadnought, he still would not have his head covered.

Captain Jarkat Spearclaws

Spearclaws is argued by many to be the chapters most ferocious warrior, and argued by some to be the fiercest fighter in the Imperium (Though, almost every chapter has a member to make the same claim). Jarkat was born on the Tarak and one of the first to be given a Geneseed. From a young age, he had been one with the Rexes, learning how to fight like them, to be as strong as they. Which is why, when asked if he would join the Fire Breathers, he did so unquestioningly. The chance to become as strong as a Rexe was too much for him to pass up. In the century that he spent growing into the Space Marine that would be known as the Chapters Champion, he spent a lot of time with a Techmarine known as Erekan Long. During this time, he was involved in a lot of battles against the Orks, against the orders of his superiors, that told him he was too young to fight. However, this earned him a reputation as an incredibly fierce warrior. Long saw the potential in him, and so, built him a suit of armour that would allow him to be a Rexe in his own right.

Spearclaws' armour is that of Assault marines, with a large Jump Pack on his back, His Helmet has a pair of scale wings adorning the top. The Jump Packs fuel tanks are hooked up to a pipe that pumps it to a small Flamer, equivalent to a Hand Flamer, that is built into the front of his helmet, allowing him the illusion of breathing fire, like his Rexe brothers. He also utilizes a pair of Lightning Claws. It was with this suit of armour that he struck down Warboss Squigsmasha, to earn his place as a Commander in the newly founded 3rd Company. After several more heroic battles, he was made Captain of the company.

Captain Marakan Tornadowing

Captain of the Fire Breathers 4th Company. A gifted commander, leader of the Aerial Assault forces. There is not a single man on foot in his entire company.

Beastmaster Kamalia Falkor

Kamalia is a human woman, and, without a doubt, the most gifted Rexes trainer to ever emerge from Tarak. A Psyker that is able to influence the mind of a Rexes with but a wave of her hands. As such, she is able to understand their wants and desires. Although not an official member of the Chapter, she is tasked with training all aspiring riders to understand their Rexes, as well as charged with the keeping of Bewallard.

Bewallard

Currently the only Rex Goliath in the Chapter.

Chapter Combat Doctrine

Numbers: 900, 4 Companies.

The Fire Breathers are a chapter that make heavy usage of fast attack, as their doctrine states. However, they realize the necessity for heavy assault, which is why they utilize some of their more powerful warbeasts. Surprisingly, they make little use of Flamers, as they rely on their Rexes for attacks of that nature, as such, they make heavy use of plasma, Lascannons and melta weapons.

Beastmasters is a common nickname for the Fire Breathers. The Fire Breathers do not often utilize vehicles on the ground. Instead, favouring their Dragon-like Warbeasts known as Rexes. When fitted for war, they are given special armour that makes them about as tough to damage as most tanks, yet lightweight enough to not restrict their mobility. Though there are lots of different types.

Common Rexes variants

Rex Seeker

The Seekers are lower-mid sized creatures, usually having 2 riders, one that pilots the creature, whilst the other mans the Assault Cannon behind the pilot. Seekers are incredibly fast and prone to flying low and fast across terrain to avoid anti-air batteries. They are primarily scouts.

Rex Annihilator

The Annihilators are tank hunters. Although lacking mobility, due to their immense bulk, they tend to be one of the stronger Rexes varients. Their job is to attack armoured targets. This varient requires 2 riders. One to control the beast, and another to mount the Lascannon/Multimelta turret.

Rex Destructor

The Destructor bares the most resemblance to the dragons of old. The rider tends to have an Autocannon mounted in front of them. These are generalist Rexes, useful for most unit types except the larger ones.

Rex Firefeet

Firefeet are one of the smallest Rexes that the Fire Breathers field. They are about the size of a Motorbike, and are ridden as such. The riders tend to wield power-weapons.

Rex Lightfeet

The Lightfeet are the attack dogs of the Fire Breathers. They are long, thin Rexes that bears a striking resemblance to the ancient dragons that covered the the asian continent of Earth and about the size of a large dog, most squads have a Lightfeet with them, as they have a powerful sense of smell, so can detect enemies nearby, without the need for heavy sensor equipment.

Rarer Rexes variants

Rex Goliath

The Goliath is the largest known varient of Rexes, almost the same size as the legendary Keradops, but not quite. Goliaths are very rare, but incredibly powerful, breathing great inferno's and with a size comparable to that of a Titan (Though not as tall as a Warhound.) With little effort, the Goliath is able to crush whole armies in its path. It is force to be reconned with. The only Goliath currently in service to the Fire Breathers is Bewallard, supposedly the king of the Rexes. To tame a Goliath is the ultimate test that every Chapter Master must go through to ascend to their position. Upon it's back is what looks like a cathedral, with a Megabolter. Bewallard can only be controlled by Chapter Master Ajdar and Kamalia Falkor.

Rex Helios

The Helios' are a varient of Rexes that bare a striking resemblance to the Goliath, but are far smaller, about the size of a Squiggoth. The Helios is incapable of flight, but instead carries a bunker on its back, that allows it to carry troops into battle. It is also mounted with several turrets, including a Twin-linked Lascannon atop its head and a Twin-linked Assault Cannon emplacement on either side. It also carries a twin-linked Hellfire missile launcher on its back.

Vehicles

Vehicles are used by the Fire Breathers. Their Aircraft and Tanks are piloted by Tech Marines. However, they do not utilize lighter vehicles, instead, choosing to use Rexes in their stead. Being assigned to a light vehicle, such as a Motorbike or Land Speeder, is considered a great dishonour. It is reserved for those who dishonour themselves, or whose actions have caused the needless deaths of battle brothers or civilians.

Dreadnoughts

Dreadnoughts are rarely utilized, due to their sheer size and weight. A Dreadnought is incapable of riding a Rexes, as such, few aspire to be interned. However, they are appreciated by the chapter as warriors that gave everything for the Imperium, in life and in death. They utilize a unique varient of Dreadnought called "Goliath Pattern" Dreadnoughts, that have large tusk-like spikes on the front, one arm is usually a Multimelta or Inferno Cannon, whilst the other is usually a Draco-claw (The Dreadnought equivalent of a Lightning Claw)

Chapter Beliefs

Being of the second Founding, the Cult of the Emperor had little effect on their early years, so, none of their oldest rituals are religious, or pertain to Emperor Worship in any way. As time grew on, and the Cult began to spread, more and more rituals were created to give worship to the Emperor who protects.

Much like their predecessors, Xenos are not tolerated in any form, often being blamed for many things that happen to the world, including ill weather and crop failure.

With the rise of the Ecclesiarchy, and the Emperor becoming worshiped as a god, the Fire Breathers were forced to develop their own form of Emperor worship. The Fire Breathers believe that the Emperor lives within all humans. That, from the Golden Throne, he has cast his consciousness, across the galaxy to all of those that are loyal to him. Their Chaplains, the Sor Priests, are in charge of almost all of their rituals. Every year on the anniversary of his victory over Hektor, and subsequent internment in the Golden Throne, the Fire Breathers hold a grand celebration, a week long festival that gathers all of the tribes from across Tarak together in celebration of all that the Emperor has done for them.

Chapter Homeworld

Tarak is a planet with 2 main biomes, the Plains areas are the only parts of the planet that are fertile and capable of crop production, however, the mountains are where the Rexes dwell, coming down the the Plains to hunt. There are a great many tunnels throughout the planet where the wild Rexes make their homes.

Chapter Appearance

An Assault Fire Breather

The Fire Breathers wear red and orange armour. It is very uncommon for a Fire Breather to not wear a helmet, even the commanders.