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Warband Datafile: Fangs of the Father "Now where is your so-called 'God-Emperor'? Nothing more than a corpse upon His throne! Does he hear your prayers? Does he even care for you? For his silence speaks loud and clear to us!" — Salvaged Vox transmission from before the Massacre of Antilles V Primary Data War Cry"We have come for you!"/"Ave Dominus Nox!" (general, specific subsets have their own war cry) FoundingFirst Founding Legio NumeralVIIIPrimarchKonrad Curze (Night Haunter) Chaos LordThe 'Council of Fangs' (de jure)/ Sanad Crutian (de facto) HomeworldNostramo [DESTROYED] (Formerly) / Vangrathor (current base of operations) AllegianceExcommunicate Traitoris Scheme and Symbol INTRODUCTION The origins of the Night Lords warband that would become known as the Fangs of the Father originated in the early days of the Great Crusade, after the reunification of Primarch and Legion. The Night Lords 38th, known as the "Shepherds of Fire" to the VIIIth and the 76th Armour Company, known as the "Unyielding Judges", would often be on campaigns together, working in close formation. These two companies, or rather, the remnants of them, would go to form the Fangs of the Father. The bloody birth of the Fangs of the Father in the Horus Heresy, known as the Great War to the VIIIth, was the grueling campaign that was the Thramas Crusade. It was here that the 38th and 76th would be decimated by the Dark Angels, and during the Thramas Crusade these two companies would forge an unbreakable link between the two. HISTORY The origins of the Fangs of the Father lie in the Thramas Crusade. During the fierce fighting, the Night Lords sustained heavy losses, some companies being wiped out, or all but wiped out. The 38th and 76th companies suffered catastrophic loss of Astartes personnel during this sub-war in the Heresy. It was here that command of these two companies was taken by Jago Terask, and it was he who gave the Fangs of the Father their name: 'The Shepherds of Fire and Unyielding Judges are no more. We have survived, battered and bloody, but unbroken. We will be our Father's fangs, poised to tear out the throat of his enemies.' The Fangs continued their fierce fighting against the Dark Angels Legion during the Thramas Crusade, harrying their fleets and forces in fierce hit and run fights. It was during these battles that Terask consolidated what would become the 'Council of Fangs', the coalition of commanders and officers who would lead the Fangs of the Father to the present day. The first action of the Fangs of the Father after the Heresy was an assault on Vigrid's Fall, an Agri and Armoury World in the Segmentum Pacificus. It was here that the Fangs were intending on restocking their supplies, as well as obtaining new slaves. Of course, such a simple action was to be undone by many of the Night Lords becoming distracted by enjoying the terror and murder they could sow on a world such as this. What was to be a quick action took days, and in doing so, the Fangs unintentionally allowed themselves to be ambushed by a passing by fleet of Astartes. The ships bore familiar heraldry to the Night Lords, but in new colours. Ships bearing Astartes who were once of the I Legion, now called the Angels of Penance. The battle began quickly, the tactics favoured by the Stormwing of the Dark Angels evident in the new Chapter. Within hours, hundreds of Astartes of both midnight blue and ochre lay dead. As the world burned, two Astartes met on the fields. The Cataphractii-armour clad Ishmael, Grand Master of the Angels of Penance against the Mark IV 'Maximus'-armoured Jago Terask. Only one thing was said before the two battled, spoken by Terask. "We never finished that duel on Vandaris now did we? Shall we make up for lost time?" Lightning Claws clashed against Calibanite Warblade, the fighting was fierce between the two, as an old rivalry flared. Their weapons met in a mighty clash, war cries sounded. Their death-hungry weapons whip, thrust, cut and slash, trying to get an opening. Those two lords of war were equal strong, their battle frantic. Only when Ishmael opened himself up with a decapitating swing was Terask able to make a lethal strike: Ten talons sunk deep into the Cataphractii-clad Astartes, the blades piercing into his torso and energized blades searing the organs, two of Terask's claws destroying Ishmael's hearts. Before Terask can pull away however, the Grand Master followed up his strike. Ishmael's blade cut burning sharp, it's power field allowing it to cut through armour, flesh and bone. Blood gushes from the wound as Terask's chiropteran helmet-clad head is freed from his body, falling to the ground. In six hours, two-hundred Angels of Penance and nearly five-hundred Fangs of the Father died, including both Ishmael and Jago Terask. The Battle of Vigrid's Fall would go on to be known as "The Mistake" amongst the Fangs of the Father, as they made a fatal error in allowing the world to call for help. The Council of Fangs The so-called 'Council of Fangs' is the name for the grouping of the senior officers amongst the Fangs of the Father, first set in place by Jago Terask. It was this council, a coalition of leaders, that the Fangs are able to maintain a surprising amount of order amongst the Night Lords in the warband. The leader of the warband, the 'Lord of Fangs', is determined by popular vote amongst the council members. However, since Terask's death, no vote has been made, nor has one been called for. Whether this is because the loss of Terask was such that the Fangs feel they will never have a leader like him, or if it is simply because Terask's second-in-command was such a worthy successor that a vote was unneeded is unknown. What is known is that even while the Lord of Fangs' seat remains unfilled on the Council, the group keeps control of the Astartes of the warband. RECRUITMENT Like all Night Lords, the Fangs of the Father harvest new recruits from wherever, and whenever they can. While their base of operations Vangrathor provides them with a stable, steady stream of possible recruits, they can and do pick recruits during raids. Normally, these recruits are the most promising (or violent) of young males seen during raids. When the goal is replenishment, or worse, expansion, the Fangs make care to not kill all of the males on a planet. Merely the majority. When the Fangs of the Father decide to replenish their numbers, they send out several vessels on a "Red Harvest", which is their term for a mass recruitment. Said recruitment often target penal colonies or hive worlds, with the Fangs first cutting off Astropathic messages so their targets cannot call for help. It is then that the Fangs then broadcast a message: They have come seeking new blood, and only the finest killers will do. Using drop pods, the Fangs send out kill-teams, with the different Claws wreaking mayhem and chaos on the stricken planet. When the citizens begin tearing at each other's throats, this is when the Fangs begin their bloody recruitment, seeking those that kill the most, the ones who remain unseen by mortal eyes when doing their murder, or as simply the ones who manage to not void their bowels upon seeing the Night Lords. The Fangs take great care with maintaining their ability to create new Astartes, having managed to keep enough Apothecaries from their companies so that they can continue to produce new battle brothers. One of the first things done after the Fangs retreated to the Knight World of Vangrathor was to set up a bunker on the smaller of Vangrathor's two moons, this would become their Apothecarion. It is here where the Apothecaries do a majority of their bloody work, and here that the aspirants become Astartes, or die in the process. The reason Fangs of the Father manage to keep their numbers to such a high number is a simple one, related to the meticulous nature of their Apothecaries: When the Progenoid Glands in an Astartes' body mature, the ones that can be safely removed are. It is through this that the warband keeps a surprisingly large amount of Battle Brothers, and how they've managed to grow in size over the millennia, whereas other warbands shrink due to attrition. ARMOURY Due to the Fangs being made up of the remnants of two companies, one being an armour company, they enjoy a unique situation amongst Night Lords warbands: They are incredibly well-equipped by any standard. This is due to the 78th suffering worse losses of manpower than their machinery, with most of their vehicles that were lost in the Thramas Crusade being replaced, as the habit of both companies to loot and claim captured vehicles for their own allowed the Fangs to replenish their motorpool. Able to field a full division of armour, the Fangs who are from the 78th take a great glee in being able to use their tanks to run down their enemies who are not worth wasting valuable ammunition on. Due to their well-stocked armoury, as well as numerous techmarines and tech-priests within their ships, the Fangs have even been seen deploying vehicles that are considered extremely rare in the present day, such as Fellblades, Falchions, Spartans and Cerberus Tank Destroyers. NOTABLE GROUPS The Deathbringers - A formation made up of some of the Breachers of the 38th and the destroyers of both companies, the Deathbringers are a formation within the Fangs of the Father made up of those Night Lords who have an even darker mien than most Night Lords, and a sinister reputation within their Legion. For these marines used the worst weapons of war amongst the Legio Astartes within the Night Lords: Rad, Chemical and Biological weapons, those considered 'too cruel' by the Imperium. The Deathbringers now are changed, twisted some of their brothers might say, by the God of Plagues, Nurgle. For in these Marines, the Plague God saw useful servants. Clad in their Mark III and Terminator armour, these Night Lords have become Plague Marines of a particularly cruel bent, delighting in the agony and pain they cause with the plagued weapons they bear. Normally, marines such marked would be cast out or killed by the Night Lords, the Deathbringers are instead used as a vanguard force in boarding actions and in areas where fighting is heaviest; they will either be destroyed, or survive to fight another day. Battle Cry: "Rot and Ruin!" The Slaughterborn - Former members of the Despoiler and Assault squads of the Shepherds of Fire and Unyielding Judges, the Slaughterborn are a subset within the Fangs of the Father in whom the murderous nature of the VIIIth comes to the fore. Psychopathic butchers far beyond even what the Night Lords consider insane, the Slaughterborn are blood-frenzied butchers dedicated to Khorne. Unusually, the Khornate corruption of these Astartes shows itself in a much different way than the norm: the Slaughterborn's emotions seem to be completely gone aside from when in battle, or preparing for battle. Often fighting in conjunction with the Deathbringers, the Slaughterborn are used a hammer strike, swift and unsubtle. Lead by the choleric and bellicose Garras Sarimund, the Slaughterborn are blood-drenched killers, in whom the most horrifying Zone Mortalis actions are taken. Battle Cry: "We are the Night Haunter's Fangs and Claws!" (often shortened just to "Fangs and Claws!" during battle) NOTABLE FANGS OF THE FATHER Andras Karstes 'the Blightmancer' - A sorcerer of the Fangs of the Father, marked by Nurgle and a member of the Deathbringers. Karstes was always known for his quick wit and cruel sense of humour, which has only become more pronounced in the millennia since the Great War. Garras Sarimund - A former Centurion-Warmonger of the VIIIth Legion, Garras Sarimund was always quick to anger and a known butcher amongst the Night Lords. In the centuries since the Horus Heresy, his butchery and slaughter has only become more pronounced. Clad in his customized terminator plate and wielding his wickedly cruel and massive Nostraman Chainglaive, Sarimund charges headfirst into battle, using his own bulk as a battering ram. Jago Terask (Deceased) - A Praetor of the Night Lords Legion, and the original commander of the Fangs of the Father. Wore heavily modified Mark IV armour, and bore a unique set of Lightning Claws that were referred to as the Talons of Night. Much like his gene-sire, he was plagued by visions, specifically those of his death. 'Fire, sword and claws, ochre armour' was what he would claim he foresaw. A skilled duelist, he would eventually meet an old rival and nemesis, Ishmael, Chapter Master of the 5th Chapter, 1st Host of Dark Angels, now Grand Master of the Angels of Penance. The First Lord of the Fangs of the Father would meet his match on Vigrid's Fall. Sanad Crutian - The direct subordinate of Jago Terask, Sanad Crutian has become the Lord of the Fangs of the Father, if not by decree than by act. It was Sanad who rallied the Fangs after Terask's death on Vigrid's Fall, and lead the recovery effort of the bodies of the slain before their retreat. Since the Battle of Vigrid's Fall, Sanad has maintained control of the Fangs much in the way Terask did: By combining fear and loyalty into a solid whole. Even before the Heresy, it was said (sometimes mockingly, sometimes respectfully) that Sanad Crutian's personality was one that would be more fitting in a Legionnaire of the VIIth or XIIIth; bold, brave and loyal to his comrades. Despite Crutian's better personality traits, his loyalty to his brothers and gene-sire is what would lead him down the path of damnation. However, it was these personality traits that allowed him to become the de facto leader of the Fangs of the Father, as he could inspire the exact same loyalty and zeal in his brother Night Lords as Terask could. Targos Kastax 'the Breaker' - A former Centurion-Warmonger of the Night Lords 38th company. Bellicose and bold, Kastax has managed to survive against immense odds time and again, to the point where other members of the warband believe he must have made some kind of pact with a Warp entity. In truth, despite his near suicidal tendencies, Kastax's survival is due to his skill with his thunder hammer, Noctis, and his combi-melta, as well as his ability to predict his opponent's movements before they happen. Tarsus Vorgan 'the Undying' - Formerly a Siege Breaker Centurion of the Unyielding Judges, Vorgan became infected with one of Nurgle's numerous plagues, along with his underlings. Reforged as a swollen Chaos Lord of Nurgle, he leads the Deathbringers from the front, using the Teleportarium within his vessel, the Child of Sorrow, to allow him and his retinue of blighted terminators easy access to the thickest of fighting, or key locations in battle. NOTABLE CAMPAIGNS Thramas Crusade (ca. 007-009.M31): The Night Lords 38th and 76th suffer heavy losses during the Thramas Crusade and consolidate their renaming forces together, casting off their previous company designations, re-christening themselves the Fangs of the Father. Battle of Vigrid's Fall (750.M31): The first action by the Fangs of the Father after the Horus Heresy and Great Scouring, the planet of Vigrid's Fall in the Segmentum Pacificus was a relatively undefended Agri and Armoury World. With a sudden swiftness, the Fangs launched their assault, rampaging across the world, stealing what material they could to resupply, as well as satiating their own proclivities for murder. While preoccupied, a force of the Angels of Penance arrived, setting off the Battle of Vigrid's Fall. While eventually driven off, nearly seven-hundred Astartes were slain between the Fangs of the Father and Angels of Penance, including both Jago Terask and Grand Master Ishmael, the two old rivals meeting one final time as a world burned around them. Massacre of Antilles V (015.M32): One of the first "Red Harvests" the Fangs of the Father committed after the Heresy. Bringing their full fleet, not just a few ships, the Fangs of the Father came to the planet Antilles V in the Segmentum Obscurus. A hive world of nearly eight billion, the Fangs would find ripe recruiting grounds here, as the planet had many hundreds of thousands of gangs. Two-hundred-and-fifty Astartes made planetfall, and within hours, the planet was thrown into turmoil and chaos as the Night Lords commit their atrocities. Within days the planet devolves into savagery and violence. In two weeks, the Fangs of the Father reduce the world of Antilles V to a blood-soaked abattoir. Their Red Harvest successful, with nearly a thousand aspirants being selected from the planet. Of those, six-hundred are successfully implanted with all Astartes organs, allowing the Fangs to replenish their numbers after the Scouring. Pandorax Campaign (959-961.M41): The Fangs of the Father sent a strike force of three-hundred Astartes to aid Abaddon the Despoiler in his assault on Pythos. While they stayed out of the ground battle this force, under the command of Targos Kastax 'the Breaker', do battle on the Imperial fleet. With numerous Dreadclaws and Kharybdis, they lead a direct attack on the Dark Angels Strike Cruiser Caliban's Fury. In the ensuing battle aboard the ship, the sorcerers and techmarines of the Night Lords send out a psychically enhanced blast of scrapcode, scrambling the Imperial fleet's targeting systems. In the chaos of the battle, Caliban's Fury is captured after numerous Night Lords terminators teleport directly onto the bridge, slaughtering the command crew of the vessel. Caliban's Fury makes an emergency warp jump and disappears from the battle, and is assumed lost with all hands. FLEET Aeterna Nox (Battle Barge): Flagship of the Night Lords 38th Company, heavily damaged by the Dark Angels legion during the Thramas Crusade. While she was saved from destruction and repaired to full operational capabilities, the venerable ship still bears deep scars along her armour in memory of the savage fighting. Revenant (Battleship, Unknown Class): Flagship of the Night Lords 76th Company. Known to have come out of the Thramas Crusade relatively unscathed, the vessel is known to contain a truly massive cargo bay, which contains all manner of armour and material of war. Child of Sorrow (Strike Cruiser): Originally a Strike Cruiser belonging to the Night Lords 76th company, command of this vessel was taken by Tarsus Vorgan during the Thramas Crusade. Since the Heresy's end, the vessel, while outwardly untainted, has become the haven of the Nurgle-blighted of the Fangs of the Father, shunned by the other Fangs for their corruption and taint. Nostramo's Retribution (Strike Cruiser): A Strike Cruiser of the Fangs of the Father, the first sighting of which was in late 961.M41. The craft is often used in ambushes and raiding of Imperial shipping lanes, as strangely, it gives off the IFF of a Dark Angels vessel. Only when within close visual range, and seeing the symbols of the VIIIth Legion, does its victims realize the mistake of letting the predatory vessel into their midst. ++ PLACEHOLDER - WORK IN PROGRESS ++