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Founding Chapter - Raptors Founding - 22nd Founding, mid M37 Primarch - Corvus Corax Known Descendants - None known Chapter Master - Archus Horvath (deceased), Captain Logrus of the 2nd Company is the current acting Chapter Master Homeworld - Horatius (destroyed, chapter is now fleet-based) Fortress-Monastery - The Vanquisher-class battleship Truthseeker Colors - (pre-fall) Silver and Blue (post-fall) Black Chapter Symbol - Black raptor's claw on blue background (same as the Raven Guard veteran marker) Specialty - Guerilla warfare, hit and fade operations. Strength - 427 (no access to gene-seed for recruiting) Battle-Cry - For Corax and the Emperor! Allegiance - Declared Excommunicate Traitoris HISTORY Created in the 22nd Founding, the Steel Shrikes were part of the effort to erase the stain of the 21st Founding. At least one Chapter was created from the gene-seed of each loyal Legion save the Space Wolves. The Steel Shrikes represent the Raven Guard contribution to that Founding. They were created using the Raptors gene-seed, as it is somewhat more stable than the Raven Guard's. They were given the industrial world of Horatius to use as their homeworld and primary recruiting center. While not a Forge World, Horatius manufactured a great many things that were used all across the Imperium, mostly agricultural equipment. Shortly after the chapter reached full strength, three Companies of the Steel Shrikes served with distinction in the 7th Black Crusade, mostly operating on the fringes of battles to deny the enemy the ability to outflank their allies. They would go on to serve in a similar capacity in the 8th and 9th Black Crusades as well. Other than their noted presence in the 3 Black Crusades, the Steel Shrikes would mostly limit themselves to smaller operations that could be carried out by a single company or less. Being an insular Chapter much like their gene-fathers, the Steel Shrikes would keep mostly to themselves for the next several millennia. This decision would cost them dearly. Early in M40, the Steel Shrikes were targeted by an Alpha Legion warband that were dedicated to weakening the Imperium by manipulating them into destroying their own. They did this by masquerading as a loyal chapter and committing atrocities in their name, then fading into the darkness before they could be found out. They specifically targeted chapters that had no close ties to other Imperial forces so the atrocities would not be questioned by an intolerant and suspicious Inquisition. Claims of innocence had fallen on deaf ears as 7 entire chapters were eradicated by their former allies. The Steel Shrikes were the 8th chapter targeted in this way and the first to have any survivors escape, largely due to a premonition their Chief Librarian had the day before Imperial forces attacked their homeworld. In a moment of fatalism Chapter Master Horvath ordered that 5 Companies be dispatched immediately in a random direction to ensure the Chapter's survival, as he was aware of the 7 previous Chapters to fall victim to he Alpha Legion's plot (though he knew not who was responsible). The companies so dispatched were tasked with seeking out those responsible for their fall and destroying them, while remaining loyal to the Emperor. He also ordered that as many of the chapter serfs be sent with them as could fit on the 3 Strike Cruisers they were given leave to take. The remaining 5 companies fortified their fortress-monastery and prepared for the end. They knew they had been set up in such a way that their persecutors would never believe their innocence. They had been suspicious of the events surrounding the destruction of the other 7 chapters, as none of them had shown any indication of taint in the long centuries they had served and it seemed unlikely that 7 chapters in the same general region would succumb to Chaos one after another the way they apparently had. It was a hard fought battle, but in the end the 3 chapters sent to destroy them proved too much for 5 companies to overcome and they were killed to a man. But not before the Chief Librarian had another premonition. He learned of the Alpha Legion's involvement, and of the location of a space hulk that contained an intact Vanquisher-class battleship. His last act before he fell in a hail of bolter fire was to telepathically impart this information to his pupil who was sent with the survivors. As soon as it was discovered that only half the chapter had been destroyed on Horatius, the High Lords declared the Steel Shrikes Excommunicate Traitoris and ordered that they be killed on sight. They also ordered that Horatius be virus-bombed in the assumption that the taint infecting the chapter had spread across the planet, killing billions of innocent people. Knowing that every Imperial force in the galaxy was on the lookout for them, the Steel Shrikes repainted their armor black, covering over their traditional silver and blue livery. This was done with a heavy heart, but was deemed necessary by Captain Logrus. He had been elected acting Chapter Master by the other 4 captains and the few Librarians and Chaplains they had with them, though he refused to officially take the title in honor of Master Horvath's sacrifice on Horatius. The first task set before them was to recover the battleship the Chief Librarian had seen in his vision. The Steel Shrikes viewed this knowledge as a gift from the Emperor, and saw it as a sign that He had not abandoned them. Upon finding the space hulk it was discovered to be infested with Orks that needed to be eliminated before work could begin on the recovery of the vessel. This took several months and great care was taken to avoid casualties, as they knew they could not be replaced. Even with the caution they employed 61 battle brothers fell to the greenskins. They also had to be careful not to damage the ship, which was on the surface of the space hulk and was being used by the Orks as their home base. After the Orks were eliminated, the daunting task of recovering the ship could begin. With only 6 Techmarines among them it was going to be a long process. It took nearly 7 years to restore the ship to operational condition. It would not have been possible to awaken the ship's machine spirit if not for the efforts of a junior Techmarine who was also a psyker of some skill in the Technomancy discipline. After the ship was recovered the Steel Shrikes named her Truthseeker and she became their new fortress-monastery, crewed by the chapter serfs that had escaped destruction with them. Over the next centuries the Steel Shrikes would continue to fight at the side of Planetary Defense Forces and Imperial Guard regiments, while scrupulously avoiding any battles that involve any other chapters of Astartes or Inquisitorial presence. To this day, rumors persist among the Guard of a mysterious chapter of Space Marines that sometimes appear when a battle looks bleak for an isolated regiment and fight alongside them. They wear solid black armor with no markings of any kind and use an unusual variant of the Land Speeder Tempest. After the tide of the battle is turned in the Imperial forces favor, they disappear as suddenly as they arrived. The Imperial Navy has numerous reports of a massive black Imperial battleship accompanied by a trio of black Strike Cruisers which translate out of the Warp and lay waste to enemy fleets before disappearing once more. No one has yet successfully communicated with this vessel, but it is generally viewed as an ally by anyone who has personally witnessed it. The Inquisition is very interested in these reports, but thus far have not been able to catch up with the mysterious vessel. COMBAT DOCTRINE Prior to their fall the Steel Shrikes were a Codex-adherent chapter with an emphasis on the use of the Land Speeder Tempest variant developed on their homeworld, which replaced the usual nose-mounted assault cannon with twin-linked lascannons for anti-armor purposes. They did not rely heavily on tanks but had aircraft in abundance, which they used in surprise air attacks ahead of their ground forces. After their fall, necessity dictated a shift to guerilla-style hit and fade tactics. They still possess a large number of their Land Speeder variants, but only a handful of tanks. They deploy via Thunderhawks and Stormravens, as their supply of drop pods is limited and if left behind could provide the Inquisition with clues to their identity. With only 2 Battle Companies (2nd and 5th), the Steel Shrikes tend to field Assault squads supported by Devastators, Land Speeders and Scouts, as the 8th, 9th, and 10th Companies all survived intact. The chapter only has 2 dreadnoughts, both of whom were interred after the fall. GENE SEED Being drawn from the Raptors gene-seed, the Steel Shrikes share all of their traits. The pale skin and black hair along with the missing Mucranoid. Like the Raptors and unlike the Raven Guard, they do have a functioning Betcher's Gland. The remaining Apothecaries have found no further deviance in the Steel Shrikes geneseed. They have recruited a small number of Scouts from backwater planets to replenish their losses with the gene seed recovered from fallen brothers. However, they have no Black Carapaces available to make full battle brothers out of them. EQUIPMENT, ARMORY, and FLEET Having only a small amount of replacement parts, the Techmarines are forced to improvise in repairing the chapter's power armor. This results in the cobbled together appearance many Steel Shrikes display, with pieces from as many as 4 different armor marks in a single suit. They have no Terminator armor, and the few suits of artificer armor they possess are cherished. They also have no Centurion warsuits. The chapter favors lascannons for their heavy weapons units, due to the rechargeable nature of their power sources. Gravguns and plasma weapons are utilized as well, but less frequently. Their heavy bolters and missile launchers have been set aside for times of need, as the ammo for them is difficult to replace. They frequently engage small bands of renegade marines that have truly fallen so they can scavenge ammunition from their dead. They also occasionally explore space hulks found to include Imperial ships in search of equipment they can use. However, this is done with care due to the dangers often present on such hulks. The chapter has 2 dreadnoughts, both of whom were interred after the fall. Their armory is small, and not used unless necessary to preserve it as long as possible. The 3 Predator Destructors they had have been converted to Annihilator variants due to the autocannon ammunition having been long since expended. Their 6 Razorbacks have all been converted to mounting twin-linked plasma cannons instead of heavy bolters, also due to lack of ammunition. They possess 19 Land Speeder "Shrike Pattern" Tempests, 4 Thunderhawks, 7 Stormravens, 9 Storm Talons, and 12 Stormhawk Interceptors. They have 2 Whirlwinds and 1 Vindicator. Their fleet consists of: Vanquisher-class battleship Truthseeker Strike Cruiser Vengeance Strike Cruiser Vendetta Strike Cruiser Vindication All 3 Strike Cruisers have been renamed since the fall. NOTABLE STEEL SHRIKES Captain Ephram Logrus - Formerly the Captain of the 2nd Company, Logrus currently serves as the acting Chapter Master, though he still will not accept the official title. He has a keen analytical mind and is not prone to making rash or hasty decisions. He is well aware that any mistake on his part could spell doom for the entire chapter. Tech-Librarian Azra Brandis - Initially began training as a Librarian when his psychic powers were noted, he went to Mars to train as a Techmarine after it was discovered he had a strong affinity for Technomancy but little else. He was responsible for the awakening of the Truthseeker's machine spirit through a combination of his skills as a Techmarine and ability as a psyker. He serves as psuedo-Navigator for the Truthseeker, as he has a strong bond with her machine spirit. He can direct the ship in combat by himself if necessary, though with less efficiency than a full crew. Captain Raul Frenneth - Captain of the 8th Company, he was the most experienced of the 5 remaining Captains. He prefers to lead his Company and has no interest in leading the chapter as a whole, though he is one of Logrus' chief advisors. His lightning claws have cut swaths through heretics and xenos alike for centuries, and he shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Chief Librarian Tork Ezriel - The pupil of the former Chief Librarian, it was he who received the telepathic message that led the chapter to the Truthseeker. He has become the Chief Librarian by default, though he still does not feel he is experienced enough for the position. Chaplain Raviel - Tasked with keeping up morale in the face of an Imperium that has turned on them, he firmly believes the Emperor has not abandoned them but sometimes has doubts about their chances of succeeding at their mission. His Rosarius has proven to be almost completely impenetrable, protecting him from blows that would have crumpled a dreadnought. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's all I have for now! C&C very welcome!