The Hammer of Dorn - Imperial Fists Successor Chapter

[cgoff101]

Codex Astartes: The Hammers of Dorn

 

Home world:

Karkasson

 

Colours:

Black with Yellow Armor / Purple with Red (Undecided)

Culture:

A wise yet understated chapter due to their initial failings and thirst for battle on Jurn. Through ritual preparation and strict training regimes the Hammers of Dorn have revered themselves on Karkasson for their ability to see opportunity in any situation and this is realized in the battle tactics employed by the chapter.

 

Strategy:

The Hammers of Dorn are a swift force, which specialize in siege and speartip operations thanks to Loki facilitate assault through swift and decisive action.

 

Important Characters:

Chapter Master Agis (deceased)

Captain Bollva, Leader of the First Company

Chaplain Stakard

Chapter Master Loki

 

History:

The Hammers of Dorn were created shortly after the Imperial Fist forces conquered Karkasson during the crusade. The inhabitants of Karkasson were in open rebellion to the Emperor before sending in the Imperial Fists to bring the world to compliance.

 

After the completion of bringing the world to compliance, Lysander was asked to leave a detachment of troops that had survived the battle for Karkasson against the Warlord Titans to protect the interests of the Imperium. As the Imperial Fists were under strength following the grueling war of delivering Krakasson to the Imperium, Lysander agreed to this and suggested that a new chapter be created to help defend the planets resources, psycho-materials used to create power weapons, and to help the Emperor in his crusade to defend world’s against ork invasions, chaos taints and the formidable alien craftworld eldar.

 

With the decision made, Lysander chose the esteemed captain Agis within the 2nd company to lead the new chapter and gave him choice of 3 captains to join him on their own quest. He chose 3 veteran captains of the first company to lead the new chapter into delivering the resources and support to the Imperium. The first was chaplain Stakard who was instrumental in the success of Miral, where he and his fellow chaplains rallied the troops to survive an 8th day against the Tyranids and helped assault squads of the Imperial Fists slaughter the enemy troops because of their open defiance of the Emperor. The second was a veteran terminator who served with Lysander, Bollva using similar weaponry to that of Lysander himself, a thunder hammer and storm shield, had teleported into the battle with Lysander in the final assault on the forge that processed the materials for the power weapons. The final veteran that helped forge the Hammer of Dorn was the speartip leader Sergeant Loki. His combi melta and his squad of marines with support of a small elite group of soldier was used to cripple the enemy in the quickest way possible, a tactic that Loki was made famous for in the ranks of the Imperial Fists. These three along with 50 battle brothers of various experience were left in charge at Karkasson ready to bring the Hammer of Dorn into the forefront of the Imperium’s battle lines. Stakard was designated as Chapter Chaplain and designed the oath and regime each marine must undertake before entering battle. Terminator Captain Bollva was designated as Captain of the 1st Company and would with assistance from his brethren lead the charge against any and all enemies.

 

The creation of the force that would be lead by the honored members of the Hammers of Dorn however turned out to be a slow process despite the dedication and willingness of the locals to join the Astartes. The geneseed was being rejected by the majority of the inhabitants due to the residual radiation the planet exported due to the materials that it was made of. Despite this the legion’s apothecaries were able to modify the sus-an membrane, the organ that helps provide stasis to an Astartes if severely injured, was rendered useless. Despite investigations into the phenomenon, no chaos taint was present in those implanted with the geneseed. Chapter Master Agis in a sign of devotion to his new chapter of Astartes removed his Imperial Fist geneseed and replaced with the geneseed specifically designed by the adepts, this ritual was observed by the veteran ex-imperial fists and veteran brothers selected by Lysander and Agis to serve in the Hammer of Dorn.

 

The Battle of Jurn

 

The First Company was now ready to undertake its first mission and this was to be against the Orks on the planet of Jurn when they invaded the agricultural planet Stygies. Loki, Bollva, Stakard and Agis were embarking on their first battle since being left on Karkasson over 500years ago by Lysander and their formal chapter battle brothers. Upon arrival to the planet Stygies, the orks had already begun landing their ships onto the terraformed lands and began to claim the world for the Warlord Gribnok. His greenskin army was bent on destroying the world and claiming for his own instead of the overrun world of Jurn. The Hammers of Dorn moved swiftly to setup barricades and strong points to defend the central hub and spaceport for the world. However, the thirst for battle was too much among the veterans and without careful planning set out to destroy the greenskin army terrorizing Stygies.

 

It wasn’t long before Agis got his wish, when a mobile detachment of orks surrounded the Hammers and begun the cull of the new chapter the outlook was looking grim for the Hammers. The Grand Chaplain … remembered the rousing words he had spoke of during the eight-day defense against the Tyranids uttering the old war cry of the Imperial Fists "Rejoice! Let the glory of battle envelop us! Let our enemies fear us, for we are the Emperor's wrath!” The first company fought gallantly against overwhelming odds to make an escape route for the Astartes to return to the spaceport but with heavy losses, nearly two thirds of the once complete first company had been lost during the ambush. Having now created a path to retreat through, the Hammers of Dorn quickly departed but during the escape Agis was caught by shoota boy fire and fell, due to the lack of a Sus-An Membrane, he was killed instantly.

 

Upon return to the Starport the remaining three captains and thirty battle brothers devised a plan to reclaim the world for the Imperium. Scout Squad … went on reconnaissance to the ork encampment and saw the warlord Gribnok barking orders to his Nobz. As the scouts were preparing the remainder of the Hammers of Dorn first company were on the outskirts of the ork encampment ready to launch a new attack. The sergeant of the squad acted swiftly using his sniper rifle along with his fellow scouts and removed the threat of Gribnok as he appeared out of the mad mek hut, with the death of the ork leader the Hammers of Dorn knew this was their opportunity to strike. As the orks were squabbling amongst themselves the hammer stroke and the orks were falling amongst the feet of the mighty Astartes.

Within an hour the majority of the ork encampment had been destroyed, for minimal casualties amongst the Hammers of Dorn thanks to the superior armor and weapons they possessed. Despite the great loss of the Chapter Master and the majority of the first company, victory had befallen the Hammers of Dorn. Having seen off the green skin tide they returned to their home world of Karkasson.

 

The Second Coming of the Hammer

 

On the journey on the way back to Karkasson the chapter were without a leader. Among the Astartes three of the original imperial fists stood for right to become chapter master. The only way to solve the decision of who would inherit the control and direction of the Hammers of Dorn was settled in an honor duel between the three champions.

 

The Astartes prepared themselves for this duel, an ancient form of combat that the imperial fists had adopted in their feast of blades tournament to identify the Emperor’s Champion, a right held by the Imperial Fists since the days of The Horus Heresy.

 

Stakard and Bollva entered the duel first with each combatant having to face Loki in coming rounds. With the champions locked in place by magnetic foot grips several meters apart. The way to victory was through scoring a mark upon the opponents face. As the two were moved in to position through their harnesses, now within extreme close combat range the duel begun and the swords of each astartes were wielded with skill.

 

Aware of what was at stake Loki was prepared to face both the Stakard and Bollva in the Duel Arena. Bollva scored the first hit on Stakard and was declared the winner after five minutes, a time in which Loki had gone through many preparation rituals to hone his skills and concentration. When he entered the arena and was strapped in to the harness Bollva was there awaiting his second victim. Bollva and Loki were now ready, both stretching before being whirled into place. Both begun trying to score a hit upon the other. Their blades dancing in time with each other the shine of the swords reflecting in each other’s face. The captain of the first company was beginning to seem tired and seeing that this was the best opportunity to attack left the rigors of the formation ahead of him and struck out at the Captain catching him just above his neck, a fatal blow to a non-astartes.

 

With Bollva and Loki both having scored a single point and the chaplain strapping into face the recent victor, would need to beat Loki in order to maintain in the running for command of the chapter. Stakard with blood dripping down his face from the wound inflicted by Bollva was ready to face Loki, both drew closer swords drawn ready to commence the duel. Loki and Stakard knew was at stake, the fate of the chapter laid in their potential fates. With a deep breath the duel begun, both men waiting for the moment in which the other brother would falter and there in would lie the key to victory. Both men were skilled performers and true masters of their craft, but both sensing the direction of the outcome through the fated sword play, broke out of the cycle and clashed swords then rounding swords in similar vanes to catch each other across the face. Both men had inflicted a scoring point on the other, this was not known amongst the Imperial Fists and their successors to have occurred and thus the decision of the score came to fall at the three champions’ feet. With both Stakard and Bollva with a point each and Loki with the potential for two deeming the match a draw would mean that Loki would inherit the responsibility, pride and burden of the Hammers of Dorn.

 

Much discussion was met by the three within a chamber off the arena’s floor, the remainder of the chapter forming to witness the decision that was to be made about their fate. After two hours all three men left the chamber and returned to the centre of the arena where their battle brothers were waiting. Chaplain Stakard stepped forward, blood still dripping down his face and announced that Loki was to be made the new Chapter Master.

 

Loki himself did not smile upon the hearing of the news, and he decreed in front of his battle brothers “Let not our past be our fate, for the future of this chapter is deemed to be remembered throughout the whole Imperium, let the fear the righteous hammer of Dorn for we will not falter as we faltered before”.

 

A roar was let out across the whole arena gallery, the Hammers of Dorn were now reborn and their fate in the hands of Loki…

[blooddragon]

Is this intended to be a DIY? If so there is already a canon successor of the IF's called the Hammers of Dorn.