Iron Warriors and Technology

[Scrap-miester]

So I've been wondering, in regards to technology, are Iron Warriors all "dogmatic, appease the machine spirit, holy incantations" or do they truly understand their technology? I've looked up a lot of fluff on them, read Storm of Iron and such, and it never really mentions them doing the whole machine cult approach to tech. Furthermore, Perturabo is said to have been even more tech savvy than all but the greatest Mechanicus Magos.

 

Personally, I like the idea of the Iron Warriors actually knowing how their tech works, it fits in with their style and theme, but in the grim-dark that is 40k, ignorance to the machine is far too common. LMK what you all think...

[Shas'o R'Vre]

are Iron Warriors all "dogmatic, appease the machine spirit, holy incantations" or do they truly understand their technology? I

I think neither. Whilst they may be tech-savvy, I don't think anyone really knows how the tech works. I always imagine the Iron Warriors and technology as a bit like my Grandfather and Motor Vehicles. He used to be a mechanic, so he can take an engine apart, clean it up, mend it and put it back together, but stick him under the hood of a modern car and he has NO IDEA what all the bells and whistles do, but he can still make it go.

[caboosebe]

I think (and there isn't any proof here) that the Iron Warriors are really good at using the tech, but not so much at making and fixing it. In my opinion, the Iron Warriors would be the perfect Legion to have the most connection with the Dark Mechanicus, and as such have their gear/craft builded and repaired by them. But again, that's how I see the picture.

[Khestra the Unbeheld]

I think the Iron Warriors grasp the concept of the hardware side, but not the software side, if I may use a computer allegory.

[hushrong]

After reading Iron Warrior by G.M. I would say there is some evidence against the "apeasement for the machine spirit" and/or stuff like that. One example being the bolter. To a Loyalist space marine their bolter/bolt gun is a symbol of the Emperor's wrath and its maintenance borders on religious rituals. To some Iron Warriors a bolter is simply a weapon for killing and when it can no longer serve its purpose their is no regret in abadoning it for another weapon entirely.

 

I am sure they understand the tech and workings of their machines and weapons well enough. Their armor, bolters, swords, and other personal gear of an IW could be maintained easily by the astartes while bigger machines like a Land Raider or howitzer will required a more skilled mechanic. and going off of Soul Hunter, a human can be taught how to maintain Astartes vehicles as well so i'm sure the IW could do that if they are ever hurting for helping hands.

[Xeonic]

IIRC in Courage and Honor the IW led "mini black crusade" force used their Dark Mechanicus magos to disable the servitors of the loyalist scum, "software" to the crusade's "hardware" as you say. Storm of Iron also indicated close Dark Mechanicus contacts among the Iron Warriors.

 

My speculation is that the Iron Warriors do maintenance on their own wargear and possibly get the Dark Mechanicus to do repairs on complex equipment and to manufacture new gear for them in exchange for military services.

This speculation is based on the IW's innate paranoia: why would you let someone else maintain a piece of gear that could save your life in a critical situation?

[Scrap-miester]

I figured being one of the most self contained legions out there they'd have to pretty self sufficient as far as maintenance goes... That and their 'smiths are quite ingenious so I'm pretty sure they come up with improvements for gear and new stuff altogether.

[Master Of Malfeasance X]

I agree with scrap meister. Besides, the most complex weapon they use is the meltagun, or plasma gun. Everything else is a simple laser or shell-fed cannon. In terms of more esoteric technology, the rest of their 'high' technology is starships, which the dark mechanicus should be maintaining anyway, and power armor, which is modular and based on spare parts and which every marine knows how to repair.

[Brother Delias]

I alsways took it as the Iron Warriors were the evil version of the Iron Hands, that said, if true, would mean they would have extensive knowledge of the care and maintenance of ther own personal gear, as well as any and all cybernetics that are spidered into their bodies, I've read elsewhere that certain legions are more "pure" then the rest... but as far as that goes, I'd have to say that mantle would have to be held by IW, what flesh is there left in them to corrupt??

[Black Hand]

I alsways took it as the Iron Warriors were the evil version of the Iron Hands, that said, if true, would mean they would have extensive knowledge of the care and maintenance of ther own personal gear, as well as any and all cybernetics that are spidered into their bodies, I've read elsewhere that certain legions are more "pure" then the rest... but as far as that goes, I'd have to say that mantle would have to be held by IW, what flesh is there left in them to corrupt??

 

 

The IW are kinda technology savvy, but not in the same way as the Iron Hands. They're actually more of an opposite to the Imperial Fists, in that the IF were called in to build fortresses whereas the IW were called in to break them open. As a result, they're technical in the sense that they know what technology and skills are necessary for the process of a siege.

[Brother Delias]

True, there is the rivalry between the IW and IF that spans back into pre heresy history. I'm not saying that that wasnt there... What I am saying though, is that in their form, in the very least, IH and IW are VERY similar in there use of technology, IW take it a step further with their creed of "Iron within, Iron without"

[Scrap-miester]

Yeah, Iron Warriors actually replace mutation with bionics. People often say the Imperial Fists built strongholds while the Iron Warriors cracked strongholds, but Iron Warriors are also notorious for their own strongholds. The Iron Cage incident, Medrengard, Olympia, any planet they conquered during the heresy; the list goes on. In all of these examples the Iron Warriors have built impenetrable fortresses, or even fortress "traps" in the case of the iron cage.

[Xeonic]

Perfect example being the predisposition to replacing lost or mutated limbs with bionics, very similar to the IH philosophy in that regard.

Many legions like or even encourage mutation, but the IW trust steel over the dubious gifts of the warp entities some call "gods".

[Black Hand]

Hmmm, there is that. As I recall, that's also how their possessed marines work - they trap the essences of daemons and use them to power biotechnological additions to their armour and body.

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

Many legions like or even encourage mutation, but the IW trust steel over the dubious gifts of the warp entities some call "gods".

You haven't read Storm of Iron then. They have examples of daemonicly possessed machines. It also described the Warp as holy, and the leading Warsmith was heavily Chaotic.

 

They use Chaos as a tool, mostly, although Storm of Iron has one example of it being used as much more than a tool but that would be spoilers as to what happens to the Warsmith...

[Xeonic]

The characters in Storm of Iron range from Khorne worshiping fanatics to completely agnostic, disdainful of the chaos gods. Daemons are utilized as a tool in daemon engines artillery and in the ultramarines books by the same author in one example as a bodyguard(the single possessed) and weapons(honsou's daemon axe), but always used and never consorted with(or even worshipped) as other legions may do. I saw the Warsmith as an exception rather than the rule, one caught up so far into his goal of daemon princedom that he was willing to give over himself and as much of his force as necessary to recieve the touch of chaos.

 

IW in general removing mutation in favor of bionics is established, non black library fluff. IW being in general an overall agnostic legion is established non black library fluff. There are always exceptions to both of course, and 10k years is plenty of time for a legion, individually or otherwise, to feel the corrupting touch of chaos.

[Brother Delias]

Oh I grant you that... if daemons are able to corrupt metal as they do with plaguereapers, I am sure they are fully capable of twisting even the mechanical apertures of the IW into somthing to their liking. That said, it brings up the validity of the IW merely using chaos as a tool for their own ends, and not so much worshiping them, as grudgingly trusting them.

[Scrap-miester]

I'm sorry but while Storm of Iron was awesome, the writer does use a bit to much artistic license with how he makes a connection with Iron Warriors and chaos. And don't even get me started on the Ultramarine novels... It's already been established before those books by GW that the Iron Warriors do not worship Chaos, nor trust it, seeing as they replace mutations with machines.

[hushrong]

I would like to think some Iron Warriors would follow a belief that if it can be weaponized it can be utilized. So if someone can use psyker abilities to do harm to an enemy...that sorcerer is nothing more than a weapon to be used in battle.

 

Also, I think there would be some ambitious Iron Warriors that would not hesitate to turn to chaos for more power. Whether it is a newly inducted warrior made through unnatural means or some veteran warrior who, from all the back as the great crusade, never made it up in the ranks after so long.

 

So you can't rule out that some would give in.

[Brother Delias]

Very true... but the whole idea of saying "well some might" just doesn't give them the same feel...

 

I agree, after so long there might very well be some that do so, however, I also like the idea of a legion made up of warriors of cold steel and heartless determination. Iron warriors with oil for blood and deisel engines for hearts. I beleive that the Iron warriors are true to their name, and to their creed.

[Brother Nathan]

though i see some working and fixing up their chain weapons and becomming more longign for cutting with them, and eventually falling to khorn, or looking to khorn to help them. well use khorn as a tool to futher their own plans. and using the phsyco surgery that the world eaters used etc. i can see them repairing their damaged senses and making bigger better guns, using different techs, coming to feel the lull to use those weapons, as their senses are slowly heightend. i can see those with power over the warp seekig futher knowledge to help them twist and futher control. using what powers they must to achieve their own ends. nurgle- well marines get sick. lol. i also find it relatively easy to try to confine deamons to their machines to make them even more deadly and means they arnt confining marines that could be used elsewhere to jobs that a deamon could be made to do. but i dont see them relying on the deamons, more using thembut having a back up plan, and almost having some waepon pointed at them incase they try anything foolish... and we alll know they haveplenty of guns and weapon making ability...(nice story of them making a cannon out scrap that shot an ork rock outta the sky-the salamander book)

[Rain]

While IW are technically the foil of the IF at least thematically, they are also very technologically inclined. Actually Perturabo was described as the most technologically savvy of all primarchs with Ferrus Mannus being more of an artificer. In other words, Ferrus could make a really nice hammer, Perturabo could design a very nice nova cannon.

 

So yes, without the dogma of the Imperial machine cult, the Iron Warriors would be inventing all sorts of arcane and demonically powered contraptions in order to further their ends, as well as stealing and reverse engineering Imperial tech because they have the know-how and no religious compunctions about using new or Imperial tech.