IA: Frozen Talons 2.0

[Epistolary Exander]

INDEX ASTARTES: FROZEN TALONS.

Founded in ancient times the Frozen Talons were tasked with protecting the Imperium from its most destructive foe for millennia, only for a twist of fate to cause the Imperium to persecute the Frozen Talons into the waiting embrace of their enemies. Now enthralled to their former arch nemesis the Frozen Talons return to bring the Imperium to its knees on the orders of their master.

ORIGINS.

IMPERIAL FROZEN TALON.

In the horrific wake of The Despoiler’s First Black Crusade, the High Lords of Terra were grudgingly forced to admit that the defenses around the Eye of Terror were woefully insufficient to prevent a repeat of the carnage that was recently unleashed by the Imperium’s most deadly foe. As part of the same announcement by the High Lords declared the honourable Third Founding of the Adeptus Astartes a significant fraction of the newly raised chapters would have the sole purpose to guard Imperial space around the Eye of Terror; the so called Astartes Praeses chapters.

It was into this outcast group of Astartes chapters that the Frozen Talons were born, sired from the progenitor chapter the Sons of Guilliman. The chapter was quick to forge its own unique style of warfare developed from the fearsome predators of the Frozen Talon’s homeworld the deathworld of Regen 5. The Talons strategies swiftly enable the chapter to seize a number of traitor cruisers, enabling the chapter to quickly gain the favour of the Adeptus Mechanicus by returning the vessels to their creators. Within a century of their founding it appears the Frozen Talons had forged an informal arrangement with the Adeptus Mechanicus, where the Frozen Talons are gifted with experimental technology in return for the constant supply of captured venerable vessels. In this manour the Mechanicus could battle test its experimental technology without risking harm to its own precious resourses.

The explosion tore into the primary launch cavern of the Bloodied Talon. The huge figure in blue TDA suit turned around on the lowered ramp of the sole Thunderhawk left in the cavern and with shock & rage he took in the unfolding scene of a dozen grey armoured intruders charging into the assembled surfs in the cavern below him. With a savage exp​ression under his helm the giant swung his right arm in a feral arc unleashing death from his archaic side arm.

His ire rose even higher as his black carapace fed a new update from the link with Bloodied Talon’s external sensors; the main evacuation wave of Thunderhawks were being disintegrated from fire received from 2 newly emergent vessels, 2 forge ships being codified as the Red Dorn and the Fabricator Pilgrim.

Despite this turn of events the giant gained an ironic grin under his helm as he saw his vengeance rounds glisten off the kine shield surrounding the grey clad intruders as he saw them in their true guise, granting him a flashback of the similar coloured pests of his home world.

“These vermin seek death, then I swear I shall give them their extermination.” Nashgad growled through his helm grill, as he swung round to continue his loping gait up the loading ramp as the craft's engines began to roar into life.

THE FALL.

CHAOS FROZEN TALON.

The fall of the Frozen Talons from The Emperor’s grace is an uncertain tale, but Imperial scholars have pieced together a plausible theory from available evidence. It is believed that over several centuries Abaddon the Despoiler had the tribes of Regen 5 worship of the Emperor as the supreme hunter god to be perverted to something far less worthy than the Immortal Emperor. This subtle change in the tribe’s beliefs subsequently gave rise to the use of chaos blood rituals in the Regen 5 tribes, which was unfortunately carried through into the Frozen Talons ranks.

In M.35 after several decades of dubious reports the Inquisition finally dispatched the politically fringe Inquisitor Scorpios to systematically investigate the belief system of the Regen 5 tribes & the Frozen Talons. After his arrival on Regen 5 Scorpios informs his superiors that he has arrived & will shortly conduct his investigation immediately. However this was the last transmission received by the inquisition from Scorpios, so by M.35 345 the Inquisition ordered a full punitive fleet to be readied to force the Frozen Talons to cooperate with their investigation into the chapter. The punitive fleet arrived in the Regen system to be greeted by astropathic messages from nearby worlds calling for aid to protect from a whirlwind force of renegade Astartes which were looting the worlds of any meaningful resources. It was only when the fleet arrived over Regen 5 that the inquisition was forced to admit the renegade Astartes were the Frozen Talons. The punitive fleet immediately broke orbit & sped to the system jump point to intercept the Frozen Talons at the next suspected target the forge world of Blaexus Prime, the fleet reached the jump point. Merely for the vessel to receive the news that the Frozen Talons had been driven from the Blaexus System by a force from the Martyrs Vermilion Astartes Praeses chapter.

Thrown into the tides of the Warp by their defeat the Frozen Talons arrive in the Eye of Terror only to be set upon by the fleet of Abaddon the Despoiler. Faced with the prospect of the utter destruction of his chapter the Frozen Talons Chapter Master Nashgad offered the unconditional surrender and his fealty of himself & his forces to the Despoiler, immediately the attacking fleet halts the destruction of the Frozen Talons…

In the intervening 5 millennia since that fateful day Abaddon has selectively unleashed the Frozen Talons as his premiere vanguard force in his naval campaigns in the process causing unimaginable carnage to the Imperium. It is currently believed that with Abaddon’s 13th Black Crusade raging the Frozen Talons are responsible for the large number of convoy and reinforcement disappearances in the sectors neighbouring the combat zones of the Cadian Gate. The affect of these losses on the Imperial war effort is highly intolerable as it is drawing exponential numbers of naval resources to hunt down the Frozen Talons in an effort to end their impromptu blockade of the Cadian Gate.
[clearfloat][/clearfloat]

HOMEWORLD.

Early in the Talons founding the death world of Regen 5 was gifted to the chapter to become the chapter’s homeworld. The planet’s harsh frozen environment & myriad of large arctic predators had over the course of Old Night had reduced its colonisers to the level of feudal tribes for which produced candidates ripe to become brethren of the Frozen Talons.

BELIEFS.

With many of the chapters founding recruits originating from Regen 5 the beliefs and combat beliefs of the feudal tribes swiftly became enshrined within the common soul of the newly founded chapter, and as one the chapter’s brethren decreed that they shall be known as the Frozen Talons in honour of the tribal belief that they are the greatest hunters of the Emperor’s enemies.

The Frozen Talons had adopted the Regenian’s belief that the Emperor is the ultimate hunter and the source of all humanity, while Roboute Guilliman is the sire of their lineage. The chapter also incorporated the Regenian reverence of the snow leopard as the pinnacle form of a carnivore & that man should aspire to be like the snow leopard if he wishes to be successful in his aggressive endeavors. This belief had influenced the evolution of the Regenian and subsequently the Frozen Talons preferred combat tactics & strategies. This has resulted in the unique approach to warfare of where the aggressor will passively mask their presence in theatre, while actively preventing the enemy from becoming alert to what they are up to until the ambush is well underway.

Since the Frozen Talon’s fall from the Imperium the chapter’s brethren have started to worship the pantheon of the Chaos Gods as different aspects of the Snow Leopard hunter- warrior, as a result of this the chapter has actively been seeking the direct help from the Chaos Gods to aid them in their hunt of their foes. This has manifested shockingly on to the Frozen Talon’s current practice of binding numerous daemons to the armour of the chapter’s war equipment ranging from their power armour to their hulking battle barge the Claw of Dominion.

The chapter is known to also believe that their prey can only absolve their sins by releasing their souls to the Snow Leopard hunter-warrior, sacrificing themselves to sustain their god. This belief is believed to be even more significant now that chapter slay’s their prey for the cause of the Chaos Gods.

COMBAT DOCTRINE.

THE LOST LAIR.

Hidden amongst the classified reports surrounding the Frozen Talons decent into Chaos there is a hidden tale regarding the chapter’s most potent asset that was given to the chapter only months before its fall by the Adeptus Mechanicus. An asset that took millennia to finish outfitting before being delivered into orbit over Regen 5 and what the mechanicus had gifted the Frozen Talons was state of the art as much as a work of art dedicated to the Machine God.

The Mechanicus had gifted the Frozen Talons the only known Ramilies Star Fort that had the capability to keep up with an Astartes war fleet & to be able of guiding itself through the Warp. In addition there is evidence to implies that the mechanicus had fitted the Star Fort with potent dispersion fields that could cloak the entire station & any docked fleet. In effect the Talons had the only space station in the Imperium that could act independently of any support, or that could become a base of operations in the heart of any enemy territory. The Frozen Talons called their new Fortress Monastery the Shrouded Beast.

Despite possessing the Shrouded Beast when the chapter rebelled the chapter left the star behind in orbit over Regen 5.Whether this was to guard Regen 5 or for some other reason is still speculated to this today, but it is known that Inquisitor Horvian vessel detected the massive structure over Regen 5 and the facility did not engage the comparative dot of a target that was Horvian’ own vessel. In the wake of the Regen 5 Heresy it took Horvian precious years to blockade the Regen system before a sufficient force of vessels could be mustered to enter the system to challenge the Shrouded Beast. Despite the pleas of the mechanicus Horvian fleet entered Regen 5 orbit & began their bombardment to destroy the Shrouded Beast. It was at this moment that the Shrouded Beast began to dissolve before torrent boiling over it, Horvian noticed that the instead of destroying the Star Fort his bombardment was having the affect of pushing the station into the Warp. After this moment nothing else is certain as no later vox chatter from the engagement has been recorded & all that has been recovered from site of Regen 5 is elements of a planetary debris field.

Over the passing millennia since their founding the Frozen Talons approach to making war has varied little, with any change only enhancing their formidable combat style. The Frozen Talons natural style of warfare quickly focused the chapter into a preeminent Astartes naval chapter, often brutally crippling opposing ships at close range before conducting boarding operations to seize any prize vessel for the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Cut off from the advance stealth technologies of the Mechanicus the Frozen Talons have created the art of summoning and binding daemon essences onto the surfaces of their fighting equipment. The bound daemons are then bound to the will of the armour’s occupant, where the chaos marine forms a parasitic relation with the bound daemon. The chaos marine allows the daemon to discretely merge with their prey’s warp auras to then subtly alter their target’s perception of their environment to disguise the chaos marine’s presence. Additionally the daemon’s link to its victim’s aura allows the daemon to accurately read its prey’s intent, allowing the chaos marine to act accordingly to any emergent threat.

It is rumoured by certain circles that the more prominent Frozen Talon chaos marines & vehicles have more powerful daemons such as heralds & daemonic cavalry bound to their armour instead of lesser daemons. It is believed that such a practice is used because the more significant the bound daemon, the greater its ability is to cloak its masters presence & influence its prey aura.

ORGANISATION.

Before the chapter’s fall to chaos the Frozen Talons was exclusively a codex rigid chapter, now the chapter has devolved into a loose coalition of war bands under Nashgad’s sway. Each war band has its own equipment and support elements either left over from before their fall or later looted as spoils of war.

Reported naval actions of the renegade Frozen Talons show that the chapter’s fleet is still based around its sole remaining battle barge the Claw of Dominion and its surviving strike cruisers. Due to their age the chapter’s capital ships are from a time when technology was generally more advanced & added to this the mechanicus had gifted the chapter many technologies (that can only be guessed at by today’s techno savants), these vessels have carved out a reputation among the Imperial Navy as void predators made manifest of steal and armaplas.

The pronouncement rang out across the circular room with even the bulky blue shadows on the edge of his awareness shifting silently at what they had just witnessed.

Instantly a golden light erupted from his form swathing the room as the hulking blue giant lashed out seizing the black figure lifting him off his feet, his hideous form reflecting of the figures brass & gold helmet now inches from his face.

The golden light peaked its intensity as the bound daemon buzzed the black’s figures sorcerous intent into his mind & the giant tusked head launched the black figure across the room.

“You fool Zaraphiston, the Despoiler has never asked anything of us before that we can not do & even with the vermin soon to be out of the way we don’t have the ability to perform that task” the blue giant bellowed as sorcerer crumpled upon impact on a blue bulkhead.

The blue giant stalked over to his prey as it slowly gathered itself up, it was at this moment that the bound daemon screamed at the force of the interruption into its master’s mind.

+No you are the fool Nashgad.+

“Look through me to your redemption prey” Nashgad replied as he simultaneously crashed a boot into the traitor marine pinning him to the floor, while casually slamming back the loading mechanism to his monstrous side arm.

The golden light bathing the room suddenly focusing down onto the tortured form of the sorcerer beneath its emitters armoured boots. Nashgad sensed the coming pulse of his prey’s intent from the daemon as he began to squeeze the trigger, but it was too late.

Despite the dazzling illumination Zaraphiston’s form turned completely embony and desolved into the deck plating the daemon screamed again at the force of the psychic intrusion.

+Go to back to your sire rock & you will find all the capability you need. Do this before the Despoiler catches you!+

The shot reverberated around the bridge. The daemon flooded Nashgad’s mind with the sudden thoughts cascading into the cavern from those around him “He never misses a kill shot”. At the same time as sensing this, the rest of the bridge is instantly soaked by his hunting light…

GENESEED.

The Frozen Talons are known to have been sired from the pure Sons of Guilliman chapter, because of this surviving samples of Frozen Talons geneseed are as the untainted as any geneseed of the Roboute Guilliman line.

It is believed like with the vast majority of fallen space marines that the Frozen Talons geneseed has mutated, as yet to date no genetic samples from chaos Frozen Talons have been recovered by the Adeptus Mechanicus to confirm this suspicion.

It has been raised by some inquisitors that the only recorded engagements in which the Frozen Talon marines have been recovered were between the Talons & the Martyrs Vermilion, in which the Martyrs claim they have destroyed the recovered corpses to prevent the taint of chaos from desecrating the surrounding area. These repeated claims over the millennia have only served to act as fuel for the Martyrs Vermilion enemies, which can only be imagined to give the Frozen Talons a small measure of satisfaction.

BATTLE CRY.

Based on corrupted vid pictor footage that has been gathered shows that the Frozen Talons have retained their battle cry from before their fall to chaos;
“Prey, look through us to your salvation!”

Please feel free to critique at your own leisure.

Exander.

[Epistolary Exander]

He all. Above should be the finished version of the IA: Frozen Talons, enjoy :).

[CantonWC]

Hi

 

No one's replied, so I thought I could give some quick thoughts.

 

It is believed that over several centuries Abaddon the Despoiler had the tribes of Regen 5 worship of the Emperor as the supreme hunter god to be perverted to something far less worthy than the Immortal Emperor. This subtle change in the tribe’s beliefs subsequently gave rise to the use of chaos blood rituals in the Regen 5 tribes, which was unfortunately carried through into the Frozen Talons ranks.

 

How plausible is this really? No one notices over a few decades?

 

Thrown into the tides of the Warp by their defeat the Frozen Talons arrive in the Eye of Terror only to be set upon by the fleet of Abaddon the Despoiler. Faced with the prospect of the utter destruction of his chapter the Frozen Talons Chapter Master Nashgad offered the unconditional surrender and his fealty of himself & his forces to the Despoiler, immediately the attacking fleet halts the destruction of the Frozen Talons…

 

But I thought Abaddon wanted to corrupt this Chapter, so why does he now want to destroy them?

[Epistolary Exander]

Hi

 

No one's replied, so I thought I could give some quick thoughts.

 

It is believed that over several centuries Abaddon the Despoiler had the tribes of Regen 5 worship of the Emperor as the supreme hunter god to be perverted to something far less worthy than the Immortal Emperor. This subtle change in the tribe’s beliefs subsequently gave rise to the use of chaos blood rituals in the Regen 5 tribes, which was unfortunately carried through into the Frozen Talons ranks.

 

How plausible is this really? No one notices over a few decades?

 

Over the course of centuries or millennia Zaraphiston would have visited the shamans dreams and/ or visions to subtlety alter the beliefs/ practices of the barbaric inhabitants of Regen 5. Over this time span these new behaviours would have fed through into the Talons ranks, so that to the chapter everything down on their planet would have appeared normal. Of course due to the altered time flow/ experience in the Warp Zaraphiston could have conducted the ritual spells to visit the shamans over a couple days or a couple of decades to by his own recollection.

 

Thrown into the tides of the Warp by their defeat the Frozen Talons arrive in the Eye of Terror only to be set upon by the fleet of Abaddon the Despoiler. Faced with the prospect of the utter destruction of his chapter the Frozen Talons Chapter Master Nashgad offered the unconditional surrender and his fealty of himself & his forces to the Despoiler, immediately the attacking fleet halts the destruction of the Frozen Talons…

 

But I thought Abaddon wanted to corrupt this Chapter, so why does he now want to destroy them?

 

Abaddon is the kind of guy who control’s his forces by bullying them through force or arms and occasionally psychologically to create an atmosphere of the utmost fear, so by roughing up the Talons in the above manour he was literally laying down his law on them.

 

I hope that clarifies things up ;).