Iron Gorgons

[hobointherain]

this is only the second time I've attempted to write an IA in full, and this is just the first draft so all feedback is welcome! The history section is perhapse the weakest I feel so any help on that is greatly appreciated! Cheers brothers

 

 

The Iron Gorgons

 

History

A 4th founding chapter of Iron Hands lineage, formed from an initial training cadre drawn from the Iron Hands, Brazen Claws and Red Talons.

Founded to liberate and secure a region of space known as the Aracian Belt, in the heart of the Segmentum Pacificus. In the years following the Heresy, as the devastated Imperium struggled to recover, the region became a haven for pirates and renegades. Numerous campaigns were launched to cleanse the sector but all failed, as the renegades simply fled only to reappear a few months later. The Iron Gorgon’s were the first to have any real success in this endeavour, establishing numerous garrisons throughout the Aracian Belt to discourage any returning renegades. The region enjoyed relative peace and stability for many centuries, until the Baroug Blockade in 455.M32.

 

The Baroug Blockade: A mass renegade fleet under the leadership of the infamous pirate Kam Baroug blockaded the sector’s main warp-jump point and busiest shipping lane, demanding the surrender of all ships and cargo. Frustrated by the Imperial Navy’s slow response, the Iron Gorgons launched a strike against the Baroug’s fleet. With most of the chapter’s fleet fighting the Emperors wars elsewhere in the galaxy, only a single battlebarge, The Iron Will, was available. And so the lone battlebarge sailed headlong into the midst of the enemy fleet, seeking out Baroug’s flagship. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned, The Iron Will was on the brink of destruction when it finally drew level with Baroug’s capital ship, The Bountiful Hunter. Deploying its full complement of thunderhawks and boarding torpedoes, almost three hundred Iron Gorgons swamped The Bountiful Hunter and quickly captured the vessel. Baroug’s summary execution was broadcast to the rest of the fleet, which soon scattered.

 

Waaagh! Redgob: In M35 a large Ork Waaagh! swept through the region, taking many PDF forces by surprise and threatening the central Clasp Worlds, the Imperiums’ bureaucratic and religious hub within the Aracian Belt. The Iron Gorgons were swift to respond and succeeded in pushing the greenskin menace back to the very boarders of the Eastern Belt, though the Orks eventually regrouped and fought the Iron Gorgons to a bitter stalemate. By order of the Inquisition, the region occupied by the greenskin was eventually quarantined and blockaded by the Imperial Navy, becoming known as the Green Zone. Despite the high risks involved, the Iron Gorgons frequently dispatch scout squads into the area as part of their more advanced combat training.

 

The Black Sun Invasion: in M41 the Iron Gorgons faced their greatest challenged. Spearheaded by a renegade chapter known as the Black Suns, the Aracian Belt was plunged into chaos and anarchy as world after world fell to the Arch-Enemy. The Western Belt fell to Chaos within a year, and the enemy armies made several significant gains within the Clasp Worlds themselves. Likewise in the Eastern Belt, uprisings on Imperial worlds were barely contained and the Green Zone was swelling as the Orks began to break through the struggling Navy blockade.

Recalling their forces fighting abroad, the Iron Gorgons abandoned many of their outlaying garrisons and retreated to the Clasp Worlds. With the arrival of the rest of the chapter, the Iron Gorgons took to the offensive, and spearheaded a ferocious counter attack, retaking many lost worlds within the Clasp Worlds and a handful within the Western Belt.

Shortly after the Iron Gorgon’s decisive counter offensive, a crusade to liberate the Aracian Belt was officially sanctioned and a sector wide call to arms issued, though even with the might of the Imperial war machine behind them, the Iron Gorgons have a tough fight ahead of them if they are to save the Aracian Belt from the Arch-Enemy.

 

Organisation

With an initial training cadre formed from Iron Hands, Red Talons and Brazen Claws volunteers, three distinct clans (Medusa, Stheno and Euryale) were formed within the Iron Gorgons, similar to those of the Sons of Medusa. Each Clan consists of 1 Battle Company, 1 tactical company, 1 Reserve Company and a scout cadre allowing them to maintain a degree of self contained autonomy.

The Iron Gorgons also maintain a Clan Council similar to that of the Iron Hands and the Sons of Medusa, although they retain the office of Chapter Master, who sits as a fourth member of the Council alongside the Clan Masters. The main role of the Chapter Master within the Council is to arbitrate any disputes and to ensure that all decisions benefit the chapter as a whole. In order to maintain his neutrality, the Chapter Master doesn’t belong to any of the clans. Instead, the Chapter Master and his elite Honour guard are known collectively as The Neameans.

Battle companies are also divided down into smaller formations known as Cohorts, each led by a Master Sergeant, allowing further flexibility within each Clan. Though each cohort is officially made up of around 25 astartes, when supplemented by troops from the tactical and reserve companies, each can field as many as 100 troops.

In terms of deployment only one clan at a time is based within the Aracian Belt, with the other two on active duty elsewhere in the galaxy.

 

Home World

The Iron Gorgons don’t have a particular home world; with most of the chapter being fleet based aboard the chapter’s two battlebarges, The Iron Tyrant and the Gorgon’s Gaze. Networks of fortress-garrisons are maintained within the Aracian Belt itself, acting as bases for recruitment, forging, training and chapter administration. While two clans are fighting abroad in the Galaxy, one is always on garrison duty. This is undertaken on a rotational basis, depending on active clans needs to rearm and recruit etc.

 

Combat Doctrine

Although largely codex in their approach to war, the Iron Gorgons came to specialise in armoured assaults and mobile warfare, following their campaign against Waaagh! Redgob. Ever since the chapter has favoured the mobile firepower and transport capacity of the razorback, closely supported by predators to launch lightning attacks against enemy positions, with a second wave of foot infantry to mop any survivors of the initial armoured assault.

 

Beliefs

Like their Primogenitor, the Iron Gorgons are known to be a stern and pragmatic chapter, abhorring weakness in all its forms, though unlike the Iron Hands they have no particular devotion to the Machine Cult. Like many of the older chapters, they view the Emperor as the pinnacle of mankind but refute the notion of His divinity. Likewise, they honour Ferrus Manus as the father of their chapter, and the first Primarch to martyr himself during the Horus Heresy.

[Andrew J]

This is very well written. I like the ideas you have here. I actually like the history section. I would keep that.

 

Other than that try expanding some more on their beliefs and maybe add some more character to them with some flaws/failings. Off the top of my head dont have anything but I will think on it.

[hobointherain]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm drafting up a 2nd version now, hopefully I'm gonna expand each section a little, including characters etc

[BassWave]

As a son of Mannus, I approve :D

 

May want to point out whether the Iron Gorgons have iron fathers or not and what their views on bionics are.

[hobointherain]

Indeed good point! I did want to move the chapter away from the tech obsession of the iron hands, reducing the use of bionics. To reflect this, I would probably use the term Iron Father as a ceremonial name only, to represent the MotF. Despite this, the Iron Gorgons are still the sons of Mannus and have a natural affinty with technology, enabling them to maintain a vast forge and an armoury much larger than most chapters are able to muster.

 

Any further ideas guys???

 

and thanks for the approval brother :nuke:

[hobointherain]

A quick bit of fluff to explain why the Iron Gorgons have drifted away from the Ad Mech...

 

The Maer Incident

 

Prior to the Maer Incident, the Iron Gorgons had a relatively close relationship with the Martian Cult, emulating the beliefs of their parent chapter. Weakness of the flesh was abhorred and a closer symbiosis with the purity of machines was sought by many within the chapter. That was of course until the invasion of Maer, a major Forge World to the far east of the Aracian Belt; beyond even the Green zone. The Iron Gorgon reacted quickly to secure the sovereign realm of their mechanicum allies and won many swift decisive victories against the Archenemy forces. The enemy fled before the wrath of the Iron Gorgons, taking shelter behind the gargantuan curtain walls of the Primus Forge. What lay in wait within the curtain walls however would prove more problematic for the Gorgons however; a cohort of battle titans, twisted and corrupted by the dark gods. The Iron Gorgons demanded titan support from the mechanicum and were assured that a cohort would be dispatched immediately. However, the titans never arrived. None the less, the Iron Gorgons persevered despite horrendous casualties and launched boarding actions against the enemy titans, scuttling them from the inside and finally breaking the spirit of the Archenemy forces.

It became clear after the battle that the mechanicum had never intended to dispatch their titans, having calculated that the astartes losses would be within acceptable thresholds, while still allowing them to successfully bring down the enemy war machines.

Relations with the mechanicum would remain tense for many years following the incident, and at times bordered on openly hostile, until the eventual intervention by the Iron Hands. An agreement was reached whereby the mechanicum agreed to pay reparations to the Iron Gorgons, in the form of arms and armour for the chapter, as well as turning over Maer Primus Forge for the personal use of the Iron Gorgons.

Despite the gracious gesture by the mechanicum, the Iron Gorgons remain sceptical and tend to keep the mechanicum at arms length, though in contrast, members of the chapters' forge are still held in high regard amongst the chapter.

 

Beliefs addition

The Maer incident fundamentally changed the beliefs of the Iron Gorgons. Before, they shared the Iron Hands fanatical abhorrence of the weakness inherent in flesh. However, their ultimate victory at Maer in the face of such a massacre showed them that while flesh may perish and iron be split asunder, an unshakable spirit and determination will always prevail. As such, and despite their somewhat pragmatic views on other matters of faith, the Iron Gorgons believe strongly in preparing and strengthening the soul for battle. Brothers may spend hours on end meditating and many carry loops of meditation beads upon their person during battle. Indeed it has been noted that many Iron Gorgons display a level of endurance that seems incredible even for a space marine

[BassWave]

Oh man, I really like your latest addition! The actions the Mechanicus took are believable (fickle as they are) which made the whole philisophical change just work well. Kinda makes me want to write a story about it :D I really like this part-

while flesh may perish and iron be split asunder, an unshakable spirit and determination will always prevail.

 

"The Flesh is weak, and Iron rusts!

But a defiant soul will not be forgotten!"

 

Something I came up with ;) I can imagine an Iron Father yelling the bold parts with the battle brothers yelling the un-bolded parts. Use if you want or don't, just something that popped in my head. Something about that last addition was really inspiring, and I think their mentality is what Ferrus wanted for his sons in the first place. It wasn't bionics that allowed him to resist temptation to join his best friend/brother (fulgrim) on Chaos's side, it was his indominable spirit, and I think that is lost a little on my favorite chapter :/

[NightrawenII]

Well, you can disregard the following as the cynicism of old guy. But...

*This was further developed to form the most important principle of the Iron Hands: the unyielding mind and the unyielding body. Under this maxim, the strongest, most incorruptible warrior is formed, so they believe.*

~Index Astartes, Iron Hands

 

And my favorite Chapter in Honouros Liber Index - Warriors Eternal.

 

:lol:

~NightrawenII.

[hobointherain]

haha thanks :lol: I've been trying to figure out why they may have drifted from the mechanicum for ages but i think this fits perfectly. When you delve into the Iron Hands and their belief system, the use of bionics is really a symptom of their deeper hatred of weakness. They seek to make themselves stronger in every sense, the most obvious way being to replace the inherent weakness of flesh with the perceived strength of metal. I like to think that the Iron Gorgons have achieved an enlightenment of sorts, reallising that, like I mentioned, even iron can be split asunder ( ^_^ I love that) and that a pure and noble spirit can carry a warrior forward despite the most grievous of wounds. After all even though Horus struck down the emperor, his immortal spirit has maintained him for the past 10,000 years! (with a little help from the golden throne, gotta give those tech boys some credit!!!)

I think overall this idea of spiritual strength and an unbreakable will is more true to the teachings of Mannus than the Iron Hands beliefs!

 

keep those suggestions coming! I'm on a roll with this =p

[hobointherain]

*This was further developed to form the most important principle of the Iron Hands: the unyielding mind and the unyielding body. Under this maxim, the strongest, most incorruptible warrior is formed, so they believe.*

~Index Astartes, Iron Hands

 

Cheers for this nightrawenII! love the warriors eternal IA! The point I want to make is that the Iron Gorgons were seriously screwed leading to a general mistrust and even hostility towards the ad mech. this is obviously gonna have some knock on effect within the chapter with regards to bionics and their philosophical outlook. Iron has been proved fallible. Likewise in the period before the mech agreed to pay reparations, the chapter was undoubtedly blighted by a lack of arms and amour etc, relying on their spirit and determination to carry them through such a bleak time. Hope this sheds a bit more light on my train of thought