IA: Steel Griffons (New to B&C)

[amjedigen]

Hey guys. First post on B&C, a chapter I made myself. My main worry is that people will start yelling "Mary Sue" because it's an Iron Hands successor that doesn't like *too much* robotics. Colors should be up as soon as I figure out how to use the marine color program. Hope you like it, and tell me what you think!

The Steel Griffons

Origins

The Steel Griffons Space Marine chapter can trace its origins back to the 26th Founding in M41. Their gene-seed and first few marines were donated from the Iron Hands, making them the venerable chapter’s first new division in a long while. They were formed specifically to oversee Subsector Angelorum, which itself contains a nexus of multiple Dark Eldar-controlled Webway portals. This unfortunate natural phenomenon has recently seen the small clutch of systems turned into a dueling field for no less than eight separate Kabals. It was considered a wonder that the Imperium could maintain even a tiny presence in such conditions without help. The Steel Griffons were meant to be that help.

So, the chapter was formed and given a world to call its own. They performed brilliantly, as was to be expected, and gave the people of Angelorum a measure of safety they had never before experienced. Still, no matter how many times the new marines saw the xenos off, reinforcements from Commorragh would always emerge to keep the blood feud raging. Chapter Master Gorrion Devastra knew that a tipping point would have to be reached; something which would convince the aliens to take their petty squabble back to the Dark City, or else destroy them entirely.

Gorrion saw his prayers answered on the arid night world of Barrabine. The two largest Kabals had managed to severely damage each other’s flagships, forcing them both to land planetside. Instead of making the sensible decision of waiting for repairs, their respective Archons simply fortified the wreckage and continued fighting on land. Eventually, almost all of their resources in the subsector were concentrated on or in orbit of Barrabine, plunging the once innocuous planet into a state of total war. It was obvious that if the Steel Griffons could manage to destroy the two Kabals in one fell swoop, then the rest of the Dark Eldar would either have to deal with them directly (at which point a crusade could be called) or fight elsewhere. This was not an opportunity to be wasted.

The Griffons scrambled their fledgling fleet to Barrabine. As their starships did battle with the xenos craft in space, the entire might of the chapter was brought to bear on the planet’s surface. The Dark Eldar were ruthlessly pushed back to their fortresses, fearing the hour when the Astartes would come to finish them off. It seemed as if victory was finally at hand, but the wheel of fate often turns falsely. A series of consecutive misfortunes (which would later come to be known as the Three Tragedies of Barrabine) would fall upon the Steel Griffons on the eve of their first great triumph, and lay the foundations for the chapter to become what it is today.

The calamity began when all of the chapter’s Iron Fathers congregated in private to discuss the coming battle. Their meeting was seemingly waylaid by an abnormally large advance force from the Kabal of the Flying Shard, for though they and their servitors fought bravely, librarium records indicate that all of the Iron Fathers were slain before help could arrive. In spite of this, Gorrion decided that victory was already too close at hand to turn back. But then the chapter fleet, which had until then been successfully pressing the two battle-torn xenos armadas, was with its opponents suddenly swept away by a warp storm that materialized from the aether and surrounded the planet. Even then, the Chapter Master’s resolve did not waver; He carried out his plan in the storm’s eldritch light, taking the two flagships subsequently and putting their occupants to the sword. Now all that was left to do was let the weather abate and then clean up from orbit.

But the storm did not stop. They waited, immersed in its sickly glow, first for a standard week, then a month. After a whole planetary cycle had gone by, the Steel Griffons still loitered on the day-world of Barrabine. In all fairness, they had little to worry about: Their enemies were slain, save for the odd Mandrake which would pop up from time to time to provide the Scouts with tracking practice. Being good Iron Hands most, they had little trouble maintaining any equipment, and the planet’s wildlife provided more than enough sustenance, assuming one’s Oolotic Kidney was up to the challenge. What the Griffons did not know was that their greatest opponents hid not in the shadows, but in the light.

It all began one morning, –at least, their tactical displays told them it was morning– when a newly-minted Devastator named Jokulle walked up to converse with his Chapter Master. He told Gorrion that he felt as if his right arm was too weak to function optimally, and that he wished to have it replaced with a bionic limb. Somewhat perplexed, Devastra told the young Sejantine that, though his concern was valid, there was nobody left on the planet able to provide such an attachment. As he turned to leave, Jokulle grabbed his shoulder, right arm like a power klaw, and spun him around. His next words would be immortalized in stone and ceramite: “Master, I have no strength to endure. Who can help me, if not you?”

For the next six decades after this incident, Gorrion was forced to witness the slow destruction of his Astartes. Very often it began with scratching; a marine would remove some of his armor in secret and begin scratching as if he had an itch in his skin. This would move quickly to picking, then scraping, and then finally tearing. They began to mutilate themselves, despairing at their chances of ever being anything but weak, ineffectual fools stuck on some dead rock in the Obscurus. The Steel Griffons were poised to die, drowning in the purple light of the Warp– and they would have done so, had the storm not sputtered out of existence in 477.M41. Sensors indicated that the blood feud had continued uninterrupted in their absence.

As the gracious embrace of night closed in around them, the Griffons were finally able to take a good look at themselves. What they saw were the sons of Ferrus Manus made wretched, nearly obliterated by their desire for strength. This was the third and greatest Tragedy of Barrabine, a lesson which the young chapter would not soon forget.

Homeworld

Sejant IX is a bitterly cold, but surprisingly various world in the Segmentum Obscurus. It is a terrestrial planet, quite far away from its star, and possessed of much water. While these conditions would normally have turned it into an ice world, there is an as of yet unexplained chemical reaction that occurs within Sejant’s oceans which keeps their waters mostly liquid. This engenders a large environmental diversity comparable to that of ancient Terra, only much colder and more brutal. This in turn presents a host of challenges for the semi-industrial humans who call the planet home, and it is from this determined stock that the Griffons derive their initiates. For their part, the Sejantines view the Astartes as unapproachable servants of their God Emperor, who make use of inconceivable technology and remain ever vigilant against the dreaded Dokalfer –their name for the Dark Eldar– raiders who frequent the subsector.

Combat Doctrine

Each Steel Griffons company is an independent, self-sufficient fighting body called a clan. Chapter Master Molichai chooses to uphold the fine Iron Hands tradition of hands-off leadership, allowing each company to select its own missions (he only decides the number of companies to be sent; which unit actually gets deployed is settled privately between them) and manage its own campaign. The effect of this on the Griffons’ style of warfare is hard to overestimate: Each clan fights differently, as does each clan leader. The only binding thread between all of them is their capacity for ferocity and tranquility in equal measure.

When Molichai himself goes to war, though, he assembles two cross-company teams. The first of these is a small, terminator-armored honor guard known as the Griffin Sejant. The second is the War Circle, which consists of chapter-wide officers such as the Chief Librarian and Master of the Forge. The end of this is to promote a sense of loyalty to the wider organization. Most marines will still identify themselves as members of a clan before they do their chapter, but at least they all know whom their supreme commander is.

In battle, the Griffons are defined by a deep, profound hatred for the enemy. They will go where others fear to tread, try what others are unwilling to consider, simply for the sake of destroying their foes. However, this contempt sometimes spills over to their Imperial compatriots, especially those Astartes not of Iron Hands descent. When participating in joint operations, Steel Griffons commanders can often be found acting against the agreed-upon battle plans, particularly if they find their allies lacking in competence or initiative.

The circumstances surrounding their founding have also seen the Griffons become very adept at fighting and generally dealing with the Dark Eldar. They consider it worse than pointless to skirmish with and react to this enemy every time they appear on sensor, because that is exactly the type of combat where they hold the greatest advantage. Entire years go by on Sejant IX where the Dokalfer raid and pillage as they please and the Emperor’s Steel Griffons sit seemingly idle in their fortresses, leaving the planet’s hopelessly outmatched population to fend for itself. However, what the people do not know is that their protectors are simply biding time, waiting for the arrogant xenos to concentrate in larger numbers. Their natural hubris and thirst for souls do not see them satisfied with mere raids for very long. Only when they have established themselves will the Griffons offer battle, and invariably their superior firepower and strength of spirit brings them victory over the cruel, but delicate foe. Such forbearance often draws the ire of Imperial officers and Astartes alike, but there are few chapters in the Imperium more sought after when the wretches of Commorragh show their foul heads on the battlefield.

Organisation

For most intents and purposes, the Steel Griffons are what is commonly called a “Codex-compliant” chapter. Their young age and early isolation, however, have seen them unable to build up the manpower of a standard Astartes chapter. They are approaching the normal amount steadily, though.

The Griffons maintain three decentralized companies, called “clans,” as well as an independent body of scouts and neophytes. The Chapter Master does not officially belong to any of these groups, and is in fact supposed to live with all four during the course of the Sejantine year. Each clan maintains its own mobile citadel on the planet’s surface, while the scouts and their instructors live nomadically. When they take their vows and become Astartes proper, the new marines are required to adopt one of the three clan surnames (Devastra, Grenzer, and Inuzuka), which will stay with them for the rest of their days.

Finally, the Steel Griffons are one of the few Iron Hands successor chapters to maintain a Codex-type chaplaincy rather than the standard Iron Fathers. The main cause for this is their estrangement from the Adeptus Mechanicus; So far, few Astartes originating from this chapter have ascended to the rank of Techmarine, though there are some training on Mars at present. The handful of Iron Fathers kept by the Griffons today are all transfers from the Iron Hands or Red Talons, and are widely viewed as an attempt by the parent chapter to “keep vigil” over their deviant descendants. There are even a number of tech-priests residing in each fortress to aid the undermanned logistics staff in their duties. It should be noted that all of these "reinforcements" are strictly regulated to technical work so as to avoid conflict with the more mainstream Chaplains, and it will not be long before native Griffon Techmarines replace the Iron Fathers entirely. Still, the indiscreet presence of the Machine Cult within their numbers makes some Griffon Marines uneasy, in spite of their elders' better judgement.

Chapter Beliefs

Lord Ferrus forged awesome weapons, wrought impeccable armors, and possessed the mightiest form known to mortal man; But those trappings would have all been for naught had he lacked the warrior’s spirit. Know brothers, that it was not the hands of iron which gave him great strength, it was his strength which made the hands of iron great! -Brother Borro, Master of Sanctity

Even amongst the sons of Ferrus Manus, the Steel Griffons are renowned for sheer mental strength and willpower. Their hatred is a sword against the Imperium’s foes, a blade that no enemy can hope to dull or break. However, the Griffons also exhibit an air of serenity which is rarely seen in such vehement Astartes, such as the Black Templars for example. This is because their fortitude stems not from emotion, but from an unshakeable sense of self-assuredness. They know who their gene-father was, and they know who his gene-father still is. As such, they have nothing to fear. Looking upon them, one would be tempted to think the young chapter has yet to taste the bitter drink of defeat, but a trip to one of their Libraria will dispel this notion terminally. They are Space Marines, and there is no defeat, no shame, no censure which could possibly take that away.

As successors to the famous Iron Hands, the Griffons have been granted the opportunity to collaborate with the Adeptus Mechanicus at a level which few others can even dream of. They simply do not allot enough focus to their equipment to take advantage of it. Despite their vast achievements, the Steel Griffons are most famous in the public eye for their aberration from the Iron Hands’ philosophies of weakness, and their resulting distance from the Machine Cult. There is little outright hostility between the two, but such behavior is still considered irregular or even distasteful. This is not to say that the Steel Griffons spurn Mechanicus help– in fact they need it just like everybody else. For example, their level of bionic enhancement, though nowhere near that of the Hands, still surpasses most other Astartes chapters by a good margin.

Gene-Seed

One of the benefits of belonging to such a recently-formed chapter is that there is very little time for your genetic material to deviate from that of your progenitors. This is certainly the case for the Griffons, who have inherited and maintained the ostensibly flawless gene-seed of the Iron Hands. The only phenomenon worth mentioning pertains to their psychological relationship with the Hands and their other successors: Despite their relative aversion to bionics, many of the chapter’s marines still experience their progenitors’ primal revulsion for natural flesh. This is most apparent in initiates and scouts who are noticing their feelings for the first time, but not even the oldest veterans can erase the impulse entirely. Conversely, there are some Griffons who never feel the urge at all; They acknowledge the logic and benefits of their chapter creed, and are therefore perfectly comfortable with their superhuman bodies. Whether this phenomenon actually denotes a flaw in the gene-seed is still subject to debate.

Battlecry

Strength Eternal!

Sample Marine

[ShadowSong7007]

There are others far more skilled at demolishing IAs than me but from what I saw everything looks pretty good.

 

 

Compliment sandwich!

 

 

Except this "Finally, the Steel Griffons are the only Iron Hands successor chapter to maintain a Codex-type chaplaincy rather than the standard Iron Fathers.The main cause for this is their estrangement from the Adeptus Mechanicus; So far, no Astartes originating from this chapter has ascended even to the rank of Techmarine. The few Iron Fathers kept by the Griffons today are all transfers from the Iron Hands or Sons of Medusa, and are widely viewed as an attempt by the parent chapter to “keep vigil” over their deviant descendants. These officers are largely regulated to technical duties so as to avoid conflict with the more mainstream Chaplains.

 

 

Now I know they are a young chapter, but they have to have techmarines, how do they keep their tanks and armor and weapons etc. functional? With the way 40k is set up for technology to have a mystic quality it's not like they can use their collective knowledge to keep patching things up. Also, I can't see Iron Hands or SoM (Sons of Medusa)  baby sitting a chapter just because they got scared of bionics. If anything they would just let them die due to seeing them as weak. Lastly if they are Iron Hands successors I don't see them spending much time with SoM. That whole schism thing and the bad blood that still festers between the chapters. Maybe make them a SoM successor? I see a lot more potential there but that's just an opinion.

 

All and all I like it, you've still got work to do but it's a solid start.

[XKhalilX]

i agree with shadowsong. no techmarines means no equipment would work. just like nobapothercaries means no marines. and a 26th foundong chapter would have plebty of techmarines. u can have techmarines.and chaplains separate.

and i would strongly suggest you remove the part of them being the only iron hand succrssor to not have iron fathers. i believe thr brazen claws dl noy i couod be wrong. and also fluff wise aloy of us on here who have ih geneseed chapters, some have removed the iron father role.

you can say they are one of the few successors to not have iron fathers. but sont say the one and.only

[amjedigen]

@ShadowSong7000- I understand what you mean, but I said no Steel Griffon has yet to attain the rank of Techmarine. Perhaps I should add that there are some training on Mars in the present day. But more importantly, I came into this telling myself that these guys are not going to be the rebellious teenager chapter that tells the Iron Hands to go f*** themselves, because frankly I don't like that. I always wanted the relationship to be strained, choleric, and awkward, but not broken. I suppose the closest analogy would be a reasonably conservative dad trying to deal with an out gay son. If you notice, I was careful to put many more similarities between the two than differences. I know this is 40k, and that reasonableness is a hard thing to find, but that's what I am honestly going for.

 

As for the Sons of Medusa, I must apologize because I had not really read up on them before making this. I just figured, since they were another IH successor, they would have seen themselves having the exact same weakness and acting in the exact same way as the Griffons had they been in their position. Hence the Iron Fathers. I did not know there was a stigma; so can you suggest another successor I can use?

 

@XKhalilX- I apologize for this, too. I should have realized that this idea has probably been done to death. Definitely gonna change this.

[Messor]

Good call on the changes, and welcome to the Liber. Only two things I'll advise at the moment. Like you considered above, do include that there are Griffons in training on Mars. Also, I think your challenge is less of their relationship is and more of why it is. The IH themselves are largely independent of each other, and I don't know of any particular relationships they have with their successors(least of all the SoM, who'd be viewed as schismatic at best). What makes having this relationship important to you? Without a solid justification for that, I would leave out the bit about having IH or SoM on loan.

[amjedigen]

@Messor- Thanks. As for why the relationship is there, I suppose it's just because I enjoy the thematic element. There's really nothing concrete, I just like the idea that there can be a rival philosophy that springs from what were supposed to become the "perfect" successors, and the IH would have to either confront it or ignore it. If there is any fluff justification to be had, it's that the IH have constantly been bothered by people asking them to reinforce the Steel Griffons with their own men. This is the case with the Iron Fathers: they're not on loan, they're permanent Steel Griffons. There is just the slightest suggestion of doubt as to whether or not their loyalties lie completely with the chapter, if only because their mind sets are so different.

[soddinnutter]

It is more likely that they would get loaned specialists from Mechanicus Priesthoods than loaned Iron Fathers.

 

The Chapter could see this a generous gesture and the Mechanicus could see it as a means of subtely manipulating the chapter.

[ShadowSong7007]

So no Steel Griffon has yet to attain the rank of techmarine yet. I kinda like that, gives them the fresh paint job on the armor rookie feel.

It is more likely that they would get loaned specialists from Mechanicus Priesthoods than loaned Iron Fathers.

The Chapter could see this a generous gesture and the Mechanicus could see it as a means of subtely manipulating the chapter.

This sounds like a great idea to me, the chapter has its ties to the Mechanicus, much like the Iron Hands. You could maybe even go so far as somehow be in a conflict where you had to depend on SoM help so now your chapter sees a different point of view but its still Mech love. Perhaps your chapter is irratated/disgusted so you guys go a 3rd route. Just tossing out ideas.

Also a sidenote, your willing to listen to ideas and not flip out when people question your IA, that will take you far in designing your own chapter. Keep it up

[amjedigen]

Why thank ye kindly, but there's something I'd like to ask.

 

Sorry if my noobidity is showing, but I assumed that every Astartes chapter had a small-to-medium-sized coterie of Mechanicus priests to give their techmarines a hand (or a mechadendrite) back at base. I know the Griffons sure do, ever since the beginning. The purpose of the rent-a-Fathers is to be present in combat and hostile settings where a priest would be unable to operate at full capacity. If this is not the case, then I will definitely mention the fact that the chapter has more than the regular amount of Mechanicus present.

 

Also, about the SoM and IH thing, I think I like my chapter where it is. I feel as if anything further would risk crossing the line into "too special," and as we know too special is just another term for Mary Sue. An IH successor with this kind of sensibility is already kind of stretching it, and any involvement in the post-Moirae debate (which I have since read up on) would just be too much, in my opinion. For now, the Steel Griffons stand firmly with their progenitors on this issue, and view the greenies with the same contempt as they do, say, the Space Furries. Not that the Wolves aren't cool, mind you, but it's easy to mistake their animal affinity for... something heretical.

[ShadowSong7007]

The Space Marine chapters normally just have their techmarines. They are marines that have been picked out from scout squads who have shown a natural tendency towards machines. Due to ancient treaties and oaths the selected marines get sent to Mars to learn from the Mechanicus. Just like marines that show excessive zeal/leadership get selected to be trained as Chaplains and those who show interest/skill in biology get selected for the Apothocarium.

 

Its a way for Chapters to have ties to the Mechanicus without being beholden to them since the techmarines loyalties (in theory) are to his chapter and then Mars. So your idea of having Tech-Priests instead of techmarines is interesting. I'll be sure to follow this thread, I'm curious where you go with it.

[amjedigen]

Sorry about the delay, but I finally fixed the last paragraph of Organisation. Don't think I'll be making any more changes to that paragraph in the near future. :)

 

So, now that that's done, do any of y'all have suggestions for any other part of the IA? Color schemes and alternative battlecries would be great too!

[soddinnutter]

The Martian priesthood being present would not be too much of an intrusion on the day-to-day lives of the chapter. At most there might be little over a dozen of them.

 

All battle-brothers know the most basic rituals of repair and maintenance. On the field of war there is seldom time for anything else.

Most of the technical staff of a chapter is not made up of tech-marines. They are just the ones who organise, perform the high-end repair rituals, act as walking libraries of technical knowledge and give spiritual legitimacy to what those under his command do.

 

Most of the actual grunt work gets done by the lay-technicians amongst the serf families. Also the servitors if its too tedious and repetitive.

 

The chapter would not be so much annoyed that outsiders are in their holy grounds so much as they would appear weak. As the proud progeny of Mannus that would be terrible.

 

[Gripharius]

My impression has always been that there is an Adeptus Mechanicus presence, if small, in most Space Marine chapters and/or fleets. Logistically, how could the few Techmarines in any single Chapter keep the ships flying by themselves, much less manufacture bolts, maintain weapons and vehicles, etc?

[amjedigen]

Update: Posted chapter colors. Now that the whole thing's done, what do you guys think?