Mono-god Iron Warriors?

[Cptn. Palladorus]

Is there any precedent for mono-god Iron Warriors, apart from the small number of Berzerkers they used as shock troops in the old fluff? I've had the idea for a Noise Marine heavy Iron Warriors warband in bright silver armor tinted various pastel colors with black and white hazard striping led by a Slaaneshi daemon prince who has vowed to fight his way into the webway and eat Cegorach the Laughing God.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

I don't see why that couldn't happen. There are probably plenty of Iron Warriors kicking around, surely a couple have dedicated themselves to Slaanesh.

[minigun762]

Is there any precedent for mono-god Iron Warriors, apart from the small number of Berzerkers they used as shock troops in the old fluff? I've had the idea for a Noise Marine heavy Iron Warriors warband in bright silver armor tinted various pastel colors with black and white hazard striping led by a Slaaneshi daemon prince who has vowed to fight his way into the webway and eat Cegorach the Laughing God.

 

I can't think of a prior example but IW are flexible enough that you could make it work.

Maybe consider it less about worship and more about their desire for vengeance, combat, getting even etc justifying their actions.

[Hellios]

Didn't the really really old fluff have the Iron Warrior aligned with Slaanesh, and the Night Lords with Khorne?

[the jeske]

Well they were on the same page as EC, NL at least had their half NL icon/half khorn sigil. But I don't think it was said that they were all slanesh.

[Hellios]

Well they were on the same page as EC, NL at least had their half NL icon/half khorn sigil. But I don't think it was said that they were all slanesh.

 

That might be the case. I don't really remember.

[Shuggnuggath]

I don't see why not, all depends on the allegiance of the particular warsmith in charge after all. 

 

My own Iron Warriors are loosely aligned to Nurgle, I guess that makes them 'rust warriors'.

[Dammeron]

No reason why not whatsoever: the background is deliberately left open in that regard to allow players to go a little wild with their imaginations. the trick of writing some really good background in this regard is finding some way in which a particular Chaos Power might appeal to traits characteristic of the Iron Warriors. For example, their intractability; their ability to weather inredibly harsh battlefield conditions etc might bring them to the notice of Grandfather Nurgle, whereas their tactical acumen; their penchant for entrapping their enemies in great siegeworks and hideous, labyrinthine killing grounds might court the attention of Tzeentch.

[The_son_of_Dorn]

I see the Iron Warriors as being ANTI chaos, using science and tech with cold logical reason to best approach the defeat of their foes.

 

I've toy'd with the idea of multi faithed IW, that use the same kind of implants the WE do, except they have to option to change the frequency to tune into their minds and overridge themselfs, the downside being that when an IW uses a prefered set of gods eg.nurgle & korn over say a singular or fully balanced approach, the gods becoem displeased and the IW becomes a warp spawn.

 

 

[Ammonius]

It's your army, write up the fluff that describes things the way you want.

 

My chapter/ warband is made up of the surviving core of a Grand Company, with post-heresy marines that were raised, implanted, and trained within the Eye. Among these newer Astartes mono-god cults have begun to take root. And so, depending on the HQ I choose, I have unmarked, marked, and cult units on the field.

[totgeboren]

"Is there any precedent for mono-god Iron Warriors". To this I would say no, though in Angel Exterminatus it was obvious IW could potentially fall to Slaanesh (from the visit to the EC ship).

And sure, traditional IW regard worship of the gods with disdain, but as the loyalist legions have defectors and renegades, and so does the unaligned traitor legions.

I mean, even the WB, maybe the most organised and coherent of the old legions have factions that seem to have broken with their main organisation (The Sanctified for example seem to hang around with Khorne-warbands exclusively, and worship Khorne exclusively too).

 

I see nothing wrong with a Slaanesh-aligned IW warband, and they could look pretty cool too. Instead of dark boltgun metal, you could use some lighter metal, like chainmail (or whatever is is called now) with some bluesih wash to make them look really shiny, in addition to all the other Slaanesh colours.

[Iron_Within]

The Iron Warriors totally could be represented in this fashion. To note; Iron Warriors are not the 'Anti-Chaos' faction more than any other, they have their own approach to it which is core to their personality, generally they acknowledge the gods but aren't devout and look down on those who are, that still leaves massive scope however, even for those who are marked can have this attitude (you get marked, doesn't mean you have to like it).

 

Iron Warriors are, sadistic, paranoid, technical sophisticated meglomaniacs, who genuinly think they were betrayed by the Imperium and were betrayed by the other Legions and even their own legion (and often are; this level of paranoia leads to backstabbing before being backstabbed). They also believe they are like demi-gods of old, unleashed upon the Galaxy and no one and nothing can stop them. They are the worst of certain aspects of human phych; intellect and arrogance. This is a perfect combination for Slaanesh. The manner of their worship might take a very differing form than to Emperors Children Noise Marines (who do worship), they would selfishly believe they are taking what they want from the god and only giving paltry offerings back (basically getting one over on the ol' Prince of pleasure), not really acknowledging they are damned and slaves. Slaanesh in this bargain would love it; they are the worst in the Iron Warrior psych; a Slaaneshi Iron Warrior Lord would go to insane lengths to get revenge for even the pettiest of perceived slights, and he would see them everywhere like Perturabo did. They would distil daemon essences for their own benefit and Slaanesh would laugh at using the IW to get one over on the other gods.

 

If they used sonic weaponry it might look a little different from the Noise Marine variety, being very technologically capable they might tinker with them constantly to get the best effect; or it might not even be sonic weaponry, some other insane alglamation of daemonology and technology.

That's my thoughts of it anyway.

[Dammeron]

I think it must also be noted that the Iron Warriors are described as venerating the dark powers in their Index Astartes article, but are not devout. I imagine they regard their relationship with Chaos as one of mutual benefit; Chaos provides the longevity and support they require to wage their war against the Imperium. In return, they provide the carnage and conflict in which Chaos flourishes.

 

It also points out that they make extensive use of daemonic influences and the reality-warping nature of Chaos to create weapons and fuel their technology: the I.A. article even points out that their equivalent of "possessed" use captured daemonic essences to fuel a wide variety of mechanical weapons and appendages.

 

It's certainly not outside the realms of specualtion that there are any number of sub cults within the Iron Warriors that have become dedicated to an aspect of one chaos power or another: given Khorne's predilection for daemon engines and immense weapons of war, there are likely quite a few Grand Companies partially or totally dedicated to him. That's before we even start on those who may have broken away, been cast out or exiled by the main legion: just go nuts; see what you can concoct.

[Fulminata]

After reading Angel Exterminatus I don't think the Iron Warriors would follow Slaanesh in any way after the betrayal of Fulgrim and the Emperor's Children. Perturabo seemed very bitter against his brother and the feeling I got was the Iron Warriors are a serious bunch and wouldn't go for the cavorting about like the EC's do.

 

Now, the Iron Warriors are about heavy weapons, so I could see them following Slaanesh enough to employ some of the more powerful sonic weapory. Just like the Iron Warriors who follow Khorne, they would be kept at arms length and used as tool of destruction.

 

Just my two cents.

[bjoluemblem]

I think it could be managed, as a IW warband could be fighting an EC warband, and just maybe an IW marine picks up a noise weapon when he runs out of bolter shells, and uses it in battle. Commence slow descent into the anarchy of sensation that is Slaanesh. Chaos is so corruptive/influential that even the most hardened marine would eventually give in due to constant exposure. Plus, sonic weapons are neato!

[Dammeron]

Slaanesh is arguably the most difficult sell insofar as the Iron Warriors go, but far from impossible: like the Imperial Fists, they are artisans and craftsmen as well as warriors: their predilections lie not only with the destruction of fortifications but their conception and creation: it isn't at all outside the realms of speculation to consider an Iron Warrior siege master obsessed with creating the perfect fortification or conceptualising the perfect siege: from there, the obsessive tendencies that are the first steps on the path to Slaanesh may be given full flower. Similarly, Iron Warriors seem to enjoy crafting elaborate, daemonic weapons of war in theor hell-forges: an artisan weapon-smith would be the perfect subject for Slaaneshi corruption.

 

One might also consider the nature of siege warfare, which is necessarily arduous, drudging and painful: given how often and habitually the Iron Warriors engage in such, it isn't outside the realms of speculation for it to become almost fetishistic: for the discomfort and drudgery to become desirable, almost pleasurable; something that your slowly corrupting Iron Warrior might seek out to bring himself up to an operational level. This is, after all, the arena in which they are most active and acute: where their senses would be most alert and their minds most frenetic. That level of operation is surely addicitive: something that they might come to depend upon drug-like. All of this is grist to the mill for servants of Slaanesh.

[DeRome90]

As far as i understand the fluff there shouldn’t be a problem as long as the Iron Warriors do not praise slaanesh… they only use him to achieve their goals. Chaos is only a tool to them… not a religion

I think it’s a great picture if IW are using Sonic Weapons so that the enemy fortress is reduced to dust

[Dar'kir]

IMHO, there is no problem. Its all up to what you what to run and how you make it work within your own army.

[Akylas]

I say go for it. The beauty of Chaos is that there are  very few limits on the fluff of your personal warband. The eye is more than big enough, and Chaos chaotic enough, to allow anything from traditional "we use Chaos, it doesn't use us" Iron Warrior warbands who aren't devout and cut off mutations to replace with bionics, to warbands slowly falling into a particular god's cult (possibly denying their descent the whole way), to even full out worshippers of somewhat more unlikely gods like Tzeench who revel in mutations and delight in impossibly complex plans for their sieges.

 

Our loyalist cousins have their codex or traditions to follow slavishly, but a Chaos warband can go any direction its Lord is strong enough to direct it to.

[Ammonius]

My DIY warband, the Deprecators is an Iron Warriors splinter group. One Deprecator Lord has made it a point to seek out forbidden technology be it from the Heresy era, the Dark Age, or anywhere else, and hand it over to his allies among the Dark Mechanicum to get better weaponry.

 

Over the years his excesses and obsessions in both the search and use of these technologies have put him on a personal quest to inflict "Perfect Ruin", which of course has attracted both like-minded Astartes and the attention of Slaanesh.

[The Nephilim]

After reading Angel Exterminatus I don't think the Iron Warriors would follow Slaanesh in any way after the betrayal of Fulgrim and the Emperor's Children. Perturabo seemed very bitter against his brother and the feeling I got was the Iron Warriors are a serious bunch and wouldn't go for the cavorting about like the EC's do.

 

Now, the Iron Warriors are about heavy weapons, so I could see them following Slaanesh enough to employ some of the more powerful sonic weapory. Just like the Iron Warriors who follow Khorne, they would be kept at arms length and used as tool of destruction.

 

Just my two cents.

 

I agree completely with this. Seeing the revulsion from Iron Warriors as the Emperor's Children met them for the first time since Istvaan V made me cringe.