Warshrikes v3

[Claws and Effect]

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/sm/bpe=737272&bpj=737272&bp=737272&bpc=737272&hdt=000000&hdm=000000&hdl=000000&ey=FA1414&er=737272&pi=737272&nk=737272&ch=737272&eg=CCCACA&sk=737272&abs=737272&bt=737272&cod=737272&ull=737272&lk=FA870C&lll=737272&lft=737272&url=737272&rk=000000&lrl=737272&rft=737272&slt=CCCACA&sli=000000&srt=CCCACA&sri=030202&ula=737272&lel=737272&lla=737272&lw=737272&lh=737272&ura=737272&rel=737272&rla=737272&rw=737272&rh=737272&bg=FFFFFF&rb=000000&gr=FFFFFF&wg=true&hsk=true&jmp=000000&jmph=CCCACA&mk7=333333&ravenguardpad=CCCACA&bs=000000&lkg5=000000&frag=00AA00&krk=CC0000&pp=000000&pfr=000000&spl2=533B1C&spr2=533B1C&/spacemarine.jpg

Assault Sergeant Thraxas, 5th Squad, 6th Company

 

"When you dictate your enemy's actions victory is assured" - Quote from Warshrikes Chapter Master Kellen Radziel.

 

Origins

 

The Warshrikes are an 8th Founding successor of the Raven Guard via Revilers geneseed. They were Founded to reinforce the Galactic East following the loss of many Chapters repelling a threat from beyond the Ghoul Stars in an action known as The Pale Wasting.

 

They were granted the planet Lanius IV as their homeworld and were shocked to discover that their own Primarch was a legendary figure to the human population. After investigating further they learned that Corax and his Legion had eradicated the xenos enslaving the human population during the Great Crusade. Shortly after they arrived at their new home to begin recruiting the event known as The Howling cut off all contact with the greater Imperium, leaving them to their own devices within the sector for several centuries.

 

The Chapter saw its first action fighting off several raids by the Dark Eldar in their home system, followed by eradicating a WAAAGH before it could gain enough momentum to become a threat outside the sector. As they were cut off from any reinforcement from the Imperium for so long, they mobilized the Lanian natives into a military force to assist in defending the sector. The Lanians, for their part, were thrilled at the chance to fight alongside descendants of their legendary savior.

 

Lanius IV

 

 

The People

 

The human population of Lanius IV is organized into what they call the Five Hundred Tribes. The number of distinct tribes is actually 463, but the name is kept out of tradition. Tribal rivalries are common, ranging from disputes over hunting grounds to manufacturing contracts. Over the years many of the tribes have embraced the Imperium's way of life, building large cities and manufacturing centers. Other tribes cling to the old ways, using very little in the way of modern technology and maintaining the skills that kept them alive for millennia. The traditional tribes are viewed by the more sophisticated as backwards and foolish, but they seldom say as much to their face.

 

There is a strong sense of honor among the tribes of Lanius IV and it is considered cowardly and dishonorable to attack a fellow human with a weapon from afar. They believe that if you wish to harm someone you must be willing to be harmed in turn. It is quite common to see a civilian carrying a large knife, sword, or tomahawk to defend themselves with, even in the cities. Under a thin veneer of civilization dwells a proud and violent heritage that has seen men slaughtered for a minor affront to a more skilled fighter. The wilder tribes lack even the thin veneer.

 

The peacekeeping force and PDF have all the normal weapons found in Imperial Guard regiments, but they are strictly for defending the planet from invaders or dealing with the rare citizen who forfeits their honor by killing with a gun. Many of the traditional tribesmen use autoguns for hunting purposes, but even they will not use them in combat.

 

The citizens of Lanius IV hold the Warshrikes in high esteem, and it is considered a great tribal honor for a family to have a member accepted into their ranks. It has been a tradition for several millennia for the Warshrikes to have at least one battle brother from every one of the 463 tribes of the world serving at any given time. As a result it is with both pride and sorrow that the Chaplains appear in a tribe's territory, because it means a new recruit will be leaving with them but they have also lost one of their own on some far flung planet. Each and every one of the tribes has a shrine dedicated to the memory of their brethren who have been lost over the centuries, and they are held sacred even in the bloodiest of inter-tribal warfare. Desecrating another tribe's shrine to the Warshrikes of theirs that have fallen is simply not done.

 

Beliefs of Lanius IV

 

The Five Hundred Tribes worship the Emperor as fervently as any, but they do so in a different fashion. They see the Emperor and the nine Primarchs who remained loyal as a pantheon of sorts, with the Emperor in a position akin to Zeus or Odin from ancient Terran mythology. Instead of the Emperor, they refer to Him as The Lord of All That Is, or simply The Lord. They view the Primarchs more as totems than as true gods, with special reverence paid to those associated with an animal. The Raven is revered just below the Emperor himself in their eyes, due to his personal role in their emancipation. The Wolf, The Lion, and The Drake are also viewed favorably for their animal association. The Scholar, The Architect, The Angel, The Smith, and The Rider are still respected, though not as highly as the others. No one knows how the initial knowledge of the Primarchs came to them, as the legends were all in oral history and never written down. Some have speculated that Corax himself told the newly freed slaves of his brothers during the compliance of the world, but even those speculating concede that it seems out of character for a notoriously taciturn Primarch. There is also a vague legend of the Emperor Himself visiting the planet in the distant past, but no one knows the full story other than the mention of the sheer power that radiated from Him.

 

Because of a poor understanding of the Raven Guard iconography, the Tribes hold a white bird resembling their chapter symbol as sacred. Since none of them had ever seen a raven, they assumed the bird in question was white based on the shoulder pads of their emancipators.

 

Planetary Government

 

The planet is governed as a whole by a council of eleven. The council is made up of representatives of the native tribes of the Warshrikes' ten Captains and the Chapter Master. The council member representing the Chapter Master's tribe occupies a position equal to planetary governor, though he is really only required to be the face of the government and provide a tiebreaker vote if necessary. Currently the position is held by representatives of the Aut (ah oot) Tribe.

 

This arrangement was reached to help ensure that no one tribe held a position of power over others for longer than an Astartes lifespan. If a Captain or the Chapter Master is slain, the representative from his tribe immediately steps down and is replaced by a representative voted on by the tribe of the Warshrike promoted in his place, who then holds that position for life. Since Space Marines live much longer than unenhanced humans, several representatives from a given tribe might serve before the tribe is required to relinquish their position. The Warshrikes are cooperative in this system, making an effort to avoid promoting one of the same tribe to replace a fallen Captain in order to foster new viewpoints on the council that governs their homeworld.

 

Warshrikes Organization and Recruiting

 

The Warshrikes are a Codex compliant Chapter with only two minor deviations.

 

The most major deviation is that they perpetually have exactly 463 Scouts in training, exactly one from each tribe. Taking attrition into account that puts them just slightly over Codex mandated numbers at around 1,200 at any given time. As brothers fall in battle, a Scout is promoted to take their place, and in turn another boy from their tribe is recruited to replace him.

 

The other deviation is that a Warshrikes Company is made up of twenty squads of five, instead of the more normal ten squads of ten. The Companies are split into ten Tactical squads, six Assault squads, and four Devastator squads. All eight of their non-Veteran, non-Scout Companies are arranged this way instead of the four Reserve Companies of other Chapters. They feel this arrangement allows them greater tactical flexibility, with each Company being a fully functional and independent fighting force.

 

Each Company's Captain is given free reign to take his forces to whatever theater of operations he sees fit, with orders only rarely being given by the Chapter Master. The 1st and 10th Companies are seconded to the eight Battle Companies more or less equally, and the Chapter Master fights alongside whichever Company he chooses. Currently, Chapter Master Radziel is fighting with a force comprised of the 5th and 8th Battle Companies on a recently awakened Necron tomb world.

 

Recruiting is done exclusively on Lanius IV. The Warshrikes' strong ties to their homeworld make the idea of any outsiders in the Chapter abhorrent to them. When a battle brother falls in combat a Scout from his tribe is promoted to the Battle Company to replace him. In turn, the Chaplains travel to that tribe's territory to recruit a new aspirant. When the Chaplains arrive at the tribe's holding they call for all male children between the ages of 12 and 14 to be presented. After the children are gathered, a series of tests are run to determine which potential aspirants are most suitable for further training. These include tests of both athletic prowess and mental acuity, with a final test of willpower.

 

Once the tests are complete the Chaplains take all the children who passed to their fortress-monastery for the final competition to determine which candidate will become a Warshrike. After the competition is complete any aspirants who do not make it to neophyte status are offered a choice: Return home or join the auxiliary regiment known as the Lanian Guard that sometimes fights alongside the Chapter. Most opt to join the regiment, where they will receive 4 years of combat training before being permitted to join the regiment proper. As a result of this the Warshrikes' auxiliary is among the most highly trained human fighting forces in the galaxy. They are so well trained that when a Company finds itself shorthanded, Lanian Guardsmen are often called upon to serve as tank drivers or pilots so every Marine that can fire a bolter is available to fight. The Warshrikes generally have a lot of respect for the Lanian Guard, as they recognize that it takes great courage to face the same enemies with none of the advantages they have. The only thing stopping the Lanian Guard from being considered one of the most elite human forces in the galaxy is the small size of the regiment, which rarely numbers more than a few hundred souls.

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"I will not fault their courage, nor their purity of purpose. But their ways are not ours. They know not the bonds of the Five Hundred." - Chaplain Exxes, when asked why recruits are never drawn from neighboring worlds.

 

Combat Doctrine

 

Much like their founding Chapter and Legion, the Warshrikes use misdirection tactics to coerce their enemy into fighting on their terms. Where they differ from their forbears is the sheer aggression with which they engage the enemy. Where the Raven Guard will apply the exact amount of force required to achieve their goal and no more, the Warshrikes will not stop until every last foe is nothing but steaming meat. However, they are not near-berzerkers like some of the other particularly aggressive Chapters. Instead, they fight in an unsettling silence with only weapons fire and the screams of dying enemies to indicate their presence. Even their vox net is taciturn, with orders being given and acknowledged without a single syllable more than is necessary.

 

The Warshrikes are adept at both stealth and guerrilla warfare, but they typically use such tactics to set up a final overwhelming assault in which the enemy is utterly annihilated. No quarter is given when the Warshrikes take the field.

 

A favorite ploy of the Warshrikes is to attack head on with part of their forces and feign a disorganized retreat when battle is joined. When the enemy pursues them they will be drawn into a pre-designated kill zone where the remainder of their force lies in wait to shred the foe in a crossfire from 3 sides.

The Warshrikes' tactics have earned them a reputation in and around their home sector such that rebellions have been halted just by word being sent that they are en route.

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"You are given one chance to surrender, and I give my word your executions will be quick and painless. Force us to hunt you down, and your deaths will be agonizing. Of that, I also give my word. You have fifteen standard minutes to reply." - Attributed to Captain Toreaz while en route to quell the rebellion on Faralax VII. No reply was received, and the Warshrikes slaughtered the entire rebellion within 16 hours.

 

(A little more about how they fight and a couple quotes)

Edited September 1, 2017 by Claws and Effect

[Filius]

Nice! Eversince Games Workshop retconned the Native American Heritage of the Deathwing, I think, there can't be enought of Chapters with such a background. Did you see Bedouins recently Recovered Records of an Ordo Astartes Inquisitor here in the Liber? He works with a Raven Guard Successor too. And I might humbly suggest my own lengthly workings on that Topic: the Thousand Fists, unsuprisingly an Imperial Fists Successor.

[Claws and Effect]

Thanks!

 

I'm shooting for something somewhere between the Raven Guard and Carcharodons in demeanor for the Chapter.

 

I've seen Bedouin's thread. He hangs out in the same subforum as me. I'll check yours out when I get a chance.

[Filius]

Thanks!

 

I'm shooting for something somewhere between the Raven Guard and Carcharodons in demeanor for the Chapter.

 

*snip*

 

Well that is an interesting combination! I'm curious for more.

 

And … don't hurry too much with reading mine. I'm not happy with it anymore myself.

[Gulltramarine]

When do you reckon we'll see the first unit? Do you have a mock up of the colour scheme?

[Claws and Effect]

I have a Scout squad I can paint up sometime this week for sure, and I might be able to scrape a Tactical squad together out of spare dudes.

 

I'll try to get some work in on them over the weekend.

 

I can't do the painter program on my phone, but I can describe the color scheme for you.

 

They chose their colors to honor both their immediate forebears and the Legion they are ultimately descended from.

 

Armor is Eshin Gray to honor the Revilers, and the shoulder pads are black to honor the Raven Guard, with silver trim. Officers get black helmets, and Veterans get black arms.

 

Company and squad are both marked on the right kneepad, while unit type is found on the left.

 

The right shoulder pad is reserved for kill marks. Kill marks are whatever the individual prefers, usually red, and often in the enemy's own blood.

[Claws and Effect]

Also, Carlson is doing a custom Chapter symbol for me.

 

It's the wings from the Raven Guard symbol, bisected by a sword.

[Claws and Effect]

And my Chapter symbol is done.

 

I'll be adding it to the OP, but you can check it out in the downloads section if you like. I'm pretty stoked about it.

[Claws and Effect]

Added some more detail, including a basic color scheme. 

[Gulltramarine]

I can't see that jpeg, not sure why

[Claws and Effect]

I think I know why. I'll try to fix it.

 

Edit: Poop, broke it worse.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Claws and Effect

[Claws and Effect]

Fixed it.

[Gulltramarine]

Fixed it.

 

Looks great, looking forward to seeing some painted units