Avenging Fists mini IA

[Brother Cambrius]

Greetings everyone! It's been a short while. With Philip S.'s 1000 Chapter Gallery now active once again and having found that the Kuis Campaign has disappeared from the LIBER, I decided to revive and update my Avenging Fists chapter to give it a home and for you to maul. Sadly I don't have a lot left of the Kuis Campaign and the near annihilation of the 4th Company at the end of the 41st Millennium, so a lot of that is left out. The article is short, but sweet I hope. Possibly with further building in the future.

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AVENGING FISTS

 

 

 

 

We are the Avenging Fists. We are the progeny of Dorn. We are the Emperor's almighty fist of justice, blackened in the smoke and ashes of warfare. We are here to bring judgement upon those who have turned from His Imperium." - Chaplain Kharov before the Battle of Gabreel 998.M41

 

 

LEGACY

 

Created in the final few years of M34, the geneseed of Rogal Dorns descendants, the Iron Knights were chosen forge a new chapter of Astartes, in an effort to repel the growing Ork threats of Waaagh! Blackgutz in the Gorgera Quadrant of the Segmentum Obscurus. Captain Daern of the Fourth was chosen to become the Master of the new chapter, whom he baptised in warfare against Blackgutz as the Avenging Fists, bringing the vengeance of all Imperial servants who had perished under the hands of the enemies of the Imperium.

Priding themselves on their stern and resolute method of battle, grinding down the enemy with heavy firepower, before launching a devastating assault with the full fury of their heaviest combatants, the Avenging Fists became synonymous with being the siege-breakers of the Gorgera Quadrant and beyond. Choosing the planet of Holis Prime, where Founding Master Daern had led the chapter to defeating Warboss Blackgutz, the Avenging Fists recruit from a series of worlds surrounding their Fortress Monastery, including Holis Prime itself.

Ashen Gauntlet

In a tradition born from their founding, before any major battle or campaign, the Avenging Fists place their right gauntlet into the burning embers of a censer or pyre, blackening them through the ash and smoke. From this, they declare their hand is baptised with the mark of death and the chapter makes war.

 

The Avenging Fists have gained an aptitude in fighting Orks, with their recruits often training to clear Holis Prime of Feral Orks that still linger from the defeat of Blackgutz, within the thick forests of the Southern Hemisphere and the cave systems beneath the vast mountain ranges of the largest continent. The training provided in cleansing the Ork presence has helped the chapters battle-brothers gain a proficiency in acting against brutal close combatants, this has proven to be vital in the first stages of the classic brutal assault the Avenging Fists employ to break a siege.

 

The Avenging Fists hold a larger amount of Mk. VIII Errant Power Armour than the average held by other chapters, its increased armour being vital for the chapter in their methods of warfare. The Fists gained strong favour with two Forge Worlds surrounding their region of protection after saving both from separate assaults and sieges from Chaos and Orks respectively. Thus, the chapter were able to obtain such a high amount of the newer variant. The Avenging Fists also possess a small complement of the ancient Phalanx pattern Mk. III Iron Power Armour, gifted to them by their primogenitor, the Iron Knights. Their favour with the two Forge Worlds has allowed them to keep the ancient, revered armour maintained and fully functional. The armour is usually only used in battle in the direst of needs or circumstances; it is instead used for ceremonial purposes. The chapter possess a large number of tanks to help them end or break out of a siege, with Vindicators and Whirlwinds populating each Battle Company alongside a Land Raider Crusader for each Companys assault units to push into a breach with.

 

PRIMARIS FOUNDING

 

As the Imperium was torn in two by the Cicatrix Maledictum, the Avenging Fists were amongst the trillions of Imperial inhabitants cut off in the Imperium Nihilus. With Holis Prime and the Gorgera Quadrant being galactic north of the Segmentum Obscurus, the chapter did not suffer the cataclysmic damage suffered by a large number of Imperial and Astartes homeworlds in the immediate decades. However as the chapter fought to break through new blockades set up by Chaos warbands and rampant Ork expansion with the Imperiums forces blunted severely, their numbers fell to below half strength. Holis Prime itself became nearly overrun by the remaining feral Orks in the southern hemispheres Jungles becoming warped and mutated by the increased Chaos activity. The ensuing cleansing of the planet dwindled the Avenging Fists numbers further to just over 300 battle brothers.

The arrival of elements from the Indomitus Crusade saved the Fists from their stubborn demise as they were ambushed by the Iron Warriors of Warsmith Gharus on Hiveworld Pantana. As they were presented with Primaris members of their own, the chapter embraced their new brethren and their new wargear. Over time, the Avenging Fists have adapted to the use of the Hellblasters and Inceptors to add further vigour to their mechanised assaults and brutal close combat warfare.

The chapter have yet to reach their full operational capacity since the start of the 42nd Millennium, mostly due to their highly aggressive and stubborn tactics against the Chaos and Ork forces now present in the Gorgera Quadrant and beyond, but their numbers are slowly increasing.

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And that is it for now. I haven't tried doing a post M41 update on one of my Chapters before, so if there are issues please do flag em up. I do have a miniature model of a Captain from the chapter stored safely, but I might make a squad in full for giggles and to practice quarter schemes...

Cambrius

[exetus]

I still have some of the stuff from the Kuis Campaign; I’ll see if any of what I have pertains to the Avenging Fists.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job, overall. I do take exception to the following lines, though:

The [Mark III "Iron"] armour is usually only used in battle in the direst of needs or circumstances; it is instead used for ceremonial purposes.

What Marine would waste so useful an item of wargear in ceremony? What Marine would waste TIME in ceremony?

 

A better explanation is the Mark III armor is reserved for the Chapter's heroes, i.e., the venerable suits are practically used to indicate rank, the way Terminator armor is in the Iron Hands Chapter.

[exetus]

Good job, overall. I do take exception to the following lines, though:

The [Mark III "Iron"] armour is usually only used in battle in the direst of needs or circumstances; it is instead used for ceremonial purposes.

What Marine would waste so useful an item of wargear in ceremony? What Marine would waste TIME in ceremony?

 

A better explanation is the Mark III armor is reserved for the Chapter's heroes, i.e., the venerable suits are practically used to indicate rank, the way Terminator armor is in the Iron Hands Chapter.

 

 

Nonsense. Each suit of Astartes armor may be revered, but it is highly unlikely that, as progressive marks of armor come out that they have to then turn in their old suits of power armor. They belong to the chapter. As newer and better marks come out, if there is no need to use pieces of the older armor, then they will be stored within the armory or turned into ceremonial plate as well as reserves for times of emergency. His chapter has been in existence for 8,000 years and it is ridiculous to assume that in that, based upon his chapter history, that they do not have a decent armory. Add in that his chapter numbers have been whittled down to 300-or-so battle brothers and there are plenty of more modern suits to go around.

 

As for Space Marine rituals; we already know that they have them and there are plenty of examples of more ritual armor in the Horus Heresy novels as well as other novels where they spiffy up their gear such as in Brotherhood of the Snake. I think this is 100% fine.

[Brother Lunkhead]

Nice work Brother Cambrius

 

With all due respect to Brother Bjorn, I have to agree with Brother exetus concerning the MkIII Plate. I do see a practical use for the MkIII however. With it's design emphasis on heavy armor, it is ideally suited for use in specialized operations such as siege breaching and boarding actions. Perhaps it is issued to veterans spearheading such operations.

 

In spite of their general contempt for deification of the Emperor and their faith in the Imperial Truth, the Astartes are steeped in ceremony.