Iron Angels

[Brother Captain Andrew]

Brothers we stand today on the brink of glory or death. Untold numbers come to crush this world and we are the only force that blocks their path. They believe that their numbers and their false gods make them invincible, that they will lead forth an unholy army and spread out among the stars from here, they believe that they wash away the imperium of man in a tide of corruption and blood, they believe wrong. Brothers, your training is complete, you are Adeptus Astartes, born to cleanse the stars and called to eradicate the enemies of mankind. We must answer that call now in this darkest of hours, and we shall. We will hold like Iron in the face of our enemies, implacable, unmovable. And, I swear not one heretic will set foot on this world while we breath, NOT ONE! FOR WE ARE THE EMPEROR’S ANGELS OF DEATH, HIS IRON ANGELS, AND WE KNOW NO FEAR!
Aergard, First Chapter Master of the Iron Angels before The Forging.

Chapter Founding

Formed during the historic Third Founding the Adeptus Astartes of the Iron Angels have fought from the brink of destruction to become one of the most storied chapters in the Imperium. Tasked with cleansing the area of space where Segmentums Solar, Obscurus, and Pacificus meet the Iron Angels were founded from the gene-seed of the greatest crusaders the Imperial Fists. Given the proximity to the Eye of Terror the Imperial Fists believed that a Veteran hand was needed to prepare the neophytes of the new and so a detachment of training cadre led by the Imperial Fists 3rd Company Captain Aergard was sent to the ocean world of Ferrus Aequor to train the new chapter. As training drew to a close the chapter prepared to set off for the stars to prosecute the enemies of the Imperium, but the Iron Angels were not destined to be born so easily. As the final arming and training of the chapter was being completed a large force of Iron Warriors, renegade imperial fleet, and traitor guardsman translated in system. Somehow the Iron Warriors had found out that a sizeable amount of Imperial Fist gene-seed was being held on the planet and meant to take it. In a battle that would become known in chapter legend as, The Forging, Chapter Master Aergard led the chapter into the stars willing to sacrifice himself to buy time for the Mechanicus to escape with the holy gene-seed. Instead the chapter won what is still considered its greatest victory. Losing all of their strike cruisers and having their Battle-Barge crippled during the battle the marines of the Iron Angels persevered, using mass boarding actions the Angels broke the enemies capturing the Iron Warriors Battle-Barge and one of the renegade Battleships when the Champion Roparzh beheaded a powerful pskyer whose psychic death scream destroyed most of the mortals across the fleet. The battle though a victory devastated the Iron Angels. Only 153 battle brothers survived the fierce fighting of The Forging, but those 153 brothers would form the core of the chapter as it was rebuilt.

Rumors of the chapter’s supposed demise spread quickly as the Mechanicus ships spread word of their escape to the forge world of Hydraphur. A task force was called brought together in a matter of days a group of Chapter Master Aergard and the veterans of The Forging spent the next years rebuilding their chapter readying it for action once more. Nearly 10 years after the titanic battle with the Iron Warriors the Iron Angels set out aboard their newly refitted Fortress-Monastery The PLACE HOLDER Over the following Millennia the Iron Angels crusaded across the three Segmentums to which they had been assigned often times splitting the fleet up in order to operate in each at once. As their campaigns mounted the Iron Angels built a formidable reputation as masters of stellar warfare, indeed the Imperial Navy owes more than a few ships and orbital bases in its fleets to the boarding actions of the Iron Angels.
To be continued...

Chapter Organization

Originally organized as dictated by the Codex Astartes the Iron Angels drastically altered their organization following The Forging. Originally the only chapter divergence, according to records of the chapter founding in the vaults on Terra, came from an edict by Chapter Master Aergard that no aspirant with any psychic power shall be admitted to the chapter. Evidently sharing the beliefs of his former battle brother Sigismund, founder of the Black Templars, any psykers are either killed or given over to the Adeptus Telepathica. Over the centuries the tasks normally given to the Librarius have been taken over by the large Reclusiam the chapter maintains. Other significant changes were instituted after the losses incurred at the Forging. Given the devastation suffered by the chapter Aergard declared that neophytes were to be split amongst the 8-10th companies and assigned to battle brothers who mentor and train them in the arts of war on the front line, rather than be contained in their own company. Following the Forging Aergard chose to honor the Iron Angels who fought and survived and proclaimed that henceforth the 1st company would be made of 153 Astartes named The Revenants, for none of the chapter were expected survive and those that did swore to take furious vengeance upon any that had the audacity to attack them. Finally, unlike other chapters who will combine companies in a rotation the Iron Angels are grouped together permanently and divided by fleet. Each Fleet is composed of three companies, two battle companies and one training company, as well as a 51 man detachment of The Revanants.


Chapter Fleet

In place of a home world the Iron Angels have chosen to crusade across the stars, never stopping long from the pursuit of the Imperium’s enemies. In this crusade the refitted by the Mechanicus at the request of Aergard

Recruiting


Like all Fleet-based chapters the Iron Angels recruit from a number of worlds. However, the Iron Angels have a tradition of recruiting from feral worlds believing that the rigors of surviving against general they target

Combat Doctrine

Masters of the shock assault both in space and on planet the Iron Angels are usually the speartip of an assault used to break the orbital defenses and/or fleet prior to a guard assault, and then striking at critical strongpoints of the enemy to weaken them for the assault by other elements of the Chapter or other military units. Given their penchant for shock assault the chapter is usually within short range of the enemy, and as such has become masters of short range engagements, particularly close combat, honing the formidable swordsmanship of their parent legion to perfection.

[CKO]

Amazing color scheme I really like it! You wrote an excellent story which might be the problem, most of these guys want the IA to be in a blueprint style starting with origins followed by this then that. I like it but perhaps you should try to make it in the IA format.

[Chaplain Rourke The Fanged]

I agree that the paint scheme and the write up is awesome. It is however more of a short story than an IA I think. Your typical IA is only 3-5000 words to convey everything.

[Reyner]

Sounds fine just as said put it more into the traditional IA format. If you need a hand here are a couple of guides I've been spamming in threads today:

 

Guide to DIYing

The Octaguide 2.0

[Brother Captain Andrew]

Hey thanks for all the help guys. I'll file this away for a story and see if I can't get it paired down. I had a feeling as I was writing their origin it was running long, but I also wanted to get the info out so that people know why the chapter has a battleship, why they have 153 veterans, etc. and not just say put it out there like "My marines are so uber they have extra veterans and extra cool stuff."

[Chaplain Rourke The Fanged]

You can just say there was a battle thins got hairy they took this battle ship and in honor of the survivors there is now 153 brothers in the vet company. Something simple along that line will work fine.

[Brother Captain Andrew]

thanks to everyone who has helped so far. been busy so here is the next work in progress. (sorry for no bb codes but they refused to work.)