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Tell Me of the Clans


Pearson73

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So brothers, the time has come for me to delve into the heresy. My heart is set on joining the unyielding ranks of the Iron Tenth and I'm throwing together a backstory for my force and now need to work out the clan to which they belong, however I can find precious little information. In the Iron Hands section of one of the black books (second I think) there is a display of the clan emblems, but seemingly no lore, if anyone can give me a brief rundown of the clans and their characters/favoured styles of war, that would be fantastic.

 

Ta,

Pearson.

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Unfortunately I'm no expert on the clans and don't have the time to throw up what I do know, however I still wanted to voice my support for your choosing of the Iron Tenth! I can say that the Shattered Legions anthology is excellent for getting snippets about the different clans!

 

Welcome aboard brother, The Flesh is Weak!

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I don’t think there is much info on all the clans, I can only think of morragul (withever one is led by autek mor) and the one or two mentioned in some of the novels that are present at istvaan, that have any real backstory, and then not too much that I’m aware of. I’m not big on the X’s lore unfortunately, so beyond that I can’t be too much help. But I have read most of the Black Library novels, and I’ll of the black books, and they are the only ones I have memory of (which admittdley may be rather poor)
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I can tell you that the Avernii were the favoured of Ferrus Manus, although they suffered a serious existence problem on Isstvan V.

 

Clan Sorrgol appear to have been commanded by Amadeus Ducaine, though according to the first Meduson story it was another (I think Ungavarr) that most celebrated the memory of the Storm Walkers.

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@Luna707 - Thanks for the vote of confidence mate, it was actually your truescale band of Tenth caused me to take a proper look at the legion for the first time. The hard, brutal look of your legionnaires captured the spirit that I wanted my men to have.

 

@Supe robot gangster #1 - That's what I feared, it's a bit irritating given the fact that we're shown all their symbols but little else. Leaves lots of room for personal interpretation and ideas though.

 

@bluntblade - Thanks for the info on Sorrgol and Ungavarr, I know I'll be avoiding tje Avernii due to their prestigious position, the plans for my lot involve them being sent off to investigate something very shortly before the events at Isstvan and I presume Ferrus would have wanted to keep his favourites close to hand.

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I'd suggest a homebrew Clan for maximum creative freedom. Because I'm a perverse sort, I'd be interested in seeing a Clan that favours lightning assaults, having perhaps served closely with the Luna Wolves and Emperor's Children in the good old days.
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-Avernii, as has been previously stated, was Ferrus' favoured, the company of First Captain Santar (Rust in Peace) and had the highest proportion of Morlock veterans. (are Morlocks even still a thing?) They also got first access to Gorgon plate, and were largely wiped out on Istvaan compared to the other clans who took proportionally less casualties.

 

-Raukaan was the star of the largely-beloved novel 'Wrath of Iron' in the 40k timeline, and the...much less beloved, shall we say, 'Clan Raukaan' supplement in 6th edition. There doesn't seem to have been anything particularly noticeable about them during the Heresy however.

 

-Sorrogol, Felg, Gaarsak, Ungavarr, Vurgaan, and Kaargul are confirmed to exist in the Heresy, but have relatively little fluff concerning them otherwise. It may be as stated prior that Ungavarr had the most fond memories for the Storm Walker days, and Meduson was definitely a Clan-Captain of Sorrogol.

 

-Haarmek, Borrgos, Morlaag and Dorrvok are extra clan-companies mentioned as active in the post-Gathering Storm timeline/8th edition codex. (with Dorrvok being the Scout company) None of these have been mentioned to my knowledge during the Heresy however.

 

-Clan Atraxii has the same logo as Clan Atropos, one of the three clans of the Sons of Medusa chapter that forms in the M35 AdMech-wide Moirae Schism. The other two are Lachesis and Mageara. (No known relationship to the Knight class to my knowledge) There isn't any major fluff on these clans specifically from the Heresy, but given the nature of Medusa and the Moirae schism itself, it's possible these guys had a predilection to Techno-Shamanism, soothsaying and the like even at an early stage.

 

-Last but certainly not least of the 'major' clans is the one I play, Clan Morragul. Morragul was led by Autek Mor, a Terran who had supposedly had some funky gene-seed stuff done to him, and was where the 'outcasts and most unstable' members of the Legion were put by Ferrus. They had a Grand Cruiser called the Red Talon, (wink wink nudge nudge the surname of the Red Talons Marine shown in the 8th ed book is literally 'Mor') wore panels on their armour such as pauldrons, favoured aerial and sub-orbital attacks, and I think they had a higher-than-average proportion of Meduson Immortals but can't find a source for that. They're also Absolute Madmen who get up to shenanigans in 'Retribution' from Forge World.

 

Finally, there's Clan Brannsar, which was/is the OC company of Iron Hands Fanatic on these boards. The name is currently used to represent a bundle on the Forge World website however, which...makes them canon, I guess? 

 

Essentially, the thing to take away is that most of these guys have very little Heresy fluff beyond a name, and after Istvaan the Clan structure obviously begins to break down anyway - at least to a degree. The only ones who have 'immutable' things known about them at the time are Avernii, Morragul, Sorrogol as Meduson's clan, and possibly Ungavaar. I do like the 'head-canon' of Atraxii being into some weird stuff themselves, but that's all it is - head-canon. Source for all of these is Book 2: Massacre, Book 6: Retribution, Shattered LegionsFeat of Iron, Fulgrim, The Badab War - Volume 2, and Codex: Space Marines (8th edition)

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It's mentioned that entire Clans have fallen in prior wars, so there's even scope for the Clan to originate at a time of your choice during the Crusade.

 

Do you have ideas for characters at the moment?

 

I feel it's also worth mentioning Apologist's #4683523'>Clan Kretos.

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I can tell you that the Avernii were the favoured of Ferrus Manus, although they suffered a serious existence problem on Isstvan V.

 

Clan Sorrgol appear to have been commanded by Amadeus Ducaine, though according to the first Meduson story it was another (I think Ungavarr) that most celebrated the memory of the Storm Walkers.

 

 

I just recieved Shattered Legions which contains Meduson, and the Clan you're thinking of is Lokopt, "the Clan that most remembered and celebrated the Terran aspect of their founding"

 

-Avernii, as has been previously stated, was Ferrus' favoured, the company of First Captain Santar (Rust in Peace) and had the highest proportion of Morlock veterans. (are Morlocks even still a thing?) They also got first access to Gorgon plate, and were largely wiped out on Istvaan compared to the other clans who took proportionally less casualties.

 

-Raukaan was the star of the largely-beloved novel 'Wrath of Iron' in the 40k timeline, and the...much less beloved, shall we say, 'Clan Raukaan' supplement in 6th edition. There doesn't seem to have been anything particularly noticeable about them during the Heresy however.

 

-Sorrogol, Felg, Gaarsak, Ungavarr, Vurgaan, and Kaargul are confirmed to exist in the Heresy, but have relatively little fluff concerning them otherwise. It may be as stated prior that Ungavarr had the most fond memories for the Storm Walker days, and Meduson was definitely a Clan-Captain of Sorrogol.

 

-Haarmek, Borrgos, Morlaag and Dorrvok are extra clan-companies mentioned as active in the post-Gathering Storm timeline/8th edition codex. (with Dorrvok being the Scout company) None of these have been mentioned to my knowledge during the Heresy however.

 

-Clan Atraxii has the same logo as Clan Atropos, one of the three clans of the Sons of Medusa chapter that forms in the M35 AdMech-wide Moirae Schism. The other two are Lachesis and Mageara. (No known relationship to the Knight class to my knowledge) There isn't any major fluff on these clans specifically from the Heresy, but given the nature of Medusa and the Moirae schism itself, it's possible these guys had a predilection to Techno-Shamanism, soothsaying and the like even at an early stage.

 

-Last but certainly not least of the 'major' clans is the one I play, Clan Morragul. Morragul was led by Autek Mor, a Terran who had supposedly had some funky gene-seed stuff done to him, and was where the 'outcasts and most unstable' members of the Legion were put by Ferrus. They had a Grand Cruiser called the Red Talon, (wink wink nudge nudge the surname of the Red Talons Marine shown in the 8th ed book is literally 'Mor') wore panels on their armour such as pauldrons, favoured aerial and sub-orbital attacks, and I think they had a higher-than-average proportion of Meduson Immortals but can't find a source for that. They're also Absolute Madmen who get up to shenanigans in 'Retribution' from Forge World.

 

Finally, there's Clan Brannsar, which was/is the OC company of Iron Hands Fanatic on these boards. The name is currently used to represent a bundle on the Forge World website however, which...makes them canon, I guess? 

 

Essentially, the thing to take away is that most of these guys have very little Heresy fluff beyond a name, and after Istvaan the Clan structure obviously begins to break down anyway - at least to a degree. The only ones who have 'immutable' things known about them at the time are Avernii, Morragul, Sorrogol as Meduson's clan, and possibly Ungavaar. I do like the 'head-canon' of Atraxii being into some weird stuff themselves, but that's all it is - head-canon. Source for all of these is Book 2: Massacre, Book 6: Retribution, Shattered LegionsFeat of Iron, Fulgrim, The Badab War - Volume 2, and Codex: Space Marines (8th edition)

 

Yeah I am still working on stuff related to Brannsar - I'm gradually building up content for their background article, but I still haven't actually updated it in a while 'cause I'm writing multiple sections at once & I'm loathe to post portions that aren't completed 

 

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@bluntblade -  Interestingly enough, I plan for my force to follow the orbital assault rite of war, when I get to writing their fluff, it'll explain their favoured tactic of a sudden overwhelming assault, which does sound a lot like the Sons of Horus' speartip, now that you mention it. That's a good point regarding a fallen clan, I'll check out Apologist's work too, I've always been a fan of his stuff. With regards to characters, I'm currently thinking of mainly line officers who, due to the mauling taken by the legion have come to the fore and are now burning with vengeance. I think focussing on more 'mundane' officers will provide a nice counterpoint to the Tenth's main foes, the Emperor's Children, due to the latters scorn of line commanders (endlessly displayed by Eidolon in his treatment of Tarvitz).

 

@Gabriel Santar  - Thanks for the detailed run-down of what's known about who!

 

@Iron Hands Fanatic - I'll certainly be checking out your work on Brannsar.

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I've decided to go for clan Vurgaan, I was thinking of a clan symbol that would link to the methods of war my troops prefer and thought of the lightning bolt and as it turns out Vurgaan has such a sumbol striking what looks to me like a mountain. For an orbital assault/speartip style cohort, this strikes me as very appropiate, symbolising a sudden onslaught right at the heart of the enemy's strength. Thanks for the help all.

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I've decided to go for clan Vurgaan, I was thinking of a clan symbol that would link to the methods of war my troops prefer and thought of the lightning bolt and as it turns out Vurgaan has such a sumbol striking what looks to me like a mountain. For an orbital assault/speartip style cohort, this strikes me as very appropiate, symbolising a sudden onslaught right at the heart of the enemy's strength. Thanks for the help all.

 

Welcome aboard. Make Space-Dad proud.

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If you have to stick to our Rites, I think Head of the Gorgon is always going to be the way to go for anything mobility-focused - get two units of outflanking Sicarans, Predators, or Vindicators with Machine Spirit to hit them in the flank and move on fast, and maybe use the last Heavy slot for some Sky-Slayers or a Fire Raptor. Being limited to one Fast Attack slot is a pain and forces you to choose between a Dreadclaw or traditional Flyers, but you can always get Termies or Combi-weapon Vets in a Land Raider with the Rite, and now Castaferrum Dreads can seemingly take regular pods as Dedicated Transports regardless of Rite there's an option to get them in as a shock-deployment unit too. Your Praetor/Delegatus could go on a Bike or Jetbike provided you had enough Infantry to satisfy the Legion restrictions (and would be tough of nails to shoot at), and take a Command Squad to boot. Certainly possible, just requires a bit of going out on a limb.

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Within the Iron Hands specific rites, I'd always choose HotG, as it's got some neat bonuses, plus outflanking vindicators would be very nice. Or Malcadors, I'd love a trio of Malcadors in legion colours...

 

Currently working towards an orbital assault list, with box dreads and a few infantry squads deploying into the enemy centre and holding out for some tasty phosphex and kraken wielding Lightnings.

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Welcome to the Xth brother.

 

HoG is such a great RoW, the only issue I have found is how predictable your outflanking tanks can be. I’ve had the most luck with outflanking tactical squads in rhinos. Keeps your scoring units alive, allows them to harass weak backfield units as well as improving their mobility for objective scoring. I had some great success with an outflanking proteus in a 2000 point game, just slowly rolled across my opponents backfield taking rear and side armour shots.

 

A trio of Malcadors led by Orth for some tank hunting goodness would be awesome!

 

On a side note, I’ve just realised the “company of bitter iron” RoW states that medusan immortals MAY be taken as compulsory troops. I’ve had some mileage combining Autek Morr and medusan immortals. Using this RoW makes them a scoring unit and your second scoring unit could just be a cheap tactical squad. So I can potentially save 160pts by not purchasing a second tactical squad in a rhino (as I would have to using HoG RoW). Small point, but immortals need all the help they can get!

 

Cadmus

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For purely fluff reasons I go with Company of Bitter Iron: it fits with my Avernii Istvaan survivors. Plus it’s the only way to get hateful Dreadnoughts! (that I know of at least)

Unfortunately dreadnoughts don’t have “LA iron hands” so they can’t benefit from “Hatred”. It’s an interesting rule as it pushes you towards more of a CC build, which is not one of the Xth legions strengths.

 

I’ve just finished reading “Ferrus Manus” and there is a small reference in there about clan Vurgaan using destroyer squads, I’m not sure whether the writer is implying they use them more than other clans, it’s just odd that the reference is so specific.

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For purely fluff reasons I go with Company of Bitter Iron: it fits with my Avernii Istvaan survivors. Plus it’s the only way to get hateful Dreadnoughts! (that I know of at least)

Unfortunately dreadnoughts don’t have “LA iron hands” so they can’t benefit from “Hatred”. It’s an interesting rule as it pushes you towards more of a CC build, which is not one of the Xth legions strengths.

 

I’ve just finished reading “Ferrus Manus” and there is a small reference in there about clan Vurgaan using destroyer squads, I’m not sure whether the writer is implying they use them more than other clans, it’s just odd that the reference is so specific.

Oh dang, I could have sworn it said the detachment gains hatred not LA IHs, perhaps I’m misremembering

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Thanks for the welcome @Cadmus Tyro, the uncertainty of reserves coming in is the only issue with my preferred lists, though I think it might affect orbital more than HotG. Interesting that they're mentioned using destroyers as they're a unit I really like, though I've heard they're severely overcosted, ditto that for Immortals. I would certainly love some of both, hate filled warriors dishing out rad and phosphex is right up my street.
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