Howling Griffons
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The Howling Griffons are a Space Marine Chapter with a long and glorious history.[17]
Contents
Overview
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This page contains spoilers for: | Chapter War (Novel) |
The Howling Griffons are staunch traditionalists and consider their primary role to be defenders of the Imperium and an instrument of the Emperor's ideals. They see the Codex Astartes as a treatise that has yet to be bettered, rather than holy scripture. As a Chapter, they do not specialize in any one form of warfare and as such maintain an even balance across all disciplines covered by the Codex. Competition within the Chapter is high, but never allowed to degenerate into discord.[7]
They take special pride in their oaths, seeing each as an eternal conflict until the deed is finished. Before battle, additional oaths are added to their already exceedingly long lists, some for the chapter and others more personal. Once an oath is taken, a battle brother goes to extreme lengths to complete it and it is never forgotten, even after decades. Completed or satisfied oaths are a badge of honor, often inscribed on parchments or directly in the armor of the Howling Griffons Space Marines.[2]
The events of 220.M38 has set the Chapter on a dangerous road. Upon being raised to the rank of full Battle-brother, each warrior takes an oath to avenge the fallen whenever possible and as a Chapter the Howling Griffons have sworn to destroy Periclitor whatever the cost, even if this means going into the depths of hell itself[7]. It is also known, that the Daemon Prince Jago has also declared the Howling Griffons to be his sworn enemies. This hatred is shared by his Warband, the Raptorous Flayhost, and the Griffons' helmets are particularity collected as trophies by its Chaos Terminators.[32]
Due to their glorious battle records and a near permanent campaigning status, they have gained the right to recruit initiates from several different worlds, including Dennar IV, in order to counteract the high levels of attrition that they face. As their main point of recruitment Mancora is kept in a constant state of warfare in order to provide them with a solid base of well disciplined initiates. The high birth rate of psykers on Mancora has also led to a high number of powerful Battle-Psykers within their ranks.[7]
The Howling Griffons are known to have seconded many Battle-Brothers to the Deathwatch over the years.[17]
History
- ???.M35 — The Howling Griffons aboard their strike cruisers were among the Chapters that took part in the Commorragh Raid.[29]
- 220.M38 — Arios Point Ambush. The Howling Griffons were ambushed by then Chaos Lord Periclitor on their return to Mancora. the ambush led to the death of Chapter Master Orlando Furioso (see Orlando Furioso, below) as well as most of their 1st and 8th Companies[7]. This has sparked a long standing feud between the Word Bearers and the Howling Griffons.[7]
- 109.M40 — The Dennar IV Suppression. The Howling Griffons 3rd Company, led by Captain Penvath Joachim, responded to a call for aid from Dennar IV. When they arrived at the agri world, they discovered a hand full of city-states full of refugees holding out against a horde of cultists some of whom were possessed by daemons. Using their superior armor and tactics, the Howling Griffons rallied the local forces and led a long and bloody struggle to clear the planet of the uprising. After this action, the Howling Griffons have kept a lasting oath to protect the planet; in return they are able to count Dennar IV as one of their recruiting planets.[7]
- 143.M41 — The Jorun Retaliation. On route to the Gothic War an Imperial Battlegroup, the 15th Heraklion Ironclads, turned on their Commissariat attachment and went renegade. Investigations into this turn of events uncovered the foul Xenos taint of Dark Eldar, who had managed to ensnare and corrupt General Jorun and his command structure. Jorun and his fleet raided planet after planet, enslaving whole populations for their masters. The full Howling Griffons chapter (about 8 Companies worth) was given command of the strike force, with support from the Ultramarines and Sons of Orar Chapters. Initial contact was made as the traitor forces were landing on Asturia. With no armor unloaded, it became a massacre, with over 5,000 Guard dying in an hour. The Howling Griffon's 4th Company, led by Chaplain Armand Titus, led the final strike on Jorun's forces ; fighting through Jorun's Ogryn cadre as well as Dark Eldar troops. Titus delivered the killing blow to Jorun, while slowly succumbing to poisoned wounds and sealing the fate of the Heraklion Ironclads.[7]
- 905-906.M41 — Shortly before the Badab War the Howling Griffons 4th Company along with parts of their 6th, 10th and 1st Companies carried out a lengthy search and destroy campaign within the Caradryad Sector. It can be safely assumed that a large number of planetary assaults were carried out during this action as they were severely lacking in Thunderhawks and drop pods when answering the call for aid in the Badab War as they had not had the chance to return to Mancora.[7]
- 906-909.M41 — Badab War. The Howling Griffons, along with the Novamarines, responded to calls for aid. Having just finished a campaign in the Caradryad Sector, the Howling Griffons' task force was no more than 250 Space Marines and had insufficient planetary assault resources to aid in front line assaults. As a result, their initial engagements were to carry out garrison duties or convoy protection. Their largest deployment was to garrison the airless moons in the Khymara system, rebuilding old listening posts as staging areas for later in the war. Unfortunately this posting put them in the path of the Executioners in 907.M41[12] who were coming to aid the Secessionists as part of their blood oath to Huron. The Howling Griffons were annihilated; after the Executioners withdrawal, the casualty rate was more than 70%, including the catastrophic loss of their strike cruiser, Augeias, and Chaplain Dreadnought Titus. Despite these losses, the remaining force continued to fight wherever they could until officially relieved in 909.M41[7]
- ???.M41 — The Howling Griffons Fleet took part in the Lazar Blockade.[10]
- ???.M41 — The Howling Griffons under Captain Xerxes took part in the Crusade of Fire.[23]
- 998.M41 — 13th Black Crusade. the Howling Griffons sent 8 Companies to participate in The Eye of Terror Campaign.[1] The 1st Company of the Howling Griffons including Chapter Master Alvaro, where based on the battle-barge Force of Destiny and engaged upon a mission to track down and persecute a company of Night Lords under the command of the infamous Daemon Prince Periclitor.[3]
- During the campaign in the Mackan System, the 5th Company of the Howling Griffons was flushed from cover by the mutants of the Stigmatus Covenant and then attacked by Chaos Knights of House Khomentis.[16]
- 999.M41 — The Howling Griffons were one of the twelve Chapters to accompany the Dark Angels in the Siege of the Fenris System.[13]
- ~999.M41 - Present — The Howling Griffons, accompanied by Chapter Master Alvaro, took part in the Indomitus Crusade.[20]
- 001.M42-025.M42 — Nachmund Gauntlet. The Howling Griffons sent 3 companies to Vigilus in the War of Beasts[15] and later to the Nachmund Rift War[21].
- 012.M42 — Plague Wars. The Chapter provided 6 Companies to aid Ultramar during the Plague Wars.[20]
- ???.M42 - The Battle of Malak during the Arks of Omen Campaign[31].
Undated
- Valerian Purges — The Howling Griffons, with the Cadian 108th "Wyverns", also saw action in this campaign.[4]
- Liberation of Vanqualis — Vanqualis was under attack by Orks. The Howling Griffons along with the 901st Penal Legion fought against the Orks.[2] Shortly after landing they turned on the Soul Drinkers chapter, believing them to be the bearers of a Chaos artifact, the Black Chalice.[2]
- Dennar IV Rebellion — The Howling Griffons 3rd Company took part in this campaign.[5a] One of the battles — Assault on Hill 103[5b]
Heraldry
The standard Howling Griffons armour colour scheme is quartered red and yellow.[18]
During activities on Khymara during the Badab War, the Howling Griffons wore approved Night World camo which combines black armour with a grey chest eagle. The shoulder pads are quartered red/yellow with grey rims and Sergeants wore grey helmets. Khymara camo for Terminators was pure black with the right shoulder bearing the red/yellow quartered livery. The Terminator's Power Fists were also painted red.[7]
Noted Elements of the Howling Griffons
Relics
- The Griffon's Pride — Ancient Terminator Lightning Claws now in the possession of the Blood Ravens[26]
- The Lost Halo — A Force Field used in the Angevin Crusade, but lost at its conclusion. They were later discovered in the Omega Vault.[27]
Vessels
- Force of Destiny — Battle Barge[Needs Citation]
- Augeias — Strike Cruiser Destroyed by the Executioners[7]
- Cerulean Claw — Strike Cruiser[23]
Vehicles
- Gloriam — Rhino. Attached to tactical squad Maximus.[9]
- Maneus — Razorback. Attached to devastator squad Tercon. Armed with twin linked Lascannons and Hunter Killer Missile Launcher.[9]
- Sword of Fire — Land Raider used in the Veidt Schism[25]
- Shield of Mancora — Land Raider Prometheus Used by the 4th Company during the Badab War. It was immobalized and captured by the Executioners[7]
Notable Members of the Howling Griffons
- Orlando Furioso — Late in the year 220.M38 the Howling Griffons Chapter were preparing to celebrate their 5,000th anniversary of their Founding. As Chapter Master Orlando Furioso and the First Company made their way to the Chapter's home world, Lord Periclitor of the Word Bearers, a substantial force of his Chosen and his Night Lords allies[7] fell upon the Howling Griffons' ship as it traversed the Arios beacon. The battle was a furious one, culminating with Periclitor and his elite boarding Furioso's battle barge aboard their Dreadclaws. The attack crippled the ship, and the defenders were forced to evacuate aboard their Thunderhawks and escape pods. The battle was continued upon the surface of Arios Quintus, where the survivors were surrounded and eventually cut down. The body of Orlando Furioso was mounted upon the fore of his Thunderhawk and left to drift in orbit above the planet for a month before it could be recovered,[7] this permitted that the body and gene-seed to be successfully recovered.[Needs Citation] And now the Howling Griffons Chapter has another date to mark in their calendar each year. [2]
- Armand Titus — In 143.M41 Chaplain Armand Titus, along with the 4th Company, led the final assault against the renegade General Jorun and his forces during the Jorun Retaliation. Fighting his way through renegade guard, Ogryn and Dark Eldar he was wounded by xenos poisons; despite this he broke through to face General Jorun and delivered the Emperor's justice. Upon returning to Mancora Titus was encased in a dreadnought to continue his service to the Chapter.[7] Titus continued to serve with the 4th Company throughout M41, including the campaign in the Caradryad system and into the Badab War. He was present on Khymara when the Executioners assaulted the moon base and was one of the large number of losses.[7]
- Mercaeno — Chief Librarian of the Howling Griffons. Mercaeno fulfilled the oath of avenging Chapter Master Orlando's death by vanquishing the daemon prince Periclitor during the 13th Black Crusade. He then led the strike cruiser Cerulean Claw to Vanqualis in the Obsidian System to fulfill an oath to the ruling Falken family to defeat the Soul Drinkers who were mistakenly identified as the bearers of the Chaos artifact, the Black Chalice. He had a titanic physical and psychic duel with Sarpedon in the Soul Drinkers' space hulk Brokenback. He broke Sarpendon's force staff and defeated him. Before he dealt the death blow to Sarpedon with his force-axe, he met his demise by Eumenes's sneak attack.[2]
- Malegran — Chaplain and member of the Deathwatch[24]
- Alvaro — Chapter Master of as of M42[Conflicting Sources]
- Kenot Friche - Chapter Master as of M42[Conflicting Sources]
- Torkos - Captain taking part in the Plague Wars[20]
Images
Howling Griffons original colour scheme as they appeared during the Badab War (W40K Compendium).[8]
Howling Griffons Techmarine.[11]
Trivia
Conflicting Sources
In the 1st edition of the novel Dark Imperium, Alvaro is stated to be Chapter Master of the Howling Griffons during the Indomitus Crusade. However the 2021 2nd edition changed this to Kenot Friche for unknown reasons.[20]
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Eye of Terror (3rd Edition), pg. 16
- 2: Chapter War (Novel), pgs. 76, 103
- 3: White Dwarf 284 (UK)[Needs Citation]
- 4: Iron Hands (Novel) pg. 94
- 5: Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition — pp. 81, 114, 182.
- 6: Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 30
- 7: Imperial Armour Volume Nine - The Badab War - Part One, pgs. 124–131
- 8: Warhammer 40,000: Compendium (1989), pg. 35
- 9: White Dwarf 309 (UK), pgs. 44–51
- 10: Codex: Necrons (5th Edition), pg. 57
- 11: Deathwatch: Honour the Chapter, pg. 66
- 12: Forge World Scenarios for Badab War campaigns (last accessed 13 June 2015)
- 13: The Lost King (Short Story)
- 14: White Dwarf September 2016 - Deathwatch Overkill - Kill Team Excis
- 15: Imperium Nihilus: Vigilus Defiant, pg. 79
- 16: Codex: Chaos Knights (8th Edition), pg. 32 - A Saga of Destruction - Call of Despoiler
- 17: Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pgs. 20-21 - The Oathsworn Tithe
- 18: How to Paint Space Marines, pg. 89
- 19: Index Astartes: Fortress Monasteries (Background Book)
- 20: Dark Imperium (Novel) - 2nd Edition, Chapter 20
- 21: War Zone Nachmund: Rift War, pg. 30
- 22: Chapter War (Novel), pg. 126
- 23: Crusade of Fire (Campaign Book), pg. 27
- 24: Codex: Deathwatch (7th Edition), pg. 53
- 25: Index Astartes: Apocrypha, pgs. 114, 115
- 26: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising: The Griffon's Pride, wargear selection screen
- 27: Deathwatch: Honour the Chapter, pg. 129
- 28: Codex: Space Marines (9th Edition), pgs. 20-21
- 29: Codex: Dark Eldar (5th Edition), pg. 14
- 30: Black Library (last accessed April 23, 2013)
- 31: Arks of Omen: Angron, pgs. 12-14
- 32: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (9th Edition), pg. 142 - Crusade Army
Uncited
- GW UK's Campaign Weekends Badab War Rules (Way Back Machine)]
- Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg. 63