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Iron Snakes

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The Iron Snakes are a successor Chapter of Space Marines. Their primary mission is the safeguarding of the area of Imperial space referred to as the Reef Stars1, although they are also known to have contributed forces to wider conflicts, such as the Sabbat Worlds Crusade2 and the Imperial response to the 13th Black Crusade.

Contents

Chapter Summary

Marine Basic Data
Chapter Symbol
Miniature
Name: Iron Snakes
Founding chapter: Ultramarines
Founding: 2nd founding
Chapter Master: Seydon
Homeworld: Ithaka
Fortress-Monastery: Karybdis (Moon of Ithaka)
Main colours: Polished Gun-Metal Grey, gold chest and shoulder pads etched with red and white
Specialty: Infantry, Close combat.1
Battle Cry: For Ithaka!
Estimated strength: 1,0001:

History

The first days of the Iron Snakes are difficult to pin down; reportedly a Second Founding chapter, their Legion of origin is unknown. Although they pay respect to Roboute Guilliman, it is uncertain if they are an Ultramarine descendant, particularly as they are a non-Codex chapter. The current Chapter Master, Seydon, is the eighteenth to bear that title since the foundation of the Iron Snakes.

The first-ever squad-leaders of the Chapter have become immortalised within its ranks, as their names have been retained as the official designation of the squads they first led. Every squad in the Chapter is therefore known by the name of its first commander and careful attention is paid to recording the deeds of each squad and the glory they have accumulated. Over the centuries, several squads judged to have accumulated particularly impressive and glorious histories became referred to as Notable squads and are seen as the pre-eminent units in the entire Chapter. There are five Notable squads within the Iron Snakes, Skypio, Parthus, Veii, Thebes and Damocles. Skypio squad is the senior squad of the entire chapter and is the closest thing to a conventional elite unit the Iron Snakes could be said to have.

The Iron Snakes recruit from Ithaka, a world largely covered in very deep oceans home to a variety of sealife, including the great Wyrms. Ithaka does possess significant landmass, including tropical islands and viciously cold polar regions. Iron Snakes are therefore able to train in a number of environments, although the sea is most precious to them, to the point where each marine carries a vial of Ithakan seawater with him when on active duty, and with which he anoints the soil of any other planet he steps on. Their actual Fortress-Monastery is located on Ithaka's moon, Karybdis, and features a great bell as large as a Space Marine Drop Pod.1

The Reef Stars

Detail of an Iron Snake.

The Iron Snakes appear to have been stationed in the sector of space known as the Reef Stars many thousands of years ago, and charged with its protection as their primary mission. The inhabited worlds of the Reef, while varied in their technological development, each appear to have some form of summoning aid from the Iron Snakes ritualised into their society. The Iron Snakes are a myth or legend to some worlds, an awe-inspiring reality to others. Regardless of how they are viewed, the Snakes of Ithaka take their duty to the Reef Stars as seriously as only Space Marines can, and will go to any lengths possible to protect the sector and its citizenry.

The actions they have fought in the Reef Stars are numerous, as the whole area appears to be under constant threat by Dark Eldar raiding parties. As a result, the Iron Snakes have amassed considerable experience fighting the Dark Eldar, who they (and the people of the Reef Stars) also refer to as the "primuls." The Iron Snakes also fought a ten year all-out war against a supremely large Ork invasion. The Ork forces, made up of multiple Waaaghs, were so large that it was impossible for the Iron Snakes to defeat them by martial means. However, having managed to secure a relic apparently considered sacred by the Orks, the Iron Snakes were able to draw the Ork forces out of the Reef Stars and into unclaimed/Xenos territory. The remainder of the Orks were expunged, and the Reef Stars were judged greenskin-free for over a thousand years.1

The Sabbat Worlds Crusade

The Chapter contributed over 300 Marines towards the Sabbat Worlds Crusade and fought with considerable distinction. Amongst the battles fought in that Crusade were: the relief of the Imperial Guard on Ambold Eleven, where the Iron Snakes lost only 8 marines in a campaign that cost the forces of Chaos twenty-nine thousand casualties, the assault on Pelbury Civitas, the cleansing of the daemon-infested Fornax Aleph, the support of the final extermination of the Zoican horde on Verghast and, of course, the destruction of the mechanised mutant army of Presarius.2

The Thirteenth Black Crusade

They were one of the many chapters of Space Marines who participated in the defence against the Thirteenth Black Crusade.

Organisation

While the nominal fighting strength of the chapter (or "fratery" as it is referred to by the Iron Snakes) is kept at the Codex-approved 1,000 marines, the Iron Snakes do not appear to use the codex Company structure, instead basing their organisation around that of the simple 10-marine squad.1

The Phratry Squad

Iron Snakes squad.

Each squad, named after it's first-ever squad leader, is treated as an individual tactical formation held equal in placement in the line of battle with almost all of the other fratery units. Only those squads referred to as the Notables are seen as an elite, and even then the Notables do not properly represent a pooling of veteran Marines. This is due to the way in which the Iron Snakes field their new recruits. Recruits, referred to as "petitioners" with the chapter, do not appear to take to the field as Scouts; instead they operate as Chapter staff and personal servants for the full Battle-Brothers. When casualties incurred require the elevation of petitioners to the rank of full Marine, the petitioners try out for the positions by engaging their potential squadmates in single combat competitions. Winners of these competitions, or those judged particularly skillful by the squad-leader, are chosen to become full Brothers and fratery-members. Places in the Notables are competed for in the same way as in other squads, which means that the Notables are just as likely to have new recruits in their ranks as they are to have hardened veteran marines. Of course, the petitioners that manage to win a place in a Notable squad are likely to be the best of their generation.

When a squad is completely wiped out, it is reconstituted under the original name, with its new squad-leader being promoted from the ranks of the elder and more veteran Battle-Brothers of the other squads. Each squad-leader is expected to eventually nominate a successor from within his squad, who will be chosen to accompany him to officer-level briefings and take over command in the event of his death. This Brother will likely remain tied to his squad until his own death, as such 'seconds' are not promoted out to command other squads. Each squad will also contain a standard-bearer, who fixes the squad colours to a special mounting upon his armour, and a support weapons trooper (with the Plasma Gun and Flamer appearing to be Chapter favourites). The Notable squads also appear to customarily include an Apothecary as one of their number, and such specialist Marines are a common feature of other squads as well; the number of field-Apothecaries in the Iron Snakes appears likely to be higher than that of a Codex chapter.1

Tactics and Equipment

When a mission, referred to within the chapter as an 'undertaking', is decided upon the Chapter Master announces how many squads he believes are required to ensure its success. All squad-leaders who wish to volunteer their units for the mission then place their tokens into a kylix (a form of drinking cup whose origins lie in ancient Terra). The Chapter Master then decides which squads to assign to the undertaking based upon which tokens he finds in the kylix.

Though the Iron Snakes are able to deploy an acceptable number of vehicles, and also include Dreadnoughts and Librarians amongst their forces, the primacy of the combat squad means that they concentrate on infantry tactics in battle. The Chapter armoury is able to issue combat shields, warblades (short-swords) and sealances (javelin-type fighting spears) to all brothers, enabling them to close up and use phalanx (shield-wall) style tactics. They are particularly skillful with the sea-lance, as part of a petitioner's training on their homeworld of Ithaka involves the hunting and slaying of the large, predacious sea-wyrms native to the planet.

While the squad is the principal tactical unit of the Chapter, sometimes even less manpower is deployed. In cases of responding to general aid requests from the worlds of the Reef Stars, it is customary to dispatch only one Battle-Brother from the closest squad to investigate. The Brother chosen is often either the newest member of the squad, or a member being considered for the role of successor by the squad-leader; a one-person undertaking is seen as a fitting challenge for such marines. Historically, only one warrior usually suffices in cases of general aid requests, though it is no shame for the individual to request the presence of his fratery-brothers once appraised of the specific situation.

Their power armour is gunmetal and the Chapter's symbol is a double-hooped blue snake on a white background with thin red trim.1

Notable Members

Sources

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