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Howling Griffons

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Howling Griffons
Howling Griffons Livery.jpg
HowlingGriffinsPrimaris.jpg Howlinggriffonsmini.jpg
Founding Chapter: Ultramarines[17]
Founding: M33[7]
Chapter Master: Alvaro or Kenot Friche[Conflicting Sources]
Homeworld: Mancora[6]
Fortress-Monastery: The Proud Eyrie[7]
Colours: Yellow and Red quartered[5]
Specialty: Codex Chapter[7]
Battle Cry For Guilliman, son of the Emperor! For the Founding Father![Needs Citation]

The Howling Griffons are a Space Marine Chapter with a long and glorious history.[17]

Overview

Howling Griffons Fortress-Monastery The Proud Eyrie[19]
Spoiler!
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

Marines of the Howling Griffons fighting Genestealers (Space Marines 8th Edition codex art).[28]
  • 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.M41Badab 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]

Undated

The Howling Griffons battle tyranids (Space Marines 9th Edition codex cover art by Jaime Martinez).[28]
  • Dennar IV Rebellion — The Howling Griffons 3rd Company took part in this campaign.[5a] One of the battles — Assault on Hill 103[5b]

Heraldry

As with many of the Howling Griffons stationed at the Khymara system during the Badab War, many of the battle-brothers still maintained their Codex Approved Night World Battle Livery from their prior deployment in the Caradryad Sector.[7]

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

Vessels

Vehicles

Notable Members of the Howling Griffons

Images

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

Uncited