Legio Gryphonicus
| Colour Scheme | Legion Info | Symbol | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Name: | Legio Gryphonicus |  |
| Alternative name: | War Griffons | ||
| Affiliation: | Imperium | ||
| Founded: | Age of Strife | ||
| Forge World: | Gryphonne IV[4a] | ||
| Colours: | Dappled grey with yellow | ||
| Strength: | 176 (start of Horus Heresy)[9] | ||
| Battle Cry: | War is Just | ||
| Arch Enemies: | Tyranids | ||
The Legio Gryphonicus (aka the War Griffons) are a Titan Legion with an illustrious history.[1] Born during the very founding of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Legio Gryphonicus has seen action in many battles against Traitor Titan Legions since the Horus Heresy.[2]
Contents
Overview
The War Griffons possess a martial culture which often hews closer to that of a Knight House compared to an average Titan Legion. The Legion's members strive for individual skill, with which they hope to bring glory to their bloodline. This can and has led to conflict between the Legion's Princeps; this, combined with the high value the War Griffons place on discipline, has led the Legion to develop a number of internal laws allowing for duels between its members.[7c]
History
The Legion was founded sometime during the Age of Strife and at the time was the primary tool of power of the pocket empire of Gryphonne IV. The planet itself had been colonized by Tech-priests from Mars. The legion became one of the largest and most well-equipped of the Great Crusade alongside the Legio Mortis, Legio Destructor, Legio Crucius and Legio Magna. It gained many battle-honours, most notably in the Rangdan Genocide and Ullanor Crusade.[7a] By the end of the Crusade, the Legio numbered some 176 Titans of various classes, with roughly half of these being Reavers. They also possessed an unusual number of Titan-Barques and transports operating under its own fealty and allegiance, which allowed it to operate largely independently when the need arose. This would serve them well in the coming Heresy.[9]
When the Horus Heresy broke out, the Legion remained true to the Emperor. However, before the rebellion Horus had foreseen this decision and scattered the Legion across the galaxy under the pretense of their presence being necessary for many smaller campaigns.[3b] Warzones included the Ruin of Maerdan, Battle of Molech, the First Battle of Paramar, and the Battle of Beta-Garmon. The Legion took grievous damage during the Beta-Garmon campaign, and could only provide scant forces to the Siege of Terra.[10] Throughout the war, the Legio Gryphonicus built a fierce hatred against the Legio Mortis.[7a]
A battle group of the War Griffons Titans fought alongside the Gryphonne IV Skitarii forces that took part in the Castra Campaign where, with the help of the first batch of newly produced Leman Russ Conquerors, they encircled and trapped the traitor besiegers of Hive Castra Septus, eliminating the traitors within the pocket.[4b]
The War Griffons have over the millennia been instrumental in halting the Black Crusades of Abaddon the Despoiler that spewed from the Eye of Terror.[2]
The Legion suffered a catastrophic defeat in 997.M41 when its Forge World of Gryphonne IV was overrun by Hive Fleet Leviathan. During the battle, the majority of the Legion was torn to pieces by swarms of Tyranid Hierophants and Tyrannofexes. However, a portion of the Legion survived the tragedy and was able to provide a total of eight Battle Titans to the Betalis Campaign against the Eldar.[2] Some of its surviving Titans also took part in the defense of Cadia during the Thirteenth Black Crusade. The Fortress World was destroyed in that conflict, but the final fate of the Legio's Titans is unknown.[6]
Heraldry
The Titans of the Legio Gryphonicus are primarily grey with yellow faceplates and gold decoration.[7c]
Assets
Known Titans
Imperator Class
- Warscorn — Fought in the Battle of Beta-Garmon during the Horus Heresy.[8]
Warmonger Class
- Castellan Corda — Fought in the Siege of Terra against the forces of Legio Magna.[11]
Warmaster Class
- Aureum Castigator — Warmaster Titan, one of the roughly three in service at the start of the Horus Heresy[9].
Warlord Class
- Argent Monarch[7c]
- Argent Polemistes — Fought in the Siege of Terra against the forces of Legio Magna.[11]
- Bellus Shockatrice — Fought in the Siege of Terra against the forces of Legio Magna.[11]
- Iron Regent — Highly decorated during the Great Crusade where it battled Xenos Titans. During the Horus Heresy it fought in the Battle of Tallarn where it slew three enemy Reaver Titans and one Warlord Titan of the Legio Krytos.[7d]
Reaver Class
- Aeterno Rex — Piloted by Princeps Usselus Kine during the Horus Heresy. Destroyed during the Ruin of Maerdan by two dozen Knight Lancers of House Perdaxia.[7c][7d]
- Dictatio[2]
- Fidelis Natus[7c]
- Invictus Nova — Ancient Reaver Class Titan created shortly after the Legion itself.[1]
- Southron Shield — Destroyed, First Battle of Paramar.[3a]
Warhound Class
- Magna Canis[2]
- Nobilis — Fought in the Ullanor Crusade and its Machine Spirit still seethes with a bestial hatred of xenos.[7c][7d]
- Sanctus Venator[5]
- Tempus Prima[2]
- Venator Lux — Fought in the Ruin of Maerdan.[7d]
Other/Unknown Class
- Gloria Interitus[7b]
- Indomat Celsior — Destroyed in the Siege of Terra.[11]
Known Personnel
- Orun Faruq — Princeps of Gloria Interitus during the Horus Heresy.[7b]
Images
Legio Banner
Legio Gryphonicus 'Heresy Banner'
Legio Gryphonicus Banner
Warlord Titan
Reaver Titan
Warhound Titan
Warhound Titans
Reaver Titan
Forge World Reaver Titan (Mars Pattern)
Forge World Warhound Titan (Lucius Pattern)
Legio Gryphonicus in action on Betalis III
War Griffons Battle Group
See also
Sources
- 1: White Dwarf 120, [Needs Citation]
- 2: Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, pg. 106–107
- 3: The Horus Heresy Book Three - Extermination:
- 4: Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy:
- 5: Imperial Armour Update 2002, pg. 45
- 6: Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus (8th Edition), pg. 23 — Gryphonne IV
- 7: Adeptus Titanicus: The Horus Heresy Rulebook:
- 8: Titandeath (Novel), Chapter 23
- 9: Adeptus Titanicus: Loyalist Legios, pgs. 28-33
- 10: Mortis (Novel), Chapter 17
- 11: The End and the Death (Novel), 3:iv
Uncited
 |
- Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, pg. 27
- Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pg. 28
- Codex Titanicus (1st Edition)
