Fire Lords
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The Fire Lords are a Codex Chapter of Space Marines.[1a]
Background
The Fire Lords precede assaults with a barrage of incendiary missiles, and hurl themselves at the charred foe before the flames have burnt themselves out.[1a]
The Fire Lords favoured tactic is launching a planetary assault, which begins with incendiary bombardments, and should the defender survive, they only do so to face close-range bombardment and promethium, usually delivered by Thunderfire Cannons and Land Raider Redeemers. Then, Tactical Squads will deploy in Drop Pods to bring death to the enemies of the Imperium.[2]
Grissen Campaign
Due to a clerical error in the Imperium's labyrinthine bureaucracy, the once-prosperous world of Grissen had gone unnoticed until a mid-level functionary discovered that the planetary tithes were now some eight thousand years overdue. An Imperial Guard regiment was immediately raised to bring the Emperor's law back to Grissen. When the regiment found itself overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity of the fighters planetside, a task force from the Fire Lords Chapter, under the command of Jaric Phoros, joined the fray.[1c]
At first the Space Marines made little progress. The natives were so entrenched that even the most devastating orbital bombardments made scant impact on their positions. Nonetheless, the Imperial decree was that Grissen should be brought back into the fold, for it would prove an excellent recruiting ground for the Imperial Guard, and so Phoros held back from ordering Exterminatus. Biting back his mounting frustration, Phoros directed his Techmarines to construct a weapon that would win the war. Within a week of the first Land Raider modifications the Fire Lords took Grissen's capital city. Within a month, the largest planetary faction was suing for peace and Grissen was part of the Imperium once more.[1c]
In the wake of the Grissen campaign, Phoros disseminated his new design's schematics. Having always been possessed of a sardonic frame of mind, he named the new pattern Prometheus after a god from Terran legend who brought fire to men. He changed the official designation to "Redeemer" only upon learning that the name "Prometheus" already belonged to a Land Raider variant developed by the Salamanders. Nonetheless, the original Redeemer still serves in the Fire Lords' Second Company, the name Prometheus resplendent on its flanks and honored in the Chapter's Histories.[1c]
Other Notable Engagements
- In 931.M38, they stopped the Purge invasion of Bereguel Tertia launched from the Space Hulk Hell's Last Duke.[6]
- In 748.M41, the Chapter lost its Chapter Master in the Blood Star Campaign.[5]
- The Chapter is known to have taken part in the later stages of the Assault on Beroghast.[3]
- In 990.M41, they avenged the destruction of the Emperor's Swords Chapter by exterminating the Necrons who had annihilated them on the world of Bellicas.[1d]
- During the 13th Black Crusade, the Fire Lords and Doom Legion came to the aid of the 4th Cadian army on the besieged Fortress World of Kasr Sonnen. Despite this, Imperial projections showed the defenders would be overwhelmed by the attacking Alpha Legion forces in 2-3 days without further reinforcements.[7]
- During the Invasion of the Stygius Sector the Fire Lords sent forces to aid the Iron Hands and other Successor Chapters in the Second Relief of Mordian.[10]
- The Fire Lords later sent 2 companies to Vigilus as part of the War of Beasts.[8]
- In M42 they took part in the Octarius War.[12a] The Fire Lords were primarily active in the Kusolst System, in particular fighting in support of the Imperial Guard Regiments defending the planet Gratu.[12b]
- At an unknown date, the Fire Lords battled the Orks in the Siege of Kantarel alongside the 9th Company of the Raven Guard and the 293rd Regiment of the Tallarn Desert Raiders.[11]
Known Members
- Vuur Yangin — Member of the Deathwatch.[12a]
Conflicts in Sources
Although the Fire Lords were stated as the successors of the Imperial Fists in the [Legion of the Damned (Novel)]][4] they are mentioned as of unknown lineage in the Codex: Space Marines (10th Edition) with the assumption that they originate from the Salamanders.[13]
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition)
- 2: GW Website -- Index Astartes: Other Chapters (site last accessed 2009.08.03)
- 3: Codex: Grey Knights (5th Edition), pg. 16
- 4: Legion of the Damned (Novel), Chapter 3
- 5: Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition) (E-Book Edition) pg.67
- 6: Dataslate - Centurion Siegebreaker Cohort, pg. 7
- 7: Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia, pg. 63
- 8: Imperium Nihilus: Vigilus Defiant, pg. 79
- 9: Codex: Space Marines (8th Edition, 2nd Codex)
- 10: Codex Supplement: Iron Hands (8th Edition), pgs. 32-33
- 11: Codex Supplement: Raven Guard (8th Edition), pg. 20
- 12: War Zone Octarius - Book 1: Rising Tide
- 13: Codex: Space Marines (10th Edition), pg. 64