Fists Exemplar
The Fists Exemplar were a Space Marine Chapter of Imperial Fists descent.[1a] Following the War of the Beast and the treachery of one of its Captains, its surviving Battle-Brothers were distributed throughout the Adeptus Astartes and they were erased from history by the orders of the acting Lord Commander of the Imperium, Maximus Thane.[7]
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Background
The Fists Exemplar Chapter was created during the Second Founding and was formed from those Imperial Fists who agreed with the Ultramarines Primarch Guilliman, that the Space Marine Legions needed to be broken apart after the Horus Heresy. Much like their first Chapter Master Oriax Dantalion, they were deemed by their Primarch Dorn to be exemplars of a new order and as such he named them the Fists Exemplar.[1a] Because their founder was among the first to support the precepts of the Codex Astartes, the chapter, unusually, revered Guilliman almost as much as their own primarch (in some cases, even more so).[4a]
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This page contains spoilers for: | Predator, Prey (Novel) |
They were then charged with watching over the Rubicante Flux, a Warp storm that was sporadic in its eruptions and plagued the Abra Sector located on the outskirts of the Segmentum Solar and uncomfortably close to Ancient Terra. To aid the Fists Exemplar with this duty, they were given the Star Fort Alcazar Astra, which had served the Imperial Fists well during the Horus Heresy. With the Fort towed by their ships, the Fleet-based Chapter patrolled the Rubicante Flux, for sometime until disaster struck. While the Alcazar Astra was being towed to a new location, a sudden massive warp eruption from the Rubicante Flux, blew the Star Fort of course and into the gravitational embrace of a nearby star. Due to the heroic efforts of Chapter Master Dantalion and his Captains, the Alcazar Astra was guided towards the star's nearest planet Eidolica, where it breached itself. Though the Fort was saved from destruction, Dantalion was one of the Fists Exemplar who lost his life in the crash. With the Star Fort forever grounded, the Fists Exemplar adopted Eidolica as their Home World and the Alcazar Astra became their Fortress Monastery. The Chapter adapted well to their new location and served the Imperium well for millennia[1b] until the coming of the Ork Warlord known as The Beast.[1c]
The Beast had begun a massive invasion of the Imperium's planets in the Ultima Segmentum and Eidolica was one of the earliest to feel the Warlord's wrath. Without any warning one of the Beast's Attack Moon's appeared in Eidolica's orbit and launched a massive invasion, that the surprised Fists Exemplar were unable to contain. Within the first hours of the invasion, the current Chapter Master Alameda was killed and command fell to First Captain Garthas[1b] until he too died at the Orks' hands. As their Home World fell further into the Orks' control, Second Captain Maximus Thane took command of what remained of the Chapter within the Alcazar Astra and prepared to defend Eidolica to the last man, from within their Fortress Monastery[1d]. Just as he was making preparations to defend the Alcazar Astra from another Ork attack however, he was met by the Black Templars Marshal Bohemond, whose fleet had arrived in Eidolica's orbit. The Marshal brought ill tidings and said that besides the defense at the Fortress, the planet had fallen and there was no point in fighting a battle that would only lead to the Fists Exemplar's destruction. The Marshal said he had come to evacuate what remained of the Chapter, so that they could fight to save other world's of the Imperium, from the ravages of the The Beast's Ork forces. Though Thane resisted at first, he eventually agreed with Bohemond, that Eidolica could not be saved and gave the order for the surviving members of the Fists Exemplar to evacuate to the Marshal's fleet in orbit.[1a]
Later during the meeting between the Imperial Fists Successor Chapters in the Phall System, Thane and the Fists Exemplar were in attendance.[2] The remnants of the Chapter took part in the assault on the Ork Attack Moon over Terra, and Thane was subsequently dispatched by Koorland to find another of the Fists successors, the Soul Drinkers.[3] Meanwhile forces under First Captain Zerberyn entered into an alliance with Iron Warriors under Warsmith Kalkator in order to fend off a massive fleet of Orks.[4b]
The Fists Exemplar were next dispatched by Koorland to Mars to take the Tech-Priest Eldon Urquidex into custody. The standoff with the Mechanicum quickly turned bloody despite the efforts of both sides to prevent violence, and the Fists engaged in a short but bloody standoff with Skitarii armies before the Mechanicum backed down. Later, the Chapter took part in the hunt for Vulkan on Caldera and the first invasion of Ullanor alongside other Last Wall forces.[5]
By the second invasion of Ullanor to try and slay the Beast, the Fists Exemplar had been worn down to less than 73 Battle-Brothers from the remains of three companies.[6] In the aftermath of the War of the Beast and the treachery of Zerberyn, Maximus Thane declared that the Fists Exemplar were to be erased from history. Its surviving Battle-Brothers were sent to found new Chapter's and their very existence made secret. A new Chapter inherited Eidolica and the Alcazar Remembered.[7]
Traditions
Due to Chapter tradition, the Fists Exemplar required their members to leave their armour unpainted.[1b]
Notable Campaigns
- 544.M32: The War of the Beast
Notable Vessels
Notable Members
- Oriax Dantalion — Frist Chapter Master of the Fists Exemplar
- Alameda — Second Chapter Master of the Fists Exemplar (dec.)
- Garthas — First Captain (dec.)[1b]
- Maximus Thane — Captain of the 2nd Company, later chosen to command the Chapter
- Arcos — Captain of the 4th Company
- Tyrian — Captain of the 5th Company[1b]
- Dentor — Captain of the 7th Company[1b]
- Xontague — Captain of the 8th Company[1b]
- Hieronimax — Captain of the 9th Company (dec.)[1b]
- Kastril — Captain of the 10th Company[1b]
- Antares — Became a Deathwatch member
- Honorarius Zerberyn — Honour Guard and later First Captain
- Aloysian — Master of the Forge
- Mendel Reoch — Apotechary[1b]
- Byzander — Chapter Standard Bearer (dec.)[1d]
- Aquino — Standard Bearer, later chosen as Chapter Standard Bearer[1b]
- Hoque — Sergeant, later chosen as Captain of the 2nd Company[1d]
- Anatoq — Sergeant, later chosen as Captain of the 9th Company[1d]
- Gaspar — Unknown rank[1a]
- Otho — Dreadnought.
See Also
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: Predator, Prey (Novel)
- 2: The Emperor Expects (Novel), Chapter 14
- 3: Throneworld (Novel), Chapter 21
- 4: Echoes of the Long War (Novel)
- 5: The Hunt for Vulkan (Novel), Chapter 1
- 6: The Last Son of Dorn (Novel), Chapter 13
- 7: The Beheading (Novel), Chapter 14
