View source for Shon'tu

{{Character
|Portal              ={{IronWarriorsPortal}}
|Name                ={{PAGENAME}}
|Image               =ShontuLysander.jpg
|Caption             =Shon'tu battles his arch-foe [[Darnath Lysander]]
|Title               =
|Homeworld           =
|Birth               =[[Horus Heresy]]-era{{Fn|2c}}
|Active Period       =[[M31]] — [[M41]]
|Death               =Reported 999.[[M41]]
|Cause of Death      =Killed by [[Imperial Fists]] during the [[Battle of the Phalanx]]{{Fn|4}}
|Species             =
[[Human]] [[Astartes]]
|Gender              =Male
|Relatives           =
[[Perturabo]]<br><small>(“Father” via Gene-seed)</small><br>
[[Iron Warriors]] & Successor warbands <br><small>(“Brothers” via Gene-seed)</small>
|Occupation          =''
*[[Chaos Lord]] of the [[Sons of the Forge]]
|Preceded by         =
|Succeeded by        =
|Faction             =
'' ''
*[[Imperium of Man]] <small>(Formerly)</small>
*[[Iron Warriors]] <small>(IV Legion)</small>
**[[Sons of the Forge]]
*[[Chaos]]
**[[Chaos Undivided]]
|Notes               =
}}
'''Shon'tu''' is an infamous [[Iron Warriors]] [[Warsmith]] and commander of the warband [[Sons of the Forge]].{{Fn|1}}

===Biography===
Shon'tu was present during the [[Siege of Terra]] and like most within the Iron Warriors, has swore an eternal hatred for their rivals, the [[Imperial Fists]].{{Fn|2c}}

Once upon a time he faced with the Imperial Fist [[Darnath Lysander]] (a mere [[Space Marine Scout|Scout]] at that time). Out of mercy for an innocent who was taken hostage by a Shon'tu, Lysander let him escape and long after regretted it.{{Fn|3}} Shon'tu was also responsible for the capture and vicious torture of now-Captain Lysander on [[Malodrax]].He later battled Lysander and the Imperial Fists yet again during the [[Invasion of Taladorn]], where he escaped after being defeated.{{Fn|2c}}

Shon'tu later gathered a sizable force of Iron Warriors and other allies in preparation for a breakout of the [[Eye of Terror]] by attacking the nearby [[Imperial Fists]] Starforts of [[Bastion Inviolate]] and [[Endeavour of Will]] in 998.[[M41]]. The attack was led by his personal [[Grand Cruiser]], the ''Ferrous Malice''. Shon'tu consorted with many [[Daemonic]] powers to achieve his aims, binding the creature [[Velthinar]] to his will and making a pact with a band [[Tzeentch]] Daemons known as [[The Dancers]], gaining the creatures services in exchange for a vial of the blood of [[Perturabo]]. Shon'tu hoped to ascend to [[Daemon Prince|Daemonhood]] by killing [[Imperial Fists]] [[Space Marine Captain|Captain]] [[Darnath Lysander]] and offering his head to the [[Gods of Chaos]]. Besides consorting heavily with Daemons, Shon'tu has much contempt for his fellow Warsmiths and considers those in his Legion who do not work with the Ruinous Powers to be weak. But despite his preparations, in the end Shon'tu was narrowly defeated in the [[Battle for the Endeavour of Will]], and escaped in a [[Dreadclaw]] to exact his revenge on Lysander on another day.{{Fn|1}}

Next, Shon'tu concoted his most audacious plan yet by capturing a [[Space Hulk]] full of [[Tyranids]] and sending it on a collision course with [[Terra]]. However due to the will of the ships captured [[Navigator]], the hulk instead struck the world of [[Drashin]]. Shon'tu's plan was still not without its benefits, as in the [[Infestation on Drashin|ensuing battle]] Imperial Fists [[Chapter Master]] [[Vladimir Pugh]] was killed. In retaliation, nearly the entire Imperial Fists chapter tracked down Shon'tu to his old base of Malodrax, where he had since activated the ancient space station [[Tamunash]]. In the ensuing [[Fall of Malodrax]], Shon'tu was again defeated by a Space Marine coalition.{{Fn|2a}}

After the battle, Shon'tu was thought dead. However in 975.[[M41]] Imperial Fists Veteran Sergeant [[Tynon]] was discovered dead on the world of [[Endrion (Planet)|Endrion]] while training [[Cadian]]s. The words ''Shon'tu lives'' were carved into his chest. Later Lysander tracked remnants of the Sons of the Forge to the [[Torricas System]]. However they found only one dead Chaos Marine there, an Iron Warrior whom the Imperium thought had taken command of the warband following Shon'tu's death. He was found disembowelled and chained with the words ''Shon'tu Lives'' smeared in blood next to his corpse.{{Fn|2b}}

Shon'tu returned to exact his vengeance on the Imperial Fists in 999.[[M41]]. Allying with the [[Daemon]] [[Be'lakor]], Shon'tu planned to hijack the ''[[Phalanx]]'' and use it to bombard the [[Imperial Palace]] on [[Terra]]. Taking the Imperial Fists by surprise, he found only the battered [[3rd Company (Imperial Fists)|3rd Company]] (later joined by the [[Legion of the Damned]]) defending the vessel. Ultimately the duos' plot was foiled thanks to the intervention of the Legion of the Damned, and the Warsmith was killed by the [[First Company]] squadron of [[Terminator Sergeant]] [[Furan]].{{Fn|4}}

However, in [[M42]] [[First Captain|Captain]] [[Darnath Lysander]]'s suspicions were raised by reports of increased [[Iron Warriors]] activity within the [[Cadian Gate]]. Though there is no proof as of yet that Shon'tu is behind it, Lysander may still have an opportunity to claim his revenge, by destroying the [[Warsmith]].{{Fn|5}}

==Sources==
*{{Endn|1}}: [[Endeavour of Will (Novella)]],{{Cite Marker End}}
*2: [[Sentinels of Terra - A Codex: Space Marines Supplement (6th Edition)]]:
**{{Endn|2a}}: ''The Fall of Malodrax
**{{Endn|2b}}: ''The 3rd Company's Triumph''
**{{Endn|2c}}: ''Lysander's Rise''
*{{Endn|3}}: [[Lysander: The Fist of Dorn (Short Story)]]
*{{Endn|4}}: [[Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia]], ''Chapter 1: The Fate of Phalanx''
*{{Endn|5}}: [https://archive.ph/vo4im Warhammer Community: Darnath Lysander: Captain of the First Company] ''(archived from [https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/articles/ysq9tys7/darnath-lysander-captain-of-the-first-company/ the original] 3 September 2025, last accessed 03 September 2025)''

[[Category:Characters (Horus Heresy)]]
[[Category:Characters (Iron Warriors)]]

[[fr:Shon'tu]]