Difference between revisions of "Howling Griffons"
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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<sup>9</sup>. | 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<sup>9</sup>. | ||
| − | 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 | + | 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.<sup>9</sup> |
==Colours== | ==Colours== | ||
Revision as of 07:51, 21 December 2010
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The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: | Chapter War (Novel) |
The Howling Griffons are a Space Marine chapter with a long and glorious history.
Contents
Chapter Summary
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| Founding Chapter: | Ultramarines | ||
| Founding: | M33 | ||
| Chapter Master: | Alvaro | ||
| Homeworld: | Mancora8 | ||
| Fortress-Monastery: | The Proud Eyrie9 | ||
| Colours: | Yellow and Red quartered | ||
| Specialty: | Unknown | ||
| Strength: | Unknown | ||
| Battle Cry | For Guilliman, son of the Emperor! For the Founding Father! | ||
Chapter Aspects
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 specialise 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. 9
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 honour, often inscribed on parchments or directly in the armor of the Howling Griffon Space Marines.3
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 itself9.
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.9
Colours
The standard Howling Griffons colour scheme is the quartered Red and Yellow armour displayed above.
During activities on Khymara during the Badab War, the Howling Griffons wore approved night world camo which involves black armour with a grey chest eagle. The shoulder pads are quartered red/Yellow with grey rims and sergeants have grey helmets. Khymara camo for Terminators was pure black with the right shoulder bearing the red/yellow quartered livery. The terminator's powerfists were also painted red.9
Notable Battles
Arios System
220.M38. The Howling Griffons were ambushed by 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 3rd Companies9. This has sparked a long standing feud between the Word Bearers and the Howling Griffons.
Valerian Purges
The Howling Griffons, with the Cadian 108th "Wyverns", also saw action in the Valerian Purges.6
The Dennar IV Suppression
109.M40. The Howling Griffon's 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 and daemons. Using their superior armour and tactics, the 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.9
The Jorun Retaliation
143.M41. 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 armour unloaded, it became a massacre, with over 5000 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.9
Caradryad Sector
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.9
Badab War
906-909.M41. The Howling Griffons, along with the Novamarines responded to calls for aid during the Badab War.Having just finished a campaign in the Caradryad Sector, the Howling Griffon's 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 who were coming to aid the Secessionists as part of their blood oath to Huron. The Griffons were annihilated; after the Executioners withdrawl, 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.M419
The Eye of Terror Campaign
998.M41. During the 13th Black Crusade the Howling Griffons sent 8 companies.2 The 1st Company of the Howling Griffons including Chapter Master Alvaro,where based on the battle barge Force of Destiny and engaged upon a mission to track down and persecute a company of Night Lords under the command of the infamous Daemon Prince Periclitor.4
Liberation of Vanqualis
Vanqualis was under attack by Orks. The Howling Griffons along with the 901st Penal Legion fought against the Orks.3 Shortly after landing they turned on the Soul Drinkers chapter, believing them to be the bearers of a Chaos artifact, the Black Chalice.
Dennar IV Rebellion
The 3rd Company took part in this campaign.7
Notable Characters
Orlando Furioso
Late in the year 220.M38 the Howling Griffons Chapter were preparing to celebrate their 5000th anniversary of their Founding. As Furioso and the First Company made their way to the Chapter's home world, Lord Periclitor of the Word Bearers, a substantial force of his Chosen and his Night Lords allies9 fell upon the Howling Griffons' ship as it traversed the Arios beacon. The battle was a furious one, culminating with Periclitor and his elite boarding Furioso's battle barge aboard their Dreadclaws. The attack crippled the ship, and the defenders were forced to evacuate aboard their Thunderhawks and escape pods. The battle was continued upon the surface of Arios Quintus, where the survivors were surrounded and eventually cut down. The body of Furioso was mounted upon the fore of his Thunderhawk and left to drift in orbit above the plant for a month before it could be recovered9, this permitted that the body and gene-seed to be successfully recovered. And now the chapter has another date to mark in their calendar each year. 3a
Armand Titus
In 143.M41 Chaplain Armand Titus, along with the 4th Company, led the final assault against the renegade General Jorun and his forces during the Jorun Retaliation. Fighting his way through renegade guard, Ogryn and Dark Eldar he was wounded by xenos poisons; despite this he broke through to face General Jorun and delivered the Emperor's justice. Upon returning to Mancorum Titus was encased in a dreadnought to continue his service to the chapter.
Titus continued to serve with the 4th Company throughout M41, including the campaign in the Caradryad system and into the Badab War. He was present on Khymara when the Executioners assaulted the moon base and was one of the large number of losses.9
Mercaeno
Chief Librarian of the Howling Griffons. He fulfilled the oath of avenging Chapter Master Orlando's death by vanquishing the daemon prince Periclitor during the 13th Black Crusade. He then led the strike cruiser Cerulean Claw to Vanqualis in the Obsidian System to fulfill an oath to the ruling Falken family to defeat the Soul Drinkers who were mistakenly identified as the bearers of the Chaos artifact Black Chalice. He had a titanic physical and psychic duel with Sarpedon in the Soul Drinkers space hulk Brokenback. He broke Sarpendon's force staff and defeated him. Before he dealt the death blow to Sarpedon with his force axe, he met his demise in Eumenes's hand, the renegade leader of the Soul Drinkers. Sarpedon defeated Eumenes and won the leadership of the Chapter back. Chapter Master Sarpedon of the Soul Drinkers now wields Lord Mercaeno's force axe.
Sources
- 1 GW Campaign Weekends Site. GW UK's Campaign Weekends Badab War Rules (.pdf) http://uk.games-workshop.com/campaignweekends/assets/badab-war-rules.pdf (link removed, accessed 2006.12.11)
- 2 Codex: Eye of Terror
- 3 Chapter War (Novel) by Ben Counter
- 3a p.112-113
- 4 White Dwarf 284(uk)
- 5 Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex)
- 6 Iron Hands (Novel) by Jonathan Green.
- 7 Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition - Pg. 53,81,114,182.
- 8 Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), p.30
- 9 Imperial Armour Volume Nine - The Badab War - Part One, p124-131
