Sons of Medusa

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Sons of Medusa
 Sons of medusa symbol.jpg
SonsOfMedusaPrimaris.jpg Sonsofmedusamini.jpg
Founding Chapter: Iron Hands[1a]
Founding: n/a; chapter ratified by edict 011.M37[1a]
Descendants: None[1a]
Chapter Master: n/a; chapter overseen by triumverate council of Iron Thanes[1a]
Homeworld: Fleet based; three primary independent battle groups[1a]
Fortress-Monastery: Asteroid network, Taelus System[1a]
Colours: Green with black aquila and white helmet.[1a][4]
Battle Cry "Purge the weak."[1a]

The Sons of Medusa are a Successor Chapter of the Iron Hands.[1a]


Overivew

The Sons of Medusa, although born out of strife and discontent, share much in common with their parent Chapter in terms of organisation and philosophy. They, too, abhor mortal weakness and place an unusual reliance on technology and equipment.[1a]

History

Founding

The Founding of the Sons of Medusa is highly unusual in that, technically, they were never actually founded at all. Their origins lie within an Imperial civil conflict known as the Moirae Schism, which itself occurred during the Nova Terra Interregnum. During this schism, which affected all branches of the Adeptus Mechanicus and those Imperial factions closely tied to it, the Iron Hands chapter stood on the brink of destroying itself in an internal chapter war. However, the ruling council of the Iron Hands, the Great Clan Council, was able to settle the matter by getting all concerned to agree to a simple solution; the Moirae dissidents were to be exiled from the chapter, with all parties swearing never to take up arms against each other. In the wake of this ruling, almost a full third of the chapter split away to become a fleet-based divergent branch of the Iron Hands. Over time, they increased their numbers (by accepting Moirae dissidents from other Iron Hands successor chapters as well as traditional recruiting) and by the time the Moirae Schism was over, the Moirae Iron Hands were reckoned to stand at chapter-strength.[1a]

With the restoration of the High Lords of Terra during the Age of Redemption, the Moirae Iron Hands were carefully judged and scrutinised by the resurgent Imperium for their actions during the Schism and the Interregnum, and were found pure and loyal to the greater Imperium. As a result, the High Lords of Terra issued a special edict that would ratify the Moirae Iron Hands' right to exist as a Space Marine chapter in their own right. They were renamed the Sons of Medusa and gained new heraldry, as well as the distrust and wary observation of some in the Adeptus Mechanicus and other Space Marine chapters unhappy with this development.[1a]

As if to test their loyalty, the first campaign officially issued to the Sons of Medusa was that of the Great Cull; the eradication of those elements of the Imperium found wanting. They are noted to have performed above and beyond expectations in this campaign, outshining their parent chapter as well as other Imperial forces with their zeal to destroy Imperial traitors, as well as other foes of humanity.[1a]

Recent Years

The Sons of Medusa most recently appear in Imperial records as one of the chapters that took part in the Badab War on the side of the loyalists. In response to a call for aid from Legate-Inquisitor Jarndyce Frain, they entered the war to deal with the secessionists after they had officially been deemed heretical. The first strike cruisers of the chapter would arrive in early 907.M41, and would be comprised of the full Atropos Clan with equipment and sections of the Lachesis and Magaera Clans. This joint force would be led by Iron Thane Vaylund Cal of the Atropos Clan. In total, the estimated force of the Sons of Medusa was six codex companies with a supporting fleet of fourteen various escort and attack vessels, six Strike Cruisers, two Forgeships and one Battlebarge.[1b]

The Sons of Medusa performed admirably throughout the Badab War, despite only coordinating with the Red Scorpions. They spent the first few years of their involvement purging enemy outlying strongholds, first scouring Cygnax, then later on raiding the planets of Decablus and Eshunna. Most notably, the Sons of Medusa led the Galen Subjugation. During their involvement in the Badab War, the chapter is only noted to have suffered one serious setback; the destruction of the Strike Cruiser Warspite, along with all hands aboard. The Warspite was destroyed by the secessionist Executioners chapter near the Grief System in 911.M41.[1b]

When the Executioners surrendered not too long after, the Sons of Medusa advocated bloody retribution; however, they were denied this by the Salamanders forces present in the warzone that stepped in to prevent unnecessary bloodshed. Whilst direct conflict between the Sons of Medusa and the Salamanders was narrowly avoided, this incident is noted to have seriously soured relations between the loyalist chapters.[1b]

The Sons of Medusa were in at the kill of the Fall of Badab and Lugft Huron's secessionist forces, being primarily responsible for the capture of one of the star fortresses which protected Badab Primaris from attack. The capture of this particular fortress was the last act needed to shatter the Tyrant of Badab's "Ring of Steel" and open Badab Primaris to planetary assault[1b]. The Chapter's Atropos War Clan took heavy loses in the Badab War, which in M42 were later largely replaced by Primaris Space Marines.[10]

In M42, during the Indomitus Crusade, three Torchbearer Fleets were dispatched to reinforce the Sons of Medusa's War Clans. Each fleet carried a larger-than-average force of Adeptus Custodes, as the Imperium knew the War Clans were likely to resist taking the ability to create Primaris Space Marines. Also, the fact that the Greyshield reinforcements they carried were born from Iron Hands Gene-seed would cause problems as well. The Custodes' presence, however, was to leave no doubt to the Sons of Medusa that the Primaris came from the boon of the Emperor Himself. To deny them was to directly deny the Master of Mankind.[14]

All three Torchbearer Fleets found their respective War Clans, but had various difficulties in convincing them to accept the Primaris. Lachesis was the easiest, as its Fleet rushed to aid the War Clan in its battle against the Orks of the Dravus Cluster. The Torchbearer Fleet would then fight alongside Lachesis for a full year, and the martial bonds they forged allowed the War Clan to accept the Primaris. However, the Fleets that dealt with Mageara and Atropos had a much more difficult time in doing so. In the end, the challenges they faced went far beyond the resistance shown by the two remaining War Clans themselves...[14]

Timeline

Organisation

Like their progenitors, the Sons of Medusa are afflicted by the almost obsessive desire to replace what they perceive as their weak flesh with the strength provided by cybernetic replacements. Despite these similar views, multiple factions of the Adeptus Mechanicus are distrustful of the chapter, while their relationship with their progenitors, the Iron Hands, is civil albeit extremely cold. Despite these many distant relations, the Sons of Medusa maintain amicable relations with some Explorator sects.[1c]

Similar to their progenitors, the Iron Hands, the Sons of Medusa adopted a clan system. This replaced the usual ten companies a Space Marine chapter would usually have with three War Clans: Lachesis, Mageara and Atropos.[1c]

Whilst the Sons of Medusa are unusually structured, their overall organisation is reasonably close to that laid forth in the Codex Astartes. This is achieved due to the makeup of the individual War Clans: One Battle Company, one Tactical Company, one Support Company (composed of Devastator, Assault and Veteran Squads) and one auxilliary Scout force each. When the makeup of these companies is totalled, the Sons of Medusa "notionally" end up with about the same amount of marines assigned to the various roles as a more straightforward Codex Chapter.[1a]

However, the Sons of Medusa have a particularly exacting recruitment and indoctrination process, which can result in a lower-than-average number of initiates at any one time. On the plus side of this equation, the high wash-out rate does ensure the chapter has a large number of servitors.[1c]

Each War Clan is commanded by an Iron Thane — these three being the ruling council of the chapter - and each company by a Captain. Besides the official command chain, there sit the unofficial links of respect and tradition; the wisdom of the chapter's Venerable Dreadnoughts and their Techmarines, who group themselves together as the "Chamber Ferrum." The Chamber Ferrum not only advises the War Clan leaders, it keeps direct control over essential chapter resources such as the forges and apothecarion. This ensures chapter unity in focus, philosophy and materiel.[1c]

Indeed, the Sons of Medusa are noted to be a very unified chapter despite their clan organisation, with their chapter philosophies of logic and the abhorrence of the weak always being forefront in the mind of each Astartes. The chapter possesses extensive forge resources, allowing them to field an impressive amount of Space Marine equipment, in both number and variety. There is almost no pattern of vehicle or armour they do not possess, either through direct forging or battlefield scavenging. The Sons of Medusa historically favour combats with renegade chapters and through their skills at techno-exorcism, are always able to find use for enemy equipment.[1c]

Notable Elements

Named Vessels

Named Vehicles

Notable Members

Images

Notes

See also

Sources

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