Red Talons

From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
Jump to: navigation, search
Red Talons
 Red talons pauldron.png
RedTalonsPrimaris.jpg Redtalonsmini.jpg
Founding Chapter: Iron Hands[1]
Founding: Second Founding[1]
Homeworld: Raikan[1]
Colours: Red with silver aquila and black pauldron trims[13]:

The Red Talons are a Second Founding Successor Chapter of the Iron Hands Legion, created at the end of the Great Scouring. From their inception, they have been defined by a never-ending vendetta against the Traitor Legions that betrayed the Emperor.[1]

History

The history of the Red Talons actually predates the Second Founding itself. The founder and first Chapter Master of the Red Talons was Autek Mor a ruthless Terran-born captain of the Iron Hands, considered an outcast even among his own Legion and could not fully integrate with his brethren. His command, Clan Morragul, became a refuge for other Legionaries who were similarly "ill-balanced." This establishes the precedent for the Red Talons being formed from warriors of a particularly grim, aggressive, and independent mindset.[2]

The Red Talons' never-ending vendetta against traitors is a direct continuation of the independent war Autek Mor waged after the death of his Primarch, Ferrus Manus. He operated beyond the sight of Terra, becoming a "byword for destruction" behind enemy lines. This explains the chapter's singular focus and relish for hunting down renegades, as it was their original, self-appointed reason for existing.[2] After the Heresy, Clan Morragul was allowed to retain its independence as a new Chapter, named after Autek Mor's personal flagship during the Horus Heresy, the battle barge Red Talon and adopting Mor's clan sigil — a red talon on a black field — as their new heraldry.[2][5]

During the Moirae Schism in M35, a major civil war within the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Red Talons dealt with the heretical Moirae believers within their own ranks by simply destroying their recalcitrant elements, in contrast to other Iron Hands successors who exiled them.[3]

During the 12th Black Crusade, the Red Talons were among the Chapters, alongside the White Consuls and Exorcists, that entered the Gothic Sector after the Warp storm that had isolated the sector ended and fought in the Gothic War.[4a]

Notable Campaigns

  • ~544-546.M32: The Defence of Lankast - During the War of the Beast, Iron Father Bassan Terak led the Red Talons' Third Company in a defense of forge world Lankast in the Segmentum Tempestus, besieged by the Orks.[7]
  • 860.M33: The Pentarchy of Blood - During the War of the False Primarch, the Red Talons were one of five chapters convened by the High Lords of Terra into the "Pentarchy of Blood." This force was tasked with enacting judgment upon renegade Astartes, systematically destroying eleven chapters judged Traitoris Perdita and their homeworlds to end the eight-decade-long conflict.[8a]
  • ???.M35: Moirae Schism - During the Moirae Schism, the Red Talons purged their chapter from every heretical element.[3]
  • 321.M37: Purging of the Argent Hammers and Fists of Olchis - After the Abyssal Crusade, the surviving loyalist Argent Hammers and Fists of Olchis returned from the Penance Crusade in the Eye of Terror only to be attacked by the Red Talons Chapter who described both as "outcast Chapters", almost being completely wiped out.[8b]
  • 948.M38: First Scouring of Coriolanthe - The Red Talons fought alongside the Grey Knights and Inquisitorial forces to halt a major invasion by the Night Lords and a Traitor Titan Legion. The battle turned when the Traitor Titans counter-attacked, overwhelming the Grey Knights and their Inquisitor Lord.[8c]
  • 142–160.M41: 12th Black Crusade - As the warp storms that had isolated the Gothic Sector disappeared, ships from the Red Talons Chapter arrived in the sector, remaining stationed in it throughout the war.[4b]
  • 888.M41: Grailsword Campaign - The Red Talons fought in the Grailsword Campaign alongside their progenitor Chapter, the Iron Hands, and their fellow successors, the Brazen Claws,[10a] against the Eldar.[10b]
  • 917.M41: The Battle of Amion - The Battle of Amion occoured during the campagin against the rebel forces of the King of the Further Reaches. This battle led to the defeat of the rebel forces. The Red Talons fought alongside the 189th Armageddon Steel Legion. During the battle Tech-Marine Cleaen and his Land Raider Eagle's Claw advanced over sixteen kilometres behind enemy lines. The remains of the tank and its crew were discovered by troopers of the Steel Legion. The tank's exploits in the war would become legendary.[15]
  • ~997.M41: The Defence of Orask - During the Third Tyrannic War, a full company of the Red Talons, fighting alongside the system's defenders and a Titan maniple from Legio Magna, defended the fortress world of Orask in the Ghoul Stars against a splinter of Hive Fleet Pythos.[8d]
  • ???.M41: Battle of Amion - Operating alone, Red Talons’ Land Raider Eagle's Claw went on a rampage behind enemy lines, destroying numerous rebel supply bases and engaging retreating units. The damage inflicted upon the enemy's vital stockpiles was so catastrophic that their defences completely collapsed when the main Imperial Guard force launched its assault.[8e]
  • ???.M??: Battle on Kovalic II - The Red Talons were dispatched as a relief force to the Imperial planet of Kovalic II after it was attacked by Dark Eldar. Upon arrival, they found no survivors; the inhabitants had vanished, and those who resisted had been slain and grotesquely displayed.[11]
  • ???.M42: The Goreaumunda Pacification - Before the Battle of Ba’Or Tertius, the Red Talons were involved in decimating the Agnost separatists on the world of Goreaumunda. During this conflict, a Reiver squad of Red Talons executed the fleeing High Agnost leader.[5]
  • ???.M42: The Battle of the Kolvokani Shipyards - Before the Battle of Ba'Or Tertius, the Red Talons conducted a beachhead assault in this battle.[5]
  • ???.M42: The Battle of Ba'Or Tertius - The Red Talons assaulted the Gates of Torment warband command position on the world of Ba'Or Tertius. During it, the Reiver Ingalion Carthis was mortally wounded by Vorghyst, leading to his interment in a Dreadnought.[5]
  • ???.M42: The Ambush in the Dorgiev Agglomeration - Decades after the Battle of Ba’Or Tertius, the Red Talons Frigate Persecutis was destroyed in the Dorgiev Agglomeration by the Gates of Torment warband with hidden asteroid traps. Dreadnought Carthis sacrificed himself to kill their commander, Vorghyst.[5]
  • ???.M42: The Stygian Crusade - The Red Talons answered the call of their progenitor Chapter as part of a large contingent of Iron Hands successors that broke from the main crusade to launch a separate campaign to secure the Medusan Reach. As part of this force, the Red Talons participated in the brutal reconquest of the industrial world of Aura Novis from the Thousand Sons.[6]
  • ???.M42: The Kirill IX Conspiracy - During a secret crisis concerning the failing Golden Throne, the Red Talons were the primary military protection for the Kirill IX System, which contained a major forge world and 8 imperial worlds. In a clandestine deal, a cabal of High Lords offered to withdraw the Chapter and dismantle the system's defenses as payment to the Fabricator-General of Mars, Oud Oudia Raskian, for his negotiation with Dark Eldar parties for their aid in repairing the Throne, without the Chapter knowing anything about this.[12]

Combat Doctrine

The Red Talons are known for a "bold style of warfare,”[1] inherited by Autek Mor's personal strategy, which later seeped into the tradition of Clan Morragul: in fact, he rejected guerrilla warfare as "unworthy," instead favouring brutal and direct doctrines, such as allowing the enemy to commit to an objective and expending their strength, striking at the moment of their supposed victory when they are weakest and annihilating the foes with overwhelming force, without any hint of mercy or restraint, aided by a their relentless appliance of the “calculus of war”.[2]


While they harbor a deep-seated hatred for the original Traitor Legions, their duty extends beyond personal vengeance, and the High Lords of Terra have on several occasions officially tasked the Red Talons with the specific mission of hunting down and destroying Renegade Astartes Chapters. This is a grim duty that the chapter is noted to discharge with relish, viewing it as a sacred part of their unending war against the traitors.

Culture

The culture of the Red Talons is a direct evolution of Clan Morragul's identity as a home for outcasts. This legacy has forged a unique internal culture where warriors are viewed not as kin but as "lethal instruments" of vengeance. The pursuit of camaraderie and "brotherly acceptance" is considered an unworthy goal when compared to the singular purpose of persecuting traitors. For a Red Talon, the only true state is one of unshakeable prejudice and superlative hatred.[5]

Structurally, they retain many of the Iron Hands traditions. They are led by an Iron Council and their Techmarines hold the rank of Iron Father. They refer to Autek Mor, their first Chapter Master, as "First Iron Lord",[5] though it is unclear if this title has been passed over subsequent Chapter Masters, given the existence of an Iron Council.
 The Chapter's Dreadnoughts are collectively referred to as the Mausoleum.[5]


The Red Talons maintain active military ties with their progenitor Chapter, as evidenced by their participation in the Iron Hands' splinter campaign during the Stygian Crusade.[6]

Chapter Elements

Fleet

Vehicles

Notable Members

Command

Specialists

Other

Images

See also

Sources

Retrieved from "https://lex.124811.xyz/mediawiki/index.php?title=Red_Talons&oldid=682235"