Tiger Claws
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| Founding Chapter: | Astral Claws | ||
| Founding: | Unknown, before M38[1b]; possibly the Cursed Founding[1a] | ||
| Chapter Master: | Vetala (de facto, disappeared)[1a] | ||
| Homeworld: | Krodha[1a] | ||
| Colours: | Dark grey (or black) and amber | ||
The Tiger Claws were once a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter descended from the Astral Claws. They eventually joined with and were absorbed into the Astral Claws. It is possible that some of their members survive and are now amongst the Red Corsairs.
History
Little is known about the Tiger Claws, including their history. What is known is that the Tiger Claws were thought lost in their entirety by the Imperium until their re-emergence from the Warp in 680.M41. At the edge of the Segmentum Pacificus, the strike cruiser Bakasurra reappeared after having gone missing over fourteen centuries earlier. The ship contained over a hundred Tiger Claws battle-brothers and appeared to have experienced severe time distortion due to its time spent in the Warp, causing those on board to have only experienced a few months of elapsed time since their disappearance. The Tiger Claws then made contact with a Storm Wings Space Marine strike force and aided them in battle against Eldar slavers. Afterwards, the Tiger Claws were resupplied and headed back to their fortress-monastery on Krodha. Upon arrival, they discovered that, during their long absence, their ancient sun had expanded, rendering their home world a lifeless, irradiated husk. Their Chapter, now nothing more than an all but forgotten legend, then returned to Holy Terra to try and rebuild. They petitioned to have their gene-seed released and their Chapter rebuilt. However, their petition was dismissed after their senior surviving officer and now de facto Chapter Master, Captain Vetala, disappeared without a trace while awaiting the petition's hearing. The remaining Tiger Claws disappeared shortly thereafter, last seen conducting operations in the region of their Chapter's dead home world.[1a]
At the time of their disappearance, rumour within Inquisitorial circles was that this was no bad thing, as the Chapter was thought to be of the Cursed Founding, and so, better left dead.[1a]
The Tiger Claws were once again thought extinct, until the interrogation of an Astral Claws apothecary during the Badab War revealed some startling information. The apothecary disclosed that he was in fact a former member of the Tiger Claws Chapter, and that remnants of the long-lost Tiger Claws were secretly taken in by their primogenitors, the Astral Claws. It was also revealed that the Astral Claws were withholding their gene-seed tithes with the initial intent of rebuilding the Tiger Claws Chapter; though this would never come to fruition.[1b]
Timeline
- M36 - Founding (allegedly).
- M40
- c.280.M40 - The entirety of the Tiger Claws chapter disappears into the warp and are thought lost.
- M41
- 680.M41 - The Bakasurra, a strike cruiser of the Chapter, reappears with over 100 battle-brothers aboard.
- Aid given to the Storm Wings chapter in battle against Eldar slavers.
- Disappearance of Captain Vetala and, subsequently, the rest of his company.
- 908.M41 - It is revealed that surviving Tiger Claws have been absorbed into the Astral Claws and attempts are being made to rebuild their Chapter.
- 912.M41 - The conclusion of the Badab War; surviving Astral Claws/Tiger Claws remnants become the Red Corsairs.
- 680.M41 - The Bakasurra, a strike cruiser of the Chapter, reappears with over 100 battle-brothers aboard.
Trivia
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Conflicting sources
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- In the original version of the Badab War the Tiger Claws took the role of the Astral Claws (there was no such chapter as the Astral Claws in this iteration).[2] The name of Huron's chapter was altered to the Astral Claws in subsequent editions with the name 'Tiger Claws' variously either going missing or being applied to other elements of the background until the current edition, which places them as a successor chapter of the Astral Claws.
- The Tiger Claws were originally depicted in a tiger striped camo pattern and had a different chapter symbol: a tiger head as seen from a frontal view.[2] Their current symbol appears to be a black tiger head in profile on a field of amber.[1c]
