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This article, Iron Gorgons, is currently under active construction. The author, Algrim Whitefang, apologizes for the inconvenience. |
- "The Sons of the Gorgon is legendary for the great strength and their pride in the legacy of their Father, and many within the Imperium see his sons defending the Imperium with proud eyes and grateful souls."
- — Inquisitor Garza, Ordo Hereticus
The Iron Gorgons is a Successor Chapter of the stoic and unforgiving Iron Hands. This Chapter, along with the Iron Harbingers and the Templars of Iron, make up a triumvirate of Second Founding Iron Hands' Successors, collectively known as the Frateris Firmitatis ("The Ironclad Brotherhood"). The Iron Gorgons were Founded from a portion of the Iron Hands Chapter's Voraag Clan - survivors from the infamous Dropsite Massacre of Isstvan V, where their Primarch Ferrus Manus was callously betrayed and killed by his former brother Fulgrim, Primarch of the traitorous Emperor's Children Legion. This clan was comprised of aggressive, brutal, and willfully petulant elements of the original X Legion, who refused to recognise the authority of the newly appointed Iron Council following the aftermath of the Horus Heresy.
When the High Lords of Terra decreed the Second Founding in 021.M31, the Iron Hands Legion used this opportunity to purge themselves of this troublesome clan. Since that time, the Iron Gorgons Chapter has proven themselves as true Scions of Ferrus Manus, garnering a reputation as an unassailable and resolute Chapter of Space Marines. They are notoriously bellicose, their battle tactics almost entirely concerned with the application of overwhelming force to bring about the total and immediate destruction of their foes. As a fleet-based Crusading Chapter, the Iron Gorgons are highly active in the prosecution of the Emperor's wars and have fought across the width and breadth of the Imperium's borders, earning a substantial tally of both glorious victories and bloody-handed deeds in equal measure.
Chapter History []
Iron Gorgons Chapter Banner
The Iron Gorgons are a notoriously truculent and sullen Iron Hands Successor Chapter. Like their Progenitors, they are cold-hearted and brutally remorseless in battle. Since their inception, they have shattered countless foes in their never-ending quest to rid the galaxy of the enemies of mankind. The Iron Gorgons reserve a special hatred for the Traitor Legions, who they hold directly responsible for the callous betrayal and death of their Primarch and the shattering of their Progenitor Legion. These uncompromising Astartes will stop at nothing to eradicate their foul kind and the corrupting influence of the Ruinous Powers from the face of the galaxy.
Shattered Legion[]
The Iron Gorgons can trace their heritage back to the dark days of the galaxy-wide rebellion known as the Horus Heresy, which began in the waning days of the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium. This bloody-handed Chapter is descended from the ranks of the infamous Voraag Clan Company of the Iron Hands Legion, led by their merciless and bloody-handed clan commander, Iron-Lord Vigo Acidinus, a darkly-famed Legionary of the Xth Legion who possessed a predatory way about him. His sense of aggression was barely held in check and was often unleashed in full many times on the field of battle throughout the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. Acidinus's reputation, and that of his Clan Company, was one of the most bloodthirsty. Often they were utilised in the capacity of assault or breacher squad roles. More than once, the Voraag Clan Company had been called to censure for their zeal in pursuing enemy forces and collateral damage left in the wake of one of their bloody assaults. Like their ruthless commander, the battle-brothers of the Voraag Clan were known to favour bolters and chain-axes in battle.
The Iron Hands fight a desperate withdrawal during the Battle of the Urgall Drepression on Isstvan V.
When the Horus Heresy erupted and plunged the nascent Imperium into total war, the Emperor of Mankind ordered the combined forces of seven Space Marine Legions to assault the positions of Horus Lupercal and his Traitor Legions in the Isstvan System. When Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor's Children attempted to sway his brother Primarch to the Warmaster's cause, Ferrus Manus was enraged by such blatant talk of rebellion and attempted to stop Fulgrim's betrayal before it could begin. But the Phoenician escaped the Gorgon's justice and fled into the Warp. Overcome with mind-numbing rage at his brother's treachery, Ferrus, and his warriors gratefully received the Emperor's orders through his brother Rogal Dorn, to mobilise a strike force to crush Horus's rebellion on the world of Isstvan V. He then gathered together his most veteran troops and departed for the Isstvan System. It was there that the traitor Primarchs, Warmaster Horus Lupercal first among them, revealed the full extent of their treachery.
Following the initial assault, during the secondary phase of the battle the Traitor forces ambushed the Iron Hands, the Raven Guard and the Salamanders, and although the three loyal Legions fought valiantly, Ferrus Manus himself was lost. The Iron Hands were undone by their own hubris and the blade of the Traitor both and paid a heavy price in the brutal slaying of their Primarch and the near-crippling of their strength. Though left a shattered Legion, the cold fury of the Iron Hands' bitter vengeance would afterwards be writ across the stars. While the Traitors declared their Primarch dead upon the blasted wastes of Isstvan V, the Iron Hands refused to accept this for nobody was ever recovered.
The aftermath of the Dropsite Massacre of Istvaan V, where the Iron Hands Legion was shattered (Rare pict-capture of the Urgall Depression)
With the death of their Primarch and father, many within the Voraag Clan who witnessed Ferrus Manus's death descended into grief and madness. Those few that managed to make it off the surface of Isstvan V and survived the calamitous void ambush of the Traitor Legions' fleet, broke away and scattered across the stars. The survivors of Voraag formed an isolationist band that fought their own private wars against the traitors - throwing themselves wholesale into the crucible of battle in order to absolve themselves of the loss of their father.
The Iron Council[]
A gathering of clans and Iron Fathers on Medusa formed a new council to rule the Iron Hands now that the Primarch was 'lost'. It was decided that no single individual would ever rule over the Iron Hands again. Many within Voraag refused to bow down to any master save their own Iron Lord. Isolating themselves from their fellow battle-brothers, Iron-Lord Vigo Acidinus and his warriors became bitter recluses, cleaving to their rage as the only constant in a universe gone mad and riddled with weakness. They soon became the brunt of suspicion and acrimony by their fellow surviving Clan Companies. Despite Voraag's silent protests, the newly formed Iron Council had more pressing concerns. They concentrated their efforts on replenishing the strength of their shattered Legion. Though the Iron Hands would go on to score numerous peripheral victories during the rest of the Heresy, they were far from any of the truly pivotal battles. Throughout this Age of Darkness, the Voraag Clan continued to fan the embers of their hatred that would continue to endure for millennia.
The Scouring[]
Iron Hands Legionaries of Clan Voraag reap their pound of flesh from the Traitors during the Great Scouring.
Over the next eight years, the Horus Heresy ran its inevitable course - the Traitor Legions attacked Terra and failed to defeat the Loyalist forces during the siege of the Imperial Palace. The Warmaster was killed and the mortally-wounded Emperor was interred within the Golden Throne. Burned in the black fires of betrayal, the Imperium was a dismal, shattered thing. The Emperor's dream of unity was erased forever. Yet despite this, the Imperium retained might enough to exact their bloody revenge upon the Traitor Legions and their allies. The newly established Senatorum Imperialis had neither the ability nor the desire to prevent a war of reciprocity. Thus, the time is known in Imperial history as the Great Scouring began. This was a period of monumental violence, confusion, and darkness. The Dark Angels, the Space Wolves, even the Ultramarines, all followed their own agendas as the wars of the Scouring gathered pace. The Iron Hands were no exception.
The Tempering[]
Iron Hands Legionaries during the latter years of the Great Scouring.
The Iron Hands were a shattered Legion, having been broken upon the black sands of Isstvan V by the Traitors who had renounced their oaths and turned against their brothers. Their Legion's collective soul is scarred by the calamitous events in the Isstvan System, with many among their number remaining in denial over their father's death. Reeling from the monstrous blow dealt to them, the Iron Hands are reduced to a shadow of their former strength. The fractured Iron Hands are drawn together on Medusa for a great conclave known as the Tempering. During this great debate, the Iron Hands come to embrace their inherent beliefs in 'iron over flesh' - for it was human frailty which had caused the corruption of the Primarchs and their Legions, as well as those mortals who let their own jealousy, avarice, and fear lure them into following the Warmaster into rebellion and eventual damnation. The Iron Hands vowed to seek out weakness and destroy it, replacing it with the machine-like fortitude that they had come to venerate. This great council sets the Legion's feet on a path that it will follow, for better or worse, for the next ten thousand years.
Following the conclusion of the Tempering, the Iron Hands Clan Companies took to their vessels, forged into an unstoppable strike force, and distributed against the most appropriate foes as determined by pure logic. The incandescent rage stoked by the Iron Hands' fury was fully unleashed upon their erstwhile kin. Thus, the Voraag Clan was unleashed to prosecute their campaign of bloody vengeance against those who wronged them.
Legions Divided[]
Following the events of the Scouring, the dawning of the galaxy-spanning Imperium and the rebirth of the domain of Mankind occurred. Almost immediately following its inception, the newborn Imperium was forced to rise from the ashes of the Horus Heresy. Now shorn of the Emperor's leadership, nearly everything was reorganised and many fail-safes were put into place. Countless doctrines, the most famous of which was the Codex Astartes, the magnum opus of the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman, were drawn up and implemented in the hope of ensuring that a large-scale military rebellions was never again possible. The remaining loyal Space Marine Legions were disbanded to form the far smaller 1,000-man organisations known as Chapters. A portion of the Space Marines maintained their parent Legions' original names, badges, and colours while the remaining Chapters took on new names and heraldry. Thus, the Second Founding occurred, and the Iron Hands went on to found multiple Chapters.
Founding[]
Over the next eight years, the Iron Hands would continue to play an instrumental role in protecting the Imperium time and again. By this time Clan Voraag's Iron Lord Acidinus had been interred within the mighty form of a Dreadnought. He was ancient by Astartes standards, now older than the oldest surviving veterans of the fragmented Space Marine Legions. But his choler still refused to fade with the passage of time, as the wrathful warrior continued to lead his Clan Company in the prosecution of their self-imposed eternal crusade to rid the galaxy of Traitors and the malign influence of Chaos. The battle-brothers of Clan Voraag willingly followed their Iron Lord on their quest for vengeance to purge the galaxy of the weak and the corrupt, often committing acts of violence that resulted in excessive damage to both the infrastructure of important Imperial worlds and the loss of innocent lives. On numerous occasions, their actions led to censure, even within the ranks of their unforgiving Chapter. Yet their aggressiveness and brutal tendencies continued to serve them well over the next decade, though their obstinate behaviour towards the Iron Council's rule grated upon the Iron Hands' senior command.
When the Second Founding was decreed by the High Lords of Terra, the Iron Hands saw the perfect opportunity to rid themselves of the troublesome elements within their Chapter, and so, the Iron Council decreed that certain Clan Companies who had been deemed vexatious would be granted the 'honour' of becoming new Chapters. Each newly created Iron Hands Successor Chapter took on the traditions and rites of their Progenitor as the basis for their new brotherhood and adopted a fitting name. Stripped of title and tithe, history and deed, these Clan Companies were forced to make their own way in an unforgiving and uncaring galaxy. Thus, Iron Lord Acidinus was promoted to the rank of Chapter Master. He and his Clan Company became the core founding members of the newly created Iron Gorgons Chapter. Shorn at last of their last ties to the Iron Hands, the newly created Chapter was free to forge their own destiny as they saw fit. Taking the title of 'Iron-Wrought', the vengeful Vigo Acidinus led his eponymous Chapter on a blood-soaked crusade to seek out and annihilate any vestige of the Traitor Legions. Their actions, even in the early years of the Iron Gorgons' existence, laid the foundations upon which they would be known, and judged, ever after.
In the decrees laid down during the Tempering and the division of the Space Marine Legions into smaller Chapters during the Second Founding, the newly created Iron Gorgons were ever at the forefront of prosecuting the Iron Hands' wars. For the next nine centuries, they continued their never-ending quest for vengeance against the Traitor Legions, cooling the fires of their wrath with the blood of their foes.
The Ironclad Brotherhood[]
Following their Founding, several of these newly created Iron Hands Successor Chapters found themselves of like-mind and temperament, as well as their propensity for waging an unforgiving war upon the Traitor Legions and other followers of the Ruinous Powers. A great conclave was called between these Scions of Ferrus Manus, and so, the lords of each Chapter sent a delegation and met upon the moon of Hephaestus, located within the Thule Sector. This ancient planet, which had formerly served as an industrial complex and was a part of the Iron Hands' tributary fiefdom, had long ago been abandoned following the Horus Heresy. It was upon this lifeless planetoid that a powerful alliance was formed, known as the Ironclad Compact. Four Iron Hands Successor Chapters, which consisted of the Iron Gorgons, Iron Invictors, Iron Harbingers, and the Templars of Iron, formed a powerful conglomerate, that collectively became known as the Frateris Firmitatis or 'The Ironclad Brotherhood'. These Chapters possessed similarly war-like natures and unforgiving temperaments. Down the centuries, the Ironclad Brotherhood would often come together in conjunction with one another to work towards a common goal or to vanquish a particularly troublesome or powerful enemy force. As fleet-based Chapters, this alliance of powerful Astartes Chapters saw them travel the length of the galaxy to enact their brutal retribution upon the heretic, the apostate, and the xenos. They achieved numerous victories and the destruction of many terrible foes.
This alliance remained resolute and inviolable for over a millennium and a half until it was shattered by the actions of the Iron Invictors, who overstepped their bonds of brotherhood in their obsessive quest for obtaining certain forbidden technology and opened themselves to the path of heretical damnation. The Iron Invictors was declared Excommunicate Traitoris by Inquisitorial edict. Thus began a series of bloody and bitter battles between the remaining Ironclad Brotherhood Chapters and their erstwhile kin. But the majority of the Renegade Chapter escaped their former brethrens' wrath, and butchered their way through several systems, before finding refuge within the hellish realm known as the Eye of Terror.
Legacy of Iron[]
It is known that the Chapters of the Ironclad Brotherhood keep a firmly united counsel, convening on matters of grave import from time to time. In such conclaves, it is typical that all present defer to the senior-most Chapter Master, although over the course of eight millennia, there have been occasions when that voice of another, such as a Forge-Father, has been considered senior. This spirit of cooperation has led the Ironclad Brotherhood to stand together time and again, uniting in a common cause against terrible enemies.
Recent History[]
The Fall of Cadia[]
The Fortress World of Cadia, long the sentinel of the Cadian Gate, in it's final death throes before it's imminent destruction.
In late 999.M41, a vast tide of Chaos worshippers pours from the Eye of Terror into the Cadian Gate, unleashing Abaddon the Despoiler's Thirteenth Black Crusade. As a mobile Chapter, the fleet-based Iron Gorgons deployed the entirety of their Chapter in support of the beleaguered world of the Cadian Sector to halt the encroaching Forces of Chaos. They are soon joined by their brethren from the Ironclad Brotherhood. The Scions of Ferrus Manus gird themselves for battle as never before since the time of the Great Scouring, rushing once more to the forefront of Mankind's battle for survival, intent to fight with righteous fervour and a refusal to accept defeat, no matter the odds. Though the Iron Gorgons and their brother Chapters fight valiantly in many battles during this bloody-handed campaign, their efforts are all for naught. In the end, Cadia is consumed by the fires of war, and after standing sentinel for millennia, finally falls. It was then that the Cicatrix Maledictum, commonly referred to as the Great Rift, cracked open the galaxy in the wake of the fall of Cadia, and soon the entire galaxy was awash in ætheric storms, as a massive gaping hole in realspace hundreds of times greater than the Eye of Terror, splits the Imperium in half. The Iron Gorgons and their brother-Chapters of the Ironclad Brotherhood are caught within the Imperium Nihilus - the galactic north that is wholly cut off from the Emperor's Astronomican.
A Light in the Darkness[]
The resurrected Primarch Roboute Guilliman
As darkness descends across the width and breadth of the galaxy, whole sectors of the Imperium have gone dark, while others report the onslaught of rabid Greenskin hordes, aggressive Tau fleets, or deathless hosts, seemingly driven to conquest in the face of the expanding Warp Storm fronts. Heretic Chaos cults and rogue psykers have risen up in their billions, and every Imperial world now seems set to burn in the fires of unending galactic war. The Ironclad Brotherhood soon found themselves bogged down in one raging conflict after another. They valiantly fought against the tide of both xenos and Chaotic filth that had gathered like carrion predators, sensing the imminent demise of a weakened prey.
In the wake of liberating a half dozen systems from the enemies of Mankind, the Ironclad Brotherhood temporarily withdrew their battered forces to convene an emergency council, to decide how best to proceed in their neverending crusade to stem the tide of enemies that continuously assailed the sorely wounded Imperium. Their forces had been bloodied and battered during their recent campaigns, and they now had to concentrate their efforts on replenishing the strength of their shattered forces, lest they too, give into their all-consuming rage and offer up their lives upon the altars of war.
The Chapter Masters of the Ironclad Brotherhood agreed they would not meet death vainly and without taking as many of the foes with them as they could. They would continue to fight and die as brothers, striving to see another dawn. They would pursue their own goals and turn towards the well-trodden path of the marauder and void corsair to determine their fate, reverting to a path well-travelled in the past, although with themselves as masters. With their fate decided, the Ironclad Brotherhood carved a swathe of blood and ash across the void in memory of a dream which had turned into a nightmare with the destruction of Cadia and the formation of the Great Rift.
Eventually, the veil was finally pierced by the Chapters' Librarians - though several died in the attempt to achieve this feat - and piece by piece, the Ironclad Brotherhood began to learn of the fate of Cadia and the galaxy at large. They learned of the resurrection of the long-dead Ultramarines Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, and his investiture as the Lord Commander of the Imperium. Even the characteristically stoic and dour Chapters of the Ironclad Brotherhood were astounded by such monumental news - a son of the God-Emperor Himself - a demigod of battle now led the Imperium out of the darkness. Gathering the forces of the Imperium, the Guilliman launched what was to become his Indomitus Crusade, intent on taking the fight directly to the enemies of Mankind.
Exalted by the news, the Ironclad Brotherhood were determined to fight their way to Guilliman's Crusade fleet and join his cause in liberating the galaxy, or die in the attempt.
The Primaris Space Marines[]
Recently inducted Primaris Space Marine, Vorrn Imonan, of Clan Mogh (2nd Clan Company), 5th Clave (Battleline).
Guilliman had anticipated the need for a new breed of hero for this, the darkest age in the Imperium's history. He knew that the galaxy would need warriors resilient enough to stand against the Forces of Chaos as the Imperium was poised on the brink of annihilation. New armies were raised, in breathtaking numbers. Guilliman brought forth his new and terrible weapons whose fury even the worshippers of the Dark Gods would be unable to withstand. Gathering his new armada, along with elements of the Adeptus Custodes, the Silent Sisterhood, and a vast war host of Primaris Space Marines from many newly founded Chapters, the Lord Commander of the Imperium launched his Indomitus Crusade. Strike forces from over a dozen pre-existing Chapters, including the Chapters of the Ironclad Brotherhood, joined the Indomitus Crusade fleet. Iron-Wrought Einion Hephaistos, along with those Chapter Masters who were present, sent delegations aboard Guilliman's flagship, and kneeled before the Primarch to swear their undying allegiance to him. Guilliman informed them of the newly created Primaris Space Marines - a gift to help alleviate the losses suffered by several of the Chapters that were present. The Iron Gorgons' sorely depleted ranks were quickly replenished with hundreds of newly created Primaris Space Marines. Iron-Wrought Hephaistos graciously accepted this profound gift from the resurrected Primarch and welcomed these new warriors into his Chapter's ranks.
Notable Campaigns []
- Vengeance from the Outer Darkness (006-008.M31) - Following the disaster upon Istvaan V and the death of their Primarch Ferrus Manus, Clan Voraag was one of the few remaining surviving Iron Hands clans that were able to fight their way clear of the Traitors' cunning trap and fled the decimation of their Legion upon the black sands of the Urgall Depression. Miraculously, they also managed to survive the calamitous void ambush above Istvaan V. The surviving Iron Hands of Clan Voraag soon formed an isolationist ban and took refuge within the prohibited region of the Xersinia Prohibited Zone, a vast area of the void located near the northernmost borders where both the Segmentums Obscurus and Ultima converged, and whose dark renown long predated the birth of the Imperium. Few save the insane or desperate would venture within Xersinia's bounds, which made it a perfect refuge for Clan Voraag to regroup and reorganise their disparate forces. Six months after the events of Istvaan, when reality tore itself open in the isolated Pelegron Cluster, a massive black iron, scarred-hulled killer emerged from the Warp. It was the grand cruiser Iron Wrath, the flagship of the Iron Hands of Clan Voraag, and their master Vigo Acidinus. The merciless warrior led his clan in a two-year-long campaign of bloody retribution upon the Traitor holdfasts within the northern reaches of the Pelegron Cluster. They not only mercilessly crushed the Traitor forces but also made brutal examples of those who had meekly bowed down before their Horusite overseers. To the pitiless Iron Hands of Clan Voraag, there was no such thing as 'innocent' bystanders in the terrible conflict that came to be known as the Horus Heresy, and no quarter was to be given -- it was to be Loyalist and Traitor to the death.
- The Great Scouring (014-021.M31) - Following the terrible, epic conclusion of the Heresy during the Siege of Terra, and the internment of the Emperor of Mankind within the confines of the great prosthetic device known as the Golden Throne, the Imperium was in shambles. Hosts of the Emperor swept outwards from Terra in vengeful pursuit of the Warmaster's broken hordes. The Loyalist Legions quickly enacted a brutal war of reciprocity against the Traitor Legions and their dark allies, eager to inflict on the fleeing Traitors the same humiliation they had suffered themselves in the early years of the Horus Heresy. Clan Voraag was one of the leading Iron Hands elements spearheading the campaign of retribution against the forces of the Warmaster, eager to extract their pound of flesh for the death of their Primarch and the decimation of their Legion.
Chapter Homeworld []
As a fleet-based Chapter, the Iron Gorgons do not possess a more permanent facility or a fortress-monastery. Instead, following their creation the Iron Gorgons established a series of secret fortified bases within the northern reaches of the Imperium, most of which is rumoured to be located somewhere where the borders of both the Segmentums Obscurus and Ultima converge. Within these bases, the Iron Gorgons are said to have constructed armouries, gene-seed storage banks and forges deep within the various planets' sedimentary rock. The technical sophistication and knowledge possessed by the Iron Gorgons indicate that these heavily fortified bases are more than likely to contain an extensive network of defence emplacements and subterranean bunkers as well as being protected by powerful void fields. It is rumoured that the weapons silos contained within these facilities house, not just conventional armaments, but other weapons and technologies considered too dangerous to exist and proscribed by ancient writ were secreted away by the Iron Gorgons in the deepest vaults beneath these bases.
As befits a scion Chapter of the Iron Hands, the level of technology and weaponry used by the Iron Gorgons Chapter is higher than the Imperial average, even among the usually well-equipped Astartes, and their armouries have been observed to be particularly extensive and diverse. The Chapter's forge ships within their eternally mobile fleet have the ability to salvage, repair and produce a wide variety of wargear, and is said to possess the rare capability of constructing rare vehicle variants. Their range of technology is such, that it is said that the Iron Gorgons are able to even construct new Dreadnought chassis.
Chapter Organisation []
Like their Progenitors, the Iron Gorgons Chapter maintains a non-standard 'Clan' structure that overlays the more traditional patterns of Space Marine ogranisation found within the Codex Astartes. This Chapter is comprised of ten 'Clan Companies', each a brotherhood of one hundred warriors strong, and a formidable army in its own right. Each possesses its own unique qualities, and each has a different role within the Chapter. Though the cause of every Chapter of Adeptus Astartes is the same, their means and methods often differ. Any warrior joining a new company will discard his previous clan allegiances, being considered a member of his newly adopted clan from that day onward until his death or promotion to a new company.
Traditionally, each Clan Company maintains certain traits and characteristics unique to itself and its ancestors, though this is true of some more than others. The Clan Companies generally act as completely separate entities in their own right, and it is not unknown for minor skirmishes to break out between Clan Companies in certain circumstances. This is encouraged, so as to keep the Space Marines strong and vigilant in accordance with the original beliefs of Ferrus Manus. Each Clan Company has its own hierarchy and is responsible for the recruitment of new Space Marines in order to keep the Clan's numbers at the required level.
These new recruits are taken from the mortal clans of various feral and death worlds that the Iron Gorgons Chapter fleet frequents, and who embrace their new Clan Company and the Chapter as a whole. The Clan Companies are nomadic, much like the clans they are recruited from. They travel the galaxy, following their continuing crusade against weakness and corruption. Unlike in standard Chapters, the squads which make up each Clan Company are referred to as claves. Additionally, officers of the Iron Gorgons who hold the rank of Captain are generally referred to as 'Iron Captains'.
Known Clan Companies[]
Ten Clan Companies are known to comprise the present-day Iron Gorgons Chapter, two of which are confirmed to date back to the time of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. Each of these Clan Companies maintains the name of an Iron Gorgons Chapter Clan that dates back to the time of their Chapter's inception. Some of these clans no longer exist in the modern 41nd Millennium, either dying out through attrition or being lost while on campaign or travelling within the Immaterium. The surviving members are then absorbed by the remaining Clans, until such time, when a new Clan can be raised. The known clans include:
| Clan Voraag (1st Clan Company) |
Clan Mogh (2nd Clan Company) |
Clan Neimos (3rd Clan Company) |
Clan Aidos (4th Clan Company) |
Clan Malus (5th Clan Company) |
|
Clan Voraag was a Clan Company of the ancient Iron Hands Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras. Many managed to survive the horrific events of the Drop Site Massacre and eventually became the core group of founding Astartes that made up the initial intake of battle-brothers during the Iron Gorgon's inception in the early 32nd Millennium. Since that time, they have continued to serve as the Chapter's elite warriors who tolerate no weakness within their ranks. Significant cybernetic augmentation is quite common in this clan. Clan Voraag prefers to keep itself apart from the other Clan Companies when not called to war. The Voraag Clan's symbol is a cog within a cog, a clawed talon of a raptor sitting rampant at its center, symbolising the Clan's ferocity and vigilance. |
Clan Mogh is the most venerable Clan Company within the Iron Gorgons Chapter, able to trace its lineage to the ancient X Legion and the Unification Wars of Terra. They also valiantly served throughout the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras. Notorious even on Medusa for their ruthlessness, they were noted for the single-minded elimination of their targets and stubborn determination in the face of overwhelming odds. Clan Mogh's symbol is a lightning icon, a bygone symbol that represents the Wars for Unification. Behind it, a pair of crossed chains in the form of a Roman numeral 'X', reminiscent of the Iron Hands' ancient moniker, the 'Iron Tenth'. It also serves as a symbol of the chains that Ferrus Manus first bound around the fiery hearts of the Iron Hands, and that it serves as a reminder to all that true strength lies in restraint. |
Clan Neimos is a Clan Company of the Iron Gorgons who have strong ties with the Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus. They are renowned for only communicating in battle through the utilisation of noospheric technology which allows them to view information in its purest form. This Clan's symbol is a stylised Cog Mechanicum, the sacred symbol utilised by the Adeptus Mechanicus. |
Clan Aidos is notable for their stoicism and resoluteness in the face of the harshest of odds. Throughout their millennia of existence, this clan has nearly been wiped from existence but has always managed to rise once again, stronger than tempered steel, ready to march boldly forward into the jaws of the enemy. The Clan's symbol is a stylised cog centered within a larger cog. |
Clan Malus is a Clan Company of the Iron Gorgons who are notable for their ferocity in battle. They possess a long and notable battle record. This Clan's symbol is a monstrous drake centered within a cog icon. |
| Clan Rautha (6th Clan Company) |
Clan Harkaanan (7th Clan Company) |
Clan Gath (8th Clan Company) |
Clan Morguul (9th Clan Company) |
Clan Sevros (10th Clan Company) |
|
Clan Rautha is a Clan Company of the Iron Gorgons who are notable for their logic and astute attention to even the most minute of details. Their battle-plate, weapons, and vehicles are meticulously maintained and battle-ready at all times. Their Clan symbol is three cogs turning in perfect synchronisation, centered within a larger cog. |
Clan Harkaanan is a Clan Company of the Iron Gorgons who are notable for being utterly intolerant of physical or mental weaknesses in others and least of all in themselves. This obsession manifests most notably in a distinct preference for high levels of cybernetic replacement among their Battle-Brothers. They are also notable for having the highest level of casualties amongst their Scout Marines, due to their brutal training regimen and intolerance of weakness in any form. When working alongside other Imperial forces it has been noted that the Astartes of Clan Harkaanan possess a frigid manner and speak in seemingly emotionless responses. The clan's symbol is a stylised tech-glyph binaric symbol of unknown meaning, centered within a cog icon. |
Clan Gath is a Clan Company of the Iron Gorgons who act as the Chapter's main Assault Company. They are notable for possessing a hatred of the Emperor's foes that burns far hotter than any forge furnace and are often confrontational and quick to anger. Nevertheless, they are consummate close combatants who display an even keener urge to prosecute their foes than any Clan Company within the Chapter. Clan Gath's symbol is a crossed blade and lightning bolt, symbolising their mastery of the lightning strike as well as their propensity for close combat. |
Clan Morguul is a Clan Company of the Iron Gorgons who act as the Chapter's main Devastator Company. They are a dour and taciturn bunch, who are equipped with, and are experts in, the use of heavy weapons. They are also well-versed in the use and application of other, more questionable weapons, such as chemical and radiation-based weapons, bio-alchemical munitions and phosphex weapons. They maintain the Chapter's ancient relic weapons of mass destruction and have no compunction in their use against any foe that threatens humanity. Clan Morguul's symbol is a stylised sunburst centered within a cog icon. |
Clan Sevros is a Clan Company of the Iron Gorgons that serves as the Chapter's main Scout Company. The clan's symbol is a stylised tech-glyph binaric symbol of unknown meaning, centered within a cog icon. |
Ordos Incudem[]
As inheritors of the Iron Hands, the Iron Gorgons have also increasingly diverged from the standard Codex Astartes-compliant organisation of most fellow Adeptus Astartes Chapters, changing to reflect their ancient Medusan ancestors' culture of their progenitor's homeworld. Though the Iron Gorgons appear to tentatively follow the unit structure and descending hierarchy in accordance with the strictures of the Codex, this is merely the shape of its overt hierarchy that is presented to their cousin Space Marine Chapters and the Imperium at large. Yet each of the warriors of the Chapter also holds a concurrent position in a second, covert layer of organisation, one they keep hidden from those not of the Chapter. There exists within the ranks of the Iron Gorgons a series of long-standing warrior societies that exist outside the Chapter's official military order and command structure, and which seldom became known to outsiders. These warrior societies are known as the 'Ordos Incudem' or 'Orders of the Anvil'. It is not known to outsiders the exact strata that make up these formations. However, it is generally believed by Imperial military savants that each warrior society is made up of dozens of battle-brothers of various specialities and certain tactical proclivities.
Each warrior society is dedicated to the perfection of one art of war, as some specialise in siege warfare, others in void warfare or the art of the skirmish and yet more in the brutal discipline of shock assault, artillery and many other tactics besides. These bodies serve to allow the collection and codification of martial knowledge by the warriors of each society and to see that this knowledge is available on the battlefield when it is needed most by the commanders on the field of battle. Members of these societies do not fight as a cohesive formation in most situations, being spread across the various Clan Companies of the Chapter. Any given unit comprises members from a variety of different warrior societies all working together, lending their experience and skills to their battle-brothers so that the whole has a value far greater than any individual piece.
Each society follows the same organisational structure, each with its own commander, members and initiates organised into cells scattered across the Clan Companies of the Chapter. These cells are embedded at the very heart of the Chapter's core, operating alongside the companies and squads of its open and public hierarchy. Any given squad might very well include members from several cells, each bound in service to a different warrior society - they are at once brothers, sealed by the oaths made to Chapter and Iron-Sergeant, and made strangers by the secret ties and mysteries of their separate warrior society.
A warrior owes his obedience to both his commander in the ranks of the Chapter's public hierarchy and his superior in the hidden ranks of his warrior society, with only the subtle context of tradition to tell when one held authority over the other. It is a testament to the fortitude of the minds and the enduring loyalty of these warriors that such a complex system not only functions on the field of battle but excels in bringing triumph to the Chapter.
The great warrior societies recruit openly and widely among the uninitiated warriors of the Chapter. When new intakes of recruits reach frontline Clan Companies they will find themselves under constant scrutiny from the appointed procurators of the various societies, each seeking signs of the aspirant's worthiness to join their society in their conduct on the field of battle. Those selected by the procurators, having already faced their trials on the battlefield and in the subtle tests conducted by their battle-brothers and commanders, will be swiftly inducted into the most basic tenets of the warrior society and granted the right to bear its mark upon their power armour. These markings take the form of embossed crimson binaric engrams that mimic the electoos borne by members of the Ordos Incudem. As a battle-brother ascends the ranks of his warrior society, his battle-plate will be further marked with these engraved engrams. The designs themselves are based upon tattooed Clan-markings dating back to Clan Voraag's earliest history on Medusa.
Command Ranks[]
- Iron-Wrought - Chapter Master equivalent.
- Iron Captain - Captain equivalent and de facto Clan leader.
- Sub-Commander - Lieutenant equivalent.
Specialist Ranks[]
- Father of Iron - Master of the Forge/Reclusiarch equivalent.
- Iron Chaplain - Chaplain equivalent.
- Techmarine
- Chief Apothecary - Master of the Apothecarion.
- Apothecary
- Chief Librarian - Master of the Librarius.
- Librarian
- Iron Champion - Chapter or Company Champion equivalent.
- Ancient - Standard Bearer.
Line Ranks[]
- Veteran Sergeant
- Veteran Marine
- Iron Sergeant - Sergeant equivalent.
- Iron-Brother - Battle-Brother equivalent.
- Scout Marine
- Neophyte
- Aspirant
Specialist Units & Formations[]
- Gorgones - Chapter Honour Guard equivalent.
Order of Battle[]
The following is the disposition of the Iron Gorgons Chapter organisation as it stands in 999.M41:
Headquarters[]
| Council of Iron | |||
|
| |||
| Reclusium | Apothecarion | Librarius | Technicarum (Armoury) |
 |
 |
 |
|
Clan Companies[]
| Veteran Company | Battle Companies | |||
| 1st Clan Company, Voraag |
2nd Clan Company, Mogh |
3rd Clan Company, Neimos |
4th Clan Company, Aidos |
5th Clan Company, Malos |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Reserve Companies | Scout Company | |||
| 6th Clan Company, Ratha |
7th Clan Company, Harkaanan |
8th Clan Company, Gath |
9th Clan Company, Morguul |
10th Clan Company, Sevros |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Chapter Combat Doctrine []
The Iron Gorgons are ferocious in battle, always advancing forwards in a relentless, automaton-like manner no matter how desperate the odds, throwing themselves violently at the enemy as they are overcome by bitter, righteous anger at those who would defy the will of the Emperor and the Omnissiah. Like their progenitors, the Iron Gorgons fight in absolute silence. Making planetfall they disembark from their transports in silence, and stride forth in silence, advancing relentlessly upon the foe, like something out of a nightmare - hulking automatons with glowing red eyes and clad in darkened battle-plate. They descend upon the enemy with controlled fury and slay any driven to rout before them, mercilessly gunning them down with disciplined bursts of precision bolter fire or cutting them down with their sharpened blades. They lose themselves in their righteous anger and hate, focusing on achieving peak efficiency and slaughter in the pursuit of vengeance against those who turned their backs on the Emperor.
The Iron Gorgons pride themselves on their fearsome reputation as close combat assault and vanguard spearhead specialists against which few enemies can stand. Swiftly isolating and destroying the most powerful frontline troops and potent battlefield assets a foe possesses, the Iron Gorgons do so in such an emphatic and brutal and bloody-handed manner that not only is a potential threat to the Chapter's attack effectively eroded, but the psychological shock of their attack further damages an enemy's morale. Such is the calculated cruelty and cold brutality employed by the Iron Gorgons that their reputation has quickly spread beyond the Adeptus Astartes itself.
Chapter Beliefs []
- "We have not come as saviours, but as destroyers. Those who cannot save themselves are weak, and the weak do not deserve to be saved. For such cowardice, only death is fitting. This, we can provide."
- — Iron Chaplain Kor'ad Infurnos, Clan Company Neimos
Ruthless, unforgiving, and merciless, the Iron Gorgons have inherited much of their character from their genetic forebears, being utterly intolerant of physical or mental weakness in all its forms, least of all in themselves. This inherent obsession manifests most notably in their distinct preference for replacing their flesh with high levels of cybernetics amongst the Astartes of this Chapter. Those who have fought alongside the Chapter remark that they possess a frigid manner and seemingly emotionless responses, taking little pleasure in success. Failure to the Iron Gorgons is intolerable, and slights against the Chapter's honour, perceived or real, are met with deadly force, while defeats are viewed as things to be rectified and avenged. To an Astartes of the Iron Gorgons, doing otherwise would be showing weakness, which is death.
Like their forebears among the Iron Hands, the Iron Gorgons have a particular hatred for weakness in any form. Like their Iron Hands brethren, this hatred is extended to the physical body, seeing weakness even in themselves despite their obviously superior, augmented superhuman physiques. It is not unknown for an Astartes of this Chapter to further enhance himself through biomechanical and cybernetic means, including replacing otherwise healthy limbs and organic body parts with bionics.
In temperament, the Battle-Brothers of the Iron Gorgons display the same demeanour as their progenitors. They abhor the weakness of the flesh, and while they encase their bodies in cold steel they are blessed with a hatred of the Emperor's foes that burns hotter than any furnace. Given their crusading roots during, and immediately following the Great Scouring, it is not surprising that the Iron Gorgons display an even keener urge to prosecute the Emperor's foes than their sires. They accept their manifest destiny as living weapons to be levied against the enemies of mankind and accept that they have been created to bring death to all traitors. They embrace this fate as they embrace the bitter anguish and soul-scarred pain of losing their fallen Primarch, which makes the Iron Gorgons utterly relentless and merciless in the extreme.
Unlike many other Astartes, the Iron Gorgons do not crave glory or expect to prove their worthiness to their Chapter. They have little in the way of battle honours displayed upon their battle standards, believing such ostentatious displays a sign of hubris and vanity - traits which led to the fall of over half the Space Marine Legions during the Horus Heresy. Disgusted by such displays, the Iron Gorgons prefer to keep their battle-plate and vehicles relatively austere and unadorned, save for sigils or the livery of their Chapter and their dedication to the Omnissiah.
Chapter Gene-Seed []
The gene-seed of the Iron Gorgons is regarded as being mostly stable with only slight genetic drift and with no singular or notable physical mutation beyond the expected pattern, with full functionality of implanted organs to projected specifications, and only a twenty percent chance of mutation. However, like their genetic forebears, the Iron Gorgons also suffer from a pathological hatred of the flesh. The extreme hatred the Chapter holds for the weaknesses of the flesh is believed to gloss over an underlying psychological phobia of their Emperor-given physical form. As an Iron Gorgon Astartes matures, their hatred and fear grow ever stronger, resulting in more extreme mechanisations of their body. Because of this drive, many of the Chapter's leaders are fully encased in ancient suits of formidable Terminator Armour, possessing little of their original biological form (save their brain and spinal column), or are entombed within the form of a Dreadnought.
Down the long millennia, the Iron Gorgons have become increasingly insular, reclusive, and outright hostile to outside interference, having operated from the main body of the Imperium as part of an independent crusading fleet since their inception. On the few occasions, the Inquisition has been allowed to board their vessels to investigate the Chapter for genetic deviancy and moral impurity, the Chapter can barely contain their smouldering disdain for such an intrusion. The Inquisition is not overly concerned with the Iron Gorgons' minor deviations from standard Adeptus Astartes and Imperial practice, having decided that this venerable Chapter's effectiveness as defenders of the God-Emperor is without question, and far outweighs any peculiar traits or hostile behaviour.
Primarch's Curse: Iron over Flesh[]
Imperial savants believe the bitter rage of the Iron Gorgons was born in the fires of betrayal upon Istvaan V. The most horrific loss in that battle was the loss of Ferrus Manus, the Iron Hands Primarch. He disappeared during the massacre, and his body was never found or recovered. Rather than fall into despair, the Iron Hands took refuge in their hate, and they used that hatred to eliminate any perceived weakness so that they may remain strong. By removing the dangerous failings of the flesh, the Iron Hands believe that they are eradicating any threats to the eventual dominance of Humanity over the galaxy. This pathological need to replace the biological with the mechanical was passed down to the X Legion's Successor Chapters, including the Iron Gorgons. When the Chapter's genetic curse manifests itself in an affected Battle-Brother, it comes on in three stages
- Stage 1 (A Disdain for Flesh): The Battle-Brother perceives his own flesh as a hindrance. Scarring or punishing the biological portions of his body is the only way to soothe his anger.
- Stage 2 (Cold Fury): The ruthlessness of the Iron Hands manifests more strongly in the Battle-Brother, making him prone to aggression. The Battle-Brother must summon forth all his considerable willpower when confronted by an enemy or by something he considers "weak"; failure means that the Battle-Brother's fury is released in some way, most likely causing a feud, confrontation, or escalating into open violence.
- Stage 3 (Zero Tolerance): All Iron Hands abhor weakness, but the Battle-Brother has taken this attitude to an extreme. The Battle-Brother will seek to remove any perceived source of weakness, to the point of refusing to fight alongside allied forces such as the Imperial Guard - in extreme cases, even entering into open conflict with an allied force.
Deathwatch Service []
Notable Iron Gorgons []
- Iron-Wrought Vigo Acidinus - The Iron-Lord and Clan founder of Clan Voraag, Vigo Acidinus was Terran-born - hailing from Old Albia - which was renowned for its brutality and warlike culture. They provided a substantial number of potential recruits for the X Legion, in which Vigo was a part of the first intake. He would go on to fight in some of the X Legion's earliest engagements, including the re-conquest of the Sol System. Surviving the Legion's most brutal engagements, he quickly rose to the position of field command by the time the X Legion was reunited with their newly discovered Primarch upon the world of Medusa.
Acidinus had already developed a reputation both as a consummate weaponsmith and a brutal and vicious warrior, ever-hungry for the thrill of battle. He and his warriors of Clan Voraag garnered a brutal and bloody reputation, even amongst a Legion known for its fearsome and pitiless warriors. The fearsome Iron-Lord would go on to serve throughout many notable campaigns of the Great Crusade, and would survive the calamitous events of the opening days of the Horus Heresy and the shattering of the Iron Hands Legion at Isstvan V.
After the conclusion of the Horus Heresy, Iron-Lord Acidinus led Clan Voraag on a bitter and bloody-handed campaign of vengeance against the Traitor Legions, as well as those worlds who had colluded with the Warmaster, leaving a trail of carnage in their wake. At the beginning of the 32nd Millennium, when the High Lords of Terra called for a new Founding of Space Marines Chapters, Iron-Lord Acidinus was granted the 'honour' of becoming Chapter Master of one of the Iron Hands' newly formed Successor Chapters by the Iron Hands ruling body, known as the Iron Council. Taking the title of 'Iron-Wrought', Acidinus named his newly created Chapter the Iron Gorgons, in honour of their lost Primarch, and went on to forge a brutal and unforgiving reputation for his Chapter in the annals of Imperial history. - Iron-Wrought Einion Hephaistos - Einion Hephaistos serves as the current Iron-Wrought of the Iron Gorgons Chapter.
- Iron Captain Archelaus Torosian - First Captain and clan leader of the Chapter's elite 1nd Company (Clan Voraag).
- Iron Captain Meliton Eustorgos - Captain and clan leader of the 2nd Company (Clan Mogh).
- Iron Captain Raaz Sybilus - Captain and clan leader of the 3rd Company (Clan Neimos).
- Iron Captain Casalir Martok - Captain and clan leader of the 4th Company (Clan Aidos).
- Iron Captain Anatolus Krystos - Captain and clan leader of the 5th Company (Clan Malos).
- Iron Captain Kato Tarrak - Captain and clan leader of the 6th Company (Clan Ratha).
- Iron Captain Stelios Morovox - Captain and clan leader of the 7th Company (Clan Harkaanan).
- Iron Captain Dimos Sybok - Captain and clan leader of the 8th Company (Clan Gath).
- Iron Captain Athanas Golgoth - Captain and clan leader of the 9th Company (Clan Morguul).
- Iron Captain Spartak Durras - Captain and clan leader of the 10th Company (Clan Sevros).
- Argyros Demir - Current Father of Iron (Reclusiarch).
- Tanaar Vaylech - Current Chief Apothecary.
- Vyger Shorgg - Current Chief Librarian.
Iron Gorgons Ancient-Claviger Persaios, Implacable Slayer of the Enduring Cohort, relic Furibundus Dreadnougt of Clan Mogh (2nd Clan Company).
- Ancient-Claviger Persaios - Ancient-Claviger Persaios, 'Implacable Slayer of the Enduring Cohort', is a relic Furibundus Dreadnougt of Clan Mogh (2nd Clan Company) and one of the Iron Gorgons' eldest Iron-Brothers. Arjax Persaios was a Terran-borne Legionary of the nascent Xth Legion and was a part of its earliest intakes of candidates that hailed from the warlike and brutal population of the nation-state of Old Albia. He went on to take part in many of the Xth Legion's earliest engagements, including the xenocides of the mutant Scythers of Mican Aggregation, the extermination of the xenos Lyasx of Oberath and the Imperial Compliance of Planet 02-34 (known also as "Rust"). It would be this campaign that distinguished the Xth Legion's particular martial gifts for what they were, and would do so with emphatic force. With the Emperor at their head, the Xth Legion systematically crushed the Orks of the powerful "Krooked Klaw" empire of Warlord Kulo. At the height of this conflict, Persaios fell to a horde of blood-crazed Orks, though he fought on until the end, leaving a heap of dead greenskins for their efforts.
Suffering severe mortal wounds, Persaios was placed within a life-sustaining stasis tank. Though he teetered on the edge of death and died multiple times on the operating table, he was revived each time, thanks to the efforts of his Legion's finest Apothecaries and, in no small part, due to his stubborn and tenacious will to live. Though they managed to stabilise the mortally wounded Legionary, Persaios would never fight at the forefront of the Legion's battlelines ever again, at least not as a living Legionary of the Xth. Fortunately, one of the Legion's Techmarines recommended Persaios' immediate internment within the sarcaphagus of a Dreadnought. However, the process had not been totally perfected at that time and there was a shortage of the latest patterns of Dreadnought being released from the manufactorum of Mars. Therefore, Persaios was interred within an ancient Furibundus pattern Dreadnought, as this particular proto-dreadnought was able to be piloted by both a living pilot or a hard-wired, near-dead transhuman Legionary.
Following his successful internment within a Dreadnought, Persaios continued to fight at the leading edge of the Great Crusade and the subsequent galaxy-wide conflict that came to be known as the Horus Heresy. Persaios survived the black sands of the Urgall Depression during the Dropsite Masscare on Isstvan V, when the Traitors finally revealed their hand and nearly annhihilated his legion as well as their allies from both the Salamanders and the Raven Guard. He was one of the few Dreadnoughts able to escape the surface of the ravaged world and fled into the warp with a rag-tag band of surviving Shattered Legions forces. Persaios continued to fight the Traitors in the brutal guerilla campaign in an attempt to halt the Traitor advance upon the Terran Throneworld.
Following the death of the Arch-Traitor during the Siege of Terra and the subsequent routing of the Traitor Legions forces from Terra's surface, Persaios gleefully hunted down the Traitors during the bloody years of the Great Scouring. It was during this era that his Shattered Legion forces encountered the bellicose Iron-Lord Acidinus and Clan Voraag. Finding themselves of similar mein and aligned in their goals, Persaios took extreme pleasure in slaughtering those who had wilingly followed the Warmaster into damnation. Following the adoption of the newly-scribed Codex Astartes and the subsequent reorganisation of the Imperium's military forces, the Space Marine Legions were split apart into separate, smaller unit formations known as Chapters, with one Chapter keeping the livery and history of the original First Founding Legion while the rest became new Chapters of the newly constituted Adeptus Astartes. Ancient-Claviger Persaios was reassigned to the newly incepted Iron Gorgons, a grim and bellicose Chapter led by the warlike Iron-Wrought Vigo Acidinus.
Since that bygone era, Persaios has continued to faithfully serve the Emperor and live by the tenets of iron laid down by his slain gene-sire, fighting every known kind of enemy across the width and breadth of the known galaxy. However, the long millennia has taken their toll upon this ancient warrior and Ancient-Claviger Persaios is only awakened once every millennium, or in times of great need, when his Chapter requires his deep wisdom and experience. Persaios is greatly revered by his fellow Iron-Brothers, who holds venerable Iron-Brother as as a living link to the Gorgon and the ancient Xth Legion.
Chapter Fleet []
- Hammer of Medusa (Infernus-class Battleship) - The Hammer of Medusa is a recently forged vessel based upon the ancient Great Crusade-era capital ship design, one of many such classes of warship, recently commissioned for construction by the newly returned Primarch Roboute Guilliman to take part in the Indomitus Crusade. This mighty ship is a monstrous vessel and powerful weapon of terrible destructive presence, easily outclassing many warships utilised by the modern-era Imperial Navy. This massive vessel is covered with weapons towers, crenellations, and Macrocannon-studded flanks, the arching crest of its bridge block, and, most fearsome of all, the vast, spinal-mounted exo-laser battery that runs down its length. The Infernus-class Battleship had been out of commission since the days following the destructive conflict of the Horus Heresy, one of a number of vessels deemed too powerful to be left in the hands of any single commander after the betrayals committed during the Age of Darkness. But with the recent fall of Cadia and the formation of the Great Rift, never has there been a dire need for such a mighty vessel, to take the fight to the myriad enemies that assail the Imperium of Man from all corners of the galaxy. Granted to the Iron Gorgons to carry out their wrath against the Forces of Chaos, the Hammer of Medusa was a profound gift the Chapter graciously accepted from the Lord Commander of the Imperium. Serving as the newly commissioned flagship of their substantial warfleet, the Iron Gorgons now eagerly take the fight to the enemy, bringing their unfettered wrath down upon the daemonic, heretic, apostate, and the xenos.
- Iron Wrath (Warspite-class Battle-Barge) - The former flagship of the Iron Gorgons, this ancient vessel was built during the bygone era of the Terran Wars of Unification and took part in many notable actions during both the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. This indomitable vessel has honourably served the Iron Gorgons since its inception and has earned an enviable record nearly unsurpassed by most vessels that serve within the Imperial military forces. This mighty ship often formed the Chapter's line of battle during fleet engagements, possessing formidable armaments capable of smashing continents from orbit and able to control entire star systems by force of arms. This vessel can hold tens of thousands of crew, auxiliaries, and hundreds of war machines as well as swarms of smaller attack craft. Though it no longer serves as the Chapter's main flagship, it is still treated with much respect and admiration by the Iron Gorgons, and as such, has an honoured position within the Chapter's mighty warfleet, serving as the command vessel of Clan Voraag, the Chapter's elite 1st Clan Company.
- Gorgonesque (Ironclad-class Battle Barge) - This is the second vessel to bear this name, as the original served in the ancient Iron Hands Legion's warfleet, serving as part of the second line of attack during the campaign on Isstvan V. When the Traitors revealed their true intentions, the Gorgonesque fought back against their traitorous former allies. Despite their valiant efforts, eventually, this mighty vessel succumbed to a brutal barrage by the Traitor's guns and was eventually destroyed. Upon their inception, the Iron Gorgons were granted several newly forged vessels, and in honour of the heroic deeds of the original Gorgonesque, the Iron Gorgons proudly named one of their newly received Battle Barges after this ship of legend. This vessel has continued to proudly carry on the legacy of their predecessor for over ten millennia.
- Armourum Ferrum (Ironclad-class Battle Barge)
- Heart of Medusa (Ironclad-class Battle Barge)
- Ironside (Ironclad-class Battle Barge)
- Blood of Medusa (Hades-class Lance Cruiser)
- Fury of Asirnoth (Hades-class Lance Cruiser)
- Gorgon's Oath (Hades-class Lance Cruiser)
- Heart of Iron (Crusade-class Strike Cruiser)
- Immortalis Ferrum (Crusade-class Strike Cruiser)
- Omnissiah's Wrath (Cardinal-class Heavy Assault Cruiser)
- Santor's Fury (Lunar-class Heavy Assault Cruiser)
- Soul of Iron (Lunar-class Heavy Assault Cruiser)
- Strength of Iron (Lunar-class Heavy Assault Cruiser)
- Tempered Wrath (Bellerophon-class Heavy Assault Cruiser)
- Traitor's Bane (Bellerophon-class Heavy Assault Cruiser)
- Unknown Number of Escorts - Classes range from Sword and Thunderbolt-class Heavy Frigates, Sceptre and Havoc-class Minekeepers, Cobra-class Destroyers, Vigil-class Siege Frigates, Spectre-class Warp Runners and Thor-class Ordinancers.
- Unknown number of Attack & Support Craft
Chapter Armoury []
Chapter Vehicles[]
Iron Gorgons relic Kratos Heavy Assault Tank, Horkos, assigned to Clan Mogh (2nd Clan Company).
The Iron Gorgons maintain a formidable stock of armoured vehicles, with each of the Clan Companies, into which the Iron Gorgons primarily divide, in possession of their own armoured assets, and a central Chapter reserve serving as a source of ready reinforcements. The Chapter has noted for their use of heavy armoured transports (such as Spartan Assault Tanks and various patterns of Land Raiders), medium weight battle tanks (including various patterns of Predator Tanks) and fast-attack vehicles (which includes a number of rare examples of relic Sicaran patterns). However, they also maintain a large pool of reserve and secondary line vehicles of all types and classes, including several examples of relic and rare patterns not commonly seen on the modern battlefield, including a number of Kratos Heavy Assault Tanks.
In addition, the Iron Gorgons are known to operate a number of more unusual variant tanks and specialised war machines such as the Whirlwind and Vindicator. Additionally, the Chapter also employs a substantial number of Rhino armoured transports of various patterns. The majority of these types of vehicles are easily replaced thanks to the manufactoria aboard their fleet's forge-ships and its ancient manufactoria which is permanently geared to their production in the Chapter's service.
Chapter Fleet Auxillia[]
In addition to their armoured ground units, the Iron Gorgons possess air and sub-orbital assets at their disposal commonly found in most Space Marine Chapters. However, as a primarily fleet-based Chapter they possess a large number of Thunderhawk and Caestus Assault Rams. Such vehicles are utilised in a range of different roles, from that of a gunship to ferrying troops around the battlefield directly in the face of enemy guns. However, as a fleet-based Chapter, these vehicles are primarily utilised for boarding actions during void battles and are capable of quickly placing boarding parties directly aboard enemy vessels. Due to their advanced anti-gravitic plating, this allows Caestus Assault Rams to be utilised in high-velocity orbitla operations, as well as operate as a heavy battle skimmer once it reaches the ground and deploys its cargo of Astartes passengers.
The Iron Gorgons also maintain a sizeable reserve of multi-role aircraft including Stormraven and Stormtalon gunships. They also maintain a few rare examples of Storm Eagle heavy assault gunships as well as a number of rare Fire Raptor heavy support gunships. These ancient and venerable patterns are meticulously maintained by the Chapter's Techmarines, whose technological secrets have been passed down the long millennia from one generation of forge-kin to the other.
Chapter Relics []
Chapter Appearance []
Chapter Colours[]
When the Iron Gorgons primarily wear dark gunmetal grey coloured power armour, with the exception of the insets of their shoulder pauldrons, which are black in colour. The Chapter iconography is proudly displayed on their left pauldron, while each individual Clan Company icon is displayed on the right shoulder pauldron, but sometimes is also displayed on one of their greaves. A white-coloured squad specialty symbol (Fire Support, Close Support, Battleline, Veteran or Command), centered within a small cog symbol which is worn on the plastron (chest guard) or on one of their greaves, indicating an individual battle-brother's assigned combat role.
A white-colored lozenge (diamond symbol) on the left poleyn (knee guard), with a black coloured Gothic numeral stencilled upon it, indicates squad number. Red binaric language engraved upon various parts of a battle-brother's power armour is believed to be a visual representation of Lingua-technis, the holy language of the Omnissiah. Imperial scholars also believed this cryptic language referred to the mysterious inner orders of the Chapter and is also an indication of veteran status.
Vehicle Heraldry[]
Iron Gorgons vehicles are clad in tones of dark gunmetal grey. Tactical markings are white, with little in the way of ornamentation that might in other Chapters indicate the seniority of a vehicle's/pilot's commander. All Chapter vehicles bear the gorgon insignia, and in most cases the icon of the Clan to which the vehicle belongs. Often this Clan device is afforded as much prominence as that of the Chapter, for each Clan is a self-contained, self-sustained force with roots harkening back to the feudal culture of their genetic forebear's homeworld of Medusa. Many vehicles also display a numeral derived from the name of the Clade (a squad equivalent) to which they belong within the Clan, such as the numeral '1' for vehicles of Clade Primii (a Clan's 1st Clade), '2' for Clade Secundii, '3' for Clade Tertii), etc.
In addition to these markings, it is common for Iron Gorgon's transport vehicles to bear markings identifying the battlefield role of its passengers, such as an iron cross on the transport vehicles of a Veteran or Terminator squad, or an arrow for that of a Battleline Squad.
Chapter Badge[]
The Iron Gorgons' Chapter badge is a white-coloured, stylised symbol of the creature of ancient Grecian myth, known as a Gorgon - a horrifying creature whose hair was made of living, venomous snakes, as well as possessing a horrifying visage that turned those who beheld it, into stone. This symbol is centered within a large white cog. The name of this creature - Medusa - refers to both the name of their progenitor's homeworld as well as invoking the nickname of their gene-sire - 'The Gorgon'.
Chapter Relations []
Allies[]
| Name | Iconography | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ironclad Brotherhood |  |
Since early M32, the collective known as the Ironclad Brotherhood has remained inviolable and resolute in their eternal quest to wage an eternal war against the Traitor Legions and those who would make truck with the Ruinous Powers. But in M34, this brotherhood was shattered when the Iron Invictors let their obsessions with certain forbidden mysteries and nightmare sciences see them excommunicated and declared as Traitors to the Imperium. Since that time, the three remaining Chapters - the Iron Gorgons, alongside the Templars of Iron and the Iron Harbingers, have continued to fight for a common cause or come to one another's aid during times of crisis, achieving great victories in the name of the Emperor and their gene-sire, Ferrus Manus. Yet their secondary goal continues to remain elusive, as the Brotherhood continue to seek out their erstwhile former brethren, now known as the notorious Chaos Warband - the Brethren of Hel - to finally eradicate this stain upon their brotherhood's honour once and for all. |
| Sons of Iron |  |
The Iron Gorgons are not easily impressed with feats of battle prowess or the tally of victories one has acquired, for service to the Emperor is its own reward. What matters most, is that one displays great hatred towards weakness of any kind, with a particular disgust for mental weakness. These traits, the Sons of Iron display in abundance. Though a young Chapter by the standards of the triumvirate Chapters that make up the Ironclad Brotherhood, they have nevertheless continued to proudly carry on the traditions of their genetic forebears. Like their elder brethren, the Sons of Iron loathe heretics and traitors and go to great lengths to mercilessly eradicate their foul presence from the galaxy wherever they encounter them. Like their elder brethren, this Chapter also displays the propensity for replacing the organic with bionic components, which they believe helps expunges the weakness of the flesh. This is in keeping with the core beliefs of most Chapters that hail from the lineage of Ferrus Manus. Although there are no official records of any of the Chapters of the Ironclad Brotherhood having operated alongside the Sons of Iron, mainly due to their crusading nature as they often operate on the fringes of Imperial space, the young Chapter has compensated for their lack of helping their elder brethren directly. They have opened, at all times, secret and well-protected communications, warning the Ironclad Brotherhood of any sightings from the hated Chaos Warband, known as the Brethren of Hel, that they may discover, either during the Chapter's missions or when a Battle-Brother undergoes his Vigil. Even if the beliefs of their home world of Suami sometimes clash with the core beliefs of the Ironclad Brotherhood, the young Chapter truly wishes to supplement as best it can the strength of these ancient Chapters. |
| Warmachines |  |
The Warmachines are a similarly bellicose Chapter that hails from the formidable fortress world of Volgenstraad. Their sheer tenacity and resolute stubbornness in the face of overwhelming odds are traits that are greatly admired by the Iron Gorgons. Specialising in siege warfare and heavy artillery strikes, the cold brutality of the Warmachines has been relied upon by the Iron Gorgons on a half dozen occasions down the millennia. As this Chapter is ever-ready for war, the Iron Gorgons know that they can rely upon the Warmachines to help crack the defences of the most stubborn of foes, pounding them with an unrelenting barrage of heavy ordnance and overwhelming firepower until nothing remains but crumbled stone and shattered steel. |
Enemies[]
| Name | Iconography | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brethren of Hel |  |
The Brethren of Hel is a notorious Renegade Space Marine Chapter that is known for raiding multiple Imperial systems near the hellish Warp rift known as the Eye of Terror. Formerly known as the Iron Invictors this Chapter, along with the Iron Gorgons, Iron Harbingers, and the Templars of Iron, formerly made up a quadrumvirate of 2nd Founding Iron Hands Successors, collectively known as the Frateris Firmitatis ("Ironclad Brotherhood"). This Chapter was once counted amongst the most stalwart defenders of mankind. But like their Progenitors, the Invictors were obsessed with strength and the elimination of physical and mental weakness, which is subject to decay and temptation, and believed to have been a contributing factor to the failure of the Loyalist Legions during the Dropsite Massacre at Isstvan V. This led the Iron Hands to revere the machine and distrust the failings inherent in the flesh. But the Iron Invictors' obsession with certain forbidden mysteries and nightmare sciences of the Dark Age of Technology eventually saw them being declared Excommunicate Traitoris, and cast out of the Imperium. For millennia, the fleet-bound Brethren of Hel periodically raid Forge Worlds and far-flung Adeptus Mechanicus outposts near the Eye of Terror - obsessed with obtaining rare standard template constructs and the secrets of archaeo-technology forbidden by Imperial dictates and the edicts of the Martian Priesthood. They are relentlessly pursued by their erstwhile brethren, who will stop at nothing to eradicate this Renegade Chapter of hereteks. |
Notable Quotes []
By the Iron Gorgons[]
Feel free to add your own
- "The mind may be swayed, the body may fail. But where the body fails, replace it. Become the weapon of the soul. Emulate the Gorgon's union with steel. The flesh is weak. But iron remains, and what remains is strength. Iron in mind and body."
- — Iron-Master Vigo Acidinus, First Iron-Wrought of the Iron Gorgons
- "Hail Scions of the Gorgon! Well met. Once again we have gathered our combined might to wreak ruination upon the wretched get of the bastard Fulgrim. Though we hail from separate clans of the old Legion, our blood is one and the same. We are united in our cause and righteous wrath. We shall show them our strength is iron..our will unbreakable and our resolve resolute. Let them know, the Ironclad Brotherhood has come for them! We are wrath! We are retribution! We are their DOOM!!! Attack brothers! For Medusa! FOR THE GORGON!!!"
- — Iron-Wrought Einion Hephaistos addressing his fellow Chapters of the Ironclad Brotherhood, before the Battle of Grayfell, Indomitus Crusade, ca. 022.M42
- "Our brothers make war and move on, again and again, until nothing breathes which stands against them. They never waver, never retreat..never doubt. They have purged all weakness from both their bodies and their minds. All that remains is strength."
- — Personal musings about the Warmachines by Iron-Wrought Einion Hephaistos, Chapter Master of the Iron Gorgons
- "Our Chapter constitutes the warrior's philosophy of cruel necessity and inevitable victory, the primary tenet of our Chapter's beliefs; mercy has no place in a warrior's heart."
- — Vulth'vaan Magnar, Iron Father of Clain Aidos
- "Hail fellow Sons of the Gorgon. Though we might be distant, we are cousins, for our blood is the same. Our hands and weapons were wrought in the very image of our very own gene-sire's. We will let these vile heretic scum know who brings their doom. We shall now put twisted flesh and bone to the test of iron and fire!"
- — Iron Captain Valk Malevolos of the Iron Gorgons Mogh 2nd Clan Company, fighting alongside the Iron Revenants Chapter during the Naissus Massacre, Indomitus Crusade
About the Iron Gorgons[]
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- "Iron Gorgons Fleet you are cleared to dock at the orbital ring. Please proceed along docking pattern Epsilon Delta Nine. Welcome to Volgenstraad brothers."
- — Lord Mechanica Kaegr Lurtzergen, Warmachines Chapter Master, allowing the nomadic Iron Gorgons fleet access to Volgenstraad's orbital ring.
- "You're so full of hate, Gorgon-spawn, it is refreshing to see amongst your kind, so filled with emotion, passion, fury... I could help you, you know, I know where the Children of Fulgrim lay waiting to strike. Together, we could achieve your glorious vengeance, and slaughter those who betrayed your gene-sire. Take my hand and we could murder those who betrayed the Gorgon."
- "Is it painful to value strength so highly when descended from one so thoroughly weak?"
- — Vritra the Howler
- "Ah! Those Iron Gorgons sure are impressive! If we ever get those pitiful brats we call our recruits to be half as tough as those squishy Gorgons, I'll hold the kids in high esteem."
- — Septus Orth, 10th Captain of the Sons of Iron, typical way of telling a compliment
- "The flesh be of sacrosanct coat for the Astartes to be wearers of. Your forms be ridden of heresy with the act of lacing your abodes with machinery rather than enthralling themselves to organic carapaces our most holy Emperor has blessed thee with. Be it known that those spit from the gene-seed of Ferrus Manus not only seethe with hatred for the flesh, but for themselves as well."
- — Carolus Imperator of the Imperialists
| Second Founding Space Marine Chapters | |
|---|---|
| Dark Angels Successors | Angels of Dusk • Black Knights • Ebon Knights • Iron Templars • Lion Blades • Seraphim of the Abyss • |
| White Scars Successors | Iron Juggernauts • |
| Imperial Fists Successors | Dawn Templars • Death Templars • |
| Blood Angels Successors | Angels Celestial • Angels of Anguish • Angels of the Cruciform Grail • Golden Seraphs • Knights Angelicus • Sanguine Templars • The Unblooded • |
| Iron Hands Successors | Iron Gorgons • Iron Harbingers • Templars of Iron • |
| Ultramarines Successors | Archangels of Manasseh • Blades of the Phoenix • Imperius Ravagers • Indominable Legion • Royal Herculeans • Sons of Midas • Storm Wraiths • Swords of Guilliman • Wolves of Dantra • |
| Salamanders Successors | • |
| Raven Guard Successors | Iron Eagles • Steel Crows • |
| Unknown Lineage | Celestial Knights • |
| Renegades | Iron Invictors • The Watchers of Anarchy • |
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