Iron Bison

"In the beginning all was darkness, the tribes of our brothers blindly fought amongst ourselves oblivious to the greater threats surrounding us. Left to ourselves we would have surely succumbed to the evil spirits hiding in the dark or consumed by the monstrous xenos wandering our lands. It is the Emperor, our Great Chief who brought us salvation. He shaped our bodies made us unyielding as the mighty oaks, as strong as the great beasts and as swift as the winds of the plains. He gave us weapons of iron, fire and storm to cull those who threaten his children. Though we received many blessings his greatest gift of all was that of sight. We now bear witness to  the great enemies that threaten mankind both visible and hidden, and in His glorious name, we fight!""

- Excerpt from "The Story of Beginning" told to initiate Iron Bison Marines

The Iron Bison are a semi-Codex compliant loyalist Space Marine Chapter of an Unknown Founding created from the lineage of the heroic White Scars. This Chapter is currently engaged in a conflict with the Withered Hands Chaos Space Marines to reclaim several conquered worlds under the Iron Bison's protection. The Iron Bison Chapter primarily engage in hit and run and fast attack tactics, but a mutation in their gene-seed gives them a unique empathetic awareness of their environment, allowing them to sense enemies hidden behind cover or by unnatural means. This trait makes excellent for scouting and hunting parties and it is not unheard of for a company of Iron Bisons to be sent out to find hidden enemy bases for other chapters or to stalk an enemy who has escaped the watchful eyes of the Imperium.

Unlike many chapters, the Iron Bison shun chainswords and powerswords, favoring a single-handed power axe known as the power tomahawk as their melee weapon of choice. Also, while they will wield the standard array of long range weapons common amongst most Space Marine Chapters, they have also been known to carry two highly modified bolter types - the Musket Bolter; a mid to long range rifle suited for hit and run tactics, and the Bow Bolter; a highly modified bolter that silently fires metal arrow bolts utilized in hunting parties and covert missions.

Chapter History
For several millennia, the planet of Algonquin was easily overlooked. A standard Feral World in the Iro'quois System hovering on the borders between the Segmentum Pacificus and Segmentum Tempestus, while it offered a wild natural beauty, it's more resource rich neighbors were prized and utilized for Imperial uses. Unbeknownst to Imperial forces, a hidden threat was brewing on the surface of Algoquin that would have threatened the system.

The Hunter and the Wendigo
It was not until an unknown White Scars Master of The Hunt, referred to by the natives as "Slayer of Death" (a name still used in reverence by the Iron Bison to this day) arrived on Algonquin cornering a Chaos Marine who had fled to the planet to avoid the wrath of the White Scars. Over several days of tracking, he found and dispatched the traitor hiding in a cave adjacent to a large plain. The Slayer collected his trophy and prepared to depart, only pausing to admire the planet's wide plains which reminded him of Mundus Planus. It was in that moment he was approached by local natives praising his strength, for they had been following him since he made planet fall and bore witness to his hunt of the traitorous marine.

Believing him to be one of their great spirits of the hunt made manifest into their realm, they pleaded with him to help save them from the Wendigo, a monster that appears once every five years destroying everything in its path then disappearing, and it's time to return was upon them. None of their weapons could penetrate the beast's metal hide, all their greatest warriors and hunters sent to fight the abomination were killed. The neighboring tribes began warring with each other believing that human sacrifices would stave off the beast and protect their village for another five years. Intrigued by the description of the beast and the plight of the natives the Slayer agreed to investigate the Wendigo, and accompanied by two of the native hunters journeyed to the location where the Wendigo would usually manifest.

The hunters led the Astartes to an unnatural clearing by the base of a mountain. Black scorch marks blotted the ground there was barely any flora growing and it was apparent the native wildlife avoided the area all together. The group camped  just above the clearing and waited till nightfall and as the moon reached its zenith a green light erupted in the clearing followed by the unholy roar of metal and death as a large Necron stepped into view. The necron was unlike any the White Scar had seen before, almost as large as a dreadnought, but lanky with long claws, a long tube of pulsing green energy led from under each side of the necrons skull along the spine and fed into the monsters back and it's face lacked a mouth, but what was most startling of all was the grinder in it's chest. In the center of the breastplate of the Wendigo was a spinning grinder the width of a power fist whirring with an unholy noise reminiscent of death screams of various humanoids.

The necron quickly moved to a nearby tree with a speed and agility unseen by standard necrons shattering it and stuffing the organic contents into it grinding orifice. Realizing the serious threat the necron posed, the White Scar leapt into action followed by the native hunters. Noticing the new organic targets the Wendigo turned and unleashed a torrent of green plasma flame from one of it's palms. The Hunter avoided the blaze but one of the hunters was hit his body incinerated on contact. The White Scar unleashed a barrage from his bolter pistol and while the bolts did damage to the carapace of the Wendigo it was not as much damage as the Slayer had expected. The wendigo closed the gap and the the Marine and Necron began to trade blows, though the necron started to get the upper hand, knocking the White Scar against the rocks.

Though it attempted to unleash another blast of flame it seemed it was unable too, at this point the second hunter was able to jump on the back of the necron shattering his stone tomahawk on the necrons skull. The necron was unaffected but took notice of the hunter grabbing him and ripping him to shreds and stuffing the remains into it's grinder. This sent the White Scar into a maddened rage as the Wendigo released another gout of flame but the marine again avoided the flame jumping into the necron and stabbing his power sword  through the neck of the black horror. The necron staggered and disappeared in a blast of green light and black smoke leaving the Marines power sword to clatter to the ground.

As dawn came, the White Scar returned to the tribes with the remains of two fallen hunters so they could receive proper burials. The Master of the Hunt was given the title "Slayer of Death" and soon departed claiming that he and his brothers would return to ensure that the Wendigo would not return as a necron threat this close to Imperial planets was not tolerable. As the hour for the beast to return came to pass the White Scars returned leaving a small detachment to investigate the Wendigo, and again after 5 years the Necron reappeared though not it the place it had originally appeared, but this time it was met by a squad of White Scars who were able to defeat the monster but not before it killed several Marines. The mysterious nature of this necron coupled with the threat of a potential invasion of a necron force in Imperial territory warranted the founding of Iron Bison chapter to protect system.

The First Coyote and the First Battle Name
It was not long after the chapters founding that the fledgling Astartes were soon had their mettle tested. The recently appointed Chapter Master Cheveyo Manitou was overseeing the construction of the chapter’s fortress monastery Menawa Acaraho over the site where the Slayer of Death had originally defeated the Wendigo. As it appeared the necron was no longer appearing in the same location anymore it seemed fitting that their monastery be erected at the location of its first defeat. He and Librarian Nahele Aditsan were discussing the nature of the Wendigo and what it meant for the future of their chapter. The monster had been appearing as long as the natives could remember, even ingraining itself into the planets culture as an aspect of death. If it was indeed a Necron herald why was it manifesting for swaths of destruction, then disappearing? There were ample opportunities to summon the rest of its vile kin and annihilate the system of all organic life why had it not done so when the planet was at its most vulnerable? Their conversation was interrupted as a Marine arrived to deliver a report that a Marine patrol stationed at the southern part of the planet around the Desert of Clear Sky had disappeared and was no longer responding to hails. This news greatly troubled the Chapter Master as there was still 2 years before the Wendigo was to reappear and there had been an increase in sightings by the native tribes of “Walking Spirits”, in and around the desert. While initially disregarded as mere illusions created by the desert heat, the missing patrol validated that indeed something was happening so taking the Chapter’s 2nd and 7th company Cheveyo Manitou and Librarian Aditsan departed to the southern pole of the planet.

Upon arrival the Marines empathetic senses triggered that something was indeed amiss in the desert. Cheveyo took the 2nd company while Adistan commanded the 7th,then spreading out, the companies began sweeping the desert for potential enemies. Soon it became apparent they were being tracked. Cheveyo sensed a nearby presence but acted as if nothing was there allowing the hunter to get within striking distance and using subtle hand signals ordered his company to do the same. When the creature was close enough Cheveyo threw his power tomahawk at a nearby rock formation leading to a scream of pain as an Eldar Pathfinder decloaked clutching its chest and falling over dead. Several other Pathfinders decloaked and opened fire but were eliminated by the Astartes quickly. Cheveyo contacted Aditsan and informed him of the situation. From descriptions of the Eldar bodies and symbols Adistan was able to deduce they were part of Craftworld Saim-Hann, and that these troops were the scout force for a larger Eldar detachment somewhere in the desert. Using their empathic senses and tracking skills the Iron Bison were able to locate the Eldar troops in the desert’s massive canyon called The Grand Wound attempting to excavate a massive eldar device from the canyon’s left wall. The device was well defended and a nearby active warpgate was seen several meters from the massive device it too appeared to be recently unearthed from the canyon. Gambling that the Eldar were only aware of Cheveyo and his company he ordered Adistan to take the seventh and flank the eldar from the right side. Knowing it would take time for Adistan to get into position Cheveyo marched his company directly towards the eldar grabbing their attention. A Farseer rallied his troops for battle but Cheveyo yelled at them demanding an explanation for why they are on Imperial soil.

The Farseer responded claiming this system never was theirs, that for millennia these planets were Eldar before the arrival of mon-keigh. As for their purpose they claimed that it was the mon-keigh's fault. The Eldar explained that the Wendigo was indeed a primitive nercon unit created to consume organic matter and process the life force out of it to feed itself and it's tomb world so they can reactivate. The Wendigo was in fact one of several acting as an expeditionary force arriving in the system long ago, sensing the high quantities of life force present there. If the Necron’s did conquer the system, they would have a perfect staging point to launch an assault on Craftworld Saim-Hann. The Saim-Hann eldar were not ready to face the necrons head on at the time so they devised a radical solution, utilization of an ancient eldar weapon known as Spirit Fire. The Spirit Fire was a device that used massive amounts of warp energy to ignite the life essence of organic beings on an entire planet destroying all organic life from the inside out. This weapon would also work on the Wendigos igniting their fuel source and destroying them as well, but the necrons were elusive so global annihilation was the only way to ensure they would not escape to their masters. The Eldar used this device on Pueblo the farthest planet in the system eliminating all life on the planet including the Wendigos, except for one which escaped to Algonquin. The eldar moved the device to Algonquin and attempted to try again but the device failed due to instability in the warp energy needed to power the device, leaving only a massive desert on the planet. The Eldar found the Wendigo again, and while the bomb did not destroy the vile monster it had still indeed affected it. Wendigos have a personalized variant of a necron teleportation matrix that requires organic life force to work, the massive warp blast of the bomb destabilized the necron’s matrix trapping it in a temporal loop. To the necron it seemed to have just arrived on Algonquin and began to carry out its mission of collecting life force until the matrix blinks it back into the loop where the cycle continues, the necron never aware of it's unending fate. The Master of the Hunt changed that for when he pierced the xenos with his sword, the White Scar unknowingly damaged the matrix knocking it out of its loop. While the damaged necron device still kept it in a teleportation cycle, the Wendigo was now cognizant of the situation and was attempting to gather enough energy to teleport home and notify its kind before the matrix recalled it back to Algonquin. For the Eldar the only solution was to use the Spirit Fire to eliminate all organic life so the Wendigo could never accumulate enough energy to return to its masters forever trapping it on the planet.

Cheveyo Manitou proclaimed he nor his chapter would ever allow this planet to fall to any of the enemies of the Imperium and that the Necron would never succeed in its goals while the marines of the Iron Bison still drew breath. Chapter Master Manitou gave the Eldar the chance to leave in peace as long as they deactivated the device leave via the warp gate and never return to their system again. The Farseer declined saying that as long as the Necron existed on this planet Craftworld Saim-Hann would always be in danger and the two forces clashed. The Astartes pushed on but the Eldar were heavily entrenched and gave little ground to the marines. Then Librarian Adistan and his force pushed in from the side engaging the supposedly undefended right flank of the eldar. The Farseer proclaimed that it was foolish to try and out maneuver the Eldar of Saim-Hann as he was well aware of the full force of marines they were fighting against, at that moment a contingency of Wraithgaurd appeared and opened fire into the flanking squad. To their surprise, the marines vanished as if they were never there. Confused to what had happened the Farseer quickly realized the flank was a psychic illusion, but where were the real marines? The Farseer soon found out as gunfire rang out around the Spirit Fire, Adistan and his troops were repelling down the canyon wall almost directly onto the eldar device. The Wraithgaurd turned and fired on the repelling marines. Cheveyo realized the time to push was now, while the 7th company was making headway against the eldar, a great deal of the company was still repelling completely exposed to enemy fire. The Chapter Master let out a massive battle cry louder than any ever heard by his chapter, this combined the resonating effect of the canyon made it his voice as loud as if a crackle of thunder from a storm was right overhead. This call rallied his marines and shattered the morale of many of the Eldar soldiers, allowing the marines break through their defenses and push the enemy forces back. Realizing the battle was lost the Farseer attempted to escape through the ancient Warp Gate but it had seemingly disappeared. In this confusion the Farseer let his guard down and was felled by bolt to the chest. As the Farseer lay dying he pondered how the Warp Gate had suddenly vanished. Librarian Adistan walked over to the dying Eldar waved his staff and removed his telepathic invisibility illusion from the eldar’s mind. Chuckling, the Eldar admitted he was impressed with the Astartes cunning saying there may be hope for the mon-keigh yet before passing. The Iron Bison chapter summoned the Order Xenos branch of the Inquisition to aid in investigating the Spirit Fire weapon as well as to scan Pueblo and the other planets of the system for Eldar bases and technology in case the Xenos attempted to return again (as of yet the Eldar have never again attempted to return to the Iro’quois system). Due to his clever tactics and use of illusions and guile that helped save the planet, Librarian Adistan was given the title of Coyote a mythological trickster from ancient Terran religion, all future Librarians of the Chapter would be given this moniker as well. Chapter Master Cheveyo was praised for his bravery and skill in finding the elusive eldar he also received the first Battle Name: Thunder Voice by his chapter. The chapter continues this tradition to today giving Battle Names to marines who preform great feats or express great qualities and attributes that exemplify the values held in regard by the Iron Bison Chapter.

The Pox War
As time progressed the Iron Bison chapter began to prove their merit in the Imperium as excellent hunting and scouting squads, and their Hit and Run tactics were perfect for supplementing large strike forces. Unfortunately, this demand required several companies to travel far away from the Iro’quois system to aid their brother chapters on their campaigns thus reducing their capabilities of defending their home system. It was when the forces of the chapter were spread out to their thinnest, that the Withered Hands chapter decided to strike. The reason for this attack was due to the fact that the fleeing Chaos Marine slain by the Master of the Hunt leading to the founding of the Iron Bison chapter was of the Withered Hands. The traitorous marine was a member of a raiding party that was successful in stealing precious White Scar gene seed needed to replenish the chapter’s numbers. The White Scars eventually foiled the plan destroying the raiders and hunting down the last member who had taken the gene seed in an attempt to escape back to his brethren. This failure set back the Withered Hands chance to replenish their numbers for many years before they could rebuild their strength. Fueled by revenge the Chaos marines had waited for a moment to strike but to help ensure victory the Withered Hands planned ahead to improve their chances to assault the Iro’quois system. To do this they used sleeper units to infect supply transports that moved between the systems worlds with a disease known as Leech Pox. This pox spread throughout the population of several worlds, where it would lay dormant until the forces of chaos appeared. Using psychic triggers, the disease activated robbing all those affected of their strength and will allowing the Marines to easily take planets from local defenses. By the time the Iron Bison were alerted to the situation several planets had been taken simultaneously in a single blow. Though a devastating blow to the chapter’s morale, the Astartes rallied requesting for the recall of all companies not on any missions deemed Alpha Prioris and any available assistance to retake their worlds. Granted this request, a counterattack was launched and thus began the Pox War, a conflict that still rages to this day.

The Hunt for the Scarlet Queen
The Iron Bison’s 3rd company is tasked with tracking the elusive Dark Eldar ship known as the Scarlet Queen that had been raiding Imperial colonies in the Voh system for months for slaves and was eluding the Imperial Navy at every turn. The chapter discovers the Scarlet Queen docked inside a hollowed-out asteroid located in the Voh systems asteroid belt, where they had been using it to refuel and process slaves to be sent to Commorragh. After raiding the hideout and freeing all the captives from a recent raid, they kill the Scarlet Queen’s captain and destroy the facility and the ship ending the threat.

Battle of Peritus VII
The 5th company join a combined Imperial Assault to prevent the Hive world of Peritus VII from falling during an assault by an Ork WAAAGH passing through the system. The 5th company deploys their assault bikes and Musket Bolters loaded with explosive Melta bullets to take down an massive Ork Gargant by circling and harassing it from all angles till they are able to get a clear shot at it’s legs, destroying the supports and causing the Gargant to collapse under its own weight.

The Khizarrak Horror
On the jungle planet of Khizarrak the Iron Bison track and kill a massive Tyranid Lictor with a chameleon defense and psychic shielding that hid it from detection by most conventional means and psychic scrying. It’s head and claws are mounted in Menawa Acarahos Lodge of Honor.

The Scepter of Il’Kham
The Iron Bison 4th and 5th company led by Coyote Adistan engage the Thousand Sons who are attempting to excavate a powerful relic of Tzeench to be reinforce their own power. Adistan is severely wounded and the Chaos marines use the scepter to unleash a massive psionic attack that even the Companies Medicine Brothers cannot defend against. The brutal eldritch onslaught combined with inherent psychic sensitivity due to their gene seed mutation felt by all Iron Bison causes the companies to be severely crippled. Adistan uses the last of his strength to cleanse all his brothers so they can make one last push resulting in the destruction of the scepter. Adistan succumbs to his wounds and is delivered back to Algonquin for a proper burial.

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Chapter Homeworld
Algonquin is a world of lush wild beauty mostly predominated by open plains and scattered forests that tend to ring the base of various mountains that spring up from the planet. Near the southern pole of the planet is a massive desert known as the Desert of Clear Sky, a result of the failed firing of Eldar weapon known as the Spirit Fire in their attempt to cleanse the planet of Necrons. Not only did this weapon kill all organic life in the surrounding area for kilometers around, but the warp energies thinned the atmosphere above the desert reducing both protection from the rays of the sun and the formation of weather systems in the area which is why it was given its title. Life has adapted to the harsh desert even allowing native tribes the ability to settle there, and recruits taken from these tribes are valued by the Iron Bison for their ability to survive and track in even the most severe conditions.

A large variety of wildlife thrives on Algonquin, but the Titan Bison is the animal that predominates Algonquins plains. Fully grown a Bull Titan Bison can be as large as an Astartes Rhino APC and just as dangerous almost untouchable by the Apex predators of the planet. These creatures are highly regarded by the Iron Bison as well as all the tribes of the planet not only for their strength, but for the food and materials they provide when they are killed.

Recruitment
The Chapter primarily recruits new members from lesser developed planets in the Iro’quois system and its surrounding sub sectors as these worlds require their inhabitants to hunt to stay alive allowing making them hardier and prematurely ingraining survival skills that they would later use as marines. Favored recruitment sites are the planets of Apache, Cherokee, Navajo and Seminole and several of these worlds are spread far out between the system and its surrounding sub sectors. Recruitment ships travel a specific path between worlds in what the Iron Bison have dubbed the Great Migration named so as the travel along the systems planetary orbits nearly matches the path that Titan Bison migrate as they move along Algonquins plains during its varying seasons. This pattern had to be altered though when the Withered Hands invaded and captured the planet of Navajo. The Iron Bison prioritized the retaking of this world in earliest days of the war and it has switched hands between the two forces several times though currently it is back under the Iron Bison’s control. Recruits are chosen for expressing aptitude one of several qualities such as strength, stealth, speed and guile. Initiates are introduced to the chapter of by the lead Coyote who tells them “The Story of Beginning” and the tenants of the chapter, throughout the neophytes training the Coyotes will give them advice in the form of tales from the chapter’s history, as well as look for potential Medicine Brothers and Coyotes. The first real trial a neophyte faces is called the First Hunt where initiate marines are given a knife and are sent to hunt down a great beast and return with a worthy trophy. Subsequent training involves teaching marine tactics, combat and hunting skills and strategies that work well against specific opponents. Martial Training includes use of standard marine equipment as well as the chapters more specialized weapons such as the Musket Bolter, Bow Bolter and Power Tomahawk. Those chosen to be Coyotes or Medicine Brothers are sequestered from their group to receive proper training in those aspects. All initiates receive rudimentary training in utilizing their gene seed mutation, but only those that manifest the mutation are further trained on proper use of this gift. Those who do not manifest the mutation are not shunned but encouraged to improve their natural tracking abilities and those who master these skills without the aid of a mutation are highly revered by their brethren. The final trial a marine must overcome before he is considered a true battle brother is the Second Hunt. This time instead of native creature the recruits are sent to hunt down a dangerous xenos or enemy of the Imperium one that has been scouted and measured by the chapter as being a suitable opponent for the young marines. After this mission is complete a celebration is held at the fire pit in Fortress monasteries courtyard before they are dispersed throughout the chapter.

The Wendigo Returns
Every 5 years the Necron Wendigo returns to Algonquin to consume as much organic life as it possibly can in an attempt to teleport back to its tomb world to signal an invasion of the system. While the Necrons teleportation matrix is severely beyond the capability to teleport offworld, the Chapter still hunts down and eliminates the threat as part of their oath to protect the system and to prevent the possibility of the Necron actually escaping. Watch towers placed along the world monitor for activity when the time for the xenos to return approaches. Aspirant Marines and Battle Brothers looking to prove themselves join the hunt monitored by senior veterans to ensure the situation does not get out of control. Bow Bolters have proven the most effective against the necron so armed with these whenever a watch tower signals that the Wendigo is in the area the hunt is dispatched. The astartes track the monster and dispatch it as quickly as possible forcing back into its teleportation loop. While damaged the Necron is still very dangerous depending upon hoe much time it has been allowed to consume organic matter and fatalities on the hunt have occurred. Regardless of the Necrons level of strength one aspect remains it cannot be destroyed. Several methods have been used to destroy it including decapitation, explosions, melta and plasma weapons, but know matter how extensive the damage the necron always returns. It is believed that the Eldar Spirit Fire weapon has forced it into a temporal lock as well as placing it in a loop, when it is destroyed it is sent back to the point where was destabilized a second time when the White Scar plunged his sword into its neck. No matter how much it is damaged when it returns to the teleportation loop it is reset to point of when the White Scar stabbed it. As such the chapter is forever forced to deal with this threat until they are somehow capable of destroying it forever.

Fortress-Monastery
Menawa Acaraho was erected over the sight of battle between the White Scar known as “The Slayer of Death” and the Necron Wendigo. Built into the base of the mountain the fortress extends into the mountain’s interior. The fortress aside from standard features common to all fortress monasteries the complex contains many symbolic and spiritual sights as well. First and foremost is the Lodge of Honor where the chapter holds trophies and items honoring the chapter including golden statues of the “Slayer of Death” and the two hunters that accompanied him as the Iron Bison revere these two warriors as the first battle brothers of their chapter. In the clearing where great battle against the necron was once fought is a great firepit. Here the chapter congregates for celebration feasting and singing of songs retelling past victories. Finally, is a trail that leads up the mountain to its precipice known as “Trail of Broken Spirits” this path is utilized as the final test for those space marines on the path to becoming a Coyote.

Chapter Organisation
A standard Astartes in the Iron Bison chapter ascends the ranks based on performance and deeds similar to other chapters. Those brothers who begin to express psychic powers, or their Primarch’s Curse follow different paths in the organization. Much like their White Scar progenitors the Iron Bison will field more units that employ speed and mobility such as bikes and landspeeders. Iron Bison have fewer Dreadnoughts than most marine chapters seeing confinement in such a machine as a horrible fate again much like their White Scar forebearers but for different reasons. They make up for this lack of brawn with supplementary terminators.

Officer Ranks

 * High Chief (Chapter Master)
 * Chief (Captain)
 * Great Brother (Lieutenant)
 * Brave (Sergeant)

Specialist Ranks
Coyote – The chapters Librarians, unlike like their fellow chapters though Coyotes tend to tune their abilities more towards misdirecting and confusing their foes as well as bolstering their brothers in battle thought they will use common offensive and defensive powers utilized by all librarians. As part of their ascension to full Librarians, a marine is sent up the Trail of Broken Spirits to the to the top of the mountain without any supplies or utilities. When he reaches the peak, he must look to the stars and in the sky and go into a trance like state. While in this trance he will commune with the spirits of fallen battle brothers and spirits of the land (The Inquisition sees this as consorting with the forces of Chaos but as investigations have proven no such correlation to Chaos as of yet, they let the chapter preform this ritual for now)

Medicine Brother- Combining both Apothecary and Chaplain roles Medicine Brothers are adept at healing both body and soul of their fellow marines. Due to the chapter’s sensitivity to psykers and chaos energies, Medicine brothers are responsible for the crafting of Warp Catcher relics which protect their fellow astartes from such harmful energies and the creation of Fetishes which aid brothers in tracking and fighting specific types of foes.

Wolverine- Brothers who have started to succumb to their Primarch’s Curse becoming more savage and aggressive and favoring close combat over ranged, these brothers are given modified armor or jump packs allowing them to wade into enemies and unleash their savagery against their foes. When a brother becomes a Wolverine he is forbidden from joining hunting or scouting parties due to their aggressive and brash nature usually compromising the squads effectiveness.

Kodiak- The chapters few highly modified Dreadnoughts. Much like their Progenitors the White Scars, Iron Bison despise being placed in Dreadnoughts, not because it reduces their agility and speed but because being place in a dreadnought dulls their senses and they have a harder time sensing the world around them giving them a feeling of isolation. Much like Wolverines, Kodiaks favor melee combat so Tech Priests of the chapter have modified them with heavier armor so they can stay in the fray longer than their counterparts in other chapters.

Lone Wolf- A veteran marine of many campaigns who is in the Final Phase of the Primarch’s Curse but is not ready to accept the rite of “The Final Hunt”. These marines join their brothers on missions but are loosed by their Chief to go off on their own ahead of their party doing whatever damage and providing whatever support they can. A tracker is implanted at the base of the marine’s neck, so the Chief is aware of the astartes location and movements during the campaign. At the end of the campaign a Lone Wolf returns to his company and returns home where he waits for the next battle. The tracker also has an explosive in it detonating on remote command if the Chief feels the Lone Wolf has fully succumbed to his curse and gone feral, if he feels the marine has turned traitor or if the marine has died far beyond the reaches of his brothers in order to recover his body for proper burial and extraction of his gene seed. The device will also explode if the marine attempts to forcibly remove it without the help of a Tech Priest or Chief who knows the command codes to properly disable it. When a Lone Wolf finally accepts the rite of “The Final Hunt” the tracker is disabled so the ritual can be performed.

Line Ranks
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Specialist Formations
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Order of Battle
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Headquarters
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Companies
1st undefinedBears of the Tall Mountain

2ndWolves of the West Plains

3rd Screaming Eagles

4th Cougars of the Silent Forest

5thCharging Stallions

6th Sky Breaker Falcons

7thSwift Foxes

8th Badger Guard of Red Stone

Chapter Beliefs
The Iron Bison believe that the White Scar Master of the Hunt was a great warrior sent by the Emperor of Man (known as the Great Chief of Spirit Father in their teaching) to bring their people salvation and usher them into enlightenment by finally allowing them to “see” the universe for what it truly is. This sight was brought about by the mutation gene seed which allowed them to sense the natural world to a greater extent as well as feel the corruption the warp has upon it. The chapters sensitivity to changes in the environment makes see the materium is an extension of themselves and will do all they can to limit collateral damage to maintain natural balance of a planet. Iron Bison also incorporate native traditions of the populations of Algonquin into their culture such as using paints on their skin and armor to indicate tribe of origin.

Refusal of Swords
The chapter shuns the use of chainswords and powerswords as the sword was a weapon used by the “Slayer of Death” and the marines believe that using such a mighty weapon would be borrowing the power of their great hero thus it lessens the worth of any triumphs an Iron Bison might accomplish. Instead they favor the Power Tomahawk modeled after the traditional weapon of their people.

Scalping
For the most hated foes of the chapter, the marines emulate the Master of the Hunt in taking the head of a foe but with their own cultural twist. The Iron Bison hunt down transgressors worthy of this punishment but only take the scalp of their enemy instead of the whole head (necron are not scalped and are merely destroyed since they are viewed as abominations not even worthy of this hate). Scalps are taken back to the Lodge of Honor and are placed in front of the statue of the Master of the Hunt as offerings to him and the Emperor for allowing them the right to enact vengeance. Currently there are copious amounts of scalps from marines from the Withered Hands being offered to the statue.

Chapter Gene-Seed
The mutation of the Iron Bison Gene seed affects between 75%– 90% of the chapter. The mutation affects an unknown part of the brain making it sense disruptions in the natural world by organisms. The marines describe it as being similar to being submerged in water and being able to sense the ripples of objects passing through it, even hidden entities create ripples which marines can sense and track. Chaos and psykers can create too many ripples overwhelming the marine’s senses even driving the marine to insanity if exposed to these intense sensations for too long. Medicine Brothers create Warp Catchers, metal disks with isometric designs carved in it for battle brothers. These disks absorb excess warp energy allowing the marine to better concentrate in the face of the forces of chaos. Fetishes on the other hand are used to help a marine focus on a specific type of ripple, for example a fetish made from an Ork tooth will help a marine track Orks easier.

The Final Hunt
As the hunt dictates much of the Chapters life it is also the final rite of those marines succumbing to their Primarch’s Curse, those marines who are close to reverting to violent savages are offered the rite of The Final Hunt. Here they are taken to the wild planet of Lakota filled with savage and dangerous beasts, equipped with only the knife they used in their initiate trials the Marine is left to hunt as many beasts as he can before he is finally slain by one.

Primarch's Curse: (Call of the Wild)
Similar to their White Scar progenitors the curse afflicting the Iron Bison makes them more savage as time goes on.

Stage 1: Tooth and Claw
First the marine begins favoring close combat similar to a wild animal. Eventually they abandon long ranged weapons altogether even when melee combat would mean certain death.

Stage 2: Solitary Predator
A marine rebuke the company of his brothers going off on his own letting his own rage an instinct guide him only returning once the hunt is finished.

Combat Doctrine
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Deathwatch Service
As with most chapters the Iron Bison submit their own into Deathwatch Service though due to their gene seeds instability around psykers and powerful chaos entities the Inquisition is reluctant to use them relegating them to scouting units and supplementary roles.

Cheveyo Manitou (Thunder Voice)
The Chapter Master of the Iron Bison has been around since the inception of the group and is one of the few marines to actually meet the Slayer of Death in person. A stoic man Cheveyo, usually retains a calm levelheaded demeanor. It is in combat that his personality changes becoming emotional and relentless yet still retaining enough composure to command his troops properly. His battle name Thunder Voice still remains true to this day as any command or insult he hurls in combat can be clearly heard even amongst the sounds of heavy fire or bombardment.

First Coyote Nahele Aditsan
Before his death Nadhele Aditsan was regarded as a font of wisdom throughout the chapter. Though he was a seasoned veteran with a record decorated with several victories, Aditsan preferred to be on Algonquin telling stories to the younger marines and teaching new Coyotes on how to master their psyker skills. Even after his death many Marines still claim to see him in their dreams and visions teaching them on how to improve themselves or providing cryptic warnings about the future.

Bodaway Geronimo (Wild Bronco)
Current Chief of the Charging Stallions, known for using risky maneuvers to win battles. Best known for ramming his assault bike into a Ork Warboss and pushing him off a cliff, jumping off at the last minute.

Mandan Cochise (Red Foot)
Great Brother of the Screaming Eagles Mandan received his Battle Name after his drop pod was severely damaged as it was attempting to make planet fall against an Ork army in the Battle of Cursan. The damaged pod landed deep into enemy lines an unfortunately Mandan was the only one to survive the crash. Scavenging what he could he made a trek to the intended drop site an outpost that was under siege by Ork forces. Mandan came upon some gretchin carrying supplies into a thick forest and began to stalk them. The hunt was difficult as the gretchin could easily slip though the thick foliage, and Mandan was unfortunately a Battle Brother who did not receive the beneficial mutation of his gene seed. Eventually, the tracked the greenskins to their campsite. There an Ork Mekboy was constructing a large metal pylon on top of a massive wartruck. Remaining out of sight, Cochise eavesdropped on the orks learning it was something called a "Re'lly Big Shokka", and that when the warboss gave the signal they would fire at the outpost giving the humans "a propa fryin". Seeing that the campsite only had minimal defenses Cochise engaged the xenos, though it was a brutal fight the marine over came them all continuously moving and firing from his bow bolter so the Orks could not pin down his position. After destroying the mechanical monstrosity, Mandan finally made his way to the outpost 2 days later seeing it had overcome the assault as the orks did not receive support from their electrical artillery. After the Marine retold his tale handing the head of the Mekboy over as proof he was given the Battle Name Red Foot since his boots were caked in blood soaked mud and dirt.

Sasquatch
The oldest Lone Wolf in the chapter having suffered from the second stage for over 300 years and the veteran of numerous battles, were it not for his condition he would have been made Chief of a company long ago. The marine's real name and Battle Name are no longer used by the chapter, but to be fair Sasquatch does not remember them anymore due to the curse so he only goes by his new moniker. An anomaly among other Lone Wolves, for while others will release bestial roars and curses while they are engaged in combat, Sasquatch remains silent letting his weapons speak for him. Imperial Gaurdsman have noted seeing the marine for brief moments during combat swiftly disappearing into the terrain only to hear bolter fire and the screams of enemies moments later. While Sasquatch has been placed in service of several different companies over his career none of the Chiefs assigned over him are given the codes to detonate his tracker, only Cheveyo Manitou can active the explosives due to the Sasquatch's years of loyal service. Regardless of his condition, the Chapter Master sees no reason to activate the fail safe anytime soon.

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Chapter Fleet
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The Sky Talon
Cheveyo Manitou’s personal Power Tomahawk, incredibly powerful and has the unique ability to that if it is thrown it will divert its path midflight to strike a target marked by the Chapter Master.

The Prison of Nakar
A Warp Catcher so powerful it was able absorb and seal a greater Bloodletter daemon, it is currently housed in the chapter’s reliquary vault in a chest covered in binding and purity seals.

Silent Death
A special Bow Bolter once used by a former Chief of the Swift Foxes company, commissioned after the Astartes received a vision where a long dead battle brother warned him of his death at the hands of a Tyranid Broodlord but also told him how to defeat it. The Chief set out to collect the fangs and venom glands of an unusually large Death's Head Rattler a dangerous snake native to the Desert of Clear Sky. After nearly week of non stop tracking in the harsh environment the he found and slew the snake using its components to forge this weapon. When the marine finally came face to face with his mortal foe he was able to overcome it using arrows poisoned with the serpents venom. Even though the venom glands were spent long ago any bolts fired from this weapon still apply the creatures deadly venom to opponents.

Chapter Colours
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Chapter Badge
The badge of the Iron Bison chapter is the head of a Titan Bison the native buffalo species of Algonquin.

Allies:
The Iron Bison chapter will call any loyalist marine chapter that can prove their worth in battle as allies. They do not however, enjoy the company of those marine chapters that are quick to cause unnecessary casualties to the innocent or collateral damage to a planets environment when it is not needed. The chapter is well aware that Exterminatus is necessary at times but those who wield that power carelessly are looked down upon, especially when a planet is capable of being cleansed and healed, for destruction of all life is a Necron tactic, and the Iron Bison have a saying “ Wary be those who tread the path of oblivion lest they be consumed by oblivion themselves”

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Necrons
The Iron Bison have been intertwined with the Necrons before their chapters founding. To the chapter they are the penultimate foe threatening to tip the balance of the material realm and consume all of existence into the void of nothingness.

Chaos
The forces of chaos are the second greatest foe of the chapter next to the necrons. This is primarly due to the current conflict with the Withered Hands, but also how forces of chaos pervert the natural order to suit their needs.

Eldar
The hatred for the Eldar has reduced since the first contact with the race. After subsequent encounters with the Necrons the chapter understands why the Eldar took the measures they did, relating it to destroying part of a forest to prevent a fire from spreading. While the chapter does have a better tolerance for the race, old wounds can quickly reopen, and it is not unheard of for more savage members to attack the Eldar on sight with the rest of the company following suit.

Notable Quotes
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