Sun Serpents

"Our faith makes us strong, but our hate gives us purpose."

- Eztli Momoztli Master of Sanctity and Lord of Sacrifice of the Sun Serpents

The Sun Serpents are a mighty and fierce Successor Chapter that was created during the ill-fated 21st Founding, the so-called 'Cursed Founding'. Supposedly the Chapter was created from the lineage of the ancient and noble Salamanders. Conflicting accounts of their true origins make it difficult to sort fact from fiction, as there are numerous apocyprhal tales of the Sun Serpents having appeared far earlier in Imperial history than when they first officially appeared in Imperial records, during the Age of Apostatsy in M36.

Chapter History
The exact origins of the ferocious Sun Serpents Chapter is difficult to pinpoint, although extant recordes possibly indicate conflicting accounts of them having first appeared as early as 831.M33, during The Year of Ghosts, although the veracity of such claims have not been substantiated. The first true mention of the Sun Serpents Chapter was during the dark days of the Age of Apostasy, however there are many fragmented texts that make mention of a similar force. These documents are, however, mired in allegory and myth containing tales talking of ' Serpents from Hounds '. In fact, the most complete record of these strange times is spectacularly vague:

' ''..sons cast aside [missing] the twelfth roar, despising the renegade, they burn all traces, worlds devoured by hatred. [missing] The renegade soldier approaches the 'Fire-Borne' seeing his light as if a sun. One-Reed made home by the [missing] great serpent's rise, the returned solider sleeps in his sun-kissed home waiting for his god. [missing] awakens to a broken kingdom, his gods work broken, 'Fire-Born' no longer lights the way. [missing] and serpents shine again, the sun of their conviction [missing].'' '

As demonstrated by this text, solid information on the Sun Serpents past is rare, contradictory and often in the form of metaphorical fables that may not even pertain to the Serpents themselves. For those Administratum savants more interested in the cold unbending facts, the earliest mention of the Sun Serpents was the battle for the Shrine World Macedonia IV. It was during this battle the true ferocity of the children of Ce Acatl was shown as their defence of the world brought them into conflict with their ancient nemesis; the bloody-handed traitors of the XII Legion – the murderously insane World Eaters. Though the fighting was fierce and many honoured battle-brothers died, the forces of the God-Emperor were triumphant, and the World Eaters were annihilated. Unfortunately for the Serpents, during the Age of Apostasy the Imperium of Man was ruled over by a fanatical madman. Zealotry and religious slaughter wracked the Imperium on a truly cataclysmic scale, and so, as the exhausted Sun Serpents returned to their waiting ships, the mad Cardinal who ruled over Macedonia IV saw them, and branded them as unholy mutants. He ordered his large host of Frateris Templars to destroy their saviours in the name of Emperor.

When the strike cruiser orbiting the planet heard of the betrayal and slaughter of their brothers by those they had saved, they were insensate. The sent a single message to the Chapter Caster. The cruiser then quietly slipped out of orbit before the planetary guns could be turned upon it. They would not be gone long, however. After mere months of celebrating their destruction of the 'heretical abominations', the skies of Macedonia IV were soon filled with uncountable numbers of ships. In response to the message informing him of the betrayal, the Chapter Master of the time had mustered every single battle-brother to enact their revenge on those who had massacred their brothers. Like avatars of divine vengeance the Sun Serpents descended on the planet, unfathomable fury burning in their hearts.

When they landed, they did so with the intent to simply annihilate the cardinal and Frateris Templars that had betrayed them, what they found however, turned their controlled, yet burning anger into an uncontrollable maelstrom of hatred. The entire population of the planet, mired as they were in the mad teachings of the insane Goge Vandire, were celebrating their slaughter of the 'demons hidden amongst men' as well as making their sacrifices further meaningless by claiming that they themselves destroyed the 'blood-gorged traitors'. Such open contempt for the sacrifices of the betrayed battle-brothers drove the Sun Serpents into such a murderous frenzy, that in a single night, the entire planet of Macedonia IV was reduced to a lifeless carnage-ridden husk. Every single priest, Templar and savant was completely annihilated and the world itself burned in the cleansing fires of Exterminatus.

With their vengeance now fulfilled the Sun Serpents took stock of the state of the Imperium. Under the tyrannical lunacy of the insane High Lord Goge Vandire, the domain of man had descended into an orgy of brutal witch-hunts and deranged self-flagellation. The Chapter saw the madness that gripped the Imperium and the beacon of hope for humanity's survival that Sebastian Thor and his Confederation of Light represented, and so, with these stark facts the Sun Serpents threw themselves into the heaviest fighting, destroying all that the mad Vandire used to continue his oppressive tyranny and oppose the Confederation of Light.

As history shows, however, it was not the forces of the Confederation that laid low the lunatic High Lord, Goge Vandire was undone from within, by his own personal bodyguards - the so-called 'Brides of the Emperor' - who were convinced of their leader's heresy and falseness, executed their raving lord and ending his psychotic reign. In the wake of the Age of Apostasy and the Thorian Reformation, the children of Ce Acatl were honoured for their sacrifices and the great tragedy that thrust them into the war against Vandire; the world of Macedonia IV, having been long left lifeless since the Sun Serpents' scourged all life from its surface, was turned into a monument to all those Serpents killed by the lunatic High Lord's actions.

The Primaris
Though they are widely distrusted amongst the Sun Serpents due to the Ultramarines' influences in their training and indoctrination the Primaris Space Marines that were created based off the children of Ce Acatl's gene-seed (in a moment of supreme smugness, Bellisarius Cawl pointed out to Roboute Guilliman that these primaris weren't technically made from a traitor's gene-seed) are sorely needed reinforcements after the fall and retreat from Cadia. Though these newer members of the Chapter are still somewhat leary of the more tribalistic aspects of their new Chapter, the Primaris Space Marines sent to Ce Acatl fight the enemies of the Sky-Emperor with same awe-inspiring fury as the rest of the Sun Serpents.

Line Ranks

 * Tactical Marine - Average Battle-Brother.
 * Scout Marine - The position of a Scout Marine is an odd one in the Sun Serpents. While like most chapters they are the vanguard of a force, within the Chapter they are also regarded with worry, and occasionally, distrust. This is because, as they grapple with the gene-seed as it becomes acclimatised to them, the violence and bloodlust felt by these young brothers is truly terrible, thus as part of their training, they are subject to mental examinations to weed out the ones who are 'Of the Red'. Those who pass these examinations are equipped with close-combat weapons, shotguns and the like, for they are able to control their thirst for battle and unleash it when necessary. Those who fail are given sniper rifles, forced to stew in their fury until they can finally control it.

Specialist Formations

 * Midnight Wanderers - The so-called 'Midnight Wanderers' are some of the Chapter's most ancient warriors. Their role in the Chapter is akin to a tribal storyteller and history keeper. It is they, that are the ones who tell the tales of the Chapter to new recruits and old veterans alike, for while the chaplains indoctrinate them into the Sun Serpents' beliefs, the Midnight Wanderers are direct links to the Chapter's most ancient history.

Companies
Below are the companies that make up the Sun Serpents, as of 998.M41:


 * 12th 'Huitzilopochtli'Company: Chapter Master Ehecatle Citlali
 * 11th Company: Captain Yaotl Itotia
 * 10th 'Tzitzimime' Company: Chief Librarian Meztli Tlaloc
 * 9th 'Ixtlilton' Company: Master of the Apothecarion Patli Atl
 * 8th Company: Captain Covotl Eleuia
 * 7th Company: Chaplain Quauhtli Ihuicatl
 * 6th Company: Master of the Forge Toltecatle Xipil
 * 5th 'Tezcatlipoca' Company: Master of Sanctity Eztli Momoztli
 * 4th Company: Libarian Coaxoch Tlachinoli
 * 3rd Company: Chaplain MAnauia 'Guardian Endless Road'
 * 2nd Company: Captain Ihuitl Ohtli
 * 1st Company: Techmarine Amoxtili Cualli

Below are the companies that make up the Sun Serpents, as of 999.M41 (Post-formation of the Great Rift):


 * 13th 'Huitzilopochtli'Company: Chapter Master Ehecatle Citlali
 * 12th Company: Captain Chimalli Itotia (KIA; Company wiped out.)
 * 11th Company: Chief Librarian Meztli Tlaloc
 * 10th 'Tzitzimime' Company: Master of the Apothecarion Patli Atl (Interred in a Contemptor Dreadnought; Company took moderate casualties. Reduced to 80% manpower.)
 * 9th 'Ixtlilton' Company: Libarian Coaxoch Tlachinoli
 * 8th Company: Captain Covotl Yaotl (Company took heavy casualties; reduced to 40% manpower.)
 * 7th Company: Chaplain Quauhtli Ihuicatl (KIA; Company wiped out.)
 * 6th Company: Master of the Forge Toltecatle Xipil
 * 5th 'Tezcatlipoca' Company: Master of Sanctity Eztli Momoztli
 * 4th Company: Libarian Coaxoch Tlachinoli (KIA; Company wiped out.)
 * 3rd Company: Chaplain Mictlan Ueman 'Guardian of the Endless Road'
 * 2nd Company: Captain Ilhuitl Ohtli (KIA; Company wiped out.)
 * 1st Company: Techmarine Amoxtili Cualli (KIA; Company wiped out.)

Chapter Combat Doctrine
For all the Chapter's camaraderie and fellowship, whenever the clamour of combat reaches them, the Sun Serpents go from noble defenders of humanity to violent destroyers. The sheer feral savagery with which they attempt to obliterate their foes has led many savants of Imperial history to compare the children of Ce Acatl to the bloody handed madmen of the traitorous XII Legion. Such comparisons, however, are invariably made behind closed doors, for whilst the fury unleashed by the Sun Serpents against most foes of the Imperium is shocking, the sheer almost elemental levels of rage and violence unleashed against the World Eaters is a truly awe-inspiring sight.

The absolute unflinching loathing that the Sun Serpents and World Eaters share for one another and the cataclysmic levels of destruction they both inflict upon each other, has led many to believe their hatred is a deeply personal one, however (aside from the obvious betrayal of the Emperor and worship of the Dark Gods) there are no known reasons that the Sun Serpents would despise the the World Eaters to such murderous extent, just as it is unknown what brought such an immense gathering of World Eaters, including their fell champion Khârn the Betrayer, to invade the Sun Serpents homeworld and attempt to destroy them.

The hatred that these foes share has often been compared to the blood-soaked and bitter rivalry between the Space Wolves and Thousand Sons, and on the Sun Serpents part, is matched only by their fiercely violent loathing of the Tyranids who, like the World Eaters before them, invaded Ce Acatl and nearly eradicated the Sun Serpents.

Chapter Gene-Seed
The gene-seed of the Sun Serpents is an eternal source of bafflement to those charged with examining its purity and stability, for whilst all records state that the progenitors of the Chapter are the Salamanders, every single tithe sent by the Children of Ce Acatl bears no resemblance to their supposed parent Chapter. While stable, the Serpents' gene-seed does bear several relatively minor (though admittedly rather obvious) mutations; in a manner similar to the Space Wolves and Black Dragons Chapters, the canine teeth of the Sun Serpents grows into long fangs, however, unlike the two aforementioned Chapters, the Sun Serpents' fangs produce a harsh venom that can floor a man within minutes. As well as dangerously venomous fangs, the general features of a Ce Acatl Astartes tend to be flatter and more serpentine giving them an air of cold cunning.

Interestingly, as certain Sun Serpents age, they lose their hair and grow a strange fleshy crest, similar to ones found on lizards. This extremely obvious mutation has occasionally strained the tolerance of the the Inquisition, however, as the it is extremely rare and (unlike their close allies in the Black Dragons) the Sun Serpents do not attempt to encourage this mutation in their gene-seed. Of note, however, is that the Sun Serpents' gene-seed overstimulates and engorges the adrenal glands, leading to increased adrenaline production. Some adepts appear to believe that this mutation may be a indicator to their actual heritage, however, no loyalist chapters appear to share this particular mutation.

Chapter Beliefs
Despite their...fraught relationship with a large swathe of the wider Imperium, the Sun Serpents are deeply devoted to the protection of its citizens, despite their almost compulsive desire to absolutely annihilate the enemy in combat the Sun Serpents take to the defence of the civilians in campaigns with relish especially because of their adherence to several of the tenets of the Promethean Creed espoused by their (supposed) progenitors; the Salamanders.

Anyone that the Serpents see harming or otherwise needlessly endangering those under their protection as the lowest scum often leading to them coming to blows with other less dis"cerning chapters. Curiously enough this contempt for those who have massacred the defenceless subjects of the God-Emperor does not seem to stretch to the savage Flesh Tearers. In fact, the two chapters are incredibly close allies. Upon learning of the battle, later known as Honour's End, the newly promoted Chapter Master of the Sun Serpents, Ehecatl Citlali, was reported to have said to Gabriel Seth, "Lord Seth, the deaths of those innocents lies not at your feet, for the doom that afflicts your brothers is not of your making. You did not seek to slaughter them with malice in your heart. You are a true Astartes and I am proud to serve alongside you."

Deathwatch Service
Before the Second Battle for Ce Acatl (later known as New Devouring to the Serpents) service in the Deathwatch was seen as a punishment, fit for those Space Marines of ill-temperament and murderous hatred - those whose control of their bloodlust was lacking and who would readily sacrifice innocents for their own glory. After the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Asura ravaged their homeworld however, performing the Long Vigil with the Deathwatch was seen as one of the highest honours imaginable. Soon some of the Chapter's most ancient and mighty warriors were being sent to the watch-fortress to serve with the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos. Perhaps the Chapter's most notable member to take the Apocryphon Oath was Eztli Momoztli, the Master of Sanctity, and the oldest and most venerable member not interred within a Dreadnought. In an act that shocked many within the Sun Serpents, and indeed the Deatwatch itself, he willing volunteered to served the Long Vigil. Upon his arrival to the Watch-Fortress Cortez, the Lord of Sacrifice seconded his position to Nextlahuall, Chaplain of Ehecatl Citlali's Company.

Notable Sun Serpents

 * Lord Tlacaelel, 'the Devourer '  - Firstborn of Ce Acatl, First Chapter Master of the Sun Serpents and Celestial King from the Loyal Renegade. Wears master-crafted, artificer-wrought golden Mark IV battle-plate which makes him look like a living golden statue. In battle, he utilised a formidable Guardian Spear, gifted to him by Captain-General Constantin Valdor himself.
 * Lord Ehecatle Citlali - Ehecatl Citlali the Young King, Dawn Fang and Lord of the 13th Company, is the current Chapter Master of the Sun Serpents.
 * Reclusiarch Eztili Momoztli - Master of Sanctity, Lord of Sacrifice for the Sun Serpents and most venerable of the Dusk Priests.
 * Toltecatl Xipil, the Steel Artist - Master of the Forge and commander of the 6th Company, in battle he rides his mighty steed, the cybernetically-enhanced Ankylosaurus named Chimalli.
 * Captain Patli Atl - Before the Fall of Cadia Patli Atl served as commander of the Sun Serpents 'Ixtlilton' 10th Company and Master of the Apothecarian. During the defence of the Cadian city Kasr Saar, Lord Patli suffered horrific wounds when he and his company met Kharn the Betrayer and his Butcherhorde in battle. Upon the Chapter's return to Ce Acatl, Patli was interred in the shell of a mighty Contemptor Dreadnought. His fury for those who would harm his battle-brothers burned to new heights. Soon legends sprang up among the children of Ce Acatl saying that the former Master of the Apothecarian had been reborn as burning avatar of the Sky-Emperor's wrath against those who would harm his chosen warriors.
 * Captain Coyotl Yaotl, He who Watches the Horizon - Captain of the Sun Serpents' 'Xochitl' 8th Company. The massive blade he wields, known as Devourer's Fall, was created by using a bone sword taken from a defeated Tyranid Prime, killed during the Battle for Ce Acatl. During Coyotl's battle with the creature, the Eviscerator he wielded had it's blade destroyed, but because of the desperate situation the Serpents were in (and the fact that at the time Coyotl was merely the highest ranking member of the company given that his prior company commander had been torn to shreds by a pack of lictors) the 8th Company Techmarine essentially grafted the captured bone sword's blade onto the haft of the former chainsword, and transformed the motor into something of a crude energy emitter, imbuing the already fearsome strength of the bone sword with blistering and crackling power.
 * Captain Tezcacoatl Tlilpotonqui, The Last Shadow Never Seen - Current Lord of the 7th Company.
 * Captain Mictlan Ueman, Guardian of the Endless Road to the Sun - Commander of the Sun Serpents' 3rd Company and He that Walks with Death. It is Mictlan's and his company that is charged with the sacred duty of defending the Sun Serpents' burial grounds, 'the Endless Road to the Sun', and he was who guarded these holy grounds from the murderous hordes of Hive Fleet Asura, even when a trio of tyranid primes used their lash whips to flense the skin from his body he fought on.
 * Captain Mahuizoh Necalli - Current Lord of the Sun Serpent's 2nd Company, the Obsidian Shield and Custodian of Ce Acatl, Nucalli is a giant, even amongst the towering warriors of the Space Marines. Mahuizoh has been charged with defending the Sun Serpent's homeworld from the innumerable foes of mankind, and though these hateful enemies has assaulted Ce Acatl again and again never has the Lord of the 2nd Company given up, for his is a most sacred duty and his beloved chapter depends on him. In battle, he is surrounded by his ever-faithful and deadly Otomi, who are cladin formidable Tartaros Terminator Armour and wield a pair of deadly lightning claws. He sometimes rides into battle aboard his personal land raider Dawn Shield.
 * Captain Iccauhtli Coatl and Librarian Tonauac Mecatl - Lords of the 6th Company, of all the Primaris Space Marines sent to the Sun Serpents these two warriors have integrated the most seamlessly. Now, it is as though they have known only one homeworld, for the teachings of Ce Acatl are now fully engrained in these two.
 * Chaplain Nextlahuall, Master of the Red Path - Chaplain of the Sun Serpents 13th Company and Master of the Red Path, he is known only as Nextlahuall - named after the grim ritual he practises by the command of his Chapter Master and Master of Sanctity. Nextlahuall bears the bone-shattering weapon known as the Bloodmoon Maul, said to have been crafted from a fragment of the comet known as the Twin-Tailed Wrath Star said to herald bloody vengeance.
 * Chaplain Ahuliztli Eleuia, The Jungle's Wrath - Ahuliztli Eleuia, the Jungle's Wrath and Bearer of the Thorn-Spear, is the current Chaplain of the 2nd Company.
 * Chief Librarian Meztli Tlaloc - Star-Reader and Master of the 11th 'Tzitzimime' Company, Meztli Tlaloc is a librarian of truly prodigious strength. As Chief Librarian he is rightfully feared by the enemies of the children of Ce Acatl, as his mighty steed thunders through the battlefield like a great mountain of iron-hard bone and primeval fury, Meztli harnesses the forces of the Immaterium, summoning great flaming meteors of psychic energy to decimate his foes.
 * Crimson Sunset - Among the astartes of the Sun Serpents none of more feared for the sheer frenzied, blood-crazed slaughter that they bring to the battlefield than the warrior known only as the Crimson Sunset. A figure of shame and fury this space marines committed crimes so heinous that he was stripped of his name, history and right to belong to any of the Sun Serpent’s 12 companies. Even outside in wider imperium the children of Ce Acatl refuse to acknowledge him as a brother. Having taken a Vow of Blood the Crimson Sunset must either die or bring great and heroic slaughter to the enemy before he earns the right to become a Sun Serpent again. Though none but the Chapter's leaders know the manner of the Sunset's crimes (even then and only the Chapter Master, Master of Sanctity and Chief Librarian know the specifics and his prior identity) there are dark rumours that swirl around that bleak warrior as surely as the blood of the chapter's foes; rumours that say he, "Fell under the gaze of the Red Devourer and walks under the damned sun." Whatever the truth is, the Crimson Sunset is a warrior of truly terrifying power.
 * Tlachinolli Namacuix, the Dead King and Flames of Vengeance - One of the most ancient members of the Sun Serpents, Tlachinolli once served as the Chapter Master during the dark and terrible times of the Age of Apostasy, as Goge Vandire's madness ripped the Imperium apart, the Dead King (who, before his ascent to Chapter Master served as the Chaplain-Guardian of the Sun Serpent's burial ground) joined Sebastian Thor and his Confederation of Light, flinging themselves into the heaviest fighting, destroying all those who wanted to preserve the insane high lord. At the end of Vandire's Reign of Blood Tlachinolli's body was ravaged beyond the point of bionic reconstruction, so to preserve this mighty warrior the children of Ce Acatl placed his mauled body into the immense shell of a leviathan siege dreadnought, allowing him to battle for his beloved chapter for all eternity. However, the centuries have not been kind to the Dead King's mind, as the years have gone on the strain put on his mind by his leviathan sarcophagus has caused his mind to slip back into the times of the Reign of Blood, for he belives that once again he wages war on Vandire's Frateris Templar, though his mind is still aware of his current status as a dreadnought, his madness has mired him in the dark times of the Age of Apostasy.

Chapter Colours
The Sun Serpents primarily wear medium blue power armour. Their shoulder pauldron insets are orange in colour and the trim is bright yellow. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest guard is also bright yellow in colour. It is not known how they identify squad or company designations. The Chapter's armour displays the typical aesthetics and complex heraldry of their homeworld that is a hallmark of the Sun Serpents. Battle-Brothers of the Chapter are also known to decorate their armour with so-called 'Dawn Marks' on various parts of their battle-plate, although their exact meaning is impenatrable to outsiders. Senior members are also known to wear elaborate feathered head dresses on their helmets to denote their seniority as well as bone fetishes of the various saurian creatures from their homeworld. Their culture believes that wearing the bones of a mighty creature enables the individual warrior to absorb their souls, thereby transferring their power, so that they will be all but unstoppable in battle.

Chapter Badge
The Sun Serpent's Chapter icon is a black coloured, stylised rendition of a Ce Actatl saurian creature's head, centered upon a field of orange.

Chapter Armoury
The Sun Serpents are a curiously well-armed for a relatively young chapter. Deep within their city/fortress-Monastery are vaults that contain the means to produce older marks of Power Arrmour, including the formidable Mark III 'Iron' and Mark IV 'Maximus' patterns. More surprisingly, however, amongst their armoury are truly ancient and deadly wargear including deadly suits of relic Cataphractii and Tartaros pattern Terminator Armour, a large host of Contemptor Dreadnought sarcophagi and, perhaps most awe-inspiring of all - a trio of legendary Fellblade Super-Heavy tanks often seen as icons of the Sky-Emperors almighty wrath.

As well as all this ancient heresy and pre-heresy era wargear, there are several patterns of weaponry that are unique to the children of Ce Acatl. Perhaps most famous of all being their complete and utter lack of any sort of attack bikes, for as Chapter Master Ehecatl Citlali has said, "Why wait for the martians to finish those rickety old things when we have predators that are just as fast, infinitely more dangerous and right on our doorstep?" Instead, the Sun Serpents make use of the titanic saurians that they share their homeworld with as living mounts. As well as using them instead of bikes, the Serpents also mount Thunderfire Cannons on the massive backs of the lumbering armoured beasts known as Ankylosaurus.

Including the use of saurians, the Sun Serpents have their own pattern of close-combat weaponry known as ' Macuahuitl ' pattern weapons which, while taking the form of multiple types of armaments - from axes, to swords and halberdesque polearms to name a few - they all share the same with which they are created; using the metallic material native only to the Mendoza System known as Obsiditite. The Macuahuitl pattern weapons have savage teeth which are brutally efficient at ripping and tearing through the foes of the Sun Serpents.

Interestingly, each Macuahuitl weapon is unique, as part of the Sun Serpents' beliefs, each weapon and piece of armour wielded by every individual battle-brother is seen as an extension of themselves to be cared for and improved at their own discretion, as part of their maturation through the ranks of the Chapter. An example of this is the ceremony of the Newest Light. When Scout Marines are promoted, they are taken back to Ce Acatl and taken to the sacred shores known as the Endless Road to the Sun, where fallen Sun Serpents are taken for burial. Once these former neophytes arrive they undergo a ceremony where they must bury their weapons and, in effect, ritually bury their pasts, for now they are full Sun Serpents. Once they have buried their former weaponry, they are taken to the forge-vaults to be re-armed with new weapons befitting of their new rank.

Vehicles of Note

 * Quetzalcoatl - A Fellblade Super-Heavy Tank of the Sun Serpents' 13th Company, Quetzalcoatl, knonw as the 'the Wrath of the Sky-Emperor made Manifest' and 'Sun-Flame' is the most scared and ancient relic of the children of Ce Acatl. This relic tank has become a symbol of great victory, for whenever the Quetzalcoatl rides, the enemies of the Imperium will fall.

Chapter Relics

 * The Skyward Spear - Usually the creation of a Chapter Master's Macuahuitl pattern weapons is allowed only during their promotion ritual however, with Ehecatl there were...unique circumstances. As the only man ever to tame one of the mighty Eodraco-Rex that roam the equatorial jungles of Ce Acatl - Xiuhcoatl. At the time of Ehecatl's ascension to Chapter Master his companion had reached such an immense size that absolutely none of the weapons he created were large enough to even reach most foes (aside from larger ones such as greater demons or Tyranid monsters) and so, this new weapon was created. A devastating instrument of war, The Skyward Spear ' s length allows its savage shredding edges to reach all foes and unleash the Sky-Emperor's wrath upon them.
 * Piranha Maw - As a Chapter that is well-renowned for their savagery and vicious skill in close-quarters combat, the Sun Serpents naturally pride themselves on the devastating power of their weapons; thus it should come as little surprise that Ehecatl Citlali wields possibly the finest example of a Macuahuitl pattern sword. Edged with obsidian blades shaped into vicious facsimiles of the notoriously savage swarm-predators that lurk in the many winding rivers of Ce Acatl, thanks to their wickedly sharp curves these harsh razor-edges can turn even the most superficial of nicks into fatal blood-gushing rends.
 * Jaguar's Talon - The Jaguar Talon is truly worthy of its title, for like the animal it is named after, any wounds caused by this blade are terrifyingly clean and any armour is akin to smoke, for this fell weapon can cleave through all foes, rending them apart as if though they were nothing. Each blade is drenched with the blood of the innumerable foes they have carved through; from hive tyrants, to daemon princes, to ork warlords all have fallen to the Jaguar's Talon.
 * Sunhide Shield - Bound with the skin of an immense creature said to be an avatar of the Emperor's Divine Wrath, the scales of the shield blaze with the fury of the sun, scorching all those who would attempt to harm Ehecatl, melting their weapons and searing their flesh.
 * Feathered Crown - On the world of Ce Acatl there are legends of a mighty winged serpent - a manifestation of the Sky-Emperor as a bringer of victory that roams the skies searching for the enemies of mankind. This creature is named Quetzalcoatl (which is the namesake of the Sun Serpents' most sacred relic, the mightiest relic Fellblade super-heavy tank of the Chapter). In honour of this, Ehecatl constructed the Feathered Crown to show his devotion to the Emperor. The brilliant feathers that cover the helmet are said to much like the scales that cover the Sunhide Shield, to come from this legendary avatar of the Emperor's wrath, giving the Feathered Crown a regal aura of undeniable command. The inner-workings of the Feathered Crown are spectacularly advanced, displaying all manner of battfield data for Ehecatl allowing him to quickly assess the tides of battle.
 * Celestial Panoply - This master-crafted, artificer-wrought battle-plate is an ornate suit of Mark IV 'Maximus' pattern power armour. It is decorated in the totems and fetishes of Ce Acatl and patterned with the so-called 'dawn marks'. It is also said that the Celestial Panoply imbues the wearer with the burning vigour of the stars.

Chapter Relations
Despite their unflagging zeal and commitment to their duty as Astartes the Sun Serpent's interactions with the fraught distrust and fear. For reasons unknown barring the Salamanders (from who they supposedly descend) the first founding chapters appear to hold the children of Ce Acatl in some measure of wariness and in some cases (the Blood Angels and Ultramarines in particular) hostility, why these ancient chapters would all show dislike for a single, relatively young chapter is a mystery that many imperial historians have attempted to unravel over the millennia.

One of the more popular theories is that along with the astonishingly savage and violent manner in which they wage war the chapters that Sun Serpents call allies (many of whom have managed to garner dark reputations of their own) are the source of mistrust, for indeed whilst the Sun Serpents are proud and stalwart (if slightly overzealous) in their protection of the Imperium, those they count among their friends are often more well known for their fell character; the Black Dragons, Abyssal Jaws and perhaps most terrible of all the viciously berserk Flesh Tearers. With such infamous chapters associated with them it is seen as little wonder that despite their best efforts, the Sun Serpents are still regarded with suspicion.

Whilst their allies garner them little support among the wider Imperium the Sun Serpents penchant for making powerful enemies does them little favours. Perhaps their most vehement foes are the ancient Blood Angels and the bloody-handed Minotaurs. For reasons unknown the chapter master of the Sun Serpents; Ehecatl Citlali holds a particularly intense loathing and disgust for Mesphiston of the Blood Angels for whilst the Sons of Sanguinius are authorised to rest and resupply in the Mendoza System (the demesne of the Sun Serpents) the Lord of Death is unilaterally banned from ever entering the system, lest the children of Ce Acatl attempt to kill him.

Allies

 * Black Dragons


 * Flesh Tearers

Enemies

 * Blood Angels


 * Ultramarines


 * Minotaurs


 * Tyranids


 * Orks

By the Sun Serpents
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About the Sun Serpents
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Trivia
I cannot take credit for this one, for this wonderful Aztec-themed Chapter is the brainchild of Isaac OgunboroBacon (aka 'Glorious Mongoose'). His chapter was also featured on youtube's WH40K Theories' "Homebrew of the Week, Ep. 82," which you can watch below. For more information and pics of some of his excellent miniatures that he is currently working on, please be sure to visit his blog, the Return of the Mongoose.