Iron Dragons

"Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking!"

- Pyre Warden Phaestos Vry'kir

The Iron Dragons are one of the Loyalist Space Marine Chapters created during the 5th Founding , which occurred sometime in the second century in M33. Due to their similar heraldry, chthonic traditions, beliefs and practices, the Iron Dragons are suspected to have been created from the lineage of the venerable Salamanders of Nocturne. They are also well known for their similar humane treatment and concern for the lives of innocent citizens of the Imperium as their supposed Progenitors. Almost nothing else is known about this Chapter in official Imperial records other than that they have continuously stood firm in their beliefs, as paragons of strength, honour and resolution in accordance to the legacy of their Primarch.

Chapter History
"We will not settle this by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood!"

- Irondrake Sergeant Karnis Zu'ul

The origins of the Iron Dragons harken back to the second century of the 33rd Millennium. They believe they are one of a handful of supposed Successor Chapters of the venerable and heroic Salamanders. Since their inception the Iron Dragons have continued to foster the belief that their gene-seed is indeed linked back to ' The Promethean Fire ' himself, the great Primarch Vulkan. The Chapter takes extreme pride in their genetic inheritance despite the fact their supposed Progenitors have never formally acknowledged them as such. This does not bother them in the least as they have continued to practice the tenets of their genetic forebear's Promethean Cult, conducting themselves honourably as any true Son of Vulkan would.

Chapter Home World
Drakonis

Officer Ranks

 * Fire Lord - Chapter Master equivalent.
 * Lord Arcanist - Chief Librarian equivalent.
 * Arcanist - Librarian equivalent.
 * High Warden - Reclusiarch equivalent.
 * Pyre Warden - Chaplain equivalent.
 * Forge Master - Master of the Forge equivalent.
 * Forge Wright - Techmarine equivalent.
 * Irondrake Champion - Chapter or Company Champion equivalent.

Specialist Formations

 * Irondrakes - The Irondrakes are those veteran warrior elite of the Iron Dragons. To be granted this exalted status, mere skill-at-arms is not enough alone, as a warrior must prove to possess faultless bravery and just as importantly, faultless self-control.
 * Storm Proven - These are the Chapter's elite breacher assault elements who specialise in ship-borne and 'forlorn hope' objective assaults. They often deploy at the spearhead of any attack, or as the core of any defensive line. Given this onerous duty, it is a position of honour to be chosen to fight among their ranks in the Chapter. Induction is only granted after a gruelling series of trials which culminates with the hunting of one of Drakonis' legendary saurians and the forging of a shield incorporating the beast's resilient scales and iron hard bones.
 * Pyroclasts - A bygone specialist position formerly used by the XVIII Legion of old during the Great Crusade and the dark days of the Horus Heresy. The Iron Dragons have continued this tradition of utilising these elite devastator marines who specialise in the use of extremely powerful thermal and incendiary weaponry devised by their Chapter's master artificers.
 * Drake Shields - Selected from amongst the finest warriors and craftsmen of their companies have to offer, these Terminator armoured elite serve as the personal bodyguards of the Chapter's company commanders. These indomitable fighters stand as the embodiment of the principles of the Promethean Cult, having invariably won many honours which are then engraved and crafted onto their finely wrought, master-crafted suits of Terminator Armour. These Chapter relics are eventually passed down to their elite descendants who continue to honour their ancestors by adding additional ornamentation and decoration to celebrate their victories.

Chapter Gene-Seed
The Iron Dragons' gene-seed appears to be both stable and as yet uncorrupted. The also possess the more notable physical mutations similar in appearance to the Salamanders which is also part of what gives rise to the suspicion of that this venerable chapter are the Iron Dragons' Progenitors. This variant in their gene-seed, however is a much-remarked "ember-like" bioluminescence to their eyes and a tendency for skin pigmentation to permanently darken in response to prolonged exposure to high levels of potentially harmful radiation as part of their biological defence mechanism, often adopting an unnatural granite-like or obsidian quality with sufficient exposure.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
The tactical doctrine of the Iron Dragons uses close-quarters combat, shock tactics, and focused force to obliterate their foes. The Dragons deploy as line troops, unleashing their strength where it is the most thickest.

The Iron Dragons tend to use a greater number of plasma and melta weapons to burn their foes, blasting through the enemy and frying whole swaths of infantry. Also the emphasis on craftsmanship on Crystallos means the Iron Dragons can create and maintain a significant number of advanced technologies and the Chapter has access to a great many suits of Terminator and Artificer Armor, Thunder Hammers and Master-Crafted weapons, made possible by their skill at artifice and their rich mineral resources, and it is this capability that gives the Dragons a great deal of trading power with the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Chapter Recruitment
Though the Iron Dragons still draw many recruits from their home world of Darkonis, though they typically draw the majority of their recruits from a variety of different Imperial planets, mainly from the two forge moons located adjacent to their Chapter home world. Representatives of the Iron Dragons visit each recruiting world once within a normal human's lifetime. Initiates are chosen through a bi-annual process of the strongest juveniles from the population.

Each Aspirant is thoroughly screened, his past becomes irrelevant. Once the recruit is accepted he will undergo the normal rites to become a Space Marine. However, should he fail, he will be made into an Intendant to carry out the labourious tasks of the Chapter.

Promethean Cult
Since their inception, the Iron Dragons have followed the tenets and ritual practices of the Promethean Cult. These are the teachings of the Primarch Vulkan first set down in written form and codified, becoming the formal body of doctrine that was actively promoted for the spirit of the XVIII Legion following the Primarch's reunification with his lost sons. Since that time those of Vulkan's get have continued to follow the tenets of this doctrine, whose core beliefs at the heart of this cult's ritual practices states that the Adeptus Astartes are living weapons, created in both physical and spiritual form to protect and liberate all of humanity. The Iron Dragons take to heart Vulkan's teachings of self-reliance, awareness, duty, loyalty, patience, self-sacrifice and, above all, self-discipline and endurance.

Like their genetic forebears, the Iron Dragons also practice similar trials of strength and endurance, for the Chapter's Pyre Chaplains espouse their forebear's beliefs that both determination and the ability to endure any hardship is another principle tenet to be rigorously adhered to, as taught by the Primarch himself. Often, battle-brothers will make use of ritual scarring or branding during training and relative times of peace, when there are a few quiet moments for self-reflection and mediation between campaigns. Though some detractors point out that these practices are both barbaric and border on superstitious idolatry contrary to the Imperial Faith, the Iron Drakes and other supposed Salamanders Successors have pointed out that the Promethean Cult has never promoted the worship of any gods, for its fundamental tenet is that it is Mankind's manifest destiny to inherent the known galaxy as their rightful domain. The Iron Dragons possess strong contempt for all those people of the Imperium that worship the Emperor of Mankind as a 'god', and on more than one occasion have refused to help the Inquisition or the Ecclesiarchy due to their zealous beliefs in the divinity of the 'God-Emperor'. This behaviour has given them many high-ranking enemies within the bureaucracy of the Adeptus Terra but also has developed a reputation for the Dragons of favouring steadfast justice and honesty. The Iron Dragons hold true to the memory of the Emperor's wishes that superstition and religion be cast aside by Mankind, though they continue to revere him as the paragon of what humanity should aspire to emulate.

Notable Iron Dragons

 * Fire Lord Zephon Sar'raph - First Chapter Master and patriarch of the Iron Dragons Chapter.
 * Fire Lord Tytus Xu'sia - Current Chapter Master of the Iron Dragons Chapter.
 * Lord Arcanist Pyr'rhos
 * Forge Wrought Ogun - Current Master of the Forge of the Iron Dragons Chapter.
 * High Warden Grannus - Current Reclusiarch and Master of the Faith.
 * Chief Apothecary Logi Iazo - Chief Apothecary of the Iron Dragons Chapter.
 * First Captain Alaz Ba'tyr
 * Irondrake Champion Cacus - Current Chapter Champion.

Chapter Relics

 * Flame of Light - Chain Weapons and Power Weapons are often deadly enough, especially in the hands of the Astartes, but Chapters sometimes modify these weapons to enhance their already impressive effects. One such modified device is known as Flame of Light. This device is an inverse heat sink, which uses the excess power generated by the motor of a chain blade or the charge core of a power weapon to project flame along its edge. When it strikes a target, there is a chance that the weapon will set the target on fire, causing additional damage.


 * Wyrm's Breath - Just as the Iron Dragons know well how to protect themselves from flame, so too are they adept at its use. Many Dragons alter their flamer with unique modifications and upgrades they have learned over a long career.One such modified Flamer has a reputation with the Captain of the 2nd Company.

Chapter Fleet
The vessels that can be confirmed to be in the Iron Dragons' fleet include:


 * Anvil of War (Unknown Battleship) -
 * Great Wyrm (Battle Barge) -
 * Steel Talons (Battle Barge) -
 * Red Reaper (Strike Cruiser) -
 * Sword of Wrath (Strike Cruiser) -
 * Claw (Strike Cruiser)  -
 * Ravage (Destroyer)  -

Chapter Appearance
Battle-Brothers of the Iron Dragons are known to display a variety of tattoos on their arms, chest, and face. This hints at the less than salubrious backgrounds these warriors may have had before their indoctrination into the Adeptus Astartes.

Physical Appearance
The Iron Dragons have long been suspected of being a Successor Chapter of the Salamanders due to their similar, larger-than-normal physiques and tendency to develop ebony skin due to a mutation in the DNA of the Chapter's Melanochrome organ, a flaw that is only known to effect the gene-seed of the Salamanders.

By the Iron Dragons
"Facta Non Verba!"

- (Deeds, Not Words!) Irondrake Chaplain

"Mors Antequam Ignominiam! Sanguis Eorum Fluat!"

- ('Death before dishonour! Let their blood flow!') Battle-cry of the Iron Dragons' 9th Company during their last stand before being wiped out by Hive Fleet Kraken