Iron Seraphs

The Iron Seraphs are a fleet-based Successor Chapter descended from the venerable Angels of Absolution, whom themselves are descended from the ancient and mysterious Dark Angels Chapter. This Chapter is comprised entirely of Primaris Space Marines, created during the most recent Ultima Founding. As a fleet-based Chapter, the Iron Seraphs are highly active at prosecuting the wars of the Imperium against the myriad of enemies of Mankind. Like their fellow Unforgiven Chapters, the Iron Seraphs are driven to prosecute the Dark Angels' secret war against The Fallen, and are more than willing to answer their progenitors' call to war in order to achieve their objectives.

Chapter History
The Iron Seraphs are an Ultima Founding, Fleet Based Chapter. This Chapter respects and venerates their Dark Angel heritage but finds themselves politically aligned with the Angels of Absolution, their parent chapter. The Chapter Master of the Iron Angels is Aurelis, an Angels of Absolution Captain, volunteered to cross the Rubicon Primaris and seconded to form the chapter. Like the Angels of Absolution, this Chapter believes the Dark Angels have atoned for their sins in the past. As part of the Unforgiven, the Iron Seraphs still respond to calls to hunt The Fallen — but see it as a method to punish their gene-sire's enemies rather than an opportunity for atonement or to seek repentance. Their 2nd Company reflects this belief in its organization, being tuned to hunt the fallen in stealthy kill-team sized squads up to full company deployments in the void. At a high level, the chapter prides itself on exemplary marksmanship and like most Dark Angel Successors, heavy use of plasma weapons.

Formation & Early History
The Iron Seraph's were created and organized at the close of the Indomitus Crusade to safeguard the Justicar Sub-Sector. At the behest of the Dark Angels, an Angels of Absolution captain was seconded to form the chapter. This Captain, Aurelis Thane, eagerly crossed the Rubicon Primaris and embraced his new position as Supreme Grand Master. One of the first records of the Chapters' history indicates some of the first Iron Seraph marines were deployed alongside a squad of Mentor Legion Marines.

This early deployment seems to have had a slight influence the chapters' culture, specifically in the treatment of Chapter Serfs and the integration of newer technologies into battlefield practice.

Notable Campaigns

 * Defense of Duvri (M.42) - An orbital engagement against an Ork force attempting to raid the wealthy feudal world of Duvri. Elements of the 1st and 3rd companies boarded Ork hulks and engaged the forces in brutal CQC, forcing the greenskin fleet to retreat. The Iron Seraphs were heralded across Duvri as lauded heroes.


 * Siegebreak of Voyn's Reach (M.42) - The Iron Seraphs 2nd Company broke a massive siege by the Archenemy on the Hive World of Voyn's Reach. Due to fluxuations in the Immaterium, the 2nd Company arrived before their bretheren and upon determining the status of the seige, immediately deployed from orbit to prevent capitulation.

Chapter Organisation
Like most of the Unforgiven, the Iron Seraphs follow the Dark Angels' pattern of organisation and are partially Codex Astartes-compliant.

The Iron Seraphs have formations similar to the elite Deathwing and the Ravenwing, although they are not named as such. Within the Iron Seraphs, the 1st Company is known as the Ironwing. The 2nd Company, is venerated as the Voidwing.

Ironwing
This company in particular relies on the Mechanicum's latest technology, deploying several advanced weapons including Hellblasters, Primaris grav-vehicles (Repulsors, Impulsors) and other technologies from the Adeptus Mechanicus's discoveries.

Voidwing
The 2nd Company, like the rest of the Iron Seraphs, is staffed completely Primaris marines. This company is secretly honed to hunt the Fallen across the Void. Ruthless in their organization, the Voidwing fight fast and silent across the Justicar sub-sector, defending the Imperium's interests and leaving only shattered hulks where they deploy. The Voidwing prefer the newer Phobos pattern armor but sometimes employ heavily shielded Aggressors from the 1st Company in Gravis armor for boarding actions. Voidwing armor is slightly different from the Ironwing, with their shoulders and backpacks taking on a dark blue-green hue, but the rest of the armor falls in pattern with the rest of the chapter. All Voidwing Infiltrators wear the Phobos-Corvus pattern helmets.

Inner Circle Practices
Like the Dark Angels, the Unforgiven Successor Chapters also have a clandestine group, known as the Inner Circle, that possess knowledge of the Fallen and of the true events that occurred on Caliban. The Iron Seraph's Inner Circle is known as the Awoken.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
Iron Seraph combat doctrine is fairly Codex compliant mid-engagement, but leading up combat the Iron Seraphs have honed their own style of fighting.

Full engagements are usually preceeded by surgical squad-sized strikes of the Voidwing to soften up the enemy. These rapid deployment teams disrupt and confuse the enemy, often coming in orbit, the flanks or from the rear. Once these forces are comitted and engaged, full force deployment occurs.

The Iron Seraphs rely heavily on their Repulsor & Repulsor Executioner firepower and are a true combined-arms Astartes force. Squads move in and with their Repulsors, treating them as mobile cover and firing platforms in large scale combat. In Urban situations, these tactics often shine when a squad of Hellblasters fans out from behind a Repulsor, causing dismay and confusion as firepower rapidly increases at street level.

The Voidwing, true to their name are masters of CQC ship combat. With weapons tuned to avoid hull depressurizations but still inflict significant damage, these teams move through ships quickly, often cutting through bulkheads and making a line towards the command hubs or bridges.

Chapter Culture & Beliefs
The Iron Angels are very close to their progenitor Chapter in both doctrine and temperament. Their teachings are similar with one minor divergence in regards to the Chapter's guilt concerning the Fallen.

The Iron Seraphs most closely follow the Angels of Absolution in doctrine and temperament. The slightly light-hearted nature of some of the Angels of Absolution also shines through in the Iron Seraphs. This has led to a better integration when fighting alongside other chapters but an alienation from some of the other Unforgiven chapters.

The Iron Seraphs believe the sins of their gene-fathers do not belong to them. Citing their Primaris stature, this chapter sees the actions of their Dark Angels forefathers in the Fall of Caliban as a mistake made by cousins, rather than by their own blood.

This Chapter fears no spiritual damnation from the inter-Legion war known as the Fall, but they do feel responsible for meting out the punishment upon the traitors as an act of repentance.

Chapter Serfs
Much like the Mentor Legion, the Iron Seraphs utilize heavily augmented Chapter Serfs in both fleet operations and ground combat. These humans serve a particular marine in groups of three to four, aiding to prepare and arm the marine as well as analyze battlefield situations from afar when the marine is deployed.

Recruiting Practices
The Iron Seraphs recruit primarily from several feudal worlds in the Justicar sub-sector, finding that the culture of Knighthood and Chivalry lends well to Battle Brothers who work alongside their squads and are prepared to serve for concepts greater than themselves. However, the Iron Seraphs will draw from populated post-industrial hive worlds when the fleet finds itself ranging further out than expected.

This has led to an interesting blend of cultures within the Iron Seraphs and a strengthening of bonds and tactics that can only be found when aspirants are recruited from different backgrounds.

Chapter Gene-Seed
As inheritors of the Dark Angels' gene-seed, the Iron Seraphs' genetic makeup is one of the purest and least degraded of all the Space Marines.

There are no known aberrations or deviations in the gene-seed, most imperfections being tuned out of existence by Belisarius Cawl during his Great Work.

The Iron Seraph's bond with the rest of the Unforigven is mixed at best. With their close ties to the Angels of Absolution, this puts a thin barrier between some of the more mainline or traditional Unforgiven chapters. The Iron Seraphs are less aloof than their brothers when it comes to working with other chapters, their time as Unnumbered Sons influencing how they work with brothers of differing gene-seeds.

With murmurs coming from the High Lords Holy Terra of 'Legion building' in Ultramar and now Legion building by the Dark Angels, the Iron Seraphs are surely one of the chapters scrutinized or encouraged, depending on the political views of the Dark Angel strength as a counterweight to the Ultramarines.

A Dark Nature Transitioning Into Dawn
As brothers of the Iron Seraphs move through the ranks, they are inducted into the Awoken and made aware to the dark secrets of the Dark Angel's past. There are varying levels of the Awoken and even side-paths through the nested rankings of this mysterious group. Certain information is held at lower levels that higher ranks may not even be aware of, if they have not followed the same rank path as their battle-brothers.

The Iron Seraphs overall demeanor is less dour than most Unforgiven and battle-brothers are known to crack a wry joke or even a chuckle from time to time. The banter is still grim and not as jubilant as the Space Wolves or White Scars, but there is less of a bleak darkness in this chapter than one might expect from a Dark Angels successor. Undoubtedly the Angels of Absolution have something to do with this.

Deathwatch Service
In their young history, the Iron Seraphs have had a single brother serve in the Deathwatch. Brother Cadus was selected after his heroic actions in orbit above Duvri.

Cadus served with distinction for a decade before he was killed in action against a tendril of Hive Fleet Karken that a battlegroup of Deathwatch engaged. His progenoid gland was unable to be extracted and no remains were sent back to the Chapter.

A somber memorial to Brother Cadus can be found in the Hall of Remembrance within the Divine Light and brothers who knew him often pay respects to the plinth.

Deathwatch Service is thus seen as an honor within the Iron Seraphs and many are hopeful for selection to avenge their brother and continue his legacy.

Notable Iron Seraph Space Marines

 * Supreme Grand Master Aurelis Thane of the Iron Seraphs -
 * Grand Master Oberon of the Ironwing -
 * Grand Master Hadrian of the Voidwing -

Chapter Colours
The Iron Seraphs borrow their colors heavily from their parent chapter and style themselves also after the Dark Angel 1st Company; embracing the weathered bone colours of the venerated 1st Company and distributing it across the entire chapter. Their shoulder armor is edged in dark green bandings. Their chest Aquila is gold but can be found trimmed in dark green as well.

Their company markings are worn on their right shoulder and right knee. Like the Angels of Absolution, they follow the traditional Dark Angel company marking structure, outside of their slightly divergent void company, the Voidwing.

The red squad specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support or Veteran -- is indicated on the right shoulder guard whilst the Chapter iconography is painted on the left shoulder guard. Squad designation is indicated by a black Low Gothic numeral stenciled in the centre of the squad specialty symbol.

The Voidwing look very similar to the rest of the Iron Seraphs, however their backpacks and shoulder armor are a dim green-blue, matched to the tinting of the void in the Justicar sub-sector.

Chapter Badge
The Iron Seraphs Chapter badge is a stylised blade wrapped in wings, pointing downwards. It is clad in iron, much like the Crux Terminatus of the Dark Angel's Deathwing.

Chapter Fleet
The Chapter fleet of the Iron Seraphs is known to contain the following starships:


 * Divine Light (Warspite-class Battle Barge) - Flagship and mobile Fortress Monastery of the Chapter, the Divine Light is a Warspite-class Battle Barge, of an unknown Forge World pattern. It is assumed that this vessel sat in drydock until the format of the Iron Seraphs, at which point the vessel was put into action. The exterior of this vessel is a glimmering iron with the cathedral communication towers and crenelations taking on the Iron Seraph's bone-white hue. Staffed and crewed by human chapter serfs, this command vessel and fortress monestary servers as the primary home of the Chapter. The interior of the Vessel is vast and sprawling with several large areas turned into forests and groves that reflect the hinting of a former home-world or memory of a different time and place.


 * Beast of the Forest (Mars-Class Battlecruiser) -


 * Lion's Fang Lunar-Class Cruiser) - Assault Format.


 * Heaven's Wrath (Lunar-Class Cruiser) - Carrier Format


 * Justice Real (Sword-Class Frigate) -


 * Heth 7-7-7 (Forge World Voss Pattern Dauntless-Class Light Cruiser) - Seconded to the Iron Seraphs.


 * Heth 7-7-8 (Forge World Voss Pattern Dauntless-Class Light Cruiser) - Seconded to the Iron Seraphs.

Chapter Relics
An Ultima Founding Chapter, the Iron Seraphs are too young to field any relics of their own. However, Chapter Master Aurelis, seconded from the Angels of Absolution wields a relic from his former chapter:


 * Confessor's Light - This treasured weapon is a relic inherited from the Angels of Absolution. It is a shoulder-mounted Plasma weapon with a high fire rate. It is prone to overheating, so it is deployed and used sparingly.

Unforgiven
The Dark Angels' Successor Chapters collectively call themselves the Unforgiven, for their own Inner Circles are fully aware of the ancient I Legion's checkered history and they, too, seek to absolve themselves of their ancient failure. Though it is a subtle distinction, the Iron Seraphs consider their own sins expunged by their forefathers' actions in the Fall of Caliban. Though the Angels of Absolution fear no damnation from the consequences of that Fall, they still consider themselves responsible for meting out the punishment upon the Traitors. As noted, each of the Unforgiven Chapters follows the Dark Angels tactical organisation almost exactly. The Unforgiven coordinate their actions, and it is not unknown for the Supreme Grand Masters of all the Chapters to gather for regular summit meetings on The Rock, often to discuss their progress in the hunt for the Fallen.

Fallen Angels
Like all Dark Angels Successor Chapters, the Iron Seraphs loathe those renegade Space Marines who were once members of the Dark Angels Legion that spat upon their oaths to the Lion and followed the Arch-Betrayer Luther into damnation. The Iron Seraphs relentlessly pursue the Fallen across the breadth and width of the galaxy, determined to capture them and force them to repent, in order to achieve forgiveness in the eyes of the Emperor. Feel free to add your own

About the Iron Seraphs
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"Honestly, we didn't hope. Not until we saw those Throne-Blessed Repulsor tanks dropping from orbit. I didn't even know they could do that! As long as I live, I'll never forget the cheers that went up among the men when we could make out what those comets actually were...seeing those colors still puts a lump in my throat.""

- Lieutenant Colonel Anton Flora, Voyn's Reach Planetary Defense Force