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This article, Hammers of Antaeus, is currently under active construction. The author, Achilles Prime, apologizes for the inconvenience. |
- "Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant!"
- — Hammers of Antaeus common battle cry translated from High Gothic: "Hail Emperor, those who are about to die salute you!"
Forged amidst the desperate tumult of the Ultima Founding, the Hammers of Antaeus are a Chapter reborn from the ashes of disgrace. Drawn from the steadfast gene-line of the Imperial Fists, they were created at the dawn of the 42nd Millennium to replace and redeem the shattered Hammer Guard, whose near annihilation at the hands of the Archenemy stands as a grim caution to all who serve the Emperor. Their new name is both burden and beacon, a solemn oath that the shame of their predecessors will never be repeated. In the shadow of the Indomitus Crusade’s endless wars, they have sworn to be the unyielding wall against which the enemies of Mankind shall break.
From their earliest days, the Hammers have embodied the stoic resolve of their primogenitors. Discipline and endurance are their watchwords, honour and duty their unbreakable creed. Each battle-brother is bound by vows recited not only before the Chapter’s Chaplains but etched into the very armour they wear, the words a constant reminder that death is preferable to dishonour. Their battle cry, “Death before dishonour!” rings across war torn void and scorched world alike, a thunderous promise that the Hammers will stand fast until their last breath, no matter the foe or the cost.
The Chapter draws its strength from the storm wracked world of Antaeus, a planet reclaimed and consecrated in memory of the Hammer Guard’s final stand. There, amidst black stone citadels and relentless gales, the Hammers train in punishing rites that mirror the hardships of their world, forging warriors as immovable as the bedrock itself. In their fortress-monastery of basalt and iron, they maintain the traditions of the Imperial Fists while adapting to the demands of the Era Indomitus. To fight beside the Hammers of Antaeus is to witness the living embodiment of atonement. Sons of Dorn who have bound their future to the unyielding promise that no enemy shall ever again bring their line to ruin.
Chapter History
Forged in fire, broken in betrayal, and reforged in solemn oath, the Hammers of Antaeus bear a lineage steeped in blood and penance. Though officially recorded as a product of the Ultima Founding, their story reaches further back, into the shadowed annals of the 15th Founding and the fall of the Hammer Guard. Once a proud scion of the Imperial Fists, the Hammer Guard met near total destruction at the hands of the Ruinous Powers during the dying years of the 41st Millennium. Their shame might have been erased from Imperial records were it not for the decree of the High Lords of Terra and the guiding hand of Lord Commander Roboute Guilliman, who ordered that their remaining fragments be reforged into a Chapter worthy of their sire. From these remnants, the Hammers of Antaeus were born, an unyielding reminder that failure may be endured, but never forgiven.
The Chapter’s home, Antaeus, lies on the knife edge of the Imperium Sanctus, a world of shattered stone and bitter winds where survival is itself a battle. Its people speak little, bleed often, and revere strength, stoicism, and sacrifice. From these unforgiving highlands and lightless valleys the Hammers draw their aspirants, youths hardened by relentless toil and relentless storms, who understand instinctively that a life without service to something greater is no life at all. Every neophyte who endures the brutal trials of Antaeus enters the Chapter already half forged, tempered by the planet’s merciless embrace.
The very name Hammers of Antaeus is a burden as much as a vow. Hammers preserves the memory of their progenitors, a shattered shield reforged into a weapon of vengeance. While Antaeus binds them forever to the world that gives them strength and reminds them of the price of failure. Their fortress-monastery, Kronos Hold, carved from black stone and thunder wracked peaks, stands as a living testament to endurance. Its storm battered walls bear the scars of countless sieges and the oaths of those who guard them, each inscription a silent plea for redemption.
To the Hammers, honour is no abstract creed. It is the steel in their spines, the weight of the thunderhammer in their gauntlets, the pain of every oath scored into their hearts. They are not merely warriors of the Emperor, they are penitents, carrying the burden of their forerunners’ disgrace. Each fortress defended, each traitor slain, each vow kept is an act of worship and contrition, a prayer that the Emperor and Dorn alike will one day deem their debt repaid. Their battle cry, “Death before dishonour!”, is not shouted as boast, but roared as covenant. A promise that they will never break, never kneel, and never forget.
In war they embody Dorn’s own resolve, unyielding in defence, methodical in assault, merciless in retribution. Allies such as the Blades of Dorn and Doom Fists speak of them with guarded respect, while the Black Mastodons call them the Oathbound, a name spoken with equal parts admiration and caution. Though the Hammers publicly maintain the Codex compliant thousand, rumours whispered among the Last Wall brotherhood hint at hidden strength, companies of reclaimed veterans from lost Crusades, or forbidden forges replenishing their ranks. Whether truth or legend, the Hammers of Antaeus fight as if the ghosts of the Hammer Guard march beside them, determined that the Emperor’s enemies may forget the fallen, but they themselves never will.
Notable Campaigns
- Cleansing of Scathicus Mundi (Late M41)- The earliest documented action undertaken by the Hammers of Antaeus dates back to the late 41st millennium. During this period, the Inquisition was investigating suspicious activities within the governmental bodies of the industrial world of Scathicus Mundi, located in the Scillion sector. Their inquiry uncovered a widespread infiltration of Khorne chaos cultists within the higher ranks of the political caste. Although the Inquisition, alongside Imperial Guard and Adeptus Arbites forces, struck swiftly, several thousand cultists managed to escape into the caverns beneath the Phelkor volcano. They had already converted these underground spaces into a fortified sanctuary and stronghold. With insufficient resources to eradicate the cultists and their daemonic masters, the Inquisition requested assistance from the Hammers of Antaeus Space Marine Chapter, which was gladly provided. A combined force from Alpha (1st) and Gamma (3rd) companies of the Hammers of Antaeus breached the fortifications and systematically eliminated all resistance in a gruelling months-long campaign of underground warfare. This operation later became known among the Hammers as the "Dungeon Crawl."
- Defense of Colivia II (002.M42) - Colivia II, a forge world renowned for its production of fleet craft, primarily Strike Cruisers and a handful of Battle Barges, found itself under siege from an unprecedented force of chaos during the early years of M42. Situated in the Turrros Sector in the Ultima Segmentum, the planet was no stranger to attacks from various enemies of the Imperium. However, the assault that unfolded was unlike any the system's defenders had ever witnessed before. A Traitor Guard regiment, numbering in the tens of thousands, accompanied by companies of the cruel and hateful The Strigoi, landed at strategic locations across the planet. The defending Imperial garrison, the 33rd Anthran Regiment, rapidly became outnumbered and found themselves losing ground at an alarming rate, prompting them to call upon the Hammers of Antaeus for aid. Within a matter of solar days, the Hammers had fully mobilised Gamma (3rd), Delta (4th), and the venerable Alpha (1st) companies, and the requisite fleet swiftly arrived in orbit. While Delta company engaged in interorbit combat and boarding operations against traitor craft in nearby space, Alpha and Gamma companies boarded their Thunderhawk Dropships and descended to the planet's surface. From the outset, it became evident that the Traitors' sole objective was the sacking and ultimate destruction of Colivia II. Even as the Astartes landed, the process of glassing the forge world had already commenced. Across the horizon, towering mushroom clouds, hundreds of miles tall, bore witness to the traitors' efforts to obliterate the planet. An evacuation was promptly initiated. Despite the fleet's best efforts, the progressive annihilation of Colivia II proved impossible to prevent, and the focus soon shifted from conquest to damage control. Numerous fleet craft, either partially or completely constructed, sat in their launch bays, most capable of interstellar flight. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of workers, along with precious equipment, needed to be evacuated. In a final act of defiance, the noble warriors of Alpha company undertook missions of harassment – using Thunderhawk Dropships, they would fly to hotspots, chokepoints, and logistical areas utilised by the enemy, causing maximum havoc through lightning-fast attacks. Flying directly into the heart of the conflict, Alpha company engaged in short but furious battles against wave upon wave of Traitor Guardsmen, as well as numerous squads of the The Strigoi themselves.
- The Burning of Kheddros (004.M42) - The Burning of Kheddros began as a minor insurrection within the Underhives of the Hive World Kheddros. However, this rebellion escalated into a full-scale civil war as the rebellious factions descended into worship of the Ruinous Powers, plunging the planet into anarchy within months. Beta (2nd) company of the Hammers of Antaeus Space Marines arrived on Kheddros to purge the planet of heretics, for although the cultists possessed strength in numbers, even they could not withstand the wrath of the Space Marines. Yet, just as the Hammers were on the verge of total victory, an alien menace, awakened by the turmoil on the surface, arose from the depths of the Hive World. Strange mechanical xenos, the likes of which the Hammers of Antaeus had never encountered before, joined the battle, armed with arcane weaponry that effortlessly vaporised entire squads of battle-brothers. Forced to retreat offworld, the Hammers of Antaeus prepared to lay waste to Kheddros with an orbital bombardment from their Strike Cruiser when they were suddenly contacted by an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos, who ordered them to subject the planet to Exterminatus. The Hammers launched a salvo of cyclonic torpedoes upon Kheddros, destroying the planet. The Ordo Xenos would later confirm the unknown xenos to be none other than the dreaded Necrons, concluding that Kheddros must have been a Necron Tombworld.
- Purging of the Charnel of Woe (006.M42) - A colossal derelict spacecraft, known as the Charnel of Woe, emerged in the skies above the homeworld of the Hammers of Antaeus Space Marine Chapter, prompting an immediate response from the elite warriors. Alpha company, led by the esteemed Augurius Palmerin Hanro, boarded the derelict, clad in their formidable Terminator Armour, determined to eradicate the genestealer infestation before it could pose a threat to their home planet. Initially, the purge operation proceeded smoothly, but reports soon indicated that the derelict was preparing to jump into the Warp once again. Faced with this urgency, the Hammers hastened their efforts to locate and confront the genestealer Broodlord before it was too late. Within one of the massive plasma reactors powering the derelict, Augurius Hanro engaged the xenos Patriarch in a fierce one-on-one combat, but neither combatant could gain the upper hand. With time running out and options dwindling, Hanro ordered a mass evacuation of his fellow battle-brothers. As the last few Space Marines teleported to safety, Hanro plunged his relic sword into the heart of the plasma reactor, heroically sacrificing himself to destroy the derelict and all the xenos within. The resulting chain reaction tore the Warpspawn apart, and the Hammers of Antaeus' Alpha company watched from the planet's surface as the Space Hulk imploded upon itself.
Chapter Homeworld
Capital City of Helios on the planet of Antaeus.
Antaeus, a strikingly austere yet captivating planet, is characterised by vast, towering mountain ranges that render them unfit for human habitation. Consequently, the majority of its population resides in the lowland regions. Nevertheless, this celestial body is revered as one of the most magnificent planets within the Imperium, despite its formidable geography.
Prior to the Great Crusade, Antaeus was a forgotten human colony, governed by a dual leadership structure known as the Republic. Although bleak, Antaeus was not an inhospitable world; it was part of an ancient decaying star empire that humanity had inhabited for many centuries since the Dark Age of Technology. Its industries had largely survived the Age of Strife intact, and its people had maintained an authoritarian yet cohesive society.
Remarkably, Antaeus had preserved a number of antiquated short-range warp-capable vessels that could be utilised for near-stellar travel—conditions permitting—and its inhabitants had continued constructing sub-light spacecraft even during the most intense warp storms. This allowed the people of Antaeus to maintain contact with several neighbouring human-settled star systems, despite the storms' fury, thereby retaining a tenuous link to the rest of human space and the knowledge that they were not alone in the darkness.
Fortress-Monastery
Kronos Hold rises like a bastion of defiance against the wrath of both the elements and the galaxy’s unending wars. Hewn into the unyielding peaks of the Mountains of Tethys, its black stone walls are said to have been carved by the hands of the Chapter’s first brothers, guided by Imperial Fist artisans who taught them the sacred discipline of fortress craft. Lightning storms tear across the skies above its towering battlements, while avalanches rumble ceaselessly through the valleys below, yet Kronos Hold endures, a monument to the Chapter’s resolve and the Emperor’s will. Few mortals have ever set foot within its halls, for the perilous ascent alone has slain thousands, and those who arrive unbidden are seldom permitted to depart alive.
The fortress itself is a sprawling labyrinth of galleries, sanctums, and redoubts, each chamber echoing with the hymns of machine priests and the thunderous cadence of battle drills. The Reclusiam of Kronos Hold lies at its heart, lit by eternal braziers whose flames are said to have been kindled from the pyres of Antaeus’ first martyrs. Here the Hammers kneel in silence before the golden statues of Rogal Dorn and the nameless heroes of their Chapter’s earliest days, finding strength not in triumph but in sacrifice. Beneath the Reclusiam stretch the Vaults of Tethys, where gene-seed is guarded with a zeal that borders on fanaticism, for the Hammers know their lineage is young and must be defended with every ounce of their iron resolve.
To the Hammers of Antaeus, Kronos Hold is not merely a fortress, it is their crucible. Every stone in its foundations bears the weight of expectation, and every corridor whispers with the voices of those who bled to secure their Chapter’s future. Within its bastions, initiates are tested not only in skill of arms, but in endurance of the soul, cast into the storm wracked wilderness to return or perish. The Chapter’s captains refer to it as a place where steel is broken and reforged, and its walls bear the scars of both siege drills and the lingering echoes of battles fought long ago. For the Hammers of Antaeus, Kronos Hold is both shield and burden, a symbol of their duty to endure, to defy, and to hammer against the unending darkness until either it breaks, or they do.
Chapter Organisation
Unit Formations
- Cohort - Chapter equivalent formation consisting of 1,000 Astartes.
- Maniple - Company equivalent formation consisting of 100 Astartes.
- Contubernium - Squad equivalent formation consisting of 10 Astartes.
- Demi-Contubernia - Demi-squad equivalent formation consisting of 5 Astartes.
Squad Formations
- Cataphractarii (Singular; Cataphractii) - Veteran Squad equivalent.
- Pedes - Battleline Squad equivalent.
- Ballistarii (Singular; Ballistarius) - Fire Support Squad equivalent.
- Hastati (Singular; Hastatus) - Close Support Squad equivalent.
- Speculatores - Scout Squad equivalent.
- Equites (Singular; Eques) - Pilot equivalent.
- Gregalis - Driver equivalent.
Officer Ranks
- Legate - Chapter Master equivalent.
- Tribune - Captain equivalent.
- Consul - Lieutenant equivalent.
Specialist Ranks
- Pontifex Primus (Reclusiarch)
- Pontifex (Chaplain)
- Primus Medicae (Chief Apothecary)
- Medicae (Apothecary)
- Augur Primus (Chief Librarian)
- Augurius (Librarian)
- Prefectus Fabrorum (Master of the Forge)
- Fabrorum (Techmarine)
- Primus Vexillarius (Chapter Ancient)
- Vexillarius (Company Ancient)
- Equest - A specialty designation given to a battle-brother who is a pilot of an aerial vehicle or a driver of an armoured vehicle.
- Primus Pilus (Chapter Champion)
- Pilus (Champion)
Line Ranks
- Centurion - Veteran Sergeant equivalent.
- Evocatus - Veteran equivalent.
- Decanus - Sergeant equivalent.
- Tesserarius - Sub-Sergeant equivalent.
- Decurion - Sergeant responsible for the aerial elements within the Chapter.
- Caligatus - Battle-Brother equivalent.
- Venator - Scout Marine/Vanguard Marine equivalent.
- Tirones (Singular; Tironis) - Neophyte equivalent.
Specialist Units & Formations
- Celeres - Personal Honour Guard of the Legate.
- Triarii - Terminator-armoured elite veterans.
Non-Astartes Personnel
- Hoplite - Veteran bondsmen who fulfill duties in the Chapter's spacecraft crews, drivers, and the warriors who man Antaeus's defences. When the Hammers go to war it is these retainers who keep Kronos Hold running and defend their homeworld against attack.
- Psiloi - Standard bondsman responsible for the menial tasks of maintaining and defending Kronos Hold. These servants maintain the Chapter's huge dockyards and all the facilities needed to equip and control the Hammer's fleet. They are also responsible for countless other tasks which must be done just to preserve the Chapter in its continual state of readiness. These bondsmen are loyal retainers of the Chapter. Some of these servants are descended from Antaeus warriors who may have been selected as potential Space Marines, but who were judged unfit to endure the final trials. Such individuals are brought back to Kronos Hold to serve their masters in a more humble but equally vital capacity.
- Beneficiarii - Bondsmen who are responsible for the daily bureaucratic and administrative duties of the Chapter.
- Helot - Indentured Chapter serfs.
Order of Battle
Chapter Command
Maniples
Chapter Gene-Seed
Akin to their forebears, the Imperial Fists, the gene-seed of the Hammers of Antaeus Chapter exhibits remarkable stability, devoid of any mutational aberrations. Nonetheless, over the passage of time, they have lost the functionality of two specialised organs derived from the fundamental Astartes genetic template: the Betcher's Gland, which confers the ability to secrete venomous or acidic saliva, and the Sus-an Membrane, which enables an Astartes to enter a state of suspended animation.
Genetic Flaws: Against All Odds
- Stage 1 - (Unending Honour: The Battle-Brother has become filled with pride in the history of his Chapter's bravery and devotion and sees his own existence as a vital part of continuing its traditions. When his squad is required to do its duty he will make sure that it is carried out, squashing any doubt his fellow Battle-Brothers might have or any weakness they might show in the face of honour.
- Stage 2 - (Duty through Sacrifice: True duty can only be proven in death or an equally potent sacrifice, a fact which is known to all true servants of the God-Emperor. The Battle-Brother knows that to prove himself he must be the one to stand in the way of the blade or shield his comrades from the blast, so that there can be no doubt about his devotion or his loyalty to the Emperor.
- Stage 3 - (No Mercy, No Respite) - While all Space Marines are unwavering in pursuing their objectives, some become so engrossed in their mission that all other matters become secondary. These Battle-Brothers have an unyielding determination and would rather sacrifice their lives than accept defeat once engaged in combat. They display remarkable resilience in the face of adversity and are capable of awe-inspiring acts of courage. However, on occasion, such Battle-Brothers have been known to disregard what they consider secondary concerns, sometimes to the detriment of the larger strategic situation. Some have even been known to defy orders from higher up the chain of command when serving as part of a composite force comprising squads from several Chapters, or when serving individually as members of the Deathwatch.
Chapter Recruitment
The recruitment of the Hammers of Antaeus is a brutal, unflinching process that mirrors the unforgiving world from which the Chapter draws its lifeblood. On Antaeus, where the skies weep fire and the mountains grind men into dust, strength alone is not enough to survive. The gladiatorial pits, carved into the bedrock of the world’s cities, serve as both crucible and graveyard for thousands. Here, pit-slaves and gladiators fight not merely for freedom but for the fragile hope of recognition by the Hammers themselves. To emerge victorious in the blood-slick arenas is to draw the eye of the Chapter’s Black Wardens, who descend in solemn silence to select those few deemed worthy of trial.
Yet the Hammers of Antaeus do not mistake savagery for strength. The Chapter has learned through bitter experience that not all who thrive in the arenas are suitable to bear the Emperor’s gene-seed. Many gladiators, conditioned by years of cruelty and spectacle, revel too deeply in the slaughter, their souls corroded by a lust for blood that no discipline can cleanse. These are cast aside, judged unfit to wield the Emperor’s wrath, lest their unchecked violence dishonor the Chapter and imperil the Imperium. In their rejection, the lesson is clear: the Hammers do not seek butchers, but brothers who will endure hardship without faltering and kill without joy.
Kalbeiri, one of the Chapter’s most respected voices in the Reclusiam, has long been the arbiter of this creed. His sermons echo through the Vaults of Kronos Hold, warning initiates that without mastery of the self, no warrior can hope to master his foes. To Kalbeiri, self-control is the hammer that tempers the raw ore of Antaeus’ sons into something greater. He is said to walk among the recruits with unflinching gaze, able to see in a man’s eyes whether he seeks the Emperor’s glory or merely the ecstasy of bloodshed. Those who falter under his scrutiny are dismissed, often broken by the realization that the strength which once defined them is deemed hollow by the Chapter they yearned to serve.
Those who endure, however, are reborn. Taken from the pits and stripped of chains both physical and spiritual, they ascend into the trials of the Hammers of Antaeus. They are cast into the frozen crags of the Tethys Mountains, left to endure the storms that batter Kronos Hold, and tested in endless drills that break weaker men to dust. It is here that their pasts are burned away, their former lives reduced to ash beneath the iron weight of discipline. The survivors rise as Initiates, no longer pit-slaves or gladiators, but brothers of a new order, hardened not merely by the shedding of blood, but by the iron law of restraint, forged into weapons worthy of bearing the sigil of the Hammers of Antaeus.
Chapter Combat Doctrine
Hailing from a chapter master who was once a pit-fighter and gladiator, it is understandable that Kalbeiri instilled a profound emphasis on close-quarters combat within the chapter. This is evident from the high number of Close Support squads in their orders of battle. However, far from being bloodthirsty maniacs, their roots stem from a code of martial honour and, ironically, a desire to avoid indiscriminate slaughter.
Taking a tactical approach, the Hammers deploy an advance force to engage the enemy frontally. Simultaneously, they manoeuvre swift units to outflank and encircle their opponents, leaving no avenue for retreat. Once the foe is trapped, the full might of the Chapter's firepower and heavily armoured contingents are unleashed to obliterate the opposition mercilessly.
While still retaining a high degree of autonomy, the Hammers have grown more amenable to operating within the hierarchical command structure of the Imperial military. Their actions are driven by the needs and directives of the Imperium, yet they retain the capability to self-direct their deployments.
Chapter Beliefs
The Hammers of Antaeus Space Marine Chapter exhibits an unwavering allegiance to the Emperor of Mankind, yet they lack deference towards other Imperial authorities and commanders. Their devotion to the Emperor borders on fanaticism, as they serve without question. However, this Chapter shows scant regard for civility or respect when interacting with individual Imperial commanders or other Adeptus Astartes, except for those belonging to the Last Wall Chapters.
The Hammers of Antaeus seems to find fulfilment in testing their abilities against formidable foes. Several Imperial commanders who have collaborated with this Chapter since their resurgence have intimated that their conduct verges on madness or heresy. These commanders have depicted the defensive measures and security precautions adopted by the Chapter, even when engaging with purported allies, as excessively paranoid and bordering on obsession.
Deathwatch Service
The Hammers of Antaeus contribute their formidable skills to the noble Deathwatch. These courageous Space Marines confront some of the most arduous challenges a member of the Adeptus Astartes can encounter. The Hammer of Antaeus warriors dispatched to serve in the Deathwatch rank among the chapter's most accomplished xenos-hunters, exhibiting an unparalleled prowess in the annihilation of alien threats that exceeds that of their brethren.
Notable Hammers of Antaeus
- Legate Kalbeiri Hephaestus - Kalbeiri Hephaestus is the current Legate of the Hammers of Antaeus.
- Tribune Themistocles Pyrrhos - 1st Tribune (Captain) of the elite Alpha (1st) company.
- Augurius Primus (Add Name)
- Augurius Palmerin Hanro - Palmerin Hanro was an Augurius (Librarian) of the Hammers of Antaeus Space Marine Chapter. Known to his battle-brothers as the Keeper of the Storm Sigil, Slayer of the Bloodfather, and The Last Voice in the Charnel of Woe, Palmerin Hanro is a revered hero within the annals of the Chapter. He is most remembered for his valiant sacrifice during the purging of the Space Hulk, Charnel Woe.
- Lysander Kallistratos -
- Theras Leontis -
Chapter Relics
Chapter Fleet
The Chapter fleet of the Hammers of Antaeus is known to contain the following starships:
- (add content) (Relic Battleship - Unknown Class) -
Chapter Appearance
Chapter Colours
The Hammers of Antaeus' wear jet black power armour with burnished orange as a secondary colour on the armourial insets. The Aquila or Imperialis affixed to their chest plates is also burnished orange.
The Hammers do not generally display squad number or company indicators on their battle-plate.
Chapter Badge
The Hammers of Antaeus' Chapter badge is an white circular greek border with two crossed hammers in the center.
Chapter Relations
Allies
| Black Mastodons |  |
The bond between the Hammers of Antaeus and the Black Mastodons is one of mutual recognition, not born of sentiment, but of shared burden. The Mastodons, ancient and unyielding, embody the slow, crushing inevitability of war, while the Hammers, young and resolute, bring the discipline and endurance of a Chapter still proving its worth. When they march to war together, it is not as distant cousins of Dorn, but as two instruments forged for the same purpose, unyielding attrition, patient destruction, and the inexorable advance of Imperial will. The Mastodons teach the value of inevitability, while the Hammers remind them that even steel newly forged may strike with the same weight as the ancient. Their campaigns together are grim testaments to this philosophy. The infamous purgation of Lycaris Prime stands foremost among these, where the Black Mastodons’ “Tortoise” formation battered the xenos bastions into fractured ruin, while the Hammers of Antaeus poured through the breaches with relentless precision. There, Mastodon artillery and armour advanced like grinding tectonic plates, their fire reducing fortifications to dust, while the Hammers acted as the disciplined edge, cutting deep into the enemy’s fractured lines. To those who witnessed it, the battlefield was not a clash of armies, but the slow drowning of a foe beneath an avalanche of inevitability, the final blow struck with the certainty of a falling mountain. Though their doctrines diverge in detail, the two Chapters’ philosophies intertwine as naturally as mortar and stone. The Mastodons’ disdain for personal glory and their grim acceptance of sacrifice mirrors the Hammers’ creed of endurance and restraint. Within Kronos Hold, Mastodon captains are spoken of with respect, their stoic resolve seen as a reminder of what the Hammers themselves strive to become in the centuries to come. Likewise, among the Mastodons, the Hammers are acknowledged not as naïve inheritors but as brothers who understand that the Imperium is not preserved through victory songs, but through the patient work of blood, fire, and unyielding stone. Together, they stand as a dual hammer, blow of Dorn’s legacy, a promise that walls will fall and that the Imperium’s enemies will be ground to ash beneath their advance. |
| Blades of Dorn |  |
The Hammers of Antaeus and the Blades of Dorn share a kinship born not only of gene-line but of mutual recognition, two Chapters forged from the same unyielding legacy of Rogal Dorn, yet shaped by different burdens. Where the Hammers embrace the cold weight of endurance and restraint, the Blades embody the precision and aggression of Codex doctrine honed to a killing edge. Their alliance is marked by balance: the Hammers’ patience tempers the Blades’ zeal, while the Blades’ swiftness and ferocity lend momentum to the Hammers’ unrelenting sieges. It is said that when these Chapters fight side by side, it is as if the walls themselves close in on the foe, while the sword strikes deep into the heart of their resistance. This brotherhood, however, is not without tension. The Blades of Dorn carry the shadow of the Crusaders of Dorn upon their shoulders, a legacy of shame they cannot easily shrug aside. Where other Chapters offer suspicion or disdain, the Hammers of Antaeus extend a quiet respect, recognizing in their cousins a familiar burden, the knowledge that every action must prove one’s worth anew. It is in this shared struggle that the two Chapters find common ground. Both know the sting of judgment, both have endured the weight of expectation, and both refuse to be broken beneath it. Thus, in the war councils of their commanders, mutual respect is forged not from words, but from the solemn acknowledgment that each has endured trials the galaxy would see crush lesser men. On the battlefield, this alliance has been proven in fire and blood. During the Cleansing of Orphean Spires, the Blades struck with surgical fury, driving through the traitor command echelon in a single, devastating blow, while the Hammers ground down the outer defenses until not a stone remained standing. Together they enacted a destruction so complete that the survivors whispered of gods of stone and steel descending upon them. To this day, the banners of both Chapters hang side by side within Kronos Hold, not in triumph but in solemn remembrance. For the Hammers of Antaeus and the Blades of Dorn alike, alliance is not born of pride, but of necessity, and of the enduring truth that only through brotherhood can the Imperium’s walls stand against the tide. |
| Doom Fists |  |
The Hammers of Antaeus regard the Doom Fists as both brothers and enigmas, bound by the same unyielding lineage of Dorn yet separated by the gulf of their strange and harrowing fate. When first the Doom Fists emerged from their long exile in the warp, many Chapters looked upon them with suspicion, their altered stature and grim demeanor too close to the heretical for comfort. But the Hammers, themselves children of a young and scrutinized Founding, saw in the Doom Fists not corruption, but survival—the iron truth of warriors who had endured what should have broken them. Where others hesitated, the Hammers extended the hand of brotherhood, and thus was an alliance forged in mutual recognition of hardship. In battle, the synergy between the two Chapters is as grim as it is devastating. The Doom Fists descend upon their foes with apocalyptic fury, shock assaults delivered with such violence that even the most fortified positions are shattered in their wake. Into the ruins step the Hammers of Antaeus, their iron discipline sealing breaches, consolidating gains, and ensuring the enemy’s eradication with methodical finality. The Doom Fists strike like the storm, while the Hammers endure like the mountain, their doctrines complementing one another in a symphony of destruction that leaves little but dust and corpses behind. Veterans of both Chapters whisper that when they fight side by side, there is no retreat, no reprieve, only the certainty of annihilation for those who stand against them. Yet their brotherhood is not merely of war but of understanding. The Doom Fists carry the scars of suspicion, having endured years of Inquisitorial scrutiny under the eyes of the Ordo Hereticus and the Grey Knights, and the Hammers know too well the burden of proving oneself again and again before a watchful Imperium. Around the fire blackened statues within Kronos Hold’s Reclusiam, warriors of both Chapters have knelt in silence, bound by unspoken acknowledgment of sacrifice, endurance, and the will to press on when all hope has fled. Together, they stand not as relics of Dorn’s bloodline alone, but as kindred spirits who have stared into the abyss, endured its horrors, and returned unbroken, their alliance a reminder that even in the endless dark, some brothers may yet be trusted. |
Strained
Enemies
Notable Quotes
By the Hammers of Antaeus
About the Hammers of Antaeus
Gallery
