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- "My endurance is... superior."
- — Primarch Jaghatai Khan of the White Scars to
Daemon Primarch Mortarion of the Death Guard
- — Primarch Jaghatai Khan of the White Scars to
The Imperial Albatrosses, an ancient and storied Chapter of the 4th Founding, protected the Imperium for more than 8000 years before its extinction. Often equipped with Terminator armor and power shields, the Chapter’s heavy infantry deployed to combat the predations of Drukhari xenos. The distinct combat doctrine of the Imperial Albatrosses, like the Chapter itself and its White Scars predecessors, was until recently a mystery. For centuries, scholars and historitors of the Imperium puzzled over the Chapter and its ways, until the creation of the Logos Historica Verita in the Era Indomitus.
Since the Logos Historica Verita began its work, much of what was once thought lost about the Imperial Albatrosses has been rediscovered! First was the Chapter’s close cooperation with the priests of the Cult Mechanicus, despite its staunch support for the Imperial Truth. Then, the reason for the Imperial Albatrosses’ revival of the Moritats followed. Finally, investigators learned— with assistance from the Inquisition’s Ordo Astartes and Deathwatch— why the pragmatic commanders of the Chapter repeatedly sent scores of Astartes into the Webway, with nearly no hope of return. The report below explores each of these enigmas and details the legacy left by the Imperial Albatrosses, to honor the memory of these acclaimed Astartes and their sacrifices.
Chapter History
Gwa’sha Afu, Honor Guard of the White Scars’ 2nd Company, left the Firefist Brotherhood to lead the Imperial Albatrosses.
During the Imperium’s Time of Rebirth, many xenos defeated during the Great Crusade had re-emerged while humanity launched the Great Scouring and repelled Abaddon’s first two Black Crusades. Thus, the Imperial Albatrosses formed shortly after the War of the Beast and the founding of the Deathwatch, to reaffirm humanity’s galactic dominance. Every Astartes Chapter received orders to release a portion of their veterans to raise new successors for the 4th Founding, and the White Scars were no exception: Space Marines from the White Scars’ 2nd Firefists Company trained the first Imperial Albatrosses in their ways.
While the Firefists’ teachings heavily influenced the Imperial Albatrosses’ combat doctrine, their Chapter’s culture coalesced over the next millennium from late M32 to early M33: scores of raids by Drukhari solar cults led the Chapter to study the Primarch Jaghatai Khan’s campaigns against xenos and his disappearance into the Webway. The solar cults of Commorragh grew in power and influence, gathering strength for the conflict later known as the War of the Sun and the Moon. Meanwhile, the Imperial Albatrosses adopted the methods and mentality of their predecessor’s Ebon Keshig, favoring Terminators and growing more zealous.
Notable Campaigns & Events
M32 (Time of Rebirth & The Forging)
An Astartes of the White Scars, from the lineage of the Primarch Jaghatai Khan.
- 4th Founding (ca.550-600.M32) - Veterans from the White Scars’ 2nd Firefist Company form the first of the Imperial Albatrosses. A disproportionate number of the Terminator suits given to the Imperial Albatrosses by their predecessors are Cataphractii pattern warplate, the bulky and cumbersome armor eschewed by the White Scars.
- 3rd Black Crusade (909.M32) - The Imperial Albatrosses lose half their Chapter defending against the forces of the Daemon Prince Tallomin, the so-called Prince of Daemon Princes. Other Chapters are not so fortunate: baited by Abaddon and targeted by Tallomin, some Chapters do not survive. The Imperial Albatrosses, having scavenged fragments of their allies’ Terminator armor, soon learn that they cannot return the relics to their extinct brothers. Thus, the Chapter humbly repairs the armor and integrates the relics into its own Armoury, so their machine-spirits can avenge their former masters.
- Endurance Experts - Following the 3rd Black Crusade, the Chapter’s most veteran survivors train more than half of their remaining battle brothers with Terminator armor and storm shields. Only the Chapter’s most heavily fortified infantry stood a chance against Tallomin’s daemonic legions and their armor-piercing hellblades, witstealer swords, and etherblades. It becomes popular for the Imperial Albatrosses’ Chaplains to preach of Jaghatai Khan’s legendary endurance in his duel with the Daemon Primarch Mortarion.
- Solar Strikes (Late M32 - Early M33) - The solar cults from the Drukhari’s Dark City of Commorragh grow in power and influence, launching numerous raids near the remote homeworld of the Imperial Albatrosses. As the Drukhari gather strength for the coming War of the Sun and the Moon, the Imperial Albatrosses struggle to secure their surrounding systems while still recovering from Abaddon’s 3rd Black Crusade.
M33 (The Forging)
- 2nd Captain’s Discovery (ca.136.M33) - The Chapter’s 2nd Captain and Master of the Watch works closely with the Chief Iron Khan to expand and reinforce defenses on their homeworld of Tödelky, after a gruesome Drukhari raid devastates the Reserve Companies. The 2nd Captain’s men soon discover the remains of a crashed Drukhari Reaper, its hull savaged by a Hunter’s Skyspear Missile. They find inside a cache of xenos equipment, including a small Wraithbone amulet. Its psycho-circuitry intrigues the Captain, who secures it for the Chapter’s Stormseers and Armory to analyze. The advanced xenos technology is beyond their understanding, but the secluded Sons of Jaghatai lock it away for further study…
Eldar Harlequins lack armor, but attack with blinding speed and deadly precision.
- 1st Contact with Harlequins (641.M33) - The Forge World closest to Tödelky calls for aid, and the Chapter answers! A combined force of Drukhari and Corsairs attack the Forge World, built upon a conquered Exodite planet. Hellbound on retrieving their xenos artefacts and crippling the local Titan Legion, the Eldar succeed: Trueborn capture countless slaves whilst Mandrakes infiltrate and sabotage most of the titans. Corsairs reclaim their people’s ancestral fetishes, and a troupe of Harlequins even appears to assassinate the Archmagos. The Imperial Albatrosses’ Noyan-Khan falls too, leading his Keshig Terminators to defend the Forge World’s most ancient Warlord titan.
- Debt of Gratitude - Though a Nightfiend slays the Noyan-Khan, the Imperial Albatrosses do defend the Forge World’s oldest Warlord titan. The new Archmagos thanks the Sons of Jaghatai for saving the God-Machine and asks how to repay the Forge World’s debt of gratitude. 2nd Captain Gardna Khan requests a large supply of storm and combat shields, believing the former would’ve saved the late Noyan-Khan. Alas, the Archmagos explains her existing infrastructure cannot grant such a wish; instead, she offers to accelerate the extremely slow rate at which her world produces new Terminator armor for the Imperial Albatrosses. The Chapter accepts.
M34 (The Forging)
An Imperial Albatross renders judgement on a Drukhari as part of Kill-Team Mortoll.
- Watch Station Mortoll’s Hold (Early M34) - After a millennium of Eldar attacks, including raids on the Imperial Albatrosses’ homeworld and its nearest Forge World, Watch Fortress Prescience sends Kill-Team Mortoll to man a permanent Watch Station for combating the ancient Eldar xenos. Techmarine Iron Khan Akash joins the Deathwatch and trains there as a Corvus Blackstar pilot. Akash forges a close bond with a Deathwatch Terminator from the legendary Novamarines Chapter during his many years serving Mortoll’s Hold, eventually bringing valuable knowledge back to his Chapter.
- Lessons Learned - Terminator Sergeant Haphistan of the Novamarines shares many details and techniques with Techmarine Akash about maintaining Terminator armor. The two also discuss the history of xenos-hunting in the Imperium, and the archives of the Ordo Xenos yield information that Akash later uses to identify the Webway Keystone discovered by the Imperial Albatrosses in Early M33. Though the enigmatic amulet remains largely a mystery, the Chapter gains valuable insight into the device…
- Pale Wasting (Late M34) - The Forge World nearest to the Imperial Albatrosses receives word that one of their client Astartes Chapters completely perished in the Pale Wasting. To garner goodwill and ensure their own protection, the techpriests split a full shipment of Terminator armor intended for the dead Chapter and send it to the Novamarines and Imperial Albatrosses.
The Sons of Vengeance crushed the Obscuran Uprising and, drunk with power, turned on the Imperium.
- Strike Force Gavelraptor (Late M34 - Early M35) - At a bequest from the High Lords of Terra, the Imperial Albatrosses launch a punitive Strike Force near the Laskaria system! The Chapter’s entire 1st Company deploys in Tactical Dreadnought Armor, ploughing through the defenses of the first Chaos Space Marines they encounter. The early stages of the campaign meet great success. This is the largest confrontation between the Imperial Albatrosses and Heretic Astartes since the 3rd Black Crusade, and the Chapter regains some of its lost honor. However, the Loyalist Strike Force loses momentum as increasing numbers of Raptors and Chaos Space Marine Bikers outmaneuver the Chapter’s Terminators. Meanwhile, Warp Talons shred the Strike Forces’ 8th Company Assault Marines.
- Moritats’ Return - Savaged by lightning claws, the 8th Company’s Captain dies without naming a successor. Several Veterans from the 8th Company’s Command Squad take up the title of Captain, only to fall shortly thereafter. As the 1st Company holds out under siege from armored columns, the 8th Company Champion Najm reluctantly accepts the mantle of leadership. The 8th Company, ordered to disregard their own casualties, revives the bygone ways of the Legionary Moritats: armed with dual plasma pistols scavenged from the dead on both sides, the remaining Assault Marines reduce entire Kill-Teams of Warp Talons to slag. Najm Khan’s martial prowess spearheads each small victory and earns him the moniker “Vulture of Vengeance.”
- Vulture of Vengeance - Numerous attempts to break the Chaos Space Marine cordon around the 1st Company end only in death and defeat. At long last, after three full Assault squads fail, Najm Khan leads the few remaining Astartes still under his command in what he suspects will be his last deployment. Yet, the suicide mission accomplishes its objective! The bridge beneath the Archenemy’s armored columns collapses, and the 1st Company routs the remaining traitors. The Chapter’s most veteran Terminators recover Najm’s crippled corpse from hordes of enraged cultists, only to discover the Captain lives! Upon returning to Tödelky, Najm is reborn as an Uhaan Solban Dreadnought Ancient, and the Noyan-Khan honors him by restructuring the 8th Company. From that day until the Chapter’s last, the Moritats serve as a staple of the Imperial Albatrosses’ 8th Company.
M35 (The Forging & Nova Terra Interregnum)
- Font of Fortitude (5.835.131.M35) - Ajax, Chief Iron Khan, presents his findings to the Imperial Albatrosses’ Chief Stormseer. Two millennia of analysis show that the Webway Keystone found on Tödelky trembles before the opening of a nearby Webway Portal, acting as an interdimensional seismograph. With this knowledge, the Masters of the Armory and Librarium construct a unique device that enables the Imperial Albatrosses to locate Drukhari portals: the so-called Font of Fortitude resembles a stone basin, belying its esoteric psycho-circuitry. The tremors of its Webway Keystone create ripples in the Font’s water, and the Chapter’s Iron Khans record these ripples so Stormseers can read the waves like star-charts, to infer where the Drukhari might raid next…
- Voyage of the Beakbreak (401.M35) - The Font of Fortitude counters a Drukhari raid for the first time! When the Webway portal opens, the xenos emerge in the Chapter’s crosshairs, and the Imperial Albatrosses unleash savage fury! The hostile fleet scatters, but one Astartes ship advances too far. The Beakbreak suddenly vanishes into the Webway! For 60 hours, the Beakbreak manages to maintain communications, its transmissions degrading until they’re indecipherable…
- Moirae Schism (M35) - The Imperial Albatrosses again answer summons from their nearest Forge World, sending Strike Force Coghawk to help quell a Moiraen rebellion. For the second time in less than a millennium, the Chapter deploys its entire 1st Company in Terminator armor. During the conflict, however, all the 6th Company's Whirlwind Hyperios tanks suffer catastrophic failures, and the sabotage allows enemy aircraft to annihilate Khuz’Vult Noyan-Khan's transport. The Chapter crushes the hereteks with bitter brutality, then spurns the Hyperios pattern Whirlwind by trading all those tanks for a single Land Raider Achilles.
The Grey Knights were called to expunge the failures of the 21st "Cursed" Founding.
- 21st Founding (991.M35) - Unbeknownst to the Imperial Albatrosses, the Grey Knights purge multiple failed Chapters from the 21st Founding. The Sons of Jaghatai, now considered a venerable and prestigious Chapter of the 4th Founding, receive armaments crafted for failures of the "Cursed" Founding, including a substantial amount of Terminator armor. The Imperial Albatrosses never learn that one of the failed experiments came from their own geneseed-tithes, with all records of the Iron Owls redacted beyond recovery.
M36 (Age of Apostasy)
- Return of the Beakbreak (226.M36) - The Imperial Albatrosses rally once more as their relic Font of Fortitude detects the opening of a Webway portal. At the portal, however, no xenos emerge. The long-lost Beakbreak vessel appears instead. Then, the portal closes. The Chapter quarantines the ship, scans it with auspexes, and discovers human life signs inside! Upon opening the vessel, the Imperial Albatrosses find only the remains of the ship's Astartes crew and their Chapter serfs.
- Haunted Vessel - The vile, otherworldly mutilations and grotesqueries inflicted on the Beakbreak’s crew disturb the serfs sent to remove the remains: instead of performing their duties, most of the serfs lose their sanity, gouging out their eyes and ending their own lives. Others simply disappear, never seen or heard from again… Inside one room of the haunted vessel, Imperial Alabtrosses find a former battle-brother, his skin and tendons stretched to cover the walls, ceiling, and floor; carved into the human remains are vivid descriptions of the tortures exacted on the victim. His organs, removed but still attached, form a bizarre celestial diorama in the center of the room. When the Imperial Albatrosses approach, they soon realize the flayed and deconstructed Space Marine still lives! He moans in agony, suspended between the boundaries of life and death. Not long after, the Chapter finds the progenoid glands of the Beakbreak’s crew crudely cut open, stuffed with plasma and phantasm grenades, then sutured onto an Urguul berzerker. The Chapter ultimately vaporizes the vessel with macro melta charges.
A Chaplain Novice of the Imperial Albatrosses. The feathered thunderbolt on his right knee denotes membership in Strike Force Stormbird.
- Haunted Vessel - The vile, otherworldly mutilations and grotesqueries inflicted on the Beakbreak’s crew disturb the serfs sent to remove the remains: instead of performing their duties, most of the serfs lose their sanity, gouging out their eyes and ending their own lives. Others simply disappear, never seen or heard from again… Inside one room of the haunted vessel, Imperial Alabtrosses find a former battle-brother, his skin and tendons stretched to cover the walls, ceiling, and floor; carved into the human remains are vivid descriptions of the tortures exacted on the victim. His organs, removed but still attached, form a bizarre celestial diorama in the center of the room. When the Imperial Albatrosses approach, they soon realize the flayed and deconstructed Space Marine still lives! He moans in agony, suspended between the boundaries of life and death. Not long after, the Chapter finds the progenoid glands of the Beakbreak’s crew crudely cut open, stuffed with plasma and phantasm grenades, then sutured onto an Urguul berzerker. The Chapter ultimately vaporizes the vessel with macro melta charges.
- Strike Force Stormbird (666.M36) - A tribe of brutally cunning Orks ambush the Imperial Albatrosses, slaying their Noyan-Khan! The Chapter's Stormseers soon name Teneg Khan of the 1st Company to lead. Teneg accepts the title with humility and brings the campaign against the Evil Sunz to a swift-- but bloody-- end. At long last, Teneg Noyan-Khan finally enacts his grand plan, devised over decades: inspired by his time in the Deathwatch, serving with several Silver Skulls and Salamanders, he assembles a mighty Strike Force to emulate the Commorragh Raid of M35! When the Font of Fortitude foretells the next Drukhari raid, Strike Force Stormbird forms a spearhead and drives through the xenos fleet, straight into the Webway, while the rest of the Chapter defends against the Drukhari.
- Stormbird's Objective - Teneg's spearhead maneuver into the Webway emulated the actions of Jaghatai Khan, when faced with the Alpha Legion's cordon in the Chondax System. Once inside the xenos' labyrinthine dimension, Strike Force Stormbird would need to continue following the example of the White Scars' Legion, which specialized in extended operations in hostile domains. Teneg Noyan-Khan ordered the Stormseers of Strike Force Stormbird, and their Keshig Honor Guard, to accomplish several goals. First, the Astartes must record information about the mysterious domain of the Eldar and find a way to safely return, escaping the same fate as the Beakbreak. Second, Stormbird must shatter the Drukhari's sense of security, exacting terrible vengeance to scar the xenos' collective psyche. Third and final-- they must retrieve any evidence about the whereabouts of Jaghatai Khan. The initial, resounding success of Strike Force Stormbird would lead to numerous such expeditions into the Webway, though most of these would end in disaster. Some historitors even speculate it was the Drukhari's intention for Strike Force Stormbird to succeed in its maiden voyage, to encourage further attempts and future failure. Others claim that Teneg knew this, but that he wagered the chance to return his beloved Primarch outweighed the risk and that the Drukhari's hubris would one day be their undoing. The truth, whatever its nature, was lost with the Annihilation of the Imperial Albatrosses.
M37 (Age of Redemption)
- Cursed Year (M37) - The Imperial Albatrosses learn that their progenitors, the White Scars, suffered a series of disasters. In solidarity, the Chapter’s Noyan-Khan sends an emissary to deliver arms, munitions, and vehicles in support of their battle-brothers. Reclusiarch Galax Usten arrives on Chogoris and spends a solar month there, observing the White Scars' feasts and ferocious contests. Though Galax never participates in any of the exclusive Chapter competitions, he does counsel the White Scars' Stormseers and wax philosophical with their Chaplains, offering insights as a senior member of the Imperial Albatrosses' Reclusiam (a chamber known for studying the Primarch). In the end, Reclusiarch Galax departs Chogoris with a gift of his own: he carries a single master-crafted Equis-pattern bolt pistol. However, his ship never completes the return voyage...
- Galax's Doom & the Hailstorm Six - More than 2000 years later, Imperial Guard from the Neomerican Trailblazers discover the ruined remains of Reclusiarch Galax's vessel! The Neomerican Trailblazers arrange for the Adeptus Mechanicus and Astra Cartographica to return the remains, after being unable to unlock the ship's flight recorder. En route to Tödelky, the tech-priests attempt to decipher the data on the flight recorder whilst genetors examine the distinctive bio-plasma scarring and pyro-acid burns across the vessel. The Imperial Albatrosses' Chief Iron Khan finally accesses the ship's data, but there isn't much of value within: evidently, part of a xenos bioship emerged from the Warp and collided with Galax's vessel. The Reclusiarch and crew held out for as long as possible and managed to rip a stalemate from the jaws of certain defeat, but the damage to their own vessel was insurmountable; the life-support systems and Galax's power armor both eventually failed. However, the White Scars' ancient gift still reached Tödelky, and the Imperial Albatrosses study the Equis-pattern bolt pistol. The Chapter's Chief Iron Khan even manages to craft six Equis-pattern Storm Bolters, before his death at the hands of Aeldari Harlequins; these weapons almost immediately become the newest and last of the Imperial Albatrosses' relics-- the Hailstorm Six.
- Horde of Carnal Rot (Early M37) - Nurglite and Slaaneshi cultists assault an Immaterium Surge Station, led by a Dark Apostle Diabolist of the Word Bearers! Astartes from the 4th Company of the Imperial Albatrosses receive orders to aid the Loyalist defenders and decapitate the enemy warlord. Chapter command expects the enemy army to splinter after the Chaos Space Marine’s death, since the warlord brokered the alliance between the Pilgrims of the Plague Moon and the Scions of Ostentine. By the time the 4th Company arrives, however, the war for the void station is radically changed…
A Medusae parasite from the Webway attacks an Imperial Navy officer.
- Bdella Swarm - Mere hours before the Albatrosses arrive, the defending Numerion Guardsmen lose control of the station as the cultists momentarily disable the Surge protector protocols! The Guardsmen and their Techpriests retake the command center, but the damage is done: Chaos Daemons, spewed forth from the Warp, now bolster the assault! The Imperial Albatrosses swiftly engage and drive back the Daemons, while the Techpriests make a terrible discovery… Daemons aren’t all that emerge from the Warp. The Surge Station’s sudden shutdown also ruptures an artery of the Webway, pouring a swarm of Medusae into Realspace! The Medusae parasites, too numerous to count, feed on the cultists first. Then, they gorge on the raw emotional and psychic energy of the Daemons, growing exponentially in strength. When the countless Medusae finally reach the Imperial Albatrosses and Numerion Guardsmen, nothing can stop the xenos. The Inquisition later learns the fate of the Immaterium Surge Station and quarantines the area of space, unable to eradicate the Bdella Swarm but unwilling to destroy such a vital bulwark against Chaos.
M38 (Age of Redemption)
[RECORDS INCOMPLETE. INVESTIGATION IN PROGRESS]
M39 (The Waning)
- "Withdraw your drop-shrine, Deacon. The Horde of Jaghatai will not march to war in the shadow of a temple. Call us iconoclasts all you wish, but withdraw. If you persist, this attack on the Imperial Truth will not go unanswered. My blade will not stay, and my strike will not sway."
- — Zarion Khan to Deacon Callooh, first of his name, shortly before the Memorial Censure
- Memorial Censure (2.836.099.M39) - Zarion Khan, Master of Marches and Captain of the 5th Company, beheads Deacon Callooh of the Ecclesiarchy. In response, the Adeptus Ministorum and Ordo Hereticus flex their political muscles, pushing masters of the Adeptus Terra and Administratum to officially censure the Imperial Albatrosses Chapter. Squibret Noyan-Khan, the Chapter Master, receives the rebuke but stands by his subordinate’s decision, both Astartes uncompromising in their support for the Imperial Truth. However, the Chapter recognizes a need for recompense: Squibret organizes Strike Force Cardinal as reparation.
- Command Crisis (Early M39) - Following the success of Strike Force Cardinal, Chapter Master Squibret Noyan-Khan suffers a sudden and unexpected death. Then, the Chapter’s Librarium breaks protocol and tradition, nominating Chief Stormseer P’saf to lead the Imperial Albatrosses! Gridlock paralyzes Chapter Command as the Reclusiam and its Chaplains refuse to allow a psyker to lead, and the Stormseers reject any alternate candidates. A month of fierce debate follows, with the Chapter’s Master of Rites deployed far from Tödelky. Only the intervention of the Armory resolves the crisis, with the Iron Khans demanding trial by combat to settle the matter. The sheer animosity between the Chief Stormseer and Master of Sanctity turns the trial into a deadly duel that claims the lives of both Astartes. With the Imperial Albatrosses’ Librarium and Reclusiam headless, the Armory unilaterally declares the 8th Company’s Lord Executioner as the new Noyan-Khan, daring any officer to challenge him for the title.
- P’saf’s Secret - The Lord Executioner, a blunt and bellicose Astartes, immediately assumes command and seizes the personal effects of the late Chief Stormseer, to determine why the psyker broke protocol and tradition. The evidence reveals that Chief Stormseer P’saf underwent a religious experience before the Memorial Censure, and that revelation led him to advocate for the creation of Strike Force Cardinal and abandon the Imperial Truth, covertly converting to the Imperial Cult! Disgusted by the Stormseer and the purpose of Strike Force Cardinal, the former Lord Executioner summons the Chapter’s Master of Rites, who ratifies his ascension to Chapter Master and endorses an investigation into all the Chapter’s Epistolary Stormseers.
+++DATA LOADED ◼◼◼◼◼◻◻◻◻◻ 50%+++
M40 (The Waning)
M41 (Time of Ending)
[CHAPTER DESTROYED]
M42 (Era Indomitus)
[CHAPTER DESTROYED]
- The Primaris Petition (Early M42) - Following the return of the Emperor’s Avenging Son, the Primarch Roboute Guilliman of the Ultramarines, millions of petitions flood to Terra. Each and every world that contributes to a regiment of the Imperial Albatross League implores the High Lords of Terra to found the Imperial Albatrosses Chapter once more, its Astartes reborn with Primaris stock. Whether any of these letters, hopes, missives, or dreams will ever reach someone of importance through the Imperium’s vast bureaucracy remains a mystery, but it is rumored the Primarch Lion El’Jonson heard one such petition and asked for a report on the White Scars’ casualties during the Arks of Omen campaign.
Chapter Appearance
Chapter Colors
Standard issue wargear for Tactical Marines of the Imperial Albatrosses Chapter.
When the Imperial Albatrosses still soared the stars of the Milky Way Galaxy, pink served as the Chapter’s primary color, the vibrant hue symbolizing the fierce warrior-spirit of the White Scars’ lineage. Meanwhile, their secondary color, a muted brown, reminded the Astartes to remain grounded, like the earth of humanity’s birthplace— Terra. Both also paid homage to the Imperial Albatrosses feral homeworld. Tödelky, literally translated as Vivid World, appeared almost neon from orbit, much of its surface a radioactive pink. Beneath the planet’s bright exterior, however, brown clay made agriculture especially challenging. This dense clay seemed to match the Chapter’s unbreakable spirit and preference for deploying heavy infantry.
Chapter Badge
The Chapter symbol of the Imperial Albatrosses emphasizes discipline and heritage: the twin flames of the Sanghuata replace the lightning bolt of the White Scars, but the bar behind the bolt remains, forming the background of the Chapter badge. This recognizes how the White Scars’ culture and teachings formed the foundation of the Imperial Albatrosses.
An Astartes enforcer with the Sanghuata symbol on his girdle and pauldron.
The Sanghuata, an icon from the days of the Legiones Astartes, symbolizes discipline. The White Scars’ legendary discipline combats the genetic curse of their Chogorian Savagery, and the Imperial Albatrosses continue that tradition: whereas the World Eaters and Space Wolves Legions lacked restraint, the White Scars and their successors temper their ferocity with duty and honor. This discipline starkly contrasts the Imperial Albatrosses’ chief foe, the ignoble Drukhari and their depraved excesses. Furthermore, the Sanghuata symbolizes the uncompromising morale of the Chapter’s heavy infantry, who march through hell to inexorably advance on the enemy.
Combat Doctrine
An Assault Marine from the Imperial Albatrosses.
The Imperial Albatrosses plowed through their foes like a freight train! Hordes of heavy infantry rushed the enemy, flanked by armored columns and supported by jump infantry. Had the Chapter survived into the Era Indomitus, historians feel certain they would’ve extensively deployed Mark X Gravis pattern power armor; alas, the Imperial Albatrosses and their successors perished hundreds of years before the unveiling of the Primaris Marines. Thus, their heavy infantry marched to war wearing Terminator armor or carrying boarding shields, combat shields, and storm shields. The Close Support squads that guarded the Chapter’s spearhead assaults included standard squads of Assault Marines, as well as wings of Moritats once the Imperial Albatrosses revived that rank from the Legiones Astartes.
To see the Chapter field Space Marine Bikes was a true rarity, and when they did appear on the battlefield, they were more often than not the Attack Bike variant, with one Astartes driver and another as gunner. Outsiders usually see the Imperial Albatrosses’ combat doctrine as antithetical to the White Scars. However, like the White Scars themselves, the combat doctrine of the Imperial Albatrosses is greatly misunderstood: it emerged from the heritage of the White Scars, not in spite of it. The Imperial Albatrosses actually combined various aspects of the White Scars' tactics to create their own way of war. Though most of the Chapter’s history was lost when the Warp swallowed their homeworld, agents of the Ordo Scriptorum have proven the origins of the Imperial Albatrosses’ combat doctrine: the Chapter lost half its Astartes during Abaddon’s 3rd Black Crusade, and the grievous casualties left a lasting impression on the survivors.
A Keshig Terminator of the Imperial Albatrosses, with the winged cog of Strike Force Coghawk on his knee.
The Chapter’s surviving command structure first turned to the White Scars’ 5th and 6th Companies, the Stormwrath Brotherhood and Hawkseye Brotherhood, known for their great armored phalanxes and en masse deployment. Many veterans of the Imperial Albatrosses had only survived the 3rd Black Crusade by circling their tanks and transports like wagons, fashioning makeshift fortresses against the surrounding daemons. Thus, like the White Scars’ 5th and 6th Companies, the Imperial Albatrosses resolved to deploy en masse, their heavily armored forces rarely fighting with less than a full Company of Astartes to maximize endurance and reduce casualties. But this shift had two unintended consequences. First, the structure of the White Scars’ decentralized Companies and competitive Brotherhoods was reforged into an unbreakable and monolithic chain of command. Second, the Imperial Albatrosses came to truly personify the term “Horde of Jaghatai” whenever the Chapter deployed its infantry and armor en masse.
Also inspired by the 5th Company’s use of overwhelming force, the Imperial Albatrosses examined the success of the White Scars’ 4th and 7th Companies: to even the odds against numerically superior foes, the Tulwar Brotherhood specialized in brutal assaults to shatter enemy defenses and morale, and the Plainstalker Brotherhood was often the first into the fray, deploying at full strength to quickly seize key structures and locations. Thus, the Imperial Albatrosses altered their training to emphasize striking hard and fast, with utter savagery. With lessons learned from the White Scars’ 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Companies, the Imperial Albatrosses’ hordes of heavy infantry and armored phalanxes rushed their foes, plowing through them like a freight train!
Chapter Culture
Oral History & Omophagea
Precious little is known of the Imperial Albatrosses' culture, with much of the Chapter's history lost to the Warp. At least in part, this resulted from a tradition well-known outside the Chapter: whenever possible, a recently promoted Astartes would consume the brain matter of the deceased Astartes who previously held his new rank. This would greatly aid the Imperial Albatrosses' dedication to the "Noble Pursuit" of oral tradition, championed by the White Scars' Primarch Jaghatai Khan. A newly promoted Astartes would use his Omophagea, or Remembrancer organ, to directly access the memories of his predecessor and more accurately recount the history of the Chapter.
In cases when an Astartes replaced a living Space Marine, who for whatever reason no longer held that rank, the Imperial Albatrosses would orchestrate a ceremony of bloodletting or blood-transfusion to achieve a similar effect. The previous officer offered spinal fluid, corrosive saliva from their Betcher's Gland, and/or a pound of flesh for his replacement to ingest. This rite of passage proved extremely effective at preserving the Chapter's rich history for millennia, until its sudden demise. It is perhaps regrettable that one of the few things recorded in detail about the Imperial Albatrosses' culture is this practice, which was well-documented for its unsavory and seemingly primitive nature.
When the Imperial Albatrosses were annihilated in Late M40, their long chain of genetic memory was shattered. The rich oral tradition that had protected and ensured their legacy for generations ironically led to much of their history being lost.
Strict Secularism
Most Space Marine Chapters follow the Imperial Truth, but some worship the Emperor as a god (such as the Red Scorpions, Hospitallers, & Fire Angels).
The Imperial Albatrosses earned a reputation for their vocal support of the Imperial Truth. Their notorious hostility towards the Ecclesiarchy and Imperial Cult even caused friction with more religious Astartes, such as the Red Scorpions, Fire Angels, and Starborn Giants. Therefore, cooperation between the Chapter and more devout Space Marines became increasingly rare in the millennia before its extinction. This ideological and philosophical difference once led to a melee in which a Deathwatch Veteran from the Imperial Albatrosses came to blows with his Watch Sergeant from the Hospitallers Chapter; years after, the two Battle-Brothers of Kill-Team Mortoll resolved their differences and later laughed at the memory of their quarrel, dismissing it as a product of their brash youth.
Not all scores are so easily settled, however: the Ghosthounds, another White Scars successor, vowed to never again serve beside the Imperial Albatrosses, despite the success of their joint campaign. Together, the Ghosthounds and Imperial Albatrosses utterly exterminated a coven of Mooncalf sorcerers from the Pilgrims of the Plague Moon in M37, but the two Chapters never collaborated again. Prone to suspicions and misgivings, the Imperial Albatrosses similarly avoided contact with the Sisters of Battle. Many of the Chapter's veterans had lived through the tyranny of Goge Vandire's Reign of Blood and passed down memories of how the Brides of the Emperor had sworn fealty to the tyrant, only to betray him once the Terran Crusade reached the Imperial Palace. Indeed, records from the Imperial Guard that fought with the last Imperial Albatrosses show the Astartes remained unabashed champions of the Imperial Truth until the end.
Alternative Medicine
Religious Astartes, such as the Black Templars, often countered criticisms of their Imperial Creed by ridiculing the traditions of the Imperial Albatrosses themselves. They claimed that after denying the Emperor’s divinity, the Imperial Albatrosses instead searched for religion in other aspects of life: for example, the Sons of Jaghatai studied and seemed to believe in some pseudo-scientific medicine (such as acupuncture, acupressure, and chiropractics).
A variety of purity seals used by the Ecclesiarchy and Imperium of Man.
The account of Lluwellon Okello, the only Rogue Trader to ever visit Tödelky, ostensibly confirms the Chapter’s hypocrisy. Her writings describe how the Imperial Albatrosses spurned the use of purity seals, lamenting them as tokens of honor bastardized to serve the Ecclesiarchy. In lieu of purity seals, the Astartes often burned incense, like their Mechanicus allies, and bundles of hair, twine, wicker, or roots. Okello personally experienced the use of two Chapter relics as well— an ancient incense clock and a set of ivory acupuncture needles.
Chapter Gene-Seed
Sparse Records & Remarkable Purity
During the Annihilation of the Imperial Albatrosses, the Chapter's vast vaults of gene-seed were seized by the Scions of Ostentine. The warband's Superintendent personally led the assault, and many battle brothers died in the fruitless defense. This total loss prevented the Imperial Albatrosses from rebuilding their Chapter, causing their extinction. The few surviving records of their gene-seed offer only limited information, with concrete details being scarce. But chief among these rare insights is a note on the remarkable purity of the Imperial Albatrosses' gene-seed.
The Imperial Albatrosses possessed gene-seed even more stable than their processors: whereas White Scars have a reasonable low chance of mutation, their successors in the Imperial Albatrosses seemed to match the purity of the Dark Angels or Ultramarines! The Imperial Albatrosses' gene-seed showed no significant physical mutation beyond the norm, and every implanted organ functioned to its fullest specifications. Agents of the Adeptus Mechanicus and Adeptus Administratum found no fault with the Imperial Albatrosses' gene-seed, from the Golden of the Age of the Imperium known as The Forging until the Chapter's demise during The Waning in M40.
Primarch's Curse: Grim Suspicions
- "They shall be pure of heart & strong of body, untainted by doubt..."
The Imperial Albatrosses' genetic purity matched that of the Dark Angels and the Ultramarines, but when the rare mutations did arise, they were extreme. Two distinct symptoms resulted from the Imperial Albatrosses' genetic curse-- the first more subtle and insidious than the second.
- Stage 1 - Paranoia: The Astartes grows increasingly suspicious of those around him. First, he experiences great apprehension of the unknown, and his courage in the face of uncharted territory wanes. Next, he expects the enemy to make sudden, unexpected moves, distracting him from the reality of his surroundings. Then, he begins to doubt the motives of his allies, wondering where their true allegiances lie and keeping one eye open for treachery. His growing suspicions lead him to question his own orders, even if he still obeys them. Finally, his delusions turn inward: he no longer even trusts himself, paralyzed at key moments that lead to deadly consequences, for himself and others...
- Stage 2 - Psycho Organic Strain: Not many Space Marines survive the mental decline of Stage 1's Paranoia. The unfortunate few survivors deteriorate physically, despite their transhuman physiology. First, the eyes appear sunken, dark circles crowding around them. The pupils shrink to permanent pinpricks, darting from place to place and jumping between shadows. In its delusional state, the afflicted mind races to makes logical leaps and perceives conspiracies with no empirical evidence. The Space Marine’s hair finally turns brittle and wiry, thinning and fraying into a frizzy mess. Stage 2 Astartes inevitably die from a brain aneurism and/or seizures.
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Astartes from the Imperial Albatrossses had a minimal chance of mutation, on par with the Dark Angels and Ultramarines. During the 21st "Cursed" Founding, however, the Adeptus Mechanicus attempted to reduce this possibility even further. The Adeptus Mechanicus feared the Chapter's purity would degrade and decrease over time, dreading the likelihood of mutation would grow. These fears originated from the Imperial Fists who, despite their genetic purity, gradually lost the use of their Betcher's Gland and Sus-an Membrane. Unwilling to allow their allies in the Imperial Albatrosses to suffer a similar fate or worse, the genetors of the 21st Founding felt compelled to prevent such inefficiency. They therefore petitioned for the creation of the Iron Owls, a successor Chapter to the Imperial Albatrosses.
Based on the reputation of the Imperial Albatrosses as a stalwart and steadfast Chapter of the 4th Founding, The High Lords of Terra swiftly approved the request. Thus, the Adeptus Mechanicus began its work, but the results proved disastrous. The Iron Owls seemed successful at first, leading to large-scale implementation of their altered gene-seed. However, they ultimately turned into an indisputable and irreparable failure: the removal of a seemingly benign mutation from the Imperial Albatrosses' gene-seed-- dubbed the Learrex Nucleotide-- caused drastic destabilization. The genetic defects that later resulted from the Adeptus Mechanicus' various "improvements" became so profound and horrifying that the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Malleus-- the Grey Knights-- received orders to obliterate the Iron Owls.
Chapter Homeworld
Volatile Geography
Pict-capture of Tödelky, the Vivid World, circa M37.
Just as lush Paradise Worlds appear green with vegetation and blue with water, Tödelky looked binary in color, much of its land covered in brittle pink grass or immense brown mushrooms. These massive mushrooms provided shelter for the Feral World’s human inhabitants; however, their corrosive secretions also caused much of the world’s acid rain. With agriculture and irrigation made difficult by the rain and the world’s hard dry clay, warfare raged across Tödelky ceaselessly. The scarcity of resources played a large part in the countless wars waged between Tödelky’s raiders and caravan-clans.
Land, for example, was a chief concern for the planet’s inhabitants. The shifting borders between warlords and their territories were under constant assault by the planet itself! The geography of Tödelky changed much more frequently and radically than on more stable planets, such as Terra: hills, mountains, valleys, and ravines formed and vanished with the seasons. The foundation of solid earth, taken for granted on other more stable worlds, did not exist on Tödelky. Gangs of pillagers often plundered roaming nomads, and the warlords of more stable communities aggressively protected their people out of necessity.
Khailakes & Culture
Though the scarcity of resources played a large part in the countless wars waged between Tödelky’s raiders and proto-nation-states, it did not account for all conflicts. Differences in philosophy and theology also sparked much of the world’s warfare; disagreements about the Emperor’s divinity predictably arose as Tödelky approached the status of a Feudal World, but more unique to the Imperial Albatrosses’ homeworld were various beliefs based on the planet’s great lakes, or Khailakes. These lakes held vast quantities of metal— as such mercury, galinstan, and other alien alloys— that remained liquid at everyday temperatures. From these great lakes of liquid metal, the Tödelkyn people developed certain customs, traditions, and superstitions. The presence, emergence, and disappearance of the Khailakes were often interpreted as omens by the planet's primitive population: if the world's volatile geography caused the distant relocation of a great lake, seers and shamans interpreted it as a sign of coming misfortune or of the displeasure of their Astartes overlords. Should a Khailake remain stable for a prolonged period of time, however, the locals perceived its stability as a blessing, demonstrating the approval of higher powers. The sudden appearance of a great lake nearby was likewise heralded as a gift of good fortune and a signal to prepare for the glory of war, for outsiders and foreigners were always quick to come and claim it for themselves.
Only after millennia of human development and the growth of civilization were the true value of the Khailakes realized: waterworkers eventually improved at their trade and advanced their skills, learning to extract drinkable water from the great lakes' liquid metal. In fact, the Tödelkyn extraction process actually produced several other byproducts as well, such as indium for leisurely chewing and strengthening the jaws of gladiators and soldiers. Water, a rare commodity, already had deep roots in the culture of Tödelky: a career in dowsing conferred high social standing and wealth, while warlords often kept aqualogists and hydromancers as close advisors. The archives of the Deathwatch reflect this unique culture: Librarians from the Imperial Albatrosses seconded to the Long Vigil specialized in what they called the Discipline of Hydromancy, more than any other psychic discipline. Furthermore, scholars believe that the Tödelkyn cultural influence and reverence for water directly contributed to the design of the Chapter's Font of Fortitude relic, which resembled a simple stone basin.
Benign Fire & Tödelkyn Pyropatches
Tödelky’s acid rain and the secretions of its mega mushrooms left behind flammable residue. Like certain salts that change the color of flames when burned, this residue changed the properties of fire when ignited, lowering the flame’s temperature; Tödelkyn fire was therefore usually harmless to humans. With an average temperature about 20 to 25 degrees below that of the human body, this benign fire burned fuel slowly. Thus, larges swathes of Tödelky’s surface, from the size of large cities to small countries, often burned with innocuous gray fires.
Tödelkyn nomads easily traversed these firefields and waded through the pyropatches like dense fog, the flaming terrain balanced between the extremes of freezing balefire from Drukhari Mandrakes and the searing flames of standard Terran fire. During the Annihilation of the Imperial Albatrosses, however, the villainous Scions of Ostentine airdropped tons of promethium onto Tödelkyn hotspots, turning the benign fires into raging infernos! One account from records of the Imperial Guard defenders even describes how an ancient phosphex bomb reacted violently to Tödelky’s flammable residue, much to the surprise of the invaders that deployed it: the resulting nucleonic explosion seemed to inflict more casualties on the Scions than their target, with hundreds of heretek servitors and mechahelots instantly atomized.
Chapter Organization
Codex Astartes & Naming Conventions
An Ebon Keshig from the White Scars Legion, in Cataphractii Terminator armor.
In nearly all regards, the Imperial Albatrosses followed the wisdom of the Codex Astartes. The Chapter, like its Primarch, appreciated the freedom and flexibility granted by Roboute Guilliman’s great work. The Imperial Albatrosses’ few departures from the Codex Astartes were insignificant overall, such as nominal differences from Khorchin titles. For example, the Honor Guard of the Imperial Albatrosses bore the title of Keshig, like their White Scars predecessors.
Unlike the White Scars, however, the Imperial Albatrosses refused to adopt the title of “Great Khan” for their Chapter Master; the Imperial Albatrosses reserved that title for their Primarch, Jaghatai Khan— the Great Khan or Khagan— who they believed would one day return from the Webway. Instead, they revived the bygone title of Noyan-Khan, from the days of the Legiones Astartes. Gwa’sha, a former Keshig of the White Scars’ 2nd Brotherhood, chose the title Noyan-Khan upon ascending as the Imperial Albatrosses’ first Chapter Master, and nearly every Chapter Master since has honored that tradition, from Gwa’sha Noyan-Khan to the late Iibiishan Noyan-Khan.
Moritats & Strike Forces
A Moritat of the Death Guard, armed with dual plasma pistols.
The Imperial Albatrosses were not immune to change, despite their conservative tendencies. More than 2000 years after the Chapter's Founding, for example, Khuz'vult Noyan-Khan radically restructured the 8th Company, to restore the ancient Legion role of Moritat and commemorate the Reserve Company's Captain-- Najm Khan. Assault Marine Moritats soon became a staple of the Imperial Albatrosses' combat doctrine and Strike Forces, primarily as escorts and assassins. The Chapter also expunged every Hyperios pattern Whirlwind from its entire Armory, less than a 1000 years later. The tanks' disastrous failure during the Moirae Schism caused the death of Khuz'vult Noyan-Khan, who led Strike Force Coghawk.
Each of the Imperial Albatrosses' Strike Forces, like the White Scars' distinct Pioneer Companies, had its own identity and livery. The Chapter viewed membership in a Strike Force as a great honor, something even more important than one's Company; joining a Strike Force was a rare rite of passage, not guaranteed to any warrior of the Chapter. If a Strike Force achieved its objective, its constituent Space Marines would forever wear the heraldry of their formation on their armor, such as the winged cog of Strike Force Coghawk or the swift hammer of Strike Force Gavelraptor. Should these Astartes fail in their efforts, however, the stain of shame was insurmountable; many of these disgraced Astartes would turn to the Deathwatch as Black Shields, forfeiting the colors of their Chapter.
Chapter Relics
Rolling Thunder [DESTROYED]
A Techmarine from the Imperial Albatrosses operating thunderfire cannon artillery.
Techmarine Q'varna designed this Attack Bike to run on treads like a tank, rather than typical tires. Inspired by the Exorcist tank of the newly formed Adeptus Sororitas in M36, this slow but purposeful bike sacrificed sheer speed for being able to carry and fire its primary weapon. The Rolling Thunder's passenger compartment featured a thunderfire cannon, instead of a heavy bolter or multi-melta. However, accounts from multiple Astartes described the passenger seat as notoriously uncomfortable, since Q'varna designed it to accommodate a Techmarine Iron Khan. Some say that only a Techmarine could truly man the gunner's seat of the Rolling Thunder, since reloading and aiming the attached artillery was a task virtually impossible without a servo-arm or larger servo-harness. Even the enhanced reflexes of an Astartes struggled to calculate firing solutions for the artillery's indirect barrages while managing the cannon's shells.
For those who mastered its use, however, the Rolling Thunder proved far more valuable than an ordinary warbike. In M37, the Destroyers Chapter witnessed this firsthand, on a world cursed by the Lord of Change Ix'thar'ganix: the Destroyers’ Bike and Tactical squads tried repeatedly to purge flocks of Chaos Furies from tainted ruins as the Imperial Albatrosses’ Terminators stormed the gates of the enemy fortress. However, the daemons would always recede into shadows or leap atop buildings at the Bikes’ thunderous approach, hiding out of sight until the Astartes’ cavalry had passed or their infantry advanced into an ambush. Thus, the Imperial Albatrosses unleashed the Rolling Thunder! Its mobile artillery kept pace with the soaring daemons, its airburst shells shredding the Furies whenever they took flight. With the Furies effectively grounded, the Destroyers’ aggressive Tacticals finally caught the enemy, tearing them apart with chainswords, bolters, and combat knives as their Bikes ran down any stragglers.
Legacy Mosaic [DESTROYED]
Forged of parts from all three major patterns of Terminator armor, the Legacy Mosaic paid homage to the Chapters of Adeptus Astartes that perished in the 3rd Black Crusade. The Imperial Albatrosses scavenged several suits of Tactical Dreadnought armor from the fallen during the Crusade and planned to return the relics to their allies, but upon discovering the fate of their brother Chapters, the Imperial Albatrosses adopted the armor as their own. From several sets beyond repair, the Chapter’s Techmarines and Master of the Forge merged segments of Cataphractii, Tartaros, and Indomitus pattern Terminator Armour to create the Legacy Mosaic. The various benefits and detriments of each pattern uniquely affected the suit’s performance, and mastering its asymmetrical eccentricities required a lifetime. Therefore, the most veteran Ancient of the Imperial Albatrosses wore this relic as his badge of office, forgoing all other power armor. The few over the millennia who came to truly understand the Legacy Mosaic left legendary legacies of their own, claiming victory with the Imperium’s rich history of armor at their disposal.
Hailstorm Six [DESTROYED]
[RECORDS INCOMPLETE. INVESTIGATION IN PROGRESS]
Chapter Recruitment
Tribalism & Chaplains
After their Chapter's death blow, a few remaining Imperial Albatrosses joined the Deathwatch.
Virtually nothing is known of the Imperial Albatrosses' recruitment practices. Since none of the Chapter's records survived the Annihilation of the Imperial Albatrosses (unless stolen by the traitorous forces of Chaos), teams from the Logos Historica Verita have been forced to rely on secondary sources; the personal accounts of Deathwatch Astartes that served alongside the last of the Imperial Albatrosses, after their Chapter's death blow, serve as one such example.
Documents recovered from the Watch Station of Mortoll's Hold provide a glimpse into the recruitment of new Imperial Albatrosses. A brief entry written in the journal of a Black Shield mentions a joke told by a Terminator from the Imperial Albatrosses, after his Chapter was rendered unable to rebuild itself; the author describes the joke as morbid and amusing in equal measure. So perfectly phrased and delivered was the punchline that the tears it forced from the rest of Kill-Team Mortoll were as full of laughter as they were with lamentation.
The feghoot shared by the Terminator seems to have detailed a personal anecdote from his recruitment, illustrating the intense tribalism of Tödelkyn recruits. After millennia of warfare between the various tribes, raiders, and proto-nations on Tödelky, rivalries between opposing clans and ethnic groups were not easily forgotten, and it fell to the Chapter's Chaplains to ensure these squabbles did not interfere with operational effectiveness or the chain of command, through legendary discipline.
Notable Members
- Gwa’sha Afu the Chapter Founder, the Gordian Fist AKA the Gilded Fist or the Midas Fist, Keshig Honor Guard of the White Scars’ 2nd Firefists Company
- Teneg Noyan-Khan the Patient Serpent, Swiftstriker, Founder of Strike Force Stormbird, the Evil Sunz’ Eclipse
- Chief Stormseer P’saf the Floodlord, Father of Strike Force Cardinal, AKA the Convert, Usurper, & Oathbreaker
- Champion Najm of the Uhaan Solban, the Vulture of Vengeance, Master of Moritats, AKA the Dauntless, Venerable, & Ancient
Notable Quotes
By Imperial Albatrosses
- "Heed my orders, zealot. My keshig alone has earned more accolades than your entire newfound Chapter. You will submit to my command or you will perish when we withdraw and leave you for the xenos."
- — Squibret Noyan-Khan to Chapter Master Caelum of the Starborn Giants
- "Withdraw your drop-shrine, Deacon. The Horde of Jaghatai will not march to war in the shadow of a temple. Call us iconoclasts all you wish, but withdraw. If you persist, this attack on the Imperial Truth will not go unanswered. My blade will not stay, and my strike will not sway."
- — Zarion Khan to Deacon Callooh, first of his name, shortly before the Memorial Censure
- "Noyan-Khan, I have had a vision: in the eye of a storm, two great vultures descended, and arrows rained down from their talons, aimed at an albatross. But a cardinal came and took from the albatross an olive branch, and the falling arrows turned to roses, falling on the albatross like flowers thrown on a stage."
- — Chief Stormseer P’saf describes his dream to Squibret Noyan-Khan after the Memorial Censure
- "Our father was a warlord and a scholar. Every Neophyte knows his name & studies his deeds. We learn of the Great Khan’s teachings to the Talskars, his conquest of Chogoris, and his courage in the face of treachery. Only then do we learn the tragedy of his loss, how he simply disappeared. For thousands of years, the hordes of the Warhawk have lived with that pain: grief at his absence and hope at his return poison our twin hearts with anguish, but we endure.
The first day we discover his fate, we want to rage and bellow his name, cursing the cruel xenos that took him from us. The next day, it’s easier, like heartburn in our chest. Over time, it fades, sitting heavy in the pits of our stomach— a sinking feeling in our gut. Though the pain fades, the scar remains. The Imperial Albatrosses shall never forget our father. We will remember the Warhawk, always..."- — Chaplain Novice Grögan of the Imperial Albatrosses, member of Strike Force Stormbird
- "Reclusiarch Galax & I served together for more than a century. I knew him when he was still Brother Galax. At times, I forget he’s gone… I read debriefings that would make him laugh. I find myself walking to his quarters, to tell him of new recruits, but then, suddenly, I remember. He deserved better… a more noble end. If the Chapter never discovers the fate of his vessel, we will have done him a terrible disservice, and it will be a great stain on our records."
- — Chaplain Neerik laments the loss of Reclusiarch Galax, shortly after his disappearance
About the Imperial Albatrosses
- "The Imperial Albatrosses earnestly applied the teachings of the Codex Astartes. They deployed its every formation, executed its every maneuver, and approached every engagement with it in mind. And yet, they are gone. Not for lack of strength, nor for lack of courage, but because they misunderstood the Codex and its nature. They followed and cherished its wisdom, but failed to understand it. That was their fatal flaw.
But do not let this breed contempt for them; they were noble warriors, righteous in their purpose, and they have earned our respect. Their study is one worth undertaking, for they serve us even now— despite their death— as a warning. The Imperial Albatrosses show us that it is not enough to merely wield a weapon nor use a tool, such as the Codex. You must understand the tool and the balance of a blade, for even the most master-crafted instrument is capable of misuse, especially by those who don’t understand it."- — LESSONS OF SCOUT-SERGEANT AUGEREAU OF THE OPTIMUS LEGION, 10TH COMPANY
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