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This article, Mantis Claws, was written by Wolfman912. Please do not edit or 'acquire' this fiction without the writer's permission. |
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This article, Mantis Claws, is currently under active construction. The author, Wolfman912, apologizes for the inconvenience. |
The Mantis Claws are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter comprised entirely of Primaris Space Marines. It was created from the rare genetic lineage of the White Scars and raised during the Ultima Founding of ca. 999.M41. Like their progenitors, they have become renowned for their highly mobile method of warfare, tearing into their enemies with lightning-quick attacks before unleashing the full fury of their assault. Since their founding they have earned an infamous reputation as peerless hunters and bloody-handed reavers. This reputation is well-earned, for they are a savage Chapter, well known for their pragmatic brutality and their relentless, if measured, aggression, indeed, overkill or half-measures are not concepts which the Mantis Claws understand, and they are known to leave vast, cratered ruins in the wake of their many victories.
Preternaturally skilled in the arts of mounted warfare, stealth, infiltration, ambush and furious, close-quarters engagements, their intimidating hunting tactics permeate every strategic strata of their Chapter combat doctrine. Squads of stealthy killers swiftly destroy the enemy's vanguard, squadrons of swift vehicles encircle macro-cities, and prowling rapid-strike vessels gut larger spacecraft in the void. The Mantis Claws precision strikes sever avenues of escape, sowing confusion. As the foe desperately tries to repulse attacks on multiple fronts, suddenly the Mantis Claws strike hard. At a single point from multiple directions, they attack with overwhelming savagery the match of the burning rage possessed by the sons of Sanguinius. Fighting with wild abandon, they tear the throat from an enemy already in fear.
Though it has won great victories for the Imperium, the stability of the Chapter's gene-seed has come into question as well as concerns surrounding its Astartes' savage conduct in battle.
History
In the waning years of the 41st Millennium as the forces of Chaos erupted from the Eye of Terror and split the Galaxy in two, they seemed poised to finally accomplish their ultimate goal, the destruction of the Imperium and the death of the Emperor. But the heretics had made a fatal mistake, they had failed to prevent the escape of a force that would change the course of the Galaxy. This force would make their way to Macragge where they would succeed in resurrecting the Primarch of the Ultramarines, Roboute Guilliman, journeying to Terra, the Avenging Son took full command over the Imperium once more and began the Indomitus Crusade. The largest armada since the Great Crusade set sail from the heart of the Imperium, aboard was not just the massed armies of the Imperium but the fleet carried a new force, a force 10,000 years in the making, the Primaris Astartes.
Created in secret scant years after the Horus Heresy, on the orders of Guilliman himself, the Primaris represent the next stage of evolution of the Space Marines, aboard the ships of the Indomitus Crusade the Primaris were formed into a Legion size force known as the Unnumbered Sons. The Unnumbered Sons or the Greyshields as they called themselves comprised Astartes drawn from each of the Loyalist Primarch's and assembled into squads regardless of their heritage.
Finally, after a more than a decade and dozens, if not hundreds of battles had been fought, the first phase of the Indomitus Crusade came to an end, and the vast legions of the Unnumbered Sons were broken up. Some were formed into new Chapters, others dispatched to the far corners of the Galaxy in fleets known as Torchbearers, bound for existing Chapters to bolster their numbers. One such fleet, simply named Task-Force Gamma-Beta was dispatched to far reaches of the Segmentum Pacificus. This task force had fought together for more than a decade alongside the 4th Company of the Raptors Chapter, learning from each before the Greyshields were disbanded. Onboard was over 300 Astartes, former member of the Unnumbered Sons, veterans all and all carried within them the Gene-Seed of the Marauders Chapter, proud scions of the V Legion and their Primarch, Jaghatai Khan. But it was not the Marauders Chapters that the Astartes were to join. Rather they were to journey to far edges of the Imperium, there to found their own Chapter, the core of which would be Astartes now aboard. Along with them came forces drawn from across the Imperium and the Adeptus Mechanicus, all determined to help them in their goal.
After many weeks of transit through the hellish currents of the Warp, the flotilla finally re-entered realspace above a desolate and forlorn desert world somewhere in the depths of the Segmentum Pacificus. Almost immediately they became aware of the fighters flitting in and out of the atmosphere, the world was under attack, but it was not the forces of the great enemy they had expected but rather it was the foul denizens of Commoragh. Without hesitation, the Astartes began to deploy, much to the consternation of the fleet commander, Admiral Ghulan, who proposed they simply destroy the enemy from orbit, counteracting the massive disparity in numbers. But the sons of the Vth would not be dissuaded, they knew full well of their gene-sires history and his many conflicts with the Aeldari's dark kin, their attacks on Chogoris and the part they played in his disappearance. No, they declared, they would not stand by and watch the guns of the fleet do their work for them, no, they will take the fight to the service, they will destroy the enemy wherever they found them and their new Chapter would be born in the blood of the Drukhari.
There was also an unspoken thought, the Sons of the V did not believe mere chance had brought them here, they saw it as sign, that at this time, in this place, and with the enemy of all of Jaghatai's sons to fight, the hand of their Primarch and the hand of his Father brought them here. They had been led here to fulfil a specific purpose, this was where they were meant to be, they would enter the war Greyshields and leave a Chapter.
The battle was swift and decisive, as befitting the sons of Jaghatai, Overlords battled Razorwings in the sky, Jetbike mounted outriders duelled Reavers at breakneck speeds among the valleys and mesas, Repulsers exchanged fire with Tantalus and Astartes infantry battled Kabalite warriors among the sand dunes, even the world inhabitants joined in the fighting.
In weeks the battle was over and the Xenos had been crushed utterly, in its aftermath, the Astartes learnt much about this new world. Its people, feral barbarians all, were hardy and brave, and free from all corruption, they had survived the Noctis Aeterna intact and despite being outmatched they had never given into the Xenos. What’s more, though the world had not been part of the Imperium for millennia, they still worshipped the Emperor.
In recognition of the courage and tenaciousness of its people and the victory they helped achieve, the Astartes claimed the world as their own, recruiting those suitable for their new Chapter. But though they would claim it as their own, they would not take it as their homeworld, it would remain as it was, without interference, all the better for maintaining the strength of future Aspirants. Instead, the Mantis Claws would remain aboard their ships, forever hunting the void, returning only sporadically to recruit the next generation. Not only that but the Chapter also claimed dominion over the entire cluster, building small keeps and orbital stations over several inhospitable worlds.
In time they would fully embrace the traditions and culture of the worlds they now had dominion over; they would paint their armour the colour of the sands their Chapter had fought over and named themselves for the giant mantis that roamed the jungles of another of the clusters worlds. It would take several years for them to emerge fully but when they did, they emerged a full Chapter, they emerged as the Mantis Claws.
Notable Campaigns
Day of Founding (014.M42) - The first recorded action of the Mantis Claws, the Day of Founding, as it is known pitted the entire Chapter, 300 strong against the Drukhari on a world within the Segmentum Pacificus. Resulting the complete destruction of the Xenos, the battle was fought even before the Chapter had been established and it was from this battle that the Mantis Claws chose their name and heraldry, claiming the liberated world as their own.
Invasion of Sothestari II (022.M42) - Fought against the Traitor Astartes of Iron Warriors, the campaign was initiated when the Traitors conquered the world of Sothestari II. The Mantis Claws 2nd Brotherhood, near to enough to respond, attacked and retook it though in the fighting large numbers of civilians, caught between the warring parties were killed.
Battle of the Taslintho Rift (058.M42) –
Vorlios Campaign (081-088.M42) – The near-decade-long Vorlios Campaign was an Imperial Campaign that formed part of the larger Indomitus Crusade. The campaign was initiated in response to the emergence of an Ork empire in the Vorlios sub-sector. The Mantis Claws were one of 7 Chapters (Knights of Byzantium, Ashen Wraiths, White Scars, Necropolis Hawks, Invaders and the Warmongers) that persecuted the campaign, committing their 2nd, 5th and 8th Brotherhoods. Eventually, the Imperial armies drove the Orks back to their capital planet of Urkria where the Ashen Wraiths Chapter Master himself would lead a decapitation strike against the Ork Warlord. However, events that would follow the Vorlios campaign would have major repercussions over the following decades. It is also known that at some point, the Ashen Wraiths discovered something within the ruins of the so-called Lost City of Zemruta. In the years that have followed, the Ashen Wraiths have refused to reveal exactly what they had found, even with threats of reprisal from the Inquisition.
Battle of Cthonael VII (Unknown Date.M42) – A battle against the Aeldari of Craftworld Kae-Sariadh. Fought by the 3rd Brotherhood, the two sides battled for months over the world of Cthonael VII as part of a series of pacification and extermination campaigns carried out on the edges of Imperial Space alongside the 7th Company of the Ashen Wraiths Chapter who had attacked the same Craftworld at Cthonael IX. Due to the worlds terrain which consisted of wide-open steppes, the war was primarily a mobile one, something the Mantis Claws are eminently suited for. Neither side was able to claim victory before an Ork armada, drawn to fighting as moths to a flame, suddenly appeared and launched themselves headlong into the system, attacking both the Ashen Wraiths and the Mantis Claws. Discarding their enmity, the two armies broke off hostilities in the face of a common foe. The impromptu alliance would result in the utter annihilation of the Orks and following the death of the Ork Warlord, the two sides parted ways, both considering the idea of turning on those they had so recently fought alongside rather distasteful. Though the Ork force was defeated, it soon became apparent that these Orks were the same as those the Mantis Claws and the Ashen Wraiths had faced decades earlier during the Vorlios Campaign. In the aftermath of that campaign, the Orks, rather than breaking apart into infighting, had instead reunited under the command of a Deathskulls Warlord known as Gharrog who now leads a WAAGH! of prodigious size. Since the battle both the Humans and Asuryani have entered into a truce of sorts, and no further hostilities have occurred between them.
Chapter Organisation
As a Semi-Codex Chapter, the organisation of the Mantis Claws differs from that of many other Chapters and though they maintain the standard Chapter strength of 1,000 Astartes spread across ten companies, they do not organise themselves along the same lines as a Codex Chapter. Rather than the proscribed 4 Battle and 4 reserve, along with the Veteran and Scout companies, the Mantis Claws have no reserve companies, only the 1st Company, 8 Battle Companies and the 10th Scout Company. As with a Codex Chapter, the 1st company is comprised entirely of veterans while four of the battle companies are organised along broadly similar lines with each company built around the standard 10-man squad. The 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th companies are organised along similar lines as the Codex but are still designated as Battle companies as opposed to Reserve and while designated by a single role, each squad can and will be equipped as necessary for a given campaign. Of all a Chapter's companies, it is the 10th that fights least commonly as a single unit. Though the Scouts are not yet fully trained Space Marines, their skills are highly valued. As a result, every strike force will have a squad or two of Scouts attached to it.
Each company maintains its own complement of assault and reconnaissance vehicles such as Land Speeders and Bikes, Dreadnoughts too are maintained at the company level though the numbers of Dreadnought are notably few compared to others, and it is common for a Company to be unable to field even a single example. Likewise for battle tanks which the Chapter has few of while transports are more numerous. In contrast the number of Bikes and Land Speeder are disproportionately high with the Chapter maintaining hundreds of examples.
One of the most prominent examples of the Mantis Claws divergence from the Codex is the combining of the roles of the Chaplain and Apothecary, these Marines are known to the Chapter as Druids and draw from the customs of the tribes the Chapter now recruits from. They are steeped in the traditions of their world and utilise more esoteric skills alongside their traditional weapons. They work alongside the Chapters Librarians who are known as Shamans and both are commanded by the High Priest who combines the tree roles of Chief Librarian, Master of Sanctity and Chief Apothecary into one.
In keeping with the teachings of their Primarch, the Mantis Claws will often split Companies into dedicated strike forces known as ‘Talons’. These ‘Talons’ can range from a single squad to more than half the Companies strength. The use of these ‘Talons’ allows each Company to operate over a much wider area, and it is not uncommon for a company to deploy its forces over several Star Systems at once.
As is common within the Astartes, the Mantis Claws disdain command of void-ships and therefore all fleet commanders are universally drawn from the Chapters mortal serfs who receive advanced training in order to command these powerful warships. Likewise, Techmarines are absent from all but the largest vessels and on the fleet escorts this job is delegated to trained serfs though all mortal servants, from the Ship-Captain down are subordinate to the ranking Astartes aboard.
Chapter Serfs
Like other Chapters, the Mantis Claws possess extensive support personnel comprised of thousands of Chapter Serfs. These serfs are made up of mortal men and women, some are rescued humans who have sworn themselves to the Chapter whilst others are serfs who were born into their status as a child of Chapter Serfs. These serfs are fanatically loyal to their transhuman masters and indoctrinated into many of the lesser orders of the Chapter's Cult while serving the Chapter by commanding and crewing one of the Chapter's vessels in the Chapter Fleet. Although human, they still benefit from remarkable training and access to superior weaponry, and this makes them a formidable foe in defence of their chapter's ships and in ship-to-ship boarding actions, even without the support of their genetically modified lords. These support personnel make up the vast majority of the Chapters ship crews as well overseeing other menial tasks that are beneath the notice of their Superhuman masters. Though some Chapters are known to treat their serfs fairly, others do not, the Ashen Wraiths, for their part, treat their serfs with a cold indifference and barely concealed contempt.
Each individual Battle Brother is assigned 3 serfs who act to assist their master in his daily tasks although it is very rare for the number of serfs to actually reach the numbers required, much prestige is attached to those chapter serfs who are assigned to high ranking Battle Brothers and the de facto leader of the Chapter serfs is assigned to serve the High Chieftain himself and is known as the Ordinator of the House, the currant Ordinator is Praxane Nihlula who also commands the Chapters mighty flagship 'The Mantidis Scalpturrio'.
As with other Chapters, failed Aspirants, primarily those whose bodies proved metabolically and/or immunologically unable to accept the Chapter's gene-seed and Astartes implants are given a second chance to serve the Chapter by become Chapter Serfs.
Officer Ranks
- High Chieftain (Chapter Master)
- Chieftain (Company Captain)
- Lieutenant
Specialist Ranks
- High Priest (Chief Librarian, Master of Sanctity and Chief Apothecary)
- Shaman (Librarian)
- Druid (Chaplain and Apothecary)
- Forge-Wright (Master of the Forge)
- Tech-Wright (Techmarine)
Line Ranks
- Storm-Sergeant (Sergeant)
- Storm-Brother (Battle-Brother)
Non-Line Ranks
- Initiate
- Aspirant
Specialist Units & Formations
- Mandibles Squad (Close Support Squad)
- Storms Wrath Squad (Battleline Squad)
- Storm Wardens Squad (Fire Support Squad)
- Mantidae – The Mantidae (Also known as the Storm-Ghouls) are the Elite Jetbike equipped reconnaissance and assault units of the Mantis Claws. Formed by the most skilled and aggressive of the Chapters already inherently skilled outrider marines, the Mantidae are warriors of unequalled prowess and unbridled savagery, possessing relentless determination and matchless skill, whose punishing recruitment protocol ensures that only the finest Mantis Claws bear their proud heraldry.
- Mantis Religiosa – Sometimes known as the Crimson Storm, the Mantis Religiosa are savage elite assault units, those who have allowed the savagery inherent in the Sons of Jaghatai to come to the fore. They now display suicidal urges, a blatant disregard for overall combat doctrine and an overwhelming desire to slay their enemies.
Non-Astartes Ranks
- Ordinator of the House – The most senior Chapter Serf, directly serves the High Chieftain.
- Fleet Master – The Chapter Serf in command of the Chapters Fleet, traditionally captains the Cruenta Crucesignati.
- Seneschal (Senior Chapter Serf)
- Shipmaster – Commands a vessel of the Chapter Fleet
- Thrall (Chapter Serf)
- Armed Thrall (Chapter Serf) – Armed serfs charged with the defence of the Chapter's vessels and holdings in the absence of their Astartes masters.
- Tech Thrall – Tech Thralls are those Chapter Serfs who have received training from the Chapters Tech-Wrights and are directly responsible for maintaining and repairing the Chapters vessels in the absence of the Tech-Wrights.
Order of Battle
Headquarters
| Headquarters | |
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| Technacarum (Armoury) |
Order of the Storm (Librarius) |
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Brotherhoods (Companies)
| Brotherhoods | ||||
| Veteran Brotherhood | Battle Brotherhoods | |||
| 1st Brotherhood ("Mantis Guard") |
2nd Brotherhood ("Brotherhood of the Sands") |
3rd Brotherhood ("Dune Stalkers") |
4th Brotherhood ("Hunters of the Wilds") |
5th Brotherhood ("Mandibles") |
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| Reserve Brotherhoods | ||||
| 6th Brotherhood ("Storm Heralds") |
7th Brotherhood ("Eye of the Tempest") |
8th Brotherhood ("War Riders") |
9th Brotherhood ("Storm of Fury") |
10th Brotherhood ("Firehearts") |
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Combat Doctrine
Much of the Mantis Claws doctrine comes not only from their Primogenitors but also the many battles of the Indomitus Crusade. The warriors of the Mantis Claws are master hunters, every aspect of their combat doctrine focused on the coordinated tracking, pursuit and destruction of their quarry.
The Mantis Claws often endeavour to be the initiator of combat actions and prefer not to fight on the defensive. This is borne out when studying their actions during the Vorlios campaign, where they operated almost exclusively as a rapid-strike force, disdaining any kind of protracted engagement whenever possible, preferring to approach their targets either with extreme speed or by stealth, which allowed them to strike with the element of surprise on their side whenever possible.
Tactical operations begin with a Battle Company closing upon their enemy in complete stealth, observing their behaviour and movements until their weaknesses become clear. The Chapter specialises in guerilla tactics and lightning-fast warfare, utilising precisely coordinated attacks as reconnaissance and infiltration units prowl behind enemy lines to probe defences and quickly silence threats that would slow the main assault, a process that may take days or even weeks. In this the Chapter relies heavily on their Scout Marines and Infiltration units, in particular their outrider squads who range far ahead, eliminating isolated enemy forces and pinpointing enemy positions and for reconnaissance to identify good drop sites for the rest of the Chapter's deployed forces
Once enemy positions are identified and with them wrong-footed and bleeding, the main Mantis Claws force hit these points with overwhelming force. Once the assaults succeed, the Mantis Claws press the attack to the hilt. Once they commit fully, they dig deep into the enemy's vitals, endeavouring to do as much damage as possible as quickly as possible. At this point, the full fury of the Mantis Claws is all too apparent, and little survives this stage of the assault.
They are unafraid of battles of attrition or mutual destruction, relying on the abilities of their Battle-Brothers to overcome and endure anything the enemy can throw at them.
At times this has proven to be a flaw, as the Chapter has a predilection to fight on once engaged where its better strategic judgment might have otherwise prevailed before its bloodlust was roused.
Chapter Beliefs
The Mantis Claws are very much a product of their primogenitors and the worlds they have claimed. The culture of both now drives the Chapter forward and permeates throughout, even to those not born into these worlds, indeed, since claiming their new worlds the original Mantis claws Astartes have fully assimilated and not even the keenest observer would not know that they were originally of a different world. Hailing from the primitive worlds of the cluster, the Mantis Claws continue to embrace the tribal nature of these worlds. These tribes share a loose culture and veneration of the world's rain, and even upon entrance into the Chapter the Mantis Claws continue to cling to their tribal identity; Mantis Claws often call each other simply by their tribe. Contrary to the reverence most Space Marine homeworld populations have for Astartes, the Mantis Claws are viewed by the people of the cluster as cursed ghosts rather than heroes to be celebrated. Service in the armies of the God-Emperor is a death sentence, not an honour to be fought for. Those children who "ascend" to become Mantis Claws abandon their natural lives to become inhuman angels. The Mantis Claws in turn continue to maintain a degree of mysticism, interacting in rituals with witches and seers of their worlds
In character with their basic aloofness and desire for autonomy, the battle-brothers of the Mantis Claws have an uncommon streak of individualism and self-reliance. Mantis Claws are known as more subtle and cunning than those of most conventional Chapter and each one is born a survivor, a killer from the shadows, and the inheritor of a warrior lineage that descends from one of the savage tribes that they draw their recruits from. Their savagery is tempered by a dark mysticism and unlike the thunderous White Scars, the Mantis Claws are said to be more like a sudden hurricane that comes without warning and leaves devastation in its wake.
To outsiders, they appear barbarous and lacking in self-control, indeed most see them as feral barbarians, savage in character and aspect and while true, the Mantis Claws are not the same as the mindless rage-fuelled sons of Sanguinius or the traitor berserkers of the World Eaters, they are direct, practised warriors, able to focus their inherent savagery on the destruction of their enemies.
They are also a sullen and withdrawn Chapter, possessed of a grim outlook for the Mantis Claws have no illusions about what war truly is, war is suffering and pain and nothing more.
This rather grim view has ingrained itself into every facet of the Chapters way of war, causing them to favour results by any means necessary. Even when faced with insurmountable odds the Mantis Claws will choose to stand firm and be ground into dust as long as victory is assured. In many instances, the only way the Chapter had a reasonable chance to achieve victory is by taking the most extreme of actions against its opponents.
As such the Mantis Claws take a flippant view regarding collateral damage and the use of excessive force. If innocent civilians or other Imperial forces happen to die due to their brutal tactics, so be it and they are not above laying waste to an entire system and its defenders in order to achieve their objectives, even in the face of insurmountable odds.
Command within the Chapter is gained through a mixture of martial prowess on the battlefield and displays of leadership on the front line. No rank or role within the Chapter is exempt from the expectation that they will fight as hard as the rest.
In a similar vein to the White Scars themselves, the Mantis Claws do not venerate the Emperor with the fervour or zeal of many other Astartes Chapters, viewing Him as a distant figure, the master of the galaxy and the founder of the Imperium but little more. Their long-lost Primarch, Jaghatai Khan is viewed as a mighty leader capable of making tough decisions when the need was great. They also have an overwhelming desire to challenge enemies to single combat, believing that doing so honours their Primarch and the Emperor, the greater the foe, the greater the honour. A notable exception to this is the followers of the Dark Gods, the Mantis Claws consider them so repulsive that only a swift death is warranted.
In their dealings with other Chapters, the Mantis Claws are notoriously uncommunicative, preferring to remain apart from their fellow Astartes, even during joint campaigns and rarely appear at war councils. Even when they do, it is usually a Chieftain rather than the High Chieftain who attends, this reticence has given them a well-deserved reputation as sullen and withdrawn Astartes
Like all Chapters, the Mantis Claws utilise a unique Battle-Cant derived from the language spoken by the people of the world they recruit from.
Chapter Traditions
Head Taking - One of the most inhuman traditions of the Mantis Claws is the practice of removing the head of foes. This often forms a sort of challenge amongst the Astartes who will compete over the number of heads they have taken in battle, incorporating the worthiest into their honour tokens.
Honour Marks – Mantis Claws Astartes are also known for the many honour marks that they incorporate into their weapons and armour, often taking the form of fetishes and other totems, they also extensively tattoo themselves, covering their faces, torsos and arms with sigils and other more personal touches. Some Mantis Claws wear cloaks made from the fur pelts or serpent scale of beasts they have hunted and slain on one of the worlds in the cluster to mark successful hunts.
Scarification - Like their progenitors, the Mantis Claws make use of ritual facial scarring to denote both the rank and achievements of the Astartes in the Chapter. These scars are applied during a long, sacred Chapter ceremony called "the Blooding." The blood drawn from the faces of the Space Marines to be elevated during this ritual is then mixed with the drinks served during the feast that always follows the completion of the ceremony.
Chapter Home World
The records of the Mantis Claws indicate that the Chapter has no set homeworld, preferring to remain aboard their ships, forever hunting the stars. Instead, they maintain several small bases, bastions, and watch-stations across an unidentified Cluster in the Segmentum Pacificus. The largest and most important of these is located on the Death World they first claimed when they arrived in the cluster and where they currently recruit the entirety of their aspirants. All these bastions are cleverly hidden to better maximize the Chapter's penchant for guerilla assaults. They are also suspected of relocating several tribes onto the many uninhabited worlds within the cluster, willing or otherwise.
Although they would not claim the world as their home, the very fact that, currently, the entirety of their aspirants are drawn from a single world means that the culture of the feral tribes that inhabit it has melded completely into the Chapter.
As noted, the tribes share a loose culture and veneration of the world's rain and the tribes have come to believe that rain is something superstitious and sacred born from the great lights in the sky, a belief that is considered borderline heretical by many of the more conservative factions of the Imperium. The people believe that the rain, so essential to life, is brought by the Emperor who they venerate as the Rainfather and idols of him are raised across the world.
Chapter Gene-Seed
The Mantis Claws are descended from the savage Marauders Chapter and though them, the V Legion and their Primarch Jaghaitai Khan. The genetic legacy of the Great Khan has shaped the Mantis Claws throughout their short existence and their Gene-Seed bears all the hallmarks of Jaghatai Khan and like all his sons, have inherited his wild savagery and thirst for war.
A notable trait is that all the Space Marines in this Chapter appear to have green eyes and black hair, undoubtedly a phenotypic response to the Chapter's White Scars-derived gene-seed.
Primarchs Curse: Fury of Jaghatai
When the Chapter's genetic curse manifests itself in an affected Battle-Brother, it comes on in three stages:
Stage 1 - Suppressed Rage: The Battle-Brother's discipline begins to slip and falter, allowing brief moments of untamed ferocity to emerge in the heat of battle. Often, the Battle-Brother will not even know that he is succumbing to this savagery, and it requires the presence of his Brothers to warn him of his failure.
Stage 2 – Rage Revealed: Within the darkest reaches of the Battle-Brother's mind lurks the shadow of his rage and fury, seeking any opportunity to emerge, and causing the Battle-Brother to become belligerent and quick to anger.
Stage 3 - Rage Unleashed: At this stage, the shadow of his rage and fury is fully unleashed, causing the Astartes to become little more than a savage killer. At this point the Battle-Brother forsakes all pretence of self-preservation, fighting with a terrifying, savage determination with the sole aim of causing as many casualties and as much destruction as possible before succumbing to their foe. Those warriors who survive their suicidal furies will eventually recover, their brethren never mentioning the incident.
Notable Members
Khoisan Neotera – Khoisan, known as the Lord of the Sands and the Tempest is the first and current High Chieftain of the Mantis Claws and a living legend within his Chapter. Born Tolmerius Agfried onto a civilised world, Khoisan was taken as an aspirant in the last decades of the 41st Millennium and implanted with the Gene-Seed of the Marauders, becoming an Astartes of the Greyshields. He fought throughout the early years of the Indomitus Crusade and was raised to the position of overlordship in the Chapter in the aftermath of their founding, having won the respect of his brothers during the many battles of the Crusade. Given his new name during a campaign alongside the White Scars, Khoisan is a warrior born -- a killer of unparalleled lethality and ability whose skill with Bolter and Blade have always stood out, even amongst his superhuman brethren. Those who stand beside him in battle speak of a savage rage shackled by an iron will and an inherent genius for dealing death that borders on the supernatural. Sparing with words but always at the forefront of precision strikes and overwhelming assaults, he has shown an uncanny ability to direct those around him, executing encirclements and kill missions as though his brethren were extensions of his own will. To those outside the Chapter, Khoisan is an unsettling character who seems to draw unnatural sustenance from the fear he elicits from his foes. During battle the scent of panic stokes cold fires in the High Chieftains eyes and intensifies his battle lust, spurring him on as he storms across the battlefield in his overwhelming urge to destroy his foes. In battle he is clad in a suit of baroque master crafted Mk X Tacitus armour and duel wields the relic two-handed power sword known as the Heart of the Storm, a gift from the White Scars and the Metasomata, a master-crafted curved power-blade crafted by the Mantis Claws weapon-smiths on the day of their founding to honour their new High Chieftain. Such is his skill with his blades that he can switch between these weapons in the blink of an eye and wielding these blades he is nearly unstoppable.
Ahazra Redth – High Priest of the Mantis Claws, Ahazra is one of the most powerful warriors within his Chapter. A psyker of immense power, as High Priest he rules over the Chapters Druids and Shamans both. Predominately a Telekine, he was taken by Bellisarius Cawl's agents sometime in late M.41 where his potential was noticed immediately and he was chosen for conversion into an Astartes as soon as he came of age, receiving the Marauders Gene-Seed alongside his brothers. During the battles of the Indomitus Crusade he honed his talents, training under the Raptors Librarian Aethar and when the time came to appoint a High Priest, it was inevitable that he would be chosen.
Taelon – Chieftain of the 1st Brotherhood, Taelon is a former member of the Unnumbered Sons and a superlative warrior and when the time came to appoint the 1st Chieftain and eventual successor of the Chapter Master, there was no question that Taelon would be chosen, such was the respect he was held in.
Quebis – Chieftain of the 2nd Brotherhood
Angnar – Chieftain of the 3rd Brotherhood and one of the first non Greyshields to reach that rank. Angnar is one of the finest warriors of his Chapter and a commander of exceptional ability. However, this is paired with a belligerent nature and a tendency to allow his anger to cloud his judgment, the reason he was nearly overlooked as Chieftain of the 3rd Brotherhood. Nevertheless, Khoisan hopes that in time he will learn to control and master his savagery and ultimately succeed 1st Chieftain Taelon. In battle Angnar rides a powerful jetbike, modified to his exacting specifications and known as the Stormwind and carries a master-crafted power lance Heartpiecer, a peerless weapon crafted by the Mantis Claws' weaponsmiths soon after Angnar elevevation to Chieftain.
Khol – Shaman of the 3rd Brotherhood
Verbtir – Chieftain of the 4th Brotherhood
Dharas – Chieftain of the 5th Brotherhood
Soghida – Chieftain of the 6th Brotherhood
Akrep – Chieftain of the 7th Brotherhood
Temur – Chieftain of the 8th Brotherhood
Jord
Malchai – Chieftain of the 9th Brotherhood
Vaas
Henlaq – Chieftain of the 10th Brotherhood
Hasdrubal
Sartaq – Former Chieftain of the 3rd Brotherhood, Sartaq was grievously wounded battling the Drukhari on Orthari III. With his wounds proving beyond the Druids abilities to heal, and despite his Chapters aversion to such a thing, he grudgingly accepted being implanted within a Dreadnought.
Chapter Fleet
- Mantidis Scalpturrio (Battle Barge)
- Pale Rider (Strike Cruiser)
- Tortured Soul (Strike Cruiser)
- Voidspear (Strike Cruiser)
- Darkspear (Strike Cruiser)
- Venomous Blade (Strike Cruiser)
- Lance of Darkness (Strike Cruiser)
- Dune Stalker (Strike Cruiser)
- Fourth Horseman (Strike Cruiser)
- Outrider (Rapid Strike Vessel)
- Herald of the Storm (Rapid Strike Vessel)
Chapter Relics
- Heart of the Storm & Metasomata – A pair of master crafted power blades that are wielded by the High Chieftain himself. The Heart of the Storm is an ancient Chogorian power bladed gifted to the Mantis Claws by the White Scars themselves following a joint campaign against the Drukhari. A curved double-handed blade, the Heart of the Storm is a truly magnificent blade whose craftsmanship puts many other blades to shame. The Metasomata is a master-crafted curved power-blade crafted by the Mantis Claws weapon-smiths on the day of their founding to honour their new High Chieftain. Constructed from an extremely rare metal, the material to craft this blade was given to the Chapter by the people they had saved prior to their founding who recovered the metal from a meteorite that had fallen onto the world many millennia before. Seeing this as portent from the Rainfather, the ancient shamans foretold that one day, their saviours would come from the stars just as the meteorite had and by giving the sacred metal to their saviours would they forever safe.
Chapter Appearance
Chapter Colours
The Mantis Claws primarily wear yellow Power Armour with green shoulder pads and face mask with a dull, golden Imperialis and trim. In keeping with those of Jaghatai Khan' get, the Mantis Claws adorn their armour with tokens and fetishes, including lightning bolts, heads of worthy foes and hair totems. The Mantis Claws base their Chapter iconography on the imagery used by the tribes from which they are recruited. This usually takes the form of jagged lightning bolt designs painted onto their armour and helmets, echoing ritual scarification applied to the flesh beneath.
The black-coloured squad specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command, is indicated on the right shoulder guard while the Chapter iconography is painted on the left shoulder guard.
In a complete departure from Codex Astartes-standard systems of company markings, the brotherhoods (companies) of the Mantis Claws Chapter are denoted by vivid red lightning-bolt designs worn upon the right leg armour.
Chapter Badge
The Mantis Claws Chapter Badge is that of a Mantis head centred on green, this badge is identical to that of the Mantis Warriors, another White Scars successor.
Relations
Allies
| Allies | ||
| Name | Iconography | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Falcon's Claws |  |
The Falcon's Claws are an ancient and relentless brotherhood of hunters, their origins rooted in the shadowed days of the 3rd Founding, when the Imperium still smoldered from the ashes of the Heresy. Descended from the gene-line of Jaghatai Khan, they were named for the Burgediin Sarhvu - the "Falcon's Claws," an elite order of White Scars scouts and executioners who served as the Khan's unseen talons during the Great Crusade. From their inception, the Chapter has upheld the creed of that venerable order: to strike from the unseen heights, to harry and bleed the foe, and to deliver death with precision and purpose. Their methods are equal parts art and annihilation - silent as the wind before the storm, swift as the falcon's dive, and final as the blade that follows. To the Falcon's Claws, war is not a contest of strength or endurance, but a hunt, and every enemy slain is another offering to the Emperor's unending dominion. When the Mantis Claws emerged from the Ultima Founding, the Falcon's Claws saw in these Primaris sons a reflection of their own savage elegance - a mirror image cast across millennia. Both Chapters share the same blood of the Vth Legion, and both embody its dichotomy: disciplined hunters bound by a feral instinct. Yet where the Falcon's Claws stalk their prey with surgical restraint, the Mantis Claws descend like an executioner's storm, their fury unbridled, their savagery unmatched. It was upon the shrouded plains of Khyros Prime, during a protracted xenos incursion, that the two Chapters first fought side by side, their methods intertwining in a symphony of death - one unseen, the other unstoppable. From that campaign onward, their alliance was sealed not by words, but by mutual recognition of mastery in the hunt. The bond between these Chapters is one of respect, not fraternity. The Falcon's Claws see in the Mantis Claws a dangerous, yet necessary evolution of their own creed - a Chapter that wields the primal spirit of the hunt without apology or restraint. In turn, the Mantis Claws regard the elder Chapter as mentors and mirrors, ancient predators whose wisdom tempers their bloodlust. Together, they wage war as the twin faces of the hunter's art - shadow and strike, patience and fury - each an echo of the White Scars' timeless legacy. To their enemies, their coming is the soundless whisper before the storm, and the final vision is always the same: a shadow in the sky, descending with talons bared. |
Enemies
| Enemies | ||
| Name | Iconography | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Forces of Chaos |  |
|
Notable Quotes
By: Mantis Claws
About: Mantis Claws
- "The deluded masses may see you as angels, but I see the truth, freak, all your kind, bastard abominations, all of you. You and your monster fathers. You’re not humans, your nothing but a malformation, a mistake. Everything that has happened is your fault, if you had never existed, Humanity would now rule the Galaxy. I long for the day when all you monstrosities are wiped from existence."
- —Last words of General Galen van der Enaac of the Faeburn Vanquishers
