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This article, Skull Takers, was written by Algrim Whitefang. Please do not edit or 'acquire' this fiction without the writer's permission. |
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This article, Skull Takers, is currently under active construction. The author, Algrim Whitefang, apologizes for the inconvenience. |
- "You believe your walls will protect you? You think they'll keep us out? Listen well, heretics. Do not confuse us for saviours. The aquila upon our armor may bear the mark of the Emperor's grace, but it is not mercy that drives us. We are His "Angels of Death," forged for one purpose: to punish His enemies.
You cannot hurt us. You cannot escape us. And you cannot defy us. If you resist, I promise your final moments will be a symphony of pain. We will tear your defences apart. We will drag you from your hiding places, split you open, and spill your lives onto the soil. Your skins will be worn as gruesome trophies, your skulls testaments to your failure.
This is your only warning. Surrender now, or face the fate that awaits all who defy the Emperor's will. We are coming."- — Hakar Akoth, first High Carnifex, vox-broadcast to the rebellious world of Plautos, before the Skull Takers launch a planetary assault (Circa 517.M35).
The Skull Takers are a notoriously bellicose and vicious Loyalist Space Marine Chapter created during the 11th Founding sometime in mid-M35. They claim descent from the infamous Executioners, whom themselves are descended from Primarch Rogal Dorn, a bloodline as merciless as it was unforgiving. Though their bold assertions has yet to be substantiated, the Skull Takers' deeds on the battlefield echo the ruthless legacy of their supposed progenitors.
The Skulls Takers earned their moniker by claiming the skulls of their most formidable enemies as trophies, a ritual steeped in symbolism. Imperial scholars have surmised that the Skull Takers see the head of a foe to be of significant importance. To them, a foe's head represents ultimate victory, a testament to the Emperor's justice delivered by their blades. Only those Axe-Brothers who have slain the most dangerous adversaries are immortalised within the Chapter's revered chronicles.
True to their claimed heritage, the Skull Takers are renowned for their bloodthirstiness zeal and almost primal approach to warfare. They shun the rigid discipline and martial traditions followed by many Codex-compliant Chapters, favouring a raw, unrelenting ferocity in battle. This disregard for orthodoxy, however, has not diminished their value to the Imperium. On the contrary, their relentless determination and ability to endure even the most hopeless odds have cemented their fearsome reputation. Wherever they march, they unleash devastation upon those who threaten Mankind, embodying the Emperor's will with every swing of their power axes. The galaxy knows no peace when the Skull Takers set their sights on the enemies of the Imperium.
Similar in mien to their supposed genetic forebears, the Skull Takers are renowned for their bloodthirstiness zeal and almost primal approach to warfare. Considered battle-hungry and almost barbarous, the Skull Takers disdain martial trappings and the ordered obedience of more hidebound Codex-compliant Chapters. They shun the rigid discipline and martial traditions, favouring a raw, unrelenting ferocity in battle. This disregard for orthodoxy, however, has not diminished their value to the Imperium. On the contrary, their relentless determination and ability to endure even the most hopeless odds have cemented their fearsome reputation. Wherever they march, they unleash devastation upon those who threaten Mankind, embodying the Emperor's will with every swing of their power axes.
Chapter History
The Skull Takers are a ferocious and bloody-handed Chapter, famed for its unrelenting drive and merciless demeanour as well as their reckless charges and 'forlorn objective' assaults. Throughout their history, this Chapter has garnered an infamous reputation for their extreme and unsubtle methods of warfare. More than once has the Skull Takers' savagery bordered on the heretical and yet, their effectiveness cannot be denied, nor can the High Lords of Terra ill-afford to brand this Chapter renegade - out of respect for the Chapter's past heroic deeds - as well as the fear and sheer carnage they could enact against innocent worlds should they ever decide to turn upon the Imperium.
Few Chapters with such a violent reputation and darkly famed deeds are tolerated and allowed to remain within the Imperial fold. However, due to the Skull Takers' long list of glorious deeds enacted in the defence of the Emperor's realm, their excesses are often overlooked. However, this Chapter walks a precarious path between purity and damnation, as the Skull Takers have committed many atrocities in the Emperor's name. Despite their fell reputation the Skull Takers are driven to continue to battle the enemies of Mankind across the galaxy.
Founding
The newly incepted Skull Takers launch an assault against secessionist forces upon a rebellious world during the Nova Terra Interregnum.
The origins of the Skull Takers harken back to the mid-35th Millennium, a tumultuous era in Imperial history when the Imperium of Man was split in half following the secession of the entirety of the Segmentum Pacificus. The Ur-Council of Nova Terra no longer recognised the rule of the High Lords of Terra and decided to break away and form their separate empire. This division, which came to be known as the Nova Terra Interregnum, would last for over nine centuries and would see much civil strife and discourse between the two warring factions. During this time a series of several linked-Foundings of Space Marine Chapters would be created to help counteract the many threats to the unstable Imperium. The Skull Takers were born during this strife, moulded from the very fabric of disorder and hate that had torn the Emperor's realm in twain.
The Skull Takers' Chapter archives state that when they were first formed they were created from the formidable gene-seed of the Executioners, a fierce and proud 3rd Founding Successor Chapter created from the lineage of the stoic and dour Primarch Rogal Dorn. This Chapter is considered by many of their fellow Space Marines as little more than ill-disciplined primitives and gore-splattered headhunters, little better than Renegades. Despite this unsavoury reputation, the Executioners are an honourable and cunning Chapter that has attained a record of unwavering success in their service to the Imperium during some of the darkest periods in its history.
In their wisdom, the High Lords of Terra felt that a new Chapter created from such a potent gene-seed would be beneficial to counteract the many outside threats to the unstable borders of the Imperium. Following their inception during the 11th Founding, the High Twelve gave several of these newly formed Chapters carte blanche to bring the Emperor's justice to those rebellious worlds that had turned from the light of the Emperor and bring them back into the Imperial fold. This was a task the Skull Takers would pursue with relish.
Notable Campaigns
- The Chiros Castigation (ca. 517.M35) - This is the first known official recorded engagements of the Skull Takers following their inception, which occurred during the dark era known as the Nova Terra Interregnum, this conflict divided the Imperium, effectively splitting the Emperor's realm in two. The Chiros Castigation is not a campaign that Imperial history commemorates as it is infamous for the depths of brutality and savagery enacted by the newly incepted Chapter. This campaign would forever cement the young Chapter's reputation for savagery and merciless tactics when enacting their draconian form of retribution against those who would dare turn from the light of the Emperor. However, this campaign would not be their last, but merely one amongst many that the Skull Takers would go on to prosecute during their crusade of retribution against the secessionist worlds of Nova Terra. The Chiros Sector lay on the borders of the Segmentum Pacificus and Segmentum Tempestus, a turbulent frontier realm which encompasses sub-sectors from both Segmentae. The first world to feel the Emperor's wrath was the hive world of Ploutos.
The avaricious Planetary Governor and his Weapon Barons allies had been eager supporters of Nova Terra and their secessionist cause. They saw an opportunity to step up their weapons production and sell their arms to the Nova Terran secessionists, thereby filling their coffers with gold and becoming rich beyond their wildest dreams. The majority of the population of Ploutos became enslaved to the Weapon Barons; forced to work in their manufactorums producing their munitions and weapons in vast quantities, working under brutal and inhumane conditions. Under the iron watch of heavily armed guards and weapons servitors the enslaved inhabitants of Ploutos, who included criminals, political opponents and workers who had failed to meet their quotas, had long provided the rulers of Ploutos with a free and unlimited source of manpower. The ill-gotten wealth of the Planetary Governor and his cronies was built upon the suffering and death of millions of innocent civilians as the Interregnum continued to rage for over a century. The downtrodden populace prayed to the Emperor to liberate them from their cruel existence. Their prayers would be answered in the form of His Angels of Death.
On the day of reckoning, the skies of Ploutos were blackened by the dark-hulled warships of the Skull Takers. Their coming was nothing less than apocalyptic judgment delivered upon the guilty as the Astartes descended from the skies on wings of fire. The Skull Takers struck like a bolt of lightning as blinding destruction was delivered from on high. The Chapter launched an immediate planetary strike upon the planet. Hundreds of drop pods and gunships rained down from the sky, landing in pre-designated drop zones around the weapon manufactora and baronial estates. Disgorging their deadly cargo, the Skull Takers launched a brutal spearhead assault that utterly decimated the local Planetary Defence Forces and private mercenary armies of the Weapon Barons. No quarter was given as the wrath of the Chapter was made manifest as they unleashed a tide of unrelenting carnage against all those that stood before them. Seeing their salvation at hand, the manufactorum slave-workers rose up against their oppressors to cast off the shackles of centuries of oppression. Even though the subsequent fighting was bloody in the extreme the slave-workers managed to slay their overseers and take over most of the manufactorum.
Meanwhile, the Skull Takers continued their unrelenting onslaught as they slew anything that dared oppose them. Reaching the manufactora, the former slave-workers prostrated themselves before their saviours and offered their thanks to the Emperor's Angels of Death. Seeing only worthy servants of the Emperor the Skull Takers spared the survivors their wrath. Taking their leave, they continued to fight their way to their final objective - the Planetary Governor's palatial estate. The Skull Takers' forces swept through the manufactora districts like a scythe, slaying anything that dared oppose them and laying waste to the vast swathes of the planetary capital's industrial area. At this time, all of the Chapter's forces converged upon the Planetary Governor's palace, grinding away through the hive capital. It wasn't merely a one-sided battle, it was an outright massacre.
The High Carnifex, Hakar Akoth, and his Red Cull Terminator armoured elite spearheaded the assault. As a hail of las and autocannon fire rained down upon the invading Astartes from the walls of the governor's palace walls, the Skull Takers continued their unstoppable advance. Within a short span, they broke through the secessionist force's main line, allowing the rest of the Chapter to pour through a breach in the palace walls and into the palatial estates of the Planetary Governor. Some of the secessionist forces threw down their weapons, screaming and crying and they begged for mercy, but none was given, as the Skull Takers contemptuously cut them down with their roaring chain-axes. Their cries were ignored as the Skull Takers continued their slaughter unabated until they finally reached the palace throne room. The whimpering planetary governor and cowering Weapon Barons trembled before the armoured giants that stood before them, many voiding their bowels or bladders in abject terror. At a silent signal from the High Carnifex, his warriors grabbed the planetary governor and his cronies roughly by the collars of their ostentatious clothes and dragged them from the confines of the governor's palace. The helpless nobles kicked and screamed like petulant children as they pointlessly struggled against the iron grip of their captors. They were dragged to the main square of the capital to a large raised dais where the planetary governor had overseen the executions of tens of thousands of innocents.
The entire execution was broadcast throughout the sector. The planetary governor wailed like a wounded animal as he saw the black-armoured High Warden standing there like an unmoving statue holding a massive executioner's great-axe. Placing the frightened governor's head on the blood-stained chopping block, the High Warden raised his great-axe into the air and looked over at the High Carnifex. The planetary governor sobbed silently as begged the God-Emperor for forgiveness. With a slight nod of the Chapter Master's head the High Warden brought down the massive blade, severing the victim's head in one stroke. One by one, each of the Weapon Barons also faced the same grim fate as their leader. Following the execution of the planetary governor and his cronies, their decapitated heads were taken to the outer walls of the governor's palace and placed upon spikes in a morbid display - a grim warning to anyone who considered turning from the rightful rule of the God-Emperor.
Following the execution of the secessionist leaders, the Skull Takers proceeded to execute the rest of their surviving military forces. Hundreds were executed on the chopping block, their heads displayed upon long pikes along the main road leading away from the city for several kilometres, the grim tableau of spiked heads left as a dire warning for other secessionist worlds - 'this too shall be your fate'. Within a matter of days, over a half dozen secessionist worlds unanimously surrendered without further bloodshed and willingly subjected themselves to the mercy of the God-Emperor rather than face the Skull Takers' wrath. The few worlds that continued their folly of resistance were subjugated to the same cruel fate as the ruling elite of Ploutos. The brutal and bloody campaign that ensued would see the death of millions, going down in the annals of Imperial history as one of the bloodiest examples of retribution carried out by a Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes.
The Skull Takers display of savagery burned itself into the collective memory of the planet's people. The Skull Takers tore through Ploutos with feral precision, making an example of its defiance. Following the end of the campaign, the survivors had been left scarred; physically, mentally, and spiritually. The once-proud rebellion was crushed, replaced with a fearful reverence for the God-Emperor that would define the world's future. Even generations later, the people of Ploutos would continue to bear the weight of that memory, a genetic scar of terror and newfound faith, ensuring the name "Skull Takers" remains a whispered reminder of what happens to those who defy the Imperium's will.
- Apsinthos Excoriation (013-014.M42) - Following the destruction of Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade and the formation of the massive galaxy-wide tear in reality known as the Cicatrix Maledictum, the forces of the Archenemy were unleashed upon the worlds of the Imperium. Whole sectors were suddenly cut off by violent warp storms and unpredictable galactic phenomena. When the Apsinthos sub-sector fell to the corrupting influence of the Pleasure God, this once vibrant and industrious Imperial sub-sector became a hellish realm of multiple daemon worlds lorded over legions of daemons and hedonistic pleasure cults. Those unfortunates who did not die during the initial invasion of Slaanesh's servants were enslaved under the vile influence of the Daemon Prince known as Alakaala the Debauched Mistress.
In response, the High Lords of Terra ordered the sub-sector to be cleansed of all Chaotic taint and to salvage vital infrastructure and any surviving technology. For this vital task, two Chapters were chosen to spearhead an excoriation campaign into this damned region of space; the Skull Takers and the Eternal Slayers. Both hailed from the lineage of the savage and unforgiving Executioners Chapter, who themselves were spawned from the ancient and proud lineage of Primarch Rogal Dorn. Both Chapters were notoriously bellicose and vicious, sharing a similar mein and outlook.
Upon their arrival in the sub-sector, without preamble the two Chapters descended upon the closest worlds, smashing into the hordes of the Please God light a thunder strike. They took many notable trophies of various daemonic overlords and slaughtered entire worlds, cleansing them of the taint of Chaos. Upon the final world of Amissus, this campaign of slaughter finally concluded in an orgy of destruction rained down upon the former capital world. The cohesion of the Forces of Chaos was shattered in a series of brutal deep strikes upon a massive dark temple built in supplication to Slaanesh; the nexus of power of the Debauched Mistress.
With unwavering tenacity and single-minded determination, the two Chapters put the cohorts of the Daemon to the chopping edges of their brutal chain-axes and cleansing flame. Alakaala would finally be brought low by the combined might of these savage Chapters; her head was taken as a prize by the Skull Takers' High Carnifex's relic master-crafted executioner great-axe, Skulltaker. Following this monumental victory, these two Chapters swore binding oaths of brotherhood, forging an unbreakable bond as fellow Chapters who had been tempered in the fires of war.
Chapter Home World
- "I live in a world of fire and sand. The crimson sun scorches life from anything that crawls or flies, and storms of sand scour the foliage from the barren ground. This is a land of blood and dust, where tribes continuously fight over the few meagre resources that remain. To live here is to know only a life of eternal conflict and the promise of a quick and brutal death at the end of a blade. This bleak wasteland is Athas, and this is my home."
- — From the journal of Balok Khthon, Warlord of the Skull Takers 1st Company.
Departmento Cartographicae pict-file of the inhospitable desert world of Athas.
Athas is a hot, arid planet covered with endless seas of dunes, lifeless salt flats, stony wastes, rocky badlands, thorny scrublands, and worse. From the first moments of dawn, the crimson sun beats down from an olive-tinged sky. Temperatures routinely exceed 100 degrees by mid-morning and can reach 130 degrees or more by late afternoon. The wind is like the blast of a furnace, offering no relief from the oppressive heat. Dust and sand born on the breeze coat everything with yellow-orange silt. In this forbidding world, cities and villages exist only in a few oases or verdant plains. The world beyond these islands of civilization is a barren wasteland roamed by nomads, raiders, and hungry monsters.
Life on Athas is brutal and short. Bloodthirsty raiders, greedy slavers, and hordes of inhuman savages overrun the deserts and wastelands. The cities are little better; each choked in the grip of a bloody-handed tyrant. The vile institution of slavery is widespread on Athas, and many unfortunates spend their lives in chains, toiling for brutal taskmasters. Every year hundreds of slaves, perhaps thousands, are sent to their deaths in bloody arena spectacles. Charity, compassion, kindness - these qualities exist, but they are rare and precious blooms. Only a fool hopes for such riches.
Most arms and armour are made of bone, stone, wood, and other such materials. Mail or plate armour exists only in the treasuries of the most brutal tribal chieftains. Steel blades are almost priceless, weapons that many warriors never see during their lifetimes.
Fortress-Monastery
Chapter Organisation
Despite outsiders' observations that the Skull Takers are no better than a disorganised horde of unsophisticated butchers, nothing could be further from the truth. Like their supposed progenitors, the Skull Takers are also moderately adherent to the tenants of the Codex Astartes, with only a few minor changes in both rank and organisation as well as an orthodoxy which reflects the Chapter's preference for close-range firefights and brutal hand-to-hand combat. Unlike other more Codex-oriented Chapters that would rather utilise hit-and-run tactics and long-range firepower in their operations, the Skull Takers prefer to close and engage their foes as rapidly as possible to prove themselves in decisive bloody melee combat. Within the Chapter's Battle Companies, this tactical bias is represented by the replacement of one of the standard Codex-compliant Fire Support Squads for Sternguard Veteran squads of the company's finest warriors. The Chapter also prefers the use of Land Speeders for scouting duties, eschewing the use of Assault and attack bikes, and the use of heavy armour is utilised wherever possible for assaults and reconnaissance in force.
The Skull Takers is also known for their harsh enforcement of internal discipline and the volatile nature of its warriors. Command within the Chapter is gained through a mixture of martial prowess on the battlefield and displays of leadership on the front line, with specialists singled out by aptitude early on. No rank or role within the Chapter is exempt from the expectation that they will fight as hard as their fellow Axe-Brothers, however, nor is the desire to grapple with the foe and cut them down by axe-stroke discouraged if the oppotunity arises, be the Axe-Brother in question an Apothecary, Pilot or Driver rather than a frontline fighter. Order and discipline does not come as naturally to those of this gene-seed heritage. Tempers often seeth, slights perceived or real are met with anger and more often than not violence will result should an Axe-Brother sense of honour be impugned.
Due to the savage and bellicose nature of the Chapter's Axe-Brothers, the Skull Takers maintain a higher than usual number of Chaplains (called 'Consul-Wardens') compared to a typical Space Marine Chapter, with three Chaplains assigned to each company by Chapter tradition. They report to the overall High Warden of the Chapter, known to the Skull Takers by the title of 'Lord Speaker of the Dead'. Not only are these specialist officers responsible for their battle brothers' spiritual well-being, but they are also utilised as a sort of disciplinary officer, for once the Skull Takers' ire is up their natural ferocity and savage aggression can be difficult to control. It is one of the Consult-Wardens' primary duties to help reign in the worst excesses of the Chapter's warriors, sometimes at the point of a blade or the barrel of their bolters. They possess the power of life and death over every Astartes within the Chapter, a power which they are not afraid to exercise at its extreme should an individual warrior or squad show a lack of discipline. It falls to these specialists to maintain order in the ranks, both during and away from the battle, as well as curb any attempts to disregard or circumvent orders.
Each of the Chapter's company commanders is treated as a 'Warlord' in his own right, authorised to exercise greater independence of action afforded to them in how they administer their companies than is typical in most other Chapters. Any officer of the Skull Takers knows they are expected to back up their authority by force if needed, and the punishment of infractors by an officer's own hands is the Chapter's way. To disobey an officer's order in battle is a death sentence to be carried out without delay.
By the laws and traditions of their Chapter, each Skull Takers' Axe-Brother is expected to forge his path to glory. As such, this is a much sought-after honour, and it is not unusual for a Warlord to challenge the senior-most commander for the right to command. This inevitably results in an honour duel between opposing commanders. Once a challenge is laid down, the opponent must accept the challenge or suffer the indignity of dis-commendation and permanent banishment from the Chapter. These types of bouts are not merely boisterous competitions or brawls, fought for the sake of bragging rights. They are quite solemn occasions, always fought to the maiming or the death of those involved. Whatever the outcome, whoever emerges victorious is elected the defacto commander for the remainder of the mission.
Pursuit Forces
At times, several of the Chapter's companies might be organised into a Pursuit Force - an ad hoc formation comprised of several different battle and reserve companies - and commanded by a voted commander (usually the senior-most commander) by unanimous assent. However, it is a rare occasion when this occurs. To command such a formidable force is considered a high honour.
Each company and Pursuit Force might operate independently for months, or even years, on an Imperial Crusade far from the main bulk of the Chapter. These formations are all but autonomous in their own right in the field, operating fluidly, efficiently, and largely exempt from the reliance on direct commands from Chapter command. The Chapter's battle companies are expected to deal with myriad challenges on their own, and above all, to close with the enemy on their terms - in glorious melee combat.
War Council
Overall command and control of the Chapter falls to a War Council comprised of each senior commander and specialist of the Chapter including; all ten Warlords, the High Warden (Reclusiarch), Archseer (Chief Librarian), Lord Medicae Primus (Chief Apothecary) and the Lord of Forges. This council is overseen by the Chapter's High Carnifex (Chapter Master), who acts as the Chapter's senior commander and ultimate arbiter of the Chapter's war council. Should a High Carnifex ever prove unfit or unworthy to lead the Chapter, the war council may, by unanimous assent, overthrow him. Unlike the traditions of most Space Marine Chapters, contests for leadership of the Chapter are quite bloody in the extreme; each Warlord has the right to challenge for the title of High Carnifex in trial by combat should they wish to do so. These contests are always fought to 'Sanguine Extremis' ("to the death").
Officer Ranks
- High Carnifex - Chapter Master equivalent.
- Warlord - Captain equivalent.
- Lord - Lieutenant equivalent.
Specialist Ranks
- High Warden ('Speaker of the Dead') - Reclusiarch equivalent.
- Consul-Warden ('Death Speaker') - Chaplain equivalent.
- Archseer - Known also as the 'Lord of Knowledge'; Chief Librarian equivalent.
- Seer - Librarian equivalent.
- Lord Medicae Primus - Chief Apothecary equivalent.
- Medicae - Apothecary equivalent.
- Lord of Forges - Master of the Forge equivalent.
- Forge-Wright - Techmarine equivalent.
- High Axe-Champion - Chapter Champion equivalent.
- Axe-Champion - Company Champion equivalent.
- Venerable Brother - Dreadnought equivalent.
Line Ranks
- Vanguard-Brother - Veteran Marine equivalent.
- Chief Axe-Sergeant
- Axe-Sergeant
- Axe-Brother - Battle-Brother equivalent.
- Scout Marine
- Neophyte
- Aspirant
Specialist Units & Formations
Red Cull
A Skull Takers Veteran Marine of the Red Cull arrayed in relic Indomitus pattern Terminator Armour and wielding a power poleaxe.
The Red Cull is the premier cadre within the Skull Takers Chapter that serves as a dedicated bodyguard unit for the High Carnifex. In battle, they fight encased in formidable Terminator Armour and carry the most savage weapons the Chapter possesses. To attain such an esteemed position, each warrior has to distinguish himself in battle many times over. More so than any warrior within the Chapter, they are the red right hand of the High Carnifex, marked by the large executioner axes they often carry into battle.
To bear this high honour as their Chapter Master's chosen, it falls to them to walk in the shadow of their lord and lay down their lives for him, when necessary. It also means they forgo the chance to lead their brothers in battle, to stand fast and merely observe and not seek out personal glory in battle save at their lord's command. However, once unleashed, they fall upon their enemies like a thunderbolt, striking with the full fury and wrath of vengeful gods, leaving a path of destruction and mangled bodies in their wake.
These formidable warriors are utterly loyal to the incumbent Chapter Master and often deploy on the most vital missions to ensure that overriding objectives are met. Due to the Skull Takers being deployed across the width and breadth of the Galaxy, this means individual companies can spend several Terran years separated from the main body of the Chapter.
In such circumstances, the Red Cull is responsible for seeing the orders of the High Carnifex carried out. However, these Terminator elite falls under the command of a Company's Warlord they are assigned to and are bound to follow his orders, provided they do not directly contradict the mission assigned by the Chapter Master.
The Furiae
Order of Battle
Headquarters
| Chapter Command | |||
 Chapter Master of the Skull Takers (Honoured Standard Bearer, Medicae, Consul-Warden, Arcseer & Forge-Wright) | |||
| Equerry | Honour Guard |
War Council | |
|
Commander of the 1st Company |
Chapter Champion |
Chapter Master of the Skull Takers Lord of Forges Master of Sanctity Master of the Apothecarion Lord of Knowledge | |
| Other Departments | ||||
| Armoury | Reclusium | Apothecarion | Librarius | Fleet Command |
 Lord of Forges |
 Master of Sanctity |
 Master of the Apothecarion |
 Lord of Knowledge (Epistolaries, Codiciers, Lexicaniums) |
|
Axe-Companies
Chapter Culture & Beliefs
Like their supposed progenitors the Skull Takers believe themselves to be the personal axe-men of the Emperor and that it is their sole task to seek out and slaughter Mankind's foes. They believe this is their primary role for which they were created rather than undertaking any more defensive or strategic purpose. Through the lineage of their genetic forebears, the Skulls Takers believe they have also been appointed as the Emperor's chosen headsmen and that it is their sacred duty to enact His judgement on His behalf.
At the heart of their core beliefs, the Skull Takers wholeheartedly believe that it is Mankind's manifest destiny to rule the known Galaxy. They hold an unshakeable determination that Humanity should be free of oppression and terror and that such freedom can only be won by reigning down utter destruction upon their foes; destroying their chattels and places of power and leaving nought but ash and ruin in their wake.
Ferocious, bellicose and almost barbarous in nature, the Skull Takers care not for martial trappings and the blind obedience of their more stalwart Codex-compliant causing Chapters such as those descended from Roboute Guilliman and even their own forebears, the Imperial Fists. Despite their seeming intractable nature and unorthodox ways, they have made up for these supposed "faults" by earning a fearsome reputation to endure the most savage areas of combat conceivable, as well as displaying an innate ability to unleash absolute destruction upon their enemies.
They they possess a reputation for ferocity in battle, they are also known to fight honourably and pride themselves on their righteous fury and courage above all else. Failure in battle is not tolerated, surrender is never countenanced and mercy is a quick death delivered to a foe that has fought bravely. Those civilians that prostrate themselves in surrender before the gore-spattered giants are spared, but every man or woman that raises up arms against the Skull Takers, be they soldier, priest, noble or hive scum are struck down without mercy. This simple, brutal and resolute code of conduct is the Skull Takers' articles of faith and they extend it to both their own number and their enemy.
The Chapter's ancient beliefs and traditions are rooted in their feral world from which it has long taken its Neophytes. By the laws and traditions of their Chapter, each Skull Takers Axe-Brother is expected to forge their own to glory and become worthy of remembrance in the great chronicles that have been kept by each successive generation of the Chapter's Consul-Wardens, or "Death-Speakers" as they are known amongst the Skull Takers. It is these Death-Speakers whose task it is to serve both as keepers of tradition and enforcers of discipline. They are responsible for recounting the slaughter-tallies of the Chapter's honoured dead. This solemn duty is carried out during holy feasts and memorial ceremonies, which are deeply ingrained in the Chapter's culture and serve as important reminders of their history and the sacrifices made by their brethren.
The Death-Speakers secondary role is to maintain order and discipline within the Chapter which is known for its aggressive and sometimes fractious nature, the presence of these Chaplains is vital for ensuring ordered discipline and adherence to the Chapter's beliefs and code of conduct, both during and away from battles, as well as curb any attempts to disregard or circumvent orders. When the Skull Takers' full wrath is unleashed upon a recalcitrant world, what might begin as a surgical strike against a renegade planetary governor's palace or secessionist headquarters can rapidly degenerate into a wanton killing spree.
As their battle-wrath fully takes hold of a Skull Takers strike force, these bellicose and hot-blooded Astartes can sometimes lose themselves in the heat of battle and begin slaughtering all they encounter, to the extent that the preservation of vital infrastructure or industrial capacity of a world can be put at risk. Only through the brutal efforts of the Death-Speakers, bought at the cost of a number of summary executions, can these savage Astartes be brought back under control. However, by the time the Skull Takers have brought a rebellious world back under Imperial control the world's streets have been painted crimson with the blood of its inhabitants - the severed heads of rebellious leaders often lining kilometre after kilometre of wrecked city streets - a stark warning left behind to remind those of the folly of rebelling against the rightful rule of the God-Emperor.
Trophy Taking
Outside observers have noticed another disturbing eccentricity of the Chapter, which is the tendency for Skull Takers' Axe-Brothers to take trophies from the battlefield which are taken from particularly noteworthy victims, and include such items as skulls, heads, and enemy weapons. Like their supposed forebears, the Skull Takers do not do this for any ritual purpose but rather for the tally of the Death-Speakers after the battle in order for them to take an accurate tally of an individual Axe-Brother's martial achievements on the battlefield.
Afterwards, these trophies are promptly discarded after serving their purpose unless judged to be particularly significant, in which case they are preserved as relics, often adorning an Axe-Brother's battle-plate or displayed on a trophy rack atop their backpack for a time. Skull Takers Astartes also habitually adorn their armour and vehicles with the brutalised and mutilated remains of those who have resisted them and have made flaying an artform as they present the dead in macabre display in order to sow fear in their foes. It is not usual for an Axe-Brother's battle-plate to be adorned with the flayed skins and faces of their victims, the Skull Takers believe that their victims' last moments then radiate out from them as an aura of pure fear.
Chapter Recruitment
The Skull Takers primarily recruit from their homeworld of Athas, inducting the most ferocious and skilled combatants from its native tribes. Under the direction of their first High Carnifex, Hakar Akoth, the Skull Takers streamlined their recruitment processes by drawing not only from their homeworld but in times of great need, the Chapter draws potential candidates from a number of nearby feral and feudal worlds scattered across the various Segmentum of the Imperium in order to meet their Chapter's demands.
Attrition rates within the Skull Takers are high, and fatality levels on recruits during training are believed to some of the worst within the Adeptus Astartes, save for their cousin-Chapter - the Space Wolves - whose Neophytes undergo the Trial of Morkai, one of the most brutal and deadly trials one can undergo to become a fully-fledged Space Marine. When Neophytes reach the end of the advanced stages of their training, close-quarters contests and battle exercises become real life-and-death combat as the Chapter's command cadre have their Neophyte utilise live rounds and wetted blades, with the goal to raise the skill and strength of their warriors to the greatest extent before they are deemed worthy of joining the Skull Takers' ranks as a fellow Axe-Brother.
Not only is individual combat skill their main focus, but the wider arts of warfare as well. The Skull Takers are known to have entire companies fight one another in great matches and competitions to enforce unit tactics and coherent operations under their High Carnifex's eye and judgement, but it is always the battlefield that the Skull Takers hunger for, and where its champions and officers are chosen.
Chapter Gene-Seed
As inheritors of the genetic lineage of Rogal Dorn, the Skull Takers' gene-seed is also very stable and has never exhibited any outward signs of mutation. However, they too, have lost the use of both the Betcher's Gland, which allows an Astartes to produce poisonous/acidic spittle, and the Sus-an Membrane, which allows a severely wounded Space Marine to enter a state of suspended animation. It has also been noted that with the introduction of the genetic material from the savage tribesman of Athas, the genome of the Skull Takers seems to have also inherited their savagery and bellicose thirst for war. Interestingly, there are no common phenotypes amongst encountered Skull Takers Astartes.
The divergence of this Chapter's programming and the influence of their Primarch's genotype in the transformation of a human into a transhuman Astartes sets the various Space Marine Chapters apart from one another. This is especially true for the Skull Takers as these factors show clearly both in this Chapter's warriors' temperament and overtly in their psychological state.
Outside observers have witnessed the Skull Takers' propensity for the use of extreme violence and cold-blooded murder in order to achieve their aims. They understand all too well the human psyche and willingly employ psychological warfare and fear tactics such as the displaying of macabre trophies and flayed skins that often adorn their battle-plate. The Space Marines of the Chapter are also known for carrying out brutal capital punishment through grandiose displays of execution.
The decapitated heads of their victims are regularly spiked in prominent, urban spaces, and dismembered body parts are sent to various locations for exposure. For particular egregious offences, the entire population will be put on the executioner's blade, and their heads will be displayed upon tall pikes on both sides of roadways leading outwards from a doomed city. These 'gallow roads' often stretch for several hundred kilometres, left to rot to the carrion creatures and the elements. They stand as a stark and terrible warning of the folly of turning from the rightful rule of the Emperor, "Thus perish all traitors". When committing these horrible acts, the Skull Takers often display cold indifference when enacting their brutal form of punishment, as cold and uncaring as the executioner's axe.
Primarch's Curse (Blood Rage)
The Skull Takers are notable for their brutal mein and bellicose nature as they rain down utter destruction upon their foes. However, at times, Axe-Brothers can sometimes lose their iron-willed control and succumb to an all-consuming berserker rage. In such instances, rightful purges of heretics and rebellious factions have continued well beyond a reasonable level, as Axe-Brothers of the Chapter continued their acts of savage brutality long after any justifiable conflict had been completed. For many Skull Takers, such frenzied battles represent a very real warning of inevitable doom that encroaches upon their minds.
With each period of savagery, their chance to return to a more normal state of consciousness can become increasingly difficult. This represents a very real sign to these Axe-Brothers that their final emotional and mental collapse is approaching them. Others welcome a swift, blood-fulled end, asking nothing more than the chance to wreak terrible destruction upon their enemies before their all-encompassing rage consumes them utterly.
When the Chapter's genetic curse manifests itself in an affected Axe-Brother, it comes in three stages:
- Stage 1 (Extreme Frenzy): The Axe-Brother completely loses control when he frenzies and finds it almost impossible to claw his way back to reason as long as there are foes to fight and blades drawn. Even when foes are not near, the madness of this unrelenting frenzy grips him and he rages endlessly for battle and blood, howling out his anger and striking the ground with his blade. The Axe-Brother must take care, lest he lose control at any moment. Any time the Axe-Brother takes damage, confronted with a clear threat, or is put in a position of great stress, he must summon all his willpower in order to contain his fury for the duration of an encounter with an enemy.
- Stage 2 (Blood Rage): The Axe-Brother's thirst for the blood of their foes when in the grips of the Blood Rage and long to see it spilt across the ground in great arcs and gouts. They also crave the feeling of hot blood on their skin and splattering across their armour, staining their battle-plate a darker shade. The battle-brother engages his foes in close combat if possible, either making melee attacks against them or shooting point black with pistols so that their blood spills at his feet. Often, they will discard their bolter for the hungry teeth of their chain-axe. When he downs a foe, he must resist the urge to hack the foe's corpse apart. If the Axe-Brother is attacked by a new foe while he is in this state while hacking at another foe, he will turn his attention to his new attacker instead.
- Stage 3 (Fury Within): Near the end, an Axe-Brother is little more than a raging beast filled with fury and madness striking out at all those around him. While he may still have lucid moments where he remembers the warrior he once was, these are fleeting and quickly gone to be replaced with only the thought of killing and the thirst for blood, and he will attack the nearest target (friend or foe) if there is more than one to choose from. At this point, the Battle-Brother is completely within the grip of the Blood Rage and must be transferred to the ranks of the doomed Furiae Close Support Squads.
Combat Doctrine
- "The axe decapitates a head,
Society's ills get quickly shed,
Can we trust what we don't see?
The masked executioner's decree."
"A death by hacks couldn't be worse,
Carnifex of the jingling cutpurse,
Blood is spilt to slake the thirst,
In the name of God, the law comes first."
"A pantomime of barbarity,
To lose one's head so publicly,
And then be held up mockingly,
The crowd disperses hastily."- — "The Damned Axe" by Old Earth dramaturge Stewart Stafford, ca. M1
The Skull Takers are the epitome of a purely close assault force. The Astartes of this Chapter prefer to engage their foes as closely as possible - ensuring both victory and glory for the Chapter. The battle-brothers are known to be as unrelenting in their prosecution of the enemies of Mankind as their supposed progenitors, always attacking with overwhelming force and eschewing many of the more subtle arts of war such as infiltration and hit-and-run attacks, which the Skull Takers hold as 'the methods of cowards'. Uncompromising and savage, the Chapter's draconian tactics often result in not only the destruction of their foes but the total elimination of their non-combat assets, ensuring that the foe will not return to threaten the Imperium again.
The warriors of this Chapter are unafraid of battles of attrition or mutual destruction, relying on the courage and martial abilities of their Battle-Brother to overcome and endure anything the enemy can throw at them. However, their stubbornness in the face of imminent destruction has oftentimes proven to be a detriment, as the Chapter has an overwhelming drive to fight on once engaged when it would be more tactically beneficial to make a strategic withdrawal in the face of imminent destruction. Once their bloodlust is roused, it is nigh impossible for these Astartes to make sound strategic judgments once they've come to grips with the enemy.
When called upon to bring the divine retribution of the Emperor upon a recalcitrant or rebellious world, the Skull Takers have often taken such extreme methods that they leave little behind them with which the Imperium can rebuild. Oftentimes, following a Skull Takers' assault, nothing of worth or salvageable remains to be liberated. Entire cities become bloody abattoirs and are left in ruin. Even centuries later, a liberated planet's infrastructure will feel the effects of their former 'liberators', and dark tales of incalculable slaughter are still whispered in hushed tones by the frightened descendants of the former planet's residents. Due to their dark fame and brutal reputation, only the most desperate of Imperial Commanders would request the aid of this bellicose Chapter.
Their bloody deeds have writ a tale of callous and wanton slaughter across the pages of Imperial history, and on several occasions, the Skull Takers have been known to defeat an occupying enemy force only to purge the formerly oppressed human population for their "collusion" with the enemy.
Deathwatch Service
Notable Skull Takers
- High Carnifex Hakar Akoth - First Chapter Master of the Skull Takers, Hakar Akoth was once a Warlord (Captain) of the Executioners' 8th Company, who also had the high honour of serving as his Chapter's appointed Lord Executioner. He was greatly admired by his fellow Axe-Brothers for his skills as a warrior and his ferocity in battle. When facing his Chapter's foes on the battlefield Akoth strode purposely to face them clutching his favoured master-crafted executioner greataxe. He was a warrior of singular purpose, a brutal weapon in the arsenal of the Executioners, and his existence was driven by an unquenchable desire to take as many heads as possible of mighty champions and charismatic leaders as grim trophies. His gruesome array of decapitated heads spoke of his deadly expertise, with skulls and helms of different foes lashed to his battle-plate or skewered on a spiked rack affixed to his armour's backpack. It was said that Warlord Akoth's tally of notable kills was so extensive that they even rivalled that of his Chapter's High Executioner (Chapter Master). Ruthless, bellicose and direct, Warlord Akoth was recognised not only for his skills in battle but as a consummate commander whose tactical acumen was second to none. When the High Lords of Terra called for the 11th Founding, Akoth was chosen to lead his own Chapter in glory. He named his Chapter the 'Skull Takers' in honour of the genetic heritage of their progenitors who serve as the Emperor's executioners. Assuming the rank of High Carnifex, Hakar Akoth went on to lead his Chapter for the next two and half centuries until he was cut down in battle by a Master of Executions from the notorious Khornate warband known as the Shackles of Khorne.
- High Carnifex Astoroth Khotan - Current Chapter Master of the Skull Takers.
- High Warden Shuma Gorath - Current Reclusiarch and Master of Sanctity.
- Archseer Onuru Varlak - Current Chief Librarian and Lord of Knowledge.
- Lord Medicae Primus Natohk - Current Chief Apothecary.
- Lord of Forges Bain Moridin - Current Master of the Forge.
- Warlord Balok Khthon - Commander of the 1st Company.
- Warlord Skelos - Commander of the 2nd Company.
- Warlord Vathelos - Commander of the 3rd Company.
- Warlord Helgor - Commander of the 4th Company.
- Warlord Katuman - Commander of the 5th Company.
- Warlord Natohk - Commander of the 6th Company.
- Warlord Khorja - Commander of the 7th Company.
- Warlord Akhirom - Commander of the 8th Company.
- Warlord Kulan Gath - Commander of the 9th Company.
- Warlord Thugra Akron - Commander of the 10th Company.
- Venerable Castigar
Chapter Fleet
- Axefall (Legate-class Battle Barge) - Flagship of the Skull Takers.
- Dorn's Vehemence (Legate-class Battle Barge) - Assigned to the 1st Company.
- Adamant Rage (Ironclad-class Battle Barge) - Assigned to the 2nd Company.
- Executor of Retribution (Warspite-class Battle Barge) - Assigned to the 3rd Company.
- Undying Wrath (Warspite-class Battle Barge) - Assigned to the 4th Company.
- Merciless Blade (Strike Cruiser) - Assigned to the 5th Company.
- Unrelenting Hunter (Strike Cruiser) - Assigned to the 6th Company.
- Axe of Terra (Olympia-class Strike Cruiser) - Assigned to the 7th Company.
- Doom's Harbinger (Vanguard Light Cruiser) - Assigned to the 8th Company.
- Wrath of Rann (Vanguard Light Cruiser) - Assigned to the 9th Company.
- Indignant Fury (Heavy Frigate) - Assigned to the 10th Company.
- Castigator (Heavy Frigate)
- Vengeance of Athas (Tempest-class Frigate)
- Reaver (Tempest-class Frigate)
- Direbearer (Nova-class Frigate)
- Axemen of Dorn (Gladius-class Frigate)
- Executioner's Blade (Hunter-class Destroyer)
Chapter Relics
- Skulltaker -
- Panoply of Spite -
- The Skull of Akoth -
Chapter Apearance
Chapter Colours
The Skull Takers primarily wear gunmetal blue power armour with the exception of their armorial insets, which are black in colour, and their face plates which are white in colour. A white coloured squad specialty symbol is stenciled on the right armorial inset, which indicates a battle-brother's assigned squad specialty (Fire Support, Close Support, Battleline, Veteran, and Command). A small white coloured roman numeral stenciled on the right inset indicates squad assignment. A larger white roman numeral stenciled on the right poleyn (knee guard) indicates company assignment. This fearsome Chapter is noted for appearing barbarous-looking as its Battle-Brothers have a morbid tendency to drape their enemies' flayed skin on their battle plate, or adorn their armour with the skulls of their slain enemies.
Iconography of the Skull Takers Chapter.
Chapter Badge
The Chapter badge of the Skull Takers consists of a pair of crossed black coloured executioner's axes, centered upon a red livery shield. A black hood of an executioner is located in the center, above the crossed axes, which symbolises the deliberately macabre and menacing presence of the Emperor's executioners before they deliver the final killing blow. A skull located in the center beneath the crossed axes represents death and mortality.
Relations
Allies
| Subjugators Errant |  |
The Subjugators Errant are a fellow Successor Chapter that also hails from the lineage of the savage and unforgiving Executioners. Similar in mein and outlook, this pair of notoriously bellicose and vicious Chapters formed a close bond sometime in the 38th Millennium during the Apsinthos Excoriation, when these two Chapters descended upon an Imperial sub-sector that had fallen to the corrupting influence of the Chaos God of Pleasure, Slaanesh, becoming a hellish ream of multiple daemon worlds that had become enslaved to the Greater Daemon of Slaanesh known as Alakaala the Debauched Mistress. These two bloody-handed Chapters fell upon the servants of Chaos with unfettered wrath, taking many notable trophies of various daemonic overlords and slaughtering entire worlds that had been corrupted by the Pleasure God's influence. This campaign of slaughter concluded in a final orgy of destruction upon the system's former capital world of Amissus, where the forces of the Debauched Mistress were broken and cut down before the ferocious Astartes, their cohesion shattered by the brutal deep strike upon their central dark temple. Caught between the brutal fury of two Space Marine Chapters, Alakaala, her daemonic cohorts and her remaining corrupted thralls were finally put to the sword. Following this great victory, these two Chapters swore binding oaths of brotherhood, and have answered one another's call for aid should it ever be required - an oath that has only been fulfilled on a handful of occasions over the next four millennia. |
| Murdering Sons |  |
The Murdering Sons are a darkly-famed Space Marine Chapter of ill-repute. Like the Skull Takers, they too were created during the 11th Founding - to mete out retribution and swift justice to those that would dare break faith with the Imperium. When crimes such as insurrection, rebellion, or heresy require not only simply crushing the guilty, but to exacting fierce retribution, the High Lords of Terra deploy this unforgiving and merciless Chapter. Though the term 'ally' would be somewhat inaccurate, considering the taciturn and insular nature of the Murdering Sons, both Chapters share an affinity for meting out swift and brutal punishment to those that would transgress the Emperor's laws. Thankfully, these two Chapters have only fought on a handful of occasions, but when they have, their campaigns were both unsubtle and bloody affairs - brutally swift and monumental in their violence. |
| Eternal Slayers |  |
The Skull Takers and Eternal Slayers, despite their stark cultural differences, share an unbreakable brotherhood forged in war. While the Skull Takers fight with precision and discipline, the Eternal Slayers embrace raw, unrelenting fury, yet both are united by their unwavering hatred for the enemies of mankind. Their leaders, High Carnifex Astaroth Khotan and Grand Monarch Garren Tagyrt, embody this bond—one a disciplined warlord, the other a ferocious titan of destruction. Together, their Chapters form a relentless force, cutting through foes like a storm of righteous carnage, their weapons drenched in the blood of the unworthy. More than allies, they are brothers in slaughter, driven not by doctrine, but by a shared love for extinguishing the Imperium’s enemies. When they march together, they do not simply fight—they unleash the Emperor’s wrath in its purest, most terrifying form. |
Enemies
Notable Quotes
By the Skull Takers
- "The executioner's axe is the ultimate expression of law, and its name is vengeance; it is not neutral, nor does it allow us to remain neutral. All social questions achieve their finality around that blade. It is the executioner's accomplice; it consumes, devouring flesh and drinking blood. It is a kind of monster created by the judge and the craftsman; a spectre seeming to live an awful life born of the death it deals."
- — Warlord Balok Khthon, commander of the Skull Talkers 1st Company explaining his Chapter's predilection for the use of power axes to a brother Astartes of the Blades of Dorn Chapter.
- "What is it to be a Skull Taker?"
-"It is to be death!"
"What is it to be death?"
"It is to be the destroyer, the end of all things."
"What is it to end life?"
"It is an honour, to be the executioners of the Emperor."
"Why do we fight?"
"To protect the Imperium and deliver mankind from the evil of the xenos, the mutant and the heretic!"
"What is the fate of all foes?"
"To perish in the fire of battle and be cleansed from the galaxy."
"For the Emperor and for Dorn! Death! Bring death to our foes!"- — The Skull Takers Catechism of Hate
About the Skull Takers
- "You see unchecked berserk butchers. I see Astartes who have created the facade of monsters to preserve the lives of men. How many lives has their reputation saved? How many wars has their brutality averted? You see beasts. I see martyrs."
- — The Lord of Knives, Chapter Master and Chief Librarian of the Obsidian Blades Chapter.
- "There are many beserkers in the galaxy, but the animals present today were something different."
- — Kranuix-Koleso 'Nuixaleso' ('Shepherd of Exiles') of the Star Reapers, after seeing the Skull Takers fight.
- "In all of my years of serving the Emperor, I have never witnessed such a chapter that can make the traitorous World Eaters the least worrying threat in our galaxy. I am relieved they are here for the good cause of the Imperium."
- — Angelico Morerius, Company Champion of the Obsidian Champions, sharing his personal thoughts about the Skull Takers.
| Eleventh Founding Space Marine Chapters | |
|---|---|
| Dark Angels Successors | • |
| White Scars Successors | Shades of Cog • |
| Space Wolves Successors | N/A |
| Imperial Fists Successors | Exalted Blades • Skull Takers • |
| Blood Angels Successors | • |
| Iron Hands Successors | Blood Guard • Karaashi Arbiters • |
| Ultramarines Successors | Steel Hawks • |
| Salamanders Successors | • |
| Raven Guard Successors | • |
| Unknown Lineage | Murdering Sons • Howling Wolves • Night Terrors • |
Gallery
