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The Toxic Reapers are a non-Codex compliant Space Marine Chapter of the ill-fated 21st Founding, the so-called 'Cursed Founding'. Officially this Chapter was created from uncertain lineage but is suspected to be derived from Raven Guard gene-stock. They are a fleet-based chapter, their de facto fortress-monastery is the fleet known as the Reaper's Hand. This Chapter has garnered a distasteful reputation for their heavy use of stealth tactics and biological and chemical warfare involving poisons and toxins against their enemies.
Chapter History
Origins
All that is known of their origins is that they are apart of "Cursed" 21st founding at the height of the Age of Apostasy when High Lord Goge Vandire used his power as the sole ruler of Imperium and ordered a Space Marine Chapter be created who would act as a hidden blade amongst the Adeptus Astartes. A chapter of Space Marines who could strike and turn aside heresy and rebellion with but a single touch as well as eliminate any "undesirables" who would see Goge Vandire's rule be cut short. And so the Toxic Reapers were born to serve the Imperium of Man as the subtle poisoners who would reap a harvest of mankind's foes.
Much of what they did during their early years is lost to time or hidden away from prying eyes but one of the few hold overs is their extremely close ties with the both Inquisition and the Officio Assassinorum, particularly the Venenum Temple.
Betrayed but not Abandoned (325.M36)
Hunters of Renegades (858.M37)
War of Pox and Poison (784.M39)
The Reaping Begins(923.M40)
Chapter Home World
The Toxic Reapers are a fleet based chapter, their fortress-monastery isn't one ship but actually is the whole fleet of ships known as the Reaper's Hand. Reaper's Hand is a small fleet of five ships, The ships are named after the fingers on a hand and each is dedicated to a single purpose for the chapter's use.
Chapter Organization
The organization of the Toxic Reapers is fairly different from what is dictated within the Codex Astartes. Firstly, the Apothecarion is much more expansive than in other chapters and has been merged with the Librarium into one body.
Sage
Every librarian is simultaneously a apothecary, the Toxic Reapers acknowledge their psychically gifted brethren with the title of Sage. Sages are greatly revered by the Toxic Reapers as both their greatest healers and poisoners. Sages also preform the standard duties of a Librarian but mostly focus on cataloging new data and researching new ways of healing.
Sages are masters of a two sub-disciplinesof the Biomancy psychic discipline called Toximancy and Sanomancy. Toximancy can inflict all manner of maledictions and ills upon the bodies of their foes, and Sanomancy is dedicated solely to healing and regrowing lost limbs and making the body whole.
Chapter Beliefs
The illusive and secretive chapter keep much to themselves, and so official records of their customs and beliefs are few and far between, mostly compiled from scattered battlefield reports and the minimal contact the chapter makes with allied imperial forces. One common theme among the reports of the Toxic Reapers is their mercy. If something can be done to assist the other branches of the Imperium, they will do so, this can range from lending out their many highly skilled apothecaries to helping repair any critical utilities the Imperial forces needs.
- "Our brethren mock us and disdain us for hiding in the shadows, and our use of poison but yet we never reject those who ask for our help. The foulest beings of the galaxy have learned to fear our name and that our tough is death. We are the Toxic Reapers and our harvest will be the foes of the Imperium."
- — Speech by Chapter Master Zaxis, ca. M37
Chapter Gene-Seed
The origin of the chapter's gene-seed is unknown and much speculated by their fellow space marines. it is suspected that they are son of Corvus Corax due to their focus on stealth and subterfuge, but their obsession for toxics and poisons of all variety has led some to believe that they are gene-kin to the Deathguard. The truth is in fact much darker and were it to become known the Toxic Reapers would be declared Excommunicate Traitoris and be hunted to their destruction.
Their gene-seed is a hybrid of both the Raven Guard and the Death Guard, the genetic material of the two primarchs were blended together to make the space-marine equivalent of an assassin. This worked incredibly well and a space marine chapter with a gift for stealth and high resistance to the toxins they employed was born but there was also a number of flaws that quickly became apparent. The biggest flaw is the incredibly high rejection rate their gene-seed has, and it isn't helped by the fact that the catalyst for the activation for their gene-seed is for the aspirant to be subjected to an variety of highly deadly toxins and placed in a sensory deprivation chamber. Many aspirants die to the deadly concoctions of toxins coursing through their body and more lose their minds to madness, one out of every hundred aspirants survive to become a full battle-brother.
Genetic Flaws
Neuroglottis- The Neuroglottis was modified to give the Astartes of the chapter an even greater ability to determine poisons by smell and taste but it malfunctioned. The organ causes the Toxic Reapers to constantly have the urge to taste things. The space marines of the chapter will constantly taste their weapons and anything new they come across. This behavior is mostly controlled by lozenges specially made by the apothecaries using toxins harvested from the Thumb.
Oolitic Kidney- The Oolitic Kidney was enlarged and modified to always be preforming its detoxification process but this has the side effect of causing the Astartes to have a deathly pale cast to their skin.
Occulobe- The Occulobe is more advanced by standard space marine standards. Secret optic-therapy was gifted to the chapter by the Vindicae Temple that allows the battle brothers of the Toxic Reapers to see in perfect darkness but for unknown reasons the eyes of every full space marine always turn pure white.
Combat Doctrine
The Toxic Reapers always field a scout squad when a squad of battle brothers are deployed. Additionally an apothecary is attached to each squad to lend their medical knowledge and expertise on poisons to their charges.
Unique Equipment and Load-outs
Reaper Pattern Bolter
The Reaper Pattern Bolter is a variant of the standard Bolter and is used exclusively by the Toxic Reapers. It is a advanced Stalker Bolter with the addition of a Needler Rifle attached to it. This allows stealth tactics to be utilized to an even greater extent due to the silence of the Needler Rifle.
Camo-cloak
The Toxic Reapers make great use of Camo-cloaks to the point where every member of the chapter is issued on and is a mainstay of their equipment
Hellfire Ammo
The Toxic Reapers make great use of Hellfire rounds in both Bolter rounds and shotgun shells to the point where most battle brothers prefer to use Hellfire rounds instead of standard bolt rounds.
Foe-melter Grenades
Foe-melter grenades are a collection of grenades specially made and used by the Toxic Reapers chapter. They come in toxic gas, virus and poison smoke varieties. Each one can render whole swathes of foes dead but a favored tactic of the chapter is to throw one of each all at once and the end result is usually a puddle of whatever the battle brother was fighting.
Notable Members
Chapter Fleet
The Toxic Reapers are a fleet-based Space Marine chapter, but unlike most other fleet based chapters they only have five ships:
- Digitus Index (Battleship) - The ship known as the Index Finger is the main barracks and armory for the chapter. The ship can accommodate all the chapter's battle brothers and serfs in times of emergency. The Index Finger also is home to the chapter's forges and vehicles.
- Digitus Medius (Strike Cruiser) - The ship known as the Middle Finger is dedicated to the Apothecarion and the Reclusiam. It is here that the process of creating a new member of begins and where the aspirants learn of the history of the chapter and what it is to be a Toxic Reaper.
- Digitus Quartus (Battle Barge) - The ship known as the Ring Finger is the main battleship for the chapter and the is decked out with as many weapons and ship killers that the chapter could fit onto its hull.
- Digitus Minimus (Strike Cruiser) - The ship known as the Little Finger the main stealth craft of the chapter. It has very little in actually weaponry but this is compensated by the horde of stealth archeotech that makes the ship untraceable.
- Digitus Primus (Unknown Class Carrier) - The ship known as the Thumb is also called the 'Farm' by the serfs in the chapter for this ship is a massive carrier full of the most toxic and venomous creatures and plant in the galaxy that the chapter has gathered due their long years of loyal service to the Imperium.
Chapter Relics
- Vials of Bitter Mercy
- The Emperor's Hand
- Reaper's Shrouds
Chapter Appearance
Chapter Colours
The Toxic Reaper primarily wear predominantly dark gray power armor with black trim.
Unlike most Codex-oriented Chapters, the Apothecaries of the Toxic Reapers wear a skull faced helm with their power armor, and their battle-plate is painted solid black with the exception of their gauntlets which are painted bone white.
The Chapters librarians known as Sages wear a solid white power armor with a blue robe and wield a force staff.
Chapter Badge
The Toxic Reapers Chapter badge is a stylized grey skull with a black hood above two crossed scythes
Relations
Space Marines:
Many Chapters who know of the Toxic Reapers disdain and condemn them for their stealthy and dishonest approach to war. The Ultramarines and their descendants are prime amongst this number, as the Toxic Reapers deviate to an inordinate degree from the teachings of Roboute Guilliman, and see them as an affront to the Space Marine ideal. Imperial Fists, Dark Angels and Space Wolves, along with their descendants, also treat them with a mix of suspicion and distrust, even if they cannot help but respect the skill with which they execute their unorthodox methods.
Since their gene-seed is suspected to be of Raven Guard descent they and their sister chapters praise them for upholding the adaptive tactics extolled by Primarch Corax, but keep their distance all the same, as the Toxic Reapers carry within them the tampered gene-seed of the 21st Founding, and are regarded quietly by many of their kin as not true sons of Corax if they truly are at all. Iron Hands and Blood Angels treat the Toxic Reapers with indifference, as both chapters are heavily influenced by their own customs and cultures, and as a result, do not judge them for their own aberrations.
Inquisition:
Relations between the Toxic Reapers and the Inquisition are almost universally excellent, which amongst Astartes Chapters is rare to the point of that it must be false. The Chapters unconventional, if highly effective style of warfare suits many Inquisitors own preferences, and as such the Chapter has on more than one occasion been selected for its stealth and mastery of poisons and toxicity to assist Inquisitorial retinues with certain tasks.
In particular the Ordo Xenos and the Ordo Sicarius have excellent relations with the Toxic Reapers.
The Ordo Xenos place a high value on the marines tithed from the chapter by the Deathwatch, and their vast knowledge of xeno biology and how it can be laid low with all manner of poisons and toxins.
The Ordo Sicarius has at times requested the aid of the Toxic Reapers in stopping rouge assassins. Unknown to any but the leaders of the Ordo, the chapter has regularly assassinated targets on behalf the Ordo in exchange for access to knowledge exclusive to the Officio Assassinorum, particularly the Venenum Temple's techniques and unique concoctions.
Adeptus Mechanicus:
The Toxic Reapers are one of the few sucesses of the 21st founding, but a partial failure is still a failure and as such are a stain of shame upon Mechanicus Biologus. Aside from this however, the Chapter has very little contact with the Mechanicus, perhaps only a two battle-brothers in perhaps every Millennium are sent to Mars to undertake training as a Tech-Marine, so few are their numbers and fewer still their need for the tech priests skills. The Mechanicus' military forces respond positively to the Toxic Reapers presence in a warzone due to their tactic leaving much technology unharmed and alone for the Mechanicus to claim.
Adepta Sororitas:
Similarly to the Imperial Guard, the many orders of the Sororitas are frequently assisted, by the Toxic Reapers. Adpetus Sororitas crusades are rarely subtle affairs, and the Toxic Reapers are frequently requested to assist them. In response, the chapter will usually send a squad to the target planet or system in question, and initiate a series of assassinations, accidents and general sabotage. By the time the Adeptus Sororitas crusade arrives on the planet, they find the enemy in disarray and almost begging to be saved by the crusading sisters.
The Toxic Reapers have but a close bond with the Orders Hospitaller. This is cause the chapter will always assist with the relief effort after a conquest, and they frequently share their medical knowledge with the Orders and many missions of the Orders have a small alcove dedicated to the chapter and their contributions to the Imperium.
Imperial Guard:
To Imperial Guard Commanders, a squad of Toxic Reapers is a gift from the Emperor. The Toxic Reapers work excellently in concert with the forces of the Imperial Guard. The Marines harry the enemy for weeks or even months on end poisoning supplies and eliminating key personal. By the time Astra Militarum strikes it finds a enemy already debilitated and dying from the countless poisons and toxins running through their veins.[1][2]
Notable Quotes
Enemies
Notable Quotes
By the Toxic Reapers
"One Touch is all We Need"
-Chapter Motto
"Yes Inquisitor, the heretic is dead as you requested. His copse with be found in approximately four standard days and will show the appropriate signs of alcohol poisoning as well as number of empty triple proof bottles of amasec. Do you have the data files we requested as payment?"
-Toxic Reaper Sage to an Inquisitor of the Ordo Sicarius
"
About theToxic Reapers
Gallery