IRON VANGUARD
Warcry: Forward for the Truth!
Founding: Unknown
Successors of: Dark Angels
Successor Chapters: Unknown
Primarch: Lion El Johnson
Chapter Mater (‘Guide’): Astaroth the Sinner
Homeworld: Unknown
Allegiance: Unknown – Traitoris Excommunicated

Chapter History:
The Ravenwing Captain
The Iron Vanguard history starts not so long ago. For the imperium of man, they are only a new and small menace, rampant in their empire. But to better understand their existence and purpose, you need to understand the man behind the Iron Vanguard: Astaroth the Sinner. He wasn’t always known under that name. In fact he used to serve the righteous emperor under the banner of the Dark Angels. Veteran of countless battle, he embraced the fast-paced doctrine of the Ravenwing.

It’s under the command of Gideon, Grand Master of the 2nd Compagny, that Astaroth experienced the rush that mounted combat could bring him. Alongside his friend Sammael, he cut through many adversaries, never meeting his match. Sammael always saw him as a rival more than a friends, but for Astaroth, it was all in good fun. Gideon named Astaroth as his second in command in recognition of his battle prowess. Not long after, Gideon met the terrible fate of all Ravenwing captain: he died during a glorious battle. As hierarchy goes, Astaroth took the commandment of the Ravenwing, under the approval of the leaders of his chapter. Even before he could meet the rest of the Ravenwing as their new captain, he was sent out on an important mission; the Hunt for Fallen never waits.

It was Ezekiel, chief librarian of the Dark Angels, who picked up the Fallen signature through the warp. The traitor was located in the Veiled Region,[INSERT PLANET].That matter needed to be dealt with quickly, so a detachment from the Ravenwing was sent. Astaroth only was informed of the real objective of the mission: to bring back the Fallen to the Dark Angels fortress, the Rock. He then departed with a detachment and started the Hunt. Before he left, he gave his friend Sammael the honor of being his second in command. Sammael was to carry on other missions with the rest of the 2nd Compagny. That was the last time Sammael saw Astaroth.


The Hunt for Truth
At that point in time, the history becomes blurry. Once arrived on [INSERT PLANET], Astaroth deploy his forces and start his methodical sweep to find the traitor. He was helped by [INSERT NAME OF LIBRARIAN HERE]. As a psyker, [INSERT NAME OF LIBRARIAN HERE] could locate the presence of the Fallen through the warp. Soon after the Ravenwing detachment started their search, a sandstorm rose up and made communication with their ship, still in orbit, impossible. Astaroth, [INSERT NAME OF LIBRARIAN HERE] and a handful of his Space Marine engulfed themselves deep in the storm, determine to find the traitor.

Astaroth could hear some voice through the storm, through the warp. As he pressed forward, the voice intensified in his mind, echoing in his skull. [INSERT NAME OF LIBRARIAN HERE] interrupted all the voices, and told Astaroth that they were arrived. Through the storm, he could see a little hut, built in the side of a cliff. Astaroth ordered his troops to secure the area, and he walked in with the librarian to confront the Fallen.

What was discussed at that faithful moment remains unknown, but when Astaroth walked out of the hut, he was a changed man. Even [INSERT NAME OF LIBRARIAN HERE] seemed a little off. The sandstorm dissipated itself. To the surprise of the Space Marine, their ship wasn’t responding. In fact, it was like it had disappeared from space, leaving them stranded on that planet. The Captain didn’t seem concern when his sergeant told him. The mission was fulfilled, but Astaroth had already began another mission; his last mission.


A Whisper in the Warp.
How Astaroth and his troops manage to leave the Veiled Region is unknown. But for many years, no one heard of them. The Dark Angels chapter sent some scout to find them, but with no success. Only Ezekiel knew what really happen to Astaroth; he saw it through the Warp. That’s when the Dark Angels did what they do best: they kept secret what happen on [INSERT PLANET OR SYSTEM HERE] and even deny the very existence of Astaroth. Sammael was promoted to the rank of Captain of the 2nd Compagny. The list of people who knew who was Astaroth was pretty tin: Azrael (Chapter Master of the Dark Angels), Asmodai (Master Interrogator-Chaplain), Ezekiel (Grand Master of Librarians) and Sammael (Grand Master of the Ravenwing). Every Space Marine serving in the Ravenwing that knew Astaroth were forced to take a silence vow. His name was removed from every record the chapter had. For the Dark Angels, Astaroth never existed.

Rumors of a new menace started to spread in the Veiled Region. The Iron Vanguard is what they called themselves. They were often described as space pirates, completely made of metal and riding bikes. Going from planet to planet, leaving nothing behind them but ashes. The Imperium of man seemed to ignore the situation at first, having more pressing matter than pirates. That was until the rumor came from the Segmentum Tempestus sector.

The rumor became reality, and the Iron Vanguard was identified as Space Marines, using weapons from the Imperium against itself. The Council of Terra could not let that slip; orders were given, and the Tempestus Scions were mandated to track down that new enemy. That’s when Astaroth received his new title: the Sinner.

Following the Path
Astaroth had started a war; a war against the Imperium of Man nonetheless. Once he emerged from [INSERT PLANET], he exiled with his troops to an unknown part of the universe, and started to educated them about the Truth that he learn from the supposed Fallen. He became more than a captain for his men; he was now their Guide, which became his new rank moving forward. He exposed his plan to them, and they all sworn to follow him into the abyss if needs may be.

To pursue their mission, they needed a strong will; a will made of iron. In order to ascend to what they needed to become, they coated their armor and their bike with melted metal. After hundreds of years, they emerged from where they were hiding, ready to accomplish their goals. They went from planet to planet, defeating every foe that appeared before them. They liberated quite a number of planets from tyrannical oppression. They were pushing closer and closer to Terra, where they were to meet their final challenge. They seemed to avoid any direct confrontation with other Space Marine chapters, as if they didn’t want to be their enemy.

Excommunicated Traitoris
The hunt of the hunters started. Multiples Inquisition detachment were sent to planet visited by the traitor chapter and a lot of rumor are circulating concerning those visit. Those planets were left in ruins and fire, the Inquisition blaming the Iron Vanguard for those murderous acts. Other rumors affirmed that the Iron Vanguard came in peace, and helped colony take over the power of their planet, in exchange for supplies for their quest. Whoever destroyed those colonies is uncertain, because no planets visited by the Iron Vanguard were left intact.

As of right now, the Iron Vanguard is still marching forward, toward Terra. What are their true purposes? Are they enemies to humankind, or the savior they hoped for?

Chapter Organisation:
The Vanguard is leaded by a Guide, which is where the ultimate power of decision comes from. As his left and right hand, you find the Operative, and the Keeper. The Operative is in charge of intel, while the Keeper needs to control and monitor the records of the Vanguard. Receiving orders from the Guide, we have the Captain. Each Captain leads a Spear, equivalent to a company in the Dark Angels Chapter. All together, they form the Council of the Vanguard, where decisions are made.

Each Spear contain multiple element that work together in order to create a well-rounded force. A Spear typically contains up to 8 Bikers Squad, 1 Land Speeder Support Squadron and 1 Command Squad, in which the Captain will sometimes take the role of the Banner wielder. If Astaroth himself join a Spear, he will bring with him his Operative and his Keeper.
Chapter Combat Doctrine:
The Iron Vanguard follows the doctrine used by the Ravenwing. A blow so fast that it destroys the enemies before they even knows they’re being hit. A Command Squad always lead the Spear in battle. They always bring their Spear’s Banner with them, gifted from Astaroth himself. Each squad that is part of the Spear have specialised weapon to deal with various situation. Their Land Speeder support squadron is there to lay fire on their enemy from afar, while moving as one with the Spear. A pointy and precise strike, follow up by raw power. That’s how the Spear is intended to work.

Chapter Beliefs:
The Iron Vanguard believes that every Space Marine is still loyal to the Emperor, even the one that fell to Chaos. Astaroth teaching preaches that once they met their final goal, all Space Marine will become united like before. An Iron Vanguard battle-brother will always try to avoid direct conflict with other Space Marine chapters or legion. The real enemy of mankind is the ‘new’ Imperium, the one that exist since the Horus Heresy.

Chapters Appearance:
They coat their armor in metal, only adding a couple of details here and there. They kept their Dark Angels emblems in order to remember where they come from. WILL ADD MORE DETAIL HERE ONCE I FIGURE THE PAINT SCHEME OF OTHER MODEL