Version number 1. Decided I didn't like painting the entire helmet black, thought it caused all the features to blend together.


Version number 2. Painted the faceplate bone so it'd stand out. Now it looks like he's pretending to be a Chaplain, but I decided to go with it.








Using that second design as a base, I proceeded to produce mock-ups of what Tactical Marines, Assault Marines, Veteran Marines, their respective Sergeants, and their Company Captain would look like. There are earlier drafts, but I don't hate any of you enough to post every single image in my B&C Gallery.




Unfortunately, I hit a dry spot while working out the fluff, and while sitting there looking at the screen and feeling like an idiot my perfectionist tendencies reared their unwelcome heads, so I had to go back and completely redo the color scheme and it's variants, and I'm still not sure which version to go with.

Located in a remote star system I still need to name, a heavily forested moon orbits a gas giant. The peculiarities of it's orbit were the cause of two astrological phenomena of note. The first was that the gravitational effects of the star and the planet produced a high rate of geological activity in the moon, with many of it's considerable mountain ranges comprised of active volcanoes. Secondly, the speed and distance of the moon's orbit in relation to the planet meant that fully half of it's year was spent between the planet and the star, with days spent facing the star and nights spent facing the reflective gas giant. Conversely, the second half of the year was spent with the planet between the moon and the star, trapping it in perpetual night, with the faint glimmer of distant stars the only source of light in the sky.

This extreme difference in the seasons caused the world's native life to develop in a truly extreme fashion. Simply put, the moon's plant life has a metabolism that could almost literally be described as 'explosive'. Under the right conditions, a seed can sprout and grow into a sapling the size of a man in as little as a week's time, if not faster. This increase in plant growth also affects the oxygen content of the atmosphere. As the summer progresses, the amount of oxygen increases to levels unheard of on Earth for millions of years. The cons to this out-way the pros. Sure, you're more alert and responsive, but so's every other animal on the moon, and the invertebrate life can now grow to a massive size. Even worse (yes, WORSE), the higher the oxygen content of the atmosphere the easier it BURNS. Every thunderstorm there's a chance the very air you breathe will burst into flames. As the second half of the year begins, things shift into reverse so fast you can practically hear the gears shred. All the plant life either dies or enters hibernation, so until spring the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere is only going to decrease, so enjoy being slow and dull-witted all winter. The animals enter hibernation or hunker down with their food stocks, while the invertebrate life suffocates to death after laying the eggs for next year's generation. The good news is, now you don't have to worry about the very air in your lungs exploding until next summer!

Due to this high rate of metabolic activity, the moon's native population spends most of it's time engaged in a nonstop struggle to keep land cleared for their use. Increasing their difficulties in growing enough food to see them through the long dark winter is the fact that forest soil makes for very poor farmland, so the people farming it must be extremely careful in what they grow and when, lest the hard fought for earth turn fallow and useless. Much of the moon's middle class is made up of "Ash Merchants", intrepid traders who bravely set out early in the year in order to gather huge quantities of volcanic ash to sell to lowland farmers as fertilizer. So too is animal husbandry a daunting task. Not only must one constantly patrol the pastures in search of poisonous or fast growing plants, but you must also keep eternal watch against the moon's many predatory creatures. While the forests are an excellent source of fruits, nuts, fish, meat and fungi, there are plenty of wild animals willing to fight you for it. The inhabitants of the mountainous regions have it easier in some respects, and more difficult then others. True, they have access to workable stone and metal, and alpine meadows are a common occurrence, but living on the slopes of an active volcano has plenty of problems, such as earthquakes, lava flows, and poison gas vents.

The most unique feature about this world is the comparatively high level of technological advancement achieved by the inhabitants. While most Chapter Worlds are tribal societies that are technologically Iron Age equivalent at best, the people here have achieved a feudalistic society, steam-powered technology, and weapon technology roughly equivalent to the early 20th century. The people of the moon see technology, particularly firearms, as a symbol of man's superiority over nature. With technology, man can impose his will on his environment and alter it to suit his purposes. This fixation on firearms has affected the development of the Chapter's views on combat.

A long, long time ago, before they put down roots, the Crimson Fists Chapter was involved in a lengthy campaign to return a long-forgotten corner of the galaxy to The Emperor's Holy Light. Apart from the Xenos and uncooperative humans, there was also a rather large and well-armed Empire ruled by a powerful Chaos Sorcerer determined to keep the Imperium out. Thanks to nonstop fighting against Xenos and Heretics, the Company of Crimson Fists crusading in the "What's this under the smudge?" Sector wasn't quite up to fighting against the Great Enemy. Having been solidly creamed, the ragged remnants of the Crimson Fist Force fled to a remote moon in an even remoter part of the Sector. There, they discovered a thriving population of Feral Humans (well, as thriving as you can get on a borderline Death World.)

Making the best of a bad situation, the surviving Crimson Fists introduced the primitive moon men to the Imperial Cult, and cemented it's position as the only religion in town by helping the natives with their little Chaos Coven problem. While waiting for pickup, the CFs learned that forces from the Chaos Empire had tracked them down and were coming after them. Resigned to a glorious but futile last stand, the Space Marines were surprised to find the natives using their home-field advantage to stymie the Chaos forces' efforts. Thanks to the efforts of the moon's inhabitants, the Crimsons Fists were able to successfully hold out until Imperial reinforcements arrived, at which point the remaining Chaos forces were forced to retreat.

Returned to their Chapter's Fleet, the surviving members of the Company were informed that The High Lords of Terra had commissioned a new Founding of Space Marine Chapters, and had also decreed that this wayward sector should have a Chapter of it's own. Thus, the Chapter Master of the Crimson Fists ordered the Company Remnant to return to the sector at once, to determine where a new Chapter should be located. Fortunately for the Marines, they already knew of a world well-suited for the task...

One of the first Chapters formed during the 21st Founding, their Gene-Seed was used as a 'proof of concept' for the controversial Gene-Seed Alteration plan. The Gene-Seed of the Imperial Fists is deficient in only two respects: it lacks the Betcher's Gland and the Sus-an Membrane. An attempt to reintroduce these to an otherwise stable lineage was seen as a safe bet; either it worked and Dorn's line regained two organs, or it wouldn't and things would continue as before.

The results were... Mixed. The Betcher's Gland seemed fine when it was implanted, but soon afterwards the chemicals it produced began to change. Rather than producing a caustic acid that could be used to melt metal or the faces of the Emperor's enemies, it instead produced a chemical compound that reacted with oxygen, allowing the Marines to spit fireballs at enemies. While normal Betcher's Glands produce acid only when the Marine induces it, the amount of control Iron Dragon Marines have over their mutated Glands varies depending on their mood, with higher levels of anger causing the Gland to leak into the Marine's mouth. Because of this, you can tell when an Iron Dragon is angry by looking at his mouth and seeing if smoke and embers fall out when he talks.

The Sus-an Membrane was also successfully reintegrated with the Imperial Fists Gene-Seed, however it also developed some abnormalities. Specifically, it started interacting with the Catalepsean Node all weird, and now whenever an Iron Dragon takes a wound of sufficient magnitude there's a chance he'll fall into a somnambulist-like state, in which he'll continue to fight whilst ignoring all damage. Once the fight's over, he passes out for real, and has to be taken back to the Apothecarion by his battle-brothers. If the Apothecary can repair and stabilize him, he'll remain in a coma for a variable length of time, one that the Apothecary can't snap him out of. These comas, known to the Chapter as the "Dragon Sleep", can last from days, to weeks, to months, to years, with some still asleep. Those who awaken remember nothing after the initial injury except vague recollections of being with long-dead members of the Chapter, who send them back with a cryptic message. The Marine in question always takes this cryptic statement very seriously, and his first act upon awakening is to figure out what it means and what he's supposed to do.

Normal progression from Scout to Devastator to Assault to Tactical, but there are no static Companies. Instead, a Captain about to set out will pick the best candidates from whoever happens to be home at the time. Depending on the mission, this force can exceed the 100 men limit of normal Companies. There are two kinds of forces (I'm working on a better name for this). The first are Errant-Companies, primarily formed of younger Marines and Commanders new to the gig. They just pile into a Strike Cruiser and head off in a random direction, waiting for an Imperial World to cry out for help. The second sort are the Crusade-Companies, formed mostly of experienced Marines and Commanders with several campaigns under their belt. These companies are formed for a single purpose from the out-set, like taking part in a Campaign against a mighty Ork WAAAGH!!!, or reclaiming lost worlds for the Imperium, or to take part in the desperate fight to not be eaten by extra-galactic aphids.

Tactics-wise, the Chapter really likes Bolters, Tactical Squads, and Sternguard Veterans. Their overall approach to strategy can be summed up as: Strategic strikes at key targets, slowly robbing the enemy forces of their ability to wage war, then at the point where they are too crippled to continue, swoop down and kill them all. They have comparatively fewer suits of Terminator Armor or Land Raiders then most Chapters, but they tend to prefer Sternguard and Vanguard Veteran Squads and Rhino Variants anyway, so it's all good.

Much of the Chapter's earliest years were spent reclaiming the Sector under the tutelage of the Crimson Fists. By the time they died, the Chapter already had it's own Chapter Master and impressive record of victories. After returning their bodies to the Crimson Fists Chapter Fleet, the I.D.C.M. (In case you couldn't tell, I'm gak at thinking up proper nouns.) returned to his Chapter to lead them in a final campaign to eliminate the Chaos Empire at the heart of the sector. By this point in the war, the Empire had been reduced to it's Capitol World and the surrounding systems. Deciding to end the war quickly and decisively, the I.D.C.M. lead the entirety of his Chapter in a surgical strike against the Capitol planet itself. In battle against the Chaos King, the I.D.C.M. nearly killed him. Calling upon his vile masters, the Chaos King simultaneously ascended to Daemonhood and opened a Chaos Rift with the planet at the center. He was still no match for the Emperor's Finest though, 'cause he managed to deal a blow that left the Daemon Prince permanently crippled. He would have finished him off too, but thanks to his wounds and being at Ground Zero for the opening of a Warp Rift he kinda collapsed before he could do so, allowing the Chaos King to limp away. The rest of the Chapter grabbed him, got back to the Fleet, and zipped home before things got any crazier. Back in the Fortress-Monastery, the dying I.D.C.M. drove his sword, which was an archaeotech relic bequeathed to him by the Crimson Fists, who had supposedly gotten it from Dorn, into the floor, made a prophecy, and died. According to the prophecy, whosoever pulls out the sword is rightwise born Master of the Chapter, and will lead the entire Chapter on it's final Crusade, in which they will enter the Warp Rift, slay the Chaos King for realsies, and then probably all die.