The 26th Founding
The Red Raptors
Posted by Huffstar. Venerable servant of the Imperium.
Army Profile here: Red Raptors Space Marines
The Red Raptors Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes were just one of the many Chapters created in the 26th Founding, 738.M41. Created as a reinforcement/ safeguard against Hive Fleet Behemoth, and a bulwark defense force incase Abaddon the Despoiler launched another of his foul and murderous invasions from the Occulus Terribilis. The Eye of Terror.
Created from a stock of Progenoid glands derived from the first founding former Legion of The Primarch Jag'hatai Khan, The White Scars.
Doctrine and tactics which established The Great Khan's warriors as ambush/ hit and run masters has been successfully utilized by this successor chapter, but the current Marshal Primus, Chapter Master of the Raptors- Slykal Oridar has evolved these tactics to suit his marines highly effective if a little unorthodox style of waging war in the Emperor's name. Instead of hit and run Marshal Oridar hits first and hits hard.
The only Chapter in the archives of the Adeptus Terra to employ a half company of Elite scout formations, containing the most able neophytes and up to 80% of full battle brothers. Worked on a voluntary basis, at present 'The Belt Notchers ' as they are known contains no less than 3 veteran marines and one vet sgt. V.Sgt Horro Kysen is the senior instructor/ operative in a unit who's mere rumour of arrival has been known to quosh rebellions before they've started!
Employed as insurgency troops, well behind enemy lines they create havoc and sow discord and destruction prior to Marshal Oridar unleashing his assault forces. Enemy troops are usually so demoralized by the constant attacks from a foe they cannot see or track, makes the 'notchers ' a highly prized asset:
From their inception, the Raptors have had to adapt to the ever changing enviroment in which they found themselves. At the beginning of their history fate was already a fickle mistress where this new chapter was concerned. An Adeptus Mechanicus bulk transporter was ambushed and boarded by elements of The Night Lords Traitor legion. Whether those infernal pawns of Chaos had prior knowledge of the transports route or just happened to stumble across the Omnisiah's servants is irrelevant as the entire transport was never seen or heard from again. Neither were the 200 suits of MkVIII 'imperator' armour which were boumd for the Raptors. Fortress Monestery: Giutezia Della Morte. This required the infant chapter to scrounge and procure enough suits to equip their battle brothers until replacements could be forged. This is why the chapters marines are enarmoured within a range of suit models, from MkV to MkVII. Also because of this disaster and because of the vast number of brother chapters that donated armour, each battle brother was instructed to re-paint their own suits, and as long as the three colours of Codex Grey, Liche Purple and predominantly Scab Red were used, every battle brother was left to choose the scheme for themselves!
This is why there is a varied selection of coloured armour within The Red Raptors, and why each marines Chapter insignia is, although a winged scythe, slightly differrent from the next as each is hand painted. Maybe when the chapter receives new armour this will change, but it has now become a chapter tradition of which the Marshal Primus himself has partaken. This is the only devation from Gullimans codex that The Raptors adhere to, and doesn't appear to harbour any intentions of changing this quirky rite of passage.
CHAPTER COMMAND:
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MARSHAL PRIMUS/ CHAPTER MASTER- SLYKAL ORIDAR.
The 2nd Astartes to hold the position of Marshal Primus, Chapter Master of The Red Raptors is Brother Commander Slykal Oridar. Elevated to Chapter Master after the untimely demise of the original Chapter Master when himself and his entire command section, plus every tactical marine in his supporting squads came under attack from the dark winding paths that lead from Commoragh. Dark Eldar from the Bleeding Heart Cabal utilized infernal warp sorcery to ambush and ultimately ensnare the Marshal's Strike Cruiser- Fortis Aeterno ( eternal strength ). What exactly occured onboard the Astartes vessel is unclear, but agents of the Holy Inquisition who were immediately tasked to solve this riddle found two garbled astropathic communique, in which a message told of the appearance of warp spawn in two seperate parts of the ship with another on the bridge. The second message told how the appearance on the command bridge was not by daemon spawn but Cabal Haemonculous intent on capturing the high ranking Astartes.
On uncovering these facts it is believed that Marshal Sentor fought Foul Xenos and spawn till finally overcome from his injuries, but one thing is certain. Abraxas Sentor made sure that the evil machinations of the plotting Dark Eldar did not come to fruition. When the Astartes vessel was found,without power and adrift, Marshal Sentor's body was the only one onboard. Where or what happened to his valiant brothers in arms is unknown.
Marshal Sentor was interred inside the Hall of Khan, within The Raptors ever wandering Fortress Monestary.
So Slykal Oridar became only the 3rd ever two-stud Chapter Master in Astartes history, and was instantly thrown into combat. Not without a longing for vengeance did the new Leader of The Red Raptors take to the field of battle, for this was where the famed-elite scout force:- The Belt Notchers were used. For five weeks they silently stalked, tracked and plotted all movements, positions and strategic weakpoints of the Dark Eldar slaveherders. But more importantly, a six scout unit constantly kept the enemy command section under observation, and on the go order by Oridar the previously unnoticed scout element arose from the scrub and brush to cut apart the enemy forces. All except the Dark Eldar Commander, Archon Kral H'jard. He was staked out under the blaring sun until the Marshal Primus arrived, when he was untied and handed his twin daggers. Oridar unsheathed his own mono-molecular combat knives and a short but utterly brutal, five minute ordeal of single combat ensued. In a textbook display of close combat knifework, the Chapter Master of the fledgling Astartes Chapter cut his foe apart and then with his last stroke parted the foul xenos head from its shoulders. Some measure of satisfaction for the chapter had been reclaimed and the stricken head of Archon H'jard is proudly borne on the chapter's battle standard as it's first major battle honour, and Slykal Oridar had stamped his authority all over the Red Raptors
