Steel Wind

The Steel Wind is a 4th founding chapter of Iron Hands stock. They specialize in the deployment, maintenance, recovery, and defense of superheavy weapons while having the highest number of confirmed destructions of enemy superheavy military assets of any chapter. They roam the barren xenos-infected world of Barbelon in their massive land behemoth “Battle City Virfortis” in a never-ending crusade against the biomechanical xenos “Nix” that infest it. They are the unofficial “chamber militant” of the Centurio Ordinatus.
== History ==
The chapter was founded from the genetic stock of an unknown Iron Hands successor chapter during the 4th founding. They retain close ties with Clan Haarmek, the “5th company” of the Iron Hands. They were originally a unit from Clan Haarmek dispatched to Barbelon to recover a piece of technology lost during the Great Crusade. Barbelon had been reduced to a blasted wasteland by the crusade, which had (supposedly) wiped out the xenos race known as the “Nix” who lived there. The unit located the lost superweapon, a land behemoth known as “Battle City Virfortis”, but was set upon by surviving Nix who had bred underground in the core of the planet.
Over the next several centuries reinforcements were dispatched to maintain the Battle City and defend against Nix breeding waves so they’d never be able to spread from the planet. During the 4th founding the task was deemed important enough that those holding the planet were inducted into a new chapter and Battle City Virfortis was made their fortress monastery. Many of those original marines were from Clan Haarmek and thus the Steel Wind chapter pays homage to Clan Haarmek in many respects.
Today the chapter is not simply confined to Barbelon and the expertise they have gleaned from maintaining and even upgrading Battle City Virfortis has led to them being some of the foremost experts on superheavy vehicles in the Adeptus Astartes. The chapter maintains 6 rare superheavy vehicles, each in the possession of one of the companies.
== Relationship with the Centurio Ordinatus ==
The Steel Wind chapter is not officially part of the Centurio Ordinatus but they are often seconded to their service. The ownership of the various god machines that the Steel Wind marines employ is a more complex matter. While they are crewed primarily by members of the chapter they are officially part of the Centurio Ordinatus. They are deployed as needed to support Imperial efforts and the technical advisors are from the Centurio Ordinatus. Theoretically, some other organization could be used to serve on the machines but, since their creation, the Steel Wind chapter has exclusively served as the primary military presence on these vehicles.
It is worth noting that while many of the assets employed by the Steel Wind chapter are on par with Ordinatus war machines not all of their assets are. Many are simply older, venerated, vehicles of great size and strength deployed by the Centurio Ordinatus (such as Fellblades and squat Land Trains).
While the chapter is consulted on matters of deployment, it tends to be more in the execution or orders rather than the merits of various missions. Occasionally the Steel Wind chapter will “recommend” deployments of these warmachines and there has never been an instance where the Centurio Ordinatus has denied such a request. This alliance effectively means that the Centurio Ordinatus can deploy the Steel Wind chapter where it needs them and, in return, the Steel Wind chapter can deploy their warmachines on their own missions.
The only exception to this is Battle City Virfortis. This is solely the domain of the Steel Wind chapter and, as it’s constrained to the chapter’s eternal mission on planet Barbelon, no one has ever challenged their right to use it.
== Organization ==
Despite being an Iron Hands successor chapter their organization closely reflects the Codex Astartes. This is, perhaps, due to their regular deployment alongside other Imperial forces though they still like to compartmentalize their specialists and retain their stoic attitude. Unique to the chapter is that each company is deployed alongside and centered around a specific superheavy asset (often a tank). They make extensive use of vehicles and their infantry units act more as auxiliary forces to their superheavy vehicles than the other way around.
== Battle City Virfortis ==
1st & 6th CompaniesThe superheavy vehicle known as “Virfortis” is a vehicle created in the the early years of the Imperium that serves as the Land-Behemoth mobile fortress for the Steel Wind Iron Hands successor chapter. It is an Ordinatus that rivals a city in its size and an Imperial naval vessel in its firepower. It drives across the barren landscape of Barbelon, an alien land honeycombed with billions of biomechanical xenos known as Nix. The chapter maintains a constant patrol on Barbelon, eternally doing sweeps across its surface and eliminating any xenos foolish enough to raise its head above the surface.
=== Technical Specifications ===
Dimensions - Approximately 3.8 km long, 1.5 km acrossMass - Approximately 22 megatonnes.Crew - Approximately 60,000 crew, including 200 (2 companies) of marinesMax Speed: 125 kph
=== Armament ===
Battle City Virfortis resembles nothing so much as a titan on treads or a small naval vessel. It is primarily a troop transport with a large number of weapons mounted on its hull to protect itself. These weapons are not anything to balk at though as it boasts several batteries of laser blasters, a dozen twin-linked lascannons on turrets and heavy bolters for perimeter defense. It’s deadliest armement however is its large number of missile batteries that can fire almost anything from standard hunter-killer missiles to vortex missiles. Defensively it is armed with a dozen void shield generators and its armor is comparable to a baneblade, if not heavier in places.
=== Forces ===
Battle City Virfortis is a functional Imperial military base and serves as the fortress monastery for the Iron Wind chapter of Space Marines. They maintain 2 of their 8 companies in the Battle City though they normally reserve one as a homeguard and deploy the other for surface missions or as support elements for another chapter. It is also home to the chapter’s allies, the 1st Barbelo Regiment. They serve as an adjunct military force for the chapter and many of the Steel Wind’s scouts are drawn from this regiment.
== Death Crawler Messorem ==
2nd Company
The STC for the Death Crawler Messorem Ordinatus was found in the archives of Battle City Virfortis, apparently lost from Imperial forces when they were destroyed in the 1st Battle of Barbelon. Death Crawler Messorem is a large, heavily armed, slow, treaded, crawler designed as a movable firebase and command center. It was specifically designed to be orbitally inserted onto a planet’s surface to establish a beachhead.
== War Train Derringer ==
3rd Company
War Train Derringer is actually a converted Squat Land Train rescued from the destruction of their homeworld. War Train Derringer employs a number of ancient squats who still advise on its maintenance and soothe its machine spirit. A number of squat retainers are employed as serfs of the 3rd company and fight gallantly beside their marines of the chapter. This has resulted in a sort of infusion of squat culture in the 3rd company. Some say the company had to swear an oath to seek revenge on those who wronged the squats in order to gain access to the war train...
== Fellblade Hierophant ==
4rd Company
Hierophant is an ancient baneblade of the fellblade pattern that has been around since the Great Crusade. It is the revered asset of the 4th company and is famous for having destroyed countless other superheavy assets. Each time it has destroyed one it has been given a triumph on Holy Terra itself. Hierophant is something of an icon in its own right and many revear it as semi-divine.
Fellblade Hierophant once belonged to a different company of marines who previously held the title of the “4th company” but fell in battle protecting it. The company that now deploys it was previously the 9th company. Rather than say the 4th company was destroyed, they transferred all the marines from the 9th to the 4th and the 9th company was closed in memory of the fallen.
== Ordinatus Septum ==
5th Company
This tank-like Ordinatus is based on a pre-heresy design and is notorious for its frequent breakdowns and temperamental machine spirit. It is debatably the most heavily armed asset of the chapter but the spirit is all but lost; it is sleeping and only occasionally able to be roused. Because of this the 5th company will often deploy without it.
== Ordinatus Orcus ==
6th CompanyOrdinatus Orcus is a contentious piece of equipment. It is a strange looking Ordinatus that many suspect is based on xenos technology rather than Imperial. The Centurio Ordinatus has produced all the right records ascertaining that it is but many strange and secretive things go on with it. The marines of the 6th company are required to take a vow of silence before deploying alongside it and many cut their own tongues out. Odd support craft and rollers are deployed alongside it and seem to be of equally alien origin. Psykers are forbidden to approach it and the few that do have been driven mad called out “I’ve seen it! I’ve seen them all!” before they die.
== Ordinatus Rigel ==
7th Company
All information on Ordinatus Rigel and the 7th company is redacted and classified at the highest level. The name “Ordinatus Rigel” may, in fact, be a code name or an intentional misdirection. The 7th company of the Steel Wind marines are theoretically assigned to an Ordinatus of that name but Inquisitorial assets believe that the 7th company is attached to a hidden R&D sect of the Centurio Ordinatus. Heretical investigations are thought to be brewing within this R&D department but nothing has been proven yet. The 7th occasionally deploys along with the rest of the chapter but always acts independently and the marines employ strange technology. This technology is mostly heavy weapons and is of exceptional craftsmanship and efficiency.
== The Remaining Companies ==
The 8th, 9th, and 10th Companies
The Steel Wind chapter was only ever given 9 companies worth of marines and they lost one during the defense of Fellblade Hierophant. This company, formally known as the 4th, had all the marines from the 9th transferred over. To this day some of the marines in the 4th wear the blue trim of the 9th in memory of the fallen.
The 10th company is the chapter’s scout company. This company is maintained on a battle barge orbiting Barbelon when not in use though scouts from the 10th are frequently assigned to other companies and the “10th” is really just an organizational asset on paper. Because of this the actual strength of a given company is likely over 100 marines.
The 1st Barbelo Regiment is sometimes referred to as “The 8th Company”. This regiment is the planetary defense force of Barbelo, though no one actually lives on the planet. They are draw from nearby planets to help the defense of the system. They are highly disciplined, cunning, and often deploy alongside the Steel Wind chapter. They have been favorably compared to the Ultramar Auxilia and their relationships with the Ultramarines chapter.
== Notable Campaigns ==
* Raid of Barbelon: Several squads of exiled marines from the Emperor’s Marauders chapter attempted to use a super-weapon they had developed within their space hulk to destroy the Nix on Barbelon. While the Steel Wind chapter has no love for the Nix the intrusion by renegade marines was unacceptable. Battle City Virfortis was besieged by the attacking Marauders for three weeks before a surprise attack from the 1st Barbelo Regiment convinced the renegade marines to retreat. Upon inspection of the wreckage the renegades left behind, it was likely that their super weapon would have eliminated the Nix.
Category:Iron Hands Successors
Category:4th Founding
Category:Adeptus Mechanicus