Maelstrom Flayers

## Maelstorm Flayers

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### **Numbers**

Around 800 Chaos Space Marines, 50,000 corrputed Astra Militarum guardsman, many hunderd of thousand of Cultists, several hundred war machines and tanks alongside a small space fleet (pre Narsak's Crusade)

### **Leader**

Narsak Soulflayers (Deceased), Dark Apostle Thaeres (Deceased)

### **Battle Cry**

"Chaos endure!"

The **Maelstorm Flayers** are a Chaos Warband hailing from the Maelstorm, a Warp Rift located near the galactic center. After spending many years infiltrating and corrupting nearby Imperial planets to increase its number, this warband was almost totally destroyed during a Crusade led by its leader Narsak Soulflayer to recover some artifacts after it was halted by the Themes Shadow Regiment and Sisters of Battle. But they eventually recovered before being annihilated for a second time during the Themes System invasion and saw the loss of its leader. Since then the warband ceased to exist, albeit a few survivors are seen fighting and continuing to use the same strategies, possibly awaiting for a new warlord to unite them once again, albeit there are no further information about their whereabouts.

## Warband History

Being founded within the Malestorm, the exact origins of the warband are unknown and only a few speculations could be made, one of which claim that it was born after the merging of several minors Chaos Space Marines warbands and cults by the hand of Narsak Soulflayers, a Chaos lord with connections to the Word Bearers Traitor Legion or possibly drawn from it, as demonstrated by large number of Dark Apostles retinue, but all sources confirmed its existence since early M40. The warband showed from the beginning, being overly fond of corrupting planets to increase its numbers and summoning daemons as both offensive and an offensive tool, while cultits and traitor guardsmen composed the core of the army, whose forces were employed only when a planet did not bend to chaos. This warband gained the name of Maelstorm Flayers due the hideous fetishes made with flayed skin took from fallen enemies that are carried both cultists and Chaos Space Marines and the Soul Flay rituals made by Narsak as sacrifices to the Chaos Gods.

## Notable Events

* **Corruption of Sanghelis (205.M40)** - The first know action of the warband was the corruption planet Sanghelis which is overrun and tainted by Chaos, keeping increasing the ranks of the warband though its population, before being engulfed into the Warp.
* **The Tainted Guard 233.M40** - Narsak lured into a trap several Astra Militarum regiments and killing many of them and corrupting the survivors which would come to be known as the Flayguard.
* **The Tainted Quill (237-340.M40)** - The century long corruption campaign of many Imperial planets, which looks to be part of some kind of ritual actually revealed to be a plan to destroy all data about the warband.
* **The Tainted Forge (428.M40)** - Narsak and his army attack the minor Forge World of Xethan to steal weapons, using cultist, guardsman and daemons as diversion. Unexpectedly Mechanicus forces are overwhelmed by the arrival of another Chaos army turning the planet into a contested Hell-Forge which is eventually claimed by Narsak as new base outside the Maelstrom.
* **Waves of Corrpution (428-455.M40)** - Using Xethan as headquarter, Narsak launch a large-scale campaign corrupting dozen of planets bringing to peak the might of the warband. The most infamous was the corrpution of Neokis IV which triplicate the strenght of the Flayguard and decuplicate the number of cultists.
* **Narsak's Crusade (456-457.M40)** - Narsak launched a Crusade to acquire some powerful artifacts located in an unimportant system located in the Segmentum Pacificus for an unknown purpose; the arrival of a Sister of Battle contingent and several battalions from Themes Shadow Regiment foil his plans forcing him to retreat with empty hands and the warband almost destroyed. He swear revenge against these Imperial forces.
* **Narsak's Revenge (463.M40)** - After having spent years to rebuild his army and collecting information about his nemesis, Narsak launched his revenge campaign against the Sisters of Battle, whom sack some of their world and then invade the Themes System. He personally leads his forces on the field during the whole invasion. After his agents kill the Astropathic Choir and shut down Imperial defenses, his warband causes uncountable damages to the Regiment and the people of the system. The guardsman did not lose heart despite the heavy losses and fought back which such fury that Narsak is not able to realize his revenge because his army is quickly annihilated and he fell to a tank ambush while trying to escape.
* **Broken Flayers (Unknown Date - After 463.M40)** - The death of Narsak bring to bloody feuds between faction leaders that try to claim the vacant seat of warband leader. Eventually Dark Apostle Thaeres emerge victorious.
* **Flayers Reborn and Fall (Unknown Dates.M40-41)** - Dark Apostle Thaeres begun to rebuild the warband strength attempting to speed up the process corrupting other planets but dying in the process. His death mark the end of the warband leaving behind many scattered units which continue to fight allying themselves with other chaotic armies.
* **Flayers in the night (Late M41- M42)** - Many rumors claim that the warband has been born anew but the mayhem following 13th Black Crusade make impossible to confirm the claims albeit some reports about chaos raids in Themes System looks partially confirm them.

## Warband Organisation

Before Narsak's death the warband was divided into several factions:

### Formations

* **Soulflayer's Guard:** Narsak's personal Terminator bodyguard since he rose as Chaos warlord.

* **Spreaders of the Word:** Composed by 12 Dark Apostles led by Hurak, they are the leaders and recruiters for Flayer Cults and also a part of the corruption mechanism.

* **Summoner of Corruption:** 5 Chaos Sorcerers led by Atheph which are daemon summoners and take care of the final phase of a planet corruption

* **Flayers:** Chaos Marines of the warband.

### Factions

* **Goreflayers:** Khorne Berserkers led by a Champion known only as Master of Carnage, they are employed either as assault troops and to kill every survivors which dare to oppose or are only worthy to be scarified to Chaos Gods.
* **Changeflayers:** Tzeentch devoted marines which serve as Summoner of Corruption bodyguard.
* **Blissflayers:** A warband drawn from Emperor's Children which join to Narsak only to enjoy the strongest emotion while they torture and kill prisoners.
* **Blightflayers:** Plague Marines used to spread diseases as vanguard attack.
* **Nightflayers:** Night Lords warband used to sabotage enemy defenses.

### Warband Auxiliary Forces

* **Flayguard:** led by General Satique, the Flayguard is the thousand corrupted guardsman strong main force and their vehicles to destroy enemy defenses.

* **Flayer Cults:** The cultists followers used to start uprisings, infiltration or cannon fodder.

* **Flayer Engines:** The daemonic engines horde, led by Heretek Gustan, employed by the warband.

## Combat Doctrine

The main goal of the Maelstrom Flayers is corrupting planets and offering them to Chaos through infiltration or direct attack.

The infiltration strategy is divided into 4 phases:

* **Phase 1:** Infiltration in the planetary society to create chaos cults led by Dark Apostles.
* **Phase 2:** Expanding their influence to the local leadership to manipulate them.
* **Phase 3:** Sabotage of defenses and starting up uprisings supported by Flayers, Flayguard and/or daemons.
* **Phase 4:** Once the planet is conquered the Summoners of Corrupting began the ritual to absorb the planet into the Warp, all survivors are converted or sacrificed.

The direct attack strategy has 3 phases:

* **Phase 1:** Sabotage of enemy defenses and disruption of communications.
* **Phase 2:** Blightflayers spread plague to cripple PDF.
* **Phase 3:** All-out attack to destroy the remaining forces followed by Summoners ritual.

## Notable Warband Members

* **Chaos Lord Narsak Soulflayer** - He was the first to rise to Chaos Lord and funded the warband, leading it until he died on Themes III. He wore an ancient suit of Terminator Armour and a pair of modified Lighting Claws known as *Nails of Flayer* which he used to sacrifice his victims.
* **Dark Apostles Hurak** - A Horus Heresy veteran and leader of the Spreaders of the Word, after the death of Narsak he was one the claimants of the warband leadership, but was killed by Heretk Gustan.
* **Dark Apostles Thaeres** - During his short-lived rule, after he claimed the leadership of the warband, he tried to rebuild the lost might of the warband but died before accomplishing this goal.
* **Master of Carnage** - Berserk Champion and leader of the Goreflayers, he did not take part in the infighting of the warband but instead slaughtered as many enemies as possible. He was later promoted to the rank of Daemon Prince after going a separate way from the rest of the warband.
* **Athep** - A Thousand Sons Exalted Sorcerer and leader of the Summoner of Corruption, who was one the claimants to leadership following the death of Narsak. His fate after the feuds is unknown, but he presumably survived.
* **Heretek Gustan** - He ruled Xethan after the former Forge World was turned into a Hell-Forge and was responsible for building the war engines used by the warband. He died during the civil war while he fought Hurak.
* **General Satique** - Since she was corrupted alongside her Astra Militarum forces, she ruled the Flayguard until her death during Themes System invasion.

## Warband Appearance

### Warband Colours

The main color of the warband is pale white and dark red on the trim applied all over the armor. The only exception are Narsak himself and the Dark Apostles. Instead the Flayers had only the let paludron painted while the rest of their armour maintain the original colours

### Warband Iconography

The symbol of the warband is a skull with two hands, the left one holds a piece of skin while the left one holds a blood-covered knife over a red-coloured stylized portrait of the Maelstrom. Flayguard and Flayer Cults use it on the banners adorned with chaotic symbols and pieces of skin.

## Relations

### Allies

* **Word Bearers** - some of the iconography adopted by the warband, the Dark Apostle circle and Narsak bring suspicion about a possible link with the Traitor legion but is unclear if Dark Apostles willingly join or not and the true origins of Narsak.
* **Dark Mechnicum** - after the conquest of Xethan the warband was supplied with many war engines expanding its capabilities.

### Enemies

* **Themes Shadow Regiment**

* **Sisters of Battle**

## Notable Quotes

### About the Maelstrom Flayers

 Tzeentch Warbands
 Nurgle Warbands
 Slaanesh Warbands
 Chaos Undivided Warbands
 Malice Warbands
 Minor Chaos God-Aligned Warbands

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