Iron Arbiters

Iron Arbiters armorial with Chapter iconography.
Note: Example armorial is from the 2nd Company, as designated by the *Codex*-proscribed colour (2nd Company; Yellow).

Iron Arbiters Primaris Intercessor of the 4th Company, unknown Battleline Squad.

## Space Marine Chapter

### **Allegiance**

Imperium of Man
(*Fidelitas Totalis*)

### **Successor of**

Imperial Fists
(Rogal Dorn lineage)

### **Chapter Master**

Lysimed Venteel (Currently)
Zephyr Macrinor (Formerly)

### **Homeworld**

Ephialtes - Civilised World (Destroyed)
Cairn Gruach - Feral World

### **Fortress-Monastery**

Hive Glira (Destroyed)
Haemus Mons

### **Allies**

Imperial Fists,Last Wall Chapters, Space Wolves, White Scars, House Signatus, Gallianus Skux's Cadian battlegroup

### **Number of Marines**

1,000 (Nominally)
*Codex*-compliant, though frequently depleted

### **Specialty**

Siege and Trench Warfare; Defensive and Fortification Operations in Extremis; Armoured Assault; Shock Assault Strikes; and Attrition Campaigns

### **Battle cry**

"We March For Dorn! We Are His Sword! We Are His Shield!"

### **Colours**

Silver/Gunmetal (Primary), Yellow and Black (Secondary)

### Successor Chapter(s)

None

"*The ground trembles to the pounding of power-armoured boots and the fiery blazes of boltguns. Grav-tanks plough through streets of debris and rubble, blasting away with laser destroyers, whilst dreadnoughts shake the very earth as they march their way to victory. Terminators fizzle into reality, swinging gauntleted fists and grinding down the enemy under a furious hail of storm bolter fire. Chants echo behind gritted teeth. They speak of Rogal Dorn, their Primarch, and the Emperor's Dream. For the Iron Arbiters, the Great Crusade never ended. They have come, and all who oppose them shall be crushed upon the anvil of war.*"
—Anonymous
The **Iron Arbiters** are a Chapter stalwartly loyal to the Emperor's original plans for Humanity. They believe in the defence of the people of the Imperium above all costs and take no liberties in the accomplishment of this goal. Though they may rub up other Imperial forces the wrong way on occasion, the Iron Arbiters' strong culture of martial honour and their dedication to the people of the Imperium have forged them a handful of strong allies, many of whom came to Ephialtes to aid them in their darkest hour.

To the Iron Arbiters, their heritage is one of doubt and swiftly suppressed rumour. Reports of gene-seed analysis are classified and only ever undertaken by the Chapter's Apothecaries. Though there is no doubt they are at least primarily descended from the Praetorian of Terra, as officially registered, sinister hints of a darker truth still circulate. Despite this, there are no seeds of disloyalty hidden within the Iron Arbiters - for there is no evidence, nor has there ever been, that they would ever act against Humanity or - and despite their disdain and utter loathing for the Inquisition and Ecclesiarchy - the Imperium as a whole. Though no accusations of heresy have ever officially been made, and whilst for all intents and purposes, the Iron Arbiters are full sons of Dorn, each Chapter Master to date has been crowned with a withered set of leaves known as the Black Laurels, a symbol of shame never explained to any outside the Chapter.

In the rigours of battle do the Iron Arbiters truly excel. They are adept in the shock assault tactics of the Adeptus Astartes, able to descend from drop pods on wings of flame and let loose a burning wall of bolts into the enemies of Mankind. They can fight as smaller, rapid response units and in guerrilla campaigns as well as any other Chapter, but their true strength lies in defence. A single Iron Arbiter is as fluent in the styles of fortified battle as a translator is in languages. Each doctrine of defence is he schooled in, and he can craft an unbreakable line in mere hours from resources around him, utilising traps, gun emplacements, trenches and firing decks. It is said that there is no place a scion of Dorn cannot transform into a fortress, and that holds true for the Iron Arbiters.

But if they can create a castle, they can also destroy one. The tools of the siege are more familiar to the Iron Arbiters than any other. each has the capability of operating an artillery piece to crack wide even the toughest redoubts, and each has the tactical knowledge to prise open even the most resistant bunkers. But where they differ from expectation is in the manner of the siege. Since Ephialtes, the Iron Arbiters have been morbidly familiar with the pains of being under-strength, and the lives of every last battle-brother must be preserved if they are to survive. Though they have since recovered through rapid gene-seed implantation techniques uncharacteristic of most gene-lines known only to the Chapter's vaunted Apothecarion, and mysterious reinforcements, they are ever more cautious with their lives, favouring 1st and 10th Company infiltration teams destroying the walls from within. This method of breaking a bastion is one hardly expected by their enemies and a tactic that never fails to succeed.

## Chapter History

Approx. 1.1 post TCM

The Iron Arbiters are awoken on the orders of the returned Avenging Son, as the fourth Ultima Founding Chapter to do so. They fight alongside their primogenitors, the Imperial Fists, and the Adeptus Custodes at the Battle of the Lion's Gate. Daneus Erasmus, First Captain, is noted as having the honour of slaying the bloodthirster Ka'tarathos. They are then assigned to Battlegroup Clytemnestra of the Indomitus Crusade. Three battle barges are given to them - *Fidelitas Rex, Omnis Infernum*, and *Purgatio Lethalis*.

Approx 2.43 post LMCM

The Iron Arbiters, along with three other Imperial Fist successors, are assigned to destroy a Word Bearers fortress in eastern Segmentum Solar. The fortress is razed, but conflict is sparked with the Iron Knights Chapter over brutality and civilian casualties. The Indomitus Crusade is broken with, and they leave to take their own path.

Approx 1.594 post CCM

The Iron Arbiters respond to distress calls from the White Scars and arrive to aid in the Purging of the Yasan Sector, fighting with Barutai Khan against Red Corsair forces.

Approx 3.195 post PCM

During the brazen IVth Legion attack on the agri-world of Praetundar, the Iron Arbiters arrive to bolster Imperial forces. Confrontations ensue and whilst they emerge victorious, there is turmoil in the Chapter.

Approx. 5.885 post VCM

The Iron Arbiters arrive at Vigilus in their entirety, fighting on the ground for three dozen chronosegments, but abruptly depart and take their conflict into the void. Despite protestations from Lord Calgar, and for unknown reasons, they disappear into the Dark Imperium, emerging three years later.

Approx 8.647 post VCM

The Iron Arbiters emerge from Imperium Nihilus, almost a century having passed for them in the space of three Terran years. Since then, they have developed a culture, battle tactics, fighting styles, and a distinct sense of personality.

Approx 10 post TCM

After a protracted engagement in the Pariah Nexus, the Iron Arbiters are assailed by the forces of Vashtorr the Arkifane, pursueing them into the Galactic West. A mighty battle occurs on their newly-claimed home-world, Ephialtes, as Iron Warriors led by Warsmith Kratechaan assault the planet, causing catastrophic casualties to the depleted Chapter. More occurs, as First Captain Daneus Erasmus is slain by the Bloodthirster he himself killed years earlier, now in service our of shame to the Arkifane. Surrounded, the Imperial forces - led by Iron Arbiters and Cadians - fortify Hives Glira, Gerstahl, Ichorar and Phaistos. Gerstahl falls first, razed by forces striking inside to disable the shields and then bombarded heavily.

Battles rage as Lysimed Venteel, now First Captain, leads a strike force of Terminators to sack crucial Iron Warriors emplacements, and Kasrkin strike at vox-networks disabled by the Great Enemy. The prolonged assault allows signals through from Alcyoneus, the neighbouring Forge World, to send reinforcements. Ancient automata-patterns, sequestered away, are deployed against the horde, as stashes of Heresy-era wargear are found and utilised by the Iron Arbiters. Psychic distress signals are sent from Chief Librarian Castaravici, and Epistolary Tiresias.

At this point, a third party enters the war. Tyranids, from Hive Fleet Titanoboa - an evolved fragment of Leviathan - begin to make planetfall. As Death Guard forces burn the frozen north of Ichorar, they are beset, routed between the rocks of Imperial fortresses and the oncoming horde. In the south, they devour the great Burotu Rainforest. All across the planet, the shroud of the Shadow in the Warp falls.

Reinforcements begin to arrive in the darkest hour, breaking the back of the Tyranid onslaught. Allies pour in, all responding to Venteel's call to aid. Knights of House Signatus with attending militia and men-at-arms; Black Templars under Marshal Gualdim, oathed to the Knights, themselves fellow sons of Dorn; White Scars under Barutai Khan; a small Grey Knights task force led by Codicier Garm; a small nearby maniple from the Legio Invigilata; and finally a two-part strike force from Fenris - led by Jarl Fjolnir Jogvaissen, a distant figure in the Chapter outside of the Great Company structure and with a shrouded past. The Space Wolves, especially Jogvaissen, are greeted warmly by Venteel with the camaraderie of old friends separated for millennia.

Despite reinforcements, the war dragged on, taking more and more casualties from all three sides in a brutal attrition. Countless victories were scored, and then lost as the tide of war overran them. Flashpoints began to spring up, centred on the Tyranid capillary towers, one growing in the shadow of Gerstahl. In some warzones, Imperial and Chaos forces fought beside one another for brief moments before turning back and resuming the slaughter.

Two strike forces were mounted, comprising the best warriors from both sides. One counted amongst its number Macrinor, Jogvaissen and Venteel; another containing Kratechaan and his personal Bronzewrought Terminator guard. Both plan to plant charges within the tower and destroy it. Instead, an ambush occurs, and Kratechaan breaks Macrinor's blade and lethally impales him with it. The mission is abandoned on both sides as strike forces are locked in battle within a living organism. In the midst of the chaos, Venteel, consumed by rage, leaves to hunt down Kratechaan in the vast desert that Ephialtes has become.

The Imperial forces are scattered. No more help can arrive. The Iron Arbiters have been depleted beyond probable recovery. Kratechaan holds nominal control over the world, but his forces are rapidly failing to hold the vital Narakan Pass against the Tyranid menace that swarm down from the north. Streams of refugees from Ichorar pour out ahead of those that would devour them, protected by few remaining Arbiters, Templars, and Knights. Additionally, Kratechaan's own alliances have begun to fracture. as Vashtorr forsakes his trust in the servant. Alcimedian and Sarpenan, prominent figures within Kratechaan's 9th Grand Battalion, split off and mutiny against their lord. The Nurgle-aligned Knights of House Scorpio, near-annihilated by combined forces of House Signatus and Legio Invigilata, attempt to quit the battlefield with their attendant Death Guard forces. They are instead routed, their High King, Scarraol, cast down in the mud by High Queen Merula Signatus. In the south, Codicier Garm has been successful in destroying Ka'tarathos and his mongrel daemons in servitude to the Lord of the Soul Forges. The only side that can be construed as winning are the Tyranids, but this world has taken months longer to break than anticipated.

And so they deploy their greatest weapon. The Swarmlord. The apex of Tyranid evolution, the culmination of merciless adaptation. A genius, and a formidable opponent both. Hive Phaistos falls. Only Glira remains standing, with small surrounding pockets of embittered loyalists. And it is in this time that Agnos Antrurius, High Chaplain and de facto commander of the Iron Arbiters, despatches Epistolary Tiresias to locate their errant First Captain.

It takes weeks to find Venteel, and he refuses to return to Glira initially, until Kratechaan has been killed. Despite this, Tiresias succeeds in returning him anyway. Venteel is unanimously elected Chapter Master by the remainder of the war council, and he formulates a plan. Messengers and psychic transmissions are sent all across Ephialtes, crucial vox-relays recaptured by decisive kill team actions, all until the last remnants of loyalist unity are regathered and prepared. Hidden fortresses behind waterfalls, or in caves, or the smouldering ruins of towns, are briefed on the plans. Zones are allocated, commanders assigned. Marshal Gualdim, Jarl Jogvaissen, Captain Agrippos, Sergeant Hektio, Lieutenants Titian and Ghazar, Queen Merula and Princeps Asteria Canis Optimus amongst them. The plan is simple - constant, co-ordinated attacks from multiple angles on the capillary towers to cut off the source of the Tyranids and destroy them with artillery and aircraft strikes. And then the signal is given.

Fires rage across Ephialtes. Where ammunition is spent, fighting descends into brawls and vicious melees. Lighning-swift packs of Scars led by Barutai wage diversionary tactics in the east, tearing at Norn beasts and bio-titans, giving the war-engines of the Legio Invigilata time to crush capillary towers to the ground. In the west, remaining Iron Arbiters fight on the dried up beaches even as the Tyranids drink the sea in great gulps. Hektio and Titian perform exemplarily in particular with so few warriors left to command. In the south it is Cadia that leads the charge, standing ever strong. In the forsaken north, no forces can be mobilised. It is lost, the domain of Chaos and Xenos both.

But at Glira, Venteel fights a desperate push into the ruins of Gerstahl. In three prongs, Jogvaissen, Gualdim and Signatus attempt to surround the largest capillary tower while Venteel keeps it occupied. However, Signatus is delayed in battle with Iron Warriors led by Alcimedian, and a last resort is initiated. Antrurius and Castaravici are both slaughtered in the final stand, failing to implant detonation charges into the tower. Their killer steps into the light. It is the Swarmlord. Venteel races forward to confront the enemy, fighting to the best of his ability, but faltering. As he lies, beaten, against the wreck of a Rogal Dorn battle tank, he hears the sound of boltguns en masse. Reinforcements have come. They walk, wreathed in flame and shadow, misty like smoke, their faces skulls. And Venteel sees their leader. A golden shadow, almost twice the height of an Astartes, bearing an enormous chainblade. He slays the Swarmlord, and turns to Venteel. His fist is gone, wreathed in red flame and blood. He is Rogal Dorn.

But he dissipates, like smoke on the breeze, with his spectral warriors, as fire descends from the sky and lances the capillary tower. The *Phalanx* comes, bringing the Imperium's fire to Ephialtes. At the behest of Tor Garadon, extraction teams descend to rescue the survivors. By the end of the battle, only two hundred Iron Arbiters remain, on three ships. Venteel is crowned Chapter Master, and gifted the Black Laurels to bear. Tiresias informs him that his vision of the primarch was a psychic illusion, or reconstruction, perhaps caused by the will of the Emperor, but Venteel remains unconvinced.

Once the battle is done, Venteel leaves the safety of Glira and passes into the ash wastes. He finds Kratechaan, alone and forsaken, and kills him, remaining with the dying warrior, one he once regarded as a brother.

11.345 post TCM

The Iron Arbiters arrive on Terra alongside Imperial Fists Third Captain Tor Garadon, aboard the warship *Phalanx*, appearing to petition the High Lords to send more forces to the Galactic West, with evidence of Tyranid rampage. After their success, they part ways, pulled by a distress call matched to the lost ship *Purgatio Lethalis*. They come to Cairn Gruach, thrust into a war between Eldar and Kin, and discover their lost brethren - five hundred Iron Arbiters lost in Imperium Nihilus, and spat out under circumstances unknown. Together, the reunited Chapter reforms under the leadership of Venteel and foils an Eldar plot, only discovering at the last that something greater is at play.

The daemon Samus, unseen for ten thousand years, is summoned, drawn to Venteel. The pair fight and Samus is struck down, the two sharing a few last words. None of Venteel's warriors caught those words, save for Tiresias, who only hears a single one. The word is a name.

The name is Loken.

The Iron Arbiters take stewardship of the world, claiming the ancient fortress-monastery Haemus Mons, of the Vermillion Ravens, as their own. Guilliman's fleet arrives over the world, and Venteel speaks to the primarch aboard the *Macragge's Honour* of forgotten days and ancient times. And thus the primarch departed, leaving Venteel with governorship over the planet, and the Ramilies star-fort *Macrinor*.

## Chapter Homeworld

Cairn Gruach is an eerie world. Its name is taken from the true identity of a character attributed to one of the long-forgotten plays of the ancient dramaturge Shakespire, though perhaps this is a coincidence. At the time of the early Great Crusade, there was a dread warlord north of the Sol System, a tyrant and despot who held dominion over dozens of worlds. She was laid low by Horus Lupercal himself, and his Luna Wolves Legion finally defeated her forces upon this shrouded world. Her followers buried her there, within a colossal mound of stones. And thus the world is named Cairn Gruach, to honour the warrior who the Warmaster regarded as a worthy opponent. And so it was forgotten, for millennia, and the evil that slumbered there was left out of sight.

As the body of Gruach decayed, her soul did not. Instead of dissipating into the Sea of Souls as most do, it lingered, persisted. Gruach was what the Inquisition would call a Beta-class psyker, or even Alpha-class, if one were to be pessimistic. And so she remained, dwindling in power, resisting the pulls of the Ruinous Powers, thrashing and screaming for all eternity. But in the 36th Millennium, a Chapter of Space Marines called the Vermillion Ravens came to the world and made it their own. They built a massive basalt fortress, which they named Haemus Mons, and which they called home. Within a year, all of the Chapter's Librarians began to have the same, repeating visions of a slumbering darkness and mist-wreathed, long-haired shadowy figures watching them as they slept. It began with the least psychically potent individuals, as they were weakened, and their minds broken down by attrition. In time, all the Librarians found excuses to spend time off-world, but in time they returned. They always returned.

But Chapter Master Orkada Erythros began to experience significant trouble a mere decade after taking the world, when Haemus Mons was all but newly built. One-by-one, his Librarians all disappeared. Desperate for answers, he ordered his warriors recalled to Cairn Gruach from across the stars to find his lost psykers. The hunt began, and weeks past, and no trace was found. The entire Chapter scoured their world, and found nothing; and Erythros feared daemonic taint. As his position was privy to knowledge of the Imperium's greatest defence, he contacted Titan, to find that a strike force of Grey Knights were already en route. They arrived, and were immediately assailed by psychic visions of a world shrouded in darkness like smoke, and figures that came for them in the night. But the Emperor's final gifts remained resolute, and they refused to bow.

Within two days, they had pinpointed the location of the lost Librarians. And so Grandmaster Belphegor and Chapter Master Erythros led a joint task force into the cairn where Gruach's soul resided, in an isolated mountain range in the far north of the planet. And when they entered, they found each of the Chapter's twelve Librarians in various states of decay, some withered away to bones inside their armour, and others still flesh and blood, each dead and lying in ritual positions. And in the centre, a mass of coalescing life force formed from writhing shadows in the shape of a dark figure, stood Gruach. Erythros and Belphegor ordered their men to destroy her, but with a flick of her blurry fingers, they were torn asunder, blood spurting from ripped ceramite. The two heroes charged forward, and they grappled with the figure, and at the climax of the ritual she summoned enough power to draw the souls of every one of the Vermillion Ravens on the planet, and each were consumed, and Erythros lay dead on the ground. But Belphegor did not give up, and he shattered Gruach's essence at the cost of his own life. On a distant world, a bell tolled one thousand times. Gruach's soul was shattered, and each of those of the Vermillion Ravens laid to rest.

And so the last fragments of Gruach still haunt her world - half-glimpsed spectres upon distant mountainsides, the shadow that follows a tribal warrior gone off-path alone, the looming presence in the night. But as long as she is contained, she is harmless.

Cairn Gruach is a world of dreams and madness. It is mountains that scrape the thin white sky, and craggy heathland. Spines of peaks spiral out into haunting patterns, and the howls of distant ghostly predators echo with the wails of banshees like the gheists of tangible sounds. Piles of stacked rocks - cairns - litter the landscape, mounds to the honoured dead and to ward off the evil spirits that haunt the world. Arctic tundra stretches, veiled by mist and shadow, into the icecaps. Frigid grey seas cover much of the surface that is not mountains and slopes littered with tall pines and dense forests. It is a dark place.

The people of Cairn Gruach are a hardy lot, adapted to live beside the remnants of an inhuman horror. They are hardly known to the wider Imperium, not even deemed significant enough to be civilised, or subjected to tithing. To say that they are phantoms themselves in that manner is an accurate assumption. They exist in a constant state of hunting and gathering, nomads with little land to farm. Some possess rare bronze or iron tools, but most are still locked within a stone age. They make ideal stock to recruit from, but only a handful have ever become Space Marines, for no Chapter has been on the world long enough to culturally integrate. Though an initial batch has already been taken by the Iron Arbiters, the traditions of the recruitment of each of the clans and tribes has yet to be truly established.

Haemus Mons is the fortress atop the highest mountain on Cairn Gruach, of the same name. When the Iron Arbiters found it, it was desolate, full of dusty corridors and unpolished statues of Sanguinius, Primarch of the Vermillion Ravens. Entire wings had been taken over to cobwebs, but thankfully due to its nature, it had survived the many years since last being inhabited. And so they began to make it their own - gothic shrines to Sanguinius replaced by boltgun racks, tall windows modified to allow screens and control consoles, spires transformed into weapons mounts, and the grounds of the fortress properly fortified with buttresses and one main gatehouse. The Armoury took the colossal dungeons below Haemus Mons for their forges and their hangars, an entire great hall for the sarcophagi of dreadnoughts to slumber in stasis, and an east-facing barbican to base their affairs in. The Apothecarion chose the westernmost bastion, a tall building with capability to host houses of healing and gene-research (the full extent of which goes on underground), but the Librarius positioned themselves on the northeast barbican, taking up the ancient libraries therein, but also saw it as their duty to guard the last remnants of Gruach. Each company took a section for their barracks, training rooms, etc; and the Chapter Command decided the top reaches of the Iron Sanctum's dome would be theirs. Venteel took an ancient throne room as his own, and ruled the world from a mighty obsidian throne.

Haemus Mons has since been refortified, with a vast marble interior which would befit a Gloriana-class, and colossal crenellations dotted with defensive guns. The fortress is arranged with a central domed keep, known as the Iron Sanctum, protected by a ring of six bastions called the Iron Arc. Around and linking these is the outer wall, or the Iron Crenels, arranged into several segments with three gates leading in and out, and on the edge is the Argentum Port, a spaceport spire which elements of the Chapter Fleet are often tethered to.

Haemus Mons, the mountain, stands the tallest in a roughly circular range of six. The three gates out of Haemus Mons are connected by bridges to other mountains - Aerius Mons, Aurum Mons, and Argentum Mons. Those three mountains house watchtowers and defensive batteries, and roads that lead down to the fells and forests beneath.

Gruach is also noted to contain the small and barren world Nidavellir, home to a Kinhold of the Hyrthka-Wyrm Syndicate. The "Squats", as they are pejoratively termed, seem to hold no particular hatred for the Imperium or their Human cousins. To the contrary, a shaky alliance has existed between High Kâhl Andvari and Chapter Master Venteel since arrival into the system, whereupon a brutal war was fought with Aeldari forces seeking to gain a foothold on the shadowy world. The Kin of the Syndicate are stubborn, grudging, but loyal to a fault and have yet to go back on their oaths. However, an issue remains. Venteel's track record of attempting to negotiate with his would-be enemies were he following traditional Imperial dogma has only been increasing over the past months, and treaties with Nidavellir may truly be the spark that lights the flame that burns down the Chapter in the fires of the Ordo Astartes.

## Chapter Organisation

### Chapter Strength

As a *Codex Astartes* compliant Chapter, the Iron Arbiters nominally number one thousand Marines - though it is worth knowing that they primarily adhere to Lord Commander Roboute Guilliman's *Codex* revisions, such as the addition of a permanent ten Phobos-armoured squads in the 10th Company, and the addition of Lieutenants to support Captains. Because of their steadfastness and, undoubtedly, bad luck, the Iron Arbiters have been frequently depleted throughout their history, and never more than after the Siege of Ephialtes. At this current moment in time, they number seven hundred - with two full companies (1st and 3rd), with all others split roughly evenly (around sixty Astartes each). Currently, they are recruiting heavily, and have enough recruits to field almost two hundred scouts. How many survive the arduous trials is not known, but it appears the Arbiters are on course to make a full recovery within one decade.

### *Codex*-Deviation (Venteel Reforms)

Though they do hold unflinchingly true to Guilliman's works, and revere him as a remarkable strategist, the Iron Arbiters have been forced to eschew certain sections. Firstly, they possess no Chaplains - their entire Reclusiam was wiped out on the ashes of Ephialtes, with none remaining. This was perhaps not a particular setback, as the Chapter had always disliked its Chaplains, and assignment to the office was seen as a backhanded compliment at best. Secondly, they have a more rigid system within the 1st Company, with Terminator-armoured squads under direct command of the First Captain, whilst their Sergeants gain autonomy when acting individually; whereas, the Tacticus-armoured squads are split between Sternguard and Bladeguard, each with one commanding Lieutenant. The ability to function as specific squads permanently enhances their combat capabilities, but decreases tactical flexibility, which is why the Chapter solely use the 1st as supplementary, rapid-response units.

Note: The Iron Arbiters exclusively field Phobos-armoured units in their 10th Company, due to deficit of that equipment.

However, certain changes to naming systems have been made by Chapter Master Venteel over the past few years to standardise rank systems, primarily in order to perform the Great Reforging. This, known as the Venteel Reforms, introduced the following changes:

#### Specialist Ranks

Additional Chapter Command ranks were introduced, including the following:

* **Lord Castellan** - An ex-Captain placed in charge of the Chapter's Fortress-Monastery.
* **Aquilifier** - Chapter Ancient equivalent.
* **Prefect-Medicae** - Chief Apothecary equivalent.
* **Prefect-Magus** - Chief Librarian equivalent.
* **Prefect-Praevius** - Chief Techmarine equivalent.

#### Huscarls

The only truly unique variant formation introduced during the Venteel Reforms were the Huscarls, a squad of five guardians named for the ancient protectors of Rogal Dorn. Huscarls act as an Honour Guard, no more than five and no fewer, clad in relic tactical dreadnought armour and bearing massive storm shields alongside greatblade power swords, potent combat weapons. Each Huscarl is one of the highest veterans of the chapter, and a veritable paragon of war, skilled and tenacious.

### 3rd Company, "Wardens of Ephialtes"

#### **Company Command**

**- *Captain Sorath Agrippos, Lieutenant Titian, Lieutenant Decit, Champion Elegar, Ancient Castivrim, Veteran Sergeant Thar, Veteran Stroniron, Apothecary Chryses***

#### **Battleline Squads**

*- Squad Corvio: 10x Intercessors*

*- Squad Leonatas: 10x Intercessors*

*- Squad Ascalaphus: 10x Heavy Intercessors*

*- Squad Thorius: 10x Heavy Intercessors*

*- Squad Cayveas: 10x Intercessors*

*- Squad Machaon: 10x Intercessors*

#### **Close Support Squads**

*- Squad Thassio: 10x Assault Intercessors*

*- Squad Telemachus: 10x Jump Assault Intercessors*

#### **Fire Support Squads**

*- Squad Euphorbus: 10x Infernus Marines*

*- Squad Asius: 10x Hellblasters*

## Chapter Beliefs

The Iron Arbiters are a fiercely atheist Chapter, sticking strongly to the Imperial Truth when most have abandoned it. They admire and praise the Emperor. not as a divine being, but as a great and powerful man with a singular, perhaps almost ineffable vision which almost united Humanity. Many of their number were raised on Terra, in the days where the light of science and pragmatism still burned strong, at a time when Primarchs like Rogal Dorn, Roboute Guilliman and Jaghatai Khan bestrode the stars. Some even remember the Siege of Terra - a refugee's glimpse at the Great Angel, a tinny vox rendition of the Praetorian's great speech played again and again for comfort. These ideals remain in scant few veterans of the Chapter, but where they do they stand strong and proud amongst the Arbiters of Iron. To them, the Great Crusade never ended, and the Imperium can still be rebuilt. The reemergence of Guilliman into the galaxy has given them longing for their own gene-father, and now hope - that one single thing totally forsaken in the Imperium - begins to rekindle. Hushed voices speak of a time when the Emperor will rise from His Golden Throne, and retake the Galaxy, just as in the most desperate days of the Siege of Terra, and just as now. Each of them sees, in their minds eye, a golden figure brandishing a flaming sword at the gates of Hell, preparing to burn down the domains of the Ruinous Powers with His might. In multiple systems, they have seen evidence of His power beginning to activate. They know it is only a matter of time before the Emperor returns in all His glory and saves Humanity at last.

The Iron Arbiters *loathe* the Ecclesiarchy. Where others see stirring rhetoric, they see corrupt cardinals, or stone-hearted zealot preachers spewing forth lies to plunge the Imperium into darkness. Where some view faith to be a guiding light in the darkness, they see a false beacon, like a predator's bioluminescent lure. Should Guilliman have declared a war against the Imperial Cult, they would be one of many Chapters who would gladly have taken up arms and followed the Avenging Son. However, this hatred is only partially for religion, and mainly for the perpetrators of such. They respect their allies within the Black Templars as worthy fighters, and look upon more superstitious Chapters like the Space Wolves and White Scars as the products of proud, honourable warrior cultures, and do not disdain them for their myths of wights and spirits - for they know all too well that such things exist, but that is no reason to believe in them.

The Iron Arbiters also place a very heavy emphasis on honour, as is the case for many knightly Chapters of Adeptus Astartes. Honour is the keystone of a Space Marine's life, guiding principles that make them greater warriors on the battlefield and unite them with their brothers. Though they are a primarily ranged Chapter, they do not shy away from the chaos of melee combat, training a high number of skilled duellists who have laid waste to the alien and the traitor just as much with blade as with bolter.

## Chapter Gene-seed

When Belisarius Cawl created the Iron Arbiters Chapter, he logged them as having been from Rogal Dorn's gene-seed. This truth has been borne out clearly for the entirety of the Arbiters' recorded history and they comfortably sit alongside the heirs of the Praetorian. Despite this, one who digs deeper might find that rumours do persist, speaking of particular hatred towards the sons of Perturabo, and an unexplained shame that haunts them. Additionally, the Imperial Fists and their successors have long lost their Sus-an Membrane and Betcher's Gland - yet Iron Arbiters have been reported spitting acid, using the latter modification, something that should be impossible for the sons of Dorn. However, these claims are unverified and based on virtually no evidence, whilst a great many Chapters bear shame for past failures - unremarkable, in theory.

## Chapter Combat Doctrine

Each Iron Arbiter undergoes a lengthy training process in two main styles of warfare, a process that begins as a Scout, and then moves through the Chapter right up until promotion to the 1st. They are well-versed in these battle plans, able to execute them in a variety of situations, and with the capability to recite tactical treatises on them written by ancient strategists on prompt.

### Defence

The Iron Arbiters recognise that typically, when a defensive fortification is called for, there will be a degree of warning. Firstly, they survey their position - a crowded street of hab-blocks, a ruined cliff face, etc. They are trained to spot three details - firstly, potential assets, such as troops, traps, and environmental conditions; secondly, where their enemy will be coming from, such as down a busy street, or across a shattered plain; and thirdly, useful positions, like an overhanging balcony or sheltered cave. Next, they take advantage of these factors and formulate a rudimentary plan. Once the plan is constructed, they begin fortifying their position. This may include building barricades, trenches, or firing positions. They utilise their assets with a focus on slowing down and hindering the enemy by attrition. Scout units may take forward positions, wearing down the enemy, whilst sustained bolter bombardment crushes them. They encourage rigid discipline, each warrior firing his weapons in perfect synchronisation, all with the designs of totally obliterating the attacking force. Rapid-response units (typically 1st Company) respond to threats within the walls and plug any gaps that need it.

Example: An Iron Arbiters Intercessor Sergeant in charge of nine of his brothers is aware of a force of traitor guardsmen, numbering several platoons with armoured support, is inbound to his location. They are in the sprawls of a wrecked hive city, and the area is filled with uninhabited, dense hab-blocks. It is expected that their armoured elements will support infantry down the centre, possibly with limited flanking attacks. The Sergeant takes stock of his position, and seeds the central road with embedded krak grenades. He positions two brothers either side of the avenue, each providing supporting fire with grenades and bolt rifles. A further two guard the flanks from infantry, and the remaining six make up a firing block in the central barricaded position. When the traitor guard arrive, their tanks are destroyed and they are sown into disarray - the infantry are picked off and killed one-by-one. Meanwhile, the flanking attack is totally destroyed by furious boltgun fire.

### Siege

In the case where they are called upon to shatter an enemy fortress, the Iron Arbiters typically use 10th Company units to collect intelligence about the bastion they must break in the days and weeks before the attack. A fortress or trench network is constructed to give the sieging force greater cover, all whilst assuring their position is capable of facilitating artillery fire. Then, the zone commander will use appropriate force to weaken the defences of the fortress, feigning a strategy of attrition. Long-range cannons like laser destroyers will wear down the defences, and troops will gather in the trenches below. When the enemy least suspects it, 1st or 10th Company units apply overwhelming pressure on the weak point, and rout the defenders from inside, sowing strife and usually opening the gates for the rest of the forces. In this manner, they emulate the ancient Achaeans, as told in Oma's *Saga of Ilium*, and the rest of the Iron Arbiters rush in to sack the fortress.

Example: Captain Agrippos is charged with the breaking of a medium-sized Tau bastion which will provide a strong anchor for the enemy if it is not razed. He is given half a Battle Company with accompanying armour, plus two units of Infiltrators and one of Terminators. To begin, he sends in the Infiltrators to gather data on the fortress, discovering that there is a weaker wall on the west side due to recent earthquakes. He constructs an underground trench network. and uses prefabricated buildings to make a command centre suitably far from the Tau fortress. Next, bombardment is initiated, and he attempts to bait Tau forces out into the open, succeeding in destroying several battlesuits, whilst disabling cannon emplacements. The Terminators teleport in using co-ordinates given by the Infiltrators, and set explosives in the inner side of the wall, blowing a breach in it, The Infiltrators, meanwhile, use the confusion to open the main gate, allowing the Iron Arbiters - mainly close combat forces - in to sack the bastion.

## Notable Individuals

Lord Commander Guilliman,

It pleases me to be able to report to you that I have discovered a useful degree of information upon the Iron Arbiters in preparation for your meeting with their leadership in half a chronosegment's time. I had initially suspected that I would not find any information, but it appears that Fleet Primus has a substantial record of them from their involvement with Battlegroup Clytemnestra in the first years of the Indomitus Crusade. With this data, I have matched more current records to draw a number of conclusions. There is something deeply different with this Chapter, I feel. They are not renegades, and perhaps closer to rogues - somehow managing to combine a deep loyalty to your father, the Emperor of Mankind, whilst conflicting frequently with His Imperial institutions. I suspect similarities may be drawn here with the Space Wolves, specifically the Months of Shame crisis. I believe you are familiar with its repercussions.

Besides this, I have noticed unusual Inquisitorial interest in the Chapter, especially in Lysimed Venteel himself. The office of Lord Inquisitor Ailhamen has been particularly active, and I believe a close watch on Venteel may be necessary for his own safety. We are both aware of what they have tried in the past.

 I leave my accounts below for your benefit, Lord Guilliman. I only hope they are worth your time.

Yours faithfully,

Historitor Kharkane Al'Halif, Logos Historica Verita, Fleet Primus

### Lysimed Venteel

To understand the Iron Arbiters, one must first understand the enigma that is their current Chapter Master. Firstly, I draw attention to the mystery that is his epithet - "the Iron Arbiter". It appears to me that the Chapter was named after him in this regard (as from Nassir Amit came the cognomen of his brotherhood, the Flesh Tearers; and from the Black Knight came Sigismund's Black Templars) yet they have been listed as such since they have existed. I simply cannot see Kayvaan Shrike calling himself "the Raven Guardian", or Lord Calgar "the Ultramarine". Something feels profoundly at odds here, Couple this with the fact that I discovered, in the bowels of the *Macragge's Honour*'s data logs, that your brother Rogal Dorn, the Praetorian of Terra, was accompanied on a visit to the ship by a Captain Venteel, in the Imperial Fists Legion. This meeting took place around the time of the Battle of the Iron Cage, perhaps a time after it - I would not presume you would forget an interaction with your fellow brothers.

Besides his history, Lysimed Venteel seems to have awoken in the position of Third Captain, swiftly earning the respect of his brothers, and the ear of the Chapter Master, Zephyr Macrinor. I find it intriguing that he has always possessed far greater battlefield expertise than his contemporaries. Perhaps he is a fast learner, or alternatively I must consider the possibility that he has prior tactical experience. If you wish to pursue this investigation further, I would be willing to speak with Arch-Magos Cawl - should we ever again locate him - and discover more of this tale. Regardless, Venteel is a cunning warrior indeed, intelligent and unyielding to a fault. He does seem to truly exemplify his primogenitor in this manner. Additionally, though, he has proved himself an extremely skilled combatant. He wears Indomitus-pattern tactical dreadnought plate, and seems to my mind certainly to be the equal in battle of many great heroes amongst the Adeptus Astartes. He brings with him in battle two great weapons - one, a masterfully-wrought relic sword with a glowing blue blade that has been reforged on at least one occasion, and reminds me of the force swords utilised by the Librarius. More to the point, however, I have discovered a reference to it as "the Blade of the Sigillite", which is not a title I have encountered before. Perhaps he calls himself the Sigillite? You would know more than I, honoured Primarch. His second weapon is a Heresy-era combi-flamer called "Fireforge", or so it has been described. It is remarkably worn, remarkably scarred - far more so than I would expect a weapon borne by a Primaris Marine to be. Additionally, it has certain symbols upon it that I believe are mirrored in artistry of the Salamanders Chapter. Once again, should you wish it, I shall travel to Nocturne and find out more.

Venteel's ascension through the Chapter is one that feels to myself pre-determined, or fated. He begins in a station clearly below his capabilities, and gradually appears more and more confident in battle, as if he is letting out his potential in segments, masking something. He moves to the rank of First Company Captain, a hallowed position, and develops the skills required to command a Terminator formation in mere days. Finally, he is elected Chapter Master after Macrinor is slain, and truly succeeds in leading his Chapter in a way no other can. Either he is capable of learning to an astonishing degree, or he has more experience than he lets on. Either way, he has shown himself to be formidable, strong-willed and wise beyond his years, and I cannot find many servants of His Throne more suited to the task.

### Zephyr Macrinor

The previous Chapter Master also incites my curiosity. He shows himself as being stubborn and durable, surviving horrific injuries in battle, and yet never giving ground. A few circumstances puzzle me, however - firstly, his death. Out-of-action records I have been able to access in our time moored above Cairn Gruach suggest he was killed by the leader of the Iron Warriors at Ephialtes\*, but I can find not the situation this happened in. Whatever occurred, it has been covered up to a degree, and I feel a burning shame very strongly. I do not suggest that he was murdered by their own, but perhaps came to some ignominious end - I would reiterate that the Iron Arbiters place high value on honour. He may have died in an artillery blast, or worse, stabbed in the back by his foe.

Zephyr Macrinor carried with him a glittering black greatblade called Dorn's Key. Interestingly enough, the blade is now broken in two, and resides in the tomb of Macrinor in their new Fortress-monastery. Seemingly, it is linked to his death. Furthermore, there are two references I could find to a weapon with such a name - one, an apocryphal tale told by the Celestial Lions Chapter about their Founding, speaking of a time when the Primarch would return to lead them anew; and secondly, in the history of the Executioners, a dark sword forged at the command of Rogal Dorn that he rejected, and so the forger cast a dark and bloody spell upon it - so that when it is found, it will herald ruin for the Galaxy entire. I worry for this.

Additionally, I've been able to dig out information on a number of other high-ranking personnel in the Chapter. I do not have complete files on them, but if they interest you, Lord Commander, I would be honoured to collect that information.

* **Prefect-Medicae Amyntico Asclepios**

* **Prefect-Praevius Ormar Achilleas**

* **Prefect-Magus Tiresias**\*\*

\*See: attached file on Siege of Ephialtes

\*\*Note: the entire Chapter's Reclusiam was destroyed during the conflict on Ephialtes, and never rebuilt. Thus the Librarians now perform the duties of the Chaplaincy in their stead, but the previous Master of Sancity was the late Agnos Antrurius.

## Chapter Fleet

The Iron Arbiters have a fluctuating fleet. At their creation, they had three battle barges - *Fidelitas Rex,* *Omnis Infernum*, and *Purgatio Lethalis*; plus five strike cruisers and fifteen escort frigates. By the point of the breaking of Ephialtes, their entire fleet has been destroyed, bar the Spear-class strike cruiser *Syracuse*, and Gladiator-class escort frigates *Pheia* and *Nisaea*. After retreating to Tomar for a time, they were gifted two additional escort frigates by House Signatus, that were named *Kthonic* and *Saturnine*, after the two gates to Terra. This was their fleet, up until reaching Cairn Gruach, where they reunited with five hundred of their brothers thought lost aboard the battle barge *Purgatio Lethalis*, which was was made the new flagship. they also were reinforced with the strike cruisers *Xiphos*, *Labrys*, and *Doru*, in addition to several escort frigates. When Guilliman found them, he gifted to them a gargantuan Ramilies-class starfort, bristling with guns and cannons, for which they named *Macrinor*. It was placed above Cairn Gruach, standing guard to repel any invaders. With this, the Iron Arbiters Chapter fleet has rebuilt itself to a capability not seen since the onset of the Indomitus Crusade, currently standing at:

* ***Purgatio Lethalis* (Battle Barge)** - Chapter flagship commanded by Legatis Lysimed Venteel.

* ***Syracuse* (Strike Cruiser)** - Belongs to Centurion Hektio.
* ***Xiphos* (Strike Cruiser)** - Belongs to Centurion Halbaeges.
* ***Labrys* (Strike Cruiser)** - Belongs to Centurion Kardaxes.
* ***Doru* (Strike Cruiser)** - Belongs to Centurion Arvuras.

* ***Pheia* (Escort Frigate)**
* ***Nisaea* (Escort Frigate)**
* ***Kthonic* (Escort Frigate)**
* ***Saturnine* (Escort Frigate)**
* ***Ferrum Sacrum* (Escort Frigate)**
* ***Fidelitas Praetores* (Escort Frigate)**
* ***Steel Catechism* (Escort Frigate)**
* ***Domina Bellona* (Escort Frigate)** - Utilised by reserve and scout companies
* ***Umbrea Profundis* (Escort Frigate)** - Utilised by reserve and scout companies
* ***Ebon Fire* (Escort Frigate)** - Utilised by reserve and scout companies.

### Additional Assets

* ***Macrinor* (Starfort)** - Commanded by Centurion Sorath Agrippos, Master of the Fleet

## Chapter Relics

### *Dorn's Key*

*Dorn's Key* is a glittering black greatsword, almost as tall as an Astartes, found in the depths of Imperium Nihilus by Lysimed Venteel and gifted unto the Chapter Master, Zephyr Macrinor, who bore it in battle and reaped many a foe. It is believed to have been made by or on the orders of Rogal Dorn himself, and is a key for something - be that an event, or a literal lock. Many Chapters of the Fists have complex mythology surrounding it. The Celestial Lions feature it in an apocryphal tale regarding their own creation, speaking of a time when it was found that heralded the return of the Primarch to lead them anew. The Executioners have an altogether darker story, seeing it to be a dark blade rejected by the Primarch, that seethed in the night. They see it as a dire omen, and the harbinger of much darkness to come. Other Chapters speak of it - the Crimson Fists, the Excoriators, even the Black Templars, all know of the weapon in their myth. Upon Macrinor's death, it was broken by the traitor Kratechaan and the shattered blade plunged into his chest, killing him. Since Venteel's recovery of it, the weapon has been kept in all its broken parts sealed away, now residing in a hidden vault on Haemus Mons, only to be taken up in the direst of circumstances.

### *Blade of the Sigillite/Caer Ignis*

*Caer Ignis* is a greatsword, broad and long used by Lysimed Venteel from his awakening on Terra before the launch of the Indomitus Crusade. Sometimes known as the *Blade of the Sigillite*, it has a long and dubious history veiled in mystery. To begin with, it is not standard Primaris issue and how Venteel acquired it is unknown. No mentions of it exist in any mythologies or histories, no references in obscure books of relics. And yet the sword is learly old, and chipped, and worn. Furthermore, in known history only one man has taken the title of the Sigillite - Malcador, Regent of Terra, and perhaps the only person to ever call the Emperor of Mankind his friend. But Malcador is long-dead. No trace of him remains in the Galaxy. He has faded into the past. Who, then, made this blade, and who gave it to Venteel?

*Caer Ignis* is not a normal power sword. When dormant, it glows and churns softly with a mottled convulsing blue that spans along its blade. When ignited, the sword blazes with a fierce blue flame that burns through armour and is wreathed in crackling sapphire lightning. On the blade is inscribed the words in High Gothic *Tyrannus Mors*, meaning Tyrant's Death. When the bearer needs it most, that lightning has been noted by surveyors to shoot out in an aetheric blast that sears through armour and detonates. Whether this is some kind of hidden inbuilt plasma weapon or latent psychic energy in Venteel or the sword, it is a potent weapon.

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Iron Arbiters make war in a panoply of silvery gunmetal, worn down with pits and scars, which gleams in the light of the sunrise. Each squad also has their cuirass aquila marked out with silver, with the exception of veterans and commanders, who have earned the right to bear it in gold. Typically, each shoulder pad will be trimmed by the company colours, with a black background and yellow stripe in which the Arbiters display their squad formation and Chapter armourial. Occasionally, armour will have been repaired with relic parts - especially in veterans of Ephialtes. This often takes the form of Mk.III shoulder pads, with bronze-gold trim regardless of company, and yellow and black chevrons. Here, they bear the Chapter symbol on the knee. Additionally, the central raised armour on their power packs is also painted black, though this has been known to vary in specifics.

Veterans of the 1st also sport much more white - such as entirely white shoulder pads, with the badge in black, in contrast to the typical white. As a Codex-compliant Chapter, they utilise the usual system of helmet colour and rank, though it is worth noting that the whole Chapter sport green eye lenses, instead of red. Finally, it is useful to be aware that they sometimes daub black and yellow stripes upon their guns and certain surfaces of their armour.

### Chapter Badge

The armourial and symbol of the Iron Arbiters is a stylised hammer and anvil, segmented in parts, often called the Fireforge - notably similar to Lysimed Venteel's combi-weapon. Some Imperial scholars have theorised that the symbol originates from Nocturne, as it is part of one found within the Salamanders Chapter - a full variant only ever seen on the armour of Lysimed Venteel. Regardless of this, it is typically painted in white, though colouration varies based on the surface it is painted on.

## Relations

### Allies

* **Imperial Fists**
* **Last Wall Chapters**
* **Space Wolves**
* **White Scars**
* **House Signatus**
* **Gallianus Skux's Cadian Battlegroup**

#### Lineage of Russ

The Space Wolves have a curious history with the Arbiters. By all accounts, they never crossed paths until Ephialtes, but the warm welcome those unidentified Vlka Fenryka received from Lysimed Venteel was seemingly unprecedented. This relationship has been expanded to many of the Chapter's new successors, such as the Wolfspear, and the stubborn resolve of the Arbiters combined with the savage fury of the Wolves makes for an effective tactic.

#### Lineage of Dorn

The Iron Arbiters, despite being estranged from their fellow successors for some time, rekindled their relationship after the Siege of Ephialtes. This mutual bond of brotherhood prompted them to send several champions to the most recent Feast of Blades, and despite not taking victory, they achieved a comfortable fifth place amongst the other Chapters. A friendship exists between Chapter Master Venteel and Third Captain Tor Garadon of the Imperial Fists, who fought side-by-side against the Tyranids in Segmentum Pacificus. Additionally, the Chapter has close ties with Marshal Gualdim's Black Templars, whose zealotry has been somewhat dulled by centuries of isolation, but with whom the relationship is a quiet rivalry.

#### White Scars

After aiding them in the Purging of the Yasan Sector, the Scars repaid the favour on Ephialtes. There is much mutual respect between the Chapters, a hark back to the days of the Siege of Terra, where the two Legions stood side-by-side.

#### House Signatus

The Knights of House Signatus, perhaps a breed apart from their knightly kin, are fierce allies of the Iron Arbiters, especially after their contact on Ephialtes, and maintain a close relationship - allowing the Arbiters, like Gualdim's Templars, to recruit from Tomar.

#### Cadia

After meeting with Gallianus Skux's Cadians within the Pariah Nexus, the Iron Arbiters have a deep respect for the men and women who held back the Eye of Terror for ten thousand years. They have fought together in many battles, but parted ways after the Siege of Ephialtes.

### Enemies

#### The Inquisition

The Iron Arbiters reserve a deep dislike of the Inquisition, viewing them as anathema to the Emperor's dreams, and a corrupt cancer in the heart of the Imperium. They may not have formally clashed, but recently, the Inquisition has taken a much deeper interest in the Iron Arbiters..

#### The Iron Knights

The Siege of Lorantrost Major has left the Iron Arbiters with a bitter anger at the brutal and callous ways of the Iron Knights, and view them as having deviated too much from the Imperium and the Humanity they were created to protect.

#### The Iron Warriors

Deep and pure malign intentions exist between the Iron Arbiters and the Iron Warriors, especially the warband led by Kratechaan known as the 9th Grand Battalion, and the splinter group known as the Steel Harbingers formed after Kratechaan's death. No mercy can be afforded to these grave threats, and they are to be annihilated whenever they are seen.

#### Unidentified "Beast Snaggaz" Ork horde

A horde (or "WAAAGH!") that the Iron Arbiters have come into conflict with lately, rampaging throughout Segmentum Solar. It is known that they make war with a great many gargantuan "squigs" - termed by the Iron Arbiters as "crimson filth-balls", and conspicuously few Grots. Many Imperial worlds are ravaged, their populations destroyed because of this menace, and Sorath Agrippos has taken it upon his own to hunt them down, recently slaying the leader in glorious combat, only to find it reappear elsewhere. How, he cannot say.

#### Hive Fleet Titanoboa

The Hive Fleet that plagued them on Ephialtes, Hive Fleet Titanoboa - or the Serpent-Wraiths - has long been hunted down and exterminated by the Chapter. It is believed that none of it survives any longer.

## Notable Quotes

### By the Iron Arbiters

"*We march for Dorn! We are his Sword! We are his Shield!*"
—Chapter warcry, adopted circa o1o.M42, Siege of Ephialtes
"*I swear to you father, and to you, grandfather, that I will take the head of each of these traitors and backstabbers. I will wet my blade on their blood this day, and the next, and the day after. I swear not to cease until Kratechaan comes to Glira, and I slaughter him like the animal he is. This is my oath.*"
—Lysimed Venteel's oath of moment, First Sacking of Glira, Siege of Ephialtes. o1o.M42
"*I will fight until my flesh is hacked from my bones. There shall be no rest, no quiet burial and grave for these traitors. I am done making concessions. Their skin will be burned by our flames, and their heads will be taken by our blades. There will be no rest for the Iron Warriors. Kratechaan's end has come.*"
—Lysimed Venteel, upon being elected Chapter Master, Siege of Ephialtes, o1o.M42
"*We are a brotherhood crippled. Our number has been decimated. Each of you have lost brothers beyond count. But we are the Arbiters of Iron. We may not have endured worse, but decimation is not new to us. Those who remain are amongst the finest veterans I have ever seen, and men I am proud to call my brothers. We are the Emperor's Arbiters. It is us who mete out judgement upon His enemies in His name, and it falls to us to endure the repercussions of such. We are His will made manifest. Our Chapter may not be well-fed and plump, but by the Throne it is hungry. I promise you all, on this day, that I will lead you to victory - to a world we can finally call our own. I promise I will lead you to victory, and if you die, it will be valorous and it will be as warriors. This I swear, as I accept the Black Laurels.*"
—Lysimed Venteel, after being crowned Chapter Master, strike cruiser *Syracuse*, o1o.M42
### About the Iron Arbiters

"*I have seen them, Varolukkur. I have seen them turn the most indomitable walls into fire and rubble. And I have seen him. There was something in his runes, that day. You saw it as well as I. You cast him* hata *and* bjorn*, the child and the old man. We both know there is something different about him - his blade, Priest? I had one just like it, that I took from a champion in a time I would rather not speak of. A different fire flows through his veins. It is a blue flame. Different. He is no seer of the Underverse, a summoner of Wights and Maleficarum... but his sword, his sword is. Beware of him, Varolukkur, for he is a canny one.*"
—Unidentified Jarl of the Vlka Fenryka, translated from Juvjk, Siege of Ephialtes, o1o.M42
"*There is nothing more dangerous than a son of Dorn with one line to hold and nothing else left to lose, Tribune Colquan. Do not be so arrogant in your enhanced form to underestimate the Astartes, and especially not those of this Chapter. Their success record for sieges is practically unmatched.*"
—Lord Commander Roboute Guilliman to Tribune Maldovar Colquan, aboard the *Macragge's Honour*, anchored above Cairn Gruach, o13.M42
"*The Iron Arbiters? I have fought beside them. They truly are proud exemplars of our Primarch's legacy. The Praetorian would be proud to know that such valorous sons still fight in his name, against all odds. They stand beside the best of us - Kantor, Dessian, Lysander, Kerth, even Helbrecht. The Last Wall would be lucky to call upon them at any time.*"
—Tor Garadon, to Trajann Valoris aboard the *Phalanx*, o12.M42
"*Da humies wiv' da shiny arma' an' da big dakka are comin'! Run, for it, ladz, or I'll kill ya myself!*"
—Unidentified Ork warlord, Routing of Bahget, 013.M42
### The Six Oaths

The Six Oaths of Dorn are mighty oaths of moment that were sworn by Chapter Master Lysimed Venteel in the waning weeks and months of the Siege of Ephialtes. Each are believed to be fonts of wisdom and righteous wrath in battle, guiding advice and spurring words of prose held dear to the Iron Arbiters. Where many Chapters bear litanies and prayers upon their purity seals, the Iron Arbiters place the Six Oaths upon theirs, even inscribing them upon the hulls of battle tanks, and chiseled onto the columns and pillars of Haemus Mons. The Six Oaths go as follows:

#### - Oath of the People

To my gene-father, Rogal Dorn, and to the Emperor of Mankind Himself, I swear to defend the people of your Imperium, to lay down the life of myself and my brothers for our greater purpose. I swear by the anvil to protect those I was created to, and to burn those who would do them harm in the fires of my wrath. I swear to continue the Great Crusade and take the light of the Master of Mankind to the furthest reaches of the Imperium and the Galaxy beyond. And in my defence of the people of your Imperium, I swear to pursue the threat of Chaos to the edges of your domain and purge it so it may never sway innocent hearts again. This I swear upon my life and the lives of my brothers, and for this I shall not rest until I see it done.

#### - Oath of the Rout

To my gene-father, Rogal Dorn, and to the Emperor of Mankind Himself, I swear to hunt the enemies of Mankind to the ends of the Earth and beyond. I swear to not relinquish the blade and bolter from my hands till I see that those who would lay the Imperium low are truly annihilated. I swear to join my cousins in the joy of the rout as they have done for millennia before us, and I swear to break any fortress that would protect the Archenemy or his dark minions. Across the Galaxy I will travel if I must, and into the very gates of Hell I would march if you would command it. I swear to leave no stone unturned and no castle standing till the traitors who took the blood of my ancient brothers are found and destroyed. This I swear upon my life and the lives of my brothers, and for this I shall not rest until I see it done.

#### - Oath of the Bastion

To my gene-father, Rogal Dorn, and to the Emperor of Mankind Himself, I swear to stand firm and not give any ground to the Alien horrors that swarm around my feet. I swear to stand true and as a beacon for the beleaguered forces of Mankind to rally around. I swear to maintain rigid discipline in the face of horrors beyond belief, and I swear never to cower before the heretic or the Xenos. I will take no liberties in my duty, nor shall I sacrifice it for my own trivial gains. I swear to laugh in the face of death and cut down all who might oppose your Imperium. I swear these with a heavy heart, for they shall be a burden unchallenged, but most of all, I swear to take not one step backwards as those who walked before me did not. This I swear upon my life and the lives of my brothers, and for this I shall not rest until I see it done.

#### - Oath of the Veteran

To my gene-father, Rogal Dorn, and to the Emperor of Mankind Himself, I swear to linger where those around me do not. I swear to fight with renewed fury and strength where others grow old and die. I swear now that the cold atrophy of time shall not wear down my bones, nor shall the scars I bear from a dozen battlefields blunt my craft. I shall hone my blade as long as the Imperium stands, and beyond its fall, should such a horror ever come to pass, and to avenge those who the ages have left behind. I swear to fight until my flesh is hacked from my bones in the name of the Emperor of Mankind and the Unyielding One, to follow in the great footsteps of those who go before me, and to leave a trail for those who come after me. This I swear upon my life and the lives of my brothers, and for this I shall not rest until I see it done.

#### - Oath of the Burden

To my gene-father, Rogal Dorn, and to the Emperor of Mankind Himself, I swear that I shall hold any shame that clutches to my hearts with contempt and to maintain my watchful vigil over your people. I swear that no matter the odds, I will uphold the honour of my ancestors even as the standard is ripped from my hands and their great colours despoiled by the lesser warriors who laid them low millennia ago. I swear that even as I fail in my duty, I will resurge in greater strength than before and accept my mistakes. But above all these, I swear to atone for everything I and those who have gone before me have done, and to prove my eternal loyalty to the Throne of Terra. This I swear upon my life and the lives of my brothers, and for this I shall not rest until I see it done.

#### - Oath of the Despot

To my gene-father, Rogal Dorn, and to the Emperor of Mankind Himself, I swear unto thee to take the head of the tyrant, the Draco, the usurper and the unjust ruler. I will cut down the despot wherever his many arms appear, be it a manifestation of the Ruinous Powers that have plagued us ever since our birth, or the Xenos warlords who raid our worlds and slaughter our peoples. I will lay low the Ork, the Aeldari, the Necron, and the Great Devourer himself in this endeavour, besides those lesser enemies that dog our Imperium whose names are too insignificant to mention. I swear to slay the worshippers of darkness and despoil their empires wherever they appear, be they large or small, under the heel of a daemon or mortal, I shall cut off the head of the snake wherever it appears. This I swear upon my life and the lives of my brothers, and for this I shall not rest until I see it done.

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 White Scars Successors
 Space Wolves Successors
 Imperial Fists Successors
 Blood Angels Successors
 Iron Hands Successors
 Ultramarines Successors
 Salamanders Successors
 Raven Guard Successors
 Unknown Lineage

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