Astral Huntsmen

"*In the void beyond Terra's sight, Countless enemies lurk waiting for a time to strike... Dispatch the Hunters... Make them fear.*"
— A excerpt from the few remaining files on the Astral Huntsmen.
A reclusive chapter that is often said to hunt beyond the rim of the galaxy, the **Astral Huntsmen** are known for their brutal guerrilla warfare tactics and their adaptability in many combat scenarios. They presumably hail from Terran-born members of the ancient XIXth, however, they might have a different origin.

## Chapter History

Though the records of the Astral Huntsmen are often scant or shrouded in mystery, leading some to doubt the existence of this reclusive chapter though their doubts are far from the truth. Outside the edges of known space the Astral Huntsman act as a buffer between unknown threats and the greater Imperium.

### Founding

Though the exact date of their founding is unknown it is widely assumed that the Astral Huntsmen were founded during either the 2nd or 3rd Founding and it is unknown who they are descended from, though it is assumed that they are from the gene line of Corvus Corax. The chapter was given a fleet and ordered to patrol the outer dark similarly to the Cacharadons Astra.

During the fires of later events of the following millennia, The many of the records of the Astral Huntsmen would disappear with only a few scant records remaining that refer to the chapter as the 'Hunters in the Void'.

### Years in Exile

During the first couple centuries of their existence the Astral Huntsmen roamed the edges of known space, annihilating Chaos, Heretic and Xenos alike drawing notoriety to their name for those who operated on the fringe of Imperial Space for their particularly brutal approach to guerrilla warfare. Their preference for guerrilla warfare has made them friends of a few chapters and regiments who also use these tactics to great effect, regardless of the various differences between them and the Huntsmen.

This was proven During a campaign against a Drukhari kabal which had been terrorising a sub-sector the chapter was called in to wipe out this threat. elements of the chapters 2nd company would arrive in the subsection to find elements of the Raptors chapter and would begin to plan a way to draw out the elusive raiders with the Contingent of Raptors being used primarily for Reconnaissance while the Huntsmen would be primarily used for closer range engagements. The combined forces of both chapters easily drew out the Drukhari and would butcher the entire kabal when both chapters stormed the command vessel of the kabal when the Archon arrogantly challenged the Astartes. The Archon was split in twain by the leader of Huntsmen contingent. Not long after both chapters would depart having a better respect towards each other that prior.

### Discovery of Cradle

During some time in e M36 the Chapter discovered a world in the outer dark, a World that had been forgotten in the Age of Strife and upon further investigation they discovered a long dormant start fort of unknown make to the Imperium high in Cradle's Orbit its outer hull lined with long dormant gun emplacements and likely filled with forgotten secrets that would be invaluable to the Chapters efforts to shield the imperium from the myriad dangers of the void.

Leading both First and Second Companies the Chapter master at the time Layde Dath would board the station to investigate while the rest of the chapter present would investigate the planet. Discovering the ruins and still surprisingly functional technology that is theorised to be from the Dark Age of Technology, They would encounter the local populace that was at a technology level of equivalence to the ancient Terran 19th Century.

With the assistance of the chapter the planet would boom in advancement in technology bringing the planet up to the standards of an Imperial feudal world, though with the lack of easy access to the rest of the Imperium there are no official records of the world of Cradle and its population have not yet encountered the Imperial Creed and follow a version of the Imperial Truth that has been passed down by the Astral Huntsmen.

### War in the Tombs

During the waining years of the 36th millennium the Astral Huntsman would be involved in a campaign of extinction against an unknown xenos threat that plagued the outer reaches of the Imperium. Aided by other imperial forces the chapter would engage the Xenos and begin to push them back to planet zero of this sudden pandemic of xenos attacks which was the long dead world of Varrus Primaris.

Making planet fall the the chapter would descend into the recently dug tunnels under the worlds barren surface engaging the xenos in brutal tunnel warfare, While the xenos were not physically imposing like the Astartes and the guardsmen that followed them they more than made up for it with their cunning nature, laying traps and ambushes to the rapidly encroaching imperial forces, which caused many casualties upon the ever encroaching Imperial Forces. Eventually the xenos which were referred to by those who served in the war as 'Burrowers', were routed from their tunnels and eradicated from the galaxy.

The Astral Huntsmen would soon depart after receiving additional resources from the Highlords they would retreat back into the outer dark to bring the emperors wrath upon the enemies of man.

### The Great Rift

Following the destruction of the fortress world of Cadia, the Astral Huntsmen found themselves scattered across the fringes of the Imperium and around the Maelstrom warp rift and would remain locked in desperate defences with other Imperial Forces against the sudden wave of warp based anomalies that would follow the opening of the Great Rift and the surging of xenos activities.

It was only upon the arrival of the Indomitus Crusade led by lord commander Robute Guilleman would the chapter and the other Imperial forces be offered respite from their near constant Defense. The chapter would receive the addition of Primaris Space Marines as additional man power for the depleted chapter. The chapter now fights as they always have a swift a precise campaign before slipping away into the Outer Dark.

## Chapter Homeworld

The chapter is not believed to claim a world as their fortress due to their nomadic nature and is believed to be based out of the Battle Barge 'Silverwing', which still bears the scars of previous battles with presumably unknown entities that lay beyond the threshold of the Galaxy.

### Fortress Monastery

Unknown to all they do have a world under their guarded by a gargantuan and ancient Star Fort known to the chapter as the 'Hunters Rest' orbiting the world simply known as 'Cradle', while nowhere near the level of the venerated Phalanx that houses the Imperial Fist it still posses a large amount of both offensive and defensive Armourments that make the Fortress a difficult position to assail. While the Fortress appears to lack any notable features outside of the impressive amount of weaponry that the station possesses, the true mystery of the Fortress is the Vault that lies within the inner sanctum of station.

The vault is sealed by a an intricate locking mechanism that has likely not been seen since the Age of Strife and does occasionally let out ancient technology from the distant past alongside some of the more rare equipment that a Space Marine Chapter can have access to. It is currently the responsibility of the Master of the Forge of the chapter to unravel the mystery surrounding this vault.

### Cradle

While the great fort hangs above the planet in its orbit. the World of Cradle acts as the home, recruitment grounds and training areas for the Astral Huntsmen this world is a carefully guarded secret of the chapter that they will never reveal to any outside of the chapter and only refer to it as 'The Cradle'.

the World itself resembles that of a Feudal World but only in select areas where great cities have been build with the help of the Astral Huntsman who the local populace venerate them the guardians of the Imperial Truth. While there are great cities and smaller settlements in various parts of the planet, the Majority of the planet is still mostly un tamed and filled with predators that have learnt to fear the Space Marines present but the same cannot be said for the standard human populace.

## Chapter Organisation

The it is unknown if the chapter follows the tenants of the Codex Astartes due to how infrequently the chapter interacts with the rest of the imperium outside of making trade deals with the Mechanicus and it is unknown what the exact number of space marines in the chapter though given the chapters nature it is likely that it doesn't follow the 1,000 marines limit.

### Chapter Specific Units

The chapter possesses smaller squads of Astartes that often operate autonomously to the company they are assigned to for any given campaign or battle, They are often seen behind enemy lines eliminating enemy leadership, infrastructure and other vital targets. These squads are called Trapper Squads are are usually members of the 1st company that do not bear Terminator armour.

## Chapter Culture & Beliefs

"*On a desolate world a man clad in Gunmetal armour wreathed in the Void itself, wielding weapons and armour not seen in Millenia, against a horde of countless abominations alongside Astartes and an unknown type of marine all bearing the same colour armour. If Sanguinius was the Emperors angel... this was the emperors hunter.*"
— A recounting of a vision from one of the chapters Liberian.
The Astral Huntsmen are like most space marine chapters areligious and do not venerate the Imperium as a God, though it is speculated that they follow some variant of the Imperial Truth as evidenced by the people they have influenced on Cradle. This is unconfirmed as there is also the possibility that the chapter has unintentionally passed down tenants of the Imperial Truth without realising it.

The chapter Values pragmatism over most things due to the harsh nature of the outer dark and the myriad threats that lurk in its shadows. This is emphasised in their approach to warfare and their reverence of The Seraph and the tome he left behind, they view him similarly to how the Ultramarines view Robute Guilleman.

## Chapter Recruitment

Given the nomadic nature of the chapter, they often recruit from a wide range of worlds that border the edge of known space, where they will arrive at a planet for recruits often the recruits are given freely, the inhabitants often willing to have their child become one of the emperors angels. Though they do also recruit from the world of Cradle and perform most of the training upon this protected world.

The chapter also has recruited from several prison complexes to find suitable recruits from the younger inmates and through a strict training regime, they shape the aspirant into the ideal space marine for the chapter.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

The chapters Gene-seed has similar mutations to that of the Raven Guard, with the pale complexion that the Raven Guard are known for with one notable exception is the glowing eyes that are sometimes displayed by the chapters older members, with it being compared to a shinning stars by the mortals that have served with them.

Outside of this the chapters gene-seed falls in the acceptable margins for a space marine chapter and the Adeptus Biologus has seen no reason to deem them too corrupt.

## Combat Doctrine

The Astral Huntsmen prefer to use Guerrilla Warfare similarly to various other chapters, Their cold focus on the battlefield has allowed them to execute their campaigns with near perfect precision and timing. Engaging from and exposed position a battle brother or squad of battle brothers would draw the chapters enemies towards them before slinking away into the surrounding environment and allowing additional forces to annihilate the enemies from concealed positions.

## Deathwatch Service

It is seldom that the warriors of the Huntsman venture to answer the call of the Deathwatch, though only as to not draw more attention to them as necessary. Though they have no ill will towards the Deathwatch, they often do not see it necessary that they send a member of their limited number away from the rest of the fleet.

Specialists such as apothecaries and techmarines almost never leave their respective fleets due to how much of a premium resource such specialists are to the chapter so none of those specialists ever get seconded to the Deathwatch.

## Notable Members

* **The Seraph**: Believed to be the chapters founder, this enigma of a space marine is often venerated as the one who guides them through the outer dark and where they got the chapters name sake from, the chapter follow the Seraphs teachings on how to wage war which has led to the chapters success in Guerrilla Warfare.

* **Layde Daths**: The Chapter Master for the Astral Huntsmen which led them to the world of cradle and the fortress above it. He was known as a surprisingly jovial member of the chapter forming many alliances under his leadership, He met his demise combating the enigmatic Harrowmaster of the Nameless, Fulcrum. After his death many members of those who had forged alliances with the Astral Huntsman would gather in a mourning ceremony his death felt in the hearts of many.

* **Litus Akari**: The current Chapter Master of the Astral Huntsman, Akari has led the chapter for an unknown amount of time though it is known that he is older than most members of the chapter. He is known for his tactical knowledge and his ability to adapt in the midst of a crumbling war zone. He currently wields the Recluse as his symbol of office and his primary weapon.

## Chapter Fleet

The chapters fleet seems to be comprised of retrofitted craft with a few proper warships actual present and being led presumably by the Battlebarge known as 'Silverwing'. most of the ships seem to bear battle scars and hasty field repairs from their time in the outer dark, It is unknown what the various battle scars that are strewn on the hulls of the ships are from but it is suspected to be encounters from splinter fleets of the Tyranids but it remains unconfirmed.

## Chapter Specific Weapons & Equipment

The majority of the Chapter's armourments are fairly standard with them either being looted from fallen enemies or gained from trade with the Mechanicus. They also posse a fair amount of older and significantly more rare wargear such as a very small amount volkite and a few of the more ancient vehicles such as the Sicaran tank which has largely not been seen since the days of the Horus Heresy.

## Chapter Relics

* ***Recluse***: A relic obtained from the Vault in the depths of the chapter's fortress, the *Recluse* is a Nemesis Bolter weapon that is currently wielded by the Chapter Master Litus Akari, The weapons internal workings are not disimilar from a Bolter, But it does look vary different, with it bearing a slimmer frame and a major of its barrel covered by a heat shield of some sort as well as possessing a curved magazine.

## Chapter Appearance

The Astral Huntsman possess a large range of armour that they make use of from the rare Mk III 'Iron' armour to the recent Mk VIII 'Errant' pattern power armour. Each marine's armour is usually an assortment of various parts from other marks of armour that have been attached due to limited resources and are usually lined with molecular Bonding studs to keep the various plates together.

### Chapter Colours

The chapter is recognised by its gunmetal grey armour with a silver time, with each set showing signs of rusting and weathering against the various threats they have encountered.

### Chapter Badge

The chapters sigil is that of a cobalt blue raptor's head on top of a pair of white crossed knives.

## Chapter Relations

### Allies

* **Tradva Raiders**: The chapter formed an alliance with the then fledgling Tradva Raiders during a campaign against an Ork WAAAGH!, where the two grew a mutual respect for each other and would retain an alliance that lasts to this day.

### Enemies

* **Nameless**: The Nameless have drawn the hatred of the Astral Hunters fro their role in the death of once Chapter Master Layde Daths, The Nameless and the Huntsmen have clashed many times over the millennia, leaving nothing but devastation in the wake of their battles.