Avengers of Tyran

Avengers of Tyran armorial with Chapter iconography and Tyranid fetish.

Avengers of Tyran Marine, 2nd Company, 1st Squad Sergeant.

"*Ahead of us lies the dreaded enemy! The Great Devourer! It destroyed our homes as it did countless trillions of others! We will destroy them! With bolter and chainsword we will strike them down! For the Emperor! FOR TYRAN!*"
—Reclusiarch Arrax Melys, before the battle of Salor Prime
The **Avengers of Tyran** are a semi-*Codex* compliant Ultramarines Successor Chapter comprised entirely of Primaris Space Marines, with a very unique history. Shortly before Hive Fleet Behemoth ravaged Tyran, a small fleet consisting of several Tyranian Regiments was sent to assist a local PDF. Upon returning, the fleet found that Tyran was barren, and that they were the only surviving Tyranian natives. Filled with anger, the survivors initially wanted to avenge their dead, but their leader made them see reason, and they travelled around the Segmentum Ultima trying simply to survive.

Eventually, Guilliman assigned a number of his Unnumbered Sons to the survivors, and they were quickly adopted into the fleet as a force to aid the pre-existing military force of the Tyranians. To this day, the Avengers of Tyran are religiously combating the many Splinter Fleets of Behemoth.

## Chapter History

### Founding

The Chapter began as several Regiments of Tyranian soldiers who survived the coming of Hive Fleet Behemoth by pure luck. They were deployed outside of aid the PDF force of another planet from a long-forgotten threat. Upon returning, the Regiments were distraught to find their home barren of life. The Colonel in command of the fleet at the time, Balor Targyar, quickly organised the survivors into a regimented fighting force that began to hunt Hive Fleet Behemoth and its Splinter Fleets. This fleet was nicknamed the Orphans of Tyran.

Some of this fleet was dedicated to preserving the populations numbers, but the majority remained a fighting force. For around 200 years the Orphans of Tyran attacked the remnants of Hive Fleet Behemoth, inflicting revenge for the lives taken by the Tyranids.

When the Indomitus Crusade began, the Orphans of Tyran were among the first to interact with it. Guilliman assigned 800 of his Unnumbered Primaris Sons to the fleet, with the goal of founding a chapter to keep the the Tyrannic threat under control. Though the new Avengers of Tyran were small, it obeyed the Codex as closely as it could, working alongside the many regiments of the Avengers of Tyran to repay the blood debt owed by Behemoth.

For the first part of their life, the Avengers of Tyran's Fortress-Monastery was a Strike Cruiser owned by the Orphans of Tyran, called the Spear of Tyran. Roughly 10 years after their founding, the Avengers of Tyran found an ancient inactive void fortress after pursuing elements of the Court of the Nephilim King. With the help of Forge World Variun, they reawakened its machine spirit and claimed it as their Fortress-Monastery, renaming it Behemoth's Bane.

The Avengers of Tyran have always maintained a close relationship with the Orphans of Tyran, and the Tyranian Regiments almost always make up the main fighting force of any of their campaigns. Their fleets are typically in close proximity to each other, and both have adopted similar, very regimented and organised lives and fighting styles, mostly out of necessity.

### Lindwyrm

Following a series of worrying distress calls, the Avengers of Tyran find a series of agricultural void-stations under siege by Splinter Fleet Lindwyrm. A unique bioform that appeared to be an unholy mixture of a Lictor and a Hive Tyrant - and was hence named the Lictyrant - was leading the Tyranids in their plunder of the grox and argrax raised on the stations. By the time the Astartes arrived, only the local militia were left to defend their home, the guard regiments that had responded to their calls long since consumed.

Two companies of the Avengers deploy to the void-stations to defend the humans, but early in the battle they lose both captains, and they are forced further and further back from their initial defensive line. During the intense fighting, they grow close with the mortals they are fighting alongside. The Avengers are forced to request reinforcements almost 4 years after they arrive. Three further companies of Avengers turns the tide of the battle, and eventually a year later the last of the Tyranids are forced into a trap and eliminated.

As the Astartes make to leave, however, an astropathic message from an Inquisitor reaches the Avengers, informing them that the very mortals they had just saved were guilty of supplying resources to the Cult of the Marching Flame and ordering them to be eradicated. Rhaegal Viser confronted the mortal leader, a hidden psyker named Jaya Katasha who confessed her crimes peacefully, but asking that her followers be allowed to escape. The Chapter Master was confronted with a conundrum. The mortals were undoubtedly guilty. But two companies of his Chapter had grown close with them. Viser ordered those two companies on 'garrison duty', a flimsy excuse to keep them out of the way while he made his decision. Eventually, sperred into action by his Eagles, he executes Jaya Katasha, but lets the mortals escape. In the future he would claim that the astropathic message was incomplete, and he only followed the orders that he recieved. In reality, he had seen the strength of these mortals in resisting the Tyranid invasion, and was unwilling to punish them for that. He put the two companies under close observation for chaos taint, and moved on from the system, puting his closest advisors under an order of silence.

## Notable Campaigns

* **005.M42** - The 1st and 3rd Companies of the Avengers of Tyran help the Orphans of Tyran defend Forge World Variun from a small hive fleet tendril. They are awarded the Power Sword called "Sword of Aeons".
* **010.M42 - 012.M42** - While pursuing a small element of the Court of the Nephilim King, the Avengers of Tyran find an inactive void fortress, which they rename Behemoth's Bane and claim as their Fortress-Monastery.
* **128.M42 - 131.M42** - The Goreborne Campaign. The Avengers of Tyran are unwillingly dragged into a conflict against the forces of a Bloodthirster, called Woaroch. The fighting was brutal and, although the Bloodthirster's host is driven off, the Eagle of the Avengers of Tyran is slain by the Greater Daemon's Herald.
* **199.M42** - The Battle of Salor Prime. Salor Prime was the site of a short but brutal conflict between the tyranids of Hive Fleet Behemoth and the Avengers of Tyran. The 4th and 5th Companies were deployed to the surface alongside the Orphans of Tyran, where they were quickly decimated when the Hive Fleet revealed their numbers to be greater than expected. The surface of the planet was firebombed to prevent as much biomass as possible being given to the Hive Fleet, and the Avengers of Tyran retreated. None of the marines sent to the surface survived.

## Chapter Homeworld

The Chapter does not have an official homeworld listed in Imperial records, though they always refer to Tyran as their homeworld. Regardless, they do not live on Tyran itself, but are fleet-based, with a relatively small fleet centralised around the void fortress Behemoth's Bane.

### Fortress-Monastery

Behemoth's Bane was found inactive in an abandoned region of space by the Avengers of Tyran while battling part of the Court of the Nephilim King. After purging it of the small Ork Klan that called it home, the Mechanicum restarted it and claimed it as their new Fortress-Monastery.

The Fortress-Monastery contains an account of all conflicts in which the Chapter was involved, as well as a large worship hall in which the Chapters Chaplains preach.

One of the most important aspects of the Fortress-Monastery is the Hall of the Dead. In it is the preserved corpse of every Avenger of Tyran to have died in battle. An account of their deeds, and the manner of their death, is engraved upon a pedestal beneath their body. It is common for Battle-Brothers to visit this hall before a battle to remind them of who the enemy they face has killed. Those marines whose bodies couldn't be recovered have instead a ceremonial marble statue of them made.

The entirety of the enormous Void Fortress has yet to be fully explored, and every year new corridors and rooms are discovered, often with much trepidation.

### Recruitment

Members of the Avengers of Tyran are recruited from the best suited Tyranians, as is determined by a series of annual tests, called the Defan, in which all who live in Behemoth's Bane or one of the Tyranian colony ships in the area who are 16 years old are forced to compete in. These tests are split up into 3 parts; Aqaue, Inanas and Terea, which are designed to test individual skills, team skills, and greater strategy. Each part is overseen by a Veteran.

In Aqaue, initiates have to perform a series of underwater challenges, which differ depending on the individual, but common ones involve having to dive to the bottom of a deep pool to retrieve an item or being held underwater for a certain amount of time. Those who fail are sent back to their home ship, where they typically join the Orphans of Tyran. Those who succeed carry on to Inanas.

During Inanas, initiates are grouped into small groups and compete against each other in the void of space. These are very competitive, and initiates are closely monitored to see how they perform in high pressure situation, and in groups.

The final stage, Terea, takes place in an artificial landscape inside Behemoth's Bane that changes each year. The surviving recruits are divided into groups and placed in one of 6 houses depending on their performances in the last rounds. They are told to survive and conquer the other 5 houses. Members of the winning house are promoted to scouts.

Out of between 9-10,000 initial recruits, around 20 become full marines.

## Chapter Organisation

The Avengers of Tyran are slightly divergent from the *Codex Astartes*. They maintain 8 Companies, the 1st being a Veteran Company, the 2nd through 7th being Battle Companies, and the 8th being a scout company.

Within the Chapter there is also a semi-independent organisation called the Eagles of Tyran. This is a group of around 10 elite marines hand chosen by the Chapter Master and his second in command, called the Eagle. The Eagles of Tyran undergo the most dangerous of missions, as well as acting as the honour guard for the Chapter Master or Captains. Most Eagles of Tyran were previously Captains or Lieutenants.

## Combat Doctrine

The Avengers of Tyran follow a slightly modified version of the *Codex Astartes*, that is similar in most regards except that it favours ranged combat, and survivability. They prefer to form a single battle line which any opposing forces are forced to run into. They then apply overwhelming firepower with their amassed Devastator Squads, tearing opposing forces apart with streams of bolter fire.

## Chapter Beliefs

The Chapter follows the belief the Imperial Truth, but are highly reverential of the Emperor. The worship of the Emperor as a God done by the Tyrannians has begun to spread among the newer Astartes, however.

They also place great respect in the dead, and not recovering the body of a dead brother brings great shame upon the Company.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

Due to them being Ultramarines successors, the Chapter's gene-seed is relatively pure and stable. However, there is one noticeable mutation. They do not possess the typical level-headedness of the Ultramarines and their successors. Instead, they are known for caring an unusual amount for their original families, and a cold aggression to all who threaten them.

## Deathwatch Service

The Avengers of Tyran willingly second their members to the Deathwatch, as they recognise that they are very influential in defeating Tyranids. Several notable members of the Avengers of Tyran have gone to the Deathwatch.

## Notable Battle-Brothers

* **Rheagal Viser** - Rheagal Viser is the first and current Chapter Master of the Avengers of Tyran. He is known for favouring a defensive strategy, and even when on an offensive he will attempt to outmanoeuvre enemy forces and force them to come to him. Shortly before taking the Chapter was founded, his family was slaughtered by a Lictor of the Kordex Strain. He only survived because an elite squad of the Orphans of Tyran arrived and killed the Lictor before it could kill him. He wields a master-crafted power sword that was gifted to him by a Forge World after destroying a small incoming Splinter Fleet, as well as a storm bolter.
* **Balor Vhagar** - Balor Vhagar is in the current Eagle, and was promoted from being the 3rd Company Captain after the death of Drogo Merax. He is known for his incredible skill with his power spear, and his ability to make quick, crucial decisions in the midst of battle.
* **{Drogo Merax}** - Drogo Merax was the first Eagle, selected by Rheagal shortly after the Chapter's creation. His ability to control the battlefield through the distribution of the Eagles across it was legendary, until his death in 131.M42 at the hands of Gal'zhar'nath, a Bloodthirster of Khorne.
* **{Arrax Melys}** - Reclusiarch of the Avengers of Tyran before the Battle of Salor Prime.
* **Vermith Morghul** - Current Reclusiarch of the Avengers of Tyran.

## Chapter Fleet

Despite being a fleet-based chapter, the Avengers of Tyran's fleet is small. However, it is more than large enough to support their small numbers, and many ships have been in the Chapter since its founding.

* ***Behemoth's Bane*** - The Chapter's Fortress-Monastery, it is also where the annual Defan takes place.
* ***Guilliman's Will*** - Guilliman's Will is a Strike Cruiser used primarily by the 4th Company, that has seen many battles.
* ***Spear of Tyran*** - Despite being currently attached to the 2nd Company, the Spear of Tyran was the Avengers of Tyran's original Fortress-Monastery.

The Chapter also possesses 20 Strike Cruisers and an unknown number of Escorts and support vessels.

## Chapter Relics

Due to the Chapter only being founded recently, they do not possess many relics.

* ***Sword of Aeons*** - A gift from a grateful forge world, the Sword of Aeons is wielded by Rheagal Viser. It can pierce through any armour and causes incredible lethargy to all it touches.
* ***Hope of Tyran*** - The Hope of Tyran is a Repulsor armoured transport that has been part of the Chapter's armoury since its founding. It has saved many lives, and the sight of it on the battlefield is enough to bolster the morale of any battle brother.
* ***Armour Imperialis*** - The Armour Imperialis is a master-crafted piece of Mk10 Gravis Armour worn by the Chapter Master of the Avengers of Tyran.

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Chapter's armour is black with gold armorial rims, aquilla and helmet front. The inner armorial is red. The squad number is shown through the design on the right Poleyn, and the colour of this design denotes company. A silver right Poleyn denoted Sergeant status. The Chapter badge is displayed on the left armorial.

### Chapter Badge

The Chapter badge is a spear piercing a Tyranid.

## Relations

### Allies

* **Scions of Guilliman** - The Avengers of Tyran maintain good relations with the successors of the Ultramarines, in particular the Scythes of the Emperor.

### Enemies

* **Hive Fleet Behemoth** - Hive Fleet Behemoth is particularly hated by the Avengers of Tyran, as they destroyed their homeworld.

## Gallery

An Avengers of Tyran Intercessor standing proudly over a vanquished Tyranid.

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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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