Ashen Raiders

**This article, Ashen Raiders, was written by RedactedXXth. It may be linked to any page without asking for the author's permission.**

## Ashen Raiders

Ashen Raiders armorial with Chapter iconography, which takes the form of a stylised white coloured ancient alchemy symbol that represents ash, or "cinis" as it was also known, centered upon a field of green.

Ashen Raiders Battle-Brother Zaltys Knazs of the 3rd Company, 4th Battleline Squad.

## Space Marine Chapter

### **Allegiance**

Imperium of Man
(*Fedelitas Totalis)*

### **Successor of**

Unknown (Suspected to be of Vulkan lineage)

### **Number of Marines**

1,000 (Last Imperial reports note the Chapter at full strength)

### **Specialty**

Infiltration, Ambush Tactics, Psychological Warfare, Shock Assault

### **Battle cry**

Ash before life, Ash after death (Mantra)

### Successor Chapter(s)

None

The **Ashen Raiders** are a Loyalist Chapter of Firstborn Space Marines created during an unknown Founding and of an uncertain lineage. Based in the South Eastern corner of the Segmentum Tempestus, the Ashen Raiders have a history obscured by the collection of convoluted and contradictory documents within the Adeptus Administratum that have proven even the most adept scholars of the Imperium a difficult challenge to explain.

## Chapter History

### Early History

The early history of the Ashen Raiders is a convoluted collection of contradictory reports that have been lost by the passing of time and the raging fires of war. Using records of a number of different Guard, Navy, and PDF action reports containing the Ashen Raiders, there is a conclusion that the chapter was formed sometime betwen the 8th or 9th Foundings. Scattered reports note their participation in conflicts predominantly throughout the Segmentum Tempestus with a few documents of their battles as far as the borders of the Segmentum Ultima and Segmentum Pacificus. It wasn’t until M36, that a section of the Adeptus Administratum put together new and existing information to create a somewhat steady dossier on the chapter, despite this the question of their founding date is still highly up to debate and speculation amongst Imperial scholars that providing different dates.

It would be during the Age of Redemption, which would perplex Administratum officials as the number of reports that contained the Ashen Raiders noted activity spanning over a large quantity of conflict zones that seemed a little difficult for a single chapter. To the average scholar or administration official, the Ashen Raiders' actions are an extreme minute detail amongst the many thousands of Imperial Navy, Space marine, and Imperial Guard regiments that taking apart of the many crusades of redemption that were taking place during these years. To the Administratum agents would find a horrifying self destructive habit the Ashen Raiders typically adopted, stretching their forces to the very limit, determined to assist in every battle zone possible. During these long years it was incredibly rare for any of the 10 companies to fight as one, the Ashen Raiders typically formed the smallest possible detachments needed to handle each situation. Due to this mindset of the Ashen Raider unit compositions varied from deployment to deployment, small specialized units would be sent to reinforce other imperial forces and act as a force multiplier, by assisting in training, leadership and increasing morale within the allied forces they fought with.

This willingness to throw themselves into the fray would find the Ashen Raiders suffering from extreme attrition rates, and by the end of 122.M38 the many conflicts and crusades that came from the Age of Redemption had seen the Ashen Raiders casualty rates result in the near destruction of the chapter itself. The multitudes of conflicts would see Ashen Raiders' ranks depleted and a large number of their gene seeds lost to tides of war. The following years that are referred to by some Imperial Scholars as The Waning would see an almost disappearance of the Ashen Raiders as the chapter struggled to maintain it's numbers.

### The Age of Night

The once valiant Chapter of the Ashen Raiders was now reduced to a shallow shell of it's former glory, no longer were the ash born warriors marching into the flames of war to protect the citizens of the Imperium. Instead now three meager companies made up of the mismatched survivors of the chapter's many bloody crusades remained. Much of their precious gene seeds had been destroyed along with their fallen brethren. With their gene seeds reserves were dangerously low, the remaining members of the chapter sought out solutions to prevent their seeming slow destruction. This dark Age of Night would cast long shadows over the once proud chapter that would last just over a millennium and see the Ashen Raiders' activity within the Tempestus Segmentum drop to a few desperate sorties across the segmentum.

The people of Pintega IV would see a significant drop in interactions with the Ashen Raiders, the members of the chapter had use to interact with the populace as mentors and leaders, but the Age of Night had created a self imposed isolation into their fortress monastery. The warriors of the Ash only coming out during "The Ashing" to assist their people during this dangerous time. It is unknown what the members of the chapter discussed within their isolation as no recordings took place within, but the Imperium would hardly ever see the Ashen Raiders during this time. It is suspected that members of the Ashen Raiders that remained debated heavily on the future of the chapter as some time after this point of time, the chapter would see extensive re-structuring of it's internal organization.

### The Rerise of the Ashen Raiders

It is unknown how or when the Ashen Raiders were able to operate at their full operational capacity, only that the doomed chapter emerged with invigorated purpose after years if not decades teetering on the edges of extinction. Around this time Imperium sensors detected a large space hulk emerge in orbit around Pintega IV, a seeming sign in which the members of the Ashen Raiders took extreme interest in. Since the emergence of the space hulk, the Ashen Raiders had conducted an innumerable amount of sorties and boarding actions within the space hulk which was delcared as the Ever-present Shadow. The entirity of what remained of the Ashen Raiders chapter was drawn forward, securing the space hulk and moving massive quantities of items and equipment back down to the planet.

## Chapter Homeworld

Home to the Ash Raiders, Pintega IV also voluntarily submits a Solutius Prima grade tithe of crops and is classified as a natural agri-world.

Pintega IV is one of the six moons that orbit the large gas giant of Viss Prime. The moon is a rather interesting solar body - in that it has an intense natural reset in its planetary ecosystem. With large land masses covering its surface, similar to Terra, it has vast mountains and large plains covering its continents. It's landscape is populated with large forests. The forests primarily consist of a type of tree called "Pale Mothers" by the local populace. These trees have white trunks and branches with a mix of red, purple, and blue leaves depending on the different sub-species - composing a beautiful array of colours. During a natural occurring phenomenon called "The Ashing"  every Pale Mother begins to self combust. This is due to a specific flower that has been labelled as the "Hellcind."

Only blooming every ten or so years - the Hellcind flower, while at full bloom, releases a non-toxic pheromone/chemical that causes the material of the Pale Mothers to have a burning reaction.  During this period - Pintega IV’s vast bountiful forests turn into a burning, hellish landscape that lasts a couple of days. The interaction between the Hellcind flower and Pale Mother trees results in an extremely intense and quick inferno. All of the planet's forests erupt into a massive combustion, filling the sky with ash. While it is seemingly destructive, it actually has importance within the moon's ecosystem. Large ash storms cover the moon for the span of a year.

Raining from the sky like snow, changing the seeming paradise into an ash covered hellscape. Ash storms are a regular occurrence and the entire land is covered in the white flakes of the burnt plantation creating a seemingly snowy like environment similar to the planet of Valhalla. During this time the population of the communities and hive cities that scatter it’s surface must utilize masks to assist with breathing.

Once the year is complete, after the Ashing is finished, the sky will clear and the land will be revitalized with the burnt remains of the Pale Mothers. Pintega IV has bountiful lands that grow extremely large quantities of crops that are of exceptional quality.

Pintega IV's Ashing contains another danger that is deep within the planet's surface, an aggressive hard-shelled insectoid creature that dwells deep within the complex cavern network beneath the planet's surface. Officially labelled by Magos Biologis Xenologis as Profundus Populator, the local populous calls the creatures, Eshon-nai. These creatures have a toxic reaction to pheromones' released by the Pale Mothers and bury themselves within the complex cavern networks that are beneath the surface of Pintega IV, escaping the Pale Mothers, hibernating until the seasonal time in which they able to emerge.

The Eshon-nai are a eusociality based life-form with their entire society built around the queen of each Warren. The queen of each Warren is the life line of the warren and each individual member is willing to die for their brood mother. During the Ashing Eshon-nai hunting packs emerge onto the surface hunting and collecting any source of food for their queen. During this time, the populace of Pintega must retreat within their bastion cities eliminating the droves of Eshon-nai that now roam the surface.

## Chapter Organization

The Ashen Raiders like most Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes based their organizational structure on the *Codex Astartes* with a few deviations. Early documentation states that the Ashen Raiders held the 10 standard companies, all in accordance to the *Codex* with one exception, they tended to have an increased number of Apothecaries.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

The Ashen Raiders have a pale complexion. Similar to albinism, members of the Ashen Raiders display hypomelanchrome, having pale greyish white skin accompanied by glowing red eyes. (More will be added)

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Ashen Raiders primarily wear ash grey power armour with portions of it painted green. This secondary colour is applied to their backpacks, faceplate, both armorial insets, both coutres (elbow guards) and wrist trim. The Aquila or Imperialis worn on their plastrons (chest guard) is also green in colour. A large white squad specialist symbol is applied to their right armorial inset, which designates a battle-brother's squad specialty (Fire Support, Close Support, Battleline, Veteran or Command). A small green coloured Roman numeral is stenciled in the center of the squad specialist symbol, indicating a battle-brother's assigned squad. A larger green Roman numeral stenciled on the left poleyn (knee guard) indicates a Battle-Brother's assigned company.

### Chapter Badge

The Ashen Raiders Chapter icon is a stylised white coloured ancient alchemy symbol that represents ash, or "cinis" as it was also known, centered upon a field of olive green. The meaning of this symbol was later expanded to include related processes that led to the creation of ash, such as combustion and burning. An apt representation of the Chapter's preferred style of warfare.