Imperius Serpentes

Imperius Serpentes armorial with Chapter iconography.

Imperius Serpentes Sergeant of an unknown Company, unknown Battleline Squad.

The **Imperius Serpentes** are a mysterious Adeptus Astartes Chapter created during an Unknown Founding and of uncertain descent. Hailing from the sweltering heat of the jungle world of Tikal, these Astartes are as cold blooded as the massive serpents that haunt its depths but when roused they are terrible in their anger.

## History

The Imperius Serpentes are an old and storied Chapter but little known across the galaxy, they are not famous like the Ultramarines nor are they infamous like the Blood Angels, they live in obscurity which suits them but there are those who do know a little of their history. These scholars know of the Battle of the Poisoned Fang where the entire chapter stood alone against a horde of daemons and the Last Stand on Tepis, where a single company held alone for 19 hours before being overrun by the vast tide of greenskins, these battles will never enter the hallowed halls of the great library's across the galaxy but they matter, they matter to those who fought them and to those whose lives were saved by them, if only they knew

### Noctis Aeterna

During this dark period the hopes of trillions was reignited with the return of one of the Emperors loyal sons - the Primarch of the Ultramarines - Roboute Guilliman. With his return, he brought with him the fruits of 10,000 years of research and labour - the Primaris Space Marines. Representatives from the Primarch were dispatched to every Astartes Chapter to gift these wondrous creations but unlike many other Chapters that received full grown and battle hardened Primaris the Imperius Serpentes instead received the technology and knowledge to create their own Primaris Space Marines.

The wargear to arm these formidable warriors was also received, including 500 suits of Mk X Power Armour in their various patterns, hundreds of Cawl and Belisarius Pattern Weapons, four Redemptor Dreadnoughts Chassis, 2 Overlord Gunships and two Repulser Grav Tanks, all of which have been assigned to the 2nd Company. Thanks to this great fortune, the Imperius Serpentes now prosecute their wars with even greater vigour. The numbers of Primaris Astartes currently serving are unknown but during the battles of the Indomitus Crusade they were able to field an entire company.

## Notable Campaigns

* **Last Stand on Tepis (054-M42)** - The 5th Company defending the last city, stood alone for 19 bloody hours against the vast tides of greenskins, only when the last marine fell was the line finally broken but they held long enough for the city to evacuate. The entire chapter subsequently avenged their brothers, destroying the entirety of the xenos, in the aftermath a vast monument stretching 100 kilometers into sky and made from the fused bones of the greenskins was raised in their honour so that all would remember their sacrifice.

* **Battle of the Poisoned Fang (111.M42)** - The first battle since the elevation of Titus Veegrad to Chapter Master. A massed horde of Slaaneshi daemons conquered the world of Colis, turning it into a hellish landscape where the laws of real space no longer held true. The Imperius Serpentes attacked in full force and pushing the foul creatures back to a final last stand on the jagged mountain now known as the poisoned fang, the Lord of Serpents Titus Veegrad ended the battle by battling a daemon prince of Slaanesh and sending it screaming back into the warp. The world was subsequently destroyed.

## Chapter Homeworld

The Imperius Serpentes hail from the World of Tikal, located somewhere within the Ultima Segmentum it is a World of Sweltering Jungles that stretch from the northern pole to southern ocean. Within the sweltering jungles there are patches of clear land where massive flat top pyramids tower above the canopy, it is upon these pyramids that the native people sacrifice captured foes to the Emperor. They are a primitive people who live in great tribes that wander the jungle, fighting between them is common and open bloodletting is the preferred way to settle arguments.

The Serpents massive fortress is located within the southern ocean, Tenochtitlan is a gigantic flat topped pyramid 20 miles across at its apex, it emerges from the water and rises to over 50 miles into the sky. Vast defence platforms stud its walls along with cavernous hangers able to accommodate hundreds of transport ships at once.

Within the jungles there are gigantic snakes, the largest of which are over 50 meters long, these creatures are hunted by the Astartes of the Imperius Serpentes as part of the ritual of Serpents. Only the greatest warriors of the Chapter will attempt the great hunt, they will travel into the jungle wearing only a loin cloth and carrying a stone tipped spear, only a handful will ever return but for those that do entry into the inner circle of the Chapter awaits as well the right to wear the fangs of these creatures upon their armour, provided they survive the following ritual of venom, whereby they are injected with the venom of the massive creature they hunted into their veins, only the strongest will survive this.

## Chapter Organization

The Imperius Serpentes specialise in reconnaissance operations and special forces. They broadly follow the *Codex Astartes* as it was laid down ten thousand years ago, having 10 companies consisting of: 1 Veteran, 4 Battle, 4 Reserve and the 10th and final, the Chapter's Scout Company. Where they differ is, in this 10th Company. For most *Codex*-oriented Chapters the 10th is where their chapter's newest recruits are placed, equipped with scout armour, operating behind enemy lines while undergoing further training to prepare them to be inducted fully into the chapter and don the ancient armour of a fallen hero. This remains true for the Serpents but other, Veteran Astartes will often don the lighter scout armour, so as to operate as lone operatives, ranging far in advance of the main force, sowing discord and hindering the enemy wherever they may be found.

### Specialist Formations & Ranks

#### Command Ranks

* **Lord of Serpents** - Chapter Master equivalent.
* **Serpent Lord** - Captain equivalent.
* **Demi-Serpent** - Lieutenant equivalent.
* **Lord Speaker** - Reclusiarch equivalent.
* **Lord Keeper** - Chief Librarian equivalent.
* **Lord Apothecary** - Chief Apothecary equivalent.
* **Forge Master** - Master of the Forge equivalent.

#### Specialist Ranks

* **Speakers** - Chaplain equivalent.
* **Keepers** - Librarian equivalent.
* **Ticitl** - Apothecary equivalent.
* **Forge Marines** - Techmarine equivalent.

#### Line Ranks

* **Sergeant of the Venom**- Veteran Sergeant equivalent.
* **Venom Sergeant**- Sergeant equivalent.
* **Brother of the Venom** - Battle-Brother equivalent.
* **Initiate** - Scout Marine equivalent.
* **Neophyte**
* **Aspirant**

#### Specialist Formations

* **Venom Guard** - The elite honour guard of the Imperius Serpentes, clad in ancient and rare Cataphractii terminator plate and each wielding a power axe and volkite charger, they are utterly relentless in their goal, the protection of their lord.

* **Venom Squads** - Special reconnaissance squads, equipped with cameoline cloaks and sniper rifles along with special ammunition infused with the venom of the massive snakes that inhabit Tikal, they range ahead of the main force eliminating priority targets and sowing discord.

### Order of Battle

#### Headquarters

**Lord of Serpents Titus Veegrad**
**Chapter Master of the Imperius Serpentes**
**Venom Guard**
**Chapter Champion**
**Ancient Ionuth, Banner Bearer of the Imperius Serpentes**
**Command Squad: Speaker, Keeper, Ticitl and Forge Marine**
**Brother Udoni, Judicier of the Imperius Serpentes**

***Forge Master* Cela**
**Forge Marines**
**Chapter Serfs**
***Lord Keeper* Artemis**
**Keepers**
***Lord Speaker* Collux**
**Speakers**
***Lord Apothecary* Matyas**
**Ticitl (Apothecaries)** | **Serpent Lord Kortex**
***Master of the Fleet***
**The Serpent's Fang 'Relic Battleship'**

**1 Battle Barge**
**11 Strike Cruisers**
**21 Escorts**

## Combat Doctrine

As specialists in reconnaissance operations and special forces the Imperius Serpentes follow a rare pattern of battle, venom squads and scout units range ahead of the main force, often landing weeks ahead. Once they have landed they will identify strategic points as well as sowing discord by attacking important defence points and units. When the main force arrives it will attack at once, aiming for the previously identified targets destroying all enemy forces before withdrawing and attacking another target, keeping the defenders in a constant state of panic as they never know where the attack will come from, with each target destroyed the concepts of subtlety and stealth will gradually be lessened as the Serpents anger rises. When all secondary targets have been eliminated the Serpents will attack in full force the main target, all subtlety will be gone from this attack and all that is left is cold-blooded fury.

## Gene-Seed

Which Primarch the Imperius Serpentes are descended from is unknown and the Serpentes themselves have been singularly unhelpful in revealing this information. Evidence that points to a particular Primarch is scarce, they show no universal traits that would determine the Primarch such as the coal-black skin and red eyes of the Salamanders, rather they retain the colouring they had before their transformation. They do have some traits that are universal among the Astartes, most notably a tendency towards secrecy and a preference for reconnaissance and special operations. Ordinarily this would point towards the Raven Guard but as noted before they show no universal colouring and so do not have the sons of Corax jet back hair and pale skin, given the fractious nature of the current Imperium it is likely that it will never truly be known who the Imperius Serpentes are descended from.

## Chapter Beliefs

Much of their beliefs come from ancient Tikalan mythology which is ingrained within the very core of every serpent, the Imperius Serpentes believe with their whole being the supremacy of humanity, they are the sole rulers of the galaxy and all others are merely obstacles to overcome. Their beliefs stem from their time as mortals on the world of Tikal, the pre-industrial people of Tikal worship the Emperor and give thanks to him by sacrificing the willing atop the great flat top pyramids that dot the landscape, to them the emperor and his people are the epitome of evolution, and all other races are merely failures.

## Notable Members

* **Titus Veegrad** - The current Lord of Serpents (Chapter Master), obtaining his position just before the Battle of the Poisoned Fang, a massive Astartes, he strides into battle wielding the mighty *Spear of the Serpent* and clad in *The Scales*, he is a truly mighty warrior.

* **Serpent Lord Althanax**- Captain of the vaunted 1st Company, clad in ancient terminator plate he is a stalwart warrior.

* **Serpent Lord Gorth** - Captain of the 2nd Company and a hulking Primaris Astartes, one of the first to have been raised, clad in Mk X Tacticus power armour and wielding weapons of magnificent workmanship he is a truly formidable warrior.

## Chapter Fleet

The Chapter's fleet is relatively small compared to some other Chapters, it consists of the Chapter flagship *'The Serpents Fang'*, along with 12 Strike Cruisers complemented with an unknown number of Rapid Strike Vessels.

## Chapter Relics

* ***Spear of the Serpent*** - A mighty power spear of ancient origin, it's twin points able to pierce armour with ease.

* ***The Scales*** - An ancient suit of artificer armour, held in stasis for thousands of years it is a masterpiece of workmanship.

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Imperius Serpentes wear dark green power armour, reminiscent of the foreboding jungles of their home world of Tikal. The trim of their shoulder pauldron trim, along with the Aquila or Imperialis worn on the plastron (chest guard) is gold in colour. Sometimes, their armorial trim is further decorated by inlaying lapis lazuli, a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized by the people of Tikal since antiquity for its intense color. As a battle-brother advances in rank, as a further sign of the favour gained in the eyes of his fellow warriors, and as a mark of prestige, they often further decorate their armour with carved scales, serpent's heads and other serpentine iconography carved into their battle-plate. These symbols are reminiscent of the deadly snakes of their home world, and by displaying them on their armour, is believed to confer the spirit and power of these deadly creatures upon the warrior that wears them. It is not uncommon for sergeants and above to enhance their armour further by having more gold added to their battle-plate, to confer their veteran status within the Chapter. Elaborate feathered headdresses are also not uncommon. To denote a battle-brother's assigned squad specialty, they stencil gold colored squad specialty symbols upon their right shoulder pauldron (Fire Support, Close Support, Battleline and Veteran). A small gold coloured Tikalan number is stenciled on the inset to denote squad assignment. Company assignment is indicated by a gold coloured Tikalan number on the left poleyn. Sometimes, an elaborate Tikalan hieroglyph is utilised to indicate company assignment.

### Chapter Badge

The Imperius Serpentes Chapter icon is based upon ancient Tikalan mythology - a stylised pair of ebon colour snakes facing each other, believed to represent two ancient and powerful kings that were once at odds with one another, but eventually forged a single, powerful empire that lasted for generations. Centered within the snakes is a circle symbol which represents both a rising sun, located on the top portion, and a waning moon on the bottom portion. This dual symbol represents the waxing of the God-Emperor's Imperium and the waning of the enemies of Mankind.

## Relations

### Allies

**Dragon Guard** - The ancient Dragon Guard and the Imperius Serpentes have supported each other in numerous campaigns.

### Enemies

**Space Wolves** - Like their cousins the Dragon Guard the Imperius Serpentes seem to hate the Sons of Russ, like the Dragon Guard the Serpents have not advanced a reason and perhaps only the Emperor truly knows.

## Gallery

An Imperius Serpentes Battle-Brother of an unknown Company, unknown Battleline Squad.