Iron Bears (Icarion Insurrection)

Iron Bears armorial with Legion iconography

Legionary Niiwana Mashkode-Bizhik, 3rd Great Company, 2nd Wartribe

### Noteworthy Domains

Huron (Legion Home World); the Realm of Three Fires (Tricendia Sub-Sector; Fiefdom)

### Observed Strategic Tendencies

Orbital Assaults, 'Zone Mortalis' Engagements, Massed Artillery Strikes, Heavy Armoured Assaults, Guerrilla Strikes

### Allegiance

Loyalists
*Fidelitas Totalis*

### Unique Organisations

Warborn Clan, Totem Guard Squad, Ghost Walkers

### Noteworthy Successors

The Eaters of the Sacred Flesh (Traitor Blackshield Force)

### Colours

Black & Burnished Copper

"*Let the enemy know your blade, you axe, your bolter rounds, for once they know your tools they shall fear your work.*"
— *Hymn of Iron*
Where Space Marines stand tall, the **Iron Bears** stand taller. A byproduct of their gene-seed, along with their lengthened implantation process, the Iron Bears (or Ursa Ferrus in High Gothic) are transformed into giants always standing twenty to thirty centimetre higher than their cousins, their physical statures enhanced by their good-natured bravado. A legion of mechanics, the Iron Bears are infamous for their habit of tinkering with their war machines, adding new or unusual features to their mechanical beasts. Together, the Iron Bears and their oversized fleet of heavy tanks, form a steel tide that washes over their enemies. Daer'dd, greatest in physical strength of all the Primarchs, lead from the front, a figure larger than life on and off the battlefield. In the Icarion Insurrection, the Iron Bears would be tested to the limit by the tragedy of the Insurrection, suffering one of the greatest losses a legion can suffer.

## **Origins and History**

While every Legion was capable of a great many strategies and approaches to the Galaxy's myriad battlefields, most are synonymous with a particular mode of warfare. With the Iron Bears, this was a tide of metal, crushing enemy forces beneath the treads of their mighty tanks or armoured boots. Giants even among the Astartes, the VIth were known for a high incidence of bionic modification, and among their veterans, many were as much metal as flesh, granting them fiendish strength. Yet this did not come at the cost of their humanity, for a quirk of the Legion’s gene-seed extended their implantation process. Thus, Iron Bears left less of their humanity behind than many of their cousins, and were bound into Wartribes along with their auxiliary forces. This forged a great sympathy for those they fought for, and the Legion earned renown for their willingness to fight and bleed in defence of the weak.

### **Advent of the Giants**

One of the first Legions to be founded after the Lightning Bearers, the VIth Legion Astartes were created at a time when the Emperor’s armies had largely lost the advantage of shock. The likes of the Maulhand Sen Confederacy had fallen under the blades of the Thunder Warriors and inroads made into the Panpacific Empire, but the remainder of their foes had dug in and resisted tenaciously. Nathan Dume, furious at the loss of Nord Merica to this upstart faction, brought the true strength of his awful war machine to bear. In need of more Astartes to break the resulting deadlock, the Emperor created the VIth taking youths from the warlike Laker tribes of Nord Merica as its first warriors. Willingly the tribes offered up their sons, eager to see their old oppressor defeated. Here the peculiar dichotomy emerged in the VIth Legion's gene-seed. It was miraculously stable, with unheard-of numbers of aspirants surviving their implantation processes. However, the process itself was slower than that with any other Legion, as the effects of the various organs took much longer to assert themselves. As a consequence, although the VIth were not hindered by the setbacks that ailed so many of their cousins, their growth was much slower than had been hoped for.

It was soon discovered that these Astartes were more "human" than their kindred in other legions. The prolonged process of Ascension ensured that freshly recruited warriors of the VIth experienced a less abrupt "shift" than the neophytes of other Legions. While this only constituted a couple of years, the mental effects lingered and so the Legionaries of the VIth were typically found to be more relatable by unaugmented humans than those of any other Legion, save perhaps the Vth later on. However, those Legionaries who developed at a standard rate were soon found to be excellent support troops and were rapidly deployed to serve such a role in campaigns being fought by their brother legions. The reason for this excellence in a supporting role was that the VIth's natural strength and fortitude saw them carry heavy weapons with ease. Early on, onlookers observed an inclination to tinker and modify their equipment to suit whichever role the Legionary in question was called on to perform, a tendency which only increased their potency in war.

Their physical strength was deployed in a more measured way than many of their cousins, likely encouraged by their Ist Legion mentors. While the early Vth Legion fought as a storm, the VIth were more unrelenting than ferocious, weathering an assault before answering with their own crushing blows. This was epitomised by the Battle of Magellos, where they endured and threw back Dume's 80,000 Gigabrut Ravagers. Cast into disarray, the Ravagers were taken apart by the Emperor's army and the Greel Hive Cluster exposed to the Imperial advance.

By the end of the Unification Wars, the VIth stood among the first rank of Legions, easily dwarfing many despite the fluctuations in strength caused by their slow implant-process. Thus they were able to serve independently of other Legions once the Sol System was conquered. Indeed the less IIIrd Legion was attached to the VIth for a time in order to preserve the former after the losses they took in the Battle of Oberon. While the decision made practical sense, relations between the two Legions rapidly deteriorated after a few campaigns beyond the Sol System. Eagerly pursuing in the wake of victories by the Ist and Vth, the Blood Wolves fought recklessly, throwing themselves at the Imperium's enemies with abandon. Although showing a certain rambunctiousness of their own, the Iron Sixth carried themselves professionally as they enacted compliances. This may have been a matter of self-preservation in part, the Legion's command keenly aware that severe losses would leave them vulnerable for a prolonged period of time.

As the Blood Wolves grew progressively more obsessed with the audacious charge, the Sixth's stronger connection to humanity led them to disdaining their cousins' tactics. This was exacerbated by the Blood Wolves' unwillingness to coordinate strategy and tactics, insisting on a level of secrecy that further drove the two Legions apart. They yielded to the veterans of the Pan-Pacific, but not without some resentment. It would not be until a century later that amends were made at the insistence of more powerful beings.

It is with a lingering trace of irony then that the Blood Wolves would end up foreshadowing the VIth's future name. Because of their method of absorbing and countering blows rather than preempting them, the VIth were given the additional cognomen '*Juggernauts*' by their fellow Legions and those Imperial Army units that served alongside them. The only exception to this were the IIIrd Legion who instead called them '*Bjonir*' or Bears in the language of Jurfik in a veiled insult. Daer'dd is said to have found this amusing when he learned of it, noting that on many worlds bears sit above wolves in the food chain.

### **The Bear's Cradle**

Daer'dd's incubation pod split a late winter's sky on the planet Huron, coming to rest on the shore of the Ouenda sea. As the infant Primarch clambered from the wreck of his pod, he heard voices raised first in alarm, then confusion. These belonged to Noodin, heir to the Chief of the Niimkiikaa Tribe and his wife Eskisia, a scion of the Knight House Blintrubas. Having taken the noise for an attack of some kind, now they found a lost child, and unhesitatingly took him in. While a Primarch’s adoptive family would often hail them as a blessing, Daer’dd’s did so with a particular fervour. Noodin and Esikisia had wed out of love on a world where such things were typically decided by political considerations, and breaking from this custom invited dire consequences.

The true measure of this blessing became apparent within a few short years, in which the child became an imposing young warrior of astonishing might and razor-keen intelligence. He was fascinated by machines, especially the sacred armours of his mother's House. It seemed only natural to groom him as a scion, yet Blintrubas’ engineers had barely begun to adapt a throne and suit to Daer’dd’s bulk when he outgrew them entirely. Even before he was fully grown it had become apparent that no Knight the household had possessed would bear his weight. Moreover, the notion of putting him at the controls of a war machine had become redundant as the Primarch came into his full power. His strength allowed him to wear armour and bear weapons that seemed more suited to a war machine than a man. With these he displayed a preternatural skill, whether he wielded a gun, sword or throwing axe. Many of these he forged himself, and he created masterful weapons for his kin and allies. Even bereft of weapons and raiment, he was beyond any mortal or beast in sheer lethality.

Certainly, there was no shortage of foes ready to test Daer'dd's abilities. Niimkiikaa and Blintrubas had powerful foes, and the marriage of Noodin and Eskisia offended other Houses who had offered matches for her. With whispers of their strange child circulating, it took only a few years for icy politicking to turn into outright violence. Retributive attacks were made, aiming to deprive the Niimkiikaa and Blintrubas of their power and standing, only to falter when Daer’dd joined his tribe's armies and unleashed his might against their foes. Once it became clear to the rival lords that the tales of a giant who felled Knights were true, the fighting took on a new intensity.

Yet it was not to the ruin of Niimkiikaa, but their foes. Daer'dd's genius for the making of weapons was applied to the armies that served his tribe. Perhaps most importantly, he refined the primitive power armour used on Huron, and while it did not approach the warplate which adorned the Emperor’s Legions, it gave his people a crucial edge. Meanwhile his understanding of war only grew, and away from the battlefield, a dream began to take form in the young warrior's mind.

Studying whatever history he could find, he was enthralled by the image they painted of a prosperous, united society. Mere dominance did little to stir his blood; the vision he conceived, in contrast, was electrifying. He began to extol it, winning allies for his ideals as much as the his tribe’s strength drew them to his side. Messengers in sublight spacecraft were dispatched to Accer Ferrus and Xephyr, carrying his message to any willing to hear it. Many scorned it, but some accepted eagerly. First, a scattering of idealistic warriors took leave of their families, risking or even embracing banishment as the price of serving Daer'dd. Soon, as the last swathes of Huron fell under the sway of Niimkiikaa, entire Houses and tribes added their strength to his. Foremost among them were House August of Accer Ferrus, who had committed early on, as well as the Xephyrite Songblade Clan.

Others resisted, however, cobbling together alliances in a vain effort to hold back the tide. Their hatred curdled into obsession, and drove them to deeds which frightened off many who might have stood with them. Some delved into sorceries prohibited among the shaman orders of Huron. Others took to the void and hunted for spoil among the wreckage of old battles. The most bitterly determined slunk away from the system entirely, seeking even more extreme ways to oppose Daer'dd's advance. They alone would survive the unification of Huron, Xephyr and Accer Ferrus.

### **Iron and Embers**

The violence of Old Night obscures much of its history. Decades of painstaking study have yielded only in fragments the origins of the Three Fires, or Tricendia to give its High Gothic name. What is known is that the region was once home to a powerful interstellar polity, as evidenced by the archeotech retained across several worlds. It would seem that this is partly due to a large population of Demiurge, Squats in common parlance. They also enjoyed access to ample mineral wealth for industry, which allowed them to endure for millennia. The Huron system was densely populated, and sublight travel to neighbouring systems was quite feasible. Just as importantly, they possessed a formidable army, the heart of which was a confederation of Knight Houses.

However, these Houses were to prove a catalyst for ruinous conflict when a Mechanicum Explorator fleet came across the subsector. What archives have been uncovered on Mars indicate that the Explorators had founded a functioning Forge World along with smaller colonies and traded with the inhabitants of the now Three Fires for a time. Despite this promising start, relations deteriorated rapidly. Both material greed on the part of the Magos and affront at the Knights’ refusal to accept their natural allegiance to the Cult Mechanicus are blamed for this. Undoubtedly there are subtler factors, now lost like tracks obliterated by a sandstorm.

What is known is that war raged for decades, devastating planets on both sides. Other factions - Orks, abhumans, unidentified xenos - saw weakness, and attacked opportunistically. Over centuries, the two enemies were ground down to the point where they fragmented, the old Tricendians beyond even planetary unity. The Mechanicum domain crumbled, with only the domains of Oamura and Kotossa remaining, sundered by distance. To their old foes, they ultimately became little more than myth and allegory, though traces of them remained in the technology of more advanced planets. Indeed, the raiment in which Daer’dd clad his armies had as much in common with Skitarii and automata as it did the designs used by the Emperor for His armies.

Knight Houses scattered across the subsector, claiming what territory they could. Some were consumed by internecine conflict, while others fell to outside threats or burned themselves out trying to sustain their strength with meagre resources. Across the core systems of Huron, Xephyr and Accer Ferrus, no one House managed to dominate a planet, and tribal systems maintained a significant share of governance on those worlds. Conflict was restrained; wars were fought for advantage, but no House gained sufficient power to be confident of anything better than a pyrrhic victory. Traditions relaxed slightly as Houses and tribes mixed; the scion of a House might instead choose to learn the disciplines of infantry, armoured or aerial combat instead of bonding with a walker.

Thus the prosperity of the past faded almost entirely from memory, and over centuries, many came to believe that their existence had ever been fractured and perilous. Yet when the outriders of the Great Crusade went in search of the Explorators, they ran up against the borders of a small but powerful empire, quite willing to embrace the Emperor’s rule. When they reported their findings they knew there could only be one reason for such a power to have risen in a matter of mere decades. They had found a prize whose value outshone any industry or army - a Primarch.

### **Melded and Alloyed**

"*You shall no longer be Juggernauts, but Bears of iron and steel, fierce and hardy, ready to take the light of the Imperial Truth to all corners of the galaxy and feast until the final sunset of the universe!*"
— Daer'dd Niimkiikaa declaration upon taking command of the VIth Legion
Twenty-four years of war and diplomacy saw Daer'dd firmly in control of what he dubbed the Three Fires, or Tricendia to use its High Gothic name. By the time his father located him, that name served for an empire of eighteen worlds, though raiding and skirmishes continued along their borders. Moreover, Daer'dd rejoiced to meet the Emperor and his brothers, and the meeting with his Legion went much the same way. Daer’dd mandated that his sons would become protectors of his realm as well as crusaders but also invited them to join him in shaping the next generation of their Legion. Juggernauts travelled the length of the Three Fires, watching the trials of aspirants as they themselves learned the ways of their Primarch's culture and the armies he would have them fight beside.

The ease of this transition was fortunate, as politically Daer'dd's realm threatened to cause serious discord between Terra and Mars. Not only had Forge colonies been conquered, but now their Mechanicum doctrines were diluted, their inhabitants bound by oaths they were unwilling to sever. The Demiurge only made for another complication, caught on the blurred line between abhuman and xenos. It was only with difficulty and the Emperor’s own influence that compromises were reached, and neither Oamura nor Kotossa were regarded warmly by the Fabricator General, denied the status of Forge Worlds despite their size and output.

Daer'dd found himself master of a Legion which, although it had been one of the largest after Unity on Terra, had long since found itself eclipsed by faster-growing Legions. That he integrated it so seamlessly into the fabric of Tricendia was a testament to the extended implantation period. Upon the first intake of Tricendian recruits achieving the status of full Astartes, Daer'dd renamed the VIth as the Iron Bears. Extensive reforms to its structure would follow over the next ten years, but for now the Legion threw itself back into the Great Crusade, adding another eight systems to Tricendia. In these wars Daer'dd found the last of those who had opposed his earlier conquests, allied with xenos or corrupted by forbidden technologies and sorceries. Perhaps the most loathsome were the Morraigha, who harnessed the sciences of genetic manipulation and cloning to create abhumans of monstrous strength and savagery, which they then fashioned into automata and servitors of a power to test even the Astartes. Across three systems Daer'dd led his forces against them, until the last fortress tumbled under the guns of the Legio Auris and the cloners were put to the sword.

With Tricendia completed, Daer'dd took his place in the wider Crusade, and finally the Iron Bears began to grow into one of the mightiest Legions, fed by the pocket empire. As with so much of the early Imperium's campaigns, the historiography is often maddeningly limited; while some remembrancers established close bonds with their hosts, there was a limit to the things an Astartes will speak of. In several campaigns all we can tell is that Daer'dd was mentored by a brother, and the Iron Bears gave an excellent account of themselves. Others are better documented, and we see the kinship shared by the Juggernauts and Halcyon Wardens continued in their new incarnation, as well as Daer'dd's role as unlikely mentor to Pionus Santor. The timeline is punctuated as much by Daer’dd’s technological achievements as military victories, including the Mauler-pattern Land Raider and the king-ship *Dragon of Autumn*. Even with their newfound strength, it took a further twenty-three years until the Iron Bears could campaign independently of any other Legion, and a further decade until Daer'dd could form expeditionary multiple fleets. Their auxiliary forces were to prove vital in enabling the Iron Bears to fight effectively despite their limited numbers.

The rare quality of their wargear set both the Legion and their auxiliaries apart, and terrestrial war machines featured heavily in their line of battle. Conversely, the Iron Bears took particular pleasure in close combat, and often used their armour to deploy and quickly engage their enemies. There was logic to this as well as a love for the melee; nowhere else did a Space Marine's enhancements count for more, and Daer'dd led these attacks wherever possible. Frequent injuries were the price paid for this tendency, however, leading to a high rate of bionic augmentation among the Legion. Nonetheless, the Iron Bears proved extremely hard to kill, and this as much as anything enabled them to grow steadily as a Legion over the course of the Great Crusade.

In the eyes of the mortal soldier and citizen, the Iron Bears became heroes to stand beside the Halcyon Wardens and Lightning Bearers. Against human cultures, their ferocity was measured, deployed to overwhelm the defenders and stave off the devastation of longer conflicts. Against xenos they were the bringers of oblivion, levelling empires across the breadth of the Galaxy. Daer’dd’s ideals and conduct earned him close friendships with several of his brothers, though others had little regard for the VIth. This was perhaps one of the reasons why Daer'dd was not considered by many as a potential candidate for the post of Warmaster. At the same time, he was not a political animal to the degree of Alexandros and Kozja; he preferred to delegate such matters to trusted subordinates within his realm and Legion and dedicate himself to campaigning.

As Icarion plotted his rebellion, he recognised that Daer'dd's allegiance to the Emperor would never waver, and there was no division among his sons that could be exploited. Indeed, with Icarion's belief that Alexandros would take his side, the Iron Bears were perceived as the greatest threat to the Insurrection. Thus their destruction was plotted most carefully of all, and they would pay the steepest price for their loyalty.

## **Notable Campaigns**

### **The Clash at Hahmpin (856. M30)**

Main article: The Clash At Hahmpin

The first of the Tricendian Conquests, the Clash at Hahmpin saw the Bears and their allies annihilate an Ork horde and deliver the Hahmpin system into the embrace of Tricendia.

### **The Fall of the Morraigha (859. M30)**

The Morraigha were old foes of Daer'dd, Huronian warlords who had fled the advance of his armies and built an army by enslaving planetary populations and twisting them into servitors and automata of twisted form of terrible power. A few years into the Iron Bears' campaign to expand Tridendia, the Morraigha were found ruling over a trio of systems. To destroy them Daer'dd deployed the full power of the Legio Auris, House Blinstrubas and August alongside his Legion, and the worlds and void constructs they ruled over were cleansed.

### **The Battle of Lorspatha (892. M30)**

The Eldar of the Craftworld Lorspatha were an example of their race which had fallen to madness in the wake of their race's fall. Having destroyed an expeditionary fleet, they threw back another in disarray before Daer'dd brought them to battle with the First and Fourth Grand Wartribes at his back. During the battle the Eldar unleashed an Avatar of Khaine in an attempt to halt the Imperial advance. Daer'dd confronted the beast and, though it rent his Terminator plate beyond repair, shattered its sword, cast it down and tore its head from its shoulders.

### **The Defeat of WAAAGH! Skulkrak (902. M30)**

Shortly after the 100th year of the Great Crusade, the Iron Bears stumbled upon the ork empire of Warboss Skulkrak. Spanning nearly a dozen systems, the empire was a hornet's nest of greenskins and the Iron Bears arrival woke it. The campaign which followed would be one of the bloodiest in the history of the VI legion and it would eventually drag in the X legion as well as the fighting intensified, making it one of the largest campaigns in the history of the Great Crusade.

When the Iron Bears first encountered Waaagh! Skulkrak, they numbered only those of the legion who had been attached to the 76th expedition, around 27,000 Iron Bears(including the elite Totem Guard). Meeting the orks in battle, instead of using any complex stratagem, the Iron Bears simply hurled themselves into battle, seeking to hammer the orks into oblivion, fighting brute force with brute force. However, far from subjugating the vast horde of orks, this merely drew more of them to the fight as they saw in the Iron Bears a foe who would truly be a challenge to defeat. So it was that, as the ork's numbers grew, Daer'dd was forced to muster his entire legion, all 140,000 of the Iron Bears. With his iron fist assembled, Daer'dd drove on into the ork empire with renewed determination.

However, while each battle fought against the greenskins was a victory, each was bought at a high price in VI legion blood and as the ranks of the Iron Bears were slowly whittled away, the greenskins numbers seemed to be unharmed or even to have grown. However, retreat was not an option. They would either triumph or they would die in the attempt yet it was becoming increasingly evident that Daer'dd and his sons, for all their formidable strength, lacked the numbers to see the campaign through and so, they sent out word requesting aid even as they pushed on, advancing ever further into the hornet's nest. Soon, their calls were answered by Niklaas and almost the entirety of the Fire Keepers Legion.

United with the implacable Xth, the VIth were able to resume their relentless advance and, while casualties were still heavy, they continued to be victorious over the orks. In these battles, the implacable wall of the Fire Keepers often provided the anvil upon which the greenskins were broken by the unstoppable hammer of the Iron Bears. However, while this alliance enabled them to crush the orks, problems also arose from the two legions differences. On many an occasion, the headstrong sons of Huron would rush on ahead of the relentless advance of the Fire Keepers or the Xth would insist upon eradicating every trace of the greenskins before moving on while the Iron Bears sought to crush the larger bodies of orks, willing to leave the smaller groups until the main body of the enemy had been defeated. Yet despite these differences, the two legions pushed the orks back until, finally, they arrived at the heart of the beast's lair, the capital of Warboss Skulkrak's empire, Aexoris.

It was upon the huge river valleys of Aexoris that the final great battle of the campaign was fought. With the full might of both legions deployed, the battle would last two days and the rivers running across the battle field would run black and red with the blood of both orks and astartes as the ranks of the Iron Bears and Fire Keepers clashed with the hordes of greenskins. However, as the two legions fought the orks and Niklaas strode through the orks, smashing dozens aside with his hammer at a time, Daer'dd and his Totem Guard charged Warboss Skulkrak and his nobz. Being almost as large as the giant primarch, Skulkrak was without a doubt the mightiest ork warlord ever encountered by the Imperium. However, when dawn finally came on the second day, it was the Bear who was victorious, having ripped the Warboss open. Seeing their leader defeated, the orks broke although many were slaughtered as they attempted to escape.

While fighting in the former empire of Skulkrak would carry on for years after this final battle, as the orks fought each other and the Imperial Army cleansed the systems of their presences, the battle of Aexoris broke the back of the empire and the Waaagh!. However, such victory came at a high price. Almost 18,000 Fire Keepers and more than 40,000 of the Iron Bears had been killed in the process of defeating the Waaagh. Yet after the campaign was finished, none could doubt the strength possessed by the VI.

### **The Ibsen Campaign (961. M30)**

The Iron Bears, Halcyon Wardens and Shepherds of Eden waged a campaign on this world against the Eldar, who used their psyker powers to turn the planet's monstrous fauna against the Astartes and their allies.

### **Waaagh! 'eadbursta**

The Iron Bears and Predators confronted and destroyed this Ork Waaagh! on Yutan III. The Orks had an unusually large number of Weirdboy psyker-elements, and the Librarians of the Predators used their strange Warpcraft to wield the enemy's power against them.

### **The Taking of Melanaath**

The Bears fought a costly battle alongside the Crimson Lions to destroy the power of this Eldar Craftworld.

### **The Siege of the Iron Citadel**

The Iron Bears lifted a siege by Orks against the Auretian Technocracy and the Shepherds of Eden, breaking the Ork horde in the process.

### **The Salvation of Mordian (998. M30)**

Late in the Qarith Crusade, a powerful fleet of the xenos broke out of the shrinking theatre and struck deep into Imperial frontier space. The Iron Bears' First Grand Wartribe interdicted and destroyed them, the *Dragon of Autumn* doing much to tip the balance in the void.

### **The Conquest of Laeran (999. M30-0.M31)**

The Iron Bears' First Grand Wartribe carried out the extermination of the vile Laer species alongside the Scions Hospitalier.

### **The Locria Castigation (005.M31)**

The VIth Legion joined the Warbringers in the cleansing of the heretek Forge World Locria. The commanders of the two Legions butted heads throughout the campaigns, with the Martian Mechanicum Adepts also clashing with the Iron Bears.

### **The Destruction of the Wraekan Dreor (007-8, M31)**

A large XIXth Legion contingent, under the leadership of Odyssalas and Glaucus and joined by a sizeable force of House Toho Knights, joined the Iron Bears in this campaign. The Wraekan Dreor were a debased Knight House which had taken up a reaver's existence on the Northeastern Fringe and had been marked for destruction for decades. The two Legions and their Knight allies fought a bloody campaign over a year and a half which broke the power of the Wraekan Dreor and claimed many of their sacred armours for the Imperium.

### **The Fall of the Ouklid**

This debased and violent abhuman race were exterminated by the Iron Bears.

### **The Ginlas Rebellion (17. M31)**

The Rogue Trader Merrice Ginlas made an audacious attempt to hold several systems around her fief to ransom in order to expand her power. With a powerful army to enforce her will, she was confident of extracting concessions from the Imperium. However a Lightning Bearers fleet caught wind of her scheme, and Icarion vowed to personally see the rebel dead. To this end he called upon Daer'dd Niimkiikaa and Raktra Akarro, and Ginlas' forces were dismembered by the elites of three Legiones Astartes. Ginlas died upon Icarion's spear and the operation was deemed a great success, remarkably clean considering the involvement of the VIIth Legion. However tensions had arisen during the campaign, mainly between the Berserkers and Iron Bears but also between Icarion and Daer'dd.

## **Legion Home World**

### **Iron and Embers**

The violence of Old Night obscures much of its history. Decades of painstaking study have yielded only in fragments the origins of the Three Fires, or Tricendia to give its High Gothic name. What is known is that the region was once home to a powerful interstellar polity, as evidenced by the archaeotech retained across several worlds. It would seem that this is partly due to a large population of Demiurge, Squats in common parlance. They also enjoyed access to ample mineral wealth for industry, which allowed them to endure for millennia. The Huron system was densely populated, and sublight travel to neighbouring systems was quite feasible. Just as importantly, they possessed a formidable army, the heart of which was a confederation of Knight Houses.

However, these Houses were to prove a catalyst for ruinous conflict when a Mechanicum Explorator fleet came across the sub-sector. What archives have been uncovered on Mars indicate that the Explorators had founded a functioning Forge World along with smaller colonies and traded with the inhabitants of the now Three Fires for a time. Despite this promising start, relations deteriorated rapidly. Both material greed on the part of the Magos and affront at the Knights’ refusal to accept their natural allegiance to the Cult Mechanicus are blamed for this. Undoubtedly there are subtler factors, now lost like tracks obliterated by a sandstorm.

What is known is that war raged for decades, devastating planets on both sides. Other factions - Orks, abhumans, unidentified xenos - saw weakness, and attacked opportunistically. Over centuries, the two enemies were ground down to the point where they fragmented, the old Tricendians beyond even planetary unity. The Mechanicum domain crumbled, with only the domains of Oamura and Kotossa remaining, sundered by distance. To their old foes, they ultimately became little more than myth and allegory, though traces of them remained in the technology of more advanced planets. Indeed, the raiment in which Daer'dd clad his armies had as much in common with Skitarii and automata as it did the designs used by the Emperor for His armies.

Knight Houses scattered across the sub-sector, claiming what territory they could. Some were consumed by internecine conflict, while others fell to outside threats or burned themselves out trying to sustain their strength with meagre resources. Across the Core Systems of Huron, Xephyr and Accer Ferrus, no one House managed to dominate a planet, and tribal systems maintained a significant share of governance on those worlds. Conflict was restrained; wars were fought for advantage, but no House gained sufficient power to be confident of anything better than a pyrrhic victory. Traditions relaxed slightly as Houses and tribes mixed; the scion of a House might instead choose to learn the disciplines of infantry, armoured or aerial combat instead of bonding with a walker.

Thus the prosperity of the past faded almost entirely from memory, and over centuries, many came to believe that their existence had ever been fractured and perilous. Yet when the outriders of the Great Crusade went in search of the Explorators, they ran up against the borders of a small but powerful empire, quite willing to embrace the Emperor’s rule. When they reported their findings they knew there could only be one reason for such a power to have risen in a matter of mere decades. They had found a prize whose value outshone any industry or army - a Primarch.

### **Huron**

Huron is the Jewel of the Three Fires sub-sector, a "Super Earth" at 1.8x the size of Terra and 2.1x the gravity. It is a world rich with dense metals including Iron, Copper, Tungsten, Cobalt, and Osmium. It is covered in vast, relatively shallow fresh water oceans with little more than glorified islands covered in coniferous and hardwood forests. It has a semi elliptical orbit around a single star leading to long Autumnal and Winter seasons. While standing at a high technological state, space travel had been almost non existent outside of the sub-sector because of warp storms.

#### **The Lord**

The VIth Legion's citadel, known colloquially as '*The Lodge*', was carved from a mountain heavy in osmium and tungsten. Essentially, this mountain is its own island rising from sapphire waters, the rock's slate-like colour palate and glinting ore deposits are striking. The entrance of The Lodge was carved from a near 20,000 foot sheer cliff. This over looks a very large port and bay at the base of the mountain. At the Bay's entrance is The Light of Huron. This ornate marble and copper spiral tower stands exactly 1,066 feet tall; while it is a literal lighthouse for ships it is also the home of the planet's Astropath choir. The locals see it as both a literal and figurative beacon of hope.

The face of the entrance is adorned with long gothic-style glass windows. While some of these massive portals are narrow some are over two miles long. The cyclopean doors are a thousand feet of wrought iron and copper, detailing the many great feats of Daer'dd and The Emperor. There are far smaller more sensible doors for common use. On either side of the door there are four gargantuan Birch trees (a symbol of home) seemingly half grown into the rocks itself. These eight trees create three alcoves on either side of the door. In the naves directly next to the doors stand The Guardians; two ancient Imperator-class Titans gifted to, and then completely rebuilt by Daer'dd while uniting the Three Fires. In the other four spots stand a single bronze statue in each known as the Dauntless Few.

On the backside of the mountain there is a large waterfall and a vast forest. At it's heart stands Wiigwaas, the first Birch Tree. Amongst the trees spindly towers can be seen the homes of the Legion's specialist Astartes, from Shaman to Apothecary. The Island itself sits in the straits between the two largest islands of Huron, it's face overlooking the capital of Chi'boygaan on the southern isle and the (eventual) pilgrimage/tourist stops of Maakiinac and Marquette. Whilst hundreds of various islands sit in or near the straits, the island that's home to the Three Fires High Council coliseum sits due east of The Lodge.

## **Legion Beliefs**

### **The Story of Birch**

It is no secret that amongst the Iron Bears the Birch tree is somewhat sacred, it is the helping tree, the tree of life; so much so unlike other legions the healers of the VIth's Apothecarian don't paint their armour white, but instead plaster it with the white paper bark of the tree. So then it will come as no surprise that a brethren given the name Birchkin has achieved greatness.

A genius before he was an Astartes there were few like Samael Mitigaan. Born in Chi'boygaan almost a century after joining the imperium. After his selection into the ranks of the VIth it was plain to see his great mind at work, first with the Smiths then with the Apothecaries. He quickly blended the two technologies pushing forward towards greater augmentation. By this time Daer'dd took him under his wing and they achieved greatness unparalleled from self-healing armour to automail. And medical technologies that granted virtual immortality.

It is this that has lead Samael Mitigaan the Birchkin to be one of Daer'dd's top advisors.

## **Legion Gene-Seed**

"*I am the son of a hundred generations who fought to survive Old Night. My culture is born of the same firestorm. My bionics harken back to the beasts that hunted the precursors of our species, and represent the refinement of techniques over dozens of millennia. That is equally true of my armour and my other weapons, crafted by another culture that arose from war-blighted ruins. At my core is the design of my physiology and mind, focused utterly on turning men into peerless weapons. I have had my genetic code laced with the imprint of my general, bonding me to him and my comrades in ways that defy easy description.
I am the product of millennia of struggle.*"
— Achille Nibaasiniiwi, Chief Praetor of the 1st Grand Wartribe
The knowledge of the Iron Bears slow development and resistance to mental indoctrination was quickly linked to two of the Astartes implants; the Catalepsean Node and Sus-an Membrane. The Catalepsean Node was first found to be flawed in a small number of Terran recruits, and developing erratically as the VIth Legion's numbers grew. After long deployments an Iron Bear's Sus-an Membrane will kick in and put the Astartes in suspension for a week or more after an extended deployment. As time progresses the Astartes of the VIth also started requiring longer sleep cycles than other Astartes when not in a deployment. This continued developing until only 1 in 100 Iron Bears were not effected, in extended periods of combat it was also found that within Iron Bears the Catalepsean Node was severely damaging itself during use, thankfully this damage was able to be mitigated by the brilliant Master Apothecary Samael Mitigaan.

It's well established that Huronian culture detests the eating of humaniod flesh, so Daer'dd created the Wendiigo corps out of his most brutal and bloodthirsty recruits - those whose souls had been deemed too dark and malevolent - they bore a burden for these berserkers had no place truly in the Legion, but did not leave Daer'dd's kin at a tactical disadvantage if the situation called for it. When the Wendiigo rebelled against their brothers the position was ignored, following this through it's disuse the Omophage started to fail, eventually simply not even developing for the Iron Bear gene-seed.

Whilst the Iron Bears can claim to be the largest and strongest Astartes this does not come without it's own disadvantages. First and foremost is energy upkeep, for an Astartes of the VIth has to take in a massive amount of both calories for energy and protein to maintain their increased muscle mass. This additional intake is nearly double that of an average Legionary. Thankfully the Iron Bears are fine logisticians, though it is often joked that the VIth could lay waste to an agri-world with little more than their bellies.

The other downside is being unable to adapt to the rhythm of warfare, unlike their cousins whom are proficient at the push and pull and start and stop of war, they can quickly lose momentum and be caught flat-footed, which has led to their unrelenting style of warfare. In addition, they're amongst the least capable defenders of any Legion where the stagnant nature of combat leaves them without their overwhelming combat style, instead they have learned be adept counter-charge specialists, and leave defensive fortifications to their more apt brethren in the Halcyon Wardens and Fire Keepers.

## **Legion Organisation and Structure**

The Iron Bears legion was heavily restructured after being reunited with there genesire Daer'dd Niimkiikaa. Daer'dd based the legion structure on the Grand War Tribes he used to conquer and unite Huron and the whole Three Fires sub-sector.

Daer'dd reworked the VIth Legion into the same structure he had built for Tricendia’s armies, to the extent that officially and functionally, his sons were simply another component of these. Six Grand Wartribes formed the broadest formations, and these later became the basis of the Legion's Expeditionary Fleets. In addition, each was charged with the defence of a domain within the Three Fires, from which they would draw their recruits. Over time these different domains came to exert their own distinctive influences on the Wartribes they fed.

A Wartribe comprised a number of Great Companies, roughly equivalent to Battalions in size. At the company level, composition varied extensively according to the preferences of the captain and the officers he served under. However, there were clear trends across the Legion, especially a relatively small proportion of tactical squads. This is attributed largely to the Legion’s fondness for hand-to-hand combat, with many of those squads frequently deploying in the 'despoiler' configuration. Assault squads and breacher squads were commonplace, and one of these would form the vanguard in almost any infantry action. Conversely, heavy support squads were also well-represented as they had been among the Juggernauts, the Bears' busy forges providing them with a varied and fearsome arsenal.

Such industry also ensured that the Bears retained several thousand suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armour and possibly the largest number of Dreadnoughts fielded by any Legion. Their vehicular arsenal skewed towards heavy tanks and transports, although it is noted that they also adapted the fast terrestrial vehicles used by Daer'dd in his early conquests. These frequently deployed with skyhunter squadrons, the Bears utilising jetbikes which, while less nimble than more common patterns, boasted greater armour and were capable of carrying their riders through close-range assaults.

Save for the Grand Wartribes, within the Legion all units had a tendency to be known by honorific names as opposed to numerals. These often stemmed from old battles or fallen leaders, although some delved into Tricendian myth for their moniker. Recently raised companies often lacked anything but a numeral, and their members were spurred on by a desire to “earn a name” for their band of warriors.

As warriors advanced, they gravitated towards one of three “Totem Marks” according to their skills and temperament. These were the Marks of the Warrior, Slayer and Hunter. Tactical and breacher marines typically gravitated toward the Warrior Mark and assault marines to the Slayer, but Hunters were much rarer; solitary killers often disdaining company beyond their squads, in extreme cases pursuing their grim goals to the point of becoming moritats. Over time, Daer'dd would make further reforms, shaping the Legion to fight more easily in its preferred way. Squads became clans, and breacher and tactical units were consolidated into the emergent Warborn clans, effectively entrenching the Warrior Mark as a signifier of role as well as prowess. Each Mark commanded respect, even in the informal setting of the warrior lodges.

### **Legion Formations**

* ***Gitchii Anishinaabekaa*** - Grand Wartribe
* ***Anishinaabekaa*** - Chapter
* ***Zagaswe*** - Company
* ***Okiwiinowag*** - Squad

### **Legion Rank Structure**

* **High Lord Chief (Primarch)**
* **Lord Chiefs [Chapter Masters] (6)**
* **Masters (High Cleric [Reclusiarch], Master Shaman [Chief Librarian], Master of the Totem [Forge], Master Healer [Apothecarion])**
* **Chief Praetors (42)**
* **Chief Captains**
* **Chief Centurions**
* **Chief Sergeants**
* **Master Sergeants**
* **Master Brethren (Veteran Legionaries)**
* **Brethren (Battle-Brother)**
* **Neophytes**

### **Legion Command Hierarchy**

    Each Grand Wartribe was commanded by a Lord Chief, who was supported by a Tribe council comprising both senior Astartes and mortal officers. Typically it would include the commanders of each Auxilia regiment, Titan maniple and Knight detachment oathed to the tribe, as well as the Marshal of the Tribe’s Daughters and high-ranking magos. Below the council, the chain of command retained much of the Terran system, proceeding from tribune - Battalion commander within the VIth - to captain, centurion, senior sergeant and then sergeant.

Tribunes held a rank roughly equivalent to praetors, and functioned in much the same way, commanding the Legion’s Great Companies. While most operated closely with the Lord Chief they served, others campaigned more independently, leading their Great Companies as autonomous forces. It was typically the duty of a single Tribune for each Aspirant cycle to return to Tricendia and monitor the Ascension of his Wartribe’s new recruits. During this time he would be responsible for the defence of his Tribe’s domain and play a role in its governance, until another arrived to take his place. Then the Tribune would bring the neophytes to take their place on the battlefields of the Crusade.

Rank was typically earned through battlefield achievement. It was not unknown for a Chaplain, Shaman or other officer to mentor a promising warrior and advocate for his ascent through the ranks, but words had to be proven with iron. The unusual integration of mortal elements meant that an Astartes might be proposed for higher command by an Auxilia officer. Moreover, informal honours displayed in personal heraldry were well-established among the Bears; a warrior’s ascendancy might be invisible to outsiders, but obvious to one who knew their customs.

The Legion's Chaplain order overlapped to a considerable degree with their Shamans and Techmarines. The latter were immersed in the permutation of the Machine Cult which lingered in Tricendia, and they devoted much of their time to caring for the Legion’s many Dreadnoughts. The revenants were indeed held in high esteem by their brothers, and it was not unusual for one or more to attend the Tribe council when able.

### **Specialist Formations**

* **Totem Guard (*Ogichidaa, Dodem Gizhaadige*)** - Elite Honour Guard veteran formation; personal bodyguard of Daer'dd. Upon taking command of his Legion, Daer'dd formed a Chapter under the command of his foster brother Brutus. At its core were the surviving warriors who had served as his bodyguard in the Three Fires, but Daer'dd swiftly integrated a number of existing companies as well as promising recruits both Terran and (Three Fires). This would become the core of the First Grand Wartribe as Daer'dd remoulded his Legion. The Totem Guard embodied the duality of life as a Primarch's favoured warriors; bolstered by the finest wargear and the presence of their sire, yet continuously tested in the most arduous fights so none could question their prowess. One of the Bears' largest Chapters, they also boasted an extraordinary concentration of veterans, and the bounty of Daer'dd's favour extended to their arsenal of vehicles as well as personal wargear. Rare vehicles such as the Glaive super-heavy tank were more abundant here than anywhere else in the Legion, and many vehicles bore modifications by the Primarch himself. The elite of the elite of the Iron Bears Legion, these are warriors who have proven themselves time and time again over several decades of constant warfare. Virtually all have sustained severe injuries and possess extensive augmetics. Legion Apothecaries use drugs to further promote from the Biscopea and Ossmodula to further push these Astartes' physically even closer to their gene-father. Whilst serving as Daer'dd's personal Wartribe they also serve as the six Lord Chief's personal retinues. Their value to the VIth Legion is such, that they are rarely deployed en mass, but when they are, it is said even the most heavily defended planets last less than a day before it's over run by these ferocious defenders of Mankind.
* **The Sixty-Six (*Gagiigin*)** - An informal name for Daer'dd's most elite and honoured warriors. (No formal recognition).
* **The Chosen of Daer'dd (*Onaabanjigaazo Dodem*)** - The chosen ten-thousand warriors of Daer'dd. Simply referred to as The Onaa.
* **The Iron Guard (*Pewabic Gizhaadan*)** - Terminator Veteran elites, wear all marks of Terminator Armour.
* **Oathbound Slayers** - Elite Veteran formation.
* **Phalanx Wardens (*Gizhaadan Niigoshin*)** - Specialist Breacher Assault formation that utilises servo-mounted combi-weapons and power tomahawks. In brutal armoured assaults and boarding actions, the Phalanx Wardens are an invaluable resource to the legion. Often creating barriers for other clans to fire over, or creating an opening for Slayer Clans to assault from.
* **Fire Walkers/Fireborn (*Ishkodewan*)** - Flamer/Melta specialists, Hunter-marked.
* **The Firebound (*Ishkode Dikobadoon*)** - Destroyers, Slayer-marked.
* **The Warborn (*Andobaniigi*)** - Veteran Tacticals, Warrior-marked.
* **The Oathbound (*Jaaginazh*)** - Assault Marines, Slayer-marked.
* **The Ironbound (*Pewaboniigi*)** - Heavy fast-attack assault formation that utilises jump packs, storm shields and melee weapons. They were founded by Lord Chief R. Damon Redd, Lord Chief of the 4th Great Wartribe. Based on the company that Lord Chief Redd founded after Huron's union with the Imperium, the Ironbound Slayers soon became imitated across the VIth, gaining a reputation as warriors of surpassing prowess. Considered second only to the Totem Guard and accordingly gifted the finest weapons and armour, they were ever at the forefront, seeking the most worthy foes or scattering lesser opponents like straws in a firestorm. While never cruel, their demeanour in battle was of gleeful, ferocious abandon, glorying in any chance to enjoy their bladework. With blades, fists and shields they descended on their foes like an avalanche, death given form of flesh and iron.
* **Ghost Walkers (*Jibawiodosem*)** - Recon and Headhunters elite, Warrior and Slayer-marked.
* **Windriders/Stormriders/Outriders (*Nichiiwadoomwigo/Noodindomwigo/Jaagindoomwigo*)** - Jetbikes, Bikes, Attack Bikes and Land Speeders.
* **Warborn Hunters** - Heavy support unit, utilised for deep strike missions. Often utilises plasma cannons. Amongst the most revered of the VIth legions troops, the warriors of the Warborn Clan are always amongst the first strike. Whilst they lack true armour killing abilities, they are an absolute nightmare for the opposing enemies' troop, as they launch deep strikes into the heart of the enemy and slaughter them with a frightening volume of firepower.
* **Slayers (*Jaaginazh*)**
* **Hunters (*Giiyosewinini*)**
* **Warriors (*Ogichidaa*)**
* **Dreadnought Iron Clan Hellfire Talon** -

### **Non-Astartes Formations**

* The **Daughters of Daer’dd** were born of the wars that created the Three Fires, and the fierce loyalty they kindled in both Daer’dd and the soldiers who aided his rise to power. Perhaps in an echo of the Knight Houses which ruled much of Huron, Xephyr and Accer Ferrus, the armies that fought over the shattered territory counted many women among their ranks.

Unity with Terra brought the opportunity for the men who served Daer’dd to undergo Ascension and many took it, braving the dangers of late implantation to continue fighting with the Primarch. To the women in his armies, no such choice was available, and the Daughters of Daer’dd were his answer. Comprising the finest female soldiers of the Three Fires, they were equipped to accompany the Iron Bears into battle. Power armour was designed for them, albeit of a kind less sophisticated and durable than that worn by the Astartes, and weapons to match.

The result was an army comparable to the renowned Solar Auxilia in its power, albeit one meant to be integrated into Iron Bears’ own order of battle instead of an independent force. Indeed, companies of Daughters were formally counted as part of Legion clans and wartribes, as were standard regiments raised from Tricendia and its Knight Households. In all but the most lethal of warzones they fought but one step behind their “brothers”, proud to face the same hazards.

### **War Disposition**

The Iron Bears stood at 180,000 Astartes on the Day of Revelation, one of the largest Legions and closely tied to powerful auxiliary forces. Knights were oathed in various numbers to each Wartribe along with Auxilia regiments, and Choirs of Daughters which more than matched Daer'dd's sons in number. An impressive number of Titans also stood with the VIth, being the Legions that had joined his forces with the Forge colonies Oamura and Kotossi, and the Legion’s armoury contained a vast array of tanks. The relentless drive of both Daer'dd and his techmarines to refine and improve ensured that many prototype variants were housed aboard the fleet, often to be lost forever in the violence over Kataii.

The same fate awaited the vast bulk of House Blintrubas and the Legio Auris, as well as many Knights from lesser Houses and an estimated thirty Titans of the Legio Fatalis. The loss of these engines was a grievous blow to the Legion on an emotional level, quite apart from the power they represented. Among them were machines which had fought in the unification of the Three Fires, reminders of their glorious past more potent than any relic or trophy. With them went pilots, crew and technicians who had been an integral part of the Legion for decades.

The Legion fleet, whilst not rivalling those of the Steel Legion or Void Eagles, was nonetheless one of the larger fleets, and contained some monstrously powerful vessels extensively modified over decades of service. The *Dragon of Autumn* was considered by many to be the most powerful vessel of the Legiones Astartes. The array of Tricendian fighters and interceptors may have also afforded the Bears a small but crucial advantage, the enemy being less familiar with their capabilities than Terran or Martian designs.

With the 4th Grand Wartribe entirely absent and elements of the other five stationed in Tricendia, approximately 130,000 Astartes sailed for Kataii. Considering the terrible losses they sustained and their scattered state following the battle, they were saved largely by the strong base Daer'dd had built for his Legion. It was from Tricendia that the Bears would rebuild themselves physically and spiritually - as far as they were able. The long implantation process became a tortuous drawback, hindering their capacity to rebuild and strike back at the enemy. Some had no such recourse, driven into the hinterlands from which to find a way home, or turn their purpose again to the ruin of those who had betrayed them.

### **The Eaters of the Sacred Flesh**

The Naagolshii Shaman are often looked down upon in the Shaman circles, for they do not command the might of storms to destroy cities or end battles, nor do they see into the future with crystal clarity and change the minds and will of other with ease. No, they change their flesh into something bestial, raw, brutal beasts of war. And in doing so they corrupt the most sacred gift from the Sky Father, the flesh of an Astartes.

The Wendiigo are selected from those that prove to be too violent, their lust for war goes well beyond art and into perversion. It is these low recruits, that the most debased act, the worst gift is used, they eat the flesh of our enemies to know their tactics. After time the Windego either become a great asset or burden to the legion, master tacticians and skilled killers. Those whom become burdens, they fall for the flesh crave, they often sharpen their teeth to match our enhanced canines, or replace them all with brutal monomolecular edged adamantium fangs, having permanent claw augments replace fingers. For them their is only flesh, war, a devouring lust, and blood.

Upon the death of Daer'dd and the reveal of the Chaos Pantheon the Naagolshii and Wendiigo met in secret clamoring together whom they could, always looked down upon by the other Bears they sought kinship in each other, and truth from the Chaos Gods. In a small but violent action almost a thousand Naagloshii and three thousand Wendiigo took over a strike cruiser and seven frigates while the legion was scattered. These four thousand traitors found their way to the Eye of Terror where they disappeared for two Terran years, for them it had been much longer. The Naagloshii found truth with Tzeench and it's ways of change and magica. Whilst the Wendiigo found their way into the service of Khorne. Both gods granted them much, many gifts and ascensions given. Yet through all this glory they still shared a kinship with each other.

When they reemerged, their ships were crystalline and deep blue, edged with razor sharp copper, they were arcane war machines. The traitors were now clad in armour once the power armour of the Astartes now it was arcane and shaped by dark powers. They wore their armour in deep indigos and cobalts, their gauntlets and grieves still bore Hurionian copper but now drenched in the blood of a thousand wars. At their front were three leaders U'nas the God Eater, a titanic Daemon Prince shaped in the unholy union of gorilla and bat, his flesh was grey and brown, he walked on fearsome clawed hands and feet, he wears limited armour only covering what is vital. Then there is Naagloshii Ecko'chi Wildkin his six wings to mock Aandeg, he appears little more than a wraith draped in deep blue robes leaning on his tall pole blade his feet not touching the ground, but this is just one shape, one if thousands for him. And third an outsider, Nosliigae the Unbound, an Astartes thought to have died on His homeworld of Prospero. For now they are united as one warband, The Eaters of the Sacred Flesh.

## **Legion Combat Doctrine**

### **The Iron Tide**

If the Xth Legion, Niklaas' own Fire Keepers are the unbreakable shield, then it is Daer'dd and his sons, the Iron Bears that are the Unstoppable Spear.

It is with no doubt that Daer'dd was the personification of the Emperor's physical might and this trait carries heavily over to Daer'dd's sons. Even in the Earliest days of the VIth they earned the name 'The Juggernauts' due to their simple tactics paired with virtually unmatched strength and fortitude. Modifying weaponry to relentlessly wade into the pool of war, Volkites searing the air itself and giving no quarter with the singing of massive chain weaponry playing the swan song of so many enemies.

Once reunited with Daer'dd the tactica of the Legion changed little. Massed armoured transport assaults, supported directly by the legions vast number of Dreadnoughts. The Phalanx Leviathans are first to come forth from Spartans and Land Raiders, marching ever forward to rhythm of war drums, behind them Slayer clans prepare to leap over the shield wall and forward closing the gap with jump packs and enhanced motivation units to tear the enemy asunder with Tomahawk and chainaxe. And whilst the Iron Bears' tactics are simplistic and blunt, they've long used flank maneuvers from Reconnaissance Clans mounted in Grav Rhinos, Sky Hunters, Outriders, Land Speeder and Tank columns to attack from unexpected angles pushing enemies into the main assault; becoming both the Anvil and the Hammer.

Nor are the Iron Bears true defenders, no, for they are an ever flowing tide of Iron. Preferring to wait use counter charges to cut of enemies from their target, eventually crushing all those in their path, using their relentless nature and surprising speed to sew panic and dread amongst the enemy.

Ultimately they decimate as one, so many grand vehicles, a rolling storm of debris from the ground; coming to life from so much weight. As they grow closer, the Ancients disembark, iron giants, every pattern of Dreadnought represented. Striding towards the enemy with haste. No defense can stop the inevitable.

### **Rites of War**

* **The Claws of War** - The VIth Legion's mastery of the forge has led to many interesting developments within the Legion; though their conquest of death through steel perhaps raises the most eyebrows. The Legion's near cult-like adaptation of the Ironbound culture has pushed many Bears to the brink of Augmentation and bio-organic replacement only typically seen on Mars. However this has lead to many Bears being able to be interred into a Dreadnought sarcophagus with seamless integration; after the Day of Reckoning this became a saving grace as so many brothers were cut down by the traitors. Eventually more than one in ten whom fell that day would rise again.
* **The Iron Tide** - Amongst the Legions of the Great Crusade none could quite overpower any battlefield with a sheer show of force quite like the Iron Bears. The VIth's unparalleled armoury was almost always on display as the Bears seemingly pulverised and ground their enemies to little more than dust with vast armoured assaults where tanks would be in numbers nearly matching Legionaries.

## **Legion Wargear**

It's well noted that only the Primarch Niklaas and the Emperor himself can match Daer'dd's arcane mechanisms and masterful metallurgy and smithing. And it is shown in his sons, each warrior of the VIth wears a unique set of armour, pieced together by the warrior himself, and each Astartes bears unique masterful weapons customized to be perfect for them alone. It is in this that each Astartes is able to shine, using their master-crafted wargear to become a singular expression of War as Art, to show the beautiful strength of iron.

### **Armouries of the Great Bear**

It is said that amongst the Legions there are no armouries equal to those of the Iron Bears; and you would be lucky to find someone whom disagrees with that statement.

For every Astartes of the VIth Legion is expected to maintain, refine, and better their own personal armoury of weapons and armour, leading to many brethren being armed with near artificer level wargear. Very rarely has any Bear been a poor Smith; it is, at least in part because of this that the Legion maintains an incredible amount of rare and exotic weapons; often times modifications to xenos tech. It is to the point where Plasma, Volkite, and Grav weapons abound commonly in many the personal quarters of VIth.

Amongst the Iron Bears each suit of armour is considered personal an extension of the warrior himself. Every brethren takes it upon themselves to heavily modifies their suit, whether it be with pieces from fallen comrades and mentors, the latest in technical innovation or often simply studs, banding, blast plates and reinforcements of rare near indestructible alloys.
Every vehicle of the Iron Bears is equally doted to; they maintain a high number of exotic vehicles from small Grav Rhinos to mighty Leviathans, even some found no where else like the battalion of Walker Predators of the Third Grand Wartribe.

Individual modifications are hardly rare; Increased armour plating, modified motivation units, and fusion engines are just a few of the Modifications on every vehicle of the VIth. Rarer modifications include turret mounted Assault Cannons, force fields, active chameleon fields, and EMP assault launchers.
The most well known of these modifications is known as the so called 'Mauler' pattern, which heavily uses archaic Plasma weaponry. Arguably one of the most impressive of the Legion's war machines is that of the massive *Blood and Thunder*, the personal command vehicle of Lord Chief Redd, which added Macro Accelerator Cannons on two top mounted turrets, capable of laying siege to a hive, or even decimating enemy Titans.

### **Armour**

It is without a shadow of a doubt one of the single most unique and standout features of any Legiones Astartes of the Iron Bears of Daer'dd, is that any given Legion Warrior, Slayer, Hunter, or the nigh mythical Paragon; that their suit of power armour will be singularly unique from any of their fellow brethern.

Whilst the blackened iron and burnished copper gauntlets and greaves unite the Bears in appearance, and mayhaps even an overwhelming love for Mark III 'Iron Armour', every Astartes suit is individualized by it's bearer with assistance from one of the Clan Companies many Iron Smiths and vaulted Iron Artificiers.

It is not unheard of for Bears to be spotted with wholly unique bits of armour, their deep and close ties to both Terra and Mars has oft led to many prototypes to find their way to the battlefield cladding the Astartes of the VIth Legion.

#### **Totem & Ironbound Armour**

The intonation of both '*Totemic*' and '*Ironbound*' armour patterns are a misnomer, neither is a unique mark of power armour as both are masterful reworkings without peer.

Totem Armour sits as highly unique for it's ferromagnetic armour innovations, and heavy use of micro field generators. While the outward appearance can very greatly from lumbering towers of Ursa totems clad in bands of tungsten and adamantium, or to near perfect simulacrums of a warriors musculature. It is the high technology underneath, almost wholly unique to the VIth Legion, that makes Totem Armour what it truly is, featuring every advancement in armour of the last two centuries and a number of arcane secrets of the god-smith Daer'dd Niimkiikaa, that he's chosen to share with his father and a handful of his Primarch brothers. Making several conclaves and even Kelbor Hal resentful of the Giant.

Ironbound Armour, whilst not as advanced as Totem plate, is nonetheless, a masterful art form in armour smithing. An Astartes will strip his plate down to nothing, retuning and adding many unique survival systems to the base functions of their initial set of plate. With time, the outward appearance will take on a individualized form, allowing for the greatest application of force from the Astartes. Many plates will come from fallen brethren, or become beautiful pieces of artwork commemorating great deeds in battles. And while this true of most Iron Bear's plate, it is what comes next that makes it into the catagory of Ironbound.

The heavy use of mechanical augmetics is no secret of the Ursa Ferrus, regardless of how much bonded synth skin, or how many tattoos some Huronians choose to cover them with. But it is this process applied to their suits of Armour - from extra armour plates, to masses of fiber muscle bundles and rail and pneumatic systems - that makes Ironbound modified plate obvious, and far different from it's near kin of Totem Armour.

And it's use also separates it, akin to it's name, Ironbound armour is most commonly worn by the Ironbound cults of the VIth Legion, great men each, obsessed with pushing themselves far harder than any other Astarte, they continually push their bodies with both augments and stimms, and further push their armour to rival even the best suits of Tactical Dreadnought Plate. Mostly made up of Astartes from Slayer clans including the so called "Iron King" Master Slayer and Lord Chief of the IVth Great Wartribe, R. Damon Redd, though Warriors, Hunters, and Paragons like the venerable Yoxer Bellows, or the juggernaut that is Ah'nek the Giant. The Ironbound sub-culture pushes the Iron Bears into a brutal new tide of warfare, an unyielding tide able to strip mountains and lay waste to empires in a day. Most of these warriors will find themselves interred into the sarcophagus of a Dreadnought eventually as their bond with iron has made them perfect candidates.

#### **Armour of the Daughters of Daer'dd**

Unlike other non Astartes troops to wear power armour, the plate of the Daughters of Daer'dd takes function over ostentation. Finding it's roots in the Mark III plate favoured by the VIth Legion; it starts as heavily banded mail, flexible and strong. Each joint is well protected heavy form fitting bracers and greaves with armoured caps on the ankle. Knee and elbow pads featuring outer shields to protect the lighter armour joints for flexibility. The shoulder pads are Cataphractii in nature with a small form fitting cap underneath to allow for both maximum flexibility and protection. The breast plate is heavy and riveted, unlike the Sisters of Silence plate, the female bust is only given room for comfort not exaggerated and brought to attention. The breast plate ends at the ribs relying on the banded plates for protection. There are also plates on the thighs and hips. The helmet is lithe with the ears and center ridge found on later pattern Astartes helms, the faceplate is clean save for almond shaped eye holes with either green or cobalt lenses and a few holes on the side for the respirator. More artificed pieces have death mask helms

The Daughters often adorn their armour with deer and elk leather robes, various pelts, and jade and cobalt beads.

### **Weapons**

* **Power Tomahawks** -
* **Warhawk** -
* **Ironhawk** -
* **Warclaw** - A modified powerfist built to resemble Daer'dd's own *Gauntlets of Aries*. The fingers are heavily hooked thick blades able to tear through even the thickest hulls. The Warclaw also often has several long claws emanating the gauntlets knuckles to allow for a punching motion and have the same brutal shredding bite.
* **Gauntlets of the Storm** - Gauntlets of the Storm are a pair of master-crafted powerfists utilised by the elite Totem Guard. One has an in-built force field generator and the other has an in-built in Combi-Bolter.
* **Maul Blade** - Born during the most brutal fighting during Daer'dd's conquest of the Three Fires Sub Sectors; The Maul Blade resembles the Kopis of the legendary Spartans of old Terra. This chain weapon has multiple rows of oversized powered teeth, reminding all of the Maws of the most dangerous predators. The singing blade is one of the most feared songs, for it is the song of death.
* **Arrow-Pattern Bolters** -
* **Iron Bound Combat Shield** -
* **Superior-Pattern Storm Shield** -
* **Phalanx Storm Shield** -

### **Dreadnoughts**

There is little doubt of the Bear's iron might in any field of war - from ground-to-space - their war machines are unparalleled in shear strength and toughness. But it is the Iron Bear's heavy use of Dreadnoughts which is shocking to some. The heavy use of augments since Daer'dd's arrival has the sarcophagus internment a fairly easy process for fallen Iron Bears, in addition to the VIth's high production capabilities; this has led to an incredibly high active number of Brethern Dreadnoughts, which at times, has been enough to have every foot slogging clan to have a mighty Dreadnought as direct support.

Dreadnoughts are treated with high reverence in the Legion's halls, for they serve eternally. The official title of any Iron Bear Dreadnought is that of Brother Ancient followed by his pre-internment rank. Brother Ancients can be found in many traditional rolls within the Legion and often have their armour modified to match - from shaman dreads with force blades, dream catchers and psychic hoods, to Artificiers with mechadendrites, servo-arms, grav guns, and heavy conversion beamers. Or even Slayers with large axes and shields weighing several tonnes, which most legions found odd save for Russ' feral sons who admired it.

It is also common for the wearer's suit to take on a heavy totemic appearance of Bears, for too many, it is to truly become an Iron Bear.

These tactics have proven to be invaluable with just a single clan and a Brother Ancient being a combat multiplier for both. After the passing of Primarch Daer'dd Niimkiikaa the legion's Dreadnought ranks more than tripled from losses sustained at the battle, adding strength to what was supposed to be a weakened legion. This also led to many Smiths and Artificers to experiment with heavier and more exotic weaponry, to allow the Brother Ancients, in coordination with Thunderbeast prototypes, to become direct Armoured support over both Predators and Sicarians.

### **Vehicles**

* ***Kodiak Rex* (Unique Mastodon)** - The personal transport of Daer'dd Niimkiikaa, the *Kodiak Rex* is an astonishing modification to the Mastodon transport. The anchor of a hundred crushing advances, the *Kodiak Rex* boasted modification by its master which elevated the already redoubtable Mastodon transport to something comparable to a Titan in terms of power. This customisation is evident in the Huronian autocannon and advanced Accelerator guns, most likely the product of Xephyr forges. Note the extensive embellishments, drawing on the iconography of the Three Fires, the Totem Guard and Clan Niimkiikaa.
* **Storm Rider-Pattern Land Speeder**
* **Javelin Attack Speeder** - The acceptance of Demiurge within the Three Fires - indeed, the use of the pejorative 'Squats' meets with disapproval among most Tricendians - ensured a plethora of grav-vehicles among the VIth Legion's armoury. The Iron Bears were fond of using speeders such as the one illustrated here to guard the flanks and rear of their armour columns.
* **Land Raider Maulter** - Based on the Achilles chassis of up armoured Land Raiders, the Mauler removes the heavy quad-morter cannon for a twin linked small prototype Assault Cannon being developed on Terra. Allowing for greater transport capacity and a heavy close range anti infantry platform.
* **Land Raider Maulter Nova** - Replacing the transport capacity of the Mauler for Thunderer/Demolisher cannon, the Mauler Nova brings in heavy fire support and siege capacity in arenas where greater armour is needed than the Vindicators, and there is not enough operation room for a Typhon siege tank. In this capacity it has served the Iron Bears flawlessly.
* **Rhinos** - Unlike most legions the Iron Bears have had to extensively modify the RH1N0 chassis for use, as their naturally large nature and their use of bulky heavy armour patterns makes transport for squadrons virtually impossible. Instead most Rhinos have been converted into typical fire support platforms such as the Predators including the legion exclusive Mauler pattern, and various whirlwind and anti air platforms. The Rhino does find use amongst Reconnaissance and Seeker clans. Though modified into a Grav-Rhino akin to those used by the Legio Custodes. Typically armed with external weapon systems including combi-weapons, hunter killer missiles, Havoc missile systems, and often a pintle-mounted Heavy Bolter. It also bears a number of defensive systems including cameleolion fields, smoke launchers and other various counter measures to allow the clans to be quickly and quietly inserted deep into enemy territory to gain information, launch hit and run/saboteur operations, and preform assassination missions. The most unique adaptation of the Rhino are the walker Thunderbeast variants. Both feature fixed forward hull mounted plasma weapons, a large toothed dozer-type fixture. Either a turret mounting a Kheres Assault Cannon system, or an Accelerator Autocannon system. In addition to further fixed position missile systems. The Thunderbeast-pattern Rhino has been an invaluable addition when fighting in dense uneven terrain.

## **Notable Iron Bears**

### **Legion High Council & Totem Guard**

* **Daer'dd Niimkiikaa (Deceased)** - the foreboding Primarch of the VIth Legion , the mighty Iron Bears Legion. No Primarch epitomised sheer physical power as much as Daer’dd. Raised among the war machines of a Knight House, he evinced a keen understanding of the value of both flesh and metal. Indeed, when he took to the field, he was clad in armour more suited to one of the great walkers than a mortal warrior. To his Legion and the wider Imperium he was the Iron King, rivalled only by Niklaas in forge-craft. Several Primarchs, the Warmaster included, used and treasured the weapons gifted to them by Daer'dd.

A masterful tactician and adept commander, Daer'dd nonetheless was most at home in the melée. His vast strength and consummately forged weapons made him a match for almost any foe, and under his command the VIth Legion earned a great tally of glories.

Daer'dd presided over his realm of Tricendia just as he ruled his Legion; a benevolent king, beloved of the common man. His initial campaigns served to unify the two, creating a fearsome system of auxiliary forces to support the Iron Bears. It was this that Icarion feared most about the Bear, as he drew his plans against the Emperor. Daer'dd's outrage and grief would deliver him to the blades of traitorous brothers, and only the sense of duty he had instilled in his Legion would save them from utter destruction.
* **Aandegg Gitchi Noodin Niimkiikaa** - Known as the 'The Great Raven of the Storm of Change', Aandegg Niimkiikaa is the *Master Shaman* (Chief Librarian) of the Iron Bears.

He was born the younger brother of Daer'dd to his adopted Huronian family, just twenty years before the Emperor's arrival. He was a natural prodigy, gifted genius, and served under the planet's Shamen by the age of twelve. He was a contemplative young man whom many mistook for brooding. He lacked the warm nature of his older brother, but he admired, loved, and idolized Daer'dd and aspired to be like him. He was a natural candidate for the Astartes process, and is considered the first Huronian Astartes.

After his change, Aandeg's gift became tenfold and his power finally found him closer to his brother. It was during his time on Terra that Aandeg found himself under the occasional tutelage of the Primarchs Alexandros and Icarion. And while they helped temper the storm that churned inside Aandeg, it would be several years until the finding of the Primarch Magnus the Red that Aandeg was able to truly let his powers shine. For, while Alexandros and Icarion were masters of divination, Magnus was an incomparable raw force of nature, more akin to Aandeg's talents. After Magnus' death, Aandeg was found in a deep depression for months. It was only after one night that his temperament changed dramatically and he became more like his old self.

* **Leonas Niimkiikaa** - Master Paragon
* '**Old Man' R.L. Cullen** - High Cleric (Reclusiarch)
* **Bruts Niimkiikaa** - Master of the Totem (Master of the Forge)
* **Solomon Grundy/Grimm** - Legion Champion
* **Samael Mitigaan the Birchkin** - Chief Apothecary

### **Grand Wartribes**

#### **1st Grand Wartribe**

* **Therox 'Cass' Castiel** - Cass, as he was often known, was the Legion Master of the VIth when Tricendia and Daer'dd were found.
Swearing fealty to his gene-sire without hesitation, he worked closely with the Primarch to alloy the Terran Legion with Daer'dd's vision. Cass was the first Lord Chief to be named, serving as second in command to the Primarch himself on many occasions and tempering Tricendian zeal with his cool pragmatism.
At Kataii that wisdom would play a vital role in saving the Legion from outright destruction. In the ensuing daemon attack, however, Cass was struck down by a Bloodthirster and subsequently interred within a Leviathan Dreadnought.

* **Sangwat** **Thiazzi** - Chief Praetor of Clan Kedin, Thiazzi was the 1 Grand Wartribe's foremost Chief Praetor and the heir apparent to Cass. However at Kataii he was lost to rage in the aftermath of Daer'dd's death, refusing the call to retreat and fighting to the death.
* **Leonas Niimkiikaa** - Chief Praetor of Clan Niimkiikaa, Master Paragon
* **Achille "The Wolverine" Nibaasiniiwi**-

## Iron Bears (Icarion Insurrection)

### Allegiance

Loyalists

**Achille Nibaasiniiwi** was a senior officer of the Iron Bears ' First Grand Wartribe, commanding Clan Undak at the beginning of the 31st Millennium. He played a vital role in saving his Legion from destruction on the Day of Revelation , and became one of their most important leaders in the Icarion Insurrection.

Chief Praetor of Clan Undak and captain of Clan-Company Tacharian. Known widely as the Hero of Tidus, Nibaasiniiwi was a valiant but taciturn warrior. Born of Xephyr, he earned his moniker of "the Wolverine" by virtue of his ferocity and his unique augmetic hands, which concealed lethal power claws. Despite an impressive list of deeds, he was overshadowed by other commanders until the awful events of the Kataii Ambush came to pass. Nibaasiniiwi was one of the few who kept his senses when Daer'dd was slain, and began a retreat which saved hundreds of Iron Bears aboard the *Dark Sovereign*. Back about the *Dragon of Autumn* he would fight through the daemonic incursion, and with Cass broken in body the leadership of the First Grand Wartribe fell to him.

## History

A Xephyrite Legionary, Nibassiniiwi became known early on for his prowess in close combat, though not without suffering several grisly injuries. As a result, all his limbs were bionic by the time he took up his captaincy of Clan-Company Tacharian. It is perhaps unsurprising that he was known as a subdued, even dour soul by his Legion, outside of combat.

Nonetheless, his rise continued, as he ascended to lead Clan Undak, which placed him among the First Grand Wartribe's senior commanders under Lord Chief Cass and the Primarch Daer'dd himself. As part of this, he developed a peculiar friendship with the remembrancer Ellan Temeter. Having initially been sceptical of the remembrancer order to the point of hostility, he warmed to her enough to take her into battle during the Ouklid Campaign.

Nibassiniiwi fought alongside Metis Odyssalas of the Scions Hospitalier, and the two warriors grew close to the point of cementing a bond as "honour brothers" during the Laeran War. They subsequently served together under Daer'dd's command during the campaign against the marauding Knights of the Wraekan Dreor.

## Appearance and Character

Nibaasiniiwi had a broad, craggy face with a heavy beard which he dyed with copper before a battle. He bore materfully crafted augmetics in place of his forearms and lower legs.

By the standards of the Bears, Nibaasiniiwi tended towards brooding introspection and sometimes simmering anger, though this by no means prevented him from being a charismatic and open-handed commander. His redoubtable self-control was to prove vital to the Legion's survival.

## The Fires of Insurrection

The Kataii Ambush saw the Iron Bears suffer the most profound loss they had ever experienced, with Daer'dd slain by his traitorous brothers K'awil Pakal and Koschei Kharkovic. But for Cass and Nibaasiniiwi, the rage that overtook the Legion in the wake of his death would have doomed them. Nibaasiniiwi was one of the few on the *Dragon of Autumn* to keep his head, and brought back as much of his brothers as he could. However, he was unable to retrieve Thiazzi, foremost of the Wartribe's Praetors, who fell in the melee.

By teleport and gunship, thousands of Iron Bears were delivered to the relative safety of their fleet, but even after the surviving ships fought free of the trap, more trials were to follow. Grave Stalkers and Godslayers, along with cyborg killers of the Lasarine Mechanicum, had made their way aboard. Nibaasiniiwi scoured the ship of traitor Astartes, but worse was to come as the last of the Grave Stalkers partially collapsed the Geller Field.

It was all the chance that the Blood God's horde needed. Drawn by the fury and bloodshed aboard, Khornate daemons spilled through and assailed the Loyalists anew. At the height of the fighting, a Bloodthirster entered the fray and mortally wounded Cass before it was laid low by Knights of House Blinstrubas. With Cass and Thiazzi fallen, Aandeg Niimkiikaa declared Nibaasiniiwi the new master of the Wartribe. His first trial as Lord Chief would come weeks after, as the Iron Bears made their way back to the Sol System; only to find that the Insurrection was already there.

* **Torach** - Shaman of Clan-Company Tacharian, Torach served Nibaasiniiwi as counsellor as well as Clan Undak's senior Librarian.
* **Roanoke** - A captain of Clan Undak under Nibaasiniiwi
* **Neonitus "The Bison" Caadiiac** - Chief Praetor, Master of Arms

#### **2nd Grand Wartribe**

* **Ezibiknh 'Ezekiel' Spinebreaker** - Second Lord Chief, Master Warrior. Born on Huron and having his family killed by a rival clan, Ezibiknh gladly joined Daer'dd's attempt to unify the people of Huron, to end war and bring unity. A fierce and loyal warrior, he was chosen to be inducted into the newly restructured VIth Legiones Astartes, the Iron Bears.
As he had proven himself of being a capable master tactician, he was placed in charge for the IInd Grand Wartribe, the so called 'Stoneshields'. They favoured the use of shieldwall/phalanx tactics supported by large numbers of Dreadnoughts, to constantly approach the enemy and grind them down, literally becoming the anvil to break the enemy.
After the demise of the IInd Legiones Astartes, the Space Wolves, the remaining sons of the Wolf King were split and inducted into the IIIrd and VIth Legion to bolster their ranks. A sizeable group of about 500 battle-hardened Astartes warriors under the leadership of Veljar Stormwolf joined the Grand Wartribe of Ezibiknh, replacing their losses during the Great Crusade. Since then, the now called 'Golden-Eyed Sons' became an important factor within the overall strategy of the Stoneshields as they favored the usage of jump packs and Drop Pods, making them the hammer to break the enemy on the Iron Bears' shields. Spinebreaker was slain on the Day of Revelation by a Grave Stalkers Moritat as he led the defence of his flagship. His sacrifice would help ensure the ship's escape along with a large portion of the Bears' fleet.

* **Vlijar Stormwolf** - Former Wolflord of the IInd Legion (Space Wolves) and now Chief Captain of the Stormwolves. Born on Fenris as a member of the Stormreaver tribe, young Veljar proved his worth while fighting a mighty Kraken creature. Discovered by the legendary Alrikk Greyback, he was inducted into the Rout. He quickly rose within the ranks of the 2nd Legion until he gained the position of Wolflord and his own command. At the side of his gene-father, he achieved numerous victories, making him and his brothers battle-hardened veterans who preferred to strike from above, using jump packs, drop pods and the like.
Stationed to keep an eye over Fenris while the rest of the Legion and the Lightning Bearers Legion headed towards to face Morro, who had seemingly allied himself with Eldar, he survived the subsequent struggles. He does not know what happened with his Primarch, though the rumors had reached him as well. As a consequence of the loss of two Legions, the remaining Wolves were allocated to bolster the ranks of the Crimson Lions and the Iron Bears. Now, being part of the VIth Legion, Veljar and his man quickly adapted to their new brothers. Supporting the 2nd Grand Wartribe under Ezibiknh at the side of his long old friend Gunnar Harkonson of House Harkon, Veljar decided to follow the Mark of the Slayer to improve his skills. He and his men became an important part in the overall strategy of their Lord Chief and earned their new place.

#### **4th Grand Wartribe**

* **R. Damon Redd** - Damon Redd, known as the Dread Axe, was Lord Chief of the Iron Bears' Fourth Grand Wartribe from their inception through the Great Crusade, and commanded the entire Legion for much of the Icarion Insurrection. A renowned warrior throughout the Eighteen Legions, Damon Redd was known as a warrior with few peers, and who had never known defeat despite the many injuries he sustained. Born and raised on Huron, Redd was one of Daer'dd Niimkiikaa's closest companions in his wars to unify the planet and then Tricendia. He was already a fine warrior, whose strength and skill represented the apex of what a mortal man could attain. In this time he married the young Baroness Ar'assa of House August. But in time he would rise to far greater heights. When the Emperor came for His son, to unite him with his Legion and lead them in the Crusade, Redd was one of those who braved the perils of a late Ascension and survived. He fought side by side with Daer'dd on hundreds of battlefield until the Fourth Grand Wartribe was raised and he was given its command. Redd was one of the largest warriors in all the Eighteen Legions, a match in height for any Terminator when clad in power armour. His immense physique was heavily augmented, to the point that he was thought to have weighed twice as much as his original mass.
* **Yoxer Bellows** - A Chief Captain under Nibaasiniiwi, Yoxer Bellows was famed for his exploits in the saddler of his jetbike and the de factor leader of Clan Redd's Skyhunter units.
* **Ah'nek the Giant** - Chief Praetor and Wartribe Champion.
* **Or'tan Songblade** - Chief Cleric
* **Lucius Woodward, 'The Architect**' - Chief Praetor
* **Seraph Maximus Ironhill, 'The Fire Drake**' - Chief Praetor, Fire Shaman
* **R.L. Blinstrubas** - Chief Praetor, Ordnance Master
* **Jericho Talltree** - Chief Praetor
* **Ragnar Stormbreaker** - Chief Praetor, Historian
* **Bjorn the Fellwolf** - Master of the Hunt
* **Cyrn'ss Songblade** - Wartribe Champion
* **Enoch 'The Iron Horse' Ferrus-Merah** - Chief Centurion, Master Warrior, Totem Guard to R.Damon Redd

#### **Remaining Lords**

* **Orr'eon Lakestrider** - Third Lord Chief; Master Hunter, Master of the Armoury. Commander of the defense of Iyacrax during the Battle of Iyacrax
* **Echo Pontiac** - Fifth Lord Chief, Master Rider
* **R. Logan Drake** - Sixth Lord Chief, Sentinel of Huron
* **Azrael Ma'iingan** - Chief Centurion
* **Jorton 'The Little Bear' Ma'koons**
* **Ezekiel Bladeborn** - Centurion
* **Ezra 'Razorkin' Stolt** - Chief Captain
* **Mekka Mekwasiniiwan**
* **Makeda Mizko** - The Red Blade, The Striking Hawk, The Firebound, Hand of Terra
* **Maximus 'The Dire Wolf' Annillus** - Bodyguard to the Paternoval Envoy

#### **Non-Astartes Personnel**

* **Grace Binesi Niimkiikaa** - the Lady of the Flame, Firestone Queen, and wife of the Lord of Huron
* **Lotara Sarrin** - Iron Queen and Fleet Mistress
* **Minerva An'saalmo** - A Xephyrite Navy officer, An'saalmo served as Second Lieutenant aboard the *Dragon of Autumn*.
* **Ara'ssa Augustus-Redd** - Iron Queen, Master of Knight House Augustus (wife of R. Damon Redd)
* **Ezekiel Savage** - Captain of the Ogryn Serf Auxiliary
* **Honorable Trenn** - Ogryn Bodyguard for Lotara Sarrin
* **Ellan Temeter** - A Terran Remembrancer , a strange series of events and her skill as a writer made Temeter the personal memorialist to Daer'dd Niimkiikaa himself. Following his death she chronicled the many struggles of the First Grand Wartribe, penning a series of writings which are preserved to this day throughout Tricendia.
* **First Seraphim River Aurakin** - Leader of the Daughters of Daer'dd
* **Seraphim Lord Commander Molleigh D'Aquinn August** - Daughter of Daer'dd, Commander of all non-Astartes forces attached to the IV Grand Wartribe

## **Legion Fleet**

* ***The Dragon of Autumn* (Gloriana Class, Flagship)** -

## Iron Bears (Icarion Insurrection)

### Origin

Huron

***The Dragon of Autumn*** is a unique battleship, the largest and perhaps most powerful warship in the fleets of the Legiones Astartes. Designed by Daer'dd Niimkiikaa of the Iron Bears, it serves as the flagship of his legion's First Grand Wartribe.

Said to be Daer'dd's finest creation, *The Dragon of Autumn* is the largest ship of the entire Imperial fleet at over thirty kilometres long. The massive prow bladed ship boasts decametre-thick tungsten and adamantium armour plating, and rows upon rows of shield generators. The Dragon is best suited for broadside actions, it's sides armed with broadside Nova cannons which only it's incredible mass can handle and plasma batteries. Under mounted macro rail cannon turrets compliment the broadside armaments and are very capable bombardment weapons. Though its two most noted weapons are that of it's Ursus Claws, used for grappling, boarding, and even tearing other ships asunder, and it's unnamed primary forward weapon.

Though most commonly referred to often as *The Executioner's Axe* or *Dragon's Breath,* it is technically a multi port plasmatic accelerator, at it's heart it is a heavy ion collider that produces super-dense quark gluon plasma from the heart of a neutron star. The plasma is so hot it melts at the sub particle state and can turn planets into micro stars in a only a few moments or tear through fleets with ease, though it can only fire at less than once per every few hours. The ship is commanded by Iron Queen and fleet mistress Lotara Sarrin, and is home to the Totem Guard, several dozen Clan Companies of the First Grand War Tribe, and close to a million crew members.

* **The *Kulmahammas***-A destroyer of unknown provenance, this ship served as an escort to the *Dragon of Autumn*.
* ***The Axefall*** - a Retribution-class battleship, the *Axefall* conveyed Daer'dd and his retinue to Baal for the Vizenko Prosecution.
* ***Heart of Iron*** - this strike cruiser was the first ship seized by the Insurrectionist forces at Kataii.
* ***Claw of Dusk** -* built over Oamura to serve as the the flagship of the Fifth Grand Wartribe, the *Claw of Dusk* was commanded by Logan Drake for over three decades. At Kataii it was destroyed by the VIIIth Legion battleship Wintertooth, taking Drake and much of the Fifth Wartribe's core with it.
* ***Iron Soul** -* a frigate, lost at Kataii in a suicidal attack on the Godslayers ship *Absolute Brotherhood.*
* ***The Behemoth’s Stride*** - flagship of the Second Grand Wartribe, the *Behemoth's Stride* led the first breakout from the trap at Kataii.
* ***Oamura’s Fire** -* a battle-barge, boarded by Godslayers at Kataii.
* ***Copper Eagle* (Battleship)** - constructed over Mars, this vessel was intended as a gift to the Eagle Warriors for their part in the Schism of Mars, but was seized during the fighting and ultimately adopted by the First Grand Wartribe as their new flagship
* ***Jaws of Carmine***
* ***Crow-Feeder*** - seized by Damon Redd from an Insurrectionist Solar Auxilia fleet, this ship was reconsecrated and refitted as a dedicated ship-killer
* ***Strider of Plains***
* ***Amber Claw***
* ***Aspect of the Wild***
* ***Caller of Winds***
* ***Pillar of Three Fires***
* ***Ursol's Axe* (Strike Cruiser)**

## **Legion Relics**

* ***Gauntlets of Ares*** - Given to Daer'dd by none else than Kelbor Hal at the signing of the Demiurge Mechanicum treaty. Daer'dd tinkered and rebuilt the *Gauntlets* into his most visceral connection to war. The inter-banded, Huronian copper-coated adamantium rings that make up the inner structure are in a constant state of movement and covered in runes crafted by several of his brothers. The outer structure of heavy black bands at wrist and elbow and the top and bottom of his forearms are made out of a material Daer'dd only refers to as 'Huron's Iron'. Heavy pyramidal rivets connect these pieces, and on the top brace that runs the length of his forearms there are three radiant orange gems whose light pools off almost as if steam. Each knuckle has a perfect black diamond said to have been pulled from the deep ocean magmatic river known as Hel by Daer'dd's own hands. Each finger is finished in a large black hooked claw extending from the second knuckle upwards, creating the killing edge.
* ***The Ganzhymekwahawk*** - Not a singular weapon but a series of Tomahawks Daer'dd has crafted over the years from chain to jewel bladed variations all with different techno secrets Daer'dd is unwilling to give up, though all share in common the use a a small teleporter to make sure they return to Daer'dd no matter where they are.
* ***Shell of the Juggernaut*** - Though it looks like a normal suit of armour on the Leviathan of the North. It is said that Daer'dd's plate weighs as much as a Mark IV Dreadnought. Full of field generators and a miniature fusion reactor, the *Shell of the Juggernaut* lives up to it's name as it's allowed Daer'dd to nigh unstoppable for two centuries.
* ***Stormwalker*** - An advanced teleportation unit devised from the deconstruction of Eldar tech. Built by Daer'dd for himself to compensate for his lumbering nature.
* ***The Spear of Fates*** - Wrought by Aandeg's brother's hands, the *Spear of Fates* is one of the finest force weapons in the galaxy. With assistance from all three of his psychic master Primarch brethren, Daer'dd was able to create a fearful extension of his brother's vast psychic talents.
* ***Weight of War*** - The *Weight of War* is a master-crafted, artificer-wrought Power Tomahawk utilised by R. Damon Redd, Lord Chief of the 4th Grand Wartribe. This weapon is said to the single finest tomahawk ever produced. Very little is know about it, the only thing that is known is it uses hyperdense liquid Osmium suspended in magnetic fields and anti-grav suspensors. When the blade recognizes a strike coming it turns off the anti-grav suspension and allows the tube of meta material slide down a tube in the handle, generating titanic proportions of energy, said to be able to sunder even a land raider in one blow.
* ***Dreamcatcher*** - A master-crafted Superior-pattern Storm Shield utilised by R. Damon Redd, this particular item is said to possess a staggering amount of psychic wards and a sheet of Aurc metal from Terra itself. It sings like a bell when struck, and with every dolorous peal despair is driven into the minds of the foe as they face their inevitable death.

## **Legion Appearance**

### **Legion Colours**

The Iron Bears Legion wear black iron coloured battle plate with burnished copper on the coutre (elbow guard), vambrace, gauntlets, poleyn (knee guards) and greaves.

#### **Totem Marks**

After reuniting with Daer'dd the VIth Legion adopted the Huronian practice of Totem marks. There are three primary marks, the Mark of The Warrior, The Mark of the Slayer, & The Mark of the Hunter. This allowed all Astartes of the legion to focus on their given natural talent.

Slayers focused on close quarters combat, regular use of blades, pistols, and shields. Slayers are also typically found in heavily reinforced armour with extra motivation units in the legs of their armour and modified jump packs. Slayers are also noted for their development of the Ironbound subculture of the legion.

Hunters focus on range and stealth. Units typically associated with hunters include Recon, and the legion's unique Warborn clans, hunters have access to the Legion's most archaic and rare ranged weaponry, and have use of quick insertion tactica including limited use of personal teleporters outside of Tactical Dreadnought Armour.

The Warrior mark is the most common of Legion and therefore most commonly associated with Tactical clans. The mark is given to those with strong tactical sense and whom are balanced in both blade and bolter. The Warrior mark does carry a very esteemed role in the legion, they are the masters of the phalanx, Shield Bearers become the anvil to break the enemy upon and typically grind the enemy down.

### **Legion Badge**

The Iron Bears' Legion badge is a large stylised Huronian totemic marking of a bear's paw and claws centered on a field of black.

### **By the Iron Bears**

"*Let the enemy know your blade, your axe, your bolter rounds, for once they know your tools they shall fear your work.*"
— Iron Bears' *Hymn of Iron*
"*I have faith in two things; the iron shell that serves as my body and my tomb and the great weapons that I am eternally bound to. I lost my faith in brotherhood the day our father was slain.*"
— Asiniig the Ancient, Iron Bears' Leviathan Dreadnought
"*++Transmission Begins++
You likely do not know my voice, I am former Chief Shaman and Master of the Iron Bears Librarium, and current High Lord Chief Aandeg Gitchie Noodiin Niimkiikaa. I am acting as master of the Council of the Three Fires, and before he was a Primarch, Daer'dd was my brother.
I now control one of the largest collections of military assets in the galaxy, and arguably the fiercest fleet of the Imperium. Those responsible for my brother's death will be hunted, those whom stand against the Iron Bears Legion, The Emperor, and Warmaster Alexanderos will burn. I am Legiones Astartes, I am the Storm Incarnate. Know fear now you fallen angels, for I'll be wrath incarnate, I'll be your judge and I find you guilty.
++Transmission Ends++*"
— First broad-spectrum transmission (ca. 766007.M31) from Huron Primaris following the death of Primarch Daer'dd Nimkiikaa, High Lord Chief of the Iron Bears Legion
"'*Glory boys'.
Or at least that's how they see us. Ursa Ferrus, The Iron Bears. That's what we are too, or were at least. No, not now, Daer'dd is dead, my gene-sire laid low. We rendezvoused at Huron Tridentia and made our way home, every bit of legion that made it. Just one day, his. The Second fights alongside the Lion, the Third fights for a Forge. But we follow Daer'dd's last orders. The Fourth fights for Terra and the Sol system. So we guide the Emperor's Leviathan herself towards Terra and war. I'll burn everything that stands against us, I have command of this. Daer'dd bestowed it upon me, just as every Slayer before I, the Oathbound, and my oath?
I am become Death.*"
— Attributed to Therox 'Cass' Castiel, First Lord Chief of the 1st Grand Wartribe, following the death of their Primarch
"*Hear me now brothers! We are the Leviathans, the finest sons of Daer'dd Niimkiikaa! He whom now sits under the mighty Wiigwaas on Huron; our foul cousins do not know the true strength of Iron, nor do they know the rage of the Bear, or the might of the Iron King! We are Iron Mountain upon which all will break! This is where the wave breaks! Let the betrayers know your 'hawks, your blades, your bolter rounds; for once they know your tools, they shall fear your work!*"
— Attributed to Ezibiknh 'Ezekiel' Spinebreaker, Second Lord Chief of the 2nd Grand Wartribe
"*Brothers! The traitors pray to their false gods that our weapons do not fail! For then they'd have to fight the Iron Bear's Fang and Claws!*"
— Attributed to Or'tan Songblade Chief Cleric and voice of the 4th Grand Wartribe, during his call to arms upon the walls of Terra to rally the Iron Bears
*Feel free to add your own*

### **About the Iron Bears**

*“They have taken the Ngauruk Causeway and broken Scorn’s Gate. First Armoured is gone, Infantry Second through Eighth are gone. Stars’ end, nothing withstands them. Our super-heavies are no match, their striding-machines alone make cinders of our divisions.*

*Our gene-hulks have been cut down. The enemy are their match in strength and fast, so fast. We haven't even managed to slow them. They strike and we unravel.*

*We are undone. Our arsenals are spent. Urge our soldiers, throw down their guns. To resist and invite further ruin is the greater treason - beg their mercy. Nothing is left to us.”*

General Rhuj Lanur of the Olst Brigades during the VIth Legion’s Compliance action

## *Gallery*

Iron Bears Legion iconographyIron Bears Legion appearanceAn Iron Bears Master Brethren (Veteran Legionary) of the elite Totem Guard (*Ogichidaa*), armed with a Warclaw (modified powerfist) and Power Tomahawk.