Lernean Vipers

Lernaen Vipers armorial, displaying a variant of the warband iconography

Lernean Viper Renegade Astartes

The **Lernean Vipers** are a warband of Chaos Undivided splintered from the elusive Alpha Legion. Unlike many warbands of the Alpha Legion, the Lernean Vipers utilise chaos in its myriad forms, although they are not devout worshipers of chaos in the way of the Word Bearers, instead using it's power while cognizant of the risks of doing so.

## Warband History

Most of the warbands history has been lost to time, although what is known is the Lernean Vipers were formerly the 21st Chapter of the Alpha Legion and served as an independant Expeditionary Fleet alongside a contigent of the Word Bearers Legion. It is unknown what happened to the 21st Chapter after the heresy and subsequent Scouring, however the chapter, cut off from Imperial supplies and surrounded by enemies, went into hiding for a while, leading to a lose of most of the chapter's history and heritage.

In the 42nd Millenium however, the warband known as the Lernean Vipers has appeared on the Imperium's radar in multiple locations across the Ultima Segmentum, rarely staying in one location but always causing problems when they surface. Most recently the warband was part of the 13th Black Crusade, where they were involved in the offensive on many smaller worlds near the Cadian system, striking from behind the Imperial lines. This offensive lead to the Emerald Spears' former Chapter Master falling in battle, a devolpment that has spured the normally taciturn Emerald Spears to attempt to flush out and destroy the Lernean Vipers once and for all.

## Notable Campaigns

### (As the 21st Chapter)

* **Great Crusade (ca. 798.M30 - ca. 005.M31)**
* **The Horus Heresy (ca. 005.M31 - ca. 014.M31)**
* **The Scouring**

### (As the Lernean Vipers)

* **13th Black Crusade**
* **Harrowing of Antos Ultima**

## Organization

Despite their lack of supplies, the warband has managed to avoid the fractious nature that typically befouls Warbands. The Lernean Vipers have maintained a relative level of organisation, with 3 "heads" of 1000 astartes working under a command staff, and under the supreme command of Harrowmaster Drakane. Each Head of the warband is master of a field of combat, and is responsible for the armies of cultists that the Vipers control, with the least mutated cultists being utilised as infilitrators and spies for the warband, setting the stage for the eventual assault of the Astartes themselves.

The Lernean Vipers' utilise a system of organistion that on the surface serves as a twisted mirror to the Codex Astartes. with squads of Legionnaires serving in one of multiple roles, each designated by the colour of their tabbard. The known organizational system consists of the red tabbard Tactical Legionnaires, green tabbard Havoc squads and purple tabbard Veterans forming a contigent of Chosen.

## Warband Beliefs and Culture

The Lernean Vipers are not true followers of Chaos, instead utilising the powers of Chaos to complete their objectives. However they are not allies of the Imperium, and believe that the Imperium has put a stranglehold on the progress of Humanity and must be torn down. Like most warbands of the Alpha Legion, the Viper's have lost most knowledge of their original goals and ambitions, and as such, for the time being, are content to cause havoc and destruction on Imperial worlds, remaining in one place just long enough to complete their objective, re-supply, and discover their next goal.

The warband does not have a homogenous culture, due to their fleet based nature, however most members of the Vipers seem to develop a fatalistic nature over time, likely due to the situation they have been stuck in for millenia.

### Recruitment

The Lernean Vipers recruit from many Imperial worlds, typically in the aftermath of a successful raid. As such the warband has a wide variety of cultures, gene-types and origins.

Due to their lack of time spent in Warpspace, the Lernean Vipers' recruitment and enhancement procedues are very similar to pre-heresy Legion recruitment, and since their gene-seed has remained relatively stable, they don't need to raid imperial chapters for pure gene-seed.

## Warband Gene-Seed

The Lernean Vipers originally had very pure gene-seed, however millenia of genetic drift and lack of access to supplies has mutated their geneseed. Notably their Betcher's Gland is hyperactive and uncontrollable, although lacking the acidic nature, leading to Lernean Vipers having a venomous bite; and their Melanachrome is mutated, leading to Lernean Vipers having pale, hard scales over their skin.

Due to the fleet-based nature of the warband, there are no obvious genetic traits found across the entire force, this is also emphasised by the fact that the Lernean Vipers forgoe the previous tradition of surgically altering themselves to share the face of the Primarch.

## Warband Combat Doctrine

The Lernean Vipers rarely fight as a single unit, and never fight as a frontal-assault. A Lernean assault takes place in multiple stages; Infiltration, Distruption and finally Assassination.

After the infiltration and distruption stages, which are mostly taken on by their cultist militia, the Lernean Vipers begin a stealth assault, utilising teleportation and heretical sorcery to jump into the dark corners of the already reeling world, before bursting out of the shadows and murdering any devout followers of the God-Emperor such as members of the ecclesiarchy, plantetery governers, and loyalist Space Marines. Upon completion of their assassination missions, the Lernean Vipers assume control over the world, just long enough for their cultists to take positions in the upper echelons of the world, before leaving with a bounty of supplies and potential new astartes.

When required to by the needs of war, the Lernean Vipers will go to battle as an organised force, known as a Harrowing, in which upwards of 1000 legionnaires, their heavy armor and their allies will take to the field. These apocolyptically devastating offensives rarely occur, but when they do, doom follows in their footsteps.

## Notable Space Marines

* **Harrowmaster Drakane:** Drakane serves as the current Harrowmaster, or Lord, of the Lernean Vipers. Harrowmaster Drakane is a relatively unsubtle warrior for the ranks of the Alpha Legion, prefering to dispatch his foes in close combat while guarded by the Raiders, the warband's contigent of veteran warriors.
* **Karareel Heartmauler:** A Daemon Prince of Khorne, Karareel began life as a cultist serving alongside the Lernean Vipers in late M41. Karareel managed to catch the eye of the Blood God after singlehandedly taking down the former chapter master of the Emerald Spears, which alongside other noble skulls offered to the skull throne, lead to her ascendance as a Daemon Prince. Karareel currently serves as the leader of the warband's daemonkin elements, notably the small contigent of Possessed the Lernean Viper's utilise.
* **Lysandain the Black:** A Sorcerer of Tzeentch, Lysandain serves as the right hand man to Lord Drakane, a position that Lysandain despises. For the time being however, Lysandain seeks to serve the Changer of Ways by bringing death to the Lernean Viper's foes.
* **Alajion:** A champion of Slaanesh, Alajion serves as the captain of the warband's Raiders. Alajion is a fiercely loyal legionnaire, finding fufillment and pleasure in defending Drakane and killing his enemies, his goal being to become the perfect warrior and the perfect bodyguard. Alajion like all devotees of Slaanesh follows other vices, however all comes second to his protection of Drakane and the killing of his foes.
* **Halaghac Corpse-Maker:** A Helbrute taken from the fields of Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade, Halaghac serves as an insane battering ram, allowing the legionnaires of the Lernean Vipers to focus on their objectives while the deranged dreadnought takes the brunt of the enemy fire. Halaghac is always seen wielding a Heavy Flamer incorporated in his power fist, alongside an oversized Plasma Cannon, which in the Helbrutes insanity, is always overcharged, a risk that the Vipers take due to the sheer carnage it can output.

## Warband Fleet

* **The Serpent's Den:** A former Battle Barge of the Imperium, this ancient vessel serves as the warband home-ship. A large, well-armed ship, the Serpent's Den can hold the entire warband and their supplies of Heavy Armor and Material in one place. Unlike other Chaos ships, the Serpent's Den is not helmed by slaves or Daemonic intelligence, but is instead in the hands of the warbands Serfs, a tradition they have retained since before the Heresy.

## Warband Relics

* **The Viper's Fang:** An archaic power lance, this weapon serves as the main arm of Harrowmaster Drakane. A uniquely shaped blade, the Viper's Fang consists of two long power blades on either side of a short handle. leading to a weapon that can be used as a sword, staff or lance, depending on the needs of the user.
* **Panoply of the Hydra:** This suit of ancient Mk VI power armor is the symbol of office of the Harrowmaster of the warband, and as such is worn by the current Harrowmaster, Drakane. An artificer level suit, the Panoply of the Hydra contains an inbuilt Conversion field generator and a unique reflective scale technology, granting it unparalled resistance to energy weapons, along with being kitted out with extensive stealth technology and auto-sense systems.
* **Hell's Talons:** This pair of relic Lightning Claws are borne by Alajion, the captain of the warband's veterans. These ancient weapons were stolen from the Sons of Makhai at some point during the 13th Black Crusade, and as such, the Lernean Viper's and the Sons of Makhai have had a rocky relationship ever since.

## Warband's Vehicles

* **The Harrow's Scythe:** A relic Land Raider Proteus, the Harrow's Scythe is the personal transport of Harrowmaster Drakane and is only deployed for the Harrowing, the final assault of the Lernean Vipers after their campaigns of espionage and sabotage.
* **Ravenous Will:** This daemonically possessed Rhino forms the vanguard of many Lernean Viper assaults. Tempremental and prone to charging into combat as it is, the daemon infused ceramite of the Rhino has given it unparalelled resistance to many forms of attack.

## Relations

### Enemies

* The Imperium of Man
* Sons of Makhai
* Emerald Spears

## Warband Appearance

### Warband Colours

The Lernean Vipers wear teal power armor with silver and black accents. The actual shade of the armor seems to be inconsitent however, and some members have been seen with armor that appears fully blue, or even black

### Warband Badge

The Lernean Vipers' heraldry consists of a black hydra motif on top of a blue star of Chaos. However as with the shade of the armor, many variations of this symbol have been seen.

## Notable Quotes

"*The heretics known as the Lernean Vipers are the largest threat to the Imperium that exist in this Segmentum. Elusive, degenerate and the source of an unknown number of Chaos Cults in this realm. I call upon the Inquistion to assist me in my Crusade against this warband.*"
—Inquistor Amendera, in an address to the Ultima Conclave (Ordo Hereticus)
## Gallery

Lernean Vipers iconographyLernean Vipers Heretic Astartes, displaying the purple tabbard of the ChosenPre-Heresy member of the Effrit Veteran Cadre of the 21st Chapter