Obsidian Fists

Obsidian Fists pauldron with Chapter iconography.

Obsidian Fists Primaris Intercessor of the 2nd Company, 6th Battleline Squad.

The **Obsidian Fists** are a mysterious *Codex*-compliant Successor Chapter of the staunch and heroic Imperial Fists. For a time they were treated with a certain level of mistrust by other descendants of the VIIth Legion as some questioned the Obsidian Fists' right to call themselves Sons of Dorn. Like their fellows, they are renowned for their stubbornness and tenacity in their prosecution of the Emperor's foes. They have a rocky relationship with the Adeptus Ministorum which has led to violence on occasion.

## Chapter History

Much of the history of the Obsidian Fists has been lost to the passage of time, bureaucracy and wars in the Emperor's service. The chapter's earliest history, which has until recently only existed in verbal form, mentions the founder of the brotherhood: the first Chapter Master known as Calgacus. By all accounts he was a warrior-king who led his battle-brothers to conquer ork territory - possibly during the Age of Rebirth - claiming the planet of Dalriada as the chapter's new demesne in the process. Due to the uncertainty over which founding the Chapter was created in, it is not known if it was established to counter a specific threat or to hold a given area - though the fact the earliest campaigns were reputedly against the greenskins does infer that this might have been the Obsidian Fists' initial purpose.

While the verbal histories are cast into doubt by the lack of corroborating external sources, few historitors are willing to say as much to the Astartes personally. Interestingly, similar stories have persisted among human populations across the Hallstat Sector. Some tell of a divine hero; while more primitive cultures worship Calcagus as a god (usually associated with war and known as Cocicidus or 'the Red Hunter' to one of the tribes on Latene 4).

The more recent histories are cobbled together from the memories of the handful of Dreadnoughts to survive from this time, and the scant written records of senior officers. More recent contributions come from the reserve and battle-line companies

### Age of Darkness (Unknown Date)

During this period, the semi-mythical warrior known as Calgacus rises to prominence. He leads his battle-brothers in a crusade against the greenskin tribes of the Hallstat Subsector. The Space Marines cleanse world after world of feral orks, liberating numerous enslaved human populations in the process. Their efforts allow the sector to be reclaimed by the Imperium. The Obsidian Fists are established and build a network of bastions and outposts manned by chapter serfs to keep a watchful eye on the Imperium's worlds. Following the death of Calgacus a second Chapter Master is elected whose name has been lost. It is uncertain how long this period lasts, who leads the Obsidian Fists or what heroic deeds they accomplished in this time, but it ends with the invasion of Dalriada and the near-destruction of the chapter by the Word Bearers.

### Age of Rebuilding (Early M36-950.M36)

Following their pyrrhic victory over the Forces of Chaos, the Obsidian Fists set to work reconstructing their fortress-monastery into a more defensible bastion and recovering the Chapter's losses. They are unable to aid in preserving order in the wider Imperium during the Reign of Blood as much of the Hallstat Sector is consumed in religious infighting. Due to the lack of surviving members, the Librarius is the only institute not rebuilt. The Chapter takes on new aspirants but has no way to screen their souls for possible Chaos taint. This inability will come back to haunt them.
Hoping to gain aid from their kinsmen, the Obsidian Fists attempt to enter their first Feast of Blades. They are denied entry as they are unable to prove they are Sons of Dorn. Disappointed, their embassy returns home empty-handed.
Naturally, a greater focus is placed on gaining new battle-brothers over recovering lost history and the Chapter's culture becomes neglected.

### Age of Regrowth (950.M36-451.M37)

Having spent the past several centuries rebuilding their numbers, the Obsidian Fists venture out into the galaxy once more. Five centuries of campaigning turns the untested Astartes into battle-hardened warriors. They begin to develop a dislike of the Adeptus Ministorum due to the sheer number of religious wars they are asked to intervene in, seeing them as a colossal waste of loyal lives and resources. It is during this time that, thanks to a petition to the Magos Biologis, the chapter is granted confirmation that they are descendants of Rogal Dorn. In 447.M37, they are allowed to enter the Feast of Blades and while they do not win, the Obsidian Fists nevertheless gain honour for their Champion, Cuilen's performance. This period ends after two companies turn against the Chapter.
It is during this time that an effort to revive the Chapter's history begins. This is also the time when the Ancestor Cult develops.

### Age of Reflection (451-999.M37)

Following the Unspoken Year, the Obsidian Fists are dangerously undermanned. With only the 2nd Company above half strength, the Chapter once again ceases campaigning to replenish its numbers. They also take the time to reflect on their history and what they have learned. The Chapter Council opts to distance itself from the Adeptus Ministorum due to tense relations between the two factions. While not ceding protection of the Hallstat Sector as such, the Chapter refuses to involve itself in other religious schisms which do not obviously involve Chaos. The Obsidian Fleet still operates with the 2nd Company aboard. It provides protection for Imperial merchants against pirates.

### Age of Confusion (Early-Late M38)

As the Chapter once again becomes active, this period is punctuated by increasingly tense relations with the Ecclesiarchy. As the Hallstat Sector draws more religious pilgrims, so its population increases, forcing the Adeptus Ministorum to lay claim to new worlds. The Obsidian Fists stand squarely in the way of these expansionist ambitions and refuse to budge. This brings the Chapter into open conflict with the Adepta Sororitas and similar organisations. It culminates in an investigation by the Ordo Hereticus who clear the Obsidian Fists of any wrongdoing.

### The Laternax Councils (843.M41-012.M42)

In 843.M41, a conclave of Astartes Chapters from across the galaxy was convened on the Robanni in northwestern Ultima Segmentum. At the cusp of the Ontiac Campaign - on the day of final victory against the greenskins - the Aasvogels turned on the loyalist Silver Flames and annihilated their entire chapter. The Aasvogels defended the destruction of their former allies with a single shocking accusation: the Silver Flames were chimeric - their geneseed was the mixture of more than one Primarch's genetic legacy. Though the presence of their mutual allies stayed the Saurians from striking back immediately, word spread quickly and other Space Marines began to take notice. To contain the inevitable fallout and hopefully stave off further bloodshed, the Knights Angelicus proposed a public gathering of Chapters to determine the efficacy and legality of the Aasvogels' actions. The gathering would be recorded as The Laternax Councils before the censoring and destruction of all evidence by the Ordo Redactus. While this was agreeable to those involved, the Optimus Legion decided that a public inquiry carried too much risk and restricted access to the proceedings to those Chapters and Inquisitorial staff involved.

The councils' core members were the numerous chapters which took part in the war against the orks and they divided into a number of factions, the two largest of which which would become known as the Puritans and the Radicals after their respective Inquisitorial allies. Though the council initially consisted only of Chapters which took part in the Ontiac Campaign, the diverging factions invited other Astartes Chapters to sit in on the council and support their respective side. The Obsidian Fists went ostensibly as a neutral party to hear both sides' arguments. While Chapter Master Sedullos attended the first Council he would often send a Chaplain - the scholars and historians of the Caer - as a representative in his place.

The Puritans' defence of the Aasvogels unilateral actions soon morphed into a call for the utter destruction of all chimeric chapters without recourse as chimerics were both illegal and blasphemous in the sight of the Emperor. The Radicals - led by The Saurians - claimed that whether the Silver Flames were chimeric or not, the Aasvogels had acted unilaterally in flagrant violation of all bonds of honour and kinship. Further, the Radicals contended that chimeric chapters should only be destroyed if credible evidence as to any such treachery or deviancy could be found; or if they openly turned against the Emperor.

Though understanding the strong repugnance the Puritan faction held for chimerism, the lords of Dalriada were alarmed by a number of factors:

1. The fanaticism of Puritan beliefs - the Obsidian Fists had dealt with Ecclesiarchal zealotry for thousands of years.
2. The impracticality of their arguments - did the Puritans even care that they might risk tearing the Imperium apart?
3. The plausibility of a much younger Chapter such as the Aasvogels unilaterally sitting in judgement over older Chapters such as their own.
4. The fact many Puritans took for granted that the dictats of the Ecclesiarchy should apply to all - even secular Chapters such as their own.

Approached by representatives of both factions in the hopes of garnering their support; the Puritans seemed offended that their passionate rhetoric did not illicit immediate, unconditional support. In contrast, as evidence mounted of the recklessness of internecine conflict, the Fists found themselves drawn more and more to the Radicals. Their own experiences of sectarian conflict weakening the Hallstat Sector over centuries, leaving it vulnerable to incursions by xenos and Chaos-worshippers helped them more readily empathise with the Saurians and their allies.

Eventually, Master Sedullos declared the Obsidian Fists part of the Radicals faction. His arguments were partly his own views as well as those influenced by the alienated Abators Golden:

1. The manner of the Aasvogels' founding gives them no right to pronounce judgement over other Chapters - much less older ones;
2. The unilateral actions of the Aasvogels' has left The Emperor's realm critically vulnerable to the Imperium's enemies;
3. The Puritans, in pursuit of their dogma, would risk rendering loyal Astartes renegades or worse: actively drive them into the arms of Chaos.
4. The natural conclusion of the Puritans' arguments will lead them to war with the Adeptus Mechanicus as well as potentially numerous Astartes Chapters.
5. The purity of a Space Marine's blood did not determine loyalty - the Traitor Legions were all similarly pure-blooded.

The knowledge that a Chapter far older than both them and the Aasvogels was concerned enough with the latter's conduct to believe it warranted censure was greeted with both cold formality and tacit approval by the Saurians. While the added support was welcome, the Saurians did not want to become closely affiliated with the lords of Dalriada due to their strained relationship with the Ecclesiarchy.

One of the *Praetori Obsidii* (Honour Guard) was slain in The Brawl. While it was not clear who exactly struck the killing blow, this hardened the Obsidian Fists' hearts against the Puritan chapters.

The Chapter's change in position gained them friends in the Iron Juggernauts contingent and the beginnings of brotherhood formed between the two. Both chapters culled aspirants from similar cultures, both shared a hatred for the Iron Warriors and strained tolerance for the Imperial Church - particularly the Adepta Sororitas. However this newfound alliance proved to be the exception rather than the rule. Other Radicals such as the Saurians remained intransigent, as did the Redemptors who were fiercely religious in contrast to the Fists' own aloof secularism. If anything, the Obsidian Fists' support seemed tolerated at best despite the Chapter's seniority and extensive war record lending it additional credibility.

The Ordo Redactus' attempts to destroy the Chapter's written records of the incident failed and they were sealed in the Reclusiam for safekeeping by order of Chapter Master Sedullos.

## Notable Campaigns

### Age of Darkness

* **First Invasion of Dalriada (Early M36)** - Though the particulars of this campaign are unknown, it is understood from external sources that poor relations with the Ecclesiarchy stem from this campaign as the Obsidian Fists' 5th Company hastily abandoned their defence of the shrine world Diosa Primus to save their home. According to archives of the Adeptus Ministorum, the shrine world fell to an ork invasion soon after and was only reconquered by a War of Faith in early M37. The Church does not forget what it sees as cowardice and a dereliction of duty on the part of the Space Marines. By the time the traitors are destroyed or driven off Dalriada, it is believed the Obsidian Fists number barely 100; most of their officers and the entire Librarius lie slain amid the ruins of Caer Dunross.

### Age of Rebuilding (Early M36-950.M36)

* **War against the Covenant (425-489.M36)** - The Obsidian Fists are approached by representatives of the reformed Ecclesiarchy, who hope to enlist their aid against the Vandirite heretics of Tartessia. Hoping to find a Chapter fully-prepared for war, the envoys are disappointed to find only 100 Space Marines with nearly half that again in neophytes rebuilding their fortress-monastery. The lords of Dalriada agree to join the War of Faith once they have been briefed on how Vandire nearly destroyed the Imperium with his greed.
The 10th Company's first deployment is on Caraga V. It is here that the lords of Dalriada see for the first time how the Imperium has changed. The hordes of zealots batter one another, both sides proclaiming the truth of the 'God-Emperor'; only this time one is backed by armoured warrior women with a penchant for flamers. The Fists leave the larger engagements to the Sisters of Battle and Imperial Guard regiments and concentrate on establishing fortified beachheads for advancing allies and breaking enemy strongholds open.
Ministorum preachers and other lesser officials complain that the Astartes' way of war is too destructive. The Astartes ignore their concerns and continue their operations. They infiltrate enemy territory and sabotage Covenant forces; they seize vital strategic points and hold them long enough for allied forces to advance to them. The 10th has suffered more than 50% losses by the war's end but the Chapter gains just over forty new battle-brothers and a good standing with other Imperial organisations.

### Age of Regrowth (950.M36-451.M37)

* **Revolt on Obsenthast VII (950-954.M36)** - A shrine world in Segmentum Obscurus is gripped by sectarian war. The planet is one of the last holdouts of those loyal to the memory of the despotic Goge Vandire, whose brutal rule was cut off along with his head 600 years prior. The Vandirites, who have seceded from an Imperium they claim has lost its way following the Reformations of Sebastian Thor, rule with an iron fist and burn anyone on the mere whisper that they are a heretic. Mixed company elements of the Obsidian Fists join an Imperial Crusade to reclaim the world for the Emperor. They are successful and leave the heretic-burnings to the vindictive Sisters of Battle.

* **Slave Raids on Meten Majoris (955.M36)** - The Obsidian Fists answer a desperate plea for help from a civilised world in Segmentum Ultima whose citizens have gone missing. When members of the Chapter arrive they eventually deduce that a Dark Eldar kabal is abducting people for their own sadistic ends. As stoic as they are, even Space Marines struggle against the dangerously potent Drukhari technology. It takes Chapter Master Amlaíb using himself as bait to end the xenos' attacks. Openly advertises his position draws out the archon planning the raid who intends to enslave Amlaíb in person. When the Dark Eldar assault his position, Terminators of the First Company deepstrike in and catch the aliens by surprise. The distraction allows Amlaíb to impale the archon on his lightning claws. The last thing the eldar sees before his soul is sent screaming to Slaanesh is a brief smile of satisfaction on Amlaíb's normally-expressionless face.

* **Heresy on Nathrann Secundus (959.M36)** - Riots on another shrine world in Segmentum Pacificus turn into an insurrection against the planetary government. By the time an Obsidian Fists strike cruiser arrived in orbit, the hives had become battlegrounds as millions of citizens had turned on each other. The Obsidian Fists deploy squads to secure the planetary governor key locations such as the space ports. They manage to extract the governor and her family to their strike cruiser before more Adepta Sororitas arrive with the Ordo Hereticus. The Sisters make no attempt to distinguish friend from foe and begin slaughtering crowds, condemning them all as heretics. The Obsidian Fists allow obviously-loyal and compliant civilians to seek shelter in their fortified positions. The Sororitas learn of this and demand the civilians be turned over to them for sanction as suspected heretics. When the Astartes refuse, the Canoness is furious; her battle sisters take aim at the Astartes who do likewise. The tension is only diffused when an Inquisitor commands the civilians be turned over. After this is done, the Obsidian Fists Captain's queries as to their fate are ignored. When the Order of Our Martyred Lady begin burning the civilians as heretics, the Captain realises he has been tricked, turns over the governor's family and withdraws his battle-brothers from the conflict, though does not discuss it with any beyond the Chaplains.

* **The Green Tide Approaches (963.M36)** - An ork Waaagh! led by Boss Snazbag Toofpulla forms in The Veiled Region and begins to spread north towards the Hallstat Sector. The Obsidian Fists are among a number of chapters who join the crusade to stop it. The orkish invasion of Imperial space is brought to a grinding halt near Bakka and scatters across 3 star systems. It takes nine Imperial Guard regiments and the combined might of the Obsidian Fists, Raven Guard, Crimson Fists, Flesh Tearers to destroy the threat. Waaagh! Toofpulla scatters to the points of the compass and much of the surrounding space becomes lawless due to the toll the war takes on Imperial forces.

* **Faith and Fire (041.M37)** - The Obsidian Fists respond to an astropathic distress call of a planetary governor in Ultima Segmentum who claims his world is being consumed by a religious schism. When the response fleet arrives in orbit, they find the Adepta Sororitas are prosecuting a War of Faith against the planetary governor who has been accused of heresy against the Imperial Creed. The Frateris Militia and Sisters are locked in a bloody struggle with the Planetary Defence Forces and an Imperial Guard regiment which had been unlucky enough to be on-world resupplying before moving on to its next deployment. Uncertain of who to aid, the Obsidian Fists are met with hails of welcome by the planetary governor but are treated with suspicion by his attackers. Attempts to ascertain the cause of the conflict reveal a minor divergence on theological minutiae on the part of the governor. Exasperated that loyal Imperial citizens are once again being put to the torch for a zealot's vindication, Captain Bolgios orders a ceasefire, and instructs his battle-brothers to impose themselves between the two sides. Bolgios berates both sides for wasting their time fighting one another when xenos attacks are increasing across the sector; his efforts to convince the invaders to abandon their pointless campaign fail and the Obsidian Fists are caught in the crossfire as hostilities resume. Seeing no reason to waste his brothers' lives, Bolgios uses air attacks to clear a landing zone, then extracts his forces. Ancient Divico is lost to the multimeltas of an Immolator before he can be retrieved. The Chapter mourns the needless loss of so venerable a warrior.

* **Second Invasion of Dalriada (360-366.M37)** - When warnings come that Waaagh! Toofpulla has regrown and is sweeping toward their home, the Obsidian Fists gather the full might of their Chapter and an army of Dalriadan tribesmen to repel the threat. After years of siege, the greenskins finally breach the walls and the battle descends into a brawl - the kind they excel at. The Fists' master swordsmanship helps them hold their ground as innumerable orks pour in By the time help arrives in the form of a Black Templars crusade force which had been wiping out ork incursions around the sector, the Obsidian Fists have lost three full companies of Marines including many neophytes of the 10th. The Obsidian Fists are indebted to their kinsmen and bonds of brotherhood form between the Chapters.

* **The Unspoken Year (450-451.M37)** - Elements of the 5th and 10th Companies stage a coup against Chapter Command led by the traitorous Captain Indulf of the 5th who believes he should be Chapter Master. When the revolt fails his scions steal a ship along with half of the gene-seed reserves and flee Dalriada, his once-brothers hot on his heels. They are caught on the edge of the sector. The renegades are hobbled by the navigators refusing to take them any further as well as a revolt by the Chapter Serfs who barricade themselves in the enginarium, threatening to detonate the ship's warp drive rather than live as traitors. Other serfs sabotage the vessel's point-defences which facilitate boarding actions by the loyalists who storm the ship, recover their stolen gene-seed and mercilessly put down every traitor Obsidian Fist. Indulf duels and is beheaded by Chapter Champion Cuilen. Aside from a few who gleefully colluded with Indulf, the serfs on board are granted forgiveness. The event leaves the lords of Dalriada shaken as it draws attention to how vulnerable their aspirants are to corruption without Librarians to aid in the selection process.

### Age of Reflection (451-999.M37)

* **Skirmish at Outpost 17-B (455.M37)** - A small pirate fleet attacks a Chapter sensor post on one of the outer planetoids of the Dalriada System. When the outpost misses its scheduled check-in with The Caer, the strike cruiser *Sworn To Duty* is dispatched to investigate. A squad of neophytes clears the outpost of raiders while the cruiser engages and wipes out their ships. The damage to the post is superficial and a new group of Chapter serfs is selected to replace it. These mortals and their descendants are oath-bound to serve the outpost in perpetuity.

### Age of Confusion (Early-Late M38)

* **Pious Interlopers (Early M38)** - Members of the Missionarus Galaxia petition the Obsidian Fists to allow them to convert the Dalriadan tribes to the Imperial Creed. Despite their reservations, the Astartes agree as such measures will aid in rooting out any Chaos corruption they might have missed. Several years later, a flotilla of ships encroaches on the Dalriada System. When challenged by the Obsidian Fleet, they announce that they have been granted permission by Cardinal Blaeg-Ovize to 'settle the world and bring it fully into the God-Emperor's Light'. The Space Marines refute this and order them to turn back:- Dalriada is not the Cardinal's to give away. Further, any who attempt to violate the autonomy of the Chapter's homeworld will be fired upon. When the Ecclesiarchal fleet tries to call the Astartes' bluff by landing a single ship, it is shot down as it enters the atmosphere. The few survivors of the crash are treated as interlopers and killed. The flotilla withdraws but the issue is far from resolved.

* **Siege of Caer Dunross (581-583.M38)** - The Dalriada system is, without warning, invaded by an armada of thousands of ships flying pennants of the Imperial Church. When challenged, the flotilla announces that Cardinal Blaeg-Ovize, has declared a War of Faith to 'make the wayward Obsidian Fists kneel in penitence'. Undaunted, the Obsidian Fleet refuse to submit and order the intruders to turn back 'lest the blood of the Emperor's loyal subjects be spilled needlessly'. The fanatics refuse and after overwhelming the small Chapter fleet through sheer weight of ships, subject The Caer to a ferocious ground assault from hastily-erected fire bases. Thousands of Battle Sisters, supporting armour and millions of Frateris Militia zealots assail the walls of The Caer. After two years of siege, a single Imperial Fists warship enters high orbit. The captain bluntly states that any continued attack on the Obsidian Fists would constitute an attack on their own Chapter, which would respond accordingly. The Adeptus Ministorum reluctantly abandons the siege and withdraws its forces. Its few attempts at colonisation in the wider system are later destroyed by the lords of Dalriada.

* **Obsidian Wrath (200s-900s.M39)** - The Obsidian Fists enjoy a tally of successful campaigns which brings glory to the Chapter. Though they care little for such things, the lords of Dalriada soon see the benefits as their relations with the Ecclesiarchy gradually warm.

* **Salvation of Lavros Alpha (321.M40)** - A strike force under Captain Cativolcus responds to a distress signal from an Imperial mining world under attack by eldar. Upon arrival, they find the Order of the Sunset has already engaged the enemy. Drop pod and deep-strike insertions at numerous locations allow the Space Marines to surprise and shatter numerous kabalite attacks. Upon discovering a Keil-Xin warhost engaged in pitched battle with the Kabal of the Setting Void, the Obsidian Fists fire into the fray, aiming for both sides. A craftworld request for a ceasefire is answered with more bolter rounds. When the craftworlders decide to cut their losses and withdraw, the Sororitas seem to give chase only reluctantly, preferring to destroy the Dark Eldar. Once the battle is over, Captain Cativolcus accuses the Order of the Sunset of allowing the Asuryani to escape back into the Webway. When the Canoness states Keil-Xin forces had shown mercy to human captives in favour of prosecuting Dark Eldar targets, Cativolcus accuses the battle sisters of being derelict in their duty by consorting with xenos. Bolters are readied on both sides as the tension mounts, though it is dispelled by the Canoness' refusal to fire on the God-Emperor's Angels. Cativolcus withdraws his forces and sends a report to the Inquisition accusing the Order of the Sunset of heresy. As far as the Chapter is concerned, this is yet another example of the Ecclesiarchy having one rule for itself and another rule for others.

* **Preservation of Vetus Maria (809.M41)** - The planet of Vetus Maria is an isolated Imperial backwater in the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy. There, tau Water Caste diplomats made contact in 805.M41 to start subverting Imperial rule. After four years of trade with the xenos a bloody civil war erupted. Extant Loyalist forces were no match for the tau and *gue'vesa* forces. In a desperate attempt to rid there world of the threat, the loyalist leadership sent a distress call. The Pyre Guards, through the Inquisition, were notified and made haste to the world along side the Ash Wyverns chapter. The Obsidian Fists sent elements of the 3rd, 8th and 10th Companies under Captain Aneroëstes to aid the war-torn planet. The Imperial task force was able to break through the Tau fleet and land intact thanks to loyalist guerillas sabotaging the planetary defence batteries. The Pyre Guards made landfall in the capital city of Vetus Maria Prime to burn out the traitor governor. The Obsidian Fists and Ash Wyverns made landfall at the starport to allow the Imperial Guard contingent to land unopposed. After the city and starport were secured, all three chapters and the Imperial Guard would attack the Fire Caste compound. The sheer number of Astartes and Guardsmen quickly overruns the tau even with their advanced techno-sorcery. Bellowing litanies of hatred for the xenos and the supremacy of humanity, Chaplain Ambiorix fights his way through the honour guard of Aun'Ui Fal'shia Ol'nan'var and strikes the Ethereal down with his crozius. The Obsidian Fists claim the alien's honour blade as a trophy. They surrender the corpse to the Adeptus Mechanicus in the hopes the tech-priests can find a weakness the Imperium can exploit in future battles.

 File:Hand Bearers Armorial.png
* **Purge of the Hand Bearers (978.M41)** - Chapter Master Sedullos leads elements of the 1st, 4th and 7th Companies against the Hand Bearers - a chimeric chapter who have fallen to the Ruinous Powers. The Obsidian Fists join a coalition made up of those attending the Laternax Councils - a rare display of unity as Space Marines from Puritan and Radical factions fight side-by-side to ensure the traitors' destruction. Even with their ranks swollen beyond Codex-compliant limits and riddled with mutation, the Hand Bearers stand no chance against the loyal Angels of Death and are utterly annihilated.

* **Operation Blueblood (009.M42)** - The Obsidian Fists' 2nd, 3rd and 4th Companies deploy to assist the war effort on Stalah against the Tau Empire. The Chapter launches a drop-pod assault on the planetary capital; they assault the governor's palace to slay the tau-installed figurehead and restore the Emperor's rightful rule. Once the palace is cleared, the Obsidian Fists fortify and hold it against numerous tau counter-attacks. Their actions inspire loyal citizens to rise in revolt against their tau overlords. The revolt is a signal to the Obsidian Fists and they sally forth. By the time reinforcements reach it, the capital is firmly in Imperial hands.

## Chapter Home World

Dalriada is a feral/jungle world - the planet is covered in continent-spanning forests of redwoods and lush jungles. Many of these forests contain Bronze/Iron-Age tribes which war among one another constantly.

### Fortress-Monastery

Caer Dunross is a mighty bastion. While it has been laid out according to an ancient STC template, the initial structure has been supplemented and reinforced with additional defensive measures in keeping with the wisdom of Rogal Dorn.

Concealed within a partially-collapsed volcano, the Caer has been made into a impregnable home of warriors. It contains, among other things, the Hall of Ages - an archive of knowledge managed by the Reclusiam. Here, written on parchment and carved in stone tablets, is the history of the Obsidian Fists and the sum of their knowledge gleaned since the Time of Rebuilding.

### Hall of Heroes

This is the heart of the chapter's spirit - the holiest of holies for the Ancestor Cult. This vast chapel-like chamber houses the Shrine to Calgacus and is large enough to fit all Astartes and their serfs. It is here that the chaplains lead their battle-brothers in meditation and rituals to venerate their chapter's founder. It also contains a fighting pit where duels are fought to satisfy matters of honour. Swords are crossed beneath the statue of the hero in the hope that he might bestow his blessing on either combatant. Ritual combats are also fought here which serve two purposes:

1. Stories of the Ancestors' heroics are retold through blade-work.
2. A duel is fought between a battle-brother rising in the ranks and his promoter to prove the former's worth. The promoted man does not need to win; only to demonstrate the tenacity, flexibility and tactical nous that comes with any promotion.

## Chapter Organisation

While the Obsidian Fists adhere to the *Codex Astartes*, they have not always done so. Their divergence stemmed from the fact they did not operate a Librarius. This was not due to Ecclesiarchal influence or some intractable distrust of psykers; the Obsidian Brotherhood was wiped out millennia ago along with a great portion of the Chapter's history when Caer Dunross was invaded and almost conquered by the Forces of Chaos Undivided. Although their Librarians were all killed and the Chapter annals destroyed, the Obsidian Fists eventually stood victorious amid the ruins of their home. With all the stoicism expected of the Sons of Dorn, they set to work rebuilding their war-torn legacy.

The Librarius was re-established with the introduction of Primaris Librarians during the Era Indomitus.

### Officer Ranks

* **Chapter Master**
* **Captain**
* **Lieutenant**

### Specialist Ranks

* **Reclusiarch**
* **Chaplain** - The Reclusiam has taken up the role of restoring and commemorating the chapter's lost history in lieu of the extinct Librarius. When not engaged in battle, Chaplains tend to a small but growing archive of documents detailing campaigns fought, heroic deeds performed and enemies encountered. The Chaplains have also led emissaries to the likes of the Phalanx to obtain copies of works such as the *Book of Dorn* so that their brothers might be better acquainted with the teachings of their Primarch.
* **Judiciar** - A new rank created with the introduction of the Primaris, Judiciars are Chaplains-in-training. It is their role to silently observe the dedication and loyalty of their battle-brothers. In addition, they help perform a role unique to the Chapter: as part of their training they must create a tome of historical events to add to the Hall of Ages.
* **Chief Apothecary**
* **Apothecary**
* **Master of the Forge**
* **Techmarine**
* **Emperor's Champion**
* **Chapter Champion**
* **Company Champion**
* **Ancient**

### Line Ranks

* **Veteran Sergeant**
* **Veteran Marine**
* **Sergeant**
* **Battle-Brother**
* **Scout Marine**
* **Neophyte**
* **Aspirant**

## Chapter Culture & Beliefs

The loss of their history deeply affected the Obsidian Fists and gave them a drive to prove themselves - especially to their progenitors. Because of the loss of knowledge, battle-brothers are encouraged to write down their observations of campaigns, battles, deeds performed, enemies fought and lessons that can be passed onto the next generation of Space Marines. The written word is held in great significance to the chapter as it provides a vital link to their past. Tomes obtained from their progenitors such as the *Book of Dorn* and the *Book of Rhetoricus* have helped shape the chapter's culture. To them, there is no weapon purer of purpose or more perfect than the sword. Be it a combat knife, chainsword or power sword, it is rare to see an Obsidian Fist on the battlefield without some kind of edged weapon about his person.

### Ancestor Cult

The Obsidian Fists venerate its founder and first Chapter Master, Calgacus, as a cultural figure and hero. Many Imperial planets in the territory owe their continued existence to this mighty Space Marine of yore. The Caer's chapel is lined with statues depicting the precious few Chapter members known from before the Age of Darkness and its tumultuous events. Their legends have grown with time, enhanced by embellishment and the rare recovery of artifacts from the Chapter's early history. Calgacus is held up as the exemplar of how Obsidian Fists should conduct themselves.

Legends tell of how the warrior-king personally slew tens of thousands of orks as he led the first Obsidian Fists across the Hallstat Sector. Following his death, it is believed he now fights beside the Emperor in His battles against Chaos in the immaterium.

## Chapter Recruitment

The Obsidian Fists recruit candidates from the primitive tribes of Dalriada as well as a number of other planets in the surrounding Hallstat Sector. Their trials are taxing and stretch both mind and body to the limit - and sometimes beyond. Skill with a blade is not the only criterion used to judge worthiness; each aspirant must be able to out-think his opponent as a means of victory. Many aspirants die during these trials and of those who do not, many are disqualified for one reason or another.

## Deathwatch Service

Through ancient oaths and pledges, the subtstances of which have been lost to time, the Obsidian Fists are bound to send battle-brothers to stand the Long Vigil. Such warriors upon returning are often looked upon favourably for promotion to officer status or advancement to the First or Second Company if they are not already part of it. These Astartes are also expected to record their campaigns and battles as the insights of those who return from the Deathwatch benefit the Chapter immensely.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

Because the Obsidian Fists are descended from Rogal Dorn, their gene-seed has flaws found among the likes of the Imperial Fists - they have lost the Betcher's Gland which allows them to project acidic saliva; and the Sus-an Membrane which allows a heavily injured Space Marine to enter an artificial coma to preserve his life until he can be recovered and healed by the Apothecarion.

#### Primarch's Curse: Only Honour In Death

Like their founding Chapter, the Obsidian Fists will stand their ground fighting to ensure victory, even though doing so means suffering horrendous losses. This expression of duty becomes exaggerated in members of the Chapter after long periods in combat, especially against the Obsidian Fists' favoured foe: the orks! In these instances the Battle-Brother sees only death; the death of their comrades, the death of the world, and the death of their foes.

An affected battle-brother considers the only righteous path lies in the expenditure of his and his brothers' lives for these purposes and will face his foes with a stoic heart and a single-mindedness that can only lead to the complete annihilation of everything and everyone he faces, often eventually including himself and those that fight beside him. When the Chapter's genetic curse manifests itself, it comes on in three stages:

* **Stage 1 - No Retreat**: As the odds mount so does the Battle-Brother's stubborn refusal to retreat, seeing only the glory and honour in defeating such overwhelming foes if even the barest glimmer of victory remains. Even if the doctrine and teaching of the *Codex Astartes* dictate retreat or flexible defence, the Battle-Brother will be loath to disengage until there is absolutely no choice, though often this can come too late.
* **Stage 2 - Suffer not Defeat**: Defeat is a bitter pill to swallow for the Battle-Brother and he would rather die fighting than accept that he has failed. This can lead to reckless behaviour as he throws himself into the fray or takes on excessive odds to win when prudence and tactical reason would dictate he withdraw.
* **Stage 3 - Unto Death**: The Battle-Brother has come to accept that perhaps only the cost of his own life will be enough to secure victory and is gladly willing to give it up. This can have dire consequences should the circumstances present him with a chance to martyr himself for the Emperor and bring ruin to the enemies of the Imperium. Should a Battle-Brother suffer mortal wounds, he gains a fatalistic desire to sell his life for the cause and will choose to expend his own life for a chance at victory or the safety of his brothers. This means he will fight on regardless of his wounds and continue to attack or place himself in the path of attacks even though the next blow could mean his end. He will also gladly accept suicidal or near-suicidal tasks (such as disarming unstable warheads, leading a forlorn hope or holding a breach to buy time for his companions) without complaint.

#### Dorn's Darkness

Another genetic deficiency confirmed to afflict the Obsidian Fists is **Dorn's Darkness**. When Dorn's Darkness takes one of their number it might appear to the untrained eye as merely a wretched palsy: a slackness of the jaw, a tremor of the limb, a blankness of the eye. But those who survive it report the experience as a living nightmare, a sleeping wakefulness in which they relive the bottomless woe of Dorn's most trying time -- the grievous mortal wounding of the Emperor of Mankind during the final hours of the Battle of Terra. This is both the genetic blessing of the Sons of Dorn's Primarch and a curse upon his sons. It is to know the possibility -- for even a second -- of an Imperium without the Emperor. To feel what Dorn felt. The profound misery of a Primarch. The paralysing fear that even a man as great as Dorn experienced, for himself and for Mankind, over the Emperor's broken body after the fateful battle with Horus.

Whilst enthralled by the Darkness, the Space Marine cannot speak or communicate. He cannot feed himself or take water and seems feverishly insensible to everything happening about him. Lacking the Librarius which might have offered a psychic form of treatment, those suffering the Darkness are instead left in the care of the Chapter's Reclusiarch, offering the victims of the Darkness a spiritual treatment that either cures them or ultimately results in their deaths. The solution to the affliction of the Darkness is to create a spiritual darkness of his own within the stasis sarcophagus. It is the most solitary of confinements, where no self-respecting battle-brother need look upon his own weakness and invalidity and where he might summon the strength of will to banish the Darkness of the Primarch and recover his sanity.

## Notable Members

### Alive

* **Sedullos** - The current Chapter Master

### Honoured Dead

* **Calgacus** - This semi-mythical figure is credited with founding the Obsidian Fists and leading them to greatness in their early history. Due to the unverifiable nature of this figure or his attributes, it is not certain if he ever existed.
* **Vortigern** - Oldest confirmed Chapter Master - fell during the Invasion of Dalriada, taking the Iron Warriors with him.
* **Cuilen** - The first Chapter Champion accepted into the Feast of Blades for the Obsidian Fists.

## Chapter Fleet

* **Hand of the Praetorian *(Battle Barge)*** - The flagship; an ancient vessel believed to have been gifted to the Chapter upon its inception or shortly after, presumably by the Imperial Fists though this is not certain. The Imperial Fists have no records of such a warship ever existing in their chapter fleet; though this could be explained by the passage of time.

* **Sworn To Duty *(Strike Cruiser)*** - One of the oldest ships in the Obsidian Fleet, it has seen action for centuries, perhaps even millennia. Some of the magos aboard claim the *Sworn To Duty* isn't even the same ship as when it was first bought as it has been subject to repeated and thorough repairs over the course of its service.

## Chapter Relics

* ***Armour of The Caer*** - This ancient, master-crafted suit of Mk IV Maximus Power Armour is reputed to have been worn by Calgacus when he lived and fought in the Emperor's wars. It miraculously survived Master Vortigern's suicide by orbital bombardment and was repaired by the last of the Chapter's Techmarines. It is festooned with purity seals and an iron halo said to absorb or deflect all but the most powerful of shots. As one of the only surviving relics from before the Days of Rebuilding, and befitting of its sanctity, only the Chapter Master has the right to wear it.

* ***The Hammer of Calgacus*** - A relic Thunder Hammer reputed to be first wielded by the legendary Chapter founder. Much of the weapon's history, as with its namesake, has been lost to myth. What little is understood is that it seems to be particularly effective against daemons. Originally wielded by the Chapter Master per tradition, it was passed to 1st Captain Roscilus after he saved his Chapter Master from being butchered by the bloodthirster Slaugh'arax. Since then the hammer has been a symbol and weapon *de jure* of the 1st Captaincy.

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Obsidian Fists' armour sports a yellow not far removed from the golden-yellow of their progenitors. The yellow represents the Chapter's pride in their ancestry; the black represents the unknown parts of its history which are nonetheless part of who the Astartes are.

### Chapter Badge

The Chapter bear the symbol of the VIIth Legion upon their pauldron, showing their pride as sons of the Praetorian of Terra. The triskele imposed on the gauntlet indicates the triplicate veneration of the Emperor, Rogal Dorn and the sword.

## Relations

### Strained

 Order of the Sunset
 Order of the Hallowed Hawthorn