Thunder Talons

Thunder Talons armorial with Legion iconography.

Thunder Talons Legion colour scheme.

### Observed Strategic Tendencies

Armoured and High-intensity Warfare, Line Breaker Attacks, Planetary Pacification and Suppression Campaigns, Anti-Materiel Operations

### Allegiance

Imperium of Man
(*Fedelitas Totalis*)

### Unique Organisations

The Technomancers, Tonitrar, Helwalkers and Stormhearts

### Noteworthy Successors

Inheritors, Star Breakers, Reclaimers, Storm Ghasts, Dread Watchers, Wrath Talons

### Warcry

"For the Emperor"

An unstoppable engine of war, the **Thunder Talons** are a both a powerful battlefield force and living symbols of the Imperium's martial dominance. Pragmatic and dutiful, the XIVth Legion proved itself a dependable and reliable force during the Great Crusade, building a steady tally of compliances to rival any other Legion. Contrasting their unassuming nature, the Thunder Talons rode to war in a cacophony of guns and iron, mastering the arithmetic of the battlefield to blend infantry and armored elements into to precision attacks capable of rending the foe with a scalpel's precision. The Legion's conservative and well-defined rotes of warfare would earn them allies in the Imperial Army and Mechanicum, bolstering an already vivacious culture of humility and duty. By their precision of mind and strength of will, the Thunder Talons push onwards.

## Legion History

### Duty Bound

"*The Imperium is a grand machine, this is a fundamental truth. The Mechanicum is it's fuel, the populace it's body, the Emperor praised be his name is the operator. We, the Legiones Astartes are the engine. We drive Humanity ever onward where the Emperor sees fit. What business does an engine have to question the direction. Our purpose is clear remembrancer, ensure that yours is as well.*"
—August Veramn, the Blackhand to the famed Remembrancer Julia Kellas
The XIVth Legion came into being alongside the VIth, recruiting from the sprawling hives of Merika’s eastern regions. Having slaved under the Pan-Pacific lash since before living memory, the denizens of the cities rose in rebellion as the Imperial assault weakened their masters. The Emperor saluted their strength of spirit, and resolved to make use of it for His armies. That can be seen to this day among the Imperial Army - despite the ravages of civil war, numerous Merikan regiments serve still the Emperor. Others carry the same legacy, it having been seeded across newly claimed worlds in the Great Crusade.

But the most potent inheritors of that legacy ran in the VIth and XIVth Legions. The latter were the quickest to reach maturation, due to the particular nature of their cousin’s gene-seed, and won their first battle-honours in the battle for Merika’s northwest territories. While the Juggernauts and Shepherds of Eden pressed deep into the equatorial regions, the XIVth waged war at higher latitudes. Of their many actions, they won the most renown for smashing the Sheram Heavy Brigades in a great armoured clash on the Bergin Salt Plains.

Although the Legion fought on Luna - supporting the IIIrd along with the VIIIth - they profited relatively little from the seizure of the Selenar Cult’s lore and expertise, for their gene-seed was exceedingly stable and had a notably low rejection rate. They were among the Legions who claimed stock from Cthonia after that world was added to the Imperial fold - though they never recruited from it in the same numbers that the likes of the Blood Wolves would. This ensured that the XIVth was one of the larger Legions as the Great Crusade began in earnest, and allowed it to be split into multiple Expeditionary Fleets from an early stage.

The Legion's reputation, as it developed, was less one of exceptional feats of arms or great tactical flair than of consummate professionalism. Their discipline made them particularly suitable to serve as part of a greater whole, be that with their cousins or the other armies of the Great Crusade. Of all the Legions they adapted quickest to fighting alongside the armies of Mars. Indeed their action on Mondus with the Taghmata Rezanin and the Legio Destructor is recorded as the first time that a Legiones Astartes fought shoulder to shoulder with the cyborg troops of the Mechanicum, as well as the Collegia Titanica.

Unsurprisingly, the Lords of the Red World seem to have been especially generous in the wargear and vehicles they bequeathed to the XIVth, and a number of armoured doctrines were codified by the Legion as a result. This proved a particular boon given the decision by Imperial High Command to partition their strength from an early stage. The XIVth’s ability to cooperate with a wide variety of allies stood them in good stead, at a time when other Legions demonstrated either a lack of inclination or ability to do so. Their reward was not the great glory which came to the Astral Griffons, the Juggernauts and the Shepherds of Eden - and soon the Lightning Bearers - but few of the Legions were as respected by their mortal comrades.

As the Crusade progressed, the XIVth came to be prized for its malleability; the willingness of its commanders to campaign jointly with auxiliary forces. Of particular note were a string of battles waged through the Skoran Wastes by the 49th Expeditionary Fleet. Over nine years they spearheaded the Imperial advance in that region, annihilating six xenos territories and adding a score of coreward system-clusters to the Imperium. The Legionaries assigned to the fleet fought with distinction beside the vaunted Crown Breakers and Kopilan Sabres of the Solar Auxilia, leading combined armoured assaults of extraordinary cohesion.

Their enduring moniker was coined and adopted en masse by the mortal soldiers at this time. It was not given for any particular deed, but rather for the sound and fury with which the XIVth’s multi-pronged tank assaults struck and fractured the formations which stood against them. When word reached Matthias Ruztan, Lord Commander Primus, he deemed it quite fitting. Ever after, the Legion bore the name Thunder Talons. While they went without the pure renown accorded the Lightning Bearers, Apostles of War or Eagle Warriors, their numerous fleets continued to fight across the frontier, until word came that their Primarch was found.

### United With the Primarch

Deep within the Segmentum Tempestus, the world of Welessn had come to harbour the primogenitor of the Thunder Talons, August Veramn. He had unified the world by force and brought it prosperity and peace. This life that he had built was soon to change as satellites on the outer limits of the system detected an ætheric disturbance. Realising that this signified a large fleet bearing down on the system, they broadcast their finding and fled for the inner system. The true scale of the incoming flotilla only became clear when Veramn’s fleet sallied forth in response. To their horror, they discovered that their largest battleships were but a tenth of the size of the interlopers’, to say nothing of their gargantuan flagship.

Not one man among the fleet could have doubted their fate if they resisted an armada of this size. And yet, Veramn’s dedication to his people demanded it, and as the guns were run out, the Primarch took to the vox. No matter how the newcomers outnumbered and outgunned them, he promised them that the defenders would resist until the last breath was throttled from them.

To his surprise, however, the voice which answered him was rich with amusement - and mysteriously familiar. The master of the intruding fleet announced himself as Icarion Anasem, son of the Emperor of Mankind, and greeted Veramn as a brother. Far from facing annihilation, Welesn was welcomed into the Imperial fold, and its former strength would be eclipsed a thousand times over as it grew into a Legion homeworld.

### Thunder and Lightning

Veramn’s education on Terra was relatively brief, and the cohort of Welessnine warriors he brought with him was thus comparatively small. There was little if any rancour between them and their new brothers, however, and the Primarch’s approach to his new command was one of modification and refinement, rather than wholesale change. It is notable that Veramn continued to recruit extensively from the Throne World and other tributary fiefdoms claimed by his sons,

To the surprise of none, Veramn was assigned to campaign with Icarion. The two had got on well and corresponded throughout Veramn’s years on Terra. This would serve to aid in Veramn’s acclimation and cement his command of the XIVth. What was not anticipated, however, was the baptism of fire which would come with the Orkish Manglar Horde, which erupted into the frontier sector from the Galactic far south and plunged the Nerska March into over a year of barbaric warfare.

With the Anvil Bearers already engaged across the beleaguered March, the two Primarchs mustered a host at Katorz and launched a multi-pronged offensive, deploying strike forces of Lightning Bearers and Thunder Talons against Ork armies. The largest force, however, was commanded by both brothers, and they struck for the capital system of Kyvel, which was under siege by Irin' Duke Manglar himself.

The onslaught against Kyvel had raged for two weeks when they arrived. One of Kyvel’s moon had been reduced to debris by the incessant pounding of Ork guns, Roks thronged the skies and the surface convulsed with a great mass of greenskins. Leonfrik Skira and his Anvil Bearers anchored the defiance with guile and bloody-minded valour, but they were hard pressed by the sheer numbers of the enemy.

As Icarion led the majority of the fleet into contact, August led the planetfall operation. The Astartes’ drop-pod assault smashed into the heart of the horde, a green tide rising within another to wreak carnage upon them. Gunships followed, bringing Astartes and vehicles of both Legions as well as August himself. Cohorts of Solar Auxilia followed, and quite appropriately, the Orks were caught and broken upon the unbending defence of the Anvil Bearers.

August sought out Duke Manglar at the height of the slaughter, finding him locked in combat with Leonfrik. Together they wrestled the slab-armoured beast and at length, Leonfrik hewed the Warboss’ head from his shoulders. So was the battle won, and a bond sealed in blood between the three Legions.

## Notable Campaigns

* War for the Shardhold
* The War for Merika
* Mondus Campaign
* Conquest of Luna
* Manglar Crusade : August Veramn's first time in command of the Legion, the Manglar crusade was fought against the forces of the Ork Warboss, Duke Manglar. The war was bloody, and a test for the new legion. In the end however, a bond between the Lightning Bearers, Anvil Bearers and the Thunder Talons was forever formed.
* Compliance of the Hysterok Empire : One of the largest armoured campaigns in Imperial History, the Thunder Talons were put against the Starfairing Empire of Hysterok, which had denied the Imperial Truth in favour of their own religious superstitions.

## Legion Organisation & Structure

> "You ask of the inspiration for my organizational structure? Very well. In the legends I have read of Ancient Terra, the War Philosopher Sunzu was a particular interest of mine. He believed that excellence in war was won by principles, not just by force of arms itself. These principles are the whetstone of my legion, making my sons sharper and stronger at their respective disciplines. They are how I ensure excellence."
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> - The Primarch August Veramn, to Primarch Icarion Anasem of the IInd Legiones Astartes
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The organizational structure of the XIV was by August Veramn's design ; rigid, resolute and well ordered. It was designed to be so that everything had it's perfect and exact place. This is evident by the creation of the Principles, quasi-corps organizations that dictate one of the forms of warfare that the Thunder Talons exercise.

#### **The Sword Principle**

The largest of the Principles, the Sword Principle consisted of the Legion's standard infantry formations, support units fire support terminators, and transportation vehicles. The Sword Principle's hand could been seen when the legion deployed massive infantry formations to overrun the enemy with momentum. The highest veterans of this principle were the Helwalkers, elite sappers trained in anti-structure and anti-armor operations.

#### **The Iron Principle**

Ranking just behind the Sword Principle in size, the Iron Principle consisted of the many armoured formations within the XIV, and subsequently was instrumental in the blitzkrieg tactics that the Talons had come to be known by. Most of this great host's armour consists of sicarans and predators, but that is not to discount the large amount of dreadnought, heavy and super heavy weaponry wielded by the Iron Principle. It should also be noted that there is a large Techmarine population stationed within the Principle. The elite formation within the principle is known as Vennkoeth, renowned for their flanking maneuvers, and named after the famous horseman of Welessnar legend.

#### **The Storm Principle**

The Storm Principle makes up the shock assault cadres of the XIV, consisting of Assault Terminators, Assault Squads, Jetbikes, Despoilers and Seekers. A crucial step in the formations of the Thunder Talons, the principle functions generally as skirmishers, weakening the flanks of the enemy before a devastating speartip is pressed into the enemy. At the forefront of these speartips are the Stormhearts, the terminator elite of the legion.

#### **The Fire Principle**

Composed of the Legion's best and brightest siege masters, the Fire Principle dealt in all things artillery, heavy ordnance and siegecraft. It was said that the guns of this division could shake the very foundations of worlds, and annihilate any target in their path. The elite members of the XIV's siegemasters were the Tonitrar, uncompromising destroyers that utilize devastating weaponry.

#### **The Void Principle**

As their namesake suggests, the Void Principle was devoted to the art of Void Warfare. They were composed of the legions shipmasters, pilots and breacher squads, so that they could best engage in all theatres in space. Of particular note are the amount of Xiphon class fighters possessed by the Legion and the Principle. The elite of the Void Principle are the Vamteran, a veteran squadron of Xiphon fighters, said to be some of the best in the Legiones Astartes.

### **Rank Structure**

The rank system within the Thunder Talons was designed with three things in mind, simplicity, rigidity and redundancy. It was composed of five ranks.

* Legionary : Standard line Astartes within the XIV.
* Sergeant : Led squads of 5-10 Astartes depending on the type of unit.
* Captain : Led companies of 100 Astartes which were composed strictly of a given principle and the necessary support staff to run it.
* Commander : Led battalions of 1,500 Astartes. Numbering typically in ten per corps, these battalions were composed of many of the Principle's formations, and would be selected to operate in a particular section in a theatre of war.
* Legate : Led Corps of 15,000 astartes, which functioned as autonomous theatre forces, designed to have all the necessary logistical and military strength required to remain seperate from the Legion for extended periods.

Each rank of officer (Sergeant and up) would number their subordinates in seniority and rank. As an example, a Sergeant of a tactical squad would number their men 1-9, with their first being most senior, just as a Legate would number their Commanders 1-10. This ensured that if casualties incurred within any formation in the legion, command could quickly and efficiently be restored to protect the unit's cohesion.
Ranks were considered above principle in the legion, with a captain of a Fire Principle Company having the authority to order a Storm Principle Sergeant, though the opportunities to do so would be rare. A Legate or Commander, who commanded battalions and companies of a variety of Principles, could be selected

#### **Other Positions of Note in the Legion**

* Prefects : Existing only at the Corps level, each prefect would be in charge of the training and refinement of their respective Principle within the Corps. They served as advisors to the Legate, advising on how best to use the skills and tools their respective principle bore.

### Corps of the XIV

#### 1st Corps ("The Inheritors")

Legate: Jans Omellar, First Captain of the Legion

#### 2nd Corps ("The Star Breakers")

Legate: Olivar Dirleth

The 2nd Corps also known as the Star Breakers are renowned for their skill in void-warfare and fighter combat along with the Thunder Talon doctrine of anti-entrenchment warfare. In fact the Commander of the Corps, Olivar Dirleth utilizes his own Xiphon class Fighter. The Second Corps was instrumental in the extraction of the XIVth from the recruiting world of Carpathia during the onset of the Interregnum.

#### 3rd Corps ("The Dreadwatch")

Legate: Josef Beraddon

Earning it's namesake during the Siege of Welessn as staunch defenders, the Dreadwatch are renowned for their fortifications and defensive operations. The Commander, Josef Berradon earned his corps the honour of bearing a great baleful eye on their armor after the Battle of Jurath where only 600 members of the forces of the Vremalkyr, fighting them back and killing Knethvirr the Overlord ; a notable member of the so called God race.

#### 8th Corps ("Storm Ghasts")

Legate: Perun Atagast

Betrayers and murderers, the Storm Ghasts are known by every Son of Veramn to be first of their number to fall to the ruinous powers. Cast out from the their brothers due to their religious beliefs, they turned to the treachery of the Eagle Warriors, and their infamous warrior lodges. When the Rebellion began against the Regent Kozja Darzalas the Storm Ghasts would betray the Talons, casting off the heraldry of their old legion in favour of their new alliance.

### Specialist Formations

* **Stormheart Terminators** - Stormhearts function as the elite terminators of the XIVth Legion and as such are utilized as devastating shock troops and honour guards both. Within the legion they are commonly seen as the apex of the legion's spirit and conviction, a paragon of all August Veramn desires. Armed with power swords and grenade harnesses they annihilate their enemies with brutal precision.
* **Helwalker Squads** - A common sight in each of the ten corps, Helwalker units functioned as brutal surgical strikers and talented sappers. Commonly armed with Astartes Combat Shotguns, Flamers, Melta-Guns and powered combat blades the Helwalkers are found where the combat is thickest. The Helwalkers specialize in all things explosive, and during sieges they have been observed smashing through fortress walls and heavy vehicles with incredibly devastating charges. Most senior among these formations were those in the 1st Corps, the "Morrthensk". The Helwalkers embody the Thunder Talon way of war ; embodying fast, efficient, and unquestionably destructive vessels of the Blackhand's will.
* **Tonitrar** - The Tonitrar we the XIV's answer to the Legion destroyer. Renowned for their destructive prowess, the Tonitrar were said to be the greatest explosive experts. Equipped with scourge pattern rockets and state of the art artificier power armour it was common for the very presence of these deadly warriors to change the course of a battle with their deadly ordnance.

## War Disposition

At the onset of the Interregnum the Thunder Talons had roughly 140,000 Astartes who were divided into 10 semi-autonomous Corps each numbering in 10,000 to 20,000 marines.

## Legion Combat Doctrine

Ruinous is the truest and most blunt method of describing the XIVth's way of war. From the moment battle is joined and any hope of peaceful resolution scatters, the Legion deploys its multitude of artillery platforms. So vast and destructive are the barrages produced by these great guns that any sensible foe would scatter and hide, lest they be annihilated by the mere opening salvo of a Thunder Talons offensive. In the midst of this great devastation, the mounted and infantry forces of the Legion steadily advance to front-line, undaunted and assured by their might of the thunderous cannonade. With precision to match the most delicate of chronographs, the forces of the Thunder Talons spring upon the enemy through the marching fire, the bombardment only relenting to allow the enemy the realization of their impending doom. In this arithmetic of war, Talons crusaded; maximizing speed, efficiency and their own destructive yield all the while relying upon near-mechanical discipline and precision to minimizing their own casualties.

## Legion Belief

The Thunder Talons were devout professionals.  (TO BE EXPANDED)

## Legion Gene-Seed

The Thunder Talon geneseed is cited to be remarkably stable, being one of the most of all the Legiones Astartes. The only deviation is the Technomancer's Sight. This rare ability, only manifesting in a calculated 7% of the entire legion, and in much differing levels of power. While it's rumoured that most if not all Talons possess this deviation in some minor form, those with notable ability are drafted into the Technomancer Order, the most able mechanics in the Legiones Astartes.

## Notable Thunder Talons

* **August Veramn** - Primarch of the XIVth Legion and Lord of Welessn
* **Jans Omellar** - Commander of the First Corps and Lord of the Stormhearts. A Welessn-born space marine, Jans Omellar was augmented and indoctrinated into the XIVth Legion right after the unification with the Imperium of Man. Quickly rising through the ranks of the 5th Corps, Omellar was proven to be an efficient and extremely competent leader with a unique skill for artillery, as well as siege warfare. It was during the Siege of Welessn that Jans, and many others would prove their worth to the Legion. Organizing the defence of Askyth Prime, the planetary capital he defended the great city for days against the xenos tides. After this 1st Commander Bequorian began to see the relatively young Brigadier as a threat to his position. He would be proved right as Bequorian would be brutally dismissed due to his failures that put the Legion and the allied Cardinal Guard at risk during the Heart of Darkness Campaign. Omellar would quickly take his place rising quickly to become the senior-most artillery and ordnance expert within the Legion.
* **Danyr Melcor** - A former Commander of the 8th Corps under Perun Atagast, Melcor would be betrayed by his brothers as they turned from August Veramn, instead giving their loyalties to the treacherous Eagle Warriors. Eventually Melcor would return to August Veramn, and being impressed by the dedication and loyalty shown by the Voxmaster, he would give him the title of being his Equerry.
* **Gareth Vautach** - Former Equerry to the Primarch.
* **Otto Voltar** - Forgemaster of the Legion.

## Relations

### Allies

* **The Lightning Bearers :**The Sons of Icarion hold a special relationship with the Talons, as do their father and August Veramn.
* **The Anvil Bearers**
* **The Steel Legion**
* **The Void Eagles**

### Enemies

* **The Eagle Warriors**
* **The Cardinal Guard**
* **The Warbringers**
* **The Berserkers of Uran**
* **The Devourers of Irithon**
* **The Monarchs of Denaus**
* The Predators

## Gallery

A Veteran Thunder Talons LegionnaireStormheart TerminatorHelwalker LegionaryTonitrar Veteran