The Astral Lions are a Successor Chapter raised from the genestock of the Imperial Fists Primarch Rogal Dorn, although they were founded by a former Emperors Champion of the Black Templars Chapter. They were created during an unnamed Founding during the early part of the 38th Millennium and were formed to combat the growing Ork threat in the Turbidious Sector. The Chapter excels at fast surgical strikes at key enemy locations, as well as faint and lure tactics. The fast strikes at important targets are designed to cripple key aspects within the enemy’s armies, with assault troops, snipers, bike squadrons and land speeders being highly utilised within the Astral Lions. The current Chapter Master is Erias Daravian and he has served the Chapter for around 300 years. Rising through the ranks from scout to captain of the 2nd company, Erias has earned the right to be called Chapter Master. He wears the relic lightening claw called ‘Lions Pride’, a replica of the ones stolen by the now renegade former chapter master. He is a brutal close combat specialist who adheres to the fast and frantic battle strategy of his brethren. Assisting him in this endeavour Erias will often be accompanied by a bodyguard retinue but will often forgo the safety of this to accompany assaults on the enemy directly. Usually this is done with the ‘Dark Claws’. These are Vanguard Veterans, assault marines that have seen countless engagements and tasked with rapid and devastating assaults on the enemies strongest positions. The Astral Lions often deploy their assault marines via drop pod, shocking the enemy before returning to the skies to land further among a disarrayed foe. Following up this attack in rapid succession will be the land speeders and bike squads leading the initial charge into a disorganised defence. These troops will then often pull back to lure their bloodied enemies onto the big guns from the rest of the chapter. Lightening claws are the favoured close combat weapons of these marines and the Chapter as a whole, with assault, terminator and dreadnoughts all carrying claws. In fact there have been several different types used by the chapter through the centuries, with the tech priests striving to improve the weapon. Erias has served as the Chapter Master for the past 300 years and in that time he has pushed the Chapter to atone for their lost homeworld by forever crusading. Much like their Black Templar brethren, the Astral Lions are a fleet based chapter and will never turn down a request when there is a chance to purge the heretical cults in the Sector. Due to the fleet based nature Erias and his inner circle are the only ones who know the true size of the fleet and chapter as a whole. Erias is searching for the opportunity to bring the former chapter master to justice, having been injured during the chapter’s crisis by the very former chapter master himself. Erias was the only loyal marine to survive the splitting of the chapter on the homeworld when Vargas and his fellow heretics obliterated the chapter keep and slaughtered the loyal inner guards. Erias was found barely alive by the returning loyal Astral Lions of the third company and he sees it as a personal failure on his part to prevent that black mark on the chapter.
Their home world is forever tainted by the warp due to this event or as the Astral Lions now call it ‘The Betrayal’. Erias has so far prevented the Inquisition from landing on the planet and kept the splitting of the chapter also quiet as not to bring suspicion onto the remaining loyal marines, however, only time will tell if they can be kept at bay forever. For if they knew what the Astral Lions now guarded in the former Chapter keep then the whole chapter could be excommunicated.
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AboutThe armies and characters contesting the Sector. Battles fought will dictate the narrative going forward for the Sector Archives
August 2018
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