Xander Vornn

History:The Astral Fists is a Loyalist Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marine Chapter descended from the gene-seed of the unforgiving Iron Hands during the 23rd 'Sentinel' Founding that operates within the Segmentum Ultima. Following their inception, the newly created Astral Fists were deployed to the Tarsonis Sector in the Segmentum Ultima to fight off the xenos incursion occurring there. They successfully cleansed and purged the xenos, claiming the Tarsonis System and stand sentinel over its occupying worlds. Like their progenitors, the Astral Fists Chapter maintain close ties and relations with the Mechanicum of Mars and are also more interested in their tactical success rather than their battlefield glory. Most recently, Chapter Master Argolis led the entirety of his Chapter to engage the Tyranids of the Echidna Splinter Fleet.

Unlike their genetic forebears, the Astral Fists' adhere closely to the Codex Astartes, though they do incorporate some of the atypical organisational elements used by the Iron Hands. Accordingly, the Chapter has a nominal strength of one thousand battle-brothers under arms, further divided up into 10 standard Astartes companies, rather than into Clan Companies as the Iron Hands do, with each company consisting of roughly one hundred Astartes. The Astral Fists' do not incorporate the specialist rank of the Iron Hands known as the Iron Fathers within their Chapter, preferring to keep the two traditional Astartes specialties of Chaplains and Techmarines separate as in most other Chapters. Like all Iron Hands Successors, the Astral Fists' have close ties and beliefs to that of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Because of this close relationship, the Astral Fists are provided with an excellent supply of the finest heavy arms, armour, war machines and equipment that the manufactorums of Mars can currently produce.



Service: Owing to close association with the mechanicus and their second founding origins, The Astral Fists low numbers are accredited to the more extensive genetic manipulation involved with their creation as a result all one thousand amongst their numbers consist of exceptionally resilient primaris marines, keeping in line with the iron hands philosophy of exceptionally forged weaponry and extending that to their physiology and biology. Under magos biologis watch, Xander like many of his brothers was "forged" rather than being selected and modified later, the encoded memories and experiences of several generations of space marines produced an exceptional warrior from the very start made moreso through the astral fists training grounds known as the "The Trial-Forge of The Gorgon" many Astral Fists take to technological modification soon after to better hone their skills, but by virtue of truly exceptional skill, some forego extensive modification preferring to preserve their abilities to verse themselves with battle-dogma and more importantly specialize in anti-empyric and counter-psyker warfare, these individuals become Chaplains thus tempering the Iron Hands doctrine to effectively destroy such threats. Astral Fists chaplain emphasize the teachings of Ferrus Manus and focus on the "forging" of a warrior, they produce resilience and strength in their brothers, steeling their minds and emphasizing "The Path of Iron" whilst venerating the Emperor. The Astral Fists chapter is particularly active in void and interdiction combat, they utilize raid and strike tactics to cripple and destroy an enemy destroying aspects of command, supply and communications whilst bringing their superior technology and training to bear.



Xander's focus has largely been empyric dampening and to this end he has faced countless daemons, traitor astartes, heretics and tyranids. His specialty lies in destroying the psychic channeling of Tyranids by intercepting hive fleet tendrils and severing or destabilizing their psychic channels to distort and disrupt their coordination upon the battlefield, his innate resistance to sorcery also makes him adept at fighting sorcerors and daemons. Xander's peculiarity lies in projecting "Blanking" fields, this is presumed to be a result of The Magos somehow incorporating the pariah gene within his biology. Not all engagements have been so fortuitous and engagements against necrons and orks have not fared quite as well owing to tactical or strategic disadvantages, what they lack for in numbers the Astral Fists make up for in being exceptionally talented warriors, often bringing a surprise advantage to otherwise hopeless defenses through deep-striking far behind enemy lines and decapitating their entire assault.



Armament and Tactics: Xander equips himself to best suit the task and is provided with both artificer armor and his specialty terminator armor for deep striking. He utilizes a special relic weapon known as The Gorgon's Trident forged using parts of a relic thunder-hammer and equipped with the technology to weaponize, dampen and absorb empyric fields far superseding the capabilities of a standard thunderhammer and capable of launching a titan-felling bolt of empyric thunder as a last resort, some speculate that this weapon was designed by techmarines after looking at schematics for a tachyon arrow recovered from a necron tombworld though unable to imitate the weapon they created something that could mirror its effect, though such a use would render the trident null and recharging it would require a monumental expenditure of energy which would be better used to power a battle-barge or fortress monastery's defenses instead, the trident is more effectively used in battle where each foe felled and blow made empowers the weapon thus allowing its capacities to grow stronger the longer a battle progresses. The weapon takes on a form halfway between a staff and a hammer, at Xander's level of skill he has mastered several ways to use this weapon most particularly of note is it's ability. The volatility and power of this weapon is such that it can only effectively be wielded and used whilst Xander is in terminator armor.

The Bludgeon of Vindication is a Crozius Arcanum with similar deadening and dampening effects to the trident however it is intended to be more of a utility weapon for regular use and can be equipped whilst in artificer armor, the amplification crystals used to forge this weapon are of exceptional quality and thus produce blinding white plasma arcs that can achieve incredible range and effect, such is the power of this weapon that it can effectively vaporize and char entire battle-lines of charging foes as empyric thunder arcs between enemies or concentrated as one to deliver a crippling blow to a particularly resilient foe. Guardsmen who witnessed it's use affectionately refer to the weapon as a "Bug-Zapper" on account of it's ability to quite effectively and rapidly deal with rampaging tyranids whilst eliminating any detritus for potential biomass recycling.

Finally, Xander carries a Maledictor Pattern Absolver Bolt Pistol wielded specifically by Iron Hands successor chapters these Absolver Bolt Pistols feature better machining and are custom tooled to provide excellent accuracy whilst also featuring a fairly diverse array of munition types with the only limitation being the rather lack luster 6 round magazine, then again these are more frequently used with sufficient discretion such that their usage has been deemed sufficiently effective on the battlefield. The armor piercing variant of this munition is created with necron hyperphase alloy and capable of piercing through nearly any type of armor, likewise these rounds are extremely rare and Xander himself has no more than 30 of them intended to be used in engagements of an exceptional difficulty where an enemy champion/leader is suspected to be present.

Other more standard weaponry includes Bolters, Krak Grenades, Chainswords etc.

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