Scale Bearers

"We will have this world, Sarkus. Whatever force your WAAAGH may bring, we will smash it into the ground. Our Sors shall make meals of your Squiggoths. Our tanks will make scrap of your machines. Our Bolters will make a thin green paste of your Orks, and mighty Thagomizer will make a fine white powder of your skull. All that you are will be trampled beneath the might of the Imperium, and all that you have burned shall be avenged. So ask yourself one question, Sarkus - do you fear death? Death has come for you."

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

Scale Bearers
Battle Cry	"Imperator Rex!"
Number	XVII
Founding	First Founding
Successors of	N/A
Successor Chapters	A number, including the Beastmasters, Violet Serpents, and Knights Saurian
Chapter Master	Olit Okirus
Primarch	Tiran Osoros
Homeworld	Solnhofen
Strength	91,000 at the beginning of the Heresy, 1,000 as of M41
Specialty	Fast attack (both bikes and Sors)
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours	Forest Green and Gold

The Scale Bearers Adeptus Astartes Legion are fast attack specialists who fight alongside the reptilian warbeasts known as Sors (native to Solnhofen) and often use them as mounts. Led by the Primarch Tiran Osoros until his death during the Hektor Heresy. Their homeworld of Solnhofen is covered in vast jungles, and serves as their main source of recruits as they replenish their numbers, but other worlds have contributed Astartes to the Legion, including Kras Xenkoh and Necthan.

Their surprise defeat at the hands of the Iron Rangers early on in the Heresy left them scattered and devastated, and their efforts to rebuild since then have proven only moderately fruitful.

Legion History

Sacred Band

The XVII Legion Astartes were noted to have served admirably-though without distinction-during the initial stages of the Merican Campaign. This would change during the fighting in the Merican Dustbowl. The center of the continent was a vast wasteland, home to countless numbers of 'Road Warrior' tribes fighting amongst one another for dwindling resources in the shadows of burned-out hives.

As the armies of the Emperor moved inland they were fiercely opposed by these violent waste-dwellers, who cooperated for the first time in their history to face the invaders. They saw how the Imperium cleaved through the coast and were too clever to face the massed regiments of Thunder Warriors or the infantry of the Imperial Army in pitched battle. The nomads used the high mobility of their technicals and weapon-bikes to strike at supply convoys, isolated Imperial Army forces, and exposed flanks. The actions of the 'Road Warrior' tribes slowed the Emperor’s advance to a crawl. Hektor Cincinnatus was ordered to defeat or subjugate the tribes so the advance across Merica could continue. Hektor permitted Rychad Owain of the XVII Sacred Band to copy the tribes' own 'bike' techniques for use against them. The XXVth heavily modified these captured bikes so that each could bear a Marine's weight and weaponry, and performed a series of successful counter-ambushes which destroyed the fighting strength of one prominent tribe and proved the XXV's use of 'fast attack bikes' as an effective tactic.

This pattern would be repeated and the XVII became the core of a bike-mounted force, sweeping behind enemy formations and striking at exposed flanks in lightning attacks. The Imperial armies finally saw progress after months of stagnation, as the tribes fell one by one to the advancing Imperial forces. At the conclusion of that campaign when Imperial Forces finally reached the other side of the dustbowl, the XVII Legion was granted the title ‘The Imperial Riders’ by Primarch Hektor, among the first of the fledgling legions to earn a name for themselves.

Early Campaigns

For the initial stages of the Great Crusade, the Imperial Riders were used as a fast attack force. Where others used stealth, subterfuge, or brute force, the XVII used speed and power. They reinforced flagging Imperial Army campaigns and struck at elusive foes. The Riders found worthy foes in Eldar Raiders, Dactyls and others who relied on speed and maneuverability to win battles. Bikes and mounted squads were at the heart of their formations and they fielded endless varieties of the design. While other Legions adopted bikes, none could equal the Imperial Riders in their mastery of the motorized mounts.

Worlds without number were taken by them. Many planets in a fraction of the time estimated. Few could match their speed. What they could not outfight, they outmaneuvered. They lived up to their name in full, quickly securing planets and moving on as soon as their Imperial Army replacements would arrive to bring the world fully into compliance. Where the early battles of the Merican campaigns saw them with little distinction, they shined like suns in the early battles of the Great Crusade.

Primarch Discovery

The Emperor arrived to Solnhofen as the Primarch of the Legion was waging war across the planet. He confronted the man, revealing himself and the Primarch's origins. The mighty warrior bent the knee to his father and was rewarded with the command of the XVII Legion. After completing the conquest of his world in a single fortnight, Primarch Tiran Osoros formally took command of his Legion.

The secret to Tiran's successful conquest was his uncanny affinity for and influence over the Sors, the massive beasts of his native world. When the Primarch took his place at the head of his Legion, he resolved to use these creatures on the Crusade to fight the enemies of humanity. Osoros introduced the Legion to Sor-style warfare, making the creatures the center of tactical formations and utilizing battle-bikes as skirmishers and flanking forces in support of the Sor-mounted units. Tiran threw himself into his new position with zeal, learning everything he could of the Legion's history and methods of warfare. He required both the seasoned Terran Marines and the new Solnhofen recruits to cross-train on both Sors and bikes so as to better form a seamless Legion, skilled in either task.

The 'Imperial Riders' took quickly to both their Primarch and his odd way of war. They adopted the name 'Scale Bearers' in homage to the title which Tiran had held on his homeworld and painted their armour in colors which evoked the jungles of Solnhofen and the skins of the Sors they now rode into battle. Battle-bikes were decorated with paint and animal bones, while the Astartes accented helms with raptor feathers and draped scaly cloaks across their bodies.

Heresy

The Scale Bearers, in conjunction with the Iron Rangers, were sent to Diamat to put down the Mechanicus rebellion which had sided with Aubrey. While the Primarchs discussed their strategies, the Iron Rangers sent men to sabotage several vessels from the Scale Bearer fleet, discharging their ordnance into their own fleet. After a short but costly void battle, the Scale Bearers were forced to withdraw. They were able to start reconsolidating after a short jump in the warp around a small forested planet. Merrill, however, was not willing to give up his target and followed a short time later. With severe damage to the ships of the fleet, the Scale Bearers landed on the planet's surface in the hopes of either defeating the XX Legion in open battle or causing enough casualties to force Merrill to withdraw. This turned into a long running battle through the jungles of hit-and-run attacks, ambushes, and counter-ambushes. Eventually, Tiran was brought down by the villainous Primarch and his trusted beast Keratops killed by barrage after barrage of ordnance. With the Scale Bearers leaderless and scattered, the craven traitors abandoned the fight, leaving the Scale Bearers lost and attempting to reunite.

For most of the Heresy, the XVII Legion was left in such a state. Some managed to group together large enough to set out against the traitors, but it wasn't until late in the Scouring that they would be reunited as a Legion.

Post-Heresy

The Legion slowly pieced itself back together throughout the Heresy and into the Scouring. Though they fared better numerically than many of their fellow legions, the Iron Ranger's practice of targeting their leadership had taken its toll. Gaspard Lumey was required to assist in negotiating the level of leadership as they transferred from Legion to Chapter status. It is theorized that not all of the Scale Bearers were collected, and rumors persist to the 41st Millenium of a fleet of the Legion traversing the galaxy, still spreading the Imperial Truth and attempting to unite the lost planets of mankind.

While the Legion had more than enough reason to form an animosity of the Iron Rangers, rumors and stories stoked the flames. While the two Primarchs were largely cordial to each other, and were known to converse from time to time, they were not the closest of brothers. As the history was told slightly differently with each telling, they became close allies, and eventually the closest of brothers in the view of the Scale Bearers. As they became closer, the betrayal of Rogerius Merrill became a deeper and deeper wound. In the 41st Millenium, Merrill is viewed by the Scale Bearers as the worst of the traitors, and any activities of the Iron Rangers is sure to bring as many men who carry Tiran's geneseed as can be mustered.

During the Great Crusade and the Battles of Diamat and Sorfall, many of the Sors were killed. The numbers on Solnhofen were depleted beyond what they were able to field. Between these losses and the divisions into chapters, few Sons of Tiran utilize the Sors in the modern age. Most return to the methods of the Imperial Riders, using bikes with motifs that recollect the beasts of their home planet.

Culture

Solnhofen

Solnhofen
Segmentum	Segmentum Tempestus
Sector	Uhulis Sector
System	Mesazon System
Population	8,738,903
Orbital radius	1.25AU ± 0.23AU
Gravity	0.94G
Temperature	Tropical

Located somewhere in Segmentum Tempestus is the Mesazon system, continaing the feral jungle world of Solnhofen. A primitive planet, it is home to a small population of humans who, by the 41st Millenium, adhere to the Imperial Cult in their own unsophisticated way. This second planet of the Mesozon system boasts vast jungles dotted by large but simple villages. On the planet's (still warm) northern pole rests the Cliffs of Tiran, the Fortress-Monastery of the Scale Bearers. Some 948 kilometers to the southeast sits the northernmost of the villages, Gand Wanunlen, which served as home to the young Tiran Osoros in the time he spent on the planet before the Great Crusade. Now the largest of the villages, Gand Wanunlen is the 'capital' of this Imperial World.

History

Evidence found on the planet's southern regions indicate that humanity first settled here sometime in M19, atop the ruins of a primitive xenos civilization. The nonsapient Sors had already been there by the time of the first Dark Age records that have been recovered so far - records that were perhaps made in M26. What little records remain indicate that the Sors were a constant threat to the early colonists, and that those leaving the M26 record were the most recent in a succession of colonial waves, all of which until then had failed to bring the planet to heel. By the time Tiran's genetor-pod arrived in M30, the planet had taken the full brunt of the Age of Strife. Reduced to mere tribes scrabbling about in the few clearings to be found with stone weapons and bone tools, the people of Solnhofen could not have expected ever to see visitors from another planet again. Not until, that is, the arrival of the Primarch of Legio XVII...

Landing on the planet, the son of the Emperor was found and raised by the Gand Wanunlen hunter Ayl Osoros, and soon earned his own name of Tiran after defeating a pack of such named Sors and taming his now-famous ally Keradops. As he grew and learned, the spark of conquest lit in his eyes, as it had in so many Solnhofen warriors before him. Speaking with the village's chief, the youth managed to persuade his people to rise in arms against their neighbors. For some half a standard year, Tiran developed the Sor-based tactics that he would pass on to his Legion, conquering and subjugating nearly half of the planet. He would later recount that his army claimed to have killed over 200,000 enemies by the time of the Emperor's arrival.

As the Great Crusade progressed, the planet provided a number of recruits for the Scale Bearers Legion, and the technology of the people improved slightly. By the time of the Heresy, the people had at last discerned proper irrigation systems and began clearing jungle for small-scale agriculture. These advancements served to raise the planetary population, and thus increase the pool of available recruits for the Legion.

A Warp storm over the system during the Heresy prevented the Scale Bearers from returning to defend their homeworld. In the aftermath of the Heresy, Solnhofen was scrutinized for any possible taint-- how had the populace fared during the Warp storm? Why had the Ruinous Powers spared the defenseless world in their grasp? The investigation, however, found the planet free of Chaotic taint and Solnhofen remained as it always had been-- a Feral world, beneath the notice of all save the sons of the Primarch who had called it his home.

Little has changed on Solnhofen in the last ten thousand years, save for the adoption of primitive metallurgy and notable improvements in pottery. In M36, the planet very nearly came under threat in the war against WAAAGH! Da Beast, which to this day remains the largest Ork WAAAGH! ever recorded. Da Beast's forces sought to descend upon the planet, though fortunately they never made planetfall on Solnhofen-- a combined fleet of the Imperial Navy and the Scale Bearers' own Chapter Fleet laid waste to the voidfaring Orks before they could reach the planet's orbit.

Culture

The people of Solnhofen are a primitive folk, tending towards simplicity of thought and life. Their general character is that of tribes competing for vital resources - conflicts are short, but vary between highly ritualized (in matters of honor) or bloody and frantic (in matters of sustenance or potable water). With the work subdivided relatively evenly among the members of the community, women and children have a greater degree of political power among the tribes of Solnhofen than on many other worlds of such a developmental level. This, of course, is not saying much. What does hold interest is the superstition the locals hold about the pre-Imperial ruins that dot the planet, often containing statues of the sail-backed lizard xenos thought to have gone extinct millennia prior to human arrival. The planet's natives think the ruins to be haunted by the spirits of the ancient xenos that once called Solnhofen home, and are often blamed for everything from a death in childbirth to milk spoilage.

Recruiting and Notable Worlds

Solnhofen

Many of the most accomplished warriors of the Scale Bearers hail from the Chapter's Homeworld, which is still a steady source of new recruits.

Palia Ceen Worlds

Of the inhabited planets in this system liberated by the Scale Bearers during the Great Crusade, only two provide recruits for the Chapter.

Belor

A harsh, rocky world with only one sea, home to proud tribal peoples who eke out a living either along the coastline or in the barren boulder-strewn wastelands.

Necthan

Hot, lush jungles cover the surface of Necthan. Stone cities dot the main continent, surrounded by endless green. Deadly beasts prowl its dark interior, preying on both the unwary and the weak. To prove themselves, the greatest warriors of Necthan will sally forth into the jungles, seeking to slay these terrible animals. If they survive-- and if they are found worthy by the strange 'Sky Men' during their annual visits to Necthan-- these warriors are taken to fight among the stars for the God-Emperor.

Kras Xenkoh

More like ancient Terra than any other world which the Scale Bearers recruit from, Kras Xenkoh contains multiple biospheres— tundra near the poles, broad forests and grasslands in the southern hemisphere, and plains on the northern continent. After cleansing the world of its mutant infestation during the Great Crusade, the Legion declared the northern plains 'off limits' for colonization from the southern continent, so that the tribal way of life for the 'Grass People' would be preserved and the newly-seeded Sors could reach survivable population size. The Scale Bearers recruit from both the medieval city-states of the South Continent and from among the 'Grass People' of the North.

Sorfall

The location of the darkest stain on Legion history. A forested moon orbiting a gas giant, the world now known as Sorfall was where the Scale Bearers finally faced the Iron Rangers in head-on combat. By the end of the battle, the Legion had lost their Primarch, and with him, their heart. Eventually the Scale Bearers would recover their fighting strength, but they would never be the same.

Though the bodies of Tiran Osoros and Keradops were returned to Solnhofen, a massive fortress of white stone was raised to mark the spot where they fell. Inside the shrine stands row upon row of statues, one for each Astarte that met his fate on Sorfall. The bones of the fallen Sors were assembled into skeletons and placed on display. At the eastern end, the likeness of Primarch Osoros, carved out of gleaming marble, is seated on a throne typical for Solnhofen chieftains. The opposite end of the main hall holds a monument to Keradops. The Scale Bearers and their successor Chapters maintain a continuous honor guard here, and it has become an oft-visited world along the pilgrimage routes of the Segmentum Tempestus.

Notable Members

Krate Shias the 'Tyrant King'

Tribal Warrior on Solnhofen; followed his friend and leader Tiran Osoros when the Primarch took command of the Scale Bearers Legion. Made Chief of the 'Spear-Bearers', an elite Squad of Marines who served as Primarch's personal guard. Present through Palia Ceen and WAAGH! Sarkus Campaigns, and on Sorfall when Primarch Rogerius Merrill slew Tiran. Krate swore a bloodoath to avenge his friend and Primarch. Served as first Chapter Master of the Scale Bearers after reorganization into a Chapter. Fell in battle 598.M31 and interred into a dreadnought sarcophagus.

Still serving the Chapter in M41, Krate Shias is only awakened to lead contingents of Scale Bearers during the successive Black Crusades, in the hope that he might yet be able to make good on his oath to spill the blood of Iron Rangers and Rogerius Merrill.

Rychad Owain

A member of Squad XVII of the Sacred Band, pledged from the Legion during their time as the Imperial Riders. One of the oldest Astartes in the Scale Bearers, and still alive as of the End of the Hektor Heresy. After the defeat on Sorfall, Rychad had the Scale Bearers regroup at the Mechanicus Forgeworld of Tigris, using the defenses of that world as cover for the battered Legion's fleets. Second Chapter Master of the Scale Bearers after Krate Shias interrment into a dreadnought sarcophagus

Parris Rolfis

Warrior recruited from Solnhofen when Tiran Osoros took command of Scale Bearers Legion. Made Commander of battle-bike Marines after death of Brother-Captain Karles Onatel during campaign against WAAGH! Sarkus. Survived Hektor Heresy; Eventually being made Captain of 4th Company after Reorganization into Chapter. Fell in Battle against Chaos Forces 363.M31.

Karles Onatel

A member of Squad XVII of the Sacred Band, pledged from the Legion during their time as the Imperial Riders. Known for a rivalry with Adwaer Kopp, fellow battle-bike Marine from 'Imperial Rider' days. Died in battle against Orks, M30.

Adwaer Kopp

A member of Squad XVII of the Sacred Band, pledged from the Legion during their time as the Imperial Riders. Known for a rivalry with Karles Onatel, fellow battle-bike Marine from 'Imperial Rider' days. Eventually made Commander of 5th Company after reorganization into Chapter. Slain in battle, M31.

Dylo Phoso

Tribal Warrior from Solnhofen; Promoted from Scout to full Battle-Brother just as Hektor Heresy occurs. Present at Sorfall. Long and notable career, promoted to Champion alongside his Sor 'Acid-Spitter' after victorious single combat with Khornate Champion. Interred in dreadnought sarcophagus, 710.M31

Olit Okirus

Chapter Master of the Scale Bearers as of 999.M41.

Successors

Knights Saurian

Knights Saurian
Battle Cry	"Forward, Sons of Tiran!"
Number	N/A
Founding	Second Founding
Successors of	Scale Bearers
Successor Chapters	Unknown
Primarch	Tiran Osoros
Homeworld	Hael Krek
Strength	967
Specialty	Fast Attack
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours	Blue and Gold

As one of the splinters of the Scale Bearers formed during the Second Founding, the Knights Saurian retained much of the character of their parent Legion. However, their homeworld lying so far away from Solnhofen, they have returned, in a sense, to the tactics of the Imperial Riders as they were before Tiran was brought to them. They share the gene-seed mutation of sporting green scales upon portions of their bodies that the Scale Bearers themselves inherit from their progenitor. Their ability to bring devastation upon the enemies of the Imperium from atop their speeding bikes is not to be underestimated - their campaigns against the Rak'Gol in mid-M39 saved several subsectors from the full force of a raid.

Violet Serpents

Violet Serpents
Battle Cry	"Ssstrike swiftly!"
Number	N/A
Founding	Second Founding
Successors of	Scale Bearers
Successor Chapters	Unknown
Chapter Master	Dytan Oboam (M31), Anel Codar (M41)
Primarch	Tiran Osoros
Homeworld	Ophiuchus
Strength	1,000 at establishment, slightly understrength since M38
Specialty	Ambush and encirclement
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours	Violet, Gold, and Green

While the Violet Serpents have always served with valor and devotion, the Chapter seems to have inherited its parent Legion's penchant for phyrric victories and devastating losses. Even the mass recruitment from Ophiuchus, their homeworld since M38, has not fully alleviated the losses taken in the Fifth Black Crusade and the subsequent action against WAAAGH! 'Otguts, which led directly into an engagement with the forces of Craftworld Thuyelsa. By the end of that fateful march against the Eldar, fewer than 100 Marines remained within the Chapter, and among them, not one was a Dreadnought or even a Terminator.

Ivory Lances

Ivory Lances
Battle Cry	"The Lance does not break!"
Number	N/A
Founding	Fourth Founding
Successors of	Scale Bearers
Successor Chapters	Unknown
Primarch	Tiran Osoros
Homeworld	Fleet-based
Strength	224
Specialty	Ambush and bike charges
Allegiance	Renegade
Colours	Ivory and Green

The beginnings of the Ivory Lances were shaky ones indeed - not even a century after the Chapter's foundation did the Astartes an enemy within. The Captain of the Fifth Company had been subverted by the foul workings of Chaos and dedicated himself to Khorne, with nearly half the Chapter falling with him. By the time the loyal Astartes were able to put down their fallen brothers, they had already been declared Excommunicate Traitoris. Now, the Lances continue their work from planet to planet, refusing to turn their backs on mankind, but refusing to subject themselves to the whims of the Inquisition. Such is the fate of the Ivory Lances, their numbers falling by the day and their quest never ending.

Beastmasters

Beastmasters
Battle Cry	"Bay now, the hounds!"
Number	N/A
Founding	Tenth Founding
Successors of	Scale Bearers
Successor Chapters	Unknown
Primarch	Tiran Osoros
Homeworld	Fleet-based
Strength	Destroyed during the Sixth Black Crusade
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours	Mahogany, silver, and ginger

Among the most promising of the Sons of Tiran at first, this chapter was laid to waste during the Sixth Black Crusade of Chaos, having met its end valiantly in the Eye of Terror. The combat against the Gorgers and Black Augurs was especially furious - it was noted, for instance, that the Beastmasters would spend extra time after the engagements destroying the equipment and remains of their fallen foes. Curiously among extinct Chapters, many of their Chapter Fleet's ships survive to this day, the Pax Plateo in particular serving as the ship of a small-time Rogue Trader operating in Segmentum Pacificus.

Knights Cambrian

Knights Cambrian
Battle Cry	"From the depths, rise!"
Number	N/A
Founding	Unknown
Successors of	Scale Bearers
Successor Chapters	Unknown
Primarch	Tiran Osoros
Homeworld	Panthalassa (destroyed)
Strength	Destroyed in M36 by the Necrons
Specialty	Amphibious warfare
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours	Sea-green and jade

How ironic it was that a Chapter dedicated to amphibious warfare and possessed of aquatic warbeasts, serving a role much like those of its parent Legion's companions, met its end upon its own ocean homeworld. When the ancient and hateful Necrons rose from its depths, the Chapter immediately withdrew from combat against the Eldar to defend its stocks of gene-seed. Unfortunately, not only the gene-seed, but the Chapter itself was lost, brought down by a Necron horde of untold size - many of which were the dreaded Flayed Ones. So dense was the infestation, and so active these Necrons, that evacuation was impossible - the planet itself had to be purged in the flames of Exterminatus. Though the oceans returned with time, they sit empty of all life now, the silent seas of a dead world.

Fire Breathers

Fire Breathers
Battle Cry	Burn in the Flames of our Faith!
Founding	Third Founding
Successors of	Scale Bearers
Successor Chapters	N/A
Chapter Master	Smarag Ajdar
Homeworld	Tarak
Strength	900
Specialty	Warbeasts and Fast Attack.
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours	Red and Orange

The Fire Breathers Adeptus Astartes are a Third Founding Successor Chapter to the Scale Bearers. Headquartered on the primitive world of Tarak, the Fire Breathers utilize flying, fire breathing beasts native to that world in the mounted style of combat inherited from the Founding Chapter.