Basilisks

Basilisks
Battle Cry	"Brothers! Rend our foes with Claw and Bolter!"
Founding	25th Founding
Successors of	Unknown, Claimed Salamanders
Successor Chapters	None
Chapter Master	Kamal Asim
Primarch	Vulkan (?)
Homeworld	Naucratis
Strength	565, 1 Veteran Company, 3 Battle Companies, 2 Scout Companies
Specialty	Heavy Weapons and Cavalry
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours

Not to be confused with Basilisk Artillery Gun.

The Basilisks are a chapter of Loyalist Space Marines in Warhammer 40,000. They were founded in the 39th Millennium, in response to a foreseen rising threat from Eldar forces. (Later it was theorized that the vision was of this so-called God "Ynnari" the Eldar are touting about the galaxy). The chapter is of unconfirmed gene-seed, but they claim to be progeny of the Salamanders. Perhaps inspired by the reputation of their supposed Progenitors, the Basilisks make great efforts to leave none behind who may survive to fight again.

Noted Heroes

• Captain Rahmiel of the 10th Company
  • Led scout forces against a Farseer of Craftworld Sethoywan, crippling the leadership of their campaign against the Imperial Fists in M.39.862
  • Said to be a crack shot with nearly any weapon, a true marksman that inspires his men to greater heights of accuracy (I mean, he gives them rerolls on [1]s at least)
• Brother Ahmed of the Basilisks Librarius
  • Banished a Lesser Demon of Khorne, and cleansed the planet Saturio of corruption over the following months, earning the ire of chaos cultists who had spent years setting up those dominoes.
  • He has a truly unsettling presence, the kind that makes a guardsman want to keep his imperial primer at the ready, as if at any moment Brother Ahmed would strike you down for your lack of faith.

Chapter Homeworld

Naucratis is a Deathworld with an emphasis on sand. Literally the planet has been reduced to sand, caves, and the occasional dinosaur-infested jungle filled with man-eating plants and the only water available on the surface.

(In case you were wondering, it gets everywhere)

The planet is governed indirectly by the Chapter, using a local system of stewardship to keep an eye on the populace and ensure that sufficient numbers of initiates are provided from the toughest young men.

The people of Naucratis have a tribal culture, based around the idea that life is precious and temporary. Traveling caravans are frequent and refer to their own men as "Brother" despite age or relation. This carried over into the Basilisks' culture with each Space Marine of the chapter referred to as such. This familiar title is dropped for outsiders until trust is established, or until a proper title has been provided by the outsider to be called.

Organization

The Basilisks follow the Codex Astartes loosely. The primary way in which they diverge from Codex adherence is to maintain a 2nd Company of Scouts.

The Basilisks use the following:

• Overwhelming Firepower
  • Use of Heavy weapons
• One Shot, One Kill
  • Use of Sniper weapons

Unlike some Chapters that treat their Scouts as cheap cannon fodder, the Basilisks treat their Scouts with respect and have veterans amongst the normal unit. In addition to Bolters, Scouts are often equipped with Sniper Rifles to open up the enemy's ranks for career advancement opportunities. (Someone has to become the new Captain, right?)