“There is only the Emperor - He is our shield and our protector.”
-Yuezhon, Chaplain of the Fifth Company
Founded in an unknown millennia, the Emperor's Fists chapter of the Imperial Space Marines are sworn to purge the Maelstrom of filth both xenos and heretical.
A successor-chapter of the Imperial Fists, the Emperor's Fists are masters of blade, bolter, and Exterminatus, having saved no less than seven Imperial systems from Xenos taint or Chaos corruption through the total virus-bombardment of grateful human worlds. Based along the western edges of the Maelstrom, their fortress-monastery dominates the hive-port of Gothenburg, its location allowing the ever-vigilant chapter to monitor the news and rumors that spread along the numerous trade routes that link to the ancient orbital station from which their own fleets track down the alien, the mutant, the witch, and the heretic.
As the 41st millennium draws to a close, the Emperor's Fists seek the destruction of their most-hated foes - the treacher-legionniaries of the Crimson Skulls. Led by their battle-chaplains and guided by their prescient librarians, the Emperor's Fists will stop at nothing to cleanse the stars of these arch-traitors!
"There is a fate reserved for those who betray the Emperor's trust. It is not merely death, but obliteration. It is the one fate that brings dread to an Astartes, the fate that even Traitors fear - to die unremembered."
-Eusebius Grimson, Master of Sanctity
“”
-Dhadhikran Rhadamanthys, Lord-Commander of the Emperor's Fists
Welcome to the homepage of my Emperor's Fists, my homebrew Space Marine chapter. They serve as foils to my Crimson Fists Chaos Space Marines, and an excuse to paint up some of my favorite models from the 2nd Edition era of Space Marines.
The Emperor's Fists are, 'personality'-wise, not unlike the Black Templars in their fanaticism towards to the Imperium's foes and their loyalty to the Emperor. Unlike the Black Templars, however, the chapter do not venerate the Emperor - they are simply zealous in their devotion to the utter destruction of his foes at any and all cost.
Background-wise, I like the idea that the chapter is old enough that they've effectively lost the truth behind their origins. There's no terrible secrets being hidden by that loss, just a reflection of the greater struggle of the Imperium to remember its past. While their paintjobs are fully within the spirit of the 90s "red era", their lore is a bit more grounded in the Rogue Trader theme of Imperial Space Marines as barely literate killers more than the finely-crafted soldiers and statesmen they're more typically depicted as in 'modern' 40k fiction and lore.
Please use the following links to learn more about these treacherous forces:
As my desire is to field armies for all 2nd Edition codexes, the Emperor's Fists will eventually have allies in the Space Wolves, Blood Angels, and Dark Angels - as well as with the Imperial Guard and Sisters of Battle, of course!
From beyond the fringes of Imperial space, the Crimson Skulls raid the worlds of the Maelstrom as they wage their bitter war of revenge upon the Imperium.
The Crimson Skulls represent a Heresy-era Blackshields force that has survived down into the dark millennium of Warhammer 40k. They are intended to represent the remnants of what had once been a garrison force of multiple legions, including the Iron Warriors, Word Bearers, World Eaters, and Night Lords.
Despite their background being a mix of different legions, on the tabletop I've settled for using a more unified scheme that's obviously a mix of the Word Bearers and Iron Warriors. They're a force of Chaos Undivided, albeit likely to have individual characters or squads devoted to one of the gods.
Additionally, I like the idea, 30k-wise, that these forces were originally largely composed of Destroyer squads, so I may ultimately try to theme some of my squads around the weaponry those squads have in the Horus Heresy game.
Below is a select gallery of my Crimson Skulls miniatures. For the full gallery, click here.
Below are some of my current/favorite 2nd Edition armylists using Codex Chaos.