Index Astartes: Imperial Fists-Lords of Stone and Steel
"My sons against us stand the hosts of Horus, those who have dared stand against my father the Emperor. They are here to tear down these walls, slaughter Terra's citizens and proclaim that pathetic usurper Emperor of Mankind in the name of ancient debauched gods. Here we say no, here we shall break Horus's legions, shatter his fleets and trample his crown of blood and betrayal in the dust of history and failure. For we are the Praetorians of Terra! We are the shield of Sol! We are the Fists of the Emperor! We are the Imperial Fists!" Rogal Dorn before the Terran Campaign to his legion.
Origins
"I am Rogal of the house of Dorn when Inwit ruled the stars my house ruled over worlds beyond measure, we commanded fleets that blocked out the stars and stars died at our command. You may come from the world man once called hell and when you return there mewling from your defeat tell them this. Tell them that the gates to hell are guarded and if they dare leave that Inwit is protected. Remember that it is protected." Rogal Dorn to Ka'Bandha.
"I am fortifying this position." Rogal Dorn at the first battle of the Phalanx.
The pod of the seventh Primarch would land on the world of Inwit which was once the capital of an interstellar empire and still had warp travel capabilities available to them. The pod would be found by the elderly patriarch of the mighty Dorn clan he would adopt the young superhuman and name him Rogal. He would raise the boy as his adoptive grandfather and teach him the virtues of being both understanding and to always fight for both your family and your nation. Rogal would absorb these lessons and it would be a defining factor in the future of the seventh Primarch.
The world of Inwit was divided into several major clans with the house of Dorn being the most powerful of them by a slim margin. Rogal Dorn would grow up hearing stories of the greatness of the Dorn clan and the might of the Inwitian empire and he would desire to rebuild this glory. He would begin by attacking the weaker clans around him establishing a base to launch his conquest. Every clan that stood against him was broken and trampled down until there was only the Schlachten clan left. An ancient clan known for brutality in their combat and their fierce independence. Which would make their fate even more ironic in their desperation to keep their independence they would stumble upon ancient texts relating to a strange warp entity that represented slaughter and bloodshed. They would contact the Bloodthirster of Khorne known as Ka'Bandha and he would offer them the power of his master and they accepted. They would launch an attack against Dorn's position led by berserkers and were promptly slaughtered as they attempted to storm fortifications raised by Dorn himself. Dorn would lead the counterattack tearing through their positions until he reached the heart of their monstrous empire. Where Ka'Bandha himself would move to deal with him. Their fight would last for three weeks straight with the city that they duelled in being shattered to dust and covered in the corpses of the citizens. Then Dorn would land a blow on Ka'Bandha's arm causing him to drop his weapon. Dorn would then punch the demon in the face repeatedly, ram the yellow and black banner of the house of Dorn through his foe and cast him down a cliff after issuing a warning he would uphold. With that Inwit was unified and he had gained a mighty rival.
Dorn would then launch a period of conquest that was known as the Inwitian expansion where he would conquer the worlds formerly under the rule of Inwit prior to the age of strife. The core of Inwit's fleet was the Phalanx a massive ancient battle station that had the power to kill whole worlds. Dorn would capture it from a group of Orks that had taken the ancient starship as a lair. Dorn would command the assault where he would throw back three assaults with his mastery of fortifications coming to the fore. Upon the death of the warboss he would proclaim that change was coming, and it did. The Emperor of Mankind's fleet would tear into the system where Rogal Dorn would acknowledge his father and join the Imperium peacefully and quickly.
The Great Crusade
"We are the Imperial Fists and we shall shatter your world with but a single blow." Sigismund the ancient to the world of Rimmer.
"I will have vengeance for my clan for my nation. Praise Khorne! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!" Captain Rudolf Schlachten to his chapter and later warband known as the Fits of Blood and Bone.
During the Great crusade the newly named Imperial Fists would have some of the highest numbers of worlds brought into compliance with only the Ultramarines and Luna Wolves having more worlds conquered then the Imperial Fists. Upon the introduction of remembrancers into the legions the Imperial Fists would adopt them with little problems allowing for many of their compliances to be recorded and spread across the Imperium most notably the battles of Cymru Newydd and Boadicea. Another vital act that happened during the Great Crusade was the fall of Rudolf Schlachtento Chaos.
The second battle of Cymru Newydd was a brutal battle wherein a newly pacified human world was assaulted by a minor Ork Waaaagh where the fortification efforts of the legion would be put to the test. The Orks would charge without any fear against the fortress of the seventh legion and were massacred, despite this the Orks just kept on coming and the levels of ammunition began to run low then the warboss entered the field. He would tear through the Imperial Fists defences until there was only a single fortress left with the remaining population of the plant alongside the Astartes. The commander decides to launch a suicidal charge in order to die honourably. The charge manages to push back the Orks and the captain mange to get into a duel with the warboss himself where he would be killed in single blow and is looked like Cymru Newydd would fall to the greenskins the Phalanx arrived and Rogal Dorn took to the field. He would carve his way through the Orks ranks until he stood facing warboss where within three blows he would tear his arms from his torso and behead him then throwing him into the ruins of the fortress. As the Aquila and the banner of the Imperial Fits flew over the planet once more.
The battle of Boadicea was one of the bloodiest battle that the Imperial Fists would undertake the thickly forested world able to provide a perfect ground for guerrilla warfare that would devastate the Imperial Fists. The world would fall quickly with a majority of the planets armed forces slinking into the forest and establishing a four-year long guerrilla war where they would isolate and ambush patrols from the legion. This would prove problematic to the legion due to their fortification tactics and their heavy weaponry unable to deal with the small teams of soldiers that were picking off and killing enemy forces. The war would lead to Rogal Dorn to completely overhaul his legion to allow for more efficient strikes against guerrilla warfare users in the form of large gas attacks and sending our scouts to deal with the confused and isolated enemy forces,
The fall of Rudolf Schlachten to chaos began with his birth at the end of the Schlachten clan where he would witness the slaughter of his entire family by Rogal Dorn and he would then be taken away from the last remnants of his family when he was ten and made into an Astartes where he would rise through the ranks rapidly until he was granted command of a company however he would be alongside two other Imperial Fist companies when he found the warp rift known as Khorne's gate. There he would be tempted by the ability to have vengeance against the man that had killed his family alongside the powers of a daemon prince he would accept the offer and begin the corruption of the Astartes that had gazed upon the warp rift and who were under his command by the time of the heresy he had three thousand Asters sworn to Khorne and ready to fight against their father.
The Iron Warriors and the Imperial Fists would at first have a minor rivalry on the ability on who had a greater ability to build fortifications and monuments on conquered worlds this however would get out of hand and slowly the rivalry between the two Legions grew and evolved and bitterness began to become entrenched within a certain segment of the Legions beginning to loathe the opposition the Emperor would see this and chose to nip this in the bud with the decision to order the two legions to jointly fortify Terr and the other Legions Homeworlds and as they moved across the galaxy working together to raise walls and expanded defences turning already some of the most well defended places in the galaxy into the definition of a pyrrhic victory if attacked and if victory is clawed from the breaking morale of the attackers.
The Horusian Heresy
"I am Formidable, and I shall hold this wall." Rogal Dorn at the Terran Campaign adopting his wall name.
"You slaughtered my family you broke my father upon your fist when I was, but a baby and you expect my loyalty. I am a member of the house of Schlachten and I am a servant of Khorne." Captain Rudolf Schlachten to Rogal Dorn upon the revelation of his fall.
For most of the Heresy the Iron Warriors and the Imperial Fists would stay on Terra digging in for the eventual assault and expanding the already massive defences in order to bleed out the hosts of the traitors. As the Iron Warriors and the Imperial Fists prepared for the assault they would also start to train and recruit from the population of Terra. As the traitor legions slowly drew closer the hearts of the Iron Warriors hardened and prepared to fight and die for the Emperor a ray of hope would come from the planet of Fenris when fully half of the Space Wolves Legion led by Leman Russ himself would arrive only a few weeks before the vanguard of the Horusian fleet.
The Imperial Fits however would have a major operation outside of Terra in the form of the Fists of Blood and Bone three thousand Astartes of the Seventh Legion who had pledged themselves to Khorne and their murderous rampage across the Imperium as their insane leader Rudolf Schlachten undertook his brutal desire to attain both vengeance against Dorn and the status of Daemon Prince. He would achieve one of those things as many suspect that he is Khorne's attempt to create his daemon Primarch version of Rogal Dorn and that hope was founded on the world of Verdun where the defenders would be slaughtered in a mighty sacrifice to Khorne and Rudolf Schlachten arose from the blood of a slaughtered world into the chosen of Khorne. His form became that of an ancient warrior coated in blood wielding an axe and sword while from his back arose a long pair of rows of blood coated swords. As Rudolf Schlachten ascended the greatest shame of the seventh legion was solidified into a persistent shame that would echo through the ages.
The Terran campaign would be the most brutal conflict fought by the Imperial Fists with thousands dying each day on both sides, the priorly made forts each fell one by one in brutal lasts stands with no mercy asked for or given the Imperial Fists would often fight to the last bolt shell and then claw the enemy to death with their nails if they had to. One of the most brutal last stands would be the fall of London in Albion wherein a force from the World eaters would led the charge against a group of Imperial Fists and Blood Angels they would fight to he last with the commander of the assault being killed in a duel with the last surviving defender an Imperial Fists captain. Despite all of these attacks against the invaders they still slowly ground towards the Imperial Place.
The Scouring
"I am Sigismund formerly First captain of the Imperial Fists now High Marshal of the Black Templars, I hold the title of the Emperors Champion, bearer of the Black Blade and slayer of Dark Knight Belath. Lucius of the Third is nothing to me and Khârn of the Thirteenth is a training exercise and who are you to stand up to me a champion of a blood coated god." Sigismund the ancient to an unknown Khornate warlord.
"Corvus what have you sold your soul to what Faustian bargain have you made. I remember your speeches on freedom, your rants on slavery and the slaughters you lead against those despots that we overthrew under father and you gave it all up for a twisted and warped definition of freedom giving you the ability to undertake whatever debauched whim that takes your fancy. This is a mercy remember that Corvus I do not do this out of spite I do this out of loyalty to our father and the Imperium, however I also do this to put your debauched soul down. Open fire men. For the Emperor! For the Imperium! For the men who fought and died for us all!" Rogal Dorn at the battle of Deliverance.
During the scouring the Imperial Fists would lead the charge against the routing traitors striking at the Homeworlds of the traitor legions in brutal attempts to avenge the slaughters of Chemos, Fenris and Terra. In many case they would succeed as was seen in the battle of Deliverance and Medusa. They would become notorious for purging every trace of betrayal that they could find and removing all traces of the Chaos Gods that they would find on every world that was liberated. The Imperial Fists were the first legion to form a successor in the form of the Black Templars led by newly proclaimed High Marshal Sigismund who would lead with some of the bloodiest liberations in the Scouring.
The battle of Deliverance was the battle that ended the debauched and drugged Night Hunters as a legion the former Raven Guard had fallen to the influence of Slaanesh in their eternal crusade against those who would oppress mankind in anyway shape or form. The battle would begin with the assembled fleet of the 'legion' being broken from orbit over Kiavahr and the orbital bombardment began. At the time the majority of the Nineteenth legion was on the planet with their newly ascended Daemon Primarch arguing over minor details in the exact number of drugs that was to be granted to each warlord in the legion. The bombardment would disrupt the meeting with the first salvo breaking the void shields with the wrath of the Phalanx being unleashed upon the drug fuelled Night Hunters. The second salvo brought down the core of the Night Hunters Fortress-Monastery the Ravenspire directly onto the Daemon Primarch banishing him back into the warp. The remainder of the legion managed to fight their way off the moon and fled into the Eye of Terror where they would swear allegiance to the Black Legion under Emperor Abaddon I.
The battle of Medusa was the last battle the Iron Hands would fight as a legion until the 35th millennium as they would begin their focus upon their quest to revive their Primarch. The battle began with landings on the mighty Iron Ring around the Tenth Legion's Homeworld by the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors where they would fight through several counter-attacks until a second wave came in allowing for the Loyalist force to strike back throwing back the Iron Hands and launching a series of battles until the last Iron Hand was killed by being thrown out of the command deck into orbit. Then the landings began Medusa was a harsh world with large stretches of the world being converted into massive chaotic factories pumping out endless hordes of Abominable Intelligences and Daemon Engines that were thrown at the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors in a desperate attempt to hold back the vengeance of the Emperor and the Imperium that they had betrayed. Their efforts were futile with the major factories being targeted from orbit until the leadership of the Iron Hands evacuated with the preserved corpse of their father into the stretches of the Segmentum Obscurus.
The Forty-First Millennium
"Sons of Dorn gather Terra is in jeopardy let the last wall reform." The Last Wall protocol a command that would merge all of the Imperial Fists successor Legions together.
"I am vengeance. I am a son of Dorn. For the Emperor." Wall commander Valrak or 'Vengeance' at the battle of Hive Hades in the Second war for Armageddon.
The Imperial Fists are one of the legions that fight the most as across the galaxy they will defend Imperial worlds with blazing gunfire and walls of artillery, their tanks tear through the enemy lines and their terminators will trudge forward as pillars of death and destruction. The Iron Walls are jointly held by the Iron Warriors and the Imperial Fists to fight against the rising darkness while the Thirteenth Black Crusade seems to be coming from the Black Legions dominions within the Eye of Terror, The Ultramarines are gathering for a great plague war and the Zaherialn Crusade is gathering in the Kingdom of New Caliban despite this the Imperial Fists are gathering together preparing to fight for the Imperium and Dorn.
Organization
"Dig in get your bolters up and prepare to kill some Orks." Fist-Commander Harold Bloodaxe to his men at the battle of Hive Cerberus in the Second war for Armageddon.
"We are the Iron Fists. Those who must hunt the traitors to Dorn." Integrator Chaplin Invictus inducting his apprentice into the order.
The Imperial Fists legion is divided into four wall companies that are then divided into five Fists further divided into hosts then squads. A unique Fist is the Iron Fists a group tasked with hunting down and eliminating any and all trace of the Fists of Blood and Bone. The legions tactics are heavily focused upon defence and through that heavy artillery and rapid firing weapons this is seen in their Mark XVI 'praetorian' armour that they share with the Iron Warriors, the armour is designed to hold multiple heavy bolters and survive a lot of damage.
Primarch
"My brother was a harsh man he rarely showed emotions and focused more upon fortifications and defences though he and Perturabo got on wonderfully, however his use of the pain glove was extensive and the Chaos Gods could of reached him through that in another world." The opening line of the Chapter on Rogal Dorn in the Historical work The Primarchs: Heirs of the Emperor by Magnus the Red.
"My father was a kind man I was one of the many that he would take from the orphaned youth of the Imperium and raise us to be Astartes and loyal subjects of the Emperor. Through that I saw my father at his kindest at his most human and I will always treasure them." Wall Commander Koorland or 'Slaughter' on his father he would be the last to be raised by Dorn before his disappearance.
Rogal Dorn was a harsh man with few open displays of affection however he had a deep love for the people of the Imperium as was seen in his orphans program wherein he would take young children from across the Imperium and raise them as his own until they were old enough to be implanted with his Gene-seed. Thousands of Children would grow up with him often learning how to establish defensive positions before they could read. Despite this in battle he was a force of nature clad in the Auric Armour and wielding Storms Teeth and The Voice of Tera.
Homeworld
"We have no home save for the Phalanx. Why would we need any other? I mean the Black Templars have tried to attach an engine to a planet before it doesn't work." Wall-Commander Valrak 'Vengeance' on the lack of an official homeworld for the Imperial Fists
"Northern Terra is beautiful this time of year you know good recruits too." Fist-Commander Sigismund XXXIV on recruiting from Terra.
The Imperial Fists are one of the two officially fleet based Legions in the Imperium with a series of worlds from which they draw recruits for their legion with three major worlds that they draw men from those being Terra, Inwit and Necromunda. On each of these worlds a massive fortress has been raised where the recruits are trained and inducted into the Legion. Terra is a world of massive changes from the harsh deserts of the Nord Afrik regions to the freezing forests of Nordyc. Inwit is a world of freezing tundra and stone and many of the stronger recruits are drawn form this world. Necromunda is a world where the harshest members of the world are drawn from the eternal civil war on the surface makes for effective soldiers that can be recruited into the legion.
Gene-Seed
"Minor mutations inability to use the Betcher's Gland and a harder time to interact with other people." Azheck Ahriman on the Imperial Fists Gene-seed.
"I don't know what your talking about the lack of Betcher's Gland is not that bad." Imperial Fist Sergeant on the flaws of their Gene-seed.
The Imperial Fists have a two mutations in the Gene-seed one being that the Betcher's Gland is unable to function thus causing them to be unable to use the acid spit provided by that benefit. They have formed three successor legions those being The Black Templars, the Fits Exemplar and Iron Fists.