Raven Guard

"From the darkness we strike: fast and lethal, and by the time our foes can react... darkness there and nothing more." - Raven Guard saying

The Raven Guard is one of the original First Founding Chapters of Space Marines and was originally the XIX Space Marine Legion before the Second Founding and the adoption of the Codex Astartes. The Primarch of the Raven Guard was Corax, a name which is a play on the Latin word for raven, corvus (binomial species classification: corvus corax). The Raven Guard's homeworld is the planet called Deliverance, the airless mining moon of the Forge World Kiavahr, though its original name, before the Horus Heresy, was Lycaeum. The Raven Guard's fortress-monastery on Deliverance is known as the Ravenspire. The Raven Guard are known for their cool-headed, even intellectual temperament, their superb infiltration skills and skill at furious close-quarters engagements (as especially displayed by their Successor Chapter the Raptors). The Raven Guard are the masters of unseen warfare, only engaging in frontal assaults when no other option presents itself. The Raven Guard is also rightly feared for the potent units of Assault Marines they field, who use a pair of Lightning Claws instead of the usual Bolt Pistol and Chainsword. Captain Kayvaan Shrike, the famed commander of the Raven Guard's 3rd Company, is the commanding officer of just such a unit.

The Primarch Corax
Corax was separated from the Emperor while still an infant in the Emperor's gene-laboratory beneath the Himalayan Mountains on Terra by the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. The Chaos Gods snatched the infant Primarch's gestation chamberand flung it through the Warp half-way across the galaxy. Corax was eventually discovered on the world of Lycaeus, the desolated but inhabitable moon of the planet Kiavahr. At this time, Kiavahr was a technologically advanced Forge World, providing its city-sized manufactorums with minerals extracted from the non-atmospheric moon by legions of mine slaves.

Under the iron watch of heavily armed guards, the enslaved inhabitants of Lycaeus, who included criminals, political opponents and workers who had failed to meet their quotas, had long provided the rulers of Kiavahr with a free and unlimited source of manpower. When they discovered the pale-skinned child who became Corax, "The Deliverer" in the Kiavahran tongue, they kept him from their masters, training him in the various skills they believed a leader and warrior needed: urban warfare, close combat and demolitions as well as political and philosophical matters. Ultimately, the Primarch's abnormally fast maturation comforted the slaves and fixed Corax in their belief that he was the savior they had long waited for.

Educated to be a leader of men as well as a rebel guerilla, Corax began his task by organizing the Lycaean workers into fight teams, promoting the best to squad leaders. He began building huge stockpiles of weapons, concealing them in numerous secret caches across the moon. He ordered a campaign of psychological warfare, launching riots and strikes to increase the number of followers for the workers' rebellion and to stretch the Kiavahran garrison's strength and morale to the breaking point. Waiting for the most opportune time, Corax's forces eventually launched their attack, taking key security points and destroying them by crude force or sabotage, killing every man of the Kiavahran defense forces stationed on Lycaeus.

When Kiavahr's rulers struck back, Corax was ready for them. He outmanoeuvred and ambushed their forces on Lycaeus with his battle-hardened warriors, crushing their supply lines and striking Kiavahr with atomic mining charges via a supply gravity well. Soon, their forces nearly destroyed, their vast factories unable to produce anything due to the minerals shortages, the Tech-Guilds of Kiavahr collapsed in civil war. Celebrating their victory, the inhabitants of Lycaeus renamed their rugged homeworld Deliverance.

It is said that the Emperor appeared on Deliverance that day and, after a day and a night spent with his son, appointed Corax the Primarch of the XIX Space Marine Legion that had been derived from his genome, which he renamed the Raven Guard. Nothing is known of the pair's conversation, but one condition of Corax's acceptance was the help of the Emperor in the task of bringing peace to Kiavahr. Soon the Adeptus Mechanicus stepped in to retake control over their ancient colony world and the planet was rebuilt to the benefit of the Imperium while the black tower which had once housed the Kiavahran garrison of Lycaeus became the Ravenspire, the fortress-monastery of the Raven Guard.

The Great Crusade
During the Great Crusade that reunited all the worlds of mankind beneath the rule of the Imperium, Corax's talents for planning and sabotage were put to great effect and the Raven Guard, fighting frequently under the orders of the Warmaster Horus, became renowned for their unmatched ability among the other Space Marine Legions in covert operations, sabotage, guerilla warfare, infiltration and lightning strikes. But the pair never saw eye-to-eye, and after an argument, the two Primarchs nearly fought each other. Corax ultimately left Horus' command. At some point during the Great Crusade, the Raven Guard came into conflict with the rogue psykers known as the Warsingers and supposedly exterminated them.

The Horus Heresy
During the Horus Heresy, the Raven Guard were involved in the Drop Site Massacre of Istvaan V, where four Space Marine Legions, including the Night Lords, Iron Warriors, Word Bearers and the Alpha Legion, turned to Chaos under the banner of the Arch-Traitor Horus and unexpectedly betrayed their Loyalist Battle-Brothers, catching them off-guard in a terrible cross-fire. The Raven Guard fought ferociously alongside their fellow Loyalists among the Salamanders and the Iron Hands Space Marines against the Traitor Marines of Chaos, but suffered such heavy losses that they were effectively crippled and unable to play any further constructive role in the defense of Terra from Horus' assault during the Heresy. The Raven Guard had been all but annihilated, the Battle of Isstvan V reducing the Legion's strength from some 8,000 Astartes, making them already one of the smallest Space Marine Legions in existence, to less than 3,000. In the following reorganization of the Space Marine Legions into the Second Founding Chapters, the Raven Guard was left largely inoperable as a combat unit and was forced to spend decades recruiting new members and rebuilding itself.

It was during the Horus Heresy, when the Chapter found itself undermanned and under-equipped after the massacre on Istvaan V, that the Raven Guard honed and perfected its small unit, covert guerilla tactics that utilized little fire support, armoured support or other heavy equipment. Even today, the Raven Guard's lack of Predators, Land Raiders, and newer models of technology and equipment such as the latest models of Power Armour reflects these conditions of the Chapter's past.

Post-Horus Heresy
With his Chapter depleted following the Istvaan V Massacre and the Imperium teetering on the brink of destruction, it is rumoured that Primarch Corax ordered his Chapter's Apothecaries to use forbidden zygote acceleration and cloning processes to more rapidly replenish the Chapter's numbers. The methods used to accomplish this are lost to history, but the process allowed the creation of new Raven Guard Space Marines at the cost of the genetic purity of the Chapter's gene-seed. The process of implantation of the genetically modified Space Marine organs in new recruits suffered extremely high failure rates as a result of these genetic modifications, causing many Raven Guard recruits to become hulking, aberrant monsters who had to be destroyed. The results of this accelerated recruitment program were not always successful. Ninety percent of the recruits who underwent the accelerated treatments were unable to hold a standard Space Marine Bolter, let alone fire it. Of 100 recruits, perhaps one would have a genome stable enough to become a full Space Marine. Despite the inefficiency of this method, the Raven Guard was eventually able to add several hundred recruits and become combat-worthy enough to aid the other Space Marines in their continuing battle against the Chaos Marines both before and following the defeat of Horus at the Siege of Terra, despite fielding a much smaller force.

After the Heresy, Corax personally gave the Emperor's Peace to every surviving mutant that had resulted from their accelerated program of Space Marine development, an act that led him to lock himself in his personal chambers in the Ravenspire on Deliverance and beg the recently-ascended Emperor for forgiveness. Unable to alleviate his guilt, the Primarch left the Ravenspire exactly a year after he first went into seclusion in a transport that was headed for the Eye of Terror. Corax's fate remains unknown to this day, however his last recorded words as he departed Deliverance were, "Never more."

Notable Campaigns

 * Istvaan V Drop Site Massacre (Circa 200.M31) - Noted as one of the most devastating defeats in the history of the Adeptus Astartes, and certainly in the history of the Raven Guard, the Drop Site Massacre of Istvaan V saw the Salamanders and the Raven Guard Legions nearly annihilated as effective fighting forces and only the quick thinking and initiative of the Raven Guard's Astartes allowed a bare few Space Marines of both Legions to escape that dreadful day. The flagship of the Raven Guard, the Shadow of the Emperor, was destroyed by the flagship of First Captain Calas Typhon of the Death Guard, the battleship Terminus Est.


 * The Baran Campaign (224.M41) - Decades after the colonization of Baran the Eldar of Biel-Tan arrived to find the Exodite colony wiped out by Orks and their world infested with greenskins and humans. Filled with a burning need for vengeance the Fire Dragon Exarch Mauryon led a campaign against the Feral Orks of Baran, driving them from ancient Eldar sites in the deep forests. Unable to face the Eldar in battle the Orks began a mass exodus from the forests that brought them into furious conflict with the Baran Siegemasters and their Fortress Cities. As the colony cities came under ever more intense assault the defenders realized their position was ultimately hopeless if they did not receive support, Governor Asaberra dispatched what reserves he had from the Capitol of Enderra to the most isolated colonies but realized it was a delaying measure at best, and so he called upon the Raven Guard on their moon of Coron for aid. Shadow Captain Moradius chose not to deploy to the embattled Fortress Cities however as his forces were too few to effectively aid in the defense of so many isolated sieges. Captain Moradius was more concerned with what was driving the Orks from the forests than he was of the Orks themselves, for in war it is the unknown that proves most dangerous. Determined to discover the cause for the Ork attacks the Raven Guard returned to Baran, making only brief contact with Governor Asaberra before they struck out for the deepest, wildest sections of Baran's forests. As they searched the forests for signs of the Orks the Raven Guard discovered every settlement had been destroyed, every lair rooted out and barely an Ork to be found. Something had destroyed the Ork's camps and driven them from the forest, while some would have suggested the ever present Orkish infighting, Captain Moradius knew that such spontaneous and orchestrated activity across the entire planet was not likely to have been the result of the Orks own actions. With little else to discover in the forests Moradius recalled his scouting teams and took his warriors into the Voltus Plains, a barren region of steppe-plains where even the Orks did not establish settlements, choosing instead to roam the plains riding giant boars, Squiggoths and other fungus grown creatures as warring nomadic tribes. After a week of hard marching across the plains the Raven Guard at last encountered Orks, for the nomadic tribes had proved far more elusive to whatever force was driving the Orks from the forests, but Captain Moradius was not seeking to drive yet more Orks towards the Fortress Cities and so broke off contact after a brief skirmish. After withdrawing from combat with the nomadic greenskins Captain Moradius ordered his scouts to shadow the Orks and watch for signs of the force that had driven the Orks from the forests. Days later the Scouts reported back that the greenskins were under attack. Without delay the Raven Guard rushed to the Ork tribe's location aboard six Thunderhawk Gunships. Despite their haste the Orks were wiped out by the time they arrived, the Raven Guard instead emerging from their gunships to come face to face with the Eldar of Biel-Tan. Well knowing the slippery nature of the Eldar Captain Moradius ordered an immediate assault, striking the Eldar forces rapidly and reaping a heavy toll in xenos lives. The Eldar had apparently not planned on engaging the local Imperial forces so soon and certainly had not counted on the presence of the Raven Guard. For hours the Space Marines and Eldar fought a running battle as the Marines slowly began to outnumber the xenos forces, striking at them from all sides until the xenos at last fell back to a circle of standing stones, ancient monuments from the days of the Eldar Empire. Resolving to crush the Eldar army decisively the Raven Guard committed to the attack, but it was merely what the Eldar had wanted. As the Astartes closed in on the remaining Eldar forces wraithgates opened all around the ring of standing stones. The Raven Guard force found itself encircled by the entire Eldar Swordwind that had been rampaging all across the surface of Baran, though they fought bravely the Space Marines held out for a mere few hours before they were wiped out utterly. The Eldar managed to open an ancient Webway gate on Baran's plains from which the xenos Titans could emerge to join the battle. The defenders of Baran are likely doomed though the Imperium will undoubtedly return.


 * The Downfall of the Megarchy (748.M41) - In 748.M41 the Hive World of Thruskus denounced the Imperial Creed. The stirring oratories of the local ruling council of elders known as the Megarchy whose charismatic and persuasive oratory held the hives of Thruskus in their thrall. However their rule was short lived. The Raven Guard strike like lightning, defeating the Megarchs and hanging them from their own hive spires. Within a day of the Megarch's death the world of Thruskus is brought back to compliance.


 * The Zypher Campaign (914.M40) - In 914.M40 Ork Warlord Arbuttz the Incredible launched a massive Ork Waaagh that swept through dozens uninhabited systems on the far south western rim of the galaxy before eventually slaughtering their way through several Eldar Exodite colonies and smashing into an area of Imperial frontier space known as the Zypher sub-sector. A dozen Imperial worlds fell to the Ork Waaagh before it ran out of steam on the Imperial Deathworld of Gorang and petered out. As the Waaagh came to an end the Orks had conquered the entire Zypher sub-sector, which they subsequently inhabited and transformed into a new Ork Empire. For nearly three hundred years the Ork empire went uncontested until in 204.M41 the Imperium finally responded. A Crusade spearheaded by forces from the Marauders, Eagle Warriors, Revilers and Raven Guard Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes with more than two dozen Regiments of the Imperial Guard in support swept into the Zypher sub-sector and initiated a long and grueling war against the Ork inhabitants. The campaign took twenty years to complete but by 224.M41 the Zypher sub-sector was declared free of xenos taint. The Imperial Crusade was not content with merely retaking lost ground however, choosing instead to continue on into unexplored regions of space. The Imperial war machine tore across the systems conquered by Waaagh Arbuttz three centuries prior, laying claim to worlds where no man had ever set foot before, assigning each world the Crusade forces encountered a Regiment of Imperial Guard to cleanse and then settle. The 127th Death Korps of Krieg under the command of General Himmel von Paulus were assigned to cleanse the backwater world of Baran. The world was a savage place of wild forests, broad open steppe plains and craggy mountain chains overrun with tribes of now feral Orks. Driving the Orks from the open steppes proved easy for the Death Korps and the Raven Guard forces assisting them but it was nearly impossible to completely eradicate the greenskins in the depths of Baran's dense forests. Without the manpower to cleanse the forests of the feral greenskin tribes infesting them General Paulus decided to contain them instead, building a network of interconnected fortresses to bottle the Orks into their wilderness hideouts. Over time these fortresses grew into Baran's first cities, with urban sprawls built up within layers of ever expanding fortifications under constant assault from roving bands of Orks. In generations the colonies grew and prospered, though Baran's cities were never populous by Imperial standards they thrived, giving rise in time to new Imperial Guard Regiments to replace the long deceased Death Korps founders. These new Imperial Guard Regiments were dubbed the Baran Siegemasters, for the inhabitants of Baran were intimately familiar with siegecraft from their ever constant battles to hold off Feral Ork warbands. The Raven Guard chose to remain, building a Fortress Monastery on one of Baran's orbiting moons, a black rock named Coron. From their keep a little over a hundred battle-brothers of the Raven Guard kept watch over Baran and those nearby worlds of value, realizing that the harsh conditions of Baran might one day breed potential aspirants to the Chapter. For decades the Raven Guard made little contact with the Baran Siegemasters, contenting themselves with hunting down and slaying any Ork Leaders who they believed may have stolen Imperial technology during the initial Waaagh three centuries previously. With the consolidation of Baran and the other frontier worlds the Zypher Campaign came to a close.


 * The Hunt for Voldorius (Unknown date.M41) - Honoured Kyublai, the Great Khan of the White Scars announced during the feast celebrating his ascension that he intended to bring justice to one of the Chapter's greatest foes, the foul Daemon Prince Kernax Voldorius, a war leader of the renegade Alpha Legion. To accomplish this, the 51st Master of the Hunt, Kor'sarro Khan and his 3rd Brotherhood was despatched to bring back the head of the foul daemon, or not at all. For more than a decade Kor'sarro and his warriors tracked Voldorius, as the warriors of the White Scars fought their way across Zoran, Kavell and Modanna chance always allowed Voldorius to escape. Finally Kor'sarro and his company found themselves on Quintus, a desolate rock to the galactic south of Chogoris. Before the coming of Voldorius, Quintus had been a bulwark against the Orks of the Jagal Stars. The daemon prince's warriors had infiltrated the military of Quintus and when the White Scars arrived they found not just the warband of the Alpha Legion, but a whole planet of soldiers ready to face them. Kor'sarro would not be deterred however and leaving his Strike Cruiser in the outer system, the Master of the Hunt and his warriors approached the planet stealthily via Thunderhawks and made their way through the planetary defense grid and landed in the blasted canyons to the south-west of the capitol. Despite their stealthy approach there are others more adept at such things than the White Scars and upon their arrival they were met by none other than Captain Kayvaan Shrike and the Raven Guard 3rd Company. For millenia the relationship between the White Scars and the Raven Guard had been strained. But the forces arrayed against them were too much for either force to deal with single handedly. Their hands forced by the situation the two Captains and their commands worked together. The following morning Shrike and his company led a dawn strike against an orbital defense battery to the west of Mankarra. Even before the complex was fully taken the Raven Guard were preparing to defend it as fully half of the Alpha Legion warband and much of Mankarra's garrison roared towards them as reinforcements. Outnumbered badly and stretched thin the Raven Guard held their ground with stoic determination, forced ever so slowly to give ground. Despite a counter-attack by Shadow Captain Shrike the traitors continued to force the Raven Guard back. But this was all according to plan, for the White Scars had secreted themselves in caves to the south and the moment the traitors were over-committed the White Scars pounced. Roaring down on their foes on their space marine bikes the White Scars smashed aside all resistance. Within moments the traitor Baneblade the Ironsoul was crippled, its sponsons destroyed and crew slaughtered. With the loss of their largest war machine the backbone of the traitors broke and they were slaughtered piecemeal by the Raven Guard and White Scars. Despite the formidable defenses of Mankarra, Voldorius had not bothered to spend much time on repair or maintenance. The Raven Guard Thunderhawks and the White Scars Vindicator the Thunderheart were able to blast a sizable hole in the curtain wall with little trouble and before the defenders could react the White Scars were loose in the city streets. Staying mobile the White Scars roared along roads and alleys, striking wherever they were least expected and slaughtering every traitor without mercy. Meanwhile the Raven Guard deployed from their Thunderhawks on the rooftops and beset their foes from above. Caught from multiple angles the defenders were butchered. Finally only Voldorius and his bodyguard remained, trapped and outnumbered in the shadow of the Cathedral of the Emperor's Wisdom. Though many fell to the foul daemon prince the outcome was never in doubt. At last Voldorius was broken and pinned to the fallen statue of the Emperor by Shrike's Talons. With one sweep Kor'sarro cut the head from Voldorius shoulders and the battle was over. A month later with the planet in the hands of Imperial Guard from Tallarn the Space Marines departed. Shrike returned to the Targus battle zone and Kor'sarro returned to Chogoris with Voldorius' head. Each Captain took with him a new found respect for the other and the relationship between the estranged brother Chapters took its first step towards healing.


 * The Battle for Targus VIII (Unknown date.M41) - Captain Shrike and an elite team of infiltrators found themselves cut off behind the lines of the Ork’s when their pickup Thunderhawk was shot down. For more than two years Shrike and his marines fought a guerrilla war deep in Ork held territory, stealing supplies and munitions, sabotaging Ork installations, ambushing and slaughtering the greenskins whenever they could, as well as relaying vital intelligence to the Imperium’s forces fighting in the campaign. Shrike’s actions brought the campaign to a successful conclusion decades earlier than predicted and earning the legendary captain the Laurel Imperialis.


 * Nimbosa Crusade, The Battle for Nimbosa (992.M41) - The planet of Nimbosa is a hotly contested world on the Eastern Fringe, where the Tau Empire and the Imperium have clashed on numerous occasions. Chapters such as the Imperial Fists, Black Templars and Ultramarines are all reputed to have fought the Tau on the planet at one time or another and the world has changed hands many times. The Raven Guard 3rd Company under the command of Shrike assaulted the Tau positions on the planet and forced the xenos to retreat sometime during the Campaign, though the current status of the planet is unknown, it is believed to still be contested.


 * The Raid on Kastorel-Novem (992-996.M41) - The Orks of Waaagh Garaghak invaded the Kastorel-Novem sector in 952.M41, swiftly taking over the area and transforming Kastorel-Novem into a manufacturing center for all manner of Ork war-machines. In 988.M41 Waaagh Garaghak strikes at the sector Capitol of Forsarr and in 992.M41 the Raven Guard arrive to assist the Imperial defenders and launch a raid on the center of the Ork productions on Kastorel-Novem. The Raven Guard task force is commanded by the renowned Shadow Captain Korvydae, who commands elements from the 1st, 5th, 8th and 10th Companies. The 10th Company alone provides seven full scout squads, a significant portion of the Chapters recruits. The raid on Kastorel-Novem had two primary objectives; the elimination of Big Mek Buzzgob, the Waaagh's chief Mekboy, and the destruction of the Ork fuel depot and refinery complex which would cripple the Ork Waaagh and swing the war in favor of the Imperium. Chaplain Eitath commanded a deep strike assault against the fuel depot and refinery. Chaplain Eitath's forces encountered only light resistance and were able to plant their melta charges and destroy the refinery in short order. With their task complete Chaplain Eitath and his command extracted via Thunderhawk. Shadow Captain Korvydae and the rest of the task force were waiting for confirmation of Buzzgob's location from the Chapter's Scouts when word was received of a massive Ork force moving in on the hard pressed Elysian positions. The 181st Elysian Drop Troops had been deployed to Kastorel-Novem to destroy a partially constructed Gargant and kill as many Orks as possible but would not be able to resist long under such a great assault. Korvydae was unwilling to stand by while the Elysians were slaughtered and immediately led his forces in an assault on the Ork column, which consisted of Orks from Garaghak's Goff clan. The Raven Guard assault proved devastating and stalled the Ork advance long enough to allow the Elysians to fall back to another defensive position and request evacuation. However the respite was only temporary, for the Orks merely paused to consolidate and bring up Stompas before striking at the Elysians again in force. Korvydae once again threw the Raven Guard against the Orks to give the Elysians more time, but hordes of Deffdreads, Killa Kans and formidable Megadreads retaliated and cost the Raven Guard many lives. A the height of the battle Korvydae's Land Raider Prometheus was destroyed by a Megadread, yet Korvydae proved it would take more than that to kill him and dragged himself from the wreckage. With the battle turned so heavily against them Shadow Captain Korvydae issued the order to withdraw. Braving heavy ground fire the Chapter's Thunderhawks extracted the embattled Raven Guard. The surviving Elysians withdrew in their remaining Valkyries to isolated airbases and evacuated the planet. In the end over seventy Battle Brothers of the Raven Guard lost their lives and of the 2,400 Elysians of the 181st that deployed to Kastorel-Novem, less than 400 survived. To make matters even worse the Elysians were able to recover none of their more than 130 aircraft from the planet, abandoning all of them to the Orks. Determined to resist the Orks of Waaagh Garaghak the Raven Guard deployed to the sector Capitol of Forsarr, but in 996.M41 the planet was lost to the Ork invaders. The fall of the Kastorel-Novem sector left Deliverance in the warpath of the Ork Waaagh, facing the threat of full-scale invasion the Master of Shadows recalled the entire Chapter to the Ravenspire. For his failure Shadow Captain Korvydae is now serving two years in the Death Watch as penance.


 * Thirteenth Black Crusade, The Reclamation of Kathur (999.M41) - When the Imperial Shrine World of Kathur fell to the plague of unbelief during the Thirteenth Black Crusade, a force of Raven Guard from the 5th Company under Captain Corvane Valar and Codicier Zauren Kale. The Strike Cruiser the Second Shadow swiftly brought the Marines to link up with the vanguard elements of the reclamation force in time for the assault on the Capitol of Solthane. The Raven Guard had origionally brought Kathur to compliance during the Great Crusade, despite the hard fighting all around the Cadian system such a direct insult to the Chapter demanded a response. Ultimately all fifty members of the 5th Company involved in the fighting, as well as Captain Corvane and Codicier Zauren were presumed lost, fallen in battle delaying the approach of Typhus the Herald of Nurgle and his forces, and the Second Shadow was destroyed in orbit as well. However the mission was a success in a manner of speaking, a Daemon Prince of Nurgle formerly known as Sergeant Arlus was denied to the forces of the arch-enemy, the Terminus Est was severely damaged, well over a hundred Death Guard Plague Marines were killed by the combined efforts of the Cadian 88th and the Raven Guard, as well as a Death Guard Dreadnaught. Whether this costly defiance made any difference in the outcome of the 13th Black Crusade is not certain, but to deny the Arch-Enemy is it's own reward.


 * The Battle for Ultramar (999.M41) - While the Ultramarines were obviously at the forefront of the battle to save Ultramar when the empire came under assault by a massive invasion force of the arch-enemy, they were not alone. Captain Aethon Shaan and a full squad of the Chapter's finest warriors were dispatched to recover the renegade Captain Ardaric Vaanes. Fighting alongside the Ultramarines 4th Company, the warriors of Captain Shaan proved to be an invaluable asset, turning the tide of battle multiple times when it swung against the forces of the Ultramarines and their allies. Most impressive was the destruction of the terrible Black Basilica, a massive mobile fortress of the arch-enemy with enough firepower to tear the heart out of the Imperial defenders. Captain Shaan and his warriors infiltrated deep behind the lines, stalking past the siege fortifications of the chaos forces and scaling the sides of the horrific mobile weapon and shrine to the dark gods. Shaan led his warriors deep within the Basilica and planted demolition charges within the mobile fortress' primary munitions magazine before working their way back out of the terrible war machine. Unable to get back to the Imperial lines without discovery the Raven Guard detonated the demolition charges, destroying the Basilica, breaking the back of the invaders and providing the Sons of Corax a large enough distraction to make their way back to the Ultramarines and their compatriots. Shortly after the destruction of the Basilica the Raven Guard joined Captain Ventris and a small strike force as they journeyed deep within the core of Calth. In a lost and ancient shrine the Ultramarines and Raven Guard faced the Blade Dancers of Xiomogra and the Iron Warriors of the Warsmith Honsou, who had engineered the invasion of Ultramar. Though all ten of Shaan's Raven Guard fell in the furious fighting for the shrine, they succeeded in foiling the Chaos plot, and the renegade Ardaric Vaanes at last redeemed himself in combat against the traitors. Shaan accompanied The Ultramarines as the 2nd and 4th Companies made a jump-pack assisted drop onto the contested world of Talassar to aid Chapter Master Marneus Calgar and was witness to the final defeat of the Daemon Lord M'kar the Thrice Born. Captain Shaan attended the honorary funeral of the Ultramarines who fell during the Battle for Ultramar, along with a black flag for every one of the Raven Guard who fell in the protection of Ultramar. The gene-seed of the fallen, including Vaanes, was recovered to be returned to the Chapter with Captain Shaan.

Chapter Organisation
While the Raven Guard are organized along the guidelines of the Codex Astartes, their application is subtly different. Following the Istvaan V Massacre the Legion just did not have the resources to re-equip properly and had to make due with older arms and armor. Because of this, even in modern times the Raven Guard include a significantly higher number of ancient suits than most chapters and the individuals that are lucky enough to be gifted with these suits view themselves as blessed by the Primarch.

The officers of the Raven Guard are known as Shadow Captains and the Chapter Master is called the Master of Shadows. Corax is reputed to have ordered the use of these titles before he disappeared and the Chapter has made use of them ever since.

Perhaps of greatest note is that the Captains of the Raven Guard operate autonomously when in the field, a trait that is highly uncommon within the Adeptus Astartes. Normally Companies and task forces are deployed at the will of the Chapter Master, however once a Company has departed Deliverance the Captain has nearly free reign in choosing where and how the Company will fight. Some critics claim this is a sign of ill-discipline within the Chapter, however it could also be said that the autonomy of the Raven Guard's Captains is a sign of the discipline and trust within the command structure of the Chapter.

Raven Guard Captains are fiercely independent, and it is incredibly rare for the Chapter to fight as a whole. Individual companies are completely autonomous and are quick to lend their aid to Imperial commanders across the galaxy, with or without the sanction of their Chapter Master. Such behaviour has led some in the other Space Marine Chapters to question the Raven Guard's soundness as a military force, but most recognise that such fluidity of command only proves the presence of the Chapter's formidable discipline, not its absence.4

During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy the Raven Guard were organized into specialized Companies such as the Falcon Assault and Talon Tactical Companies, organized much like the Reserve Companies of Codex Chapters.

Equipment
The Chapter makes wide use of the "beaked" older versions of the standard Space Marine Power Armour (Marks IV-VI). After their near-destruction as a force at Isstvan V during the Horus Heresy, the Raven Guard had to make to do with the older Power Armour and equipment that remained in their reserve armoury. The available resources were too few to re-equip them up to the most advanced technological standards of the Imperium and even today there is a higher percentage of ancient suits of Power Armour amongst the Chapter than for most others. The Raven Guard's homeworld of Deliverance and its fortress-monastery on that planet, the Ravenspire, has the production capacity of a small Forge World (since it can draw upon the resources of the actual Forge World of Kiavahr that Deliverance orbits), ensuring that the Raven Guard now rarely lacks for the materiél needed to prosecute its campaigns.5

Recruitment
Owing to the instability of the Raven Guard's gene-seed due to the experiments of Corax, much of the Chapter's genetic stock has been irreparably damaged. Now, much of their genetic material comes from stored supplies held on Terra by the Adeptus Mechanicus. This means the cycle of recruitment for the Raven Guard is much slower than for other Chapters while they wait for purified samples of gene-seed to be sent from Terra and fewer Raven Guard recruits for the Chapter prove able to survive their training and genetic modification. This means the Chapter is constantly short-handed. Raven Guard recruits are almost all drawn from the hardy population of miners that has called Deliverance home for millennia.

Company Disposition
Like all Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marine Chapters, the Raven Guard are divided into ten Companies of 100 Space Marines each when at full strength, a standard which Raven Guard companies rarely achieve because of their constant manpower shortage. Each Company is led by a hero of the Raven Guard, who - in addition to his Company command - is in charge of a particular aspect of the Chapter's logistics. The current Company Commanders of the Raven Guard are as follows:
 * 1st Company: Unknown
 * 2nd Company: Captain Aajz Solari
 * 3rd Company: Captain Kayvaan Shrike
 * 4th Company: Unknown
 * 5th Company: Unknown
 * 6th Company: Unknown
 * 7th Company: Unknown
 * 8th Company: Unknown
 * 9th Company: Unknown
 * 10th Company: Captain Korvydae

Combat Doctrine
The Raven Guard generally follow the dictates of the Codex Astartes, though there are some differences in the tactical application of their troops. The Chapter specializes in guerrilla tactics behind enemy lines, using precisely coordinated attacks and refraining from frontal attacks or protracted attrition warfare. The Raven Guard are known for hitting weak points in enemy defences hard and performing lightning strikes upon locations of tactical importance to cripple their enemy. The Raven Guard disdain the notion of recklessly charging into enemy ranks. This differentiates their tactics particularly from those of the Blood Angels. The Chapter also relies heavily on their Scout Marines for pinpointing enemy positions and for reconnaissance to identify good drop sites for the rest of the Chapter's deployed forces.

The Chapter's typical tactical doctrine consists of rapid maneuver engagements consisting of the deployment of Assault Marines, Land Speeders and bikes aimed at harassment, sabotage and the destruction of key strategic targets over the frontal engagement of enemy forces at large. The Raven Guard's Tactical Marine Squads are deployed via Thunderhawk gunship insertions, supported by drop-pod deployed Dreadnoughts (as opposed to tracked vehicles that cannot be air-deployed). The Chapter maintains few and fields even fewer fire support units such as Predators and Land Raiders. The Raven Guard relies heavily on its Scout Marine elements, which operate without support for extended amounts of time, even by Space Marine standards. The Chapter, by and large, operates as something of a cross between a mechanized infantry and a special forces unit, combining small unit tactics with their preference of covert, behind-enemy-lines operations. Because of their preference for hit-and-run guerilla tactics, the Raven Guard also make extensive use of Assault Marine Squads. The Tactical marine Squads of the Raven Guard are often deployed via Thunderhawks or drop-pods. The favorite weapons of Raven Guard Force Commanders are Lightning Claws and it is a common sight for their command squads to also be equipped with these weapons in addition to their Jump Packs. Due to their specialised combat style, the Raven Guard make less use of heavier vehicles and tanks (such as the Land Raider and Predator) than most other Space Marine Chapters.3

Chapter Beliefs
The Raven Guard do not venerate the Emperor with the fervor or zeal of many other Astartes Chapters, viewing him as a distant figure, the master of the galaxy and the founder of the Imperium but little more. Corax is viewed as a mighty leader capable of making tough decisions when the need was great.

The Raven Guard still follow the path that Corax set for them, reviewing the data collected from each battle to learn it’s lessons and a great deal of the tactical doctrines of the Raven Guard were learned and laid out from such examinations.

As for the leaders of the Raven Guard, they emphasis initiative and tactical skill as much or more so than personal martial prowess. The Raven Guard are much more likely to use a swift surgical strike, than to engage in long protracted battles. However this tendency causes some tension with other Astartes Chapters who the Raven Guard consider blunt and clumsy, such as the Blood Angels.

Chapter Gene-Seed
The genetic material of the Raven Guard was greatly damaged by the accelerated processes utilized following the Drop Site Massacre of Istvaan V. Much of the gene-stocks of the Raven Guard were lost or irreparably damaged and as such a significant portion of the Chapter’s genetic material comes from Terra. Additionally the process of transformation into a marine is notably higher in the Raven Guard and many casualties early in training only add to the slow and limited recruitment process of the Chapter. Even further degeneration in the gene-seed has caused several of the implants to fail, the Betcher’s Gland and Mucranoid no longer exist within the gene-seed of the Raven Guard, and other defects cause recruits to over time have their skin become paler until it is as white as their Primarch’s, and the eyes and hair of the Astartes will eventually become a deep black.

Notable Raven Guard

 * Corax - Primarch of the Raven Guard. Corax was a taciturn and subtle warrior but a warrior nonetheless and during the Battle for Istvaan V Corax assumed a terrible and vengeful aspect, his winged jump pack and razor claws reaping a heavy toll on the ranks of the vile Word Bearers. When their Primarch Lorgar dared confront his brother, Corax nearly killed him. The pitiful and viperous Primarch of the Word Bearers, unable to face the killing frenzy of Corax even with his psychic might unleashed by the power of chaos. Corax scarred Lorgar's face during a prolonged weapon lock, the talons of his lightning-claws drawing so close to Lorgar's face that their power fields burned deep gashes in Lorgar's face and though Lorgar struck a single solid blow on Corax and shattered one of the Raven Guard Primarch's powered-claws the other bladed gauntlet tore into Lorgar's gut and cut upwards, shredding and burning the traitor Primarch's insides. Lorgar was only saved by the timely intervention of the Night Lords' Primarch Konrad Kurze. After the massacre on Istvaan V, Corax was desperate to rebuild his Legion, going to great lengths and sacrificing much to do so. The repercussions of those actions came back to haunt him, leading Corax to eventually put down all the twisted spawn of his experiments and vanish into the Eye of Terror.
 * Commander Arendi - Commander of Corax's Bodyguard during the Horus Heresy.
 * Commander Agapito - Commander of the "Talon" Tactical Companies of the Horus Heresy era Raven Guard.
 * Commander Alconi - -Commander of the "Falcon" Assault Companies of the Horus Heresy era Raven Guard.
 * Commander Branne - Commander of the Raven Guard during the Horus Heresy era. He lost in a draw to remain on Deliverance while the rest of the Legion deployed to Istvaan. Eventually he took part in an investigation mission that resulted in the combat extraction of Corax and the survivors.
 * Deathwatch Brother Apothecary Damias - Apothecary Damias served in Deathwatch Captain Bannon's team during the Tyranid Invasion of Tarsis Ultra.
 * Techmarine Dyloss - Chief Techmarine assigned to Captain Shrike's forces during the Battle for Quintus V. Brother Dyloss was responsible for detecting and successfully decoding the highly encrypted data-streams the White Scars were using to infiltrate the planet.
 * Deathwatch Techmarine Korpheus - Techmarine in service to the Deathwatch during the Herodian IV "Tyranocide" mission and part of Captain Octavius' kill-team.
 * Shadow Captain Korvydae - Captain of the Raven Guard 10th Company and the Chapter's Master of Recruits. Shadow Captain Korvydae is renowned as an efficient raider and saboteur, using Scouts and Assault Marines to launch devastating lightning assaults seemingly from nowhere. Shadow Captain Korvydae led the disastrous Raid on Kastorel-Novem against the Orks of Waaagh Garaghak. Despite Korvydae's skills and heroism the Raven Guard lost over seventy Battle Brothers in the Raid on Kastorel-Novem, for his failure Korvydae is now serving a two year penance with the Death Watch.
 * Venerable Dreadnaught Kraai - Oldest Dreadnaught within the Raven Guard and a former Chapter Master, Kraai has served the Chapter for more than 4,000 years. Ancient Brother Kraai participated in the Raid on Kastorel-Novem as part of the Chapter's 1st Company detachment.
 * Shadow Captain Aethon Shaan - Current Captain of the 4th Company, Shaan and a squad of Veterans were charged with returning the renegade Ardaric Vaanes to Deliverance to face the judgment of the Master of Shadows, the Chapter Master of the Raven Guard. Shaan was instrumental in the battle against the chaos invasion in which Vaanes was serving, most notably Shaan and his Veterans destroyed a monolithic battle-fortress of the arch-enemy known as the Black Basilica. A towering monstrosity of enormous power, Shaan and his warriors managed to infiltrate the massive mobile fortress and plant explosives in the Basilica's main store of munitions. The destruction of the Basilica was the turning point in the Battle for Calth, its destruction also ending the life of the tainted Dark Mechanicus Adept Cycerin, who had plagued the defenders with scrapcode attacks throughout the invasion. Shaan and his warriors accompanied Captain Ventris into the heart of Calth to track down the renegades, led by Ardaric Vaanes who had allowed himself to be captured in a last bid for redemption. Despite his misgivings Shaan allowed this and fought alongside the Ultramarines and the renegade against the Iron Warriors. All of the Raven Guard but Shaan were killed in the battle with the traitor Astartes and their allies, but their sacrifices were not in vain for the traitors failed in their mission and were purged from Ultramar with bolter and blade. Shaan was given permission to attend the honorary funeral service in memory of the 347 Ultramarines and 10 Raven Guard who died to protect the Imperium. Shaan returned to Deliverance with the gene-seed of the fallen, including Captain Vaanes. During the mission to Ultramar Captain Shaan and his men frequently proved the superiority of the Raven Guard in matters of stealth, managing to remain hidden under the very scrutiny of legendary Scout Sergeant Torias Tellion and the 10th Company Captain Antilochus. Without the skills of the Raven Guard the battle for Calth, and perhaps all of Ultramar may well have been lost.
 * Shadow Captain Moradius - Captain Moradius commanded the Fortress Monastery on the moon of Coron orbiting the Imperial world of Baran. When the local Feral Ork populace was stirred up by an unknown force Captain Moradius led his men to Baran to investigate, discovering the presence of an Eldar Swordwind from the Craftworld of Biel-Tan. Despite fighting valiantly Captain Moradius and his forces were encircled and greatly outnumbered, eventually dying to the last against the viperous Eldar xenos.
 * Shadow Captain Kayvaan Shrike - Captain of the 3rd Company, Shrike is a legendary figure in the Imperium for his many stunning victories throughout his career, emphasizing the very qualities at the core of the Raven Guard’s combat doctrine with honor and prowess. Shrike also wields “The Raven’s Talons” a pair of Master-Crafted Lightning Claws, said to have been forged by Corax himself following the Istvaan V Massacre, and are reputed to be unbreakable. After his success at Targus VII Shrike went on to assault the Orks in the Donara and Yahkhee systems. By the time he had finished there Shrike had become nothing short of a savior and a legend to the beleaguered and hopeless. Shrike now leads his company across the regions under assault by Waaaagh! Skullkrak. Not to aid the desperate Imperial commanders struggling to contain the Ork threat, but to the worlds abandoned by the overstretched and uncaring Imperial commanders. On those worlds Shrike and his Company are revered as heroes as great as those of old. On every world struggling against the Ork horde, Guardsmen clutch their weapons tighter knowing that Shadow Captain Shrike and the Raven Guard 3rd Company may be on their way and the Orks glance twice at every shadow, wondering if the Space Marines are there, just waiting to strike. During the rise of Waaagh! Garaghak Shrike was given command of the strike force dispatched to the Capitol of Forsarr in exchange for the Elysian 181st Regiment's aid in the Raid on Kastorel-Novem.
 * Shadow Captain Aajz Solari - Captain of the Raven Guard 2nd Company, Solari is famous as a very erratic but mostly successful officer, often going into battle at the head of the Assault Marines. Few Astartes better exemplify the image of the Angels of Death descending on fiery wings of flame to deliver the Emperor’s wrath to the foes of the Imperium. Recently Captain Solari commanded a victorious raid to destroy the Ork Kill Kroozer the Fang of Rukbad. Solari is currently in overall command of the Hive Fleet Leviathan Containment Operation, a massive undertaking with fully two dozen Chapters participating.
 * Commander Solero - Commander of the Raven Guard and survivor of Istvaan V Dropsite Massacre, led Bike squads in ambush against the traitor Legionaries.
 * Techmarine Straedon - A survivor of Istvaan V and member of Corax's Honor Guard.
 * Captain Torisian - Captain of the 29th Company of the Raven Guard during the Istvaan V Dropsite Massacre. Torisian and his men were amongst the first warriors to reach the barricades around the drop-site erected by the second wave and were cut down in the first volley of treacherous gunfire.
 * Ardaric Vaanes - Former Shadow Captain of the 4th Company, Ardaric Vaanes was a highly skilled officer within the Chapter and skilled in the most secret combat arts taught at the Ravenspire. He was honored by Captain Shrike when the legendary Captain of the 3rd Company personally tattooed the Chapter heraldry on Ardaric's left shoulder. Disillusioned with the Imperium, Ardaric Vaanes turned renegade and was declared Excomunicate Mortis in 934.M41. Fighting the Iron Warriors, along with a band of fellow renegades from various Chapters on the daemon world of Medrengarde within the Eye of Terror, Vaanes encountered the exiled Captain Uriel Ventris of the Ultramarines. But despite an offer of redemption Vaanes allied with the Warsmith Honsou and served as one of his chief Lieutenants until the Iron Warriors led a massive warband to the Realms of Ultramar. Vaanes caught the attention of a daemon of Slaanesh while serving Honsou and the close brush with absolute corruption brought about a change in the former Captain, who aided the Ultramarines in defeating the Chaos invasion, personally slaying the possessed Iron Warriors officer known as Grendel and grappling with the Warsmith Honsou himself. His gene-seed was returned to the Chapter by Captain Shaan.
 * Shadow Captain Corvane Valar - Captain of the Raven Guard 5th Company during the Thirteenth Black Crusade. Valar led half his company to the Shrine World of Kathur when it fell to the plagues of the Death Guard. The fifty Raven Guard sacrificed themselves and their Strike Cruiser the Second Shadow to deny the Death Guard their price and accounted for roughly seventy-five Plague Marines in the process.
 * Deathwatch Brother Siefer Zeed aka "Ghost" - A charismatic and enthusiastic member of Talon Squad of the Deathwatch. Armed unsurprisingly with a pair of lightning claws Zeed adds a mixture of humor and straightforward problem solving to the stoic members of Talon Squad.

Chapter Fleet

 * Aeruginosus (Strike Cruiser) - Vessel in service to Captain Korvydae during the Raid on Kastorel-Novem.
 * Drop-Pod Assault Group Strike Eagle - A Drop Pod Assault Force deployed to the surface of Kastorel-Novem.
 * Drop-Pod Assault Group Eitath - Drop Pod Assault Force deployed to the surface of Kastorel-Novem. None were recovered from the surface after the failure of the raid, a self destruct signal was transmitted by the Strike Cruiser Aeruginosus prior to the Raven Guard departure from the system.
 * Oenanthe Primus (Gladius Escort) - Escort vessel for the Strike Cruiser Aeruginosus during the Raid on Kastorel-Novem.
 * Oenanthe Secundus (Gladius Escort) - Escort vessel for the Strike Cruiser Aeruginosus during the Raid on Kastorel-Novem.
 * Second Shadow (Strike Cruiser) - Named after the former flagship of the Raven Guard Legion the vessel served the 5th Company during the Thirteenth Black Crusade. The Second Shadow was destroyed by the infamous Death Guard's vessel the Terminus Est above the Shrine World of Kathur.
 * Shadow of the Emperor - The flagship of the Raven Guard, the Shadow of the Emperor was destroyed by the Terminus Est during the Istvaan V Dropsite Massacre, an act of betrayal the Raven Guard have long sought to avenge.

Chapter Appearance
Due to the degeneration of the Raven Guard's gene-seed, several of the genetically-engineered organs normally implanted in Space Marines no longer function properly or simply no longer even develop after they are implanted as zygotes. For instance, Raven Guard Marines do not have the Mucranoid which allows an Astartes to survive extremes of heat, cold or even exposure to the vacuum of space or Betcher's Gland, which allows them to spit a venomous toxin. The Raven Guard's Melanchromic Organ which allows a Space Marine's skin to adjust to incoming levels of solar radiation has a unique mutation that causes the skin of a Raven Guard member to lose its pigment, regardless of its original hue. Eventually the skin becomes pure white while the hair and eyes darken, until they become jet black.

Chapter Colours
The Raven Guard Chapter paints their Power Armour black with a white Raven on their left shoulder plate. The left shoulder plate's trim is black. The right shoulder plate's symbol and trim colour denotes which type of squad the Astartes serves in. Green trim indicates a Space Marine is a member of a Tactical Squad, red an Assault Squad, yellow a Devastator Squad and black trim is worn by Veterans. Some Raven Guard Force Commanders or high-ranking Veteran officers have all-white shoulder plates (as well as helmets and sometimes the armour covering their arms).

Chapter Badge
The Raven Guard Chapter badge is a stylized white raven.

Gallery
[[Category:R]]