1st Claw (Night Lords)

The 1st Claw is an elite squad of Chaos Space Marines of the Night Lords Traitor Legion's 10th Company. The first known squad leader was Sergeant Vandred Anrathi, who led the 1st Claw during the Great Crusade and during the Horus Heresy. He is known to have commanded the 1st Claw right up to the final days of that great conflict during the Battle of Terra, where they took part in the siege of the Imperial Palace. During this time Talos, the legendary "Soul Hunter," was still an Apothecary who served with the 1st Claw. His life was saved by Sergeant Anrathi during the siege.

Long after the end of the Horus Heresy, and after the Night Lords had fled alongside their traitorous brethren to the Eye of Terror, their Primarch Konrad Curze was assassinated by a Callidus Assassin. At some point following the death of the Night Haunter, Anrathi was promoted to the rank of captain and elevated to command the entirety of the Night Lords' 10th Company. Talos was eventually elevated to the position of Squad Sergeant of the 1st Claw not long after, though it is not generally known how the Apothecary rose to a command position.

The actions of the 1st Claw during the last ten millennia are not recorded, though Warp-travel aboard the 10th Company's warship, the Covenant of Blood, led to the passage of only a subjective Terran century for Talos and the other members of the 1st Claw between the end of the Horus Heresy and the present day in the late 41st Millennium. During this time the Night Lords' 10th Company had changed into a disorganised warband of Chaos Space Marines under the command of the Daemon Prince known as the Exalted, who was in fact the daemonically-possessed former Captain Anrathi.

First Claw Fleet
Talos' warband consists of one Strike Cruiser, the Echo of Damnation, recently liberated from the Red Corsairs.

Notable First Claw Members
The members of First Claw were all born on the Night Lords' hoemworld of Nostramo, save for Variel, an Apothecary who served the Red Corsairs.
 * Talos - Talos, a former Apothecary and Veteran of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, leader of this warband which consists of several Claws.
 * Uzas - This Night Lord is a Khornate Berserker who is a potential Champion of Khorne and a former Sergeant of 4th Claw.
 * Xarl - A Tactical Marine and Battle-Brother of the Night Lords, Xarl is a long-time friend of Talos.
 * Cyrion - Cyrion is a Psyker and a friend of Talos, but is universally hated by everyone else in the 1st Claw.
 * Mercutian - A former member of the 7th Claw, who favours a Heavy Bolter in combat.