Obsidian Jaguars

The Obsidian Jaguars is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter created during an unknown Founding that is a genetic successor of the Ultramarines. Their homeworld of Ceibhal was recently overrun by Orks of the Goff klan during the Era Indomitus, leaving the fate of some of the survivors uncertain, though most of the Chapter was able to reform under the command of its Chapter Master Ahluic Xotzin and carry on with its duties in defence of the Imperium during the Indomitus Crusade and the Octarius War.

Chapter History[]

Obsidian Jaguars Primaris Intercessor — Obsidian Jaguars Chapter colour scheme as displayed by a Primaris Assault Intercessor.

Fall of Ceibhal[]

The Obsidian Jaguars are a notable Successor Chapter of the Ultramarines created from the genetic inheritance of Primarch Roboute Guilliman. They hail from the verdant jungle Death World of Ceibhal. This Chapter is known to be comprised of noble warriors who are stout of heart and strong of arm and are considered valuable allies of the Space Wolves Chapter. During the events of the Psychic Awakening, the Jaguars faced disaster when their Chapter homeworld fell to a massive Ork invasion led by the Goffs klan while the majority of the Chapter was off-world fighting elsewhere.

Though they were unable to lend aid in the Obsidian Jaguars' time of need, the sons of Leman Russ agreed; the Skarskell Sub-sector had become a locus for multiple Ork migrations, its stars reverberating with pulsating green energy in the visions of their Chapter's Rune Priests. Wolf Lord Erik Morkai led his Sons of Morkai Great Company, augmented by a strike force drawn from the Blackmanes Great Company, to eradicate the Greenskin menace from the region.

The Space Wolves made all haste to the mountainous Jungle World of Ceibhal. Erik Morkai had fought alongside the Obsidian Jaguars before and knew they would be valuable allies. But Ceibhal had fallen to Goff Orks, and the Space Wolves found its orbit strewn with the wrecks of Adeptus Astartes warships liveried in the deep sable of the Obsidian Jaguars. Morkai desired vengeance. He knew the Space Wolves could not retake the world with their few warriors, but resolved to strike hard, reasoning that the Obsidian Jaguars' precious gene-seed stores might still be intact.

The Space Wolves valiantly fought their way downwards, level-by-level, throughout the Obsidian Jaguars' fortress-monastery, the Sabre, until they finally reached the generatorum chamber. Here, they planted Melta Bombs on coolant exchanger shrines, fail-safe cogitators and fuel injection fanes. Once the final Melta Bomb was in place and Morkai's warriors were prepared to withdraw they heard from the rest of their forces. However, despite their best efforts, the Wolf Lord's Helix Adepts informed him that most of the Obsidian Jaguars' gene-seed was ruined.

Morkai cursed, as he ordered a total withdrawal of all his forces; there was nothing left to accomplish. The Sons of Morkai watched the explosion from orbit. Huge chunks of coal-black ferrocrete were thrown across Ceibhal's surface. Doubtless millions of Orks died, but this did not feel like a victory.

Octarius War[]

Once the news of their homeworld's fall reached the Obsidian Jaguars' Chapter Master Ahluic Xotzin, he rallied what remained of the Obsidian Jaguars' strength. As a result, Xotzin was able to gather a sizeable force, though some elements of the Chapter were too far away from the mustering point, or too embroiled by war, to respond to his request.

Before the call for aid from the Pankallis Sub-sector of the Octarius Sector reached him, Xotzin's goal had been to reclaim Ceibhal from the Orks that remained there. Only after much deliberation did Xotzin decide to divert his forces to Pankallis. On one level, duty won out. The Emperor's worlds were under furious attack from Orks and Tyranids and the fate of others hung in the balance. On another level, it was an earlier opportunity than expected for revenge against the Greenskins, any Greenskins, and for the Chapter to hone its skills against its now most-hated enemy.

The Obsidian Jaguars fought in the Semythis, Kernak and Kusolat Systems. In Semythis, many of their actions were punitive strikes with little particular strategic value, designed purely to inflict significant losses on the Orks. Though the Kernak System was eventually declared lost to the Greenskins, the Obsidian Jaguars fought many battles alongside the Knights of House Xiphos and the Adeptus Mechanicus forces of Ryza and Kernak III.

They earned much respect from their allies for their bravery, and it is reasonable to conclude that no fewer than six Gargant kills could be attributed to the Chapter's actions. Much of the Obsidian Jaguars' strength was committed to Kusolst. With its quarries, industrial output, military strength and food production capabilities, it was a lynchpin star system; one whose loss could have a great impact on many other nearby systems.

Here, the Obsidian Jaguars were tireless. They crushed Greenskin guerrillas on Phundil that had outmanoeuvred and slaughtered Astra Militarum forces in droves, and successfully destroyed several invasion Roks that had landed in Irnwald's Hennzi Desert.

In a masterful display of void warfare, Captain Amaqan Cuetl led the voidships under his command in a number of devastating hit-and-run attacks against the Greenskins' ramshackle armada. This bought precious time for squadrons from Lord Admiral Janzig Danathios' Navis Imperialis battlefleet to stabilise the combat situation above Kusolst Prime. It was believed by Imperial military savants that an eventual Imperial victory was much more likely once void supremacy was achieved, as the enemy on the ground would be denied much-needed reinforcements and vital supplies.

Notable Campaigns[]

Bennghil VII Campaign (Unknown Date.M42) - With the aid of the Space Wolves, the Obsidian Jaguars defeated a force of Chaos Space Marines on Bennghil VII, forging a lasting alliance between the Chapters.

Defence of Ceibhal (Unknown Date.M42) - During the Psychic Awakening, the Chapter's fortress-monastery, "the Sabre," on their homeworld of Ceibhal, came under assault by a vast horde of Goff klan Orks while most of the Space Marines were off-world on campaign. The call for them to return was sent out, but until that time Captain Meznan commanded the Chapter's forces in the defence of their homeworld. Unless the absent battle-brothers returned, however, Ceibhal was likely to fall to the assault by Greenskins of the Goffs klan. In truth, by the time a Space Wolves strike force led by the Wolf Lord Erik Morkai finally arrived, Ceibhal had been claimed by the Orks. The Obsidian Jaguars fleet defending Ceibhal had also been destroyed, but Morkai still hoped to be able to recover the Chapter's gene-seed from their fortress-monastery. He infiltrated the Sabre with a strike force of his fellow Space Wolves, but it had been desecrated, its walls decorated with the corpses of the Obsidian Jaguars Astartes who had died defending it. Even worse, Morkai's warriors were only able to recover a small portion of the Obsidian Jaguars' gene-seed, as most of it had been destroyed or made unusable by the Orks. With little more to do, the Wolf Lord's strike force made their way off-world shortly before they activated explosives that destroyed the Sabre.

Indomitus Crusade (Unknown Date.M42) - The Obsidian Jaguars were assigned to serve as part of Task Force XI of Battle Group Kallides of the Indomitus Crusade Fleet Primus. Battle Group Kallides fought against the Necrons located in the foreboding region of the galaxy designated the Pariah Nexus.
- Argovon Campaign (Unknown Date.M42) - This campaign of the Pariah Crusade was fought in the Argovon System within the Pariah Nexus region. The Imperial forces faced the Necron Szarekhan and Oruskh Dynasties. The campaign was spearheaded by High Field Marshal Janred Remko Hynflagger and his Task Force XI, which possessed a contingent of Space Marines provided by the Obsidian Jaguars. The Obsidian Jaguars, along with other Imperial forces like the Tome Keepers, were tasked with the destruction of a pair of Dolmen Gates on Hishrea, the sixth and outermost planet in the Argovon System, which were being used by the Necrons to bring reinforcements into the system. Though the approach to the gates was carefully scouted, the Imperial advance was caught entirely unawares when Necron pylons erupted from the ground and began tearing through their ranks. Only the intervention of the Tome Keepers and Obsidian Jaguars prevented a wholesale massacre. The Dolmen Gates were finally destroyed after two solar months of gruelling warfare, but the victory proved a pyrrhic one. A Necron tomb fleet soon arrived in-system, forcing a full-scale Imperial retreat from Hishrea. The war in the Pariah Nexus would grind on.

Charadon Campaign (War of Rust and Slime) (Unknown Date.M42) - The Charadon Campaign began during the Noctis Aeterna when the Death Guard Chaos Lord Typhus the Traveller seized his chance to invade the Forge World of Metalica and plunged the Charadon Sector of the Ultima Segmentum into war. A force from the Obsidian Jaguars aided Chapter Master Dhane Tanielu of the Excruciators Chapter in his own last stand in the Alumax System. He gathered elements from the Ultramarines, Sons of Medusa, Iron Knights, Obsidian Jaguars, and others into a combined force called Strike Force Scourge to defend against the Death Guard.

Octarius War (Unknown Date.M42) - When the conflict between the Orks of the Ork Empire of Octarius and the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan spilled out into the Pankallis Sub-sector of the wider Octarius Sector in the Era Indomitus, the Obsidian Jaguars contributed 400-500 battle-brothers -- almost half the Chapter's complement -- as well as 150 vehicles, 1 battle barge, and 3 strike cruisers to the Imperial campaign to contain the xenos assault.

Chapter Homeworld[]

The Obsidian Jaguars called the Jungle World and Death World of Ceibhal home. A verdant planet covered in wild flora and fauna, Ceibhal was notable for the trees called "steelpalms" whose wood is immensely strong. The world was defined by its steam-veiled jungles and the mighty, snow-topped peaks that ran over its surface like the scales and spines of some great thunderwyrm. Even from aboard a voidship in orbit, one could see the vast dust clouds kicked up by bovine herds millions strong as they crossed the world's enormous plains in search of sustenance.

Typhoons and tornadoes swept across its continents, and lightning struck in a million places. Truly, Ceibhal was a world whose beauty was matched only by its fury. But nothing stirred the soul like "the Sabre," the Obsidian Jaguars' mighty fortress-monastery, whose walls were of deepest ebon. Never could one see such proud battlements elsewhere in the galaxy, besides those of the Space Wolves' own great fortress on Fenris, The Fang. Every hornwork, talus and glacis of the Sabre was a work of majestic art.

Following the fall of Ceibhal and the temporary occupation of the Sabre by the invading Orks under the command of the Goffs klan, a strike force of the Space Wolves launched a surprise planetary assault and infiltrated deep into the occupied fortress-monastery, intent on wreaking vengeance against the Greenskins and reclaiming the Obsidian Jaguars' genetic legacy in the form of the Chapter's precious stores of gene-seed. However, once they discovered that the gene-seed had been irrevocably tainted by the xenos beyond saving, the Space Wolves force destroyed the Sabre with a series of Melta Bombs strategically placed within the fortress-monastery's generatorum, denying the xenos access to any more of the Obsidian Jaguars' resources.

Notable Obsidian Jaguars[]

Chapter Master Ahluic Xotzin - Xotzin is the current master of the Obsidian Jaguars. After learning that his Chapter's homeworld of Ceibhal had fallen to a massive Ork invasion, Xotzin vowed revenge against the Greenskins. He rallied the surviving Obsidian Jaguars to his side, with 90-95% of the Chapter able to reach him. As the Chapter prepared to retake their Chapter planet, they received word that the Pankallis Sub-sector was also being besieged by a massive Ork invasion. Though he was eager to reclaim his Chapter's homeworld, Xotzin dutifully led his Chapter in defence of the besieged sub-sector, as the Obsidian Jaguars' duties to the wider Imperium far outweighed their personal need for vengeance. That, and Xotzin knew that his wrathful Chapter would be able to release their incandescent rage sooner upon the Orks currently infesting Pankallis before they could reclaim their own world.

Chief Librarian Nekahual Mecatl - Mecatl is the Chief Librarian of the Obsidian Jaguars who is currently serving among the Obsidian Jaguars forces defending the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector.

Master of Sanctity Yoloxal Zaretza - Zaretza is the Master of Sanctity of the Obsidian Jaguars who is currently serving among the Obsidian Jaguars forces defending the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector.

Master of the Forge Xoko Acalan - Acalan is the Master of the Forge of the Obsidian Jaguars who is currently serving among the Obsidian Jaguars forces defending the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector.

Master of the Forge Nelq (KIA) - Previous Master of the Forge who aided in the defence of the Chapter's fortress-monastery on Ceibhal, The Sabre, from the Orks. By the time the Chapter took part in the Octarius War, he had been succeeded by Xoko Acalan as Master of the Forge.

Captain Quilaz Acollok - A commander of one of the Obsidian Jaguars' companies, Captain Acollok is currently among the Chapter's forces that are defending the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector.

Captain Xiopa Ahuitz - Ahuitz is an Obsidian Jaguars captain who took part in the Pariah Crusade's Argovon Campaign as part of Battle Group Kallides' Task Force XI. As the war against the Necrons in the Pariah Nexus raged, Ahuitz served on the task force's senior command staff as a representative of the Space Marines.

Captain Cozaca Ayotl - A commander of one of the Obsidian Jaguars' companies, Captain Ayotl is currently among the Chapter's forces that are defending the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector.

Captain Yarepili Cozahqui - A commander of one of the Obsidian Jaguars' companies, Captain Cozahqui is currently among the Chapter's forces that are defending the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector.

Captain Amaqan Cuetl - A commander of one of the Obsidian Jaguars' companies, Captain Cuetl is currently among the Chapter's forces that are defending the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector. During this conflict, Cuetl led his fleet against an invading Ork armada that was attacking the Kusolst System. In a masterful display of void warfare, the captain engaged in a number of devastating hit-and-run attacks. By doing so, Cuetl gave the squadrons of Lord Admiral Janzig Danathios' Imperial Navy fleet precious time to stabilise the combat situation above Kusolst Prime. This in turn allowed the Imperium to achieve victory. With the void above the planet firmly in the grasp of Imperial forces, the Orks were denied reinforcements and supplies.

Captain Meznan - Meznan was a captain and the sabre-master of the Obsidian Jaguars. Meznan commanded the defence of the Chapter's towering fortress-monastery, "the Sabre," from a massive assault launched by the Orks. But Meznan feared that if reinforcements did not come either from his absent battle-brothers or the Obsidian Jaguars' close allies -- the Space Wolves -- whom he fought beside on Bennghil VII, it was only a matter of time before their homeworld fell to the Greenskin tide.

Captain Ometoch Milixtli - A commander of one of the Obsidian Jaguars companies, Captain Milixtli is currently among the Chapter's forces that are defending the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector.

Captain Toltec Neculach - A commander of one of the Obsidian Jaguars companies, Captain Neculath is currently among the Chapter's forces that are defending the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector.

Chaplain Kualka - Kualka was a Chaplain of the Obsidian Jaguars who aided in the defence of the Sabre from the Orks.

Chaplain Kawil Ichwel - Ichwel took part in the Indomitus Crusade, serving in Task Force XI's Argovon Campaign, which saw them do battle with the immortal Necrons. During this campaign, Ichwel led the Obsidian Jaguars forces that fought on Hishrea. The Imperial forces on the planet were later ordered to evacuate by the commanding Admiral Archibalda Tansk, after a large Necron fleet arrived in orbit above Hishrea.

Apothecary Uetz - Uetz was an Apothecary of the Obsidian Jaguars who aided in the defence of the Sabre from the Orks.

Notable Chapter Vehicles[]

Fires of Ceibhal (Land Raider Redeemer)

Makanah (Land Raider Crusader)

Morkai's Roar (Relic Sicaran Arcus Strike Tank)

Chapter Fleet[]

Tlahtoan (Battle Barge) - The Tlahtoan is a mighty battle barge that serves as the Chapter's flagship. It is currently among the Imperial forces defending the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector of the Octarius Sector.

Atalat (Strike Cruiser) - The Atalat was an ancient Obsidian Jaguars strike cruiser that was destroyed by a massive Ork horde while defending the Chapter's homeworld, Ceibhal, during the Psychic Awakening.

Ataquil (Strike Cruiser) - Ataquil is among several Obsidian Jaguars vessels that are currently serving among Imperial forces in defence of the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector.

Khamazotz (Strike Cruiser) - Khamazotz is among several Obsidian Jaguars vessels that are currently serving among Imperial forces in defence of the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector.

Kizuic (Strike Cruiser) - Kizuic is among several Obsidian Jaguars vessels that are currently serving among Imperial forces in defence of the besieged Pankallis Sub-sector.

Chapter Appearance[]

Chapter Colours[]

The Obsidian Jaguars' wear deep sable power armour with granite grey as a secondary colour on the armourial insets and knee plates. The Aquila or Imperialis affixed to their chest plates as well as the buckle of their belt, is also granite grey.

A black icon stencilled on their right armorial indicates a battle-brother's assigned squad tactical specialty -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command.

A white High Gothic numeral is stencilled over the centre of the tactical specialty symbol, indicating a battle-brother's assigned squad within his company. Alternatively, a smaller black High Gothic numeral can also be stencilled somewhere in the armourial inset, just off to the side of the tactical specialty symbol. It is not known how the Chapter designates company assignment.

Helmet Markings[]

Battle-Brother - Sable helmet with a wide, gold, vertical stripe.

Sergeant - Sable helm with a wide, gold, vertical stripe. A small, silver skull icon is affixed to the forehead of the helm.

Veteran - Veteran status is indicated by a granite-grey helmet.

Veteran Sergeant - Veteran sergeant status is indicated by a granite-grey helm with a small silver skull icon affixed to the forehead of the helm.

Lieutenant - The rank of lieutenant is indicated by a sable helmet with a wide, gold, vertical stripe and two narrow, white, vertical stripes running on either side. A small silver skull icon is affixed to the forehead of the helm.

Chapter Badge[]

The Obsidian Jaguars' Chapter badge is a black jaguar head.

Sources[]

Psychic Awakening: Saga of the Beast (8th Edition), pp. 8-9
White Dwarf 457 (October 2020), "Flashpoint: Argovon System," pp. 54-56
Psychic Awakening: The Stand of the Sabre (Short Story) by Callum Davis (17 Feb 2020)
War Zone Charadon - Act 1: The Book of Rust (9th Edition), pg. 31
War Zone Octarius - Book 1: Rising Tide (9th Edition), pp. 30-32