Feles Iratus



Long lost from Imperial records, the Feles Iratus (High Gothic, can be roughly translated to “Irate Felines” or “Furious Cats”) are a somewhat enigmatic chapter, rarely seen within the territory of the Imperium of Man. Until recently the chapter had no contact with the Imperium, and even now contact is limited to sporadic campaigns assisting the Rift Flames chapter in the Arcadia Sector by strike forces arriving from beyond the Eastern Fringe.

Chapter History
The scant traces of the few records that remain regarding the Feles Iratus date back to mid-M34. They are one of a handful of chapters founded to be stationed beyond the Imperium’s borders and establish bastions of the Emperor’s presence there. Taking up residence on the savannah planet of Sekhmet the chapter lost contact with the Imperium after a warp storm disrupted all communication for centuries.

Contact was re-established after the Feles Iratus strike cruiser Goldmane responded to a distress signal during the Ork invasion of Hyperion Secundus, coming to the aid of the beleaguered Rift Flames. The combined might of the Space Marine forces managed to destroy the main bulk of the greenskin forces, though failed to stop the onslaught moving to the neighbouring planet of Hyperion.

Although thankful of the support, many marines of the Rift Flames were suspicious of the peculiar customs and dispositions of the Feles Iratus, and viewed their newfound brothers with an untrusting eye.

The two chapters remained active on the Eastern Fringe, combating frequent greenskin incursions and Chaos insurgencies, amongst other Xenos threats.

Notable amongst these was the siege of Tabula Prime, where a Chaos war band of mixed origin stormed the Imperial fortress there. For six days the planet’s orbital defences held out, allowing the Imperial forces to dig in and prepare. When the Chaos Space Marines finally arrived, riding down onto the planet inside the burning husks of their ships and crawling like cockroaches from the craters, they were met with the solid line of defence set up by the combined might of both loyalist chapters. The heavy artillery and shock troopers of the Rift Flames weakened the invading troops, the servants of Chaos only penetrating the outer walls thanks to daemonic assistance. However, once inside the traitor vanguard found only the lascannons of Rift Flame tanks and the eagerly awaiting blades and claws of the Feles Iratus. With the spear tip of the invasion broken, the daemon prince leader himself slain by Feles veteran-sergeant Tlv-da-tsi, the invading forces fell into disarray. It was at this point the Feles Iratus moved into their own area of expertise, their bike squads and assault troops herding and culling the fleeing traitor marines, cutting them down with ease and at speeds rivalling that of the fabled White Scars or Raven Guard.

After the successful defence of Tabula the bond between the chapters was cemented, the former friction now faded and replaced by a strong camaraderie, and the two chapters still frequently work in tandem in the Arcadia Sector.

It is unknown as to what extent the chapter work outside of Imperial Space, their fortress-monastery on Sekhmet laying a few light-years past the Eastern Fringe, although first hand accounts from Feles marines claim most of their military assets are engaged in repression of Ork war bands before they can pose a threat to Sekhmet.

Chapter Homeworld and Gene-seed
Sekhmet is a verdant savannah world, its human populace mostly at a barely Imperial level of technology and functioning in a widespread tribal system. There are no large cities as such, though machinery from their Imperial settler ancestors who accompanied the Feles Iratus to the planet can be found in most villages. The only places with plentiful Imperial technology can be found within the settlements of the chapter itself.

Other than humans, the planets most notable creature is the Sekhmet Lion. Almost twice as large as a lion from Terra, most of Sekhmeti, and indeed Feles Iratus, culture is based around these majestic creatures. Many tribal chiefs and astartes captains tame one of these beasts as companions, and only the finest warriors of the chapter may ride one into battle.

Situated in the galactic east, the planet has inevitably made contact frequently with the Tau Empire and, as during the millennia when Sekhmet was cut off from the Imperium the instinct to survive replaced the xenophobic Imperial mentality, the planet maintains a fairly peaceful relation with it (which added to the Rift Flames initial suspicions), though it is far from compliant.

Being isolated from the Imperium for so long, the chapter has not paid its gene-seed tithe in excess of nearly five thousand years. No member of the Magos Biologis have been able to reclaim any from the battlefield either, though from battle reports and eyewitness accounts it is theorised the gene-seed may have undergone some superficial mutations, such as altered vocal cords (to allow their characteristic lion’s roar) and almost feral behavioural patterns exhibited both in and out of combat.

Chapter Organisation
<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">The chapter does not function in companies like many Codex Astartes compliant chapters. Instead the chapter’s organisation is based on the tribal system of Sekhmet.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Instead of companies the chapter is divided into many strike forces (sometimes called tribes or “prides” by the chapter) of varying composition, each usually lead by an established Captain or in some cases a Librarian, and are about 50-100 Astartes strong.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Being a heavily fast attack orientated chapter, most forces will contain at least one assault squad or bike squad, the rest of the force built around these fast-hitting units.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Training for a neophyte marine does not take place in a separate company like in most chapters; rather scouts will be assigned to a strike force where they will eventually work their way up, though most forces maintain a squad of veteran scouts for frontline duties in addition to training recruits.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">After they have completed scout training, a marine will then make the choice of which area of combat to specialise in (following basic training in each area in order to maintain versatility), passing a series of trials set by squad sergeants in order to join their respective squads. Usually they will remain in the squad, only leaving in the rare event of being awarded terminator honours, or even rarer, transferring to another pride.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">A very small sect of techmarines are kept within the chapter, without transit to Mars to train new recruits in the ways of the Adeptus Mechanicus the chapter relies on the Master of the Forge to train his adepts. The upshot of this is that the knowledge of each techmarine must be great enough to be able to replace the Master of the Forge should he fall in battle.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">In the case of librarians, any neophyte or battle-brother showing a sign of potential of being a psyker is taken in by the Shaman Pride, the chapter’s librarium. There they are trained to hone their powers and to control them, and should they succeed in doing so they will ascend to the ranks of the librarius. The chapter’s librarians (also known as shamans by the Feles) are responsible for foreseeing the future of the chapter, and convene in their very own pride to divine meaning from visions they may have received, or from messages left by shamans before them. Such is the authority of a librarian’s word that they may take charge of an entire force in order to lead them to the correct path.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Chapter Combat Doctrine
<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Battle <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif""> tactics of the Feles Iratus can summarised as being fast and with great force. The chapter bases its combat tactics on the hunting habits of the Sekhmet lions, which can be divided into two parts: the chase and the pounce. Bike squads will usually enact the chase of the enemy, herding them into where they need to be, and then the assault squads pounce on the enemy, delivering a killing blow. Tactical marines perform a flexible role that can supplement either group, or carry out specific assaults on their own, using assault rams (of which the chapter makes unusually extensive use of) to quickly ferry about the field of battle.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">It is usual practice that the captain of the strike force will accompany either a bike squad or an assault squad; even librarian captains will arm themselves with a jump pack. The captain’s honour guard or command squad are more likely, however, to lead troops from elsewhere on the battlefield away from the captain, though this need not always be the case.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Devastator squads are absent from the chapter, instead scout squads positioned ahead of the force act out fast insurgence operations, using highly effective hellfire rounds to bombard and soften the enemy frontlines before falling back. Other squads of scouts may be positioned a great distance away from the action to snipe at high priority targets.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Heavy support is usually supplied by Razorback APCs or Predator tanks, and the magna-meltas of the Caestus Assault Rams the chapter uses as transports can easily reduce an enemy squad to ash and molten slag.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Chapter Character and Beliefs
<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Loyalty to their squad, pride and captain are core values to a Feles Iratus, as well as the veneration of their fallen brothers. As they have no knowledge of their Primarch their dedications are directed to the chapter and the Emperor, whom they view as the chief Alpha of all prides.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Members of Strike Force Mi’ao Mi’ao

 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">-Captain Artachsharta, Captain of Pride Mi’ao Mi’ao 


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Proud warrior and first alpha of his Pride, Artachsharta charges across the battlefield astride Ari, his Sekhmet lion mount. Accompanying Bike Squad Amra in most engagements, Artachsharta is a rider of unprecedented skill, and wields lightning claws of custom pattern and design, which allow rerouting of power to function as a single power fist and combi plasma. Many enemies of mankind have found their rest at the receiving end of these relics.


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">-Techmarine Mekai, Master of the Forge 
 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Trained by his predecessors in the ways of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Mekai is exemplary of the Feles Iratus techmarines. Because all techmarines are taught within the chapter and not sent away to Mars, the bonds of trust between them and the rest of their battle brothers remains unmarred by years of separation. As well as being responsible for leading the training of new techmarines, Mekai serves on the front line manning the Internicivus, the Razorback transport dedicated for Artachsharta’s command squad, the Sabre Guard.


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">-Brother-Sergeant Danh Tu, Assault Squad Danh Tu 


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">A daring warrior with an impressive record, Danh Tu is attributed to have killed a cohort of over forty Orks with a single melta charge during the Ork invasion of Vyrion Minorus. Leading his squad he led a spear tip vanguard into the Ork formation, charging ahead of his pride and successfully detonating a battlewagon, incinerating its thirty occupants and tens of Orks surrounding the vehicle. This action is characteristic of his tenacity and choice of otherwise extreme tactics.


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">-The Sabre Guard, Command Squad 
 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">-Leontius, Pride Champion


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Surprisingly, Leontius did not ascend to the Sabre Guard from the ranks of an assault squad, nor even a tactical squad. In actual fact Leontius was once sergeant of the bike squad Amra now commands, a role which taught him the swordsmanship he now is now master of.


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">-Regulus, Pride Apothecary


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">While all Feles have a great sense of camaraderie and bonding to their battle-brothers, Regulus above all has care and compassion beyond measure. It is not the necessity to maintain the continuation of the chapter by retrieval of gene-seed or the tending to the wounded so that they may fight again that drives him to his duty, but the strength of brotherhood he feels for his fellow Astartes.


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">-Loeb, Standard Bearer


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Former tactical sergeant Loeb is stoic in the face of any enemy. A symbol of the pride and chapter, he is responsible for carrying the flowing banner aloft in and out of battle, a sight which can keep even the most beleaguered Feles Iratus warrior fighting on. He is the youngest in the squad, though none in the chapter can doubt his dedication.


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">-Ardeshir, Veteran


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Ardeshir’s ferocious combat disposition betrays his background as an assault sergeant; he shows neither remorse nor regard to his foes as they are rendered with storm bolter and lightning claw. His wild attitude and even wilder reason can at times put him at odds with others in the Guard, but this can be overlooked when observing his more than impressive combat honours.


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">-Usamah, Veteran


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">By far the oldest in the Sabre Guard, if not the pride, Usamah has witnessed a few captains come and go, and even some who have passed into the Emperor’s peace. His great age and greater wisdom has lent him what others may perceive as petulance, but it is in truth a great deal of pragmatism. In his philosophy honour and glory can achieve nothing that a well placed plasma round or melta charge can’t.

<span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Members of other Strike Forces

 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">-Captain Panthera, Captain of Pride Ni’an 


 * <span style="font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">To Panthera the concept of lightning attacks is the only concept worth considering. His pride, Pride Ni’an, is unrivalled in the chapter for their speed of attack. Mostly comprised of gnarled assault squads, they are known to completely deploy above an enemy, dropping down from assault rams or gun-ships, and tearing straight into the foe. Supporting this manoeuvre are squads of sniper scouts, picking off targets in the furious melee.