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The Red Scorpions Chapter: Origins & Lore

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The Red Scorpions Chapter: Origins & Lore

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This guide explores the lore, history, and unique characteristics of the Red Scorpions chapter in Warhammer 40K, focusing on their genetic purity, isolationism, and key battles.
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Greetings, Imperial scholar. I am Librarian Husky of the Red Scorpions, keeper of knowledge and protector of our chapter’s legacy. The Red Scorpions, a renowned chapter of Space Marines in the Warhammer 40K universe, play key roles in some of the most intense campaigns of the 41st Millennium. However, their reputation within the Imperium is complex. Unlike many chapters, they often act outside the strict codes of the Imperium, raising questions: are they noble defenders of Imperial worlds in need, or are they secretive isolationists who refuse to fight alongside others?

History of Service and Reputation

The Red Scorpions have a long-standing record of devotion to the Imperium, marked by a history of commendable service. They are devout adherents to the Codex Astartes and have participated in numerous battles across the galaxy. For more than five thousand years, they have conducted swift and decisive drop assaults from two mighty battle fleets, utilizing intricate tactical maneuvers. Their combat history is exceptional, with their interventions often proving decisive in key engagements where they strike critical targets in ongoing wars.

A Legacy of Secrecy and Suspicion

Despite their distinguished military service, the Red Scorpions remain a chapter shrouded in secrecy and suspicion. They often vanish from Imperial records for extended periods, deepening the mystery surrounding them. They fiercely maintain their independence, driven by an obsession with preserving their own purity, as well as that of others, which often leads them to act contrary to Imperial expectations.

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The Origins of the Red Scorpions

The origins of the Red Scorpions are cloaked in secrecy, and, curiously, the chapter itself seems uninterested in solving this mystery. They have been operational for at least 5,000 years, with some records suggesting their existence might stretch back to the 34th Millennium. Yet, unlike many other chapters, they show little desire to uncover their lineage, focusing instead on their current mission objectives.

A Complex History

One of the mysteries surrounding the Red Scorpions is their clash with the Shining Blades, a chapter that later turned to chaos and became the Flawless Host. This betrayal, which possibly took place in the mid-34th Millennium, adds complexity to their already intricate history, filled with unusual alliances and dangerous conflicts.

Unknown Lineage

The genetic origin of the Red Scorpions remains a total mystery, with no known information about their founding or progenitor chapter. Even the most advanced gene-testing methods have failed to provide any clues to their lineage. While it’s not uncommon for records to be lost in the vastness of the Imperium, the complete absence of any details regarding the Red Scorpions’ founding is particularly striking.

A Chapter Without Records

What sets the Red Scorpions apart further is their refusal to maintain records of their history. Unlike most chapters that meticulously document their achievements, the Red Scorpions keep their past cloaked in secrecy. This lack of transparency only deepens the mystery of their true origins and intentions, leaving many to question what they might be concealing.

Protests Against Investigations

The Red Scorpions have actively resisted any attempts to investigate their origins. The chapter’s leadership has formally protested inquiries into their history. This resistance seems paradoxical, especially considering their dedication to genetic purity, as one would assume that uncovering their lineage would be of great importance to them.

An Obsession with Genetic Purity

One of the most defining characteristics of the Red Scorpions is their obsessive commitment to maintaining the purity of their gene-seed. While many chapters have suffered from genetic flaws, the Red Scorpions are known for having an exceptionally pure gene-stock. This commitment to purity extends to their battlefield tactics, where they take extreme measures to recover any compromised gene-seed and prevent contamination.

Isolationism Within the Imperium

Due to their unwavering focus on genetic purity, the Red Scorpions often isolate themselves from other Imperial forces. While they do respond to calls for aid, they refuse to fight alongside forces they consider impure, such as augmented Imperial Guard units or abhuman forces like Ogryns and Squats. Their distrust also extends to other Space Marine chapters, especially those they view as genetically compromised.

Xenophobia and Distrust of Others

The isolationist tendencies of the Red Scorpions are further underscored by their intense xenophobia. They refuse to cooperate with any xenos, even in situations where such an alliance might offer strategic benefits. This suspicion extends to Imperial forces, as they are wary of any deviations from their own strict standards of purity, preferring to operate independently to avoid contamination or corruption from external forces.

The Red Scorpions’ Perception of Purity

The Red Scorpions see themselves as the pinnacle of genetic purity and martial prowess among all Space Marines. They harbor significant distrust towards chapters like the Space Wolves or Blood Angels, which are known to have gene-seed abnormalities. This sense of superiority often causes friction with allied Imperial forces, as the Red Scorpions frequently assert their authority or choose to fight alone rather than alongside others.

Sanctified Mutations and Emperor Worship

The Red Scorpions acknowledge only those mutations that they consider sanctified, such as those exhibited by Astropaths and Navigators. These individuals are regarded as being blessed by the Divine Emperor, whom the Red Scorpions revere as a god. This belief is somewhat unique among Space Marine chapters, as most see the Emperor as a great man rather than a deity.

Adherence to the Imperial Cult

The Red Scorpions’ dedication to the Imperial Cult is unusual for a Space Marine chapter. Where many chapters resist being drawn into the faith of the common Imperium, the Red Scorpions have embraced the Imperial Creed. Without a known Primarch to guide them, they devote themselves fully to worshipping the Emperor in a manner akin to that of the ordinary citizens of the Imperium.

Strict Devotion to the Codex Astartes

This devotion extends to their approach to warfare and their organizational structure. The Red Scorpions are devout followers of the Codex Astartes, which they treat not merely as a guide but as a sacred text. Their strict adherence to its teachings reflects their belief in the Emperor’s divine influence over their actions and their commitment to maintaining purity in all aspects of their chapter’s existence.

Strict Interpretation of the Codex Astartes

For the Red Scorpions, the Codex Astartes is not merely a guide but a sacred text that permits no deviation. The chapter follows an authoritarian structure, with its warriors rigorously trained to adhere to the Codex. Their interpretation is so strict that even other codex-compliant chapters, such as the Ultramarines, may find their discipline excessive.

Chapter Appearance and Compliance

The Red Scorpions are easily identified by their mid-gray armor, adorned with yellow accents, and their distinctive red scorpion emblem on a white background. In keeping with their adherence to the Codex Astartes, all chapter insignia and battle honors follow its guidelines meticulously. They execute combined arms tactics and strategies exactly as outlined by the Codex.

Disdain for Camouflage and Infiltration

Unlike other Space Marine chapters, the Red Scorpions have a pronounced disdain for stealth tactics and camouflage, which they view as dishonorable. They reluctantly employ camouflage only when the Codex specifically mandates its use. Their 10th company, which other chapters might use for covert operations, instead fights alongside the main battle forces.

Brutal Training Regime

Training for Red Scorpions recruits is notoriously severe, even by Space Marine standards. Their fixation on genetic purity drives this rigorous process, where potential flaws are eliminated through extreme physical and mental trials. This brutal training shapes highly disciplined, fiercely loyal warriors who embody the Red Scorpions’ ideals.

Suspicion of Genetic Imperfection

Any suspicion of genetic imperfection within the Red Scorpions can follow a battle brother for his entire life. Despite this, there have been rare instances where the chapter has shown flexibility in applying the rigid Codex Astartes. These exceptional cases have influenced both the structure of the chapter and their combat strategies.

Unique Rank Structure and Larger Apothecarium

The Red Scorpions employ a distinct hierarchy, with Captains holding the title of Commander, while their Chapter Master is referred to as Lord High Commander. In keeping with their obsession with purity, their Apothecarium is significantly larger than in most chapters, and apothecaries are frequently deployed in battle to monitor gene-seed and ensure its safety.

Apothecaries in Command Positions

In rare instances, the Red Scorpions promote apothecaries to command positions within their squads. This interpretation of the Codex is almost unheard of in other chapters, reflecting the Red Scorpions’ deep-rooted focus on maintaining genetic purity and stability within their ranks.

Adaptability in Battle Tactics

Though the Red Scorpions are known for their rigid beliefs, they have shown the ability to adapt when necessary. For example, during the Badab War, they utilized ashworld camouflage. In M38, they also designed the Land Raider Helios, which was later sanctified by Mars and adopted by other chapters. This innovation was driven by their refusal to depend on Imperial Guard artillery during the Siege of Helios.

Advanced Forge and War Gear

The Red Scorpions are equipped with a highly advanced Forge, allowing them to maintain a wide array of war gear. Notably, they possess the rare ability to manufacture and upkeep the ancient Mark V Maximus armor, favored by many of their battle-brothers. However, their stock of Terminator armor has dwindled, and their Forge cannot sustain its production.

Medical Advances and Genetic Purity

The Red Scorpions’ Apothecarion has developed advanced medical tools specifically designed to assess genetic purity. These tools, known as the Correction of the Flesh, surpass the standard narthecium devices used by other Space Marine Apothecaries, reflecting the chapter’s obsession with safeguarding their genetic legacy.

Mastercrafted Weapons and Relic Blades

The Forge Masters of the Red Scorpions are known for their exceptional craftsmanship, producing weapons of outstanding quality. Upon promotion to a higher rank, battle brothers are often presented with mastercrafted weapons rather than the typical honor markings or badges. Among these armaments are the revered relic blades, called Tears of the Scorpion, which are wielded by the chapter’s commanders.

Fleet-Based Operations and Isolationism

For most of their existence, the Red Scorpions operated as a fleet-based chapter, with their forces divided across several battle fleets. This fleet-based mobility reflected their isolationist nature, moving from one war zone to another without establishing a permanent home. Recently, they have settled in a new base of operations, but their inclination towards isolationism remains strong.

The Crusade into the Ordon Rift

In M39, the Red Scorpions launched a crusade into the dangerous Ordon Rift, located in the southwestern Segmentum Tempestus. The reasons for this crusade remain unclear to Imperial scholars. The Ordon Rift, an uncharted region filled with gravitic distortions and spatial anomalies, consumed the entire Red Scorpions fleet. For over 300 years, they were presumed lost, only to return unexpectedly to aid the Adepta Sororitas during the Battle of the Gray Sisters.

Establishing a New Base

During their disappearance, the Red Scorpions successfully navigated the Ordon Rift and established a secure base deep within its treacherous expanse. They claimed the feral world of Zus Minoris, constructing their fortress-monastery, Vigil, as a space station in orbit around the planet. This secluded location reflected their well-known isolationist tendencies, with only the Red Scorpions and select high-ranking Administratum officials knowing the safe passages into the Rift.

Zus Minoris: A Feral World and Recruiting Ground

Zus Minoris now serves as the Red Scorpions’ primary recruiting world, inhabited by pre-Bronze Age tribal societies. The chapter has subtly shaped the cultural practices of the planet. As part of a sacred ritual, newborn boys are placed on a stone altar under the full moon, and while most survive, a select few are taken by the chapter for mysterious purposes known only to them.

Secrecy and Isolation

The secrecy surrounding Zus Minoris and its location in the Ordon Rift is accepted without question by the chapter’s leadership. Their tight control over access to their base and recruiting grounds only strengthens their reputation for extreme isolationism. This commitment to secrecy has allowed the Red Scorpions to maintain an extremely disciplined and efficient operational structure, free from outside interference.

Selection of Neophytes

The Apothecaries of the Red Scorpions carefully choose the most genetically pure children from Zus Minoris for training as neophytes. These recruits are inducted at a much younger age compared to other chapters. Viewed as pure and easily molded, they undergo strict indoctrination to ensure their loyalty and purity—core values that are essential for future Red Scorpion warriors.

Reputation in the Imperium

Throughout the Imperium, the Red Scorpions are seen with a mix of respect and suspicion. On one side, their gene-seed is flawless, and their service record demonstrates their strict compliance with the Codex Astartes. However, their secretive nature and refusal to engage in certain campaigns have led some Imperial factions to harbor mistrust toward them.

Suspicion and Isolation

Their focus on maintaining purity, along with their refusal to reveal the truth behind their origins, has caused many within the Imperium to question the Red Scorpions’ intentions. Their unwavering loyalty to the Administratum and their tendency to disappear for centuries further contributes to the suspicion. Despite these concerns, the Red Scorpions remain an active and vital chapter within the Imperium.

Active Engagement in Recent Millennia

In M39, the Red Scorpions played a crucial role in the Second Agisene Crusade, which aimed to seize control of the Dread Hell Forges on Mandragora. On the planet Shayle, they battled the Dark Mechanicum, establishing a foothold through relentless drop pod assaults, supported by Thunderhawks and Cestus Assault Rams.

The Battle for Mandragora

During the Mandragora campaign, the Red Scorpions showed unparalleled courage, advancing through fields of living razor wire, daemon-powered war machines, and waves of corrupted Skitarii and servitors. Their ultimate victory was secured by the timely arrival of the Titans of Legio Tempesta and the Knights of House Viar. The Adeptus Mechanicus continues to honor the Red Scorpions for their heroic actions in this brutal campaign.

Conflicting Tactics in the Eldari Wars

In the early M40, the Red Scorpions fought alongside the Raptors chapter against the Eldari on Endan 9. While the Raptors recommended infiltration and hit-and-run tactics, the Red Scorpions rejected these strategies as cowardly. Instead, they launched an unsupported drop pod assault. Despite winning the battle, only 16 of the 83 deployed Red Scorpions survived, and the fifth company withdrew after recovering their fallen brothers’ gene-seed.

The Galin Suppression Campaign

In early M41, the Red Scorpions took part in the Galin Suppression campaign in the Maelstrom Zone. Their Land Raiders, outfitted in Codex-sanctioned camouflage for the harsh environment of the Cobalt Deserts, showcased their strict adherence to the Codex Astartes throughout the campaign.

Later Conflicts

In 826 of M41, Commander Saa led a Red Scorpions strike force into another campaign, continuing their tradition of calculated precision and discipline on the battlefield. Their involvement in several conflicts has emphasized their steadfast commitment to the Codex Astartes and proven their lasting combat effectiveness.

The Siege of VX and Red Scorpions’ Intervention

Commander AAS played a pivotal role in accelerating the long-overdue Siege of VX. Answering a call for aid from high command, the Red Scorpions intervened on the condition that they could select their own targets. This strategy proved disastrous for the planet’s Renegade Defenders. The Citadel’s outer wall had been breached months earlier by attacking forces, but no faction had managed to hold the breach as Renegade forces repelled each assault.

Holding the Breach

The Red Scorpions chose to secure the breach, deploying assault squads from low-flying Thunderhawks. They placed teleport homers for their first company’s Terminator-armored veterans. These veterans successfully held the breach until an armored column of Red Scorpions could push through. The chapter maintained their foothold throughout the night, enabling the C regiments to advance through the breach the following morning.

Return for the Final Assault

Four years later, at the behest of Lord Inquisitor Hectorx, the Red Scorpions returned to join the final assault on the demon-possessed Fortress of VX. This time, under the leadership of their Chapter Master, Lord High Commander Verant Ortys, the Red Scorpions captured and held the vital St. Leonis Gate, fending off fierce demonic resistance. The honor of St. Leonis Gate remains one of the chapter’s most cherished battle distinctions, proudly worn to this day.

Responding to Inquisitorial Aid and the Silence on Beta An Felon 4

Later in M41, the Red Scorpions once again answered a call for aid, this time from the Inquisition, to investigate the mysterious silence at a research post on Beta An Felon 4. Accompanied by Inquisitor Solomon Lock, Commander Carab Cull led a task force of Red Scorpions to the surface. They systematically cleared the research outposts of Tyranid bio-constructs that had escaped containment. However, when it became evident that no useful research could be recovered, they withdrew, leaving Lock, his Imperial Guard forces, and the augmented D99 detachment behind to face their deaths.

The Badab War and Secessionist Conflict

In 906 M41, the Red Scorpions were summoned to participate in the Badab War as part of the initial Imperial response to the secessionist threat led by Luft Huron of the Astral Claws, declared Renegades by the Inquisition. The chapter deployed several companies, including the first, second, fifth, sixth, and ninth, under the command of Lord High Commander Ortys. Ortys was almost unanimously chosen to lead the loyalist forces, with the Fire Hawks being the only dissenters.

Challenges and Early Raids

Ortys initially underestimated the strength of the four secessionist chapters. As a result, his forces were limited to countering raids on Imperial shipping while launching small-scale raids of their own. His main goal during this phase was to assess the numbers and strength of the seemingly oversized Astral Claws, in preparation for larger conflicts to come.

The Death of Ortys and the Rise of Carab Cull

During negotiations with secessionist commanders on the planet Grief, Lord High Commander Ortys, along with several other loyalist leaders, was ambushed and killed. Command of the Red Scorpions passed to Commander Carab Cull of the first company, who took the title of Lord High Commander. Under Cull’s leadership, the Red Scorpions adopted a more aggressive strategy, engaging in most of the key battlefronts of the Badab War.

Major Battlefronts and the Angstrom Incident

Under Cullin’s leadership, the Red Scorpions were involved in critical engagements, including the invasion of Sagan, the suppression of Galin, and the siege of Debilis. Cullin personally led covert missions such as the Angstrom Incident, where the secessionist front lines were severely disrupted. True to his character, Cullin refused to repaint his armor for the mission, symbolizing his unyielding nature.

Final Phases of the Badab War

As more loyalist chapters arrived to bolster their ranks, the Red Scorpions were able to rotate some of their forces off the front lines. However, Cullin and his Terminator veterans remained at the forefront, breaking through the heavily fortified perimeter around Badab Primaris. This breach allowed the Star Phantoms to land on the planet’s surface, bringing the war to a decisive conclusion.

Recognition of Valor

In recognition of their strategic leadership and valor, Carab Cull and the Red Scorpions were honored with the Vexilla Imperialis, one of the Imperium’s most prestigious awards. This accolade cemented the chapter’s reputation as a formidable force in the Imperium’s defense.

The Red Scorpions in the Era Indomitus

In the tumultuous Era Indomitus, the Red Scorpions, like many other chapters, gained access to the technology needed to produce Primaris Marines. They participated in the early stages of the Indomitus Crusade under the leadership of Lord High Commander Carab Cullin. However, Cullin was believed slain by the Beast of Sarum, a monstrous entity, and temporary leadership passed to Commanders Siri Caragan and Cassian Saus.

The Rise of Cullin as a Leviathan Dreadnought

Though thought dead, Cullin was interred in the body of a relic Leviathan Dreadnought, earning the title Cullin the Risen. While Cullin technically remains alive, the leadership of the chapter has been entrusted to Caragan and Saus, who continue to lead as Firstborn Space Marines, neither having yet crossed the Rubicon Primaris.

A Chapter with Deep Historical Roots

The Red Scorpions have a long and complex history in Warhammer 40K. First introduced in the late 1980s as part of the Badab War forces, they became a central chapter in early Space Marine lore. However, throughout the 1990s, their presence faded, and they were rarely mentioned in the evolving narrative of the Warhammer universe.

Reemergence with Forge World

In the early 2000s, the Red Scorpions experienced a resurgence, largely thanks to Forge World, a studio known for its focus on niche models and collector’s items. Their reappearance in the lore coincided with the expansion of the Badab War storyline, as well as the introduction of new models and characters, allowing them to become a more prominent and defined chapter in the Warhammer 40K universe.

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The Red Scorpions’ Renaissance with Forge World

The Red Scorpions experienced a revival with the release of the Imperial Armor series, making their debut in *Imperial Armor 3: The Anphelion Project*. They quickly became one of Forge World’s flagship forces, comparable to iconic units like the Elysian Drop Troops and