Already done, along with something quite special. It took a great deal of hunting, but I was able to find an intact listing of the original Index Astartes: Iron Hands online, listing the chapter's original lore. While it lacks some of their side-stories, the article does show what Ferrus Manus' initial beliefs and ideas were. One of the more interesting points in particular is that the fate of Manus himself was left extremely ambiguous, and it was never fully confirmed that he was killed or that, if he was, he had left the galaxy. The Iron Hands themselves held the fervent belief that he was to return to them one day.

I'll add one of the absent stories myself, though it's likely one you already know:

"THE RETAKING OF THE CONTQUAL SUB-SECTOR

The reclamation of the heretic sub-sector of Contqual was achieved with such astonishing swiftness and fury that it stands as an example to all those who contemplate inciting the wrath of the Iron Hands. Indeed many would-be usurpers and heretics have renewed their faith in the glory of the Emperor under the threat of the Iron Hands fearsome retribution.

Contqual contained several planetary systems, primarily conglomerations of agricultural worlds rich in resources. They had prospered in a happy isolation for centuries, and the people lived a decadent life, believing they had found an earthly paradise far removed from the turmoil and ugliness of the rest of the universe. The taint of Chaos spread quickly through the upper hierarchy of the planets, feeding off the desires and weaknesses of those in positions of power. Within a month, the entire sub-sector writhed with the corrupting essence of Chaos.

The terrible fury of the Iron Hands was overwhelming, and they stormed into the sub-sector, taking the first few planets before any form of resistance could be assembled. Entire populations were ruthlessly cut down to a man. The death of every heretic and traitor only strengthened the Imperium, and the Chapter had no mercy for those who would let such corruption overtake their world.

The pivotal battle came on the hive world of Shardenus. the nucleus for the Chaotic powers that were rife in the sub-sector. A tear had appeared in the fabric of real space, opening a direct link to the warp. Foul abominations formed of pure chaos matter poured through the rift. to be welcomed and embraced by the twisted inhabitants of the planet.

Daemons whispered sweet words of corruption into the ears of the assaulting Space Marines, but true to their beliefs not a single warrior was tempted. The Iron Hands fought with such ferocity and hatred that despite horrendous losses, they eradicated the foul presence within days. The rift was closed by the combined force of will of the Chapter Librarians, and the cleansing of the sub-sector continued.

After the fall of Shardenus. the rest of the sub-sector was quickly forced into submission, returning humbly to their faith in the Emperor. One after another, the worlds turned on their perverted overlords in mass rebellions. The Iron Hands executed one in every three citizens in an intensive mass cleansing, a punishment and warning to remain ever vigilant against the inherent dangers of weakness. In what has become typical fashion, the evidence of the unforgiving fury of the Iron Hands inspired a wave of devotion that spread before them. When the Chapter left Contqual. mere weeks after its arrival, they left a sub-sector whose surviving worlds were to become amongst the most devoted of all those within the Imperium."

In addition, upon re-examination of Wrath of Iron there was one interesting discovery. While the author, Chris Wraight, might have been extremely negative when it came to certain ideas behind the Iron Hands, he did preserve the idea that they were willingly turning themselves into monsters. Despite Games Workshop altering Ferrus' commands and ideas, the following was apparently a common statement made to new recruits for the chapter:

"In times ahead, your mortal mind will return to you like a ghost. It will whisper to you, telling you that you have become a monster. A thousand voices will tell you this. You will be tempted to believe those voices. They speak the truth though you must not heed them. Some truths are ruinous, and some deceptions are necessary.
And what if they strike near the mark? What then? Some men, we believe, must become monsters so that all of humanity does not become so."

@KillboFraggins Amazing! That is some awesome stuff right there. Thanks for taking the time! =D

Didn't know myself most of the new information you posted. W40k never ceases to bring new things to know about!

Thanks for sharing this Killbo! awesome stuff thanks man!

Some more information for those who want it, namely about the chapter's homeworld.

In many respects Medusa is more akin to Baal or Fenris than it is Macragge or Nocturne. Just as most of them shape or reflect their chapter in some way, Medusa is harsh, silent, cold and unyielding. The skies above are choked with ash (so much so that sunlight rarely penetrates through it) and the polluted remnants of past expeditions from the Dark age of Technology, with the land itself remaining perpetually unstable and liable to tectonic shifts. Even beyond this it's also prone to volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters. Little has been done to describe the land itself. While we do know that there is at least one large body of water thanks to descriptions of "neighboring islands" during Ferrus' mythical tasks, only the mention of a constantly shifting landscape has been given. The few others mentioned seem to suggest graying deserts or black seas of ash, with little life to be found among them.

Hostile to human life, the population Medusa breeds are hardy individuals who survive by maintaining and constructing land crawlers, hosing clans and nomadic tribes traversing the wastes. Much of this was done largely for their own survival, as no solid or substantial settlements could be made upon the shifting grounds, but also for resources. Largely bereft of water, crops or basic sustenance, the clans are required to hunt for anything of value, often entering wars or skirmishes with one another over discoveries. This has remained a way of life there, and was even encouraged by Ferrus during his time there. The constant conflict permits for a strong population to remain on the planet and provides the chapter with a constant supply of strong recruits.

With all this said however, Medusa is not without its own secrets or hidden treasures. Large sections of the planet contain ruins and remnants of ancient technology buried far beneath the surface, and Medusa itself was thought to have been the site of strip-mining. More than once STC fragments or technological breakthroughs are thought to have been found on the world, with mentions of entire regions avoided potentially due to "ghosts" or ancient security systems. The largest and most dominant proof of this fact is the world's artificial ring, an ancient ring shaped space station known as the Telstarax which encircles Medusa. Its exact use to the chapter or operational state is, however, unknown as of yet.

Being so close to the Eye of Terror, Medusa and its neighboring worlds have been the site of several engagements with the traitor legions. The most prominent of these was a full scale invasion by the Iron Warriors and Black Legion, as the world was designated a major target during the Tenth Black Crusade. While the assault was repelled, it was with heavy casualties and left much of their defences in ruins. This would prove to be a learning experience for the chapter, and a beneficial in the long term, leading the system to become a far stronger bastion in the following centuries.

The second major conflict was during the Thirteenth Black Crusade, where Medusa became the site of the largest armoured engagement since the Battle of Tallarn. With estimated numbers of vehicles on the Chaos side alone being somewhere in the region of ten thousand, it's remarkable that the chapter was able to repel the assault alongside the Imperial Guard and seemingly so few casualties. This was largely thanks to the chapter's mobile fortress monasteries and their considerable firepower, along with a massed attack by Assault Marines to divert a flanking force as the Imperials broke the Chaos assault line.

Sorry to say it like this, but a Faction, or sub faction that isn't Tau dosnt really get me going by it self.

THAT SAID, I do love some of the space marine armors they have, I particularly like the M2-4 and there two handed Chain Glaive, give me some of that big sexy death and I might reconsider my position on Melee combat being archaic.

Also sense Tech priest are not part of the basic class drop my hopes for a techno mechanical man are dashed, why do I bring this up? Iron hands servo limbs hell yea tie that into some MK2,3 or 4 legion power armor and a Chain glaive I think I just make a messy

Well, each to their own opinion of course then. Sadly you might be waiting a while for the Tau Empire to show up, but I can't argue in the slightest with you wanting to see them in the game. Or, for that matter, your stance on Iron Fathers.

This calls for more art, naturally.





Now, to continue the lore, here's a few interesting points about the chapter's general origins and influences from Terra itself. Many certain legions were drawn from very specified regions or areas known for following a certain approach to war. For example the Dusk Raiders were drawn primarily from allied clans of techno-barbarians throughout what became the eastern and southern parts of Europe, favouring a heavy infantry approach to war with a focus upon constant attrition. The same went for the Emperor's Children, many of who were inducted and taken from the noble houses of certain nations, leading to the more haughty traditions found among their legion and an ease at commanding/operating alongside Imperial Army forces.

By comparison the Legio X were drawn in part from the same source as the Dusk Raiders, Old Albia, but also cities along the Qavitine Plate and a number of former blocs such as the Solus Stellax. This meant, as far as many have been able to tell, that the legion had a source which consisted of British, German, Texan and Italian recruits, or at least what had become of those countries.

Several of the legion's earn engagements were largely seen as a part of larger legion taskforces, usually used to break nearby xenos enclaves and forces close enough to threaten Terra. This saw them being used to secure the majority of the Sol System, against a race known as the Lyasx on one of Uranus' moons, and an alliance of mutants known as the Mican Aggregation elsewhere. In these engagements the legion was used in a manner similar to the War Hounds, where nothing short of remorseless annihilation on a massive scale was required. What's also notable is that the legion suffered far fewer casualties than its contemporaries during such operations despite heavy resistance.

A minor bump in this thread with a few quotes, both from this world and the fictional one which seem to best reflect the chapter and how it represents the Imperial way of war.

"The meaning of victory is not to defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavors, to crush utterly his every achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory." - Lord Solar Macharius

"Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory."
"He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty
of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated." - Sun Tzu

"Time is everything; five minutes make the difference between victory and defeat." - Horatio Nelson

​

Well, the vote is tomorrow. As the Raven Guard decided that the Iron Hands aren't deserving of a true support thread without them invading it and trying to drown it in hatred and propaganda for their side, i'll post this in here instead. Whatever the outcome of this campaign, know that your decision still carries weight. Even if you lose, the worst you will have proven is that your chapter is worth voting for, worth considering for the future, and not some worthless third wheel others have presented it as, to be used purely as a resource for more votes. I thank those of you who decided to support the Iron Hands despite the lies and acts openly decrying the very idea of us being voted for, and proving that they are not so pointless or useless a choice as others have said.

Still, as this is supposed to be primarily about the chapter's history, and on this occasion, it seems only right to point out one of their greater victories on detailed record. A rare occasion which depicted the chapter winning out over others and its way of war succeeding where another had failed, and where their acts of controlled annihilation ere most needed. Enjoy.

"Fall of the Lords of Gardinaal

The invasion itself was focused on the human world of Gardinaal, whose rulers were trying to ready themselves for an inevitable Imperial attack by stalling with protracted negotiations. When the Thousand Sons detachment with Imperial emissaries senses that the Gardinaal diplomats are attempting to use psychic abilities to influence talks, the Astartes massacre them and give the Imperium the reason it finally needs for war. It fell to the 413rd Expeditionary Fleet under Ulan Cicerus of the XVth Chapter of the Ultramarines Space Marine Legion to conduct the campaign to subdue Gardinaal. The fleet included Marnean Armsmen and Serranic Peltasts of the Imperial Army as well as the Legio Atarus Titan Legion.

After swiftly breaking the Gardinaal orbital defenses, Imperial forces began to land on the surface of the planet. However the Imperial Army troops were pushed back due to Gardinaal's formidable aerial fleet and air defense artillery. The Gardinaal forces then used STC based Rhinos and Predators armed with Particle weaponry to besiege whatever bridgeheads the Imperial Army was able to establish. Cicerus responded by deploying his Ultramarines and Titans directly onto the Gardinaal flanks, but this too was met with defeat when the Gardinaal forces responded with nuclear weapons. After the atomic bombardment that decimated both sides, Gardinaal scout-titan sized quadrupedal heavy walkers appeared and pushed the Marines and Imperial Titans back. Half of the Firebrand Legions demi-legio, significant numbers of Ultramarines, and 500,000 Imperial Army troops were lost in the failed attack.

With its invading forces bled, the 413rd Expeditionary Fleet could only maintain a blockade of the Gardinaal system. It was then that Ferrus Manus leading a force of Iron Hands and Emperor's Children arrived from the Warp as reinforcements. Taking command of the operation from Cicerus, Manus began by launching a deadly retribution against Gardinaal. The worlds primary cities were wiped out in brutal orbital bombardments. Meanwhile, the Emperor's Children contingent with the Iron Hands sowed panic and death with lightning-fast raids. Shortly thereafter, the Iron Hands began their own landing operation.

After rapidly capturing their initial objectives, the Iron Hands dug in and established a defensive network of automated defenses (such as the Tarantula) and Gun Servitors. This freed up the Iron Hands themselves for the next phase of Ferrus' plan, using their Land Raiders to brutally advance on Gardinaal positions and wither them down with unrelenting firepower in conjunction with Emperor's Children swift raids. Seeing defeat near, the Lords of Gardinaal at last caved in. Desperately, they tried to sue for peace but their pleas were ignored. Anarchy broke out among Gardinaal's forces as soldiers and civilians alike attempted to flee the Imperial onslaught. However the Iron Hands and accompanying Imperial titans cut them down with a vengeful wrath. After refusing Gardinaal's unconditional surrender, Ferrus Manus devastated the planets capital city with artillery and Titans. The Emperor's Children soon landed on the cities bastions to destroy whatever defenses remained.

The Ultramarines were given the honor of being the first into the breach, having been the first Astartes to set foot on the planet. The Ultramarines faced a desperate and spirited counter-attack by surviving Gardinaal forces which proved to inflict surprisingly high casualties on the Astartes. Soon the Lords of Gardinaal themselves rode into battle on their great walking tanks, particle cannons blazing. Beneath these vehicles advanced waves of Rhinos and Predators modified with explosives to become suicide vehicles. Behind them came the last of the Lords remaining forces, carapace armored retainers pumped full of combat drugs and enforcement walkers rigged with flechette cannons and hydraulic claws. Cicerus himself was cut down before this final desperate attack.

The Lords of Gardinaal declared triumph at this turn of events, but before them now strode Ferrus Manus himself leading a contingent of Iron Hands Terminators. Unleashing a wave of precise Lascannon fire, the Lords and their walkers were cut down. Emperor's Children aircraft meanwhile circled above, making sport of cutting down Gardinaal defenders. Manus himself then leaped into the fray, breaking the last Lords of Gardinaal. The few enemies who remained fled to wherever they could, but to the surprise of all involved Ferrus did not order to exterminate the survivors. Instead he simply uttered "It is done" and left the planet to Imperial authorities."

It would seem that we have lost!But at least we lost in a way that didnt shame us!Unlike some others...
The Flesh is weak brothers!

Have solace in that it was Brents choice in the vote, so you have the backing of the lead game designer in the future votes!
Iron Hands for the next vote winners!