Astral Claws History
In contrast with more zealous members of the Codex Astartes, the Astral Claws chapter has always prided itself on discipline over devotion. Lugft Huron, the Chapter Master, earned himself no friends among the Administratum when he declared that the Emperor was nothing more than a man reduced to a machine, who cared not whether his people lived or died.
The Ecclesiarch, ever the jealous bureaucrat, despises Space Marines - they are out of his jurisdiction. Nevertheless, here was a member of the most powerful fighting force extant nakedly expressing hostility. He immediately mustered what support he could, speaking ill into the ears of the stout, fanatical Master of the Imperial Fists, Vladimir Pugh, who moved his allies to attack the 'renegade'.
The battle took place on the planet Badab, where the Astral Claws had their home. They would have been decimated by the Imperial Fists blitz had not the master of the Mantis Warriors, another chapter recruited for this duty, warned them out of honor.
Fully half the Chapter stayed to buy their comrades time to leave; those who fled took their fastest ships into the heart of the Maelstrom with orders to do naught but survive.
The attackers pursued, but only the fanatical Imperial Fists contingent was foolish enough to follow the fleeing Astral Claws into the Maelstrom.
Through the trickery of the Warp, the Astral Claws found themselves deposited in a section of Segmentum Ultima, near the border with the Tau empire. The toll of war with the upstart Tau and the encroaching Tyranids means that the remaining Astral Claws, on board their battle-barge the Kestrel, are currently the only force of Adeptus Astartes in the area.
Livery
here is an example of Astral Claws power armor.
Chapter Organization
Although always known as a chapter focused on functionality, Huron has continuously modified chapter training and organization with the goal of maximizing versatility. As such, all marines are trained in the use of heavy weapons, jump packs, and other equipment that might otherwise be reserved for specialists in other chapters. In addition, all marines receive basic field medic , driving, and mechanic training: these measures have particularly raised eyebrows among the ecclesiasty and the administratum as potentially violating the rites of various deities. Those that demonstrate exceeding aptitude in a particular area are eventually given more specialized training, but at a much later stage in their marine career than in other chapters. Furthermore, Huron has forbidden even specially trained marines from losing their connection to a marine squad, and thus all specialists are deployed as part of a unit. The chapter also deploys far fewer specialized units such as devastator or assault squads, since few of their marines travel far down such paths: the chapter prefers to equip its tactical squads with additional heavy weapons or close combat equipment as a situation requires. Only in the most tactically specific situations are such specialist squads deployed.
Despite criticism, The Astral Claws have demonstrated exceptional versatility in the field: along with his broadened training routine, Huron has encouraged squad leaders to engage in extensive tactical improvisation and to rely on the varied skills of their marines, and as such Astral Claws have been able to adapt in very unusual circumstances which belie the military complement they have deployed.
Librarian-Chaplains: As a chapter known to discourage fanaticism, chaplain numbers have always been somewhat low among the astral claws. When this fact was pointed out to Huron by the ecclisiasty, Huron's response was typical, although the outrage it caused was significant and has been cited as one of the reasons for the Astral Claws' current troubles. In short, Lugft Huron did away with the chaplains as a separate office, and instead had all his librarians trained as chaplains. Given the extensive independent study encouraged among the librarians of the Astral Claws, this was swiftly and easily accomplished. Thus, no chaplains are to be found among the astral claws: all such offices are administered by the Librarians of the chapter.
Of further note in the Librarian-Chaplain debate is the Astral Claws' library. Though other chapters maintain a library, few are as extensive as that of the Astral Claws. Lugft Huron, believing strongly in the use of study to avoid repeating the mistakes of others, has made significant efforts to acquire all possible texts on battle, tactics, and strategy. When accusations have been leveled at him that some of the texts he may have acquired are banned or considered heretical, Huron has responded that his men must face daemons and the true face of chaos: if a few pieces of paper can bring them down, then the imperium is already lost. Furthermore, whatever darkness lurks within the pages of such books, Huron has made it clear that overcoming it is a key to giving his librarians strength and fortitude. Furthermore, he claims that he has a system in place in which anyone studying a truly dangerous text is carefully supervised and monitored for adverse effects.
Recruitment
Lugft Huron is notoriously selective in his choice of recruits. Not only this, but because of his beliefs that marines are first and foremost protectors of the people of the empire, the Astral Claws have pacified and civilized most of the worlds under their control, with the result that the harsh conditions that make ideal recruits are much rarer in their field of influence than for many chapters. The situation is complicated by the fact that Huron prefers the choice of cunning, intelligent recruits over the ferocious, traits which are much more difficult to identify at the early age where marines must first be inducted. As a result, Astral Claws recruit marines more slowly than other chapters. In order to preserve their numbers, they have gone to great lengths to preserve the lives of their existing marines, particularly because of the value Huron places on veteran troops. To this end, the Astral Claws apothecaries and techmarines are exceedingly well versed in the construction and implantation of cybernetics, and such implants are found on a significant portion of the chapter's marines.
