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White Scars

Submitted By: Date: February 8, 2007, 12:00:00 AM Views: 2031
Summary: History Jaghatai Khan Scattered across the galaxy along with the nineteen other Primarchs, the child known as Jaghatai Khan was deposited on the fertile world of Planus Mundus. The inhabitants of Planus Mundus had achieved a blackpowder level of technology as of the Great Crusade, and most of the planet was under the rule of an organized aristocracy, led by a ruler known as the Palatine. Jaghatai was discovered by Ong Khan, the leader of a small tribe known as the Talskars, who adopted the infant into his family, foreseeing that he would become a great warrior. Jaghatai’s adoptive family was later killed by another of the tribes inhabiting the steppes, the Kurayed. Already the greatest warrior in the Talskar tribe, despite his young age, Jaghatai led many warriors in vengeance. He razed the enemy village to the ground, killing every inhabitant, and took the chieftain’s head to mount above his tent.


Following this victory, Jaghatai became Khan of the Talskars, swearing to unite the tribes of the steppes and bring an end to the internecine war. Each tribe he defeated was integrated into the Talskar tribe, utilizing his military talents and the sheer force of his personality to win himself many followers. He made military service with his army mandatory, and combined warriors of various tribes into mixed units, to break up previous associations and to create a common loyalty.

Ten years later, after having united the tribes of the region known as the ‘Empty Quarter’, Jaghatai was caught in an avalanche. He was discovered by the son of the Palatine, who like many nobles, had taken to the sport of capturing a tribesman and hunting him through the mountains. The exact course of events is unknown, but it was said that a single man of the hunting party returned, bearing the head of the Palatine’s son along with a message. “The people of the steppes are yours no longer.”

The enraged Palatine gathered his army and marched west, to engage the wild tribesmen in combat, but was soundly defeated in a battle that lasted a day and a night. Heavily armored, and accustomed to decisive hand to hand combat, the Palatine’s army was no match for the light cavalry and relentless bowfire of Jaghatai’s forces. The Palatine barely escaped, but was eventually killed as Jaghatai’s army flowed into the lands once held by the aristocracy, either conquering or destroying everything in their path. Jaghatai’s power now encompassed the planet’s lone continent, an empire forged in less than twenty years.



The Coming of the Emperor


Jaghatai’s campaign ended less than six months before the Emperor of Mankind came to Planus Mundus. Recognizing the Emperor as a man who embodied his ideal of unity, the Primarch swore his fealty to his father, and was granted leadership of the Fifth Space Marine Legion in return.

The Legion was quick to adopt the long honor scars of the Talskar tribesmen, and renamed themselves the White Scars. Many of Jaghatai’s army chose to follow their leader, becoming the first generation of Space Marines recruited from their new homeworld.



Crusade and Heresy


The lightning fast style of warfare that served Jaghatai Khan so well on the steppes of his homeworld proved to be equally effective on the many battlefields of the Great Crusade; the White Scars becoming involved in some of the bloodiest battles of the time.

This reputation continued into the Horus Heresy, the White Scars fighting on hundreds of worlds against the traitorous forces of Chaos. It is believed that at least a section of the Legion was present during the siege of the Emperor’s Palace on Terra.

Jaghatai fought alongside his brethren for another seventy years, eventually disappearing into a region of space known as the Maelstrom. He is believed to have been in pursuit of the Dark Eldar responsible for attacking his homeworld during the Great Crusade, and has not been seen since.



Organization


The predominant unit of organization among the people of the steppes is the tribe, a fact reflected in the organization of the White Scars Chapter. Once a young warrior is selected from the feuding tribes of the steppes, loyalty to his tribe is replaced by loyalty to the Chapter and the Emperor.

As their Primarch did during his campaign to unite the steppes, recruits from different tribes are mixed together in squads. Each Squad becomes part of a Brotherhood, roughly equivalent to a standard Company.

The remainder of the Chapter is organized differently from most Codex Astartes chapters, due to the style of warfare favored by the Chapter. Along with a higher proportion of Bike squads and Land Speeder squadrons, the majority of heavy weapons are frowned upon, and any tank that cannot keep up with the rest of the army is avoided.



Homeworld


Planus Mundus is a fertile world, that still exists in a semi-feudal state. When Jaghatai Khan departed, the unified nation he created fell apart, returning to the feuding tribes. This was believed by some to be the work of the Primarch, ensuring that his Legion had a supply of strong recruits in the future.

The White Scars Chapter is based in the palace of Quan Zhou, which is located at the peak of the highest mountain on the planet. The Stormseers of the White Scars venture down to the steppes every ten local years, observing the tribes at combat, and taking the best of the young warriors to become Space Marines.



Combat Doctrine


The method of war taught to the tribes by Jaghatai Khan has served the White Scars well in the following millennia. Their modus operandi consists of lightning fast hit and run attacks by highly mobile forces, destroying the enemy piece by piece and never allowing the enemy to force a decisive engagement.

The White Scars make heavy use of attack bikes, Land Speeders, and jet pack equipped Assault Squads to harass the enemy, and hit them when they are weakest. Although preferring to keep the foe at arms length, they are fully capable of engaging in bloody assaults, and are rightly feared by the enemies of the Imperium.



Battlecry


"For the Khan and the Emperor!"



Appearance


White Scars power amour is predominantly white, with red trim. This has only varied slightly since the Pre-Heresy days of the Legion. The White Scars chapter symbol is a stylized thunderbolt, exemplifying their style of combat and echoing the honor scars all members of this Chapter bear.

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