The Mantis Warriors are a Space Marine chapter with a complicated past. They fought on the wrong side of the Badab War, but earned the Emperor’s forgiveness and have spent centuries trying to prove they deserve it.
Origins and early history
The Mantis Warriors are a successor chapter of the Marauders, who trace their lineage back to the White Scars. Sources disagree on exactly when they were founded. Most evidence points to the Eighth Founding in the mid-34th millennium, but some records suggest a slightly later date in the 35th. Either way, they were created to help guard the Endymion Cluster and the Maelstrom region.
For a long time, the chapter operated on its own at the edge of the Imperium. That isolation made them independent and aloof, with little interest in the wider affairs of the Imperium. Their early history is poorly documented, which makes it hard to piece together their first few centuries.
The Badab War
Everything changed in 587.M41, when the High Lords of Terra folded the Mantis Warriors into a new alliance called the Maelstrom Warders. The group also included the Astral Claws, the Lamenters, and the Charnel Guard. That alliance would eventually ruin them.
When the Astral Claws rebelled, the Mantis Warriors honoured their oaths to the Warders and sided with the rebels. They fought alongside the Executioners and the Lamenters against the Imperium. One early flashpoint came in 904.M41, when the Mantis Warriors captured a Fire Hawks ship called the Rapturous Flame. Battles like the one on Gargathea III saw them fighting beside the Astral Claws against loyalist Raptors.
By 912.M41 the rebellion was crushed and the Astral Claws were nearly wiped out. The Mantis Warriors escaped destruction. They were granted the Emperor’s forgiveness, but the price was steep: a hundred-year penitent crusade. Their Chapter Master, Khoisan Neotera, was stripped of his honours and armour and imprisoned alone in the Penitentiacon.
Culture and warfare
The Mantis Warriors specialise in guerrilla warfare and ambushes, and they’re known for their skill in air power. They wear emerald green armour with yellow shoulder pads and a yellow faceplate on the helmet. Their battle cry is a triple call: ‘For the Emperor! For Redemption! For the Mantis Warriors!’ That last word says a lot about how they see themselves.
Before the Badab War they were based on several worlds, possibly including Ootheca and Tranquility III, where they had a fortress-monastery called the Valley of the Nine Winds. Now they’re a fleet-based chapter, still under-strength and still seeking redemption.
- Specialty: guerrilla warfare, ambushes, air power
- Colours: emerald green with yellow pauldrons and faceplate
- Battle cry: ‘For the Emperor! For Redemption! For the Mantis Warriors!’
- Current status: fleet-based, under-strength
Aftermath and the Dark Imperium
The hundred-year crusade ended, but the chapter never really recovered. They carry the shame of their rebellion and the memory of their fallen master. In the era of the Dark Imperium, they continue to serve, though they remain a shadow of their former strength.
Their story is a reminder that even Space Marines can fall, and that redemption is a long, hard road.
Key facts
- Successor chapter of the Marauders, with White Scars lineage
- Believed to be founded during the Eighth Founding (mid-34th millennium)
- Sided with the Astral Claws during the Badab War
- Granted the Emperor’s forgiveness and sent on a 100-year crusade
- Specialises in guerrilla warfare, ambushes, and air power
- Chapter Master during the Badab War: Khoisan Neotera
FAQ
Who are the Mantis Warriors?
They’re a Space Marine chapter descended from the White Scars via the Marauders. They’re best known for siding with the rebels during the Badab War.
What founding created the Mantis Warriors?
Most sources say the Eighth Founding in the mid-34th millennium, but some records suggest a different date. The exact founding is uncertain.
What happened to the Mantis Warriors after the Badab War?
They were forgiven by the Emperor but had to undertake a hundred-year penitent crusade. Their Chapter Master was imprisoned and stripped of his honours.
What are the Mantis Warriors’ colours?
Emerald green armour with yellow shoulder pads and a yellow faceplate on the helmet.