The IMPERIAL FISTS Legion in the Horus Heresy | Legion VII : Origins & Lore

The story of the Imperial Fists in the Horus Heresy is overshadowed by their actions in the Siege of Terra, where their Primarch held the walls against Horus' rebellion. But their story stretches back further than that, and their origins in the early Crusade gave rise to their methods all the way into the world of Warhammer 40,000
Support the channel on Patreon for early access vids and other PERKS:
Patreon ► / arbitorian
Get your discount HOBBY FIX (and buy me toys in the process!!)
Firestorm Games ► www.firestormgames.co.uk/?aff...
Elsewhere on the internet:
Twitter ► / arbitorian
Instagram ► / arbitorian
Copyright: Unless noted in the video, all images © Games Workshop 1987-2022. Title music is 'Black Rainbows' by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio
#warhammer #horusheresy #imperialfists #tabletopgaming #heresy #factions #beginnner #review #warhammer40k #warhammerworld #gamesworkshop #warhammer30k #warhammer40k

[@apocrypha5363]

"I shouldn't have stopped for that haircut." -Rogal Dorn, finding The Emperor and Sanguinius on The Vengeful Spirit.

[@thatorangeguy3646]

late reply but knowing dorn it would be "i should NOT, Have stopped for such a shave"

[@daylightwall5300]

“Discipline, duty, unyielding will. These are the qualities by which a warrior is judged.” - Rogal Dorn

[@dmeep]

I like the quote that Rogal Dorn makes Roboute Guilliman seem like a fun relaxed guy better

[@daylightwall5300]

@@dmeep haha, true. Imperial Fists are called “stone-men” for a reason😆

[@jeffhreid]

Fortitudine et Labore. By fortitude and hard work! For the glory of the imperium!

[@Peusterokos1]

"I am fortifying this position." - Lord Rogal 'Adorable' Dorn

[@Kaleidoscope2412]

I know most of the knowledge these primers cover, but I love the presentation too much to miss them. Another delightful video.

[@okonkwojones]

Fun fact: the 40k imperial fists are actually a 4th founding chapter: the og fists died to a man during the war of the Beast and had to be rebuilt from successor chapter geneseed.

[@cheesemarine]

Fun fact, I've been sticking my fingers in my ears and pretending none of the shite in the War of the Beast ever happened. 🙃🙃🙃 (Okay but tbf, it's all the same geneseed isn't it so I guess it doesn't really matter?)

[@RazielSchnitzel]

Hello, inquisitor? Yes, this mf right here! Edit: this comment is fake news. It wasn't fun to read at all! 😂

[@WozWozEre]

No different to them being replaced over time due to normal losses. "This brush is 30 years old, it's had 4 new handles and 8 new heads".

[@emzetkin1100]

@@cheesemarine especially when Imperial Fist geneseed is so stable

[@johnbattyll6874]

On terra there is the Gene Vaults that hold tge tithe of geneseed taken from Imperial Fists and used to rebuild them. The successor chaptera sent Astartes to give the Imperial Fists a cadre of experienced Astartes until they rebuilt the chapter.

[@pedromunoz7144]

If imperial fists did all that stuff before going to other planets, it makes you wonder how awfully slow were the word bearers in the crusade, like the Imperial Fists did lot of things and they were never called slow, but the Word Bearers were totally absolutely knew as a slow legion.

[@ArbitorIan]

I think it's more priorities. IF were like conquer, build a castle, don't get too involved, move on. WB were like conquer, completely restructure their society, build a religion, make sure everyone is doing it properly. Etc etx

[@strigoi_guhlqueen8355]

Hey Ian just wanted to say thanks. Your style of video and take on 40k is great. I think you get at the heart of what makes this world interresting. I really like that. Your videos on the making of space marines, female space marines and the history of 40k itself are my favourite. But i love your other videos too. 😊

[@ianwilliamgalloway180]

Thanks!!

[@proudsaiyanprince2651]

The banana bois and their mustachioed Primarch will forever be my favorite. I also love how overtly germanic they are with names like Sigismund, Tyr, Fafnir, Halbrecht, etc.

[@ArbitorIan]

Yeah but that idea that they recruited EVERYWHERE gets through too. Pollux, Camba Diaz, etc!

[@proudsaiyanprince2651]

@@ArbitorIan right… but the Teutonic vibe is great.

[@CocoHutzpah]

I find it neat that the Crimson Fists started as one of the Legions, but then became a successor to the Imperial Fists. If you find yourself looking for a topic, a video about Lord Solar Macharius's crusade would be an interesting one.

[@KidsWreckMovies]

They did this because they didn't want 2 blue first founding chapters (the other being ultramarines).

[@JakeStaines]

​@@KidsWreckMovies I mean, depending on where and how you count there's up to four red ones (Blood Angels, Word Bearers, Thousand Sons or World Eaters), two white ones (White Scars and World Eaters), maybe three grey ones (Space Wolves, Word Bearers, Dusk Raiders/Death Guard) up to three black ones (Dark Angels, Raven Guard, Black Legion), and three anyway which are blue (Ultramarines, Thousand Sons, Night Lords). Even if you limit it to just the 40k era and only loyalist chapters, as it would have been when the 'first founding' was first established, there's still two green ones (Dark Angels and Salamanders). If that's the reason, it's a rubbish one. It seems far more likely they just wanted to avoid the risk of dodgy sex jokes as they moved their product to be aimed more at a mid-teen audience. But the bottom line is that the Crimson Fists were never a legion or a "first founding chapter" at any point, because when they were lined up with the other example chapters in the Rogue Trader book there were no legions, there was no Horus Heresy, no second founding, and there were just "a thousand space marine chapters" most of which were left to the imagination of the reader. Fluff from the time had the Ultramarines founded sometime in M34 or so by a bloke named 'Robert', White Scars officers with names like 'Mad Chainsaw Jackson', and the Space Wolves were headquartered on the planet Lucan and run by a bloke who absolutely didn't murder his kids' nanny. And the Crimson Fists lined up with a load of other chapters that didn't get retcon primarchs a few years later like the Flesh Tearers, Blood Drinkers, Rainbow Warriors or Silver Skulls.

[@im2randomghgh]

@@KidsWreckMovies Back when the Crimson Fists were first founding, the Ultramarines were a successor chapter and Guilliman was their chapter master! They folded them into the IF because they didn't want two "x fist" founding legions. Especially with Iron Hands in the mix!

[@Mugdorna]

@@JakeStaines I was going to reply but then reward your very detailed response about the start of 40K lore. Well played sir. (I got into it during 2nd Ed)

[@HughFran10]

Growing up with 40k, the Imperial Fists were always my favourite chapter (having first encountered them playing Space Crusade). Even before I knew any of the lore behind them, I really liked the colour of their armour. Then reading about how they were one of the main defenders of the Imperial Palace during the Horus Heresy made me love them even more! I always found the Ultramarines boring and was drawn to Imperial Fists because they didn't seem to get the same attention as some other chapters

[@axelNodvon2047]

Fr, like we don’t even have a artwork for their current chapter master in 40k. The same goes for the white scars too I think

[@unaiestanconapelaez2526]

@@axelNodvon2047 that's to be fair because he is only holding the post until lysander decides to actually take the post.

[@pa1adin111]

My favorite Legion and my favorite Chapter.

[@eater_of_garbage_]

Only to find out that the imperial fists are even more boring than the ultramarines

[@HughFran10]

@@eater_of_garbage_ Each to their own

[@davidtrujillo1689]

Loved the video! As a Black Templar player is amazing how the protectors of the Phallanx, exemplar astartes of the imperial truth turned zealous religious fanatics after sigismund's supersticions and fears. Great video as always Ian, Wating patienly for the next one ^^

[@onua2012sga]

Fantastic video, Ian! I’m a huge fan of the Imperial Fists, they’re my favorite Loyalist legion. I find it interesting how, as opposed to most other legions, their Primarch didn’t impose his homeworld culture upon the legion but rather only cared that they shared a general philosophical mindset and were competent and loyal. From a “my dudes” perspective it’s cool to imagine the different kinds of cultures present in the legion ranks. With whole companies formed from the recruits from specific worlds it seems the Fists were better prepared than most for their shattering into successor chapters, perhaps that is why their successors are the coolest in 40K.

[@ZarkyTayls]

Love your vids Ian, would love to see you do a video (or series...?) On the 13th Black Crusade and the eye of terror campaign. Reckon it would be a great combo of the lore plus the actual GW campaign at the time and how it influenced 40K

[@lioneljonson161]

Despite my obvious 1st Legion leanings, I’m seriously considering building my Heresy beakie army as Fists. Maybe because, as a father of teenagers, their indomitable stoicism really speaks to me.

[@SamsButterscotch]

Putting on the Fantano shirt for my favorite chapter? It's the small details that make me really like the channel.

[@justadude1984]

Been waiting all week for this video.

[@kccustodes2618]

Love this topic. You drew me in with the topic (Imperial Fists is one of my favorites) and now that I have seen your style and depth of your lore, I am subbed.

[@latrodectusmactans7592]

‘What was Rogal Dorn’s worst weakness?’ ‘He was too honest.’ Imperial Fists sometimes sound like an embellished resume.

[@centerfield6339]

Tossup for second worst: works too hard and has no sense of work-life balance.

[@raideurng2508]

This is true.

[@TheDeepestbluest]

😂😂😂 it’s known

[@murphy7801]

Hi's choosing to go to the iron cage

[@mcpanzer4637]

+7 Imperial Eagles for wearing a yellow shirt for this. Great series!

[@bartonfarm4627]

I low key love that you tie in your shirts each video

[@BlastedRodent]

For some reason I can’t get over Gunther the space marine (3:20) WRITING HIS NAME ON HIS STOMACH. It is such an old man thing to do and I love it.

[@stujm84]

Excellent choice of attire for this one Ian, matching with the Imperial Fists colour of choice 👌 Excellent video as always, keep em coming and I'll certainly keep watching. 👍

[@fullgreys0n738]

I realy like them, in my eyes they are the best vanilla chaper.

[@anno-fw7xn]

Iron hands want to talk with you!

[@TheTopo8798]

@@anno-fw7xn Iron hands are not vanilla m8

[@milospjanovic9646]

@@TheTopo8798 dafuq 😂😂😂😂

[@nebulus4700]

@@TheTopo8798 ?

[@GatGabit]

Please keep this going, love this stuff. It's a great jumping point for someone like me who only partially understands the lore via osmosis

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Awesome video. Thank you for making a legion video series. Keep up the good work.

[@enriqueerazo7903]

Thank you Ian for these lore videos. They are awesome.

[@twogeeksdiscuss8741]

Bloody love these videos. Keep em coming lad.

[@jordcarter2359]

Blooming heck! I knew all of this lore, bit hearing it one after the other you forget how pivotal the Fists were!

[@philipkelly7369]

No wonder that Dorn and his Fists are favorites amongst many a warhammer fan

[@seandollard4441]

Yet another great lore video Ian great work, you are making me want to read all the Heresy books. Looking forward to your video on my own personal favourite the sons of Sanguinus

[@nicorepetto5781]

Love that you wore a yellow and black flannel shirt for this

[@danielhenderson8000]

I have been LOVING your videos, especially these and the Tale of Four Warlords. Obviously I am STOKED to see you all start the Heresy Warlords campaign, can't wait to see what everyone picked and how they'll go about it. Picking my own Legion for the new edition of Horus Heresy has not been easy! So many options! These videos, though, have been a GREAT way to push me towards some more favorable ones. Imperial Fists are definitely at the top of the list. Thank you for all the effort!

[@im2randomghgh]

A series just like this but for the primarchs would be amazing! Your videos have proven to be the best entry point, when I'm trying to introduce these concepts to my friends.

[@LucasR-xl4sl]

Love these lore vids, great stuff, thanks! =)

[@paladinpariah325]

My favorite legion and your video did them justice.

[@jonathangilchrist1193]

Been waiting for this bad boi

[@Inquisdrknss]

Is Ian wearing chapter color shirts in every video? I haven't been paying enough attention.

[@JK-pp9uz]

great series, really enjoying them

[@bellportbattlebunker4682]

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

[@normtrooper4392]

Always found it interesting that out of all the primarchs, dorn was the one most associated with the chainsword

[@TheDeepestbluest]

agreed, maybe a thunder hammer would make more sense for him

[@DerMedivh]

Never stop this. When you're Finisher with the 20 first founding legions, continue with others.

[@87BMr]

You made me rate the Imperial Firsts!, Cant wait for your Salamanders Video For some reason, they have always been my Favs.

[@davew8841]

Thanks...another great video! I don't play the game, or read any of the contemporary timeline novels...though, at 48, I'm well aware of the Universe. Battletech, Mechwarrior and AD&D was more my thing. But now, I'm 14 odd, books deep into the Horus Heresy...in not quite chronological order...and greatly enjoying it. Partly thanks to your advice.

[@tharkwarrior]

I am trying to decided what Legion or Chapter to paint next. Imperial Fists are certainly a contender.

[@SethScapesGaming]

This series is very nicely done indeed! Nice to see a lore video that doesn’t make the Imperial Fists look like generic and grumpy yellow ultramarine substitutes. This is ace!

[@RetoKelsen]

Stumbled about your channel via Guy, really great stuff and I’m always excited when a new video pops up. Thanks to your TaleoffourHeresyGamers project I’m hooked and prepping some ImperialFists right now. Since I never was a big fan of the 40k/30k lore, I’m not very familiar with the different lines of sourcebooks, novels and so on. Could you recommend some specific books for 30k ImperialFists content? Just started with „Praetorian of Dorn“. Hope there is some stuff that gives hints about campaigns/wars they fought before Horus set everything on fire, maybe even more ideas for customized colors. Your video on individualization is a great start on this, but I’m eager to dig deeper into the lore. Well played Sir, well played :D

[@ArbitorIan]

Actually, Praetorian of Dorn is probably the best one, and then the Siege of Terra series features them and Dorn LOADS. To be expected, I guess!

[@timothyyoung2962]

Really enjoying the series. Nice shirt coordination btw.

[@johnnieschatz693]

Love this !! Need all this type of info about the Imperial Fist 👊 so I can build a 30k force

[@Shirkie710]

Even though I know most of this stuff by heart, I can’t wait to watch these videos every time they pop up. Can’t wait until you get to the Word Bearers.

[@angusbyers]

Love this series!

[@Get_Splooshed]

6:55 had to do a double take on that one lmao

[@violetsunprops]

Oh don't mind me. Just back for my third re-watch. HYPE HYPE HYPE.

[@NightfallTH]

Hehe, I Love the fitting shirt. Now I need to check the other videos again for that Detail 😅

[@iforgotthenamemate]

One of my favorites.

[@archangelcharlie]

Love your videos and I’m really enjoying this astartes lore series. Hope to see more lore! More lore. Say that five times faster :)

[@itstime1995]

Ian i really like your style. Its kinda like a documentary. Its just epic. Could you maybe tackel the whole story of the heresy with the early crusade ? or maybe tackel how the heresy effected the primarchs? because i like the dynamics between them and for rogal it changed. From a father figure and an idol to someone who got overlooked by a younger brother so much that he'd headlessly succumed to rage and nearly got killed. i feel like his story in 40k is how he changed and how expectation can change a character

[@amosb1452]

I am really enjoying this series on 30k!

[@21526]

Im not sure if this is canon anymore but an anecdote I remember about Rogal that differentiated himself from his brother's was that he was the only primarch to find the emperor not the other way around. He heard myths and rumors about an emperor uniting humanity and left Imwit to seek him out with his fleet rather than waiting to be found. This would later be seen as a source of pride for the fists and perhaps a reason they were given the role of protectors of Terra.

[@dmeep]

lots of things have changed, for a long time Alpha legion sought out the imperium and they never did find their homeworld. last i heard one of them grew up on terra in secret and the other one sought out the imperium. the HH series of books have expanded on everything and having only read the 55 pre siege ones and 5 of the siege ones i cannot tell you what is true anymore as each primarch has his own book of which i have read none, bookstores here does not carry them

[@IrresponsibleWargamer]

Do the Taghmata sooner than later and I'll name my forgeworld after you! Forgeworld Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg.

[@xxnoxx-xp5bl]

Always played as the Imperial Fists on Space Crusade.

[@ReubenAotearoa_]

Really digging this series. However am also wondering if we will see a wrap up of your Underworlds series? Be cool to find out what happened at your event.

[@Yacovo]

Thanks for the video. Salty Iron Warrior: "I wish I was good at making Imperial Fists die as Dorn was!"

[@grahamcaskie2950]

How do you have so few subscribers?! Great stuff!

[@XandersArcaneStudy]

Great video. Still making my way through the Horus Horesy books. On book 31 right now.

[@dmeep]

you can skip damnation of pythos it has nothing to do with anything. It says horus heresey on the cover and that is as close to the heresey as it gets

[@XandersArcaneStudy]

@@dmeep A good tip. So far I've been a glutton for punishment, going through every book in order. 😅

[@innocentgreen1338]

Nice that you wore a yellow shirt! Good on ya!

[@jonathanohagan1349]

Watched a few of your videos now, shame to miss out on the 'Emperors Champion'

[@WISHARTfilms]

I get excited whenever you release a new video but I can't watch any of these until I finished Siege of Terra lol. Too afraid of spoilers.

[@meh7348]

Can't remember the name off the top of my head but when they got called Yellow Raggamuffins in Horus Rising I spat my drink 😂

[@bendedmiracle]

Tarik Torgaddon, captain 2nd company Luna Wolves said that.

[@innocentgreen1338]

Interesting fact: I've always loved the Imperial Fists. In fact I get them as "my chapter" on every quiz I take online - including the new official one. And, the fun thing is they are all scrimshanders; they scrimshaw! What's fun about that is I'm a scrimshander too. I've scrimshawed for 23 years. You may not find that as cool, or coincidental, as I do. But there ya go.

[@AW-wf2dx]

Shout out to your Fists-coordinated outfit colours.

[@alexsmith7313]

Sometimes I wonder if the clannishness of the Imperial Fists recruiting whole companies from individual worlds is why they did so well in terms of forming into Chapters later down the line. That infrastructure for divergent attitudes forming one cohesive whole was already a part of their identity.

[@garthantash]

My first introduction to 40k was the novel Space Marine that I read in '94. I always liked the Imperial Fists ever since then.

[@Grashan]

Bring back Biff!

[@Ploppy316]

Neat!

[@gerardmontgomery280]

If I was to ever get back into playing 40k rather than just enjoying the lore the the Imperial Fists or Crimson Fist would be the army for me. Probably Crimson Fist since their lore is just so badass. I'd paint and model so much battle damage you'd barely be able to se the original colours.

[@sagacity1071]

"Father" "Yes you yellow idiot" "I am not yellow... I am a flesh tone" "You are an idiot dawn."

[@HeartlessNinny1]

Love the video Ian! I do take issue with one thing, though. Dorn didn't kill Alpharius. How do I know for sure? Because _I am_ Alpharius

[@TrisTime]

Can't believe you didn't mention the "Last wall protocol"

[@Daniels1185]

'Dorn' means 'fist' in Irish, I always wondered was this intentional.

[@zakleclaire1858]

Didn't Rogal Dorn also have a blanket his mom (or family member) made for him? Like, no shame at all, I got mine too. Its just made him so much more of a "ok, sure he's an asshole, but he's still a human being" in my eyes.

[@fin4889]

Nice yellow shirt for this one

[@musicalDrebin]

the imperial fists in the Horus Heresy were IMO only really interesting at one point of the story. now obviously the siege of Terra was meant to be their spotlight so it makes sense, but it makes them harder to get into. i'm really glad they've added new lore to them recently with Cathonia's reckoning. gives them more of a unique story

[@DocStocks8427]

Or was it Omegon Rogal killed? “Head of the Hydra” left me scratching my head at who is who…

[@kevinschwager4327]

Iron within, Iron without

[@michaelhowell2326]

I'm from the Blue Ridge area of the Appalachian Mountains and I wish so hard that some super-awesome character or band of warriors would come from here. Anyone else do that?

[@dmeep]

not really no, they all come from other planets. where they recruited from originally does not matter really all the earthborn got killed of by attrition and the primarchs home planet culture supplanted the earth one. Its a bit like being nostalgic for what your supermarket used to be called before being bought out by k-mart. But dont let that stop you from making your own chapter with whatever local traits you want. Its all pretend and noone can stop you from having fun in a way that you enjoy with your chapters backstory

[@MrDast140]

"Welcome to Heresy 101" *Inquistitorial Noises*

[@KiwiSpartan01]

They sound like a hybrid between Ultramarine and Iron Warriors

[@CrimsonTemplar2]

Primarch-Progenitor, to your glory and the glory of Him on Earth!

[@Nusphigore]

Thanks for this video Ian. I wanted to ask you, how would you mix the Crimson Fists lore in an army for 30k fists? I mean, how to differentiate Alexis Pollux's company from normal, common yellow imperial fists?

[@ArbitorIan]

I mean, the obvious way would be to paint their hands/forearms red, and maybe also the chaper symbols. I think midnight blue would be too much against the yellow, but maybe doing red hands, black shoulder pads and red symbols would work?

[@Nusphigore]

@@ArbitorIan many many thanks Ian! I'll put on some work and see how things develop

[@crimsonknight7011]

Hahaha killed “Alpharius” ……ssuuurreee

[@unaiestanconapelaez2526]

Confirmed by omegon himself by the way this happened after troling the alpha legion by making them believe he had left terra.

[@mojotheaverage]

Alpha Legion player here: yeah he killed alpharius. Omegon on the other hand...

[@HeartlessNinny1]

Hydra Dominatus

[@BladePocok]

6:55 whee does this image of Horus and the Mournival come from?

[@pmc1727]

“Killed Alpharius” or Omegon, or a lookalike because with Alpha Legion who knows!

[@TorrentKatten]

Man, I had 0 interest in playing Horus Heresy. But now I feel like building and painting a Space Wolf army here too....

[@zersockpuppet]

I love my yellow buildy boys!

[@unaiestanconapelaez2526]

Small thing but aren't the huscarls the imperial fist iner circle equivalent?

[@VashTS7]

Crusade you say?! *shouts in black Templar*

[@outerik90]

Yay

[@ericjones9487]

Adorable!

[@Walkyrjenny]

You seem to have neglected to slot this one into the Heresy 101 playlist.

[@ArbitorIan]

Thanks, done!

[@Walkyrjenny]

@@ArbitorIan Great! Now sort them properly! ;)

[@cacarey01]

Word Bearers Next?

[@Keklan572]

Wholesome Salamanders when?

[@ArbitorIan]

In *does maths* ELEVEN videos time!

[@TrisTime]

Also fuck yeah Black Templars, they're my bois