Dust Vultures

The Dust Vultures – Raven Guard, 8th Battalion, 4th Company
The Dust Vultures arrived in the Gurash Nebula shortly after their mysterious escape from the Dropsite Massacre at Isstvan V. Unknown to Shadrak Meduson's forces, the Dust Vultures had been recieving and tracking the shattered legion's deeply encoded communications for quite a while, before revealing themselves in the Gurash sector. The sudden arrival of the 84th company was a godsend for the loyalist forces and the vultures were quickly accepted and given a role in the war effort.

Despite their refusal to explain how a XIX legion company could have escaped the Isstvan system so well-supplied and relatively intact, the vultures worked well with the other loyalist forces. Though they joined the Gurash Wars in an almost pristine condition, the company's penchant for volunteering in only the harshest and most hopeless engagements ensured that they were quickly bloodied and frequently broken on traitor blades.

As if hiding some secret shame, the 84th company's conduct during the Gurash Wars has been uncharacteristically fierce and determined. The Dust Vultures have been seen to be following Corax's "Axioms of the Legiones Astartes" to the letter as if to prove something to themselves if not their loyalist allies.

Pre-Heresy History
8th battalion, 4th company of the XIX legion or the ‘Dust Vultures’, as they came to be known during the early stages of the great crusade, trace their origins to parts of the original XIX legion during the unification wars. Infiltration, patience and swift action were trademarks of the style of warfare employed by the legion that was orignally known as the hidden hand of the Emperor.

The 84th company gained their monniker during deployments alongside the Luna Wolves legion under the command of Horus. Their ability to infiltrate and lie in wait at key locations proved invaluable to the Luna Wolves commanders. These commanders frequently sent out the ‘Vultures’ well before sector attack strategies were being formulated. The 4th company would then arrive in stealth and autonomously deploy squads at strategic locations. Their survival skills and independent operation allowed them to gather intelligence, disrupt and identify critical enemy sites for long periods of time. At the time the main body of the assault force arrived, the world’s defense infrastructure would be severely broken, allowing for an alpha strike to take entire continents nearly unimpeded. The vultures, having usually expended most of their resources during these long waits, would often be found lagging behind the main assault lines mopping up survivors and discouraging retaliation.

At the time when the XIX legion primarch, Corvus Corax, was discovered, the legion entered a period of reorganization to suit the new Primarch’s needs. Many companies similar to the Dust Vultures were disbanded and sent on nomadic crusades. During these changes, the 4th company happened to be deployed in the Kehrfells system and escaped scrutiny as their extraction was deemed too hazardous.

A decade later, when the reformed Raven Guard finally arrived in the Kehrfells system, they found the local xenos civilization significantly weakened and the system was taken by Corax within weeks. Impressed by the patience and planning displayed by the 4th company, Corax allowed the terran-born vultures to remain active among the new legion.

During the following years, due to their involvement in the warrior lodges, the Dust Vultures would later also be selected to participate in the Battle of Gate 42. Major losses were suffered by the company during this battle. The surviving remnants however, would later prove to be extremely loyal to their primarch and of great value during the tragedies following their deployment at Isstvan V.