text
stringlengths 27
208k
|
|---|
Baneblade - Notable Baneblades: Arethusa - Arethusa was the Baneblade commanded by Maximilian Weisemann of the 9th Konig Heavy Tank Company during the Colonia Campaign.Artemen Ultrus - Artemen Ultrus was a Baneblade of the 7th Paragonian Super-heavy Tank Company that fought in the Indranis Campaign against Eldar pirates and the Kalidar Campaign against the Orks.Bastion of Valour - The Bastion of Valour was part of the Astra Militarum forces defending the Hive World of Luteus Alpha against the advancing tides of WAAAGH! Gutrekka. The Bastion of Valour was destroyed during the defence of the hive city of Luteus Prime by Orks. While conflicting accounts exist on the nature of the Baneblade's destruction, it is widely accepted that it was destroyed by a Flash Git-turned-warboss named Gargaz Teefgrabba, either solo or with a group of allied Orks.Black Claw Pride - The Black Claw Pride was part of the Tyrant's Legion of Traitor Guardsmen who turned against the Imperium alongside Lufgt Huron and his Astral Claws Space Marine Chapter during the Badab War.Cortein's Honour - Cortein's Honour was forged as a replacement for the loss of the venerable Mars Triumphant and subsequently entered service with the 7th Paragonian Super-heavy Tank Company. Cortein's Honour's first commander was Honoured Lieutenant Colaron Artem Lo Bannick, nephew of Honoured Lieutenant Cortein after whom the Baneblade was named.Draco Rex - Draco Rex was a Baneblade of the 12th Tallarn Armoured Regiment, and was deployed during the Taros Campaign against the T'au Empire. It was destroyed by a Broadside Destructor Phalanx during the Battle of Phyyra Heights.Father Time - The Father Time is commanded by the Colonel of the 44th Lavrentian Hussars, Lord Nathaniel Winterbourne.Fortress of Arrogance - The Fortress of Arrogance served as the personal command vehicle of Commissar Sebastian Yarrick during his sweep of the worlds in the Armageddon System in the wake of the Second War for Armageddon for Greenskin forces before it was disabled by an Ork attack on the world of Golgotha. Yarrick had formed such an emotional bond with the tank that he had its remains retrieved and restored by the Adeptus Mechanicus so that it could once again serve as his command vehicle during the Third War for Armageddon in 998.M41.Malevolentia - Malevolentia was a Baneblade commanded by Lord General Raji Nethata of the Galamoth Armoured during the Purge of the Contqual Sub-sector.Mars Triumphant - This Baneblade was manufactured on Mars in Baneblade Manufactorum CCIV in the Utopia Planitia region and was fully activated in 639.M39. Mars Triumphant was part of the 7th Paragonian Super-heavy Tank Company that fought in the Indranis Campaign against Eldar pirates and the Kalidar Campaign against the Orks. The Mars Triumphant was destroyed in 397.M41 on the world of Kalidar IV, during the Battle of Hive Meradon, in a suicide attack on an Ork Gargant, and subsequently written off as a complete loss for the company. The passing of this Baneblade was deeply mourned by the company's contingent of Enginseers.Pride of Hera - The Pride of Hera was the Baneblade of the Ultramar Auxilia, the Planetary Defence Forces of the Realm of Ultramar. The tank met its fate when it was destroyed by an attack of Tyranid Carnifexes during the Battle of Macragge in the First Tyrannic War.Steel Lord - Steel Lord is a Baneblade of the 89th Cadian Armoured Regiment.Steel Might - Steel Might was the regimental command Baneblade of the 278th Mordian Regiment, which was destroyed by a looted Deathstrike Missile Launcher during the Imperial campaign for Baric VI in 994.M40. |
Baneblade - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Mars Pattern BanebladeVehicle Name:BanebladeMain Armament:1 turret-mounted Mega Battle Cannon, 1 hull-mounted Demolisher CannonForge World of Origin:MarsSecondary Armament:1 Co-axial Autocannon, 2 turret-mounted Lascannons, 3 twin-linked Heavy BoltersKnown Patterns:I - XTraverse:360 and 6 degreesCrew:1 Commander, 1 Driver, 3 Gunners, 3 Loaders, 1 Comm-Operator, 1 EngineerElevation:-2 to 28 degreesPowerplant:MR507 v18 Multi-FuelMain Ammunition:22 Rounds and 18 RoundsWeight:316 TonnesSecondary Ammunition:300 Rounds and 4000 RoundsLength:13.5 metresArmour:Width:8.4 metresHeight:6.3 metresSuperstructure:200 millimetresGround Clearance:1.2 metresHull:200 millimetresMax Speed On-Road:25 kilometres per hourGun Mantlet:180 millimetresMax Speed Off-Road:18 kilometres per hourVehicle Designation:0427-658-0435-BB018Transport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:N/AAccess Points:N/ATurret:220 millimetresLucius Pattern BanebladeVehicle Name:BanebladeMain Armament:1 turret-mounted Mega Battle Cannon, 1 hull-mounted Demolisher CannonForge World of Origin:LuciusSecondary Armament:1 Co-axial Autocannon, 2 turret-mounted Lascannons, 3 twin-linked Heavy BoltersKnown Patterns:I - IVTraverse:360 and 6 degreesCrew:1 Commander, 1 Driver, 3 Gunners, 3 Loaders, 1 Comm-Operator, 1 EngineerElevation:-2 to 28 degreesPowerplant:MR503 v18 Multi-FuelMain Ammunition:22 Rounds and 18 RoundsWeight:319 TonnesSecondary Ammunition:300 Rounds and 4000 RoundsLength:13.5 metresArmour:Width:8.4 metresHeight:6.3 metresSuperstructure:210 millimetresGround Clearance:1.2 metresHull:190 millimetresMax Speed On-Road:25 kilometres per hourGun Mantlet:180 millimetresMax Speed Off-Road:18 kilometres per hourVehicle Designation:0427-658-0435-BB010Transport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:N/AAccess Points:N/ATurret:220 millimetres |
Baneblade - Trivia: Every Baneblade made in the Imperium of Man is transcribed with its own unique serial number and name. In real life every Baneblade resin kit includes a unique Forge World Certification Number. |
Baneblade - Sources: Codex: Astra Militarum (8th Edition), pp. 52-54Imperial Armour, pp. 20-21Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, pp. 79-90Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard (Second Edition), pp. 8, 90-99, 253, 267, 271-272, 281, 283, 287, 289Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pp. 56, 88, 91, 261, 263Imperial Armour Volume Five - The Siege of Vraks - Part One, pp. 15, 48, 53, 77, 183Imperial Armour Volume Nine - The Badab War - Part One, pg. 198Imperial Armour - Apocalypse II , pg. 59Only War: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 219-220The Horus Heresy - Book Four: Conquest, pg. 284Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse, pg. 104Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse (6th Edition), pp. 135, 151, 269-270, 330, 366-367Baneblade (Novel) by Guy HaleyShootas, Blood & Teef (PC Game) |
Banehammer - Banehammer: The Banehammer is a super-heavy tank of the Astra Militarum that is a variant of the Shadowsword Titan-killer tank. The Banehammer was designed to prevent the enemy's troops from assaulting Imperial lines before the massive bombardments unleashed by the Imperial Guard had their intended effect. The Banehammer is armed with a weapon known as a Tremor Cannon, the shells of which are fused to explode only after the force of their impact had already buried them in the ground. These shells not only cause a huge explosion when their fuses go off, but they are capable of creating a large shock-wave that can knock enemies off their feet, or at least slow them down enough for Imperial artillery pieces to bombard them into oblivion. The shock-wave itself is as lethal to infantry as any other heavy ordnance, and this makes a Banehammer's Tremor Cannon the perfect weapon to deal with large numbers of infantry.Like all of the variants of the Baneblade, the Banehammer came into being as the solution to a specific tactical need. Like its counterpart tank the Stormlord, it is a dedicated line-breaker, designed to deal with large waves of infantry. Where the Stormlord is exceptionally effective against Orks, the Banehammer is especially potent against the horrendously fast-moving Tyranid swarms and their notoriously resilient larger bio-forms. The Tremor Cannon that replaces the original Volcano Cannon is a potent weapon adapted from a Squat design: it fires large self-propelled rockets with an incredibly hard tip which are designed to burrow themselves a set distance into the ground before exploding.The underground detonation creates a powerful shockwave much larger than the shell's explosion, which will impede the progress of any unit caught within it. Infantry will be thrown down and shrouded in dirt, while tanks will become bogged down and trapped by the shifting soil. While the Tremor Cannon shell itself does relatively little damage, it is the side effect of the underground explosion that is invaluable, pinning the opponent in place and making him vulnerable to sustained bombardment by the other artillery elements of the Imperial Guard. Additionally, since the Tremor Cannon is much smaller than the original Volcano Cannon, the Banehammer possesses a large empty hold, which can be used to either transport a small platoon of Imperial Guardsmen, or house a cramped but fully functional headquarters equipped with powerful Vox-casters and tactical arrays from which the officer in charge can lead his troops.Banehammers that use their armoured transport hold to carry troops are often used to protect elite infantry units from artillery and tank fire. The infantry are then unleashed once the battered enemy has moved within their range. Alternately, the Banehammer can plough forward and unload its troops in the face of the enemy.On the battlefield, the Banehammer's place is behind the frontline, slowing the opponent down at medium range. The Tremor Cannon's impact will double as a targeting flare for rear echelon artillery batteries, and the Banehammer's secondary armament of up to three sets of twin-linked Heavy Bolters and two Lascannons will add their punishing fire to the overall volley. The Banehammer is also configured to transport infantry, providing a stable platform from which the embarked Guardsmen can add to the overall firepower with their own personal weapons, and the tank will often serve as a mobile bunker for heavy weapon platoons.If necessity warrants it, the Banehammer will be fielded as an assault tank. While the shockwave of the Tremor Cannon is moderately efficient against heavily reinforced fortifications, it makes short work of lighter defences like trenches and similar earthworks, collapsing them outright and burying any enemy attempting to take shelter within them alive. Such assault-oriented Banehammers will swap some of their Heavy Bolters for Heavy Flamers, and carry one or two squads of Veteran Guardsmen in their hold. These assault-oriented Banehammers will rumble slowly forward through the no-man's-land toward their objective, collapsing the enemy defences with shots from their Tremor Cannon on the go. Once arrived at their destination, they will flush out the defenders with their Heavy Flamers and gun them down with their Heavy Bolters, allowing the Guardsmen they carry to claim the objective effortlessly.As a dedicated line-breaker and anti-infantry tank, the Banehammer suffers from one major drawback, namely the lack of anti-armour weaponry. while it can attempt to fend off enemy armour with its two Lascannons, or even a direct shot from the Tremor Cannon, the lack of range of its weaponry leaves the Banehammer highly vulnerable to long-range anti-tank fire. When facing opponents that field tanks, the Banehammer will require support from dedicated tank-hunter units to fulfill its mission. Of course, the Banehammer also suffers from the drawbacks inherent to the Shadowsword and all its variants, namely poor top speed and maneuverability, and the fixed main gun that requires that the tank be bodily aimed at the intended target. |
Banehammer - Armament: The Banehammer is armed with a single hull-mounted Tremor Cannon as its main weapon, but it is also equipped with hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters, up to two sponson-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters or Heavy Flamers with two additional top sponson-mounted Lascannons. The vehicle can also replace the sponson mounts with Extra Armour Plating or add an additional two sponson mounts identical to the first, giving the tank two more twin-linked Heavy Flamers or Heavy Bolters and top-mounted Lascannons. The Banehammer can also be equipped with a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, a Searchlight, or Smoke Launchers. Since the large capacitors for the Shadowsword's Volcano Cannon have been removed, the tank has enough room to transport up to 25 Astra Militarum infantrymen in a hold behind the main gun, and 10 of these soldiers can fire their personal weapons from the hold's fighting platform.Like all super-heavy tanks, the Banehammer is capable of surging forward and crushing the opposing lines. However, where this metal behemoth truly excels is as a defensive anchor in the Astra Militarum formation. Those enemies not blasted apart by its lobed Tremor Cannon shells are brought to a crawl as the earth splits beneath their feet. The hobbled foe is then faced with a grim decision -- either fall back or push slowly forward against the punishing wall of Astra Militarum fire. |
Banehammer - Known Uses: The Banehammer has proven itself extremely effective in dealing with the Tyranids, and is being heavily used by the armoured regiments of the Imperial Guard to fight against the swarms of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Tyranid bioforms have proven to be extremely resilient against all but the heaviest weaponry, but after a well-placed Tremor Cannon shell slows them down, they can be destroyed by massed laser or ballistic fire. |
Banehammer - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Banehammer Super-Heavy TankVehicle Name:BanehammerMain Armament:1 hull-mounted Tremor CannonForge World of Origin:Field ConversionSecondary Armament:1 set of hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters, 2 top sponson-mounted Lascannons, 2 sponson-mounted twin-linked Heavy BoltersKnown Patterns:UnknownTraverse:UnknownCrew:1 Commander, 1 Driver, 1 Main Gunner, 1 Remote Gunner, 1 Comm-Operator, 1 EngineerElevation:UnknownPowerplant:MR507 v18 Multi-FuelMain Ammunition:UnknownWeight:310 TonnesSecondary Ammunition:1600 to 4000 RoundsLength:13.5 metresArmour:Width:8.4 metresHeight:6.3 metresSuperstructure:220 millimetresGround Clearance:1.2 metresHull:210 millimetresMax Speed On-Road:25 kilometres per hourGun Mantlet:200 millimetresMax Speed Off-Road:18 kilometres per hourVehicle Designation:UnknownTransport Capacity:25 InfantrymenFiring Ports:Rear Hold Fighting Platform (Room for 10 Infantrymen to fire from)Access Points:Rear, Open-ToppedTurret:N/A |
Banehammer - Also See: Imperial VehiclesImperial Guard Vehicles |
Banelord-class Titan - Banelord-class Titan: The dreaded Banelord-class Titan is one of the most feared of all of the Chaos Titans, the Chaos counterpart to the Imperium's mighty Warlord-class Titan. Dedicated to the Blood God Khorne, the Banelord is a towering mountain of destruction.The Banelord excels at short-ranged combat, closing with the enemy to blast them with its missiles and cannon and to smash them with its fists and tail. Only the most powerful opponents, such as the Warlord-class Battle Titan, are able to withstand the onslaught of a Banelord Titan. |
Banelord-class Titan - History: Titans are the supreme fighting machines of the Imperium -- towering metal giants armoured in adamantium and armed with the mightiest weapons the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus can devise. At the heart of every Titan a blazing Plasma Reactor harnesses the power of a sun to supply the machine's massive energy requirements. Each of these vast war machines requires a substantial crew to control and direct it. Few troops can survive the assault of a Titan's devastating weapons.In the dark days of the Horus Heresy, great numbers of the ancient Mechanicum were lured into the service of Chaos with promises of forgotten and forbidden knowledge. The Tech-priests of Mars were pitched into bloody civil war, known as the Schism of Mars, unleashing forbidden weapons to scour the surface of the Red Planet. The Titan Legions of the Legio Titanica split into Loyalist and Traitor factions, with over half of the Titan Legions joining the Traitor cause of the Warmaster Horus.Throughout the Heresy innumerable battles were fought between Titans on a multitude of worlds, and whole cities shook beneath the heavy tread of these awesome god-engines. With the failure of Horus' rebellion, the Traitor Titan Legions were driven into the great Warp rift known as the Eye of Terror, where they still dwell after ten Terran millennia, waiting to board space hulks and devastate the worlds of the Imperium again.During the long sojourn among the Daemon Worlds the Renegade Titans have warped and mutated, for the mutable power of Chaos is not limited to creatures of living flesh. These gigantic engines of terror are universally feared as they wander the Daemon Worlds from battle to battle, eternally wreaking the carnage they were built for. No one quite knows whether they still contain their original crews, their lives unnaturally prolonged by the warping powers of Chaos, or something far worse.Chaos Titans are feared and respected by the followers of Chaos as monstrous, brooding effigies of ancient gods of war. The Imperium fears the Chaos Titans as the avenging revenants of a horrific past.Most Chaos Titans are corrupted Warlord-class Battle Titans as these were the most common type employed by the Adeptus Titanicus at the time of the Heresy. Nearly all of them have been altered by exposure to the Warp in some way. Some have had their heads reshaped into daemonic visages, or mounted with close combat weapons or extra guns, and another common change is the addition of long sinuous tails mounting weapons or gigantic blades.The Banelord is aligned to the Chaos God known as Khorne, and has taken on the appearance and hues associated with the Blood God. Flags, kill banners and pennants fly from the weapons and arms of the Battle Titan, with the Mark of Khorne prominently displayed. It is not always known if an encountered Banelord is an ancient, corrupted Warlord Battle Titan dating back to the Horus Heresy era or whether it was created from scratch millennia later using the Warlord pattern in one of the Hell-Forges of a Dark Mechanicum Warpsmith.Like all servants of the Blood God, the furious-minded Banelord desires nothing more than to enter into close combat to get to grips with the enemy. Those followers of Khorne who fight alongside these ferocious god-engines are strengthened by the release of psychic energy brought about by the bloodshed and death unleashed by the Banelord. Their potency increases if the battle continues to go well for the armies of Chaos. To add to its already formidable defences, the Banelord is under the protection of Khorne, and this makes it particularly resistant to psychic attacks. |
Banelord-class Titan - Armament: Bloodletter Battlehead - The once noble head of a Warlord Battle Titan has been horribly mutated on the Banelord by exposure to the energies of the Warp so that it resembles the features of the daemonic servants of Khorne known as Bloodletters. Jutting from the mouth of this horrific visage is a large Assault Cannon capable of spewing high explosive rounds at an enormous rate of fire.Hellstrike Cannon - The Hellstrike Cannon fires a massive ballistic shell that is loaded with a highly corrosive and inflammable mixture that is known appropriately as "hellfire." The shells are set to explode in mid-air just above the target, so that it splatters in as wide an area as possible with the deadly hellfire mixture. As the hellfire saturates the area it ignores cover, making it particularly potent against infantry in wooded areas or buildings.Havoc Missile Rack - The Havoc Missile Rack is loaded with six deadly Havoc Missiles. One or more missiles can be fired in a deadly salvo that roars towards the target at ground level to avoid enemy fire, exploding to cover a wide area in death and destruction. These missiles are fired individually so it is up to the Banelord whether or not it fires all or none of its missiles.Doomfist - The Doomfist is a deadly, Titan-grade hand-to-hand combat weapon which combines the close combat abilities of an infantry Chainfist and a Power Fist. In addition it is armed with a pair of built-in, Titan-grade Melta Cannons which provide a powerful ranged attack. In battle, the Doomfist can either be used in close combat or as a ranged weapon, but never both at the same time.Chaos Titan Tail of Khorne - The Banelord has mutated into a hellish mixture of metal and daemonic flesh with a long sinuous tail armed with a large, Titan-grade Battle Cannon on the end. In battle the tail can either be used to crush and gouge its enemies, or to fire at opponents that are too far away to be attacked in close combat. |
Banesword - Banesword: The Banesword is a super-heavy tank of the Astra Militarum and a variant of the much older and more common Shadowsword. The main difference between the Banesword and the Shadowsword is that the Banesword possesses a different main armament and performs a different battlefield role. The Banesword is armed with a weapon known as a Quake Cannon while the Shadowsword is armed with a Volcano Cannon. While the Shadowsword is used as a tank and Titan-killer, the Banesword fulfills a role as a heavy siege tank designed to assault heavily-defended fixed enemy fortifications.Yet the Banesword excels at utterly obliterating both vehicles and fortifications. Walled strongpoints and arrayed enemy armour can prove insurmountable to an Astra Militarum offensive, regardless of how many foot-slogging troops are marched against them. But a single Banesword can level such obstructions with ease. With a handful of shots, a Banesword's Quake Cannon tears gaping rents in the most redoubtable defensive lines. Imperial infantry and close-quarters attack vehicles are then free to pour into the breach and eradicate what enemies are left alive. Furthermore, the extreme range of the Banesword's armament allows it to perform this function before the opposing forces can even return fire.The Banesword is one of the newest variants of the Shadowsword. The commanders and tacticians of the Imperial Guard had long requested a super-heavy tank which could destroy fortifications like the Shadowsword, but which would possess better mobility and a higher rate of fire. The Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus eventually managed to fulfill this long-standing request by swapping the Shadowsword's Volcano Cannon for a Quake Cannon, both weapons normally found on Titan weapon hardpoints. The Quake Cannon is one of the largest artillery pieces in the Imperium of Man's arsenal, and by wedging an armoured casemate specially designed to dampen the Quake Cannon's massive recoil into the Shadowsword's chassis, the most brutally effective siege tank was born.Like the Basilisk, the Banesword's place on the battlefield is in the rear areas, obliterating enemy fortifications with long range fire. Like the Basilisk, the Banesword can also be pressed into the frontlines. The Banesword's armoured mass and secondary armament of three sets of twin-linked Heavy Bolters and two Lascannons allow it to perform much more efficiently than a battery of Basilisks when fielded in this way. In addition, the sight of a super-heavy tank rumbling forward and blasting the enemy into oblivion is always a potent morale bolster for the Guardsmen fighting alongside it.The Banesword dispenses with the most hampering disadvantage of the Shadowsword, namely having to disengage its engine before firing. However, like all super-heavy tanks based on the Baneblade chassis, it suffers from poor top speed and maneuverability, and the Quake Cannon's fixed setting requires the Banesword to be bodily aimed at its intended target. Additionally, the Quake Cannon is inefficient against enemy Titans, for unlike the Lance beam from a Volcano Cannon, or the massive plasma burst from a Plasma Blastgun, the massive shell will be stopped by any remaining Void Shield, requiring the target's shields to be taken down before the shot is taken with any hope of success. |
Banesword - Armament: The Banesword's main weapon, known as a Quake Cannon, is one of the most powerful siege weapons available to the Imperium, and is the scourge of enemy fortresses across the galaxy. Though primarily a siege gun of formidable power, suited to wrecking fortifications, there will also be little left of any war machine that happens to be in a Quake Cannon's sights. As a result of this powerful main weapon and its heavily armoured exterior, the Banesword is considered the most potent siege tank ever deployed by the Imperial military. Many Imperial commanders would willingly exchange two full regiments of infantry for a single Banesword, such is the reputation of this vehicle. The Banesword is also armed with a hull-mounted set of twin-linked Heavy Bolters, and two sponson-mounted Heavy Flamers with top-mounted sponson Lascannons. The Heavy Flamers can be switched out for Heavy Bolters when needed. The sponson mounts can be replaced with Extra Armour Plating for added protection or an additional two sponson mounts identical to the first can be added, giving the tank two more twin-linked Heavy Flamers or Heavy Bolters and top-mounted Lascannons. The vehicle can also be equipped with a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, a Searchlight, or Smoke Launchers. |
Banesword - Naming Convention: After a new Banesword is manufactured on an Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World and put into service with an armoured regiment of the Imperial Guard, it is traditional for it to prove itself in combat before it receives an an individual name for itself from the regiment in which it serves. Due to this convention, all new Baneswords are referred to with either an abbreviation of their serial number or the name of their Forge World of origin until they have proved themselves in combat. Many regiments include the name of fallen foes in the new name for the Banesword. However, after a direct hit from a Quake Cannon, there is often little left to confirm the identity of those who were killed. |
Banesword - Known Baneswords: Executioner of Cadanth - A Banesword of the 2nd Vostroyan Armoured RegimentTyron's Doom - A Banesword of the 23rd Cadian Armoured RegimentWarmaster's Ruin - A Banesword of the 44th Tallarn Armoured Regiment |
Banesword - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Banesword Super-Heavy TankVehicle Name:BaneswordMain Armament:1 hull-mounted Quake CannonForge World of Origin:UnknownSecondary Armament:1 set of hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters, 2 top sponson-mounted Lascannons, 2 sponson-mounted sets of twin-linked Heavy Flamers or Heavy BoltersKnown Patterns:UnknownTraverse:UnknownCrew:1 Commander, 1 Driver, 1 Main Gunner, 1 Remote Gunner, 1 Comm-Operator, 1 EngineerElevation:UnknownPowerplant:MR507 v18 Multi-FuelMain Ammunition:UnknownWeight:308 TonnesSecondary Ammunition:1600 to 4000 RoundsLength:13.5 metresArmour:Width:8.4 metresHeight:6.3 metresSuperstructure:220 millimetresGround Clearance:1.2 metresHull:210 millimetresMax Speed On-Road:25 kilometres per hourGun Mantlet:200 millimetresMax Speed Off-Road:18 kilometres per hourVehicle Designation:UnknownTransport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:N/AAccess Points:N/ATurret:N/A |
Banesword - Also See: Imperial VehiclesImperial Guard Vehicles |
Banesword - Sources: Banesword DatasheetCodex: Astra Militarum (8th Edition), pg. 54Imperial Armour Apocalypse II, pg. 13Warhammer 40,000, Apocalypse (6th Edition), pg. 138Warhammer 40,000: Munitorum (Digital Edition) |
Banish - Banish: Banish is a swamp-covered Feral World located within the borders of a quarantined sector of the Narasima Straits region of the Segmentum Obscurus. It is also the Chapter homeworld of the Exorcists Chapter and home to their fortress-monastery, the Basilica Malefex.The Basilica Malefex also houses secret facilities known as the Halls of Tempering that belong to the Plutonians, a sect of the Inquisition's Ordo Malleus dedicated to using Daemonic possession as a weapon to hunt down other Daemons. |
Banish - History: Boasting little in the way of natural assets or valuable infrastructure, Banish has proved an inconspicuous sanctum for a Chapter as insular as the Exorcists, being unlikely to draw unwanted attention from over-inquisitive allies.In addition, the primitive Human tribes of Banish have proven themselves a worthy recruitment pool for the Chapter's particular needs. These hardy nomads were descended from Imperial prospectors stranded on the planet in an earlier age, and centuries of isolation have made them a regressive but highly self-reliant people who have forgotten the promise of advanced technology and galactic exploration.It wasn't until the first Chapter Master of the Exorcists, Enoch Trismegistus, was possessed by the Lord of Change Keriath the Shrouded on the world of Totem IV that Banish became home to another mysterious organisation of the Imperium. The Plutonians, a Radical sect of the Ordo Malleus, had maintained an informant within the Chapter's command as a menial. Once they learned of Trismegistus' possession by the Greater Daemon of Tzeentch and his banishment of the Daemon with the aid of the Exorcists' Chief Librarian Goetos, they immediately asserted their authority as agents of the Inquisition to relieve Trismegistus of command over his Chapter and establish purpose-built quarters on Banish.In the following solar months, the Chapter Master was tested and eventually reinstated after no proof of Daemonic taint could be found. During his interrogation, Trismegistus had been told of the Plutonians' theory about how daemonic possession could be used as a weapon against the forces of Chaos. After being possessed himself, Trismegistus saw the warped genius of the Inquisitors' plan. He made a proposal to the Plutonians: secretly stay on Banish and oversee the programme of turning his incorruptible brethren into Daemon-hunting specialists by way of possession. |
Banish - Basilica Malefex: Beneath the steaming acid swamps of Banish lies the Exorcists' fortress-monastery, the Basilica Malefex. This mysterious underground complex is unusual for being home to not only the strategicheadquarters, Armoury and other facilities typical of most Space Marine homeworlds, but also the extensive precincts of the Radical Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus known as the Plutonians. It is here that Exorcists initiates are ushered into the gloomy depths of the Halls of Tempering where they will be possessed by Daemons. Full details of the arcane technologies housed in thisplace of possession are known only to the Ordo Malleus Radicals and senior figures in Chapter command, and those Exorcists who emerge do so with no memory of the means by which the Inquisitors work.The remainder of the fortress-monastery houses all of the infrastructure required by any more orthodox Space Marine Chapter, along with a number of peculiarities. At the heart of the complex, a quadriform walkway called the Cloister of Scars links together the Chapter's training grounds, living quarters and command centres, while the huge atrium at the cloister's centre acts as a burial ground for the battle-slain, with dimly-lit spaces reserved for private meditation. The outer walls of the Cloister of Scars are studded with many stone archways of varying size and grandeur. The larger of these lead off to the great institutions of the Chapter -- the Reclusiam, Apothecarion, Armoury and the Council Chamber where the Chapter Master presides.The mightiest doorway of all leads to the Chapter Librarius. Behind thick blast doors sentried at all times, the Chief Librarian and his subordinates preserve detailed records of every Exorcists battle, paying special attention to any Daemonic foes encountered and the methods used to defeat them. While all Space Marines seek to know their enemies and capitalise on their weaknesses, the Exorcists take this belief to the extreme, and their diligent accumulation of occult lore would be considered heretical by many other Chapters.The Librarians understand the risks, however, and the dim vaults that harbour such tracts are wreathed in hexagrammatic wards and a perpetual haze of purifying incense. In truth, arcane subject matter forms a relatively small part of the Chapter's record-keeping; the Exorcists are a well-rounded fighting force equipped to engage all manner of enemies, and through keen analysis of Chapter records they strive to be as prepared as possible for any threats they might face -- Daemonic or otherwise. |
Banish - Purgatomb: Soon after the Plutonians began their work, it became clear that the Exorcists were not just capable of enduring Daemonic possession. Their corporeal forms also proved strangely suited to retaining any entities that were not successfully banished. In a series of horrifying experiments, the Plutonians found that the living bodies of failed initiates were able to hold indefinite numbers of Daemons prisoner, some subjects becoming so saturated with Warp-spawn that they were sustained in a state of deathless torture, their bodies enduring for standard centuries while their minds broke apart. Even in this ignoble end, however, the Exorcists found a use for their fallen sons.If these "Broken Ones" could not serve the Chapter on the battlefield, they could at least live on as vessels of imprisonment, harbouring in their flesh the myriad entities driven out of successful initiates -- immortal beings that might otherwise return to the Warp and scatter the Exorcists' deepest secrets far and wide. Thus arose the most chilling of all practices conducted within the Halls of Tempering of the Basilica Malefex, and over the millennia, the numbers of accursed Broken Ones have continued to grow.Accommodating such vessels of evil on Banish would be unthinkably dangerous, however. As the Exorcists' Apothecarion is concerned with retaining only the untarnished gene-seed of successful initiates,Broken Ones are dispatched into deep space under maximum security protocols, to live out their untold years within a secret prison-craft known as the Purgatomb. Within the pitch-black bowels of this immense drifting bastion, the Broken Ones are left to writhe and scream, locked within the hyper-dense walls of their warded cells.For some five standard millennia the Purgatomb has served the Exorcists' grim purposes, and though its location has become known on occasion, its abominable contents have never yet become known to any ally or enemy. This is well, as if even a single Broken One were to escape, the consequences for the Chapter -- perhaps even for the Imperium itself -- would be catastrophic. |
Banisher - Banisher: A Banisher is a specialised holy warrior who is a member of a special religious order of the Adeptus Ministorum known as the Collegia Exterminatus that was formed by the Ordo Malleus of the Calixis Sector.A Banisher is equally skilled at both delving into the forbidden knowledge required to understand the nature of daemons and eradicating daemonic forces with fire and Chainsword.Chosen at a young age from the most pious of children in the Calixian Schola Progenium, their training takes a great deal of time and effort as they earn the faith necessary to fortify their souls against the information they might uncover during their studies of forbidden knowledge.As a result, many Banishers are relatively advanced in age by the time they become Acolytes in service to an Inquisitor.The intensity of their training often leaves a Banisher with scars and augmetic replacements. Their bodies show the sacrifices they have made to keep themselves pure in the eyes of the God-Emperor. |
Banisher - Role: In the eternal battle against Chaos, faith and knowledge are weapons. Few Acolytes of the Inquisition wield these weapons with greater prowess than the Banisher. Whether stalking the darkest halls of a hive city's librarium in search of omens or enacting the Rites of Dispossession on the fields of battle, daemonic lore is vitally important to the servants of the Collegia Exterminatus.Banishers in the Calixis Sector are a relatively new phenomenon. In 335.M41, a small cabal of Ordo Malleus Inquisitors came to the Calixis Sector on the trail of a prophecy regarding the emergence of a Greater Daemon. Inquisitor Lord Caidan found himself most impressed with their retinue of scholar-priests, who studied a rare copy of a book called the Liber Daemonica to learn their enemy's nature and how to overcome their deceptions.Although the Inquisitors and their tome soon moved on, Caidan's interest in the scholar-priests only grew. The Inquisition's Calixian Conclave decreed that Ecclesiarchal resources could not be adequately spared for the task of researching daemonic threats in the vast quantities required, while most adepts of the Adeptus Terra did not typically possess the faith necessary to fortify themselves against the information they might uncover.Thus, the Calixian Ordo Malleus began to formalise the training of the Banishers, a type of holy warrior who would be equally skilled at researching forbidden knowledge and eradicating daemonic forces. An Inquisitor would be wise to have several of these individuals among his immediate Acolytes, with many more acting behind the scenes to uncover a daemons’ dark secrets.Though most Banishers are chosen at a young age to be trained by the Ecclesiarchy, not all Banishers are trained by the Ministorum. On many Feudal Worlds or Feral Worlds within the Calixis Sector, the wise steel themselves to study that which dwells in the dark, seeking wisdom to help them vanquish Warp-spawned entities.While these elders are not usually steeped in the doctrines of the Ecclesiarchy, they are no less devout believers in the Imperial Creed, and can be quite useful in rooting out long-forgotten omens and ancient secrets in Imperial archives. Many Inquisitors have also been known to train Banishers to combat specific daemons. Banishers hold a delicate position in a cell of Inquisitorial Acolytes.Experienced Acolytes revere them for their wisdom and temperance in the face of terrible secrets, and often owe their survival and success to the madness the Banisher has interpreted for them. Yet these same Acolytes know that no mind can understand the unknowable and walk away unscathed.Therefore Banishers are held with a distant respect and watched closely for fear that they may suddenly snap under the weight of their dark knowledge.Though occasionally found within other Ordos of the Inquisition, Banishers are usually under the employ and oversight of the Ordo Malleus. A Malleus Inquisitor may employ dozens or even hundreds of Banishers, all working diligently to uncover the details of a daemonic incursion into the Materium. Many Banishers work in groups, though not for the sake of efficiency.There have been cases of Banishers using their knowledge to gain personal power or to traffic with daemons. Thanks to their training, however, these instances have been few, and placing them in a larger group allows other Acolytes to keep an eye on them as needed. |
Banisher - Becoming a Banisher: To be a Banisher is to seek out knowledge many believe is best left buried. They combine lore with faith, without failing to bring a Flamer to bear should it be necessary. Their will is fortified against the madness which accompanies such endeavours, for they must go where few dare.They must be prepared to face many horrors in their search for manuscripts, ancient legends, and even the true name of a powerful Daemon.Most Banishers are raised up from those children in the local Schola Progenium who already possess and extraordinary degree of piety and faith in the God-Emperor. |
Banisher - Notable Banishers: Keramiah Tor, the Hollow Priest - A Banisher formerly serving Inquisitor Ahmazzi of the Tyrantine Cabal, Keramiah Tor is now a senior member of the Collegiate Exterminatus and one of the most experienced of his rank in the Calixis Sector. Tor served Ahmazzi for many standard years, and by all accounts stood on the verge of elevation to the rank of Interrogator. His peers fully expected that he would eventually ascend to bear the Inquisitorial Rosette, but sadly, it was not to be. Two solar decades ago, Tor was brought before the high council of the Calixian Conclave to be judged, and was found wanting. Although the Banisher was found to be free from corruption and untouched by the taint of the Warp, his mind and soul had become so entrenched and rigid by what he had witnessed in the course of his duties that the assembled Inquisitors decided he lacked the wits to progress further in rank. Ahmazzi, who had willingly submitted his Acolyte to the conclave's judgement, was bitterly disappointed. Though he could have ignored the judgement of his peers and elevated Tor to Interrogator status, Inquisitor Ahmazzi saw that to do so would be divisive and cause certain other Inquisitors to align themselves against him. Reluctantly, Ahmazzi acceded to the council's verdict. The Banisher himself appeared unmoved by the judgement, a fact that served to confirm the decision in the minds of the members of the conclave. Ahmazzi retained Tor's services, for he had served stoically against the foes of Mankind for many years, and so his master sponsored his induction into the upper echelons of the Collegiate Exterminatus, where he serves to this day. |
Banner of Macragge - Banner of Macragge: The Banner of Macragge is the ancient Battle Standard of the Ultramarines Chapter and it is considered to be one of its most revered Chapter relics. It was touched by the Emperor of Mankind's own hand when He presented it to the XIII Space Marine Legion's Primarch Roboute Guilliman at the beginning of the Great Crusade in ca. 798.M30. The Ultramarines have preserved it for ten millennia through fire and war and decimation, each generation passing it on to the next as a burning torch of their love for the immortal Emperor who created them. It has languished in dull stasis chambers and flown beneath the suns of a thousand alien worlds. It has flown on Macragge itself, whenever the whole Chapter is gathered together, and it has been carried forth whenever the Ultramarines have fought as one against the direst of foes. It is said to be made of a strange material known only to the ancients; light as silk but strong as steel; flame cannot burn it and where it is rent asunder it re-spins itself as perfect as the day it was first made. It is marked with the names of all seventy Chapter Masters of the Ultramarines, beginning with Roboute Guilliman and ending with young Marneus Calgar. The Banner carries an honorific for each Victorix Maxima (High Gothic for "great victory") of the Chapter which has been declared at the Imperial Palace on sacred Terra. The Standard Bearer given the honour of carrying the Banner of Macragge always bears the title of "Ancient."Tall and intricate in detail, the banner displays a gold Ultramarines icon overlaid on a field of blue. It is made of an unknown material that is fireproof and able to seal any rents and tears made in the fabric in such a manner that the damage cannot be detected. The staff of the banner is made from adamantium, and at last sighting it appeared scored and pitted as if it had been splashed with acid. It is inscribed with the names of all 77 Chapter Masters of the Ultramarines, from Roboute Guilliman to Marneus Calgar, as well as devices noting every major victory the Ultramarines have won in their long history.The Banner of Macragge has endured long periods of safekeeping, rather than display, for various reasons. The most recent of these was the 200 standard years that it spent secured and unused after the Battle of Macragge; Marneus Calgar declared that it would not be flown again until the Ultramarines Chapter had returned to full strength and had recovered from the casualties and damage inflicted by the Tyranids in that campaign. |
Banner of Macragge - Notable Standard Bearers of the Banner of Macragge: Ancient Galatan - Ancient Galatan was the Bearer of the Banner of Macragge in times past, taking part in the Corinth Crusade from 698-705.M41. During a fierce battle against the Orks of WAAAGH! Skargor, he briefly dropped the sacred standard when his arm was chopped off by the Ork Warboss Skargor. While distracted with trying to break the banner with his Power Claw, Ancient Galatan impaled his Power Sword through the back of Skargor's head, killing him instantly and breaking the spirit of the Greenskins. Though he later died from the wounds incurred in the encounter, the Banner of Macragge remained upright for the remainder of the battle, rallying the Ultramarines to finally defeat the Orks.Ancient Helveticus - Ancient Helveticus was another the Bearer of the Banner of Macragge. He bore the Chapter's Banner during the Battle of Macragge, and was present aboard Marneus Calgar's Battle Barge when it was boarded by Tyranids. He led the fierce counterattack against the encroaching xenos, and was subsequently killed in battle, both fatally poisoned and burned by the assault of the horrific xenos. His grip upon the shaft of the banner was said to be so tight, that initially it could not be pried from his hands even after his death.Ancient Tortalus - After the Battle of Macragge, the young Chapter Master Marneus Calgar declared that the Banner of Macragge would not be carried forth again until the Ultramarines had rebuilt their strength, when they were once again a whole Chapter. It has taken them two standard centuries to bring the 1st Company back to full strength after their sacrifice at Macragge. Only then did the Chapter Master believe that the Ultramarines were fit to carry the Banner of Macragge into battle once more. Ancient Helveticus was succeeded in this duty by Ancient Tortalus. |
Banner of Macragge - Canon Conflict: If the Banner of Macragge supposedly dates from the time of the Great Crusade, it shouldn't depict a Tyranid organism being slain by Primarch Roboute Guilliam, as this xenos race didn't make contact with the Imperium until the current millennium, with some sources stating that the Imperium possible made first contact with them no earlier than the 35th Millennium. The explanation for this depiction has not been adequately explained by Games Workshop, nor has it yet to be retconned in any Black Library publications. The only possible explanation is that the Tyranid organism might have been added later, following the disastrous events of the Battle of Macragge while fighting Hive Fleet Behemoth in 745.M41. This most likely would have been done to honour the great sacrifice made by the Ultramarines, and most especially their veteran 1st Company, who were slain to a man. |
Banshee Mask - Banshee Mask: A Banshee Mask is a war helm worn by the Howling Banshees Asuryani Aspect Warriors in battle. Each Warrior Aspect has its own distinctive helmet, and within each shrine the helmet may vary in form slightly, with correspondingly more elaborate versions for the shrine's Exarchs.A standard Howling Banshees Aspect Warrior's Banshee Mask is tall in profile, with long flowing hair spilling from the top of it like a lion's mane.Their distinctive design contains psychosonic amplifiers that magnify the keening battle screams of their wearers into mind-destroying shockwaves. This inflicts severe damage to the central nervous system of an Asuryani warrior's foe, inspiring a feeling of mortal terror and causing momentary paralysis.By custom, it is this helmet that marks the Howling Banshee Aspect Warriors as the protectors and avengers of their craftworld. The helm traditionally bears the Howling Banshees Aspect rune traced upon its forehead. |
Banshee Mask - Gift of the Crone Goddess: The banshee is a harbinger of woe in ancient Aeldari legend and mythology, whose cry is said to herald such ill fate that it can even wrench a soul from its Spirit Stone, before casting it into depths of the Immaterium; there to be plaything of Daemons.It is fitting then that the most feared of all the Craftworld Aeldari Aspect Warriors, the Howling Banshees, draw inspiration from this unearthly creature and take on its name; and it is from the scream of the creature that is the mythological source of their most potent weapon: the Banshee Mask.In Aeldari mythology, the Crone Goddess Morai-Heg sought to partake of the wisdom contained in her divine blood. Knowing there was only one with the power to harm a god, she sent her daughters to haunt their father Khaine's steps with their piercing screams.The infernal noise drove the war god Khaela Mensha Khaine into a bloody rage that saw his mind begin to unravel. Promising an end to this curse, the Crone Goddess bade Khaine to cut off her hand that she might drink deep from her own veins. With this deed, Morai-Heg gained the knowledge of blood, and the Aspect of the Banshee was granted to Khaine in return. |
Banshee Mask - The War Mask: The concept of the war mask is at the core of the Path of the Warrior. Aeldari, being more highly evolved than other, "lesser" species, feel all sensations more keenly than do Humans, T'au or Orks. This allows them to embrace positive emotions, such as love, with a greater fervour than members of these other species can conceive, but it also heightens their experience of darker feelings, such as rage, fear and grief.The act of killing is likewise amplified. Where a Human can kill another being with little guilt or remorse, for an Aeldari to do so is an act that can endanger their very soul and risks drawing the dark attentions of She Who Thirsts. While their sensation-craving Drukhari cousins draw pleasure from bringing death, the Asuryani prefer to separate their souls from the act of murder, and so they don their "war masks" before combat.The war mask is as much a metaphysical concept as a physical artefact. When Aspect Warriors prepare for battle, they ritually take up their war masks, adopting another persona, one at ease with the blood that is soon to flow, and temporarily abandoning the person they are away from the shrine. They embrace the savage instincts that lurk in the heart of every Aeldari, and prepare to bring death in the name of the Bloody Handed God, Khaine.As they kill, it is their warrior persona who risks feeling the touch of She Who Thirsts, and when the battle is done and the foe vanquished, the Aspect Warriors remove their war masks and return to the person they were before, the bloody acts they have committed more distant dream than fresh memory.In this way can the Asuryani eventually move on to other Paths without bringing with them the trauma of the acts they have performed and atrocities they have committed.Some Aspect Warriors who cleave too close to the Path of the Warrior find that their war mask and true persona become one and the same. It is these lost souls who don the most ancient and potent wargear of their shrines and become Exarchs, training others in the arts of war and leading them on the battlefield. |
Banshee Mask - Howl of the Banshee: The war masks worn by Howling Banshees are remarkably simple in function, but devastating in effect. Built into their helmets are potent psychosonic amplifiers, linked to a central mouthpiece that is permanently fixed into a terrifying snarl.In their traditional bone-white garb, they appear like the banshee of ancient Aeldari myth, a pale, wraithlike figure that chills the blood with its cry of despair and pain.Alongside the martial skills that the Banshees learn during their time in the Aspect Shrine, they are also taught how to channel the grief and rage that they experience in killing into a terrifying shriek. Imbued with psychic dread and channelled through the amplifiers, the Banshees' scream becomes a weapon as effective, in its way, as their shuriken pistols or power swords.As the Banshees charge into combat, their howls combine to create a barrage of psychosonic force known to the Aeldari as the "Scream that Steals." This combination of noise and esoteric energies not only temporarily deafens their enemies, but also floods their nervous systems with psychic power -- not enough to risk opening them up to possession by beasts of the Warp -- but enough to temporarily disorient or even paralyse them.By the time they recover their senses, the Howling Banshees are amongst them, bringing death with shuriken and energy-wreathed blade. In this way do they emulate the mythological horror from which they take their name, as the sound of the banshee's howl presages doom for all who hear it. |
Banshee Mask - Sources: Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition), pp. 9, 12, 86Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition), pg. 10Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pp. 31, 63Codex: Eldar (6th Edition), pp. 32, 66Path of the Warrior (Novel) by Gavin Thorpe, pg. 160Planetstrike (5th Edition), pg. 55Rogue Trader: The Koronus Bestiary (RPG), pg. 51Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook (5th Edition), pg. 157Warhammer 40,000: Munitorum - Banshee Masks (Digital Edition), pp. 25-30 |
Baraban - Baraban: BarabanXenos WorldT'au EmpireVelk'HanSeptJericho ReachAstra MilitarumAchilus CrusadeThe planet's endless temperate forests are home not only to huge Vespid and Kroot armies, but to spectral presences that prey on the sanity of the Imperial Guardsmen fighting there.The war on Baraban is a conventional one, with battle lines of trenches and fortifications, attacks and counterattacks, as each side tries to push the other back.Time and again the Astra Militarum launch armoured spearheads that shatter the xenos lines and it seems that surely a crushing victory will at last be won. Then the ghosts of Baraban make themselves known, and the Imperial forces fall apart in terror and madness.A whole Human army can suddenly be assailed by bizarre visions and sensations, and must fight to save themselves from crazed comrades as well as the xenos.The source of Baraban's ghosts is unknown, but everyone who has been there and survived has his own explanation. They appear to each guardsman differently: some as voices in the mind, others as visions of loved ones long dead or resident on distant worlds.Even the Deathwatch who have participated in the battle for Baraban report witnessing their Primarch wading into battle, or feeling the agony of the Emperor as Horus dealt Him His mortal wound.Many Astra Militarum commanders believe the T'au have a hand in Baraban's ghosts, but others believe the Kroot and the Vespid have their own difficulties on the planet.The Kroot, in particular, evolve into strange and apparently useless strains very easily, with dead-end strains like mindless cattle or uncontrollable predators resulting from the planet's cruel influence. |
Barabas Dantioch - Barabas Dantioch: Barabas Dantioch was a formidable Warsmith of the Iron Warriors Space Marine Legion during the Great Crusade and the opening days of the Horus Heresy. Having fallen out of favour with his Primarch Perturabo, he was relegated to performing garrison duty upon the barren world of Lesser Damantyne, where he was responsible for the construction of the formidable fortress known as the Schadenhold.When a fellow Warsmith loyal to the traitorous Warmaster Horus came to Lesser Damantyne to inform Dantioch that his fortress would be used as a staging area and resupply point for the inevitable campaign of the Traitors against Terra, Dantioch refused to acknowledge his former brethren, declaring his loyalty to the Emperor.Following a brutal internecine conflict that raged for just over a Terran year, the mighty fortress fell to the Traitor Iron Warriors, but not before Dantioch played one last desperate hand. He and a small contingent of Loyalists managed to teleport aboard the Traitors' command ship, commandeered it and escaped to Ultramar.Dantioch ultimately gave his life to protect the alien artefact known as the Pharos on the world of Sotha from being seized by a contingent of the Night Lords Traitor Legion in their attempt to reunify their scattered forces in the wake of the Thramas Crusade. |
Barabas Dantioch - History: Warsmith Barabas Dantioch once commanded the 51st Expeditionary Fleet of the Iron Warriors Legion during the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium. He was the favoured son of his Primarch Perturabo due to his supreme tactical acumen and skill at building formidable fortifications. Commanding the 51st Expeditionary Fleet, Warsmith Dantioch led a large Iron Warriors contingent against a massive xenos incursion known as the Vulpa Straits Hrud Migration. Upon the Fortress World of Gholgis the Hrud infiltrated and destroyed the Iron Warriors garrison. The intense entropic fields generated by the migratory Hrud swarms caused stone to age and brought flesh to ruin, turning the Astartes warriors into so much dust and bones, rusting their armour and jamming their Bolters as the Iron Warriors' fortress crumbled all about them. Only then did the rachidian beasts creep out of every nook and crevice to attack, stabbing and slicing with their venomous claws. This left Warsmith Dantioch prematurely aged and crippled. Very few survivors made it out alive when Stormbirds extracted the survivors from the remains of Gholgis. Many of the Astartes died from premature aging or were left in aged, superhuman bodies. In the Hrud Migration's aftermath, the worlds of Krak Fiorina, Stratopolae and Gholghis were lost. The Warsmith questioned Primarch Perturabo's prosecution of the Hrud extermination campaign, which left half a Grand Company dead. Dantioch soon found himself relieved from command of the 51st Expeditionary Fleet and permanently garrisoned on the world of Lesser Damantyne for his presumption.After the incident, Dantioch chose to wear no helmet, for his face and skull were enclosed within an iron mask he had crafted. The faceplate was a work of brutal beauty, an interpretation of the IVth Legion's badge, the very same iron mask symbol that adorned his shoulder. It was whispered that Dantioch had worn the mask immediately after he pulled it glowing from the forge, the better to hammer it into shape around his shaven skull. He then plunged head and iron mask alike into ice water, fixing the beaten metal in place forever around his equally grim features. Dantioch left the 51st Expedition to garrison the world of Lesser Damantyne, becoming the planner and architect of the superbly constructed Schadenhold fortress on that world. After the triple disasters of Gholghis, Stratopolae and Krak Fiorina the name of Dantioch and his legacy was utterly expunged and his name became a byword for failure on an epic scale within the IVth Legion.During the many months the small Iron Warriors detachment garrisoned the planet, they heard disturbing rumours of the galaxy being conquered by the forces of the Warmaster Horus. Dantioch suspected that the bulk of the IVth Legion had willingly joined the traitorous Warmaster's cause. When Warsmith Krendl arrived at Lesser Damantyne with the 51st Expeditionary Fleet, he came to the Schadenhold with new orders for the Iron Warriors garrison. They were ordered by their Primarch to prepare for the Traitor Legions' offensive against Terra. Lesser Damantyne would be used as a resupply point for Horus' forces. Dantioch refused to acquiesce to his Primarch's orders for the Iron Warriors on Lesser Damantyne remained Loyalists and would not share in their traitorous brethren's damnation. Krendl vowed to destroy Dantioch's beloved fortress in the name of Horus.Unknown to Krendl, an interloper had clandestinely observed their meeting. Disguised as a hooded cleric, he lowered his hood to reveal his true identity. He was a brother Space Marine of the vaunted Ultramarines Legion, sent to Lesser Damantyne in order to recruit Warsmith Dantioch's art and expertise in the field of siegecraft. The Ultramarine's name was Tauro Nicodemus, and he was a Tetrach of Ultramar and Honour Guard to Roboute Guilliman himself. The Ultramarines Primarch knew of Dantioch's particular skills and suspected that they would be sorely needed. The Warmaster had exploited the weakness of the Iron Warriors' Primarch's pride. Dantioch's history with Perturabo was no secret. Lord Guilliman felt he too could rely on this same weakness.Nicodemus had also informed Dantioch of Horus' treachery and besmirched the IVth Legion with accusations of rebellion, heresy and murder. At first enraged by such baseless accusations, Dantioch was tempted to blow the Ultramarine from the Schadenhold's battlements. To prove his statements were true, Dantioch agreed to hear out his kindred's treason first hand. Once convinced of the Iron Warriors' betrayal of the Emperor, Dantioch inquired as to what Guilliman would have them do. Nicodemus looked upon the grim faces of those gathered within the chamber, and saw nothing but loyal servants of the Emperor. He informed Dantioch and the other Iron Warriors to hold their ground for as long as they could, for the efforts of a faithful few could slow the Traitors' advance, giving the Emperor time to fortify Terra for the coming storm and for Roboute Guilliman to cut through the confusion Horus had sown to prepare a Loyalist response.Dantioch commanded his meagre forces against the entire might of the 51st Expeditionary Fleet and the 14th Grand Company of the Iron Warriors for 366 solar days, until the Traitors deployed an Imperator-class Titan to destroy the Schadenhold. Just before the fortress fell, Dantioch and the surviving Loyalist Iron Warriors teleported aboard the Traitor's flagship and commandeered it. Tetrach Nicodemus convinced Dantioch that Roboute Guilliman still had need of such ingenuity and skill, for the Imperium was frail and an Iron Warrior's eye would spot such weakness and the good grace of his hand might make it strong once again. Dantioch then set course towards the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar with the aim of helping to fortify and defend it against the forces of the Traitor Legions. |
Barabas Dantioch - A New Purpose: Dantioch and his compatriots managed to arrive in the Realm of Ultramar before the Battle of Calth was initiated by the treacherous Word Bearers Legion. During the attack, the Dark Apostle Erebus managed to complete a blasphemous ritual on Calth's surface, which summoned a Ruinstorm to the galaxy's Eastern Fringe -- a monstrous Warp Storm larger and more destructive than anything space-faring humanity had witnessed since the days of the Age of Strife. It would split the void asunder, dividing the galaxy in two and rendering vast tracts of the Imperium impassable for centuries. The Five Hundred Worlds were unnavigable at this time except for the most high-risk enterprises. Trade and communication across the realm collapsed. Ultramar, as a single and admirable area of Imperial governance, was ruined. The Ruinstorm would also isolate and trap those Loyalist forces caught behind it like the Ultramarines, preventing them from coordinating their efforts and supporting one another as the Traitor Legions moved towards Terra.Barabas Dantioch, Warsmith of the Iron Warriors, was technically a Traitor. He was a Traitor to the Throne of Terra, because his IVth Legion had crossed the line and sided with the Renegade Warmaster Horus. Simultaneously, he was a Traitor to his own Legion, because he had foresworn the Iron Warriors and decided to stand with the Loyalists. He stood alone, besieged by the conflicting loyalties of the new, riven Imperium. For his excellence in siegecraft, and his staunch loyalty to the Emperor, Barabas Dantioch had been recruited by the Lords of Ultramar to help them construct and defend the greatest contingency plan, and perhaps the second greatest heresy, the Imperium had ever known -- Imperium Secundus. Dantioch stoically accepted the challenge. He had supposed that he would be employed in fortifying the physical defences of Macragge and other key worlds of Ultramar, for this was his forte.Then Roboute Guilliman had revealed to him the long-sequestered mysteries of Sotha, and Dantioch had realised that the survival of a pocket empire like Ultramar lay less in fortifying its physical defences and far, far more in strengthening its function and operation. Sotha was a far-flung world close to the edge of the galaxy's Eastern Fringe, almost at the limits of both the fiefdom of the Five Hundred Worlds and the span of all Imperial territory. It was one of the few Terra-comparable ecosystems discovered so far out in the galactic east during the Great Crusade. Imperial surveyors of the world had discovered something amazing beneath Mount Pharos, the tallest of all the peaks in the planet's majestic mountain ranges. A survey mission conducted by both archaeologists and xenoculturists discovered a massive aperture constructed by an unknown xenos species. Known as the Pharos, the interior spaces of the large archaic device were cut from the mountain's living rock by processes that no one had been able to explain. Dantioch spent over nine solar months unlocking Sotha's mysteries and activating the planet's deep-time secrets. Dantioch agreed absolutely with the Primarch's assessment -- Sotha offered a way in which they might overcome the Ruinstorm rather than batten down against its wrath.Dantioch and the Ultramarines descended into the vast chambers of the Pharos on pre-fabricated walkways of STC design to provide platforms, ladders, stairs and bridges that would allow humans to traverse and explore the almost endless interior of the Pharos. During their explorations they discovered a central chamber, later known as Primary Location Alpha, which Dantioch was convinced was the centre of the entire mechanism. Dantioch took to referring to it in his notes as the "tuning stage" or the "sounding board". He had been fairly confident that he understood the function of the Pharos even from the data he had studied before his arrival on Sotha. The Pharos was part of an ancient interstellar navigation system, both a beacon and route-finder, and it also permitted instantaneous communication across unimaginable distances. Unlike Imperial Warp technology that used the Immaterium to by-pass realspace, the quantum function of the Pharos once allowed for site-to-site teleportation, perhaps through a network of gateways. Its fundamental function lay not with psychic energy, but with empathic power.Dantioch also believed that other way stations like the Pharos still existed, or once did, on other worlds throughout the galaxy. It was not one, single beacon like the Astronomican. Dantioch believed the Pharos and other stations like it were once used to create a network of navigational pathways between stars, as opposed to a single, range-finding point the way the Astronomican did. It was more like a lantern than a beacon. The Pharos could be tuned and pointed, illuminating a site or location for the benefit of range-finding. Though Roboute Guilliman was loathe to use xenos technology, Ultramar had to be held together, and to rebuild the Five Hundred Words, they had to restore communication and travel links by piercing and banishing the current age of darkness. Utilising the Pharos' strange abilities, Dantioch was able to illuminate Macragge, lighting it up as a bright spot that was visible throughout realspace and the Warp, despite the effects of the Ruinstorm, providing a directional beacon for navigation in the absence of the Astronomican. |
Barabas Dantioch - A Light in the Darkness: From the heart of the Ruinstorm they came, over hours, then days, then weeks: lone voidships, wounded vessels, broken flotillas and piecemeal fleets. Some of these ships brought much needed imports and materials from the other Five Hundred Worlds. All brought news, or pieces of news of Horus' rebellion. Many were warships of Guilliman's own Legion, storm-lost on their way back from the Underworld War raging on Calth, or the bitter campaign against the Traitor sons that snarled across Ultramar as a whole. Some carried more of the Shattered Legions -- the Iron Hands, Raven Guard and a handful of Salamanders -- survivors of the treachery of the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V.It was later discovered that the Pharos possibly possessed some sort of sentience. Dantioch first discovered this by-product of its process when he was conducting his daily communique with the Imperial Fists Captain Alexis Polux, a survivor of the Battle of Phall, who had been drawn to Ultramar by the strange navigational light of the Pharos. When the Dark Angels' entire expeditionary fleet arrived at Macragge, drawn by the light of the Pharos, they carried with them a most dangerous prisoner -- the murderous Konrad Curze, Primarch of the Night Lords Legion. The Night Lords Primarch and some of his Astartes had been captured months earlier aboard the Dark Angels flagship Invincible Reason, but somehow the Night Haunter had effected his escape. Over the next four solar months he managed to stay one step ahead of his pursuers within the bowels of the mighty warship. Once the Dark Angels had arrived in Ultramarran space, Curze managed to make his way down to the surface of Macragge in order to spread as much murder and mayhem amongst the populace as possible. The majority of the Night Haunter's murderous spree occurred behind the supposedly impenetrable walls of the Lord Macragge's mighty citadel, the Magna Macragge Civitas.During his daily communication briefing with Captain Pollux, Dantioch had empathically detected the presence of the Night Haunter, and quickly warned the Imperial Fist of his impending attack. Utilising the communication field of the Pharos, the empathic resonance enabled Dantioch to detect Konrad Curze in the darkness and forewarn Polux before each of the Renegade Primarch's impending strikes. Then, when his life was in true jeopardy, Dantioch wanted to save him, and so, he reached out and took the hand of the fallen Imperial Fist, and pulled him through into the massive chamber of Primary Location Alpha on Sotha. When both Primarchs Guilliman and Lion El'Jonson confronted the Night Haunter a short while later, and their lives, too, were imperiled, both Polux and Dantioch were able to pull the Primarchs through the Pharos, saving them from certain death. |
Barabas Dantioch - Battle of Sotha: Following their defeat at the hands of the Dark Angels at Tsagualsa, remnants of the Night Lords Legion followed the strange beacon they detected in the Warp, which guided them safely to the world of Sotha. Over many solar months, the Night Lords secretly gathered intelligence on the suspicious activities of the Ultramarines, and soon discovered the nature of the arcane device, named the Pharos, upon the restricted planet.The Night Lords launched a surprise assault upon the lightly garrisoned world, intent on seizing the Pharos in order to use it to determine the location of their flagship, the Nightfall, as well as the whereabouts of their missing Primarch Konrad Curze. In the ensuing battle, Warsmith Dantioch sacrificed himself by overloading the Pharos, so that the Night Lords would be unable to utilise the device's powerful empathic abilities. The far-reaching consequences this had for the galaxy would not come to pass for another ten millennia -- with the arrival of the Tyranid Hive Fleets, drawn like moths to a candle across the intergalactic void by the Pharos' powerful beacon. |
Barbarossa Crusade - Barbarossa Crusade: Barbarossa CrusadeImperial CrusadeBlack TemplarsSpace MarineChapterBarbarossa IVOrksHive WorldArmageddonThird War for ArmageddonChaosThe Black Templar Crusade forces under the command of Castellan Hermann fought to cleanse the Chapter Keep of both the Greenskins and the Chaos taint, which had manifested in the form of a daemonic intrusion and the Chaotic corruption of the Black Templars garrison which had held the keep.The Black Templars eventually crushed the threat, eliminated the Warp-taint and their Renegade Battle-Brothers and recaptured their ruined keep. The Astartes then moved on to eradicate the remaining Ork forces on the world. |
Barbarus - Barbarus: The Feral World of Barbarus was the homeworld of the Primarch Mortarion and the former Legion planet of the traitorous Death Guard Space Marine Legion.Like the homeworlds of all the Traitor Legions, it was ultimately destroyed by an Exterminatus action carried out by Cyclonic Torpedoes just before the end of the Horus Heresy by the Dark Angels Legion because of the sheer levels of Chaos corruption that prevailed upon its surface. |
Barbarus - The Poisonous World: Of all the worlds upon which the Primarchs were scattered, few were as terrible or forlorn a place as damned Barbarus. This Feral World orbited near a dim yellow sun in the Segmentum Tempestus, which created a thick, miasmic atmosphere of toxic chemicals. The most virulent of these gases rose through Barbarus' perpetual clouds towards the heat of its star, making the world beneath a dismal place of night, unbroken by starlight and possessed of short, shadowy days.Very little can be said for certain about this remote and baleful planet, or the Primarch Mortarion's formative years spent there as it appears even at the time of his finding the truth was carefully edited and obscured by the hand of the Emperor Himself. What consistent information can be gleaned now of Barbarus and the Death Guard Primarch's story have a singe source, the so-called Stygian Scrolls of Lackland Thorn, authored by the famed and disreputable Remembrancer. He was a historian attached to the Crusade Fleet that breached the dark nebula that surrounded Barbarus.The world on which the young Mortarion fell was the very epitome of the terrors which had befallen Mankind during the long night of the Age of Strife -- a domain of savage, alien overlords who ruled over an entrapped and preyed-upon human population as cruel as terrible gods. The only atmosphere breathable by humans existed only in the lowest elevations, on flat moors and in the valley basins of the jagged, stony mountains which spined the world. These unknown alien overlords were immune to the toxic soup of the planet's upper atmosphere, building great keeps of grey stone in the mountain fastnesses.When humans first settled Barbarus, the horrific environmental conditions from which they had to eke out survival quickly reduced them to a pre-feudal state. The higher beings' incomprehensible Warp-based powers, their ability to survive where men could not, and above all their hunger to prey upon and experiment with humankind, caused the settlers to ascribe to those beings a medieval supernaturalism and an evil animus. The true nature of these dark overlords, beyond their obvious connection to the dark entities of the Empyrean, will likely never be known. |
Barbarus - The Coming of Mortarion: After the Emperor of Mankind's 20 Primarchs were scattered across the galaxy from Terra through the Warp still in their gestation capsules by the actions of the Chaos Gods, they came to rest on many different human-inhabited colony worlds. The Stygian Scrolls record the fate of one of these Primarchs, Mortarion:"There was one who came to rest on a bleak moor, strewn with the dead and scattered with the carnage of battle for leagues in every direction. This was the world of Barbarus. A planet perpetually shrouded in poisonous fog, whose mountainous crags were ruled by warlords with fantastic powers and horrific appetites, and whose human settlers, stranded there millennia before, were crowded into the lowest valleys, beneath the choking mists. They lived lives of unrelenting terror, eking out a peasant's existence by day beneath a dim sun which never burned completely through the fog, and cowering by firelight after dark from the terrible beings which moved unseen above."The greatest of these overlords stood in triumph on the battlefield, reveling in his massacre until the silence was shattered by a child's cry. Legend tells that the warlord walked the sea of corpses for a day and a night in his creaking battle armour, drawn by the wail of the infant. For an instant, he considered ending its young life; but no mere human ought to be able to breathe the poisonous miasma of the heights of Barbarus, much less cry out as this child did.For long moments he contemplated this thing which appeared to be human but was clearly much more; then he gathered up the infant and carried him from the carnage. For all his dark power, until that moment he had not had what this child now promised: a son and heir. Born of death, upon a field of death, the warlord christened the infant Mortarion: the child of death.When Mortarion was taken by the overlord, his master tested the infant's limits. When he had determined precisely how high into the toxic clouds of Barbarus's peaks the child could survive, he erected a stony keep and fenced it behind black iron. Then he moved his own manse beyond, to the highest crag, where the atmosphere was deadly even to the nascent Primarch.Mortarion grew to adolescence in such a world, of citadels of weeping grey stone and cast-iron fences, where the very air was death, and the sun never more than a distant smudge. It was a world of constant war, against opposing lords who came with golem armies of stitched-together dead one day, then tormented shapeshifters, more monsters than men, the next.The Primarch was shaped by his grim environs, but he was a child of the Emperor for all that - superhumanly resilient to the poisonous air around him and superhumanly strong even in the absence of sufficient sunlight or nourishment. Mortarion possessed an intellect which was highly keen and which asked questions his lord was not wont to answer.Increasingly, the questions centred around the fragile things in the valleys below, which the warlords preyed upon for their corpses to reanimate, or victims to accurse. His master kept Mortarion as distant from the human settlements as he could, but his very act of denial fed the maturing Primarch's obsession. The day finally came when Mortarion would be denied no longer. Mortarion slipped through the dungeons from his keep.The last thing he heard was the voice of the overlord, the only father he had known, roaring in the miasmic darkness from the high battlements as Mortarion descended from the mountain, renouncing the Primarch for his betrayal, warning Mortarion that to return would mean death. |
Barbarus - Birthright: Descending beneath the mists was a revelation to Mortarion; his lungs were filled with air free of poisons for the first time. He smelled aromas of food being prepared, of crops freshly harvested, heard voices unmuffled by fog and, for the first time, heard laughter. The young Primarch realised that he was among his own kind, that the "fragile prey" of the warlords were his own people. And with the realisation came rage. He was determined to bring them the justice denied them by the dark powers which moved above.Mortarion's acceptance amongst the human settlers of Barbarus was no simple thing. However like them he felt himself to be, to them he was little different from the monsters above. Towering over even the tallest of his fellow Barbarans, gaunt and pallid, with hollow, haunted eyes which betrayed the horrors he had seen, Mortarion terrified most of the settlers.They looked upon him with suspicion and fear. It stung the young Primarch, but he bided his time, using his great strength to work the fields for their meager harvest, knowing that his opportunity to prove himself would come. When it did in the twilight hours, he was ready. |
Barbarus - Savior of Barbarus: The village was eventually attacked by a lesser lord and his corpse-thralls. The villagers fought back with their farmer's tools and torches but were unable to prevent the shambling creatures from carrying out their master's dark purposes. Mortarion strode forth, a large two-handed starveling scythe in his hands, and charged into the ranks of the enemy and annihilated them with his Primarch-borne rage.Their dark lord smiled at Mortarion as the Primarch neared, withdrawing into the poisonous heights where he thought this rebellious human could never reach him. He was still wearing his contemptuous smile when Mortarion caught up with him on the mountainside and exacted his vengeance for the 'fragile prey' below. After that night, Mortarion's place among the settlers was never in doubt.As he matured, Mortarion taught the settlers of Barbarus what he knew of warfare. Word of his exploits spread, and many others made the perilous journey to learn. Slowly, villages became strongpoints, and the villagers more effective defenders. Eventually, Mortarion went amongst the people, traveling from settlement to settlement, teaching, building and, when occasion demanded, defending them. Always, however, his ultimate justice was denied; the dark powers could always retreat into the impregnable bulwark of their poisonous mists. His people could only fight in defense. That had to change.Mortarion recruited the toughest, most resilient of Barbarus' population, forming them into small units which he drilled himself, teaching them not only defence but also attack. He turned blacksmiths from tool-working to weapons-making when time allowed, and crafters to the shaping of armour. And, with the best artificers he could find, he bent his formidable intellect to the problem of the poisonous air. |
Barbarus - Rebellion: When one of the overlords descended from the poisonous fog blanketing the mountainous crags, the villagers not only managed to mount a successful defence, but were led by Mortarion into the poisonous fog where the overlord's army thought it would escape the marauding humans. Masked with crude filtering hoses and breathing apparatus, the Primarch led his retinue to bring death into the realm of death.They killed the warlord and massacred his army. The Primarch continued to improve the breathing apparatus of his "Death Guard," as his retinue of warriors came to be known, campaigning ever higher into the dark overlord's domain. Encountering ever more virulent pestilence, the constant exposure to the higher doses of toxins toughened the Death Guard. These traits would eventually prove to be transferable to each new iteration of the Death Guard, building up their legendary resilience to the poisonous toxins and studiedly harsher environments that they encountered.Mortarion and his Death Guard warred for solar months across the poisonous spine of Barbarus, until only one grim, but very familiar manse stood against them. The concentration of poisonous toxins was such that they threatened to overcome the Death Guard and the Primarch himself, forcing him to withdrew. Upon his return, however, his world was destined to once again spin out of his control. |
Barbarus - The Emperor Arrives: Mortarion and his brethren arrived to find the village alive unlike he had ever known it. On everyone's lips was word of the arrival of a stranger, a great benefactor who brought promise of salvation. The Primarch's mood darkened; this day of deliverance was one he had worked for all his life, and he found himself altogether unhappy to see it co-opted by the arrival of some newcomer of uncertain agenda.The Primarch entered the hall and saw the stranger, who was opposite in every imaginable way, seated at the banquet table. The stranger was robust with bronzed flesh and possessed an utterly perfect physique, whereas the people of Barbarus were gaunt, unhealthy-looking and pale. Despite the affect wrought upon him by Barbarus' poisons, the connection between the new benefactor and their defender was nevertheless plain to them all.As plain as father and son. However, Mortarion was oblivious to any connection. He greeted the stranger with barely masked hostility, which quickly turned to outright anger at the stranger's utter unflappability. Angry, Mortarion declared that he and his Death Guard needed no help to finish their quest for justice.It is said that the benefactor quietly challenged the stormy young Primarch's assertion, pointing out the Death Guard's failure to reach the last high citadel, and then threw down a gauntlet. If Mortarion could defeat the high overlord alone, he would withdraw and leave Barbarus to its own means. But if he failed, they would join his Imperium of Man and Mortarion would swear total fealty and allegiance to him.Over the protests of his Death Guard, he spun on his heel and struck out alone for the last manse standing against him, the keep of the overlord he had called father. Mortarion climbed ever higher, driven by the inevitability of the imminent conflict with his once master, driven by his desire to bring final justice for the people of his world. However he was mostly motivated by a compulsion to prove himself to the stranger below.The confrontation, when it finally came, was mercilessly brief. Mortarion, choking in air so toxic that the hoses of his protective breathing gear began to rot away, struggled to the very gates of the overlord's citadel, calling out his defiance. The last thing he saw as he fell to his knees, the world turning grey as he was overcome, was the Overlord of Barbarus coming for him, to fulfill the promise he had made generations before. Then the mighty stranger stepped between them, defying the death-fog, and felled the overlord with a single blow of his gleaming power sword. |
Barbarus - The Death Guard: Mortarion was true to his oath. When he recovered, he bent his knee to the stranger and swore himself and the Death Guard to his service. Only then did the Emperor of Man reveal Himself as the young Primarch's true father, and the destiny such service would bring: command of the XIV Legion of the Legiones Astartes, the Space Marines.The XIV Legion were already known as the "Dusk Raiders." The Space Marines that had been created from his genetic material had already developed their signature strategy; attacking their foes at nightfall, thus earning them this moniker. The Dusk Raiders' Power Armour was storm-grey in colour whilst their right arm and one or both shoulder plates were painted crimson. This was done with the intent to symbolically show their enemies what they truly were -- the Emperor's red right hand, relentless and unstoppable. Many enemies would throw down their weapons the moment the sun dipped beneath the horizon, rather than dare to fight them.Mortarion changed the name of the Legion to the Death Guard after the name of the military force he had raised on his homeworld of Barbarus to overthrow the rule of that feudal world's necromantic warlords. He began to enlarge the Legion's ranks with men taken from the population of Barbarus. Upon first seeing them he told them: "You are my unbroken blades. You are the Death Guard." The Legion's name was then changed in accordance with this decree. |
Barbarus - The Fate of Barbarus: Barbarus was destroyed by the Dark Angels Legion in an Exterminatus action carried out with Cyclonic Torpedoes shortly before the start of the Siege of Terra. When Mortarion learned of his homeworld's death, he showed little emotion, though the destruction of their homeworld led many Astartes of the Death Guard Legion to hope to carry out a similar extermination upon the Dark Angels' world of Caliban following their expected victory over the Emperor. |
Barbarus - Plague Planet: Within the Eye of Terror, Mortarion claimed the world which would become known as the "Plague Planet" as his own; its location near the fabric of reality was ideal for launching new strikes into the Imperium and across the galaxy.He shaped it so satisfactorily and defended it with his Plague Marines so well that his patron, Nurgle the Plague Lord, elevated the primarch to daemonhood as a Daemon Prince and gave Mortarion what the Emperor had denied him, and what Horus had not been able to provide: a world of his own. Mortarion became the overlord of a world of poison, horror and misery. He had come home.Since his elevation to daemonhood, Mortarion has, consciously or not, remade the Plague Planet very much in Barbarus' image. Its citizens cower in festering villages on the planet's surface, serving their supreme masters, Mortarion's champions and other daemonic servants of Nurgle who reside in mighty fortress-citadels high above them. Diseased things which should be dead, yet are not, roam the landscape, and skeletal Mortarion rules over all, enthroned upon the highest peak of the world. |
Barbarus - Canon Conflict: In the novel Lords of Silence it is said that Barbarus was destroyed after the Horus Heresy by virus bombs dropped by the Imperial forces as they scoured all the Traitor Legion homeworlds from existence.However the novella Dreadwing and the novel The Buried Dagger explained that Barbarus had been destroyed before the end of the Heresy by the actions of the Dark Angels as described above. |
Bards of Twilight - Bards of Twilight: The Bards of Twilight are an order of mystical Craftworld Aeldari poets and storytellers. They are tasked with reciting the ancient Aeldari epic poem known as the Asuryata once in each generation.The tale is composed of many well-known parables intended to pass on important teachings about life and Aeldari culture. The Asuryani use the text to derive guiding principles for both their day-to-day lives and their military campaigns. |
Barghesi - Barghesi: The Barghesi, also spelled Bhargesi in some Imperial texts, are an extraordinarily aggressive and violent intelligent alien species that inhabits the Grendl Stars region of the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy in the Imperium Nihilus.Three thousand standard years ago, in the 38th Millennium, the Iron Lords Chapter of Space Marines managed to contain the Barghesi within the Grendl Stars cluster and also prevented the Tyranid Hive Fleet Kraken from entering the region and harvesting the genetic potential of the Barghesi for use in new Tyranid bioforms.The Barghesi are such a violent species that the Drukhari sometimes raid their worlds and take slaves that are used by the Drukhari Beastmasters as opponents in the blood-stained gladiatorial arenas of Commorragh, their Dark City within the extradimensional confines of the Webway.If Hive Fleet Kraken were to defeat the Imperial defenders in the War for the Aberrus System, the Ordo Xenos fears that the Kraken would sweep into the Grendl Stars and seal the fate of the entire Eastern Fringe. |
Baroda - Baroda: Baroda was an Imperial Knight World located in the Grail Abyss at the extreme northern border of the Segmentum Obscurus and the Imperium itself. Before the Age of Strife Baroda was a populous world, rich in minerals and home to dozens of Knight houses which would dramatically decay and go on to destroy themselves in internecine warfare.Baroda is perhaps best known for being the former homeworld of the infamous and ill-reputed House Makabius, which committed countless atrocities alongside the Traitor Death Guard Legion throughout the Cyclops Cluster. The planet was abandoned early on in the Horus Heresy, forcibly evacuated and stripped of its resources and manpower by the orders of the sinister Death Guard Primarch Mortarion in 007.M31. |
Baroda - History: One of the many Knight Worlds seeded towards the end of the Dark Age of Technology, Baroda was a terrestrial type world with a variegated climate possessed by the typical saurid megafauna associated with such worlds. Isolated within the grip of the Grail Abyss, Baroda was spared from outside influence and alien assault during the Age of Strife, but suffered from a propensity to terrible climatic storms.Having been colonised during the Age of Technology, most of Baroda's easily accessible mineral resources had been exploited in millennia past, resulting in a ever-increasing lack of resources which led in turn to frequent clashes between its Knight houses for power and control.This lack of resources ultimately kindled a full-scale war between the Knight houses for the possessions of the last bore mines and storm-proof fortress refineries, many Barodan Knights being now powered by reverse-engineered petro-chem engines. This civil war would last for Terran centuries, ending only in 831.M30, with the fall of the last stronghold of House Wentorth, leaving House Makabius as the sole ruler over Baroda's storm-tossed oceans.By the time Baroda was reclaimed by the Imperium, even the surviving House Makabius Knights who had won the civil war had been reduced to fossil fuel-burning, ill-repaired hybrids of what had come before. While re-joining the Imperium and contact with the Mechanicum rejuvenated Baroda's technology and gave it a place in something far greater, its isolation in the Grail Abyss still served to keep it far from regular contact and influence.This integration wasn't however obtained peacefully, as the warlike and proud House Makabius refused to simply submit to these strangers from another world. Battle was joined at Arbren Moor, where the Astartes of the Imperial Fists Legion swiftly defeated the pride of House Makabius' Knights in a ritual battle. Lauded for their tenacity by the victors, but ultimately denied an important role at the forefront of the Great Crusade due to its neglected state, House Makabius was left with no other choice than to stay behind on their homeworld and slowly rebuild.In the standard years that followed, the flower of Baroda's noble youth fled the world, its young Knights joining the forces of the Great Crusade as Questoris, never to return; many turned Freeblade if they were forbidden by their embittered lords in a vain attempt to stall the exodus. Tensions mounted between House Makabius and the recently rediscovered House Vyronii, which they saw as rivals for the patronage of the Forge World of Mezoa to whom both houses looked for supplies and new equipment, particularly new Knight armours.Open war was purely avoided by the Makabius' lack of interstellar transportation and functional Knight armours. It would be then that one of the exiled Knights of the Makabius, Markan Hrotham, would distinguish himself, drawing the Warmaster Horus' gaze upon him and his house. Already turned Traitor, it would prove simplicity itself for Horus and his agents to prey upon the collective resentment of House Makabius and make them renounce their oaths of fealty to the Emperor.With the Warmaster's new favours, Baroda and House Makabius entered a short period of prosperity. As would later be realised by the Imperial Historicae Department, the military build-up of House Makabius would be part of the opening moves of Horus' rebellion and was achieved shortly before the Isstvan III Atrocity. Having denounced its ties with Mezoa, new Knight armours and weapons flowed from the Warmaster's Dark Mechanicum allies to Baroda, and House Makabius quickly grew stronger.As the Imperium tore itself apart in the catastrophic events of the Heresy, House Makabius naturally sided with their new patron and benefactor, the Traitor Warmaster Horus Lupercal. In the closing days of 006.M31 the war reached the Coronid Deeps. By then Baroda was already on a war-footing, eager to cover itself in glory in this new war that now erupted across the Imperium.This did not lessen the shock when instead of the Warmaster's personal patronage, Mortarion the Reaper, primarch of the Death Guard, came bearing the personal seal of the Warmaster, and claimed House Makabius' oaths of servitude and had them join his dread fleet. Under the order of the Warmaster, Baroda was stripped of everything useful it had to offer: mineral resources, fossil fuel, machinery, manpower and the military might of House Makabius and its retainer forces. Departing rapidly thereafter, the newly combined fleet headed to the Cyclops Cluster to begin a path of massacre, genocides and atrocities that would take it all the way to sacred Terra in the final battle of the Heresy. |
Barracuda - Barracuda: The Barracuda air superiority fighter is the most common atmospheric combat aircraft used by the T'au Air Caste.Faster than the Imperial Navy's Marauder bomber, but lacking the high maximum speed of the Thunderbolt or Lightning fighter, it makes up for this lack with its sophisticated electronic systems and the natural talents of its T'au Air Caste pilots.In a dogfight, the Thunderbolt and the Barracuda are very closely matched, with the Thunderbolt having the edge in speed, and the Barracuda having the greater manoeuverability.Imperial pilots of the Aeronautica Imperialis often have a hard edge of combat experience that the pilots of the Air Caste find hard to match, though the superior handling and armament of the Barracuda often proves decisive in encounters between T'au and Imperial combat aircraft.Utilising the natural advantages of its Air Caste pilots, the Barracuda excels in its main role as an air-to-air combat interceptor. Barracuda are commonly used by the T'au to intercept enemy fighter squadrons that are assaulting T'au ground forces, attack enemy air transports and their fighter escorts on their way to the front, and escort T'au transports such as Orcas and Mantas as they deploy Hunter Cadres.Barracudas are also commonly tasked with carrying out ground attacks in direct support of Hunter Cadres and providing overall air support for T'au ground forces in combat.Barracudas often strafe and harass enemy troop movements and also disrupt enemy supply lines and bases, which was common during the Taros Campaign. Barracudas are also capable of operating in the hard void of space, where they fulfill the Attack Craft role for the T'au Navy.Barracudas can be transported through interstellar space via larger Warp-capable carrier vessels such as the Custodian, Protector, and Emissary-class starships. |
Barracuda - History: The T'au forces deployed to seize control of the former Imperial Mining World of Taros during the Taros Campaign in 998.M41 included a large contingent from the Air Caste which formed an integral part of the T'au's overall strategy for securing victory.Winning the air war against the Imperial Navy was vital to the T'au's plans, and Barracudas and Thunderbolts fought daily for control of the skies. Flying from well-concealed desert air bases on the Iracunda Isthmus, the Barracudas eventually won the battle.As well as engaging in dogfights, the Barracudas also targeted the Astra Militarum's supply columns, operating in unison with infiltrating Pathfinder teams to destroy Trojans and the supplies vital to keeping the Astra Militarum fighting.Due to these severe losses, Imperial troops on the frontlines quickly began to run out of basic supplies such as water, causing much of the Imperial offensive to grind to a halt.Imperial Guardsmen on the ground also faced the ever-present danger of low-level Barracuda strafing attacks where the T'au fighters would commonly slip low over the desert, hugging valleys and ridge lines only to rise suddenly in a whirl of firepower that raked the sand and sent everybody diving for the nearest cover. Although exact figures are unknown, it is thought by the Imperial Navy that the T'au Air Caste deployed an estimated 150 aircraft on Taros.The most deadly Barracuda pilots encountered so far by the Imperium are those whose squadron name is believed to translate into Low Gothic as "the Gift of Silence." This single Barracuda squadron has thus far accounted for the loss of 27 Imperial bombers and 18 interceptors. It has also claimed an Astra Militarum Tetrarch Heavy Lander as it made planetfall, resulting in the loss of an entire Imperial Guard regiment.Barracudas have also been fielded in large numbers in the Canis Salient of the Jericho Reach, to try and achieve air superiority over the many conflict zones against Imperial forces in the Achilus Crusade. |
Barracuda - Armament: A Barracuda is armed with a nose-mounted, pilot-aimed Ion Cannon. This is the aircraft's primary weapon for use in dogfights, backed up by two Drone-controlled Burst Cannons in the wings which can also be used as effective anti-infantry weapons during strafing runs.For ground attacks, the Barracuda is armed with wing-mounted Missile Pods built into the chassis and can also carry an additional armament of up to four Seeker Missiles which are not controlled by the pilot, but by a Marker Light operator on the ground. Barracudas are also equipped with a Targeting Array as standard for improved accuracy.Different Air Caste Septs have been identified operating slightly different versions of the Barracuda. Some are equipped with Blacksun Filters for night-fighting, whilst others with Disruption Pods and Decoy Launchers for additional protection.All T'au pilots are derived from the T'au Empire's Air Caste. Air Caste members live almost exclusively off-world in orbital space stations and habitats where, over time, their long-term exposure to lower gravity has affected their physiognomy.This means that even when operating in a gravity well, the pilots of the Air Caste have developed superior three-dimensional awareness and marginally better tolerance for high rates of acceleration and extreme gravitational effects at high speeds than that of their human opponents.Physically, this makes a T'au pilot naturally better suited to the rigours of air-to-air combat than a Human pilot, able to make tighter turns and hold them longer while being capable of pushing the gravity envelope further.The Barracuda's design is similar to the general design of most T'au aircraft, being low and thin in height with a relatively large wingspan that deploys weapons such as Missile Pods and mounted drone-controlled Burst Cannons. The aircraft's armour is made of the same unknown nano-crystalline alloy used in many other T'au vehicles and aircraft.The shape of the Barracuda's airframe is highly aerodynamic, which allows it to perform feats of manoeuverability that Imperial aircraft simply cannot match. While this leaves it more fragile than its ground attack counterparts the Sun Shark and Razorshark, it also allows it to engage in aerial duels with enemy fighters very effectively.The Barracuda features advanced electronic and avionic systems that achieve faster target locks than the Imperial Thunderbolt. The T'au aircraft's greater manoeuverability is combined with the natural adaptation of Air Caste pilots to produce a craft that is extremely nimble and agile in flight, providing it an often decisive advantage in aerial dogfights.The design of the Barracuda also includes a built-in escape pod. In the event that the aircraft sustains mortal damage, the pilot can eject. The entire cockpit capsule disconnects and provides limited anti-gravitic mobility that can return the pilot safely to the ground. However, once on the ground, the pilot must look to their own resources to make good their escape and avoid capture or death at the hands of the enemy's ground forces. |
Barracuda - Upgrades: Barracudas can also be equipped with any of the following T'au vehicle support systems:Automated Repair System - Automated Repair Systems consist of dispensers which release tiny maintenance Drones which swarm over damaged weapon and drive systems, repairing them in the midst of battle.Advanced Targeting System - An Advanced Targeting System assists the vehicle's gunner by identifying targets of particular value or danger, and plotting fire plans to counter them.Blacksun Filter - Blacksun Filters allow the vehicle's gunners to accurately see and target enemies in low-light conditions.Decoy Launchers - Decoy Launchers are a form of defensive measure that is mounted near the engines. They are capable of firing clouds of reflective strips and sophisticated electronic decoys, which are combined with flare and chaff launchers to protect the vehicle's thruster arrays from enemy missiles.Disruption Pod - Disruption Pods display distorting holographic images in the visual and electromagnetic spectra to make the vehicle harder to target.Point Defence Targeting Relay - Designed to provide superior covering fire for nearby Fire Caste units, a Point Defence Targeting Relay automatically targets and engages enemies that try to assault the vehicle or nearby friendly units.Sensor Spines - Sensor Spines feed data to an advanced ground-following flight control system. This allows the vehicle to avoid hazardous terrain that could otherwise damage the vehicle's drive systems. |
Barracuda - Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus Technical Specifications: Serial Number:85673-908461Main Armament:Nose-mounted Ion Cannon, Wing-Mounted Missile PodsDesignation:Air Superiority FighterVehicle Codename:BarracudaSecondary Armament:Two Wing-Mounted Drone Controlled Burst CannonsVehicle Type:Atmospheric AircraftCrew:1: PilotTraverse:0°Weight:7 tonnes (empty)Elevation:+0° to -0°Length:11.4 metresAmmunition:8 Missiles, 8000 RoundsWidth:12.5 metresArmour Type:35 millimetres of Nano-Crystalline Alloy, Composition Unknown to the Adeptus MechanicusHeight:3.25 metresMax Recorded Speed:2100 kilometres per hour at 5000 feet; cruising speed 1400 kilometres per hourSummary:Frontline Combat Aircraft; also carries Seeker Missile racks |
Barracuda - Sources: Aeronautica Imperialis, pp. 93-99Apocalypse (4th Edition), pg. 158Codex Tau Empire (6th Edition), pp. 72, 95Codex: Tau (3rd Edition) pp. 13, 15Deathwatch: Rites of Battle (RPG), pg. 192Imperial Armour Aeronautica, pg. 58Imperial Armour Apocalypse (2nd Edition), pg. 80Imperial Armour Update, pg. 30Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pp. 79, 194-197, 213-215, 28Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign (Second Edition), pp. 154-157Warhammer Community - Take to the Skies with the T'au Air Caste |
Barradan - Barradan: Barradan is a watch captain of the Deathwatch Chapter who is currently serving in the Fort Excalibris watch fortress in the Imperium Nihilus region of the Segmentum Obscurus.Barradan is one of the few Primaris Space Marines to have risen to that rank so far in the Era Indomitus. He has already distinguished himself in many battles with xenos forces. Such promotionshave proved strategically beneficial, for with their intrinsic understanding of Primaris infantry forces and Repulsor tanks, these watch captains have helped to fully integrate these weapons into the Deathwatch's arsenal. |
Barrage bomb - Barrage bomb: A barrage bomb is a type of Imperial voidship weapon used for orbital bombardments of planetary targets. It is essentially the same as an Imperial torpedo which has been modified for the destruction of ground-based targets rather than another voidship in ship-to-ship combat. Barrage bombs are used by the warships of the Navis Imperialis and the Punisher-class Strike Cruiser of the Adeptus Arbites. |
Barrier-tech - Barrier-tech: Barrier-tech, also spelled barrier tech, is the name given to the advanced technology employed by the Leagues of Votann that allows those Kin cloned with a psychoactive cloneskein, such as the Grimnyr and the Embyr, to access and manipulate the psychic energies of the Immaterium.The Kin are able to exploit Warpspace in a way few other starfaring peoples would risk, thanks to their hardened souls and the reliable protection offered by their advanced technologies. Even those Kin who carry the psychoactive cloneskein are not literal psykers in the true sense of the word as Humans would understand it. Like a shuttered lantern whose aperture has been opened a little wider, the souls of these psychoactive Kin shine just brightly enough to mesh with barrier-tech, such as Ancestral Warding Staves and Armour Crests known as Ancestral Ward Crests that can project psyker-like abilities.These devices come to life only at these psychoactive Kin's touch, emitting a soft thrum of power and glimmering with cold witchlight. It is through the careful use of barrier-tech devices like these that the Grimnyr and the Embyr manipulate the energies of the Warp to produce manifestations similar to those conjured into realspace by true psykers without facing the same risk of insanity, loss of control of their powers or Daemonic possession. |
Barrier-tech - Notable Barrier-tech: Ancestral Ward StaveAncestral Ward Crest |
Barrington J. Bayley - Barrington J. Bayley: Barrington J. Bayley was an author for Games Workshop's Black Library imprint. |
Barrington J. Bayley - Warhammer 40,000: Eye of Terror (1999, ISBN 1-84154-105-2)Children of the Emperor (Short Story) (1999, collected in Into the Maelstrom (Anthology) and Let the Galaxy Burn (Anthology))The Lives of Ferag Lion-Wolf (Short Story) (2001, collected in Dark Imperium (Anthology), Let the Galaxy Burn (Anthology), and There is Only War (Anthology))Battle of the Archaeosaurs (Short Story) (2001, Collected in Dark Imperium (Anthology) and Let the Galaxy Burn (Anthology))Hive Fleet Horror (Short Story) (2001, Collected in Dark Imperium (Anthology)) |
Barsapine - Barsapine: Barsapine is an Imperial Hive World located in the Adrantis Nebula Sub-sector within the vast Calixis Sector. The planet is tidally locked and does not rotate. Its magnetic western face is a burnt desert and warm winds sweep across the planet from the west.Barsapine is a dismal world of little importance in the grand scheme of the Calixis Sector, save for the parts for cogitators that its large, isolationist cities produce. The spaceport of Kephistron Altis, Baraspine's primary connection with the rest of the sector, is located along the ridge of the world that separates eternal night from eternal day, and suffers from eternal darkness, its streets warmed only by the fierce, hot winds from the sunward side and illuminated only by reflected light from the Gilded Cathedral. As a result, Kephistron Altis is a quiet, grey place of toil and Imperial religiosity. Barsapine's more interesting aspects are hidden below the surface –- its people are modest and fatalistic, rarely claiming any ambition, and tend to go about masked and cloaked so they can hide themselves from the Emperor's sight and not commit the prideful sin of seeking out His attention. Their true selves are revealed in private and among the planet's countless secret societies.Baraspine possesses seven continents, of which three are populated. Numerous smaller communities make up approximately half of the total population. The northern and southern polar regions typically communicate little with each other and the planet's history has included periods of war between the two.The cultural practices of the Imperial faithful on Barsapine are unique, to say the least. While the climate and solar cycle leave something to be desired by off-world visitors, once one becomes accustomed to the forced twenty-four segment day it becomes somewhat tolerable. Indeed, because there is no natural solar cycle on Barsapine, the local population have instead tied their artificial night and day to that of Terra, in the hopes that they may worship at the correct times. The population spends much of its time beneath the surface or indoors, depending on their location as sunward or starward, respectively. It is currently the fashion for both ladies and gentlemen to wear simple slate grey masks and hoods when in public. These fashions occasionally cycle, but are always characterised by muted colors. The nobility of Baraspine favours elaborate coverings, often bejeweled about the eyes and cheeks. Their hoods are also grey, and are often trimmed with fine gold or silver thread. |
Barsapine - Departmento Cartographicae Planetary Database: Principal Cities:Kephistron Altis (Spaceport)Kephistron Inferior (Northern Polar)Skaltine (Planetary Capital)Descrayne (Southern Polar)Governmental Type: Divinatory Thaumocracy. The regional leaders and the Planetary Governorship are decided by the representatives of the Soothsayers' College, who employ divination methods using the Emperor's Tarot.Planetary Governor: His Magnificence Ordus Malinar Vel Coronasse, Chosen of the Soothsayers' College.Adepta Presence: The presence of the official Imperial Adeptas on Baraspine is scant. There are some Arbitrators of the Adeptus Arbites (located in Skaltine and Kephistron Inferior), as well as a small Planetary Defence Force.Economy: Barsapine's principal production is Cogitator parts, which make up the majority of its Imperial tithe. The rest of the tithe consists of raw materials and manpower. Barsapine pottery is considered among the sector's finest and can command high prices from collectors. |
Barsapine - Notable Flora: Redux - This powerful psychoactive drug causes its victims to repeat the last moment of their actions until it wears off. The imbiber usually does not even notice that they have done anything odd. Common amongst the Baraspine nobility as a means to embarass their lessers, Redux can be deadly if given in large doses. Redux is distilled from the local sulfuric plant life that grows on the dark side of Barsapine. The plant grows near locations rich in underground magma pools or rivers and is only visible above ground as a single knee-high black reed about as big around as a man's finger. Rumours abound that a beast capable of surviving in the lava feeds upon these plants, but as of yet no expedition has successfully located such a creature. The thin reeds produce toxins as a waste product. Spaced metres apart, they can go unnoticed until it is too late. Large patches of the plant can cause travelers to become lost as they inhale the toxin without knowing it and simply continue to walk without stopping until they do not know where they are. The smell and taste of Redux is extremely potent, overpowering most food or drink. It tastes sweet, however, and in circles where it is used frequently bitter or sour foods become popular. However, once ingested via food it is likely that the target will continue laughing and eating, repeating the last bite until death unless the dose is closely monitored.Fervor - The sunward half of the tidally-locked world of Barsapine is inhospitable to life. The high winds and heat can scorch a man to death in a matter of hours. The only life found in this region, lying deep within the ground, is a winding vine known only to a small cult of Redemptionists. The "Gifted Fervor of the God-Emperor," as they call the plant, is both an ingredient for a potent drug and a right of passage. A devotee who wishes to prove his faith must walk into the wastelands with nothing more than a jar of water. He must return with the jar filled with the roots of the plant. Many attempting to prove their worth to the cult fail, and their bodies serve as grim markers of failure for future faithful. The drug Fervor is distilled from the plant, and taking the drug allows the cultists to move with nearly supernatural grace, as their joints and ligaments bend at unnatural angles. |
Barthol Van Voytz - Barthol Van Voytz: Lord General Barthol Van Voytz was one of the senior Imperial military commanders who served under both Warmasters Slaydo and Macaroth during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. |
Barthol Van Voytz - History: Barthol Van Voytz was a senior ranking and well-regarded Imperial Guard general officer who served during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. He was instrumental in achieving several key victories during the numerous hard-fought campaigns of that Crusade. Van Voytz recognised the singular talents of the dispossessed Imperial Guard regiment known as the "Ghosts of Tanith," the Tanith 1st Regiment. Experts in stealth and reconnaissance, the Tanith "First and Only" was soon utilised for special operations and stealth insertions throughout the campaigns of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, earning particular distinction at the Battles of Verghast, Hagia and Herodor.Lord General Van Voytz led the Imperial forces at the worlds of Aexe Cardinal, Ancreon Sextus and Phantine with a great deal of success. A somewhat eccentric individual upon first impression, he actually possessed a brilliant tactical mind. He was also known to be a fair but hard man who got along well with his subordinates and treated the troops under his command with kindness and respect. Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt of the Tanith 1st had a special rapport with the Lord General, who once offered the Commissar a promotion to Lieutenant General. The two senior officers were known to have an excellent working relationship and considered one another good friends. However, after Van Voytz ordered the Tanith 1st to hold a fortress on the world of Jago which lead to the regiment sustaining heavy losses, their relationship became somewhat strained. |
Basha - Basha: The Basha is a type of light cruiser with different variants found in Ork fleets. |
Basha - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 (PC Game) |
Basilisk - Basilisk: The Basilisk is the standard self-propelled artillery piece of the Astra Militarum in the 41st Millennium, and is also the most common artillery piece used by the Imperial armed forces across the galaxy. The Basilisk is produced in vast numbers on all of the known Forge Worlds in the Imperium, and almost every Astra Militarum regiment maintains several in their arsenal.The Basilisk uses the same versatile and rugged chassis used by the Chimera armoured personnel carrier, and retains all of its features with the exception of its troop compartment, which is replaced with the Basilisk's main gun and gunnery platform. There are several different patterns of Basilisk tanks produced on different Forge Worlds, such as the Armageddon and Vanaheim Patterns, which offer enclosed crew compartments to help protect the gunnery crew from small arms fire. A Basilisk with an enclosed crew compartment is incapable of firing as far as the open-topped version, due to the recoil restrictions of the enclosed crew compartment.The Basilisk is used to provide direct artillery support for other Imperial units that are fighting on the frontlines. Unlike other Imperial Guard artillery units such as the Griffon and the Bombard, the Basilisk is capable of leveling its weapon at the ground and can directly engage enemy units. The most common role for the Basilisk is the indirect bombardment of enemy units and fortifications, and it is usually held near the rear of the frontline alongside the Medusa and Manticore mobile artillery pieces.When the situation requires it, a Basilisk can be pressed onto the frontline and used as a direct fire tank hunter or assault howitzer, but due to the vulnerability of the Chimera's chassis to heavy weapons fire and the vulnerability of its crew, the situation will have to be dire indeed for a commander to order his Basilisks into the thick of the fighting.Of all the Astra Militarum's ordnance units, the Basilisk is the most numerous. Like many self-propelled artillery pieces, Basilisks can keep pace with infantry advances, ready to unleash its payload at a moment's notice. Such devastating weapons are not intended to perform the same battlefield role as main battle tanks, however, their lack of ablative armour and exposed crew carriages making them too vulnerable to lead assaults. Instead, Basilisks are fielded in a support role to the front-line regiments.Basilisks can be redirected, reloaded and fired relatively swiftly. The design of the Earthshaker Cannon allows the weapon to be elevated to a steep enough angle for it to fire its shells high over the battlefield and onto concealed enemy targets. Basilisks can therefore deploy out of harm's way where the enemy is powerless to retaliate. The powerful shells fired by the Earthshaker Cannon are capable of smashing apart the enemy lines with ease and are designed to cause catastrophic damage at the impact zone. Targets at the epicentre of such a detonation are immolated immediately, while those in the vicinity are pulverised by the deadly shock wave. The unmistakable shriek of the Basilisks' incoming ordnance is rightly feared by the enemies of the Emperor. |
Basilisk - History: The Basilisk was first used by the Imperium during the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium, where it was fielded in great numbers by the Imperial Army and Mechanicum, and in smaller numbers by the Space Marine Legions. The Basilisk artillery pieces used by the Space Marine Legions were usually crewed by the Legion's mortal personnel, but they were also crewed at times by the Space Marines themselves. The Basilisk, along with the Medusa, saw only limited usage by most of the Space Marine Legions, as the Astartes preferred the more versatile Whirlwind artillery tanks, which were based upon the Rhino chassis and thus were easier for the Legions to repair. There were some Legions that made heavier use of the Basilisk, such as the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists Legions, who specialised in conducting or defending against siege warfare. During these ancient times the Basilisk could be outfitted in much the same way it is in the late 41st Millennium, but the artillery piece could also take on additional upgrades and attachments which have long since been lost to the Imperium. |
Basilisk - Armament: The Basilisk's main weapon is an Earthshaker Cannon, a 132 millimetre gun that is capable of firing its shells over 15 kilometres at a velocity of 814 metres-per-second, and is fully capable of destroying enemy tanks and fortified structures with a direct hit. The weapon usually fires High Explosive shells but is also capable of firing Incendiary Shells, Smoke Shells, and Illumination Shells. The tank retains the use of the Chimera chassis' hull-mounted Heavy Bolter, which the vehicle's commander can use when under close-range enemy infantry attack.The Basilisk can also be outfitted with several enhancements including an enclosed crew compartment, Camouflage Netting, Extra Armour Plating, track guards, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, improved communications equipment, rough terrain modifications, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, a Searchlight, and Smoke Launchers. During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras, Basilisk artillery pieces could be outfitted with other upgrades such as an auxiliary drive system and Pintle-mounted twin-linked Bolters. The Basilisk was sometimes also used as a command vehicle for artillery formations. |
Basilisk - Known Formations: Emperor's Wrath Artillery Company - An Emperor's Wrath Artillery Company will begin the Imperial Guard's march to war, preceding the troops and vehicles with a thunderous barrage of heavy artillery fire. The battlefield is turned into a smoking, crater-strewn ruin, amidst which the enemy can find no cover or shelter from the death raining down upon them. These bombardments can last for solar hours, days, weeks, or even longer, and few defences can withstand the sheer destruction that is unleashed. These companies usually consist of three ordnance batteries, with each battery composed of up to three Basilisk or Colossus artillery tanks and a single command Chimera tank. |
Basilisk - Known Patterns of Basilisk: Standard Pattern Basilisk - The standard pattern Basilisk has an open-topped crew compartment and a forward-mounted gun shield.Armageddon Pattern Basilisk - The Armageddon Pattern Basilisk possesses a fully-enclosed crew compartment.Vanaheim Pattern Basilisk - The Vanaheim Pattern Basilisk is outfitted with an enlarged gun shield that offers additional protection for the gun crew from the front and sides. |
Basilisk - Notable Users of the Basilisk: The Imperial Guard - The Basilisk is the main mobile artillery piece of the Imperial Guard and is used by nearly every regiment.28th Valhallan Armoured Regiment9th Dniepr Tank Corps142nd Cadian Armoured Regiment - The Basilisk was used by the 142nd Cadian Armoured Regiment in the defence of Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade of Abaddon the Despoiler.7th Mortant Regiment - The Basilisk was used by the 7th Mortant Regiment during the Sacking of Colonia.27th Konig Armoured Regiment66th Arcadian Armoured Regiment - The 66th Arcadian Armoured Regiment was a part of the Toal III Invasion Force.12th Tallarn Armoured Regiment - The 12th Tallarn Armoured Regiment used many Basilisks during the Taros Campaign.17th Tallarn Armoured Regiment - The 17th Tallarn Armoured Regiment used many Basilisks during the Taros Campaign.331st Tallarn Armoured Regiment - The 331st Tallarn Armoured Regiment used many Basilisks during the Taros Campaign.The Death Korps of Krieg - The regiments of the Death Korps of Krieg used myriad Basilisks during the Siege of Vraks.The Vraksian Traitor Militia - The Basilisk is so ubiquitous amongst Imperial Guard forces that it was also used by the Vraksian Traitor Militia during the Siege of Vraks after large numbers of the artillery pieces were liberated by the Forces of Chaos from Vraks Prime's extensive Departmento Munitorum storehouses.Iron Warriors Traitor Legion - The Iron Warriors Chaos Space Marines often use the Basilisk during sieges.Tyrant's Legion - The Tyrant's Legion used Basilisks against the Loyalist forces during the Badab War.8th Pardus Armoured RegimentKetzok 17th Armoured Regiment |
Basilisk - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Basilisk Mobile Artillery TankVehicle Name:BasiliskMain Armament:1 hull-mounted Earthshaker CannonForge World of Origin:All Known Forge WorldsSecondary Armament:1 hull-mounted Heavy BolterKnown Patterns:I - XXVITraverse:3 degreesCrew:1 Commander, 1 Driver, 1 Gunner, 1 LoaderElevation:0 to 59 degreesPowerplant:Vulcanor 16 Twin-Coupled Multi-BurnMain Ammunition:20 RoundsWeight:40 TonnesSecondary Ammunition:300 RoundsLength:7.08 metresArmour:Width:4.86 metresHeight:4.38 metresSuperstructure:100 millimetresGround Clearance:0.45 metresHull:150 millimetresMax Speed On-Road:35 kilometres per hourGun Mantlet:60mm Gun ShieldMax Speed Off-Road:21 kilometres per hourVehicle Designation:0427-941-3011-BA02Transport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:N/AAccess Points:N/ATurret:N/A |
Basilisk - Sources: Codex: Astra Militarum (8th Edition), pp. 46, 109Codex: Astra Militarum (6th Edition), "Basilisks," "Heavy Support-Basilisk Battery"Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pg. 78Imperial Armour Update 2006, pg. 2Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, pp. 159-164Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard (Second Edition), pp. 158, 162-167, 263, 267Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pp. 224-228Imperial Armour Volume Five - The Siege of Vraks - Part One, pg. 36Imperial Armour Volume Six - The Siege of Vraks - Part Two, pg. 143Imperial Armour Volume Seven - The Siege of Vraks - Part Three, pp. 58, 126, 134-135, 187Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two, pp. 29Imperial Armour Volume Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus, pg. 204Imperial Armour - The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal, pg. 220Gaunt's Ghosts Omnibus: The Saint (Novel) by Dan Abnett, pg. 57Ghostmaker (Novel) by Dan AbnettOnly War: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 218, 335Wrath & Glory: Core Rules (RPG), pg. 64Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse (6th Edition), pg. 144Dawn of War - Winter Assault (PC Game)Dawn of War - Soulstorm (PC Game)Dawn of War II (PC Game)Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising (PC Game)Dawn of War II - Retribution (PC Game) |
Bastion-class Commerce Vessel - Bastion-class Commerce Vessel: Bastion-class Commerce Vessels are common voidships found in the Leagues of Votann Fleets and are considered among the smaller vessels employed by the Kin, though by the standards of the other star-faring races they are quite large, well-armed and more than capable in a fight.More common among the Leagues of Votann than the larger Stronghold-class starship, Bastion-class starships are nonetheless only occasionally sighted by Imperial vessels and other outposts in the great vastness of the Wilderness Space along the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy.Bastion-class vessels appear to be more heavily configured for asteroid mining than the stately Stronghold, which is known to function as a factory/processor ship for Kin leagues and Prospects like the Demiurg. Presumably resources and finished goods are exchanged between these vessels but there are no eye witness reports of such available to the Imperium of Man.Those Bastion-class vessels that belong to the Demiurg have often been seen travelling alone or allied with the forces of the T'au Empire, though some have also been employed at times as mercenaries by the Imperium.Scattered reports by Rogue Traders operating on the eastern rim of the galaxy indicate that a Bastion-class vessel is crewed by a Demiurg sociopolitical unit known as a "Brotherhood" and that Stronghold-class starships serve as homes to typically 2 or 3 Brotherhoods.It is possible that Strongholds and Bastions form some type of extended affiliation but if this is the case each group must be widely scattered in different star systems many light years apart. The Imperium as yet knows next to nothing about the Demiurg's culture or societal organisation. The one exception to this is when the Demiurg muster for war, which is when two or three Bastion-class vessels gather to protect each Stronghold.As warships, Bastions compare to Imperial cruisers in most respects, though impressive Lance turrets and the firepower of its weapons batteries at close range make them a thorny prospect for many capital class vessels of even larger size to face. As with the larger Stronghold-class, Bastions have the capacity for launching mining craft and prospector probes reconfigured as attack craft and spatial torpedoes.This class of starship, like most Leagues of Votann voidships, also uses an electromagnetic Bussard Scoop to collect stellar hydrogen which it projects through the core of the ship for Newtonian propulsion in realspace, much like its Stronghold-class counterpart. This system also provides the source of fusion power for the laser-based cutting beam the vessel uses to open up asteroids for mining or for puncturing enemy ships' hulls as the circumstances dictate. |
Bastion-class Commerce Vessel - Armament: A Bastion-class Commerce Vessel is armed with weapons batteries on its port, starboard and prow sides, Lances to port and starboard, and a laser cutting beam projector on the prow.Its dorsal section maintains launch bays for up to two squadrons of mining craft that can be reconfigured as fighters, bombers, and assault boats or can be doubled up to serve as four torpedo silos. |
Bastion-class Commerce Vessel - Canon Conflict: The Bastion-class Commerce Vessel was originally a starship of the Demiurg when they were considered to be a minor xenos race. In 2022 in the 9th Edition Codex: Leagues of Votann, the Demiurg were retconned to become a formerly misidentified Prospect of the Leagues of Votann. The Bastion-class is now considered one of the smaller vessels available to the Leagues of Votann Fleets. |
Bastion-class Commerce Vessel - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic: To Unite the Stars - Tau Vessels, pp. 110-111Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 (PC Game)Codex: Leagues of Votann (9th Edition), pg. 13 |
Bastium - Bastium: Bastium is a superdense alloy used by the Brôkhyr of the Leagues of Votann to create void suits, void armour and other elements of advanced Kin technology that require great durability.During construction, bastium alloy is threaded as a reinforcement into new Kin void suits and fitted with a thermoregulatory, radiation-hardened underlayer. It can also be added to standard suits of void armour to increase their durability and resistance to damage. |
Battle Barge - Battle Barge: The battle barge is the largest class of warship used by the Adeptus Astartes and most Space Marine Chapters control two or three of these potent vessels.The term "battle barge" does not refer to a single designation or class of warship as such, but rather is a title given to any variant or retrofit of battleship class hull modified and optimised for use by the ancient Legiones Astartes or present-day Adeptus Astartes, specifically for Space Marine planetary assault and ship-to-ship boarding actions.Battle barges are extremely powerful starships and were designed during the Great Crusade with only one purpose in mind -- assaulting other planets. A battle barge is primarily configured for the close support of planetary assaults and surface landings and carries numerous bombardment turrets and torpedo tubes.A large amount of the starship's hull space is dedicated to launch bays for intra-system spacecraft like Thunderhawks and Drop Pods and up to three Space Marine companies are capable of deploying simultaneously.A battle barge is extremely heavily armoured and possesses heavily reinforced Void Shields so that it can breach planetary defences without harm coming to its precious inhabitants and their lethal cargoes. The battle barge is a literal mobile fortress in any situation in which an opponent seeks to board one with hostile intent.A battle barge is essentially one of the most potent starships deployed by the Imperium of Man, easily equivalent in power to that of an Imperial Navy battlecruiser or even a battleship when the additional power of its Space Marine contingent is added to the equation. |
Battle Barge - History: The conduct of the Great Crusade required vessels by the thousands, vessels that could not only carry armies and bring apocalyptic destruction to bear, but that could also endure the perilous transit of Warpspace and endure the titanic forces and hardships of the Empyrean and the Deep Void both.Military vessels were needed, not only to replace losses but meet the ever-expanding demands of the Expeditionary Fleets, the Armada Imperialis and, on a lesser scale, the Rogue Traders and local navies.To satisfy this constant need, a bewildering variety of classes of warship were developed to fulfil an equally bewildering variety of roles. Battle barges, a development of the Great Crusade, were not a single designation or class as such, but rather a term given to any variant or refit of battleship class hull modified and optimised for use by the Legiones Astartes specifically for Space Marine planetary assault and ship-to-ship boarding actions, although purpose-built ships of this role had also been constructed, particularly in the Great Crusade's later years.In common parlance, however, any capital vessel used by the Legiones Astartes exclusively was often referred to as a "battle barge" regardless of the technical truth of the matter.After the Horus Heresy, measures were taken to contain the power of the Space Marine Legions, solemn decrees that would ensure no single individual could ever again command such might in isolation. As is well-documented, the Legions, each numbering thousands of Space Marines, were divided down into smaller warhosts called Chapters; each of only a thousand warriors.What is perhaps of greater importance is that the Space Marines were divorced from the old Imperial military: the new Adeptus Astartes Chapters would no longer hold dominion over vast fleets of battleships or grand regiments of vassal soldiery. If they were to triumph among the stars and stand resolute against the darkness of the void, they would need to work within the Imperium, and as part of it.Since that time, Space Marines have been granted only such warships as are needed to patrol their system borders, and deliver them to battle. To this day, the primary function of their fleets has been to transport battle-ready forces of Space Marines into war. |
Battle Barge - Design: Though formidably armed and armoured, the battle barges of the Space Marines are no exception to this rule, and were designed first and foremost to facilitate full-scale planetary assaults. Each has enough hold space to accommodate three full companies of Space Marines, along with their vehicles and support elements.Indeed, the majority of a battle barge's interior hull-space is given over to launch bays, muster decks and transport holds. Housed there are squadrons of Thunderhawk gunships, an array of intra-system craft, and dozens of Drop Pods.With such resources at its command, a battle barge can deploy almost all of its forces simultaneously, putting its entire complement of Space Marines on the front lines within minutes of reaching orbit. The speed and ease with which this is accomplished has caught many a foe off guard, allowing them little time to prepare before the Angels of Death bring fire and vengeance to their door.Considering its size, a battle barge has little in the way of Space Marine crew. The warriors of the Adeptus Astartes are too rare and too valuable to be tasked with performing the myriad mechanical functions required to keep a warship at operational readiness. Instead, they act as officers, overseeing the ranks of servitors and Chapter serfs who carry out other, less critical duties; performing all of the menial and manual tasks unworthy of their Space Marine lords.Yet even these subordinates are too precious to be wasted in the gunnery decks. Loading and calibrating a starship's weapons for firing is a perilous undertaking. Plasma wash, unscheduled detonations and residual radiation keep the attrition rates in these areas high. Those with enough luck and the fortitude to survive such daily toil are soon claimed by combat, beaten past their physical tolerance by a gang-master's whip or obliterated by enemy fire targeted to rob a battle barge of its capacity to attack.With such high mortality rates, the crewing of the gun decks falls to an indentured underclass of slaves and vat-grown dregs. In this way, their worthless lives are given purpose, for even the lowliest may redeem themselves by giving their lives in service to the Emperor and the Imperium. |
Battle Barge - Armour and Shields: The magos-architects and master artificers who built the first battle barges knew full well the terrible storm of violence such a vessel would have to suffer. In order to deliver its payload of Space Marines and attack craft, a battle barge needs to enter a planet's orbit, leaving itself open to attack from nearby ships and ground-based orbital defences.Depending on atmospheric and gravitational conditions, successful deployment may require the battle barge to enter a synchronous or low orbital hold, making it even more vulnerable to attack. To compound the problem, the sheer size of the vessel makes it easy to target, and its low engine power-to-mass ratio makes it unable to execute dynamic evades.With deployment complete, a battle barge is then expected to remain defiant in orbit, an immovable object acting as guardian over the Space Marine units below. In short, a battle barge will absorb more fire and weather more damage in a single mission than most warships are capable of withstanding over the course of their service. Fortunately, a battle barge is almost indestructible.Constructed with its unique role in mind, the battle barges' skeletons were forged from an ultra-dense alloy. The rare base mineral can only be mined from the sites of recent volcanic eruptions, and is further hardened by ballast compression tanks situated on high-gravity moons.The pressurised environment hardens the alloy, ensuring the superstructure is as solid as the doors protecting the Emperor's throne room itself. These inner frameworks were then girded in kilometres of hardened plasteel and adamantium, and edged with thick ferrocrete buttresses that surround the main hull like a reinforced rib-cage. Finally, a second and ablative layer of armour was added to each vessel's prow, forging an impenetrable figurehead for the indomitable fury of a battle barge. |
Battle Barge - Gellar Fields: Like all Warp-capable vessels, battle barges are protected by Gellar Fields, arcane devices that create a bubble of realspace around a ship as it passes through the tides of the Immaterium. Unlike Imperial Navy warships that are required to spend large portions of their deployment guarding a single system, and who are called upon to travel in the Warp infrequently, battle barges are in constant motion, traveling from one war zone to the next without respite.Such frequent Warp travel puts these prized vessels at great risk, and as such they are frequently outfitted with two inter-connecting Gellar Fields. Should one fail, the other will continue to protect the battle barge from the Warp's hostile environment and the foul entities that dwell there. Yet this extra precaution has not always proven enough. The denizens of that twisted realm are relentless and on at least one occasion have conspired to breach both fields simultaneously.The Novamarines' battle barge Liberator, for example, was found drifting near its last recorded entry point. A stricken hulk, the initial salvage crew found no signs of life aboard. A Grey Knights Kill-team was dispatched to cleanse the ship, plunging into the madness that had enveloped it.Reports of the incident are sealed, but even though their helm-logs reported a mission time of seven solar hours, it was more than a hundred solar days before they emerged from the craft. |
Battle Barge - Void Shields: In realspace, battle barges are protected by a group of layered Void Shields, wavering bands of energy that spark around the vessel to create a teardrop of invisible force. These energy barriers are capable of absorbing or deflecting the worst excesses of stellar radiation and meteor showers, and can sustain a succession of weapon hits and explosive impacts before overloading.Once overloaded, the shield generators must be power-cycled in order to let them vent off the excess energy. This is not a simple process -- many slaves and Chapter serfs lose their lives in the resulting plasma fires and sparking energy discharge.The shields protecting a battle barge are, however, among the most sophisticated that the Emperor's armies have at their disposal. Segmented into a series of zones, it is possible for an area of shield to fail without leaving the ship entirely exposed. Further to this, energy can be siphoned from one zone to another, and redirected to where there is the most need of protection.In dire circumstances the shields' energy can be driven up past their normal maximum. This temporarily provides the Battle Barge with greater protection but soon burns out the generators, and renders the shields inert. Long is the list of bold Space Marine Captains who, when faced with overwhelming odds, have used this tactic to close to attack distance, and claim victory from certain defeat.Though often severely damaged, some beyond repair, there are scant recorded reports of battle barges being destroyed outright. Perhaps this is just as well, for each Space Marine Chapter typically has only two or three of them under its command.They are as much prized relics as warships, icons of strength and endurance that echo the might of the Space Marines, and the resources required to build them anew are difficult to come by. The loss of even a single one of these vessels would not only be a great blow to the military capabilities of a Chapter, but would also damage its morale, robbing it of part of its proud warrior history. |
Battle Barge - Ship to Ship: The Adeptus Astartes only engage enemy warships on favourable terms, if indeed at all. As has already been noted, battle barges were not built for naval engagements -- they lack the long-ranged firepower of larger capital ships and the maneuverability of light cruisers. In void combat a battle barge will rely on its heavier armour to close with enemy ships and launch devastating boarding actions.As it closes, a battle barge can use the weapons batteries that stud much of its hull to rake the enemy with fire. Rank upon rank of plasma projectors, macro-laser cannons, missile racks and fusion beamers fire in diffuse salvos, a coordinated pattern of shots designed to strip a target's shields and overwhelm its close-range defences.With its shields down, an enemy vessel is left open to a teleport assault. Few ships can survive such an attack, the swift wrath of a squad of Space Marines stalking their corridors and attacking critical systems. It is because of this that an enemy captain will do everything in his power to try and prevent a battle barge from drawing too near to his vessel.If this form of close-range attack is untenable or proves ineffective, a battle barge can always fall back on its Bombardment Cannons. While their primary purpose is as orbital support weapons, they can be used to great effect against enemy warships. Though they lack the range of lance batteries and the fast reload times of standard ship-to-ship weapons, they more than make up for it in raw killing power. When magma shells impact upon another ship, they do not crash down through their hulls as they might with a planet's surface.Instead, they break upon contact, erupting outwards, broiling over the surface of a vessel to strip away its plating and shred its battlements. The immense heat and shrapnel from the resultant explosion confuses automated defence turrets and sensors, allowing the Thunderhawk gunships and boarding torpedoes launched from the battle barge to close unharmed. A series of concurrent blasts is enough to knock an enemy ship off course, and a sustained assault from a bombardment cannon can cripple and blast apart even the largest of capital ships. |
Battle Barge - Spaceborne Home: Although most Space Marine Chapters have a fortress-monastery housed on a moon or world, many do not. These Chapters have been forced into the void by war or cruel circumstance as spacefaring fleets.To these Chapters, battle barges play an even more important role, forming bastions that carry the Chapter's legacy and a haven when pressed. Several Chapters are rumoured to possess even larger vessels adapted from the battle barge, or built by some other means.As of 999.M41, the following Chapters are known to be almost entirely fleet-based, though this record is doubtless incomplete: Imperial Fists, Black Templars, Executioners, Black Dragons, Invaders, Charnel Guard, Minotaurs, Fire Hawks, Lamenters, Mantis Warriors, Relictors, Scythes of the Emperor, Carcharodons, Knights of Gryphonne. |
Battle Barge - Noteworthy Battle Barge Classes: Ironclad-class Battle BargeLegate-class Battle BargeWarspite-class Battle BargeGloriana-class Battleship |
Battle Barge - Great Crusade and Horus Heresy-Era Vessels: LegionNameCurrent StatusLegio Custodes and the Emperor of MankindBucephelusUnknownDark AngelsInvincible ReasonFlagship of the I Legion; Status UnknownAngel of RetributionUnknownImplacable JusticeUnknownUltimate VengeanceUnknownUndying FaithUnknownUnrelenting FuryUnknownVinco RedemptorUnknownEmperor's ChildrenPride of the EmperorFlagship of the III Legion; boarded and crippled at the Battle of ThessalaThe Agony and the EcstasyUnknownCallidoraUnknownLonginusUnknownWage of SinUnknownIron WarriorsIron BloodStatus UnknownContradorUnknownStonebreakerUnknownWarbreedUnknownWhite ScarsSwordstormFlagship of the V Legion; destroyed during the Battle of CatallusJaghatai's PrideUnknownSpace WolvesHrafnkelFlagship of the VI Legion; Declared missing by the Space WolvesAllfather's HonourCurrent Chapter flagshipGylfarheimUnknownHerald of MorkaiUnknownHolmgangUnknownSpear of RussUnknownImperial FistsAntoraxDestroyed by Orks during War of the BeastHammer of TerraDestroyed during Horus HeresyLanxiumDestroyed by Orks during War of the BeastSpear of VengeanceUnknownStorm of WrathUnknownNight LordsNightfallActive, flagship of Gendor Skraivok's warbandHunter's PremonitionUnknownTerrorclawUnknownUmbrea InsidiorUnknownBlood AngelsRed TearCrashed on Signus Prime, towed to BaalBellusUnknownBloodcallerUnknownEuropaeUnknownMisericordeUnknownIron HandsArmourum FerrusUnknownFerrumUnknownFist of IronUnknownIron RequiemUnknownMetallusDestroyed by the DiasporexWorld EatersConquerorActive, Flagship of Chaos Lord KossolaxUltramarinesMacragge's HonourActive, Flagship of Roboute GuillimanAsidusUnknownAeternusUnknownCaesarDestroyed during M'kar's InvasionEmperor IncarnatusUnknownExcelsiorDestroyed in the Warp in 977.M35Lord LamedonUnknownOctaviusActiveRath's HonourRescued the Raptors from Death World of Jemdal; Status UnknownSeditio OpprimereActive: Rebuilt after combat with Hive Fleet BehemothSeverianActiveDeath GuardEnduranceActive, Flagship of the XIV LegionReapers' ScytheUnknownStalwartUnknownThousand SonsPhotepUnknownAnkhtoweUnknownKymmeruUnknownScion of ProsperoUnknownLuna Wolves / Sons of HorusVengeful SpiritFlagship of XVI Legion; currently flagship of the Black LegionBreakspearUnknownHarbinger of DoomUnknownWord BearersFidelitas LexFlagship of XVII Legion; destroyed during the Shadow CrusadeChronicle of AshesCaptured by the Nemesis Chapter, renamed Lex TalonisDestiny's HandDestroyed during the Battle of CalthDe ProfundisDestroyed by the Ultramarines vessel SamothraceInexorable ReasonUnknownInfidus ImperatorDestroyed by Macragge's Honour during the Battle of CalthMisericordeUnknownSalamandersFlamewroughtFlagship of the XVIII Legion; Status Unknown; A new battle barge of this name was built for the Salamanders Chapter in memory of Vulkan's flagshipHammer of NocturneUnknownPyre of GloryUnknownSerpentineUnknownVulkan's WrathUnknownRaven GuardShadow of the EmperorFormer flagship, destroyed at Istvaan V by the Terminus EstAvengerUnknownRaven's ClawUnknownAlpha LegionAlphaUnknownBetaUnknown, took part in attack on Ravendelve on Deliverance |
Battle Barge - Post-Heresy Vessels: Chapter / Traitor LegionNameCurrent StatusAngels of AbsolutionLiberatorii DelictumUnknownAstral KnightsTempestusChapter flagship; destroyed in collision with the Necron World Engine; Hull recovered and converted into an Imperial shrine on the world of SafeholdBlack LegionHarbinger of Doom (formerly Magna Tyrannis)UnknownBlack TemplarsEternal CrusaderChapter flagshipAbhorrenceFought during War of the Beast; Status UnknownLight of PurityUnknownNight's VigilUnknownRevenantUnknownSigismundUnknownSigismund's LightUnknownSigismund's OathTook part in Third War for Armageddon; Status UnknownBlood DrinkersLux RubrumCurrent Chapter flagshipBlood RavensLitany of FuryUnknownOminous InsightWatches over Qulus Trine in Qulus SystemOmnis ArcanumUnknownScientia Est PotentiaUnknownDauntlessDestroyed during the Acheron CampaignCarcharodonsNicorCurrent Chapter flagshipCharnel GuardInvictrixChapter flagship; Destroyed during the Devastation of BaalDoom EaglesDoombearerTook part in defence of Cadian Gate during 13th Black Crusade; Status UnknownExecutionersNight HagChapter flagshipPhaeton's WrathUnknownExorcistsPunisherUnknownRedeemerUnknownExcoriatorsCerberusUnknownFire HawksAbsolutePresumed lost in the WarpFists ExemplarAlcazar RememberedTook part in the War of the Beast; Status UnknownFlesh TearersVictusChapter flagshipGrey KnightsBright SwordUnknownEmperor's WillUnknownFire of DawnUnknownRedeemer of SoulsUnknownHowling GriffonsForce of DestinyTook part in Third War for Armageddon; Status UnknownImperial HawksCarmine TalonUnknownIron SnakesTemerityUnknownLamentersDaughter of TempestsUnknownMantis WarriorsEndless RedemptionUnknownNovamarinesInexorable FuryDestroyed by Craftworld Iyanden in 993.M41RaptorsWar TalonUnknownRed CorsairsSpectre of RuinUnknownRed ScorpionsAuel's BaneUnknownSword of OrdonUnknownScythes of the EmperorThe Heart of Sotha (formerly Honour's Might)Current Chapter flagshipSilver SkullsManifest DestinyUnknownSoul DrinkersCarnivorePresumed DestroyedStar PhantomsMemento MoriFormer Chapter flagship; Now fortress-monasteryThousand SonsTizca's RevengeCurrent flagship of Daemon Primarch Magnus the RedWarmongersAllegiance of TerraUnknownWhite ConsulsSword of TruthUnknown |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.