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Cerastus Knight-Atrapos - Unit Composition: 1 Cerastus Knight-Atrapos |
Cerastus Knight-Atrapos - Wargear: Graviton Singularity CannonAtrapos Lascutter (Beam Attack or Close Combat)Ionic Flare Shield - An upgraded version of the standard Ion Shields used by most Knight classes. The Ionic Flare Shield is a combination of the Ion Shield and a Flare Shield, providing a greater degree of protection to its user, especially during melee combat.Throne MechanicumBlessed AutocimulacraMacro-extinction Targeting Protocols - An upgrade to the Knight's targeting protocols that allow a far greater degree of accuracy against vehicles, walkers and creatures above a certain size.Titanic Feet - The weight of the Knight alone is enough for to crush enemy units beneath its behemoth tread. |
Cerastus Knight-Atrapos - Optional Wargear: Occular Augmetics - An upgrade to the Knight's Occular sensors enabling a far greater degree of visual input during low-light conditions, such as night-fighting. |
Cerastus Knight-Atrapos - Sources: Forge World - Mechanicum Cerastus-Knight AtraposHorus Heresy - Experimental Rules: Cerastus-Knight Atrapos |
Cerastus Knight-Castigator - Cerastus Knight-Castigator: The Cerastus Knight-Castigator is a pattern of Imperial Knight armoured walker that is armed with the fearsome Castigator-Pattern Bolt Cannon as its primary weapon. The Cerastus Knight-Castigator is favoured by those Knight Households faced with hordes of lesser foes that might otherwise overwhelm even a mighty Knight through sheer numbers.Capable of obliterating infantry formations in a thunderous rain of mass-reactive explosions and whirling Tempest Warblade, or carving apart light vehicles with ease, the Castigator is a formidable opponent. |
Cerastus Knight-Castigator - History: The Cerastus Knight-Castigator is a favoured Knight pattern by those households who are often faced by an overwhelming number of the enemy. Armed with the fearsome Castigator-Pattern Bolt Cannon, the Cerastus Knight-Castigator is capable of annihilating infantry formations and light vehicles with it's twin-linked main weapon in a hail of gunfire, or carving apart enemy armour with it's formidable power weapon, the Tempest Warblade.Notably amongst their ilk, the Castigator is also renowned for the stoic nature of their machine spirits within, whose vigour is difficult to rouse, but almost impossible to ignore. Castigator mark armours are often claimed by a Household's more venerable scions, those warriors of proven mettle who can be relied on to hold the line, conserve their limited stock of ammunition and support their more vainglorious kin, often forming the core of any Household's Arbalester order. Some younger scions are also drawn to the Castigator, glorying in the armour's deafening firepower and elegant warblade strikes, though such scions rarely deign to act as mere support units. |
Cerastus Knight-Castigator - Unit Composition: 1 Cerastus Knight-Castigator |
Cerastus Knight-Castigator - Wargear: Castigator-Pattern Bolt CannonTempest WarbladeIon ShieldBlessed AutocimulacraThrone MechanicumTitanic Feet - The weight of the Knight alone is enough for to crush enemy units beneath its behemoth tread. |
Cerastus Knight-Castigator - Optional Wargear: Occular Augmetics - An upgrade to the Knight's Occular sensors enabling a far greater degree of visual input during low-light conditions, such as night fighting. |
Cerastus Knight-Castigator - Sources: The Horus Heresy - Book Four: Conquest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 32, 109, 181, 306The Horus Heresy - Book Five: Tempest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 130-131Forge World - Cerastus Knight-Castigator |
Cerastus Knight-Lancer - Cerastus Knight-Lancer: A Cerastus Knight-Lancer is one of the more uncommon patterns of Imperial Knight-class combat walkers, but also the most highly valued pattern fielded by the Knight houses during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.The Cerastus Knight-Lancer is a first strike weapon, attuned to rapid, close combat assault tactics and making lethal flanking charges against a foe. It is justly renowned for its speed and its power, as well as for the temperamental and restive nature of the Machine Spirits (artificial intelligence) which dwell as anima within its colossal frame.Because of this reputation, the most impetuous and glory-hungry Scions of the Knight houses are driven to bond with these war machines, their own souls a match for the fury caged within their mounts. The greatest of these pairings will go on to create martial legends among their lineage, while for those whose temper cannot fully master that of their Knight armour or whose own lust for glory might see valour outweigh caution on the battlefield, their triumphs are likely to blaze brightly, if briefly, in the chronicles of their Houses. |
Cerastus Knight-Lancer - History: The Lancer is the most widely known variant of the ancient Cerastus Pattern Knight armour, a highly sophisticated chassis whose speed and agility far exceed the clumsier Questoris-class Errant and Paladin types. The Cerastus-class Knights appear to have been designed solely for war; not as protectors or guardians like traditional Knights, but as bloody-handed conquerors and tools of destruction that would leave a legacy of violence that marked the beginning of the Age of Strife.The Cerastus Knight-Lancer is held in high esteem by the more impetuous of a house's Scions, its potent Ion Gauntlet Shield and Cerastus Shock Lance perfectly suited to battling the foe face-to-face, where only a perfectly-timed thrust of the lance stands between a Noble and death. In particular, those Scions who follow the Uhlan traditions favour the speed and ferocity of the Lancer, and when rival Knight houses meet in combat, these warriors race ahead of their household's forces to clash in single combat with the enemy's champions. |
Cerastus Knight-Lancer - Unit Composition: 1 Cerastus Knight-Lancer |
Cerastus Knight-Lancer - Wargear: Cerastus Shock Lance (Ranged Attack or Close Combat)Ion Gauntlet ShieldBlessed AutocimulacraThrone MechanicumTitanic Feet - The weight of the Knight alone is enough for it to crush enemy units beneath its behemoth tread. |
Cerastus Knight-Lancer - Optional Wargear: Occular Augmetics - An upgrade to the Knight's Occular sensors enabling a far greater degree of visual input during low-light conditions, such as night fighting. |
Cerastus Knight-Lancer - Canon Conflict: The history of the Cerastus Knight-Lancer as presented above is canon culled from Codex: Imperial Knights for the 7th Edition of the game. The original incarnation of the Knight Lancer was provided in the supplement found in White Dwarf 126 (UK).This account of the Knight Lancer's history differed greatly from that given above and has largely been superseded by the newer canon, however, it has been included in the article and is also presented below. Please note that the below contains information that is no longer considered canon according to the current iteration of the Warhammer 40,000 universe: |
Cerastus Knight-Lancer - Knight Lancer: The Knight Lancer is a variant of the standard Knight suit that has been designed for speed and agility. The Knight Lancer is most usually used to perform scouting actions, outflank enemy forces and distract them while heavier units can position themselves to attack. The Knight Lancer is equipped with a Battle Cannon to give it long range fighting capability, but its true armament is the Power Lance.The Power Lance is a relatively simple upgrade to the standard Shock Lance that is mounted on other Knight patterns. It operates by intensifying the bolt of energy normally expelled from Shock Lances, changing it into a searing arc of lightning capable of rending all but the strongest of armour plating and causing havoc in enemy ranks. The Power Lance has a very short range, but its nature makes it the perfect weapon for hit-and-run attacks. |
Cerastus Knight-Lancer - Sources: Adeptus Titanicus - The Horus Heresy: Shadow & Iron (Specialty Game), pp. 51, 61Adeptus Titanicus - The Horus Heresy: Doom of Molech (Specialty Game), pp. 43, 47, 57Adeptus Titanicus - The Horus Heresy: Titandeath (Specialty Game), pp. 91-92Adeptus Titanicus - The Horus Heresy: Defence of Ryza (Specialty Game), pg. 59Adeptus Titanicus - The Horus Heresy: Loyalist Legios (Specialty Game), pp. 26, 67, 117Adeptus Titanicus - The Horus Heresy: Traitor Legios (Specialty Game), pp. 26, 66, 76, 127The Horus Heresy - Book Three: Extermination (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 231The Horus Heresy - Book Four: Conquest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 26, 41, 60-62, 75, 99, 112-113, 116-117, 120-121, 128-129, 132-133, 136-137, 194, 213, 295, 305White Dwarf 126 (UK), "Space Marine - Knights," by Andy Chambers, pp. 31, 38, 42-43, 45Forge World - Cerastus Knight-LancerWarhammer Community - Doom of Molech: What's in the Book (Knight Image) |
Cerastus Pattern Knights - Cerastus Pattern Knights: Cerastus Pattern Knights are an ancient pattern of Imperial Knight combat walkers employed during the time of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia.Several classes of Cerastus Knight were produced during that era, though it is unknown if any of these are still in regular operation by any of the Knight houses of the late 41st Millennium. |
Cerastus Pattern Knights - Types of Cerastus Knights: Cerastus Knight-AcheronCerastus Knight-CastigatorCerastus Knight-LancerCerastus Knight-Atrapos |
Cerastus Shock Lance - Cerastus Shock Lance: The Cerastus Shock Lance is a massive Power Weapon used by the combat walkers of the Questor Imperialis, the Imperial Knights, and by the Renegade Knights of the Questor Traitoris. This weapon is used only by the Cerastus Knight-Lancer. The Shock Lance is mounted on the Knight's weapon arm, and functions similarly to a Power Spear, although one of prodigious size.The weapon uses a magneto-hydraulic powered rail system to move the Lance backwards and thrust it forwards to attack. The Cerastus Shock Lance is used in conjunction with the Lancer's Ion Gauntlet Shield, which protects the Knight from attacks as it closes in with the enemy to deliver a killing blow with its lance. The weapon's disruption field is capable of being projected as a powerful electromagnetic plasma blast over a short distance, allowing the Knight to attack an opponent that may be too dangerous to assault in melee. |
Cerastus Shock Lance - Trivia: The Cerastus Knight-Lancer is an incarnation of the original 1st Edition "Rogue Trader"-era Knight pattern known as the Knight Lancer. The Knight Lancer used a weapon known as a Power Lance, which worked similarly to the Cerastus Shock Lance. |
Cerastus Shock Lance - Sources: The Horus Heresy - Book Four: Conquest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 305The Horus Heresy - Book Seven: Inferno (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 106Imperial Armour Index: Forces of the Astra Militarum (8th Edition), pg. 99Imperial Armour Index: Forces of Chaos (8th Edition), pg. 59Forge World Webstore - Cerastus Knight Lancer |
Cerberax Wars - Cerberax Wars: The Cerberax Wars is a series of conflicts that erupted between the Daemons of Khorne and the Necrons of the Sautekh Dynasty in the wake of the birth of the Great Rift during the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41.The conflict has since spilled over into Imperial space, and several Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes have been despatched to deal with the incursion. |
Cerberax Wars - History: The conflict began soon after the birth of the Great Rift unleashed the Warp storm designated "Cerberax" by the Imperium on the Ultima Segmentum. The massive Warp Storm immediately consumed three star systems and continued to grow in size until it neared the ancient Necron construct known as the Ymga Monolith in the Attila System.The monolith began to glow as the Cerberax Warp Storm closed on its location. The monolith created a perfect sphere of Order around itself that remained immune to the effects of the Warp Storm as it progressed across the galaxy.The tech-priests of Mars' Holy Requisitioners thus discovered that like the Cadian Pylons, the Ymga Monolith was a Necron phase node of immense power intended to close off realspace from the Immaterium.Thousands of Necron warships of the Sautekh Dynasty soon arrived to defend the monolith from a Warp incursion led by Daemons of Khorne who emerged from the Cerberax Warp Storm. The vessels formed a defensive shield around the monolith, as it was an important asset for the Sautekh Necrons.Visions of the Imperium's Corinthe Mind-Scryers revealed that the monolith possessed the ability to physically duplicate any Necron warship that made contact with it, massively reinforcing the Necron forces in their battle with Chaos.Solar months after it began, the Cerberax Wars spilled over into Imperial space and every world within fourteen hundred Terra-Sols of the Ymga Monolith had become a battlefield between the Necrons and their daemonic foes.The Imperium despatched strike forces drawn from the Ultramarines and Mortifactors Chapters of the Space Marines to defend the affected Human worlds.However, the sheer number of Daemons unleashed from the Warp by the Cerberax storm means that the Astartes may have no other choice but to enact Exterminatus actions on all of the Chaos-corrupted worlds. |
Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer - Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer: The Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer is a super-heavy tank destroyer that was used in limited numbers by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and later during the Horus Heresy of the late 30th and early 31st Millennia. The Cerberus was a rare and experimental variant of the super-heavy Spartan Assault Tank also used by the Space Marine Legions, both of which made use of the same hull, armour, and chassis design.While the Spartan Assault Tank was developed by the Mechanicum in response to the Space Marine Legions demanding a vehicle as powerful and versatile as the Land Raider Proteus yet also having the ability to carry Terminators into combat, the Cerberus was designed near the end of the Great Crusade by the Mechanicum of Mars as a way to field test archeotech weaponry that was recovered during the Great Crusade known as the Neutron Laser Projector.The Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer is an example of one of the many classes of war machines that rose to prominence and was used by several of the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, only to fall from common use amongst the Adeptus Astartes as the Age of the Imperium ground on.One of the reasons for this fall was the drastic change in the way Space Marines were utilised after the Legions were broken down into Chapters during the Second Founding. Only a small number of the newly-formed Space Marine units retained several of these vehicles in their armouries.There were other contributing factors as well, not least amongst these is that the Imperium simply could not maintain the arcane systems many of these potent engines of destruction utilised. Countless Tech-priests have made it their life's work to recover even a fraction of these long-lost treasures, such as the legendary and ill-understood Flare Shields once utilised by certain classes of armoured vehicles.Others hold that such technologies are the echoes of earlier, darker times and fear that to resurrect them is to call forth the horrors of the distant past and to invite the return of forces that should be left well alone. It is unknown if the Adeptus Mechanicus is able to build new Cerberus tanks in the late 41st Millennium or if the technology has been lost like so much else from the Great Crusade era. |
Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer - History: The Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer was used by the Space Marine Legions near the end of the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium as a testbed for the experimental Neutron Laser Projector weapon. The Neutron Laser Projector itself was retro-engineered by the Mechanicum after being rediscovered within Dark Age of Technology battlefield wreckage recovered at great cost from the Forbidden World of Deep Hyades VI by Mechanicum Explorators from the Forge World of Galatea.The Mechanicum placed the retro-engineered prototype weapon into the modified chassis of the Spartan Assault Tank, using that vehicle's large interior space to mount the sizable Atomantic-Arc Reactors and radiation shielding needed for its operation.The result of the Mechanicum's labours was a relatively small and mobile weapons system that was capable of rivaling the firepower of the much larger Turbo-Laser weapons commonly found on Titans and other super-heavy vehicles. The Neutron Laser Projector was both more compact and capable of higher amounts of collateral damage than other similar weapons.The new weapon system was not welcomed into the Imperial arsenal without some controversy, however, as it was unstable and presented safety concerns for many within the Mechanicum. Despite its instability, the Mechanicum delivered preliminary detachments of the Cerberus into the service of several Space Marine Legions for comprehensive battlefield testing and trials, although it was not long after this that the vehicles were pressed by the Traitor Legions to turn their destructive power against the Imperium itself rather than the war-machines of xenos.During the Horus Heresy of the early 31st Millennium, the Mechanicum did not stop their study of Neutron Laser technology, and eventually developed a variant of the Neutron Laser Projector that was smaller yet just nearly as powerful known as the Neutron Laser Cannon.This weapon was mounted upon the Sabre Tank Hunters of the Space Marine Legions and the Valdor Tank Hunters of the Imperial Army, although it is unknown which of these two vehicles were developed first and which side of the conflict made the most use of them. |
Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer - Armament: The Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer is armed with a hull-mounted, forward-firing Neutron Laser Projector, an experimental weapon retro-engineered from the battlefield remains of Dark Age of Technology wreckage.The Neutron Laser Projector was an extremely misunderstood weapon whose secrets were known only by the highest circles of the ancient Mechanicum of Mars that is more powerful than any weapon system of its size, comparable only to Titan-sized weaponry. The weapon fires a powerful directed energy beam capable of crippling or outright destroying most armoured vehicles, up to and including Battle Titans.Unfortunately, the weapon is highly unstable and if the weapon's energy beam fails to penetrate its target, it is prone to dangerous feedback that can cause serious harm to its operators and the vehicle's crew. The weapon itself and the Atomantic-Arc Reactors required to power it are capable of erupting in an apocalyptic explosion if damaged or destroyed.This explosion is capable of seriously damaging or destroying nearby vehicles and buildings, along with disintegrating any remaining trace of the Cerberus itself.The Cerberus can also be outfitted with sponson-mounted Heavy Bolters or Lascannons and a Pintle-mounted twin-linked Bolter (Combi-Bolter) or other Combi-Weapon, a Heavy Flamer, a Heavy Bolter, a Multi-Melta, or a Havoc Missile Launcher for added firepower and defence.The vehicle can also be equipped with a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, armoured ceramite plating, Smoke Launchers, or a Searchlight.Due the instability of the vehicle's main weapon and power source, the vehicle is always equipped with a Flare Shield for extra protection from enemy fire. |
Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer - Unit Composition: 1 Relic Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer (41st Millennium Only)1 Legion Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer (31st Millennium Only) |
Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer - Wargear: A Relic Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer is armed and equipped with:Neutron Laser Projector (Heavy Neutron Laser Array)Smoke LaunchersMachine Spirit (artificial intelligence)Crushing Tracks - The Cerberus can crush smaller vehicles under its behemoth weight.A Relic Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer may take the following sponson-mounted weapons:2 Heavy Bolters2 LascannonsA Relic Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer may take one of the following pintle-mounted weapons:Storm BolterHeavy BolterHeavy FlamerMulti-Melta |
Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer - Horus Heresy Wargear: During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy the Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyers of the Legiones Astartes featured different weapon loadout options than those still found during the 41st Millennium.A standard Legion Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer is armed and equipped with:Neutron Laser ProjectorSearchlightSmoke LaunchersFlare ShieldMachine Spirit (artificial intelligence)Crushing Tracks - The Spartan can crush smaller vehicles under its behemoth weight.A Legion Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer may take the following sponson-mounted weapons:2 Heavy Bolters2 LascannonsA Legion Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer may take one of the following pintle-mounted weapons:Twin-linked Bolters (Combi-Bolter)Combi-WeaponHeavy BolterHeavy FlamerMulti-MeltaHavoc Missile LauncherLegion Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyers may also have a variety of vehicle equipment such as:Hunter-Killer Missile LauncherArmoured Ceramite Plating |
Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer - Known Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer: Choronzan - This vehicle belongs to the Exorcists Space Marine Chapter, and is believed to have remained in stasis for over a millennium before being awakened, accompanied by way of dark ritual to take part in the Aschen War against the Daemon Prince known as the Horned God. Though it survived that fell campaign, the vehicle was immediately re-interred and has not been deployed since, for reasons that remain undisclosed.Hell's Judgement - This most potent of the World Eaters Legion's war machines was held back from the initial stage of the defence of the Urgall Depression during the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V, and only committed once the Iron Warriors, Night Lords, Word Bearers and Alpha Legion had turned upon the Salamanders, Raven Guard and Iron Hands Legions. When the World Eaters super-heavy tank destroyers, the Hell's Judgement at their head, was unleashed against them, the effect of their near-suicidal assault upon the Loyalists Legions was catastrophic, shattering any chance of organised resistance.Intemperata - The Intemperata was one war machine of the Iron Hands Legion in an armoured wing of a dozen deployed to the surface of Istvaan V during the Drop Site Massacre. The engine took part in supporting the Iron Hands' assault and, in doing, screened an entire Terminator Century of its parent Avernii Clan from the heavy guns of the Death Guard. The Intemperata's unit came under punishing and sustained fire from massed batteries of laser destroyers and Graviton Cannons when the Iron Warriors revealed their true allegiance, all but the Intemperata itself reduced to flaming wreckage within minutes. The war engine was last seen engaging the Traitor God-Engine known as the Dies Irae in order to draw its fire from the Iron Hands infantry squads, a noble sacrifice for which the Intemperata will always be honoured. |
Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Cerberus Heavy Tank DestroyerVehicle Name:Cerberus Heavy Tank DestroyerMain Armament:Hull-mounted Neutron Laser ProjectorForge World of Origin:Mars/Anvilus IXSecondary Armament:2 Sponson-mounted Heavy Bolters or LascannonsKnown Patterns:I-IVTraverse:10 DegreesCrew:Commander, Driver & GunnerElevation:-5/+20 DegreesPowerplant:Reactor system unknownMain Ammunition:Estimated 20 five second blastsWeight:174 tonnesSecondary Ammunition:2,600 roundsLength:10 metresArmour:Width:6.1 metres with sponsonsHeight:5 metresSuperstructure:95 mmGround Clearance:0.5 metresHull:95 mmMax Speed On-Road:35 kphGun Mantlet:N/AMax Speed Off-Road:30 kphVehicle Designation:UndesignatedTransport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:UnknownAccess Points:2 Side Doors, 1 Top Hatch (Both Crew Only)Turret:N/AAddendum:Recommended containment/stasis protocols disseminated 367.M38 |
Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer - Sources: Imperial Armour Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes (8th Edition), pg. 19Imperial Armour Volume Two, Second Edition - War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes, pp. 112-114The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 228The Horus Heresy - Book Two: Massacre (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 62-63, 80-81, 144The Horus Heresy - Book Five: Tempest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 65, 144The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Age of Darkness, pg. 82Forge World - Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer |
Cerberus Insurrection - Cerberus Insurrection: The Cerberus Insurrection was a conflict fought during the early Great Crusade between the War Hounds Legion (later renamed the World Eaters) of the newborn Imperium of Man and the Renegade prisoners of the Cerberus asteroid penal colony who were bolstered by the presence of former Thunder Warriors.The Cerberus Insurrection of the late 30th Millennium remains noteworthy to Imperial savants as one of the few instances where Space Marines and Thunder Warriors faced each other in actual combat.The Thunder Warriors proved generally superior in one-on-one combat with the Astartes, often killing three or four Space Marines for every Thunder Warrior's death. |
Cerberus Insurrection - History: The primary first-hand account of the Cerberus Insurrection comes from Bashar-Colonel Alves Scorn of the Terran XXIInd Dracos Regiment of the Imperial Army, whose forces fought alongside those of the Space Marines of the XIIth Legion, the War Hounds, to suppress the rebellion.The insurrection forces had slaughtered the ruling castes of the hollowed-out asteroid prison colony, and in the wake of the uprising the 3,000,000 or so indentured inhabitants of Cerberus had risen up in anarchic revolt in a state of near continuous-rioting and mob violence, and initial attempts to impose order by Terran troops of the XXIInd Dracos Regiment had been thrown back in disarray as it became apparent that among the insurrectionists was a Renegade cadre of outlawed Thunder Warriors -- long believed dead -- calling themselves the "Dait'Tar."With many of the Space Marine Legions already assigned to the first expedition fleets and en route to the stars as part of the Great Crusade, the Emperor Himself dispatched His War Hounds to Cerberus (and it appears the irony was not lost on Him in doing so) with explicit instructions to reclaim Cerberuscolony and carry the Emperor's wrath to those that had defied Him.At 0300 Hours Terran Sidereal Time the War Hounds of the XIIth Legion attacked multiple access points on the asteroid's surface, and at 0808 Hours a signal was received from Praetor-Commander Calyb Hax of the XIIth Legion that Cerberus-Primary had been returned to Imperial Compliance. When asked by the leader of the waiting second wave how many prisoners to expect to transfer into custody, Hax replied that he had not been ordered to take any...Alves Scorn, whose command had been part of the second wave, led his regiment in the bleak task of clean-up operations in the wake of the War Hounds' assault, hunting down any survivors hiding in the warren of tunnels and passageways, of which there proved to be precious few.Afterwards he wrote of his experiences in his journals, and records more than once coming across the hulking carcass of an armoured Thunder Warrior, often with three or four of his number in Legiones Astartes dead around him.He wrote of choke-points and defence posts turned into blood-soaked charnel houses and of scores upon scores of insurgents cut down from behind while fleeing in blind panic, their weapons abandoned.The bashar-colonel summed up his experiences with the following, sadly prophetic, commentary:"I do not doubt my Emperor's wisdom in creating a necessary evil such as these fearful warriors, nor do I doubt their effectiveness in battle. It remains my fervent hope however, that though I spend my life making war for the liberation of Mankind that I never again see such inhuman butchery as I have witnessed in the halls of Cerberus." |
Cerberus Launcher - Cerberus Launcher: The Cerberus Launcher is a short-ranged, tri-barrelled weapon located beneath the front ventral surface of the Adeptus Astartes' anti-gravitic Land Speeder Storm capable of unleashing barrages of anti-personnel warheads that cover wide areas, interspersed with sanctified anti-sensory munitions that can blind and disorient foes. |
Cerix Magnus - Cerix Magnus: Cerix Magnus is the greatest of the many Forge Worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus hosted by the Askellon Sector. It exists ias part of the Mechanicus' own empire-within-an-empire that coexists with Imperial authority in the sector. Despite this, Cerix Magnus, and to a lesser extent its two sister Askellian Forge Worlds Selvanus Binary and Core Theta, are as reliant on the sector as it is on them, for without raw materials from elsewhere, their forges would sputter and grow cold. |
Cerix Magnus - History: Cerix Magnus must have been settled soon after the Askellon Sector's founding, for it has been populated by the servants of the Machine God or their predecessors for as long as any record states. The world's ancient history is largely unknown outside of its own data-repositories, and the masters of Cerix Magnus refuse outsiders access to their archives.It is assumed that the world was host to some engineer caste even before the Tech-priest scions of Mars rose as a power during the Age of Strife. With the arrival of the Imperial expeditionary fleets and the ancient Mechanicum during the Great Crusade, though, it and its sister worlds were readily transferred to the control of the Cult Mechanicus. Fragmentary records hint at an unnamed treachery during this period, but areas of the three Forge Worlds' archives have been deliberately sealed or even destroyed, and the truth may never be known. Echoes of this terrible occurrence, whispered as the "Brass Scouring," still ring across the millennia, however.Throughout the Age of the Imperium, Cerix Magnus has led the Forge Worlds of Askellon, entering into a number of reciprocal arrangements with other factions including several nearby Knight Worlds. In return for the supply of weapons and other advanced materiel they manufacture, the numerous other worlds serve what needs it cannot meet itself. These range from raw natural resources vital to manufacturing, to providing Imperial Knights and other military forces in times of armed conflict, to a supply of sinners to be converted into the many cybernetic servitors each forge relies upon for its many tasks.Outsiders are not welcome upon Cerix Magnus, nor indeed any Adeptus Mechanicus holding in the sector, but those who do have cause to visit the world report that it is hostile to most forms of non-augmented life. The atmosphere is thin, providing scant protection from the baleful radiation cast upon it by the system's bloated star, Cerix Tyrannus. So massive and bright is this star that Cerix Magnus is thought to have had its orbit artificially altered at some point in the distant past in order to survive the periodic solar storms emanating from its photosphere.The planet's surface is cast in ghostly blue light by its star, which despite its great distance looms threateningly in the polluted sky. No oceans exist, and the world's mountain ranges have long since been hollowed out to form the core of its factory-hives. The highest point on the surface is Assembly Zero-One-Zero, a mountain hive city rearing almost twenty kilometres into the atmosphere, its interior plunging so deep into the crust it is thought to penetrate the mantle below.Assembly Zero-One-Zero is the seat of the ruling council of Cerix Magnus' magi -- the Quorum Primus -- a body that has absolute power over every servant of the Omnissiah on the planet, and that has nominal command over Selvanus Binary, Core Theta, and the many lesser Forge Worlds across the sector.Recent centuries have seen such stopovers grow ever more perilous as the local Warp storm known as the Pandaemonium becomes steadily more severe. Several binaric legends on Cerix Magnus cant that during the mythical Brass Scouring, an entire Forge World vanished from record, along with a blessed Adeptus Titanicus force.Many Tech-priest Questors are certain that somewhere, buried in the devastated wastes of a lost world, lies an entire legion of the most formidable war machines ever to walk the battlefields of Mankind's wars. Should these Titans be discovered, the sector would surely tremble beneath their metallic feet. |
Cerix Magnus - Manufactoria Capabilities: Cerix Magnus produces a massive range of weapons and other advanced materiel, but over the millennia has established itself in a number of specialised areas. It is perhaps best known for superior technologies that rely on exotic energy field effects. These range from plasma containment systems to personal force field projectors, but at the more rarefied extremes include teleportation devices and Gellar Field systems based on venerated, ancient STC templates.In addition to its primary function as a centre of advanced manufacturing, Cerix Magnus sometimes serves as a layover point for Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator fleets that roam the sector and beyond in search of archeotech and other treasures of the Quest for Knowledge. |
Certus Minor - Certus Minor: Certus-MinorAdeptus MinistorumCemetery WorldSegmentum ObscurusEcclesiarchHigh Lord of TerraUmberto IICertus-Minor's administrative capital, Obsequa City, was staffed only by the Ecclesiarchy priests, serfs, indentured servants and other personnel needed to maintain the funerary monuments and bury the newly-arrived dead within the vast necroplex which extended across the planet.This world of the dead was the site of a great battle between the 5th Company of the Excoriators Chapter of Space Marines and the Cholercaust Blood Crusade, a vast legion of Traitors, Heretics and daemons dedicated to the Blood God Khorne which emerged from the Eye of Terror following the path of the crimson Keeler Comet every 10,000 Terran years. The Cholercaust was on a direct route for the sacred soil of Terra until it was stopped by the Excoriators with the unexpected and nearly miraculous aid of the revenant Astartes of the Legion of the Damned. |
Certus Minor - Geography: Certus-Minor's surface was a vision of towers, steeples and spires. Stained-glass and rockrete, dark with age, thrusted forth towards the heavens with reverent majesty. With nearly every square metre of dirt on Certus-Minor devoted to the dead, even the capital city was considered an extravagance. Like a tiny, ecclesiastical hive city, Obsequa City comprised basilicas and cathedrals that were built tall and tight.The narrow alleys and passages were steep and cobbled, leading up to the crowning monument -- the heart of the city in both a physical and spiritual sense -- the Umberto II Memorial Mausoleum. Nestled at the heart of the devotional architecture and adorning the metropolis like a crown was the enormous roof-dome of the sacred vault that dominated the city skyline -- the largest and tallest building in Obsequa City. A colossal archway-barbican decorated the entrance to the memorial mausoleum. The pillars of the stately sepulchre were thick and tall, and the darkness of the threshold beckoned Imperial pilgrim and cleric alike.The funereal beauty of the Mausoleum was astounding: the intricate scrolling on the wall internments; the silver lettering adorning the floor slabs, recording the names of past pontiffs and cardinals of the Ecclesiarchy; loggia supports and fat sculpted pillars reaching up to the exquisite detail of the Mausoleum’s domed ceiling – each hand-painted illustration a depiction of Umberto II’s long and spiritually-productive life. Candles and incense burned from a thousand suspended sconces, and stern statues of Ecclesiarchs already elevated to sainthood by the Imperial Cult adorned the sepulchre space in a ring around a simple block-crypt of obsidian brick.A silver-plated elevator was used to transport clerics and Adepta Sororitas guardians deep below the sepulchre to a small complex of condition-controlled crypt chambers residing behind a thick vault door. Within, laid out for private pilgrimage and display, were the surviving remains of Umberto II, the ruling Ecclesiarch of the Adeptus Ministorum and High Lord of Terra. A circular gallery spiralled about the sepulchre’s exterior, made up of marble steps and landings, providing access to the wall-combs, vaultia and the upper stories of the Mausoleum.Imperial mortuary lighters brought an unending supply of the Imperium's noble dead from necrofreighters down to the Certusian surface. The prestige of spending just a century in the same precious earth as Umberto II drew cadavers from light years around. Senior officers of the Imperial Guard, the Imperial Navy, members of of Hive World noble houses, powerful merchant lords, Navigators, other planetary nobility and devoted members of the Ecclesiarchy itself were all buried in Certus-Minor’s sacred topsoil. Coffins and sarcophagi were dug up for shipment back to the families following the expiration of their leases in an unending cycle of inhumation and exhumation on a planetary scale. |
Certus Minor - History: Umberto II was the Ecclesiarch of the Adeptus Ministorum and a High Lord of Terra during his lifetime. Under Umberto's leadership, the common faithful of the Imperium of Man rose up and took the fight back to the corrupt followers of the Ruinous Powers, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their brothers and sisters in the Imperial Guard and the Space Marines. Ancient Terran scholars ascribed the near two thousand standard years of uneasy peace between the 11th Black Crusade in 301.M39, and the Gothic War in 139.M41, largely to the legacy of Umberto’s efforts and Wars of Faith in the Segmentum Obscurus.When Umberto II died, his body was interred on the planet of his birth, the Ecclesiarchy's Cemetery World of Certus-Minor located in the Praga Sub-sector. Grave markers, tombstones and statues of every crafted tradition, built almost one on top of the other, crowded the landscape with barely a scrap of precious earth between them. Vaults, mausolea and private crypts sprouted from the sepulchrescape, dwarfed only by the ancestral tombs and necropoli of power Imperial noble families. It was the Ecclesiarch’s dying wish that his body be returned there upon his death. Such a prestigious burial ground was secured at a premium by the great and good of the Imperium. Umberto II was buried with full Imperial honours and ceremony in the beautiful, baroque metropolis of the dead known as Obsequa City within his own mausoleum. |
Certus Minor - The Defence of Certius-Minor: The entirety of the Excoriators Chapter of Space Marines' 5th Company was lost in garrisoning Certus-Minor against the predations of the Chaos Cholercaust Blood Crusade. Certius-Minor lay directly in the path of the Keeler Comet, an ancient blood-red comet whose strange path out of the Eye of Terror embodied the will of the Chaos God Khorne, leading the Traitors, Heretics and daemons of the Cholercaust across the stars in a celebration of slaughter for the Blood God. That was until the comet appeared in the skies of the tiny Ecclesiarchy Cemetery World in the Praga Sub-sector.The 5th Company did request reinforcement from the rest of the Chapter but had little expectation of its arrival in time to make a difference. The 5th Company sent long-range astrotelepathic requests to the regiments of the Astra Militarum's Viper Legion at Hellionii Reticuli, the 2nd Company of the Novamarines Space Marine Chapter stationed at Belis Quora and the Angels Eradicant Chapter at Port Kreel. They even sent a message to the Vanaheim Cordon where Imperial forces had gathered to face the oncoming Cholercaust, in full knowledge of its futility, for the Imperial Fists, Exorcists and Grey Knights Astartes stationed there would not leave the line of defence for fear that the Keeler Comet and the trailing Cholercaust Crusade might resume its progress on towards Terra.The Adeptus Astartes contingents stationed at Vanaheim would never leave the sacred soil of Terra open to attack to help defend a tiny Cemetery World. The Excoriators' Battle Barge Certius attempted to reach the Cemetary World to answer their Battle-Brothers' call and halt the progress of the Cholercaust, but they were delayed by strange Warp currents in the wake of the crimson Keeler Comet. Much to the 5th Company's dismay, their commanding officer, the disgraced Corpus-Captain Zachariah Kersh, ordered them to make a defiant last stand against the invaders, and stranded his forces on the world by sending their Apothecary and their crippled Strike Cruiser the Angelica Mortis to a nearby Forge World out of the comet and the Blood Crusade’s path, taking the 5th Company's precious gene-seed with it to be used to create future generations of Excoriators after they had been slain.Kersh commanded less than half of a full company of Astartes as well as an Imperial Guard regiment of Certusian Charnel Guard against a legion of Chaos Traitors, daemonic Bloodletters and Khornate Berserkers. Despite the odds, Kersh formulated a plan worthy of his Chapter's ancestors who had defended the Imperial Palace during the Battle of Terra, and he led a bold last stand by the Imperial defenders at Certus-Minor's capital necropolis of Obsequa City.The weight of the Khornate assault far exceeded even Kersh's estimates, and things began to look grim for the Imperial forces. The doomed 5th Company faced their inevitable deaths at the hands of the Forces of Chaos, and in desperation sent a last, prayerful plea to the Emperor of Mankind for assistance of any kind. For a miracle.Beyond all hope, their prayers were answered. The Blood God's butchers soon became the butchered as they were completely wiped out by the timely intervention of the mysterious Astartes who called themselves the Legion of the Damned, whose mysterious vessel (more than likely the Fire Hawks' ancient Void Fortress Rapturous Rex) unexpectedly arrived to destroy the Keeler Comet which took much of the Cholercaust's warfleet with it.Yet the price was high, as all the Space Marines of the 5th Company valiantly lost their lives in the effort, save for their commanding officer, Corpus-Captain Zacariah Kersh. Kersh would go on to become Chapter Master of the Excoriators after this pyrrhic victory. |
Cerulean Guard - Cerulean Guard: The Cerulean Guard is a Loyalist Chapter of Space Marines of unknown Founding and origin who fought to defend the Fortress World of Cadia during the climax of the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41. |
Cerulean Guard - Notable Campaigns: 13th Black Crusade (999.M41) - The Cerulean Guard deployed a full three companies of the Chapter to aid the high-orbit offensive led by many Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes against the forces of Chaos during the final battle of Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade just before the fall of Cadia. |
Cerulean Guard - Chapter Colours: The Cerulean Guard's Chapter colours are currently unrecorded in Imperial records. |
Cerulean Guard - Chapter Badge: The Cerulean Guard's Chapter badge is currently unrecorded in Imperial records. |
Cestis - Cestis: Cestis was an Imperial Mountain World located in the south-eastern Chalnath Expanse of the northern Ultima Segmentum in the Imperium Nihilus. It came under assault from the forces of the T'au Empire's Fifth Sphere Expansion during the Chalnath Expanse Campaign of the Era Indomitus. |
Cestis - History: On the mountainous and barren world of Cestis, in the south-east quadrant of the Chalnath Expanse, T'au pioneers of the Fifth Sphere Expansion had already gained a foothold. Their Earth Caste engineers had erected a research station, while their Water Caste envoys bribed Human black marketeers to keep its presence hidden.Watch Captain Seraphus of the watch fortress Mortguard, who had overseen the interrogation of one such pirate, knew from his Ordo Xenos data-inloads that these sites were the T'au's common means of eventual invasion. Either built piecemeal inside such stations by a veritable army of the aliens' robotic drones, or snuck in under a stealth field projected by its domed surface, these structures could amass huge military presences under a charade of "scientific research."Attacking with all haste, the Deathwatch deployed air superiority squadrons and heavy ground forces supported by Land Raider armoured transports. The tanks advanced through valley floors, converging along routes established by a preceding Spectrus Kill-team. Drone-controlled turrets bearing T'au heavy weaponry studded the valley walls firing towards the Imperial force as swarms of drones poured from hidden boreholes. The Deathwatch's snipers felled dozens of the skimming drones, while heavier fire carved into the turrets that lined the scree.Portals opened in the research station's curved surfaces and T'au Battlesuits jetted out. Their weapons immobilised one Land Raider, blocking the route for those behind. In response, Deathwatch armoured battle groups joined sniper fire squads and set up lethal kill zones.What should have been a single hammer blow would drag on in a battle of attrition, spreading across the mountains of Cestis as both sides continued to pour larger forces into it. |
Cetaceus-class Transit Ship - Cetaceus-class Transit Ship: A Cetaceus-class Transit Ship is a massive Imperial Transport voidship used by the Navis Imperialis to transport much smaller spacecraft that lack Warp-Drives from system to system, usually in support of a battlefleet. The Cetaceus-class Transit ships saw heavy use by the fleets of the Indomitus Crusade during the Era Indomitus.It may be a variant or even simply another name for the older Cetaceus-class Transport, the infamous "whaleship." |
Cetaceus-class Transport - Cetaceus-class Transport: A Cetaceus-class Transport, often simply called the "whale," or a "whaleship," is a massive class of Imperial Transport and carrier voidship used exclusively by the Navis Imperialis to transport large numbers of military personnel, vehicles and materiel from warzone to warzone.The ship carries its personnel and cargo in interior "dropships" which can operate independently of the larger transport and make a combat drop on a hostile planetary surface during a planetary assault mission. |
Cetaceus-class Transport - Role: Cetaceus-class Transports perform a similar transport role to that of an Adeptus Astartes battle barge, yet without the heavy firepower, capacity to launch Drop Pods or ability to really engage in void warfare as a capital ship.Like other transports intended to serve a role in planetary combat deployments, whaleships can carry upwards of a single regiment of the Astra Militarum with all of its associated wargear and vehicles. However, Cetaceus-class Transports are unique in that the associated units are not actually held within the vessel itself at all, but within specially-designed, interplanetary dropships that are stored within the hull, ready to be launched when the carrier reaches its deployment location.A whaleship is also capable of carrying all of its own needed support voidcraft, from Minotaur-class tugs, Devourer Dropships, and attack craft, deploying them from a large open launch bay at the bow of the vessel in addition to the internal dropships. Unlike the launch bay on more common Imperial carriers, the support craft are stored on three large hangar decks that are exposed to the vacuum of space. Therefore each support craft is self-sufficient and only dependent on the carrier for FTL travel through the Warp from system to system.The Cetaceus itself is very well-armoured for a transport, and, since much of its hull space is taken up by empty storage after it has deployed its cargo of troops and vehicles, it is capable of operation even after suffering massive hull damage. In some cases, the vessel has remained operational after taking 75% structural damage. |
Chaeronia - Chaeronia: ChaeroniaHell-ForgeAdeptus MechanicusForge WorldWarpTerranDark MechanicumIt was home to the Castigator-class Titan, an artificially intelligent, fully autonomous Titan originally created during the Age of Technology by an STC, which called itself the "Father of Titans," and claimed to be the very first Titan from which all others were but crude and poorly understood copies. As the Castigator had been corrupted by Chaos and possessed by a Daemon during its time in the Warp, it was subsequently destroyed by a Grey Knights force led by Justicar Alaric.It is likely that Chaeronia was later destroyed by an Exterminatus order given by the Inquisition due to the extent of tech-heresy that encompassed the entire world by the time Chaeronia returned to the mortal universe. |
Chaeros - Chaeros: Chaeros, unofficially called New Cadia, was an Industrial World that was the seventh planet of the Agripinaa System in the Agripinaa Sector of the Segmentum Obscurus. It provided auxiliary industrial production for the Forge World of Agripinaa that was also located in the system.Chaeros was invaded by Abaddon the Despoiler's forces during the 13th Black Crusade. The remnants of the Imperial Navy's Battlefleet Cadia and the Cadian Shock Troops regiments of the Astra Militarum that escaped the Fall of Cadia under the command of Admiral d'Armitage and General Maximus Octavian Grüber III, respectively, would later arrive in the Agripinaa System and clear it of the Chaos fleets and planetary assault forces following the Battle of Faith's Anchorage.Among them was General Isaia Bendikt of the Astra Militarum. Once the system was cleansed of the presence of the servants of the Ruinous Powers, he declared Chaeros was to be renamed "New Cadia" and serve as a new homeworld for all Cadian survivors. However, it is not known if the Imperium officially accepted his renaming of the world. |
Chain Weapons - Chain Weapons: Chain Weapons are any of a class of weapons that possess motorised biting teeth that saw and slash through the enemy, in a similar fashion to ancient chainsaws. The teeth themselves are fashioned to be incredibly sharp, in some cases carrying a monomolecular edge, and are capable of slicing through steel bulkheads.The most common form of chain weapon is the Chainsword, frequently carried by close assault troops and low-ranking officers of the Astra Militarum and Space Marines (including the Traitor Legions); but it is sometimes seen amongst other intelligent species, notably the Striking Scorpions Exarchs of the Craftworld Aeldari and elite Orks.Another common variant is the Chainaxe, which is usually carried by Chaos Space Marines (normally of the World Eaters Legion) known as Khornate Berserkers, as the Chainaxe was once a standard-issue close combat weapon for Assault Marines during the time of the Great Crusade. Such is the skill of these Berzerkers and the weight of their massive Chainaxes that the axes are nearly as powerful as the much-feared Power Weapon.A larger, extended version of the Chainsword, known as the Eviscerator, is usually seen in the hands of Imperial religious fanatics such as penitent Sisters of Battle or the zealous and fiery Redemptionists. Eviscerators, being large, two-handed weapons, are generally powerful enough to have similar effects to the Chainfists frequently carried by Terminators.Other variations of Chain Weapons are used all over the galaxy. Space Marine Terminators often replace their standard Power Fist with the Chainfist for use against enemy armoured vehicles. The Titans of the Adeptus Mechanicus may also be equipped with an enormous version of the Chainfist, for use against buildings and other Titans.The Space Wolves Chapter of the Space Marines use a Chainsword or Chainaxe that has been fitted with the teeth of a Kraken, a native beast of their homeworld of Fenris. This weapon is known as a Frostblade and is more potent even than a Power Weapon. This weapon is limited to warriors of the Chapter who have proven themselves worthy of such an honour.Chain Weapons are not just limited to being incorporated into swords and axes. There also exist chain glaives and chain bayonets as well as a multitude of other melee weapons that have had their standard blades removed and replaced with chain blades. |
Chain Weapons - History: Like many examples of human invention, the many variants of Chain Weapons seem to have their roots in the shrouded heresies of the Dark Age of Technology. Accordingly, many of these various weapons saw consistent use in the armoured fists of techno-barbarians during the Age of Strife, and among the Emperor's own armies during His Thunder Warriors' brutal conquest of Terra during the Unification Wars.But some Chain Weapons, such as the ubiquitous Chainsword, have been wielded by inhuman hands for aeons. Several xenos races have borne such blades into battle even in the ages where Mankind could only look up to the stars with spears in their filthy hands. |
Chain Weapons - Imperial Chain Weapons: Chain Axe - Chainaxes are brutal hand-to-hand Chain Weapons crafted in the form of a great one or two-handed axe which incorporates a powered chainsaw edge. The biting action of the whirling row of monomolecular teeth means these weapons can easily hack through both flesh and armour with ease. The Chainaxe is the favorite weapon of the Khornate Berserkers found in the ranks of the Chaos Space Marines and of worshipers of the Blood God in general.Chainblade - A Chainblade is a smaller Chain bayonet that is attached to a Bolter and utilised as a close-combat weapon during assaults.Chainsword - Chainswords are the preferred close combat melee weapon of the military forces of the Imperium of Man. The Chainsword is essentially a sword with powered teeth that run along a single-edged blade like that of a chainsaw. Most versions of the weapon make use of monomolecular-edged or otherwise razor sharp teeth. Chainswords are not subtle weapons. Wielding one is a statement in its own right: they are horrific tools of war, designed to bite, tear and eviscerate where more primitive blades merely cut and slice. The weapon makes an angry buzzing sound as the teeth spin around, intensifying into a high pitched scream as they grind into armour.Chainfist - A Chainfist is a standard pattern Power Fist that has beenfitted with a Chainsword attachment that is intented to allow its wielder to carve his way through armoured bulkheads. Originally designed for penetrating the armoured hulls of voidships during spaceborne boarding actions, the whirring adamantium blades of a Chainfist have long since proven their worth when engaging armoured targets of all kinds. Both Loyalist Terminators and Chaos Terminators often replace their armour's standard Power Fist with a Chainfist for use against enemy armoured vehicles and static defences in close combat.Chainflail - Combining the indiscriminate lethality of the Chainsword with the savagery of the flail, a Chainflail is truly a weapon for one whose faith in the Emperor is unbreakable and unquestioning. A solid grip with a trigger attached by various adamantine cables to a whirring head lined by four parallel rows of voracious teeth, the Chainflail reminds all who see it that its wielder's faith is untainted by the fear of death.Chain Glaive - Wielded by some members of certain Imperial Guard Rough Rider formations, Chain Glaives are vicious weapons that combine the reach of a pole weapon with the gnashing fury of a Chain Weapon. These weapons come in a startling variety based on the sundry Forge Worlds and eras in which they were manufactured, but all are extremely deadly. This is a two-handed melee weapon.Chain Knife - The smallest Chain Weapon available, at the size of a heavy Combat Knife, the Chain Knife's slight profile belies its lethality. With chain teeth moving at high speed, a mere glancing blow from a chain knife can easily rip a man's flesh open. A single stabbing wound from a chain knife inflicts massive tissue damage, accomplishing in one blow what would require scores from a traditional dagger, allowing a wielder to literally disembowel a foe with but a single well-placed thrust. This is a one-handed melee weapon.Eviscerator - Favoured by Ecclesiarchy zealots and witch-hunters, the eviscerator is a grotesquely large double-handed chainsword. Although unwieldy and difficult to use, the eviscerator is capable of cutting an armoured man in half or ripping through the hide of the most hideously corrupted mutant with a single bloody stroke. A fair number of eviscerators can be found in the lawless frontier of the Koronus Expanse, brought through the Maw by missionaries and fanatics whose zeal exceeded their martial skill. An eviscerator is a two-handed weapon. |
Chain Weapons - Chaos Chain Weapons: Chainaxe (Legion & Human Variants) - Combining the heft and fury of an axe with the terrible rending teeth of a chain weapon, the chainaxe is a favourite implement of many warriors. Heavy and brutal, they are the perfect messenger to inflict their user's righteous hate on their foes. The Roth-pattern Chainsword is one of the more common variants seen in the sector, used by both loyalists and heretics alike. The ancient Deimos-pattern Mark II Legion Chainaxe is much more powerful, drawing on the additional support from the wearer's Power Armour to drive the heavier chains at greater speeds.Chain Dagger - Small in size, these miniature weapons can easily be brought into play from hidden holsters. Their increased deadliness can literally give an edge in knife fights. This is a one-handed melee weapon.Chain Halberd - A rare variation more widely seen in underhive forces within the Calixis Sector, Chain Halberds feature a long staff with a double-sided Chainblade operating only towards the end of the weapon. They can be used as either a slashing or thrusting weapon, with the lighter weight from the smaller Chainblade allowing for more flexible defensive manoeuvres, the thrusting attacks preferred in the crowded and claustrophobic underhive passages. This is a two-handed melee weapon.Chain Hammer - Few but massive brutes can lift this weapon, let along use it in combat. It combines the heavy striking power of a great hammer with the terrible ripping action of a Chain Weapon, using multiple rows of spinning metal teeth projecting from the club-like head to tear apart flesh pulped in the smashing impact. This is a two-handed melee weapon.Chain Spear - Chain Spears combine reach with lethality. The end of each has a length of whirring serrated teeth, sometimes actually made from the sharpened teeth of the user's past victims, which are enough to cause even the slightest hit to become a spray of blood and torn flesh. This is a two-handed melee weapon.Chainsword (Legion & Human Variants) - As the name suggests, Chainswords are roughly sword-like in shape with a large flat housing containing the chain. Chainsword variants often used by Chaos followers often have the entire blade chassis opened to expose the chained teeth. This makes the weapon more dangerous to both user and victim, but for a truly dedicated warrior this is of little concern. Like all their weapons, the Chainswords used by Traitor Legion forces are longer and heavier, fit only to be carried by these mightiest of warriors.Phobos-Pattern Chain Greatsword - This huge two-handed weapon can run almost two meters in length, with a long grip and weighted pommel to allow for some semblance of balance in use. The chained teeth are exposed along the entire length, so that the user can swing it in both directions in combat more like a fl ail than a real sword. Originally used in Forge Polix as a tool for ripping apart large bulkheads and armour during construction, the tool was repurposed by warriors of Khorne who found it brutally effective on the battlefield. This is a two-handed melee weapon.Legion Chainfist - Perhaps the most devastating melee weapon commonly used by a Traitor Legion, a Chainfist combines the disruptive energies of a Power Fist with the rending strength of a chainblade. The huge gauntlet resembles a Power Fist with a short reinforced double chainblade extending from the glove. Too heavy even for Chaos Space Marines in Power Armour, only those wearing Terminator suits can operate such a weapon properly. Chainfists were originally designed for use in boarding actions, where they would be used to tear open voidcraft bulkheads or breach even the redoubtable of barricades. They have since been repurposed by Chaos Terminators, who use them to great effect against even the most heavily armoured adversaries. Each gauntlet is as bulky as a Power Fist and cannot be used for any but the most basic manipulative tasks (for example, one could not use a weapon or pick up a quill, but may be able to manipulate a heavy iron girder).Xerxes Arm-Mounted Chainblade - This ancient weapon design uses a Chainblade affixed to an integrated forearm covering an armoured gauntlet and power supply. Heavy and solid, it can tear open bunker doors or armoured chestplates while keeping the hand free to use a ranged weapon. This bulkier assembly bears resemblance to a crude Chainfist, scrapped together by Heretek denizens within the Screaming Vortex (one of two massive Warp Storms which separate the Calixis Sector of the Imperium from the Koronus Expanse). This is a one-handed melee weapon. Note: this weapon can be used while gripping another weapon in the same hand, however the wielder must choose the weapon with which he is attacking on a given turn.Impaler Chainglaive - An Impaler Chainglaive is a Chain Weapon that is the preferred close combat weapon wielded by a Chaos Space Marine Lord Discordant. It is essentially a long, Chainsword-like blade attached to the end of a spear shaft so that the user may have a farther reach when fighting from the back of the Daemon Engine known as a Helstalker. |
Chain Weapons - Eldar: Biting Blade - Utilised exclusively by the Striking Scorpions Exarchs, these large swords are reminiscent of the massive Eviscerators used by zealots within the Imperium, Biting Blades are long-bladed, two-handed chainswords. However, where Eviscerators are heavy, noisy machines, Biting Blades are slender and quiet, but no less deadly for their relatively light weight. Wielded properly, the razorsharp teeth can tear through flesh and bone with horrific speed, and a skilled warrior can cleave a man in two without difficulty.Eldar Chainsword - A seldom-seen weapon, Eldar Chainswords bear only a superficial resemblance to the roaring, heavy blades of humans or Orks. Almost silent, they produce little more than a sibilant whisper as they tear through flesh and bone. Swiftly-cycling rows of mono-edged teeth cause considerable damage to any creature in their path.Scorpion Chainsword - A lightweight Chainsword used by warriors of the Striking Scorpions Aspect Warriors, they are a deadly one-handed melee weapons whose vicious blade is comprised of diamond-toothed edges that mangle and tear flesh. Its advanced design augments the user's strength, making it an incredibly deadly weapon to use in close combat against infantry and lightly armoured targets. |
Chain Weapons - Ork: Choppa - Orks use a bewildering variety of bladed, spiked, serrated, jagged, barbed and notched hand weapons ranging from the proverbial blunt instrument to whirring Ork-tooth chainsaws. An Ork Chain Choppa is the Greenskin equivalent of a Chainsword, a large blunt instrument of death with large whirring jagged metal teeth that rip and tear an enemy apart in a hail of gore. |
Chainaxe - Chainaxe: A chainaxe is a brutal hand-to-hand chain weapon crafted in the form of a great one or two-handed axe which incorporates a powered chainsaw edge. The biting action of the whirling row of monomolecular teeth means these weapons can hack through both flesh and armour with ease.The chainaxe is the favorite weapon of the Khornate Berserkers found in the ranks of the Chaos Space Marines and of worshippers of the Blood God in general. |
Chainaxe - History: During the time of the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium, the chainaxe was a standard close combat weapon used by the Legion Assault Squads of the Legiones Astartes, finding special favour amongst the Legionaries of the World Eaters Legion. The XIIth Legion's preference for close-quarters fighting and dealing death face-to-face was demonstrated by the preponderance of close combat weaponry habitually carried by its rank-and-file.The dedicated assault units of the Legion added to their profusion of bloody killing tools a weapon that dated back to the techno-barbarian tribes of Terra, the broad-bladed chainaxe. With the rediscovery of Primarch Angron as the XIIth Legion's rightful master, the World Eaters' predilections for hand-to-hand bloodletting reached even greater heights than before, and the chainaxe was further refined under Angron's direction.Such was the reputation it gained, particularly given its effectiveness against brutish xenos such as the Orks, that its use spread to several of the other Astartes Legions. In truth, this inelegant weapon could be seen as an abstract symbol of the World Eaters themselves: brutal and savage, remorseless and unsubtle, a tool with but one purpose -- to kill.After the Traitor Legions fell to the corruption of Chaos during the Horus Heresy, the chainaxe became synonymous as the preferred weapon of the Khornate Berserkers who began to rise in every Legion, as the axe was the sacred weapon of Khorne himself. Khorne cares not from where the blood flows, and it often flows easiest when his followers make use of the endless multitude of melee weapons found throughout the galaxy.After the Heresy, the chainaxe found less use amongst the Loyalist Space Marine Chapters, perhaps because of its increasing association as a weapon preferred by devotees of the Blood God. However, the Astartes of some assault-oriented Loyalist Chapters like the Flesh Tearers have still been known to make use of the chainaxe on occasion. |
Chainaxe - Notable Chainaxe Patterns: Castir Pattern Chain Greataxe - Huge in size and weight, only unnaturally strong or fanatical heretics commonly brandish this weapon. Most feature a double-sided chassis housing two independently mounted chain assemblies, designed to be swung in wide swathes. Such is the power of this fearsome weapon that little can stand against it, and enemies fall apart like kindling when struck.Charatran Pattern Chainaxe - An ancient pattern of chainaxe utilised by the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras, many of the Iron Hands Legion Terminator Squads utilised this pattern for close assault and "Zone Mortalis" engagements.Deimos Pattern Mark II Legion Chainaxe - The most common variant of the chainaxe utilised by the worshippers of Khorne is the ancient Deimos Pattern Mark II Legion chainaxe, a much more powerful pattern of chainaxe originally forged for the Assault Squads of the Space Marine Legions. The weapon draws upon the additional mechanical support provided by an Astartes' power armour to drive the chainaxe's bulk at greater speeds.Khornate Chainaxe - A Khornate Chainaxe is a pattern of chainaxe that has been ritually dedicated to the Blood God, and is larger, heavier and more potent than its standard counterpart. It can cut through even the most heavy of armour plating with ease, and is a particularly favorite weapon of Khornate Berserkers.Puritan's Wrath Chainaxe - Made only from the finest materials the Calixis Sector has to offer, the broad-headed chainaxe commonly known as the Puritan's Wrath is a true sight to behold on the battlefield. Carried into the thickest of fighting by those militant priests of the Adeptus Ministorum, the Puritan's Wrath proudly displays the symbol of the Ecclesiarchy across its broad face whilst streams of purity seals and devotional litanies stream down its surface and around its long handle. The Puritan's Wrath may look like an ordinary chainaxe, but many tales tell of the blade's uncanny ability to fell Heretics in a single blow, and of its supernatural ability to destroy the most blasphemous of creatures: the Daemons of Chaos.Reaver Pattern Chainaxe - An ancient pattern chainaxe known to be utilised by the brutal World Eaters Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.Headsman's Axe - The Headsman's Axe was a massive chainaxe wielded by the elite Atramentar Terminators of the Night Lords Legion. |
Chainaxe - Notable Chainaxes: Gorechild - Gorechild is a massive chainaxe that was once wielded with its twin Gorefather by Angron, the primarch of the World Eaters Legion during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. Its chainblade teeth come from the jaws of the Mica-dragons of the Death World Luther McIntyre IX, its haft was forged from adamantium and its head is a full three spans across. Originally dual-wielded in combat by Angron with its twin Gorefather, it is now used as only a single weapon by Khârn the Betrayer, the Champion of Khorne amongst the World Eaters.Gorefather - Gorefather is the massive chainaxe that was the twin of Gorechild and was dual-wielded by Angron during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. Almost nothing is known about this weapon, including whether it was an identical copy of Gorechild or whether it differed in its manufacture. Its current whereabouts are also unknown.Brazentooth - Brazentooth was the massive two-handed chainaxe that the Primarch Angron used before taking up Gorefather and Gorechild. Brazentooth was so large only a primarch could wield it with any result. Brazentooth was later presented by Angron to Lorgar of the Word Bearers to cement the alliance between their two Legions at the time of the Horus Heresy. Brazentooth was apparently destroyed or lost in the vacuum of space after the destruction of the Word Bearers' warship the Furious Abyss in the early days of the Heresy.Reaper - This enormous, two-handed chainaxe is traditionally carried by the company master of the Carcharodons' 3rd Company. Previously wielded by the slain Company Master Akia, it is now wielded by Akia's successor, Bail Sharr. This weapon was bloodied in countless engagements and was first used by Captain Sharr during the Red Tithe of Zartak, where he wielded it to great effect against the Night Lords of the Chaos Lord Amon Cull. |
Chainaxe - Ork Chainaxes: Like Orks themselves, Ork melee weapons are large, extremely durable, and very dangerous. They can range from simple lengths of bare metal or sections of deck plating, to highly complex but highly unpredictable mechanisms that only an Ork would dare use. No matter their form, each can multiply an Ork's already high degree of lethality to even greater levels:Big Choppa - "Choppa" is the term applied to a multitude of basic Ork close-combat weapons. The mark of a real connoisseur of brutality even amongst Ork warriors, Big Choppas are enormous, crude chainaxes with jagged metal teeth. They are chosen more for sheer weight than subtlety. A Big Choppa is a two-handed close combat weapon, and when wielded in an overhead swing they will turn most opponents into ruined masses of bloody meat and broken bones should it connect. Big Choppas can also take the form of massive meat cleavers, oversized weighted pipes, or many other large kinds of crude but effective implements of death. |
Chainaxe - Sources: Black Crusade: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 162Black Crusade: The Tome of Blood (RPG), pg. 37Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pg. 32Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg. 49Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pp. 22, 48, 84Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pg. 64Codex: Chaos (2nd Edition), pg. 75Codex: Orks (4th Edition), pg. 89Dark Heresy: Creatures Anathema (RPG), pp. 102-103Gorkamorka: Da Roolz (2nd Edition), pg. 53Imperial Armour Volume Eight - Raid on Kastorel-Novem, pp. 115, 118Index Astartes I, "Blood Frenzy - The Flesh Tearers Space Marine Chapter," by Matthew Sprange and Gav Thorpe, pg. 49Index Astartes III, "Chosen of Khorne - The World Eaters Space Marine Legion," by Graham McNeill, pg. 37Only War: Hammer of the Emperor (RPG), pg. 116Only War: Shield of Humanity (RPG), pg. 128Rogue Trader: The Koronus Bestiary (RPG), pg. 69The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal by Alan Bligh, pg. 89The Horus Heresy - Book Two: Massacre by Alan Bligh, pp. 61, 75Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook (6th Edition), pg. 203Battle for the Abyss (Novel) by Ben Counter, pg. 266Butcher's Nails (Audio Drama) by Aaron Dembski-BowdenThe Weakness of Others (Novella) by Laurie GouldingChosen of Khorne (Audio Drama) by Anthony ReynoldsCarcharadons: Red Tithe (Novel) by Robbie MacNiven, Ch. 1 |
Chainfist - Chainfist: A Chainfist is a standard pattern Power Fist that has been fitted with a Chainsword attachment that is intented to allow its wielder to carve his way through armoured bulkheads. Originally designed for penetrating the armoured hulls of voidships during spaceborne boarding actions, the whirring adamantium blades of a Chainfist have long since proven their worth when engaging armoured targets of all kinds. Both Loyalist Terminators and Chaos Terminators often replace their armour's standard Power Fist with a Chainfist for use against enemy armoured vehicles and static defences in close combat. |
Chainfist - History: Perhaps the most devastating melee weapon commonly used by both Space Marine Chapters and Traitor Legion warriors, these archaic weapons harken back to the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras of the late 30th and early 31st Millennia. Chainfists were originally designed for use during voidship boarding actions, where they would be used to tear open voidcraft bulkheads or breach even the most redoubtable of barricades. They were quickly repurposed by Space Marine Legion Terminators, who used them to great effect against even the most heavily armoured of adversaries. A Chainfist combines the matter-cleaving power field of a Power Fist with the rending adamantine teeth of a Chainsword. The matter-disrupting power field envelopes both the huge gauntlet and the whirring blade, yielding a weapon capable of slicing through armour, vehicles, heavy cruiser bulkheads, or nearly any other substance in the galaxy given enough time. These weapons are too unbalanced and unwieldy for even a Battle-Brother in standard Astartes Power Armour to wield effectively; Chainfists are only capable of being used with Terminator Armour. This is just as well, as any foe dreadful enough to warrant use of this weapon certainly calls for such equally potent protection. |
Chainfist - Chainfist Variants: Traitor Legion Chainfist - These huge gauntlets resemble a Power Fist with a short, reinforced double-bladed Chainsword extending from the glove. Too heavy even for Chaos Space Marines in Power Armour, only those wearing Terminator Armour can operate such a weapon properly. Each gauntlet is as bulky as a Power Fist and cannot be used for any but the most basic manipulative tasks.Titan Chainfist - Similar in concept to the Chainfists wielded by Terminators, only on a more massive scale, the Titan Chainfist takes the form of a large chainsaw attachment. Thanks to the available power from the Titan's massive plasma reactor, Titan-grade Chainfists are also equipped with a secondary Melta Array, to soften up the target while cutting through it. |
Chainfist - Notable Chainsfists: Hunger and Slake - Tyberos, First Captain of the Carcharodons Chapter, is equipped with a pair of unique Power Weapons with which he has developed a murderous degree of skill. Named Hunger and Slake, each of these heavy, gauntlet-like devices of uncertain origin combine barbed Power Blades and an inner maw fitted with mechanised Adamantium teeth. Their pattern and manufacture are unknown to the Tech-priests of Mars.Unmaker's Touch - In many Chapters, the mighty Chainfist is a weapon that sees use only in the direst of conflicts, as the armour of most Battle-Brothers is insufficient to bear the weight and supply the power of such a weapon. The Minotaurs Chapter's great stock of Terminator Armour means that they are able to bring forth such weapons more easily than most. Of the terrible weapons so mounted, few are more feared than the Chainfist called Unmaker's Touch. Its potent power field makes a mockery of armour and vehicles, and has also served admirably against the creations of Hereteks and other unliving foes. |
Chainfist - Sources: Black Crusade: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 163Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition), pg. 56Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 84Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg. 16Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pg. 20Codex: Dark Angels (4th Edition), pg. 28Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 97Codex: Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 23Codex: Space Wolves (5th Edition), pg. 57Deathwatch: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 154Deathwatch: Honour the Chapter (RPG), pg. 135Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two, pp. 119, 177Inquisitor: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 77Space Hulk: Rulebook (3rd Edition), pg.Warhammer 40,000: Battle Manual (2nd Edition), pg. 21Warhammer 40,000: Compendium (2nd Edition), pp. 12, 15Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook (6th Edition), pg. 60Warhammer 40,000: Wargear (4th Edition), pg. 41Warhammer 40,000: Wargear (2nd Edition), pg. 7Forge World - Titan: Reaver Titan Chainsfist |
Chainsabre - Chainsabre: A Chainsabre is a twinned Aeldari chainblade mounted in an ancient gauntlet that incorporates a Shuriken Pistol, meaning the user can let loose a short-range fusillade as they leap into the fray before delivering a lightning flurry of blows. These brutally effective weapons are only available to Craftworld Aeldari Exarchs of the Striking Scorpions Aspect Warriors. |
Chainsword - Chainsword: The chainsword is the preferred close combat melee weapon of many of the military forces of the Imperium of Man and versions are also used by the warriors of the Heretic Astartes, Traitoris Militarum, the Orks and the Asuryani.The chainsword is essentially a sword with powered teeth that run along a single-edged blade like that of a chainsaw. Most versions of the weapon make use of monomolecularly-edged or otherwise razor-sharp teeth. Chainswords are not subtle weapons, and wielding one is a statement in its own right: they are horrific tools of war, designed to bite, tear and eviscerate where more primitive blades merely cut and slice.The weapon makes an angry buzzing sound as the teeth spin around, intensifying into a high pitched scream as they grind into armour. It is not unlike a real-world chainsaw, but lighter and able to be wielded with one hand. It is often used in conjunction with a Laspistol.A chainsword brings the weight of intimidation with its obvious effectiveness, and it promises pain before death. On worlds claimed by Humanity, these blades are items of status for criminals and high-ranking gang fighters, as well as weapons of lethal (and crowd-pleasing) necessity for indentured gladiators.Among Mankind's endless armies, the ubiquitous chainsword has found a home in the arsenal of many Astra Militarum officers and Commissars, as well as serving as the weapon of choice for countless warriors among the Adeptus Astartes since the ancient era of the Space Marine Legions in the Great Crusade.This weapon sees action in all forces that serve in boarding and assault parties -- such as Space Marine Assault Squads, Chaos Space Marines, especially the Chaos Space Marines' Raptor Assault Squads, and Asuryani Striking Scorpions Aspect Warriors. The chainsword has also been seen in common use amongst Imperial pirates and Rogue Trader captains.In alien hands, chainblades take more exotic forms despite obeying the same function. An Ork "chain-choppa" will have none of an Asuryani chainsabre's bone-sung elegance, and little of the reliability of a Space Marine's mass-produced weapon, but it will carve flesh and shed blood with the same eagerness.Orks often steal them for Mad Doks and Meks and it has been reported that Slugga Boyz also use them. Some Ork Warbosses have been known to attach them to their hands instead of Klaws. |
Chainsword - History: Like many examples of Human invention, the chainsword's many variants seem to have their roots in the shrouded heresies of the Age of Technology. Accordingly, it saw consistent use in the armoured fists of techno-barbarians during the Age of Strife, and among the Emperor's own armies during His Thunder Warriors' brutal conquest of Terra.But chainswords have been wielded by inhuman hands for aeons. Several xenos species have borne such blades into battle even in the ages when Mankind could only look up to the stars with spears in their filthy hands.Tech-priest foundry masters have speculated, down the centuries, that it is simply a natural evolution of the sword's design: from bronze to iron; from iron to steel; from steel to chain-teeth; and from chain-teeth to a weapon wreathed in an energy field -- such as the Imperial power sword.But doubt remains. More than one Martian magos has devoted their life's work to researching the primeval origins of Chain Weapons: mostly likely the result of inspiration stolen from an alien race, in a war that may never be remembered.If this theorem ever bears fruit, it is distinctly possible that the galaxy's first wielders of chainswords were jade-clad warriors of the ancient Aeldari. As befitting the galaxy's most common type of chainweapon, chainswords come in hundreds upon hundreds of styles, patterns, and local variants.Two-handed blades are often referred to as "Eviscerators" by the Imperium, but these immense weapons come in almost as many variants as their more common counterparts.Every Space Marine Chapter will forge its own blades with subtle differences to those of its brethren, just as every Forge World produces its tried and tested signature weapons based on its preferred schematics. The most common template for any Imperial chainsword is the Mark XI "Hell's Teeth" pattern, with thousands of minor variations seeing use throughout Mankind's endless armies.Chapters such as the Flesh Tearers, the Marines Errant, the Minotaurs, and the Blood Eagles have made no secret of their own named pattern chainblades, usually divergent in matters of decoration and reverence.Unsurprisingly, one of the most dramatic Imperial variants is also found among the Adeptus Astartes: the so-called "Krakentooth" frost blade of the Space Wolves, with its chain-teeth supposedly formed from the fangs of the sea monsters blighting the oceans of their homeworld of Fenris. |
Chainsword - Battle and Maintenance: Despite their relative ease of manufacture, few weapons require as much maintenance as the Imperial chainsword. Fortunately, the maintenance is of a mundane nature -- easily performed by any ganger or warrior -- rather than something like plasma weapon technology which inevitably requires the sacred insight of a tech-priest in order to keep it functioning over time.Replacement teeth-tracks are found in vast crates alongside Lasgun power packs in every Astra Militarum drop zone, as well as being similarly stored aboard every Space Marine Thunderhawk gunship. The first concern is that even the most well-forged chainsword will blunt quickly against heavy armour, especially the dense, ablative layers bolted onto an Orkish warlord, or the tainted ceramite of a Traitor Marine.Chainswords lack the heavy cutting weight of chainaxes and their bulkier ilk, and are better served to cleaving through the joints of heavy suits of armour.Secondly, chainswords are thirsty weapons. Some variants are much more efficient in terms of fuel consumption, but those that aren’t powered by self-sustaining energy generators drink promethium fuel no differently to countless other low-tech Imperial machines, and emit the same crude, oily reek as any tank's engine. The final concern is one of skill.Chainswords can "throw" teeth when they're used in poorly executed parries, slapped blade-to-blade with other chainweapons, or simply wielded with all the precision of a club. While teeth are easily replaced and repaired, it is not uncommon for battles between chainsword duellists to end with both the victor’s and the loser’s blades missing several teeth, especially if the fighters wore heavy armour.Ork weapons, especially those with chain-teeth made from the alien "ivory" of an Ork's own sharpened fangs, are especially vulnerable to this kind of degradation. Anyone with a modicum of experience wielding one of these weapons knows to parry with the reinforced flat of the blade, rather than catch a blow on the toothed, moving edge.These issues of durability rarely apply off the battlefield. A hive ganger or sump-waste outlaw can own a chainsword his entire life without suffering the same degenerative annoyances as an Assault Marine of the Adeptus Astartes, because -- like any weapon –- a chainsword's use depends entirely on context.When used as intended against lightly armoured foes, a chainsword is lethality incarnate. No other blade in existence cuts flesh with the same vicious, ravening hunger as a chainsword.A fighter's strength will add to the blow's devastating effects, but where other melee weapons may rely purely on strength, a chainsword makes for a perfect duelling weapon; just as effective when wielded with grace and speed over brawn.Once the teeth even graze flesh, their motorised bite hooks deeper and saws through muscle, sinew and bone with the same, surgical ease.Just as nothing cuts meat and bone like a chainsword, nothing bleeds like a chainsword wound. Enemies losing arms and legs to these weapons (a practice commonly called "limbing" by Astra Militarum Veterans with unpleasant smiles) can look forward to one of the bloodiest battlefield deaths imaginable, as their life pours out through the uncauterised, mangled stump of flesh that remains in place of a whole limb. |
Chainsword - Imperial: Acitus Pattern Chainsword - A common pattern Adeptus Astartes chainsword utilised by such Chapters as the Novamarines.Astartes Chainsword - This massive weapon is commonly utilised by Assault Marines. These weapons generally have a flat carapace containing the chain teeth, with only the forward, curved section open where the spinning chain teeth can bite into flesh and bone.Drusian "Crusader" Chainsword - Manufactured by a variety of Forge Worlds, these popular weapons are a familiar sight throughout the edges of the Calixis Sector where memories of Saint Drusus burn brightly. On Drusus Day, many shrines are crowded with multitudes of followers, raising their chainswords (or mock replicas, for the poor or young) in the air in honour of his works and sacrifice. For those who seek to continue Drusus' crusade in the Koronus Expanse, the most common pattern of this weapon uses a curved, cutlass-like blade. Most are a holy silver in colour, and favour a large, spiked basket-guard to better smite the unclean xenos.Eviscerator - Favoured by Ecclesiarchy zealots and Witch Hunters, the Eviscerator is an obscenely large, double-handed chainsword fitted with a crude version of the disruption field generator more commonly found on power weapons. Although very unwieldy and tiring to use, the Eviscerator is fully capable of ripping an armoured man in half or tearing open the most blasphemously corrupted mutant in a single stroke. Even more massive versions of these two-handed weapons are also in limited issue in Space Marine Assault Squads, and though similarly unwieldy in combat, when combined with the enhanced strength of the Astartes, they are fully capable of tearing apart the hull plating of even heavily armored vehicles with ease.Frost Blade - Frost Blades are potent weapons unique to the Space Wolves Chapter, and can carve through the heaviest armour with ease. Frost Blades usually take the forms of chainswords or chainaxes, though they can exist in the form of any type of Imperial melee weapon. Frost Blades are master works created by the Space Wolves' Iron Priests -- each is incredibly rare and prestigious. The teeth of these icy chain weapons are always cut from nigh-unbreakable substances such as Ice Kraken fangs or tempered diamond. The unique power fields enveloping Frost Blades have a distinctive blue cast. A Frost Blade combines the best qualities of a Chain Weapon and a Power Weapon. Some Frost Axes have blades of energised diamond rather than chainblades, which gives the weapons the appearance that they have been carved from a single, lethal shard of ice.Gore Prow Pattern - A notable Chapter subtype pattern chainsword known to be utilised by the zealous Fire Hawks Chapter.Hecate Pattern Chainsword - This pattern of chainsword weighs a full 6 kilograms but remains a well-balanced weapon useful in melee combat that is often used by Rogue Traders to intimidate foes and mutinous crew members alike.Hydraphur-Pattern Chainsword - Sometimes called a chain-cutlass, these short-bladed, curved chainswords are favoured by Navis Imperialis armsmen crew chiefs for their brutality. Their shorter length makes them easier to wield in the close confines of a starship corridor, while their more compact design conceals two parallel rows of teeth, allowing it to deal greater damage than its size might otherwise suggest, at the cost of poorly-distributed balance.Locke Pattern Double-Edged "Mercy" Chainsword - Some of the more maniacal wielders of chainswords use customised models with two ripping edges, created by removing the protective carapace surrounding the near side of the weapon. This modification (also available as a finished product due to demand) makes the weapon dangerous to the user as well, but this is not generally a concern and wielders proudly wear the numerous self-inflicted scars that using such a sword often entails. "Mercy" chainswords typically come with a longer haft, so that they can be swung using two hands for deeper strikes.Mark IID "Errant" Pattern Chainsword - A notable Chapter subtype pattern chainsword known to be utilised by the Marines Errant Chapter.Mark V "Fangmaw" Pattern Chainsword - A notable Chapter subtype pattern chainsword utilised exclusively by the savage Space Wolves Chapter.Mark VII "Emperor's Wrath" Pattern Chainsword - A standard Adeptus Astartes pattern of chainsword often used by the Ultramarines Chapter and their successors.Mark XI "Hell's Teeth" Pattern Chainsword - This pattern of the weapon is the most current version of the chainsword used by Imperial military forces. The Mark XI pattern designed for use by an Astartes is much larger than one designed for use by a normal-sized Human who is an Astra Militarum officer. This pattern in its Adeptus Astartes size is known to be utilised by the Lamenters Chapter, amongst others.Thunder Edge Pattern Chainsword - An ancient pattern chainsword utilised by the warriors of the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras, this pattern of chainsword's origins may lie even further back in history, and were most likely utilised by the Thunder Warriors during the Wars of Unification on Terra. |
Chainsword - Chaos: Legion Chainsword - As the name suggests, chainswords are roughly sword-like in shape with a large flat housing containing the chain. Chainsword variants often used by the servants of Chaos have the entire blade chassis opened to expose the chained teeth. This makes the weapon more dangerous to both user and victim, but for a truly dedicated warrior this is of little concern. Like all their weapons, the chainswords used by Chaos Space Marine forces are longer and heavier, fit only to be carried by these mightiest of warriors.Ironfang Chainsword - Designed to allow mere Humans to approximate the deadly blows of a Chaos Space Marine, the Ironfang features a thick, bladed area with chained teeth nearly twice as wide as other chainswords. The power from the backpack-mounted supply provides greater tearing strength, and the weighted nose of the sword allows the user to strike with heavy, slashing blows.Phobos Pattern Great Chainsword - This huge, two-handed weapon can run almost two metres in length, with a long grip and weighted pommel to allow for some semblance of balance in use. The chained teeth are exposed along the entire length, so that the user can swing it in both directions in combat more like a flail than a real sword. Originally used in Forge Polix as a tool for ripping apart large bulkheads and armour during construction, the tool was repurposed by Heretic Astartes warriors of Khorne who found it brutally effective on the battlefield. This is a two-handed melee weapon. |
Chainsword - Asuryani: Biting Blade - Utilised exclusively by the Striking Scorpions Exarchs, these large swords are reminiscent of the massive Eviscerators used by zealots within the Imperium, as Biting Blades are also long-bladed, two-handed chainswords. However, where Eviscerators are heavy, noisy machines, Biting Blades are slender and quiet, but no less deadly for their relatively light weight. Wielded properly, their razor-sharp teeth can tear through flesh and bone with horrific speed, and a skilled warrior can cleave a man in two without difficulty.Asuryani Chainsword - A seldom-seen weapon, Asuryani chainswords bear only a superficial resemblance to the roaring, heavy blades of Humans or Orks. Almost silent, they produce little more than a sibilant whisper as they tear through flesh and bone. Their swiftly-cycling rows of mono-edged teeth cause considerable damage to any creature in their path.Scorpion Chainsword - A lightweight chainsword used by warriors of the Striking Scorpions Aspect Warriors, they are a deadly one-handed melee weapons whose vicious blade is comprised of diamond-toothed edges that mangle and tear flesh. Its advanced design augments the user's strength, making it an incredibly deadly weapon to use in close combat against infantry and lightly armoured targets. |
Chainsword - Orks: Choppa - Orks use a bewildering variety of bladed, spiked, serrated, jagged, barbed and notched hand weapons ranging from the proverbial blunt instrument to whirring Ork-tooth chainsaws. An Ork Chain Choppa is the Greenskin equivalent of a chainsword, a large blunt instrument of death with large whirring jagged metal teeth that rip and tear an enemy apart in a hail of gore. |
Chainsword - Notable Chainsword Wielders: Wolf Lord Ragnar Blackmane of the Space Wolves ChapterChapter Master Gabriel Seth of the Flesh Tearers ChapterCaptain Leonatos of the Blood Angels ChapterCommissar Ciaphas CainColonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt of the Tanith First and Only ("Gaunt's Ghosts")Eldar Striking Scorpion Phoenix Lord Karandras |
Chainsword - Notable Chainswords: Blood Reaver (Flesh Tearers) - Chapter Master Gabriel Seth of the Flesh Tearers wields Blood Reaver, one of his Chapter's most deadly relic weapons. Blood Reaver is a massive two-handed chainsword that is almost twice the size of the standard variant used by Astartes squad Sergeants. It is deadly in its own right, but if the wielder is surrounded by dozens of enemies it can be swung in a 360 degree arc, shattering all foes in its path.Frostfang (Space Wolves) - The Wolf Lord Ragnar Blackmane received his Frost Blade while serving as a Wolfblade. The blade was said to have been carried by the earliest Wolfblades, since the days after the Primarch Leman Russ made his original agreement with House Belisarius to provide a force of Space Wolves Astartes as a security force. Passed down through generation, Frostfang is a mighty Frost Blade crafted centuries ago by the Iron Priest Fergus Forgrim, the famed master craftsman of the Space Wolves. Its chainsaw blade is fashioned from a rare metal that was created using a secret technique, one which died with the ancient Iron Priest.Jaw of Bloodchairn (Ultramarines) - The Jaw of Bloodcharn was the chainsword wielded by Tactical Squad Sergeant Kuriel during the war for a vital Agri-World in the Ango Sub-sector. Sudden attacks by dark-armoured Chaos Space Marines brought death to Kuriel’s captain and the sergeant stepped into his place to take command of the Ultramarines strike force. As the conflict escalated, Kuriel coordinated his efforts with allies from the Red Wolves and Sons of Orar Chapters, showing outstanding leadership ability. He was subsequently elevated to the Ultramarines' 1st Company and his promotion to the rank of captain was only prevented when he volunteered to join the Deathwatch. His weapon is the mark of a great commander and is often given to up-and-coming Ultramarines slated for eventual officer status.Memor Nihilis (Flesh Tearers) - This massive Eviscerator chainsword is intricately worked, with each tooth of the roaring blade inscribed to a level of detail few artisans could manage. This ornate work was done by the hand of a Sanguinary Priest, to commemorate the loss of the Chapter's warriors claimed by the Black Rage. Barely visible script details the history and heraldry of dozens of warriors along the length of the blade, ever reminding its wielder of the peril of losing control of himself.Scipio's Regret (Angels Vermillion) - As with many other Blood Angels Successor Chapters, it is the practice of the Angels Vermillion to master many crafts and trades over the course of a battle-brother's long life. The ornate and intricate ornamentation worked into the chainsword now called Scipio's Regret could not have been achieved without such a life span to perfect the craft. It might have been better for its wielder had he not made his work so well, for Scipio was mobbed by desperate underhivers after defeating the beasts that plagued them, with the ungrateful wretches seeking to steal his marvellous blade. A Deathwatch Kill-team on the world was diverted to avenge the noble warrior and recover his weapon.Storm's Teeth - This colossal chainsword wielded by Primarch Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists Legion, too weighty for any but a Primarch to wield, is said to have been crafted by the weaponmasters of Inwit before the coming of the Emperor. Its razored teeth can shred metal, stone and flesh with ease, and while the Primarch of the Imperial Fists Legion has many arms at his disposal, some relics of far greater power, it is this blade which has served him faithfully for so long that he favours most.The Teeth of the Blizzard - The Wolf Guard named Ralaff saved the life of the Great Wolf Logan Grimnar in the face of a Tyranid assault while using the Frost Blade called The Teeth of the Blizzard.Witchbane (Black Templars) - Black Templars Brother-Sergeant Navrell bore the chainsword Witchbane into battle against Asuryani pirates on the world of Scoth in the Ixaniad Sector. What started as a small skirmish escalated when a Webway portal opened on a ridge above the fighting. Through it stepped a black-robed Farseer, and behind him, a stream of Asuryani reinforcements. Navrell led three squads to eliminate the new threat. Crackling balefire and slicing Eldar shurikens decimated his men, but Navrell fought through to cut down the Farseer. The portal snapped shut, and Navrell's chainsword slew many more Aeldari that day. It was this deed that led to Navrell's secondment to the Deathwatch, bringing his weapon, now named Witchbane, with him. |
Chainsword - Related Articles: Astra MilitarumSpace MarinesLaspistolPlasma PistolPower Sword |
Chainsword - Sources: Black Crusade: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 162Black Crusade: The Tome of Blood (RPG), pg. 37Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition) pg. 59Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pp. 34, 84Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pg. 20Codex: Dark Angels (4th Edition), pg. 48Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pp. 33, 156Codex: Orks (4th Edition), pg. 89Codex: Space Marines (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 339, 436Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pp. 60, 97Codex: Space Wolves (5th Edition), pg. 57Dark Heresy: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 140Dark Heresy: Blood of Martyrs (RPG), pg. 116Deathwatch: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 153Deathwatch: Honour the Chapter (RPG), pp. 130, 132Deathwatch: Rites of Battle (RPG), pg. 156, 158Games Workshop: Specialist Games Catalogue, pg. 105Imperial Armour Volume Nine - The Badab War - Part One, pp. 72, 78, 117Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two, pg. 80Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, pg. 114Rogue Trader: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 115, 129Rogue Trader: Hostile Acquisitions (RPG), pg. 55Rogue Trader: The Explorer's Handbook (RPG), pg. 122Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook (6th Edition), pg. 203Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook (5th Edition), pg. 156Warhammer 40,000: Wargear (2nd Edition), pg. 7Warhammer 40,000: Munitorum - Chainsword (Digital Edition)Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (Video Game)Dawn of War II (PC Game) |
Chairon - Chairon: Chairon was a Primaris Space Marine of the Ultramarines Chapter's 2nd Company who fought in the Recidious Campaign of the Fourth Tyrannic War under the command of Lieutenant Demetrian Titus, newly restored to his Chapter after an absence of more than a standard century, and his squad leader Sergeant Gadriel. |
Chairon - History: Chairon was born on the world of Calth in the Realm of Ultramar where he personally witnessed the Word Bearers betray the Ultramarines Legion mustering on that world, initiating the Battle of Calth during the Horus Heresy. The carnage unleashed by the Word Bearers left him with a fierce hatred of all Heretics and Traitors, and a desire to emulate the heroism of the Ultramarines that he had witnessed during the conflict. As a result, when the opportunity came, Chairon took and passed the trials to be accepted as a neophyte of the Legion. However, he subsequently volunteered for a secret project that would take him along a different path.Chairon was among the young men subsequently taken secretly by Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl and put into stasis deep beneath Mars while he perfected the process of creating Primaris Space Marines over the next ten thousand standard years. When the Era Indomitus began in the wake of the Great Rift's creation, Chairon was one of the Primaris Marines of the Ultima Founding who was eventually assigned to the Ultramarines Chapter.Serving in the Ultramarines 2nd Company alongside his squad leader, Sergeant Gadriel, the two were later placed under the command of the newly returned Lieutenant Demetrian Titus during battles against the Tyranids in the Recidious System on the Jungle World of Kadaku and the Hive World of Avarax.When it became apparent that a thrall-band of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion commanded by the Sorcerer Lord Imurah was manipulating the events surrounding the attempted development in the Recidious System of Project Aurora, a weapon intended to banish all those corrupted by Chaos into the Warp, Chairon flew into a rage and abandoned his squad to recklessly pursue the Traitors.Chairon was reprimanded for this by Titus, but after rejoining Titus and Gadriel to reach an astropathic relay overrun by the Tyranids to send a message to Chapter Master Marneus Calgar warning him that Project Aurora was based upon the same Chaos-powered power source that Titus had first encountered a standard century before during the Liberation of Graia, the relay's resident astropath, Neoma, accused the lieutenant of being a Traitor who planned to kill Calgar when he arrived.Overcome by suspicion, Gadriel attempted to kill Titus in a mistaken attempt to save Calgar and stop what he believed to be a Chaos plot, but a less credulous Chairon killed the astropath, whose death revealed that the psyker had in fact been possessed by Imurah's sorcery to sow dissension among the Ultramarines. When asked how he knew that the psyker was possessed by the sorcerer, Chairon stated that he had an innate sense of Warp corruption.Together with Titus and Chairon, the trio went on to defeat Imurah and his allied Tzeentchian Lord of Change on the Cemetery World of Demerium after following the Sorcerer Lord into the Immaterium itself. |
Chairon - Appearance: Chairon's right arm was replaced by an augmetic after he lost the original in a prior campaign. |
Chalice-class Battlecruiser - Chalice-class Battlecruiser: The Chalice-class Battlecruiser is a bold, experimental class Battlecruiser that is unique to the Imperial Navy's Battlefleet Calixis, as it was designed within the Calixis Sector. |
Chalice-class Battlecruiser - History: The Chalice-class was a bold but not entirely successful attempt to further develop the concept of the Battlecruiser. The theory seemed sound: a fast Heavy Cruiser, with light armour and powerful weapons that could outrun and outmanoeuvre anything it could not immediately destroy. During the bleak middle years of the Angevin Crusade, much was made by Imperial propagandists of the new, locally manufactured "super-cruisers" planned to roll up the numerous xenos and Heretic empires arrayed against the Emperor's forces. Even though they only came into service as the Crusade ended, hopes for these vessels were immense. Early Chalice-class captains were lauded as glamorous, swashbuckling adventurers in endless Vox reels and data plays.Sadly, the vessels failed to live up to expectations. Two of the original Chalice-class Battlecruisers were destroyed during an engagement with unknown xenos forces in the Hazeroth Abyss in 123.M40, and others were lost to accident or fleet engagements over the following millennia. Due to an active Inquisitorial campaign to conceal these military setbacks, these starships remain admired amongst the ignorant general Imperial public, who believe these vessels remain the iron core of Battlefleet Calixis. However, these sleek and beautiful warships, while fast and well-armed, have a glass jaw, and a disconcerting tendency to rupture plasma conduits under sustained assault. |
Chalice-class Battlecruiser - Dimensions: Hull: 5.1 kilometres long, 0.8 kilometres abeam at fins approximately.Mass: Approximately 29 megatonnes.Class Chalice-class Battlecruiser.Crew: Approximately 98,200 crew.Acceleration: 3.4 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration. |
Chalnath Expanse - Chalnath Expanse: The Chalnath Expanse is a region of Imperial space located in the northern Segmentum Ultima region of the Imperium Nihilus. It is of strategic import as it sits upon one of the primary Warp routes leading to the Segmentum Fortress at Kar Duniash. The Chalnath Expanse was also the region into which the T'au Empire's Fourth and Fifth Sphere Expansion fleets were launched, which led to the founding of the extension of the T'au Empire known as the Nem'yar Atoll. As such, it is now emboriled in a four-way conflict between the Imperium, the T'au Empire, various Genestealer Cults and an Ork WAAAGH! which recently entered the region, drawn by the raging war now called the Chalnath Expanse Campaign. |
Chalnath Expanse - History: The T'au Empire's Fourth Sphere Expansion unexpectedly emerged into realspace after the disastrous activation of their fleet's anti-matter-powered AL-38 Slipstream Modules created the Warp vortex known as the Startide Nexus, a stable, interdimensional pathway or "wormhole" between the region of the northern Segmentum Ultima the T'au named the Nem'yar Atoll and the primary territories of the T'au Empire to the galactic south in the Eastern Fringe near the Damocles Gulf.Once the T'au Empire confirmed the survival of the Fourth Sphere Expansion's fleet, Commander Shadowsun was given command of the Fifth Sphere Expansion and led it into the Startide Nexus. Once the Fifth Sphere Expansion fleet emerged into the Nem'yar Atoll, Shadowsun integrated the survivors of the Fourth Sphere Expansion fleet into her command and began expanding the size of the T'au Empire's new domain.Since its discovery by the T'au, the Nem'yar Atoll has become a cluster of Sept Worlds, stellar fortresses and orbital habitation spheres and cities that surround the Startide Nexus, but is also under almost-constant assault from raiders, hostile xenos and other, darker threats such as the forces of Chaos. As such, the military resources allocated to the defence of this key region by the T'au are now considerable, and ultimately led to conflict with the many Imperial worlds located in the same region, which the servants of the Emperor named the Chalnath Expanse.Commander Shadowsun soon attacked the Cardinal World of Astorgius while the Ctesiphus and Arrajian Systems were the site of major Genestealer Cult uprisings. On the Mining World of Haephos, the Imperial defenders engaged in a bitter guerrilla war against the Genestealer cultists and T'au infiltrators. The Riatov System became a cauldron of constant war between the T'au forces, the Astra Militarum regiments who called it home, and the Genestealer cultists.The Hive World of Vorotheion seemed immune to the violence for a time before becoming embroiled in a T'au invasion. The T'au wooed disenfranchised and discontented Human populations to the Greater Good, establishing insurrectionist cells and proxies to battle the Imperials alongside their conventional forces. The effects of the Psychic Awakening soon made themselves known on the Humans, with Ecclesiarchy priests performing "miracles" and even Gue'vesa being struck by bouts of emergent psyker-induced insanity.The disturbances on these worlds caused the Adepta Sororitas' Order Militant, the Order of the Sacred Rose, to respond, saving those who remained true to the Emperor while purging all Heretics and xenos they encountered. Warriors of the T'au Fire Caste put up formidable resistance, but the battle-sisters discovered that the greatest threat to the Emperor's rule in the region were the Ethereals accompanying the T'au forces, whose propaganda concerning the Greater Good was able to claim countless Human souls to their cause.Later, the Deathwatch of the nearby watch fortress of Mortguard under the command of Watch Master Agathon were drawn into the conflict after reports of rampant T'au and unexplained civil uprisings were made by the venerable Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Jazad D'ontor. Three full Watch Companies of Mortguard were ultimately deployed to the worlds of Arrajian IV, Cestis and Saint's Halt to aid the Imperial defenders in throwing back the T'au advance and cauterizing the Genestealer Cult infestations.Finally, drawn by the raging, three-sided conflict, massive Ork forces soon arrived in the region. They poured from the Ful'na Nebulae in ragtag invasion fleets. With the Thaxaril, Riatov, and Barolyr Systems barely pacified, the conflict continued to rage on half a dozen other fronts.Commander Shadowsun proved unwilling to allow this new menace to destabilise the precarious expansion of the Nem'yar Atoll into Imperial space. Deploying her forces in a complex web of interlocking positions throughout the Vy'las, Mets'ah, and Aso'da Systems, she began a Kauyon-style campaign on an interstellar scale. She planned to use this strategy to blunt the Greenskins' momentum and crush the threat they posed to the continuance of the Fifth Sphere Expansion. |
Chalnath Expanse - Arrajian System: While it was not directly assaulted by the T'au's Fifth Sphere Expansion forces, the Arrajian System was subjected to Genestealer Cult uprisings so successful that more than half of its key worlds fell in a matter of solar months. Those few that remained loyal to the Imperium now hold on by a thread and their enduring faith in the Emperor is all that gives their defenders strength. |
Chalnath Expanse - Barolyr System: The Barolyr System was assaulted by the T'au's Fifth Sphere Expansion. Its primary planet was the Hive World of Vorotheion which came under attack by both the forces of the T'au and an uprising by the Genestealer Cult known as the Pauper Princes. The cult was ultimately victorious in taking over most of the world, though the T'au and the Imperium still maintain control over several of the world's hive cities. The Pauper Princes remain undaunted by this, and have already begun the necessary work required to welcome their Star Children masters -- the Tyranids -- to their home. |
Chalnath Expanse - Ctesiphus System: While it was not directly assaulted by the T'au, the Ctesiphus System was subjected to Genestealer Cult uprisings so successful that more than half of its key worlds fell in a matter of solar months. Those few that remained loyal to the Imperium now hold on by a thread and their enduring faith in the Emperor is all that remains to give them stength against the xenophile menace. |
Chalnath Expanse - Riatov System: When the T'au invaded the Riatov System, the primary world of Riatov became became an inferno of bloodshed between the Riatov regiments of the Astra Militarum, Genestealer Cultists and the T'au's Fire Caste forces. |
Chalnath Expanse - Thaxaril System: The Thaxaril System was struck by the forces of the T'au Empire's Fifth Sphere Expansion. Its primary planet was the Cardinal World of Astorgius, celebrated across the sector for its magnificent architecture, incredible wealth and priceless relics.The world has been devastated by the T'au's invasion of the Thaxaril System. Even as the forces of the Imperium and the T'au waged their war for control of the planet, neither realised that Astorgius was also home to a large Genestealer Cult infestation, which had yet to make its presence known. |
Chalnath Expanse - Vedik System: The Vedik System came under assault by the T'au Fifth Sphere Expansion forces led by Commander Shadowsun. Isolated and facing economic ruin since becoming trapped within the Imperium Nihilus in the wake of the Great Rift's birth, its population began to lose faith in the Emperor. Thus, when the envoys of the T'au Water Caste from the Fifth Sphere Expansion arrived to open negotiations, the Imperial authorities used Rogue Traders to broker food and aid from the xenos. Before long, the T'au had earned the trust of the population and Water Caste officials even held seats on some local city councils. The T'au gave many technological gifts to the Imperial Commanders of the Vedik System, though in truth these robotic drones were outfitted with listening devices that allowed the T'au to gather valuable intelligence on how best to make the Greater Good more appealing to the Human population.The situation in the Vedik System changed when a battered Imperial fleet arrived out of Warpspace without warning. Led by a force of Sisters of Battle drawn from the Order of Our Martyred Lady, the pious battle-sisters were horrified by what they found in the system, with its people consorting openly with xenos. The Adepta Sororitas determined that their sudden and unexpected arrival in the system had been ordained by the will of the Emperor, and that it was their mission to purge Vedik of the xenos and their Human collaborators.As soon as the Adepta Sororitas' presence in the system was known, the T'au quickly withdrew from Vedik, as they did not possess the necessary military forces to oppose such an elite Imperial strike force. Upon occupying the worlds of the Vedik System, the battle-sisters organised and conducted a bloody round of purges, pogroms, and torturous interrogations to root out all the Human collaborators with the T'au Empire. They were aided by Ecclesiarchy priests, who rose up to destroy any commercial concerns that had been established by the Water Caste and those Humans who had aided them.The T'au were not willing to give up on the Vedik System, however, and under orders from Commander Shadowsun a fleet of T'au voidships soon arrived in the system filled with Fire Caste troops. These were led by hundreds of teams of Pathfinders under orders to rescue any beleaguered T'au still remaining in the system, reestablish contact with any of their Gue'vesa allies who had been driven underground by the Adepta Sororitas' persecution, and eventually overthrow Imperial rule. The T'au had to move fast, as more and more Imperial vessels were arriving in-system, called by the Adepta Sororitas and the Inquisition. Soon Vedik was consumed by war, like much of the rest of the Chalnath Expanse. |
Chalnath Expanse Campaign - Chalnath Expanse Campaign: The Chalnath Expanse Campaign, also called War Zone Chalnath, was a multisided war fought in the Era Indomitus for control of the Chalnath Expanse region in the northern Segmentum Ultima portion of the Imperium Nihilus between the forces of the Imperium, the T'au Empire's Fifth Sphere Expansion, various Genestealer Cults and the Orks. The campaign has degenerated into a four-way battle that is ongoing with no end in sight. |
Chalnath Expanse Campaign - Arrival of the T'au: The T'au Empire's Fourth Sphere Expansion unexpectedly emerged into realspace after the disastrous activation of their fleet's anti-matter-powered AL-38 Slipstream Modules created the Warp vortex known as the Startide Nexus, a stable, interdimensional pathway or "wormhole" between the region of the northern Segmentum Ultima the T'au named the Nem'yar Atoll and the primary territories of the T'au Empire to the galactic south in the Eastern Fringe near the Damocles Gulf.Once the T'au Empire confirmed the survival of the Fourth Sphere Expansion's fleet, Commander Shadowsun was given command of the Fifth Sphere Expansion and led it into the Startide Nexus. Once the Fifth Sphere Expansion fleet emerged into the Nem'yar Atoll, Shadowsun integrated the survivors of the Fourth Sphere Expansion fleet into her command and began expanding the size of the T'au Empire's new domain.Since its discovery by the T'au, the Nem'yar Atoll has become a cluster of Sept Worlds, stellar fortresses and orbital habitation spheres and cities that surround the Startide Nexus, but is also under almost-constant assault from raiders, hostile xenos and other, darker threats such as the forces of Chaos. As such, the military resources allocated to the defence of this key region by the T'au are now considerable, and ultimately led to conflict with the many Imperial worlds located in the same region, which the servants of the Emperor named the Chalnath Expanse.Commander Shadowsun soon attacked the Cardinal World of Astorgius while the Ctesiphus and Arrajian Systems were the site of major Genestealer Cult uprisings. On the Mining World of Haephos, the Imperial defenders engaged in a bitter guerrilla war against the Genestealer cultists and T'au infiltrators. The Riatov System became a cauldron of constant war between the T'au forces, the Astra Militarum, and the Genestealer Cultists.The Hive World of Vorotheion seemed immune to the violence for a time before becoming embroiled in a T'au invasion. The T'au wooed disenfranchised and discontented Human populations to the Greater Good, establishing insurrectionist cells and proxies to battle the Imperials alongside their conventional forces. The effects of the Psychic Awakening soon made themselves known on the Humans, with Ecclesiarchy priests performing "miracles" and even Gue'vesa being struck by bouts of emergent psyker-induced insanity.The disturbances on these worlds caused the Adepta Sororitas' Order Militant, the Order of the Sacred Rose, to respond, saving those who remained true to the Emperor while purging all Heretics and xenos they encountered. Warriors of the T'au Fire Caste put up formidable resistance, but the battle-sisters discovered that the greatest threat to the Emperor's rule in the region were the Ethereals accompanying the T'au forces, whose propaganda concerning the Greater Good was able to claim countless Human souls to their cause. |
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