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Dawn of War II - The Last Stand: On October 14, 2009 Relic released a new game mode (as part of their 1.8.0 patch) for Dawn of War II, called The Last Stand. Players take control of either a Space Marine Captain, an Eldar Farseer or an Ork Mekboy, and co-operate with two other players in order to take on waves of AI controlled units. With the release of Chaos Rising, the Tyranid Hive Tyrant and Chaos Space Marine Sorcerer were also made playable. As the players play, they gain experience points which unlocks 'wargear' for their character.
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Dawn of War II - Sub-Sector Aurelia: This cluster of worlds stands on the very edge of the Imperium of Man. From this frontier came the Blood Ravens, a chapter of the Emperor's own Space Marines. Now savage aliens seek to overrun the sector, and break the Blood Ravens once and for all. Captain Davian Thule and a handful of Space Marines lead the raw recruits defending these worlds. Now, another Space Marine joins this desperate battle... a newly promoted Force Commander of the Blood Ravens Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, ready to lead in our darkest hour. You are this Space Marine.
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Dawn of War II - The Eldar: One-time masters of the galaxy, the Eldar are now few in number and slowly dying out. Those few, however, are among the most dangerous enemies of Man. Following specialized paths of rigorous training throughout their long lives, the surviving Eldar are masters of terrible psychic powers, deadly warrior skills, and incredibly sophisticated technology. Skilled in foretelling the future and manipulating lesser races, the Eldar would gladly sacrifice billions of humans to save a handful of their own.
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Dawn of War II - The Ork Menace: Savage and bloodthirsty, barbaric and brutal, Orks infest the galaxy from end to end. Green-skinned and ape-like, these aliens are brutal combatants and form into massive war bands which set to burning and pillaging everything in their path. Most dangerous is the Warboss, largest and most cunning of the Orks. These huge chieftains can inspire the fear and discipline necessary to trigger a massive WAAAGH! -- an Ork uprising that can topple entire systems if not stamped out quickly.
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Dawn of War II - The Tyranids: From beyond the very edge of the galaxy come the Tyranid Hive Fleets; tendril-like swarms bent on consuming all life. Guided by a terrible communal intelligence, the Tyranids exist solely to strip the universe bare to feed their endless appetites. In a matter of weeks, Hive Fleets can strip whole systems of life. They are without number, without fear and without mercy.
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Dawn of War II - Calderis: An arid Feudal World of 25 million people first settled in the forgotten pre-Imperium past, Calderis is an Imperial planet whose native technology level is akin to Terra's early Industrial Revolution. An Imperial Planetary Governor oversees the planet from orbit, ensuring that the world contributes men and ores as tithes. According to the Administratum, the governor also "periodically permits" the Space Marines to recruit from the population. For the Space Marines, of course, the planet is a recruiting world and so "theirs", but they have neither the manpower nor inclination to maintain a constant presence on the planet - best to arrive every few years/decades to recruit. The feudal nature and harsh climate suit them well, as it makes the locals hardy and resilient stock from which to choose battle brothers. The planet has suffered from occasional outbreaks of feral Ork activity for centuries, but in recent seasons, the Greenskins have grown in number, power and resources. The governor has mobilized the Planetary Defense Force, armed with Imperial Guard issue gear, while the chapter has sent almost a dozen Battle Brothers to secure the planet. The fight is not going well.
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Dawn of War II - Meridian: The centre of Imperial power in Sub-sector Aurelia, Meridian is a teeming planetary metropolis, a massive Hive World of 32 billion human beings that serves as the sub-sector's capital world and features huge city-spires rising from urban landscapes the size of continents. Home to billions of Imperial citizens, the planet is also an industrial power, with valuable manufactoria producing everything from household goods to lasguns and aircraft. For most citizens, Meridian is sub-sector Aurelia, seeing as how it accounts for well over 90% of the total population and economic output. The governor of the sub-sector definitely shares this point of view, seeing the other worlds under his jurisdiction as little more than a resource frontier. His attention is always turned toward Meridian and its links to the larger Imperium. This willful ignorance of events on the frontier make him ill suited to defend his domain against the invading Hive Fleet. Even discounting the Tyranids, Meridian is hardly the secure bastion the governor pretends it is. Ork smugglers from the Blood Axe clan can be found lurking in the shadows of certain hab-spires, while Eldar infiltrate higher strata to recover artifacts pilfered from the ruins of Typhon. It falls to the Space Marines to break through this bureaucratic ignorance and muster a defense for Meridian and the Sub-Sector entire.
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Dawn of War II - Typhon Primaris: Choked by dense jungles in its highlands and fetid swamps in the lowlands, Typhon Primaris is a dangerous and unwelcoming Feral World with a small population estimated at no more than 300,000 people. Orks are endemic to the place and several centuries ago they wiped out the last of the human ancestors of colonists from the Dark Age of Technology. These people had long since reverted to a Bronze Age level of sophistication, and plentiful ruins attest to their civilization. Space Marines once recruited from this population. The Orks of Typhon Primaris are fractious like all their kind, but not the isolated feral tribes of Calderis. The Bad Moonz clan currently sits at the top of the Orkish power structure on Typhon. The planet is also home to small communities of Eldar Exodites. Eons ago an Eldar Craftworld fatally damaged by the birth pangs of Slaanesh during the Fall of the Eldar crashed on this world, and its remains are still hidden in its depths. The Exodites do not know this, but do sense a deep value for their people on this savage world. Human repopulation of the world is not an Imperial priority. However, the people who do live here are scattered across a variety of scientific stations, resource extraction sites and military training bases. As these stations begin to transition into true, if rugged, communities, the Space Marines have begun recruiting again. An Imperial Planetary Governor oversees the world and is mostly responsible for keeping the Orks in some form of check. Less well-know are the small number of Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-priests who have come to Typhon to examine several pieces of advanced technology from the Dark Age uncovered in the oldest settlement sites - and the Tyranids who are well on their way to infesting the low-land swamps of the world.
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Dawn of War II - Playable Characters: Blood Ravens Force Commander (the Player)Sergeant TarkusDevastator Sergeant AvitusScout Sergeant CyrusAssault Sergeant ThaddeusDevastator/Dreadnought Captain Davian ThuleLibrarian Jonah OrionTechmarine Martellus
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising is a real-time strategy video game for the PC developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ, and the sequel expansion of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. The game was released on March 11, 2010 for Games for Windows.The Chaos Space Marines are introduced as a faction in the game and all the races in the previous game (Space Marines, Eldar, Orks and Tyranids) were given new units. The game predominantly takes place on the ice-covered homeworld of the Blood Ravens, Aurelia. Gabriel Angelos explains Aurelia was lost in the Warp for a thousand years, but has now reappeared along with an active Blood Ravens' Vox beacon.
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - Campaign: Chaos Rising is set one year after the events of Dawn of War II and the defeat of the Tyranid invasion (as well as the Eldar and Ork forces) of sub-sector Aurelia. The campaign marks the return of the Blood Raven heroes from the previous game, the Chaos Lord Eliphas the Inheritor from Dark Crusade, Derosa as the new Planetary Governor of Meridian, and the heretic Vandis.New to Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising is the Corruption System. In the campaign there are often multiple objectives which will complete a mission; depending on which one a player chooses to complete, they will become more or less corrupted. Corruption describes how close the player's Astartes (ie: the Force Commander, Jonah and the rest of the squads under the player's command except for Davian Thule, who is the only member unaffected by corruption) are to turning to Chaos and betraying the Imperium of Man. This is a conscious choice in the gameplay and will affect the ending of the game as well as what missions are available throughout the campaign for the player.Two new environments are available in Chaos Rising to complement the three already available (the jungle/swamp terrain of Typhon, the deserts and canyons of Calderis, and the towering Gothic city-scape of Meridian). The new environments are:Aurelia - Aurelia was once a verdant world, home to billions of humans and the jewel of the sector. Thousands of years ago the planet was engulfed in a Warp Storm (a stellar disturbance where the Chaotic dimension known as the Warp leaks into realspace), causing the fertile world to become a frigid wasteland. After this, the planet disappeared into the Warp entirely. After millennia, Aurelia has re-emerged with the Forces of Chaos. This planet is the playground of the Dark Gods: Khorne, Tzeentch, Slaanesh and Nurgle.The Space Hulk Judgment of Carrion - A Space Hulk is a giant derelict ghost ship (in some cases they are made up of many different ships or even parts of small asteroids and space stations) which floats randomly in and out of the Warp. Often hundreds or thousands of years old, Space Hulks can contain any sort of horrors and treasures. In Chaos Rising, the Judgment of Carrion has emerged from the Warp along with Aurelia and is inhabited by a splinter of a Tyranid Hive Fleet and within this ship lies many secrets.Chaos Rising is set one year after the events of Dawn of War II and the defeat of the Tyranid invasion (as well as the Eldar and Ork forces) of sub-sector Aurelia. The campaign marks the return of the Blood Raven heroes from the previous game, the Chaos Lord Eliphas from Dark Crusade, Derosa as the new governor of Meridian, and the heretical Vandis.
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - Plot: The Blood Ravens Force Commander (the player's character) and his Astartes strike force arrive on planet Aurelia, along with the newly requisitioned Blood Ravens Strike Cruiser Retribution, after receiving a Blood Ravens encoded Vox distress signal. The distress signal turns out to be a trap, and the Blood Ravens are ambushed by Traitor Imperial Guardsmen of the heretical noble House Vandis. After escaping the trap and leaving the area, the Force Commander and the Dreadnought Davian Thule move to rescue the Librarian Jonah Orion, who is under attack by Eldar forces that have unearthed ancient ruins and revived several Wraithguards.After receiving a distress call from Governor Derosa of the world of Meridian, the Blood Ravens proceed to Meridian's Angel Gate Forge where bands of Orks, driven there by House Vandis forces, are looting the area. They later encounter Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion who are attempting to take over Angel Forge. Despite the presence of Eliphas the Inheritor, a former Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion thought long dead on the world of Kronus, the Forces of Chaos are repelled. After halting the Chaos raid, a combined Imperial Guard/Blood Ravens strike force returns to Aurelia to attack the Black Legion forces dug into the area. Resisting intense artillery barrages from House Vandis Traitor Guard forces and wave upon wave of Chaos Cultists, the Blood Ravens discover a Chaos Temple and after a gruesome battle against summoned daemons, destroy it completely. Taunting the Loyalists throughout their struggles is the commanding Chaos Champion of the Black Legion, Araghast the Pillager.After the Chaos Temple falls, the Warp begins to tear the planet asunder, which forces the Blood Ravens to make an immediate evacuation. Araghast let the Force Commander and his strike force escape the world since it would otherwise diminish the value of the Chaotic traitor within the ranks of the Blood Ravens and he told Eliphas that his vengeance against the Blood Ravens could wait. On board the Retribution, a recording was found that revealed that there was a traitor within the Chapter who gave Chaos the Vox transmission codes that were used to ambush the Blood Ravens when they first arrived on Aurelia. The Blood Ravens then returned to Meridian to aid the Imperial Guard's 85th Vendoland Regiment in recapturing Spire Legis. With the help of Sergeant Thaddeus (who requested to be on the mission), they successfully weaken the Chaotic and Heretical forces holding the area. They also destroy an Eldar strike force that was uncovering ancient ruins on the world of Typhon with Sergeant Tarkus. After dispatching numerous problems, Space Marine Scouts on the world of Calderis send out a distress call that they have been engaged by a substantial number of Chaos forces. With the help of Sergeant Cyrus, they save the Neophytes from certain death and kill a Chaos Sorcerer operating in the area. Soon after, a contingent of the Blood Ravens Honour Guard, led by Captain Apollo Diomedes, arrives in the sub-sector. Diomedes, acting on behalf of the Blood Ravens' Chapter Master and Chief Librarian, Azariah Kyras, orders the Blood Ravens forces to cease all engagements with the Black Legion and other Forces of Chaos and return to their starship until they received further orders.Disgruntled by the orders but still loyal, the Blood Ravens returned to the Retribution. Several highly encrypted transmissions are intercepted. However, despite their best efforts. they were unable to fully dissipate the message's encoded masking. Techmarine Martellus, having survived the Tyranid invasion, accesses the Astronomic Array on Typhon. He reports that he has recovered detailed information about the arrivals and departures of a giant Space Hulk, the Judgment of Carrion. The Space Hulk contains a logic engine system (Cogitator) that is powerful enough to remove the masking on the intercepted messages. Meanwhile, investigating how heretic forces had duplicated a Blood Ravens signal, Cyrus learns that there is a traitor on-board the Retribution itself.When the Space Hulk arrives as Martellus predicted, the Blood Ravens find the ship infested by a splinter of the Tyranid Hive Fleet they so recently defeated. The foul taint of the Warp also permeates the vessel, cutting their stay aboard extremely short. Not far into the Space Hulk, they discover the bodies of fallen Blood Ravens of the 5th Company; mysteriously their gene-seed has been prepared for removal but not collected and stored by an Apothecary. Raising even more questions, the names of the fallen Space Marines are still marked as on-duty within the Chapter Honour Guard. After much progression throughout the ship, slaughtering innumerable amounts of feral Tyranids and recovering the remaining Blood Ravens gene-seed with Librarian Jonah Orion, the Blood Ravens finally gain access into a large sealed vault that contains the logic engine system. Inside, numerous Space Marine corpses strew the floor, each puzzlingly with their gene-seeds prepared for removal but not collected. While accessing the logic engine, they find a dataslate written by Apothecary Galan that details the expedition he and his fellow Blood Ravens Space Marines made onto the Space Hulk.Galan was part of the expeditionary group led by the then-Librarian Azariah Kyras. The message contains references to a Greater Daemon named Ulkair that was stalking them within the ship. The daemon was seeking their gene-seed which compelled Apothecary Galan to try and hide it. Galan worries, however, that, the subtle corruptive whisperings of the daemon might overcome the Astartes one by one and he also worries for Kyras, who has exerted much of his psychic strength in fending off the daemon and his minions. Kyras seems apathetic about the death of his Battle-Brothers and slight hints are made from Galan's description of events that point to the increasing Chaotic corruption of Kyras.Leaving the Space Hulk and allowing Martellus to analyze the newly acquired logic engine to unmask the messages of the traitor, the Blood Ravens answer to yet another distress signal from Governor Derosa. Chaotic forces have besieged the capital hive city of Meridian and are assaulting the Governor's Palace itself. The Force Commander goes to the defense of the Governor and beats back multiple waves of Black Legion and Vandis Heretical forces on the palace's doorstep. The Blood Ravens receive a transmission on their private voice channels from Araghast the Pillager, mocking them and challenging them along with Sergeant Avitus to a duel. The Blood Ravens, despite orders from Captain Diomedes, assault planet Aurelia in answer to Araghast's challenge. Araghast uses the powers of the Warp to teleport himself away from the Blood Ravens when they finally locate him until Eliphas the Inheritor, who is overseeing the teleportation rituals, betrays Araghast and refuses to transport him away. Enraged, Araghast violently attacks the Blood Ravens, who ultimately end up defeating him, which leaves Eliphas as the new commander of Araghast's Black Legion warband. Enthralled by the silencing of Araghast, the Blood Ravens remark that is was fitting that such a Traitor was, ironically, destroyed thanks to another traitor. Martellus, analyzing copious amounts of data, reports to the Force Commander that Apothecary Galan is still alive and also within the Honour Guard of the Blood Ravens. They also find yet another coded transmission from the traitor to Galan.Despite the threat posed by Chaos, Captain Diomedes orders all the Blood Ravens to leave the sub-sector Aurelia immediately. Captain Gabriel Angelos, unwilling to simply leave the Blood Ravens recruiting worlds to fester in the grip of Chaos, orders the Force Commander and his squads to disregard Diomedes' orders. Angelos travels to Calderis where Diomedes is operating from, and confronts him regarding the retreat order. Diomedes, acting in the name of Kyras, declares Angelos and his men Traitors to the Chapter, and sends out a notice to all Blood Ravens to kill him on sight. Knowing that Gabriel Angelos can be no true traitor, the Force Commander and his squads infiltrate Captain Diomedes's firebase on Calderis. Within, they locate Apothecary Galan along with a host of Honour Guard that they find have all been corrupted by Chaos. The strike force attacks Galan, who in his dying moments thanks them for freeing him from the influence of Chaos. He then tells them that all of the Astartes from the 5th Company who had originally been on board the Judgment of Carrion had been corrupted by Chaos, along with most of the men in the Honour Guard. Captain Diomedes is found to be pure of corruption, but to have been blinded to his manipulation by the Traitors because of his pride. The strike force proceeds to the Honour Guard's Command Center where they hope to access its logs to expose the identity of the traitor on the Retribution. The Command Center is unfortunately destroyed and Captain Diomedes' appears on the scene, branding the Force Commander and his Astartes as heretics for what they have just done. The Force Commander and his squad explain to Diomedes what had transpired and the events on board the Judgment of Carrion. Diomedes was shocked to hear this, along with the name of the Greater Daemon, and allows the Force Commander's strike force to escape. Meanwhile, logs from Galan's dataslate that were found onboard the Judgment of Carrion reveal that Kyras had fallen to Chaos long before the expedition. In addition, the Daemon Ulkair was imprisoned within the planet Aurelia during its disappearance into the Warp and the Blood Ravens come to the chilling realization that Eliphas is planning to release the creature.On Aurelia, Eliphas explains that just before the planet was taken by the Warp long ago, Kyras managed to imprison Ulkair after Kyras' mentor, the Librarian Moriah, was killed in battle against the daemon. Soon after, the Warp descended upon the planet, taking both Kyras and the world into its nether reaches. Kyras, trapped within the Warp, made a deal with Ulkair to guarantee his escape, who in return teleported the corrupted LIbrarian on board the Judgment of Carrion to be found by the 5th Company and returned to his Chapter. To release the daemon, Eliphas the Inheritor sacrifices the life of a captured Blood Raven Scout Marine and a Chaos Champion of Nurgle to release Ulkair, who is a Great Unclean One, a Greater Daemon of the Plaguelord. Ulkair thanks Eliphas for releasing him and promises him more power and control under its service, albeit sinisterly. As the Force Commander and his squad return to Aurelia, they discover that the traitor within their ranks was Avitus (or one of the players squad members with the highest level of corruption) who immediately flees the Blood Ravens' Strike Cruiser and joins with the Forces of Chaos on the ground. After the Blood Ravens kill the traitor, he tells them in his dying moments that Ulkair has been revived and confirms that Kyras was long ago corrupted by Chaos. Gabriel Angelos finally arrives with the Battle Barge the Litany of Fury, and the Force Commander and his squads immediately tell the venerable captain what they have learned. Gabriel, wasting no time, launches a grand assault upon Aurelia's Chapter Keep. Making use of Predator tanks to secure a beachhead, numerous Chaos bases are destroyed as the Force Commander and his squads gather to assault Ulkair. As they begin to approach the daemon, they are intercepted by Eliphas who forces them into combat. Before they can deal a killing blow, Eliphas is saved by the intervention of the Warp, as the Ruinous Powers are not yet done with him, and escapes death yet again. The Force Commander and his men now have no more obstacles in their way to defeating Ulkair. In a long and difficult battle, the Greater Daemon is finally vanquished and sealed away again within Aurelia. However, Ulkair remarks before his defeat that no prison may hold him forever and that he will eventually return and slaughter them all.Aboard the Battle Barge Litany of Fury, Captain Gabriel Angelos declares the Blood Ravens' victory over the Black Legion and Ulkair the Unclean One. He tells though of the greater challenges that await them, because since their Chapter Master, Azariah Kyras, has been corrupted by Chaos, the only thing that the Blood Ravens may do now is slay him. Gabriel then speaks to the Force Commander and his squads about their actions (the outcome of which dependson the player's redemption and corruption level as a choice of his actions during the game). Meanwhile, within the Eye of Terror, a resurrected Eliphas the Inheritor tells Abaddon the Despoiler, the Warmaster of the Black Legion, that he will yet annihilate the Blood Ravens.
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - Ending: Once the player reaches the end of the game, it gives out five endings that the player may receive depending on the player's redemption and corruption levels.Full Purity - If the player does all the redemption missions and kills Apothecary Galan and not Captain Diomedes, the player's character and his squads will act as Agents of Purification within the Chapter with the help of Gabriel Angelos and Diomedes after learning the truth about the Chaos corruption within the Blood Ravens. The player's Force Commander is granted the position of captain of the Blood Ravens' 4th Company.Purity (Good) - If the player attacks Captain Diomedes and not Galan, the player's Force Commander and his squads will be marked as Renegades along with Captain Gabriel Angelos.Neutral - If the player does both redemption and corruption in all of the missions (Killing all the Blood Ravens, and not killing both Diomedes and Galan), the player's Force Commander will be banished from the Chapter as a Renegade and exiled to the Eye of Terror for a hundred standard years.Corruption (Execution) - If the player has greater corruption points than his redemption, the player's Force Commander will be sadly executed for heresy by Gabriel Angelos.Full Corruption - If the player does all of the corruption missions and has a full level of corruption in all of his squads, the player's Force Commander becomes the next Chaos Lord of the Black Legion warband on Aurelia.
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - Canonical Ending: In Dawn of War II - Retribution, it is confirmed that Captain Apollo Diomedes is alive and still serves under Chapter Master Azariah Kyras. Neither Scout Sergeant Cyrus nor Techmarine Martellus were the traitor in the Chapter and Librarian Jonah Orion is seen defending the capital spire of Meridian.It is unknown what happened to the Force Commander and Sergeant Thaddeus. The traitor in the Chapter based on what Sergeant Tarkus reports was Sergeant Avitus as they both served in the Kronus campaign.
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - The Last Stand: The Chaos Sorcerer and the Tyranid Hive Tyrant will be added to the current selection of The Last Stand heroes.
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - New Units/Upgrades: All new units and upgrades for the four pre-existing races in Dawn of War II will be available to players who only own the original Dawn of War II, upon the release of Chaos Rising - with the exception of the Chaos faction for those who do not own Chaos Rising.
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - Chaos: Chaos Lord - Offensive Commander, affiliated with Khorne, the Blood God.Chaos Plague Champion - Defensive Commander, affiliated with Nurgle, the Plaguelord.Chaos Sorcerer - Support Commander, affiliated with Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways.Tier 1Heretic Squad - A cheap melee squad that can be upgraded with grenade launchers and an Aspiring Champion (detector). Comes with the ability to worship, granting benefits to nearby squads. Can build shrines in Tier 2, amplifying the affects of nearby worshipers.Chaos Space Marines - Similar to the Space Marine Tactical Squad. Chaos Space Marines start off weaker, but become tougher with upgrades. Can be upgraded in Tier 1 with Eternal War for bonus damage. In Tier 2 an Aspiring Champion may be added, as well as upgrading the squad with Marks of Khorne (Chainaxes) or Marks of Tzeentch (Inferno Bolters).Chaos Havocs - Similar to a Space Marine Devastator Squad. In Tier 2 can be upgraded with Marks of Khorne (Autocannons) or Marks of Tzeentch (Lascannons).Tier 2Chaos Bloodletters - Lesser Daemons of Khorne, armed with Hellblades as Power Weapons. They can phase into the Warp and teleport.Chaos Dreadnought-Chaos combat walker armed with Autocannon and a power claw when built. It can be upgraded with Marks of Khorne (Twin Power Claws) or Tzeentch (Missile Barrage).Chaos Bloodcrusher - A Bloodletter Lesser Daemon of Khorne rides the Daemon Beast called a Juggernaut into battle. Its power is charging into battle and the ability to cause fear to the enemies' infantry squads.Chaos Plague Marines - These are the worshipers of the Chaos God Nurgle. They possess exceptional toughness and armour, however, they are not the best shooters or close combat units. These ranged heavy infantry units are armed with Bolters and a Missile Launcher, allowing them to deal with vehicle armor as well as infantry units. They shoot normally while suppressed and detonate when killed.Tier 3Chaos Predator - Similar to the Space Marine Predator main battle tank and its variants. It can be upgraded with the marks of Khorne, Nurgle, or Tzeentch.Great Unclean One - Greater Daemon of Nurgle. This monster wields a Plaguesword and can vomit on enemies. Its intestines can be used to snatch infantry units, and a swarm of flies surround the Great Unclean One which attack nearby enemies. Heretics can be sacrificed to the Great Unclean One to gain power. Is the most powerful and expensive unit in the game.
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - Eldar: Wraithguard - Although they look similar to the larger Wraithlord, the three-member Wraithguard Squad is best used at range against enemy infantry and tanks. They are armed with short-ranged mini D-cannons.
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - Orks: Weird Boy - Every so often an Ork comes along that is a little bit different than all the others. These Weirdboyz are Ork psykers, conduits for powerful psychic energies generated by masses of greenskins and their enthusiasm and excitement for a fight.
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - Space Marines: Librarian - Capable of powerful damage and support spells. Inspires surrounding Space Marines when killing in melee. A new character in the campaign called Jonah Orion is a Librarian.Upgrades:Devastator Heavy Bolter Squad - They can now receive the Lascannon upgrade.Dreadnoughts - Able to receive the Multi-melta upgrade.Predator Tanks - Able to receive the Lascannon upgrade.
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Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising - Tyranids: Genestealers - An elite melee unit that infiltrates after staying still for a period of time.Tyrant Guard - Powerful defensive melee units used to protect other large or vulnerable units. Replaces the Carnifex in Tier 2.
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Dawn of War II - Retribution - Dawn of War II - Retribution: Retribution is the second expansion to the Warhammer 40,000 real-time strategy computer game, Dawn of War II.It was released in March 1, 2011 with six single player campaigns, a new multiplayer faction, improved "The Last Stand" mode and a new online service.The Dawn of War II multiplayer scene has migrated to Retribution from the old matchmaking system.
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Dawn of War II - Retribution - Campaign: Dawn of War II: Retribution offers a campaign for every race, including the Imperial Guard. The campaign takes place across Sub-sector Aurelia, which appeared in the previous two Dawn of War II games.The worlds include the jungle-covered Feral World Typhon Primaris, the Desert World Calderis, and the Hive World Meridian from Dawn of War II; the Ice World Aurelia and the derelict space hulk Judgment of Carrion from Chaos Rising; and the Dead World of Cyrene, mentioned in the original Dawn of War as having been subjected to Exterminatus (complete sterilisation of all life on a planet corrupted by Chaos or alien influences) by Blood Ravens Captain Gabriel Angelos.
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Dawn of War II - Retribution - Factions: In Dawn of War II - Retribution, a player could be one of the six available races in the single player campaign, which included: the Tyranids of a Hive Fleet Leviathan splinter fleet, the Space Marines of the Blood Ravens Chapter, the Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion, the Eldar of Craftworld Alaitoc, Ork Freebooterz and the Imperial Guard.
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Dawn of War II - Retribution - Setting: Dawn of War II: Retribution takes place ten Terran years after the events of Chaos Rising. Sub-sector Aurelia is now suffering from conflict between Ork pirates called the Freebooterz led by Kaptin Bluddflagg to pillage the sub-sector; the arrival of the Eldar of Craftworld Alaitoc led by Autarch Kayleth in response to a prophecy that has led them to Aurelia to recover an ancient artefact; a Tyranid Hive Lord who seeks to restore the link of a splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Leviathan with the Hive Mind; the Space Marines of the Blood Ravens Chapter led by Captain Apollo Diomedes who hope to cleanse the sub-sector of all Chaos taint as well as investigate the loyalties of their Chapter Master, Azariah Kyras, who may have been corrupted by Chaos; the return to Aurelia of the Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion led by Eliphas the Inheritor on a quest to fulfill his promise to Abaddon the Despoiler to annihilate the Blood Ravens, and the newly arrived Imperial Guard forces of the 8th Cadian Regiment led by Lord General Castor, who have been tasked with performing an Exterminatus action under Inquisitor Adrastia of the Ordo Hereticus if her investigations reveal that the sub-sector is hopelessly lost to the influence of Chaos and xenos.These events may have been caused by Gabriel Angelos' actions (in the original Dawn of War game) when he destroyed the Maledictum, a Chaos artefact containing the bound essence of a Greater Daemon of Khorne, with the Daemonhammer God-Splitter.
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Dawn of War II - Retribution - Plot: The player's character arrives on Typhon Primaris to engage an opposing faction and defeat its leader. (Space Marines vs. Chaos, Eldar vs. Orks, and Imperial Guard vs. Tyranids). It is learned that the Imperial Inquisition has deemed the sub-sector beyond redemption, and will be arriving soon to carry out an Exterminatus action on all the inhabitable worlds in the region.Later, the faction leader is given the objective to eliminate Azariah Kyras who intends to use the impending Exterminatus as a genocidal sacrifice to Khorne and ascend to daemonhood as a Daemon Prince. The motivation varies depending on the player's faction, for example the Space Marines, Imperial Guard and Eldar wish to oppose Chaos, their ancient Archenemy; the warlike Orks simply want a good fight and to thump the strongest foes they can find; the Tyranid splinter fleet wishes to overrun the sub-sector and summon a new hive fleet to consume all the biomass; the Chaos Space Marine faction are Kyras' rivals for the attention of Khorne and wish to surpass him in the Blood God's favour.Regardless, it is deemed by the player's faction that Kyras must die. The player quickly attempts to secure a means of transport off Typhon, escaping a local Chaos Cult along the way.Arriving on Calderis, the player character fights against Kyras' Chaos-corrupted Blood Ravens Space Marines, operating under orders to purge the planet. After destroying a Warp portal on Aurelia, the player's faction learns of an attack on Meridian ordered by Kyras and arrives there killing the Traitor Guardsmen and uncovering a transmission from Kyras revealing his location on Typhon.The player's faction returns to Typhon Primaris to confront Kyras himself, only to be ambushed by Eldar from Craftworld Biel-Tan. Wary of a ritual they are performing, the player's faction kills the Eldar there.Following this, Kyras reveals that the Eldar ritual was preventing the Imperial Inquisition fleet from arriving at the sub-sector. The Inquisition fleet arrives, beginning an Exterminatus action on Typhon Primaris. The player's faction escapes Typhon before the Exterminatus is complete. A Cyclonic Torpedo reduces Typhon's surface to ash.Finding themselves on the space hulk known as the Judgment of Carrion, the player's faction recovers, and finds new determination to stop Kyras. It is deduced that the Renegade Chapter Master and his followers are hiding on Cyrene, as that Dead World already underwent Exterminatus solar decades before, and therefore the Inquisition will not travel there to perform another Exterminatus action.On Cyrene, the player's faction launches an attack against a joint alliance of Chaos Space Marines, corrupted Imperial Guardsmen and Traitor Blood Ravens by using their most powerful unit against them.Kyras begins to ascend to daemonhood during the course of the battle. Captain Gabriel Angelos and his 3rd Company launch an attack on Kyras' forces while Gabriel's own Command Squad confronts the emergent Daemon Prince himself; however, they are defeated by Kyras and his newfound power as a servant of the Blood God.The player's faction then launches their own attack, ultimately successfully killing Kyras.
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Dawn of War II - Retribution - Endings: After Kyras' death, the ending of the game will depend on which faction the player chose:Chaos Space Marines - Eliphas allows the Exterminatus campaign of the Imperial Guard to continue, thus sacrificing the sub-sector's population to the Blood God Khorne. In return he is granted daemonhood by the Blood God Khorne, usurping Kyras' place and transforming into a Daemon Prince.Eldar - Ronahn recovers the Spirit Stone containing the spirit of his sister, the Farseer Taldeer, and decides to return to Craftworld Ulthwé with her.Imperial Guard - If victorious, Inquisitor Adrastia returns to the Inquisition to suspend the Exterminatus on Sub-sector Aurelia, by presenting Kyras' Psychic Hood as proof that the threat has ended, while Lord General Castor and Sergeant Major Merrick commend each other for their exemplary actions in backhanded fashion.Orks - Inquisitor Adrastia attempts to renege on the deal between her and Kaptin Bluddflagg by carrying out an assassination attempt on the Greenskin corsair. Unfortunately, Kaptin Bluddflagg catches her off guard and takes her hat, which he wanted as his preferred payment in their deal to unite against the sub-sector's other threats. Following his victory over the Inquisitor, he claims the Space Hulk Judgment of Carrion as his new Kroozer, and uses it to leave the sub-sector in pursuit of new conquests.Blood Ravens Space Marines - Captain Diomedes contacts Inquisitor Adrastia after the purge of Kyras and his followers and asks her to halt the Exterminatus. The Blood Ravens Chapter is then purged of any remaining Chaos taint and Gabriel Angelos, after being revived from the brink of death and rebuilt with bionics, is appointed as the new Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens. (Canon Ending)Tyranids - The Hive Tyrant's psychic strength summons a hive fleet to Aurelia that launches a surprise attack and consumes the entire sub-sector, resulting in a 94% casualty rate for the Imperial Guard forces and the complete annihilation of the Blood Ravens Chapter, who refused to retreat from their home region.
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Dawn of War II - Retribution - Canonical Ending: The canonical ending of Dawn of War II - Retribution is the same as the Blood Ravens Space Marine ending. The evidence for this comes from the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine video game.In Space Marine the main character gains assistance from a squad of Blood Ravens Tactical Marines who state they are under orders from their new Chapter Master. This infers that the Blood Ravens Chapter has survived and reformed under Gabriel Angelos' leadership as depicted in the Space Marine ending for Retribution.Furthermore, in Dawn of War III, Gabriel Angelos returned as the Blood Ravens Chapter Master, augmented with bionic implants and leading the Blood Ravens to assist House Varlock on Cyprus Ultima.However, a part of the Eldar campaign is canonical: Ronahn recovered the Spirit Stone of Taldeer but was later waylaid by Autarch Kyre. Taldeer's stone is seized by Kyre and in a trance she warns of a coming catastrophe regarding the Spear of Khaine and the Storm Prince.
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Dawn of War II - Retribution - Development: On September 15, 2010 Relic Entertainment announced that Retribution would be dropping the Games for Windows - LIVE multiplayer platform in favour of using Steamworks as its primary and only platform. As a result of this, the campaigns do not import or continue directly from Dawn of War II and Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising and the new multiplayer platform does not communicate with the old LIVE platform.This makes the game entirely stand-alone with all the races included (unlike Chaos Rising, which required the original Dawn of War II to use the original four races in multiplayer).Plot-wise, two playable characters (Cyrus and Tarkus) have been carried over from the original campaigns.A new multiplayer matchmaking service was developed for Retribution. The addition of Steamworks also allows inviting Steam friends directly to multiplayer matches as well as free-to-play multiplayer weekends and a much faster patching process.There were speculations that the new playable race would be the Imperial Guard and/or the Inquisition, due to the Inquisition's triple-lined "I" symbol used in the word "Retribution" in the game trailer; in addition, the expansion's wishlist icon in the Steam system features a female Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus. On December 21, 2010, the German PC gaming magazine Gamestar revealed the new race would be the Imperial Guard.A multiplayer beta of the game was launched on Steam on February 1, 2011 and ended on February 25.
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Dawn of War II - Retribution - Sources: Dawn of War II (Novel) by Chris RobersonDawn of War II: Retribution (PC Game)Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (Video Game)
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Dawn of War III - Dawn of War III: Dawn of War III is a real-time strategy video game released by Relic Entertainment and Sega in partnership with Games Workshop, the creators of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. It is the third stand-alone title in the Dawn of War series, and the first new release in the series since Dawn of War II - Retribution in 2011. It was released for Microsoft Windows on April 27, 2017.
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Dawn of War III - Plot: A "catastrophic weapon," known only as the Spear of Khaine, has been discovered on the planet Acheron, long lost in the Warp, and three forces eventually converge on the world to recover it -- the Blood Ravens Space Marines under their legendary Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos, the Eldar led by Farseer Macha (with both heroes returning from the first game), and an Ork WAAAGH! led by Warboss Gorgutz (his fourth appearance, after Dawn of War - Winter Assault, Dawn of War - Dark Crusade, and Dawn of War - Soulstorm).The single-player campaign begins on the Imperial Knight World of Cyprus Ultima, which is under siege from a massive Ork horde led by Warboss Gitstompa. For reasons unknown, the Imperial Inquisitor Holt has ordered the Imperial Navy to blockade the planet and denies the ruling Lady Solaria's Imperial Knight House Varlock any reinforcements planetside. The Blood Ravens under Chapter Master Angelos run the blockade to bring aid to Lady Solaria, but not before Varlock Keep is looted by Gitstompa's erstwhile lieutenant, Gorgutz. Gitstompa uses the looted parts to build an enormous cannon capable of defeating the forces of the Eldar, who are also on Cyprus Ultima and assaulting the Orks. Meanwhile, Inquisitor Holt impatiently reminded Angelos that their primary mission in the region was to utilise a dozen Ramilies-class Starforts in order to form a blockade intended to contain any Warp contagion present on Acheron from spreading across the Imperium after its emergence from the Immaterium. They are not to be distracted by the violent follies of the Orks -- even if this meant the destruction of one of the Emperor's knightly houses.Autarch Kyre, the leader of the Craftworld Biel-Tan warhost, known as the Swordwind, on Cyprus Ultima, summons Farseer Macha to aid him against the Greenskins present on the Knight World. Kyre intends to use Cyprus Ultima as a staging ground to travel to the planet Acheron when it emerges from the Warp after having been lost for many Terran centuries. Kyre is obsessed with the Spear of Khaine, named after the lost Eldar god of war Khaela Mensha Khaine, and said to be able to kill enemies with a single blow. Kyre had previously seized the Spirit Stone of Farseer Taldeer (Dawn of War - Dark Crusade) from her twin brother, the Eldar Ranger Ronahn (Dawn of War II - Retribution), when he was trying to transport it to their home Craftworld of Ulthwé. While the stone was in Kyre's custody, Taldeer's spirit unwittingly told Kyre of the prophecy surrounding the Spear of Khaine. In a trance, she prophecised that the "wayfarers" would be called forth by the Spear of Khaine and united by the "Storm Prince."Convinced that he is the Storm Prince destined to unite the fractured and nomadic Eldar against their foes, the power-hungry Autarch secretly keeps Taldeer prisoner in her Spirit Stone as a way to swell the ranks of his Swordwind force by using her as his puppet to reinforce the idea of his destined leadership among the other Eldar. Unable to communicate with anyone other than Kyre in her disembodied state, Taldeer finds herself effectively isolated from any outside help. Farseer Macha, however, does not trust Kyre at all, and secretly begins to build an Eldar insurgency with the aid of Ronahn, who pretended to cooperate with Kyre while serving as the Autarch's spymaster, and Jain Zar, Phoenix Lord of the Howling Banshees Aspect Warriors.A detachment of Eldar forces next assault the Imperial Starfort Helios where the Blood Ravens Chief Librarian Jonah Orion is studying an Eldar artefact, but Gabriel Angelos and his fellow Astartes arrive in time to rescue the Librarian, though at the cost of critical damage to the Starfort in the wake of the battle. Inquisitor Holt is incensed at the damage done to the Helios and Angelos orders Chaplain Apollo Diomedes to stay with his detachment on the Helios to defend it and oversee the starfort's repairs.On Cyprus Ultima, Gitstompa's cannon is sabotaged by Gorgutz, and it explodes just as he is about to engage Macha's forces, who overrun his position. With Gitstompa defeated, Gorgutz quickly subjugates Gitstompa's other subordinates, which include the Ork Weirdboy psyker Zapnoggin and the Big Mek Wazmakka. Gorgutz forms a new warband with them and begins preparations to travel to the lost world of Acheron, which he had learned existed after battling the Eldar and other factions to ultimate victory in the Kaurava System during the events of Dawn of War - Soulstorm. Having learned that the Spear of Khaine lies on Acheron, Gorgutz wants the "SUPER pointy stikk" all for himself.Farseer Macha and her forces prepare to assault the Blood Ravens on Cyprus Ultima and nearly kill both Librarian Orion and Gabriel Angelos when a meteor shower suddenly interrupts the battle, heralding the return of the planet Acheron to realspace.Gorgutz seizes the opportunity to crash his massive Kill Kroozer starship into another Imperial starfort and overwhelm the defending Blood Ravens before landing on Acheron. The Starfort Helios then impacts in turn onto Acheron's frozen outer shell when it emerges from the Warp. Gabriel Angelos and a squad of Terminators rescue Chaplain Diomedes from the Eldar and Orks attacking him in the wreckage of the Helios.Farseer Macha and the Ranger Ronahn manage to gain an audience with Gorgutz (after killing quite a few of his Orks) and convince him to fight Kyre in an effort to derail the scheming Autarch from getting to the true surface of Acheron where the Spear of Khaine is kept. Ronahn leads Gorgutz straight to Kyre's outposts and Gorgutz and his forces kill the Wraithlord Valador, another lieutenant of Kyre. While Kyre is preoccupied fighting Gorgutz' forces, Macha, Jain Zar, and a handful of Striking Scorpions Aspect Warriors raid Kyre's main base where the Spirit Stone of Farseer Taldeer is kept. Macha's strike group barely escapes with the aid of sympathisers within the Autarch Kyre's ranks as well as a surprise attack from a detachment of Gorgutz's Orks.Meanwhile, Gabriel Angelos has tracked Gorgutz's warband all the way to the "Vault," one of the many passageways through Acheron's outer shell that leads to its true surface. He destroys Wazmakka's cannon that was brought there to break open the Vault. Inquisitor Holt orders the bombardment of the Vault despite Angelos being in the immediate vicinity of it, in an attempt to destroy the passageway and cut off any access to the Spear of Khaine for the xenos factions. Enraged, Chaplain Diomedes swear vengeance on the Inquisitor for seemingly killing their Chapter Master and has to be calmed by Librarian Orion. It is not until Lady Solaria informs the Blood Ravens of the news of Angelos' survival from Inquisitor Horst that they shift priorities towards regrouping with the Chapter Master on the surface of Acheron instead. The Imperial orbital bombardment does not have the intended effect of sealing the Vault, but rather breaks it wide open. Kyre sees the destruction of The Vault as an opportunity to lead his forces down to the true surface of Acheron and seize the artefact.Macha and Ronahn make an unsettling discovery on Acheron -- they come across an enormous Greater Daemon of Khorne -- a Bloodthirster -- trapped in the ice, but attempting to awaken. The Bloodthirster was sealed there by the ancient Eldar eons ago. Kyre also discovers the daemon but thinks the Spear of Khaine should be used to kill the beast before it can fully awaken. Taldeer, Ronahn, and Macha are not as sure, and think the Spear of Khaine is nothing more than a trap created by Chaos during Acheron's time in the Warp to lure others to the world to free the daemon. When they attempt to flee via the Acheronian portals known as the Colossus Gates, Kyre locks down their escape routes. With time running out, Taldeer orders Ronahn to place her Spirit Stone in a Wraithknight and to pilot her new mechanical body to help break down the Colossus Gates' locks. Knowing that only twins, one dead and one living, can pilot a Wraithknight, Ronahn reluctantly complies despite his objections to risking her life again. They flee to another section of Acheron far from Kyre's forces.Gabriel Angelos and his Blood Ravens, along with Lady Solaria and her Imperial Knight walker, arrive at the Temple of the Spear and overrun Kyre's forces as well as a portion of Gorgutz' Orks, but Gorgutz exacts his revenge with the help of Big Mek Wazmakka's Beauty the Morkanaut.With Taldeer explaining that the prophecy of the Storm Prince was unclear and her vision partially obscured, she and her fellow Farseer Macha meditate and try to clearly decipher the contents of the prophecy. Meanwhile, both Kyre and Gorgutz arrive at the altar of the Spear of Khaine and Kyre quickly bests the Ork Warboss in individual combat. Kyre takes the Spear for himself and attempts to kill the defeated Gorgutz with it. Unfortunately for Kyre, it is revealed the prophecy regarding the Spear was indeed a trap left by the servants of Chaos to free the daemon. As Kyre makes the killing stroke, the main blade of the Spear of Khaine shatters without harming Gorgutz, and Kyre is consumed as a blood sacrifice that releases the Bloodthirster from the ice. Now free, the Bloodthirster becomes empowered by the countless lives taken on and around the planet across the millennia -- lives taken by all those who had come in pursuit of the Spear of Khaine 's promised power.All three factions on Acheron -- Eldar, Space Marines, and Orks -- find themselves battling Warp spawn generated by the daemon using the psychic echoes of the warriors of many races who were slain on Acheron over the centuries. An alliance of convenience is quickly struck. Farseer Macha tasks Gorgutz with destroying the Chaos Spires that are powering the Greater Daemon and generating the Warp spawn. Meanwhile, Macha urges Gabriel Angelos to sacrifice his Battle Barge, the Dauntless, to cripple the Bloodthirster by ramming it into a frozen fissure on the planet's frigid surface; sacrificing the lives of the Astartes and mortals aboard the great vessel but preventing the Greater Daemon from wreaking havoc across the galaxy in the name of the Blood God.Knowing that the daemon was shielding the planet, Angelos reluctantly complies and orders Captain Balthazar to set a crash course onto Acheron. The impact of the great vessel at such a weak point in the planet's tectonic structure causes the benighted world to begin to crack apart.With Acheron fragmented and destroyed, the Greater Daemon quickly diminishes in size and strength as his access to all the psychic power of the souls slain in the world's vicinity is lost. With the urging of Macha, who believes the prophecy predicted that all three factions -- who are the nomadic "wayfarers" it spoke of -- must work together to defeat the Greater Daemon, now revealed to be the Storm Prince, the three heroes team up to defeat the daemon after battling through hordes of Warp spawn on the remaining fragment of Acheron housing the Temple of the Spear. All three heroes warily part ways after banishing the Storm Prince back to the Warp, but Gorgutz stays behind and seizes the remains of the Spear of Khaine for himself as a trophy before leaving.In an after credits scene, an unknown Necron Overlord has taken notice of the events on Acheron and prepares to enter the fray.
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Dawn of War III - Gameplay: The initial factions available for play in the single-player campaign are the Space Marines of the Imperium of Man (who have appeared in all of the other Dawn of War games in the guise of the Blood Ravens Chapter created specially for the series), the Eldar, and the Orks. Other non-playable factions in-game include the Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard) as well as the Daemons of Khorne, while the Necrons make a brief cameo in the after-credits epilogue of the single-player campaign. In the multiplayer game, various skins are available for the three factions, different Chapters for the Space Marines, alternate Craftworlds for the Eldar, and different klanz for the Orks. In addition, a custom paint and sticker editor enables players to create their own custom color schemes for their factions. Like in the previous games, the primary resources are requisition and power, which are gained from building resource generators on strategic points. Dawn of War III also includes larger-scale walker units – Imperial Knights for the Space Marines, Wraithknights for the Eldar, and Morkanauts for the Orks. These units, along with commanders and other unique units, are called in using Elite points, which are gained slowly over time but are generated more quickly from elite point generators on certain strategic points. These units gain experience from participating in battles, which unlocks more features for future battles. In the singleplayer campaign, unlike previous games where each race had its own campaign/story, you play as all three factions in one campaign, completing a single mission first as Space Marines, then Orks followed by Eldar before repeating.
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Dawn of War III - Development: The game was announced in May 2016, seven years after the release of Dawn of War II. According to the game's executive producer, Stephen MacDonald, elements from both of the previous Dawn of War games were intended to be featured in Dawn of War III. A companion novel by the same name was written by Robbie MacNiven and released on April 18, 2017. In addition, a four part comic series began serialization by Titan Comics on April 19, 2017.
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Dawn of War III - Reception: GameSpot awarded Dawn of War III a score of 8.0 out of 10, saying "Dawn of War III builds and maintains an organic tension that yields huge pay-offs, and there's nothing else quite like it." Destructoid awarded it 7.5 out of 10, saying "Not everything works (especially the strict adherence to the core concept), but it's still very much both a Warhammer and a Dawn of War joint." Hardcore Gamer awarded it 4.5 out of 5, saying "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III successfully takes the best elements from the previous two games and blends them with traditional RTS mechanics to create a game with deep strategic gameplay."
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Dawnbreaker - Dawnbreaker: A Dawnbreaker, usually part of a Dawnbreaker Cohort, was an elite Legion Assault Marine of the Blood Angels Legion deployed specifically to serve as shock assault linebreakers during the conflicts of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy.
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Dawnbreaker - Role: Even within a Space Marine Legion like the Blood Angels whose skills in the arts of orbital strike and shock assault were legendary, the Dawnbreaker cohorts stood apart. Chosen from amongst the most experienced and daring of the Legion Assault Squads, the Dawnbreakers were trained and equipped to act as the tip of the Blood Angels' spear, the first warriors to set foot on those benighted worlds that the IX Legion was called upon to save.Lacking the versatility of standard tactical or assault units, the Dawnbreakers have but one purpose in battle -- to sunder the enemy's lines and tear the heart from its formation. Armed with spears and blades wreathed in keen-edged power fields, there are few warriors who can stand in the face of such an onslaught.Standard combat doctrine among these elite warriors emphasised not only martial excellence, but also the symbolic nature of their role, bringing the Emperor's light and justice to even the most hellish war zones of the fledgling Imperium. Indeed, the common name by which they were known was inherited from their preferred tactic -- a planetary assault staged en masse from orbit just as dawn breaks on the target world below, their primarch Sanguinius at their head with white wings spread wide.No few worlds of the Imperium still speak in awe of the day angels fell from the dawn skies to free them from the oppression of Human tyrants and xenos alike.
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Dawnbreaker - Unit Composition: 4-9 Dawnbreaker Legionaries1 Dawnbreaker Champion (Sergeant)
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Dawnbreaker - Wargear: Artificer ArmourModified Serpha-V Pattern Jump PackFalling Star Pattern Power SpearEquinox Power Blades (As replacement for Falling Star Pattern Power Spear)Wrist-mounted Grenade Dischargers with Frag Grenades and Krak GrenadesMelta BombsBlade of Perdition (As replacement for Dawnbreaker Champion's Falling Star Pattern Power Spear)
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Dawnbreaker - Notable Dawnbreakers: Dawnbreaker Champion Magon (KIA) - Magon was a Dawnbreaker Champion who took part with the cohort he commanded in the Scouring of Gilden's Star during the Horus Heresy. Though this campaign against the Word Bearers Legion was a success, Magon was killed in action defending the Blood Angels' Landing Zone Tertius on Gilden Prime and his remains were never recovered.
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Dawneagle Jetbike - Dawneagle Jetbike: The Dawneagle Jetbike, or more formally the Dawneagle Pattern Jetbike, is a highly mobile, customised Imperial Jetbike design utilised exclusively by the Adeptus Custodes. These vehicles serve as the airborne mounts of the Custodians known as Vertus Praetors.Armed with powerful Hurricane Bolters and Salvo Launchers, these master combatants are able to place perfect kill shots even while screaming at a breakneck pace, laying down a salvo of deadly fire that can slay a heavily armoured foe in a single pass.
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Dawneagle Jetbike - History: The Adeptus Custodes have access to an incomparable armoury of technology, much of it dating back thousands of standard years. The sleek Dawneagle Jetbike is an incredible vehicle, a Great Crusade-era relic wrought in auramite and adamantium. Flown by the airborne squads of Vertus Praetors, these veteran Custodian warriors are able to not simply bring the enemy to battle, but to direct their might precisely where and when it is most needed.These Jetbikes are almost as large as light fighter craft and -- while they are still grav-skimmers -- can deliver a near-supersonic turn of speed. Their hulls are phenomenally durable, allowing their riders to slam through walls and enemy warriors without being unseated, and they react pugnaciously to the slightest touch of the controls, able to jink effortlessly through incoming fire.When armed with a Hurricane Bolter, the Dawneagle can plough bloody furrows through enemy hordes. However, it is when equipped with Salvo Launchers that Vertus Praetors truly come into their own as lightning-fast tank hunters. They scream across the battlefield, rapidly outflanking and encircling the heaviest enemy vehicles before annihilating them with strafing runs of Melta Missiles. Even enemy aircraft are not safe, for by combining their fire the Vertus Praetors are able to weave airborne webs of flakk blasts into which hurtling enemy aircraft slam with terminal results.
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Dawneagle Jetbike - Wargear: Hurricane BolterSalvo Launcher (Optional replacement for Huricane Bolter)Melta MissilesFlakburst Missiles
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De-Tox - De-Tox: De-Tox is a common Imperial drug distributed by the Departmento Munitorum to Astra Militarum squads likely to face chemical warfare. This drug can negate the effects of most dangerous gases and toxins if administeredquickly enough.A dose of De-Tox immediately ends the ongoing effects of both positive and negative drugs, toxins, or gases affecting a person. Using De-Tox, however, is both painful and debilitating, and can cause several unpleasant side effects such as vomiting, nose bleeds, and a great voiding of the bowels.
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Dead Cabal - Dead Cabal: The Dead Cabal are a secret and select group within the Inquisition that is concerned with the events of the Dark Pattern occuring within the Jericho Reach in the Ultima Segmentum.They were created when the Deathwatch began the Long Watch in the Reach. At that time, only a handful of Inquisitors and Battle-Brothers were aware of the Pattern. As the lore was passed from one generation to the next, this cabal was created to continue their study.This changed with the start of the Achilus Crusade, which led to a rise in isolated incidents, wild reports and unfounded rumours concerning activity on the worlds involving the Dark Pattern. As a result, the Dead Cabal's scholars are watching these events and attempting to put the information together.Amongst their findings are the disappearance of twenty servitors at Vormos, a strange green glow amongst the skies of Castiel and the disappearance of an Explorator team on Sagacity.In addition, they have noted the rise in activity amongst the Aeldari within the Jericho Reach, which is unusual as this xenos species had previously been limited to raiding pirates or lone wanderers. However, now the Aeldari are noted to be seeding the sector with their agents and taking an active involvement in developments.Those Inquisitors within the Dead Cabal have attempted to extract information from captured agents of the Aeldari about their interest in the sector and their knowledge of the Pattern. This line of questioning has, however, been met with only stark horror. The fear these individuals experience is so great that they die before a psyker can recover their senses.As a result, the Dead Cabal believe that some ancient force predating Humanity is stirring in the Jericho Reach that could prove to be more dangerous than both the T'au and Tyranids combined.
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Dead Cabal - Notable Members: Knight Warden Alric (Deathwatch Black Shield)Watch Captain Mathias (Sons of Medusa)Prognosticator Rennin Tri'el (Silver Skulls)Inquisitor Velayne Ramaeus (Ordo Xenos)Master of the Forge Xerill (Iron Hands)
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Dead World - Dead World: A Dead World is an Imperial planetological classification applied to worlds which are utterly devoid of an ecosystem, atmosphere, or any form of native life, much like Terra's moon, Luna.A Dead World is, of course, not suitable for Human habitation without undergoing massive terraforming operations. While it is possible that the Imperium might establish scientific Research Stations on Dead Worlds, there is no other native population.Many of these worlds have always been dead, but some were reduced to their barren state by external events such as the destruction of their preexisting civilisations in some form of global castrophe like a thermonuclear war, a Tyranid incursion or even an Exterminatus carried out by the Imperium itself.Necrons often inhabit Dead Worlds, however, having chosen them millions of Terran years ago to become the Tomb Worlds upon which they went into hibernation during the Great Sleep until sentient life had repopulated the galaxy.
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Dead World - Notable Dead Worlds: Planet NameSegmentumSectorSub-SectorSystemPopulationAdrantis VUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownN/AAvalosSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknown0BarbarusSegmentum TempestusClassifiedClassifiedClassified0 (At Present, due to Exterminatus)Belis CoronaSegmentum ObscurusBelis CoronaBelis CoronaBelis CoronaUnknownBelissarSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownBelissar SystemUnknownBellomSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownBellom System0Berien VIUltima SegmentumUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownChemosUltima SegmentumUnknownUnknownChemos500 Million (Formerly) / 0 (At Present, due to Exterminatus)ColchisSegmentum PacificusClassifiedClassifiedColchisUnknown / 0 (At Present, due to Exterminatus)CressidSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknownUnknownCthoniaSegmentum SolarClassifiedClassifiedCthonic2 Billion (Formerly) / 0 (At Present, due to Exterminatus)CyreneUltima SegmentumKorianisAureliaCyrene4.2 Billion (Formerly) / 0 (Present, due to Exterminatus)DakinorSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknownUnknownDotonUltima SegmentumUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownDunen IIUltima SegmentumUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownEl'PhanorSegmentum SolarUnknownUnknownUnknownN/AEvangelUltima SegmentumUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownFreyaSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachOrpheus SalientFreya System0Gath RimmonUnknownUnknownUnknownIopheus Secundus SystemUnknownGrangoldSegmentum ObscurusCalixis SectorUnknownUnknownUnknownGryphonne IVSegmentum TempestusUnknownUnknownUnknown8.52 billion (formerly) / 0 (At Present)HeedSegmentum ObscurusCalixis SectorUnknownUnknownUnknownHoldaUltima SegmentumUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownIstvaan IIISegmentum ObscurusUnknownUnknownIsstvan System12 billion (pre-Heresy) / 0 (At Present)Istvaan VSegmentum ObscurusUnknownUnknownIsstvan System0 (At Present)KlahaSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownKlaha SystemUnknownKlyboSegmentum ObscurusCalixis SectorUnknownUnknownUnknownLetheSegmentum ObscurusCoronid DeepsUnknownLethe SystemUnknown / 0 (At Present)LysiosSegmentum UltimaUnknownUnknownCryptus System300 Million / 0 (At Present, due to Hive Fleet Leviathan)NaogeddonUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownNuncSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknownUnknownObstiriaUnknownUnknownSanctus ReachSanctusN/AOlympiaUltima SegmentumClassifiedClassifiedOlympia MajorisUnknown / 0 (At Present, due to Exterminatus)PrandiumUltima SegmentumUltramarUnknownUnknownN/AProsperoUltima SegmentumClassifiedClassifiedProsperoUnknown (Formerly) / 0 (At Present, due to Exterminatus)SagacitySegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknownUnknownScansion BetaSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknownUnknownSkapulaSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownSkapula SystemUnknownSovereignSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknownUnknownStalinvastUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownTruan IXUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownTanithSegmentum PacificusUnknownSabbat WorldsUnknownNone (At Present) / Billions (Formerly)TantalusSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownCastobel SystemEst. 79,000,000 (Formerly) / 0 (At Present, due to Hive Fleet Dagon)Themiskon PointSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownThemiskon SystemUnknownTyphon PrimarisUltima SegmentumKorianisAureliaTyphon300,000 (Formerly) / 0 (At Present, due to Exterminatus)TyranEastern FringeUnknownUnknownUnknownN/AValosUltima SegmentumUnknownUnknownUnknownN/AZanatov's HarbourSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownZanatov System0ZhorosUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknown
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Death-Speaker - Death-Speaker: A Death-Speaker is a specialist officer unique to the Executioners Space Marine Chapter. They serve in a spiritual role similar to that of the Chaplain commonly found in Codex-compliant Chapters.
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Death-Speaker - History: The Executioners believe that their Chapter was created for the sole task of seeking out and slaughtering Mankind's foes rather than undertaking any more defensive or strategic purpose. This Chapter is bellicose and almost barbarous in nature, and disdains martial trappings and the ordered obedience of other more stalwart Codex-compliant Chapters such as the Ultramarines and their own forebears, the Imperial Fists. The Executioners have made up for this "flaw" by gaining a fearsome reputation for sheer undaunted endurance and destructive wrath. Their primary goal and purpose as a Chapter is a simple one; to extinguish the lives of those that would have the audacity to contest the Imperium's manifest destiny or threaten humanity. The Executioners literally see themselves as the Emperor's chosen headsmen, and His judgement theirs to enact on His behalf.This Chapter's ancient ways and beliefs are rooted in the twin Feral Worlds of Stygia-Aquilon, from which they have long recruited their Neophytes. By the laws and traditions of their Chapter, each Executioners Battle-Brother is expected to forge his own path to glory and become worthy of remembrance in the great chronicles that have been kept by successive generations of the Chapter's Chaplains, or "Death-Speakers" as they are known amongst the Executioners. It is the Death-Speakers' task to recount the slaughter-tallies of the Chapter's honoured dead during holy feasts and memorial ceremonies held deep within the catacombs of their fortress-monastery, the Darkenvault. Their second but equally important task is to keep order within the ranks of this often fractious Chapter. Consequently, the Executioners maintain an unusually high number of Chaplains, with three Death-Speakers assigned to each company by tradition. They report to the overall Reclusiarch, known within the Chapter as the Lord Speaker of the Dead. As part of their duties, the Death-Speakers are responsible for maintaining precise records of the Chapter's battles, so that lessons of both victories and defeats are never lost for future warriors of the Chapter.It is only by right of bloodshed, by taking the lives of the Emperor's enemies, that an Executioners Battle-Brother can be granted the honour of a place in the Chapter chronicles, and thereby earn the respect of their fellow Space Marines and attain rank and honour within the Chapter. The Battle-Brothers of this Chapter have an intractable and ambitious nature. Quick to anger, an Executioners Astartes is taught to avenge slights to their honour with blood, even amongst their own, but unlike the few other Chapters where such behavior is tolerated or even encouraged (such as the Space Wolves or Marauders for example), there is little that passes in the way of brawling or boisterous competition amongst the Executioners Astartes, for all such battles are to the maiming or the death of those involved. In their extreme view, honour demands no less.Another disturbing eccentricity of the Chapter to outside observers is the tendency for the Executioners' Astartes to carry trophies from the battlefield, taken from particularly noteworthy victims, and including such items as skulls, heads, and enemy weapons. They do not take these trophies for any ritual purpose but rather for the tally of the Death-Speakers after the battle. They are then promptly discarded after serving their purpose unless judged to be particularly significant, in which case they are preserved as relics, often adorning the Space Marine's armour or wargear for a time.The Executioners' spiritual beliefs have also been called into question, but have endured since before the rise of the Adeptus Ministorum. These beliefs primarily take the form of animism and ancestor worship, and while they ascribe to the worship of the divine God-Emperor, the Executioners have little use for the Ecclesiarchy and its trappings and "petty" superstitions, save for as a useful tool of social control to bind together the scattered multitudes of the Imperium.
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Death-Speaker - Notable Death-Speakers: Lord Speaker of the Dead Thulsa Kane - The one-eyed Thulsa Kane is the current Reclusiarch (High Chaplain) of the Executioners, a role of singular importance within the Chapter which also carries with it the titles of "High Mortiurge" (or supreme-judge) and "Lord Speaker of the Dead," responsible for recording the deeds of the Executioners in battle and overseeing all of the Chapter's other Death-Speakers (Chaplains). During the lamentable conflict known as the Badab War (904-911.M41), Thulsa Kane led a force of Executioners on behalf of High Executioner Arkash Hakkon, to honour a millennia-old blood-debt to the Astral Claws. During the war, the Executioners steadfastly refused to operate under the direct control of the Tyrant of Badab, Lufgt Huron, operating only as the Astral Claws' uneasy allies and never as subordinates. This resulted in much ire within the ranks of the Secessionists during the war. The Chapter had a tendency to leave survivors of their attacks behind once their military objectives were met, even allowing the surrender of defeated foes with honour. This incensed Lugft Huron to no end. The Executioners eventually turned on the Astral Claws after the bloody events known as the Red Hour that occurred during the surrender of the Salamanders' Battle-Barge Pyre of Glory. The Executioners then became a rogue element, conducting their own private war with their former allies until they negotiated a surrender to the Loyalist forces and a withdrawal from the war zone in 911.M41. Thanks in no small part to the astute leadership of Thulsa Kane, of all those Chapters that were caught up in the Secessionist cause, the Executioners Chapter emerged from the conflict the least scathed and the least tainted. They had fought honourably and had lived and died by their oaths.
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Death and Defiance (Anthology) - Death and Defiance (Anthology): Death and Defiance is an anthology novella in the Horus Heresy Series of novels, released in non-limited hardback format. Unlike most other Horus Heresy novellas Death and Defiance was simultaneously released alongside an ebook version and the short stories contained within were released separately as ebooks also.
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Death and Defiance (Anthology) - Synopsis: Words alone can no longer convey the horrors of the war that now grips the Imperium. In what should have been an age of enlightenment and glorious triumph, instead warriors on both sides reel from the twin agonies of betrayal and bloodshed. The hatred of a sworn foe, the ire of a Primarch, or the unholy wrath of a daemon-lord -- none but the mighty Space Marines can hope to weather such torments unscathed...
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Death and Defiance (Anthology) - Contents: Death and Defiance contains the following short stories:Imperfect by Nick Kyme - A simple game of Regicide between Fulgrim and Ferrus Manus is far more than it seems...Howl of the Hearthworld by Aaron Dembski-Bowden - A Space Wolves pack rails at being sent back to Terra to watch over Rogal Dorn.A Safe and Shadowed Place by Guy Haley - Seeking refuge, the remnants of the Night Lords fleet stumble across Imperium Secundus.Virtues of the Sons by Andy Smillie - Amit duels Khârn and Azkaellon faces Lucius as Sanguinius's chosen sons explore the twin aspects of their nature.Gunsight by James Swallow - An Assassin lurks on board the Vengeful Spirit. His target? Warmaster Horus himself.
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Death Company - Death Company: The Death Company is a specialised unit that is unique to the Blood Angels Chapter of Space Marines and all their Successor Chapters. Its members are consumed by a permanent, debilitating psychosis known as the Black Rage, which is an inherent risk for any Astartes who bears the Blood Angels' gene-seed.Armoured in black and marked by the symbolic wounds suffered by their fallen Primarch Sanguinius, the Death Company are a grim foreshadowing of the Blood Angels Chapter's final fate.Every warrior in their ranks is a boon on the battlefield, possessed of righteous strength and holy fury. Yet once the storm of war passes, madness and execution are all that await these tormented souls, driven past redemption by the curse in their tainted blood.
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Death Company - An Angel Falls: During the height of the galaxy-spanning rebellion known as the Horus Heresy, the epic climatic battle took place during the Battle of Terra in the early 31st Millennium between the Forces of Chaos, led by the Warmaster Horus, and the Loyalist armies of the Imperium of Man led by the Emperor of Mankind Himself.Many Legions claimed absolute loyalty and reverence for their Primarch fathers, but few were as fervent in their adoration as the Blood Angels, and none had their master stolen from them in such a way -- even the Iron Hands, who had lost their lord to the daemon-claimed Fulgrim, knew nothing of the pain felt by the IX Legion when Sanguinius faced the Archtraitor Horus alone aboard his flagship Vengeful Spirit, and fell to the Warmaster's unholy Talon.With the slaughter of their gene-sire by the very vessel of the Ruinous Powers, the Blood Angels Legionaries suffered a psychic backlash that wracked their very souls, burning an irreversible mark throughout their genetic coding.When the dust settled in the decades after the Siege of Terra, the mighty Space Marine Legions were broken into 1,000-Astartes Chapters and granted autonomy from Imperial authority. Among the Blood Angels and their new Successors, it became increasingly apparent that their Primarch's death had left a last imprint that no Chaplain could have predicted, and no Sanguinary Priest could cure.Opposing the Red Thirst -- that bloodlust that beats in the heart of every Son of Sanguinius -- their new curse was a more solemn and spiritual malady. The condition goes by several names, including the Fate, the Primarch's Curse, and the Chaplain's Vigil. But most Blood Angels know it by a bleaker title, spoken in whispers on the eve before a battle.They call it the Black Rage.
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Death Company - The Primarch's Curse: Alone among the Space Marines Chapters, the Blood Angels and their Successors possess an intrinsic genetic awareness of their Primarch's last moments in the skies above Holy Terra. Such was the ferocity and psychic virulence of Sanguinius' murder that the emotional echoes of that dark deed still swim through the blood of his genetic descendants, even ten thousand standard years later.And time has not been merciful to the Angel's sons -- the Black Rage bites deeper with every generation, stealing more warriors' minds with each passing century. Many of the warrior-philosophers born of Sanguinius' bloodline consider the Red Thirst and the Black Rage as two sides of the same coin: one afflicting the mind, the other blighting the soul.However, resisting the pull of the Red Thirst confers a strength in its own right; for in rising above their baser urges and eternal bloodlust, the Blood Angels are forever focused on girding their souls against the temptations of Chaos.The Black Rage offers no such hope. A Blood Angel in the grip of the Primarch's Curse is damned in the most literal sense -- all that awaits him is death in battle, wearing the colours of sacred mourning as he fights in a maddened frenzy beneath the watchful gaze of a skull-facedChaplain.There is no cure. There is no recovery.The Lamenters Chapter were once thought to have conquered the curse through the diligence and tech-genius of its Apothecaries -- only for stories to circulate at the close of the 41st Millennium that the Black Rage has returned tenfold after their flawed attempts to cleanse it from their gene-seed.The Templars of Blood do not organise those that succumb to the Black Rage into a formal Death Company. Those Astartes of this Chapter that lose the struggle with their common Flaw are left to die alone in combat. Once a Chaplain starts to notice the tell-tale look in a Battle-Brother's eyes that bespeaks the soon-to-arrive loss of control, he performs a benediction in the name of Sanguinius and the Emperor of Mankind before taking away all of the Astartes' wargear save for his Combat Knife and his Power Armour.Should the Space Marine suffering from the Flaw survive the following combat, his company's Captain is required by Chapter tradition to honour the Battle-Brother for his exemplary service to the Emperor before executing him outright. However, the number of Astartes within the Templars of Blood who actually fall to the Black Rage is unusually low for a Blood Angels Successor Chapter, a fact that has not escaped the notice of the Inquisition or the Blood Angels.No one knows exactly how the Templars of Blood have managed to keep the Flaw at bay. Those who think well of the Chapter, a number which includes the Blood Angels, believe that it is because of their devotion to the Emperor and Sanguinius as well as a display of iron will that is remarkable even amongst Astartes. However, the Templars of Blood's growing number of detractors prefer to believe that the Chapter's seeming immunity has its origin in a far darker secret.In ten thousand long, long years, only a single soul has "returned" from the Black Rage: the Blood Angels Librarian Calistarius; now called Mephiston -- named the Lord of Death for conquering the limits of mortality. After falling to the Flaw and allowing himself to be clad in Death Company black, Calistarius fought in the defence of Hades Hive during the Second War for Armageddon.Some archives state that he was buried alive for seven solar days and seven solar nights beneath a collapsed Ecclesiarchy building, others conflict with that account, citing that the severity of his wounds show beyond doubt that he died beneath the rubble, and was restored by some miracle of transmogrified gene-seed.Whatever the truth, Calistarius rose stronger -- both physically and psychically -- somehow having banished the Black Rage from his blood. If the former tale is true, then it might be possible for warriors of supreme will and psychic strength to fight through the Flaw.If the latter is true, then a darker precedent has been set: to overcome the Black Rage, a Blood Angel must die within its grip, and pray for a resurrection that may have been nothing more than mythic misunderstanding.The Black Rage begins with visions, with dreams of bloodshed and battle that stir the warrior's senses and linger within his mind beyond the hours of slumber. Soon, they press on the Space Marine's mind during his hours of meditation, training, and battle, painting the palette of his mind with memories of wars he never fought, and the faces of brothers that died thousands of Terran years before he was born.Rigorous focus and mental training can suppress the onset of these waking nightmares, but the process can never be entirely halted. Once the Black Rage begins to take hold, degeneration is inevitable. It can take solar minutes, hours, days...in some rare cases, even decades, but the path always leads to the same fate.The Black Rage boils through the sufferer's mind, infusing his senses with the mythic moments of Sanguinius' shattered past. His eyes and heart lie to him, but it is a glorious lie. Every enemy, be they alien or mutant or Heretic, all blend into a vision of the Traitors that set fire to Holy Terra. The brothers at his side are the heroes and fallen champions of that ancient age.Soon enough, the afflicted Blood Angel is lost to all reason, needing to be restrained in his frothing blood-madness, and living only to kill the enemies of the Emperor. No longer will he train and serve with his former squad. He is surrendered into the care of the Reclusiam, bound to take to the battlefield in ritually blackened armour.From that day forward, he fights as one of the Death Company. Death in battle inevitably follows; with no ability to follow tactics or heed the intricacies of a commander's battle plan, the warriors of the Death Company charge in a howling tide, bound -- even if only temporarily -- by the inspiring wrath-chants of their Chaplains. As in so many matters of Adeptus Astartes spirituality, it is the Chaplains that play a key role.For many Blood Angels, the descent into the Black Rage is a sudden plummet, as brutally, tragically quick as opening one's eyes and seeing all truth warped into a long-dead legend returned to life. It is only through the never-ending vigil of the Chapter's warrior-priests that a degree of control can be maintained.Even a berserk, delusional fury can be guided by the fervent oratory and leadership of a skilled Chaplain. In this way, the Death Company's insane rage is harnessed into a potent weapon; if they are destined to lay down their cursed lives, it will at least be in the defence of Mankind.Just when and where these fevered hallucinations will strike can never be predicted, but the Chapter's Sanguinary Priests and Chaplains spend their solemn lives seeking any signs of taint among their rank-and-file brethren. It is common for the creeping sickness to be noticed on the eve before a battle, when the Blood Angels gather in prayer with their Battle-Brothers, and speak the Litanies of Hate before their watching Chaplains.Every warrior kneels before their spiritual guardians, answering for the state of their soul and speaking their oaths of devotion to their brothers in the coming battle. Any slurred words or disorientation are marked by the overseers. If a Blood Angel is judged to be on the edge of succumbing to the Black Rage, he is withdrawn from the ranks as though he carried a contagion.From that night on, his fate is sealed. In times of peace, he will be imprisoned in the Tower of the Lost within the Chapter's fortress-monastery on Baal, crying out his torment under the eternal watch of Chaplain guardians. And in times of war, he is clad in the black of loss and sorrow, seeking to cleanse the stain on his soul by achieving death in righteous battle.
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Death Company - On the Field of Battle: No Blood Angels commander treats his Death Company brothers with careless abandon. This is perhaps unsurprising, given the soulful nature and humanity inherent in the hearts of Sanguinius' sons. In accordance with the Chapter's merciful temperament, the Death Company are rarely deployed to be lost in useless sacrifice.They are a tactical asset like any other, but more than that, they are a vision of an inevitable fate: every Blood Angel will one day wear the same black ceramite and charge alongside a chanting Chaplain while lost to the delusions of a mythic age. Battle-Brothers that have already fallen to such a doom are treated with respect and honour. "It is our duty," an ancient Blood Angels litany goes, "to know the difference between the doomed and the damned."This is far from a universal truth among the Successor Chapters. More than one of the Blood Angels' kindred bloodlines are known to take a much harsher, punitive attitude to their battle-lost brothers, hurling their Death Companies into the fray with no concern for their lives and using them as a blunt instrument to break enemy front lines no matter the cost.Flesh Tearers officers have displayed such merciless disregard many times across the span of millennia, as have the Chaplains of the Angels Numinous, the Flesh Eaters, and now-extinct Chapters such as the Golden Sons and the Crimson Legion. Every Death Company is marked by unpredictability, not least because of its warriors' melancholic madness.When these doomed Space Marines take to the battlefield, they are usually armed with a motley assortment of wargear -- each Blood Angel bears the weapons he wielded among his former squad, so Bolters are almost as common as Chainswords. Ranking officers will bring more sacred, relic weapons such as Thunder Hammers or Power Swords, but no matter how a Death Company is equipped, they can be relied upon to tear their way through the enemy in a loose phalanx of enraged warriors.Chapters with a less reverent attitude to their afflicted brethren frequently field Death Companies equipped with Jump Packs, hurling their black-clad brothers into the heart of the enemy army to inflict terrible punishment while the rest of the Space Marines strike force moves to capitalise on the foe's disorder.And while many Chapters consider a benevolent perspective regarding the lost souls of a Death Company, every Blood Angels Successor Chapter can point to countless listings in their fortress's archives, citing darkly glorious last stands where these warriors in black died fighting insurmountable odds, so that the rest of the force could achieve its objective. As bleak as such a sacrifice can be, such is the burden of service in the End Times. Only in death does duty end.For all the darkness of this curse flowing through the bloodstreams of the Angel's descendants, the Black Rage offers a certain mournful glory to those in its thrall. All sensation, all pain, is stolen from their flesh; Death Company warriors will wade through volleys of gunfire that would force even Veteran Space Marines to their knees, and fight on despite the loss of limbs and the rupture of vital organs.Every virtue of vitality and strength within the gen-hanced soldiers of the Adeptus Astartes is magnified in these doomed Blood Angels. More than one loremaster has speculated that their Primarch's infinite nobility shines through in his sons' bleakest hours, allowing them to meet death with at least the shadow of dignity.True enough, once the fighting is over and their fevered imaginings finally clear, many of the Death Company will finally collapse from their wounds, as their fading madness no longer sustains their broken bodies. Those who survive, for better or worse, are bound by their brothers -- either in chains or in stasis pods -- and returned to the Tower of the Lost, destined to scream the agonised death-echoes of Sanguinius' doom, until they are released to do battle in black once more.In the darkest times the Black Rage has taken an entire strike force. Though this is incredibly rare, the spiritual sickness has been known to sweep through the minds of dozens of Battle-Brothers at once like a shadowed wind, leaving madness in its wake. If any remain untouched it falls to them to lead the rites of anointing. Sometimes there are none left to sanity, and the freshly forged Death Company must guide itself.The few times this has happened have grown into dark legends within the Chapter. The Blood Angels Strike Force Exsanguine succumbed to the Black Rage in its entirety on the eve of the Aurorious landings. None living know what transpired in the hours before the Battle-Brothers emerged from their Drop Pods -- only that when they met the Aeldari warhost on the glittering slopes of Aurorius, a madness had spread through them like a spiritual contagion.In an avalanche of ceramite and howling Chainswords, the Blood Angels hurled themselves into the pale ranks of the aliens, hacking apart their lithe bodies in showers of blood and gore. Even the heavy xenos guns failed to slow the Space Marines' advance, searing bolts of plasma and streams of monofilament rounds merely tearing off chunks of armour and muscle.It had been the intention of the Blood Angels to clear and hold a landing zone for the armies of the Imperium to follow, but such was the fury of the Death Company that the Aeldari line buckled and broke before them, entire formations of Guardians annihilated by the sudden brutality of their foes.It took five full solar days for the Aeldari forces to rally and destroy the Astartes strike force, but by that time they had been all but wiped out in their turn, having suffered horrendous losses in each engagement.
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Death Company - Notable Campaigns: The War of Broken Wings (261.M33) - A unified armada of vessels drawn from the Night Lords Legion and its myriad allies assaults the Angels Sanguine's battlefleet in high orbit above the world of Anzyra. The Angels Sanguine, fighting for their homeworld and the very survival of their Chapter, are pressed into a defensive battle to prevent mass bombardment of their fortress-monastery. To end the engagement, which records list as several solar days of protracted void war and boarding actions, the Angels Sanguine force a final resolution by offering the perfect bait: they allow their flagship, the Cruor Domina, to be crippled and boarded by hundreds of enemy Traitor Marines. While the Space Marines defend the Battle Barge to keep it from being taken as a prize by the raiding Night Lords, a full three hundred Death Company warriors are sent by boarding torpedoes to slaughter their way through the vulnerable crews of eight enemy capital ships, including the renowned Lies of Dawn of the Foresworn, and the Brotherhood of Darkness' warship Sightless Godling. The Angels Sanguine have always suffered fiercely from the Flaw, and such an assault represented a standard century's worth of prisoners within their fortress-monastery's Tower of the Lost being unleashed into battle one last time. Without Chaplains to lead them, the Death Companies were sacrificed in desperation, with no hope of recovery. It turned the tide. Suddenly, at risk of losing many of their own flagships, the Traitor warbands fought their way back to their own vessels, only to be cut down by the enraged defenders as they turned their backs and fled. Those Traitors that managed to return to their own ships were met with entire decks left as abattoirs by the rampaging Death Companies, and were forced to contend with the blood-maddened boarding parties even as they ordered their ships back from the primary assault.The Ghost War (811.M37) - During the long years of the 7th Black Crusade, the full might of the Blood Angels Chapter falls upon a vast Black Legion warband on the world of Mackan. Although the conflict ultimately ends in the near-extinction of the Blood Angels at the hands of Abaddon the Despoiler and his primary lieutenants -- the Sorcerer-lord Iskandar Khayon and the swordmaster Telemachon Lyras -- the Blood Angels Reclusiarch Thalastian Jorus becomes one of the few Imperial heroes to ever land a blow against the Warmaster of Chaos. With his Chapter devastated, the Chaplain endures solar weeks of hardship in the wilderness and the constant trials of keeping his crazed warriors undetected on Mackan. When the time is right, Jorus leads his Death Company in a lightning raid behind enemy lines, butchering the unprepared sworn warriors of the Despoiler's honour guard, and allowing the Reclusiarch to lock blades with Abaddon himself. It is said the Warmaster still bears the scars of that battle, even three millennia later. Whatever the truth of the matter, it is known that the Despoiler honoured Jorus once the war was over -- perhaps in mockery, or perhaps with nothing but sincerity. After Mackan, thousands of Blood Angels corpses were desecrated, their gene-seed ruined beyond recovery. Of all the Chapter, only a handful of bodies were left undefiled: Reclusiarch Jorus and his Death Company, clad in their battered and broken black ceramite, seated in makeshift thrones made from the armour of those Black Legion warriors they had killed on that fateful night.At Gaius Point (998.M41) - Not every incident involving the Death Company rings with morbid honour. Many are not even victories at all. During the Third War for Armageddon, the Order of the Argent Shroud bear full witness to the Flesh Tearers committing atrocities against Imperial citizens at the world of Gaius Point, when the Chapter's warriors breach the human militia's barricades and turn their blades on the very souls they were sent to protect. Soon enough, reports reach the Inquisition and the Adeptus Terra that the Flesh Tearers are a dangerous, unstable threat, and that their Chapter must be purged at once, and any survivors declared Excommunicate Traitoris. No Imperial agent sees what comes next: the reckoning demanded by the Blood Angels and their Successor Chapter cousins. Warriors from several nearby Chapters approach the Flesh Tearers' commander, Gabriel Seth, demanding an answer for the apparent transgression. Gaius Point marks one of the rare, sad instances of Astartes brother lying to brother in the name of survival, as Seth lays the burden of blame on his Death Companies. In speaking this lie to save his Chapter, he damns the Flesh Tearers' Death Companies to lives of even deeper revulsion, as even other Blood Angels Successors consider them tragic mongrels in sore need of execution, in order to keep their bloodline's darkest secret.The Shield of Baal (998.M41) - News reaches Baal that the Cryptan Shield, intended to hold back the might of Hive Fleet Leviathan, had collapsed. Already Lord Commander Dante had put plans in motion to defend the Blood Angels' homeworld, strike forces fighting hit-and-run battles with the Leviathan's smaller splinter fleets throughout the Red Scar. Meanwhile, the defences of Baal and her moons have been bolstered like never before; indomitable fortresses rise above the sweltering sands, and the might of the Blood Angels' Successor Chapters gathers from across the galaxy. Yet still it may not be enough, for the Tyranids are seemingly without number, and Hive Fleet Leviathan is learning the weaknesses of its prey at an exponential rate. Knowing that the consumption of the Cryptus System would open the floodgates for an unstoppable Tyranid invasion of Baal, Commander Dante takes action. At the head of a mighty strike force that comprises the 1st and 2nd Companies of the Blood Angels, Brother Corbulo, Captain Arenos Karlaen, Chief Librarian Mephiston and the bulk of Gabriel Seth's Flesh Tearers, Dante strikes out for the Cryptus System. He will see the defences shored up if such a thing is still possible, and if not will do battle with the Cryptoid Tendril directly in a desperate bid for the salvation of Baal. The invasion of Tartoros, cursed innermost world of the Cryptus System, would fall to Dante's Death Company, designated Strike Force Mortalis. It is a rare and fearsome thing for so many Death Company to be gathered together, the black-armoured warriors mad with rage and lost in their own insane delusions, seeking only the death of their enemies and their own glorious demise. Strike Force Mortalis would rip its way through the broods of hulking beasts that stalked the burning plains of Tartoros, their fury and madness driving them on under the guidance of their Chaplain. Though ultimately they would all receive the blessed gift of death they so craved, their mission was successful, and their sacrifice was not in vain.Diamor Campaign - Defence of Amethal (999.M41) - As Dante's forces made all speed through the Warp to return to bolster the defences of their Chapter homeworld, they received word from High Chaplain Astorath the Grim that a new threat had emerged in the Diamor System -- an invasion by the Forces of Chaos that could undermine the defences of the Cadian Gate. Already the High Chaplain was en route at the head of the Blood Angels' 5th Company, but greater strength would be required to defeat the traitorous foe. With a heavy heart, the Lord Commander despatched the Blood Angels' elite 1st and 2nd Companies to help bolster Astorath's force. As the two companies translated into the Diamor System, they were momentarily delayed by unknown forces. This delay saved them from sudden damnation, as the 5th Company, which arrived earlier, had been struck by Warp sorcery of some kind. The malefic attack struck at the heart of the 5th Company, causing the entirety of the company to fall to the effects of the Black Rage. Only Astorath and Death Company Chaplain Daenor, the other Chaplains on board and their Librarians -- those with psyker training or psychic defences -- survived. The rest had fallen to the Blood Angels' genetic curse. It unleashed sheer bedlam aboard the vessels of the 5th Company. First Captain Karlaen immediately despatched the Chaplains of both the 1st and 2nd Companies, as well as the Sanguinary Guard, to aid the beleaguered survivors and bring their fallen under control. Having succeeded at this task and determined the wider strategic situation in the star system, the Blood Angels wasted no time in launching their attack. They could not do so quickly enough, for it seemed as though the enemy's plans were well advanced. Crimson Slaughter warbands were present at all of the primary Mechanicus Hubs on the world of Amethal. The secret that the Black Legion sought, and that the Adeptus Mechanicus were in a race with them to seize, lay deep beneath the surface of Amethal. It was the Banshee Stone, an ancient crystalline cage for the infernal creatures of the Warp, a weapon to dwarf the Damnation Cache that had slipped through Abaddon's fingers on Pandorax. And, according to the divinations of Chaos Lord Xorphas and his followers, it was full to the brim. It required only the correct ritual to be broken open, at which point the sudden release of so many Warp entities would tear a gaping wound in reality itself. In the brutal and bloody fighting that followed, the Death Company sustained appalling casualties, losing over ninety percent of its afflicted Battle-Brothers, and Chaplain Daenor took terrible wounds when he confronted the infamous Khorne Berzerker known as Khârn the Betrayer in single combat. The loss of the Death Company brothers was acceptable, for it had always been their destiny to perish in selfless battle, and they had sold themselves as dearly as they could. In the end, Astorath extracted Daenor and the remaining afflicted brethren from the surface of Amethal, as the commanders of the 1st and 2nd Companies continued the fight against the Sorcerer Chaos Lord Xorphas. Eventually, the Blood Angels seemingly foiled his machinations. But whether true victory had been attained by the Blood Angels remains to be seen, for the Banshee Stone is full, and its cage is cracking.
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Death Company - Notable Death Company Members: Death Company Chaplain Lemartes - Lemartes is a Chaplain and the warden of the Blood Angels' infamous Death Company. Under his guidance, the Death Company has reached a new level of potency and lethality. Though Lemartes himself is afflicted by the curse of the Black Rage, his formidable willpower has allowed him to remain in control of his actions, leaving him free to lead the Death Company in glorious charges that eclipse all the deeds of legend. Lemartes is also known as the "Guardian of the Lost." His stern voice can cut through even the battle frenzy induced by the Black Rage.Death Company Chaplain Arophan - Among a company of madmen, the Chaplain Arophan was a beacon of sanity. It fell to Arophan to guide the Death Company of Strike Force Mortalis during the Cryptus Campaign, his litanies and prayers the thin thread that would direct the doomed warriors toward their foes. As befits his rank, Arophan carries the Crozius Arcanum and wears the skull mask common to the Chaplains of the Adeptus Astartes. The only aspect of Arophan's armour that shows his allegiance to his Chapter is his shoulder plate, his sombre black armour fitting for his role as the final guide for his lost brothers. Equipped with a Jump Pack, Arophan keeps pace with his Battle-Brothers, his crozius held high above his head. Everything about Arophan speaks of his duty to his Chapter, and even though his brothers are doomed to die, it falls to Arophan to help them find absolution and an end in the carnage of battle.Death Company Chaplain Daenor - Chaplain Daenor has battled his way through some of the most horrific battles in the Blood Angels' history. Never once has his composure failed him. Never once has he succumbed to the Flaw, and this alone is enough to have seen him elevated to the rank of Death Company Chaplain. No matter how dire the circumstances or dread the foe, Daenor's icy composure never cracks. Moreover, his deep spirituality and natural leadership qualities do much to steady the warriors around him. He is a light in the darkness, a beacon of hope and fortitude amongst the smoke-wreathed hell of the battlefield, and even the most lost of his brothers follow his lead without question.High Chaplain Carnarvon - Carnarvon was the High Chaplain (Master of Sanctity) of the Flesh Tearers Chapter of Space Marines. He served as the warden of that Chapter's infamous Death Company. He was called the "Watcher of the Lost," for he was the lone Flesh Tearer entrusted with the sacred duty of commemorating every member of the Chapter who died in combat or ultimately succumbed to the debilitating psychosis known as the Black Rage. He alone bore the terrible responsibility to watch over the remaining 400 Battle-Brothers of the Flesh Tearers Chapter for the onset of the Black Rage. He had occupied the position for nearly 250 standard years and it was whispered by many that the strain of watching so many of his friends and comrades descend into this dreaded affliction had started to take its toll on his sanity. Carnarvon had the final word as to who was to be inducted into the Flesh Tearers' Death Company and who amongst these afflicted brethren must be permanently incarcerated in the Tower of the Lost because they had fallen so far into madness that even he could no longer control them. During the Devastation of Baal, Carnarvon ultimately succumbed to the Red Thirst and was inducted into the Death Company where he perished in battle with the forces of Hive Fleet Leviathan.Captain Erasmus Tycho - Erasmus Tycho was the legendary Captain of the Blood Angels' 3rd Company, and was once Lord Commander Dante's chosen successor to become the next Chapter Master of the Blood Angels. Half his face was destroyed by an Ork Weirdboy during the Second War for Armageddon. This mutilation affected his psyche, and made him wear a mask over the injury. He constantly thirsted for revenge against the Orks who wounded him. His ire was such that he was almost uncontrollable away from the battlefield. Unfortunately, he eventually succumbed to the Black Rage and was inducted into the Death Company. He finally attained the Emperor's Peace when he died seeing action during the Third War for Armageddon.Sanguinary Priest Aerati Lamentarios - A sacred guardian of the Chapter's gene-seed, like Arophan, he has a part to play in the redemption of the Death Company, and when they fall -- for fall they must -- he will be on hand to recover the gene-seed using his Narthecium, allowing the Chapter to recoup a measure of its strength from those taken by the Black Rage. Brother Lamentarios was sent by Dante to support Arophan as a part of Strike Force Mortalis during the Cryptus Campaign. A formidable warrior in his own right, Lamentarios would follow the Death Company into the slavering maw of the xenos swarm, his white armour a beacon of light among the sea of black ceramite. And when his brothers finally fell atop the bodies of their foes -- as surely they would -- Lamentarios would be there to make sure their essence was not lost.Brother Ephalos - Ephalos had struggled for many solar decades with the Black Rage, feeling a piece of his soul being flayed away in every battle by the mayhem of war. When he lost his left eye to the Ork Warboss Ripgutz, slaying the beast even as it clawed at his face, the shadows over his mind began to darken. By the time Ephalos was called upon to defend the Cryptus System the Black Rage had taken hold of him. He now fought a different foe, born in the recesses of his mind. When Ephalos landed on Tartoros it was not the spawn of the Hive Mind he saw, but instead Traitor war engines of old.Brother Helorius - The Flesh Tearers' genetic flaw leads to a high proportion of their Battle-Brothers falling to the spiritual sickness of the Black Rage. On Lysios, during the Cryptus Campaign, dozens of brothers like Helorius would succumb when the madness of battle finally unhinged them, robbing them of their reason. When Helorius was taken by the Black Rage his armour was painted black and symbols were daubed upon his shoulder plates and weapons in an ancient and sacred ritual. This was to show Helorius' new status as one of the damned, so that others might bear witness to his sacrifice.Brother Rafarri - Brother Rafarri was a Tactical Marine of the Blood Angels 2nd Company, and though he has blackened his armour he retains the weapons and wargear of his previous life. However, dozens of details signify the hold the Black Rage has upon his mind; blood drops and crimson saltires cover his armour, while even his Bolter bears the iconography of the Death Company. Purity seals are commonly seen on Battle-Brothers fallen to the Black Rage -- even more so than on normal Space Marines -- and Brother Rafarri adorned his armour with many of these sacred honours.Helstern, Brother of Blood - A Death Company Dreadnought who fought in Strike Force Mortalis during the Cryptus Campaign against Hive Fleet Leviathan. Like his fellow Dreadnoughts, Helstern was born of a tale of madness and earth, falling in battle and preserved in adamantium, and even then fighting on through countless battles to the honour of the Chapter, only to succumb to the Black Rage. Trapped within his sacred armoured tomb, there is no peace for this warrior, only an unending and unrelenting eternity of war.Metaphaes, the Fury of Ages - A Death Company Dreadnought who fought in Strike Force Mortalis during the Cryptus Campaign against Hive Fleet Leviathan. Meaphaes fought alongside Helstern and Purgerius, turning the tide of battle on the scorched plains of Tartoros, their rage driving their massive claws and heavily armoured forms against the living war engines of Hive Fleet Leviathan in the battle for the Cryptus System.Moriar the Chosen - Moriar the Chosen is a Death Company Dreadnought of the Blood Angels Chapter. Once known as Morleo Moriar, a Blood Angels Company Captain, he fell in battle on the planet of Clamorga, yet so great were Morleo's deeds that he was stabilised by the Blood Angels' Sanguinary Priests and placed within the shell of a Furioso Dreadnought. Unfortunately, almost immediately after being awakened, he began to experience the visions of Sanguinius during the Horus Heresy and succumbed to the Black Rage. However, Moriar survived the mental brutality of the curse and now fights alongside the Blood Angels as a Death Company Dreadnought known as Moriar the Chosen. It is rumoured that in his new form, Moriar has been claimed by the Red Thirst and that the Blood Angel armourers have modified his Dreadnought chassis so that he can quench his thirst for blood. Thus, he became the Death Company's only Dreadnought -- an almost unstoppable force in battle.Purgerius the Forgotten - A Death Company Dreadnought that fought in Strike Force Mortalis during the Cryptus Campaign against Hive Fleet Leviathan. Purgerius fought alongside Helstern and Metaphaes on the scorched plains of Tartaros, helping to turn the tide of battle. It is both a terrible and glorious thing to be a Death Company Dreadnought -- always striving for a worthy death in battle, but instead only finding more battle and carnage upon a field already littered with the dead of centuries.
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Death Company - Power Armour: The armour of the Death Company is predominantly a sombre black, with details picked out in red -- the reverse of the standard Blood Angels Chapter Colours. All Blood Angels Successor Chapters that maintain a Death Company, with the exception of the Templars of Blood, use the same black colours as their progenitor Chapter, save for the Angels Encarmine, whose Death Company and Sanguinary Guard are both an alabaster white, with black shoulder trim and backpack.The origins of using the colour black traces back to the latter days of the Great Crusade. When the Red Thirst first began to manifest itself amongst a handful of Blood Angels Legionaries, they would quickly be dealt with -- honoured for their service and then summarily executed, either by the Primarch himself, or Azkaellon, the commander of the IX Legion's Sanguinary Guard.The slain Battle-Brother would then be laid in honourable repose as a slab of inkstone from the night deserts of Baal Primus was passed over the dead warrior's armour, blotting out the crimson colour with a layer of glistening, smoky black.The manner of the Battle-Brother's death would be forever lost to the Legion's chronicles, the existence of the growing Flaw within the Blood Angels' genetic structure kept secret. The fallen warrior would finally be able to find peace, resting in the company of death.All the various Death Companies of the Blood Angels and their Successors have blood-red saltires painted on portions of their battle-plate, to symbolise the wounds of their beloved Primarch Sanguinius after he was slain by Horus during the climax of the Horus Heresy at the Battle of Terra.
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Death Company - Chapter Symbol: Like other Blood Angels the Death Company usually wear their Chapter symbol on their left shoulder plate. In keeping with their inverted colours, this is displayed in white.
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Death Company - Saltires: Saltires, the red crosses, represent the death wounds of the Primarch Sanguinius. Saltires are often placed on shoulder and knee plates but can also be found on other parts of the armour.
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Death Company - Blood Drops: The blood drop remains a potent symbol for the Death Company. These symbols and tokens are often trimmed in gold and painted a deeper red to make them stand out.
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Death Company - Parchment and Purity Seals: The Purity Seals and parchment record the deeds of the Battle-Brother so they are not forgotten when he joins the Death Company.
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Death Company - Weapons: Unlike normal Blood Angels, the weapons of the Death Company Astartes are painted red instead of black -- this gives them a stronger contrast against their black armour.
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Death Company - Relics of the Lost: Relics of the Lost are items of incredible rarity and power, each a piece of wargear once borne by a legendary hero of the Blood Angels Chapter who succumbed to the Black Rage:The Reliquary Armour - A grim memorial to the mortal sacrifices of the Death Company, the Reliquary Armour is decorated with the bones of Lost Brothers. Only the greatest of heroes are commemorated in this way, and it is a tragic indictment of what has been lost to the Flaw that the armour still bears the bones of over thirty different Chapter heroes. It is said that the strength and determination of those mighty warriors is conferred to the wearer of this macabre armour, along with their burning desire for vengeance upon the Imperium's foes. The wearer of the Reliquary Armour becomes a grim and unstoppable figure upon the field of battle, his presence reminding the Blood Angels of the losses they have suffered, the sacrifices their heroes have made, and the unending duty they have to honour those sacrifices in blood.The Guardian's Blade - The Guardian's Blade is a powerful Glaive Encarmine. This ancient sword was crafted at the height of the Blood Angels Legion's power, and is said to have once belonged to the personal armoury of Azkaellon himself. After the IX Legion divided, and Azkaellon vanished from Chapter records, The Guardian's Blade was passed to only the most worthy heroes of the Blood Angels -- until one day its former bearer fell to the Black Rage and died in service as a Lost Brother. After this tragedy, the sword was interred in the Forbidden Armoury and issued in sorrow only to the afflicted heroes of the Death Company. The Guardian's Blade is famed for its powerful razor-sharp edge, which can cut through the most robust armour in the galaxy. Those foes that face its wielder cannot hope to stop the sword from cutting them down.The Blood Shard - A strange spiritual energy flows from the crimson gem known as the Blood Shard. It fills the Blood Angels with a ferocious desire to tear their foes limb from limb. Accordingly, the Blood Shard has a dark reputation. Some even say that it is a distillation of the curse, that the flecks of blood within the stone were scraped from Sanguinius' armour at the very hour of his death and contain all the bitterness and soul-rending hatred of that moment. Yet it is the perfect tool to deploy amongst the ranks of the Death Company, for the Lost Brothers infused with its energies simply become more deadly than ever when caught up in its aura of uncompromising wrath.Baal's Vengeance - Baal's Vengeance is a Hand Flamer equipped with a unique and deadly payload. It sprays forth a highly radioactive fluid, distilled from toxic underground lakes beneath Baal's post-apocalyptic surface. Victims find their flesh boiling within their armour, teeth dropping from rotting gums and bones blackening and warping in the intense radiation. Mere proximity to this lethal substance is a death sentence, but this does not concern its wielder, who is cursed with death no matter what weapon he carries.Fyrestorm - When the trigger of this masterwork Inferno Pistol is pulled, microgenerators around its barrel project an arcane energy tunnel down which the weapon's super-heated fury is channelled. Created in the Chapter's distant past by the finest Blood Angel artificers, the weapon is said to embody the wrath of Baal's lethal star. A shot from Fyrestorm leaps out like a lance of fire, leaving a searing line of light in the air as it connects with its target. Armour vaporises in microseconds. Flesh and blood explode into ashen clouds. Complex machinery is reduced to glowing remnants. As the beam from Fyrestorm dies away, all that remains of its victim is a blackened husk.The Gilden Crozius - It is said that, in the eyes of the Lost Brothers, the Chaplains of the Blood Angels Reclusium appear as glowing golden figures whose words of command cut through the madness of the Flaw. He who wields the Gilded Crozius has a greater effect still upon his lost brethren. The mere presence of this weapon and its wielder seems to redouble the valour and determination of the Death Company, driving them on through wounds that should spell their bloody end. Some have called this miraculous. Others -- servants of the Inquisition most of all –- look upon it with deep suspicion. Whatever their true nature, there can be no denying that the energies that spill from the Gilded Crozius drive warriors on to the extremes of endurance and beyond.
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Death Company - Sources: Black Crusade: Angel's Blade (7th Edition)Blood Angels Painting Guide - Sons of Sanguinius, pp. 36-49Codex: Adeptus Astartes Blood Angels (7th Edition), pp. 37-40, 75-78, 100-101, 108-109, 125-128, 133-134Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 33, 55-56, 121, 127-129, 131-133, 135, 255, 320, 322, 324, 326, 328, 330, 332, 334, 336, 338, 352, 360, 366, 415, 470-472Codex: Blood Angels (4th Edition), pp. 8-9, 12, 15, 18Codex: Blood Angels (3rd Edition), pp. 6, 10, 13, 19, 21Codex: Angels of Death (2nd Edition), pp. 21, 29, 49, 55, 86Deathwatch: The Achilus Assault, pg. 54Index Astartes - Death Company (Digital Edition), pp. 2, 4-8, 9-12Shield of Baal - Exterminatus (7th Edition), pp. 187, 233-236, 238-247Fear to Tread (Novel) by James SwallowAt Gaius Point (Short Story) by Aaron Dembski-BowdenTorturer's Thirst (Novella) by Andy SmillieAngels of Death - The Fury (Short Story) by James SwallowAdvent Day Nine - Astorath The Grim: Redeemer of the Lost (Short Story)Advent Day Sixteen - Gabriel Seth: The Flesh Tearer (Short Story)The Devastation of Baal (Novel) by Guy Haley, pp. 380-384, 385, 425-435, 440-443, 493-496, 497
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Death Company Chaplain - Death Company Chaplain: A Death Company Chaplain is a specialty officer rank unique to the Blood Angels Chapter and their Successor Chapters. Charged with leading a Death Company into battle, they soar into battle on crimson wings, the Death Company Chaplain leading his fallen brothers afflicted by the genetic Flaw known as the Black Rage in their final battle. As he smashes the enemy from their feet with devastating swings of his Crozius Arcanum, the Death Company Chaplain booms a constant litany of hatred and vengeance, exhorting his brothers to give meaning to their sacrifice before their tragic and inevitable end.Simple zealotry is not enough to recommend a Blood Angels Chaplain for elevation to the rank of Death Company Chaplain. Rage and hatred are useful tools, but they are nothing without control. The role of the Death Company Chaplain is much more complex, and more sacred, than simply inciting his brothers to new heights of wrath in battle. This deeply spiritual warrior acts as the light of the Angel himself, a guiding illumination that those brothers lost to the Black Rage can follow into glory and death. He is a beacon of sanity, the eye of a bloody storm, and the last sight that many of his luckless foes will set eyes upon before their savage demise.
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Death Company Chaplain - Notable Death Company Chaplains: Daenor - Chaplain Daenor has battled his way through some of the most horrific battles in the Blood Angels' history. Never once has his composure failed him. Never once has he succumbed to the Flaw, and this alone is enough to have seen him elevated to the rank of Death Company Chaplain. No matter how dire the circumstances or dread the foe, Daenor's icy composure never cracks. Moreover, his deep spirituality and natural leadership qualities do much to steady the warriors around him. He is a light in the darkness, a beacon of hope and fortitude amongst the smoke-wreathed hell of the battlefield, and even the most lost of his brothers follow his lead without question.Lemartes - Lemartes is a Space Marine Chaplain and the warden of the Blood Angels' infamous Death Company. Under his guidance, the Death Company has reached a new level of potency and lethality. Though Lemartes himself is afflicted by the accursed Black Rage, his formidable willpower has allowed him to remain in control of his actions, leaving him free to lead the Death Company in glorious charges that eclipse all the deeds of legend.
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Death Company Chaplain - Wargear: Artificer ArmourJump PackCrozius ArcanumInferno PistolRosariusFrag GrenadesKrak Grenades
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Death Company Chaplain - Sources: Black Crusade: Angel's Blade (7th Edition), pg. 105
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Death Company Dreadnought - Death Company Dreadnought: A Death Company Dreadnought is a variant of the standard Imperial Dreadnought combat walker used by the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. Dreadnoughts are cybernetic combat walkers that house the mortal remains of a fallen Space Marine hero so that he may continue fighting for the Emperor and his Chapter even after his body has been fatally crippled. Death Company Dreadnoughts are used exclusively by the Blood Angels Chapter and their many Successor Chapters.Death Company Dreadnoughts differ from standard Imperial Dreadnoughts in that their occupants are Astartes that are suffering from the Blood Angels' genetic flaw known as their Black Rage. The Black Rage is a genetic flaw that creates mental instability as a result of the psychic imprint left within the Blood Angels Legion's gene-seed by their Primarch Sanguinius' death.This flaw was first discovered during the Battle of Signus Prime when Sanguinius was struck down and delivered a terrible wound by the Bloodthirster Greater Daemon Ka'Bandha. The condition is largely irrecoverable and only a few Blood Angels have managed to defeat this so-called "gene curse".When a Space Marine is overcome by the Black Rage he is reborn into a world of constant anger, hatred and blind fury that cannot be contained and will lead to the slaughter of any who get in the enraged Astartes' way, whether they be friend or foe. As well as Sanguinius' memories, the Blood Angels and their kin are genetically gifted with a small portion of their Primarch's unearthly power, boosting their strength and vitality to superhuman levels.Rather than let them face a slow, insane death, the Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters will form those Battle-Brothers who have newly succumbed to the Black Rage into a special unit of the Chapter known as the Death Company. The Dreadnoughts of these Chapters are not immune to the Black Rage, and a Dreadnought pilot that is consumed by the Black Rage can also join the ranks of its Chapter's Death Company. A Dreadnought under the influence of the Black Rage is nearly impossible to control or restrain, and as such he may rage out of control for solar days until the Chapter's Techmarines can rig a device to disable him.The Chapter's Sanguinary Priests can then judge whether or not the Dreadnought's Astartes occupant should be sedated until the next battle or relieved of his life so that another may take his place. If the occupant of the Dreadnought chassis is still sane enough to follow direction, he will be moved to the Chapter's Death Company, where his Dreadnought body will be able to withstand tremendous amounts of punishment and his unending rage will result in the deaths of many foes before his own destruction.Many Blood Angels Successor Chapters that make use of Death Company Dreadnoughts will deploy them into battle using Dreadnought Drop Pods that drop the war-machine right into the heart of the enemy's battle line, allowing the Dreadnought's unstoppable might to be used for maximum effect.
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Death Company Dreadnought - Armament: Death Company Dreadnoughts are usually armed for close-range combat, where their unstoppable rage and heavily-armoured sarcophagus render them nearly invulnerable to enemy attack. These Dreadnoughts are deployed by their Chapter for assaults upon enemy positions that are deemed too dangerous for any Astartes save those who are under the influence of the Black Rage; as such, Death Company Dreadnoughts are almost always armed as a Furioso Dreadnought, with two Dreadnought Close Combat Weapons.Death Company Dreadnoughts are rarely ever armed with conventional long-range Dreadnought weaponry, as the Dreadnought would only use it until it is close enough to the enemy to engage in melee where these weapons are much less effective than dedicated close combat weaponry.Death Company Dreadnoughts are commonly armed with two Bloodfists, a variant of the Dreadnought Powerfist that is used exclusively by the Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters. These weapons are outfitted with an under-slung Storm Bolter on one arm and an under-slung Meltagun on the other. The Dreadnought's Storm Bolter can also be switched out for a Heavy Flamer for greater close combat firepower. Both of the walker's Bloodfists can be replaced with a pair of Blood Talons.Blood Talons are a variant of the uncommon Dreadnought Lightning Claw used by several Astartes Chapters. Like Bloodfists, Blood Talons are used exclusively by the Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters.Death Company Dreadnoughts are only able to be armed with a single, non-close-range weapon, the mighty Magna-Grapple. The Magna-Grapple is a weapon used exclusively by the Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters, and can fire several yards of tempered adamantium chain attached to powerful magnetic and gravitic field generators. When fired at an enemy vehicle, the Magna-Grapple's chains form an unyielding bond with the enemy vehicle's hull, allowing the Dreadnought to pull the vehicle in closer to finish it off with its main close combat weapon.It is unknown if Chapters with Death Company Dreadnoughts arm them with any other weapons found only on their Furioso Dreadnoughts, such as the powerful close-range Frag Cannon. Death Company Dreadnoughts can also be equipped with a searchlight and smoke launchers.
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Death Company Dreadnought - Known Death Company Dreadnoughts: Moriar the Chosen - Morleo Moriar, also known as Moriar the Chosen, is a former Captain of the Blood Angels' 4th Company. Moriar fell in combat on the fields of Clamorga, yet so great were his deeds that he was honoured by being entombed within the chassis of a Furioso Dreadnought. However, soon after being entombed within his new body, he experienced a vision of the Blood Angels' Primarch Sanguinius during the Horus Heresy and succumbed to the Black Rage. However, Moriar survived the insanity brought on by the Chapter's genetic curse and now fights alongside the Blood Angels as a Death Company Dreadnought known as Moriar the Chosen.
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Death Company Dreadnought - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Death Company DreadnoughtVehicle Name:Death Company DreadnoughtMain Armament:2 Arm-mounted Dreadnought Close Combat WeaponForge World of Origin:BaalSecondary Armament:Built-In Weapons (varies)Known Patterns:UnknownTraverse:360 degreesCrew:1 PilotElevation:-90 to 90 degreesPowerplant:Thermic ReactorMain Ammunition:UnlimitedWeight:12 Tonnes (approx)Secondary Ammunition:Unknown (varies)Length:2.2 metresArmour:Width:3.4 metresHeight:3.7 metresSuperstructure:75 millimetresGround Clearance:N/AHull:75 millimetresMax Speed On-Road:10 kilometres per hour (approx)Gun Mantlet:N/AMax Speed Off-Road:5 kilometres per hour (approx)Vehicle Designation:UnknownTransport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:N/AAccess Points:N/ATurret:N/A
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Death Company Dreadnought - Also See: Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition), pp. 29, 74, 89Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), pg. 165White Dwarf 330 (UK), "Blood Angels Official Codex: Part I", pg. 12
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Death Cult - Death Cult: A "Death Cult" is a group within the Imperium that expresses their worship of the divine God-Emperor through the art and exploration of the granting of death. Such cults produce some of the finest assassins in the galaxy, which are sometimes employed even by the servants of the Emperor, such as the Inquisition, the Ecclesiarchy and Rogue Trader dynasties.Death and blood underpin Human existence. It is a common truism that only through continued blood-sacrifice in the face of a hostile universe will Mankind prevail, a sacrifice likened in the Imperial Creed to the bodily sacrifice of the Emperor Himself during the Siege of Terra.So it is in these beliefs that Death Cults flourish within the Imperium, a dark shadow of the more readily recognised sects of the Imperial Cult, making them some of the most dangerous heretical cults that the Inquisition can encounter. Some are no doubt deluded, corrupted by the Ruinous Powers or swayed by far older and more terrible influences, but many are in fact truly devout followers of the Golden Throne.To these individuals, every death, every cut, every welling of blood is an act of worship to the immortal Emperor of Mankind. Such Death Cults can vary widely in purpose, creed, makeup, and scope, but even the least of their adherents walk something of a tightrope between the sublime and the damned.
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Death Cult - Role: Uncounted Death Cults are known to exist, scattered across the length and breadth of the Imperium, from the densely populous worlds of the Segmentum Solar to the most isolated of frontier planets. Death Cults are essentially religious sects composed of utterly ruthless killers dedicated to shedding the blood of the enemies of Mankind in honour of the blood of martyrs (the seed of the Imperium) and the Emperor.All such cults are highly secretive, and indulge in a wide range of ritual practices. As such, most Death Cults walk a perilous line between fanatical dedication to the Imperial Creed (albeit expressed in a quite singular manner) and outright doctrinal heresy. Many, in fact, step over an invisible line. Thus, they become pawns, knowingly or ignorantly, of the Ruinous Powers. Many are the cults that have stumbled into the arms of Khorne or Slaanesh through increasingly extreme ritualistic practice. It is little wonder that the Ecclesiarchy views the Death Cults with great distrust, and that the Inquisition keeps a very close eye on them.The life of a Death Cult assassin is utterly dedicated to ritualised death. No two Death Cults are exactly alike, but all share the belief that the ultimate worship of the Emperor is to carry on the work of the slaying of the enemies of Humanity. Cult assassins train endlessly in a wide range of weapons, honing their skills so that every stroke of the blade, every drip of blood spilled is an offering to the Emperor.Often, Death Cultists have many deviant practices, including devouring Human flesh in cannibalistic rituals and performing ceremonies focused around the drinking of blood. The vast majority of Death Cult assassins eschew the use of ranged weapons, though a number make use of short-ranged weaponry such as throwing stars, stilettos, and the like. Many Death Cults prefer to use a number of highly-specialised and lovingly maintained melee weapons, including punchdaggers, rending claws shaped like eagle talons, or even entire blades carved from the bones of the Imperial faithful.The targets of the Death Cult assassins are those deemed by the cult's leadership to be deserving of death. Few cults engage in indiscriminate murder, for local authorities would soon challenge them, although those in more isolated regions may occasionally do so. Most instead concentrate their efforts on a particular group of enemies. Some hunt down those they have deemed heretical in the eyes of the Emperor, perhaps adherents of a rival Death Cult or natives of a planet that once defied the will of the Emperor. Others hunt down particular species of alien. Some cults defend a specific territory, believing perhaps that the Emperor Himself once trod there and any who trespass upon such holy ground must be slain.Many Death Cultists believe themselves purified by consuming the corpse of an enemy. Drinking the enemy's blood claims the enemy's strength and skill for themselves. Many offerings of blood are drained from the dead and presented by such cultists to the Emperor during a pilgrimage to a great cathedral of the Ecclesiarchy.In addition to the specifics of those they hunt, many Death Cults are equally discerning in those they employ as hunters. Some Death Cults recruit only from a particular region, or from a specific socioeconomic class. Others recruit assassins from those who have no hope, such as the dispossessed orphans of hive city gangs or refugee communities. Still more recruit exclusively from the followers of a particular strand of the Imperial Creed, creating in effect an invisible core within the faithful.It is rumoured that some cults abduct would-be assassins at a young age, stealing babes away in the dead of night to be raised by hooded strangers until inducted into the cult. Some cults employ only men, others only women, citing a myriad of theological reasons as varied as the cults themselves.When not engaged in the hunt, a Death Cult assassin either hones their martial skills, meditates upon some aspect of the cult's dogma, or engages in one of the cult's bloody rituals. Most of these rituals involve the shedding of blood in some manner. Sometimes, it is the blood of the cult's adherents that is spilled, in remembrance of that shed by the Emperor in the name of Mankind. Others conduct grisly ritual sacrifices of captured foes, and these often stray perilously close to heresy and excommunication.Because of their prodigious skills at combat and murder, many Death Cult assassins end up in the service of individual Inquisitors. It appears that there is no formal connection between the two groups. Rather, the Inquisitors strike some manner of pact with individual Death Cults, perhaps overlooking a doctrinal transgression in return for the services of a Death Cult assassin in their retinue. In some cases, an Inquisitor has been known to be inducted into the cult's membership or to have persuaded the cult to take on a trusted Acolyte and teach them the arts of death in which it specialises.To become a Death Cult assassin, an individual must display both exquisite martial skills and an utter dedication to the Emperor. It is this unique blend of deathly expertise and religious fervour that makes Death Cult assassins the utterly lethal weapon they are. In a Death Cult assassin, an Inquisitor can be certain they have the services of one dedicated to a singular cause from which they may never be knowingly turned.
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Death Cult - Notable Death Cult Variants: Most so-called "Death Cults," despite their differences, can be divided into four broad categories: Sanguinary Cults, Necrophagic Cults, Resurrectionist Cults and Ecclesiarchy Cults.
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Death Cult - Sanguinary Cults: Perhaps the most commonplace and famed sub-division of the Death Cults, Sanguinary Cults focus on the act of bloodshed itself -- the manifold art of killing and the moment of extinction of life. Often honing the skills of the assassin beyond the ken of normal men and women, such cults are tolerated or at least wilfully ignored by the Imperial authorities despite their heretical and even vampiric tendencies.This tolerance is because they are known to be implacable in their hatred of Mankind's enemies, supplying the Adeptus Ministorum and the Inquisition with invaluable adepts of murder and fanatical killers loyal to the cause. Some have even more shadowy connections to the mysterious Officio Assassinorum, the secret organisation that provides unparalleled adepts of murder for the High Lords of Terra.Many Sanguinary Cults spring into being in the fertile soil provided by the harsh conditions found on many Feral and Feudal Worlds. However, the shadows of the underhive, the viperous intrigues of the noble's court, and even the travails of deep space can equally create the conditions where ritualistic secret societies dedicated to the deadly arts of the blade, bullet, and poison can flourish.The Calixis Sector has numerous such Sanguinary Cults and sacrificial societies present scattered across many worlds, and indeed, the population of the outcast Feudal World of Fervious is largely governed by them. The most famous of the Calixian Death Cultists, without doubt, are the assassin-mystics of the Moritat, which has sub-cults and cells operating right across the sector and indeed beyond.
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Death Cult - Necrophagic Cults: Necrophagic Cults are the most blatantly heretical and terrible of all Death Cults, with sects often springing up on worlds ravaged by incessant warfare or planet-wide famine, pandemic disease, or other terrible disasters. In desperation and often goaded by outside influence, the people's once laudable faith in and devotion to the Emperor take on an increasingly malign turn, with Human sacrifice, cannibalism, and necrotic rituals becoming widespread.In such cases the members of these cults rapidly become irretrievably insane and physically corrupt, and are often the playthings of Warp entities like the Daemonic servants of Khorne and Slaanesh, while the vile leaders of such cults walk a tightrope between burgeoning malefic power and utter madness. Necrophagic Cults that are discovered are never tolerated by the Imperial authorities and are hounded to destruction wherever uncovered.Within the Calixis Sector, Necrophagic Cults have been known to spring up in the wake of long-burning wars (as has happened on Tranch and Malice in recent years), on isolated and savage worlds such as Endrite, and in the dark space hulks and other vessels in space where stricken survivors or desperate stowaways devolve into a form of mutant cannibal known to the voiders as Ghillam or Hold-gaunts.But of all these tales, none can compare to the ancient stories of the appalling Saynay Clan of Dusk, whose half-mythic ghoulish histories have given the children of the Calixis Sector nightmares for many standard centuries.
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Death Cult - Resurrectionist or Revivicator Cults: Rarely encountered but insidious in nature, Resurrectionist Cults ultimately seek to conquer the secrets of life and death itself.Some Resurrectionist Cults preach a doctrine of the Emperor's triumph over death and the conquest of Human weakness, while others entreat darker masters, pursue utterly forbidden sciences, or hide baleful xenos or Warp-spawned influences at their hearts. Often they espouse the goal of attaining physical immortality for the faithful of the Imperial Cult and will go to unspeakable lengths to obtain their ends.More so than even the Sanguinary Cults, these groups attract insane and desperate individuals to their ranks, those who have lost everything, become the most degenerate Heretics or follow the wildest of deviant religious creeds. Some Resurrectionists even practice ritual revivification to indoctrinate their members.The most extreme examples of such sects believe that the Emperor's plan is for Humanity to follow Him into a blessed "immortality of the flesh." They even claim that it is possible through the use of utterly forbidden archeotech to free the Emperor from the Golden Throne to walk among His people, "dead-but-alive-everlasting" to quote the darkly renowned Credo Mortifex.Such cults are hated by both the Adeptus Ministorum and the Adeptus Mechanicus and must throw up a murderous veil of secrecy and superstition in order to survive.
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Death Cult - Ecclesiarchy Cults: Across the galaxy there exist many cults and minor creeds that worship death. Some of these are savage and heretical religions, corrupted by the worship of the Dark Gods, but some are fully devoted to the Imperial Creed, offering up the corpses of slaughtered foes of the Imperium as repayment for the great debt that Humanity owes the God-Emperor for His eternal sacrifice upon the Golden Throne.The Death Cult assassins that hail from these aggressive cults are highly prized as companions by Adeptus Ministorum priests, for they are entirely obsessed by the need to spill the blood of the unclean, and have devoted their short, violent lives to mastery of the blade in order to better pursue this holy task.Clad in simple leather armour and wielding twin Power Swords, Death Cult assassins loyal to these cults leap fearlessly into the ranks of their foes, twirling and spinning in a dervish dance, severed limbs and heads tumbling in their wake. This carnage may seem crude and artless to the uninformed observer, but in fact every slice and stab carries a ritualistic element. The manner of demise and the weapon used to deliver the killing blow both have a special significance when offering the victim's soul up to the God-Emperor for judgement.Such is the fearlessness and devotion of the Death Cult assassins allied to the Ecclesiarchy that minor discrepancies or deviations from the Imperial Creed are overlooked by members of the Adeptus Ministorum eager to make use of their singular talents. These blade-wielding fanatics are viewed by the priesthood in much the same way that they view the Adeptus Astartes -- misguided in their practices, but righteous in their fervour.
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Death Cult - Notable Death Cults: Emperor's Blades - One of the oldest Death Cults in the Imperium, the Emperor's Blades are only found on the world of Acanon, not far from the Sol System. The legends of the cult claim that it was founded when the Emperor still walked as a man. He fought a great battle against the forces of Chaos on Acanon, and millions died in the conflict. It is supposedly after this battle that the Emperor said, "The blood of martyrs is the seed of Humanity's future," more commonly misquoted as the "seed of the Imperium." The Emperor's Blades are the archetypal Death Cult, revering the use of the blade in combat. They are a hereditary cult, in that no one can be inducted; only those born to previous cult members can join in their worship. The cultists themselves use only a sign language to communicate, having neither speech nor written word. Their ceremonies of devotion are thus eerily silent, the stillness broken only by the scrape of blade on whetstone and the drip of blood into the offering cups.Sons of Dispater - The Sons of Dispater care only for money. For them, every life has its price and only the station of the target and the ease of the kill mitigate the cost. The Sons of Dispater started life as a mercenary company taking part in the vicious trade wars that flared up in the Calixis Sector. It slowly coalesced into its present shape, but with this refinement, it evolved to become a freelance guild of assassins, providing skilled murderers, duellists and saboteurs to anyone who could afford them. Over the years, the Sons of Dispater have built up a well-deserved reputation for reliability and lethality and their reach extends outwards from their centre of operations on Malfi to almost every important world in the sector. While their only loyalty is to the gelt they have been paid, the organisation does consider its contracts to be inviolate, realising long ago that an organisation of turncoat assassins would have a very short life expectancy. Thus, any member of the Sons of Dispater that betrays a contract had better hide their tracks very carefully or risk the wrath of their own. The Inquisition is not above hiring an assassin trained by the Sons of Dispater, valuing their skills and predicable motivations. Likewise, the assassin may have fallen foul of the Inquisition unwittingly (a member of the Holy Ordos is one of the few targets the Sons of Dispater consider off-limits), and now has little option but to make amends.Astral Knives - As members of a proscribed Imperial Death Cult, the Astral Knives must keep their beliefs secret to all but their most trusted confidants. A secret society within the closed society of the Voidborn, the Astral Knives cult takes it upon themselves, as a sacred duty, to keep Mankind safe during voyages through the Warp. If a voyage suffers, dark portents are witnessed or danger draws close in the Warp, the Astral Knives carry out a sacrifice to ensure the Emperor's divine protection. Those most obviously "unclean" targets, such as mutants and psykers, are selected first, but almost anyone might be selected in consultation with ritual foretelling. Some fifty standard years ago, the Ordos Calixis declared the Astral Knives a heretical sect after it was found that worshippers of the Ruinous Powers had infiltrated large parts of the cult, and a concerted purge was undertaken. Despite this, the entrenched and widely dispersed Death Cult lives on, although scattered and in far fewer numbers than before. An Astral Knife cultist is usually born rather than made, with certain Voidborn families having long traditions of involvement with the cult, either as assassins themselves or in tacitly providing support. Nor are they ravening killers. They are taught instead that their murders, often arranged to seem as accidents, are a dreadful but necessary divine duty. Some members grieve over their victims when appropriate, although many seek to hone their skills further by taking payment for the use of their skills among the Voidborn, particularly if the target is a "dirtsider" or not of the ship. Some more Radical elements of the Inquisition have chosen, where possible, to absorb the surviving untainted Astral Knives into their service as skilled spies and killers, and the Astral Knives for their part are keen to prove their faith.Moritat - The Moritat is an Imperial Death Cult, far older than the Calixis Sector itself. Some legends say it was brought to Calixis by adherents secreted among the forces of the Angevin Crusade who carved the sector into being. Others claim it was already seeded in place, waiting for the Imperials when they came. Regardless, the Moritat leans heavily on the Imperial Creed, albeit with a very bloody and mystical interpretation of its dogma. It teaches that only through the merciless application of violence and death can the Imperium be sustained, the weak and corrupt winnowed out and the Emperor's own great sacrifice honoured. In organisation, the Moritat is supremely difficult to infiltrate or pin down, operating in independent cells each led by a single master or mistress seeded in recruiting grounds such as underhives, Feral World wildernesses and war zones. The Moritat selects those who have already been "marked" by tragedy and bloodshed to serve the Emperor as a bringer of death to His enemies. They take these individuals from a young age and forge their bitterness and hate into a weapon. Training recruits relentlessly in the arts of destruction, deception and bloodletting, while at the same time indoctrinating them into their own brand of the Imperial faith and the mysteries of the cult. Moritat aspirants who survive this education become full members of the cult and are sent out alone into the wider Imperium -- a process they call the "travail" to hone their skills as assassins, vigilantes and peerless duellists, believing that only through continuous conflict and bloody experience can they become supreme in their arts and worthy to serve the Emperor. The existence of the Moritat is something of an open secret in the hierarchy of the Calixian noble houses and the Imperial adepta of the sector, although facts about them are scarce in the extreme. The cult's existence also seems to benefit from some measure of toleration by the Imperium's higher powers, a fact that leads some to whisper that the Moritat's true sponsorship lies with the distant and dreaded temples of the Officio Assassinorum itself. For a Moritat assassin, the chance to serve the Inquisition is a blessed thing -- dealing death to the God-Emperor's enemies first-hand and also a proving ground where they can test their skills against the most dire and powerful opposition imaginable. Many Inquisitors regard Moritat assassins as invaluable resources, monsters of their own to fight the many monsters they must challenge.Winged Skull - The Winged Skull is a Death Cult of the Imperium. It is the cult to which the Death Cultist executioner Knosso Prond belonged. Its governing priestess required Prond to swear that she would not speak another word nor return to the hidden temple of the cult until she had slain a single individual from each of 1,000 designated xenos species that were hostile to Humanity.Bloodspun Web - The Imperium is founded upon death and bloodshed, and maintained only by the further sacrifices of Humanity. There are those for whom death is a way of life, and Death Cults of many types can be found on worlds across the Imperium. They revel in holy slaughter, dedicating their victims' souls to the God-Emperor, offering up blood sacrifices to Him of his many enemies so that He might answer their prayers. The practices of these Death Cults are dark and terrifying. Common folk maintain a superstitious fear of ruthless assassins who specialise in ritual murder, self-mutilation and bloody communion. Vague omens can make these zealots of the Imperial Cult target seemingly innocent people just as easily as obvious enemies of the Imperium. One such cult lurks within the bowels of the Rogue Trader House von Valancius' flagship in the Koronus Expanse. For standard years, the ascetic and inscrutable servants of the Death Cult known as the "Bloodspun Web" have protected the dynasty from enemies aboard the vessel, stalking the threats hiding in lower decks and spraying the bulkheads with the blood of their victims. One of the cult's greatest assassins, Kibellah, "Second Spinner of the Bloodspun Web," was tasked with serving as her Lord Captain's bodyguard after a foul Genestealer Cult was revealed to have taken up residence in the bowels of the von Valancius flagship. Kibellah proved invaluable in helping her patron eliminate the foul xenophiles.
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Death Cult - Notable Death Cultists: Severina and Sevora Devout - Raised from birth by an ancient sect known as the Emperor's Blades, Severina and Sevora Devout are identical twin sisters who have been taught to wield a blade with astonishing speed, but are unable to read, write or speak. They communicate with an intricate sign language developed by the cult, and, when not actively hunting, they hone the ritual deathblows taught to them by the ancient masters and mistresses of the sect. Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn once investigated the Emperor's Blades, but found nothing but puritanical devotion to the God-Emperor. He hired the mysterious twins, taking three solar months to learn their peculiar language. The price he paid? At least one phial of blood from each of the twins' victims must be sent back to the cult's temple to be dedicated to the Emperor. A small price to pay for such lethal talents.Xurris Clorr - Born on a Feral World, this Death Cultist serves the Radical Inquisitor Thaddeus Hakk. She was sent by her master to find and retrieve his previous Acolyte, Interrogator Thirl. The tracker's mission failed, Thirl's prodigious psychic powers granting him full knowledge of the mission and allowing him to ambush his assassins before they even knew of their own doom. Xurris was the lone survivor of the ambush. Despite this, she refuses to acknowledge her failure, and continues to track the heretical Acolyte until she is victorious or dead.Seraph - The assassin known only as "Seraph" is a mind-wiped former Acolyte of Radical Inquisitor Antonia Mesmeron. Seraph knows very little about herself; only a few hints of her past remain before her service to the Inquisitor. What is clear is that Seraph was once a member of the Moritat cult before she was possessed by a sinister Daemon during the Inquisitor's involvement in the Foulmind conspiracy on Protasia. The skills she learned as both an Acolyte and a Death Cultist have made Seraph doubly-feared, and at Inquisitor Mesmeron's side she claimed many lives with her specially-made lathe blades. After her possession, Seraph tore through the depths of Sender Hive on Laskin, weaving a bloody rampage that left no level of Imperial society unstained. Seraph's trail of destruction was halted only by the sacrifice of a squad of Storm Troopers and the personal intervention of Inquisitor Mesmeron, who arranged for a full exorcism of her valued Acolyte. This action was not taken lightly, for Mesmeron intended to use this exorcism to validate her own Oblationist views, and in this, she succeeded. After the exorcism, Seraph became stronger, colder, little more than a tool for her mistress' commands. Those who glimpse the Chaos-brand upon the woman's face find it is usually the last thing they ever see. Recently, Seraph has become more and more battle-hungry, seeking out ever more dangerous foes to fight in her mistress' service. Whether this activity is sanctioned by Inquisitor Mesmeron or a sign of something darker reemerging has yet to become clear.Knosso Prond - Knosso Prond is a member of the Winged Skull Death Cult (see above) who served under the command of the Rogue Trader Elucia Vhane. Prond was forced by the political maneuverings of her cult's governing priestess to take a vow that she would not say another word aloud or return to her temple until she had slain a member from each of 1,000 xenos species deemed to be hostile to Humanity and enemies of the Emperor. Thus, joining Elucia Vhane's Elucidian Starstriders Rogue Trader fleet proved to be an optimal way to begin to make headway on this goal. Though always silent, Prond is loyal to Vhane and acts as her martial champion. When the Chaos God Nurgle's Gellerpox plague struck Elucia's flagship, the New Dawn, Prond was one of the few members of the crew left uninfected. She now fights besides Vhane to escape from the mutant hordes the supernatural Warp plague has created.Kibellah - Unknown to the Rogue Trader who commands the vessel, a Death Cult lurks within the bowels of House von Valancius' flagship in the Koronus Expanse. For standard years, the ascetic and inscrutable servants of the Death Cult known as the "Bloodspun Web" have protected the dynasty from enemies aboard the vessel, stalking the threats hiding in lower decks and spraying the bulkheads with the blood of their victims. Kibellah is a masterful assassin whose talent and fanatical devotion to the Undying Emperor has earned her the title of the "Second Spinner of the Bloodspun Web." Since childhood, she has dedicated herself to rigorous training of mind and body, perfecting the art of the blade dance and mollifying her emotions. Kibellah has no desires, only duty; no fear, only purpose. She is the perfect instrument of death, and this undying servant of the Undying Emperor has left the shadows to become the Rogue Trader of House von Valancius' personal bodyguard. Her specialised blades and ritualistic arts are at the Lord Captain's service, as is her sophisticated mind. She recognises the divine signs sent by the Emperor, even through the veil of mundane reality. Her world is a realm of riddles and blood that interweave and resolve into momentous insight. To that end, she bears the greatest relic of the cult: a sacred deck of the Emperor's Tarot. The cards speak the will of the Undying One and reveal the names of those who must depart. Every new reading reveals ever more clearly that the greatest moment of her life is at hand. The Immortal Emperor holds an exceptional destiny in store for His servant, who is now ready to step into the future.
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Death Dealer - Death Dealer: The Death Dealer is a Daemon Engine used by the forces of Chaos that is completely dedicated to the service of the Chaos God of war and bloodshed, Khorne. The Death Dealer is a massive Daemon Engine whose role on the battlefield is that of a mobile siege tower in which it carries resolute warbands of fanatical Khornate Berserkers into battle.The front of the Death Dealer is comprised of a gigantic mechanical construct that resembles a Khornate warrior and is equipped with fearsome close-combat weapons. In the centre of the construct rests a massive Gatling Cannon and behind the mechanical warrior construct is the vehicle's tower, on top of which a large cannon is mounted.It is from the rear of the tower that the Chaos warbands wait to disembark and also where the mechanisms of the outer warrior construct and the Daemon Engine's other weapons are controlled. The tower features multiple sets of Heavy Bolters for the occupants to use whilst inside.
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Death Eagles - Death Eagles: The Death Eagles is a Loyalist, Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marine Chapter. Its exact Founding date is unknown.It is suspected by most Imperial scholars that the Death Eagles is one of the rare Successor Chapters of the Raven Guard.However, it is also possible that the Death Eagles' true and hidden origins may lie in the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium among those Astartes of the Emperor's Children Traitor Legion who remained uncorrupted by Chaos and loyal to the Emperor.
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Death Eagles - Chapter History: It is said by ancient proverb that truth is the first casualty of war and, if this is the case, then rumour is its first child. Almost from the outset, the war of the Horus Heresy was a vast cataclysm, one whose events moved with such quicksilver pace that mystery, supposition, lies and simple ignorance cloaked much of the bloodshed even as it occurred, casting a veil over much that will never be lifted.Though the roll call of Space Marine Legions, Titan Legions, Auxilia regiments and Mechanicum Taghmata that sided with the Arch-traitor Horus and those who remained loyal is largely known and accepted, the full truth is far more complex and far more mysterious than commonly believed.Some Legiones Astartes believed Horus had the superior cause and the superior right to command their allegiance, not the Emperor, while some retained a loyalty to their Emperor and the Great Crusade over that of their own primarch's will.It is true that particularly in the early years of the war, detachments of Legiones Astartes and sometimes entire squadrons of warships simply vanished without apparent trace, and while many may have fallen afoul of Warp Storms and enemy action, it is likely just as true that some quietly slipped anchor and turned their coats to serve another master, and that this happened on both sides of the divide.During the Horus Heresy the 34th Millennial of the Emperor's Children (the "Death Eagles") bore the purple and gold of their parent III rd Legion with pride, refusing to abandon their heraldry. It is thought that the Death Eagles Millennial clashed with their Traitor kin at Lethe and at Revorthe Keep in the Coronid Deeps, but their ultimate fate, like that of so many others of that era, remains unknown.As to the long-term viability of these lost Legiones Astartes detachments, it is difficult to say. Given sufficient gene-seed and technical competence it is entirely possible for such a formation to maintain its strength over a protracted period, inducting and training new recruits in the same way as a normal Space Marine Chapter of the 41st Millennium.There are certainly numerous cases cited throughout Imperial history where this has occurred, such as the Space Wolves 13th Company. This might explain how the Death Eagles were able to survive the Age of Darkness as well as the subsequent era of the Great Scouring to be reborn as a Loyalist Chapter in their own right.If the Death Eagles are indeed descended from Loyalist elements of the Emperor's Children, it would explain why their true origins have been purposely obfuscated.Such a connection to a reviled Traitor Legion would also be a terrible dishonour and would explain why the Death Eagles' heritage and original Legion colours may have been deliberately obscured from the Imperial record.
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Death Eagles - Notable Campaigns: Vengeance from the Void (ca. M32) - Across a hundred scattered star systems in the western marches of the Segmentum Solar, cult uprisings led by a core of Chaos Space Marine warbands drawn from the Iron Warriors, Night Lords and World Eaters Traitor Legions brought entire planetary governments to their knees in a year of blood and anarchy. With whole sectors on the brink of collapse, events took a dramatic turn when a combined force of the Adeptus Astartes emerged from the black depths beyond the spiral arm and launched a sudden and overwhelming attack directly upon the uprising's command. Though many Space Marines fell in glory, the warlords of the Traitor factions were slain and the uprising fractured into a thousand localised rebellions which were soon put down by local defence forces. Subsequent Inquisitorial studies claimed that these Space Marines were drawn from several Chapters, including the Death Eagles, Minotaurs, Carcharodons and Angels of Absolution. Other evidence, however, including their estimated Founding and projected deployment dates, contradict these assertions, consigning the entire event to conjecture.War of the False Primarch (860-940.M33) - During the War of the False Primarch, a dark and bloody episode of the Imperium's history now largely lost to myth and purged from the record, the Segmentum Pacificus was plunged into anarchy and the Pentarchy of Blood was convened by the High Lords of Terra to enact their judgement. Five Chapters; the Death Eagles, the Carcharodons, the Charnel Guard, the Flesh Eaters and the Red Talons were used to systematically destroy eleven Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes judged Traitoris Perdita and lay waste to their homeworlds, finally drawing the eight-standard-decade-long conflict to a close.Reconquest of the Forsarr Sector (999.M41) - Three standard years after the fall of the sector's vital Hive World capital of Forsarr in the Segmentum Tempestus, the Administratum finally recongnised the true threat posed by WAAAGH! Garaghak. The Aurora Chapter joined a powerful coalition with their brethren of the Revilers and the Death Eagles as well as a demi-legio of Titans of the Legio Astraman and several regiments of Imperial Guard and Ecclesiarchal troops. They took the fight to the Orks and reclaimed the Forsarr Sector for the Emperor. It is unknown if the fact that the Raven Guard's homeworld of Deliverance is also located in the Forsarr Sector prompted this deployment.
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Death Eagles - Chapter Colours: The Death Eagles predominately wear black power armour. The shoulder guards have white insets with black trim. The helmet is bone white with red eye lenses. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest guard is black, with the central icon being bone white.The black squad specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command -- is indicated on the right shoulder guard.A white High Gothic numeral is stenciled in the centre of the squad specialty symbol, indicating squad number.The iconography of the right knee plate indicates company number in accordance to the dictats of the Codex Astartes, i.e. white (1st Company), yellow (2nd Company), red (3rd Company), etc.
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Death Eagles - Chapter Badge: The Death Eagles' Chapter badge is a white, avian skull of a raven surrounded by ebon feathered wings (elevated and displayed), centred upon a field of white.
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Death Eagles - Canon Conflict: The first known mention of the Death Eagles' existence was made in White Dwarf 123 (UK), published in March 1990. Within, the 'Eavy Metal team presented a section with conversions and specially painted Space Marine miniatures -- among which there was a "Death Eagles Marine in armour variant".His heraldry consisted of an asymmetrical scheme of alternate white-purple plates, with backpack and bolter in silver, and helm and cod piece halved in white and purple as well.However in How To Paint Space Marines (2004) the Death Eagles appear already clad in black and white power armour.It is possible that the reference in The Horus Heresy Book Four - Conquest to their origins lying among the Loyalist Emperor's Children that maintained their original heraldry (purple and gold, but also white in some plates) is a nod towards this first appearance.
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Death Eagles - Sources: Adeptus Astartes: Successor Chapters (Limited Release Booklet), pg. 32How To Paint Space Marines (2004), pg. 88Imperial Armour Volume Two, Second Edition - War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes, pg. 17Imperial Armour Volume Eight - Raid On Kastorel-Novem, pp. 77, 104Imperial Armour Volume Thirteen - War Machines of the Lost & The Damned, pg. 21The Horus Heresy Book Four - Conquest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 158White Dwarf 123 (UK), "'Eavy Metal II", pg. 22
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Death Guard - Death Guard: The Death Guard are one of the Traitor Legions of Chaos Space Marines. They worship and devote themselves exclusively to the Chaos God Nurgle and as a result of his mutational "gifts" they have become Plague Marines; Heretic Astartes who are eternally rotting away within their power armour and infected with every known form of disease and decay but who are immune to all pain or minor injury.When the XIVth Legion was first raised on Terra by the Emperor during the First Founding, its Astartes were known as the Dusk Raiders. After the XIVth Legion was reunited with its Primarch Mortarion on the world of Barbarus, he renamed the Legion the Death Guard.The Death Guard are a Traitor Legion entirely steeped in the power of Nurgle, the Chaos God of death, disease and despair, their very essence the epitome of all that vile Chaos God stands for. Their bodies are hives of filth and decay, their flesh eternally rotting away even as it is renewed by the ceaseless process of death and rebirth.Once, however, the Death Guard were the strongest and most resilient of all of the Emperor's Space Marine Legions, the inheritors of Primarch Mortarion in whose genetic image they were created. Mortarion grew to maturity on the world of Barbarus, a planet steeped in a toxic miasma where the Human population cowered in the dark lowlands, fearful of the overlords that preyed upon them from their mountaintop keeps deep within the fog.History does not record who or what these beings truly were, but it is certain they were more than, or at least other than, Human. For one, they were able to breathe the deadly gases that made up the atmosphere of Barbarus, getting ever more deadly the higher the altitude, but they are said to have displayed other abilities too. The abominable masters of Barbarus were somehow able to enslave or dominate the flesh of the dead, and they preyed upon the cringing natives in the valleys below, ever needful of raw material to fuel the endless wars they fought against one another.The infant primarch was raised by one such overlord, Necare, the greatest of them all, who taught him the ways of war, yet would not answer his questions regarding the people who dwelled in the lowlands. When Mortarion defied his master and descended through the fog, which as a superhuman primarch he could breathe, he found people, like himself, if weaker and existing in perpetual terror of the overlords who preyed upon them each night.Though they were initially suspicious of him, Mortarion proved himself one of their kind, and moulded them into an army that at first defied the hunting parties of the overlords, and then turned the tables upon them. At length, the only one left was he who had been Mortarion's master, the High Overlord Necare, residing so high in the toxic strata that not even Mortarion could pursue him.When the Emperor came to Barbarus, the people greeted Him as their saviour, yet Mortarion was jealous and resentful of the adulation heaped upon this perfect stranger. Though his people could see that the Emperor was the primarch's sire, he himself saw only the differences. Where the stranger was noble of form and tanned of skin, Mortarion was pale and gaunt. When Mortarion refused to join Him, the Master of Mankind issued Mortarion a challenge -- if the primarch could defeat the last overlord of Barbarus, the Emperor would depart. If he could not, Mortarion must accept his fate and join the Great Crusade.Mortarion accepted the Emperor's challenge and ascended into the toxic clouds, higher than he had ever travelled before. At length, he reached the grim keep of Necare and raged for the high overlord to face him. Yet, even the primarch's superhumanly enhanced body could not withstand the toxic concentration of the atmosphere at that altitude, but as he succumbed with Necare about to slay him, he saw the golden figure of the Emperor step between him and the high overlord, entirely unaffected by the poisonous air. With a single stroke of His mighty, flaming blade, the Emperor felled the last overlord of Barbarus, and Mortarion acceded to his fate. Yet the primarch found himself riddled with anger and resentment at his gene-father for stealing away what he believed to be his rightful vengeance.Once the primarch was united with his Legion, it was found that the Death Guard, as they were renamed by their new master in memory of the army of the same name he had led against the overlords on Barbarus, were amongst the most resolute and resilient of all the Legions. Mortarion's warriors were ever to be found at the centre of the battle line, their strength and determination the inheritance of their primarch, making them the unbreakable core of any army of galactic conquest.When the Horus Heresy plunged the galaxy into civil war and Mortarion joined himself and his Legion to the rebellion of the Warmaster Horus out of his unresolved anger at the Emperor, the warriors of the Death Guard found themselves becalmed in the Warp on their way to the Siege of Terra and assailed by Warp-born plagues so virulent that not even their legendary resilience could withstand them. Soon, the entire Legion was beset by a sickness that bloated their bellies with corpse gas, caused flesh to slough from their bodies and made these strongest and toughest of warriors into crippled wretches assailed by delirium.Though none can say exactly what forces acted upon the soul of the primarch of the Death Guard, whether he was already damned or whether he made his pact in some state of fever, he called out for deliverance, and his call must have been answered. When finally the Death Guard Legion's fleet emerged from the Warp, its vessels and its warriors were entirely changed.Their once-gleaming white and grey armour was stained with filth, and the noble warriors were transformed into walking hives of death and abomination. Worse still, the "Plague Marines" of the Death Guard were now hosts for the most virulent afflictions that their new patron, the Plague God Nurgle, could concoct. Condemned to a deathless state of eternal decay, the Death Guard would spread their pestilent diseases the length and breadth of the galaxy for the greater glory of Chaos.With the end of the Horus Heresy, Mortarion led his Legion into the Eye of Terror, and while others had splintered into countless warbands, the Death Guard remained largely whole, thanks in no small part to their legendary strength and resilience. Mortarion brought them to a world that would become known simply as the Plague Planet, which he moulded into a new and despicable form, making it a virtual copy of lost Barbarus.To this day, Mortarion's Death Guard launch their assaults through the Cadian Gate and into the galaxy beyond, sometimes in large bodies and at others lending strength to allied Chaos forces. Wherever they travel they spread the joyful, exuberant poxes of Nurgle, gifting those who would know eternal life with the choicest of the Plague God's blessings. There have been numerous occasions when previously unknown plagues have swept the defence lines of otherwise static Imperial fronts, followed solar hours later by an overwhelming enemy advance. Many amongst the Imperial high command ascribe such instances to the Death Guard, and are fearful of what vile diseases they might concoct next.
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Death Guard - Legion History: The Emperor of Mankind sought to unite all of humanity under one banner following the Long Night of the Age of Strife, and end inter-human conflict. Once united, the Emperor intended to begin the next stage of His great plan to ensure human domination of the Milky Way Galaxy, which He judged to be necessary if humanity was to survive the never-ceasing threats to its existence embodied by Chaos, myriad xenos races and its own fragile human nature.In time, when the Emperor's eye first began to fall beyond Terra, He began to raise new armies to fight His Great Crusade. He drew these new troops in part from the forces that had already unified Terra during the Unification Wars of the late 30th Millennium.To carry out the Great Crusade and reunite all the scattered colony worlds of Mankind beneath the single banner of the Imperium of Man, the Emperor created the genetically-enhanced transhuman warriors of the Space Marine Legions. These forces would serve as the speartip of His Great Crusade that began in ca. 800.M30, bringing the light of the Imperial Truth and enforcing Imperial Compliance with the new regime on every human world encountered.
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Death Guard - Warlords of Dusk: The origins of the Dusk Raiders can be found during the Unification Wars. The base human stock for the majority of the first Space Marine Legions to be raised came from Terra, and in the case of the XIVth Legion the main bulk of the gene-recruits used were drawn from the ancient and warlike clans of the islands of Old Albia on the continent of Europa.Indeed such was the suitability of their peoples for induction into the ranks of the Space Marines that recruits were drawn also to fill the ranks of the First Founding VIIIth and Xth Legions, the Night Lords and the Iron Hands, respectively.Although this was to a lesser degree than the recruitment done there by the XIVth Legion which was by blood and culture shaped by the the warlords and techno-barbarians of Albia as well as the hand of the Emperor.The recruitment of the sons of Albia served a twofold purpose; firstly, and most importantly, it drew off the cream of whole generations of strength from a Terran realm, now friend and ally to the Imperium but never fully trusted. For Old Albia, towering amid the northern Atlan wilderness, had once been a true rival of the Emperor for control of the destiny of Mankind.By recruiting their brightest and best into the Legiones Astartes and the other growing Imperial organisations marked for war amid the stars, the Emperor ensured they could never threaten the Unification from within.Secondly, it subsumed into the Emperor's forces all the martial traditions and bloodlines that had for centuries held much of Terra under their cruel grasp and had eventually overcome the Panpacific Empire under the rule of its "Unspeakable King," Narthan Dume. Such a breed of relentless warlords and soldier-scientists was an invaluable resource that the Emperor was loathe to waste.By the time the Unification Wars had begun, the warlord clans of Old Albia had thrown off the tyranny of the last descendants of the Unspeakable King, and did not readily bend their knee to the Emperor, for they refused to have another master in Dume's place. Instead the Albians met the Emperor's regiments of Thunder Warriors with their own battalions of steam-belching proto-Dreadnoughts and heavily armoured Ironside soldiers.In battle after battle, the forces of the Unification were held in check, although at a shattering cost for the Albians, who would not give in despite the Imperial onslaught. Impressed with the Albians' martial temper and indomitable courage, the Emperor called for a ceasefire and sought victory over the warlord clans through peaceful negotiations, understanding that to crush them by force alone would entail a grinding war of attrition that would only serve to decimate His own forces and gain Him naught but a handful of ashes as a prize of war.The Emperor pursued peace despite the protestations of His human counsellors and generals. Going before them, it is said, unarmed and clothed in white and crimson, the Emperor spoke to the warlords' parliament and laid before them His vision of a future Mankind reunited and ascendant, of tyrants toppled and nightmares slain.He offered them glory amongst the stars and most importantly, redemption for many hundreds of years of kin-slaying and bloodshed. To the shock of many, the warlords of Old Albia accepted the Emperor's vision.In doing so, the Albian clans became among the Unification's most zealous supporters, although still untrusted by many, lending their warriors and secrets long kept up for the Emperor's eyes alone. Most importantly for the future of humanity, the Albians sacrificed their sons to become the first Space Marines.The XIVth Legion quickly developed in the use of tactics and methods of warfare that their Ironside forebears would have found utterly familiar, matched with a stoic temperament and gene-crafted aptitude which few doubted had been the Emperor's design all along. Operating in the role of heavy infantry, the Astartes of the XIVth Legion were experts at survival and endurance, and quickly gained a reputation among the other newly-forged Legions as relentless and disciplined fighters.In defence they were stubborn and indefatigable, able to stand unwaveringly against the heaviest fire and hold their position against all comers to the last living body and Bolter shell if needed. In attack they systematically destroyed a given target, crashing upon an enemy in wave after wave of armoured bodies, excelling in close range fire-fights and bloody attrition.Their grey and unadorned Power Armour began to carry the symbols of rank and decoration, now modified that once formed the armorial imagery of the Ironsides of Old Albia, and most tellingly their right vambraces, gauntlets and shoulder plates were painted the deep crimson of drying blood, now symbolising the red right hand of the Emperor's justice where once it had proclaimed the murderous reach of the Panpacific Empire's Unspeakable King.As the XIVth Legion fought in the last days of Terran Unification and the first battles of the Great Crusade off-world, they were given the epithet of "Dusk Raiders" by those they fought and took it for their own. This name was a consequence of their use of the ancient Albian tactic of conducting major ground attacks at fall of night when the shift of light confused an enemy's watch, and gathering darkness would shadow an advance across open ground.Such was the reputation the XIVth Legion garnered, in fact, that foes given an ultimatum of attack by the Dusk Raiders would often waver in their resolve, their soldiers panicking and deserting their bastions or throwing down their arms and fleeing at the coming of darkness rather than face the Astartes.As relentless as they were in attack, the Dusk Raiders were known to be honourable opponents as well, who would hold to bargains struck for early surrender and honour symbols of truce. When such terms lapsed, however, and the die was cast for destruction, it was just as widely known that nothing would stay the Dusk Raiders' hand.Such honourable terms only extended to human foes worthy to be brought into the fold of Imperial Compliance, however; to the degenerate, the mutant and the alien, no such mercy was given.So the Dusk Raiders continued this course over the next eight solar decades as they fought on unwavering in the service of the Great Crusade. Still fatherless during this time as other Space Marine Legions gained their long-lost Primarchs until only a handful remained to be discovered, this "orphan" status further bred a self-reliance and a quiet, stubborn pride in the Dusk Raiders' self-forged character, and the martial triumphs of the XIVth Legion were many and enviable.Their reunification with their Primararch though, when it finally came, was not to be the happy event that many had long hoped for, but instead it was to be a pall that fell across the Legion, and under its shadow the Dusk Raiders were broken down and remade, and only the Death Guard remained.
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Death Guard - The Death Lord: When the 20 gestating Primarchs of the Space Marine Legions were scattered across the galaxy through the Warp from the Emperor of Mankind's secret gene-laboratory deep beneath the Himalazian (Himalayan) Mountains on Terra in a mysterious accident likely caused by the Ruinous Powers of Chaos, one came to rest on the planet Barbarus, a Feral World located in the Segmentum Tempestus that was wreathed in poisonous fog.The population of the world was split into two groups: the controlling, apparently xenos overlords who were necromancers who possessed fantastic psychic powers, along with the human settlers, who had been trapped on the planet millennia before and were now forced to eke out an existence in the poison-free valleys of the planet, fearing the wrath of the overlords and their undead and mutant creations.The Primarch-child was taken in by the most powerful of the overlords, the High Overlord Necare, who found him amongst the corpses of a battlefield, screaming and wailing where a normal human child would have suffocated and died long before.The high overlord of Barbarus took the child in with the intention of creating a son and heir, naming him Mortarion -- the child of death.Mortarion was kept in a fortress positioned at the limit of even his superhuman tolerance to the toxins in the air, while the high overlord moved his own manse to the highest peak of the world, beyond where even Mortarion could go.He trained the child, who had a highly keen intellect and voracious appetite for knowledge; Mortarion learned everything from battle doctrine to arcane secrets, from artifice to stratagem.However, the young Primarch's questions began to turn towards subjects the high overlord did not want to talk about, namely the pitiful creatures in the valleys that the many other overlords preyed upon for corpses to reanimate and bodies to corrupt.
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Death Guard - The Deliverance of Barbarus: Finally, knowing he would be unable to find the answers he desired from his adoptive father, Mortarion was forced to break out of the fortress that had been his home and prison when he chose to save a caravan of humans who were being brought up from the valleys below to serve as experimental subjects for Necare's horrific experiments.After killing several undead golem guards stationed at the gates of the fortress, Mortarion, guided by one of those he had saved, Calas Typhon, headed for the valleys of Barbarus. Breaking through the poisonous mists, Mortarion discovered that the prey of the overlords were in fact the same species as he, and he swore to deliver them from their oppression.The people of Barbarus were slow to accept this pale, gaunt stranger from the mountains, but Mortarion was given a chance to prove his worth when mutant creatures enthralled to another warlord attacked the village. Seeing that the peasants were unable to effectively fight back, Mortarion joined the fray, wielding a massive harvesting scythe that made short work of the beasts.The overlord smiled when Mortarion advanced upon him and withdrew to the apparent safety of the deadly fog, only to be pursued and butchered by this inhumanly resilient Primarch.Accepted into the village without further reservation, Mortarion began to train the villagers in the art of warfare. Soon, representatives from other villages journeyed to learn from Mortarion, while the villages scattered across the valleys of the world were transformed into strongpoints. Mortarion travelled from settlement to settlement, teaching, building and defending his people.He recruited the toughest, most resilient men and women he could find, forming them into small units that trained under his supervision. He enlisted the aid of blacksmiths, craftsmen and artificers to create special suits of armour that would allow men to travel through the poisonous fog.As each battle in the mists was fought, Mortarion and his "Death Guard" would learn how to better adapt the armour, and themselves, to reach the more poisonous heights. Eventually, only one peak denied them access, the one on which Mortarion's adoptive father Necare had made his home.
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Death Guard - The Coming of the Emperor: Despite his adoptive father being a ruthless necromancer, Mortarion felt reluctant to attack the being who took him in and called off the planned attack. Returning to the village, Mortarion's mood darkened when he found his people talking not of his victory but of the arrival of a benevolent stranger who promised salvation to the people of Barbarus.Finding this stranger in conference with the village elders of his capital, Mortarion claimed that his people needed no outside help to slay their last oppressor. The stranger commented that even Mortarion and his Death Guard were having trouble pacifying the final overlord, and offered a challenge.If Mortarion could defeat the high overlord, the stranger would leave. If not, Mortarion had to swear fealty to the stranger and the Imperium of Man he represented.Ignoring the protests of his Death Guard, Mortarion left alone to confront his adoptive father, motivated by a compulsion to prove himself to the stranger below and also prove once and for all that he was better than Necare, who had often belittled him while growing up.The confrontation was brief. The air surrounding the high overlord's fortress was so poisonous, that parts of Mortarion's special protective armour began to rot. He collapsed at the gates of the high overlord's citadel, bellowing challenges.The final thing Mortarion saw before he passed out was Necare coming to kill him, then the stranger leaping between the two and slaying the high overlord with a single, flaming sword thrust.When he recovered, Mortarion swore fealty to the stranger, who revealed himself to be Mortarion's true gene-father, the Emperor of Mankind. The Emperor granted Mortarion command of the XIVth Space Marine Legion, then known as the Dusk Raiders, who quickly adopted the name and regalia of Mortarion's original Death Guard.However, the Emperor's slaying of his adoptive father proved to be a grudge Mortarion long held against his true father, for he had desired above all else to end the tyrant's life himself and prove himself the better.When the Emperor took the chance to earn vengeance away from Mortarion, a seed of hatred and blame was placed within his heart that would in time blossom into rank betrayal.
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