Athena’s Wisdom

contains information regarding one of the Lost Primarchs,
their chapter, or their descendants. It may conflict with
other pages in this category.

Athena’s Wisdom is a chapter of loyalist space marines based out of Campos de Oro. They are overwhelmingly psykers and they say the strongest among them are blessed (and cursed) with prescience.

## Gene-Seed

The Athena’s Wisdom was the 3rd chapter made from primarch Frida Evangelina’s gene-seed in Campos de Oro. Their original name was “Delilah’s Scions” (but was later changed to “Athena’s Wisdom” after the events of the Sister’s War). They were established to bolster the forces in the Campos de Oro and to back up the Children of the Grail. However, the chapter was born with a mutation that turned them all into psykers. Not all are powerful enough to be librarians or even manifest powers  Most rank as Iota, Thera, or Eta on their level of psychic power, though some grow exceptionally strong.

However, this also means they are more susceptible to the influences of chaos and many of their numbers have fallen. Some believe it is a curse for their primarch’s weakness in the face of Delilah’s Mirror but the chapter’s greatest champions who resist the temptation of chaos are gifted with prescience. They catch snippets of the future in their dreams and interpret them to foretell upcoming events.

## Early Years

The Chapter was established to reinforce the Children of the Grail in the Campos de Oro sector. While the Children of the Grail were supposed to guard the Grailwind and the main sector, Athena’s Wisdom was created so the chapter could explore the universe as an expeditionary force.

## The Sister’s War

When their mutation was discovered they were nearly destroyed. The marines were assaulted by the Children of the Grail and a fierce battle known as “The Sister’s War” broke out. It took 4 years to settle because the last two companies of Athena’s Wisdom chapter kept evading the Children of the Grail with their prescience visions. Tired of their persecution the captain of the 1st company, Capt. Rea Barbide sought the powers of Chaos to sustain them. Pacting with Tzeentch she and a number of the chapter members turned to Chaos and eliminated the 3rd company of the Children of the Grail in a surprise attack. The 2nd company joined the battle on the side of the Children and drove them back with their own psychic might.

After the war ended the chapter was refounded as “Athena’s Wisdom” to show their beak with the 1st company that had fell to chaos (the survivors of which are still called “Delilah’s Scions”). To this day they carry that weight with them and use it to fuel their special hatred of the followers of Tzeentch.

## The Warp Guardians

The chapter’s new mission, after their re-founding, was to guard Campos de Oro against warp incursions. They maintain the powerful psychic protections in place to protect against warp breeches and psychic possessions. As they are not as powerful as the ones in the Golden Throne the Campos de Oro system and its surrounding space occasionally are subject to attacks by daemons and Chaos warbands. The Athena’s Wisdom chapter has been doing battle with these servants of Chaos for centuries now and their victories are numerous.

## Organization

As with most chapters they are composed of scouts, battle brothers & sisters (as they are descended from Frida Evangelina), and the expected squad compositions of each of the 9 companies they have. Because of the betrayal of Capt. Rea Barbide, the chapter does not have 1st company, though their 2nd company is double sized to compensate.

They do have several unique units in their ranks however:

### Harbingers

Those with great psychic potential are organized into Harbinger Squads. These follow a “Librarian Sergeant”, a power psyker who would be Codicier or even an Epistolary in any other chapter, and the squad uses its own powers to augment their Sergeant while protecting them from the perils of the warp.

### The Acclaimed

There are those among the chapter who intentionally undergo daemonic possession. This right, known as “The Trial of the Broken Mirror” (after the suffering of their Primarch), is only offered to veteran space marines who have been judged to have a strong soul and unshakable faith. They undergo possession in a sacred (and hidden) location atop a mountain on a rocky moon known as “Desolation’s Peak” far from Campos de Oro. The marine must travel there themselves after months of meditation. When they arrive they are placed in a chamber that opens their mind to the Immaterium. They are left there for two months. There are several outcomes:

* If they have attracted no daemon they will be returned to service but will never be given a chance to attempt the trail again.
* If they have attracted one and died they will be buried with honor
* If they have attracted one and are still possessed, they will be killed by the marines who come to retrieve them and their corpse burnt and forgotten for their failure.

Only if they have attracted a daemon and overcome it will they be made into a member of “The Acclaimed”. The trial makes them exceptionally powerful psykers with dreams of the future who are immune to the influence of chaos. Their mere presence can drive off a daemon infestation in beings and even greater daemons fear their brilliant spirit.

The Acclaimed form the inner circle of the chapter, most holding posts as Captains, Chaplains, or Librarians. This inner circle secretly plots and plans the future actions of the chapter and offers guidance to Campos de Oro itself as seers. Some whisper that The Acclaimed aren’t as “holy” as they claim and are actually under the subtle influence of Tzeentch.

## Trivia

* The chapter fills a similar role to the Exorcists and Grey Knights in Campos de Oro.
* They are similar to the Death Spectres and Blood Ravens in that they are a psyker heavy chapter.