Abbots of Absolution

Abbots of Absolution armorial with Chapter iconography.

Colour scheme of the Abbots of Absolution, displayed by brother Verullius, 3rd Company, 5th Squad.

## Space Marine Chapter

### **Allegiance**

Imperium of Man
(*Fedelitas Obscuras*)

### **Founding**

Unknown (Officially)
(2nd Founding (Disputed)

### **Number of Marines**

179 Primaris Space Marines
98 Firstborn Astartes

### **Specialty**

Kill-Teams Deployment; Purification Operations; Terror Warfare; 'No Man's Land' Tactics

### **Battle cry**

None/
Chapter motto is "We endure!"

### Successor Chapter(s)

Unknown

"*We struggle to keep our numbers in a galaxy that demands daily sacrifice. We struggle to uphold our oaths of honour in a galaxy where the only maximum is war. We struggle to safeguard the holy Shepard of the Emperor in a galaxy that sees us as fools praying to a dead corpse. Now tell me again, servant of false gods, how is it that you're the victim in this so called "Long War"?*"
— Chief Apothecary Ariuk Axiarch, speaking to the Lord of Contagion Plaguius Rotborn, moments before his disappearance aboard the chaos destroyer Poisonous Blade during the Kyrius Campaign.
The **Abbots of Absolution** are a proud yet secretive Chapter of Space Marines whose origins are lost to time, perhaps only known to the inner circle members of the order themselves. Masters of terror tactics and obsessed with purifying the uncleansed, the Abbots are some of the most ferocious warriors to roam the galaxy to this day, and the mere mention of their name evokes fear and desperation in xenos and dark servants alike.

Even though these battle-brothers have untold victories in the defense of mankind, a terrible secret in their own threatens to destroy their entire history, and there are those that would be glad for such horrifying fate to come soon upon the marines. Such is that, during a long campaign against a small warband of the Death Guard known as the Sons of Poison, the entirety of the chapter's Apothecarion was lost to the warp and, with them, the knowledge to maintain the already highly unstable gene-seed of the loyal Astartes. In the short spam of a century or so, the genetic material of the Abbots was so tainted that they lost the ability to produce Progenoids and the Black Carapace, virtually dooming them all to oblivion.

Besides these catastrophic mutations, these Astartes also present minor flaws that only proves how unstable they are genetically. They have all but lost their Omophagea and Neuroglottis, rendering them unable to attain the information contained in the DNA, RNA and proteins of the flesh they consume. Besides, the warriors' Catalepsean Node has also been mutated, making them endure months without proper rest and, when they do sleep, have maddening nightmares that would drive lesser minds crazy, only the abnormally strong psycho-conditioning of the chapter halting this from happening to the angels.

While this level of mutation would see any chapter immediately purged from the annals of history, and their flag added to the Hall of Remembrancers at the Imperial Palace, it was the Salamanders who, willingly and for no clear reason, advocated in favor of the marines, placing the Inquisition in check. While the mutants had to be exterminated, going against the wishes of such heroic defenders of humanity would greatly reduce their influence over the lords of drakes, and diminish the effectiveness of the Deathwatch. The reason the scions of Vulkan stepped so violently and firmly to defend an unknown chapter is still unknown, but some believe an ancient accordance exists between the two orders of warrior-monks. This event, however, made the Inquisition uncomfortably distant from the Abbots, and set the chapter in an isolationist path to damnation.

Seeing that his brothers would soon vanish into the forgotten realms of death, Chapter Master Dasturkh Terrek enacted a series of measures to assure that they would survive the longest possible. From disbanding the apothecarion and making sure that all astartes would know the basics of this occupation to purging any psyker among the astartes to halt any further mutations, and many more. From day to night, this brotherhood was entirely changed, stripped of its glorious past and plunged into even more secrecy and dark traditionalism.

The master of the Abbots would still go to request the great lords of Mars for a replenishment of gene-seed, seeking to give new life, the slightest, faint hope to the continuity of his beloved order. But the transport would be attacked mid-way by a sudden yet ferocious wave of Tyranid bioforms, probably a splinter of the greater Hive Fleet Leviathan, thus sealing the doom that the Abbots of Absolution were accursed to.

Fate seemed inevitable, their numbers falling short and now, the Cicatrix Maledictum torn open in the skies, driving mad any who stared at it for too long. Yet the Emperor looked gently over the chapter and, in the form of the great Indomitus Crusade, the Primaris Marines would come. They were everything the Abbots had prayed for: untainted by mutation of any sort, pure of heart and mind, ready and eager to be indoctrinated in the chapter's beliefs and traditions. An entire company of new heroes and the means to produce them. Even having a long history of suspicion towards the Adeptus Custodes, the "distant gods who cared little for mankind", Terrek would bow in reverence, tears in his eyes, thankful for the heralds of Cawl's new gift for the Imperium.

For the first years of M42, the chapter recovered. The Firstborn marines slowly disappearing and being replaced by the more augmented Primaris, and the Abbots were, once more at full strength. However, in time, the inherent flaws of the Abbots struck, somehow even more prominent in the new breed of heroes, and once again the capacity to produce new Astartes was lost. Worst still, the younger Primaris would devolve into abyssal fiends of mutated flesh, increasing the rate at which the battle-brothers were lost.

Now, the Abbots of Absolution have returned to isolationist behaviors and conservative methods of warfare. They take shelter in their fortress-monastery, the *Hall of Concordance*, in their homeworld of Kyrius Tertius, never answering to great engagements and deploying only strategical kill-teams to battle zones which they deem either too vital to them or not dangerous enough as to avoid further losses. It is to be seen if their strange alliance with the Salamanders will further protect them from the inquisitorial forces or if their fight against fate's will was all for naught.

## Chapter History

### A Veil of Secrecy

Much of the Abbots of Absolution' glorious past lays now a mystery, half forgotten and buried by the ever-changing sands of time. The reason for this is not a single one, but rather a conglomeration of factors that led to this shameful condition.

First and foremost, the chapter's own isolationist agenda has led to them shrouding much of their past from outside organizations, in an attempt to make those that would want their extinction simply forget the whole affair. To top it of, since the execution of the Abbots' librarius to prevent further mutations by taint in their genetic material through warp influence, records of the chapter's battles and glories are now scarce and poorly held by the single hand of the Master of Duplicity, who lets none get inside the abandoned walls of that area in the *Hall of Concordance.*

The other reason is more subtle, yet surely no less important. For the past couple of centuries, since the accusations of mutation in their gene-seed was absolved, the Abbots have been the constant target of minucious covert operations by the lord inquisitors of the *Ordo Astartes*. The members of the holy inquisition have partaken slowly but surely a burning of archives concerning the history of the hated chapter and their relationship with them. Eventually, they want to completely erase the Abbots from Imperial records, making them die by starvation rather than a more direct, cumbersome approach.

### The Loss of Ariuk

The greatest shame and wound to the Space Marines of the Abbots surely is their loss of the chapter's entire Apothecarion during the Kyrius Defense campaign. This event is what eventually triggered the irreversible mutations of the order's gene-seed and their eventual downfall, and is remembered altogether with much sorrow and rage by the secretive astartes.

This event occurred in 976.M41, when a warband of Chaos Space Marines known as the Sons of Poison, led by the hateful Lord of Contagion Plaguius Rotborn, attacked the system of Kyrius in an attempt to steal the gene-seed storage of the chapter, aiming to sacrifice it to their putrid god and gain his fickle favour in the many wars to come.

Although the warband was relatively small, composing only about 70 heretic astartes and two voidcrafts (a destroyer and a frigate), they chose to attack when most of the chapter was off fighting against an unknown alien species coming from the neighboring region of the Ghoul Stars alongside the deathwatch of the *Ordo Xenos*. For this reason, only the command ranks of the chapter were actually on the system at the time.

The foul servants of chaos struck with such violence in Kyrius Tertius, ramming directly at the debris-surrounded planet that the orbital defenses were of little use, especially when considering the blessing of Nurgle that granted such resistance towards the ships themselves and their corrupted crew. The Sons of Poison were soon inside the Abbots of Absolution's fortress-monastery, and the battle became a series of close-quarters confrontations raging throughout the tortuous hallways of the *Hall of Concordance.* The tight spaces meant that only one or two warriors could fight at each given time, so the conflict would be resolved by each warrior's fighting skill.

Eventually, the Cataphractii-clad Lord of Contagion would reach the Apothecarion's inner chambers, where the chapter kept all their reserves of gene-seed, coming to face-to-face with Chief Apothecary Ariuk Axiarch himself. Ariuk was no match for the corrupted one, yet did not flee and stood his ground. The battle was fierce and, with sheer determination, Axiarch was able to hold Plaguius long enough that reinforcements were arriving. Seeing that he would lose the advantage, Rotborn took drastic measures, overcharging his teleport homer to take the entirety of the tanks that kept the gene organs to his ship, the frigate *Bile Spear*, where he intended on sacrificing it.

Trying to follow the chaos champion, the Chief Apothecary, alongside his reinforcement of brothers from the healer order, would also teleport to the ship to retrieve the gene-seed, while they left Plaguius to be dealt with by the coming reinforcements of their battle-brothers. Ever cunning, however, the Lord of Contagion was in command of a fly swarm that, unseen amidst the battle, jammed the teleport homer, making the apothecaries land not in the *Bile Spear*, but in the *Poisonous Heart* destroyer. When finally there, Rotborn voxed his order that the ship was to overcharge their warp engines, effectively dooming all inside. His last words before decapitation by the Chapter Master were maniacal laughs of someone already completely lost to desperation.

### The Great Reforging

Now without ways of creating new astartes, Chapter Master Dasturkh Terrek was left with but two options: to throw his entire chapter in the greatest crusade possible, passing into legend with their glorious death by combat, or taking whatever possible solution to assure that they survived another day. He chose the latter. Claiming full authority over all matters related to the Abbots of Absolution, he would take several measures to ensure that they endured longer.

The measures were many, but the most important were to execute the chapter's Librarius in cold blood, dissolve the already empty Apothecarion, train all his brothers in the ways of medicine, call back the watch-brothers that were under the service of the Deathwatch and require the gene-seed reserves from the vaults of Mars. He would also make structural changes in the chapter that saw him appointed now as the "Master of Duplicity".

It was during these troubled days that the Inquisition laid their accusations against the chapter for genetical heresy, that the Salamanders would step forth to protect their allies and that the Adeptus Custodes would send a single representative to mediate the affair. The reasons why such prominent Imperial organizations took so much interest in a lowly chapter of Space Marines in the far fringe of the galaxy remain unknown, and are likely already purged from all records save from the abandoned librarius of the *Hall of Concordance*. Whatever the case, this event shapes the Abbots to this day, and dictates their secretive nature like few chapters possess.

## Notable Campaigns

* **Purge of the Ghoul Stars (970-976.M41)**: Considered the last great campaign the chapter participated, the purge of the Ghoul Stars was a massive war alongside the elite members of the Deathwatch to purge a perilous alien species that was in possession of dangerously advanced technology. Currently not much information is known about this campaign, just that it ended abruptly soon after the attack of the Abbots' homeworld by the Sons of Poison.
* **Kyrius Defense Campaign (976.M41)**: The darkest event in the Abbots of Absolution's history, this campaign saw the destruction of all gene-seed repository of the chapter, as well as the loss of the entire apothecarion to the warp. This would lead to the ultimate decaying state that the order finds itself nowadays.

## Chapter Homeworld

### Kyrius System

The Abbots of Absolution base of operations is the star system of Kyrius. Located in the far edge of the northern Segmentum Obscurus, now located in the Imperium Nihilus, it has been lost to time the information of for how long the chapter has defended this place from the attacks of uncounted threats, and from here launched their attacks against His foes.

The system is composed of a central red dwarf star, orbited by three rocky planets and an asteroid belt. The first planet, Kyrius Prime, is an old mining station for the nearby forge world of Khalindor, since it used to contain rare mineral depots all over it, some of them invaluable for the production of many parts of complex machineries, such as titans, Imperial knights, dreadnoughts, battleships, battle-tanks and so on. However, after untold millennia, the planet ran completely dry of any valuable materials, and is now composed only of iron and other most basic metals that form its crust, and has been abandoned to the radioactive solar winds and impossible heat of the close star.

The second planet, Kyrius Secundus, is a feudal world located in the "habitable" zone of the star's orbital radius. Mostly agricultural in nature, with a temperate climate scattered around most of the planet, with Tundra close to the poles and cold oceans filled with schools of fish, Kyrius Secundus' most important role is to provide for the Abbots with whatever the astartes need. It is from here that the angels of death used to recruit their neophytes, but since the great level of mutation has struck their gene-seed, the marines only come gradually to take the supplies they need, mostly food and water. The world's population is small, counting only about 80 million people. They revere the sky-warriors as emissaries of the God-Emperor, and live a simple yet peaceful life, untroubled by the wider problems of the galaxy.

On the forests of Kyrius Secundus, roam beasts that resemble in many aspects the now extinct animals of Old Terran history. The most prominent are the Kyrian wolves, wild beings of the night, they are rightfully feared by local populations. Covered in fur as black as the night and teeth capable of tearing flesh like nothing, they fight in stealth packs that attack during the cover of the lightless sky and take their prey as swiftly as they vanish once again to their caves. They are savage creatures indeed. For these such reasons, some astartes of the Abbots tame the wolves to serve as their companion animals. This relationship is further exploited due to the chapter's lack of the Omophagea and the Neuroglottis, thus their furry companions are used to fulfill the roles of these organs when scouting a newly discovered area.

The final planet, Kyrius Tertius, is the *de facto* home planet of the Abbots of Absolution. Located amidst the natural debris of the Kyrius asteroid belt, and surrounded by countless yet obsolete defense systems, such as orbital weapon platforms, minefields and missile silos, this airless planet is the home to the chapter and their fortress-monastery. It is a well defended world, yet its glory lays in the past. Now, with the rapidly dropping number of marines in the chapter's ranks, the celestial body lays in ruins, ravaged by asteroid impacts while the remaining space marines take shelter in their ferrocrete fortification, grasping a hopeless memory of a once glorious past.

### The *Hall of Concordance*

The great *Hall of Concordance* was once one of the most grandest fortresses to have stood against the alien tides of the Ghoul Stars. However, today, it is but a fickle fraction of its former self. Decaying, much of its functional systems not working due to poor maintenance. The small number of marines, coupled with the disbanding of two entire command posts of the chapter's hierarchy, has made that entire section of the hall lay now unchecked for over an entire century.

What remains functional of the fortress are the weaponized defense systems (WDS), the life support system that keeps the clean air breathable in the old building (Although heavy and showing concerning signs of decay) and the shipyard maintenance protocols (SMP). Truly it is a testament of the Abbots' tenacity, however, that the fortress, and the order that inhabits it, lays still standing against the dark tides of the void, and shall do so until its last brick falls and the airless wastes invade the construction, and only ruins remain of the proud, glorious heroes of the past.

## Chapter Organization

Although the Abbots of Absolution initial structure followed the dictates of the *Codex Astartes* strictly as written by the first Lord Commander of the Imperium, the Ultramarines' Primarch Roboute Guilliman, a long history isolationism and secrecy, as well as the chapter's own inner genetic flaws, has led to many variations from the standard chapter organization; from abolishing the positions of the Apothecary, making sure that every Astartes knew how to properly handle battlefield medical procedures, to executing their Librarius members, assuring that not the slightest taint of the warp would touch their already highly mutated gene-seed.

The hierarchy of the Abbots, although divergent, is as simple as possible, and the chain of command is very straight foward, although much freedom is given to low ranking officers, such as sergeants or lieutenants, in order to allow for quicker decision taking during conflicts, halting unnecessary casualties.

### Officer Ranks

* **Master of Duplicity**: The title given to the Chapter Master of the Abbots of Absolution is called Master of Duplicity. He is in charge of assuring the safeguarding of the chapter in face of great peril, and must do whatever it takes to preserve the lives of his battle-brothers. This is a recent title, however, and the first to take it was Dasturkh Terrek, following the disappearance of the revered Chief Apothecary Ariuk Axiarch in the warp aboard the Chaos destroyer *Poisonous Heart*. Terrek claimed that what the chapter needed now was not a mighty warrior clad in shining armor, but a leader who would do anything to assure that the Abbots lived long enough to find a cure to their great level of mutation and once more have the numbers to openly fight the enemies of the Emperor.
* **Duplicity Captain**: Title of the company captains that used to lead a hundred warriors in glorious combat, now they shone laurels for the prospect of glory. Six of those exist in the chapter today, each a leading a duplicity company that is only a shadow of the once glorious battle companies of old. These are formed of about 30 to 50 astartes, and, even elite fighters on their own, can't hope to match the full strength of a strike from an Ork WAAAGH! or a Tyrannid hive ship, forcing them to act as specialized Kill Teams that partake terror and decapitation missions. However, when two or more companies fight together, although rare, a glimpse of the mighty chapter of old can be perceived, and such events restore the hope of the marines in the Emperor and in their own.
* **Lieutenant**: A rank introduced by Lord Commander Roboute Guilliman, this hierarchical position has taken a completely different role inside the confusing numbers of the Abbots of Absolution. In this small chapter, the two lieutenants of a company have the mission of protecting the life of their duplicity captain, nothing more. This means they are tasked with leading the company's honour guard marines, making sure that the most ancient and experienced members of the chapter live, passing the Abbots legends beyond.

### Specialist Ranks

* **Master of the Forge**: The leader of the tech-marines of the Abbots, the master of the forge used to be appointed directly by the fabricator-general of Khalindor, from where the great armaments and war vehicles of the chapter came. However, since the begining of the isolationist behaviors and outside suspicion began to take over the chapter, the own tech marines choose among them who will lead their machine order and, if any dispute persists, the Master of Duplicity resolves the matter.
* **Techmarine**: Responsible for enacting the holy rituals by which the vehicles and weapons of the chapter are kept working at their maximum, tech-marines have a knowledge of the sacred machinery that operates inside different technologies that far surpasses the understanding of any of their brothers. They are held with great respect yet great shame by the Abbots of Absolution, for what good does having all the knowledge to produce the myriad of machinery required by the chapter if such lore is not able to figure out how to produce those that will operate these machineries?
* **High Chaplain**: leader of the reclusiam, master of faith, the high chaplain, without a doubt, holds greatest respect between the battle-brothers of the chapter, save only to the Master of Duplicity and the lost chief apothecary. Responsible for keeping the most treasured relics of the chapter, as well as conducting the most sacred, secretive ceremonies of which only the highest members of the inner circle know of, the position of master of the Reclusiam can only be fulfilled by the one with the greatest tenacity of mind and endurance of faith in the God-Emperor of Mankind.
* **Chaplain**: a warrior of sacred faith, chaplains are the priests of the Abbots of Absolution, the guardians of the chapter's spiritual health and the wardens of the most sacred artifacts this brotherhood has amassed throughout the millennia. They are easily spotted by their skull-shaped helmets, relics from the ecclesiarchy they serve, shaped from bones of great saints of vile enemies the Imperium had to face, and only through faith resisted and prevailed.
* **Ancient**: a title also introduced by the Lord Commander's Indomitus Crusade, ancients hold their companies' banners in combat. A great honour that also comes with great peril, for such ponderous artifact is greatly prized by the enemies. The mere presence of an ancient in the battlefield, however, brings great inspiration to his brothers, making them fight in even greater acts of heroism and purge the fool enemies that stand in their way, surviving gloriously to fight another day.

### Line Ranks

* **Sergeant**: Considered the senior line rank in the chapter, sergeants are usually the most direct leaders a marine will see while deployed. Leading squads of 5 to 20 marines (although the later being extremely rare nowadays), sergeants have the responsibility to take rapid decisions in order to achieve the objective in a battle, while still keeping his subordinates alive after the mission at hand. Sergeants are usually seen wearing the same equipment of their squad brothers, wearing dark-red helmets to set them apart from their followers. It is a common strategy, however, for sargeants to switch helms with one of their warriors, misleading the enemy and assuring greater rate of success.
* **Battleline**: The bulk of the Abbots' chapter is composed of battleline space marines. These warriors wear medium-weight armor and are equipped with mid-range weaponry, such as bolt rifles, plasma incinerators and grenades of various sorts. The ranks of the battleline squads are used to fulfill different battlefield roles, from dedicated fire support to that of close quarters infiltration and defensive unit. Surely, the adaptability of these astartes and that of their equipment is remarkable, and, even though they are not specialists in any given task, battleline soldiers are adepts to all forms of war. Battleline ranks include tactical squads and intercessors.
* **Scout**: Once the training ground for the chapter, scout marines are now as invaluable to the survival of the Abbots of Absolution as the air purifiers of their fortress-monastery. Instead of being concentrated in the Xth company like old days, scouts are now scattered throughout the remaining seven battle companies, serving as reconnaissance units and, when needed, furtive assassins or saboteurs. Usually, each company will have one squad of 5 to 20 scouts, and will be sent to assert if a battle is worth fighting, informing their captains and rapidly fleeing the zone, the better to avoid unnecessary confrontation. Scout ranks include scouts and reavers.
* **Close Support**: Storming from behind allied lines to crush the opponents on the ground, close support squads are the greatest melee fighters in the chapter. Usually wearing jump-packs, although not necessarily, close support squads have a very straigh foward mission: infiltrate, kill, return, repeat. Indeed, assaults used to be picked from the recruits of the extinct 10th Company that showed the greatest fury and battle lust, and such feelings of zealous rage were rapidly put to use against the enemies of the chapter. Even today, while the Abbots fall, close support warriors shine with that same fury, tempered with centuries of combat experience. Close support ranks include impulsor squads, assault squads and inceptors.
* **Fire Support**: Making fire rain upon enemies like the Emperor's holy fury, fire support squads are a very important part of any company assault: that of opposing resistance diminishing. These warriors wear heavy weapons that have the capacity to pulverize infantry units and penetrate even the thickest vehicles' armor. Since the chapter has a strict policy of avoiding unnecessary combat, fire support squads are invaluable in assuring that the enemy dies before laying even a finger on their battle-brothers, thus assuring the survivability of their duplicity company to fight another day. Fire support ranks include devastator squads, aggressors and hellblasters.
* **Veterans**: The oldest astartes among the Abbots of Absolution, veterans have countless centuries of combat experience and are both masterful warriors and brilliant strategists. Either wearing artificer armor or clad in marvelously crafted tactical dreadnought armor, wielding the chapter's greatest weapons, these warriors of legend can wipe out entire armies if necessary, although they are rarely deployed in offensive missions nowadays, being used primarily as advisors and bodyguards to command officers. Unlike most chapters, the elite veterans of the Abbots' inner circle are not concentrated in a single first company, but rather scattered around the seven duplicity companies, forming the command hierarchy of each one. Veteran ranks include command squads, terminator squads, ancients and lieutenants.

### Specialist Units and Formations

* **Cavalry**: Instead of using biker squads and land speeders due to a lack of these vehicles in their armoury, the Abbots employ the use of standard Kyrian horses to carry them into war. These mighty steeds receive a series of stimulating drugs to boost their muscular strength and allow them to carry an astartes fully clad in its panoply of war, as well as painkillers to allow them to continue even after being wounded in battle. Not as fast as biker squads, cavalry units truly excel at maneuvrability, being able to fully halt and change direction while the more cumbersome combat bikes and land speeders are better put in unidirectional charges.
* **Wolves**: Not necessarily an unit on their own, Kyrian wolves are used as savage companions to officers when going to do battle. Usually one of these mighty beasts will accompany each squad ,serving as a spare reconnaissance unit or rapid shock troop, but there has been reports of up to ten wolves fighting alongside a single squad. The wolves undergo a number of biological and mechanical operations to become more adept at fighting alongside the space marines, including infrared vision and muscular strength amplifying drugs. Surely, be it heretic or xenos, a modified Kyrian wolf is a terrifying sight to see indeed.
* **Crows**: Serving as air-based scouting units, Kyrian crows are nimble, small and extremely adepts at flying in all circumstances, be it storm or battlefield. These birds of the night have servo-visors implanted in their ocular neural system, allowing for the information they see to be instantly transmitted to its marine trainer. Most enemies do not suspect a black bird circling around their camp, until a savage assault of astartes come to them in their weakest moment, slaughtering all and giving no chance to fight back.

### Junior Ranks

Since the Abbots of Absolution have lost the capacity to generate new recruits from the population of Kyrius Secundus, there are now no such things as junior ranks where brothers can train and sharpen their abilities before being fully indoctrinated inside the chapter's battle companies. Now, even scout marines are veterans with at least a hundred years of combat, serving as integral parts of the duplicity companies and playing an invaluable role in the survival of their battleline compatriots.

### Order of Battle

The Abbots of Absolution are divided into seven duplicity companies that are akin to the older battle companies of old. The first company is ruled by the Master of Duplicity while the remaining six are each commanded by a duplicity captain, who swears unquestionable loyalty to their master. Remaining command structures, such as the armoury and the reclusiam, have their own separate structure, although they are considered tied to the first duplicity company. The organization of the chapter is as follows:

#### Headquarters

Chapter command - Dasturkh Terrek, Master of Duplicity, Lord of Kyrius. 10 honour guards. 1 land raider *Raging Shadow.* 905 chapter serfs.

Armoury - Khatek Mor, Red Shadow of Khalindor. 13 tech-priests. 47 servitors. 21 battle-tanks (unknown patterns). 8 gunships (unknown patterns)

Reclusiam - Charmon Orr, Emperor's Dagger. 6 company chaplains.

Fleet - Beleq Krato, Despoiler of Suns. 1 battleship (*Wolf's Venom*) 3 strike cruisers. 12 escorts. 46 thunderhawks.

#### Duplicity Companies

First duplicity company (Shadow Masters) - Dasturkh Terrek, Master of Duplicity, Lord of Kyrius. 2 veteran squads. 3 battleline squads. 1 close support squad. 1 fire support squad. 1 scout squad.

Second duplicity company (The Concordants) - Lucius Crow, Guardian of the Hall. 2 veteran squads. 3 battleline squads. 1 close support squad. 1 fire support squad. 1 scout squad.

Third duplicity company (Deep Warriors) - Hakeem Servin, Guardian of the Mines. 2 veteran squads. 3 battleline squads. 1 close support squad. 1 fire support squad. 1 scout squad.

Fourth duplicity company (Lightless Stars) - Tybor Clor, Guardian of the Skies. 2 veteran squads. 3 battleline squads. 1 close support squad. 1 fire support squad. 1 scout squad.

Fifth duplicity company (Blood Fangs) - Mikaer Adsor, Guardian of the Wolves. 2 veteran squads. 3 battleline squads. 1 close support squad. 1 fire support squad. 1 scout squad.

Sixth duplicity company (Storm Riders) - Drayvec Housor, Guardian of the Ride. 2 veteran squads. 3 battleline squads. 1 close support squad. 1 fire support squad. 1 scout squad.

Seventh duplicity company (Shadow Sons) - Unsar Belor, Guardian of the Crows. 2 veteran squads. 3 battleline squads. 1 close support squad. 1 fire support squad. 1 scout squad.

## Combat Doctrine

Since it is the primary objective in any engagement to prevent as much battle losses as possible, the Abbots of Absolution use a variety of unorthodox tactics to achieve such seemingly impossible feat in the battlefields of the 42 millennium. A common battle by the Abbots happens as follows:

Primarily, scout squads assess the enemies' numbers, strengths, weaknesses and motivation, as well as stealthily assassinating any viable targets and sabotaging their foes' war efforts. After that, if the battle is deemed extremely necessary or if it simply doesn't seem to pose enough a threat to the chapter's numbers, a duplicity company will divide itself into two or more kill-teams, depending on the situation. These kill-teams' primary purpose is to kill as many enemies as possible, and, only after that, engage in secondary objectives such as retrieving supplies or intercepting opposing communications. Finally, the duplicity company merges itself back together and flees aboard a fast escort vessel or, in rare cases, one of the chapter's remaining strike cruisers.

In these operations, terminators are rarely deployed due to their reduced mobility. These veteran squads usually remain at the company's void transport, and strike through teleportation signals only in the direst of situations. They are also used in boarding actions since their bulky armor is advantageous in the close hallways of a spaceship, although battleline squads armed with boarding shields have also been spotted taking action against very heavily armed enemy vessels.

The chapter is also known to deploy a great number of whirlwinds and other long-range vehicles, eliminating the opposing force before they can even come near the astartes. These combat tactics are reflected in void warfare, as the order's ships are usually outfitted with many lance batteries for long-range, heavy firepower engagements, aiming to pulverize other ships quickly and efficiently.

## Chapter Culture

### The Ancestors Watch

The Abbots of Absolution have a secretive set of traditions that many would consider isolationist to the point of suspicion. Yet they are valorous fighters for the Imperium, and their past glories speaks for themselves.

The most prominent aspect is their veneration of the past heroes, the "Untainted", as they refer to those whose gene-seed was still not warped by mutation. They honor these warriors from their history by wearing skull liveries and other morbid decorations, and each duplicity company's banner refers to one of their greatest champions. Some astartes go so far as to wear the bones or clothes of the dead over their own powered armors, claiming to channel the dead's blessing when facing the enemies that once slew his ancestor.

Some battle-brothers of the chapter may get obsessed with the "strength of the dead". These are desperate men who have plunged into desperation, doing everything at their disposal to keep their order safe from falling into the dark oblivion of the ages. As such, they believe that every dead warrior can lend their force to another through his spiritual presence in the warp, and, in the now rare cases when a marine dies in combat, one of these obsessed will claim the primary heart of his fallen brother, bathe in his blood and keep fighting, now reinvigorated and lost in a slaughtering frenzy that few enemies can match, only satiable when the battle is over.

### He Who Shall Once More Come

Perhaps even more fiercely than the veneration of the dead is the respect paid to the great Chief Apothecary Ariuk Axiarch, the last to occupy this role during the begining years of the 41 millennium's 9th century. A great warrior and a genius of medicine and genetics, Ariuk was revered even before his disappearance as adviser and close friend to the then chapter master Dasturkh Terrek, as well as the enlightened savior of many lives during combat.

However, during the Kyrius campaign, when the chapter's home system was attacked by the Nurgle worshipping warband known as the Sons of Poison, the chief apothecary, alongside the entirety of the apothecarion, vanished aboard the Chaos destroyer *Poisonous Heart*, falling to a trap enacted by the Lord of Contagion Plaguius Rotborn. With them, disappeared the knowledge to replicate and maintain the chapter's unstable gene-seed, eventually leading to the current decaying state of the Abbots.

Many among the ranks of the brotherhood believe, although hopeless seemingly, that one day the apothecarion shall return to their system, and once more their order will roam the stars, not waging secret battles of guerilla which importance to the grander scheme of things is unnoticed by most, but confronting hordes of enemies in open war, fighting like a dark wave of purging might, in the Emperor's name. Surely, this outcome seems unlikely, but none among those that doubt this prophetical future will deny it, for only hope may assure another day of survival to the chapter.

### Safety in Suspicion

The Abbots are very suspicious warriors indeed, always seeing enemies in other Imperial organizations and waiting attacks from all sides. After all, they know their alliance with the sons of Vulkan, even strong and cemented in millennia of unknown treaties, won't protect them forever from the fury of the zealous "cleaners of the mutants".

For this reason, the chapter especially shuns contact with two particular organizations: the holy orders of the Emperor's Inquisition and the mighty, god-like warriors of the Adeptus Astartes.

The first one is very simple and straight foward. The Inquisition once tried, and may very well still be in such pursuit, to purge the Abbots from Imperial history and all records, claiming that allowing mutants to fight on behalf of the Emperor would anger mankind's divine protector, leading to great catastrophe in the future. Only the timely arrival of the Salamanders interveners would halt the radical inquisitors' moves, and give the chapter the chance to fight another day. The reason for this intervention, and for the very unusual alliance of the two orders, remains a mystery to this day, and may very well keep being so.

The second is not descended from a feeling of hate, but one much purer: fear. The golden warriors of the Adeptus Custodes, the greatest warriors ever conceived by the Emperor, save perhaps for the primarchs themselves, have a based reputation as astartes-killers. For this reason, the brotherhood shuns any of the already incredibly rare contacts between the custodians and the various orders of the Adeptus Astartes, fearing that any contact will lead to conflict and, with that, extinction.

During Guilliman's Indomitus crusade, however, it would be the custodes that would deliver the gift of the primaris marines to the Abbots, easing some of the existing tension between the two, although much distrust and disbelief still exists between the two warrior parties, and contact is now scarcer than ever before.

## Chapter Beliefs

Although venerating the heroes of the past and the apothecarion of old, the only figure openly worshipped by the Abbots of Absolution is the God-Emperor of Mankind, whom they see as their direct leader and the grandous power behind their every action. The battles of the order might be few and scattered now, all small in both scale and importance, but, in the abandoned halls of the librarian, now only accessed by the Master of Duplicity himself, there lays countless tales of the Abbots fighting zealously alongside the forces of the Ecclesiarchy, holding their ground alongside Sisters of Battle and Imperial Saints already forgotten to time.

The chapter's armoury has also great faith in the Emperor in the form of the Omnisiah, and used to have a very close relationship with the proximal forgeworld of Khalindor, having partaken a series of joint missions to retrieve STC fragments and other relics of the past. However, the Abbots now grow distant of the wider Imperium and, as such, this relation ceased almost entirely. Still, the tech-marines worship the great machine god of all technology, and hope, in futility, that he will illuminate them and give them the wisdom to save their brothers.

The identity of the exact primarch that gave his genetic material to form the Abbots of Absolution is now lost, forgotten by all, even the own astartes. For this reason, whenever they perform a sacred ritual of honor to their gene-sire, they simply refer to him as "the primarch". Perhaps this secret is very tied to this brotherhood's inherent flaws, and will remain so, a mistery without solution, for eternity to come.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

The most noticeable aspects of the Abbots of Absolution, from their unique organization to their culture and their very belief system. For this reason, it has been the subject of much investigation throughout the chapter's known history.

Five main mutations exist in the genetic material that used to create the superhuman warrior-monks of the Abbots, those are:

1. **Mutation in the Catalapsean Node**: The organ that allows soldiers of the Adeptus Astartes to stay several days without proper sleep, as well as staying partially conscient and alert while sleeping. This allows for space marines to stay awake for the necessary time to complete any given military campaign he's involved into. However, due to a grave mutation in the node, the organ has now started to hiperextimulate the brain, causing the marines to be unable to sleep properly for months and, when they finally do, suffer terrible nightmares that would drive weaker minds insane. Only the most potent, mind-consuming psyhco-conditioning hypnosis makes such restless condition bearable.
2. **Lack of the Omophagea**: An organ specialized in acquiring information from dead tissue by the ingestion of fresh meat, the omophagea makes adaptation to a new environment or the acquisition of crucial enemy intel much easier for most space marines. However, the astartes of the Abbots of Absolution lack this important tissue and, as such, are unable to acquire any bit of knowledge by consuming flesh. They do, however, use Kyrian wolves as a substitute to this process, since the beasts seem to have functions similar to that of the missing Omophagea, although the reason for this remains unknown.
3. **Lack of Neuroglottis**: Also related to information acquisition, although more related to environment toxicity and approaching enemies, the neuroglottis is implanted at the mouth, and allows a space marine to smell and taste a series of compounds, assessing its lethality, proximity, origin and a wide variety of other important info. The warrior-monks of the Abbots lack this important organ too and, once again, rely on the Kyrian wolves to get this information so crucial to the completing of a mission.
4. **Lack of Black Carapace**: The first serious mutation to appear in the Abbots' genome, neophytes implanted with the remaining gene-seed left in the *Hall of Concordance* after the Apothecarion's disappearance were all unable to generate a black carapace. A sort of second skin that allows an astartes to bond with a power armor or terminator armor, this was the first sign of the terrible doom that awaited the brotherhood in the coming future ahead of them. Older marines, and the primaris that didn't suffer excrutiating mutations, still have the carapace though, and can make use of power armor like space marines from any other chapter.
5. **Lack of Progenoids**: Confirming the chapter's fate, battle-brothers of the Abbots of Absolution stopped producing progenoids, the glands that allowed for the creation of another astartes from the dead tissue of a fallen brother. This was the most serious of all mutations and what forced the *Ordo Astartes* of the Inquisition to act in order to prevent the existence of mutants in the Emperor's sacred domains. Only through the Salamanders chapter direct intervention the Abbots were saved, although this was only the delay of the inevitable.

## Deathwatch Service

In a distant past, the Abbots of absolution used to supply the *Ordo Xenos'* chamber militant with some of their greatest heroes, the better to halt the menace that the various xenos species presented upon the sacred domains of mankind and their rightful place as supreme rulers of the galaxy. However, since the appearance of the ever escalating series of mutations that struck the chapter's genetic pool, the two Imperial organizations grew distant indeed.

Not only has the chapter stopped to send recruits to the famed institution of xenos-hunters, but their Master of Duplicity has also ordered the return of all watch-brothers that belonged to the chapter, in order to replenish their battle losses. This recall for the *Hall of Concordance* has happened twice, once when Ariuk Axiarch vanished in the warp alongside his brother apothecaries, and another time when the newer primaris started developing monstrously debilitating mutations.

There are reports, however, of watch-brothers that still serve the inquisitorial purges of the aliens, disguised as blacksheilds, disregarding any fealty to their former brothers and order. Although these rumors have never been confirmed by either side, it could be highly possible, since being indoctrinated in the Deathwatch brings a whole new set of oaths a warrior must swear in order to become a fully inducted member of the eternal vigil.

## Notable Members

* **Dasturkh Terrek, Master of Duplicity**: The current and only Master of Duplicity in the history of the Abbots of Absolution, Dasturhk is, first and foremost, a warden of his order. He was the warrior that single-handedly shaped the chapter to better suit their new needs as almost outcast mutants, and that threw the *Codex Astartes* aside in favour of his own wisdom and beliefs. A masterful strategist whose only concern at the end of a battle is the number of casualties taken by his side, Terrek is an elusive figure that shuns all contact with the wider Imperium. Always concerned with preserving his brothers life, he prohibited any senior member of his brotherhood to undergo the process of becoming rubicon primaris, fearing that the success rate was not safe enough. However, he has also gladly accepted the timed reinforcements, and treats primaris like he would any of his firstborn brothers. In the rare occasions he goes to combat, he wears artificer power armor and wields masterfully crafted plasma gun pistol, frag grenades and krak grenades, regarding close combat as an unecesseray risk for someone in his position.
* **Ariuk Axiarch**: The last Chief Apothecary of the Abbots of Absolution, Ariuk has become a legend among his brothers. Many believe he is the only with the knowledge to revert the ever-spreading mutations that afflict the chapter's gene-seed, and that, one day, when the chapter can't take any more casualties, he will return with the remainder of the apothecaries with the cure to all maladies that afflict the astartes. Axiarch used to be Dasturkh Terrek's closest friend, and perhaps none felt the grand healer's loss more heavily than the Master of the space marines.
* **Khalem Uruk**: Former Watch-Captain, still serves the Deathwatch even after the recall made by his Master of Duplicity to rejoin the chapter. Some believe he is actually a double agent, passing invaluable information about the inquisition back to his chapter, although these rumors were never confirmed.

## Chapter Fleet

The chapter's once mighty fleet has been thoroughly depleted throughout their fall, and many ships were lost to poor maintenance or simply swallowed by the warp, probably going to compose a new space hulk that will emerge from the craziness-inducing alternate dimension elsewhere in the galaxy, serving as the launching bay of operations for dark servants or brutal ork warbands. The ships still in possession of the chapter, however, are perfectly kept, maintained by the arduous tech-rituals of the armoury. The most prominent of those space-faring vessels include:

* ***Wolf's Venom* (Despoiler-class Battleship)**: the single remaining battleship of the chapter, the *Wolf's Venom* is perhaps as ancient as the chapter itself. Long has it fought alongside the members, its machine spirit a fierce Beast laid dormant by circumstances. The massive ship now rests in ruins over the orbit of Kyrius Tertius, a grim remainder of what may happen to the chapter itself let they be destroyed by circumstances.

* ***The Peacekeeper* (Cardinal-class Heavy Cruiser)**: one of the largest ship to remain in the Abbots of Absolution's once mighty fleet, this venerable battle-barge is an ancient piece of technology dating many millennia ago, retrieved from the ruins of the space hulk *Inominable Terror*, when the chapter managed to halt an ork invading warband that was using the mighty conglomeration of debris as capital ship. The ship's design focuses primarily on heavy firepower, obliterating any resistance from orbit and pulverizing smaller ships like they were naught. Currently, only rarely is the venerable ship seen in offensive battle, partaking only patrol missions around the Kyrius system.
* ***The Star Ravager* (Strike Cruiser)**: The second largest ship in the chapter's fleet, the *Star Ravager* is a heavily modified strike cruiser that, like its bigger sister, focuses on devastating, long-range firepower to end battles before they even begin. A ship with millennia of service, this cruiser has also been neglected for battle duties following the order's reformation, and now roams the Kyrius system in constant patrol duties.
* ***The Eviscerator* (Nova-class Frigate)**: A frigate of reasonable firepower, participated in several campaigns during the chapter's golden days. Is usually seen escorting the *Peacekeeper* in its patrol duties.
* ***The Veiled Hood* (Hunter-class Destroyer)**: Dasturkh's personal ship, this fast-moving destroyer is used primarily in diplomatic and furtive infiltration missions that require the direct attention of the Master of Duplicity. The ship receives its name honouring a great relic of the chapter.

## Chapter Relics

The vast majority of sacred relics in possession of the Abbots of Absolution are held under very watchful eyes in the hands of the chapter's reclusiam, guarded in rune-sealed vaults at the depths of the *Hall of Concordance*. The chaplains rarely release one of these great artifacts to be used by members of the chapter's inner circle, and these events usually occur only under strict orders by the Master of Duplicity. Some of these invaluable relics include:

* ***The Veiled Hood***: A seemingly normal piece of cloth used by Master Terrek above his artificer armour, the Veiled Hood is actualy an ancient piece of archeo-tech that hides its wearer at plain sight. Not only is the fiber able to bend and deflect electromagnetic waves, preventing detection by sensors of various sorts, but it also distorts according to the environment, making detection much harder.
* ***The Helm of Purge***: This helmet was used by the Lord of Contagion Plaguius Rotborn, the servant of nurgle responsible for the eventual doom of the Abbots of Absolution. He would not live to see his ultimate success, however, for he was beheaded by captain of the then third battle company Recon, the Imperial Claw. His helmet was kept by the chapter's chaplains both as a reminder to them of their own mortality and to their enemies that they will fall fighting. When this cursed helmet goes to battle, wielded high by a chosen relic bearer, it instills battle fervour in close allies, and fear in any enemy that approaches.

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Abbots of Absolution wear pit-black power armor for two main reasons. The first being the most obvious: it helps the astartes to camouflage in the dark cover of the night that they use to attack their enemies stealthily. The other one is more symbolic, for they believe the black color aids in hiding their shame for being vile mutants from the outside Imperium.

### Chapter Badge

The Abbots of Absolution's Chapter badge takes the form of a stylised white coloured Serpent of Secrets coiled around the blade of the Sword of Fate. The symbol of the chapter prior to the reformations enacted by Duplicity Master Dasturkh is unknown to most, probably erased from Imperial records or being a piece of information closely guarded by the Inquisition.

## Relations

### Allies

* **Salamanders** - The salamanders chapter has been, for unknown reasons, a stalwart ally for the mutation-wrecked Abbots of Absolution. Some believe this has something to do with the unknown origins of the Abbots, with the Salamanders' own propention towards mutations in their unstable gene-seed, or even with an ancient accordance between the two warrior-orders that might be millennia old, originating from the aftermath of the terrible events of the Horus Heresy. Either case, it has been this single intervention by the lords of Nocturne that prevented the total *Exterminatus* of the secretive brotherhood and their continuous survival to this day.

### Strained Relations

* **Adeptus Custodes** - Not actually enemies, but rather figures of grudgingly contempt, the custodians are viewed with fear by the suspicious members of the Abbots of Absolution, who see the golden warriors as the only Imperial organization, save for the inquisition, that could utterly and completely destroy their ancient order without much effort. For this reason, the already rare contact between the two Adepta are even furtherly avoided by the duplicitous ones, in an attempt to evade the ever-watchful auramite-covered eyes.

### Enemies

* **Death Guard** - Even though the Sons of Poison are believed destroyed, their remaining members probably reassembled into the wider Death Guard or another chaos warband, the Abbots still consider all servants of Nurgle as archenemies, since they were responsible for the disappearance of the chapter's Apothecaryon. Some battle-brothers even believe the foul scions of Mortarion are holding their apothecaries hostage in some distant daemon world, watching the chapter decay from afar. In either case, the order will never miss a chance to make their hated foes bleed, as long as it doesn't lead to battle-losses, of course.

* **Inquisition** - The Imperial organization that most desperately wants the extermination of the Abbots, the inquisitors claim that the deviations in the gene-seed of the chapter make them vile mutants and, thus, susceptible to the corruption of the Ruinous Powers, even though this chaotic taint has not yet been observed in the numbers of the brotherhood. After the Salamanders intervention, the efforts of the inquisitors of the *Ordo Astartes* and *Ordo Hereticus* was halted, and the space marines order was released of most accusations. Still, the two factions do not have any animosity towards each other, and, on every possible occasion, the holy orders of the Inquisition tend to make everything at their disposal to make matters the hardest for the Abbots of Absolution.

## Notable Quotes

### By the Abbots of Absolution

"*Do not ask me two things: what I have already done for the survival of my chapter, and what more I would do.*"
— Master of Duplicity Dasturkh Terrek, during a diplomatic meeting with the new planetary governor of Kyrius Secundus aboard his personal destroyer.
### About the Abbots of Absolution

"*You know well that, like my immortal gene-sire, I am honoured and honest, and all that is asked of me I gladly answer. But the reason for our alliance with the Abbots of Absolution shall remain a mystery, and only Vulkan or the Emperor could dissuade me otherwise.*"
— Vulkan He'stan, forgefather of the Salamanders chapter, addressing a representative of the Inquisition during the trial of the Abbots.
"*The Emperor did not wish the Abbots dead on that day. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent me where mortals could witness the work of gods.*"
— Adeptus Custodes representative Pavel Starag of the Emissaries Imperatus, talking to a member of the Remembrancer Order.

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