Ereshkigal Graveseekers

**This article, Ereshkigal Graveseekers, was written by Bronzemane Wolf. It may be linked to any page without asking for the author's permission.**

## Ereshkigal Graveseekers

A badge coommonly used to distinguish Guardsmen from Ereshkigal Graveseeker Regiments.

Three Ereshkigal Graveseekers wearing their regimental uniform.

## Regimental Data

### **Allegiance**

Imperium of Man
(*Fedelitas Totalis*)

### **Strength**

Several tens of thousands to several millions, depending on the historical period

### **Nickname(s)**

Death's Tools
(among homeworld populace)
Monks of Saint Namtar
(among homeworld populace)

## Other information

### **Special Weapons**

Ringknife

The **Ereshkigal Graveseekers** is a name that encompasses all Imperial Astra Militarum Regiments recruited from the cemetery world of Ereshkigal. Raised in a culture that is more dedicated to death than life, Ereshkigal Graveseekers are famed for their fearlessness in combat, treating possibility of injury and casulties as a boon rather than a threat. This is the source of their name, for they go to war to seek their own places of death and are not allowed by law to return to their homeworld in any other form than as a dead corpse.

## History

It seems Ereshkigal Graveseekers have existed as long as Ereshkigal has been a cemetery world. Throught history they have fought across many worlds both within their Sector and the larger galaxy and have earned an amount of respect among other Imperial units, though also an amount of fear.

## Notable Campaigns

* **Battle of Emmeran's Landing** - A major battle between Imperial forces and Orks upon a world called Emmeran's Landing. Ereshkigal 23rd Graveseeker Regiment was present at the battle and distinguished itself by playing a key role in freeing central district of Emmeranopolis, the world's capital city. Though honoured for their deed the Regiment was almost completely wiped out during the fighting, largerly due to its costly infantry charges into enemy positions.

## Homeworld

Longo ago, many thousands of years back, Ereshkigal was considered a regular civilized world, though one with little flora and remarkably dark and cold atmosphere. It was known for the beauty of its landscapes and that was exactly what sealed its fate. Namtar Arali, a famed theologian and clergyman moved here to spend his last years and was buried in a cemetery near a small city known as Hushbishag. Ten years after his death he was canonized as a saint by Adeptus Ministorum and through the centuries his veneration grew in popularity and many across neighboring system saw him as a figure associated with passing from earthly life to paradise after death, which gave birth to the name he is known under today – Saint Namtar the Guide. Soon the very world on which he was buried became considered a holy place and many families wanted remains of their loved ones to rest under its grace-filled soil. As hundreds of years went by this grew into a tradition and Ereshkigal together with its society and culture transformed into a cemetery world, the capital city now being massively expanded Hushbishag. Much of its surface is now covered in layers and layers of historical graveyards, some so old they simply wither away or are buried below the new ones. Special honour is given to important figures, above them all men and women of immense power such as planetary governors, interstellar nobles, famed heroes as simply those who have wealth on their side. Their burials are often accompanied by monuments, parks and mausoleums, some of the largest ones being in size comparable to palaces and even true cities.

It is up to Ereshkigal’s population to maintain this complex system, which includes not only maintenance of the structures and graves but also rituals, prayers and honoring ceremonies that they are paid to partake. These tasks are the source of employment for overwhelming majority of Ereshkigal’s people and most of vital resources such a food, technology and clothing are brought here off-world. As such if contact with rest of the Imperium would be cut off or the world would end up on the bad side of bureaucratic decision-making it would soon see mass death and civilizational collapse. Fortunately for Ereshkigal their world is in a strange way beloved, though not in the same way it once was, as countless millions of people send their money there to ensure that their unmoving relatives are taken care of. As such it is a relatively wealthy world, or it could be if most of the population didn’t live in deep poverty. This is not an instance of economic mismanagement nor of any sort of tyranny or exploitation by the wealthy. Ereshkigal’s people are poor because they choose so, as in their culture it is believed that poverty and suffering purify the soul and strengthen the flesh. Having dedicated their entire existence to death and the dead for hundreds of generations their understanding of existence and life is very alien to most ordinary humans and is centered on importance of death and preparation to it. Through this they have become strong, brave and dedicated, though grim people, and because of this also perfect candidates to join into the Imperial Guard.

## Regimental Organisation

For the most part organization of Ereshkigal Graveseeker Regiments does not differ from that of an average Cadian-pattern Imperial Guard Regiment to any significant degree.

* **Funeral Master** - Separate from war priests of the Ecclesiarchy yet complementary to them, Funeral Masters are organizers of funeral rituals for the fallen soldiers of the Graveseekers. Because of importance of death and burial within Ereshkigal society their funerals are often long and elaborate and Funeral Masters play almost shamanistic role among Graveseeker Guardsmen, though alway submitted to the true clergy.

### Specialist Infantry

* **The Unburied** - Elite of Ereshkigal Graveseekers. Within the Imperial Guard there exists a sub-organization known as *Militarum Tempestus* that contains some of the most elite, well-equipped and disciplined soldiers of the Imperium outside of transhuman Adeptus Astartes. Two types of Tempestus Scions exist - the Stormtroopers and their "local" equivalents. Stormtroopers are raised and trained within Ecclesiarchy-run Schola Progenium alongside with future Comissars and Sisters of Battle. Others are raised and trained as a part of their own native warrior cultures within specialized military schools upon their worlds and they strive to reach standards similar to those of Stormtroopers and sometimes they do. Krieg Grenadiers, Catachan Devils and Cadian Kasrkin are some of the more well-known examples of these local elites.
Ereshkigal has its own version of Tempestus Scions and they are known as the Unburied. The reason behind their name is that while regular Ereshkigal Graveseekers are buried beneath planetary surface as most regular citizens are, corpses of the Unburied are burned into ash which is scattered into the wind. This practice originates from a belief that being the greatest warriors of Ereshkigal they are required to offer the Emperor not only their souls but also their mighty flesh so that He can use them in His transcandant sacred war against evil and darknes (the true nature of which Ereshkigalians are unaware of).

The Unburied are equipped similarly to most Temperstus Scions, clad in Carapace Armour and shooting with Hellguns. What visuallyu separates them from others within Militarum Tempestus are their black skull masks and decorative flames across their uniform.

## Regimental Equipment

Most of Ereshkigal Graveseekers' equipment does not differ significantly from that used in most average Imperial Guard regiments across the galaxy. There is however one unique piece of equipment that all Graveseekers bear with them at almost all times - a ringknife. It is a metal finger ring with a small but sharp blade attached to it, used by people of Ereshkigal to cut through skin a flesh of corpses wherever it is needed, such as for removing particular organs by their relatives' request. Graveseekers carry these to the warzones in which they make war as well and use them for the same purpose, though ringknives are also excellent for silent killing and close combat fighting.

## Notable Guardsmen

* **Ganzir Arali** - A line Guardsman who through correct placement of a bomb in a right place and right time caused direct and indirect deaths of over a thousand of Imperium's enemies while also killing himself in the process. Though he was no commander and little is known of his life prior to the incident he has become a great hero in minds of his copatriots and statues dedicated to him can be seen across the world. What little remained of Ganzir's body was collected and put into a sarcophagus, to be kept in a lavish mausoleum. He is a posthumous cavalier of the Order of Saint Namtar, the highest military and civilian award of his homeworld. His heroic deed is sometimes depicted of banners of Graveseeker formations.

## Notable Regiments

* **Ereshkigal 8th Graveseeker Infantry Regiment *("Graveyard Ghosts")*** - The oldest and most famous surviving Graveseeker regiment, it has existed for over a thousand years without being replaced, destroyed or merged with any other. This has led it to acquire an iconic status and recieve better than average recruits and equipment, which only contributes to its legend.

* **Ereshkigal 23rd Graveseeker Infantry Regiment** - Almost completely wiped out during the Battle of Emmeran's Landing.

## Regiment Appearance

Ereshkigal Graveseekers typically wear black or grey coats and robes with shadowy hoods covering their heads above the helmet. It is typical of them to either wear a skull mask or skull-shaped facepaint to represent themelves as weapons of death, though death masks of Guardsmen's relatives are used instead of those in some Regiments. A common symbol that is often associated with Graveseekers is a simple skull surrounded by a geometrical shape resembling a coffin.

## Notable Quotes

### By the Ereshkigal Graveseekers

"*This is where you are wrong. We never wanted to survive.*"
—Surrounded Ereshkigal Graveseeker giving a response to an offer to surrender
"*To bring death is to be a tool of the Emperor. No goal is greater. To die while bringing death is to be chosen by the Emperor. No honour is greater.*"
—Ereshkigal Graveseeker Captain explaining his philosophy