Forsworn

**This article, Forsworn, was written by Graythorne. It may be linked to any page without asking for the author's permission.**

## Forsworn

Armorial with the Forsworn iconography, featuring the "Eye of Wrath" that harkens to the Warband's Warp-induced mutations.

Forsworn color scheme, after the Ascension of Arkann, as displayed by Hondred Tetys, Seeker of the Pure.

## Renegade Chapter

### **Number of Marines**

Unknown, likely high number after alliances made with Fabius Bile.

### **Battle Cry**

"Vengeance at long last!" / "Suffer for Costov!"

## Pre-Heresy

### **Pre-Heresy Colours**

Storm Grey, Silver, Black

"*...What? No, no that will not do! Get back up, loyalist pig! You must put up an actual fight this time!*"
—Unknown Marine of the Forsworn taunting a gravely wounded Space Marine
The **Forsworn** are an infamous Chaos Warband of Heretic Astartes dedicated to the perfection of killing, and are reverent servants of Slaanesh, the Dark Prince of Pleasure. The feared Warband stalks Imperial space lanes, plundering and murdering as they see fit. This was not always so, for once they were a promising Loyalist Space Marine Chapter, aspiring to great accolades and glories, the former Astral Consuls fell into a tragic downfall of ill-fate which led to the destruction of their beloved home-planet of Costov, as well as the branding of the Chapter as *Excommunicate Traitoris* and declared Renegades.

Struggling to not fall into the temptations and worship of the Ruinous Powers, the grieving Astral Consuls were finally brought to be servants of Chaos by a Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers by the name of Kazrand the Illuminator. And thus, the Space Marines renamed themselves "The Forsworn" in mourning of Costov. These ferocious Heretic Astartes are now a fearsome Chaos Warband that roams around Imperial space like ghosts, forever hunting their hated enemy, the Inquisition that destroyed Costov, due to false accusations of stealing xenos relics under the Inquisition's jurisdiction. Though, after the Warband's Chaos Lord ascended onto Daemonhood, the Forsworn fell even deeper into the throes of the Dark Prince, forcing a split between those loyal to the 'Thrice-Blessed' and those favoring the Astral Consuls' 3rd Captain, Dematrius the Avenger. Scorning the sole worship of Slaanesh, he abandoned his former Chapter Master's service and through Kazrand's machinations, joined the Word Bearer's Warhost along with a score of like-minded brethren.

## History

**The Fall of Costov (245.M36)** - Created during the 20th Founding in late M35 to reinforce the regions of space in the Chiros Sector of Segmentum Tempestus, many details of the Astral Consuls' gene-seed and campaigns have been classified by order of the Inquisition. However, during their time, the Consuls were meticulous with individual fighting skill and fierce on the battlefield, performing their duties with admirable efficiency, including the destruction of an alien planetary civilization known as the Aeur. But as the Aeur were noticeably utilizing the powers of Chaos, the Ordo Xenos had accompanied the Astral Consuls into the battle to destroy the Auer.

During the war against the Auer, it was noted by both the Consuls and the Ordo Xenos that the xenos warriors seemed to shimmer strangely and even teleport seemingly at will. And due to the reliability of the usage of this, it was surmised that the Auer had somehow created stable teleportation technology. And after the alarmingly bloody campaign for a single planet, the Inquisition took many corpses and bits of the Auer's creations with them to be studied, or destroyed.

It would not be very long, however, that the Auer artifacts would remain in the hands of the Inquisition. Shortly after being transported to the nearest Inquisitorial Vault, the entire complex was suddenly attacked by a force so mighty that all inside the Vault were dead in minutes, and the Auer items taken. After it was discovered the raid had occurred, recovered pict-feeds showed what looked to be Space Marines with a color scheme matching that of the Astral Consuls. With this news, a fleet of the Ordo Malleus was called to the Astral Consuls' homeworld of Costov to confront the Astartes.

Confused and outraged at the accusation of breaking their honor and stealing from the Inquisition, most of the Chapter vehemently denied the crime of raiding the Inquisitorial Vault, but their firm resistance had only sealed the fate of Costov. Failing to submit to the Ordo Malleus' demands, the Inquisitorial fleet's guns were fired upon the planet - beginning an *Exterminatus* of the doomed world. Attempting and failing to fight back, the Astral Consuls were forced to flee into the Warp to escape the guns of the Inquisition.

In grief and rage, the remaining of the Astral Consuls Chapter drifted in the Warp for years, realizing that the very Imperium that they were created for and pledged to serve, had now cast them out. For those many long years travelling in the Warp, Chapter Master Arkann Dionus sat silent on his throne on the Chapter's Battle Barge, *Angel of Storm*, until suddenly another Astartes suddenly appeared before him, as if from thin air. The strange Space Marine identified himself as Kazrand, and as a friend. Kazrand, the Word Bearer, comforted the crestfallen Arkann with confident assurances and honey lies, "We are all too similar, my child. I too, have felt the burning wound that is betrayal by one's supposed superiors. But... there is always a choice- always a decision to avenge the wrong done to you and your brothers..your WORLD."

And so, Kazrand began the work of reunifying the Astral Consuls into great sermons to the Chaos Gods, and demonstrated that if they would be abandoned by the Imperium, then they would abandon it and be granted far greater powers, and avenge Costov. It was said that after this Dark Sermon, the members of the Consuls experienced a sharp pain in their eyes, followed a disorienting new sense that seemed to connect them to their brothers. Praising this as an early gift of the Gods, Kazrand had won over the disenchanted Chapter, who were now eager to enact their revenge. The Chapter fell wholly, body and soul, to the worship of the Dark Gods and were transformed, becoming the infamous Chaos Warband known as the Forsworn.

**The Return of the Forsworn (321.M36)** - When the Imperial Navy became aware that an alarming number of ships disappearing throughout the Chiros Sector, a Fleet was sent to patrol in force. But when the said fleet returned to Navy Command, only three ships returned, all heavily damaged. The crew of each ship was in a panicked and terrified state, wildly repeating that, "..a legion of ghosts have come to tear us apart." However, there was a singular command deck attendee was lucid enough to deliver a message to Navy Command:

*"Those that have been wronged have returned. Those that once served will no longer be bound by tyrants. Those that have lost their home will take yours. Those that were once servants of the False Emperor, are now the Forsworn. Those that have been betrayed will become great, your worlds burned, your people butchered, your idols defiled, your corpses giving way for more worthy life: insects. Chaos will have your death immaculate, we will provide."*

And so the Forsworn continued to sow terror and fear among the Imperium's routes through Segmentum Tempestus, ambushing Imperial Navy vessels in vicious and short lived battles. At first, it was only at the behest of Kazrand that the Forsworn the crewmen of the ships taken were used in dark sacrifice to their chosen God. But when power began to flow into the Marines for their tribute, the feeling of empowerment made tenfold over the connection all brothers shared. And so bloodlust and the ecstasy of dedicating beautiful and artful slaughter to their new God, Slaanesh, set in, and the Forsworn were soon taken over with addiction to the service of the Ruinous Powers. Save for Arkann himself who solely tread the path of the traitor now for the power of reaching the mantle of joining his masters in the Warp.

**Scourge of Chiros (674.M36)** - Returning to their home Sector of Chiros, the Forsworn engaged in a sustained war against Imperial forces, no longer mere piracy. Arriving in a flash over planets with a large fleet of their own ships and their mortal human followers, the Forsworn plunged the Sector into terror of the fear of the ghosts of Costov come for their revenge. When the Imperial Navy amassed a response force to aid the Chiros Sector, the worlds they came to save were barren, destroyed, or their populations were in a frenzied state of debased corruption. However, the Navy would not have smooth sailing into the ruined Sector. Numerous times the Fleet would be suddenly assaulted by suicidal remnants of Orbital Defense groups bearing a symbol agents of the Inquisition would come to dread- an eye with a dagger in the iris. The Eye of Wrath, icon of the Forsworn.

As it would seem that the Forsworn themselves were long gone from the Sector, the Imperial Fleet split to secure the various regions of Chiros. However, this was a plan devised by one of the Forsworn's Captains, Estorion the Silent. Under the aspiring Champion of Slaanesh's direction, the Five Hosts attacked and butchered the servants of the Imperium. The tragedy that was soon named the Scourge of Chiros was later classified and became forbidden knowledge by order of the Inquisition. To the Forsworn, however, it was a glorious triumph and a proper pillaging in the name of the Dark Prince.

**Balian's Rebellion (674.M36)** - Valkar Balian was a respected Lord-General of the Imperium's Imperial Guard. He was in charge of overseeing worlds controlled by the Rebutors Space Marine in the Chiros Sector of the Segmentum Tempestus in the absence of a Coureon. Then, he was abducted by an agent of the Forsworn and corrupted thoroughly and entirely to the power of Slaanesh. Balian then returned to his stewardship of the Rebutors' worlds and instituted specific laws and punishments against political enemies until Rebutor Knights were dispatched to observe him. His treatment of certain citizens was almost fanatically kind, yet with others he was unspeakably brutal and cruel. For several months these circumstances remained, with the Rebutors growing ever more suspicious of the once revered General. Soon, screaming was heard in the night. The Rebutor Knights bore witness to the start of an uprising; thousands upon thousands of residents upon the planet Engrion shouted heresies. The figurehead; Valkar Balian. The citizens had discovered the Ruinous Powers. Immediately, the Knights informed the rest of the Chapter of the heretical activity occurring upon Engrion. There was no other alternative than to initiate Exterminatus. The Inquisition was informed of the Chaos uprising of Engrion. Prior to their arrival, the Rebutors engaged cultists of Slaanesh in battle upon Engrion. Balian had been transformed into a heinous, corrupted beast. But he was only a pawn, one that served to sow rebellion in his worlds, to create a vanguard for the Forsworn's assault. Once the Inquisition arrived in Sector, the Rebutors retreated from the planet in order to discuss matters of Exterminatus. However, before a decision could be made, a large fleet of Heretics emerged from the Warp, bearing the sigil of an eye. The Rebutor fleet engaged the forces of Chaos in battle, decorating the high orbit of Engrion with a barrage of bullets. Eventually, the Heretic Astartes were able to board the Rebutors' Battle Barge *Redemption*, immediately engaging the prepared Loyalists. The Forsworn had come, with revenge in their eyes. The Rebutors fought valiantly against the Chaos Marines, losing few to the several waves of Forsworn. The close-combat preference of the Rebutors did not grant the Heretics the upper hand in battle. After a long battle, the Forsworn fleet began to retreat back into the warp. How they lost their advantage to the Rebutors is unsure, but the champion leading the invasion force was mutilated by Arkann himself, so that the entire Warband felt and suffered from his failure.

**The Birth of Brightreach (296-452.M40)** - After millennia of pillaging and spreading tremendous woe unto the False Emperor's people, the Forsworn began to long for a world to call their own again. And so Arkann hunted across the galaxy for a planet for the Warband to claim as their new home, over the course of almost two hundred years the Forsworn stalked both Imperial space and regions of the Void less populated. Finding what they sought, a planet as close as the galaxy could still harbor to a garden world as possible.

The world Trebanus III had only just been populated by the Imperium and already the nobility of the False Emperor's Imperium sought to claim it as their own, to twist the beautiful planet from its true potential. And so the Forsworn descended upon Trebanus III and butchered the Imperial nobility and their warriors, merrily laughing and rejoicing at their new prize. And after yet further time, gathering sacrifices and sorcerers to Trebanus III, the Forsworn coaxed the garden planet into the Warp, where it became their personal Daemon World and seat of their power, renamed to Brightreach for its new gloriously perfect construction and beautiful landscapes. But outside the confines of the towering picturesque palaces that the Forsworn and their favored mortals inhabit, the true face of the Daemon World is laid bare as daemons and trapped mortals wage war, the Heretic Astartes watching in sweet inebriation with their Prince Arkann as potential recruits battle the "locals" of Brightreach.

**The Torment of Agamenthor (529.M40)** - In the middle centuries of the 40th Millennium, the shrine world of Agamenthor was besieged by nihilistic pleasure cults, their corruption spreading among the planet's population. The arrival of the Slaanesh-devoted Renegade Warband known as the Forsworn escalated the situation to a level of intense violence. The followers of the Dark Prince revelled in the slaughter of the planetary governor and his militia forces, plunging Agamenthor into a chaotic and blood-drenched upheaval. However, salvation arrived unexpectedly in the form of the bellicose Sable Lions and the Obsidian Blades Space Marine Chapters. The Sable Lions, renowned for their bellicose nature and unwavering dedication to the Emperor, led a brutal assault against the forces of Chaos. Simultaneously, the Obsidian Blades conducted a successful guerrilla campaign, targeting the leadership of both the Chaos warband and the pleasure cults. Despite the fierce resistance offered by the Forsworn, the Sable Lions and the Obsidian Blades fought with unyielding determination. The Chaos forces inflicted fearful losses upon their besiegers, but the combined might of the two Space Marine Chapters proved overwhelming. Through their coordinated efforts, they managed to push back the Forsworn, driving them into the deeper darkness of the Warp. The battle on Agamenthor was both a harrowing and costly conflict. The Sable Lions and the Obsidian Blades fought against the vile Forces of Chaos to protect the lives of tens of billions of innocent civilians. Though the Forsworn inflicted significant losses, the bravery and prowess of the Adeptus Astartes ultimately prevailed. The retreat of the Forsworn into the Warp marked a temporary victory, as they were forced to withdraw from the physical realm. However, the insidious influence of Slaanesh and the nihilistic pleasure cults would continue to pose a threat to the Imperium, requiring eternal vigilance and the unwavering dedication of the Adeptus Astartes. The heroic actions of the Sable Lions and the Obsidian Blades on Agamenthor serve as a testament to their unyielding devotion to the Emperor and their determination to protect humanity from the corrupting influence of Chaos. Their sacrifices in the face of darkness and their relentless pursuit of victory uphold the honour and ideals of the Space Marines in the ongoing war against the forces of the Warp.

## Notable Campaigns

* **Clash of Crows (210.M37)** - After entering the Warp again to find new prey to offer to the Dark Prince, the Forsworn found themselves deposited far from their usual haunts of Segmentum Tempestus and now in the borders of Segmentum Obscurus. Stalking through the new space around them, the Forsworn soon discovered the truly massive Space Hulk-turned Void Fortress of the *Dark Carrion*, the den of the Crow's Children Warband. It was at this time that Arkann the Twice-Cursed shared his secret plan with his brothers- his dream to establish a new planet in the image of Costov, to create a Daemon World for the Forsworn to call home. The Scourge of Chiros was one step onto the path to this goal, but there were many more steps to take to this new world. One of these steps was for Arkann to ascend to Daemon Prince, and this lied in pleasing Slaanesh. And so the Forsworn engaged in war with the Crow's Children, their large fleet hammering the *Dark Carrion* with lance batteries, launching brief and extremely well coordinated strikes into the Space Hulk against the Crow's Children. Normally, the Children are infamous for their expertise with Raptor units but in the narrow halls of the *Dark Carrion*, the extremely perfected swordsmanship and bolter-fire of the Forsworn proved more efficient. After taking relics and trinkets from the beleaguered Crow's Children, and also losing many of their own number, Arkann pulled his men from the Space Hulk and vanished into the Warp, victorious.

* **Ascension of the Thrice-Blessed (421.M40)** - Arkann Dionus had ever since his corruption reaped an impressive toll of misery, debauchery and death in Slaanesh's perfect name. The Chiros Sector was ravaged and its people corrupted or slain, his Warband feared by even the Inquisition for their effectiveness. While other supplicants of Slaanesh would revel in joyous degeneracy, Arkann was totally devoted to sublime and immaculate killing. His supreme swordsmanship was so awe-inspiring that he was known to slice apart Space Marines within a mere blink of the eye, their bodies gushing blood so deliciously. For all he had sown upon the galaxy, and all he undoubtedly would in the future, the Dark Prince saw fit to bestow on the Twice-Cursed another gift. When surrounded by hundreds of mortal cultists invoking Slaanesh, their minds almost blank from narcotics and carnal pleasure, Arkann's body expanded and contorted, the touch of the Warp transforming the once noble Chapter Master of the Astral Consuls into a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh. Letting out a scream of pure elation, and in a few passing seconds, and with a few blinding motions, slew all that surrounded him, each one experiencing pleasure and pain in equal measure before their blood covered the walls of the antechamber like fine art.

* **Avenger's Gambit (643.M41)** - Dematrius, one of the few somber and bellicose members of the Forsworn, began to tire of the decadent inaction of Prince Arkann and led his great company of heretic Astartes upon a large raid into the infamous Caligari Sector of Tempestus. Known for being a harbor of heretics and outcasts, wracked by Warpsurges, Dematrius sought to either bolster his forces by subjugation or to sate his lust for death. Ruthless and gleeful to have his consciousness away from that of Arkann and his fervent supporters, the Avenger left Caligari when an army of mortals in the tens of thousands as well as ancient alien tech to fuel his planned war effort, with which Dematrius set upon pillaging and causing havoc across the Caradryan sector, and did not return to Brightreach, and still has not to this day.
* **War of Ghosts (893-953.M41)** - After an era of opulence and advancing chemical and narcotic experimentation on the Warp-blessed surface of Brightreach, the Forsworn found their 'right' to pillage across Segmentum Tempestus being challenged by an upstart loyalist Chapter of Space Marines, the Accipiters. Not considering this to be a threat, Arkann did not order his bulk of followers to meet the Accipiters just yet. But the Chapter's first victory over the Forsworn in the Caradryan Sector created murmurs in Prince Arkann's court, and when the news was given to the Thrice-Blessed of the destruction of one of his raiding parties, every Astartes on Brightreach could feel their lord's displeasure and anger. Thus, a force of the Forsworn were dispatched to thwart the Accipiters' next move. Upon the world of Olmov the strike force, under the command of the Champion Loron attacked the Accipiters while they were purging the planet of orks. While the loyalists were busy with the alien menace, Loron flanked the Accipiters' firing lines and inflicted massive casualties on the 2nd Company before their foe could retaliate and drive them back in a hollow, Pyrrhic victory for the valiant Accipiters. But the last battle of the War of Ghosts was the famous destruction of a Forsworn void station named Theoprae. An in truth less than important waystation for the Warband's pirating brethren to resupply in betwixt bloody marauding. But nonetheless, even though the Accipiters had sacrificed their Chapter Master to destroy Theoprae, Arkann formerly marked the Space Marine Chapter for vengeance as sure as the one waiting for the Inquisition.

## Warband Organization

   **Prince Arkann the Thrice-Blessed** - Once the disillusioned and lost Chapter Master of the Astral Consuls, when Kazrand the Illuminator showed Arkann Dionus the path of Chaos, the challenges of becoming a Chaos Lord, and what other fate could easily await him. However, the Word Bearer prompted the Chapter Master by appealing to his pride, that "one such as he could become one of the greatest, if he was as powerful as he thought." Thus, when appearing on the battlefield with the teleportation technology gifted strangely by Kazrand, Arkann bears a great and elegant daemon sword, whose dizzying speed and lethal edge rends his foes limb from limb and vein by gushing vein. Reaping many souls for the Prince of Excess, Arkann's choice for the Forsworn to accept the power of Chaos left the Marines being "blessed" with mutations, earning him both hate and love among his fellows, with Arkann being excluded from the Gestalt Consciousness of his brethren, and becoming an outsider to them all, until his Ascension to Prince, upon which every member of the Forsworn could feel his presence in their minds, a presence they now adore.

#### Hosts of the Forsaken

Somehow retaining a semblance of their command structure, the Forsworn still divide themselves into "Companies" under the command of Chaos Champions as Captains. All of these "Captains" follow the command of Arkann, perhaps begrudgingly. The Captains are:

* **Dematrius the Avenger -** Perhaps the most somber of the Forsworn's number, Dematrius was the most famed of the Astral Consuls' Captains, commanding the 3rd Company. Being both born and bred on the lost Costov, Dematrius was among the first voices to cry out for revenge as the Chapter drifted through the Warp, bereft of home and master. Rarely ever partaking in the inebriation of the mind almost synonymous with the worship of Slaanesh, Dematrius instead excels in the art of combat with a deadly two-handed blade. The Avenger renounces the worship of a single Chaos God, almost certainly due to his close friendship with Kazrand the Illuminator, who inducted the once-captain into the traitor-red ranks of the Word Bearers following Dematrius' distance from the rest of the Forsworn.

* **Garalan the Beloved -** Dematrius' bitter rival, where the Avenger will seclude himself from his brothers between battles to hone his talents, Garalan will share in the delights of the Prince of Excess merrily with his kin. Seemingly always intoxicated with an eerie glee, no matter the scenario. And indeed, being near the Beloved will infect nearby Forsworn with his happiness via the Merged Consciousness. Thus, his presence is greatly adored by his brothers on the battlefield, his mad cackling after splitting enemies into pieces sending the Forsworn into a trance of pleasured killing.

* **Carnos the Flayer -** Clad in the leathery skin of those that have earned his ire, Carnos is merciless and unrelenting in his quest to find joy in the suffering of loyalist scum. Where most of his Forsworn brothers would end the lives of their enemies quickly, Carnos prefers to deliver a thousand cuts to a body before moving to the next, delightfully carving up the living or dead to be perfectly marred.

* **Estorion the Silent -** Quiet and moving with purpose, Estorion wastes no spare movement, no pointless bravado, no warning or warcry. Dedicated to making his every action one of such excellence that the only way he is known to communicate is through the Consciousness of the Forsworn. When Arkann wishes to involve his connected brothers in the decision of where to pillage next, it is often Estorion that answers with a plan. And thus, when enabled to delve into sweet carnage, the Forsworn praise their noiseless brother for his mind, and the gift of blood on their armor.

Each of the Captains of the Forsworn keep their hosts of Chaos Marines, the role of Captain forcing them to become Chaos Champions. However, since the Captains like all of their brothers can feel each other's thoughts, the Hosts are extremely well coordinated, and when they strike an enemy, it is like a hive mind of vengeful angels coming for blood.

## Warband Gene-seed

Though the Astral Consuls' gene-seed was remarkably stable and free of mutation, when they became the Forsworn and sowed fear and terror among Segmentum Tempestus, they were "blessed" by the Ruinous Powers. Whenever the gene-seed is implanted into a new subject, they will immediately gain a Merged Gestalt Consciousness, and will gain a connection to their new brothers' minds and thoughts. This allows the Warband to coordinate to a far greater extend than other peers, but they all share the same pain that one experiences. Such adds credence to the rumor of them being supernatural.

## Warband Beliefs

At their fall to Chaos, some would say the Forsworn were doomed to revere Slaanesh above all of the Ruinous Powers when the Dark Prince alone bestowed a blessing on the battered Astral Consuls. Thus, with revenge still fresh in their minds, the Forsworn furthered the path of perfecting the art of killing, of maiming and slaying. Recently however, the Warband has been branching out into the many "delights" that their deity provides, the pleasure and pain multiplied many times over through their Gestalt Consciousness.

## Warband Combat Doctrine

Due to their Warped consciousness and their ability to coordinate to a near impossible level, the Forsworn are a fearsome opponent on the battlefield. When deployed in a warzone, the Hosts of the Warband will diverge and spread themselves out to both survey the area and to find victims to put to the sword or bolter. However, it is vital that the seeds of fear or doubt are crushed before the loss of fervor is spread and the Hosts shatter. Thus, when Prince Arkann fights alongside his warriors, the Forsworn are almost unstoppable when they are on the warpath. That said, to supplement when the Daemon Prince is absent, the warband's brothers often imbue themselves with even more drugs than normal, to completely remove the notion of hesitation or restraint.

## Warband Appearance

### Warband Colors

The Forsworn once wore primarily grey power armor, with white shoulder trims and black insets. But once the majority of the former Chapter was brought into Slaanesh worship, the Forsworn became like the feared Emperor's Children and donned armor of black, silver and pink. However, some members of the Warband have decorated their power armor of other colors that honor the Dark Prince.

### Warband Emblem

Usually, the spaulders of the Forsworn can be found sporting a white cat eye with a grey dagger amid a black iris, this symbol is referenced as the Eye of Wrath, and represents that whatever one brother sees, they all will. Though, sometimes the only thing that decorates a shoulderpad are hedonistic heraldry of Slaanesh.

 White Scars Successors
 Space Wolves Successors
 Imperial Fists Successors
 Blood Angels Successors
 Iron Hands Successors
 Ultramarines Successors
 Salamanders Successors
 Raven Guard Successors
 Unknown Lineage
 Renegades

[Source]

 Tzeentch Warbands
 Nurgle Warbands
 Slaanesh Warbands
 Chaos Undivided Warbands
 Malice Warbands
 Minor Chaos God-Aligned Warbands

[Source]