Black Devourers

* Post-Heresy
* Pre-Heresy

Black Devourers armorial with corrupted iconography (post-heresy) and loyalist appearance (pre-heresy).

* Post-Heresy
* Pre-Heresy

Black Devourers Heretic Astartes (post-heresy) and a Battle-Brother (pre-heresy) appearances.

## Chaos Warband

### **Leader**

Vias Karnil (Defeated)
Moros Tavik

## Pre-Heresy

### **Colours**

Black & Gold

The **Black Devouers** are a notorious Chaos Space Marine Warband that was a formerly Loyalist Space Marine Chapter created during an Unknown Founding. Extant evidence points to this warband hailing from the proud lineage of the noble Rogal Dorn. To the shame of all Scions of Dorn, the fallen Black Devourers are descended from their lineage. They are one of the arch-foes of the Iron Blood Chapter, a feeling which is mutual.

## History

### Founding

The Black Devourers exact origins are not well known, especially which Founding they were created. Within only a few centuries, the chapter was discovered using Chaos-tainted artifacts by the Inquisition. The end result was the Chapter was declared 'Renegade', their homeworld destroyed and they were forced to flee, falling further into Chaos. Finding refuge within the hellish realm of the Eye of Terror, the Black Devourers became fully corrupted by the insidious touch of the Ruinous Powers, becoming a full-fledged Chaos Warband.

Despite the facts, the Black Devourers vehemently argue that they were unfairly judged and persecuted by the Inquisition. The story the now-traitor marines put forward was that after a long and hard-fought campaign against the Forces of Chaos, the Chapter had been forced to recover and attempt to cleanse tainted artifacts, which caused them to become slowly corrupted by their malefic influence. The truth of this version of events is unknown, and highly unlikely.

Since that time, the Chapter has fallen further into Chaos, to the point that one of their leaders became a Daemon Prince. Now they launch raids into the realm of the Imperium of Man, having become a byword for slaughter and terror, and are feared by many Imperial sectors surrounding the Eye of Terror.

### Notable Battles

* **Scouring of the Tabis Sector (Unknown Date)**: Shortly after incursion of the Ork Gut Munchas Klan, the Warband made an incursion into this space. They raided and razed several worlds, corrupting what they did not destroy. The Warband dealt great casualties to the Iron Blood chapter which defended the sector, and on the world of Tabis they enacted a ritual that turned their leader into a Daemon Prince. However, due to the actions of the Iron Blood, their leader was slain, and the Warband was dealt a grievous hand. Tabis, the world they conquered to perform this task was subjected to *Exterminatus* by the Warband itself and left barren and poisonous as the Sector Capital was moved. Unknown to all, the now barren planet was occupied by the remnants of said warband who used it as a base. Their presence was later discovered and the world was destroyed as the Warband was forced to retreat out of the sector, leaving them fleet-based warband.
* **Skirmishes (Unknown Dates)**: Over the years the Iron Blood and Black Devourers have had several skirmishes as the Chaos Warband, time and again attempted to covertly corrupt the Sector.
* **Fourth Great War of the Tabias Sector (Unknown Date)**: The Black Devourers returned to the Tabias Sector in full, with Chaos Cultists and Regiments under their control, and even outside help.
* **Callistos Exculpation (533.M40)** - When the worlds of the Callistos Sub-Sector fell under siege by the notorious Black Devourers Chaos Warband, their arch-rivals - the Iron Blood Chapter - answered the pleas of the Sector Governor for aid against these vile Heretic Astartes, and according to records, deployed enmasse to face this dire threat. Upon the sector capital world of Athalios, these two bitter foes faced one another on the battlefield. But the Black Devourers laid a cunning trap for their hated foes, having forged a secret alliance with the Tzeentchian Chaos Warband - the Obsidian Suns. Using their foul sorcery, the Tzeentchian Warband hid themselves behind malefic glamours, revealing themselves only when the Iron Blood Chapter had been wholly drawn into their deadly trap. As the Black Devourers herded the loyalist Space Marines, the Obsidian Suns launched an attack on their vulnerable flank. Hoards of Rubric Marines marched in perfect lockstep, laying down a heavy barrage of bolter and warpflame fire as the Warband's Exalted Sorcerer overlords floated above them upon their cursed discs, casting deadly spells as they chanted in cursed daemon tongues, bringing destruction and ruin to the valiant Iron Blood Astartes. Sensing their inevitable doom, the remaining Iron Blood Astartes formed a phalanx-formation and prepared to sell their lives dearly, determined to take as many of the enemy with them to hell. But it was at this moment that a miracle occurred. A force of silver armoured Astartes bearing the livery of the Bears of the Claw appeared unexpectedly and attacked the Obsidian Sun forces from behind. Forced to redeploy, as they found themselves faced with the prospect of having to make a breakout, the Rubric Marines were commanded to make straight for the Bears, as the Tzeentchian sorcerers judged the new arrivals as the lesser threat of the two Space Marine forces. The Bears of the Claw stood resolute in the face of the storm of eldritch firepower, against which the formidable Astartes stood seemingly impervious. The Iron Blood were able to take advantage of this temporary distraction and were able to press the attack on the enemy's rear as the Bears held the Obsidian Suns Warband in place. The Heretic Astartes were destroyed in short order, caught between the immovable anvil of the Bears and the irresistible hammer of the Iron Blood. Faced with annihilation, the Exalted Sorcerers cast a powerful spell and teleported their Obsidian Suns away from the field of battle in a blinding flash of incandescent light, leaving their Black Devourers allies to face the wrath of both Space Marine Chapters, alone. The allied loyalist Astartes forces then focused their undivided attention upon the remaining Chaos Warband, pressing the attack against the outnumbered Heretic Astartes. Knowing that the battle was lost, the Black Devourers withdrew from the field of battle and fled the surface of Athalios. As soon as the Forces of Chaos were defeated and the Imperial forces were victorious, without preamble, the Bears of the Claw departed just as quickly as they had arrived, to continue their neverending Crusade.

## Characters

* **Vias Karnil**: The original leader of the warband and last Chapter Master before their fall, Vias is held responsible for the fall of his Chapter
* **Moros Tavik**: Vias' second-in-command, Moros took over when his master ascended and was then defeated by the Iron Blood chapter, banished to the Empyrion. Since then he has lead the warband to seemingly take revenge for their master, but in truth he also seeks to rise to daemonhood and all his actions thus far, have been to that end.
* **Obadian Bane**: The resident Chaos Sorcerer and the one who directly orders the Chaos Cultists and Guardsmen that follow the Black Devourers. He is a secretive figure and disliked by his fellow Chaos Marines.

## Cult and Culture

One would be hard pressed to imagine that such dishonorable creatures descended from the noble Rogal Dorn, but they do. They rarely like a fair fight, and typically send their minions to fight for them often using them as sacrificial pawns.

Within the warband, there is much infighting and paranoia which has slowed down their attempts to rebuild their strength. Flowing down from the current leader, the warband is filled with paranoia directed within and without.

### Favored Tactics

The Black Devourers favor scorched earth tactics via chemical warfare and setting traps

### Recruitment

They recruit like most warbands, through slaves and captives from their raids.

### Gene Seed

As a result of their corruption their gene seed is often subject to wild mutations, enlarge limbs and inhuman features.

## Homeworld

Like many renegade chapters, their homeworld was purge by Imperial edict. Since then they have become space faring marauders, but have since settled on the destroyed former capitol of the Iron Blood home sector, hiding there until they were discovered and forced out.

## Relations

### Enemies

* **Iron Blood Chapter**: The Black Devourers have grown a sense of special hatred for this chapter, as it was the chapter that cost them their greatest glory. The Warband has long plotted revenge upon them.

### Allies

* **Chaos Cultists and Traitor Astra Militarum Regiments**: Converts from their Black Crusades that serve on their raiding fleet and bases.

## Notable Quotes

### By the Black Devourers

"*You wish to know how we fell? Is it not obvious, was our tale not spoken of...of course not. No one remembers the defeated, the broken, the lost crushed under the foot of the victor. We abandoned the Emperor because He abandoned us! Where was Je when we needed Him, when we bled and died in His name when our enemies drowned us in the blood of our brothers? Nowhere! The Corpse-Emperor did not care, so we turned to those who did!*"
— Vias Karnil to Karaz of the Iron Blood Chapter
### About the Black Devourers

"*How sad, how truly shameful...that such suffering to my sector, such ruin to my chapter...was done by cowards too afraid to die with dignity.*"
— Karaz of the Iron Blood Chapter, in response to Vias Karnil

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

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