vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Possessed - Other Forms of Possession: While Space Marines are favoured as hosts by the entities of the Warp, due to their impressive resistances and robust transhuman constitution, they are not the only beings who can be possessed. Such is the nature of Daemons that they can possess any living being with a soul; such a joining of entities is called a Daemonhost.In its long career, the Ordo Malleus has encountered Orks, Squats, Hruds and many other types of beings serving as Daemonhosts. The only exceptions to date are the T'au and the Tyranids.The T'au are believed to be protected from possession by their low innate psychic presence and rigid philosophical adherence to the Greater Good, while the gestalt psychic Hive Mind of the Tyranids is powerful enough to keep any intruder out of its multitude of bodies. And of course, as the Necron lack souls all together, they are immune to possession as well.
Possessed - Unit Composition: 5-20 Possessed1 Greater Possessed
Possessed - Wargear: Power Armour (Any pattern)Any Chaos Space Marine Close Combat WeaponHorrific daemonic mutations
Poul Marlin - Poul Marlin: Poul Marlin was a Sergeant in the 10th Slavok Imperial Guard Regiment. He and his men were involved in the action on the Ice World of Shadrac, and subsequent escape from that planet. During the engagements against the Tyranids on that world, Poul Marlin was rescued by and eventually befriended Skold Greypelt of the Space Wolves Chapter.
Poul Marlin - Doom on Shadrac: When the Ice World of Shadrac came under attack by the Tyranids, the 10th Slavok Regiment of the Imperial Guard was deployed to stop the deadly xenos. Their efforts proved insufficient, and one standard month after their deployment, Poul Marlin gathered the two score survivors of his regiment together and led them in a retreat toward the nearest Imperial outpost. Having lost all contact with their superiors, proceeding on foot through the deadly frost and with their food rations critically low, the Slavok soldiers were demoralised, but Sergeant Marlin kept them going, putting on a facade of optimism to prevent his men from despairing and simply laying down to die, carried away by the gentle but deadly hand of hypothermia.The Tyranids would not let them die so easily, however, and the survivors soon found themselves under attack by fast-moving swarms of Rippers and Hormagaunts. Poul Marlin led his troops in a running defense, keeping his men moving, and they managed to beat back the small swarm while losing only two of their own. Things still looked grim, however, for the Tyranids had their scent, and the humans would soon have to stop for the night. Marlin gathered his men at a rocky outcropping, and made them form a half circle. Expecting this to be their last stand, the Slavok soldiers ate their last food and burned their last fuel, waiting for the Tyranids to close in for the kill. When their last fuel burned out, the humans commended their souls to the Emperor of Mankind as total darkness fell. Yet, instead of hearing the hisses and chitinous creak of moving Tyranids, the survivors were deafened by the loud bark of Bolter fire. The bewildered Guardsmen peered into the surrounding darkness, catching glimpses of giants in grey Power Armour slaughtering the Tyranids through the stroboscopic effect of their Bolters' muzzle flashes. No Tyranid managed to reach the sheltering humans, and when hours later the sun rose, the astonished Guardsmen could only stare at the slaughterhouse scene that confronted them. The frozen plain was littered with blasted, exploded or eviscerated Tyranid bodies. But of their Astartes saviors, there was no sign.
Poul Marlin - Chasing the Space Wolves: Marlin forced his men and himself to ignore the Astartes' strange behaviour; with neither fuel nor food left, they now had to make it to the outpost with all due haste, before the murderous night fell again and froze them all to death. Gathering his men about him, Marlin set out with all possible speed, and the survivors ultimately reached the outpost in the nick of time. Although the forced march would claim three of their numbers, things began to look up for the survivors, as the outpost was still intact and provided them with shelter, water and fuel to burn and get warm. Alas, the remaining food stores had rotted away, so food remained a problem for the Slavok men. The much-needed warmth and rest restored some of the Guardsmen's morale, and when one of the soldiers reported the presence of functional Chimera APC's in the outpost, Marlin rejoiced and decided that in the morning they would embark in search of the Astartes they had glimpsed the day before.The night proved bitter, however, for one of the famished soldiers chanced to eat the rotten food, and became delusional. In his madness, he severely wounded two of his comrades before running out of the base. Marlin ordered his men to prepare the Chimeras while he went after their crazed fellow soldier. His rescue attempt would prove futile, however, for a Hormagaunt had gotten to the man first. Hissing in fury, the Gaunt launched himself at Marlin, but was caught in-flight by a well-aimed Bolter shell, and a bewildered Marlin dazedly turned his gaze from the remains of his would-be killer, to his saviour, glimpsing again a gigantic warrior in Power Armour who nodded at him before disappearing.Marlin returned to the outpost, and had his men mount up in the Chimeras. The three vehicles then set out with their Auspex running, in the hope of finding the Astartes. What they found instead was another swarm of Gaunts, who attempted to overwhelm the Chimeras. This time, however, the Guardsmen had enough firepower at their disposal, and they held their own, cutting swathes through the Tyranid creatures, and when suddenly three Astartes bikers shot out of the mists and added their close-quarters prowess to the Guardsmen's firepower, the swarm was quickly routed. Marlin ordered a full stop, and jumped down from his Chimera to greet and thank the Space Marines, but their leader only barked at him to go away quickly. Dumbfounded, Marlin gazed in the same direction as the other two Astartes, and watched with horror as a Carnifex charged out of the mists: the Gaunts had sacrificed themselves to slow the humans down and allow the larger bioform to join the fray. Marlin mounted his APC again, watching in fascination as the Space Wolves prepared to face the "Screamer-Killer". At first he gave the order to run for it, but the decision rankled him, and moments later he ordered his three APC's around, and grabbed their last remaining Missile Launcher. Reaching the battle once again, he calmly adjusted his aim, and shot a Krak Missile straight down the Carnifex's maw, which blasted out the back of the gigantic Tyranid's skull and killed it instantly.
Poul Marlin - Last Stand on Shadrac: Marlin introduced himself to the leader of the Space Wolves, who named himself Skold Greypelt. The Slavok soldiers then followed the Space Wolves back to their encampment. To their astonishment, they were treated to a traditional Fenrisian feast, with the Space Marines building a large bonfire and breaking out caskets of Fenrisian Ale. The Space Wolves explained this was a funerary feast for the Space Wolf biker who had been mortally wounded by the Carnifex. When Marlin dared to ask if the Space Wolves were not afraid thet the fire would attract the Tyranids, he was answered with roars of laughter, growls that the Space Wolves feared nothing, and the "assurance" that attracting Tyranids was the whole point of the Space Wolves' presence on Shadrac. Greypelt explained to Marlin the way of the Space Wolves, and explained that while Shadrac was lost to the Imperium, they could still make the Tyranids pay a steep price for it.After having feasted, the Space Wolves and the remaining Guardsmen took up defensive positions, and battle was soon joined, as wave after wave of lesser Tyranid bioforms threw themselves at the stubborn defenders, who slaughtered them in droves with volleys from their Lasguns and Bolters, before cutting those few that managed to reach them to pieces.Yet the valiant defenders eventually ran out of ammunition, and Greypelt called in his Thunderhawk, upon which the surviving Astartes and Guardsmen hurriedly embarked. As the last living defenders departed the doomed world, the critically wounded Space Wolf laid down on his funeral cairn, and with a last shout of defiance, detonated the nuclear weapon that had been buried within it. A cataclysmic explosion that was seen by the survivors from orbit ravaged the surrounding swarms, incinerating thousands of Tyranids and denying their bio-matter to the Hive Mind forever. Shadrac had fallen, but the Hive Mind had paid in blood and ichor for it.
Poul Marlin - Personality: Sergeant Poul Marlin was an honourable and competent member of the Imperial Guard. As a non-commissioned officer, he knew how to lead and motivate his platoon of men, but he was also very humane, and did everything he could to keep his men alive and out of harm. As a veteran, he was fully aware that despair was the Guardsman's worst enemy, so he made sure he kept his men focused and as motivated as possible. Marlin was also a courageous man, never flinching when faced with the horrors of the Tyranids, nor hesitating to stand up to an Astartes to defend his opinion. His exact rank and seniority is unknown, but judging from his scars, his eyepatch, and the fact that he possesses a precious Bolt Pistol normally reserved to officers and Commissars in the Imperial Guard, he is probably the Sergeant of a Veteran Squad.
Power Armour - Power Armour: Power armour is an advanced form of powered combat armour, worn primarily by the Space Marines and the Chaos Space Marines, though suits have been created to be worn by mere mortals. It is a completely enclosed suit of combat armour composed of shaped adamantium and plasteel plates, encased in a ceramite ablative layer.Each suit possesses a full suite of life-support functions for operation in hostile environments, an automated medicae system to provide some level of first aid to a wounded wearer and a highly advanced and fully integrated tactical targeting and threat analysis system known as "auto-senses."The suit would be heavy and cumbersome to wear but for the electrically-motivated fibre bundles within the armour that replicates the wearer's movement and enhances their strength beyond its already considerable superhuman baseline (for Space Marines).Rather than simply being worn, a Space Marine's armour integrates with him. It can take many solar decades to forge a single suit of power armour, and each is maintained with absolute care and devotion by skilled Chapter serfs or even the Space Marines themselves. Each suit is a unique artefact with a spirit and history deeply valued by its Chapter.Power armour has a range of auxiliary systems that improve the Space Marine's effectiveness, including auto-senses made up of thought-activated communications systems, augurs, audio filters, targeting reticules and numerous other features.Life support functions include pain suppressors, combat stimulants and anti-venoms. Reinforced greaves incorporate gyroscopic stabilisers and power units that magnetise the soles of the armour's boots for zero-gravity and vacuum combat.Primaris Space Marines now wear modular Mark X Power Armour. This highly flexible protective system can be modified and upgraded to suit the needs of the battlefield. Mark X Tacticus Power Armour is the most common Mark X variant, and is worn by Intercessors, among others.Mark X Phobos Power Armour is lighter and heavily streamlined. With greater mobility and servo-motors engineered to be silent, it is used most optimally in stealth and infiltration missions, often by Reivers and Vanguard Space Marines.The Mark X Gravis and Omnis variants may be bulky but are also enormously sturdy, allowing the wearer to stride into the most furious firestorms and harrowing orbital drops and emerge unscathed.Whilst power armour is most commonly associated with the Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes, the Sisters of Battle and many Inquisitors also use powered armour of one sort or another.Typically, however, these armours may not contain the same strength-enhancing properties or life-support functions of Space Marine power armour, nor do they always provide the same level of protection or mobility.
Power Armour - Design: The enclosing suits of armour worn by Space Marines are made from thick ceramite plates and would be cumbersome but for electrically motivated fibre bundles that replicate the movements of the wearer and supplement his strength.The last gene-seed organ to be implanted in a Space Marine -- the Black Carapace -- rests beneath the skin, itself fitted with neural sensors and transfusion ports.These plug-in points mesh with Space Marine power armour, linking the wearer's nervous system to his suit's mind impulse controls, turning the suit into a second skin that moves with all the speed and precision of the battle-brother's own body.Without the Black Carapace, Space Marine power armour is almost useless, and it is therefore the most distinctive feature of a Space Marine and the true mark of the Adeptus Astartes.There are several patterns (or "marks") of power armour, whose appearances differ significantly. Many older marks have special associations for certain Chapters and are often worn by their ceremonial honour guards or elite units.Power armour is maintained by skilled Artificers who are not Space Marines, but normal Human servants who spend their lives working for the Chapter. Especially talented Artificers are justly celebrated, and examples of their work highly prized.Elements of ancient armour are religiously hunted down, for they carry both the history of the Chapter and the deeds of heroic individuals. Such pieces are lovingly restored and painstakingly engraved with new designs.As a result, it is quite common to find power armour that combines pieces from different marks, every greave and gorget a recollection of mighty deeds and battles won.Power armour is fully sealed, isolating the wearer from the outside environment and protecting him from chemical and/or biological weapons and toxic atmospheres. It also commonly includes numerous auxiliary systems such as radio frequency communicators, auto-senses, etc.Space Marines go through an arduous process where they receive various biogenetically-engineered implants culminating with the implantation of the Black Carapace which allows the Astartes a direct and instinctual neural interface with his power armour, transforming it into effectively a second skin.The advanced systems of Space Marine power armour also monitor the Astartes' biological functions, feeding the collected medical information to the wearer and, if necessary, to the Chapter's Apothecaries when he is wounded.The armour's backpack contains the suit's main power source -- a sub-atomic microfusion generator and a back-up solar power converter and 100 solar cell batteries to store the absorbed solar energy.The backpack also contains the armour's environmental and life support systems and additional movement stabiliser thrusters for low and zero-gravity combat.
Power Armour - Common Components of Space Marine Power Armour: All patterns of Adeptus Astartes power armour possess the following components:Helmet - The armoured reinforced headgear that protects an Astartes' head.Auto-senses - A Space Marine's helmet contains most of his armour's combat systems, all of which are referred to by one title -- Auto-senses. These include thought-activated comm-augers and audio-filters, targeting reticules and range finders, tactical displays and auspex-links, and a host of other features that further enhance the Space Marine's already superhuman senses.Photolenses - The photolenses are the reinforced eye guards in the helmet that protect the Space Marine from dazzling light bursts. They also allow him to see into the infrared and ultraviolet ranges, as well as enabling vision in low-light conditions.Respirator Vox Grill - The vox grill can amplify a Space Marine's battle cries to deafening volumes. It also contains a respirator to filter out toxins and can be shut off with a thought, drawing instead upon an internal oxygen supply.Gorget - Part of the armour that protects the throat.Pauldron - The auto-reactive shoulder guards are shaped to deflect as well as absorb incoming blows, these shoulder plates typically display Adeptus Astartes identification markings, including Chapter symbols, company and squad markings, as well as many other honour badges.Gauntlet - The armoured glove that protects both the hand and the wrist.Cuisses - The part of the armour that protects the thigh.Plastron - The armoured chestplate that is designed to protect the suit's armoured power cables, and more importantly, the Astartes vital organs. It is typically adorned with the Imperial Aquila or the Imperialis honour for more veteran Space Marines.Couter - Part of the armour that protects the elbow.Vambrace - Part of the armour that protects the forearm.Poleyn - Part of the armour that protects the knee.Greaves - Part of the armour that protects the lower leg. The greaves incorporate gyroscopic stabilisers and power units that can magnetise the soles of the armour's boots for combat in zero-gravity or other unstable conditions.Sabaton - The armoured boot that protects the foot.Backpack Power Unit- This backpack houses the primary power core for Space Marine armour, as well as reserve cells and an emergency solar collector.Life Signs Monitor - Adeptus Astartes power armour contains a suite of life-support functions, including an auto-medicae equipped with various painkillers, combat stimulants and anti-venoms.Temperature Regulator - Astartes power armour automatically maintains the Space Marine's temperature. Heat is provided by the power core and thermal build-up can be vented via the backpack's distinctive nozzles. As a result, a Space Marine can fight anywhere, in the cold vacuum of space or the raging heart of a volcano, without even noticing the change of temperature.Nutrient Reservoir - Astartes power armour contains a self-replenishing, high-energy liquid food store that can sustain a Space Marine's metabolism without need for further nourishment. During battle, there is no need for a Space Marine to stop to eat or drink.
Power Armour - Primaris Space Marine Mark X Power Armour Technical Specifications: Mark X Power Armour does not have a single appellation like earlier variants of Astartes battle-plate (such as Mark VII Aquila Power Armour). Instead, different variants of the same mark are worn depending on the Primaris Space Marines' combat role. Intercessor Squads, Hellblasters and many Primaris officers, for example, wear Mark X Tacticus Armour like the suit shown to the right. It offers substantial protection and allows the wearer great mobility. Inceptors, however, wear the Mark X Gravis variant, showcased below. Elements of several earlier marks of Astartes power armour are recognisable in the various incarnations of Mark X armour.Sloped pauldrons, or shoulder plates, are used to deflect enemy fire. Primaris Space Marines are trained to use these angles to deflect shots.The thickest layer of ceramite is over the chest-plate, protecting not just the power armour's cables, but also most of a Primaris Space Marine's vital internal organs.A Dominus-class Purity Seal.The Mark II Cawl Pattern Bolt Rifle is wielded like an extension of a Primaris Space Marine's weaponised physique.An Absolutis ballistic-appeasement autoreliquary allows for autosanctification of Bolt Weaponry in combat.Flanged poleyns (kneeplates), made of melded plasteel and ceramite, provide extra protection over vulnerable joints.Greaves. These incorporate gyroscopic stabilizers and can magnetise the soles of the armour's boots, allowing Primaris Space Marines to walk on metal surfaces in treacherous terrain, including zero-gravity environments -- essential for boarding actions in the cold battlefield of space.
Power Armour - History and Development: Power armour has been in use since before the Age of the Imperium, worn by the techno-barbarians that dominated Terra during the Age of Strife. It was also worn by the early genetically-engineered warriors that formed part of the Emperor's retinue during his unification of Terra towards the end of the Age of Strife in the 30th Millennium.In the armour's earliest incarnation, the suit was not fully sealed or life-supporting, this being unnecessary while its use was still confined solely to Terra. Over the history of the Imperium, power armour has developed into many different forms. Need, circumstances and the recovery of new materials and lost advanced technology, so-called archeotech, has shaped the armour's evolution.The common image of the Emperor's Space Marines is of mighty warriors arrayed in imposing suits of armour made of ceramite plates, adorned with a bold two-headed Aquila on their chests. This pattern of power armour, dubbed the "Aquila Pattern," is the one most often seen among the Firstborn Space Marines, but is in fact just one of eight distinct "marks" seen on battlefields over the millennia.All the recent types are still in active use, to varying degrees, by the existing Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. Working examples of the older marks, meanwhile, are extremely rare and valued as a physical link to the glorious history of the Space Marines.Older patterns of power armour are reserved for ceremonial guards or used as the badge of office of high-ranking officers. It may be noted that there appears to be a steady improvement in engineering and design through the years.However this progress is not because of any particular invention or creativity. Rather, the changes were triggered by the gradual rediscovery of knowledge and materials from the Age of Technology, as the Emperor's Great Crusade reconquered the galaxy.Following the end of the Horus Heresy, the genral stagnation of Imperial culture and technology meant that the advancements in power armour technology have been few and far between.
Power Armour - Mark I Thunder Power Armour: The first power armour suit type created for the Space Marines was the Mark I Thunder Power Armour, though the name was assigned after the fact and at the time of its use the suit was simply called "power armour." Neither fully enclosed nor airtight, it cannot be considered true power armour, but paved the way for future designs. It featured a powered and heavily armoured torso that gave the wearer immense upper-body strength for grappling and subduing their foes. The power required to keep the suit working came from a backpack, a technological innovation that has been incorporated into every mark of power armour since. Its name was derived from the thunder and lightning symbol on the armour' plastron.It was developed from the powered combat armour worn by the techno-barbarians that plagued Terra near the end of the Age of Strife. It was used during the Emperor's Unification Wars to retake and reunite Humanity's homeworld before the Great Crusade and was worn by the Thunder Warriors.It was by no means unique to the first Space Marines -- in fact, the techno-barbarian warriors the Emperor fought during the conquest of Terra wore it too, and the Emperor's forces of genetically-enhanced warriors were wearing it even before the first true Space Marines were developed. However, because it was designed with fighting in a terrestrial environment in mind, it is not fully enclosed, with no means to support the wearer in a vacuum.Only the upper body is powered, due in part to the fact that during the Emperor's conquest of Terra, ranged weapons were difficult to make due to technological constraints, and so a warrior's upper-body strength was his most important asset. This armour pattern takes its name from the thunderbolt and lightning symbol known as the Raptor Imperialis the Emperor used during the Unification Wars on Terra before he adopted the double-headed eagle known as the Imperial Aquila during the Great Crusade.The emblem gives the suit its common present-day name -- Thunder Armour. This early armour was produced on a completely local basis. There was no standard design, individual suits varied heavily and their exact designs were often a matter of personal taste.The main part of the armour is the massive powered torso which encloses the chest and arms. Coiled energy cables beneath the armour plating transmit energy from the power pack on the back to the arms, greatly increasing physical strength.Since the fighting on Terra during this period was primarily close-quarters, the strength of a warrior's chest and arms was of paramount importance. The legs of this armour are not powered at all, but are enclosed in tough padded breaches, though simple steel plates were sometimes also used.Although uncommon, the best-equipped warriors sometimes wore armoured greaves and armoured boots. However, this ancient suit of power armour was noticeably noisier than later models, perhaps due to the unpowered legs, making stealth operations nearly impossible in it.
Power Armour - Mark III Iron Power Armour: As the Great Crusade reached the planets towards the core of the galaxy, some of the worlds encountered were the Squat homeworlds, which were not pleased to find themselves the object of a Human galactic conquest, Emperor of Mankind or no. The Squats' independent and stubborn nature along with the conditions of the fighting in the Squats' subterranean cities spurred the creation of this new armour type.High casualties suffered by the Legiones Astartes on these worlds and in other similar, close-quarters environments such as boarding actions and tunnel-fighting during the Great Crusade led to the development by the ancient Mechanicum of the Mark III pattern of power armour. The Mark III was best suited for voidcraft boarding actions and combat in confined subterranean tunnel complexes with little cover.This armour was ideally used by Space Marines when cover was minimal and combat was a matter of a simple frontal assault. Because of this pattern of power armour's great strength, it became known as the "Iron Armour" or Armorum Ferrum in Imperial High Gothic. The Mark III was never intended to replace the Mark II armour but instead was a specialised suit to provide heavier protection than the normal Mark II suit when fighting in conditions similar to that found on the Squat homeworlds, in mines, subterranean complexes or the tight corridors of a voidcraft. It has more frontal protection than the Mark II armour, but the weight of the rear armour was lessened to compensate, making it unsuitable for regular combat duties.The suit uses a heavily armoured helmet with sloping plates designed to deflect shots to the left and right, thus inspiring its name as the Iron Pattern. This helmet pattern inspired the later Mark IV and VI helmet designs. The wedge-shaped helmet also formed the basis for the later distinctive Corvus Beak helmet of the Mark VI pattern.Iron Armour clanks and grinds with the slightest movement, making it all but useless in stealth operations. However, the presence of such an imposing and ancient suit of relic power armour is a great honour for all Space Marines and its presence can greatly boost unit morale in combat.Ostensibly a suit of modified Mark II Crusade armour, the Mark III featured additional armour panels on the greaves, forearms, thighs, chest and groin, plus larger shoulder plates. In the 41st Millennium the Mark III is now mainly worn as ceremonial relic armour.
Power Armour - Mark V Heresy Power Armour: The equipping of the Legions with Mark IV armour was only partially complete when the Horus Heresy broke out. Many of the newly-equipped Legions turned against the Imperium while many of the Loyalist Legions still possessed only Mark II Crusade Power Armour. With the extensive amount of war damage and constantly mobile operations that defined warfare during the Heresy, resupply for the Loyalist Space Marine Legions' damaged equipment was difficult or impossible.This suit of power armour was developed by Space Marine Artificers and Techmarines as a solution to the supply problems caused by the Horus Heresy. It was manufactured from the most basic of materials, and it was easy to maintain. Almost all of its users used molecular bonding studs to hold the armour layers of plasteel and ceramite together, and these studs became a distinctive marker of this pattern of power armour.In time, it became traditional for the studs to be found on the head, lower legs, and left shoulder plate of the armour. Since the highly advanced Mark IV suits became so difficult to maintain, the Mark V was defined by its flexibility, as it was capable of being repaired with either new or old materials, depending upon their availability.In many cases, older, heavier power cabling was used, which created a weak point on the armour throughout the suit's composition. To deal with this problem, many Chapters' Techmarines reinforced these suits with an extra plate of ceramite fitted over the top of the original plates with molecular bonding studs, which as noted above were responsible for the armour's distinctive appearance.Due to the sub-standard materials used in the construction of this armour variant, the Mark V tended to be heavier and more cumbersome than its predecessors and thus had a tendency to over-heat quickly. Many Space Marines had to endure sub-standard performance by turning down the power output of their backpack to prevent intolerable heat build-ups.The helmet appears to be an early version of the Mark VII Aquila helmet derived from a modification of the Mark IV helmet, although it is significantly more primitive in its design.After the Heresy, most examples of this pattern of power armour were dismantled and used for spare or replacement parts with other patterns of armour as the Chapters who emerged from the Heresy perhaps did not want to be reminded of those dark days of civil war and betrayal. However, this pattern of armour is still commonplace among the Traitor Legions of Chaos.Heresy pattern armour carries memories and allusions to the Imperium's darkest hour, but also its greatest victory and the Emperor's Ascension. Other Astartes will offer a wearer of this pattern of power armour solemn respect. But members of the Inquisition, who know that this pattern of armour is particularly common among Chaos Space Marines, will be instinctively suspicious of any Astartes with such a close connection to the Traitor Legions.
Power Armour - Mark VII Aquila Power Armour: This version of basic power armour was also known as Imperator Armour. It is the contemporary variant of power armour most commonly used by the Space Marine Chapters of the Imperium in the 41st Millennium. Mark VII armour was developed during the last stages of the Horus Heresy, and remains in use as the most common form of power armour more than 10,000 standard years later among the Firstborn Space Marines.The armour features a heavy plastron, built to accommodate the chest cabling (the only real weakness on the Mark VI), which is emblazoned with an Aquila to show allegiance to the Emperor. The snub-nosed helmet was, once again, a derivation of the Mark IV Maximus helmet design, but made more compact so it was easier to wear in combat.The Mark VII represents the final major development of Mark VI armour. While the final battle for Mars was underway with the Traitor Legions during their invasion of the Sol System in the Solar War, the Imperium realised the planet would eventually be lost. Mechanicum armour development teams were transferred to Terra to continue their tasks, incorporating their latest work into the armour type that would become the Mark VII. As Mars fell to Horus and the Warmaster turned to begin the Siege of Terra, the new type of armour began reaching the Loyalist Space Marines on Terra and Luna.The Mark VII armour is characterised by the grim-looking Vox-caster (external vocalizer) on the faceplate, and the plastron displaying the Imperial Aquila or the Space Marine honour known as the Imperialis (a winged skull), which has given the armour different names such as Armorum Impetor ("Eagle Armour") or "Aquila Armour" ("Aquila" being the name of the two-headed eagle which symbolises the Imperium of Man).During the Great Crusade, the Emperor had decreed that only the Emperor's Children Legion could wear the Imperial Aquila, the symbol of the Imperium and the Emperor Himself, upon their chest plates, as a sign of the great respect He held for the Emperor's Children and their Primarch Fulgrim's quest for perfection. But once the Emperor's Children allowed themselves to be corrupted by Slaanesh, the Emperor decreed as the Traitor Legions' final assault began upon the Sol System that every Loyalist Astartes was now worthy of bearing the Aquila upon his breast.As the Mark VII is a further development of the technologies introduced in the Mark VI, both have a great deal in common, and parts from one pattern of armour are readily interchangeable with parts from the other in Space Marine Armouries.A Mark VI helmet, for example, would fit straight onto a Mark VII suit, with no need for any reengineering by Techmarines and Artificers.
Power Armour - Mark VIII Errant Power Armour: The Mark VIII Errant Pattern is an update to the Mark VII Aquila Power Armour, the first suit of new power armour produced by the Imperium since the Horus Heresy. This reality illustrates the extreme stagnation of Mankind's science and technology over the past ten Terran millennia since the fall of Horus and the Ascension of the Emperor.On the surface, Errant armour looks much like a suit of Mark VII power armour, but with all the torso power cabling hidden behind articulated armour panels, a change based on the modifications made to many existing Mark VII suits once many Adeptus Astartes Techmarines realised the cabling represented one of the Mark VII's only major points of vulnerability. Additional armour to protect the ribbed joints can be seen at the hips, and the ankles of the greaves have been adapted to provide a better range of movement.Mark VIII Errant armour is most readily distinguished from its predecessor by a raised collar or gorget at the front, and enhanced armoured plating for the Mark VII's torso power cables which were vulnerable to weapons fire. The new pattern also addressed the vulnerability issues of the Mark VII's neck joint, which had been know to act as a "shell-trap," as a projectile could hit the sloped breastplate and deflect up into the neck joint. The new gorget required a new helmet design, which caused problems for backward compatibility with the earlier helmet types, which cannot be easily fitted to a Mark VIII neck joint without extensive modification.Mark VIII armour went into only limited production, and was seen in very limited numbers on the battlefields of the 41st Millennium. Full versions of this armour are almost never seen; however, it is common to find parts of it, particularly the power cabling protection plates and the gorget being used by Firstborn Space Marine officers.Full suits of the Mark VIII has had limited deployment thus far, and tends to be reserved for Firstborn Veteran Marines as a sign of their rank. Mark VIII suits have mostly been issued to sergeants and higher-ranking Astartes officers, and as such the appearance of the Mark VIII has taken on an air of authority amongst the Adeptus Astartes. The Mark VIII is also more common among the Firstborn Space Marines of the Deathwatch Chapter, almost all of who are already Veterans when they begin the Long Vigil.The Mark VIII is not widespread in the galaxy yet and it will take quite a few Terran centuries before the Forge Worlds of the Imperium have brought every Chapter up to the new standard.With the introduction of the Primaris Space Marines and the Mark X suit in the Era Indomitus, it is unlikely that the Mark VIII will now receive wide deployment as the number of Firstborn Space Marines slowly declines.
Power Armour - Adaptability: One design feature of power armour patterns Mark VI through Mark VIII is their extreme ruggedness and high level of adaptability; it is fairly common within most Space Marine Chapters to see a suit combining parts originally created for three or four different patterns of suits, salvaged from dead battle-brothers on the battlefield. Mark VII armour, in particular, was created with this simple modularity in mind.The many different Loyalist Space Marine Chapters of the present utilise all these different power armour patterns in differing ratios. Some choose to equip their Astartes with the most advanced patterns of armour available to them, while others cherish the older patterns and seek to maintain them for as long as possible in a combat-ready state.It should be noted that the Mark I, II and III patterns of power armour are no longer in general usage by any Chapter's Battle Companies and are extremely rare relics of any Chapter lucky enough to still possess a complete suit of these types, though the Mark II and Mark III can be seen with slightly greater frequency among the Chaos Space Marines of the Traitor Legions.The Consecrators Chapter, one of the Successor Chapters of the Dark Angels that inherited much of the original Dark Angels Legion's equipment during the Second Founding, will actually avoid the use of any suits newer than the Mark VI for its Firstborn Marines, and thus appears on the field as a Space Marine Legion from the legendary days of the Horus Heresy.In many cases, only sections or portions of the more ancient patterns of armour remain, adapted to fit with more recent suits of Mark VI or Mark VII armour.However, even a single shoulder plate or gauntlet that has seen millennia of service and countless battles is a treasured relic of a Chapter that brings much honour to the Astartes who has earned the right to wear it.
Power Armour - No Helmet Custom: It is fairly common to see a Space Marine in combat without his helmet, especially among sergeants and officers, and many Astartes choose to remove their helmet when there is no immediate danger present.Despite the added risk this practice presents, or perhaps because of that added danger, many Astartes see this practice as an honourable act of courage and even defiance to the Emperor's enemies.The absence of a helmet does mean that the Astartes loses the Auto-senses that are housed within his armour, so those Space Marines who favour this custom often utilize earpieces or ocular enhancement devices, either as temporary additions or bionic replacements. Additionally, to insure a correct environmental seal, some of the proper rituals must be followed, which can take several more solar minutes.In addition to the loss of their suit's Auto-senses, a Space Marine who chooses not to wear his helmet in combat cannot take advantage of the suit's environmental and life support systems, which means that this custom cannot be indulged in during combat in a vacuum or a hostile atmosphere.When the helmet is off, the suit's vox link, while still usable through transceivers implanted in the armour's collar, can provide audio transmission only instead of the pictographic and videographic transmissions that are also possible when the helmet is worn.However, an Astartes commanding his fellow battle-brothers in the field will often find their respect and unit cohesion enhanced due to the pride they take in their leader's unflinching willingness to face increased risk.Of course, if a major fire-fight does break out or an Astartes unit enters an area of a hostile environment, putting one's helmet on as quickly as possible may be the only prudent course.While the proper battle-prayers and rituals for donning a complete suit of power armour usually take a considerable amount of time, it is possible to replace a helmet quickly when the need is urgent.After the helmet is replaced, it make take a few more minutes for the suit's Auto-senses and full vox link to become available, as the armour's Machine Spirit takes time to reactivate after an abrupt reawakening.Amongst the Astartes, it is the Space Wolves who are the most fervent practitioners of this custom. In their case, it is no mere show of courage as the Canis Helix gifts them with a preternaturally acute sense of smell, rivalling that of natural wolves or trained scent-hounds.Many Space Wolves are able to follow their targets, or the very flow of battle, thanks to minute changes in scent when fighting helmetless. The Space Wolves consider the added risk of a well-placed sniper shot to the head acceptable when equated with the ability to scent ambushes or the very moment an enemy will break or charge.This habit of gaining information about a situation by scent is so natural to the Space Wolves that many feel slightly disoriented and claustrophobic when forced by circumstances to don their helmets.
Power Armour - Other Imperial Power Armours: Although power armour is most closely associated with the Adeptus Astartes, it is also used by the Sisters of Battle and some more martial-minded Inquisitors of all three of the Holy Ordos.However, the Sisters of Battle and Inquisitors who use power armour do not possess the Black Carapace gene-seed organ implant, and so cannot be directly linked to the suit's advanced movement enhancement and fire control systems in the way Space Marines are, which decreases the armour's effectiveness.Some high-ranking members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Machine Cult, use power armour. Enginseers of the Astra Militarum use it to protect them from enemy fire as they tend to the Machine Spirits of the Imperial Guard's vehicles.
Power Armour - Terminator Armour: Tactical Dreadnought Armour, more often called Terminator Armour, is one of the strongest forms of personal power armour in existence and is the heaviest and most resilient model the Imperium of Man has to offer.It was developed for a mid-range of uses between the armoured chassis of a true Dreadnought and standard power armour. It is composed of a specially synthesized ceramite/plasteel alloy exoskeleton whose manufacture is now unknown to the Adeptus Mechanicus, with servo-assisted interfaces that link into the user's own neurological and muscular systems to enhance movement.It is able to withstand tremendous punishment, and serves as a solid heavy-weapons platform in open-field combat. Due to its size, it is best deployed in close quarters such as the corridors of a starship, where the standard-issue Storm Bolter can be most effective.The elite 1st Company of each Space Marine Chapter uses Terminator Armour, and only those Astartes who earn the Crux Terminatus of the 1st Company are permitted to wear this precious and rare model of power armour.The most common pattern of Terminator Armour currently used by the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes is the Indomitus Pattern.Other, archaic patterns of Tactical Dreadnought Armour dating back to the time of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy exist in current use, but they are extremely rare and will be treated as venerated relics by those Chapters lucky enough to possess such an artefact of the Imperium's lost golden age.
Power Armour - Aegis Armour: The elite Grey Knights Space Marines who serve the Inquisition's Ordo Malleus as its Chamber Militant wear Aegis Armour, a type of power armour that is incredibly well-crafted.It is anointed and inscribed with prayers and wards, ritually consecrated and psychically-charged. Working in tandem with the Grey Knights' formidable psychic powers, the Aegis warding within the armour protects the wearer from psychic attack unleashed by the effects of the Immaterium and the Daemons it spawns, using the wearer's own psychic power as its energy source.The armour's ritual blessings and psychic resonance also serve to confound the psychic perception of any enemy that draws upon the power of the Warp, resulting in an effect called "the Shrouding."As well as its psychic properties, the armour itself incorporates a bolter weapon that is similar in function to a standard Astartes bolter, albeit with a larger design and more robust manufacture.These weapons are common to the Grey Knights and often mounted on the wrist so that they might have a free hand to wield their Nemesis Force Weapons two-handed.The suits are generally based on components from Mark VI, VII and VIII power armour designs, with a modified helmet design that is reminiscent of the Mark III.
Power Armour - Artificer Armour: Artificer Armour is the name given to individualised and heavily modified suits of power armour of many different patterns provided only to Space Marines who have proven themselves worthy of the honour, such as Chapter Masters, Company Captains, members of the Chapter Master's honour guard, or particularly skilled Veterans of the 1st Company or the various company Command Squads.Though Artificer Armour and power armour are similar in appearance, Artificer Armour is as far beyond standard power armour as power armour is beyond the Carapace Armour used by the soldiers of the Astra Militarum.Ingeniously designed damage control mechanisms and superdense materials allow most suits of Artificer Armour to offer a much greater degree of protection than standard power armour, even rivaling that offered by Terminator Armour in some cases. Artificer Armour cannot, however, make use of weapons as powerful as those available to Astartes in Terminator Armour.A suit of Artificer Armour is an extremely valuable relic for a Space Marine Chapter and will usually have belonged to the Chapter's greatest heroes. Many elements of the suit will have been replaced or repaired over the long years and its heraldry altered for each wearer, but it is still held to be the same suit of armour and so is venerated for its history.Techmarines also wear a form of Artificer Armour. These suits are rarely as old and venerated as the others possessed by the Chapter, but are essentially suits of power armour that have been heavily modified and improved by several generations of Techmarines.Such suits usually contain a vast array of mechanical interfaces and built-in servo-tools to aid a Techmarine in his duties for the Chapter.Some suits of Artificer Armour date back to the time of the Horus Heresy or even the Great Crusade. Forged by the master craftsmen of the ancient Mechanicum, these superior relic power armours are often highly embellished with ciphers of strength and durability, while some of wildly differing designs are far older than the present age and owe their origins to the forgotten zenith of Human technological might during the Dark Age of Technology.
Power Armour - Adepta Sororitas Power Armour: The Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas, better known as the Sisters of Battle, use a lighter, less bulky version of power armour.This variant armour is based upon the same archaic systems as that worn by the brethren of the Adeptus Astartes. Commissioned by the renegade High Lord Goge Vandire, it is the only part of his legacy that was not removed along with his head during the Reign of Blood of the 36th Millennium.Created initially by the forges on Mars for the Adepta Sororitas, this lighter variant of power armour provides excellent protection and increased strength with little to no reduction in movement speed or agility.Although, as the Sisters of Battle are not implanted with the Black Carapace that allows Astartes to cybernetically interface fully with their own armour, they must forego the more advanced life-support systems and strength-enhancing abilities used by the Space Marines.The armour uses a similar power supply as the armour for the Adeptus Astartes and does not run out of energy unless damaged. As an optional item, battle-sisters also sometimes wear the Sabbat Pattern Sororitas Helm, the standard pattern worn by the majority of battle-sisters since the mid-38th Millennium.This helm contains an integral rebreather, allowing the sister to operate in total vacuum for limited periods. The visor provides full-spectrum filtering and limited psycho-oculal buffering, allowing the sisters to fight on where a less well-equipped warrior would be rendered insensible by adverse battlefield conditions.A second variant of the Sabbat Pattern Helm has the fleur-de-lis symbol of the Sisterhood mounted upon the front, an honour normally reserved for those sisters who have performed with exceptional courage and honour in combat. It is also common amongst the elite Celestian squads.For the battle-sisters of the Calixis Sector, this helm is issued only after they have proven themselves worthy of wearing it.