vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Death Ray - Death Ray: A Death Ray is a ferocious Necron weapon most commonly found as the primary weapon for Doom Scythes. The Death Ray is aptly named and rightly feared, for there is seldom a warning before the weapon strikes, for any sound it makes is lost under the unearthly wailing of the Doom Scythe's engines.A particularly alert foe might recognise the nimbus of energy building up around the focusing crystal, or the abrupt change in air pressure; but few recognise the significance in time. The nimbus pulses one final time and an irresistible beam of blinding white light bursts from the Doom Scythe's underside, vaporising infantry and tanks alike, leaving only charred and rutted terrain in its wake.A single Doom Scythe can carve its way through an entire armoured column so long as its Death Ray remains operational and a full squadron can reduce the sprawling spires of a hive city to fulminating slag in less than a solar hour. Mounted as part of an underslung turret on a Doom Scythe, a Death Ray fires a narrow beam of intense directed energy capable of passing through many enemy units and vehicles before the energy is dissipated, often vaporising whole battle lines with a single shot and leaving nothing but a line of ruin in its wake.
Death Rider - Death Rider: The Death Riders of Krieg are a famous and unique formation within the Death Korps of Krieg. These specialised units are superficially similar to the standard Rough Rider cavalry units found amongst numerous other Astra Militarum regiments from worlds where animals used as mounts or for draught purposes are commonplace.The Death Riders of Krieg are one of the most justly famous of the unique formations found within the forces of the Imperial Guard's Death Korps of Krieg regiments. The Death Riders make use of highly adaptable mounts who are descended from the original Terran horse but have been gene-tailored over the millennia for strength, endurance and aggression.
Death Rider - Death Rider Companies: The Death Riders form a special cadre within the regiments of the Death Korps of Krieg, and their inductees are chosen not only on the grounds of aptitude but also for independent thought and initiative. Many future Death Korps Officers are drawn from the ranks of the Death Riders' survivors.Death Riders are equipped with a variety of sidearms and sabre-blades, in addition to the signature, explosive-tipped lance found in similar Rough Rider units. Death Rider companies are used both for battlefield reconnaissance, replacing the Sentinel's traditional role in the Krieg siege regiments, and as shock-troops, using their speed and impact to smash through enemy lines. Death Riders are commonly used in the role of reserves held back to break counter-attacks, or to press a breakthrough themselves.The Death Riders have earned their savage reputation among other Astra Militarum regiments for their merciless pursuit of fleeing enemy troops; it is standard practice for Death Korps of Krieg infantry to hold a freshly captured position while the Death Riders run down any routed defenders.
Death Rider - Uniform: The Death Riders wear the same standard issue uniforms as the Death Korps infantry, including the distinctive heavy greatcoat. The Mark IX helmet is the same, with the extra badge attached to the front, marking the soldier as a Death Rider. The riders are selected for aptitude during the Death Korps Guardsman's training on Krieg, and will have already undergone a rigorous series of exercises on the surface of Krieg before deployment to their war zone.As well as his uniform, a Death Rider wears an ornamental breastplate. This is a cumbersome item, worn as a matter of tradition rather than practicality and many units choose to discard the item, especially when on long-range patrols, in order to conserve weight. It is made of plasteel with a hardened chrome facing.The uniform is completed by the tall, hard-wearing riding boots. These boots are also popular with high-ranking Death Korps Officers, themselves often men who have served with Death Rider squadrons in the past, as they are regarded to be much more comfortable than the Death Korps infantry's low marching boots.
Death Rider - Equipment: The Death Riders' role as a siege regiment's reconnaissance forces (as well as acting as second-wave shock troops during a breakthrough) means they must carry a lot of equipment. Death Rider squadrons can operate far ahead or on the flanks of the main Krieg forces, and so must be self-sufficient.Saddlebags carry rations and other important supplies such as chemical filters, along with bedrolls and spare ammunition.Death Riders commonly wear Type V respirator units, the same type issued to Death Korps Grenadiers, with the regulator units inside a canister and worn on the back.
Death Rider - Hunting Lance: The Death Rider's primary weapon is his explosive Hunting Lance. This 3.5-metre-long weapon is constructed of a hollow lightweight metal shaft tipped with a spear point, which is also connected to the impact fuse of the weapon's shaped charge. This small explosive charge is constructed to direct the blast and fragmentation towards the target and away from the user. Once detonated, the user is left with only the shaft, which is then discarded. The lance also bears the squadron's pennant.In close quarters combat against a densely packed enemy, or in close confines, the lance is very unwieldy and all Death Riders carry at least one back-up weapon. After the initial "shock" impact of the charge has been expended, a rider will reach for his sabre.
Death Rider - Sabre: The Death Rider sabre is a long, heavy-bladed, single-edged, curved sword used mainly for thrusting with the tip rather than slashing. The skewer-like 95 centimetre blade is designed to resist buckling in the impact of a thrust delivered at the charge. The blade ends in a sharp "spear" point and the bowl hand guard gives protection to the hand. The grip's design causes the blade to naturally align with the arm when the arm is extended, in position for a charge using the point.The rider's third weapon is often a Laspistol. Carried but rarely used, except as a weapon of last resort, the heavy pistol is difficult to aim and reload whilst mounted and generally thought to be ineffective as a ranged weapon.
Death Rider - Death Rider Mount: The Death Rider's mount is a heavily genetically modified version of the original Terran horse that no longer resembles its ancient ancestor. Having been designed to endure far worse battlefield conditions than ever existed in Terran history, its physique is far stronger than a normal horse's, with its hind legs being able to clear trenches and power the creature through thick mud or over rubble. Its splayed feet are also better adapted to moving in difficult or nearly impassable terrain.The creature is almost hairless. It no longer has a tail, only the remaining stump, while its mane has almost entirely been bred out, leaving just short bristles which do not become tangles and require no maintenance. Its neck is longer than that of a Terran horse, with broader shoulder and girth.Psychologically these creatures are far more aggressive than their domestic Terran ancestors, with drug injectors being used to make the creature fearless in the face of an enemy. In battle the animal will charge directly into the foe's lines and will not be startled by weapons fire or explosions.Due to the Krieg Steed's unstable body chemistry, it has to be constantly monitored by its rider and stabilised with additional chemicals. This means the animal can sustain injuries that would kill lesser creatures, but leaves many of these mounts with horrible scars from previous wounds.A Krieg Steed is equipped with armour to protect its head and a respirator system to protect it from poison gases and toxic atmospheres. These animals are grown in vitaegenic cloning vats deep below the surface of Krieg, with their gestation carefully monitored by the Adeptus Mechanicus' Magi Biologus. Each creature is individually number-branded at the genetic level for identification purposes.
Death Rider - Sources: Imperial Armour Volume Five - The Siege of Vraks - Part One, pp. 91, 135, 140Imperial Armour Volume Six - The Siege of Vraks - Part Two, pp. 24-26, 100-101Imperial Armour Volume Seven - The Siege of Vraks - Part Three, pg. 111Only War: Hammer of the Emperor (RPG), pp. 18-19, 139
Death Shadows - Death Shadows: The Death Shadows was a Renegade Chapter of Chaos Space Marines who were once a Loyalist Chapter of Astartes known as the Lionguard before they were corrupted in the 37th Millennium during their participation in the Abyssal Crusade. They were known to specialise in the use of sabotage and terror tactics against their foes.In the 41st Millennium, the Death Shadows withdrew to the Fortress World of Sybari after a disastrous campaign against the Ultramarines. Whilst in the planning stages of a retaliatory strike against their hated Loyalist foes, a tendril of Hive Fleet Behemoth invaded the Sybari System and consumed the planet.The warband took a heavy toll on the aliens, but despite that, the Death Shadows were still annihilated within a solar hour.
Death Shadows - Abyssal Crusade: The Death Shadows were a formally Loyalist Chapter known as the Lionguard. Following the Ecclesiarchal Purges of 321.M37, a dozen star systems were engulfed by Warp Storm Dionys, its echoes rippling along the spiral arms of the galaxy as it raged through the Empyrean.Records of mutation and Chaos Cultist activity quadrupled overnight. Worse yet, it was not only the citizens who were affected by the sudden influx of Chaos. Many of the Space Marine Chapters with homeworlds affected by the Warp storm found that the secret imperfections in their gene-seed were writ large upon their new recruits, giving rise to a wave of disturbing manifestations both physical and psychological. The Lionguard were one such Loyalist Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes that had been affected by these Warp storms.When the Ecclesiarchy heard of this sinister tum of events, Saint Basillius the Elder demanded that all those Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes whose homeworlds had been touched by the Warp storm be rendered unto his judgement. Such was the elder's influence with the High Lords of Terra that within a standard year this had come to pass. After a series of stringent tests and prognostications, hundreds of Chapters were deemed unaffected by the Warp storm.No less than thirty were found wanting. The Judged, as these fallen Chapters came to be known, volunteered for a redemptive penitent crusade. The most militant of their number demanded the right to purify their tainted flesh in the fires of battle, to make a noble end from tragic misfortune. To the surprise of his closest advisors, Saint Basillius agreed to this proposal. He saw it fitting to send the accused into the Eye of Terror, taking the fight for the Imperium's future to the Daemon Worlds inhabited by the Traitor Marines.A representative from each of the doomed Chapters held an emergency Council of Dismay to discuss the proposed Imperial Crusade. After scant solar hours of debate, they acquiesced to Basillius' demands, for they believed that martyrdom was preferable to an existence of suspicion and doubt.The last few solar days of 321.M37 saw a solemn procession of strike cruisers and battle barges pass through the Cadian Gate into the Eye of Terror, relay systems dormant and heraldic colours obscured by black mag-plates.One by one, the Chapters of The Judged disappeared into the iridescent dust nebulae that surrounded the Eye. As the massive Space Marine flotilla entered the Eye of Terror, they were set upon by an equally large Chaos warfleet. The resultant battle was so fierce that the ships of The Judged were forced to retreat and were scattered to the furthest corners of the Eye.The true account of what occurred within the Eye to the Lionguard Chapter is unknown, but most of the tales of the Chapters of The Judged ended in tragedy and sorrow. By the time they reemerged from the Eye many standard centuries later, the Lionguard were no more, for they had become the warband of Heretic Astartes known as the Death Shadows, wholly dedicated to Chaos Undivided.
Death Shadows - Notable Campaigns: Sybari Slaughter (753.M41) - The Chaos Renegade warband known as the Death Shadows mustered at the world of Sybari in preparation for a secret strike against Ultramar. They were isolated when the Shadow in the Warp enveloped the system, and their warlord, the Sorcerer Malafor, was driven to insanity by the Tyranids' psychic presence. Leaderless and in the midst of preparing for an assault of their own, the Renegades were unprepared to defend Sybari from the swarm. Though they reaped a high tally in xenos dead, the entire warband was annihilated in less than a solar hour.Invasion of Ultramar (999.M41) - The Invasion of Ultramar occurred when a large Chaos warband known as the Bloodborn invaded the Ultramarines' Realm of Ultramar, headed by the Iron Warriors Warsmith Honsou and the Daemon Prince M'kar the Reborn, both servants of the Ruinous Powers who had sworn revenge against the Ultramarines for the past wrongs they believed had been done to them. This Chaos invasion occurred roughly concurrently with Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41, though the Bloodborn's invasion was not officially a part of the Black Crusade's forces. The Bloodborn were comprised of a large following of multiple Chaos warbands and rogue regiments comprised of both Planetary Defence Forces and Imperial Guardsmen. These throwaway troops were used as cannon fodder during the Bloodborn's initial assaults. The rest of the Bloodborn's elite forces were comprised of Chaos Space Marine warbands which included the Death Shadows, the Apostles of MinthRas, the Skulltakers and the Claws of Lorek. The Death Shadows were not a part of the Bloodborn themselves, and unlike the other Chaos warbands and Iron Warriors detachment, they were not often seen fighting alongside the Bloodborn's main forces. It appears to be that some members of the Death Shadows had indeed survived the Slaughter at Sybari or could have been operating some place else.
Death Shadows - Notable Death Shadows: Malafor (KIA) - Sorcerer Malafor was the leader of the Death Shadows. During the Sybari Slaughter, Malafor's sanity was burned away through the signals of the Hive Mind's Shadow in the Warp. Malafor's life was then ended with that of his warband by the Tyranids.Loven Valstor - Loven Valstor is a Chaos Champion and a former member of the Death Shadows warband. During his early years he clashed repeatedly with his unit's commander whose cautious tactics limited Valstor's potential as a new Chaos Sorcerer. He was scouting the periphery of the Realm of Ultramar when Hive Fleet Behemoth fell upon the Death Shadows' base of operations. In the wake of this great disaster, Valstor lost contact with the rest of his warband. Rather than seek them out, he saw the opportunity to finally push the boundaries of his power and began to seek out those who could instruct him in the real secrets of the Warp. Although he has had contact with no other Death Shadows since the time of the First Tyrannic War, Valstor knows his warband is too strong and too subtle to have been entirely shattered. Somewhere they bide their time and will re-emerge. When that happens, Valstor intends to be ready; he will return bristling with the power of the Empyrean to claim his rightful place high in the Death Shadows' ranks. Valstor currently serves the Daemon Prince of Slaanesh known as Seiyr the Bereft within the fell area of the galaxy called the Screaming Vortex, one of two massive Warp storms which separate the Calixis Sector of the Imperium from the Koronus Expanse in the Segmentum Obscurus.
Death Shadows - Chapter Colours: The Death Shadows wear dark blue power armour with black, hooded robes.
Death Shadows - Chapter Badge: This Renegade Chapter has no known individual badge, but its Heretic Astartes wear the usual blasphemous Chaos icons and fetishes to denote their allegiance to the Dark Gods.
Death Spectres - Death Spectres: The Death Spectres are a Loyalist Chapter of Space Marines of the 13th ("Dark") Founding. The Death Spectres are only the second Chapter of Astartes besides the Exorcists known to have been created in that unusual Founding and less is known of its creations than of any other Space Marine Founding. The Death Spectres are a rare Successor Chapter of the Raven Guard and share many of the same mutations found in that Chapter's gene-seed.Stationed beyond the bounds of the Imperium, the Death Spectres keep constant vigil. Even with the Great Rift yawning wide in the Era Indomitus, their thankless duty remains ensuring that the mysterious, deathless inhabitants of the Ghoul Stars such as the Necron Flayed Ones and the Cythor Fiends never again ascend to threaten the galaxy.The Death Spectres' homeworld is the Cemetery World of Occludus.During the 13th Black Crusade, the Death Spectres infiltrated the world of Lelithar to assist the Astra Militarum regiments seeking to retake that world from the forces of Chaos with stealth raids and hidden strikes.
Death Spectres - Throne of Glass: When Megir Merrin Corcaedus first swore his oath of office before the Emperor and placed his blade at the foot of the Golden Throne, he received a vision from the Emperor Himself. This vision led him to the world of Occludus and the mysterious artefact known as the Shariax, the Throne of Glass.Little is known of its purpose and nothing of its origins. The Shariax is an archaic throne, contained in an ancient, secret dome, called the "Temple of Voices," deep beneath the planet's surface, and directly underneath the Chapter's fortress-monastery of Logopol.The Throne of Glass is where the Megir rules Occludus and the Chapter, but it is also where he will inevitably die. All Megir of the Death Spectres, upon taking that position within the Chapter, ascend the Throne of Glass the same day as they take their oaths of office. Upon sitting upon the Shariax, they never rise again, and only rarely communicate with the Chapter, and when they do, only with a few select members.Exactly what the Shariax does is vaguely hinted at. In return for immense power (power that can be felt even in the planet's orbit by psykers) the Throne of Glass slowly drains the life out of whoever sits in it, while also slowly petrifying them, eventually turning the Megir to stone. What this mysterious power is that the Megir is gifted with is unknown, except for the sheer scale of it.When the Megir turns even a portion of this power to some task, the implications are apparently staggering. The fact that it seems to be a psyker-based technology implies that one must be a psyker to use it, reinforced by the fact that when the Megir finally passes, the current Mesazar (Chief Librarian) of the Chapter takes his place, but the references are vague, and it may just be based on the fact that the Chapter's strongest warrior must be the new Megir, and thus it is he who must sit upon the Throne of Glass.Over the millennia, the Death Spectres have been preparing for the Cadash, which translates to "Living Chalice," someone of great significance who, upon taking their place upon the Shariax, will bring about the "Great Resurrection." The leadership of the Death Spectres has apparently been sowing the seeds of fate to bring about the Cadash's rise throughout the Chapter's history.
Death Spectres - Chapter Organisation: The Death Spectres Chapter appears to be a Chapter organised around the standard dictates of the Codex Astartes.The Death Spectres place a strong emphasis on Assault Marines and other close combat specialists, as was shown during a major assault undertaken by the Chapter during the 13th Black Crusade which involved some 600 Astartes equipped for a Jump Pack assault on a Traitor stronghold.
Death Spectres - Specialist Ranks: The Death Spectres' order of battle contains several specialist formations and officer titles not present in other Space Marine Chapters which are derived from the language of the natives of Occludus:Megir - A title equivalent to the esteemed rank of Chapter Master in other Space Marine Chapters.Mesazar - A title equivalent to Chief Librarian of the Chapter (also the de facto master of the Chapter in the Megir's absence).Megron - A title equivalent in fellow Chapters to Master of the Flag, a position held by one of the Chapter's captains.Menrahir - The title given to the Death Spectres' equivalent in fellow Chapters of a Chapter Council. The word means "sage" in the native Occludian language.Terrorblade - A unique position within the ranks of the Death Spectres Chapter's Command Squad whose definition is not fully understood by outsiders. As it is uniquely named it can be assumed that the position is different than that of a standard Company Champion or some other title commonly used amongst other, more standard Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes.
Death Spectres - War-Geists: The Veteran 1st Company of the Death Spectres is known as the "War-Geists." They are known to wield power scythes in melee combat.
Death Spectres - Death Spectres Librarians: Like their fellow Astartes Chapters, the Death Spectres also maintain a Librarius of potent battle-psykers who are highly talented and trained to master the power of the Warp at the highest levels.Each Chapter selects its Librarians in its own way, either from its seed worlds, as it does with the bulk of its Initiates, or from the ranks of gifted psykers brought to the Scholastica Psykana.Most Chapters train and test chosen psykers following the ancient ways laid out in the Codex Astartes. The Chapter's Librarius, known as "The Order," possesses a size and power that is unique amongst Space Marine Chapters. The Mesazar (Chief Librarian) is known to command the Chapter in the absence of the Death Spectres' Megir (Chapter Master). There are some references in sources referring to the Death Spectres that claim the Megir is also always a psyker, who would then of course also be considered a member of the Chapter Librarius.The Death Spectres' Librarians appear to place great emphasis on reading the tides of fate and time, and appear to have an unparalleled mastery for changing the future they foresee. The Chapter's Mesazar are noted for being able to place prophetic notes in time itself, through their sheer power, enabling the Death Spectres to be in the appropriate place in the event certain eventualities come to pass, passing on information, and even psychic aid, if and when those eventualities actually occur. Through these techniques the Chapter Librarius seemingly alters the future to a degree that few Imperial organisations can dream of.Chapter aspirants (at least of those of the Librarius) are known to experience two deaths while trying to earn a place within the Chapter. The first death is experienced at around ten Terran years of age, when an aspirant first begins the gene-seed organ implantation process. The aspirant is injected with a lethal toxin, and remains dead until he revives on his own. Failure leads to oblivion. The second death takes place at the end of the aspirant's implantation process, when the neophyte takes his place amongst the Chapter as a full initiate. This death is much more intense, as the aspirant experiences death for solar hours rather than minutes. A third death can also sometimes take place, but this is only for members of the Librarius who wish to attain the rank of codicier, and greater power as a result.A deeply held belief within the Death Spectres Chapter is that of the "Black River," which is seen by aspirants of the Librarius during the ritual deaths they experience (it is unconfirmed if non-psyker aspirants experience this as well).Though their first death is for the shortest duration, it also is the greatest, as during the trial, one is assailed by the Black River's currents (which seem to symbolise fate and time) and the "forces" that are drawn to it and the person experiencing it (Chaos Daemons by another name). This first trial is an arduous one, as it is a task the aspirant has no experience in dealing with, and so failure is quite common.
Death Spectres - Chapter Recruitment: The Death Spectres have an unsettling way of recruiting new aspirants into their Chapter. By the orders of the Megir, the Death Spectres seek out suitable Human-settled colonies far from the heart of the Imperium where they collect the best genetic specimens of women they can find.The women are taken to a suitable breeding world established near the Death Spectres' homeworld of Occludus. There, the women are expected to bear future generations of adolescent males who might prove capable of joining the ranks of the Death Spectres as neophytes.
Death Spectres - Chapter Gene-Seed: Like their Raven Guard progenitors, the battle-brothers of this Chapter possess a minor mutation that causes the Melanochrome organ (which controls the amount of melanin in an Astartes' skin tone) to not function properly, leading to the development of albinism in Death Spectres Astartes.Differing Melanochrome gene-seed from Chapter to Chapter leads to variations in skin and hair colour, and in some Chapters all of the Space Marines may have identical colouration, such as is found in the albino warriors of the Death Spectres Chapter. Another aspect of the genetic flaws of their gene-seed is that it causes all members of the Chapter to possess glowing, blood-red eyes as well.Over time the Death Spectres have lost the use of two of the special organs produced by the basic Astartes genetic template: the Betcher's Gland, which allows a Space Marine to produce poisonous/acidic spittle, and the Mucranoid, which causes a Space Marine's body to secrete a waxy protein substance similar to mucus through his pores that seals his skin. Space Marines are normally cocooned in this way before they enter suspended animation, and the process can even protect them from the harshness of the vacuum and other extremes of temperature, particularly deeply frigid environments.
Death Spectres - Chapter Beliefs: The existence of indigenous and often unique cult belief systems, martial philosophies and variations of the Cult Imperialis within the Adeptus Astartes is far from uncommon.To the Death Spectres, death is important to them in the nature and traditions of their Chapter. It is not important in the more morbid sense such as the way the Mortifactors Chapter celebrates it, but in a more sombre, respectful sense, such as the way the Star Phantoms embrace it.True to Imperial dogma, the Death Spectres hold as a central tenet of their beliefs, "that only those who die in battle will be reborn," and while they give little leeway or respite to the living, they deeply honour those who fall in the Emperor's service and hold the many martyrs of the Imperium and the dead of their Chapter with extreme reverence.Upon the death of a battle-brother of the Chapter, those Death Spectres whose bodies can be recovered are returned to Logopol on Occludus, and are mummified and then interred within the fortress-monastery's catacombs. Death Spectres find great comfort and peace in the quiet of the endless graveyards and tomb cities of their homeworld, which includes Logopol.Battle-brothers of the Chapter are also known to utilise a unique gesture, known as "The Masrahim"; the salute of skull and throne. This is done by placing the left hand, palm up, next to the abdomen, and then placing the right hand, in a close fist, in the palm of the left.
Death Spectres - Notable Death Spectres: Megir Merrin Corcaedus - First Megir (Chapter Master) of the Death Spectres Chapter and former holder of the Force Sword Arquemann, the Chapter's most revered and ancient relic. It was this weapon that Merrin Corcaedus laid at the foot of the Golden Throne when he received the vision that led him to the world of Occludus and the remains of the Shariax.The Megir - Title of the Death Spectres' Chapter Master. Known as The First Spectre, Grandmaster of the Order, The Eye that Pierces the Veil. The name of the current Megir is unknown.Mesazar Athio Cordatus - Current Mesazar (Chief Librarian) of the Death Spectres Chapter and de facto Chapter Master. Mentor to Lyandro Karras.Captain Rohiam Elgrist - Captain of the Death Spectres' 3rd Company and current Megron (Master of the Flag) of the Chapter.Deathwatch Watch Captain Harsid - Seconded to the Deathwatch, Captain Harsid currently leads his own Kill-team in close collaboration with Inquisitor Talala Yazir of the Ordo Xenos. Since an Aeldari attack on the Dawnbreak Cluster, Harsid and the Inquisitor hunt for a series of dangerous xenos artefacts that they believe to have corrupted several high-ranking magi of the Adeptus Mechanicus and whose corruption could quickly spread to other Adeptus Mechanicus-aligned factions, such as the Iron Hands Chapter.Codicier Lyandro Karras - Lyandro Karras is a Death Spectres codicier currently seconded to the Ordo Xenos' Deathwatch. Karras, known as "Scholar" to his Kill-team, leads an elite squad of Astartes specialists. It was this squad that slew the Ork Warboss Balthazog Bluddwrekk.Sergeant Ischus Corvinnus - Brother-Sergeant of the Death Spectres who was seconded to the Inquisition along with remnants of the 68th Vostroyan Firstborn Regiment after they were devastated on Danik's World (circa. 767.M41). The fates of the Regiment and the Brother-Sergeant are unknown.
Death Spectres - Chapter Relics: Arquemann - Arquemann is a relic Force Sword that belongs to the Death Spectres Chapter. The sword was once laid at the feet of the Emperor on the Golden Throne by the Chapter's first Megir (Chapter Master). Seconds after laying the sword down, the Megir received a vision of the Shariax -- the Glass Throne on Occludus. Little is known of its purpose and nothing is known of its origins. The first Megir then proceeded to build the Death Spectres Fortress-Monastery of Logopol directly above the cavern that contained the Glass Throne. The sword itself seems to have a psychic spirit bound to it. The sword's spirit will meld itself with the spirit of the wielder, making it even more deadly. The sword was initially owned by the first Megir of the Death Spectres, but after his ascension on the Glass Throne, he passed the sword on to the Mesazar (Chief Librarian) Athio Cordatus, who then passed the sword onto the Librarian Lyandro Karras when Karras was selected to join the Deathwatch. It is said that the bite of Arquemann is certain death whenever it glows with otherworldly energy. Arquemann is lethally sharp even without the power of the Immaterium running through it.Torch of the Vigil - The Torch of the Vigil is a master-crafted Astartes Heavy Flamer. Late in the 36th Millennium, a Deathwatch Kill-team was allied with a squad of Space Marines belonging to the Death Spectres Chapter in an action against a vile xenos species deep in what would one day become the Orpheus Salient of the Jericho Reach. Together, the two squads were able to eradicate the alien threat, but not before the sergeant of the Death Spectres, an honoured Veteran of the Chapter, was eviscerated by the vicious beasts. It was only by the actions of the members of the Kill-team that the sergeant's gene-seed was preserved and harvested and his ancient wargear recovered. As a reward for their aid, the Death Spectres presented the stewards of Watch Fortress Erioch with this mighty relic.
Death Spectres - Chapter Fleet: Honoured Prophecy (Cobra-class Destroyer)
Death Spectres - Chapter Colours: The Death Spectres primarily wear black power armour. The inset of the shoulder plates are white with black trim.The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest plate as well as the helmet are bone white.The white squad specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command -- is painted on the right shoulder plate.A black Low Gothic numeral is stenciled in the centre of the squad specialty symbol, which indicates squad number.The colour of the stripe on the right knee plate indicates which company a battle-brother belongs to.
Death Spectres - Chapter Badge: The Death Spectres' Chapter badge is a large bone-white skull with a pair of crossed, ebon scythes directly behind it, centred on a field of white.
Death Sphere - Death Sphere: A Death Sphere is a devastating Necron anti-matter weapon of mass destruction carried by Night Shroud bombers. A potent relic of the ancient and apocalyptic conflict known as the War in Heaven, a Death Sphere is a self-enclosed containment vessel carrying an anti-matter warhead capable of wiping from existence anything it encounters.Unlike the conventional bombing munitions of the younger starfaring species of the Milky Way Galaxy, the Death Spheres carried by a Night Shroud and its larger brethren are containment vessels that electromagnetically imprison the merest fragment of anti-matter.They are kept out of phase with the rest of the material universe until the sphere detonates, unleashing a wide annihilating energy blast of pure gamma radiation that is capable of destroying virtually anything within its radius.Anything lucky enough to survive the initial detonation is often left blinded and pinned; easy prey for advancing Necron forces that are soon to follow in the Night Shroud's wake.The true marvel of Necron science is not merely the caging of such destructive forces, however, but their precise control and the safety of their use, for should a Death Sphere be broken by hostile action, its energy harmlessly dissipates out of phase with reality instead of detonating in a likely cataclysmic wave of force upon contacting any form of normal matter.
Death Spinner - Death Spinner: A Death Spinner is the standard weapon used by the Asuryani Aspect Warriors known as the Warp Spiders. They are deadly weapons that use mono-filament threads to rip through a target's body.The Death Spinner is a part of a whole family of Craftworld Aeldari weapons that use mono-filament technology. All these weapons, including the massive Doomweaver Cannon mounted on super-heavy Asuryani gravity tanks and the Harlequin's Kiss used by the Harlequins, work on the same principle: a liquid form of the psycho-reactive substance known as wraithbone is kept in stasis within the weapon's magazine.Once the weapon is activated, this substance will be forced by an electromagnetic propulsive field through an incredibly fine sift, and will solidify into a mass of threads, each one molecule thick, called mono-filaments which are razor sharp.This mass of threads, called a "spinner cloud," is then catapulted at the enemy with tremendous force. Being only one molecule in width, the filaments will have few difficulties in penetrating any armour through minute weaknesses in its molecular structure, and will wreak havoc on the body within, chopping it into a gory mess.A target within the cloud is sliced apart as the wires' own tension causes it to writhe and lash, cutting through not only exposed flesh but also seeking out gaps in any armour, where it uncoils within and liquefies the victim's innards.Often, the only remains from a Death Spinner attack is a pile of gore, utterly unrecognisable as the living being it was only moments before the attack. Even foes wearing Power Armour can thus be reduced to tiny pieces when enmeshed within these clouds of razor-wire.
Death Storm Cannon - Death Storm Cannon: The Death Storm Cannon is a colossal, Titan-sized ranged combat weapon used by the Lord of Battles Daemon Engine. The Lord of Battles is the greatest of all Daemon Engines and is completely dedicated to the service of Khorne, the Chaos God of war and bloodshed. The Death Storm Cannon takes the form of a massive, multi-barrelled cannon similar in size to the Gatling Blaster used by Reaver-class Battle Titans and in appearance to the Hellstorm Cannon used by Warlord-class Battle Titans. The weapon fires heavy ballistic shells capable of destroying even some of the most heavily armoured vehicles. It is unknown if the Death Storm Cannon is used by any other Chaos units, such as Chaos Titans.
Death Strike - Death Strike: The Death Strike is a Codex Astartes-compliant Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding that is a Successor Chapter of the Imperial Fists. The Chapter's fortress-monastery is located on its homeworld of Nihilas.This Chapter is one of several tied to the genetic legacy of Rogal Dorn that competes in the Feast of Blades.The Death Strike is very similar in appearance to the controversial Rainbow Warriors Chapter first revealed in the original 1st Edition Warhammer 40,000 rule book Rogue Trader. The main difference is that the Rainbow Warriors' Chapter badge is white, and their helmet stripe is multicoloured like a rainbow instead of being yellow.
Death Strike - Notable Campaigns: Assault on Fort Moros (364.M39) - When the lynchpin bastion of Fort Moros fell to a Chaos-inspired rebellion, the 23rd Elysian Drop Troops Regiment was tasked with recapturing it. Deploying by Grav-Chute directly into the sprawling fortification, the Elysians discovered that the fort was the domain of madmen and fiends, and an immediate astro-telepathic call for aid had been transmitted. The 5th Company of the Death Strike Chapter answered the call, diverting from its current mission to relieve the beleaguered Drop Troops and crush the heart of the uprising.Verdan Wars (930.M41) - The Death Strike Chapter's 3rd Company was badly mauled fighting an overwhelming number of recidivists during the Verdan II Counter-strike. The 3rd Company was saved from total destruction when three more full-strength companies were deployed to relieve its beleaguered squads during the subsequent Verdan II Extraction. Having completed the extraction, the Chapter Master of the Death Strike Fleet ordered Verdan devastated from orbit, unleashing a mass yield orbital bombardment which left nothing living on the world below.Cleansing of the Ulik Sector (997.M41) - In 997.M41 a series of Exterminatus missions were carried out across the Ulik Sector by Space Marines of the Death Strike, the Flame Falcons and the Iron Hands Chapters. The Iron Hands performed a series of destructive missions on those worlds in the Ulik Sector not yet consumed by Hive Fleet Leviathan, in order to prevent the Tyranid Hive Mind from gaining momentum and further fuelling itself on precious bio-resources.13th Black Crusade (999.M41) - The Death Strike Chapter also participated in the 13th Black Crusade, where three companies of Death Strike Space Marines were lost during the fighting on Cadia against the forces of Chaos.
Death Strike - Chapter Colours: The Death Strike Chapter primarily wears dark blue power armour. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest is silver.The yellow, open-faced squad specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command -- is indicated on the right shoulder plate.The yellow High Gothic numeral on the right knee guard as well as the colour of the helmet stripe, indicate company number in accordance with the Codex Astartes -- i.e. white (1st Company), yellow (2nd Company), red (3rd Company), etc.
Death Strike - Chapter Badge: The Death Strike's Chapter badge is a yellow, winged lightning bolt on a field of dark blue.
Death Strike - Sources: Adeptus Astartes: Successor Chapters (Limited Release Booklet), pg. 34Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition), pg. 70Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pg. 29How to Paint Space Marines (2004), pg. 88Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition, pp. 52, 137, 150Imperial Armour Volume Two (Second Edition) - War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes, pp. 18, 22Insignium Astartes: The Uniforms and Regalia of the Space Marines, pg. 52Rogue Trader (1st Edition), pg. 168Legion of the Damned (Novel) by Rob Sanders, pg. 79
Death Wardens - Death Wardens: The Death Wardens is a little-known Loyalist Successor Chapter of the Blood Angels Chapter, created during the Third Founding. This Chapter stands as stalwart guardians over an unnamed Shrine World located in the Eastern Fringe, having stood sentinel there since before the rise of the Ecclesiarchy.The inhabitants of this world are known for their dedicated worship of the angelic Primarch Sanguinius, who tread its surface during the Great Crusade. The Chapter ensures that the Ecclesiarchy does not attempt to change its ways to fall in line with the orthodoxy of the Imperial Cult.
Death Wardens - Signus Campaign: The Death Wardens were created from the genetic lineage of the heroic Blood Angels during the Third Founding of the 31st Millennium. Their initial members were provided not only by the Blood Angels themselves but several Chapters of the Sanguinary Brotherhood, including the Angels Encarmine, Angels Numinous, Angels Sanguine, Blood Drinkers and the Flesh Tearers.The initial officer cadre was formed from several Space Marine officers taken from these various Chapters, consisting of a Chapter Master, his Sanguinary Guard, a Chief Librarian, Sanguiniary High Priest, High Chaplain, and a first captain. These officers were all veterans of the galaxy-wide conflict of the Horus Heresy and possessed knowledge about the forgotten Signus Campaign and where the Signus Cluster was located.That lamentable conflict saw the Blood Angels Legion deploy in its entirety at the behest of the Warmaster Horus. Unaware of his brother's perfidy, Sanguinius willingly complied and immediately set out for this volatile region of space. Unbeknownst to the Blood Angels, they were blindly walking into a deadly trap, for the Signus Cluster and its central world, Signus Prime, had fallen prey to agents of the Ruinous Powers and become a veritable Realm of Chaos -- a system of hellish Daemon Worlds under the rule of a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh known as Kyriss the Perverse.After his corruption by Chaos, Horus hated and feared Sanguinius more than any of his brother primarchs and wove many strategies to ensnare or slay him, though all ultimately failed. The Warmaster hoped to turn the Blood Angels' hidden genetic curses, later known as the Black Rage and the Red Thirst, against the IXth Legion in order to enthrall them to the Blood God Khorne and turn yet another Space Marine Legion to his cause.Ultimately, Horus' plan would fail and the Blood Angels would cleanse the Signus Cluster of its daemonic infestation, but a darkness would forever after stain the souls of the Blood Angels Legion. This terrible curse would continue to manifest in the centuries to come as the great Flaw that would afflict the Blood Angels and all of their Successor Chapters.
Death Wardens - Aftermath: In the aftermath of the Signus Campaign, Sanguinius commanded that his sons excise all evidence that the IXth Legion had ever come to the Signus Cluster. The Blood Angels gathered up every battle-brother's corpse, every broken vehicle, every torn piece of armour or blunted sword. With that their work was nearly complete, save for the spent casings of a few bolt shells lying lost and buried in the sands. The Blood Angels would leave nothing behind in that blighted, murdered place. Not their ships, not their relics and not their precious dead.No one would return to the Signus Cluster. This command was etched into the IXth Legion's Book of Hours by the primarch's own hand. The Blood Angels would not build a monument or grave marker on Signus Prime, as they had on other planets where so much Astartes blood had been shed. The hundreds upon hundreds of honoured Blood Angels dead would be taken home to Baal to be buried on the slopes of Mount Seraph, the injured warships to Imperial stardocks for repair and re-armament.Warning buoys and automated beacons were deployed all about the trinary star system's perimeter, there to turn back any ships that might come that way in the years ahead. The Signus Cluster was declared Mortae Perpetua; "forever dead." It would be left lifeless and rotting until its suns burned cold, with nothing but the echoes of those who perished there to bear witness.
Death Wardens - Forbidden Knowledge: By Death Wardens tradition, this forbidden knowledge became known only to the Chapter's command, except for the Master of the Forge, due to his dual-loyalty to the Omnissiah. In order to keep this knowledge hidden from outsiders and prying eyes, such as the Inquisition, it is not written down. Instead, following the death of one of these senior officers their body is ritualistically eaten by their successor, ensuring the secrets of this forgotten campaign remain hidden and are passed on to the next generation of officers.This ancient practice harkens back to the ancient days of the early Great Crusade when the old IXth Legion (then still known as the "Revenant Legion"), operating in the most extreme battlefield conditions, had been forced by necessity to adopt a number of practises that might otherwise be seen as monstrous. One among these, fostered by the nature of their design and the conditions under which they fought, was the consumption of fallen captains by their followers in order to preserve their hard-won skills and experience.As a mark of honour as well as practicality, it also became accepted that recruits took the names of those whose skills they absorbed, and lieutenants would assume the names of their captains. Such was the resemblance of each member of the IXth to their flawless brothers that most outsiders failed to notice this subtle brand of immortality.However, down the long millennia the Death Wardens have not always been able to retrieve the bodies of their fallen officers. Should the situation prove dire, and there are only a small number of commanding officers or even a lone survivor, the need to pass on this ancient knowledge becomes critical in the extreme. In such instances, the remaining survivors would have to allow themselves to be consumed by the newly-elected command cadre that would replace them.To alleviate such dire consequences, the Chapter has attempted to bypass such a high-risk procedure by imparting their forbidden knowledge to an aspirant, who was then ritually sacrificed to a new member of the Chapter command. However, each attempt has ended in abject failure. The Death Wardens' commanders are unsure why this drastic measure has not worked. Should the unthinkable occur and the entire command cadre be wiped out, a final failsafe has been put in place.The Chapter's Master of the Forge has been instructed to wake a specific Dreadnought that slumbers deep within the Death Wardens' fortress-monastery, which contains the body of their first Chapter Master. His partially devoured body, which somehow still clings to life, remains in eternal stasis within the Dreadnought's sarcophagus, until they are summoned. Upon being awakened, this Dreadnought will then share his knowledge of the Signus Campaign with the new Chapter command.
Death Wardens - Chapter Colours: The Death Wardens' colour scheme is not listed in current Imperial records.
Death Wardens - Chapter Badge: The Death Wardens' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Death Wardens - Trivia: The Death Wardens were created by Games Workshop employee Wade Pryce, who hosts The Warhammer Community Podcast. His Chapter was showcased during the podcast's twelfth episode. Wade would later scrap this idea to create a different Successor Chapter of the Blood Angels called the Angels Erythrean.
Death Wheel - Death Wheel: A Death Wheel is a rare Daemon Engine utilised by the forces of Chaos.During the 13th Black Crusade, the Defiler was a more common sight upon the battlefields of Cadia. But perhaps the most terrifying of Abaddon's daemonic constructions was the mighty Death Wheel. Standing as tall as a Warhound Scout Titan, these massive, tracked wheels are festooned with baroque spikes, guns and blades.Death Wheels were first encountered by the Cadian 8th Regiment of the Astra Militarum near Kasr Vasan when a large force of Black Legion armour accompanied by several Death Wheels forced the Cadians to disengage their pursuit of the traitorous Volscani Cataphracts.