vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
M2 - M2: 209-299.M2 Birth of the Ragged Knight - The Bloodthirster Daemon known as the Ragged Knight is born in the Warp.066.M2 Battle of Hastings - The famous Battle of Hastings is fought in northwestern Europa on Terra, beginning a long series of events culminating in the onset of the Industrial Revolution near the end of the millennium.ca. 500.M2 Awakening of the Chaos Gods - The three elder Chaos Gods -- Khorne, Tzeentch and Nurgle, respectively, have awakened to full consciousness by the end of the Terran European Middle Ages.ca. 500.M2 The Visconti di Modrone Deck of Cards Printed - The ancient Visconti di Modrone deck of Visconti-Sforza cards that eventually comes into the possession of Chief Librarian Ahzek Ahriman is printed around this time.ca. 750-900.M2 Industrial Revolution - The Industrial Revolution begins in the western regions of Old Earth and eventually spreads across the planet by the first solar decades of the 3rd Millennium. The economies of the nation-states of Terra begin to rapidly expand with the onset of industrial production and the rapid scientific discoveries that mark this period. However, the Industrial Revolution also breeds new problems for Mankind, including unequal distribution of resources, extreme environmental degradation, and rapid shifts in cultural values that lead to societal strife.914-918.M2 World War I - First industrialised global war known as "World War I" begins in Europa and spreads across the planet.939-945.M2 World War II - Second industrialised global war, called "World War II," a conflict even more devastating than the first, engulfs Terra.945.M2 The Nuclear Age Begins - Detonation of the first Human-developed atomic weapon occurs in this year. Fission-based nuclear power soon becomes widespread on Terra as do stockpiles of nuclear weapons.945.M2 Recruitment of Damon Prytanis - The mysterious group comprised of various alien races known as the Cabal recruits the Terran Perpetual who will one day come to be known as Damon Prytanis. Having lived many untold lifetimes, he is an ideal choice to become an agent of the Cabal, to battle the forces of the Primordial Annihilator. Throughout many ages of Human history he works as an assassin, and shows utter loyalty to the Cabal and their cause.946.M2 First Computer Created - The first digital computer, called UNIVAC, invented by Humans on Terra in the long-lost city of Philadelphia.961.M2 First Human in Space - The first Human being, Yuri Gargarin, crosses Terra's atmosphere and orbits the planet.969.M2 The Moon Landing - The first Human landing on Luna occurs in this year.971.M2 First Space Station Built - The first Human space station, called Salyut, is placed in orbit of Terra.
M20 - M20: ca. M18-M20 The Twilight Cults - Those Aeldari leading the new paradigm of total self-indulgence and the pursuit of hedonism rise in status and power within the Aeldari Empire until they can secede entirely from the Eldar settlements in realspace. They take up permanent residence in the Webway, from which they can plumb the depths of their decadence undisturbed by the puritans and weaklings among their own kind who warn of the dangers of such a path for the future of the Aeldari race. Over time their sovereign estates within the Labyrinth Dimension grow into entire sub-realms of the Webway, each of which is powered by the energy of a sun stolen from realspace. The star systems plunged into darkness by the Aeldari's sun-theft wither and die in the freezing cold of the void, condemning millions of species to death, but the Aeldari care nothing for the damage they cause.ca. M20 Expansion of Human Colonisation - Mankind spreads across the stars, becoming widely dispersed and divergent. There is evidence of many wars, but none that threatened the stability of human space. The existing records list xenos enemies long since extinct, along with more familiar names such as Aeldari and Orks. Interplanetary trade was established and great fleets carried goods to and from the ends of the galaxy. As human planets became overpopulated, the recently invented construction mediums of plasteel, plascrete, ferrocrete and rockcrete were used to build colossal cities: the proto-hives.
M21 - M21: ca. 001.M21 Mankind Begins Military Buildup - An unknown catastrophe around this time causes the Human race's interstellar confederacy to increase its defensive military posture and begin developing new weapons and military tactics to meet the unknown threat. Many of these technological developments will later be recovered by the forces of the Imperium of Man during the Great Crusade of the late 30th Millennium.ca. M21 Age of Exploration - During the Great Diaspora of Human expansion, Mankind seeks to remake the galaxy in its own image, including seeding worlds with familiar Terran flora and fauna. In many cases, these imported lifeforms eventually replace the new colony worlds' native ecosystems, leaving the Human-settled galaxy with an unusual level of biological homogeneity.ca. M21 Creation of the first Titans - During the Dark Age of Technology the first Titans are created. These massive, crewed, robotic bipedal combat walkers can stand hundreds of metres tall, and often instilled terror by their mere presence. There was little that could equal their armament and sophisticated technology. When Mankind continued further expanding into the unknown reaches of the galaxy, they encountered several xenos races that were often times deadly or extremely hostile. At that time each Human colony had at least one Titan Legion, and many had dozens deployed in their defence. Titans played an instrumental role in protecting these early colonies from the depredations of these dangerous xenos, playing a pivotal role during the first Alien Wars.ca. M21 Creation of the first Knights - When mankind reached out to the stars and settled many far away worlds, among the apparatus of colonisation were formidable war machines known as Knights, which existed to protect the settlers from any threat. These small combat walkers are one-man versions of a Titan.ca. M21-M23 Men of Iron - The so-called "Iron Men" or "Men of Iron," artificially intelligent Humanoid machines, are created by Mankind at this time. The Men of Iron were loyal only to Mankind, and served as Humanity's army in the period when much of Human space was united by a federation-type government that existed before the Imperium of Man. The Men of Iron were developed after the similar artificially intelligent constructs remembered only as the Men of Stone, but before the "modern" conception of robots. By the 23rd Millennium, extant records cite betrayal by the machines and a great war with robotic armies.
M22 - M22: ca. M22 First Contact - Mankind first encounters and fights with the Orks and Aeldari during this millennium. By this time, both of these xenos species have become superpowers in the galaxy, and Humanity suffers heavy losses. WAAAGH! Skragjaw nearly reaches Terra before unknown heroes of this time manage to throw the Greenskin menace back for the first time in Human history. It will not be the last.ca. M22 Human Expansion & Scientific Advancement - For the rest of the age, Mankind spread across the stars, becoming widely dispersed and divergent. There is evidence of many wars, but none that threatened the stability of Human space. Interplanetary trade was established and great fleets carried goods to and from the ends of the galaxy.ca. Unknown Date.M22 Emergence of Human Psykers - As quick as Mankind's expansion had been, it was eclipsed by the speed of its collapse. The decline was so rapid, so utter and so nearly complete that little of those colonies or the civilisations they spawned remained. Speculation is rampant, but there are few facts. What is known is that Human psykers are first mentioned towards the end of the 22nd Millennium, making a sudden appearance on almost every Human world within a relatively short span of time.
M23 - M23: The Knights Stand Alone (ca. M23) - Influenced by the programming of the mental links provided by the Thrones Mechanicum of their Knight suits, the aristocracy of the feudal societies established on each Knight World remain conservative and most are instinctively mistrustful of any psykers in their midst. As a result, many of the Knight Worlds resist the madness that grips so many other Human colonies at this time as the first psykers emerge uncontrolled on Human worlds. Though Daemonic possessions and devastating psychic backlashes do indeed threaten many Knight Worlds, the military strength of the Knights and their rigid societal organisations largely serve to protect them. The ancient records of many knightly houses bear reference to this troubled time, of Knights duelling gigantic Warp entities or battling knee-deep against an endless tide of daemons from beyond the veil of reality.Sodallagain System Discovered (Unknown Date) - The remote Sodallagain System is discovered. It is located near the Perlian Sector, which is in the vicinity of the Damocles Gulf in the Ultima Segmentum.Decline of the Age of Technology (ca. Late M23) - By the end of the 23rd Millennium there was widespread anarchy, descriptions of what must be Daemonic possessions and great turbulence in the Warp. Some records also cite betrayal by the machines and a great war remembered as the Cybernetic Revolt with artificially intelligent robotic armies. Whether factual or allegorical, the histories leave no doubt on one point -- the golden age of Mankind's technological development had come to a spectacularly swift and brutal end.
M24 - M24: ca. M19-M24 The Ailing Aeldari Pantheon - The worship of the traditional Aeldari gods has largely waned among the people of the Aeldari Empire by this time as new sects and secret societies have claimed the majority of the Aeldari's devotion. The Dark Muses, many of whom are synonymous in Aeldari culture with sensual vice and uncontrolled, hedonistic sin, become the unofficial figureheads and figures of worship in the new order.ca. M24 Kin Homeworlds Isolated - What will eventually become the Kin ("Squat") homeworlds in the galactic core are cut off from the rest of interstellar Human society in the late 24th Millennium as large Warp storms begin near the galactic centre, preventing interstellar trade and communication. These worlds were rich in strategic minerals needed by the interstellar Human civilisation of the Age of Technology which is what had led the Human mining fleets into the core whose employees were later genetically modified by the self-aware machine intelligences called the Votann into the Abhuman Kin to better survive the region's myriad environmental hazards. Cut off for the next 5,000 Terran years from the rest of Mankind, the people of these worlds will adapt through both natural means and genetic engineering to their planets' local environmental conditions, becoming known as the Squats. This period sees the formation of the Leagues of Votann.
M25 - M25: ca. M25  Age of Strife Begins - There is a massive increase in the number of Humans born with psychic powers around this time. Many of these new psykers lack the mental discipline to successfully make use of their abilities and are possessed by Daemonic entities of the Warp, unleashing untold destruction on their homeworlds. Many people on worlds where these rogue psykers have appeared begin to treat all psykers as pariahs who should be immediately executed. The term "witch" comes back into vogue in the common Human language that serves as the precursor to Low Gothic to refer to those who manifest psychic powers. Terra, Mars and all of their interstellar colonies are cut off from interstellar travel and communication by the start of massive, galaxy-wide Warp Storms. This isolation over the next 5,000 standard years interacts with the genetic modifications and simple adaptions to local environmental conditions among many isolated Human populations to create the first Abhuman sub-species of the Human race. Civil wars, plagues, Daemonic possessions, persecutions and other terrible forms of strife consume many of the worlds of Man. A complete understanding of the knowledge once contained within the Standard Template Construct database available on every Human colony planet is lost as is a complete copy of that database itself, once a collection of the most advanced Human technologies developed over the last 25 standard millennia. This 5,000-Terran-year-long period of violence, fear and technological regression becomes known as the Age of Strife or "Old Night" to later Imperial historitors. Human worlds throughout the galaxy are isolated by Warp Storms of terrible ferocity. A disastrous age of suspicion and dread begins as internecine conflict tears Human civilisation apart. Fear and superstition lead to a regression in Mankind's mastery of science and many technological marvels of the previous age are lost to paranoia and war. Aliens and Daemons alike prey on Humanity's vulnerability, and although many planets are subjugated or lost to the era's woes, the surviving Knight Worlds continue to stand firm through this turbulent time -- however, none do so without earning scars that linger to this day.ca. M25 Horiax Treatise Penned - The ancient Horiax Treatise, a rare scrap of information left from the Age of Strife, mentions the use of sophisticated genetic alteration techniques now lost to Mankind.ca. M25-M30 Darkness Rising - The depravity of the ancient Aeldari Empire plumbs terrible new depths. Cults of pleasure and pain flourish in the hidden reaches of the Webway, and even the core homeworlds of Aeldari society become obsessed with the pursuit of ever-greater acts of excess. As the lines blur between simple sensation-seeking and the outright pursuit of evil among the Aeldari of this time, a new spiritual entity begins to take shape within the swirling psychic currents of the Immaterium.
M28 - M28: ca. M28 Age of Trade Begins - Despite being cut off by the turbulent Warp storms that raged across the galaxy, the Squat homeworlds are able to take advantage when there is a slight abating of these Warp Storms that leads to encounters with other alien races. While the rest of the Imperium was still locked in the wars of the Age of Strife, the Squats made contact with both Orks and Aeldari, and though initially hostile, quickly realised that trade was a more practical arrangement. The Squats remained carefully neutral in the numerous conflicts between Aeldari and Orks, maintaining trade links with both sides. (These events are now non-canon; see Leagues of Votann for current Squat canon.)ca. M28 Old Night Falls Across Terra - By the 28th Millennium Old Earth's global government broke down completely and the planet divided into dozens of inter-warring nations. After two and a half thousand standard years of continuous warfare, little remained of the once sophisticated Terran civilisation of the past. The planet had become a battleground fought over by techno-barbarian warlords and their warrior hordes. This was a dark time for the people of Earth -- a time dominated by brutal rulers like Kalagann of Ursh, Cardinal Tang, and the most infamous of all, the half-mad/half-genius Narthan Dume, Tyrant of the Pan-Pacific Empire. The world was wracked by never-ending conflict as one tyrant displaced another. Petty empires rose and disintegrated; tribes formed, were destroyed and re-formed as diminishing, brutalised shadows of lost glories and forgotten triumphs. Uncounted billions died unknown and unremembered, while whispered names such as the Unspeakable King and the Seven Neverborn left legends to terrify generations to come. Anarchy and bloodshed was lord over all.ca. Late M28 The Emperor Emerges - From out of this seemingly endless cycle of violence and doom among the ruins of Old Earth a new leader emerged in the late 28th Millennium -- a warlord more powerful than any before Him. He was the man who would become the Emperor and His power lay in His rationality and potent psychic precognitive powers, and his mastery of science was as unequalled as His might as a warrior, although few suspected the true range of his powers and abilities.
M29 - M29: ca. M29 The Exodites and Craftworld Aeldari Prepare to Depart the Aeldari Empire - Those among the Aeldari who saw the foulness that corrupted their people for what it was became known as Exodites, fleeing to found colony worlds on the fringes of the Aeldari Empire. As the Aeldari Empire slid further into anarchy, others repented of their ways and left the central worlds of their empire to settle in the outlying regions of the galaxy, where they built great worldships called craftworlds.ca. M29 End of the Age of Strife - Mankind was brought to its knees by the onset of Old Night in the 23rd Millennium, and this horrific state continued for nearly six standard millennia. By the 29th Millennium, the raging Warp Storms began to abate. When Humanity finally started to emerge from the long darkness, it was forever altered. This heralded the end to the Age of Strife. Science was no longer the answer for much of Mankind, but something to be feared.ca. Late M29 Start of the Unification Wars - The Emperor of Mankind emerges from the ruins of Terra during the Age of Strife with the aid of Malcador the Sigillite and initiates the Unification Wars to bring all of Terra and its degenerate tribes of techno-barbarians under the rule of a single government once more in an attempt to begin the reconstruction of Humanity's lost interstellar civilisation.ca. Late M29 Creation of the Thunder Warriors - The Emperor of Mankind creates His earliest known template for genetically modified warriors. These proto-Astartes, or "Thunder Warriors," will help aid him in His conquest of Terra, to bring the homeworld of Humanity back under the rule of a single government. The Thunder Warriors were the first gene-enhanced warriors created by the Emperor and served as the precursors to the present-day Space Marines. Wrought to be living weapons, the Thunder Warriors were known to be physically stronger, more savage and more potent in combat than the later Astartes, though they were not nearly as long-lived or as mentally or physically stable. It was against this background of techno-barbaric warfare that the first Space Marines were created and the first mark of power armour developed, originally for the use of the Thunder Warrior battalions.992.M29 Ninth Battle of Xozer - In the Nordafrik Conclaves of Old Earth inexplicable ephemeral phenomenon are encountered during the battle where Kalagann, the techno-barbarian warlord of Ursh, is slain. The kingdom of Ursh is brought to heel by the Emperor's forces as the Unification Wars of Terra proceed.Unknown Date.M29 The Primarch Project - The Primarch Project, which was initially begun at some point in the late 29th Millennium by the scientists of the Imperial Biotechnical Division, far beneath the surface of Terra in the Emperor of Mankind's gene-labs, marked the Emperor's attempt to begin the creation of the next generation of Imperial super-soldiers to replace the Thunder Warriors. These were the primarchs, twenty extraordinary superhuman males who would be His generals -- great warriors, intellectuals and political leaders who would conquer thousands of worlds in His name.
M3 - M3: 001.M3 Human Genome Unlocked - Mankind's scientists complete the sequencing of the Human genome, allowing for significant advances in genetic research.100.M3 Mars Terraformed - By the start of the 22nd Century, Mars becomes the first Human colony world to be terraformed. It is given an atmosphere and its deserts are transformed into fertile soil. Mars is then settled by industrial cartels and their workforces, quickly growing into the first Human Hive World in subsequent centuries.Discovery of the Immaterium (Unknown Date.M3) - Scientific advances of the third and subsequent millennia bring some basic knowledge of the Warp to Humans.Colonisation of the Solar System (Unknown Date.M3) - Humanity begins to colonise the Sol System using conventional, sub-light spacecraft. Colonies are established on Mars, and on the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune.Humanity Colonises the Galaxy (Unknown Date.M3) - Humanity uses Ohnyl Cylinders (O'Neill Space Colonies) to spread beyond its own home solar system to local habitable planets in other nearby star systems. However, such early interstellar colonies would not reestablish contact with Terra until millennia later because of the vast distances involved.
Macaroth - Macaroth: Macaroth was an Imperial Warmaster and the successor of the Warmaster Slaydo, both Lord Commanders of the Imperial Sabbat Worlds Crusade. This Crusade was a massive effort by the Imperium of Man to retake the Sabbat Worlds Sector in the Segmentum Pacificus from the Forces of Chaos in the late 41st Millennium.
Maccabeus Quintus - Maccabeus Quintus: Maccabeus Quintus is an arid and bitterly cold world with a harsh, bright sun, that is prone to terrible famines and droughts which leave their mark even on its strongest inhabitants. Yet Maccabeus Quintus is a blessed world, blessed not because of the resources it possesses (which are few), or because of the climate (which is harsh), but because of the faith that grows there in abundance.Maccabeus Quintus is a Shrine World of the Adeptus Ministorum administered by the Ecclesiarchy's Black Order, the place where the great Lord General Militant Drusus, the second commander of the Angevin Crusade, fell and was raised up as an Imperial saint by the glory of the Emperor. A site of pilgrimage for the faithful across the Calixis Sector of the Segmentum Obscurus, this Shrine World has a significant military tradition all its own.Following after their great patron, these pilgrims form the core of the Maccabian militias, the finest of which are chosen to become Maccabian Janissaries of the Astra Militarum. Like Saint Drusus, they defend or expand the Imperium in battle, which is regarded as the most pious form of worship.
Maccabian Janissaries - Maccabian Janissaries: The Maccabian Janissaries are an elite Astra Militarum regiment united by their zealous faith in the God-Emperor and composed of the finest members of the Maccabian militia who follow in the footsteps of their great patron, the Imperial Saint Drusus. These regiments hail from the blessed world of Maccabeus Quintus, the arid and bitterly cold Shrine World located in the Calixis Sector, where the great General Drusus fell and was raised up as a saint by the glory of the Emperor during the Angevin Crusade which conquered the Calixis Sector for the Imperium.This harsh world is not blessed because of the resources it possesses (which are few), or because of the climate (which is harsh), but because of the faith that grows there in abundance. A site of pilgrimage for the faithful across the Calixis Sector, this Shrine World has a significant military tradition all its own. These pilgrims form the core of the Maccabian militias, the finest of which are chosen to become Maccabian Janissaries. Like Saint Drusus, they defend or expand the Imperium in battle, which is regarded as the most pious form of worship of the God-Emperor. To date, none have refused this honour, for all are driven by faith and the spirit of pilgrimage. They know that to become a Janissary is to embark upon a sacred pilgrimage of a different sort, carrying the Emperor's wrath to dark and distant places.While it is rare for an Imperial Guardsman to ever return to his homeworld, Janissaries never do so -- they press on to ever more distant warzones and die fighting on countless distant worlds. Even those who are demobilised at campaign's end will often find themselves on other pilgrim trails in other parts of the Imperium, guarding the faithful from the predations of the Heretic and the alien.Janissary regiments are extraordinarily well-equipped, clad in finely-wrought Flak Armour adorned with silvered masks in the image of Saint Drusus, and are capable marksmen, well-trained at fighting in carefully-orchestrated formations, often literally battling shoulder-to-shoulder in serried ranks, unleashing volleys of accurate laser fire into enemy units. Units of Maccabian Janissaries commonly stand at the heart of a battle line, their faith and their equipment allowing them to hold out against enemy attack when others might falter. Since they are united by faith, rather than common heritage, the Maccabian Janissaries have few ties to the world they are named for, and tend to volunteer for deployments that place them at the forefront of an Imperial campaign, pushing deep into enemy territory, viewing every engagement as another step along their militant pilgrimage.
Maccabian Janissaries - The Spinward Front: During the early days of strife within the Periphery Sub-sector, twelve regiments of Maccabian Janissaries were duty-bound to accompany Missionaries voyaging there, to ensure that the population remained loyal and faithful. Stationed within what would become the Spinward Front, when the Ork invasion came, the Maccabian Janissaries were already on the front lines, fending off numerous Dark Eldar raids across the Periphery, and would then form the core of the Imperial Guard force that was mustered to defend the region.The subsequent betrayal of the Imperium by Duke Severus XIII of Kulth when he proceeded to create the Severan Dominate and secede from the Emperor's dominion was taken by the Janissary regiments as a particular affront against their patron saint Drusus, inspiring greater levels of fervour in the Maccabians. Almost immediately, Cardinals Hestor and Fortis began calling for a War of Faith to cleanse the Periphery of the Apostate and the Heretic, so that it could be repopulated by the true and the pure. While their zeal was to be commended, more practical minds won out; between the Margin Crusade's increasing demands and the war effort already present in the Periphery, the military capabilities of the Calixis Sector were already stretched to the breaking point, and little more could be drawn from Segmentum Obscurus reserves or neighbouring sectors.Nonetheless, Maccabeus Quintus continued to recruit soldiers and raise regiments, whipping the pilgrims who journeyed to that Ecclesiarchy Shrine World into a frenzy of devotion and purgation and doubling the number of regiments mustered, pledging every new regiment to the Spinward Front. At present, the Maccabian Janissaries form the fourth largest contingent of Calixis-born Imperial Guardsmen in the Periphery, overshadowed only by large musters from the populous Hive Worlds of Scintilla, Malfi, and Bront, and given the perpetual influx of new pilgrims to Maccabeus Quintus, it seems unlikely that this recruitment rate will dwindle any time soon.
Maccabian Janissaries - Notable Maccabian Janissary Regiments: 37th Maccabian Janissaries - The 37th Maccabian Janissaries were part of the second wave of Imperial troops assigned to the world of Virbius in the Spinward Front, and they took heavy losses from the guerrilla tactics employed by the Severan Dominate (and Dark Eldar) forces at the beginning of the conflict, as well as losing a key detachment to the world's fierce lightning storms. Already a grim bunch, soon the morale of the 37th Janissaries took a dark turn, as they were unable to strike a telling blow against the Dominate forces. The 37th also had trouble adapting their regiment from acting as defensive light infantry into a fully mobile assault force, an absolute necessity for fighting on Virbius. The Janissaries believe that their lack of success in battle was due do to a greater lack of devotion amongst the Imperial forces already present on Virbius, and so they actively sought for signs of heresy and other transgressions against the God-Emperor within the ranks of the Imperial Guard.1322nd Macabbian Janissaries - The Maccabian 1322nd is on its last legs, having fought on the front lines now for over a decade. Like those who came before them, and those who shall come after, the 1322nd hold no illusions about returning to Maccabeus Quintus, and unfettered by thoughts of home, they have endeavoured to be at the forefront of battle whenever the opportunity has arisen. Particularly driven to oppose Traitors and Heretics, the 1322nd have come to relish battle against Severan Dominate and Chaos forces, and are currently embroiled in the multi-front battles that have engulfed the resource-rich Karacallia System. The 1322nd are currently led by Major Gwendolin Tsavice, who has commanded the regiment for the last two standard years, since the assassination of Colonel Richter Kamask by a Dominate kill-squad. Not entirely prepared for command, and haunted by the sudden and malicious demise of her former commanding officer, Tsavice has become deeply paranoid, her faith fuelling her caution by making her doubt the zeal of those around her. Her chief advisor, Commissar Kristoffer Novek, has encouraged this righteous scrutiny, and the two officers have worked hard to instill a proper sense of wary circumspection in the remaining men and women of the 1322nd.
Maccabian Janissaries - Trivia: As their name implies, the Maccabian Janissaries were more than likely inspired by the real-world Ottoman Empire's Janissaries (Turkish: "new soldier" or "Yeniçeri"). They were the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards. They began as a corps of slaves made up of conscripted Christian boys, and became famed for the internal cohesion cemented by strict discipline and order. Unlike typical Ottoman slaves, they were paid regular salaries. Forbidden to marry or engage in trade, their complete loyalty to the sultan was expected. By 1620, they represented a hereditary and corrupt caste within the Ottoman government and were an impediment to its reform. The Janissaries were ultimately disbanded during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II, in 1826, which enabled the Ottoman Empire to enact crucial modernisation reforms in almost every area.
Mace of Absolution - Mace of Absolution: A Mace of Absolution is an archaic power weapon commonly utilised by the Deathwing Knights of the Dark Angels Chapter's 1st Company, the Deathwing.When a member of the Deathwing is deemed worthy of the honour, he is brought into the Chamber of Judgments in The Rock to face a series of challenges, each of which has been individualised to test the candidate's strength, resolve and loyalty to the Chapter past any breaking point he may possess.Should the Astartes prevail in these tests, the warrior is granted the title of Knight and passes beneath the shadowed arch at the heart of the Chamber of Judgements.The Watchers in the Dark present to him a Mace of Absolution and a Storm Shield -- both priceless heirlooms from the time of the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium, with powers beyond even the potency of the Astartes who will bear them.Bespiked, glowing with power and emanating an eerie mist from their vents, these ominous weapons are employed by the Deathwing Knights in their endless hunt for the Fallen Angels. In the presence of the most accursed Heretics, their power is amplified to awe-inspiring magnitude.A Mace of Absolution is similar in function to a Power Maul, but possesses the ability to be used in a "smite mode," where the power field of the weapon is greatly strengthened and augmented to the point that the weapon will cleave apart even the most heavily armoured vehicles and enemies with ease.
Macer Varren - Macer Varren: Macer Varren was the former captain of the 12th Company of the traitorous World Eaters Space Marine Legion who remained steadfastly loyal to the Emperor of Mankind when his Legion became corrupted and threw in their lot with the Warmaster Horus during the Horus Heresy.He was later recruited after the Isstvan III Atrocity by Nathaniel Garro, a former Death Guard battle-captain, to join the Knights-Errant, the elite corps of Space Marines who served as the personal agents of Malcador the Sigillite, the Regent of Terra.Varren would serve with the Knights-Errant for most of the Horus Heresy, and was killed during the Battle of the White Mountain on Terra in the days just before the Siege of Terra began. After being mortally wounded, Varren was possessed by the Daemon of Nurgle known as the Lord of Flies.However, he possessed enough remaining willpower to overcome the Daemon and destroy himself before he was forced to kill his comrade Garviel Loken.
Macer Varren - History: Macer Varren served as a captain of the 12th Company of the feared and deadly XIIth Legion of Space Marines, the World Eaters. Involved in the bloodiest assaults and most vicious battles of the Great Crusade, Varren helped to contribute to the World Eaters' reputation for bloodshed and the propagation of fear on a mass scale.Varren was a warrior who bore the scars of countless conflicts upon a chiselled, granite-hard face. The stiff lines of Varren's features mirrored those of other Veteran Astartes who had known a lifetime of war. Varren wore a tight cowl of dark hair and usually sported a ragged beard.Like his fellow World Eaters, Varren possessed a short temper and was always eager to prove himself in battle, though he possessed a strong code of martial honour, which was atypical for too many of the Primarch Angron's warriors by that time. Unlike his traitorous brethren, who spat on their oaths of fealty, Varren remained steadfastly loyal to the Emperor even after the majority of his Legion joined the rebellion of the Warmaster Horus.The lord of the XIIth Legion sent his personal guard known as the Devourers to kill Varren for his refusal to join the World Eaters in their sedition. Varren barely escaped this assassination attempt with his life. He also managed to do so with the remnants of those still loyal to him from his former company.Varren accomplished this feat by commandeering a World Eaters frigate, the Daggerline, and fled the Isstvan System before the Isstvan III Atrocity began. He was also joined during his flight by the former Emperor's Children Captain Rakatio and some of his Loyalist Legionaries as well. Varren soon became embittered by the betrayal of his former Battle-Brothers.
Macer Varren - Battle of the White Mountain: During the final days of the Horus Heresy before the Siege of Terra, Varren, alongside Nathaniel Garro, Garviel Loken, Vardas Ison, and Helig Gallor were among the Knights-Errant assigned to put down outbreaks of Chaos infestation which were occurring all across the Throneworld in preparation for Horus' invasion.Varren aided Garro and his fellow Knights-Errant in putting down one such Daemonic infestation on the Terran techno-nomad settlement known as the Walking City. The mobile industrial city had come under assault by a Daemon of Nurgle called the Lord of Flies that Garro had faced once before on Luna soon after the survivors of the Eisenstein had arrived in the Sol System.Varren was at the side of his brothers as they destroyed the horde of plague flies the Daemon chose to manifest as, spreading a Plague Zombie infection across the city through the bite of the Daemonic insects.Varren next accompanied the Knights-Errant to the White Mountain. The White Mountain was a subterranean fortress on Terra where Malcador the Sigillite ordered a group of Sisters of Silence who had been captured and tortured by the forces of Chaos and then recovered by the Loyalists to be held while his researchers sought to determine what had been done to them.In fact, the altered Sisters were simply part of a plot by the Traitors to assassinate the Sigillite by triggering a subliminal mental command that had been psychically embedded in the mind of Tylos Rubio by the Word Bearers First Chaplain Erebus. Rubio was one of Malcador's Knights-Errant who had fought at the Battle of Calth. The plot was initiated when the White Mountain came under assault by Chaos Cultists and the Daemon of Nurgle known as the Lord of Flies.Varren and the Knights-Errant were deployed onto the slopes of the fortress to deal with the assault, while Rubio's mental conditioning was triggered by the Sisters of Silence kept within the White Mountain's holding cells. Rubio attacked Malcador while the Sigillite was bereft of his psychic powers due to the fortress' anti-psyker technology. The Sigillite held off the attack using his hidden Conversion Field and then psychically stripped the mental conditioning from Rubio's mind.On the slopes of the White Mountain, Garro and the Knights-Errant managed to defeat the Chaos assault, though Varren was mortally wounded and then possessed by the Lord of Flies, who attacked the World Eater's comrades. But the possessed Astartes froze when he was confronted by Garviel Loken, who tried to remind him of their friendship and of who he was, a man who was never mastered or controlled by anything as foul as a Chaos Daemon.Loken's intervention summoned a spark of Varren's old defiance, and the World Eater found the willpower to force back the Daemon's assault and destroy himself using a brace of grenades he ripped from Loken's armour. The Daemon's hold on realspace was finally destroyed by the Sigillite himself, who had arrived on the exterior of the mountain and used his restored psychic abilities to burn the Daemon and its remaining plague flies to ash.
Macer Varren - Canon Conflict: In the original version of the "Flight of the Eisenstein" story, a character by the name of Varren (no first name) was mentioned in the Realms of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness. In this version of events it was Captain Varren who led a delegation of Loyalist World Eater Astartes who seized the frigate Eisenstein and fled Isstvan III to warn the Emperor of Horus' treachery.However, in the actual Horus Heresy novel The Flight of the Eisenstein, Varren does not appear at all in the story. Instead it depicts Battle-Captain Nathaniel Garro and his seventy Loyalist Death Guard Astartes seizing the Eisenstein and fleeing to Terra.Another version of the story is found in the 1989 board game "Space Marine", a precursor to the later Epic tabletop game system that takes place during the Heresy. It describes the Eisenstein in a story box through the conversations had by Captains Tarvitz, Garro, Varren, and unnamed others.The choice presented in the conversation was to either "betray Horus or betray the Emperor," and it explains that Horus had five "Chapters," incorporated warrior lodges from Davin within them, and that the Chapters' Codex Astartes command structures were disregarded.Additionally, the "bulk" of the Legionaries under Horus were now loyal to "feral world deities" and to Horus. Isstvan was destroyed without order from Terra, and the virus bombing was not justified.There is no mention of Loyalists being killed. Captain Varren says that he has 15 men of the World Eaters, Captain Garro says 12, an unnamed voice says 10 from the Luna Wolves, and another unnamed voice says 20 from the Thousand Sons. Tarvitz says that there are 9 Emperor's Children beyond himself. In total, it represented the canonical 70 Astartes.They agree that Varren will take the frigate Eisenstein because it is able to Warp jump, and Tarvitz mentions that it was falling behind because of mechanical problems. The others would slow their own ships and then take control of the five warships.Four of the ships would then defend the Eisenstein and clear a path for it to flee. The World Eaters under Varren would then carry the message to the Emperor.
Macer Varren - Trivia: The author James Swallow, who created the character of Macer Varren, has said that artist Neil Roberts' portrait of him displayed above carries a strong resemblance to the actor Gerard Butler's character, the Spartan King Leonidas from the movie 300, which is exactly the look Swallow wanted.
Macha - Macha: Macha is a Farseer of the Eldar Craftworld of Biel-Tan. Macha was the Eldar psyker who had originally sealed the Greater Daemon in the Chaos artefact called the Maledictum on the world of Tartarus and sought to prevent its unwitting release by the agents of Mankind. Later events indicate that her destiny had become intertwined with that of Captain Gabriel Angelos of the Blood Ravens Space Marines Chapter.
Macha - Rahe's Paradise: Macha swore a vow to kill Angelos after he ignorantly destroyed the Maledictum, releasing the Greater Daemon it contained back into realspace. Macha thought twice about this murderous pledge after being put in a desperate situation when the Necrons were awakened on the Tomb World called Rahe's Paradise. The Eldar originally began targetting human psykers on the planet, the presence of which were weakening a device called Lsanthranil's Shield meant to keep the Necrons on the world in their slumber. Although the machine was restored to full power by the Farseer, preventing the Necron Lord from awakening, disaster came when the Blood Ravens Space Marine Strike Cruisers Ravenous Spirit and Rage of Erudition destroyed the Eldar vessel Reaper's Blade, releasing the contents of the Dark Reapers spirit pool aboard the ship into the atmosphere of Rahe's Paradise. The psychic feedback caused by this shattered Lsanthranil's Shield and roused the Necron buried beneath the world's surface.After fighting a retreating battle back into orbit, both the Eldar and Space Marine forces engaged the Necron space craft ascending from the surface of the planet. Soon, however, a Necron Shroud Cruiser rose from the surface and fled for the system's star, intending to use the energy of the star to recharge itself. While the two remaining Eldar craft, the Eternal Star and the Avenging Blade, along with the Ravenous Spirit, gave chase, the Strike Cruiser Rage of Erudition performed an Exterminatus upon Rahe's Paradise. This destroyed the planet and any remaining Necrons on its surface. As the Necron starship drained the energy from the star, recharging itself enough to enter combat, it fired a plasma arc at the Eternal Star, causing tremendous damage and effectively knocking the Eldar vessel out of the battle. The battle was won, however, when the Ravenous Spirit fired its Exterminatus array directly upon the Necron Shroud-class Light Cruiser, causing an internal explosion which led to an overwhelming power surge, destroying the Necron threat.
Macha - Lorn System: At the same time, the Necrons were also rising in the Lorn System, roused by the Necron awakening at Rahe's Paradise. It is here that Macha and Gabriel Angelos next encountered each other on the Ravenous Spirit above the Lorn System's star. It is here that the humans and the Eldar joined forces once again to combat the Necron threat. In the ensuing battle, Macha's starship, the Eternal Star, was destroyed. Macha received the blade known as the Wrath of Vaul from Angelos, who himself had recieved it from a Harlequin Troupe after facing off against the Sorcerer Ahriman of the Thousand Sons, who wanted the blade for himself. It then appeared that Macha transmutated her body into a pulse of green, psychic Warp fire using the blade, that lanced out from the front of the Strike Cruiser. A similar devastating attack was launched by the Litany of Fury in the form of its Exterminatus Array, and both struck the Necron Scythe-class Cruiser leading the Necron forces. The Necron Cruiser detonated, opening a void in the Warp through which all the remaining Necron forces were pulled. It is unknown if Farseer Macha survived her final transformation, for she was neither seen nor heard of afterwards by the remaining Blood Ravens.
Macha - Acheron: Macha again appeared alongside the forces of the Blood Ravens during their campaign on the world of Acheron, leading Eldar forces in an attempt to claim the mysterious artefact called the Spear of Khaine. During the battle against the Blood Ravens, Macha was able to negotiate a temporary alliance with Gorgutz's Orks, and was able to eventually find the vault of the Spear. However, when it became clear that the Chaos forces risked erupting from the planet, Macha urged Gabriel Angelos to use one of his Chapter's Battle Barges and Gorgutz to use an explosive-filled Battlewagon to destroy Acheron itself. Macha was able to teleport Gorgutz and Angelos off the world before it was destroyed.
Macha - Wargear: Rune Armour - Eldar psykers fashion themselves elegant armour decorated with Wraithbone runes. Said to pulse in time with the wearer's heartbeat, Rune Armour offers protection against attacks both spiritual and physical in nature.Ghosthelm - A Ghosthelm conceals the presence of the wearer in the Warp.Shuriken PistolDireswordWitchblade (Dawn of War III)Singing Spear (Optional)
Macha - Sources: Dawn of War - Ascension (Novel) by C.S. GotoDawn of War - Trials of Isador (Short Story) by C.S.GotoWarhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (PC Game)Dawn of War.com - Faction Focus: EldarDawn of War III (PC Game)
Macharian Crusade - Macharian Crusade: The Macharian Crusade was a monumental, seven-year-long Imperial Crusade fought between 392.M41 and 399.M41, led by Lord Commander Solar Macharius, the Imperium's greatest Astra Militarum commander of all time and a recognised tactical and strategic genius on a par with the primarchs themselves despite being only an unaugmented mortal.This crusade took place on the far western edge of the galaxy within the Segmentum Pacificus, reaching as far as the border of the galaxy with intergalactic space and even reaching into the unknown regions of the Halo Zone. The furthest extent of this crusade reached just beyond the edge of the Segementum Pacificus, where not even the blessed light of the Astronomican could penetrate the dark void.Most Imperial historitors agree that Macharius was the most successful and brilliant Imperial Warmaster since the Arch-traitor Horus. Nearly a thousand worlds were brought back into the Imperial fold in only seven standard years of fighting, yet upon his death the newly-won territories erupted into the civil war known as the Macharian Heresy as Macharius' various generals vied for control, fighting over the spoils as degenerate warlords.The Lord Solar Macharius' forces consisted of seven army groups of the Astra Militarum, each led by a general appointed by Macharius himself. Though Macharius was prepared to capture a thousand more worlds, his armies were not, for they had been pushed beyond the point of endurance and were exhausted by the relentless pace with which Macharius had driven them.His troops had followed him from world to world on one of the greatest Human adventures of all time, but his subordinates refused to travel any further when they reached the edge of the known galaxy. It was whispered that the stars of the Halo Zone were haunted and the worlds which orbited them were inhabited by ghosts.At the edge of the galaxy Macharius prepared to move onwards but his armies, never beaten once by any enemy, wavered and crumbled at the prospect of exploring the psychic darkness at the galaxy's edge. The conquests of Macharius thus came to an end. The Lord Solar had finally been defeated, not by any opposing warlords, but by Human fear and frailty.Reluctantly, Macharius agreed to conclude his campaign and return to Imperial space. The Lord Solar was never seen alive again, for he died during the voyage back to his homeworld to announce the full extent of his conquests to the Senatorum Imperialis.The exact nature of Macharius' death remains shrouded in mystery. Yet no Imperial leader has led the armies of the Astra Miilitarum to more victories or on to greater conquests, nor won so many worlds for the Imperium since the Great Crusade itself.