vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Dark Angels - The Five Hundred: The first 500 warriors of the Dark Angels to stand alongside their primarch on Caliban, after arriving on that world with the Emperor, would come to be known simply as the "Five Hundred," an honourary company embedded in the Legion's system of Orders Militant. Each of the Five Hundred were sworn to a unique duty, bound to gather information and to keep it hidden for the benefit of the Legion just as the other Orders Militant, save the subject of their scrutiny was the primarch himself.For among all the doctrines of the old hosts of the Ist Legion, each carefully crafted and honed by centuries of war, they had never accounted for such a manifest icon of war and death as a primarch. Study was required that they might learn how best to fight at his side, which weapons were best-suited to be deployed alongside the primarch and how the Legion would need to be reshaped to serve his will. Lion El'Jonson himself would prove no more forthcoming to his gene-sons than he had been to his brother primarchs, prone to silence and self-reliance. He offered his new Legion the chance to prove itself in battle, but gave them no guidance on the means by which they would best earn his respect.The Five Hundred would serve as the Lion's life guard, to fight and die ever in his shadow, that the Legion might learn that which their new master was reticent to speak of and earn his favour in war. Their hard-won secrets, enshrined in the tome known as the Lion Codex, was among the most cleverly and completely ciphered records within the Legion, for it contains the sum of their knowledge of Lion El'Jonson -- his fighting style and strategies.Such secrets would be valuable beyond reckoning to any foe of the Legion, and just as priceless to his gene-sons, for with the guidance of the codex the Council of Masters sought to reshape their Legion in his image. As such, the Five Hundred were its only keepers and they accepted no new initiates, which ensured that the secrets the company held lived or died with them.The Lion himself never mentioned this enterprise, never uttered one word of praise for the ever-present honour guard at his side even as their numbers dwindled over time. Yet, neither did he forbade them their study and on the eve of battle he often waited patiently for those of the Five Hundred present to assemble at his side before he set forth. This silent acceptance was counted by the Dark Angels as the ultimate mark of recognition, worth more to them than any honour marking or gaudy touch of victory.
Dark Angels - Deathwing Protocol: The Deathwing originated as the Veteran Cataphractii Terminators of the Dark Angels who often served as lifeguards to the Legion's officers, including its primarch. Duty weighed heavily upon the oath-bound warriors of the Deathwing, for once sworn to a task they would let no obstacle bar them from its completion. On the battlefield not even death would stay their advance and where others would retreat in the face of annihilation, the Deathwing stood unmoved. When war dictated that the impossible must be achieved, it was the warriors of the Deathwing to which the Ist Legion turned.The Deathwing is unique among the Space Marines Chapters of the 41st Millennium in that the entire Dark Angels 1st Company fights exclusively in Terminator Armour. The Deathwing are notoriously stubborn and resistant, refusing to buckle under extreme pressure from enemy advances even when it would be more advantageous to retreat.Yet the Deathwing is not solely a tactical formation. Promotion to the Deathwing also means that an individual is made privy to many of the Chapter's dark secrets. The most closely guarded of these secrets is that of the betrayal of Luther and the Fallen, and the subsequent loss of their primarch, Lion El'Jonson.
Dark Angels - Ravenwing Protocol: The Ravenwing protocol, which focused on the use of anti-gravitic units and all-terrain bikes, had its origins in early Legiones Astartes tactics for rapid-moving search and destroy formations, some of which dated back to the nomadic techno-barbarian war clans of pre-Unification Terra.After Caliban's discovery during the Great Crusade, these formations were revived and expanded as they offered a form of rapid strike warfare the knights of Caliban both understood and had perfected over many generations, though now their steeds were ones of unyielding metal, rather than flesh.
Dark Angels - Dreadwing Protocol: The speciality of the Dreadwing was total warfare using the most sinister of weapons. The elected voted-lieutenant of this wing, bearing the title of "Dreadbringer," commanded Destroyer Squads supported by other types of units to bring total annihilation of a foe on a specific battlefield.The Dreadwing also utilised mass armoured assaults of Land Raiders, Spartan Assault Tanks, Mastodons, and Fellblades with advanced weaponry. Their hallmark was the use of dark, sinister, and shunned munitions such as Phosphex, Rad and Vortex Weapons.
Dark Angels - Firewing Protocol: The Firewing was one of the six wings of the Hexagrammaton that existed during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. The smallest of the wings, the Firewing was dedicated to the hidden subtleties of warfare and within its ranks were found an eclectic mix of stalkers, champions and Moritat killers, all bound by their shared expertise in the arts of blade and knife, duellists and assassins without peer.The Firewing sought the destruction of the enemy through the violent depletion of their command structure, whether in honourable duels at the heart of a battle or at the hands of subtle killers far from the battlefield. When given free reign upon the field of battle, the initiates of the Firewing choose to wage a war of wills against the enemy, seeking to break their resolve rather than slaughter their ranks.The Firewing was disbanded in the wake of the Horus Heresy. There are, however, intriguing heraldic links between the Firewing and the sigil of the Consecrators, a Second Founding Successor Chapter of the Dark Angels.
Dark Angels - Ironwing Protocol: The Ironwing Protocol was developed before the Great Crusade was fully born, when the first Space Marines were used by the Emperor to exterminate threats to Mankind too dire to be allowed to endanger the glorious future. He had designed later variants of this protocol, which sought to wed the superhuman power of the Legiones Astartes and amplify that killing strength with newly-designed, bespoke armoured units -- such as the Land Raider -- as well as mighty Dreadnoughts in close support, for the Ironwing's mission required the shock application of brute force.Those were entered into the Principia Belicosa for use and development by the Legions that would follow, notably the Xth and IVth, but the Dark Angels would continue to develop the tactical pattern to serve their own ends.
Dark Angels - Stormwing Protocol: As the largest of all the wings of the Hexagrammaton, the Stormwing incorporated the majority of the Dark Angels' line infantry, training battalions and mobile ordnance batteries within its ranks. The members of this wing were drilled in the disciplined and stalwart arts of close order warfare and set-piece battles, unshakable on defence and resolute on attack. Its Veteran warriors were the core of the Legion's infantry companies, capable of executing complex manoeuvres and formations under the heaviest enemy fire.The Stormwing was also a tactical formation used in the Great Crusade, consisting exclusively of Breacher Squads armed with Boarding Shields. The Stormwing specialised in spaceborne boarding operations.
Dark Angels - Inner Circle Knights Cenobium: Amongst the ranks of the Ist Legion stood the formidable elite warriors of the Inner Circle Knights Cenobium. Only the most dedicated warrior-adepts of the Legion could attain the rank of cenobite and were granted the right to bear the cipher of one of the orders of the Dark Angels.Clad in the finest Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour they were covered in the symbols and heraldry of the Ist Legion. The Cenobites of the Inner Circle could easily weather the storm of shrapnel and flame produced by the terrible weapons of the Great Crusade with limited risk. Armed with the best weapons that the Legion could provide, they would bring the fury of their assault into the heart of enemy fortifications.These temporary squads were outfitted with a Terranic Greatsword and a Plasma Caster, a small Plasma Weapon unique to the Dark Angels Legion fitted into the Astartes' vambrace to allow the cenobium of Inner Circle Knights to fight unencumbered in combat.
Dark Angels - Weapons of Old Night: As the Ist Legion, the Dark Angels were originally outfitted with a panoply of arms drawn not from the fruits of the Emperor's pact with Mars, but instead from the arsenal of the Unification Wars of ancient Terra; relic weapons and technologies of great potency but often difficult to replicate and even treacherous to do so, many of which would later be forbidden.Long after the other Legions were formed, and the Great Crusade ratified and standardised much of the Legiones Astartes wargear so that it could be replicated on Forge Worlds across the Imperium, the Dark Angels retained many of these ancient and potent relics, as well as the techno-arcana that resided within them.These they continued to employ solely within the Legion, weapons whose secrets were never fully yielded to Mars or their Space Marine brethren by the Emperor's own command. These weapons included the following:Terranic GreatswordCalibanite War BladePlasma RepeaterStasis Shell (for Grenade Launchers and Missiles)Molecular Acid Shells (for Heavy Bolter)
Dark Angels - Specialist Units and Formations: Inner Circle Knights Cenobium - The Dark Angels Legion played host to a multitude of ciphered orders, Chambers Militant concealed within the panoply of the Legion and dedicated to the preservation and perfection of a singular doctrine of war. Wthin each of these orders, the most dedicated warrior-adepts were charged and granted the right to bear the cipher and charge of the order, to fight in the forefront of those battles that required the hard-won skills harboured within each of these secretive cells.Deathwing Companion Detachment - The finest warriors and longest-serving Veterans among the Deathwing formed the ranks of the Companions, each such detachment sworn by the most stringent of oaths to ensure the survival of those officers placed under their charge. Most famous among the Companions are those that had taken a death-blow meant for their charge and survived. Such warriors were granted the right to wear bone-white armour in recognition of their selfless devotion to the Legion.Firewing Enigmatus Cabal - The Firewing existed to prosecute a swift and silent style of war, to smother the enemy's ability to resist, steal their will to fight with precision strikes, and gain the acquisition of key intelligence for use by other forces. The Enigmatii were the foremost practitioners of this style of war, operating in small elite units to eliminate th enemy's leaders, disrupt their lines of advance and throw their plans into disarray. Armed and equipped with the finest weapons and equipment available, they were a deadly threat to those deemed dangerous enough by the Lion to warrant their attention.Dreadwing Interemptor - Even among the brethren of the infamous Dreadwing the Interemptors were a grim breed, dedicated as they were to a singular purpose -- the utter annihilation of the enemy. When the Interemptors attacked, they left behind no trace of those they conqueroed -- no bodies, no ruins, nothing. They took no trophies of their victories and told no tales of thsoe that had fallen before them, those consigned to death at their hands were forgotten forever. They were the Lion's ultimate sanction, his final curse for those foolish enough to stand against the Ist Legion.
Dark Angels - Lords of the Inner and Outer Circles: Given the unique structure of their organisation among the Space Marine Legions, it was not surprising that the Dark Angels also employed a number of variant titles for their officers. The line officers of the Legion retained a standard pattern of identification prior to the Calibanite influence that Lion El'Jonson brought to the Ist Legion, though in the years after the primarch's return, a variant system based on the titles of the knights of Caliban found favour with many.By the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, only the most intransigent veterans of the old Legion, those of Terra, Gramarye and beyond, still used the older, more plain titles of praetor, centurion and consul.The warriors of the wings of the Hexagrammaton adhered to their own system of titles, denoting both the bearer's authority and skill within the wing to which he belonged. This system was in use with all six of the wings in existence at the time of the Horus Heresy with few variances between them. Some employed distinct honourary titles to distinguish warriors of particular renown, such as the title of "eskaton," which was used within the Dreadwing to denote a warrior who had overseen the final death of an entire xenos race or world.By contrast, the secretive orders of the Hekatonystika maintained few set titles across the hundreds of individual orders that existed in the pre-Heresy Legion. Of the few titles used by almost every order the most well-known were that of "preceptor," used to indicate the leader of an order, and "seneschal," which was granted to high-ranking order members that oversaw the hidden chambers of the halls of the order.When openly garbed in the full panoply of the order and bound to open war in the name of the Legion, members would also use the honourary title "cenobite" to illustrate the temporary supremacy of their standing in the order over that of their rank within the formal hierarchy of the Legion.What follows is a brief summary of the more commonly known and used titles and ranks for the three chambers of the pre-Heresy Ist Legion, ranked from highest to lowest vertically:Of the Hekatonystika(Corpus Sinister)Of the Principia Bellicosa(Corpus Nobilis)Of the Hexagrammaton(Corpus Dextera)PreceptorKnight-PraetorMaster (Voted-Lieutenant)SeneschalKnight-CommanderMarshalCenobiteKnight-CaptainProctorAdeptKnightInitiate
Dark Angels - Forbidden Arsenal of the Dark Angels: Complementing the Dark Angels Legion's skill and hard-won knowledge was one of the most deadly arsenals in the entire early Imperium. Much of the technology routinely deployed by the Dark Angels was of an order of complexity beyond that available to the younger Space Marine Legions and on par with those of the Legio Custodes, produced in dedicated manufactoria on Terra and elsewhere to the specifications of the Dark Angels' learned forge masters according to designs dating back millennia to the Age of Technology.Exotic plasma weaponry, munitions of archaic and unstable design as well as variants of armoured vehicles and void craft based on unique technologies, all were the sole province of the Ist Legion. This proved a potent force multiplier on the battlefields of the Great Crusade, amplifying the superior skills of the Dark Angels and allowing them to prevail against foes that lesser technology could not defeat.As well as those advanced weapons and designs they used openly, the Dark Angels also maintained large stocks of weapons of a darker renown. Within the sealed vaults of Caliban and Gramarye, as well as a number of secret caches scattered across the Imperium and guarded by dedicated orders of the Hekatonystika, were vast stores of weaponry long since proscribed by the Emperor to the other military arms of the Imperium.Gene-phages capable of annihilating all life upon a planetary body in mere solar hours, core-breaching magna munitions that could tear a planet apart from within, stockpiles of ancient silica-virae -- the dreaded scourge of the nanite that was pronounced the ultimate tech-heresy by the Mechanicum of Mars -- all could be found within the hidden armouries of the Dark Angels.Such weapons could not be unleashed lightly, for they served only a single purpose -- the utter eradication of all life. They were of no use to conquerors, only to destroyers, and they served as the ultimate sanction for those enemies like the Rangda deserving only of complete annihilation.
Dark Angels - Chapter Support: All of the companies of the Chapter, with the exception of the Deathwing, the Ravenwing and the 10th Company, maintain Rhino, Razorback and Repulsor transports for each of their squads and Masters. More vehicles are held centrally by the Chapter Armoury, while Drop Pods are held by the Chapter fleet.The Deathwing has designated Land Raiders, and more are held in the Armoury for use as requested by a Company Master. Although maintained by the Armoury, it is customary for Dreadnoughts to remain a part of the company in which the warrior served before being interred within his cybernetic sarcophagus. When not active, Dreadnoughts can be found powered down in The Rock's Halls of Silence.The Dark Angels Chapter includes a large number of support staff, the great majority of whom are Human Chapter serfs, though there are a few Space Marines amongst their number.Most of these are non-combatants of advanced years, tasked with leading the day-to-day administration of the Chapter, such as the Victuallers, or the Master of Recruits.A particularly vital branch of the Chapter's support staff is that which serves within the Armoury. These include the Chapter's Techmarines, and the vast number of mono-task Servitors that perform mundane work and maintenance.
Dark Angels - Dark Angels Librarians: Like their fellow Astartes Chapters, the Dark Angels also maintain a Librarium of potent 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 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.Librarians of the Dark Angels are trained in this way, and, with few minor variances, have been taught to live by the word of the Codex.Dark Angels Librarians have a number of unique psychic abilities only used by the psykers of their Chapter:Force Barrier - Wrapping himself in a blanket of power, the Dark Angels Librarian is able to create a potent but static psychic shell around himself.Hellfire - The Librarian is able to summon a torrent of psychic fire to burn and char his foes.Mask of Shadows - Covering his thoughts in darkness, the Librarian hides his mind from sight, confounding the efforts of enemy psykers or fearsome foes to psychically engage him.Mind Worm - Driving deep into the target's mind, the Librarian implants the seed of doubt and remorse, crippling the creature with indecision and guilt.True Strike - Deadly against those with the psychic gift, the effects of a True Strike can smash an enemy psyker's mind to pieces.Weaken Resolve - The Dark Angels Librarian forces his way into the minds of his foes, robbing them of their will to fight and eroding whatever mental resistance they possess.
Dark Angels - Interromancy Discipline: In order to aid the Interrogator-Chaplains in their cruel labours, the Librarians of the Dark Angels have mastered a sinister and invasive form of telepathy.Few sensations are more horrific for a victim than the insidious slither of the Librarian's thoughts as they writhe through the gaps in his mental defences, flaying and twisting his psyche at will.Mind Worm - A variant and more visceral version of the standard Mind Worm ability, with this power the Librarian violently burrows his consciousness into the screaming victim's brain, ripping free their secrets in a spray of gore.Aversion - The Librarian sends waves of cold fear washing outwards. The foe find themselves unable to focus upon the psyker, their subconscious screaming at them to look away for fear of what they will see.Righteous Repugnance - Reaching into the minds of his brothers, the Librarian stokes the fires of their hate, and the Dark Angels respond with a surge of cold, furious violence, enhancing their combat abilities and ability to withstand damage.Trephination - The Librarian gathers his thoughts into a white hot spike to plunge straight into his victim's mind, leaving the foe's brain matter dribbling from ears.Engulfing Fear - The Librarian inveigles his way into the minds of his foes. Subtly, he twists and heightens their fears, destroying their morale and willingness to fight.Mind Wipe - The Librarian scourges the mind of his foe, dragging out every memory and skill that makes them who they are and reducing them to hollow shells of what they once were.
Dark Angels - Order of Battle, ca. 999.M41: As noted above, the Dark Angels and their Successor Chapters, the Unforgiven, are not organised according to the dictates of the Codex Astartes, instead maintaining their own unique order of battle which is intended primarily to aid their continued hunt for all of the remaining Fallen Angels, and to maximise their secrecy in doing so. The Chapter order of battle as of ca. 999.M41 before the opening of the Great Rift and the arrival of the Primaris Space Marines is as follows:Inner Circle*Personal livery of the Supreme Grand MasterAzrael, Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels Chapter, leads a council of officers drawn from the senior-most members of the Inner Circle. This council's composition changes depending upon the wishes of each Supreme Grand Master.Supreme Grand Master (Chapter Master)Inner CircleReclusiumLibrariusKnights of the Rock 	 	<a href="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/9/90/Azrael_Back_Banner.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120506072434" class="image"><img alt="Azrael Back Banner" src="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/9/90/Azrael_Back_Banner.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/90?cb=20120506072434" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="90" height="138" class="thumbimage" data-image-name="Azrael Back Banner.jpg" data-image-key="Azrael_Back_Banner.jpg" data-relevant="1" data-src="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/9/90/Azrael_Back_Banner.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/90?cb=20120506072434" /></a> 	 		 		 		 	 Azrael, Supreme Grand Master of the Dark AngelsAzrael, Supreme Grand MasterBelial, Grand Master of the DeathwingSammael, Grand Master of the RavenwingSapphon, High Interrogator and Grand Master of ChaplainsEzekiel, Grand Master of LibrariansRazaek, Grand Master of the ApothecarionNephalor, Grand Master of the Fleet8 Masters (Captains) of the 8 remaining companiesAll Deathwing AstartesAll Ravenwing Black KnightsSapphon, High Interrogator and Grand Master of ChaplainsInterrogator-ChaplainsChaplainsEzekiel, Grand Master of LibrariansLibrariansLexicaniumsCodiciersEpistolariesBrother Apharan, Warden of the Rock6 Venerable DreadnoughtsOther DepartmentsArmouriumFleet CommandApothecarionLogisticiamBrother Belaphor, Master of the Rock - The Master of the Rock serves as the Chapter's Master of the Forge; he is cybernetically hard-wired into the systems of The Rock and is NOT a member of the Inner Circle because of his shared allegiance to the Adeptus Mechanicus.22 Techmarines113 Servitors16 Predators10 Vindicators12 Whirlwinds21 Land RaidersNephalor, Grand Master of the Fleet, High Huntsman of the Void8 Battle Barges16 Strike Cruisers21 Rapid Strike Vessels31 Thunderhawk GunshipsBrother Razaek, Grand Master of the Apothecarion, Master Apothecary10 ApothecariesBrother Sepharon, Warden of the Gates1,200 ServitorsAdministrative Support StaffSupport Personnel (Chapter Serfs)
Dark Angels - Companies: The dispositions and commanders of the Dark Angels Chapter's companies, as of 999.M41:DeathwingRavenwingBattle Companies1st Company2nd Company3rd Company4th Company5th CompanyBelial, Grand Master of the Deathwing, Bearer of the Sword of SilenceChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerUndisclosed number of Deathwing Knights20 Terminator Squads (including Command Squads)9 Venerable DreadnoughtsLand RaidersSammael, Grand Master of the Ravenwing, Leader of the HuntChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerUndisclosed number of Ravenwing Black Knights (Command Squads)6 Bike Attack Squadrons4 Bike Support SquadronsLand Speeders (including Land Speeder Vengeances and Ravenwing Darkshrouds)Ravenwing Dark TalonsNephilim JetfightersThe UnmercifulMaster Astoran, Master of the ArsenalChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerCommand Squad6 Tactical Squads2 Assault Squads2 Devastator Squads3 DreadnoughtsRhinosThe FearedMaster Korahael, Master of the FleetChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerCompany Veterans6 Tactical Squads2 Assault Squads2 Devastator Squads2 DreadnoughtsRhinosThe UnrelentingMaster Balthasar Keeper of the Unseen RitualChaplainApothecaryStandard Bearer6 Tactical Squads2 Assault Squads2 Devastator Squads4 DreadnoughtsRhinosReserve CompaniesScout Company6th Company7th Company8th Company9th Company10th CompanyThe ResoluteMaster Araphil, Master of the RitesChaplainApothecaryStandard Bearer10 Tactical Squads1 DreadnoughtRhinosThe UnbowedMaster Ezekiah, Master of the WatchersChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerCompany Veterans10 Tactical Squads3 DreadnoughtsRhinosThe WrathfulMaster Molochi, Master of CondemnationChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerCommand SquadCompany Veterans10 Assault Squads2 DreadnoughtsRhinosThe RemorselessMaster Xerophus, Master of RelicsChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerCommand SquadCompany Veterans10 Devastator Squads4 DreadnoughtsRhinosThe RedeemedMaster Ranaeus, Master of ScoutsChaplainApothecary10 Scout Squads117 Unassigned Neophytes
Dark Angels - Companies: The current dispositions and commanders of the Dark Angels Chapter's companies:DeathwingRavenwingBattle Companies1st Company2nd Company3rd Company4th Company5th CompanyBelial, Grand Master of the Deathwing, Bearer of the Sword of SilenceChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerUndisclosed number of Deathwing Knights and TerminatorsSammael, Grand Master of the Ravenwing, Leader of the HuntChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerUndisclosed number of Ravenwing Black Knights (Command Squads), Bikes, Land Speeders and Atmospheric Fighters, including Ravenwing Dark Talons and Nephilim JetfightersThe UnmercifulMaster Astoran, Master of the ArsenalChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerCommand Squad6 Battleline Squads2 Close Support Squads2 Fire Support SquadsThe FearedMaster Korahael, Master of the FleetChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerCompany Veterans6 Battleline Squads2 Close Support Squads2 Fire Support SquadsThe UnrelentingMaster Lazarus Keeper of the Unseen RitualChaplainApothecaryStandard Bearer6 Battleline Squads2 Close Support Squads2 Fire Support SquadsReserve CompaniesScout Company6th Company7th Company8th Company9th Company10th CompanyThe ResoluteMaster Araphil, Master of the RitesChaplainApothecaryStandard Bearer10 Battleline SquadsThe UnbowedMaster Ezekiah, Master of the WatchersChaplainApothecaryStandard Bearer10 Battleline SquadsThe WrathfulMaster Molochi, Master of CondemnationChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerCommand Squad10 Close Support SquadsThe RemorselessMaster Xerophus, Master of RelicsChaplainApothecaryStandard BearerCommand SquadCompany Veterans10 Fire Support SquadsThe RedeemedMaster Ranaeus, Master of ScoutsChaplainApothecary10 Vanguard Space Marine SquadsUndisclosed number of Scout Squads
Dark Angels - Chapter Recruitment: As the Dark Angels have no homeworld to speak of (since the destruction of Caliban), they draw their recruits from a variety of different Imperial planets, mainly those Feudal Worlds with a pre-industrial level of technology like that of Caliban before the coming of the Emperor. Representatives of the Dark Angels visit each recruiting world once within a normal Human's lifetime, and take the strongest juveniles from the population.Each Aspirant is thoroughly screened, and from the moment he is accepted into the Chapter as a Neophyte Space Marine, his past becomes irrelevant. Once the recruit is accepted he will undergo the normal rites to become a Space Marine. However, should he fail, his mind will be wiped clean and his body converted into that of a Servitor, the mindless cybernetic automatons that carry out the laborious tasks of the Chapter.The Dark Angels make use of less Chapter serfs or bondsmen than other Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. They prefer the use of Servitors for most Chapter labour, as they fear that Human serfs could be compromised to reveal all of the Chapter's secrets.After the Horus Heresy, the Dark Angels recruited from a single planet known as Plain's World. Sometime before the 41st Millennium, a group of returning Deathwing found that their sole recruiting world had been overrun fifty Terran years earlier by Tyranid Genestealers, with only a few un-tainted Humans remaining among the populace.The Terminators, whose duty and honour required the extermination of the Genestealers, prepared themselves for battle. The odds of their success was nearly non-existent. And so, the Terminators engaged in their native death ritual. Instead of anointing their skin with white ash, they anointed their armour, changing its colour to bone-white.The Terminators cleansed the world and rescued the enslaved populace, and in honour of those few Terminators, the armour of all Dark Angels Terminators was ever after painted white. The Dark Angels' leadership, the Inner Circle, thereafter recognised the folly of relying upon one planet for manpower and so diversified their recruiting grounds to include other Imperial worlds.
Dark Angels - Deathwatch Service: The Dark Angels have been seconding battle-brothers to the service of the Deathwatch for millennia, and Watch Fortress Erioch has several of the Chapter's brethren occupying senior appointments, including the lost Watch Captain Ramiel. As one of the greatest of Adeptus Astartes Chapters, the Dark Angels have fought against every foe, and often bring huge reserves of experience and wisdom to the Deathwatch upon taking their Apocryphon Oath.In addition, Dark Angels are known for their resolute devotion to duty, undertaking the most arduous of missions with solemn dedication. It is also whispered that the Dark Angels are not always wholly altruistic in seconding battle-brothers to the Deathwatch, and it is undeniable that doing so greatly aids the Unforgiven's ongoing hunt for the Fallen.Most Deathwatch Kill-teams are made up of but a handful of battle-brothers, sent alone into the far reaches of the void to pursue objectives unknown to even the highest tiers of the Imperium's government. The net is cast wide, and several Fallen are believed to have been captured by the Inner Circle following reports passed on by a Dark Angel serving in the Deathwatch.Yet, the Dark Angels must observe the Apocryphon Oath or risk bringing dishonour to their Chapter and earning the wrath of the Deathwatch, and the Inquisition. Dark Angels often remain aloof from their Kill-team battle-brothers, yet in time, they learn that the Deathwatch has its own secrets, many every bit as damning as those kept by the Unforgiven.
Dark Angels - Master of the Rock: Most Space Marine Chapters have a Master of the Forge: the most senior Techmarine within the Chapter. With deep understanding of the arcane sciences refined over many standard years of experience, the Master of the Forge is comparable to a Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus.The Dark Angels maintain a similar role within their Chapter known as the Master of the Rock, although there is an ominous difference. Upon ascending to the honoured position, the Master of the Rock follows his predecessors in the office by being permanently and cybernetically hard-wired into the control nave of Cogitators located deep within the asteroid base. It is his solemn duty to placate the most important Machine Spirits, directing the maintenance of the engines and Warp-Drive that allow the enormous asteroid to navigate the galaxy.It is his mind alone that perceives the workings of the force field that still shields the asteroid base. The previous Masters of the Rock, whose bodies of flesh and bone have withered, are left in place, their mechanical upgrades still functioning while their bones fall in dusty heaps below. Eventually, these bodes will be collected for display in the Alcoves of Honour.Because of their dual allegiance to the Chapter and the Adeptus Mechanicus, Techmarines are never inducted into the Deathwing. This includes the Master of the Rock; he is privy only to the secrets of the Dark Angels' asteroid base and its hoard of ancient technology, but never to the greatest secrets shrouding the Chapter's origins.
Dark Angels - Chapter Gene-Seed: As the I Legion of the Space Marine Legions, the Dark Angels' gene-seed is one of the purest and least degraded of all. Remarkably, the Dark Angels' Apothecaries have observed that the gene-seed carried by the Primaris Space Marines is universally of the highest quality they have ever seen, and so the Chapter's stock is qualitatively and quantitatively in excellent health.There are no known aberrations in the Dark Angels' gene-seed, which makes the reluctance of the High Lords of Terra to utilise it in the founding of new Chapters perplexing.The Dark Angels and their Successor Chapters, collectively known as the Unforgiven, have an unusually close bond, often working hand-in-hand with one another. But often, these Chapters have a tendency to be highly suspicious of outsiders and can be perceived as unreasonably aloof and intransigent.Indeed, there have been a number of occasions where the Dark Angels or one of the Unforgiven have withdrawn suddenly and with no explanation from a warzone when confronted by an Inquisitor or Missionary. Rumours continue to persist of nepotism and "Legion-building." Over time these factors have led to the Unforgiven being regarded with distrust by the Inquisition and other arms of the Imperial government.Despite their impeccably pure gene-seed, the Dark Angels have been passed over for many of the Foundings that have created fresh Chapters to fight the Imperium's wars. Yet from time to time the Adeptus Terra have been forced to permit the Dark Angels another Founding, the records of which have mysteriously vanished shortly afterward.In this way, an uncertain number of Unforgiven Chapters have been created, each giving every outward appearance of fighting their own wars for the Imperium, while secretly aiding in the Dark Angels' hidden hunt.In the Era Indomitus, however, the traditional reluctance of the Adeptus Terran to sanction more Foundings with Dark Angels gene-seed seems to be changing. In  Some Inquisitorial circles argue that this is due to Roboute Guilliman's direct involvement, the primarch recognising the Dark Angels' genetic strength and commitment to the Imperial cause.Others contest that it is due instead to a desire in some Terran or Martian circles to increase the Unforgiven's overall strength and thus act as a potential political counter-balance to the successors of the Ultramarines.
Dark Angels - Dark Nature: Although only the upper echelons of the Chapter are aware of the awful truth of the Dark Angels' past, even those newly recruited are possessed of a secretive, even introverted nature. The idea that outsiders are not to be trusted is drilled into the recruits from an early stage, and they are tested continuously to ensure their compliance until it becomes second nature.After all, a brother who cannot be entirely trusted to keep the Chapter's secrets is unlikely to advance through its ranks. Although the Dark Angels have fought beside all of the branches of the Imperium's vast military machine, they prefer to stand beside other Space Marines.Many, even brother Astartes, find the Dark Angels aloof and uncommunicative. The Dark Angels, for their part are impatient and unforgiving with strangers who pry into their affairs.The Dark Angels are also notoriously intolerant of non-Humans and will often refuse to fight alongside armies that include abhuman warriors or alien races.Yet, despite such incidents of friction, many Dark Angels have served with distinction and honour. Their taciturn nature and stubborn refusal to accept anything other than total victory over their foes has served the Unforgiven well.
Dark Angels - Chapter Beliefs: The Dark Angels Chapter gives praise to the Emperor of Mankind but, much to the chagrin of the Ecclesiarchy, do not revere him as a god.Like most First Founding Chapters, the Dark Angels venerate their primarch as much as they do the Emperor, who they venerate as the founder of the Imperium and as their creator. To the Dark Angels the Emperor is a man, perhaps the greatest and most perfect of men, but not a god.The driving force of the Chapter is the hunting of the Fallen Angels who were swept into the Warp vortex that destroyed Caliban. The Dark Angels believe with iron conviction that only by hunting down, capturing and forcing each and every one of the Fallen Angels to repent their crime will the shame of the Dark Angels and all their successors be absolved in the eyes of the Emperor.The Fallen have been scattered throughout time and space and thus the Dark Angels' ten millennia quest is far from over. It is this quest that drives the Dark Angels and they will follow up any rumour, no matter how slim, if it offers them the chance of recapturing one of the Fallen.Should one of the Fallen be captured, he is taken back to the Rock and thrown in the darkest dungeon where the fearsome Interrogator-Chaplains attempt to make him repent his past sins.Should the Fallen repent, his death will be swift and relatively painless, but in most cases he will refuse and the Chaplain will be forced to use any and all methods to force him to repent. Often this will result in the Fallen's death, but this is a small price to pay for adding his name to the Book of Salvation.
Dark Angels - Notable Friendships: Ragnar Blackmane, the young Wolf Lord of the Space Wolves Chapter, aided the Dark Angels' secret pursuit of the Fallen Angels upon the world of Hyades.While Ragnar knows nothing of the reasons for the Dark Angels' pursuit of these particular Renegades, his actions have begun to heal the long-standing feud between the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves.
Dark Angels - Attack Craft: Deathshroud - Dark TalonKnight of the Gloaming - Nephilim JetfighterPride of Lions — ThunderhawkRage of Angels — ThunderhawkRoar of Vengeance — Thunderhawk; personal transport of the Supreme Grand MasterSacred Mace — ThunderhawkUndying Vengeance — Thunderhawk
Dark Angels - Successor Chapters: After the Horus Heresy, the Dark Angels founded at least three Successor Chapters to track the Fallen, the known ones being the Angels of Absolution, the Angels of Redemption and the Angels of Vengeance. These Successor Chapters share in the secret of the Fallen, and collectively the Dark Angels and their successors refer to themselves as "The Unforgiven".In addition, several other Chapters have since been created using the Dark Angels' gene-seed. These Successor Chapters were introduced in the 4th Edition Codex: Dark Angels released in 2007. The new Chapters introduced were the Guardians of the Covenant, the Consecrators and the Disciples of Caliban.The Disciples of Caliban are unusual in that the Dark Angels' Chapter Master Anaziel specifically requested their creation, the only known instance of a Chapter Master making such a request, much less having it granted. The Consecrators are notorious for using lovingly-preserved technology from the time of Lion El'Jonson himself, and as such they bear a striking resemblance to the Dark Angels Legion of pre-Heresy days.Curiously, although Dark Angels gene-seed is every bit as pure and fully functional as that of the Ultramarines Chapter, the seed of the Lion has rarely been used to found new Space Marine Chapters since the Horus Heresy by the Adeptus Mechanicus.Although duty-bound to run their formations independently, it is strongly suspected by some within the Imperium that the Dark Angels' Successor Chapters show too much deference to the Supreme Grand Master of their originating Chapter.It is, at least partially, this rumour of "Legion-building" that often persuades the High Lords of Terra to overlook the Dark Angels' gene-seed when seeking to create further Foundings.
Dark Angels - Chapter Colours: Prior to the Horus Heresy, during the Great Crusade, the power armour of the Dark Angels Legion was coloured jet-black. Not long after the Legion's primarch was reunited with the warriors of the Ist Legion, a wedge began to be driven between the Calibanite Dark Angels and their Terran-born brethren.On the right shoulder plates of the Calibanite Dark Angels, where normally a Space Marine's organisational and rank markings would be painted, they were authorized to wear the personal heraldry of their respective knightly orders.On their left shoulder plates, El'Jonson had decreed that the Chapter's Calibanite Astartes were to wear the dark green of their homeworld's forests as an act of remembrance of the battles fought to tame their homeworld under the leadership of the Lion.After the Heresy, the bulk of the Chapter began to appear in dark green armour, while the 1st and 2nd Companies' panoply remained jet-black in honour of the original Legion colours.The Deathwing Company later re-coloured their armour to bone-white in honour of a battle fought long ago but after the Heresy. Chapter legend states that a band of Deathwing brethren returned to the world of their birth, only to find their people enslaved to a large Genestealer Cult.Abiding by the traditions of their people, the brethren repainted their armour white, symbolising that they were dead men walking -- ghosts -- setting out on their death-quest to rid their world of the Genestealers' taint. Since that day, the Deathwing have continued to wear their Terminator Armour in bone-white colours, in solemn remembrance of the sacrifice of their predecessors.A Dark Angel's battlefield specialty -- battleline, close support, fire support, or Veteran -- is shown by the icon worn on the right pauldron. The Low Gothic squad number is borne upon the right shoulder, a winged blade on the left.In the Dark Angels, the brothers of the Battle and Reserve Companies wear their company markings upon their left knee plates as shown above.Campaign badges are symbols adopted during especially large, drawn-out wars that typically involve a range of different forces of the Imperium.Veteran Dark Angels are commonly found wearing hooded cloaks and tabards; this symbolises their shame over what the Fallen Angels had done near the end of the Great Crusade.Cloaks and hoods are worn by the Veteran Dark Angels and the Chapter's Inner Circle because they have learned enough about the Dark Angels' history, and thus their shame, prior to obtaining their rank within the Chapter.Apothecaries of the Dark Angels keep their entire armour painted black except for the backpack, groin and torso armour, which are all bone-white. They have a red vertical stripe painted down the centre of the helmet.
Dark Angels - Chapter Badge: The badge of the Chapter is a winged sword on a green roundel, which was the ancient icon of The Order on Caliban. Variants of this symbol exist for the Deathwing and Ravenwing Companies, the former depicting the winged sword as broken, the latter a sword held by a single wing and raven's claw.The 10th Company, the Chapter's company of Scout Marines, uses the Dark Angel Sword but without the wing device, to symbolise the fact that the Scout Company comprises Chapter Neophytes, who have yet to "earn their wings" as full Dark Angels.
Dark Angels - Trivia: Prior to the release of Codex: Angels of Death (2nd Edition), the background of the Dark Angels, both in Games Workshop material and within the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe, was shrouded in mystery.Aspects of the Chapter's fall to Chaos bear similarities to the legends of King Arthur, in particular Arthur's/El'Jonson's eventual defeat, and Lancelot's/Luther's fall from grace. Also, the name of their primarch, Lion El'Jonson, is inspired by the English poet Lionel Johnson, the author of "The Dark Angel."Originally the name was spelt Lyyn Elgonsen (Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, pg. 138); presumably to obscure the reference. The dark secret revealed in the original poem was its author's homosexuality.The homeworld of the Dark Angels prior to the 2nd Edition revision of the Chapter was the planet Delahon.
Dark Angels Company Master - Dark Angels Company Master: A Dark Angels Company Master, more often simply referred to as a Company Master, or even just Master, is the Dark Angels Chapter's equivalent of a standard Space Marine Captain.All of the Company Masters of the Dark Angels are members of the Chapter's secretive Inner Circle and are privy to many, but not all, of the secrets these descendants of the I Legion hold dear.Most of the Dark Angels' Successor Chapters, collectively known as the Unforgiven, also make use of this archaic title and structure for their own company officers, though not all.
Dark Angels Company Master - Company Master: Power ArmourArtificer Armour (Optional)Terminator Armour (Indomitus or Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour) (Optional for service with the Deathwing)Storm Shield (Optional replacement for Chainsword)Bolt PistolMaster-crafted BolterStorm Bolter (Optional when in Terminator Armour)Wrist-mounted Grenade Launcher (when in Terminator Amrmour)Chainfist (Optional when in Terminator Armour)ChainswordPower Sword (Optional replacement for Chainsword)Relic Blade (Optional replacement for Chainsword)Iron HaloFrag GrenadesKrak GrenadesMay replace any ranged weapon with anotherMay replace any melee weapon with anotherMay use one Chapter relicMay use a Perfidious Relic of the Unforgiven
Dark Angels Company Master - Primaris Master: Mark X Tacticus Power ArmourBolt PistolMaster-crafted Auto Bolt RifleMaster-crafted Stalker Bolt Rifle (As replacement for Auto Bolt Rifle)Power Sword (Optional)Power Fist (As replacement for Bolt Pistol and Auto Bolt Rifle)Plasma Pistol (As replacement for Bolt Pistol and Auto Bolt Rifle)Frag GrenadesKrak Grenades
Dark Angels Company Master - Primaris Master in Gravis Armour: Mark X Gravis Power ArmourMaster-crafted Power SwordBoltstorm Gauntlet