vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Therion Cohort - Therion Cohort: The original Therion Cohort was an illustrious regiment of the Imperial Army, one that has had the honour of fighting alongside the Emperor of Mankind Himself during the 30th Millennium. Attached first to the 376th and then to the 27th Expeditionary Fleets under the Raven Guard Space Marine Legion and the command of the Primarch Corvus Corax, the Therion Cohort were sacrificed in a diversionary attack on the forces of the rebellious Warmaster Horus Lupercal to allow the extraction of what remained of the Raven Guard Legion in the wake of the Drop Site Massacre.The reconstituted and severely augmented Therion Cohort would then honour their oath of servitude and allegiance to the Emperor and officially declare for the Golden Throne.Like their tutelary Legion, the Therion Cohorts decided not to sit idle but to seek out the enemy and confront them, coordinating all of their actions with the Raven Guard during the fierce fights of the Horus Heresy. Despite their name, there is no tangible proof that the Therion Cohort followed the pattern of the Solar Auxilia or were a part of that formation of the Imperial Army.
Therion Cohort - Regimental History: The Therion Cohort numbers perhaps amongst the most famous regiments of the Imperial Army, its name being honoured in the same proportion as the Lucifer Blacks or Malcador's Chosen. The Therions have become a byword for discipline and faith in the Imperial cause, even having gained the selective honour of fighting alongside the Emperor of Mankind Himself. Attached first to the 376th Expeditionary Fleet, this most distinguished unit of the Imperial Army would go on to serve the Great Crusade alongside the 27th Expeditionary Fleet.Fighting alongside the Raven Guard Legion, the Therion Cohort and the XIX Legion formed lasting bonds of honour and assistance, fighting together in such notorious Compliances as the initial Isstvan III Compliance some ten standard years before the events of the Horus Heresy. The cohort's history has always been one of selfless sacrifice. As the Raven Guard was trapped on the surface of Isstvan V during the Drop Site Massacre, it was thanks to the efforts of its [raefactor, Marcus Valerius, that a successful rescue mission could be mounted.Truly miraculous, the timing of the Therions' intervention saved the remaining Raven Guard from being slaughtered by the World Eaters. Corvus Corax was saved, ensuring that at least one of the Loyalist primarchs had survived the Drop Site Massacre. To ensure that the Raven Guard would live to fight another day, the Therion Cohort did not hesitate to sacrifice itself to give the XIXth Legion's Commander Branne the opportunity to save his primarch.With the cohort and its attending fleet entirely destroyed, the sole survivors, Praefactor Valerius and his manservant Pelon, accompanied the Raven Guard to Terra and petitioned the Council of Terra for the permission to raise a new cohort. With this new augmented Therion Cohort, Marcus Valerius would prosecute the war against those who had sided with the Warmaster Horus.
Therion Cohort - Regimental Homeworld: Therion is a highly populous world within the Segmentum Solar located some solar weeks of Warp-travel from sacred Terra itself. Therion had maintained both a high degree of technology and urbanisation during the dark times known as Old Night. Therion is a world of sophistication, tradition and etiquette; an old world by all accounts as it is believed to have been colonised in Mankind's distant past.For eighty generations, the Therions ruled themselves before peacefully accepting Imperial Compliance and joining the growing ranks of the Imperium. In exchange, Therion was allowed to maintain much of its traditions, although conservative hardliners still missed the day where time was measured by the old Therion Calendar, roughly equivalent to 2.8 Terran standard years. Therion was ruled by a highly organised and stratified military aristocracy.To the eyes of a Terran scholar the culture of Therion would seem oddly familiar as it included many elements drawing back to the ancient Romani-people of Old Earth, Therion's Imperial Commander even claiming the title of "Caesari."As with most military aristocracies, the title of planetary ruler is hereditary and has remained with the Valerius family for many centuries. Each nobleman is required to serve a time in the Therion's military, which special consideration given to the off-world regiments collectively known as the Therion Cohort.
Therion Cohort - Regimental Structure: For most of its operational history, the Therion Cohort has operated alongside the XIX thLegion of the Emperor's Legiones Astartes; first as part of the 27th and then of the 376th Expeditionary Fleet. Whilst it is widely known that the Therion Cohort has been granted the rare privilege of fighting alongside the Emperor of Mankind, records as to its organisational pattern in these early years of the Great Crusade have been entirely lost. What is known is that the the Therion Cohort, which fought alongside the Raven Guard Legion during the latter part of the Great Crusade and the years of civil war, mostly operated as a single heavy infantry regiment.The Therion Cohort is known to have used the now commonplace Sentinel walker for scouting and patrolling missions, but its true strength resided in its plethoric ranks: spearheaded by Raven Guard strike squads and usually supported by heavier units such as the Titans of the Legio Vindictus, the Therions were mostly required to take to the field en masse and crush or draw out the enemy with its numbers. The Therion Cohort was well-known for its discipline even under the direst of circumstances and their tenacity in the face of the enemy has always been justly famed.The basic organisational unit of the Therions was always the company, a unit of a hundred troops which were banded together into larger battalions of two thousand which were commonly designated as "phalanxes." Each phalanx was commanded by an officer known as a "praefactor," which was the highest rank within the Therion Cohort until the time of the Warmaster Horus' rebellion. This may well indicate that indeed the original cohort was a mere two-thousand strong infantry regiment, but records indicate that by the time of the Isstvan III Compliance, the cohort's numbers easily reached into the tens of thousands.Historically, the Therion Cohort exclusively consisted of volunteers, which stands as a testament to the Therion's discipline and loyalty to the Golden Throne. Indeed such was the demand within Therion's population that for years on end, Therion's ruling caesari had to refuse the enrollment of many volunteers.As the civil war soon engulfed the Imperium and the Therion Cohort was sacrificed to save what remained of the Raven Guard Legion, the Therion Cohort was founded anew on its homeworld. More akin now to an entire battlegroup than to a single, if oversized, regiment, this third incarnation of the Therion Cohort -- which nevertheless kept its original name -- would distinguish itself even more than its predecessors.
Therion Cohort - Notable Wargear: The initial Therion Cohort was a single regiment of the Imperial Army, however with the outbreak of the galactic civil war known as the Horus Heresy, the reconstituted Therion Cohort was more akin to an Imperial battlegroup in size.Following the Therion's and Raven Guard's first victories, other Loyalist Imperial Army troops soon rallied around the cohort, warranting Marcus Valerius' promotion to vice-caesari of Therion, under the rule of his father. With the progressive increase in manpower and materiel, the Therion Cohort was soon able to field sizeable war-engines.Contemptuous - The Contemptuous was a Capitol Imperialis, a super-heavy command vehicle used as his headquarters by Vice-Caesari Marcus Valerius during the assault on Milivan, the capital city of the world of Euesa. Commanding from the front-lines as he prefered, Marcus Valerius ordered the Contemptuous to attack the city's main defence -- a so-called "lightning shield" which had already repelled one of the Therion Cohort's assaults, overwhelming its generators through the firepower of its Behemoth Cannon. Taking fire from an enemy Warlord-class Battle Titan, the Contemptuous' shields held long enough for allied Titans of the Legio Vindictus to destroy it. The origins of the Contemptuous and its twin -- the Iron General -- remain mysterious as it is unclear under what circumstances and indeed when the Therion Cohort acquired these powerful engines of war.Iron General - The Iron General is the second Capitol Imperialis in service to the Therion Cohort. Usually commanded by Antonius Valerius, brother to the Vice-Caesari Marcus Valerius, the Iron General was kept in reserve during the assault on Milivan, thus ensuring the full destruction of an enemy force that had threatened the army's flank and succeeded in approaching through the falsification of the allied Raven Guard's identification-tags.
Therion Cohort - Therion Appearance: Records on the appearance of the Therion Cohort are fragmentary at best, and few detailed accounts have survived the eons between the 30th Millennium and the 41st Millennium. It would appear that the Therions favoured a combination of gold and red, both colours being extensively represented on its banners.The officers such as Praefactor Marcus Valerius commonly wore a red sash as part of their uniform and as a mark of their rank. In fact, at the time of the Great Crusade, wearing the red sash of the Therion nobility without being entitled to do so constituted the sole capital crime still enacted on Therion.Flak-vest and other pieces of armour seemed to have been golden as a matter of tradition, whilst bodyguards to the Therion nobility were rather issued with golden and heavily decorated suits of Carapace Armor. These same bodyguards have also been noted to wear white trousers, which must have made for quite a sight on the battlefield.As a regiment of long-standing and noble history and proud martial traditions, it is quite probable that the Therion Cohort entirely eschewed the use of camouflage techniques as some Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes still do in the 41st Millennium.
Thermal Cannon - Thermal Cannon: The Thermal Cannon is a large Melta Weapon carried by the combat walkers of the Imperial Knights and   Chaos Knights. The Thermal Cannon strikes fear into even the mightiest of foes, for such a weapon is capable of immolating everything in a wide radius.The hissing blasts from a Thermal Cannon can melt through a fortress wall or turn a battle tank into a pile of bubbling slag. Against infantry, entire hordes can be reduced to smouldering ruin.There is no armour that offers any proof against the Thermal Cannon's super-heated shots, which become even more effective at close range. The Thermal Cannon is the main weapon of the Knight Errant and a secondary weapon for the Knight Crusader.
Thermal Cannon - Variants: Due to the sheer diversity of Knight Worlds and Forge Worlds in the Imperium there exist a multitude of minor variants of the Thermal Cannon, each different from the last in a number of distinct ways. The known variants include:Standard Thermal Cannon - The most common type of Thermal Cannon, this variant features two barrels and is similar in appearance to that of a Multi-Melta or a Flamestorm Cannon.Inverted Thermal Cannon - An uncommon variant, this pattern features two barrels like the standard version, but in a side-by-side configuration.Snub-barrelled Thermal Cannon - This uncommon variant features a single short barrel.Single-barrelled Thermal Cannon - This uncommon variant features a single barrel that is similar in appearance to that of an oversized Meltagun.
Thermal Cannon - Sources: Codex: Imperial Knights (7th Edition), pp. 16, 21, 24, 29-30, 115Warhammer 40,000: Index - Chaos (8th Edition), pg. 109Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade (Video Game)
Thermal Lance - Thermal Lance: A Thermal Lance is a rare Imperial thermal ray weapon similar in function to a standard Multi-Melta and nearly as large. It fires a more accurate and directed heat beam using a much longer barrel with a more powerful added directional containment field to reduce the beam's dispersal rate and increase its accuracy, at the cost of lowered damage to the target.
Thermal Lance - Notable Variants: Mars Pattern Thermal Lance - The Mars pattern is the most common variant of the otherwise rare Thermal Lance found in use by the military forces of the Imperium.
Thermal Spear - Thermal Spear: The Thermal Spear is a large Melta Weapon carried by the combat walkers of the Imperial Knights, particularly the smallest class of Knights known as Knights Armiger. A Thermal Spear levels a lance-like beam of superheated directed energy that can reduce a rockcrete bunker wall to a pool of bubbling lava.
Thexians - Thexians: The Thexians, also called the Thexian Elite, are a bimorphic xenos species hailing from the heavily iron oxidised worlds known as the Bloodmoons of Thex Prime, and rule a polity called the Thexian Trade Empire.These worlds are located to the galactic northeast of the Ghoul Stars and represent 15% of the total worlds that comprise the Thexian Trade Empire.The Thexians are said to be few in number but strong in influence -- these vile aliens are known to be masters of manipulation and have worked themselves into integral positions in the Borlac, Loxatl and Nicassar civilisations.Though Thexians are famously persuasive, when guile is not enough their unleashed battle form is quite horrifying to behold. It is believed that the Thexians may have been the alien threat that assaulted the worlds of the Imperium in the late 34th Millennium during what was later chronicled as the "Pale Wasting."
Thexians - History: Of the dark and terrible times known to later historitors as the Nova Terra Interregnum, when the Imperium fractured into warrior factions during the late 34th Millennium, there exist in what records remain from this era scattered and veiled references to a great threat arising from the Ghoul Stars known as the "Pale Wasting."Much of the extant evidence relating to this threat has been censored or purposely destroyed, but there are contradictory indications which describe the nature of the threat as both a "star-spawned plague" that swept away scores of worlds and as "nightmare engines" slaughtering the Human populations of whole sectors.Those partial records which have been uncovered suggest that the threat was xenos in nature and that more than one Space Marine Chapter may have been completely destroyed in the course of the conflict. The xenos threat briefly mentioned in Imperial historical records might be the Thexian Elite of the Thexian Trade Empire.Eleven Space Marine Chapters were lost in the final battles of what must have been a truly apocalyptic struggle. The chronicles of many Chapters noted in other sources to have taken part in this campaign are curiously empty of any reference to this conflict, and it is quite possible that this ancient threat may also account for the unusually large number of formerly Human-inhabited Dead Worlds in the region.In response to the events of the Pale Wasting, the Imperium initiated the 13th Founding of the Adeptus Astartes. The Death Spectres are one of two known Chapters to have been created during this unusual Founding. Following their creation, the Death Spectres were stationed beyond the frontiers of the Imperium and charged by the High Lords of Terra to maintain a constant vigil to ensure that the inhabitants of the Ghoul Stars never again threatened the galaxy as they had in the Pale Wasting.The nature of the threat could not be overstated enough, and the containment of such a species as the Thexians was worthy of the attention of an entire Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes.
Theyn - Theyn: Theyn is the title given to a squad leader of the Leagues of Votann's Hearthkyn soldiers of the line.Those Kin soldiers of the line who show sufficient aptitude are given additional training in order to wield specialist heavy weaponry -- such as L7 Missile Launchers or EtaCarn Plasma Beamers -- or to serve their comrades as scanner operators and communications officers.If a Kin shows particular drive and aptitude toward leadership and command, they will be nominated by their superiors or comrades to be promoted to the rank of "theyn" -- which roughly translates to squad leader. This is a great honour and responsibility both, which most theyns strive to live up to.Leading between 10 and 20 Hearthkyn Warriors into battle, theyns communicate with their squad with the aid of cybernetic implants given to them for command and control purposes -- relaying strategic instructions from the commanders of their Oathband or Kinhost to their squads.Theyns who truly excel at war may be selected to become members of the Leagues' elite Einhyr formations, or else to ascend to the rank of "kâhl." Treading one of these paths does not preclude following the other at a later date, and some Kin have even belonged to both elite warrior circles at once. Most commonly, however, the kâhls stand apart as war leaders and generals, while the warriors of the Einhyr fulfil roles such as elite strike troops, bodyguards, voidship boarding parties and the like.
Theyn - Unit Composition: 1 theyn for every 9-19 Hearthkyn Warriors
Theyn - Wargear: Void armourWeavefield CrestAutoch Pattern Bolt PistolIon Pistol (As replacement for Autoch Pattern Bolt Pistol)EtaCarn Plasma Pistol (As replacement for Autoch Pattern Bolt Pistol)Autoch Pattern BolterIon Blaster (As replacement for Autoch Pattern Bolter)Concussion Gauntlet (As replacement for Autoch Pattern Bolter or Ion Blaster)Plasma Axe (As replacement for Autoch Pattern Bolter or Ion Blaster)Plasma Sword (As replacement for Autoch Pattern Bolter or Ion Blaster)Gravitic Concussion GrenadesEye of the Ancestors
Thief of Revelations (Audio Drama) - Thief of Revelations (Audio Drama): Thief of Revelations is the sixteenth audio drama for the Horus Heresy Series that was not originally released as part of an anthology or other release. Thief of Revelations was published online in November 2013 by the Black Library as an audio CD that included the audio drama Hunter's Moon. The audio drama was later republished in prose format as an e-book and as a stand-alone audio CD. The title was also published as part of the Legacies of Betrayal main series anthology novel and again as a part of The Razing of Prospero omnibus.
Thief of Revelations (Audio Drama) - Official Synopsis: The Thousand Sons -- a Legion whose destiny was irrevocably altered at Prospero, and yet who now seem to dance only to fate's tune. Ahzek Ahriman and Magnus the Red cast their psychic sight over the galaxy, seeking any clue as to what the future might hold and where their true allegiance should ultimately be placed.
Third Covenant, The - Third Covenant, The: The Third Covenant was a Blackshield warband that first appeared during the middle years of the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium. They operated across several sectors to the galactic north of the Great Core, into which they ultimately vanished towards the end of the Heresy.Several studies have been made of The Third Covenant in an effort to identify its members, but most have proven unsuccessful, as each Blackshield of this warband went to great lengths to conceal his origins.
Third Covenant, The - Warband History: Known for operating in the region to the galactic north of the Great Core during the chaos of the Heresy, The Third Covenant was especially secretive about its origins. Its members even renounced their own given names and used instead terms derived from other, more esoteric sources.The group is of particular interest to later generations of Imperial agents because, having rejected the teachings of their own gene-sires (Traitor and Loyalist alike), they turned to other, more shrouded doctrines. Ostensibly, The Third Covenant fought for the Warmaster Horus' cause, but in truth it pursued its own goals often only tangentially co-aligned with those of the Arch-traitor and his allies.
Third Covenant, The - Warband Colours: Blackshields of this group wore a typically heterogeneous mix of elements taken from defeated foes, often painted over with black. In places the ubiquitous black heraldry would be worn away to reveal the colours of the original owner.
Third Covenant, The - Warband Badge: Of particular note was the mythological hippocampus worn upon the right shoulder as the icon of The Third Covenant. The many esoteric sigils betrayed the Covenant's true allegiances -- to powers other than Terra or even the Warmaster Horus.
Third Covenant, The - Source: The Horus Heresy - Book Six: Retribution (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 229
Third Sphere Expansion - Third Sphere Expansion: The Third Sphere Expansion was a series of campaigns unleashed by the T'au in the Eastern Fringe to continue the military expansion of the T'au Empire and spread the Greater Good across the galaxy.It began in 997.M41 in the wake of the Great War of Confederation against the Orks and was led by Commander Shadowsun. It saw extraordinary T'au victories over the forces of the Imperium of Man at the Battle of Mu'gulath Bay and in the Prefectia Campaign.But the expansion ground to a halt not long after, due to the difficulties encountered in crossing the region known as the Damocles Gulf following the disastrous Second Agrellan Campaign of 999.M41 and increased resistance from the Imperium of Man, which had led to the assassination of the Ethereal Supreme Aun'Va.
Third Sphere Expansion - History: The growth of the T'au Empire can be charted in three distinct stages. Called the First, Second and Third Sphere Expansions, each of these vast outward surges has seen massive military forces and wave upon wave of T'au colonists set out into the stars. Each has seized new worlds and assimilated new races for the Greater Good.In their earliest days, the T'au almost tore themselves apart as their technological innovation far outstripped their cultural development. It was only the coming of the Ethereals that rescued them from this dark period. These mysterious newcomers united the entire race, directing their efforts in a surge of incredible advancement and mutual benefit that culminated in the First Sphere Expansion.This was a heady time for the T'au, who stepped from their caves out into the stars with breathtaking speed. Losses were high among early colonists who pushed the boundaries of the possible with every new leap they took. Hostile flora and fauna as well as catastrophic accidents claimed many lives, but under the protection of the mighty Fire Caste the T'au established one colony after another.As they stretched outwards, they discovered that their homeworld, T'au, lay amid a dense cluster of viable exoplanets, and one by one, frontier colonies became settled and worlds civilised. As each star system blossomed, it was designated a Sept and named after its prime, or Sept World, each a teeming hub of culture and military strength that formed the heart of a whole settled system.The millennia-long First Sphere Expansion saw the T'au assimilate their first alien cultures, the Ethereals guiding the absorption of the Thraxians, the Nicassar, the Kroot and many others. It also saw their first conflicts with the omnipresent menace of the Orks, a foe with whom no reasoned diplomacy could ever succeed. Soon enough, the T'au learned to hate the Greenskins for their mindless savagery, and resolved to avoid or destroy on sight every Ork they found.By the end of the First Sphere Expansion, the T'au had secured eight glorious Septs, but this was a fraction of what the Second Sphere Expansion would achieve. From the empire's spiritual home of T'au, the orders of the Ethereal High Council raced out along relays to its furthest comers, pushing always for greater advancements, new innovations and mightier weapons.With the invention of the ZFR Horizon Accelerator Engine that allowed T'au starships to achieve relativistic velocities in realspace close to that of the speed of light, the T'au fleets were able to push much further into space, and with a military force more impressive than any seen before in T'au history, the Fire Caste seemed ready to face whatever threats the distant stars held in store.Neither Ork WAAAGH! nor Tyranid splinter fleet could arrest the impetus of the Second Sphere Expansion, and it was not until the T'au crossed the treacherous Damocles Gulf that they encountered a foe that stopped their advance in its tracks.
Third Sphere Expansion - Damocles Gulf Crusade: Beyond the Damocles Gulf, the T'au encountered the Imperium of Man. Initially the T'au Empire annexed dozens of worlds on the ragged edge of the Emperor's realm, not realising the true scale of the threat they faced. The Imperium's sledgehammer response came in the form of the Damocles Gulf Crusade in 742-745.M41 according to the Imperial Calendar.The T'au had never faced military strength in such concentrations, or wielded with such uncompromising belligerence, and their holdings beyond the Damocles Gulf were swiftly crushed. Worse, the Imperial forces used strange, reality-splitting space engines, the Warp-Drive, to rapidly pursue their quarry as they retreated back to the frontiers of the T'au Empire.The Imperial armies fell upon the Sept World of Dal'yth, and were only driven back at great and terrible cost. The T'au were shaken by the shock of defeat, and the Ethereal High Council knew that, should their people's confidence not be swiftly restored, cracks would form in their carefully-orchestrated beliefs.Rather than let this come to pass, the council placed the legendary Commander Farsight at the head of a mighty coalition fleet and sent him back across the Damocles Gulf to reclaim those colony worlds that had been lost to the Humans.The tale of his initial successes, and of his subsequent mysterious disappearance, has been officially expunged from T'au history, yet its marks remain to this day. Regardless of his eventual fate, O'Shovah had served his purpose. In recapturing the worlds lost to the Imperium, he restored the confidence of the T'au in their destiny.
Third Sphere Expansion - Shadowsun Triumphant: Buoyed by her initial successes, Shadowsun rapidly led her armies deeper into Imperial territory. She seemed to be everywhere at once, driving her forces onwards.At the forefront of the offensive, the Fire Caste spearhead were already en route to their next targets before the consolidation forces that followed hard on their heels had fully landed on the newly conquered planet. Here, Shadowsun was using the old Puretide maxim: "Follow up a victory by striking quickly, and you will win another."As Shadowsun passed into the Imperium's interior she encountered ever greater resistance, and she saw that to overextend her forces would deplete the momentum of the attack. Instead of crashing headlong into well-defended planets, she split her fleets, scattering them to a dozen headings. Each began a devastating series of hit-and-run attacks against which the Imperium could mount no effective counter.At length, the Imperium settled into a static defence of a handful of their most key worlds. Shadowsun exploited this strategy too, for it allowed her to again marshal her forces together and launch a massive attack on the planet of her choosing. Her first target was the Hive World of Agrellan, a gateway planet to the Dovar System whose orbit safeguarded a rich cluster of Imperial planets called the Gilded Worlds.Transports of fresh Fire Caste warriors and many of the newest T'au weapon prototypes were rushed to this battlefront for what would surely be a pivotal conflict. Aun'Va himself came to inspire the Fire Caste, and upon seeing him, the T'au knew their victory was assured.At last, the largest class of T'au Battlesuit was unleashed, and under Shadowsun's inspired leadership, its use proved a resounding success; everywhere one strode, victory followed. Fittingly, it was this new XV104 Riptide Battlesuit that delivered the killing blow during the final engagement -- laying waste to the massive Imperial heavy tanks that had so long blocked the gates to the world's capital hive city.Although the Imperial defenders fought with their usual fatalistic grit, it was not long before the hive city corridors ran with blood and only a few isolated pockets of resistance remained. The planet of Agrellan, renamed Mu'gulath Bay by the T'au after it was integrated as a new Sept World, belonged to the T'au after only a single solar day of combat and soon the whole star system would follow.As such, among the other worlds added to the T'au Empire during the Third Sphere Expansion, three full new Septs were created: Ksi'm'yen, Fi'rios, and Mu'gulath Bay itself.
Third Sphere Expansion - Zeist Campaign: The anticipated counterattack from the Imperium fell upon the Zeist Sector during the Zeist Campaign of 999.M41, and this too was part of Shadowsun's plan. As a diversion, this far-ﬂung region was sacrificed for the Greater Good of the Third Sphere Expansion.While many seeded T'au colonies fell to the elite forces of Mankind -- their vaunted Space Marines -- the eﬀort tied down the majority of the Imperium's rapid strike forces and allowed the main T'au assaults to scythe deeply into more desirable neighbouring star systems.The worlds of the Imperium toppled one after another before the precision onslaught. By the time the Zeist Campaign ended, the T'au's Third Sphere Expansion had already enlarged the T'au Empire by 133% of its prior size. The T'au showed no sign of stopping their aggressive expansion in the Eastern Fringe despite their losses in the Zeist Campaign.
Third Sphere Expansion - Voltoris: Yet the commanders of the Imperial armies were infuriated that Agrellan had been taken at all, let alone in so short a time. After regrouping, the various dignitaries assigned to reclaim the lost Imperial worlds held a council of war.They agreed to stage purposefully slow retreat towards the Feudal World of Voltoris, drawing Shadowsun's fleet after them into an area where she would be badly outmatched.The Imperium laid a deadly ambush, using Voltoris' most defensible area -- the fortress of Furion Peak -- as its anchor. The T'au, so sure of their orbital recon scans, vastly underestimated their foes.Within the forests and gulleys of that proud mountain were Colonel "Iron Hand" Straken's Catachan Jungle Fighters, Shadow Captain Kayvaan Shrike's Raven Guard, and Kor'sarro Khan's White Scars, all hidden from sight by the psychic mists of the Stormseer Sudabeh.When Shadowsun's army made planetfall at the foot of Furion Peak, the jaws of the Imperial trap closed. Being psychically inert, the T'au were baffled by the storm-magics of the White Scars Astartes, who then led the charge to engage their foes at close range.Power Fists, Chainswords and even Combat Knives took a heavy toll upon the beleaguered T'au. Shadowsun hunted down and slew Stormseer Sudabeh, causing his mist-spell to dissipate, but by then the gates of Furion Peak had yawned wide.Scores of Imperial Knights sallied forth, cannons blasting the T'au army until the forest road was a churned mess of craters. Many of Shadowsun's most trusted teams had to give their lives to secure her escape. She swore to honour their sacrifice by redoubling her efforts in the expansion of the Third Sphere.
Third Sphere Expansion - Aftermath: The events of the Second Agrellan Campaign brought the Third Sphere Expansion to a close. Unable to easily navigate the Damocles Gulf for a time in the wake of the Exterminatus action launched on Mu'gulath Bay, and forced to deal with the political ramifications of the death of the Ethereal Supreme, the T'au Empire paused for a short time in its rapid expansion to lick its wounds. The T'au eventually launched their Fourth Sphere Expansion not long afterwards. But it ground to an almost immediate halt in the early 42nd Millennium due to the birth of the Great Rift, which caused the loss of many of its forces amid the chaos roiling the Immaterium as the Noctis Aeterna descended upon the galaxy. However, the T'au eagerly launched a new venture, the Fifth Sphere Expansion, as soon as the Warp Storms dissipated enough along the Eastern Fringe to allow such a massive undertaking.
Third War for Armageddon - Third War for Armageddon: The Third War for Armageddon that began in 998.M41 was a massive conflict between the Imperium of Man and the largest Ork WAAAGH! ever raised, led by the Greenskin Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. The war was fought on the Hive World of Armageddon where Ghazghkull Thraka had launched his first attempt to seize the planet exactly 57 standard years before.The conflict eventually drew in portions of over 25 Space Marine Chapters, dozens of Astra Militarum regiments, several Titan Legions and caused immense destruction to Armageddon before essentially ending in an extremely narrow Imperial victory, though neither the Imperial nor Ork forces were able to secure complete control over the contested world and fighting is still ongoing across the planet.Following the opening of the Great Rift in 999.M41, Armageddon was cut off from all outside contact for the duration of the Noctis Aeterna. When the beacon of the Astronomican could once more be seen in the Armageddon System, Imperial relief forces arrived to discover that a third faction had joined the war, the Daemonic legions of Khorne and Tzeentch.The Chaos forces were as intent on fighting each other as the mortals present on the Hive World. In several cases the remaining Imperial and Ork forces on the planet had become temporary allies to defeat this new threat to both of them.
Third War for Armageddon - Opening Moves: Armageddon is an Imperial Hive World in the Armageddon Sector of the Segmentum Solar with an estimated population of between 100,000,000,000 and 500,000,000,000 people. The massive trade and industrial output of Armageddon makes it a vital part of the Imperium, particularly for the tightly settled worlds of the Segmentum Solar, the very heart of human-settled space.The Third War for Armageddon began exactly 57 standard years to the day after the start of the Second War for Armageddon in 998.M41, and it saw the return of the Ork hordes to Armageddon under the control of the infamous Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. He brought with him the forces of three other major Ork Warlords, the Great Despot of Dregruk, Urgok the Unstoppable and the Over-Fiend of Octarius. They each commanded vast Greenskin forces, led by many other Ork Warbosses, to create the greatest Ork WAAAGH! ever faced by the Imperium of Man.Ghazghkull proved to be that most dangerous of Ork leaders, one with both drive and actual ability in abundance. A serious head injury in his youth awoke his "visions" from the Ork gods Gork and Mork which led him on a bloody path of conquest unmatched by any Orks in recent Imperial history. He returned to Armageddon for his "rematch" after decades of planning and testing Imperial defences and succeeded in unifying dozens of Ork tribes and even contingents from several different Ork empires, a level of unity among the greenskins that had never been faced by the Imperium before.
Third War for Armageddon - Black Templars Armageddon Crusade: High Marshal (Chapter Master) Helbrecht of the Black Templars Chapter and three full crusades of his Space Marines answered the plea for aid from the besieged world of Armageddon when the Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka returned at the head of the largest Ork WAAAGH! seen in living memory. The surrounding star systems and worlds fell quickly to the swarm of Orks, despite valiant attempts by Battlefleet Armageddon to stop the invasion. The WAAAGH! was simply too massive to halt. The Black Templars fought bloody campaigns throughout the ash wastelands of Armageddon, but it was in space that their greatest contribution was made to the defence of the world. The Three Black Templar Crusades assembled at a Chapter Keep on the world of Fergax, and set course for Segmentum Solar. Upon arriving at the war-torn world of Armageddon, Helbrecht's experience of commanding great fleets made him a natural leader of the assembled Adeptus Astartes starships, while Black Templars Marshals Ricard and Amalrich took their Crusades to the surface of Armageddon. The war in space was bitterly fought, with Helbrecht leading many storming actions aboard Ork Space Hulks. The Imperial Navy fleet under the command of Admiral Parol began to whittle down the massive fleet of Ork starships and Space Hulks, and the reduction of Ork ground reinforcements eventually began to tell on the greenskins' war effort. By the commencement of the Season of Fire where the surface of Armageddon becomes hostile to all life because of extreme volcanism, the fighting between Orks and humans had boiled down to an uneasy stalemate.
Third War for Armageddon - Chaplain Grimaldus, Hero of Helsreach: The third Black Templar Crusade on Armageddon was led by Chaplain Grimaldus, who had just recently been raised to the position of Reclusiarch, after the death of his mentor Mordred. Under the direction of the High Marshal, he led over a hundred of his Battle-Brothers into some of the most horrific battles to take place on Armageddon. After a score of successful campaigns, Grimaldus gathered his forces and charged towards Hive Helsreach which was besieged at that time by thousands of Orks who had swarmed up from the icy Dead Lands in the south using Orkimedes submersibles, initiating the terrible Battle of Helsreach. The Black Templars stood their ground at the colossal building known as the Temple of the Emperor Ascendant, a vast basilica dedicated to the Imperial Cult that had stood since the earliest days of Armageddon's colonisation.The Orks attacked with devastating force but Chaplain Grimaldus and his Astartes held out for almost two months. The Orks finally penetrated the Space Marines' defences and stormed the Temple, destroying irreplaceable relics, infuriating the Templars even more. Many of the Hive Militants and Imperial Guardsmen supporting the Space Marines turned to flee, but were rallied by the sound of Chaplain Grimaldus' booming voice echoing through the Temple; "I have dug my grave in this place and I will either triumph, or I will die!"The battle degenerated into a bloody melee in the heart of the building, ending only when the entire edifice began to crumble, eventually collapsing around the combatants. All were feared lost until a day later, when Chaplain Grimaldus crawled from the ruins, bearing the last relics of the Temple and vowing that all would remember the lives that had been lost in the defense of Armageddon. The Black Templar Apothecaries who examined him later were amazed that Grimaldus had survived, much less found the strength to climb from the ruins. When the war finally ended, the citizens of Hive Helsreach honored him with the title of "Hero of Helsreach."
Third War for Armageddon - Celestial Lions Crusade on Armageddon: The Celestial Lions are a Successor Chapter raised from the genestock of the Imperial Fists Primarch Rogal Dorn. They were created during an unnamed Founding during the latter years of the 38th Millennium.During the next four millennia, the Lions proved to be a resolute Chapter and true scions of Dorn, fiercely defending the realms of man from the enemies of the Emperor.But the Lions' fierce pride and moral principles that have always governed their Chapter's thoughts and deeds may have contributed to their own destruction.Events that were set in motion over five solar decades earlier during a routine assault on the world of Khattar in 948.M41, proved to be the Chapter's undoing in the wake of the events that unfolded during the Third War for Armageddon.
Third War for Armageddon - Choices: Grimaldus and his charge then departed the Celestial Lions' forward base and made for the Eternal Crusader. He went there to put an audacious plan into motion. The Chaplain knew he could not return to Hive Helsreach, for the Season of Fire played its tempestuous games around the city, harsh enough to kill sky traffic but not quite violent enough to interfere with Vox signals.Utilising the flagship's powerful communication array, he was able to amplify his transmitter's signal to send a message through. Making contact with the Imperial forces on the ground, he relayed a series of orders to one of the Astra Militarum officers present there. It took several more solar hours of coordinating Helsreach's defences from high orbit. Grimaldus knew a great many Guard officers were going to Vox skyward for confirmation in the hours to come.Time passed, as Grimaldus spoke with eighty-one Astra Militarum officers and eleven Naval captains. As his clearance was Rubicon-grade, no one dared to question his orders. Cyneric questioned the senior Chaplain's motives, and wondered if he hadn't exceeded his authority. But Grimaldus argued that the Lions' survival would be for the best and he was depleting Hive Helsreach's defences to march alongside the Lions back into the Mannheim Gap.The Reclusiarch explained that the city was vastly overdefended now, with entire battalions sitting idle and awaiting redeployment. It was an irritating truth; would that they had such a problem when the real war was being fought. The soldiers in Helsreach were actually bored. They did not do well with tedium, especially when left alone with nothing to do and no one to shoot.Cyneric felt that Grimaldus was playing on the people's regard for him. The Hero of Helsreach called them to war. Of course they would follow. But he was sure it was their war. The Reclusiarch argued that it was their world. And it was the only chance the Celestial Lions had, if they were to survive.The Lions' unseen enemies might well allow them to die in the glory they deserved. But their deaths served nothing but to ease the soreness of wounded pride. The Celestial Lions must not die on Armageddon and without help, the Chapter was doomed. Everything depended on just how fast Grimaldus' forces at Helsreach could break out from the storm, and redeploy halfway across the world.
Third War for Armageddon - New Beginnings: Reclusiarch Grimaldus bid his farewell to the newly-installed Chapter Master Ekene Dubaku of the Celestial Lions, escorted by his surviving few warriors onto the Black Templars Strike Cruiser Blade of the Seventh Son, with its course plotted for the distant world of Elysium IX. Dubaku now bore a bionic leg and a noticeable limp, his physiology not entirely adjusted to the augmetic replacement yet. The armour he wore was gold war-plate of an ancient Imperial Fists champion, granted as a gift from the Eternal Crusader's Halls of Memory. His cloak was that of Helbrecht's own Sword Brethren, red on black, elegantly cast over one shoulder.It was not known if this was the very same cloak Helbrecht had granted to Dubaku when he forced him to take the oath of lordship over his depleted Chapter. At his hip, bound by chains of black iron, was the flayed, polished skull of the Greenskin Warlord they had killed together. An honour indeed, to be named on a Chapter Master's prime trophy.The Black Templars Honour Guard comprised to bid him good journey consisted of the Reclusiarch, the newly promoted Chaplain Cyneric, and the High Marshal's household knights, clad in ceremonial colours. The Reclusiarch hoped most fervently, as time passed, that Chapter Master Dubaku's efforts in reconstructing the Celestial Lions and training the generation to follow him continued to go well. Grimaldus knew with grim satisfaction that they would most likely never meet again, as Dubaku was sworn to a life of defending what he could hold, and the Black Templars always sailed forth on the attack against the foes of the Emperor.
Third War for Armageddon - Astra Militarum and Armageddon Planetary Defence Forces: 4th Armageddon Steel Legion8th Armageddon Super Heavy Tank Company13th Penal Legion, "The Last Chancers"14th Savlar Chem Dogs34th Armageddon Steel Legion34th Armageddon Steel Legion Armoured Division51st Armageddon Steel Legion61st Armageddon Steel Legion 69th Armageddon Steel Legion91st Armageddon Steel Legion93rd Armageddon Steel Legion101st Armageddon Steel Legion121st Armageddon Steel Legion121st Armageddon Steel Legion Armoured Division 141st Armageddon Steel Legion199th Armageddon Steel Legion Armoured Division273rd Armageddon Steel Legion276th Armageddon Steel Legion703rd Armageddon Steel Legion Storm Trooper DivisionArmageddon Ash Wastes Militia, 5 RegimentsArmageddon Command Guard, 5 CompaniesArmageddon Hive Militia, 120 RegimentsArmageddon Jungle Fighters Regime, 1 Regiment Armageddon Ork Hunters, 5 RegimentsArmageddon Steel Legion, 25 RegimentsArphista Penal LegionAsgardian Rangers, 2 RegimentsCadian Shock Troops, 15 RegimentsCatachan Jungle Fighters, 3 RegimentsDeath Korps of Krieg, 5 RegimentsElysian Drop Troops, 14 SquadronsHelsreach Dockers' UnionHelsreach Ganger Militia Jopall Indentured Squadrons, 17 BattalionsKrourk Ogryn Auxilia, 2 RegimentsMinervan Tank Legions, 3 LegionsMonglor Ogryn Auxilia, 2 RegimentsMordian Iron Guard, 6 RegimentsNoctan Strike Forces, 6 RegimentsOcanon Phalanx Troopers, 11 RegimentsPyran Dragoons, 10 RegimentsSavlar Chem-Dogs, 6 RegimentsSavlar Chem-Riders, 2 RegimentsSemtexian Bombadiers, 9 BatteriesStorm Troopers, 18 CompaniesZouvan Skirmishers, 4 Brigades
Third War for Armageddon - Imperial Navy and Adeptus Astartes Fleet Elements: 5082nd Imperial Naval Wing14 Adeptus Astartes Battle Barges103 Adeptus Astartes Strike CruisersUnknown number of Thunderhawk GunshipsBattlefleet Armageddon 43 Starhawk Bomber Strike Wings36 Squadrons of Escorts6 first-line Cruiser Squadrons9 second-line Cruiser Squadrons12 Light Cruiser Squadrons67 Fury Interceptor Strike WingsMonitor Station DanteMonitor Station MannheimMonitor Station YarrickArchangel - Defiant-class Light CruiserForebearer - Defiant-class Light CruiserEx Cathedra - Armageddon-class BattlecruiserHammer of Light - Armageddon-class BattlecruiserThunderchild - Armageddon-class BattlecruiserGreen Lake - Oberon-class BattleshipHis Will - Apocalypse-class BattleshipLeonid - Endeavour-class Light CruiserTriumph - Apocalypse-class BattleshipInomine Veritas - Emperor-class BattleshipThe Eternal Crusader - Black Templars Flagship (Battle Barge)Light of Purity - Black Templars Battle BargeMajesty - Black Templars Strike CruiserNight's Vigil - Black Templars Battle BargeSanctis Legate - Endeavour-class Light CruiserSerpentine - Salamanders Battle BargeSword of Voss - Endeavour-class Light CruiserVulkan's Wrath - Salamanders Strike Cruiser
Third War for Armageddon - Adeptus Astartes: Angels of Fire, 7 CompaniesAngels of Redemption, 4 CompaniesAngels of Vigilance, 6 CompaniesAngels Porphyr, 8 CompaniesBlack Dragons, 9 CompaniesBlack Templars, 3 CrusadesBlood Angels, 1 CompanyCelebrants, entire Chapter deployedCelestial Lions, entire Chapter deployedExorcists, entire Chapter deployedFlesh Tearers, 5 CompaniesImmortal Hearts, 1 CompanyIron Champions, 7 CompaniesMarines Malevolent, 2 CompaniesMortifactors, entire Chapter deployedOmega Marines, entire Chapter deployedRaptors, 5 CompaniesRed Scorpions, 1 CompanyRelictors, entire Chapter deployedSalamanders, 6 CompaniesSilver Skulls, 7 CompaniesSons of Guilliman, 6 CompaniesSpace Wolves, 5 Great CompaniesStorm Giants, 5 CompaniesStorm Lords, 2 BrotherhoodsWhite Scars, 3 BrotherhoodsWidowmakers, 1 Company
Third War for Armageddon - Forces of the Inquisition: Ordo HereticusOrdo XenosDeathwatch Space Marines, 2 Kill-teams
Third War for Armageddon - Forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus: Ark Mechanicus-class BattleshipCenturio Ordinatus, 4 OrdinatiiLegio Crucius, Demi-LegioLegio Ignatum, Legio Legio Invigilata, LegioLegio Magna, Quarto-LegioLegio Metallica, Demi-LegioLegio Tempesto, LegioLegio Victorum, LegioSkitarii, 14 Regiments
Third War for Armageddon - Forces of the Ecclesiarchy: Order of Our Martyred Lady, 3 CompaniesOrder of the Argent Shroud, 7 Companies
Third War for Armageddon - Forces of the Adeptus Arbites: 20 Adeptus Arbites Armageddon Precincts12 Punitive Battalions
Third War for Armageddon - Forces of the Departmento Munitorum: Departmento Munitorum Engineer Corps, 2 CorpsDepartmento Munitorum Pioneer Corps, 1 Corps
Third War for Armageddon - Forces of the Officio Assassinorum: Officio Assassinorum Agents (Numbers Classified)
Third War for Armageddon - Forces of the Officio Sabatorum: 34 Agents of the Sabatorum
Third War for Armageddon - Forces of the Templars Psykologis: 15 Disruption Squads