Rubric Marines - Rubric Marines: Rubric Marines, also known by the High Gothic term Rubricae, are the spectral remnants of those Astartes of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion who are now trapped within their suits of ancient power armour as mindless automatons. Remorseless, implacable foes, the Rubric Marines are forever cursed. They bestride the galaxy in armoured suits that are little more than sealed tombs, within which only a handful of dust remains of what was once a proud Space Marine.During the razing of their homeworld Prospero, the Thousand Sons Legion was forced to flee its beloved capital city of Tizca. The Emperor had sent against them the Space Wolves, the Custodian Guard and the Sisters of Silence, His intent to call the primarch Magnus and his fellow psykers of the XV Legion to account. For all their esoteric skill, the Thousand Sons could not stand against the combined might of these invaders, and escaped to the Eye of Terror and the Planet of the Sorcerers, Sortiarius, that awaited them there through a Warp Gate opened by their sorcerers and Magnus. However, their rapid evasion and dabbling with forbidden powers was not without price.Coupled with many solar decades of harnessing the energy of the Empyrean, the warping effects of Chaos began to take their toll. Mutation spread rapidly and unchecked through the Legion. Ahzek Ahriman, the Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons, attempted to halt this process of degeneration by unleashing an incredibly potent spell that would become known as the Rubric of Ahriman. Sealing Daemonic pacts and harnessing the energies of his fellow Librarians, Ahriman intended to permanently enchant all of the Thousand Sons, forever shielding them from the corrupting effects of Chaos. Tzeentch, the Changer of the Ways and patron of the Thousand Sons, granted his wish, but in a manner most twisted.In a way, the Rubric of Ahriman succeeded beyond all expectation. It was at a cost none could have predicted. The most powerful sorcerers of the Thousand Sons survived the casting of the Rubric of Ahriman with their knowledge and powers greatly augmented. The battle-brothers whose psychic ability had been slight or non-existent, by far the larger part of the XV Legion, were altered in a much more profound way -- their armour was sealed shut, as if every clasp and join had been welded tight, and their bodies were reduced to nothing more than dimly sentient dust.Truly, physical mutation would plague them no more, but their fleshless spirits were trapped inside their battle plate for all eternity. Whether the souls of these warriors were eradicated entirely, or whether some small fragment continues to linger, not even the most powerful mystics of the Thousand Sons can say.Although these living suits of power armour still move and function, and can respond to orders just like an ordinary man, they are little more than automatons. They quickly fall into inactivity unless a sorcerer is nearby to direct them, although in the fires of battle, something of their former battle-hunger returns and they move with greater clarity and purpose.Conversely, they are far more durable than the Chaos Space Marines of their brother Traitor Legions -- solid-shot weapons have little to no effect upon them, and even a plasma blast or powered blade may be deflected by their fate-altering auras, for the power of Tzeentch sustains them better than any physical protection could. Only the most grievous wounds can lay open the sealed shell of a Rubric Marine and dissipate the dust inside, breaking the spell and effectively slaying its essence.The ancient Prosperine armour that houses their essence bears little resemblance to its former appearance, having been melded over many Terran centuries by the empyric powers of the Warp. Where once their raiments were the embodiment of Imperial might, they are now a testament to the will of Tzeentch.The articular servos and fibre bundles that give the interlocking ceramite plates movement are infused with sorcerous energy, providing the Rubric Marine with a semblance of animus. This same power coalesces around the armour, creating a protective shroud against incoming fire. Even those attacks that do manage to pierce the shell of a Rubric Marine have little effect, for they have no flesh to be torn by bolt or blade, and only by sundering the armour completely can they be taken down.When a Rubric Marine does fall in battle, the desiccated remnants of their corporeal form pour from the rents in their armour and are scattered to the wind. As such, many worlds have ancient battlefields that are seeded with the dust of Rubric Marines. Yet even dispersed, the warrior is not granted the release of oblivion. Should the fragments of their armour be collected and resealed, the essence of the Rubric Marine can be returned to its vessel to once again serve the Thousand Sons.The sorceries required to achieve such a rebinding are as dangerous as they are powerful. A single misspoken syllable can kill the intoner or drive them insane. But should the profane rituals be successful, the essence dust of the Rubric Marine will be drawn back to its prison. Many Aspiring Sorcerers amongst the Legion will perform these rites, and the most skilled can will the essence of a Rubric Marine to coalesce even if the dust of its body has been strewn across an entire planet or buried deep beneath the surface.Rubric Marines are forever yoked to those who have entrapped them. The Aspiring Sorcerer who has gained control over and commands a squad of Rubric Marines can direct them in battle as a puppeteer would operate a marionette. Often, the Aspiring Sorcerer will use their enslaved soldiers as a bulwark against the enemy while they themselves work their dark magics. Should the Aspiring Sorcerer fall, the Rubric Marines continue to follow the path on which they have been set, killing and maiming until all before them have been obliterated.The Chaos Sorcerers of the Thousand Sons now use their Rubricae as bodyguards and enforcers. These undying warriors make excellent guardians for the libraries of esoteric lore hoarded by the sorcerers, for they possess no spark of curiosity and are utterly loyal without exception. Such sorcerers will sometimes offer the services of their Rubricae to those who promise them knowledge and magical power, and many have pledged themselves to the Black Legion Chaos Lord Abaddon the Despoiler, hungrily taking any opportunity thrown up by the Warmaster of Chaos' campaigns to seize exotic relics and captives. Before battle, the sorcerers enchant the weapons of their bodyguards so that the munitions they fire blaze with magical flame, burning the minds of their targets just as they melt armour and flesh.