vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Cabal - Organisation and Abilities: The Cabal was a collection of disparate alien species not readily identifiable to Imperial authorities. They were known to include mechanical life-forms as well as those that are energy-based and non-corporeal. Other member species variously resembled insectoid, avian or reptilian creatures.One species definitively identified as having a member in the Cabal is the Craftworld Eldar. The Cabal is also known to have made use of a number of human agents, with at least one, John Grammaticus, active at the time of the Horus Heresy, although the individual in question appeared to act as more of a subordinate of the organisation's Inner Circle than an equal.The Cabal was a nomadic organisation that constantly travelled all over the galaxy. There is very little information about their starships or other modes of transport -- the only known Cabal starship type was a huge, hive city-sized flat disk that was capable of atmospheric operations, including planetary landings and take-offs. It had a stealth or cloaking mode that was undetectable using Imperial auspexes, and the ability to interrupt and jam all communications, both physical and psychic. This vessel also possessed the abiliy to unleash an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that could temporarily disable the systems of any other spacecraft in its vicinity.The Cabal was known to have "halting-sites" in particular star systems, on planets where they maintained a secret presence. These worlds had their topography altered to suit the needs of the Cabal, who constructed identical landing-zones on every world that interested them. Planets that the Cabal had used as a base of operations were therefore always identifiable if an observer knew how to look at the terrain.Two such worlds used by the Cabal were Nurth and Eolith, both of which had played host to the Cabal for a time. Apart from their advanced terraforming abilities, the Cabal possessed atmospheric alteration technology and the ability to extend or renew life, even in dead tissue. This was used to create functionally immortal individuals that were referred to as "Perpetuals."But the Cabal's most important ability was an enhanced form of psychic farseeing called the Acuity, through which they attempted to foresee the course of events across thousands of Terran years of galactic history. The Acuity is far more potent than the more limited and uncertain precognitive abilities available to Eldar Farseers and could be accessed while ship-borne.An "Inner Circle" of Cabal members existed that acted as its governing body and that controlled and shaped the Acuity. The only member positively identified by Imperial sources was a being named Gahet, a xenos from a race that was ancient before even the Eldar had come into existence, and who may have been related to the Old Ones, as John Grammaticus referred to him as one of the "Old Kind."
Cabal - The Cabal and the Emperor: The Cabal knew something of the Emperor's true nature, and also knew that He was, like themselves, a primary foe of Chaos. It was even believed by high-ranking Cabal members that the Emperor could have been, in other circumstances, a member of their Inner Circle. However, unlike the Emperor after the Age of Strife who chose to act openly and aggressively against the Dark Gods, regardless of the moral consequences that would ensue from His launch of the Great Crusade, the Cabal always acted in a covert manner, never showing its hand unless absolutely necessary.
Cabal - The Cabal and the Horus Heresy: Thanks to the Acuity and their advanced, almost god-like technological abilities, the Cabal was able to foresee the corruption of the Warmaster Horus and the advent of the terrible interstellar civil war that was the Horus Heresy. They claimed that unless proper action was taken, this could become a catastrophic event that could doom the galaxy and all of its intelligent races to the eternal servitude of Chaos. Using the Acuity the Cabal's Inner Circle eventually distilled all possible eventualities into two outcomes.
Cabal - Outcome One: Victory for Horus: The Cabal believed that, after the Heresy, a scintilla of the honourable being that Horus once was would remain within the Warmaster, eating at him over what he had done and fuelling a self-destructive sense of self-hatred and loathing that would see Horus fall on his own subjects in an acceleration of the violence of the Heresy, creating civil strife amongst the Forces of Chaos that would culminate in the final extinction of Mankind.The end result of Horus' rebellion and conquest of the Imperium would be the total extermination of the human species within two or three generations. However, if humanity were to disappear from the galaxy, the Ruinous Powers of Chaos, whose own existence within the Empyrean depended upon the baser collective psychic emantions of humanity, would be extinguished with it.
Cabal - Outcome Two: Victory for the Emperor: If the Imperium defeated Horus and his Traitor Legions, the Cabal foresaw the Emperor giving His life to kill Horus, but then becoming a howling, undead rictus trapped within the cybernetic life-support coffin of the Golden Throne, his soul fighting an endless but ultimately losing battle against the influence of the Chaos Gods as His power steadily waned across the millennia.The Cabal's Inner Circle believed that this path would lead to technological and cultural stagnation for the Imperium of Man, and this stagnation would ultimately conclude in irreversible decay. This decay would accelerate and enhance the human misery that contributed to the power of Chaos, allowing the Dark Gods to grow in power and spread their influence across the galaxy, until after ten or twenty thousand Terran years of increasing misery, the entire galaxy and all of its sentient species would be consumed by the unrelenting hunger of Chaos.
Cabal - The Cabal and the Alpha Legion: Having studied the development of the human Primarchs over some solar decades, the Cabal was able to determine that the most important of them in the determination of galactic events were the "oldest" (Horus) and the "youngest" (Alpharius Omegon). They foresaw that the Chaos Gods would ignite a galactic-level civil war within the Imperium of Man by corrupting and using Horus, and claimed that what "Horus would do, Alpharius would undo."They also claimed that, while the outbreak of the Horus Heresy was inevitable and could not be altered, the Alpha Legion was perfectly placed to control and direct it to one of the two possible outcomes the Acuity had foreseen for humanity and the galaxy.The Cabal's Inner Circle tasked John Grammaticus, a human Perpetual agent of the Cabal, to arrange a meeting with the Alpha Legion's Primarch, which eventually took place on the planet Eolith about a standard year-and-a-half before the start of the Heresy at the Battle of Istvaan III.
Cabal - The Decision: The Cabal, operating with its knowledge of the extreme long view through the power of the Acuity, sought to bring about Horus' victory by convincing Alpharius Omegon of the truth of their predictions. They asked the twin Primarchs to place themselves and the forces of the XX Legion under the banner of Horus and Chaos Undivided, despite their sworn loyalty to the Emperor, and do all they could to ensure the Warmaster's victory over the Emperor, thus sacrificing humanity to destroy the Chaos Gods once and for all.The Primarch of the Alpha Legion appears to have acceded to this request, believing that such a sacrifice is what the Emperor would have Himself wanted if He had been presented with a similar choice. As the Heresy ended with the victory of the Emperor's Loyalist forces and the second outcome foreseen by the Acuity, it appears that the Cabal's machinations failed and that, if they are to be believed, the galaxy is ultimately doomed to be consumed by Chaos not long after the end of the 41st Millennium.
Cabal - The Raven Guard Mission: With the power of the Acuity, the Cabal was able to inform Alpharius Omegon that the Raven Guard was going to come into possession of a highly valuable secret asset of the Imperium that needed to be destroyed if Horus' rebellion was to prove successful. The Alpha Legion then made sure that some Raven Guard Astartes, including their Primarch Corax, survived the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V in order to obtain the asset: samples of the original, undifferentiated Primarch gene-stock engineered by the Emperor for the original Primarch Project, and related information about its use and function.The Alpha Legion had no intention of destroying the sample, and after stealing it from the Raven Guard they kept it for themselves for later use. They then unceremoniously eliminated the Cabal's representative who was supervising the mission. What the Alpha Legion chose to do with this extraordinary genetic material remains currently unknown to the Imperium.
Cabal - Assassination Attempt on Vulkan: The Cabal continued its attempts to try and influence the outcome of the Heresy. It sent John Grammaticus equipped with Fulgurite to try and kill the Primarch Vulkan on the world of Macragge soon after the founding of Imperium Secundus.This was done in accordance with the Cabal's continued belief that a Chaos victory in the Heresy would eventually result in the destruction of humanity and thus severely weaken the emotions that fed the Chaos Gods. The death of Vulkan would materially contribute to the defeat of the Imperium.During a brief period when he was alone on Macragge, John was contacted by the Eldar Farseer Eldrad Ulthran of Craftworld Ulthwe. Ulthran revealed to John that he opposed the Cabal's aims and that their belief that Horus's victory would usher in Chaos' ultimate demise was not set in stone. He believed that humanity was meant to be the firebreak againt which Chaos broke, and that without them the Eldar would eventually fall and the galaxy shortly afterwards. He offered Grammaticus a way to leave the Cabal and a chance to stop being a traitor to his own race, as Grammaticus had begun to consider himself.Grammaticus and his allies eventually interrupted the fight between Konrad Curze and Vulkan on Macragge with the intent of killing the Salamanders' Primarch as they had been ordered. But Grammaticus decided at the last moment to side with his own people and used the Fulgurite to heal Vulkan of the madness that had consumed him. This treatment left the Primarch in a death-like coma and reduced stole away Grammaticus' status as an immortal Perpetual and reduced him to an ordinary mortal whose next death would be final.
Cabal - Fall of the Cabal: Eldrad Ulthran eventually came to view the Cabal itself as a threat to the galaxy. As he had told John Grammaticus, he believed that their chosen path of destroying Mankind to purge the galaxy of Chaos was little more than a hopeless ritual sacrifice of an entire species.Eldrad saw a new path to victory against Chaos beyond that foreseen by the Acuity, one that ultimately involved allying the Aeldari with the Imperium of Man in the millennia to come. To this end, he sought to aid the Loyalists in winning the Horus Heresy through actions such as helping Vulkan reach Terra.However the Cabal refused to relent in pursuing its chosen path, and Eldrad thus recruited the secretly Loyalist Word Bearers Astartes Barthusa Narek in a bid to eliminate the Cabal's members. Eldrad and Narek killed most of the Cabal's leadership and agents, including Gahet, Slau Dha, Cartur Umenedies, and Damon Prytanis.This seems to have drastically affected the Cabal's ability to function. By the middle centuries of the 32nd Millennium, Eldrad Ulthran would report that the Cabal no longer existed and that its chosen path to destroy Chaos had proven a failure.
Cadia - Aftermath: At the culmination of Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade, the Cicatrix Maledictum had all but consumed Cadia. With the great pylons toppled by Abaddon's conquering hordes and the colossal Warp Storm of the Eye of Terror no longer held at bay, the dread powers of Chaos ravaged the planet beyond recovery. And still the neighbouring worlds and star systems were defiant.Had Cadia not been famous for holding so long against the odds, it is likely the other planets in the system would have capitulated or given up almost immediately. No normal world could stand in the face of the horrendous, sanity-devouring armies that descended upon the Cadian Gate in such terrifying measure. However, the wider systems of Cadia, Belis Corona, and Agripinaa stood fast.Perhaps, just as a veteran can lead lesser men to deeds of great heroism, Cadia had inspired those worlds around it to defend every nation and city to the last bullet. Perhaps Cadia's surviving soldiery lent strength through their hunger for retribution. Perhaps those battered by the storm simply fought for survival. Whatever the reason, the defenders of the Cadian Gate resolved to uphold the virtues of its lost lynchpin world come what may.In the confusion of outright war, the hordes of Chaos began to turn upon themselves. Though they were ascendant, their ultimate conquest had yet to be clinched. Rival warlords, both mortal and daemonic, clashed over the spoils of victories not yet won. The Imperial defenders were quick to capitalise on each strategic misstep, for many were veterans of the wars upon Cadia, and they knew how to goad a fractious enemy into overextending its reach.From dissolution came destruction. Solar day by solar day the Imperial armies clawed back a semblance of control. Soon the war zone was in contention once more, the dread stranglehold of Chaos loosened by the sheer determination of the Astra Militarum and the vengeful fury of the Space Marines.Each new dawn was greeted by a scattering of ships from the Great Exodus, those fortunate souls who had braved the Empyrean tempests and lived to tell of it. Again and again the fighting escalated, the fires of war that had burned Cadia to cinders roaring to life anew upon the other worlds of the Cadian System, as well as those of the Belis Corona and Agripinaa Systems.The broken hulk of Cadia itself was resettled by the forces of Chaos following its partial destruction. It soon became a Chaos stronghold at the heart of a burgeoning new Renegade empire.Sometime after the Great Rift's creation, the Adeptus Custodes' Captain-General Trajann Valoris ordered a small, fast-moving force of Custodians to travel to the shattered hulk of Cadia. Details of their mission are suppressed, even amongst their comrades, but they were accompanied by a number of warriors drawn from the ranks of the Shadowkeepers.
Cadia - Geography: Cadia was known to have at least three major landmasses, the continents of Cadia Primus, Cadia Secundus and Cadia Tertius. As noted, these continents possessed a wide variety of biomes and ecosystems, stretching from arctic tundra in the far north to boreal forests of the coniferous, pine-like axel-trees and temperate plains in the milder latitudes.The Cadian Pylons tended to be clustered in large fields of many monoliths, including such regions as the Elysion Fields, which possessed the largest concentration of the xenos constructs, as well as at the lesser sites of Kasarn, Trosk and Vorg.
Cadia - Cadian Pylons: In a galaxy replete with mysteries, the Cadian Pylons were amongst the most enduring. There were over five thousand such edifices scattered across the surface of Cadia before the fall, each one standing some five hundred yards above the surface, and reaching two hundred and fifty yards below. Reports differ, but it was understood that there could have been anywhere between two and three thousand more concealed below ground as the result of tectonic movement down the ages.Despite millennia of study, the Adeptus Mechanicus failed to discover the purpose of the pylons. Servitors sent within invariably ceased to function or suffered circuit overload; all attempts to breach the structures' gleaming surfaces met with failure. Any recovered data was fragmentary at best, and contradictory at worst. Even the identity of the pylons' creators was shrouded in mystery.Some amongst the Cult Mechanicus believed the spires to be the work of the Necrons, or their mortal antecedents the Necrontyr, but then there were those on Mars equally convinced that the pylons were constructed by the Old Ones for the sole purpose of destroying the Necrons and their former C'tan overlords.The one thing all investigators agreed upon was that the pylons were responsible for the stable Warp-corridor known as the Cadian Gate. Adepts conjectured that they emitted a becalming signal, taming the roiling energies of the Immaterium around the Cadian System.This mystery was finally solved during the 13th Black Crusade by Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl with the aid of the Necron Lord Trazyn the Infinite, who had been present when the pylons were first constructed eons ago, proving those adepts who had long believed the pylons to be Necron creations correct.The pylon fields actually constituted a planet-wide nodal network of blackstone that could be used to produce an unknown anti-psychic energy field capable of repulsing eruptions of the Warp into realspace.It was this network which had indeed kept open the Cadian Gate for millennia, and the sudden failure of which allowed the Eye of Terror to begin to expand across the galaxy, providing an anchor point for the eventual development of the Great Rift that cut the Imperium in half after the end of the 13th Black Crusade.
Cadia - Notable Imperial Navy Battlefleets: Many notable Imperial Navy battlefleets protected the surrounding systems of the Cadian Gate by constantly patrolling the space lanes around the Eye of Terror, always vigilant for Chaos raiders or another approaching Black Crusade.Battlefleet AgripinaaBattlefleet CadiaBattlefleet CalixisBattlefleet KoronusBattlefleet GothicBattlefleet Scarus
Cadia - Notable Cadian Astra Militarum Regiments: Many notable Astra Militarum regiments have been drawn from Cadia, including:7th Cadian Regiment, "The Lucky Sevens"8th Cadian Regiment, "The Lord Castellan's Own" - The 8th Cadian was led personally by Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed during the 13th Black Crusade.39th Cadian Regiment,"Xenobane"69th Cadian Regiment, "The Fighting 69th"81st Cadian Armoured Regiment, "Rolling Thunder" - The 81st Cadian were also known as the "Gunheads". They fought on the Ork World of Golgatha where they were at first lead by Colonel Kochatkis Vinneman, and later by Lieutenant Gossefried van Droi.88th Cadian Regiment - The 88th Cadian Regiment fought for the retrieval of Commissar Yarrick's Baneblade super-heavy tank The Fortress of Arrogance on the Ork World of Golgatha. The regiment was lead by Colonel Edwyn Marrenburg.89th Cadian Armoured Regiment, "Steel Lords"98th Cadian Regiment, "The Fighting 98th" - The 98th Cadian Regiment fought for the retrieval of Commissar Yarrick's Baneblade super-heavy tank The Fortress of Arrogance on the Ork World of Golgotha. The regiment was lead by Colonel Tidor Stromm.110th Cadian Regiment, "Shadow Corps"122nd Cadian Regiment - Distinguished themselves in the Vogen Campaign203rd Cadian Regiment - The 203rd Cadian Regiment fought beside the 2nd Company of the Ultramarines Chapter that was commanded by Captain Titus during the Imperium's liberation of the Forge World of Graia during the events of Space Marine. The regiment's remaining forces were commanded by 2nd Lieutenant Mira.412th Cadian Regiment - Featured in the PC game Dawn of War: Winter Assault where they carried out the Imperial assault against the Chaos Space Marine and Ork forces of the Ice World of Lorn V417th Cadian Regiment, "Hellbringers"516th Cadian Regiment, "The Wildcats"
Cadia - Imperial Order of Battle: The final battles of Cadia had prevented the disaster of the 13th Black Crusade from being total. Though Cadia itself was lost, the defence of Kasr Kraf held up Abaddon's final assault, and the mayhem that followed allowed a great number of Cadian troops and military assets to reach the Imperial evacuation zone and depart.
Cadia - Defence of Kasr Trunch: Cadian Shock Troops - 127 RegimentsCadian Kasrkin - 65 RegimentsCadian Youth Corp - 12 RegimentsTithed Astra Militarum - 18 RegimentsSkitarii - 5 LegionsSiege Auxilia Corps - 528 BatteriesLegio Metalica - A Demi-legioAdepta Sororitas, Order of the Bloody Rose - 2 PreceptoriesAdeptus AstartesAngels of Absolution - 3 CompaniesBlack Consuls - 4 CompaniesVaried Astartes Chapters - 4 Companies
Cadia - Kasr Trunch Counterattack: Black Consuls - 6 CompaniesWatchguards - 6 CompaniesVaried Astartes Chapters - 12 CompaniesOfficio Assassinorum - Classified
Cadia - The Long Retreat: Cadian Shock Troops - 41 RegimentsCadian Kasrkin - 16 RegimentsZenonian Free Companies - 9 CompaniesTithed Astra Militarum - 12 RegimentsDhonovar Heavy Armour - 5 CompaniesLegio Cybernetica - 3 CohortsAdepta Sororitas, Order of the Ebon Chalice - 3 PreceptoriesHallicon Armoured - 5 RegimentsOrdo Reductor - A Demi-legioLegio Ignatum - Full Legion
Cadia - High-Orbit Offensive: Adeptus AstartesNovamarines - 4 CompaniesReclaimers - 3 CompaniesExcoriators - 3 CompaniesCerulean Guard - 3 CompaniesIron Hands - 2 CompaniesVaried Astartes Chapters - 7 CompaniesNote: All the Adeptus Astartes assets were stripped from Mos Khazner's defence in an attempt to retake the orbital batteries. Their success allowed the Long Retreat.
Cadia - The Lord Castellan's Last Stand: Cadian Shock Troops - 99 RegimentsCadian Kasrkin - 6 RegimentsBrazen Claws - 3 CompaniesBlack Consuls - 2 CompaniesCenturio Ordinatus - 4 OrdinatusLegio Gryphonicus - A Demi-legioFreeblades - UnknownSkitarii - 3 LegionsFort Drokz Penal Legions - 4 LegionsHouse Krast - 2 Knight HouseholdsLegion of the Damned - UnknownRelictors - 2 CompaniesHarlequin Masque of the Hidden Path - 9 TroupesVaried Astartes Chapters - 5 CompaniesNote: The Cadian Gate was guarded by the Astartes Praeses but also by elements of 21 other Chapters deployed across the Cadian Sector.
Cadia - Forces of Chaos Order of Battle: Abaddon the Despoiler, the Chaos Lord of the Black Legion, led the final assault force against Cadia in person. With him came the legions of the hellish Eye of Terror, the manifold hosts of the Dark Gods amassed under a single banner. The cause that united them was not just the destruction of the Imperium, but the demise of the material realm itself.
Cadia - Abaddon's Vanguard: Black Legion - Full Traitor LegionIron Warriors - Full Traitor LegionWorld Eaters - 5 WarbandsEmperor's Children - Hedonistic HostsNight Lords - 3 WarbandsDeath Guard - 3 Plague CompaniesAlpha Legion - UnknownWord Bearers - 5 CompaniesLegio Mortis - A Demi-legio
Cadia - Red Legions: Khan'zhar the Red - Exalted Greater Daemon of KhorneBloodguard - 8 Greater Daemons of KhorneRedhost - 8 Daemonic LegionsFellblades - 8 Daemonic LegionsKaghrexx's Destroyers - 8 Daemonic LegionsKhârn the Betrayer - Legendary Chaos LordGorehands - 5 CompaniesBlood Engines (Traitoris Militarum) - Armour BattalionSkullcorps (Traitoris Militarum) - 18 RegimentsBloodemption - Chaos Cult
Cadia - Plague Armies: Slogoth Poxbelly - Exalted Greater Daemon of NurgleDrub'sla Plaguehost - 7 Daemonic LegionsThree-Eyed Tolltakers - 7 Daemonic LegionsBlightwalkers - 7 Daemonic LegionsNurgling Tide - UncountableThe Tainted - 7 CompaniesThe Horned - Pestigor LegionThe Risen - Plague ZombiesOgryn Brutepox - 3 CompaniesThe Stigmatus Convent - Entire Chaos CultThe Viscous - Entire Chaos Cult
Cadia - The Host Iridescent: M'katchnar - Exalted Greater Daemon of TzeentchTriumvirate of Arcanzarr - Daemon CovenScintillating Host - 9 Daemonic LegionsLegions of Shimmerlak - 9 Daemonic LegionsUnkbolt Conflock - 9 Tzaangor WarflocksThe Scourged - 4 CompaniesEagles Iridescent - 3 CompaniesKabal of Umbra - Entire Chaos Cult
Cadia - The Decadent Horde: Sidroh the Sinuous - Exalted Greater Daemon of SlaaneshThe Writhing Host - 6 Daemonic LegionsThe Undulators - 6 Daemonic LegionsViolators - 5 WarbandsChildren of Torment - 3 WarbandsPain Armoured Brigade - 2 Sonic CompaniesThe Hedonastic - Entire Chaos CultTentacled Behemoth - Warp Monster
Cadia - The Damned: As befits Abaddon's cruelty and meticulous planning, thirteen massive transports of combat-drugged mutants, wretches, Plague Zombies and Chaos Spawn were crash-landed into the ruined city of Kasr Kharkovan, ensuring that many of the final assaults were performed by the least storied of the Lost and the Damned among his armies.
Cadian Gate - Cadian Gate: The Cadian Gate is an area of calm space leading into and out of the massive Warp rift called the Eye of Terror. It is located to the galactic southeast of the Eye in the Segmentum Obscurus, and is the only predictably stable way out of that maelstrom of Warp energy.It is therefore a site of frequent raids by the forces of Chaos seeking to break through the Imperial defences in the region so that they can invade the larger Imperium of Man.Several Black Crusades have emerged from the Cadian Gate, including the most recent campaign, the 13th Black Crusade, led by the Chaos Lord Abaddon the Despoiler. This led to its continuous monitoring by the Imperium and the stationing of several forces of the Astra Militarum in the closest star system, the Cadian System.However, Abaddon succeeded in penetrating the Cadian Gate when Cadia itself was swallowed by the Warp following the successful conclusion of the 13th Black Crusade and the destruction of the world's Cadian Pylons after the Despoiler used the disabled Blackstone Fortress Will of Eternity as a kinetic impactor.The Cadian Gate is not the only stable exit from the Eye as the Arx Gap offers another way to exit the Warp rift, although it is somewhat less reliable. It was from the Arx Gap that Abaddon began the Gothic War (the 12th Black Crusade) by raiding the research and monitoring station located there in 139.M41.The Arx Gap bypasses the powerful defences of the Cadian Gate, thus making it a more attractive location from which the forces of Chaos can stage their assaults on the Imperium, but it is more prone to Warp turbulence.Despite the loss of Cadia and the subsequent birth of the Cicatrix Maledictum or Great Rift, the Cadian Gate is still being defended by Cadian survivors and other Imperial forces in the Cadian System and on the nearby worlds of Belis Corona and Agripinaa.The tendency of the forces of Chaos to turn on themselves, combined with a loss of momentum after the fall of Cadia and the start of the Indomitus Crusade, has allowed the Imperial forces to stabilise the war zone and prevent further penetration of Imperial space to date by the Chaos fleets and armies that remain concentrated in the region.
Cadian Gate - History: When the defeated Traitor forces collapsed with the death of Horus and fled in disarray from Terra, some Loyalist forces rallied and gave chase, but most remained on Terra to consolidate their great victory. Many rebels were put to the sword, but the majority of the Traitor Legions escaped to the realm of space known as the Eye of Terror, that region where reality and insanity collide and the raw energy of the Warp pours into realspace in a swirling maelstrom.There the Chaos Gods rule over uncounted planets, all warped to their own evil aspects, and this is where the Traitor Legions found refuge from their pursuers, isolated from the galaxy by powerful Warp Storms.Every world within the Eye of Terror is a Daemon World, warped and twisted by the whims of the Gods of Chaos and the Daemon Princes who rule them. The Traitor Legions regrouped and nurtured their hatred, planning for the day when they would wreak a terrible vengeance on those who had defied them.Within the Eye, time flows very differently than in realspace, sometimes faster, often slower. Those same Traitors who fought on Terra at the Siege of the Imperial Palace in the early 31st Millennium still fight in the service of the Ruinous Powers. They fight against each other to prove their supremacy, and against the forces of the Imperium when the Warp Storms calm long enough to allow them to rampage into Imperial space.The Imperial sectors surrounding the Eye of Terror are heavily militarised to resist these Chaos invasions when they come, and none more so than Cadia , the Fortress World that stands at the mouth of the one stable route leading from the Eye of Terror, the Cadian Gate.Twenty separate Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes were eventually founded to specifically aid in the defence of the worlds surrounding the Eye of Terror and the Cadian Gate and they are known as the Astartes Praeses.
Cadian Gate - Aftermath of the Fall of Cadia: At the culmination of Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade, the newborn Cicatrix Maledictum had all but consumed Cadia. With the great Cadian Pylons toppled by Abaddon's conquering hordes and the colossal Warp Storm of the Eye of Terror no longer held at bay, the dread powers of Chaos ravaged the planet beyond recovery. And still the neighbouring worlds and star systems were defiant.Had Cadia not been famous for holding so long against the odds, it is likely the other planets in the Cadian System would have capitulated or given up almost immediately. No normal world could stand in the face of the horrendous, sanity-devouring armies that descended upon the Cadian Gate in such terrifying measure. However, the wider star systems of Cadia, Belis Corona, and Agripinaa stood fast.Perhaps, just as a veteran can lead lesser men to deeds of great heroism, Cadia had inspired those worlds around it to defend every nation and city to the last bullet. Perhaps Cadia's surviving soldiery lent strength through their hunger for retribution. Perhaps those battered by the storm simply fought for survival. Whatever the reason, the defenders of the Cadian Gate resolved to uphold the virtues of its lost lynchpin world come what may.In the confusion of outright war, the hordes of Chaos began to turn upon themselves. Though they were ascendant, their ultimate conquest had yet to be clinched. Rival warlords, both mortal and daemonic, clashed over the spoils of victories not yet won.The Imperial defenders were quick to capitalise on each strategic misstep, for many were veterans of the wars upon Cadia, and they knew how to goad a fractious enemy into overextending its reach. From dissolution came destruction.Solar day by solar day the Imperial armies clawed back a semblance of control. Soon the war zone was in contention once more for the servants of the Emperor, the dread stranglehold of Chaos loosened by the sheer determination of the Astra Militarum and the vengeful fury of the Space Marines.Each new dawn was greeted by a scattering of ships from the Great Exodus of Cadia, those fortunate souls who had braved the Empyrean tempests and lived to tell of it. Again and again the fighting escalated, the fires of war that had burned Cadia to cinders roaring to life anew upon the other worlds of the Cadian System, as well as those of the Belis Corona and Agripinaa Systems.
Cadian Gate - Notable Imperial Navy Battlefleets: Many notable Imperial Navy battlefleets protect the surrounding systems of the Cadian Gate by constant patrolling the space lanes around the Eye of Terror, constantly vigilant for Chaos raiders or another approaching Black Crusade.Battlefleet AgripinaaBattlefleet CadiaBattlefleet CoronusBattlefleet GothicBattlefleet Scarus
Cadian Neo-917th - Cadian Neo-917th: The Cadian Neo-917th, originally designated the Cadian 917th, is an Astra Militarum regiment of the Cadian Shock Troops that was corrupted into a regiment of Brood Brothers and Genestealer hybrids in the Era Indomitus during its deployment on the conflict-ridden Forge World of Bheta-Decima by a Genestealer Cult known as the Cult of the Chittering Verse.After its corruption the regiment altered its name to the "Cadian Neo-917th" to represent its change of allegiance and purpose. Thereafter the regiment operated as a critical military asset for the cult's xenophile agenda.
Cadian Neo-917th - Mission to Bheta Decima: The Cadian 917th Regiment  was originally deployed to Bheta-Decima, a Forge World of the Adeptus Mechanicus located in the Nemesys Sector of the Segmentum Tempestus that was ravaged by conflict and xenos incursions. The space hulk Gallowdark had emerged in Bheta-Decima's system when the greedy ruling magi used a gigantic Graviton Cannon to pull the space hulk into their orbit in order to plunder it of its hidden technological riches.However, during the process of its capture, the Gallowdark broke apart, raining debris across Bheta-Decima and decimating its settlements. In the aftermath of the catastrophe anarchy and violence reigned across the Forge World, and the planet fell into a crime-ridden apocalypse dominated by the workings of the black market.It was into this situation that the Cadian 917th was deployed by Segmentum Tempestus High Command to quell the rising tides of Chaos Cultists,  Aeldari Corsairs, and Ork Kommandoz that soon afflicted the world. However, a shadowy enemy lurked in the depths of the planet -- "the Seethe," a mysterious subterranean region that was home to the Genestealer Cult known as the Cult of the Chittering Verse.The regiment suffered heavy casualties during its time trying to quell the chaos rampant on Bheta-Decima, losing twelve out of the regiment's fifty-six companies in two standard years of deployment. However, they remained resilient, gaining a reputation for discipline and tenacity, particularly through the exploits of their pious 4th Company.
Cadian Neo-917th - Genestealer Influence: As the multi-sided conflict on Bheta-Decima dragged on, the Cadian 917th Regiment lost troops in unexplainable ways. Ambushes by enemies with crude firearms, drownings in flooded chambers, and the gradual disappearance of entire squads to unknown causes were common. However, many of these vanished troopers would later return, infected by the Genestealer's genetic curse. Unknown to their comrades, these returned troops were now Brood Brothers, subservient to the Genestealer Patriarch of the Cult of the Chittering Verse. Over time, entire squads and even the company captain of the 4th Company became infected, leading to a shift in the regiment's operations.The cult's influence spread rapidly within the regiment. Local recruits drawn as replacements for the 917th, were themselves Genestealer hybrids, and soon filled the regiment's ranks under the orders of their corrupted leaders. Gradually, the 917th turned its efforts away from fighting external threats to Imperial order on Bheta-Decima and instead targeted the local Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Mechanicus, and other Loyalist Imperial forces, branding them as traitors and obstacles to the cult's grand plan to welcome the Star-Children to their world.When the Genestealer uprising on Bheta-Decima finally began in earnest, the Cadian 917th fully embraced their new identity, renaming themselves the "Cadian Neo-917th." As the mailed fist of the Genestealer Cult, they brought their Cadian discipline and training to bear in the service of their new masters. The regiment's military prowess, once used to defend the Imperium, was now turned against it.
Cadian Neo-917th - Wargear: The Brood Brothers of the Cadian Neo-917th Regiment are armed with a variety of Imperial weapons and equipment designed for ambush tactics and close-quarters combat. They typically don tattered and stained Astra Militarum uniforms, reflecting their subservience to the Cult of the Chittering Verse and their grim surroundings. The most common Brood Brothers utilise standard lasguns or autoguns, often equipped with bayonets for melee encounters.Specialised heavy weapons squads among the Brood Brothers are outfitted with devastating weapons like flamers, Meltaguns, and plasma guns, providing both area-denial capabilities and firepower with greater stopping-power. Specialists also fill the ranks, including snipers and medics to deal with any medicae needs of wounded troopers, as well as troops outfitted with a lethal but limited Gene-needler weapon for dire situations. Grenades of all types and varying sizes of combat knives can also be seen amongst the Brood Brothers.The leadership of the Cult of the Chittering Verse among the Cadian Neo-917th is represented by the Genestealer Cult's Brood Coven including the magus or in truly dire circumstances, the Genestealer Patriarch itself, who not only commands but also wields potent psychic powers that are channelled through the magus for leadership of the cult.The magus often carries an autogun along with a Force Stave, while the Patriarch is a fearsome presence, capable of mind-controlling enemy forces or simply ripping through even ceramite with ease using its cruel claws. Pairs of Genestealer Familiars can be sent in its stead to observe the conflict, acting as scouts for the Patriarch.
Cadian Pylon - Cadian Pylon: A Cadian Pylon was one of several thousand massive pylon-shaped devices composed of blackstone and of unknown xenos origin erected millions of standard years ago in a complex network stretching across the surface of the Fortress World of Cadia. These pylons can also still be found on a number of other worlds close to the great Eye of Terror Warp rift in the Segmentum Obscurus.In a galaxy replete with mysteries, the Cadian Pylons were amongst the most enduring. There were over five thousand such edifices scattered across the surface of Cadia, each one standing some five hundred metres above the surface, and reaching two hundred and fifty metres below.Reports differed, but it was understood that there could have been anywhere between two and three thousand more concealed below ground as the result of tectonic movement down the ages.Despite millennia of study, the Adeptus Mechanicus long failed to discover the purpose of the pylons. servitors sent within invariably ceased to function or suffered circuit overload; all attempts to breach the structures' gleaming surfaces met with failure. Any recovered data was fragmentary at best, and contradictory at worst. Even the identity of the pylons' creators was shrouded in mystery.Some amongst the Cult Mechanicus believed the spires to be the work of the undying Necrons, or their mortal antecedents the Necrontyr, but then there were those on Mars equally convinced that the pylons were constructed by the Old Ones for the sole purpose of destroying the Necrons and their former C'tan overlords.The one thing all investigators agreed upon was that the pylons were responsible for the stable Warp-corridor known as the Cadian Gate. Adepts conjectured that they emitted a becalming signal, taming the roiling psychic energies of the Immaterium.In the wake of the events of the 13th Black Crusade and the destruction of Cadia, it is now known by the savants of the Imperium of Man and the Asuryani craftworlds that the pylons, constructed of the unique substance called noctilith, were erected over 65 million standard years ago by the Necrons during their ancient war with the Old Ones to serve as a defence against the psychic abilities of the Warp -- the Necrons' only real vulnerability.The pylons essentially acted as anti-psychic field emitters, restricting the activity of the Immaterium in proximity to them.
Cadian Pylon - History: The mysterious pylons of Cadia stood for millions of standard years before the coming of Humanity to that remote world. But their ultimate purpose long remained a mystery though it was known the pylons served as emitters of an anti-psychic field.The tech-priests of the Imperium's Adeptus Mechanicus hypothesised that the pylons on Cadia exerted some affect over the Immaterium, rendering it calm and creating the unusual zone of space-temporal stability known as the Cadian Gate, that enables ships to travel through the only known navigable route in and out of the Eye of Terror into realspace.During the 13th Black Crusade, it became clear to Imperial savants that the pylons can be reduced to ruin by overloading their capability to hold the Empyrean at bay with massive amounts of Warp-spawned enemies, such as a massive incursion of Daemons into realspace at one time.When the first signs of the coming Black Crusade began, as Warp Storm Baphomael expanded and began to engulf the edges of the Cadian System, of the 5,180 known intact pylons, at least 1,292 began to emit a psycho-temporal resonance.During the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41, Abaddon the Despoiler intended to overload the pylon network on Cadia itself to allow the Eye of Terror to envelop the worlds of the Imperium, making it possible for that Warp Storm to encompass the entirety of the galaxy.This outcome is known to the forces of Chaos as the Crimson Path, for without the Cadian Pylons even Terra itself ran the risk of being swept up in a rapidly expanding Eye of Terror.And this is exactly what happened at the climax of the 13th Black Crusade. As the Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl, with the aid of the Necron Overlord Trazyn the Infinite, successfully activated the Cadian Pylon network's full anti-psychic capabilities to begin to actually close the Eye of Terror, Abaddon the Despoiler used the damaged bulk of the Blackstone Fortress Will of Eternity as an artificial asteroid, unleashing a kinetic strike on Cadia.The force of the massive xenos star fortress' impact with Cadia destroyed the fields of pylons across the planet, disrupting Cawl's attempt. The sudden failure of the pylon network allowed the Eye of Terror to begin to expand across the galaxy, swallowing up the mortally wounded world of Cadia even as tectonic stresses ripped it apart.The rapid expansion of the Eye of Terror provided an anchor point for the eventual development of the Great Rift that cut the Imperium in half after the end of the 13th Great Crusade and heralded the start of the Era Indomitus.
Cadian Pylon - Structure: The Cadian Pylons are massive structures of smooth, black, noctilith stone, 500 metres high and 250 metres square. The upper facing of each pylon contains holes and other round orifices about the size of a human head. The wind moves through these holes and often produces an eerie, mournful sound. These tubes through the structures are not straight.Mechanicus tech-priests investigating the pylons attempted over the centuries to run servitor probes through them to map the structures but usually they did not return. There were 5,810 fully intact pylons on the surface of Cadia and over 2,000 others that were partially ruined or buried relics.No two of the pylons are identical in design largely because the strange tubes that ran through them each followed unique patterns that differed from pylon to pylon.Each one rose exactly 500 metres high and was sunk 250 metres below the planet's surface. The similar pylons on other worlds in the Cadian Sector near the Eye of Terror look identical to those once found on Cadia's surface.The Cadian Pylons tended to be clustered in large fields of many monoliths, including such regions of Cadia as the Elysion Fields, which possessed the largest concentration of the xenos constructs, as well as at the lesser sites of Kasarn, Trosk and Vorg.
Cadian Pylon - Sources: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 19-20Codex: Eye of Terror (3rd Edition)The 13th Black Crusade (Background Book), pp. 14-15Eisenhorn (Novel) by Dan AbnettThe Gathering Storm - Part One - Fall of Cadia (7th Edition), pp. 10, 68-88
Cadian Sector - Cadian Sector: The Cadian Sector of the Milky Way Galaxy is a sector of the Imperium of Man in the Segmentum Obscurus to the galactic north of Terra. The planet Cadia is the Imperium of Man's most important Fortress World as designated by the Administratum. It guards the only known navigable route, a passage called the Cadian Gate, to and from the massive Warp rift known as the Eye of Terror. The world's dangerous proximity to the Eye of Terror has made it necessary for the people of Cadia to heavily fortify the planet. The Cadian Sector is always the first target of the Chaos Warmaster Abaddon the Despoiler's assaults and multiple Black Crusades, when the Forces of Chaos launch themselves from the Eye of Terror every few centuries in an attempt to break out and invade the Imperium proper as they did during the Horus Heresy.
Cadian Sector - 13th Black Crusade: In 999.M41, when Abaddon the Despoiler finally launched his 13th Black Crusade, the greatest Chaos assault on the Imperium since the Horus Heresy, the Forces of Chaos managed to make landfall upon Cadia itself and occupy large swathes of the planet despite ferocious Imperial resistance. Led by the Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed, the Imperial forces were ultimately able to contain the Chaos assault but they could not force the Traitor Legions to leave the planet. In the space above Cadia, the Imperial Navy proved victorious over the Chaos warfleet led by Abaddon while the Eldar provided a timely assist in facing off against a Blackstone Fortress inhabited by a sentient avatar of Slaanesh himself. At the end of that campaign, the Imperial Navy controlled the space over Cadia and thus prevented the Forces of Chaos from breaking out of the Cadian Gate, yet at the same time the Traitor Legions and their allies remained in control of a large amount of Cadian territory. They have dug in and erected elaborate defences that will prove very difficult for the Imperial forces to overcome. As a result, at the present time, a bloody stalemate reigns on the Imperium's most important Fortress World, though if the Forces of Chaos were ever able to seize the orbital space over Cadia, they might at last gain the advantage necessary to fully conquer the planet and overwhelm the remaining defences of the Cadian Gate. Should they do so, then the Imperium may face the greatest threat to its existence since the Horus Heresy, 10,000 years ago...
Cadian Sector - Locations: Cadia (Fortress World) - Lynchpin Fortress World of the Cadian Sector. Cadia stands alone, a failing beacon of the Emperor's light flickering against the encroaching night, and the inevitable tide of Chaos that Abaddon will seek to unleash upon the Imperium of Man.Kasr Holn (Fortress World) - Besieged during the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41.Kasr Partox (Fortress World) - Besieged during the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41.Korolis (Industrial World) - Promethium weapons grade atomic materials produced here.Macharia (Militarised Hive World, Destroyed) - Macharia was a populated Imperial world in the Cadia System that was obliterated by Abaddon's dreaded warship known as the Planet Killer during the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41.Pervigilium (Space Marine Chapter Homeworld) - Pervigilium is the Chapter homeworld of the Angels of Vigilance, and is situated just outside the Cadian Gate.Prosan (Uninhabited World) - Hostile environment training ground for the Imperial Guard..Solar Macharius (Industrial World)St. Josmane's Hope (Prison World) - The first of the inner worlds of the Cadia System to fall, St. Josmane's Hope was destroyed by a specially selected Imperial strike-force composed of Adeptus Astartes from various Chapters, a Death Cult Assassin, five Tech-priests and additional support personnel, as well as some unnamed Inquisitors. They successfully overloaded the generatorium grid of the planet's main prison complex, which caused massive tectonic instability, and the inevitable destruction of the planet. None of the operatives of the Imperial strike force survived.Vigilatum (Naval Training World) - Besieged during the 13th Black Crusade.
Cadian Sector - Notable Imperial Navy Battlefleets: Many notable Imperial Navy battlefleets protect the surrounding systems of the Cadian Sector by constant patrolling the space lanes around the Eye of Terror, constantly vigilant for Chaos raiders or another approaching Black Crusade.Battlefleet AgripinaaBattlefleet CadiaBattlefleet CoronusBattlefleet GothicBattlefleet Scarus
Cadian Sector - Notable Cadian Imperial Guard Regiments: Many notable Imperial Guard Regiments have been drawn from Cadia, including:7th Cadian Regiment, "The Lucky Sevens"8th Cadian Regiment, "The Lord Castellan's Own" - The 8th Cadian was led personally by Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed during the 13th Black Crusade39th Cadian Regiment,"Xenobane"69th Cadian Regiment, "The Fighting 69th"81st Cadian Armoured Regiment, "Rolling Thunder"89th Cadian Armoured Regiment, "Steel Lords"110th Cadian Regiment, "Shadow Corps"122nd Cadian Regiment - Distinguished themselves in the Vogen Campaign412th Cadian Regiment - Featured in the PC game Dawn of War: Winter Assault where they carried out the Imperial assault against the Chaos Space Marine and Ork forces of the ice world of Lorn V417th Cadian Regiment, "Hellbringers"516th Cadian Regiment, "The Wildcats"