vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Dozer Blade - Sources: Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook (7th Edition), pg. 98Codex: Space Marines (7th Edition) - Space Marine Vehicle EquipmentCodex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 103Codex: Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 25Codex: Genestealer Cults (7th Edition), pg. 163Codex: Astra Militarum (6th Edition) - GlossaryCodex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pg. 70Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition), pg. 60Codex: Blood Angels (4th Edition), pg. 5Codex: Dark Angels (4th Edition), pg. 55Codex: Grey Knights (5th Edition), pg. 61Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, Second Codex), pg. 36Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition), pg. 19Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition), pg. 23Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg. 20Warhammer 40,000: Wargear (4th Edition), pg. 34Forge World Webstore - Rhino Dozer Blade
Dracaena - Dracaena: The Dracaena was a voidship serving as the mobile mining platform and ore smelter of the Hadex Rogue Trader Dynasty.
Dracaena - History: Since the mutiny of the Hadex Fleet -- when the Rogue Trader Emanuel Hadex attempted to explore the Hadex Anomaly -- its current whereabouts are unknown to the masters of the Achilus Crusade.However, near the end of the 41st Millennium, a Deathwatch Kill-team returned from a failed attempt to re-establish contact with Watch Fortress Midael, reporting an odd discovery upon a rogue moon adrift at the edges of the Hadex Anomaly.Distributed evenly over the moon's surface, covering an area of some eight-square leagues, are the components of a dismantled mining ship laid out in meticulous order like cogs on a watchmaker's worktable.More disturbing are the remains of some 15,000 crewmen arranged in neat rows, their organs beside them and configured like a chirurgeon's anatomical chart. The dead flesh shows no signs of decomposition and is moist to the touch.
Drach'nyen - Drach'nyen: Drach'nyen is the name of a powerful Daemon that has been known by many names in the history of Mankind, amongst them the "Echo of the First Murder" and the "End of Empires." Although its existence is closely linked to the shedding of mortal blood, Drach'nyen has no ties to the Blood God, being powerful enough to be an independent Chaos entity.The Daemon currently takes the form of a Daemon Sword of the same name wielded by the Warmaster of Chaos Abaddon the Despoiler, master of the Black Legion, former gene-son of the Primarch Horus, and most favoured servant of the Ruinous Powers.The arcane blade borne by Abaddon is so powerful that it can rend reality apart where the weapon strikes. Drach'nyen can rip through armour, flesh and bone without resistance. The terrible Daemonic spirit of murder animating this fell weapon can alter the blade's appearance, revealing the skulls and faces of the souls it has devoured.
Drach'nyen - Appearance: It is said Drach'nyen can take many forms, and it only appears as a great blade in the hands of Abaddon because that is how the Warmaster of Chaos chooses it to be. In truth, the sword has no real shape or size, at least nothing that could be understood by the mind of Man.Why it chose to let Abaddon take it from its resting place beneath the Tower of Silence is also a mystery, though since that day only Abaddon has been able to wield it.If another warrior were brave enough to try and lift Drach'nyen, it would fall from his hands as if made of air, though not before rending the thief apart with Warp energy.As to why Drach'nyen fights for Abaddon, none can say for sure, though such a pact can mean nothing but woe for the forces of the Emperor and all Mankind.
Dracon - Dracon: A dracon is a Trueborn Drukhari officer who commands an elite regiment of their fellow Trueborn Kabalite Warriors. Every dracon is an important lieutenant of their Kabal's ruling archon and also one of their potential rivals and replacements.
Dracon - Wargear: Kabalite ArmourSplinter PistolShard CarbineDark LanceBlasterShredderDrukhari Close Combat Weapon - A dracon can wield any number of favoured Drukhari melee weapons.Plasma Grenades
Dracosan - Dracosan: The Dracosan, formally the Dracosan Armoured Carrier, was a heavy-duty, tracked infantry transport used almost exclusively by Solar Auxilia cohorts of the Imperial Army during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia.Equipped with a fearsome array of weapons of its own, including either a powerful Twin-linked Lascannon or a mighty Demolisher Cannon at the expense of some of its infantry transport capacity, the Dracosan could steadfastly defend itself against enemy counter-attack and annihilate an adversary's emplacements to rubble before its complement of auxiliaries disembarked to storm what little remained of their objective. Since the bygone era of the Horus Heresy, the Dracosan has since been supplanted by other designs among the Astra Militarum.
Dracosan - History: Every Solar Auxilia cohort of the Imperial Army was intended to operate as a self-contained force, and it was organised and supplied with additional infrastructural support based on its assigned role. For example, if on exploration duty or in open warfare, the cohorts almost always operated as a mechanised force, utilising large numbers of heavy, all-environment armoured transports as mounts and rally points for their troops.Most common of these was the Dracosan Armoured Carrier, which possessed both the transport capacity to carry entire lasrifle sections in a single vehicle and was possessed of both considerably more armour and inherent rad/alchem protection than the ubiquitous Rhino armoured personnel carrier, as well as a life support system of greater endurance.The Dracosan was a common sight in the late 30th Millennium, manufactured under compact by several dozen Forge Worlds across the early Imperium to standards only usually required of war machines destined for service with the Legiones Astartes. A heavily armed and armoured personnel carrier, the Dracosan was large enough to accomodate a full-strength Solar Auxilia Infantry Tercio of twenty auxiliaries, and heavily armoured enough to protect them from all but the most intense of enemy fire. Being intended for service in hostile environments and even the void of space, the Dracosan needed to be absolutely air-tight as not to endanger the lives of its passengers and crew.Equipped with a fearsome array of weapons of its own, the Dracosan could steadfastly defend itself against enemy counter-attack and pound enemy positions to dust before the auxiliaries disembarked to storm what remained of their objective. Given the necessary resources and expenditures to build such an exceptional vehicle, the Dracosan was employed almost exclusively by forces configured in the Solar Auxilia pattern, whether these "regular" Excertus Imperialis units or other forces followed the same order of battle, such as the household troops of certain Rogue Traders Militant or, occasionally, the elite retainers of high-status Imperial Commanders.
Dracosan - Wargear: 1 Twin-linked LascannonSearchlightExtra Armour PlatingSmoke Launcher
Dracosan - Optional Wargear: Flare ShieldArmoured Ceramite PlatingOne Pintle-Mounted Multi-Laser or Heavy FlamerUp to two Hunter-Killer MissilesDozer BladeAuxiliary DriveExtra Armour PlatingDemolisher Cannon (Optional replacement for Lascannon)
Dragon Lords - Dragon Lords: The Dragon Lords are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter whose Founding and origins are unknown.In 998.M41, all contact was lost with the Dragon Lords' Chapter planet, Erwynn's World, even before the emergence of the Great Rift.By immense and costly efforts, an Indomitus Crusade Torchbearer task force later discovered them fighting still, having been nearly annihilated by successive Hrud invasions that came close to reducing their fortress-monastery to dust through the use of those xenos' temporal distortion abilities.The Dragon Lords vowed to rebuild and have been fully reinforced by their Primaris Marine brethren. They now wage war anew in the Imperium Nihilus.
Dragon Lords - Chapter Colours: The Dragon Lords primarily wear dark green power armour. The shoulder plates are white with dark green trim. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest plate is orange.The black squad tactical specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command -- is indicated on the right shoulder plate.The white High Gothic numeral centred on the squad specialty symbol indicates squad number.An orange High Gothic numeral on the left knee guard indicates company number.Often orange flames are used to decorate the extremities of the Dragon Lords' battle-plate.
Dragon Lords - Chapter Badge: The Dragon Lords' Chapter badge is a rearing black dragon breathing orange flame, on a field of white.
Dragon Warriors - Dragon Warriors: The Dragon Warriors are a warband of Chaos Space Marines. The Dragon Warriors are specialists in short-range firefights and melee combat. They also prefer the use of Melta and Flamer weapons.The Dragon Warriors are dedicated to the destruction of both the Salamanders Chapter and their homeworld of Nocturne and have long considered the Salamanders to be their greatest foes.The Dragon Warriors are led by the Chaos Sorcerer and former Salamander Librarian Nihilan, who forged the warband from the Chaos Space Marines who had followed his former master and tutor Vai'tan Ushorak, a former Chaplain of the Black Dragons Chapter before he became corrupted by Chaos.Ushorak was slain by the Salamanders on the Cemetery World of Moribar, and Nihilan became obsessed with gaining revenge against the Salamanders and finding some means of resurrecting his old mentor.
Dragon Warriors - Notable Dragon Warriors: Chaos Sorcerer Nihilan - Nihilan is a former Librarian of the Salamanders Chapter who has become a Chaos Sorcerer after being trained by the former Black Dragons Chaplain Vai'tan Ushorak. After Ushorak was slain on Moribar by the intervention of the Salamanders' 3rd Company, Nihilan became obsessed with both enacting revenge upon the Salamanders and with finding some sorcerous means of resurrecting his old mentor.Ghor'gan (KIA) - A Chaos Space Marine of the warband and member of The Glaive, Nihilan's personal cadre of elite bodyguards. Ghor'gan was slain on the world of Scoria by Hazon Dark'ir, a Veteran sergeant of the Salamanders' 3rd Company.Ramlek - A Chaos Space Marine of the warband and member of the Glaive.Erkine - A Chaos Space Marine of the warband, former Astartes of the Black Dragons and member of the Glaive.Nor'hak - A Chaos Space Marine of the warband and member of the Glaive.Thark'n - A Chaos Space Marine of the warband and member of the Glaive. Thark'n replaced Ghor'gan after he was slain on Scoria.
Dragon Warriors - Warband Fleet: Hell-Stalker - The Dragon Warriors make use of a former Astartes battle barge transformed by the Warp into a possessed, twisted Chaos battleship. The Hell-Stalker was outfitted with a rare weapon known as a Seismic Cannon that was used to burrow deep down into Mount Deathfire on Nocturne in an attempt to recover a portion of the Salamanders' sacred Tome of Fire.
Dragon Warriors - Warband Colours: The Dragon Warriors don dark red power armour with black trim and a black power pack.Their power armour is also painted with a texture similar to a reptile's scales, referring to their namesake. Their helmets often featured common blasphemous additions found amongst the servants of Chaos, such as horns.
Dragon Warriors - Warband Badge: The Dragon Warriors' badge is an orange dragon wreathed in flames of the same colour while its jaws are open. Its body is twisted in such a way that it forms a figure eight and it is centred on a field of dark red.
Dragon Warriors - Sources: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 20Heroes of the Space Marines (Anthology) edited by Nick Kyme and Lindsey Priestley, "Fires of War" by Nick KymeSalamander (Novel) by Nick KymeFiredrake (Novel) by Nick KymeNocturne (Novel) by Nick KymeFires of War (Short Story) by Nick Kyme
Dragonspears - Dragonspears: The Dragonspears is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter and a successor of the Salamanders.It is a Chapter composed wholly of Primaris Space Marines and was raised during the Ultima Founding of ca. 999.M41 by Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl.
Dragonspears - Chapter History: A fleet-based Chapter, the Dragonspears have won renown fighting alongside the Space Wolves against the Orks at the Gnarion Reef, and have become expert Greenskin hunters.The Salamanders were kept largely unaware of what new Successor Chapters were created from their gene-seed by Belisarius Cawl, and once they learned of their existence, they were always quick to dispatch a Chaplain to the Chapter to teach them the ways of the Promethean Cult.With the Dragonspears constantly on the move, it took many standard years for the Salamanders to make contact with them, in which time they developed a very strong culture of self-sacrifice and endocannibalism, to ensure their lost brothers never fall from memory.By consuming a portion of their battle-brothers' bodies after death, the Dragonspears use their Omophagea implants to ensure that a portion of those brothers' memories are preserved within their own minds.During the Psychic Awakening in the Era Indomitus, the Chapter was among the Imperial forces that took part in the Chancyll Suppression campaign of the Prosperan Rift War. The Dragonspears later upheld old oaths of brotherhood towards the Space Wolves and joined their efforts to stop the Great WAAAGH! of Ghazghkull Thraka.
Dragonspears - Notable Campaigns: Prosperan Rift War (Unknown Date.M42) - The Prosperan Rift War started in the Era Indomitus after the Daemon Primarch Magnus the Red began to claim the worlds of the Prosperan Rift in order to build an empire within Imperial space where psykers of all kinds could find welcome. Now the Imperium struggles to defend the rift from both the Thousand Sons as well as Chaos forces loyal to Magnus and Tzeentch who seek to aid the Daemon Primarch in his quest.Chancyll Suppression (Unknown Date.M42) - During the Prosperan Rift War, the Dragonspears deployed 8 companies to take part in the Chancyll Suppression.Great WAAAGH! (Unknown Date.M42) - During the Psychic Awakening, the Ork forces of the Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka came into conflict with the Space Wolves Chapter. Due to prior oaths of brotherhood with the Space Wolves, the Dragon Spears aided them in their conflict with the Greenskins.
Dragonspears - Notable Dragonspears: Captain Orstanza - Orstanza was the captain of the Dragonspears 4th Company and seems to have been a Firstborn Astartes as he commented that he could not wait for the Dragonspears to receive their own Primaris Marine reinforcements.
Dragonspears - Chapter Colours: The Dragonspears wear light green power armour with a black stripe on the helm. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest plate is white.The Chapter badge is worn on the left shoulder plate, and the squad tactical specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command -- is on the right.A black Low Gothic numeral inscribed onto the squad specialty symbol on the right shoulder plate indicates squad number.
Dragonspears - Chapter Badge: The Dragonspears' Chapter badge is two black, crossed, upright spears centred on a white shield.
Dragonspears - Canon Conflict: In Chapter 9 of the novel Dawn of Fire: The Wolftime Captain Orstanza states that he cannot wait until the Dragonspears receive their own reinforcements of Primaris Space Marines. This implies that the Dragonspears were a preexisting Salamanders Successor Chapter of the Firstborn and were not raised during the Ultima Founding.The 9th Edition Codex: Space Marines, however, displays the Chapter with an illustration of a Primaris Marine and strongly implies that all of the Era Indomitus Salamanders Successor Chapters were created by Belisarius Cawl during the Ultima Founding.
Drakken-Asca - Drakken-Asca: The ritual of Drakken-Asca is but one of many rituals of divination and augury proper to the Promethean Cult as it was first practiced by the members of the Salamanders Legion and is still used by the Salamanders Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes today. While the ritual of Drakken-Asca seems to have been adopted from the superstituous tribes of Proximal Secundus, once a recruiting world for the XVIII Legion, the ritual has now been fully integrated into some sects of the Promethean Cult on Nocturne where it is known as the "Dragon's Ash Ritual."When the Primarch Vulkan wrote the tenets of the Promethean Cult, he included many elements of his homeworld's culture, including obscure practices that were incompatible with the tenets of the Imperial Truth. For instance, some tribes of Nocturne's northern polar regions still made use of the Dragon's Ash Ritual. In ancient Nocturnean dialect, Drakken-Asca can be translated as "reading the Dragon-bones" and while Vulkan himself frowned upon this practice, he never forbade it or purged it from the tenets of the Promethean Cult. As such, the Drakken-Asca was almost exclusively conducted by the Legion's cadre of Igniax, which was the XVIII Legion's term for their Chaplains before the implementation of the Chaplain Edict at the Council of Nikaea.The ritual involves the inscribing of questions in the archaic Nocturnean tongue upon the bones of a Salamander drake -- the totemic creature that has given the XVIII Legion its name -- and casting them into the heart of a forge. The pattern of discolouration of the dragon-bones in the fire is then supposed to deliver clues as to the events yet to pass.Known practitioners of the Drakken-Asca include Lieutenant-Chaplain Xiaphas Jurr who is said to have made use of the ritual to safely guide the Ebon Drake in its voyage and locate the stricken form of Cassian Vaughn, which rested under the vitrified sands of the Urgall Depression. It is generally believed that the Drakken-Asca also became a prominent ritual in the beliefs of the Disciples of the Flames, the schismatic group of Shattered Legion Astartes, mostly Salamanders, who were once the crew of the Ebon Drake. The practice of Drakken-Asca has always skirted the edge of Imperial doctrine but became increasingly accepted as the theistic teachings of the Imperial Creed replaced the atheistic Imperial Truth as the defining faith of life in the Imperium of Man.
Dramos - Dramos: Dramos was a Castellan of the Black Templars Chapter who commanded the Gladius Strike Force of the Rutherian Crusade.During the Talledus War to defend the Talledus System of the Veritus Sub-sector from an assault by the forces of Chaos, Dramos and most of his Command Squad were slain when they destroyed the Soul Harvester fortress-factory Scarax Krond with a cyclonic charge.This sacrifice saved the Fortress World of Ghreddask from being overrun by the troops of the Iron Warriors warband commanded by Warpsmith Etrogar.
Drastanta - Drastanta: Drastanta, also known as the "Tempest of Starlight," is the currently missing Asuryani Phoenix Lord of the Shining Spears Aspect Warriors.
Drastanta - History: Drastanta was one of the first Phoenix Lord Asurmen's pupils at the Temple of Asur on the barren moon of the same name located in a region of the Webway, and as such is considered one of the Asurya, the first Craftworld Aeldari Exarchs who became the founding Phoenix Lords of their Aspect Shrines. Drastanta was known to be ever over-proud and much given to needless lone battles.When the moon of Asur was razed by the Daemonic legions of Chaos in service to Slaanesh, Drastanta came late to Asurmen's final stand and found his mentor already fallen before the foul might of the Keeper of Secrets N'Kari.Keening with rage and sorrow, Drastanta slew the Greater Daemon, the energies of his Star Lance known as the Celestial Lance shattering the creature's vile spirit and banishing it back to the Realm of Chaos. Drastanta emerged from the fires of Asur where his mentor had not, but he soon vanished into the tumult of the war-torn galaxy.In the Terran millennia since his final recorded battle, the Celestial Lance has passed from Aspect Shrine to Aspect Shrine and craftworld to craftworld, the better to keep alive the tales and teachings of the Shining Spears.If Drastanta is truly lost to the Craftworld Aeldari, others will continue the fight in his name.
Drastanta - Wargear: Not much is known of the lost Phoenix Lord Drastanta's panoply of war beyond the following.Phoenix Armour - Drastanta's Phoenix Armour was blue and white, and served as inspiration for the traditional heraldry of the Shining Spears Aspect Warriors. The legendary Phoenix Lords all wore ancient, invaluable Aspect Armour so finely wrought it is proof against almost any weapon. The helmet of this suit contains the Spirit Stones of Drastanta which hold the souls of every Shining Spears Exarch who may have also become the Phoenix Lord since the original Drastanta left the tutelage of Asurmen at the First Shrine on Asur millennia ago.Celestial Lance - Drastanta wielded the Celestial Lance, a crystalline relic Star Lance of spirit-shattering power, and wore a prized dark azure helm known as the Crown of the Seventh Sky.
Drastanta - Trivia: Drastanta's name appears to be derived from that of Setanta, a mythical Irish hero better known as Cú Chulainn.
Draxian Hegemony - Draxian Hegemony: The Draxian Hegemony is a young xenos domain of which very little is known, except that it has recently begun to expand at the expense of the Imperium of Man, and that Inquisitor Helynna Valeria treated with them in order to expand her knowledge of this species.Individually, this upstart empire does not represent a threat to the dominance of Humanity, but if their invasions are analysed in conjunction with those of other small powers, such as the T'au Empire, the now extinct Ulumeathi, the Worldweave of the Noisome Reek and the Church of Dracolith, their containment implies the draining of valuable military resources.Their forces have clashed at least once against the Red Talons Chapter, in a battle in which the Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought Skara Brae was deployed.In 617.M40, the Draxian Hegemony launched the so-called Draxian Incursion. The Space Wolves Chapter responded by sending Kjarl Grimblood's Great Company to Medes 841, where they fought against the xenos.Later the Inquisition redacted all existing information on this conflict, so the only remaining evidence are the battle honours granted to the Thunderhawk gunship Morkai and the loss of a Whirlwind.
Drazak - Drazak: Tomb WorldDrazakBone Kingdom of DrazakNecronFlayed OnesOn worlds lit by the cold rays of dying suns, located in the extreme northeast of the known galaxy, lie the Ghoul Stars, a realm where creatures tread out of a primal nightmare. Within this loathsome part of the galaxy are creatures so alien they seem to be born out of the supernatural. Yet even here, one horror outpaces all others; the Bone Kingdom of the world of Drazak, the haunt of Necron Flayed Ones.These fiendish creatures stalk through Drazak's desolate streets, fighting over gobbets of rotting meat and shards of bone, desperate to sate their deluded senses. Only one amongst the planet's entire population has stood apart from the pervading madness of its denizens -- the Necron Overlord Valgûl, called the "Fallen Lord" amongst his own kind.From his throne of splintered bone and tanned skin, Valgûl rules over this charnel kingdom, his one good eye ever fixed upon retaining what small measure of order he can. Valgûl seemingly remains untouched by the Flayer virus that has consumed his people, but no truly sane creature would willingly live amongst the gibbering Flayed Ones. It is not known if Valgûl remains out of a sense of duty, or maybe he is afflicted by a personal madness which has taken another, more subtle, form.Whatever his reasons, Valgûl's rule is not founded on reason, for the devolved nature of his subjects makes such notions laughable. He maintains their allegiance through his ability to provide the gory bounty in which his subjects delight.Every few solar months, when no more meat remains, whether because it has been torn into fragments too tiny to scrabble over or simply due to inexorable rot, Valgûl announces a new "Time of Bounty," and dispatches the Necron fleets of Drazak to raid nearby worlds. These reavers of Drazak seek not riches nor conventional plunder, only tithes of gore and congealing blood.
Drazhar - Drazhar: Drazhar, the "Master of Blades," occupies the esteemed position of Executioner, the greatest champion of the Drukhari Order of Incubi.Drazhar is lethality personified and is believed by many Craftworld Aeldari and Drukhari to have also once been Arhra, the first Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions Aspect Warriors before he was corrupted and began to walk the Path of Damnation.
Drazhar - Blood of the Phoenix: In the Era Indomitus, Drazhar was employed by Commorragh's Supreme Overlord Asdrubael Vect, to hunt down Yvraine, the prophet and high priestess of the Ynnari, the new cult of Aeldari drawn from all the species' kindreds who worshipped Ynnead, the newborn Aeldari god of the dead.During the Drukhari Raid on Saim-Hann, Drazhar nearly slew Yvraine but was denied his prize by Jain Zar, the Phoenix Lord of the Howling Banshees, who intervened, which allowed Yvraine to escape.Drazhar next feigned retreat through the Saim-Hann craftworld's Webway portal and managed to trap his pursuers -- Jain Zar and her Howling Banshees -- in the Aelindrach region of the Shaa-Dom sub-realm of Commorragh. Drazhar unleashed an ambush upon the unsuspecting Asuryani which slew them to the last warrior while he took enormous satisfaction in personally cleaving Jain Zar in two. Drazhar gave the Storm of Silence's Phoenix Armour to the Mandrakes of Aelindrach to ensure she could never be reborn again, as he believed the corruption of that realm would prevent any future Exarch from joining with the gestalt spirts of all the Phoenix Lords contained within the Phoenix Armour.Sensing the death of a great Phoenix Lord and feeling great guilt as its cause, Yvraine petitioned her patron Ynnead, the god of the dead, to grant Jain Zar another life, and the god agreed. So it was that with the divine aid of Ynnead, the Howling Banshees Exarch Quitui'yenh donned the Phoenix Armour and the Banshee Mask of Jain Zar and was able to merge her own mind with all the other bearers of the Storm of Silence's legacy back to the beginning of the Aspect Shrine on Asur.Born anew, Jain Zar slew many of the dark Mandrake denizens of Aelindrach and activated an ancient portal that led from Comorragh to the lost, ruined craftworld of Zandros. There she rejoined Yvraine and her Ynnari once more.Upon learning that Jain Zar was resurrected, Drazhar set off to the lost craftworld of Zandros himself to fight and slay her again. However, he did not foresee that Jain Zar was now imbued with Ynnead's divine energy and mastery over life and death. In an epic duel that resembled the fight solar decades before in 928.M41 between the Phoenix Lords Karandras and Arhra that had also been fought on Zandros, the two clashed in bloody battle, and Drazhar was slain by Jain Zar.After the battle, a Drukhari survivor of Drazhar's Zandros assault force, Klaivex Dara'kinia Thremense, discovered the discarded armour and mask of Drazhar. She donned them, and was immediately subsumed by Drazhar's personality, providing some evidence that the rumours that Drazhar is indeed a fallen Asuryani Phoenix Lord may be true.
Drazhar - Wargear: Drazhar is clad in an ornate and archaic version of the Incubus Warsuit, the traditional armour of the Incubi. This marvel of Aeldari technology offers protection similar to that of Artificer Armour, without hampering the Master of Blades' lethal speed in the least.The ornate and cruel-looking helmet of the suit incorporates the traditional Tormentor weapon of the Incubi, in this case crafted from the Spirit Stone of an Asuryani Exarch, and in each hand, Drazhar holds one of his Demi-klaive blades. The mastery he has attained with these paired Power Weapons is unparalleled, and allow him to dispatch almost any foe who has the temerity to stand before him.Few are those with the skill to offer Drazhar a worthy challenge, and these individuals soon find themselves praying for death, as Drazhar slowly dismembers them with the razor-like slashes of his twin weapons.
Dread Host - Dread Host: The Dread Host, known also as the "Instruments of the Emperor's Wrath," are a Shield Host of the Adeptus Custodes, the stalwart guardians of the Emperor of Mankind. Fear is a familiar weapon to the Imperium, used to deter enemies and keep seething populations in line. Yet there is no terror as pure and absolute as that invoked when the Emperor's own fury is unleashed to punish his foes. When they are called upon, the Dread Host are unleashed to deliver the divine retribution of the Master of Mankind to those who have been judged as a dire threat to the Throneworld.
Dread Host - Role: The Dread Host represents a breathtaking concentration of military might. It numbers hundreds of Custodians, organised into multiple Shield Hosts and transported aboard a trio of pre-Heresy warships known as the Moiraides. The nature of this army is simple: they are the deliverers of the Emperor's judgement, His anger and His punishment made manifest.Not for them the pinpoint rapid strike, the hidden war or the measured defensive action. Instead, the assembled Shield-Captains of the Dread Host identify the most visible and dramatic threats to the Segmentum Solar and unleash upon them such overwhelming annihilation that it sends shock waves rolling through the Warp itself. Sometimes one warship is sent, sometimes two; only a handful of times in the entire history of the Imperium have all three of the Moiraides loosed their passengers against a single foe. Yet always the effect is the same. Spearheaded by dozens of Allarus Custodians, the Dread Host fall upon their victims with unstoppable force.They slaughter the enemy's warriors and reduce their war engines to wreckage. They cast down their false idols and set them aflame. They topple their cities, sunder their strongholds, and butcher their allies and followers. They make grisly examples of those who would dare lead such a challenge to the Emperor's dominion, ignoring all attempts at surrender and foiling all bids at flight. By the time the Dread Host are done with their war, nothing remains of their chosen victims but the gruesome tales of their brutal demise at the Emperor's hand.The Dread Host have smashed Ork WAAAGH!s, obliterated rebellious star systems and crushed Traitor crusades. They have fought against enemies thousands of times their number and humbled them through strategy, speed and strength. With every campaign they spread the terror of the Emperor's wrath. The breathtaking bloodshed and absolute destruction they leave in their wake has dissuaded hundreds of uprisings and invasions before they could even begin.
Dread Host - The Sanctum of a Thousand Eyes: The Sanctum of a Thousand Eyes is the stronghold of the Adeptus Custodes specialist formation known as the Dread Host, which rises to dominate an entire district of the Imperial Palace. This armoured bastion is lit with electro-braziers and arc-lumen of immense size, all angled to under-light the five hundred enormous eagle statues that line the Sanctum's upper battlements. Each as large as a superheavy tank, these ominous sculptures are posed in vigilant stances, many staring up into the stellar gulf while the remainder peer down upon the thronging processionals below.Superstition runs rife that the eagles of the Sanctum of a Thousand Eyes can perceive disloyalty no matter where it lies, and that the Emperor looks through their avian eyes to see the darkness in men's hearts. To some extent this is true; each eagle contains a complex array of long-range Augurs, Servitor cogitation banks and multi-spectral listening devices that feed floods of information down into the Sanctum's data-shrines. This information is used by the Dread Host to isolate and annihilate threats to the Golden Throne.
Dread Host - Notable Campaigns: Envoys to the Omnissiah (999.M37) - During Abaddon the Despoiler's 8th Black Crusade, a combined force of Night Lords and Iron Warriors captures the Andromax System and a direct threat to Terra is identified. Initially, the notoriously insular Fabricator-General Uixot of Mars refuses to pledge his aid in eliminating the Heretic Astartes. However, when a diplomatic mission from the Adeptus Custodes attends his forge-temple in person, the Fabricator-General's ego is stroked and his mind swayed. Mere solar months later, a combined force of Minotaurs Space Marines, Adeptus Mechanicus war maniples and Custodians from the Dread Host annihilates the Traitors in their captured strongholds.The Echovault (ca. 999.M41) - Led by the ambitious Chaos Lord Hadrexus, a sizeable contingent of Black Legionaries fall upon the world of Dakhorth. They sweep aside the planet's defending regiments and advance to secure the ancient xenos ruin known as the Echovault. Before they can lay claim to this mysterious structure, two of the warships known as the Moiraides appear in orbit. The Custodians of the Dread Host deploy in force, securing the mountain pass that leads to the Echovault with squads of Custodian Wardens who hold firm against wave after wave of attacks. Meanwhile, multiple Shield Companies strike at the flanks of the Traitor force, pulling their formation apart and dividing their strength. Finally, a decisive force of forty Allarus Custodian Terminators teleports into the very heart of the Black Legion lines, tearing their command structure apart and slaying Lord Hadrexus and his Chosen to the last. Though dozens of Custodians fall during the fighting, they smash the Black Legion invaders utterly and send their remnants fleeing back into the Warp. As for the Echovault, it is left undisturbed, and a permanent garrison of Custodian Wardens left to watch over it.
Dreadblade - Dreadblade: A Dreadblade is the term used by the Ordo Hereticus to denote those Chaos Knights who serve no master. They are dark mirror images of their Loyalist counterparts known as Freeblades.This notion of complete independence is not entirely accurate, for certain Dreadblades do indeed pledge themselves to various heretical warlords or profane demagogues, but such loyalty is fleeting, and these wandering Knights will swiftly betray their masters if it proves advantageous.
Dreadblade - History: The horrors that cause a Knight to become a Dreadblade are as varied as the currents of Chaos themselves. Some are led onto this path of damnation through illusion and trickery. Others find themselves becoming roving warriors as a result of their growing insanity. Others still choose violent solitude of their own volition as a means to pursue revenge, and to fulfil their sworn oaths of murder.Regardless of the underlying reason, a Knight that turns its back on the Imperium and its own house is forever outcast. Yet this only makes them more deadly. Freed from the bonds of fealty and subservience, there is nothing to stop a Dreadblade pursuing its own nightmarish desires, travelling from war zone to war zone to slake its lust for carnage, or hunting down and destroying all in the galaxy who have offended its twisted dignity.A great deal of Dreadblades hail from houses that are still loyal to the Imperium and the Omnissiah. During the Horus Heresy, when the rest of their houses sided with the Loyalists, individual Knights felt honour-bound to maintain their fealty to the Traitors.Countless such schisms occurred across the galaxy, and though many of the rebelling Knights were permanently silenced in titanic duels, others disappeared into the stars only to re-emerge alongside the armies of the Warmaster Horus.Other Knights who become Dreadblades are those captured in battle, their allies wiped out and their suits damaged to the point that they can no longer fight. Handed over to the Hereteks of the Dark Mechanicum, a long and horrific fate awaits these warriors. Their minds and souls are gradually shattered through the use of sorcerous torture and daemonic rituals. Notions of loyalty and honour are replaced with the depraved ideals of their captors and a screaming desire for carnage.Then there are those Dreadblades who, over the course of long and bloody campaigns, have lost the ability to perceive the path of righteousness. Surrounded by so much slaughter, their only notions of honour are tied to the killing strike of their blade or the obliterative blast of their Rapid-Fire Battle Cannon.Many such Dreadblades are completely unaware that they have fallen from grace, their single-mindedness blinding them to the atrocities that they so wantonly commit.
Dreadnought - History: Dreadnoughts have their roots far back in the Dark Age of Technology, and have endured in idiosyncratic forms both on Mars and with the techno-barbaric warlords of Terra as well as scattered human realms throughout the Age of Strife. Some of these individual relics were still in service during the Great Crusade and early years of the Horus Heresy -- although many times re-tenanted over the millennia.Brought together under the banner of the Imperium, many patterns of Dreadnoughts existed and it was in latter-day conjunction with the superhuman physiology of the Space Marines that this technology had reached its zenith. By the 41st Millennium, the art of their construction has long since been lost, the arcane knowledge required passing into ritualised mythology, and each Chapter's Dreadnoughts are treasured relics.They are a living embodiment of the Machine God, representing the ultimate fusion of the biological and the mechanical, as each one contains a living, sentient being. The pilots encased in the shell of a Dreadnought often have memories stretching back for millennia, and these ancient warriors are a tangible link to their Chapter's past and heritage.In the 41st Millennium there exist few examples of Dreadnought patterns beyond the Castraferrum pattern, with the more advanced Contemptor Pattern Dreadnoughts being an extremely rare sight. Other patterns, such as the Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought and Leviathan Pattern Siege Dreadnought are even rarer, with very few examples known to still exist, only to be unleashed from a Chapter's armoury during the times of greatest desperation.
Dreadnought - Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnoughts: The Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnought is the most common pattern of Dreadnought used by the Adeptus Astartes in the 41st Millennium. The following section details all known information on the Castraferrum Dreadnought.
Dreadnought - History: The majority of Dreadnoughts in use by the Space Marines conform to the pattern known as the Castraferrum, of which the Mars Castraferrum Pattern Mark IV and Mark V are the most common. In appearance, the Castraferrum is very different from other types of Dreadnought, very few of which exist outside of the stasis-sealed reliquary chambers of the Adeptus Astartes.It is not as tall as such venerated relics as the Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought and its armour is said to be configured far more to the fore than the unhallowed Lucifer Pattern Dreadnought. Some claim that the older Unification classes of proto-Dreadnoughts dating back to the time of the Unification Wars could be piloted by non-Astartes warriors, but the Castraferrum can only be fully controlled by a Space Marine, thanks to his unique physiology and mental conditioning.Ancient and incomplete archival fragments suggest that the Castraferrum Pattern was introduced in order to meet a range of tactical challenges. It is configured for direct assaults, the Ironclad Dreadnought being the ultimate expression of this tactical role. It also excels in Zone Mortalis missions such as starship boarding actions, tunnel fights and combat deep inside densely built hive cities.Here, its lower profile allows the Castraferrum to negotiate low-ceilinged passageways that the taller Contemptor Pattern would be unable to pass along. The true reason, however, that the Castraferrum remains in common use while the Contemptor and other patterns are rarely seen relics lies with the technology utilised within its many systems. Instead of the ill-understood Atomantic Arc Reactors and Helical Targeting Arrays of the Contemptor Pattern, the Castraferrum uses an adaptable thermic reactor and other such technological systems already found within a wide range of current Adeptus Astartes war machines.During the Horus Heresy many of the existing Mark IV Castraferrum Dreadnoughts turned Traitor. As a result, in the 41st Millennium, the Imperium has noted that the majority of Chaos Dreadnoughts are Mark IVs. This has led many within the Imperial hierarchy to suspect that the Machine Spirit of the Mark IV Castraferrum is flawed. As a result, most Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes now prefer to make use fo the more advanced Mark V Castraferrum chassis when possible. Those Mark IV Castraferrum Dreadnoughts still serving within Loyalist Chapters are protected by anti-Daemonic wards and Purity Seals in the hopes that this will reinforce them against the temptations of Chaos.
Dreadnought - Armament: The standard Castraferrum Pattern Mark IV or Mark V Dreadnought carries a heavy ranged weapon on its right arm and the left arm is equipped with a Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon. The latter is usually a Dreadnought Power Fist or Power Claw with either a Storm Bolter or Heavy Flamer fitted below the forearm, or in the case of the Mark IV fitted to the side of its main chassis.Though the Dreadnought's Power Fist shares the same name, it is not at all similar to the melee weapons also called Power Fists used by other armed forces of the Imperium. Unrestricted by size or weight, Dreadnought Power Fists are vastly more powerful than ones carried by Imperial infantrymen, even Space Marine Terminators. The Dreadnought's Power Fist is (like the unwieldy infantry-borne Power Fist and Chainfist) strikingly effective against heavy armour.This, combined with the Dreadnought's own impressive unmodified strength makes the fist deadly to all, even heavily armoured foes like a Space Marine Chapter Master. Also, the Dreadnought's heavy vehicle armour means that even those that survive the initial assault can do little more than wait for the inevitable. The ranged weapons used by standard Castraferrum Dreadnoughts include Assault Cannons, Multi-meltas, twin-linked Lascannons, twin-linked Autocannons, twin-linked Heavy Bolters, twin-linked Heavy Flamers, Missile Launchers, or a Plasma Cannon. Castraferrum Dreadnoughts are also able to be outfitted with Extra Armour Plating, a Searchlight and Smoke Launchers.
Dreadnought - Unit Composition: 1-3 Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnoughts (41st Millennium Only)1-3 Legion Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnoughts (31st Millennium Only)
Dreadnought - Wargear: A standard Mark IV or Mark V Castraferrum Dreadnought is armed and equipped with:Multi-MeltaDreadnought Close Combat Weapon with built-in Storm BolterSmoke LaunchersSearchlightAny Mark IV or Mark V Castraferrum Dreadnought may replace its Multi-Melta with any of these options:A second Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon with a built-in Storm Bolter (This is not a standard loadout as it removes the Dreadnought's ability to engage targets at range.)Heavy Plasma CannonAssault CannonTwin-linked AutocannonsTwin-linked Heavy BoltersTwin-linked LascannonsTwin-linked Heavy FlamersAny Mark IV or Mark V Castraferrum Dreadnought may replace its Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon with built-in Storm Bolter with any of these options:Dreadnought-sized Missile LauncherTwin-linked AutocannonAny Mark IV or Mark V Castraferrum Dreadnought may replace the built-in Storm Bolter from their Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon(s) with any of these options:Heavy FlamerCastraferrum Dreadnoughts may also have vehicle equipment such as:Extra Armour Plating
Dreadnought - Horus Heresy Era Armament: During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy the Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnoughts of the Legiones Astartes featured many more loadout options than those of the 41st Millennium.A standard Legion Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnought is armed and equipped with:Twin-linked Heavy BoltersDreadnought Close Combat Weapon with a built-in twin-linked BolterSmoke LaunchersSearchlightAny Legion Castraferrum Dreadnought may replace their twin-linked Heavy Bolters with any of these options:A second Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon with built-in twin-linked BoltersMulti-MeltaTwin-linked Missile Launchers (Either Frag or Krak Missiles)Heavy Plasma CannonFlamestorm CannonVolkite CulverinAssault CannonTwin-linked AutocannonsTwin-linked Heavy BoltersTwin-linked LascannonsTwin-linked Heavy FlamersAny Legion Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnought may replace its Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon with built-in Storm Bolter with any of these options:Twin-linked Heavy BoltersDreadnought Close Combat Weapon (Dreadnought Chainfist) with built-in twin-linked BoltersSiege Wrecker with built-in twin-linked BoltersVolkite CulverinTwin-linked Missile Launchers (Either Frag or Krak Missiles)Twin-linked AutocannonAny Legion Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnought may replace the built-in twin-linked Bolters from their Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon(s) with any of these options:Heavy FlamerPlasma BlasterGraviton GunMeltagunCastraferrum Pattern Dreadnoughts may also have a variety of vehicle equipment such as:Extra Armour PlatingArmoured Ceramite PlatingFrag Assault LaunchersUp to 2 Hunter-Killer Missile LaunchersHavoc Missile Launcher
Dreadnought - Formations: Dark Angels Battle Demi-Company - The Battle Demi-Company formation of the Dark Angels Chapter used before the introduction of Primaris Marines consists of one Company Master or Chaplain, up to one Command Squad, up to one Company Veteran Squad, three Tactical Squads, one Assault Squad, one Devastator Squad, and up to one Dreadnought. Composed of grim, resolute and utterly determined warriors, the Battle Demi-Companies of the Dark Angels are the obsidian-hard foundations around which the Chapter's strike forces are built. Even a single Dark Angels Battle-Brother is a force to be reckoned with, his discipline, fortitude and ability a match for dozens of lesser men. A squad of these monastic master-combatants is more terrifying still. When gathered into whole Battle Demi-Companies, the Dark Angels are the equal of any foe in the galaxy. Rigorously drilled, bound together by unbreakable ties of rhetoric and brotherhood, these warriors operate upon the battlefield like a single, lethally efficient machine. Objectives are held with stoic determination, the enemy breaking like waves against the indomitable cliffs of the Dark Angels' ranks.
Dreadnought - Other Dreadnought Patterns: The following is a list of all known Dreadnought patterns other than the Castraferrum Pattern:
Dreadnought - Proto-Dreadnought: The term "Proto-Dreadnought" encompasses the myriad Dreadnought patterns that that have been used by humanity since the Dark Age of Technology. These Dreadnoughts, which were capable of being piloted by unenhanced humans, have endured in many idiosyncratic forms both on Mars and with the techno-barbaric warlords of Terra as well as in the many scattered human realms throughout the Age of Strife. With the coming of the Imperium of Man during the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium, these Dreadnoughts have been brought together under the banner of the Emperor of Mankind. There exist many patterns of Dreadnought and it is in latter-day conjunction with the superhuman physiology of the Space Marines that this technology has reached its zenith.
Dreadnought - Furibundus Pattern Dreadnought: The Furibundus Pattern Dreadnought was one of the earliest patterns of Dreadnought that was used by the Legiones Astartes. There exists little information on this pattern within current Imperial records. The Furibundus Dreadnought was similar in stature to the ancient Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought, with a more rounded and squat chassis and legs.
Dreadnought - Lucifer Pattern Dreadnought: The unhallowed and dreaded Lucifer Pattern Dreadnought is one of the oldest patterns of Dreadnought known to current Imperial savants. There exists little information on the Lucifer Pattern, with only vague descriptions implying that the armour configuration of the Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnought is far more to the fore than on the Lucifer.