vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Kalto - Kalto: Located along the Grand Processional, the most stable Warp route in the Askellon Sector, Kalto is a large Agri-world whose bountiful production has made it the breadbasket for the untold billions who dwell within the neighbouring sub-sectors. This high productivity is believed to be due in part to Kalto's negligible axial tilt which, when combined with the planet's stable orbit relative to its brilliant orange star, creates a near-perpetual growing season ideally suited for agriculture.Kalto is particularly known for its production of padonus rice, a genetically-modified crop developed by the Magi Biologis of Core Theta, as well as large quantities of local emdur grain. Such advantageous planetary qualities have led many scholars to believe Kalto is actually the result of ancient terraforming during the sector's founding, or of some other nameless techno-sorcery from the Dark Age of Technology.Others interpret the world's relative Warp route stability and remarkably earth-like gravitational pull as evidence of divine providence, while some within the Inquisition and elsewhere view the deadly boneweed, prolific xenos relics, and other unexplained events during Kalto’s history as evidence of an as yet unidentified threat.
Kalto - History: The most catastrophic of these events happened scant ages ago, when a merchant vessel arrived to discover Kalto’s verdant lands and gothic structures inexplicably abandoned, with fields of overgrown crops and livestock wandering loose. Search as they might, the crew found no answers to the mystery, save for a few desiccated corpses locked inside a tarnished security spire, and a grainy vid log of spectral figures. This sudden disappearance of the planet’s inhabitants precipitated an intense famine amongst nearby Hive Worlds. In the following decades, the numerous attempts at appropriation and infighting among political factions made Kalto a byword for bickering and intrigue. The most egregious of these was the founding of Forge Paellus, which occurred when a huge Adeptus Mechanicus cruiser deposited the forge’s prefab foundation into the hollowed-out heart of the Loradon mountains.It is said that cries of consternation over this act rang out in the highest levels of the Pellucid Tower on Juno, and that it came remarkably close to dragging the Rubicon Sub-Sector into war. Eventually, after months of fierce politicking, numerous assassination attempts, and intense negotiations, the competing interests finally renounced their claims on the valuable world. Kalto is now firmly under the control of the Adeptus Administratum. The Adeptus Mechanicus, however, still retains a substantial presence there, much to the resentment of the august Kaltan Ecclesiarchy.
Kalto - Those Who Came Before: Though records of Kalto date back to the earliest days of the sector, little is known of its earlier discovery or initial colonisation. Dark tales from these times describe beings veiled in shadow and malice that once roamed the forests at night, sadistic warriors who cackled excitedly as they dragged the unwary into the spirit world in order to feast on their souls. Known as the Void Watchers, many believe these malevolent beings are the source of the vile boneweed tendrils, which they used to inflict excruciating pain on their victims and provide their fighters with cruel sport.In addition to the countless signs of ancient human habitation, numerous xenoarcheological surveys have uncovered scattered ruins across the surface of Kalto. Members of the Scholastica Psykana have also occasionally taken an interest in these discoveries, though most of their studies revolve around the psychic resonances and mysterious energy signatures emanating from the ruins themselves. The most peculiar of these xenos relics are the twisted grey pylons that rise from the ground in regular intervals, like vines of granite interlaced with intricate veins of brilliant silver. They are said to be highly resilient, slowly regrowing any sections that become damaged over the years. Some of the more radical savants who devote their studies to such mysteries even claim that the pylons grow and recede over the course of centuries, their movements linked to some unfathomable external stimuli which remain elusive.
Kalto - Compliancer: Compliancers are the agents of planetary law within the docking hubs of the Metothine Gate, and all are charged with administering both the edicts of the governor and the numerous accords and charters ratified within the great trade halls. However, as the wording of such decrees is uniformly labyrinthine and often deliberately vague, Compliancers must often rely on their own interpretations of these statutes when resolving any disputes. Regrettably for many of their victims, this judgement almost always favours their current employer, and few who encounter these corrupt and brutal officials walk away unscathed.
Kalto - Vigilance Servitor: Armed with vicious blades and rumoured to be recruited from Adept Torintane’s most diligent vassals, Vigilance Servitors are ruthless killing machines. Highly modified, their cadaverous bodies twitch and judder from the potent chemical stimulants that course through their veins. They are all absolutely relentless in their search for the slightest hint of laxity or inactivity, and many eventually die from the strain of obeying the impossibly severe parameters of their maniacal programming.
Kalto - Bloodborne Auguras: Some are so wholly consumed that they allow the boneweed to permanently embed itself in their flesh. This gruesome act grants them even more intense visions of violence and bloodshed, though few have the stamina or will to survive the grisly ordeal. Known as Auguras, they alone are able to master the terrible visions and forge them into a weapon to be wielded against the untainted. Yet such visions come at a terrible price, for they must constantly slake their thirst for fresh blood in order to feed the burrowing parasitic vines. Other afflicted lock to them, recklessly sacrificing themselves to satisfy the calls for slaughter radiating from the corrupted bodies of these twisted and tortured souls
Kalto - Metothine Gate: The Metothine Gate is a massive cluster of orbital docks that remains locked in geostationary orbit above Kalto. Within these marbled halls, replete in all their silver and bronze inery, dwells Governor Von Maunx as well as the individual mercantile societies. Amidst these organisations, the majority of trade on Kalto takes place under the constant attention of the Metothine Magnates. Though bound by Imperial decree to provide for the ever-increasing demands of the Askellon Sector, they are shrewd and calculating individuals who, with but a word, can sentence millions to privation and destitution.Due to the nature of Imperial commerce, as well as the vast fortunes at stake, few accords struck within these opulent cloisters are reached without a heavy cost of blood and suffering. Instances of bribery, assassination, armed confrontations, and other forms of treachery are commonplace. Yet despite such risks, competition for an audience and a Kaltan trading charter is fierce among the many merchant princes and traders who frequent Kalto. The governor’s corrupt officials, meanwhile, care little about such blatant disregard for human life, their own efforts focused solely on ensuring the continued function of the profitable docks or the interests of the highest bidder. Von Maunx carefully watches over all deals, if only to confirm he also gains a proper slice of the profits.
Kalto - Forge Paellus: Forge Paellus is a massive fortified structure buried beneath the crumbling remains of an abandoned pre-Imperial city, and which now serves as the mechanical heart of Adeptus Mechanicus activity on Kalto. Beyond its colossal gates, the massive Skerab harvesters that trundle across the golden fields are born, and through these same gates the newest initiates of the cult of the Omnissiah disappear. There are also rumours of other, more unsavoury practices and research being carried out inside these towering walls. The increasing laxity of the ruling Magos and his attendants has only served to perpetuate such idle speculation. Many have also observed a decrease in their interactions with outsiders, as well as a disturbing trend of eliminating their external vox implants and biological speech organs through gruesome and crude surgical techniques.
Kanak Skull Takers - Kanak Skull Takers: The Kanak Skull Takers are the regiments of the Astra Militarum raised from the volcano-wracked Feral World of Kanak, which is home to many fierce barbarian tribes.It is said that many of these tribes are closer to an Ogryn than a baseline human being in size and attitude.Their talent for slaughter quickly found its way into the Imperial Guard, where considerable tolerance for their feral tactics has been seen.Like many feral regiments, service in the Imperial Guard is intended to teach the savage Kanak Imperial ways, so that if they ever return to their homeworld, they will hopefully provide a civilising influence to the rest of the indigenous population.The Skull Takers are notable for utilising Ogryn as well as Rough Rider squadrons within their regimental formations.Instead of standard Lasguns, Kanak Skull Takers infantry carry various forms of close combat weapons and Laspistols. Some even wield two primitive melee weapons. The Skull Takers prefer Flamers, but rarely use heavy weapons, due to the feral nature of the regiments.
Kanak Skull Takers - Notable Campaigns: Fall of Kanak (Unknown Date) - When an army of Word Bearers led by the Chaos Champion Pollux the Flayer landed on Kanak and proceeded to capture the planet's key installations, they encountered fierce resistance in the form of Kanak Skull Takers loyal to the Imperium. But alas, in spite of the defenders' inhuman heroism and tenacity, their resistance amounted to nothing but a brief hindrance for the advance of the forces of Chaos. However, Pollux himself fell during an attempt to destroy the Skull Taker's last war camp.Donorian Webway Breach (999.M41) - After the Warp Storm codified as Inchoate Rage caused a Webway breach in the Donoria Sector, thousands of Donorian Fiends rampaged across Donoria Prime for several solar months. The 838th, 839th, 840th and 841st Kanak Skulltakers, alongside the 331st Vitrian Dragoons and 122nd Savlar Chem-Dogs regiments, were ordered to put down the infestation and close the Webway breach. Only after the 198th Cadian Shock Troops arrived on Donoria Prime to reinforce their comrades was it discovered that they had disappeared, along with the Donorian Fiends, leaving behind nothing save idling vehicles. Two other planets in the Donoria Sector were also discovered to be scoured clean of any intelligent life. No evidence pointing to a culprit was ever found, save that of a calling card featuring a steel serpent pinned to the dead Planetary Governor's head
Kanak Skull Takers - Sources: Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg. 61Imperial Guard Collector's Guide, pg. 4Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf - Fall of Kanak (PC Game)Gathering Storm - Part Two - Fracture of Biel-Tan (7th Edition), pg. 37
Kanath - Kanath: Kanath was a Chaos Lord of the Sons of Malice Chaos Space Marines who held the title of "agitor." He commanded the Sons of Malice fleet and warband that resolved the hatred these Heretic Astartes previously had for the other forces of Chaos and joined with the Warmaster of Chaos, Abaddon the Despoiler, to take part in the 13th Black Crusade and the many battles of its aftermath.Kanath's forces were the primary instigators of the Battle of Faith's Anchorage in the wake of the Fall of Cadia that ultimately resulted in a Chaos defeat and the reclamation of the strategically vital Agripinaa System for the Imperium.
Kapellan League - Kapellan League: The Kapellan League is a minor league of the Leagues of Votann located in the galactic core. Though it is an ancient and well-established Kin confederacy, it is an ill-fated league, which has declined considerably over the Terran centuries in both power and influence.
Kapellan League - History: The Kapellan League's ongoing decline greatly accelerated when, less than a Terran millennium ago, the Fane of Kôrynn's Kindred achieved self-awareness. This newly ascended Votann exhibited an aggressive drive for knowledge and a demanding appetite for raw materials, the better for Kôrynn's Kindred to enhance its physical shell and arm its Kin in its defence. Prior to this, Kôrynn's Kindred had been a relatively minor member of the faltering Kapellan League.Blessed as they now were with their own Votann, they broke away to start the aggressive new league known as the Kronus Hegemony and took several other former Kapellan Kindreds with them.
Kappa Mortis Incident - Kappa Mortis Incident: The Kappa Mortis Incident was a brief Imperial military campaign in which a detachment from the Ultramarines Space Marine Chapter sought to recover a downed Imperial shuttlecraft containing captured T'au technology. As the Imperium had only recently encountered this new and unusually technologically advanced xenos species, the Inquisitors of the Ordo Xenos and the Magi of the Adeptus Mechanicus were eager to get their Mechadendrites on T'au wargear so that they could plumb the depths of its heretical secrets and fashion appropriate Imperial countermeasures.The recovery mission proved successful, though the Ultramarines recovered only a single helmet taken from a T'au XV15 Stealthsuit. However, the T'au feared that this in itself would prove detrimental to the Fire Caste's tactical surprise over the Imperials, and so the Earth Caste moved to rush the XV25 Stealthsuit into deployment. This was done to get a new T'au Stealthsuit into combat that the Imperial military had not yet analysed, even though the XV25 was less advanced than the harder-to-produce XV22 Stealthsuit that was still at the prototype stage.
Kappa Mortis Incident - History: On the far-flung world of Kappa Mortis, the Damocles Gulf Crusade had ground to a halt. The Imperium of Man had made a major incursion into the newly discovered T'au Empire in the Ultima Segmentum, but was forced to pull its forces out of T'au space in response to the far greater threat posed by the Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth, which had begun devouring entire sectors on the nearby Eastern Rim. Kappa Mortis had been evacuated by the Imperial military, and the T'au, rapidly re-consolidating their grip on those worlds captured by the Imperium during the first stages of the Damocles Gulf Crusade, moved to reclaim it.One of the last Imperial vessels to leave Kappa Mortis was an Aquila Lander, a messenger shuttlecraft bearing captured T'au technology bound for the laboratories of the Ordo Xenos. But before it could reach orbit, the shuttle was engaged by T'au fighters and was shot down. The shuttle crashed amongst the buildings of the now deserted Imperial outpost Theta Seven, its pilot activating his emergency beacon as he attempted to bring his ship in intact.Although the Aquila Lander was wrecked, its homing beacon survived. During its brief battle with the T'au interceptors, the Aquila sustained serious damage to its plasma reactor system. Although the pilot managed to eject one reactor core, the second failed to release and went down with the shuttle. Both of these cores were unstable and gave off dangerous radiation. This would add a extra layer of danger later on to both forces involved in the incident.Captain Agemman of the Ultramarines, en route to the Realm of Ultramar in response to the threat of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth, received the shuttlecraft's distress message. He realised instantly that the captured T'au technology aboard the lander might prove valuable to the Imperium, but he could spare few warriors from the coming battles against the Great Devourer. He led a small detachment to investigate, while the remainder of his force hurried on to face the Tyranids within Ultramar.The battle that followed was short but extremely bloody. The T'au ambushed Agemman's forces as he directed the search of the crash site. The Utlramarines repulsed the T'au attack, though Agemann was wounded during the action. Crucially, Agemman's force recovered a single item of T'au technology, the helmet from an XV15 Stealthsuit. This forced the T'au Earth Caste to accelerate the development of a new Stealthsuit as a result, rushing the single-weapon XV25 Stealthsuit into service ahead of the harder-to-produce but more advanced XV22 Stealthsuit they had hoped to introduce en masse to the T'au Fire Caste.
Kappa Mortis Incident - Force Agemman: The Ultramarines selected to take part in the operation were drawn from the Chapter's 2nd Company, which consists of a balanced mix of the various squads available to a Space Marine commander. Agemman had no time to gather intelligence on his foe and could spare precious few warriors for this mission. Therefore, he hand-picked a small but well-rounded force, one capable of performing a fast search-and-destroy operation before withdrawing once more.Force Agemman was based around a core of fifteen Tactical Marines, organised into a full strength, ten-man squad and a smaller, "Combat Squad" of five Astartes. These were supported by a Scout Marine sniper squad, who were tasked with performing an initial sweep of the crash site before spreading out to act as sentries once the search of the wreckage was underway. Captain Agemman, accompanied by his Command Squad, directed the search operation, whilst Dreadnought Ferrous, Assault Squad Venio, and a Predator acted as a mobile reserve, holding station nearby to counter any T'au move made against this search force.Agemann's plan during the Kappa Mortis Incident followed tried and tested methods laid down millennia ago in the Codex Astartes -- the great book of tactics, organisation and collected military wisdom penned by the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman. He ordered his core force, centred on two Tactical Squads, to perform the search of the crash site. Meanwhile, the Scouts would seek high ground from which to maintain a watch on the surrounding area, and to engage any enemy that approached, pinning them while the mobile reserve element of the force deployed to block their assault.
Kappa Mortis Incident - Detachment Nightwind: Facing Force Agemman was a small detachment of T'au Fire Caste warriors, drawn from the race's home Sept of T'au. Their Commander was a newly promoted Shas'el whose name translated into Low Gothic as Nightwind. His orders were simple -- recover the items stolen by the Humans or, at the very least, deny the warlike Imperium its prize at all costs. Nightwind's compact force, led by Nightwind himself, was perfectly placed to intercept the enemy at the site of the shuttle crash.Detachment Nightwind comprised a twelve-warrior team of Devilfish-mounted Fire Warriors, with a second six-warrior-strong unit in support. Additional mobile firepower was provided by a Hammerhead gunship and three Piranha light skimmers. The force was led by Commander Nightwind and his adjutant, Shas'Vre Ka'eldi. Lastly, an XV25 Stealthsuit team led by Shas'Vre Kai'leath provided the detachment's reconnaissance force. It was they who located the crash site first and directed the rest of Detachment Nightwind to their objective. During the confrontation, Commander Nightwing made use of a sophisticated sensor array issued by the Earth Caste and built into his Battlesuit's "head" to help him locate the stolen T'au technology.Commander Nightwind's orders were dictated by the disposition of his forces at the time the crashed Imperial shuttle was located. His Hunter Cadre was scattered throughout the region, his Stealth Teams, equipped with the new XV25 Stealthsuits, ranged far and wide. When Stealth Team Kai'leath reported the crash site found, Nightwind ordered them to engage the Imperials and to engage targets of opportunity whilst his forces raced to the scene. Nightwind knew that he was asking Kai'leath's warriors to tackle a larger and more powerful foe, but he could not risk the enemy escaping. Such is the way of the Greater Good.
Kar'voth - Kar'voth: Kar'voth is a Bloodthirster, a Greater Daemon of the Blood God Khorne. Little is known about this wretched servant of the Blood God. Sometime during the current era the daemon lord encountered Kaldor Draigo, the Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights Space Marine Chapter who had been physically cast into the Realm of Chaos and doomed to walk its myriad paths.For an uncounted age Draigo had wandered the terrible landscape, crossing paths with the various daemons of the four Chaos Gods, who sought to either slay him or corrupt him to darkness. Atop the Blood Falls, where the acrid ichor of Khorne's fallen champions tumbled endlessly into the void, Draigo slew the great Bloodthirster Kar'voth in single combat.
Kar Duniash - Kar Duniash: Kar Duniash is an Imperial world that serves as the Segmentum Fortress of the Ultima Segmentum.Kar Duniash is the home to an academy for the training of new officers of the Navis Imperialis and its orbital shipyard is the primary coonstruction site for all new Dominator-class Cruisers.In the Era Indomitus, after the resurrection of Primarch Roboute Guilliman and the birth of the Great Rift, Kar Duniash is one of the worlds that now lies in the Imperium Nihilus, beyond the light of the Astronomican.It is also unfortunately very close to the area of operations of the T'au Empire's Fifth Sphere Expansion. It was in part to protect the Warp routes to Kar Duniash from the T'au that Imperial forces have engaged in the Chalnath Expanse Campaign.
Kar Duniash - Trivia: Kar Duniash may derive its name from Karduniash, an ancient Kassite term for Babylon.
Karacallia - Karacallia: Karacallia is a heavily-populated star system controlled by the Severan Dominate and located in the Periphery Sub-sector of the Calixis Sector. It is currently a frontline in the conflict consuming the Spinward Front. The Karacallia System contains an unusually high number of gas giants, many of which harbour resources of use to the Adeptus Mechanicus in the construction of Warp-Drives. Though logged, the system's resources have never been properly exploited, its location some distance from the nearest Forge World, making it a perilous undertaking and the war making it all but impossible.The population of the Karacallia System is scattered across three-dozen and more satellites of the various gas giants and represents the descendants of a first wave of Imperial colonists dispatched there five standard centuries ago to populate the system and thus provide the raw manpower needed to exploit its resources in future generations. But the scheme never reached fruition and, though the population has thrived numerically, it has suffered greatly from its isolation. Thus it was not difficult for Severus to stoke the fires of rebellion on Karacallia, and the densely populated worlds are ripe recruiting grounds for the Dominates.Of the dozens of populated worlds in the Karacallia System, not one is untouched by war. The Imperium has launched over thirty separate assaults since the beginning of the war and the Orks at least the same number. To date, none of these assaults has dislodged Duke Severus XIII's forces, which fight with almost unholy zeal. Numerous Astra Militarum regiments have been committed to the system and, while substantial gains have been made in the past, most have been at the expense of losses elsewhere. While one satellite might be taken, another will fall, and so war ebbs and flows across the war-torn moons and planetoids.The surfaces of the worlds are cratered, corpse-and-debris-strewn wastelands, poisoned by the lethal gases Severus XIII's forces have unleashed and scoured lifeless by the weapons of the Imperium. The war there has been likened to an "island-hopping" campaign, with forces fighting for possession of the countless satellites and planetoids. It is rare for any single world to be held by one side for more than a few solar months before the enemy dislodges it, but still the war grinds ever on, the system's location along the Calixis-Scarus Warp conduit making its possession vital.
Karacnos Mortar Battery - Karacnos Mortar Battery: A Karacnos Mortar Battery is an Imperial mortar battery that fires rad-phage shells and was usually deployed on the carapace of the massive Acastus Knight Asterius combat walker.The Karacnos was designed to saturate fortress ramparts with high-impact, rad-phage explosives and is a crucial component of the Asterius' long-ranged fortification-busting firepower.
Karanak - Karanak: Karanak, also called the "Hound of Vengeance," is a unique Flesh Hound of Khorne who is the incarnation of Khorne's vengeance. None can hide from the Blood God's favoured hound.Karanak hunts them all down across the length and breadth of space and time, no matter where they hide or for how long they run. When not hunting, Karanak keeps watch over Khorne's Throne of Brass.Unlike normal Flesh Hounds, Karanak has three heads, each capable of tracking unlucky prey by different means.
Karanak - Role: For those that incur the wrath of Khorne, there is but one fate. Those who insult his pride, warriors that break his creed, cowards that refuse to shed blood -- Khorne's anger reaches them all. From the ends of realspace to the depths of the Immaterium, across space and time, Karanak is Khorne's favoured hound, the incarnation of the Blood God's vengeance.Relentless, vicious and single-minded, Karanak is an implacable hunter who tracks his prey across the warped daemon realms and through the depths of realspace. No army can defend against him, and no wall can bar his path.When not hunting, Karanak prowls the shadows of the Blood God's throne room. Karanak is vigilant above all other Flesh Hounds, for he has no less than three heads above his brass collar. While one feeds on the bones of those sacrificed to his master, the other two keep watch.None pass into Khorne's throne chamber without the leave of this watchful guardian. Sometimes, an unwary Bloodletter or Fury will stray too close, and Karanak pounces; it is a brutal end signalled by the crunching of bones, the spattering of blood and a tri-throated chorus of chilling snarls.This restless guardianship is oft interrupted, for Khorne's ire is eternal, and when he is particularly offended by a mortal, he will seal their doom by loosing Karanak upon them. The beast can sense his master's rage, and lopes to his side. Then, with a roar, the Blood God unleashes Karanak, and the great hound lifts his heads, nostrils flaring as he catches the scent of his prey.Each of his heads tracks his quarry in a different fashion: the first head follows the trail through space; the second tracks the scent through time; the third head, the most dangerous, senses the quarry through his thoughts and feelings, tracking them through dreamscapes and delusions. This guarantees that no prey eludes Karanak; those with wit, skill and technology can avoid spatial and temporal detection, but only the insane can outrun their own minds.As Karanak lopes forth on his course, bounding from realm to realm, his multiple, dissonant growls echo and grow louder in the thoughts of his prey. Karanak's howls resound across space and time, leading the Blood Hunt of Khorne to the chase.As the pursuit covers leagues and light years, a pack of slavering beasts, thundering Juggernauts and battle-hungry Bloodletters forms around Karanak, eager for the kill.In a frenzy of fangs and blood, Karanak and the hunt strike, tearing through anything in their path before cornering the Blood God's quarry and ripping it apart.With the flopping, shredded remains of his hapless victim clasped tightly in all three jaws, Karanak leaves the other daemons of Khorne to continue their bloodthirsty and cruel sport in realspace, and hurtles back to Khorne's throne room to present this gift to his master. There, a pleased Blood God adds the freshly collected skull to the ever-growing pile upon which his throne sits, whilst his faithful Hound is rewarded with the remainder of the corpse on which to feast.
Karanak - Wargear: As befits Karanak's favoured status, he has been gifted with a superior version of the Brass Collar worn by other Flesh Hounds. Possessed of Khorne's hatred for sorcery, but the Blood God's wrathful vengeance, the thick metal band withstands psychic powers as easily as its wearer's scaled skin repels rainwater.Karanak always remembers those psykers who dare cast their despised magics at him in battle; though it may take years, the hound will inevitably have his vengeance, and once his prey has been killed, will take great satisfaction in chewing upon its sorcerous bones.
Karandras - Karandras: Karandras, called the "Shadow Hunter," is the Craftworld Aeldari Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions Aspect Warriors. Legends of Karandras the Shadow Hunter tell of one of the most mysterious of all the Phoenix Lords. No one knows where he originally came from or where his shrine originally lay, but perhaps it was on one of the small craftworlds which survived the Fall of the Aeldari but was destroyed soon after.
Karandras - Wargear: Phoenix Armour - The legendary Phoenix Lords of the Aspect Warriors wear ancient, invaluable variant suits of Aspect Armour so finely wrought it is proof against almost any weapon, while the helmet contains Spirit Stones filled with the souls of every Exarch who has ever worn the armour and served as their Aspect's Phoenix Lord in turn since the time of the First Shrine on Asur.Scorpion's Bite - Karandras has the most potent sting of any Striking Scorpion, for the Mandiblasters of his Aspect Warriors are but a pin-prick compared to the fearsome bite of this Phoenix Lord.Scorpion Chainsword - First amongst the ritual weapons used by the Striking Scorpions Aspect, these distinctive chainswords bolster the strength of their users considerably.Scorpion's Claw - Artfully crafted to visually resemble the mighty pincer of a real scorpion, this weapon is in essence the Aeldari version of a Power Fist. It is sheathed in a power field that enables a wielder to tear through even the thickest battle plate. The Scorpion's Claw incorporates a Shuriken Catapult into the weapon's vambrace for ranged engagements, granting the Phoenix Lord a moderate amount of firepower while allowing him to wield his deadly chainsword in his other hand, and thus not hamper his close quarters prowess.Plasma Grenades - The Asuryani and Drukhari use Plasma Grenades in the same manner that the far more crudely designed Frag Grenades are used by the forces of the Imperium. They use a small amount of exploding plasma to blind the enemy and prevent them from properly using their terrain to defend their position against advancing enemy forces.
Karazantor - Karazantor: Karazantor, also called Karazantor the Vile, is an undead Chaos Lord of Tzeentch originally from the world of Chicano, a once wealthy and prosperous Mining World that is now a barren rock inhabited by few.The planet fell in one local night to Chaos Cultists under the influence of the Chaos God Tzeentch.  Karazantor was the most trusted warrior of the Chicanan army and his betrayal culminated in the death of the planet's great ruler and planetary governor Lord Xian Torus, earning him the title "Traitor of Xian."As a reward for his service, Karazantor was given the gift of precognition by his new master. He can now see the threads of potential futures weaving through time like tangled skeins of multicoloured cords.
Karlack - Karlack: Karlack is a Fortress World and the principle seat of the Achilus Crusade seeking to retake the Jericho Reach in the Segmentum Ultima.Its orbital stations house key command and control elements for the crusade fleets, a naval repair and provender base, and the crusade's primary Astropathic Choir.Karlack is also the keystone in a wide arc of listening posts and defence stations known as the Iron Collar spread out across the portion of the Jericho Reach bordering the Well of Night, from which the crusade's salients are supported.The Fortress World's perimeter is littered with defences. The first layer of fortified space is a sphere of mechanised battle stations, their augur arrays constantly scanning the void. A few track on-going vessels with their plasma batteries as they pass.Next, on the outskirts of the occupied ring, are the massive space docks where Adeptus Mechanicus adepts repair and slowly construct new warships for the Imperial Navy.These jagged spires and gargantuan orbital platforms berth everything from gleaming new fighters to the war-ravaged skeletons of cruisers who survived battles their crews did not.Supply stations, more advanced sensorium arrays, and voidfaring troop barracks orbit closer to the faded greyish-green planet. Karlack's sky and atmosphere are thick with the smoke of industry and clouds of dirt thrown up by the ongoing construction.Once clear of the brackish cloud layer, the landmasses are patchworks of bare earth, dull armoured fortifications, and the occasional stretch of green farmland where fast-growing crop strains are continually planted and harvested for processing into rations.In the nearly forty Terran years since Lord Militant Tiber Achilus' forces set foot upon Karlack, all has not gone well for the once-green world or its native inhabitants.Karlack's climate has grown unstable due to the alteration of the planetary surface coupled with the rapid industrialisation and forced agriculture methods employed to feed the crusade's forces.Karlack's seas and air are slowly being poisoned, its people increasingly suborned to the war effort, indentured and outcast on their own world.This has led, in turn, to an increasing "resistance" movement in some outlaying areas, which has slowly gathered strength despite heavy-handed attempts to crush it by the Departmento Munitorum enforcement cadres.Some Imperial observers have noted rising evidence of Chaos Cult activity, and there are reports of off-world agitators among the indigenous Humans.These factors might turn sporadic civil unrest and incidents of sabotage -- at the moment, a minor thorn of irritation for the crusade forces -- into something far worse.
Karlack - Citadel Primaris: Tens of thousands of troops and transports stage from Karlack at any one time, regiment upon regiment preparing to replace the losses of an especially bloody battle in one of the crusade salients.However, in addition to the many bases and emplacements in its orbit, the planet also requires a large, permanent garrison for defence and maintaining order.Such troops occupy hundreds of stations across Karlack, but the largest, first, and most important of these is Citadel Primaris. Citadel Primaris towers like a mountain above a plain of levelled earth. Observation decks and weapon emplacements jut from the sloping walls at regular intervals.Ships ranging from Valkyrie transports to Marauder bombers can land on one of the immense duracrete pads, leading into a large gravel yard that lies beyond the high walls. In general, several squads perform drills here under the watchful eye of a Commissar.
Karlack - Cenotaph of Achilus: Rebuilt in monolithic, glittering grey-black marble over the ruins of a former Imperial cathedral destroyed during Karlack's Age of Shadows, the Cenotaph of Achilus towers over the capital city of Kar'thir.This monument was constructed in the centre of Karlack's largest indigenous settlement as a grand tomb, intended to stand forever empty of its planned occupant, the Lord Militant. However, the Lord Militant's untimely death made this cenotaph a shrine to the crusade's first master.It also serves as a place of devotion for its soldiers and a memorial to the fallen. The names of the lost are engraved into its soaring vaults and chambers, and many believe the Cenotaph to be the spiritual heart of the Imperial war effort.For those who have come to see the Imperial presence on Karlack as a curse rather than a blessing, however, it is the greatest symbol of their oppression and woe.
Karlack - City in the Sea: Considered little more than a local myth by most, the wide ocean that covers much of Karlack's southern hemisphere is said to contain a mysterious sunken city. There, the tormented spirits of the dishonoured dead are said to be dragged by dark-robed spectres amid its drowned towers and darkened ziggurats, to be devoured for all eternity.All ill-fortune and disaster experienced by the people of Karlack are assigned to this watery underworld, and those natives that live on the scattered islands of the south are viewed with deep suspicion by their fellows.Myth or not, the construction of strategically necessary defence structures and orbital batteries on the southern island chains have proven deeply problematic for the crusade forces on Karlack.The problems stem from both local resistance and the high frequency of unexplained accidents, disappearances, power-outages and equipment failures experienced in the southern ocean zone.Inquisitorial investigation in the area -- communicated to the Deathwatch for verification -- has failed to discern a direct cause for the incidents. However, the Inquisition's reports have revealed these problems to be steadily increasing over recent months.They have also turned up previously unknown examples of non-Human artefacts of ancient age amongst the construction on the islands. These artefacts feature strange mathematical and geometrical patterning that have caused great concern amongst the Ordo Xenos. Until recently, Inquisitor Zaer Vincent presided over the investigation.However, the Inquisitor went missing at the beginning of 817.M41, and he is presumed to have been slain. The Deathwatch have taken a keen interest in how matters develop here.
Karlack 1st - Karlack 1st: The Karlack 1st are an Astra Militarum Militarum Regimento of ill-fortune that hails from the Fortress World of Karlack in the Jericho Reach.
Karlack 1st - History: The Achilus Crusade has raised five Astra Militarum regiments from Karlack since making contact with the planet, providing vital replenishment to the forces from other sectors that ship through the Jericho-Maw Warp Gate.No tale of a regiment in the Jericho Reach is a pleasant one, but the Karlack 1st has been shattered and reformed three times since its inception.
Karlack 1st - Notable Engagements: 786.M41: The regiment receives passage to the coreward battlefront on the Lord Militant Tiber Achilus' flagship Proclamation of Wrath. They are lost with Lord Militant Achilus himself in the infamous Gellar Field failure on the ship.786.M41: The regiment is shattered on the Death World of Ravacene, reduced to only a handful of men from the bloody war and toxic environment.812.M41: The regiment is decimated by the first Tyranid offensive against Imperial forces in the Jericho Reach.
Karlack 1st - Notable Members of the Karlack 1st: Commander Tarik Emvire - Emvire has had the dubious fortune of surviving the last two events that desolated the Karlack 1st. He is a tall, burly man who now wields a chainaxe instead of the steel one he possessed as Kar'thir's master-at-arms before the arrival of the Imperium. He has greyed significantly in the solar decades since he joined the Astra Militarum. He also carries a persistent cough from the ash-choked environment of his last posting.
Karrik - Karrik: Karrik, also known as the Pocked World by spacefarers, is the sole inhabited planet of its system in the Calixis Sector. It is regularly bombarded by asteroids and its climate is far colder than that of most habitable worlds.Karrik is subject to a moderate level of Orkoid infestation and possesses a high gravity relative to that of Terra. Its breathable atmosphere nevertheless means that despite these challenges, it is still home to a sizable number of human and Abhuman colonists.
Karthago Crusade - Karthago Crusade: The Karthago Crusade, also known as the Karthargo Crusade, was one of several follow-up conflicts sparked by the conclusion of the great Badab War that began in 914.M41. The Karthago Sector of the Ultima Segmentum had been severely weakened by the fighting of the Badab War, first by the prolonged occupation of the Secessionist forces under Lufgt Huron of the Astral Claws, which stripped the sector of its wealth and most powerful weapons, and then by the Imperial counterattack launched by Loyalist forces to free its worlds.Worse still, in the wake of several investigations conducted by the Ordos of the Inquisition, much of the ruling elite of the Karthago Sector was deemed to have been corrupted by power and greed and subsequently purged. The sector was still recovering from these blows when a great migration of Orks began to pour into the Karthago Sector.Unable to deal with the Greenskin menace on their own, the sector's authorities issued a Segmentum-wide call for aid, marking the beginning of almost a standard century of bloodshed until the sector's borders were once again secured. With typical zeal, the Black Templars were the first to answer the call to strike down the filthy xenos, thus coining the name of the "Karthago Crusade."The Black Templars were soon reinforced by elements of both the Libators and the Star Phantoms Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. Whereas the Libators sent three entire companies, the Star Phantoms, who were also recovering from their losses during the Badab War, could only spare their 5th Battle Company. It was this company under the command of Captain Calphax that would save the Agri-World of Kerrack from falling into the hands of Chaos during the events of the Scourging of Kerrack, thus sparing the Star Phantoms the terrible losses suffered by the Libators and Black Templars in the Crusade's disastrous conclusion.
Kasati Nuon - Kasati Nuon: Kasati Nuon was an Astartes of the infamous Night Lords Space Marine Legion during the Great Crusade and the opening years of the Horus Heresy. Even in a legion of thieves and murderers, few among the warriors of the VIII Legion dared to turn against the will of their primarch Konrad Curze, but some did and a few even survived. Kasati Nuon was one of them. He was one of the rare Night Lords who did not join their gene-father and Horus Lupercal in treachery against the Emperor but chose to remain loyal.Kasati Nuon led but a handful of Loyalist Night Lord warriors, fleeing the wrath of his Legion and those that had sided with the Warmaster.  Nuon joined his forces with the Raven Guard and participated in the great victory on the world of Carandiru, the "Day of Vengeance."
Kasballica - Kasballica: The Kasballica is a Human organised crime syndicate that has existed in the Calixis Sector of the Imperium of Man ever since there has been a Calixis Sector to exist in -- and arguably before, with its foundations being laid down in the settler ships en route from the Ixaniad Sector. They have also moved their operations into the frontier region adjacent to the Calixis Sector known as the Koronus Expanse.Barely a world in the sector is without its Kasballican crimelord, known as a "prince" or "princess," each with their own hierarchy, outposts, and secret channels through which their tithe collectors and enforcers roam.It is not only the legitimate Imperial authorities who have much to gain from the exploration and exploitation of the resources of the Koronus Expanse. For many standard centuries, criminal organisations have attempted to benefit from the wealth and power that flows back from the Expanse into the Calixis Sector, with varying degrees of success. The Kasballica Mission, based in Footfall, is the latest and most successful in a long line of these criminal groups.
Kasballica - Origins: The Kasballica has a long and bloody history that predates the founding of the Calixis Sector. Carried into the sector to settle the worlds of the Drusus Marches sub-sector in the aftermath of the Angevin Crusade's conquest of the Calyx Expanse in the 39th Millennium, a dozen old and established criminal syndicates from worlds in the Segmentum Solar warred silently even on the colonist transports that took them to newly-conquered Imperial worlds.By the time the transports finally reached the Drusus Marches, the underworld war was almost over, the shattered remnants of each crime baron's armies slowly rebuilt into a single, larger one -- the Kasballica. In the standard centuries that followed, this singular organisation fragmented again, splitting into more localised interests on several worlds, communicating only through their rulers, self-declared "barons," "dukes" and "princes" who each ruled over a single world's Kasballican criminal enterprises.Rivalries sprang up, and the line between healthy competition and outright war became blurred as each fought to obtain wealth with which to dominate their rivals. Then the Koronus Passage, "The Maw," opened, and suddenly a new source of wealth emerged, granting a new lease on life to the fractured organisation, particularly those parts of it that had made in-routes into the Cold Trade -- the sale of forbidden xenos items and technologies throughout the Calixis Sector.Within a solar decade, the internecine war had stilled, the assorted factions regarding the new opportunity as too great for any one crime lord to handle alone, and they moved to infiltrate Port Wander. Their operations on Port Wander were a limited success for a time, hindered by the relatively small population of the star fortress and its abundance of Imperial authority figures unwilling to let an independent criminal organisation get in their way.The Kasballicans' efforts were further set back by the Greenskin siege of Port Wander, which prevented them from accomplishing anything for nearly a solar decade. After the Navis Imperialis reclaimed Port Wander, the Kasballicans there departed, seeking a better base of operations on the void station of Footfall, the new and more lawless settlement on the far side of the Maw.