vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Khorne Daemonkin - Flesh Hounds: Merciless and unrelenting, the Flesh Hounds of Khorne hunt their prey throughout reality and beyond. With senses attuned to the psychic spoor of their victims, these ferocious daemon-beasts can find their quarry no matter where it may hide. Once they have the scent, they will not give up the hunt until their victim is torn to shreds.Within Khorne's daemonic legions, Flesh Hound packs are used as terror troops. The hounds' heavy brass collars shield them from the craven sorceries of the foe, while their foot-long fangs and jagged claws ensure they can rip a bloody path through their chosen prey. Their role amid Daemonkin warbands is similar, as the hounds are loosed upon their prey to rend and tear at will. The predatory spirits of Flesh Hounds feel a bloody kinship with fast-moving attack troops like Raptors and Chaos Bikers, and so it is most often these feral warriors who fight alongside them.
Khorne Daemonkin - Lord of the Slaughter: According to the whim of Khorne, the daemons of his realm take part in an immense tournament. Khorne takes the Daemonsword known as Khartoth the Bloodhunger, which is capable of cutting through not only matter but also time, and hides it within one of his Flesh Hounds. The legions of Khorne fall upon each other with sword and axe, slaughtering and butchering whilst hunting the Flesh Hounds, who tear apart any daemon who approaches.The daemon brave, strong or fortunate enough to finally slay the Flesh Hound containing the Daemonsword becomes the Lord of the Slaughter and may wield the Bloodhunger. For a day or an age, as Khorne sees fit, the Lord of the Slaughter enjoys great privilege in battle.When Khorne wearies of his Lord of the Slaughter's exploits, the Blood God begins the tournament again. A Flesh Hound devours both wielder and sword, combining their essence, and the daemons battle again until Khorne finds a new Lord of the Slaughter.
Khorne Daemonkin - Helbrutes: The ground quakes beneath the tread of Khornate Helbrutes. Skulls beyond count are claimed as their guns roar, and their vicious combat weapons tear and crush. Yet for all their might, these beings are truly cursed.Within the shell of each Helbrute is interred a Daemonkin Chaos Space Marine warrior, wounded almost unto death but sustained by the machineries of his walking tomb. Trapped, the pilot endures endless purgatory, able neither to ascend to glory, nor simply die and end his torment. As a result, Daemonkin Helbrutes are utterly insane, and all the more dangerous for it.Some Daemonkin Helbrutes are driven to mindless nihilism, seeking simply to annihilate everything within their reach in order to exorcise the worst of their anguish. Yet there are those who, even through the madness, cling to the hope that they may still redeem themselves in the Blood God's eyes.These are the most dangerous of their already lethal breed. After all, a Helbrute pilot who still clings to hope is one who will strive all the harder to slaughter his foes and avoid his own destruction at their hands.
Khorne Daemonkin - Battle Tanks: Black smoke and swirling sparks belch from gargoyle-mouthed exhausts as the twisted battle tanks of the Daemonkin roll into battle. Driven forward by devolved Machine Spirits (artificial intelligences) that resemble ravening animals, these Khornate war engines hunt the living like prey. Their engines rumble like the wet growls of carnivorous monsters, and the flickering light that spills from their hatches and vision-slits is a dark, hellish red.Whether it be massive traitor Land Raiders or bladed Rhino APCs, the battle tanks of the Daemonkin provide crucial support to the warriors who fight in their shadow. Vast brazen guns blaze, their shots piercing through the thickest armour to blast enemy tanks to pieces or smash breaches in bunkers and barricades.Meanwhile, the thickly armoured hides of the Daemonkin battle tanks provide much needed -- if little desired -- shelter from heavy enemy fire, ensuring that Khorne's worshippers reach battle without the cowardly foe gunning them down en route. Amid the maddened throng of a Daemonkin warband, battle tanks provide heavy, reliable lynchpins around which the attack can hinge.Meanwhile, if all else fails, the heavy, grinding treads and spiked hulls of these Khornate vehicles allow them to plough over screaming infantry and ram aside enemy vehicles with impunity.
Khorne Daemonkin - Defilers: Thudding into battle on bladed limbs, the Defiler is a nightmare wrought in bloodied brass. Its scissoring claws chop proud warriors into offal; its roaring arsenal of heavy weapons shivers the air with its constant fury. The Daemon Engine's bellows echo across the battlefield, promising violent death to all who fall beneath its jagged shadow.Serving as the armoured prison for a daemon of Khorne, each Defiler deployed by the Daemonkin is considered a walking idol. No matter that the entity within rages constantly against its captivity; the mortal warriors of the Khorne Daemonkin see only the tally of skulls such a mechanical monstrosity can reap for their bloody god. Thus Defilers are a common sight among most Daemonkin Blood Hosts, acting as the realspace counterparts of Khorne's Soul Grinders.It is a rare Khornate warband that does not contain at least one Defiler, for the lords of the Daemonkin go to great and bloody lengths to secure the service of these infernal engines. However, no warband can match the mighty stable of Daemon Engines kept by the Brazen Beasts.Reports exist of entire armoured spearheads of Defilers scuttling at the head of Brazen Beast offensives, the Daemon Engines smashing everything from their path like the wrath of Khorne himself. None can say what dark pacts the Brazen Beasts have sealed in order to acquire such an overwhelming swarm of Defilers, but the effectiveness of the machines on the attack is undeniable.During their assault upon Shenhemesh, the Brazen Beasts faced the mighty warhost of Craftworld Ulthwé. The Aeldari poured from the Exodite world's Webway gate led by four towering Wraithknights. These Ghost Warriors drove deep into the Daemonkin ranks, annihilating everything in their path. For long moments, it seemed the Brazen Beasts would be wiped out.Then, with a thunderous clatter of ironclad limbs, the Defilers charged. Though many were blasted to scrap, the Demon Engines swarmed around the Wraithknights. Claws crunched through wraithbone, dragging the constructs down even as they tried to leap clear. Cannons thundered point blank into slender helms, and graceful limbs were ripped free. The Defilers tore their foes to pieces in a frenzy of destruction and -- though the battle raged on for several solar hours more -- any chance for Aeldari victory was murdered then and there.
Khorne Daemonkin - Forgefiends and Maulerfiends: Hellfire and blackened ash billows from the power plants of Forgefiends and Maulerfiends as they prowl into battle, wreathing them in a brimstone reek. Hulking and bestial, these brazen war machines roar their fury to the skies as they advance, each deafening hunting cry sending enemies fleeing before them in abject terror.Forgefiends are walking gun platforms designed to blast the enemy apart from afar. Carrying enough firepower to match the heaviest battle tanks, these warped constructs provide the Daemonkin with long-range support. They lumber into battle with ectoplasma seething through their cable-like veins, guns sweeping left and right as their daemonic sentiences scan for targets. At the first sign of the foe, the Forgefiends brace their clawed feet before laying down storms of fire, their sustained volleys shredding infantry and blowing apart battle tanks with ease.Maulerfiends, meanwhile, are more akin to huge hunting beasts. Loping across the battlefield on piston-driven limbs, these snarling monsters possess a terrifying turn of speed. Able to smash their way into the heaviest bunker or scale sheer fortress walls, Maulerfiends run down their victims before tearing them to pieces. The ferocious, predatory instincts of these Daemon Engines are put to good use by the Daemonkin, who loose the beasts upon the enemy like gigantic, terrifying attack dogs.
Khorne Daemonkin - Engines of Murder: Daemon Engines of Khorne are rampaging monsters of brass and forge-flame. Each contains a daemon of Khorne, caged with runic wards and arcane bindings. It is this furious entity that drives the machine, the daemon venting its anger at its captivity in explosive displays of violence. The vast majority of these abominations are constructed by the Warpsmiths, though reports abound amongst the Ordo Malleus of stranger phenomena -- of agglomerate engines birthed from the blood and wreckage of Chaos-cursed battlefields.According to the malefic lore of the Warpsmiths, certain kinds of daemon are drawn more easily into particular models of Daemon Engine. Flesh Hounds or Juggernauts are most commonly trammelled within Forgefiends and Maulerfiends, for example, while only the vast frame of a Lord of Skulls can hope to contain the raging energies of a Bloodthirster.Most daemons rage against imprisonment in a Daemon Engine, but there are those few that see their cage as the perfect weapon. This is most common amongst Bloodthirsters of the eighth rank, some of whom see the Lord of Skulls as a mighty suit of armour within which they may wage war upon the denizens of realspace.
Khorne Daemonkin - Lord of Skulls: Grinding across the battlefield on rumbling tracks, the Lord of Skulls towers over its terrified foes. The very ground cracks apart in its wake, yawning chasms gaping wide to vomit skulls and fire onto the battlefield. Given life by the raging spirit of a Bloodthirster bound within its hull, and powered by the boiling blood of murderers, this unholy engine of war is death to all who stand before it.Its devastating guns reduce swathes of victims to ruin, drowning them in jets of red-hot gore or burying them under rains of gnashing skulls. As it ploughs through the enemy ranks, the Daemon Engine wields its roaring cleaver with a speed and skill that is entirely horrifying in something so huge.Entire ranks of enemy warriors are swept away with a single swing, tanks and monstrous beasts swatted through the air like toys. Even towering war engines such as Stompas or Titans are made to look clumsy and sluggish as the Lord of Skulls hacks off their limbs and tears open their armoured torsos amid blossoms of dirty flame. Few warriors can face the Lord of Skulls and live, for it is a machine of absolute destruction.Being the brazen vessels of Bloodthirsters, many Lords of Skulls are worshipped by the Daemonkin, and followed into battle as living altars of Khornate worship. Their track guards will be heaped with skulls and runic fetishes, offerings made by the warriors who charge to war in their shadow.Their every deed is met by howls of adulation from the blood-mad throng, the Daemonkin inspired to new heights of fanatical devotion by the Lord of Skulls' unstoppable rampage. Even manifested Daemons pay deference to these super-heavy Daemon Engines, for the Bloodletters and Juggernauts of Khorne recognise the essence of the Bloodthirster that rages within.
Khorne Daemonkin - Artefacts of Slaughter: Blade of Endless Bloodshed - Even the slightest nick or cut from this weapon's blade causes grotesque sprays of gore to jet forth from the wound. In battle, the blade's wielder and his comrades are swiftly drenched in the gushing lifeblood of his horrified victims.Blood-forged Armour - Legend tells that Khorne forged this armour himself, heating it in the fires of his fury and quenching it with the blood of murdered kings. Ever slick with runnels of gore, its plates are as hard and unyielding as the mountainous hull of a starship, and are able to withstand the mightiest of blows.Brazen Rune - Khorne's hatred of witchery and sorcery made manifest, the Brazen Rune is a burning brand that sears itself into the very skull of its bearer. Though agonising, the rune wards off the psychic machinations of the foe, preserving its bearer from pernicious spellcraft. Furthermore, the bearer can expend the rune's power, sending its energies roaring forth like a hurricane to shatter sorcerous incantations and burn out the minds of enemy psykers.Cloak of Skulls - Skulltaker's iron-hard cloak is adorned with the still-screaming skulls of his most prized opponents.Goredrinker - Revered by Khorne's warriors as much as it is feared by the Blood God's foes, this terrible weapon houses a powerful daemon that hungers for the life essence of its victims. The more the murderous axe feeds, the greater its potency, and once glutted upon its bloody feast, Goredrinker 's mere touch is death.Kor'lath, the Axe of Ruin - The essence of a mighty Bloodthirster rages within every axe of Khorne, the entities bound forcibly within the blades by leering daemonic smiths. Of all these imprisoned demigods it is Kor'lath of the Unfettered Fury, caged within the Axe of Ruin, who rails most violently against his imprisonment. Should this berserk entity ever break free, he will vent his murderous anger upon those unfortunates caught nearby, before plunging back into the Warp to seek revenge on those who caged him.The Skull-helm of Khorne - This ancient helm was carved from the skull of an unknown entity in an age long since forgotten. It is emblazoned with the rune of Khorne, and imbues its wearer with a shadow of Khorne's own terrible aspect and potency in combat.The Slayer Sword - Mortals and Daemons beyond counting have fallen to this hungry blade, wreathed in psychic flames. This fell weapon is currently wielded by Skulltaker.
Khorne Daemonkin - Game History: With the release of Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition, the Khorne Daemonkin are no longer a supported faction. Players who utilise Khorne Daemonkin will have to mix their Khorne faction units with either Chaos Daemon or Chaos Space Marine armies until some form of official support is restored for the faction as a whole.
Khrave - Khrave: The Khrave are a dangerous species of psychically-gifted xenos that has repeatedly clashed with the forces of the Imperium. They are a plague that prey on human worlds, enslaving entire populations to feast on them and strengthen themselves. In the days of the Great Crusade, it is said that some of the largest of the Khrave had grown terribly strong, surpassing the strength of the Space Marines and even rivaling the bulk of the mighty Primarchs of old, although perhaps thankfully for the Imperium, no such monstrosities have been encountered in recent years.
Khrave - History: The Khrave are an old race and count amongst the oldest threats known to humanity. While it is unknown if humanity did encounter them during the first conquest of space in the Dark Age of Technology, what can be verified is that many human worlds and even powerful and technologically advanced pocket-empires of human survivors suffered under the Khrave during the Age of Strife. Alas, many of the records dating back to these times have been lost or destroyed, and it wasn't until the Emperor of Mankind launched His Great Crusade in the 30th Millennium that humanity's knowledge of the Khrave and their depredations became more common. Many times, the Legions of the Legiones Astartes clashed with the Khrave or liberated worlds which the Khrave preyed upon. In fact, the fear of resurgent, returning or awakening Khrave splinter-webs was so fierce in these days that they were one distinctive factor in the creation of the Imperialis Militia, the ancestor of today's Planetary Defence Forces.As one of humanity's oldest enemies, it is surprisingly difficult to learn hard facts about the Khrave. Virtually nothing about their own history is known, nor if the species originated on a single homeworld or perhaps evolved from a common xenos gene-stock like the Mitu Conglomerate encountered in the Manachean Commonwealth and the Cyclops Cluster. Their interaction with humanity have always been violent and therefore the best way to learn anything about the Khrave is to consult the annals of the Great Crusade and the histories of war of the Imperium's armies. The Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition ranks the Khrave as a serious menace, both in terms of the Threat of Corruption and the Threat of Dominion as the Khrave prey and feed on humanity, conquer worlds and subjugate planetary populations through their immense psychic gifts.
Khrave - Society: The Khrave have been encountered all over the galaxy and do not seem to be very territorial: once a planet's population has been consumed, the Khrave seek out new prey to fall upon. However, as the encounter at Indra-sûl testifies, the Khrave can consume a world over the course of several centuries, carefully monitoring and controlling their own population so as to not overstretch their resources. This can also readily be found with other semi-nomadic void-faring species such as the Nicassar allied to the Tau Empire.Apart from this sort of cunning or social intelligence, little is known about Khrave society. Their nomadic lifesytle has led them to be designated most commonly as "Khrave Maraudeurs," but it could well be that a secular Khrave Empire may exist or may have existed in the past. Furthermore, it is unknown if the Khrave splinter-webs thus far encountered by the Imperium share a common ancestry or belong to the same political caste. In fact, while Khrave have demonstrated a strong social cohesion, it is unknown if these fleets are governed by a sort of chieftain or alpha-male, a council of influential individuals, or as their psychic potential might indicate, a form of gestalt psychic collective like that which governs the Tyranids. Like those xenos, the Khrave consume entire worlds before migrating to their next target, which has frequently led them to be compared to the locusts of ancient Terra. In any case, Khrave society seems to be devoted to the survival and strengthening of their race, as it allows for all individuals of the community to feed and grow strong, and not only an inner circle of selected individuals.The Khrave have not tried to engage in any form of exchange or diplomatic relation with the Imperium of Mankind, the mind-eaters regarding humanity as little more than cattle, a food-source to be preyed upon.
Khrave - Technology: The Khrave are a highly advanced alien race which mastered interstellar void travel in the distant past. Their fleets consist of larger and smaller vessels referred to as "web-ships" or "nest-webs" which seem to boast an impressive quantity of hibernation pods, both for the use of their own and that of their stored food. The Khrave's technology is not so advanced as to shield them from the Imperium's arsenal, but they are more than capable of defending themselves.Like other species of psychically-powerful individuals, the Khrave's mastery of the Warp is far superior to that of humanity. Although no such thing as a Khrave battle-psyker like an Adeptus Astartes Librarian has thus far been encountered, the Khrave use their individual power to forge their weapons, so-called "Warp-glamours". Bladed weapons of every sort, these Warp-glamours use solidified Warp-matter as blades, making them inherently dangerous and easily capable of cleaving a fully armoured Space Marine in two. This same technology has been known to be used in projectile weaponry akin to the Imperial Bolter, where these Warp-shards serve as the weapon's ammunition. Some Khrave weaponry has been classified as the most potent tools of destruction, such as the much-dreaded Extinction Carabine which was used by several warbands of Blackshields during the Horus Heresy-era. The fact that humans are able to use this weaponry indicates that they are not psychically-fuelled, although their use has been strictly forbidden both by the Mechanicum and the Golden Throne.
Khur - Khur: KhurForty-Seven TenImperium of ManCivilised WorldImperial ComplianceGreat CrusadeWord BearersSpace Marine LegionTerranIsstvan III AtrocityHorus HeresyThe beautiful planetary capital city of Khur, known as Monarchia, also called the "Perfect City" by the Word Bearers, was built by the people of Khur at the direction and exhortation of the XVIIth Legion to demonstrate their faith and devotion to the God-Emperor of Mankind, whose faith was brought to them by the Word Bearers' Primarch Lorgar.Six solar decades after being brought into Compliance and approximately 40 standard years before the start of the Horus Heresy, the XIIIth Legion, the Ultramarines, utterly destroyed Monarchia, forever after earning the bitter hatred of the Word Bearers, a hatred that was to culminate in their treachery at the Battle of Calth.This action was done on the personal order of the Emperor as an example to both Lorgar and his Word Bearers that violations of the secular and atheistic Imperial Truth through the encouragement of the continued error of religious faith and the spread of idolatrous doctrine would not be tolerated.This action by the Emperor did not have the affect He had intended. Instead, it crushed the faith and spirit of Lorgar and his Space Marines in the Imperial project and led them to seek out new gods more worthy of their worship -- the Ruinous Powers of Chaos.
Khur - History: The world designated Forty-Seven Ten was the tenth world brought into Imperial Compliance in 903.M30 by the 47th Expeditionary Fleet of the XVIIth Space Marine Legion, under the command of Primarch Lorgar Aurelian.The Word Bearers not only brought the knowledge of Imperial civilisation to the people of Khur, but their zealous religious fervor and beliefs in regards to the divinity of the Emperor of Mankind, whom they referred to as the God-Emperor.The people of Khur willingly embraced the Word Bearers as their saviours. The greatest Chaplains of the XVIIth Legion extolled the divinity and righteousness of the Emperor, and Lorgar himself delivered countless speeches and sermons, converting millions to the worship of the Emperor with his words alone.At the direction of the Word Bearers, the Khurians demonstrated their faith and devotion to the God-Emperor by building their new planetary capital city of Monarchia, which would come to be known as the "Perfect City" -- the model city of perfect, abject devotion to faith in the God-Emperor.The dialect of the people of Monarchia was known as Uhturlan.
Khur - Judgement of Khur: During this period, the absolute loyalty of Lorgar and the Word Bearers Legion to the Emperor and His Imperium was unquestionable. Their Compliant worlds regularly delivered tithes in the Emperor's name, and the orders of Terra were accepted without question throughout the worlds liberated by the Word Bearers.Lorgar and his XVIIth Legion had successfully prosecuted the Emperor's Great Crusade for almost a standard century, and in that time the Emperor had never once admonished His zealous son or the Word Bearers Legion for their fervent worship of Him as a divinity even though such doctrine clashed with the Emperor's stated policy of spreading the atheistic Imperial Truth.But the Emperor, for all His love for His gene-son, was deeply disturbed. He had initially tolerated the beliefs of His deeply religious son, but as the Great Crusade reached its height, the Emperor found Himself increasingly frustrated with the slow pace with which Lorgar conquered and then brought worlds into Compliance for the Imperium.The Emperor finally ordered the Word Bearers to cease their religious activities, as their mission was to reunify the galaxy under the banner of the secular and materialistic Imperial Truth, not preach the word of the Emperor's personal divinity.The Emperor had long opposed the spread of organised religion and was determined to use the creation of the Imperium of Man to enshrine reason and science, not religion, as the true guiding light of a new interstellar Human civilisation.The Emperor was particularly troubled by any notion that He should be worshipped as a god and the actions of the Word Bearers Legion in slaughtering those who refused to accept the Emperor's divinity stank of the religious excesses that had so often poisoned Human history.
Khur - A Legion Rebuked: The Emperor ordered a task force composed of the entire Ultramarines Legion led by Primarch Roboute Guilliman and accompanied by a force of His elite personal bodyguards and agents, the Legio Custodes and the Imperial Regent, Malcador the Sigillite, to raze Monarchia, the planetary capital city of Khur, a world dear to the Word Bearers, as punishment for their religious excesses.They considered its capital the "Perfect City" due to the intense religious devotion of its citizens and the sheer number of cathedrals and monuments dedicated to the worship of the Emperor as the god of Mankind.On the day of Monarchia's destruction, the planetary leaders were allowed to send a single distress call, which resulted in the Word Bearers Legion arriving to witness the doom of Monarchia. Following the capital's demolition by the XIIIth Legion, the entire Word Bearers Legion, 100,000 Space Marines strong, were ordered to assemble on the planet's surface, within sight of the smoldering ruins of Monarchia's devastation, which stretched across half a continent, where its Astartes were humiliated and rebuked by the Emperor Himself after Lorgar yet again refused to accept the Imperial Truth as demanded by both Malcador and Roboute Guilliman.The Emperor unleashed a small portion of His psychic might, forcing everyone, including Lorgar himself, to kneel before Him. He explained to them that they had failed both Him and Humanity. Lorgar was stunned by his father's reproach and refusal to accept his worship, and fell into a deep melancholy.Feeling betrayed by the Emperor, afterwards he retreated to his quarters aboard his flagship and refused audience to all but Kor Phaeron, the Word Bearers' first captain and the cardinal of its cult dedicated to the God-Emperor.Kor Phaeron was Lorgar's adoptive father and had raised him from infancy on the world of Colchis as a member of the religious order known as the Covenant. Kor Phaeron had served as Lorgar's chief lieutenant and advisor since the time when he had ruled as the theocrat of Colchis. Lorgar also called the XVIIth Legion's First Chaplain Erebus to his side, who had long been another trusted advisor.Kor Phaeron and Erebus sympathised with Lorgar's unrequited religious longings, and felt that the Word Bearers Legion should serve gods truly worthy of their worship. Kor Phaeron and Erebus explained that they knew of such gods, the divine beings once worshipped by the Old Faith of Colchis and thus Lorgar first learned of the existence of the Chaos Gods, who not only accepted the zealous worship he offered, but demanded it.He determined to begin a great pilgrimage, later known to history as the Pilgrimage of Lorgar, to seek out the truth of whether these entities truly existed. Thus were the seeds of the Horus Heresy first sown amongst the Word Bearers as the result of the Human heart's eternal desire to find faith in something larger than itself.The people of Khur were left amidst the ruins of their civilisation, a warning to all who might turn from the path of the Imperial Truth.
Khymera - Khymera: A Khymera (pl. Khymerae), are terrifying creatures, literally born from an intelligent being's nightmares. They spawn in the Warp or on Daemon Worlds, coalescing into existence like malignant cysts around the psychic energies that fear and terror leaves in the Immaterium. They do not form at the whim of the Chaos Gods nor do they appear to be fragments of these powers.Taxonomists of the Ordo Malleus classify them not as actual daemons but as Warp creatures, one example of the many unnatural flora and fauna existing in the Immaterium, though this distinction is usually lost on those facing the beasts.Khymerae lack a proper corporeal form, allowing them to flicker between realspace and the Sea of Souls at whim, appearing momentarily before a foe and then vanishing suddenly to launch an attack from an unexpected direction.Their phasing powers also mean Khymerae can appear inside areas thought secure -- such as locked rooms or the fighting compartments of armoured vehicles. They have even been known to appear inside of moving voidships, meaning they were either drawn by on-board psykers or were directed in the attack by agencies unknown.Khymerae are among the creatures tamed by the Drukhari Beastmasters, technically members of the Wych Cults, though they are always male and remain remote from the true Hekatarii. Some Imperial savants who know of such things suspect they are part of an ancient Aeldari shamanic tradition, for when the Beastmasters go to battle, they wear totems and masks echoing the nature of the alien predators under their control.It is partially because of these artefacts that they enjoy such mastery over their ferocious beasts, for their masks harbour complex sonic emitters and pheromone traps. The Warp-beasts called Khymerae are living proof of the Beastmasters' skills as a spirit-hunter.Beastmasters must hunt down and harness their own Khymerae in perilous fugues or dream-quests, but if they are successful, they can draw entire packs of Khymerae back across the veil to the physical dimension to do their bidding. Khymerae set loose on the battlefields of realspace can wreak utter havoc before fading away like mist.
Khymera - Prior Canon: In the 3rd Edition of Warhammer 40,000, the Khymerae were known as "Warp Beasts," beings valued by the Drukhari Wych Cults as living weapons who were the embodiment in the Warp of the fear and terror that they inflicted upon their captured slaves.These Warp Beasts were vicious predators who would attack any living being within range. They were usually placed under the control of a Wych Beastmaster to ensure they only attacked the intended targets.
Khâld's Star Breaker Kindred - Khâld's Star Breaker Kindred: Khâld's Star Breaker Kindred is a Kindred of the Greater Thurian League of the Leagues of Votann located in the galactic core. It was one of many Thurian Kindreds whose Hearthspakes voted to take up defensive positions and face the onslaught of the forces of Chaos pouring out of Warp Storm Örgvayr after it was created in northeastern Thurian space with the birth of the Great Rift.
Khârn: The Eightfold Path (Audio Drama) - Khârn: The Eightfold Path (Audio Drama): Kharn: The Eightfold Path is the seventeenth audio drama for the Horus Heresy Series that was not originally released as part of an anthology or other release. Kharn: The Eightfold Path was published online in December 2013 by the Black Library as a part of the 2013 Holiday Advent Calendar, on day number 8. The title was also published as part of the Legacies of Betrayal main series anthology novel.
Khârn: The Eightfold Path (Audio Drama) - Official Synopsis: In the fighting pits of the Conqueror, Khârn and his fellow World Eaters compete in ever-bloodier contests of carnage and mayhem. As the Butcher's Nails dig ever deeper into their brains, the Legion has forsaken the Crimson Path. Now they walk a darker, more dangerous road: the Eightfold Path.
Khârn the Betrayer - Great Crusade: Khârn's legend began thousands of Terran years ago during the Emperor's Great Crusade. He had been a member of the XII Legion when it was still known as the War Hounds, the precursor to the World Eaters.He was born upon Terra, the cradle of Humanity, and was one of the first neophytes to be recruited, becoming a part of the nascent War Hounds Legion. After his selection, he was trained under the scrutiny of Centurion Gruner upon the training grounds of the War Hounds' vassal world of Bodt, along with the other neophytes assigned to his instruction.A Terran-born veteran of Jermanic descent of the Unification Wars, the grizzled Master of Neophytes was a formidable warrior within the Legion. Gruner's torso rippled with superhuman strength, sporting an elaborate tattoo of a canine predator tearing into its prey. Though the Neophytes' own enhancement surgery scars were still fresh, they were deemed ready to begin their Legionary training. Gruner introduced Khârn to "The Contest," an ancient and already well-established tradition of the XII Legion.All War Hounds were expected to compete in The Contest and the rules were simple: the first Astartes to reach 1,000 skulls won. When one of Khârn's fellow Neophytes inquired about the prize, Gruner merely shrugged his shoulders in response, for he did not know. No one had ever come close. When Khârn tentatively inquired where they were supposed to acquire the skulls from, the tattooed giant roared with laughter, drawing the attention of those other battle-brothers and neophytes close enough to witness Khârn's first humiliation. It would be a lesson he would carry with him for the rest of his days.This event did not prevent Khârn from surviving the trials to become a full Astartes, and he swiftly rose in rank. His impressive talents for close quarters assault and hand-to-hand combat made him stand out amongst a Legion composed of the most savage, efficient and ruthless killers in the nascent Imperium of Man, and by the time the Great Crusade rediscovered the Primarch Angron, Khârn was Centurion of the XII Legion's elite 8th Assault Company. At that time he was described as a deeply bronzed warrior, with a long and noble face.
Khârn the Betrayer - Reunion with a Primarch: The War Hounds' reunion with their primarch was far from a joyous event for the XII Legion, however. Angron, enraged at his "rescue" at the hands of the Emperor of Mankind which he perceived as the basest of betrayals toward his fellow gladiators, had been sealed within a cargo hold after being brought aboard the XII Legion's flagship Adamant Resolve.Convinced that they could change the primarch's mind the captains and commanders of the War Hounds entered the hold to make their case. One by one Angron killed them all, until Khârn –- as one of the few remaining officers of his rank –- was the only one brave enough to face the homicidal giant.Into a chamber spattered with the blood of his brothers Khârn walked, calm and composed, never flinching even as the looming shadow of Angron rose up from where he sat upon a pile of power armoured corpses. Angron immediately fell upon him, and both warriors engaged in a brutal hand-to-hand brawl. Khârn, who like the other officers had sworn before the Emperor they would not fight against their primarch no matter how provoked or ordered, did not resist and was severely brutalised by his gene-father.And yet, for all his inactivity, Khârn fought, perhaps the hardest battle of his entire life; against his own body that wanted to give in to the pain and surrender to oblivion; against his training that urged him to defend himself; and against his very nature that demanded he bow down to his gene-sire's will and accept his fate.In the end he found himself supine, battered and broken at Angron's feet. Despite this, Khârn remained defiant, neither yielding nor begging mercy, but talking about the battles he'd fought, about the War Hounds, about the other Legions and about the Emperor. With this show of courage, he managed to reach out to Angron, who stayed his hand, realising that the Space Marines of the XII Legion were not the honourless rabble of worthless warriors he believed them to be.In the end it was this calm bravery that won him Angron's respect, and allowed him to convince the primarch that mastery over the Legion was not a collar to be worn around his neck, but a mantle of power to be worn on his mighty shoulders -– a mantle that would grant him the freedom to stalk across the stars in an endless war of glorious bloodshed.
Khârn the Betrayer - Great Crusade: Khârn's already impressive reputation became legendary when Angron promoted the man who had shaken him out of his despair to the position of Equerry, a rank combining the roles of squire, councilor and personal confidante to the primarch. Yet there were many, both amongst the World Eaters and outside it, that, while they respected Angron's choice, doubted its wisdom: the Equerry's primary role was to serve as a counterpoint to the Primarch's personality and a foil for his decisions.For all his qualities as a warrior, Khârn was neither patient nor particularly subtle, nor a great orator, and, instead of guiding and tempering his primarch's words and decisions with wisdom, he often was second into the thickest of the fray right behind Angron, slaying anything which had escaped Angron's twin chainaxes.Any words of tempering he might have uttered were quickly forgotten in the rush of battle. In the shadow of Angron, Khârn began to change, becoming more aggressive and unstable, reckless traits he had long kept in check rising to the surface. Angron's use of the Butcher's Nails, cybernetic skull implants designed to heighten aggression, only accelerated Khârn's descent into madness.Lost in his thirst for battle, Khârn and his brothers were easy prey for the Dark Gods, and were among the first to side with Horus in his war against the Emperor. Khârn fought with a renewed fury during the Heresy, finally finding a foe worthy of his skills in the Loyalist Space Marines. It seemed that Khorne had a plan for the World Eater's captain, every gore-drenched warzone bringing Khârn closer to complete servitude to the Blood God.
Khârn the Betrayer - Isstvan III Atrocity: Before the Horus Heresy, Khârn rose to the esteemed position of Captain of the 8th Assault Company of the World Eaters Legion, and also served as the personal Equerry of Angron -- where he was supposed to play the role of "cool head" who tempered his primarch's bloody rages. Despite this, Khârn was known even before the Horus Heresy as a brilliant but unstable warrior. The first depiction of Khârn as a follower of Chaos came during the massacre of the Loyalists on Isstvan III where the infamous World Eater was described as a man swamped by "dark madness" during a battle with Garviel Loken, a Loyalist Sons of Horus captain.The process of his corruption is not detailed -- "I am the Eight-fold Path," he told Loken, a description of the Khornate philosophy dedicated to freeing the individual from attachments and delusions ending in an understanding of the truth of all things (eight being the sacred number of Khorne). This was the only explanation offered by Khârn for his sudden transformation.During the fray, Khârn was believed killed in action while fighting Loken, a Loyalist determined to stop Horus from attacking Terra by preventing his former Legion from completing its massacre of its own Loyalists on Isstvan III. Khârn engaged in close combat with Loken, only to be horrifically wounded when he was thrown onto the teeth of a tank's dozerblade, impaling his chest. However, Khârn proved his resilience, and the favour of Khorne, as he clawed his way back to life.
Khârn the Betrayer - The Shadow Crusade: At some point during the Horus Heresy while taking part in the Traitor Legions' Shadow Crusade against the Realm of Ultramar, fighting alongside the Word Bearers Legion, the World Eaters fought in a campaign against the Ultramarines Legion upon the War World of Armatura. During the brutal assault, the Ultramarines managed to lure the enraged World Eaters into a trap as they assaulted the main quarter of the ruined capital city, collapsing buildings and burying many of the World Eaters and their Primarch Angron in tons of rubble.The primarch's twin chainaxes were ruined, as they had lost their teeth during the brutal fighting. After Angron managed to crawl from the strewn rubble, he threw his axe Gorechild away, for it would never function again. In the aftermath of the battle Khârn found the discarded weapon and picked it up. He knew he risked his primarch's wrath by violating Angron's superstition of inherited weapons bringing ill luck. This was a gladiatorial conceit taken from Nuceria.Khârn ignored his battle-brothers' protests and gave the discarded weapon to the Dark Mechanicum detachment attached to the XII Legion's fleet, and ordered the senior magi to restore the weapon to its former glory. He also ordered the Mechanicum's menials to have the area on Armatura excavated to find the chainsaw teeth made from the fangs of the Mica Dragons of the world of Luther Mcintyre, in order to resurrect Gorechild as the formidable weapon that it had always been.Not all of the teeth were found, as the planet was terminated in cleansing fire before the excavation was completed. Khârn improvised, most likely taking a hammer to the skulls of the Mica Dragons housed in the Legion's Museum of Conquest aboard the XII Legion's flagship Conqueror, no doubt stealing the teeth for use in the weapon's resurrection. Since that bygone era, Khârn has used the mighty weapon ever since, and his fearsome skill at butchering any who dare stand in his path has grown legendary amongst all the servants of the Ruinous Powers.
Khârn the Betrayer - Siege of Terra: When the Horus Heresy finally culminated at the Siege of the Imperial Palace during the Siege of Terra, Khârn was at the forefront of every assault made by the World Eaters. He was the first of his Legion to breach the walls of the Imperial Palace, and claimed more skulls for Khorne than any other World Eater.At the moment of Horus' defeat, Khârn already lay mortally wounded and nearly dead upon the mound of Traitor Marine corpses piled high before the walls of the Inner Palace.His fellow World Eaters carried his corpse away with them as they fought their way back to their landing ships. For a long time Khârn lay unconscious and upon the edge of death in the hold of the World Eater's flagship, as the Legion's captains argued about who should lead.Only when one captain murdered another, arguing over Khârn's body, did he rise back to life, revived by the freshly-spilled blood spattered over his flesh.His battle-brothers discovered that by some dark miracle of the Blood God, Khârn still lived. Whether Khorne himself breathed life back into the Berserker's body or whether the relentless clamour of battle revived his blood-lusting spirit remains a mystery, but since the end of the Heresy, Khârn has survived the bloodiest battles across ten millennia and has never come so close to death again.Khârn vowed that the sons of Angron would never again know defeat, for he would not allow it. Their foes would fall, or they would offer themselves to Khorne in their stead.
Khârn the Betrayer - Personality: Before the Horus Heresy, Khârn was a loyal servant of the Emperor of Mankind, who warily believed that the excessive means the World Eaters employed in battle were necessary for the ultimate success of the Great Crusade. A taciturn warrior with a straightforward approach to battle, Khârn nevertheless was recognised as one of the finest combatants amongst the World Eaters, earning himself a fearsome reputation both on the battlefield and in the duelling pits.Following the Heresy, Khârn became a devoted Khornate Berzerker, surrendering himself in whole to the Blood God's Eight-fold Path, easily enraged by others' perceived weakness, and eager to kill others for Khorne, irrespective of whether or not they were also his allies.
Khârn the Betrayer - Sources: Codex Heretic Astartes - Chaos Space Marines (8th Edition), pp. 81, 120Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pg. 59Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 48Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg. 49Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pg. 26Codex: Chaos (2nd Edition), pp. 100-101Index Astartes III, "Chosen of Khorne - The World Eaters Space Marine Legion"Warlords of the Dark Millennium - Champions of Chaos (Digital Edition), pp. 122-123, 125-129, 136-140White Dwarf 230 (US), "WH40K 3rd: Bitter and Twisted - Khârn the Betrayer", pg. 42White Dwarf 227 (US), "Chapter Approved: Chaos, Khârn the Betrayer", pp. 73-80White Dwarf 201 (US), "The Betrayer", pp. 87-90False Gods (Novel) by Graham McNeillGalaxy In Flames (Novel) by Ben CounterBattle for the Abyss (Novel) by Ben CounterAge of Darkness (Anthology) edited by Christian Dunn, Rebirth by Chris WraightTales of Heresy (Anthology) edited by Nick Kyme and Lindsey Priestley, After Desh'ea by Matthew FarrerButcher's Nails (Audio Drama) by Aaron Dembski-BowdenBetrayer (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-BowdenDark Imperium (Anthology), The Wrath of Khârn by William KingThe Weakness of Others (Novella) by Laurie GouldingChosen of Khorne (Audio Drama) by Anthony ReynoldsKhârn - Eater of Worlds (Novella) by Anthony ReynoldsForge World - Khârn the BloodyThe Weakness of Others (Short Story) by Laurie Goulding
Khôhn - Khôhn: Khôhn was a Grimnyr of the Greater Thurian League's Kindred of Vôrtun. She accompanied the Oathbands under the overall command of Kâhl Ûthar the Destined that was sent to the Kin World of Törg by her home Kindred during the Battle of Örgvayr to rescue its Cthonian Guild miners from an assault launched by the Heretic Astartes of the World Eaters and The Purge who had emerged out of Warp Storm Örgvayr after the birth of the Great Rift.Separating into several smaller Oathbands, Ûthar's forces launched a massive drop offensive into the world's Shatterfields. Ûthar himself led an armoured spearhead against the World Eaters commanded by the Chaos Lord Hakatar. Kâhl Svêkh Thûrkann and her Oathband met The Purge head-on. As orbital fire from both sides rained down onto the planet's surface, the two swirling battles erupted into a storm of close-range firefights and brutal offensives.While the foe were engaged to the north, Khôhn led an elite force of Einhyr and Hearthkyn to evacuate the Cthonians at Harvester Fortresses Two, Three and Four. Guildkin and great quantities of raw materials were loaded aboard Hekaton Land Fortresses and the armoured carriages they drew behind them.Sensing their prey escaping, the Chaos Lord Urthak Skullripper led a massed teleport of World Eaters Chaos Terminators that cut the Grimnyr and her bodyguards off, even as the Kin forces were pulling out. Though many Cthonian Beserks turned back to hurl themselves into the fight, the Living Ancestor could not be rescued. The surviving Cthonians and many of the Hearthkyn who fought on Törg have since formed the Grudgeband of Khôhn -- they will be avenged upon Urthak Skullripper or die trying.
Kiava Gamma - Kiava Gamma: Kiava Gamma is an Imperial Industrial World in the Cranach System of the Koronus Expanse that is part of the trade empire of the Rogue Trader House von Valancius, though it is managed under a deal with that dynasty by the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus.A Warp storm in the Koronus Expanse recently cut the Warp routes that once connected all the worlds of the von Valancius trade empire and contact has been lost with Kiava Gamma.