vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Adeptus Custodes - Battle of Lion's Gate: Guilliman's return came not a moment too soon, for he had not been long at his labours when the cascading fury of the Great Rift washed over the Sol System. Though not directly struck by Warp Storms, Terra bore the brunt of empyric shock waves that temporarily extinguished the light of the Astronomican during what became known as the Noctis Aeterna, and wrought havoc and misery from the planet's highest spires to its deepest crypts. The Adeptus Custodes found themselves putting down riots, doomsday cult uprisings and rampaging packs of luckless petitioners driven to madness and cannibalism. Bands of Custodian Wardens stood their ground in the shadowed undervaults far beneath the Imperial Palace as runic sigils burned out and timeless horrors burst from their containment cells.Worse was to follow. Seeking to strike the decapitating blow that would bring the Imperium to ruin, a vast horde of Khornate Daemons tore through the skin of reality and assaulted the Lion's Gate of the palace, initiating what became known informally as the "Second Battle of Terra." Legions of howling Daemons surged towards the Emperor's palace in a crimson tidal wave, and a frenzied battle ensued. The battleship-sized gun emplacements flanking the Lion's Gate blasted glowing craters in the diabolical horde, but alone they had no hope of prevailing. Led by Roboute Guilliman and Captain-General Trajann Valoris, a combined host of the Adeptus Custodes, Ultramarines and Sisters of Silence marched out to meet the Daemons before the walls of the Imperial Palace.In scenes that echoed the horror of the Siege of Terra ten millennia before, the golden warriors of the Adeptus Custodes faced the Blood God's savage butchers blade to blade. This time, led by some of the Imperium's greatest champions and driven by a furious determination never to fail again, they prevailed.One by one, the eight Bloodthirsters that led the attack were blown apart or cut down. The cost in lives was great, with noble defenders who had stood guard over the Emperor for thousands of Terran years brought low by the brazen weapons of Khorne's hateful Daemons. Yet even as the skies boiled blood-red and carmine rains slicked the ground, the Blood Legions of Khorne faded from reality with howls of frustration and rage.
Adeptus Custodes - Marshaling for War: The Battle of Lion's Gate proved a stark truth. While great swathes of witnesses to the Daemonic incursion were corralled and executed by the Inquisition, and efforts made to obliterate all evidence of the conflict, the masters of the Adeptus Custodes formally recognised that Terra's defence could no longer be guaranteed without greater proactive measures. The servants of the Dark Gods had bypassed the defences of the cradle of Humanity.Behind locked doors, complex wards and layers of psy-protections, Trajann Valoris and Guilliman ratified a formal amendment to the role of the Adeptus Custodes. The Imperial Palace must still be guarded, of course, and the Companions' watch must continue within the Emperor's throne room. However, as a logical extension of the vows of duty they had sworn, the Adeptus Custodes committed to greatly extending their extra-solar activities. Aided by oracular doomscryers and alpha-level astropathic intercepts, and guided in part by the continued efforts of the Eyes of the Emperor, more Custodes Shield Hosts than ever before struck out from Terra. The aim of these forces was to exterminate utterly the most deadly threats to the Emperor Himself.This mission might take them all across the galaxy, even into the shadows of the Imperium Nihilus beyond the sprawl of the Great Rift to the galactic north, but always their focus would be the sanctity of Terra. In this capacity a number of Shield Companies attached themselves to Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade, reprising the role of the Emperor's emissaries in bearing Primaris Space Marines reinforcements and the Primaris-creation technology to the beleaguered Space Marine Chapters, and ensuring they understood that this was a gift from the Master of Mankind himself. It was not to be squandered or refused.Other Shield Companies relocated to permanently garrison the Sol System's outer defences, or travelled further afield in order to watch over the primary Warp routes that remained stable paths to the Throneworld. Others still took even more esoteric mantles, becoming hunters after arch-heretics, questors for artefacts crucial to the ongoing survival of the Imperium, or redoubling their efforts in their wars against Humanity's hidden foes. Not since the Great Crusade had so many Custodians bestrode the stars.
Adeptus Custodes - Timeline: Tale of the Ten Thousand: From out of the mists of time stride the Adeptus Custodes. Their long path leads from the darkness of Old Night, through the fires of the Horus Heresy, and out of the shadows of ten thousand Terran years of ignorant obfuscation into the cold light of the present. In all of those hundreds of centuries the Custodians have never faltered, and they never shall.
Adeptus Custodes - Organisation and Structure: From outside, the organisation of the Ten Thousand seems byzantine. When they deign to account themselves at all to other Imperial bodies their ranks appear complex and highly stratified. Yet much of this is tradition, or else purposeful misdirection; in practice, the Adeptus Custodes use a robust and easily adaptable system to organise their forces.The full details of the organisational structure, disposition and regulation of the Adeptus Custodes are shrouded in secrecy as befits an institution dedicated to ultimate security. Those outside its ranks, even though they operate close to the Senatorum Imperialis and the highest levels of the Divisio Militaris, cannot hope to know more than a degree of detail which is purely observational, and likely barely scratches the surface of the no doubt byzantine Custodes. What can be outwardly observed is contained here within this account, as are the various details and titles with which the Custodian Guard openly interacts with the other organs of the Imperium's power.The first mystery that outsiders must cope with is that of identity. The Custodian Guard are themselves effectively ageless and as unchanging as granite, and just as impenetrable to outsiders. They each profess to a given name, often a compound drawn from the lore of Ancient Terra's roll of kings and tyrants, gods and legends. Whether or not this represents some humour or deliberate irony on the Emperor's part given the Custodian's role is something that it is perhaps unwise to speculate on. Such true names they knew as part of their birth and origin are likely obliterated by the process of their creation, but the myths that have grown up around the Adeptus Custodes have long held that each Custodian Guard garners over his centuries a long list of additional names and titles granted purely by the Emperor for their deeds, history and character. Such names are held as a secret of their Order and never betrayed to others, though some myths would have it that this roll of honour is graven in hidden fashion upon their golden armour or even etched microscopically into their very bones. It was said that Captain-General Constantin Valdor obtained 932 names prior to the assault of Horus upon Terra.In terms of structural organisation, it is apparent that the Adeptus Custodes is unique unto itself in terms of form, offering little in common with the rest of the Imperium's agencies of warfare such as the Astra Militarum or the Adeptus Astartes. This is only fitting as the Adeptus Custodes, like other elements of the so-called "Talons of the Emperor," can be more accurately described as a paramilitary rather than a strategic force, neither geared nor equipped towards the fighting or winning of wars, but to its duties of protection and execution. The Adeptus Custodes operate as a military force, a gathering of champions each of whom possesses unassailable authority over virtually any other organisation in the Imperium. Conversely, no Imperial agent can give a Custodian orders. Even such worthies as the High Lords of Terra and Lord Commander Guilliman are able only to request -- not demand -- their aid.
Adeptus Custodes - Sodalities: Below these ranks, the Custodians seem to be peers as in the manner of a warrior caste or aristocracy, rather than links in the more familiar hierarchical chain of command found elsewhere in the Imperium's armed forces. Their functional titles adapt to their chosen role and panoply of war in whichever command they have been included, with the following broad distinctions applied in communication with external forces on a tactical level, their titles drawn from various ancient historical Terran sources.The remainder of the Custodians possess roughly equivalent status to one another, forming loose warrior bands traditionally known as "Sodalities." There are varying strategic roles within the organisation to which some Custodians find themselves better suited. However, whether this be the rapid Jetbike troops of the Vertus Praetors, the heavy assault specialists of the Allarus Custodians, or the unwavering Custodian Wardens, they still operate within a meritocracy that sees them afforded whatever honour their comrades believe them worthy of.
Adeptus Custodes - Shield Companies: A singular force of the Adeptus Custodes is referred to as a Shield Company. The numbers within such a formation can vary considerably, hand-picked by their Shield-Captain for the task at hand and ranging from a small band to a sizeable army complete with Jetbikes, tanks and Dreadnoughts. Under normal circumstances, a Shield Company includes no more than one Shield-Captain and perhaps thirty to forty Custodians.
Adeptus Custodes - Shield Hosts: When a larger force is required, multiple Shield Companies gather into forces known as Shield Hosts. Led by a Captain-Commander and their conclaves of Shield-Captains, and boasting tens, sometimes hundreds of Custodians, Shield Hosts have the martial strength to crush enemy armies and bring entire star systems to heel. The gathering of such might is a momentous undertaking -- a Shield Host is only assembled to accomplish those tasks that no other Imperial military force could be trusted with, and its warriors march to war with a singular and implacable determination to enact the Emperor's will.
Adeptus Custodes - Chambers: All Custodians belong to a caste or "chamber" determined by their tactical role.
Adeptus Custodes - The Companions: The Companions, known in ages past as the Hetaeron Guard, are a three-hundred-strong force that forms the direct bodyguard of the Emperor while He sits upon the Golden Throne. They are hand-picked for their duties by the Captain-General, who chooses his candidates based upon painstaking assessments of each warrior's performance in training and battle, as well as their mental acuity, spiritual fortitude and countless other indicative factors. There can be no more important duty in all of the Imperium than to shield the Emperor Himself. As such, no consideration for rank or veteran status is given when appointing Custodians to the Companions, and those passed over in favour of younger or less-experienced candidates take no offence.The vigil of the Companions is unending, and though they are of course rotated out for brief periods of rest, it is still a purgatorial duty. Arrayed in ranks around the Golden Throne, these wardens stand for incredible lengths of time, unmoving, unspeaking, poised constantly upon the cusp of battle readiness in case the slightest threat were to present itself. It is mentally and spiritually exhausting, even for the demigods of the Adeptus Custodes, and so when the Captain-General judges that a Companion has served long enough they will be rotated out with immediate effect, replaced by a fresh inductee to their ranks. Again, this is no mark of dishonour, merely a pragmatic admission that even a Custodian cannot perform such a taxing duty indefinitely. The longest any individual has stood the Companion's Watch was Astoran Kalos, who endured for a full Terran century before at last surrendering his place amongst the silent ranks.Those who have served amongst the Companions are more likely to lend their talents to the grim bodyguards known as the Aquilan Shields. Such Custodians have protected the lives of the greatest and most august personages in the Imperium, most notably the High Lords of Terra themselves. From the Master of the Navigators' Guild to the High Logisticar of the Adeptus Administratum, the Lord Militant of the Imperium to the shadowed Grand Master of the Officio Assassinorum, former Companions have acted as guardians for them all. To the Ten Thousand such duties are simply an extension of their vows to protect the Emperor, in this case by safeguarding those assets most important to the successful running of His Imperium. Still, it is a role that has earned the Adeptus Custodes much favour in the eyes of Terra's noble elite.
Adeptus Custodes - The Hykanatoi: The Hykanatoi caste is the main strength of the Custodian Guard, and the majority of its warriors are members of it. They are the bearers of the Guardian Spear, the bodyguard of the Emperor and the executioners of any who would offer threat or opposition to His will. They are the image of the golden-armoured warrior that is summoned in fear and awe when the Adeptus Custodes is brought to mind. Their numbers include variations of force, wargear and panoply such as the Sentinel Guard and Custodian Guard proper, as well as the elite Hetaeron Guard -- the most skilled fighters among a force of warriors whose martial skills are already well beyond Human.
Adeptus Custodes - The Tharanatoi: Though there are few opponents that the Hykanatoi cannot deal with, they are not a rounded military force in the sense that they are not configured to deal with exigencies such as siegecraft or attrition warfare that fall outside their purview. However, the Adeptus Custodes still maintains the ability to deploy its forces as heavy shock troops should the need arise, or indeed to counter a foe that directs overwhelming force against it in high-intensity warfare. These counterassault forces are known as the Tharanatoi, and encompass custom-modified suits of Terminator Armour optimised for use by the Custodian's superhuman frame, as well as vastly potent portable firepower such as carried by the Sagittarum Guard, whose weapons include those few dark relics known as Adrathic Weapons -- disintegration beams of phenomenal destructive potential, long gathered to the Emperor's household and entrusted to no other.
Adeptus Custodes - The Kataphraktoi: Long before the Emperor's retreat and seclusion on Terra after the appointment of the Warmaster Horus to command His forces, the principal role of protection and defence the Custodian Guard engaged in was a mobile one. They went wherever their master did, no matter what blasted alien world or lost cityscape of ancient glory He trod. In this the elements of speed and mobility were paramount to their success, as was reconnaissance and counterstrike in lightning response to threat. Those of the Legio Custodes who specialised in such tactics and the means of employing them were called the Kataphraktoi; they flew interceptors and gunships of sublime sophistication and power, and piloted a range of repulsor-lift grav-vehicles; tanks, transports and strike skimmers, Jetbikes and interface flyers advanced beyond anything else in the Imperium's arsenal.
Adeptus Custodes - The Ephoroi: The division of the Custodian Guard about which the least can be said for certain, the Ephoroi were those of the order that were tasked with covert operations, countersurveillance and the vitally important task of simulated attack and infiltration. It was they who tested the Legio Custodes defences and preparations just as foes would, as well as conducted their own hidden missions to dispose of potential threats within the Imperium, and enact final and sometimes utterly secret justice as the Emperor's will demanded it.There are those who have posited that where the Ephoroi ended and the powers that controlled the Officio Assassinorum began at certain junctures was difficult even for the wisest of the High Lords of Terra to discern, and it is certain when they wished that the Assassins of the Temples of Terra were the Legio Custodes to command.According to ancient Imperial records it is clear from the Custodians' participation in the so-called "Blood Games" -- a series of war games in which Custodians sought to identify all of the possible ways that the Imperial Palace could be infiltrated or assaulted -- that Custodians were trained in the arts of assassination, both improvised and professional, in order to counter possible attempts on the life of the Emperor.It was not uncommon for several Custodians to be on detached duty for these Blood Games so that the Legio Custodes remained vigilant against developing threats to the Emperor's person. Furthermore it is clear that the Custodes were also well-versed in the political etiquette of Terra, and have been known to act outside of Imperial law, to infiltrate influential Imperial noble houses and to investigate any potential threats to the rule of the Emperor.This aspect of the Custodian mindset was advantageous, given that the Captain-General of the order often shared a seat upon the War Council, the later Council of Terra and its direct descendant, the Senatorum Imperialis, which allowed him to navigate the political manoeuvring of the Imperium's various organisations while still remaining an awe-inspiring warrior.
Adeptus Custodes - The Moritoi: The smallest and most singular division within the Legio Custodes was the Moritoi; the "honoured dead who walked." Just as with the Legiones Astartes, it was possible for a Custodian Guard, having suffered injuries so terrible that even they could not recover from them but within whom the vital spark of life remained, to be interred within the cybernetic life support sarcophagus of a Dreadnought.The first of these was made while the Unification Wars were being fought, in a modified Ur-Gholem Pattern Dreadnought, the first iteration of its kind intended for use within the Thunder Legions, and as the number of Dreadnought patterns and subtypes within the Imperium's arsenal increased across the Great Crusade's decades of warfare and innovation, so too did the Legio Custodes keep pace with these developments.Though they remained relatively rare, with less than perhaps a hundred Dreadnoughts of the Legio Custodes in service at the time of Magnus the Red's folly and the subsequent attack on Prospero, they represented a phenomenally powerful concentration of force.Most had their chassis upgraded to the Achillus Pattern, a variant of the Contemptor Dreadnought manufactured with materials and technologies far beyond even the vaunted war machines of the Legiones Astartes.
Adeptus Custodes - The Dankanatoi: The Dankanatoi was a chamber of the ancient Legio Custodes that was founded in the final years of the Horus Heresy. Unleashed upon the last dregs of Horus' failed rebellion as they fled Terra, these warriors proved a potent weapon for the battered Loyalist host.Indeed, even in the long years of strife that followed the dark age of the Horus Heresy they remained active, hunting Traitors and xenos invaders alike long after the official end of the Great Scouring.
Adeptus Custodes - The Eyes of the Emperor: Though functionally immortal, even the warriors of the Adeptus Custodes eventually tire. Some suffer physical hurts that impact upon their ability to perform their duties, with lost limbs, artificial eyes or augmetic organs lessening their physical perfection. Others find their mental faculties beginning to erode, however slightly, acknowledging that their reaction times or mnemic awareness are not quite what they once were. For the vast majority of warriors, a tenth-of-a-second reduction in the speed at which blows are stuck or parried might be considered negligible. For a Custodian, it is error enough to necessitate that their watch come to an end.When a Custodian judges themself no longer fit for duty they surrender all of their equipment to the Hall of Armaments and vanish into the void of the galaxy clad in hooded black robes. Such noble exiles still serve the Emperor, however, for wherever they travel they observe. Some work alone, dark and ominous figures slipping through the shadows of the Emperor's realm. Others cultivate networks of informants and agents, using fear and intimidation to secure compliance where loyalty and honour will not suffice.Should they bear witness to a situation developing that they believe might threaten Terra or the Emperor, these watchers use secret channels to communicate a warning to the Captain-General. So do response forces of the Adeptus Custodes launch punitive and often pre-emptive strikes throughout the Imperium, forewarned of danger by the Eyes of the Emperor.
Adeptus Custodes - The Aquilan Shield - The Gilded Guardians: Certain servants of the Emperor bear great responsibilities deemed directly relevant to the safety of Terra. Such esteemed figures are afforded the protection of the Aquilan Shield, at least until their usefulness is thought to be at its end. As the doomscryers of the Imperial Palace sift the tides of the empyrean for warnings of disaster, they also take note of those who -- through example, thought or deed -- are likely to avert such catastrophes before they threaten the Golden Throne. These fated individuals are honoured with the protection of the Aquilan Shield, for in this way a small band of Custodians can ensure a significant martial or spiritual asset survives to act in the Emperor's defence.The Aquilan Shield are an informal brotherhood laced through the ranks of the Adeptus Custodes. They typically operate in small warrior bands, journeying across the stars to stand watch over their charges wherever they may be. No warning is given nor permission asked -- the warriors of the Aquilan Shield appear as if from nowhere, avatars of the Emperor's will who announce their quarry to be under the protection of the Master of Mankind. Such an honour is beyond compare, and is never refused no matter the circumstances or the individual chosen.The Aquilan Shield have acted as bodyguards to High Lords, Sororitas Canonesses, Lord Inquisitors, Astra Militarum Generals and Space Marine Captains. They have even protected two Crusade leaders bearing the title of Warmaster, staunchly ignoring the historic associations with he who first held that rank. Yet they have also appeared amidst flares of golden light to watch over firebrand frontline preachers, bewildered militia leaders and others of apparently little import. The only unifying factor amongst them all is that, while attending their duties beneath the gimlet gaze of the Emperor's own guards, these individuals are expected to achieve incredible things in the defence of the Throneworld.The Aquilan Shield fight to ensure such a future comes to pass, shielding their charges from harm until the exact moment the usefulness of the person under their protection is deemed spent. At that point they depart without a word, leaving those they guarded to look to their own defence. Tragedy often follows, but this is of no concern to the Aquilan Shield -- providing it does not jeopardise the safety of the Golden Throne.
Adeptus Custodes - The Dread Host - Instruments of the Emperor's Wrath: Fear is a familiar weapon to the Imperium, used to deter enemies and keep seething populations in line. Yet there is no terror as pure and absolute as that invoked when the Emperor's own fury is unleashed to punish his foes. The Dread Host represents a breathtaking concentration of military might. It numbers hundreds of Custodians, organised into multiple Shield Hosts and transported aboard a trio of pre-Heresy warships known as the Moiraides. The nature of this army is simple: they are the deliverers of the Emperor's judgement, his anger and his punishment made manifest.Not for them the pinpoint rapid strike, the hidden war or the measured defensive action. Instead, the assembled Shield-Captains of the Dread Host identify the most visible and dramatic threats to the Segmentum Solar and unleash upon them such overwhelming annihilation that it sends shock waves rolling through the Warp itself. Sometimes one warship is sent, sometimes two; only a handful of times in the entire history of the Imperium have all three of the Moiraides loosed their passengers against a single foe. Yet always the effect is the same. Spearheaded by dozens of Allarus Custodians, the Dread Host fall upon their victims with unstoppable force.They slaughter the enemy's warriors and reduce their war engines to wreckage. They cast down their false idols and set them aflame. They topple their cities, sunder their strongholds, and butcher their allies and followers. They make grisly examples of those who would dare lead such a challenge to the Emperor's dominion, ignoring all attempts at surrender and foiling all bids at flight. By the time the Dread Host are done with their war, nothing remains of their chosen victims but the gruesome tales of their brutal demise at the Emperor's hand.The Dread Host have smashed Ork WAAAGH!s, obliterated rebellious star systems and crushed Traitor crusades. They have fought against enemies thousands of times their number and humbled them through strategy, speed and strength. With every campaign they spread the terror of the Emperor's wrath. The breathtaking bloodshed and absolute destruction they leave in their wake has dissuaded hundreds of uprisings and invasions before they could even begin.
Adeptus Custodes - Emissaries Imperatus - Heralds of the Golden Throne: In the days of the Great Crusade, the Emperor often entrusted crucial messages or artefacts to be borne by his Custodians. It is a duty they still fulfil now, speaking with the authority of the Master of Mankind Himself. Though the Emperor has long been confined to the Golden Throne, there are those amongst the Ten Thousand who claim to hear their master's voice during their meditations, and to feel his hand guiding them. To their comrades there is no implication of divine intervention in this, for the Custodes have never viewed the Emperor as a god. They merely see their liege's indomitable will at work, reaching out from His shattered frame to direct His praetorians as He did when He could still walk amongst them.Those who feel the Emperor's guidance the keenest become Emissaries Imperatus. They band together in like-minded groups and, through discussion and meditation, interpret what it is that the Master of Mankind wishes them to do. With the tacit approval of the Captain-General, they bear the Emperor's words across the Imperium to commanders who must hear them, or occasionally unlock some ancient device from the palace vaults and bequeath it to whichever champion can wield it best. Their words have redirected entire Crusades, and seen threats intercepted and archeotech riches won that might otherwise have passed the Emperor's servants by.For thousands of Terran years the Emissaries Imperatus have been seen abroad, but rarely and in small numbers. Yet with the return of Guilliman and the commencement of the Indomitus Crusade, their activity has increased considerably. When the Primarch announced his intention to bear the secrets of the Primaris Space Marines to the Loyalist Chapters, there was some resistance from the Adeptus Custodes, who feared strengthening those who might one day rebel against the Emperor once again. Yet dozens of Emissaries Imperatus stepped forwards to intercede, stating this was the will of the Emperor. They accompanied Guilliman's Crusade, many of them taking to the air as Vertus Praetors, the quicker to deliver messages of reinforcement to the embattled Space Marines. The presence of the Adeptus Custodes also ensured that even the most traditional Chapters accepted the Primaris warriors into their ranks. One does not decline a gift from the Emperor's own hand, after all.
Adeptus Custodes - Martial Ka'tahs: Custodians spend their years perfecting the Martial Ka'tahs of the Custodes -- their ancient systems of melee martial arts -- in the Colosseia Auris within the Imperial Palace.The Adeptus Custodes have developed many thousands of different martial ka'tahs -- unique fighting stances, martial arts and battlefield techniques. These they have evolved over millennia using ancient lore, paintings and statuary, as well as their experiences in war against all manner of Human and xenos peoples. The Custodes have developed many other ka'tahs in the same manner, such as the Politik, Oratorial and Philosophik ka'tahs, all of which have many hundreds of unique disciplines and styles within them.Some of these potent fighting styles are utilised only by the Blade Champions' order, making them capable of eliminating countless enemies with their deadly Vaultswords.Behemor - This ka'tah's clinical strikes prevent even the toughest hide or armored hull from withstanding the Blade Champions' blows.Calistus - Calistus is the art of keeping up relentless fire while advancing against the enemy.Conservi - Conservai emphasises seeing the bigger strategic picture over and above the slaughter of enemies.Dacatarai - This aggressive fighting style has been adapted by the Custodes to deal with hordes of foes who vastly outnumber them.DecapitasGoliatHurricanis - The ka'tah of Hurricanis lets the Blade Champions carve their way through enemy ranks in a blur of blade and blood.Kaptaris - Kaptaris is optimised to trap enemy units in close combat with the Custodes, where the elite warriors can eliminate them.Rendax - Masters of Rendax are superlative monster and war machine hunters.Salvus - Masters of Salvus are preternaturally skilled marksmen with any form of ranged weaponry.VanquisVictus - The execution techniques of the ka'tah of Victus have been used by Blade Champions to claim the lives of countless tyrants and warlords.
Adeptus Custodes - At Present: Before the Emperor's internment within the Golden Throne, the Custodes had access to some of the most advanced wargear within the armouries of the Imperium. However, in the years between the Horus Heresy and the birth of the Great Rift, they took a far more limited role in Imperial affairs, and almost never left Terra and only very rarely left the Imperial Palace. It is unknown how limited the Custodes' wargear choices are due to the unknown workings of this elite and reclusive paramilitary specialist force that remains an organisation apart from the rest of the Imperium.They would also more than likely remain aloof in regards to the composition of their wargear and equipment as well as their overall tactical capabilities. Whenever the Custodians were seen outside the walls of the Imperial Palace, as rare as that was, it was in their martial aspect. Mortals would fall on their faces as if before gods. To them, these gold-clad transhuman warriors seemed as if they were wrath incarnate, created for destruction and nothing else. But this was far from the truth, for the Custodes were the Emperor's companions once, the ones in whom He confided, acting as His counsellors and His artisans.The Custodes had been created to be the guardians of a new age and were charged to be strong enough to keep it secure. But in this sacred duty they failed. Following the internment of the Emperor into the Golden Throne after the defeat of Horus on his flagship during the Siege of Terra, the Custodes outwardly wore the mark of their failure in the black robes that covered their auramite. It was a permanent reminder, replacing the traditional cloaks of blood-red that once adorned their battleplate. It weighed heavy with every Custodian, for they knew more of the nature of the fall than most.This bleak colour change reflected that the Custodians were in permanent mourning for failing to protect the Emperor in His hour of need. But with the return of the Avenging Son, the resurrected primarch Roboute Guilliman, the Adeptus Custodes have cast off their black cloaks and now don their crimson cloaks of old. Taking to the sea of stars, they now bring the battle to the Archenemy, intent on absolving themselves in the baptism of fire and blood for their failure in their duties ten millennia earlier.
Adeptus Custodes - Uniforms and Heraldry: Each Custodian's armour and weapons are crafted specifically for them by hand. Thus, each suit of power armour is an individual work of exceptional craftsmanship with its own unique flourishes and decorations. Yet all Custodians maintain certain standardised elements to their wargear that help them to quickly identify one another's place both on and off the battlefield. The numbers below correspond to the image at right.The right shoulder guard of a Custodian's armour depicts the Imperial Aquila, a sigil of eternal vigilance and a sign of the Custodian's mandate to enact -- by force if necessary -- the will of the Emperor Himself.The gems set into each Custodian's armour are individually mined from deep beneath the surface of Terra and hand-cut by skilled artisans. Their colouration is flawlessly precise, an art form in its own right, not only across the Custodian's armour, but across that of their entire Shield Company. When a Custodian switches from one such organisation to another, the stones will be carefully extracted from his or her armour and replaced with those of an appropriate colour if needs be.The colour panels on the Custodian's left shoulder guard show clearly to which Shield Company or Shield Host they belong. The latter organisational tier takes precedence for these purposes. This colouration will often match the Custodian's tabard, along with any robes they may wear.All Adeptus Custodes armour is made from the incredibly rare substance known as auramite. Its natural colouration is a lustrous gold, a hue entirely appropriate for the Emperor's personal guardians. However, through closely-guarded alchemical processes, auramite can be tinted, or its colour changed altogether on a molecular level. It is a painstaking and costly process, but considered far more suited to the Custodians' importance than simple repainting.The haft or hilt of a Custodian's weapon -- in this case a Guardian Spear -- is sometimes worked -- or, in many cases, reworked -- to match the colouration of their armour. This is not standard amongst all Shield Companies, however.
Adeptus Custodes - Non-Custodes Personnel: Armoury Thrall - Armoury Thralls are mortals who have continued to serve as bonded servants to the Adeptus Custodes since the earliest years of the Imperium. Capable warriors in their own right, they carry extra ammunition and armour sealant for their Custodian masters while they are in battle. Following closely behind them while they perform their duties, when the Bolt Casters built into their Guardian Spears or Sentinel Blades run empty, the Custodians throws the weapon to an Armoury Thrall or casts them into the ground. The Armoury Thrall then proceeds to gather the discarded weapon and reload it and then is strong enough to throw the weapon back to the Custodian.
Adeptus Custodes - Ranged Weapons: Adrathic Weapons - Relics of the Dark Age of Technology believed to be all but unique to Terra, Adrathic weaponry uses a potent but dangerously unstable energy beam to sever the internal bonds of matter, causing objects caught in their path to unravel in a spectacularly destructive manner, leaving only a flaring after-image of what was. Such weapons were legend during the Age of Strife, and devastating wars were fought on anarchic Old Terra solely over the possession of some unearthed cache of Adrathic Weapons and the promise of the power they held. When the Emperor came to dominion and ended Old Night on Ancient Terra, all Adrathic Weapons were given over to Him on pain of death, not simply to the one who retained them but to their entire land and nation such was the importance He placed on controlling this technology. These weapons have remained in His care ever since, and only His own personal weaponsmiths gained and kept the knowledge of how to replicate them in small numbers, much to the jealousy of Mars.Adrastus Bolt Caliver - Developed as a hybrid of later pattern Imperium Bolter weapon designs and Dark Age of Technology "Adrastite" disintegration beam weapons prohibited from general Great Crusade issue, the Adrastus Bolt Caliver is a potent shoulder arm serving as a portable heavy weapon for the Adeptus Custodes. This combination weapon is able to unleash a fusillade of explosive rounds at long range with the potency of the Heavy Bolters carried by the Adeptus Astartes, or at shorter ranges fire a disintegration beam able to rip a target apart at a molecular level, causing its victims to cease to exist in a howling flare of energy.Lastrum Storm Bolter and Bolt Cannon - This pattern of Bolter weapon is named for the weaponsmiths of the Lastrum Core Clan of the Appolyne workshops of Terra. Other than being exemplars of their kind in terms of skill of fabrication, they would not be remarkable save for their uniquely powerful ammunition. Rather than the usual "Kraken" type bolts utilised by the wider sweep of the Adeptus Custodes, the artisans of the Lastrum clans hand manufacture only customised mass-reactive heliothermic warheads for their bolt shells. Once within their target, these burst into brief, but sun-hot incendiary detonations, incinerating their victims from within. These shells are uncommonly dense, requiring a far stronger charge to launch than common bolt shells, and only the Lastrum's uniquely sturdy construction for a weapon of their size can withstand the stresses of their repeated firing. The sheer resources and artifice of these weapons were immense, and they could never hope to be mass produced to arm the Space Marine Legions, and even the output of entire generations of the Lastrum themselves could barely satisfy the Legio Custodes' demands.Archeotech Kinetic Destroyer - Kinetic Destroyers are master-crafted Archaeotech Pistols used only by the Venatari Custodians.
Adeptus Custodes - Adeptus Custodes Battlefield Support Weapons: As with much of their personal armoury, the weaponry of the Adeptus Custodes' unique war machines is an expression of the height of the Imperium's technological capacities. Many can be described as paragon variants of well-established Imperial patterns such as the Arachnus Blaze Cannon, which were recognisably developments of widely used Imperial las technology, but built with esoteric and powerful components which could never be replicated en masse. Others, such as the Iliastus Accelerator Cannon, were however at the cutting edge of new military developments, incorporating technologies gleaned and tested on the frontline of the Great Crusade.
Adeptus Custodes - Forces of the Adeptus Custodes: Adeptus Custodes ForcesCommandCaptain-General • Custodian Tribunate • Captain-Commander (Guardian Captain-Commander • Allarus Captain-Commander • Vertus Captain-Commander) • Shield-CaptainElitesBlade Champion • Hetaeron Guard • Aquilon Terminator • Ephoroi • Allarus Custodian • Custodian Warden • Vexilus Praetor • Custodian ApothecaryFast AttackAgamatus Jetbike Squad • Vertus Praetor • Venatari CustodianTroopsCustodian Guard • Sentinel Guard • Sagittarum Guard SquadDreadnoughtsContemptor Pattern Dreadnought • Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought • Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought • Telemon Heavy DreadnoughtVehiclesCoronus Grav-Carrier • Caladius Grav-Tank • Pallas Grav-Attack • Venerable Land Raider • Rhino • Grav-Rhino • Grav-Raider • Grav-SpartanAircraftStormbird • Storm Eagle • Orion Assault Dropship • Ares Gunship • Aquila Lander • Talion • Equinox Interceptor • Zenith Gunship
Adeptus Custodes - Canon Conflicts: In Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (1st Edition) the Custodes were the Guardians of the Emperor and the Imperial Palace. They wore simple but effective clothing: boots, leather breeches and a black cloak, their torsos naked and corded with tattooed muscle, and they carried laser-tipped halberds said to have been built to resemble the traditional Guardian Spears.Their helms were tall and ornate works of art, giving the Custodes a threateningly impassive appearance. They were considered superior to the Adeptus Astartes of the time, although not as loyal to the Emperor. Clearly, this version of the Custodes has long since been superseded in current canon.The Legio Custodes and the Adeptus Custodes were originally described as an all-male force, similar to the Space Marines. With the release of the 10th Edition Codex: Adeptus Custodes in April 2024, an in-universe fictional piece on pages 14-15 described events as seen by a viewpoint character named Calladayce Taurovalia Kesh who was noted to be female. Fans at first believed this to be a reference to a Sister of Silence, as the women of that all-female order of anti-psyker Blanks often worked alongside the Custodians.However, on April 14, 2024, the official Warhammer account operated by Games Workshop on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, indicated that, "Since the first of the Ten Thousand were created, there have always been female Custodians." The company's representatives later claimed that this was not, in fact, a ret-con of the previous lore; however, as all prior references and models had referred to or depicted only male Custodians, the change was clearly one made retroactively to alter the nature of one of the Warhammer 40,000 universe's major factions.
Adeptus Custodes - Trivia: The names of the five castes of the Adeptus Custodes that distinguishes their various combat roles come from ancient Terran history:Hykanatoi - The name of the Hykanatoi (from Greek: Ἱκανάτοι, "the Able Ones") sometimes Latinised as Hicanti, were one of the Byzantine tagmata, elite guard units based near the Eastern Roman Empire's capital of Constantinople. Founded in the early 9th Century, the Hykanatoi survived until the late 11th Century.Tharanatoi - The name Tharanatoi was likely derived from two sources. The first is Celtic mythology, which references Taranis, the god of thunder and Thanatos (from the Greek: Θάνατος "Death") who was the personification of death in Greek mythology.Kataphraktoi - The name of the Kataphraktoi was most likely derived from the word "cataphract", a form of heavy armoured cavalry used in ancient warfare by a number of peoples in Europe, East Asia and the Middle East. The English word is derived from the original Greek (κατάφρακτος Kataphraktos (plural: κατάφρακτοι Kataphraktoi), literally meaning "armoured" or "completely enclosed". An entirely appropriate name for Jetbike-mounted Custodians.Ephoroi - Ephoroi is a derivative of the ancient Greek "ephor". The ephors were leaders of ancient Sparta and shared power with the two Spartan kings. The word "ephors" (Greek ἔφοροι éphoroi, plural form of ἔφορος éphoros) comes from the Greek ἐπί epi, "on" or "over", and ὁράω horaō, "to see", i.e. "one who oversees" or "overseer".Moritoi - The name Moritoi comes from the ancient Latin word mortis, "death". An appropriate name for those Custodians who have suffered injuries so terrible that they cannot go on living without being interred within the cybernetic life support sarcophagus of a Dreadnought to sustain their biological functions.
Adeptus Fidicius - Adeptus Fidicius: The Adeptus Fidicius is a division of the Adeptus Terra that essentially acts as the Imperium's revenue service, ensuring that the Imperium's central coffers on Terra receive all of the resource tithes due from its member worlds. Additionally, one of its most important duties is investigating other organs of the Adeptus Terra to root out fraud and corruption.
Adeptus Mechanicus - Adeptus Mechanicus: The Adeptus Mechanicus is the official Imperial name within the Adeptus Terra for the Cult Mechanicus or Cult of the Machine based on Mars which provides the Imperium with its scientists, engineers and technicians.The tech-adepts of the Mechanicus are the primary keepers of what is viewed as sacred wisdom, a privileged caste of Tech-priests who jealously guard the knowledge required to maintain and construct much of the Imperium's advanced technology.In ancient times, before the current Age of the Imperium officially began following the end of the Horus Heresy, the Adeptus Mechanicus was instead called the Mechanicum. The Adeptus Mechanicus was formally separated from the larger Mechanicum of Mars by order of the Council of Terra in 012.M31. This occurred after the Red Planet had fallen to the control of the Hereteks who represented the Traitor faction of the Mechanicum loyal to the Warmaster Horus later called the "Dark Mechanicum."The Mechanicus acknowledge the Emperor of Mankind as the ruler of the Imperium of Man, but not the religious truth of the Imperial Cult or the Ecclesiarchy, and are granted an unusual amount of political and religious autonomy within the Imperium's structure, a role protected by the ancient Treaty of Mars. The Mechanicus essentially maintains an empire-within-an-empire in Imperial space, and its interests usually, but not always, coincide with those of the wider Imperium.Instead of the Imperial Creed, the servants of the Mechanicus follow their own dark and mysterious scriptures and worship the strange deity they call the Machine God or the "Omnissiah."As part of this faith, the Adeptus Mechanicus believes knowledge is the true manifestation of divinity in the universe, and all creatures and artefacts that embody knowledge are holy because of it. The Emperor is the supreme object of worship for the servants of the Mechanicus, for He is the living avatar of the Machine God that is the Omnissiah.The Emperor was recognised by the ancient Mechanicum as the fulfillment of the prophecy of the coming of the Omnissiah because He comprehends so much, and understands more about the true nature of reality than any other being in existence.The Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus also regard organic flesh as weak and view the removal and replacement of biological tissue with mechanical, bionic parts as sacred. Most elder Tech-priests have few organic parts left and eventually become more machine than man.The Adeptus Mechanicus is based on Mars, the very first Forge World of the Imperium, and they are the sole rulers of the Red Planet. They provide the technical and scientific experts of the Imperium and field armies of massive Titans, Questor Mechanicus Knights, Electro-priests, Skitarii and Combat Servitors.