vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Chaos Space Marine Raptor - Notable Raptors: Lucoryphus - Lucoryphus is the commander of a thirty-man strong cell of the Bleeding Eye Raptor Cult that originally served Abaddon the Despoiler, but eventually left his service to ally themselves with a fellow Night Lords warband known as The Exalted. This warband was eventually decimated by an Eldar warhost from Craftworld Ulthwé on the Daemon World Tsagualsa, the former base of operations and homeworld of the Night Lords Traitor Legion.Vorsha - Vorsha was a member of the cell of the Bleeding Eye Raptor Cult commanded by Lucoryphus. He was killed on Tsagualsa.Tzek - Tzek was a member of the cell of the Bleeding Eye Raptor Cult commanded by Lucoryphus. He was killed on Tsagualsa.Rhodaan - Rhodaan served as a former Chaos Raptor Captain in the 3rd Grand Company of the Iron Warriors Traitor Legion under the command of the Warsmith Andraaz. Rhodaan took part in the recent Siege of Castellax, battling against the Ork WAAAGH! of Warboss Biglug. After uncovering the treachery of the Dark Mechanicus Tech-priest Oriax and his role in the death of the Warsmith, Rhodaan killed the Tech-priest, defeated the renegade Obliterator Merihem, and assumed command of the shattered remnants of the 3rd Grand Company as Castellax fell to the Orks.Eralak - Eralak was a Chaos Space Marine Raptor commander in service to the Black Legion under the command of Abaddon the Despoiler. In 781.M31, Abaddon made his first attempt to launch a new offensive against the Imperium of Man following the Horus Heresy and initiated the 1st Black Crusade, also known as the First Battle of Cadia. On a dozen planets, the Black Legion proved worthy of their fallen Primarch and the martial prowess of the ancient Luna Wolves. Abaddon had chosen his generals well, and each competed for glory as the Legion tore a bloody gouge across the stars. Eralak and his company of Raptors brought a bloody nightmare to the floating hive cities of the world of Melphia. Killing millions in their rampage, Eralak's warband sent dozen of cities falling from the sky as he tore out their complex anti-gravitic suspensor arrays and vented their plasma reactors onto the farms and fields below. Fashioning giant floating gallows from the remaining, ruined cities, the warlord hanged millions of Imperial citizens, their swaying corpses forever doomed to drift across the skies of Melphia, a terrible reminder of the power of the Black Legion.Haarken Worldclaimer - Haarken Worldclaimer was a Raptor and Chaos Lord of the Black Legion despatched with a force of Heretic Astartes by Abaddon the Despoiler to conquer the Sentinel World of Vigilus during the War of Beasts.
Chaos Space Marine Raptor - Raptor Variants: Warp Talons - Warp Talons represent an "evolution" of Chaos Space Marine Raptors, whose long exposure to the Immaterium has transformed their physical form, enabling them to stalk their prey through the veil of reality. Having lost their sentience, these animalistic hunters behave like flesh-born daemonic Furies, existing only to stalk and kill their prey. With vorpal claws they slice their way into the material world, to attack unexpectedly from the nightmare dimension of the Warp and quickly seize their prey.
Chaos Space Marines - The Long War: The Long War has raged for ten thousand standard years. The bitterness and spite of the Chaos Space Marines has spread throughout the galaxy, spilling from the Warp and bleeding back again for time immemorial.Though the Inquisition takes great pains to quell reports of Chaos incursions in order to spare the common populace of the Imperium from unconventional thought that might lead to a replication of the heresy, the legends and records persist across the galaxy, handed down through the generations by the foolish and the brave.This is a woeful record of recorded blasphemies committed by the Heretic Astartes, compiled from the sealed archives of the Conclave of Kratos, by order of the Herald of the Convocation Senatorum Imperialis, as ratified by Order-in-Camera KKL/706404-4334/X8044. Pursuant to the Declaration of Reunification of the Heresy and Recidivism in each and all of its manifold manifestations with reference to the Sealed Addenda to the 7th Grand Census Armourial.
Chaos Space Marines - M30-M31, Age of Betrayal: The Great Crusade (ca. 800.M30 - 005.M31) - The Emperor rises from the anarchy of sundered Terra during the Age of Strife and creates the primarchs. The first Space Marines are created in turn near the end of the Unification Wars. With the Warp Storms that isolated Terra during the Age of Strife finally dissipated, the Emperor goes forth into the galaxy. Over the course of campaigns unnumbered, the Emperor's Space Marine Legions unite Mankind. The Imperium of Man is born.The Horus Heresy (ca. 005.M31 - 014.M31) - The galaxy is torn by bitter rebellion and civil war. Horus and his nine Traitor primarchs lay waste to the remaining nine Loyalist Legiones Astartes and all but overthrow the Emperor of Mankind. The forces of Chaos are eventually hurled back from Terra and most are driven into the Eye of Terror during the campaigns of the Great Scouring.Fall of Guilliman at Thessala (131.M31) - Fulgrim, the Daemon Primarch of the Emperor's Children Legion, leads his hedonistic armies in a spiteful strike against the Ultramarines during the Battle of Thessala. Amongst the swirling pink mists of Slaanesh's favour, Fulgrim hunts down his brother Primarch Roboute Guilliman and fights him in single combat. Though Guilliman is mighty indeed, his opponent is a serpentine giant swollen with daemonic power, each of his four arms wielding a poisoned blade. Guilliman is struck down by a slash across his throat. He is spirited away by his Space Marines and placed in a stasis field before Fulgrim's poisons can kill him outright. For ten long millennia, Guilliman lingers on the very threshold of death in the Temple of Correction within the Ultramarines' Fortress of Hera, their fortress-monastery on Macragge.The Legion War (ca. M31) - The banished Traitor Astartes fight among themselves within the Eye of Terror in a war for resources and slaves which further fractures the already broken Traitor Legions. In the culmination of the war, the Emperor's Children attack the Daemon World of Maeleum and raze the Sons of Horus' fortress, stealing the body of their Primarch Horus and vanishing into the Warp.The Long War Begins (ca. Early M31) - Thirsty for revenge, the Chaos Space Marines strike out against the Imperium from the depths of the Eye of Terror. The Adepts of the Administratum are horrified to find that the number of their invasions consistently increases with every passing solar decade.
Chaos Space Marines - Unit Composition: The Adeptus Astartes were created as the Emperor's ultimate fighting force. Implanted with the gene-seed of the Primarchs, the Space Marines stand seven Terran feet tall, with thickened bones, two hearts, hyper-dense muscles and all manner of special organs that allow them to survive and fight in the most hostile conditions. They feel little pain and heal wounds at a remarkable rate.Their will is hardened by constant training and fighting, and they battle with dedication and zeal, brooking no hesitation, mercy or cowardice. All of these things combine with the best weaponry and armour in the galaxy to make the Space Marines the most fearsome warriors of the Imperium.The Chaos Space Marines have all of these strengths and skills as well, to which are added the power of Chaos and a brutal devotion to the Dark Gods. Ever since the Horus Heresy, Space Marines of every Legion and Chapter have been tempted by the path of Chaos, whether for selfish reasons or great ideals.Sundered from the Imperium, having turned their backs on the Emperor, these warriors know that there can be no peace for them, neither forgiveness nor absolution. They are wholly committed to the path they now tread, for good or ill, and they can expect no quarter from former Battle-Brothers.The armament of the current Chaos Space Marines differs little from that of their Loyalist counterparts, for the weapons of the Adeptus Astartes are built to last. Boltguns, in various marks dating back ten thousand standard years, are their primary weapon, though squads that glorify close assaults and personal combat often favour Bolt Pistols and ritual knives, Chainswords or Chainaxes. There is little uniformity between squads; much of the organisation and structure of the force's former Legion or Chapter falls by the wayside as they turn to the path of Chaos.In place of appointed Sergeants, the Chaos Space Marines follow the strongest, boldest and most merciless of their brothers. These blood-soaked soldiers seek to become the favoured of the gods and eventually become mighty Chaos Champions themselves and so are known as Aspiring Champions.Their wargear varies dramatically and may include weapons taken as trophies from slain foes as well as arcane equipment carefully maintained since the Horus Heresy. It is the Aspiring Champions of these units that strive the hardest to gain recognition amongst the ranks of the Chaos Space Marines, spilling the blood of mighty foes in single combat in order to draw the gaze of the gods. A composition of a squad of standard Heretic Astartes is as follows:4-19 Chaos Space Marines1 Aspiring Champion
Chaos Space Marines - Wargear: Whether he be a Traitor from the prehistory of the Imperium or a Renegade turncoat from a more recent conflict, a Chaos Space Marine will find himself slowly reshaped by the eldritch powers he worships into a form that better echoes the darkness in his soul.The energies of the Warp will cause a Heretic Astartes warrior's flesh and blood to meld with his armour over time until they become one and the same, just as it conjoins his consciousness with the once-pure Machine Spirits of his wargear.As the years pass, a Heretic Astartes grown obsessed with death may find his helm transforming into a flayed skull that is fused to his own features, whilst one who seeks to glut himself on flesh finds his intestines mingling with the recycler cables of his power armour until he is a living engine of consumption.Often, these perverted anatomies echo the shapes and hues of the Daemon servants of the Ruinous Powers, marking the Chaos Space Marine as the property of his divine patron, body and soul. A Heretic Astartes commonly wields, but is not limited to, the following wargear:Power Armour (Any pattern)BoltgunBolt PistolFrag GrenadesKrak GrenadesChainsword (Optional replacement for Boltgun or for Aspiring Champion's Boltgun or Bolt Pistol)Autocannon (Optional replacement for one Traitor Marine's Boltgun or for 2 Traitor Marines if unit numbers more than 10 Heretic Astartes)Heavy Bolter (Optional replacement for one Traitor Marine's Boltgun or for 2 Traitor Marines if unit numbers more than 10 Heretic Astartes)Lascannon (Optional replacement for one Traitor Marine's Boltgun or for 2 Traitor Marines if unit numbers more than 10 Heretic Astartes)Missile Launcher (Optional replacement for one Traitor Marine's Boltgun or for 2 Traitor Marines if unit numbers more than 10 Heretic Astartes)Flamer (Optional replacement for one Traitor Marine's Boltgun or for 2 Traitor Marines if unit numbers more than 10 Heretic Astartes)Meltagun (Optional replacement for one Traitor Marine's Boltgun or for 2 Traitor Marines if unit numbers more than 10 Heretic Astartes)Plasma Gun (Optional replacement for one Traitor Marine's Boltgun or for 2 Traitor Marines if unit numbers more than 10 Heretic Astartes)Chainaxe (Optional replacement for Aspiring Champion's Boltgun or Bolt Pistol)Lightning Claw (Optional replacement for Aspiring Champion's Boltgun or Bolt Pistol)Plasma Pistol (Optional replacement for Aspiring Champion's Boltgun or Bolt Pistol, or for one Traitor Marine's Bolt Pistol)Power Fist (Optional replacement for Aspiring Champion's Boltgun or Bolt Pistol)Power Maul (Optional replacement for Aspiring Champion's Boltgun or Bolt Pistol)Power Sword (Optional replacement for Aspiring Champion's Boltgun or Bolt Pistol)
Chaos Space Marines - Chaos Space Marine Warbands: Save for a few Champions dedicated to the most pure service of Khorne, Chaos Champions do not live and fight alone. Other followers of Chaos are drawn to them, either through the will of the gods or through the draw of a Champion's own glory and reputation.These groups form the warbands of Chaos and they can vary in size from a handful of individuals to massive hosts that rival an Astra Militarum regiment in size and power. The most successful Chaos Champions command vast armies of devoted warriors.For Chaos Space Marines these warbands are mostly composed of comrades they fought alongside in their Traitor Legions or their Renegade Chapter. Yet it is not uncommon for Renegades with very different histories to find a common cause in their service to the Ruinous Powers, as Chaos recognises neither hierarchy nor structure, only results.These warbands compete with each other as much as they fight against xenos and the forces of the Imperium. Resources are precious and hard-won in the Eye of Terror and the Maelstrom and control of cities, continents and worlds is vital to the maintenance of power. Most valued over all other things is the favour of the Chaos Gods. Champions and their warbands must constantly prove their continued dedication to their patrons. The Chaos Gods are embodiments of the question "What have you done for me lately?"Champions earn rewards from their gods by destroying their patron's enemies and succeeding on obscure missions and quests. On the Daemon Worlds in the Eye of Terror, hundreds of warbands struggle in battle to best each other for possession of daemonic artefacts, ancient knowledge, weapons and war machines left over from the days of the Horus Heresy and from before the Fall of the Aeldari.They are pitched into eternal conflict as sacrifices to their gods and to earn the power to summon Daemons to their cause. When not battling one another, the warbands of Chaos Space Marines are a roving threat, for they are wandering bands of nomadic warriors intent only on slaughter and loot.From bases hidden in asteroid fields, upon the surfaces of deserted moons, and aboard painstakingly maintained starships that date back to the Great Crusade, they watch and wait for their prey to appear, gathering strength wherever a new blow can be struck against the despised Imperium of Man and its hated Corpse Emperor.
Chaos Space Marines - Ascension: In the end, every Chaos Champion faces one of three fates. A life of constant warfare is a dangerous one and most will die upon the field of battle, forgotten by their god as just another failure but immortalised in legend by their remaining followers and comrades. These Champions are nothing more than blood-soaked sacrifices to Chaos, their goals and ambitions forever unfulfilled.A Chaos Champion who survives the constant battles will slowly gain more and more favour from his chosen god. These rewards come in different forms. Some Champions may be "sent" more followers. Those with a taste for such things might learn potent spells of psychic sorcery, while all Champions will eventually exhibit strange, inhuman powers. Most of the "gifts" offered by the Chaos Gods take the form of physical and genetic changes -- mutations. Some mutations are beneficial, some harmless -- others downright debilitating.Though such changes can make a Chaos Champion a fearsome warrior, he risks receiving so many such "gifts" and becoming so mutated that he loses all control of himself and degenerates into the hideous creature known as a Chaos Spawn. Even the superhuman, genetically-engineered body of an Astartes can only withstand so much genetic corruption and contain only so much unnatural power.When this limit is finally breached, the Space Marine or other Champion will be lost forever, transformed into a gibbering and mindless Chaos Spawn. Driven insane, Chaos Spawn are nothing more than mindless, howling monsters of tortured, mutated flesh. Most die quickly and painfully, their bodies ripped apart by cascading and uncontrollable mutations as the power of Chaos is made wholly manifest within them.Of those who do not die instantly upon surpassing the limit of the Chaos power that their bodies can withstand, some are abandoned by their warbands to wander the Daemon Worlds until they are slain, while others are kept as pets and war beasts by those who were once their followers.But the third fate of a Chaos Champion is the reward to which all devotees of Chaos dedicate themselves: ascension to Daemonhood. The Champion's ultimate reward is ascension to become a Daemon Prince of his patron god. His flesh is transformed into the immaterial substance of the Warp and his mortal life is entirely cast aside.A follower of Chaos who ascends to become a Daemon Prince is an immortal and all-powerful warrior who will serve his god for all eternity and never know death or fear again. Some Daemon Princes leave their mortal followers behind and join the nightmare hosts of the Daemons of Chaos to plague worlds across the gulfs of space and time as embodiments of the power of their gods. Others choose to remain the leaders of their warband, now granted an eternity to bask in the adoration of their minions and, perhaps, earn even greater, unimaginable power from the Dark Gods they serve so well.
Chaos Space Marines - The Fickle Aegis of the Warp: Much like the daemonic entities made from the essences of the Ruinous Powers, those wholly claimed by Chaos have a kind of esoteric protection that can protect them from physical blows. A Chaos Space Marine who has sworn his soul to one of the Dark Gods may find an incoming bolt transmuted into scarlet liquid at the last moment, or see a volley of incoming bullets hit home as a shower of writhing grubs.A Lascannon beam -- potent enough to punch through the hull of a tank -- might simply pass through a Warp-claimed Champion as if he was no more substantial than a phantasm. Similarly a plasma bolt might be caught in an outstretched gauntlet, twisted into a ball of fire, and then consumed by the target without harm.Truly it is said that the favoured of the Ruinous Powers are part Daemon, for they are supernatural terrors to a man. However, it is just as likely that the empyric forces which protect them from the vagaries of fate will do precisely nothing at a critical moment, especially if the recipient has come to take them for granted. In such contradictions do the Chaos Gods find humour and justice alike.
Chaos Space Marines - Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions: Each of the 9 Heretic Astartes Traitor Legions fights using a different style of warfare that is defined by their Legion's culture and their primarch's nature; also, 4 of the 9 -- the Emperor's Children, the World Eaters, the Thousand Sons and the Death Guard -- are dedicated specifically to the service of one of the four major Chaos Gods, Slaanesh, Khorne, Tzeentch and Nurgle, respectively.The other five Traitor Legions essentially serve the interests of all of the Ruinous Powers collectively in the form of Chaos Undivided.The 9 Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions who joined the rebellion of the Warmaster Horus against the Emperor, fully one half of the original  Space Marine Legions are, in order of their Founding:Legion NumberPrimarchLegionLoyaltyPrimarch StatusIIIFulgrimEmperor's ChildrenTraitor (Slaanesh)Alive (Daemon Prince)IVPerturaboIron WarriorsTraitor (Chaos Undivided)Alive (Daemon Prince)VIIIKonrad Curze (Night Haunter)Night LordsTraitor (Chaos Undivided)DeadXIIAngronWorld EatersTraitor (Khorne)Alive (Daemon Prince) Currently banished to the WarpXIVMortarionDeath GuardTraitor (Nurgle)Alive (Daemon Prince)XVMagnus the RedThousand SonsTraitor (Tzeentch)Alive (Daemon Prince)XVIHorusBlack LegionTraitor (Chaos Undivided)DeadXVIILorgarWord BearersTraitor (Chaos Undivided)Alive (Daemon Prince)XXAlpharius OmegonAlpha LegionTraitor (Chaos Undivided), possibly still LoyalistUnknown
Chaos Space Marines - Emperor's Children: The Emperor's Children were one of the earliest of the Space Marine Legions to declare itself for Horus and his Traitors, fighting at his side against its own Loyalists during the Istvaan III Atrocity and against the Loyalist Legions during the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V.The IIIrd Legion and its Primarch Fulgrim had been corrupted following its encounter with the Slaanesh-worshipping xenos race known as the Laer and their world of Laeran late in the Great Crusade. The rot spread quickly through the Legion, and the Emperor's Children embraced Chaos, particularly the Prince of Pleasure, in all its depravity.Little trace can now be seen of the original armour and equipment of the Emperor's Children, covered as it is by skins of iridescent fur or scales, jewels, or the fantastical renderings of screaming faces or rutting beasts. The Emperor's Children fight for sensation and sensory overload, bringing a clashing cacophony of sound, colour, and energy to the battlefield.
Chaos Space Marines - Iron Warriors: The Iron Warriors once formed the Emperor's legion of siege troops. They fought on a hundred worlds in the Great Crusade, laying siege to alien citadels and the palaces of Renegades with equal gusto. The Iron Warrior's Primarch, Perturabo, excelled in the arts of siege and trench warfare above all else, and his treatise on fortifications and their reduction formed the basis of several sections of the Tactica Imperialis.The Iron Warriors betrayed the Emperor on Istvaan V, their mazes of bunkers and razor wire becoming a death trap for their Loyalist brethren instead of the sanctuary they promised to be. The Iron Warriors wear relatively unadorned armour that is commonly pieced together from the older marks for its heavier frontal protection.They favour heavy weaponry like Lascannons or Missile Launchers for long-range engagements, although well-equipped Iron Warriors Assault Squads are also rightly feared. The Iron Warriors also possess the highest number of Obliterators amongst the Traitor Legions.
Chaos Space Marines - Night Lords: Led by their saturnine Primarch, Konrad Curze (also known as the "Night Haunter") the Night Lords were greatly feared even before the Heresy. Curze believed in the use of terror as a weapon and his foes quickly learned to fear the night.The Night Lords were one of the first Legions to join Horus' rebellion, turning on what they saw as a weak-willed Emperor incapable of the strength required to lead and govern the galaxy effectively. Even after the Warmaster's defeat, the Night Lords have continued to wage an unremitting campaign of terror against the Imperium.The Night Lords refuse to follow any of the Chaos Gods, and have become cynical, hard-bitten, and frighteningly ruthless warriors. They fight for the pleasure of it, and for the material rewards it can bring, and not for the worship of some deity. They look down upon their more dedicated brethren, whether they are fanatical Chaos Space Marines like the World Eaters, or zealous Loyalist Space Marines like the Dark Angels.
Chaos Space Marines - World Eaters: Under the Primarch Angron, the World Eaters underwent psycho-surgery that transformed an already fierce legion into bloodthirsty berserkers through the use of cortical implants known as the Butcher's Nails pioneered on their Primarch's homeworld of Nuceria.When they betrayed the Imperium, it was of little surprise that the vast majority dedicated themselves to Khorne. The XIIth Legion fractured after the Heresy, scattering into many small warbands across the galaxy that frequently serve as mercenaries to other Chaos commanders.As is fitting to their patron god, the World Eaters wear armour as red as arterial blood, edged with brass and decorated with skulls and symbols of Khorne. Most disdain long-ranged warfare, preferring to close with the enemy to kill them with Chainaxe, Power Sword, and (if need be) Bolt Pistols.
Chaos Space Marines - Death Guard: The Death Guard's sense of loyalty to the Warmaster and their Primarch Mortarion triumphed over their duty to the Emperor on distant Terra, and so, they unknowingly followed both into damnation. The rebel Death Guard Legion was marooned in the Warp during the long journey to Terra to join the attack on the Imperial Palace.A mysterious, unstoppable contagion spread through the trapped fleet, putrefying all it touched. Mortarion himself became infected and in his delirium he called upon the Powers of Chaos to aid his Space Marines. Mortarion's fevered ravings were answered by Nurgle, and Mortarion became Nurgle's foremost Daemon Prince.The Death Guard survived but they continue to bear the marks of Nurgle's first blessings upon them. Their once-white armour became stained and cracked where the bubbling foulness of their mortal bodies had erupted to the surface. They bear the three-lobed mark of Nurgle rendered as flies or rotting heads upon banners and shoulder guards.Their Bolters and Chainswords are caked with filth and rust but are no less deadly. The Death Guard favour the use of heavy infantry, particularly Plague Marines, and are notorious for their brutality. Plague and contagion have become the Death Guard's primary weapons and they can be found anywhere in the galaxy spreading Nurgle's foul blessings.
Chaos Space Marines - Thousand Sons: The path to damnation for the Thousand Sons Legion of Space Marines was longer than most, but its final plunge more complete than any. Even before the Horus Heresy the Thousand Sons' cyclopean Primarch Magnus the Red led his sons in the study of arcane lore and the practice of sorcery despite the Emperor's disapproval and the outright ban on such practices at the Council of Nikaea.When Horus gathered his forces the Thousand Sons tried to use their occult powers to warn the Emperor of the Warmaster's betrayal. The Emperor did not trust Magnus' warnings, disbelieving that Horus would betray Him, and seeing that Magnus had disobeyed him by using sorcery, He ordered the Thousand Sons' Primarch to be taken captive and brought in chains to Terra to answer for his disobedience.Leman Russ and the Space Wolves Legion were sent to escort the Thousand Sons' Primarch to Terra, but their mission was altered by Horus' scheming, which saw the destruction of the Thousand Sons' homeworld of Prospero. To survive and protect their accumulated wisdom, the Thousand Sons sought the patronage of the god Tzeentch, Changer of the Ways, greatest master of magic among the Chaos Gods.During the terrible battle known as the Burning of Prospero, Tzeentch transported Magnus and his surviving sons to the Daemon World in the Eye of Terror called the Planet of the Sorcerers. The surviving Thousand Sons have since been split by internal schisms, their pursuit of occult knowledge estranging them from each other and even their cyclopean Daemon Primarch.A cabal of renegade Sorcerers led by their once-Chief Librarian Ahriman unleashed a great sorcerous spell, known as the Rubric of Ahriman upon the Legion in order to prevent further mutation and corruption of its members by Chaos. This mighty spell reduced most of the Thousand Sons to soulless suits of animated armour known as Rubric Marines, but left the surviving Sorcerers unmatched in power.
Chaos Space Marines - Black Legion: In the First Founding the XVIth Legion was created as the Luna Wolves. The Emperor subsequently allowed His favoured son Horus to rename the Legion "the Sons of Horus" in recognition of his accomplishments in the Ullanor Crusade and in honour of its Primarch, who had been made the first among the Primarchs by his promotion to the rank of Warmaster.The Sons of Horus willingly followed their beloved Primarch and Warmaster into rebellion, fighting at the very forefront of his most important campaigns. The Sons of Horus stood out as the elite of the Chaos armies, with a very aggressive and efficient method of war -- the fielding of elite and specialised units to destroy enemy command and isolate divisions from one another -- methods upheld by the Legion still in the age of the Dark Imperium. During the Heresy massive recruitment of new Astartes from Cthonia occurred, giving the Legion numerical superiority to most other Space Marine Legions as well.When Horus was slain by the Emperor at the Battle of Terra, the Legion's morale and pride was shattered. After their defeat, the Black Legion and their fellow Traitor Legions were driven into the hellish realm of the Eye of Terror by the vengeful Imperial forces. Soon, the Sons of Horus lost their primacy as the preeminent Legion, as the Legion Wars ensued. This conflict marked the final collapse of unity between the Chaos-corrupted Space Marine Legions that had fought together under the banner of Horus Lupercal during the Horus Heresy.In their despair the Sons of Horus gave themselves to the worship of one Chaos Power after another, and lost many of their number through possession and madness. The Legion as a whole broke up after the events on Maeleum and now is largely fleet-based, with several bastions within the Eye.The Black Legion as it is known at present was formed shortly afterwards under the strong leadership of Abaddon the Despoiler, the former First Captain of the Sons of Horus originally known as Ezekyle Abaddon, who claimed Horus' mantle as the Warmaster of Chaos. Now all the leaders of the Black Legion warbands will, in varying degrees, answer to the Despoiler.As the Black Legion, the former Sons of Horus repainted their Legion colours to black in memory and permanent mourning of their fallen Primarch. The Black Legion is also known to recruit members from other Legions, bully them into alliances, demand tithes, and absorb renegades from newly formed Chaos warbands.In this way, the Black Legion has become the largest ilk of Chaos Space Marines, and has reclaimed is status of primacy among them. Daemonkin, Chaos Terminators, and Chosen have a strong presence in the Legion, corroborating their elite disposition. Its hardened survivors lead warbands against the Imperium to this day, eager to expunge the bitter memory of Horus' defeat.
Chaos Space Marines - Word Bearers: Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers Legion, was a scrupulous and dedicated follower of the Imperial Cult, and in many ways was the founder of the religion of Emperor-worship called the Lectitio Divinitatus that would one day become the Adeptus Ministorum.He led his XVIIth Legion in the building of vast monuments and immense rituals during the Great Crusade to secure the faith of those that were conquered in the God-Emperor. The Emperor rejected Lorgar's efforts however, telling him that He needed His Space Marines to fight, not worship, and to serve the secular ideology of the Imperial Truth which disdained all religion and superstition.Lorgar's disillusionment with the Emperor's impiety drove him to worship of the Chaos Powers during the Pilgrimage of Lorgar undertaken some 43 standard years before the start of the Horus Heresy, entities that truly demanded worship and sacrifice from their followers.When Horus raised his banner the Word Bearers, who had largely driven Horus into corruption by Chaos from behind the scenes through his schemes over the decades, eagerly followed him into rebellion along with a thousand hidden Chaos Cults they had established on the worlds they had brought into Imperial Compliance in the last days of the Great Crusade.The Word Bearers' fanatical zealotry has become dedicated to the worship of Chaos in its purest form, unadulterated by the veneration of any particular Chaos God over the others. In battle the Word Bearers are known to summon Daemons en masse, using them as a horde of deadly effective infantry troops while their Chaos Space Marines execute specific objectives.They are the only Traitor Legion that still maintains the rank of Chaplain, the darkly twisted individuals holding this office now known as Dark Apostles, and leading their brethren in heretical prayers and insane catechisms. Immense cathedrals and rune-etched monuments still rise in the wake of the Word Bearer's conquests, but now they are blasphemous dedications to the glory that is Chaos.
Chaos Space Marines - Alpha Legion: The Alpha Legion was the twentieth and final Space Marine Legion created in the First Founding. During the Great Crusade the XXth Legion earned renown for its strict discipline and organisation. The Alpha Legion strove hard to outshine its brethren in all things and prove their worthiness to be among the older Legions.The war-lust of the Alpha Legion easily led them into heresy when Horus declared himself against the Emperor, though some legends say that the Alpha Legion secretly remains loyal to the Emperor in perhaps the greatest of the many deceptions and ploys it has worked.Here at last was their chance to prove themselves against opponents just as tough, as battle hardened, and ferocious as themselves.The Alpha Legion did much to ravage the Eastern Fringe during the Heresy, pursuing their own set of objectives far from Terra. In the ten millennia since they have continued to strike from bases hidden all over the galaxy.Unusually the Alpha Legion actively cultivates Chaos Cultists and rebels, multiplying their impact many times over.The Inquisition holds a special loathing for the Alpha Legion for their part in spreading Chaos Cults and fanning the embers of heresy into the raging fires of outright rebellion.
Chaos Space Marines - Forces of Chaos: The "forces of Chaos" is an all-encompassing term that includes the Chaos Space Marines and all the other beings and entities who serve the Ruinous Powers of Chaos and make war upon the Imperium of Man and the many other intelligent races of the Milky Way Galaxy.Among their number are included the Traitor Legions and Renegade Space Marines, Human, mutant and alien Chaos Cultists, Traitoris Militarum, Traitor Titan Legions, Renegade Knights, the Tech-priests of the Dark Mechanicum, Chaos Spawn cannon fodder, and Daemons of every shape and level of power as well as countless other foul beings too horrific to be mentioned here.All of these forces can be led into battle by the Chaos Space Marines, who are collectively the most powerful mortal servants of the Ruinous Powers who have ever lived.
Chaos Space Marines - The Lost and the Damned: There are also many normal Humans and mutants who serve the Ruinous Powers as Chaos Cultists or belong to ancient Traitor regiments of the Imperial Army, Traitor regiments of the Astra Militarum, or the Dark Mechanicum.These groups joined Horus in his rebellion and then fled with the Traitor Legions into the Eye of Terror 10 millennia ago after Horus' defeat or were converted to the service of the Dark Gods in the long millennia since. These groups are often used by the Chaos Space Marines to bolster their ranks.These Traitors, mutants and Heretics are collectively labelled the "Lost and the Damned" by the Inquisition.
Chaos Spawn - Transformation into a Chaos Spawn: The Ruinous Powers are generous masters with their mortal servants, and a Champion of Chaos whose acts of worship pleases their patron(s) will soon bear the mark of their favours in their very flesh.Once a mortal has been singled out for special attention by one or more of the Chaos Gods, they will be granted one of the Marks of Chaos: the mark of their patron god for those Champions who devote themselves to one god in particular, or the Mark of Chaos Undivided for those who worship Chaos in its multitude of aspects. Once marked, the Chaos Champion is indefinitely and irrevocably doomed. A rare few will manage to sacrifice their mortality and soul to Chaos and ascend to the rank of Daemon Prince, and although this will grant them power beyond their wildest dreams, they will still be mere pawns in an even greater game.Many Champions will simply die, either in combat, or though the betrayal by one of their underlings keen on replacing them. The third and least appealing fate is that of being transformed into a Chaos Spawn.The Ruinous Powers are generous but uncaring with their gifts. Many such gifts will take the form of grotesque mutations in which the body of the Champion will begin taking on a form more pleasing to their god(s). While these mutations are often useful, the mortal body can only cope with a certain number of such changes at the genetic and physiological level. Once a certain threshold has been passed, the mortal mind will inevitably devolve into insanity.Without the mind keeping the rate of mutation somewhat in check through the application of willpower to hold off the debilitating effects of constant Warp exposure, the body will continue to mutate faster and faster until all that remains is a gibbering mass of swiftly mutating flesh, howling and hissing through many mouths and crawling forward on multiple twisted appendages with only the basest instincts of killing and feeding remaining in the shattered remnants of its tortured mind.Transformation into a Chaos Spawn occurs primarily to those long-serving Chaos Champions who are not deemed exceptional enough by their god(s) to warrant ascension to Daemonhood, although this horrible fate is also enforced on those Champions who fail spectacularly in the service of their patron(s) without having the dignity to die while doing so.Some Chaos Sorcerers also possess the ability to channel the raw energy of the Warp directly into their foe's bodies, transforming them into Chaos Spawn on the spot.Chaos Spawn often either kill or are killed on sight by anything they encounter, but the Lost and the Damned and the most starved for cannon fodder of Chaos warbands gather Chaos Spawn in herds and let them loose upon their opponents, using them as terrifying shock troops and living shields against the enemy.
Chaos Spawn - Giant Chaos Spawn: Chaos Spawn are drooling, insane creatures with no will. They come in all shapes and sizes, from dog-sized to man-sized creatures to huge monstrosities. All are foul, mutations left to run riot for the amusement of the Dark Gods, the ultimate expression of the fickle nature of Chaos.Giant Chaos Spawn are those creatures that have endured for standard centuries in this loathsome state, their mutations bloating and growing until the creature reaches monstrous proportions.Unfortunately for the cursed individual who survives long enough as a Spawn to reach this size, a Giant Chaos Spawn is all but impossible to kill, condemning it to an eternity of torment as a squealing mound of mutated limbs and churning fangs.
Chaos Spawn - Notable Chaos Spawn: Foulspawn - Foulspawn is a notable exception amongst Chaos Spawn as it is the only Chaos Spawn to ever be granted Daemonhood by its patron Chaos God. Once an unremarkable servant of Nurgle, the mortal now known only as Foulspawn finally devolved into a Chaos Spawn that resembles a huge, corrupted frog. It was gifted with many appendages and a long sticky tongue which it would use to catch its opponents like flies and swallow them whole. By some quirk of fate, the consumption of its enemies allowed Foulspawn to maintain something approximating sanity, which urged it on to selectively devour its patron's enemies. This amused Grandfather Nurgle greatly, so he elevated the Spawn to the rank of a Daemon Prince to keep such an entertaining tool intact for the rest of eternity.
Chaos Spawn - Unit Composition: 1-5 Chaos Spawn
Chaos Spawn - Wargear: Chaos Spawn are no longer capable of using weapons or technology. They attack the foe with their supernatural resilience and hideous mutations.
Chaos Terminator - Chaos Terminator: A Chaos Terminator is a Veteran Chaos Space Marine who wears a suit of Tactical Dreadnought Armour (Terminator Armour) and serves as one of the Traitor Legions' most powerful infantry shock troops.Sundered and cast out from the Imperium of Man, having turned their backs on the Emperor of Mankind, the Chaos Space Marines of the Traitor Legions know that there can be no peace for them, no forgiveness nor absolution. They are wholly committed to the path of damnation that they have trod for 10,000 standard years, for good or ill.These genetically-enhanced transhuman warriors have all the strengths and skills of their Imperial counterparts, to which are added the power of Chaos and a brutal devotion to their patron Chaos Gods.The armament of the Heretic Astartes differs little from that of the Loyalist Space Marines. They possess the same primary weapons: Bolter, Bolt Pistol, various heavy weapons, knife, sword or axe; but some also possess thousands of standard years of combat experience, which turn these warriors into nigh-unstoppable killing machines.The Chaos Space Marines also possess the dreaded and rightly feared Terminator Armour first deployed into the hands of the Space Marine Legions at the end of the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium. These highly coveted and rare suits of power armour are usually only worn by the Veteran Chaos Space Marines known as Chosen or an Aspiring Champion of Chaos.Since the time of the Horus Heresy the Chaos Terminators' brutal reputation as fearsome, unrepentant killers has spread throughout the galaxy.Chaos Terminators form the elite of their masters' Heretic Astartes warbands, for though they are ponderous compared to their standard Power Armour-clad comrades, nothing short of a dedicated anti-tank laser can stop a Terminator in full stride. These seasoned killers often act as the personal guards of an esteemed Champion of Chaos, enforcing the commands of their leader with pitiless efficiency and taking their pick of the spoils after each victory.They tend to be egotistical, brutish and crude, using their physical prowess and the favour of their lord to intimidate other members of their warband. Far from resenting such behaviour, most Chaos Space Marines simply plot to bring about the day when they can abuse such power for themselves.
Chaos Terminator - Horus Heresy: The development of Terminator Armour, as Tactical Dreadnought Armour eventually became known, was well underway by the time the Horus Heresy erupted in the early centuries of the 31st Millennium.These heavily armoured suits of power armour had become widely available by the time the Traitor Warmaster Horus struck at Isstvan III. According to fragmented records of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Terminator Armour was originally designed to become the ultimate Space Marine power armour, and was originally envisioned to replace the older suits.However, as the Horus Heresy drained the resources of the Imperium, Terminator exo-suits became increasingly rare, for they were exceptionally difficult to create and maintain. In addition, during most battles their bulk became a disadvantage against the lighter power-armoured warriors who easily outmanoeuvered them.These suits were still highly sought-after, however, as Terminator Armour proved adept at bloody, short-ranged battles waged in cramped conditions such as boarding actions and ship-to-ship engagements, hive cities and tunnel-fighting.
Chaos Terminator - Post-Heresy: After the Traitor Legions were driven from the realms of Mankind into the Eye of Terror, suits of Terminator Armour became even rarer among them.As each Legion of Chaos Space Marines fought one another for dominance in the endless internecine struggles for dominance or favour of their patron Chaos Gods, many of their most prized relics and artefacts of technology were lost due to attrition.As the Heretic Astartes further succumbed to the powers of the Warp, much of the organisation and structure of their former Astartes Legion or Chapter has disappeared.Therefore, suits of Terminator Armour have become their most prized wargear -- carefully maintained and guarded jealously by those fortunate few who have been in possession of these rare examples of advanced technology from a bygone era.
Chaos Terminator - Appearance: The armour of the Traitor Legions reflect the turbulent times of the Horus Heresy when older marks of power armour were used to replace losses, as well as scavenging and cannibalising armour from the battlefields. Often times they feature distinctive studded and riveted plasteel plates rather than the smoother ceramite armour of later designs.Many Chaos Space Marines individualise their armour with crests, horns, skulls and chains. Quite often a Chaos Space Marine's armour will have been changed by long exposure to the Warp -- possibly sprouting spines or bony ridges, become covered in a layer of scales, or flicker with coruscating Warp energy.Competition for new or replacement armour parts is especially fierce when it comes to Terminator Armour.
Chaos Terminator - Status: Chaos Terminators stand in great favour with the leader of their warband. Many of them are Aspiring Champions of Chaos who have left their brethren to elevate themselves in the eyes of the Ruinous Powers.The scarcity of Terminator Armour is such that sometimes an Aspiring Champion can only claim a suit for himself by killing the current wearer through ritual combat or by more devious means.Chaos Terminators are often employed as the elite personal guard of an esteemed Chaos Champion. Within the Chaos Space Marine warband they are the ones who enforce the will of their leader and are granted the pick of the spoils of victory.
Chaos Terminator - Unit Compoisition: 4-9 Chaos Terminators1 Chaos Terminator Champion
Chaos Terminator - Sources: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pp. 28, 94Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pg. 40Codex Heretic Astartes - Chaos Space Marines (8th Edition), pp. 64, 99, 107, 110, 114-115, 137Codex: Khorne Daemonkin (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Chaos Terminators"Warhammer Community - Chaos Terminators 8th Edition (Image)Chaos Space Marine ForcesCommandChaos Lord • Exalted Champion •  Chaos Champion • Aspiring Champion • Sorcerer Lord • Daemon Prince • Daemon Prince of Nurgle • Daemon Prince of Tzeentch • Death Guard LordSpecialistsExalted Sorcerer • Sorcerer • Warpsmith • Dark Apostle • Master of Possession • Master of Executions • Lord Discordant • Warsmith • Death Guard Sorcerer • Lord of Contagion • Malignant Plaguecaster • Plague Surgeon • Tallyman • Scarab Occult Sorcerer • Scarab Occult TerminatorsTroopsChaos Space Marines • Havocs • Chosen • Chaos Terminators • Possessed • Greater Possessed • Khorne Berzerkers • Plague Marines • Noise Marines • Rubric Marines • Obliterators • Mutilators • Chaos Spawn • Fallen Angels • Noxious Blightbringer • Foul Blightspawn • Biologus Putrifier • Blightlord Terminators • DeathshroudFast AttackChaos Space Marine Bikers • Chaos Space Marine Raptors • Warp TalonsChaos DreadnoughtsHelbrute • Ferrum Infernus Dreadnought • Chaos Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought • Sonic Dreadnought • Berserker Dreadnought • Leviathan DreadnoughtVehicles and Daemon EnginesChaos Rhino • Chaos Predator • Infernal Relic Predator • Chaos Vindicator • Chaos Land Raider • Chaos Land Raider Proteus • Infernal Relic Land Raider Achilles • Land Raider Hades Diabolus • Relic Sicaran Battle Tank • Maulerfiend • Forgefiend • Defiler • Brass Scorpion • Blood Slaughterer • Blight Drone • Foetid Bloat-drone • Kytan • Plague Hulk • Venomcrawler • Myphitic Blight-haulerHeavy Vehicles and Daemon EnginesSpartan Assault Tank • Fellblade • Decimator • Typhon Heavy Siege Tank • Lord of Skulls • Death Wheel • Plaguereaper • Plagueburst Crawler • Silver Tower of TzeentchAircraftHeldrake • Stormbird • Thunderhawk • Chaos Storm Eagle • Chaos Fire Raptor • Hell Blade • Hell Talon • Harbinger • Chaos Dreadclaw • Kharybdis Assault Claw •  Fire Lord •  Doom WingSummoned DaemonsBloodletters • Plaguebearers • Horror of Tzeentch • Daemonette • Nurglings • Beast of Nurgle • Plague Drone • Flamer • ScreamerLost and the DamnedChaos Cultists • Poxwalkers • Pestigor • Plague Zombies • Plague Ogryn • Thrall Wizard • Tzaangor • Tzaangor Enlightened • Tzaangor Shaman • Dark DiscipleChampionsMagnus the Red • Mortarion • Abaddon the Despoiler • Kharn the Betrayer • Typhus • Ahriman • Huron Blackheart • Fabius Bile • Cypher • Haarken Worldclaimer • Invocatus