vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Jupiter - Orbitals: Kadal - Kadal was a satellite munitions fortress and one of the primary reserves of fleet ordnance in the Sol System. A lump of ultra-hard nickel-iron ore, it had taken the Mechanicum two solar decades to excavate, and another decade to graft the fortress structures within. Nova shells, torpedo warheads, macro shells, propellant and explosive precursors, all lay in vibration and temperature-controlled dark at the core of the rock. When a warship needed rearming it would approach and hold anchor away from Kadal. Barges would then shuttle the munitions load out and return. Nothing and no one approached closer than several thousand kilometres; anything that tried was greeted by Kadal's formidable defences. When dealing with enough destructive material to crack open a moon, there were no acceptable risks. During the later years of the Horus Heresy at the opening phase of the Solar War, the Alpha Legion instigated an anti-Imperial revolt and Kadal was subsequently destroyed.Saros Station - Located in a geosychronous orbit above Jupiter's Great Red Spot was a vast spindle, which appeared like a massive crystal chandelier, bathed in the constant crimson glow. Saros was a resort platform where the Jovian elite could find respite and diversion from the works of the shipyards and manufactoria. It was said that only the Venus orbitals could surpass Saros Station for its luxury. It was outfitted with avenues of gold and silver, acres of null-gee gardens and auditoriums; and the finest opera house outside the Imperial Palace.
Justaerin - Justaerin: The Justaerin were one of two distinct sub-formations within the elite 1st Company of the Luna Wolves and later the Sons of Horus Legion.Led by the Legion's First Captain Ezekyle Abaddon, the Justaerin were the pride of the XVIth Legion, sporting their signature black armour, which denoted their specialisation in harrowing actions, shock assaults and strategic decapitation strikes. Tasked with forming the "point of the spear" for the XVIth Legion, they went where the fighting was thickest, their attack directed usually at destroying the heart of an opposing target or conducting the decapitation strike of an enemy force.Early proponents of the use of Tactical Dreadnought Armour, many Justaerin entered combat as Terminators, relying on the resilience this gave them to smash aside any resistance and close in for the kill.
Justaerin - Wargear: Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour (Justaerin Warplate)Combi-Bolter (Twin-linked Bolter) Grenade HarnessKrak GrenadesFrag GrenadesPower Weapon - The Justaerin wield a personal Power Weapon of any type for close combat.
Justaerin - Sources: Horus Heresy: Collected VisionsIndex Astartes IV, "Sons of Horus - The Black Legion Space Marine Legion"The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 70, 245, 248-249The Horus Heresy - Book Two: Massacre (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 57White Dwarf 268 (US), "Abaddon the Despoiler" and "Index Astartes First Founding: Sons of Horus, The Black Legion Space Marine Chapter"Horus Rising (Novel) by Dan AbnettFalse Gods (Novel) by Graham McNeillGalaxy in Flames (Novel) by Ben CounterFulgrim (Novel) by Graham McNeillAge of Darkness (Anthology) edited by Christian Dunn, "Little Horus" by Dan Abnett
Justertii - Justertii: JustertiiJericho ReachT'auBlack ReefOnce an Aeldari "Maiden World" -- a planet seeded long ago by the Aeldari for future settlement -- Justertii is now a desolate waste studded with the blasted remains of Aeldari wraithbone structures.None can tell what fate befell the world and caused it to become a rogue far from whatever star must have birthed it. To date, both Imperial and T'au scouts have logged the existence of the world, yet it appears to be subject to some unfathomable process that causes it to vanish from the void and to reappear elsewhere.Any vessel closing on the rogue Maiden World finds itself trailed by ghostly augur returns and those that continue on their course invariably fall prey first to minor systems outages and, should they continue, crippling failures.The Chamber of Vigilance of Watch Fortress Erioch has debated the matter of Justertti and determined to investigate the sightings, yet it lies a great distance from any Deathwatch holding, making any mission unlikely in the near future.
Justin D. Hill - Justin D. Hill: Justin D. Hill is an author for Games Workshop's Black Library imprint.
Justin D. Hill - Cadia: Cadia Stands (2017, ISBN 1-78496-668-1)Cadian Honour (2018, ISBN 1-78193-983-7)Traitor Rock (2021, ISBN 1-78999-936-7)The Battle for Hive Markgraaf (Short Story) (Collected in Lords and Tyrants (Anthology) and The Hammer and the Eagle: Icons of Warhammer (Anthology))
Justin D. Hill - Deathwatch: Deathwatch: Deadhenge (Short Story) (Collected in Deathwatch: Ignition (Anthology))
Justin D. Hill - Gaunt's Ghosts: The Tomb of Vichres (Short Story) (2021, collected in Sabbat War (Anthology))
Justin D. Hill - Legends of the Dark Millennium: Last Step Backwards (Short Story) (2017, collected in Legends of the Dark Millennium: Astra Militarum (Anthology))Lost Hope (Short Story) (2017, collected in Legends of the Dark Millennium: Astra Militarum (Anthology))The Battle of Tyrok Fields (Short Story) (2017, collected in Legends of the Dark Millennium: Astra Militarum (Anthology))
Justin D. Hill - Necromunda: Terminal Overkill (2019, ISBN 1-78193-989-6)Sludge Harbour Payback (Short Story) (2020, collected in Uprising (Anthology))
Justin D. Hill - Space Marine Battles: Storm of Damocles (2016, ISBN 1-78496-147-7)
Justin D. Hill - Warhammer Horror: The Confession of Convict Kline (Short Story) (2019, collected in Invocations (Anthology))Hab Fever Lockdown (Short Story) (2020, Collected in Anathemas (Anthology))The Bookkeeper's Skull (2022, ISBN 1-78999-831-X)
Juvjk - Juvjk: Juvjk is the name of the dialect of Low Gothic spoken on the Death World of Fenris, the homeworld of the Space Wolves Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. The language is the everyday tongue spoken by the Human tribes of Fenris and the Space Wolves Astartes raised up from among them.In Juvjk, the Space Wolves are known as the Vlka Fenryka or "Wolves of Fenris."
Jâluk - Jâluk: Jâluk was a Hold World of the Ymyr Conglomerate of the Leagues of Votann that was lost to a Warp Storm.
Jâluk - History: The tragic fall of the Hold World of Jâluk remains a cautionary tale to all those Brôkhyr tempted by wild experimentation. Only one gilded armour crest, the Last Crest of Jâluk, was recovered from the Warp Storm-lost planet, pristine and seemingly untouched by the Warp-madness that surrounded it. Its protective powers extend to its bearer, as does the weight of responsibility to prevent such a tragedy befalling their own hold.
K'Nib - K'Nib: The K'Nib (sometimes spelled K'nib) are a xenos race of which almost nothing is known.According to Radical Inquisitor Maturin Ralei, who studied an artefact of unknown material and function related to this species, they have ten limbs.
K'Nib - History: There is speculation amongst Imperial savants that the K'Nib were one of the many potential warrior races nurtured by the Old Ones during their ancient war against the Necrons and their C'tan masters.Imperial records make passing references to the "festering clawed fiends of K'Nib" or the "festering soldiers of the K'Nib," which imply this species uses the Clawed Fiends from the Donorian Sector of the Segmentum Tempestus as shock troops in their campaigns in this region.For at least three solar decades they plagued this sector, invading Imperial worlds such as Prospero Colony in 415.M41 and Assumptus V in 445.M41.The ravages of the K'Nib in the Donorian Sector were halted by a Deathwatch Kill-team commanded by Battle Brother Artemis of the Mortifactors Chapter following a request for aid from the colonel of the Kaslon Astra Militarum regiment.Artemis slew the Alcayde of the K'Nib on Assumptus V and ended their incursions into Imperial space (though official records credit the Kaslon regiment with this victory, for which it was awarded the title of Hero of the Donorian Sector).At some later point in the 41st Millennium, Imperial Navy Admiral Bregant de Corte fought the K'Nib, and his masterful strategy halted their invasion of the Sulacus Rim.
Ka'Bandha - Ka'Bandha: Ka'Bandha is a Greater Daemon of the Blood God Khorne, known as a Bloodthirster. Ka'Bandha is recognised as amongst the most powerful and most feared of the Blood God's servants and he played an important role during the events of the Horus Heresy when he became the enduring nemesis of the Primarch Sanguinius and his IXth Legion.He was also responsible for the destruction of the majority of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Leviathan after the formation of the Great Rift in 999.M41 during the Devastation of Baal that saved the Blood Angels Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, his most hated foes, from annihilation.Ka'Bandha was determined that only he, and he alone, would be afforded the pleasure of bringing the sons of Sanguinius to their final ruin.
Ka'Bandha - Battle of Khartas: The vile Greater Daemon would not be seen again until 10,000 standard years later. In the year 999.M41, Ka'Bandha returned from the darkness of the Immaterium at the head of a mighty Daemonic host at his command, striking a blow against his hated enemies, the Blood Angels, upon the world of Ammonai, the outermost planet of the Baal System.To compound matters, a tendril of Hive Fleet Leviathan was on a direct course for the Blood Angels' homeworld of Baal. Faced with the dual threat, the Blood Angels' Chapter Master, Commander Dante, made hasty preparations, uniting both Imperial and non-human worlds in a desperate bid for survival. Even with such a substantial host at his command, Dante knew that it would not be enough to repel both the Daemonic onslaught and the Tyranids.Therefore, he recalled the Blood Angels' 3rd Company from Armageddon and sent requests for aid to the Blood Angels' Successor Chapters. Despatching their full fighting strength, the Flesh Tearers were the first to respond without hesitation.Ultimately, all of the sons of Sanguinius save for the Lamenters lent aid to their progenitors. Even the Renegade Chapter, the Knights of Blood, heeded the call, though they took great care not to fight alongside the other Successor Chapters.Ka'Bandha met his fate on the world of Khartas, where he was confronted by The Sanguinor, the Exemplar of the Host, the legendary protector of the Blood Angels. The Daemon and the angel fought a mighty battle, reminiscent of the combat fought thousands of standard years before during the Battle of Terra at the Eternity Gate.Both combatants took a multitude of terrible wounds, neither willing to acquiesce to the other's victory. Worn and weary, the Sanguinor's light shone a bit dimmer and the Greater Daemon's foul black-ichor oozed from a score of wounds.Weaponless, the two combatants confronted one another for the final time. In a desperate act, the Sanguinor hurled himself towards the mighty Bloodthirster and hauled the foul creature high into the atmosphere, his Jump Pack blazing. As Ka'Bandha reigned bludgeoning blows down upon him, the Sanguinor ignored them, flying higher into the sky until the air began to thin.Only then did he release his hold on the Daemon Lord. His wings rendered broken and useless, the Greater Daemon plummeted from the heavens like a meteor, until finally he impacted with the surface of the planet.Lying in a massive crater, his body broken beyond repair, Ka'Bandha's spirit was cast back into the Warp to grovel at the feet of the Blood God's Throne of Skulls. As for the Sanguinor, he vanished in the final moments of the battle, leaving the field as mysteriously as he had arrived.
Ka'jagga'nath - Ka'jagga'nath: Ka'jagga'nath the Unbound, known as the Lord of the Bloodtide, is a Bloodthirster, a Greater Daemon of the Blood God Khorne who unleashed a murderous daemonic infection upon the people of the Imperial world of Van Horne. Little is known of this powerful Daemon Lord other than his ability to summon forth a great corrupting wave known as the Bloodtide. What the Bloodtide truly consists of is as unfathomable as the goals of Ka'jagga'nath himself, and some say that it is blood given purpose or perhaps pure unbridled Warp energy. Others even claim it to be a machine or weapon of ancient and unholy design. The truth may never be known, but some dedicated servants of Khorne have been able to obtain a fraction of this power, conjuring some dark facsimile of the fabled Bloodtide to wash away those that stand in the path of Khorne's plans.
Ka'jagga'nath - History: In the year 876.M41, within the Basilica of St. Mariel on the Imperial world of Van Horne, an ancient prison was accidentally damaged during renovations. A forgotten stasis-reliquary within the basilica contained the spirit of the infamous Bloodthirster Ka'jagga'nath, the Lord of the Bloodtide. Breaking free of his imprisonment and possessing the body of one of the workers to serve as his Daemonhost, the Greater Daemon unleashed a tide of gore, which washed through the basilica, corrupting everything and everyone it touched. The Emperor's most virtuous servants were soon afflicted with the murderous gall-fever that rendered them into homicidal maniacs. They roamed the nearby streets to abduct hapless innocents and sacrifice them upon a desecrated altar of blood. In an orgy of destruction that lasted 8 days and nights, the ensuing carnage attracted more and more daemons through to Van Horne from the Warp as the local barrier between the Empyrean and realspace weakened. Within only a matter of days, the Bloodtide would have corrupted the entirety of the planet. On the morning of the ninth day, the Battle-Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas' Order of the Ebon Chalice assaulted the basilica, resulting in some of the Sisters being corrupted by the malefic Bloodtide. The survivors endured valiantly but were soon slaughtered by a horde of Bloodletters that had taken up positions atop the basilica's walls. The Bloodtide only abated with the arrival of the Grey Knights' 4th Brotherhood on Van Horne.Turning their blades upon the surviving Battle-Sisters, the Grey Knights sated their blades in their innocent blood, effectively turning their weapons and armour into talismans of purity. The Grey Knights were then shielded from spiritual infection by the goreflood of the Bloodtide and were able to make their way into the heart of the cursed basilica. Led by a trio of their Chapter's formidable Librarians, who enunciate the cants of cleansing to repel the Bloodtide wherever they tread, the Grey Knights found the Greater Daemon at the centre of the building's rotten heart. Ka'jagga'nath was only defeated by the valiant sacrifice of the 4th Brotherhood's Champion, Ordan. Before the Bloodthirster's spirit could escape its broken body, the Grey Knights cast its foul soul back into the Empyrean, which also banished the Bloodtide and the summoned daemons back with it as part of a powerful psychic backwash.
Kabal - Kabal: A Kabal of the Drukhari is an autonomous military organisation that exists somewhere in the gray zone between a criminal cartel, a pirate fraternity and a noble household for that sadistic Aeldari kindred.Their numbers are made of sadists, slavers, torturers, murderers and thieves. Kabals are in a state of constant conflict, their webs of alliances and rivalries ever­shifting in Commorragh's brutally meritocratic and labyrinthine political landscape.Though forever set at each other's throats by the fractious nature of Drukhari society, the Kabals form the primary military strength of the Dark City of Commorragh, and are largely responsible for the constant flow of slaves upon which the Dark City feeds and depends for its people's continued survival.The Kabals occupy the upper tiers of Commorragh's power structure, defining the martial aspect of the  Drukhari and maintaining a stranglehold on all aspects of the Dark City.Even the most minor Kabals consist of hundreds of Drukhari, though their territories may be confined to hidden locations and scattered hideouts.The baleful influence of these monstrous coalitions stretches from one side of the galaxy to the other. The largest Kabals comprise millions of skilled Kabalite Warriors, and have galaxy-wide influence thanks to their endless stream of slave raids and rampant, blood-soaked piracy.In the murderous society of Commorragh, Drukhari with aspirations for enormous power -- which is the overwhelming majority -- will easily make enemies and draw unwanted attention. This makes them vulnerable, and makes reaching the heights they wish to achieve almost impossible.Thus, most Drukhari wish to join a Kabal, though competition is fierce and the initiation rites extremely bloody. Within a Kabal there is the safety of numbers and a ladder of hierarchy they can climb.An attack on a Kabalite Warrior is seen as an attack on them all, and so a modicum of order is maintained -- Kabals will not make dangerous enemies unless they see their own position as being strong enough to withstand the potential fallout.This does not mean, however, that particular individuals in a rival Kabal cannot, or should not, be eliminated, it just means that the way in which they are removed has to be more subtle. So does this power structure incentivise murder by subterfuge and careful scheming.Due to the continuous stream of fresh  recruits, the large quantity of a Kabal's number that are outside Commorragh on raids and the networks of escape routes and secondary bases they employ, it is almost impossible to wipe out a Kabal in its entirety.Only Asdrubael Vect, the supreme overlord of Commorragh, has the power and influence to carry out such an action without triggering city-wide outrage or a cascade of successive skirmishes, as the webs of Kabal alliances declare war on each other in the aftermath.Nonetheless, Vect ensures that gang warfare remains rife throughout Commorragh, claiming the weak and raising the strong.
Kabal - Genesis of the Kabals: Drukhari society once revolved around a small number of Aeldari noble houses. The scions of these aristocratic institutions plumbed the depths of hedonism that led to the Fall of the Aeldari. The Commorrite nobility jealously guarded their positions, seeking out and killing any who threatened them or questioned their primacy.The central mass of Commorragh -- a mind-boggling metropolis of skyscrapers, archshrines, palatial spires and pleasure temples -- was the province of the noble houses alone. Entry could be gained only by birthright, and elitism was a way of life. So it was for several millennia after the Fall.The society of Commorragh remained as stagnant and corrupt as its ancient masters. In all likelihood it would have continued to do so indefinitely, had it not been for a young warrior-slave by the name of Asdrubael Vect, who brought the old order of the Drukhari nobility crashing down.Vect's own warrior-clique -- or "Kabal" -- had prepared for their founder's ascension, seeding their agents into every aspect of Drukhari civilisation throughout Commorragh and beyond.In the wake of Vect's uprising, the fickle Drukhari adopted the Kabalite system with an enthusiasm born of self-preservation. Sensing which way the wind was blowing, even the surviving Drukhari noble houses reinvented themselves as Kabals in their own right, though in their hearts they still covet the notion of their inherent superiority because of birth as Trueborns.Yet none can deny that the Kabalite system has gone from strength to strength. Power is no longer inherited in Commorragh, it must be fought for and taken by force. The authors of the Dark City's fate are those who wield the sharpest minds and blades alike, the precarious nature of their position ensuring complacency can never take root.
Kabal - Order from Anarchy: In a society as treacherous as that of the Drukhari, a single power-hungry individual soon makes enemies. It is never long before the loner finds a dagger at his throat or feels nerve-searing poison flowing through his veins.Only those affiliated to larger organisations enjoy any degree of security; there is safety in numbers, they say, and even in the shadow-haunted twilight realms of the Dark City this remains true.To kill a Kabalite is to commit a hostile action against an entire Kabal. Regardless of status, sect or species, few Commorrites are prepared to make such an influential enemy without good reason, and those who do must ensure they have powerful friends of their own to protect them against the inevitable vicious retribution.Competition for Kabalite membership is beyond fierce, despite the varied and often violent initiation rites that must be undergone. The constant supply of fresh aspirants means that the Kabals themselves enjoy a kind of loose immortality.Each has the might to make its displeasure keenly felt should it be threatened or slighted. It is unusual for an entire Kabal to be wiped out altogether.Only the Supreme Overlord Asdrubael Vect can visit such a fate upon his enemies without triggering city-wide outrage or inviting punitive violence on a massive scale.Yet Vect ensures that Commorragh is eternally riven by gang warfare, and not a single night goes past in the Dark City without the streets echoing to running battles between Kabalite factions -- the archons of the Kabals do not care for the notion of peers.
Kabal - Sources: Black Crusade: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 344-345Black Crusade: Game Master's Kit (RPG), pp. 14-15Codex: Chaos Deamons (6th Edition), pg. 22Codex: Dark Eldar (3rd Edition), pg. 10Codex: Dark Eldar (3rd Edition, Revised), pg. 49Codex: Dark Eldar (5th Edition), pp. 5, 26, 62, 89Codex: Dark Eldar (7th Edition), pp. 23-40, 90-91, 158-160Codex: Drukhari (9th Edition), pg. 11Codex: Eldar (6th Edition), pg. 21Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 29, 38, 53, 64Codex: Space Wolves (5th Edition), pg. 19Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pg. 38Dark Heresy: Enemies Without (2nd Edition) (RPG), pg. 111Herald of Oblivion (A Path to Victory Gamebook) by Jonathan GreenOnly War: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 334White Dwarf 271 (UK), pg. 56Deathwing: Xenos Hunters (Anthology), "The Alien Hunters," by Andy ChambersIron Harvest (Short Story) by Guy HaleyPath of the Archon (Novel) by Andy ChambersTantalus (Short Story) by Braden CampbellOwlcat Games website - Rogue Trader Content Digest - Fourth Quarter of 2022Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (PC Game)Forge World - Tantalus
Kabal of the Black Heart - Kabal of the Black Heart: The Kabal of the Black Heart is the most powerful Drukhari kabal in Commorragh. The kabal is ruled over by the absolute power in the city -- the Supreme Overlord Asdrubael Vect himself.Living within lowering black spires at the heart of Commorragh, the Black Heart control many of the Webway routes that lead from the city and their pirate fleet is the largest of any kabal.They maintain this position of dominance by exacting a tithe of slaves and souls taken by other Kabals using the entry points they control. In the past, archons of other kabals have risen to prominence and challenged Vect for control of the city. These kabals no longer exist.The Kabal of the Black Heart is the oldest and greatest of its kind. It is a vast and sprawling organisation, able to support numerous rival archons within its hierarchical structure. Each archon controls a separate faction within the Black Heart, and each vies fiercely with their rivals for the patronage of Supreme Overlord Vect. None brave outright murder, however, for only a fool would blunt one of Asdrubael Vect's favourite tools.So complete is his stranglehold upon Commorragh that none of these highly placed subordinate archons dare challenge the supreme overlord's supremacy in anything but the most private dreams or fantasies. Even then, they do so with caution, for it is said that Vect knows well the scent of treachery, and reads the minds of lesser mortals like an open book.This kabal's military strength is virtually unassailable. Countless thousands of Kabalite Warriors, Commorrite mercenaries and lethal gunships stand ready to exterminate their foes at the slightest crook of Vect's corpse-white finger. A cast-iron bond with the Wych Cult of Strife puts yet more might at the supreme overlord's fingertips, providing him with the closest thing the Dark City has seen to genuine allies.This union -- alongside the impossibly intricate web of spies and informers that Vect has scattered through every stratum of Commorragh, the kabal's standing compacts with multiple Haemonculus Covens, and secreted agents throughout the other kindreds of the wider Aeldari species -- means the Kabal of the Black Heart holds more power than several of their largest rivals combined.No action taken by or against the Kabal of the Black Heart is too small to elude Vect's notice, and with fractal genius he subtly influences every outcome. As such, when an archon of the Black Heart launches a raid into realspace, they do so with the knowledge that Vect's personal spies have assessed the battle to come, and the supreme overlord will have prepared counter-measures for each possible eventuality.Every Kabalite Warrior and archon in the kabal knows that they are under Vect's gaze, and that their slightest failings will incur his unquenchable fury. This is an exquisite motivator, and leads to vast soul harvests being carried out with flawless precision by the forces of the Black Heart.
Kabal of the Black Heart - Power at Any Cost: Asdrubael Vect began his days as a slave. Yet through pure guile and murderous ambition he eventually rose to become the leader of a militant organisation that dominates the Dark City to this day that he named the Kabal of the Black Heart.By the time Vect had established this powerbase, he had been recognised by the Trueborn aristocracy of the Drukhari as a genuine threat to their control of Commorragh. The Kabal of the Black Heart was opposed at all turns by the most influential of High Commorragh's ancient noble houses -- Xelian, Kraillach and Yllithian. So it was that Vect -- ever the master of turning foe against foe to his own advantage -- concocted a plan to bring the fury of the Imperium of Man to bear against his many enemies.So audacious was this scheme that, to the eyes of most, it would have seemed like a horrific gamble. This could not have been further from the truth. Every angle had been carefully considered, every necessary loyalty bought beyond any danger of doubt.Asdrubael Vect's plan to achieve ascendancy demonstrated that his mind was like some intricate and unstoppable clockwork machine -- by the time the plan had run its course, millions had been ground between its merciless gears. Vect, meanwhile, elevated himself to a position of total supremacy, borne to unimaginable heights upon an evergrowing mountain of cooling corpses.
Kabal of the Black Heart - Baiting the Trap: The seeds of Asdrubael Vect's conflict were sown in the area known as the Desaderian Gulf. This region of Wilderness Space was well known amongst the starfarers of Segmentum Tempestus for the number of craft that had disappeared within its boundaries.Unbeknownst to the Imperium, there existed a vast portal into a main artery of the Webway within Desaderian space, shielded by holofields that made it appear nothing more than a shimmer in the starlight.The Drukhari fleets preyed upon the Imperium's shipping lanes from within this veiled rent in reality. Yet they did so only rarely in order to escape retribution; the missing ships were considered acceptable losses or else written off by the Imperium’s scribes as bureaucratic errors.Vect's first overt move was to increase the frequency of these piratical raids tenfold. He made it his Kabal’s priority to capture every warship and invade every Human world within reach of the portal. He tore apart the Astra Militarum regiments garrisoning the planets of the Desaderian system, devastated their fortifications, and disappeared with his living bounty to the depths of the Dark City.Vect left nothing but ruin in his wake. The campaign saw the Kabal of the Black Heart grow rich in plunder, and though Vect’s detractors thought him a fool for antagonising the Imperium’s war engine, the raids continued apace.Eventually, as Vect had known they would, the Imperium reacted to the disappearances in the Desaderian Gulf. The strike cruiser Forgehammer -- a warship of the Salamanders Chapter -- was close enough to investigate, and Brother Captain Phoecus ordered his ship deep into the Desaderian Gulf.Like predators stalking their kill, Vect’s Kabalite fleet shadowed the Forgehammer, encircling it undetected before striking in overwhelming force. After a short but extremely violent skirmish, the Forgehammer was wreathed in a crippling haywire field and towed back to the Dark City.The furor that resulted from the capture of so many live Space Marines -- precious commodities for the arenas -- set the spires of High Commorragh aflame with intrigue. The noble houses could not be seen to permit the upstart Kabal to retain their prestigious prize. Before long Vect found his fleet dwarfed by the armada of Lord Xelian and the Forgehammer "confiscated."The Salamanders ship, still sheathed in a crackling haywire field, was dragged back to the spires of High Commorragh and tethered to Lord Xelian's stronghold, ready for dissection. Yet the noble lord had underestimated the Space Marines trapped within.Though the Forgehammer’s comms were inoperable, Captain Phoecus' gifted Librarian, Brother Hestion, had sent a psychic call for aid as soon as the ship's systems had been disabled. Hestion was acting as a living beacon for the rest of his Chapter; a beacon that was nestled deep within the spire-clustered confines of High Commorragh.
Kabal of the Black Heart - The Enemy of My Enemy is My Blade: When Lord Xelian sent his warriors to bring the Space Marines to his torture chambers, they were met with far sterner resistance than he had anticipated. The Drukhari carved through the hull of the strike cruiser with ease, but overpowering the Space Marines proved a far greater challenge.The Forgehammer was a sizeable warship, its every crawlspace and corridor fortified against boarding actions. The Space Marines were on familiar territory, and they fought with utter, unshakeable determination.After sustaining significant losses, Xelian changed tack, returning the salvage rights of the vessel to the Kabal of the Black Heart. After all, the Space Marines could always be seized later, once Vect's Kabal had born the brunt of their fury.Vect, ready for this move, casually played a waiting game. He systematically fed the least trustworthy elements of his Kabal into the guns of the Space Marines, eliminating them while buying time for the Imperium to respond.On the sixteenth solar day of the siege, the skies above Commorragh yawned wide. The Salamanders Chapter had homed in on Brother Hestion's psychic beacon. They found the Desaderian portal mysteriously unveiled, its guards slain and its controls locked out so that it could not close.The fury of the Imperium thundered from the crackling jade Webway portal directly above Archon Xelian's personal spire. Through it came ships bearing the heraldry of not only the Salamanders but also the insignia of the Howling Griffons and the Silver Skulls. The spectacle of their vertical entrance was jawdropping, even for the jaded Commorrites in the streets below.Two dozen Adeptus Astartes strike cruisers, each a bullish colossus of gothic architecture built for war, hammered through the wide-open portal into the skies above the Dark City with all guns blazing.At their heart was the battle barge Vulkan's Wrath, an immense hulk of a ship with broadside batteries that could flatten whole cities. Its prow was a vast ram that ploughed straight into the spire where Lord Xelian stood and obliterated him utterly.
Kabal of the Black Heart - Commorragh In Flames: Once their initial amazement had worn off, the Drukhari reacted swiftly. From nearby Port Shard came hundreds of exotic craft, each but a splinter next to the slab-like ships of the Imperium, but deadly nonetheless. Voidraven Bombers and Razorwing Jetfighters careened out of their towering hangars like bats pouring from a cave, descending in a great flock upon the Space Marine vessels.Even as the air-war erupted with pyrotechnic ferocity, each Strike Cruiser ejected a thunderous volley of Drop Pods. The tight-packed attack transports smashed down into the heart of the Kraillach Quarter, disgorging hundreds of Space Marines who were met by the stirring fury of the Dark City.The fighting spread like wildfire, and High Commorragh burned as the warriors of House Kraillach engaged the Space Marines in brutal battle. Hellions and Reavers screamed through the skies above the combatants, while Mandrakes crawled from the shadows and Scourges plunged down from on high. Raiders packed with Wyches skimmed through the Space Marine ranks, disgorging agile warrior acrobats whose blades clashed and sparked against the revving chainswords of their foes.Leading this brutal counterattack came Lords Kraillach and Yllithian, burning with outrage at this sudden defilement of their realm. Lord Kraillach cut a red swathe through the Adeptus Astartes, his blade drinking blood with every blow. Yet his rampage was brought to an abrupt end when a stray Dark Lance shot vaporised him where he stood.The patrician Lord Yllithian, meanwhile, found himself privileged to lead the charge alongside none other than Lelith Hesperax and her Wych Cult of Strife. The Space Marines were hurled into full retreat by this unstoppable assault.Yet Yllithian's appreciation of the spectacle was soured somewhat when Hesperax’s silvered blades burst through his chest, the ruins of his black heart skewered on their tips.Though the battle raged on for many solar hours, the deaths of Lords Xelian, Kraillach and Yllithian marked the triumphant conclusion to Asdrubael Vect's scheme. Their regeneration pacts with the Haemonculi went unfulfilled, for their remains were inexplicably dragged away into the shadows of Aelindrach by hissing Mandrakes.Though numerous, the Space Marines could not hope to defeat the entire Dark City roused to war. Yet after the mysterious collapse of the haywire field that imprisoned it, the Forgehammer made good its escape along with the bulk of the invading Space Marine forces.This, coupled with the devastation of High Commorragh, completed the humiliation of the old Drukhari noble families. Their lords were dead beyond recovery, their strongholds reduced to nothing but flaming wreckage.Into the yawning power vacuum stepped Asdrubael Vect and his Kabal of the Black Heart. Eschewing all pretence at innocence, Vect ensured that word of his machinations became public.All would know that to stand in the way of Asdrubael Vect meant certain death, and in the centuries that followed his grasp on power would inexorably tighten.
Kabal of the Black Heart - Notable Black Heart Kabalites: Asdrubael Vect - Supreme Overlord Asdrubael Vect is the senior, ruling archon of the Kabal of the Black Heart, the oldest and greatest of its kind in Commorragh. It was Vect who rose from his mundane life as a young Drukhari warrior-slave to bring the old order of the Drukhari nobility crashing down and instituted the Kabalite system of dark meritocracy that now governs the Dark City. So complete is Vect's stranglehold upon Commorragh that none of these highly-placed subordinate archons dare challenge the overlord's supremacy in anything but the most private dreams or fantasies. Even then, they do so with caution, for it is said that Vect knows well the scent of treachery, and reads the minds of lesser mortals like an open book.Valossian Sythrac - Valossian Sythrac of the Black Heart is a rare individual indeed -- one of an ever-diminishing clique of subordinate archons within the kabal to have consistently retained Supreme Overlord Asdrubael Vect's favour. Vect long ago grew bored of archons bearing news of the conquest of planets and star systems, for such mundane victories rarely last long in the grand scheme of things. Instead the supreme overlord rewards those with the wit to damage or topple entire galactic empires. Sythrac is such an individual -- his ongoing quest to assassinate each of the Imperium's most-vaunted heroes is a hot topic within Vect's courts. The practical applications of weakening the Imperium's command structure aside, Sythrac's tactic is to extinguish hope itself -- to rob the upstart Humans of those that they hold dear, and deprive them of the will to fight against the encroaching darkness. Every Drukhari finds a perverse delight in reminding the "lesser races" of their proper place in the galaxy; Valossian Sythrac makes it his life's work.
Kabal of the Broken Sigil - Kabal of the Broken Sigil: The Kabal of the Broken Sigil is one of the major Drukhari Kabals of the Dark City of Commorragh. The Broken Sigil takes its icon from the ancient Aeldari glyph Drethuchii, loosely translated into Low Gothic as "the Shattering of Harmony."Like its namesake, this Kabal is synonymous with discordance. Wherever order and prosperity abound, the Broken Sigil strike with overwhelming force, bringing confusion and despair to the most idyllic planets in the galaxy.Terror tactics are much beloved by the Kabalites of this sect, so much so that the Broken Sigil's overlord, Archon Xerathis, is looked down upon by his rivals for the predictability of his strategies.True enough, his Kabalites are not above blanket-bombing with hallucinogenic gas or hijacking communications channels to ensure their victims are frightened half to death before the invasion starts in earnest.Yet the Kabalites of the Broken Sigil maintain that the price they pay in forewarning the enemy is outweighed by the rich feast of fear that awaits them when the onslaught begins.Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Broken Sigil are amongst the most feared and infamous of the Drukhari Kabals, especially upon the worlds of the Imperium. Entire conclaves of Ordo Xenos Inquisitors seek their demise, and on multiple occasions Lord Xerathis has found himself the personal quarry of Deathwatch Kill-teams.If this hunt concerns the toweringly arrogant fear-monger, he conceals it well. Instead, Xerathis boasts of the fine slaves such post-human warriors make, and insinuates knowingly that, with the correct persuasion, perhaps Space Marines can be made to know fear after all...
Kabal of the Broken Sigil - Notable Campaigns: The Raid Against the Star Gods (Date Unknown.M41) - The Kabal of the Broken Sigil launches a massive offensive against the Sautekh Dynasty. The Necrons soon bring to bear techno-arcane devices powered by enslaved C'tan, but on each war-front the Broken Sigil focuses all of their efforts on destroying the captive Star Gods before fading from battle.The Harvest of Chogros (543.M41) - The Kabal of the Broken Sigil begins a series of raids on the planet Chogros, capturing the Ogryn natives for the arenas of the Dark City. When Astra Militarum regiments from Catachan, Elysia and Katon arrive to intervene, the conflict escalates into a planet-wide engagement. Though they fight hard, the men of the Imperium are eventually defeated. The Crucibael is thronged for many nights to come as the captured Imperial Guardsmen, sold to the Wych Cults, are forced to fight the very Ogryns that they were sent to save for the braying amusement of the Drukhari spectators.
Kabal of the Dark Mirror - Kabal of the Dark Mirror: The Kabal of the Dark Mirror is a Drukhari Kabal. The Tantalus assault skimmer was originally a unique vessel crafted just for its Archon Surasis Grief, but after the death of the archon it was copied and sold to other Kabals.
Kabal of the Dying Sun - Kabal of the Dying Sun: The Kabal of the Dying Sun is one of the major Drukhari Kabals of the Dark City of Commorragh. Those who fight under the symbol of the Kabal of the Dying Sun belong to one of the oldest Kabals, renowned for their overweening pride and disdain for anything that has not endured for Terran millennia.They prefer to raid at sunset, for their overlord, Archon Vorl-Xoelanth, is obsessed with the transition from light and hope to darkness and despair.The Kabal's wild claims that they retain the ability to extinguish stars are infamous, though their rivals have never quite managed to explain the deterioration of the sun Echillos during the Aleuthan Persecution.The truth is that the Kabal of the Dying Sun possess ancient fragments of forbidden arcana, heirlooms from the days of the Aeldari Empire of old. Their stronghold in Commorragh -- the "Pinnacle of Disdain" -- is an impenetrable mountain of elegant, buttressed armour and echoing chambers, within which the Kabal hide their darkest secrets.These timeless artefacts, hidden away in shadowy vaults, possess the power to kill stars, suck the life force from worlds and exterminate whole species of sentient beings. However, they are ill-understood and, in many cases, charged with psychic potential.Thus, they are as lethal to their Drukhari owners as they are to their victims, not least because it would attract the violent displeasure of the Dark City at large should their existence become known.They are therefore used very sparingly, deployed by the Trueborn elite of the Kabal only as a last resort -- but knowledge of these trump cards' existence fills the Kabal's upper echelons with justified arrogance.The arch-rival of the Kabal of the Dying Sun is the Kabal of the Falling Moon, with the lunar sect ruled by Vorl-Xoelanth's twin brother, Y'polleon, though both Kabals claim the same colours for their Kaballite Warriors.
Kabal of the Falling Moon - Kabal of the Falling Moon: The Kabal of the Falling Moon is a Drukhari Kabal of the Dark City of Commorragh and the archrival of the more powerful Kabal of the Dying Sun.A lunar sect of ancient Commorrite tradition, they constantly try to prove their superiority over the rival solar cults in service to the Kabal of the Dying Sun. A typical conflict between the two was fought in the Ulia System, where the Dying Moon insisted on destroying every planet and satellite whereas the Dying Sun instead sought to extinguish its sun using their access to ancient technoarcana dating back to the lost Aeldari Empire.The Overlord of the Kabal of the Falling Moon is the Archon Y'polleon, the twin brother of Vorl-Xoelanth, the Archon of the Kabal of the Dying Sun, though both Kabals claim the same colours for their Kabalite Warriors.
Kabal of the Flayed Skull - Kabal of the Flayed Skull: The Kabal of the Flayed Skull is a powerful Drukhari kabal. The warriors of the Kabal of the Flayed Skull are instantly recognisable by the stylised bloodstreaks that they sport upon their snarling faces, echoing the sinister design of their kabal's symbol.In terms of sheer military force the Flayed Skull are second only to Supreme Overlord Asdrubael Vect's Kabal of the Black Heart in Commorragh. The Flayed Skull's archon, Vraesque Malidrach, began his long and dishonourable career as a low-born Reaver in the arena of Khad Mhetrul, where he was known for his signature brand of high-speed violence.Even after murdering his way to mastery over his own kabal, Vraesque has lost little of the flair he cultivated in the arena, and is known for slaughtering his foes in swift, shocking raids. When faced with a worthwhile champion, the low-born lord may treat his warriors to a display of the savagery for which he gained his fame -- decapitating his opponent, then slicing off their face with a single swing while their head arcs through the air.The Kabal of the Flayed Skull rule over one of High Commorragh's highest and most jagged spires. Known as the "Poisoned Crown," the spire is encrusted with docks and grav-moorings beyond counting, and around them hangs a constantly shifting cloud of Razorwing Jetfighters and Voidraven Bombers.Those Commorrites who win their way out of the arenas to own such an attack craft are eager to align themselves with the Flayed Skull, for Vraesque is a renowned master of airborne warfare. Furthermore, he is quick to adopt new aerial strategies created in the arenas, so long as they are sufficiently spectacular and violent.These are often enacted by Reavers and Hellions who clamour to go to war alongside the Flayed Skull, or by flocks of Scourges who have sold their fickle loyalty to Vraesque. So honed are the kabal's aerial skills that they once famously conquered the world of Thrandium without a single Kabalite Warrior setting foot upon the ground.
Kabal of the Flayed Skull - History: This kabal's ruler, Archon Vraesque Malidrach, was once a notorious Reaver death racer. Malidrach survived over one hundred races in the laserloop of the arena of Khad Mhetrul -- the Bitterspire -- and made a name for himself as a vicious competitor. Eventually, Vraesque the Reaver used his riches and fame to buy, bully or steal the allegiance of sufficient Kabalite followers to make himself Vraesque the archon. With this, the Kabal of the Flayed Skull was born.
Kabal of the Flayed Skull - Unassailable Might: Since its inception, this kabal has grown at an impressive rate. In terms of sheer logistical strength, the Flayed Skull is said to be second only to Asdrubael Vect's Kabal of the Black Heart. In the Terran centuries since Vraesque first formed his kabal, its victories have far outnumbered its defeats. This is thanks in no small part to Vraesque's incredible reactions, lighting-fast tactical mind and killer instincts.The archon has never allowed the skills he learned as a Reaver to dull with disuse. Surrounding himself with similarly quick-witted lieutenants has ensured that the Kabal of the Flayed Skull never finds itself ambushed, trapped or outmanoeuvred. It does not take great imagination to see how this proves invaluable to a kabal in a city where most killing blows are struck from behind.Archon Vraesque also favours overwhelming airborne strength in battle. As such, his kabal maintains mercenary contracts with an unprecedented number of Drukhari Razorwing Jetfighter pilots and Voidraven Bomber crews. Furthermore, Malidrach puts great stock in the winged Scourges, and rarely goes to battle without at least one band of these altered and augmented Drukhari warriors in his pay. When the Kabal of the Flayed Skull launches a raid, it fills the skies with screaming flocks of death-dealers, each vying for the murderous honour of claiming first blood.The Kabal of the Flayed Skull has countless outposts and hideways scattered throughout Commorragh, from the dubious gambling dens of the Sprawlgates of Heng Khestuul, to hidden aerial platforms concealed in the Shadowcloud Abyss. However, the heart of the kabal's holdings, and the personal seat of power of Archon Malidrach himself, is the towering armoured eyrie in High Commorragh known as the "Poisoned Crown."Inaccessible by any means other than flight, the Poisoned Crown towers above its surrounding districts. Bursting from the ground around its base comes an insane network of pipes, both metallic and organic. This tentacular tangle winds its way up the outside of the spire, making it appear as though the fortress is under attack by some promethean beast.Finally, having squirmed their way up past countless weapon-blisters, torture galleries and aircraft hangars, the pipes reach the summit of the Poisoned Crown. Here, they grope skywards in a madman's idea of regal circlet. The pipes, issuing all the way from the laboratories of the Haemonculi far below, vent a constant stream of toxic fog. They wreath the crest of the kabal's lair in the vile miasma that gives the place its name; above which looms a statue of Vraesque himself.