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Elysian Drop Troops - Combat Doctrine: Most Astra Militarum regiments are recruited to serve as basic heavy infantry. But some Human worlds, due to their particular cultural or environmental circumstances, produce more specialised and elite regiments. Among this group of Imperial Guard units can be counted the Elysian Drop Troops, who serve as highly mobile, elite airborne infantry equipped with sophisticated aircraft and Grav-Chutes intended to be used for deep strikes behind enemy lines.The Elysian Drop Troops are among the best rapid-response, highly mobile heavy infantry regiments that can be deployed by the Astra Militarum. Elysian Drop Troops are provided with high-quality armour and weapons and are extremely well-trained due to the difficulty required in mastering the tactics of airborne assault using Grav-Chutes and Valkyrie airborne assault aircraft. They also maintain an unusually high number of elite Storm Trooper companies within their unit organisations.When making a combat drop, the Elysian Drop Troops' primary objective is to sow devastation and confusion among the enemy as a result of their sudden arrival behind enemy lines. However, because of their emphasis on mobility, Elysian regiments do not make use of any of the standard Imperial Guard armoured vehicles from the Leman Russ tank to the Chimera armoured personnel carrier.The only vehicles that the Elysian Drop Troops can make use of because they are light enough to be dropped into combat by a Grav-Chute are Sentinel walkers and Tauros rapid assault vehicles. As a result, Elysian troops are often able to rapidly overwhelm the enemy and seize an objective, but they must then be reinforced by other Imperial forces that possess heavier weaponry and vehicles as they are unable to hold their objectives for long in the face of determined enemy resistance.During large-scale campaigns such as planetary sieges, the Elysian combat doctrine favours hit-and-run tactics that focuses on ambushes where the Elysians can concentrate their fire and mobility advantage to weaken the enemy and then disappear to repeat the process.In smaller engagements such as direct assaults on a fixed target, the Elysians are capable of carrying out rapid assaults and maintaining their combat cohesiveness for several solar weeks without effective resupply.
Elysian Drop Troops - Optional Wargear: All Drop Troops are armed with Mark IV Accatran Pattern Lasguns with a standard issue of five power cells. Grenades are issued in a more ad hoc fashion and can be provided to the Grenade Launcher as needed. Elysian Drop Troopers generally deploy in a 10-trooper squad formation that includes 9 troops and 1 sergeant with one of the troopers carrying a special weapon. Among the special weapons available to Elysian Drop Troops are:Mark IX Accatran Pattern Mortar - An automatic Mortar with a pre-loaded five round drum that is capable of a high rate of sustained fire.Mark Vd Accatran Pattern Heavy BolterMark II Accatran Pattern Missile LauncherMark VIII Accatran Pattern Melta GunMark II Accatran Pattern Plasma GunMark IVe Accatran Pattern Modified Sniper LasgunMark Ic Accatran Pattern Flamer - This flamer's promethium canisters are worn on the back.Combat Shotgun
Elysian Drop Troops - Vehicles and Equipment: The Elysian Drop Troops Regiments are known for their rapid deployment capabilities using Airborne Troop Carriers called Valkyries, and they deploy from these aircraft by rappelling or making use of Grav-Chutes at high altitudes.Elysian Drop Troopers are able to strike deep into enemy territory, and so are unable to field any heavy ground vehicles during missions. While this may be the case, the Elysians do make use of a number of light vehicles including the Tauros rapid assault vehicle, the modified Drop Sentinel, Cyclops Demolition Vehicle, and Sentry Gun batteries.The Elysians make use of Valkyries, Vulture Gunships, and the support of the Navis Imperialis to make up for their lack of heavy armour. Using their Valkyries and Grav-Chutes, the Elysians can capture objectives rapidly by dint of overwhelming force and their close-range firepower.Elysian Drop Troop regiments often rely on demolition-charges and special weapons for tank-busting. Vultures, Valkyries and Navis Imperialis Aeronautica Imperialis aircraft pack fearsome amounts of firepower, and swooping over the battlefield they can target just about anything.Tactical flexibility is the Elysians' true advantage over most other forces, and there are few tactical situations, other than a drawn-out planetary siege, that the Elysians cannot counter quickly and effectively.The Elysian Drop Troops are a very specialised force. Being drop troops, Elysians lack many of the heavy weapons needed to defeat the enemy's heaviest equipment and vehicles. As their primary armaments are simple lasguns, Elysian Drop Troops cannot afford to sit back and engage in prolonged firefights with an enemy either. As a result, Elysian Drop Troops do not engage the enemy in a conventional stand-up fight. Instead, they seek to take objectives by rapid, hard-hitting attacks and then hold them with grim determination and the selective targetting of enemy threats until they can be reinforced by more heavily-armed troops.Casualties will often prove high for Elysian regiments as a result of this strategy, but that is the price drop troop regiments pay for their extreme mobility.
Elysian Drop Troops - Notable Elysian Drop Troopers: General Syckava - Commanding officer of the 23rd Elysian Drop Troops Regiment.Brigadier General Ishmael HavornColonel Johanna van Meer - Colonel Johanna van Meer, the commander of the "Helldivers", the 13th Elysian  Drop Troop Regiment, is daring, optimistic, courageous, and more than a little vainglorious. Her fervour for the glory of battle has seen the Elysian 13th deployed to the deadliest of conflicts and the most challenging of missions, succeeding at any cost, and to great acclaim.Major Durra - Commanding Officer of Detachment D-99 during the Inquisition's campaign on Beta Anphelion IV.Captain Gerek - Commander of A Company, 181st Elysian Drop Troops Regiment. Captain Gerek leads the company from his command Tauros.Captain Thanstadt - Commander of Shield Force, 181st Elysian Drop Troops Regiment.Captain Xhyst - Commander of Sword Force, 181st Elysian Drop Troops Regiment.
Elysian Drop Troops - Sources: Codex: Astra Militarum (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Regiments of Distinction - Elysian Drop Troops"Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pp. 9, 21, 23-24, 27Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg. 64Codex: Militarum Tempestus (6th Edition), pg. 30Gathering Storm - Part III - Fracture of Biel-Tan (7th Edition), pg. 84Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial NavyImperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pp. 112, 264, 274-279Imperial Armour Volume Four - The Anphelion Project, pp. 26, 136-137Imperial Armour Volume Eight - Raid on Kastorel-Novem, pp. 10, 89, 94-103Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, pp. 98, 100-101Only War: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 48-49Dark Apostle (Novel) by Anthony Reynolds, pp. 101, 105-106, 155Third War for Armageddon Worldwide Campaign - Forces Disposition, Imperial Forces: Elysian Drop TroopsWhite Dwarf 251 (US), "The Final Days of Armageddon"White Dwarf 248 (US), "Historical Actions of the Imperial Guard"Scions of Elysia (Audio Drama) by Chris Dows (Cover Image)
Elysium IX - Elysium IX: Elysium IX, also simply called Elysium, was once the Chapter planet of the Celestial Lions Chapter and was among the Imperial worlds located in the sector of Elara's Veil in the Segmentum Ultima. However, sometime after the Great Rift's creation in the Era Indomitus, it became one of the many worlds that fell to the Chaos warband called the Exilarchy, after the Heretic Astartes known as The Pure, the surviving members of the Star Scorpions Chapter, invaded Elara's Veil after returning to realspace from being lost in the Warp.Before Elysium was invaded by the forces of the Exilarchy, the Celestial Lions' Chapter Master, Ekene Dubaku, put into motion a plan to evacuate its population before the troops of the Exilarchy and The Pure arrived. Dubaku knew it would be impossible to save the planet's entire population, but he hoped that enough of his people would survive to help both his Chapter and the spirit of Elysium live on.The current fate of the world's surviving population is unknown, but Dubaku drafted a message asking the Emperor's Spears' Chapter Master, Arucatas, if they could be relocated to his homeworld, Nemeton.
Elysium IX - Geography and Climate: Before the assault of the Exilarchy essentially destroyed the planet's surface and much of its Human population, Elysium IX was described as a world defined by its abundant jungles and savannahs. The inhabitants were renowned hunters as a result of their world's terrain and abundant animal species.
Emanatus Force Field - Emanatus Force Field: The Emanatus Force Field is an advanced defensive technology found on the Onager Dunecrawlers of the Skitarii Legions. Similar in concept to the Refractor Fields common to the lesser order of the Martian Priesthood of the Adeptus Mechanicus, they disperse hostile energies into the atmosphere, each incoming shell transformed into little more than a flash of actinic blue light and a sudden tang of ozone.These overlapping energetic force fields are marvels of military science, capable of harmlessly dissipating rounds which can even destroy a Leman Russ Battle Tank.
Emasculator-class Cruiser - Emasculator-class Cruiser: The Emasculator-class Cruiser is a variant Cruiser design commonly utilised by Chaos Fleets. Though it is considered inferior to the Imperial Navy's Lunar-class, the Emasculator-class Cruiser possesses longer-range weaponry that allows it to operate at medium range from the start of an engagement as well as a short-range prow weapon that adds to its offensive capabilities.
Emasculator-class Cruiser - History: Many Imperial naval officers see the Chaos Emasculator-class Cruiser as something of a failed experiment in combining weapons batteries with Lances on a single starship and point to their own Lunar-class Cruiser as a superior warship to the Emasculator, with its stengthened frontal armour and torpedoes, but in a brawl the Emasculator starts to show its strength. The longer range of its weaponry over the Lunar-class allows it to operate at medium range from the start of an engagement and by the time a Lunar manages to close with the Emasculator, its shorter-ranged prow weapons will add to its offensive punch, making it a true paragon of raw firepower among the vessels available to a Chaos Fleet. For reasons yet to be determined, the Emasculator was first seen in great numbers within Slaaneshi warfleets, though its use has slowly started to spread to warfleets dedicated to the service of the other Dark Gods as well.
Emberg-Aegnir Bloc - Emberg-Aegnir Bloc: The Emberg-Aegnir Bloc was a small, minor league of the Leagues of Votann located in the galactic core.It was comprised of only a small number of Kindreds, which made it a vulnerable target. It was destroyed by an assault upon its primary Hold World by a tendril of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Leviathan.
Emberg-Aegnir Bloc - History: The tale of the Emberg-Aegnir Bloc is considered a terrible tragedy among the Leagues of Votann. The Emberg-Aegnir found themselves in the path of a tendril of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Consisting of only a handful of Kindreds, the Emberg-Aegnir were forced to stand their ground when the Hive Ships closed in around their primary Hold World beneath whose surface resided their Votann.Hopelessly outnumbered, these Kin fell to the last clone in its defence. Yet the bitterest irony was yet to come; the Tyranids ignored the Votann entirely, leaving it buried alone in its pit upon a now-Dead World.The accumulated pain and desolation of those who had fought, died and been returned to the Ancestors -- to keep their bodies from the hungry maw of the swarm -- flowed into the machine mind of the Votann and drove it insane. The sorrowful tale of the "Mad Core" is still told amongst the Leagues, and all know not to sail by the wavering beacon of its tortured mind on their journeys into the Warp.
Embyr - Embyr: The Embyr are orders of warriors found among the Leagues of Votann who have sworn an oath to defend the artificial wombs of their Kindred, its so-called "crucibles," where all new generations of Kin are cloned.The Embyr are among the few Kin like the Grimnyr who are cloned possessing psychoactive cloneskeins, and are thus capable of making use of barrier-tech devices that allow them to access and manipulate the psychic enrgies of the Immaterium.These devices come to life only at these psychoactive Kin's touch, emitting a soft thrum of power and glimmering with cold witchlight. It is through the careful use of barrier-tech devices like these that the Grimnyr and the Embyr manipulate the energies of the Warp to produce manifestations similar to those conjured into realspace by true psykers without facing the same risk of insanity, loss of control of their powers or Daemonic possession.
Emissaries Imperatus - Emissaries Imperatus: The Emissaries Imperatus, known also as the "Heralds of the Golden Throne," is a Shield Host of the Adeptus Custodes, the stalwart guardians of the Emperor of Mankind.Since the ancient times of the Great Crusade, these Custodians have been charged with the sacred duty of acting as the personal messengers of the Master of Mankind.Since the Emperor's internment in the Golden Throne, a small minority of Custodians believe they can hear the Emperor's voice calling to them during meditations, and believe that it is His hand that guides them to bear their master's sacred words across the galaxy to those Imperial commanders who are destined to hear them or bequeath some ancient relic from the Imperial Palace's vaults to a chosen champion.
Emissaries Imperatus - Role: In the days of the Great Crusade, the Emperor often entrusted crucial messages or artefacts to be borne by His Custodians. It is a duty they still fulfil now, speaking with the authority of the Master of Mankind Himself.Though the Emperor has long been confined to the Golden Throne, there are those amongst the Ten Thousand who claim to hear their master's voice during their meditations, and to feel His hand guiding them.To their comrades there is no implication of divine intervention in this, for the Custodes have never viewed the Emperor as a god. They merely see their liege's indomitable psychic will at work, reaching out from his shattered frame to direct His praetorians as He did when He could still walk amongst them.Those who feel the Emperor's guidance the keenest become Emissaries Imperatus. They band together in like-minded groups and, through discussion and meditation, interpret what it is that the Master of Mankind wishes them to do.With the tacit approval of the Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes, they bear the Emperor's words across the Imperium to commanders who must hear them, or occasionally unlock some ancient device from the vaults of the Imperial Palace and bequeath it to whichever champion can wield it best.Their words have redirected entire Imperial Crusades, and seen threats intercepted and archeotech riches won that might otherwise have passed the Emperor's servants by.For thousands of Terran years the Emissaries Imperatus have been seen abroad, but rarely and in small numbers. Yet with the return of Roboute Guilliman and the commencement of the Indomitus Crusade, their activity has increased considerably.When the resurrected primarch announced his intention to bear the secrets of the Primaris Space Marines to the Loyalist Firstborn Chapters, there was some resistance from the Adeptus Custodes, who feared strengthening those who might one day rebel against the Emperor once again.Yet dozens of Emissaries Imperatus stepped forwards to intercede, stating this was the will of the Emperor. They accompanied Guilliman's crusade and often commanded the special task forces of the Torchbearers, many of them taking to the air as Vertus Praetors, the quicker to deliver messages of reinforcement to the embattled Space Marines.The presence of the Adeptus Custodes also ensured that even the most traditional Chapters accepted the Primaris warriors into their ranks. One does not decline a gift from the Emperor's own hand, after all.
Emissaries Imperatus - Bringers of Greatness: In ca. 999.M41, the newly resurrected Roboute Guilliman, the re-installed lord commander of the Imperium and Imperial Regent, announced the Indomitus Crusade, a desperate and determined undertaking by a combined Imperial force to drive back the rampaging armies of Chaos following the fall of the Fortress World of Cadia and the formation of the galaxy-wide tear in reality known as the Great Rift.As part of this crusade, the Ultramarines primarch intended to bear his newly revealed project, the Primaris Space Marines, reinforcements and the secrets behind their creation to the far-flung and hard-pressed Space Marine Chapters. On the eve of his decision, a large number of Emissaries Imperatus stepped forwards, compelled they said by the spirit of the Emperor to accompany the crusade.These were the envoys who brought Guilliman's gift of the Primaris Marine creation technology to the Adeptus Astartes; their presence ensured that even those Chapters the primarch and his crusade fleet did not visit in person understood the gravitas of what they were offered, and set aside whatever mistrust or conservatism they might have had in order to embrace the Emperor's beneficence in their hour of need.
Emissaries of Wasting Death - Emissaries of Wasting Death: The Emissaries of Wasting Death are a notorious warband of Chaos Space Marines dedicated to the Plague God Nurgle.The Plague Marines of the Wasting Death are particularly feared among the many denizens of the Screaming Vortex, for their very presence brings with it untold suffering and privation.Wherever they tread the ground shrivels and cracks beneath their feet, and even the heartiest and most resilient creatures shrivel and perish as they draw near.Contact with the malefic air of deprivation that surrounds these desiccated warriors irreparably scars those who survive, often manifesting in incessant pangs of unquenchable thirst and indescribable hunger that lasts for standard years after the dreadful encounter is a distant memory.
Emissaries of Wasting Death - Warband Colours: The Emissaries of Wasting Death's Power Armour, like that of all Plague Marines, is the same as that of the Death Guard, decayed and cracked plates of Ceramite.
Emissaries of Wasting Death - Warband Badge: The Emissaries of Wasting Death's badge is not recorded in current Imperial records.
EMP Blaster - EMP Blaster: An EMP Blaster is an experimental T'au weapon that fires short-ranged rounds which explode in a small blast and generate an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) upon impact. EMP Blasters are issued exclusively to XV46-4 Vanguard Commander Variant Void Battlesuits.Whilst the weapon's rounds do not physically damage foes, they send out powerful electromagnetic pulses that disable electrical wiring and all kinds of mechanical systems, playing havoc with the internal systems of armour and other vehicles and disabling them temporarily.Sometimes, the EMP effect will even cause catastrophic failure in a system, leading to an explosive reaction for the unfortunate vehicle or robotic construct.
EMP Grenade - EMP Grenade: An EMP Grenade is a type of Tau grenade that is sometimes issued to Fire Caste infantry such as Fire Warriors and Pathfinders. EMP Grenades are technological marvels that briefly emit an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) upon detonation, which can overload electronic circuitry, causing anything from minor malfunctions in electronics to fires, complete meltdowns and other critical malfunctions.Whilst EMP Grenades do not physically damage foes, the havoc they play with the internal systems of powered armour and vehicles is enough to at the very least disable them temporarily, or, more often than not, cause some form of catastrophic failure in a system, leading to an explosive reaction for the unfortunate vehicle or robotic construct.
Empathic Obliterator - Empathic Obliterator: The Empathic Obliterator is a unique Necron staff carried only by the Necron Overlord Trazyn the Infinite.This terrible weapon is rightly feared by the enemies of Trazyn, and there is a dark rumour that the staff contains technology derived from that of the long lost Old Ones.When an enemy is slain by the staff, a psionic shockwave bursts forth from his body, potentially killing nearby creatures of a similar mind and purpose.Hence, an entire squad can be wiped out with a single blow of this horrific weapon. The Empathic Obliterator suits the personal combat style of Trazyn as he disdains physical combat with "inferior" beings of flesh and blood.
Emperor's Champion - History: At the conclusion of the Horus Heresy during the Siege of Terra, First Captain Sigismund of the Imperial Fists Legion was chosen to serve as the first Emperor's Champion. Personally singled out by Rogal Dorn himself, Sigismund was bestowed with the high honour of serving as the personal champion of the Emperor.Though humbled by the honour, he was disturbed by only one thing -- it seemed wrong to him to obscure the sacred colours of his Legion. The Imperial Fists Reclusiarch who bestowed the sacred blessings upon his armour and wargear told Brother Sigismund to fear not, for Dorn himself had ordered it to be so. Sigismund's heraldry had been changed to black to show that he served the Emperor directly, as did the Reclusiarch and his fellow Chaplains. As such, he had been marked out in the sight of the Emperor.Reassured, Sigismund strode across the war-torn scenes of carnage, of hell on Earth, challenging any and all Champions of Chaos to single combat as well as anyone else unfortunate enough to cross his path. Since that time, the Black Templars Chapter has continued to honour Sigismund by continuing the practise of naming an Emperor's Champion.Ever since Sigismund was elevated to the rank of the first High Marshal (Chapter Master) of the Black Templars, there have been others who have risen to follow in his stead as the Emperor's Champion. The practice of having an Emperor's Champion has spread to other Chapters, but it is enshrined most strongly in the Black Templars.It is written in the holy texts of the Black Templars that when a battle-brother is gifted with divine visions guiding him to take up the mantle of the Emperor's Champion, it is the memories of Sigismund he sees. It is a shifting vista of warring angels and vengeful gods, just as the ancient Space Marine witnessed during the war for Terra and the blasphemy of the Horus Heresy.Only those who have become the Emperor's Champion and survived can hope to understand the time in which Sigismund lived, and the weight of his duty to smite the enemies of the Emperor.
Emperor's Champion - Becoming an Emperor's Champion: To become the Emperor's Champion is no matter of training, but rather a sacred calling that most Black Templars aspire to, but few ever achieve, for to be chosen to serve as the Emperor's Champion is to be chosen by the Emperor Himself. Becoming the Emperor's Champion is a singular honour and few Space Marines attain that status more than once in their lives.On the eve of battle, Black Templars brethren pray and fast. On some extremely rare occasions, a battle-brother may feel the blessings of righteous certainty upon him, and know that he must take up the mantle of the Emperor's Champion.This battle-brother will seek out the Chaplains and be declared the Emperor's Champion by them, but this may not be possible if he is serving the Long Vigil with the Deathwatch. Unless a Chaplain of the Black Templars is present and able to take the brother's confession, he must assume the mantle alone, donning the most sacred relics of his Chapter and declaring his mission to his fellows.He will seek permission from the Master of the Armoury to bear into battle the most potent of weapons and the most revered of armour. Few would dare refuse, for the battle-brother's eyes burn with the zeal of his duty and the weight of his oaths is an almost palpable thing. Having taken up the trappings of the Emperor's Champion, the Battle-Brother remains as such until his vision is fulfilled. Only by the word of the Chaplains is his duty discharged, and he resumes his place in the ranks of his Chapter once more.
Emperor's Champion - Emperor's Champion Special Abilities: To be the Emperor's Champion is to be oath-bound to oppose the enemies of the Emperor in all things and at all times, to be a living manifestation of the Emperor's wrath, and to inspire others to acts of valour and righteous hatred against the enemies of Mankind. All of these things come naturally to the Adeptus Astartes, but the Emperor's Champion must take them further, vowing to perpetuate the Crusade that the Black Templars so fervently prosecute.The mantle of the Emperor's Champion is not without variation, for Astartes must be flexible in the manner of their wrath, delivering unto the Emperor's foes the most deserved death and, to this end, a number of traditional vows exist that serve to focus the hate and fury of the Champion and his battle-brothers. During the preparation stage of each mission, after Oath-Taking, the Emperor's Champion selects one of the following vows, which will confer upon him and his battle-brothers a variety of effects:Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch - The Champion cannot tolerate the continued existence of witches. He displays a far higher agility in combat, intent on coming to grips with his malefic foes, as well as a higher resistance to the effects of psychic powers used against him. If an Emperor's Champion leads a Deathwatch kill-team, then all members of the team gain this ability.Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds - The Champion cannot tolerate the continued existence of witches. When engaged in melee combat, the Emperor's Champion becomes overzealous in his efforts to strike down his foes, however, in doing so he does not readily defend himself. When leading a Deathwatch Kill-team, all members of the team gain the vow's effects.Suffer Not The Unclean To Live - While a single servant of the Emperor draws breath, none of His enemies can be permitted to endure. The Champion summons up greater reserves of strength with which to strike down his foes, granting him the ability to cause more damage when engaged in melee combat. However, this holy might takes time to muster, granting his enemies time to dodge and parry as they move to counter the Champion's slow-but-deadly strikes. If the Emperor's Champion is a Deathwatch Kill-team's leader, then all members of the team gain this vow's effects.Uphold the Honour of the Emperor - The Adeptus Astartes shall stand tall and proud in battle, never shrinking from conflict or danger. The Champion's faith in the Emperor and his own might allows him to stride unflinching through enemy fire. The Champion does not skulk or cower to elude the enemy's gaze, hiding behind cover or moving silently through the shadows, instead he shrugs off the blows of his foes as a result of his righteous zeal. If the Emperor's Champion is a Deathwatch Kill-team's leader, then all members of the team gain this vow's effects.
Emperor's Champion - Divine Courage: In battle, the Emperor's Champion fights alone. Even though he might stride through the ranks of his battle-brothers, he does not heed the orders of Captains nor share their objectives. He exists only to vanquish the most powerful foes of the Emperor, singling them out in personal combat and hewing them apart with felling blows from the Black Sword.No warrior that has seen the Emperor's Champion in battle can deny that the God-Emperor is working through His faithful servant. Haloed by a faint glow of faith manifest, enemy bolts and bullets that would tear ordinary men apart seem to have no impact upon the champion. The blessed battle-brother walks across the field as if the hand of the Emperor shields him, shells ripping the earth and air to pieces in his wake, while he remains untouched. Even when a powerful blow or blast knocks the Emperor's Champion to the ground, he will haul himself to his feet, shaking debris from his armour to continue his charge into the foe.The effect of the Emperor's Champion on a battle is undeniable, and many Black Templars battle-brothers believe that it is a blessing merely to fight beside one. While the champion does not follow orders from his former commanders, he answers to a greater power, and the Chapter is content to allow him to seek out specific enemies or war zones as guided by his visions.This is born out of the belief that the Emperor's Champion manifests for a reason, one that is beyond the ken of the Chapter Commanders but that is nonetheless important to victory. It is reasoned that the Emperor's Champion has been summoned to kill a potent foe or turn the tide of a vital conflict, and he alone knows what is required of him.
Emperor's Champion - Ritual of the Black Blade: It is rare for the Emperor's Champion to live long beyond donning the Armour of Faith. Filled with divine courage, he will hurl himself into the thickest fighting or against the greatest enemy warlords, selling his life for the glory of his Chapter while taking scores of the foe with him. It is a doom that both battle-brother and Chapter accept as part of their covenant with the God-Emperor, the knowledge that great glory is won only with the blood of heroes.When an Emperor's Champion falls, the Chapter's Chaplains will bear his body from the field of battle. In a ritual that honours his divine deeds, the Armour of Faith is removed, its seals broken and its prayers washed away with holy oils. The Black Sword is borne back to the Black Templars' Battle Barge Eternal Crusader and interned in its reliquary.Then, in an honouring ceremony, High Marshal Helbrecht listens to Chaplain Grimaldus tell him of the deeds of the Emperor's Champion while a venerable Chapter serf inscribes the battle-brother's name onto the blade. The ritual complete and the name having taken its place next to its predecessors, the blade is placed back into its stasis casket until another is chosen by the Emperor to claim it.
Emperor's Champion - Wargear: Armour of Faith - The Armour of Faith is the traditional name given to the Artificer Armour gifted to the Emperor's Champion. Chosen from the finest Artificer Armour available to the Chapter and then inscribed with sacred wards and catechisms of hatred, the armour offers greater protection than any ordinary suit of power armour could, allowing the Emperor's Champion to complete his holy duty. Such is the protection of its wards that some blows and rounds are simply turned aside or flash to nothing in a blaze of divine power.Black Sword - Paired with the Armour of Faith, the traditional weapon of the Emperor's Champion is the Black Sword. A massive two-handed Power Sword, blessed by the Chapter Chaplains, it becomes a deadly weapon in the hands of the chosen of the Black Templars. The Black Sword is one of the most exquisitely master-crafted weapons in the whole of the Imperium. It is perfectly balanced to allow it to be used either with a one-handed or two-handed grip. This allows the Emperor's Champion to either deliver a flurry of fast slashes and stabs or slower but much more damaging hacking blows to his opponents. The Black Templars Chapter possesses only ten of these sacred weapons in its Armoury.Frag GrenadesKrak Grenades
Emperor's Children - Origins: The IIIrd Legion was created alongside its brother Space Marine Legions during the latter phases of the Unification Wars on Terra, with many of its finest warriors drawn from the courts and blood vassal populations of the continent of Europa. The nobles of Europa selected the finest of their youth and offered them up to the Emperor of Mankind as tribute and penance for their previous defiance of His rule after their systematic humiliation in battle at the hands of the Imperial Thunder Regiments.Among them were sons drawn from each noble family, a fact apocryphally said by some Imperial scholars of the time to have given the Legion its lasting name, reaffirmed in later years by its primarch after his rediscovery by the expeditionary fleets of the Great Crusade. Of this tithe some Europan noble familes gave in grudging tribute, and thought of these young men as little more than hostages, while others cooperated with the zeal of true converts to the Imperial cause.House Loculus of Komarg is said, for example, to have sent all of its sons to be transformed into Astartes at the time of their capitulation to Imperial rule, and to have given the firstborn son of each generation thereafter to the IIIrd Legion willingly.In later solar decades, other Terran dynasties followed the example of the nobles of Europa, filling the ranks of the IIIrd Legion with the flower of Terran youth who seemed well-matched with the aristocratic blood of its initiates, forming a martial brotherhood whose ancestry in war stretched back into the lost ages of Human history.In these early wars the IIIrd Legion was used to support some of the more notable actions of the nascent Imperial Army, and in many instances to directly lead its troops in battle. This differed notably from many of the First Founding Space Marine Legion forces at this time, who were often deployed as unified commands en masse to serve as shock troops supported by heavy war machinery only.Coordinating and leading such "lesser" troops seemed a natural fit for the former aristocrats of the IIIrd Legion. They had a profound ability to understand the strengths and manifold weaknesses of the diverse armies in service to the Emperor and drew on the long traditions of Terra's military aristocracies to command with surety and purpose.The Antarctic Clearance campaign during the Unification Wars is, for example, marked as a victory for Army Group Antilles, but in truth any detailed analysis of the ancient conflict reveals that it was the IIIrd Legion which sculpted the tactics and strategy of the campaign, and led it to successful completion.Likewise, when the Bronze Host took Nadarin it was under the eye and with the aid of the IIIrd Legion, and the Fifth Raising of Jove-Sat II was done principally by their hand, though other names than theirs throng the honour rolls of the Unification. The examples are numerous, and through them all the IIIrd Legion proved their superb ability to execute and exceed the intent and expectations of their Emperor in war.
Emperor's Children - Brothers of the Wolves: Fulgrim was anxious to begin his conquest of the unknown regions of the galaxy as part of the ongoing Great Crusade, but realised that his two hundred warriors were far too few to undertake the Crusade on their own. Seeing the need to nurture the Emperor's Children's recovery now that they could create new gene-seed using Fulgrim's genome as a template, the Emperor asked the Primarch Horus to mentor his brother Fulgrim and his Legion.So it was that for over a solar decade the Emperor's Children and the Luna Wolves fought side-by-side. The bond of brotherhood and trust forged in battle between Fulgrim and Horus, unalike as they were, became unbreakable. So also did their Legions grow close. Just as unalike as their respective Primarchs were in temperament but equal in skill, both Legions and their Primarchs seemed to complement one another.Where Horus was swift and intuitive, Fulgrim was patient and considered. Where the Luna Wolves were direct and brutal, the Emperor's Children were flexible and subtle. When eventually the Emperor's Children broke away to stand on their own, they had become oath brothers to the Luna Wolves; it was a bond that treachery one day would twist into a chain that shackled their souls.Eventually, over the course of several decades, the Emperor's Children's ranks were swelled by new Astartes who had been recruited from both Terra and Fulgrim's homeworld of Chemos, where the Legion had established its fortress-monastery at the old factory fortress of Callax.When the Emperor's Children were judged to have reached an appropriate size, Fulgrim was given command of the 28th Expeditionary Fleet of the Great Crusade and set off on his own course of conquest, returning dozens of human-settled worlds to the rule of the Emperor. Among them was the advanced xenos world of Laeran, where Fulgrim's fate would be sealed.
Emperor's Children - Diasporex Persecution: During the latter part of the Great Crusade, the Iron Hands Legion encountered a nomadic, fleet-based civilisation composed of both humans and xenos known as the Diasporex. The Iron Hands shared the Imperial Truth of the Emperor of Mankind and offered the human members of the Diasporex the opportunity to separate from their alien allies and to join the newly forged Imperium, but they declined the Astartes' offer.Their offer rejected, the Iron Hands passed judgement, and in the following months the Iron Hands fleet attempted to annihilate the Diasporex, but they proved to be highly skilled and experienced in the realm of naval warfare, and managed to easily evade crucial battles and even to severely damage the Iron Hands' Strike Cruiser Ferrum.The Emperor's Children of the 28th Expeditionary Fleet were called in as reinforcements, and so, a joint Imperial strike force composed of both the Iron Hands and forces from the Emperor's Children Legion launched an all-out assault against the willful Diasporex. Though the Diasporex knew that a powerful fleet of warships was hunting them and sought their destruction, they refused to leave the sector and move on to someplace safer.The Iron Hands' scout ships soon discovered the truth -- the Diasporex used hidden solar collector arrays to collect fuel for their vessels from a star. This was the reason why the Diasporex remained within the sector. Attacking these vital fuel stations, the two Imperial Expeditionary Fleets drew the Diasporex fleet out into open battle as the human-alien alliance sought to avoid utter annihilation at the Imperials' hands.During the massive naval battle that ensued Fulgrim's personal gunship, the Firebird, came under heavy attack and soon found itself in trouble. Rushing to his brother's side, Ferrus Manus' flagship, the Battle Barge Fist of Iron, came rushing to the rescue of his beleaguered brother. To restore his wounded pride, Fulgrim led a brief shipboarding action where the Emperor's Children wreaked bloody havoc on the troops of the Diasporex.But ultimate victory was robbed from him when the enemy ship's bridge was taken by one of his subordinate commanders. For months thereafter, Fulgrim would resent The Gorgon's actions, unable to truly understand the altruism of Ferrus' deed and the loss of life his selfless act had incurred on his Legion. Under the malignant influence of the daemon-possessed Laer blade that he wore at all times, Fulgrim could only see self-aggrandisement in his brother's action, instead of the the heroic deed it had truly been.Ferrus' critical comments, the wounding darts that Fulgrim believed were meant to undermine him, were in actuality only jests designed to puncture Fulgrim's self-importance and restore his humility. What Fulgrim perceived as Ferrus' prideful boasts and rash actions had been deeds of courage that he spitefully dismissed as the influence of Chaos began to claim the Phoenician's soul.
Emperor's Children - Evolution: After another successful Compliance action was conducted on the Imperial world designated Twenty-Eight Four, Lord Commander Eidolon underwent elective augmentative surgery under the knife of Chief Apothecary Fabius. The Apothecary implanted a modified tracheal implant that bonded with the Lord Commander's vocal chords, allowing him to produce a nerve paralysing shriek similar to that employed by certain warrior breeds of the Laer.When the Apothecary explained the nature of the new organ implanted into the Lord Commander's throat, Eidolon was outraged that Bile would implant xenos filth within him. Enraged, he ordered the Apothecary to halt the surgery and release him from the medicae table. But Fabius refused the Lord Commander's orders, for Fulgrim himself had authorised his work and Eidolon had insisted that the Apothecary work on him upon his return.The Lord Commander would later make use of this new ability whilst leading his 1st Company in concert with the Death Guard Battle-Captain Nathaniel Garro and his 7th Company against traitorous forces on Istvaan Extremis, the outermost planet within the Istvaan System. Whilst fighting against a powerful Slaaneshi mutant known as a Warsinger, Garro was laid low. It was then that Eidolon took hold of the situation and employed his newly acquired abilities, destroying the Warsinger with a devastating sonic shriek. In light of this, Eidolon may potentially be considered as one of the first Noise Marines.
Emperor's Children - Lords of Pleasure: Throughout the final days of the Great Crusade, just before the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, the famed composer Bequa Kynska of Terra had accompanied the Emperor's Children's 28th Expeditionary Fleet as a Remembrancer aboard Fulgrim's Battle Barge Pride of the Emperor. Kynska was a jaded musician always in search of further sensations to create more exhilarating and all-encompassing music, which made her an easy target for Slaaneshi corruption.After Kynska accompanied many of the 28th Expedition's Remembrancers to the temple dedicated to Slaanesh on the xenos world of Laeran, she was touched by the Chaos corruption of that foul place and slowly sought to create the ultimate orchestral piece that she believed could capture the wondrous sounds she had heard within the Laer temple. Her ultimate masterpiece was a symphony she named the Maraviglia and which she performed for Fulgrim and all the assembled Astartes of the Emperor's Children and their support personnel within the Remebrancers' lounge and theatre called La Fenice aboard the Pride of the Emperor.To recreate the sounds she had heard, Kynska created new musical instruments whose sonic powers could also be used for destruction when employed by an individual already corrupted by Slaanesh. As the Maraviglia began, the cachophony of sound unleashed by these instruments acted as a sorcerous ritual that opened a link between realspace and the Warp and allowed the power of Slaanesh to directly touch the audience. During the "performance" it was noted that the musical instruments were able to produce effects variously disorienting, stimulating and downright murderous.Chaos mutations ran rampant through the audience and Astartes and mortal humans alike were so overwhelmed by sensation and uncontrollable emotions that they unleashed an orgy of both sensual hedonism and the most base form of murder upon one another. Ultimately, the music summoned five Lesser Daemons of Slaanesh known as Daemonettes from the Warp who possessed the bodies of Kynska and several of her singers and joined in the slaughter.During this part of the concert, several Emperor's Children Astartes left their seats and took up the instruments to try and keep the Chaos music playing and in the course of their untrained fumblings with the instruments discovered that they could unleash waves of destructive sonic power filled with the strength of Chaos.These Astartes became the first Noise Marines, who would eventually take to the field on Istvaan V wielding this strange, new weaponry as a new unit of the IIIrd Legion called the Kakophoni under the command of First Captain Julius Kaesoron. It was during this performance in La Fenice that the Emperor's Children finally gave themselves wholly, both body and soul, to the Prince of Pleasure as his most dedicated servants.
Emperor's Children - Fulgrim and the Warmaster: Following the Traitor's victory at Istvaan V, Fulgrim requested a private audience with the Warmaster. Horus was pleased as his brother presented the grisly trophy of the severed head of Ferrus Manus, as promised. Gloating at this great accomplishment, Horus wished to share this triumph with his fellow captains.But the Emperor's Children's Primarch informed Horus that Fulgrim did not possess the fortitude to fulfill his oath to his brother, so he had done it for him! The Warmaster suddenly realised that the creature that stood before him was not truly his brother Fulgrim, but some sort of doppelganger. Horus threatened harm against this false Fulgrim, informing the creature that he could break him like a straw.The false Fulgrim had no desire to test himself in such a wasteful and fruitless trial of combat. Horus glanced towards Fulgrim's waist, and relaxed as he saw that this thing masquerading as his brother had come before him unarmed. Whatever its purpose in unveiling itself, it had not come with violence on its mind. For he had come to pledge his loyalty to Horus' cause. The false Fulgrim informed Horus that he was actually a creature of the Warp -- a humble servant of the great power that was the Dark Prince Slaanesh. The Greater Daemon explained to the horrified Horus that he had claimed Fulgrim's mortal shell as his own, and further explained how pleasing it was to him.Horus inquired as to his true brother's fate. The daemon who now inhabited Fulgrim's body explained that Fulgrim was quite safe, residing within the body now under the control of the Greater Daemon, utterly aware of all that transpired but unable to do anything to intervene. His cries of anguish were a great comfort to the malefic creature.Horus was appalled by this turn of events, and said nothing in response to the daemon's revelations. The Daemon-Fulgrim had pledged its allegiance to his cause and it was a patently powerful Warp entity. Horus thought it best to keep the creature as an ally, for he certainly could not do without the IIIrd Legion at this juncture.However, Horus resolved to destroy the daemon and rescue Fulgrim from his torment when the time was right, for no one deserved to endure such a terrible fate. Horus and the Daemon-Fulgrim agreed to keep its true nature to themselves. The daemon had no particular desire to reveal itself and Horus was convinced that such a revelation would create many problems for him with the other Primarchs dedicated to the Traitors' cause.