vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Abhuman - Ratlings: Ratlings (Homo sapiens minimus) are small, loud, hungry and lecherous Abhumans who often serve as snipers in the Astra Militarum, a role at which they excel.Ratlings also serve as cooks for Astra Militarum regiments, a skill they no doubt learned in order to feed their own seemingly bottomless stomachs; and they also have kleptomaniac tendencies, as commissars report petty theft and illegal gambling rings increase substantially when Ratlings are attached to a platoon, company or regiment.One named Ratling homeworld is Ornsworld, which was attacked by Abaddon the Despoiler during the Gothic War. Ratlings are a mutant sub-branch of the Human race, like the Ogryns, who adapted to living in underground tunnel systems on worlds with hostile surface environments.Due to their small size, they often bear the brunt of normal Human soldiers' jokes, although more than one soldier has been saved by the Ratlings' superior marksmanship. Essentially, Ratlings are the Warhammer 40,000 equivalent of Warhammer's Halflings.
Abhuman - Squats (Original): The Abhumans called Squats (Homo sapiens rotundus) originated on high-gravity Mining Worlds close to the galactic core, making them short, muscular and tough. Their homeworlds briefly seceded from the Imperium during the Age of Apostasy, though they later returned to the Imperial fold as autonomous but loyal worlds.Squats are talented engineers, and known to hold long-standing grudges, particularly against the Orks. In combat, Squats use combat motorcycles and support from superheavy artillery weapons, such as Leviathans and Colossi.Squats for a long time were officially no longer part of the Warhammer 40,000 universe due to decisions made by Games Workshop to bring the universe closer to a true science fiction reality; in the universe's mythology they were said to have been nearly driven extinct by the attack of the Tyranids on their homeworlds in the 41st Millennium, though some Squats survived to seek vengeance across the Human-settled galaxy.The Squat race was an equivalent of the Warhammer Dwarfs, but following the removal of the Squats from the game for two decades, the part of a Dwarf analogue in the Warhammer 40,000 universe was taken for a time by the T'au-allied alien species called the Demiurg.The Squats are now once more a full-fledged faction of the Warhammer 40,000 universe as the Kin of the Leagues of Votann and the Demiurg are now considered a Prospect of the Kin.
Abhuman - Leagues of Votann: The Leagues of Votann is the collective name for the various confederations of the species of squat but powerfully-built Abhuman clones who refer to themselves as the "Kin."  They are sometimes pejoratively called "Squats" by the Humans of the Imperium. The Kin are an advanced, starfaring race who possess highly advanced technology and live amid the extreme environments that mark the resource-rich worlds of the galactic core. The Kin share their lives with self-aware, robotic constructs called Ironkin, which they treat as full societal equals in every way.The Kin have sometimes been misidentified by Humans and xenos species alike as different Abhuman or alien species than their true identity. For instance, the Kin have been mistakenly known to both the T'au and Humans as the "Demiurg," to the Aeldari as the "Heliosi Ancients," and to various other peoples as the "Gnostari," the "Grome" or the "Kreg," among others.The Kin vary in their classification by the Imperium between a sanctioned Abhuman sub-species of Humanity or a xenos species. However, the Kin's earliest surviving records do establish an ancient link between their Ancestors who settled the galactic core and the sublight, generational Long March mining fleets sent out by pre-Imperial Old Earth, thus making the Abhuman designation the correct one. For their part, the Kin care little what others think of them.Each of the Leagues of Votann are divided up into groupings similar to clans or nation-states known as "Kindreds," and are ultimately led by a self-aware machine intelligence called a Votann or "Ancestor Core." The Votann are treated as objects of near-worship by the Kin, and when they die, each Kin and Ironkin has their cerebral data uploaded into their Kindred's Votann, a semi-mystical practice referred to as "returning to the Ancestors."Few intelligent species in the galaxy are as redoubtable, courageous or determined as the Kin who comprise the Leagues of Votann. Nor are many as ruthless when it comes to the risk-and-reward calculus of war. To face them in battle is to stand before an armoured avalanche that crushes all in its path. It is to be appraised and then brusquely dealt with by attackers who see any foe as little more than an obstruction, or else as a hated nemesis whose annihilation is worth any cost.To those they fight alongside or trade with, the Kin are invaluable allies. However, those they deem a risk to their people's survival they destroy  with the same relentless rigour that the Kin apply to harvesting black hole accretion discs, manufacturing their incredible technologies or, indeed, anything else they set their minds to.The Leagues of Votann are huge and formidable stellar empires, united by a shared history, genetic kinship and culture. As the emergence of the Great Rift sends ripples of upheaval through the galactic core and beyond, they are coming into violent collision with the other starfaring races more than ever before.The Leagues of Votann represent the completely reworked return of the 1st Edition Squats into the Warhammer 40,000 universe as a full faction of their own.
Abhuman - Gland War Veterans: Gland War Veterans were created to fight invading Tyranids on the Forge World of Dantis III, which was heavily polluted. The Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-priests who ruled Dantis III genetically modified several companies of the Lostok 23rd Regiment of the Astra Militarum to fight in the hellish conditions.They had many organs and drug-secreting glands implanted in their bodies so that they could survive in the Dantisian environment unprotected. Their combat abilities and physical aggressiveness were also genetically increased.Thanks to the heavy losses they took to ensure the successful defence of Dantis III, only three Gland Warriors are believed to have survived, who were taken by the Inquisition for study and debriefing.
Abhuman - Goliaths: The Necromundan House Goliath owns and operates many of the great foundries of the Hive World of Necromunda and its workers are the masters of the furnace and of metal, the raw materials of which are traded from the mines of House Orlock.The house values nothing higher than physical strength, and to this end breeds its workers like prize cattle in an effort to create the strongest, toughest and most unthinkingly loyal workers of the furnace in the galaxy.The core of these workers are huge brutes -- incredibly strong and tough, but often mentally unbalanced and extremely short-lived. House Goliath furnace-tenders -- Goliaths -- are often bigger than a Space Marine and some Imperial scholars regard them as a classifiable strain of Abhuman.
Abhuman - Nightsiders: Nightsiders are Abhumans who live out their lives in near or complete darkness on worlds that either are so far from their primary star that little or no light is shed or planets that do not rotate and so one side is always facing away from the sun.Nightsiders may have developed larger eyes than a normal Human, almost bulbous; others may have vestigial eyes with their other senses greatly enhanced to compensate for the near-blindness.
Abhuman - Other Notable Abhumans: The Adeptus Administratum's records of officially Sanctioned Abhumans further mention the following Abhuman subspecies, but does not provide much more detail about them other than their existence:Troths (Homo sapiens verdantus) - Troths are endemic to the world of Verdant, and unable to leave it due to their particular, unknown physical adaptation to its environment. They are virtually unknown to the Imperium at large.Longshanks (Homo sapiens elongatus) - These Abhumans have genetically adapted to habitable worlds with particularly low gravity, and are tall, elongated and emaciated. They find it nearly impossible to survive on worlds with gravity heavier than what they endure on their homeworlds.Pelagers (Homo sapiens oceanus) - Pelagers have either evolved or were genetically altered during the Age of Technology to live on Ocean Worlds, those habitable planets of the galaxy almost entirely covered in liquid water. They possess a set of both gills and lungs, and other adaptations for an aquatic lifestyle such as webbed hands and feet. They are a common sight on such worlds of the Imperium, but virtually unknown everywhere else.Felinids (Homo sapiens hirsutus) - Felinids are endemic to the Imperial world of Carlos McConell. Whether this is due to the particular biological requirements of that planet, prior genetic modifications made to a Human population during the Dark Age of Technology or prior Imperial regulation is unknown, but they are virtually unheard of in the Imperium at large. Felinids are Humans who have had their genomes spliced with genetic sequences derived from various species of Terran felines, and they possess many felinoid traits, including a light covering of fur over their entire body, extended canine teeth and superhuman agility and grace.Neandors (Homo sapiens hyannothus) - Descendants of the original base-line Human colonists of the world of Hyannoth IV, the Neandors have adapted over the Terran millennia to the particular ecological demands of their frigid and high gravity homeworld. These adaptations, which include hirsutism and a much more robust skeletomuscular system, however, prevent them from leaving Hyannoth IV easily. As a result, Neandors are virtually unknown to the wider Imperium.
Abhuman - Usage In-Game: In the most recent editions of Warhammer 40,000, only the Ogryns and Ratling snipers are mentioned in the main rulebook. However, in the U.S. edition of White Dwarf 302 (UK) (numbered as White Dwarf 303), an official article was published featuring doctrines that allow Astra Militarum armies to take units of Abhumans, expanding on the Ratling Snipers and Ogryns of the core rulebook.The article featured Beastmen (or Homo sapiens variatus), Mutant Slave Levies (ordinary mutant slaves rounded up to serve as Imperial cannon fodder), Feral Ogryns (even nastier and more primitive creatures than regular "civilised" Ogryns), Nightsiders (mutants originating from worlds of perpetual or near-perpetual darkness, who have little to no ability to see but are the perfect warriors for night-fighting missions), Afriel Strain Soldiers (Human clones genetically engineered from DNA taken from the greatest heroes of the Imperium, very unlucky and unpopular), Subs (relatively genetically stable but still hideously deformed mutant sub-breeds) and Gland Warriors (genetically-normal Imperial Guardsmen implanted with special organs and glands that secrete combat-useful chemicals, such as stims and pain-killers).
Abominant - Abominant: An Abominant is a mutant Genestealer hybrid who has been genetically reshaped by the will of its Genestealer Cult Patriarch to become a potent, hulking monstrosity that leads other Aberrants into battle.The Abominant is psychically directed by the Mindwyrm Familiar that created it so that its line-breaking combat power is deployed during the Genestealer Cult's military actions to where it can have the greatest tactical effect upon the defenders' forces.
Abominant - Wargear: Rending ClawPower SledgehammerMindwyrm Familiar
Abominatus - Abominatus: Abominatus, known as the "Despoiler of Worlds," is a hellish union of a Chaos-corrupted Imperator-class Titan of the Legio Magna and a Greater Daemon of Khorne. Abominatus has fought in many blood-soaked campaigns throughout the known galaxy.This notorious and formidable Chaos Battle Titan's current whereabouts are unknown, though it is highly unlikely such a vile creation would die quietly or go unheralded by its bloody-handed Khornate kin.
Abominatus - Role: Abominatus is one of the most terrifying of all the servants of the Blood God. When it walks the ground shakes beneath its steel-shod feet and the enemies of the Blood God quail in fear.This Chaos Titan wields fire and steel against its foes, with flames and gun smoke flickering from each casement and embrasure in its massive body, its soul burns with the unquenchable fire of a Daemon's hate.Abominatus carries a veritable arsenal of weapons built onto its body. Its main armament, the Hellstorm Cannon and Plasma Annihilator, along with its main battery function in an identical fashion to its Imperial counterpart. However the weapons on its main fighting platform are quite different.This Chaos-possessed Titan also has a Scorpion Cannon, a lethal, multi-barrelled weapon used for close assaults that is normally mounted on Daemon Engines of Khorne.It possesses Manglers, huge battle claws which can sweep aside battle tanks and flay enemy Titans to twisted metal. As Abominatus is part Daemon and part machine, this makes it particularly resistant to psychic attack as well.
Abominatus - Weapons: Mark of KhorneHellstorm CannonBlood CannonScorpion CannonPlasma AnnihilatorManglersLarge Bore Cannon or Mortars
Abominatus - Secondary Weapons: Secondary weapons stud the outer carapace of the "Despoiler of Worlds." Rapid Fire Cannons jut form casements and barbettes, Lascannons swivel in turrets and on platforms. As Abominatus strides into battle its silhouette is lit with the myriad flashes of its secondary weapons spewing death at the enemy. Its secondary weapons include the following:Heavy BoltersBoltersLascannonsRapid Fire Cannons
Abrasax - Abrasax: Abrasax, also known as Abraxus Ghent, was one of the first prototype Space Marines of the Primordial Strain created from the gene-seed of the first primarch, Lion El'Jonson, before the primarchs were lost to the Warp. Abrasax fought in the Siege of Terra during the climax of the Horus Heresy as a defender of the Imperial Palace, and his fate remains unknown.
Abrasax - History: Of all the tens of thousands of subjects that bled and died within the hidden genetic laboratories of the Emperor beneath the Himalazian (Himalayan) Mountains, the names of all but a handful are unknown. Most were, and remain, anonymous vessels used to nurture the first crude batches of gene-seed distilled from the blood of the unborn primarchs, test subjects for the earliest organs cultured from that gene-seed and all were considered disposable in the cause of the Space Marines' genesis. Some few, however, served as something more: functional prototypes of the new breed of transhuman warrior the Emperor had envisaged for His conquest of not just Old Earth but the entire Human-settled galaxy.They were likely not quite as their present-day cousins -- unrefined and ill-favoured but potent nonetheless -- and served as the bridge between the unique power of the primarchs and their gene-sons; a formula by which the process could be repeated and perfected. The vast majority of these were born of the strain of gene-seed extracted from the first of the primarchs, Lion El'Jonson, noted as it was for its stability, with a single warrior listed by name in the oldest of records salvaged from the depths of the Imperial Palace Archives: Abrasax, of the fourteenth Ghent intake.No mention of this figure is to be found again in Imperial records, nor in the order of battle of any of the Legiones Astartes, save in one obscure text. A brief account, written by one of the councillors attending the Emperor during the Siege of Terra, notes a warrior by the name of Abraxus Ghent, clad in unadorned power armour, who had served as one of the many guardians of that venerated building's vast halls and who fought as part of the rear guard that held the precincts of the Inner Palace against the Traitor hordes while the Emperor and his primarchs led the assault on Horus' flagship, the Vengeful Spirit. His death is not noted in the account, nor does he appear on the lengthy rolls of honour naming the veterans of that climactic battle, either living or dead.
Abrial's Claw - Abrial's Claw: Abrial's Claw is a warband of Heretic Astartes that took part in the Scouring of Makenna VII.It was once led by the Chaos Lord Abrial Shard, who relinquished control of the warband to the exiled Iron Warriors Warsmith Balduran during that campaign. Since that time, the warband has become infamous across many sectors of the Imperium.
Abrial's Claw - Notable Campaigns: Scouring of Makenna VII (Unknown Date.M41) - This campaign was conducted by various factions of the forces of Chaos under the command of the Chaos Lord Davroth of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion. The forces of Chaos sought to conquer and enslave the Imperial Mining World of Makenna VII. An outcast from the Iron Warriors since his defeat at the Fortress of Ventemar on the Iron Warriors' Daemon World of Medrengard, Warsmith Baldarun sought the means to rebuild his standing, and to do so he sought to take part in the Chaos campaign on Makenna VII. He became the leader of a Renegade Space Marine warband known as Abrial's Claw after swearing an oath of brotherhood to its former Chaos Lord, Abrial Shard. In return, Baldarun relinquished the secrets of his beloved Obliterator technovirus to Shard's men.
Abrial's Claw - Notable Warband Members: Warsmith Balduran - Baldarun is an Iron Warriors warsmith, who once commanded a Grand Battery. He was exiled from his Traitor Legion following a previous defeat against rival warsmiths on the Iron Warriors' Daemon World of Medrengard in the Eye of Terror. Baldarun wandered the galaxy, seeking the means to rebuild his standing. Seeing the campaign known as the Scouring of Makenna VII as a chance to do so, he became the new leader of the warband called Abrial's Claw after making a pact with its former Chaos Lord, Abrial Shard. In exchange for command of Abrial's warband and the right to use them against his enemies, Baldarun agreed to share with him the secret of the technovirus that creates Chaos Obliterators.Abrial Shard - Abrial Shard is a Renegade Space Marine and Chaos Lord, infamous across a dozen sectors. He swore an oath of brotherhood with the Iron Warriors Warsmith Baldarun long ago on a Daemon World in the Eye of Terror. He is greatly interested in the secrets of Baldarun's technovirus, and hoped to obtain its secrets in exchange for giving the warsmith control of his warriors during the Scouring of Makenna VII.
Abrial's Claw - Warband Colours: The colours of Abrial's Claw are unknown in Imperial records.
Abrial's Claw - Warband Badge: The badge of Abrial's Claw is unknown in Imperial records.
Absolvers - Absolvers: The Absolvers is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter that is a successor of the Blood Angels, founded sometime during the 34th Millennium. Despite being members of the Sanguinary Brotherhood, the Absolvers are known for their near-dogmatic adherence to the Codex Astartes.Enigmatic and dour, the Absolvers Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes are based -- and now trapped -- in the Gilead System of the Imperium Nihilus. Recruitment of neophytes has skyrocketed since the appearance of the Great Rift to alleviate the burden of these stalwart warriors, oath-bound as they are to defend the Imperium's citizens from the fell foes of the Emperor. The citizens of the Heartworlds in the Gilead System whisper of the righteous wrath of the Absolvers, relentless and draconian in their fight against heresy.Each noble Astartes of this Chapter knows they have no reinforcements; they are cut off from the vast war machine of the Imperium, and instructed to savour every bolt round. They have been informed that to save the many they may have to sacrifice the few. Many Absolver Space Marines and Scout Marines have been allowed to operate within the system individually, lending their strength to covert operations by other Imperial forces to serve as force multipliers.The Great Rift spews Daemonic monstrosities into the Gilead System daily. Although Astartes-led warbands have proven more than capable of beating back Daemonic incursions, there has been notable collateral damage among the system's civilians.Space Marine Scouts are viewed as demi-gods among the people of the Heartworlds of the Gilead System; though the Absolvers Chapter have a reputation for being as fearsome as they are fearless, most Heartworlds citizens still put their faith in the Emperor's greatest warriors. The Chapter's lack of resources and dwindling gene-seed reserves in-system mean there are many Scouts operating as part of the Absolvers who have not yet completed their full transhuman transformation and initiation into the Chapter. Leading a small cadre of mortal warriors on focused missions is considered a rite of passage for the neophytes of the Chapter; one that some Absolvers Scouts have been committed to complete for solar decades whilst they await the implantation of their Black Carapace.
Absolvers - Era Indomitus: In the Era Indomitus, with the Gilead System now cut off from the rest of the galaxy due to the birth of the Great Rift and its location in the Imperium Nihilus where the psychic beacon of the Astronomican no longer shines to guide Navigators, the Absolvers have acquiesced to many difficult orders in such trying times, often causing collateral damage as they ensure they keep their word; citizens of the Gilead System that have seen their ghastly work and those who have survived now speak of them with fear.The Firstborn Astartes of the Absolvers refuse to initiate their newly-introduced Primaris Space Marine brethren into the Chapter's secret rites; another isolation they must bear.Raised in the Ultima Founding and first ferried to the Gilead System by the Varonius Flotilla of the Rogue Trader Jakel Varonius who is working closely with Imperial forces to combat threats to the worlds of the Imperium Nihilus, these Intercessor reinforcements have met with a cold welcome by their brethren despite a proven prowess in combat.The unwillingness of the Firstborn Absolvers to fully work alongside their Primaris Intercessors has led to them being assigned to watch over less-powerful agents of the Imperium in need of heavy combat support.
Absolvers - Chapter Beliefs: If an Absolver proclaims that he will take an action, nothing but death stops him. This has garnered a famed reputation for the Chapter of utter trustworthiness and dependability, coupled with an infamously obstinate inflexibility. Beset on all sides by Warpborne evil, opportunistic xenos, wary allies, and rebellious mortal citizens, the Absolvers rely on their faith to shield them more than ever before -- after all, the Emperor protects.The Absolvers Chapter has 1,000 names they deem sacrosanct, one of which is ritually tattooed onto a Space Marine's magnified form when the Chapter Master deems it has been earned.Many Absolvers decorate their wargear with their names, knowing that when they fall in glorious battle their designation will be passed to a new aspirant.
Absolvers - Chapter Fleet: Vow of Absolution (Battle Barge) - The Vow of Absolution is among the Chapter's forces now trapped within the Gilead System due to the birth of the Great Rift. It is currently based in the region of the Gilead System known as the Reach, which is infested by xenos and Chaos forces. The Vow of Absolution is commanded by Captain Syres but is under the temporary command of Brevet Captain Akahir.
Absolvers - Chapter Colours: The Absolvers Chapter wears white power armour with black shoulder plate trim.The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest armour is red. The red squad tactical specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command -- is indicated on the right shoulder plate.Squad number is indicated by the white High Gothic numeral centred in the squad specialty symbol. The Chapter iconography is on the left shoulder guard.
Absolvers - Chapter Badge: The Absolvers' Chapter badge is a red chalice, with a white Aquila in the middle of it, all centred on a field of white.
Abyss-class Battleship - Abyss-class Battleship: The Abyss-class Battleships were a triumvirate of unique Imperial battleships of special configuration secretly constructed for the Word Bearers Legion by the Dark Mechanicum faction of the ancient Mechanicum in the days just before the outbreak of the Horus Heresy.The Furious Abyss, the first ship of its class, was built in the Jovian shipyards of Thule which orbited the gas giant of Jupiter in the Sol System in the early 31st Millennium. Its sister ships, the Blessed Lady and the Trisagion, were constructed at the same time in an undisclosed location.These vessels were constructed in secret during the latter years of the Great Crusade by the Renegade Mechanicum faction loyal to Kelbor-Hal, the traitorous Fabricator-General of Mars' ancient Mechanicum.These vessels were always intended for use by the Word Bearers Space Marine Legion, who were secretly ordered by the rebellious Warmaster Horus to bring their unfettered wrath down upon their hated rivals, the Ultramarines Legion.The Furious Abyss was to play an instrumental role in the Battle of Calth and the Traitor Legions' destructive campaign known as the Shadow Crusade into the Realm of Ultramar.
Abyss-class Battleship - Shadow Crusade: In the meantime, the Word Bearers' invasion of Ultramar proceeded to achieve a monumental victory at the Battle of Calth. The Ultramarines Legion was badly crippled by the Word Bearers' assault at Calth and no longer presented a viable threat to Horus' plan to drive on Terra.The Dark Apostle Erebus had managed to complete his blasphemous ritual on Calth's surface, which summoned the beginnings of the sorcerous Ruinstorm to the galaxy's Eastern Fringe -- a monstrous Warp Storm larger and more destructive than anything space-faring humanity had witnessed since the days of the Age of Strife.Simultaneously, with the Word Bearers' assault on Calth, Lorgar and the more reliable Word Bearers under his command launched a second offensive, a joint Shadow Crusade with his brother Angron and his World Eaters Legion into the rest of the Realm of Ultramar.They would go on to lay waste to the Five Hundred Worlds with reckless abandon, slaughtering twenty-six worlds in rapid succession. This was to ensure the success of the sorcerous Ruinstorm, which would ultimately split the void asunder, dividing the galaxy in two and rendering vast tracts of the Imperium impassable for the duration of the Heresy, effectively cutting Ultramar off from the rest of the Imperium.
Abyss-class Battleship - Armament: An Abyss-class Battleship possessed a formidable array of weaponry, with hundreds of laser batteries that ran the length of both of its sides. It also possessed an experimental weapon: a Plasma Lance embedded in its prow, developed as a direct fire close-range weapon for ship-to-ship combat, able to fire at point-blank ranges.Dozens of attack craft and starfighter bays allowed the vessel to serve as a potent attack carrier, playing multiple roles in naval combat. An Abyss-class Battleship could also deploy Psionic Mines when in transit in the Warp, to collapse stable Warp routes when being followed by enemy vessels.
Abyss-class Battleship - Trivia: The Abyss-class Battleship is most likely based off of the original Gothic Battleship from the White Dwarf 139 (UK), "Space Fleet," by Jervis Johnson and Andy Jones.This original design possesses the same blunt bullet prow, and its flanks are splayed out to encompass the enormous midsection.It also possesses the same three massive crenellated decks that appear like prongs of a trident. This design was an obvious inspiration to Ben Counter when he wrote the Horus Heresy novel Battle for the Abyss.
Abyssal Crusade - Abyssal Crusade: The Abyssal Crusade was a massive military campaign undertaken in 321.M37 by the Adeptus Astartes of the Imperium of Man into the hellish realm known as the Eye of Terror located in the Segmentum Obscurus.The corrupt Imperial Saint Basillius passed judgement and 30 Space Marine Chapters were found wanting. The guilty embarked upon a Penitent Crusade into the Eye of Terror, to purge those worlds stolen by the birth of the Prince of Pleasure, Slaanesh.They succeeded in battling the forces of Chaos across 400 worlds within the Eye, but suffered horrendous casualties. Thousands of Astartes were slain or corrupted by Chaos.In the aftermath of the Abyssal Crusade, the number of raids conducted by Chaos Space Marines on worlds in Imperial space increased dramatically.
Abyssal Crusade - History: After the Ecclesiarchal Purges of 321.M37, Saint Basillius the Elder was ascendant within the Imperial Cult. His "Puritas Divisions" of the faithful included several Chapters of Space Marines, each of which was extremely fierce in their vigilance; wherever a mutant or Chaos Cultist was found, an execution would immediately follow, regardless of age, sex, station or circumstance.For once, the Ecclesiarchy worked in concert with the Inquisition and the Adeptus Astartes across the entire Segmentum Solar, making it mandatory for the populace to inform on anyone they suspected to bear the spoor of Chaos.Those few civil liberties the Imperial citizenry had left were degraded further, and countless false allegations were made, but the tactic was ultimately effective; the incidence of insurrection against the Emperor dropped to almost nothing.
Abyssal Crusade - Tides of Change: This short period of peace did not last, as over a dozen star systems were soon engulfed by Warp Storm Dionys, its echoes rippling along the spiral arms of the galaxy as it raged through the Empyrean.Records of mutation and Chaos Cultist activity quadrupled overnight. Worse yet, it was not only the citizens who were affected by the sudden influx of Chaos.Many of the Space Marine Chapters with homeworlds affected by the Warp Storm found that the secret imperfections in their gene-seed were writ large upon their new recruits, giving rise to a wave of disturbing manifestations both physical and psychological.When the Ecclesiarchy heard of this sinister turn of events, Saint Basillius demanded that all those Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes whose homeworlds had been touched by the Warp Storm be rendered unto his judgement. Such was the elder's influence with the High Lords of Terra that within a standard year this had come to pass.After a series of stringent tests and prognostications, hundreds of Chapters were deemed unaffected by the Warp Storm. No less than thirty were found wanting. "The Judged," as these fallen Chapters came to be known, volunteered to undertake a redemptive Imperial Crusade.The most militant of their number demanded the right to purify their tainted flesh in the fires of battle, to make a noble end from tragic misfortune. To the surprise of his closest advisors, Saint Basillius agreed to their proposal.He saw it as fitting to send the accused into the Eye of Terror, taking the fight for the Imperium's future to the Daemon Worlds inhabited by the Chaos Space Marines.A representative from each of the doomed Chapters held an emergency Council of Dismay to discuss the proposed crusade. After scant solar hours of debate, they acquiesced to Basillius' demands, for they believed that martyrdom was preferable to an existence of suspicion and doubt.The last few days of 321.M37 saw a solemn procession of strike cruisers and battle barges pass through the Cadian Gate into the Eye of Terror, relay systems dormant and heraldic colours obscured by black mag-plates.One by one, the Chapters of The Judged disappeared into the iridescent dust nebulae that surrounded the Eye, flickering out of reach from Cadia's astropaths within a single night.
Abyssal Crusade - Ill-Fated Odyssey: Less than a solar hour after The Judged had made transition into the Eye of Terror, a warfleet of misshapen battle craft encrusted with the sigils of Chaos emerged from the dust clouds to intercept them.Torpedoes ripped open hulls and blew out docking bays, and Lance fire crackled through the ether to stab through the leviathans of the Imperial fleet. Soon, the battle raged so fiercely that all cohesion amongst The Judged's fleet was lost.The sheer amount of destruction meted out caused a great turmoil in the Warp, and the fabric of space itself began to tear open. Just as the Chaos warfleet retreated, the ships of The Judged were scattered to the furthest corners of the Eye.The journeys of The Judged could fill the Great Elucidan Library twice over, each tale with a sorry ending. For one does not venture into the Eye of Terror without courting grievous misfortune.
Abyssal Crusade - Bitter Redemption: The adepts of the Administratum outright deny any link between the loss of The Judged and the increased frequency of Chaos Space Marine raids out of the Eye of Terror thereafter.All that is known, almost 800 standard years after the Abyssal Crusade began, the remnants of some of The Judged Chapters returned from the Warp in 112.M38, having purged more than 400 worlds within the Eye of Terror.They could barely contain their fury when they were detained by agents of the Inquisition and tested for the taint of Chaos. As they passed every test, a horrible truth came to light.Saint Basillius still lived, and the testimony of Konvak Lann, Chapter Master of the Vorpal Swords Chapter, revealed him as a false idol, guilty of sending innocents into the jaws of damnation in the service of the Dark Gods.The Vorpal Swords led the other survivors, blazing with righteous anger, to penetrate the defences of Basillius' palace. They found the unaccountably ancient saint and finally revealed Basillius' true nature as an apostle of Chaos.In less than a standard year, every known sepulchre and shrine dedicated to the false saint was destroyed. After his execution by the Inquisition, an Edict of Obliteration was carried out.The Heretic saint's bones, along with countless relics, books of doctrine and thousands of living worshippers were placed on a derelict bulk-freighter and launched directly into a nearby star, purging all taint of Basillius as if he had never existed.Even so, the full extent of his corruption and the reach of his influence has never been fully discovered in the millennia since.
Abyssal Crusade - Notable Excommunicated Chapters: The following once-Loyalist Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes are known to have been corrupted, in whole or in part, during their time in the Eye of Terror as part of the Abyssal Crusade and to have become Heretic Astartes Renegade Chapters, declared Excommunicate Traitoris by the High Lords of Terra. (Post-Abyssal Crusade, M37 - Appended to the Grimoire Hereticus of M35):Adeptus Astartes ChapterExcommunicate DesignationAltar BrethrenIconoclastsArgent HammersTalons of AnathraxBlades EternalPENDINGBronze GorgonsCrystal WyvernsBrothers of the AnvilDeathmongersClerics of SteelInvocatorsCrusaders of DornBrotherhood of LetheDoom LegionVectors of PoxGraven FistsTwisted BladesIllustriansThe Black PsalmInvictorsThe UnhallowedIron DrakesThe Grey DeathJusticarsThe FracturedKnights ExcelsiorMagma HoundsLances of PterosLords of DecayLectors of IxisOracles of ChangeLionguardDeath ShadowsSanctors of TerraThe Blighted ClawSentinelsCorpus BrethrenSerpents of LightPredator LegionSigilitesMalefactorsSpears of OlympusBloodlordsStar GryphonsSons of MidnightTempest LegionThe Revelation of GoreVengeance ChapterThe FlylordsViridian ConsulsThe Broken
Abyssal Staff - Abyssal Staff: An Abyssal Staff is a Necron weapon used only by Cryptek Psychomancers. Indeed, it can be considered their signature weapon and symbol of office.Taking on the appearance of a simple staff, its ornate head is as dark as onyx and decorated with arcane symbols designed to prey on the subconscious fears of mortals.An Abyssal Staff is capable of summoning gouts of shadow that are emitted in a similar way to how flames may be emitted from an Imperial Flamer.However, to succumb to the swirling ebon mists and shroud of despair called by an Abyssal Staff is to be swallowed in impenetrable madness, for it is designed to strike at the sanity of the foe and sap their willpower to live, thus causing enemies to be turned into gibbering wrecks of their former selves if they are not slain outright by the experience.
Acastus Knight Asterius - Acastus Knight Asterius: The Acastus Knight Asterius was a massive, super-heavy pattern of Imperial Knight deployed during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras. This pattern of Knight was specialised for long-range firepower and destroying fortifications.Of the gigantic Acastus Pattern Knights, some of the largest such war machines still in existence, the Asterius is among the most rare.Like its more common cousin, the Acastus Knight Porphyrion, it boasts an armoured hide near impervious to weapons fire, striding across the battlefield like an angry giant beset by insects, and also wields a pair of twin ancient Conversion Beam Cannons.These weapons are irreplaceable relics of a lost technology, each capable of sundering the walls of mighty fortresses and laying low powerful foes in a single blast.The Asterius is even more immense than most other Knight classes, standing almost as tall as a Scout Titan. Its bulky frame was home to an impressive array of long-ranged firepower, which allowed it to lay waste to the Emperor's enemies from afar.
Acastus Knight Asterius - Role: Acastus Knights were already rare in the age of the Horus Heresy, and Asterius patterns were even more scarce than Porphyrions. Like its counterpart, they were amongst the most massive and formidable engines of destruction available to Knight Houses.These mighty behemoths were armed to raze the mightiest edifices with Conversion Beam Cannons -- even its secondary weapons were deadly in their own right.The carapace hid a massive Karacnos Mortar Battery, capable of saturating fortress ramparts with high-impact rad-phage explosives, as well as two Volkite Culverins to demolish targets of priority.One of the most heavily armed and armoured of all Imperial Knight chassis, few Houses are able to muster Acastus suits. They are therefore seen as symbols of favour by the lords of the Omnissiah's cult, and even the greatest Knight Houses only claim a handful of these savage machines.To the ancient Mechanicum, they represented the double purpose of serving as a battlefield supremacy weapon and as an icon of the Machine God's divinity -- a symbol of control and lethal sanction.
Acastus Knight Asterius - Unit Composition: 1 Acastus Knight Asterius
Acastus Knight Asterius - Armaments: 2 twin-linked Conversion Beam CannonsKaracnos Mortar Battery (Carapace mounted)2 Volkite CulverinsIon ShieldOccular Augmetics
Acastus Knight Asterius - Sources: Warhammer Community - Forge World Acastus Knight Asterius Pre-Order (07 June 19)Warhammer Community - Acastus Knight Asterius Forge World Rules (07 June 2019)Forge World Acastus Knight Asterius
Acastus Knight Porphyrion - Acastus Knight Porphyrion: The Acastus Knight Porphyrion is one of the most heavily armed and armoured chassis of Imperial Knight ever produced by Imperial technology, a design that essentially sacrifices the mobility valued by most Knights for greater firepower.Even at the height of the Great Crusade Acastus Knight Porphyrions were incredibly rare and only a few households were able to field Acastus armours. In the 41st Millennium, they are even rarer; ancient reminders of the Adeptus Mechanicus' lost power and technological mastery.
Acastus Knight Porphyrion - History: The reasons that led to the development of the Acastus Knight chassis are lost to time, and even at the height of the ancient Mechanicum's power the design was incredibly rare -- even the greatest and most powerful Knight households such as House Raven or House Vymar could only field a handful of them. The rarity of Acastus Knights meant that they were venerated as symbols of favour by the lords of the Cult Mechanicus and physical incarnations of the Machine God's power. Only the great god-engines of the Collegia Titanica, the mighty Titans, are held in higher esteem by the servants of the Omnissiah.To the wider Mechanicum, the Acastus Knights represented both battlefield supremacy weapons and physical icons of the Machine God's divinity, a symbol of control and lethal sanction. The Porphyrion-variant of the Knight Acastus is usually seen as the ultimate enforcer of a Knight household's rule and dominion over its Scions.Many of the pilots of these Acastus Knights Porphyrion bore an unique distinction and displayed the heraldic Shrouded Urn, a dread charge only given to those Knights who had destroyed one of their brothers in sanctioned and ritual trial-by-combat. As "kin-slayers," many of those who bore the Shrouded Urn were shunned by their fellow Knights, and as a result some of the Scions and Seneschals of the Knight households began to regard the Acastus Knights with considerable misgivings because of this dark reputation.Although its power is undeniable, this class of Knight armour is generally held in lesser regard than the other patterns of Knight. This may well be because of the Porphyrion's focus on ranged weaponry and its lack of close combat abilities which do not allow it to enter melee combat where the greatest battle honours for Knights can be won.For others, the bulk and scale of the Acastus Pattern armour, which almost rivals that of a Warhound-class Scout Titan, reach the very limits of what a single mind, however well-trained, may control. Therefore, mastering and piloting an Acastus Knight Porphyrion puts the Scion's mind under phenomenal stress, a strain only the strongest and most ruthless Knights may bear.As illustrated by the events surrounding the Donatos Uprising and the fate of the lord of House Wyvorn, even well-prepared Nobles do not always possess the required strength of mind to master an Acastus Knight's immense power and emerge unscathed from their psychic bonding with such a powerful engine of destruction.
Acastus Knight Porphyrion - Unit Composition: 1 Acastus Knight Porphyrion
Acastus Knight Porphyrion - Armament: One of the most heavily armed and armoured of all the Knight chassis in service, the Acastus Knight Porphyrion rivals even the Scout Titans of the Legio Titanicus in terms of size and power. Armed with weapons that can obliterate even the most heavily armoured target, it is truly a force to be reckoned with.Taller than even the towering Cerastus Knights, the Acastus Knight Porphyrion is a dominating presence on the battlefield. The Knight's main weapons are a pair of twin-linked Magna Lascannons, devastating weapons an order of magnitude more powerful than even the Sollex Pattern Heavy Lascannon of the ancient Mechanicum Taghmata.Where a Knight Paladin may carry a Heavy Stubber as a secondary weapon, the Porphyrion is armed with a pair of Autocannons which are often replaced with Lascannons when additional anti-armour firepower is necessary. Its Ironstorm Missile Pod has a substantially larger payload than those found on more common Knights, though in battle-zones where the danger from airborne assault is apparent, this system can be replaced with powerful Helios Defence Missiles.2 AutocannonsIronstorm Missile Pods2 Twin-linked Magna LascannonsIon ShieldBlessed AutocimulacraThrone MechanicumTitanic Feet - The weight of the Knight alone is enough for to crush enemy units beneath its behemoth tread.
Acastus Knight Porphyrion - Optional Wargear: Ocular Augmentics - An upgrade to the Knight's Occular sensors enabling a far greater degree of visual input during low-light conditions, such as night-fighting.Irad Cleanser2 Lascannons (Optional Replacement for Autocannons)Helios Defence Missiles (Optional Replacement for Ironstorm Missile Pod)
Acastus Knight Porphyrion - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: The specifications of this Knight armour have not been publicly released by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Acastus Knight Porphyrion - Sources: The Horus Heresy - Book Seven: Inferno (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 196-197Kingsblade (Novel) by Andy Clark, pp. 278-301Forge World Online Store - Acastus Knight Porphyrion
Accatran - Accatran: AccatranImperialForge WorldAdeptus MechanicusUltima SegmentumOrk EmpireCharadonAdeptus TitanicusLegio Destructor
Accatran - History: Much of the early history of this notable Forge World has been lost down the long millennia. It was settled sometime during the Dark Age of Technology by early Mechanicum Explorators. When the realms of Mankind were cut off by raging Warp Storms created by the birth pangs of the Chaos God Slaanesh that heralded the dire era known as the Age of Strife, it was the legendary warrior-magos Xerxes Importalus who preserved Accatran through the terrors of that era during his thousand-year reign.In honour of this revered Magos, the combined armed forces of Accatran, the Taghmata Xerxes, took its name from Xerxes Importalus.
Accatran - The Great Crusade: During the Great Crusade era, within the fledgling Realm of Ultramar, there were as yet no Forge Worlds of the magnitude of ancient Accatran, with only the newly established Forges of Anuaris, still tied both in tribute and loyalty to distant Accatran as much as Macragge, and the reclusive Magi of the iron-bound moon of Gantz ranked as true Forge Worlds within the boundaries of Primarch Roboute Guilliman's fiefdom. However, there did exist a large number of Mechanicum enclaves scattered throughout the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar.
Accatran - The Calth Conjunction: After having received the order from Warmaster Horus (who had already been corrupted secretly by the Ruinous Powers) to muster the XIII Legion for war upon Calth, Guilliman called on not only the many contingents of the Ultramarines scattered across the galaxy, but also those fiefdoms of the enigmatic Martian priesthood that dwelt within the expanding borders of his own domain, the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar. Such a realm, as dependent as it was on the technological gifts of the Mechanicum to both provide for its people and to protect its borders, was home to a number of significant Machine Cult enclaves as well as several fully-fledged Forge Worlds, such as Accatran.When the Lord of Ultramar called, they were bound to supply warriors for his cause. On the larger Forge Worlds of the Imperium in this era, these forces, the Taghmata Omnissiah, could rival even the Legiones Astartes ' Chapters in size. One such force was the Taghmata Xerxes, the battlegroup despatched from the Forge World of Accatran to join the gathering force at Calth whose Third Quinternary Division comprised nearly 15,000 combatants alone, being an approximate one fourth of Taghmata Xerxes' full strength.
Accatran - Notable Campaigns: Battle of Calth (007.M31) - Mustering at Calth on orders issued by the Warmaster Horus before Istvaan, the Ultramarines and Word Bearers Space Marine Legions, along with the forces of several Forge Worlds, including Accatran, prepare for a campaign against the Orks of the Ghaslakh xeno-hold. The Ultramarines are unaware of the Word Bearers' true allegiance and utterly unprepared for betrayal, and suffer horrific losses. The Traitors' real objective is the murder of the Veridia star of the Calth System as an offering to the Ruinous Powers that would bring about the Ruinstorm, a Warp tempest so large, it would sever the galaxy in half and render all long-range Warp travel unpredictably dangerous, and trans-luminal communication all but impossible. The Age of Darkness of the Horus Heresy begins.Rain of Fire (ca. 745.M41) - After the Battle of Macragge, a splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Behemoth winds its way into the Skitarii-held Daugel Helix. Using the knowledge recovered from the Tyran data-codex, the Skitarii fight back. The cohort commander Alpha 9-Thyrrc turns the tide by saturating a stratum of the atmosphere with gas from the planet's Promethium refineries. After his Onagers' neutron lasers set the skies aflame, each new rain of Tyranid spores incinerates those xenos planetside instead of reinforcing them. A triumphalist data-codex is compiled and sent to the nearby Forge World of Accatran, where it is swiftly filed away in the Archive Anomalis and forgotten.
Accatran - Notable Accatran Personnel: Xerxes Importalus - A legendary warrior-magos whose thousand-year reign helped to preserve Accatran through the horrors of Old Night.