vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Chancer's Vale - History: The Pauper Princes originally hailed from the ochre-hued Imperial slum world of Chancer's Vale, which although still listed as an Imperial-held planet is almost entirely under the cult's sway. Much of the populace lives in the squalid shanty towns that pepper the coasts, their skin badly desiccated by the constant mining of minerals from its barren seas.The planet exports millions of tonnes of saline cubes every year to those planets in the same sector that have no seas of their own; these are used for scores of purposes, from curing meat to the preparation of healing salves. Those of the Pauper Princes who hail from Chancer's Vale have a wrinkled, pale cast to their skin -- an appearance that marks them out as blessed scions of the cult's "holy land" to those who have colonised other worlds in the cult's name.Such is the deprivation and abject poverty of Chancer's Vale that many of its people originally joined the cult not because they were forced to by coercion or the Genestealer's corrupting "Kiss," but because they were desperate for a way off the planet.Word had spread that there was an offshoot of the Imperial Cult thriving in the principal spaceport of Senfarr -- though the source of its formation, the Purestrain Genestealer that still made its lair on the super-barge Just Strength, remained secret.From the Just Strength came a cult which preached hope, solidarity and new beginnings, an intoxicating mixture to the downtrodden and desperate population of the planet's searing coasts.The first and most talented demagogue of the cult, Magus Marovitch Tenndarc, spoke with such conviction about a new life amongst the stars that thousands fell under his sway in the space of a few short solar weeks. Swathes of the world's populace united in their devotion to the messiah known as the "Star Saviour" -- the cult's Genestealer Patriarch.Every Emperor's Day, the Magus sermonised to rapturous applause about the glories to come. Tenndarc died saving the Star Saviour himself -- the cult's Patriarch -- by diving in front of a Ratling sniper's bullet. The Abhuman assassin was torn to pieces within the solar hour, Tenndarc attained the status of saint, and the cult's flock quadrupled in size overnight.Since that day the cult has had a fierce hatred of Ratlings, and in any war zone that harbours these diminutive Imperial Guardsmen, they will go to great lengths to destroy them -- for that which nearly killed their Patriarch may one day finish the job, and this they cannot allow.
Changeling - Changeling: The Changeling, also known as the "Trickster of Tzeentch," is a Daemonic Herald of Tzeentch who epitomises the Lord of Change's love of sowing discord and distrust, and his perverse sense of humour.Tzeentch long ago bestowed upon the Changeling a doppelganger's ability to assume any shape, from that of the tiniest insect to the largest Greater Daemon.The Changeling carries out practical jokes in both the Realm of Chaos and realspace, always intended to bring about the constant change so beloved of his patron.The only shapes that the Changeling cannot assume is that of Tzeentch and his own, for he has long forgotten his original form, and desperately seeks to regain this knowledge through any means necessary.Only the Great Schemer knows the Changeling's true form, and he will never reveal it so as to keep his favoured pawn under his control.
Changeling - Wargear: The Trickster's Staff
Chaos - Dawn of Creation: At the dawn of time, the powerful and ancient alien species known only as the Old Ones nurtured some of the primitive intelligent species of the galaxy, guiding their evolutionary development to suit a specific purpose. The Warp at this time was not the intrinsically hostile place to life it has become in later ages.Once the Necrons arose to challenge them and nearly wrought their extinction because of their alliance with the malevolent Star Gods known as the C'tan, the Old Ones created new psychic warrior species to battle the threat they posed, hoping that these species' stronger ties to the Warp and potent psychic powers would turn the tide against the Necrons and their C'tan masters in the ancient War in Heaven. One of these species was the ancestors of the Aeldari and among the others were the Krork, who may have been the ancestors of the green-skinned Orks.Just before the birth of the Emperor of Mankind on Terra in the 8th Millennium B.C., three of the major Chaos Gods of the present, Khorne, Tzeentch, and Nurgle, had already begun to take form in the Warp, although it would take until the end of Terra's European Middle Ages midway through the 2nd Millennium (ca. 1400 AD) for them to fully awaken.Slaanesh did not awaken until the 30th Millennium, brought into existence by the terrible collective psychic flaws of the ancient Aeldari, with its birth to consciousness in the Warp marking the end of the Aeldari's great interstellar empire and the Age of Strife, as well as the beginning of the Emperor's Great Crusade and the birth of the Imperium of Man.In truth, time as mortals experience it has no meaning within the Empyrean, and from the point of view of the major Dark Gods, all four of them are relative newborns -- while, at the same time, they have existed since the first mortal woke to self-awareness in the galaxy tens of millions of Terran years ago.The rise of Chaos and the first three Chaos Gods seems to correspond to the rapid rise and development of Humanity in the galaxy, implying that Mankind, of all the self-aware species of the galaxy, was primarily responsible for the disharmonising of the Warp and the birth of the first three Chaos Gods, or at least the major Chaos Gods in their current form.Although, without question, all the sentient species of the Milky Way played a role in the birth of the Chaos Gods, it seems that Mankind has an especially close relationship with Chaos, or that the nature of Mankind's collective psyche is particularly aggressive, unstable and yes, chaotic.
Chaos - 41st Millennium: Across the stars, Warp storms rage and the galaxy stands on the precipice of a new age as the 41st Millennium comes to a close. Prophets and augurs proclaim the End Times for Mankind, and the number of instances of Daemonic possession across the Imperium of Man is rising.Each psyker so accursed is granted an epiphany; in their last grasping death, the victims glimpse the horrific doom that awaits them -- an abyss of Chaos, absolute in its finality, unending in its despair.Now, across the galaxy, that same vision of ultimate torment -- of an eternity beneath the lash of Daemons -- has spread. Across untold star systems, countless life forms read the portents and prepare for the dark days ahead. Premonitions of disaster are now rife amongst the Imperium, by far the largest of the galaxy's interstellar empires, but few understand the true nature of the Warp and the threat its denizens represent to all life.Yet even distant, technologically-backwards Imperial planets have marked the telltale signs of impending apocalypse -- the proliferation of mutants, the rise of Chaos Cults who worship the Dark Gods and the ever-increasing number of psykers in the Human population.The Inquisition sees the warning signs, but there are simply too many Imperial planets in peril for them to halt many of the deadly chain reactions caused by Daemonic possession. As psykers implode, small tears in the fabric of reality usher in bloody reigns of terror across thousands of planets, and in their attempts to suppress the truth and forestall mass panic, the Inquisitors adopt ever-more ruthless methods.For every Warp rift sealed though, more holes are opened, and the barrier between reality and the Realm of Chaos is left shattered and gaping in a dozen new locations. Should the weakness of Mankind prove too great, one only needs to look at the Fall of the Aeldari to see the consequences of failure. On their glittering craftworlds, the remnants of the Aeldari species do not need the rune-casting of their Farseers to tell them of the imminent threat.More psychically attuned than Humans, each Aeldari feels every new rent torn in realspace and cringes. Although utterly self-serving and cruel beyond Human measure, even the Drukhari shudder at the thought of realspace engulfed by raw Chaos, for if that happened, their hidden city of Commorragh within the Webway would not stay so for long.Even the horrifying alien Tyranids recognize the threat from the Warp -- several hive fleets have altered their invasion courses in order to avoid Warp storms gaping before them. There are scattered records of splinter fleets drifting into Warp rifts, most notably after the near-destruction of Hive Fleet Kraken at the Fall of Iyanden, though the results of such a galactic accident are mercifully hard to catalogue.The Dark Gods care not, for their unknowable plans move apace, and their final victory over the defenders of Creation seems assured.
Chaos - End of Days: With the opening of the Great Rift at the end of the 41st Millennium and the dawn of what Imperial historitors later called the Era Indomitus, the Daemonic incursions that had plagued the galaxy since time immemorial escalated in both scale and frequency.A new era of terror and bloodshed was ushered in by that galaxy-spanning tear in the fabric of reality, and the armies of the Chaos Gods, mortal and Daemonic alike, began to conquer and consume the worlds of Humanity and the alien species with unprecedented impunity.Had the Chaos Gods worked in unison in the wake of that terrible event, it is doubtless that realspace would have been utterly consumed by the sprawling madness of the Warp. Yet true to their nature, the dark brothers saw the anarchy as an opportunity to fulfil their own agendas: to kill, to change, to pollute, to bathe in excess. So divided, they are unable to fully overcome the fierce resistance of the galaxy's mortal inhabitants.The Imperium of Man, the largest single empire in the galaxy, has been galvanised by the return of the legendary Primarch Roboute Guilliman, and with him fights a new breed of warrior in Humanity's defence, the Primaris Space Marines.The older starfaring species of the galaxy, such as the Aeldari and the Necrons, continue to exhibit a stubborn refusal to bow before the Chaos Gods and accept their extinction, while upstart new species like the T'au gain a greater understanding by the day of the Realm of Chaos and the ancient and malevolent beings within it.The barbaric Orks are only incited by the surging conflicts around them, and greet the prospect of battle against the Daemonic legions with the same reckless enthusiasm they always have. The intergalactic devourers known as the Tyranids regard the immaterial Daemons with a special distaste, seeing them only as undigestible threats to the biomass they wish to consume.So the ultimate battle for the galaxy continues, the Chaos Gods and their Daemonic legions threatening to annihilate everything, including each other, in their eternal quest for dominance.
Chaos - Daemons of Nurgle: The daemons of Nurgle are truly putrid in their appearance and sickening to look upon. Their flesh pulses with the feverheat of corruption, their innards push through lesions in their putrid skin and their bodies ooze with sticky slime.In contrast to their hideous appearance, Nurgle's daemons are cheerful, energetic beings that show a disturbingly friendly demeanour. They are jovial in their work and show great pride in their accomplishments, interpreting the groans of the afflicted as expressions of gratitude justly won by their efforts.The most powerful daemons of Nurgle are called Great Unclean Ones. Great Unclean Ones are facsimiles of the god himself both physically and in spirit. Every Great Unclean One is also Nurgle himself in some sense, and their followers often refer to them as "Papa" or "Father Nurgle."Great Unclean Ones are seldom deathlike or morbid in character; in fact, they are usually motivated by the same trivial enthusiasms that drive the living. They are gregarious and even sentimental in their nature with a remarkable fondness for their followers. They often refer to their followers as their "Children" and take great pride in their appearance and oddly endearing behaviour.The common daemons of Nurgle are known as Plaguebearers. These have a more approximately humanoid shape and lurch along on stick-thin limbs. Plaguebearers have single eye and a single horn, and chant in continuous monotone. They are also called the "Tallymen of Nurgle," as it is said that they constantly strive to enumerate the endlessly changing number of plagues and poxes in the universe.Despite their decrepit appearance Plaguebearers are extremely dangerous in battle. A single scratch from their rusted swords is sufficient to bestow a plague that sends its host to Nurgle's realm without delay.The lowliest servants of Nurgle are the Nurglings, tiny daemons that look like miniature representations of Nurgle himself. They are mischievous, agile and constantly active slinking in the shadows of his champions or gathering in squealing hordes around Great Unclean Ones.Swarms of Nurglings overwhelm their enemies through sheer weight in numbers, using their scrabbling, diseased claws to pull down larger opponents so that they can gnaw at them with filth-caked fangs.Nurgle is the age-old enemy of the Chaos Power Tzeentch, the Lord of Change. Their energies come from diametrically opposing beliefs; Tzeentch's power derives from hope and changing fortune while Nurgle's comes from defiance born out of despair and hopelessness.The followers of Nurgle often pit themselves against those of Tzeentch in complex political intrigues in the mortal realm, forever attempting to mire his schemes for change in dull minded conservatism and parochial self-interest.Their corrupting influence is often successful in thwarting the Architect of Fate and they erode his accomplishments constantly, safe in the knowledge that whatever survives the collapse into entropy becomes their inheritance.
Chaos - Malice, the Renegade God: Malice is the Renegade God of Chaos, the god of contention, vengeance and anarchy, the sworn enemy of the other four Chaos Gods and all they represent, though he is no friend of Mankind either.He represents the absolute anarchy of true Chaos and its tendency to turn even upon itself in its own randomness. He is, however, absent from the most recent editions of all the Warhammer games for prior copyright reasons dating back to when this entity was known as "Malal."
Chaos - Chaos Undivided: Followers of Chaos Undivided venerate the force of Chaos itself, seeing the four major Chaos Gods as a single pantheon to be worshiped equally as different emanations of the same universal force. Of all the worshipers of Chaos they follow Chaos in its purest form.They can interpret the meaning of Chaos in a variety of ways, including as a single god, worship the four major Chaos Gods equally, or favour one slightly over the others. The Chaos Lords and Daemon Princes of Chaos Undivided are at an advantage in their ability to unite any of the Forces of Chaos under their leadership, even if they would normally worship opposing gods like Khorne and Slaanesh, so the warbands dedicated to Chaos Undivided are always the most diverse.Half of the Traitor Legions of Chaos Space Marines and most Renegade Space Marines serve Chaos Undivided, including the feared Black Legion of Abaddon the Despoiler, the greatest Champion of Chaos Undivided.
Chaos - Servants of Chaos: The Imperium is mighty and its reach is long, but the infinite Realm of Chaos is greater still. Even in the material universe the Emperor's followers only control islands of light in a sea of darkness.There are many who do not want the protection of the Imperium, who defy its laws and seek to undermine its works. Even inside the Imperium itself rebels and secessionists struggle constantly to throw off the chains of oppression, particularly among the lowliest underclasses created by the Priesthood of Terra.These are the peoples that have not forgotten the taste of freedom, those who would rather give their fealty to the uncaring Ruinous Powers than grovel before the Corpse-God of distant Terra. Some are peoples who seek to escape from bondage and go to any lengths to secure their release.Others resist the power of the Imperium without truly knowing why they do so, motivated simply by a conviction that they must fight against the tyranny it represents. All of these peoples are the servants of Chaos and knowingly or unknowingly they continue to fight in the Long War begun by Horus ten millennia past.
Chaos - Daemons: The Chaos Gods are not alone in Warpspace. They have created servants from their own essences -- the creatures that mortals have named "daemons" based on their ancient legends and religious mythologies -- who are not so closely bound to the Warp.Daemons are entities of a somewhat different nature to their masters, and are the most numerous of the creatures to be found in the Empyrean. A daemon is "born" when a Chaos God expends a portion of its own power to create a separate being.This psychic power binds a collection of senses, thoughts and purposes together, creating a personality and consciousness that can move within the Warp. The Chaos God can reclaim the independence it has given to its daemon children at any time, thus ensuring their loyalty. It is only through the loss of this power that a daemon can truly be destroyed, its mind dissolving into the whirls and currents of Warpspace.Daemons have no physical presence within the Warp. The Realm of Chaos is anathema to the laws of physics and the starships that navigate its depths do so by taking a skin or bubble of "reality" with them when they enter using their Warp-Drive.Instead of possessing a true physical form, daemons project a form conjured from raw psychic energy that is essentially a lesser interpretation of their master's fundamental nature. Hence, the bizarre and inhuman appearances projected by daemons indicate their presence, status and allegiance to a Chaos God.Though it may appear to be made of normal matter when it materialises in realspace, a daemon's form is no more physical than it is in the Realm of Chaos. In fact, they are beings of pure Warp energy given shape and depth.When manifested in the material universe, daemons have particular invulnerabilities and weaknesses, as well as many strange powers derived from their Warp-born nature as psychic beings. Slaying a daemon's physical projection does not kill it, but only severs its presence in reality; its true essence in the Warp remains unharmed.When a daemon is "killed" in the material universe, it is banished back to the Warp. If not simply re-absorbed by its creator, it must remain there to regain its strength that it eventually might manifest itself again. Legend has it that a daemon banished in this way cannot return for a thousand Terran years and a day, though it is of course impossible to prove such a belief through study, and the concept of time itself is meaningless within the Warp.The slight to a "slain" daemon's pride is considerable, however, and the daemon is forced to endure the mockery of its fellows until it can return to corporeal form and avenge itself. The most powerful daemons will call upon any servants and tributary Lesser Daemons to help them achieve their revenge.If it has many allies, it may also request their aid, though all daemons are cautious in doing so. Such favours must inevitably be returned, and no daemon welcomes the dominion of another creature, be it mortal or daemonic.
Chaos - Forces of Chaos: The "forces of Chaos" is a term applied by Imperial scholars to all the myriad servants of the Ruinous Powers of Chaos who seek to destroy the Imperium of Man and replace it with the utterly anarchic predominance of Chaos.This is a state of affairs that would likely result in the eventual extinction of the Human race and indeed of all sentient life in the Milky Way Galaxy were it to come to fruition.For clarity's sake, most scholars divide up the forces of Chaos into three major components, including the inhuman daemonic entities that are native to the Warp and only rarely impinge upon the physical universe, the Lost and the Damned which includes among their numbers Chaos Cultists, Traitor Guardsmen, mutants and the other mortal devotees of Chaos and finally, Chaos' most potent mortal servants, the Traitor Legions of the Chaos Space Marines and their counterparts amongst the Hereteks and Traitor Titan Legions of the Dark Mechanicum.To further explore each of these components of the forces of Chaos, please see:DaemonsThe Lost and the DamnedChaos Space MarinesDark Mechanicum
Chaos Beast - Chaos Beast: A Chaos Beast is a horrific, Daemon-possessed mutant monstrosity sometimes deployed by the forces of Chaos.Many horrors too foul to name are born on the Daemon Worlds of the Eye of Terror and within other Warp rifts. They are foul abominations of Chaos, creatures taken by the Dark Gods and corrupted and mutated for the god's entertainment or possessed by ravenous Daemons eager to experience the savage joys of spreading carnage through realspace.Tormented and driven insane by its new hideous form, its soul governed by the base desires of the Daemon within, the Chaos Beast seeks only to kill before being slain in its turn.Chaos Beasts come in many forms, but each is a creature of muscle, sinew, fangs and claws, with only one thought driving it, to charge headlong into the enemy, tearing and goring a bloody path across the battlefield.
Chaos Child (Novel) - Chaos Child (Novel): Chaos Child is a novel by Ian Watson.  It was released in 1995 and is collected in the Inquisition War Omnibus.
Chaos Child (Novel) - Synopsis: In the strife-torn galaxy of the 41st Millennium can Inquisitor Jaq Draco, hunted by Imperial and alien enemies, learn to read the Eldar book of fate and discover the secret of the final apocalypse?Devastated by the death of his assassin-courtesan Meh'Lindi, might Jaq surrender his soul to a Daemon to discover the legendary place where time can reverse, so as to bring her back from the dead?If Jaq's faith in the faltering Imperium fails, might the Space Marine captain who accompanies him be forced to kill him?Amidst massacres on the holy world of Sabulorb, Jaq will not have long before Chaos raiders come, and vengeful aliens too, before the planet itself is faced with incineration...
Chaos Cult - Battle of Calth: The events that unfolded at the Battle of Calth would reveal a far more concerted effort to cultivate false religiosity in direct contradiction of the Imperial Truth in preparation for the galaxy-wide uprising that erupted in the aftermath of the events on Isstvan V.It would be many standard years until the horrifying extent was realised but it is now evident that the XVIIth Legion -- the Word Bearers -- deliberately seeded countless hidden Warp cults across the worlds they had brought to Compliance in the five solar decades prior to the outbreak of the Horus Heresy.These were referred to the "sons of Lorgar" and by many of the cults themselves as the "Holy Worlds" and beneath the mask of Imperial Compliance, they hid a myriad of aberrant doctrines. Worlds that on the surface appeared ordered and civilised in fact seethed with heresy just below the surface.Furthermore, they attracted the outcast and the dispossessed, those unable or unwilling to accept the Imperial Truth. Individually or in small groups, hidden Chaos pilgrims travelled from all over the Imperium to join these bodies, swelling their numbers to such an extent that when word was given, countless billions rose up as one and declared the Warmaster Horus as their lord, and in some cases, their god.
Chaos Cult - The Primordial Annihilator: At the time of the Battle of Calth in the early 31st Millennium, few amongst the Imperium's rulers were conscious of what the numerous Warp cults actually believed. Later, they would become all too aware, and later still, all such knowledge would be suppressed and declared anathema by the High Lords of Terra and the Inquisition.At that early stage, it was guessed that the cults worshipped what they imagined to be deities within the otherworldly dimension of the Warp. Certainly, Navigators and astropaths, and perhaps the primarchs, were aware that the Empyrean was host to an order of life that had no analogue in the material universe, but which was able to interact in a limited fashion with it, in particular through those who had been born with psychic abilities, ranging from Enslavers to Psychneuein.Investigations, interrogations and signals intercepts revealed myriad occult terms in use amongst the Warp cults, much of it beyond classification, but there remained certain terms and precepts that appeared over and again.The "Primordial Annihilator" was one such term, a title determined to refer to the Warp itself, as if the Empyrean were some vast gestalt consciousness which the Warp cults appeared to venerate.Others referred to the "Octed" and the "Eightfold Path", ascribing an unfathomable formulae and a dark purpose to those entities they believed guided their actions.
Chaos Cult - Unit Composition: 9-39 Chaos Cultists1 Chaos Cultist Champion
Chaos Cult - Wargear: Flak Armour (Optional, most cultists wear no armour or improvised armour)AutogunAutopistol (Optional replacement for Autogun)Heavy Stubber (Optional replacement for Autogun, 1 for every 10 cultists)Flamer (Optional replacement for Autogun, 1 for every 10 cultists)Shotgun (Optional replacement for Cultist Champion's Autogun)Brutal Assault Weapon (Improvised melee weapon, optional replacement for Autogun, 1 for every 10 cultists, or replacement for Cultist Champion's Autogun in addition to an Autopistol)
Chaos Cult - Nature of the Enemy: Heresy, false belief, political corruption, the danger of religious schism, treachery, apostasy, rebellion, and disorder are all utterly corrosive to the unflinching order that sustains Human interstellar civilisation.Unity of purpose is needed if the Imperium, indeed Humanity, is to survive in such a hostile universe. Since the dark days of the Age of Apostasy, it has been the sacred task of the Ordo Hereticus of the Inquisition to sustain that order by any means necessary.The foes of that order are diverse and widespread, from the false Adeptus Ministorum priest to the dissolute noblemen, demagogues and seditionists of every stripe, the mutant skulking in the shadows, and those who would sell out Humanity to the alien or worse.But of all its enemies, it is witches and rogue psykers that are the Ordo Hereticus' prime targets and their pursuit, suppression, and destruction its most fervent goal. For any psyker who escapes discovery or flees from his just fate as part of the Black Ship's tithe, the Witch Hunter's pyre awaits.
Chaos Cult - Apocalypts: It is no coincidence that many of the lowly followers of Chaos are mentally unstable, social misfits, or else desperate individuals whose only hope of sanctuary lies in the bosom of Chaos.Among these are people who believe that all Mankind is doomed, and that they live in the last days of Man's dominion before the universe is swallowed by Chaos.These people are called "Apocalypts," and their particular brand of insanity inspires them to fight against all government order to bring about the collapse of civilisation which they believe inevitable.
Chaos Cult - Blood Cult: While warbands of Heretic Astartes and Traitoris Militarum practice their worship of the Lord of Skulls openly, mortal cultists gather in backrooms and secret slaughter tunnels beneath crowded streets, plotting murder and bloodshed in Khorne's name.Given the terrible nature of many Imperial worlds, however, locals often barely notice the increases in violent crimes, missing persons, and gory dismemberments, allowing Blood Cults of Khorne to flourish below the rot of Imperial society.The members of these cults have many different reasons for joining together. Some have seen a friend die in a bar fight. Others have lost their families in Adeptus Arbites raids or riot suppression actions. There are even those who fight for sport because they enjoy the feeling of fists shattering jawbones.All these reasons and more can set a man or woman on the path toward the veneration of Khorne. Vengeance and combat are intoxicating to those predisposed to revel in them. This feeling drives individuals to want more, to be strong enough to topple greater foes, and to seek the power necessary to do so.No matter the reason that brings them together, when these individuals find each other, they are united by a common desire. They wish to kill, offering blood and skulls in exchange for power and retribution, and Khorne has much to offer them in the bargain.
Chaos Cult - Cellular Cults: Perhaps the most efficient structure for a cult carrying out activities that risk regular exposure and persecution is the "cellular structure." This kind of cult's structure breaks down its membership into a series of small sub-groups, the cult's cells.Cells, which range from a handful of individuals up to perhaps hundreds of members, are each devoted to carrying out a particular specialisation or a certain task or goal.Other than the select few, or an individual, who control the cell, none of the cell's other members has any direct contact with the wider cult or even other cultists outside of his immediate circle and cell. This structure has the profound advantage that if any of its rank-and-file are captured or compromised, they may betray nothing that does not concern their own immediate cell, keeping the wider cult safe and its dealings and purposes secret.Indeed, this shell game may be carried further, with a particular cell's leadership forming the rank-and-file of another, smaller cell senior in authority, and that cell's leadership part of another and so on.This can prove a phenomenally hard structure to successfully track and destroy and by its nature is highly adept at covert and independent operations. Many of the most dangerous cults and heretical groups who are sufficiently well-organised operate a cell structure or at least organise their field agents into cells for this reason, as does, ironically enough, the Inquisition.
Chaos Cult - Charismatic Cults: Charismatic cults are the simplest in structure, as their organisation is based around the authority of a single figure -- the cult's leader. Personal authority is usually the norm in these cults and is maintained by the leader's force of character, natural charisma, oratory skills, or simple personal power.Cults led by a single powerful figure such as a witch or magus are often of this type, although any place where malcontent or religious schism breeds can throw up a charismatic leader.This individual will exploit the weakness of others for their own personal power or gratification, or the fulfilment of their own apocalyptic vision.
Chaos Cult - Cults of Change: Individuals who exhibit great cunning, intelligence, and ambition -- particularly those who came into power through convoluted schemes -- have a part to play in the great drama of the Playwright of Destiny.As Tzeentch and its minions prefer to wage war through deception, guile, espionage, and trickery rather than open warfare, the Master of Fate places high value on mortals in positions of power who can influence organisations, gain access to classified information, direct the allocation of resources, and shape decisions and policy.The Great Conspirator does not discriminate, nor does it recruit only from the social and intellectual elite. Tzeentch also prizes those cunning and ruthless low-born individuals who must lie, cheat, steal, and deceive simply to survive. Anyone with the right combination of strengths and attributes might catch Tzeentch's attention.
Chaos Cult - Death Cults of the Imperium: Death and blood underpin Human existence. It is a common truism that only through continued blood-sacrifice in the face of a hostile universe will Mankind prevail, a sacrifice likened in the Imperial Creed to the bodily sacrifice of the Emperor Himself.So it is in these beliefs that Death Cults flourish within the Imperium, a dark shadow of the more readily recognised sects of the Imperial faith, making them some of the most dangerous heretical cults that the Inquisition can encounter.Some are no doubt deluded, corrupted by the Ruinous Powers or swayed by far older and more terrible influences, but many are devout followers of the Throne. To these individuals, every death, every cut, every welling of blood is an act of worship to the Immortal Emperor of Mankind.Such death cults can vary widely in purpose, creed, makeup, and scope, but even the least suspect walks something of a tightrope between the sublime and the damned. Most so-called Death Cults, despite their differences, can be divided into three broad categories:
Chaos Cult - Sanguinary Cults: Perhaps the most commonplace and famed sub-division of the Death Cults, sanguinary cults focus on the act of bloodshed itself -- the manifold art of killing and the moment of extinction. Often honing the skills of the assassin beyond the ken of normal men, such cults are tolerated or at least wilfully ignored by the Imperial authorities despite their heretical and even vampiric tendencies.This tolerance is because they are known to be implacable in their hatred of Mankind's enemies, supplying the Adeptus Ministorum and the Inquisition with invaluable adepts of murder and fanatical killers loyal to the cause.Some have even more shadowy connections to the mysterious Officio Assassinorum, the secret organisation that provides unparalleled adepts of murder for the High Lords of Terra. Many sanguinary cults spring into being in the fertile soil provided by the harsh conditions found on many Feral and Feudal Worlds.However, the shadows of the underhive, the viperous intrigues of the noble's court, and even the travails of deep space can equally create the conditions where ritual societies dedicated to the deadly arts of the blade, bullet, and poison can flourish.The Calixis Sector has numerous such sanguinary cults and sacrificial societies present scattered across many worlds, and indeed, the population of the outcast Feudal World of Fervious is largely governed by them.The most famous of the death cultists, without doubt, are the assassin-mystics of the Moritat, which has sub-cults and cells operating right across the sector and indeed beyond.
Chaos Cult - Necrophagic Cults: Necrophagic cults are the most blatantly heretical and terrible of all Death Cults, with sects often springing up on worlds ravaged by incessant warfare or planet-wide famine, pandemic disease, or other terrible disasters.In desperation and often goaded by outside influence, the people's faith and devotion take on an increasingly malign turn, with Human sacrifice, cannibalism, and necrotic rituals becoming widespread.In such cases the members of these cults rapidly become irretrievably insane and physically corrupt, and are often the playthings of Warp entities, while the vile leaders of such cults walk a tightrope between burgeoning malefic power and utter madness. Necrophagic cults are never tolerated by the Imperial authorities and are hounded to destruction wherever uncovered.Within the Calixis Sector, necrophagic cults have been known to spring up in the wake of long-burning wars (as has happened on Tranch and Malice in recent years), on isolated and savage worlds such as Endrite, and in the dark space hulks and vessels in space where stricken survivors or desperate stowaways devolve into a form of mutant cannibal known to the Void Born as Ghillam or Hold-Gaunts.But of all these tales, none can compare to the ancient stories of the appalling Saynay Clan of Dusk, whose half-mythic ghoulish histories have given the children of the Calixis Sector nightmares for many Terran centuries.
Chaos Cult - Resurrectionist or Revivicator Cults: Rarely encountered but insidious in nature, resurrectionist cults ultimately seek to conquer the secrets of life and death itself. Some resurrectionist cults preach a doctrine of the Emperor's triumph over death and the conquest of Human weakness, while others entreat darker masters, pursue utterly forbidden sciences, or hide baleful xenos or Warp-spawned influences at their hearts. Often they espouse the goal of attaining physical immortality for the faithful and will go to unspeakable lengths to obtain their ends.More so than even the sanguinary cults, these groups attract insane and desperate individuals to their ranks, those who have lost everything, become the most degenerate Heretics or follow the wildest of deviant creeds.Some resurrectionists even practice ritual revivification to indoctrinate their members. The most extreme examples of such sects believe that the Emperor's plan is for Mankind to follow Him into a blessed "immortality of the flesh."They even claim that it is possible through the use of utterly forbidden archeotech to free the Emperor from the Golden Throne to walk among His people, "dead-but-alive-everlasting" to quote the darkly renowned Credo Mortifex.Such cults are hated by both the Ministorum and the Adeptus Mechanicus and must throw up a murderous veil of secrecy and superstition in order to survive.
Chaos Cult - Mystery Cults and Secret Societies: Mystery cults are centred, as their name implies, on secrets. These secrets may concern a hidden network of power, a cache of forbidden lore, access to ancient prophecies, or other esoteric truths and important information. These secrets are held by a select group, forming an inner circle or oligarchy (often with several sub-tiers of rank), and are the foundation of their power and authority.The cult's members must submit to this group's leadership and direction if they are also to gain access to the hidden secrets, and perhaps one day wield the cult's power for themselves.Many mystical cults, religious sects, and those focused on occult lore follow this pattern, as do a surprising number of institutions who hide their inner workings with elaborate ritual and labyrinthine secrecy. Within the Imperium, arguably the largest single mystery cult is the Adeptus Mechanicus itself. The Priesthood of Mars hides its secrets well, even from its own numbers.
Chaos Cult - Plague Cults: Not all who seek to serve Nurgle have the means to attract the Plague God's attention through grand individual acts of devotion. Most mortals do not have the might of a Chaos Space Marine or the influence of a corrupt political leader.For these common worshipers, notice is often best gained when they band together as a Plague Cult. The power of such a group is far greater than that of any one of its members.Alone, these individuals can do very little, but if all are members of the same Plague Cult, it can be another matter entirely. The guard can look the other way when suspicious materials are smuggled in and stored safely away from prying eyes.Disease and despair are common throughout the galaxy. Death is ever-present as well, especially when plague grips a region. Some who would worship Nurgle see the death that follows disease, misinterpret the Plaguelord's will, and form death cults instead of Plague Cults. To these woeful souls, death is all. They believe that Nurgle's ultimate goal is final death.They are wrong. One common task that Plague Cults often take upon themselves is the eradication of these rival death cults who have so egregiously wronged Nurgle.The struggles between the two types of cults are usually limited to small skirmishes or individual assassinations. Only when it is too late, when the Plague Cult has vanquished the Heretics, and an unstoppable contagion spreads through their streets, do the authorities realise their error.
Chaos Cult - Pleasure Cults: There are countless ways to come to know the glory of Slaanesh. Some mortals are simply tired of the suffering they experience daily in a merciless, unrelenting galaxy and want some sort of reward for enduring the ceaseless pain. Others enjoy a life of privilege already, but refuse to be satisfied with what they have.There are even those who simply cannot seem to resist certain actions or sensations, from listening to screams of tormented captives in torture chambers, filling their bodies with neurostims, or obsessively staring at walls of a particular shade of mauve for solar hours on end.From the most grand ambitions to the most seemingly innocent desires, anything that causes the slightest pleasure in a mortal is a psychic opening through which the Dark Prince can make its presence and influence felt.Regardless of where a cult springs up, how it grows, or what the particular fixations it has might be, all Pleasure Cults of Slaanesh have common themes -- excess, sensation, and personal perfection.One cult may be trying to find the perfect pitch at which to scream, another seeking the most efficient way to get wine into the bloodstream, and another pushing the limits of how much skin can be removed before the body fails.They are all looking for more than they have or more than they have been told is possible. A cult of Slaanesh is a study in obsession, just as their Dark Prince would have it.
Chaos Cult - Warp Cults of Calth: History has yet to relate the names of all of the cultic forces the Word Bearers committed at the Battle of Calth where Chaos Cultists were first used in large-scale military actions, and it is likely that as the Underworld War ground on, those factions brought to Calth as part of the Calth Conjunction that Horus ordered as a pretext to gather the Imperial forces at Calth altered greatly. Some were obliterated when the Ultramarines began their counterattack on the surface, while others merged, split or changed in other ways.On the day of the Calth Conjunction, however, there were four chief cultic groups represented amongst the ranks of the Traitors, and it is likely there were numerous smaller factions present in addition to these, the names of most of which history does not record and only substantive evidence for cult forces in the northern hemisphere remains.The four primary Warp cults present at the Battle of Calth were the Ushmetar Kaul -- "the Brotherhood of the Knife," the Tzenvar Kaul -- "the Recursive Kin," the Jeharwanate -- "the Ring," and the Mandari -- "the Gene-kin."The heavily mechanised forces of the Calaq War Hosts that took part in the Battle of Ithraca on Calth's southern continent were notable in themselves as their trappings of technology and record of Imperial military service masked the truth of their savage culture and devotion to the influence of the Warp, and therefore do not conform to the pattern illustrated here.As such they were not a cultic force in this accepted sense, but more like Traitor regiments of the Imperial Army.
Chaos Cult - Davinite Lodge Priests: Such histories that exist describing the roots of the Horus Heresy reserve a special place for the warrior lodges of the Feral World of Davin.Such descriptions are beyond the scope of this account and much remains unknown, but any examination of the Warp cults of the ancient galactic civil war must also include some mention of the Davinite lodge priests who were often to be found serving alongside them.These twisted Abhuman magi and demagogues each followed one of the animist and totemic warrior and mystic cults of Davin. Of these, one of the most commonly encountered were initiates of the so-called Serpent Lodge, into whose clutches the Warmaster Horus fell when wounded on Davin's Plague Moon and who would go on to act as his emissaries, but numerous other lodges were also recorded to a lesser extent.The warrior lodge priests appeared to serve a higher interest than the individual cults and may have been acting in concert with certain conspirators at the highest levels of the Traitors' leadership, in particular the Dark Apostles of the Word Bearers, who it is apparent had a hand in countless atrocities across thousands of worlds. While some lodge priests served as advisors in matters of prophecy and the Warp, others acted as high priests under whom multiple cult bodies could be gathered together.All were schooled in the darkest arts of Warpcraft and were able to call upon and wield the most terrible of Warp-born powers and aberrant psyker abilities, making them one of the most dangerous classes of the Warmaster Horus' allies outside of the Heretic Astartes of the Traitor Legions themselves.
Chaos Cult - Unclean Horde: Of the Recursive Kin and the Ring, very little is known save they were represented on the Calth muster-tally as Feral World levies dragged along in the wake of the Word Bearers Legion.While both factions fought in the opening phases of the war and inflicted heavy losses on the Loyalist defenders of Calth, both were largely wiped out by counterattacks when the Ultramarines regained control of Calth's planetary defence grid and initiated a heavy bombardment of Traitor units from orbit.According to after-action reports, both forces were observed engaging in the most outlandish of rituals and employed Warpcraft via rogue and aberrant psyker mutants concealed within their ranks.The Tzenvar Kaul, in particular, numbered many thousands of Abhumans and mutants in their ranks, ranking them as third-line troops suitable only for hazardous environment labour, forlorn hope operations and Zone Mortalis "clearance" duties.The conspiracy of the Traitors had concealed the full extent of their physiological deviance, however, which proved to be far in excess of that which would have warranted extermination on the grounds of biological contamination to the Imperium.These forces, when unveiled in battle, were revealed to be so debased in body and mind, they were little more than caricatured mockeries of Humanity whose limbs were twisted far beyond all Human norms, sporting chitin horns, thrashing tentacle limbs and far more eyes than any living thing should have.These aberrant creatures were simply driven at the Loyalists in massed wave assaults, seeking to overwhelm by sheer numbers, and died in their thousands either to Loyalist guns or the indiscriminate bombardments launched by their "allies."