vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Salamanders - Mount Deathfire: Mount Deathfire is a massive volcano in the Pyre Desert that is home to the great salamander reptiles called Fire Drakes that were part of the legendary contest between Vulkan and the Emperor over 10,000 standard years ago. Mount Deathfire is still the location for the last trial faced by the young aspirants who wish to join the Salamanders Chapter.Within Mount Deathfire is a sacred cavern where the rites of immolation are carried out. This chamber is known as the Pyreum, a massive crematoria where the bodies of slain Astartes are returned to the sacred fire of the mighty volcano. According to Promethean Cult lore, the essence of the departed will be passed on into his suit of power armour when his ashen remains are offered up on the pyre-slab and he is returned to the mountain.This sacred chamber is held in a deep basin of volcanic rock, girded by layers of reinforced heat-retardant ceramite so that the lave flowing into it pooled briefly before flowing onwards from one of the many natural outlets in the rock. There were no lanterns in the cavern, for none were needed. The lava cast a warm and eldritch glow.Though ostensibly carved from rough rock and intended to look like a natural cavern, the Pyreum was actually a sacred place built by Master of the Forge T'kell. Millennia old, its artifice and functionality are still lauded in the current decaying Age of the Imperium.T'kell had fashioned the vault under the careful auspice of the Chapter's primarch, Vulkan, and had been amongst the first of his students upon his apotheosis to master of the XVIIIth Legion.These same skills T'kell would impart to future generations of Salamanders, together with the arcane secrets learned from the Tech-priests of Mars. The Master of the Forge is long dead now, and others walk in his mighty stead, but his legacy of achievements remaines. The cavern of the Pyreum is but one of them.Within this mightiest of Nocturne's volcanoes lies also a labyrinth of tunnels and catacombs so vast that two individuals could spend solar months abroad in its depths and never meet one another and never even witness a sign of each other's passing. Much of its subterranean darkness is uncharted.Only Vulkan had ever known its every shrouded corner, its every tunnel and chamber. Beasts slumber in the lowest deeps, old creatures jealous of Man and his dominance of the surface.The unique acoustics of the rock, the veins of phonolite and other aurally conductive minerals within its composition, allow the plaintive wailing of such creatures to be heard far from their dwelling places by Human Nocturneans.Few natives ever braved the mountain depths for that reason. It is the province of the Salamanders alone and so these passages often lie deserted.
Salamanders - Ignea: This relatively unsettled Nocturnean continent's people provide comparatively few recruits for the Salamanders, as they do not live in the large subterranean Sanctuary Cities but are instead nomadic clans that take refuge for only short times in the various cave systems of the continent, preferring the freedom of constant motion to a more settled existence.As such, they are generally economically much poorer than the settled clans that live in the Sanctuary Cities and they are viewed with disdain and prejudice by the people of those settlements.It is this prejudice and their lower socioeconomic status that usually prevents the nomadic clans' youth from successfully completing the trials required to become a Salamanders neophyte.
Salamanders - Artefacts of Vulkan: According to Chapter legends, the Primarch Vulkan left behind nine artefacts of advanced technology crafted or designed by his own hand for his prodigy to find and wield if they proved worthy.The primarch purposely hid these artefacts throughout the galaxy to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands, but also because he knew that even the grandest prize was as nothing were it to be seized without challenge.Since Vulkan's disappearance over seven standard millennia ago, the Salamanders have appointed one from amongst their number to seek the lost legacy of their primarch who is known as the Forgefather.This quest has been handed down through the Forgefathers, the greatest heroes within the Chapter, who are always gifted with the name of the primarch before their own.The Forgefathers seek across the galaxy for the Artefacts of Vulkan by deciphering the clues the primarch left behind in the ancient texts sacred to the Chapter and the Promethean Cult known as the Tome of Fire. At the close of the 41st Millennium, this is a burden currently borne by Vulkan He'stan, the Forgefather and former captain of the 4th Company.Only four of Vulkan's original nine artefacts does He'stan seek -- 4 of the others have been found through the travails of previous Forgefathers and one relic he has uncovered himself.Three of these, the Spear of Vulkan (a master-crafted relic blade that burns so brightly as to set even ceramite ablaze), Kesare's Mantle (a legendary drakescale cloak made of adamantium-hard drake scales) and the Gauntlet of the Forge (a master-crafted armoured gauntlet with a built-in miniature Heavy Flamer, which Vulkan He'stan recovered himself and whose molten rage none can endure), are always carried into battle by the Forgefather on his quest.The other two recovered artefacts remain on the Salamanders' moon of Prometheus, for they are valuable beyond measure. One is the Forgeship Chalice of Fire, whose vast manufactorums provide the Salamanders with (some of) their weapons of war.The next is the Eye of Vulkan, a spacebound defence laser assembly that stands eternal vigil over the Salamander's fortress-monastery on Prometheus.Of the remaining artefacts, the Engine of Woes, the Obsidian Chariot, the Unbound Flame and the Song of Entropy, only the names are known to the Chapter. Their size, form and location are locked within the Tome of Fire, there to be uncovered as the primarch's prophecies reveal themselves.Some of these artefacts were set aside by the first Forgefather immediately before the Drop Site Massacre on Isstvan V, while others seem to have been built at an unknown later date.
Salamanders - Chapter Recruitment: Like many of the First Founding Chapters (and many subsequent ones as well), the Salamanders recruit exclusively from the people of their homeworld, Nocturne. Nocturnean children aspiring to become Space Marines begin their training at the age of six or seven Terran years as the apprentice to a Salamanders Astartes.They spend several standard years learning the art of the smith, and the most able apprentices are then judged by the Chapter's Apothecaries and Chaplains to see if they are worthy (and capable of surviving the gene-seed organ implantation process) to become Space Marines.Their training includes many of the same trials the Emperor and Vulkan competed in according to Nocturnean legend, finally culminating in the hunting and slaying of a massive salamander on Mount Deathfire.Those aspirants who survive to complete all of these tasks are taken for biological enhancement and implantation of the Chapter's gene-seed at the Salamanders' fortress-monastery on the moon of Prometheus.
Salamanders - Great Crusade Era: At the time of the Great Crusade, idiosyncrasies in gene-seed were not merely common within the Legiones Astartes, they were part of the Emperor's grand design for the Space Marines. It was divergence in programming and influence of the primarch's genotype in the transformation of Human to transhuman Astartes that, beyond any other factor, set the Space Marine Legions apart from each other.In the case of the Salamanders, this factor showed clearly both in temperament and overtly in physiology. Of particular note was the strength of constitution displayed by fully developed Salamanders Astartes, which had measurable superiority to the already transhuman Space Marine norms in relation to extreme temperature tolerance, radiological resistance and cellular repair.As a result of this latter factor particularly, only the Death Guard Legion are on record as having a capacity to process and resist toxins that exceed the Salamander's genotype.This variant gene-seed, however, also had some unusual outward effects, the first of which, noticeable even in the first Terran members of the XVIIIth Legion's intake, was a much-remarked "ember-like" bioluminescence to their eyes.They also had a tendency for skin pigmentation to permanently darken in response to prolonged exposure to high levels of potentially harmful radiation as part of their biological defence mechanism, often adopting an unnatural granite-like or obsidian quality with sufficient exposure.This combination of effects, coupled with their Astartes might, made for a particularly frightening appearance for the Legion's rank and file. This alone had earned them fear and an almost superstitious apprehension on first contact by other Humans, as "devils in the dark" for example, as they were named by the Proximal Scaver-tribes whose rebellion they were called to quell early in the Great Crusade.It is worthy to note, in fact, that Nocturne, being a world where extremes of temperate and highly unusual radiological phenomena were present, served to further bring out this physiological reaction in Terran Legionaries stationed there and freshly recruited native inhabitants alike, transforming them.This, if nothing else, helped create a sense of shared nature and identity, both within the Legion and directly in kinship with Vulkan himself, who also shared in these phenotypical traits.
Salamanders - 41st Millennium: As far as can be ascertained by the Magos Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Salamander's gene-seed appears to be both stable and as yet uncorrupted. An unusual trait of the Salamanders is that their battle-brothers tend to be slower in reflex reaction than those of other Chapters, though the origin of this factor is debated and has not been attributed to any factors present in the gene-seed.It is unknown whether this defect is due to a problem with the gene-seed that manifested as a result of most Salamanders battle-brothers being raised on their high-gravity world, or the psychological result of the Chapter's doctrines and psycho-conditioning against hastiness and impetuosity.However, it has been noted that a Salamanders Space Marine can move just as quickly as any Astartes equipped with power armour, which gives some weight to the psychological hypothesis.The Salamanders were always the smallest in number of the First Founding Legions, owing to their indoctrination procedures and the large number of Salamanders Space Marines slain at the Isstvan V Drop Site Massacre during the opening days of the Horus Heresy.After the massacre on Isstvan V, the Legion's numbers were severely reduced and, as such, no Successor Chapters were formed from the original XVIII Legion during the Second Founding.However, Imperial scholars have pointed out the similarities in the physiques, markings, and tactical dogma of such Chapters as the Black Dragons and the Storm Giants which may be Salamanders Successor Chapters created at a later date from the stockpiles of their gene-seed.Despite this, official records tell of no known successors to the Salamanders Chapter prior to the Ultima Founding of ca. 999.M41. It is saidthat at the Second Founding, when Roboute Guilliman bade every Space Marine Legion to divide its strength into separate Chapters, Vulkan secured an agreement to keep the depleted Salamanders whole since they were one of the Shattered Legions.There have been many Foundings since that time, and there are several Chapters that share similarities in doctrine, organisation and physique with the sons of Vulkan.Whether these Chapters are successors of the Salamanders remains a matter of debate. During the Ultima Founding, Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl used the true genetic stock of Vulkan to create Primaris Marine battle-brothers for the Salamanders.Several all-Primaris Marine Chapters were also founded from this source at that time, their warriors plunging themselves into the fires of war with the tenacity expected of all Vulkan's sons. The Salamanders made swift contact with them, dispatching Chaplains to each to instruct them in the ways of the Promethean Cult.
Salamanders - Physical Appearance: While it can be said that the Salamanders' gene-seed may not be mutated or deficient, their physical appearance is striking, most likely brought about by a combination of the phenotypic effects created by a biochemical interplay of their gene-seed, the erratic gravitational and radioactive forces on Nocturne, and the unique genetics of the Nocturnean Human population that has evolved to survive them.These factors have contributed to the peculiar reaction of the Astartes' Melanochrome gene-seed organ within the Space Marines native to the fiery world, resulting in an individual battle-brother's skin becoming obsidian-black and their eyes blazing with a burning red glow.This combination of effects gives the Salamanders an almost Daemonic visage, an irony considering the sons of Vulkan are one of the most humanitarian Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes.The Salamanders use their terrifying appearance as another tool in the Chapter's arsenal, and it has been used by them to great effect to terrify and intimidate more than one rebellion against Imperial authority into submission without the need to destroy it.The Salamanders gene-seed also allows for greater tolerance of extreme temperatures and ionising radiation as a result of a faster rate of cellular regeneration and repair.
Salamanders - Fire-sight: A unique genetic trait given by the Salamanders gene-seed is known as "Fire-sight." This visual sensitivity to infrared emissions allows Salamanders to focus on particular heat signatures. Millennia ago, Salamanders Artificers perfected the manufacture of a material that could generate minute pulses of heat at the specific signatures detectable by their modified eyes. Ever since, this material has been layered into the dermis of their power armour's ceramite and woven in electro-tapestral strands through the fabric of robes and standards. This substance is even applied to the flanks of Salamanders vehicles.When used with the enhanced senses provided by the Noosphere, this material generates enough heat to be seen by Salamanders while remaining unseen by those not attuned to its presence. As such, with this artifice, sub-levels of strategic designation can be communicated and hidden tactical markings trace the air with fire to better direct the Salamanders in combat in a way that can not be penetrated by their foes.For more precise and broad visual perception, the Salamanders continue to rely on their power armour's auto-sense systems.
Salamanders - Primarch's Curse: Unyielding: With a culture that emphasises endurance and self-sacrifice, the Salamanders are renowned for their stubborn nature. The Salamanders are not swift to determine a course of action, and slower still to change their minds once they have decided.However, it is a fine line between determination and obstinacy, and battle-brothers must be watchful that their stubbornness does not grow into something unwieldy and perverse. When the Chapter's genetic curse manifests itself in an affected battle-brother, it comes on in three stages:Stage 1 - Unrelenting: The battle-brother cannot easily change his mind once he has decided upon something. Having weighed the facts of the situation, he sees his current course of action as the best one possible, and cannot easily consider alternatives.Stage 2 - Intransigent: The battle-brother is unwilling to compromise and is difficult to reason with. His stubborn nature prevents him from regarding any alternatives to his point of view. Unable to reconcile with the rest of his squad, the affected battle-brother often chooses only to rely on himself, thereby reducing his squad's overall cohesion.Stage 3 - Obstinate: The battle-brother is slow to decide and is unlikely ever to change his views on any matter, and will die before relenting in any situation, no matter the cost to himself or others.
Salamanders - Promethean Sigils: The Promethean Cult defines the identity of the Salamanders as a Chapter, and teaches them the virtues that make them warriors worthy of Primarch Vulkan's example.The symbols associated with this cult -- the hammer and anvil, the flame, and the scales and visages of the powerful reptilian drakes who stalk the ash-choked landscape of Nocturne -- are recurring features on the wargear, banners, heraldry and personal affectations of Salamanders battle-brothers, particularly the Veteran Firedrakes of the 1st Company, who commonly wear great mantles of drake-hide to signify their elite status in battle.Listed here are some representative sigils, most of which will be crafted by their owner's hand:The Flame - Sometimes painted or carved onto armour, sometimes intricately plated with polished pseudo-gold, or carried as metallic emblems upon chains or cords, the flame signifies both creation and destruction, representing both the potency of the forge and the desolation of a raging inferno. Those who bear the flame are passionate and decisive, a tendency that is sometimes at odds with the normally considered and careful nature of the Salamanders.Tools of the Forge - Whether appearing as crossed hammers or a stylised anvil, or any other arrangement, this symbol is a common affectation for those who excel at forge-craft; the intricacy of the design itself is a testament to the bearer's own talent.Wyrm-hide - The powerful reptilian drakes that roam Nocturne are dangerous predators and a source of food and raw materials for the world's people. They are also a source of great sport and challenge for the Salamanders, who hunt the larger breeds as tests of prowess and rites of passage, culminating in the Firedrake hunt that gives the 1st Company their moniker. To have claimed the hide of one of these great beasts is a sign of tenacity, might and fortitude.Vigil Braziers - Amongst those Salamanders who swear the Apocryphon Oath and join the Deathwatch, the familiarity of the Promethean Cult is a solitary matter, for the Salamanders battle-brothers engaged upon the Long Vigil are isolated from the Chaplains and brander-priests who serve their Chapter. Solitude is not an unfamiliar thing to the Salamanders, for whom isolation is a natural part of the Promethean Cult's practices, but the honour-branding that they use to mark their accomplishments is not so easily practiced alone. Nonetheless, many Salamanders upon the Vigil take with them a small, ritually-prepared brazier, an assortment of tools, and the training necessary to brand themselves in the wake of triumphant victories.
Salamanders - Chapter Appearance: The Salamanders speak of themselves as "fire-born," referring to their volcanic homeworld and also to their skill with the crafts of forge and furnace. Every battle-brother is trained in the skills of the smith.Many Salamanders Space Marines carry bolters and other wargear that have been crafted by their own hands, or at least embellished over the long solar decades of the battle-brother's service.Symbols of the Promethean Cult -- the hammer and anvil, the flame, the scales and visages of the powerful lizards who stalk Nocturne -- are recurring features on the Chapter's wargear.
Salamanders - Chapter Colours: The Salamanders original Chapter colour scheme was bright yellow power armour, with black backpack, plastron (chestguard) and sabatons (boots). A distinctive black stripe pattern was painted on the parts of the battle-plate that were yellow, which presented an appearance reminiscent of a living salamander.Currently, the battle-brothers of the Salamanders Chapter are typically armoured in bright green power armour with green trim, black shoulder plates and backpack, and a gold chest Aquila or Imperialis. The Salamanders often make use of flame ornamentation on their weapons and vehicles.Each Salamanders battle-brother's right pauldron displays their squad specialty and tactical designation -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command. In the Battle and Reserve Companies (2nd through 7th Companies), a Low Gothic squad numeral is superimposed over the symbol.Company designation is indicated on the left shoulder plate by the colour of the Astartes' Chapter icon, a large Salamander head with a contrasting background in accordance with the company colours prescribed by the Codex Astartes.1st and 2nd Company - Unmodified white Salamander icon with black background.3rd Company - Orange Salamander icon with black background.4th Company - Green Salamander icon with black background.5th Company - Black Salamander icon with orange background.6th Company - White Salamander icon with orange background.7th Company - Black Salamander icon with white background.Salamanders battle-brothers display helm insignia in the main to mark out their rank, as displayed above.Sergeants have a white skull centred upon their helms. Veteran sergeants have a white skull centred upon their helms and the icon of a crown of fire inscribed around the helm's circumference.Lieutenants have a white stripe with a bone white skull centred upon their helms. Captains have a white skull centred upon their helms. Lieutenants and captains are further distinguished by alterations to their right pauldrons, as shown above.
Salamanders - Chapter Badge: The Salamanders' Chapter badge is a coloured silhouette of the armoured and spiked head of the legendary Nocturnean Salamander reptiles from Mount Deathfire.
Salem Whitlock - Salem Whitlock: Tempestor Prime Salem Whitlock is the epitome of a Schola Progenium officer -- bold, courageous and utterly dedicated to the Imperium. Whitlock's personal honours and roll of victories would put most career officers to shame, and the respect he instills in his men is the envy of any Commissar.The Tempestor Prime commands none other than the 50th Kappic Eagles -- the toughest, most decorated company of Tempestus Scions this side of the Segmentum Solar. Though they number barely a single company, under Whitlock's command they are worth more than a regiment of regular Guardsmen -- and they know it. If Whitlock and the Kappic Eagles have any flaw at all, it is their assumption that their orders will be obeyed to the letter regardless of whom they are delivered to.
Salem Whitlock - History: Orphaned at the age of two standard years, Salem Whitlock was raised by the Schola Progenium on the Shrine World of Phrell. During his youth, his determination, devout loyalty and natural leadership marked him out as officer material, and for many years it was believed he was destined to join the Commissariat. However, as a Tempestus Scion cadet, Whitlock displayed an acumen for tactics that his Drill Abbots felt more suited to Militarum Tempestus command. His subsequent advance through the ranks of the Militarum Tempestus has been nothing short of meteoric.As a Tempestor, Whitlock led the drop assault that brought the decade-long siege of Fortress Hellstar to a bloody end. His squad swept through the stronghold with ruthless efficiency, gunning down every Cultist inside in less than eighty minutes. As a Tempestor Prime, Whitlock orchestrated the strikes that crippled an Aeldari warhost at Telvarr Prime. He then personally led the assault against the xenos witch-commander, who he slew whilst simultaneously redeploying his Valkyries and Vendettas to cut off the warhost's line of retreat, resulting in a bitter aerial duel that the Astra Militarum won through attrition and sheer determination.There are few Astra Militarum officers who can coordinate the actions of an entire company as fluently as Tempestor Prime Whitlock. Even fewer can do so in the thick of the fight, where Whitlock can be seen barking orders while snapping off shots with his bolt pistol. Whitlock insists on leading from the front, facing the same dangers as his men and assessing the battlefield first hand. It is this selfless bravery that inspires the Kappic Eagles to victory, the same quality that saw them at the front when the fate of Alaric Prime hung in the balance, when it was attacked by the rampaging Red WAAAGH! of Ork Warlord Grukk Face-rippa in 998.M41 in the Sanctus Reach.
Salem Whitlock - Wargear: Carapace ArmourHot-Shot LaspistolClose Combat Weapon (Any type)Frag GrenadesKrak Grenades
Salem Whitlock - Optional Wargear: The Tempestor Prime may replace his Hot-Shot Laspistol with one of the following:Bolt PistolPlasma Pistol
Salvation's Reach (Novel) - Salvation's Reach (Novel): Salvation's Reach is the thirteenth volume in the Gaunt's Ghosts series of novels by Dan Abnett.
Salvation's Reach (Novel) - Synopsis: The Ghosts of the Tanith First-and-Only have been away from the front line for too long. Listless, and hungry for action, they are offered a mission that perfectly suits their talents. The objective: the mysterious Salvation's Reach, a remote and impenetrable stronghold concealing secrets that could change the course of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. But the proposed raid is so hazardous, it's regarded as a suicide mission, and the Ghosts may have been in reserve for so long they've lost their edge. Haunted by spectres from the past and stalked by the Archenemy, Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and his Ghosts embark upon what could be their finest hour...or their final mission.
Salvo Launcher - Salvo Launcher: A Salvo Launcher is a type of Missile Launcher used by the Vertus Praetors of the Adeptus Custodes. It is an optional weapon loadout for the Vertus Praetors' Dawneagle Jetbikes. Mounted on the front of their Dawneagles, Salvo Launchers allow Vertus Praetors to truly come into their own as lightning-fast tank hunters.They scream across the battlefield, rapidly outflanking and encircling the heaviest enemy vehicles before annihilating them with strafing runs of Melta Missiles unleashed from the launchers. Even enemy aircraft are not safe, for by combining their fire the Vertus Praetors are able to weave airborne webs of flakk blasts created by Flakkburst Missiles into which hurtling enemy aircraft slam with terminal results.
Samaritan - Samaritan: The Samaritan is a variant of the Chimera armoured personnel carrier (APC) used by the Astra Militarum to transport wounded guardsmen. The Samaritan is a non-combat vehicle and is completely unarmed, lacking even a simple Pintle-mounted weapon for self-defence. Instead the Samaritan is used by the Imperial Guard's medical companies as an ambulance.The Samaritan is crewed by two medical company orderlies, and usually a surgeon accompanies them. The crew of the Samaritan collect the wounded and transports them to either a medical company aid station or to a field-hospice near the very rear of the line. These field-hospices are staffed with the merciful sisters of the Adepta Sororitas' Orders Hospitaller.Each medical company of the Astra Militarum maintains at least one Samaritan, although it may be possible for them to have more. The inside of a Samaritan is similar to many other ambulance vehicles used across the Imperium, and the vehicle features all the necessary equipment required to stabilise and treat wounded personnel until proper medical attention can be applied. It is unknown exactly what types of medical instruments the vehicle carries, or if it carries any specialised medicae equipment on-board such as medical servitors.
Samaritan - Astra Militarum Medical Companies: The medical companies of the Astra Militarum fall under the command of the Surgeon Captain of their respective company, and all medical companies are required to supply Imperial Guard Medics to the infantry companies they support.The medical companies usually comprise the fifth section of an Astra Militarum regiment's headquarters staff. The fifth section of the regiment's staff operations deals in personnel matters, tables of organisation and equipment (TO&E), troop strength reports, and the requisitioning of replacement troops.This section is usually under the command of the Prefect Secundus Militant, who is an official attached to the regiment from the Adeptus Administratum, and the section is staffed by Administratum ordinates and scribes. This section's only field support forces are the medical company itself.
Samaritan - Variants: Galenus - The Galenus was a variant of the Samaritan that was once used by the Imperial Army during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. The Galenus was equipped with a full surgical suite with bio-readouts for patients, and included twenty casualty berths. The vehicle's main use was to provide for the stabilisation and transportation of wounded infantry out of the combat zone so they could recover and return to active duty. It is unknown if the Galenus is still in use by the Astra Militarum in the 41st Millennium.
Samaritan - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: The technical specifications of this vehicle have yet to be released for public consumption by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Samaritan - Also See: Imperial VehiclesImperial Guard Vehicles
Samech - Samech: Samech is is a Hell-Forge of the Dark Mechanicum, wholly dedicated to the Ruinous Powers, located in the Jericho Reach of the Segmentum Ultima.Also known as "the Iron Pit" by the debased human Renegades that travel there to trade and barter, Samech was once an Imperial Forge World, an outpost of the Adeptus Mechanicus within the former Jericho Sector, famed for the skill of its Tech-adepts and the quality of the Cogitator systems produced there.During the slow fall of the ancient Jericho Sector into barbarity and isolation, Samech maintained its power and independence far longer than any of the other worlds of the sector core. Watch Fortress Erioch maintained communications with Samech for more than two hundred Terran years after Varrus fell.As the centuries wore on, however, the Magi of Samech grew increasingly insular and paranoid. Ever beset by xenos raiders, warring former allies, and human Renegades, Samech began firing on any vessel that entered its system.Samech's true infamy came to light in 325.M40, when a Mechanicus Explorator flotilla managed to battle its way through the Warp Storms shrouding the Jericho Reach to re-contact Samech and was lured into close orbit and blasted to atoms.This act of treachery would lead the Cult Mechanicus to declare the Forge World Apostate under penalty of death -- a penalty that has yet to be carried out.Matters no doubt worsened when the Hadex Anomaly first erupted and swallowed Samech. Scattered intelligence gathered by the Deathwatch painted the Magi of Samech as increasingly corrupt, embracing forbidden technological blasphemies and trading weapons, and even Warp-Drives, to debased Renegades and consorting with the vilest forms of xenos without favour or distinction.Some reports claimed that the Magi were raising up altars to the Dark Gods to consecrate their nightmarish works. Over the centuries since then, the emissaries and works of Samech have been a repeated and bitter foe for the Deathwatch.They are not only allies to hostile alien forces, they are also sometimes rival claimants for xenos artefacts and lore the Imperium can ill-afford to have fall into the hands of the enemy. Samech's rust-coloured spider-like vessels have been reported as far afield as the ruins on Jove's Fall and hunting at the edges of the T'au colonies in the region for "specimens."As matters stand, Samech is an abiding factor in the failure of the Acheros Salient, as it is the principal supplier of baleful war engines and arms to the Chaos forces of the Cellebos Warzone and the raider ships that harry the fringes of the Achillus Crusade seeking to take back the Jericho Reach for the Imperium.The twisted masters of Samech deal freely with any creature, human or otherwise, that can meet their price in slaves and secret lore. Samech possesses the firepower and terrifying servants of its own to destroy any that would think to take what it offers by force.
Samech - History: During the Jericho Reach's "Age of Shadows," when Warp Storms cut the Jericho Sector off from an Imperium preoccupied with more pressing concerns, world after world fell to darkness and disorder in a slow descent that marked the once-proud sector's collapse into decay.For many planets, the fall was a slow one, a mere footnote for later Imperial scholars to document as the Jericho Sector became a lawless Reach.However, for one planet there is an occurrence that the Adeptus Mechanicus will let none forget, when what was once a firm bastion of the Cult Mechanicus treacherously fired upon a formally-recognised Explorator fleet. For followers of the Machine God, this simple act is a declaration of utter rebellion for Samech, and enough for them to forever seek its destruction.The truth was far worse, for the Omnissiah's light had been slowly dimming on the Forge World for some centuries before the infamous event. When the Hadex Anomaly consumed the world in Warp energies many standard years later, the forges were ready to seek out the Ruinous Powers to further their own aims, as well as alien races and archeotech sources previously prohibited by the edicts of Mars.Samech now stands as the main source of armaments used against the Imperial forces in the Acheros Salient of the Achilus Crusade, creating profane combinations of authorized Imperial technologies, unconsecrated archeotech, unholy creations of Chaos, and even the inhuman workings of the xenos.These abominations represent the real nature of Samech -- a world where nothing is forbidden when it will garner influence and stature, of brokers willing to deal with anyone or anything as long as payment is made, of agents ever searching for undiscovered technologies to exploit. There is no morality other than the ruthless quest for power and survival in the war-torn Jericho Reach.To the Adeptus Mechanicus, Samech is a dark mirror of their own holy Forge Worlds, one they dare not contemplate too closely. For the Deathwatch they are a formidable enemy, wielding arcane and technological wonders unseen by Mankind. As long as Samech stands, the outlook for success in the Acheros Salient is as dim as the smoke-blackened skies of the planet itself.
Samech - Samech Specialised Units: Simuloptera - A colony of nanoscopic robots called Simuloptera has remarkable adaptive and regenerative properties. Scholars theorize that Simuloptera may have been an experiment in forbidden medical technology before Samech's immersion in the Hadex Anomaly. Whatever their original purpose, these machines took on an enigmatic intelligence through prolonged immersion in the Warp. Simuloptera hives subsist on organic refuse, consuming the dead and the living without differentiation. A colony can produce a visually indistinguishable replica of anything it comes in contact with, and more importantly, anything in the memory of creatures that it consumes. Simuloptera are incapable of producing organic speech, but can control vox signals to emulate any voice patterns in their memory. This ability -- combined with their obscurity -- makes Simuloptera a coveted tool of espionage and assassination. However, the machines' motives are poorly understood, and bargaining with a hive can be even more difficult than locating one on their native Samech. The most effective enticement appears to be the opportunity to absorb memory patterns of new creatures and technology. Rumours suggest sacrificial offerings of Navigators and well-travelled void explorers meet with the most frequent success. Some theorists use this to infer an interest in Warp currents and interstellar data, but Simuloptera show a strong aversion to exploration and travel. While a colony may leave Samech temporarily as part of an unscrupulous pact, they always seem drawn to return once their purpose is fulfilled.
Samech - Notable Samech Technology: Samech Redemption Servitor - The Samech Redemption Servitor was created by Dark Mechanicum Hereteks from Samech to be used as a punishment reserved for criminals and unruly serfs. To become a Redemption Servitor is therefore a fate reserved for traitors, weaklings, and hated enemies of those in power. Many say that the feral intelligence of these drones still bears the tormented, malicious echoes of those now trapped in servitude. Scholars suspect the Redemption Pattern Servitor originated in the Lest District, where it remains extremely popular. However, the model can be found in use throughout the world of Samech and in the wider Jericho Reach. The pattern involves heavy replacement of the organic neck, arm, and leg joints with pivots that provide almost 360 degree rotation. The torso is then augmented with four additional limbs, creating a squat, arachnid profile. Most models also use Epidermal Armour Plating, although its design varies with the forge-city of manufacture. The Redemption Servitor incorporates several pieces of Samech's electromagnetic wargear, although it is of substantially poorer quality than the devices used by the world's Dark Magi. The standard configuration includes a Techxorcism Cannon -- usually installed in the chest and fired through the gullet -- for neutralising other technological enemies and scavenging machines that may not be completely inert. In order to reach and disassemble precarious wreckage, the Redemption Servitor contains an auxiliary magnetic repulsion system that allows it to traverse unstable structures, and its spindly limbs are capable of puncturing steel. These limbs also double as dangerous weapons, which the savage Servitor needs little provocation to use. The Redemption Pattern's principal drawback is that its programming works as intended. In order to scavenge Samech's wastes effectively, they must be relatively autonomous, with the capacity for self-repair and an instinct to seek out valuable technology. Not only does this cause these automatons to kill for the smallest scrap of tech, it has led to a high incidence of the Servitors infesting starships bound off-world, spreading these dangerous cyborgs across the galaxy.
Samech - Allies and Enemies: The Cyclopean Congregation - A self-proclaimed prophet, Kokabiel Grigoris presides over a mystery cult of degenerate Navigators and decadent voidsmen known as the Cyclopean Congregation. Named for Kokabiel and his inner circle of Renegade Navigators, all of whom are blind save for their Third Eye, the Congregation Chaos Cult promises illumination through communion with the Hadex Anomaly. Practicing complex rites of initiation, the cult's upper echelons are open only to full-blooded Navigators. Only those with the Warp Eye, preaches Kokabiel, can appreciate the Anomaly for what it truly is. The Cyclopean Congregation is on uneasy footing with the Hereteks of Samech. Once tentative trading partners, relations soured after Kokabiel purchased cloning technology to expedite the Congregation's first breeding program. The technology proved faulty, producing inchoate masses of palpitating tissue useless to the cult's long-term goals. Though Kokabiel swore revenge and bombarded multiple Heretek orbital stations at the edge of the Samech System, he has yet to deal a crushing blow against the Heretek Magos responsible for crafting the faulty accelerated maturation chambers.Warsmith Koros - Said to be a veteran of one thousand and one sieges, Koros is a Warsmith of the Iron Warriors Traitor Legion, and as such a master of attacking and defending every manner of citadel. He is also a veteran of the battle of the Iron Cage, and one of the Daemon Primarch Perturabo's lieutenants, having proved himself worthy of command of one of the Iron Bastions on Medrengard, the planet-scale fortress Daemon World which is home to his Legion. Koros has been despatched to the Jericho Reach in order to oversee the fortification of numerous worlds about the Hadex Anomaly, and to lend his assistance in the planning of a grand counterstrike against the forces of the Imperium. Warsmith Koros is known to be in league with the corrupted Mechanicus of the Heretic Forge World of Samech, who have equipped him and his forces with numerous items of Heretek, some of which was undoubtedly constructed according to his own specification. It is now suspected by several within the Watch Fortress Erioch's Chamber of Vigilance that Warsmith Koros and the Dark Mechanicum of Samech have entered into an unholy alliance, the only result of which can be the creation of a new generation of previously unseen and abominably powerful weaponry. Armed with the twisted fruits of such a dark union, the servants of the Ruinous Powers might finally be able to break the deadlock that has befallen the Acheros Salient, and begin to push the lapdogs of the Corpse Emperor back to the Well of Night, finally expelling them from the Jericho Reach.
Samech Redemption Servitor - Samech Redemption Servitor: A Samech Redemption Servitor is a type of Servitor that was created by Dark Mechanicus Hereteks from the Dark Forge World of Samech in the Jericho Reach to be used as a punishment reserved for criminals and unruly serfs. To become a Redemption Servitor is therefore a fate reserved for traitors, weaklings, and hated enemies of those in power. Many say that the feral intelligence of these drones still bears the tormented, malicious echoes of those now trapped in servitude. Scholars suspect the Redemption Pattern Servitor originated in the Lest District of the Dark Forge World, where it remains extremely popular. However, the model can be found in use across Samech.The pattern involves heavy replacement of the organic neck, arm, and leg joints with pivots that provide almost 360 degree rotation. The torso is then augmented with four additional limbs, creating a squat, arachnid profile. Most models also use epidermal armour plating, although its design varies with the forge city of manufacture. The Redemption Servitor incorporates several pieces of Samech's electromagnetic wargear, although it is of substantially poorer quality than the devices used by the world's Dark Magi. The standard configuration includes an electromagnetic pusle-generating Techxorcism Cannon—usually installed in the chest and fired through the gullet— for neutralising other technological enemies and scavenging machines that may not be completely inert. In order to reach and disassemble precarious wreckage, the Redemption Servitor contains an auxiliary magnetic repulsion system that allows it to traverse unstable structures, and its spindly limbs are capable of puncturing steel. These limbs also double as dangerous weapons, which the savage Servitor needs little provocation to use. The Redemption Pattern's principal drawback is that its programming works as intended. In order to scavenge Samech's wastes effectively, they must be relatively autonomous, with the capacity for self-repair and an instinct to seek out valuable technology. Not only does this cause the automatons to kill for the smallest scrap of salvagable technology, it has led to a high incidence of the Servitors infesting starships bound offworld, spreading these dangerous cyborgs across the galaxy.
Samech Redemption Servitor - Known Configurations: Guardian Configuration - Magi employing Redemption Servitors for specific tasks usually replace their plasma cutters with more formidable armaments. Solid ammunition weapons are a popular choice, as an extended ammunition feed can be stored in the Servitor's hollow chest cavity. Up to two climbing spindles can also have Chain or Power Weapons affixed without impacting the automaton’s climbing ability.Retriever Configuration - Their feeding instincts make Redemption Servitors excellent at live capture, provided the target can be recovered from the Servitor intact afterwards. If one is employed for this purpose, a Webber  is usually mounted on its exterior, and a primitive Auspex package is often added for tracking bio-signs.Skulker Configuration - Despite a lack of physical or pictorial evidence, anecdotes persist of Redemption Servitors equipped for the sheer purpose of causing terror and disruption in Imperial populations. It is claimed that such versions have enhanced Vox units that produce a range of unhallowed cries. These units are also frequently described as being rusty and in poor repair.
Sammael - Sammael: Sammael is the current and 348th Grand Master of the Ravenwing and "Leader of the Hunt," the captain of the elite 2nd Company of the Dark Angels Chapter of Space Marines who leads that Chapter's hunt for the Fallen Angels. As a senior member of the Dark Angels' Inner Circle, he fully understands the dangers that the Fallen present to the Chapter and its honour. The Leader of the Hunt and his warriors are at the forefront of the physical search for the Traitors that turned from Lion El'Jonson, and the current incumbent, Sammael, epitomises the dynamism and élan required for the role.Sammael is bold to the point of being reckless -- a trait required in order to head a mobile company whose success depends upon speed and hard-hitting surprise. Despite his well-noted audacity, Sammael's reign at the head of the company has already been unusually long and successful. Although masterful at orchestrating distracting manoeuvres and feints, if given a chance, Sammael much prefers to take matters into his own hands. From the saddle of Corvex, his Jetbike, a relic from the bygone Age of Technology, Grand Master Sammael cuts down any foolish enough to face him. In battle he wields the razor-honed Raven Sword, an heirloom that has served all Ravenwing Grand Masters before him. The blade -- one of three forged from a meteorite that struck The Rock long ago -- has a razor-sharp edge that never dulls. When swung, it makes a low keening sound that few foes hear and live to tell of.Although the Ravenwing are known across the galaxy as the most elite mobile strike force in the Imperium, none but Grand Master Sammael and his trusted Ravenwing Black Knights know the full details of their company's true purpose. Sammael's task is to seek out and capture the Fallen, all the while ensuring that the majority of his black-clad hunters never learn too much about the nature of their quarry. It is a task that has grown much harder since the opening of the Great Rift, for never before has the Ravenwing had so many Fallen hunts in so short a space of time. While over two dozen have been captured, Sammael dwells endlessly upon the ones that got away, and seeks revenge upon the one named Marbas, the Daemon Prince who unknown even to the Grand Master, was responsible for the escape of the Arch-traitor Luther from his imprisonment deep within The Rock.Since the Great Rift's birth in the Era Indomitus it has become harder and harder for Sammael to conceal the Fallen's existence from those of his warriors not inducted into the Chapter's Inner Circle, as Fallen activity has dramatically increased since turmoil in the galaxy surged. Whilst he has had great success hunting his Chapter's chief quarry, Sammael broods on those Fallen who have escaped from him, and his determination to see all be brought to justice has never been greater.