vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Krom Dragongaze - Notable Campaigns: Red WAAAGH! (998.M41)Battle of Alaric Prime - The Drakeslayers fought the Orks of the Red WAAAGH! on the Knight World of Alaric Prime, where they suffered a painful defeat.Alliance with House Hawkshroud (Unknown Date.M41) - Krom Dragongaze and the Drakeslayers saved the life of a Knight from House Hawkshroud, causing that Knight house to become oathsworn to the Space Wolves Chapter.Hunt for the Wulfen and the Siege of the Fenris System (ca. 999.M41)War of Beasts (ca. 000.M41 - 015.M42) - During the War of Beasts, Krom Dragongaze's Great Company was deployed to the strategically vital world of Vigilus after its invasion by a wide variety of Chaos and xenos foes. He led a Space Wolves fleet assault on the Ork cruiser Worldsmasha as soon as the Space Wolves translated from the Warp into the Vigilus System, and succeeded in sending the ramshackle Greenskin vessel plummeting into the Ork settlements that had been established on the world below. Krom considered it a fitting spectacle to herald his arrival at the world, but soon found himself locked in a tense relationship with Chapter Master Marneus Calgar of the Ultramarines, the leader of the Imperial defence of the planet, and his war council. Before an almost violent conflict between the two Astartes leaders could erupt, Krom learned of a renewed Ork assault on the temple districts of Hyperia and left to deal with the threat.Purging of Gaivos (Unknown Date.M42) - The Drakeslayers participated in the assault on the Great WAAAGH! of Ghazghkull Thraka on the Forest World of Gaivos.Battle of Qorannis (Unknown Date.M42) - On the Ice World of Qorannis, Krom Dragongaze's Drakeslayers have become locked in battle with the Greenskins of the Warboss Gorblitz.
Krom Dragongaze - Notable Drakeslayers: Krom Dragongaze - Dragongaze is the aggressive Wolf Lord of the Drakeslayers.Beoric Winterfang - Winterfang was the Fierce-eye's Wolf Guard Champion.Hengist Ironaxe - Ironaxe was a Grey Hunter pack leader.Egil Redfist - Redfist was the Drakeslayers' Blood Claws pack leader.Molric Fireblood - Fireblood was a Grey Hunter of the Longstalkers Pack.Dvordin Ironblood - Ironblood was a member of the Fierce-eye's Wolf Guard.Erik Darksmane -  Darksmane was a member of the Fierce-eye's Wolf Guard.Movir the Brash - Movir was a Blood Claw of Egil Redfist's pack.Brodd Winterstride - Winterstride was a Wolf Scout of the Drakeslayers.
Krom Dragongaze - The Fierce-eye's Finest: Krom Dragongaze habitually enters battle surrounded by a hand-picked warband of warriors. The packs that comprise this retinue are drawn from the various strata of Krom's Great Company, usually comprising a pack each of Blood Claws, Grey Hunters, and Wolf Guard.So accompanied, Krom is able to keep an eye on his most promising followers, while ensuring that the strength and skills of his packs best complement one another. Led from the front by their ferocious Wolf Lord, the Fierce-eye's Finest fight with single-minded determination, mirroring the skill and aggression of Krom himself. It is a great honour to be chosen to be part of this formation, and those given the chance to prove themselves to Krom will do so with furious determination, fighting like the saga-worthy heroes their lord knows them to be.
Krom Dragongaze - The Fierce-eye's Wolf Guard: For all his faults, Krom Dragongaze inspires a fierce loyalty in his followers. Success in his Great Company brings rich reward, and an act of heroism can lead to a swift promotion to the Fierce-eye's sizeable host of Wolf Guard. These warriors are by turns tolerant of their Wolf Lord's fiery outbursts and intensely proud of his -- and their -- many heroic achievements.The pack of Wolf Guard that accompanied Krom to Blistered Isle on Alaric Prime were led by the redoubtable Beoric Whitefang. This venerable warrior has fought for his Chapter for over two standard centuries and his glacial calm complements well the fiery wrath of his Wolf Lord. The rest of Beoric's pack are similarly Veteran Astartes heroes, each one a courageous campaigner clad in the finest armour and armed with the most potent weapons their Chapter Armoury can provide.
Krom Dragongaze - Hengist Ironaxe's Grey Hunters: Hengist Ironaxe's pack are as brave and capable a squad of Grey Hunters as any Wolf Lord could wish for. Ironaxe, in particular, is renowned for his level head and calm determination in the face of any odds.It was his unwavering restraint that saw Ironaxe and his pack-mates hold the western gate during the siege of Angel's Folly -- faced by an onrushing tide of Tyranid weapon-beasts and with the gate's controls burned out through sabotage, the Grey Hunters stood alone against terrible odds.Ironaxe's pack held their position and applied careful, methodical fire-patterns to slow the foe's advance. So successful was the Grey Hunters' determined defiance that they bought time for an orbital bombardment to fall upon the Tyranids, scattering the swarm and ensuring the western gate remained in Imperial hands.
Krom Dragongaze - Egil Redfist's Blood Claws: Many newly recruited Space Wolves clamour to join Krom Dragongaze's Great Company. The Wolf Lord's glory-seeking reputation is well-known, and proves a strong draw to freshly-inducted Blood Claws hungry to begin writing sagas of their own.Egil Redfist's pack were typical of this trend, having flocked to the Fierce-eye's banner prior to the attack upon Alaric Prime. Redfist himself had seen some combat during Krom's last campaign, his Power Fist felling a bile-bloated Chaos Champion of the Death Guard, and so his pack-mates looked to him for leadership.Conscious of his lord's eyes upon him and the other Blood Claws following his lead, Redfist was doubly determined to act the hero during the battles for Blistered Isle, ensuring his squad fought furiously to impress both his pack-mates and liege lord alike.
Krom Dragongaze - Notable Vehicles: Vengeful Howl (Thunderhawk) - This Thunderhawk gunship carrying Wolf Lord Krom Dragongaze was unexpectedly shot down by fire from a previously unknown Ork energy weapon during the Drakeslayers' campaign on the Knight World of Alaric Prime during the Red WAAAGH! in 998.M41.
Kronus - Kronus: Kronus is the Imperial Civilised World over which war is waged in the PC game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade. Seven of the most potent military powers in the galaxy clashed over the world, including the Eldar of Craftworld Ulthwé, the Astra Militarum, the Space Marines of the Blood Ravens Chapter, the Orks, the T'au Empire, the Word Bearers Traitor Legion of Chaos and a recently awakened force of Necrons. Each army refused to back down, beginning a terrible conflict that would go down into Imperial records as the Dark Crusade.The Blood Ravens Space Marines ultimately proved victorious, even following an unexpected conflict with the forces of the Imperial Guard stationed on the world, and returned the planet to the rule of the Imperium of Man.The planet appears to have a varied but temperate climate conducive to human life which was why it was chosen for colonisation in the first place.The only visible part of Kronus is a single large continent with several nearby islands. Kronus' climate ranges from cold, icy mountains to hot deserts that lie in the northwestern region of the continent. The southeast is a region that transitions in climate from temperate to tropical jungle.The planet bears signs of being an industrially developed planet, as large refining facilities still remain, such as in the Hyperion Peaks, or the very advanced spaceport that exists at Pavonis.
Kronus - Headquarters Regions: Deimos Peninsula: Once the most beautiful place on Kronus, the Deimos Peninsula was turned into a hellscape of Chaos after the arrival of the Word BearersTraitor Legion on the planet. It later housed the Warp gate responsible for bringing more of the Chaos Marines onto the planet.Thur'Abis Plateau: Sitting in the middle of the greatest desert on Kronus, the Thur'Abis Plateau was actually a catacomb of Necron origin, and this is where the Necrons emerged to destroy the living once again after they were awakened by an ill-fated archeological expedition to the region.Green Coast: Situated in the southwestern part of Kronus' major continent, the Green Coast is the main habitat for the Orks living on the planet. After having "landed" his Rok in the area, Warboss Gorgutz Ead'Unter made this tropical region of dense jungle his base of operations.North Vandea: Situated on the northeastern coast of Kronus' major continent, the region of North Vandea houses the Blood Ravens' Castellum Incorruptus, and serves as their main base of operations on Kronus.Victory Bay: Originally known as Ironworks Bay, this once-abandoned Imperial city was renamed Victory Bay after the forces of the Imperial Guard's 1st Kronus Regiment ("the Liberators") led by Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander, arrived on the world and discovered an ancient Hellstorm Cannon, taken from an Imperator-class Titan during the Horus Heresy, in the middle of the city. It was later named the Imperial capital city of the planet.Or'es Tash'n: Known as Asharis during the time of Imperial rule on Kronus, Tash'n was the Tau Empire's capital city on Kronus, and it housed a large number of Tau and Kroot inhabitants as well as a not inconsiderable number of humans. It is situated slightly to the northwest of the Thur'Abis Plateau.Tyrea: Located on the far northwestern corner of the embattled main continent, Tyrea is the site of Farseer Taldeer's primary base of operations for the Craftworld Ulthwé forces on Kronus seeking to contain the most recent awakening of the Necrons. A large Webway gate connects the base to her wraithship on the edge of the Kronus System.
Kronus - Other Important Regions: Pavonis: Pavonis was a great city located roughly in the center of the embattled regions of Kronus, to the north of the Thur'Abis Plateau. Pavonis is the planet's primary spaceport. The region is home to an ancient Adeptus Mechanicus planetary tracking system combined with Tau Air Caste technology, which would allow those who controlled it to avoid enemy fire while making deep strikes from orbit, allowing attacks to be launched anywhere on the planet using that faction's air assets to transport its troops without resistance (with the exception of each faction's headquarters regions).Vandean Coast: Kronus' primary manufacturing facilities are located in the Vandean Coast. Though dormant, these Manufactorias can be reactivated by an attacking force, allowing more production of troops and vehicles for their Dark Crusade war effort.Eres Badlands: Located west of the Deimos Peninsula, the Eres Badlands were the location of a powerful Greater Daemon of Khorne who had been imprisoned beneath the surface during the Horus Heresy battles fought on Kronus. This daemon sought the blood of mortals to feed its power. In return for providing the souls demanded, the Daemon would grant any who could control it the power to make multiple attacks across the world's surface.Hyperion Peaks: The range of mountains called the Hyperion Peaks were located north of the Green Coast. With its extremely rich minerals and Manufactorias in almost perfect condition, the faction in control of this region can deploy forward bases, which is a devastating advantage in battle. But the Hyperion Peaks were not easy to capture, due to their location in the middle of one of Kronus' greatest deserts, allowing any defending force the opportunity to seize a commanding defensive position.
Kronus Hegemony - Kronus Hegemony: The Kronus Hegemony is a highly militaristic, major league of the Leagues of Votann located in the galactic core. It is said of the Kronus Hegemony that there is no problem they will not solve with an axe. Existing as a military superstate, their Kindreds muster some of the largest and most aggressive Kinhosts known amongst the Leagues of Votann. Nor are they sparing in their armies' use, for the Kronus Hegemony marches ever onward.Kronus Kindreds must fulfil quotas of martial conquest, and find the slightest excuse to launch into full-blown military invasions of alien-held star systems. Over time, the temperament of these Kindreds has become ever more aggressive and ill-tempered, so that now there are few problems the Kin of the Kronus Hegemony will not seek to solve with violence.The Kin of the Kronus Hegemony are vaunted warriors who are expected to display exceptional feats of strength and skill in combat. They never hesitate to hurl themselves into battle and, the steeper the odds, the harder they fight to prevail.
Kronus Hegemony - League History: The Kronus Hegemony is a relatively young league, founded less than a Terran millennium ago when the Fane of Kôrynn's Kindred achieved self-awareness. This newly ascended Votann exhibited an aggressive drive for knowledge and a demanding appetite for raw materials, the better for Kôrynn's Kindred to enhance its physical shell and arm its Kin in its defence. Prior to this, Kôrynn's Kindred had been a relatively minor member of the faltering Kapellan League.Blessed as they now were with their own Votann, they broke away to start the Kronus Hegemony and took several other former Kapellan Kindreds with them. More Kin were soon drawn to the straightforward aggression of the Kronus Hegemony, swelling their ranks further. That trademark aggression -- which often veers into outright belligerence -- has only become more pronounced as the standard centuries have passed and the Hegemony's might has grown.A Kindred wishing to join the Hegemony must offer suitable tribute in order to earn its place, and its Kin must swear martial oaths of service and loyalty that are considered eternally binding. It is expected that their hold and void fleet will focus upon war, and that they will train and equip massive Kinhost forces.The expectation of tribute does not end with joining the Hegemony. Each Kindred must prove their commitment by conquering an allotted quota of enemy worlds in each year-cycle, sending portions of the spoils back to the capital hold of Kôrynn's Kindred for their Votann's defence. The Kindreds of the Kronus Hegemony have engaged in border skirmishes and stand-offs with other leagues, and they have a reputation -- not least thanks to needing to hit their conquest quotas -- for finding any excuse to escalate into full-blown war against alien species.It has been suggested that the many Grudges declared by the Kronus Hegemony Kindreds owe as much to a need to justify costly conflicts as they do to a genuine desire for vengeance. That said, the Kin of the Kronus Hegemony are notoriously stiff-necked and quick to anger. It takes little offence to see their swarms of gunships and armoured transports go thundering into battle. For all this, many Kin have had cause to be glad of the Kronus Hegemony's aid when beset by xenos invaders.Entire Ork WAAAGH!s and acquisitive Imperial Crusades have been shattered by their massed Kinhosts. Moreover, since the manifestation of the recent Warp Storms in the galactic core wrought by the birth of the Great Rift, the Kronus Hegemony has wasted little time in annexing territories belonging to various alien races. They cite the simple belief that the Kin require them to survive, and are therefore entitled to take them -- preferably by force.
Kronus Hegemony - Notable Kindreds: Kindred of Six - The Kindred of Six is a brutally direct Kindred whose Kin pride themselves on their mastery of urban warfare. They are known rivals of Sylâkh's Kindred.Kôrynn's Kindred - The Fane of the hold of Kôrynn's Kindred achieved self-awareness and became a full Ancestor Core, less than a Terran millennium ago. This rare event allowed the Kindred to become the founder of an aggressive new major league, the Kronus Hegemony.
Kronus Hegemony - Just Blade: Rumour has it that this mighty forgewrought Plasma Axe is the deadliest weapon ever to be fashioned in the Forges of the Kronus Hegemony. A phase-modulated plasma field wreathes a polytrinate blade that has been witnessed to cut through metres-thick armour plating -- and even energy fields -- as though they were not there. It is said within the Hegemony that so deadly a weapon as the Just Blade must only be wielded in a truly justified conflict against a deserving foe.
Kronus Hegemony - League Colours: The Kinhosts of the Kronus Hegemony wear colours of yellow and black.
Kronus Hegemony - League Insignia: The insignia of the Kronus Hegemony is a stylised red and grey "k" in Kin script
Kronus Hegemony - Trivia: "Kronus" here is a play on the name of the deity of Cronus from ancient Greek religion and mythology. Cronus, Cronos, or Kronos was the leader and youngest of the first generation of Titans, the divine descendants of the primordial Gaia (Mother Earth) and Uranus (Father Sky). He overthrew his father and ruled during the mythological Golden Age, until he was overthrown by his own son Zeus and imprisoned in Tartarus. According to Plato, however, the deities Phorcys, Cronus, and Rhea were the eldest children of Oceanus and Tethys.The use of the name here coincides with the general reliance upon the mythological nomenclature and imagery, particularly that of legendary giants, used in the fictional culture of the Leagues of Votann.
Kroot - War in the Place of Union: At the close of the T'au's First Sphere Expansion, an exploration fleet out of Dal'yth picked up long-ranged scans of Ork warships firing on Kroot Warspheres. The previously unencountered Kroot were defending their enclave on the planet of Krath, although they were hopelessly outnumbered.Intending only to observe, the T'au were drawn into the battle as both the Air Caste admiral and Fire Caste commander could not bear to watch the honourless Orks bludgeon their way to victory.Quickly deploying their superior fleet, the T'au destroyed the ramshackle Greenskin ships. Too late, however, they realised that this was merely the vanguard of a mighty invasion force that was closing on them in an encircling pattern.Thus began an extended war, both in space and over several planets, later named the War in the Place of Union, for it marked the first time the T'au and Kroot fought side by side. So effective was the sudden alliance that they withstood the Orks long enough for reinforcements from Sa'cea to arrive and ultimately triumphed over the Greenskins.The T'au were so impressed with the Kroot's fighting prowess that they agreed to extend the alliance to liberate the remainder of the Kroot enclaves, who were also under Ork attack. For the next ten Terran years, the T'au helped drive all sign of Orks from the Kroot worlds, eventually coming to their homeworld of Pech at the behest of the greatest of Kroot leaders, the legendary Anghkor Prok.There, at the sacred Oathstone, the Kroot leader swore allegiance to the T'au Empire and pledged his warriors to fight for the Greater Good (and regular payment). That pledge, and the cooperation between the two species, is still honoured today. The Kroot are, by far, the most common alien auxiliary force to serve in T'au armies.The T'au greatly value the military service of the Kroot, although they continue to hope that exposure to their own superior culture will eventually cure the Kroot of their cannibalistic tendencies.
Kroot - First Contact with the Imperium: The Kroots' first encounter with the Imperium of Man came during the Damocles Gulf Crusade on the world of Sy'l'Kell. Troops of the Astra Militarum's 17th Brimlock Dragoons were in transit to the front lines from their landing zone when they were ambushed by Kroot kindreds.The column's forward scouts were eliminated by Kroot Carnivores before they could get a warning off to the regiment following behind. As the main body of the Brimlock 17th pushed through a narrow forested defile, the Kroot fell on them. Three Kroot kindred were involved in the attack. The surprise was complete, and scores of Imperial Guardsmen were killed in the opening moments of the ambush.Colonel Konstantin Griffin and Commissar Eigerman quickly recovered and held the Imperial line long enough to fight clear of the Kroot's trap. From then on, the column was continually harried by the Kroot until Colonel Griffin linked up with the Space Marines of the Scythes of the Emperor Chapter.With the arrival of the more powerful Astartes forces, the Kroot realised that they were overmatched and withdrew to seek easier targets for their guerilla tactics elsewhere.
Kroot - Technology: Outwardly, the Kroot seem to be a simple pre-industrial society, incapable of achieving powered flight, much less travelling through space. However, T'au observers on Pech have noted evidence that may point to an industrial base hidden on or even inside some of the planet's mountains.This may be explained by the Kroot feasting on Orks, gaining the Greenskins' innate ability to construct advanced technology despite a lack of knowledge by using genetic memory. It's probable that the Kroot deliberately keep their general level of technology used from day-to-day low, using their most advanced technology only for weapons and interstellar travel to keep their species strong through physical hardship.The Kroot's primary weapon is a rifle with a design derived from the fighting staffs used by their ancestors. Originally a slug-thrower, the weapon was modified by the T'au to fire a charged particle similar to their own Pulse Rifles. However, these "Kroot Rifles" are, in fact, used mainly in close combat, and to this end, are fitted with blades on the stock and the end of the barrel.The Kroot also employ the Kroot Gun -- too big and unwieldy for one Kroot to handle -- mounted on the back of Krootox. Another rifle the Kroot have is the Kroot Hunting Rifle which is more of a sniper rifle than the standard Kroot rifle.In addition to the Kroot Rifle that the T'au helped the Kroot construct, the Kroot themselves have other weapons that they have gathered while serving as mercenaries for other intelligent species or that they have scavenged from the battlefield.These weapons include Splinter Pistols, Bolt Pistols, Sluggas, Shuriken Pistols, Power Weapons, various close combat weapons, and their two-handed cousins like the Splinter Rifle, Storm Bolter, Shoota, Shuriken Catapult, Flamer, Plasma Gun, and Meltagun.Kroot may also possess Imperial wargear, including Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Melta Bombs, Auspex sensors, and even Ork totems.
Kroot - Kroot Shapers: The Kroot Shapers are the military and spiritual leaders of the Kroot, as well as those blessed with the ability to shift through other species' genetic material to determine which possess potentially beneficial traits.Shapers try to ensure the Kroot inherit only good genetic traits and strive to ensure that their kindred does not reach an evolutionary dead-end.
Kroot - Kroot Carnivores: Kroot Carnivores are the basic infantry for the Kroot and are essentially just the baseline Kroot phenotype described above. Carnivores have the ability to absorb characteristic traits from the food or remains of any enemy they consume. It has been reported that Kroot Carnivores can become tainted by Chaos by eating the flesh of those who serve the Ruinous Powers.
Kroot - Kroot Hounds: Kroot Hounds are an example of Kroot that have reached an evolutionary dead-end. These Kroot have evolved into a quadrupedal, canine-like Kroot with only the barest glimmer of sentience.
Kroot - Krootox: Like the Kroot Hound, the Krootox is an evolutionary dead end. The Krootox is an ape-like Kroot usually used to carry heavy burdens because of its immense strength.It has been noted by T'au on Pech that angry Krootox are something to be avoided. Krootox have a Kroot Gun mounted on their back which will lend some much needed heavy firepower to attached squads.
Kroot - Great Knarloc: Great Knarlocs are similar in appearance to Krootox, except much bigger and faster, resembling nothing so much as a Tyrannosaurus Rex.Great Knarlocs are very difficult to control and are goaded into combat by trained Kroot handlers. If their handlers are killed, Great Knarlocs may turn on their allies, even on other Kroot.
Kroot - Knarloc: Knarlocs are the smaller relatives of the Great Knarloc, trained by the Kroot. They are smaller in size and work more as a team, unlike larger, solitary relations.In the wild jungles of Pech, Knarlocs are formidable carnivorous predators using ambush and long-distance pursuit techniques to run their prey into the ground. They work together in groups of up to ten, including their young, and have developed a significantly greater brain to body ratio, allowing them to attack any size of prey native to their world.The Kroot are known to capture and raise Knarloc young to form elite mounted units. They mainly make use of their razor claws, sharp beaks and powerful leg muscles to rip apart their prey.The Kroot riding them carry Kroot Rifles to fire from advantageous positions to which the Knarloc can deliver the Kroot. It is also seen as a social statement to be riding a Knarloc.The term "Knarloc" actually covers a wide variety of creatures, all exhibiting similar anatomical characteristics and habits. Some, for example, are broad and muscular and lack the clawed forearms that others display, while some are tall and lean. All of these varieties are highly prized by the Kroot.
Kroot Hound - Kroot Hound: Kroot Hounds are an evolutionary dead end of the Kroot species, xenos who are allied with the T'au Empire. They are quadrupedal, canine-like Kroot who excel at running down prey. They are the size of a large dog, with a series of sensory ganglia running along their spine. They have wiry frames, just like the related humanoid Kroot species, and possess a toughness that belies their apparent fragility.While Kroot Hounds are an evolutionary dead-end of the Kroot speces, they are not hunted to extinction by other Kroot as is common with such variant species. It is likely that the Kroot Hounds came into existence when a Kroot Kindred consumed too many quadrupedal animals and its body was phenotypically transformed by the Kroots' ability to mimick the genomes of whatever they consume into a quadrupedal form that became the first of the Kroot Hounds.Kroot Hounds are capable enough to fight enemies larger and stronger than themselves. They are usually deployed in packs, and can have a Kroot Shaper amongst them to boost their fighting spirit. Using their agility, sharp claws and powerful jaws, they are able to wound or kill almost any opponent, even armoured Space Marines in certain instances. This, coupled with the fact that Kroot Hounds can take an incredible amount of punishment before being killed, means that Kroot Hounds can survive and deal terrible damage during prolonged melees, and will often survive long enough to run down the enemy should they try to flee.Kroot Hounds are ferocious in battle and are notoriously bad-tempered as beasts. Even when not in battle, it is not unheard of for a Kroot Hound to turn on its Kroot handler if that handler is foolish enough to mistreat it or let his guard down. While the T'au value the strength and viciousness of their Kroot allies, they find the Kroot Hounds distasteful. Kroot Hounds are intelligent if bad-tempered, though it is unknown if they still retain the sentience of their original Kroot forebears.
Kroot Hound - Role: Kroot Hounds serve many functions within Kroot society. They are often deployed as watch-beasts in Kroot settlements where they are able to detect the approach of even the stealthiest foe through the multiple sensory inputs gathered by the ganglia along their backs.Should any creature other than a member of the Kroot genus approach, the Kroot Hounds will emit a fearful shrieking and snarling sound sufficient to deter most infiltrators from pressing on. When accompanied by a handler, the Kroot Hounds can be trained to emit low sounds that do not alert the intruder to discovery, allowing the Kroot to set up and spring an ambush on their foe.They are also used to patrol the area around a Kroot camp. If there are no T'au present, the Kroot sometimes set the hounds free in the knowledge that they will hunt as a pack, ambushing any they encounter. If there are T'au or other non-Kroot allies in the vicinity, the pack is accompanied by one or more Kroot handlers in order to avoid any "unpleasant" incidents.Kroot Hounds also serve as guards for high-ranking Kroot such as Shapers and Master Shapers. The handlers must be fleet of foot indeed to keep up with their charges, for the Kroot Hounds are used to move swiftly around the flanks of the enemy and launch lightning-fast attacks upon exposed foes. When attacked by large numbers of Kroot Hounds, even the largest of foes can be dragged down and killed. Many an Imperial Guardsman has faced execution for fleeing in the face of an assault by these deadly pack hunters.
Kroot Hound - Kroot Hound Pack: Kroot Hound Packs are groups of humanoid Kroot and Kroot Hounds that work together. Often the Kroot attack and break the enemy's morale, while the Kroot Hounds are unleashed to harry the retreating foe.The pack numbers at least 10 Kroot, 1 Shaper and 5 Kroot Hounds, and can include up to 20 Kroot, 1 Shaper and 20 Kroot Hounds. The Kroot Hounds fight with their teeth, while the Kroot and Shaper are armed with Kroot Rifles. The Kroot may be armed with the T'au equivalent of Frag Grenades and possess the Hyperactive Nymune Organ.
Kroot Shaper - Kroot Shaper: A Kroot Shaper is the leader of a Kroot Kindred which serves either as a direct military force in the service of the T'au Empire or as a mercenary band selling its services to the highest bidder. They are often credited with ancient wisdom and shamanic powers of insight.A Shaper is often an elder Kroot who has proven his ability to survive through battle and storm. Shapers are revered amongst Kroot culture, and few Kroot have the patience and inner strength required to achieve this lofty title.A particularly large Kindred is typically run by a Master Shaper, while a group consisting of multiple Kindreds may be headed by a Shaper Council comprised of three to five Kroot Shapers, who act as overseers to the other Shapers, and ensure that Shapers do not lead their warriors down a dangerous or dead end evolutionary path.Occasionally a so-called "Shaper Chief" may rise to power in times of crisis, such as Anghkor Prok, and unite hundreds of Kindreds into a single Kroot army.
Kroot Shaper - Kroot Shaper Shamanistic Abilities: One of the many roles of a Shaper within Kroot society is to act as a focus for the practice of ancestor worship. Kroot Shapers have a great mastery of rituals that call upon the ancestor spirits of their Kindred.These rituals often have unusual effects that lend Shapers a reputation for supernatural powers within their society. Each must be activated by the Shaper, usually involving a sonorous chant and access to the powders, rocks and bones kept within the Shaper's fetish pouch.In addition to their ability to guide the evolution of their Kindred, Shapers are distinct from other Kroot in a number of ways. First, Shapers are often larger than their kin, their frames packed with gnarled muscle and tough, leathery hide.Shapers also serve as spiritual leaders for their Kindred, and many are credited with prophetic dreams and a primal connection to the Kindred's totem animals -- often a creature from their homeworld, such as the widely revered Kroothawk.A Kroot Shaper may possess the following abilities as well.Ancestral Blessing - The Shaper's rituals are attuned to asking the warrior spirits of their ancestors for aid in battle, who make them more potent and skillful.Blood of the Stalker - The Shaper daubs the blood of a local predator upon their exposed skin and those of their allies, cawing a prayer to gain the favour of their ancestors in the coming hunt and earn some of the predator's exceptional skill and luck for themselves and their allies.Prophetic Dream - Many Shapers seek guidance from their ancestors in visions and dreams. Often, these visions may grant the Shaper insight into the future, although such glimpses are quite difficult to interpret. The Kroot Shaper may enter a trance during their normal sleep cycle. During this trance, they may receive a vision that grants them some foreknowledge of the future.
Kroothawk - Kroothawk: Thought to be the evolutionary ancestor of all Kroot, the Kroothawk is a fast hitting skirmisher. Kroothawks can fly, giving them an advantage over their grounded brethren, although they are more bird than humanoid. Kroothawks like Kroothounds can only participate in melee combat. The Kroothawk is an animal sacred to the Kroot, and the Kroothawk Totem is a sacred fetish of Kroot Shapers, used during ancestor worship rituals to provide the bearer with mystic foresight, allowing him to alter his actions to produce a better outcome based on the vision of the future shown him by the totem.
Krootox - Krootox: Krootox are the result of a dead-end branch of Kroot evolution, but like the Kroot Hound they are used by their more intelligent humanoid cousins' mercenary forces as fire support weapons.If not for the Kroot using them as beasts of war, the Krootox might have died out generations ago, but instead, they are a common sight all over the T'au Empire and beyond.
Krootox - History: After consuming the flesh of some particularly strong and barbarous creature, these unfortunate Kroot kindreds devolved into bestial, unthinking brutes, incapable of rational, independent thought.Muscular, ape-like beasts, the Krootox would likely have been hunted to extinction had the other Kroot not found them useful as beasts of burden and war. After taming these creatures, the Kroot saddle them and lash large, unwieldy guns to their backs—essentially oversized Kroot rifles.
Krootox - Role: In battle a Krootox is used as a primitive mobile weapons platform. The Kroot latch a saddle to the back of the Krootox and are guided by a single Kroot rider. A Kroot Gun, effectively a larger version of the Kroot staff rifle, is mounted on the shoulder of the Krootox as a heavy weapon.Krootox are primarily used in the same role as tanks. Charging enemy lines with their large bulk, and absorbing large amounts of enemy fire with their naturally thick hides. Krootox must be supervised by a Kroot Herder to remain combat effective. If they were left unattended, the Krootox would simply wander off the battlefield.Krootox are most commonly seen individually accompanying a small group of Kroot warriors on the frontline, providing cover fire for the Kroot to advance under and close with the enemy.Once engaged, the Krootox and rider will either hold back and provide heavy fire support, or charge into the fray, scattering any foes unfortunate enough to stand in the way.On occasion, the Kroot mass several Krootox together to form a nigh unstoppable vanguard of muscle and sinew, laying down a withering hail of gunfire and smashing through even the most heavily fortified positions.
Krootox - Physiology: Krootox have many qualities similar to the gorilla primates of Old Earth. They are herbivores, move around by knuckle-walking but are also capable of bipedal movement, and they are typically peaceful until they feel threatened.A Krootox's sheer bulk makes attaching armour to their body a challenge, but most Kroot riders find armour for their massive mounts unneccessary.
Krourk Ogryn Auxilia - Krourk Ogryn Auxilia: The Krourk Ogryn Auxilia are an Ogryn Abhuman Militarum Auxilla regiment that hail from the high gravity steppe world of Krourk. These particularly brutal Ogryns have developed a warlike culture which has provided frontline troops for the armies of the Armageddon Sector for centuries.The use of Ogryns from the Krourk Auxilia is always heavily controlled, for they are a brutal race that can prove to be just as dangerous to their allies as to any enemy of the Imperium.They are sent to Astra Militarum regiments in single squads and between battles the Ogryns are often kept heavily sedated, which does little to improve their already volatile temperament when they are finally unleashed in combat.In battle, the Krourk Ogryns become an almost unstoppable force. Whilst they have little patience or aptitude for the use of the relatively complex Ripper Gun, the damage they can cause with their own primitive close combat weapons is without measure.In numbers, a mob can tear apart lightly-armoured vehicles and even bring down small buildings with little effort. Often the greatest problem in their use is rounding them all up after the battle has ended, before their delight in sheer violence causes serious collateral damage.
Krourk Ogryn Auxilia - History: It is not known when the world of Krourk was first settled. But due to the high gravity of this steppe world, and the subsequent warlike culture that evolved, a particularly brutal race of Abhumans classified as Ogryns have thrived here for millennia.Aside from these vicious warriors, the planet has little else to offer the Imperium and so the native Ogryns have been left to develop their own warlike society that many view as little better than that of the Orks currently assaulting Armagaddon. In times of crisis, Imperial landing craft will descend upon Krourk and capture several tribes, taking the Ogryns to fight upon battlefields many light years away from their homes.In combat, the Krourk Ogryn Auxilia are terrible to behold. Very few Astra Militarum officers will even try to teach them the relatively complex operation of a Ripper Gun. Instead, crude but deadly close combat weapons are hastily manufactured for newly raised regiments, thus allowing the Ogryns to perform in combat as they know best.Once in battle, the Krourk are almost completely uncontrollable and so they are used sparingly, with just one or two squads being assigned to any one action alongside existing Astra Militarum forces.Only twice in the history of the Imperium's use of these Ogryns has the entire Auxilia been unleashed upon an enemy, with devastating consequences. Tales of the destruction of the Emcarta bases during the rebel uprisings reached worlds in neighbouring sectors, such was the brutality shown by the Krourk.Whilst few armies can withstand an assault of several thousand frenzied Ogryns, all heedless of their own lives, immense collateral damage is always caused after battle. These monsters are fully capable of destroying huge areas of civilised land in a very short space of time with their wanton lust for destruction.In great numbers, the Krourk Ogryns can easily rip apart armoured vehicles and topple small buildings. Many Astra Militarum officers consider the Auxilia to be a primitive form of doomsday weapon when used in this fashion and so it is rarely ordered into action as the Imperium is likely to suffer as much as its enemies.The main difficulty is always rounding them up after the battle has ceased, before the Ogryns turn their attentions away from a battered enemy and start concentrating on the surrounding area.
Krourk Ogryn Auxilia - Krourk Ogryn Auxilia on Armageddon: These incredibly violent Abhumans have no training, no real equipment and no command structure, but they are reliable in that once they have been unleashed no force can stop them from tearing apart everything, living or otherwise, in the vicinity.The Auxilia are currently in a shuttle with only a skeleton crew, heading on a direct course for the Ork airfields on the Netheria Peninsula of Armageddon.The resultant carnage should be complete: such a crack squad of utterly merciless brutes unleashed upon the comparatively weak defenses of the Ork airfields should ensure that the waning strength of the Imperial Navy's air squadrons once more blossoms into supremacy.
Krrk'tikit - Krrk'tikit: Krrk'tikitSept WorldT'au EmpireVelk'HanSeptJericho ReachKrrk'tikit is a world that, on the surface, is a featureless rock, but is riddled right down to its core by crystalline caves. Never settled by Humans, Krrk'tikit was given by the T'au to their Vespid auxiliaries, and the insectoid xenos now inhabit city-hives built into the largest chambers.Hatcheries, nutrient lakes and warrior mustering chambers have been constructed, while the Vespid strain leaders blood their warriors in huge warrens of jagged crystal designated as battlegrounds.Deep in the core chambers, where the crystals are bathed in deadly radiation, Krrk'tikit's indigenous sentient creatures have been contacted after millions of Terran years of isolation.Strange floating beings with bodies of crystal, manipulating energy fields as weapons, these creatures have been targeted by the T'au for absorption into the Velk'Han Sept and education in the Greater Good.Early attempts to contact them however, have not gone well, with Water Caste ambassadors killed or missing. More aggressive Fire Caste commanders advocate abandoning or even attacking Krrk'tikit, fearing that the indigenous creatures may be connected with the long-dead intelligent alien species still plaguing the Velk'Han Sept.
Kruxor Stavro - Kruxor Stavro: Kruxor Stavro is the Chapter Master of the White Templars Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes.During the Fourth Tyrannic War, Sanctum came under assault by Hive Fleet Grendyllus, a tendril of the larger Hive Fleet Leviathan. With the aid of Lord Commander Solar Arcadian Leontus and the forces of the Astra Militarum he commanded who were using Sanctum as base to face the Great Devourer in the galactic west, the White Templars were able to defeat the assault of the Tyranids even as it crashed against the walls of their fortress-monastery of Holdfast, despite the fact that much of the Chapter was not present as they were away on an Imperial Crusade to determine the truth of their genetic origin.Stavro served as the co-commander of the Imperial forces tasked with defending Holdfast. The other was Lord Solar Leontus, who acted as the heart and mind of the fortress-monastery's defence. Stavro served as the defence's blade-wielding fist and led each punishing counter-attack that drove the invading Tyranids back from Holdfast and ensured any breaches the xenos made in the fortress-monastery's walls were sealed.The Imperial Fists and formations from several other Space Marine Chapters had also arrived in orbit of Sanctum in their great mobile fortress-monastery Phalanx to aid the defence of the White Templars homeworld alongside a great battlefleet of the Navis Imperialis intended to hold the xenos enemy at bay for as long as possible.
Kryptos (Short Story) - Kryptos (Short Story): Kryptos is the second short story published in the Horus Heresy that was not originally part of an anthology novel. It was first published online in 2012 and was later included in the Legacies of Betrayal anthology novel.
Kryptos (Short Story) - Synopsis: Bloodied but unbowed, the Raven Guard and the Iron Hands fight on. In the wake of the Dropsite Massacre, the Shattered Legions are still prepared to bring the fight to Warmaster Horus and his traitorous allies. On the doomed forge world of Cavor Sarta, two veteran warriors of the Imperium strike deep into the heart of Dark Mechanicum territory. With Bolter and blade ready to cut down any who cross their path, they will seek out the enemy's most valued asset: the mysterious Kryptos.
Ku'gath - Ku'gath: Ku'gath, also spelled Ku'Gath, and known as Ku'gath Plaguefather or just the "Plaguefather," is a unique Great Unclean One, a Greater Daemon of Nurgle, the Chaos God of disease and decay. Ku'gath is driven by an eternal quest to discover the most perfect pestilence that has ever existed.
Ku'gath - Origins: The corpulent and foul Great Unclean One known as Ku'gath began, humbly enough, as a diminutive Nurgling serving Nurgle. He once sat upon the great shoulders of the Lord of Decay as no more than a mite whilst his master concocted the most virulent toxin ever created. Tumbling from his nesting place whilst Nurgle was mixing the noxious contents, Ku'gath fell into the rusty cauldron. Taking a great draught of the filthy contents, the minor Daemon quickly swelled with power. Invigorated by the potent cauldron of poxes, Ku'gath continued to drink and drink until the cauldron was empty. The miniscule form of Ku'gath grew into a mighty Great Unclean One.Laughing with joviality at the antics of his new creation, Nurgle was pleased with Ku'gath and what he had become; the embodiment of the perfect disease. Realising that his creator was not perturbed by this turn of events, Ku'gath soon realised that he had robbed the Plague Lord of his greatest achievement. Since that day, Ku'gath has sought to recreate the toxic miracle that birthed him.Standing apart from his fellow Nurglish Greater Daemons, Ku'gath is a sombre creature. He does not revel in the gurgling delights of infection and plague. For the Plaguefather is contemplative and industrious, forever traveling throughout the Realm of Chaos and the mortal universe, seeking every ingredient and sickness imaginable in order to re-create the perfect disease once more.Ku'gath moves across reality atop a palanquin carried by a mound of thousands of straining Nurglings, searching for the right combination of poxes and blights to replicate Nurgle's dark miracle. The palanquin is also loaded with the alchemical paraphernalia of Ku'gath's mobile laboratory, so that he can continue to experiment and distill the procured poisons of millions of worlds and the furthest reaches of the ever-changing realms of the Warp.To field-test his creations, Ku'gath unleashes his virulent plagues during times of war in order to test the effectiveness of his various concoctions, wiping out whole armies. In battle, Ku'gath hurls his pestilent Nurglings at his enemies, for the tiny Daemons grow within the Daemon lord, each carrying a unique blend of the virulent elements that created the unique Great Unclean One.With detached interest Ku'gath watches each particular infection and their symptoms take hold of the victims of his field experiments. Capturing those corrupted by his diseases, he takes them back to his lair in the Land of the Plaguelord within the manse of Nurgle himself to observe them more closely.Thousands of cages, containing creatures of every known species from all across time and space, stretch into the darkness of this vast, ruinous lair. The victims of Ku'gath wail, gibber and moan in the gloom, desperate for the death that will be long and agonising in the coming.
Ku'gath - Horus Heresy: During the Horus Heresy, Ku'gath was among the Greater Daemons summoned into realspace by the sorcerers of the Thousand Sons during the Siege of Terra. After the Imperial Palace's Lion's Gate Spaceport fell to the Traitors, the Daemons were unleashed to destroy the Imperial Palace's Colossi Gate. While they succeeded in tearing down the gate's outer defences, the Daemons were banished back to the Warp by the actions of the White Scars Legion's Stormseers and the Legio Custodes before they could complete their task.
Ku'gath - Gheistos Cataclysm: During the Gheistos Cataclysm, a massive Daemonic incursion on the Agri-world of Gheistos that erupted in the early years of the 41st Millennium, Ku'gath led the Daemonic forces that besieged the planetary governor's fortress.
Ku'gath - Curwen Incursion: In 927.M41, Ku'gath was summoned to the Agri-world of Curwen at the head of one of Nurgle's Daemonic Plague Legions. The Grey Knights deployed a strike force to deal with the incursion, and Justicar Anval Thawn led a group of Grey Knights into the very heart of the Daemonic horde to avoid encirclement. Ku'gath swallowed the Purifier whole, but Thawn detonated his weapon inside the Daemon's throat and burst from its ruined body. Ku'gath was slain by the explosion and banished back to the Warp along with his legion.
Ku'gath - Sanctus Reach Incursion: Ku'gath returned to realspace in 998.M41, when Justicar Styer and his Grey Knights aided Inquisitor Malia Orbiana in her quest to the world of Squire's Rest in the Sanctus Reach to discover a biological weapon that could be used to eliminate the Orks. Unfortunately, Orbiana released into realspace the Warp-derived pathogen known as Bonewrack -- one of Ku'gath's favorite pestilences.The emergence of Bonewrack allowed Ku'gath and one of his Plague Legions to manifest in realspace once more. Styer and his battle-brothers managed to defeat Ku'gath and his horde of Plaguebearers and eventually banish the Daemons back to the Warp. Ku'gath himself was slain by the Grey Knights Librarian Gared when his Nemesis greatsword bisected the Great Unclean One's head.