vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Xana Incursion - Fury of the Dark Sovereign: In the debris ring that orbited Xana I, a great and violent tempest was being enacted. One after another, the huge freight ships of the supply fleet, heavily laden with munitions and other volatiles, were torn apart by the fury of the Dark Angels warship's attacks or were set burning and left bleeding their disintegrating cargos into space.The macro-transports, some tens of kilometres long -- never intended for war -- had no arms or defences of their own enough to answer such a deadly craft as the Dark Sovereign, while their ungainly bulk would have made escape impossible even if they had not been caught at station by the blade-like predator ship.As the Dark Sovereign reaved her way through the great arc of supply vessels, cannon blazing as she went, she reached the core of the fleet, where the most valuable prize vessels were kept: brazen-hulled Mechanicum barques and stasis-vaulted dromons, now drawn up into a defensive toroid formation.Compared to the dull hulks of the macro freighters, these transports had teeth enough to answer their attacker, and as the Dark Sovereign plunged down amid them like a knife from the dark, the barque's co-ordinated batteries opened fire on their attacker, lancing the void with blazing streams of super-heated plasma and golden beams of coherent energy.The Dark Sovereign's shields flared as the barrage found her, silhouetting the blade-like ship in a corona of light, but she came on undaunted, for this was a vessel of the Ist Legion and a veteran of standard centuries of nightmarish war amid the dark stars. Instead of the close pass to bring her weapons to bear with maximum effect, which naval doctrine dictated and the Mechanicum's logis-cogitators had no doubt also predicted, the Dark Sovereign dived into the heart of the defensive formation, her guns suddenly silent, all available power directed to her shields to weather the storm of counter-fire at point-blank range.She passed her first prey at a scant few hundreds of metres and a talon of Kharybdis Assault Claws stabbed out from the Dark Sovereign's flanks to bury themselves in the Xanite barque's hull. The Dark Angels warship rolled as she sped by and more assault claws speared into a second barque, too close and too swift to be intercepted.A squadron of Caestus Assault Rams broke from the Dark Sovereign and peeled off in the wake of the warship's blazing engines to find prey of their own as the Dark Angels ship found her final target, a long, almost crystalline void dromond, designated now the Mu-571, a singular ship which was perhaps once of xenos origin before the Mechanicum had spidered their own steel-grey workings across its white-quartz hull.The Mu-571's own drives burned white hot as it tried to escape imminent collision, but did so in vain, as the armoured belly of the Dark Sovereign smashed the dromond's spine and flew on, shredding the Mu-571's void shields to nothingness and setting the ship tumbling out of control, as in its heart-chambers reality split open and the black-armoured figures of Dark Angels Terminators manifested in the lightning-crackle aftershock of their teleporter transit.
Xana Incursion - Logic of Survival: Deep within the protected forge-fanes of Xana II, city-sized conglomerations of manufactoria, vaults and hive-warrens sunk far beneath the planet's surface, the remaining magi of the ruling Vodian Consistory communed with each other in near-frenzied pulses of data, spanning the world's sub-surface networks.With preternatural speed it can be assumed that they gathered all available information about the catastrophe that was unfolding around them; betrayal, assault, mass destruction, a war on multiple fronts in which they had been comprehensively blindsided and led into trap after trap. How they with their vast machine-augmented intelligences had been so outwitted was an impossibility to ponder later, but for now action was required if survival, the primary directive of any Forge World, was to be guaranteed.In the face of such a shocking turn of events, paranoia now came to dominate their reasoning. Now, faced with the undisprovable possibility that even more attacking forces were on their way to besiege their Forge World, the Vodian Consistory despatched override signals of recall to their remaining war craft engaged in void battle to defend Xana II and rid it of the "Sons of Horus" grand cruiser which lurked in orbit of its moon like a waiting assassin.Withdrawal of the fleet from pitched combat was calculated to be a costly manoeuvre, but all costs would be borne in defence of the Forge World, and even the now-half-burning munitions fleet was abandoned by the cold equations of survival.All over Xana II, weapons and scanner arrays were pointed skywards, defensive grids and void shields were realigned to defend against orbital attack, while far below, subterranean mag-lev railguns screamed at speeds past tolerance to re-arm the planet's recently spent missile silos from auxiliary stockpiles held deep beneath the world's seas. All of Xana II had mobilised to repel an attack from the void, but this was not from where the attack came.
Xana Incursion - Aftermath: The operation known as the Xana Incursion remained a secret of the Horus Heresy, one more battle fought unremembered and largely unknown, although a battle stranger than most, and ever afterward it has been an engagement shrouded in sinister mystery and rumour.The great provender of Xana II, a bounty that may perhaps have tipped the war for either side, had been delivered into the hands only of death, save for a select portion which it is believed the Loyalists would use to their own ends during the Titandeath and the Siege of Terra itself, although the true gains of this victory or whether they were worth the great cost it took to achieve them is a judgement none can now make.Of equal enigma was the means by which the victory was gained, and in particular the true nature of the "army of the fallen" which was used to such lethal effect in the seemingly suicidal attack on the Forge World itself.Ultimately, the alliance of Xana II with the Traitors' cause had not been thwarted, only delayed by standard years, and perhaps that was enough. The Xana which was rapidly rebuilt and re-fortified and finally began to supply the Traitors with a great perfusion of ever-stranger and more savage war machines in the Horus Heresy's final years -- a true example of what became known as the Dark Mechanicum -- was hardly recognisable from what had gone before and charged a heavy price for its support.There are some who have gone so far as to opine that in toppling Xana II's existing ruling synod of magi, the Vodian Consistory being murderously deposed from within the Forge World's own ranks soon after the incursion, a far darker and more dangerous order of masters was caused to come forth.And that they took what was left on the battlefield and used it for their own infernal ends, meant it was the Imperium's own deceit and savage weapons that gave rise to the nightmare that was to come.
Xanthite - The Trial of Zaranchek Xanthus: Xanthism is one of the oldest philosophies of the Inquisition. It is named after Inquisitor-Master Zaranchek Xanthus, brought to trial and eventually executed as a Heretic in the early 32nd Millennium. Xanthus was accused by a cabal of Inquisitors who had united to accuse him of Chaos worship. Although he professed his innocence strongly and with great dignity, he was eventually burnt at the stake, and many of his Acolytes and former apprentices were hunted down by the purge that followed.Throughout his trial, Xanthus maintained that despite the many malefic relics found in his possession and the vast repository of dark lore he had amassed, he had remained pure, both in spirit and purpose. He admitted that he did on occasion utilise the forces of the Warp and the powers of Chaos to achieve his goals in the Imperium's service. By virtue of his rank and record, Xanthus' trial was held by the Great Conclave itself, and regardless of his eventual conviction, his skilled oratory, undoubted eloquence, and unwaveringly firm stance that such power could be harnessed without spiritual corruption found resonance in many who listened.His ideas were to be picked up on by other Inquisitors in the following years, and within a standard century of his death a core of self-professed "Xanthites" had become a vocal and controversial minority within the Inquisition, and one that risked being rendered excommunicate en masse for their views.
Xanthite - The Three Daughters of Atropos: In 799.M39 the hive city of Atropos on Solomon, a citadel with a population of more than 100 million, went mad in a single night. The culmination of a nightmarish plot long in the making, this terrible night of insanity and wanton murder was the work of the Master Sorcerer Alrac the Broken. Long a foe of the Calixis Sector, born beyond the Emperor's Light, founder of a dozen cults, and author of the thrice-cursed grimoire the Liber Noctis Eternem, Alrac had come to Solomon to kill this vital Imperial world in order to pay off a dark pact struck standard centuries before with the hellish forces beyond.As the death toll rose steadily into the tens of thousands and Atropos tore itself to shreds, violent chem-storms engulfed Solomon, and madness began to leap from ship to ship in orbit. With every drop of blood shed, Solomon tipped toward the Chaotic destruction of a full-blown Warp incursion on a planetary scale. At the centre of this whirlpool of violence, Alrac took the High Prelate's throne in the gore-spattered Cathedral of Saint Morgana at the pinnacle of the Hive Spire and began his ascension to daemonhood as the gates holding back the Warp began to shatter.Plunging through the storm like a bolt from the heavens came Angelique De Falk's gun-cutter. It had been pure chance she had been in the outer Solomon System taking on supplies in preparation for a long journey to a distant Inquisition fortress. Ill-prepared for a major confrontation, she was accompanied only by a number of junior Acolytes in training and her personal staff. Although long past the prime of her life, De Falk's mind was sharp and her power greater than ever.So it was that in order to save Solomon and countless Imperial lives, three of De Falk's Acolytes gave themselves up to damnation aboard her ship in hurried rituals of terrible power. The gun-cutter smashed its way into the twisted cathedral to confront Alrac at the moment of his dark apotheosis, and De Falk and three bound daemonhosts of dreadful potency confronted the ascending arch-sorcerer. The details of what occurred in the battle have never been revealed, but it is known that Alrac was torn asunder at the moment of his triumph and Atropos scoured clean. De Falk's shattered body was borne away by her last surviving sorrowful "daughter," and she was never seen again. Whether she lived or died remains a mystery.
Xanthite - The Golden Throne: It was revealed in the time after the end of the 13th Black Crusade on 986.999.M41 that many mechanisms of the Golden Throne have developed technological failures beyond the current ability of the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to repair. Because of this, it seems possible that the Emperor's body will die at some time in the near future.Depending on the many myths and fevered predictions that have come to dominate the Imperium's "Time of Ending," this unwelcome event will either destroy or actually save the Imperium of Man, and the galaxy as a whole, from the inevitable destruction brought by Chaos.With the discovery of the Golden Throne's deteriorating state, a dozen contingency expeditions have been launched by the Cult Mechanicus, including a Xanthite war procession of the Inquisition sent through the Exhubris Portal into the Webway. The Xanthites fought through Harlequin troupes and daemon hordes alike before reaching their intended destination. In the grave-cold oubliettes of the Haemonculi beneath the Drukhari city of Commorragh, a sinister bargain was struck.
Xanthite - Xanthism and the Ordo Malleus: Given its focus on the direct opposition of the daemon and the Warp-worshiper as an organisation, not to mention its access to occult lore and artefacts, it is perhaps unsurprising that many (but by no means all) of the Xanthite faction can be found within the ranks of the Ordo Malleus. These Malleus Xanthites form a powerful minority within the Ordo, and while most are as dedicated to the Ordo's mission as any other daemonhunter, their methods and concerns mark them out from their peers.In extreme cases, this has lead to covert warfare and strife between particular Xanthites and their brethren. These differences are put aside in most cases by the Ordo Malleus, as this notoriously insular division of the Inquisition is apt to close ranks and keep any discord or intellectual disagreement behind closed doors as far as the wider Inquisition is concerned.This seeming tolerance for the Heretic in their ranks is the result of a number of factors, not least being that every Malleus Inquisitor has a close knowledge of the infernal and a schooling in the dark arts to some extent. As such, almost every member of the Malleus fundamentally understands -- even if they do not agree with -- the Xanthite position. There is, however, a point at which such tolerance ends, and that is the point of moral corruption.When a Xanthite (or any other Inquisitor for that matter) strays from the quest to understand and dominate the Warp and willingly or not becomes the pawn of the Ruinous Powers -- or worse yet, succumbs to the temptation to bend the knee to the Dark Gods in return for power and the promise of immortality -- then the Ordo Malleus will turn on them with all its wrath. The Xanthite faction itself will be at the forefront of carrying out this retribution and is merciless in its pursuit.Despite Xanthism at its roots being simply a matter of outlook on the daemonhunter's part, rather than a specific association, an important difference remains between Inquisitors who profess Xanthite beliefs and what some choose to call "True Xanthites" -- men and women who have dedicated their lives and their wills to the absolute mastery of Warpcraft in the God-Emperor's service. Xanthites of this rank and power, usually long-serving veterans of the Inquisition's war, often become sorcerers and daemon binders equal to any Chaos Arch-Magus or Warp prophet.The names of these rare and appallingly dangerous individuals have echoed with equal parts reverence and infamy in the secret histories of the Inquisition and invest the word "Xanthite" with such import and dread. Men and women such as Mokartus, Quixos, Angelique De Falk, and Zaranchek Xanthus himself, according to the Xanthites, embraced the darkness and were willing to risk the ultimate sacrifice in order to safeguard the Imperium -- but by the judgement of others, they became monsters in their fall from grace.
Xanthite - The Horusians: Xanthism, as old a creed as it is, is far from uniform and exists with many divisions both in personal approach and in schismatic doctrine. Within the Xanthites there are those whose beliefs range much further afield from their fellows, from the suicidal fury of the Oblationists to the more recent tech-heresies of the Phaenonites. Perhaps the most extreme and outlandish Xanthite faction is known as the Horusians. This handful of infamous Radicals looks to the great catastrophe of the Horus Heresy and to the Primarch Horus, who they view as a mighty being invested with immense Chaos power, and sees an opportunity wasted rather than a monster that nearly doomed all of humanity.They believe that if a new Horus could be created and invested with great energy from the Warp and could control that power, he would effectively be a "Second Emperor," a super-being able to unite and lead the Imperium for its betterment and greater glory, rather than enslaving it to Chaos. Despite the pogroms of the 35th Millennium, Horusian ideals have waxed and waned in popularity ever since the founding of the Inquisition.Considered Radicals except by themselves, the Horusians are few in number but fanatical in their cause. They tend to be older Inquisitors, frustrated by the lack of answers provided by other Resurrectionist theories, and therein lies the danger. Chaos and its power can never be viewed as a quick route to success, for in that direction lies damnation.Quite apart from the normal anti-Resurrectionist arguments, many Inquisitors view Horusians with suspicion, out of fear that their dabbling with daemonic possession and Warp intrusions endangers those around them and the Imperium in general. However, the most experienced Horusians are well versed in the perils of the Warp and Chaos and so are numbered amongst the most proficient and dedicated daemonhunters in the entire Inquisition.Puritanical Inquisitors, especially those of the Thorian persuasion, have a particular loathing for Horusians, who they see as the direst of Heretics and their very theories enough to guarantee their place on the pyre. Even among other Radical factions, the Horusians garner little shrift and much suspicion, particularly from those who have had actual access to the proscribed histories of the Traitor Legions.Like all such philosophies, the Horusians must tread a path along a precipice of dedicated service to the Imperium and the fulfillment of their researches. It is a path that most have trodden wisely, but not all Horusians have remained faithful and, perhaps like Moriana ten thousand standard years ago, succumbed to the lure of the Dark Powers.
Xanthite - Darkness Against Darkness: Xanthites believe that Chaos cannot be defeated in an absolute sense, for it is a reflection of humanity's inherent nature itself and therefore must endure as long as humanity does. However, those energies and powers created by its existence can and should be harnessed and even enslaved for the benefit of humanity, rather than left as an untamed hazard that preys at will upon the Imperium's lives and the souls of its people.So rather than surrender to Chaos or hide away in fear, Xanthism holds Chaos must be marshalled and controlled, much in the same way the mute energies of the Warp already are harnessed by the Imperium to allow for interstellar travel, navigation, astrotelephathy, and in the manner that psykers are sanctioned and serve in order to benefit the human race. Some even go as far as to controversially hypothesise that this was perhaps the Emperor's plan all along.The Xanthite path is defined by three concerns when it comes to all aspects of the Warp, its manipulation, and the power of Chaos: investigation, understanding, and application. Individual Xanthites can differ immensely in how they put this into practice, and the lengths to which they go in service of their ultimate goal of harnessing the power of Chaos and the seething energies of the Warp for mankind.The first step of the Xanthite ethos, investigation, is a natural consequence of the Inquisitor's role and is given licence by the power and authority of the Inquisitorial Rosette. This power and the fundamental strength of character are factors without which Xanthism would not be possible.The investigation of the malefic is also perhaps the most obvious reason that Xanthites are drawn to involvement with the Ordo Malleus -- even if it was not their first or lasting affiliation -- as the combatting of daemonic incursions and the rooting out of Chaos Cults offers the Xanthite firsthand interaction with the forces of the Warp.It is in the second step, understanding, where many subtle dangers lie. When a Xanthite Inquisitor or his Acolytes encounter malign forces, they prefer not simply to purge its presence, but also to learn and capture what they can from it. Chaos Cults and Warp-incursions, their nature, powers, and weapons are studied with a view to investing this knowledge into the Xanthites themselves where possible, destroying knowledge and artefacts only when completely necessary.Once these dark materials and lore are gathered and often paid for in blood, they must be then studied and measured, a project that can be as treacherous and lethal as the fight to acquire them in the first place. To aid them in this task, many Xanthites value building a strong and tightly knit organisation of trusted Acolytes and agents who share their vision and possess skills of use both on the battlefield and in the librarium.Some Xanthite Inquisitors go much further than this, skirting the edge of true heresy by creating sects of their own or manipulating existing Chaos Cults to aid them in the unravelling of ancient mysteries and the deciphering of arcane lore.
Xanthite - Current Conspiracies: The Xanthites are a diverse group and one whose individual members are continuously subject to the pull of their own obsessive drive to master the Warp, enslave the dark powers that threaten mankind, and turn them back on themselves. These obsessions may manifest in a myriad of ways, from the never-ending quest to expand their own knowledge and power, to the hunting down and destruction of Chaos Cults and the appropriation of their dark secrets for the Xanthite's own use.Some Xanthites, particularly those who chose to conceal their Radical tendencies, conduct the business of the Inquisition with diligence and zeal, but always with an eye toward their own hidden agendas; they do not shirk from using covert murder to achieve their ends. Other Xanthites care little if they are known as such, confident enough in the rightness of their position to follow it heedless of the opprobrium of their peers, while others have attained such levels of infamy that the fear of their name precedes them even in the Conclave.Regardless of their methods and goals, conspiracy and secrecy are ever the Xanthite's watchwords where needed, and lies are always a favoured weapon -- just as with the daemons they seek to bind.
Xanthite - The Seven Devils of Dread Calyx: Of all the dark lore that rests in the secure vaults of the Calixian Malleus, some of the most contentious and strange deals with the myth of the so-called Seven Devils of Dread Calyx, an ancient legend that still forms the obsession of many Xanthites to the present time.The region was first named in the writings of the legendary Rogue Trader Solomon Haarlock, whose thirteen voyages out past the edge of Imperial space in the late 36th Millennium would define the Calyx Expanse as a realm rich in "Souls, Plunder, Wealth and Things Best Left Undisturbed." Three Terran millennia later, the Angevin Crusade would forge this region into the Imperium's Calixis Sector.Haarlock's writings spoke of the Seven Devils as beings of dark power, fiends who haunted this area of space, some as savage predatory beasts, some walking amid the cold stars and others worshipped as fickle gods by those mortals who fell inside their domains. These seven, Haarlock claimed, were connected together by a dark and terrible web of fate, and if all were brought forth at once, a key would be turned that would extinguish the stars themselves.Haarlock's writings, filled with allegory and symbolism, have continued to strike a cord with the Ordo Malleus, particularly those of the Xanthite persuasion, and still echo through the sector's histories. Those who have sought out the truth behind the legends are known to have discovered much of value in them, as well as great peril.Today, the greatest authority on the myth of the Seven Devils and the malefic lore that surrounds them is Inquisitor Emeritus Andros Bray, Keeper-General of the Ember Archive at the fortress-asteroid of the Bastion Orpheus in the Maccabeus System. The aged Bray, a fiery proponent of the Xanthite ethos in his younger days and reputedly the longest-living servant of the Calixian Conclave, has long since retired from the field.However, he will happily expound on the subject to anyone with the clearance to plumb the Ember Archives' depths. He also makes it a point to show any would-be seekers a shrine he keeps to those Inquisitors and their Acolytes lost or vanished on the quest to uncover the Seven's secrets. Among the memorials and reliquaries is the empty tomb of Morell Orpheus, the famed daemonhunter and onetime master of the Calixian Ordo Malleus, after which the bastion is named.
Xanthite - The Bray Lexicon: Andros Bray, in his long consideration of the legend of the Seven Devils, has formed his own list that he believes offer the strongest clues as to the nature of the entities involved.Compiled from concordances and evidence ranging from recovered Chaos Cult relics, local folklore and divinatory prophecy, to the records of entities encountered at various times by the Inquisition. They are as follows:The Voice of the Flame: The daemon Balphomael, Lord of the Dark Fire, Scintilla / various.The Dweller in the Depths: The Sightless Gaze, autochthonic entity, nature unknown, Spectoris.The False Prince: Tychak Crowfather, spiteful, pre-Angevin Crusade indigenous deity of the Ashleen, incarnate form slain by Saint Drusus, Iocanthos.The Treader in the Dust: The Radiant King, legendary avatar of madness, Malfi / various.The Eater of the Dead: Mord'dagan, supernatural beast of legend, godhead of the Saynay cannibal cult, Dusk.The Empty Hunger: Astral entity/aetheric residue of extinct xenoform, attributed cause of lethal psychic phenomena, Drusus Shrine World / Sacris.The Night Traveller: Nature unknown, also known as the kin-slayer, one that returns from where none has before and whose predicted coming will herald the End of Days.
Xanthite - Acolytes of the Xanthites: Xanthite Inquisitors favour building interlocking circles and cells of trusted Acolytes and Throne Agents who can be relied upon for their loyalty, dedication, and strength of will in the face of the onrushing and insidious threat of Chaos.As their activities often take them in the forefront of direct battle against very powerful and implacable enemies -- including Chaos Cultists, daemonkind and those corrupted by Warp taint -- the Acolytes of the Xanthite are expected to be self-reliant and martially-inclined, and even the most bookish savant will be required to know how to defend himself and stand on the firing line when needed.The most singular characteristic of the Xanthite Acolyte and Throne Agent is their likelihood of possessing a deep knowledge of the arcane and usually forbidden daemon lore. These Acolytes use occult artefacts and even daemonically-infused weapons far more than their peers in the Inquisition. This knowledge is hoarded by the Xanthite Inquisitor, who chooses to teach his more trusted Acolytes in order to empower them to defend themselves. A chosen few within each Xanthite's retinue may even be practising Sorcerers, just as their master may be in turn.To many Inquisitors, this would be the most deviant of heresies and grounds for immediate destruction. This is not true in the Xanthite's service, but to imagine that these occult Acolytes are given free rein is also incorrect. The trust a Xanthite Inquisitor grants his servants comes at a price beyond the danger of destruction by those of another Inquisitorial faction. Xanthites are often better placed than most to know when one of their own has fallen to corruption, and react accordingly with crushing finality.
Xanthite - Xanthites and the other Inquisitorial Factions: The Xanthites are an old, powerful, and heavily entrenched faction of the Inquisition, shielded both by their own tightly-knit organisations and the wider secrecy and fear that attends their reputation. The influence that many Xanthites wield within the Inquisition's structure -- and particular within the Ordo Malleus -- makes them by far the most politically potent of the Radical factions.Despite the sinister suspicions many Puritans have of their membership's activities, Xanthites are the most tolerated Radical faction, if only grudgingly so, by the majority of their peers. Exceptions exist, of course, on both side of this divide, and many Puritans, particularly of the Ordo Hereticus, will never find common cause with a self-professed or even suspected Xanthite without the direst need. Conversely, some Xanthites take perverse pleasure in outraging their more rigid-minded colleagues at Conclave.In terms of their relations with the other Radical factions, the Xanthites often maintain a measure of distance and disdain, ranging into outright antagonism toward such excommunicate splinter groups as the Phaenonites. The Xanthites' own obsessions seldom leave room to give more than passing attention to the political infighting and squabbles of the other Radical factions -- except where it directly affects their interests or seeks to challenge them.But if a particular morsel of occult lore is tangled up in the machinations of others, their fellow Inquisitors can find a Xanthite's presence to be an unexpected and usually unwelcome factor in their proceedings. This general indifference is returned as antipathy on the parts of many other Radical factions. To the likes of inveterate intriguers such as the Recongregators and Istvaanians, the Xanthites represent a powerful and dangerous element of extreme unpredictability capable of upsetting their plans almost at will, while to the Libricar and other Puritan extremist groups, the Xanthite is the enemy within.
Xanthite - Xanthite Domains: The areas controlled by the Xanthites are less apparent than those of many of the other factions. By their nature, Xanthite Inquisitors have learnt to tread lightly among the ranks of the Calixian Conclave and seldom mix with others of Ordo or Cabal. More a loose confederation of individuals, the faction structures itself around the master-student model, with Xanthites usually only operating in pairs or alone.On the fringe and where the gaze of Imperial authorities grows dim, members of the faction are most commonly found, seeking out those that hide from the Emperor's light in such shadows. Of course, it is believed that many Xanthites also operate quietly deep within the heart of the sector, in the depths of hives, and in the grand edifices of the Adeptus Ministorum where corruption is wont to fester.
Xanthite - Xanthite Operations: Xanthites are primarily concerned with the garnering of forbidden lore and schooling themselves in its use. They are also, despite the views of most Inquisitors, some of the most zealous opponents of the Ruinous Powers. Of particular interest to the Xanthites are fallen Inquisitors and corrupted Acolytes, who they seek out not for retribution and punishment but to better learn how to tread the path of Chaos untouched. However, by its very essence, Chaos is an unpredictable and dangerous power to harness, and many who seek out such fallen agents of the Throne end up joining their ranks.This, of course, does not stop the Xanthites from their pursuit of proscribed texts and forbidden lore, which they consider paramount to their cause. In recent times, the Xanthites have been gathering lore on the nature of the Tyrant Star and how its terrible power might be harnessed for the Imperium.Whenever Xanthites meet, they exchange small pieces of such information, slowly building up an extensive amount of data on the so-called "threat" rivalled only by the Amalathians in its breadth and accuracy. In fact, it is probably only a matter of time before they learn of the Amalathians' secret, and when they do, they will doubtless be far less conservative with such knowledge.
Xanthite - Xanthite Inquisitors: Records of Xanthite Inquisitors are sketchy at best, many being surrounded in myth and rumour as much as actual fact. Ordo Malleus Inquisitor Felroth Gelt is a good example of this. A bold Monodominant and a Puritan, it is said that he was once ranked high in the Conclave and was the favoured of Lord Inquisitor Caidin.However, sometime during his third century of life, after years of struggle and bloody conflict with the Emperor's foes, he became disillusioned. The strict tenets of his faction and the hollow victories over his enemies began to lose all of their meaning.During his time suppressing the Rebellion of the False on Kasha he first met Inquisitor Draven and witnessed the true power of Chaos turned upon the Emperor's foes. Over the next few decades Gelt and Draven travelled together, until Felroth's eyes were finally opened to the teaching of the Xanthites. Now Gelt travels the sector and beyond, seeking out the tools with which to fight the Imperium's foes, his aging frame invigorated by the power of the Warp.Of course, whether or not Felroth Gelt truly exists is unclear, and only the oldest and highest ranking members of the Conclave would know for sure. His story could equally be a cautionary tale about the perils of Chaos or a message to potential Xanthites about the true path to man's salvation. In either case, from time to time rumours surface of Gelt's activities, causing a stir among both the Xanthites and their enemies.
Xanthite - Xanthite Secrets: The Xanthites have many secrets. Each member of the faction is a repository of lore unto himself, and they are known to venture further into the dark nature of Chaos than any other arm of the Inquisition. Within the Calixis Sector, this delving translates into an unparalleled knowledge of Warp cults, witches, and daemonic incursions. More than once has a member of the faction flawlessly infiltrated a cult, draining its knowledge and power before smashing it beneath the hammer of the Inquisition.Perhaps most interesting of the faction's secrets, however, is the Aleph-hosts. It is rumoured among the Xanthites that some of their number have found a way to bind several powerful daemonic intelligences into multiple hosts, each of equal power and bound so that all must be killed for the Aleph-host to be destroyed.This hellish act requires a long and complex ritual, the formulae of which has been the object of many quests by Xanthite Inquisitors. Dark rumours hint that the ritual can also be configured so that a greater being of both Materium and Immaterium may be created in a single physical host. True or not, it is a rumour that persists and which many Xanthites are eager to pursue, if for no other reason than to keep the knowledge from the hands of their foes or those within the Imperium who would destroy it.
Xarl - Xarl: Xarl was a Tactical Marine and battle-brother of the Night Lords Traitor Legion's 1st Claw (squad), 10th Company. Nostraman by birth, he took part in the Great Crusade, Horus Heresy, and the Long War that followed.By the time of the 41st Millennium he was serving under Talos Valcoran aboard the Covenant of Blood, captained by his former sergeant, the Possessed Chaos Space Marine known as "The Exalted". Talos was subject to the manipulations of his immediate superior, as well as those of the powerful Chaos Lord Abaddon the Despoiler, which placed him and his warriors in mortal danger time and again.
Xarl - History: Xarl grew up with Talos Valcoran in the hive city of Nostramo Quintus on Nostramo and were members of the same street gang, fighting for survival on the unforgiving streets of that world of perpetual night. Later, both friends were inducted into the VIIIth Legion, becoming fully-fledged Legionaries and served alongside one another in 1st Claw (squad), 10th Company during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy in the 30th and 31st Millennia. Xarl's skill with his double-handed chainsword Executioner made him the deadliest warrior in the 10th Company, and gave Talos and 1st Claw much of its clout within the warband.Over the course of the next ten millennia, Xarl would continue to fight alongside Talos in his power struggle with their Chaos Lord "The Exalted" during both the Fall of Vilamus, and later during their return to the former Night Lords world of Tsagualsa, where their Primarch Konrad Curze had been slain millennia earlier by the Callidus assassin M'Shen.
Xarl - Death: When the Night Lords returned to Tsagualsa, true to their nature, they terrorised the planet's population. But retribution soon came in the form of the Genesis Chapter, a Successor Chapter of the First Founding Ultramarines. During the ensuing battle, the Echo of Damnation was boarded by Genesis Chapter Space Marines, and soon Xarl and Cyrion found themselves in a desperate battle against the Chapter's 3rd Company Champion, Tolemion.Though Xarl took savage wounds from the Champion's powerful Thunder Hammer, he finally managed to slay Tolemion with Valcoran's power sword. However, he soon succumbed to the numerous wounds he had taken. After Valcoran's arrival, he collapsed into his friend's arms and died. This act enraged Valcoran, who went on to pursue and destroy the Genesis Chapter's strike cruiser in retaliation for his friend's death.
Xarl - Personality: Xarl was infamous for his blunt and brutal behaviour and his caustic opinions of the galaxy around him. Like Talos Valcoran, he was raised in the gang culture of Nostramo. He was also a firm believer in the idea that Chaos and the moral and physical corruption it brought were not allies of the Heretic Astartes in the Long War against the Emperor and that the entities of the Warp and their mortal servants should be avoided as much as possible.
Xarl - Wargear: Artificer Armour - Xarl's power armour was an amalgamation of scavenged pieces won in battle or taken from the bodies of fallen brothers of the Night Lords Legion.Executioner - Xarl wielded this massive, two-handed chainsword in melee combat.BolterLegion Gladius
Xavier - Xavier: Chaplain Xavier was the most legendary Reclusiarch of the Salamanders Space Marine Chapter, and was granted the honour of carrying one of the Chapter's most revered relics into battle, the great warhammer known as Vulkan's Sigil.Though long-deceased after being slain by the Drukhari on the world of Drykccna, Chaplain Xavier continues to inspire the Salamanders as they forge their way through the fires of war.
Xavier - History: Xavier was born upon the world of Nocturne, homeworld of the mighty Salamanders Chapter, during the first decade of the 41st Millennium. He became an novitiate to the Salamanders Chapter in 009.M41, and was judged worthy of being inducted into the Chapter as an aspirant.Young Xavier was initiated into the Chapter by Chaplain Hasdrubael. When he became a full-fledged battle-brother, Xavier was seconded to the venerable Chaplain as his personal aide.Under the tutelage of the Chapter's Reclusiarch, Brother Xavier was initiated into the mysteries of the Promethean Cult and was taught the duties and responsibilities inherent with the esteemed position of a Chaplain.When the venerable Chaplain was slain during a boarding raid on a Chaos vessel, Brother Xavier took up the reigns of command and led his fellow battle-brothers in a furious assault upon the enemy.Chaplain Xavier soon earned a reputation as a fiery and inspirational leader, exhorting his fellow Astartes to ever greater feats of bravery. He eventually attained the position of Reclusiarch himself. In that position he garnered a reputation for being a mentor to his fellow Salamanders, his wisdom tempered by years of battlefield experience, which was constantly sought by the lowliest Scout Marines to the Chapter Master himself.Chaplain Xavier was said to epitomise the Salamander ideal more completely than any other battle-brother in the long history of his proud Chapter. A great believer in the Promethean Cult, he encouraged dedicated acts of endurance and belief, and it was said that he slew with his bare hands one of the ancient, monstrous salamanders native to Nocturne.Xavier was able to spur his battle-brothers to great acts of fortitude and resilience, and it was said that when he led them, the Salamanders never fell back before an enemy.Xavier was killed whilst leading a heroic counter-attack against the twisted members of a Drukhari raiding force that had ravaged numerous settlements across the Jungle World of Drykccna.Mortally wounded and pierced by countless xenos blades, he fought on, stubbornly refusing to fall. Only once all his foes had been vanquished, their pale, fallen bodies piled around him, did he let his grievous wounds overcome him.His body was returned to Nocturne by his brethren, and his name is still spoken with reverence.
Xavier - Wargear: Artificer ArmourPlasma PistolCrozius ArcanumVulkan's Sigil - In battle, Chaplain Xavier carried a blacksmith's hammer known as Vulkan's Sigil, a holy icon said to have been borne by the Primarch Vulkan himself as his badge of office. It is therefore a potent religious artefact for the Salamanders Chapter and one of their most revered treasures. It is one of the highest honours of the Chapter for a Chaplain to be allowed to carry this relic into battle.Frag GrenadesKrak Grenades
Xavier Calcazar - Xavier Calcazar: Xavier Calcazar was the Inquisitor Lord of the Ordo Xenos who oversaw all Inquisition activities in the Koronus Expanse and all Inquisitors active in the region who comprised the Koronus Expanse Conclave. He was the direct superior of Interrogator Heinrix van Calox, who was a member of his retinue.Calcazar had sought to enlist Theodora von Valancius, the Rogue Trader of House von Valancius, to aid him in rooting out the growing xenos and Chaos corruption that existed in the Koronus Expanse, the better to safeguard it for eventual incorporation as a new sector of the Imperium.After Theodora's murder, Calcazar met with the new successor to the von Valancius dynasty on Footfall and sought to make clear to them the necessity of their working with the Inquisition to safeguard the Expanse. Calcazar was impressed by many of the Rogue Trader's actions in trying to restore stability to the von Valancius Protectorate within the Expanse and offered the service of Heinrix van Calaox, one of his Acolytes, to continue to serve in the Rogue Trader's retinue -- while also spying upon their actions for the Holy Ordos.Additionally, the Inquisitor Lord offered the Rogue Trader a black, scarlet or white Signet of the Inquisition, a signet ring intended to bolster the von Valancius Rogue Trader's authority within the Koronus Expanse further by demonstrating their alliance with the Inquisition and the Koronus Expanse Conclave's trust in them. The more the Rogue Trader had acted in accordance with what Calcazar believed to be the will of the Emperor before they had met on Footfall, the more the Lord Inquisitor trusted the von Valancius heir.The granting of the black signet ring indicated great trust in the Rogue Trader, whilst the granting of the white signet ring indicated that the Lord Inquisitor found many of the Rogue Trader's actions suspect but he was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in serving Imperial interests. The granting of the scarlet signet ring indicated that the Lord Inquisitor found the Rogue Trader basically trustworthy but had disagreed with some of their decisions on Rykard Minoris and in stabilising the von Valancius Protectorate.
Xavier Calcazar - Wargear: Power Armour (Refit for baseline Human anatomy)Augmetic EyeAugmetic Right ArmPlasma PistolInquisitorial Rosette
Xavier Mendoza - Xavier Mendoza: Xavier Mendoza is possibly one of the most notorious Inquisitors in the history of the Imperium of Man.A fanatical man, he quashed Chaos wherever he believed he had found it and ultimately sought to eliminate corruption among the Adeptus Astartes where it did not exist.This was a mistake that cost him his life.
Xavier Mendoza - History: Active in the later centuries of the 31st Millennium following the Horus Heresy, he became convinced that all Space Marines were the secret servants of Chaos because of the betrayal of the Chaos Space Marines during the Heresy. He began an all-out holy war against the remaining Loyalist Adeptus Astartes.Mendoza's action came to a head when he boarded a Chapter cruiser of the newly-formed Black Templars, a Successor Chapter created from the Imperial Fists Legion during the Second Founding. He accused the crew of harbouring daemons and declared them Heretics.After a swift trial, fifty Space Marines of the Chapter were burnt at the stake. Xavier Mendoza was later found dead, probably assassinated by agents of the Black Templars or the Officio Assassinorum itself.
Xenarch - Xenarch: The Xenarch are an intelligent, starfaring alien species who worship the Immaterium and are believed to maintain an isolationist stellar empire somewhere in the galactic north.
Xenarch - History: It is rumoured that the Xenarch are able to generate electro-plasma from the biological processes of their own bodies and are known to have created devices of an unknown alloy known as "Xenarch Conduction Spines" that are able to focus as well as generate this electro-plasma by drawing directly on the Xenarch's own physiologies. These bioelectrical weapons became highly prized by the Imperium because they utilised charge cells and capacitators that were beyond the capabilities of the Adeptus Mechanicus to manufacture.One of the Xenarch's most notable weapons is the Xenarch death-arc, a rifle-sized weapon that unleashes a series of arcing bolts of lightning and then one massive current of electrical energy to finish off the target once they have already been struck.There was overall very little contact between the Imperium and the Xenarch empire located somewhere out on the rim of the galactic north.In 989.M41, Marshal Helbrecht of the Black Templars Chapter was responsible for the final subjugation of the Xenarch present in the Sigilare Nebula.
Xenarch death-arc - Xenarch death-arc: The Xenarch death-arc is a rifle-sized electrical weapon wielded by the Xenarch xenos who inhabit a shadowy empire on the rim of the galactic north. Death-arcs unleash a series of arcing bolts of lightning towards their target. If any of these bolts -- which are deadly in their own right -- strike the target, the death-arc then channels a far-more powerful arc of electricity along their path, blasting the victim to pieces.The weapon's charge cells and capacitors utilise technology far more advanced than anything the Adeptus Mechanicus can manufacture, making this xenotech highly-prized by any Tech-priests or Rogue Traders who might be able to get their hands on one.
Xenarites - Xenarites: The Xenarites are a secretive sect of Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus that seek to study and make use of xenos technology. The sect is considered Radical by the Inquisition and is under investigation. The Xenarites are broadly similar to the Inquisition's own Xenos Hybris.The Xenarites are absolutely dedicated to the exploitation of alien technologies as discovered among various xenos artefacts for the benefit and advancement of Humanity. As this is an obvious violation of the tenets of the Cult Mechanicus, which finds all non-Human technologies to be blasphemies against the Machine God, the Xenarites operate covertly within the larger hierarchy of the Mechanicus. The Xenarites often arrange to dispatch members of their sect to investigate alien sites across the galaxy in the hope of being able to study or even retrieve artefacts of alien technology.Such expeditions can often result in conflict with xenos who are not quite ready to give up their secrets or even with other, more Puritan Imperial forces, including Inquisitors and more orthodox Tech-priests determined to prevent the spread of heretical alien taint. As a result, such conflicts have resulted in a bad reputation for the Xenarites and has seen the sect move to cloak its activities in even deeper secrecy and to heavily defend its research sites from all interlopers.