vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Belisarius Cawl - Tensions in the Adeptus Mechanicus: Cawl had requested on multiple occasions for Roboute Guilliman to instill him as the fabricator-general of Mars. As the lord commander of the Imperium and Imperial Regent, Guilliman had replaced five of the High Twelve of the Senatorum Imperialis upon assumption of the regency of the Imperium, and hundreds of the lesser high lords.Cawl had argued what would be the difference if the primarch replaced one more lord? But Guilliman argued that the Imperium did not exert such authoritarian political control over Mars, in accordance with the tenets of the ancient Treaty of Mars, that the primarch could appoint his own fabricator-general, and the other Tech-priests would never accept it even if he could.Cawl countered this argument with all that he had accomplished on behalf of the primarch for the last ten millennia, for he alone had been able to unlock, understand and improve upon the work of the Emperor. He alone was the master of a hundred fields of technology and was unafraid of innovation. The ancient archmagos felt that he was the best candidate to rule Mars and the wider Mechanicus. Guilliman had considered this course of action, but the result would be outright civil war in the Adeptus Mechanicus' sub-empire of Forge Worlds.Many of Cawl's colleagues would disagree with such a decision. Especially since Cawl had committed, in their eyes, numerous egregious offences that ran counter to the tenets of the Cult Mechanicus -- trafficking with xenos and the usage of forbidden technology. Cawl's peers within the Cult Mechanicus would not take kindly to this if they knew the whole truth of the archmagos' actions.In fact, many Tech-priests hated Belisarius Cawl, viewing him as an Arch-heretek who disregarded all of the Machine God's commandments. Cawl believed that only envy motivated them if they knew the extent to which his knowledge outreached theirs. Some would move to destroy Cawl and his creations.By the end of the first phase of the Indomitus Crusade just before the start of the Plague Wars, a small faction of devoted Mechanicus Tech-priests had formed around the archmagos. They served as his obedient servants, eager to aid him in the pursuit of this radical new course called "innovation."But such a dramatic rejection of the Adeptus Mechanicus' dogma and beliefs also created many enemies for Cawl among the Mechanicus' traditionalists and conservatives. Such growing political resistance also caused Guilliman to worry about his ally, knowing that Cawl's desire for innovation could lead him to walk the same path that had led the original Dark Mechanicum into damnation over ten thousand standard years before.The primarch knew that Cawl's thirst for advancement could eventually become a problem for the Imperium, and at that time, he would have to deal harshly with his old ally.
Belisarius Cawl - Necron Assault on the Adeptus Mechanicus: All across the Imperium after the birth of the Great Rift, primary Adeptus Mechanicus holdings -- from mining colonies to Knight Worlds to Forge Worlds -- found themselves under attack from Necrons. The massive influx of Chaos energies into realspace unleashed by the birth of the rift had triggered anti-Warp protocols in every Necron Tomb World, and things that had lain dormant for aeons stirred once more.The infamous Technomandrites of Magistrakh, struck down by the Necrontyr eons before, returned to seek vengeance and their lost dominion over the other Necron dynasties.Although there are many theories, none understands the reason for the Necron attacks upon Forge World territories as well as Archmagos Belisarius Cawl. Panic rose amongst the Tech-priests, for they were already besieged from without by the Chaos and alien forces that came in the wake of the rift's creation, and the Necron threat was now coming from within.Both sides were seeking deposits of the strange Warp-manipulating material -- blackstone -- from which the Cadian Pylons were fashioned in the wake of the Fall of Cadia. Many Mechanicus strongholds had been erected upon sites containing this precious resource, and were thus often present on Necron Tomb Worlds as their hibernating inhabitants awoke.Belisarius Cawl, charged with finding a way to close the Great Rift by Roboute Guilliman, sent his own agents -- armies of Mars and House Taranis -- across the stars in an effort to combat the growing danger, and hundreds of battles were fought as more and more Forge Worlds were drawn into the conflict to aid their beleaguered brethren.Even those Tech-priests that began to understand the reality of the dire situation were loath to call upon their Imperial allies for aid against the Necrons for fear of being branded Hereteks.
Belisarius Cawl - Expedition to Sotha: The birth of the Great Rift that had bisected the galaxy at the start of the Era Indomitus reactivated the ancient Necron Warp beacon called the Pharos located on the world of Sotha in the Ultima Segmentum.This was discovered by the Scythes of the Emperor, who still guarded the ruins of Sotha after the planet's destruction by a Genestealer Cult infestation and Hive Fleet Kraken during the Second Tyrannic War.Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl led an expedition to Sotha with the aid of the Ultramarines and the remaining Firstborn Space Marines of the Scythes of the Emperor to study and perhaps use the Pharos' technology to close the Great Rift and defeat Chaos.The expedition came under assault by Genestealer Cultists who had infiltrated the Chapter serfs of the Scythes of the Emperor. Ultimately all of that Chapter's remaining Firstborn Marines were slain alongside their Chapter Master Thracius in combat with the Genestealer Patriarch whose cult had first called Hive Fleet Kraken to destroy Sotha during the Second Tyrannic War.After reaching the Pharos, Cawl discovered that a shard of the C'tan Zarhulash the Potentate had provided the power source for the ancient Pharos. He forged a deal with the alien star god, in which Zarhulash agreed to destroy the device by removing its heart, creating a destructive miniature singularity.In exchange, Cawl agreed to remove the shackles of necrodermis that kept the C'tan Shard captive and create a portal with the Pharos to allow him to finally escape from Sotha. Cawl seemingly agreed, but this was only a ruse as he actually teleported Zarhulash to a far region of the galaxy where the C'tan Shard was surrounded by hostile Necron Tomb Worlds. Zarhulash swore revenge on Cawl for this betrayal.Cawl was able to escape from Sotha and gathered much data from an examination of the Pharos' heart, including the location of other Pharos devices and large deposits of the strategic mineral known as blackstone across the galaxy.Cawl hoped to use this information to eventually find a way to build a technological solution that would seal the Great Rift once and for all.
Belisarius Cawl - Wargear: Arc Scourge - The raw might of the motive force dances between the splayed claws of the Arc Scourge. A potent weapon of technobanishment, this weapon is designed to target Heretic war engines and exorcise their Machine Spirits with jolts of agonising lightning, disrupting their electronic and mechanical systems.Solar Atomiser - The Solar Atomiser is an exotic, highly advanced Melta Weapon first master-crafted by Cawl himself. Using a complex focussing array of Cawl's own design, this weapon concentrates thermal energy and melta-waves into a short-ranged but searing hot beam of unstoppable directed energy that can melt through an enemy war engine and the toughest of foes in seconds.Master-crafted Omnisian Axe - An Omnisian Axe is the Mechanicus' variant of a power axe. It is a Power Weapon taking the form of a single or double-edged battle axe. Power axes vary in length and design, and have been known to be crafted from one of any number of different materials, though usually adamantium. As with all Power Weapons, when its power field is activated, usually by operating a control located on the hilt, the blade is sheathed in a lethal corona of disruptive energy. This energy field allows the blade to carve through flesh, bone and most forms of armour plate alike, making a power axe a highly effective close combat weapon.Mechadendrite Hive - Hissing and slithering like a nest of mechanical snakes, the Mechadendrite Hive engulfs the foe in dozens of steel tendrils. Lashing, stabbing and throttling, the mass of Mechadendrites bloodily disassembles its victims with horrific speed.Scryerskull - The Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus take the assessment and exploitation of battlefield resources very seriously indeed -- so much so that many of them continue their work in this role beyond the point of death as Servo-skulls dedicated to tactical analysis, transmitting a torrent of binharic code outlining battlefield strengths and weaknesses back to their masters.Refractor Field - Considered essential by many lesser Tech-priests, the Refractor Field distorts the image of the wearer with a shimmering cloak of gravitic energy. Incoming attacks that strike the field will be refracted into multispectral electromagnetic bursts that dissipate harmlessly. The field, although less reliable than that generated by a Rosarius, can stop even the most powerful directed energy attacks, such as Lascannon and Plasma Gun fire.Cawl Inferior - Cawl Inferior was a digital construct that Cawl used to carry out a variety of tasks so that he could remain focused on what he deemed more important. Among the labours carried out by the Cawl Inferior was the archmagos' communications with others, including Roboute Guilliman. The primarch worried that the construct was actually a form of forbidden artificial general intelligence, and was indicative of Cawl's increasing willingness to dabble in tech-heresy.
Belissar - Belissar: Belissar is a Dead World of the Jericho Reach, found far from the salients of the Achilus Crusade, yet considered enough of a threat to warrant quarantine by the Imperium of Man.The planet has been badly contaminated and influenced by the forces of Chaos. Over the last few millennia, a world that was once believed to be a jewel in need of refinement has been transformed into a near-worthless lump of rock.Those who continue to live among its ruins bear the marks of this destruction as contamination upon their flesh and souls. Yet in spite of this, there are those who believe that the world may yet hold tremendous hidden value.Belissar continues to bear mysteries for the Imperium. Even now, a few questions of any potential value are outweighed by the substantial risk such a contaminated world represents.Until those are better resolved, the Deathwatch believes that it must be observed and guarded rather than destroyed in the interests of security.
Belissar - History: At the height of the ancient Jericho Sector, Humanity's successes were paramount. The civilised worlds were unable to contain the region's bounty. Mankind outgrew the sector's established worlds and began to colonise any worlds that seemed likely to contribute to its wealth.Those planets well-suited to agriculture were selected in particular, as several of the Hive Worlds were extremely dependent upon the import of foodstuffs.Records from this era are fragmented. After Verronus collapsed, there was no local surviving repository of data from the Jericho Sector, and few of the local records were ever transferred to blessed Terra. Most records have been scavenged and inferred from the few ancient reports that survive.Oral traditions of Imperial colonial worlds, including Belissar, are often contradictory and inconsistent. As a consequence, little of this information can be confirmed as fact. Bearing that in mind, it is believed that the colony on Belissar was founded in the late 33rd Millennium.A younger son of one of Verronus' noble lines chose to establish the colony, using a combination of Imperial resources and mercantile investments. It is clear that someone with influence and significant resources took a direct interest in the colonisation process.Analyses conducted by Inquisition assets using samples obtained from the surviving mutant population indicate that the world had a much higher population than a typical colony world.Some of the ancient legends indicate that members of the Adeptus Mechanicus were directly involved as well. These suggest that followers of the Machine Cult agreed to aid the world's agricultural development. Unfortunately, the precise nature of this development is unclear, and different legends contradict one another.The most likely conclusion is that substantial changes were made to the planet's atmosphere at the same time as several native plant and animal species were eliminated in favour of species adapted from Holy Terra.
Belissar - Collapse: For many of the worlds of the lost Jericho Sector that fell from grace, the reasons are complex and unclear. This is not the case for Belissar. Simply put, the colony had not become self-sustaining prior to the sector's collapse. The world's civilisation was entirely dependent upon imported goods and technologies.Their agricultural facilities enabled the world to provide ample foodstuffs for its populace, but even these assets required maintenance from experts who only visited irregularly.Without a capable support network, the colonists were unable to maintain their technological base. In short order as the sector's Age of Shadow began, the population fell to infighting as all became more and more desperate for life's basic necessities.After thousands of Terran years of isolation, there were few survivors upon the world. Those that remained were struck by an even greater tragedy during the latter years of the 40th Millennium. Shortly after its manifestation, the Hadex Anomaly was prone to fitful movement and expansion.During a time of ill-portent, Belissar was swallowed by the Warp rift. After more than a century, the Anomaly moved into a different portion of the sector, and the planet emerged from the Warp, though horrifically changed.In 222.M41, Deathwatch and Ordo Malleus forces committed to a joint effort termed the "Belissar Suppression." The intent was to cleanse the planet of its Warp contamination, so that this hideous taint might be removed from the galaxy. Many of the field reports from that action have been permanently sealed.It is believed that the worst of the daemonic influences were eliminated from Belissar's surface. However, it is clear that the effort could not be deemed a triumph. The Warp's taint lingers upon this world, and none can say what measures might be taken to fully cleanse it.
Belissar - End of the 41st Millennium: In spite of the best efforts of Inquisitorial forces, Belissar remains a world that has been severely contaminated by direct and extended exposure to the Warp.Unholy creatures from the Immaterium still maintain a strong hold upon the world and their influence is present everywhere. Descendants of the Imperial colonists now worship these foul creatures as cultists in servitude to the Ruinous Powers.Both physical mutations and extreme mental aberrations are common hallmarks of these unclean individuals. It is improbable that there are any surviving Humans who could return to the Imperium's fold.Despite this deep-seated corruption, Belissar's isolated position, far from other worlds of the Jericho Reach, has kept it largely safe from a full Exterminatus action, though the Ordo Malleus has insisted on a strict quarantine to enforce that isolation.After the events of the Belissar Suppression, the Deathwatch swore an oath to continue to oversee the world. Kill-teams are dispatched at least once a solar decade to investigate the world's contamination level.They are not expected to seriously attempt to cleanse the world of its Warp taint -- a monumental task even for the Deathwatch. Instead, they are tasked with the responsibility to keep this contagion from spreading.To date, most believe that their efforts have been successful. However, some argue that this ongoing contamination represents an unacceptable risk, and argue that more extreme measures must be taken.There are no other colonised worlds near Belissar, nor are their significant Warp anomalies in the region. The world is far from the front of the Achilus Crusade, so it is unlikely to directly interact with the Imperium for some time.A few Inquisitors among the Ordo Malleus believe that this isolation presents an unusual opportunity for them to study the unholy. There are rumours that at least one Inquisitor visits the world even more often than the Kill-teams.If this is true, the precise motivations for the visits are unknown and extremely worrisome. Extended exposure to this level of Warp corruption, even in the name of the Imperium's defence, might shatter the mind of even the most stalwart individual.
Belissar - Culture: Deathwatch forces believe that Belissar's inhabitants are effectively isolated. There is no indication that they are capable of constructing a void-capable vessel nor have watch-satellites shown any indications of Warp-capable craft entering the system.While they continue to oversee the world's security, the Deathwatch only commits to sporadic involvement with its surface. Consequently, the battle-brothers possess only limited records about the known population. Even though the planet represents a significant danger, that threat is mitigated by its isolation and by requests from the Ordo Malleus to maintain its isolation.It is believed that there are numerous tribal populations active upon the planet. Reports indicate that these factions generally maintain a high level of animosity towards one another during those times that they are not actively at war.This may be a consequence of the world's limited resources or a matter of differences in allegiance between those who follow the Ruinous Powers. Though the total number of inhabitants is unclear, as long as they remain effectively fractious, it is improbable that they could pose a meaningful threat to the galaxy at large.These populations consistently maintain a primitive technological base. There are no known manufactoria of any significant size. Their primary armaments are mostly hand weapons constructed from stone, very limited amounts of metals, and the complex Belissaran fungal structures that serve as a wood analogue. There have been no recent reports of these mutants using firearms.In addition to the Human populations, there are also significant incursions of Warp-spawned creatures residing upon Belissar. It is unclear how these entities maintain their existence within realspace on the world. It may simply be that the planet maintains a significant number of small rifts between the physical realm and the Immaterium.Such tears in the fabric of reality would allow for these terrors to cross into our world at will. If this is the case, it could simply be a matter of time before something more potent exploits these tears and posing a significant threat that extends beyond this isolated world.The Deathwatch continues to commit resources that monitor the world, so that such a threat might be identified and eliminated at the earliest possible stage.
Bell of Lost Souls - Bell of Lost Souls: The Bell of Lost Souls is a colossal iron bell that is as massive as a building and adorned with dark runes. It is located at the top of one of the many spires of the Imperial Palace on Terra.Thousands of minarets, towers, and spires rise from the Imperial Palace and breach Terra's ever-thinning cloud cover. One, and only one, of these towers stands out from its gold and marbled kindred as it is coloured jet black. It is called the Tower of Heroes.The summit of this looming structure is capped by a bell tower. The belfry itself is the size of a cathedral and houses a single bell forged of unassuming, commonplace metals, marked by the stains and patinas of time's eroding touch.This lone bell is the size of a Titan, and attended by hundreds of men, women and servitors whose existence is entirely devoted to maintaining the sacred instrument's function.The Bell of Lost Souls tolls only when the greatest of the Imperium of Man's heroes perish and can be heard by millions of people across the face of Terra. It rarely rings, but when it does, all resident Imperial Palace servants must be evacuated and sealed within reinforced shelters to prevent the annihilation of their eardrums and subsequent death through lung rupture and embolism.Among its many legends is the holiest of all; that when the bell rings, the Emperor of Mankind hears the sound even in His slumber upon the Golden Throne, and sheds a single tear.The bell is inscribed across its entire surface with psychically-active hexagrammatic runes and its peal is said to sound like the scream of an anguished god, in this case the Emperor, mourning the lost lives of His children. Its wailing moan of grief lasts long and reaches the ears of millions, and its tones penetrate the unifying ether of humanity, turning the thoughts of countless billions towards the loss of Mankind as a whole.One of the most well-known, and recent ringings of the Bell of Lost Souls occurred when the Fire Hawks Chapter was declared "Lost to the Warp" in 963.M41 by the High Lords of Terra. That day, the bell tolled 1,000 times, once for each Astartes lost.There is a special dispensation for the use of the bell concerning the Grey Knights Chapter. As the Emperor's only genetic inheritors amongst the Adeptus Astartes and Mankind's most valued and incorruptible protectors, the Bell of Lost Souls rings once each time a Grey Knight falls in battle. It is said that this is their reward in place of the recognition they will never receive from a galaxy that does not even know that they exist.A Grey Knight battle-brother will stand at the base of the tower in the sacrosant control chamber, surrounded by reverent serfs of the Imperial Palace and burning incense, and pull the levers that set the great, arcane mechanisms to work.Solar minutes later, the bell will toll a certain number of times -- once for every fallen brother. All of Terra will then know that the mighty have fallen, and that the Imperium is a darker place because of it.
Bell of Lost Souls - Operation: When the order comes from the High Lords of Terra or the Emperor Himself, the attendant Imperial Palace serfs and servitors will begin the laborious process of automated lockdown, broadcasting vox-transmissions to send the belfry attendants into their bunkers.Another serf will start working the controls to awaken the continental communications relays. An overseer will then key in the one hundred and three ciphers required to unlock the safeguards that will allow his menials to access the deeper systems.The wondrous and terrible complexity of the Imperium's bureaucracy makes the entire process of ringing the bell take almost eight solar hours. When all is in readiness, a single servant will have one hand resting on the ornate control console and the other on the lever that will activate the myriad mechanics within the monument.When ordered to do so, the serf grips the lever, whispering a single name as he pulls it. The last lament for the fallen then rings out across Mankind's birth world, ignored by none and heard by all, as Humanity's galactic empire mourns another of its fallen heroes.
Bellerophon's Fall - Bellerophon's Fall: Bellerophon's FallThe FallDead WorldGolgothan WastesMaelstrom ZoneSegmentum UltimaHive WorldCygnaxAn uprising of Imperial helots in the middle centuries of the 41st Millennium released toxic industrial waste into the planet's atmosphere, killing off much of the population and transforming this once humming hive of manufactoria into a Dead World picked over by mutant scavengers and the descendants of the former slaves, many of them Abhumans.Bellerophon's Fall became the site for a major battle of the Badab War in 906.M41 between the Secessionist Mantis Warriors and the Loyalist Marines Errant Space Marine Chapters.
Bellerophon's Fall - History: Bellerophon's Fall was once an active industrial hub centred on the processing of metallic ores mined from the surrounding star systems, and as a commercial transhipping point for the Badab Sector. Its colony was originally established and controlled by the Hive World of Cygnax.Material support for Bellerophon's Fall was severed following the death of Cygnax in 577.M41 and the resulting helot (slave) uprising which caused Bellerophon's Fall to suffer serious infrastructural damage, poisoning its biosphere with toxic industrial waste that resulted in widespread famine, disease, rioting and other mass casualty events.Currently, the world is the site of ongoing scavenger operations and small-scale attempts to recreate its industrial base sponsored by the noble houses of the world of Sagan in the Karthago Sector. An Imperial Navy fleet anchorage and navigational relay were re-established in orbit of the world in 843.M41.In 906.M41, during the internecine Imperial conflict known as the Badab War (904.M41-912.M41) that raged across the entirety of the Maelstrom Zone, the Secessionist Mantis Warriors Chapter of Space Marines successfully drew a sizable portion of the Loyalist Marines Errant's contingent into a trap on Bellerophon's Fall and destroyed much of the Chapter's command structure in a series of murderous surgical strikes. With their Chapter Master and his command staff dead, the Marines Errant were forced to retreat in disarray. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the alliance between that Chapter and the Fire Hawks collapsed into bitter recriminations.
Bellerophon's Fall - Departmento Cartographicae Planetary Database: Since the loss of Imperial control over the world, the formerly enslaved helot workers and their descendants have dispersed into various ramshackle encampments and settlements of Renegades. The majority of these former slaves were designated as Abhuman work class "sub-grade". Other descendants of survivors of the slave revolt were subject to extensive chemo-toxic-induced mutations. The estimated population of Bellerophon's Fall is now between 9 and 20 million out of an original estimate of 120 million people before the revolt.Tithe Grade: Not currently applicable, formerly Exactus TertiusClimate/Geography/Biosphere: The climate of Bellerophon's Fall is arid/sub-arctic. Much of the surface is covered in ferric ore deposits, processed slag debris and ruined industrial plant. Toxicity is now extreme, and the lethal exposure average for a baseline human physiology without protection is 1-3 standard weeks.Governmental Type: None ExtantPlanetary Governor: None. The last Imperial Sub-Commander, Marco Nihilus, who was appointed under the dominion of Cygnax, was killed by assassination in 576.M41, an event that helped to induce the slave revolt.Adepta Presence: Minor, small tertiary grade Adeptus Mechanicus Reclaimator taskforce, Imperial Navy overwatch fleet anchorage, and four semi-independent scavenging stations notionally under the auspices of the Karthan Lords of Sagan.Military: No standing armed forces. External outposts maintain security forces (Grade Minima).
Bellicatus Missile Array - Bellicatus Missile Array: The Bellicatus Missile Array is a potent Imperial Missile Launcher system deployed on the Primaris Space Marine Impulsor assault grav transport.It is used on the Impulsor when its squad of accompanying Primaris Marines is in need of greater fire support.The Bellicatus Missile Array can fire a variety of different missile types as the tactical situation requires. These include Krak Missiles, Frag Missiles and anti-aircraft Icarus Missiles.
Bellom - Bellom: Bellom is the name of both a Dead World and its star system in the Jericho Reach.Once a massive trade hub for the Imperium, the fall of the Jericho Sector left Bellom barren of all life for centuries into the present day.
Bellom - History: The Bellom System was once one of the most prosperous trading hubs in the old Jericho Sector, its fortunes built upon the flow of luxury goods passing along a spur of the Hyades Ebb Warp route that led directly towards the old sector capital of Verronus.That passage no longer exists, for with the rise of the Warp Storms that heralded the Age of Apostasy in the 36th Millennium, the route became unstable and then collapsed entirely.At some point during the Jericho Sector's "Age of Shadow," the raw stuff of the Warp spewed out of the old passage to Verronus, and engulfed the glittering spires of Bellom, cutting it off from all outside contact for many hundreds of Terran years. When the Warp Storms eventually subsided, the passage to Verronus was gone, as was every living thing on the surface of Bellom.The only survivors of the Warp Storm that engulfed the system were the Deathwatch Battle-Brothers present onboard Watch Station Bellom, which orbits in the system's outer reaches.When the Warp Storms came, the crew of the watch station raised its Gellar Field and used their Sus-an Membrane implants to enter a deep state of suspended animation in which they slept through the centuries until the storms lifted and they could resume their vigil.Just what the station stands sentinel against is unknown, not even to Watch Fortress Erioch's Chamber of Vigilance, but the fact of its existence is reason enough to maintain it.Of late, a number of efforts have been launched by the Achilus Crusade to reopen the old Bellom-Verronus Warp passage in the hope of establishing a new front by which the servants of Chaos infesting the central regions of the Jericho Reach can be assaulted.To date, even the most skilled of Navigators has failed to locate any such passage, and several of their number have perished in the attempt. Nonetheless, Lord Militant Solomon Tetrarchus has ordered the effort to continue, for now at least.
Bellona - Bellona: Bellona is a Forge World or "Forge Moon" of the Adeptus Mechanicus, which orbits the Ocean World of Nemeton, the Chapter planet of the Emperor's Spears, located in the Elara's Veil sector of the Segmentum Ultima.Bellona was originally colonised many Terran millennia ago by fleets from the Forge World of Incaladion. The tech-priests of Bellona have a mutual defence pact with the Emperor's Spears Chapter, who dwell on Nemeton. The moon supports a large orbital shipyard which builds and maintains voidships for both the Mechanicus forces and the Emperor's Spears' Chapter fleet.The primitive, pre-industrial Human tribes of Nemeton believe that Bellona is the eye of the Emperor.
Bellona - Canon Conflict: There is some dispute about the name of Nemeton and Bellona's star system. In the novel "Spears of the Emperor" it is called the Ophion System, while in White Dwarf 460 it is named the Avalon System. Because of this disparity, locals sometimes just default to calling the system after its primary inhabited world, thus the "Nemeton System."
Ben Counter - Ben Counter: Ben Counter is an author for Games Workshop's Black Library imprint.
Ben Counter - Apocalypse: Black Leviathan (Short Story) (2014, collected in Damocles (Anthology))
Ben Counter - Grey Knights: The Grey Knights Omnibus (2009, ISBN 1-84416-696-1) contains the following:Grey Knights (2004, ISBN 1-84416-087-4)Dark Adeptus (2006, ISBN 1-84416-242-7)Hammer of Daemons (2008, ISBN 1-84416-511-6)
Ben Counter - Horus Heresy: Galaxy in Flames (2006, ISBN 1-84416-393-8)Battle for the Abyss (2008, ISBN 1-84416-549-3)
Ben Counter - Lords of the Space Marines: Arjac Rockfist: Anvil of Fenris (2014, ISBN 978-1-84970-651-3)
Ben Counter - Soul Drinkers: The Soul Drinkers Omnibus (2006, ISBN 1-84416-416-0) contains the following:Soul Drinker (2002, ISBN 0-74344-323-3)The Bleeding Chalice (2003, ISBN 1-84416-054-8)Crimson Tears (2006, ISBN 1-84416-160-9)Soul Drinkers: The Second Omnibus (2013, ISBN 1-84970-313-2) contains the following:Chapter War (2007, ISBN 1-84416-458-6)Hellforged (2009, ISBN 1-84416-691-0)Phalanx (2012, ISBN 1-84970-146-4)Daenyathos (2010, ISBN 1-84970-462-7)Traitor by Deed (2020, ISBN 978-1-78999-846-7)
Ben Counter - Space Marine Battles: Endeavor of Will (Short Story) (2012, Collected in Architect of Fate (Anthology))Malodrax (2013, ISBN 1-84970-544-5)Santus Reach: Blood on the Mountain (2014, ISBN 1-84970-695-6)The World Engine (2014, ISBN 1-84970-880-0)
Ben Counter - Space Marine Legends: Cassius (2016, ISBN 1-78496-490-5)
Ben Counter - Others: Daemonblood (Short Story) (2001, collected in Dark Imperium (Anthology) and Let the Galaxy Burn (Anthology))Hellbreak (Short Story) (2001, collected in Dark Imperium (Anthology) and Let the Galaxy Burn (Anthology))Words of Blood (Short Story) (2002, collected in Words of Blood (Anthology) and Let the Galaxy Burn (Anthology))Defixio (Short Story) (2002, collected in Words of Blood (Anthology) and Let the Galaxy Burn (Anthology))Daemon World (2003, ISBN 0-74344-353-5)Seventh Retribution (2013, ISBN 1-84970-478-3)Twelve Wolves (Short Story) (Collected in There is Only War (Anthology))
Benediction - Benediction: Benediction, originally called Talledus, was a Cardinal World of the Imperium of Man ruled by the Astra Militarum in the form of its Planetary Governor, Cardinal Morst Bolifax.Benediction served as the capital world of both the Talledus System and the wider Veritus Sub-sector, which was of great religious and political significance to the Ecclesiarchy.It was because of this importance to the Imperial state religion that Benediction became a target of the forces of Chaos led by the Word Bearers senior Dark Apostle Kor Phaeron in the days after the formation of the Great Rift.At some point in the Era Indomitus, Kor Phaeron led a Chaos assault upon the Talledus System in the hopes of capturing Benediction and transforming it from a centre of worship for the God-Emperor into a dark Shrine World dedicated to the Dark Gods.This assault was blunted during the conflict known as the Talledus War through the efforts of the Astra Militarum, the Sisters of Battle of the Order of Our Martyred Lady and the Astartes of the Salamanders Chapter as well as a phenomenon of the Psychic Awakening called the "Saints' Wall" in which the spirits of the Imperial sacred dead were summoned by the faithful to their world.Yet the forces of Chaos have managed to claim most of the world's surface, and only the city-like Grand Honorificum cathedral complex remains under Imperial control.
Benediction - Notable Locations: Grand Honorificum - The Grand Honorificum was a massive cathedral complex that housed the bodies and other relics of many of the Imperial saints buried on Benediction. It was essentially a "theocropolis," a city that was home to millions and dedicated wholly to the practice of religious faith. Its heart was covered by a great dome, and the entire complex was protected by Void Shields and multiple layers of overlapping defensive armaments.Lux Eternis - Spired mountains said to have bene carved to hold memorials and statues dedicated to many of the Imperial church's saints, long-dead priests and hierophants.River Carmine - A river that marks the region where the Grand Honorificum is located. Four great brides were constructed to span this waterway. It was the seizure of one of these bridges by the Salamanders during the Talledus War that allowed the Imperial defenders to divide the attacking Chaos army in two and establish a new defensive perimeter to protect the Grand Honorificum.
Benedictors - Benedictors: The Benedictors is a Codex Astartes-compliant Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. Almost nothing is known about this Chapter in Imperial records.
Benedictors - Chapter Colours: The Benedictor's Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Benedictors - Chapter Badge: The Benedictor's Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Benefictus - Benefictus: A Benefictus is a mutant Genestealer hybrid artificially created from a merger of Human and Tyranid DNA through the will of the Broodmind who serves the Genestealer Cults as a potent battle psyker.Where a Magus is an artful manipulator, a Benefictus has been likened to little more than a walking artillery piece. Those Broodkin who accompany it to battle are seen as forming an honour guard for a revered weapon of the Genestealer Patriarch rather than fighting alongside an inspirational hero. But in the cultists' eyes, a Benefictus is without doubt blessed by the Star Children who are to come to lead them to salvation and they are honoured as extensions of the Patriarch's power.The trigger for the birthing of a Benefictus aligns with that of Hybrid Metamorphs. Several of these living weapons appear within well-established gene-sects in the years leading up to the appearance of a Tyranid hive fleet at the cult's world. Yet they also mature amongst much younger cults, often in a reaction to local factors limiting the cult's growth and potential success.
Benefictus - Wargear: Psionic Cascade (Witchfire) - Using their psychic gift, a Benefictus can unleash the will of the Broodmind into beams of raw telekinetic force which are capable of destroying heavy vehicles and damaging tanks. Such power can be focused for even greater power, though at great risk to the Benefictus.Psionic  Shield - A Benefictus can prevent incoming damage to itself by projecting a limited telekinetic shield to fend off ranged and melee attacks.Cultist Staff - Much like the cult's magus, a Benefictus often carries a Cultist Staff to enhance their psychic abilities. This staff, a type of Force Stave, is adorned with precious relics, such as vials of the very blood of their Genestealer Patriarch.
Bernod Falkor - Bernod Falkor: Bernod Falkor was an officer of the Imperial Navy who served under both Warmasters Slaydo and Macaroth during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. He was killed in 773.M41 at the Battle of Addolorata, heroically preventing his commanding officer, Commodore Willer Waldesh, from mistakenly attacking an Imperial Starfort that served as a part of Addolorata's orbital defences.
Bernod Falkor - History: Bernod Falkor was an experienced Imperial Navy officer who served aboard the Dreadnought Intangible, under the command of Vice Admiral Alber vander Trake. At the close of 773.M41, Imperial intelligence placed a Chaotic warfleet less than two weeks away from the world of Addolorata. Lord Militant Delayni ordered a fast attack flotilla under the command of Vice Admiral Trake to alter course from Lotun and translate to Addolorata to take up a defensive station there. In a brilliantly executed inner run towards Addolorata, Trake managed to arrive before the Forces of Chaos. Unfortunately for the Imperial flotilla, the system's defence grid was braced to expect enemy intrusion, and mistakenly attacked Trake's forces upon their arrival. Thinking himself under attack by Chaos forces, Vice Admiral Trake ordered his flotilla to return fire.Realising he had made a gross miscalculation, one of the Heavy Cruisers in the Imperial flotilla was soon lost and the Intangible was on fire and listing badly. Trake's warship continued to take heavy fire as he tried to explain the situation to Addolorata's command-and-control. This took nearly three hours, and in the confusion one of the super heavy Destroyers was vaporised with the loss of all hands. The Vice Admiral finally managed to persuade the Addolorata System Defence Command to cease fire, and tried to marshal his flotilla into a new formation to defend the world. But by this time, the Intangible was foundering and close to death. To make matters worse, Warp-echo traces suggested the Chaotic fleet was not far behind them.Trake quit the Dreadnought and moved his flag to the super heavy Destroyer No Quarter. Unfortunately, matters took a turn for the worst when Trake's second-in-command, Commodore Willer Waldesh, who had been left in command of the stricken Intangible to oversee the evacuation and abandonment of the vessel, ordered his gunners to obtain target solutions and attack one of the remaining Starforts. Waldesh's bizarre behaviour may have been a result of him being becoming unhinged by the pain of the extensive injuries he had suffered when the planet's defences had mistakenly fired on the Imperial flotilla. Acting as First Officer, Bernod Falkor quickly realised the Commodore's mistake and attempted to wrest command of the vessel from the deranged Waldesh. The Commodore proceeded to shoot Falkor eight times "for mutiny," but Falkor managed to survive long enough to kill his erstwhile commander with a Bolt Pistol. On course for the Starfort, Falkor triggered the ship's auto-destruct, destroying the mighty vessel with all remaining hands. He was later posthumously decorated by the Imperial Navy for valour.
Berserker Dreadnought - Berserker Dreadnought: A Berserker Dreadnought is a Chaos Dreadnought of any class that is deployed by Heretic Astartes forces dedicated to the service of the Blood God Khorne.Like their infantry counterparts, the Khornate Berserkers, Berserker Dreadnoughts seek only to kill, maim and murder in melee combat and will often launch seemingly suicidal charges against the foe devoid of any real tactics or strategy.
Berserker Dreadnought - History: Although knowledge of them has long been suppressed and purged from most histories save the sealed archives of the Grey Knights on Titan and the sacred canticles of the mighty Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, the "slaughtering engines of Khorne" have long ranked among the most terrible enemies on the battlefield for the Imperium.The first "slaughterers" were encountered during the dark and terrible wars of the Horus Heresy. Thought to be a savage outgrowth of the more common Dreadnought walker technology employed widely by the Space Marine Legions.These first slaughterers were "Berserker Dreadnoughts" optimised for close combat assaults and as line breakers, modified from standard patterns to be larger and swifter than their more common counterparts, and employed in near suicidal charges into the heart of an enemy line.Their use by the World Eaters Legion is stated in some apocryphal sources in fact to pre-date the Heresy itself in some form, and such was the savage reputation of this Legion even before its fall that this is most likely true.
Berserkers of Skallathrax - Berserkers of Skallathrax: The Berserkers of Skallathrax are a warband of Chaos Space Marines drawn from the World Eaters Traitor Legion. There have been multiple encounters throughout the Segmentum Obscurus between the forces of the Imperium of Man and this vicious warband of Heretic Astartes dedicated to the Blood God Khorne.
Berserkers of Skallathrax - Warband History: The Berserkers of Skallathrax are a warband of corrupted Astartes drawn from the World Eaters Traitor Legion. After the end of the Horus Heresy the Traitor Legions were driven by the actions of Imperial forces into the Eye of Terror, a vast Warp rift of Daemon Worlds awash in Warp Storms. The World Eaters retreated from Terra only grudgingly and fought their way to the Eye of Terror, carving a bloody swathe through anything that impeded them.Within the Eye, the Traitor Legions eventually established a society dedicated to the rule and worship of Chaos. Whilst within the Eye, the World Eaters' searched for a homeworld to call their own. The World Eaters constantly fought the other Traitor Legions in bloody conflict as was the nature of those dedicated to Chaos, constantly trying to prove their worth to their Blood God, Khorne. But one such conflict would finally sunder the World Eaters Legion as a coherent, unified military force on the Daemon World of Skallathrax.The World Eaters faced off against the Emperor's Children Chaos Space Marines, the devoted servants of the Chaos God Slaanesh, the chief rival among the Ruinous Powers of the World Eaters' own patron God. The two armies of Traitor Marines clashed through the planet's storm-lashed cities of black rock and ice in what was later known as the Battle of Skalathrax. City after city fell to the Khornate Berserker assaults of the World Eaters, as the chosen of Khorne hurled themselves at the Emperor's Children, slaughtering the hated Slaaneshi devotees until forced to halt their attack as the Daemon World's deep freezing night fell, bringing temperatures so low that they were barely survivable even for Astartes in Power Armour.A skilled World Eaters Captain by the name of Khârn, infuriated with the refusal of his fellow World Eaters to continue to attack the enemy while they sought shelter from the falling temperatures, proceeded to burn the shelters of both his own men and those of the enemy, killing both friend and foe alike as he did so and thus earning the title of "The Betrayer". This act shattered the World Eaters Legion's already fraying unity, splintering it into multiple warbands of Khornate Berserkers that roam the Eye of Terror to this day. The Berserkers of Skallathrax are one of the larger of these warbands that split off from their former Legion.
Berserkers of Skallathrax - Notable Campaigns: The Siege of Vraks (813-830.M41) - The Berserkers of Skallathrax were one of the many warbands of Chaos Space Marines who were drawn to the Imperial Armoury World of Vraks Prime to aid in the slaughter alongside the Forces of Chaos led by the mighty Lord Zhufor, of the Khornate warband the Skulltakers, during the 17-year-long siege. Sickened by reports from the front of cowardice and desertion in the face of the enemy, Zhufor sought to unify the various Khornate warbands under his leadership. But the Berserkers of Skallathrax, like their fellow Khornate warbands whom followed the Blood God, did not give their loyalty easily. They only respected martial prowess and few could match Zhufor's. A giant of a man, he led by example and by fear. He challenged the leader of the Berserkers of Skallathrax to a duel to the death. At stake would be the leadership of both warbands. To refuse would be an affront to Khorne. Such a battle between his champions would please Khorne mightily. So, stripped of armour and armed with chainaxes the two Chaos Lords fought to the death, Zhufor winning the mighty combat. Striking the head from his opponent, he raised it to the baying crowd and claimed, by right of conquest, lordship over the Berserkers of Skallathrax. Any who would oppose his rule had to challenge him, yet none of the others came forward. Zhufor was Khorne's chosen Champion on Vraks and he had proved it with his own blood-soaked hands. The Berserkers of Skallathrax thereafter fought for him. After the Siege of Vraks ended in a pyrrhic victory for the Imperial forces, the Berserkers fled off-planet and their current location is unknown.
Berserkers of Skallathrax - Warband Colours: The Berserkers of Skallathrax wear the colours of devotees of the Blood God; blood-red Power Armour trimmed in brass.
Berserkers of Skallathrax - Warband Badge: The Berserkers of Skallathrax's emblem is reminiscent of the distinctive symbol of their former parent Legion -- the World Eaters -- which depicts a planet being devoured by a monstrous maw.
Berserkers of Skallathrax - Sources: Imperial Armour Volume Seven - The Siege of Vraks - Part Three, pp. 17, 59, 138
Beseritor - Beseritor: Beseritor is a Hive World located within the Jericho Reach. Its conquest was one of the last great successes of the Achilus Crusade in the Orpheus Salient before the crusade's first encounter with the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Dagon.