vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Ratling - Ratling: A Ratling (Homo sapiens minimus) is a member of a small, loud, hungry and lecherous Abhuman species. Ratlings are granted full Imperial citizenship despite their mutant status and in the past have often served in the regiments of the Astra Militarum as members of the Militarum Auxilla. However, they are still distrusted by the more Puritanical members of the Inquisition.Though less resilient than their baseline Human comrades, Ratlings are naturally excellent shots. It is said that Ratling marksmen can take the head off a Heretic from over a kilometre away. Coupled with their knack for staying out of harm's way, this makes Ratlings formidable snipers who can exact a withering toll upon superior enemy forces.Inevitably, the Abhuman Ratlings face prejudice from the baseline Human troops they serve alongside, yet their skill as thieves, fences and black marketeers tends to win them acceptance. Indeed, Guardsmen who give the Ratlings too much grief will often find themselves mysteriously short of ammunition in the heat of battle, while their diminutive tormentors watch gleefully through telescopic sights.Regardless of their small stature, and their questionable status as sanctioned aberrants, Ratlings have proven invaluable to the Imperium's armies time and again. They make exceptional forward scouts, and are able to move covertly into firing positions right under the nose of the enemy army. Only when the opening salvoes of battle have been loosed do they reveal themselves, announcing their presence with hails of precision shots that catch the enemy completely off-guard.The effectiveness of Ratling fire can often mislead the enemy into believing they face an entire platoon of Imperial Guardsmen, which in turn can draw large-scale assaults towards the snipers. With no hope of holding their own in close-quarters combat, Ratlings have perfected the art of hastily vacating their redoubts immediately after firing, scurrying away before securing a new vantage point from which to assassinate more of their assailants.Though devious, duplicitous and morally dubious, Ratlings possess such unique talents that they will always find a place in the armies of the Imperium. Whether killing off enemy officers or procuring black-market amasec for their own, these adaptable Abhumans have certainly found their niche in the ranks of the Astra Militarum.
Ratling - History: The Imperial world known as Ornsworld, also referred to as Orn's World, is the primary Ratling homeworld located in the Segmentum Obscurus. Ratlings are the smallest type of Abhuman known to the Imperium, their ancestors having become stunted by thousands of standard years of inbreeding on worlds with climates and environments even more conducive to Human life than ancient Terra and possessed of abundant harvests.Ratlings are short and squat, although not strong when compared to normal, baseline Humans. They are idle, hedonistic, gregarious, over-friendly and sexually promiscuous.Their lives are spent eating until sick, drinking copious amounts of intoxicating beverages, and procreating uncontrollably, almost like Abhuman rabbits. These small, loud, hungry and lecherous creatures are called "Runtlings," "Stunties," "Halflings" and "Ratlings" by other Humans, among other, less printable things.
Ratling - The Gothic War: In 139.M41, Abaddon the Despoiler launched his 12th Black Crusade, also called the Gothic War. This was a vast military campaign against the Imperium of Man which would last until 160.M41. During the initial outbreak of hostilities, Ornsworld was subjected to a massive invasion by the forces of Chaos in search of the malefic artefact known as the Eye of Night, which consisted of an embedded statue of ancient antiquity worshipped as a god by the Ratlings in the pre-Imperial era.Initially, the Chaos forces were driven back by the Astra Militarum forces, but a solar month later the Chaos vessels blockaded Ornsworld, launching a full-scale invasion. Millions of Ratlings died in the ensuing slaughter. Eventually, the Chaos forces found what they were looking for and departed with the Chaos artefact.
Ratling - Siege of Haupstemmler Keep: A sad chapter in the invasion of Ornsworld occurred during the Siege of Hauptstemmler Keep, the last bastion of Ratling defiance during Abaddon's invasion of the Ratling homeworld. A great many Chaos Sorcerers gathered to breach the walls of the mighty edifice. Combining their eldritch powers, they created a penetratrive vortex with which to smash the adamantium-clad gates.However, several of the sorcerers mispronounced certain key words of the spell and it quickly spiralled out of control. The influx of Warp power detonated catastrophically, engulfing the besieging Chaos army and turning 3,000 of its warriors into gibbering Chaos Spawn.The explosion of Warp energy also levelled part of the north wall, much to the dismay of the Imperial Guard and Ratling defenders. The sea of mutating flesh that assailed the breach soon overran the defenders and the keep fell to Abaddon.Even now, centuries later after Abaddon left the world, rogue Chaos Spawn from the siege have to be trapped and killed by the Ratlings in summer beast hunts.
Ratling - Ornsworld Massacre: In 999.M41, Ornworld came under attack once again from the Chaos Space Marines known as the Knights of Blood.In a cruel repetition of the horrors inflicted during the Gothic War centuries earlier, over ninety percent of its population was massacred before Astra Militarum reinforcements arrived to bolster the beleaguered planet's Ratling defenders.
Ratling - War of Weeping: On the world of Crastille, during the War of Weeping, a single squad of Ratlings held the narrow bridge over the tumultuous Widowash River for three full solar days. Six times the T'au attempted to dislodge Manvolio Grand's Ratling Sharpshooters, and six times they were hurled back by pinpoint fire.Kroot Shapers and Pathfinder Shas'ui tumbled into the river's surging flow, neat holes blown through eye-sockets and throats. When a pack of Kroot Hounds was loosed across the bridge, the Ratlings put each down with a single shot, the last beast skidding to a halt on its face a good three Terran metres short of Manvolio's snipers.Eventually, the T'au were forced to commit several Stealth Teams to the fight -- against these near-invisible foes, the Ratlings stood little chance. Most of the Abhumans were slaughtered before they could flee, but Manvolio and his closest cronies made it back to Imperial lines alive, there to be hailed as heroes for their efforts.
Ratling - Imperial Service: Ratlings serve in the Astra Militarum as snipers and scouts, and off the battlefield as cooks, a skill they no doubt learned in order to feed their own ample stomachs.Ratlings also tend towards kleptomania, as commissars report petty theft and illegal gambling rings increase substantially when Ratlings are attached to an Astra Militarum platoon or regiment. Ratlings have also been known to supply non-standard weaponry to Imperial Guardsmen willing to pay a premium.
Ratling - Unit Composition: 5-10 Ratlings
Ratling - Wargear: Sniper Rifle
Ratling - Notable Ratlings: Stumper Muckstart - Stumper Muckstart showed remarkable abilities from the moment he was recruited from his home planet of Ornsworld. He quickly established himself as the best shot in the regiment, earning considerable amounts by challenging rivals to outshoot him. Soon he had a racket going, and became rich overnight as a result of the gambling associated with his trick shooting displays. After a particular impressive night, when he shot three spinning 5 credit pieces out of the air with three shots while blindfolded, his activities came to the attentions of the regiment's Commissar. Stumper was recruited into a special sniper unit on the spot. His past misdeeds were forgiven once he had volunteered all his ill-gotten gains to charitable concerns -- a gesture which still leaves painful memories. Mention of this is the only thing known to spoil his aim.  	 	<a href="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/1/1c/Bigby_Quickfinger.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150227205139" class="image"><img alt="Bigby Quickfinger" src="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/1/1c/Bigby_Quickfinger.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20150227205139" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="250" height="380" class="thumbimage" data-image-name="Bigby Quickfinger.jpg" data-image-key="Bigby_Quickfinger.jpg" data-relevant="1" data-src="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/1/1c/Bigby_Quickfinger.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20150227205139" /></a> 	 		 			 		 		 		 			Bigby Quickfinger taking out another target on the Spinward Front 		 	 Bigby Quickfinger - Ratlings are rightly renowned for their talent with long rifles and sniper weaponry of all kinds and it is said that, even as whelplings, they can shoot the flies off the back of a Grox at a hundred paces. In the ruined cities and wilderness warzones of the Spinward Front, Imperial Guard regiments are lucky if they receive support from Ratling platoons and squads, these valuable resources handed out sparingly by Lord Marshal Ghanzorik. They are even luckier still if they happen to find themselves fighting alongside Bigby Quickfinger. A veteran of of the first battles of Kulth, Bigby made his first kill within ten minutes of stepping off his lander. No sooner had he been handed his weapon than he spied a secessionist scout observing the mustering. Snapping off a shot at some 800 metres and dropping the scout, he reportedly remarked that the weapon was pulling a little to the left, and set about adjusting the sight. Since his time on Kulth, Bigby has travelled to many of the warzones of the Spinward Front, racking up an impressive number of kills including numerous high ranking members of the Severan Dominate and several Ork bosses. He has also aided in the support of the specialist forces, such as the Storm Trooper regiment, providing vital covering fire for incursions into enemy territory. This has earned him the name "Quickfinger" for his lightning reflexes and feather touch on the trigger. This skilled sniper always knows just when to squeeze off the shot to bring down his prey.
Ratling - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook (Bluebook), pg. 93Codex: Chaos (2nd Edition)Codex: Astra Militarum (8th Edition), pp. 68, 104Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pp. 25, 43Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, Revised Codex), pg. 43Codex: Imperial Guard (2rd Edition), pg. 89Codex Imperialis, pg. 29Only War: Shield of Humanity (RPG), pp. 11-12, 19, 70-71, 74-75, 78-79Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse, pg. 174Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (1st Edition)
Ravacene - Ravacene: Ravacene is a volcanic Jungle World within the Achilus Crusade's Canis Salient in the Jericho Reach. The world is currently contested by the Imperium and the T'au Empire's Kroot forces.For the troops of the Astra Militarum, few assignments are less welcomed than a posting to Ravacene. The ash-choked forests of this world are said to have given the Greyhell Front its name, and the Imperial Guard battling to wipe out the Kroot on this world fight a bleak, horrific battle against the planet and their alien foes alike.Ravacene's ecology is based on the volcanoes covering its single, planet-wide continent. The toxic ash spewed by these volcanoes feeds the dense, black-grey jungles covering its plains and valleys.The jungles are resistant to the most enthusiastic attempts to burn or defoliate them, and provide the perfect environment for the Kroot to fight a fluid war against the Imperium based on ambush and misdirection.Ravacene chews through Astra Militarum regiments at an appalling rate. Only Death World veteran regiments can expect to last more than a few solar weeks before being withdrawn.Worst of all is the psychological effect of fighting through its dense jungles, expecting Kroot ambushers behind every tree or fending off the illnesses that result from the ash-choked toxic atmosphere. Even with respirators and chem-suits, every Imperial soldier eventually suffers from the corrosive and poisonous air.The Astra Militarum's objectives on Ravacene are simple. Ravacene is ideally placed to act as a staging post for a push into T'au space in the Reach, and its several moonlets would make ideal orbital dockyards for the voidships of the Imperial Navy. Before the planet can be used in this way, the Kroot presence on its surface must be exterminated.The dense jungles mean this task must be carried out on the ground, one Kroot at a time, no matter how many Guardsmen it takes. For their part, the Kroot have evolved during their time on the world to match the ash jungles of Ravacene through the use of their ability to alter their genomes by ingesting other species' DNA.
Ravager - Ravager: A Ravager a heavy support variant of the Drukhari Raider chassis, with space normally reserved for Kabal members filled up with two additional sponsons. The changes made can be seen with the mounting of three devastatingly powerful heavy weapons. Upon the battlefield it fulfils the role of armoured fire support, engaging the heaviest of enemy targets, though in comparison to one of the Imperium's tanks, it is akin to a swift-winged raptor to a lumbering beast of burden. Ravagers are so fast and manoeuverable that they can ambush an enemy tank and destroy it in a single devastating pass, disappearing again before the enemy knows what hit them.The targeting arrays of a Ravager are outfitted with as much information about their quarry as their Kabal can muster, and each grav-skiff's crew briefed as to the best way to annihilate the enemy vehicle in question. This ensures that the Ravager's capricious gunners focus on a particular task, such as crippling the enemy's prized war engine, bringing an armoured column to a shuddering halt or denying the foe his means of escape. Once this task is achieved the Ravager crew have carte blanche to swoop around the battlefield, causing whatever carnage they see fit and pitilessly obliterating whoever happens to fall under their gunsights.It is perhaps indicative of the wider mindset of the Drukkhari that the Ravager, the most ubiquitous of their gunship designs, bears little more in the way of armour plating than the personnel transports of Mankind. Speed is prized above all. Sacrificing armour plating for speed, a Ravager is the proof of the efficacy of this design. During a planetary raid, a Ravager squadron is fully capable of appearing from nowhere, delivering the death blow to a Titan of the Adeptus Mechanicus in a single volley, and then disappearing over the horizon before the behemoth has even toppled to the ground.
Ravager Attack Ship - Ravager Attack Ship: A Ravager Attack Ship is a standard escort vessel found in Ork fleets.
Ravagers - Ravagers: The Ravagers are a warband of Chaos Space Marines comprised entirely of murderous Khornate Berserkers drawn from the World Eaters Traitor Legion. It was active during the decade of the 930s.M41.
Ravagers - Notable Campaigns: Adumbria Campaign (937.M41) - The Ravagers were first observed by Imperial forces engaging in hit-and-run raids on the T'au colony world of Salomine, located in the Segmentum Ultima, adjacent to the Damocles Gulf. They were also notorious for attacking Imperial convoys within the Salomine System as well. The warband was unexpectedly caught between a Navis Imperialis fleet and the T'au colony world. Sustaining heavy casualties, the Ravagers somehow managed to make good their escape into the Warp towards the projected destination of the world of Adumbria. After arriving in-system, the Ravagers sustained further losses to their fleet from the Navis Imperialis flotilla that had stationed itself in orbit, but several of their forces still managed to make planetfall. The Ravagers attacked several different sites on the planet but were repelled by a combined Astra Militarum force composed of regiments from the Tallarn Desert Raiders 229th Regiment and the Valhallan Ice Warriors 597th Regiment led by the Imperial hero Commissar Ciaphas Cain. The Imperial forces soon came to the realisation that they had been caught between two rival factions of the forces of Chaos. The Ravagers were actually on the Imperial world in order to disrupt a Slaaneshi Chaos Cult from summoning a Greater Daemon from the Warp and turning the Imperial planet into a Daemon World dedicated to their patron god Khorne's rival, the Prince of Pleasure. The Ravagers only attacked apparent ritual sites in order to disrupt the cult from achieving its dark goals. The Imperial forces were able to determine where the final cult ritual was to be held and immediately deployed their troops in order to halt it. The Ravagers had also extrapolated the location of this ritual as well and teleported a large force of Khornate Berserkers into the area to slay the servants of the Prince of Chaos. Attacking simultaneously, the Valhallans, led by Commissar Cain, managed to follow the attacking Chaos Space Marine force as they smashed their way through the cult's inadequate defences. Unfortunately, they were unable to halt the ritual from reaching fruition, and the Slaaneshi cult summoned the Greater Daemon Emeli Duboir. Somehow Cain managed to defeat the Daemon after she was weakened by the presence of his adjutant, a Psychic Blank named Ferik Jurgen. The remaining Ravagers Chaos Space Marines elsewhere on the planet were defeated by the Imperium's military forces.
Ravagers - Warband Colours: The Ravagers, like the World Eaters Traitor Legion, wear the colours of devotees of the Blood God; blood-red power armour with brass trim.
Ravagers - Warband Badge: The Ravagers' badge is the same as that of their parent Traitor Legion, the World Eaters, which is a fanged maw engulfing a world. Some versions omit the world, only using a large, fanged maw.
Ravagers (Space Marines) - Ravagers (Space Marines): Note: This page is about the Loyalist Space Marine Chapter. For the World Eaters warband of Chaos Space Marines, please see Ravagers.The Ravagers is a Codex Astartes-compliant Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. Almost nothing is known about this Chapter in Imperial records. Its fortress-monastery is a space station that orbits the world of Vindict V.
Ravagers (Space Marines) - Chapter History: The Ravagers' only notable action occurred in the early 39th Millennium, when their entire Chapter was called upon by the Inquisition to perform Exterminatus upon the Genestealer-infested planet of Stalinvast.
Ravagers (Space Marines) - Chapter Colours: The Ravagers' Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Ravagers (Space Marines) - Chapter Badge: The Ravagers' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Raven's Flight (Audio Drama) - Raven's Flight (Audio Drama): Raven's Flight is the first audio drama for the The Horus Heresy series that was not originally released as part of an anthology or other release. Raven's Flight was released in both compact disc and MP3 formats. It was written by Gav Thorpe, directed by Lisa Bowerman and performed by Toby Longworth. It was later published in printed form in Shadows of Treachery (Anthology) and re-released in an enhanced audio edition in 2015, but can still be bought as a stand-alone audio drama.
Raven's Flight (Audio Drama) - Official Synopsis: After the horrors of the Drop Site Massacre, the Raven Guard are trying to survive in the caves and mountains of Istvaan V. Their plight is desperate, and escape from the roaming Traitor Legions seems impossible. Can they hold out against the forces of the World Eaters long enough to reach an unlikely salvation?
Raven's Flight (Audio Drama) - Story Summary: Raven's Flight follows the desperate Raven Guard Legion after their betrayal during the Drop Site Massacre of Istvaan V. The Raven Guard find themselves with only 3,000 Astartes remaining out of the 80,000 that once comprised the Space Marine Legion. Meanwhile, on the Raven Guard's homeworld Deliverance, Praefector Marcus Valerius is haunted by a dream of dying ravens. Believing these nightmares to be significant, he attempts to convince his superior, Commander Branne, to send support to Istvaan V, fearing for the rest of the Legion and their Primarch Corax. Ordered by his Primiarch to remain on Deliverance, Branne is skeptical of Valerius' dreams, at first dismissing them outright. But after much deliberation, he makes due course for Istvaan V to determine the fate of his Battle-Brothers.
Raven's Watch - Raven's Watch: The Raven's Watch is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding that is a rare Successor Chapter of the Raven Guard.The Chapter's most recent actions included the defence of the beleaguered world of Kitab in 990.M41 when it came under attack by Tyranids from a splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Eumenides and its clandestine participation in the Third War for Armageddon.The Chapter's 6th Company was destroyed during the latter campaign.
Raven's Watch - Notable Campaigns: Defence of Kitab (990.M41) - In 990.M41, the planet Kitab in the Keplar System came under attack by a splinter of Hive Fleet Eumenides. The Raven's Watch was first to respond to the distress calls, with the Stormraven Talon of Johannes being the first craft to breach the planet's atmosphere. Having deployed the Ironclad Dreadnought Brother Crissica, the Stormtalon streaked across the desert sands towards the invasion fleet's primary synapse node. The craft's pilot was able to deploy Terminator Squad Foran and destroy the node before being forced to leave combat airspace by flocks of ravening Harpies and clusters of Mucolid Spores.Third War for Armageddon (999.M41) - The Scout Squad known as the Corvus Eyes under the command of Scout Sergeant Gylain was deployed to the beleaguered world of Armageddon, though few knew it was there. Where Scouts in most Chapters are new recruits, the Corvus Eyes include several Veterans who have remained in the Scout Company where their stealth skills are a valuable asset to the Chapter. It was their mission to hunt down and slay a notorious Ork Warboss who had killed many of the Chapter's now-defunct 6th Company. They were intent on avenging their fallen brethren, no matter the cost.
Raven's Watch - Notable Raven's Watch Astartes: Scout Sergeant Gylain - Sergeant Gylain is the commander of the Raven's Watch Scout Squad known as the Corvus Eyes. This squad was tasked with hunting down an Ork Warboss on the Hive World of Armageddon in 999.M41 during the Third War for Armageddon who was responsible for the deaths of much of the Chapter's 6th Company, which had been destroyed by the Greenskins.Dreadnought Crissica - Brother Crissica is an Ironclad Dreadnought of the Raven's Watch who participated in the Defence of Kitab in 990.M41 against Tyranids where he was deployed via the Stormraven Talon of Johannes.
Raven's Watch - Chapter Colours: The Raven's Watch primarily wear black power armour, with sky blue on the insets of the shoulder pauldrons and the top of the helm. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest guard is golden. The shoulder pauldron trim is light orange.The black, open-faced symbol on the right shoulder pauldron -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command -- indicates a battle-brother's squad tactical specialty.A black High Gothic numeral centred within the squad specialty symbol indicates squad number.A white Low Gothic numeral on the left knee plate represents the Astartes' company number.
Raven's Watch - Chapter Badge: The Raven's Watch's Chapter badge is a stylised ebon raven's head, centred on a field of sky blue.
Raven's Watch - Sources: White Dwarf Weekly 41 (08 Nov 2014), "White Dwarf's Regiments of Renown - Raven's Watch", pg. 74White Dwarf Weekly 37 (11 Oct 2014), "The White Dwarf Parade - Ironclad Dreadnought, Brother Crissica", pg. 78White Dwarf (May 2017), "Parade Ground: Shadow War Kill Teams - The Corvus Eyes", pg. 111
Raven Covenant - Raven Covenant: Raven CovenantSpace MarineChapterFounding
Raven Covenant - Notable Campaigns: Prosperan Rift War (Unknown Date.M42) - The Prosperan Rift War started in the Era Indomitus after the Daemon Primarch Magnus the Red began to claim the worlds of the Prosperan Rift in order to build an empire within Imperial space where psykers of all kinds could find welcome. Now the Imperium struggles to defend the rift from both the Thousand Sons as well as Chaos forces loyal to Magnus and Tzeentch who seek to aid the Daemon Primarch in his quest.Relief of Harlecrypt Tertius (Unknown Date.M42) - During the Prosperan Rift War, the Raven Covenant deployed 5 demi-companies to take part in the relief of the Chaos assault upon Harlecrypt Tertius.
Raven Covenant - Chapter Colours: The Raven Covenant's Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Raven Covenant - Chapter Badge: The Raven Covenant's Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Raven Guard - The Unification Wars: One of the earliest Unification campaigns in which the XIXth Legion participated was the conquest of the Central Asiatic region, much of which was ruled by the tyrant Kalagann of Ursh. Few detailed accounts survive, but it is known that the XIXth Legion played their part in it in a manner that would serve as an operational template until the time it was united with its Primarch.After an initial phase in which key targets and weak elements in the armies of Ursh were identified, the XIXth Legion insinuated itself throughout the region, small battle groups taking up positions from which to strike when the order was given.When the attack came, it was rapid, overwhelming and conducted with cold, ruthless efficiency. Kalagann's warlords were struck down and the XIXth Legion herded their defeated armies into a vast prison camp at the heart of the blasted Central Asiatic region.It is said that Kalagann employed all manner of psyker-wrought weapons during that campaign and that the nascent XIXth Legion bore the brunt of many of the worst. Certainly, many veterans of that age were touched by a darkness from which they never recovered, some going on to sacrifice their lives in battle in suicidal charges while others became the solitary formation of the Legion Moritats.Having earned itself many battle honours during the Unification of Old Earth, the XIXth Legion was committed to operations within the Sol System. When the Emperor's hosts encountered the xenos presence holding sway over many void settlements of the Jovian Range, the XIXth Legion was tasked with scouring the moon of Lysithea.If records of previous battles are incomplete, those relating to this one are near non-existent. Whatever occurred on that tiny satellite, the xenos were annihilated and victory claimed, but only at the cost of the settlers' lives as well as large numbers of the XIXth Legion's own.Many of the veterans of the Scouring of Lysithea were recalled from service by the masters of the Emperor's gene-forges, never to be returned to their Legion. What horrors they endured, or perhaps enacted, cannot even be guessed at, and certainly no similar instance of Legionaries being withdrawn from service in such a manner is recorded.For decades, many of those who had served in this battle bore upon their armour the ancient Jovian rune, surmounted by the numeral XIX as a reminder of their victory and their loss. During the closing years of the Great Crusade, the symbol was only ever seen adorning the metal skin of the Raven Guard's Dreadnoughts, amongst their number Shade-Captain Vholtaris, who was instrumental in the defeat of the xenos plaguing the Jovian Range.It was due to the injuries he sustained in that final battle that he was interred within the armoured sarcophagus of a mighty Furibundus Pattern Dreadnought, and served for many more decades before his true death upon the killing grounds before Gate Forty-Two.
Raven Guard - In the Shadow of Wolves: The XIXth Legion was created in the latter stages of the Unification Wars, but it would be almost two standard centuries before it was united with its Primarch. Conversely, the Luna Wolves Legion was united with its sire -- Horus -- very early on.It was not unusual in those early campaigns for the XIXth Legion to fight alongside the Luna Wolves, he who would one day bear the mantle of Imperial Warmaster coming to value the skills of the sons of the Dustfields immensely, and the two Legions served well together, their nature complimentary.When the Luna Wolves launched their sudden and overwhelming assaults, the XIXth Legion were already in position, blocking off lines of retreat and cutting down any foe who attempted to escape. Those few able to break through the lines were hunted down relentlessly and captives were rounded up to be watched over by the brooding Legionaries until declared in Imperial Compliance.Its warriors' capacity to switch from cold, impassive scrutiny to swift, brutal action soon made the Legion the subject of dread amongst those who would deny Unity.When Horus led his Legion in the opening campaigns of the Great Crusade, he often requested that the XIXth Legion serve alongside his Luna Wolves. In those earliest days, many worlds rejected enlightenment and refused Imperial Compliance, and so the blade of the XIXth Legion was there to strike, descending unseen almost before ordered to do so.Others accepted their place in the new galactic order with grace and wisdom, and so the blade was withdrawn, its presence not even noted. In time, Horus came to value the XIXth Legion greatly. While the ranks of the Luna Wolves swelled with recruits from Cthonia, the XIXth Legion remained comparatively small.Some observed that Horus treated the XIXth Legion like a Chapter of his own Legion rather than one with its own identity and destiny to forge. While the Luna Wolves developed their own culture, a product of its early Terran heritage, meshed with the savage gang culture of Cthonia, the XIXth Legion remained close to their Terran roots, their demeanour not deviating far from that of the savage Xeric tribes.Their armour remained grey, although Legionaries were observed to apply war paint made of Asiatic dust to their faces on the eve of battle. This, among other traditions, gave rise to the Luna Wolves bestowing several titles upon the XIXth Legion, the most common of which were the "Pale Nomads" and the "Dust Clad".Aside from their tribal markings, the appearance of the XIXth Legion was notable in other ways. Under the effects of the XIXth Legion's gene-seed, some found their skin growing unnaturally pale while in a few their already dark hair turned black as midnight.In small numbers, their eyes turned entirely black, lending them a fearsome aspect which suited their inscrutable, watchful mien. Only later, with the coming of the Legion's Primarch, would the full impact of the features become known and take hold throughout its warriors.
Raven Guard - The Scouring of the Scalland Sector: A two year engagement through a sector of space claimed by the remnants of the broken Aeldari race, the Scalland Campaign was to serve as the original field test for the first thousand sets of prototype Power Armour that would later come to be designated as Mark VI; though at the time it bore the provisional designation Mark V.Small numbers of the Mark V armour had already been submitted to the Iron Warriors and Salamanders Legions, and both had expressed reservations about the lack of heavy plating when compared to earlier marks, pushing for the Mark V to be revised for a heavy assault role.It was deemed that a mass combat trial was required to determine the effectiveness of the original design before potentially abandoning it. Internal politics within the various Legion commands saw this honour bestowed upon the Raven Guard, depleted in number after the bloody fighting in the Aukum-Sothos Cluster.Speculation at the time suggest that a faction amongst the Primarchs and Legion commanders, led by Perturabo, intended this assignment to an under-strength Legion to be the death-knell of the Mark VI armour, leading to its replacement by a sturdier design.If this was so then the plan was to backfire spectacularly, for the Raven Guard performed admirably in the verdant Aeldari seed worlds of the Scalland Sector, utilising the advanced auto-senses and agility of the new armour to hound the Aeldari in a series of strike-and-fade attacks that decimated their already battered military forces.Such was the success of the fighting in the sector, which eventually saw the expulsion of the Aeldari and the Imperium claim its rich worlds, that not only was the Mark VI armour approved for final deployment, but the majority of the improvements suggested by the Raven Guard were adopted.The new armour, later dubbed "Corvus" Pattern Power Armour in honour of the Raven Guard, was placed into full scale production only a few solar months before the outbreak of Horus' rebellion against the Emperor, re-designated as Mark VI from Mark V by the Mechanicum to account for the inclusion of the many stop-gap field modifications and repairs into the Legiones Astartes order of battle during the Heresy.
Raven Guard - Post-Heresy: After Horus' defeat, Corax welcomed the decision to split the Legions into Chapters during the Second Founding, for he knew that Roboute Guilliman's vision for protecting the future of the Imperium was necessary.It was a future the Raven Guard would face alone; Corax disappeared, consumed by the tragic acts he had committed to save his sons. His ultimate fate, reflecting much of his life, was shadowed in mystery.After the Heresy, Corax personally gave the Emperor's Peace to every surviving mutant that had resulted from their accelerated program of Space Marine development, an act that led him to lock himself in his personal chambers in the Ravenspire on Deliverance and beg the recently-ascended Emperor for forgiveness.Unable to alleviate his guilt, the Primarch left the Ravenspire exactly one Terran year after he first went into seclusion. He boarded a transport that was headed for the Eye of Terror.Corax's fate remains unknown to this day to his Chapter. His last recorded words as he departed Deliverance were, "Nevermore."A handful of centuries after Corax's disappearance, the gene-seed of the Raven Guard began to deteriorate. Some suggested it was a side effect of the accelerated gene-harvesting techniques employed in ages past.Several organs unique to Space Marines no longer functioned as they should, and all endeavours to compensate for this critical damage met with failure.As a result, much of the Raven Guard's genetic material had to come from undamaged gene-stocks that were tithed and stored on Terra during the Second Founding. The scarcity of viable gene-seed has led the Raven Guard to be more scrupulous in their selection, testing and training of new recruits than most other Chapters.Inductees spend far longer in the 10th Company as either Scout Marine or Vanguard Marine brethren than do those of many other Chapters, and the Raven Guard rarely go to battle without a large number of these aspiring Battle-Brothers in support.Despite their inability to quickly replace losses, the Raven Guard have refused to lessen the pace of their assaults upon the Imperium's enemies.Particularly gruelling campaigns sometimes result in the Chapter operating at perilously under-strength levels for extended periods of time. The Raven Guard do not shy from costly frontal assaults, and will willingly attack with everything that the Adeptus Astartes can bring to bear, but they regard tactical prowess and personal initiative as being more important than raw force.
Raven Guard - Era Indomitus: Prior to the Great Rift's opening, much of the Raven Guard's strength was deployed upon the Eastern Fringe against the ever-expanding T'au Empire.It was during that bloody conflict in the Prefectia Campaign that Chapter Master Corvin Severax fell, to be replaced by the former Shadow Captain Kayvaan Shrike.Shrike has since fragmented his Chapter's strength and deployed them in a number of covert operations throughout theSegmentum Tempestus and Segmentum Pacificus.What the eventual goal of these scattered campaigns might be, the Chapter Master has yet to reveal, but his enemies have learnt well that nothing the famed commander does is without purpose.
Raven Guard - Legion Command Hierarchy: Upon assuming command of his Legion, Corvus Corax took it upon himself to expand the methods of warfare he had employed against the slave-lords of Lycaeus with a series of tactical and strategic initiatives by which the Raven Guard would operate. In this regard, these doctrines meshed well with those the XIXth Legion had already been operating under throughout the Great Crusade, casting that particular aspect of the Primarch's assumption of command. It is remarkable that as soon as he was able, Corax assured that many of his senior commanders were drawn from Deliverance. Indeed, several of the Primarch's elevated advisors had served alongside him as resisting freedom fighters during the Lycaeus Uprising, having later undergone the implantation and conditioning process to turn them into warriors of the Legiones Astartes. After the costly Battle of Gate Forty-Two, the members of the Legion who were born of Deliverance increased still further, with only a handful of Terrans still serving in positions of high command.The Primarch maintained a comparatively loose chain of command, and was known to value candid and honest counsel from his officers. His bearing made it clear he did not expect to be treated in the manner many of his brother-Primarchs demanded as their birthright. When he was their leader during the slave uprisings on Lycaeus, Corax' peers insisted he be watched over by a bodyguard lest the overlords or some other rogue element attempt to assassinate him. While he resented this, Corax allowed it, as much for his followers' peace of mind as for his own safety. Having joined his Legion, the bodyguard followed, being formed into an Honour Guard known informally as the Shadow Wardens. It was said that they were ever present, though often unseen when their Primarch went to war, and that none could avoid their gaze. Indeed, only one individual was ever able to do so, and that was Corax himself, giving credence to the stories that Corax was able to slip his own shadow should he choose to do so.Perhaps more than any other Primarch, the Raven Lord frequently operated alone, or otherwise led very small bands of handpicked warriors who possessed gene-granted skills comparable to his own -- the Mor Deythan or Shadowmasters. This predilection might at least in part derive from his time as a freedom fighter, where circumstances dictated that small cells of rebels were often more effective than larger numbers. It was not unusual for Corax himself to conduct extensive reconnaissance prior to a battle, while most Primarchs would leave such tasks to their warriors. Corax is also known to have led small forces on deep infiltration far behind enemy lines, striking directly at the heart of an enemy force, leaving his line officers to conduct the overall operation. Frequently, the actions of the main force were in fact a ploy to draw the enemy's attentions away from the Primarch's own mission, allowing him to strike the final blow and win the battle.
Raven Guard - Raven Guard Armoured Forces: Though best known for the skills of its warriors in rapid assaults, reconnaissance and infiltration protocols, the Raven Guard Legion possessed and utilised the full range of engines of war produced for the Legiones Astartes by the genius of the Mechanicum. The Raven Guard maintained entire battalions of heavy armour of all types, the Legionary Armoury and Fleet Reserve held hundreds more, and individual companies were assigned individual war engines as and when required. The Raven Guard deployed every heavy armour formation it could muster to Istvaan V, committing the majority to a wide flanking manoeuvre launched along the base of the Lergahn Ridge against the Sons of Horus units guarding the extreme left flank of the Traitors' lines. Entire wings of Javelin Attack Speeders and Skyhunter Jetbike squads roamed ahead of the slower-moving tank companies, isolating enemy positions and harrying them mercilessly until the heavier units arrived to grind them into dust. When the Night Lords, Iron Warriors, Alpha Legion and Word Bearers revealed their treachery upon the Urgall Depression, most of these formations were cut off from the bulk of the XIXth Legion and ambushed by the Night Lords' units as they attempted to fight their way back to their Primarch's side.Very few of the Raven Guard's heavier armoured formations were able to withdraw from the Drop Site Massacre, although those that did played a pivotal role in holding back the foe's pursuit in its immediate aftermath. Later on, all but the lightest formations were disbanded and their crews re-assigned to fight on as infantry, the survival of every last Legionary deemed of far more importance to the future of the Legion than maintaining its vehicles. Long after the Istvaan V Drop Site Massacre, it would be discovered that the Traitors recovered a large number of the vehicles left upon the black sands of the Urgall Depression and turned them against their erstwhile masters. Many also appear to have been crippled by Mechanicum war machines using ultra-high yield neutron weaponry so that, while the crews were slain by radiation deadly even to a superhuman Space Marine, the war engines themselves remained intact. Were it needed, this provided further evidence of the dark genius and far-reaching stratagems of Horus.
Raven Guard - Wings of the Raven: The Raven Guard Legion made extensive use of a wide range of atmospheric, orbital and void-capable craft, from the heavily armed Fire Raptor gunship to the mighty Stormbird dropship. Many were equipped with unique stealth systems produced by the guilds of Kiavahr, allowing them to penetrate deep into enemy-controlled territory in order to deploy Raven Guard strike forces and to provide fire support once their passengers were on the ground.The bulk of the Legion's orbital strike craft were committed to the assault against the Warmaster Horus' rebels at Istvaan V, many making repeated runs from ground to orbit as they ferried thousands of Legionaries to the surface. It is testament to the thoroughness of the Warmaster's treachery that when the second wave of the Loyalist retribution force turned upon the Raven Guard, Salamanders and Iron Hands of the first wave, the majority of the Legion's Thunderhawks and Stormbirds were on the ground in the process of disembarking warriors and thus at their most vulnerable. When the Iron Warriors opened fire on the landing zones with their super-heavy artillery, the devastation was total -- barely a handful of Thunderhawks and Storm Eagles, and not a single Stormbird, escaped the all-encompassing conflagration. When at last the Raven Guard serving directly under the command of Lord Corax were extracted from Istvaan V, it was the XIXth Legion's handful of surviving Thunderhawks and Stormbirds that bore them away from certain death at the edge of the Gular Salt Plains. It was thanks to the skill and courage of the crews of Commander Branne Nev's rescue force that the Primarch and the last few thousand of his sons lived to fight on against the treachery of Horus and the fallen Legiones Astartes.
Raven Guard - War Disposition: At the time of the Istvaan III Atrocity, the Raven Guard Legion was committed almost in its entirety to ongoing operations in the Thetos-Groton binary star system. When at last prevailing conditions in the Warp made it possible for Lord Rogal Dorn on Terra to contact his brother-Primarch by way of astro-telepathy and inform him of the dire situation unfolding in the Istvaan System, Corax commanded his fleet to make for the nearest Warp jump point. Now that all of his Legion had departed for the Istvaan System, however, the Primarch decreed that a portion of his Legion remain behind to garrison Deliverance in order to guard it from any counterattack. None of the senior commanders wished to be absent when the Traitors were brought to justice, and so lots were drawn to decide who would return. A small detachment comprised of around 1,000 Legionaries, commanded by Commander Branne Nev, alongside their Imperial Army allies of the Therion Cohort, departed to Deliverance. As with much of the XIXth Legion, there were other elements detached to serve elsewhere. A small number of mostly Terrans of the Legion of old, had been assigned to many of these posts beyond the fringes of the Imperium, some in independent nomad fleets, other attached to various Rogue Traders Militum or other so-called "lone wolves". One of these fleets was in fact commanded by the Legion's former commanding officer -- Shade Lord Arkhas Fal -- on the direct order of the Primarch when Corax took over the Raven Guard. What became of the Shade Lord, his fleet and the other elements may never be known, and the fact that Corax appears to have made no effort to recall them suggests they were considered a body apart from the bulk of the Legion.When the Raven Guard committed to the Istvaan V drop, they did so in numbers approaching their full strength, with all assets, both surface and spaceborne, in attendance. The events of the Battle of Gate Forty-Two had left the Raven Guard as the smallest of the Space Marine Legions, but they would be operating alongside some of their brother-Legions, or so they had every reason to believe. The truth, as described in numerous historical accounts, was otherwise. The Raven Guard were to lose nearly 75,000 Legionaries during the betrayal known as the Drop Site Massacre, and by the end of the ninety-eight solar days that followed, could muster but a fraction of their former strength. Leaving aside these unknown numbers operating alone in the outer darkness, the Raven Guard barely numbered around 4,000 Astartes, including those despatched to garrison Deliverance. For the first time in their glorious history, the Raven Guard were truly laid low. What the future would hold for the shattered XIXth Legion would be determined through a time of trial and misfortune.
Raven Guard - Reorganisation for the Heresy: In the aftermath of the Drop Site Massacre, the number of Raven Guard Legionaries under the direct command of Corax numbered no more than 4,000. These grim survivors were mostly those raised into the ranks of the Legiones Astartes from the warriors of Deliverance, those who had fought through the hell of Istvaan V and those who had come to rescue them. In addition, there were distant Great Crusade fleets and varous small garrison units scattered throughout the Imperium, mainly composed of Terran warriors of the old XIXth Legion who would take months to return to bolster the Legion. As the Raven Lord had no intention of retiring from the fight against the arch-Traitor, he reorganised the tattered remnants of his Legion in an attempt to keep them combat capable at a strategic level. Unable to maintain the standard Chapter division of the old Legion days, he instead chose to separate his surviving warriors into divisions marked by their combat specialisation. The assembled tactical companies were named the "Talons", assault companies became the "Falcons", and light vehicle squadrons and air support were renamed the "Hawks". In the campaigns to come this structure proved to be highly flexible, playing to the Raven Guard's inner strengths and allowing them to quickly redistribute their firepower and tactical capabilities to meet the threat of much larger enemy formations, though for many of their contemporaries it would no doubt have proven impractical.