Thousand Sons - The Nine Cults: The Thousand Sons Legion is divided into nine great cults. At the head of each is a member of the Rehati who bears the ancient rank of Magister Templi. Beneath each Magister Templi are nine other Daemon Princes and Sorcerers who, though lesser in rank, still bear much of Tzeentch's favour. These nine steer the cult along the ever-changing paths of fate. Other Sorcerers hold lower positions in the cult, and along with troops, tanks, mutants and Daemon Engines are capable of claiming vast swathes of realspace for their cult masters. Each cult has worlds from which they draw resources and magical energy, and populous planets to provide them with constant streams of Cultist soldiers, slaves and subjects for their arcane experiments.Aside from constituting a terrifying military force, each of the cults is an amalgam of the twisted minds of those in its ranks, and though inherently self-serving, the members of a given cult are ultimately bent towards the same purpose. To a mortal mind, untouched by Tzeentch's corruptions, the complex plans laid out by these cults are utterly unfathomable, but to the Thousand Sons they are both a form of profane worship and a route to vengeance over the Imperium. Often, the goals of a given cult will undermine or even contradict those of the other cults. As such, the cults are wary of one another, and alliances between them are ever shifting. The power and influence of each is also in constant flux, with every cult going through cycles of activity and torpidity as befits their inscrutable machinations.It is extremely rare for the entirety of a cult to deploy in a single war zone, though when this does happen the fabric of reality quakes in their presence. More often, the cult's malevolent goals require its forces to be spread throughout space and time, allowing each splinter to play a separate role in some larger and more sinister stratagem. A cult therefore comprises many sects, each of which may prosecute their own seemingly unconnected campaignsof terror. Where the combined forces of a cult could easily set a whole star system ablaze, a single sect is still capable of devastating a planet. Often, several sects will launch simultaneous strikes across large tracts of realspace, plunging entire Imperial sub-sectors into disarray and panic. As nearby worlds send reinforcements to the embattled planets, more Thousand Sons appear to attack where defences have been stretched to the breaking point. Devastating as they are, these attacks rarely give any clue as to the ultimate goals of the cult.A Thousand Sons sect is made up of multiple thrallbands, similar to the warbands of other Heretic Astartes forces, which can also act independently of each other. With several units of Thousand Sons bolstered by auxiliary troops and vehicles, a single thrallband can obliterate an enemy fortress or turn a city into a blazing pyre. A number of thrallbands operate in complete isolation from the larger Legion -- some have been exiled from the Planet of the Sorcerers, while others chose to leave to pursue their own ends. But even these forces ultimately serve the goals of one of the nine cults of the Legion, whether they themselves know it or not.The Thousand Sons are known not only for their intricate battle stratagems and the destructive sorceries they unleash upon their enemies. Their armour and heraldry is also instantly recognisable, and the Legion marches to war bearing the symbols of their Prosperine heritage alongside runes and sigils devoted to Tzeentch.Aside from the slavering throngs of Chaos Cultists and Tzaangors, the bulk of a Thousand Sons thrallband is composed of Rubric Marines. These warriors tower over mortal humans on the battlefield, and with lifeless, Warp-driven movements they march inexorably through all but the most punishing fire. Their armour is irreplaceable, for each suit was fused with the essence of the warrior inside by the Rubric of Ahriman. However, any given Rubric Marine may have been felled in battle dozens or even hundreds of times, his essence inevitably restored once again to his armour by a sorcerous master to fight in another campaign of horror. As such, the armour of the Rubricae is both a grim reminder of the devastation done unto the Legion, and the means by which the Thousand Sons wreak their vengeance upon the Imperium of Man.The Rubricae in a given thrallband -- along with the Sorcerers and Sekhmet warriors who march to battle with them -- are all adorned in the colours and symbols of their Magister, with additional iconography on the armour and tabard. These icons have various and often simultaneous meanings, with some denoting the Aspiring Sorcerer to whom a Rubric Marine is enthralled, and others recording a lost piece of Prosperine lore.The nine Cults of the Thousand Sons include:Cult of Change - The Cult of Change is anathema to order. They are the great unravellers, launching their armies wherever civilisation and reason exist. Similarly, in places of utter anarchy, the cult appears to impose their ever-shifting will.Cult of Duplicity - The Cult of Duplicity is unique within the Legion in that it both is and is not guided by a unified desire. The Sorcerers of this cult are by their very nature deceivers, at once appearing fractured and singular in their purpose. As such, it is impossible to know whether the sects within the cult are acting independently or as part of a singular, terrifying plan.Cult of Knowledge - The Cult of Knowledge is also drawn to the many curios hidden throughout the galaxy, particularly tomes of eldritch learnings, dark secrets and paradoxical logics. Through such lore, the cult is able to extrapolate the weaknesses in their enemies, and in the fabric of reality itself.Cult of Magic - The Cult of Magic is dedicated to the pure and unfettered use of sorcery. Their bloody campaigns are launched to secure arcane objects held by Imperial, xenos and other Chaos forces. These artefacts are then used as foci in the weaving of devastating spells.Cult of Manipulation - The Cult of Manipulation is similarly deceptive, using its tendrillar web of influence to sway the actions of its enemies. Vast networks of mortal and daemonic spies allow the cult to oversee their plots as they unfold through assassination, possession and the wreaking of pure havoc.Cult of Mutation - The Cult of Mutation embodies the transfiguring aspect of Tzeentch. Not only do they embrace the warping of flesh, but also the warping of reality itself. By their hand civilised planets are transformed into Daemon Worlds, and entire populations moulded into grotesque abominations.Cult of Prophecy - The Cult of Prophecy is guided by incessant whispers that bleed from the warp. From these they divine the outcomes of multiple futures, and seek out events that can be twisted to their own purpose.Cult of Scheming - The Cult of Scheming is perhaps the most insidious of the cults, for the creation of convoluted plots is to them a form of profane worship. Every conquest and withdrawal is a perfectly planned manoeuvre, a single step that leads towards some unseen master stroke.Cult of Time - The Cult of Time is similarly enthralled by the future, as well as the present and past. They view the flow of time as an unwrought resource that can be shaped into a weapon. By their victories, ripples are sent both forwards and backwards in time, so that their enemies may be defeated before they are even engaged.