vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Desert Lions - Trivia: In The Horus Heresy: Book Five - Tempest, one of the old cognomina taken up by an Ultramarines Legion constituent chapter before the arrival of Primarch Roboute Guilliman was the "Desert Lions."It is not stated to which chapter of the XIII th Legion this refers, nor what happened to it during the Horus Heresy or the Second Founding.It is unknown at this time whether it served as the basis for the formation of a full Ultramarines Successor Chapter just as the 22nd "Nemesis" Chapter became the Nemesis, and the 4th Chapter, the "Aurorans," became the Aurora Chapter.
Desert Lions - Sources: Warhammer 40,000 Compendium (1st Edition), pp. 22, 97, 100, 105White Dwarf 104 (UK), "Chapter Approved: Imperial Robots" by Mike BruntonThe Horus Heresy: Book Five - Tempest, pg. 70
Desert World - Desert World: A Desert World is not an official Imperial planetological classification, but is a term in common usage among Imperial citizens for those planets whose environments are arid and barren across their entire surfaces.Since the term "Desert World" is not an official Imperial classification of the Administratum but simply a label used to describe the planet's predominant environmental feature, most Desert Worlds that have been settled by Mankind are officially classified as Civilised Worlds, Feral Worlds or even Death Worlds if the environmental conditions are hostile enough to human life.Desert Worlds often produce hardy peoples superbly adapted to combat in arid conditions and so become prime recruiting grounds for the Astra Militarum when it needs desert-adapted regiments.Most Desert Worlds occur naturally, but a few once possessed very different climates that were radically altered by events, such as the planet Tallarn, which had its planetary forests destroyed by the ancient bombing campaign of the Iron Warriors Traitor Legion during the Horus Heresy.
Desert World - Notable Desert Worlds: Planet NameSegmentumSectorSub-SectorSystemPopulationAbsolom ReachUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownArkunashaUltima SegmentumUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownBelisarius IVUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownCalderisUltima SegmentumKorianis Aurelia Sub-SectorUnknown25,000,000CelephaceUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownCocijoSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknownUnknownCressidSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknownUnknownDolumar IVUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownEyrokSegmentum UltimaSanctus ReachSanctus Sub-SectorUnknownUnknownGacruxUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownGonoria PrimeUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownGoru-PrimeUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownHerodSegmentum ObscurusUnknownAchilles Sub-SectorUnknownUnknownHethgardSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknownEstimated 338 MillionHyrion MajorUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownKalidarSegmentum PacificusChiros SectorKalidar Sub-SectorKalidarUnknownKitabUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownLavantiaSegmentum TempestusUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownMarfakUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownMasaliUltima SegmentumUltramarUnknownUnknownUnknownMon'KaliUltima SegmentumUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownMurzimUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownNa'jadarUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownNuncSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknownUnknownQuaranUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownQuataraUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownQuatara-PrimeUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownQuintarnUltima SegmentumUltramarUnknownUnknownUnknownRand XXIUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownSantos 9UnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownSarius VUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownSecundaSegmentum ObscurusUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownTallarnSegmentum TempestusUnknownUnknownTallarn SystemUnknownTanisUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownTarentusUltima SegmentumUltramarUnknownUnknownUnknownThargorumSegmentum PacificusUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownThothSegmentum PacificusUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownTranquility IIIUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownTsua'MalorSegmentum UltimaJericho ReachUnknownUnknownEst. BillionsTunisUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownVitriaSegmentum UltimaUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownYu'KaneshUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownZibalUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknown
Desolation Squad - Desolation Squad: A Desolation Squad, comprised of Desolation Marines, is a squad of Primaris Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes who have been outfitted with multiple different types of missile launchers to provide long-ranged fire support to their battleline and close support brethren.
Desolation Squad - Role: These power armour-clad fire support specialists are an addition to the ranks of the Primaris Marines, laying down volleys of heavy firepower from across the battlefield. While Eradicators are forced to hustle their Melta Rifles into spitting distance, and Hellblasters must lug their Plasma Incinerators close enough for rapid fire, Desolation Marines can simply sit back and unleash a hellstorm of explosions.Traditional missile launchers -- such as those available to the Astra Militarum -- trade raw power for flexibility, swapping out Frag and Krak Missile payloads mid-battle. The armourers of the Indomitus Crusade will brook no such compromise, so these new rocket weapons are specialised to fire one of two warheads. In exchange, they boast the most powerful missiles ever available to Space Marine  infantry.More reliable, more powerful, and with an effective range that exceeds even a Sniper Rifle, the Superfrag Rocket Launcher is the ultimate anti-infantry weapon and a decisive rebuttal to hordes of unwashed Heretics and slavering aliens. There is nothing quite like reducing the enemy's battleline to a smouldering crater with one pull of a trigger.On the other hand, when the Adeptus Astartes' foes rumbles towards them with a spearhead of hulking, armoured behemoths, a volley from a Superkrak Rocket Launcher will punch cleanly through any armoured shell -- be it metal or chitin.Whichever means of destruction chosen by the squad, Desolation Marines all pack a little something extra under the barrel of their rocket launchers. The belt-fed Castellan Launcher can saturate the sky with guided bomblets that rain down on the enemy wherever they hide. It is the perfect weapon for flushing out cowardly targets -- and it fires separately from a Desolation Marine's main rockets, allowing them to pick and choose their targets.Additionally the Desolation Squad's commanding sergeant can pair a Castellan Launcher with his own Vengor Launcher for maximum indirect fire, wiping out whole squads before they ever come into view. And all while guiding the entire squad's aim through his signum targeting system.
Desolation Squad - Unit Composition: 4-9 Desolation Marines1 Desolation Marine Sergeant
Desolation Squad - Wargear: Mark X Tacticus Power ArmourBolt PistolSuperfrag Rocket Launcher (Chosen by squad)Superkrak Rocket Launcher (Chosen by squad)Castellan Launcher (Present as underslung, belt-fed weapon on all Desolation Marine launchers)Vengor Launcher (Desolation Marine sergeant only)Signum (Desolation Marine sergeant only)
Desolator-class Battleship - Desolator-class Battleship: The Desolator-class Battleship is an ancient design of battleship that dates back to the very founding of the Imperium of Man in the 30th Millennium.It utilises technology long lost to the Adeptus Mechanicus in the 41st Millennium. None of these formidable vessels now remain in Imperial service, and all now serve the forces of Chaos.Several participated in the Gothic War early in the 41st Millennium as part of the Chaos warfleets.
Desolator-class Battleship - History: The Desolator-class Battleship is a very old design indeed, dating back to the earliest days of the Great Crusade, and is equipped with technology that has now been lost to the Adeptus Mechanicus.None now remain in Imperial service, but it is known that at least five Desolators defected from the Imperial Navy to the service of Chaos between the 31st and the 34th Millennia.Of these, the Eternity of Pain, renamed by its traitorous captain, is perhaps the most infamous. In combat, the Desolator is a long-ranged fire support craft, carrying torpedoes, a long-range weapons battery turret, and equally long-ranged broadside Lances.It has enough speed to keep enemy forces at arm's length while pounding them with impunity, and its torpedoes are actually quite effective at scattering any starships that get too close.However, it lacks short-ranged punch, and must be accompanied by a squadron or two of escorts in case something does somehow manage to make it through the Desolator's fire.
Desolator-class Battleship - Notable Desolator-class Battleships: Eternity of Pain - This vessel is arguably the most infamous Desolator-class Battleship to have turned from the Emperor's light. At least seven Imperial battleships are known to have fallen to its immensely powerful Lances and long-range gun decks since it turned Renegade in 453.M33. Countless smaller vessels are also no more, due to this potent behemoth of the stars.Torment - Older than even the Eternity of Pain, the Torment was captured by Renegade pirates during the Spartan War, after its engines were destroyed and it drifted helplessly into a mined asteroid field. Seventy-eight standard years after its capture, the Torment was instrumental in obliterating the orbital defences of Ghori VI, prior to that planet's invasion by Aeldari Corsairs. The Torment has been spotted as far afield as the Ultima Segmentum and even participated in an attack on an Imperial convoy in the Jobe Sector on the northern rim of the galaxy.
Desolator Chainsword - Desolator Chainsword: A Desolator Chainsword is a Titan-grade chainsword that is the size of a small building and is wielded by the Warmaster Iconoclast-class Heavy Battle Titan as its primary melee weapon.
Desolators - Desolators: The Desolators is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin.The Desolators were responsible for forging a blade named Fulvus later granted by the Chapter to Lieutenant-Commander Amadeus Kaias Incarius of the Mentors.
Desolators - Chapter Colours: The Desolators' Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Desolators - Chapter Badge: The Desolators' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Desoleum - Desoleum: Desoleum is a Hive World in the Askellon Sector that is dominated by three enormous hive cities, into each of which a population of dozens of billions is crammed, though accurate counts are impossible to undertake and the true figure is likely to be several times greater.The planet's pre-eminent hive city is the eponymous Desoleum, sometimes called Desoleum Primus or colloquially elsewhere as "Prime." The triad of Hives Desoleum, Jarvin, and Suzzum, the latter two named for the nigh-legendary figures said to have founded them, account for the bulk of the industry on the planet, while countless lesser hive cities and manufactorums are to be found throughout the world's radioactive wastes.
Desoleum - History: The planet's surface is barren in the extreme and apparently once hosted a xenos species. Savants disagree over details about the race, but look to the blasted landscapes of liquefied sand and hundreds of bizarre cyclopean structures seemingly sculpted from the kernels of long-vanished mountains as evidence it destroyed itself with terrifyingly potent weaponry, and is safely long extinct. The destruction dates back many millions of standard years, when large expanses of the world's outer crust were subject to such terrific heat that the mountains themselves ran liquid before cooling in glass-like plains of exceptional, if mildly radioactive, purity.Much of the glass now exists as a subterranean layer beneath drifting silicate deserts. When the first human settlers made planetfall and discovered this rich resource, they recognised its value instantly and established what is generally held to be the second of the Founding Worlds of the Askellon Sector. For many thousands of standard years, the glass of Desoleum has driven an industry that produces a wide range of derivatives, especially the sector-renowned lasweapon-focusing lenses.As its population soared and the hives grew, a secondary industry processing ration supplements has developed over the millennia. Bulk organics harvested from the seas of other worlds are imported, and rendered into thick, protein-rich gruel that is used to feed the larvae of the Irokian bile-fly. Having reached the optimal stage in their life cycle, the larvae are pulped, compressed, and shaped into notoriously greasy (and universally loathed) ration biscuits used to feed worker-serfs and military forces across the sector.The processing plants where these ration bars are manufactured consist of gigantic air-sealed breeding pens thick with countless trillions of larvae. Each of the planet's hives has its own facility, usually located at the very lowest habitable level of its structure. Needless to say, only the very poorest and most downtrodden of serfs are willing to work or live near to these facilities, for the levels all about are steeped in the vilest of stenches and vibrate with the constant drone of the creatures bred within.Out in the shifting sands beyond the walls of Desoleum is Port Gyre, the world's primary transportation field. Vacuum transit-tubes and bulk roadways connect the sizeable spaceport with Primus and the other great hives. A ragged circle of ramshackle settlements here caters to a nomadic population of workers, traders, and down-and-outs. There are also lesser starports near the other hives, but their operations are limited to serving bulk lifters; these import gigatonnes of raw materials, such as organics to produce the hated ration packs, so there is always much traffic both in and out of the star system.
Desoleum - The Wastes of Desoleum: The lands all around each of the three great hives consist of wide areas of desert and acidic seas formed from waste liquid spills. Further afield are dune seas covering glassy plains; the colossal ruins that puncture these areas are often dangerously radioactive and infested with foul creatures or worse. Littering the wastes are slagheaps the size of cities, mined for exotic raw metals and ancient technologies, with vicious battles between groups eager to claim any riches inside for themselves. Great toxic oceans connect the continents; each is filled with mutated life, and the depths are rumoured to contain creatures larger than Imperial Battleships slowly drifting along the glowing bottom.In the depths of the planet's wastelands are also lawless tribes that raid transport convoys and loot the ruins for their own purposes. Most are barbaric, while a few use highly advanced weaponry, but all are extremely dangerous. Some are amenable for trade or to act as expedition guides, but they can quickly turn violent depending on the destination or relics discovered.
Desoleum - Hive Desoleum Primus: Legend has it that the eponymous and most populous of the three great hive cities of Desoleum was founded during the Great Crusade. The plains of solidified minerals attracted human industry very quickly, and it became a major foundry for the war effort, producing Lasguns by the millions. The hive contributes large numbers to the Desoleum Involute Cadres, and at least one division is permanently stationed near the great hive for the city's defence from threats from both within and without. Those Cadres drawn from Hive Desoleum are highly regarded, providing manpower to the Desoleum Oathsmen Grenadiers, the world's Astra Militarum regiment known for its expertise in prosecuting urban threats.
Desoleum - The Sanctionary Bondsmen of the Oaths Involute: Given Hive Desoleum's impossibly strict canon of oaths and codes, it is hardly surprising that the city should employ an especially uncompromising law enforcement body. The Sanctionary Bondsmen of the Oaths Involute, more often referred to as the Sanctionaries, act to maintain order in the hive, but this is in practise the lesser part of their duties. Rather, the Sanctionaries are ever-vigilant for lapses in the rituals of the oath-binding.Should a Sanctionary witness a Desoline act in any way counter to the strictures of his oath, the offender is summarily censured, often brutally. Those offenders occupying the lower rungs of the hives' society are punished by the immediate application of a highly ritualised beating, while those further up the scale are more likely to suffer other fates, such as a ritualised dismissal from their post. Those at the upper echelons of Desoline society are just as likely to be punished for their transgression as those at the bottom, but the punishment must be administered by a Sanctionary of sufficiently senior rank. The Sanctionaries themselves wear large and ornate oath-cogs that act as badges of office, but also as brutal melee weapons, a visible reminder to any would-be oathbreakers.
Desoleum - The Iron Heart of Desoleum: The great spires of Hive Desoleum are ruled from the glittering heights, and slowly rotting from the Underhive up, but it is in the industrious Main Hive that the true purpose and life of the city resides. Countless, vast manufactoria produce innumerable armaments and devices to feed the Imperium of Man's war machine every solar day, staving off the dissolution of the Askellon Sector for just a little bit longer.The bulk of Desoleum's midhive bustles with innumerable labourers maintaining and working in massive manufactorum plants day in and day out. These dutiful workers abide carefully by the guidance of their oath-cogs and serve their lords to the best of their ability. Over the many standard centuries of toil the midhive has seen, little has disrupted this multitude for long, from food riots to distant wars.However, even the sturdiest foundation may give way to rot. The seemingly respectable and dependable core of midhive life conceals a dangerous level of deviancy, crime, and unrest. Although the midhive does not approach the lawlessness of the lower levels outside of a riot or other disaster, it is still far from a safe place for those without influence or power.
Desoleum - Ignaius Arms: The mark of the Ignaius Arms plant on a Lasgun is known as a stamp of quality throughout the Askellon Sector, for the focusing lenses produced there are without peer. This sterling reputation and much-desired product provide the spire nobles who own the plant an endless stream of income, much of which they have wisely invested into the careful maintenance of the manufactorum that is the source of their wealth. The workers at Ignaius Arms take rightful pride in the quality of their product, and willingly endure long shifts to ensure that the honour of their brand is not defiled by shoddy workmanship.Just beyond the hearing of these proud workers, rumours fly back and forth as to just how Ignaius lenses are made. The precision of their manufacture is called into question by envious foremen of other plants, or even attributed to hidden machines of inhuman manufacture deep within the bowel of the plant. If there is any truth in these rumours, it is well-guarded, but eventually the proud workforce of Ignaius Arms (or the even prouder owners) shall hear of them, which could possibly end their satisfaction with the current state of affairs.
Desoleum - The Jade Foundry: Control and maintenance of manufactorum plants is typically the responsibility of sponsoring noble houses from the hive spires. However, some plants produce technology too rare, unique, or advanced to be left in the hands of technological laypersons, and are placed in the direct supervision of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Jade Foundry (so-called for the vivid emerald hue of the display screens on the equipment produced there) is one such plant.Advanced auto-fabricators in the care of the senior Tech-priests assemble capacious components into sensorium arrays for voidships. The auto-fabricators are a technological wonder beyond the capability of current Magi to reproduce, and can assemble a full sensorium array in a scant few solar months with sufficient materials -- barely the blink of an eye compared to the normal pace of voidship construction.Unfortunately, certain lower-ranking Tech-priests in the techshrines of Desoleum have grown envious of overseers of the Jade Foundry, and crave stewardship over the revered auto-fabricator units. Reports are filtering up to the highest Magi in the Askellon Sector that the Jade Foundry has been poorly maintained and that its caretakers have neglected crucial maintenance rites. If an inquiry is launched, it could shut down production for solar decades.
Desoleum - The Grand Shrine of the Oath: Although humble compared to the gilded marble edifices patronised by the spire nobility, the Grand Shrine of the Oath is the oldest and most revered of cathedrals used to convey the Imperial Creed to workers on holy days and festivals. Its well-worn pews can seat tens of thousands at a time, but such is its prestige that many times that number seek admittance to its hallowed halls when the work-shifts wind down for religious observances.Even a festival that frees one man in a hundred from his labours sees a hundred thousand petitions to attend the services held in the central Oathroom. Naturally, it is quite impossible for the shrine to admit so many, and most petitioners and pilgrims are sent away, redirected to a lesser house of worship.Most workers phlegmatically accept their dashed aspirations, but there are often those who resent being turned away. In the past, riots have sparked from the protests of high-producing shifts being turned away after a record standard year of production, or from unpopular and brutal foremen being let in ahead of workers seen as more deserving of the honour.
Desoleum - The Worker's House: The Worker's House is one of the few respectable places of leisure in the Main Hive. Its patrons are free to indulge in everything from hard liquors and hot meals to games of chance where they can wager their meagre salaries. The hostel maintains the privilege to offer frivolities by sending out a crop of indentured workers (usually those who indulged too freely and became indebted) to fill in for any solar hours of productivity lost as a result of these activities.This rare source of respite has long been a release for countless hive workers. Even those who can't afford attendance console themselves with the promise of an evening at the House after the next shift, or the one after that. However, over its long history, the Worker's House has run up against the increasing pressures of ever-higher work quotas, and has had to become sterner with collecting debts in turn. The promise of indulgence is slowly turning sour as more and more workers are seen working a double shift after a single night at the House.
Desoleum - Sworn Collectors of the Tithe Immutable: Although crime and gang rule may be the way of life in the Underhive, a more respectable way of handling such matters exists in the levels above it. In the Main Hive, those with a talent and knack for small-minded violence and thuggery are employed by the spire nobles as Sanctionaries. Some work as foremen or shift heads in particularly gruelling conditions. Others join "work brotherhoods" such as the Sworn Collectors of the Tithe Immutable -- a gang legitimatised by the sponsorship of higher authorities.The Sworn Collectors are tasked with increasing the incomes of the nobles who sponsor them. In theory, this would be a futile effort, as the workers they shake down barely have enough to interest the near-criminals of a work brotherhood. The truth is more complicated, as nobles primarily use the Collectors to target those working in the plants of rival families. Efficiency at these plants often plummets as workers grow hungry, bruised, and agitated. As harming the efficiency of manufacturing is a serious crime, the Sanctionaries have forcibly disbanded the Sworn Collectors several times, only for it to be reconstituted with new members at the behest of their sponsors.
Desoleum - Minders of the Shift: All of Desoleum's "work brotherhoods" are essentially legalised gangs, but some put more emphasis on legitimacy than others. For many Terran centuries, the Minders of the Shift have been a loyal if ruthless method of maintaining shift discipline. Their enforcers hunt down any labourer who misses a work-period and ensure he reports in properly, as well as ensuring any lost production is paid back.When quotas are high, the Minders hire out as additional foremen in order to put the fear of the God-Emperor into the production lines. Unfortunately for this proud if somewhat distasteful tradition, recent leaders of the work brotherhood have been more concerned with the Minders' profits than their task. The focus of the Minders has been turned towards collecting the bounty on truant workers instead of towards deterring truancy. Some workers have been lured off-shift by promises of bribes or outright deceit only to be turned in as evading work, while some Minders have even turned in random passerby for bounties, pitting their word against their captive in the hope of pay.
Desoleum - Ludmilla's Den: "The Den," as its patrons typically refer to it, is a typical example of the less-reputable type of leisure hall in the midhive. There are more like it seeded throughout every hab-block, subject to regular raids by both law enforcement and the more respectable work brotherhoods.However, Ludmilla's Den is especially problematic in its persistence. Raids have shut it down several times, only for the mysterious and rarely-glimpsed proprietor to reopen elsewhere. These events have given it a dubious allure that exceeds that of the competition, and unsavoury characters from many hab-blocks away come to find it when it sets up in a new location.
Desoleum - The Shattered Foundry: The manufactorum formally titled "Work Plant Zero-Zero-Alpha-Five" on the official documents of Desoleum has earned another name among those who walk by its towering walls -- the "Shattered Foundry." Its machinery and its halls are wholly intact and free of damage, but repeated incidents of malfunction and disaster have claimed many lives over recent years, building a superstitious dread for the place among the locals.The Adeptus Mechanicus closed the plant down nearly two solar decades ago, only adding to its dark reputation across many hive levels. The Tech-priests have found nothing to indicate the repeated accidents were anything but random chance, and are likely to pronounce it once again safe to operate. If they do, it is likely that whatever work crews are assigned there would riot rather than pass through its gates; the punishments of the courts pale compared to the grim legends that have built up around the Shattered Foundry.
Desoleum - Outworlders in Hive Desoleum: On the face of it, there is scant reason for outsiders to visit Hive Desoleum, and every reason for them to conduct their business through brokers experienced in the myriad subtleties of the oathbinding. In fact, a great many outsiders come to Desoleum Primus, for the profits to be made are simply so tempting they would be foolish not to. The hive has several "stranger's quarters," where off-worlders feel relatively safe to conduct their affairs, and these have grown into highly cosmopolitan and exotic places themselves.While many come to Desoleum Primus to engage in perfectly legitimate mercantile ventures, there are plenty that come there to take advantage of something entirely different. The Faceless Trade in illicit xenos relics and other heretical items rules here, for the wastelands are host to more than raw materials and inert xenos ruins. Deep beneath glass strata are often found crystalline tunnels leading to the cached remains of the dead alien race that once ruled the planet, and these items find their way back to the hive city and beyond, reaching nobles eager for new thrills or vile cults seeking icons for their blasphemous deities.Smugglers here take enormous risks, the least of which being the implications should the Sanctionaries catch them. Of far greater danger is the threat to their souls, for Chaos almost universally befouls the artefacts. Some even claim that the reason the long dead xenos destroyed themselves was not war, but a desperate act to forestall some terrible doom and vanquish the Ruinous Powers that sought to claim them. If true, it was woefully in vain, for evidence of their contagion spreads far and wide in the secret cargo holds of ambitious traders.Others come to Desoleum as an act of pilgrimage, for sector lore states that its wastelands were the scene of a mighty battle fought during the dark days of the Great Heresy. Innumerable tales are told of the sacrifices made by the people of Desoleum to throw off the shackles of the Warmaster Horus and aid the Emperor's Space Marine Legions in casting out the Traitors, each different and each a glorious recitation of Desoleum's valour against those who would conquer it.Thousands of devout worshippers arrive each solar day as part of a grand pilgrimage that takes them across the plains and through the hive, from there travelling to Thaur and the other Holy Stations of Askellon. Countless vessels run this route. The mightiest is the Oath Unspoken, flagship of the Anzaforr Rogue Trader Dynasty. This Dauntless-class Light Cruiser passes frequently between Desoleum and Thaur as part of its ongoing penance for its blood-soaked trade war with the rival Surena Dynasty solar decades ago. Most pilgrims die along the way, but are content knowing their souls will complete the journey to become one with the Emperor's grace even if their bodies could not.
Desoleum - Manners Maketh the Menial: To the worker-serf of Hive Desoleum, life is an endless ritual where every single gesture, intonation, and deed is undertaken according to the rigid codes of the oath-binding. An entire class of scribes called the Oath-Factors exist to record every possible variation, and to formalise new ones as they arise. Many outsiders come to regard the oath-binding as far harder to learn than the most outlandish of planetary dialects of Low Gothic, and most employ specialist translators when dealing directly with the hive's merchant houses.Indeed, even the most lucrative of contacts has been known to collapse in utter ruin because an outlander angled his head to the wrong degree or imbued a single word with the incorrect intonation, thus shattering an oath-ritual. While some natives are used to the ignorance of outsiders, others are unforgiving in the extreme and refuse to brook even the slightest oath-breach, no matter how innocent.
Desoleum - Satellites: Desoleum is served by four major void stations. Kappex Orbital is in geostationary anchor above Desoleum Primus, and serves as the system's main spaceport, as well as the location of much underhanded deal-making and smuggling. Two others in low orbits are defence stations manned by the Desoleum Involute Cadres, the world's native Planetary Defence Force.The fourth is in a high, elliptical polar orbit, and is actually a natural body that somehow attained this unnatural orbit. It has a large luxury facility for those with wealth and means, and services a clientele that ranges from the nobility from below to visitors from afar, both legitimate and criminal. The truths of what happens here are far worse than any of the gossip told by the envious.
Desoleum - Departmento Cartographicae Planetary Database: Government Type: The Consortium, a ruling oligarchic council of mercantile noblesPlanetary Governor: Lady Aud KillianAdept Presence: High, but limited to areas specifically set aside for outsiders and off-world interestsGeography: Polluted wastes covering planetwide plains of hardened silicate flows. Numerous alien structures across the entire surface; numerous noble houses in the hive cities with major holdings across the sector.Military: Desoleum Involute Cadres (PDF), Desoleum Oathsmen Grenadiers (Astra Militarum regiments)Economy: Major exporter of silicate derivatives mined from the plains and used in numerous military and voidship applications. Secondary export trade in ration packs and Laser Weapons.Tithe Grade: Exactus Prima
Despoiler-class Battleship - Despoiler-class Battleship: The Despoiler-class Battleship is a formidable battleship design originally developed by the shipbuilders of the Battlefleet Tempestus in the mid-36th Millennium and now in service to the forces of Chaos.There were initially plans to construct fifteen of these battleships, but only three were completed at the time. Over the centuries, these first three Despoilers went missing and later reappeared in the Chaos Fleets of Abaddon the Despoiler.
Despoiler-class Battleship - History: The Despoiler-class Battleship was originally developed during the mid-36th Millennium at a time when Battlefleet Tempestus was pervaded by the belief that attack craft were the ultimate naval weapon. As such, the Despoiler-class is primarily an attack carrier based around a very large number of launch bays, which are supported in their mission by an array of long-range Lances and even longer-ranged weapons batteries.However, the program ended after the construction of just three Despoiler-class vessels when it was decisively shown that attack craft did not render the "traditional" battleship obsolete. Ultimately, the three original Despoilers saw little combat as they were used for long-range patrols in mostly unthreatened star systems.Roughly two and a half Terran centuries after being built, the Despoiler-class Battleship Merciless Death went missing from the Amerikon Sector, reappearing thirty standard years later during the Banardi Conflict when it attacked sixteen Imperial transports en route to Banardi Prime. The Merciless Death would continue to harass Imperial shipping until the early 39th Millennium, when it disappeared again, followed this time by the other two Despoilers. All three would reappear during the Gothic War in the early 41st Millennium, now in the service of Chaos.
Despoiler-class Battleship - Notable Despoiler-class Battleships: Merciless Death - The first Despoiler-class Battleship to defect to Chaos, the Merciless Death built an infamous reputation as a menace to the Imperium over several millennia. It was destroyed during the Pandorax Campaign during the Fourth Battle of the Sunward Gap in 959.M41 by a combined task force of the Dark Angels, Grey Knights and the Imperial Navy.Anarchy's Heart - The Anarchy's Heart was the personal battleship of the Chaos Lord Arkos the Faithless and his Renegade Chaos Space Marine warband, The Faithless. Arkos utilised the Anarchy's Heart to launch raids from the Eye of Terror in the millennia following the end of the Horus Heresy. This vessel was destroyed near the conclusion of the infamous Siege of Vraks by the Angels of Absolution Chapter's battle barge Liberatorii Delictum and the strike cruiser Repentant.Damnation's Fury - The Damnation's Fury turned Traitor in the 39th Millennium shortly after the second disappearance of the Merciless Death, firing on a convoy it was supposed to be protecting. It is notable for its large prow Lance batteries having been replaced by a large array of torpedo tubes.Fortress of Agony - Defected to Chaos under similar circumstances as the turning of the Damnation's Fury, ultimately meaning that all three of the Despoiler-class Battleships had fallen to the corruption of Chaos, leading the Imperial Navy to believe that those battleships had been cursed from the moment of their construction.Sacrilegionary - The Sacrilegionary was a former Imperial battleship of the Despoiler-class that was taken over by a mutiny and became the flagship of a Slaaneshi warband of Heretic Astartes which preyed upon the star systems surrounding the Maelstrom. The Sacrilegionary was destroyed by the Marines Mordant and their venerable battle barge, the Assiduous.Sword of Sacrilege - During the 1st Black Crusade a massive Chaos Fleet emerged from the Eye of Terror under the command of Abaddon the Despoiler, which vastly outnumbered the local Imperial forces. Seeing the importance of attacking the enemy fleet while they were still preparing to invade Imperial space, the Imperial Fists' Primarch Rogal Dorn relied on hit-and-run attacks until his reinforcements could arrive. Dorn "died" aboard the Despoiler-class Battleship Sword of Sacrilege after leading a desperate attack on its bridge.
Despoiler-class Battleship - Canon Conflict: The Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook  states that the Despoiler-class was not developed until the mid-36th Millennium and just three were built. However, other sources state that the Despoiler-class may be a far older design than originally portrayed which would explain the existence of more vessels of the class.The Index Astartes II article on the Imperial Fists Chapter states that their Primarch Rogal Dorn was killed aboard the Sword of Sacrilege, a Despoiler-class Battleship. The Chaos Lord Arkos the Faithless is also said to possess a Despoiler battleship, the Anarchy's Heart, as described in Imperial Armour Volumes Six and Seven.It is possible that when the Despoiler-class was being developed in the mid-36th Millennium, its template might have been taken from an older design utilising STC plans, thus explaining the discrepancies.
Destroyer Blades - Destroyer Blades: Destroyer Blades are an upgrade that can be made to the hulls of Chaos Space Marine vehicles. These vehicles have hideously sharp spikes, whining blades and jagged spars added to their chassis to cause murderous damage with even the slightest touch against enemy infantry and vehicles.
Destroyer Hive - Destroyer Hive: The Destroyer Hive takes the form of Warp-spawned Daemonic flies that act as the infection vector for the spread of the virulent Warp-spawned disease known as the "Destroyer Plague," said to be the most vile and deadly of all the Chaos God Nurgle's plagues. Destroyer Plague drones are minor Daemons of the Plague Lord, very similar in anatomy to his Rot Flies, though far smaller in size.Typhus, the Death Guard Lord known as the "Herald of Nurgle," is the living host of the Destroyer Hive and the terrible plague that lies dormant within each diminutive insectoid angel of decay, just waiting to pass on the blessings of rot and entropy to all they touch.
Destroyer Plague - Destroyer Plague: The Destroyer Plague is said to be the most virulent and toxic of all of Nurgle's vile diseases.The first known case of the Destroyer Plague occurred late in the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium, when the Death Guard Space Marine Legion was tricked into being trapped in the Warp by First Captain Calas Typhon, a secret follower of the Lord of Decay since earlier in the Heresy.As their warships lingered, directionless and without hope, the cloying influence of Grandfather Nurgle began to take hold. The Death Guard were subjected to the terrible infection of the Destroyer Plague and Nurgle's Rot, as Nurgle's power managed to infiltrate the vessels of the XIV Legion through the machinations of Typhon.It polluted the substance of the vessels themselves as easily as it did the warriors within. Before long, fat devil-flies buzzed through the thickening miasma inside each warship.Where they bit at the desperate warriors trapped within, flesh turned to suppurating jelly. The Daemon-venom of their stings caused flesh to mutate into hard new growths. Bellies distended and eyes ran like cracked eggs; even power armour melded and flowed into strange new shapes, often becoming one substance with its wearer.Here, the superhuman resilience of the Death Guard against disease and toxins proved their enemy, for they could not simply die, or were not allowed to do so by the plague's hideous divine master. Instead, they were slowly, sickeningly transformed into Plague Marines, their souls claimed by Nurgle in exchange for a permanent release from the pain of the infection. Typhon, having orchestrated this grand corruption, was rewarded most of all for his loyalty.Swelling in size, his skin and armour became one. Great funnels of pestilential bone burst from his body. Into these poured thousands of Nurgle's Daemon-flies, gnawing him from the inside out until his rotten shell of flesh teemed and heaved with squirming life.Typhon became a great hollow colony of disease-carrying Daemonic insects. The bone funnels that sprouted from his back coughed black decay as Nurgle's servants regurgitated the psychic energies pulsing through what was left of his new mortal herald's body.Calas Typhon had become Typhus, Chaos Lord, Death Guard Sorcerer and Host of the Destroyer Hive, the most blessed and most cursed of all his repugnant Plague Marine kin. Since that bygone era, Typhus has visited a hundred thousand diseases upon the Imperium of Man.The Destroyer Plague is without doubt the most virulent of all, though fortunately its vector of daemonic insects means that it is of limited use when infecting entire star systems.
Destroyer Tank Hunter - Destroyer Tank Hunter: The Destroyer Tank Hunter of the Astra Militarum is a true relic. Once a commonly-employed Imperial tank on the battlefield, they are now few and far between in the Imperial Guard's order of battle. These tanks are equipped with a powerful weapon known as a Heavy Laser Destroyer and make excellent tank hunters.However, due to the painstakingly complex task of building each weapon by hand and the very few Forge Worlds that remain still capable of manufacturing them, there are fewer and fewer of these tanks deployed across the Imperium. The Imperial Guard units that have any of these tanks in their possession guard them jealously and take great care to ensure they are always patched and repaired after every conflict they participate in.If one is lost during battle it is a priority to salvage the remains, for while the main gun is nearly irreplaceable, the hull can be easily repaired and refitted with other weapons. For instance, the Thunderer Siege Tank is just a Destroyer Tank Hunter hull mated with a Demolisher Cannon.
Destroyer Tank Hunter - Armament: The Destroyer Tank Hunter is equipped with a powerful laser weapon known as a Heavy Laser Destroyer which is more than capable of destroying most other armoured units in one hit. The main weapon is off-set to the left side of the vehicle giving it increased stability and making the overall size of the tank smaller and harder to target. This also allows both the tank's commander and gunner to use the weapon sights.The tank is built using the common Mars Alpha tank chassis, simply modified by removing the turret ring and replacing it with a crew hatch and two internal maintenance hatches. Due to the readily available spare parts for the tank, this allows salvaged wrecks to be repaired and retrofitted with other weapons whilst the unit awaits a replacement for the Heavy Laser Destroyer that may never come in their lifetime. The tank is able to be equipped with other wargear when needed such as Camouflage Netting, Extra Armour Plating, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, Improved Communications Equipment, a Mine Sweeper, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, Rough Terrain Modifications, a Searchlight, Track Guards and Smoke Launchers.The Destroyer Tank Hunter is an excellent anti-armour vehicle capable of sniping enemy tanks from a distance and then moving to another location to repeat, although these tanks are not as useful during a direct assault or a close-range engagement due to their lack of a rotating turret and secondary weapons. The Destroyer Tank Hunter is best deployed out of the way of danger, near the rear of the unit so as to take advantage of its long-range accuracy.
Destroyer Tank Hunter - Notable Users of the Destroyer Tank Hunter: 8th Pardus Armoured Regiment5th Deneb Armoured Regiment142nd Cadian Armoured Regiment8th Valhallan Armoured Regiment - Fought during the Sallan's World Offensive46th Palladius Armoured Regiment7th Dniepr Tank Corps9th Dniepr Tank Corps13th Valstadt Armoured Regiment21st Death Korps of Krieg Panzer Division, "Death's Head"2nd Phyressian Armoured RegimentGeratomran Traitor Planetary Defence Militia - During the Geratomran Reconquest, the Yellow Guard fielded at least one Destroyer at Hill Seven-Beta which almost destroyed the Baneblade Cortein's Honour.Vraksian Traitor Militia - Fought against Loyalist Forces during the Siege of Vraks
Destroyer Tank Hunter - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Vehicle Name:Destroyer Tank HunterMain Armament:Heavy Laser DestroyerForge World of Origin:Mars, Stygies VIII, Triplex Phall, Tolkhan, Estaban VIII, Lucius, M'khand, VossSecondary Armament:N/AKnown Patterns:I - IXTraverse:5 degreesCrew:1 Commander, 1 Driver, 1 GunnerElevation:-3 to 12 degreesPowerplant:MR230 v12 Multi-FuelMain Ammunition:20 Shots from Power PackWeight:52 TonnesSecondary Ammunition:N/ALength:7.08 metresArmour:Width:4.86 metresHeight:3.4 metresSuperstructure:200 millimetresGround Clearance:.45 metresHull:150 millimetresMax Speed On-Road:50 kilometres per hourGun Mantlet:150 millimetresMax Speed Off-Road:36 kilometres per hourVehicle Designation:0427-941-1877-LR0297Transport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:N/AAccess Points:N/ATurret:N/A
Destroyer Tank Hunter - Sources: Imperial Armour, pp. 10-11, 39Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, pp. 67-72Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard (Second Edition), pp. 51-56, 251, 267Imperial Armour Volume Five - The Siege of Vraks - Part One, pp. 67
Destroyer Tank Hunter - Also See: Imperial Guard Vehicles
Destroyers - Destroyers: DestroyersSecond FoundingWhite ScarsThough it has won great victories for the Imperium, the stability of the Chapter's gene-seed has come into question as well as concerns surrounding its Astartes' savage conduct in battle.
Destroyers - Chapter History: As Second Founding successors of the White Scars Legion, the Destroyers can trace their history back to a time when Jaghatai Khan hunted across the stars. The Destroyers were founded in the wake of the tragic events of the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium.Sharing their genefather's battle lust and aggressive style of lightning warfare, the Destroyers have a troubled history. Though they have won many great victories in the Imperium's name, questions remain regarding the stability of their gene-seed.These concerns have grown despite the self-sacrificing heroics the Chapter displayed in the wake of the Daemon rampage throughout the Lhorgus Sub-sector. For their part, the Destroyers are concerned only with the next mission.
Destroyers - Notable Campaigns: Battle of Corusil V (084.M31) - The Destroyers accompanied the White Scars force led by their Primarch Jaghatai Khan to the world of Corusil V to take vengeance against the Drukhari who had ravaged the White Scars homeworld of Chogoris and the wider Yasan Sector in the wake of the Horus Heresy. The White Scars and their successors defeated the Drukhari, but not before their Archon fled into the Webway through a nearby portal. Jaghatai Khan and much of the White Scars' 1st Brotherhood followed. The portal closed permanently behind them. The fate of the Great Khan remains unknown.13th Black Crusade (ca. 999.M41) - The Destroyers were among the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes deployed to aid in the defence of Cadia during Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade.War of Beasts (ca. 001.-025.M42) - One company of the Destroyers was deployed to the world of Vigilus during the War of Beasts with the White Scars strike force to defend that crucial strategic link between the Imperium Sanctus and the Imperium Nihilus from xenos and the forces of Chaos.
Destroyers - Chapter Colours: The Destroyers' colours are black with sunburst yellow on the shoulder guards, helmet and chest icon (Aquila or Imperialis).The yellow squad tactical specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran, or command -- is indicated on the right shoulder guard whilst the Chapter iconography is painted on the left.Unlike their progenitors, who utilise unique Chapter iconography to designate squad number which is based upon the imagery used by the nomadic tribes of the White Scars' Chapter homeworld of Chogoris from which they are recruited, the Destroyers instead utilise Codex Astartes-approved squad designations, which are indicated by a yellow Low Gothic numeral stenciled on the centre of the squad specialty symbol.The colour of the left knee plate indicates company identity in accordance with the Codex Astartes -- i.e. White (1st Company), Yellow (2nd Company), Red (3rd Company), Green (4th Company), etc.
Destroyers - Chapter Badge: The Destroyers' Chapter badge is a black skull surrounded by four lightning bolts, centered on a field of sun-burst yellow.