vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Onager Dunecrawler - ​History: The Onager Dunecrawler owes its origins to the Mars Universal Land Engine (M.U.L.E). Fashioned by the techno-archaeologist Arkhan Land, the original M.U.L.E was inspired by a type of bad-tempered, insectile beast of burden that its maker believed walked Holy Terra in aeons long past. Intended as a workhorse that could escort its masters across the red desert wastes of Mars in relative safety, the machine proved so successful it was soon rebuilt as a weapon of war. It was renamed, outfitted with an Emanatus Force Field, replicated by the millions, and sent to the front line.The Dunecrawler of the late 41st Millennium still bears very powerful weaponry, and the miniature fusion generator at its rear means it is able to outlast even the rugged vehicles of the Adeptus Astartes. Its guns are hard-linked to extensive databanks that can record its successes until it is as full as a tick bloated with stolen blood. The Dunecrawler's modifications allow it to send this hard data directly to its masters -- and conversely channel their imperatives to the Skitarii around it.
Onager Dunecrawler - ​Role: The Onager Dunecrawler's various armaments can blast apart squadrons of aircraft, punch holes through Traitor battle engines, or atomise enemy commanders in beams of blinding blue light. When on the hunt, their scuttle-legged gait and bristling appendages make them seem like predatory insects with a mighty sting.These walker-engines possess a daunting amount of firepower for their size; so much so that the unenlightened men of the Astra Militarum often compare them to walking guns. To the Skitarii, the Dunecrawler is no mere weapon but a walking reliquary protected by the Machine God. To Tech-priests, it is little more than a tool of destruction, albeit one tempered in the fires of history.A Onager Dunecrawler holds two crew, enmeshed with their Onager host in a strange, symbiotic cybernetic relationship. Its gunner is a Skitarii Ranger, his formidable marksmanship bolstered by a variety of auto-scryer lenses. The machine's driver is a Skitarii Vanguard, his resilience to harmful energies allowing him to immerse himself in an electro-amniotic tank that allows communication with the Onager's Machine Spirit.Such crewmen will eventually be used up in the manner of energy batteries, but these drivers are easily replaced -- by inserting a new Vanguard into the filthy electrode-rich soup, the Onager can be given a new lease of life. The Skitarii crewmen meet their fate uncomplainingly -- to serve the Machine God is reward enough.Because of their durability, Dunecrawler squadrons are a common sight in the Skitarii legions. To the pounding of hydraulic feet they drive the foes of the Omnissiah before them, stalking relentlessly through the ruins of war-torn worlds with neither compassion nor pause.
Onager Dunecrawler - ​Unit Composition: ​1-3 Onager Dunecrawlers
Onager Dunecrawler - Wargear: A standard Onager Dunecrawler is armed and equipped with:​Eradication BeamerBroad Spectrum Data-Tether​Emanatus Force Field​SearchlightAny Onager may replace their Eradication Beamer with any of these options:Twin-linked Heavy Phosphor Blaster​Neutron Laser and Cognis Heavy Stubber​Icarus ArrayOnagers may also have a variety of Skitarii vehicle equipment such as:Cognis Heavy StubberSmoke Launchers (Not available for Onager Dunecrawlers equipped with an Icarus Array)Mindscanner ProbeCognis Manipulator
Onager Dunecrawler - ​Sources: Codex Adeptus Mechanicus - Skitarii (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 31, 34-35, 37-39, 56, 63, "Onager Dunecrawler"
Onager Gauntlet - Onager Gauntlet: An Onager Gauntlet, also known as a Fist of Dal'ryu, is an experimental T'au Battlesuit close combat weapon intended to destroy enemy armour. An Onager Gauntlet takes on the appearance of giant gauntlets each shimmering with an immense payload of potential energy, intended to allow XV8 Crisis Battlesuits to remain effective against the armoured companies of the Imperial Guard in extended operations where ammunition reserves could run low.An Onager Gauntlet is a T'au Battlesuit signature Support System available only to Battlesuit pilots of the rank of Shas'vre or higher. Armed with the Onager Gauntlet, a Battlesuit could punch a hole through the side of an Imperial main battle tank and rip out its power core with ease.For example, of the twelve original Onager Gauntlets utilised during the Battle of Blackthunder Mesa, only one was recovered from Commander Bravestorm's critically damaged Battlesuit, which was surrounded by the smoking wrecks of over a dozen Imperial armoured vehicles.Onager Gauntlets were first developed and utilised during the Damocles Gulf Crusade via a personal commission to the Earth Caste from Commander Farsight. During the Tau Empire's Third Sphere Expansion, Onager Gauntlets became more widely available to the forces of the T'au Fire Caste. However, the rarity of this weapon means that its distribution is usually limited to only one set per Hunter Cadre.
Onator - Onator: General Onator was a senior Imperial military commander who served under both Warmasters Slaydo and Macaroth during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.Onator was slain on the world of Parthenope in 767.M41 when his Astra Militarum forces were cut off, surrounded and ultimately annihilated by the forces of Chaos loyal to the Magister Qux of the Eyeless.
Onator - History: General Onator was involved in one of the worst defeats for Imperial forces during the entire crusade. Onator and his troops met their ultimate fate on the fiercely contested world of Parthenope in 767.M41. One of Archon Nadzybar's most notorious Magisters, Qux of the Eyeless, was the architect of this disaster for the Emperor's servants.After the crushing defeat suffered by the forces of Chaos at Balhaut in 765.M41, Qux's forces had withdrawn from that system and re-consolidated upon the contested world of Parthenope. The crusade's High Command charged General Onator, commanding 20 divisions of the Imperial Guard, to retake this world.Some Imperial scholars believe that Onator may have been complacent following the great victory at Balhaut only two Terran years earlier, and that he believed the Chaos forces' morale and will to fight had been effectively broken. If so, it was a misjudgment that was to have terrible consequences.Magister Qux ordered a feint, and his troops' line appeared to collapse under the initial Imperial assault, but this was merely a ruse. Coaxing the Imperial troops into an advance across the Caterad Highlands, the Magister's forces then encircled and outflanked Onator's troops. Beset from all sides, Onator sent desperate astropathic requests for assistance, and began the attempted withdrawal of his forces down from the Highlands and into the towns of Toronon and Ceylask.A single Imperial Guard division, comprised of the Samothrace 4th, the 2nd Mnenomite and the 23rd and 26th Baldackian Fusiliers regiments, found itself cut off from the rest of the retreating force. Standing their ground in the Besh Valley, the valiant Guard division was annihilated by a sustained five-hour Chaotic artillery bombardment.Onator managed to secure Toronon but failed to hold onto Ceylask, which the Magister's forces savagely razed during their advance. Onator's troops were besieged for three solar weeks at Toronon. Their hopes were temporarily raised when the Adeptus Mechanicus managed to send in support in the form of Titans, but these were soon dashed as Qux utilised a large number of Chaos war engines provided to him by one of the Traitor Titan Legions.The Mechanicus reinforcements were utterly destroyed after a ferocious nine-day battle and Onator's troops were ultimately slaughtered to the last man, many fed as living sacrifices to the hunger of the Blood God Khorne. The details of the final fate that befell Onator and his remaining troops were quickly suppressed by the Inquisition for morale reasons.
Only in Death (Novel) - Only in Death (Novel): Only in Death is the eleventh volume in the Gaunt's Ghosts series of novels by Dan Abnett.
Only in Death (Novel) - Synopsis: The Sabbat Worlds Crusade has reached the Fortress World of Jago, and the Tanith First-and-Only are given a vital -- and dangerous -- mission to defend a key pass against the enemy, garrisoned in an ancient mansion, the Hinzerhaus. Strange things are happening there. There are voices on the wind and people are disappearing. With the enemy outside and ghosts within, Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and his men must face their fears -- for only in death does duty end.
Onslaught-class Attack Ship - Onslaught-class Attack Ship: The Ork Onslaught-class Attack Ship is ugly, difficult to manoeuvre and lightly armoured along its flanks and rear. This lack of speed, manoeuverability, armour, and broadside firepower leaves it suitable for just one role: head-on attack.However, its thick prow armour and large battery of forward gunz make it very good at this role, particularly during its initial attack run, as many Imperial Navy starship commanders have discovered in their final moment of dismay.As if all that was not enough, the Onslaught, like all Ork Attack Craft, is capable of atmospheric operations and can land on planets, allowing it to deliver another Greenskin warband and their vehicles and artillery to attacking Ork ground forces.
Onslaught-class Attack Ship - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic Resources: Ships of the Gothic Sector (Specialty Game), pg. 137Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 (PC Game) (Images)
Onslaught Gatling Cannon - Onslaught Gatling Cannon: The Onslaught Gatling Cannon is a powerful Imperial rotary ballistic weapon capable of firing thousands of rounds per solar minute.
Onslaught Gatling Cannon - Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon: A Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon is a variant of the standard Onslaught Gatling Cannon that has been sized to fit a Redemptor Dreadnought and a Repulsor armoured transport.One jointed arm of the Redemptor is given over to the devastating Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon -- a rotary ballistic weapon so powerful that it can chew through a band of Heretic Astartes in a single pass.The Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon can also serve as the primary weapon of the Repulsor.
Onyx Patrol - Onyx Patrol: The Onyx Patrol is a watch fortress of the Deathwatch Chapter that patrols the Segmentum Solar.In truth, the Onyx Patrol is not a stationary watch fortress like others, though it is officially classified as such, so much as a fleet of Adeptus Astartes warships maintained by the Deathwatch, for its quarry is the nomadic Craftworld Aeldari who call themselves the Asuryani.Its web of informants stretches across the Segmentum Solar, and its Warp-drives are kept hot. Since the patrol's inception, Aeldari sightings in the core sectors of the Imperium have become rare indeed.
Oolitic Kidney - Oolitic Kidney: The Oolitic Kidney, also known as the Purifier, is the 14th of the 19 genetically-engineered gene-seed organs implanted within a Space Marine Neophyte to create a new Astartes. The organ is implanted within the new Astartes' abdominal cavity and it becomes a part of the Space Marines' excretory system, an emergency detoxification organ that allows a Space Marine to survive exposure through the respiration, tactile contact or ingestion of poisons, toxins and gases that are too powerful for even his rugged system to normally process without this organ's help.However, this detoxification process renders the Astartes unconscious once it begins, so it can be very dangerous if required during combat. Under normal circumstances, the Oolitic Kidney also acts as a regulatory organ for the Astartes physiology, maintaining the efficient action of the Space Marine's advanced circulatory system and the proper functioning of his other organs, implanted or otherwise.
Operation Hammerfall - Operation Hammerfall: Operation Hammerfall was the name given to the initial offensive that launched the Achilus Crusade to retake the Jericho Reach in the Segmentum Ultima in 777.M41. The operation was led by the Astartes of the Storm Wardens but included the forces of dozens of other Space Marine Chapters.Indeed, of all the Space Marine Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes that contributed forces to the opening battles of the crusade, the Storm Wardens committed by far the largest single contingent.Seven entire companies and significant fleet assets were dispatched from the Chapter's homeworld of Sacris in the Calixis Sector, a number not far short of the Chapter's full strength.By mutual assent of the crusade's ruling council and personal sanction of the crusade's designated leader Lord Militant Tiber Achilus himself, Ward-Master Lorgath Maclir, Chapter Master of the Storm Wardens, was appointed the figurehead and nominal leader of all of the Space Marine forces committed for the opening battles of the crusade.The opening operation would achieve some of the most stunning victories, and suffer one of the most galling twists of fate, in the entire crusade.Its initial strategic goal was the elimination of all T'au forces present in the Reach, an objective that was expected to be completed within a solar decade.However, the Imperial forces discovered to their shock that the Human-settled worlds of the Reach, most of them former Imperial colonies, did not support the return of Imperial rule. These worlds' resistance slowed the crusade's momentum and dangerously stretched its lines of communication.Despite an overwhelming victory led by Commander Maclir over the T'au at the world of Ravacene, the crusade's momentum was decisively halted when the forces of Chaos long present in the Reach since its Age of Shadow suddenly intervened.A series of Chaos-directed assaults on worlds already held by the crusade ended the initial offensive of Operation Hammerfall and transformed the Achilus Crusade into a decades-long war of attrition eventually divided into three major salients.
Operation Hammerfall - First Battle of Ravacene: There, amongst the ash forests and volcanic chains, the forces of Operation Hammerfall fought their largest and most costly battle to date. The T'au threw every asset they had into a last ditch effort to repel the Space Marine advance, committing Fire Warrior cadres, thousands of battlesuits, and massed grav tank wings.Vast hordes of Kroot Carnivores stalked the grey forests, while the ash-choked skies were darkened further as Vespid Stingwings swooped down to bring death from above.Alien mercenaries not seen before or since swelled the T'au's numbers still further, and soon the ash coating the forest floor turned to a glutinous mire as the blood of xenos and Space Marine alike was spilled.The First Battle of Ravacene raged for three solar weeks, neither side able to gain the initiative or strike a telling enough blow against the other. During the darkest days of the battle, it is said that Maclir was everywhere, bolstering the defence, leading bold counter-attacks, and taking the fight directly to the enemy without rest or respite. The Storm Wardens drew on every single one of their traditions.Riding their mighty armoured Land Raiders and Predators in the manner their ancestors rode their huge Sacrisan steeds to war, the Storm Wardens smashed aside whatever T'au forces stood before them, dismounting to engage the enemy in the brutal melee of close combat and continuously testing themselves against the very best the T'au could field.Maclir is said to have dreamed of seeing the white domes of the T'au capital in the distance, knowing that Operation Hammerfall was mere light years away from its objective and that one final push would see the crusade attain its primary goal. Achilus had always planned for a solar decade of war, yet Maclir sensed that victory could be won within mere months if one final push could be made.Knowing that a second wave of Space Marine strike forces followed by a third of front line Astra Militarum regiments was fighting its way down the Hyades Ebb, Maclir ordered all available forces to mass at Ravacene and smash the T'au aside, so that the advance on Tsua'malor could begin without delay. Lord Militant Achilus signalled his assent and the final phase of Operation Hammerfall was ordered.
Operation Hammerfall - The Hand of Chaos: But Maclir's order was never enacted. All across the Jericho Reach, those worlds that had refused to yield to the crusade rose up, millions-strong armies and ramshackle fleets of ancient system defence vessels smashing into the crusade's exposed and over-stretched lines of communication.Worse, it soon became apparent that the recalcitrant populations were not motivated by notions of mere misguided isolationism. Underlying the resistance was the hand of Chaos, the poison of the Ruinous Powers lending the armies strength at the very moment when the Imperium could have pressed home its assault and driven the T'au from the Jericho Reach.Maclir's reinforcements never arrived at Ravacene. Instead, transport fleet after transport fleet was ambushed, encircled, and destroyed, entire regiments of the Astra Militarum perishing in the cold void before setting foot on a single world of the Jericho Reach.Maclir raged in the face of such perfidy, swearing to avenge himself of the Traitors who had cost the Imperium its victory, for he saw there and then that Achilus had, if anything, been overly optimistic in his estimation that the conquest of the Jericho Reach would take a decade.With Chaos raging in the central zones, Maclir knew the crusade might not complete its objective even in his own lifetime.Ironically, it had not been even partially completed by the end of the lord militant's lifetime, for Achilus died in tragic, and some have said suspicious, circumstances when his flagship Proclamation of Wrath suffered a catastrophic Gellar Field collapse in 786.M41.In truth, the longstanding friendship between Achilus and Maclir had soured by the time of the lord militant's death, both warriors deeply embittered by the crusade's descent into a gruelling war of never-ending attrition.
Ophelia VII - Ophelia VII: Ophelia VII is the oldest of the Imperium of Man's Cardinal Worlds, second in sanctity to the faithful of the Imperial Cult only to Holy Terra itself. It is the site of the Synod Ministra and the Adepta Sororitas' Convent Sanctorum.The world is given over entirely to the worship of the Emperor of Mankind as the god of humanity. Its surface is covered in mile-high cathedrals and bell towers, linked by avenues lined with the statues of thousands of Imperial Saints.Dungeons plunge deep into the bowels of the world, where Heretics are made to repent their sins, subject to such methods of soul-cleansing as Arco-flagellation, death-masking, soul-scouring and the feared Trial of Castigation.Ophelia VII, rather than Terra, was the actual headquarters of the Adeptus Ministorum from the time of Ecclesiarch Benedin IV to Greigor XI and is still one of the main centres of Ministorum power to this day, now second only to Terra.It is located far from its sister planet of Terra, in the galactic south or near the Eastern Fringe (depending on the source) in the Segmentum Tempestus. The world has sometimes erroneously been called "Ophelia 4" or "Ophelia IV" in Imperial records.
Ophelia VII - History: Ophelia VII was the diocese of Benedin IV as an Imperial Cardinal before his ascent to the position of Ecclesiarch and is said to have been the wealthiest planet in the human-settled galaxy after Terra and Mars. This made it an ideal world to host the Adeptus Ministorum when Terra became too much of a politically confining force for the Ecclesiarchy's hierarchy in the 36th Millennium.
Ophelia VII - Great Crusade: In the 30th Millennium during the Great Crusade, Ophelia VII was claimed for the newborn Imperium during a battle led by the Emperor of Mankind Himself.  He lead a charge against the enemy alongside one hundred Custodians and ten thousand Astartes of the Imperial Fists Legion.
Ophelia VII - Arrival of the Ecclesiarchy: Benedin IV moved the entirety of the Adeptus Ministorum's apparatus to Ophelia VII and built vast cathedrals over 90,000 Terran square miles of land and 4,000 metres  into the sky. Only the Imperial Palace on Terra was a more dominating example of Imperial Gothic architecture.There were three factors in the choice of Ophelia VII to host the Adeptus Ministorum: Benedin IV's personal connection with the world, its vast wealth and the distance it placed between the other High Lords of Terra and the general governance of the Adeptus Ministorum.Its distant location from Terra allowed the princes of the Ecclesiarchy to raise vast tithes to replenish and invigorate the Ministorum's funds, and encouraged competition between Cardinals on other worlds to build the biggest and most impressive cathedrals and monuments dedicated to the worship of the God-Emperor and the veneration of His saints. Cults which posed a threat to the Ministorum were rooted out and destroyed by zealous Cardinals, Preachers and Confessors throughout the Imperium and the Ministorum's control over the faith of humanity grew rapidly.
Ophelia VII - Departure of the Ecclesiarchy: Almost three hundred Terran years after the Ministorum's arrival in the 36th Millennium, Ecclesiarch Greigor XI decided it was time that the Adeptus Ministorum returned to Terra to take its place among the other High Lords of the Senatorum Imperialis now that the Ecclesiarchy's political position in the Imperium was largely unimpeachable.It took twelve standard years and a good deal of the Adeptus Ministorum's funds, however, before the doors to the Ecclesiarchal Palace on Terra were opened again and refurbished. Ophelia VII would no longer be the centre of the state religion of the Imperium, but it would still be one of the Ecclesiarchy's most sacred sites and its greatest Cardinal World, as it is in the 41st Millennium.
Ophelia VII - High Lord Vandire and the Age of Apostasy: High Lord Goge Vandire rose to power as the Ecclesiarch of both the Adeptus Ministorum and the Master of the Administratum, gaining almost absolute power in the Imperium as a result since no other institution could rival the might of the two united factions that controlled both the secular and religious bureaucracies of the state.Vandire brought his iron fist down on the Cardinals of the Ministorum and eventually his enemies decided it was time to escape the treacherous corridors of Terra; they chose Ophelia VII as their destination; however their ship never managed to translate out of the Warp, lost forever in its shifting eddies.
Ophelia VII - Reforms of Sebastian Thor: After the fall of Vandire at the end of his Reign of Blood, Sebastian Thor was elected (some would say elected himself) to the position of Ecclesiarch. He initiated a series of reforms and created the Synod Ministra on Ophelia VII. It was intended to act as a secondary governing body for the Adeptus Ministorum far from Terra.It would disseminate the laws and actions of the Holy Synod on Terra but also provide a defence against other forces, or even a single Ecclesiarch, attempting to gain control of the Ministorum for nefarious purposes as Vandire had done. Also, the Astra Ministra, the administrative body for the Ministorum's functionaries who serve aboard the starships of the Imperium, is based on Ophelia VII and makes up part of the Synod Ministra.
Ophelia VII - The Indomitus Crusade - Battle of Ophelia VII: After the 13th Black Crusade and the fall of Cadia in 999.M41, Ophelia VII was caught within the newly-formed Great Rift that divided the galaxy in twain and the Cardinal World was exposed to invasion from daemons. The planet was enslaved by the Greater Daemon known as the Tyrant of Blueflame, a Lord of Change in service to Tzeentch.Adepta Sororitas forces on the world from the Order of Our Martyred Lady resisted the Chaos assault fiercely, but were facing total defeat and resigned themselves to death.Ophelia VII was freed from the clutches of Chaos by the resurrected Primarch Roboute Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade and the forces of the Black Templars Chapter. However the Tyrant himself escaped Imperial justice. The Adepta Sororitas forces suffered almost 50% casualties before they were rescued by the arrival of the crusade.
Ophelia VII - Sisters of Battle: The Sisters of Battle, the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas who have served as the Ecclesiarchy's armed forces since they were founded during the reign of Goge Vandire in the midst of the 36th Millennium's Age of Apostasy, were split between Terra and Ophelia VII, to insure that no single person could gain control of the whole organisation.There are extensive facilities for the sisters on both planets, but each order has a home on both worlds if need be. One of the Adepta Sororitas' two headquarters, the Convent Sanctorum, is located on Ophelia VII. Ophelia VII is the primary base of half of the Adepta Sororitas' Orders Militant, Orders Dialogous, Orders Famulous and Orders Hospitaller.Among the Orders Militant, the Convent Sanctorum is home to the Order of the Bloody Rose, the Order of Our Martyred Lady and the Order of the Valorous Heart.Two of the most famous sisters are said to have been natives of Ophelia VII, Saint Praxedes and Saint Helena the Virtuous.
Ophelia VII - Canon Conflict: In the 1st Edition of Warhammer 40,000, Ophelia VII was originally designated "Ophelia IV" or "Ophelia 4."
Ophidium Gulf Crusade - Ophidium Gulf Crusade: The Ophidium Gulf Crusade was an incident in 998.M41 when the Black Templars Chapter of Space Marines inadvertently made contact with one of the Fallen Angels, the Traitor Marines hunted by the Dark Angels Chapter.Unfortunately, these Black Templars paid the ultimate price so that the Dark Angels could maintain their dire secret.
Oppressor Cannon - Oppressor Cannon: An Oppressor Cannon is a powerful ballistic weapon deployed as a main turret weapon on the Astra Militarum's Rogal Dorn Battle Tank.This enormous artillery piece is a devastating anti-armour powerhouse, capable of knocking out almost anything up to a Chaos Knight in a single salvo -- and it still has room for a co-axial Autocannon to the side.
Or'es El'leath (Custodian)-class Battleship - Or'es El'leath (Custodian)-class Battleship: The Or'es El'leath (Custodian)-class Battleship is an enormous T'au battleship that serves as part of the T'au Empire's Battlefleet, known as the Kor'or'vesh in the T'au Lexicon.Also an enormous carrier, it is capable of bringing three gunships as well as a large number of Attack Craft squadrons into combat to support the rest of a fleet.Early operational tests proved that like the other designs resulting from the Kor'or'vesh initiative, it met or exceeded all objectives required for its design.Despite the horrendous costs and resource expenditure involved in building these vessels, a number of Septs adopted the design and produced them in small numbers.For many tau'cyr (T'au years) these ships were held in reserve, and it was quite some time before knowledge of this vessel's existence became widespread beyond the T'au Empire.
Or'es El'leath (Custodian)-class Battleship - History: Experience with the Gal'leath (Explorer)-class Starship in combat, particularly against the Imperial incursion into sovereign T'au space during the Damocles Gulf Crusade, demonstrated a number of significant shortcomings that could not be overcome without a radical hull redesign, despite notable advances incorporated into the experimental Bor'kan variant of the venerable Gal'Leath.As the Kor'or'vesh initiative bore fruit with a progressively larger series of completely new and successful hull designs, it was only logical that the next step would be to produce a true Battleship-class vessel -- that vessel would be the Or'es El'leath.
Or'es El'leath (Custodian)-class Battleship - Armament: All Custodian-class Battleships, as standard, are armed and equipped with a set of both port and starboard Railgun and Ion Cannon batteries, a prow-mounted Gravitic Launcher and Deflector Shield, port and starboard launch bays each capable of holding up to three squadrons of Barracudas and Mantas, four defensive turrets mounted around their hulls, standard T'au starship gravitic shielding, and advanced integrated tracking systems like those of the Skether'qan (Messenger)-class Starship.These systems consist of highly advanced data storage and processing facilities to cope with the vast amounts of information they carry.When linked to the ship's sensors, this processing power can be used to provide a direct feed to any nearby warships' turrets to improve their accuracy and effectiveness. Custodian-class Battleships also feature a set of Gravitic Hooks enclosed in a single, shrouded, hangar-type enclosure specifically designed to hold up to three Kir'la (Warden)-class Gunships which the Custodian can carry into battle.
Or'es El'leath (Custodian)-class Battleship - Notable Ships: A'rho - The A'hro was the first Or'es El'leath-class Battleship ever deployed in a military conflict for the T'au Empire, where it was first encountered by Imperial forces led by Admiral Kotto during the Taros Campaign. The "Custodian"-class and its attendant Escorts were a complete surprise to the Imperial fleet there. Appreciating the threat this class represented, the Battleship A'rho in particular was ruthlessly hunted down and destroyed by Admiral Kotto's fleet, but not before it served its purpose as a decoy by drawing off the Imperial fleet; allowing two Lar'shi'vre (Protector)-class Cruisers to wreak havoc on the Imperial supply convoys supporting the campaign.Firestar – The Firestar was a Custodian-class Battleship that served under Kor'O'Vanan's command in the defence of the Kel'shan Sept against the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Gorgon. Towards the end of the conflict in an engagement against the surviving Hive Ships, the Firestar was lured into an asteroid belt around Delmarra and was irreparably damaged.Rysm'Ca'Vas – The Rysm'Ca'Vas, which roughly translated means the "Shield of Purpose" in Low Gothic, is a Custodian-class Battleship that served alongside its sister ship, the V'os U'kysa, during the raid on the Imperial world of Typha-IV. Both the Rysm'Ca'Vas and V'os U'kysa were modified to be stealth ships for the raid, and had most of their armament stripped and their Gravitic Hooks removed in order to fit additional cargo and life support pods to extend their range and transport capacity. They successfully deployed their forces without detection on Typha-IV during the mission, and waited out the conflict out of system until extraction, where they then picked up the remaining T'au forces and returned back to the T'au Empire.V'os U'kysa – The V'os U'kysa, which roughly translated means the "Spear of Unity" in Low Gothic, is a Custodian-class Battleship that served alongside its sister ship, the Rysm'Ca'Vas, during the raid on Typha-IV.
Oracles of Change - Oracles of Change: Oracles of ChangeChaos Space MarinesChapterLectors of IxisTzeentchAbyssal CrusadeThe Oracles are led by the Chaos Sorcerer Amadeus Volkstein, who was once a Loyalist Librarian Epistolary known as Vanneus before being corrupted by the promise of knowledge and power offered by the Lord of Change.Some have suspected the Oracles of Change of being a splinter group from the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion, though this is largely seen as rumour.
Oracles of Change - Abyssal Crusade: The Oracles of Change were a formerly Loyalist Chapter known as the Lectors of Ixis. Following the Ecclesiarchal Purges of 321.M37, a dozen star systems were engulfed by Warp Storm Dionys, its echoes rippling along the spiral arms of the galaxy as it raged through the Empyrean. Records of mutation and Chaos Cultist activity quadrupled overnight.Worse yet, it was not only the citizens who were affected by the sudden influx of Chaos. Many of the Space Marine Chapters with homeworlds affected by the Warp Storm found that the secret imperfections in their gene-seed were writ large upon their new recruits, giving rise to a wave of disturbing manifestations both physical and psychological. The Lectors of Ixis were one such Loyalist Chapter of Astartes that had been affected by these Warp Storms.When the Ecclesiarchy heard of this sinister tum of events, Saint Basillius the Elder demanded that all those Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes whose homeworlds had been touched by the Warp Storm be rendered unto his judgement. Such was the elder's influence with the High Lords of Terra that within a standard year this had come to pass.After a series of stringent tests and prognostications, hundreds of Chapters were deemed unaffected by the Warp Storm. No less than thirty were found wanting. The Judged, as these fallen Chapters came to be known, volunteered for a redemptive Penitent Crusade. The most militant of their number demanded the right to purify their tainted flesh in the fires of battle, to make a noble end from tragic misfortune.To the surprise of his closest advisors, Saint Basillius agreed to this proposal. He saw it fitting to send the accused into the Eye of Terror, taking the fight for the Imperium's future to the Daemon Worlds inhabited by the Traitor Marines.A representative from each of the doomed Chapters held an emergency Council of Dismay to discuss the proposed Crusade. After scant solar hours of debate, they acquiesced to Basillius' demands, for they believed that martyrdom was preferable to an existence of suspicion and doubt.The last few days of 321.M37 saw a solemn procession of Strike Cruisers and Battle Barges pass through the Cadian Gate into the Eye of Terror, relay systems dormant and heraldic colours obscured by black mag-plates. One by one, the Chapters of The Judged disappeared into the iridescent dust nebulae that surrounded the Eye.As the massive Space Marine flotilla entered the Eye of Terror, they were set upon by a great Chaos warfleet. The resultant battle was so fierce that the ships of The Judged were forced to retreat and were scattered to the furthest corners of the Eye.The true account of what occurred within the Eye to the Lectors of Ixis Chapter is unknown, but most of the tales of the Chapters of The Judged ended in tragedy and sorrow. By the time they reemerged from the Eye many Terran centuries later, the Lectors of Ixis were no more, for they had become the Chaos Space Marine warband known as the Oracles of Change, wholly dedicated to the service of Tzeentch.
Oracles of Change - Notable Campaigns: Battle of Valoria Quintus (Unknown Date.M41) - The Oracles of Change, led by the Chaos Sorcerer Karteitja, assault the Imperial world of Valoria Quintus. Their goal is to transform the planet into a new Daemon World dedicated to Tzeentch. The Oracles prove successful in capturing the Governor's Palace at the heart of the world's capital city and corrupting the city's population to the service of Chaos. However, the arrival of a force of Silver Skulls Space Marines disrupts the Oracles' ritual and causes the plan to fail. As the Silver Skulls reclaim the world in the name of the Emperor, Karteitja was abandoned by his comrades and slain by a Silver Skulls Terminator.
Oracles of Change - Notable Oracles of Change: Amadeus Volkstein - The exact circumstances under which Vanneus, once a Space Marine Epistolary, chose or was compelled to embrace Tzeentch remain a mystery. It is likely that in fulfilling his duties as a psyker and projecting his mind through the Immaterium, he fell victim to one of Tzeentch's servants residing there. Whatever the circumstances may have been, it is known that Vanneus denied the Emperor, rejected his former identity, took the name Amadeus Volkstein, and now serves Tzeentch as a powerful Chaos Sorcerer. He currently leads the warband of Chaos Space Marines known as the Oracles of Change.Karteitja - Originally known as Khenti of the Thousand Sons Legion, Karteitja, meaning "name thief" or "taker of names" in Volkstein's language, was a Chaos Sorcerer and a Champion of Chaos who led the Oracles of Change on Valoria Quintus against the hateful servants of the False Emperor. Karteitja was successful in capturing the Governor's Palace and corrupting the capital's citizens for his cause, yet his plan for turning Valoria Quintus into a Daemon World was interrupted by the arrival of the Silver Skulls Space Marine Chapter. Abandoned by the rest of his warband once the ritual failed, Karteitja was slain in combat by a Silver Skulls Terminator Sergeant.Cirth Unborn - A Pyromancer of immense skill, Cirth Unborn served as a Lieutenant to Karteitja while the Oracles of Change were fighting on Valoria Quintus. Cirth Unborn led the Oracles in their final attempt to keep the Silver Skulls from taking the Governor's Palace. Realising that the ritual for turning Valoria Quintus into a Daemon World had failed, Cirth and the Oracles of Change fled the planet through arcane means, leaving their leader to die.Garduul - Garduul, also known as Garduul the First, was once the Chapter's first oracle, until he was struck down by the piercing blades of the Aeldari and put inside the sarcophagus of a Dreadnought. Garduul now serves the warband as an insane Helbrute, whose words of madness often predict the future. Garduul and his warband vanished after they failed to turn Valoria Quintus into a Daemon World.
Oracles of Change - Warband Colours: The Oracles of Change's Power Armour is dark red with golden trim.
Oracles of Change - Warband Badge: The Oracles' Chapter Badge is a golden eight-pointed Chaos Star with the Eye of Tzeentch adorning the centre where the lines intersect, upon a dark red background. Their armour is often decorated with various chaotic symbols, horns, and skulls.
Oracles of Change - Canon Conflict: The novel Silver Skulls: Portents present the Oracles of Change as a possible splinter warband of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion, while Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition) describe the Oracles of Change as Chaos Space Marine warband that was once a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter known as the Lectors of Ixis that had participated in the Abyssal Crusade and became the Oracles of Change while inside the Eye of Terror.
Orask - Orask: Orask is an Imperial sentinel world that sits at the very edge of the Iquathan Deeps in the northern Segmentum Ultima, near the border of the Ghoul Stars. Orask is garrisoned not only by its own feudal, warlike people, a stoic breed who much like the peoples of Cadia or Mordian have long become accustomed to war, but also by many Astra Militarum regiments, and even special detachments of the Adeptus Astartes and Titan Legions rotated through deployment there on a rolling basis.Such a powerful garrison is needed to man its planet-wide network of defences, and along with forces from the Imperial Navy's Battlefleet Ultima, sally forth into the surrounding star systems should the need arise, for Orask is a world where conflict is never far away.Situated at the nexus of one of the few viable Warp-routes through the Iquathan Deeps, Orask has for millennia been a battlefront and bastion that has guarded the Imperium from the terrors beyond. In the 41st Millennium alone, the defenders of Orask have held out against the savage attacks of Ork marauders, Chaos Space Marine warbands, the assault of a previously unknown xenos species and the forces of the Arch-Heretek Explorator-Magos Cykior Marlowe.The most terrible assault on Orask in recent times occurred in 977.M41, when a splinter of the eastern hive fleets of the Tyranid menace appeared, disoriented and twisted by its passage through the Ghoul Stars, and fell on the Orask System like a ravenous beast.A great battle ensued, which proved brief but bloody. The stoic defenders of Orask were backed by a full company of the Red Talons Space Marine Chapter and a Titan maniple from the Legio Magna. Despite horrific casualties that reached into the tens of thousands sustained within a mere matter of solar days, the valiant defenders were able to push back their monstrous attackers. Eventually they contained the threat and purged the vile xenos from Orask's blasted surface. However, evidence persists that some harbinger organisms escaped to the outer systems.
Orask - Canon Conflict: The Legio Magna listed as responsible for Orask's defence from the Tyranids has been a Traitor Titan Legion since the time of the Horus Heresy, not a Loyalist one.It is unknown if part of this Legio remained loyal during the Horus Heresy and has survived into the 41st Millenium maintaining its old name, or whether this simply is a mistake on the part of Games Workshop.
Orbiana - Orbiana: Orbiana is a Feral World controlled by the Severan Dominate and located in the Periphery Sub-sector of the Calixis Sector. It is currently a frontline in the conflict consuming the Spinward Front.The Feral World of Orbiana lies at the spinward extent of the Severan Dominate, representing the last human-settled world along the Calixis-Scarus Warp conduit before that twisting route plunges into the benighted depths of inter-sector Wilderness Space. Orbiana itself is a wild, savage world of raging storms and unpredictable weather fronts, its native human population existing in a feral, nigh atavistic state. Orbiting the world is a massive defence platform, its plasma generators cold and its capital-scale weapons staring unblinking in the deep void.Though unconfirmed, it is thought that the platform must have been towed out past the Periphery in centuries gone by as a long forgotten plan to defend the Calixis Sector against some now extinct threat. Perhaps it was forgotten or deemed that towing it back was not worth the vast effort it would surely require, but whatever the truth, it has orbited Orbiana ever since. Recently, Duke Severus XIII has ordered the station restored, though those few Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-adepts that still serve him have yet to succeed in doing so.Orbiana has seen numerous Ork attacks throughout the course of the war on the Spinward Front, but it is too far from the Imperium's territory to come under direct assault from that quarter. Nevertheless, several highly-placed members of the Spinward Front High Command have expressed the opinion that an assault from the Dominate's spinward flanks might crush the Secessionists once and for all.It is probable that these planners have no knowledge of the Orbiana defence platform and, were it to be restored to operational status before an assault was launched, the attackers might find themselves facing a well-prepared and potent defence where they least expected to discover it.
Orca - Orca: For the naval vessel of the Kor'vattra also codenamed Orca by the Imperium, please see Kass'l (Orca)-class Gunship.The Tau Navy's Orca Dropship is a dedicated armoured orbital transport shuttle for ferrying Tau troops, equipment and supplies from Tau starships in orbit to a planet's surface. Unlike the Space Marine Thunderhawk gunship, or the Tau's own far larger Manta, the Orca is not a frontline combat vehicle and is only equipped for self-defence. This is because its primary function is transporting Tau troops, which usually takes place well away from any fighting. Orcas are well-armoured for their role and utilise the same unknown nano-crystalline alloy that is also used in many other Tau vehicles and aircraft. Using the Tau's anti-gravity technology and powered by quad ramjets, the Orca is also fast and highly manoeuvrable despite its size and bulky appearance, allowing for the more rapid deployment of Tau troops.Orcas serve purely as a transport for Tau forces, and are primarily used to bring Tau forces from orbiting Tau warships down to the surface of a target world. Once large planetary assault operations are underway, Orcas will be used to support Mantas by providing additional transport capacity for Tau troops in the field. Whilst Mantas transport the bulk of the Tau forces, Orcas allow a Tau commander to be flexible in the deployment of his Hunter Cadres in different battle-zones. However, an Orca will not usually drop Tau troops directly into combat. Instead, those Tau Fire Warriors being transported by an Orca are more likely to be inserted some distance away from the enemy where they can take position before entering combat. When Tau troops are deployed directly into combat by an Orca, however, the aircraft will often skim closely along the ground so that troops equipped with Jetpacks can leap out, rather than having the Orca land on a dangerous, fire-swept drop zone that could damage or destroy the aircraft. Orcas are also commonly used as transports for special non-combat missions due to their versatile nature, and have been known to transport supplies, move scout units into forward positions in relative safety, carry Tau troops on covert missions, drop deployables to support Tau actions, and transport important personnel such as Ethereals, Water Caste diplomats or a Shas’o commander, along with their respective bodyguards. On particularly dangerous missions or if approaching a battlefield known to be under heavy fire, a flight of Orcas will be defended by a squadron of Barracudas, whose job is to intercept enemy fighters or engage ground targets that threaten an Orca and its precious cargo. An Orca is also equipped with basic self-defence weaponry to defend against attacks by enemy aircraft.
Orca - History: During the Taros Campaign, Orca Dropships played an important role in the overall Tau strategy to defeat the attacking Imperial forces. The initial Tau planetary landings were performed by Orcas where massive concerted drops of multiple Hunter Cadres onto Taros were done well before Imperial forces arrived. Orcas operating at night and using Blacksun Filters would insert Pathfinders and Stealthsuit teams behind enemy lines in the unoccupied deserts to disrupt the Imperial offensive and ambush supply lines, and the Tau commander Shas’El K’irri launched a daring raid from an Orca on an Imperial Navy airbase where the Orca landed directly on the main runway. Orcas were the workhorse of Tau forces on the planet, moving troops and supplies to and from combat zones throughout the whole campaign. It is estimated that at the peak of fighting on Taros, Tau forces were operating in excess of 200 Orcas, although exact figures are unknown to the Imperium. There were also unconfirmed reports of Orca variants armed with multiple Missile racks and bomb bays that were used as makeshift air support for Tau ground forces during the Taros Campaign, but none were positively identified.