vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Severan Dominate - History and Culture: There are few records of Ohmsworld's initial colonisation. The filtration towers represent one of the greatest technological marvels within the Severan Dominate, but their ultimate origins are unknown.The technology is clearly consistent with Adeptus Mechanicus design, but there are no records of its creation outside of those jealously guarded by the Machine Cult. It may be that this world was colonised before the arrival of the Angevin Crusade.Recently, Astra Militarum forces began a significant push to secure Ohmsworld. This is in part an effort to secure the world's ore production, but also an effort to keep that same production from the Severan Dominate. The important caveat is that both the Secessionists and the Loyalists believe the hive spires are far too precious to risk damaging.To date, most of the war's efforts have been battles conducted on open plains far from any hives, within the murk of the planet's toxic atmosphere. The few exceptions are instances where agents were able to penetrate a hive spire's security, so that Loyalist forces could enter the structures, fighting the resistance in brutal, room-to-room combat.
Severan Dominate - Orbiana: 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 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, Severus has ordered the station restored, though those few 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, 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 Imperial assault was launched, the attackers might find themselves facing a well-prepared and potent defence where they least expected to discover it.
Severan Dominate - Stalynthia: The barren landscape of Stalynthia belies its tremendous wealth. In fact, this Mining World is arguably the Severan Dominate's most valuable asset. Though it is incapable of sustaining itself -- the world simply cannot produce adequate food for its population -- Stalynthia provides almost enough metallic raw materials to fulfil the needs of all of the manufactoria still controlled by the Secessionists.As long as they can harvest this planet's wealth and deliver the ores obtained to other star systems, the Severan Dominate is assured of at least some materials that they can commit to their war effort.Of course, such wealth makes the planet a target for almost all of the groups involved in the ongoing war effort in the Spinward Front.
Severan Dominate - Climate: Stalynthia has a heavily polluted atmosphere, which retains heat to a nearly insufferable degree. Centuries of aggressive strip mining have heavily polluted the planet's surface and her atmosphere.The air is thickly packed with particulates, reducing visibility to only a few metres on the clearest local days. At times, conditions can be so severe that surface navigation is entirely dependent upon radar signals -- even the brightest of headlights are unable to pierce the densely polluted air.That same air is also extremely dangerous to the world's citizens. Mining operations are undertaken by all of the world's inhabitants, from the moment they can lift a shovel to the day they can no longer stand. Rather than digging deep beneath the planet's surface, all of these mines are open to the sky.This has the benefit of reducing the number of collapses, as well as permitting virtually the planet's entire workforce to participate in isolating the most valuable of ores. However, even with the limited machinery in use, the constant digging has contributed to the increased air pollution. Dirt is constantly stirred up, and the planet's aggressive winds readily spin particulate matter into the atmosphere.A comparatively small amount of surface water and an extremely level surface are believed to contribute to Stalynthia's violent winds. There are few objects to disrupt the air as it flows across the world's surface. The gravitational effects of the planet's two small moons are believed to also play a substantial role in its violent atmosphere.Rain seldom graces Stalynthia's surface, but dust storms are a very common occurrence. The more intense storms are capable of flaying the flesh from an exposed Human. Ironically, though Stalynthia's surface seldom sees direct sunlight, her surface is now far warmer than the legends suggest it might have been in the ancient past.It is believed that the planet's pollution has darkened the atmosphere, enabling it to absorb substantially more heat. This also diffuses the heat and light, so that the temperature varies little from day to night, also showing little seasonal variation.An additional consequence is that the planet's surface is always clouded in a gloomy twilight. Very few atmospheric craft are capable of travelling through Stalynthia's densely polluted air. The amount of matter suspended in the atmosphere is simply too destructive to traditional engines.Most atmosphere-capable craft which even attempt to enter the atmosphere crash upon the surface as their systems become hopelessly fouled. This makes transport extremely inefficient, and makes any military operations on Stalynthia cumbersome at best.
Severan Dominate - History and Culture: Not surprisingly, those who dwell upon the world have little knowledge of the value of its mineral wealth or of what a lynchpin their assets represent to the Severan Dominate. In fact, nearly all of Stalynthia's citizenry live in a state of near abject squalor.It is not believed that this was always the case. Legends suggest that when Humanity first colonised Stalynthia, its atmosphere may have been far clearer, and that the world might even have once been well-suited for agriculture. It was only after Imperial explorers discovered the abundance of precious ores throughout the world's crust that the ecological disaster began.In short order, virtually all of the world's citizens began to mine the surface. At first, this offered a degree of economic freedom to those who laboured to pry the valuable ores from the planet's crust.In time, a greater and greater proportion of the population turned to this occupation. This continued until the planet's pollution problems began, and the amount of arable land began to drop.Soon, members of the world's Imperial nobility began importing food and survival goods, which could be exchanged for the precious ores. Before long, virtually all of the miners were little more than indentured servants.This was an ideal situation for Duke Severus XIII, as he could quickly convert their desperation into a revolutionary mindset.
Severan Dominate - Thrax: Thrax is a Frontier World located on the Calixis-Scarus Warp route, its once tranquil, now war-torn plains host to an array of weird fungus forests. Thrax has suffered greatly at the hands of WAAAGH! Grimtoof's forces, yet Severus XIII has managed to cling tenuously to possession of the star system.The world of Thrax and several of its moons are densely populated, though technology is rarely more advanced than the black powder stage thanks to the system's isolation.It is likely that Thrax was settled by Human colonists long before the Age of the Imperium during the Age of Technology and never really integrated into the Emperor's domains, even over the course of the ten thousand years since the Great Crusade.Rather, Thrax's society has continued its lurching climb towards civilisation, the war on the Spinward Front setting it back millennia in one fell swoop.The war has brought twofold suffering to the people of Thrax. On one hand, the advance of WAAAGH! Grimtoof has drawn numerous Ork warbands in search of slaves, and hundreds of thousands have been dragged off to serve in the Git-Slaver's foundries. In response, Severus XIII has drawn equally heavily upon the world, forcing hundreds of thousands more to join the ranks of his own forces in the defence of the Severan Dominate.To make things worse still, the Imperium has launched a number of long-range strikes against Severus' bases on Thrax, though given the distance from the Imperium's front lines, these attacks are invariably short-lived and highly focused, designed to cause strategic disruption to the Secessionists' operations.The largest and most recent was in 815.M41, when the Astra Militarum launched a planetstrike against Thrax. Nine entire regiments were committed to an operation in the world's southern hemisphere, the intention being to gain a lodgement which could be supplied by orbital drop as needed.The landings were contested by a native force of roughly equal size, but the Astra Militarum should have been able to prevail given the time and space to bring their superior firepower to bear. Tragically, the landings coincided with a massive Ork slave raid and the landing force's orbital support was forced to withdraw in the face of the far larger enemy fleet.Cut off, the Guardsmen fought on, though under attack by two enemies. Exactly how many were slain is impossible to ascertain, though it is believed that the Orks captured thousands of troopers and dragged them off as slaves to serve in Grimtoof's foundries.A force of regimental size is believed to have broken out, however, the survivors vanishing into the wastes where they continue to operate as guerrillas, launching punishing attacks on Severus' forces and living off of the alien land.
Severan Dominate - Rogue Psyker Threat: One of the greatest threats to the continued existence of Mankind is the ever-increasing number of psykers being born each year, for most prove too weak to resist the attentions of the creatures of the Warp.Within the Imperium, those born with or coming into psychic powers are swept up in regular psyker purges and those that survive are shipped off to Terra by the League of Black Ships. Those worlds beyond the Emperor's light must conduct their own purges and witch hunts, slaying any that display the dread powers of the Wyrd.As a consequence of Duke Severus XIII's secession from the Imperium, the systems by which psykers are detected and dealt with have all but collapsed in the Dominate and rates of psychic manifestation and outright daemonic possession have escalated by an order of magnitude.To date, the Dominate's forces have contained the worst outbreaks, but it is surely only a matter of time before a rogue psyker emerges whose powers are too great for Severus' troops to put down.Such beings are capable of turning entire armies into meat puppets or incinerating whole cities with a baleful glance. Some within the Ordo Malleus consider it a real danger that Severus may attempt to harness the power of such rogue psykers, if he has not done so already...
Severina Raine - Severina Raine: Severina Raine was an Imperial Commissar serving with the 11th Antari Rifles regiment of the Astra Militarum.She is part of an Imperial military campaign to protect the region of space known as the Bane Stars from the forces of Chaos.
Severina Raine - History: The 11th Antari Rifles regiment had been deployed with other Astra Militarum forces to the world of Drast as part of a campaign by the Imperium to retake the worlds of the Bane Stars from an invasion by the Chaos Cult known as "The Sighted." She was assigned to the 11th Antari Rifles company commanded by Captain Tevar Lun who was extremely popular with his troops and known for caring about their well-being.Raine was forced to execute Captain Lun after he refused an order given by the overall commander of the campaign, Lord General Militant Alar Serek. Lun had objected that the order to assault the enemy fortress of Mone was a suicide mission that would have resulted in the deaths of his entire company.But commanders cannot refuse orders in the Astra Militarum and so Raine was forced to do her own duty and maintain the chain of command.The execution of the beloved Lun at her hands led to a near-mutiny among the troops of his company against Raine. Raine met the angry troopers and promised them that she would now assume command of the company. She defused their anger by reminding them that they all ultimately served the God-Emperor and not any one officer.She explained that as a Commissar, she was the very embodiment of the will of the God-Emperor and that to refuse her orders or question her decisions was to question the Emperor Himself.This argument proved effective with the typically religious Imperial Guardsmen, and ended the immediate crisis. But Raine knew that many of her troops still held a deep grudge against her and might yet act upon it at some point in time.Under her command, the company then carried out their assigned mission to storm the Chaos-held fortress of Mone. Despite the expected heavy casualties against the potent Chaos defences, her troops succeeded in penetrating the fortress and planting explosives that when triggered destroyed the citadel after their escape. The Imperial offensive could continue.
Severina Raine - Wargear: Penance (Power Sword)Evanfall (Bolt Pistol)
Severus Agemman - Severus Agemman: Severus Agemman is the current captain of the Ultramarines' elite Veteran 1st Company and serves as the Regent of Ultramar in that position, governing the Chapter homeworld of Macragge, among other duties, when the Chapter Master is otherwise engaged.Agemann has commanded the 1st Company for over 200 hundred standard years, since the end of the First Tyrannic War, and played a major role in defending the Realm of Ultramar from the Invasion of Ultramar and during the Ultramar Campaign, both in ca. 999.M41.In ca. 012.M42, in the wake of the Plague Wars of Ultramar, Agemann was selected by his resurrected primarch, Lord Commander of the Imperium and Imperial Regent Roboute Guilliman, to serve as one of the newly restored ruling Tetrarchs of Ultramar.He was appointed to serve as the Tetrarch of Konor, tasked with expanding the territory of Ultramar to the galactic north.
Severus Agemman - Origins: Little is known about Severus Agemman's early life or how he entered the service of the Ultramarines Chapter. Agemman, formerly the captain of the 2nd Company, was promoted to serve as the captain of the Ultramarines' elite 1st Company of Veterans after his predecessor, Captain Saul Invictus, was slain by the onslaught of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth during the Battle of Macragge in Silo 8 of the northern polar fortress.As commander of the 1st Company, Agemman was the official successor to Chapter Master Marneus Calgar should he have been slain or otherwise incapacitated, though in truth those in the Chapter believe that Calgar favoured Cato Sicarius, Agemman's successor as captain of the 2nd Company, for the position of his heir-apparent. Many on Macragge speculated that this possibility understandably grieved the First Captain and had led to a supposed rivalry between him and Sicarius.But the resurrection of Primarch Rouboute Guilliman, and the assignment of Captain Sicarius as the leader of the primarch's Victrix Guard on Terra where Guilliman is the lord commander of the Imperium and Imperial Regent, have laid those questions to rest...for now.
Severus Agemman - Invasion of Ultramar: During the Invasion of Ultramar by the Bloodborn under the control of the Daemon Prince M'kar in 854.999.M41, Agemman led his company into battle against the forces of Chaos only to be struck down by M'kar, though he later recovered.However, in the wake of that conflict, Chief Librarian Varro Tigurius privately approached Calgar and revealed his concern that Agemman was no longer up to the job of serving as First Captain, having never fully recovered from his defeat in the duel with the Daemon Prince.Tigurius made plain that if the Ultramarines were to most effectively face the next foe to threaten Macragge or the Imperium, they needed a commander of the 1st Company who was fully ready to face the demands of that crucial command.Calgar considered his wise friend's counsel carefully, but in this instance took no further action, giving Agemman more time to recover and live up to the demands of his position.
Sevrin Loth - Sevrin Loth: Sevrin Loth is the Magister, or Chief Librarian, of the Red Scorpions Space Marine Chapter. He is also one of the most potent battle-psykers in his Chapter's history. Few Librarians within the Adeptus Astartes are able to match, let alone exceed, his destructive psychic power on the battlefield. Having already served as Magister to two Lord High Commanders of his Chapter, at the outset of the Badab War in 904.M41, Sevrin Loth was an Astartes Veteran of centuries of battle. His legend was further burnished in the Red Scorpions' annals when he recovered the body of Lord High Commander Verant Ortys following the betrayal of the Red Scorpions at the world of Grief by the deceitful Lufgt Huron and his Renegade Astral Claws Chapter. Upon the ascension of Carab Culln as the new Lord High Commander, Sevrin Loth became Culln's closest advisor and most trusted field commander.
Sevrin Loth - History: Sevrin Loth was born to the family of a feudal warlord on a Frontier World deep in the Ordon Rift and offered up to the Red Scorpions as an Aspirant not long after his birth. During his time as a young Neophyte in his adolescent years, Loth's psychic potential unexpectedly manifested when on the training grounds. Focusing his anger and fighting spirit alone, Loth proved able to shatter the bones of his sparring partners without laying so much as a hand or blade point upon them. Sevrin Loth's progression was marred only by his barely controlled battle-lust that tempered into restraint and wisdom with age and experience. Though uncommon amonst the Astartes of a Librarium, Loth still favoured spending time honing his martial skills against his fellow Battle-Brothers rather than being locked away in meditation contemplating the nature of arcane secrets. This fierce martial streak, along with his raw psychic ability, earned Loth a reputation as a relentless warrior. He takes no greater delight than in hacking down enemy Chaos Sorcerers and Witches in personal combat, proving with every blow that not all psykers are Renegades and Heretics.Sevrin Loth was already a Veteran with centuries of battle experience at the outset of the Badab War in 904.M41. He had already served as Magister to two Lord High Commanders of his Chapter, and further added to his legend in 906.M41 by leading a desperate counter-assault to recover the fallen Lord High Commander Verant Ortys' body following Lufgt Huron's deceitful actions during an honourable parlay on the world of Grief. Against all odds Sevrin Loth had saved the honour of his Chapter and in so doing wrote an enduring legend for himself despite the bitter blow the Red Scorpions had suffered. Backed by the wisdom and blessing of Sevrin Loth, Carab Culln was appointed Verant Ortys' successor as Lord High Commander of the Red Scorpions. As Ortys' successor, Culn was entitled to step into the mantle of his predecessor as Magister Millitum and overall commander of the Loyalist forces, but this was by no means guaranteed. With the principal support of the Raptors and Salamanders Chapters, as well as his own impassioned pleas in the Loyalists' war council that he had the right of vengeance and the proven mettle required to see the war to its end, Culln secured the support of the Fire Angels and Novamarines for his command. Both the Sons of Medusa and the Marines Errant Chapters then agreed to his selection for reasons of their own. Despite some continued minor dissent, Carab Culln was finally acclaimed as the second Magister Millitum of the Imperial Crusade to retake the Maelstrom Zone from the Seccessionists. Despite continued dissent, primarily instigated by the Chapter Master of the Fire Hawks, Carab Culln received the overall command of the Loyalist Space Marine forces. Sevrin Loth continued to fight on the frontlines during the Badab War campaign and took part in such famous engagements as the Second Battle of Sagan and the conquest of Piraeus.
Sevrin Loth - Wargear: The Armour of Selket - This is a finely wrought suit of Artificer Armour that incorporates a Psychic Hood. In addition, the wearer can use their own psychic energies to empower the suit's defences further.Force AxeBolt PistolFrag GrenadesKrak Grenades
Shabran Darr - Shabran Darr: Shabran Darr was a Centurion and Loyalist member of the World Eaters Legion during the latter years of the Great Crusade and opening stages of the Horus Heresy.When his Legion willingly sided with the Warmaster Horus and his cause, Shabran Darr was chosen for death by his Primarch Angron and sent to the surface of Istvaan III to die along with his fellow Loyalists.However, he would survive the initial Traitor orbital bombardment and go on to become one of the key Loyalist leaders, taking the fight to their traitorous former kin and collecting many skulls.However, despite his will to live, he was eventually cornered and surrounded, taking many of his treacherous brothers with him into oblivion.
Shabran Darr - History: Centurion Shabran Darr, known as "White Eyes," hailed from the Death World of Cuth'vasti. He was marked out as different from his fellow Astartes, possessing sallow stone-grey skin and the white-on-white eyes of its near-Abhuman natives.He was a relatively young World Eaters officer who had risen quickly in his Legions' ranks and distinguished himself in battle many times, earning himself a place in the 11th Assault Company and willingly accepted the Legion's Apothecaries' psycho-surgery and the implantation of the Butcher's Nails to enhance his aggression.It is not known why such a loyal officer was selected for death on Isstvan III, but whatever the reason, Darr took part in the initial assault upon the planet's surface.When it became evident that he had been betrayed by his brothers he became almost insane with hatred, but managed to focus this into a cold, killing rage that allowed him to keep his wits. He was determined to live to kill his enemies rather than die in a blaze of violence as so many other of his Legion had.During this conflict, Darr soon became a leader of a Loyalist World Eaters guerrilla force that made the warren north of the Precentor's Palace in the Choral City their killing ground and there they fought to the bitterest end, accounting for many times their number in a series of savage hit-and-run attacks.While fighting against the Traitors, Shabran Darr took particular pleasure in slaughtering sergeants and officers, cleaving their heads from their shoulders and mounting them on spikes and railing for their traitorous brothers to find.In the end, his forces were cornered and surrounded by a massive Traitor assault, but they fought until the bitter end, determine to take as many of the Traitors with them as possible before their own deaths.
Shabran Darr - Wargear: Mark IV Maximus Power ArmourBolt PistolMaster-Crafted ChainaxeFrag GrenadesKrak Grenades
Shadow-class Cruiser - Shadow-class Cruiser: The Shadow-class Cruiser is a typical example of all Eldar capital ships. Its multiple solar sails give it tremendous speed and manoeuvrability, able to outrun even the Escort ships of most other intelligent races of the galaxy.The Shadow-class combines tremendous speed, manoeuvrability, and offensive firepower into a single, highly-effective package. The bane of Imperial shipping in the Koronus Expanse, Shadow-class Cruisers normally form the centre of an Eldar Corsair strike fleet.
Shadow-class Cruiser - Notable Shadow-class Cruisers: Black Star - The most infamous Shadow-class Cruiser to fight in the Gothic War was the Black Star. Commanded by the so-called "Prince" Conanmaol of the Executioners, the Black Star accounted for the destruction of several Imperial capital ships and the loss of a considerable tonnage of Imperial merchant shipping. The Black Star eluded Imperial pursuit for the entirety of the Gothic War and continues to lead attacks from the depths of the Graildark Nebula to this day.Bright ClawCelestial KingChariot of MathurirChild of Khaine
Shadow-class Cruiser - Dimensions: Hull: Approximately 4.7 kilometres long, 1.4 kilometres abeam at solar sail "wings"Class: Shadow-class CruiserMass: Approximately 16 megatonnesCrew: UnknownAcceleration: 8 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration
Shadow Ankh - Shadow Ankh: A Shadow Ankh is a Necron protective device that takes the form of a heavy amulet emblazoned with the Ankh of the Triarch. Much more than a sign of status, Shadow Ankhs contain a small but powerful psychic null-field generator, far more sophisticated than those fashioned by the Adeptus Mechanicus.This is able to nullify the effects of Warp-spawned powers and sever the connection that Daemons and psykers have to the Immaterium through unknown arcane technologies.Shadow Ankhs are artefacts found exclusively as part of the armouries of Necron royals, such as Necron Overlords, Necron Lords and Necron Destroyer Lords.
Shadow Crusade - Shadow Crusade: The Shadow Crusade was a joint military campaign conducted during the opening days of the Horus Heresy into the Realm of Ultramar by the Primarchs Lorgar Aurelian of the Word Bearers Legion and Angron of the World Eaters Legion.The two Traitor Legions proceeded to lay waste to the Ultramarines Legion's stellar empire in the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy, rapidly destroying twenty-six worlds in quick succession.This campaign ensured the success of the sorcerous Ruinstorm that had been conjured by the Word Bearers during the Battle of Calth, which would ultimately divide the galaxy in two, effectively cutting Ultramar off from the rest of the Imperium of Man.The Traitors' campaign also resulted in the death of the entire population of Angron's homeworld of Nuceria. However, the Shadow Crusade set the World Eaters Legion irreversibly onto the path of damnation in service to Chaos and also led to the apotheosis of Angron into a Daemon Prince of the Blood God Khorne.
Shadow Crusade - Sector-Wide Invasion: With almost half of the Ultramarines Legion killed or put out of action after the Battle of Calth, and interstellar communications and travel disrupted by Lorgar's Ruinstorm, each planet of the Ultramarran realm was left to fend for itself.The Ultramarines 19th, 24th and 25th Chapters, spared the horrors of Calth, were spread throughout the myriad worlds of Ultramar. However, they faced the full might of the World Eaters Legion as well as the remaining half of the Word Bearers and their terrifying Abyss-class Battleships.
Shadow Crusade - The Furious Abyss: Kor Phaeron's own plan was to strike at the heart of Ultramar and destroy its core worlds while Lorgar and the Primarch Angron's World Eaters Legion tore through its outer rim. His Abyss-class Battleship, the Furious Abyss, was unleashed to destroy Maccrage, the homeworld of the Ultramarines, while the bulk of the XIIIth Legion was stationed at Calth.The giant battleship was to withstand the full barrage of Macragge's defence fleet as well as its planetary defences before entering high orbit and unleashing its deadly cargo of Virus Bombs.It would then join a smaller fleet of Word Bearers vessels in laying waste to the remaining core worlds of Ultramar. Fortunately, a small strike force of Ultramarines and Space Wolves boarded the Furious Abyss and were able to destroy it from within at the cost of their own lives.Without the support of the Furious Abyss, the Word Bearers' attack on Macragge and the core worlds of Ultramar ultimately failed.
Shadow Crusade - Battle of Astagar: On some worlds such as Astagar, the sons of Guilliman were able to repel the invaders completely. There, a force of 600 Ultramarines led by Lucretius Corvo would find themselves beset by an invasion force several times their number.Although Corvo only heard the true, appalling scale of what had happened at Calth later, by the time the enemy approached Astagar he was at least aware of the treachery. Corvo began the defence as soon as the Word Bearers and World Eaters translated in-system, and his erstwhile cousins were met with a wall of fire.The Traitor force consisted of five battle cruisers and attendant support. The manner of the enemy's approach told Corvo they were intent on a ground battle, so he landed his own warriors on Astagar's surface and ordered his fleet to run out ahead of the enemy.The resulting fleet battle cost the invaders five Traitor Imperial Army transports at minimal damage to the Ultramarine warships. When the Traitors commenced their orbital insertion over Eurythmia Civitas, the capital city of Astagar, it was empty but for six hundred Ultramarines and the seventy thousand men of the Astagarian Light Rangers.Although the Loyalists were pushed back at first, Corvo and his officers quickly identified the heart of the Word Bearer's invasion force -- a daemon-possessed Warlord-class Titan. Luring it ahead of the main Traitor lines and pummeling it with concentrated Shadowsword fire, the Ultramarines obliterated the possessed Traitor Titan, effectively breaking the morale of the invading forces.With a swift counterattack, the Loyalists quickly eliminating the remaining Traitors on the planet.
Shadow Crusade - Percepton Campaign: At the world of Percepton Primus in Ultramar's Percepton System, the Word Bearers managed to cripple the Ultramarines' forces in 27 solar minutes, but the fight raged on for 163 Terran days.The opening Traitor attack destroyed more than half of the Ultramarines' starships. On the surface of Percepton Primus, the fight was marked by armoured assaults, but soon broke down into hand-to-hand combat.The Word Bearers bombarded the planet, attacking from the air with Thunderhawks and Stormbirds and from the ground with Rhinos, Land Raiders, Vindicators, Fellblades, and Typhons.The Ultramarines, led by Decimus, Master of the 17th Chapter, attempted to fight back, but the battle went poorly with enemy Titans cutting down his warriors and all Vox communication disrupted by daemonic whispers.The Loyalist Titans had long since been dispatched by the Traitors' orbital strikes, giving the invaders a large advantage in armour assets. Knowing the battle was lost, Decimus gave five Ultramarines who had been marked for censure a chance to redeem themselves by completing a special mission.Despite the efforts of the Word Bearers, this team succeeded in establishing contact with a single Ultramarine cruiser, the Righteous Fury, that had miraculously managed to survive in high orbit and convinced its shipmistress to bombard the planet with Phosphex, killing Traitors and Loyalists alike on the surface. Though the censured Ultramarines were killed by pursuing Word Bearers, it proved too late for the invaders to stop the Loyalist bombardment.At the same time, Chapter Master Decimus gathered all the surviving Ultramarines on Percepton Primus for a final stand. Thousands of Word Bearers faced them with Dreadnoughts and heavy tanks, but then the attack from orbit began.Many Ultramarines believed the bombardment marked the arrival of Loyalist reinforcements, and Decimus felt shame that he had not told his warriors of what he intended as his final contingency to prevent Percepton from falling to the Traitors.Decimus told his warriors the truth at that moment, that the planet could not be held, but that they would take the Traitors with them. In their final moments, Decimus rallied his Astartes, and they were filled with pride and anger as he called for a final charge into the Word Bearers' ranks as incendiary death swept across the planet, burning Traitor and Loyalist alike to ash.
Shadow Crusade - Battle of Armatura: The main thrust of the Shadow Crusade, led directly by Lorgar and Angron, tore through over 100 Ultramaran worlds, laying them to waste before falling upon the War World of Armatura.During the brutal assault, the Ultramarines managed to lure the enraged World Eaters into a trap as they assaulted the main quarter of the ruined capital city, collapsing buildings and burying many of the World Eaters and their Primarch Angron under tons of rubble.The Primarch's twin Chainaxes, Gorefather and Gorechild were ruined, as they had lost their teeth when Angron utilised them to dig his way out from beneath tons of rubble. After Angron managed to crawl from his makeshift tomb, he discarded both axes, for they would never function again.In the aftermath of the battle, Angron's Equerry Kharn found the discarded Gorechild and picked it up.He knew he risked his Primarch's wrath by violating Angron's superstition that inherited weapons bring ill luck, a gladiatorial conceit taken from his homeworld of Nuceria, but he still had Gorechild repaired, and used the mighty weapon as his own from that day forward.During this campaign of destruction, Lorgar realised that over the course of the Shadow Crusade, Angron's temperament and mental stability had steadily grown worse. The cybernetic neural implants known as the Butcher's Nails were killing Angron faster than Lorgar had originally imagined, faster than anyone had realised. The rate of degeneration had accelerated very quickly in the solar months after the Battle of Calth.The truth was that the implants had never been designed for the peculiar genetics of a Primarch's brain. Angron's physiology was trying to heal the damage produced by the implants as the Nails bit deeper. To save his life, Lorgar convinced the lord of the World Eaters to go back to his homeworld of Nuceria.The overlords of the gladiatorial games on that world who had first hammered the foul device into Angron's skull would know more about the implant's function than the Traitor Legions' savants and the Dark Mechanicum.Lorgar promised that the two Primarchs would learn all that was known about the Nucerians' insidious cortical implant technology, and then they would burn that loathsome world until its surface was nothing but glass. In that way, Angron would finally claim the vengeance he pretended to no longer desire.Whether Angron fought him, hated him or trusted him mattered little to Lorgar, who intended to drag Angron into the immortality that he deserved in service to the Dark Gods whether he wanted it or not.
Shadow Falcons - Shadow Falcons: Shadow FalconsSpace MarineChapterFoundingThis Chapter is notable for possessing a high number of Librarians within its ranks. At least one junior Lexicanium serves in each company's Command Squad.
Shadow Falcons - Notable Shadow Falcons: Chaplain Icarus - Icarus serves as a Chaplain in the Shadow Falcons Chapter. He is currently taking part in the Lentus Crusade in pursuit of his arch-foe, an unnamed Khornate warlord, who has managed to escape his grasp on numerous occasions.Sergeant Praccimius - Praccimius is an elite Terminator Armoured Veteran of the Chapter's elite 1st Company. Sergeant Praccimius is notable for his actions when he undertook a Space Hulk cleansing operation and survived with a very high kill ratio -- 28 Genestealer kills, 4 from close combat.
Shadow Falcons - Chapter Colours: The Shadow Falcons' Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Shadow Falcons - Chapter Badge: The Shadow Falcons' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Shadow Field - Shadow Field: A Shadow Field is an arcane Drukhari device that creates a defence that is virtually impossible to pierce. Projecting a dark miasma of energy around the wearer, the field is proof against almost any attack, and the warrior within cannot be easily targeted. However, should one manage to penetrate this miasmic aura, the field’s instability causes it to collapse almost immediately.The workings of a Shadow Field, and the locus that creates it, are indistinguishable from magic to all save the most skilled Commorite artisans. A Shadow Field locus has no obvious mechanical components, and no trigger mechanism. The bearer must will the device into life, and few races other than the Aeldari have the strength of mind to do so.No two Shadow Field loci are exactly the same. One might be an amulet, another a ring. Sometimes the locus is built into another artefact, such as a vambrace, or the pommel of a sword. Regardless of appearance, however, a Shadow Field locus always contains a black crystal known to the Aeldari as nisariel in the Aeldari Lexicon. This name roughly translates to "devourer of the waking light." It is an appellation well given, for a nisariel crystal drains all light from its immediate vicinity, and leaves only darkness.This is no ordinary gloom, but a shadow-veil possessing an almost tangible presence. Even if an enemy can make out the bearer’s form within the shroud, shots from energy weapons dissipate within the shadow, and physical projectiles lose all momentum. It is said that some Shadow Fields -- those generated by larger crystals -- could be manipulated by the wielder, and directed to strangle or smother his enemies.
Shadow Field - Voidship Shadow Fields: Drukhari voidships are not protected by the vast energy shields which surround the vessels of other species, but rather employ the form-altering Shadow Fields.These create an eerie and uncertain fog around Drukhari vessels through which little information can be ascertained. Pinpointing the exact location or speed of a Drukhari vessel behind Shadow Fields can prove very tricky indeed.
Shadow Griffons - Shadow Griffons: Shadow GriffonsSpace MarineChapterFoundingThey served as part of the Indomitus Crusade Fleet Primus' Battle Group Faustus' Task Force IX, alongside the Angels Penitent.
Shadow Griffons - Chapter Colours: The Shadow Griffons' Chapter colours are not currently listed in Imperial records.
Shadow Griffons - Chapter Badge: The Shadow Griffons' Chapter badge is not currently listed in Imperial records.
Shadow Haunters - Shadow Haunters: The Shadow Haunters is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding that is a successor of the Raven Guard.A strike force of the Chapter participated in the pacification of the Fenris System in 999.M41 as part of the Imperial Crusade fleet led by Supreme Grand Master Azrael of the Dark Angels, when Fenris was caught up in a daemonic incursion led by the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion.
Shadow Haunters - Notable Shadow Haunters: Captain Slyth - Slyth is a Captain of the Shadow Haunters.Sergeant Arro - Arro is a Scout Sergeant of the Shadow Haunters' 10th Company.
Shadow Haunters - Chapter Colours: The Shadow Haunters' Chapter colours are grey.
Shadow Haunters - Chapter Badge: The Shadow Haunters' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Shadow Haunters - Trivia: Robbie MacNiven, the creator of the Shadow Haunters, has written an as-yet unofficial Index Astartes: Shadow Haunters article.
Shadow Hawks - Shadow Hawks: The Shadow Hawks is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. Almost nothing is known about this Chapter in Imperial records save that its 3rd Company went Renegade following the Cruach Mhorn Massacres of 304.M39 and its Captain, Mahaur, became the Chaos Lord known as Mahaur the Harvester who later led the Slaughterkin warband of Chaos Space Marines. The Chapter was most recently on campaign against the Aeldari.
Shadow Hawks - Notable Campaigns: The Cruach Mhorn Massacres (304.M39) - In 304.M39, after a twelve-standard-year campaign to eradicate rebellious factions within the population of the Hive World Cruach Mhorn, the 3rd Company of the Shadow Hawks was censured for the widespread culling of the population that marked the end of the campaign and left the world unable to fulfil the production quota owed to the Administratum. Rather than accept the dishonour of exile on a penitent Crusade, Captain Mahaur led the survivors of the 3rd Company in a series of raids on Imperial fleets and outposts in the Cruach System before vanishing into the lightless void of the Halo Stars.
Shadow Hawks - Notable Shadow Hawks: Captain Mahaur - Mahaur was once the Captain of the Shadow Hawks' 3rd Company. After fleeing into the Halo Stars folowing the Cruach Mhorn Massacres of 304.M39, he became a Chaos Lord known as Mahaur the Harvester dedicated to the service of Khorne and became the leader of the Slaughterkin warband. Mahaur next came to Imperial notice in 913.M41 when an Adeptus Administratum tithe-fleet arrived at the three worlds of the Hreidmal Cluster, seeking the tally of lives and produce due the Emperor as part of the Imperial Tithe, only to find each world laid waste. The headless corpses of each of the worlds' inhabitants lay abandoned, not slain in battle but carefully harvested and their skulls piled in great, towering obelisks. Attempts to demolish these foul monuments brought their creators, the Slaughterkin warband, down upon the Imperial forces, led by Mahaur, and soon the skulls of the Administratum factors and the Astra Militarum regiments assigned to their protection were offered in sacrifice to Khorne atop the rebuilt obelisks. After the devastation of the Hreidmal Cluster, the Harvester sought to assault the Agri-world of Kerrack in the Varsavus Sector of the Ultima Segmentum in 932.M41. He laid the seeds of rebellion by establishing a series of Chaos Cults, the so-called "Charnel Cults," from among the world's population of primitive agricultural workers who spent their lives harvesting the roots of the world's nutrient-rich Cholam trees for processing into sustenance to support the Astra Militarum regiments engaged in the Karthago Crusade. The cult spread rapidly through Kerrack's population and unleashed a massive rebellion against Imperial rule, and the world soon fell to anarchy and war. The ensuing conflict with the local Planetary Defence Forces and Astra Militarum regiments was fought beneath the dense canopy of the swamp-like Cholam forests and in the air between Imperial Navy pilots and the Hell Talons and Hell Blades brought to the world by the Slaughterkin's arrival after the rebellion had severely weakened the Imperial defenders. The Imperial cause was further damaged when the corruption of Chaos took many of the PDF troops, as they turned to the worship of the Ruinous Powers. Once the Harvester took the planetary capital of Calder's Ark, the victory of the Forces of Chaos seemed assured. Deliverance only came when the 5th Battle Company of the Star Phantoms Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes under the command of Captain Calphax arrived in-system to resupply, and launched an immediate and devastating attack upon the rebel stronghold at Calder's Ark, slaying the Harvester and driving the remaining Traitor Marines of the Slaughterkin from Kerrack.
Shadow Hawks - Chapter Colours: The Shadow Hawks' Chapter colours were known to be Charcoal Grey and Red.
Shadow Hawks - Chapter Badge: The Shadow Hawks' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Shadow in the Warp - Shadow in the Warp: The Shadow in the Warp is a psychic phenomenon generated by the Tyranid Hive Mind that blocks all connections to the Immaterium in the local space around a hive fleet, making psychic communications or the manifestation of psychic abilities extremely difficult. This unique phenomenon greatly affects astropaths, Navigators and psychic species, such as the Aeldari.The coming of a Tyranid hive fleet is preceded by a smothering psychic signal similar to white noise that envelops entire star systems and disrupts all forms of Warp travel and communication.Swallowed up by psychic-static, whole worlds suddenly go deathly silent, giving no clues as to what is unfolding on the surface below, or of what terrors are about to befall. This is the Shadow in the Warp, and it heralds imminent invasion and horror.It is unknown if the Shadow in the Warp is created deliberately by the hive fleets, or if it is simply a by-product of the Hive Mind's innate synaptic control of the species' bioforms. In any case, the Shadow in the Warp creates fear and panic wherever it falls, instilling a pervasive dread into the minds of a prey worlds' defenders, plunging entire planets into misery and despair.For highly psychic races, such as the Aeldari, or for luckless psykers of any intelligent race caught within this enervating effect, the malaise is magnified tenfold.Should a psyker attempt to use their otherworldly abilities, the cerebral cacophony worsens even further; the psychic sound of a billion alien thoughts scratch at their mind, and unless they are particularly strong-willed they will be pitched into an insanity where they will repeatedly utter phrases in a tongue too alien to properly pronounce.For races such as Humanity, whose means of interstellar communication and travel rely upon highly specialised psykers such as astropaths and Navigators, the Shadow in the Warp is one of the deadliest facets of the Tyranid menace.Bereft of their means to call for reinforcements or safely navigate surrounding space, worlds of the Imperium of Man under assault by Tyranids are easily isolated from the wider galaxy.This means that, by the time the Shadow in the Warp falls, it is already too late; these beleaguered planets are effectively on their own. They must fend for themselves and face the Tyranid swarm with the weapons they have to hand, or die in the attempt.
Shadow Killer - Shadow Killer: Shadow Killers were combat veterans of the Raven Guard Legion who suffered from extreme stress and would become overcome by a suicidal fury and ignore any notion of self-preservation or observe standard combat tactics. Often, they would fight until death had taken them.It was the Primarch Corvus Corax who organised those afflicted Legionaries into a specialised formation, known as the Shadow Killers, and employed them as shock assault troops and assassins. These Legionaries were the precursor to the Moritats who would later be introduced into the Legiones Astartes order of battle.
Shadow Killer - History: Amongst the Raven Guard and the XIXth Legion that preceded them, there was a tendency amongst combat veterans placed in situations of extreme stress to forsake all pretense of self-preservation, fighting with a terrifying silent determination and the sole aim of causing as many casualties and as much destruction as possible before succumbing to their foe.This strange blood-soaked ennui that drove many amongst the Raven Guard to sacrifice themselves in battle was known among the Terran XIXth Legion as becoming "Ash Blind", while the Raven Guard native to the later Legion homeworld of Deliverance knew it as the "Sable Brand", a condition heralded by the darkening of the entire eye to black. Those warriors who survived their suicidal furies sometimes recovered, their brethren never mentioning the incident in a typically Raven Guard display of reticence, but more often were evermore plagued in combat by the urge to slay until death took them, paying no heed to tactical plans.The XIXth Legion, in the days before their Primarch Corax's return, made little attempt to organise the Ash Blind on the battlefield, relying on the flexible nature of their tactical doctrines to make the maximum use of their suicidal urges when they took hold. The Raven Lord later turned this aberrant effect of his gene-seed into a valuable weapon in his tactical arsenal, forming those afflicted by the Sable Brand into units of "Shadow Killers" and employing them as shock assault troops and assassins.It was the employment of such troops that allowed Corax to best his brother, Roboute Guilliman, in several simulated battles, an unexpected tactic that the lord of the Ultramarines Legion was quick to adopt into the Legiones Astartes order of battle, creating the Moritat as it was later known amongst the ancient Space Marine Legions.