vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Soul Drinkers - Second Chapter War: The Soul Drinkers next had to face enemies from within and without as a promising Scout Marine, Brother Eumenes, usurped the Chapter's leadership from Sarpedon. Meanwhile, the Howling Griffons Chapter had vowed to destroy the ambiguous Chaos force known as the "Black Chalice" which they believed to be the Soul Drinkers Chapter.In the end, Sarpedon killed Eumenes, declaring him unworthy of being Chapter Master. He then addressed the remaining Soul Drinkers Battle-Brothers, asking if any of them wished to take up the burden of the office of Chapter Master. When none of them responded, Sarpdedon declared he would remain the Chapter Master. Not satisfied with this, at least one squad of the newer Soul Drinkers recruits left the Chapter.
Soul Drinkers - Revelations: The loyal servants of the Imperium had gathered to listen to evidence presented against the Soul Drinkers, while Vladimir Pugh presided as the Justice Lord of the court. During the trial evidence was presented by both sides that both defended the Soul Drinkers' actions as well as damned them.Multiple revelations were revealed during the course of the trial, including the fact that Daenyathos still lived within the body of a Dreadnought that had been hidden within a tomb on Selaaca's surface. Sarpedon had not been aware of this tomb's existence or that there were any surviving Dreadnoughts from his Chapter, as the last one had been believed to have been destroyed six millennia earlier.Serving as prosecutor, Reinez condemned the Soul Drinkers, implicitly implying that they had been corrupt for millennia while under the guidance of Daenyathos. He charged that they had long been sworn to the service of the Ruinous Powers and had intended to carry out some plot at the Dark Gods' behest intended to damage the Imperium.During Reinez's presentation of the evidence against the Chapter Sarpedon finally realised that Chaplain Iktinos had been manipulating the Soul Drinkers Chapter along the path of damnation in order to fulfill some unknown destiny foreseen long before by Daenyathos.Next, Commander Gethsemar of the Angels Sanguine Chapter called into question the validity of the Soul Drinkers' claims of being the genetic sons of the Primarch Rogal Dorn.The Angels Sanguine had captured a Soul Drinkers Space Marine and extracted his gene-seed for medical study to determine whether or not their heresy was a result of corrupted genetics. In the course of the investigation they were startled to learn that the Soul Drinkers' genetic legacy could not be traced back to the Imperial Fists and Rogal Dorn.During the course of the trial, pilgrims of the Order of the Blinded Eye conspired to help the Soul Drinkers escape their bondage. They had been manipulated by the intricate machinations of Daenyathos to help him achieve his mysterious objectives.Not questioning their new-found freedom, the surviving Soul Drinkers made their last stand within the Phalanx's Librarium. The forces of the Imperial Fists and their Successor Chapter brethren converged on the Soul Drinkers' position, and a vicious firefight ensued.
Soul Drinkers - Chapter Beliefs: Honour Duels - An honour duel was a tradition from the old-way -- one of the Soul Drinkers' oldest traditions. This traditional form of combat was as old as the Imperial Fists Legion, the Legion of the legendary Primarch Rogal Dorn, from the ranks of which the Soul Drinkers had been founded almost ten thousand years before. The Soul Drinkers believed that the Emperor would give strength to the arm of His champion and that Rogal Dorn would counsel victory to the just. They also believed that he would lend strength to those that are worthy.Sacred Blood Rites - A few battle-brothers, those who made notable skills in battle, were permitted to crack open the skulls of their victims and take the brain material inside. A quirk of the Soul Drinkers' gene-seed had rendered the organ in their stomachs, the Omophagea, unusually sensitive, and as a result the genetic memories they could absorb had powerful emotional and spiritual resonances. This was a religious observance, then, for a Soul Drinker to swallow a gobbet of the bloody pink mass and to experience the memories and sensations that streamed from it. Pains were taken to ensure that those whom were not Astartes did not witness this ritual. A non-Astartes was morally simplistic, and could not be trusted to see the bloody rites of the Adeptus Astartes and not come to a wayward conclusion.Trial of the Scintillating Death - Each aspirant of the Reclusiam (potential Chaplains) had to submit themselves to the trial of the Scintillating Death. It has been thus ever since the Soul Drinkers' vessel, the Scintillating Death, had returned to the Chapter after its disappearance in the 34th Millennium, and the Chaplains ventured in to learn of the Chapter's very soul. The Aspirants learns of the fear that every battle-brother possesses within them. It is not the petty dread of a human. It is a terror that makes their Chapter strong, for their battle-brothers fight to stave it off, but it makes them weak, for they will all be wretched in death with their fear having come to pass. The Soul Drinkers believed that they possessed fear that went beyond that which a mere man could comprehend. It was the fear of dying with their work yet undone. For a Soul Drinker takes all the ills of the galaxy upon his shoulders and as long as they remain he cannot rest. Theirs was a fight that could never end, and so when they died, it was with battles still to be won. This was the fear that they felt. This was the terror that drove them on -- the terror of death; for they believed that everyone died with their duty not yet done. Not all those who submitted themselves to this trial succeeded. Some were even lost. This was the price an Aspirant had to pay for enlightenment. And so, if an Aspirant returned successfully, the Reclusium accepted a new student.
Soul Drinkers - Chapter Organisation: The Soul Drinkers loosely followed the Codex Astartes but were similar to the Blood Angels in that their preferred tactics were shock assaults. Interestingly, within the Soul Drinkers Chapter, novices did not serve as scouts in the field.Instead, they earned their understanding of war through attending on their more senior brothers, and learning from them the example of what it meant to be an Astartes. They penned chansons of their senior brothers' deeds on simple data-slates -- recording their achievements and victories as a permanent record for the Chapter's archives -- preserving it for future novices to study.The Soul Drinkers suffered heavy losses at several points after they went Renegade. After their First Chapter War and the battle on Ve'Meth's planet, they numbered approximately 700 Astartes. After the fighting on Stratix Luminae, they were reduced to approximately 450 Space Marines.Though they were able to increase their numbers by being able to recruit Neophytes again, their numbers were reduced to 300 Astartes after the losses on the world of Entymion IV and the Second Chapter War.The exodus of most of Eumenes' Traitors at the end of that conflict dropped the number of Soul Drinkers to 250 Astartes. By the time they struck down the Necrons within the Veiled Regions, there were scarcely 100 Soul Drinkers left, all having been captured by the Imperial Fists and taken aboard the Phalanx.When the treachery of the Dreadnought Daenyathos was finally revealed and the Phalanx suffered an incursion of a massive Daemonic host, the majority of the Soul Drinkers died in the valiant defence of the Phalanx. In the end, Daenyathos' plans were thwarted and the Daemon Prince Abraxes was defeated.The last known remaining Firstborn survivors of the original Soul Drinkers Chapter are the Philosopher-Soldier Daenyathos, Chapter Master Sarpedon, Captain Luko and Sergeant Graevus. These Soul Drinkers stepped through a Warp Gate and into the Immaterium and out of reality. Their fate remains unknown.In the Era Indomitus, after the Chapter was refounded using only Primaris Space Marines, it was reorganised along the lines outlined in Roboute Guilliman's revised Codex Astartes.
Soul Drinkers - Chapter Combat Doctrine: The Soul Drinkers Chapter was once believed to have originally been raised from those Space Marines in the Imperial Fists Legion who specialised in ship-to-ship actions and high speed insertion assault.Hence, the Chapter's combat doctrine was formed around this specialty, emphasising quick, highly coordinated assaults upon any percieved weak points in the enemy defence line.The combat philosophy of the Soul Drinkers was based in large part around the Catechisms Martial, a treatise on battle written by the warrior Daenyathos. Every Soul Drinker carried a copy of the tome with them.The Soul Drinkers preferred to use shock assault tactics against the enemy. They favoured the use of boarding actions and Drop Pod assaults so that they could use their mobility and heavy firepower to overwhelm the foe quickly and not get bogged down into an extended fire fight or slugging match, always staying very mobile, and if necessary, whittling the opposition down through attrition during repeated lightning strikes.The revelation that the Soul Drinkers were not a Successor Chapter of the Imperial Fists has altered the perception of why this Chapter pursued this combat doctrine, but not that they were true experts in the arts of mobile assault and void combat.
Soul Drinkers - Chapter Gene-Seed: There is some doubt as to the origin of the Soul Drinkers' gene-seed. During the Soul Drinkers' trial aboard the Phalanx, Commander Gethsemar of the Angels Sanguine presented evidence that his Chapter's Sanguinary Priests had thoroughly examined the gene-seed of the Soul Drinkers Chapter.They performed this medical examination as part of their research into the link between the gene-seed and their supposed primarch and also to determine if the Soul Drinkers' fall was due to some form of unforeseen corruption of their genetic material. Much to their shock, the Soul Drinkers learned that Rogal Dorn was not, in fact, their primarch.The Soul Drinkers' Chapter name derives from an early mutation to the gene-seed of their Omophagea organ. Normally this organ allows a Space Marine to absorb and experience some of the memories of a creature by consuming its flesh.The Soul Drinkers ritualised this function in the "Ceremony of the Chalice." In addition to gaining the consumed creature's memories, the Soul Drinkers could also experience the creature's emotions during the events recorded in their memories as a result of their mutation. Metaphysically speaking, they were able to "see into the creature's soul."
Soul Drinkers - Primaris Chapter: Captain Quhya - Quhya is a Primaris Marine and the captain of the refounded Soul Drinkers' 3rd Company. He took part in the Indomitus Crusade and commanded the 3rd Company when it was deployed to undertake the Keprian Reclamation. During this campaign, the captain led his company as it sought to reclaim the Imperial world of Kepris and its sacred Ecclesiarchy relics from the Chaos Cult forces of the Arch-heretic Yeceqath, the "Voice of All." His unorthodox tactics drew the ire of the Inquisition, which revealed to the Soul Drinkers in the wake of the Keprian campaign that their forebears had actually been Traitors who had fallen to the corruption of Chaos, which shook the Primaris Marines of the refounded Chapter to their core.
Soul Drinkers - Chapter Relics: Soulspear - A formidable Warp-based Vortex Weapon capable of cutting through almost any material, the Soulspear had supposedly been discovered by the Imperial Fists Legion upon some isolated world during the Great Crusade. According to the Soul Drinkers' own legends, with this mighty and fell weapon, the Primarch Rogal Dorn slew countless enemies and from it hung his personal banner on a hundred worlds conquered in the name of the Emperor. When the Second Founding occurred, and the Space Marine Legions were sundered into separate Chapters, Dorn saw fit to gift his successors with a symbol of their sacred purpose. The Soul Drinkers were gifted with the mighty Soulspear. The blade of the Soulspear was as long as a man's forearm, glossy black, and inlaid with intricate circuitry that shifted and changed before the eye. There were smooth indentations where fingers far larger than a normal man's would fit, each one with a laser-needle surrounded by a ring of gene-sensitive psychoplastic. According to the legends of the Chapter, only a scion of Rogal Dorn could activate the power of the Soulspear and wield it successfully in battle. In truth, since the Soul Drinkers were not actually of Dorn's genetic lineage, the Soulspear only recognised the unique genetic signature of the Soul Drinkers themselves. It is thus also likely that the entire mythology surrounding the relic is false, and its actual provenance remains unknown. The Chapter proudly carried this mighty relic weapon into combat for millennia, until it was lost sometime in the 40th Millennium when their flagship Sanctifier had disappeared during a Warp jump. It was eventually recovered by the Soul Drinkers' at some point in the 41st Millennium, but would unfortunately serve as a catalyst that would eventually see the once noble Chapter declared Excommunicate Traitoris and erased from all official Imperial records. The current whereabouts of the Soulspear are unknown.
Soul Drinkers - Chapter Fleet: Brokenback (Space Hulk) - The Brokenback was a Space Hulk used as a base by the Soul Drinkers Chapter after they went Renegade. Following the declaration that the Soul Drinkers were judged Excommunicate Traitoris and Librarian Sarpedon taking control of the Chapter, the prophet Yser received a vision that led the Chapter to the hulk. After cleansing the hulk of a Genestealer infestation, Sarpedon decided to make it the Chapter's new base of operations. It held the entire chapter, and served as both their mobile fortress-monastery and base of operations after Sarpedon split with the Imperium. It has been noted several times as being one of the largest Space Hulks ever encountered by the Imperium, and was composed of a smattering of Imperial vessels ranging from battleships to pleasure yachts to Inquisitorial Black Ships, as well as a number of exotic xenos designs. Among the vessels that comprised a portion of the hulk were the Imperial voidship Abandoned Hope, the Adeptus Mechanicus research vessel Bellerophon, and the Imperial starship Macharia Victrix.Glory (Battleship, Unknown Class) - The Glory formerly served as the Soul Drinkers' Chapter flagship. Within, resided the Chapel of Dorn, which was one of the most sacred places amongst the Soul Drinkers fleet, built deep in the heart of the flagship. Its pillars were carved with the names of the Soul Drinkers who had fallen in centuries past, and the altar piece depicted the Chapter's primarch, Rogal Dorn, rescuing the stricken Emperor at the climax of the Horus Heresy.Sanctifier (Unknown Class) - Former flagship of the Chapter lost sometime in the 40th Millennium along with the Soulspear, the Chapter's sacred relic weapon.Scintillating Death (Unknown Class) - The Scintillating Death was as old, they said, as the Soul Drinkers themselves. Built in the forges of Mars, it was said to have been a ship the Chapter had been granted when they were founded from amongst the fast-attack units of the original Imperial Fists Legion. This occurred shortly after the Second Founding. The Scintillating Death had disappeared on a warp jump in the 34th Millennium. It had returned five years later, haunted by the Soul Drinkers who had gone down with the ship. Now these ghosts guard their domain, jealous of anything living.
Soul Drinkers - Chapter Colours: The Soul Drinkers' power armour is purple with ornate bone and gold pauldron trim and a golden Imperial Aquila or Imperialis on their breastplates.
Soul Drinkers - Chapter Badge: The Soul Drinkers' Chapter badge is a golden chalice with five spirals of soul energy rising out of the top and the two blades of a golden laurel wreath sprouting from its base. This is centred on a field of purple.
Soul Drinkers - Canon Conflict: The Soul Drinkers' exact Founding date is disputed. Though actually a Chapter born of an unknown primarch's lineage and an unknown Founding some time before the mid-32nd Millennium, the Soul Drinkers originally believed themselves to be a Second Founding Successor Chapter of the Imperial Fists.The first novel in the series, Soul Drinker, stated that the official Imperial version of their origin was that the Chapter was created by Rogal Dorn after he was almost branded a rebel for not acquiescing to the implementation of the Codex Astartes. The new Chapter was gifted the Soulspear, which only activated in the hands of those Astartes of Dorn's own blood.The second novel, Bleeding Chalice, explained: "The Pilgrim knew the histories of the Soul Drinkers in depth, and had read of the many great victories they had won in the Emperor's name, from the dawn of the Second Founding to the eve of their heresy."The sixth and final novel in the series had this to say about the Soulspear and revealed more about the Soul Drinkers' true origins: "It was a relic of the Great Crusade, found by Rogal Dorn himself during the Emperor's reconquest of the galaxy in the name of humanity. He had given it to the Soul Drinkers at their founding, to symbolise that they were sons of Dorn as surely as the Imperial Fists themselves. That was the story, of course. In truth, the origin of the Soulspear, like the rest of the Soul Drinkers history, was as murky as anything else in Imperial annals. The Soulspear was gene-activated and would only respond to someone with a Soul Drinker's genetic code, so whoever had created or found the artefact, it had not been Rogal Dorn. The Soulspear, like the rest of the universe, was a lie."The novella Daenyathos, when explaining the origin of the vessel Scintillating Death noted that: "[it] was as old ... as the Chapter itself. It had been the ship the Soul Drinkers had been granted when they were founded from among the fast-attack units of the Imperial Fists. That had been shortly after the Second Founding, at the dawn of the Imperium's current age."However, later in the same novella, we learn that: "Gorosius weighed his crozius arcanum in his hand -- a very old weapon, it contained a sliver of the sword once wielded by Sigismund, the Imperial Fists commander who had become the first Black Templar and from whose personal guard the Soul Drinkers had been created during the Third Founding."So even among the Soul Drinkers themselves, who learned to their ultimate shock that they were not really scions of Dorn at all, there was a contradiction in when and from what portion of the original Imperial Fists Legion the Soul Drinkers had been founded.In truth, the Soul Drinkers were a Chapter of unknown origin and Founding, whose existence could be dated back only to some time before the 36th Millennium.
Soul Drinkers - Sources: Warhammer 40,000: Chapter Approved - Book of the Astronomican (1st Edition), pp. 65, 68Soul Drinker (Novel) by Ben CounterThe Bleeding Chalice (Novel) by Ben CounterCrimson Tears (Novel) by Ben CounterChapter War (Novel) by Ben CounterHellforged (Novel) by Ben CounterPhalanx (Novel) by Ben CounterDaenyathos (Novella) by Ben CounterThe Soul Drinkers Omnibus (Novel) by Ben CounterThe Last Son of Dorn (Novel) by David Guymer, Chs. 1, 7Shadow of Ullanor by Rob Sanders, Ch. 3The Black Library - Art & Soul, Soul Drinkers Artwork (Dead Link)Traitor by Deed (Novella) by Ben Counter, Ch. 1
Soul Grinder - Soul Grinder: A Soul Grinder is a massive Daemon Engine of Chaos, a diabolic fusion of Daemon and gigantic war machine fuelled by dark malevolence and its own irrepressible desire to destroy.Dwarfing even some of the mighty Greater Daemons in stature, these ironclad behemoths are nigh unstoppable -- great metallic juggernauts whose many limbs are armed with piston-powered claws and daemonic weapons.Those that dare stand against them are swatted aside like bothersome insects or crushed into an unrecognisable pulp.Xenos monstrosities caught within a Soul Grinder's steely grip are ripped in half and enemy tanks are crushed as if they were made of rotten wood.
Soul Grinder - History: According to legend, all Soul Grinders are created within the limbo realm known as the Forge of Souls, located within the Realm of Chaos in the Warp.Whilst a Daemon can never be truly destroyed, its essence can languish for countless Terran centuries before reforming. Such a non-existence is intolerable to Daemons, and one that they take great efforts to circumvent. The most common schemes involve sacrificing a number of mortal souls in exchange for a new corporeal body. Those Daemons that have a sufficient tally of the dead to their name thus avoid the purgatory of the Forge, but the soul-price is invariably great.Occasionally, however, the Forge of Souls will offer a desperate Daemon a boon of sorts, promising to craft for it a body capable of great destruction. Daemons who are able to pay this price are offered a new corporeal body, a Soul Grinder built out of the remains of wrecked possessed war machines and once great Daemon Engines lost to the fires of war.This boon comes at a cost, of course; the price the Forge asks can range from a mere handful of slain mortals to countless thousands of souls; the repayment required is never the same for two different Daemons.If the bargain is agreed upon, the Daemon surrenders its True Name to the Forge, and speaks the three Oaths of the Iron Pact. With the dark pact sealed, the Daemon's essence is fused into a Warp-metal body and reborn as a Soul Grinder.It is whispered in the Warp that if the Soul Grinder can harvest the agreed upon amount of mortal souls, the Daemon within will be freed from its mechanical prison to return to the existence it once knew. However, it is not a debt that is easily settled.Even as the Daemon slaughters and butchers its way across the galaxy, the price demanded erratically rises, sometimes forever remaining elusively out of reach. Should the Soul Grinder be destroyed before the full soul price can be garnered, the Daemon will be offered another reincarnation as a Soul Grinder, only at a much steeper price than before.So begins an inescapable cycle of soul-debt that damns the Daemon as eternally as any of the mortal souls it reaps.
Soul Grinder - Iron Pact Oaths: The three Oaths of the Iron Pact that Soul Grinders make with the masters of the Forge of Souls are as follows:First Oath - All of the souls harvested by the great blades and weapons of the Soul Grinder will be used for fuelling the Forge. Also, if the Daemon is in debt to the Forge for the construction of their new corporeal bodies they must pay the Forge back a great number of souls.Second Oath - The Daemon pledges that the wrecked remains of all of the machines destroyed by the adamantium claws of the Soul Grinder will be offered to the Forge of Souls as raw materials.Third Oath - The final, and perhaps most significant oath, is that should one of the Chaos Gods attack the Forge of Souls and try to rule over it, all Soul Grinders will fight in its defence, discarding all of their previous loyalties to any of the four Great Powers of Chaos.
Soul Grinder - Role: Soul Grinders form the armoured spearhead of many of the Ruinous Powers' daemonic legions. The brutal impetus and violence of their assaults are so horrifying that very few mortal warriors of any race stand their ground when a Soul Grinder storms their lines.Their daemonic nature allows them to appear out of thin air where least expected, and their Warp-metal hulls, animated and protected by the supernatural energies of the Immaterium, make them invulnerable to all but the most powerful of anti-tank weapons.As Soul Grinders advance towards the enemy, the deadly siege guns fused to their wrists hammer their foes, smashing through the ranks of mortals in a storm of metal.These cannons were built by artisans of Chaos who enchanted them to fire bolts of pure hatred, but even these are not the most powerful weapons in a Soul Grinder's arsenal; their smoking maws are capable of unleashing the baleful energies of the Warp itself.These attacks take many different forms, all as lethal as they are bizarre. Sometimes, the Soul Grinders vomit gouts of searing Warpfire, while at other times, their whip-like tongues lash out like searing energy rays.They have even been known to spit huge roiling masses of mutating ichor at incredible distances, annihilating entire enemy squads in one great blast.
Soul Grinder - Armament: Soul Grinders resemble a larger variant of the more common Chaos Defiler Daemon Engine, striding forth upon a chassis of six piston-driven, mechanical Warp-metal legs, each covered with blades and blasphemous Chaos iconography.The daemonic portion of the Soul Grinder is attached to the top of the chassis, its great head and muscular arms towering over most other daemonic creatures.The Soul Grinder is usually armed with a massive piston-driven claw known as an Iron Claw on one of its hands and a large ranged weapon known as a Harvester Cannon on its other arm.The Soul Grinder can also be armed with two Iron Claws, trading in the use of long-range weaponry for extra close-combat potential. The beast is also armed with a powerful weapon known as a Mawcannon, which is actually a natural ability that all Soul Grinders share, as opposed to a specific weapon.The Mawcannon unleashes lethal Warp energies through the creature's mouth. The weapon vomits forth a torrent of burning Warpfire known as a Baleful Torrent, or spits huge roiling masses of mutating phlegm at incredible distances, destroying entire enemy squads in one great blast.The Soul Grinder can continue this form of attack throughout its time on the battlefield, which is known as a "Phlegm Bombardment."There are some Soul Grinders that are capable of using their whip-like tongues to lash out like searing energy rays. Soul Grinders can also replace one of their Iron Claws with a Warpsword, a massive, ever-shifting blade of pure Warp energy that is the physical manifestation of the daemon's hatred.The Soul Grinder can also unleash bolts of energy from their eyes known as a Warp Gaze. All Soul Grinders are capable of giving themselves in service to one of the four major Chaos Gods as well as the Forge of Souls; whether this grants them any extra weapons, powers, or abilities is not known to the Inquisition.
Soul Grinder - Wargear: Harvester CannonPhlegm BombardmentIron ClawWarpswordWarpclaw (Optional replacement for Warpsword) - The Warpclaw is similar to a Warpsword but the Warp energy comprising it is formed into the shape of a claw rather than a sword.
Soul Grinder - Ordo Malleus Departmento Analyticus Technical Specifications: The technical specifications of the Soul Grinder have not yet been determined by the Ordos of the Inquisition.
Soul Grinder - Sources: Codex: Chaos Daemons (8th Edition), pp. 69, 117Codex: Chaos Daemons (6th Edition), pp. 25, 60-63, 87, 102Codex: Chaos Daemons (4th Edition), pp. 5, 17, 44-45, 57, 70-72, 87Only War: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 355Imperial Armour Volume Thirteen - War Machines of the Lost & The Damned by Andy Hoare with Alan Bligh & Neil Wylie, pg. 114Games Workshop Webstore: Soul Grinder
Soul Harvester - Soul Harvester: A Soul Harvester is a massive, spaceborne fortress-factory created by the Warpsmiths of the Iron Warriors Legion. It consisted of a central Daemonforge, surrounded by snaking tentacles of hellforged metal.These parasitic engines would embed themselves deep into a target planet's crust, their boarding tentacles disgorging Iron Warriors into weak points in their enemy's defences.Meanwhile, the roaring furnace at the structure's heart would feed upon flesh, metal and the souls of the slain in order to spew out fresh Daemon Engine reinforcements from the world's own resources to support the Heretic Astartes in combat.The fortress-factory's massive tentacles could also be used to transport Iron Warriors troops down onto a world's surface.
Soulcage-class Slaveship - Soulcage-class Slaveship: The Chaos Soulcage-class Slaveship rarely sees combat. Instead they are known to roam the Koronus Expanse of the Segmentum Obscurus following in the wake of Chaotic warship wolfpacks and pirates to purchase, barter, or swindle for those individuals unfortunate enough to be taken alive in a Chaotic assault, planetary raid or pirate attack. These types of transports are an essential part of a Chaos Lord's warfleet, though some operate independently, risking possible attack for the much greater profits to be made in independent slave-trading on Chaos-controlled worlds within the boundaries of the Imperium of Man.Almost all Soulcage-class Slaveships are converted from captured Imperial transports or commercial freighters. After profaning any Imperial icons of the Emperor of Mankind and sanctifying the ship with the blasphemous sigils and icons of its new masters among the Ruinous Powers, the interior cargo bays are replaced by deck after deck of slave pens. By the hundreds of thousands, flesh and spirits are broken to create new servants of the Dark Gods. Unable to escape the corruption surrounding them which is as ubiquitous as the tainted air, the constant blasphemous chanting, and senseless torture all work to destroy their souls. Forced to worship at profane shrines and branded with despoiling icons, the slaves are transformed into mindless thralls, ready to fight or die at their master's desire. Properly prepared, they fetch fine profits at Chaos or even xenos-controlled worlds. However, some remain untainted, kept in stasis pods to preserve their purity for ritual sacrifice, meals, or other gruesome fates.
Soulcage-class Slaveship - Dimensions: Hull: TransportClass: Soulcage-class Chaos TransportDimensions: Approximately 2 kilometres long, .5 kilometres abeamMass: Approximately 10 megatonnesCrew: Approximately 30,000 crew plus hundreds of thousands of slavesAcceleration: 3 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration
Soulreaper Cannon - Soulreaper Cannon: The Soulreaper Cannon is a ballistic heavy weapon utilised by the Heretic Astartes of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion and other Chaos Space Marine forces dedicated to the Chaos God Tzeentch. It is a heavy rotary cannon very similar to the standard Adeptus Astartes Assault Cannon. However, the Soulreaper Cannon is an Inferno Weapon whose ammunition has been enhanced by Tzeentch's sorcerous power to be able to melt through flesh and ceramite both.
Soulreaper Cannon - Sources: Codex Heretic Astartes - Thousand Sons (8th Edition), pg. 91War Zone Fenris: Wrath of Magnus (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Chaos Space Marines"
Sovereign - Sovereign: Sovereign is a Dead World found within the Jericho Reach. Though currently under the control of Dark Mechanicum Hereteks, the planet is also a slowly-awakening Necron Tomb World of the Suhbekhar Dynasty.During the height of the long-lost Jericho Sector, Sovereign was an Agri-world known best for the craftsmanship of its remembrancers. Because of its substantial agricultural assets, this distant world weathered the sector's political collapse in the Age of Shadow far better than most.In fact, after its forced separation from the Imperium, its populace was able to maintain a comparable standard of living. The bountiful harvests kept its citizens well-fed and a conservative feudal government prevented revolution and heresy from fomenting.Ironically, it was the return of Imperial power to the region that ultimately led to Sovereign's devastation. For, as the Achilus Crusade began to rage, Sovereign became a target of first the Stigmartus Chaos Cult and later the Inquisition.Without a Human population to oppose them, other forces have seized control of this world -- powers that represent a significant threat to the Imperium.
Sovereign - History: Before the Jericho Reach's Age of Shadow, Sovereign represented a valuable resource for the entire region. It did so in two primary capacities; the first was that it was a hugely successful Agri-world.The planet's food output was capable of adequately supplying two Hive Worlds in addition to supplying its own needs and that of several other Imperial colonies. The output was considered stunningly productive.This was in part due to a year-round growing cycle, but was also aided by a dedicated workforce who believed that their magnificent farms were a sign of their devotion to the God-Emperor.Sovereign was never densely populated. The vast majority of its bountiful land masses were devoted to the world's massive farms.Agents of the Adeptus Mechanicus had deliberately engineered massive machines that were capable of harvesting acres of farmland in moments, so the world's bounty could be rapidly harvested and fresh seeds quickly planted. In this way, the land's efficiency exceeded all reasonable expectations.Many of the world's citizens were capable of operating the machinery -- under the guidance of the Tech-priests -- but through their efficiency, much of the population was far idler than would be expected on a typical Imperial world.To fill the idle time, many of Sovereign's citizens began to dabble in the ways of the remembrancer. Initially, these were largely amateur efforts. However, in time, some of the works became quite accomplished.Even as the world continued to export agricultural goods throughout the region, many of the artistic works created by these remembrancers were also enjoyed.The vast majority of these works were focused on particular aspects of the Imperial Cult. Some were poetic or dramatic recountings of the ancient Jericho Sector's few known Saints.Others spun dramatisations of the first Human colonists to the region. A few surviving examples of these works represent some of the best existing records of the region's early history.
Sovereign - Collapse: When the region's Age of Shadow began, countless worlds within the Jericho Sector fell into chaos and anarchy. Sovereign, however, was unusual in that it managed to retain much of its identity.Because of its agricultural footing, the planet was far less dependent upon interaction with other worlds for survival. Its capacity to manufacture food vastly exceeded its local needs.The world's artistic cultural tendencies provided another substantial benefit. As other planets began to fall to the depravations of Chaos, Sovereign's population had constant reminders of the glory of the God-Emperor.Public artwork, well known plays, and even locally crafted prayers had become a core portion of the world's identity. Countless recitations and performances reminded the citizenry of the power of their faith. Over the millennia, there were minor incidents, but ultimately the populace remained true to the Imperial Cult.The largest change was in the world's oversight. Without any external influences, there was no one capable of appointing a planetary governor to oversee Sovereign in the Emperor's name. In the absence of such authority, the position became a hereditary one.For thousands of Terran years, the governor's heirs oversaw the world's populace under the title of "Interim Governor." The "temporary appointees" also lacked the authority to make permanent assignments to many of the world's government positions.These lesser titles also were filled by interim workers, who were most commonly descendants of the person that held the position dating back to the time of the Jericho Sector.In this way, the Imperial government of Sovereign gradually transformed into a feudal society. Appointees became the effective nobles of the world. The agricultural workforce essentially became trapped in their jobs, as it became impossible to earn a promotion unless a dynasty died out.The only paths to power outside of the planetary government's lines were as a minister among Sovereign's branch of the Ecclesiarchy or through the natural talent required to launch a career as a remembrancer.
Sovereign - The 41st Millennium: Sovereign was far from the front-lines of the Achilus Crusade. Because of this, it has not yet had any direct interaction with the forces of the Imperium aside from those based upon Watch Fortress Erioch.Had the crusade not encountered significant difficulties near the Hadex Anomaly, Sovereign's population might have survived to reunite with the Imperium in a glorious celebration.Tragically, that was not to be. A heretical magos of Samech discovered Sovereign's vast bounty and sought to use it for the forces of the Ruinous Powers.Magos Phayzarus, an avowed Heretek, deliberately introduced a dangerous contagion to the world's water supply. By design, the contagion was capable of laying dormant within the populace until the dark magos chose to trigger its activation.In 193.809.M41, he activated it in response to the arrival of a Deathwatch Kill-team. The world's Human population were suddenly transformed from friendly farmers and artists into blood-crazed lunatics.Deathwatch forces attempted to identify the cause of the sudden madness, fearing that xenos Enslavers might somehow be involved. Before a definitive solution could be reached, agents of the Ordo Hereticus became aware of the issue.An Exterminatus action was carried out on Sovereign, completely eliminating the world's Human population and destroying the world's vast capacity for agriculture.In the solar years since that destruction, Heretek forces have taken over much of Sovereign. Though the world remains incapable of agriculture, the Hereteks have been devoted to the study of signs of an ancient xenos presence. These Hereteks and their Stigmartus allies among that militaristic Chaos Cult have established a substantial and defensible foothold on the world.Rumours, however, have begun to circulate that the ancient xenos artefacts could still be functional. A survivor of the Kill-team involved with the situation that led to the Exterminatus reportedly discovered complex geometric designs on the walls of an enormous cavern complex. This xenostech could be what drew the Hereteks to Sovereign.
Space Crusade (Game) - Space Crusade (Game): Space Crusade is an adventure board game produced by Milton Bradley based on a license from Games Workshop. It was first made in 1990. While produced in the United Kingdom and available in some other countries including Finland, Ireland, France, Denmark, Australia and New Zealand, it was never sold in the North American market. In Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, it was known as Star Quest.Space Crusade is a sister game to HeroQuest, which was also produced by Milton Bradley and Games Workshop. It uses many of the concepts of the Games Workshop's Space Hulk and Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniature war games and is set within that same universe, but at a much simpler level of game play. The game was designed by Steven Baker.The original box artwork was by Jim Burns, and the later edition had a cover by David Sque, who is best known for illustrating Roy of the Rovers and, more recently, the Scorer strip in the British Daily Mirror newspaper.
Space Crusade (Game) - Eldar Attack: A boxed expansion set called Eldar Attack introduced the Eldar race with their special abilities intact, including psychic powers. This expansion pack allowed one extra player to control the Eldar miniatures, thus allowing the game to be played by 2-5 people. Of note, one of the alien events allowed the player to select a game board and rotate it to any degree. While this has interesting gameplay effects due to the line-of-sight required for range attacks, in practice it usually ended up with players knocking over doors and miniatures in the process, leading to many players simply ignoring this particular event.
Space Crusade (Game) - Mission Dreadnought: Mission Dreadnought was a boxed expansion set for Space Crusade. This expansion pack provided the Space Marine players access to additional Space Marine miniatures, boosting the squad to 6 Astartes and the Force Commander. Space Marines were now allowed to carry extra Heavy Weapons or the Tarantula Sentry Gun. The alien player gains extra heavy Dreadnoughts, which were extremely powerful and capable of wiping out an entire Space Marine squad. The last mission in the additional mission book that came with the set allowed the alien player to continuously construct additional Dreadnoughts for more firepower from the Dreadnought Factory board. The additional bulkhead doors and corridor tiles allowed players to build more interesting board constructions, whereas the initial game was quite limited to either the square 2x2 mode or the long 4x1 mode.
Space Crusade (Game) - White Dwarf Expansions: Two articles about Space Crusade were published in White Dwarf Magazine: one for using Terminators, Space Marine Scout Marines, Ork Nobs, Tyranids and Genestealer Hybrids (White Dwarf, 1991), allowing players to use Warhammer 40,000 miniatures, and one campaign called "Renegade" (White Dwarf, 1992).
Space Crusade (Game) - Advanced Space Crusade: Advanced Space Crusade was a modular board game published in 1990 by Games Workshop and Milton Bradley. The premise of the game was that a number of Space Marine Scout squads were boarding a Tyranid ship in order to sabotage its delicate internal biomechanical "organs". The game was superficially similar to Space Hulk in that it used 28 millimetre plastic Citadel Miniatures as play pieces, modular board pieces to represent the innards of the Hive Ship, and had one player controlling the Space Marines while the other controlled the waves of Tyranids, but the game had no greater relationship to Space Crusade than any other game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Without the license from Milton Bradley, many of the components of Advanced Space Crusade were released in 1993's Tyranid Attack, a substantially different board game game.
Space Crusade (Game) - Plot: A simple story accompanied the gameplay from mission-to-mission, drawing the player into an intriguing science-fiction world. This followed the same sort of narrative as its big brother, Space Hulk.
Space Crusade (Game) - Computer Game: Gremlin Graphics Software, Ltd. released a computer version of the board game in early 1992. It was available on the Atari ST, IBM PC (MS-DOS), Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad and later received an expansion pack, The Voyage Beyond. It is a faithful conversion of the board game, with a board that could be viewed in 2D or isometric projection views (Barker, 1992).
Space Hulk - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic Armada, pg. 62Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook, pp. 106, 108Citadel Journal 1, "Unseen Enemy: New Set Up Rules - Mission One: Supply Lines," pp. 16-21Citadel Journal 3, "The Silent Voyager: Campaign - Emperor's Children vs. Space Wolves," pp. 10-18Citadel Journal 7, "The Designer's Cut: Alternate Rules (Space Hulk)," by Richard Halliwell, pp. 4-11Citadel Journal 25, "Covert Operations: Imperial Guard in Space Hulk," pp. 22-27Citadel Journal 28, "Superior Firepower Space Marine Weapon Variants (Space Hulk)," pp. 30-33Citadel Journal 34, "Space Hulk Campaign System," pp. 58-63Citadel Journal 36, "Talons of Death: Four Mission Mini-Campaign (Space Hulk)," pp. 64-71Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 57Deathwatch: The Achillus Assault (RPG), pp. 61-66Imperial Armour Volume Twelve : The Fall of Orpheus, pg.17Space Hulk: Rulebook (3rd Edition) (RPG), by Richard HalliwellSpace Hulk: Mission Book (3rd Edition) (RPG)Space Hulk: Rulebook (2nd Edition) (RPG)White Dwarf 113 (US), "Space Hulk: 1st Ed. Preview," pp. 34-39White Dwarf 115 (US), "Command Units: Space Marines (Space Hulk)," pp. 20-31White Dwarf 117 (US), "Close Assault: Terminator Close Combat Weapons & Army List," pp. 65-69White Dwarf 120 (US), "Rules for Assault, Tactical and Devastator Squads (Space Hulk)," pp. 53-65White Dwarf 121 (US), "Traitor Terminators: Part 1 - Chaos Terminators," pp. 27-33White Dwarf 122 (US), "Traitor Terminators: Part 2 - Chaos Terminators," pp. 26-35White Dwarf 133 (US), "Genestealer Invasion: Campaign Missions," by Dean H. Bass, pp. 36-38White Dwarf 134 (US), "Space Crusade: New Rules," pp. 4-11White Dwarf 137 (US), "The Last Stand: Space Hulk Campaign," pp. 42-50White Dwarf 142 (US), "Space Hulk - Questions and Answers: Part One," by Simon Forrest, pp. 12-19White Dwarf 144 (US), "Space Hulk - Questions and Answers: Part Two," by Dean BassWhite Dwarf 145 (US), "Renegade: A Five-Part Campaign for Space Crusade," pp. 10-25White Dwarf 147 (US), "Space Hulk: Wolf Lair," pp. 56-66White Dwarf 149 (US), "Strike Deep: Campaign - Uses Rules from Space Hulk, Deathwing and Genestealer," pp. 45-61White Dwarf 158 (US), "Return to Kalidus: Campaign for The Wolf Guard," pp. 30-35White Dwarf 195 (US), "Bringer of Sorrow: Campaign," pp. 29-35White Dwarf 196 (US), "Space Hulk: Preview," pp. 9-14White Dwarf 197 (US), "Space Hulk: Defilement of Honour," by Dean Bass, pp. 81-87White Dwarf 200 (US), "Fangs of Fenris: Space Wolves Campaign," pp. 85-91White Dwarf 201 (US), "Duty and Honor: Ultramarine Campaign," pp. 49-55White Dwarf 203 (US), "The Fate of the Sword of Halcyon: Scenario - Blood Angels vs. Genestealers," pp. 33-43The Bleeding Chalice (Novel) by Ben CounterCalgar's Fury (Novel) by Paul KearneyDuty Calls (Novel) by Sandy MitchellThe Emperor's Finest (Novel) by Sandy MitchellSoul Drinker (Novel) by Ben CounterThe Horus Heresy - Book Four: Conquest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg.37-40Victories of the Space Marines (Anthology) edited by Christian Dunn, "The Long Games at Carcharias" by Rob SandersDawn of War II - Chaos Rising (PC Game)Battlefleet Gothic: Armada (PC Game)Space Hulk: Tactics (PC Game)
Space Hulk: Deathwing - Space Hulk: Deathwing: Space Hulk: Deathwing is a first-person shooter video game developed by Streum On Studio with assistance from Cyanide and published by Focus Home Interactive. The game is set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and based upon the strategy board game Space Hulk. The game was released on December 14, 2016 for Microsoft Windows PCs and was released in early 2017 for game consoles.
Space Hulk: Deathwing - Story: In Space Hulk: Deathwing the single player campaign puts the player in the shoes of a Librarian of the Dark Angels Chapter's elite 1st Company of Space Marines, known as the Deathwing, as they carry out a series of missions for the Chapter while wearing Tactical Dreadnought Armour. Librarians, unlike other Space Marines, can use the psychic power of the Warp, also known as the Immaterium. A Librarian can use the traditional weaponry of the Space Marines, such as the Bolter and a Power Sword, but also their own psychic might against their foes. An example of one such psychic ability that Librarians in the game can unleash is Hellfire, which sends psychic fire coursing towards the enemy. The primary antagonist of the game are the species of Tyranids known as Genestealers, who infest large, ancient conglomerate starships called Space Hulks. The Deathwing Astartes must clear out these ancient vessels of their xenos infestation to succeed at various objectives assigned to them by the Dark Angels' secretive leadership, called the Inner Circle. The multiplayer campaign allows a group of players to take on the roles of an entire squad of Deathwing Terminators on the same maps used in the single player campaign.