vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Nykona Sharrowkyn - Siege of Terra: Nykona and the Sisypheum eventually managed to reach the Sol System by the time of the Siege of Terra.During the final stages of the Solar War, the vessel was badly damaged destroying the Word Bearers battleship Covenant of Truth.Shortly after, they received a distress signal from the Selenar gene-witch Ta'lab Vita-37 and were drawn into a mission on Luna to rescue the artefact containing copies of all twenty Primarchs' original genomes, the Magna Mater, later known as the Sangprimus Portum, from the clutches of the Traitors.The crew of the Sisypheum undertook a suicidal raid to acquire the important artifact, infiltrating Traitor-occupied Luna and meeting up with Ta'lab. During the fighting, Dark Mechanicum forces managed to call for reinforcements from the Sons of Horus.Faced with an assault by the elite Terminators of the Justaerin, the crew of the Sisypheum gave their lives one by one in order to secure the Magna Mater.In the end, only the Iron Father Sabik Wayland and Nykona Sharrowkyn remained alive. Even they had only escaped thanks to the mysterious and unexpected intervention of the Gloriana-class Battleship Photep, the flagship of the Traitor Primarch Magnus the Red, who acted for reasons of his own.A badly injured Wayland dropped Sharrowkyn off at an abandoned refuelling space station deep in the void before using the Sisypheum to draw away the pursuing Traitor starships.Safeguarding the Magna Mater and with only the Psyber Eagle Garuda for company, Sharrowkyn put himself into a state of hibernation. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was the nameplate of the station, the Sangprimus Portum.
Nykona Sharrowkyn - Notable Companions: Apothecary Atesh Tarsa - Tarsa's obsidian skin and fiery eyes marked him out as a son of Vulkan, a member of the XIXth Legion of the Legiones Astartes, the Salamanders. Like Sharrowkyn, Tarsa was one of the few members of the Sysipheum’s crew who did not belong to the Iron Tenth. As the former Apothecary of the 24th Company of the Salamanders Legion, Tarsa was the most experienced medical authority onboard, which quickly left him in charge of the survival of the Sisypheum’s heavily wounded captain, Ulrach Branthan, and the numerous wounded of all kind. Yet, when not fighting to save the life of one of his patients, Atesh Tarsa and Nykona Sharrowkyn spent a lot of time together. They made an unlikely pair, the pale-skinned son of Corax and the dark-skinned Salamander, but both of them valued their friendship, having both been spared the trauma of knowing their gene-father had been slain. Sharrowkyn had been surprised when Tarsa had spotted him directly while he was wandering amongst the Sisypheum’s corridors, a feat he believed impossible to those untrained in the art of stealth. When their ship was boarded by the Emperor's Children during the Battle of Iydris, it was Sharrowkyn who saved Tarsa's life, engaging the enemy swordsman about to finish the job. Sharrowkyn also benefitted from Tarsa's friendship, having found more than a friend -- Tarsa taught Sharrowkyn a measure of his skill as a weaponsmith -- guiding Sharrowkyn as he forged his own shortsword to replace his twin gladii.Iron Father Sabik Wayland - Sabik Wayland was an Iron Father of the Iron Hands Legion and responsible for saving Sharrowkyn's life on the black sands of Istvaan V. As both a skilled pilot and a great inventor, Wayland was responsible for several powerful additions to the Iron Hands’ and indeed the Imperium's arsenal. In the wake of the Drop Site Massacre, Wayland would play a key part in keeping the Sisypheum combat-worthy and become one of the Iron Hands' most skilled infiltrators, for his skills in technological matters and contingency planning proved to be a powerful addition to Sharrowkyn's own abilities. Wayland and Sharrowkyn would soon become the Sisypheum’s most skilled warriors and accomplished many great deeds together.Cadmus Tyro - A line-officer of the Iron Hands, Cadmus Tyro had risen through the ranks of the 65th Company to become Equerry to the illustrious Captain Ulrach Branthan. Following Branthan's wounding on Istvaan V, Tyro became the nominal commander of the Sisypheum and the central figure for the survivors of the Shattered Legions to rally behind. A far more competent officer than any would give him credit for, Tyro would orchestrate the first strikes against the Traitor Legions. Despite his considerable misgivings towards those survivors not originally of the Iron Tenth, Cadmus Tyro was able to forge a coherent fighting force from the disparate survivors of the Drop Site Massacre. A hard man to like, Sharrowkyn and Tyro did not get along very well until the events on Eirene Septimus.
Nykona Sharrowkyn - Notable Foes: Alpharius - As one of the Emperor's own genetic sons, the secretive and elusive Primarch of the XXth Legion towered over the average Astartes as a member of the Legiones Astartes towered over the unaugmented human. More than for any other Primarch, Alpharius Omegon's origins and history has always been shrouded in mysteries and half-truth. Sharrowkyn encountered Alpharius on the isolated planet of Eirene Septimus, the Primarch of the Alpha Legion having tricked the Sysipheum's crew into assassinating an influential Alpha Legion dissident. As Alpharius revealed his true identity, Sharrowkyn readied himself to face the Primarch but Alpharius refused to attack him, making veiled references to Sharrowkyn's importance in a prophecy of Magnus the Red, the Primarch of the Thousand Sons. This deeply unsettled Sharrowkyn, for he had never served alongside the XVth Legion or met the Crimson King.Lucius the Eternal - Even before the galaxy-shattering events of the Istvaan III Atrocity, the swordsman known as Lucius, then the mere Captain of the Emperor's Children Legion's 13th Company, was a greatly famed warrior with an impressive records of victories. Amongst the elite swordsmen of the IIIrd Legion known as the Palatine Blades, Lucius had no match, save for his own sire -- Fulgrim, The Phoenician. This led him to issue challenges to the most gifted warriors of all the Legiones Astartes and defeat most of them in single combat. Only the very best of them were able to thwart him : Azkaellon of the Blood Angels and Garviel Loken of the Sons of Horus managed to spoil his victory or even defeat him, but before his encounter with Nykona Sharrowkyn, none had been able to kill him. Unfortunately for the Imperium, the feared swordsman would be revived by the ministrations of the equally dreaded Apothecary Fabius Bile before the dark gifts of his new patron, the Chaos God Slaanesh, made him near immortal ... so long as he continued to please the Prince of Pleasure.
Nykona Sharrowkyn - Wargear: As the sole member of the XIXth Legion onboard the Sysipheum, Nykona Sharrowkyn was mostly considered a loner, drawn from a Legion with no affiliation to the majority of the survivors on the vessel, who were of the Iron Hands.It came as no surprise, then, that Sharrowkyn mostly took to the field alone, often fighting as a stealth and infiltration specialist, a role he was supremely qualified for since he was able to "Shadow-Walk" as only the Mor Deythan could.Sharrowkyn shared many abilities with these elite-infiltration troops of the Raven Guard, including superior marksmanship with precision weapons such as Sniper Rifles.Sharrowkyn preferred the less common Needler Sniper Rifle, valuing the weapon's discretion as Needlers do not create muzzle-flashes.At the same time, Sharrowkyn was an expert in hand-to-hand combat, allegedly trained by Corvus Corax himself, and he used his twin black swords with deadly efficiency.Like most Raven Guard Astartes, Sharrowkyn was also an expert in the use of the Jump Pack, and it was said that he was one of the few members of his Legion to use the device even in combat, which increased the Raven Guard Astartes' already superlative natural speed in hand-to-hand combat.
Nârik Dreygur - Nârik Dreygur: Nârik Dreygur was a former Strategios-Minor and respected field commander of the Iron Warriors Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras during the 30th and early 31st Millennia. Then he was struck down during the Dropsite Massacre at Istvaan V, and lost whatever fleeting favour he had with his iron-willed Primarch Perturabo. Rebuilt with extensive cybernetics, he became a member of the Legion's warrior-society of the Apolakron. Now, as Consul-Praevian, he commands a maniple of Battle-Automata on the fields of battle.
Nârik Dreygur - History: Once a respected field commander of the Iron Warriors, Nârik Dreygur led his company into the fires of war for ninety years; fearing failure of his Primarch far more than death at the hands of his foes. At Istvaan V he fell, a blank-eyed Raven Guard Moritat incinerating his flesh. Dreygur's defeat cost him the fleeting favour of Perturabo, who discarded the broken commander as he would a broken blade. However, this was not the end of his usefulness to his Legion, for in the commander's fall the Apolakron, an oft-ignored warrior society within the Legion, saw an opportunity. They rebuilt Dreygur's shattered body with augmetic implants, grafting a cortex controller directly into his nervous system and inducting the veteran warrior into the ranks of their Order and its technological mysteries.Dreygur, now known by his brethren as "the Gravewalker," took to the field once again as a Consul-Praevian. Where once his charges had been Legiones Astartes of flesh and blood, they were now automata of iron and ceramite; walking engines of death forged by the Legio Cybernetica and bonded in service to the Iron Warriors. Shunned by his Primarch and brethren he quickly came to favour the company of his unliving charges, who showed him more loyalty than those he called "brothers." At Epsilon-Stranivar IX, it was the loyalty of these automata that kept him alive to exact revenge upon the Alpha Legion that had abandoned him. Yet through all of these dire events, he remained loyal to his Legion until the Battle of Mezoa, where on the basalt plains before the roaring Forge Spires, that the Salamanders Dreadnought Cassian Dracos, the Dragon Revenant, tore down his unflagging loyalty and indestructible determination through some unknown artifice, replacing it with a savage new purpose. Nârik Dreygur was to become a close confidant of the Iron Dragon, rarely seen except in his presence, a silent and brooding warrior who would serve as Cassian Dracos' right hand throughout the wars of the Horus Heresy.
Nârik Dreygur - Wargear: Artificer ArmourMaster-Crafted Bolt PistolPower FistCortex ControllerCortex DesignatorRefractor FieldFrag & Krak Grenades
Nôkh - Nôkh: Nôkh is a Hernkyn of the Greater Thurian League's Kindred of Vôrtun. He accompanied the Oathbands under the overall command of Kâhl Ûthar the Destined that was sent to the Kin World of Törg by her home Kindred during the Battle of Örgvayr to rescue its Cthonian Guild miners from an assault launched by the Heretic Astartes of the World Eaters and The Purge who had emerged out of Warp Storm Örgvayr after the birth of the Great Rift.Once the battle began, Nôkh's Hernkyn Pioneer bands, supported by light gunships and rugged Sagitaur ATVs, swept through the high passes of the Fumarok Range to attack the World Eaters from the rear. They launched swift hit-and-run strikes, using their pan spectral scanners to maintain a fix on their enemies amidst the toxic murk of Törg's surface. Goaded to action, many wrath-crazed Khornate Berserkers broke off their assault on Harvester Fortress Five and pursued Nôkh's band into the hazardous mountain passes, allowing the other Thurian Oathbands to rescue the Cthonians and their haul of valuable resources from the harvester fortress.Despite losses, the Thurians ultimately succeeded in rescuing both the miners and much of their valuable harvested raw materials.
Nôthka's Kindred - Nôthka's Kindred: Nôthka's Kindred is a Kindred of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance of the Leagues of Votann, located amidst the Hold World of the Broken Triplets in the galactic core.So hardy and technologically advanced are the Kin, that they have claimed many regions of space viewed by other starfaring species as inimical. Nôthka's Kindred, for example, maintains a hold amidst the calamitous ruin-belt of the Broken Triplets. This trio of worlds were smashed together during some ancient catastrophe, and the colossal quantities of debris from their demise still whirls and ricochets in a vast cloud to this day, trapped by the gravitic anomaly that caused the disaster.Few other peoples could consider such a devastating region home, yet the hold of Nôthka's Kindred -- Sunder Stair -- sits at the heart of the anomaly behind a breathtaking bulwark of interwoven force fields. These both shelter the immense void station that serves as the hold and also maintain clear space lanes for its voidcraft to take in and out of the system.Not only do the Kin of Sunder Stair enjoy the natural defence of the planetary ruin-belt -- which would swiftly cripple invading voidcraft -- but they have also spent Terran centuries mining the exposed innards of the Broken Triplets.
Oan Mkoll - Oan Mkoll: Oan Mkoll is the Scout Sergeant of the Tanith First-and-Only and one of the most skilled scouts of the Imperial Guard. Drafted from the Forest World of Tanith on the day of its destruction he serves as leader of the unique Scouts, overseeing their training as well as leading them into battle. While he has taken on foes, that seemed unbeatable by normal humans, his greatest skill lies in the art of stealth. He is equally skilled in moving  fast and unseen deep into enemy territory, as well as leading his fellow Guardsmen, especially his own Scouts, where they need to be, without being noticed.
Oan Mkoll - Life on Tanith: Oan Mkoll was born on the Forest World of Tanith and raised in one of its numerous villages deep in the forests. There, he learned how to move and orientate inside the forests of Tanith, which had a strange habit of being in constant change. This way Mkoll developed a strong sense of direction, like most people of Tanith.He later joined the Tanith PDF, where his outstanding talents were first discovered: While all men of Tanith are trained scouts and nearly never get lost anywhere, Mkoll's sense for orientation and scouting even excelled compared to the other natives of Tanith. Therefore, in his military training, he developed all the skills, a professional scout needs. He not only learned to move fast and unseen, he also became a skilled marksman with his Lasgun, specialising in precise single shots, as well as a great fighter with the "Straight Silver", the unique combat knifes of Tanith.He also developed a friendship with a great number of those, he would later fight together in the Imperial guard. Most notably he met Mkvenner, also a scout and perhaps the only person, who could compare his skills as a Scout with Mkolls or even surpassing him in some fields, like fighting with "Straight Silver".One day Colonel-Comissar Ibram Gaunt arrived, sent to recruit three regiments on this world to support the Sabbat-World-Crusade. Mkoll was one of the chosen to leave the PDF and join one of these three regiments. However, the same day Chaos attacked. The planet was destroyed, but Ibram Gaunt decided, that, instead of giving a last stand, completing his task was more important. He ordered all Guardsmen he could get to leave the planet, which was destroyed beneath them. The surviving troops, extremely decimated in numbers, formed only one regiment, the Tanith First-and-Only.One of the survivors was Oan Mkoll. Due to his outstanding and well-known talent as a Scout, as well as his skills as a leader, Ibram Gaunt decided on Mkoll to lead the separate Scout-Unit of the Tanith First-and-Only as its Sergeant.
Oan Mkoll - Personality and Skills: Mkoll has a character fitting to his job. He is tough, has great expectations both from his Scouts and himself and is always calm and introverted. However, he cares deeply for his comrades and friends He would always throw away his life for those he was entrusted with .He for example faced a Chaos Cybot, just because retreating would mean to search for the beast later, which most likely would result in losses for the regiment.In general, the responsibility to always lead the regiment safely through dangerous lands is pressuring him constantly. If he is ever without a clue, if his skills seem to fail, he feels guilty and a burning self-hatred starts to grow. This results in a great fear of failing. As his Colonel Gaunt seemed to be dead, he could feel the same pain as Eszrah ap Niht, who was sworn to protect Gaunt at any costs and believed he has failed his quest. This way, Mkoll had a deep understanding for Eszrah and his daeda waeg. He accompanied the Nihtghane to kill any Blood Pact soldier on Jago or die trying, since those were responsible for Gaunts "demise". If they would not have found Gaunt, they probably would have reached the end of this special path, one way or another.Being an Imperial Guardsman Mkoll continued to deliver incomparable results. He is an expert in close combat with his silver knife, the Straight Silver, which all members of his regiment carry. He can move unseen nearly anywhere and kill without being noticed. He is known for always finding the right path and always be able to safely lead the regiment to any location he already scouted. The few times, when Mkoll can't find something, are usually in some way connected to sorcery.
Oan Mkoll - Wargear: Being a Scout of the Tanith First-and-Only, Mkoll carries their standard equipment. This means, like nearly all men of his regiment, he makes use of a Mark 3 Lasgun, with a shaft made out of Nalwood directly from Tanith, as well as his Straight Silver, the silver dagger used by the First-and-Only. Finally, his camo-cloak helps him to move around unseen. He also sometimes carries explosives for saboteur-operations, but that is by no means standard.
Oath-Broken - Oath-Broken: The Oath-Broken are a special formation of the Black Legion comprised of those Chaos Space Marines who have failed in the service of the Legion's master, Abaddon the Despoiler.Those that dare betray the Warmaster of Chaos seldom live long enough to regret their mistake, and those who do quickly come to regret their folly bitterly as their bodies and souls are subjected to the most abject of agonies.Yet the Oath-Broken are no true traitors to Abaddon, but merely those who failed in their assigned tasks, or got badly mauled on the battlefield and crippled by horrendous wounds.Failures and cripples invariably lose the fickle attention of their mortal and immortal masters alike, and without the blessings of the Powers of the Warp to mend their limbs or knit their broken bodies together with mutations, the Oath-Broken are forced to fashion their own crude replacements: blades sutured to stumps, xenos appendages crudely grafted into empty sockets and ragged armour patched with whatever material the Eye of Terror deems to provide.And yet, woe to the fool who underestimates these dregs of the Black Legion, for an Oath-Broken's desire to again bask in the glories that only Chaos can provide is only equal to his hatred of any who still do.
Oath of Moment - Oath of Moment: An Oath of Moment is an ancient tradition that harkens back to the time of the heroic Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy era in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia. These were solemn promises, often invoked by several witnesses, usually fellow battle-brothers, regarding an individual's future actions in regards to a sacred vow or pledge to be carried out no matter the cost.An Oath of Moment was often sworn before going into battle or setting out on a mission and was taken as a reaffirmation of the sacred oaths made to the Emperor of Mankind and a Space Marine's individual primarch or Legion. A typical Oath of Moment often required at least two persons -- the individual Astartes swearing the oath and a battle-brother(s) to offer it and witness it.The essence of such oaths was an invocation to be a guarantor of the oath-taker's honesty and integrity in the matter under question. By implication, this invokes divine displeasure from an Astartes' primarch or the Emperor Himself if the oath-taker failed in their sworn duties. Therefore, the import of such a significant pledge implied greater care than usual in the act of the performance of an individual's duty. These pledges usually had an oath-taker swearing them over a weapon. Often times these oaths were written on parchment and affixed to the oath-taker's power armour before he departed on a mission.A Space Marine squad often swore an Oath of Moment collectively, but an isolated Space Marine could swear one simply by declaring it aloud during the heat of battle on an uncaring battlefield or even in his own mind to steel his resolve, with the Emperor as his witness. Some Legions kept these oath parchments as a record of tasks achieved while others more than likely disposed of them ceremoniously or discarded them after they had achieved the sworn promise and were thus no longer relevant.The Space Wolves for example, often eschewed the use of such oaths, scorning the idea of writing them down. As one Long Fang at the time of the Fall of Prospero pointed out, "That's what memories are for."A few Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes in the 41st Millennium still make use of this bygone tradition of the ancient Space Marines, such as the Blood Angels and the Iron Knights.
Obelisk - Obelisk: An Obelisk is a Necron air-defence construct and a near-indestructible  war machine, similar in design to a Monolith but wholly different in function and purpose. These cyclopean mobile fortresses’ function is to watch and wait for that inevitable day when a lesser race chances its army against a Necron Tomb World. They are almost undetectable whilst dormant, and are able to be sustained in such a state for thousands -- if not millions -- of standard years on the merest trickle of power, which is used to power a potent energy shield.An Obelisk awakens to full function only when it detects enemy aircraft in the skies above its Necron masters’ Tomb World, and the skies grow dark with the shadows of dogfighting flyers. When it does so its energy field is disabled, but by manipulating a minute gravitic singularity contained within it, an Obelisk is able to rise into the air from beneath the Tomb World’s crust, its approach swift but silent.Should an enemy aircraft stray too close, the Obelisk is able to trigger a Gravity Pulse, an expanding sphere of earth-shaking gravimetric force that blows enemy aircraft out of the sky and sends the intruder hurtling to a fiery death. As such, when an Obelisk activates, it rises to complete dominance above the war-torn surface of its homeworld. It will annihilate every enemy in the airspace around it and even obliterate ground-based targets with its eldritch Tesla Spheres.
Obelisk - Armament: All Necron Obelisks are armed with the following:Gravity Pulse – When a Gravity Pulse is triggered by an Obelisk, the construct manipulates the energies of a minute gravitic singularity contained within it to produce an expanding wall of earth-shakingly powerful force. If an enemy aircraft is hit by this sphere of force, it inevitably is smashed aside and severely damaged, often being turned into a plummeting wreck as the pilot loses control of his aircraft.4 Tesla Spheres – A Tesla Sphere is a form of Necron Tesla Weapon. An Obelisk mounts four around its hull to provide it with a defence against anything that enters the airspace around the war machine. Tesla Spheres have an extremely high rate of fire, even more so than a Tesla Destructor, and unleash bolts of living lightning that crackle from foe to foe after hitting their target, charring flesh and melting armour. Tesla bolts feed off the energy released by the destruction they cause, thus making their lightning become more furious with every fresh arc.Necrodermis – The armour of Obelisks is made up of the same living metal Necrodermis that makes up all Necron android bodies and vehicles. Its remarkable regenerative properties allow it to automatically repair damage to itself; whether this is the regeneration of parts of its hull, the reknitting of metal plates, or the reconnection of circuits and other delicate systems to bring its various weapon systems online once more.
Oberdeii - Oberdeii: Oberdeii, known as the "Warden of the Pharos," was the first Chapter Master of the Third Founding Scythes of the Emperor Space Marine Chapter.Originally a Scout Marine of the 199th "Aegida" Company of the Ultramarines Legion during the Horus Heresy, he would go on to be a part of the events surrounding the mysterious xenos artefact known as the Pharos on the Agri-world of Sotha during the dark days of the Heresy. Following the Battle of Sotha, he was promoted to Reconnaissance Squad sergeant by Primarch Roboute Guilliman personally.He would later be promoted to captain of the Aegida Company, which acted as a phantom 11th Company of the newly divided Ultramarines Chapter in defiance of the Codex Astartes on the orders of Guilliman himself. He would maintain his vigil over Sotha for centuries, until the dawning of the 32nd Millennium.During the Third Founding, he was offered the choice to be reassigned as a part of the Ultramarines Chapter's 5th Company or to continue his vigil as Chapter Master of a new "Aegida Chapter."Oberdeii reluctantly accepted the latter choice, and became the first master of the newborn Chapter he renamed the "Scythes of the Emperor."
Oberon-class Battleship - Oberon-class Battleship: The Imperial Navy's Oberon-class Battleship is a well-rounded early variant of the Emperor-class Battleship that was designed to perform a variety of roles.While lacking the swarming attack craft of its successor or the raw firepower of the Retribution- or Apocalypse-class Battleships, the Oberon is able to deliver a mixed assault of attack craft, torpedoes, and lance and weapons battery fire that more specialized battleships cannot.This diverse armament gives the Oberon the ability to deal with any threat, and therefore not need the usual squadron of escorts to protect it. This self-sufficiency is further enhanced by advanced augur sensor systems that give the Oberon the ability to detect enemies before they are aware of its presence.Unfortunately, despite its impressive combat record, the Oberon has become exceedingly rare after it was phased out by the Imperial Navy in favour of the Emperor-class. Those still in service, however, remain formidable ships of the line with the ability to defeat any enemy on the field of battle.
Oblationist - Oblationist: Born in the fires of the "War of Brass" that wracked the Calixis Sector in the late 40th Millennium, the Oblationist Radical faction of the Inquisition is an oath-sworn society of bitter fanatics who wield Warp-forged weapons, bind Daemons, and command the power of sorcerers with a self-hating fury that sees all in the Inquisition but their own creed as utterly impure, corrupt, and deserving of destruction. Their infamy long outstripping their numbers, the notorious Oblationist Inquisitors and their trusted servants have determined to sacrifice themselves in the cause of the protection of the Imperium, regardless of the cost.Consumed with vengeful wrath and fanatic certainty, they gather profane artefacts, hoard forbidden knowledge, and wield the powers of the Warp whilst tolerating no others to use such methods. Their intolerance of all other Radicals has much in common with the most Puritanical factions; they believe that only other Oblationists may wield the weapons and knowledge of the enemy and remain true in the service of the God-Emperor. They are unbending in their belief and ruthless in all aspects of its application.
Oblationist - Death in the Ordos: The first generation of Oblationists to come after the executed Inquisitor Lord Godella Morn were like most other factionists; individuals seized by conviction and individual flair. Most were previously staunch Puritans -- the force of Godella Morn's proclamation, that the power of the Warp was utterly corrupting and that those that used it, even in necessity were damned, was taken as a central pillar of the Radical path they had committed themselves to.Many of the nascent Oblationists were consumed by the powers that they tried to wield -- going mad or falling into shadow and thralldom to the Dark Gods. Those that survived were secretive fanatics of the most unforgiving kind. They fell upon each other with sorcery, occult weapons, and hatred. Each saw the other not as bound by the same creed but as corrupt and worthy only of death. Many Inquisitors and Acolytes, seen as tainted by this new brand of fanatic Radicals, were slain.The survival of the Oblationist creed amongst the Calixian Inquisition stood for some solar decades on a knife edge, poised either to consume itself in its own fanaticism or grow and strengthen enough to exist beyond its violent birth. The change that allowed Oblationists to survive came in the form of a nameless Inquisitor who saw what must be done to end the bloodbath. Firstly, this unknown founder hid his identity and the true nature of his conviction beneath a mask that has never been discovered, a lesson he passed on to others. Secondly, he saw that there was only one way for Oblationists to not slaughter each other, and that was by binding them together by a common oath that put those who had taken that oath outside of the necessity of being purged. Finally, this nameless visionary saw that neither secrecy nor unity could be achieved with any who called themselves Oblationists at that time. There was only one answer: they must all be killed.One by one those who had cleaved to Oblationism were eliminated in a slow campaign of discovery and murder that spanned two Terran centuries. In the end, the ground was cleared -- only one, nameless Oblationist still existed. That nameless one tutored others in the creed of the Oblationist and taught them the dark arts that they must wield. In so doing, each apprentice in Oblationism was bound by an oath; the Oath of Oblation. In secret, master taught apprentice and bound him with oaths, and in turn, the apprentices became masters and bound others to the Oath. Thus, through murder and secrecy, Oblationism survived.
Oblationist - Purgation of the Serrated Query: Oblationism is rare and a relatively new creed, and its adherents did not appear within the bounds of the Calixis Sector until many centuries after the final battles of the Angevin Crusade. One of its first acts (once it had gained some measure of stability) was to begin a secret war of annihilation with one of the oldest and most intransigent recidivist organisations within the sector -- the Serrated Query. Inquisitors Ixon and Cordul had dedicated their careers to the complete destruction of the Serrated Query. Having hunted them across the stars, the pair came to the Calixis Sector and found a royal nest of their prey. Upon arrival, they joined the fledgling Oblationist sect to seek the means to do what they had never been able to do before -- meet and vanquish the cult on its own terms.With the help of their new allies, the two Inquisitors worked in silence and shadows. They unleashed a flock of their most trusted and deadly servants and charged them with the destruction of every last member or associate of the Query. This shadow reaping occurred at the turning of the 801st year of the 41st Millennium, and for several solar months, none within the Serrated Query would have realised that a murderous force was bearing down on them like the silent fall of a headsman;s axe. The oathed Acolytes of Ixon and Cordul needed knowledge, the kind of knowledge that takes solar months or standard years to gather.Rather than waste time, they went to work obtaining it from those most likely to have it -- the Inquisitors and Acolytes of the Calixian Conclave. Kidnapping, torture, theft, and the psychic flaying of truth from minds, were the primary tools employed in this pursuit. The Oblationist Acolytes were so efficient that they obtained all the necessary information for the real operation whilst the Calixis Conclave struggled to respond.The servants of Inquisitors Ixon and Cordul had all they needed and moved like a murderous ghosts through the Serrated Query's membership and allies. Nobles, merchants, and crime bosses vanished. Merchant voidcraft and warships alike were destroyed. The corrupt pawns and secret allies of the Serrated Query went into hiding against the onslaught, only to be assassinated and hunted down in seemingly impossible circumstances. So grave was the damage to every level of the Serrated Query in the Calixis Sector that their complete extinction seemed inevitable. Then, just before the final death blow could be struck, the onslaught stopped. Overnight, the two Inquisitors and all their secret Acolytes had vanished as if consumed by some great predatory beast disturbed from its slumber by their activities.
Oblationist - Pure Yet Damned: At the core of the Oblationist creed is the total conviction that the power of the Warp is corrupting without exception or degree: all touched by it are damned. Yet these powers are the most powerful weapon against the enemies that conspire to consume Mankind. The Oblationist sees the decision to wield daemon weapons, bind unhallowed servants, and learn the arts of the sorcerer -- or abstaining from such methods -- as a choice between damnation and sacred duty to the God-Emperor.To this choice there are two possible responses: to withhold one's hands from the weapons of the enemy and remain pure and impotent, or to damn oneself by taking up those weapons. To the Oblationist, this is no choice at all; their own purity is nothing but a tool to be used or sacrificed in the service of the Emperor. A pure servant of the Emperor, who offers their very soul in His cause, may bend the weapons of Chaos to serve Mankind. Oblationists believe that others should not use Chaos, and that only those who sacrifice their purity to wield Chaos against itself in the knowledge that they are damned can truly serve the Emperor.
Oblationist - The Annihilation of Self: Becoming an Oblationist is an act of self-annihilation in which the past is burnt away, faith voided, and a new life begun in bitterness and the ashes of purity. Taking up the weapons of the enemy is an act that damns any that dare to experiment. Oblationists believe that their own damnation is an inviolable truth, and so see that in daring to take up the weapons of the enemy their lives are forfeit and their souls tainted. This is a sacrifice they gladly make in the God-Emperor's name.From the moment an Oblationist takes up the weapons of the enemy, they believe they are separated from the one thing that gives their life any meaning; purity in the sight of the God-Emperor of Mankind. They are undone, and their souls shattered by what they believe they must do. In the creed of the Oblationists, the moment at which a servant of the Emperor willingly accepts damnation, and the loss of their soul, is a moment at which they must accept that they are dead. All their hopes, fears, and dreams are annihilated in the act of willing damnation. From this moment on, all that they were is gone, and they rise reborn as a damned thing of fury and righteous purpose.Service of the Oblationist creed is one surrounded by ceremony and secrecy, their hidden rites maintained and passed down by those few who survive long in the creed's pursuit. Commonly, their ceremonies are surrounded with the mournful trappings of a funeral and replete with images of death and the damnation of the soul. Some Oblationist Inquisitors present their would-be aspirants with an unholy relic as a final test and expose them to powers both malign and terrible and see if they survive: pitting them against a bound Daemon that can only be defeated by taking up an unhallowed weapon, or possessing their body with a Daemon that they must force out of themselves.All of these ceremonies, however varied, culminate with the Oath of Oblation: an oath to suffer no other who is not "of the Oath of Oblation" and has truck with the unholy or profane, and to destroy the unclean without mercy by any means and method. Many Oblationists take new names at the point that they make the Oath of Oblation to represent the passing of what they were and their rebirth among the damned.
Oblationist - Those of the Oath: Unlike many other factions within the Inquisition, the Oblationists function as a secret cadre of Inquisitors and their most trusted servants. At any given time, there may be no more than a handful of Oblastionist Inquisitors in operation in the Calixis Sector, and the majority of those are often believed dead by their former comrades in the ordos. Others unknowingly serve Oblationists, but trust is only ever given to those "of the Oath," and only this select number are spared the brutal judgement of the Oblationist creed.For any other who succumbs to the temptations of the Warp, the heresies of the witch, or the lies of the alien are summarily sentenced to death. Even those within the Inquisition who fall to Radicalism are considered beyond redemption or toleration, even though they may use methods that Oblationists may use themselves; if an Inquisitor employs the tools of the enemy and is not "of the Oath," then they are just another Heretic who must be destroyed.It is through the Oath of Oblation and the sect's other hidden rites that the Oblationist faction perpetuates its creed and traditions. One Oblationist Inquisitor will draw his apprentices from amongst his Oathed servants, school them in the nuances of the Oblationist creed, and -- if they prove true in their service -- he will raise them to the Inquisitorial Rosette and make them full Inquisitors. In time, these new Inquisitors will oath Acolytes to the Oblationist creed, and the cycle continues, creating as it does a fine web of master-to-apprentice bonds that are what allows the Oblationist faction to survive and (on occasion) act to a common end.Inquisitors often operate alone, relying on their own Acolytes and vassals, and only rarely are drawn to work together in a cell or close-knit cabal. In this matter, Oblationists are no different, and in fact usually shun the company of their fellow Inquisitors and rarely become drawn into the concerns of an established cabal or conclave. Oblationists are loath to trust and are suspicious of the purity and intent of all who are not bound by the Oath of Oblation. They do, however, on occasion operate in concert with other Inquisitors who are "of the Oath," though this is often only possibly because of bonds of trust that have been hard won over time: the Oath of Oblation may bind them to abstain from destroying one another, but it does not demand the bestowing of trust.
Oblationist - Fury and Daemonology: Those who are bound by the Oath of Oblation are driven by a fury that can tolerate neither sin, nor deviation, nor lapse in purity. This righteous anger is fuelled by the bitterness of having lost deliberately that which others throw away. The Oblationist has damned themself and destroyed their purity so that they can better serve the Emperor and Mankind, while the Lost and Damned that they hunt have fallen not for duty, but because they are selfish, deluded, and weak. Not only are they blasphemous, but they have scorned the purity that the Oblationist craves and can never again have.The creed and nature of Oblationists offers Heretics no second chances, no redemption, only judgement and death. The primary aim, therefore, of Oblationist operations is to root out the Heretic, witch, and Daemon and destroy it. Given that even knowing of the heretical methods the Oblationists use could in itself cause corruption, their operations are carried out in secret so that the heresy is consumed as if by an invisible inferno that leaves no trace of its passing except the total destruction of an enemy of the Imperium.The tools of an Oblationist and their Oathed servants may wield include those of the Heretic, alien, and witch. However, above all, Oblationists are masters of sorcery, binding Daemons, and the wielding of Warp-forged Daemon Weapons against their enemies. These weapons and knowledge have been taken over millennia from the hands and minds of Heretics and are passed down from one Oblationist Inquisitor to another, often at the moment that they take the Oath of Oblation.Oblationists use more than just Daemon Swords or tomes of dark lore to achieve their ends. Many use Heretics as pawns or even unwitting servants, for these individuals are simply another form of blasphemous tool that they must use to perform their duty -- but in the end, they too must be judged and purged when they have served their purpose.
Oblationist - Current Conspiracies: The Oblationists are very few in number, and adherents to their creed tend towards a narrowness of view that is like the focused blast of a lascannon; searingly bright and destructive, but brief. There are few active Oblationists at any one time, and therefore, the efforts of these Inquisitors and their Acolytes are more concentrated and definite than many of those of other more numerous factions.Like many others, the Oblationists are concerned with the manifestation of the Tyrant Star in the Calixis Sector. However, their focus is not that of others who are racing to understand, tame, or thwart the baleful power of the Black Sun. Instead, the Oblationists' current conspiracies focus on matters that are central to the obsession of their creed -- the destruction of the corrupt within the Holy Ordos and the slaying of the greatest beast that threatens the domains of the God-Emperor of Mankind.
Oblationist - Annihilation of the Calixian Conclave: To a significant proportion of the Oblationists, it is a clear and manifest truth that the Calixian Conclave and its associated cabals, covens, and factions are becoming increasingly corrupt and led into damnation and disaster. The tendrils of corruption they see are imbedded deep within the flesh, minds, and souls of almost all the Inquisitors within the sector, and nothing short of a total purge will rid the taint. The true nature and cause of this slowly spreading taint is unknown to the Oblationists, but understanding it is not required. Realising that it is there is enough for them.For the most extreme Oblationists, there is only one possible solution -- the Calixian Conclave of the Inquisition must be annihilated. There may exist some few who are untainted or who do not realise they are thralled to ruination, but that is not enough to call into question what must be done. It is a bitter undertaking, but Oblationists are eaters of ash and sorrow, willing to do what must be done and pay the price of damnation and pain. Such an undertaking is not achieved swiftly, for those of the Oath in the sector are few and cannot hope to hunt down and kill all of their brother and sister Inquisitors one at a time.So, in the dark, the most fanatical and destructive of their number are seeking to bring about cataclysmic events that they hope will necessitate drawing together the conclave in one place and time. At that moment, the Oblationists will be ready to do what they must, for the sake of all.
Oblationist - Pursuit of the Servants of Twilight: Oblationists have made it their cause to hunt a quarry that they believe threatens the existence of everyone and everything within the Calixis Sector. This enemy is considered by even their fellow Inquisitors to be a phantom, a myth, or a nightmare tale told by those who are themselves things of nightmare. This quarry may have no true name, but those who whisper its legend call its agents the "Servants of Twilight."The Servants of Twilight haunt the dreams of Heretics and monsters, and are said to be possessed of terrible power. Theirs is the power to see your every thought, assume any form, kill at a glance, and steal the sun from the sky should they wish it.To most within the Holy Ordos, the Servants of Twilight are nothing more than a tale that has grown in the telling, and been lent credence by Heretics using it as a cloak for their own designs. To some, however, the Servants of Twilight are no myth but the greatest of threats hidden beneath the absurdity of the tale. The Oblationist pursuit of the Servants of Twilight is championed by Antonia Mesmeron and her disciples, and it is for this elusive quarry that the Daemonhunter is willing to risk exposure and destruction at the hands of fellow Inquisitors.Whilst these cults are considered by most as nothing more than a story or, at best a cover for some more established threat, Mesmeron understands the terrible truth -- as only one who has ripped that lore from a Daemon's lips can.
Oblationist - Oblationists and the Holy Ordos: Oblationists are untrusting, solitary figures whose existence is likely to become threatened if their true allegiance becomes widely known in the Calixian Conclave. As a result, they prefer to pursue their own ends in isolation from their fellow Inquisitors, as public espousal of this most Radical of creeds courts immediate destruction at the hands of more mainstream Puritans within the Holy Ordos, and the attentions of other, darker rivals. This means that most Oblationists claim no direct association with any single ordo and pursue a lone wolf existence as roving Inquisitors which aids them in maintaining their independence of action. This is also, in part, a consequence of the implicit arrogance of the Oblationist creed which labels all others within the Holy Ordos as either vile Heretics, ineffectual weaklings, or deluded at best.Those that do not hide behind the shroud of a false death pay only lip service to wider Inquisitorial authority. They interact with Inquisitorial politics or power-plays as little as possible, and seldom meet even with those of their own faction unless they see a pressing need to do so. True fanatics, they believe that diluting their sacred efforts with the concerns of other, less-enlightened Inquisitors is a waste of time that is fast running out.Of those few Oblationists that do maintain association with one of the ordos of the Calixian Conclave, most can be found within the Ordo Malleus or more rarely the Ordo Hereticus, but keep their true creed a guarded secret from their fellows. The Malleus Oblationists view the threat of Chaos as the Great Enemy that stands above all others in the path of Human survival. The destruction of Daemon-cults is an obsession for these Oblationists that overrides other lesser hatreds, and of course the resources of the Ordo Malleus also offer them opportunities to obtain new and greater weapons to wield against the enemies of the Imperium.In the past, a handful of Oblationists who are particularly concerned with the corruption of their brethren found their seat amongst the Witch Hunters of the Ordo Hereticus. There are, however, a few Oblationists who see the enemy without as a force of subtle corruption and as a powerful threat. These Oblationists turn their Daemon-forged blades and creed of bitterness against the conspiracies and dark legacies of alien species both living and dead who are the primary concern of the Ordo Xenos.