vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Exorcist - Exorcist: The Exorcist is the primary long-range support vehicle of the Adepta Sororitas, also known as the Sisters of Battle. Besides the Rhino, the Exorcist is the oldest type of vehicle in service to the Sisterhood, the history of the Exorcist goes back as far as the Age of Apostasy. Some Exorcist tanks in service today originate from that time period, and are heavily venerated and considered sacred by their users. These tanks, of which some are very similar in appearance to the Space Marine Whirlwind missile tank, use ancient technologies that are barely understood by the Adeptus Mechanicus today. Many of these ancient machines have a reputation as being temperamental and difficult, their Machine Spirits requiring constant work and prayer in order to keep them battle-ready.The Exorcist exists today in two different patterns, the original Prioris Pattern, which originates from the forges of Mars, and the Sanctorum Pattern, which is constructed on Ophelia VII. Due to Mars being the closest Forge World to Terra, and the Emperor Himself, any Prioris Pattern Exorcist originating from there is heavily venerated and each vehicle is regarded as a work of art, as much a symbol of the Emperor as a provider of long-range fire support. While the Sanctorum Pattern is the most common pattern of the Exorcist, it is not held in as high esteem as the original vehicles, which are blessed from the closer divine presence of the Emperor when they were constructed.
Exorcist - Armament: The Exorcist is based on the common Rhino chassis design, much like many other vehicles used by the Adepta Sororitas. The vehicle is named after its main weapon, the Exorcist Missile Launcher, the weapon is mounted on top of the tank. The Prioris Pattern of the Exorcist features a very ornate launcher system that resembles a large pipe organ and launches the missiles out of the tops of its long pipes. The Sanctorum Pattern uses a more conventional missile launching system, and is very similar to the Whirlwind Missile Launcher mounted on the Adeptus Astartes Whirlwind tanks. The missiles fired from the Exorcist Missile Launcher are armour-piercing explosives that are capable of annihilating enemy tanks or destroying squads of heavy infantry in a single salvo, assuming the launcher does not malfunction. Though the weapon is potent, to the Sisterhood its primary purpose is to serve as a divine symbol of the power and glory of the Ecclesiarchy and serve as a mobile shrine to the Emperor. Like the Immolator tank also used by the Sister of Battle, the Exorcist belongs to the Adeptus Ministorum's unique arsenal of war-machines. These weapons and vehicles are seen as tools for prosecuting holy wars against heretics and mutants, and it would be inappropriate for the rabble of the Imperial Guard or the deviant Space Marines who worship their Primarchs to use. For these factions to use these most holy of weapons would be to risk tainting the Machine Spirit and would incur the displeasure of the Emperor. Each Exorcist is hand-crafted and unique, and each one may be outfitted with several upgrades, including; Blessed Ammunition, dozer blades, extra armour plating, a Holy Icon, a Hunter-killer Missile Launcher, Laud Hailers, a Pintle-mounted Storm Bolter, a searchlight and smoke launchers.
Exorcist - Known Formations: Chorus of Faith - During their Wars of Faith, the Sisters of Battle of the Adepta Sororitas are often confronted by Renegades and apostates with access to heavy armour, and even infernal war machinery to aid them in resisting the Sisters' divinely-ordained judgement. In such battles, the Sororitas rely largely on their arcane Exorcist tanks to deal with such resilient targets, often combining them on the battlefield in a "chorus of faith" whose massed firepower can obliterate even a Titan in a hail of Melta-missiles. Exorcist tanks themselves are little understood weapons whose origins are shrouded in the dark days of the Age of Apostasy. They can be found in a number of different designs, some resembling ornate works of ecclesiastical art more closely than war machines, and many are further bedecked in reliquaries and icons, inspirational music blasting forth from their Laud Hailers to spur the faithful into battle. Exorcist tanks in a "chorus of faith" formation can combine their fire in an exultation of judgement, which is capable of bringing a devastating barrage of missiles atop the target.
Exorcist - Users of the Exorcist Missile Tank: Adepta Sororitas - The Exorcist is used as the primary long-range support vehicle by the Sisters of battle, the Exorcist is used by all of the Sisterhood's Orders.Ordo Hereticus - Besides the Sisters of Battle, the Ordo Hereticus branch of the Inquisition permits the use of the Exorcist to its forces as a support vehicle.
Exorcist - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Sactorum Pattern Exorcist Missile TankVehicle Name:Exorcist Missile TankMain Armament:Exorcist Missile LauncherForge World of Origin:Ophelia VIISecondary Armament:N/AKnown Patterns:I - IVTraverse:360 degreesCrew:1 Driver, 1 GunnerElevation:0 to 65 degreesPowerplant:Quad MkII Adaptable Thermic Combustor ReactorMain Ammunition:48 MissilesWeight:32 TonnesSecondary Ammunition:N/ALength:6.6 metresArmour:Width:4.5 metresHeight:5.3 metresSuperstructure:80 millimetresGround Clearance:0.44 metresHull:100 millimetresMax Speed On-Road:55 kilometres per hourGun Mantlet:N/AMax Speed Off-Road:35 kilometres per hourVehicle Designation:0120-766-0813-EX 013Transport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:N/AAccess Points:N/ATurret:N/APrioris Pattern Exorcist Missile tankVehicle Name:Exorcist Missile TankMain Armament:Exorcist Missile LauncherForge World of Origin:MarsSecondary Armament:N/AKnown Patterns:IV - VIITraverse:UnknownCrew:1 Driver, 1 GunnerElevation:UnknownPowerplant:Quad MkII Adaptable Thermic Combustor ReactorMain Ammunition:64 MissilesWeight:UnknownSecondary Ammunition:N/ALength:UnknownArmour:Width:UnknownHeight:UnknownSuperstructure:UnknownGround Clearance:UnknownHull:UnknownMax Speed On-Road:72 kilometres per hourGun Mantlet:N/AMax Speed Off-Road:55 kilometres per hourVehicle Designation:UnknownTransport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:N/AAccess Points:N/ATurret:N/A
Exorcist - Sources: Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition), pp. 23, 36Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition, pp. 228-232Imperial Armour Update 2002, pg. 23Imperial Armour Apocalypse 2, pg. 41Shield of Baal: Exterminatus (7th Edition), pg. 85White Dwarf 380 (UK), "Codex: Sisters of Battle" (5th Edition), pg. 100Dawn of War - Soulstorm (PC Game)
Exorcists - Exorcists: The Exorcists are a highly unusual Loyalist Chapter of Space Marines created during the 13th Founding, the so-called "Dark Founding" which occurred sometime between the 35th and 36th Millennia, before the start of the Age of Apostasy.The true identity of their progenitors are known only to the highest-ranking members of the Ordo Malleus, and details of their creation have been placed under Inquisitorial seal, though it is widely accepted that they were raised from the genetic lineage of Rogal Dorn, and share many of the stoic traits of other Imperial Fists successors.The Exorcists were founded as part of a highly-classified Imperial experiment to create Space Marines who were unusually resistant to Daemonic possession and Chaos corruption.As part of their initiation into the Chapter each Exorcist Astartes had actually been forced to serve as a Daemonhost for a short time before having the foul creature expelled back to the Warp by the intervention of an Inquisitor.The details of the Chapter's Founding are not simply lost to the mists of time, however, for they have never been accessible to even the highest-ranked individuals.All that can be ascertained is that the records were sealed at the express and irreversible order of one of the High Lords of Terra -- none other than the Inquisitorial Representative on the Senatorum Imperialis.This has led some to postulate that the Exorcists were created on the order of the Inquisition, or perhaps as a result of their counsel. What dark mission could require the founding of an entire Space Marine Chapter is unknown, but certainly, the Exorcists are quite unique in many regards.The Exorcists adhere in most ways to the precepts of the Codex Astartes, the only notable difference being the fact that they maintain not ten, but twelve companies.Instead of just a single Scout Company, the Exorcists maintain two extra for a total of twelve companies within the Chapter.While the reason for this divergence has never been openly explained, it is thought to relate to the esoteric and arduous selection processes the neophytes are subjected to, as this training requires a high influx of recruits in order to ensure the Chapter's continuation.The exact nature of the Chapter's training and conditioning remains a mystery to the wider Imperium for good reason, but there are some Imperial savants who have correctly surmised that the neophytes are deliberately exposed to contact with the foul denizens of the Warp in the hope that they will be made strong by the process, or killed by it.If true, this would certainly account for the high numbers of Exorcist neophytes -- up to 80% in one measure -- who, for whatever reason, do not survive service in one of the Scout Companies to become full initiates of the Chapter.This is largely speculation, for if such a practice were to be brought to light, not even a Chapter of the mighty Adeptus Astartes would be free from prosecution by the Inquisition for such a crime.
Exorcists - Public Origins: This mysterious but noble Chapter is at once the epitome of the values of the Adeptus Astartes and an enigma. The Exorcists have saved many worlds and defeated many great foes in the service of the Emperor of Mankind.The Exorcists is only the second known Space Marine Chapter to have been created during the mysterious 13th Founding (the so-called "Dark Founding"), alongside the equally mysterious Death Spectres.The exact nature and origin of the gene-seed used in the Exorcists' creation has remained classified by a special "Bull Absolute" of the Inquisitorial Representative to the High Lords of Terra issued by the Senatorum Imperialis at the time of the Chapter's creation, but they were in fact created from the genetic lineage of Rogal Dorn.What is known publicly is that the Exorcists have maintained a long-standing link to the Inquisition. Some have even whispered that they are intimately involved with certain factions of the secretive Ordo Malleus.It is most likely that the unique character of this Chapter has been greatly influenced by the sponsorship and designs of the Inquisitorial Ordos, and the Inquisition may well have ordered the Chapter's creation, either as a grand experiment or for some singular purpose.On the subject of the creation, a single communication remains, and was sent from a genetor-major of the Xenobiologis sect of the Adeptus Mechanicus named Lauram Clelland.Members of the Ecclesiarchy were seconded to the Ordo Malleus to help with the creation of the Chapter. One member of the delegation, Cardinal Rodrigo Nessun, went mad after witnessing the high rate of failure of the early initiation process, turning to Chaos worship and fleeing with most of the Space Marines that could not be successfully exorcised, forming the Swords of Epiphany Chaos Space Marine warband.The Exorcists have since been sanctioned as an official Chapter and are often involved in operations overseen by the Ordo Malleus, though the records of their creation were sealed at the order of the Inquisitorial Representative.
Exorcists - Secret Origins: The Exorcists are one of a handful of Space Marine Chapters who trace their creation to the shadowy 13th Founding. Historical records of this obscure event in Imperial history are scant and often contradictory, so it is little wonder that the 13th Founding is commonly known as the "Dark Founding." Indeed, the full details of the Exorcists' foundation are not widely known even within the Chapter itself, and those who are privy to such secrets remain tight-lipped. This is in keeping with the Exorcists' customary silence on all matters that might attract wider scrutiny.Such secrecy is a necessary defence, as although the Exorcists are renowned first and foremost as a heroic and accomplished Space Marine Chapter, they fulfil a second, clandestine role as hunters of Chaos Daemons. If knowledge of this mission -- and of the disturbing manner in which the Exorcists prepare themselves for it -- were to spread beyond their homeworld of Banish, many Puritan Imperial agents would denounce the Chapter outright as Heretics. Yet the likelihood of such a discovery is reduced by the fact that most archives concerning the Exorcists' Founding are either mysteriously closed or missing entirely.In the absence of hard facts, speculation has mounted, and there are some who view the Exorcists with mistrust, noting that they seem to have been present in more than their fair share of war zones blighted by Chaos. Combined with the rare glimpses of the Exorcists' strange traditions and Chapter cult practices, this has been enough to provoke accusations of heresy. However unfounded, such ideas have found support amongst some of the Imperium's most zealous defenders, including the Black Templars. This is a point of considerable irony, as in truth the two Chapters share the same genetic primogenitor -- the noble Primarch Rogal Dorn.Conceived as a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter, the Exorcists were created from the resilient gene-seed of the Imperial Fists, and they soon distinguished themselves as worthy scions of Dorn. In the early years of the Chapter, the Exorcists proved adaptable to many different strategic challenges, whether fighting alongside other Imperial forces or blazing their own trail of destruction through the Emperor's foes. But when the Exorcists deployed to liberate the Daemon-wracked world of Totem IV, the fate of the Chapter changed forever.
Exorcists - First Trials: Once the Plutonians had come up with their plan and Chapter Master Trismegistus approved it, the first group of chosen initiates of the Chapter underwent a process known as "Daemonic Possession Therapy." Each Astartes was, under very tight security, deliberately subject to possession by a minor denizen of the Warp.The Inquisition arranged for each test subject to be possessed by Daemons for twelve solar hours before the Daemons were banished by Ordo Malleus Inquisitors. Some of the Astartes were so damaged physically and psychologically by the possession that they had to be terminated. But the majority of test subjects survived, needing only minor reconstructive surgery. They emerged unusually skilled in the ways of combating Daemonkind, just as the Inquisition had hoped.After a minor period of recuperation the subjects were taught the ways of combating Daemons, trained in the use of the 666 verses of the Liber Exorcismus or "Book of Exorcisms" and equipped with the weapons of Daemonhunters. This process has also caused the subjects to have no psychic signature that psykers can detect.The original test subjects, some two companies strong (200 Space Marines) were released onto a Daemon-infested planet on the northern fringes of the Eye of Terror, while a squad of Grey Knights was held in reserve, just in case they suddenly turned on the Inquisition. The Inquisitors need not have worried, for the Exorcists achieved extremely impressive results, achieving a kill ratio of 97:1.Following this test, the Exorcists Chapter was fully chartered and allowed to begin recruiting once more until it had reached its full required strength of 1,000 Astartes, all of whom were subjected to the same test of Daemonic possession before rising from the Scout companies to become full initiates of the Chapter.
Exorcists - Broken Ones: Soon after the Plutonians began their work, it became clear that the Exorcists were not just capable of enduring Daemonic possession. Their corporeal forms also proved strangely suited to retaining any Warp entities that were not successfully banished. In a series of horrifying experiments, the Plutonians found that the living bodies of failed Exorcists initiates were able to hold indefinite numbers of Daemons prisoner, some subjects becoming so saturated with Warp-spawn that they were sustained in a state of deathless torture, their bodies enduring for Terran centuries while their minds broke apart. Even in this ignoble end, however, the Exorcists found a use for their fallen sons.If these "Broken Ones" could not serve the Chapter on the battlefield, they could at least live on as vessels of imprisonment, harbouring in their flesh the myriad entities driven out of successful initiates -- immortal beings that might otherwise return to the Warp and scatter the Exorcists' deepest secrets far and wide. Thus arose the most chilling of all practices conducted within the Halls of Tempering, and over the millennia, the numbers of accursed Broken Ones have continued to grow.Accommodating such vessels of evil on Banish would be unthinkably dangerous, however. As the Apothecarion is concerned with retaining only the untarnished gene-seed of successful initiates, Broken Ones are dispatched into deep space under maximum security protocols, to live outtheir untold years within a secret prison-craft known as the Purgatomb. Within the pitch-black bowels of this immense drifting bastion, the Broken Ones are left to writhe and scream, locked within the hyper-dense walls of their warded cells. For some five millennia the Purgatomb has served the Exorcists' grim purposes, and though its location has become known on occasion, its abominable contents have never yet become known to any ally or enemy. This is well, as if even a single Broken One were to escape, the consequences for the Chapter -- perhaps even for the Imperium itself -- would be catastrophic.
Exorcists - Armadel's Purge and the Swords of Epiphany: The initiation process of the Exorcists has always had its failures. Although most of these unfortunates die during their ordeal -- or worse, become Broken Ones -- one dark episode in the Chapter's early history demonstrated how dangerous these fallen souls could be. The initiative came from Cardinal Rodrigo Nessun, a trusted agent of the Ecclesiarchy attached to the Plutonians on Banish.When Nessun witnessed the changes that came over those who had succumbed to possession, he experienced a revelation: to his mind, these beings were a higher breed of warrior who could take Humanity forward, not dangerous sources of potential Chaos corruption who should be executed or locked away. Unwittingly guided by the whispers of the Dark Gods, Nessun gathered up a contingent of these condemned initiates before they could be destroyed, and he escaped with them into the Warp, baptising his foul host the "Swords of Epiphany" and swearing them to the service of Chaos.The existence of this warband of Heretic Astartes could not be tolerated by the Exorcists. More than staining the Chapter's honour, the Heretics might have retained memories of the hellish practices carried out in the Basilica Malefex and spread damning rumours through the wider Imperium. Thus began the campaign known as "Armadel's Purge," led by Captain Veyon Armadel, which hounded the Swords of Epiphany wherever they were sighted until at last the twisted cabal was declared extinct.
Exorcists - Era Indomitus: Since the birth of the Great Rift that marked the dawn of the Era Indomitus, the galaxy has been beset by Warp horrors and heretical uprisings on an unprecedented scale, and the renowned incorruptibility of the Exorcists has never been more in need. As a result, Exorcists strike forces have been deployed far and wide, some even plunging into the shadows of the Imperium Nihilus, their mission to combat the unholy forces rumoured to prey upon Imperial worlds there cut off from the light of the Astronomican.When the Primaris Marine reinforcements were dispatched to the Space Marine Chapters, the Torchbearer fleet bound for Banish met with intense and repeated Daemonic assaults, to the extent that the Rogue Traders travelling with the flotilla came to regard the mission as cursed. Privately, even the Adeptus Custodes attached to the fleet muttered that such attention from the Dark Gods was ominous indeed. In the heavy fighting that resulted, all of the fleet's Greyshields fell in action, and when the battered Torchbearer vessels finally reached the Exorcists, the Magi Biologis were able to present the Chapter with only the technologies behind the creation of Primaris Space Marines, with no living proof of the new transhuman warriors Belisarius Cawl had prepared.All the same, this gift of technology suited Chapter Command and the Plutonians well. Raising all of their own Primaris initiates on Banish would enable the close monitoring of training from its earliest stages, to watch for any signs of incompatibility with the initiation rite. No such signs came. The Exorcists' innate resistance to Daemonic influence seemed present in the Primaris recruits also, further indicating that a peculiarity in the Chapter's gene-seed was responsible for the anomaly. As to the root causes of this phenomenon and why similar gifts do not present in the Imperial Fists or their other genetic successors, no further light was shed.Nonetheless, the strange initiation rites left their mark on the Primaris subjects also. In war zones where they fought alongside other Chapters whose battle-brothers had endured no forced exposure to Daemons, subtle differences between the Primaris elements were apparent. Time and again, the Primaris Marines of the Exorcists seemed more stalwart in the face of Warp-spawn and sorcery, but they were also more prone to unexplained decisions and turns of mood.
Exorcists - Chapter Organisation: The Exorcists are regarded as a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter, with a great deal of their organisation, structure and tactical operations adhering to the tenets of the Astartes' holiest of tomes. Much of the Chapter's common practices, insignia, honours and basic tactical doctrine is based closely on that of the Ultramarines and their Successor Chapters. There are, however, several noteworthy and substantial deviations from the Codex's prescriptions.The organisational structure of the Exorcists is largely compliant with the Codex Astartes, with a command hierarchy comparable to any conventional Space Marine Chapter. This conformity continues with regard to the company structure outlined in the Codex, except that theExorcists maintain two additional companies beyond the traditional ten for a total of twelve. Due to the high influx of recruits required to ensure that sufficient numbers of battle-brothers survive the Exorcists' unnatural selection process, the 11th and 12th Companies solely comprise Firstborn Scout novitiates.The reason for this high number of Scouts is the highly unorthodox and dangerous training practices used by the Chapter, which some outsiders believe may even include controlled exposure to Warp entities and Daemonic possession before a neophyte can become a full battle-brother.If such practices are employed, then the Chaos corruption and fatality rates would be extremely high for Exorcist neophytes, requiring a high influx of new recruits, hence the need to maintain two extra companies of Scout Marines. In fact, these practices mean that some 80% of the Chapter's neophytes do not survive the possession and attempted banishment process.In truth, different Scout units serving within these companies will be at different stages of their initiation. Some will have passed out of the Halls of Tempering and into a gamut of physical and spiritual assessments overseen by the Master of Recruits and Reclusiam staff. Others are as yet unaware of the Daemonic encounter they will soon have to face and assume the close vetting of their conduct and the intensity of their early combat missions to be typical of any Space Marine Chapter.In addition to this organisational quirk, the Exorcists' 10th Company differs to those of most other Chapters in that, since the Primaris Marine creation technology reached the Chapter, what was once a third company of Scouts is now entirely composed of Vanguard Space Marines. In response to this, the Chapter's unorthodox 11th and 12th Companies expanded their neophyte numbers to make up the shortfall.
Exorcists - Orison Cults: There exist within the Exorcists' ranks certain esoteric sub-cults which dedicate themselves to particular fields of expertise and knowledge important to the Chapter, known as "Orisons." On the battlefield, many of these Orisons manifest themselves amongst the various squads and divisions, whilst their inner circles are primarily made up of the Chapter's Veterans and other high ranking battle-brothers and officers. Acceptance within one or more of these sub-cults is a mark of high regard within the Chapter, and membership in one does not preclude one from involvement in another.Alongside the great institutions whose doors line the Cloister of Scars at the heart of the Exorcists' fortress-monastery on Banish, smaller, simpler portals give access to meeting places known as Orison Shrines. In these, battle-brothers initiated into specific Orison sub-cults reflect in different ways upon their duties as Space Marines, and they work to expand the bespoke libraries of knowledge each Orison maintains. These sub-cults are an important part of the Chapter's identity, and they open their doors to any Exorcists who would consult their records or learn more of their traditions.To outside observers, the Exorcists' use of esoteric titles such as "brother-initiate" might hint at clandestine layers of battlefield organisation, but such terms are only honorifics with no role in the actual Chapter hierarchy that simply signify Orison membership. Nonetheless, certain Orisons do maintain historic associations with particular traditional Astartes battlefield roles. Many 1st Company Veterans belong to the prominent Orison known as the Enochian Guard, for example, while the sub-cult known as the Obelisk Thelemus attracts Devastators and Techmarines in greater number, and the Broken Tower cult is almost exclusively formed from Librarius personnel. Membership of one Orison does not preclude membership of another, and highly regarded heroes of the Chapter may have multiple Orison honours to their name.
Exorcists - Enochian Guard: Perhaps the most elite of these Orisons is known as the Enochian Guard, named after the Chapter's legendary Chapter Master Enoch Trismegistus, and is composed entirely of Veterans from the Chapter's elite 1st Company who usually fight as Terminators.The shrine of the Enochians is the oldest and largest of its kind along the Cloister of Scars, with an archive particularly rich in occult lore. Although its doors are open to any battle-brothers who wish to broaden their knowledge or pay their respects, tradition holds that only Veterans of the 1st Company or other high-ranking notaries may be initiated into the Orison itself. Rank alone does not qualify an Exorcist for membership of the Enochian Guard, however. Only those known to have slain a Daemon in single combat are considered worthy candidates, and even then, prospective initiates must be vouched for by at least two other members.Like all Orisons, the Enochian Guard are careful not to draw overt attention to their membership with grand visual display, so they keep battlefield markings limited. Nonetheless, before battle it is traditional for Enochians to adorn themselves with excerpts from the Liber Exorcismus and other hallowed writings in the Chapter's keeping. Some brothers choose to carve these directly into their armour and gun casings, while others ink the words onto long streamers of parchment which they then wrap around their limbs and weapons, believing that the verses will imbue them with righteous strength when the Emperor's light is furthest from reach.
Exorcists - Chapter Gene-Seed: The Exorcists trace their genetic lineage to Rogal Dorn, the primarch of the Imperial Fists, and echoes of Dorn's legendary resolve can certainly be seen in the incorruptible nature of those neophytes who survive their initiation to become the Chapter's warriors.Yet like so many details of their heritage and identity, the Exorcists give no outward signs of this bloodline. Dorn's name makes no appearance in the Exorcists' battle cries or pageantry, and the Chapter maintains no fraternal links with the Imperial Fists or any of their many successors. Indeed, the truth of their lineage is not even widely known amongst the rank-and-file of the Chapter, and it is only upon induction into the 1st Company as Veterans that Exorcists are formally told of their descent from Dorn.This gift of knowledge is seen as a mark of great honour by Veterans accustomed to the secretive ways of their Chapter, and they guard it with their lives.
Exorcists - Chapter Fleet: The Exorcists have an extensive, long-range Chapter fleet which includes the unusually high number of 3 battle barges.During the Badab War they were able to deploy a sizable fleet composed of 2 battle barges, 4 strike cruisers and 3 squadrons of escorts and attack craft numbering 17 spacecraft in total.The Exorcists' fleet is known to have possessed the following vessels:Redeemer (Battle Barge) - One of the Exorcists' three battle barges.Punisher (Battle Barge) - The Punisher is an Exorcists battle barge and was among the Chapter fleet that took part in the Gothic War.Aleph Argentium (Strike Cruiser) - Destroyed in 911.M41 during the Badab War at Kritias Secundus during the invasion of the Piraeus System.Captain Augusta (Strike Cruiser) - The Captain Augusta is an Exorcists strike cruiser and was among the Chapter fleet that took part in the Gothic War.Eternal Defiance (Strike Cruiser) - The Eternal Defiance is an Exorcists strike cruiser and was among the Chapter fleet that took part in the Gothic War.Wraith of Thenna (Strike Cruiser) - An Exorcists strike cruiser that fought in the Indomitus Crusade under the command of the Librarian Bael Vordhane. It took part in the Drennox Cleansing as part of Tertius Fleet's Battlegroup Haephestus.Hunter (Strike Cruiser) - The Hunter is an Exorcists strike cruiser and was among the Chapter fleet that took part in the Gothic War.
Exorcists - Hexagrammatic Wards and Sigils: The Exorcists' battle-brothers commonly have etched sigils and engraved hexagrammic wards incorporated into their power armour and their personal weapons to help protect themselves and ward off the depredations and corrupting influence of Warp entities.
Exorcists - Scarred in Mind and Body: Even the most resilient Exorcists initiates who emerge from their subterranean fortress-monastery's Halls of Tempering carry physical and mental stigmata for life. The exact nature of these wounds can vary as widely as the nature of Daemons themselves, with each Warp entity leaving its own uniquely malign imprint. Initiates possessed by beings of a particularly duplicitous nature may be left with unshakeable paranoia that they are being plotted against, while some of those who hosted Khornate Daemons of rage and wrath afterwards find their own bloodlustdifficult to subdue.Beneath their power armour, meanwhile, most Exorcists bear unnatural physical scars and blemishes. Some of these take the shape of fell runes that throb with a dull pain in the presence of Warp-spawn. Others are tiny lacerations that never truly heal and require frequent repurification. Discoloured eyes and patches of scaly flesh are not uncommon, and some survivors even experience spiny growths sprouting from their head or limbs. While Exorcists regard these anomalies as marks of honour signifying the defeat of the unholy, to prying eyes they would be sure signs of heresy, and the afflicted are careful to conceal or replace with augmetics any stigmata that would draw attention.Yet not all of the consequences of daemonic possession are burdensome. Many a hostile psyker has found the minds of Exorcists Space Marines to be particularly hard to corrupt, though they do not understand why. It has even been rumoured that Exorcists battle-brothers possess heightened psychic ability and wield arcane forces on the battlefield, but such claims cannot be substantiated. Like other Codex Astartes-compliant Chapters, the Exorcists tolerate psychic activity only amongst Librarius personnel, and any signs of deviance are quickly stamped out.
Exorcists - Chapter Colours: The Exorcists' original Chapter colours included yellow power armour. The right shoulder guard was yellow with a checkered-pattern border for the trim. The left shoulder guard was dark purple and had bonding studs fastened to it. The then-standard Mark VI helm was also yellow with a black triangle pattern over the mouth of the helm's "beak." The eye lenses were red and the backpack was black.The Exorcists' current Chapter colours include red power armour with black trim. Veterans of the Chapter often have white trim and wear helms that are white to mark their senior status.The elite 1st Company wears red Terminator Armour with black shoulder guards instead of the standard red.Squad tactical specialty markings -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command -- are worn on the right shoulder pauldron.Squad number is designated by a High Gothic numeral inscribed atop the squad specialty marking on the right shoulder pauldron.Company is designated by the colour of the shoulder pauldron trim as determined by the Codex Astartes -- -- i.e. white (1st Company), yellow (2nd Company), red (3rd Company), green (4th Company), etc.
Exorcists - Chapter Badge: The Exorcists' original Chapter badge was a dark brown, leering horned devil's head with red eyes.The Exorcists' current Chapter badge is a simple bone-white horned skull on a red background.
Exorcists - Canon Conflict: When originally described in Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two and in the short story Headhunted by Steve Parker later collected in the Heroes of the Space Marine anthology edited by Nick Kyme and Lindsey Priestley, the Exorcists were said to be the secret descendants of the Emperor Himself through the use of gene-seed taken from the Grey Knights. This was the explanation for why so many of their number were able to recover from daemonic possession.However, this was changed in White Dwarf 462 in March 2021 where the Chapter's background was retconned to make them successors of the Imperial Fists' lineage.This alteration in the lore preserved the Grey Knights' uniqueness as a Chapter and also better explained why many Exorcists neophytes failed the test of possession despite supposedly having a Grey Knights lineage.Grey Knights are famously incorruptible by the temptations of Chaos, as not one has ever fallen to the service of the Ruinous Powers.
Exorcists - Sources: Adeptus Astartes: Successor Chapters (Limited Release Booklet), pg. 43Battlefleet Gothic: To Cleanse the Stars (Specialty Game), pg. 75Codex Adeptus Astartes - Space Marines (8th Edition), pg. 58Codex: Armageddon (3rd Edition), pg. 18Codex: Eye of Terror (3rd Edition), pg. 16Codex: Space Marines (8th Edition) (Revised Edition), pg. 58Deathwatch: Honour the Chapter (RPG), pp. 114-115, 133Deathwatch: The Emperor's Chosen (RPG), pp. 45-48, 50Deathwatch - Shadowbreaker (Novel) by Steve Parker, Ch. 37Headhunted (Short Story) by Steve ParkerHeroes of the Space Marines (Anthology) edited by Nick Kyme and Lindsey Priestley, "Headhunted" (Short Story) by Steve ParkerImperial Armour Volume Two - War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes (Second Edition), pg. 22Imperial Armour Volume Nine - The Badab War - Part One, pp. 43, 47Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two, pp. 37, 44, 48, 60, 63, 99, 124-131, 179Legends of the Space Marines (Anthology), "The Trial of the Mantis Warriors" by C.S. GotoWarhammer 40,000: Compendium (1st Edition), "The Badab War" by Rick Priestley, pp. 33-35White Dwarf 35 (July 2019), "Indomitus Crusade Fleets," pg. 45White Dwarf 101 (UK), "Index Astartes: The Badab Uprising" by Rick PriestleyWhite Dwarf 462 (March 2021), "Index Astartes: Exorcists," pp. 43-50Within These Walls (Short Story) by C.Z.DunnWarhammer Community - The Secrets of the Exorcists Chapter Revealed in March's (2021) White DwarfThird War for Armageddon Worldwide Campaign - Forces Disposition, Imperial Forces: Exorcists
Explorator - Explorator: An Explorator is an Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-priest who is dedicated to the exploration and exploitation of new worlds and new regions of the galaxy for the Imperium of Man. They act as part adventurer, part warrior and part emissary of the Machine Cult of Mars.Their function is to travel into the depths of the unknown and unearth the ashes of the past in order to acquire knowledge and secrets for the glory of the Omnissiah and the benefit of the Imperium.Something of a breed apart in the Adeptus Mechanicus for their independence, penchant for innovation and personal initiative, they are seen as a necessary evil by some of their fellows and vital agents of the Machine God by others. Explorators undertake their god's Quest for Knowledge across the stars, seeking out undiscovered data and unrecorded phenomena, forgotten archeotech hoards, and unknown life forms.
Explorator - Explorator Fleets: The Adeptus Mechanicus is a secretive organisation, conducting a never-ending search for forgotten knowledge and ancient technology to hoard for itself. At the forefront of this ceaseless quest are the Explorator fleets.While research outposts and Explorators attached to Rogue Trader crews are integral cogs in the Mechanicus' efforts to uncover forgotten knowledge from Mankind's past, it is in the Explorator fleets that the full resources and might of the Machine Cult are pressed toward this end.While Explorators who accompany Rogue Traders have many opportunities to explore ancient ruins and uncover forgotten secrets, their mission is ultimately secondary to that of the Rogue Trader's eternal mission for profit.Not so, in the Explorator fleets. There, Tech-priests live amongst their own kind, not to be disturbed by the insignificant desires of those who lack the blessing of the True Flesh.Commanding countless serfs, servitors, and adepts, the magi of the Explorator Fleets hold supreme power, just as they do on the Forge Worlds of the Mechanicus. These fleets are, like the Forge Worlds, the sovereign domain of the Adeptus Mechanicus.Even within the bounds of the Imperium, the Mechanicus is fiercely independent of the greater Imperial power structure. In the Koronus Expanse, Rogue Traders are well-advised to treat with the Explorator-Magi as they would a fellow Rogue Trader, or other equal in rank. To do otherwise could be a fatal mistake.The vessels that make up the Explorator fleets are amongst the most sophisticated in all of the Imperium, as they are invariably constructed in the orbital dockyards of Forge Worlds, or even salvaged from ancient pre-Imperial Space Hulks.The Tech-priests apply their full knowledge and ability in crafting (or repairing, as the case may be) these starships, incorporating alchemical alloys and esoteric processes that are unavailable elsewhere.Even the newest vessels constructed by the Adeptus Mechanicus far surpass those available to all but the most powerful of Rogue Traders. However, many Explorator fleets include vessels that are many millennia old. Explorator Fleet KX–557.V is one such fleet.
Expurgator - Expurgator: An Expurgator, usually part of an Expurgator Cadre, is a Sister of Silence who serves with those heavy fire support cadres of the Silent Sisterhood dedicated to maintaining the secrecy of their order's clandestine missions against the enemies of the Emperor by eliminating all traces of such secret actions.Although a formidable military force in its own right, the Silent Sisterhood's clandestine, undocumented actions far outweigh their overt activity manyfold. It is purported that for every operation of the order that has been described by the words of iterators or etched into the pict-plates of famed imagists (photographers), a hundred more have been conducted behind the veil of secrecy or scoured from Imperial records and memory alike.Expurgator cadres are doubtlessly instrumental in ensuring knowledge of the activities of the Sisters of Silence is controlled, purging and burning that which they wish to remain hidden. Upon the field of battle, these Sisters of Silence use their heavy weaponry to drive the foe from cover and destroy those that have defied the will of the Emperor.
Expurgator - Unit Composition: 4-9 Expurgators1 Expurgator Mistress
Expurgator - Wargear: Vratine ArmourHeavy FlamerAdrathic Destructor (As replacement for Heavy Flamer)Snare Cannon (As replacement for Heavy Flamer)Vratine Missile Launcher (As replacement for Heavy Flamer)Frag GrenadesKrak GrenadesAuspex (One Expurgator)Power Weapon (Any type, Expurgator Mistress only)Charnabal Sabre (Expurgator Mistress only)Hand Flamer (Expurgator Mistress only)Needle Pistol (Expurgator Mistress only)Plasma Pistol (Expurgator Mistress only)Kharon Pattern Acquisitor (As dedicated transport)
Exquisite Host - Exquisite Host: The Exquisite Host is a Chaos Space Marine warband in the service of Slaanesh, the Chaos God of pleasure and pain. It is not known with any certainty, but they are most likely a warband originally derived from the Emperor's Children Traitor Legion. The Exquisite Host is known to employ an infamous battle formation known as the so-called Lament of the Damned -- a terrifying onslaught of Chaos Sonic Dreadnoughts bound to the service of Slaanesh -- outfitted with the same destructive and mind-blasting arcane sonic technology as the Noise Marines.
Exquisite Host - Notable Members of the Exquisite Host: Sothai - A Slaanesh Sonic Dreadnought, Lord Sothai is a fallen Chaos Lord bound to the service of the Exquisite Host. Sothai is known to have taken part in Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41.
Exquisite Host - Warband Colours: The Exquisite Host's colours are not listed in current Imperial records, but like all servants of the Prince of Pleasure, they utilise garish, outlandish colours that are bright and stimulate the senses.
Exquisite Host - Warband Badge: The Exquisite Host's badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Exsanguinators - Exsanguinators: ExsanguinatorsSpace MarineBlood AngelsFoundingCreated as they were from the Blood Angels' gene-seed, the Exsanguinators carry the genetic flaws inherited from Sanguinius.Similar to many of their contemporary Blood Angels Successor Chapters founded in later centuries, the Exsanguinators were greatly affected by the Black Rage and like the Flesh Eaters, they too, are a shrinking Chapter as the Flaw begins to whittle down their numbers.The Exsanguinators was among the Blood Angels Successor Chapters who answered the call of Commander Dante to help defend Baal during the assault of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Leviathan in 999.M41 on the Blood Angels' homeworld.
Exsanguinators - Notable Campaigns: Devastation of Baal (ca. 999.M41) - The Exsanguinators were among the forces deployed by the Blood Angels Successor Chapters to defend their parent Chapter's homeworld of Baal from an assault by the Tyranid Hive Fleet Leviathan.
Exsanguinators - Chapter Colours: The Exsanguinators are described as having "red armour."
Exsanguinators - Chapter Badge: The Exsanguinators' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Exterminatus - Exterminatus: Exterminatus is the name in High Gothic of an action ordered by the highest authorities of the Imperium of Man to destroy an entire planetary biosphere and all life upon a world.This action is only taken in those extreme circumstances where a potential or actual extinction-level strategic threat to the entire Imperium exists on the planet and might spread to other Imperial worlds.Exterminatus is typically only used as a last resort, when the price of holding or retaking the world for the Emperor is deemed too high, or the threat of mutation, disease or Chaos heresy spreading to the rest of the Imperium is too great to contain by conventional means.Thus Exterminatus has very rarely been used on vital or strategically valuable planets to the Imperium. Typically, the order may only be given by a high-ranking Imperial commander in the Astra Militarum, Navis Imperialis or the Adeptus Astartes, or by a full member of the Imperial Inquisition. An Exterminatus action can be carried out in many different ways and using different methods of mass destruction, as outlined below.
Exterminatus - Methods: Note that with the exception of those methods listed under the section below designated "Other," the rest of the weapons described here are deployed from warships in orbital space.
Exterminatus - Orbital Bombardment: An orbital bombardment from Imperial warships is the simplest means of carrying out an Exterminatus, as it can be done solely through the conventional firepower already available to the Imperial Navy. The power of an orbital bombardment can range from small precision strikes, not unlike that of modern surface-to-surface missiles, to the unleashing of full thermonuclear blasts.Typically, specialised munitions like Cyclonic Torpedoes (see below) are used, designed to destroy all life on a planet's surface and potentially any entrenched even in the planet's crust.
Exterminatus - Virus Bombs: Imperial Virus Bombs release a special pathogen known as the Life-Eater Virus that was genetically designed to quickly spread and destroy all organic cellular structures it infects, reducing all planetary life, whether flora or fauna, to an undifferentiated organic sludge of biochemicals and organic gasses as a by-product, both of which are highly flammable.Exterminatus protocols dictate that a lance strike or an incendiary device be deployed to ignite the byproducts and turn the atmosphere into a firestorm that usually takes out whatever life may be left.Only those who may have escaped into especially-deep underground shelters can survive a Virus Bomb attack. The population of Tallarn managed to escape complete destruction this way, but their once-verdant world was forever transformed into a desert.Virus bombs are known for their extreme speed; during the Horus Heresy, they completely wiped out Istvaan III's entire population of 16 billion people in only solar minutes, leaving the planet barren but habitable, if only just; Space Marines on the ground had to act quickly to create desperately improvised air-proof shelters. While many Astartes survived, the toll, even on many of those who had thought they were safe, proved catastrophic.