vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
White Panthers - Sources: Adeptus Astartes: Successor Chapters (Limited Release Booklet) (7th Edition)Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 29Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition), pg. 3Codex: Ultramarines (2nd Edition), pg. 41How To Paint Space Marines (2004), pg. 88
White Scars - Chapter History: In the wake of the Long Night of the Age of Strife and the Unification Wars of Terra in the late 30th Millennium, the Emperor of Mankind sought to unite all of humanity under one banner and end inter-human conflict.The Emperor hoped to ensure human domination of the Milky Way Galaxy, a conquest He judged necessary if Mankind was to survive the never-ending threats to its existence embodied by Chaos, the myriad hostile xenos races and its own fragile human nature.In time, when the Emperor's eye first began to fall beyond Terra, He began to raise new armies to fight His Great Crusade. He drew these new troops in part from the forces that had already unified Terra during the Unification Wars of the late 30th Millennium.To carry out the Great Crusade and reunite all the scattered colony worlds of Mankind beneath the single banner of the Imperium of Man, the Emperor created the genetically-enhanced superhuman warriors of the Space Marine Legions.These forces would serve as the speartip of His Great Crusade that began in ca. 798.M30, bringing the light of the Imperial Truth and enforcing Imperial Compliance with the new regime on every human world encountered.
White Scars - Lords of War: To each of His Legions, the Emperor bestowed a genetic legacy that would mould them into a set role, making each a matchless tool for the prosecution of that role.The Vth Legion were the pathfinders of the Great Crusade, ever in uncharted territory and far from the borders of the expanding Imperium, and oft-forgotten by the chroniclers that followed in conquest's wake.Organised into small, mobile units, the Vth Legion ran before the armies of the Emperor during the final conquests on Terra, and then across the stars, sowing confusion and death in their wake.They were the swift blade that probed for weakness before a sudden and deadly strike, not the sledgehammer that some of their brother Legions had become. A subtle and deadly weapon in the hands of a master strategist, the Great Khan, Jaghatai, would come to forge these outcasts of the Legiones Astartes into a force that would overturn the scales of destiny itself.As the dark days of the Horus Heresy unfolded, these unpredictable warriors were doubted by many, their loyalty questioned by those who should have been allies and assumed by those who would become enemies. Often the first Legion into the wilds at the edge of those few star charts to survive the Long Night of the Age of Strife, the White Scars had ever operated without the support of their brethren and rarely acted in concert with the other Legions.Where their brother Legions built legacies of trust and accumulated interlinked webs of treaties and oaths of support between them, the White Scars remained separate. What had at first been a matter of strategy soon became a tradition, one that saw the Vth Legion become a solitary and reclusive force, renowned for their independence and wilful nature even among the Astartes.Such was their reputation at the outset of the Horus Heresy, that those who sought to rule the Imperium, be they emperor or tyrant, eyed the Legion as a prize to be won and leashed to their ambitions, a fulcrum upon which to lever Mankind's civil war in their favour.
White Scars - Ullanor: A bolt of lightning in clear skies, a sudden gale from an unexpected quarter -- the White Scars Legion was war's sudden and merciless slaughter. Swift action and a joy for the rush of combat and clash of blades were the hallmarks of its battles, tempered by a quiet and hidden wisdom that few took the time to uncover.The White Scars thrived in the chaotic heart of battle, anticipating its vicissitudes and flowing with them, always to be found where the foe was weakest, where they were least expected, and leaving only cold corpses in their wake.They were the Great Crusade's pathfinders, the bleak wind that ran ahead of its serried armies culling the weak and harrying the strong that they might fall more easily to those who followed. There were many victories claimed by the Great Crusade that would not have been possible without the depredations caused by these warriors.The lightning-fast style of mobile warfare that had served Jaghatai Khan so well on the steppes of his homeworld proved to be equally effective on the many different battlefields of the Great Crusade. The White Scars soon became involved in some of the bloodiest battles of the time after the rediscovery of their Primarch.The White Scars most famously took part in the historic Ullanor Crusade, the vast Imperial assault on the Ork empire of the Overlord Urrlak Urruk. The White Scars and Ultramarines Space Marine Legions, supported by the Imperial Army, the forces of the Mechanicum and the Collegia Titanica, took part in the massive Imperial campaign against the largest concentration of Orks yet encountered by the burgeoning Imperium of Man.In the aftermath of this monumental victory, the Great Khan watched with approval as Horus Lupercal, greatest of the Primarchs and most favoured son of the Emperor, took up his new office as Warmaster of all the Imperium's military forces. The two of them, Horus and the Khan, liked one another. Of all his brothers, the Khan had only ever been close to two, and Horus was the first. Then they had parted.The grand gathering of Primarchs and commanders and Battleships and officials at the Triumph of Ullanor dispersed, setting course for a thousand destinations and making the Warp light up with the trails of their passage. The Great Crusade commenced again, though this time with a Warmaster at its apex, not an Emperor.
White Scars - Horus Heresy: The Vth Legion's legend was to grow with the events of the Horus Heresy, when the White Scars fought on hundreds of worlds for over 7 Terran years against the Traitor Legions and the other forces of Chaos. Unlike many of the other Primarchs, Jaghatai never even considered betraying the Emperor for the service of the Ruinous Powers.Such a course would have been dishonourable in the extreme since the Emperor had done no wrong to His sons and also because Jaghatai so deeply believed in the Emperor's goal of reunifying the entire human race under a single ruler so that it might claim final dominance over the Milky Way Galaxy.The White Scars Legion had already been engaged for several standard years on the orders of the Warmaster Horus in a surprisingly punishing campaign against the Orks of the Chondax System where Jaghatai had recalled his entire Legion when the Heresy began. It was at Chondax that they first received the news of the Space Wolves Legion's actions during the Burning of Prospero.These reports said Russ had turned rebel, and driven by his hatred for Magnus, his Legion had utterly decimated the Thousand Sons Legion and their Primarch Magnus had died at the Wolf King's own hand. But due to the effects of the Ruinstorm, a monstrous Warp Storm unleashed by the Word Bearers during the Battle of Calth, astropathic communication was unreliable and vast tracts of the Imperium were made all but impassable. Furthermore, the White Scars' fleet Astropaths continued to interpret the astropathic messages they received in a contradictory manner.
White Scars - Enemy Within: Some amongst the Khan's command were a part of the Warrior Lodges, a closed fraternity of warriors that existed outside of the Space Marine Legions' formal structure. It was common knowledge that the Emperor frowned on such institutions, claiming they were dangerously close to the cults of ancient superstition. Despite this, the proliferation of these Warrior Lodges quickly spread amongst the other Legions -- even into the White Scars Legion.Many of the Terran warriors of the Vth Legion as well as some of their erstwhile Chogorian brethren took part in the clandestine activities of the lodges. They felt that the Khagan was too slow in deciding which side the White Scars should choose in the coming conflict that had only begun to rage amongst the Legiones Astartes.These lodges had already made their choice. The moment had finally come, and so, they moved as one, silently and efficiently. Led by the esteemed Hasik Noyan-Khan, the Warrior Lodge members declared their allegiance to Horus. They had remained secretly in contact with Horus' partisans through arcane means at least since the campaign at Chondax.In the absence of the Khagan on the surface of Prospero, Hasik Noyan-Khan was in command of the flagship and, by extension, the Vth Legion's fleet. Personnel began to move between the warships as the lodge members began to move themselves into position for their coup d'etat. Discovering the clandestine activities of Hasik and his co-conspirators, Shiban Khan, commander of the Brotherhood of the Storm, attempted to bring to the attention of Jemulan Noyan-Khan, that his ordu commander Hasik was a part of this cancer at the heart of their Legion, and informed him of their intended plans.Unable or unwilling to assist, Jemulan dismissed these accusations out of hand and ordered Shiban to return back to his ship until he had received further orders. It had been a slim hope -- Jemulan did not have quite the same reputation as Hasik and had not been with the Legion from the start.As a result, he was not as close to the Primarch. Perhaps it had been too much to expect. Back aboard his ship, the Kaljian, Shiban Khan was unable to sit idly by. He ordered the entirety of his brotherhood to muster and prepare for action. They would seize the initiative and oppose this madness before it could seize hold of their entire Legion.
White Scars - Sole Survivor: The Keshig master Qin Xa ordered his warriors to withdraw, for they could not fight this new threat. Staggering away from the creatures, the other warriors did not respond immediately. Despite their fearsome levels of discipline, leaving the site of the Khagan's fall was anathema. They surged back across the heaving terrain, lumbering away from the Psychneuein attacks as best they could, trying to reach the crumbling maw of the fissure that had swallowed their Primarch. It was a doomed attempt.The Keshig pulled together and retreated towards a bombed-out terrace. The Psychneuein came after them. Soon the surviving Keshig found themselves trapped, and so they formed a broken line, determined to face the enemy. Then suddenly, they all felt the static build-up of enormous power. A second later the entire chamber was filled with light as flames leapt up from underneath the Psychneuein. Caught up in the maelstrom of blazing, purple-tinged fire, the creatures simply burst apart.Turning to investigate the source of the flames, Qin Xa felt a fresh surge of power just behind him. His arms went rigid, locked by some mysterious force. A huge weight pressed against his twin heart, slowing him down and deadening his movements. A Bolter was pressed against his chest and a figure stood before him in crimson armour.His faceplate was that of a suit of gold-crested Mark III Power Armour, archaic and festooned with Thousand Sons iconography. He introduced himself as Revuel Arvida, a Sergeant of the Thousand Sons Legion's 4th Fellowship and a member of its Corvidae Cult. He was the last surviving member of his squad. He led the Keshig away from the danger of the ravenous Warp-spawned insects.Arvida led the surviving Keshig far through the empty city, until they found themselves within the ruins of a grand audience chamber. The White Scars inquired as to how the Thousand Sons Sergeant had come to be on Prospero and how long he had been there. Arvida informed them that he had arrived on Prospero after its destruction, and that he could give them no answers as to what had previously occurred. As for how long he had been there, he did not know, for his Power Armour's internal chronometre had been blown in battle.He understood that the White Scars were trying to find their missing Primarch, but their efforts were futile. Their gene-sire could fight the Psychneuein, for he was made to fight them. They needed to get away from the benighted planet, and that when they did, to take him with them. Qin Xa explained that they would make one more final attempt to find their Primarch. Arvida acquiesced to their wishes, but requested that they wait for a short time until he had fully recovered from his last encounter with the vile Warp-entities. They would need his psychic abilities if they wanted to survive the coming conflict.
White Scars - Flight from the Traitors: As Arvida spent his time recovering from his ordeal on Prospero, he befriended the Stormseer Targutai Yesugei. As the Thousand Son slowly regained his strength and precognitive powers, Yesugei repeatedly attempted to convince Arvida to become a member of the V Legion, since the Thousand Sons were now considered Excommunicate Traitoris by the Imperium.He even went so far as to commission his Legion's Artificers to created a hybrid pauldron, incorporating the iconography of both Legions, to replace the one of Arvida's that had been severely damaged during the fighting against the Death Guard.Though Arvida seriously contemplated becoming a part of a Legion once more, he eventually refused -- he would would remain, always and forever, a Son of Magnus and a loyal servant of the Emperor.Arvida was determined to follow his fate, for he believed that his destiny was somehow connected to the image of the raven associated with the Corvidae Cult's sigil that he had foreseen while he was stranded on Prospero. During this time, Arvida had also begun to experience the mutational effects of his Legion's gene-curse, known as the "Flesh-Change."
White Scars - Third War for Armageddon: When the Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka launched his second WAAAGH! against the ash-choked Hive World of Armageddon, over twenty Space Marine Chapters answered the call for aid. The White Scars were among them, with the strength of three brotherhoods to drive the Orkoid menace from the invaluable world.Millions of greenskins swept across the planet, burning, destroying, killing and looting. But their attacks were not random. The Kults of Speed assaulted the Deadlands in Armageddon's south, a frozen wasteland but nevertheless the site of vital infrastructure that the Imperium could not afford to lose.Chapter Master Jubal Khan's White Scars were deployed entirely to the Deadlands as part of the wider Imperial war effort. Suboden Khan, Jubal's second, commanded a separate strike force and was responsible for securing the promethium and water processing stations.Jubal took his remaining forces to the northern coast, where orbital reconnaissance had detected Orks at work building huge structures. The greenskins could not be allowed to continue unimpeded.By the time Jubal Khan and his forces arrived, the Orks had built up a sprawling complex of factories along the coastline. His Scout Marines reported a maze of debris-strewn yards and vast numbers of Orks. Most importantly, they discovered that this ever-growing facility was a shipyard, and that dozens of huge, ramshackle vessels were being prepared. For what purpose, none could say.All knew, however, that the submersibles could cause terrible damage and could not be allowed to be brought to completion. Jubal Khan had no choice but to attack.Initially, his strategy was to draw out the Orks, tempting them with battle and luring them away from their labours. With the Orks distracted, White Scars Kill-teams raided the shipyard, destroying as many structures as possible before the greenskins could respond.Despite these efforts, construction continued apace. The Orks were building faster than the White Scars raids could destroy, and hulking Ork Nobz bullied their charges into maintaining production even when the prospect of battle was so near. Jubal decided it was time to take the fight to them.Amidst the shipyard's confines, the White Scars made slow progress. They fought from rusted building to rusted building, in savage close-quarters combat. They met Orkish roars with Korchin battle cries.Each day they pressed further, fighting amidst burning metal, treading over the corpses of Orks and dead brothers alike. Their Vox grilles and Bolters were choked with ash and grime, and still they fought. But it was not enough.When the White Scars saw flotillas of massive submersibles and Ork ships akin to floating shanty-towns lurching out into the Tempest Ocean, they knew they had failed. Determined to make up for this, Jubal made it his crusade to destroy the remaining facilities and stop the Orks from building fresh waves of invasion craft.
White Scars - Dante's Canyon: Elsewhere, from the outset of the conflict, Suboden Khan was aware that his forces lacked the numbers to secure much of the Deadlands' vital infrastructure. With this in mind, he sought to deny the foe their prize, draw them into a single concentration and then comprehensively crush them.He ordered the Valdez Gamma and Yarrick Point pumping stations destroyed. This high-risk strategy would inevitably result in the Orks focusing on Dante's Canyon, the only remaining promethium drilling station for leagues around.Bordered by sheer cliffs of ice and packed snow, Dante's Canyon was the perfect place to channel the Orks into kill zones. Suboden Khan's Scouts laid explosives capable of causing avalanches and weakening the ice. Only a small detachment of battle-brothers guarded the station itself, making it appear tempting to the Orks.A second, larger detachment of the khan's forces would ride out, goad the greenskins and lead them into the explosive-rigged terrain. Suboden would lead the final detachment, comprised of Assault Marines. Their aim was to engage the leader of the Ork horde and claim his head.The squads defending the station were attacked from above by waves of Stormboyz. Thanks to deadly-accurate Bolter fire, many of the Orks were shot out mof the sky, their bodies landing all over the station's rigging with fleshy crunches. Those who successfully landed were met with tulwars and combat blades, though the Stormboyz' superior numbers began to show. The fighting grew desperate.Meanwhile, the second detachment of White Scars whooped and laughed as they engaged the Orks in a chaotic, swirling melee. The air was filled with the roars ofengines and the stench of smoke, spilled fuel and charred corpses. Having gained the greenskins' attention, the White Scars withdrew.Leaving the bodies of lost brothers behind, they sped on to Dante's Canyon, the greenskins chasing them. They led their pursuers exactly where intended, and the rigged explosives detonated on cue, sending torrents of snow and broken ice onto the Orks below. Thousands were crushed by the avalanches while othersplunged through holes in the weakened ice, drowning in the freezing depths. More than one White Scar perished in the onslaught, but the bulk of the greenskins were slain.Still the Ork Warboss and his elites ploughed on toward the hardpressed drilling station. Now, Suboden's detachment struck.In the ensuing fighting, the Ork chieftain cut down many White Scars, roaring like a wounded beast as he fought. Suboden darted around the Warboss like a bloodwasp, stinging with his blade beforeretreating, driving the beast to rage.As the vicious duel escalated, the Orks' leader grabbed Suboden Khan's Jump Pack and crushed it in his Power Klaw; even as it looked like the wounded khan would be crushed in turn, he managed to land a last, killing blow and struck off the Warboss' head.With casualties spiralling and their leader slain, the remaining Orks fled and were run down. It had been a costly victory, yet it was victory nonetheless, and one achieved against overwhelming numbers.
White Scars - White Scars Air Operations: During the fierce fighting around the Ork shipyards, the White Scars' aerial forces came into their own. Hordes of greenskins continually charged Jubal Khan's warriors. Artillery pounded them from afar. Many buildings had to be cleared time and again. Corridors and passageways were only made inaccessible to the Orks when they were completely choked by the corpses of the greenskins' own dead.In the face of this overwhelming tide of enemies, Jubal resorted to desperate tactics. He ordered that his strike force's entire aircraft contingent be deployed to his war zone, and called in air strikes practically on top of his own warriors' positions in order to stymie the Orks' onslaught.With deadly accurate missile fire, Stormtalons and Stormhawk Interceptors destroyed Ork artillery, the guns erupting in flame and incinerating their crews. White-armoured gunships strafed the artillery until their ammunition ran dry and their weapons' barrels glowed white-hot. Transports delivered much needed supplies and evacuated the wounded.Ork vehicles, ships and buildings were reduced to slag by laser and Multi-Melta fire, their occupants cooked alive. Finally, Jubal Khan's ground forces were able to reclaim the initiative.Stormtalon Squadron Arashei had been fighting with Jubal since before his call for reinforcements, pushing their aircraft beyond their limits in every sortie to bring death to the foe. They intercepted Ork Warbikes attempting to outflank White Scars positions. They duelled greenskin fighters, bringing down many with torrents of fire as they performed great feats of aerobatics.They destroyed an Ork sea vessel whilst it was being loaded with warriors and weapons, the huge detonation incinerating thousands of greenskins and sending dozens of smaller, nearby craft into the Tempest Ocean's freezing depths. When they finally received reinforcements, the pilots of Squadron Arashei fought with even greater vigour, determined to not let up their attacks until total victory was theirs.This time of aerial dominance ended when Ork air forces were brought to bear against the White Scars en masse. Crudely built jets and bombers swarmed the skies like insects over a swamp. The White Scars pilots were eager to fight them wherever they appeared, hungry for the true dogfighting battles they had largely been denied up to this point.Working in perfect unison, Arashei's pilots engaged enemy formations many times their own number. When a brother squadron was badly mauled, the pilots of Arashei plunged into skies thick with foes to buy the survivors time to break free. They successfully intercepted greenskin aircraft on a suicide run headed directly to Jubal Khan's position, and they launched such a furious hail of firepower at Zarbog's infamous Blitza-Bommer squadron that they detonated the Orks' bombs, blowing apart the craft in midair.By the end of the Third Armageddon Campaign, the name Arashei had become legend, and was used to inspire all of the White Scars who had fought there to great feats of heroism.
White Scars - Notable Campaigns: Since the days of the First Founding, when they were still known as the Vth Legion, the White Scars have amassed a lengthy roll call of triumphs across the galaxy. Few enemies can escape their wrath -- the spiked walls of the Quan Zhou fortress monastery are lined with the silver-dipped skulls of those champions of disorder who have earned the ire of the White Scars huntmasters.
White Scars - Age of Renewal, M31-M33: Great Scouring (ca. 014-021.M31) - During the battles of the Great Scouring, the White Scars are tasked with securing the Yasan Sector -- the star systems that surround their homeworld of Chogoris. Many of the populated planets in the sector had rebelled against the Emperor during the Horus Heresy, and all -- Loyalist and Traitor alike -- had been subjected to xenos attacks, especially by Drukhari raiders. It is during these campaigns that the White Scars Legion is broken into Chapters.Disappearance of Jaghatai Khan (ca. 084.M31) - The White Scars' Primarch Jaghatai Khan disappeared whilst fighting several Kabals of the Drukhari on the world of Corusil V, near the Warp rift called the Maelstrom. Presumably, Jaghatai pursued a Drukhari Archon through an alien portal that led into a portion of the Aeldari Webway occupied by the Drukhari, perhaps even reaching their Dark City of Commorragh itself. His fate is unknown. When Jaghatai Khan does not re-emerge into realspace, a Great Hunt is declared. The White Scars and their Successor Chapters scour the Yasan Sector and beyond for signs of their Primarch, attacking all Aeldari of any faction without warning or mercy. No signs are found.
White Scars - The Age of Redemption, M37-M40: The Cursed Year (Unknown Date) - With its brotherhoods spread across the Ultima Segmentum, the White Scars suffer a series of disasters, beginning with the loss of three Khans -- each new successor dying in his inaugural campaign. Taking the misfortune as a sign that they have displeased the venerable spirit of their primarch, the Stormseers recall the entire Chapter to Chogoris, where the brotherhoods meet for a solar month of feasting and fierce competitions, each battle-brother rededicating himself through rituals of blood. In the solar decades that follow, the White Scars accumulate more victories and successful hunts than in any period since the Great Crusade.
White Scars - Command Hierarchy: Of all of the Legions, the White Scars maintained the most decentralised command structure, rivalled only by that of the Alpha Legion. While Jaghatai Khan remained the ultimate authority, the various noyan-khans, the commanders of the large units called "hordes" that made up the bulk of the Legion, exercised a remarkable amount of personal authority and most often operated independently of the Great Khan.Unlike many Legions of the Great Crusade, it was rare for the White Scars to assemble in forces numbering more than one or two hordes -- indeed, it was far more common for forces as small as one or more brotherhoods to operate alone within any given war zone. Far more common was the attachment of smaller White Scars forces to the fleets of other Legions, though even in these situations the khans of those gathered brotherhoods retained independent command of their forces.As a consequence of this style of leadership, the White Scars Legion had relatively few formal titles of rank in use. Authority flowed from the Great Khan, whose official title in the Legion was "Khagan" or "Khan of Khans," to the noyan-khans that commanded the hordes and from there to the individual khans of each brotherhood, with these three ranks forming the core of the Legion's command structure on the battlefield.In actuality, each khan, regardless of his rank, was surrounded by a web of advisers and lieutenants to whom a measure of authority was invested, for the officers retained their posts due to the respect held for them by their followers as much as due to any official appointment.Among this circle of advisers, the chief position was often taken by one of the infamous Stormseers, upon whose prognostication much weight was placed by both the khan and his warriors.Most khans also nominated one among their brotherhood as first officer, and heir to command should he fall. A position technically titled "Kavkhan," though this was only rarely used in the field, the counsel of this first officer also weighed heavily in the command of the brotherhood.Other officers of more specialised nature, such as the "Tenrikhan" that captained many of the voidcraft of the White Scars fleet or the "Gan-khan" that presided over the Legion's armouries, as well as veterans of established skill and honour, also held much sway with a wise khan, and when included as a part of his brotherhood or larger force, would be key to shaping his decisions.
White Scars - 731st Pioneer Company: An example of a Pioneer Company was the the 731st Pioneer Company, known informally as the "Grey Ghosts." The 731st primarily saw service as outriders and forward scout elements for the 98th Expeditionary Fleet, alongside the warriors of Primarch Rogal Dorn's Imperial Fists Legion. They were tasked with identifying potential targets ahead of the fleet's main advance and assessing the threat of each, either withdrawing in the face of overwhelming opposition or staging a campaign of disruption and subtle murder where they discovered weakness.They served to arrange the grand battles and campaigns which the Imperial Fists prosecuted, moving on when the warriors of Dorn arrived in orbit to secure the victory with pomp and fanfare. The Cold Shroud and Sorrow Vector, the two cruisers attached to the 731st Pioneer Company, were ever on the move, perpetually steered from one desolate war zone to another by the advance of the Great Crusade.Legionary Alekh Daumas illustrated above fought as one of the so-called "Stalker" cadres for which the Grey Ghosts were renowned. Armed with old pattern anti-materiel rifles converted for use as sniper weapons and a sophisticated catalogue of camouflage techniques, theseStalkers marked priority targets for the invasion force that followed on their heels and perpetrated pinpoint strikes on those deemed vulnerable by the Pioneer Company's commanders.Legionary Daumas rose to prominence during the initial foray on Altus-coriola, where he and his cadre were responsible for destroying 34 grounded fighter craft, ensuring minimal losses in the later Imperial Fists drop assault. Later fully initiated into the reborn White Scars Legion, Daumas took the name Munokhoi to show his loyalty to the Great Khan.
White Scars - Pre-Heresy Hordes and Brotherhoods: It was common in the pre-Heresy White Scars Legion for both its hordes and constituent brotherhoods to carry names rather than numbers.The notable named hordes of the V Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy era included:Horde of the Stone - Commanded by Hasik Noyan-Khan.Horde of the Earth - Commanded by Jemulan Noyan-Khan.The notable named brotherhoods of the White Scars Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy era included:Brotherhood of the Blue HawkBrotherhood of the Storm - Commanded by Shiban Khan.Brotherhood of the Moon - Commanded by Torghun Khan.Brotherhood of the Night's Star - Commanded by Ainbataar Khan.Brotherhood of the Golden Star - Commanded by Tsolmon Khan.Brotherhood of the Sable WolfBrotherhood of the Broken Shield - Commanded by Bujir Khan.Brotherhood of the Great Eye - Commanded by Nayaga Khan.Brotherhood of the Golden Path - Commanded by Khulan Khan.Brotherhood of the Pennant Spear - Commanded by Algu Khan.Brotherhood of the Hunter's Star - Commanded by Xo Hutan.Brotherhood of the Dawn Sky - Commanded by Hibou Khan.Brotherhood of the Black Axe - Commanded by Sengur Khan.Brotherhood of the Summer Lightning - Commanded by Jubal Khan.
White Scars - Uhaan Solban: Many outsiders have made the claim that the White Scars of the Great Crusade era did not use Dreadnoughts. This is not true. Those they maintained were rarely seen in battle and were few in number, but they did exist and held a strange position within the Legion.As a warrior society uniquely bound to the fierce joys of battle and the simple pleasures of a physical existence, the eternity of silence and separation endured by those incarcerated within a Dreadnought chassis held a particular horror for the White Scars. Despite this revulsion, to be assigned to live on in a Dreadnought shell is seen as neither punishment, nor as an honour, but rather somewhere in between.Dreadnoughts among the White Scars were known as the Uhaan Solban, the "Guardians of the Morning and Evening Stars" in the Chogorian tongue. This poetic title is typical of the Legion's tendencies, and hid a rather more practical purpose. The Uhaan Solban served as guardians of the Legion's gene-seed repositories on Chogoris and Terra, eternal wardens that served in place of their lesser brethren.They shouldered the burden of an endless watch so that their brothers that still walked fully in the realm of the living might hunt the stars alongside the Great Khan, a sacrifice that saw them treated with equal parts awe and fear by the rest of the Legion. They remained a cruel reminder of the true cost of duty, avoided by most who had reason to enter the silent repository halls where they rest, and were honoured from afar with propitiatory rites.It is only the Akoghlanlar, the Apothecaries, and the "Iron Khans" (Techmarines) of the armoury who sought them out, both to perform maintenance and for ritual reasons tied to their own obscure creeds.On rare occasions, one of the Uhaan Solban would take to the field of battle alongside the rest of the Legion, drawn to battle by the fragmented memories and urges that still lived in their half-dreams. They made such demands only rarely, and only where they felt that their presence was required by those omens observed in the feverish dreams of the near-death they endured during their watch, interpreted for them by Stormseers, and there were few khans who would deny the request of one of these ill-omened heroes to stalk the battlefield once more.Those battles to which the Uhaan Solban felt drawn were almost always bound to live in infamy, dire challenges that saw the Legion pitted against near-insurmountable odds or hidden tragedy. Here the Uhaan Solban sought their final demise, to stand as a bulwark against defeat and to laugh bitterly in death's face one last time.The Chondax Campaign was to see an unprecedented number of the Uhaan Solban return to the field of battle, an ill-omen that would not be realised until the end of the fighting and the arrival of the Alpha Legion.
White Scars - Auxiliary Orders: Several bodies of White Scars warriors existed outside of the brotherhood structure into which the vast majority of the Legion was organised. Some of these orders reported directly to the Great Khan, while others were truly independent and operated according to the whims of their commanders in support of other brotherhoods or hordes.Given the decentralised nature of the White Scars' military organisation and the emphasis they placed on individual initiative, many of these orders operated without direct oversight by the Great Khan, and were to an extent laws unto themselves. A brief list of the more prominent of these organisations is presented here.Karaoghlanlar - The "Dark Sons of Death," these warriors fulfilled the role of Destroyers within the White Scars and answered directly to the Council of Seers. They were deployed in combat when the utter annihilation of the enemy was required, as well as for certain ritual roles in the wake of key campaigns.Burgediin Sarhvu - The "Falcon's Claws" in the Chogorian tongue, this small order was composed of veteran warriors who had undergone certain initiatory rites on Chogoris. On the battlefield, they served as hunters and forward scouts, experts in survival and the quiet elimination of enemy commanders, while outside of combat they acted as the keepers of those servo-raptors maintained by many brotherhoods as both symbols of their ancient heritage and battlefield reconnaissance assets.Kharash - Less a formal order and more a temporary assembly, the Kharash was assembled whenever the need for a diversionary or shock assault force rose. Formed only on volunteers, these units were both a punishment and an honour, as those who survived assignment to the Kharash were often considered to be both lucky and skilled by their comrades. The Kharash were also one of the few White Scars units to make routine use of Tactical Dreadnought Armour.Uhaan Solban - This order comprised almost every one of the limited number of Dreadnoughts of any pattern in service with the White Scars. Concerned primarily with guarding the gene-seed repositories of the Legion on Chogoris and Terra, these dour, half-dead warriors were rarely seen on the field of battle with the Legion.Akoghlanlar (Apothecaries) - Composed entirely of those personnel inducted into the medicae corps of the Vth Legion, the Akoghlanlar were the ritual opposites of the Legion's Destroyers, dedicated to the preservation of their brothers and the legacy of Jaghatai. Unlike most of the other orders represented above, these warriors were spread across the various brotherhoods, serving individually rather than as a single entity. It was only on rare occasions that the entire Order gathered, often in service of one of Chogoris' obscure rituals.
White Scars - Chapter Organisation: The predominant unit of social organisation among the nomadic people of the steppes of Chogoris is the tribe, a fact reflected in the organisation of the present-day, post-Heresy White Scars Chapter. Once a young warrior is selected from the feuding tribes of the steppes, loyalty to his tribe is replaced by loyalty to the Chapter and the Emperor of Mankind.As their Primarch did during his campaign to unite the steppes, recruits from different tribes are mixed together in the White Scars' squads. Each squad of White Scars Astartes becomes part of a "brotherhood," a type of unit that is roughly equivalent to a standard, 100-Astartes company.Each brotherhood is led by an officer known as a "khan," who is essentially the White Scars' version of a standard Space Marine company captain.At the time of the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium, the White Scars did not make use of standard Astartes rank designations, or ordered companies, and instead differentiated their companies as "brotherhoods", such as the "Brotherhood of the Hawk" or "Brotherhood of the Spear." However, those White Scars Space Marines who were Terran-born often had a tendency to utilise the more common standard company designations.For example, the 64th Company (made up of Terran White Scars Legionaries) was also known by its Chogorian designation -- the Brotherhood of the Moon. The White Scars still utilise these Chogorian designations for their companies in the late 41st Millennium, though they always refer to their companies as brotherhoods.The White Scars have a propensity to maintain a disproportionate number of Bike Squads and Land Speeder squadrons within their order of battle. This highly mobile lightning-attack fighting style means the White Scars do not make use of as many heavy weapons as other Chapters.Due to their reliance on fast-moving fire support, most of the tanks used by the Chapter have had their armour stripped down so that they are able to keep up with the majority of the fast-moving White Scars forces.Dreadnoughts are also rarely employed by the present-day White Scars just like their ancient Legionary brethren, as the cold, metal sarcophagi of these mighty cyborgs evoke a horror of eternal confinement and induce a feeling of extreme claustrophobia that is a result of the White Scars' cultural foundation as nomads who wander the open plains of Chogoris' steppelands.
White Scars - Chapter Command: The White Scars are led by an assemblage of the greatest individuals from amongst the Chapter's ranks, including many specialist groupings whose unique talents are deployed according to the will of the Great Khan himself.The "Great Khan" is the Chapter Master of the White Scars, the ultimate commander of its military might. The current Great Khan, Jubal, rules from Quan Zhou, served by countless equerries, advisors, serfs and logisticators as he determines the disposition of the sons of Jaghatai Khan.He is regularly attended upon by the khans of the brotherhoods, most often when a kurultai is called -- a gathering of the khans. Also present will be representatives of the Chapter's Reclusiam, who provide spiritual guidance. This order is led by the Voice of the Storm, the formidable Jaghorin, and includes the Chaplains attached to each of the brotherhoods.Members of the Apothecarion are afforded great respect at such gatherings. Known as emchi, these medicae have a weighty duty, for in preserving and controlling the White Scars' gene-seed stocks, they safeguardthe very future of the Chapter itself.The current Chief Apothecary, Ogholei, is a dour figure amongst the White Scars' usually boisterous ranks; given the challenge he faces in keeping the Chapter at fighting strength despite the relentless attrition of the war against the Red Corsairs, his grim aspect is understandable.The Great Khan commands his own Honour Guard of supremely skilled warriors, the Keshig. Each is personally selected from amongst the Chapter's finest warriors, and they serve as bodyguards, military advisors and executors of the Great Khan's orders. Every one of these champions has proven himself in battle a thousand times over, and they protect their liege with total devotion.At the kurultai, their elaborately worked armour and weaponry stands out even amongst the masterwork wargear of the other champions present.The final element of the Chapter's command structure are its Librarians, the Stormseers. Their leadership reside at Quan Zhou in the Khum Kharta Mountains, cloistered within a lightning-wreathed tower set apart from the bulk of the fortress-monastery.Here they train initiates to the zadyin arga, as the Stormseers are known in Korchin, the language of Chogoris, and maintain the scrolls that detail the White Scars' noble history. The Librarius has a unique authority, for when an incumbent Great Khan dies, the Stormseers gather in the deepest caves of the Valley of the Khans to decide upon his successor. Each khan of the White Scars who believes himself worthy must present himself before the zadyin arga and prove himself to them.The horrors the Stormseers subject each claimant to are a mystery. When the former Great Khan Kyublai vanished fighting the Drukhari, four hopefuls entered the Valley of the Khans. Only Jubal Khan survived the Stormseers' ordeals and returned to Quan Zhou, where he was anointed as the new Great Khan.
White Scars - Post-Heresy: The White Scars gene-seed is known to be relatively stable, and the Vth Legion sired a number of Successors when it was split into Chapters. Most sources agree that these Chapters are the Rampagers, Marauders, Destroyers and Storm Lords, all of whom share the qualities of the ancient Vth Legion and adhere to the teachings of the Great Khan.Some have observed the occasional tendency to exceed the wild ferocity of Chogorian heritage and to cross the line into outright bloodlust. The teachings of Jaghatai Khan state that each warrior must face this trial at some point in his service, and learn to master the savagery within.Only when he has done so can a warrior truly know himself, and do his duty. What has been observed by some as a precursor to genetic instability is regarded by others as a positive trait, and one vital to the White Scars' countless battle honours.The present-day Chapter utilises a variety of trials to select Neophytes, many of which are intrinsic to the way of life of the warrior nomads of the steppes of Chogoris. The constant warring between tribes ensures that the bloodline remains strong, and the leaders of the various Chogorian nomad communities know that every generation one of the mighty ones descends from the mountains to observe their battles.Although the White Scars remain apart from the tribes of Chogoris, they do not hide their presence when observing a battle, for it inspires the combatants to fight all the harder in the knowledge that the living legends of their world are looking on and judging their conduct.Upon the completion of a battle, one or sometimes several warriors are led away by silent, grim-faced White Scars, never to be seen again unless they too one day return to witness the fight and choose the next generation of Space Marines.
White Scars - The Brotherhoods: The White Scars draw their recruits from amongst the nomadic steppe tribes of Chogoris, many of whom are engaged in fierce internecine blood feuds that date back countless generations. While psycho-conditioning during the gene-seed implantation process could be used to wipe such feuds from the Neophyte's mind, to do so would risk diluting much of what makes him a desirable candidate in the first place.In order to overcome the feuding, the White Scars ensure that battle-brothers from the same tribe serve in different squads, making each unit a product of many different tribes. Intermingled in such a manner, old feuds become largely irrelevant, and without squad mates from the same tribe to reinforce an ancient grudge, such matters are quickly forgotten.Nonetheless, the folk-memories of the tribes of Chogoris are long indeed, and occasionally some slight thought set aside long ago flares up and battle-brothers clash. While unruliness and brawling is unheard of amongst the White Scars, the Chapter's traditions make allowance for genuine instances of bad blood, and the aggrieved must submit their grievance to their brotherhood's khan, or if sufficiently dire, to the Chapter Master himself.So strong is their discipline and loyalty to the khan that his word of judgement is invariably final. The nature of that judgement depends on circumstances, and may result in one or both brethren being punished in some way or, in the most extreme of cases, ordered to fight one another in ritual combat to settle the matter once and for all.The White Scars often refer to their companies as "brotherhoods", each of which is slightly smaller than the Codex Astartes dictates. Each brotherhood maintains a large stock of vehicles, in particular transports and bikes, and every battle-brother is cross-trained in the operation of them all.It is said that the nomads of Chogoris are born in the saddle, and the White Scars are certainly most at ease fighting on, in, or from a mount of some kind. In the time of their Primarch, the brotherhoods strove for the honour of being declared "First" in the attack, competing in every manner to lead the assault.This practise largely disappeared when the Codex Astartes was applied to the Chapter's organisation and the Vth Legion broken up into separate Chapters, but it does still resurface when several brotherhoods fight together. In such instances, the Chapter Master declares which brotherhood is called "First", as well as the order of attack of the rest of the force.The brotherhoods keep tally of each battle in which they have been declared "First," for the battle-brothers know that their deeds will be recounted for all time and their names never forgotten. To be "First" is such an honour that all tribal feuds are forgotten, the bonds of Astartes brotherhood far stronger than those of mortal tribes.
White Scars - White Scars Names: When a native of Chogoris ascends to the ranks of the White Scars he takes a new "honour name," drawn from the rolls of the Chapter. Some brothers retain their original given name and use it as a surname, whilst others discard it altogether in favour of an earned Low Gothic epithet.White Scars names are drawn from the culture of the people of Chogoris, whose language is very similar to the ancient Mongolian and Turkic languges of Old Earth. Examples of White Scars names include: Khaljyk Jaghol, Oghol the Swift, Ulagai Ironsteed, Kuglai Ulkhuk, Chenghizh of the Slicing Blade, Chogan the Iron Stampede, Ulegai Yejughal, Saghari Thunderhead, etc.