vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Shadow of the Past (Anthology Short Story) - Shadow of the Past (Anthology Short Story): Shadow of the Past is a short story published in The Primarchs series that was originally part of an anthology. Shadow of the Past was first published as part of the Sons of the Emperor anthology in February 2018. The cover image used is that of Sons of the Emperor, as Shadow of the Past has yet to be published separately.
Shadow of the Past (Anthology Short Story) - Synopsis: Dark Apostle Kalta-Ar seeks to raise a religious monument to gain his Primarch's favour. But when the warriors of the Legion begin to die in suspicious circumstances, he learns something has come hunting. Its prey is not the Legionaries slaughtered by its hand, but the one whom they call father, the Daemon Primarch Lorgar.
Shadow of Ullanor (Novel) - Shadow of Ullanor (Novel): Shadow of Ullanor is the eleventh volume in The Beast Arises series of novels.
Shadow of Ullanor (Novel) - Synopsis: The Imperium's attempts to defeat the Ork menace seem doomed to failure; it is only a matter of time before the Greenskins triumph, and Mankind is wiped from the face of the galaxy. Yet there is some cause for hope -- the psychic weakness of the Orks has been discovered, and a few Sisters of Silence yet survive. Supported by the full military might and technology of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Space Marines head to the Orks' homeworld of Ullanor one final time. This time there will be no retreat, no surrender. They must succeed...or die in the attempt.
Shadow Spectres - Shadow Spectres: The Shadow Spectres are a recently re-discovered group of Craftworld Aeldari Aspect Warriors who specialise in the deployment of highly-mobile, infantry-based anti-armour firepower who are experts at striking at enemy vehicles from concealment and extreme long-range. Armed with Prism Rifles, each a potent anti-tank weapon, and equipped with Jetpacks, their mobility allows them to hunt down their chosen targets with the implacable patience of the dead, materialising seemingly from the very air to unleash their overwhelming firepower.The Shadow Spectres represent the Aeldari god of war Kaela Mensha Khaine in his aspect as the Eternal Warrior, for whom death is no release from duty. It is therefore appropriate that the Shadow Spectres Aspect Shrine has historically been associated with the Wraithguard. Traditionally, Asuryani who lose their lives in service to the Shadow Spectres Shrine have their Spirit Stone transferred to a Wraithbone combat walker body; in turn, the Wraithguard have acted as the guardians of the Shadow Spectre Shrine for many Terran millennia.Shadow Spectres are equipped and armed with Jetpacks, Holofield emitters, and Prism Rifles, which are infantry versions of the massive Prism Cannons deployed on Asuryani Fire Prism grav-tanks. These weapons release highly focused blasts of laser energy that can vaporise the armour of even the heaviest vehicles.The Shadow Spectres use their Jetpacks to remain highly mobile across the battle space and to find the most advantageous terrain from which to strike against enemy armoured vehicles. Additionally, Shadow Spectre Aspect Warriors are capable of combining the power of their Prism Rifles using a sophisticated targeting matrix known as the Ghostlight. The Ghostlight combines each individual shot from a squad of Shadow Spectres into a single searing blast of energy with a greatly magnified range that allows the Aspect Warriors to destroy an enemy's armoured support from an unseen location far across the battlefield.Instead of firing their Prism Rifles (or the Exarch's Prism Blaster) individually the squad may take a single Ghostlight shot of greatly enhanced power which is particularly useful when used against the most powerful armoured targets like Space Marine Land Raiders.
Shadow Spectres - Role: The Shadow Spectres are masters of striking at an enemy's heavy armour forces from the unseen, using their Jetpacks, Prism Rifles, Prism Blasters and the Ghostlight targetting matrix to destroy armoured vehicles from far across the battlefield where retaliation is almost impossible because the Shadow Spectres will be long gone before the enemy can return fire to their location.The Shadow Spectres' use of shimmering Holo-fields also makes it very difficult for enemy targetting sensors to get a lock on them even if they can be visually located. Shadow Spectres normally operate in squads of 3-5 Aspect Warriors, not including their Exarch.When the Ghostlight is used to combine a Shadow Spectre squad's fire into a single, long-range anti-armour strike, it is the Shadow Spectre Exarch who makes the determination of target and initiates the attack.
Shadow Spectres - Shadow Spectres Exarchs: An Asuryani Exarch is the leader of an Aspect Shrine. An Exarch has travelled so far down the Path of the Warrior that he or she can no longer leave it and so dedicates him or herself fully as a high priest of Khaine in service to the aspect of the war god that he or she represents. Exarchs wear more elaborate and ornate versions of Aspect Armour which incorporates the souls of their past wearers, granting an Exarch not only wisdom and knowledge stretching across the millennia but a raw pool of potent psychic energy that can be used in combat.In addition to a Jetpack and Holo-field emitter, Shadow Spectre Exarchs are also outfitted with the more advanced Exarch Armour for their Aspect and a weapon known as a Prism Blaster, which is similar to a Prism Rifle but with a longer barrel that further focuses and refines the weapon's beam to provide even greater range with a more powerful beam, and a Haywire Launcher, which fires a potent anti-vehicle warhead similar to the Haywire Grenades used by the Drukhari. This warhead detonates with a small explosion that unleashes a powerful electro-magnetic pulse that overloads cogitator (computer) systems and blinds autosenses, disabling them.The Exarch can also enhance the abilities of their squad of Shadow Spectres by calibrating the Ghostlight so that the squad can fire more accurately when the device's matrix is used. Exarchs are highly experienced warriors who are capable of judging the best opportunities for the squad to withdraw, regroup, and take up a new firing position that will enhance their combat effectiveness against enemy armour.
Shadow Spectres - Phoenix Lord: The long-lost Phoenix Lord of the Shadow Spectres is Irillyth, the "Shade of Twilight," whose origins lay with the comparatively minor craftworld of Mymeara. A former disciple of Asurmen, the first of the Asuryani Phoenix Lords, Irillyth was the founder of the Aspect Shrine of the Shadow Spectres.During his training under Asurmen, Irillyth was gifted with a terrible psychic vision of the future. In it he saw the destruction of Mymeara at the hands of an unknown alien species. Still reeling from the near-destruction of his own people during the Fall of the Aeldari in the 30th Millennium, Irillyth vowed not to allow any more of his kin to be wiped out and he set out to find Mymeara and prepare it for the battle that lay ahead. Thus was a new Warrior Aspect born.Irillyth eventually disappeared and was thought lost to the Craftworld Aeldari. Many Terran millennia passed, and the Phoenix Lord's sacred Aspect Armour remained unrecovered, waiting to be rediscovered so the Shade of Twilight could be reborn within a new form found within the body of one of his Exarchs. Over the millennia after Irillyth's disappearance, the Shadow Spectre Aspect Shrines were soon deserted, one by one on every craftworld, until eventually the Shadow Spectres Aspect became extinct amongst the Asuryani.Or so it was thought. With the discovery of Betalis III (known to the Aeldari as Bethalmae) by the Imperium of Man, a mission to find and recover Irillyth's Aspect Armour and the soul of the Phoenix Lord within was led by Bel-Annath, a Farseer of the Mymeara craftworld. He successfully reanimated the spirit host of the lost Phoenix Lord, and the Shade of Twilight was reborn to serve his people once more and to revitalise the Shadow Spectres Aspect Shrine on all of the craftworlds.In addition to his Phoenix Lord Armour, which is an even more finely-crafted variant of Shadow Spectre Exarch Armour, Irillyth wields a unique, master-crafted Prism Rifle with an integrated Power Glaive known as the Spear of Starlight. The Phoenix Lord's expertise with this weapon allows him to use it equally effectively at extreme range or in close combat, as well as on the move. The Spear of Starlight is able to be used in conjunction with a Shadow Spectres squad's Ghostlight.
Shadow Wardens - Shadow Wardens: The Shadow Wardens were an elite cadre of Veteran Astartes who served as the honour guard for the Primarch Corvus Corax of the Raven Guard Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia.They had served their lord since he was the leader of the slave uprising on Lycaeus. Following their Primarch's disappearance, it is not known if this elite cadre was dissolved as an active formation within the newly formed Raven Guard Chapter or if it still exists.
Shadow Wardens - History: The origins of the Shadow Wardens can be traced back to the time of the slave uprising on the prison moon of Lycaeus. Before he was reunited with the XIXth Legion, Corax served as the rebels' leader during the slave uprising. Corax's peers insisted that he be watched over by a bodyguard lest the overlords or some other rogue element attempt to assassinate him.While he resented this concern, Corax allowed such a force to be employed, as much for his followers' peace of mind as for his own safety. After he joined his Space Marine Legion, the bodyguard followed, formed into an honour guard known informally as the "Shadow Wardens." It was said that they were ever present, though often unseen when their Primarch went to war, and that none could avoid their gaze. Indeed, only one individual was ever able to do so, and that was Corax himself, giving rise to the wry saying that Corax was able to slip his own shadow should he choose to do so.
Shadow Wolves - Shadow Wolves: Shadow WolvesCodex AstartesSpace MarineChapterImperial Fistsgene-seedFoundingRogal DornThey fought for the honour of the Emperor of Mankind for thousands of Terran years, until they met their ultimate fate at the hands of a Tyranid splinter fleet in 987.M41 when their homeworld of Varadon was overrun by the xenos swarms. Even though the Chapter is officially considered extinct, a strike-force of Shadow Wolves was spotted on Cadia in 999.M41, fighting Abaddon the Despoiler's Forces of Chaos during the 13th Black Crusade.
Shadow Wolves - Chapter History: In 987.M41 the Shadow Wolves' homeworld of Varadon was ravaged by the foul xenos of a Tyranid splinter fleet. The Shadow Wolves attempted to defend their homeworld from the predations of the merciless Great Devourer. Astropathic distress beacons were transmitted through the Warp solar weeks before the attack, before their fortress-monastery finally fell to the enemy. The Black Templars swiftly answered their brother Chapter's summons, and attempted to penetrate the swarms of Tyranids besieging the ruins of the Shadow Wolves' fortress-monastery, but the unrelenting ferocity of the alien tide hampered their efforts. In the end, only a handful of the Shadow Wolves remained, their blades broken and their Bolters spent. They died in honourable battle as they made their defiant last stand, still intoning the litanies of hate against the alien, chanting their bitter fury at their foes even as they were annihilated.A lone Shadow Wolves Battle-Brother, though horrendously wounded and on his knees beneath the Chapter's standard, attempted to maintain his Chapter's honour to the last, for the Shadow Wolves' War Banner could not be allowed to fall whilst one of the Astartes of the Chapter yet lived. The doomed Space Marine held it aloft defiantly, keeping the banner upright and proud even as the xenos creatures tore into him. He died in a brutal and glorified manner -- which for an Astartes could only be described as a beautiful death.
Shadow Wolves - Chapter Organisation: Like their parent Chapter, the Shadow Wolves were the epitome of Codex Astartes doctrine. All ranks were able to make tactical decisions and were encouraged to act on their own initiative. In accordance with the Codex Astartes, the Shadow Wolves combined all arms in flexible, balanced battle groups, each of which could present an opponent with a diversity of threats. The Shadow Wolves would then press their attack so swiftly that the foe was overwhelmed before they could react. The Shadow Wolves retained the traditional skills of the Imperial Fists in urban and siege warfare, although they were quite willing to engage and defeat the enemy in open battle in any environment. They used fortifications when on the defensive, but only after all of the more aggressive options had been exhausted. Like the Imperial Fists, the Shadow Wolves' principal weakness was their reluctance to accept the possibility of defeat that sometimes blinded them to the risks inherent in their aggressive stratagems.As with many early-Founding Chapters, the Shadow Wolves were also noted for bearing all manner of holy relics and ancient arms and patterns of battle-plate. They appeared to have inherited the most revered arms and armour of the original Imperial Fists Legion, and carefully preserved them down through the millennia against the foes of the Imperium. They had a propensity for making use of Mark VI Corvus Pattern Power Armour.
Shadow Wolves - Chapter Combat Doctrine: The Shadow Wolves was a fairly pragmatic Chapter of Astartes, for it sought to cause maximum attrition amongst the foe whilst minimising its own casualties by any means necessary. Fluidity, timing and technique were all subservient to the Shadow Wolves' simple, primordial desire to be the last men standing in any fight. To them, survival was everything, for displays of prowess with Bolter or blade were worth little to the dead. They had no need for the Imperial Fists' bombastic last stands or the Black Templars' relentless advance and indiscriminate purges.
Shadow Wolves - Chapter Fleet: The Purest Intent (Strike Cruiser) - This Strike Cruiser was constructed on the minor Forge World of Shevilar and granted to the Shadow Wolves Chapter. It was lost with all hands, captured by xenos raiders, in 966.M41, thirty-two standard years before the Third War for Armageddon began in 998.M41. The derelict hulk was later acquired by Orks, and it served as a part of the massive Ork WAAAGH! that threatened Armageddon. It was badly damaged by Armageddon's orbital defences after it drifted dangerously close to the planet and it crash-landed just outside the Hive City of Helsreach.
Shadow Wolves - Chapter Colours: The Shadow Wolves' Power Armour was silver with dark purple shoulder pauldrons and backpack. The skull or double-headed eagle icon of the Imperialis or Aquila, respectively, on the chest guard was dark purple or sometimes replaced with a silver wolf's head in keeping with the Chapter's lupine iconography. A silver squad specialty symbol -- Tactical, Assault, Devastator or Veteran -- was worn on the right shoulder guard. A white Roman numeral was centred over the squad specialty symbol, indicating squad number. The company number was determined by the colour of the vertical stripe on the helmet as dictated by the Codex Astartes -- i.e. White (1st Company), Yellow (2nd Company), Red (3rd Company), etc.
Shadow Wolves - Chapter Badge: The Shadow Wolves' Chapter badge was the profile of a silver wolf's head on a field of dark purple.
Shadow Wolves - Trivia: The Warhammer 40,000 author, Aaron Dembski-Bowden helped to invent the Shadow Wolves Space Marine Chapter, on behalf of his wife Katie. At the time of their creation, his wife had just started to become interested in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and after reading the first three books of the Horus Heresy novels, she fell in love with the Pre-Heresy Luna Wolves Legion. Inspired by this, Aaron proceeded to write a cameo for the Shadow Wolves in the novel Helsreach, making them a part of the official canon. He made them a Codex-compliant Chapter with lots of wolfish iconography. He did not give them the savage aspect of the Space Wolves, yet he inferred that the Shadow Wolves use lots of canine imagery, similar to the Luna Wolves beloved of his wife.
Shadowed Ones, The - Shadowed Ones, The: The Shadowed Ones are a large warband comprised of Chaos Space Marines from the Alpha Legion Traitor Legion. The Shadowed Ones are led by the Chaos Lord Dynat Mal, known as "Crowbane." Though their parent Legion's loyalties are in question, the warband is thought to fight for the cause of Chaos Undivided against the Imperium. This warband's fate is unknown, but after a reign of terror that lasted several standard decades it is generally believed that they met their dark fate at the hands of the reawakened Necron Maynarkh Dynasty
Shadowed Ones, The - History: Following the tragic events of the Horus Heresy the Traitor Legions were driven outwards by the resurgent armies of the Emperor of Mankind after the Battle of Terra during the unending bloodshed known as the Great Scouring. The Chaos Lord Dynat Mal, known as "Crowbane," was the main architect of the Raven Guard's shaming defeat at the Battle of Lyx. He fled to the Mandragoran Stars and gathered to him a coterie of Renegades, diabolists and Traitors thousands strong. Imperial forces sent in pursuit were repeatedly outmanoeuvred and cut apart piecemeal as Dynat's forces, now known as "The Shadowed Ones," employed guerrilla tactics and dark forces to extend their mastery over the region. After the vital Imperial outpost station at the world of Amarah, in what is now the Orpheus Sector of the Segmentum Tempestus, was attacked and destroyed, its entire population slaughtered and stockpiles plundered, any Imperial claim to the region was effectively severed. This sundered realm, caught beyond the light of the Imperium at the edges of the Veiled Region, became known as the Dark Marches. Even today, it is considered benighted by ignorance and discord, and is shrouded from human sight. Dynat Mal continued to successfully ambush and destroy several Imperial punitive expeditions and established a reign of terror that lasted for several standard decades. Although the fate of the Shadowed Ones remains a mystery, it is generally believed that Dynat Mal was defeated and subsequently killed by the awakened Necrons of the Maynark Dynasty.
Shadowed Ones, The - Warband Colours: Like the rest of their parent Traitor Legion, The Shadowed Ones still maintain the basic Alpha Legion colour scheme for their Power Armour -- blue, silver and green.
Shadowed Ones, The - Warband Badge: The Shadowed Ones uses the same Legion badge and iconography as the rest of the Alpha Legion, namely a green hydra, the mythological multi-headed serpent that has the ability to grow back two heads for every one cut off.
Shadowfield - Shadowfield: A shadowfield is a Drukhari force field technology deployed to provide a defence screen on their voidships. Rather than make use of the Warp-powered Void Shields preferred by the Imperium or the Holo-fields or psychic energy fields of their Craftworld Aeldari kin, these force fields generate an area of fog-like distortion around their voidcraft which hides its location from visual observation and tactical augurs and other ship-based sensors alike. In this sense, the shadowfield is very similar to the Asuryani's Holo-field technology.
Shadowhawk - Shadowhawk: The Shadowhawk is a rare variant of the Thunderhawk gunship that was used solely by the Raven Guard Legion during the latter days of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy.The Shadowhawk was developed as a stealth variant of the Thunderhawk, sporting all manner of technologies that made it invisible to all but the most sensitive of Augurs.
Shadowhawk - History: By the time the Primarch Corvus Corax took command of his Space Marine Legion, the Great Crusade was over a standard century old. Corax was quick to impose the style of war he had perfected in the dungeons of Lycaeus over that which had come to define the XIX Legion, melding stealth and guile with vigilance and swiftness. During the restructuring of the XIX Legion, it commissioned several innovations from the forges of Mars, all of them cunningly wrought to further its mastery in the arts of stealth and speed.It was during this time that the Thunderhawk gunship was entering more widespread use amongst the Legiones Astartes, replacing the aging Stormbird series of dropships. The Raven Guard secured for themselves the Shadowhawk variant, along with the Whispercutter, an open air-frame flyer constructed about a gravitic impellor and capable of dropping ten Astartes into a war zone in utter silence and with practically no chance of detection.Such technology was created not by the Martian Mechanicum nor any of their Forge Worlds, but by those master artificers of Kiavahr who formerly served that world's Tech Guilds. Utilising strands of machine canon unknown to the mainstream of the Mechanicum, the Kiavahran guild artificers created all manner of systems at the behest of the Raven Guard, and in time the Legion's Techmarines were inducted into these mysteries.It has been speculated that the Kiavahrans might have been declared outcast by the jealous lords of Mars, were it not for the patronage of so august a body as the Legiones Astartes and the Primarch Corax.
Shadowhawk - Notable Campaigns: The Compliance of Indra-sûl (ca. 990.M30) - The Raven Guard Legion used Shadowhawks and Darkwings to infiltrate the massive glittering spire of silver that reached from the ground to the void above the planet. There they liberated the planet's remaining enslaved human population from the vile xenos Khrave, towering monstrosities who had gorged on standard centuries of captive bounty, impossibly strong and wielding foul Warp-glamours.
Shadowhawk - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: ShadowhawkTypeOrbital Stealth DropshipOperational CeilingN/AVehicle NameShadowhawkMax Speed2,000 kilometres per hour (approx.)World of OriginKiavahrRange28,000 kilometres in atmosphere (approx.)Known PatternsUnknownMain ArmamentUnknownCrewUnknownSecondary ArmamentUnknownPowerplantUnknownMain AmmunitionUnknownWeight121.0 Tonnes (approx.)Secondary AmmunitionUnknownLength26.6 MetresArmourWingspan26.65 MetresSuperstructure55 millimetres (approx.)Height9.8 MetresHull65 millimetres (approx.)Vehicle Designation:UnknownTransport Capacity30 Space Marines or 15 Terminator Marines or 1 Dreadnought or 1 Assault or Attack Bike squadron (Approx.)
Shadowhawks - Shadowhawks: The Shadowhawks is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. Almost nothing is known about this Chapter in the Imperial records, except that it participated in the First and the Second Punisher Wars against the vile Punishers Chaos Space Marine warband.
Shadowhawks - Notable Campaigns: First Punisher War (825.M41) - The infamous Chaos Space Marine warband known as the Punishers led a massive Chaos invasion of the Kargad System. The Dark Hunters Chapter participated in the defence of its homeworld of Phobian, but was woefully outnumbered by the Forces of Chaos. The Punishers landed a quarter of a million Chaos Cultists in the first wave upon Phobian, with mighty Emperor-class Battleships to provide support. Their numbers severely depleted, the Dark Hunters were forced to pull back and made their final stand at Mors Angnar, their fortress-monastery, cradled in the rugged peaks and glaciers of the Argahast Range known as the Silverspears. The Punishers eventually surrounded Mors Angnar and fought their way within. The Dark Hunters were forced to make their final stand within the Chapter's Reclusiam, their numbers reduced to only two hundred Battle-Brothers. As the Dark Hunters faced certain annihilation, they were saved by their fellow Adeptus Astartes brethren. It took the help of six other Chapters, including the Brazen Fists, Dark Sons, Doomsayers, Shadowhawks and two others unnamed, to finally extirpate the Punishers from the system. Though the Dark Hunters emerged victorious, it was a pyrrhic victory at best. Their numbers had been greatly reduced and many of their ancient vehicles and transports had been destroyed. But the Dark Hunters would persevere, and go on to rebuild their numbers, though it would take many standard centuries to replace the lost Battle-Brothers.Second Punisher War (982.M41) - Jonah Kerne, Captain of the Dark Hunters 3rd Company led his Space Marines to the world of Ras Hanem during the Second Punisher War against the warband of Chaos Space Marines known as the Punishers. Kerne was able to hold the Forces of Chaos at bay while being assisted by the local garrisons of the Imperial Guard and the Planetary Defence Forces. The Dark Hunters even went so far as to form a temporary alliance with the Eldar of the Kaelor Craftworld, helping those xenos find an ancient artefact precious to their race in exchange for their aid in defeating the Forces of Chaos. Despite the deceptions and cunning of the Eldar, Kerne stayed true to his word and gave the artefact to the Eldar Farseer, thus committing an act of heresy. The remaining Imperial and Eldar forces were able to hold the Punishers long enough for the remainder of the Dark Hunters Chapter to arrive with Astartes allies drawn from other Chapters, including the Shadowhawks. When the war on Ras Hanem had concluded in the Emperor's favour, Jonah was taken by his Chapter back to their homeworld of Phobian. There, he was taken into custody by the Inquisition to answer for his crime.
Shadowhawks - Chapter Colours: The Shadowhawks' Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Shadowhawks - Chapter Badge: The Shadowhawks' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Shadowkeepers - Shadowkeepers: The Shadowkeepers, known also as the "Wardens of the Dark Cells," are a Shield Host of the Adeptus Custodes, the stalwart guardians of the Emperor of Mankind.They are charged with the vitally important task of standing eternal vigil over the Dark Cells, where terrible entities and artefacts are locked away deep beneath the Imperial Palace on Terra, eldritch terrors from the depths of Old Night that could annihilate the Imperium.
Shadowkeepers - Terrors of Old Night: Many Human mythologies, both ancient and the product of the collapse of civilisation on thousands of worlds during the Age of Strife, carry legends of the apocalyptic wars of the gods in whose aftermath terrible weapons are left upon the desolate battlefield for the gods' inheritors to find.At the height of Humanity's ancient interstellar dominion during the Age of Technology, unbridled and recklessly potent Human science had unlocked myriad potentials within the Human genome as well as releasing forbidden technological terrors upon humanity as it suited the whims of the scientist-kings of that lost age. Nowhere was this more apparent than on Old Earth itself, the seat and capital of that ancient empire, and storehouse of its secrets.For centuries such dread secrets slumbered; in forgotten bunkers and armoured vaults lay the masterless gene-looms and autosurgical chambers of the Dark Age of Technology, waiting for the ignorant and the power hungry to set them to work once more to bloody and ill-reckoned purposes.The end results of their inevitable rediscovery was a world already plunged into violent anarchy and environmental collapse made infinitely worse by the abused powers of those lost gods and devils of ancient science. These outcomes included genetically tailored warfare, desperate schemes at blood-bought immortality and power, and a hulking grotesquery of once-Human shock troops driven into battle by the ambition of crazed techno-barbarian warlords.Mutation, monstrosity, pogrom, disease and death unimaginable were let loose by the warlords' lust for conquest; such was Terra's long night.
Shadowkeepers - Warders of Rython: During the bloody years of the Unification Wars, when the Emperor launched His campaign to finally crush the last of the techno-barbarian warlords and tyrants that had held sway over Mankind during Old Night, and later, during the galaxy-wide campaign to reunite the disparate worlds of Mankind, the Emperor encountered many technological terrors, unholy constructs and vile entities, created by both Human and xenos alike, as if they had been dredged up from pure nightmare.The Emperor knew that such aberrant technology could not be allowed to fall into the hands of the unwary, nor could such foul aberrations be allowed to walk amongst the worlds of Mankind, for they would be Humanity's inevitable downfall. In His wisdom, the Emperor charged a detachment of His own Legio Custodes to act as both wardens and gaolers -- to hold eternal vigil over the horrors they had encountered -- and to lock them away deep beneath the massive Imperial Palace complex on Terra itself.These items and captured entities would be sequestered to the Vaults of Rython, where they would be held within rune-locked portals, and warded by the power of sanctic circles -- forbidden to all save their eternal guardians, the so-called Warders of Rython and the Emperor Himself.
Shadowkeepers - Role: Ten millennia later, to the Shield Host of the Adeptus Custodes known as the Shadowkeepers falls the sacred duty of standing guard over the Dark Cells, a particularly sequestered and forbidden sub-division of the deep levels below the Imperial Palace complex on Terra, unto the end of time.The Shadowkeepers hold the keys to the rune-locked portals hidden deep beneath the Imperial Palace. They alone know the ways by which the runic locks may be disengaged, the wards unbound and the sanctic circles breached. They alone know that these things must never happen, for the Dark Cells hold such horrors at bay that Mankind's sanity would not survive their release.A full Shield Host is devoted to this grim responsibility, over a hundred black-armoured Custodians patrolling the dark and silent corridors, vigilantly watching over the last terrors of Old Night. It is a task that would soon drive most men mad, for though neither sight nor sound can escape the forbidden cells, the air of those corridors is charged with dread.A perpetual menace thickens the shadows and makes them crawl. Even the transhumans of the Adeptus Custodes are forever on edge in those dark oubliettes, for the sense of unspeakable threat never wanes. It is a testament to the discipline and spiritual fortitude of the Shadowkeepers that they stand their guard unflinching, sometimes for solar decades at a time.The ranks of this Shield Host include many Custodian Wardens, whose oaths of protection help them to focus upon the task at hand to the exclusion of all else. The leaders of these forbidding sentries carry ancient weapons of mysterious provenance, their use intended as a last resort should anything ever break free from the Dark Cells.For ten thousand standard years the Shadowkeepers have performed their duty, yet the opening of the Great Rift changed everything. With the power of Chaos spilling raw and seething into the spaces between the stars, new abominations have come to light. Worse still are the cells that stand suddenly empty, the entities and artefacts once contained within spirited away by some unholy force to curse the galaxy once more.Fearing the consequences of such dread remnants of the Age of Strife falling into the wrong hands, the Shadowkeepers at last sent warriors out into the galaxy. Not since the dark times of the Horus Heresy, when several sodalities of Shadowkeepers deployed as a part of the Prosperine Censure Host during the Burning of Prospero, has this Shield Host deployed en masse.In this darkest of ages, these jailers must trammel that which should not be, slaughtering all who seek to impede them, before returning their foul prizes to the cells where they belong.
Shadowkeepers - The Lockwarden: There have been many Custodes Shield-Captains charged with mastery of the Shadowkeepers. This appointment confers the title of "Lockwarden," a name that is borne in perpetuity and garners solemn respect from every other member of the Ten Thousand.The Lockwarden must be the sternest of all guardians, the most unrelenting and alert gaoler on the face of Terra. Moreover, should any creature or relic escape the Dark Cells, or newly emerged threat need to be imprisoned therein, it is the duty of the Lockwarden to personally oversee the operation.The current incumbent of this position is Shield-Captain Borsa Thursk, who has been Lockwarden for a Terran century and a half. He is a grim and frighteningly intense warrior whose utter fearlessness and steely vigilance make him ideal for his role.It speaks volumes about the dire condition of the galaxy that Thursk left Terra but twice before the breaking of the storm, yet he has barely set foot there since the Great Rift yawned wide.
Shadowloom - Shadowloom: A Shadowloom is a defensive Necron device, which consists of a scarab-sized generator only ever mounted on Tomb Blades. A Shadowloom can project an aura of unnatural darkness around the Tomb Blade, providing mobile cover within which the craft can disguise its approach and throw off the aim of its foes.
Shadows of Treachery (Anthology) - Shadows of Treachery (Anthology): Shadows of Treachery is the twenty-second volume in The Horus Heresy series and is an anthology of short stories and novellas.
Shadows of Treachery (Anthology) - Synopsis: Shadows of Treachery is an anthology that features short stories by Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill, and Gav Thorpe, along with two novella-length stories. From the battlefields of Phall and Istvaan, to the haunted shadows of Terra itself -- the greatest war in the history of Mankind rages on. While the Traitor Legions continue their campaign of terror across the galaxy, preparations are made for the defence of the Imperial Palace and the final, inevitable reckoning that must yet come between Horus and the Emperor of Mankind. In the first novella, Crimson Fist by John French, we learn of the fate of Primarch Rogal Dorn and his Imperial Fists fleet originally sent to Istvaan III. In the second novella, Prince of Crows by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, the story descends deeper into the darkness of the Night Lords Legion.
Shadows of Treachery (Anthology) - Contents: Shadows of Treachery contains the following 5 short stories and 2 novellas:The Crimson Fist (Novella) by John FrenchThe Dark King by Graham McNeillThe Lightning Tower by Dan AbnettThe Kaban Project by Graham McNeillRaven's Flight by Gav ThorpeDeath of a Silversmith by Graham McNeillPrince of Crows (Novella) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Shadowseer - Shadowseer: A Shadowseer, known in the Aeldari Lexicon as an esdainn, is a powerful Aeldari Harlequin psyker whose abilities are centred around spreading confusion and fear during both a Harlequin performance or Masque and on the battlefield. As the spiritual guides of the Harlequins, Shadowseers are enigmatic and mysterious individuals. Though not affiliated to a Troupe, they perform alongside them as part of a masque, using their psychic powers to subtly enhance a performance. In battle, however, the Shadowseer turns his psychic might upon the enemy, invading their minds and souls to cause terror and mayhem.Like Aeldari Seers of old, the Shadowseer wears long robes, his head covered by a long cowl weighted with sun and moon trinkets. Further curios hang from his belt, including two Harlequin masks and mysterious pouches, while in his left hand he wields a Miststave -- both a mark of office and a potent close combat weapon. To augment his prodigious psychic skills, the Shadowseer wears a fluted Creidann Grenade Launcher that fires hallucinogenic cartridges, while his Harlequin mask is disturbingly blank and impassive. That is, until an unsuspecting victim gazes into it and sees a distorted reflection of their future self. This disturbing vision, combined with the narcotic gas, leaves most foes incapable of defending themselves against the Shadowseer.Illusion, misdirection and terror whirl about the Shadowseer like a psychic tempest. With a subtle twist of the mind, these warrior mystics can erase the memory of the Harlequins from their enemies' thoughts, clouding their perceptions with confusion or horror. It is child's play for Shadowseers to bind their victims within the twists of their own minds, engaging them in one-sided psychic duels, or tricking their bodies into stopping hearts and choking off breath. Wherever the Shadowseer treads the battlefield, shards of illusory light and shadow blind the foe, while clouds of hallucinogenic gas send them into paroxysms of terror or bewildered joy. Discipline collapses, replaced by a bedlam of screams, gibbering and panicked, aimless gunfire. Warriors stagger drunkenly, slashing their blades at phantom foes.Through it all strides the Shadowseer -- an island of sinister calm amid a raging ocean of madness, robes swirling as their faceless mask reflects naught but the emptiness of the void. During a Masque the Shadowseers of a Harlequin troupe act as the primary storytellers, releasing programmed hallucinations from their creidann hallucinogen grenade launcher backpacks which form scintillating phantoms that dance and duel in the air. In older Imperial texts they are sometimes referred to as Harlequin Warlocks.
Shadowseer - High Shadowseer: The High Shadowseer, sometimes referred to in older texts as the "High Warlock" and called in the Aeldari Lexicon the athesdan, is the overall commander of a Harlequin masque's Shadowseers, and may overrule commands issued to Warlocks by their Troupe Masters -- though this rarely happens in practice. It is not unknown for a High Warlock to take the Warlocks from the troupes and form them into a separate unit under his (or her) own command.The High Shadowseer advises the High Troupe Master on all psychic matters pertaining to a masque. In performance, the High Shadowseer leads and coordinates the other Shadowseers as they play the role of a supporting chorus to his Storyteller; in battle, the High Shadowseer may coordinate the Shadowseers' grenade barrages, or act as a completely independent warrior.
Shadowseer - Phantasmancy Discipline: Shadowseers are the masters of illusion and misdirection. Such is their power and intellect, they can reach into the minds of mortals and twist their perceptions at a whim. This may involve shrouding the presence of the Harlequins from the victims' mind, or trapping the foe in purgatorial thought-mazes of their own worst fears. Whatever the precise nature of the manipulation, it will invariably be subtle, sinister, and dangerously cruel. Known powers of the Phantasmancy Discipline include:Veil of Tears - Sketching a gesture in the air, the Shadowseer snatches the image of the Harlequins from the minds of their foes, and plucks it out, hiding them from sight.Dance of Shadows - The Shadowseer uses his powers of illusion to exaggerate the play of light and shadow around his allies. The effect swiftly intensifies, shrouding the unit in a whirling vortex of gloom, shot through with blinding pulses of light.Peal of Discord - Drawing in a slow breath of Warp energy, the Shadowseer throws back his head and sings out a perfect note, interwoven with a horrific banshee scream. Soaring and plunging, the wave of sound rolls outward, a crashing discordia that shatters bones, bursts brains, and leaves the few survivors bleeding and befuddled.Shards of Light - The Shadowseer reaches out and plucks blades of light from thin air. Though nothing but illusion, this trick is so realistic that it fools the senses utterly, the blades inflicting horrific psychosomatic wounds as they whistle through the air to blind and impale.Fog of Dreams - Soft and subtle, the Shadowseer sends his consciousness forth like a creeping mist. Moment by moment, his thoughts seep into those of the foe, veiling their sight and baffling their senses. Soon enough they see only a whirling bank of lambent silver mist. The sounds of battle echo weirdly through this icy murk, and shadows prowl beyond the edge of sight. The enemy are left deaf, blind, and all but helpless as the Shadowseer's comrades descend upon them.Mirror of Minds - The Shadowseer singles out a foe and appears to them as an apparition lodged in their subconscious. Reality falls away before the helpless victim, replaced by a warped mirrormaze of the Shadowseer’s making. Though only seconds pass in the real world, within the victim's mind they must strive against the Shadowseer's will for days, months, even years in their efforts to escape. Many never do. Their souls erode until nothing remains but a ghost, wandering mad and alone within the prison of their own mind.
Shadowseer - Shadowseer Markings: A Shadowseer's garb incorporates a version of their masque's colours andrune, while occasionally displaying the device of whichever Troupe they most often fight alongside.
Shadowseer - Shadowseer's Mask: Most Harlequin masks project whatever appearance the wearer wishes, yet a Shadowseer's mask shows only a twisted reflection of those who stare into its depths.
Shadowseer - Wargear: Holo-Suit - The Holo-Suit, or dathedi -- meaning "between colours" -- is responsible for this transformation. The device incorporates a programmable holo-field that breaks down the wearer's profile into a fractal lightstorm as they move; the faster they travel, the more pronounced the effect. So it is that a charging Harlequin appears as nothing more than an indistinct, prismatic storm that is nigh-on impossible to hit, allowing them to simply avoid blows that would otherwise lay them low.Creidann Grenade Launcher - The Creidann Grenade Launcher hurls canisters of hallucinogenic gas through the air according to pre-programmed fire patterns.Shuriken Pistol - Shuriken Pistols are light, compact sidearms much favoured by Harlequins. The slender, graceful lines of these weapons mislead many foes, who discover their lethal stopping power only as a flurry of razor-edged shuriken rip through their flesh. The reliability and featherweight construction of the shuriken pistol means that most Harlequins bear them into battle, the Players' acrobatic combat style perfectly complemented by the firearm they wield.Miststave - Traditionally, every Shadowseer carries a Miststave -- a weapon that channels their mental force to crush armour plates and shatter bones. Against living victims, even a glancing blow from such a stave scrambles their perceptions, clouding the mind with contradictory illusions and reducing sight to a slow-motion blur.Flip Belt - These devices enhance the Harlequins' agility to incredible levels.
Shadowseer - Notable Shadowseers: Vaiuri M'atua - This Harlequin Shadowseer has become a nightmare to all who serve the Ruinous Powers within the Screaming Vortex. Her mission brings her into constant conflict with petty warlords and weak-willed sorcerers, and legend has that she has never been defeated. As her reputation grows, the more powerful denizens of the Vortex have placed numerous bounties on her head, offering great rewards to the warrior who can fell her. Most are too afraid to attempt such a feat, and of those that have tried, none have returned. Vaiuri’s tactics vary little from those of her companions. She excels at sowing confusion amongst the enemy ranks, breaking their coordination and shattering their morale with her devastating Psychic Powers and hallucinogenic grenades. She often strikes from concealment, erupting from a webway portal to overwhelm her foes in a flurry of disorder and lethal strikes from her Witchblade, then vanishing before a counterattack can be organised. Of her true plans, none can say for, she tells no one besides her Troupe and they follow her without question. Amongst her own people it is rumoured she has even spoken with the mysterious and deadly Solitaires, enlisting their aid for some, as yet, unknown purpose.Ailill Nuada - Ailill Nuada is a performer and a warrior, and she has travelled with the Harlequins for countless centuries and visited every last remnant of the once mighty empire of the fallen Aeldari. She has performed for Eldrad Ulthran under the pulsating violet luminescence of the Eye of Terror in the Dome of Lamentations on Craftworld Ulthwé, and gone before the court of Asdrubael Vect in his throne room at the heart of Commorragh. Yet, Nuada appears to have taken leave of her role in order to focus upon the mission of the Conclave of Tears in the Jericho Reach. It is rare for her to know the company of fellow Harlequins, though on occasion they have answered her silent call to oppose the foes of the Aeldari in the Outer Reach.
Shadowseer - Sources: Black Crusade: The Tome of Excess (RPG), pg. 112Codex: Craftworld Eldar (3rd Edition)Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition), pg. 26Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pg. 49Codex: Dark Eldar (5th Edition), pg. 42Codex: Harlequins (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 12, 21, 27, 32, 35, 50-51, 59, 70-71, 97-100, 139, 144, 150, 155, 177-178Deathwatch: The Outer Reach (RPG), pp. 62-63Harlequins Painting Guide - Warriors of the Laughing God, pp. 5, 11-12, 21, 23, 27, 29-30, 36, 42, 45, 51, 56, 59-60, 71-76, 119-122, 136-141, 164White Dwarf Weekly Magazine Issue #56 (21 Feb 2015), "Shadowseer," "Harlequin Army List - Shadowseer," pp. 5-9, 52-55Games Workshop Catalogue - Harlequin ShadowseerGames Workshop Catalogue - Classic Shadowseer
Shadowsword - Shadowsword: The Shadowsword is the sister tank of the more common Baneblade super-heavy tank of the Astra Militarum. The Shadowsword is a nearly identical super-heavy tank to the Baneblade with the exception of its armament and battlefield role as a Titan-killer. Armed with a massive forward-firing gun known as a Volcano Cannon the Shadowsword's primary focus during combat is the destruction of enemy Titans. The Shadowsword and Baneblade have been fighting alongside the forces of Mankind since the Dark Age of Technology, thus making it one of the oldest tank designs still in regular use by the Imperium. Each Shadowsword uses ancient Standard Template Construct (STC) designs that only a handful of Adeptus Mechanicus Forge Worlds have at their disposal. Each Shadowsword is individually logged, registered, and tracked on Mars, not only to see where it is but to see where it has been and the honours it has received, as a Shadowsword's deeds are celebrated as if they were those of a favorite child amongst its makers. The Shadowsword is a highly prized addition to any armoured regiment of the Imperial Guard.Where many super-heavy vehicles excel in protracted battles, their thick armour allowing them to outlast endless waves of enemies, the Shadowsword is designed to bring a swift and crushing end to the opposing army. Equipped with a hull-mounted Volcano Cannon, among the largest weapons ever fitted to a tank, the mere appearance of a Shadowsword on the battlefield spells doom for the enemies of the Imperium.As a Shadowsword speeds forward, the roar of massive engines is drowned out by the whir of its Volcano Cannon powering up. The ruby beam of laser light that it fires pierces the thick smog of battle, blasting through infantry, armour and xenos monstrosities with ease. Even Aeldari Wraithknights, Tyranid Bio-Titans and Ork Gargants can be toppled by a single, direct hit from a Shadowsword.