vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Imperial Regent - Imperial Regent: The Imperial Regent, sometimes also called the Regent of Terra or the Lord Regent, is a title of high nobility that has been used for a powerful official of the Imperium of Man several times during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras and throughout the Age of the Imperium.The bearer of this title is extremely powerful, said to be second only to the Emperor of Mankind Himself in civil authority across the galaxy. The Imperial Regent is held to speak with the voice of the Emperor in anything they command.The title's functional authority has sometimes overlapped with that of the similar post of the lord commander of the Imperium when that position is actually filled.But the office of lord commander was ultimately a military rank intended to take supreme command of the Imperial armed forces and serve as chairman of the Senatorum Imperialis, while the Imperial Regent was expected to focus more on civil administrative tasks.The title of Imperial Regent was one of the few positions that also warranted its holder receiving protection by the Adeptus Custodes due to their importance to the Imperium and Humanity. The office was first created for Malcador the Sigillite during the Great Crusade when the Emperor retreated after the Triumph of Ullanor to the Imperial Palace on Terra.Determined to set in motion His Webway Project which would mark the next stage of His plan to begin a new Human golden age, the Emperor did not want to waste any of His time on matters of state, and left such affairs to his most trusted lieutenant Malcador.
Imperial Regent - Notable Imperial Regents: Malcador the Sigillite - Malcador was the first Imperial Regent and was most often referred to as the "Regent of Terra." He also secretly held the position of Grand Master of Assassins. Malcador was the Imperial Regent from the time of the Great Crusade until his death at the end of the Horus Heresy during the Siege of Terra.Sanguinius — The primarch of the Blood Angels Legion served as the Imperator Regis, or emperor regent, of the short-lived Imperium Secundus during the Horus Heresy.Roboute Guilliman — The primarch of the Ultramarines Legion served as the Imperial Regent as well as the lord commander of the Imperium in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy until his mortal wounding at the Battle of Thessala by Fulgrim of the Emperor's Children in 121.M31. Ten thousand Terran years later, Guilliman took on both titles again following his resurrection and the birth of the Great Rift.Maximus Thane — Maximus Thane served as the Imperial Regent and the first among equals on the Senatorum Imperialis in the years following The Beheading and the War of the Beast in the mid-32nd Millennium.
Imperial Robots - Imperial Robots: Imperial robots, known also as automata or battle-automata when they are used in combat, are non-sapient, mechanical automatons used for labour and combat within the Imperium of Man that were created as the result of the exploitation of now-lost archeotech intended to avoid the development of an Abominable Intelligence. They are primarily constructed and maintained by the Tech-priests who are members of the Legio Cybernetica, a sub-division of the Adeptus Mechanicus.The Legio Cybernetica traces its origins to when early tech-savants experimented with artificial life during the Age of Technology. Ever curious, those early pioneers not only constructed vast hosts of automatons but also gave their creations the gift of independent thought.That decision was to cost them dearly, and the rest of Humanity with them. After the terrible consequences of those times which resulted in the great machine uprising against Humanity of the Cybernetic Revolt, the dread concept of the Silica Animus, a self-aware machine, was outlawed forever, its creators subjected to excommunico fatalis and its resurrection punishable by torture to the point of death.And yet there were those that still yearned to walk in their shadow, to perfect a thinking machine in the likeness of a Human mind. In lieu of creating automata with the souls of men, many recidivist Tech-priests created machines imbued with the animus of loyal beasts -- or worse, with essences from the Empyrean. This too had disastrous consequences.The resultant schism was exploited by Horus himself when he betrayed the Emperor. Its legacy survived with the Dark Mechanicum, whose members still go to infernal lengths to give life to their machines. Many later-pattern robots are tainted by their association with the machine-predators of that desperate age.So it is that in the 41st Millennium the animalistic Thanatar, Castellax and Vorax Patterns of Battle-Automata are forgotten on all but the most intrepid and independent of Forge Worlds, and the Dark Mechanicum spoken of only in whispered code. Yet the fear and dark legend of those unstoppable robot armies lives on.Yet, over the millennia since the Horus Heresy, the Legio Cybernetica has regained the respect and admiration of the rest of the Adeptus Mechanicus as well as the other myriad adepta of the Imperium, though in fact it has rarely been deployed in recent centuries.
Imperial Robots - Origins: The origins of the robots employed by the Imperium harken back to the earliest days of Human technology, with the most advanced models presumably dating to the Dark Age of Technology during the zenith of Mankind's scientific prowess and technological power.Not much is known of this bygone age due to the loss of so much advanced Human technology with the oncoming of the Age of Strife, but what is known is the ancient Mechanicum's Legio Cybernetica manufactured and produced large quantities of robots during the Great Crusade of the late 30th Millennium.These robot cohorts were instrumental in helping to bring untold numbers of rediscovered Human-settled worlds back into the fold of Humanity and under the rule of the Emperor of Mankind. The Imperial conquest continued nearly unabated for over two standard centuries until the realm of the Emperor was threatened by an unforeseen and unexpected threat from within with the onset of the terrible interstellar civil war known as the Horus Heresy.
Imperial Robots - Horus Heresy: Warmaster Horus, the primarch of the Luna Wolves Legion, was one of the twenty superhuman, genetically-engineered sons of the Emperor created to lead the armies of the Great Crusade in their great task of reuniting all the Human-settled worlds of the galaxy beneath the rule of the Imperium.He was the Emperor's right hand; his greatest and most beloved son. He knew he would have to secure the support of the ancient Mechanicum and their superior technology and materiel if he was to defeat the Emperor and conquer the galaxy once he had decided to rebel.Taking advantage of the climate of discontent already present within the Mechanicum over restrictions the Emperor had placed on the development of certain advanced technologies like artificial general intelligence and all Warp-based technologies, the Warmaster manipulated the ruling Fabricator-General Kelbor-Hal of Mars and his loyal followers into joining his cause and founding what would later be known as the Dark Mechanicum.This included many Tech-adepts of the Legio Cybernetica, who were some of the first to declare for the Warmaster and follow him into treachery against the Emperor. The terror value of robots when used against unprepared and underarmed troops had not gone unnoticed by the Warmaster. This, combined with their unflagging loyalty, had made them an invaluable addition to his expeditionary fleet when bringing worlds into Imperial Compliance during the Great Crusade.When Horus commanded his forces to move against the Emperor during the opening days of the Heresy, many of the Legio Cybernetica cohorts at his disposal leapt to obey.When the conflict ended following the defeat and death of Horus at the hands of the Emperor during the Siege of Terra, these dishonoured cohorts of the Legio Cybernetica fled into the dark realm of the Eye of Terror alongside the Traitor Legions, where they remain to this day. In their wake those cohorts of the Legio Cybernetica that had remained loyal were viewed with great suspicion within the reorganised Adeptus Mechanicus, and would be rarely deployed in the millennia to come.
Imperial Robots - Components: A robot, like an Astartes Dreadnought, is the product of the synthesis of multiple advanced technologies required to construct its armoured shell, artificial muscle and nerve bundles, power plant, weapons control systems, equipment interfaces and central neural cortex.The forges of the Adeptus Mechanicus turn out many robots of the age-old designs stored within the core memory of their logic-stacks. For example, both the Castellan and Crusader pattern robots are known to have fought on the side of both Loyalists and Traitors during the Horus Heresy. The designs have remained virtually unchanged since that time, with perhaps only minor cosmetic differences and variations.The compatibility of the near-identical robotic components shared with the Dreadnought simplifies many supply and repair problems on the battlefield. It is not unknown for Legio Cybernetica robot cohorts to have been cannibalised out of existence to provide spare parts for Dreadnoughts.In return, Legio Tech-adepts have not been adverse to dismantling Dreadnoughts, sometimes killing its Astartes occupant in the process, when making battlefield repairs.As might be imagined, such actions are not well-regarded by any Space Marine Chapter which should catch a Legio Tech-adept actually killing a Dreadnought battle-brother to save his or her mechanical "pets."
Imperial Robots - Cortex and Programming: Constructed from artificially engineered neuroproteins and enzymes, the neural cortex is the artificial brain of an Imperial robot. Imprinted with simple maintenance, task and movement algorithms, the cortex serves as a rudimentary mind, enabling the robot to obey simple instructions from its assigned Tech-adept when away from the battlefield.These "firmware" routines are often patterned after those which exist in the organic neural cortexes of simple living creatures. It is known that an Imperial robot commonly develops a canine-like devotion to its technician-master.Before deploying a robot into battle the firmware routines are overlaid and replaced with so-called "wetware"; this is the robot's combat software which defines the commands of its handler. For example, wetware contains a set of algorithms that tell a robot where it is to deploy on the battlefield or when to fire its weapons or detonate its self-destruct charges.This specialised software is held in small slices of bioplastic, no larger than a credit card, which have been implanted within the robot's cortex. Believed by the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to hold the robot's "soul", its Machine Spirit, many warriors on the battlefield are known to take these small bioplastic cards from a "dead" robot that has been incapacitated. They believe that by doing so, some of the robot's bravery will pass onto them. Even some Adeptus Astartes Chapters have been known to abide by this tradition.In many situations a robot may be less effective than a living warrior, even though its reflexes and aim may be comparable, and it is a stronger, tougher and harder opponent to "kill" than a Human soldier. Yet, literal-minded to an inhuman degree, a robot is limited by its programming.Whatever the given situation, a robot always follows its pre-prepared programming, even when such programming will not produce the correct outcome for a given situation. Where a Human can easily adapt to unexpected developments, a robot may not possess the mental adaptability required to successfully navigate the demands of a rapidly changing battlefield.Like any other weapon system, a robot without its cortex is as useless as a bolter without its Space Marine. Without an operational cortex the robot is merely a heap of junk that can only take whatever punishment is meted out to it, but with a fully programmed cortex, a robot can prove itself the equal of many other opponents on the battlefield.
Imperial Robots - Slave and Master Systems: In some situations robots do not need a neural cortex to be fully operational, as they also possess the ability to act as the "slave" of a "master" robot, receiving orders by wireless vox communication from the master robot. The master robot is fitted with a neural cortex and wetware program, which in turn, relays algorithmic instructions to the slave robots fitted with standard vox communicators.Each of these slave robots follows the instructions of the master's program in turn. But the master robot must remain in close proximity to its slave robots, for if it were to move beyond the effective range of its vox transmitter the other robots would simply freeze in place, lacking the necessary instructions to carry out any operations.Should six or more of its communicator signals be jammed, a slave robot cannot perform any actions, and will freeze in place until further instructions are received. If the master robot's program or cortex are damaged all of its slave robots are affected equally.Communicator damage to a slave robot means that it can no longer receive or transmit data, grinding to an immediate halt. Any damage to a master robot's vox transceiver brings all its slave robots to a halt. Any other damage to the master robot's other systems has no effect on its slaves.Any number of slave robots can be controlled by a single master robot, although the usual ratio is 1 master to 3 slaves. When a larger ratio is used, damage to a master robot's program can halt too many slave robots in a single stroke.
Imperial Robots - Doctrina Wafers: Since the aftermath of the Warmaster Horus' rebellion the Legio Cybernetica's robots have been controlled completely by their masters -- not by the bio-plastic cerebra and nerve-like tendril webs of the ancient Mechanicum's constructs, but by sanctified doctrina wafers.No bigger than the cards of the Emperor's Tarot, these slivers of wetware are entrusted to the Cybernetica Datasmiths that accompany the Adeptus Mechanicus' robot maniples to war. Inserted into the data-slot hidden behind each robot's chestplate, the wafer's command protocol will dictate every iota of the host's behaviour, usually optimising its ability to destroy its foes in a spectacular fashion.Should a robot be controlled by a Protector Pattern doctrina wafer, it will concentrate its efforts towards ranged combat, mowing down rank upon rank of the enemy with an accuracy a mere Human could never hope to match. If the accompanying Tech-priest wishes to change the behaviour of their charges -- for instance to the assault-oriented Conqueror Pattern protocol -- they must manually remove the first doctrina wafer and insert a new one in its place.Many patterns of doctrina are in shorter supply than the robots themselves. Though there are dozens of robot clades and anatomies, each is entirely mechanical, and hence easier to maintain than the fusion of bio-matter and electronics that forms each doctrina wafer.Furthermore, whenever a maniple of robots finds itself in battle mode without an escorting Cybernetica Datasmith, it will continue to prosecute its last doctrina protocol until it runs out of power -- something that usually takes solar weeks of unbridled slaughter to achieve.Such risks and limitations are willingly accepted by the Cult Mechanicus, for the act of hardwiring independent thought into a battle-automata is strictly forbidden. Yet none know how many maniples the Legio Cybernetica could field if the ancient prohibition on artificial life and thinking machines was lifted.
Imperial Robots - Imperial Robot Types: Over the centuries the Legio Cybernetica has produced many robot designs. Many proved to be successful, and the Legio has kept the five most common Imperial battle robot patterns in its inventory for most of the Imperium's long and bloody history.Some of these designs were utter failures, such as the disastrous Castigator-class, which was so heavily armoured it moved slower than the troops it was designed to protect and support. Its survival capability was negligible as it was only outfitted with meagre weapons -- a single bolter.
Imperial Robots - Cohorts: Once employed by the forces of the Imperial Army and the Space Marine Legions, robotic cohorts are now exclusively used by the Legio Cybernetica. In ages past, the Legio Cybernetica was organised into several thousand cohorts, although only a small percentage of these were ever active at any given time.Each of these robot cohorts were in turn organised into maniples of 3, 4 or 5 robots led by a Legio Cybernetica Tech-adept. Numbering rarely more than 100, the number of maniples within a cohort could greatly vary. However, a cohort was usually spread across an entire Astartes force of several companies or a single large Imperial Army force.The use of more than 4 or 5 maniples in a battle was rare, but not unknown. During the Horus Heresy, particularly large numbers of robots were committed by both the Loyalists and Traitors in an effort to minimise Human casualties until a decisive final battle could be fought. In addition, the organisation was further divided into a number of sects.A few of the ancient Legio Cybernetica cohorts claim that their robotic war engines date, in part at least, back to the Great Crusade or possibly even before to the Age of Strife. As robots are often cannabalised to provide spare parts for their damaged brethren, there may be some validity to these claims.When properly maintained, the lifespans of Imperial technologies can span many Terran millennia. It is indeed possible that a robot's leg, arm, or cortex has been in constant use for ten thousand Terran years or more.
Imperial Robots - Maniples: A Legio Cybernetica maniple is a virtually self-contained unit, with a single Tech-adept or Cybernetica Datasmith typically overseeing the management of four units on the battlefield. The Tech-adepts do little more than give the robots their final wetware programs and then monitor their progress. However, they are also charged with the equally vital task of monitoring the progress of their maniple, and to ensure that a damaged robot is destroyed as quickly as possible, to avoid any possible danger to their own side during combat.This is accomplished by remotely activating the robot's self-destruct system. There are also a number of other, lesser Tech-adepts attached to the maniple who perform all of the maintenance and repair functions for the robots assigned to the maniple, though their presence on the battlefield is rare.Possessing the ability to repair virtually any item of Imperial equipment, it was often said during the Great Crusade that these Tech-adepts of the Legio Cybernetica were worth their weight in spares.
Imperial Robots - The Inquisition: The forces of the Inquisition also put the robot cohorts of the Legio Cybernetica to good use. As robots are believed by their very nature to be utterly incorruptible by Chaos, they make ideal weapons to use against the many enemies of Mankind.Their pre-programmed, non-biological nature makes them perfect engines of destruction against mutants and other Chaos-contaminated populations. The terror value of robots has not gone unnoticed by the Inquisition, as they are often used against under-prepared and under-armed troops. Combined with their unwavering loyalty, robots have made valuable additions to the Inquisition's forces.Robot cohorts attached to the Inquisition are usually staffed by their own Technician-Inquisitors rather than a Tech-adept of the Legio Cybernetica, as robots have proved to be pure and incorruptible, whilst men and women are not. This was proven during the dark days of the Horus Heresy.
Imperial Robots - Notable Imperial Robots: Incarnadine - Controlled by the Tech-adept Xi-Nu 73, Incarnadine was a Conqueror-class War Robot. Beside its three counterparts, Incarnadine comprised the 9th Maniple of the Carthage Cohort of the Legio Cybernetica. The 9th Maniple was attached to the 1301st Expeditionary Fleet of the Word Bearers Space Marine Legion. This Imperial fleet was commanded by Seventh Captain Argel Tal of the XVII Legion's Serrated Sun Chapter. Incarnadine was the Primus of the 9th Maniple. Almost human in its posture and gait, Incarnadine was armoured with thick platiing and bore weapons for arms. A third cannon rose from its shoulder, with ammunition belts trailing down its back, dreadlocks of bronze shells rattling with each step. It wore a Word Bearers Legion banner over its shoulder, and its armour plating was painted in proud black and scarlet livery and etched with Colchisian runes. A few rare units of the Carthage Cohort had oath parchments and scrolls of scripture bound to their armour plating, marking them as particularly accomplished in battle. These robots, from a variety of classes and designs, were enrolled in the Fidelitas Lex's archives as honorary members of the Word Bearers Legion. Incarnadine was one of them. The robot bore the serrated sun icon of the Serrated Sun Chapter, plated in gold upon its forehead. Such an honour was tantamount to the highest accolades in the Legio Cybernetica, and evidence of the commanding Adept's mastery -- such a machine clearly had a spirit of fierce intensity, and was worthy of recognition. Despite the usual cold indifference paid by the Astartes towards the adepts of the Carthage Cohort, Incarnadine was sincerely respected by the Word Bearers, who reverently referred to the Conqueror Primus as "Brother." But since the robot's induction into the Serrated Sun, and the etching of the chapter's sigil onto the robot's forehead, the Incarnadine had become much more erratic. Even after Xi-Nu 73 purged the robot's cortex, the discrepancies would resurface after each maintenance. This flare of perception, along with the faintest adjustment of its visual receptors, only ever occurred in the presence of the Word Bearers. Like an animal instinctively recognising its kin, Incarnadine knew when warriors of the XVII Legion were near, despite the fact that it should not be able to perceive anything at all beyond the presence of walls and floors. This ability was the first hint that the taint of Chaos enveloping the XVII Legion could affect machines as well as men.
Imperial Robots - Sources: Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus (8th Edition), pg. 42Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus - Cult Mechanicus (7th Edition), pp. 21-22Codex Titanicus (1st Edition)Horus Heresy: Collected Visions (Art Book), pp. 92, 131, 304, 326, 328, 384, 392, 402, 405, 412Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness (1st Edition), pg. 240The Horus Heresy - Book Three: Extermination (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 212-213, 223, 226The Horus Heresy - Book Four: Conquest (Forge World Series) by Alan Blight, pg. 291The Horus Heresy - Book Five: Tempest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 223-227The Horus Heresy - Book Six : Retribution (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 274The Horus Heresy - Book Seven: Inferno (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 159, 210, 213, 294-295The Horus Heresy - Legiones Astartes: Age of Darkness Legions, pp. 22-23Warhammer 40,000 Compendium (1st Edition), "Imperial Robots," pp. 67, 96-112White Dwarf Weekly 67 (09 May 2015), "Kastelan Robots," "Focus On...Ancient War Machines," pp. 4-12White Dwarf 112 (UK), "Adeptus Titanicus: Conqueror! - Robots in Adeptus Titanicus," by Jervis Johnson, pp. 68-72White Dwarf 104 (UK), "Chapter Approved: Imperial Robots," by Mike BruntonA Thousand Sons (Novel) by Graham McNeill, pp. 101, 103, 107, 115, 246First Heretic (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, pp. 9, 43, 100-102, 104, 108, 114, 186, 187-193, 195, 203, 234, 236, 425-429Nemesis (Novel) by James Swallow, pp. 126-127, 129, 132, 133-136, 138Angel Exterminatus (Novel) by Graham McNeill, Chapter OneThe Talon of Horus (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, pg. 61Forge World - Mechanicum Domitar Battle-AutomataForge World - Iron Circle Domitar-Ferrum Battle-AutomataForge World - Mechanicum Castellax Battle-AutomataForge World - Castellax-Achea Battle-Automata Æther-Flame Cannon ManipleForge World - Castellax Battle-Automata with Darkfire CannonForge World - Castellax Battle-Automata with Multi-MeltaForge World - Castellax-Achea Battle-Automata with Mauler Pattern Bolt CannonForge World - Castellax-Achea Battle-Automata Mauler Pattern Bolt Cannon ManipleForge World - Castellax Battle-Automata with Multi-MeltaForge World - Scyllax-Guardian Battle-Autmata CovenantForge World - Thanatar Siege-AutomataForge World - Thanatar-Calix Siege-AutomataForge World - Vorax Battle-AutomataForge World - Vulturax Stratos Battle-AutomataGames Workshop Online Store - Adeptus Mechanicus Kastelan Robots
Imperial Saint - Imperial Saint: An Imperial saint is one of the men and women who have given their lives for the glory of the Emperor and are now venerated as religious icons by the adherents of the Imperial Creed. Some are very minor, only revered in a single city or town, while some may be found wherever Imperial rule extends.Large or small, saints form the Human face of the Adeptus Ministorum, giving worshippers something to relate to and aspire toward. Saints are also often associated with certain aspects and particular causes, such as star travel or guilt.Some saints are even highly specialised, watching out for those that work with ill-tempered Grox, for example. This means, regardless of the situation, there is always a saint that watches over the faithful and over those to whom the faithful offer a prayer of intercession for the protection of the God-Emperor.The truly devout take no chances and festoon themselves with the symbols and tokens of many Imperial saints. Saints also have a prominent place in Imperial culture beyond their religious connotations. Their names can be found on everything from worlds and voidcraft to streets and children.Often something that is akin to a saint's cause bears their name, such as a warship called the Saint Drusus (of which there are one hundred and thirteen so named to date), so it might embody some of the fierceness of its namesake.Taking all of this into account, saints form an important part of an Imperial citizen's life, as prolific and ever-present as the cult and church of the God-Emperor itself.
Imperial Saint - History: Saints are those mortals who, by formal pronouncement of the Ecclesiarchy, have been elevated by the Emperor's grace far above the bulk of Humanity. They are exceptionally holy individuals, and their words and deeds are held to be the direct work of the God-Emperor Himself. Throughout the ten thousand standard years of the Age of the Imperium, millions of men and women have been recognised as saints, in many cases long after their death and only after several Terran decades of consideration.Most are known and venerated only within a specific region or sector of the galaxy, but some, such as Sebastian Thor himself, are known across the length and breadth of the Imperium. Men and women may be declared saints for all manner of deeds, but in most cases they will have performed some great service to the Imperium and the faith of the Imperial Creed.In a galaxy riven by war, it should be no surprise that many were great warriors, often leaders of massive Imperial Crusades that conquered vast swathes of space, or liberators of Human worlds enslaved by aliens or recidivists. Many were Imperial generals or admirals, while others were simple foot soldiers who by doing their duty, turned the tide of battle and molded history.Other saints were great teachers or orators, men and women who with a single word or missive could achieve what a million Imperial Guardsmen could not. The writers of the most learned of religious tracts are also often made saints, lending even greater weight to teachings preached across countless planets.Furthermore, it is common practice for ecclesiarchs to be declared saints after death, although the "beatification" of less well-respected or beloved individuals may take solar decades or even centuries to come about. Many are regarded as intercessors, to whom prayers are addressed and offerings are made to aid the faithful. It is held that the saint, being human but also close to the God-Emperor, might be able to petition the Emperor and bring about some tangible effect.Saints may come to be regarded as able to intercede on specific issues, such as to provide deliverance from oppressors, safe passage through the Warp, a successful annual crop or a warrior's true aim. Given that such a vast pantheon of saints exists, the matters on which they are said to be able to intercede are often extremely specialised. Some regiments of the Astra Militarum, for example, hold that there is a specific saint for every single one of the thousands of marks of standard-issue Lasgun.
Imperial Saint - Saint Worship: Just as the Imperial Cult allows cultures and peoples to integrate the superstitions of their local worlds and ways of life into the larger Imperial Creed, so too do saints offer the common citizen a focus for their devotion more personal and approachable than that of the God-Emperor alone. Saint worship is seen by the Imperial Church as an aspect of worship of the God-Emperor -- the reasoning being that all saints rise up to become one with Him. Therefore, to revere a saint is to revere the Emperor.That being said, the Ministorum is meticulous in who or what is deemed a "saint" and even the entire support of a planet or star system is sometimes not enough for them to be considered legitimate. For example, within the Calixis Sector, there are at least a score or more of true saints, sanctioned by the Ecclesiarchy and recognised as high up as the Segmentum Obscurus Synod, while hundreds more lesser or unsanctioned saints are still worshiped on worlds all across the sector. Though they risk punitive measures from the Church, or in extreme cases the brand of heresy from the Holy Ordos of the Inquisition, those not truly approved continue to rise up from the notable deeds and legends of common (and not so common) men and women.
Imperial Saint - Saints and Martyrs: There is a fine line between saints and martyrs, and in many cases those who achieve sainthood only do so through martyrdom. However the numbers of martyrs far outweigh the lists of the saints, though they are still honoured and remembered in their own way.Martyrs are examples held up by the Imperial Church as a lesson in the ultimate expression of faith and the righteous conclusion of a life lived in the service of the God-Emperor.The worlds of the Calixis Sector are riddled with martyrs, from the well-known ones, like the seventeen Holy Martyrs of Gallowglass, Sisters of Battle who gave their lives in a heroic last stand, to the nearly forgotten, like the "Lost Pilgrim," who represents those that stray from the trails of pilgrimage and disappear into the void.Quite often an individual or group will be remembered for many standard years as a martyr or martyrs before their deeds are considered great enough to be raised to sainthood. Such an example is the Tranch War Saint, a nameless Imperial Guardsman said to have fallen in the Tranch War only to rise up and fight again at the side of his comrades no less than thirteen times despite terrible, mortal wounds.From reports given by the Departmento Munitorum and numerous Commissars, there has been a movement to raise this nameless soldier up to sainthood for his martyrdom and he has been repeatedly put forward on the Festival of Saints for the consideration of the Calixis Sector Synod. To date, they have only deemed him a martyr of exceptional faith and not yet granted the mantle of sainthood.
Imperial Saint - Living Saints of the Adepta Sororitas: Living Saints are those members of the Adepta Sororitas who are said to be so holy in mind, body and spirit that they somehow manifest something of the sacred power of the Emperor Himself.Living Saints are not beatified after their death, but rather are spontaneous manifestations of the Emperor's grace. Living Saints literally glow with power, and even the least faithful will have no choice but to collapse to his knees in her presence. A Living Saint will usually, though not always, manifest from among the ranks of the Adepta Sororitas, all of whom are strictly female.Typically, the manifestation of a Living Saint will presage some great endeavour, in which countless millions of the faithful take up arms in the name of the Emperor and truly extraordinary feats are performed. Sadly, the phenomenon is often short-lived, for it appears that the Living Saints are beacons of faith that burn blindingly bright, yet tragically brief. Before her death, however, a Living Saint will have changed the course of history for the better.Living Saints are of great interest to the Thorian faction of the Inquisition, who regard them as vessels of the Emperor's power in the model of Sebastian Thor himself. This also makes them a target for the enemies of the faction, who have on several occasions sought to capture a Living Saint and dissect her in order to discover the source of her powers.
Imperial Saint - Festival of Saints: Most saints have their own holy days that are specific to them and their deeds (such as Saint Drusus). However, the Festival of Saints provides a day for all saints to be honoured, as well as a time when new saints may join their ranks.This is especially important for very minor saints, such as Yorgic Thrice-Branded or Ewerft the Handless, who have small followings and little power within the Ecclesiarchy. During this time, stories are told and devout followers try and convert people by extolling the virtues and merits of their chosen saint.As a result, it can be a dangerous (or at least frightening) time to go near to a shrine as citizens are accosted by frothing saint worshippers dressed in bizarre costumes and spouting proverbs. Causing an equally strong response is enough for the chance of being raised to sainthood.While it is uncommon for anyone to be so bold as to try and claim that they themselves should be canonised (though there are a few that have tried -- some with surprisingly good cases), every voice seems to know of someone who died serving the Emperor and thus deserves the eternal recognition of the Ecclesiarchy.As a result, the clerics and priests are subjected to long lines of supplicants and must listen to countless solar hours of prattle to then judge whether any are worthy of the greater attention of the Ecclesiarchy.
Imperial Stars - Imperial Stars: The Imperial Stars is a Loyalist Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marine Chapter of unknown origin and Founding. Nothing else is known about the Chapter in current Imperial records.
Imperial Stars - Chapter Colours: The Imperial Stars' primarily wear purple Power Armor. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest plate is golden. The white squad specialty symbol -- Tactical, Assault, Devastator or Veteran -- is indicated on the right shoulder guard. A black Roman numeral centred upon the squad specialty symbol designates squad number. The colour of the shoulder plate trim displays company designation in accordance with the Codex Astartes -- i.e. White (1st Company), Yellow (2nd Company), Red (3rd Company), etc.
Imperial Stars - Chapter Badge: The Imperial Stars' Chapter badge consists of three white five-pointed stars, each positioned above the intersections of a black, linear equilateral triangle. This is centred on a field of purple.
Imperial Subterranean Vehicles - Imperial Subterranean Vehicles: Imperial Subterranean Vehicles are underground, tunnelling troop transports utilised by a variety of Imperial military forces and collectively known as "tunnellers" or "miners". These machines tunnel their way underground while the battle rages above, bypassing enemy troops and fortifications to emerge behind enemy lines. Tunnellers can move over the surface as well as underground, but as they only travel slowly overland it is more common to transport them to battlefields on huge, tracked transporter vehicles.Imperial military forces appreciate the value of tunnellers as assault vehicles for overcoming both surface defences and subterranean strongholds, and often deploy them in large numbers. Many of the tunnelling vehicles used by the Imperium were obtained as part of the mutual exchange of materials and technologies between the Squat homeworlds and the Imperium during the Great Crusade of the late 30th Millennium.
Imperial Subterranean Vehicles - Known Subterranean Vehicles: The following are the most common subterranean vehicles utilised by Imperial forces:
Imperial Subterranean Vehicles - Termite: The Termite is used by the Adeptus Mechanicus as a subterranean transport vehicle. The Termite is the smallest of the tunnellers. It carries two squads of Astra Militarum troops and the various Termites are organised into squadrons for tactical purposes.Termite squadrons all use the same tunnel, each following behind the other and branching to the surface only at the last moment. The Termite, as well as its counterparts the Mole and the Hellbore, use a phase-field generator to burrow through the ground, whereas the Hades Breaching Drill uses a more "brute-force" approach that applies physical drills.
Imperial Subterranean Vehicles - Mole: The Mole is an intermediate-size tunneller vehicle used by the Adeptus Mechanicus as a subterranean transport vehicle, carrying a single platoon of Astra Militarum tactical troops. All Moles carry special communications equipment which allows them to relay orders to the troops they carry.
Imperial Subterranean Vehicles - Hellbore: The Hellbore Heavy Mole is a super-large burrowing vehicle and is the largest of the tunnelling troop transports utilised by the Adeptus Mechanicus known collectively as "tunnellers" or "miners".It is far larger than both the Termite and the Mole, and like them utlises a phase-field generator to burrow deep underground with its massive drill, carrying many units of Imperial troops safely far below the surface of the earth, beneath enemy fortifications and formations.This allows the Hellbore to surface behind an enemy's position or the flanks of an enemy fortification at which point its troops disembark for close assault. This vehicle is equipped with Multi-Launchers and Heavy Bolters.
Imperial Subterranean Vehicles - Hades breaching Drill: The Hades Breaching Drill is industrial equipment that has been used for both civilian and military purposes by the Imperium of Man. The Hades drill is normally used on Imperial Mining Worlds to help miners dig new tunnels in search of deposits of strategic ores and remove rubble and debris, but there have been several occasions where the Hades has been pressed into military service by the Imperial Guard.When the Hades is used in a military role it is usually during a prolonged siege, where it serves as a breaching drill that can break into a bunker or through the wall of an enemy fortification. The Hades Drill is equipped with a forward-firing Melta-Cutter that can turn rock and metal into molten slag in seconds. Its massive drilling blades are tipped with Diamantine and can easily cut through most materials, be it rock, metal, or even flesh.
Imperial Subterranean Vehicles - Sources: Armies of the Imperium, pp. 32, 59-62Imperial Armour Apocalypse II, pp. 16-17Imperial Armour Volume Six - The Siege of Vraks - Part Two, pp. 98-99Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard (Second Edition), pp. 9, 209-210, 267Imperial Armour Volume Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus, pg. 195Ork and Squat Warlords (Warhammer 40,000 Epic Supplement), pg. 62White Dwarf 116 (UK), "Imperial Vehicles," by Graeme Davis & Jervis Johnson, pp. 10-11, 15White Dwarf 123 (UK), "Epic Battles - Space Marine War Machines," by Karl Tebbutt and Roger Gerrish, pp. 24-25White Dwarf 136 (UK), "Games Workshop Catalog: Imperial Tanks & War Machines," pg. 75Warhammer Community - Forge World Preview: Termite Assault Drill
Imperial Talons - Imperial Talons: The Imperial Talons is a Loyalist, Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marine Chapter. It is suspected that it is one of the rare Successor Chapters of the Raven Guard. Its exact Founding date is unknown. Unfortunately, at this time almost nothing is known about the Chapter in Imperial records beyond its name and Chapter appearance.
Imperial Talons - Chapter Colours: The Imperial Talons primarily wear red Power Armour. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest plate is white. The white squad specialty symbol -- Tactical, Assault, Devastator or Veteran -- is indicated on the right shoulder guard. A white Roman numeral located on the inside of the shoulder plate, next to the squad specialty symbol indicates squad number. The colour of the shoulder plate trim indicates company number in accordance to the Codex Astartes -- i.e. White (1st Company), Yellow (2nd Company), Red (3rd Company), Green (4th Company), etc.
Imperial Talons - Chapter Badge: The Imperial Talons' Chapter badge is a large stylised white talon of a bird of prey, centred on a field of red.
Imperial Titans (List) - Imperial Titans (List): This is a list of all notable Imperial Titans. It does not include any Chaos Titans or other Renegade Titans of the Blackshield Legios whether they serve the Dark Gods or not.This is only a select list, as not every Titan that has ever existed in the Imperium of Man is known. A separate list exists for Chaos Titans.
Imperial Transport - Imperial Transport: An Imperial Transport is a voidship of many different classes that serve as the merchantmen, freighters, and support vessels that ply the Imperium's space lanes, carrying the commercial trade that is the lifeblood of the Human-settled galaxy. From the dozen or so transports used by the Imperial military in a single planetary invasion to the hundreds -- or even thousands -- that participated in a naval campaign like the Gothic War, the humble commercial transport is as vital to victory in a conflict as the mighty battleships of the Navis Imperialis that they supply.The Imperium swarms with transport vessels. Millions of these civilian voidcraft plough the space lanes, ferrying pilgrims, ore, fuel, foodstuffs, weapons, materiel, machine parts and luxury goods to untold billions of eager consumers across the galaxy.Though slow, ungainly, and poorly-armed, transports are often called upon to defend themselves in battle. Fighting against impossible odds, such battles invariably result in heavy losses to the transports, as they simply cannot match the combat power of a dedicated warship with its more powerful drives, weapons and void shields.Most transport ships carry some weapons to protect themselves against pirates and other raiders, but without decent augur sensors and fire control carried out by experienced naval officers, the chances of getting in an accurate shot and doing real damage to an enemy vessel is miniscule.The forces of Chaos often rely on hijacked or otherwise captured Imperial Transports, as they seem disinclined to build something as mundane as a cargo-hauler. Crewed primarily by pirates, Chaos Cultists, and other Renegades, these captured ships will begin to show signs of the warping influence of Chaos after enough standard years under the control of their dark new masters.
Imperial Transport - History: Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of transport voidships participated in the Gothic War in the early 41st Millennium. The vast majority were chartered merchantmen of the merchant fleets pressed into service to move war materials to star systems under Chaos blockade, while many others were owned by the Navis Imperialis and used as fleet support vessels to resupply the battlefleets and form temporary repair bases in isolated systems,The crews of these small vessels, despite being untrained in the arts of battle, struggled valiantly against the often impossible odds and paid a heavy price in blood for their vital efforts.
Imperial Transport - Notable Imperial Transports: Son of John - The Son of John was a Tarask-class transport that was part of a merchant convoy moving into Port Maw in the early days of the Gothic War. When the convoy came under attack by a Chaos Slaughter-class Cruiser that had slipped past the Navis Imperialis' escort screen, the Son of John engaged the enemy ship from close quarters and succeeded in distracting it long enough for the other transports to escape into the Warp. Its puny guns firing to the last, the Imperial merchant vessel was destroyed, but the heroism and sacrifice of its crew shone like a beacon in the dark days that followed.
Imperial Truth - Talons of the Emperor: After the Iterators, the primary armed enforcers of the Imperial Truth were thought to be the Talons of the Emperor, and at the Sigillite's behest, the callous, grey-clad secret police force known as the Elucidators.Being at the Emperor's side throughout the Unification Wars and the Great Crusade, it was only natural that His Legio Custodes were His weapon of choice when He intervened personally in esoteric matters, no command given by the Master of Mankind being beyond the ability of the Custodians to carry out.Beyond reproach, the Legio Custodes were given a lighter hand than any other Imperial force when it came to the handling of the forbidden and dangerous artefacts of the occult. It was their duty to apprehend and interrogate persons with knowledge of arcane sciences and access to forbidden archeotech, learning all they could and capturing any relics of significance worthy of future study or use to the Emperor and His technicians.While most such individuals were summarily executed after their secrets were extracted, some few were of value and thusly offered a choice to serve the Master of Mankind rather than be put to death.The Sisters of Silence were known to be witchseekers, and though they served their quiet purpose to hunt out valuable Human psykers for the choirs of the Astra Telepathica, it was also at their discretion to further investigate the activities of a rogue psyker. Such investigations were wont to reveal the usage of a developing psyker with ill intent by a cult or through the abuse by local elites of ancient and forbidden practices.Whether such occurrences were accidental or intentional, to have touched the other side taints a psyker and any persons with which they were in contact, resulting in the wrath of the Sisters of Silence being unleashed upon a locality in the form of Pursuer cadres, Erinyes Jetbike squadrons and the dreaded Divider stealth-craft.When death was the only solution available, the Officio Assassinorum could also be employed, but in those rare instances of extremis where such death was required as to end an entire world for the perfidy of making foul compacts with the entities of the Warp, the Psi-Titans of the Ordo Sinister could be unshackled, bringing ruination wherever they trod.