vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Tallarn Today: Within a thousand standard years of the Horus Heresy's end, Tallarn evolved into a very different world from the prosperous agricultural planet of former times. Deserts of sulphurous sand stretched from pole to pole and all water disappeared except for a thin residue that remained in the atmosphere. No vegetation remained on the surface exposed to the blistering, wind-blown sands. All that grew was the carefully husbanded crops of the Tallarn themselves, sheltered in their protective horticultural domes deep beneath the planet's surface.The surviving Tallarn now lived in domed towns or in natural caverns hollowed out in the planet's rock. Fierce winds drove the Tallarn into their shelters, corrosive sulphur storms made all travel across the open desert risky, and eventually a system of tunnels for tram systems and pedestrian traffic was built to facilitate travel beneath the communities that lay below the surface.As a consequence, the Tallarn regiments have adapted to fight in these confines as expertly as they fight on the exposed surface of a planet. Above their settlements the Tallarn built hydrological vapour traps to catch water from the thin atmosphere. These tall towers still stand above their domes to this day, and all the water the Tallarn need is caught by these cunning devices and channeled into subterranean holding tanks.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - The Spinward Front: Like many other regiments fighting in the Periphery Sub-sector of the Calixis Sector, the Tallarn forces present there are mostly drawn from forces left idle. A considerable number of Tallarn regiments of all kinds had been delivered to the Segmentum Obscurus, and when the call for reinforcement came from the Calixis Sector, they were amongst those sent to fight within the Spinward Front.Thus far, the Tallarn have more than demonstrated their worth to the Imperium, with their particular skills helping to combat Drukhari raiders attacking Kalf, participating in vicious tunnel fighting on Virbius, and sabotaging Ork industry during the Scouring of Maesa.However, because of the slow progress of the forces in the Spinward Front, and the limited resources available, the Tallarn have frequently found themselves engaged in long-term "meat grinder" conflicts against massed foes. Lacking the forces to truly push back against the Ork advance or crush the Severan Dominate, the war has become a brutal defensive conflict, with little to gain and everything to lose. Nonetheless, the tenacity and ruthless effectiveness of the Tallarn forces have earned them a fearsome reputation.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Indomitus Crusade: Never has the vaunted mobility of the Tallarns been of more use than now, as growing Warp storms continue to claw at the worlds of the Imperium in the Era Indomitus. On battlefields throughout the galaxy the armies of the Imperium are stretched to breaking point. Few Militarum Regimentos share the skill of the Tallarn Desert Raiders infantry regiments at fighting across multiple fronts, or the ability of their armoured regiments at rapidly redeploying their forces to outflank and annihilate their enemies.Fighting alongside the resurrected Primarch Roboute Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade, the Tallarns have also been used as diversionary forces, assaulting lightly fortified moons and orbital platforms within enemy territories. When the foe sends in reinforcements, the Tallarn forces withdraw to strike new targets. These "Siroccos," as the Tallarns call them, are designed to spread thin the armies of the enemy, but so effective are the guerilla warriors at their charge that often their targets are permanently crippled.Tallarns have never lost their aptitude for mechanised warfare, and field an abundance of armoured regiments. Rather than utilising their vehicles as a slow moving wall of steel -- as some Militarum Regimentos do -- Tallarn Tank Commanders pride themselves on their ability to coordinate lightning-fast spearhead assaults, their squadrons of swift-moving tanks weaving between allied formations to strike unexpectedly at the unprepared foe.The people of Tallarn are master craftsmen and their wargear is both practical and ceremonial. Indeed, the weapons of many Tallarn officers are inset with precious gems and metals. These officers are usually selected from amongst Tallarn's tribal leaders and a coloured sash tied around every soldier's waist denotes their rank.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Regimental Organisation: Approximately twenty standard years after the Battle of Tallarn ended, the first Tallarn Desert Raiders Regiments of the Astra Militarum were formed. These regiments specialised in desert fighting, and were highly adept at ambushing enemy forces in the sandy wastes of their Desert World or any other. With little effort on their part, Tallarn can reasonably give only soldiers to the Imperium's tithe collectors, and they do this with pride.The Tallarn Desert Raiders are organised like most Astra Militarum regiments, employing combined arms tactics that make use of infantry, artillery and armoured companies. Due to their predilection for moving swiftly and striking suddenly and quickly, the most common Tallarn regiments are infantry. They are also known for including one or more patrol companies referred to as long-range reconnaissance or more simply as recon companies.The Desert Raiders also employ specialised Rough Rider squadrons that make use of the alien mounts known locally on Tallarn as the Mukaali. These mounts originate from the deserts of the Imperial world of Goru-Prime, but have since been imported to other Imperial Desert Worlds such as Tallarn.They also utilise armoured regiments, all of which focus on some particular element of the favoured strategies of the Tallarn; stealth, swiftness, and the killing blow. Many Tallarn forces have also come to appreciate the utility of the Sentinel walker due to its effectiveness as a means of crossing even rough terrain swiftly without sacrificing firepower.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Tallarn Squad Composition: The basic Tallarn Desert Raiders tactical unit is the ten-man infantry squad. Squads are led by a Tallarn sergeant, and usually one Tallarn guardsman is equipped with a Plasma Gun. Two Tallarn guardsmen can form a Heavy Weapons Team armed with a Missile Launcher.Tallarn Captain and Lieutenant - To command a company or platoon of Tallarn Desert Raiders requires grit, determination, and expertise. To command the respect of the men of Tallarn, an officer must be an expert rider, a consummate swordsman, a skilled marksman, and a fearless warrior. Almost without exception, Tallarn regimental officers are fully prepared, even eager, to confront danger alongside their men, whether this means charging headlong into battle, or infiltrating deep behind enemy lines. The equipment used by these Tallarn officers reflects the skill of Tallarn's artisans, from elaborately carved breastplates to gold-inlaid sword blades and decorative silken capes.Tallarn Sergeant - The Tallarn Desert Raiders often undertake daring hit-and-run missions, requiring them to operate behind enemy lines or otherwise far from any external support. For this reason, the Tallarn Sergeants who command Tallarn squads are known for being particularly decisive and adept at operating independently of higher command. While this trait is valued by most Tallarn commanders, it has sometimes caused friction between Tallarn squads and Imperial Guard forces from other regiments.Tallarn Guardsman - The Tallarn Desert Raiders are as known for their successful use of guerrilla tactics as for their capacity to operate effectively in the most inhospitable environments imaginable. Matching the ambushes and surprise assaults of enemy forces with hit-and-run attacks of their own, the Tallarn prove themselves invaluable to the Imperial war effort. The Tallarn favour close engagements, especially when operating in poor visibility on a planet's surface or shifting subterranean tunnels.Tallarn Rough Rider - The Tallarn regiments are famed for their Rough Riders, and rightfully so. The hit-and-run tactics employed by the Tallarn Desert Raiders are perfectly suited to the use of living mounts. Living steeds are often much more difficult for enemies to detect from afar than vehicles, allowing the Raiders to close on their enemies without being detected, leaving the foe dumbfounded and flat-footed. As is the case with the Rough Riders of other regiments, the Tallarn wield fierce hunting lances: long polearms tipped with explosive charges effective against even the toughest targets. Although the explosive tip is only good for a single attack, the Rough Riders' charge is often enough to break the enemy line. Most Tallarn Desert Raiders prefer to ride the alien beasts of burden known as Mukaali, whenever possible. These huge beasts, while not native to Tallarn, are perfectly adapted to the arid environments of other worlds.See Also: Imperial Guard Brawler
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Regimental Combat Doctrine: Owing to the subterranean tunnels they grow up in, and the barren deserts of their homeworld's surface, the Tallarn people are skilled in fighting across open ground and in narrow tunnels alike. Tallarn regiments still favour the hit-and-run tactics mastered by their ancestors during the Horus Heresy, moving swiftly and striking with surprise and precision before retreating to regroup and stage the next attack.The various types of units that make up the Tallarn regiments all focus on the particular elements of their favoured strategies, with the infantry skilled in ambush, the armoured regiments capable of rapid, mobile strikes, and the Rough Riders being masters of reconnaissance and lightning raids upon supply lines and rear echelon areas.Tallarn forces are often somewhat willful and independent, their traditional skills ill-suited to standing in static battle lines or holding fortifications, when they could instead be creeping up upon an enemy and executing them with the edge of a knife or a carefully-placed sniper shot. As a result, they are often employed as vanguard and reconnaissance forces, or as the spearhead of a concerted attack, where their speed and stealth are of the greatest use.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Regimental Beliefs: Tallarns tend to be slow to put their faith in anyone other than themselves and their comrades, and they chafe at the expectations and strictures of more civilised Imperial society.While Tallarns have learned to speak Low Gothic, they generally do not have time in their violent lives to learn how to read or write the universal language of the Imperium.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Badges and Insignia: A Desert Raiders' officer like Captain Suhara depicted above bears the cloth badges of his regiment on his upper left arm. "Tallarn 17" is a common shoulder strip sewn onto all the troops' smocks in the 17th Tallarn Desert Raiders Regiment, though it would bear the designation of any of the other Tallarn Regiments. Underneath this is the regimental arm patch, in this case a red lion rampant on a white background. This patch is issued to all soldiers in the Tallarn Regiments once their training is complete and they become full members of their regiment, in this case the 17th Tallarn Desert Raiders, the "Desert Lions."Given the badge's size and colour many choose not to sew it onto their smock to aid camouflage, and simply keep the badge amongst their personal kit instead. Imperial Guardsmen are often very superstitious and many troops carry personal good-luck totems, blessed by the regiment's Ecclesiarchy priests, to help protect them from misfortune or injury in battle. These small items vary widely, from the skins of animals native to their homeworld, to pendants or other jewelry, to scrolls bearing passages from the Fede Imperialis.This officer wears the Imperial Aquila badge on the right sleeve, pledging his allegiance to the Emperor of Mankind, in the belief that the Emperor will protect him in battle.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Decorations: On his left breast a highly-decorated officer of the Tallarn Desert Raiders displays his medals. On the above example is the Honorifica Imperialis Armorum, commonly referred to as the "Tank Battle Badge." It is awarded for outstanding gallantry in the face of the enemy whilst serving as part of a crew in an armoured vehicle, and is rarely awarded. The officer also bears the Medallion Crimson for being wounded in the line of duty.Within the 17th Tallarn Desert Raiders Regiment, it is traditional that any member of the regiment who has served for over five standard years is awarded a silk sash, regardless of rank. Worn around the waist, under the belt, it is the mark of a Veteran campaigner. Soldiers who wear the sash are viewed as senior to troops of the same rank who do not bear it. The sash is usually made of the best quality material available and can be in any colour, depending on the availability of cloth.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Notable Armoured Regiments: Tallarn 3rd Armoured Regiment - The 3rd Armoured fought during the Taros Campaign (998.M41). The 3rd Regiment was effectively destroyed during that action, having lost all of their combat vehicles and much of their equipment during the retreat from the Tarosian capital of Tarokeen. The Tallarn 3rd Armoured Regiment would be reconstituted in the aftermath with the survivors of their regiment and the 12th Tallarn Armoured Regiment. The Taros Campaign ultimately ended in failure for the Imperium.Tallarn 9th Heavy Tank Regiment, the "Blue Devils" - The 9th Heavy Tank Regiment is known for using primarily Baneblade super heavy tanks. They paint their vehicles in desert yellow with a sky-blue camouflage. The commanders of this regiment are known for riding in the turret, exposing themselves to obtain a panoramic view of the battlefield, waving their curved chainswords to inspire their men to greater acts of courage.Tallarn 12th Armoured Regiment - The 12th Armoured fought during the Taros Campaign (998.M41). The 12th Armoured was effectively destroyed during that action, having lost all of their combat vehicles and much of their equipment during the retreat from the Tarosian capital of Tarokeen. The survivors of the 12th Tallarn Armoured Regiment would be reconstituted into the Tallarn 3rd Armoured Regiment. The Taros Campaign ultimately ended in failure for the Imperium.Tallarn 220th Armoured Regiment - The 220th Tallarn Armoured Regiment is one of three Tallarn regiments, along with the 11th Desert Raiders and the Tallarn 31st Rough Riders, sent to reinforce the Spinward Front of the Calixis Sector. Due to the vagaries of the Warp, this regiment only recently arrived at that front after having been considered lost.Tallarn 668th Armoured Regiment - The 668th Armoured Regiment was the armoured component of Battlegroup "Desert Fox" that defeated the separatists of the world of Lorthax and was ultimately incorporated as part of the 1st Tallarn Raiding Regiment.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Notable Artillery Regiments: Tallarn 212th Artillery Regiment - The Tallarn 212th Artillery Regiment was the armoured component of Battlegroup "Desert Fox" that defeated the separatists of the world of Lorthax and was ultimately incorporated as part of the 1st Tallarn Raiding Regiment.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Notable Rough Riders Regiments: Tallarn 31st Rough Riders - The 31st Tallarn Rough Riders is one of three Tallarn regiments, along with the 11th Desert Raiders and the Tallarn 220th Armoured, sent to reinforce the Spinward Front of the Calixis Sector. Due to the vagaries of the Warp, this regiment only recently arrived at that front after having been considered lost.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Notable Tallarn Battlegroups: Battlegroup "Desert Fox" - Battlegroup "Desert Fox" was a composite unit based around the infantry of the Tallarn 95th, the tanks of the Tallarn 668th Armoured, and the mobile guns of the Tallarn 212th Artillery. The formation was constituted to wage war in the arid sulphur wastes of Lorthax against a large army of separatists, where it would spearhead Operation UMBRAGE. Due to an administrative error, however, the column was issued without any source of fuel and had no choice but to dismount all of its vehicle crews and start the attack as light infantry. Reverting to the desert fighting traditions of Tallarn, Battlegroup "Desert Fox" infiltrated the enemy lines and launched an entirely unanticipated attack that proved so successful it pushed twelve Terran miles into enemy territory and wiped out the entire separatist high command. Following this great victory, the three regiments were reconstituted as the 1st Tallarn Raiding Regiment, and their vehicles were assigned to other units.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Trivia: The Tallarn Desert Raiders are loosely based on the mujahedeen ("strugglers" or "people doing jihad"), a term first used by the West to describe the mountainous sect of hillmen in Afghanistan who fought against British control, known to the British as "Sitana Fanatics." The Afghan mujahedeen are arguably the best-known mujahedeen outside the Islamic world.Various loosely-aligned Afghan opposition groups initially rebelled against the government of the pro-Soviet Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) following the Soviet Union's invasion of that nation in 1979 and came to call themselves the mujahedeen after the former Afghan resistance to the British occupation. These mujahedeen forces caused serious casualties to the Soviet forces, and made the Afghan-Soviet War very costly for the Soviet Union with assistance from the United States, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. In 1989, the Soviet Union withdrew its forces from Afghanistan largely as a result of the mujahedeen's highly effective guerrilla campaign.Other possible inspirations for the Tallarn Desert Raiders were most likely the armies of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I, as seen in the movie "Lawrence of Arabia", and the Fremen of Arrakis, from Frank Herbert's novel "Dune".In addition, the Tallarn's specialisation in mounted and mechanised warfare in the desert bears a resemblance to the Jordanian Army's predecessor, the Arab Legion, led by Lieutenant-General Sir John Bagot Glubb, from World War II. Like the Tallarn, a large segment of their forces consisted of mechanised and mounted soldiers with a major emphasis on tactical mobility.
Tallarn Desert Raiders - Sources: Codex: Astra Militarum (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Regiments of Distinction - Tallarn Desert Raiders"Codex: Astra Militarum (8th Edition), pg. 25Codex: Astra Militarum (9th Edition), pg. 24Codex: Imperial Guard (2nd Edition), pp. 15-16, 37Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pg. 19Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pp. 22, 25, 30, 46, 58Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pg. 17Desert Raiders (Novel) by Lucien Soulban, pp.14, 15, 16, 18Imperial Armour: Volume One - Imperial Guard & Imperial Navy, pp. 34, 39, 58, 76, 85, 109, 115Imperial Armour: Volume Three - Taros Campaign, pg. 38-39, 45, 55-60, 64, 66-71, 86-91, 120, 128-129, 140, 142, 146, 148-149, 223-224, 228-229, 232, 256-263, 280, 298, 303, 307Medusa V World Wide CampaignOnly War: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 54-55Only War: Final Testament (RPG), pp. 11, 14-15, 50, 58, 62, 75, 101, 104, 121, 130-132Only War: Hammer of the Emperor (RPG), pg. 54White Dwarf 227 (UK), "Chapter Approved Imperial Guard, Special Characters - Al'Rahem of Tallarn: Captain," pp. 73-80White Dwarf 195 (UK), "That's an Order!: Imperial Guard - Captain Al'rahem of Tallarn," pp. 77-79White Dwarf 185 (UK), "Tallarn Desert Raiders: Imperial Guard," pp. 41-44Blood and Thunder (Graphic Novel) by Dan AbnettDesert Raiders (Novel) by Lucien Soulban, pp. 14-16, 18The Traitor's Hand (Novel) by Sandy Mitchell, Chs. 1-3, 7, 14-15, 18-19Games Workshop Catalogue - Tallarn Desert Raiders
Talledus System - Talledus System: The Talledus System was an Imperial star system located in the Veritus Sub-sector of the Segmentum Solar. It was a stronghold of the Adeptus Ministorum and its capital Shrine World of Benediction had been reshaped into a mausoleum-temple to house the corpses of thousands of Imperial saints.For ten thousand years the sanctified Talledus System shone as a beacon of Humanity's might. A realm of glittering shrine worlds populated by billions of pious servants of the God-Emperor, its glory seemed eternal and untarnishable.However, following the birth of the Great Rift in the Era Indomitus, the Talledus System was assaulted by an alliance of Heretic Astartes led by the Word Bearers and commanded by the powerful Dark Apostle Kor Phaeron. This conflict was known as the Talledus War and resulted in the devastation of the system and its capital world.
Talledus System - Notable Worlds: The following planets are listed in order of the distance they orbit from the Talledus System's star, from closest to furthest.Benediction (Shrine World) - Benediction, originally named Talledus, is both the capital world of the Talledus System and one of the most sacred Shrine Worlds in the entire Imperium of Man.Boras Minor (Mining World) - Boras Minor was invaded by Goge Vandire's forces during the Reign of Blood. Every female child under the age of 12 standard years on the planet's farms was arrested as part of the deranged demands made by Vandire. It was subsequently rebuilt as part of Sebastian Thor's reconstruction of the Talledus System after the Age of Apostasy.Ghreddask (Fortress World/Garrison World) - The most heavily defended world in the Veritus Sub-sector after Benediction itself, Ghreddask supported large numbers of Astra Militarum regiments of the Ghreddask Illuminators deployed in large garrisons as well as potent planetary defences. It nonetheless was invaded during the Talledus War by Iron Warriors under the command of Warpsmith Etrogar, who used a spaceborne Soul Harvester fortress-factory called Scarax Krond to devastate the planet. The tide only turned thanks to the intervention of Castellan Dramos of the Black Templars, who sacrificed himself to destroy the unholy Daemon Engine.Satropol (Shipyards) - The world of Satropol was home to the system's massive orbital shipyards, which were some of the largest in the Imperium. Thousands upon thousands of vessels were packed together in cramped mooring claws, kept stationary for Terran months and sometimes even years as the Ecclesiarchy's agents methodically ensured that every tithe expected from the vessels' owners was collected. Those who failed to pay what was owed, or in any way roused the ire of the state church, were dealt with by the ruthlessly zealous Ghreddask Illuminators.Coras Yeltis (Mining World)Naelus (Hive World)Martyr's Rest (Fortress World) - Martyr's Rest was a Fortress World that served as a base for the Sisters of Battle who protected the Talledus System and the Shrine World of Benediction.Tears of the Emperor (Asteroid Field) - The Tears of the Emperor was an asteroid field located at the rimward edge of the Talledus System.
Talledus War - Talledus War: The Talledus War was a War of Faith fought in the Era Indomitus between the forces of Chaos and the Imperium of Man to defend the Shrine World of Benediction in the Talledus System of the Veritus Sub-sector.Though Benediction was the Chaos forces' primary target, all the inhabited worlds of the system faced a large-scale assault led by the Dark Apostle Kor Phaeron of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion.The Word Bearers, as always, sought to convert the bulk of Humanity to the service and worship of the Chaos Gods. They took great pleasure in furthering this agenda by attacking a world and system that was of such importance to the Imperial state religion that they deemed a fraud.The fall of Talledus and Benediction to Chaos, and the conversion of its people to the true faith of Chaos, were deemed a potentially major milestone in the Word Bearers' plan to throw down the Corpse God of the Imperium and claim Mankind for the Dark Gods.The war proceeded on three fronts, on Benediction, on the Astra Militarum Fortress World of Ghreddask and in the void surrounding the asteroid belt called the Tears of the Emperor at the very edge of the system.On Benediction, the Word Bearers forces commanded by Kor Phaeron nearly seized control of the Grand Honorificum cathedral-city complex. The Loyalists were saved by an unusual phenomenon that was part of the Psychic Awakening when the faith of those gathered in the cathedral summoned forth from the Warp the protective spirits of the sacred Imperial dead.This supernatural force, later remembered as the "Saints' Wall," surrounded the Grand Honorificum in a protective psychic shield and extinguished the grip on reality held by many of the daemons making up Kor Phaeron's attacking army. This miracle allowed a demi-company of Salamanders Astartes to cut the remaining force of Chaos troops in two and establish a new defensive perimeter for the cathedral complex.On Ghreddask, the intervention of a Black Templars strike force destroyed the Soul Harvester mobile fortress-factory that had left the Imperial defenders at a loss, though the suicidal counterassault cost the life of the Astartes commander, Castellan Dramos.In the void, within the Tears of the Emperor, a piratical Night Lords fleet commanded by the battleship Nightmare of Celyx sought to draw in Imperial military and commercial shipping translating into the system from the Warp by using captured Imperial astropaths to throw off their Navigators' abilities. The Night Lords then took the spoils and reaped with great pleasure the terror of their victims.The arrival of Vanguard Marines from the White Scars' 10th Brotherhood turned the tables on the Heretic Astartes pirates. Their hit-and-run strikes soon transformed into a vicious, void-based guerilla war as each side tried to lure the other into ambushes. The White Scars succeeded in blunting the Night Lords' attacks on incoming Imperial shipping, but were unable to annihilate the Chaos raiding force entirely.Though the Imperium has so far managed to blunt the Chaos assault on the Talledus System on every front, the conflict is far from over.
Talledus War - The Imperium Mobilises: The assault upon Talledus came entirely without warning, and the system's significant Astra Militarum presence was left reeling before the Chaos onslaught. On the surface of Benediction, a makeshift coalition of shattered Imperial Guard regiments fell back to the Grand Honorificum, there uniting under the command of Canoness Serita of the Order of Our Martyred Lady.The Imperial Navy Battlefleets Ios and Cemeres -- orbiting the bastion world of Ghreddask prior to the assault -- suffered terrible losses as they attempted short-range Warp jumps to the embattled system capital planet. Warp interference claimed the lives of dozens of Navigators, their skulls bursting in a shower of bone and gore, unable to contain the magnitude of the Night Lords' corrupted signal. Others felt themselves inexorably drawn towards the psychic scream of desperation.On all fronts the Chaos forces surged forward, their momentum terrifying to behold. Upon the surface of Benedictionitself, the Word Bearers -- under the direction of Kor Phaeron -- committed terrible atrocities and mass executions, weakening the fragile membrane between reality and the Warp.Within the Sanctum Solaris, at the heart of the Grand Honorificum, more than ten thousand priests, acolytes and non-militant Sororitas gathered in communal prayer, not moving, eating or taking water for solar days, even as the guns of the Word Bearers thundered relentlessly. They prayed to the God-Emperor for salvation and the light of their faith was a furious beacon, visible from far across the cold blackness of space.Just as the hour seemed darkest, the Honorificum's long-range prognosticator arrays picked up a surge of activity on the coreward edge of the Talledus System. At first it was feared that this new presence was merely another fleet of Chaos warships, but a macroencoded Vox transmission from the Strike Cruiser Fulminating Hammer brought the first signs of hope to the beleaguered defenders of Benediction; Captain Pellas Mir'san of the Salamanders Chapter had heard the pleas of the faithful, and led a spearhead of Adeptus Astartes warriors to the defence of Talledus.At his ritual site on the banks of the River Carmine, within an eight-pointed star of Chaos made up of the bloodied corpses of saints and warriors, Kor Phaeron saw the arrival of the Imperial warfleet. Such a response had been expected, of course, and the appropriate preparations had been made.As far as Phaeron was concerned, it was all the better that the Corpse Emperor's lapdogs were here to witness the brutal fall of Benediction.
Talledus War - Miracle of the Saint's Wall: With the collapse of the last bastion between the Word Bearers and the heart of Benediction, the battle for the capital world of the Talledus System seemed decided. Yet Canoness Serita and her warriors refused to give in to despair. They fought with selfless dedication and fury, striking out with gun butts, blades and Chainswords when ammunition ran dry. Those who looked upon this valorous stand were filled with a holy fire.Civilians and cosseted ministers alike took up weapons against the forces of Chaos. At first, the Word Bearers and their daemonic allies laughed at such pitiful defiance. Yet, as the blood of the faithful spilled, spears of golden light broke through the stained armaglass windows of the Honorificum. As the prayers of the God-Emperor's servants echoed over screams and gunfire it seemed, to astonished onlookers, that the dead souls of Benediction arose to protect the living.Golden, skull-faced spirits swept forth from ancient tombs and reliquaries, rising high into the heavens to encircle the Grand Honorificum. These manifestations formed a shield of impassable light, a radiant halo that filled the faithful who looked upon it with renewed hope. Daemons and Heretics that attempted to force their way through this aegis of faith were burned to ashes.Even the Word Bearers' artillery could not force a breach in the shield. Where the golden light of what was later remembered as the "Saint's Wall" shone, the barrier between reality and the nightmare realm of the Warp was remade.Kor Phaeron could only look on in fury as great swathes of the daemonic army he had summoned disintegrated back into nothingness, howling in impotent rage as their connection to the material realm was severed.Inspired by the bizarre phenomenon they had witnessed, Pellas Mir'san's Salamanders launched fresh assaults on the advance formations of the Word Bearers, breaking through to the bridge over the River Carmine and cutting the Heretic force in two.The battle for Benediction had not been decided by any measure, but the momentum of the Word Bearers' assault had been repelled, and the Grand Honorificum remained in Loyalist hands. Still, the Dark Cardinal had no intention of retreating, not with Benediction so nearly in his grasp.Whispers filtered out across the tides of the Warp, dark communiques summoning Chaos reinforcements to the Talledus theatre.
Talledus War - Defenders of the Grand Honorificum on Benediction: Order of Our Martyred Lady - 3 preceptoriesGhreddask Illuminators Armoured Regiments - 13 regimentsGhreddask Illuminators Artillery Regiments - 9 regimentsGhreddask Illuminators Infantry Regiments - 26 regimentsCadian Auxilia - 14 regimentsSentae Honorifica - 50,000 personnel (est.)Pilgrims of the River - Unknown numbersTrevortian Gladii - 177 scratch companiesCenserhosts - 36 formations
Talledus War - Talledus Relief Group - Battlefleet Pharas: Salamanders - 1 demi-company (50 Astartes)Black Templars - Gladius strike force of the Rutherian CrusadeWhite Scars - 3 Vanguard Space Marine strike forces of the 10th BrotherhoodCadian 17th Infantry RegimentCadian 567th Armored RegimentCadian 991st Armored Regiment
Talledus War - Imperial Navy: Battlefleet PharasBattlefleet SentanisBattlefleet IosBattlefleet Cemeres
Talledus War - Imperial Knights: House MortanAdditional forces dispatched to Talledus System according to Priority Order Sygna//X32
Talledus War - Benediction Invasion Force: Word Bearers - 1 companyBrotherhood of the Knife (Chaos Cult) - Unknown numbersCult of Loss (Chaos Cult) - Unknown  numbersBloodhounds - 13 war partiesGore Legion of Khoros - 1 host
Talledus War - Siege of Ghreddask: Iron Warriors - 1 companyHouse Khomentis - household strengthHouse Vrachul - household strengthRusthammer Traitor Artillery (Traitor Astra Militarum) - 3 regimentsVrachul Dragoons (House Vrachul auxiliary infantry) - 2 regimentsWyreblood Combat Servitors - 45 packs
Talledus War - Chaos Teras of the Emperor Void Raiders: Night Lords - 3 warbands (approx.)Siren Fleet - Unknown numbers of voidshipsSons of Vengeance - Sightings reportedA full analysis of Heretic forces is unavailable due to extreme Warp distortions. The above record has been gathered from intercepted vox transmissions and astropathic messages.
Tallyman - Tallyman: A Tallyman is a Chaos Space Marine specialist found exclusively within the ranks of the Death Guard Traitor Legion. It is their job to keep a tally of woes inflicted by the virulent Plague Marines of their Legion.They count ammunition expended, diseases inflicted and victories achieved and defeats suffered. Inspired by the Tallyman's count, the followers of the Plague God are filled with the power of their patron lord. Always they tally the unholy number seven in an effort to invoke Nurgle's boon and dark blessings.
Tallyman - Role: The worshippers of the Dark Gods know that there is power in words and numbers, incantations and arcane numerology. Mortarion's obsession with the sacred number seven borders upon the manic, infecting every strata of his Legion. Seven is the unholy number of Nurgle, the integer infectum, the digit of disease. Through fervent repetition, ritual conjunction and symbolic adherence, the Death Guard channel the energies of their sacred numeral to beseech Nurgle's blessings.The preachers of this sevenfold doctrine are the Tallymen. Part priests, part demagogues, part metaphysical scribes and quartermasters, these festering zealots stride to battle festooned with the trappings of their strange craft. They carry heavy tomes and reams of parchment whose mouldering pages crawl with tallies penned in a crabbed, spidery hand. Nurglings caper about their feet, brandishing more scrolls, more tallies, more counts of the seven. Upon their shoulders the Tallymen bear huge Vox speakers through which their stentorian voices boom, underpinned by the nerve-shredding scritch and scrape of their poisoned quills. Their incantations are endless, a purgatorial drone of counting that rises to a sevenfold crescendo before looping around and beginning yet again.The Tallymen count woes. They count shells expended, wounds inflicted, foes that flee screaming into the gloom. They count the flies in the air and the number of the slain, victories achieved and defeats suffered. Always they tally the unholy seven, and in so doing they invoke Nurgle's boon. Nurgle's faithful are empowered and inspired by the Tallyman's count. As his voice echoes in their ears, so empyric power seeps into their souls. Wounds heal shut with sucking slurps. Rotted muscles bulge with strength while the rambunctious joy of Grandfather Nurgle fills up curdled souls. Flies swarm thick in buzzing clouds, and diseases blossom all the faster as the eye of Nurgle turns toward the battlefield. The Death Guard rejoice as they feel their Dark God's power squirming like worms through their flesh.On the battlefield, Tallymen are bellowing terrors, yet at all other times their order is cloistered and secretive. Long ago, Mortarion entrusted them with the numerological codes to unlock the hidden vaults where the Death Guard keep their most appalling viral weapons -- Warp-spawned hell-plagues that can obliterate entire worlds. Such strains are precious and irreplaceable, and not lightly do the Tallymen part with them. The Death Guard Lord who demands access to these horrific instruments of destruction had best be prepared to pay their terrible price.
Tallyman - Notable Tallymen: Philemon - Philemon is a Tallyman of Nurgle and a close political ally of the Chaos Lord Vorx who commands the warband of Death Guard Heretic Astartes called the Lords of Silence. Like most of the Plague God's Tallymen, Philemon is fatalistic and mathematically precise in his outlook on the galaxy. Within the Death Guard Legion's own internal politics he supports the position of Vorx and his Daemon Primarch Mortarion that the Heretic Astartes should seek to weaken the Imperium in a number of different campaigns rather than immediately seeking to drive on Terra once more. In this he is staunchly opposed by other members of the Lords of Silence like the Plague Marine Dragan and the Blightlord Terminator Captain Garstag. Philemon took part in the Chaos attack on the White Consuls Space Marine Chapter Homeworld of Sabatine, and warned Vorx against the planned treachery by their Word Bearers allies in the Weeping Veil warband who sought to sacrifice the planet's population to summon three Greater Daemons and their daemonic legions to the world, forever placing it beyond Nurgle's reach. Vorx outwitted the Word Bearers, and Sabatine eventually became a new Daemon World and the spitting image of the Plague Planet itself.
Tallyman - Wargear: Corrupted Power Armour (Any pattern)Plasma PistolBlight GrenadesKrak Grenades
Talon of Horus - Talon of Horus: The Talon of Horus, originally called the Warmaster's Talon, is a large, archaic Lightning Claw fitted with an early custom-built Combi-bolter that is currently wielded by Abaddon the Despoiler, the greatest Champion of Chaos, master of the Black Legion and the current Warmaster of Chaos. Abaddon reclaimed the weapon from the body of Horus himself at the end of the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium.Abaddon currently uses the Talon as one of the primary emblems of his authority over the forces of Chaos. The weapon takes the form of a large Lightning Claw with a thumb blade and an integrated Combi-bolter that runs from the wrist to the knuckles of the claw's gauntlet. The ancient Combi-bolter was designed as a tactically flexible weapon for employment in the original Terminator Armour project, and is in essence two standard pattern bolters slaved to fire together.It is a bulky and somewhat crude, but very effective weapon prototype that gained widespread use at the time of the Horus Heresy. Two belts of ammunition are fed into the gauntlet from the right side and the howling faces of Daemons cover the casing ejectors. It is assumed that the Talon, used in conjunction with the Daemon Sword Drach'nyen, provides Abaddon with his ranged combat abilities and confers at least the same benefits as a standard Lightning Claw in melee.
Talon of Horus - History: The origins of the fell weapon known as the Talon of Horus can be traced back to the dark days of the Horus Heresy which began in the early 31st Millennium. Originally known as the Warmaster's Talon, it was crafted by Master Adept Urtzi Malevolus, a co-conspirator and follower of the traitorous Fabricator-General Kelbor-Hal and his Dark Mechanicum faction of the ancient Priesthood of Mars that had sworn allegiance to the Warmaster Horus, most favoured son of the Emperor and greatest of all the primarchs. Within his forge Malevolus crafted a unique suit of Artificer Terminator Armour, one of the first prototypes of its kind, fashioned and continuously improved by the hand of Kelbor-Hal and the greatest artificers of the Imperium.Along with this singular suit of Terminator Armour, Malevolous also crafted a special weapon to complement this deadly creation. This weapon was a unique Lightning Claw which incorporated a baroquely-styled twin Combi-bolter. The Talon quickly became Horus' favoured weapon and a symbol of his office as the Imperial Warmaster of the Great Crusade.Some apocryphal sources claim it is actually an antediluvian relic that was found deep on the planet Clthon, and was a product of Humanity's lost Age of Technology. Whatever the truth, the Talon played a dark role in the Imperium's history. During the Siege of Terra aboard his flagship Vengeful Spirit, Horus used his taloned claw to kill his own brother Sanguinius, the winged primarch of the Blood Angels Legion, and to mortally wound the Emperor Himself.Ezekyle Abaddon, first captain of the Sons of Horus and his Justaerin Terminator elite fought their way through squad after squad of yellow-armoured Imperial Fists Terminators to the command centre of the starship, but they were too late.Running across iron decks that were slick with the blood of demigods, Abaddon took up the lifeless body of his gene-father with great tenderness. Wracked with emotion, he detached the taloned claw that Horus had used to kill Sanguinius from his primarch's armour and resolved to use it to throttle the Emperor. With his gene-father dead, Abaddon abandoned the conquest of Terra and instead blazed a trail across the stars to the forbidden realm of the Eye of Terror. The Traitor Legions retreated in his wake, cursing the hour that had stolen their destiny. With this act, Abaddon passed from mortal space and into legend.The Talon of Horus is now an icon of evil incarnate to the Imperium, causing terror in Imperial forces, except for the Astartes of the Blood Angels Chapter who are affected with an implacable hatred for the weapon that slew their gene-sire. Over the last ten millennia, Abaddon has tested the strength of the Imperium many times in the Long War, and with each victory his power grows.Over the millennia, he has led no fewer than thirteen Black Crusades, each of which has emerged from the Warp and culminated in a spectacular invasion of realspace, and the Talon of Horus has been worn on his right hand in every campaign.
Talon of Horus - Sources: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pp. 22-23Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pp. 8-9, 44-45Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pp. 22, 46-47Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 57, 92Codex: Chaos (2nd Edition), pp. 98-99Deathwatch: First Founding (RPG), pg. 91Horus Heresy: Collected Visions, pp. 47, 78, 108, 220-221, 263, 332, 362Imperial Armour: The Horus Heresy Book 1: Betrayal (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh pp. 230, 246-247Index Astartes IV, "Sons of Horus - The Black Legion Space Marine Legion"The 13th Black Crusade by Andy Hoare, pp. 18, 72, 79The Art of Warhammer 40,000 (Art Book) edited by Matt Ralphs and Marc Gascoigne, pg. 150Warlords of the Dark Millennium: Abaddon The Despoiler (Digital Edition), pp. 6-7, 17-18, 29-30White Dwarf 287 (UK), "Death by a Thousand Cuts," pg. 36Horus Rising (Novel) by Dan AbnettFalse Gods (Novel) by Graham McNeillGalaxy In Flames (Novel) by Ben CounterAge of Darkness (Anthology) edited by Christian Dunn, "Little Horus"Nemesis (Novel) by James SwallowExecution Hour (Novel) by Gordon RennieDark Adeptus (Novel) by Ben CounterSoul Hunter (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-BowdenVengeful Spirit (Novel) by Graham McNeill
Talons of Anathrax - Talons of Anathrax: The Talons of Anathrax are a warband of Chaos Space Marines. They were once a Loyalist Chapter of Space Marines of unknown origin and Founding, known as the Argent Hammers. They were corrupted after entering the Eye of Terror in 321.M37 as part of the Imperial Abyssal Crusade.It is unknown what they endured during their sojourn into the Eye, but by the time they made their way back into realspace, they had become the warband of Chaos Space Marines known as the Talons of Anathrax, named for the Daemon World of Anathrax where they had been corrupted.The remains of the Argent Hammers were later nearly completely destroyed upon their return to Imperial space by the Red Talons Chapter, a battle in which the Red Talons Contemptor Dreadnought Skara Brae took part.
Talons of Anathrax - Warband Colours: The Talons of Anathrax warband's colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Talons of Anathrax - Warband Badge: The Talons of Anathrax warband's badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Talons of Perdition - Talons of Perdition: The Talons of Perdition were a pair of Dreadnought Close Combat Weapons that essentially served as large, talon-like Power Claws for a Contemptor-Incaendius Dreadnought. These weapons supported the Contemptor-Incaendius' role as a close combat unit for the Blood Angels Legion.The Talons of Perdition deployed on the IX Legion's Contemptor-Incaendius Dreadnought were commonly outfitted with built-in Heavy Flamers.These Heavy Flamers could also be swapped out and replaced with a built-in Meltagun or a prototype Iliastus Pattern Assault Cannon.
Talons of the Emperor - Talons of the Emperor: Talons of the Emperor was the name given during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy to the elite and specialised Imperial military forces who drew their commands directly from the Emperor. These forces served the Emperor as emissaries, bodyguards and destroyers and among their number they included the Legio Custodes, the superhuman companions of the Emperor who served as His "right hand" and His sworn protectors, the witchseekers of the Sisters of Silence, who represented His "left hand" and acted as the harvesters of the Great Tithe, and the shadowy, inhuman killers of the temples of the Officio Assassinorum.There were other, even stranger and more occluded agencies in direct service to the Master of Mankind, including the tech-arcanists of the Templi-Chronos and the dread Psi-Titans of the Ordo Sinister.While the Legiones Astartes led the conquest of the galaxy, carrying along the countless ranks of the Imperialis Auxilia in their wake, the Talons of the Emperor were given other, often more mysterious and secret tasks, but were not less vital for that. When the Talons were unleashed they wielded weapons and abilities created by the Emperor or derived from archeotechnological relics of the Dark Age of Technology which were only entrusted to them.
Talos Pain Engine - Talos Pain Engine: The Talos Pain Engine, also called simply a Talos, is a Drukhari construct and the most widespread of their many so-called Engines of Pain. Festooned with multiple surgical apparatus and grotesque weapons of war, the Talos is a part organic and part mechanical automaton conceived by the creations of a mad genius.Created by the insane Drukhari masters of pain and the dark arts of fleshcrafting known as the Haemonculi, the Talos was first constructed as a torture device, but is now employed across the galaxy's innumerable battlefields. Sweeping forward upon anti-gravitic motors, the Talos catches its victims with its razor-sharp claws and then incinerates them from the inside out.The death spasms of those captured propel the Talos towards its enemies as its unique sting wildly spews death in all directions and its many-bladed arms cut through armour and bone alike with lashing blows.