vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Warrior Lodge - Warrior Lodge Organisation: From what little is known to modern Imperial scholars, behind closed doors the members of a lodge put aside the divisions of rank and honour. No rank existed between members aside from the ranks and divisions of the lodge itself.It was quite possible for a senior Space Marine captain to be greeted as an equal by a warrior under his command. Likewise it was equally possible for a sergeant to be the Lodge Master, one of his acolytes a company captain and a neophyte to be a senior Lodge Commander.Such subversion of the order of rank and military discipline was possible because the lodges bound themselves with ritual and secrecy. The meeting places of a lodge were secret chambers entered by only one door. That door was guarded, and only those bearing the words and symbols of membership could pass within.Members recognised each other by the use of artefacts (such as lodge coins), marks, gestures and code phrases. Symbolism and ritual significance surrounded initiation into a lodge. In some of the Legions' warrior lodges, the prospective initiate was blindfolded, only seeing again once the ceremony was complete.In other lodges he would drink a cup of blood, a cup of water, and a cup of soured wine. Some had labyrinthine levels of rank to ascend; others confined themselves to a basic few.For example, within the Emperor's Children Legion, the Brotherhood of the Phoenix was a more exclusive warrior lodge than those found within any of the other Legions.When the Emperor's Children had fought alongside the Luna Wolves early after the rediscovery of their Primarch Fulgrim, they had formed great bonds of friendship with the warriors of Horus, and in the times between the fighting, a few loose tongues amonst the warriors of the XVIth Legion had spoken to their brothers in the IIIrd Legion of the existence of their warrior lodge.The Luna Wolves' lodge was, in theory, open to any warrior who desired to be a member, an informal place of lively debate where rank held no sway and an Astartes could speak his mind freely without fear of reprisals.Eventually a few Astartes from the Emperor's Children were permitted to attend one such meeting, a pleasant evening of honourable camaraderie under the titular leadership of the Lodge Master Serghar Targost. Some enjoyed the meeting, despite the clandestine nature and theatrics of it, but some remained uncomfortable with the informality and mingling of the ranks.In the traditionally hierarchical Emperor's Children Legion, only warriors of officer rank could join the similar confraternity which was soon created within the IIIrd Legion, and which also would eventually be used as the conduit by which Fulgrim and the other members of the Emperor's Children who were corrupted by Slaanesh would seize control of the Legion and rid themselves of their Imperial Loyalists during the Istvaan III Atrocity.
Warrior Lodge - Notable Warrior Lodges: Quiet Order - The Quiet Order was the warrior lodge founded within the Sons of Horus Legion to corrupt them towards the service of Chaos. Before the Warmaster Horus revealed his treachery at the Isstvan III Atrocity, where he culled the Loyalist elements of the Legions under his command, the lodge had met only as often as campaign necessity allowed. It had been an indulgence permitted by Horus, encouraged even, but always subservient to the demands of war. Following the massacre at Isstvan III, the lodge met more regularly as the Sons of Horus learned more of the secret arts of service to the Ruinous Powers from Erebus of the Word Bearers Legion.Brotherhood of the Phoenix - The Brotherhood of the Phoenix was a confraternity that existed within the Emperor's Children Legion and unlike other Warrior Lodges, was strictly composed of only the III Legion's senior officers.Dodekatheon - The Dodekatheon was the mason's order of the Iron Warriors Legion which had been gathering aboard Iron Warriors starships even before their Primarch Perturabo had been reunited with his gene-sons. It was a meeting place of builders and warriors, where new structural designs were unveiled, past battles refought and new theorems of war given voice. Every warrior of the IV Legion was welcome, but in practice only those of rank had the opportunity to attend any of the lodge meetings.Seven Pillared Lodge - The Seven Pillared Lodge was the Warrior Lodge founded within the Death Guard Legion to corrupt them towards the service of Chaos from within.
Warriors of Aggannor - Warriors of Aggannor: The Warriors of Aggannor are a warband of Chaos Space Marines composed of an amalgam of warriors from multiple Chaos Space Marine warbands and the Traitor Legions. Numerous Night Lords and Word Bearers Traitor Marines swore allegiance to the Chaos Lord Aggannor and were responsible for a major Chaos incursion on Calibos III during Goge Vandire's Reign of Blood in the Age of Apostasy in the 36th Millennium.
Warriors of Aggannor - Warband Colours: Since this warband is composed of warriors from multiple Chaos warbands and Traitor Legions, they have no definitive colours that identify them. Instead, they maintain their original warband's or Traitor Legion's colours.
Warriors of Aggannor - Warband Badge: The Warriors of Aggannor do not have their own iconography to identify them. Instead warriors from this warband wear their original warband's or Legion's identifying badge or markings.
Warriors of Aggannor - Notable Warriors of Agganor: Agganor - Agganor is the powerful Chaos Lord who leads the Warriors of Agganor warband.
Warriors of Mayhem - Warriors of Mayhem: The Warriors of Mayhem are a warband of Chaos Space Marines of unknown origin and allegiance. This warband was first sighted by Imperial forces in 925.M41.
Warriors of Mayhem - Warband Colours: The Warriors of Mayhem wear deep purple coloured Power Armour with silver trim.
Warriors of Mayhem - Warband Badge: The Warriors of Mayhem do not have their own individual badge or iconography. Instead they have been noted to wear the usual blasphemous Chaotic icons and fetishes that identifies them as servants of the Dark Gods.
Warriors of the Reborn - Warriors of the Reborn: The Warriors of the Reborn were a thousand-strong army of former Human helots (slaves) of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion recruited by the Chaos-corrupted Blood Angel Space Marine Arkio the Blessed from the population of the planet Shenlong.The Warriors of the Reborn were chosen through a series of gruelling arena combats, with only the most brutal and savage surviving to the end. During their short existence, these warriors fought alongside those Space Marines of the Blood Angels Chapter who had also been duped into following Arkio's false message.
Warriors of the Reborn - History: Similar to the Tyrant's Legion formed by Chapter Master Lufgt Huron of the Astral Claws leading up to the Badab War, the Warriors of the Reborn were a cult-like army of standard Humans formed to serve the Chaos-corrupted Space Marine Arkio the Blessed, who claimed to be the primarch Sanguinius reborn.Liberated from many standard years of horrific abuse and enslavement by the Word Bearers Traitor Legion, the people of the world of Shenlong were quick to worship Arkio as a god, not knowing he was himself an unwitting pawn of the Chaos God Tzeentch.Following Arkio on his crusade against those who resisted the idea of his ascendence, the army was wiped out on the world of Sabien while fighting the overwhelming force of the Blood Angels.
Warriors Tempest - Warriors Tempest: The Warriors Tempest is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. Almost nothing is known about this Chapter in Imperial records, except that it was created some time after the Second Founding.
Warriors Tempest - Chapter Colours: The Warriors Tempest primarily wear bone-white Power Armour. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest guard, as well as the central portion of the power pack and the insets of the shoulder plates are midnight blue. The white squad specialty symbol -- Tactical, Devastator, Assault or Veteran -- is located on the right shoulder plate. A black Roman numeral is stenciled in the centre of the squad specialty symbol, indicating squad number. The colour of the left knee plate indicates company number in accordance with the Codex Astartes -- i.e. White (1st Company), Yellow (2nd Company), Red (3rd Company), Green (4th Company), etc.
Warriors Tempest - Chapter Badge: The Warriors Tempest's Chapter badge is a large white skull centred above a circular symbol comprised of a white, open-faced roundel with six lightning bolts emanating from it, centred upon a field of midnight blue.
Warscaper Drone - Warscaper Drone: A Warscaper Drone (Kor'vesa in the T'au Lexicon) is a type of T'au Drone (small, sleek, disc-shaped, semi-sentient machines) sometimes employed alongside T'au Farsight Enclave forces in major engagements.As rare drones of Commander Farsight's own invention, Warscaper Drones were developed to aid Commander Farsight once he mastered the art of turning a planet's environment against his foes on the oxide planet of Arkunahsa.Never passing up an opportunity to use a world's topography and climate against the enemy, a Warscaper Drone's role is to augment its owner's own Battlesuit systems with detailed scans of the local environment, allowing him to easily draw the enemy into dangerous locations without putting himself in harm’s way.The exhaustive cartographic information that it provides can also be used by the Drone's owner to allow him and his squad to more effectively navigate through the same dangerous terrain without coming to harm, as well as easily outflank enemy forces through hidden routes and paths.Warscaper Drones consist of an advanced processor unit, which individually has only a basic intelligence (approximately equal to that of a small animal such as a pterasquirrel), and moves about by way of a small anti-gravitic generator and a smaller and much modified version of a T'au Jetpack. This allows the Warscaper Drone to hover over the ground and skim over most obstacles. As they hover over landscapes, rotating back and forth, their sensor vane constantly transmits vital information about their surroundings.So deeply do the T'au believe in the Greater Good, that even their drones are programmed with self-preservation protocols. In the face of what the the Drone's artificial intelligence deems to be hopeless odds, a drone will attempt to escape rather than stand and fight.While in certain extreme circumstances drones might be deployed on high-risk missions likely to lead to their destruction or purposefully moved to block enemy advances on units of Fire Warriors, the T'au do not consider drones to be disposable units and the Drone artificial intelligence will analyse every possibility in order to ensure its own survival.
Warscaper Drone - Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus Technical Specifications: The technical specifications for this T'au unit have not been obtained or released by the Ordo Xenos.
Warscythe - Warscythe: A Warscythe is an energy-bladed battle stave commonly found in the armouries of Necron royals. The Warscythe has served as a traditional weapon of the Necron nobility and their elite bodyguards for many thousands of Terran years. A Warscythe is made from the same living metal as that which makes up all Necron bodies and vehicles, Necrodermis, and is fitted with a Phase Blade, whose edge is out of phase with the normal space-time continuum and thus can slip effortlessly through even the heaviest forms of armour. Because of the partially incorporeal nature of these blades, a Warscythe is capable of passing through defensive energy shields, such as those emitted by an Iron Halo, that would normally deflect almost any other form of attack. The entropic power field that also flickers about a Warscythe blade can disrupt almost any material known to man, leaving the victim’s underlying structure -- be it organic or inorganic -- vulnerable to the weapon’s cleaving impact.However, a Warscythe is incredibly heavy and cumbersome. In the hands of a lesser creature, it would be of little threat; but when wielded by the tireless mechanical musculature of a Necron, it is a most formidable weapon that greatly augments the strength of the user. When combined with a Necron's prodigious strength, there is very little such a blade cannot penetrate.A Warscythe is easily capable of slicing through infantry and heavy vehicle armour alike. It is common for a well-directed Warscythe to be able to cut the barrel from a Leman Russ Tank's Battle Cannon or carve a hole in the side of a bunker. Warscythes are most commonly found wielded by Necron Overlords and Necron Lords, along with their Lychguard protectors. Warscythes are also the favoured armament of Necron Destroyer Lords who relish the feeling of decapitating enemies as they glide by on their anti-gravitic skimmer chassis.Like all Necron weaponry, the Warscythe is an expression of a science far beyond Mankind’s grasp. Nevertheless, there is nothing mystical or psychic about its function, as there is with some Eldar technology. It is composed of similar elements as the ubiquitous Power Weapons, though they are far more advanced and reliable. While there is no shortage of captured Necron weaponry within the Adeptus Mechanicus’ stasis vaults -- indeed, there is some suggestion that some such prizes have lain there for many thousands of standard years -- almost every attempt the Tech-priests have made to reverse-engineer the technology has ended in abject failure.A curious side effect of a Warscythe’s power field is to render the weapon almost impossible to destroy. This is because the blade's power field grows in strength and magnitude to match whatever force is brought to bear upon it. There are several well-documented instances in the Imperium of Warscythes surviving direct hits from Lascannons, and even from Turbo-lasers, with little harm to show for it. Unfortunately, this protection does not extend to the wielder, and it is quite common for a Warscythe to survive a battle when its master does not.
Warscythe - Symbolism: There are two distinct classes of Warscythe. The first and most common is wielded exclusively by the Lychguard -- the incorruptible protectors of the Necron nobility. Their Warscythes are the most basic expressions of the artisan’s craft, with little effort given to aesthetic refinement or customisation. In a Lychguard’s hands, a Warscythe is little more than a brutal instrument of battle.By contrast, the regal Warscythes wielded by the Necron nobility, such as Necron Lords, Nemesors, Thantars and Phaerons -- are as much sceptres of rule as they are implements of battle. Seldom are any two Warscythes wielded by Necron nobility exactly alike. Pride is a powerful emotion in those Necrons still capable of feeling it, and to possess weaponry identical to that of a rival would be interpreted as weakness, or possibly as an insult. If two regal Warscythes are identical, it is always through deliberate choice, whether this be as a mark of an alliance of brothers, or of dynastic houses declaring plainly the common cause between the wielders.Regal Warscythes are masterpieces of workmanship, loving recreations of weapons long-lost to the entropic forces of the universe. Should such a weapon be forsaken upon the field of battle, or worse, stolen, then its owner will often go to great and violent lengths to recover it. Worlds have been laid waste and planetary systems brought under siege in this cause. Some Ordo Xenos Inquisitors point to this behaviour as an element of commonality between Mankind and Necron, for the Imperium’s forces often enter battle in order to recover an important relic, though this is untrue. Whereas the theft of an Imperial relic would provoke cultural outrage, the theft of a Warscythe is the theft of a personal possession whose thievery provokes a very personal ire. This is because a Necron Lord’s Warscythe is a tangible connection to the life he once knew; for those who desire to someday return to the flesh, it is a symbol of hope that such can be achieved.Regardless of the wielder’s rank, a Warscythe’s blade and power core always blazes with the heraldic colour of his dynasty. Power signature colours are often shared by different dynasties. This is a throwback to the days before the Necrontyr's biotransference, and shows the state of alliance between the various dynasties of that time. Inevitably, the War in Heaven and the tumultuous aeons that followed have done much to shatter the alliances of old. The power signatures are now, therefore, more misleading than useful. A Phaeron could, of course, order the power signature of his forces changed at any time, but many present configurations have been established for so long that, for most Necron nobles, the notion of altering them is just as unthinkable as ordering that their dynastic glyphs be defaced. To Necrons, tradition is everything. Indeed, it can be argued that tradition is all that is left to them.
Warscythe - Notable Warscythes: Voidreaper - Legend has it that on the day the C'tan Aza’gorod the Nightbringer was sundered into shards, the Warscythe that would later become known as Voidreaper appeared in the armoury of the Nekthyst Dynasty’s crownworld. Its blade is a sliver of the void; when swung, it cuts through more than just mere physical forms. Its victims drop to the ground as husks, their souls torn from their bodies like tattered shrouds before dissipating with final screams of horror.
Warsinger - Warsinger: A Warsinger was a type of Renegade Human psyker warrior once indigenous to the former Imperial Civilised World of Istvaan III. The Warsingers as a sect were dedicated to the service of the Chaos God Slaanesh.One of the more dangerous local sects, the Warsingers could emit sonic screams, blasts of damaging sound waves and take flight through the use of strange relic-technology.These abilities were the result of mutational "gifts" provided by the power of their Chaos patron.
Warsinger - History: The Warsingers were instrumental in the corruption of the Istvaan System and its people by Slaanesh. They spread this corruption to the world's new Planetary Governor, Vardus Praal, after the Imperial conquest of their world.The Slaanesh-worshipping population of Istvaan III were used as sacrificial pawns in the Warmaster Horus' scheme to amass those forces loyal to his intended rebellion against the Emperor of Mankind without suspicion, and also rid his own Sons of Horus Legion and those Space Marine Legions of his closest allied Primarchs of those within their ranks whose loyalties to his cause were suspect. As such, when word came to the Warmaster of Vardus Praal's rebellion against the Emperor, he ordered the Imperial campaign that would be remembered as the Istvaan III Atrocity.Within only solar hours of the start of the Imperial campaign, the rebellion was in tatters. Vardus and most of the Warsingers were slain with all of the Imperial invasion force's objectives secured and tens of thousands of the enemy dead in the wake of the assault.The Loyalist Astartes proved victorious, but were betrayed when a cascade of terrible Life-eater Virus Bombs fell upon the smouldering planet, launched by the Warmaster's orbiting fleet. This doomed both rebels and Astartes alike to an agonising death.When the Life-eater virus was unleashed upon the world, the Warsingers tried to comfort their people, but were quickly slain by its effects.
Warsmith - Warsmith: Warsmith was an honorary rank held by the senior Space Marine Captains who commanded the Grand Battalions of the Iron Warriors Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras in the late-30th and early 31st Millennia.After the Horus Heresy, the title would later be used by the Chaos Lords who commanded each of the Iron Warriors' myriad warbands of Heretic Astartes.At the time of the Horus Heresy, the IVth Legion had an added layer of organisation known as a "Grand Battalion," which contained several units called "Grand Companies" and was commanded by an officer with the rank of Warsmith.The rank was granted for exceptional skill and valour in directing the IVth Legion's campaigns, and made its bearer the commanding officer of several of the Iron Warriors' companies, which were combined into the larger unit known as a "Grand Battalion."During the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V there were at least twelve Grand Battalions in the IVth Legion, although with the widespread deployment of many Iron Warriors garrison forces in that era, it is impossible to be sure of the exact size of the Legion.The Iron Warriors Traitor Legion of the late 41st Millennium is organised into a number of large warbands still known as Grand Companies, each commanded by a Chaos Lord who bears the title of Warsmith.Originally, each Grand Company would have been similar in size and organisation, totaling approximately a thousand Space Marines, but now they vary in size enormously after ten millennia of battle and losses.The Warsmiths themselves are all extremely gifted in combat engineering, many maintaining a large contingent of slave-mechanicians to perform the more menial work. It is uncertain how many Grand Companies there are at any given time in the present era.
Warsphere - In the Koronus Expanse: Kroot Warspheres are an uncommon sight in the Koronus Expanse of the Segmentum Obscurus, but there are several that travel through the space lanes. Warspheres are dangerous opponents, simply because they are incredibly tough and have a large number of guns. However, due to the Kroot's mercenary nature, dealing with one may be easier (and more profitable) than fighting it.Likewise, the Kroot do not often hire themselves to take on spaceborne foes, preferring planetary invasions or boarding actions where their talents are not wasted.
Warsphere - Notable Warspheres: Vawk Karaow
Warsphere - Dimensions: Hull: battleshipClass: Unique; xenos voidcraftDimensions: Approximately 9 kilometres in diameterMass: Approximately 47 megatonnesCrew: Approximately 300,000+ Kroot
Watch fortress - Watch fortress: A watch fortress is a fortified Imperial installation that serves as a fortress, archive, garrison, command station and training facility to support the operations of Deathwatch Chapter kill-teams in a particular region of the galaxy.A watch fortress differs from a watch station in that while watch fortresses are large complexes and relatively rare, watch stations are far more numerous and smaller, less potent Deathwatch facilities. A watch commander, who usually holds the rank of watch master, is placed in command of the fortress and is the absolute master of all of the kill-teams located there.Such places can take a great many forms; some are mighty deep space void stations and star forts, while others are imposing, fortified keeps maintained on a planet's surface. Some are impenetrable installations many kilometres below ground, while others still are hollowed-out asteroids bristling with weaponry and protected from prying eyes by arcane cloaking systems.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Watch Fortress Erioch: Watch Fortress Erioch is a notable watch fortress of the xenos-hunting Space Marines of the Deathwatch Chapter based within the Erioch System of the Jericho Reach of the Segmentum Ultima. Within Erioch the Deathwatch's kill-teams train and prepare for coming missions.Watch Fortress Erioch combines the functions of a command centre, keep, archive, garrison and more. The watch commander often coordinates the monitoring of a hundred different threats; or his attentions might be focused exclusively on one single, overriding concern towards which all of his and his battle-brothers' efforts are turned.The commander is assisted in his duties by a cadre of specialists, some of whom are Astartes, such as Techmarines, Apothecaries and the like, while many more are normal Humans who are the equivalent of Chapter serfs who have been assigned to the Deathwatch by the Inquisition's Ordo Xenos.Erioch is also home to all manner of Astartes training facilities. In vast domes, unique environments can be recreated in which the battle-brothers can perfect their battle drill and rehearse their missions. Some of these domes have been stocked with life forms, such as Death World flora and fauna, in order to create the most realistic training conditions possible. It has even been known for captured aliens to be set loose in the training domes, to be hunted down by the kill-teams in deadly mission simulation exercises.At the heart of Watch Fortress Erioch is to be found a sealed vault, known as the "Omega Vault," which contains the most sensitive and valuable of assets available to the Inquisition in the Jericho Reach -- and perhaps the galaxy.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Places of Training and Devotion: Within Watch Fortress Erioch are many places in which the battle-brothers of the Deathwatch may hone their skills and temper their spirits. There are huge ranges housed in vast chambers where live-fire exercises and marksmanship drills can be performed in environments ranging from tangled ruins to liquid-filled tunnels or the chill of hard vacuum.Alongside these are hundreds of smaller melee and exercise chambers where new skills with blade, fist, and body can be passed from battle-brother to battle-brother. Numerous clusters of armoured fighting cages (said to have been introduced by a watch captain originating with the Imperial Fists) exist where battle-brothers can test their skill of arms against each other.There are also libraries filled with tactical treatises, past mission logs and spiritual texts for the edification of a battle-brother's mental faculties. For those Space Marines who are psychically-gifted Deathwatch Librarians, there are specialised warded and shielded chantries for a psyker to sharpen his own unique gifts in the Emperor's service.In addition to these places that hone a warrior's body and mind, there are sanctuaries in which Space Marines can armour their soul. These scattered sanctums are often centred on the tombs of fallen Deathwatch battle-brothers and are reached by a long and tangled journey into the fortresses' depths.Amid the silent waft of incense, the Deathwatch meditate on their duty and observe the traditions of their home Chapter. Many of these small devotional shrines hold banners and relics given as a mark of honour by Chapters whose brethren have died as part of the Deathwatch.It is said that the marks of over a hundred Chapters can be found in the sanctuaries of Watch Fortress Erioch, including the liveries and icons of Chapters forgotten and destroyed over the long millennia. Each shrine is venerated by any member of that Chapter that comes to the fortress.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Living Quarters: The Adeptus Astartes aboard Watch Fortress Erioch are housed in sparse single cells. By the traditions of the watch fortress, each is bare and unadorned. The walls in each cell are formed of unrendered stone or unpolished metal, containing no more than a stone plinth to lie on, and housings for the storage of a battle-brother's personal weaponry, devotional items, and other wargear.These simple quarters are the same regardless of whether the Space Marine is a standard Deathwatch Veteran battle-brother or an honoured watch captain (however, some particularly individual Space Marines flout this tradition by displaying trophies, keepsakes, or other reminders of their home Chapter).By the same traditions, battle-brothers arriving at the watch fortress are grouped together in cells next to battle-brothers already in residence with no division by rank or fighting formation. Likewise, the taking of food and drink is traditionally done together in one of the refectories, with the battle-brothers sitting on stone benches beside iron-topped tables beneath the light of devotional candles.Though the watch fortress is ultimately the domain of the Astartes of the Deathwatch, other men and women live and serve within it. Chapter serfs and other important functionaries, such as the fortress' astropathic choir, are housed in enclaves well-removed from the battle-brothers of the Deathwatch and sealed away from ready access to the deep places of the fortress and its many vaults.The Inquisitor of the Chamber who serves with the Chamber of Vigilance traditionally keeps residence in the Tower of Brass, which juts into the vacuum from the upper hull of the watch fortress like a blade tip projecting from the back of a skewered foe.This tower, while part of the fortress, is left alone by the Deathwatch out of courtesy, unless duty or suspicion call them there. Within this vast edifice, the Inquisitor of the Chamber houses their personal staff and entourage of Acolytes. It is, in effect, their personal domain to maintain as they wish.Other Inquisitors who come to the watch fortress are often made personal guests by the Inquisitor of the Chamber and housed within the Tower of Brass. Some, however, are either not given the honour of such an invitation, or prefer to keep their own company, and are housed in one of the fortress' many sets of state rooms which lie empty until needed.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Tools of War: The Armouries of the watch fortress are located deep beneath its armoured hull, secured behind the thickest blast doors and internal layers of Void Shielding of the kind more commonly used to protect Battle Titans. This is the realm of metal and actinic light, of the beat of hammers and the fire of forges that arm and armour the Emperor's angels of death.Made up of workshops, magazines and armouries, these are the domains of the Techmarines who serve in the Deathwatch, and all fall under the ultimate authority of the Forge Master of the watch fortress.Chainswords, Power Axes, bolters, Drop Pods, tanks, Thunderfire Cannons, and all of the tools of the Adeptus Astartes are held here; their war-like Machine Spirits soothed by the buzz of servitors and the touch of sacred oils until they are needed. There also are billions of rounds, charges, and cylinders of ammunition from the simplest Laspack to the massive grav-stabilised macro-shells fired by the fortress' main batteries.In the deepest reaches of the Armouries, curled in waiting sleep, are the venerated Ancients of the Deathwatch. Those who have been grievously injured in serving with the Deathwatch may, with the blessing of his parent Chapter, be granted the honour of being installed in the cyborganic web of an armoured sarcophagus so that in times of great need they may once again serve alongside their battle-brothers as a Deathwatch Dreadnought.There are believed to be three such ancient Deathwatch Dreadnoughts currently dormant within the armouries of Watch Fortress Erioch, though they have not been awakened to war in over a Terran century. Only the Forge Master knows the truth of their number and state.Many of the most exotic and potent weapons of the fortress, however, are held within sealed vaults deep within the watch fortress, accessible only to those who bear the secret of their opening. Some vaults only open to members of a particular Chapter or those who bear the gene-seed of a particular primarch, being gifted or left in trust by one of that Chapter's number. Others only open to particular members of the Inquisition or Adeptus Mechanicus.Most secret of all are the terrible devices kept in the outer catacombs of the Omega Vault, the great sealed chamber at the heart of Watch Fortress Erioch. Such weapons include Vortex Torrent Imploder Charges, dread canisters of the Life-eater virus, and the imprisoned Nightmare Childe. These weapons are only yielded one at a time and by the will of the systems that lie at the centre of the Omega Vault's many chambers, watching and waiting for the future.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Defences and Void Docks: The exterior of Watch Fortress Erioch bristles with weaponry. Its sides are studded with the maws of Macrocannons, missile clusters, Thunderhawk launch bays, and Plasma Mortars, while the spires that rise from its surface are serrated with hundreds of Defence Laser cupolas.The watch fortress has firepower enough to vaporise a battleship in a single volley or to shatter a small moon should the need arise from any quarter. Beyond these fearsome weapons, separate defence platforms spin in thruster-corrected orbits, each armed with deadly Lance batteries and torpedo launchers.Additionally, patrols of Defence Monitors roam in the cold void, cutting secret paths through deadly minefields; heavily armed and armoured voidcraft that together are capable of matching the firepower of a capital ship.Watch Fortress Erioch also has extensive void docks in which a dozen Imperial Navy capital ships or Adeptus Astartes battle barges could be docked and resupplied at the same time. However, most vessels that come to the watch fortress are smaller voidships such as the Deathwatch's Rapid Strike Vessels or the occasional voidship bearing a visiting dignitary.Both defences and docks are crewed by legions of Combat Servitors and ratings that are supervised by Human Chapter serfs who are oath-bonded to serve the Deathwatch all their lives. In a crisis, overall command of the watch fortress and its defences is taken by the Master of the Vigil as its presiding castellan.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Chamber of Vigilance: The Chamber of Vigilance is the war council of the Deathwatch in the Jericho Reach. Established by a tradition whose origin is now long forgotten, the primary purpose of the Chamber of Vigilance is to discuss the import of developments in the Jericho Reach and to decide on how the Deathwatch should respond.The reasons for a gathering of the Chamber of Vigilance are many and diverse. Usually, such gatherings are connected to new intelligence on a threat to the Reach, or in response to battlefield reports from Deathwatch Astartes in the field. In recent solar decades, however, the periodic opening of a new portion of the Omega Vault has also caused the Chamber of Vigilance to be gathered with increasing frequency.The Chamber of Vigilance takes its name from the central chamber of Watch Fortress Erioch's primary command level. The Chamber of Vigilance is circular and over two hundred paces wide. Its ceiling is a great dome, in the centre of which is set a circle of armoured crystal that glows in the reflected light of the Erioch System's dying sun.When a gathering is called, braziers burn incense wood in seven niches around the chamber's edge, and Servo-skulls, yellow with age, circle to record every detail of what transpires before them. The floor is black stone inlaid with symbols and words of the Codex Astartes worked in adamantium. The sigil of the Deathwatch rests at the chamber's centre beneath the pale light of the void cast down from the fading star of Erioch's light.There are no chairs in the Chamber of Vigilance; all who gather here stand as a sign that the duty of their Long Watch is unending and without respite. Embedded in the floor and ceiling are null field generators and vox baffles, as well as hololith projectors and sound generators for when information must be displayed to a gathering.The membership of the Chamber of Vigilance is not fixed. The Chamber consists of all senior members of the Deathwatch present at the time of the gathering, plus any members of the Inquisition present at the fortress who may be invited (their presence being at the Master of the Vigil's discretion), or any other servants of the Imperium whose voice and knowledge is important to the Chamber's deliberations.Although the membership of the Chamber of Vigilance shifts and changes, there are two positions that are permanent by tradition: the Master of the Vigil and the Inquisitor of the Chamber. Both must be present in order for a gathering to be called.
Watch Fortress Erioch - The Master of the Vigil: The Master of the Vigil is a senior member of the Deathwatch stationed at Watch Fortress Erioch, meaning that he is usually, though not always, the watch commander or the ranking watch captain. The bearer of this honour is oath-bound to act as the final arbitrator of decisions made by the Chamber of Vigilance, and also to rule and maintain the watch fortress, watch stations, and the other domains of the Deathwatch within the Jericho Reach.The title of Master of the Vigil is conferred on a battle-brother only by a gathering of the Chamber of Vigilance and confirmed by the missive of the High Lords of Terra. This honour is traditionally borne by an individual for a score of Terran years before it passes to another, unless a time of great crisis or war makes such a shift in leadership unwise for its duration.The Master of the Vigil remains within Watch Fortress Erioch for the duration of his duty, with certain exceptions made under critical circumstances. The Master of the Vigil's only mark of rank is the bearing of a singular heraldic pauldron on his armour, the design being of a gauntleted hand grasping a snarling serpent by its throat.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Inquisitor of the Chamber: The Inquisitor of the Chamber is a member of the Inquisition who, by ancient tradition, represents the interests of the Holy Ordos within the Chamber of Vigilance. This Inquisitor almost always hails from the ranks of the Ordo Xenos, although there have been exceptions made in the past.The Inquisitor of the Chamber is a position of honour and a symbol of the ties between the Deathwatch and the Inquisition in the Jericho Reach. The position and title of Inquisitor of the Chamber is bestowed on an Inquisitor by a conclave of their peers, and remains theirs until they die, choose to relinquish the position, or another is sent to take their place.Part emissary, intermediary, facilitator, and watcher of the watchers, Inquisitors of the Chamber are often chosen for their diplomatic and political skill. Many are also great warriors or scholars of extraordinary erudition. Most have found, however, that being able to speak warrior-to-warrior is often an advantage when dealing with the Deathwatch.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Outer Wards: The Outer Wards separate the landing cradles and void docks studding the fortress' walls from its interior reaches. The battle-brothers hold that no enemy of the Long Watch has willingly broached these wards, either entering or leaving, in more than two thousand standard years.Some supplicants never pass the wards even on legitimate business lest they become lost in the constantly moving labyrinth. Madness and death await the unworthy, it is said, for only true servants of the Emperor may find a straight path through the Outer Wards. The wards themselves take the form of great moving mazes made of interlocking cog teeth and gear splines.The wards are built on a titanic scale -- a hallway might be the space between teeth on a two-hundred-metre-wide cog, while a bridge over vast gulfs may be the slow-rotating spline of a half-kilometre connecting rod. In some areas gravity is defined by the different components of the maze such that walls might become floors and floors become ceilings within the turn of a corner.Negotiating the wards for the first time takes a good deal of self-discipline and swift thinking as the constantly-changing environment threatens to trap and crush the indecisive. The mere sight of relentlessly narrowing spaces and widening gaps in the wards is apt to induce gibbering panic. The distress this causes in the minds of ordinary Humans is but a fraction of that felt by most xenos.They find the wards a place of unthinkable terror, a man-made hell of grinding iron and fanged steel. The effect is so marked and so universal that it has been speculated that unseen factors are at work, a latent psychic marker generated by the fortress itself or a mnemonic dread generated by the grinding wards that leaves normal Humans and Space Marines untouched.Others maintain that xenos will inevitably be repelled by the boundary of an edifice so utterly dedicated to their ruination and that the wards are themselves only the visible parts of a gigantic mechanism that lies beneath the outermost skin of the fortress, possibly the Omega Vault itself. If such theories hold true the function of the wards as a labyrinth is entirely coincidental to their presence. What purpose this titanic artefact might serve, or whether it is only the remnant of some monumental unfinished project, has never been adequately answered.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Xenos Bestiarium: In the watch fortress' infamous Xenos Bestiarium, captive aliens roar and scream defiance at their pitiless examiners. Their inhuman blasphemies avail them naught as they are relentlessly tested and categorised by the Apothecaria in hundreds of holding cells and examination rooms.From here the most dangerous xenos might be released into the fortress' extensive Hunting Grounds for the Deathwatch to hone their skills against. Discovering effective weapons and techniques to use against the alien menace is ever at the forefront of the Bestiarium's works; study of the alien itself is only undertaken as a byproduct of the quest for a better understanding of how to destroy it.The Xenos Bestiarium occupies the lower thirteen levels of the northern quadrant of the fortress. The areas still in use are stark, brightly-lit corridors studded with observation windows of metre-thick crystal that look into the various cells.By contrast, the many disused sections of the Bestiarium are forlorn, dimly-lit expanses of stained rockcrete cluttered with debris. Here and there shattered observation windows gape, blindly hinting at the violence unleashed by their occupants, while blackened walls recall the righteous fury of the burning promethium unleashed to quell them.The Bestiarium has probably played host to hundreds of thousands of aliens over the millennia. Examples of xenos apprehended anywhere in the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy may be sent here for study and dissection on the order of the Ordo Xenos.Individual Inquisitors sometimes take advantage of the unparalleled knowledge to be found in the Bestiarium in pursuit of their own investigations, whether to arm themselves against a known foe or to trace an elusive xenotype.The fortress-bonded staff of Adeptus Mechanicus Logis and Lexmechanics sift, catalogue and cross-index each examination and every observation with exhausting exactitude.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Holding Cells: The main body of the Bestiarium comprises holding cells subdivided in spectrum-based threat gradations running from ultraviolet to infrared. Xenos requiring complex or specialist environments are most commonly held in stasis shells until required. In many cases, the stasis shells kill as many as they preserve but both living and dead xenos are exhibited without distinction in the Bestiarium.In some cases it has proved difficult to determine whether some aliens are truly alive or dead in the first place. The Bestiarium holds many strange and exotic xenos, from sentiences that exist only in a certain colour range of light, to beings that live their lives in reverse, or ones endlessly transmuting themselves into new and ever-more disturbing forms.Each is thoroughly studied, annotated and categorised so that it can be better destroyed in the future.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Examination Chambers: Different rooms appointed for the examination and dissection of aliens are studded throughout the Xenos Bestiarium. Some take the form of small auditoriums with stepped benches suitable for an audience; others feature unbreakable crystal cages with remotely-controlled manipulators for dealing with xenos prone to noxious effluvia.Most are gloomy, low-ceilinged places reminiscent of an ancient, medieval torture chamber with stained examination blocks and restraints speckled with the patina of rust. Here Servo-skulls and slow-ticking cogitators record every scalpel cut, amputation and injection made in the quest for knowledge.Toxins and viral agents are tested, pain thresholds measured, vital organs and nerve centres located and categorised for lethality of attack. Even the most fearsome alien predator has a weak point somewhere and in the examination chambers that weak point will be revealed.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Zone Magenta: A number of T'au caste members are being held prisoner in Zone Magenta for behavioural studies by the Ordo Xenos. Most of the T'au prisoners have been seized from small colonies cleansed by the Deathwatch but a few are from T'au starships intercepted in transit. A single Ethereal Caste member is being held separately in great secrecy.How the T'au interact without their ruling caste is of equally great interest to both the Deathwatch and the Ordo Xenos. The battle-brothers recognise the strong social structure of the T'au as a long-term threat. Some feel the rigid caste system holds the key to the T'au's undoing.Should the aliens be as reliant as they appear to be on the Ethereal Caste to smooth out the endless quarreling and rivalry between the castes, a targeted assassination campaign could be of great value in the future.A complex experiment has recently been set in motion by Inquisitor Adrielle Quist utilising a handful of Fire Caste warriors taken from the Forest World of Baraban. The Fire Caste T'au were afflicted by the so-called "Dream of Unity" by ancient xeno-tech traps on that world. This singular delusion has caused them to believe that anyone they encounter is a trusted member of the T'au Empire.Inquisitor Quist has taken full advantage of this to convince the Fire Warriors of her status as an important Gue'la liaison -- a Human who has chosen to betray the Imperium to serve the Greater Good.Quist has convinced the Fire Warriors that the other T'au prisoners held at Erioch are dissidents that refuse to accept that there is now peace between the T'au Empire and the Imperium.Apparently she plans to find out how quickly and heavily the Fire Caste will resort to outright oppression to enforce their point of view. Such cat-and-mouse games have drawn criticism from some of the Deathwatch battle-brothers, but most have kept their silence thus far.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Zone Violet: Hive Fleet Dagon Vanguard: Zone Violet is locked under maximum security. Gun Servitors are stationed in every hallway and kill-teams are kept on stand-by in a state of constant readiness. The xenos sealed within these cells could potentially compromise the entire fortress were they to breach containment.Tyranid vanguard organisms lurk here, nightmarish monsters taken at the most fantastic risk from the forefront of the splinter hive fleet now designated Hive Fleet Dagon. Tracing the original gene strain of an invading Tyranid hive fleet has proven invaluable in previous campaigns. It provides a way to track the vagaries of the rapidly-mutating hive genus and find new vulnerabilities.The Deathwatch relentlessly hunt down vanguard organisms like Genestealers and Lictors where they can, as these creatures are the ones most likely to carry the Tyranids' core genetic code. Capturing Tyranids is challenging work for even the most experienced battle-brothers, and such operations have cost many Astartes lives.
Watch Fortress Erioch - Catacombs: The Catacombs run throughout the lower reaches of the fortress, twisting runs of low, narrow tunnels that were perhaps once used for ducting and maintenance. Over the centuries they have been gradually converted into repositories for accumulated xenos lore.Here great tomes of dusty learning lie beside vivisected specimens and forbidden bestiaries, all sealed by eternal guards of adamantium and wards of stasis against the dark day when such foes might rise again.Over the centuries many Inquisitors have added their own burdens of dread knowledge to the musty passages beneath the fortress, leaving xenos artefacts and soul-shrivelling texts that they have decreed must be ever hidden from the gaze of man.Deathwatch Keepers bar access to the catacombs to anyone lacking permission from the Master of the Vigil, though such is rarely denied to a petitioner who can cite clear reasons. The catacombs represent a great storehouse of knowledge about the enemies of Mankind, but finding any specific information amongst the teetering data stacks can be a challenge.Stories persist of escaped xenos from the Bestiarium inhabiting the catacombs, but any member of the Deathwatch can dispel that myth. It is true there have been a few unfortunate incidents in the past, including a nasty bore-worm outbreak and a Quozikian hatchling or two, but escapees from the Bestiarium never get as far as the catacombs.Unfortunately it does seem that certain xenos artefacts and alien young can be hard to tell apart sometimes.