vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Vertus Praetor - Role: These airborne warriors act as the eyes and ears of their Shield Companies, soaring over the battlefield and voxing word of the enemy's movements. Their auto-senses are optimised for this task, boasting suites of data-augurs, optical auspicators and multi-spectral motion-oracles that allow them to detect and track even hidden foes. With a squadron of sharp-eyed Vertus Praetors circling overhead, a Shield-Captain can rest assured the enemy stands little chance of catching him unawares.Each Vertus Praetor is a master combatant who has already honed his superhuman skills amongst the ranks of the Custodian Guard. They are expert marksmen, able to place perfect kill shots even while screaming at breakneck pace through tangled ruins or dense forests. Their close-quarters prowess is no less exceptional; a Vertus Praetor can open the throat of a heavily armoured foe in a single pass. They can analyse even the most chaotic conflict in a heartbeat, reacting with incredible speed to evade obstacles and run down their foes, processing battlefield developments with breathtaking rapidity.The exceptional skill of the Vertus Praetors is augmented by their superlative wargear. As well as being protected by auramite Custodian Armour, these warriors wield enormous Interceptor Lances. Taller end-to-end than an Ogryn, and perfectly weighted, these fearsome weapons boast adamantium blades wreathed in disruptor fields. Vertus Praetors are masters of hit-and-run strikes, driving their lances clean through their precisely chosen targets before ripping them clear again as they speed past. The result is as devastatingly effective as it is explosively gory.The greatest assets at the Vertus Praetors' disposal, however, are their mounts. The Dawneagle Jetbike is an incredible vehicle, a Great Crusade-era relic wrought in auramite and adamantium. These bikes are almost as large as light fighter craft and -- while they are still grav-skimmers -- can deliver a near supersonic turn of speed. Their hulls are phenomenally durable, allowing their riders to slam through walls and enemy warriors without being unseated, and they react pugnaciously to the slightest touch of the controls, able to jink effortlessly through incoming fire. When armed with Hurricane Bolters, the Dawneagle can plough bloody furrows through enemy hordes. However, it is when equipped with Salvo Launchers that Vertus Praetors truly come into their own as lightning-fast tank hunters. They scream across the battlefield, rapidly outflanking and encircling the heaviest enemy vehicles before annihilating them with strafing runs of Melta Missiles. Even enemy aircraft are not safe, for by combining their fire the Vertus Praetors are able to weave airborne webs of flakk blasts into which hurtling enemy aircraft slam with terminal results.
Vertus Praetor - Unit Composition: 3-10 Vertus Praetors
Vertus Praetor - Wargear: Custodian ArmourInterceptor LanceDawneagle Pattern JetbikeMisericordiaHurricane Bolter (Standard armament of Dawneagle Jetbike)Salvo Launcher (Optional replacement for Dawneagle Jetbike Hurricane Bolter)Melta MissileFlakkburst Missiles
Vervunhive - Vervunhive: Vervunhive was a hive city of the Imperial Hive World of Verghast in the Sabbat Worlds Sector. It was destroyed during its internecine war with another Verghastite Hive City, Ferrozoica, which became a part of the much larger conflict known as the Sabbat Worlds Crusade after Ferrozoica's population was entirely corrupted by Chaos. Vervunhive's last hive governor was the High Master Salvadore Sondar. The famed Tanith First and Only Astra Militarum regiment participated in the liberation of Vervunhive from the Forces of Chaos, led by Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt.
Vervunhive - Urban Geography: Vervunhive's geography included outer habitation sectors and manufactorums running along the River Hass to the north, with two bridges leading inside the main hive city, one a rail line, the other a road for vehicular traffic. At the center of the hive was the Main Spine, which was surrounded by more habitation sectors, the Commercia District that served as the hive's main marketplace and the city's defensive Void Shield Pylon in the very heart of the city. To the west was the Hass West Fort, which was manned by Vervun Planetary Defence Force troops. Farther west lay the city's landing field, and then more habitat sectors right outside the hive city's main walls. To the southeast lay the Croe Gate. Northeast lay the fortress that defended the Ontabi Gate. To the south, the Hieronymo Sondar Gate opened up into the Square of Marshals, which lay adjacent to House Anko's chemical plant. The Veyveyr Gate, also to the south, lay near the Vervun ore works and the city's Imperial Basilica, a place of worship dedicated to the Imperial Creed. Various mining districts lay outside the southern gates, with the Spoil and the mudflats to the southeast, well past Vervunhive's walls. The hive city was bustling and busy throughout most of a Verghastite day, with many of its citizens working in the great manufactorums or serving the needs of the city's ruling noble houses.
Vervunhive - Government: Nine houses of nobility had long collectively ruled Vervunhive. These noble families included, but may not have been limited to, the Houses Sondar, Chass, Anko, Yetch, Croe and Jehnik. The succession in a house follows the rule of agnatic primogeniture, meaning the oldest male inherits. This person is also that house's candidate for the election of hive governor. Nobles representing each of these houses regularly meet in the hive city's Hall of Legislature in the Main Spire to discuss hive business. Hololithic plates served as a form of public address system throughout the hive city and displayed holograms that relayed that day's essential political and economic news to the hive's citizens.Vervunhive was a place heavily dependent on intercity, interplanetary and interstellar trade for survival. The Commercia District was where most of these deals were arranged by the noble houses who completely controlled the hive city's economy, and they indulged in interhouse trading within the hive city's borders, forged deals with the other hive cities on Verghast and even arranged for deliveries of Vervun goods to other Imperial markets off-world.
Verydian Hawks - Verydian Hawks: Verydian HawksSpace MarineChapterFoundingThe Verydian Hawks were reinforced with Primaris Space Marines during the Indomitus Crusade after meeting up with the crusade's Fleet Tertius.
Verydian Hawks - Chapter Colours: The Verydian Hawks' Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Verydian Hawks - Chapter Badge: The Verydian Hawks' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Vespasia - Deathwatch Activity: The threats to the Imperium on Vespasia cannot be easily resolved with brute force. The Ecclesiarchy has created an awkward situation that is unlikely to be resolved in an effective manner. The situation could come to a head and begin deteriorating quickly.The Deathwatch has considered the need to take a direct hand, if only to prevent further strife within the forces of the crusade. Rescue missions, tactical strikes, or the assassination of Ecclesiarchy agents to eliminate the evidence are not beyond possibility.
Vespasian - Vespasian: Vespasian was one of eleven lord commanders of the Emperor's Children Legion during the Great Crusade and the beginning of the Horus Heresy.Unlike his counterpart Eidolon, Vespasian was immensely likeable, for his incredible abilities as a warrior and commander were tempered by a rare humility for an Astartes of the IIIrd Legion that made others warm to him immediately.Following the Cleansing of Laeran and the onset of Slaaneshi corruption within Fulgrim and the Emperor's Children, Vespasian took note of the change in character of the Legion as a whole.Over time a rift grew between the once-favoured lord commander and his increasingly egotistical primarch. When Vespasian attempted to seek audience with his lord, his efforts were repeatedly rebuffed.When he eventually confronted Fulgrim over the rot and corruption that plagued the Emperor's Children, he finally realised the full extent of the malign power of Chaos. Fulgrim murdered the valiant lord commander with the poisonous Chaos blade known as the Kinebrach Anathame.
Vespid - Vespid: The Vespid are a unique species of insectoid aliens who are members of the T'au Empire. In the T'au Lexicon, they are called "Mal'kor." This derives from the T'au words for insect, "Mal," and air, "Kor."The soldiers of the Imperium often refer to them as "Stingwings." The Vespids' homeworld is a gas giant called Vespid, three light-years to the galactic south of the T'au's D'yanoi Sept.
Vespid - History: When the T'au first encountered the Vespids, they saw a species of great potential value to the Greater Good and came to greatly covet their crystal-based technologies.Although the species had developed a reasonably stable planetary government and were able to utilise its advanced technology for a wide variety of uses, it had not yet achieved space flight.T'au Water Caste cadres established contact yet were unable at first to communicate with the species. This was not a mundane matter of vocalisation or the understanding of language, for the Vespids have an utterly alien mindset. Initially, the T'au were not only unable to communicate but incapable of getting the Vespids to even register that they were fellow sentients. As a result, little progress could be made beyond crystal trade agreements.The matter was eventually resolved at the command of the Ethereal Caste, who issued instructions for the construction of an interface device that forged a connection between the two species and facilitated communication.The moment the device was employed, the Vespid not only registered the T'au as fellow sentients, they instantly understood the concept of the Greater Good and their place within it.By gifting senior Vespids with "Communion Helms" fitted with the interface device, the T'au are able to communicate with the species at large. The will of the T'au Ethereals is disseminated to those Vespid under the command of these "strain leaders," and they become able to decipher their role as befits the Greater Good. Needless to say, certain factions within the Inquisition would very much like to learn more about the workings of this Communion Helm device, believing that it may actually be controlling the Vespid to some extent.
Vespid - Physiology: The Vespid are a vaguely insectoid species, though this narrow term is an imperfect one that fails to account for many aspects of their unusual physiology.Their bodies are encased in a chitinous exoskeleton and sport many lethally sharp barbs. They see by way of three pairs of eyes, one pair perceiving the ultraviolet range, one the normal visible light spectrum, and the last the infrared.It is assumed that the Vespids see in all three ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum simultaneously, and therefore have a perception of their surroundings unique to their species.The Vespid possess a pair of extremely sensitive antennae that constantly collect information from their surroundings. Vespid claws are described as being diamond-hard and are used to tunnel into rock to create their hives.Vespids can fly by way of a pair of hard chitin wings, which also emit a continuous ultrasonic tone with which the species appears able to modulate and control the workings of their crystal-based technology.
Vespid - Homeworld: The world of Vespid is a gas giant, its dark, violet-hued skies wracked by continuous and violent storms. This environment would appear an unlikely crucible for any form of life, let alone a sentient species, but the Vespid are far from conventional in their biology.The upper layers of the planet's atmosphere are host to many thousands of floating islands of rock, kept aloft by lighter-than-air gas trapped within. The islands are flat-topped and become narrower towards the base, giving them the appearance of vast, floating stalactites.The Vespids make their homes within these structures, using their diamond-hard claws to hollow them out like termite mounds. Because the islands are so large, the air pressure varies significantly between topmost and bottommost levels.The lower levels are host to all manner of exotic and unique types of crystal, which only the larger female Vespids have the constitution to reach and harvest.These crystals are the basis of the species' technology, one type of which is used in the construction of the deadly Neutron Blaster utilised by the race's Stingwing warriors in battle.
Vespid - Culture: Vespid forces working with the T'au Fire Caste are organised into warrior squads called Stingwings. These squads use their diamond-hard claws and Neutron Blasters to harass enemy heavy infantry such as Space Marines and Ordo Tempestus Storm Troopers.The Stingwing commanders, called "Strain Leaders," wear Communion Helms, gifted to them by the Ethereal Caste, which allows them to keep in contact with both Shas'Ar'Tol command and the other members of the Strain.One cultural trait the Vespid share with the T'au is that, like the T'au, the Vespid are highly deferential to their leaders, obeying them without question.The Vespid, unlike the mercenary Kroot, believe in and fight for the Greater Good alongside their T'au allies, which brings a sort of camaraderie with the rest of the T'au Empire's multispecies armed forces that the Kroot do not share.Conversely, there exists an unspecified "cultural incompatibility" between the Vespid and the Kroot, causing the two species to engage in only limited contact with each other.The Vespid possess voidships called "nest vessels," which resemble giant stalactites.
Vespid - Sources: Codex: T'au Empire (8th Edition), pg. 73Voice of Experience (Short Story) by J.C. StearnsCodex: Tau Empire (4th Edition), pg. 16Codex: Tau Empire (7th Edition), pg. 35Deathwatch: Mark of the Xenos (RPG), pp. 26-27White Dwarf 316 (AUS), "Index Xenos - The Vespid", pg. 66Farsight: Crisis of Faith (novel) by Phil Kelly, Ch. 6, pg. 64
Vespid (Planet) - Vespid (Planet): Vespid is the homeworld of the Vespids, the intelligent, insectoid aliens who are loyal members of the T'au Empire. Vespid is located three light years to the galactic south of the T'au's D'yanoi Sept.The planet Vespid is a gas giant with dark violet-hued skies, afflicted with continuous and violent storms. The Vespid race lives in the higher atmospheric regions where the storms are less intense.Most of Vespid, like the majority of gas giants in the galaxy, is uninhabitable. This environment would appear an unlikely crucible for any form of life, let alone a sentient species, but the Vespid are far from conventional in their biology.The upper layers of the planet's atmosphere are host to many thousands of floating islands of rock, kept aloft by lighter-than-air gas trapped within. The islands are flat-topped and become narrower towards the base, giving them the appearance of vast, floating stalactites.It is within this thin atmospheric band that life, against all odds, has evolved. The planet is now home to an incredible variety of lifeforms, many of which compete with the Vespid for these floating islands, while others scrape out an existence at higher and lower levels of the gas giant's atmosphere.The Vespids make their homes within these floating structures, using their diamond-hard claws to hollow them out like termite mounds to create their residential hives. Because the floating islands are so large and extend so deeply into the atmosphere, the air pressure varies significantly between topmost and bottommost levels.The lower levels are host to all manner of exotic and unique types of crystal, which only the larger female Vespids have the constitution to reach and harvest. These crystals are the basis of the species' technology, one type of which is used in the construction of the deadly Neutron Blaster utilised by the race's Stingwing warriors in battle.Though the Vespid have long hollowed out these islands to form their living spaces, their now advanced technology allows some Vespid to live both higher and lower within the atmosphere than the habitable zone.
Vespid Stingwings - Vespid Stingwings: The Vespid Stingwings are Vespid auxiliary troops that serve alongside their Fire Caste and Kroot allies in the military forces of the T'au Empire in pursuit of the Greater Good. The Vespid provide auxiliary troops to T'au armies, who value them for their skill at negotiating dangerous ground at high speed.Stingwings make ideal mobile reserve or flanking troops, though the T'au rely on the technology known as a Communion Helm that is issued to the Strain Leaders to communicate with the Stingwings and coordinate their actions.
Vespid Stingwings - Wargear: Antennae - A Vespid's antennae control minor olfactory nerves. Like a Terran insect, a Vespid "smells" with its antennae. It is also of note that Vespid have no visible auditory receptors.Mesoplarum Armour - A Vespid wears armour into combat to protect key body parts, including major internal organs and the frontal portions of their limbs. This armour is made of a material known as Mesoplarum, and is of T'au manufacture. Mesoplarum is a similar composite material to that worn in the armour of T'au Fire Warrior infantry and the Vespid are believed to be capable of manufacturing this material in their own production facilities, and may now be doing so in large quantities.Communion Helm - The Communion Helm worn by senior Stingwing officers, or Strain Leaders, appear to facilitate communication between the T'au and the Vespid, whose mindsets and cultures are very different. Without the Strain Leader to convey T'au instructions, the remaining Stingwings will likely become disoriented and unable to coordinate their actions with those of their allies.Oceli - Adult Stingwings have three pairs of "eyes" known as oceli. The uppermost pair is believed to see in the ultraviolet spectrum, the middle in the spectrum of visible light and the lowest in infrared.Triple-Segment Armoured Tarsus/Claw - The Stingwings' diamond hard claws allowed them in ancient times to excavate tunnels in the rock of their drifting islands on Vespid, though mechanical devices now perform this function. These claws can also be used to devastating effect in melee combat, where they can rend and tear armour from their foes.Vestigial Sternite/Armoured Tergite - All Vespid have a vestigial stinger. No post-battle reports exist to indicate this has ever been used as an offensive weapon, despite inital rumours to the contrary.Wings - Vespid wings allow them to fly and make them nimble when moving on the ground. They consist of membranes covered in sclerotised veins that are protected by an armoured, exoskeletal shell like that of a Terran beetle when closed.
Veteran (Imperial Guard) - Veteran (Imperial Guard): A  Veteran, sometimes called a Hardened Veteran, is a trooper of the Astra Militarum who has survived multiple battles and has become a skilled and efficient warrior for the Emperor of Mankind.Within the disgraced forces of the Penal Legions, such as the Savlar Chem Dogs, Hardened Veterans are instead known as "Hardened Criminals."Veterans are sometimes assembled into what is known as a Veteran Squad to be placed within less experienced platoons or companies. Imperial Guard regiments are often called upon to fight gruelling wars of attrition lasting standard years or even solar decades.As time passes, each company will shrink in size as casualties take their inevitable toll. Those that survive are the hardiest troopers in the Astra Militarum.Their battlefield training has been honed in the fires of war, forging them into warriors who have learnt how to fight and kill with lethal efficiency. Veterans are the battle-hardened elites of the Astra Militarum, the first squad in an assault and the last in a retreat.
Veteran (Imperial Guard) - Role: Astra Militarum Veterans are natural born survivors. They have escaped ambushes, negotiated mine fields, fought a myriad of foes and lived to tell the tale. Their continued existence, despite the dangers they face, is testament to both their skill at war and their natural survival instinct.In extremely rare cases an entire company may endure the grim wars of a campaign and emerge largely unscathed, their practised skill, peerless cunning and supernatural luck allowing them to avoid heavy casualties. Legendary reputations follow such companies of Veterans, and each new engagement brings them greater renown amongst the rank-and-file troopers.But in the vast majority of cases, only a single squad of combat-hardened Veterans will survive the slaughter of their company. Such squads are attached to larger regiments where it is hoped they will assimilate quickly and their skills may rub off onto less-experienced shoulders. These Veterans may not be from the same regiment or even the same homeworld, and so may introduce brand new combat-tactics and an entirely different war-ethic to their foster regiment.Although Veteran Squads technically remain part of the same rigid command structure, these grizzled survivors function best when allowed a certain amount of free rein. They provide valuable battlefield experience and may employ unconventional but effective tactics that are not taught by the Tactica Imperium.Veterans excel in all aspects of warfare, from close-range firefights to heavy demolitions work. Veterans are all inevitably deadeye shots and such warriors are usually kept together to bolster the line, their superior marksmanship making the difference between defeat and victory.Many Veterans carry weapons and wargear not commonly issued to the massed ranks of the Imperial Guardsmen. An extra plasma blast here or a gout from a Heavy Flamer there can make the difference between life and death.Veteran Squads acquire these non-standard armaments from a variety of sources. Some are "borrowed" from Departmento Munitorum stores, whilst others are battlefield trophies prized out of the cold, dead hands of a fallen enemy. Some squads have in their number a Veteran Heavy Weapons Team. These are the last survivors of Heavy Weapons Squads, who have ample experience in operating their devastating weaponry.
Veteran (Imperial Guard) - Combining Regiments: With few exceptions, new recruits are not added to existing Astra Militarum regiments. Under-strength formations are instead simply merged together to concentrate the number of Veterans. Where possible, the formations joined are from the same homeworld, as was the case when the Cadian 12th and 78th were merged after the Fall of Ice Hive Magnox.Sometimes, however, two very different regiments are combined, such as when the Catachan CLXXXII was merged with the Elysian 90th. As this took place on the Departmento Munitorum Armoury World of Prosan, the composite regiment was designated the "Prosan 314th." The new regiment became expert in airmobile jungle warfare after being issued Valkyries during the Saikong Justification Wars.
Veteran (Imperial Guard) - Unit Composition: 1 Veteran Sergeant9 Veteran Guardsmen
Veteran (Imperial Guard) - Veteran Sergeant: Flak ArmourLaspistolFrag GrenadesChainsword, Power Sword or Power Fist (Optional melee weapon)Bolt Pistol, Bolter or Plasma Pistol (Optional replacement for Laspistol)
Veteran (Imperial Guard) - Veteran: Flak ArmourLasgunFrag GrenadesShotgun or Autogun (Optional replacement for any Veteran's Lasgun)Vox-caster (Can be taken by 1 Veteran)Heavy Flamer (Optional replacement for 1 Veteran's Lasgun)Mortar, Autocannon, Heavy Bolter, Missile Launcher, Lascannon (2 Veterans can form a Veteran Heavy Weapons Team by sharing one of these heavy weapons)Sniper Rifle, Flamer, Grenade Launcher, Meltagun, or Plasma Gun (3 Veterans can replace their Lasguns with one of these special weapons)
Veteran Intercessor - Veteran Intercessor: A Veteran Intercessor, who is often part of a Veteran Intercessor Squad, are Primaris Space Marines who have earned the coveted Veteran status in their Chapter and earned the right to serve in the elite 1st Company.Since the Ultima Founding, Primaris Marines have wrought illustrious records as their tallies of victories have grown longer. Whether they were Firstborn Astartes who have crossed the Rubicon Primaris, were originally forged on Mars by Belisarius Cawl during the Ultima Founding or recruited directly by their Chapter, they now fight as part of that valiant brotherhood that is the 1st Company.Veteran Intercessors, like other Veteran Marines, usually wear white helmets to indicate their status and the Crux Terminatus upon their power armour shoulder plate as their tactical role insignia. Veteran Intercessor sergeants bear red helmets with white stripes to designate their rank and status.Veteran Intercessors can also take on the Assault Intercessor role when they engage in a close support rather than battleline capacity.
Veteran Intercessor - Unit Composition: 4-9 Veteran Intercessors1 Veteran Intercessor Sergeant
Veteran Intercessor - Wargear: Mark X Tacticus Power ArmourBolt PistolBolt RifleFrag GrenadesKrak GrenadesAuto Bolt Rifle (Optional replacement for Bolt Rifle)Stalker Bolt Rifle (Optional replacement for Bolt Rifle)Heavy Bolt Pistol (Optional replacement for Bolt Pistol and Bolt Rifle)Astartes Chainsword (Optional replacement for Bolt Pistol and Bolt Rifle)Hand Flamer (Optional replacement for Veteran Intercessor Sergeant's Heavy Bolt Pistol)Plasma Pistol (Optional replacement for Veteran Intercessor Sergeant's Heavy Bolt Pistol)Power Fist (Optional replacement for Veteran Intercessor Sergeant's Astartes Chainsword)Power Sword (Optional replacement for Veteran Intercessor Sergeant's Astartes Chainsword)Thunder Hammer (Optional replacement for Veteran Intercessor Sergeant's Astartes Chainsword)Astartes Grenade Launcher (1 for every five Veteran Intercessors in squad)
Veteran Marines - Veteran Marines: Veteran Marines are those Astartes in the Loyalist Space Marine Chapters who have gained considerable experience in the service of their Chapter and often serve in the Chapter's elite 1st Company which is comprised solely of Veteran Squads or as an elite corps or Command Squad within a Chapter's other companies. Veteran Squads are exclusively a part of the 1st Company of the Chapter.A Veteran Marine's tactical role icon is based on the cross-like Crux Terminatus worn by the Chapter's Terminators. There are many variations of this symbol and the Codex Astartes not only approves the use of these variations but also encourages the Master of the Chapter to regularly change the symbol to confound the Chapter's foes.
Veteran Marines - Company Command Squads: Company Veterans form the fighting centre of the company Command Squad. They will often serve as the company captain's bodyguards, a small but elite strike force or a bulwark on the battlefield, ready to lead an offensive or shore up any flagging battle line.All Company Veterans are hand-chosen warriors; they may be selected for their long and accomplished service, or simply for their courage and combat abilities.The Chapter Armoury is opened for these Veterans, allowing them to equip themselves for the task ahead; for instance, those expecting to find themselves in the press of melee might trade Bolters for Power Weapons and Storm Shields, while Veterans serving in a more back-field role have a variety of ranged weapons available to them.Regardless of armament, it is their role to protect their commanding officer and any of the company-level specialists that might attach themselves to the company command in which they dutifully and valuably serve.
Veteran Marines - 1st Company Service: Of all the fighting formations that make up a Space Marine Chapter, it is the 1st Company that is invariably the most powerful and feared. For a Space Marine to join the prestigious 1st Company is for him to have won renown on battlefields uncounted and to have earned the respect of his battle-brothers through deeds of blood and fire.Most such Veterans have served as sergeants elsewhere in their Chapter -- sometimes for centuries -- before being accepted into the 1st Company, but a notable few are elevated after performing singular acts of insane heroism. These Space Marines are legends one and all, warriors who have become part of the Chapter's history, and it is every battle-brother's ambition to join the ranks of their Chapter’s most elite company.Each and every member of a Chapter's elite 1st Company is proficient in fighting with all the various types of weaponry available to the Adeptus Astartes. With their Veteran status comes the right to select weapons of personal choice from the Chapter's Armoury and, as a result, Veteran Squads are much less rigid in composition and battle doctrine than other Space Marine formations.Veterans are most often assembled and equipped to deal with the requirements of a specific theatre of war, such as embarking on seek-and-destroy missions to slay an Ork Warboss and his bodyguard of Nobz, or crippling an inbound wave of Aeldari Aspect Warriors before they can reach the battlefield.In most Chapters, there is a rivalry of sorts between the Veteran Vanguard and Sternguard elements of the 1st Company. They compete endlessly for honours and hazardous combat duties -- the glories and shames of their adherents celebrated and atoned for by all. Despite this rivalry, Vanguard and Sternguard Veterans remain battle-brothers above all else, and fight unto death for one another.
Veteran Marines - Role: Veterans are exceptional warriors, even by the elite standards of the Adeptus Astartes. They excel at all forms of combat and are supplied with the best equipment the Chapter has to offer. They are normally at the forefront of the fighting, leading by example, inspiring the less experienced troops around them with their determination, fortitude and skill in battle.Those Veterans of the 1st Company who have been trained in the use of Terminator Armour are entitled to wear the Crux Terminatus honour badge. Of course, this great stone badge is fixed to the left shoulder of the actual Terminator Armour suit. If the Astartes is not fighting in a Terminator suit he will carry and display a small metal version of the Crux. Supplementing this badge will be various painted or stencilled Crux on the Astartes' armour. Collectively these markings are known as Terminator Honours.All of the battle-brothers and the sergeants of the 1st Company are Veterans, vastly experienced Space Marine warriors who have seen many combats and have survived them all. All of these Astartes would have been recruited from within the ranks of the Chapter's Battle and Reserve Companies.A Sergeant of the 1st Company will have received special leadership training to fully equip him for his additional command responsibilities as the leader of a squad, although any of the Veteran battle-brothers is capable of leading the squad should the Sergeant be taken out of action.Space Marine Veterans can be deployed in multiple ways on the field: Individual Veterans are often detached to another Company to serve as Squad Sergeant, granting their younger battle-brothers the benefit of their many standard centuries of combat experience.The most esteemed of the 1st Company's Veterans will serve as either their captain's or the Chapter Master's Honour Guard. The remaining Veterans will form up into either Terminator Squads (when the use of the rare and invaluable Terminator Armour is warranted), or either as Sternguard or Vanguard Squads.
Veteran Marines - Types of Veteran Squads: Space Marine squads that are designated as Veteran Squads include:Sternguard Veteran SquadVanguard Veteran SquadVeteran Intercessor SquadBladeguard Veteran SquadTerminator SquadTerminator Assault Squad
Veteran Marines - Unit Composition: 1-4 Firstborn Veteran Marines1 Firstborn Veteran Sergeant4-9 Primaris Veteran Intercessors1 Primaris Veteran Intercessor Sergeant2-5 Primaris Bladeguard Veterans1 Primaris Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant
Veteran Marines - Iconography: The Codex Astartes prescribes standardised iconography for the Veteran units of any Codex-compliant Space Marine Chapter. Every Veteran member of a Chapter is entitled to display their elite status using a white helmet. A Veteran sergeant's helmet is red with a white stripe to designate their Veteran status. A Veteran's power armour, regardless of pattern, features white or silver-trimmed shoulder plates.The icon that designates the Veteran's tactical battlefield role on the right shoulder plate is a stylised Gothic cross which is derived from the Crux Terminatus whether the Space Marine is a Terminator or not. A smaller cross of similar style, usually referred to as "Terminator honours," is carried on the left knee plate.
Veteran Squad - Veteran Squad: A Veteran Squad is a tactical designation applied to certain Space Marine combat squads.The warriors of a Chapter's elite 1st Company are formally recognised as Veterans, individuals who have achieved such magnificent deeds as to raise them head-and-shoulders above even the august assemblage of their battle-brothers. These are the Chapter's finest, and they are the terror of their foes.The designation began to be used in the wake of the reforms made to the Codex Astartes and the Adeptus Astartes themselves in the Era Indomitus after the resurrection of the Primarch Roboute Guilliman and the introduction of the Primaris Space Marines.
Veteran Squad - Types: Space Marine squads that are designated as Veteran Squads include:Sternguard Veteran SquadVanguard Veteran SquadBladeguard Veteran SquadVeteran Intercessor SquadTerminator SquadTerminator Assault Squad
Vexilus Praetor - Vexilus Praetor: A Vexilus Praetor is a veteran of one of the Shield Companies of the Adeptus Custodes, the elite bodyguard of the Emperor of Mankind, who bears aloft a proud standard known as a Magisterium Vexilla or simply a Vexilla, to war. More than just standards to inspire adulation or terror, a Vexilla's built-in technologies provide invaluable battlefield support to the Custodians fighting in their shadow. Each Vexilla is created on Terra, painstakingly fashioned over a period of one hundred Terran years by the oath-sworn artisans of the Tower Aquilane. Each Vexilla is a towering banner topped with the Imperial Aquila, the ultimate symbol of the Emperor's authority.Upon their completion, these beautiful standards are borne amidst processions of craft-thralls, Adeptus Ministorum Priests and heraldic Servitors to the Auric Eyrie, where they are held upon stasis-podia until required. Some Vexillas are purely ritual in purpose, and are carried in procession and parade through the endless leagues of the Imperial Palace. Most, however, incorporate potent technologies suited specifically for deployment upon the field of battle.
Vexilus Praetor - Vexilius Praetor: Custodian ArmourGuardian Spear, Castellan Axe or Storm ShieldMisericordia
Vexilus Praetor - Vexilius Praetor in Allarus Terminator Armour: Allarus Pattern Terminator ArmourBalistus Grenade LauncherMisericordia
Vexilus Praetor - Sources: Codex: Adeptus Custodes (8th Edition), pp. 40, 46, 52, 63-64
Veyoris Akioh - Veyoris Akioh: Veyoris Akioh is the Rogue Trader Diaz Lan's seneschal, handling the light cruiser Horizon's Pride's most important matters of commerce and information brokering.Most of the senior command circle of the starship seems accustomed to the presence of Adeptus Astartes -- not surprising given Lan's appointment as the Achilus Crusade's Deathwatch liaison.Akioh is the exception. He consistently finds excuses to avoid their path, to leave any location they arrive in, and to interact with them as little as possible.In truth, Akioh is an unsanctioned psyker. His skill in telepathy makes him exceptional at his job aboard the Horizon's Pride, and so Lan fastidiously does not question his seneschal's prescient flashes of insight into people and events.A deeply religious man, Akioh is not certain that the Emperor's holy warriors aren't able to see straight through to the Warp taint in his soul. He thus minimises contact whenever Deathwatch representatives are on board, particularly if they include a Librarian.If cornered into conversation, he is polite but obviously nervous. He attempts to stick to simple topics of mutual interest, such as war tactics or the progress on the Achilus Crusade's salients.Should Akioh's secret be realised, he plans to penitently submit himself to judgment, vowing that no one aboard the ship knew his secret.
Vicente Sixx - Vicente Sixx: Vicente Sixx was the short-lived primus medicae and Chief Apothecary of the XIX Legion, the Raven Guard, in the wake of the terrible losses sustained by his Legion during the Drop Site Massacre.A novice by most standards, Sixx's promotion was dictated by dire need as the Raven Guard's Primarch, Corvus Corax, had been granted technological and arcane knowledge by his father on how to improve the XIX Legion's gene-seed and thus enable the Raven Guard to rapidly recover from its terrible losses at Istvaan V far more quickly than the Traitor Legions would readily expect.The Emperor provided Corax with undifferentiated Primarch genetic material taken from His own laboratories, and the Raven Lord assigned Sixx the task of using it to perfect a new way to create Astartes rapidly. Unfortunately, the Raven Guard had been infiltrated by members of the Alpha Legion during the Drop Site Massacre and these Traitors proceeded to sabotage the project. Sixx was slain by the infiltrators even as he sought to rectify his errors.
Vicente Sixx - Origins: Little is known about Vicente Sixx before the horrific events of the Drop Site Massacre on Isstvan V, when the traitorous Warmaster Horus Lupercal dealt a crippling blow to the XIX Legion and its allies from the Iron Hands and the Salamanders Legions.During this massacre, the Raven Guard's Apothecaries were a designated target of the Alpha Legion Headhunter squads and suffered heavily. By the time Commander Branne successfully exfiltrated the Raven Guard survivors, only seven Apothecaries were amongst their numbers. With merely fifteen years of experience, Vicente Sixx was the most senior surviving Apothecary and thus promoted to primus medicae while still aboard the Avenger.
Vicente Sixx - Voyage to Terra: Having briefly stayed in the Isstvan System to confirm the utter destruction of the Raven Guard's faithful allies, the warriors of the Therion Cohort which had sacrificed their lives in a diversionary attack on Isstvan IV, the Avenger escaped pursuit and entered the Warp with a course set for Terra.Primarch Corvus Corax intended to personally rally the Throneworld to inform his father of the calamity that had occurred in the Isstvan System, but more importantly, he would ask for the Emperor's help in rebuilding his Legion. Although plagued by rising Warp storms which severely slowed their progress, the Avenger reached Terra unharmed, giving the survivors on board time to reorganise themselves, patch their wounds and mend their equipment.With so many of the Raven Guard's Apothecarion now gone, it is generally presumed that Sixx had far too many patients to set foot on Holy Terra, an assumption which would later be confirmed. So it was, that while Corvus Corax sought the means to rebuild his Legion, Vicente Sixx stayed on board the Avenger, still struggling with his new responsibilities as primus medicae, and still ignorant of the great task that lay ahead.In his great wisdom, the Emperor had revealed to Corax one of His greatest and best guarded secrets -- the location of His old gene-wright laboratory where, in the distant past, He had created the twenty primarchs. The prize Corax sought was therefore no mighty weapon but knowledge -- knowledge in the form of a pure strand of undifferentiated primarch DNA -- unaltered and un-tampered with.With the assistance of one of the Emperor's most trusted advisors, Archmagos Genetor Nexin Orlandriaz, Corax would decipher the Emperor's works and thus be able to alter the Raven Guard's gene-seed, effectively creating a new breed of Legiones Astartes -- one that could transform a Human youth into a Legionary in a matter of solar weeks if not days, where the current generations of Astartes had needed standard years of training and careful genetic augmentations to become what they were.
Vichres - Vichres: Lord Militant Vichres was one of the senior Imperial commanders that served under Warmaster Slaydo during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. Vichres died in 760.M41 on the world of Cociaminus during the Sabre Bridge Incident when he and 47 of his men were ambushed by enemy armour.
Vichres - History: Lord Militant Vichres was one of the most senior Imperial officers to die during Operation Newfound, the opening campaign of the Crusade to liberate the entire Newfound Trailing Group within the Sabbat Worlds Sector. Vichres was a long-time friend and stalwart supporter of the Warmaster Slaydo. In 760.M41, during the Imperial assault on the world of Cociaminus, Vichres was sent to depose General Forgues whose behaviour had become increasingly erratic. It was later rumoured that he was actually replaced following a heated argument with the Warmaster. Not an especially gifted tactical commander, contemporaries described Vichres as solid and reliable. It was known that the Lord Militant had a particular talent for leadership and was often found at the front line dealing with his subordinate officers first hand and mixing with the regular line soldiers as the opportunity permitted.Vichres' visible leadership made him a popular figure amongst his troops, but may have been a contributing factor to his demise later that year on Cociaminus. Advancing to a forward position to coordinate troop dispositions, Vichres was given flawed intelligence reports suggesting that the highway at Sabre Bridge was clear for safe passage. In what came to be regarded as the "Sabre Bridge Incident," 47 men in his retinue, including Vichres himself, were killed in an enemy armour ambush. This source of erroneous intelligence was never firmly established, though it is highly suspected that is was a devious trick orchestrated by the Forces of Chaos. Vichres was later buried with full military honours at the Imperial Temple at Harshen, though his tomb was later most disgracefully defiled and robbed by the Chaotic forces in 766.M41.
Victors - Victors: The Victors 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.
Victors - Chapter Colours: The Victors primarily wear orange-red Power Armour. The knee guards and greaves are black. 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 Aquila or Imperialis on the chest guard indicates company number in accordance with the dictates of the Codex Astartes -- i.e. White (1st Company), Yellow (2nd Company), Red (3rd Company), Green (4th Company), etc.
Victors - Chapter Badge: The Victors' Chapter badge is a stylised white letter "V", superimposed over a white, open-faced rectangle, on a field of orange-red.
Victory-class Battleship - Victory-class Battleship: The Victory-class Battleship is a powerful battleship of the Navis Imperialis that is suspected to be a class that had its origins in a heavily modified variant of the Retribution-class Battleship. In its internal layout, the Victory-class greatly resembles the Retribution-class. It is possible that this design is the product of grafting lance weapons systems onto a Retribution template in an attempt to replicate the successful Apocalypse-class Battleship by replacing its broadside Macrobatteries and prow torpedo tubes with lance batteries and a Nova Cannon.The Tech-priests of Mars refuse all requests for access to their records by historitors of the Navis Imperialis, so the origin of this class remains unclear, though one vessel, the Conqueror, is known to have particularly distinguished itself as part of the Imperial Army's Armada Imperialis during the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium to bring the Emperor's light to the galaxy after the end of the Age of Strife.When Hive Fleet Behemoth, the first major Tyranid hive fleet, encountered the Imperium of Man in 745.M41, four Victory-class Battleships met the threat of the Great Devourer -- the Victory, Argus, Conqueror, and Hammer of Scaro.
Victrix Guard - Victrix Guard: The Victrix Guard, also known as the Victrix Honour Guard, are an elite formation of Ultramarines chosen by the Primarch Roboute Guilliman after his resurrection in ca. 999.M41 to accompany him on the Terran Crusade.They were later instituted during the Era Indomitus as a formation of the Ultramarines Honour Guard hand-picked by the primarch himself as a reward for exemplary service.During the Terran Crusade, the Victrix Guard acted as Guilliman's bodyguards and diplomatic envoys, and they sought to excel in every aspect of battle and statecraft alike.Veteran Marines with countless standard centuries of combat experience between them, the Victrix Guard advance fearlessly into battle with their Bolters thundering and their heads held high.At their head strides a band of Ultramarines Honour Guard led by none other than Captain Cato Sicarius himself, the hot-blooded master swordsman of Talassar.A true gathering of courageous heroes, the Victrix Guard are more than capable of cutting their way through entire armies of foes, heaping their bodies in gory mounds for the enduring glory of Ultramar and the ever-lasting realm of the Emperor Himself.In the wake of the Terran Crusade, Guilliman eventually redeployed members of the Victrix Guard to serve with the Ultramarines leaders who remained behind on the Chapter homeworld of Macragge.
Victrix Guard - History: While originally an ad hoc unit formed by Roboute Guilliman to accompany him on the Terran Crusade, the Victrix Honour Guard have since been officially instituted as a formation of the Ultramarines by Chapter Master Marneus Calgar.To many outsiders, the Victrix may appear as an elite within an elite. It is certainly true that no Space Marine can join them without having first served in the Ultramarines Honour Guard, but the skills and attributes that make them warriors apart are not purely martial.They are instead appointed by Roboute Guilliman himself for their selflessness in battle and their ability to cast aside their own personal glory to ensure that the Chapter is always victorious.Issoros Praernon; Trismerus Gerorian; Morvio Tarilis. None of these names are celebrated across the Imperium. But without their sacrifice, Corpus Helix, the Ultramarines Chief Apothecary, might not have been able to evacuate precious gene-seed from the recruiting world of Cietara before it was overrun by Mortarion's Death Guard.Chaplain Ortan Cassius could have failed to prevent the fall of Agnuna to the world's Genestealer Cult and may have lost his life to its Genestealer Patriarch and a horde of Genestealers.Master of the Forge Fennias Maxim might have been unable to reach the broken Void Shield generators aboard the Battle Barge Severian in time to restore them before the ceaseless attacks of WAAAGH! Grorgnork destroyed the ancient warship.Hundreds of Ultramarines knelt as their bodies lay in state, and it is in these battles, as well as many others, that the bonds of brotherhood between the Ultramarines' commanders and the Victrix Guard have been made unbreakable.
Victrix Guard - Combat Doctrine: The Victrix Guard's creation not only suits Guilliman's desire to have his sons' ranks made up of dedicated specialists, but also represents his firm belief that the shield is as important as the sword.The wargear they bear demonstrates this. Any foe that hopes to defeat the Victrix Guard must first break through Storm Shields as large as a mortal man, and if they are somehow successful in that regard, must outmatch the Victrix's breathtaking skill with a blade.The Gladius itself is a representation of the Victrix Guard's role. It is best employed in quick, precise thrusts that nonetheless land with deadly force, an efficiency not purely for metaphor.In battle, Victrix Guard can expect to be hard-pressed beyond almost all of their Battle-Brothers, and every stab of their swords must slay an enemy if they are to be successful.Only deployed for campaigns of the greatest importance, they will be assigned to senior Ultramarines officers to ensure their personal protection at all cost.