vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Tyrant's Legion - Tyrant's Legion Organisation: Organisationally and in terms of wargear, the Tyrant's Legion was based fundamentally on the existing pattern of Planetary Defence Coda approved by the Departmento Munitorum and largely standardised across the Imperium, the Coda itself a strong echo of the established structures and strictures of the Astra Militarum.These forces were referred to as "Defence Auxilia," abiding by ancient local custom on Badab, and were traditionally formed around a core of professional troops drawn from the household armsmen of Badab's ruling elites supplemented in times of crisis by conscript militia from the general population. The following is a list of forces found within a typical Tyrant's Legion Defence Auxilia unit:Legion Auxilia Command Detachment - Drawn from the military aristocracy and civil powers of the worlds of the Maelstrom Zone, the Human Auxilia's tactical command and the day-to-day administration was left in the hands of the prefect commanders and "tribunes" (the latter being the traditional title given to the colonels of the local Badab Sector defence forces). Although they lacked the erudition in warfare and strategic schooling of true Astra Militarum officers, they were both valiant and proud, accustomed to leading their troops from the front and fighting at the thick of the fray. Thanks to their connections and rank they were better equipped than most of the Legion, although in the eyes of their Space Marine masters they were no more than overseers, hardly less disposable than the mortal conscripts they commanded.Legion Auxilia - Conscripts drafted from among the able-bodied men and women of the worlds at the heart of the Tyrant's domain. They were subjected to perfunctory military training and heavily indoctrinated, believing without question that it was they who fought for the Emperor, not against His forces. All that was required of them was that they could stand their ground and obey without question, and failure to do either often proved fatal. The Tyrant's Human auxiliaries were trained to follow the orders of their prefects without question, and the slightest infraction of discipline was punishable by death. Although their wargear was patterned after the Astra Militarum, it was often substandard or reclaimed from the dead, although this mattered little when faced with the might of the Loyalist Space Marines.Auxilia Armsmen Cadre - The Auxilia Armsmen Cadre was a core of professional troops within the conscripted Legion Auxilia. Most of these troops came from the standing private armies of the sector nobility who were forced to contribute to the Secessionist cause or face destruction, along with Commercia Enforcer cadres, mercenary companies and Maelstrom fleet Armsmen. Although as the war dragged on, underhive criminal gangs and worse were also drafted on pain of death.
Tyrant's Legion - Irregular Forces: Renegade Marauder Squads - One unthinkable act employed by the cunning political operator and master strategist Lufgt Huron was to employ his enemies against themselves, garnering agents and mercenaries among the marauders and Renegades of the outer Maelstrom Zone, some of which came to obey him through greed and fear. Viewed by the Tyrant as no more than dispensable pawns to be ultimately disposed of, he conceded they had their uses, and particularly in the Badab War's later stages when the Tyrant's forces were running out of allies and options, they were co-opted into service in battle.
Tyrant's Legion - Tyrant's Legion Training and Wargear: The innovation instituted into the Tyrant's Legion by Lufgt Huron was to raise the temporary forces of the ruling Badab Sector nobility's household armsmen to permanent activity, and instill in them a bloody-handed regime of discipline where simple obedience to orders was favoured over any other military merit. Although most lacked the wider training or skill of frontline Imperial Guardsmen (particularly in the latter stages of the Badab War, where conscripts received little or no training prior to being sent into combat), they were given basic psycho-indoctrination to ensure their loyalty, and they fought and died well enough to serve the Tyrant's purposes. Although in a war where they faced the might of the Space Marine forces arrayed against them, it would ultimately be the Angels of Death who decided matters.The Legion Auxilia were relatively well provided for in small arms and munitions, as well as basic artillery and tank designs, although they lacked anything like the full breadth and scope of weapons and machine available to the Astra Militarum, what they did possess however they were often able to field in abundance. The equipping of the auxilia forces was dependant on two factors: what could be locally produced in the manufactoria of the Badab Sector and prioritisation of resources amongst the Secessionist cause. The Human auxilia suffered because of the hubris and disregard of their masters; to the Astral Claws the lives of their mortal Auxilia were eminently disposable.As such, more valuable and resource-intensive technology was denied to them as a matter of course as being considered wasteful, and as a result, such wargear as plasma weaponry and lascannons were mostly reserved for the Astartes forces. The only exceptions to this being the Tyrant's Legion's officer class and their retainers (who often had to rely on family connections to supply them) and heavy armour.
Tyrant's Legion - Tyrant's Legion Combat Doctrine: During the early years of the Badab War, the integration of the Astral Claws into the Tyrant's Legion helped to serve as a force multiplier for the Astral Claws, who used them aggressively as an ablative shield to preserve their Astartes forces and soak up enemy firepower, while in defence the Tyrant's Legion bitterly resisted the Loyalist forces arrayed against them, able to blunt even the murderous force of Space Marine assaults on occasion.This integration of Astartes and allied Human auxilia forces often took their foes by surprise.
Tyrant-class Cruiser - Tyrant-class Cruiser: The Imperial Tyrant-class Cruiser is the most common of a series of Imperial Navy warships designed around the principle of superfired plasma weaponry by the famous Adeptus Mechanicus Artisan-Magos Hyus N'dai near the end of the 38th Millennium.Its superfired plasma batteries were capable of launching a boosted salvo of fire much farther than comparable Cruiser weaponry while still delivering virtually the same weight of fire at close quarters, a technique that had eluded ship designers since the secrets of building very long-ranged weaponry had been lost after the Dark Age of Technology. Thanks in large part to this advanced weaponry, the Tyrant-class became popular amongst the major Imperial shipyards in the 39th Millennium.Unfortunately, even when combined with their torpedo launchers, the Tyrant 's long-range firepower proved to lack the power needed to make it a serious threat to anything larger than an Escort. This led to two of the Tyrants that had been assigned to Battlefleet Gothic, the Zealous and Dominion, eventually being upgraded with weaponry salvaged from destroyed Chaos starships to provide them with the firepower equivalent of a Battlecruiser and transforming them into deadly opponents at long range.
Tyrant-class Cruiser - Notable Tyrant-class Cruisers: Dominion - The Dominion is a Tyrant-class Cruiser that fought in the Gothic War and had its short-range weaponry replaced with captured Chaos long-range weapons batteries. Unlike the Zealous, it retains its original torpedo launchers.Euphrates - Originally appointed to Battlefleet Dimmamar, the Euphrates was a squadron leader of Cruisers during the battle for the Knight World of Fabris Callivant against an invasion by Greenskins. Upon being boarded by the Orks, the Euphrates requested aid from the Hospitallers Chapter's Battle Barge Shield of the God-Emperor. The Hospitallers' reaction was to destroy the Euphrates with a focused broadside. This was a mercy-killing intended to spare the crew a bloody death at the hands of the xenos.Incendrius - The Incendrius fought and earned renown during the Gothic War.Lord Sylvanus - The Lord Sylvanus is another Tyrant-class Cruiser that fought and earned renown during the Gothic War.Inviolate Conqueror - The Inviolate Conqueror was a vessel of the Indomitus Crusade's Fleet Quintus. It may have been misidentified as a Battleship or its class was misstated. It was commanded by Fleetmaster Prasorius. Its battle honours were recorded on a fifty-foot-high brass-and-stone tablet mounted to aft of the primary bridge bulkhead doors.Zealous - The Zealous fought during the Gothic War and was refitted with captured long-range Chaos weaponry part way through that conflict, making it a potent long-range threat. Its ability to deal damage at extreme long range was further enhanced by the replacement of its torpedo launchers with a Nova Cannon.
Tyrant-class Cruiser - Dimensions : Hull - 5 kilometres long, .8 kilometres abeam at fins.Class - Tyrant-class Cruiser.Mass - 27.2 megatons.Crew - 90,000 crew, Approximately.Acceleration - 2.4 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration
Tyrant Guard - Tyrant Guard: The Tyrant Guard (Tyranicus scutatus) is a Tyranid bioform whose main purpose is to serve as a living shield for other, more important Tyranid organisms, particularly the Hive Tyrant. These creatures have an incredible resistance to injury and are only dimly aware of pain, shrugging off wounds that would blow a man apart. They are all but impervious to small arms fire, and should heavy weaponry be brought to bear, several salvoes are required to fell even one of these beasts.Blind and ultimately controlled by the Tyranid synapse-creatures they protect, these half-sentient but ferocious bioforms appear to have been bio-engineered specifically to counter anti-Tyranid tactical doctrines. It is also believed that Space Marine DNA was incorporated into the creation of the first Tyrant Guards by the Hive Fleet Norn-Queens, explaining this bioform's extreme resilience in combat. This would also suggest that the Tyrant Guard possess a portion of the genetic material of the Emperor of Mankind.Should their charge be slain, the Tyrant Guard will go berserk, lashing out and tearing at the enemy with brutal ferocity and savage abandon. A Tyrant Guard's rampage is not guided by grief, nor a sense of neglected duty, for such things are alien concepts to the Tyranids. Rather, a Tyrant Guard's reaction is pure instinct and part of the coldly calculated strategy of the Hive Mind. Hive Tyrants are vital to the Tyranid onslaught, and if the enemy finds a way to bring such a beast down, the Hive Mind does not want knowledge of how the feat was accomplished to survive the battle and be passed on to a future foe.
Tyrant Guard - Role: Warriors who attempt to slay a Tyranid leader-beast are confronted with a wall of chitin-armoured bodies that bristles with huge, scything blades and crushing claws. There is no way past this deadly obstacle, and those who approach are clubbed to death or hacked apart, their ruptured bodies joining the moat of gore that surrounds the xenos shield wall. Not a single one of these organisms moves to chase a fleeing enemy; they stand immovable, ignoring the storms of fire that ricochet from their thick hides.Tyrant Guard are the ultimate bodyguards; it is the entire purpose of their creation. They are driven by a bestial consciousness that knows little save for a ferocious loyalty to the Hive Tyrant they protect. Bodyguards from other species defend a charge out of a feeling of duty, suppressing their own survival instincts to do so -- a fundamental conflict that slows reaction times.Tyrant Guard suffer no such limitations, for they are near-mindless beasts engineered for but a single task. Their instincts tend not towards self-preservation, but to the defence of the Hive Tyrant to which they are bonded. Should the Hive Tyrant come under attack, its Tyrant Guard hurl themselves into the path of incoming fire without thought or concern, sheltering their master with their own bodies until the threat is ended or death takes them.These organisms are blind, possessing no discernible means of seeing the enemy. However, eyes are not necessary for these bodyguards, for when they are guarding a Hive Tyrant they become extensions of their master's own body. The synaptic control of their ward provides the rudimentary direction these creatures need, alerting them to nearby threats and arranging them to best fend off any enemy assault. Furthermore, eyes would present a weak and vulnerable target for a canny foe to attack. Such a weakness would only expose a chink in the Tyrant Guard's otherwise impenetrable armour, compromising the role for which it was created.
Tyrant Guard - Unit Composition: 3-6 Tyrant Guards
Tyrant Guard - Wargear: Rending ClawsScything TalonsCrushing Claws (As replacement for Scything Talons)Lash Whip and Bonesword (As replacement for Scything Talons)
Tyrant Guard - Source: Codex: Tyranids (8th Edition), pg. 64Codex: Tyranids (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pg. 46
Tyrant of Blueflame - Tyrant of Blueflame: The Tyrant of Blueflame was a Lord of Change who led the conquest and occupation of the Cardinal World of Ophelia VII. After the 13th Black Crusade and the fall of Cadia in 999.M41, Ophelia VII was caught within the newly-formed Great Rift that divided the galaxy in twain and the Cardinal World was exposed to invasion from daemons. The planet was enslaved by the Greater Daemon known as the Tyrant of Blueflame, a Lord of Change in service to Tzeentch.Ophelia VII was freed from the clutches of Chaos by the resurrected Primarch Roboute Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade and the forces of the Black Templars Chapter. However the Tyrant himself escaped Imperial justice.
Tyrant Siege Terminator - Tyrant Siege Terminator: Tyrant Siege Terminator squads were an elite formation exclusively utilised by the Iron Warriors Space Marine Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras of the 30th and early 31st Millennia. The vanguard of any Iron Warriors siege breakers formation, these warriors were clad in thick Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour and armed with deadly carapace-mounted Cyclone Missile Launchers.These implacable warriors were fortress-breakers of unparalleled skill. The bleak spectacle of these Astartes wading through storms of lasfire and shell, stoically smashing apart any obstacle before them with Chainfist and krak blast, became synonymous with Primarch Perturabo's wrath unleashed.Recruited from amongst the most battle-hardened Iron Warriors, Tyrant Siege Terminators were expected to brave the most ferocious enemy fire without regard for their own survival -- even more so than others of their grim brotherhood, they understood the mathematics of war and were ever ready to make a sacrifice in blood to secure victory.Most often these Veteran warriors were found among the ranks of the Stor-Bezashk, the elite siege masters of the IVth Legion, and deployed to other Grand Battalions as needed to support siege and assault actions. Tyrant Siege Terminators were often at the forefront of the most cataclysmic battles of the Great Crusade.This formation of Terminators was considered the inspiration for the Fulmentarus Terminator heavy support formation used by the Ultramarines Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras.
Tyrant Siege Terminator - Unit Composition: 4-9 Tyrant Terminators1 Tyrant Siege Master
Tyrant Siege Terminator - Wargear: Cataphractii Pattern Terminator ArmourCyclone Missile LauncherPower FistCombi-BolterOmni-Scope (Siege Master Only)
Tyrant Siege Terminator - Optional Wargear: ChainfistCombi-Weapon (Any Type) (Siege Master Only)
Tyrant Siege Terminator - Dedicated Transport: Land Raider Proteus or Land Raider PhobosSpartan Assault Tank
Tyrant Siege Terminator - Sources: The Horus Heresy - Book Three: Extermination (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 252Forge World Online Webstore - Tyrant Siege Terminators
Tyrant Star - Tyrant Star: The Tyrant Star, also known as Komus and the Hereticus Tenebrae, is an uncategorised stellar anomaly found in the Calixis Sector of the Segmentum Obscurus. Komus appears as a black dwarf star whose arrival in the sky of a world is seen as an imminent herald of catastrophe, while the existence of the Tyrant Star is itself part of a wider prophecy called the Propheticum Hereticus Tenebrae that is of great interest to the Imperial Inquisition.Unravelling this prophecy and the role of the Tyrant Star may be crucial to preventing a cataclysm that will consume not only the worlds of the Calixis Sector but perhaps the entire Imperium of Man.
Tyrant Star - Inquisitor Density in Calixis: Inquisitors are empowered to go wherever they want in the prosecution of their duties. An Inquisitor might travel from one end of the Imperium to the other, and indeed beyond its borders, in the course of a long career. Yet, it has been noted by many, that the Calixis Sector attracts the agents of the Inquisition, and somehow enthralls them, almost as an insect trapped in amber.In an entire galaxy seething with conspiracy and torn apart by war, many have asked why the Calixis Sector should attract and hold the attention of so many Inquisitors, and why it has claimed the lives of countless of their number. Perhaps the answer lies in the Hereticus Tenabrae, the prophecy that foresees the extinction of Humanity, its crucible the Calixis Sector. Certainly, the Calixis Sector breeds Chaos Cults and heresies at an alarming rate, and many within the Ordos Calixis believe that the dread Tyrant Star must surely be responsible. Perhaps the truth will never be known until it is too late, and the galaxy burns.
Tyrant Star - Trivia: In Greek mythology, Comus or Komos is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god of wine Dionysus. Comus represents anarchy and chaos. His mythology first became prevalent in the later period of Classical antiquity. During his festivals in Ancient Greece, men and women exchanged clothes to symbolise the anarchy he brought.He was often depicted as a young man on the point of unconsciousness from drink. He had a wreath of flowers on his head and carried a torch that was in the process of being dropped. Unlike the purely carnal wilderness god Pan or the purely intoxicated Dionysus, Comus was a god of excess.
Tyrantine Cabal - Tyrantine Cabal: The Tyrantine Cabal is an organisation within the Calixian Conclave of the Inquisition in the Calixis Sector which was commissioned many standard years ago in response to the dread prophecy of the Tyrant Star. Its members are known as Tyrantites or Spectarians (or more dismissively as "Star Gazers"), for they are charged with investigating apparitions of the spectral sun and the influence of the baleful Tyrant Star. The Tyrantine Cabal is based at the Bastion Serpentis, a bleak fortress of age-polished black stone jutting from the surface of Scintilla's moon Lachesis. The Bastion is typical of the Inquisition waystations and local fortresses peppered across the Calixis Sector. The Spectarians were granted sole discretionary use of the Bastion Serpentis at the inception of their cabal. Lord Sector Hax, Chief Astropath Xiao and a few others know of its existence, and those who do not are kept away from the moon by dire warnings about geological instability. Lord Inquisitor Anton Zerbe can normally be found at the Bastion and it is there, in its grand audience chamber, that he holds the semi-regular meetings with all the Cabal's Inquisitors, at which they report on their activities and share information. These gatherings are as much a venue for making allies and enemies as they are a forum for exchanging intelligence on the sector's various threats and power groups.As the threat of the Tyrant Star is felt across the Calixis Sector, the membership of the Cabal is not formally fixed. Some Inquisitors, those listed here, have stayed in the Calixis Sector for some time and accept Zerbe's authority (although they do not all obey him by any means). Other Inquisitors might join on a temporary basis, especially if an investigation elsewhere brings them to the Calixis Sector in matters intersecting the Hereticus Tenebrae prophecy, while some simply come to lend their support while they tap the expertise of the Cabal's most experienced Inquisitors. The individuals listed here are confirmed Spectarians, but Inquisitors join and leave all the time, with Zerbe's blessing.
Tyrantine Cabal - History: The birth of this shadowy brotherhood is rumoured to have occurred several solar decades ago when Lord Inquisitor Dagon Caidin granted leave to then-Inquisitor Zerbe to form a special conclave within the Calixian Conclave following new understandings of the revelations of the Propheticum Hereticus Tenebrae. The formation of such an organisation was deeply unpopular amongst many in the broader Calixian Conclave who saw Zerbe raising his own base of power in the Bastion Serpentis, and feared that the inner circle of the Cabal might begin to subvert the Ordos Calixis to one man's blind obsession.Zerbe, however, had trusted the full import of the prophecy to only his closest and most trusted peers, among them the ferociously intelligent and well-respected Inquisitor Cassilda Cognos. It was her voice that swayed Lord Inquisitor Caidin to their cause. It was also she who conceived the plan to form the Tenebrae Collegium, reasoning that while the effort of all the Ordos was needed to unravel the Tyrant Star's mystery, the Cabal's inner circle would need to find their own core of allies and servants -- even amongst the vassals of their obstinate comrades if needs be -- to carry out their work and ward off utter disaster.So was born the Tenebrae Collegium, a brotherhood of higher purpose, and into it Cognos poured all her skill and brilliance, although she was herself only to survive just long enough to see the first wave of agents "graduate." The Tenebrae Collegium endures as a memorial both lasting and terrible to her vision.
Tyrantine Cabal - The Shadow Agents: It is said Cassilda Cognos once quipped in a rare moment of levity that the Collegium "took outstanding dissemblers and accomplished liars and then began their work." Certainly, the results of the Collegium's conditioning do produce agents more than capable of moving through the Imperium in a carefully woven fog of falsity and misdirection. Using tiny gestures, key words and cadences, two agents can communicate vital information in the presence of others who remain none the wiser. Furthermore, using psychic and mental conditioning, a graduate of the Collegium can close his mind to all but the most destructive psychic probing, concealing his deepest secrets around a labyrinth of half truths and falsity to confuse, making them not only extraordinarily proficient spies and agents, but near-impregnable living vaults for the secrets of the Cabal.The ultimate purpose of these Tyrantine agents is to firstly hold the Cabal above all other masters, to pursue knowledge of the Tyrant Star and to keep that knowledge safe from all outside the Cabal's jealous circle. In most cases, these goals coincide with the agent's duties as Acolytes of the Ordos Calixis. However, where their true loyalties have come into conflict with the Imperial Adepta or even immediate superiors outside of the Cabal, this has led to cold and brutal conflict with those the agent would ordinarily call their lords, comrades, or even friends. So far, the Cabal has managed to keep all such "difficulties" from wider knowledge. The time may come, though, when the fate of all is at stake and they will have to act no matter what the cost. Perhaps a civil war will erupt within the Ordos Calixis as a result. This is a nightmare, however, that this secret empire, this order within an order, must bear, for their own fearful secrets are as nothing to the dangers of the Hereticus Tenebrae, and some must be sacrificed lest its truth devour us all.
Tyrus - Tyrus: Tyrus is a Witch Hunter Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus and a staunch follower of the Monodominant philosophy of the Inquisition -- a bombastic man whose bloody purges have left thousands of Heretics dead in his wake.Suspicious of all psykers, even those supposedly cleared by the Inquisition, it is Tyrus' creed to hunt down and exterminate every witch, mutant and warlock in the galaxy (including alien psykers).If, along the way, this means eradicating those who would seek to protect such abhorrent creatures, then so be it. Tyrus is also perhaps one of the most active Inquisitors with regards to internal policing of the Inquisition, ferociously hunting down those whom he deems Heretics within the ranks of his own organisation.
Tyrus - Trials and Ordeals: Tyrus is a great believer in many of the more arcane and religious trials and ordeals employed to judge the guilt or innocence of those he investigates. One of the more popular of these is the Trial by Balance, in which a droplet of the accused person's blood is placed on a set of finely-tuned scales opposite the same amount of water blessed by a member of the Ecclesiarchy. If the blood proves to be heavier, it is believed that this is because it is weighed down by the guilt of the donor's crimes and they are condemned.The Ordeal of the Blade is another, which Tyrus most famously employed on the Sarcaphon of Gladrinus VI. A heavy, razor-sharp sword is gripped in the fists of the potential Heretic, which they must hold above their head while the Inquisitor lists the accusations levelled against them in order of severity.If they can complete this feat without dropping the blade or its keen edge drawing blood, they have proved their innocence of the charges. If blood is spilt or the sword slips, the last spoken accusation and those remaining to be levelled are true. Miraculously, Sarcaphon Hydrupasta successfully endured the Ordeal for three and a half solar hours while Tyrus listed nearly 1,000 charges against him.There are many other types of trial and ordeal. In Trial by Holy Seal, the accused has a wax tablet placed upon their outstretched palm and a hot seal is applied to it. If the skin beneath the wax is burnt this is an indication of guilt. If it is unharmed this is an indication of the Emperor's blessing.Other times, Tyrus has ordered those he is investigating to drink a jug of blessed water. If the accused cannot do so without choking or gagging, they are presumed guilty, having been unable to imbibe the holiness of the Emperor.Tyrus has also been known to use the Imperial Tarot, a divination process believed to be guided by the Emperor Himself, to determine innocence or guilt literally on the turn of a card. Many are comforted by Tyrus' use of such traditional methods and his staunch belief that it is the God-Emperor who makes these judgements, not himself.
Tyrus - Acolyte Retinue: Devotee Malicant - Malicant's ancestors were from the home of the Redemptionist movement, the Hive World of Necromunda. Centuries ago they left their world on a Redemptionist crusade, finally founding a Temple of the Redemption on Ghastri IV. Brought up from birth to believe in the strict observances of the Redemption, raised by the fiery priests and zealots of the order in the Temple, Malicant is a ferociously devout individual. It is no surprise then that he caught the eye of Witch Hunter Tyrus when Malicant's crusade joined forces with the Inquisitor during the Treachery of Hanuchek. Since then, he has accompanied Tyrus across the galaxy, always spurred on by the Inquisitor's rousing speeches.Security Enforcer Barbaretta - Barbaretta was a Sergeant with the Karis Cephalon Special Security Agents until she was assigned to work with Witch Hunter Tyrus during an investigation of Karis Cephalon's mutant slave labour trade. Loyal and headstrong, Barbaretta has an unbending faith in the Imperium and the Inquisition. Many times she has used her skills to track down and capture an enemy wanted for interrogation, and is perfectly able to carry out the brutal questioning herself.Sergeant Stone - When the Forge World of Dantis III was invaded by Tyranids, Astra Militarum regiments from the nearby world of Lostok were drafted to combat the menace. The surface of Dantis III was heavily polluted and the infestation of deadly Tyranid organisms made fighting outside the factory-complexes almost impossible. A few companies of the Lostok 23rd were cybernetically modified by the Tech-priests to fight in this hellish warzone, incorporating many organs and drug-secreting glands that enabled them to survive unprotected, as well as boosting their combat abilities and aggressiveness. Only three of these so-called "Gland Warriors" are believed to have survived the conflict, and Sergeant Stone was one of them. After the successful defence of Dantis III, Sergeant Stone was amongst those taken by the Inquisition for debriefing and study, later ending up in the retinue of Inquisitor Tyrus.
Tyrus - Wargear: Artificer ArmourPower FistPower KnifeBolt Pistol with Inferno shellsBionic Eye with range finder and bio-scannerBionic Ear
Tzaangor - Tzaangor: A Tzaangor is a type of Abhuman mutant, known as a Beastman, that serves the Chaos God Tzeentch. True to the Changer of the Ways, the Beastmen of Tzeentch are spectacularly variable -- bright of colouration and sharp of intellect.Their beaks clack as they chant blasphemous refrains in the Dark Tongue, gimlet eyes glowing in their aquiline skulls. Their hunger for knowledge stems from a desire for power, and even in battle they look to transcend their base existences by seeking out arcane artefacts and priceless sorcerous texts.In serving sorcerer masters, usually of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion, they may earn the chance to elevate themselves above their earthly stations, but in truth such occasions are rare, for a streak of cruelty lurks within the warlike soul of every Tzaangor.When given the opportunity, they will take their ire out on those who oppose them in inventive displays of blade-work -- or, when they put aside their artistic pretensions for the gratification of raw brutality, a gory display of violence.
Tzaangor - History: The origins of Tzaangors are as varied as their appearance. They arise where Tzeentch wills it, and are brought into being by his blessed transmutations. Some are the product of grim experiments performed on the slaves taken to the Planet of the Sorcerers.Others are shaped from the crews of damaged starships caught in Warp Storms, their bodies transmuted through exposure to pure empyric power.Perhaps most horrific are the Tzaangors born to human mothers on worlds enshrouded by the Cicatrix Maledictum. Whole generations of these creatures burst quickly into nightmarish existence, whereupon they ravenously devour the defenders of their home planet.
Tzaangor - Role: The blasphemous chanting of massed Tzaangors rises to a crescendo as they draw close to their prey. Multi-hued tongues flap within aquiline beaks, eagerly lapping up the taste of fear and confusion. Iridescent eyes glow with inhuman savagery, and the cruelly twisted horns that sprout from each Tzaangor's skull clatter together as they vie to be first into the fray. With jagged blades they hack their victims apart before trampling the dying beneath clawed feet.Tzaangors are the mutated bearers of Tzeentch's blessings, unnatural abominations who serve as shock troops for the Thousand Sons thrallbands. Their bodies, though hideously malformed by the warping power of the Architect of Fate, are ideally suited to warfare.Long limbs flex with corded muscle, and thorny quill-like protrusions grow across their chests and shoulders. Most Tzaangors resemble some sort of amalgam of man, beast and bird, although some are even more aberrant in shape, with heads that are split down the middle or bodies rent with fluctuating clefts.Tzaangors are driven by Warp-infused compulsion to seek out knowledge in all its forms, and to slaughter those who stand in the way of their pursuits. Alongside these predatory instincts exists a level of cunning and intelligence belied by their monstrous form. Tzaangors are more than capable of formulating complex battle plans, communicating amongst their ranks through harsh trills and staccato clicks.Working together in flocks, they can run ruin through an unsuspecting populace or entrenched enemy line. Each Tzaangor is motivated by a personal desire to accumulate arcane knowledge, and it is their belief that through the pursuit of such knowledge they may receive even more of Tzeentch's blessings.To enact their butchery, some Tzaangors wield massive blades wrought from metal or bone, while others use buzzing chainswords and crude autopistols. Often, a member of a flock will carry a daemonically mawed instrument, the piercing blasts of which stir other nearby Tzaangors into a bestial frenzy. The most savage member of a flock is known as a Twistbray, and they usually bear on their body the most warping gifts of their creator-god.
Tzaangor - Tzaangor Warherd: Where the Astartes of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion pledged their souls to Tzeentch or were manipulated into his service, fighting alongside them are those who are born of the Great Shaper's hideous will. These creatures are a fusion of bestial ferocity, avian agility and human cunning, and by raw instinct they sow the seeds of mutation throughout the galaxy.In battle, Tzaangors will often form a fighting formation, known as a Tzaangor warherd. Led by an Exalted Sorcerer, when this formidable bestial formation charges into battle, the air fills with a cawing, hooting cacophony. Cantrips spark from gnarled talons and weapons are discharged through sheer exuberance.These Beastmen have served their Sorcerer master tirelessly; some have even fallen to a cursed spawn-change in the process, becoming bestial in mind as well as in body. But their reward is finally here.Tzaangor warherds are given the spoils of the corpse-harvest -- cadavers to make into grotesque puppets, body parts for the stewing of vile witches' brews, and sparkling jewels with which to adorn their jutting horns and feathered anatomies. Avarice glints in every eye as the warherd's proud strut accelerates into a loping run, then a howling, shrieking sprint -- those in their path will be torn apart and worn as bloody trophies by day's end.
Tzaangor - Tzaangor Enlightened: Tzaangors whose hunt for knowledge has caught the eye of their god may be bestowed one of Tzeentch's blessings. Often this results in the creature devolving into an even more grotesque abomination -- a Chaos Spawn. However, the lucky few engorged with such Warp power are elevated above their twisted brethren, physically, mentally and spiritually. They exist in a state of constant communion with Tzeentch, and through him they see the shifting strands of fate converge and separate.The Tzaangors view the Enlightened as paragons of warfare, and the destiny towards which they all must progress. Enlightened soar above the battlefield on Discs of Tzeentch, riding the streams of fate as a raptor would ride thermals. Even the Sorcerers of the Thousand Sons respect these creatures, for their savagery is seen as one of Tzeentch's many esoteric tools.Constantly aware of the flow of causality, Enlightened can see where and when their strikes will cause the most damage. The divining spears some carry are tuned to predetermined victims, emitting humming reverberations that grow louder as they near their targets.Other Enlightened wield Fatecaster Greatbows, strung with ectoplasmic cords that send ensorcelled arrows on deadly paths. Lastly, some carry Chainswords and Autopistols used in their past lives as human Heretics, for these were the tools by which they first achieved glory before Tzeentch.
Tzaangor - Tzaangor Shamans: Tzaangor Shamans are the most exalted of their mutated kind. They are oracles and prophets, and they preach to their ilk atop flying Discs of Tzeentch. Their psychic mastery is born not of endless study, but of singular devotion to their god, and is unleashed upon their foes amidst ritual chants in the fathomless language of the Tzaangors.It is with the Shamans that the Sorcerers of the Thousand Sons make their fell pacts, though these Sorcerers are ever wary of the deals they make; the Shamans serve the fickle will of Tzeentch above all else.On the Planet of the Sorcerers, Shamans lead herds of their kin on long pilgrimages across the constantly shifting Warp-wastes. These mass migrations follow lines of power that wind across the planet's crust, converging at sites where the roiling aetheric energy is at its thickest.At these sites, they raise great flux-cairns -- megaliths inscribed with glyphs and runes, and shaped in symbols sacred to Tzeentch -- which serve as repositories for the arcane knowledge stolen and despoiled by the Tzaangor tribes. The Shamans use these to channel Tzeentch's power throughout realspace by erecting duplicate monoliths in the jungles and barrens of other worlds.The longer each simulacra remains in place, the more its warping influence bleeds into the planet on which it stands, transforming the world and preparing it for a full-scale invasion.
Tzaangor - Tzaangors: 10-29 Tzaangors1 Twistbray
Tzaangor - Tzaangor Enlightened: 2-8 Enlightened1 Aviarch
Tzaangor - Tzaangor Warherd Composition: 1 Exalted Sorcerer3 Units of Tzaangors (30-90)0-6 Units (0-180) of Tzaangors or Chaos Spawn
Tzaangor - Tzaangors: 2 Tzaangor BladesAutopistol and Chainsword (As replacement for Tzaangor Blades)
Tzaangor - Tzaangor Shaman: Force StaveDisc of Tzeentch
Tzaangor - Tzaangor Enlightened: Divining SpearDisc of TzeentchAutopistol and Chainsword (As replacement for Divining Spear)Fatecaster Greatbow
Tzaangor - Sources: Codex Heretic Astartes - Thousand Sons (8th Edition), pp. 42-43, 73, 75, 78War Zone: Fenris - Wrath of Magnus (7th Edition), pp. 144, 150
Tzeentch - Changer of the Ways: The psychic entity or sentient force in the Immaterium known as Tzeentch is perhaps the most enigmatic of the so-called Chaos Gods or Ruinous Powers. Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, embodies mortals' desires for evolution, improvement, innovation, and progress as well as their dreams of wealth, prosperity, and a better tomorrow.While many perceive these motivations as healthy, wholesome, and perhaps even necessary to mortal existence, Tzeentch, the Great Conspirator, works to corrupt the aspirations and ambitions of Humanity and xenos alike, and to leverage these hopes and dreams for his own nefarious ends.The other Dark Gods tend to act upon mortal society more directly: Khorne with bloodshed and slaughter, Nurgle with disease and decay, and Slaanesh with the allure of ecstasy and decadence. However, Tzeentch and his servants -- Human, xenos, and Daemon -- scheme and conspire quietly and stealthily to guide and influence the machinations of mortal society.The Changer of Ways favours subtle weapons: flattering words, enticing temptations, healthy ambitions stoked to traitorous or immoral ends, and above all, schemes within endless schemes. Many a politician, scholar, military officer, or other mortal leader has begun a promising career, altruistic project, or worthwhile intellectual investigation only to find themselves, perhaps prompted by a seemingly well-intentioned colleague who secretly served the Great Conspirator, making moral compromises, moving up the hierarchy at the expense of others, or taking ethically questionable shortcuts.Even with the best of intentions, or perhaps because of them, these people are vulnerable to the machinations of Tzeentch, who conspires to turn such individuals into cogs in his infernal machine, fuelled by endless schemes, lies, plots, and deceits.
Tzeentch - Sacred Number 9: An excerpt from the works of the Chaos Sorcerer Ahriman explains much about the significance of Tzeentch's sacred number. Ahriman writes, "Nine is the number most sacred to the Changer of Ways. It is only upon tracing the ninth sigil that the runes of a change-scroll begin to glow, morphing into their true nature."There are nine distinct rites an acolyte must master before he can unlock the secrets that will permit him to pierce the veil, a process that will allow a worthy aspirant to draw upon the boundless energies of the Immaterium. To remain unbroken, a summoning symbol must contain nine sequential rings -- each perfectly executed in a nine-fold process. Nine are the chants of the Kairic cultists, and for casting, a coven of nine is by far the most powerful of groupings."Yet it is not the mortal rites alone that obey the Great Sorcerer's enneadic rules. The number nine can be found woven throughout the unfathomable and ever-changing structures of the Architect of Fate's own realm within the Warp. The Lords of Change, the greatest servants of Tzeentch and commanders of his convocations, are ordered within nine levels of trust."All seek their master's favour, and those in ascendancy rule the nine fractal fortresses. Beneath each of those most exalted are nine hundred and ninety-nine legions, each divided into nine hosts. It is said that when Daemons are slain, their immortal spirit appears within the Impossible Fortress, arriving before their maker from one of the ever-shifting nine gates -- there to be either reformed or reabsorbed by the will of Tzeentch."
Tzeentch - Sorcerers and Psykers: Those who study arcane lore, employ psychic powers, practice the art of sorcery, or otherwise tamper with the power of the Empyrean, with or without Imperial sanction, are among Tzeentch's favourite targets for temptation and eventual corruption.Imperial scholars have determined that the incidence of the psyker mutation among the Human population increases with each generation. It therefore follows that the risk Tzeentch poses to Humanity has increased commensurately. As such, organisations such as the Inquisition, the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, the Adeptus Astronomica, and the Scholastia Psykana must remain forever vigilant and prosecute any trace of the influence of Chaos with extreme prejudice.Many checks and restraints exist to prevent the influence of Warp entities on the minds of Imperial psykers, but any security system and the individuals who maintain it are fallible, capable of errors in judgement, and themselves subject to temptations and dark influences.Even with these safeguards in place, Imperial commissars operate under strict orders to execute Sanctioned Psykers at the first sign of possession or Daemonic influence.
Tzeentch - Rivalry: Typically, the Changer of Ways stands in direct opposition to Nurgle, the Plague Lord, just as Khorne, the god of war and wrath, most fervently opposes Slaanesh, the prince of decadence and depravity.Where Nurgle represents Chaos as a force of stagnation and dissolution, Tzeentch embodies Chaos as a force for change and development. Where Nurgle promotes and feeds off of despair and decay, Tzeentch promotes and is empowered by hope, potential and progress. Where Nurgle fosters deterioration and ruin, Tzeentch fosters germination and development.To many students of the Ruinous Powers, the (however speculative) ideological descriptions of the Changer of Ways make better sense when juxtaposed against those of Nurgle, Tzeentch's seeming antithesis amongst the Dark Gods. On innumerable occasions Tzeentch's intricate plots have been foiled by Nurgle's malign influence, and the two Chaos Gods' Daemonic and mortal servants clash as often with each other as with their mutual enemies in the Imperium and among the xenos species.Despite Tzeentch's intense rivalry with Grandfather Nurgle, he is nonetheless the Chaos God with the most influence over the other major Ruinous Powers. At times, the Chaos Gods must unite and act in concert if their individual plans are to reach fruition, as they did against the Emperor at the time of the Horus Heresy, and it is always Tzeentch who brokers these rare alliances of Chaos Undivided.However, Tzeentch never acts out of altruism, and it can be guaranteed that every time he moves to unite the powers of Chaos he does so ultimately with his own unfathomable goals in mind.
Tzeentch - Tzeentchian Daemons: Like all the Dark Gods, Tzeentch has a vast number of minions of a variety of types at his command, ranging from the Daemons created as condensations of his own will to the mortals who serve his whim, whether they know it or not. All are mere puppets to be manipulated by the Architect of Fate, and few, if any, even consider the nature of the strings controlling their actions.Tzeentch's Daemons vary greatly from one type to another in terms of their appearance, their morphology, their level of intellect and autonomy, and their function in their master's schemes. Arguably, there is greater diversity in the creatures of Tzeentch than in the Warp creatures of the other Ruinous Powers. However, the Daemons of Tzeentch do have certain features in common.For one, Daemons are creatures of the Sea of Souls that can normally only exist for short periods of time in realspace under certain strict conditions, as the material realm is not their natural element. Some initiating incident usually occurs for the Daemons to broach the barrier between the soft, shifting realms of the Immaterium and the hard-edged, definite four-dimensional geometries of realspace.They may be summoned into the material plane by a sorcerer or Chaos Cultist conducting an ancient, forbidden ritual, or perhaps when a psyker loses control, enabling the Daemon to tear its way into reality through the psyker's body, or some calamitous sorcerous or psychic event occurs to weaken the barrier.In spite of the instability of their presence in the Materium, Daemons can be remarkably resilient to most forms of physical damage; poisons and disease do no harm to these creatures of the Warp though many Force Weapons, holy relics, and psychic attacks can harm them with comparative ease due to their psychic component and resonance within the Empyrean.
Tzeentch - Lesser Daemons: Burning Chariot of Tzeentch - Burning Chariots of Tzeentch are Daemonic constructs in the service of Tzeentch. Consisting of ornate Discs of Tzeentch pulled by Screamers, a Burning Chariot blazes through the heavens of the mortal world and is often mistaken for a comet by mortal observers, a sight that is interpreted as in ancient times as an omen of terrible days to come.Herald of Tzeentch - Less powerful than the Lords of Change and Daemon Princes but ranked above Lesser Daemons like Screamers and Horrors, Tzeentch's Daemonic Heralds are the field officers that lead his troops to battle. Some Heralds are indistinguishable from the lesser creatures they command, and some scholars of the Ordo Malleus feel that many are nothing more than especially powerful Horrors. Most tend to be lanky, multi-limbed creatures whose physical form is in constant flux. Most can manipulate Warp energy and cast spells. When Tzeentch's Daemonic hosts march to war, his Heralds often function as squad leaders and organise the fiery, morphing mass of his Daemons into a devastating onslaught.Disc of Tzeentch - Discs of Tzeentch are disc-like melds of psychic energy, metallic construct, and Lesser Daemon, and are often used as transports for mortal Champions of Tzeentch. They are capable of lashing out upon nearby foes with short-ranged lightning blasts or magically manifesting powerful tentacles for attacking. They are known as Changebringers if they are ridden by a Flamer.Flamer of Tzeentch - Flamers of Tzeentch are slightly more powerful Lesser Daemons, with numerous gaping maws that produce the searing flames which give these Daemons their unsubtle name. They frequently fight alongside Horrors; like Horrors, they are able to unleash magical blasts of energy upon their foes.Horror - Horrors are the most prolific Lesser Daemon of Tzeentch, an ever-shifting mass of flesh, limbs, and flame-spewing orifices. Horrors are capable of unleashing potent psychic powers upon their foes.Screamer - Screamers are manta ray-like Daemonic beasts that swoop down on foes and cut them apart with their sharp tusks, but prefer to emit an unholy scream that damages and terrifies most mortals.