vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Maleceptor - Maleceptor: A Maleceptor is a horrific new creation of the Tyranid Hive Mind. Combining the brute strength of an Exocrine with the psychic might of a Zoanthrope brood, the Maleceptor can crush its enemies both with its claws and with the formidable power of its mind.The Maleceptor is an adaptation of the Zoanthrope genus, a Tyranid bioform familial grouping that uses psychic powers to manipulate, terrify and destroy their foes. Like Zoanthropes, the Maleceptor is a psychic powerhouse, its whole upper body given over to the vast organic processor through which it conducts the power of the Hive Mind.Unlike its smaller cousins, the Maleceptor's mind-node is so vast it can't levitate under its own psychic power, a problem easily solved by the Hive Mind; it simply built the Maleceptor a body able to carry its vast cranium, a tough, bonded exoskeleton and crown-like carapace also providing protection from enemy fire.
Maleceptor - Role: If proof were ever needed of the sinister intelligence of the Hive Mind, the Maleceptor is surely it. As the Hive Fleets maraud deeper into the galaxy, the Hive Mind learns and adapts, spawning new monstrosities as specific, considered responses to the resistance it meets.The Maleceptor is the ultimate answer to the problem posed by the psykers of the Tyranids' prey-races; it is a grotesque living conduit for the Shadow in the Warp. Indeed, the Maleceptor's revolting bulk is little more than an armoured container for said conduit -- a massive, six-lobed, brain-like organ, engineered to destroy flesh and metal alike by manifesting horrific psychic powers.What -- if anything -- survives its mental onslaught will then surely fall beneath the fury of its massive scything talons and clawed feet, for the Maleceptor is as adept at pulverising its foes in close combat as it is exterminating them with a flex of its alien mind.
Maledictum - Maledictum: The Maledictum was an ancient Chaos artefact that the Aeldari of Craftworld Biel-Tan had used to imprison a mighty daemon of Khorne.The relic was then hidden by them on the world of Tartarus, where it became caught up in a conflict between Blood Ravens Chapter forces commanded by Gabriel Angelos and an Alpha Legion warband led by the Chaos Lord Bale and the Chaos Sorcerer Sindri Myr.
Maledictum - History: The Maledictum was an extremely potent Chaos artefact and the daemon within was able to influence the Humans who had settled Tartarus. It drove them to hide the artefact to ensure that agents of the Imperium could not find it.If enough sacrifices were performed during a Chaos ritual the artefact's wielder could harness the Warp energy of the artefact to ascend to become a Daemon Prince. But under the right circumstances and with the right sacrifice, the daemon within could be released from its imprisonment.A Heretic Astartes warband of the Alpha Legion commanded by the Chaos Lord Bale learned of the existence and location of the Maledictum. A warband of Alpha Legion Heretic Astartes journeyed to Tartarus in their search for the artefact in the hope of releasing the daemon. The Aeldari, under the command of Farseer Macha, after foreseeing what the Alpha Legion were trying to do, also infiltrated Tartarus in an attempt to stop the forces of Chaos from succeeding.The Blood Ravens Chapter's 3rd Company under the command of Captain Gabriel Angelos were originally ordered to Tartarus to quell an Ork invasion, but after gaining knowledge of Chaos' presence on the planet made it their priority to remove that threat as well.During the hunt for the Chaos forces, the Blood Ravens discovered the unwelcome presence of the Aeldari, who were trying to protect the location of the Maledictum on Tartarus from the forces of Chaos by killing all who might discover its secret.Farseer Macha warned Captain Angelos about the presence of the Maledictum and the daemon within it on the world, but the Blood Ravens refused to trust the Aeldari, and remained focussed on defeating the Alpha Legion without realising their true purpose for having come to Tartarus.The artefact was ultimately located and claimed by the heretical Blood Ravens Librarian Isador Akios, who had fallen to the temptations of Chaos. But before he could wield its power, he was slain by the Alpha Legion sorcerer Sindri Myr, who stole the Maledictum from him.The sorcerer unleashed its power to become a Daemon Prince, but was ultimately killed in battle during his ascension ritual by the temporary alliance of the Blood Ravens and the shattered remains of Farseer Macha's Aeldari. But this last death of such a powerful foe triggered the release of the powerful daemonic entity trapped within the artefact.In the wake of the battle, Farseer Macha warned Angelos not to destroy the Maledictum. But Angelos, in his ignorance and lack of trust ignored her and shattered the artefact, hoping to rid the galaxy of its taint. Unfortunately this released the daemon within once more into the Warp, which mockingly thanked the Space Marine captain and promised him they would one day meet again.
Maledictum - Purpose: Though a powerful Chaos artefact, the Maledictum required a key and the appropriate number and type of sacrifices to unlock its power, and the daemon imprisoned within.The key was also found on Tartarus during the fighting and the necessary sacrifices were gained from the deaths of the Astra Militarum forces defending the planet from the attack of the Orks, the deaths of the Blood Ravens, the civilian deaths of the population of Tartarus, and powerful individuals like the Blood Ravens Librarian Isador Akios, the Alpha Legion Chaos Lord Bale, and finally Sindri Myr himself.As powerful of a tool as it seemed to those who served Chaos, the Maledictum was ultimately as self-serving as the daemon captured within, and it only sought to manipulate events to create the bloodshed required to free the entity it held.
Malefactors - Malefactors: MalefactorsChaos Space MarinesChapterSpace MarinesFoundingSigilitesEye of TerrorAbyssal CrusadeIt is unknown what they endured during their sojourn into the Eye, but by the time they made their way back into realspace, they had become the warband of Chaos Space Marines known as the Malefactors.
Malefactors - Abyssal Crusade: Following the Ecclesiarchal Purges of 321.M37, a dozen star systems were engulfed by Warp Storm Dionys, its echoes rippling along the spiral arms of the galaxy as it raged through the Empyrean. Records of mutation and Chaos Cultist activity quadrupled overnight.Worse yet, it was not only the citizens who were affected by the sudden influx of Chaos. Many of the Space Marine Chapters with homeworlds affected by the Warp Storm found that the secret imperfections in their gene-seed were writ large upon their new recruits, giving rise to a wave of disturbing manifestations both physical and psychological. The Sigilites were one such Loyalist Chapter of Astartes that had been affected by these Warp Storms.When the Ecclesiarchy heard of this sinister tum of events, Saint Basillius the Elder demanded that all those Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes whose homeworlds had been touched by the Warp Storm be rendered unto his judgement. Such was the elder's influence with the High Lords of Terra that within a standard year this had come to pass.After a series of stringent tests and prognostications, hundreds of Chapters were deemed unaffected by the Warp Storm. No less than thirty were found wanting. The Judged, as these fallen Chapters came to be known, volunteered for a redemptive Penitent Crusade.The most militant of their number demanded the right to purify their tainted flesh in the fires of battle, to make a noble end from tragic misfortune. To the surprise of his closest advisors, Saint Basillius agreed to this proposal. He saw it fitting to send the accused into the Eye of Terror, taking the fight for the Imperium's future to the Daemon Worlds inhabited by the Traitor Marines.A representative from each of the doomed Chapters held an emergency Council of Dismay to discuss the proposed Imperial Crusade. After scant solar hours of debate, they acquiesced to Basillius' demands, for they believed that martyrdom was preferable to an existence of suspicion and doubt.The last few days of 321.M37 saw a solemn procession of strike cruisers and battle barges pass through the Cadian Gate into the Eye of Terror, relay systems dormant and heraldic colours obscured by black mag-plates. One by one, the Chapters of The Judged disappeared into the iridescent dust nebulae that surrounded the Eye.As the massive Space Marine flotilla entered the Eye of Terror, they were set upon by a massive Chaos warfleet. The resultant battle was so fierce that the ships of The Judged were forced to retreat and were scattered to the furthest corners of the Eye.Chapter after Chapter fell to the perils of the Eye, for the Abyssal Crusade had entered a hell from which very few emerge unchanged. The true account of what occurred within the Eye to the Sigilites is unknown, but most of the tales of the Chapters of The Judged ended in tragedy and sorrow.By the time they reemerged from the Eye many standard centuries later, the Sigilites were no more, for they had become the Chaos Space Marine warband known as the Malefactors, wholly dedicated to the service of the Ruinous Powers.
Malefactors - Warband Colours: The Malefactors warband's colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Malefactors - Warband Badge: The Malefactors warband's badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Malevolent - Malevolent: The Malevolent is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. Almost nothing is known about this Chapter in the Imperial records.
Malevolent - Chapter Colours: The Malevolent's Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Malevolent - Chapter Badge: The Malevolent's Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Malfactus - Malfactus: The Malfactus is a semi-permanent Warp storm of the Milky Way Galaxy that raged during the Era Indomitus within the Imperium Nihilus portion of the Ultima Segmentum. The Chapter homeworlds of the Grey Giants, Farstalkers, Night Sentinels and Sons of Galathor Chapters of Space Marines all were located near this Warp storm.Several of these worlds came under assault by enemy forces.
Malfi - Noble Houses of Malfi: Politics on Malfi are a deadly game, even compared to the intrigues present at the Lucid Court on Scintilla or the murderous interclan warfare of Magnagorsk on Fenksworld. None can match the noble houses of Malfi for their predations, labyrinthine plots and natural flair for betrayal and savage revenge. Outsiders who enter this stage of lies and villainy quite often find themselves swimming with sharks like bloody bait. Even those who might be considered practiced dissemblers and agents of fortune on other worlds are often proved rank amateurs compared to even minor players of the Malfian power-politic.This tendency towards deception, seeking advantage, patronage, and bitter feuding is a cornerstone of the Malfian culture and psyche. It is present at all levels; from the nomadic scum of the scav-zones and the workers on the manufactoria floors to the halls of the temples and dusty corridors of Administratum counting houses.It reaches its zenith amid the ranks of the Malfian noble houses. There are hundreds of such houses, some predating even the Angevin Crusade in their antiquity, while others are fresh born, and granted title by the Office of the Matriarch or Patriarch of the day. And that Matriarch or Patriarch is elected from the heads of the noble houses by their peers to hold the office of planetary governor.So it is that fresh blood replaces the old, and as some houses lose their grip on power or die away entirely, there are always hungry new claimants waiting in the wings to take advantage of any sign of weakness. As such, mere title or even wealth is no guarantee of power or protection on Malfi as it might be elsewhere on more stable or staid worlds. Only strength, guile, and the ruthlessness to use it provide such security.Perhaps because of this, the Malfian aristocracy nurses its grievances endlessly and respects none not of their number. They pay due obedience only to the Adeptus Terra of the Imperium and the Lords of Mars, which they acknowledge as a greater power; and to the Holy Ordos of the Inquisition in particular, as superior players of the game.They see the "nobility" of other worlds as vain and worthless things, lumping them in with other "peddlers and malcontents." In particular, they hold their greatest scorn for those who originate in the sector capital of Scintilla. All of Malfi holds a grudge against that world that goes back to the birth of the Calixis Sector nearly two standard millennia ago.
Malfi - Enemy of My Enemy: Because of the constantly shifting web of intrigue and power that holds Malfi together, alliances are formed and broken easily between the noble houses and other powerful groups. Each great house maintains a legion of spies, analysts and paid informants just to try to keep track of this treacherous sea of power and patronage.It is said, and not without reason, that every Malfian lies and that every Malfian would betray even their own kin for the right price. The trick lies in knowing what that price is, and making a better offer than your competitors.
Malfi - Rules of Vendetta: As many outsiders learn to their cost, on Malfi, the only rule is that there are no rules. There are, however, certain accepted ways that vendettas, contests and feuds are conducted. Certain lines of action, if crossed, guarantee escalation to greater heights of violence and destruction, up to and including what, on other worlds, might be considered open civil war.As it is, in the normal scheme of things, most noble houses contest each other by proxy; acting through intermediaries to settle scores against each other's positions, territories and agents. They deliver calculated insults at court or at state gatherings, and even use sponsored scav-gangs in the wastes to fight bloody battles against others sponsored by their rivals, or as muscle to raid Arteria routes and trade shipments.While tens of thousands may die yearly to such "diversions," they matter little in the grand scheme of things. True blood feuds only erupt over the killing of those of noble blood and their closest agents. When such a spiral of murder and countermurder at the highest echelon begins, there is very little that can stop it until one side is laid low.All the Malfian great houses maintain numerous specialised agents and deadly weapons in case of such vendettas. During such, no target is off-limits to attack, and age, gender or rank is not a guarantee of safety. It is not surprising that every Malfian noble is trained to be well-versed in the arts of violence and secrecy from a young age, and duelling among the nobles of Malfi is commonplace. Outsiders drawn into such battles had best remember that, to most Malfian nobles, the concept of the "fair fight" is the most appalling kind of idiocy.
Malfi - Position of the Ministorum on Malfi: While faith in the Imperial Creed is widely regarded as strong on Malfi -- particularly among the common masses of the hive workers who make up the bulk of the planet's population (but notably less so in other classes) -- the Imperium's state church is rightly perceived by many as divided and weak. Although Malfi holds no fewer than three cardinal's seats in the Synod Calixis (a number exceeded only by Scintilla's five), no single churchman holds genuine sway over the Malfian clergy, and the Adeptus Ministorum's priests are heavily factionalised.Matters are worsened by the fact that the local Ecclesiarchy receives little support or backing from the Malfian nobility. A great many of them seek to circumvent its stranglehold by funding and maintaining their own house chaplains (often drawn from minor branches of their own bloodlines and illegitimate children), trained and ordained off-world, sometimes as far afield as Maccabeus Quintus or even the Scarus Sector. These chaplainries serve the spiritual needs of the noble houses while chiefly remaining loyal to them before any other master save the Imperial Creed, not the local hierarchy of the Ministorum.The reasons for this schism between the noble houses that rule Malfi and Malfi's own duly composed Ministorum authorities dates back to the dark days of Malfi's "Reign of Terror." This began in 428.M41 with the ascendancy of House Koba to undisputed rule. During this period, the Malfian Ecclesiarchy succumbed to Koba's power, becoming little more than their puppet. Its clergy often became spies within the noble houses to which they were assigned, and the church turned a blind eye to the Koba's tyranny and bloodletting.This has never been forgiven or forgotten by the Malfian nobility, to this day. What little unity or moral authority the Malfian Church retained was shattered during the nightmarish events of the infamous "Bloody Solstice" in 499.M41 when the birth of the Pilgrims of Hayte Chaos Cult tore Malfi apart.The high clergy's initial response to the spiralling crisis was scattered and erratic. Its upper echelons were thrown into panic by such a direct and terrifying assault on their lives. Others were destroyed from within by the cult's agents. Many prelates and abbots shut themselves away, even from each other, and attempted vainly to turn their temples into fortresses against the onslaught. They were publically powerless to stop the Pilgrims of Hayte from going about their bloody work. These acts were seen, by both the Malfian nobility and the masses, as cowardice and betrayal.In the many standard years since then, the Malfian Church and the sub-sector Ecclesiarchy have fought a slow, uphill battle to regain its rightful place on Malfi. After many holy missions and the zeal of countless priests, it has largely succeeded with Malfi's people, but not with those who rule them. The Malfian Church remains largely fragmented, and an invisible barrier persists between it and Malfi's noble houses.
Malgreth - Malgreth: The Malgreth were an intelligent xenos species. The Space Marines of the Deathwatch Chapter were known to investigate any sightings of these aliens, particularly within range of the watch fortress at Zarabek.
Malice - Malice: Note: This section discusses material that was once considered canon but whose canonicity is now questionable.Malice is a renegade Chaos God, called the "Hierarch of Anarchy and Terror," who originally appeared in early editions of the fictional universes of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 under the name Malal.Also known as "The Outcast God," "The Lost God" and "The Renegade God," Malice is the embodiment of Chaos' indiscriminate and anarchic tendency toward destruction, even of itself and its own agents.The nature of Malice's powers is parasitic, as the Renegade God grows in power only when the other Ruinous Powers do. Malice's sacred number is 11 and his favoured colours are black and white.
Malice - The Renegade God: There is a name whispered quietly and with fear even by the most depraved, the most evil, and the least sane of the worshippers of Chaos. That name is Malice, the Renegade God of Chaos. In eons past Malice was cast out from the bosom of Chaos by the other Chaos Gods, or else abandoned them of his own volition -- no one is sure which.In any case, Malice's relationship to the other gods of Chaos is a strange one. All Chaos Gods pursue purposes that are wholly their own, yet only Malice occupies a position so antithetical to the success of his own unfathomable creed. To be a follower of Malice is to be a Chaos warrior bent upon shedding the blood of other Chaos creatures.As such, Malice is both feared and hated by the other Chaos Gods. Malice's worshippers, sometimes called the "Doomed Ones," are loathed by other servants of Chaos; they are outcasts beloved by neither the friends nor enemies of Chaos, dependent upon the least whim of their patron deity. Few worship such a god; fewer still live long in his service. The bonds that tie master and servant ever drain upon the soul of the warrior, and it is a rare man or woman that can loosen the bonds of Malice once forged.
Malice - Retcon as Malice: As the further use of Malal was restricted by Games Workshop due to copyright concerns, the authors of the Something Rotten in Kislev adventure for the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition The Enemy Within campaign introduced "Zuvassin, the Great Undoer" and later "Necoho, the Doubter", as two renegade Chaos deities, replacing the role originally intended for Malal in this campaign.However, the memory of Malal did not die with the ability of Games Workshop to use the Renegade God. The idea of Malal was continued in the 1990s by veterans of the Warhammer roleplaying scene primarily through the internet via BBS (bulletin board system) and stories (such as Divine Judgment) so Malal continued to survive, occasionally becoming the choice deity of veteran players playing Chaos. Also in Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000, the occasional Malal-themed army still surfaced.The Shadowlord of Mordheim, Be'lakor, in Warhammer has been seen by some fans as a revival of the idea of the renegade/outcast Chaos God originally represented by Malal. Note, however, that Be'lakor is only a Daemon Prince, whereas Malal was a true Chaos God.One of the strongest direct references to the Renegade God from Games Workshop was made in the Warhammer 40,000 supplement Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition 2002). The first is the appearance of a Daemonic weapon called a "Dreadaxe," which is described as preferring to kill other Daemonic entities. The other reference was in a picture displaying the other possible painting schemes for the models.One of the examples was a Chaos Space Marine of a Renegade Chapter entitled the "Sons of Malice." The colours used for this Chapter were the bisecting black/white design of Malal's original mark, and the word "Malice" is not too dissimilar from "Malal"; in essence, Malal has been returned to the Warhammer 40,000 universe as the Renegade Chaos God Malice, the Hierarch of Anarchy and Terror. The article mentioned that the Sons of Malice were exiled from the Imperium for a set of disgusting rituals that were reported to include cannibalism and that they fought in complete silence. The ultimate patron deity of the ritual was never revealed, though it can be surmised that it was Malice. At the end of the article it was specifically mentioned that the Sons of Malice were noted to fight with ferocity against other followers of Chaos.More information on the Sons of Malice came in Games Workshop's monthly publication White Dwarf 303 (issue 302 in the U.S.).The most recent work to make use of the Sons of Malice, the novel Cadia Stands by Justin D. Hill, no longer makes any reference to the Warp entity Malice being worshipped or serving as the divine patron among the Sons of Malice.
Malice - Trivia: The word malice comes from the Latin word malitia, which means "bad, ill-will and spite."The word "Malal" also means "Malice" in several East Indian languages.
Malice - Sources: Cadia Stands (Novel) by Justin D. Hill, Part 4, Chs. 2-8Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg. 76The Citadel Journal, Spring 1986 (1st Edition), "The Quest of Kaleb Daark," pp. 43-50The Citadel Journal, Spring 1987 (1st Edition), "The Quest of Kaleb Daark," pp. 40-47The Third Citadel Compendium (1st Edition)Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition Core Rulebook, pg. 210White Dwarf 79 (UK), "Ogres"White Dwarf 83 (UK), "The Crude, the Mad and the Rusty - A Warhammer Battlegame" by Aly Morrison, Jes Goodwin & Graeme Davis, pp. 30, 35White Dwarf 303 (UK), "Index Astartes: Rogue Sons - Renegade Space Marine Chapters," pp. 71, 72-73Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: The Dying of the Light (RPG)"The Laughter of Dark Gods," Ignorant Armies (Warhammer Anthology)Heroes of the Space Marines (Anthology), "The Labyrinth" (Short Story) by Richard FordRealm of Chaos 80's Blogspot - "The Malignancy of Malal: Solving the mystery of the 'Fifth Chaos God'" (19 Jan 2013) Interview with former GW Illustrator Tom AcklandRealm of Chaos 80's Blogspot - "The Malignancy of Malal: Malal's Daemonic Pantheon Restored?" (21 Jan 2013) Interview with former GW Illustrator Tom AcklandRealm of Chaos 80's Blogspot - "The Grand Master Returns: A Second Interview" (25 Jan 2013) Interview with former GW Illustrator Tony Ackland
Malin Vistario - Malin Vistario: Malin Vistario was a Chaos Sorcerer of the Thousand Sons Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.Vistario aided the battle of the Emperor's Children Venerable Dreadnought Rylanor against his former primarch, the Daemon Prince Fulgrim, some ten thousand standard years after the Isstvan III Atrocity.
Malin Vistario - History: Formerly a member of the prophetic Corvidae Cult of the Thousand Sons, Vistario was despatched by the Thousand Sons' Daemon Primarch Magnus the Red from Sortiarius, the so-called Planet of the Sorcerers, to investigate a distress signal that came from the long-dead world of Isstvan III, the place where the Horus Heresy began.The message repeated itself over and over, with a simple phrase, ambiguous, yet portentous: "The Ancient awaits."By this time, the Thousand Sons had already long turned to Chaos and had reestablished themselves on the Planet of the Sorcerers.After discovering the Emperor's Children Loyalist Venerable Dreadnought Ancient Rylanor still alive in ancient subterranean catacombs upon the planet, Malin and his fellow sorcerers -- Akhtar of the Raptora and Murshid of the Athanaeans -- briefly contained the virus bomb unleashed by Rylanor as he faced his fallen primarch, Fulgrim, who had also responded to the transmission.Finding nothing worthy of respect in what Fulgrim had become, Vistario ultimately shot and killed Akhtar to break his psychic control and set the virus bomb loose, killing all in the process and dealing a grievous blow to Fulgrim's ego -- the only real wound the Daemon Primarch was still capable of feeling.
Malin Vistario - Trivia: Vistario and the short story he appears in are the only sources of information on the Seventh Enumeration of the Thousand Sons Legion.While conversing with his companions, Vistario noted that "all whispers eventually return to Sortiarius," implying that Magnus the Red would eventually learn of the events that had transpired at Isstvan III.Whilst the story takes place long after the Horus Heresy, Vistario and his companions only mention their pre-Heresy Legion cults, implying that all three of them were members of the Thousand Sons prior to the Battle of Prospero.
Malkaan Feirros - Malkaan Feirros: Malkaan Feirros is an Iron Father and the current Master of the Forge of the Iron Hands Chapter. He is also a leading figure of the Iron Hands' Clan Raukaan.Feirros recently underwent the surgical process known as the Rubicon Primaris to transform from a Firstborn to a Primaris Space Marine.Known for his age and eccentricity, Feirros is atypical for an Astartes of his Chapter in that he is known for his potent sense of gallows humour.
Malkaan Feirros - Wargear: Marx X Gravis Power ArmourServo-HarnessGorgon's Wrath - In battle the Iron Father can effortlessly cut foes down with this shoulder-mounted artificer Heavy Bolter.Harrowhand - In close combat the Iron Father can hew any who dare to draw within reach of this cog-toothed Power Axe.
Malkaan Feirros - Sources: Clan Raukaan - A Codex: Space Marines Supplement (6th Edition), "The Grand Calculation"Codex Supplement: Iron Hands (8th Edition), pp. 38-39Warhammer Community - Coming Next Week: Iron and Shadow
Malleus Argyrum - Malleus Argyrum: The Malleus Argyrum is the personal weapon of Grand Master Aldrik Voldus of the Grey Knights' 3rd Brotherhood.Crafted over a standard century by the blind smith Hulliver, this beautifully weighted Force Hammer is a conduit for its user's psychic energies.So empowered, it streaks through the air as though it weighed nothing at all, only to strike with the force of a caged thunderbolt.
Malleus Veritatis - Malleus Veritatis: The Malleus Veritatis was an Imperial Navy light cruiser of unknown class that crashed on the Dead World of Cressid.
Malleus Veritatis - History: Launched in 526.M34, the Malleus Veritatis was assigned to the Achilus Crusade with a crew of 40,000 and a full battalion of Astra Militarum troops.On 942.789.M41, the Malleus Veritatis was in orbit over Khazant, preparing to disembark a battalion of the Scintillan Fusiliers for duty amidst the brutal conditions on the world's surface.Landing shuttles were prepared for launch when a significant force of Chaos vessels attacked from behind cover of one of the world's moons.The cruiser suffered the brunt of the attack as it had inadvertently separated from other Imperial fleet elements in preparation for the landing exercise.The Malleus Veritatis was observed to take substantial damage until all contact was abruptly lost. However, there was no evidence of an explosion nor have any significant portions of the vessel were later found in orbit.One observer's report indicated that the vessel's Warp engines may have been activated in the course of the damage, sending the craft into the Warp. The vessel's current whereabouts remain unknown.In truth, the vessel emerged from the Warp above the Desert World of Cressid where it promptly crashed. The survivors of the crash then set up their own community on that harsh planet.The community is not large, but over the past two solar decades it has become self-sustaining. This is largely due to the resources that survived their vessel's impact upon the world's surface.The light cruiser had a crew of thousands and was reasonably well provisioned for those numbers. It also had substantial capability for hydroponics growth as well as a corpse starch reclamation facility. The majority of these deserters continue to live aboard the ruined hulk, which is now often buried beneath the world's endless sands.As the watch station has not detected any transmissions from the craft, it is assumed that either the astropath and the vessel's vox systems were both damaged or the current residents would prefer to dwell upon the planet rather than return to active duty with the crusade.Under some weather conditions, the Deathwatch's Watch Station Cressid present on the world can detect transmissions from the internal vox systems on the ruined ship. Analysis of the recordings suggests that the deserters have divided into at least two factions, which are at war with one another. The reasons for this condition remain unclear but may simply be a consequence of their desperation.When Deathwatch Battle-Brother Skorsa eliminated a band of Renegades that attempted to attack Watch Station Cressid, his reports indicated that they were particularly well-equipped. Further studies of the armaments recovered indicated that they were standard-issue equipment for the regiments of the Scintillan regiments of the Imperial Guard.There was little indication that any of the equipment had been defaced, so at least those units may have maintained their loyalty to the Imperium.His report has not yet been passed on to the Achilus Crusade authorities. In the intervening years, the survivors may not have been able to maintain their loyalties. Encounters between Imperial forces and these deserters might turn decidedly violent.
Maloghurst - Maloghurst: Maloghurst, also known as The Twisted, was a Veteran Astartes of the XVIth Space Marine Legion, the Luna Wolves, later renamed the Sons of Horus in honour of its Primarch Horus' elevation to the esteemed rank of Imperial Warmaster.Maloghurst was known for his shrewdness and his talent for intrigue and intelligence-gathering, which were unusual amongst the Legiones Astartes, who tended to be forthright in battle and to disdain such shadowy activities.During the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium, Maloghurst served as the equerry to Horus. He acted as the public voice for the XVIth Legion and carried out the Warmaster's will in his capacity as the Sons of Horus Legion's chief enforcer. He was essentially Horus' spymaster and secret police chief after the Heresy began, the traitorous counterpart of Malcador the Sigillite.Maloghurst's nickname came not only from his personality but also the physical damage to his body.Maloghurst had been badly wounded on the world of Sixty-Three-Nineteen during the final days of the Great Crusade, and his spine had been deformed and twisted, making him unfit for active combat duty but still quite effective at the tasks of propaganda, spying and assassination which Horus set him to accomplish.Maloghurst met his death near the end of the Horus Heresy when he sacrificed his life to free a fragment of Horus' soul from the Warp where it had been resisting the enslavement of the Chaos Gods.The equerry entered the Immaterium using his own sorcery and ultimately convinced the Horus soul-fragment to continue his rebellion against the Emperor and initiate the climactic Siege of Terra.
Maloghurst - Great Crusade: Born on the Mining World of Cthonia, Maloghurst was inducted into the Luna Wolves Legion and took part in numerous campaigns during the Great Crusade. A Veteran warrior amongst the ranks of the XVIth Legion, he served as a company captain, and might have even risen to the first captaincy of the Legion had he not been promoted to the office of equerry.As a shrewd and experienced individual, it was his job to protect the Warmaster politically, guiding and advising, blocking and out-playing all opponents. He made it his business to be aware of, and perfectly sensitive to, every political nuance and current that ran through the military and civilian ranks of the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet.Maloghurst was not a well-liked Astartes among his brethren, and was a difficult man to get close to, even by the intimidating standards of the Astartes. Most of his fellow battle-brothers thought of the Warmaster's equerry as a facilitator, loyal only to Horus himself, though no one was ever foolish enough to underestimate him.During the Imperial Compliance of the world designated as Sixty-Three-Nineteen, Maloghurst was despatched by the Warmaster to the planet's surface to parlay with the false leader of this world who called himself the "Emperor of Mankind."Unfortunately, Maloghurst's Stormbird was shot down and he was horribly wounded after it crash-landed on the planet's surface. His body was mangled and his spine horribly twisted, making his physical appearance as warped as his foul mind.Though no longer able to serve the Legion on active combat duty after his injuries, when selected by his primarch to serve as his trusted advisor, Maloghurst proved more than willing to follow the Warmaster in anything -- including treachery against the Master of Mankind and corruption by the Dark Gods of Chaos.He also once boldly stated to his fellow Astartes that he was aware of his nickname of "the Twisted" amongst the rest of the Legion and had no wish to abandon it: his mind was as agile as ever, and if his body was now twisted to fit it, then so be it.
Maloghurst - Traitor: After Horus' corruption by the Chaos Gods, following his miraculous healing in the Temple of the Serpent Lodge on Davin, he conspired to overthrow the Emperor and install himself as the new Master of Mankind. It was Maloghurst's job to ensure that the Warmaster's orders were carried out in his capacity as the chief enforcer of Horus' will.To this end, early on he employed the services of the mute assassin Maggard after he was freed from service to his overbearing Remembrancer mistress Petronella Vivar and then was chemically and surgically enhanced at the Warmaster's orders to make him more like a proto-Astartes.Shortly before Horus initiated his rebellion against the Emperor, Maloghurst became suspicious of the loyalties of Captain Garviel Loken, one of the members of Horus' Mournival, and placed a Warp-eye spying ritual on the Remembrancer Mersadie Oliton before erasing her memory of it. This was so that he might learn more about Loken as the captain interacted with Oliton, since he was known to be friendly with several of the Remembrancers in Oliton's clique aboard the Sons of Horus flagship Vengeful Spirit.Unknown to Maloghurst, several years later this same summoned Warp-eye still in effect on Oliton was used by the Daemon Samus as a gateway into realspace so that it could manifest in the bowels of the Imperial Fists' flagship Phalanx during the Solar War.During the campaign to exterminate the remaining Loyalists of the first four Traitor Legions on Isstvan III, the Loyalist Death Guard Battle-Captain Nathaniel Garro seized control of the frigate Eisenstein to bring a dire warning to the Emperor of the Warmaster's treachery.It was Maloghurst who directed the Death Guard's First Captain Calas Typhon aboard his ship, the Terminus Est, to intercept and prevent the Eisenstein from escaping before it could warn the Emperor of Horus' treachery.
Maloghurst - Sorcerer: As the years of the Traitors' drive on Terra passed, Maloghurst began to delve more deeply into the lore of Chaos with the aid of First Chaplain Erebus of the Word Bearers. Maloghurst soon became quite an adept practicioner of the occult and a master of Daemonology as the Heresy ground on.Serghar Targost, the captain of the 7th Company of the Sons of Horus, and master of the Legion's warrior lodge, began to suspect that through his practice of sorcery Maloghurst had grown more powerful and had healed himself of his old wounds. Targost thought he had begun to feign his incapacity, to make others believe him to be far less dangerous than was the truth.Shortly before the Battle of Molech began, Maloghurst performed a ritual where he violently sacrificed captured mortals to the Ruinous Powers and summoned the Daemon Tormageddon into the body of the brain-dead Sons of Horus Legionary Ger Gerradon. Maloghurst intended this Daemonhost to be the first in a new army of Possessed Chaos Space Marines: the Luperci.Maloghurst played his next major role in the Heresy when he advised Horus during the Battle of Molech.Following the brutal wounding of Horus aboard the Vengeful Spirit at the Battle of Trisolian with the Spear of Russ by the Space Wolves Primarch Leman Russ, the Warmaster fell into a coma during the Battle of Beta-Garmon as the Ruinous Powers in the Warp fought over control of the fragment of the primarch's soul that had remained within the Immaterium after he had passed through the Warp Gate present on Molech.In the absence of Horus' daily presence, the drive of the Traitors upon Terra began to bog down in constant in-fighting amongst the Traitor Legions and their increasingly corrupted primarchs. Maloghurst soon found himself desperate to revive his master lest their rebellion against the Emperor collapse.
Maloghurst - Wargear: Power ArmourPower SwordBolter armed with Banestrike ShellsBolt PistolFrag GrenadesKrak GrenadesRefractor FieldLegion Standard
Malum Caedo - Malum Caedo: Malum Caedo was a Firstborn Sternguard Veteran of the Ultramarines Chapter's 1st Company. He is the primary character in the 2023 retro first-person shooter video game Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun.
Malum Caedo - History: Several standard years after the events of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine on the vital Forge World of Graia, the Sternguard Veteran Malum Caedo and several of his brethren from the Ultramarines Chapter's Veteran 1st Company were sent by the Inquisition back to Graia on a mission of great importance.Since the Ork and Chaos invasions of Graia that had been unleashed upon the Forge World by the machinations of the Chaos Sorcerer Nemeroth several standard years before, the Inquisition had kept Graia closely watched for the emergence of further threats. Inquisitor Seibel of the Ordo Malleus revealed that rogue Tech-priests of Graia had experimented with the remains of the late Inquisitor Drogan's unstable and unique Warp-based power source -- a small cylinder wreathed in potent blue energies -- and the experiments had resulted in the opening of a Warp rift that allowed the forces of Chaos to once more invade the Forge World. Malum Caedo and his Sternguard Veteran Squad were tasked with retrieving the power source with the aid of a Servo-skull that had once belonged to Drogan.When the Ultramarines made planetfall, their Drop Pod was severely damaged during the descent and crash-landed on the planet's surface, leaving Malum Caedo as the sole survivor. As Caedo valiantly fought his way single-handedly through the Chaos forces, including Chaos Cultists, Heretic Astartes and Daemons, it was discovered that the Chaos incursion's leader, a Chaos Sorcerer named Tumulus Samael of the Black Legion, sought the power source for his own nefarious plans to transform Graia into a Daemon World under his control and the orbiting battle-fortress of the Graian Crown into a Warp-based weapon. The sorcerer had already managed to learn the location of the power source fragment and Caedo raced to stop him.When Caedo reached the Adeptus Mechanicus vault containing the power source, Samael appeared and gloated that he had already taken the power source. The sorcerer and his minions attacked the orbital void station above Graia and used the power source to enlarge the Warp rift that threatened to engulf Graia and the entire sector.Malum fought his way through the void station before finally reaching Samael, and after a grueling fight, the Sternguard Veteran managed to slay the sorcerer. Inquisitor Seibel arrived at the void station soon after and retrieved the power source for the Inquisition. Without the power source, the Warp rift began to close, but Seibel warned that there were still many Chaos forces left active on Graia, and Malum Caedo prepared for the trials he had yet to face.
Malus Codicium - Malus Codicium: The Malus Codicium was a proscribed grimoire that detailed a large number of powerful sorcerous rituals. The book itself was said to be thousands of Terran years old and in the wrong hands its knowledge could be used to devastate entire worlds. It was sought after by a great many hands over the years, including Inquisitor Helgrund who sought to destroy the book, and the corrupted heretical noble Pontius Glaw of the world of Gudrun, a follower of Slaanesh, who sought to use it to acquire the barque of the Daemon-King Yssarile. The text finally fell into the hands of the Radical Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn, who used the knowledge within to serve the Imperium at an increasing cost to the purity of his own soul before it was destroyed during a confrontation between Eisenhorn and the Arch-Heretic Pontius Glaw on the world of Ghul.
Malus Codicium - History: Like most occult texts of Chaotic lore, the Malus Codicium's true origin is shrouded in mystery. Its existence and the great danger contained within its pages was apparently known in quite wide circles within the Imperium of Man, since the Inquisitor Helgrund chose to spend the first three decades of his life finding it. When he finally managed to trace the book to the library of Othella on Zandrini Prime it had already been stolen by the Mystic Path, a cabal of dabblers in Warp sorcery in the service of the Radical Inquisitor Quixos. In the following confrontation, Quixos destroyed Helgrund utterly, and took the first of his many steps along the road of damnation.With the grimoire and his other proscribed sources of heretical information, Quixos came to the conclusion that by recreating one of the Necron-built Cadian Pylons on the planet of Farness Beta, he could “pacify” the Warp and wipe the Eye of Terror permanently from existence. Since the Pylon's original purpose was to separate realspace permanently from the Immaterium this attempt would likely have resulted in the destruction of all souls in the Cadia System.Quixos' plan was foiled by the Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn, who killed his rogue colleague and took the Malus Codicium for his own. With the knowledge he gained from the book he bound Quixos' daemonic servant Cherubael in a dungeon on Gudrun, as punishment for the daemon's attempts to manipulate Eisenhorn. Eisenhorn spent much of the following decades studying the cursed book and in time he came to see it as his only chance to defeat his enemies. With the book as his teacher, Eisenhorn learned how to create daemonhosts, undead thralls and explosive Warp vortexes among other dark secrets. In the end, the now Radical Inquisitor destroyed the Codicium during his final battle with the Heretic Pontius Glaw on the world of Ghul, but by that time he already knew much of the text's arcane secrets by heart. This dark knowledge came to be his main tool to defeat the enemies of the Emperor and the daemon Cherubael became his only ally.
Manachean Commonwealth - Manachean Commonwealth: The Manachean Commonwealth is a conglomerate of advanced and populated worlds that lies at the border of both the Segmentum Obscurus and the Ultima Segmentum. Established in the early millennia of the Dark Age of Technology, the Commonwealth is first and foremost comprised of the sprawling Hive Worlds of the Manachea System and the neighbouring Imperial Navy Sector Headquarters at the fortress of Port Maw. Since the days of the Great Crusade and its liberation from the baleful rule of the xenos empire known as the Mitu Conglomerate, it is arguably the most strategically vital area of the entire Coronid Deeps. By the end of the 30th Millennium, the Commonwealth was perhaps the preeminent power within the Coronid Deeps. This led the Traitor Warmaster Horus Lupercal to personally lead the conquest of the Manachea System after his gambit at Istvaan V had failed. Suffering harshly under the traitorous regime but ultimately liberated by the Imperium during the Great Scouring, Manachea's position would nevertheless decline, the once formidable Hive Worlds of the Commonwealth slowly being surpassed and overshadowed by the growing importance of Port Maw.