vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Purge of the Contqual Sub-sector - God-Engines March to War: Princeps Lopi strode forwards, locked within the command throne that lay at the heart of his Warlord-class Titan Terribilis Vindicta, while ahead of his god-engine ran the smaller Warhound-class Scout Titans, loping around the ruined cityscape of the Gorgas wastelands.The Warlord Titan Vindicta came along behind at a more stately pace, walking in tandem with its counterpart Castigatio. The immense, ruined pillars of the south-facing Rovax Gate loomed before them, crowned with wrecked turbo-laser housings and a vast ranked battery of disabled Heavy Bolters.The gate housing reared up over three hundred metres into the sky, a riot of gothic statuary and Imperial iconography. A vista of desolation opened up before the crew. Immediately ahead of them was a wide open area known as the Maw, a kilometres-wide expanse of empty parade grounds, low-profile manufactoria and disused generatoria.Imperial standards bearing the marks of the Astra Militarum's Ferik Tactical Guard regiments dotted the landscape, marking points where objectives had been taken. Lopi knew that the entire Maw had been cleansed following pinpoint raids by Iron Hands squads, and that the real fighting lay ahead -- in the two gigantic Melamar hives and beyond.Lord Clan Commander Arven Rauth contacted the princeps, requesting the Titans' presence in sector 7-6, where the Iron Hands were troubled by enemy armoured units. Lopi acknowledged the Iron Hands commander's request and ordered his Titans to follow.In the narrow gap between two spires, designated Melamar Primus and Melamar Secundus, several groups of Traitor armour had taken up position and were hurling shells into a sector of Melamar Primus that the Titans' sensor grid indicated was occupied by Loyalist forces.Lopi picked out a whole line of Traitor Basilisks recoiling as their payloads were unleashed. Each of them bore strange, heretical symbols in purple and grey on their armour plate, that the Titan crewmembers found that they could not look at for too long without risking a sharp headache.The Titans opened up with their terrifying weaponry, hurling a barrage of spitting, roaring, crackling energy into the enemy's ranks.Across the devastation of the Maw, already scoured into patches of molten metal by the predations of the Iron Hands, the god-engines of the Legio Astorum strode into the inferno, and on their shoulders came the storm of the Omnissiah's wrath.
Purge of the Contqual Sub-sector - Assault on the Capitolis: As the Iron Hands pushed onwards, they encountered all manner of Chaos corruption and filth. The vast subterranean gates to the Capitolis, the terminus of the long transit tunnels, stretched away above them, massive and imposing.Huge pillars of adamantium reared up from the floor, banded with granite and carved into exotic swirls. Stone and metal glimmered in the dark, outlined with shrouds of corpse-light that flickered and swayed rhythmically.Daemons wheeled and dived in front of the gates, tearing through the air like flocks of raptors. Dozens of them had come through a Warp portal and into the tunnels beneath the Capitolis of Shardenus Prime, shrieking and throwing themselves into combat. As they passed, auras of madness lingered in the smoggy dark.The physical elements themselves seemed to recoil from the Daemons' presence, leaving eddies of ash hanging in the air like the wash of ships in oil-fouled water. Some were downed by the hail of bolter fire that rose up to greet them.Others veered their way through the barrage and came crashing to earth, only to meet the massed blades of the claves' Astartes. Their death-screams echoed up into the shadow-shrouded vaults, bouncing from the pillars and running down the grav-train tracks.But Daemons, even Lesser Daemons such as these Slaaneshi Daemonettes, were more than a match for individual Iron Hands, and their capriciousness in battle was for a purpose. As Chief Librarian Telach knew, but few other mortal Humans did, Daemons never died. Their fragile physical forms in realspace could be shattered, banishing their essence back to the shadow world that spawned them, but respite from their malice was only temporary. So it was that the Daemons opened themselves to mortal risk so casually.Throughout it all, the claves fought silently, grimly, mechanically. They stayed in close formation, matching the Daemons' unfocused rage with stoic resolve. The Astartes used their blades with precise, limited movements, and withdrew again when the work was done.Bolters were fired sparingly once the creatures had dropped to ground level. Every Iron Hands battle-brother knew that Daemons were undone better with the weapons of eternity -- swords, knives, axes, fists.The brutality unfolded -- two mingled furies locked together in an close-pressed, desperate orgy of committed bloodletting. Slowly, painfully, the ground was won.Unlike the earlier fighting conducted against the masses of mutated Human troops, this time the Iron Hands took heavy casualties. Each step was paid for in Astartes blood, but the claves remained resolute. They ignored the dead and fought their way up towards the towering gates of the Capitolis.
Purge of the Contqual Sub-sector - Aftermath: The world of Shardenus was brought to heel in short order as the rest of the Contqual Sub-sector fell to the fury of the Iron Hands with equal speed, the citizens of many Contqual worlds turning on their tainted masters and pleading with the Iron Hands for mercy.But the sons of Ferrus Manus are not known for their forgiveness and the Chapter fell on the worlds of the sub-sector with a cleansing wrath, executing one in every three civilians in a great and bloody purge, which the Chapter intended to serve as a righteous punishment for allowing the taint of Chaos to sweep over the worlds of Contqual.Just a few solar weeks after their arrival, the Iron Hands departed, leaving a sub-sector that would become one of the most devoted of all those in the Imperium to the God-Emperor of Mankind in the wake of the Astartes' bloody passing.None of the survivors of the Iron Hands' purge doubted the cold retribution they would face should their faith in the Imperium and the Master of Mankind waver again.
Purging of Centrati's Eye - Purging of Centrati's Eye: The Purging of Centrati's Eye was an unexpected Crusade undertaken by elements of the Black Templars Space Marine Chapter against a pirate fleet of the Dark Eldar. A great defence station in orbit above the newly colonised Imperial Frontier World of Centrati came under attack from a Dark Eldar lightning raid. The station, referred to as "Centrati's Eye" by the garrisoned Imperial Guard troops, soon fell to the attackers. All remaining crew were rounded up in chains and sent to the Dark Eldar's mysterious home of Commorragh in the Webway as slaves to face a fate worse than death as the Dark Eldar specialised in torture and suffering intended to provide their own souls with nourishment and prevent Slaanesh from claiming them.This was apparently not enough for the savage xenos, as they began to charge up the powerful weapons adorning the Centrati's Eye space station, and then brought them to bear against the human settlements on the planet. Thousands of colonists and many years' worth of Imperial investment in the new colony were instantly vaporised.
Purging of Centrati's Eye - The Battle: Unknown to the Dark Eldar, a Black Templar Battle Barge was stationed in orbit on the other side of the planet. The Black Templars had been called to the planet a week earlier to assist in the "removal" of an intelligent alien species native to the planet that had been slowing the human colonisation process. Upon receiving the distress voxes emanating from the orbiting defence platform, along with the massive energy discharge directed at the planet, the Dark Eldar threat was realised. The Black Templars are well known for their utter hatred of the Eldar, and after uttering a short battle oath swearing not to rest until the Dark Eldar xenos were utterly destroyed, Thunderhawks scrambled to pick up the ground forces and rendezvous with the Battle Barge. Within an hour of the devastating blast from Centrati's Eye, the Black Templars were on their way to drive out the Dark Eldar and exact vengeance. On reaching the station, however, the Black Templars found that another force had already begun the attack on the Dark Eldar pirates. The Dark Eldar's counterparts from the Craftworlds had appeared out of nowhere to battle their twisted counterparts. Faced with such large numbers of xenos, the Black Templars unleashed a devastating attack upon both Eldar forces.
Purging of Centrati's Eye - Outcome: Although the fighting did ultimately spill over onto the planet's surface, both alien forces were decimated over the coming months by the Black Templars' assault. Centrati's Eye was ultimately retaken and cleansed of the xenos taint while Centrati itself was made safe for further human colonisation and incorporation into the Emperor's realm.
Puritan - Puritan: A Puritan is an Inquisitor or other agent of the Inquisition who adheres strictly to official Imperial political and religious doctrine and seeks to uphold and enforce those doctrines across Imperial space.They typically will persecute or seek to eliminate even their more unorthodox brethren Inquisitors and other Imperial agents and servants when given the chance, as they are most concerned with maintaining the Imperium of Man's status quo in the 41st Millennium.Puritans generally believe that maintaining Humanity in its present state is crucial since it upholds what they believe to be the God-Emperor's will, even if this results in simply perpetuating the political repression, extreme inequality, ignorance and long period of technological and cultural stagnation that has afflicted Mankind for much of the time since the end of the Horus Heresy over ten standard millennia ago.
Puritan - Puritan Philosophies: Puritans more or less believe the tenets of the Imperial Creed as it is handed down to the Imperium of Man's citizens in the 41st Millennium -- the Emperor of Mankind is an embodied god, the dark forces of the Warp are unutterably evil, intelligent xenos species always represent a threat to the divinely-ordained Human dominance over the galaxy, and mutants, Heretics and witches must not be tolerated. Furthermore, Puritans tend to believe in maintaining the status quo of the Imperium, since despite all its many flaws it is still the primary instrument of the Emperor's will and the embodiment of His great dream to unite the Human species.Puritans are mostly young and full of fire, eager to prove themselves to their peers and their Emperor by hunting down Humanity's traditional foes and preserving the stability of the Imperium. Many Acolytes and Throne Agents also share this zeal, particularly as they are often at the sharp end of any engagement with Chaos Cultists, mutants and other such scum.Even if they do not entirely agree with this view of the Imperium, an Inquisitor will often encourage Puritan ideals within their servants, knowing that this will help them expedite the task of rooting out corruption with great gusto.
Purity Lathimon - Purity Lathimon: Purity Lathimon was a Rogue Trader who first opened the Koronus Expanse of the Segmentum Obscurus up to Imperial exploration in 997.M40.Purity Lathimon succeeded where dozens of other Rogue Traders had failed and perished, when she discovered and plotted safe passage from the Calixis Sector through what she dubbed "the Maw" to the Koronus Expanse beyond. Fated and cursed in equal measure in some quarters, Purity Lathimon's crew returned largely too insane or troubled in mind to travel the void again, and she bartered her knowledge for vast wealth with the other Rogue Traders posed to exploit her discovery.Purity herself is said to have disappeared back within the Imperium after imparting her secrets to those who would follow her. According to some apocryphal stories she is said to have purchased her own paradise world outright and in others to have met a far darker fate.
Purple Stars - Purple Stars: Purple StarsSecond FoundingSpace MarineChapterAdeptus MechanicusInquisition
Purple Stars - Chapter History: Sometime during the 32nd Millennium, at the behest of Technomagos Ipsissimus and an unidentified emissary of the Inquisitorial Representative of the High Lords of Terra, the Purple Stars sent Epistolary Merchsturmer and half a squad of Battle-Brothers (5 Astartes) into the Eye of Terror to carry out a clandestine reconnaissance mission. But their presence did not go unnoticed for long, and soon the Purple Stars found their null ship being boarded by a large force of Chaos Space Marines.Severely outnumbered and running low on ammunition, the Purple Stars prepared to sell their lives dearly, attacking the Traitor Marines with Chainswords and Power Axes in a futile attempt to repel them. The Purple Stars Astartes and the crew of the ship were wiped out, with the exception of two lone survivors: one was the Purple Stars Librarian Merchsturmer and the other was the ship's Astropath.Though mortally wounded, the Librarian had managed to acquire his fallen Battle-Brothers' Progenoid Glands, to be implanted into a future generation of Purple Stars Astartes. Before dying, Mechsturmer passed on a dire warning to the Imperium of Man -- another Black Crusade of Abaddon the Despoiler was fast approaching.
Purple Stars - Notable Purple Stars: Librarian Merchsturmer - Merchsturmer was the lone survivor of the Purple Stars strike force which entered the Eye of Terror during the 32nd Millenium to carry out a clandestine reconnaissance mission. Before dying after escaping the Eye, Merchsturmer passed on a dire warning to the Imperium of Man -- another Black Crusade of Abaddon the Despoiler was fast approaching.
Purple Stars - Chapter Colours: The Purple Stars' Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records. However, the Librarians of this Chapter wear ebon Power Armour instead of the usual standard blue panoply of a Librarian.
Purple Stars - Chapter Badge: The Purple Stars' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Pursuer - Pursuer: A Pursuer, often part of a Pursuer cadre, was a Null Maiden of the Sisters of Silence who served as the cyber beast-handlers and hunters of that order, called upon to track down a fleeing quarry such as a Rogue Psyker and either flush them out of hiding for capture or destroy them on sight as needed.  They served as the masters and operators of Cyber-mastiffs, Steeltalon Hawks, and other cybernetic hunting beasts collectively called "Pursuer Beasts."As some of the most agile of their order, Pursuers were typically deployed away from the bulk of the Silent Sisterhood's detachments among the streets, hab-blocks and alleyways of the targeted city in order to monitor for potential ambushes, those attempting to escape the tithe or other dangers which might threaten the operations of the detachment.In this pursuit each Pursuer holds command over a single Cyber-jackal, Cyber-mastiff, Steeltalon Hawks or other cybernetic Pursuer Beast, and through programmed tap-codes broadcast from a wristpiece, the beasts are directed and their sight and hearing relayed back and displayed so the Pursuers can quickly identify potential signs of refuge or ambush and alert their comrades. The cyber-beasts, as part of their creation, are suited to nearly any urban terrain and are often deployed based on the potential utility of their systems.Cyber-jackals are widely used among Pursuer deployments and are valued both for their endurance and the sheer terror they cause, while Steeltalon Hawks are frequently designated for use in urban environments with tall hab-blocks, narrow streets and wide stretches of terrain impassable by foot, extending the visual range of the Sisterhood's hunting cadres far beyond mere Human ability.
Pursuer - Unit Composition: 2-5 Pursuers1 Pursuer Mistress3-6 Pursuer Beasts
Pursuer - Wargear: Vratine ArmourClose Combat Weapon (Any type)Execution Blade (As replacement for Close Combat Weapon)Auspex (Only one Pursurer in unit)Nuncio Vox (Only one Pursurer in unit)Bolt PistolFrag GrenadesKrak GrenadesPsyk-Out Grenades3-6 Steeltalon Hawks, Cyber-jackals, Cyber-Mastiffs, or other Pursuer Beasts, one in three of which is armed with:FlamerMeltagunPower Weapon (Any type, Pursuer Mistress only)Hand Flamer (Pursuer Mistress only)Needle Pistol (Pursuer Mistress only)Plasma Pistol (Pursuer Mistress only)Charnabal Sabre (Pursuer Mistress only)Kharon Pattern Acquisitor (Dedicated transport)
Pursuer Beast - Pursuer Beast: A Pursuer Beast is a cybernetic or robotic construct in the form of a Terran animal like a Cyber-jackal, Cyber-mastiff or Steeltalon Hawk used by the Pursuer cadres of the Sisters of Silence to hunt down their prey, usually Rogue Psykers, insurrectionaries or any others who would interfere with the Imperium's collection of the Great Tithe of psykers.These creatures come in a wide variety of types and are augmetically-enhanced with various bionics for their role. Some are a mixture of organic flesh and machine, while others are almost wholly mechanical with only the central nervous system using vat-grown or three-dimensional printed organic layers created by Adeptus Mechanicus genetors to take the cortical imprint. There are a great variety of Pursuer Beasts which are selected from the most deadly wildlife found across the Imperium. They are hand-reared by their Pursuers and mnemonically conditioned to obey their handlers without question.
Pursuer Beast - Notable Pursuer Beasts: Cyber-mastiffCyber-jackalSteeltalon HawkCyber Felidae - Cyber Felidae are created through the cybernetic conversion of many of the great hunting cat species to be found across the galaxy.Cyber Raptor - Much like a Steeltalon HAwk, a Cyber Raptor is created from one of the species of great hunting avians that can be found on many of the Human-settled worlds of the Imperium.Cyber Caiman - A Cyber Caiman is a vicious cybernetic reptile created from aligatorid caiman species. These Pursuer Beasts are particularly useful at hunting prey on Ocean Worlds and Swamp Worlds and excel at underwater ambushes.
Putrid Choir - Putrid Choir: The Putrid Choir are a warband or vectorium of Heretic Astartes of the Death Guard Traitor Legion's 3rd Plague Company. Noxious Blightbringers are especially prevalent in the vectoriums of the 3rd Plague Company. Such warbands as the Putrid Choir or the Dolorous Gnaw rarely take to the battlefield without two or three Blightbringers to herald them into battle.The Putrid Choir's march to battle is signalled by the baleful toll of the vectorium's tocsins of misery, wielded by its Blightbringers. Accompanying this maddening percussion come discordant battle dirges sung in praise of Grandfather Nurgle.Digging in amidst enemy territory, the Putrid Choir drive their foes mad with their droning cacophony, the enemy giving up defended positions and charging their guns rather than face the entropic aural torment.
Putrid Choir - Notable Campaigns: Battle of Anvarheim (Unknown Date.M41) - Imperial Navy ships of Battlefleet Obscurus pursue an outnumbered Plague Fleet through the Kuidus Belt. After a savage battle, the last surviving Plague Ship manages to perform a full combat drop onto the world of Anvarheim before breaking up in the planet's atmosphere. Emerging from their dropcraft, the Putrid Choir tear their way into Anvarheim's polar fortress city -- Jotungaard -- and seize the complex for themselves. Expecting swift victory, wave after wave of Imperial forces descend upon the complex. Each is broken in turn upon the tenacious Death Guard defences. A prolonged siege develops amidst bitter snowstorms tainted by Nurglesque plague spores, and as the fighting stretches into solar weeks, then months, the Putrid Choir's entropic dirge echoes endlessly across Jotungaard from the fortress' vox emitters. At last, three standard years after the Putrid Choir first descended upon Anvarheim, the remaining Imperial forces -- starved, diseased and deranged -- flee for the stars, leaving the Death Guard warriors sorely depleted but victorious within their contaminated fastness.The Pristine Rotting (Unknown Date.M42) - After enduring solar months of filth and indignity in battle against the Putrid Choir, the Astra Militarum's 14th Volpone Bluebloods can take no more, and beg Nurgle to spare them from the corruption. The Plague God answers, rendering them forever gleaming and pristine, except for every seventh soldier amongst them. These unfortunates endure all the disease and pestilence their comrades should have, bloating into dirt-smeared, infectious spawn whose forlorn wails and wretched stench drives the rest of the regiment mad with guilt and horror. The Bluebloods turn their guns on their former comrades before throwing in their lot with their Death Guard tormentors.
Putrid Choir - Warband Colours: The Putrid Choir's power armour is the same as that of the Death Guard, composed of decayed and cracked plates of ceramite in sickly green with light rust trim. Putrid Choir Chaos Space Marines, like those of the Death Guard, often wear grotesquely warped suits of antique Mark III Iron Power Armour.
Putrid Choir - Warband Badge: The Putrid Choir's warband badge is usually a modified version of the standard Mark of Nurgle, similar to that used by the rest of the Death Guard.
Putrid Choir - Sources: Codex Heretic Astartes - Death Guard (8th Edition), pp. 15, 21-22, 32Dark Imperium (Game), Death Guard Booklet, "Death Guard Vectoriums," pg. 12
Pyran Dragoons - Pyran Dragoons: The Pyran Dragoons are the elite Astra Militarum regiments that hail from the Civilised World of Pyran that is located in the Armageddon Sub-sector of the Segmentum Solar. Considered haughty, conceited and proud, the Pyran Dragoons are noticeably intolerant of those who are ignorant of the nuances of their stringent, caste-based society. The Dragoons' regiments have gained a reputation for an extreme refusal to collaborate with other Imperial Guard formations.
Pyran Dragoons - History: The Civilised World of Pyran has a stringent and divisive caste-based society, developed and refined over millennia after the initial Imperial colonisation of the planet in the 34th Millennium. At the very apex of this elitist world is the ruling Imperial Governor, chosen directly by the Adeptus Terra from one of the leaders of the Imperial Greater Noble Houses. The people of Pyran are intrinsically bound by their traditions in a way few off-worlders comprehend and the social and political standing of any one of the noble houses rests almost solely on the social graces of its members, as well as their military achievements within the Dragoons.Though Imperial histories often grow vague with the passage of time, the Pyran Dragoons have a keen affinity for their past deeds, particularly as they are the only regiment in the entire Armageddon Sub-sector that is recorded as having achieved a Right of Conquest. The long and distinguished history of the Pyran Dragoons is the main source of the immense pride that all the noble houses of Pyran, Greater and Lesser, deem essential to their very existence. Originally founded in the 34th Millennium as the Tyler Grenadiers to counter a sharp rise in Chaos raider activity that followed the Sinto Uprising in the Justicar Sub-sector, the regiment was transported to the recently colonised world of Pyran as the war swept past the Hive World of Armageddon. Though the Tyler regiment was battered and severely under strength due to its past engagements, the Grenadiers were successful in bringing the Chaos raiders to combat in an ambush outside the planet's only town. The devastating trap they laid for the raiders of hidden vehicles and ranked Guardsmen tore into the flanks of the raiders as they landed. Though the fighting caused many losses on both sides, the Grenadiers were able to break the back of the Chaos army, forcing them to withdraw from Imperial space entirely. The colonel of the Tyler Grenadiers declared a Right of Conquest on the last planet his regiment had fought upon and his Guardsmen settled on what became Pyran.
Pyran Dragoons - Regimental Organisation: The officers of the Pyran Dragoons are drawn from the highest ranks of the Pyran noble houses. Officially, each commission for officership must be earned on the field of battle, but as military service within the Dragoons grants a tremendous boon to any man's social standing, in practice many nobles are able to simply purchase their way in. Once their commission is gained, almost all officers become very jealous of their rank and constantly vie with one another to gain the notice of their superiors. Though duelling between officers is outlawed by decree within the regiment, duels are all too common as the Pyran nobles seek to correct imagined slights, remove rivals or simply look to discredit another, rival noble house by any method possible.The Pyran officers' strict adherence to the edicts and traditions of their houses has often led them to be intolerant of any who are ignorant of the nuances of their society. The regiment has gained a reputation for an extreme lack of collaboration with other Imperial Guard formations, with formal challenges to duels often being made by Pyran officers after a counterpart in another regiment has unintentionally infringed some long-standing tradition of the Dragoons.The Guardsmen of the regiment are drawn from the Pyran Lower Houses and, despite the constant berating they receive from their officers, they are all too aware of the long and proud history of the Pyran Dragoons and view themselves as being somewhat superior to any other regiment that treats its Guardsmen as mere "ground-pounders." They are confident in their own sense of worth to the Imperium.Very occasionally, a Pyran Guardsman, through bravery and success, will distinguish himself on the battlefield and, depending on the current standing of his noble house, may gain the attention of his commanding officer. On a whim, he may be raised above the rank of Guardsman and be granted a commission to the rank of Lieutenant. Whilst this will grant a tremendous boost to his house, officers raised from common Guardsmen are treated with extreme contempt by those who have purchased their rank as a consequence of their birthright and he will be barred from the many social functions that officers usually take for granted. During times of war, such a Pyran officer will even be denied access to tactical meetings and will be barely tolerated by his fellow officers. The Guardsmen they lead into battle are also prone to receive their new officer poorly, preferring to be led by a man from one of the Greater Houses as the standing of their own officer greatly influences their own social position and prestige amongst other Pyran Guardsmen. It is not entirely unknown for these newly promoted officers to soon meet with "accidents" when they lead their men into combat for the first time.
Pyran Dragoons - Notable Campaigns: Third War for Armageddon (998.M41) - During the Third War for Armageddon the Pyran Dragoons were stationed at Cerbera Base to receive training in the hunting of Feral Orks still inhabiting the planet. The haughty Dragoons soon found themselves in conflict with the uncouth Armageddon Ork Hunters. The two regiments could not have been more diametrically opposed in their approach to warfare and arguments between officers of the two opposing regiments were quite common. The situation further eroded when Colonel Pertinax, the commander of Cerbera Base (also known as Hell Town), ordered the Dragoons to maintain perimeter positions that the Pyrans viewed as suicidally weak, and so, they disobeyed the Ork Hunter commander, and abandoned their positions. This withdrawal abetted a massive Ork assault that the Ork Hunters were barely able to push back. It was said after the Battle of Hell Town that the argument between Pertinax and Dragoon Colonel Tannley-Drake could be clearly heard over the whole fortified camp until, finally, the Pyran challenged his counterpart to a duel. Accounts differ as to the outcome of the duel, but the Pyran Dragoons have always maintained that their colonel nobly scored first blood against the Ork Hunter, allowing the entire regiment to honourably retire to Infernus Hive for further orders. In the aftermath of this honour duel, the two regiments have remained bitter rivals ever since.
Pyran Dragoons - Notable Pyran Dragoons: Colonel Tannley-Drake - The overall commander of the Pyran Dragoons regiment stationed at Cerbera Base, Colonel Tannley-Drake came to blows in an honour-duel with the base commander, Colonel Pertinax, of the Armageddon Ork Hunters, over a matter of opinion in regards to the Dragoons purposely disobeying the base commander and abandoning their positions before a major Greenskin assault. Though accounts vary, supposedly the Dragoons commander nobly scored first blood, allowing the Dragoons to save face and honourably withdraw to Infernus Hive.
Pyran Dragoons - Trivia: The Pyran Dragoons' distinctive look is based upon the elaborate uniforms worn by Great Britain's Life Guards, the senior regiment of the British Army. Just before the Restoration of King Charles II to the English and Scottish thrones in 1660, a Royal Mounted Bodyguard was formed in Holland from 80 Royalists who had gone into exile with Charles after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Membership was originally restricted to the British gentry and nobility, and accordingly they had no non-commissioned officers; their corporals were commissioned, and ranked as lieutenants in the rest of the army. This state of affairs persisted until 1756.
Pyrathas - Pyrathas: Pyrathas is an Imperial Fortress World found within the Pyrathas Majorus System of the Jericho Reach. It is also the second largest anchorage for the Imperial Navy in the Iron Collar.The system's primary star is a fierce, blue-white supergiant. This star is orbited by a second brown dwarf in a tidally locked orbit. Inside this brown dwarf's penumbra, Pyrathas also hangs in a tidally locked orbit, shielded from the fury of the supergiant.This unique location affords Pyrathas a distinct defence against outside incursion, making it an advantageous location for an Imperial Fortress World.Due to the difficulty of reaching the planet, nearly all of Pyrathas' population is involved in the operation of the large fortress complexes that cover the planet.Pyrathas acts as one of the main points through which Imperial Navy forces are reassigned throughout space of the Achilus Crusade.A large Adeptus Administratum presence monitors the flow of personnel and resources, and a contingent of Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-priests operate from Ice Station Zeta.Pyrathas has no exports, and requires a large supply of munitions and food usually brought in through the Jericho-Maw Warp Gate. Its primary purpose is in the management and distribution of Imperial forces throughout the crusade's salients of operation.The harsh atmosphere and craggy, barren landscape leaves little in the way of planetary resources to be exploited.
Pyrathas - Geography: The surface of Pyrathas is a hellish, inhospitable place; a craggy world of jutting peaks, sharp ridges, and deep fjords, with little life beyond hardy algae and lichens. The climate is exacerbated by the world's unique stellar geometry. As it is tidally locked with Pyrathas Majorus, half the world has never seen the sun.On this side of Pyrathas, the fjords fill with glaciers and every peak is covered with a cap of snow that has not melted in millions of years. At the far point, the very air is so cold that it can freeze a man's lungs the moment he inhales.On the other side, the baleful but muted glare of Pyrathas Majorus warms the world like hands held close to a smouldering ember. Here life is possible, but only just. The constant glow from the brown dwarf keeps its moon above freezing, but the world is constantly lit by a deep red glow.Those stationed here find this environment so psychologically unsettling that the thick shutters covering most of the structures' windows remain permanently sealed.Even so, the installations on Pyrathas have grown to an impressive size, even larger than Adamant Station above it. Scattered along the rocky cliffs of one of Pyrathas' larger oceans, the fortifications have been dubbed "Fortress Illium," and they have capped the cliffs and ridges in steel and adamantium.
Pyrathas - Key Locations: Due to the unique stellar geography of Pyrathas, many of the Fortress World's installations are concentrated in orbit.However, the Astra Militarum still maintains substantial fortifications on the surface, along with Munitorum supply depots, sustenance-mills, and mining installations.
Pyrathas - Fortress Ilium: Illium is centred around the base of the orbital tower that links it to Adamant Station. Through it flows a constant torrent of supplies and Imperial Guardsmen -- the former destined for the vast supply caverns cut into the bedrock below the base, the latter to wait inside the labyrinthine stretches of barracks surrounding the central bastion.Most of Illium's installations -- supply caverns, barracks, sustenance processors, hab-farms, laboritoriums, medicae facilities, repair and maintenance depots, and even a small forge maintained by the Adeptus Mechanicus -- exist within the kilometres of caverns carved under the surface. The population of a major city lives, works, and prepares to fight under the ground.Above their heads, thousands of kilometres of trenches, bastions, fortifications, walls, and razor wire stretch out from the central bastion. Every sector has overlapping artillery emplacements, supported by shorter-ranged mortar positions and buttressed with air defence emplacements.Every cliff along the ocean has hangers cut into the very rock for Thunderbolt, Lightning, and Marauder aircraft. In the five standard years since she first took command of Illium, General Helga Vastorpoole has kept the Imperial Guard regiments transferring through Illium constantly busy.Under the philosophy that idle hands can only cause trouble, she keeps those staying in her fortress busy constructing new and improved fortifications.Any enemy foolish enough to attack Illium would come under fire from Hydra Autocannon emplacements and Icarus Lascannons upon entering the atmosphere. The mountains around the fortress contained many cunningly disguised air defences, supported by long-range Manticore launchers and their deadly Storm Eagle missiles.Once on the ground, enemies would still have to contend with constant airstrikes from Marauder bombers, and long range shelling from the base's Earthshaker Cannons.Then, when they finally launched their attack, they would have to chew through kilometres of interlinked defences, trenches, bunkers, block-houses, and underground sally ports -- all the while under fire from Heavy Bolters, Colossus siege mortars, and the lasguns of tens of thousands of veteran Guardsmen.The defences seem impregnable, and General Vastorpoole certainly believes they are. However, they have yet to be tested by either the Tyranids or the Stigmartus, and both are incredibly dangerous foes.
Pyrathas - Ice Station Zeta: On the far side of Pyrathas from Illium is Ice Station Zeta. Laid atop one of the largest glaciers on Pyrathas, Zeta is a Phaeton Pattern research complex with a single landing pad, spartan living quarters, several extremely advanced research facilities, and a permanent defence detachment of two squads of Storm Troopers.Zeta is operated by the Biologis branch of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Here, several Genetors frantically research possible biological weapons or defences against the Tyranids.The station takes every precaution with the volatile and dangerous materials they are utilizing, but its biggest safeguard is being a world away from any other Humans on the planet.Still, its presence is kept secret from the Imperial Guard and Navy commanders of Pyrathas. Instead, the Mechanicus has maintained ties with the Ordo Xenos and the Deathwatch Librarian Zadkiel, who secretly sponsor their endeavours.
Pyrathas - Penumbra Outpost: At the tip of the shadow cast by the gas giant Pyrathas Majorus, the Navy maintains an observatory station to watch for approaching enemies.A tiny disk only three hundred metres across, Penumbra Outpost maintains a crew of slightly less than two hundred malcontents, failures, and washed-up junior officers.The station is lightly defended, and Captain Skor's feeling is that it is completely expendable in the case of a major attack. Because of this, he consciously sends his worst to crew it, so they will be out of his way.This plan may backfire, however. Unknown to his superiors, the current commander of Penumbra Outpost, Lieutenant Vance Ulderhoff, is a traitor to the Imperium.Captured by the Stigmartus during one of the salient's battles five years ago, Ulderhoff survived when the rest of his unit was executed by giving up valuable Imperial secrets. The Stigmartus decided to return him to Imperial lines, hoping he would prove some use as a double agent.Ulderhoff eventually ended up on Pyrathas, and then on Penumbra Outpost when his malingering ways earned him one too many official reprimands. He is eager to let his true masters know about Pyrathas' location, but as of yet has no way to dispatch any message.Until he finds one, he waits, doing just enough of his duty to ensure he won't be executed for complete failure.
Pyrathas - Notable Personnel: Lieutenant Commander Alaxis McKaleGeneral Helga VastorpooleCaptain Sylas SkorLieutenant Vance Ulderhoff
Pyre, The - Pyre, The: The Pyre is a warband of Chaos Space Marines of unknown origin, most active currently in the Jericho Reach.
Pyre, The - Warband History: The Pyre warband were first observed by Imperial forces near the Eye of Terror in 131.M41. There are no confirmed records of encounters with the warband prior to this time.Departmento Munitorum analysts have not been able to determine if The Pyre splintered from another known Chaos warband, or if they were assembled from fragments of several different groups.There are also no indications that The Pyre holds fealty to any Chaos God; instead they seek to coordinate their battles with servants of all the Dark Gods. The Pyre are known to have operated at some point from the space hulk known as the Unholy Harbinger.
Pyre, The - Notable Campaigns: Achilus Crusade (777.M41) - The Pyre has continuously plagued the Jericho Reach during the Imperium's ongoing Achilus Crusade. The Pyre's forces have played prominent roles in several actions, particularly in the Vanity System. Oddly, though, no higher-ranking members of this warband have been positively identified. Instead, these Traitors have been seen in the company of Warp creatures and the Stigmartus, a Chaos Cult operating in the Reach. Also of note is that Pyre units have not been observed working directly with Chaos Space Marines of other warbands. Given the typically diverse types of units employed by the forces of Chaos, this separation is inexplicable. The forces of the Achilus Crusade have faced several Strike Cruisers and a Battle Barge that bore the markings of The Pyre. These vessels were seen in the Vanity and Magog Systems, along with company-sized deployments of Pyre forces. The number of voidcraft encountered suggests that there are at least several company-sized units of these Heretic Astartes active in the Reach, but the main body of the crusade has not yet made contact with any deployments of that size. This could mean that The Pyre's elements are spread throughout the salient, are being held largely in reserve, or that they are sharing their vessels with other Chaos elements as evidenced by the known deployments. The Pyre is known to hold several fortifications in the Vanity System, such as the Torch and the Crucible.
Pyre, The - Warband Combat Doctrine: Though capable in melee situations and extended range engagements, The Pyre warband is known to favour short-range combat, especially in urban environments.Their devotion to Flamer weapons often dictate their tactics, as they generally eschew assault and fire support elements. Instead, they have become adept at moving through cover until such time as they can attack with deadly eldritch fire.The Pyre has been observed to coordinate their battles with servants of all the Dark Gods, which have included daemonic and Chaos Cultist elements.
Pyre, The - Warband Beliefs: The Pyre do not have a specific Chaos God that they rally to as their chief patron. Instead they venerate the four Chaos Gods in the form of Chaos Undivided.
Pyre, The - Notable Pyres: Goethe Darkflame - A Chosen Terminator, Darkflame has been a member of The Pyre warband for Terran centuries. Over that time, his hatred for the Imperium and its "Corpse Emperor" has been repeatedly fanned and now it can burst into flame in an instant. His devotion to the Dark Gods is a distant second to his ire towards those who bend their knee to the Imperium. The only facet of his personality more powerful than his burning anger is his incredible sense of self-preservation. Though he welcomes combat with those he considers beneath him, he is not too proud to retreat from any situation in which he believes the odds are not in his favour. This aspect is somewhat offset by the fact that this Renegade Astartes has an exceedingly high opinion of his combat prowess. He is currently in command of The Pyre's bunker called the Torch on the world of Vanity, and he believes that this task is a rebuke from the ascendant Chaos Champions of his warband. Consequently, he holds a deep grudge against the higher-ranking members of The Pyre.Kole Soulfire - A Renegade psyker formerly in the service of Inquisitor Ghent, when he was known as Darius Phine. He is now a Chaos Sorcerer and is currently in charge of The Pyre's fortress of the Crucible in the Vanity System. He intends to perform a daemonic ritual with the stolen Imperial artefact known as the Sphere of St. Aret.
Pyre, The - Warband Colours: The Pyre's Power Armour is painted orange with black trim. Since 131.M41, units wearing modified version of Pyre wargear have been observed on several occasions.
Pyre, The - Warband Badge: The Pyre's warband badge is an orange skull with flames protruding from its top, placed over an eight-pointed black Star of Chaos. This is centred on a field of orange.
Pyre Guard - Pyre Guard: The Pyre Guard were the seven Veteran Space Marine Battle-Brothers of the Salamanders Legion who served as the Primarch Vulkan's elite Honour Guard during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. Sworn to protect the Primarch, they were warriors set apart from the rest of the XVIIIth Legion. The Pyre Guard were not like other Salamanders; they had more fire, more fury. Like the volcanoes of ancient Nocturne, the great jagged mountain chains of the Dragonspike and Mount Deathfire, they were perpetually on the brink of eruption. Pyre Guard were chosen warriors, those Astartes of the XVIIIth Legion who had displayed a level of self-sacrifice and self-sufficiency that exceeded all others. Like the samurai of old Nihon (Japan), they were fighters foremost, who could ally as a unit or function expertly on their own. They were also leaders in their own right, and each Pyre Guard commanded a Chapter of the Legion in addition to their duties as the Primarch's inner circle warriors.All of the Pyre Guard were Terran-born Space Marines, but still displayed the physical traits of onyx-black skin and red eyes, an irreversible reaction to the unique radiation of Nocturne combined with the genetic heritage of their Primarch, possessed by every Salamander, regardless of origin. As Terran-born sons of Vulkan, they did not always fully appreciate the earthy sentiments of the Nocturnean culture in which Vulkan had been raised, but they knew their duty deep within their genetically-enhanced bones. They were led by Artellus Numeon, a Terran-born Salamanders officer who also served as the First Captain of the Legion's elite 1st Company (the Firedrakes) and as Equerry to the Primarch. The Pyre Guard's fate following the Horus Heresy remains unknown, but like their contemporaries, the Morlocks of the Iron Hands Legion, they may have met their end as a coherent formation of the Salamanders Legion during the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V.
Pyre Guard - Origins: When Vulkan was reunited with his Legion on Nocturne, he saw the potential in his few remaining Terran sons. From amongst these survivors he chose the most stoic and fiercely independent warriors; those who had endured the worst of the XVIIIth Legion's trials and tribulations throughout the early years of the Great Crusade before he had been reunited with them. From these chosen few, the Primarch founded the Pyre Guard, his personal Honour Guard; charged with the protection of their Primarch and to act as his inner circle of advisors.Set apart from the other warriors of the XVIIIth Legion, all of the vaunted Pyre Guard were without equal. These individual warriors were hungry, ready for war. Like the deep drakes of Vulkan's homeworld, they were savage and fierce, sharp of claw and tooth. The members of the Pyre Guard were not like other Salamanders; they had more fire, more fury. Like the volcanoes of ancient Nocturne, the great jagged chains of the Dragonspike and Mount Deathfire, they were perpetually on the brink of eruption. Even the warriors of the Pyroclasts were not as volatile.The Pyre Guard were chosen warriors, those that displayed a level of self-sacrifice and self-sufficiency that exceeded all others. Like the saburai of old Nihon, they were fighters foremost, who could ally as a unit or function expertly on their own. They were also leaders, and each Pyre Guard commanded a Chapter of the Legion in addition to their duties as the Primarch's inner circle warriors. Though Terran-born, these elite warriors still displayed the physical traits of onyx-black skin and red eyes, an irreversible reaction to the unique radiation of Nocturne combined with the genetic heritage of their Primarch, which every Salamander, regardless of origin, possessed. The Pyre Guard's number always stood at seven, a number of great cultural significance to the people of Nocturne. When they marched to war with their Primarch, every one of their personal weapons was forged by its bearer, and every one could spit fire like the drakes of old.