vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Dark Sons - Chapter Badge: The Dark Sons' Chapter badge is a stylised green-, open-faced, twelve-pointed star with a circle of the same tone of green in the centre, on a field of white.
Dark Sons - Sources: Adeptus Astartes: Successor Chapters (Limited Release Booklet), pg. 32Codex Supplement: Ultramarines (8th Edition), pg. 25Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 30Deathwatch: The Achilus Crusade (RPG), pg. 27Deathwatch: The Jericho Reach (RPG), pg. 19How to Paint Space Marines (2004), pg. 89Imperial Armour Volume Nine - The Badab War - Part One, pg. 116Dark Hunters: Umbra Sumus (Novel) by Paul Kearney
Dark Swords - Dark Swords: The Dark Swords is a Codex Astartes-compliant Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. Almost nothing is known about this Chapter in current Imperial records.
Dark Swords - Notable Campaigns: Garanhir Rebellion (649.M40) - A World Eaters warband, under the command of the notorious murderer Dhalahk, launched a mass incursion against the world of Garanhir, intent upon spilling the blood of the faithful in an unprecedented act of veneration of the Blood God. Expecting to find Garanhir unprepared for attack and ripe for the slaughter, what the Berserkers actually encountered as they charged from the assault ramps of their drop craft was a world already claimed by war, the populace armed and led by the famously militant Inquisitor Malphas Kroh. Kroh had employed a precog-coven of psykers to predict the World Eaters' assault, his punitive intervention sparking a general uprising which he put down a mere solar day before the Berserkers' attack. The World Eaters found the Inquisitor and a large force of Grey Knights, as well as Dark Swords and Black Wings Space Marines, waiting for them. Battle was joined without delay, and while the warriors of Dhalahk made a lethal account of themselves, they were ultimately slain, the entire warband cut down by the defenders, though not without significant cost to the Imperium's forces.
Dark Swords - Chapter Colours: The Dark Swords' Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Dark Swords - Chapter Badge: The Dark Swords' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Dark Talon - Dark Talon: A Dark Talon, also known as a Ravenwing Dark Talon, is a variant atmospheric fighter used only by the Space Marines of the Dark Angels and their Unforgiven Successor Chapters. A formidable weapon employed by the Dark Angels' elite 2nd Company, known as the Ravenwing, the Dark Talon is flying death, a veritable grim reaper of the skies.The enemies of the Imperium have learned to fear its distinctive silhouette, for it carries a mighty arsenal, raining death upon its foes with righteous vengeance. The Dark Talon is capable of flight in the void, but only for short trips, usually when deploying from an orbiting warship or The Rock itself. It has little combat capability outside of a planetary atmosphere.
Dark Talon - History: The Ravenwing Dark Talon is perhaps the deadliest weapon in the Ravenwing's arsenal, and it plays a pivotal role in the 2nd Company's eternal hunt for the Fallen. A strange and ominous-looking craft, this atmospheric fighter is topped with sepulchre-like spires and half-covered in a Gothic facade. Flying low, the Dark Talon follows the contours of surrounding terrain. Utilising its ground-facing boost jets, the Dark Talon can literally hang in the air, hovering above its victims like some black bird of prey. The Dark Talon attacks in two ways; it is armed to provide direct air support to allies on the ground with an underslung racked Hurricane Bolter, one under each of its blunt wings.The Dark Talon also carries a single bomb. It is able to accelerate on bombing runs, delivering its strange payload to its marked quarry. This archaic weapon first developed during the Dark Age of Technology is an ancient device known as a Stasis Bomb, the blast from which causes a degree of heat damage but, more importantly, momentarily halts the flow of time through the use of an unknown technology. This unnatural disruption to the space-time continuum causes gut-wrenching disorientation and slows the reaction times of those caught within the proximity of the blast. Situated in the nose of the aircraft is the Dark Talon's most awe-inspiring weapon. The Rift Cannon, sometimes referred to as the Stained Glass Cannon, is a weapon developed at the zenith of Mankind's technological achievement and hubris long before the Emperor first reigned upon Terra. When fired, it emits a beam of Warp energy that emerges with a cascade of scintillating colours that explode into a blossom of oblivion as a small rift into the Immaterium is opened at the beam's point of contact.In addition to its mighty arsenal, the Dark Talon carries a stasis-crypt holding cell where the Dark Angels' captives are loaded so that they might be ferried up to the orbital fleet and, ultimately, to the dungeons of The Rock and the attentions of the awaiting Interrogator-Chaplains. The Fallen fear this fate more than any other, for that last ascension leads not to redemption, but only to great pain and death.
Dark Talon - Armament: The Ravenwing Dark Talon is armed with two wing-mounted Hurricane Bolters, one under each wing, a powerful ventral-mounted Rift Cannon, and has a single hardpoint for carrying an arcane Stasis Bomb.
Dark Talon - Unit Composition: 1 Ravenwing Dark Talon
Dark Talon - Wargear: A standard Ravenwing Dark Talon is armed and equipped with:Rift Cannon2 Hurricane BoltersStasis Bomb
Dark Talon - Formations: The following are a list of known formation that include the Ravenwing Dark Talon:Ravenwing Silence Squadron - The Ravenwing Silence Squadron consists of two Nephilim Jetfighters and one Ravenwing Dark Talon. At the culmination of the hunt, the Ravenwing's prey must be snatched from the field of battle. No enemy reinforcements can be allowed to rescue them, and none must slip the net to tell of what they have witnessed. It is the task of the Ravenwing Silence Squadron to ensure these rules are adhered to. A single ominous Dark Talon screams down from the skies with a dedicated wing of Nephilim escorts in tow. While the Dark Talon captures its vital target -- ideally a Fallen Angel -- the Nephilim Jetfighters peel off to cover the extraction. Arrowing through the skies, they cripple escaping transports, mow down fleeing foes and eliminate airborne threats. Utterly merciless in their purge, the Nephilim ensure that no enemy gets close to the Dark Talon while it executes its capture-run, and that no-one lives to tell the tale.
Dark Talon - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: No technical specifications for this aircraft have been released publicly by the Adeptus Mechanicus at this time.
Dark Talon - Sources: Warhammer 40,000 Index: Imperium 1 (8th Edition), pg. 123Codex Adeptus Astartes - Dark Angels (8th Edition), pp. 47, 124Codex Adeptus Astartes - Dark Angels (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Ravenwing Dark Talon", "Ravenwing", "Ravenwing Dark Talon (Datasheet)", "Ravenwing Silence Squadron (Formation)"Codex: Dark Angels (6th Edition), pp. 51, 60-61, 86, 102
Dark Templars - Dark Templars: The Dark Templars is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. Almost nothing is known about this obscure Chapter in official Imperial records.
Dark Templars - Chapter Colours: The Dark Templars' Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Dark Templars - Chapter Badge: The Dark Templars' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Dark Tongue - Dark Tongue: The Dark Tongue is the arcane language of Chaos Daemons and the mortal forces of Chaos. A ritual language, its phonetic runes are the only manner in which the mysteries of Chaos can truly be expressed. The Dark Tongue is the native language of Daemons and other Chaos entities with the power of speech.Chaos Sorcerers in general and the Chaos Space Marines of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion in particular strive to learn this arcane language for the conjuration of Chaos entities and to bargain more effectively with Daemons when they are summoned.
Dark Tusks - Dark Tusks: The Dark Tusks are a Renegade Chapter or a simple warband of Heretic Astartes apparently sworn to the service of Nurgle. The Dark Tusks served as mercenaries in the Halo Stars, often advancing the agenda of those with nefarious or Chaotic designs. Evidence suggests that the Dark Tusks are followers of Nurgle, though they were encountered by Squad Damocles of the Iron Snakes Space Marine Chapter, fighting alongside a Chaos Cult dedicated to Tzeentch, the Chaos God of Sorcery, on the world of Rosetta.The Dark Tusks wore corroded, rotten Power Armour and smelled of putrescence, decayed flesh and disease. They also carried an array of daemon weapons and "plague weapons". Unlike the majority of Dark Tusks, the leader wore shiny, uncorroded black armour with chain looped about him. The Dark Tusks are described as so degraded in their actions that they were more like animals than men when they were cornered by a Kill-team of the Iron Snakes on Rosetta.
Dark Tusks - Chapter History: Almost nothing is known about the Dark Tusks' history beyond their time on Rosetta.
Dark Tusks - Chapter Colours: Little is known of the Chapter's appearance save that they wear badly corroded black Power Armour.
Dark Tusks - Chapter Badge: The Dark Tusks' Chapter badge is unknown to Imperial records at this time.
Darkshroud - Darkshroud: The Ravenwing Darkshroud is a variant of the Dark Angels' own Land Speeder Vengeance and is used only by the Dark Angels' 2nd Company, the Ravenwing, and the similar formations of their Unforgiven Successor Chapters. The Land Speeder Vengeance's standard Plasma Storm Battery has been replaced with an ancient relic, an Icon of Old Caliban known as a Stone Guardian or one of the Ten Brothers of The Order that once stood within the fortress-monastery of The Order on the Dark Angels' lost homeworld of Caliban.The Darkshroud then channels the arcane energies of the ancient relic and projects a field of impenetrable darkness known as the Shroud of Angels, swathing the Dark Angels' forces in a gloom that can swallow even the most potent of incoming enemy ranged attacks and protect the Unforgiven from harm. Those who have witnessed it at close range and felt its murky pall, and lived to tell of it, are disturbed forever more.
Darkshroud - Armament: The Ravenwing Darkshroud is armed with a Heavy Bolter that can be replaced by the Chapter's Techmarines with an Assault Cannon to further maximise the vehicle's firepower. Its primary weapon, of course, is the Stone Guardian that produces the vehicle's arcane cloak of protective darkness, which is known as the Shroud of Angels. How the relic produces this effect, or what technology is involved, remains unknown at this time.
Darkshroud - Unit Composition: 1 Ravenwing Darkshroud
Darkshroud - Wargear: A standard Ravenwing Darkshroud is armed and equipped with:Heavy BolterIcon of Old Caliban - After the fall of Caliban the Dark Angels explored the ruins of the Tower of Angels that sat atop The Rock. Though the ancient fortress had been ruined beyond recognition, they still found certain relics still standing from an age past, old even by Caliban's standards. The statues had been bathed in the radiations given off by The Rock's crackling force field, and glowed with a strange energy all their own. Mounted upon reliquaries at the rear of a Ravenwing Land Speeder Vengeance, these eerie statues, known to the Dark Angels as the "Ten Brothers of the Order", emanate an unsettling barrier of rippling darkness that veils friendly troops and shields them from harm.A Ravenwing Darkshroud may replace its pintle-mounted Heavy Bolter with one of the following weapons:Assault Cannon
Darkshroud - Formations: Ravenwing Support Squadron - The Ravenwing Support Squadron consists of a Ravenwing Land Speeder Squadron and a single Ravenwing Land Speeder Vengeance or Ravenwing Darkshroud. The Support Squadrons of the Ravenwing act in concert with the Attack Squadrons, one the sword and one the shield. Skimming fast and low over the battlefield, the Support Squadron's Land Speeders scan constantly for anything that may pose a threat to the mission. Where enemy heavy armour or entrenched artillery attempt to devastate the Ravenwing with overwhelming firepower, the Support Squadrons swoop low overhead, missiles and plasma blasts reducing the weapons of the foe to blazing scrap. When enemy infantry mass in sufficient quantities to swamp the huntsmen of the 2nd Company, the Support Squadron's Land Speeders pass back and forth, raking the enemy with bullets, bolts and fiery blasts. In this way, the Support Squadrons combine their strength with their land-bound brothers to crush the foe completely.
Darkshroud - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: The Adeptus Mechanicus has not yet publicly released the technical specifications of the Ravenwing Dark Shroud. Like much of the Dark Angels and other Unforgiven Chapters' vehicles, the Darkshroud's presence is likely not known to many in the Imperium, due to their secretive and secluded nature. Releasing such technical specifications of their Chapter's vehicles could very well reveal the Dark Angels' hoarding of sacred Standard Template Construct databases, which they have repeatedly denied having in their possession.
Darkshroud - Sources: Codex Adeptus Astartes - Dark Angels (8th Edition), pg. 46Codex Adeptus Astartes - Dark Angels (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Ravenwing Vengeance Land Speeders", "Ravenwing Support Squadron", "Ravenwing Darkshroud"Codex: Dark Angels (6th Edition), pp. 5, 49, 83, 102Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), pg. 173
Darkspires - Darkspires: The Darkspires are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and genetic origin.
Darkspires - Chapter History: A portion of the Chapter's forces was tasked to Battle Group Kallides of the Indomitus Crusade's Fleet Primus and fought the Necrons during the Imperial campaign in the Pariah Nexus.The Darkspires were part of the forces sent to defend Paradyce II and then end the siege of that Ecclesiarchy Shrine World's chancel, which was the size and scope of an Imperial city.However, before the battle group's forces reached the chancel they were surrounded by Necron troops. Despite being outnumbered, the Darkspires proved able to carve a path through the undying xenos, and eradicated the Necron presence.This victory, alongside the successful attack on Necron forces on Paradyce II led by the Sons of Orar Chapter, allowed Battle Group Kallides to continue its advance into the Nexus.But when the Darkspires were later asked by Imperial authorities and historitors compiling the records of the crusade how they had accomplished this seemingly impossible feat, they simply refused to answer all queries.
Darkspires - Notable Campaigns: Indomitus Crusade (Unknown Date.M42) - Elements of the Darkspires were tasked to Battle Group Kallides of the Indomitus Crusade's Fleet Primus and fought the Necrons during the Imperial campaign in the Pariah Nexus, as recounted above.Octarius War (Unknown Date.M42) - The Darkspires were among the Chapters that participated in the Octarius War against the Orks and the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan.
Darkspires - Chapter Colours: The Darkspires' Chapter colours are black with a yellow helmet, yellow armour trim and a yellow Aquila or Imperialis worn on the chest guard.The Chapter's badge is prominently displayed upon their left shoulder pauldron.A yellow squad tactical specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command -- is displayed on the right pauldron.
Darkspires - Chapter Badge: The Darkspires' Chapter badge is a white castle tower centred upon a field of black. This ancient symbol represents dominance, power, nobility and strategy.
Darkstar - Darkstar: Darkstar is the name given by the Leagues of Votann to a distinctive substance they employ to make their most potent types of melee weapons.Perhaps the most feared of Kin melee weapons are those that employ darkstar ore, mined from the fringes of the Dead Zones of the galactic core. This inimical material emits a universal damping field through unknown means that shuts down organic metabolic and even electro-mechanical functions on contact.It is worked into Kin weaponry by the Brôkhyr who specialise in crafting it with the greatest of care and wielded with equal gravitas, for the slightest cut from a darkstar weapon's blade can end the victim's life as if a switch had been pulled.
Darkstar Fighter - Darkstar Fighter: The Darkstar Fighter is a Craftworld Aeldari void fighter capable of operation in both vacuum and atmosphere. It is an interceptor, intended to combat other void fighters and protect Aeldari bombers during ship-to-ship actions.Darkstar Fighters are highly advanced voidcraft. Their technology provides them with extraordinary agility and speed compared to the interceptors of other spacefaring species.The Darkstar employs some form of unknown inertial dampening system which grants the fighter the ability to turn instantaneously without subjecting the pilot to deadly levels of acceleration.The Darkstar is powered by an unknown crystal generator technology that grants the capability to operate for longer durations than the short-range fighters of the other major galactic powers.
Darkstar Fighter - Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus Technical Specifications: The technical specifications of the Darkstar Fighter remain unknown to the Ordo Xenos at this time.
Darkstar Warhead - Darkstar Warhead: A Darkstar Warhead is a T'au neutron warhead incorporated into specialised missiles that can be fired from T'au starships. Darkstar Warheads are used to aid in large-scale planetary assaults, and are fired directly onto battlefields.Once they have detonated, the neutron pulses from this warhead destroy all biological matter in an extremely large area around them, whilst leaving inorganic material unharmed. The warhead will continue to pulse neutrons and electromagnetic radiation outwards for a significant amount of time after they have first detonated.The Darkstar Warhead is an ideal weapon to use when it is important to conserve a target planet's resources for the Greater Good, but the home population will not submit.
Darkstar Weapons - Darkstar Weapons: Darkstar Weapons are a class of close combat weapons wielded by the military forces of the Leagues of Votann that are crafted from the unique ore known as darkstar. Melee weapons forged from darkstar are considered the most lethal in the armouries of the Kin.Perhaps the most feared of Kin melee weapons are those that employ darkstar ore, mined from the fringes of the Dead Zones of the galactic core. This inimical material emits a universal damping field through unknown means that shuts down organic metabolic and even electro-mechanical functions on contact.It is worked into Kin weaponry with the greatest of care by the Brôkhyr who specialise in crafting it and wielded with equal gravitas, for the slightest cut from a darkstar weapon's blade can end the victim's life as if a switch had been pulled.
Darkstar Weapons - Darkstar Axe: A Darkstar Axe is a darkstar melee weapon that has been fashioned into the shape of the razor-edged battleaxes favoured by many Kin warriors. Darkstar Axes are a favoured weapon of Einhyr Champions.
Darkstar Weapons - Darkstar Sword: A Darkstar Sword, also called a Darkstar Blade, is a darkstar melee weapon that has been fashioned into the shape of a razor-edged double-blade sword in the Kin style. Darkstar Swords are usually wielded only by the elite among the Oathbands, including Einhyr Champions and kâhls.
Darkstrider - Darkstrider: Darkstrider, also known as El'Myamoto in the T'au Lexicon, is an unconventional T'au Pathfinder officer of the rank of shas'el or "sub-commander" who has refused several promotions in order to remain with his Pathfinder comrades.Darkstrider excels in attacking from unexpected angles and using every element of the battlefield to his advantage. Though unpopular with many T'au Commanders for his borderline insubordination -- a trait unthinkable amid the traditionalist ranks of the Fire Caste -- Darkstrider always gets results. From Gal'yth and Nep'tan to the bloody fields of the Zeist Campaign, he has led his warriors into the most deadly situations, always bringing them back alive and victorious.No matter the foe, Darkstrider uses his Structural Analyser and vast battlefield experience to spot their hidden weaknesses, then coordinates an audacious strike that will exterminate them wholesale. It is this talent for observation and improvisation, coupled with Darkstrider's obvious courage, that has made him a favourite of O'Shaserra herself.Despite his many heroics, there is something unsettling about Sub-Commander El'Myamoto. Although all of the Fire Caste regard him as a cunning tactician and a warrior to be reckoned with, his unconventional methods and disregard for proper protocol have stirred up much trouble and made many internal enemies within his caste.
Darkstrider - History: It began when Myamoto, a shas'ui born on T'au, passed his Trial by Fire. Scorning the honour of donning a battlesuit to join the Crisis Teams, he was next offered the opportunity to join the Stealth Teams -- a formation noted for its unorthodox methods. This choice too, Myamoto derided, preferring to return to the Pathfinder Teams with which he had first served.Time and again, Myamoto led his team into the most deadly of situations, but always escaped, bringing glory to his cadre. It was he that shut down the strange mechanisms of the Necrons on the moons of Gal'yth, and he who hunted down the tri-headed beast that terrorised the mining colonies of Nep'tan. During the Great Wars of Confederation, when the grim leader earned the name "Darkstrider," he infiltrated Ork camps and used Marker Lights to pick out components of Gargants under construction. It was his team that set the homing beacon on Warlord Gruzzguts' mechanical armour.Yet for all his heroics, Darkstrider always spurned offers to command, preferring instead to lead raiding missions and terror attacks behind enemy lines.Tradition is everything to the Fire Caste, and their adherence to the Code of Fire demands, above all things, respect for Ethereals, military rank and more experienced warriors. Through declined promotions and subtle inflections when speaking to his superiors, Myamoto regularly walks the fine line near insubordination -- nearly unheard of in the Fire Caste.Some T'au Commanders refuse to work with Darkstrider, claiming that he refuses counsel. Yet others, most notably Commander Shadowsun herself, value the sly tactics and obvious bravery of Darkstrider.Gifted with a prototype Structural Analyser, Darkstrider has recently returned from his successes against the Space Marines in the Zeist Campaign. His is not the way of the armoured battlesuit, but his ability to tie up more valuable forces and then slip away has contributed to a string of victories that none can deny.
Darkstrider - Battle of Mu'gulath Bay: Sub-Commander Darkstrider took great part in the Battle of Mu'gulath Bay during the Third Sphere Expansion. He was instrumental in locating and eliminating an Imperial Vindicare Assassin whose mission was to kill Commander Farsight, who had arrived unexpectedly to aid the T'au Empire in its defence of its newest sept of Mugulath Bay from an Imperial counterattack, yet Darkstrider's deed was not an easy one.Several kilometres away from the assassin's position, but closing steadily, T'au trackers were on the Vindicare's trail. Sub-Commander El'Myamoto motioned for his Pathfinders to follow. A few solar days previously, something had flashed up on the periphery of his prototype Structural Analyser, something altogether disquieting. On a hunch, Darkstrider had followed the trail, tracking the unique signature.Doubts that he and his Pathfinders were chasing phantoms were put to rest when they came across the first victims -- another team of Pathfinders, all slain with fully charged Pulse Carbines. They had not fired a single shot as they were slain. More dead marked the trail.This foe had penetrated the T'au defence lines with ease and displayed marksmanship beyond that which the T'au could achieve even with their superlative Artificial Intelligence targeting assistance. That the path had led him straight towards the Farsight Enclaves made Darkstrider suspicious. Was this enemy an Imperial agent, or could it be a T'au from amongst the traitorous exiles who had abandoned the Greater Good?Darkstrider and his Pathfinder Team wove through the ruins of the old refinery. Twice, they ran afoul of the ongoing battles, once using their Marker Lights to aid Crisis Teams in destroying a squad of White Scars on roaring bikes. Now, the ghost signal was close, but the Structural Analyser could not pinpoint the exact position. Sweeping the ruins with his gaze, Darkstrider marked the tallest structure. That was where he would position himself. With hand signals, he set his team in motion.Even from his perch far up in the ruins, the Vindicare felt the air rush of the landing Orca dropship. Within moments, the red-armoured battlesuits began appearing. When his mission target was sighted, the Vindicare fired two swift shots. The first was with Shieldbreaker ammunition -- a shot that passed through Farsight's force field and destroyed his Shield Generator, the device imploding with a flash. Without that protection, the second shot would penetrate the T'au Commander's armour, exploding his head.
Darkstrider - Battle of Gargoyle Spire: After a bodyguard intercepted that second shot on his mission target, the Vindicare master sniper had found himself under siege. With an uplifted Shield Generator, Commander Bravestorm had covered Farsight, while the rest of his bodyguard, The Eight, formed a crimson wall before their esteemed leader. The remaining T'au returned fire upon the sniper.Calmly, the Vindicare Assassin loosed killing shot after killing shot into the red-armoured T'au swarming below. A Strike Team of Fire Warriors attempted to run to cover, each dropping dead so quickly it looked like some macabre chain reaction. Next, an XV8 Crisis Team were shot as they blasted upwards, the full-thrust jump jets sending the dead careening wildly.While incoming fire cracked around him, the Vindicare squeezed the trigger, shifted aim, and squeezed again. A Riptide fell to its knees and did not move again. As soon as the Vindicare calculated that he would not get another shot on his true target, he was running. He leapt, tumbling in a diving roll upon another rooftop. His mid-jump volley caused both pilots of a swooping Piranha to slump, their hovercraft spinning to a fiery death below.Seeing an escape path, the Vindicare moved over rooftops, killing as he went. Darkstrider's ambush was fast -- his perfectly positioned Pathfinders sent out a hail of pulse fire. With AI guidance, the shot patterns anticipated the lightning-quick Vindicare.Struck multiple times, the Imperial Assassin's long rifle was blasted out of his hands. It wasn't the wounds that disoriented the Vindicare, but Darkstrider's perfectly timed Photon Grenade. The multi-spectrum light explosion erupted as the Vindicare drew and fired his Exitus Pistol. Six Pathfinders dropped, but Darkstrider was only wounded.Firing his own Pulse Carbine from the hip, the T'au seared holes in his foe, advancing until he was blasting away at point-blank range. He didn't stop shooting for a long time until the Human Assassin was long dead.
Darkstrider - Wargear: Recon ArmourPulse CarbinePhoton GrenadesBlacksun FilterMarker LightStructural Analyser - This device utilises a new type of sensor to scan for the most critical enemy weak points and then feeds that information back into the targeting computers of all nearby T'au assets.
Darktide - Darktide: The Darktide is the name that the Imperial authorities of the Moebian Domain apply to the shadowy xenos and Chaos forces on the domain's borders, the so-called "Fringe," that threaten its worlds.
Darktide - History: The Moebian Domain is highly loyal to the Emperor and the domain itself is considered a significant tract of Imperial space. The Moebian Domain is a fiefdom comprised of several important worlds, loyal to Terra and ruled over by Lord Constant Margrave of the domain's capital Hive World of Atoma Prime, who serves essentially as its sector lord with the title of "Lord Moebian."The domain can be considered a province or a self-governing state of the Imperium. It pays its tithes and taxes to Terra, it obeys Imperial law, and its worlds manufacture vast quantities of strategically important goods for the Imperium. It is thus highly important to the Imperium and must be defended from assault by the Emperor's foes, whether they be within or without.Unfortunately, the Moebius Domian borders several disputed territories of Wilderness Space called the "Fringe" that contain multiple xenos and Chaos threats. The Adeptus Administratum ensures that for the average citizens of the domain the nature of that threat remains a mystery. It is just called the "Darktide," a shadowy threat that must be kept at bay if the people of the domain are to remain in the God-Emperor's light.It is to protect the domain from the Darktide that the Moebian Regiments of the Astra Militarum are raised, mostly from the teeming populace of Atoma Prime but also from several of the other worlds of the region. The Moebian Regiments have for centuries been fighting an on-going conflict known as the Fringe War against the Darktide. These regiments were also ignorant of the Darktide's true nature, until they began long  tours in the Fringe War and finally faced the Moebian Domain's nightmarish foes.Long tours result in trauma, both physical and psychological. Some "lasmen," as the Moebian Regiments call their guardsmen, are broken by the experience. Some are made bitter and resentful that the gruelling combat they experience is generally unrecognised back home, because the Administratum tends to keep all details of the ongoing conflict quiet so as not to generate public alarm. There might be a few news broadcasts about "great victories," but the rest of the turmoil is screened by propaganda.Some troopers, of course, serve brilliantly and bravely, and remain loyal despite everything they experience. But others fall prey to the insidious touch of the Darktide. They encounter the malevolent effect of the Warp, and it changes them. They become -- literally, in some cases -- the very thing they are fighting against.
Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Gunship - Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Gunship: The Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Assault Gunship, or simply the Darkwing, was a specialised variant of the Storm Eagle Assault Gunship that was used exclusively by the Raven Guard Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.The Darkwing was constructed on Kiavahr for the Raven Guard and the technology used in their fabrication was never shared with the greater Mechanicum, citing the higher sovereignty of the Legiones Astartes. With the outbreak of the Horus Heresy this particular disagreement was never resolved.
Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Gunship - Construction: The Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle is fitted with an array of highly advanced and barely understood technologies that date back to the Dark Age of Technology, before the coming of Old Night. While the tech-guilds of Kiavahr kept many secrets from the Mechanicum for use by their Raven Guard lords, by far the most efficacious to the Legion were those that could increase further the stealth characteristics of their war machines, in particular their armour and vehicles.The Darkwing is fitted with a range of stealth enhancing technology, including rad-shrouded armour plating and quantum field repellors. The additional systems used by the craft required a higher degree of maintenance along with sacrificing some of the craft's internal hold space, reducing its troop-carrying capacity slightly. Given that the Darkwing pattern was often utilised to insert small units of elite warriors such as the Mor Deythan or Dark Fury Assault Squads deep into enemy-held territory, this was considered no great loss.
Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Gunship - Armament: The Darkwing may be mostly used to transport elite Astartes infiltration units behind enemy lines but it still an assault gunship and is thus heavily armed for its task. The Darkwing, like the standard Storm Eagle, is equipped with forward nose-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters, and a dorsal hull-mounted Vengeance Launcher.The Darkwing's Vengeance Launcher is loaded with specialised ammunition known as Eclipse Missiles, which are designed to sow confusion amongst the enemy with concussion and smoke. The Darkwing is also equipped with two sets of twin-linked Lascannons under its wings for engaging enemy armour or aircraft.The vehicle can be upgraded with a searchlight that is used to illuminate enemy ground forces and extra armour plating for additional protection from enemy fire and are also commonly outfitted with an additional layer of ceramite plating, for added protection against enemy fire.
Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Gunship - Unit Composition: 1 Raven Guard Darkwing-pattern Storm Eagle Gunship (31st Millennium Only)
Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Gunship - Wargear: A standard Raven Guard Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Gunship is armed and equipped with:Twin-linked Heavy BoltersVengeance Launcher with Eclipse MissilesTwo twin-linked LascannonsMachine SpiritA Raven Guard Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Gunship may take the following vehicle equipment:SearchlightExtra Armour PlatingArmoured Ceramite Plating
Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Gunship - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Assault GunshipTypeStealth Gunship/Assault GunshipOperational CeilingN/A (Void Capable)Vehicle NameDarkwingMax Speed2,000 kilometres per hour (approx.)Forge World of OriginKiavahrRange30,000 kilometres in atmosphereKnown PatternsUnknownMain ArmamentHull-mounted Vengeance Launcher with Eclipse MissilesCrewUnknownSecondary ArmamentNose-Mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters and two sets of Wing-mouted twin-linked LascannonsPowerplant2 Undesignated Combination Rocket/Afterburner Turbofans (Modified for Stealth)Main Ammunition48 MissilesWeight68 tonnes (approx.)Secondary Ammunition2,000 RoundsLength18 metresArmourWingspan11.8 metresSuperstructure45 millimetresHeight7.2 metresHull55 millimetresTransport Capacity16 Space Marines or 8 Terminator Marines or Assault MarinesAccess Points2 Side Doors, 1 Front Ramp, 1 Rear Ramp
Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle Gunship - Sources: The Horus Heresy: Book Three - Extermination (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 278The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Isstvan Campaign Legions, pp. 108The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Age of Darkness Legions, pg. 118
Darnath Lysander - Darnath Lysander: Darnath Lysander is the first captain of the Imperial Fists Chapter's 1st Company, Overseer of the Armoury and Watch Commander of the Imperial Fists' mobile fortress-monastery, Phalanx.Even for a Space Marine, Darnath Lysander has led a long and bloody career. As a Sergeant he was credited with the successful defence of Colonial Bridge and hailed as the vanquisher of the Heretics of Iduno. As captain of the 2nd Company he led the storming of the Aeldari cruiser Blood of Khaine and rescued the Haddrake Tor planetstrike from disaster.For two standard centuries, Lysander led the Imperial Fists' 1st Company with distinction, earning the highest praises his Chapter could bestow.Whilst leading a force of Imperial Fists, they disappeared into a Warp Storm and were feared lost, though the Chapter patiently waited for his return for quite some time. The Chapter ultimately pronounced Lysander and his warriors dead in absentia.In truth, Lysander's starship re-emerged into Chaos-held space where it was captured by the Imperial Fists' bitter enemies, the Iron Warriors. Lysander and the survivors were captured and taken by the Traitors to one of their accursed Fortress Worlds, known as Malodrax, and were tortured for years.Eventually Lysander, without weapons or armour, effected his escape and fought his way off the accursed Chaos world to freedom. When he returned to the Imperial Fists Chapter, many centuries had passed in the material universe. Fearing that he might have been tainted by the Ruinous Powers, Lysander was thoroughly screened by the Chapter's various specialists and found free of Chaos taint.Afterwards, Captain Lysander was reinstated to his position as Captain of the 1st Company. Lysander then led a force to raze the Iron Warriors from Malodrax and laid the world to waste, achieving his vengeance at last.During his time as first captain, Lysander was also noted for his development of the "Titan Hammer" formation, which is a group of Terminator Squads armed with Thunder Hammers and the rare weapon known as a Vortex Grenade that can open a vortex between realspace and the Warp.Titan Hammer formations are tasked with the destruction of enemy Titans. It has enjoyed considerable success, having claimed the Chaos-tainted Titans Glory’s Fist, Fires of Hades, Iron Jackal, Hellfiend and Lucian’s Might.
Darnath Lysander - Storm Clouds Gather: Following the scourging of Malodrax, Lysander threw himself into the extermination of the Iron Warriors. Within three years, the captain had masterminded and led the destruction of three other fortress worlds bordering the Eye of Terror, one of which -- the Blackstar Redoubt -- had ground three separate Cadian assaults into bloody paste across the previous solar decade.In his works, Lysander had the vociferous approval of his Chapter Master, Vladimir Pugh, and a tacit devotion from the rest of his Battle-Brothers which bordered upon worship. Pugh was, if anything, slightly wary of Lysander, for he feared that the other might attempt to leverage his reputation in an effort to become the next Chapter Master.In another man, Pugh's concerns might have been the result of ego or pettiness, but such things were entirely alien to his nature. An honest and honourable warrior, even by the exacting standards of the Imperial Fists, Pugh would have readily stood aside for a worthy candidate.However, the Chapter Master could not quite allay his concerns about Lysander, with whom he had clashed on several occasions since his return. Pugh found his first captain a little too stubborn, a little too swift to recount the ways in which his experience exceeded that of his Chapter Master. Even discounting Lysander's lost millennium in the Warp, he had nearly a century of experience over any living Imperial Fist.Pugh did not wish to fight Lysander's ascension, which he saw as inevitable. He merely wished to delay that day until Lysander was truly ready for the Chapter's gilded throne.Pugh had always felt that his own ascension had come too early, that the deaths of one hundred and seventy Imperial Fists in the Boreal Planetstrike could have been avoided, but for his own stubborn refusal to fall back. Pugh had learnt from that disaster, but considered the price of that wisdom too steep.For his part, Lysander was still coming to terms with life in a new millennium. Much was the same, for bureaucratic inertia and tradition had made it so, but almost every warrior he had known from before was now dead. Most had perished on the Emperor's battlefields, bringing his vengeance to the enemies of Mankind, and Chaplain Shadryss had passed on during the Siege of Moros, at last having found a foe canny enough to take his life.Joran Makan, Lysander's scout sergeant during his formative years, was now interred within a Dreadnought's adamantium sarcophagus, but his mind was so scattered that he no longer recognised his old student.
Darnath Lysander - An Obsession With Vengeance: Such was Lysander's unrelenting ferocity in his pursuit of the Iron Warriors that the Imperial Fists often entered battle bereft of their 1st Company, which was all too often hammering yet another Renegade fortress to dust many light years distant. Other Chapters -- indeed, other Chapter Masters than Vladimir Pugh -- might have sought to quell so personal a crusade lest it overtake a Space Marine's broader and selfless duties.However, the ten thousand year hatred between the Iron Warriors and the Imperial Fists was a powerful force, and Pugh found it fitting that a part of the Chapter's strength was ever dedicated to repaying the slights of the Iron Cage, and ten thousand other battles. In any event, Pugh could think of no better way to test Lysander's suitability for a more exalted rank.The 1st Company did not always fight alone. As Lysander's plans grew ever more ambitious, Pugh assigned additional forces to his temporary command. At the Revold Maze, Lysander's strike force consisted not only of the 1st Company, but also demi-companies from the 2nd and 5th.At the Blackstar Redoubt, Pugh himself accompanied the 3rd and 9th Companies, content to serve as Lysander's strategic observer, the better to take full measure of his first captain's ability. Nevertheless, and despite his intended detachment, Pugh found himself fighting at Lysander's side in the final assault on the weapon-forges.He saw the Fist of Dorn shatter the vast black gates, and cheered as loud as any of his Battle-Brothers as Lysander smote the towering Daemon Prince who served as master of the forge.A day later, when Pugh watched from orbit as barrage bombs collapsed the Blackstar Redoubt's jagged iron spires, he knew that the time had come. Upon the return to Phalanx, Pugh would step down and take a captaincy. The future of the Imperial Fists would lie in Lysander's hands.Then came the attack on Taladorn.
Darnath Lysander - The Hour of Judgement: Pugh had ordered Garadon's presence, and the sergeant now stood in the space set aside for the 3rd Company’s captain. He was soon called upon as a witness to Lysander's part in his company's near demise. Garadon addressed the assembly calmly, for his anger had cooled with the passing weeks. Captain Hagan, commander of the 5th Company, was another matter. He had dwelt greatly on events and come to realise that his own company, though scarred during the Taladorn planetstrike, could easily have suffered in the 3rd’s stead. Anger bubbled beneath his otherwise clinical account. Hagan gave projections of what would have happened had Lysander not divided the strike force’s companies, and if he had not begun the planetstrike until the Ultramarines and Blood Angels could have provided support.Yet it was Lysander’s own testimony that was most damning in Pugh’s eyes, albeit unintentionally. The First Captain spoke of the Imperial Fists’ tradition of sacrifice, of their duty to crush the works of traitors wherever they took root. There could not be, he maintained, too high a price to pay in pursuit of this cause. The Iron Warriors were the Imperial Fists’ burden to bear, and their honour to defeat. Without looking at Garadon, Lysander scorned the idea that assistance had ever been required, and moreover suggested that the Ultramarines’ arrival had in fact created the distraction which had allowed Warsmith Shon’tu’s escape.As Lysander spoke, Pugh marked the approving expressions and nods of affirmation given by fully half of the captains present – as a mere Acting Captain, Garadon had no vote upon the council. Lysander’s words and demeanour had spoken to the Imperial Fists’ selfless and selfreliant traditions, and those captains with whom such things resonated strongest were inclined to overlook where that path had led him. Pugh had hoped to salvage some unity from Taladorn by demoting Lysander, making him an example of pride gone awry, the lesson for generations to come. The Chapter Master was certain that the First Captain would have recovered from such a blow, and would have even emerged the stronger for it. Such a thing was impossible now, for with the Chapter Council so evenly divided, an obvious rebuke would create division. On the other hand, to not act would drive a wedge between Lysander and those captains who disapproved of his actions at Taladorn. As Chapter Master, Pugh did not need the consent of his captains to take decisions, but he had long ago learned that leadership was more effective when wielded subtly. Dorn, for all his forthrightness, had understood that concept, and now Pugh resolved to emulate his forefather.
Darnath Lysander - Lysander's Penance: Rather than put the matter to a vote, Pugh decreed that Lysander would set aside his duties as First Captain for a time, and take Vogen’s place as commander of the battered 3rd Company. There was rebuke in that course of action, for it was an obvious demotion. However, Pugh pointed out that there was honour as well, and reminded all present that he could think of no one better placed to rebuild the shattered company from its current lamentable state. Lysander’s skill as a drillmaster had not faded since his days as a sergeant, and there would be much work for him in the rebuilt 3rd. It was one thing to draft replacements from the reserve companies to replenish the 3rd’s losses – it was another thing entirely to expect those warriors to act as a single unit from the very start. Pugh furthermore ordered that Sergeant Julan would assume command of the 1st Company until such time as Lysander’s task was complete – though all noted that the Chapter Master set no timescale under which he expected this to be achieved.Garadon frowned at his Chapter Master's words, but said nothing. He had hoped that his temporary command of the 3rd would become permanent, but was incensed that it would pass to the very man responsible for its near-destruction. Even Garadon’s status as sergeant was now in doubt, for he recalled all too well that his last conversation with his new captain had ended with the threat of sanction. For his part, Lysander was careful to maintain an even tone as he accepted his Chapter Master’s judgement. Moreover, he thanked Pugh for the opportunity to forge the 3rd Company in battle against the Iron Warriors as he himself had been forged. Shon’tu, Lysander insisted, would at last be brought to account for his crimes.Lysander's expression stiffened noticeably when Pugh informed him that the 3rd Company would not be assigned to pursue the Iron Warriors. Rather, they would prosecute a new campaign -- a Crusade of Thunder -- against the Orks of the Magor Rift, whose threat had been growing for several years. Against these foes, the 3rd Company would hone their skills and prove themselves worthy of the traditions they bore. Lysander looked around the cloister for support, but found none. Without a word, he strode from the room and into his new future as captain of the 3rd Company.