Deathwing - Origins: The origins of the Deathwing harken back to the early days of the Great Crusade during the late 30th Millennium. When the Ist Legion reunified with their missing Primarch Lion El'Jonson upon the verdant Death World of Caliban, he introduced to the largely Terran-born Astartes of the Ist Legion the organisational structure he had learned from The Order on Caliban.The Lion's tenets of loyalty, discipline and self-efficiency were incorporated into everything the Legion did. Under the Lion's supervision, the Ist Legion was organised into specialised formations known collectively as the Hexagrammaton, and colloquially as the "Six Wings." These specialised formations existed outside the regular chain-of-command and organisation of the Dark Angels Legion.They were an amalgamation of the later proscribed Terran pre-Principia Belicosa approach and organisation used by the early Legiones Astartes with that of Caliban's knightly orders. Before the creation of the first Space Marine Legions, the Legiones Astartes were organised into a formation known as the "Six Hosts of the Angels of Death," with each of these Hosts having its own specialisation and purpose.Following the Ist Legion's reunification with their Primarch Lion El'Jonson on Caliban, the Lion incorporated the traditions of both the Six Hosts and The Order. Thus, the Six Wings of the Ist Legion were created. The Order of the Deathwing was a specialised formation of Cataphractii Terminator-armoured elite, who specialised in harrowing actions, shock assaults and strategic decapitation strikes.The Deathwing was originally formed from the shattered remains of the Host of Crowns, the formation of the early days of the Ist Legion once famed for its line breaker squadrons and marksmen. Those of the inner circle of that host who survived the infamous incident that broke it swore mighty oaths that no member of their wing of the Hexagrammaton would ever leave the field of battle in the hands of the enemy, accepting death over dishonour or retreat.The Deathwing excelled in special operations alongside other units of the Legion, especially as a counterpart to the more numerous Stormwing, with a multitude of sub-disciplines within its ranks. Most renowned among its specialists were those dedicated to the role of line breakers, elite Veteran infantry that served to shatter the enemy's formations and create openings for other units or wings of the Hexagrammaton, and the lifeguard cadre deployed to protect officers in the Legion who lacked a small force of  Deathwing Veterans sworn to give their lives to ensure their safety. Indeed, it was a detachment of the Deathwing that provided a garrison force for the inner citadels on both Caliban and Gramarye, who were charged with the safety of the primarch himself.Given the stringent requirements for entry into even the outer circles of this wing, its membership remained small but garnered much respect within the ancient Legion, often acting as force commanders in situations where the authority of other factions within the Legion was unclear.As the Horus Heresy wore on and casualties began to take a toll on the Dark Angels' officer corps, the Veterans of the Deathwing came to assume a greater responsibility over their brethren, slowly taking a dominant position within the Legion's hierarchy and on the Council of Masters.