WE ARE THE HAMMER!

The Grey Knights are the legendary Chapter 666 - and although nominally a Chapter of the Astartes, they are in the Chamber Militant of the Inquisition. Each member of the chapter undergoes a gruelling and torturous selection process, and even once inducted, their harsh training regime is without equal. In battle, they move as an army of silver ghosts, surrounded by awe, and equipped to the teeth to deal with the worst foes that Chaos can raise to meet them.

Ever since the Chapter’s founding, only the Inquisition and Chapter Masters have been allowed to know of the Grey Knight’s existence. Many chapters believe the Grey Knights to be a myth, if they have even heard of them at all. Space Marines who encounter them are telepathically scoured, while Imperial Guard regiments they fight beside are simply executed.

To battle such enemies as Daemons, creatures that are not of this realm but formed of sorcery and madness, a Grey Knight must embrace the power of the Warpto battle a Daemon with its own weapons. Each Grey Knight is an accomplished, powerful psyker whose psychic presence is anathema to creatures of the Warp. They are trained to channel their psychic energies into a halo of protective wards known as The Aegis. Thusly armoured, a Grey Knight’s presence becomes unpalatable to Daemons, making him immune to corruption, able to wield forbidden black magic, harness tainted artefacts and scour blasphemous tomes all without risk of being overwhelmed by the cursed power of Chaos.

The Grey Knights hold a unique honour among the chapters of the Adeptus Astartes - in over ten thousand years of service, not a single one of their number has ever defected to Chaos.

Their armour is left unpainted, leaving the silver-grey of the ceramite exposed. This tradition is thought to have originated from their desire to lead lives of absolute purity. Acid-etched into their left gauntlet, as well as tattooed upon the flesh beneath, is the sigil of Malcador the Sigilite. Upon achieving the rank of Justicar one may display their personal heraldry on a shield on their shoulder. In contrast to this their armour is highly decorated, encrusted with protective symbols and engraved litanies.

(laughter) THEY DO NOT HAVE A PRAYER.

A MOMENT OF LAXITY SPAWNS A LIFETIME OF HERESY.

FALL BACK AND REGROUP!

TO THE RALLY POINT!

OUR FAITH HOLDS US.

CEASE AND REPENT. 

ONCE MORE, WE GO TO BATTLE.

WHERE YOU NEED US MOST.

THE EMPEROR’S FINEST, REPORTING.

INTO THE MAELSTROM OF BATTLE!

THE PATH TO RUIN. THE AGE OF THE FALSE EMPEROR IS OVER AT LAST!

Daemon Princes are former mortal Champions of Chaos who have been elevated to daemonhood by the Gods of Chaos. They have bartered their humanity for unearthly power and immortality.

In order to attract the attention of their patrons, Chaos Champions have to perform great and terrible deeds. They sacrifice enemies and allies alike for their ambitions and risk their demise at the hands of both their foes and gods. The few that manage to avoid death and spawndom are changed beyond recognition.

While Daemon Princes come in various shapes, most are of hulking stature, displaying numerous mutations such as horns and wings. Even more notable are the supernatural powers they wield, some of which are associated with their patron god. What they maintain of former selves are the driving ambition and ruthless cunning which helped them earn their ultimate reward.

In the 41st millennium, most Daemon Princes hail from the ranks of the Chaos Space Marines, warriors with the capability and motivation to slay the populations of entire worlds, although the oldest managed to ascend during the savage age long before mankind left ancient Earth.

Daemon Princes rule supreme over mortal Chaos followers and are usually granted reign over a Daemon World of their own.  Despite this, it is not uncommon for them to leave the material plane completely and join a daemonic legion in order to serve as right hand of a mighty Greater Daemon. For all their rank and power however, real Daemons commonly regard them as inferior due to their human origin.

We are the Destroyer’s agents on this plane.

The Dark Reapers are one of the types of Eldar Aspect Warrior, Eldar warriors who fight according to one of the aspects of Kaela Mensha Khaine, the Eldar God of War. The Dark Reapers emulate Khaine in his aspect as the Destroyer, and specialize in the use of destructive, long range weaponry.

The Phoenix Lord of the Dark Reaper Aspect is Maugan Ra, the Harvester of Souls.

The Dark Reaper Aspect warriors are armed with Reaper Launchers, long ranged weapons that fire several small missiles at the target. Their armour is a purposefully heavier form of the standard Aspect Armor, giving greater protection but making them relatively slow and less mobile.

The Emperor’s finest, reporting.

Terminator armour was developed during the Great Crusade  by the Adeptus Mechanicus Tech Adepts of Mars. Its design is a blend of Dreadnought armour, standard Marine power armour and heavy suits used by engineers working in the most hostile environments (such as micro-debris-plagued orbits or the radioactive engine cores of stellar frigates). It was first intended to provide heavy armour and firepower to troops fighting in cramped battle zones, such as the claustrophobic tunnels of hive worlds and Space Hulks, which are too confined for Dreadnoughts and vehicles.

Several designs of Terminator armour evolved in parallel from the forge worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus and the armouries of the Marines. Often bearing little physical resemblance to each other, these different exo-armour suits in fact have much in common. Massively armoured, sealed against any external conditions and incorporating their own armament, Terminator armour designs proved their worth from the first. Like power armour, the suits were equipped with fibre-bundle muscles and imposed few movement restrictions upon the wearer, despite their immense weight.

Terminator armor was originally meant to replace normal power armor, however the destruction wrought by the Horus Heresy destroyed many of these suits, and the limited resources left after the war ended combined with the complexity of building and maintaining Terminator suits contributed to their increase rarity.

Today Terminator suits are highly prized by their Chapters and kept in a constant state of repair and renewal. Although the Adeptus Mechanicus still maintains limited production of Terminator suits, the rate is so slow that often a “new” suit is cobbled together from refurbished parts salvaged from the battlefield. This explains the sometimes disparate and ragged look of Terminator squads. Indeed, as time marches onward the knowledge of how to fabricate some of the more complex pieces becomes an increasingly faded memory in the decrepit minds of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and “reverse engineering” is an all-too-common science in the 41st millennium.

Anything for the cadre, commander.

The XV8 Crisis Battlesuit is an advanced piece of Tau technology. These Battlesuits are issued to veteran Shas’ui Fire Warriors in order to provide the Tau military with a highly-mobile weapons platform.

Battlesuits are a type of advanced power armour, with the larger models likened by Imperial observers to fast-moving Dreadnoughts. They vary in size, from no bigger than a Fire Warrior in standard armour, to being twice as tall as a Space Marine, and vary in role, from battlefield infiltration to fire support. Battlesuits are worn by a single Fire Warrior, packed with advanced sensors, control systems and technology, such as jetpacks and recoil absorbers. They also incorporate anti-tampering systems to prevent their use by enemy forces; during the mission to assassinateCommander Brightsword, an Imperial saboteur attempted to pilot a Crisis battlesuit, only to be fried to a charred corpse.

Standard nomenclature has each model battlesuit categorized by two numbers - the first number denoting which mass class it belongs to, the second its role. For example, in the XV22 Stealth Battlesuit, the first ‘2’ denotes it as a lighter-weight suit, while the second ‘2’ means it is still undergoing field-testing.

FOR THE GREATER GOOD!

The Tau empire is a rapidly expanding empire situated inside of the Ultima Segmentum, near the Eastern Fringe. Founded by the Ethereals, who lead the Tau empire in the name of the Greater Good. Several alien races (Kroot, Vespid, among others) have allied themselves with the Tau.

The Tau empire borders the Imperium, and lies within the reach of the Astronomican. It has suffered many raids from the Orks, and also seems to lie in the path of several splinter fleets of Hive Fleet Kraken.

The exact date of founding of the Tau empire is unclear, however the reasons behind the foundation are. In their prehistory, the Tau lived in tribes on the desert plains, hunting and gathering their food. As their race aged, they expanded to all environments. The Tau of the plains became strong and skilful hunters, larger and stronger than most other Tau. The Tau of the mountains developed the ability to soar high above the baking deserts on thermals. The Tau of the river valleys developed agriculture and metallurgy, forming the first true settlements. The development of settlements led to the need of trade, and wandering Tau began to negotiate and mediate between the disparate tribes.

Growing pains, caused by their unusually rapid technological development led to the invention of sophisticated weaponry. The Tau of the river valleys developed stone fortresses and crude blackpowder weapons to ward off the aggressive Tau of the plains. These fledgeling skirmishes led to the darkest period in Tau history, the Mont’au.

The numerous wars that broke out lasted for years. Each year thousands died as squalid conditions and lack of access to fresh food and water created a plague that killed more Tau than were dying in the wars. The Tau were on the verge of wiping themselves out.

During this time, the Tau legends tell of the first appearance of Ethereals at Fio’taun. The fortress city of Fio’taun was under assault by the warriors from the plains. Though negotiation had been attempted, the fierce plain warriors would settle for nothing less than the annihilation of Fio’taun. For five long years the inhabitants held off the savage assaults with their thick walls and plentiful cannon. However, disease and starvation began to take their toll. As the tide of the siege turned, two mysterious Tau appeared. One made his way into the camp of the plain Tau, exuding a quiet authority that no Tau was able to resist. Soon, the leader of the plain warriors was persuaded to parley with the Tau of Fio’taun. Similarly, the other mysterious Tau made his way deep into the fortress. Within a few short hours, the gates stood wide open, and the Tau stood ready to talk.

The Ethereals spoke of the importance of peace and understanding between all Tau. They described a Greater Good that each Tau must strive towards. The besiegers and the besieged quickly agreed with the Ethereals and a truce was reached. Across the land, Ethereals emerged, each with the same quiet authority and message of harmony and cooperation. With the Tau united, a great civilisation began.

SEE THE SMOTHERING HAND OF THE PLAGUE-GOD!

Plague Marines are Chaos Space Marines dedicated to the Chaos God Nurgle. Within their corpulent and disgusting armour their bodies are bloated with disease, swollen with corruption and rank with decay. Their weaponry and equipment may be pitted with decay and corroding away, but they are still terrifying opponents. They have an inhuman tolerance for pain, enduring injuries that would cripple other Marines, their nerves dulled by disease or even partly rotted away.

Plague Marines normally appear armed with some manner of boltgun with which they unleash a steady rain of firepower, but may carry other weapons. They also often arm themselves with some form of close-combat blade that can communicate Nurgle’s Rot to the victim.

They make up much of the numbers of the Death Guard Chaos Space Marine Legion, but not all Plague Marines are Death Guard; any Chaos Space Marine who dedicates himself to Nurgle may become a Plague Marine.

In the embrace of the great Nurgle, I am no longer afraid, for with His pestilential favour I have become that which I once most feared: Death.

Of the four Gods of Chaos, Nurgle is said to be the most involved with the plight of mortals. Those afflicted by his contagions often turn to him in order to escape their suffering. The physical likeness of Nurgle is described as gigantic and bloated with corruption, with foul-coloured leathery and necrotic skin.

Nurgle can also be regarded as the Lord of All, because all things, no matter how solid and permanent they seem, are liable to physical corruption:

All the Chaos gods are embodiments of the hopes, fears and other strong emotions and concepts generated by the mortal races. In Nurgle’s case, the source of power is the livings’ fear of inevitable death and disease, and their unconscious response to that fear, which is the “power of life”, the motivating power of mankind and other races.

Nurgle and his daemons, in contrast to their putrid appearance, are jovial and friendly in demeanor. His daemon servants and mortal followers usually demonstrate a disturbing joviality and joy at the pestilence that he inflicts, seeing the plagues as gifts and the cries of their victims as gratitude rather than agony. This is demonstrated on the Daemon World of Bubonicus, where an endless chain of crazed revellers circle the planet’s equator in a never ending dance. He is often referred to as Grandfather Nurgle, Father Nurgle or Papa Nurgle by his followers because of his paternal nature.

Nurgle’s main enemy is Tzeentch, the Lord of Change, because their power comes from opposing sources. Tzeentch is hope and ambition, while Nurgle is defiance born of despair and hopelessness.

Like the other Chaos Gods, Nurgle has a multitude of followers across the galaxy, drawn from all mortal species.

The followers of Nurgle often pit themselves against those of Tzeench in complex political intrigues, forever attempting to mire his schemes for change with dull-minded conservationisms and parochial self-interest. Their influence is often sucessful in thwarting Tzeench, knowing that whatever survives the collapse into entropy become theirs.

The church of the Fly Lord is always open to all.