Chapter 19 - Chaos ================== 19.1 Introduction =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- In itself, chaos is not intrinsically bad or evil. It is simply a term implying lack of order or discipline, or that of constant change. To the Imperium, and others including the Eldar, it is a much darker thing. To the Imperium it represents the threat to the Imperium that the inhabitants of Warpspace and all their agents represent. To the Eldar, it is not about empire preserving, but staving off a hungering maw that lurks deep within the Void. Chaos, it seems, has a funny knack of bringing to the fore all the fears particular to any race, be it Mankind, the Eldar, the Squats, even the Orks. 19.2 Warpspace =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= If Chaos has a true home, it is Warpspace, the alternate dimension of reality composed purely of constantly shifting energy. This alternate dimension is also variously known as the Warp, the Void, the Empyrean Realm, and the Immaterium, among other names. The Warp is used by Mankind and other races to cross vast distances across the Galaxy and, by Mankind and the Eldar, especially, to communicate across across countless light years. These aspects of the Warp are best discussed in other chapters, here what we will focus on is some of the beings that dwell in the Warp, especially those that are servants to higher beings in the Warp. These higher beings are the Chaos Gods. There are countless Chaos Gods, just as there are countless ways for Chaos to express itself. Formed when vortices of current in the Warp gain a sense of self-awareness to form a pool of consciousness, many are short-lived and quickly disperse in the tempestuous Warp currents. The more powerful, however, not only remain stable (thats right, stability from chaos - chaos is nothing if not paradoxical), but are able to command the Warp around them. They can cause smaller pools of consciousness to form, creating being that are not limited to the Warp in the same way as the Chaos God that created them. These lesser beings created are called Daemons, and can fashion bodies for themselves. Given passage to the material universe, these daemonic beings allow the Chaos God to extend his/her/its control into the physical, material universe. The most powerful of these Warp Gods, who control by far the largest territories in the Warp, are the four Chaos Powers, known to the Imperium as Khorne, Slaanesh, Nurgle and Tzeentch. These powerful beings will be discussed further later in this chapter. 19.3 On the Breaking of Empires =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Eldar once controlled most of the Galaxy. Theirs was a great Empire. But Empires are want to control things, and that idea is anathema to Chaos. Naturally, Chaos was to spoil things for the Eldar. The story of how the Eldar came to fall from grace is told in their own chapter, suffice to say here that as the Eldar fell from glory, a powerful Chaos God was born, formed of stolen Eldar Souls. That Chaos God was to grow powerful, to become one of the four Chaos Powers. That Chaos God was to become known as Slaanesh. The Eldar empire was broken, and the way opened for Mankind. In the largest concentration of Eldar population, in the Galactic North West, a vast crossover between the material world and the Immaterium was formed. It became known as the Eye of Terror. The beautiful worlds of the Eldar were transformed into the virtual hells now called Daemon Worlds. As the Eldar empire fell and Slaanesh was created, so a time of relative safety (well, relative to the previous few centuries) opened in Warp travel. It allowed Mankind to expand in the Galaxy, in what was to be called the Great Crusade. Mankind colonised a large amount of the Galaxy, but Chaos was intent on breaking this fledgling empire too. Leading the Great Crusade, under the Emperor of Mankind, were genetically engineered super beings called the Primarchs. As the Primarchs were being created, Chaos saw their potential and unable to destroy them, spirited them away. They were scattered through the Warp, and those worlds they landed on they grew to rule. One by one, they were found by the Emperor, and became the Emperors generals. They seemed unharmed by their brush with Chaos, but Chaos had touched each of them, and sowed in them what was to be the root of civil war across the fledgling empire of Mankind. Fully half of them had seccumbed to the temptations of Chaos, and one day the Emperors most trusted friend and general, Warmaster Horus, plunged the Imperium into civil war. Men fought men. The genetically modified warriors serving under the Primarchs, the Space Marines, were no exception. In a titanic struggle for the fate of the Galaxy itself, the Emperor was victorious, Chaos defeated - for now. The casualties were many, not least the Emperor himself being almost mortally wounded. To preserve his life, or what was left, he was incarcerated in the Golden Throne. Chaos had been forced back, where it has largely stayed for over 40,000 years. But the period that is now known as the Horus Heresy forged what are now called the Traitor Legions, those Legions of rebel Space Marines that fled to the Eye of Terror when Chaos was defeated. For 40,000 years the Traitor Legions have harassed and threatened the Imperium. Indeed, the Traitor Legions have become the chief instruments used by the Chaos Gods (including the Chaos Powers) in attacking the material universe. If the Imperium represents the power of order in the material universe, then Chaos is the balancing force threatening to destroy all that order has built. So it has been for countless millennia, and so it is to the present day of the Warhammer 40,000 galaxy. ***************************************************************************** ****** ****** ****** ####### W A R N I N G : ####### ****** ****** ****** ****** From this point on in this chapter, certain topics suitable ****** ****** only for adult viewing are touched upon. Those of a ****** ****** disposition not to wish to read such material may be advised ****** ****** to read no further in this chapter, though some elements of ****** ****** game background may be missed as a result. ****** ****** ****** ***************************************************************************** 19.4 Masters of Chaos =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Undoubtedly, in the universe of Warhammer 40K, the great masters of Chaos are the mighty Chaos Powers: Khorne, Slaanesh, Nurgle and Tzeentch. These mighty beings are fed by the dying souls whose manner of life - or manner of death - best correspond to that particular beings areas of resonance. As a rule, each of the major Chaos Powers was formed as a coelescance of souls with an affinity for a powerful emotion or experience. 19.4.1 Khorne -------------- Khorne is the Blood God, the Lord of Skulls, the Huntsman of Souls. He is the Chaos Power formed from the coelescance of angry and bloodthirsty souls. His goal is killing and mindless bloodshed - as much as possible - and many of his servants revel in the activity. In the Warp, Khornes throne sits atop a vast mountain of skulls and bones, the symbolic bones of all those whose lifes have been sacrificed to the Blood God. Every life taken by a servant of Khorne not only goes to feed Khorne, but adds to the mountain of skulls. Khorne is anger and killing incarnate. _ _ | \ / | \/ __/\__ / \ /____\ Khorne is opposed to any use of magical or psychic powers, granting no psychic powers to any followers, under any circumstances. This prohibition does not extend to the use of magical or psionically charged weapons with special paranormal abilities, as these aid Khornes servants in doing his work. Khorne is commonly depicted as a muscular figure hundreds of feet tall, sitting on a vast and wierdly-carved throne of brass, which in turn rests on a mountain of blood stained bones. He is dressed in primitive plate armour of a strange and alien design, elaborately carved and worked with a repeating skull motif. His head is covered by his huge winged helmet, with only a portion of his bestial, snarling face showing beneath the helm. His symbol is a skull, often rendered as an X-shaped rune with a bar across the bottom (illustrated in ASCII art above). Each Chaos Power has a mystical number of significance in its worship. The mystical number of Khorne is eight and the usual colours associated with Khorne are black, red and brass. 19.4.2 Slaanesh ---------------- Given the wanton bloodshed given over to Khorne, Slaanesh might seem a welcome relief. Instead of senseless killing, Slaanesh is the Lord of Pleasure and represents sensual feeling, sexual promise, and the many joys of the flesh. Formed of the multitudinous souls that hunger to experience the sheer thrill of unbridled (and unscrupled) sensual fulfilment, Slaanesh represents this principle. But Slaanesh, like all Chaos Gods, takes a principle, and distorts it to its unnatural extreme. Slaanesh represents the seeking of unfulfilled and unparalleled sensual and sexual fulfilment, to the very extremes of debauchery. Think of the worst hard porn, and the vices Slaanesh promises his followers and encourages them to take part in are a thousand times more debased. More than hard debauchary, Slaanesh represents sensual fulfillment to the exclusion of all ethics, morals and justice; the pursuit of hedonistic pleasures and the overthrow of all codes of decent behaviour. In the Warp, Slaanesh reigns in a vast and luxuriously appointed palace, where favoured followers litter the floors, indulging in all manner of perverse pleasures of the flesh. He takes the form of a bisexual humanoid, male on the left side and female on the right (and therefore with a single breast), with an unearthly, unnatural and almost disturbing beauty. Two pairs of horns rise from his flowing golden hair, and he dresses in a mail shirt fringed with velvet. His right hand holds the magical jade sceptre which is his greatest treasure. The worship of Slaanesh takes the form of great orgies involving every vice and perversity. Some worship Slaanesh under his own name, seeing the worship of Chaos as a supreme decadence, while others worship the Lord of Pleasure unknowingly, under a variety of names and guises. Below is Slaaneshs symbol (no, its NOT a stick man!!!) combining the conventional symbols for male and female, though it is seldom worn openly. Followers wear robes of sensuously high quality, often opened to leave the right side of the chest uncovered (a requirement of many of his rituals). Pastel and electric shades are the chief colours, although white is often used as well. The mystical number of Slaaneshs is six. ___ / \ \___/ | ----+---- | _-+-_ / \ | | Khorne and Slaanesh represent diametrically opposed aspects of Chaos. Khorne represents anger and death, Slaanesh represents life in all its sensual and debased glory. As such, Khorne and Slaanesh are implacable enemies, uniting only in the direst of circumstances. 19.4.3 Nurgle -------------- Nurgle is the Chaos God of decay and physical corruption, in all its myriad forms. Nurgle and his followers spread pestilence, disease, disrepair and decay wherever they go. The physical forms of many servants of Nurgle are putrid and decaying, with pustules of disease. This is one side of Nurgles nature, the visible, apparent, and most hated side. However, Nurgle is more than that. It is merely a means to an end, to bring about those emotions on which Nurgle draws his power. What is the response of living men to the undeniable and inevitable futility of life? Is it to lie down and accept death and the coming to naught of their very endeavour? No, it is not! Faced with the inevitability of death what answer can there be but to run through life at a great and unstoppable pace, cramming each day with hope, laughter, noise and bustle. Thus, happiness and human (or Eldar, or Ork, whatever) endeavour are sired by a coming to terms with decay and futility. This realisation is the key to understanding the Great Lord of Decay and his worshippers. Once you comprehend what it is that Nurgle embodies, it becomes easier to understand what might otherwise seem a condradictory or even perverse nature. On the one hand he is the Lord of Decay, whose body is wracked with disease, on the other he is full of unexpected energy and a desire to organise and enlighten. The living know that they will die, and many know that they will live with disease or other torment, yet they drive this knowledge into a corner of their minds and keep it pinioned there with all manner of dreams and activity. Nurgle is the embodiment of that knowledge and the unconscious response to it, of the hidden fear of disease and decay, and of the power of life which that fear generates. Nurgles symbol, three connected circles, is illustrated in ASCII art below. His mystical number is 9. ___ / \ | | \___/ __// \\__ / \ / \ | |=| | \___/ \___/ 19.4.4 Tzeentch ---------------- Tzeentch is known by many titles including the Changer of the Ways, the Master of Fortune, the Great Conspirator, and the Architect of Fate. He represents and feeds upon the need and desire for change that is an essential part of living nature, especially Human nature. All men dream of wealth, freedom and a better tomorrow. Nor are these dreams the preserve of the impoverished or powerless as even rich men dream of further riches, or of an end to their responsibilities. All these dreams create a powerful impetus for change, and the ambitions of nations, of worlds, create a force which can change history. Tzeentch is the embodiment of that force. Tzeentch is the greatest magician of the Chaos Powers. Magic and psionic abilities (two sides of the same coin) are one of the most potent agents of change, and those who use them are amongst the most ambitious and the hungry for power. Many high level servants of Tzeentch are also wizards or powerful psykers, while others are likely to be given magical or psychic powers by their patron. Some daemons of Tzeentch are quite literally fashioned purely from magical energy. Tzeentch is also the Great Conspirator, the master of plot and intrigue. Because he is aware of the dreams and plans of mortals, he is able to predict the likely course, or courses, which the future might take. Tzeentch perceives every event and every intention, and from this information his mind can work out how each will influence the future. Tzeentch is not content to merely watch the drama of history as it unfolds, but has purposes of his own, though what they are it is impossible to say. His intentions are complicated, his schemes highly sophistocated and incredibly long-term. Perhaps he has plans to overthrow the other Powers, or to extend his dominion over mortal realms. Whatever his ultimate purpose he seeks to achieve it by manipulating the individual lives of mortals, thereby altering the course of history. By offering power and magic he can recruit influential people to his cause, and affect the lives of many more at a single stroke. However, few of Tzeentchs plots are simple, and many may appear at first contradictory to others, or against Tzeentchs own interests. Only Tzeentch can see the threads of potential futures waving forward in time like tangled balls of multicoloured wool. The skin of Tzeentch crawls with constantly changing faces, leering and mocking the onlooker. As he speaks, these faces sometimes repeat what he says with subtle but important differences, or provide a commentary which throws doubt upon his words. This makes it very hard to interpret what exactly Tzeentch is saying. These lesser faces appear and disappear quite quickly, but the actual head of Tzeentch does not change. His puckered face sits low and has no neck, so that it is hard to distinguish his head from his chest. His curving horns appear to spring from his shoulders rather than from his head. The firmament surrounding Tzeentch is heavy with brooding magic. It weaves like liquid smoke about his head, forming subtle and interwoven patterns. Forms of places and people appear in the smoke as Tzeentchs mind contemplates their fate. Tzeentchs symbol is illustrated (albeit very badly - ASCII art isn't the best of mediums) below. His mystical number is 9. ___ / \__ \\ _// / / \ \ | | / / _/ | / /_____ \_ / \_____/ Nurgle and Tzeentch represent diametrically opposed aspects of Chaos. Nurgles energy derives from defiance born of despair and hopelessness, Tzeentchs from the excitement and will to change, to forge ones destiny, change fortune, and gain power. As such, Nurgle and Tzeentch are implacable enemies, uniting only in the direst of circumstances. 19.5 Servants of Chaos =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 19.5.1 Daemons --------------- As mentioned, daemons are patterns of consciousness that either represent minor Chaos Gods or creations of the bigger Chaos Gods whom the daemon serves. There are several classifications of daemons: * Greater Daemons are the most powerful agents of the Chaos God in question. They are generally *VERY* big, *VERY* mean and *VERY* difficult to kill. You don't want to meet one on a dark night. Or a light night for that matter... * Lesser Daemons are less powerful, but are capable of amazing acts of maimery and destruction nonetheless. They are the rank and file troops in daemonic hordes. * Daemonic Creatures and Daemonic Steeds are utilitarian creations whose job is to variously act as distractions, sow discord and panic, act as disease vectors (in the case of creations of Nurgle) and, if a Daemonic Steed, act as a mount to a favoured servant of the god. Specific types of these daemons are expanded on below, for each of the Chaos Powers: +-----------+--------------------+-----------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | | Greater daemons | Lesser daemons | Daemonic creatures | Daemonic steeds | +-----------+--------------------+-----------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | Slaanesh | Keepers of Secrets | Daemonettes | Fiends | Mounts of Slaanesh | | Khorne | Bloodthirsters | Bloodletter | Fleshhounds | Juggernauts | | Tzeentch | Lords of Change | Pink and Blue Horrors | Flamers | Discs | | Nurgle | Great Unclean Ones | Plaguebearers | Beasts of Nurgle | Nurglings | +-----------+--------------------+-----------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ Keeper of Secrets --------------------------- AKA: Slayers of Slaanesh, Despoilers of the Flesh, Feasters of Pain, Great Horned Ones, Base Ones These huge and powerful daemons are only used by Slaanesh when all else has failed. Violence is but a small part of Slaaneshs nature, but when force is the only solution, these beings are perfectly equipped for it. They take a gloating, sadistic pleasure in killing and torture, and exist only for the delights of carnage. They take particular pleasure in destroying the creatures and followers of Khorne. It is also said they can hear anything said anywhere, in any dimension, and thus they are called 'The Keepers of Secrets'. They may trade their knowledge for gifts or services. These massively built daemons are reminiscent of Minotaurs in their general physique. Their heads are horned and bovine, and they have an essentially humanoid body with two pairs of muscular arms. The upper pair ends in immense crablike claws, and the lower pair in powerful humanoid hands. They have the single right breast which distinguishes all daemons of Slaanesh, and dress in a baroque costume of chain mail and leather armour. Colour varies widely, but is always a pastel shade of red, orange, electric blue or vivid green. The insides of the ears, the palms of the hands and the souls of the feet are generally a lighter, mottled shade of the same colour. Greater Daemons of Slaanesh have six psychic powers of various levels. They always succeed in using those powers and no Psi Points are expended. They have a 50% chance or having Chaos Armour (whcih gives them 2 APs all over). They cause Terror in non-daemonic creatures and are immune to Fear and Terror unless caused by a god. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 6 90 93 7 7 39 100 6 89 89 89 89 89 18 Bloodthirster ----------------------- AKA: Fists of Khorne, Drinkers of Blood, Lords of Skulls, Eaters of Gore and Flesh, Deathbringers of Khorne, Blooded Ones, Guardians of the Throne, High-handed Slayers The Bloodthirsters are the most favoured servants of Khorne, and the greatest of his mortal servants may aspire to join their ranks. They exist purely for combat and for combat alone. Their bloodlust extends far beyond mortal comprehension, and they will attack everything within their reach with terrible ferocity. They do not know fear, other than that of Khorne, and act regardless of the cost or consequences, although the usual consequences are death for whoever or whatever they face. Their immense pride in their fighting abilities rarely permits them to call upon allies or servants, and they rely only upon their own strength and skill. Bloodthirsters stand taller than a man, and are humanoid, with a rangy, muscular build, faces like horned dogs, bestial legs ending in claw-studded hooves and large, tough, membraneous wings. Their hides are covered with gore-flecked crimson fur, their wings are mottled black and crimson, their eyes are a milky white without visible iris or pupil and their horns and claws have the appearance of blackened iron. Their Chaos Armour is coloured in keeping with Khornes own hues of black and red. The Bloodthirsters wield great axes, often in conjunction with a whip. They are subject to Frenzy, and to Hatred of creatures and followers of Slaanesh. They fly as swoopers and regenerate in the same way as Trolls (see the WFRP rulebook). They cause Terror in non-daemonic creatures and are immune to Fear and Terror unless caused by a god. Not frightened yet? You will be when you see the stats.... M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 6 90 93 7 7 39 100 10 89 89 89 89 89 1 (2 armour points on all locations) Lord of Change ------------------------ AKA: The Watching Lords of Change, The Eyes of Tzeentch, The Feathered Lords The Lord is blessed with the multilayered cunning and timeless wisdom of Tzeentch himself, a deep and subtle understanding of the mortal fears that drive the universe within its well worn rut. How thoroughly the daemon understands and how much he despises the entrapping comforts of stability and familiarity. Nothing pleases more than to see the world broken and made anew, to redirect the course of a life or even history itself, to spill mortal hopes upon the ground while raising the ambitions of others to an unexpected pinnacle of power. It is a playful and wreckful mind that lies behind the birdlike gaze of the Lord of Change, deeply intelligent, yet as uncaring of consequence as it is facinated by it. The Lord of Change is like a child playing upon some gigantic anthill, poking with a stick at the inhabitants and laughing at the hopeless antics of their defence. A Lord of Change is winged and feathered, but its most memorable feature is its head and in particular its eyes. For within the depths of its eyes lies all the wisdom and understanding of Tzeentch, so that few mortals can withstand the scrutiny of its gaze. It is said that when a Lord of Change looks upon a mortal it sees not only the creatures flesh and blood, but also all of its hopes and dreams as well as their ultimate failure or realisation. The daemons craning neck sits on a narrow feathered body, and its wings spread out behind in multi-coloured splendour. Lords of Change are often blue or yellow, but individuals may change colour if it suits them, adopting the striking plumage of the rainbow. Lords of Change do not regard it as essential to retain consistancy of colour or appearance unless it pleases them to do so. The Lord of Change is the supreme manipulator of the affairs of the living. His servants move through the world at his bidding, undertaking whatever task he has set them: a killing, the raising of some mortal to power, the destruction of potential rivals, and a thousand occurances that might easily be mistaken for chance. Yet all events are pieces which fall into a complex and ever changing plan - a plan beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. This constant appraisal of the world and interference is not always so subtle. Change can also be violent and quick, and the Lord of Change is not above waging war to further its aims. The most potent weapon of Tzeentch is not brute force but magic and psionics. The Lord of Change is a powerful psyker and magician as well as an erudite tactician. If the daemon prefers to remain uncommitted in battle it is not through lack of courage or ferocity, but because it likes to direct its forces and control the flow of the fighting. They cause Terror in non-daemonic creatures and are immune to Fear and Terror unless caused by a god. If pushed back in close combat they must test for Frenzy. Knows 9 spells or psychic powers. If it uses its stare it causes Terror within 24 yds. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 6 90 95 7 7 40 100 10 90 90 90 90 90 30 (2 armour points on all locations) Great Unclean One --------------------------- AKA: Plague Lords, Nurgle, Fly Masters, Stench Lords, Father Nurgle The Great Unclean Ones are the Greater Daemons of Nurgle. In the case of other Chaos Powers, Greater Daemons are servants, albeit immensely able and powerful ones. This is not quite true of Nurgles Greater Daemons, who are more or less a facsimile of Nurgle himself, both physically, and in terms of their personality. In other words, it may be said that every Great Unclean One is also Nurgle. A Great Unclean One is sometimes referred to as Nurgle or Father Nurgle by his underlings, although of course he also has his own daemonic name. A Great Unclean One certainly looks like Nurgle - a gigantic figure bloated with decay, disease and all imaginable kinds of physical corruption. The skin of the daemon is greenish, necrose and leathery, its surface is covered with pockmarks, sores, and other signs of infestation. The inner organs, rank with decay, spill through the ruptured skin and hang like drapes about the girth. From these organs burst tiny creatures called Nurglings which chew and and suck upon the nauseous juices within. Such foulness represents the truth of the universe, of decay and the end of all things. Yet in character the daemon is neither deathlike nor morbid. In fact, the opposite is true, they are motivated by the trivial human enthusiasms which drive the living. They are ebullient and vociferous, full of a natural enthusiasm to organise and achieve. They are driven by a gregarious and even sentimental nature and hold their followers dear, even referring to them as their 'Children' and taking a noticeable pride in their appearance and endearing behaviour. This combination of physical corruption and energetic endeavour is one of the most extraordinary characteristics of Nurgles daemons. It can be seen most clearly when the Great Unclean One and hos daemonic followers appear in the material world. The horde travels in a cavalcade of covered wagons, bringing with it all the pestilences and ills that befall the living. The wagons are in no better physical condition than the daemons within. Their shrouds are tattered and rotten, their frames splintered and bent, and all their metal work pitted and rusted. Yet within the plodding caravan of Nurgle all is bustle and activity as the Great Unclean One prepares to launch a festival of decay and destruction upon a mortal city or settlement, or an opposing army. For Nurgles visitation is like that of a travelling circus or great fair, except that the entertainment it offers is disease, sickness and death. As the caravan draws near to its destination the excitement of the daemons nears fever pitch. Plaguebearers take stock of pestilence and diseases, counting the reserves of sickness, the number of Nurglings, each other, and eventually anything that stands still long enough to be counted. Amidst the deep-throated drone of the Plaguebearers endless tally, the Nurglings chatter and prance like small children about to embark upon a special treat. They squabble and squirm, snigger and squeal, and their numbers go up and down beyond the Plaguebearers ability to keep track. Amid the general hullaballoo and sense of anticipation, the overly affectionate Beasts of Nurgle jump uncontrollably from Plaguebearer to Plaguebearer, like excitable puppies leaving pools of dribble and slime as they pass. When the Great Unclean One speaks his manner is immediately reminiscent of the great stage manager and leader that he is. He addresses his cast of Plaguebearers, Nurglings and Beasts, building their enthusiasm by recalling the fine aestetic qualities of famous diseases of the past. He may mention in passing the wine-dark sea of purple-patterned decay, the fine flaky texture and slightly salty tang of eczema. As the multitude clamours for more, he will describe the gem-like shell of a boil as it wells to a head, and the final satisfaction as it bursts exposing a glistening cavity of inflamed flesh. They cause Terror in non-daemonic creatures and are immune to Fear and Terror unless caused by a god. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 6 90 93 7 7 39 100 10 89 89 89 89 89 10 Daemonettes --------------------- AKA: Children of Slaanesh, Bringers of Joyous Degradation, Givers of Undescribable Delight, Debauched Ones, Seekers of Decadence The Daemonettes are the most numerous of Slaaneshs daemonic followers, and serve his purposes in a number of ways. They fight as troops on the battlefield, and are occasionally granted as companions to mortal followers of Slaanesh. Like Slaanesh, the Daemonettes are beautiful, but their beauty is perverse and unnatural, and causes loathing rather than admiration. They often ride into battle on Mounts of Slaanesh. They stand nearly as tall as a man, and are white skinned with deep green saucer like eyes. Their figures and faces are something like those of Human women, but they have only one breast. They often decorate their bodies and their long flowing white hair with a variety of bizarre designs, painted or tattooed onto their skins in the pastel shades of Slaanesh. Slaaneshs symbol, endlessly repeated, is the most popular motif. Their arms end in chitinous crab-like claws, and they have two-toed, clawed feet and razor edged tail. They sometimes wear elaborate chain mail armour. They cause Fear in non-daemonic creatures and are immune to Fear and Terror unless caused by a Greater Daemon or a God. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 4 57 42 4 3 5 60 3 10 89 89 89 89 89 (1 armour point on all locations) Bloodletter --------------------- AKA: Khornes Chosen, Teeth of Death, Naked Slayers, Takers of Skulls, Horned Ones The Bloodletters are the rank and file of Khornes daemonic armies. The greatest of the Blood Gods mortal followers may become Bloodletters and the greatest of the Bloodletters may ultimately be 'elevated' to the ranks of the Bloodthirsters (above). Like all daemons of Khorne, the ferocity of the Bloodletters is boundless, and they will attack almost any foe without fear or thought of the consequences. Bloodletters often ride Juggernauts, the Steeds of Khorne, into battle, shrieking his praises as they do so. Bloodletters stand as tall as a man but, apart from their broad shoulders, their frames are slender and wiry with long arms, elongated, horned skulls and twisted, crested backs. Their naked hides are scaled, varying slightly in colour from deep red to near orange. Their faces are pale and skull-like, with milk-white pupil-less eyes. Their long black tongues are blackened and flecked with crimson. They wield wickedly sharp magical Hellblades (%%%) of red-stained iron and brass. They are subject to Frenzy, and to Hatred of creatures and followers of Slaanesh. All Fear and Terror tests are made at +10 Cl, except where caused by a BloodThirster. They cause Fear in non-daemonic creatures and are immune to Fear and Terror unless caused by a Greater Daemon or a God. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 4 50 42 4 3 5 60 2 89 89 89 89 89 1 (1 armour point on all locations) Pink Horrors and Blue Horrors --------------------------------------- Pink Horrors: AKA: Whirling Destroyers, Screamers, Squealers Blue Horrors: AKA: Grumblers, Spinning Sourguts, Whiners The Lesser Daemons of Tzeentch are known as Horrors, taking two distinct forms, the Pink Horror and Blue Horror. They start off as Pink Horrors, recognised by its glowing pink skin, high pitched squeals of laughter. When "killed" a Pink Horror splits into two Blue Horrors, similar physically but glowing blue, sullen and malicious like evil-tempered children. Both types are made purely from magical energy, racing about in a haze of pink and/or blue light and cackling/grumbling incessently. They cause Fear in non-daemonic creatures and are immune to Fear and Terror unless caused by a Greater Daemon or a God. Pink Horror: M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 4 50 42 4 3 5 60 2 90 90 90 90 90 1 Blue Horror: M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 4 35 25 3 3 5 70 1 90 20 20 20 20 1 Plaguebearers ----------------------- AKA: Maggotkin, Tainted Ones, Rotbearers, Nurgles Tallymen Nurgles gift to the universe is Nurgles Rot, a progressive disease combining the worst qualities of all the plagues that infest the living. It is a curse that is all the more horrible because it does not end with death, for it is a contagion of daemonic and not mortal kind, and it infests the soul as it does the body. When a mortal dies from Nurgles Rot his soul is forfeit to Nurgle, and from that soul-stuff Nurgle fashions his Lesser Daemons the Plaguebearers. It is specifically to avoid this fate that many sufferers of Nurgles Rot undertake death quests, hoping for a clean and mortal end by this means. The Plaguebearer carries the marks of Nurgles Rot throughout eternity. Its skin is tinged with green or the colour of mud, running sores cover its whole body, pus and blood run continuously from its single eye, unmentionable filth cakes its clawed hands and feet. It is the Plaguebearers everlasting role to organise and herd the daemonic forces of Nurgle, to keep stock of the diseases, to allocate appropriate fates to each new victim, and to try and keep order among what is a naturally chaotic horde. Just as the living attempt in vain to impose order and meaning upon their lives, so the Plaguebearers task is an impossible one. This is characterised most obviously by the constant counting as they try to calculate the ever-changing needs and aims of their master. The Plaguebearers voice is a deep, bass monotone. The multitude of Plaguebearers all counting at once creates a sound so sonorious and penetrating that untethered objects will vibrate in an unholy harmony. The counting of the Plaguebearers achieves very little because it is impossible to count anything amidst such chaos, though this in no way discourages them in their efforts. They are the daemonic embodiment of the need of the living to impose meaning upon a meaningless and uncaring world. They cause Fear in non-daemonic creatures and are immune to Fear and Terror unless caused by a Greater Daemon or a God. Details of Nurgles Rot can be found in the WFRP rulebook, at the end of the adventure "The Oldenhaller Contract". M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 4 50 42 4 3 5 60 2 89 89 89 89 89 1 (1 armour point on all locations) Fiends of Slaanesh ---------------------------- AKA: Beasts of Slaanesh, Rams of Slaanesh, Bestials, Unholy Ones The hunting beasts of Slaanesh are often found accompianing his daemons, and are sometimes granted to mortal followers. They appear as unholy mixture of scorpion, reptile and Human. They have a segmented main body with a broad, stingered tail and humanoid legs. From the front of the lithe body grows a row of humanoid breasts with a pair of arms which are sometimes used as front legs - the beast does not have the necessary intelligence to grip anything with them. The head is similar to that of a monitor lizard, and has a long tongue and a pair of horns. The torso of a Fiend is often a white or pastel shade. Their segmented rear bodies are a richly burnished shade of the same hue. Their legs are a dark complementary colour, with pastel-coloured or white feet. Their horns are a deep ivory colour, and their eyes a dark bottle green. They are immune to Fear and Terror unless caused by a daemon or a God. They exudea musky perfume that is highly attractive to all creatures. Anyone within 8 yds of a Fiend must make a WP test or move closer. Other, unaffected people may attempt to restrain the affected individual, who becomes hysterically strong (S+2). Victims are unable to do anything than stand quite still close to the Fiend as the Fiend tears them limb from limb. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 6 33 0 3 3 1 30 3 0 43 14 43 43 0 Fleshhounds ---------------------- AKA: Beasts of Khorne, Flesh-renders, Hunters of Blood, Inevitable Ones These terrible hunting beasts may be acquired by followers of Khorne, and they may appear among the retinues of his daemons. Fleshhounds will fight to the death for their master and are faultless trackers. On planets dedicated to Khorne packs of these terrifying creatures chase after their prey, endlessly persuing the enemies of Khorne. Behind the packs run eager Bloodletters, urging the Hounds on with piercing whoops and shrieks of glee, ever-ready to spill blood for their demanding master. The Chaos Hunt is a fearsome sight indeed and few live to recount its gory pursuit. Fleshhounds are hideously canine, and are some eight feet long from nose to tail. Their lean, wiry frames have an arched back, and are covered in blood-red scales. Around their necks is a ruff or collar of spikes, connected by an orange-red membrane of taut flesh. This gives the neck added protection. Rows of iron plates are driven into the flesh along their backs, held in place by brazen rivets, each moulded in the shape of Khornes skull rune. Their apparently unseeing eyes are a milky white. Their wide mounts are equipped with huge, blood-stained fangs and their two-toed feet end in razor sharp claws of iron. They are immune to Fear and Terror, unless caused by Khorne himself. All other psychological tests are made on the handlers characteristics, provided that the Hound is within 12 yards. They cause Fear in non-daemonic creatures under 10 feet tall. The bite of a Fleshhound is poisonous, and if they are not within 12 yds of a daemon or follower of Khorne they will attack the nearest creature. They can use their powerful legs to leap up to 8 yds at an opponent, passing over intermediate objects whcih are 4 yds high. This gives them a to-hit bonus of +10 WS, for the first round of a combat only. If the resulting bite attack is successful the Fleshhound gets two extra claw attacks as well. These claw attacks hit automatically, and no extra to hit rolls need be made. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 10 49 0 5 4 11 60 1* 0 10 14 89 89 0 Flamers ------------------ Like Pink Horrors, the Daemonic Creatures of Slaanesh are fashioned from pure magic and are only semi-solid, seeming almost transparent. They are bizarre creatures, travelling along the ground on a soft skirt of pinking flesh like an inverted mushroom. By drawing air into this fleshy, fungoid skirt and expelling it by means of a powerful contraction, the creature moves along the ground in leaps and bounds. By way of arms it has two blue trunks. The arms have no hands, but instead each trunk ends in an open orifice from which magical flames spit and spatter. Flamers have the most ridumentary and instinctive minds, but they are finely attuned to the thoughts of the Lord of Change. They are dominated by the thoughts of the nearest or most powerful Lord of Change, so they act in total accordance with their desires. Flamers are almost literally the instruments of a Greater Daemons will. The flaming limbs give the Flamers their name. However, this is not normal fire but the stuff of raw magic, coloured a daemonic shade of blue or yellow. The Flamer can use its flames to throw coloured fireballs at its foes, as well as to burn them in close combat. As the fire crackles and hisses, smaller magical flames fall to the ground and take on the imitative form of a surrounding object or person - like a tiny marionette. The small representations of persons or events will continue to impersonate what is happening around, but in a curiously disturbing and mocking manner. The Flamer usually ignores these little parodies of reality, but may happen to glance toward them and then destroy them with its magical fire. As the Flamer moves away the little scenes collapse into spluttering pools of magic which slowly fade into nothing. A Flamer will typically be followed by a series of these tiny images, which grow unstable and vanish as the Flamer moves away. Immune to psychology. May leap up to 18 yards along the ground and up to 2 yds high. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 9 35 45 5 4 11 40 2 0 90 0 90 90 0 Beasts of Nurgle --------------------------- AKA: The Beasts, Slime Hounds, Nurgles Lapdogs The Beast of Nurgle looks like some horrendous mish-mash of creatures. It has the soft and sticky body of a pale brown slug, webbed feet that flap uselessly, a face of writhing green tentacles, and a whiptail growth that bursts from its back and which wags from side to side. The Beast is no less deadly than it is ugly, for its touch causes paralysis and its slimy secretions rot everything they cover. The very proximity of a Beast is sufficient to kill small animals and plants, and even larger creatures may age and decay perceptibly in its presence. The Beast is the very embodiment of decay. Despite its fearsome appearance and deadly attributes, the Beast is a friendly and affectionate creature behaving in all respects like an over-friendly and easily excited puppy. It craves attention, greeting newcomers by slobbering all over them with its slimy tentacles. Once they get worked up they can rarely if ever contain themselves and leave little puddles of acrid slime behind them. All this attention is not a problem to other creatures of Nurgle, but tends to kill mortals fairly rapidly. Once the Beasts new friend stops moving, its interest quickly shifts to another target, and in this way the Beast excitedly and lovingly kills and destroys just about everything it touches. As the Beast only has the most rudimentary sense of intelligence it never anticipates the result of its friendly behaviour, and registers only a slight sense of disappointment as each new playmate goes all still and boring. They Fear fire and attacks involving it. Otherwise immune to all other psychology. May make D6 Attacks each round (reroll each round). If hit by a tentacle victims must pass a T test or become paralysed, to be immediately picked up to be eaten later or presented as an offering to a Plaguebearer. As a Beast moves it leaves a trail of slime. Anyone coming in contact with the slime catches Nurgles Rot (see description of Nurgles Rot at the end of "The Oldenhaller Contract" in the WFRP rulebook). Any creature entering hand to hand combat against the Beast risks catching the Rot as well. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 3 30 0 3 5 15 30 D6* 6 24 10 89 98 0 Mounts of Slaanesh ----------------------------- AKA: Flesh Lickers, Degraded Ones, Tongue Lashers of Slaanesh, Whips of Slaanesh These strange bipedal beasts are sometimes ridden into battle by the Daemonettes. They do not attack in combat, but can move very quickly, and use their long tongue, to ensnare their riders opponents, making them easy targets. They are bipedal combining the appearance of a horse and an ostrich. They have two long, feminine legs, and a crest of vivid green hair runs the length of the back. The glossy fur on the legs and upper parts of the body is a pale lavender colour, while the head, tail and underside are pastel yellow with mottled deep red markings. They have a long, tubular snout, ending in a small mouth from which their long, electric-blue tongue constantly shoots back and forth. It may try to ensnare Human or smaller sized targets within 6 yards unsing its tongue, resolved as a test on WS. If successful, the victim is completely ensnared and prone. Pulled in toward the rider, the victim is hit automatically if the rider attacks, for double damage. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 12 33 0 4 5 10 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Juggernauts ---------------------- AKA: Blood or Soul Crushers, Feet of Khorne, Juggers, Blights of Khorne These riding beasts are occasionally granted to favoured servants of Khorne and are also ridden into battle by the Bloodletters of Khorne. They are quadrupeds with broad bodies, the heads of warped bullgods, powerful legs and heavy, wide mouths. Their skins are made of living metal, riveted with Khornes skull rune. Their hindquarters are less heavily armoured than their massive forequarters. A saddle is often cut into the living metal of the beasts flesh. Juggers range in colour from vivid red burnished steel to deep wrought-iron black. They cause Fear in non-daemonic creatures under 10 feet tall whom they charge. They are subject to Stupidity when separated from their riders. If a Jugger fails a Stupidity test it attacks the nearest creature. They are immune to all other psychological rules. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 7 33 0 5 5 17 20 2 0 89 6 89 89 0 (2 armour points on head, shoulders, and back) Discs of Tzeentch ---------------------------- AKA: Steeds of Tzeentch, Sky-Sharks of Tzeeentch The Realm of Chaos is inhabited by the Chaos Powers and their minions, by the shadow-selves of mortals, and by unsure flittering creatures born from the recurrent emotions of the once-living. It is a hell of sorts, and a heaven of sorts, an endless sea of perdition. It is inhabited by numberless hunters and killers, things that prey upon the flittering creatures and even upon the shadowy spirits of Men. Not the least of these are the shoaling Discs of Tzeentch, also known as the Steeds of Tzeentch. They roam the tides of the Warp like shoals of barracudas, searching for the vulnerable things that inhabit it. Discs are vicious and uncaring hunters. They can scent the shadow-self of a vulnerable human, quickly find it and tear it to pieces, carrying the remnants back to their Lord Tzeentch. In the Realm of Chaos Discs are smoky creatures whose shifting forms hints at a profusion of teeth and penetrating little eyes. When they move in the material world at the command of their Lord Tzeentch, their raw magical bodies assume bizarre and unlikely forms. While most are round and disc shaped, some are covered in eyes, and others sheathed in living metal. They fly througb the air, darting and turning through the firmament like sleek fish through clear waters. A favoured servant of Tzeentch may be given a Steed of Tzeentch to ride through the air by standing upon its flat upper surface. Because Discs exist primarily in the Realm of Chaos, only entering the material world under the direction of their daemonic superiors, they can reenter the Realm of Chaos at will. In this way they can carry a passenger into the Void as a Warp Rider. However mere mortals were not meant to exist in this immaterial universe and the exhilaration and sheer excitement can sometimes prove beyond human tolerance. The Warp Ride is the ultimate human experience - to be chased by the things that live within it, and breathe sustained by the liquid air of pure magic, to return to the mortal world at a pitch of ecstasy, every nerve burning with the energy of raw magic. Discs fly as swoopers. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 12 35 0 3 3 11 30 1 0 90 90 90 90 0 Nurglings -------------------- AKA: Pus Spores, Mites of Nurgle The rotted bowels of the Great Unclean Ones swell with pus and contagion, and within each swelling there grows a tiny and malevolent daemon called a Nurgling. As the Nurgling matures it feeds upon the filth of the Great Unclean One and eventually pops out, the very personification (or daemonification) of a boil or pustule. In this sense Nurglings really are the children of the Great Unclean Ones. Perhaps this is why the Greater Daemons take such parental pride in the little creatures, allowing them to suckle upon their sores, and petting them affectionately. However, this does not prevent the proud parent squashing its progeny underfoot, or gobbling one or two up in a moment of impulsive peckishness. Nurglings may also grow from the pus shed by a Great Unclean One when it moves. Such pus hides in little sticky pockets in the ground. When a mortal steps upon it, the foulness enters his body, making its way into the gut. There the Nurgling encysts and develops until it is ready to emerge. As the Nurgling approaches maturity its obscene crys may be heard from within the victims abdomen, insulting anyone and everyone nearby. When ready the Nurgling climbs through the alimentary canal and leaves its host by one or either end. The Nurgling is then free to flock with others of its kind or to take up residence in some household cess pit, rubbish pile, or other equally unpleasant place. They have a naturally malicious but sociable nature and like to hang around human settlements if they cannot find other Nurglings. They enjoy stealing small but precious objects, turning milk sour, and perpetrating misdeeds of that sort. Nurglings always remember their parent human with affection, and periodically creep back to bestow their thanks in the form of a crop of boils or some interesting disease. Nurglings are miniature versions of Nurgle himself, with friendly mischievous faces, tiny bloated green bodies and limbs which are often distorted or disproportionate. They are gregarious, agile and constantly active. Normally they swarm over the body of a Great Unclean One, picking at his skin, squealing with pleasure if their master favours them with a tit-bit or a caress, otherwise sqabbling between themselves over the most comfortable recesses of the Great Unclean Ones carcass. When faced with an enemy they advance in a furious little swarm, clawing and biting at their foes legs, biting his ankles and licking at any interesting sores or abrasions they discover. Their tiny teeth are as sharp as razors, leaving festering little bites upon their victims but rarely killing them outright. Nurglings are subject to Frenzy against all daemons and followers of Tzeentch. Anyone in combat with a Nurgling risks catching Nurgles Rot. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 4 30 30 3 3 15 40 1 70 30 25 30 30 45 Daemon Princes ------------------------- Daemon Princes are mortals whose twisted dedication to their Chaos God has been rewarded with the gift of immortality. Having started as mortals, Daemon Princes are as variable as mortal creatures, and as such it is difficult to describe an "average" Daemon Prince. Often warped and mutated by Chaos to a form reminiscent of the particular Gods mainstream Daemons, their characteristics tend to fall somewhere between those of a Lesser Daemon and Greater Daemon. 19.5.2 The Traitor Legions --------------------------- The Traitor Legions are the remains of the Space Marine rebels from the Horus Heresy, who fled into the Eye of Terror when Horus was defeated. For various reasons, these Legions sided with Chaos during the Horus Heresy, and to this day still attack the Imperium in forays from their bases in the Eye of Terror. The most famous include the Alpha Legion, Word Bearers, World Eaters, Thousand Sons, Black Legion (known in the days of the Horus Heresy as the Lunar Wolves), Night Lords, the Death Guard, the Emperors Children and the Iron Warriors. Many of the Chaos Marines who raid the Imperium today are the same ones who 10,000 years ago fled to the Eye of Terror. Many of these were led to the embrace of Chaos my their Primarch masters, many of whom did not know themselves they were falling into the grip of Chaos until it was too late. Mortarion, Primarch of the Death Guard, fully believed he was the herald of a new age of justice. Angron of the World Eaters genuinely thought that he alone could save humanity from destruction. Horus too, the greatest Primarch of all, was convinced of the martial ideals for which he fought. By appealing to their virtue and courage, the Primarchs were tempted to lead their Legions against the Emperor. Initially, even the Primarchs had little idea they had fallen to Chaos, but when they rebelled their good intenions fell away as Chaos saturated their minds and souls. The Space Marine Legions they led also turned slowly but inevitably to Chaos. The corrupting influence of Chaos soon spread to the Imperial Guard and Adeptus Mechanicus forces, including the Titan Legions and the Legio Cybernetica. From there the rot spread further into the Imperium itself. Over half of the Adeptus Mechanicus alone were ready to join an army dedicated to Chaos. In the Great Crusade the Emperor trusted Horus to command the actions on the Eastern Fringe of the Galaxy, while the Emperor consolidated his increasing holdings in the Galaxy from Terra. The Istvaan III system rebelled, and the Emperor ordered Horus to pacify it. Horus did this - by virus bombing Istvaan III from orbit, wiping out every living thing on the planet... During the bombardment a handful of Space Marines still loyal to the Emperor seized control of the frigate Eisenstein. They had discovered the taint of Chaos spreading through Horus' command and the loyalists fled into Warpspace to warn the Imperium. When the Emperor was informed, he was stunned. After an almost fatal delay, the Emperor ordered seven Legions of Space Marines to stop Horus. Four were corrupted to Chaos and turned to fight against their former brethren. Horus now controlled nine Legions, almost fully half of them at the time. Horus was only defeated at great cost in a titantic battle with the Emperor on board Horus' own battle barge. The events of the Horus Heresy have long passed into myth within the Imperium. 10,000 years of history have relegated those memories to the records of the Ordo Malleus, and perhaps to the memories of the Emperor himself. Chaos' very existence is kept very carefully from the masses of the Imperium, as the masters of the Imperium and the Inquisition fear that should it become known, it would prove too great a temptation to the peoples of the Imperium. To the Inquisition, for that to happen would be an unparalleled disaster for Mankind. In the Eye of Terror, however, time flows differently. The same traitor Marines who first fled into there 10,000 years ago still live and swear vengeance on the Imperium and Mankind. They gain new recruits from those who wander into the Eye of Terror, seduced by the power of Chaos. The implantation of implants is a crude affair, and whether the candidate survives is in the lap of the fickle Gods of Chaos. They still fight with the same technology that was used 10,000 years ago in the Great Crusade. This puts them at a disadvantage, but not too great a disadvantage as fortunately apart from a few notable improvements and inventions, Imperial technology has not significantly improved much over the last 10,000 years - the main exceptions being the making of Plasma weapons to be safer and improved Power Armour. Every so often, a Black Crusade is launched from the Eye of Terror. One of these nights, it will be successful... The Death Guard ------------------------- The Death Guard was one of the original 20 Legions created by the Emperor in the First Founding. The Legion was en route to Terra to reinforce the Emperors forces as Horus attacked Terra. However, it became lost and marooned in the Warp. Days passed with the Legions Navigators searching in vain for a path out to material space. Meanwhile a mysterious infection spread among the Legion, from ship to ship. The contagion bloated the gut, distended the flesh and rotted its victims from the inside. Even the superhuman Space Marines and the Primarch Mortarion himself became infected and delerious. In his delerium he called upon the Powers of Chaos to save them. Nurgle answered the call, and Mortarion became Nurgles Champion. The warriors of the Death Guard became Plague Marines of Nurgle. Like many Traitor Legions they fled to the Eye of Terror on Horus' defeat, where Mortarion attained the status of Daemon Prince. Physically the Dearth Guard are the most foul of the Chaos Marines to look at, images of disease and pestilence. Their armour colour is difficult to determine beneath the almost impervious veneer of filth. The Word Bearers -------------------------- Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers Legion, was always one of the most scrupulous and dedicated followers of the Imperial Cult. He was sure that his steady, methodical progress during the Great Crusade, as he converted planets to the Imperial Cult with dedicated zeal, would earn him the Emperors undying gratitude, and elevate him to a pre-eminent position among the Primarchs. It was thus a shattering blow when the Emperor instead reprimanded him for his tardiness in carrying out the primary objective of the Great Crusade. The task of the Space Marines was to fight, not to waste time in pointless ritual and monument building... Later Lorgar was to say that this lifted a veil from his eyes, and he was able to see the Emperor for what he was: not a God at all, but an irreverent man who had failed to grasp that what Humanity needed above anything else was religious guidance in order to make sense of an otherwise pointless and futile existence. Lorgars faith in the Imperial Cult was destroyed, but he quickly found a substitute in the terrifying, truly god-like beings that were the Chaos Powers. Here were true Gods that *expected* to be worshipped, that *yearned* for displays of devotion and dedication. And so it was that before even Horus had been corrupted, Lorgar was worshipping the Gods of Chaos. He worshipped no one Chaos God in particular, but Chaos in general, and quickly led the Word Bearers down the same path. They were one of the first Legions to declare for Horus. Today, operating from the Eye of Terror, they remain a thorn in the side of the Imperium as they subvert countless Imperial worlds to the worship of Chaos. The Night Lords ------------------------- The Night Lords were the 8th Chapter formed in the First Founding. Their Primarch, Konrad Curze, grew up on Nostramo, where violent crime was a fact of life. The young Primarch took it upon himself to lead a single handed vigilante war against the crime lords of the planet, taking on the name of Night Haunter. His methods were simple, vicious, and direct. If you broke the law you died. Night Haunter was judge, jury and executioner. The Great Crusade found Konrad, who was reunited with his Legion, the Night Lords. They quickly became known for ruthless efficiency and an almost cynical disregard for human life as Night Haunters methods became theirs. Stories massed of massacres and atrocities committed by the Night Lords, some under the supervision of Konrad himself. The Emperor was forced to recall Night Haunter to Terra to answer the charges against him. But before Konrad could travel to Terra, the Horus Heresy erupted. It quickly became apparent that all the charges levelled at the Legion were true, and the Primarch had no hesitation in joining Horus against the man he came to see as a weak willed hypocrite. He led a merry dance of mayhem and destruction across the Imperium even after Horus was defeated before being forced to withdraw to the Eye of Terror. They do not seem to follow any of the Chaos gods, but fight for the sheer pleasure of it having become cynical, hard-bitten and entirely ruthless. Their atheism leads them to look down on their more dedicated brethren, be they Chaos Marines like the Khorne Berzerkers of the World Eaters or the dedicated warriors of the loyal Space Marine Chapters. They wear dark blue Power Armour. Konrad Curze was eventually killed by an Assassin of the Officio Assassinorum. His Legion still mounts raids on the Imperium from the Eye of Terror. Alpha Legion ---------------------- The Alpha Legion was the 20th and last Legion of the First Founding. Under the critical eye of their Primarch during the Great Crusade the Legion became renowned for its discipline and strict organisation. Though the youngest Legion, Alpha Legion sought to outshine its brethren in all things as if to prove their worthiness amidst the older Legions. The Alpha Warriors adopted the symbol of the Hydra as their Legions symbol. This multi-headed, dragon like creature from ancient myth served to remind the brethren of the Alpha Legion of their ultimate unity in body and spirit. On the battlefield the terrifying coordination of the Legion was their hallmark. When Horus made his pact with Chaos the martial pride of Alpha Legion was their downfall. The warmaster was a mighty warrior himself, he commanded armies and fleets and fought at the forefront of the Emperors wars. By comparison with the Emperor he made the distant Emperor on Terra seem a weak and cowardly individual. The warmaster was a leader worthy of their respect, the Emperor sought only to exploit Horus' conquests and crush the liberated Humans of the Galaxy beneath his stifling regimes. So the lies were insinuated into the hearts and minds of the Alpha Warriors, and if any lie is repeated often enough it becomes accepted, and therefore akin to truth. Joyously the Alpha Legion met the loyalist Legions in battle to declare for Horus. Today the Alpha Legion operates from within the Eye of Terror, working to subvert the rule of the Imperium. Like the Word Bearers it worships no Chaos God in particular. It has connections to Chaos Cultists on many, many worlds of the Imperium and directs the actions of cultists across whole sectors to instigate massive insurrections against Imperial rule. These revolts are used as cover for a series of shattering Chaos raids. The Emperors Children ------------------------------- All the First Founding Legions were created to take part in Imperial Crusades, but it was nearly 60 years before the Legion of the Emperors Children saw action in battle. An accident during geneseeding nearly destroyed the Legion before it was born. Once the Emperors Children had been re-established with rescued geneseed they proved to be loyal and efficient, distinguishing themselves in several campaigns. They were among the Legions assigned to crush Horus and his rebel Legions on Istvaan V. During a parley the Legions Primarch, Fulgrim, and his highest ranking officers were corrupted by the decadent pastimes that Horus and Chaos offered. Drugged, pleasured beyond endurance, and finally broken, they agreed to aid Horus. The rot quickly spread to the whole Legion, and the Emperors Children willingly embraced Chaos in all its indolent depravity. The Imperial Cult was quickly supplanted by the more gratifying worship of Slaanesh. As one of the Traitor Legions the Emperors Children invaded Earth, but took little part in the fighting. Simple pleasures had given way to complex debaucheries, and while their allies fought and died the Emperors Children slaughtered more than a million people and rendered them down to create endless varieties of drugs and stimulants. Countless thousands more died to give the Emperors Children more direct, if cruder, enjoyment. When the assault failed the Emperors Children fled into the Eye of Terror. They were the first to begin raiding Imperial worlds for captives and plunder. Their excesses soon knew no bounds and simple raiding could not supply enough raw human material for their orgies of worship. At this point the Emperors Children turned on the slaves and servants of the other Traitor Legions, an action which began a series of wars within the Eye of Terror. The struggles of the Emperors Children continued until the destruction of the cloned Horus by the Black Legion. While corrupt beyond comprehension, the Emperors Children remain a savage fighting force. Like many of Slaaneshs followers they have become what are known as Noise Marines. They use weapons in battle that produce loud, disharmonic noises that destroy by tearing the target apart by vibrations and colourful pyrotechnic explosions. The senses of the Emperors Children have become so warped that only the most extravagant colours and patterns register on their minds. Each suit of ancient Power Armour, each Bolter, is worked with fantastic patterns and images of debauchery in praise of Slaanesh. The Iron Warriors --------------------------- The Iron Warriors once formed the Emperors most able body of siege troops. They fought alongside the Imperial Fists on a hundred worlds in the Great Crusade, laying siege to alien citadels and the palaces of Heretics who denied the Emperors divinity. The Iron Warriors Primarch, Purturbo, excelled in siege and trench warfare above all else, and his treatise on fortifications and their destruction formed the basis of several sections in the Tactica Imperium. The Iron Warriors declared for Horus in the battles of Istvaan V. The loyalist Space Marines, having suffered severe losses, found themselves pressed against the fortifications of the Iron Warriors, who declared for Horus in a torrent of Bolter and Lascannon fire. On Horus' defeat the Iron Warriors were slowly driven into the Eye of Terror, where freed from the laws of the physical universe their structures rise spiralling up for miles. Bastions and dungeons fill the world they call their own, a madmans architecture of iron and stone where twisted stairs run at right angles to one another and pinnacles plunge eternally downwards. Within this impossible fortress the Iron Warriors plot and plan for an purpose known only to themselves. The Thousand Sons --------------------------- The name of the Thousand Sons was taken from the initial series of genetic imprints made from the tissue of their Primarch, Magnus the Red. Magnus was a ruddy-haired and extremely large Primarch with a single eye set deep in his broad forehead. Because of this he was sometimes known as Cyclopean Magnus or the Red Cyclops. The truth was that his soul had already been touched by Chaos, and Tzeentch insinuated into him a fascination with the occult forces of the Warp and the secrets that lay in its fabric. From his imprint a thousand Space Marines were created: the Thousand Sons of Magnus. An entire Legion of many thousands was subsequently raised to take part in the Great Crusade, but the Legion always kept the title of the Thousand Sons. The Path of Damnation was longer than most for the Thousand Sons. Even before the Horus Heresy the Thousand Sons studied sorcery and arcane lore despite the Emperors warnings to stay clear of such matters. However they remained loyal to both the Emperor and humanity despite their growing preoccupation with magic. When Horus gathered his forces against the Emperor, the Thousand Sons tried to use their occult powers to warn him. Mistrustful of anything tinged by Chaos, the Emperor declared the Thousand Sons as Heretics, and dispatched the Space Wolves to raze their homeworld of Prospero. The Thousand Sons were forced into a war with the Emperor to survive, and had to fight alongside Chaos to protect their accumulated magical wisdom. The Thousand Sons sought the patronage of the Chaos Power Tzeentch, Changer of the Ways, greatest magic wielder of the Chaos Powers. Tzeentch rewarded them well and the Thousand Sons escaped from the Horus Heresy to the world in the Eye of Terror promised them by their master. This planet became known as the Planet of the Sorcerers. On this world a huge tower with a large, living eye looks out over the surrounding landscape, like the Thousand Sons Primarch who Tzeentch rewarded by making him a Daemon Prince. As time has passed many of the Thousand Sons have declined into mutation and madness under the warping influence of the Lord of Change. The sorcerers grew increasingly disturbed by the degeneration of their brethren until a cabal led by Ahriman, the greatest among them, risked the wrath of their daemon Primarch by undertaking the drastic spell the Rubric of Ahriman and purging the Thousand Sons. This brought about a great schism within the Legion as the cabal was banished by the enraged Primarch and scattered to fight in different Traitor Legions across the Eye of Terror. It also cursed many remaining Thousand Sons to become little more than mindless automatons in their Space Marine armour, their corrupted bodies inside literally turned to dust. These mindless soldiers are now the main foot troops of the Thousand Sons, led by powerful sorcerers to battle the Imperium. The World Eaters -------------------------- The World Eaters were created in the First Founding and still regard themselves as such. It is the later foundings under the false "Emperor of Mankind" which have turned from the true path and become decadent and depraved. Even before the Heresy the World Eaters were noted for their savagary. They were censured by the Emperor for their use of psycho-surgery on new recruits to turn them into frothing madmen. Nonetheless, the World Eaters were invaluable terror troops in the Great Crusade and fought at the forefront of all the greatest campaigns. It was a simple matter for Horus to turn the World Eaters and their Primarch Angron to the bloody worship of Khorne. As more and more of the Legions officers became champions of Khorne or were possessed by daemons, all discipline broke down. Finally, at the end of the savage Skalathrax campaign an individual who would become known as Kharn the Betrayer, an exalted and utterly insame berzerker champion of Khorne, set upon his brethren with such bloodlust that the whole Legion tore itself apart in a great battle which lasted days and nights without end. By the time the smoke cleared the Legion had been shattered into dozens of warbands of crazed berzerkers which now move relentlessly through the Eye of Terror seeking out battle and bloodshed. The Black Legion -------------------------- The Black Legion is the only one of the Traitor Legions to have changed its name in over 10,000 years of exile. The Legion was originally created in the First Founding as the Luna Wolves. The Emperor subsequently bestowed a new name on the Legion in recognition of its accomplishment in the Ullanor Crusade, renaming it the Sons of Horus. It was as the Sons of Horus that the Legion fought in the Horus Heresy, serving as his praetorians throughout his campaigns. They were the first to remove the Imperial Eagle from their Power Armour and replace it with the eye of Horus symbol which became a dread symbol of Chaos to the Imperium. They fought with pride and unthinkable ferocity, knowing that they were the chosen among the Warmasters new order. When Horus was defeated by the Emperor the Legions morale was shattered - their patron, their father, was gone. Factions in the other Traitor Legions later blamed the Sons of Horus for beginning the rout from Earth by retreating into Warpspace with the body of their beloved Warmaster, leaving the horde leaderless behind. But the battle for Earth had been lost when Horus fell, and no power in the universe could have brought victory to the forces of Chaos. In the Eye of Terror the Sons of Horus fought running battles with the other Legions for possession of key worlds and resources, fighting to reestablish themselves as the prime Legion. The Sons of Horus worshipped one Chaos Power after another and each time they were bled white in a succession of conflicts with different Legions. These internecile conflicts culminated in the destruction of the Sons last fortress. To add to the ignominy the Warmasters body was removed and cloned, much to the disgust of the remaining Sons. Denied their Warmaster the Sons of Horus swore allegiance to Abaddon, captain of the First Company, as their new Warmaster. Abaddons first edict was to destroy the body of Horus and all its clones, and to repaint the Legions armour black in eternal memory of their shame. The Legions remaining battle barge disappeared into the gigantic dust nebulae at the elde of the Eye of Terror to serve as a hidden base for Abaddon and his "Black Legion". The Black Legion has raided into the Imperium and the Eye of Terror ever since. Their battle barge has been seen in many parts of the Galaxy, only to disppear as mysteriously as it arrived. Abaddon has fought to restore the pride and reputation of the Black Legion, always leading his forces into the most dangerous conflicts personally. At first Abaddon won the grudging respect of the other Traitor Legions, but as his deeds have grown mightier he has succeeded in winning their support too. His impassioned words have rekindled the Traitor Legions smouldering hatred of the Imperium and warriors of all the Legions have fought under his banner. Abaddon has marshalled his strength with care and now commands the loyalty of captains from all the other Traitor Legions. Those who oppose him are crushed, those who join him add their strength to the greatest army ever assembled in the Eye of Terror. Abaddon has tested the strength of the Imperium many times in the Long War, and with each victory his power grows. One day the Imperium will show a weakness, a chink in its armour. On that day Abaddon will lead his Black Legion and his hordes of the lost and the damned back to the material universe once and for all. It is a day the most senior figures of the Imperium dread. The Technology of Chaos ---------------------------------- As mentioned above, the Traitor Legions still use the technology that was in force at the time of the Horus Heresy over 10,000 years ago. Though the technology of the Imperium has moved on a little, to a great degree it has not. The most significant changes are mentioned below. Combi-Weapons ------------- Combi-weapons have changed. In the first Terminator Squads at the time of the Heresy, the Marines in the field complained that the Bolters they carried were not taking sufficient advantage of the supportive frame offered by their Tactical Dreadnought Armour. The Adeptus Mechanicus took the simple step of linking additional weapons to make a terminator sized gun. Common combinations included a Bolter with a Flamer, Melta-Gun or a second Bolter. Combi-weapons including Plasma weapons were developed at that time, but were not issued to Squads. It was soon discovered that the only weapon combination that could fire both barrels at once without wrecking itself was twin Bolters. Later developments created combi-weapons that could fire both barrels together, but like Plasma weapons they remained difficult to produce in bulk and were limited issue weapons. Nonetheless Terminator Squads benefited from the increased firepower early combi-weapons gave them, and Techmarines sought to constantly refine and improve on the basic design, leading to the addition of chainsaw attachments and powered blades that allowed the guns to be used as secondary weapons in hand to hand combat. Over the course of the Heresy the Twin-Bolter emerged as the most dependable and tactically flexible weapon. It was subsequently fitted with better ammo hoppers and its rate of fire was increased to create the Storm Bolter used by present day Imperial Terminator Squads. Traitor Terminator Squads are still equipped with a variety of older combi-weapons because they are more useful in the close assualt roles they tend to favour in battle. Reaper Autocannon ----------------- During the development of Terminator Armour it quickly became apparent that Squads would need to carry their own heavy weapons and the limitations of the Armour itself precluded using conventional heavy weapons. The first weapon developed was a heavy flamer suitable for support in the claustrophobic confines Terminator Squads normally fought in. However, as Terminators were used more and more on the open battlefield the quest began to adapt other weapon types. The most successful early weapon was the Reaper Autocannon, the precursor of the present day Assault Cannon. The Traitor Legions, lacking the technology and equipment to maintain the notoriously fickle Assault Cannon, still use the Reaper Autocannon heavily. The Reaper Autocannon has a short range of 40 yds, long range 80 yds, and inflicts 4D6+8 damage (sustained fire 2 dice). Plasma Weapons -------------- At the time of the Horus Heresy, Plasma weapons were at a dangerous phase in their development. Plasma reactors were in limited use, and the giant weapons mounted on Titans and space ships were a simple outgrowth of the systems needed to create reactors. Plasma Guns and Pistols which could be carried and used by a Space Marine in Power Armour were still prone to overheating and leaking pressurised Plasma onto their unfortunate users. Nonetheless the devestating results they gave made them too potent to abandon and many Legions utilised Plasma weapons in a limited fashion anyway. In the dark days of the Heresy itself the desperate need for ever more potent armaments pushed early Plasma weapons to the front more and more, regardless of the risks involved. Towards the end of the Horus Heresy the Tech-Priests of Mars solved the immediate problems of Plasma weapons. By slowing the recharge mode of the weapons they found they could maintain the integrity of the magnetic field containing the energising Plasma. This prevented catastrophic leaks detonating the whole weapon and the slower recharge also meant that the weapons coolant system kept overheating to a minimum. The resulting weapons were safe and reliable but suffered from a slow recharge rate which limited their effectiveness. Marine commanders were far from happy with the compromise but the number of catastrophic meltdowns affecting the older weapons made Plasma too dangerous for the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes to go on using otherwise. As doctrine within the Adeptus Mechanicus changed the old style Plasma weapons were branded "Fabris Excommunicata" - engines of destruction that had fallen from the approval of the Machine God. Within a few centuries the early Plasma weapons had entirely disappeared. Not so in the Traitor Legions. They still use and maintain the old, dangerous Plasma weapons, perhaps revelling in the raw danger of doing so. Given the contempt held for life by Chaos Marines its unlikely they would be willing to trade off less firepower for a safer weapon anyway. In game terms, if an old style Plasma weapon rolls one or more jams during sustained fire, roll D100: D100 Result --------------------------------------------------- 01-40 Overheating - the user suffers a S2 hit. The weapon is also jammed as normal. --------------------------------------------------- 41-70 Severe Overheating - the user suffers a S4 hit. The weapon is also jammed as normal. --------------------------------------------------- 71-90 Plasma Leak - the user takes a S6 hit from hot Plasma. The weapon has a 50% chance of continuing to leak next round, with the same consequences. The weapon is also jammed as normal. --------------------------------------------------- 91-00 Meltdown!! - the weapon is destroyed as it explodes with the same effects as a Plasma Grenade. Power Mace ---------- A Power Mace is a heavy rod topped with a power generator surrounded by energy discharge vanes. When something is struck by the Mace a powerful jolt of energy is discharged which blasts the target apart with a flash of blue lightning. Power Maces were later developed into the Crozius Arcanum used by Space Marine Chaplains, and Thunder Hammers used by Terminator Marines. Stats: Close combat only, 2D6+5 damage. Space Marine Armour ------------------- The Power Armour used by Space Marines has changed and improved over the millenia. The earliest Crusade Armour was made with large plasteel plates that were riveted together, with the shoulder pads taking the most punishment. The helmet was immobile - Marines could not turn their heads. Crusade Armour also had a large amount of exposed cabling which was an easy target for someone trying to disable the Space Marine. Later Power Armour used solid ceramite plates throughout and gave the power cables additional armour, including the breastplate that many Techmarines fitted to the chest to give those exposed cables especial protection. The chestplate came to be decorated with the Imperial Eagle, giving the Armour its alternative name of Armour Impetus, or Eagle Armour. The helmet was improved such that it could turn thanks to improved neural implant controls. Also, the general build and appearance of the armour was improved with smoother lines created by the extensive use of ceramite plates over a skeleton of Plasteel. With the improvements over the millenia it is now called Codex Armour. The extent to which old style Crusade Armour is used varies from Traitor Legion to Traitor legion, and from Marine to Marine. Even some Imperial Space Marine Chapters still give old style armour to honour those of great valour sometimes - the Space Wolves are known to freely mix the various styles of Power Armour as it has progressed. At the time of the Horus Heresy, Crusade Armour had all but disappeared from use, with the exception of some of those fighting on the Eastern Fringe, though during the battles of the Horus Heresy both sides were forced to fall back on old style Crusade Armour as the losses of men escalated. As a result much of the Armour used by the Traitor Legions is, or at least originally was, Crusade Armour. Over the years most Traitor Legions have personalised it, often changing its structure, adding horns and skull motifs, various Chaos symbolism, and even spikes. A character wearing old-style Power Armour with exposed cabling risks their Armour losing its power. Opponents may try to target the cabling (it counts as a small target, in the same way as designating a body part to hit). If hit, it has Toughness 5 and 5 damage points. If cut, the Suits power goes and the Marine wearing it suffers a -30 penalty (or worse at the GMs discretion) penalty to all physical actions - including fighting, moving, etc. Also, at the time of the Heresy, Terminator Armour was still very much theoretical. It too has improved over the 10,000 years since the Heresy. Many of the accessories for Terminator Armour available in the present day (Assault Cannon, Storm Bolters, Cyclone Missile Launchers, Thunder Hammers) were in early development or totally unknown. The Terminator Armour in use at the time of the Heresy lacks the modern gadgets like Teleport Homers, Targetters, etc. Other Weapons and Technology ---------------------------- At the time of the Heresy, Melta Bombs, Melta Missiles and Multimeltas were unknown, though Melta Guns were commonly available. Hellfire ammunition for weapons had not been developed yet, and at the time of the Heresy the knowledge of how to make Chainswords and Chain Axes was still lost. It was later recovered in an STC by the Adeptus Mechanicus, but not until centuries after the Horus Heresy. As a result, any Chain weapons in use at the time were revered artifacts and rarely used. Targetters of the time were heavy and unreliable, and those used by the Traitor Legions have likely fallen to disrepair and disuse. Jump Packs and Skimmers were both available to the Traitor Legions at the time of the Heresy, in limited quantities, though far rarer than they are to the Space Marine Chapters now. Though some units may still be in operation by the Traitor Legions, the complex maintenance rituals mean that in all likelihood they have fallen into disrepair and disuse in the Traitor Legions. 19.5.3 Mortal Followers of Chaos --------------------------------- As well as daemons, and the near immortal Chaos Marines of the Traitor Legions, there are countless mortal followers of Chaos spread across the Galaxy. Not all do so knowlingly (many cults of Slaanesh, for example, may be only known as such to the higher members of the cult, the lay members may regard it as simply a club in which they can freely practise whatever perversion takes them. Cults of Tzeentch may similarly be masked as cliques who practise the occult arts away from the prying eyes of the Inquisition). As the worship of Chaos is prescribed by the Inquisition and the Imperial Cult, leaders and knowledgable members of Chaos cults go to great lengths to hide the cult from prying eyes. Induction into the cult is done cautiously, and those who reject induction may be dealt with in a fatal manner (often rendered up as a living sacrifice to the patron god...) - in life or death they will serve the patron, so they may as well do it in life. Khornate cults, unlikely as they are to form (most Khorne worshippers are loners - especially as Khorne actively encourages the slaughter and murder of those close to you) do away with the induction bit totally - they just slaughter and have done with it. For those who knowlingly worship the Gods of Chaos, it can be a rapid way to power, the pinnacle of which is to be raised to immortality as a Daemon Prince. Dedicated followers of Chaos often find themselves "gifted" by their chosen god with physical mutation (a sure sign to attract the attentions of the Inquisition) or mental degeneration. Few dedicatedly worship Chaos and remain unchanged by it. Tzeentch especially is fond of bestowing physical mutation on his faithful... Incidence of mutation, regardless of the patron power, seems especially high in the area surrounding the Eye of Terror... Of those who knowingly follow the Damned path to power that Chaos offers, there are three ultimate outcomes. Most go on with their normal life when not feeding the Powers of Chaos, and die either feeding their God (to whom their soul is forfeit) or at the hands of the Inquisition. Those who successfully climb the pinnacle of power may be reborn in daemonic flesh as a Daemon Prince. Others, used, abused and spat out by their fickle patron, suffer rapid mental degeneration and extensive physical mutation, becoming one of the shambling Chaos Spawn. Incidence of this, while low, is notably higher to the trained eye in the area surrounding the Eye of Terror... 19.6 Opponents of Chaos =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 19.6.1 The Imperium -------------------- The Imperium is one of the staunchest opponents of Chaos. Between the Inquisition (especially the Ordo Malleus - see below) and the Imperial Military, most Chaos cults, uprisings and invasions can be dealt with. The Space Marine Chapters are active in this, dispatched to deal with the occasional appearance of Chaos Marines on an Imperial world. The planets in the area of the Eye of Terror keep a tight watch on the Eye, so as to be as best prepared as possible should Chaos borne trouble come their way. The world of Cadia is well placed on the Cadian Gate, the main stable route from the Eye of Terror to material space, to put pay to many Chaos invasions, and the Space Wolves Chapter of Space Marines, based on Fenris, is close enough to the Eye of Terror to respond quickly with assistance in repelling Chaos incursions should it be required. 19.6.2 The Ordo Malleus ------------------------ The Imperium and Inquisition go to great lengths to hide the existence of Chaos from the bulk of humanity. The Emperor and the High Lords of Terra fear such knowledge would have a terrible attraction to humanity, and Chaos hastened. The Ordo Malleus, when it is mentioned, is always referred to as a watchdog on the Inquisition itself. This it does, however it is also responsible for something altogether more serious and sinister. The origins of the Ordo Malleus are ancient, and predate the Emperors confinement in the Golden Throne. Established to police the thoughts and deeds of the Inquisition itself, it is still responsible for the moral purity of all Inquisitors, but it is now charged with seeking out and destroying all manifestations of Chaos within the Imperium. Its chief targets are the raiders of the Traitor Legions who sided with Horus in the Horus Heresy and covens of Chaos worshippers who infest the Imperium. The Ordo Malleus is formed only of the most hardened, uncorruptible members of the Inquisition. It is an arduous role that demands physical toughness and psychic prowess of the highest degree. Almost every Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus is a highly skilled and powerful psyker, as they must be to fight the daemons of the Warp, and those who are not have tremendous mental resolve. Fighting the daemons of the Warp hand to hand takes incredible special powers and abilities. Needless to say, every Ordo Malleus psyker has undergone the Soul Binding to the Emperor. Unprotected psykers would be completely useless as daemon hunters... The Ordo employs its very own military wing of Space Marines, the Grey Knights, specially chosen and trained to take the worse the Traitor Marines and daemons of the Warp can throw at them, and enjoying the very best weaponry and equipment. More on the Ordo Malleus can be found in the chapter on the Inquisition. 19.6.3 The Eldar ----------------- The truth about their Fall from grace and the creation of Slaanesh is a secret jealously guarded by the Eldar. The relationship between Slaanesh and the Eldar is a topic explored further in the Eldar chapter. Deep in the Eldar Webway is the Black Library. Here is stored all the collected wisdom of the Eldar of several millenia about Chaos and the Warp. It contains some secrets most are not ready to see. Only the Harlequins of the Eldar come and go freely from the Black Library, but a rare few Inquisitors have been privileged to enter and study its contents. If the answer of how to defeat Chaos exists, it is in the Black Library. But most theorists in the know, those who know what they are talking about, know that Chaos will never be defeated. They know that the universe needs Chaos, just as it equally needs the balancing force of order, organisation and discipline. To a large degree it is the Imperium, and the Inquisition, that provides this balancing force. The universe will never be free of Chaos, but hopefully neither will it bring the universe to its knees. Where there is order there is Chaos. Where there is Chaos there is Order. The two must ultimately balance out.