Editing Sand Keepers (section)

=Organisation=
Under Darius, the Sand Keepers became known for their careful use of specialist arms.  Each Chapter of the Legion was recruited from a particular world or region, and focused on the traditional methods of war practised by their homeland.  While in another Legion this might have resulted in imbalance, Darius's commanders assembled their Expeditionary Fleets by drawing on a combination of warriors from among the different Chapters, recombining their strengths into an original sum, more than its independent parts.

==Tactics==
Due to the diversity of their Chapters, the Sand Keepers were not associated with a particular approach to warfare.  Their various Expeditionary Fleets almost seemed to be experimental formations, testing out different approaches on the battlefields of the Great Crusade.  The only constant was the Legion's legendary even temper.  Although their commanders occasionally made errors, they never did so out of passion.

During the Siege of Terra, the Sand Keepers' strength against the Traitor Legions and especially their daemonic allies was particularly noted.  Once the Scouring began, Darius' battered Legion was often called on to provide advisors to the avenging Loyalist fleets.

==Equipment==
[[File:sandkeepers.jpg|200px|thumb]]

Although their justifications varied from claims about the efficiency of standardised training and logistics to fervent statements of the weapon's status as a perfected instrument of mankind's destiny, the Sand Keepers made heavier use of bolter weapons than any other Legion.  Rather than resort to different arms for different tactical situations, the Legion tended to deploy specialist munitions, such as the ''Kraken, Scorpion,'' and ''Tempest'' bolt shells.  Their love affair with bolter weapons went all the way to fielding an unusually high number of ''Fire Raptor'' Gunships and pioneering the use of the ''Stormlord'' super-heavy tank.

Due to the early discovery of their Primarch, the Sand Keepers made pacts with some of the most ancient and powerful Forge Worlds.  These alliances ensured that their '''Immortals''' were equipped with the powerful Terminator armour and that the Legion's arsenal included sophisticated jetbikes and ''Contemptor''-Pattern Dreadnoughts.

==Specialist Ranks==
The Sand Keepers' librarium was noted for its skill and discipline.  Although they obeyed the edicts issued at the [[Council of Nikaea (Hektor Heresy)|Council of Nikaea]], the Legion's Librarians were among the best-prepared of the Loyalists to face the horrors of the Warp, especially after their blooding at '''Malluma'''.

==Notable Chapters==
'''The Immortals'''

The prestigious 1st Chapter of the Sand Keepers. Alone among the Chapters of the Sand Keepers, the Immortals did not draw their recruits from a particular region.  Instead, entry into their ranks was reserved for veteran warriors from the other Chapters.  As the cream of the Legion, every member is equipped with terminator armour.  Most fielded a power weapon and a combi-bolter.  The Chapter's nickname refers to the Sand Keepers' determination to keep the formation at full strength, immediately drawing a suitable replacement for each of the fallen.  The blending of the Legion's best warriors among the Immortals, and the aspiration of their battle brothers to join that elite fraternity, helped to maintain the unity of the sometimes disparate Sand Keepers.

More so than the other Chapters, the Immortals were typically scattered among different expeditions and battle groups.  In many cases, only a squad of Immortals would be present on a battlefield, but every Sand Keeper officer highly valued them for their prowess and their wisdom.


'''Hounds of Darius'''

The 2nd recruited from among the crafty ''Rosheni'' people who raised Darius in the underhives of Simurgh.  Although they did not have the prestige and distinction that followed the Immortals, the Hounds were the largest and archetypal Sand Keeper Chapter, training a solid core of Tactical marines adept with the Bolter and able to handle any situation.


'''The Scorpions'''

The 3rd were one of three Chapters that drew their recruits from Darius' homeworld, Simurgh.  Unusually, their recruits came from a people not famed for war but for technical expertise: the factory workers of Simurgh's great hives.  If Darius' decision to draw his warriors from this layer of society was surprising, the result was more so.  The Scorpions' heavy support squads are among the most feared in the Imperium, sending before them a hail of heavy bolter shells.


'''The Sphinxes'''

Their aspirants were the sons of the old nobility and warrior caste of Simurgh.  The Sand Keepers honoured their warrior tradition by training their 6th Chapter as assault marines, skilled with the chainsword and jumppack.


'''The Shirdal'''

Recruited exclusively from the Feudal World '''Sarianidi''', the 8th Chapter were the most skilled of the Sand Keepers' outriders.  Every warrior in the Chapter had the use of a Space Marine Bike, with the 1st Company mounted on Jetbikes.  Outside of the Sand Keepers, they were sometimes recognised as the "Griffin Chapter" due to the Low Gothic name for their emblem.

==Fleet==
The Sand Keepers warships made heavy use of the Vulcan Mega Bolter as a point defence weapon, typically carrying a more substantial anti-fighter armament than other vessels of their size.

===Notable Warships===
Their flagship was a "Gloriana"-class Battleship known as the ''Argent Sphinx''.