Editing Nobledark Imperium Member States (section)

== Watchers in the Dark ==

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The Old Ones left much of their webway-making equipment on Caliban, leaving a bit of a hole in the fabric of reality. This slowly allowed Warp energy to leak through into the Materium, something that was distinctly unhelpful for a planet already so close to the Eye of Terror. Warp exposure over the course of generations mutated the local flora and fauna, changing the planet's ecosystem into a hellscape and making much of the planet uninhabitable. Although Warp-exposure-mediated natural selection granted the native sapient species a great deal of resistance to Warp energies and Chaos-related mutations, it was not enough to protect them from the great beasts and detestable flora that covered most of the planet. Out of a sheer desperation for survival, the native sapient species of Caliban developed into a society fanatically obsessed with opposing Chaos and reclaiming their planet. Because of their limited physical prowess, these natives — whom are now referred to as the Watchers by the Imperium at large — were unable to do much more than keep their few remaining bastions of civilization untainted at a great cost.

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The Dark Angels, being the first legion sent out beyond the Sol system to look for survivors of the Age of Strife, were the first to encounter Caliban. Upon meeting with the Dark Angels, the Watchers saw these visitors from the stars as an opportunity presented to them by fate, and entreated the Dark Angels for help. Luther, more worried that the Imperium was going to carve up Franj while his back was turned, was dismissive, whereas Lion, ever the idealist, saw the Watchers as people — a Chaos-opposing people no less — in need and stepped in to help. Lion and the Dark Angels made short work of most of the Chaos Beasts on Caliban, and in gratitude the Watchers pledged their fealty to Lion and the Dark Angels. The Dark Angels left a small garrison on Caliban — which notably did not include Lion or Luther. The garrison’s task was to help the Watchers rebuild their planet, but it was difficult; neither the Watchers nor the Dark Angels could find the source of the Warp corruption, and thus could only keep the number of beasts to a minimum.

The Watchers in the Dark are essentially the reason the loyalist Dark Angels even survived the schism. When two-thirds of your forces turn on you at once, it is difficult to even survive under normal circumstances. Although the Watchers couldn’t physically fight against the traitor Space Marines in direct combat, they could relay information and help loyalist Marines find one another in the disarray, even helping loyalists tell friend from foe. And in a pinch, if you don’t pay attention to a Watcher in the corner with a knife while fighting your loyalist brother, he will seriously mess up your day. Regrettably, Caliban was destroyed in the course of the fighting during the schism, and the Watchers in the Dark were left without a homeworld. [[Nobledark_Imperium_Primarchs#Lion|Some say the Watchers intentionally blew up their homeworld, to deny the Fallen the use of the Chaos Beasts and the artifacts beneath its surface]].

The Watchers are a very minor Xenos race, even in comparison to the other minor Xenos races of the Imperium. Their homeworld is gone, and there are only just enough of them to act as support staff for the loyalist successor chapters of the Dark Angels. At first, the Watchers were a secret to the rest of the Imperium — admittedly, a rather poorly kept secret. However, when the Imperium started allowing minor Xenos races to join the Imperium, the Dark Angels were among the first in line to present a petition on behalf of the Watchers. Though certain people were... nonplussed when the petition was presented, the Watchers were nevertheless incorporated into the Imperium. It is likely that the Steward knew of the Watchers’ existence and their contributions to the fight against Chaos before they were officially known to the Imperium at large (probably from the Lion himself), which is probably the reason why the Watchers were admitted into the Imperium despite being a group of mysterious Xenos attached to the descendants of the legion most infamous for going rogue.

Even as an official part of the Imperium, the Watchers are rather enigmatic. Watchers in the Dark can occasionally be seen on hive worlds and other metropolitan areas, but are almost always running some kind of errand for their chapter. Their biology and social structure beyond “warp-resistant, long-lived, and hate Chaos” are only known to the Dark Angels — and a few Ordo Xenos Inquisitors, who have found out through 'alternative' avenues. Even the gender or age of a given individual is not clear. The Watchers do not technically pay a tithe, but since the entire species is essentially a vassal race nigh inseparable from the loyalist Dark Angel successors, nearly every adult member of the species serves in some fashion.

Despite — or perhaps because of — this lack of information, a whole host of rumors have appeared regarding the Watchers in the Dark. As with all rumors, it is almost impossible to tell where these stories came from and if there is a grain of truth in them or not. Some say that the Watchers one sees today are the same Watchers that served during the War of the Beast, and there have been none born since the destruction of their homeworld. Others point out that the Watchers would have become extinct by now through simple attrition if that were the case, even if they had life spans longer than the Eldar. However, exactly how the Watchers are reproducing is unknown. Some say that they are simply nomadic creatures now, forever moving with their Astartes masters and making their homes in starbases and fortresses and ships, whereas others say they haven’t died out because they have one last secret breeding ground, deep under one of the hives of Old Earth.

Other rumors are perhaps more farfetched. Some of these rumors, bordering on conspiracy theories, say the Watchers are able to travel through the darkness itself, or are able to know the names of everyone they meet, or are the only creatures besides the Eldar who know how to navigate the Webway, or that they sing beautifully but they won't let anyone hear them, or are Imperial sword Hrud. Some theories are fanciful, claiming the Watchers hand out present to good little boys and girls on Sanguinala under the command of "Cypher Claws". Some theories are conspiratorial in nature, saying the Mechanicus uses the Watchers to spy on your comings and goings, and to see into your dreams. Some are downright eerie, claiming that though the Eldar have forgotten who they were, the Watchers remember — much more than the Eldar would like. As with all things, the Watchers never confirm or deny any of these tales.

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