Editing Loxodontii

''If you're looking for the [[beastfolk|elephant-people]] of [[Magic: The Gathering]], see [[Loxodon]]. If you're looking for the [[beastfolk|elephant-people]] of [[Dungeons & Dragons]], see [[Loxo]].''
{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Loxodontii
|Heraldry = [[File:Loxodontii Pre Heresy.jpg|150px]]
|Battle Cry / Motto = "Strength in Numbers" call - "Perseverance through Loyalty" response / "Beware the Musth"
|Number = XIII
|Founding = First Founding
|Successor Warbands = Mantikhors, Pillagers, Tusk Legion
|Primarch = [[Ashur of Banipal]]
|Homeworld = Babylon V
|Specialty = Fast deployment, armoured warfare, protecting/harrassing supply lines
|Strength = ~90’000
|Allegiance = Chaos
|Colours = Codex Grey, Bestial Brown, Dwarf Flesh, Brazen Brass, Bleached Bone
}}
{{Warmasters Triumvirate-Head}}
[[File:Loxodonti_Legionairy.png|200px|thumb|right|The color scheme.]]
The '''Loxodontii''', originally known as the '''Packmules''' or '''Workhorses''' were the '''XIII Legion''' of the original twenty-one [[Space Marine Legion (Warmasters Triumvirate)|Space Marine Legions]] under their [[Primarch (Warmasters Triumvirate)|Primarch]] [[Ashur of Banipal]]. Their dedication to reuniting humanity into one great family was by far their most inspiring attribute. Their preferred strategy was to quickly deploy marines via transport into combat, escorted by bikes, and to force the enemy into submission simply by outmaneouvering them, denying them any points of strategical interest. Through the lax discipline of their Primarch, they were an easy target for the whispers of Chaos and became instrumental in corrupting other Legions to join the Ruinous Powers. Their betrayal rooted so deep that it led to them capturing and enslaving their own Primarch, forcing him into Daemonhood to be used as a mighty beast of war. Where once they were the tireless protectors of the common people, they now devolved into cannibals with barely an animalistic mind driving them to fight, kill and eat.

==History==
===Pre-Primarch History & Reunion===
The XIIIth Legion, often dubbed "Packmules" or "Workhorses" for their focus on supply lines and dedicated transport vehicles for their Astartes squads, was created following the [[Unification Wars]] and consisting mostly of recruits from Achaemenidia. Through the initial stages of the [[Great Crusade]], their expedition fleets were spread farther from each other than any other legion, leading to a strong sense of independence and self-reliance among the chapters that, at times, made upper command rather suspicious of them. Nevertheless, they tirelessly brought many planets to compliance and dutifully supported their legionnaire cousins whenever needed.

Ashur was the tenth Primarch to be discovered, and upon being reunited with his gene-sons fostered their chapter structure as the core of their identity, hoping it would create a strong sense of loyalty from the bottom up towards the Imperium as a whole. He also instructed them further and further into the near-religious adoration of their warmachines and wargear as his homeworld had left a serious animistic mentality imprinted on his worldview. While their new identity as "Loxodontii" gave them new vigour and the fresh blood in the form of Babylonian recruits allowed the Terranborn legionnaires to bridge the gap with their Primarch more easily.

Their time was cut short, however, as Ashur ordered the chapters to continue as they had before, contained within themselves but always an extension of the legion and the Imperium.

===The Great Crusade===
The Loxodontii were one of the slower legions to bring worlds to compliance, often dedicating their resources to a careful diplomatic approach instead of a decisive military strike. [[Ashur of Banipal|Ashur]] himself was the most hesitant when it came to bring arms, while his chapter commanders displayed less patience. Whenever combat was inevitable, the XIIIth would employ large numbers of transports to allow its infantry optimal mobility and protection, escorted by biker-squads to intercept possible counter attacks. While their goal was unmistakably to conquer the planet, outmost care was undertaken to leave its infrastructure and public service installations as unharmed as possible, as the Loxodontii believed it would allow the planet a much easier transition into becoming a functioning contributor to the Imperium's colossal economy. This, of course, left them vulnerable to stalemates as enemies would use these positions as cover for their own troops, forcing the legionnaires' hands.

One such instance was the campaign, labelled the "Baptism of Orm II", where an expedition fleet of the second chapter wasted Imperial standard years to bring a single planet to compliance through slow but dedicated oratory skills and diplomacy. This delivered a backlash on the Loxodontii as a whole, who had a reputation of dragging behind the Crusade already. Ashur reorganised the chapter's command and reprimanded them reluctantly, as he himself actually applauded their success and conviction in private.

Over the course of the [[Great Crusade]], one Stargazer by the name of Barabash slowly but steadily sowed the seeds of corruption among the chapters, founding warrior lodges that further strenghtened the bonds of brotherhood among the Astartes of the XIIIth. As the Loxodontii had become highly superstitious through their primarch's influence and the influx of Babylonian recruits, the belief in the ancient Babylonian gods and the Otherworld, which was now believed proven to be the Warp, became deeply rooted within the individual Astartes. This made them susceptible to the whispers of Chaos as translated by their very own Stargazers, whose psychic abilities were strongly enhanced by the Warp, further providing assumed evidence of the righteousness of their words.

These cannibal practices would have been nearly uncovered during the Sorvo campaign, where a first wave of Remembrancers would join the sixth chapter for their deployment in the sector. All Remembrancers would be slaughtered and all traces of their arrival deleted after a group of them accidentally happened upon a Loxodontii squad enacting their traditions. All accounts of them ever joining the expedition fleet would be denied.

Meanwhile, Ashur became increasingly disillusioned with the Great Crusade. The Emperor had promised him upon their first meeting that he would be instrumental to bringing humanity together as one glorious empire that would rule the galaxy as family, however as he encountered more and more planets who refused his offering and could only be brought to compliance through military action, he began to struggle with himself. On one hand, he wanted to be the dutiful son, making his father and his brothers proud, standing above his emotions, on the other hand, when he looked upon the ruin the brutal campaigns left behind, it made him weep inside and he knew all too well that many would still hate him as a malicious conqueror, and curse the Emperor as just another tyrant. His brother [[Rahman Keita'Mansa|Rahman]] often tried to give him comfort, opening a world of indulgence to Ashur into which he would escape more and more often.

While the 1st and 3rd chapter of the Loxodontii constantly accompanied their primarch on his expeditions, all the other chapters slowly but steadily declared for Barabash in secret. While they were still ordered to keep their intentions hidden, very soon they could not control their urges anymore, indulging into manhunting and cannibalism. Once these reports became too numerous and detailed to ignore, Ashur decided to make a stand and clean his chain of command. He ordered all chapters to rally in orbit over Babylon V, their homeworld, where he would execute all the traitors himself. However, Barabash could not have planned for a better opportunity to spring his trap. While the entire upper chain of command of the Legion was rallied in the launching bay of the ''Anu'', Ashur's flagship, they braced their weapons against the Astartes of the 1st and 3rd chapter, killing nearly all of them and wounding their primarch so much he had to submit. Yet, they could not bring themselves to kill him, however they did not need to do so, anymore. Barabash felt a darkness explode within Ashur's soul, a sense of grief, guilt, hate and despise, his disillusionment overwhelming the Lord of Bronze and Bone. He was broken, and ready to be filled with the Primordial Truth. As a safety measure, he was chained with an archeotech-collar which numbed his mind and made him docile enough to control.

===Brotherwar===
The diplomatic conference on New Hope had ended in utter disaster as [[Malcador the Sigillite]] had been murdered and civil war had been declared. During these events, survivors of the 1st and 3rd chapter of the Loxodontii had escaped their brothers' slaughter and made to Holy Terra in order to reach [[Je'She of the Watch]] and to report the vile treason. A group of volunteers consisting of the [[Golden Mountains]] and [[Doomsingers]] would go on their way to annihilate the Loxodontii and to hopefully rescue Ashur of Banipal. What they found upon arriving on Babylon V was an entire legion's fleet infighting, murdering each other in gruesome boarding actions and insane bloodletting. The Loxodontii themselves had engaged in mindless self-indulgence after their primarch's capture, and the Stargazers with help of [[Lambach Kropor|Lambach Kropor's]] very own Warp Claws had prepared a ritual that would doom the legion's soul forever. As more and more sacrifices were made and the Loxodontii's frenzy reached a peak high, the powers of the Warp flooded into realspace and pervaded Ashur's body, grasping at his very essence. The corruption was sudden and powerful - Ashur had been elevated to Daemonhood against his will. His mind shifted between his embittered consciousness, delirious awareness and bestial frenzy.

Just as he ascended, the punitive fleets of the Doomsingers and Golden Mountains delivered several killing blows to the Loxodontii's fleet, and the once strong family splintered into various smaller warbands and fled into all directions of the galaxy. It was only through the efforts of Barabash installing Enlil of the 6th chapter as new leader of the Loxodontii when they would again rally under one banner - That of [[Marduk Engur]], Warmaster of Chaos.

Until that point, each warband murdered and trampled their way through Imperial space, terrorising planets and consuming everything they could find. One particular planet, called Escara, was where a warband of extremely violent Loxodontii were engaged by a contingent of [[Corsairs Gallant]]. While the Corsairs maintained the tactical advantage, slowly bleeding their erstwhile cousins dry, the warband's anger kept them going forward despite all odds. After months of gruesome combat, an Exterminatus fleet of the [[Titan Marchers]] arrived, called in by a distress signal from the planet itself. However, instead of saving the population, the furious astartes of the XVIIth Legion unleashed their board weapons upon Escara, obliterating the entire planet and all chaos traitors and despised separatists.

During the Siege of Terra, the Loxodontii mostly ravaged hab blocks and battled their enemies on open fields. However, thanks to their massed Mastodon-transports, they managed to breach the outermost defense of the Imperial Palace, unleashing their Daemonprimarch [[Ashur of Banipal]] upon [[The Sentinels]] and [[Je'She of the Watch]], who held them at bay until all the other loyalist forces could have succesfully retreated to the next ring of defense.

===Post-Brotherwar===
The Loxodontii again splintered into their warbands, their own base instincts now fully controlling their every step. They have become little more than beasts, only looking to feed and fight and appease their uncaring gods. Only one chapter always remained as one, united by their bloodthirst and bestial cunning unique among the Loxodontii: The fearsome 4th chapter, having taken their monicker "Mantikhor" as their new official name.

As they had fully embraced Chaos and the Primordial Truth, they await the coming of the Leviathan foreseen by the [[Leviathan Host]] and [[Marduk Engur]]

In the 41st millennium, to consume and eat everything they can fight and kill is nearly the only thing that motivates most Loxodontii warriors. Some believe that by consuming the very daemons of their uncaring masters will bring them closer to the Primordial Truth, and Champions have dedicated themselves to hunting and eating greater daemons of the Gods of Chaos and absorbing their power. Their unending feeding frenzy is only symptom to their grand degeneration, however, as almost every Loxodontii astartes has given in to base instincts, reducing each to a feral monster that prowls the stars in pursuit of food, combat, and the favour of the gods. This would render the Loxodontii warbands completely unsustainable, were it not for the fact that some among them viewed their maddening cravings as a test of will that they must pass each day. These individuals accomplish what the masses could not and maintain their intellect and character, which in turn elevates them into positions of authority. Stargazers, Apothecarii, Techmarines and Champions all are of this rare breed who defy the urge to let go of their humanity, and the future of the Loxodontii rests on their shoulders alone.

As a matter of fact, where once the Loxodontii were known for their strong sense of family and brotherhood, they are among the most fractured of the traitor legions, with warbands varying in size from a dozen astartes to the remains of a whole chapter, each prowling their territories for supplies and warfare.

==Homeworld==
Babylon V was an arid feudal world subject to unconscious Chaos worship since Old Night. A strong sense of mysticism, occult sorcery and animistic polytheism pervaded both the urban priesthood as well as the rural shamans, giving rise to many theological disputes. After the Loxodontii fell to Chaos, they used Babylon V as one giant altar to the Ruinous Powers, sucking the planet into the Warp. Since it always had been close to the Maelstrom, it only added to the Warp anomaly's mass.

==Legion Doctrine==
The XIIIth legion maintained a large assortment of armoured transports and bikers, often maintaining their machine to a higher degree than their personal body armour. Their primary concern was mobility and safety in numbers, moving their dedicated transports in groups of 3 or more to deliver personnel to engage the enemy quickly, claim tactically superior positions or targets of interest before a defense could be mounted. The Astartes were free to pick a weapon of their fancy, most however would keep to the boltgun out of simple versatility, or a bolt pistol coupled with either a close combat weapon or a riot shield. Highest priority in their combat encounters was to keep infrastructure intact and public service installations unharmed as to make transition as easy as possible.

Scout marines were highly respected, as their importance to weaking key positions for the oncoming transport assault was clear to all legionnaires.

Heavy weapons, as well as combat tanks, were used carefully, as their potential for collateral damage was considered undesirable. Whenever inevitable, devastators and predators were employed alongside transports and bikes.

After their fall, their overall military approach remained, although the affinity for close combat increased, and while their original tactics focused on claiming targets of interest with speed and surgical skill, they now make sport of battle.

===Legion Culture & Personality===
The Loxodontii are considered amicable and kind hearted up until their fall, embracing their fellow Astartes and even mortal auxiliaries as friends and part of a greater family. Their bond to their primarch was so strong that even though they had completely fallen to Chaos, they could not deliver the killing blow, and some say that their frenzy was just an attempt to escape their own sense of guilt over their betrayal in the first place.

Their rampant superstition was visible to everyone who saw their battle preparations: They adorned their own faces, armour and vehicles with symbols of good fortune and mystical protection, they chanted hymns in the harsh Babylonian language to pray to the Emperor and the Babylonian gods and spirits and they were deeply afraid of psykers of any kind, ironically ignoring their Stargazers' psychic potential.

[[Ashur of Banipal]] was the most empathic and emotional of the primarchs, burdened with the wish to appease all his brothers and his love for most of them. Even his fear of psykers could not truly overrule his respect and love for his brother [[Lambach Kropor]], although he would always be torn over his contradicting principles.

As more recruits native to Babylon V filled the ranks, the cannibal traditions of the nomad tribes pervaded the legion's culture. While the exercised caution and secrecy at first by only consuming select fallen targets and serfs, their craving for human flesh increased as the Stargazer Barabash founded warrior lodges and through them encouraged the Loxodontii to embrace their Babylonian heritage. While they themselves believed it to be simply a tradition they kept alive, Barabash's goal was to further their descent into depravity and straight into the arms of Chaos.

After they captured and chained their Primarch, the Loxodontii engaged in a week long frenzy where they hunted across the surface of Babylon V and companies would raid each other's space ships for serfs - And eventually, each other. At some point, the Stargazers of the 13th legion discovered that by devouring living things, they could actually absorb their souls and add their warpstuff to their own, increasing their warp signature and enhancing their own psychik potential, especially so by eating other psykers. Other, non-psychik Loxodontii followed suit as they began to feel more in tune with the Warp and Chaos with each consumed soul. Some champions would amass such incredible amounts of soulstuff that their own soul could survive death and remain in the Warp without dissipating, living off the amassed soulstuff and being able to reach to mortal minds in the material realm. These champions will urge their mortal followers to construct make-shift bodies fashioned from scrapped metal, bones, and organs to house their souls so they may return to the material realm once more to feed on souls.

===Gene-seed flaws===
The Loxodontii gene-seed was considered stable for the most part, with average numbers in dysfunctional specimen that were rejected. A noticable flaw however was the drastical increase in hunger and thirst, requiring massive amounts of nutrients to be delivered to Loxodontii expedition fleets. These cravings was attributed to mutations in the Preomnor, the Omphagea and the Neuroglottis, which each added to signalling a need for food. Ashur of Banipal and other Babylonian Loxodontii simply brushed this off as a healthy appetite based on their homeworld's traditions, and was compensated through increased food provisions. The Ossmodula was known to occasionally malfunction, leading to an overall deficiency in absorbing the ceramic-based chemicals in an aspirant's diet (which, again, was compensated simply by increasing the amount of food handed out to aspirants). Occasionally, the implanted Ossmodula would be overactive in producing the hormones that increase bone growth and density, leading to a particularly bulky and comparably inflexible astartes.

As a final note, the Betcher's Gland is known to produce a poison whose acidic properties are either diminished or missing alltogether. Since most Loxodontii prefer to break out of confinement rather than utilising subtle methods, like melting their binds, this was not considered a huge loss.

===Legion Organization===
The Legion was divided into 10 chapters during the Great Crusade. As was Legion doctrine, they each were highly independent from each other, creating a strong sense of unity within the chapters themselves and thus leading to highly individual characters. After the Brother War, the legion splintered into separate warbands, barely maintaining any sort of meaningful military structure.

====First Chapter====
The first chapter was the most prestigious one, directly accompanying their primarch [[Ashur of Banipal|Ashur]] on his expeditions. The majority of these Astartes was recruited from highly decorated military nobility of the Great Cities of Babylon V, their homeworld. As such, they sought to represent the glory and splendour of the Imperium as the primarch's personal equerries, leading to a high demand in more modern and particularly decorated body armour, which in turn was paid by donations made by the astartes' families in order to display their wealth and prestige. Because of this, the first chapter would employ the famed Mark IV power armour almost exclusively on their Astartes, as well as the majority of [[Terminator]] armour. 

====Second Chapter====
The second chapter's new recruits were drafted from both the urban and rural regions of Babylon V, leading to a very mixed mentality. It was this chapter's internal struggles that led to Ashur push for Stargazers to embrace rural and urban religious motifs and philosophy in order to bridge the gap between those two factions. Because of this, the second chapter is the most religious one, and also one of the least warlike ones as the oratory abilities of this chapter have actually allowed for an exceptionally high amount of worlds brought to compliance without any combat efforts in the Legion. They were, regardless, still very slow and one of the primary arguments against Ashur's rather pacifistic approach. Their oratory skills were crucial in founding warrior lodges amongst the Loxodontii legion, and after their fall to Chaos, the second chapter ceased to exist as an entity, and instead splintered off as preachers and shamans of the Ruinous Powers and the Primordial Truth among all the other chapters. It is rumoured that survivors of the second chapter who did not remain among their Loxodontii brethren have taken residence on various planets, founding cults and fuelling thought rebellions across Imperial and Union space.

====Third Chapter====
The third chapter also accompanied Ashur's expeditions, primarily because they were his preferred genesons even if he never said so out loud. The majority of these Astartes was recruited from the rural tribes of Babylon V and serfs from the Great Cities. They, in turn, were the most like their primarch in that they sought to make peaceful contact, preferring to battle with riot shields and pistols in order to tactically push enemies out of tactical positions. They would receive a large amount of new marks of power armour, however nowhere near as much as the first chapter, and their armour decorations would be made from bronze and bone instead of gold. Because this chapter was the personal lifeguard of Ashur, he would receive the nickname "Lord of Bronze and Bone".

====Fourth Chapter====
Recruited almost exclusively from the nomad tribes of Babylon V, this chapter was particularly wild and boisterous, known to make sport of combat in that they would race each other in a charge and gather trophies from fallen enemies. While initial contact was still established on a diplomatic note, most of the time it was merely a formality for these [[Space Marines]] in the procedure to launch a military strike. Their lust for combat was so renown that they gained the monicker "Mantikhor" from their brothers, equating them to the dreaded beast from their homeworld which is said to hutn and eat humans. Little did they know that these warriors indeed practiced cannibalism before and after combat by butchering legion serfs and abducted enemies. The Stargazer Barabash was with this chapter from the beginning and further pushed these cannibalistic practices in forming the first warrior lodge among the chapters and, by extension, the [[Warmasters Triumvirate|Legiones Astartes]]. They preferred close combat weaponry and often would eschew transports in favour of bikes, jetbikes and even jump packs, the latter two being a rarity among the Loxodontii.

====Fifth Chapter====
The fifth chapter somehow managed to maintain a large number of Terranborn Astartes up until their fall to Chaos, often attributed to their cautiousness. Due to a lack of resources, rumoured to be caused by the greed and high demand of power armour of the fourth chapter, this chapter employed Scouts and covert ops equipment all the more, in turn leading to a comparably low lethality rate. Their resourcefulness would later be rewarded by being gifted some of the highly prestigious Land Speeder transports whose STC schematics were discovered on Babylon V by [[Rahman Keita'mansa]]. In an ironic twist, it was the Terranborn who would indulge the most in the cannibal rituals, presumably in order to appeal to their Babylonian battle brothers.

====Sixth Chapter====
The sixth chapter was the second one to fall to Chaos after Barabash had corrupted the fourth. Out of all the chapters, the sixth was the most militarily drilled one, leading to a strong sense of hierarchy and focus on combat efficiency. Due to their close relations with the fourth, which was known to commission modernised equipment, they would also receive a comparably high amount of Mark IV power armour. As opposed to the fourth's focus on hand-to-hand combat, the sixth focused on fire drills and bolter accuracy. Even after the Hour of the Musth, the sixth maintained something of a military command structure and are to this day one of the most feared Loxodontii warbands.

====Seventh Chapter====
Commissions to this chapter were sparse, in part due to them being send the furthest ahead of other expeditions, and in part because they were unlucky enough to have their commissions intercepted by or redirected to the fourth chapter. As such, their armour was often in disrepair, and ammunition was short. Because of their sorry state, they became exceptionally embittered close combatants, utilising combat knives far more than anything else. During the Brother War, these tormented souls would become the most mutated through their intense worship and sacrifice, making them more beast than man. They were almost annihilated to the last Astartes by [[Isekho the Unseen]] during his murderous hunt.

====Eighth Chapter====
This chapter was largely attributed to being close to legion doctrine, and as such took great care of their armoured transports. They worked very closely with the support troops of the [[Titan Marchers]], leading to a strong exchange in mechanical knowledge and an even stronger sense of bonding with their machinery. During the Brother War, the eighth employed Obliteratorbeasts and their own mutated machines as beasts of war, themselves devolving into barely sapient monsters. The Titan Marchers which accompanied them would turn traitor, as well, and become worshipped by the eighth as great Shamans that could heal the wounded warmachines.

====Ninth Chapter====
The ninth chapter, much like the eigth, were largely in accord with legion doctrine, however they would much prefer flamer and melta weaponry in order to clear the way for their transports which were often modified to double as heavy weapons platforms and thus had less carrying capacity. Like the eighth, they would employ Obliteratorbeasts and warped armour. Like the seventh, they would be almost annihilated by Isekho.

====Tenth Chapter====
This chapter was third to fall to Chaos after the fourth and the sixth, yet only slowly accepted the cannibal traditions. As a chapter, they adhered largely to legion doctrine, employing transports and infantry in tandem. It was them who would often fight in difficult terrain where their track-based vehicles were at a disadvantage. Because of this, they were gifted with the two salvaged Grav-Rhinos which were recovered from Babylon V to allow them some form of mobility, as well as transport options which were heavily modified with anti-gravitational technology. This decreased the rhinos' overall carrying capacity, however it allowed them a much greater mobility, particularly in mountain regions and ruined urban environments. Jumppacks also were unusually often employed, with a mixture of close combat and ranged armament. This chapter was devastated during the Hour of the Musth that shattered the legion, and they did not rejoin the legion for the Siege of Terra, instead turning to piracy and plunder. While nowhere near as ordered like the sixth chapter, they are also not as bestial like the other Loxodontii, instead living their lives as mercenaries.

===Special units===
====The Breachers====
Often utilised in situations of small confinement where the Loxodontii cannot employ their vehicles to great efficiency, the Breachers are used as speartips in boarding actions as well as combat indoors. Utilising shields and bolt-pistols to pave the way for more heavily armed battle-brothers, they still carry their boltgun strapped to their backs in order to provide more adequate fire support if cut off from otherwise offensively equipped personnel. The Third Chapter was renown for employing the Breachers on as many occasions as possible, sometimes even taking the role of riot police or bodyguard for their primarch when planetside.

====The Outriders====
Whether it is the nomadic tribes of the far steppes or the nobility of the great cities, riding is a vital part of the culture of Babylon V. Many children learn to sit in the saddle at the age of six, and to take the reins by the age of eight. As the core approach of the Loxodontii focuses on quickly deploying troops through Rhino- and Razorback-transporters, a sizeable portion imitates those tactics of their homeworld and takes to bikes to escort transporters, intercept enemy fast-attack deployments or to deliver hit-and-run attacks on poorly defended outposts.

====The Stargazers====
The role of chaplain and librarian are united within the rank of Stargazer. Ashur’s homeworld Babylon V is heavily divided between the rural population worshipping the gods and ghosts of their ancestors, while the religious practices of the great cities revolves around the priest caste worshipping the metropolitan pantheon of gods and goddesses. Both cultures however heavily incorporate astrology and astronomy into their practices. It is these common spiritual practices that Ashur enforced in order to help bridge the gap between the recruits from the rural and urban population.

====Ash Mouths====
The Ash Mouths are a particularly odd group of ascetics within the Loxodontii. They swear an oath of renunciatiion, steeling their mental resolve in order to become pure instruments of clarity and order, unafflicted by the tyranny of flesh. As such, they take up the role of guiding rituals for their battle brothers, such as holding victory feasts and singing battle primers. When partaking in the feasts, they would only eat the bare minimum to sustain them. Being men of cold logic and iron will, focused on a greater good, the Ash Mouths will challenge those among the Loxodontii who threaten the orderly brotherhood, and will mercilessly pummel troublemakers into submission or even to death if they are unrepentant. They are initially marked by tattoos of chalk across mouth and jaw, symbolising a muzzle that they put on themselves in order to temper their own and thus bestial nature. After the despicable and grotwsque fall of the Loxodontii, the Ash Mouth became even scarcer among the hedonistic and primal chaos warriors, and their symbolic muzzles would be replaced by sewing their moths closed. Now sustained by the Warp, where formerly they could occasionally engage in consuming food and enjoying the delight, now they are forever denied the sensation and are driven mad by the very oath they swore to keep them sane. They are champions of Chaos that will accompany other, purer warriors, to enforce at least some sense of order among the bestial herd. In memory of Shuwon Harad, the tradition to paint their armour an eerie white was adopted, until after the fall when the journey of Shuwon Harad was copied by the Ash Mouths and their armour would naturally go a dull white from the ashes of their victims, as they seek to set ablaze all that their brethren cannot consume as to keep them hungry and ready for battle.

===Special equipment===
====Grav Rhino "Heavenly Barge"====
This particular transport was a piece of archeotech machinery that was recovered from Babylon V and repaired under great efforts by Ashur of Banipal himself. While first employed for the primarch and his personal equerry, he would gift the two transports to the tenth chapter which reportedly faced combat in inaccessible terrain which made it difficult for their trackbased vehicles to maneouver. One would be lost to infighting during the Hour of the Musth, while the other would be worshipped as a holy artifact among the current warband consisting of the survivors of the tenth.

====Land Speeder Storm, Spectre Variant====
Based on an STC schematic found on Babylon V by [[Rahman Keita'mansa]]. Due to the rather weak protective capabilities of the Land Speeder it is not widely utilised by the Loxodontii Astartes, and is often relegated to scouting duty. As such, carrying small Scout squads opened up room to fit jamming and reconaissance equipment onto the loading compartment.

====Obliteratorbeast====
During the Brother War, many beasts from the planet of Mist were captured and modified to aid in the war effort. Through Warpsorcery and twisted engineering, the poor creatures were mutated into terrible beasts of war consisting of tormented flesh and unnatural metal, acting as both transports for infantry as well as heavy weapons platforms. After the Brother War, these creatures are still bred and worshipped by the Loxodontii warbands.

==Naval Assets==
===The Anu===
A gloriana-class Battlecruiser and Ashur of Banipal's personal vessel. It was here that he would eventually become collared and elevated to Daemonhood against his will. The effects of that very ritual have altered and twisted the vessel itself, and it has seen countless warriors take the helm throughout the milennia.
===The Kingspear===
The dedicated Battle Barge of the fourth chapter. Being ever greedy and ready to claim more prestigious and powerful equipment, they actually managed to snatch this spaceship from Ashur of Banipal and his two escorting chapters in exchange for the ''Anu''. The vessel itself has been destroyed in the aftermath of the Siege of Terra, however many current ships of the fourth claim to have salvaged pieces of the great ''Kingspear'' built into them.

==Notable Members==
===Barabash, Stargazer of the Fourth===
The very first Loxodontii to fall to the Ruinous Powers. While a mediocre Librarian and Chaplain at best in his Stargazer duties when he was first initiated in the Loxodontii, he would immensely rise in rank and reputation after his first secret communion with the Dark Gods of Chaos. He would go on to push the fourth chapter's cannibalistic tendencies and establish warrior lodges throughout the legions to discover who of them would be suitable allies and who was to be discared beforehand. Through visions of the gods, he would be led to [[Marduk Engur]] of the [[Leviathan Host]] in order to exploit the latter's susceptibility to the Primordial Truth and corrupt him. He was present during the Siege of Terra and escaped death with a personal retinue of Loxodontii Mantikhors.

===Annumashi, Chapter Commander of the Fourth===
A powerful and battlehungry warrior more than a commander, Annumashi was still possessed by a bestial cunning that allowed him to instinctively seek and exploit his enemy's weaknesses. His rise to rank of Chapter Commander is often attributed solely to Barabash's recommendation, presumably to have a puppet leader installed in the chapter. He was supposed to deliver the fatal strike to his primarch, yet could not do so at the sight of his defeated gene-sire. Annumashi went completely rogue during the Siege of Terra, indulging in manhunting rather than attacking the Imperial Palace, and fled in his battleship once the Chaostraitors were defeated. His vessel was destroyed during the Scouring, yet reports exist of a terribly mutated Astartes often referred to as "the Chapter Commander" wielding personal iconography of Annumashi on his armour.

===Iksuda, The Beastmaster===
The most notable Techmarine of the Loxodontii was Iksuda of the fifth chapter, a man whose inherent skill and empathy for the Machine Spirit allowed him to restore all but the most devastated of the legion’s mighty transports. Apart from his technical knowledge was he also a gifted battlefield commander, which became apparent in the many engagements where he’d accompanied mechanized platoons into combat where he could keep the men organised all the while keeping his own machine in tiptop shape. His favourite transport would be named “Iron Tooth” as he’d adorned it with magnificent artwork depicting one of Babylon V’s mighty beasts, giving the front an appearance similar to a grim war-elephant. The life he ascribed to the Machine Spirit was seen by many outside the legion as superstitious, frivolous, even insane, and yet it was this conviction that made Iksuda into the dedicated machinist that he was.

Iksuda would befall a twisted fate during the Brotherwar, as during an engagement he would be killed while inside “Iron Tooth” by a particularly brutal anti-armour shell which ripped through the machine’s hull. The Rhino transport itself seemed to roar in pain and grief, as if the Machine Spirit within had felt its beloved brother die, disregarding its own wounds. Grandfather Nurgle stirred in the warp, as Iksuda’s quickly fading soul cried out to his transport’s Machine Spirit, and moved by their bond decided to give them another life. “Iron Tooth”s hull would appear to melt as ceramite plates turned to muscle and rearrange to assume the shape of a huge warrior, before hardening to a pulsating carapace, again. Iksuda and “Iron Tooth” had become one, like a dreadnought and yet so much worse, and while their brutish hands would forever be unfit to maintain a machine, again, the “Beastmaster” could sprout countless mechandrites from the grotesque muscle from which it was made.

===Ensi Kiddu Namraru (Contribution from Xun/Gyahdred)===
Ensi Kiddu Namraru is one of the Stargazers. Drawn from one of the Amrar-Hatti bands of Babylon V, Namraru found a natural place in the Outriders, though his talent for divination drew him into the orbit of the Stargazers. Trained under Dingir-Gal Nabbu, one of the greatest diviners of the legion, Namraru became a capable leader as well as a ferocious fighter. At battles such as the Siege of Hamaath and the burning of Hiram II his skill in predition allowed his Outrider forces to strike weak points even as they formed. Not merely a support figure, however, Namraru's charisma also made him an able commander, inspiring incredible displays of tenacity at battles such as those in the Yam Zafon belt. Namraru himself took the head of Sharru Humira and looted the Solar Barge Il-Shaddu from its orbital fanes, which would serve him well as a command ship into the dark years of the heresy.

===Q'baati Mon===
Last surviving captain of the first chapter after the Hour of the Musth, and first to turn traitor when confronted with the choice of death or servitude. Over the course of the campaign, he would dedicate his life to Khorne, eternally spilling blood and revelling in the kill. His fervour grew so great, he would challenge Aggronor the Bloodthirster of his patron god to a fight one on one, from which he would emerge victorious but near death. As the Bloodthirster was fading back to the Immmaterium, Q'baati held onto his prize, and began gorging himself on the warp flesh of his foe, only to have that Bloodthirster begin to chew on Q'baati in one last act of defiance as both were pulled into the Warp. He would emerge from his involuntary excourse a changed man, a misshapen form of a bullman covered in blood, the partly ingested essence of the Bloodthirster constantly fighting to take over the body in what appears to be a neverending contest of who could consume whom in a gross and violent act of mutation, where sometime the bull's head would be seen at the stomach and the man's head on his shoulders, only to surge up and change places with each other in mighty jaws opening far beyond any reasonable capacity, swallowing the other whole.

===Captain Shuwon Harad of the 38th company, the Ghost Man, Champion of the Ash Mouth===
He battled on the volcanic deathworld of Dureguar for eight weeks, day and night, fighting the abhuman Squats until his armour was covered in the flakey, pale grey of the world's constant volcanic emissions. He would be the most renown of all Ash Mouths in the annals of Loxodontii, and his ideals of mental strength would be hailed until their fall.
Shuwon Harad is still alive in the year 013.M40, where his hunger killed him many times over but his iron will has brought him back from the Warp as a ghostly warrior burning in a cold warpfire, his face gaunt and pale but his eyes gleaming with hate for both his brethren for falling to their bestial urges, as well as the civilians of the Imperium for being weak willed and not forging their own destiny. As such he views them as cattle for slaughter, or animals to be hunted for sport.

===Ya-Washarma Akki Nubarma of the First Chapter===
Winner of the Eighth Grand Joust hosted by the Emperor's Dragoons. A pompous and boisterous man, Ya-Washarma hailed from royal lineage and his armour was heavily decorated to the point of barely seeing the ceramite beneath. For all his bluster, he was an insultingly  capable cavalier and dedicated Outrider captain. He won the Joust by just one measure against Arnaud Vasailles of the Dragoons, who punched the former's teeth out after Ya-Washarma's condescending remarks after is victory. They were then replaced by bronze dentures, each engraved with the Imperial Aquila.
Ya-Washarma would die on his following campaign against an Ork Warboss of the Red Sunz, called Mad Mekks. After the ork was slain, they found that he had taken Ya-Washarma's bronze dentures and welded them to his own teeth "kuz of a shinies".

===Muzzurdi Qu'um===
Outrider of the 4th chapter. Was defeated by Bortronde Markwise of the Emperor's Dragoons in the final match of the 11th Grand Joust, offering his friendship after. He would later fall in a campaign in the Dyen sector and be eaten by his battle brothers in reverence.

===Dja-Shamash of the 2nd Chapter===
A talented and powerful wrestler, but a terrible rider. Defeated in the early rounds of the 13th Grand Joust.

===Shamil Akkad, Captain of the 14th company===
Accompanied Ashur of Banipal on his campaign on the planet of Yar Kin Nu, a joint effort between the Loxodontii and the Chosen of Hecate.

==Rules==
If available, tabletop rules

{{Warmasters Triumvirate}}