Forces of the Emperor's Nightmare
This page details specific descriptions of the fighting forces of the Emperor's Nightmare,
Adjunant Primus Isidore Demeter
Isidore Demeter is the Dawn embodied, the shining embodiment of the fury of his chapter. It is he who holds the vaunted position of Adjunant Primus, commanding the loyalty of the 2nd through 5th companies which can only be matched by their devotion to their slumbering Chapter Master.
Demeter hailed from Hive Secundus, growing up amidst the scream of star engines and the roaring of VTOL turbines which he grew to love. When he was inducted into Battlegroup Primus he was found to be a talented Assault Marine, his fury unmatched by his fellows. This was not always a good thing, he paid for his hubris on many occasions but always managed to escape the jaws of death. In time most of it was beaten out of him, replaced by a keen instinct for when and where best to apply this fury. It was this which led to him becoming Captain of the 2nd company.
He ascended to Adjunant Primus following the death of his predecessor to a monstrous Avatar of Khaine. He is the younger of the two Adjunants, and is considered the firebrand of the two.
Adjunant Demeter is a powerful battlefield orator, inspiring the men under his command with his passion. He prefers to assault from the sky on jump pack, accompanied by his fellows and heralded by the thunderous roar of approaching drop pods. It is here, Demeter, claims, the true spirit of Primus can be found.
Adjunant Secundus Eloyes Galen
Eloyes Galen is unlike most of the Emperor's Nightmares in that he was not a native Icelus. He was in fact Void Born, the product of an illicit love on board a chartist vessel making its rounds on Icelus and stranded while very young. He soon found his way into the Underhive where he was taken in by a notable hive gang known as the Monstro Syndicate. A few years later he got into a mess with the very same gang and was forced to leave in a hurry. Thus he saw only one way out: Ascending to the hive proper, Eloyes took the Trial to become an Angel of Death. He had only intended to use it as a front to leave the city, but something stirred within him, a desire to see it through to the end.
His early years had made him adept at keeping a low profile, and so he was perfect for admittance to Battlegroup Secundus. He rose steadily through the ranks, achieving admittance into the ranks of the elite Nightkin before his elevation to Captain of the 7th Company. His elevation to Adjunant Secundus came after the defeat of an invading mass of Umbra on the planet Girmion, at the time of an unnaturally long eclipse. In the total darkness of the planet the alien spheres were at the zenith of their power, and Galen proved adept at shooting the bizarre beings even in such adverse conditions over an impressive distance.
Galen is the older Adjunant, the voice of reason and cold strategy behind Demeter's fiery rhetoric. He relishes the killing shot, the single thrust of the knife, the pivotal ambush which finishes the war in moments. He prefers to observe this moment personally, and when not deployed himself he maintains a painstaking vigil from above.
2nd Company Captain Taheton Hector
Brother Captain Taheton Hector, the Red Dawn, the lauded leader of the 2nd company and a consumate tactition. Hector is a level-headed man who devotes long hours to study of the Codex Astartes and the Chapter's own texts. He is adept at reading the tides of battle, picking the enemy apart, deploying feints and deadly ripostes and using the deadly maneuvrability of the Dawn to its fullest.
When he deploys in person Hector uses himself as bait, letting the enemy track him and relish their perceived triumph by getting the captain to overextend himself, before unleashing the full fury of the Solar Prominance upon them. It was in this fashion Hector bested the hated World Eater warband of Xion the Younger, calling in pinpoint strikes upon the Slaughterfiends of the maniacal lord.
Hector prefers to dismiss his sleep cycles, choosing to forget any dreams he may have and acting to all intents and purposes as though he had not been asleep at all. He is a sharp-witted individual who enjoys gallows humour, and he wears his dreamcatcher proudly upon his chest as though daring his enemy to sever it.
6th Company Captain Leander Nyseos
Leander Nyseos is the captain of the 6th Company, the Claws of the Dusk, a driven and focused man with no time for fools and less time for insubordinate fools. He is a strict captain, not mincing words and expecting his brothers to do the same, and plans his attacks with such meticulous detail that dark rumours have circulated that he has actually become sleepless.
In battle Nyseos is more like a teacher than a captain, calling shots for his brothers to take and making a low running commentary of his expectations during the battle. He is rarely wrong, his intuition is strong and his experience stronger.
Nyseos does not play with his food, his enemies falling under punishing fusilades of sniper fire and their vehicle crews pulled from cockpits by Icelus Dreadnoughts, their silent screams mirroring the horror etched in their faces.
The Captain holds the Sleepless in contempt, seeing them as little more than animalistic shades of their former selves deserving only of a bolt round to the skull. This has resulted in a cold animosity between him and Chief Apothecary Eidelan, though the two do not cross each other openly. Nyseos forbids the deployment of Sleepless in his battles, claiming (rightly) that the berserkers would disrupt his perfectly laid plans.
Honoured Brother Tibalt
Honoured Brother Tibalt has been amongst the Nightmare's sacred clutch of Psychic Dreadnoughts for as long as anyone can remember. One of the original initiates of the Chapter during its founding, he served as a Librarian faithfully for many years. Although not perhaps the strongest psychically, or the most in control of his powers, or the most suicidally brave, Tibalt nonetheless possessed a razor clarity and a quiet, firm authority and guided his peers with a level head.
Since his near-death at the hands of a monstrous servitor of the Dark Mechanicus, he was entombed within the dreadnought's sarcophogus to become one of the first of the August Dreamwalkers in Iron. However, since his confinement a change has crept upon him. The ancient psyker's senses have began to fail, even the enhanced autosenses of his walking tomb becoming dull, being replaced by the nebulous visions of dreams. In the present day he is all but blind, seeing the world through the shifting realm of dreams. However his clarity remains, and he continues to quietly guide his comrades by seeing what they can not.
It was Tibalt who broke the seige of Da Killy Bitz, walking calmly through the nightmarish kill zone even as the orks manning the walls fired wildly at terrifying apparitions only they could see. It was Tibalt who ended the rampage of the terrifying trygon known only as the Carver, the behemoth couldn't get a clean blow through the shifting cloak of shadow the Dreamwalker wore. Tibalt has become an honoured centre of the Nightmares' Librarium, and even the Supreme Dreamwalkers respect his council.
Chief Apothecary Lucius Eidelan
Lucius Eidelan is the leader of the Apothecarion, holding the rank of Chief Apothecary for a long time now. Like his contemporaries across the myriad chapters of the Astartes in the galaxy Eidelan and his subordinates are charged with seeing to the health of the Nightmares and ensuring their progenoid glands are returned to the chapter at the time of their demise.
Eidelan is an anomaly within the cursed ranks of the Emperor's Nightmares in that his Catalepsean Node is fully functional, lending him a perfect circadian rhythm and garnering the envy of a great deal of the chapter. Unbeknownst to most Eidelan mirrors this envy, feeling cheated of the advanced perception and speed the lengthy waking periods of his Chapter result in.
This is an interesting coincidence, for Eidelan has a unique job amongst other Chief Apothecaries; it is his duty to look after the Sleepless, to protect themselves and their brothers from their own ferocious delusion. Eidelan pursues this vocation eagerly, studying his dreamless charges with a relentless enthusiasm bordering upon obsession. It has gotten to the point that Eidelan sees the Sleepless as his exclusive responsibility, and as such is known to march to battle by their side or simply watching them. Taking an active role in battle is not a common occurance for a Chief Apothecary, and this garners Eidelan significant respect from his chapter.
Master of the Forge Valter Fervesco
Valter Fervesco has been the Master of the Forge for the Emperor's Nightmare for several centuries, and a loyal techmarine for a century further. Born in the deepest depths of Hive Quartus, his family held a great deal of respect and power in all fields of industry that Hive Quartus provided. Family contacts and representatives from the Adeptus Mechanicus were common throughout his childhood and Valter viewed them highly and attempted to learn and understand from them even at such a young age.
Thus it came as no surprise that after his initiation Valter would be sent to train as a techmarine. A skill set that came as natural to him as breathing. As a techmarine, his greatest achievements include a near miraculous repair of a wrecked Land Raider during an open battle with the mechanical hordes of an Iron Warrior's armored column, a vehicle which other techmarines had already begun reciting final prayers for the machine spirit. Valter's ability to revive the vehicle was a turning point in the battle and led to the relatively young pilot of the land raider being awarded high honors. Valter Fervesco had earned a life-long friend in Arakanden Varykai.
His secret fall in joining the ranks of the sleepless came about with his full realization and acceptance. Using several of the family connections of his youth, he was able to pass this information on to the Adeptus Mechanicus, a fact they were already well aware of and had been even been making subtle suggestions to other techmarines to lose themselves in their work in order to stave off madness. This was something Valter took to with relish. As the years passed, he was able to focus on finer and finer tasks, creating the greatest quality suits of Devastator and Icelus Dreadnoughts the chapter had ever seen, and at an increased pace. It is from these great works that Valter was given the title of Master of the Forge.
Valter Fervesco has his mechadendrites in almost every part of the Emperor's Nightmares. He manipulates The Wake by carefully tracking their sleep patterns, bringing up motions in council only when he knows those who would oppose his ideas are asleep, and their second-in-commands, who favor Valter a great deal more, are substituting for them.
Thureos
Thureos. The very mention of that name alone will bring out a whole host of reactions within the Emperor's Nightmares.Thureos was once a captain, one of the most gifted and able men ever to pass through the doors of Betten-Burgen. A formidable fighter and leader, it was soon acertained the Nightmares had a man of remarkable talent on their hands. Thureos was responsible for a host of victories, often triumphing over odds even a Space Marine would baulk at. His companionship was treasured amongst the chapter and it was common knowledge he was next in line for Adjunanthood.
But this was not to be. Soon Thureos found himself remaining awake for longer and longer, unable to find the rest he so craved. Thureos denied his affliction for the longest of times, claiming that sleep was nearly upon him, he could feel it reaching out to him, it would be only a few hours, days, now. Eventually he could deny his curse no longer, and a day of mourning was held in Battern-burgen as the beloved Captain surrendered himself to the Apothecarion.
At first the newly-Sleepless Thureos was unobstructive and humble, striking up friendships with his fellows who had not yet slipped into unreason. His firm friendship with the young Apothecary Eidelan was noted as particularly strong.
However, the curse of Thureos' geneseed could not be denied for long. Soon the former Captain had become a manic, paranoid loner, under constant restraint for his protection and that of his Chapter. The only man who could even elicit a response other than silent, hateful glares was Eidelan, who saw it as his personal duty to keep Thureos under control.
Then it happened. Thureos managed to escape from the Apothecarion's clutches for a final time and escaped. To the Chapter's horror the Sleepless took something with him upon his departure: The 46th suit of Tactical Dreadnought Armour.
A desperate planet-wide manhunt was quickly arranged but Thureos had already escaped upon the Lucidity, who was bringing reinforcements to a world ravaged by the green menace. The new Thureos made his mark here, tearing the Warboss and his entourage of mega armoured nobz to bloody shreds before turning on the cheering NIghtmares. When the bulk of the Nightmare forces arrived they were greeted by a charnel scene, ork and marine body alike piled into a bizarre frame within of which splinters of purple and yellow ceramite were carefully placed into the Owlglass symbol.
Since then Thureos has been the Chapter's hunter, arriving on battlefields after years of stalking, to destroy the enemies of man...including the Nightmares themselves. Such is Thureos' reputation that many Nightmares will open fire on him as opposed to their original enemy. This does not help however, as Thureos' centuries of sleeplessness have turned him into a freakishly fast engine of destruction, able to move within his stolen Terminator armour with the grace of a gymnast and send his chainfist sawing through men and tanks before they can raise a hand to defend themselves. This is the epitome of the Nightmare's curse, and it is the life goal of one Chief Apothecary Eidelan to bring the former hero of the Chapter back to where he belongs.
August Dreamwalkers in Iron
The August Dreamwalkers in Iron occupy a special place within the Librarium and indeed within the Chapter. Like all dreadnoughts August Dreamwalkers in Iron consist of truly heroic marines, in this case librarians, who have been placed within an adamantine sarcophagus so that they may continue their service to the Nightmares.
The August Dreamwalkers are truly ancient beings, most of which were entombed near the beginning of the Chapter's History, and are woken up only in truly dire circumstances. Without the intervention of the Techmarines the Dreamwalkers in Iron are known to sleep for centuries undisturbed, though on occasion they have been known to rouse themselves and join an auspicious battle.
To fight a Dreamwalker in Iron is to fight a metal behemoth who controls the roiling powers of the warp itself. These psychic dreadnoughts have been known to throw tides of lightning from their elaborately engraved sarcophagi, swathe their advancing comrades in inky blackness and infuse their enemies' senses with their darkest fears. Many an enemy of man has found themselves crushed beneath the iron fists of these ancient guardians of the chapter.
Tactical Marines
Tactical Marines form the fighting backbone of every chapter, able to move fluidly from a tenacious defensive firefight to a blistering assault in a matter of moments. Although the vast majority of Space Marine chapters reserve the position of Tactical Marine for those who have undergone service as both a Devastator and an Assault Marine. The Emperor's Nightmare conduct themselves differently. Upon their promotion from Scout they are immediately inducted into the ranks of the Tactical Marines, the vast wealth of extra training provided to their Scouts allows the Nightmares to function effectively in their role despite relative inexperience.
Every member of the Emperor's Nightmare chapter is a fully trained Tactical Marine, from the Captains down to even the Chapter Serfs to a certain extent. This is due to the catalepsean mutation, requiring the entire Chapter be able and willing to take over the role of a brother lost in sleep at a moments notice.
The signature weapon of the Tactical Squad is the Boltgun, one of the greatest symbols of the Imperium, the roar of its wrath as a death knell to billions of the Emperor's foes, firing a mass-reactive shell which blows its victim apart from the inside. The Boltgun is particularly favoured by the second to fifth companies of the Emperor's Nightmare, Battlegroup Primus, as the ferocity of its discharge compliments their deadly shock assaults well. Battlegroup Secundus can and does field Tactical Squads, but it is a rarer sight, the Dusk preferring to organize their manpower into their feared infiltration teams.
It is not merely the Boltgun a Tactical Marine must train with, however. Each member of the Emperor's Nightmare is well versed in the operation of prometheum-spouting flamers, tubular missile launchers, mighty heavy bolters and many other weapons besides, not only because they may be assigned these weapons upon the battlefield, but in case the Nightmare bearing these holy instruments of vengeance should succumb to sleep. Thus when the Emperor's Nightmare goes to war it does so fielding some of the most versatile soldiers in the galaxy, each Tactical Marine truly worthy of the name Astartes.
Scouts
With very few exceptions the Tenth Company of each Space Marine chapter is the Scout Company, where initiates who have survived the brutal genetic alterations and transplants required to become a fully fledged Marine are placed to learn their vocation. The Emperor's Nightmare is no exception, those plucked from Icelus who manage to transcend their humanity are inducted into the tenth company.
Here, scouts are taught the necessary skills to function as an Emperor's Nightmare under the watchful eye of the Scout Sergeants and Battlegroup Secundus. It is a hallmark of the bizarre organization of the Nightmares that the Chapter possesses no Master of Recruits; instead, Adjunant Secundus bears the role in addition to his regular duties.
The training for Emperor's Nightmare scouts is gruelling, even more so than of scouts of most other Chapters. This is because the Scouts must learn a myriad of supporting roles in order to cover for any of his battle brothers, including but not limited to basic Thunderhawk piloting and landing and basic maintainance rites. So it must be, as without such rigorous training a single battle brother falling asleep at an inoppotune time may spell doom for an entire battle plan.
In battle the scout act as the eyes and ears of the chapter, roving ahead in their lightweight carapace armour, seeking out enemy troop movements and assassinating important figures. Depending on their mission they may be equipped with the standard boltguns, long-barrelled sniper rifles to pick off the enemy from afar, or robust shotguns or long-bladed combat knives to battle the enemy more personally.
Secundus Operatives
Promoted scouts are placed within Battlegroup Primus for a year and a day, earning experience as a tactical marine in the Dawn as a counterpoint to their training as a scout. After this time is up many choose to remain in their new company, or are required to stay temporarily due to threat of an imbalance. Just as many choose to stray from the Dawn and re-embrace the skills from their first battles as Scouts. Thus, the sixth through ninth companies are filled.
Battlegroup Secundus Operatives are given even more grinding training, honing their talents of stealth and marksmanship until they can remain undetected even in power armour. If a situation cannot be handled efficiently through sheer force of arms, if the enemies of Man are dug in too deep, or fanatically inspired by some mad demagogue, The Dusk is brought in. Like all of the Nightmare the Secundus Operatives are able to employ a variety of weaponry to accomplish their task, but their signature weapon is a black-swathed sniper rifle. Punishing fusilades of these scoped weapons come from unexpected angles, cutting down their targets before they were aware they were under attack.
Secundus Nightkin
Looking at the power armoured bulk of a Space Marine it would seem impossible for such a behemoth to become a master of stealth, and yet the Nightkin stand in stark testiment to the competence of the famed Battlegroup Secundus. Nightkin are the most gifted and ruthless of the Dusk, a hard core of infiltrators and assassins at the heart of the violet companies. Each Nightkin must have proved themselves in situations without count to have an unshakeable calm in the middle of battle, able to stalk their foes without pause and to deliver the killing blow in the most fitting manner before extracting unscathed.
Nightkin are seen as the executioners of the chapter, the marines dispatched when something absolutely has to die. It is obvious that a captain is worried about a situation if he requests for a Nightkin deployment. Nightkin are also a popular choice for accompanyment by Secundus captains, many of whom will have been a Nightkin at some point.
The signature weapon of the Nightkin is the Sniper Rifle, often fitted with complex scopes and rangefinders to augment the already obsessive marksmanship of each marine. Darkfire rounds are standard issue for the Nightkin, and even poisonous Hellfire rounds are seen chambered within the weaponry of Secundus' finest. Secundus occasionally deploy with long-bladed combat knives, usually for indoor infiltration or similar close-contact assignments. In addition the Nightkin can requisition the required tools for their task, from missile launchers to crackling power weapons. These weapons are given gladly by the armoury, such is the reputation of these black-swathed assassins.
Nightkin practise a bizarre habit of removing the pauldrons of their power armour, the reduced weight and added flexibility their removal grants a boon to them. They are also sheathed in camo-cloaks to further tip the balance in their favour. Often the last thing the enemy sees is the cape whooshing into their vision before feeling the kiss of a combat knife in the gullet.
The Sleepless
A shadow sits over the Emperor's Nightmare. A ghastly curse brought on by the flaws in their Catalapsean Node which chills each and every nightmare to their marrow. It comes like a thief in the night, even the Chapter's Apothecarion doesn't understand the reasons behind its manifestation. From a newly implanted scout to the living relics which are August Dreamwalkers in Iron, nothing is safe from Sleeplessness.
A Nightmare unfortunate enough to become Sleepless will find the rest which proceeds their months awake not to come. Their waking hours stretch on, and on, and on, until the Catalapsean Node has degraded near enough entirely.
These unfortunates, tortured by the incessant wakefulness, start to feel their sanity fray. They will become more alert, faster, with a greater attention to detail than even the rest of their chapter. Unfortunately, even Space Marines cannot endure without rest forever, and sooner or later the Sleepless will lose their grip on reality, attacking even their own chapter in misguided fury.
Looking after and restraining the Sleepless is the province of the Apothecarion, who maintain a vast hold within the chapter keep where these maniacs are kept. Most Nightmares who realize the symptoms immediately turn themselves in, while others hold out in desperate hope for rest. Once Sleeplessness has been confirmed funerary rites are held for the Nightmare, their dreamcatcher ceremonially cut, and their name stricken from chapter records.
In battle the Sleepless form a close mob of howling killers, racing for the enemy (or what they perceive to be the enemy) with the focused fury of true madmen. Other Marines give the Sleepless a wide berth on the battlefield, for all are aware that they may be next to feel the blades of the undreaming.
Phobetor Dreadnought
It is the duty of the Apothecarion to shepherd the Sleepless from place to place. This is an unenviable task, the tragic berserkers are very easily distracted, and have a tendancy to try and attack those around them from time to time. As such, only the most brave Apothecaries attempt this suicidal vocation, with only the Chief Apothecary doing so with any degree of regularity. Instead, this task is mostly left to the Phobetor Dreadnoughts.
There are only a handful of Phobetors in the Chapter, their stark white hulls a far cry from the richly coloured carapaces of the chapter's other dreadnoughts. Within each Phobetor rests the remains of a hero of the Apothecarion, possessed of a fierce will to live and continue their duties. They are deployed with Sleepless, with the duty to take care of them and make sure they do not harm their allies. Their arms are equipped with advanced manipulators to better pursue their task, along with a pair of Narthecium devices. As such facing the Sleepless in battle is even more daunting, as keeping pace behind the mob of white-adorned maniacs is the form of a mighty dreadnought. It is not a sight many enemies of man live to speak of.
Assault Squad
Should an Emperor's Nightmare elect to remain in Battlegroup Primus he will likely find himself serving periodically as an Assault Marine. Assault Squads are not a permenant body within the Nightmares, and are rather raised from Primus' tactical pool when and where needed. It is a position Primus marines relish, as it is hard to find a greater definition of Shock and Awe than to crash into the enemy amidst the furious roars of the squad's jump packs, reducing the unprepared enemy to so much red ruin in short order.
Assault Squads are shunned by Battlegroup Secundus, and although they understand the need for such squads (and are indeed trained to go to war similarly) they view it as a clumsy hammerblow, flashy and noisy but in the end about as subtle as a punch to the face. Primus scorns this view, insisting that an Assault Squad in the right place, at the right time can change the course of wars.
Techmarines
As part of an ancient pact with the Adeptus Mechanicus, Space Marines who show an affinity with technology are sent to the Mechanicus' stronghold of Mars to learn the arcane secrets and rituals required to maintain their Chapter's armoury. These Techmarines are a vital part of any Chapter, for without their ministrations many machines would fall into disrepair.
The Techmarines of the Emperor's Nightmares are a conflicted group. The onset of Sleeplessness affects them just as it affects all others within the chapter, but the Techmarines do not simply go insane. Instead they bury themselves entirely in their work, crafting whatever is needed of them with obsessive care and artistry. As long as these afflicted scions of the Omnissiah have some kind of work to attend to, they will never turn upon their fellows. It is the Sleepless Techmarines who craft each individual part of the Icelus pattern dreadnoughts, under the close supervision of the Master of the Forge.
The Adeptus Mechanicus is well aware of the incredible craftsmanship of the Sleepless Techmarines, and as such they attempt to encourage it. Thus, Emperor's Nightmares Techmarines are advised to miss Node Examinations, and to hide any symptoms of sleeplessness they feel. This results in Techmarines who are divided in their loyalty to their Chapter and to their Priesthood.
Icelus Pattern Dreadnought
Stealthy and lightweight, the Icelus pattern dreadnoughts are based on the STCs for the smaller, more nimble and less heavily armoured pre-Heresy dreadnought marks. The Master of the Forge and the chapter's most senior techmarines personally master-craft the hydraulics, joints, limbs and so forth, allowing for very high precision locomotion and great flexibility. This allows the dreadnought to quickly contort into odd shapes to more closely hug terrain, and leap and bound as quickly as possible when no enemy eyes are upon it.
In order to provide the Icelus pattern's improved surveillance capabilities, many long sensor spines and optical mechadendrites protrude from the dreadnought's back like a layer of porcupine quills. These can be deployed upwards while the the dreadnought is in a hull-down position in order to gather observation data without revealing the dreadnought's characteristic silhouette.
The built in stummers project a small cone of deeply unnerving silence around the machine and multiple redundancies ensure at least one will always be running. In addition to this the armour itself is plated with active camoflauge. Deployed alongside all companies, Icelus Dreadnoughts excel at hiding from enemies' sight, using their incredible perception to work out where the opponent is not looking and simply stand there.
Icelus dreadnoughts have three hard points on which weaponry can be secured. Each arm may accommodate one of any of the weapons available to terminators: Lightning claws, powerfists, chainfists, thunder hammers, storm shields, combi-weapons and storm bolters. In addition to the two arm-mounted hardpoints, a Mind Impulse Unit controls a ranged weapon mounted on the shoulder. In tactical variants the Astartes sniper rifle is standard issue, but this may be replaced with a grenade launcher or plasma gun or with an Astartes shotgun, flamer or meltagun for close assault. Heavy weapons may be mounted but greatly impede the suit's locomotion.