Anakatis Kul
The Anakatis Kul otherwise known as the Anakatis Kul-Blade Slaves were warriors used by the Word Bearers during the Horus Heresy and were essentially a two-men team.
Overview[edit]
Created by the Crimson Apostle Zardu Layak, the Anakatis Kul were volunteers who were given the Anakatis Blades, ancient weapons that date back to before humanity. If the warrior was strong enough to master the blade and the beast within they would gain supreme power, however those which did not fell became little more than slave to their sword.
Now I wouldn't blame you if you thought these guys were a type of Possessed Marine, but you would be incorrect, as their relationship with their weapon bears more resemblance to that of the Laer Blade and Fulgrim. It is unknown what happened to them after the Heresy. But given that they were exclusively trained under Zardu Layak, and Zardu himself kicked the bucket, it is unlikely they survived too.
Outside of their sword, both of them wore Mark IV: Maximus Armour and carried Plasma Pistols for ranged combat.
Crunch[edit]
On the Horus Heresy tabletop, the Anakatis Kuls only appear alongside their master. They behave like a little squad of super special Gal Vorbaks. Overall, these guys are much better bonuses than his unique disciple as they are a pair of Gal Vorbak, with all the same rules but with lower movement and leadership, and gaining S6 in return. They are armed with Plasma Pistols and Anakatis Blades which are Power Swords that lose Rending, and instead gain Murderous Strike (5+) and Brutal(2), for molly whopping power armour and putting the fear of the Chaos Gods into Automata.