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Afriel Strain

2022-02-11T19:06:58Z

2001:8003:1D0D:301:FC33:14FC:73C1:5608: Undo revision 809097 by Boros (talk)

[[File:Afriel_strain_quick_sketch_by_darkchild130-d9ejyys.jpg|280px|left|thumb|Sure they may be as fucked over as the [[Lamenters]], but once on the battlefield, your ass is grass.]]
[[File:Afriels1.jpg|400px|right|thumb|Sure they may destroy an entire Tank division by themselves. Just don't expect them to survive after the battle is over due to...unfortunate accidents...]]
'''Afriel Strains''' (''Homo sapiens maledictis''; maledictis meaning to speak ill off which, going off by their track record, [[FATAL|is pretty apt]]) is what happens when the Imperium tries to create something other than a [[Space Marine|power armored Mary Sue]]. They are considered a [[Abhuman|sub-species]] of humanity.

The Afriel Strain is sometimes known as the 'Ultimate Human', created via a shadowy experimental process made from the [[Mechanicus]] which used genetic material from a number of the Imperium's greatest heroes to make unlimited clones of them. Figures such as the legendary [[Lord Solar Macharius|Macharius]] are among the individuals replicated in this manner.

While the idea of an entire army composed of [[Lord Solar Macharius|Macharius]], [[Sly Marbo]], [[Straken]], [[Ciaphas Cain]] and [[Yarrick]] may sound [[Awesome]] to the point of being a borderline [[Mary Sue]], the Strains themselves... [[Lamenters|seem to suffer a severe case of bad luck.]] In each case when the Afriel Strain has been fielded, it has met with a [[Awesome|period of success]] - for its soldiers are undoubtedly superior - [[Fail|followed by a rapid decline and destruction of the regiment.]] It got so bad to the point that some Mechanicus adepts believe that their cloned genetic makeup may [[What|interface with the Warp in some way to alter the laws of probability.]] Why the regiments commit acts of mass death by unknown mishap is still officially unknown. Nonetheless, whoever the creators of the Afriel Strain may be, they continue to experiment, fielding their "perfect soldiers" across the war zones of the Imperium.

Two show up in a Last Chancer's Novel, where they were portrayed as being pretty good at killing Nids but bad at interacting with humans. They, essentially, were attached to the unit to see if how bad things go. Here, their Mary-sueness is downplayed. While pretty prodigious at making things dead, they lack any sort of empathy or social understanding. One of them, a female, shows up to mess topless, unaware she is surrounded by penal legionnaires (or just so confident in her skills she didn't care). This ends with someone trying to grope her and, with an apparently swift motion, her ripping out his eye from the socket and nonchalantly handing it to the commander. At least they aren't psychopathic. One of them ends up dead, ventilated by the enemy. The other gets rescued in extremis and becomes part of an [[Inquisitor]]'s retinue for some time... until she crosses paths with the MC of the Last Chancers again in the third book, who is busy being possessed by a [[Daemon]] after some shenanigans in the second book; [[/d/|with the Daemon ending up consuming her essence after the MC literally butchers her alive]]. (Seriously, [[Gavin Thorpe|Gav]], [[Wat|What? The? Fuck?]]) It still serves to demonstrate that while they lack social skills and empathy towards others, they seem to retain their devotion to their comrades which was often a legendary part of their genetic "donors".

Afriels are normally mostly albino, with pale alabaster skin, pale hair, and colorless (not red) eyes.

One must wonder, though, why they are not trained and fielded in the capacities their legacy was famous for. Training and deploying a clone of Lord Solar Macharius as a guardsman is pretty stupid when he's famous for being a brilliant strategist as a general and Warmaster. Then again, the fact that they make Kenny from South Park look like a survival expert in comparison might have something to do with that...

==Tabletop==
You can try fielding them via using [[proxy|proxies]] and changing their rules to ''They Shall Know No Fear'', ''It Will Not Die'' and ''Rage'' as well as a strong initiative and leadership checks. Although it could be off set with a severe case of Imperial [[Plasma|Plasma Weapons]], as in they will have a chance to suddenly drop dead...[[Derp|''for no reason''.]]

If you're looking for something a little more authentic, but a little out of date. Afriel Strain guardsmen were given rules in [[Chapter Approved]] back in March 2005. For 5 points per squad, you could give them ''And They Shall Know No Fear'', <u>however</u> to represent their horrible luck, every unit in the enemy army gets ''Preferred Enemy'' while attacking them. Furthermore the army cannot use Ministorum Priests or take Inquisitorial allies.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Hicks2.jpg|A Mary Sue of such untold proportions that it loops all the way back to [[Abaddon|fail.]]
</gallery>

[[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Imperial Guard]][[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Abhumans]]
{{Template:Imperium}}

Slaugth

2022-02-11T19:06:51Z

2001:8003:1D0D:301:FC33:14FC:73C1:5608: Undo revision 808176 by Boros (talk)

[[Image:Slaugthfacialrape1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|''Sssshhhhhh.....its all <s>ogre</s> maggots now....'']]

Remember when you first started playing 40K and thought it was all [[Volkite|sunshine]] and [[Dark Eldar|rainbows]]? Sure, [[Tyranid|tyranids]] are pretty scary, and their [[Genestealer|Genestealer]] [[Genestealer Hybrids|cult babies]] are works of art that would make [[H.P. Lovecraft]] blush. The Warp is literal nightmare fuel, you say, but the warp is just full of [[Bloodletter|people who were neglected by their parents,]] [[Lord of Change|Polly after cutting crackers out of his diet,]] [[Flesh Hound|grumpy puppies,]] [[Daemonette|naked ladies,]] and [[Plaguebearer|The Chinese.]] But that just wasn't enough. And then [[Alan Bligh|a certain fluff writer]] favored us with these things...

Like a fever nightmare that crawled out of the dreams of someone who has PTSD from when they had jiggers on them (Don't look them up please dear god! Unless you happen to have a stomach of fuckin' ''adamantium''). The '''Slaugth''' are a literal [[Worm That Walks|swarm of maggots]] that eat dead bodies (Guess how they get the bodies dead in the first place) although their favorite part of the body to chew on are '''[[Zombie|the brains.]]''' When the Slaugth do eat brains they actually absorb its information and memories to find new places to inhabit and new victims to devour. [[Slaanesh|It's also heavily implied that they get high off of this.]]

==Overview==
The Slaugth are aliens that look like three-meter-tall swarms of maggots, dripping with necrotic mucus. Their nature means that they can stretch and reform their bodies at will, and move with an "obscene, boneless fluidity". They can also regenerate very quickly from all but the most catastrophic injuries. When they want to pass among humans, they put on shroud robes and use masks to hide their [[NSFW|'beautiful faces'.]] Because of their nature, they tend to stay on the [[Ghoul Stars|fringes of known space]] or lurk in obscure places, such as deep within the lowest parts of hive worlds or your mom's basement, popping out long enough to OM-NOM some unfortunate humans before slithering back off into the darkness (by the way, when's the last time you talked to your mother?). They've apparently been around for a really long time, but they're so damn good at staying hidden that no one knows how old they actually are, what their ultimate goal is, or even the location of their homeworld. (Some of the RPG fluff seems to imply that the [[Inquisition]] has standing orders to [[Skaven|shoot anyone who runs into a Slaugth]], which wouldn't help matters any.) They also like to give their weird-ass tech to greedy rogue traders and planetary governors as a way to cause [[troll|political]] [[/pol/|disarray]] and to soften up the local [[Imperial Guard]] and [[Planetary Defense Force|PDF]] so they can go to town on the local populace without anyone noticing.

==Status==
Nowadays the Slaugth and their fans are praying to [[H.P. Lovecraft|Yog Sothoth]] that they get their own codex, but the Slaugth, along with other minor races such as the [[Rak'gol]] and the Enoulians were the brain-children (pun intended) of [[Fantasy Flight Games]], and haven't really seen mainstream attention in rulebooks. Not to mention the whole [[Worm That Walks]] thing is a long established horror trope that has been used in [[Dungeons & Dragons|other RPGs]] before. Chances are that it will only happen when Games Workshop truly runs out of <s>ideas</s> money.

However, the Slaugth (and Rak'Gol) do get a mention in [[Necromunda]] in the Book of Judgement, along with their weapons being available as black market wargear. So perhaps there is a slim chance for them to make an appearance on the tabletop after all.

===Possible Crusade-Era Connection===
The Slaugth are alluded to several times across the '''Horus Heresy''' series, which makes sense considering that Forgeworld fluff guru '''Alan Bligh''' (Emperor rest his soul) was one of the lead writers of [[Dark Heresy]], so might be indirectly using his big bad worm monsters as the terrible boogeymen from the galactic north and east that are only spoken of in whispers.

In one of the [[Forge World]] books, a [[World Eaters|War Hounds]] character, prior to [[Angron]]'s return to the legion was critically injured by the "Slaugth Murder-Minds" at '''Rangda''', which connects the Slaugth to the '''[[Rangdan Xenocides]]''' fought by the [[Space Wolves]] and [[Dark Angels]], and possibly where one of the two unknown legions was destroyed.

They are also mentioned as the discoverers and keepers of a young [[Alpharius]] in one of his spurious origin stories, but This Account Is A Lie (but may have contained grains of truth). As the Slaugth are known to be master infiltrators and frequently use humans to spy on their behalf, this raises some disturbing questions as to how he learned his infiltration skills and what the Slaugth planned to do with him.

The Rangda were described as being so powerful they nearly killed the Imperium stone dead even with the Emperor alive and kicking at the helm (Something no other foe has ever been able to do), and the Emperor was forced to unleash the [[Void Dragon|Labyrinth of Night]] to defeat them. However, in the book ''Alpharius: Head of the Hydra'' it is made quite clear that the Slaugth and the Rangda are two separate forces, they had entirely different void ships and modes of war: The Randa's viciousness was compared to Orks, while the maggot-men of the Slaugth repulsed the Primarch on a very fundamental level.
However, they operated in the same warzones so it is possible that the Slaugth and Rangda were close allies or related in some other way. Alpharius wonders if the Slaugth merely followed in the wake of the Rangdan destruction like vultures, or had driven them from worlds that they had claimed, or were able to direct Rangda towards the rich feeding grounds.

However, the FFG games also establish quite clearly that the Slaugth, for a couple of reasons, simply do not have the numbers to assault the Imperium head-on. And this is one Sector we're talking about. As much as the fans want to see Slaugth versus Custodes action, it is not going to happen.

==Technology==

Despite their appearance, the Slaugth are a highly advanced race and possess technology on par with even the [[Necron|Necrons.]] Their specialty is [[Tyranid|biomechanical technology]], aka technology with organic parts, so instead of training troops they essentially farm them and then stick them full of robotic parts if they didn't have them from the get-go. They may or may not have zombie minions as most of their bio-mechanical constructs are usually constructed from the remains of others.

One of the constructs they have is called a '''Harvester Construct''', which is a floating ball of flesh with a robotic arm that goes around and decapitates people and preserves their heads so the Slaugth can eat the brains later. Whoever comes up with these bizarre ideas must have been smoking some strong ass [[Drug|drugs.]] Better yet whose [[What|brains were the Slaugth smoking?]]

The second one we know about is called a '''Warrior Construct'''. which unlike the others has a shape and have an [[NSFW|uncanny resemblance to human genitals.]] On the other hand, the Warrior Construct also looks like sea anemones with legs and teeth as the description given to them are, "''These pale, oval masses of fungal flesh are filled with purple veins and metal lattices.''" They also have necrotic beamers and have bone blades coming out of their tendrils. So in other words it's a [[FATAL|biomechanical attack penis]] which is the Slaugth's amalgamation containing all of [[4chan]]. Or they just found H.R. Giger's [[/d/|art collection]]

Their clothing of choice and pseudo-armor are called '''Shroud Cloaks'''. These ragged, tattered robes absorb and refract light and seem to move as if they were alive, making them look like misshapen humans in the distance. They also have '''Shroud Armor''', which is a different tier of shroud tech which actually clouds the perception of anyone observing the Slaugth wearing it, effectively making them invisible.

For weapons the Slaugth possess "'''Necrotic weaponry'''", which appear in a variety of forms. They have Necrotic Scepters, which can be used as a melee or ranged weapon. The warrior constructs mentioned above have a Necrotic Beamer that can can turn organic targets into dust in seconds, and high-ranked Slaugth get a Necrotic Lance that can blow up main battle tanks.

{{Template:Important Species in 40k}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Xenos]]

Eye of Terror

2022-02-11T19:06:34Z

2001:8003:1D0D:301:FC33:14FC:73C1:5608: Undo revision 809098 by Boros (talk)

[[Image:Warhammer40k_galaxy_map.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Eye of Terror is the swirling purple vortex of doom...?]]

{{Topquote|All hope abandon, ye who enter here.|Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy}}
{{Topquote|So named as those inside are all terrified to turn their eyes towards the Imperium and Cadia|[https://regimental-standard.com/2016/12/21/cadi-a-ok/ The Regimental Standard]}}

The '''Eye of Terror''' or '''Occularis Malifica''' is the light years-wide black hole of chaotic psychic energy that is also the largest dimensional vortex between the [[Warp]] to the [[Materium]] and the birthplace of [[Slaanesh]], created from the entire [[Eldar]] race's collective unconscious when they participated in a mass psychic resonance of galactic proportions. In layman's terms: [[Anal Circumference|they fuck-orgied-murdered each other so much all their orgasms merged into a living God Of Rape that ripped open a massive asshole into the very fabric of spacetime itself.]] The Eldar race had become decadent, depraved, horrifying, hedonistic, and indulgent in every possible sin and sexual vice imaginable. Yes, it is as <s>hot</s> sick as it sounds.

The creation of this galactic laceration killed off the vast majority of the species in its boundaries, with any planets that remain being utterly [[Rape|fucked beyond comprehension]] after the Birth of Slaanesh. As a result the rest of the Eldar are living on [[Craftworld|Craftworlds]] or faraway planets, save for the [[Dark Eldar|BDSM addicts]] who are living inside the [[Webway]]. Currently, the Eye of Terror is home to the [[Chaos Space Marines|legions of traitor astartes]], most of the surviving [[Primarchs]], the greatest concentration of [[heresy]] in the materium and some unlucky Eldar who still live despite the fall (but more often than not in eternal rape.) According to the [[Warhammer Fantasy]] 8th Edition Daemons of Chaos army book, the Eye of Terror connects to the same Warp as Fantasy.

It seems in certain fluff, the Eye of Terror was named Cygnus x-1 which is an IRL black hole candidate (in fact, the first such identified) in the Cygnus Constellation. This makes absolutely no sense even by GW's standards, as the Eye was only created after the Fall, which occurred thousands of years after the real life modern date.

==[[What it's like]] in there==
Inside the Eye of Terror, nearly all is subject to the nutty whims of the [[Chaos Gods]] and their daemons. What this means is ANYTHING is possible inside this weird vortex. (And not possible, hey it's chaos after all!) So you have worlds in constant fluxes of change; worlds of decay where everything is kept horribly alive somehow; worlds of crystal lit from within by [[witchfire|witchfires]]; and worlds made entirely from the bodies of slaves all merged and molded together... and again, somehow kept alive! It is literally a living physical hell, and any normal person going in without [[Call of Cthulhu|sanity checks]] will have their brains imploded. There are no maps or regions in this place - just the constant shifting battle-lines as the gods, daemons and their mortal followers battle to claim the worlds for their own.

As mentioned above, a lot of the worlds in the Eye of Terror were the old Eldar homeworlds, now referred to as the Crone worlds. There are lots of goodies still stashed away on these worlds and up for grabs, if you don't mind risking your eternal soul. Despite this, the Eldar (and other individuals cough [[inquisitor|inquisitors]] cough) make the risky journey into the eye to acquire some loot, but most end up being corrupted or [[Chaos Spawn|usually much worse]].

The scariest part? The closer you get to the centre of the Eye (referred to as the [[Byysos]]), the weirder things get - even by the standards of Chaos. Daemons and Traitor Marines will avoid getting close to it as things going near it don't tend to come back. Just as bad, if not indeed worse however are the areas hit by the so-called Firetide, which daemons themselves are actively terrified of; something that generally only the [[Necrons]]/[[C'tan]], [[Sisters of Silence]], or [[Emperor|Big-E]] himself (and his own [[Primarch|totally]] [[Living Saint|not]] [[Legion of the Damned|daemons]]) are capable of making the neverborn feel, and within the Eye of Terror, which of those 3 do you think it is? The Byysos and Firetide probably need their own respective articles at some point in future, but fluff on them is currently somewhat scarce, so this will have to suffice in the interim. In short, places in the Eye (and maybe the [[Maelstrom]]) particularly hard hit by the light of the [[Astronomican]] cause an effect known as Firetide, which engulfs any planets it touches and scours any beings it comes into contact with in holy fire, [[Grimdark|nearly instantly turning them to ash]] (think that scene in Game of Thrones where the Lannister soldiers are hit by dragonfire near the lake), and which tellingly cannot be counteracted by the Four. This has a whole host of interesting possible implications, not the least of which being that this may suggest that though comparably small, the God Emperor has gained his own presence within the Eye; effectively [[Awesome|muscling the Ruinous Powers out of parts of their own preferred playground]] and simultaneously pissing in the sandbox, thus ensuring that [[Troll|no one else will ever be able to play there again]]. Part of why this is such a scary prospect for daemons is because that A, barring some very rare exceptions, a daemon being killed in the Eye of Terror is tantamount to being killed in the Warp, and B, it's the power of Big-E himself causing it; either of which on their own would mean a ''true death'' for the unlucky daemon. Also, the Eye of Terror, for all its shittiness, is a refuge for the servants of chaos that reside there, so to be pursued even there by the vengeful, burning light of the leader many of them personally betrayed, a leader who at the time probably wasn't a god, but now very much is... Well, that's probably disconcerting to the nogoodniks residing there.

Despite it being an endless tempest of raw Eldritch power in the very fabric of physical creation, home to some of the most powerful and brutal warriors in the [[41st millennium|setting]], it still does not deter or even frighten the [[Ollanius Pius|Balls-of-Steel]] [[Imperial Guard|Imperial Guardsmen]]. This is because of the [[Cadian Pylons|Cadian Gate]].

==The Cadian Gate?==
Yes, the Cadian Gate.

Y'know how in those war movies, there's that one part where the soldiers are all hanging out partying before the shit hits the fan and they're pressed into service? That's kinda what the Cadian Gate is like to the Eye of Terror. Named after the [[Cadia|planet]] nearest to it, the Cadian Gate is the most stable region around the Eye of Terror owing to the fact that [[Necron|large, strange artifacts of ancient alien design]] are found all over Cadia and its neighbouring planets. Because of its location in the Eye and because it's the only place not constantly fucked with Warp storms, Cadia (and indeed the entire Cadian Gate) is an enormous flash wherein the Chaos Legions raid the [[Imperium of Man|Imperium]] from their Daemon worlds - [[Creed|only to be completely and utterly WTFPWN3D in an ambush by 100 Baneblades and 75 Imperator Titans hiding behind a lamppost]], the biggest of which happened during the Black Crusades.

===The Black Crusades===

As one might imagine, the Eye of Terror is both prison ''and'' safe harbor for [[Abaddon the Despoiler]] and his [[Black Legion]]. It is from here that the Warmaster musters his forces for the infamous [[Black Crusade]]s, of which there have been thirteen over the last ten millennia. Barring a few (and we mean countable on 1 hand) suicidely difficult-to-navigate gaps, most of the Eye is kept bottled up by both the raging warpstorms permanently edging it, and the crashing waves of psychic force from the [[Astronomicon]], creating an effect called the Firetide. Ships can't even get near the edge of the Eye without getting destroyed.

Ask any long-term fan of the franchise, and eventually you'd get jokes about how much an utter joke Abaddon was given how he's tried ''thirteen times'' and yet failed to even get close to destroying [[Terra]], but as the end of 7th Edition showed, it seems that old Zeke has gotten the last laugh. As they say, thirteenth time is a charm...

==The [[Gathering Storm]]==

During the events of the Gathering Storm, the Eye of Terror changed dramatically. Here, Abaddon is attempting to besiege and control Cadia to force the Eye to expand, hoping to turn it into a giant eldritch laser cannon that would cut a swath through the galaxy and consume Terra itself in the process.

The launch of the 13th Black Crusade coincided with [[Belisarius Cawl]] realizing what the [[Cadian Pylons]] actually did, rushing to Cadia to help. [[Trazyn the Infinite]] then rocked up, and helped Cawl try and close it, because he was bored and wanted to participate in some galactic historical event. Their efforts did work and managed to slowly close the Eye of Terror to weaken the traitors (and [[Saint Celestine]] and the [[Legion of the Damned]], consequently), but Abby finally had enough of being a [[Meme]] and decided to flip the table by crashing a [[Blackstone Fortress]] onto Cadia, which destroyed the planet plus the pylons, [[Just as Planned|and caused the intended effect of having the Eye of Terror expand]]......[[Not as Planned|but we can only imagine Abaddon wide-eyed and mouth agape when he saw that the Eye expanded in the wrong direction, before promptly losing his collective shit at this point]].

Rather than cutting a swath straight through Terra, the Eye instead cut the galaxy in half by creating an almost-impassable wall of warp storms that stretched from Cadia to the [[Maelstrom]], which is now called the [[Great Rift]]. There's only two corridors on this rift that can be safely traversed by mortals and they're all heavily contested by the Imperium and Chaos.

The other side of this region that isn't on Terra's side is called the Dark Imperium, named so because they're cut off from the Astronomican, and by extension the Emperor's Light. As you can imagine, life in what can only be described as being trapped alone in a room full of serial killers is bad, but the Imperium perseveres, while Chaos is having a blast right now.

==Known worlds in the Eye of Terror==

* Belial IV: An Eldar crone world, it was one of the capital worlds of the old Eldar empire. Now it is a ghostly shell but rumoured to still house countless Eldar treasures... which of course is the perfect line to have a constant string of the elf-y bastards trying to loot the place without getting their [[Anal Circumference|assholes ripped apart in 11 dimensions by Slaanesh]].

* Medrengard: The [[Iron Warriors]] homeworld in the Eye of Terror. It is basically one big city in constant industrial motion. It is here [[Perturabo]] sulks eternally, annoyed his playmate [[Rogal Dorn|Rogal]] was silly enough to get himself MIA.

* Bubonicus: A daemon world owned by a [[Daemon Prince|daemon prince]] of the same name in service to [[Nurgle]]. Visions of this place give psykers across the Imperium terrible <strike>taco-shits</strike> nightmares that probably have some sort of plague mixed in as a bonus. This plague-ridden planet is notable for its equator-spanning line-dance in the name of Nurgle, the dancers eventually mutating into [[Plaguebearer]]s and breaking off so new mortals can endlessly take their place.

* Sortiarius, the Planet of the Sorcerers: The world given by [[Tzeentch]] to [[Magnus the Red]] and the [[Thousand Sons]] as their new homeworld after the end of the [[Horus Heresy]]. It is a world wrecked by warp storms and with towers thrusting out of the crust of the planet. Magnus mostly stays on the planet in his tower with a big eye on it, which is totally not ripping off Sauron, and plans his legion's campaigns <s>against the Imperium</s> for getting more books to nerd out. UPDATE: No longer in the Eye, because Magnus pulled it into real space. [[Just As Planned | JUST AS PLANNED!]]

* Plague Planet: The generically named world of [[Mortarion]]. He modeled it after a dark reflection of his homeworld, [[Barbarus]], much to [[Typhus]]'s displeasure.

* Oliensis: Devoted to Slaanesh, the entire planet is actually a [[neckbeard|colossal, morbidly obese man curled into a fetal position]] ([[what|yes seriously]]), [[/d/|who will eat you like a Dorito (and corrupt and regurgitate you)]] if you try to start shit there, as an [[Judged|unfortunate Space Marine chapter]] found out during a [[Abyssal Crusade|totally fun company-sponsored vacation trip]]. Home of the [[Noise Marines]]. There isn't much info on who Oliensis is or how he came to be so huge.

* Xana: the first and the biggest of the [[Dark Mechanicus]] Hellforges, and the primary place where traitors go to get new ships, tanks, daemon engines, armor, [[Dakka | and guns and ammo to shoot]] at loyalist scum and each other. Unlike most other Hellforges that were normal daemon-worlds until DarkMechs colonized them, Xana used to be a Forgeworld before the Heresy, and got teleported into the Eye after the Heresy failed in what was pretty much a reverse version of the ritual that Magnus used later to teleport Sortiarius out.

* [[Fulgrim]]'s [[PROMOTIONS|Pleasure Planet]]: No one knows where it is and [[Emperor's Children|many]] have tried to find it, but since no one's succeeded yet it's safe to assume it's either located [[Anal Circumference|inaccessibly deep ]] in the Eye or no one who actually located it bothered to leave and tell the others (Lorgar used the Webways to travel to the planet just before the [[Siege of Terra]] to pull Fulgrim back into command of his legion). Knowing the Emperor's Children, it's probably the latter.

* Sicarus: Homeworld of the [[Word Bearers]], and where [[Lorgar]] sits on his sorry ass meditating all day. [[Kor Phaeron]] established his colony on this planet after the [[Battle of Calth]], and the Word Bearers moved in later during the [[Great Scouring]]. The planet is basically a [[Chaos|Chaotic]] version of [[Terra]], right down to its [[Extra Heresy|"planet sized temple"]] status, and it's ruled over by a [[Dark Apostle|Dark]] [[High Lords of Terra|Council]] rather than Lorgar himself. The largest cathedral, the Templum Inficio, is reserved for Lorgar and his heresy-fueled meditations.

* Drakaasi: One of the few [[Khorne|Khornate]] daemon worlds (that we know about), this paradise features everything you'd expect from the Blood God: vast oceans of blood turning it into a red version of Venice, arenas and fighting pits around every block, a massive graveyard filled with [[Awesome|huge-ass weapons converted into residencies]], and of course a battlefield to add skulls to the skull throne. A rather interesting feature is a massive crystalline structure, which plays [[Sonic Weaponry|music]] dedicated to Khorne himself. Huh, guess he is a man (god?) of culture after all.

* Harmony: A major base for the [[Emperor's Children]], this is the planet where [[Fabius Bile]] created his homemade, collector's edition [[Horus]] clone. It was later attacked by [[Abaddon]] during his [[RAGE|big temper tantrum]] against the III Legion, and he had the planet's fortress, Canticle City, [[Awesome|blown up by a falling Cruiser]].

* Maeleum: The [[Extra Heresy|other "Chaotic Terra"]] in the Eye, this is where the [[Sons of Horus]] stored and worshiped their [[Primarch]]'s corpse after he got his ass kicked by Emperor, until it was stolen by the [[Emperor's Children]]. Some time after the planet's abandonment, Abaddon discovered a destroyed [[Black Templars]] strike cruiser on the planet's surface, [[FAIL|which provided him with information on the current status of the Imperium]]. Still later a [[Death Guard]] Sorceror Lord named Thagus Daravek used pieces of the planet's crust as ammunition against the Black Legion, [[FAIL|though he basically missed every shot]].

* Logans World: A barren place where humans and [[Ork]]s fight for survival in the planet's hostile environment. [[Derp|We still don't know who the eponymous Logan is though.]] It's worth mentioning that this planet seems to be one of the few "mundane" worlds in the Eye that we know about, as well as one of the few that is firmly under Imperial control.

* Temporia: A [[Tzeentch]]-aligned Hellforge overflowing with [[GW|factories]], [[Daemon Engines]], and other horrible contraptions. The [[Dark Mechanicus]] stationed here managed to [[Awesome|yank the planet out of orbit from the Eye of Terror]], using said depraved machinery to assault the Cadian Gate during the 13th [[Black Crusade]]. The Dark Mechanicus's rule is currently being contested by the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] from the [[Forge World]] of Agripinaa. So far they seem to be in a stalemate.

* Urum: A Crone World that serves as the main base of Fabius Bile and his Consortium. [[/d/|Don't even ask]] [[FATAL|what goes on in here]] (Hint* it is good, wholesome, pure fun).

* [[/tg/|World of Immortal Sorrows]]: A Crone World ruled over by Elyssar'sirath, a [[Daemon Prince]] of [[Slaanesh]]. Basically the absolute worst place to be in realspace if you're an Eldar, though it might be best to avoid it if you're a [[Imperium|human]] as well.

*Eidolon: At one point the location of the Blood Angels relic Encarmine, before it was recovered by Captain Leonatos on his Blood Quest. It was a semi-medieval world controlled by four Daemon Princes, as well as a [[Fallen|MEMBER OF A TRAITOR LEGION THAT SOMEHOW STOLE DARK ANGEL ARMOR TO DISGUISE HIMSELF]].

==Important Personages in the Eye of Terror==

* [[Chaos Gods]] - You can't get higher than the arch-dukes of evil themselves. They each claim the worlds of the Eye as their own and spend every second warring to gain control of them, like supervillains trying to outdo each other in world-conquering plots. Khorne's plots focus on [[Exterminatus|slaughtering everyone off each planet]]. Slaanesh tries to recreate his/her/its super dick move orgasm attack to take over worlds by [[Anal Circumference|overloading the inhabitants' very own metaphysical assholes into impossible geometries that would make Euclid's brain asplode]]. Tzeentch tries to use his [[Just As Planned|clever plots]] and [[Tomb of Horrors|elaborate deathtraps]] to take over, even if [[Abaddon|Failbaddon the Armless]] is the most frequent victim of such elaborate superdickery. Nurgle just prefers to wait patiently for everything to wear out and rot everything away - good for him, not for anyone else.
* Daemon Primarchs - Each a legendary or at least major player in the Eye, some of the traitor Primarchs have their own worlds while others head the efforts of the different Chaos Gods to claim more for themselves. Because each traitor Primarch is nuttier than a fruitcake by now, they each have different, diverse reasons for warring in the Eye for control.
** [[Angron]] - He just wants to kill and rage, as the nails in his daemon-brain make him ever crazier with each passing aeon and his only relief from the rage is MOAR RAGE. Giving worlds to Khorne is just a bonus.
** [[Fulgrim]] - No one knows where the fuck he OR his ultimate pleasure world/palace is, but it gives relentless [[Promotions|incentive]] for other traitors to find it. Abaddon met with him on a different planet, so he does get out sometimes, but it's probably pretty rare. After all, with a planet that's supposedly the ultimate pleasure planet, why would anyone want to leave it? Confirmed to have responded to Roboute getting back up by ''pouting''. Fucking '''weak''' man.
** [[Magnus]] the Red - He rarely leaves his private tower, but he theoretically constantly aids in Tzeentch's vast plans to conquer everything and sometimes comes out to beat up [[Space Wolves]]. /tg/ likes to joke that he spends most of the time screaming [[Just As Planned]] every time he manages to accomplish common household tasks like dusting the blinds or pouring hellmilk over his daemon-cereal, just to massage his fragile ego after the monumental fuckups his plans seem to keep running into. He's still very much active, though. Apart from [[Furry|fursecuting the Wolves]], he fought and chased [[Roboute Guilliman]] when he escaped from Kairos' clutches, but was stopped after he was banished by a contingent of [[Adeptus Custodes|Custodes]] and [[Sisters of Silence]], when he managed to corner Big G at Luna.
** [[Mortarion]] - Has his own sweet planet, which he made into a home from home. Like most of the others, he rarely leaves his private quarters, in case his presence makes the plot edge forward. Oh, and the last time he left his planet, a [[Kaldor Draigo|certain someone]] graffiti'd his heart. Change, after all, is anathema to a Nurglite. Plus, well... would ''you'' invite someone whose B.O. could devastate an entire world without him lifting a finger to your [[Black Crusade|little party]]? [[Typhus]] canonically despises Mortarion for just sitting in his planet and never doing anything and also for his insufferable sentimentality. He's now up-and-about though, he invaded [[Ultramar]], but was stopped by Guilliman, and the Chaos Gods who decided to get into the action and annex some of Nurgle's territory, forcing him to abandon the Ultramar campaign and go back.
** [[Lorgar]] - Has been meditating since the end of the Horus Heresy, and has literally done diddly squat since then. Infact his most noteworthy action for gods know how long is teaching Abby how to summon daemons for his Black Crusades. He doesn't even lead his legion anymore, and he assigned that role to his Dark Apostles instead. He's basically the biggest [[Neckbeards|NEET]] amongst the primarchs. He did fight against a Warp-mutated [[Corvus Corax|Corax]] in the 41st Millennium.
** [[Perturabo]] - The guy who named the place. Mostly stays sulking on his private planet because his sore mood prevents him from getting down to the hard and heavy of fighting. Occasionally he gets off his couch to devastate a Forge World or two. Launched a massive offensive to take many Imperial Worlds after the Great Rift.

* [[Abaddon the Despoiler]] - Jokes about his incompetence and lack of arms aside, Abaddon didn't get to be the Warmaster of the Black Legion for nothing. If your force runs into his in the Eye, it's probably in your best interest to either submit to the Legion and be subsumed, or run for the hills and pray to your evil gods he's got [[Cadia|something better to do]].

* [[Fabius Bile]] - A key player in the Eye, as he produces clone warriors for the traitor legions to boost their ranks and seeks ways to further improve on their genes. Such biological evil pleases Slaanesh immensely, even if Bile himself has no love for Chaos in general, seeing that they no longer have anything to offer him. The definition of Vetinari Job Security, the guy is hated and despised by even other heretics, but he is needed by them all so they can't afford to kill him.

==See Also==
*[[Chaos]]
*[[Chaos Space Marines]]
*[[Pit of Raukos]]

[[Category:Chaos]] [[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]

Skitarii

2022-02-11T19:06:20Z

2001:8003:1D0D:301:FC33:14FC:73C1:5608: Undo revision 809321 by Boros (talk)

[[File:Skitarii_vs_Nids.JPG|right|thumb|550px|Skitarii [[Anal circumference|clapping some Tyranid asses.]]]]
{{Topquote|Access denied.|Ancient Martian proverb}}
The '''Skitarii''', also known as Tech-Guard, are the private militant arm of the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] and are proof that even the Imperium can be surpassed, in terms of grimdark, by lobotimized metal robots with a fetish for toasters.

Derived from Latin 'Scitari' which means 'to seek to know’. This represents another instance of the GW pseudo-Latin we all know and love. In the singular tense they are referred to as Skitarius. The low gothic pronunciation would be 'Ski-tar-ree,' whereas the high gothic would be 'skit-ar-ree-aye.' Although the classical, and dare I say proper, Latin pronunciation is 'Ski-tar-ree-i'. The difference is a matter of [[Skub]].

==Overview==
Under the Treaty of Olympus Mons (commonly known as the Treaty of Mars outside the Adeptus Mechanicus) [[Forge Worlds]] are not required to give manpower over to the [[Imperial Guard]] under the [[Imperial Tithe]], so they are allowed to raise, train, and equip their own [[Planetary Defense Forces]]. Since they don't have to provide an endless supply of cannon fodder offworld and have access to the lion's share of the Imperium's industrial and technological capacity, the Forge Worlds of the Mechanicus can afford to field soldiers with gear beyond the bare minimum of acceptability. Standing somewhere between the Guard and the [[Space Marines]] in terms of ability, the Skitarii have access to absolutely ''everything'' the Adeptus Mechanicus can create.

The only things they don't use are the [[Land Raider]] (which is due to a decree by the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor]] reserving it for the Adeptus Astartes during the <s>[[Great Crusade]]</s> [[Horus Heresy]] - like that stops the [[Inquisition]]...) and [[Dreadnought]]s (though in theory they could, they just prefer carving up your brain and making you a servitor instead). Like the Guard, there is little standardization among Skitarii units. For example, they can't quite seem to agree if the greater unit is called a cohort or a brigade. Additionally, Skitarii will vary from simple gun-[[servitor]]s under a few commanders to gene-enhanced augmented humans with major equipment.

[[File:Image Skitari.jpg|thumb|left|Skitarii artwork from the <s>upcoming</s> mothballed [[Imperial Armour]] volume: Fires of Cyraxus]]Having existed since at least the Great Crusade, a Skitarii brain is altered to maintain their loyalty and obedience. Some are just psycho-surgically or biochemically altered, while others are full-on lobotomised. According to recent lore, one way the Tech Priests control legions of Skitarii are by messing with their brains from SPEHHS, firing off signals to make each and every one of those little bastards think they're being manipulated by the [[Omnissiah]] [[HERESY|himself]]. On the plus side if, after their "indoctrination", they have anything resembling a working brain left, it'll usually be capable of some high level multitasking: a Tech-Guard officer will proficiently dual-chainsword-duel with you, while happily chatting with his fellow Skitarii on the [[vox]] in binaric cant, simultaneously catch up on his unread messages, recompiling the kernels in his cybernetic implants and trolling all the boards of future-#chan at the same time. So yeah, they're different than their service/slave counterparts.

Speaking of differences, Skitarii from different forge worlds don't always share the same look. Some prefer the classic "red-robe-with-hood" Martian style, while others wear Imperial Guard-like uniform, and some could be purely functionalist with no clothes beside armour - just name the style, and somewhere in the galaxy there is a forge world with similarity dressed Skitarii (except for THAT style, you sick fuck). One of the most popular styles the Skitarii employ is to wear fabulous fur coats, fang talismans and grisly trophies, commonly associated with [[Death World|Death Worlders]] and [[Space Wolves]]; these are intended to terrify opponents. As if half-robot/zombie soldiers aren't terrifying enough. They can appear so terrifying that loyalist Skitarii are indistinguishable from their Dark Mechanicum counterparts to the casual observer.

They are generally the first line of defence on Forge Worlds and other Mechanicum installations. However, they also serve as marines (in the traditional sense) for some Explorator ships, and act as dedicated infantry and vehicle support for Titan Legions when they are deployed. Because the Mechanicum also likes to make friends and has allies, and Forge Worlds, everywhere, the Skitarii also serve as mercenaries or allies in many Imperial armies and crusades. Additionally, most Space Marine chapters can call on Mechanicum support should need arise. This is double so for the Grey Knights, as Titan is orbited by the former natural satellite of Mars turned into a minor forge world, Deimos, where all of Grey Knights' gear is made, and it has its own Skitarii contingent.

Also, they can be played on the tabletop, like a weird hybrid of Tau, Necron, Craftworld Eldar, and <s>guardsma... ahem.. ASTRA MILITARUM Imperial Guard</s> THE WALL OF GUNS, and seem to be the 40k equivalent of the Skaven, except that they're not fucking furries! Who needs Emprah loving humies/post-humie/heretic/xenos scum anyway?! Everyone knows the Omnissiah is where it's at!

==Types of Skitarii==
The Skitarii comes in many flavors, some deadlier than others. All of them can twist off your head and shit down your neck. Here are the examples:

===Skitarii Alpha===
[[File:Dd1b4svyiyx41.jpg|240px|right|thumb|Skitarii Alpha model by [https://www.reddit.com/r/AdeptusMechanicus/comments/gh3mm1/skitarii_alpha_reporting_for_duty/ Warden343].]]
Skitarii Alphas are the squad commanders of Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii formations. These cybernetic warriors have the highest level of augmentation among their kind, a position of high prestige in Martian culture. To become an Alpha, one must pass the Crux Mechanicus, the point where your body is more machine than flesh. Their human components have often been reduced to a simple organic brain. They are the leaders of any Skitarii and are equivalent to a Space Marine Sergeant.

For an example of this in the fluff, Alpha Primus Haldron-44 Stroika was augmented to have four arms with in-built Arc Mauls and auto-reloading Arc Pistols, as well as having the ability to coordinate tens of thousands of Skitarii while simultaneously tearing apart Dark Mechanicum troops in melee and at range. [[Awesome|He even managed to hold his own against an]] [[Iron Warriors]] [[Warsmith]]-slash-[[Obliterator]] [[Awesome|for a few minutes]], only to be [[Grimdark|half-ripped apart and unwillingly turned into a Dark Mechanicus assassin]] after he took off the Warsmith's arm.

Of particular note is the fact that many Martian Skitarii Alphas were failed Imperial Knight nobles of House Taranis. Although failure to bond with an Imperial Knight typically drives the would-be pilot insane, emotive-suppressors and memory-catheters are able to keep their rages in check. House Taranis asks in return that their Skitarii cohorts are assigned to fight alongside their Knights, so that the Nobles can still fight alongside their former brothers. It's kind of heart-warming, if in a grimdark way.
<gallery>
RangerAlpha.jpg|Alpha Ranger.
VanguardAlpha.jpg|Alpha Vanguard.
RuststalkerAlpha.jpg|Alpha Ruststalker.
InfiltratorAlpha.jpg|Alpha Infiltrator.
</gallery>
===Skitarii Marshal===
[[File:JX24PfFLsm7LhuJs.jpg|240px|right|thumb|There is a new Marshal in town and he is not giving free cookies...]]
A new Skitarii rank, the Skitarii Marshal is the head honcho in directing lesser Skitarii at the front lines and leaving the important plans up to their superiors. They are over-glorified lieutenants for the Machine God’s armies and will ensure their Rangers make the most of every shot. Like all Skitarii, they wear [[Skitarii War Plate]] into combat.

Decitor Septrax-Tertian is the most well-known of these Marshals, as he took part in the Charadon Campaign. He proved to be one of the most skilled and resourceful Imperial commanders of the war.

On the tabletop, these guys act as unit buffers and supports and it totally shows. Toting a [[Radium Carbine]] (sadly not a pistol, but assault) as well as a weapon equal to a power maul to go bonk if any enemy decides to close in for an attack.

Very useful in that they allow a nearby <Forge World> Skitarii or a <Forge World> Skitarii Data-Tether unit anywhere on the board to ignore the penalty applied when using a Doctrina. An example is with the Skitarii Vanguard, simply placing them with a Marshall allows for additional rerolls, and given that Vanguards wield Radium weapons, [[Rape|these rerolls are gonna get disgusting.]]

The great weakness is that they have zero [[Wat|repair ability]], which is funny given that they are from the AdMech and all, so you'll need another HQ to cover that niche or your army will get whittled down over time.
{{Clear}}

===Skitarii Ranger===

[[File:SkitRangerArt.jpg|240px|right|thumb|Time to smoke out some bitches and blow....literally.]]

The Mechanicus' equivalent of the [[Eldar]] [[Eldar Ranger|Rangers]] but more [[Awesome]]. They are relentless hunter-killer infantry, and are known to hunt their prey across the galaxy for decades if need be.

Mindful of the harsh terrain of Mars, their legs have been removed from the knees down, replaced by cybernetic augmentations. This has made their stamina legendary, and they are known to hunt a foe until it exhausts itself. Skitarii Rangers themselves are split into the '''Skitarii Fresh-forged''' which are essentially the most recent additions to a Skitarii Ranger team. They differ to normal Skitarii as their remaining flesh is still raw from the surgery involved in bionic modification. There is also the '''Skitarii Specialists''' who are given the holy duty of carrying and maintaining the Skitarii kill team’s more unusual weaponry.

Their weapon of choice are [[Galvanic Rifle]]s, though others may be armed with [[Arc Rifle]]s, [[Transuranic Arquebus]]', or [[Plasma Caliver]]s. A Skitarii Rangers team is led by an Alpha, normally equipped with [[Radium Pistol]] or [[Arc Pistol]] as well as a [[Power sword|Power Sword]], [[Arc Weaponry#Taser Goad|Taser Goad]], or [[Arc Weaponry#Arc Maul|Arc Maul]]. They all wear [[Skitarii War Plate]]s for protection in combat.

Some Rangers control the guns on the Dunecrawler (they are the dude in the hatch).

On 9th Edition, the Rangers' 30" Galvanic Rifles have enough range to contribute to fights and the S4 needed to be a bother, which makes this squad great at garrisoning backfield objectives and ruins. While they put less volume of fire than Vanguard, their guns' better range, strength, and AP-1 on a 6+ to wound make them more effective against single-wound infantry than Rad carbines. All in all great value from the cheapest unit in your army. Unless you are sitting on backfield objectives (which our HS are normally doing) vanguard will often be better considering the difference is 1pt a model.

===Skitarii Vanguard===

[[File:SkitariiVanguardArt.jpg|240px|left|thumb|The funny thing is, that gun is the least of your worries.]]

Skitarii Vanguards, known informally as Rad-Troopers, are the other type of Skitarii infantry used by the Adeptus Mechanicus. Skitarii Vanguards are so soaked in radiation from their [[Radium Carbine]] weaponry that even to approach them is to [[FATAL|invite death.]]

Eventually, the radiation burns through even their heavy armor plating of even their [[Skitarii War Plate]], [[Grimdark|slowly poisoning them to death.]] Their augmentations and radioactive conditioning has allowed Skitarii Vanguards to be deployed to the most hazardous war zones the galaxy has to offer.

A Skitarii Vanguard squad is led by an Alpha, equipped with either a [[Phosphor Blast Pistol]], [[Radium Pistol]], or [[Arc Pistol]], as well as a [[Power sword|Power Sword]], [[Arc Weaponry#Taser Goad|Taser Goad]], or [[Arc Weaponry#Arc Maul|Arc Maul]]. These guys are there to [[rape]] infantry in close quarters.

Vanguard are also used in the [[Onager Dunecrawler]]s as the pilot. They're basically dumped into the same kind of emulsion tank some Titan pilots get. They don't last very long but on the plus side no more getting killed by small-arms.

On 9th Edition, Vanguard are your Skitarii frontliners. Their 18" Assault 3 Rad Carbines let them advance and still hit on a 4+, and their rate of fire is such that their 2D on a 6+ to wound can proc enough times to be a concern to heavy infantry while still dealing lots of hits to the smaller ones. With their Rad saturation aura (-1T is better than +1S), they can also help as melee support to Sicarians and Electropriests and melee soup allies.

===Sicarian Ruststalker===

[[File:RuststalkerArt.jpg|140px|right|thumb|[[Eversor Assassin|*WWWRRRRRYYYYYYYYYY!*]]]]

Sicarian Ruststalkers are the elite Skitarii assassins of the Adeptus Mechanicus and an attempt to make an [[Eversor Assassin]] look like a rehabilitated good Samaritan (spoiler: a failed one). Initially an elite assassination squad, the Sicarian Ruststalkers proved so effective at the art of killing that they were repurposed as front-line, physics-manipulating commandos.

Their [[Transonic Weapons|Transonic Weapons]] hum and resonate with efficiency, passing through the strongest armor as if it simply didn't exist, [[Fist of the North Star|though the effect of the damage often takes several seconds to manifest.]] These highly trained and augmented squads known as Killclades are led by Princeps.

Every Sicarian was once a Skitarii who was grievously injured in battle. If these fallen are judged still fit to serve the Omnissiah, they are not incinerated but instead taken back to be augmented into lethal killing machines. This process can take place as long as a Skitarius possesses a head, torso, and some limb-stumps. Instead of a [[Skitarii War Plate]], they wear the more advanced and protective [[Sicarian Battle Armour]].

Sicarian Ruststalkers also called "shivs", a reference to a way they repeatedly plunge their [[Transonic Weapons|transonic weapons]] into their enemies, visible only as a blur of blue and arcing sprays of scarlet blood. These weapons are the [[Transonic Weapons#Chordclaw|Chordclaw]], [[Transonic Weapons#Transonic Razor|Transonic Razor]] and the [[Transonic Weapons#Transonic Blades|Transonic Blade]].

On 9th Edition, Sicarian Ruststalkers have some utility at dishing out Mortal Wounds, and are faster than Fulgurites, but fulgurites and hoplites perform the same role better.

===Sicarian Infiltrator===
[[File:SicInfArt.jpg|260px|left|thumb|AYE AYE AYE! <s>Power Rangers!</s> Fellow Skitarii! We request support for <s>Zordon</s> The Omnissiah!]]
The sneaky counterparts to the Skitarii forces that also bears an uncanny resemblance to Alpha-5 from Power Rangers. Sicarian Infiltrators are the brutal Skitarii scout troops of the Adeptus Mechanicus, renowned as perhaps the most sinister warriors of the Mechanicum.

Heavily augmented into [[Star Wars|more machine than man,]] the Sicarian Infiltrators are a hideous, frightening strike force - the height of Adeptus Mechanicus posthuman engineering. When hunting, they emit from their domed helmets a white noise that fills all sensory spectra with static, leaving their foe disorientated and helpless and incredibly irritated. Enemies fall, deafened and blinded by the scree of a brutally disruptive audiovisual assault; battles are often decided before even a single kill is confirmed.

Infiltrator squads can bypass enemy defenses with ease, though not because of their stealth but rather their disruptive wavelengths they broadcast when on the move. These scout squads are led by Princeps. Regular Skitarii warriors sent to fight alongside Infiltrators are given null-codes that can transmute their disorientated wavelength frequencies, allowing for efficient combined-arms assaults.

As with their Ruststalker brothers, every Sicarian was once a Skitarii who was grievously injured in battle.

Heavily modified for their scouting missions, almost their entire human heads have been replaced with a specialized domed helm allowing a three-hundred and sixty degree view of the battlefield. They are equipped with a wide array of weapons including [[Stubcarbine]]s, [[Flechette Blaster]]s, [[Power sword|Power Sword]], [[Arc Weaponry#Taser Goad|Taser Goad]], and [[Arc Weaponry#Arc Maul|Arc Maul]]. They, like the Ruststalkers, wear [[Sicarian Battle Armour]] instead of War Plate into battle.

On 9th Edition, they are one of the only units debuffed in engine war. The taser variant that used to destroy hordes has been weakened, the power sword variant that wrecked marines hasn't changed. They can deep strike. They have a -1 to leadership within 3". Just remember to keep them in cover until you're ready to charge them because they still suffer from T3 and only a 4+.

===Skitarii Protector===
[[File:Myrmidon Secutor.jpg|thumb|right|200px|In the name of the Quest for Knowledge, I shall now remove your face.]]
Protectors were soldiers and guards that worked in the Adeptus Mechanicus.

They were genetically engineered and augmented Humans that wore red robes and bronze masks that showed green mechanical eyes. Members of the Protectors typically carried weapon staves and served as the personal guards within a Techpriest's Forge.

They were noted to smell of spoiled, decayed meat and oils. Skitarii Protectors were much more commonly used during the [[Horus Heresy]] and most were deemed ineffective by the Martian Priesthood. Instead, the use of thousands of [[Tech Thrall]]s became more popular when it came to defending forges and/or [[Forgeworld]]s, ''especially'' when the Mechanicus was short on full blown Skitarii.

Which, in true Warhammer fashion, [[Derp|makes no sense]] as they are made in the same way and Protectors, being actual Skitarii, would have been far more effective and just as numerous as Tech Thralls (due to being made in the same way as the Thralls). [[Herp|Dammit, GW!]]

There were only two known Protectors.

The first was Rho-mu 31, who, instead of being an individual, actually consists of an entire squad; Rho-mu 31 was a collective and shared identity. Serving under Tech-Priest Koriel Zeth, Rho-mu 31 was assigned to rescue and guard the Psyker transcriber Dalia Cythera shortly before the Schism of Mars. During the Schism, he took part in the battle against the Kaban Machine alongside Dalia. When Dalia was the new Guardian of the Dragon, Rho-mu pledged to stay by her side and protect her inside the Noctis Labyrinth. Unusually for Skitarii, Rho-mu 31 was capable of some forms of humor and emotion.

The second was Alpha-Rho-25. A Protector assigned to the Imperial defense of the Emperor's Webway Project and was one of the first Imperials to uncover Drach'nyen's presence there.
{{Clear}}
==Other Skitarii Variants==
===[[Secutarii]]===
Secutarii are the protectors and recoverers of [[Titan]]s, and many are drawn from the service of normal skitarii from the [[Explorator Fleet|Exploratory Fleet]]s who show great affinity working with Titans. [[Secutarii|Their own article]] explains them more in depth.

===[[Serberys Sulphurhound]]s/[[Serberys Raiders|Raiders]]===
New cyber cowboy units previewed at LVO. The Serberys Sulphurhounds are revolver-wielding Vanguard who ride cyborg horses with flamers for faces. The Serberys Raiders are styled like the Rangers and ride tamer looking cyber steeds.

===[[Pteraxii]]===
Winged cousins of the Sicarians that have the same Da Vinci style of flight gear as the Archeaopter. Possess some mean looking bird legs as well as a range of weapons such as flamers and taser goads.

++We are DaVincian-pterodactyl-murdercyborgs now! Because FUCK YOU!++

==See Also==
*[https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Adeptus_Mechanicus_(9E) Skitarii tactics]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyxOXjZHl9U This sums up the Skitarii (be sure to kitbash your squad alpha so he gets an abs-mounted heavy weapon!)]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFULVMSd5JY And again with related images]

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[[Category:Adeptus Mechanicus]]