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Ghostwalk

2021-07-03T02:36:32Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907: /* The Human Nations */

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Settings]]
[[image:Ghostwalk.jpg|thumb|right|Adventure In The Afterlife]]
The premise is simple: the Land of the Dead is a real place, miles beneath the earth, and the spirits of the dead travel there when they cannot or will not leave the world of the living. These souls become ghosts, which aren't the horrific undead monsters of other [[Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Settings|D&D campaign settings]], but are instead a form of playable pseudo-race/pseudo-class that can be player characters.

Written by the infamous [[Monte Cook]], with assistance from buffed bald betamale [[Sean K. Reynolds]], '''''Ghostwalk''''' adds some interesting new concepts and classes to the standard [[3e|Third Edition]] roster, while complicating things by allowing the transfer of levels between ghost and living states of being. There are a lot of updates to skills and feats from base 3e that are updated in the sourcebook due to the oddities of '''''Ghostwalk''''' ghosts, and the setting as a whole really does add a lot of weird new things to the Third Edition.

It really does need some more notice and love. I don't know who made this article, but you're a goddamn beautiful bastard for doing it. Going to go dig up my book, you can get a copy from Paizo for like five bucks. There is no reason to not gobble up this sweet ass setting.

=Geography=
[[image:GhostwalkMap.PNG|thumb|left|Ye Olde Map]]

==The World of the Living==
The scope of the setting covers a far smaller region than most settings, mostly due to the fact that it was designed to be dropped into any DM's campaign rather than being a full-fledged world all on its own. Still, it packs an unreasonable number of nations, conflicts, and plot hooks into its small region.

===The City of Manifest===
Located amidst the sea and woods of the Hikirian Peninsula, the '''City of Manifest''' is built at the heart of the Land of the Dead. Beneath its sprawling congestion are a series of caves, ready-made for dungeon crawling. These lead to the realm of the Deathwarden Dwarves who guard the Veil of Souls, the gate between the worlds of life and death. The path to the Veil is the titular '''Ghostwalk.'''

Above the dwarves is Manifest. Once a simple camp established amidst the woods of the Elvish dead, known as the Spirit Wood, it has become a thriving metropolis built on the trade of the Ghostwalk. Thousands of people around the world send their bodies to Manifest, where they send them through the Veil into the afterlife in the hopes of easing their passing through the afterlife. Others travel to meet ghosts of loved ones taken before their time, to say their goodbyes. And those goodbyes can be long, leading to the gradual growth of the city.

Ghosts are drawn to Manifest, and the Veil of Souls, from all over the world when they die. Within the city's boundaries, they are able to manifest as corporeal entities made out of ectoplasm, able to interact with the world in a shadow of their mortal lives. Outside it, they are intangible and capable of using some illusory abilities. In Ghostwalk, a ghost is simply the soul of the dead waiting to pass on into the afterlife; unintelligent creatures and certain magical sentients like dragons or fey simply pass on to the "True Afterlife" which awaits all souls beyond the Veil.

===The Human Nations===
*'''Bazareene''': Think Rashemen, if it was ruled by green-eyed femi-Nazis (not to be confused with Feminazis). Native sorcerers rule over ranks of well-fed, well-trained martial fighters, while druids are mocked as the backwater idiot's version of clerics. At the very bottom are wizards, fools without the natural talent to use magic and have to prance around like fools waving their hands and babbling nonsense. While much of the nation is ruled by a pretty tight-fisted dictatorship of women, the barbarians to the south fear the sorcerer-ladies and have fought many wars with them in the past. One of these wars is why sorcerers rule; ancient sorcerers developed spells to transform many unborn children into sorcerers. Male sorcerers are bodyguards of the females. While they supposedly have a very powerful military just waiting to be used, they are more famous for being really, really great cooks.

*'''Salkiria''': The land closest to the city of Manifest, they're the human cultural mecca thanks to the fact that the titular Ghostwalk passes through their lands, bringing vast amounts of trade into contact with their gypsy, gem-mining, dancing and song-obsessed culture. They're the token "good" human nation of the setting, apparently because their last two kings really want to be god-fearing lawful goods despite ruling a nation of chaotic good, tambourine-playing bards. In contrast to Bazareene, Salkiria despises sorcerers and wizards alike thanks to the necromantic studies of former mad kings, while bards and fighters are held in high regard for their role as lorekeeping troubadours and expert "dancing blades" who entertain wandering bands of laboring peasants. Because of all the trade, the Salak language has become the lingua franca of the setting.

*'''Tereppek''': Tereppek is [[Forgotten Realms|Candlekeep]] writ large. Sharing territory with the Dwarven monarchy of the Grumnyr Clan, it's a pedocracy, a nation ruled by the young, of wizards, bureaucrats, and well-educated and entirely civilized commoners. It is a nation of former horse-riding nomads turned chair-sitting scholars. Being the most educated civilization around the Ghostwalk, there are no native barbarians in this land. While civilian bureaucrats rule everyday life, Tereppek's true power rests in the hands of its many wizards and other arcane spellcasters (but not [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerers]]), who use their magic to defend Tereppek, maintain law and order, and pursue the higher mysteries. Everyone is afraid of Tereppek because they could wipe all the other nations off the face of the world if they wanted to; fortunately for everyone, the people of Tereppek are generally peace-loving, and the only times they've fought wars are when they themselves have been invaded. Basically it would be a civilization of wizardly Mary Sues (thanks Monte Cook), but given the nature of it being a ''pedocracy,'' and knowing how most college students operate in close quarters during finals week, it's a powder keg waiting to go off. This is only made worse by the threat of hedonistic sycophants pushing to expand its military presence in Manifest.

*'''Thurkasia''': Once a colony of Salkiria, it is the home of the horse-riding nomad. Or it was, until Salkiria brought civilization to the barbarian hordes. Now ruled by a democratically-elected council of land barons, Thurkasia is unique among the Ghostwalk nations in that dwarves and gnomes have equal status with the majority humans and have barons of their own. The humans of Thurkasia share many cultural quirks with Salkiria, with a special importance placed on traditional songs and dances and an open-hearted and welcoming nature. However, unlike Salkiria, druids have always been held in special esteem as communers with the spirits of nature, and they remain the agents of Thurkasia's religious faith.

===Non-Human Nations===
*'''Coil''': Everything is snakes. The sky, the ground, the trees, the air itself... Okay, not really, but there are snakes everywhere. It is a demiplane roughly 50 miles long and 30 miles wide, surrounded by a wall of petrified snakes. Snakes grow out of the ground, swim in the lake, and form a mighty river. Every living creature on Coil is either a snake or a snake-like abomination, and the [[yuan-ti]]TM live in cities of stone that writhe like snakes. At their heart is Tragaash Daur, a yuan-ti cleric/sorcerer of... [[Orcus]]. (Yes, the undead mammalian humanoid Orcus. Why him? Dunno!) Unlike in other settings, it is abominations who rule the yuan-ti castes, and all yuan-ti can create vampire spawn-like slaves through the mingling of yuan-ti and victim blood.
*'''Sura-Khiri''': The besieged forest kingdom of the elves of Ghostwalk, Sura-Khiri has suffered for many long decades from an invasion of yuan-ti from Coil. Thanks to the vagaries of planar dynamics, Sura-Khiri's forests and jungles are the easiest place from which to access the Material Plane from Coil, where everything is infested with snakes and the yuan-ti lack for souls. Now, after many years, the elvish population has dwindled to the point of extinction, and the majority of the population train as fighters, rangers, and rogues. What few elves still bother with magic, which is ineffective against the naturally spell-resistant yuan-ti, tend towards the faster and more battle-ready sorcerer class rather than following the lengthy study of wizardry.

===George Romero's Xaphan===
'''Xaphan''' was once a human kingdom set on a small archipelago just off the coast of the Hikirian Peninsula. Originally known as Inuitea, it was conquered by [[Orcus]], the demon prince of the Undead and the setting's greatest villain. Now it is ruled by a council of vampires and its "inhabitants" are almost exclusively evil undead, with a few human slaves kept around for sport and sacrifice. Xaphan constantly plots to invade Manifest and take control of the portal between life and death, but such plots often take a backseat to vampire politics. The primary import of Xaphan is slaves, and its primary export is undead.

===The World of the Dead===
Unique among the D&D settings, Ghostwalks establishes a completely separate and unusual Afterlife that can be explored by players and DMs. Beyond the Well of Souls, in what is known as the True Afterlife, the spirits of the dead live a hollow existence reminiscent of their past lives. They lose all memory of this existence and this world upon revival, but so long as they remain they retain their memories of the living world.

Small islands float atop an endless sea, which plunge to unknown depths. These islands are not attached to anything, they merely float atop the water, like a piece of pumice in the bath. Various factions claim control of a series of isles near the Well of Souls, but it is possible to swim out into the ocean and appear next to islands never before known, far from the Well and other beings. Strangely, there are even undead monsters in this world, who somehow smuggled themselves through the City of Manifest to appear in this World of the Dead.

Beings in this world can survive as long as they want. When they are hungry, food appears before them. A pale kind of sunlight pervades during the "daylight" hours, while pitch darkness fills the "night." Only when a soul is tired and ready to move on, to be consumed by Dracanesh, the Eater of the Dead, do they fade and experience true death.

==Races==
All the standard D&D races are represented, but here we'll list those that are given some unique identity or flavor by the setting.
*Dwarves: They guard the doors to the Land of the Dead.
*Elves: They become one with the Spirit Wood and their ghosts merge into spirit trees.
*Ghosts: Physical beings made up of ectoplasm, which exist in the Material Plane rather than the Ethereal Plane. They are the alignment they were in life, rather than being wholly evil as in other settings, and are preyed upon by other evil undead.
*Yuan-Ti: Extradimensional invaders who come from a demiplane made of snakes. Literally, made of snakes. Like, the sky, the trees, the ground, all snakes. They also lack the right kind of soul to manifest in Manifest, so they hate Manifest and all the ghosts that live there, jealous of their ability to remain in the world after death.
*Vampires: Favored servants of Orcus, god of Undeath.

==Classes==
===Ghosts===
'''Ghosts''' are a special creature type in ''Ghostwalk.'' In general, a ghost is any intelligent humanoid who has the strength of will (such as player characters) to remain in the mortal world after death. In their unlife they have specific urges, called ghost traits, that they must indulge in at least once a week or suffer a -1 to attack rolls, saves, and skill and ability checks. Also, if you don't indulge your ghost trait, you must make a Will save against '''The Calling,''' the natural impulse of a dead soul to enter the True Afterlife.

===Prestige Classes===
*'''Arboreal Guardian:''' Exactly what it sounds like. You protect the Spirit Wood of the Elves, and are specifically bonded to a certain tree which gives you bonuses when you're around it. Generally limited to characters with elvish blood.
*'''Bone Collector:''' Gain strength by killing undead creatures and using their magically-empowered bones. You can also absorb negative energy attacks and store them for use as a one-time, at-will spell.
*'''Deathwarden:''' A member of an elite clan of dwarf warriors who protect the Veil of Souls using their undead-slaying special abilities and their list of magic runes, which can summon a high-level dwarven cleric spirit as in the ''planar ally'' spell. Limited to dwarfs.
*'''Ghost Slayer:''' A class that specializes in killing ghosts with ghost-harming abilities. You can only join if you knocked unconscious or failed a saving throw against a ghost's attack.

==Culture==
===The Ghostwalk===
===Deities===
{{D&D-Ghostwalk-Deities}}

===Artifacts===

==External Links==
*[http://www.mediafire.com/download/5unkod8gdo8legu/Ghostwalk.pdf Ghostwalk Da PDF] One of the most obscure campaign sourcebooks is now available, courtesy of /rs/.
*[http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ps/20030601a Product Spotlight:Ghostwalk] An in-depth interview from when the setting was published.
*[http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/ghostwalk/ Ghostwalk with Sean Reynolds] The story of Ghostwalk and how it came to be, along with other information.

{{Template:D&D-Settings}}

Knight

2021-07-02T12:50:03Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907: /* Why being a Knight sucked */

[[Image:NormansKnight.jpg|right|thumb|Medieval Europe's equivelent of Hell's Angels]]
''Not to be confused with the [[Imperial Knight|miniature Imperial Titan.]].''

The '''"knight"''' [[Monty Python|(pronounced 'Kuh-niggit' for you Frenchies with outrageous accents)]] is an title given to a loyal servant of a monarchy in olden Europe. To start your knightly lineage, you must be valuable enough to your lord that he eventually bestows knighthood upon you. Once that is done, you are officially part of your kingdom's [[noble|nobility]] (albeit at the near bottom of the ladder, but you're leagues better off than the common folk) and any children you bear will also be knights, who will then continue your proud lineage throughout the ages.

Knights can trace their origin to Equestrian class of ancient [[Roman Empire|Rome]] named because they were rich enough to afford a horse when they joined the army, but knights as we know them originally started back in the early days of the 10th century as elite soldiers who fought on horseback, but started becoming the chivalrous, romantic daredevils we all know and love by the 12th, due to the influence of Christianity and Islam throughout Europe. They are usually rich-enough blokes that knight families typically owned at least one estate that they may develop as they see fit.

These guys were the greatest thing in Europe's arsenal for nearly a thousand years before being weakened by Swiss pike formations, [[firearm|another Chinese import]], and the idea of a professional and standardized standing army which gradually put an end to the age of knights. Then, in the 19th century and after the French revolution, Romanticists who wanted to defend the old order of things against upstart ideas about "democracy" and suchlike began looking to the past with rose-coloured glasses and forgot about the shitty quality of that period and instead saw dashing knights in shining armor (a phrase that originally meant "the new guy who has never been through battle").

==Misconceptions==
In modern parlance, Knight is the catch-all term for some posh bloke who fought on horseback with decent armour and weapons. It was the case for some time, but the term 'Knight' has started to refer to the ''social rank'' of the man, not the way he fought, around the XIIth century. 'Chivalry' does refer to horsemanship, however.

Most armored guys on the battlefield of High and Late Medieval period (usually carrying shield, non rusted armor and a decent weapon) were [[Men at Arms]] -- a better equipped class of soldier. Through patronage of a wealthy lord, large groups of these blokes were kitted out with decent weaponry and armour (to varying degrees). They sometimes had a horse if there weren't enough cavalry; otherwise they were just a better equipped form of infantry. They were usually of better social standing than their comrades serving in a Lord's (or Knight's) armies as meat shields and arrow fodder (conscripted peasant), although that itself would vary: from men who their overlord might socialise with to a degree, to a better-off commoner like a merchant who simply bought better armor than the smelly peasants, or just some smelly oik with an aptitude for combat who was kitted out at his Lordship's expense.

Since most Knights were fairly wealthy, they nearly always fought as Men at Arms (being that they could afford decent plate armor, an arsenal of weapons, and a war horse, on their own), though not all Men at Arms were Knights. It is also worth noting that Men at Arms usually were poorer equipped than Knights, and often received little to no training which usually lasted between a fortnight and a month. Knights, however, were trained from the age of six and this training lasted until their mentor deemed them ready to be a full knight (that age varied, but generally was around 17-18 years; Edward the Black Prince, for example, was granted full knighthood in 16 years). They also had the option and means of having their own armor and weapons specially made/procured for them. Additionally, any non-noble who was able to attain knighthood though exemplary military service would have been a warrior few could equal.

Knight's tournaments were NOTHING like how we picture them through Hollywood; they were not leisurely affairs of organised jousting with the King's retinue and nobles looking on. Jousting itself was regarded as a sideshow compared to the main attraction of a tourney - the ''melee'', which was in many respects a mock battle, designed to keep knights practiced in combat without actually killing anyone and an attractive prospect for many young knights to rise in stature through winning the tourneys. Two sides of knights would meet in the tourney ground (usually a massive area encompassing the length between ''two towns'') and clash in brutal hand-to-hand combat with the aim of securing opposing knights for ransom (that were subject to the regular rules of war).

It is also worth noting that some Knights did not fight at all, being too sickly, too old when war broke out, or simply too scared. Due to this, some knights engaged in civilian leadership roles, rather than military ones.

==The Modern Take==
In our current times the misconceptions mentioned above have created a stereotype in the general public's mind of what it means to be a knight: an owner of land and a castle, wearing that ridiculous heavy armour on top of a mighty horse and being the upmost example of honour, valour and nobility. This is because over time people have a tendency to start romanticizing things in poems and stories until what it originally was is buried under a mound of half-truths and plot twistings.

Consider that tricky part of the tale of King Arthur: his dad Uther Pendragon wants to have it off with the lady Igraine, who is married to his enemy Gorlois. So, using circumstances and Merlin's magics, Uther takes on the identity of her husband, has his way with her, and then nine months down the line Arthur is born, an illegitimate child. This is left out of many tales except those seriously referencing the old poems as it is not the heroic source of the once and future king that many would expect (in later legend there is emphasis that Gorlois conveniently dies in battle before the conception occurs, therefore changing the fluff of the legend in Uther's favor. A predecessor to Matt Ward, it looks like).

Many still use knights as a standard for human warriors of chivalry going out and slaying various beasts and saving various maidens (most fantasy settings, RPGs and MMORPGs use knights as a class type, some renaming to <s>make them sound more original</s> rip off D&D like 'Paladin' or 'Crusader').

===Why Knights deserved (and still do deserve) the hate===
*Most Knights were a medieval version of [[That Guy]].
*Knights were legally not allowed to be killed in battle. While ransomed by the enemy they would be entitled to food, women and booze.
*They asked the Pope to ban crossbows, because they were pussies and didn't want to accept the fact that a lucky peasant can royally murder them before they got close.
*They could kill peasants/serfs and get away with it (at least their own serfs; killing the servants of another knight without their permission is frowned upon).
*These assholes only had to work three months per year.
*The general incompetence in the way the Crusades were carried out-- murdering and raping Slavs and Poles when they were getting their asses kicked by Muslims and the [[Mongols]] from the East.
**The Mongols did their jobs of driving out the Muslims for them. The Crusading Knights who ran away stole all the credit.
**Instead of going home and letting the Eastern Roman Empire administrate the territory they actually could retake, these assholes set up their own principalities between the Empire and the Jerusalem that made it easier for the early Ottomans to take it over centuries later.
*Knights were expensive. Lords could arm several archers and infantrymen for half the price. Knights however, were theoretically the smartest bunches he could summon, as they were trained since birth to be elite soldiers. However without real standardization (unlike modern army recruits), it's hit-or-miss if the training was actually worth a damn or if it even worked in their theater of battle.
*Training wasn't really that practical in the first place. The reason why training of modern soldiers is standardized is so that when brought together they can all function as one unit regardless of origins. Giving each knights' house carte blanche on military training means your army's effectiveness is the equivalent of playing darts blindfolded. While there were Knight Orders that could work together in unison, those groups were rare.
*Only rich kids could become Knights and you had to be part of the nobility in the first place.
*Chivalry only applied when they wanted it to.
*[[/pol/|Some idiots want to bring them back]], despite the fact that guns exist and will get them shot in the face by anyone with a 9mm handgun. Unlike modern wargear medieval armor is not rated against and will perform poorly against bullets, shrapnel and crossbows, etc. Even if it was brought up to spec using modern materials, modern body armor made of polymer, ceramic plates, and synthetic fibers can stop just about everything medieval armor can and more, at a fraction of the cost and weight and minus the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spall glaring downsides].

===Why being a Knight sucked===
*Jousting was pay to win (going back to Knights being [[That Guy]]). Ever play a video game and a new item update releases with cool new weapons and armor? It might have took you days or a week just to get one of them. Then comes this guy with all that new gear stomping you with little skill on their part. Jousting was like that. If a Knight was rich enough he could buy a specialized set of jousting armor that made it impossible to unhorse him. Poorer Knights had to make do with their battle armor, which was designed for movement rather than not falling off a walking glue container.
*Knights had to buy their own equipment, as unlike modern military forces the feudal cheapskates in charge wouldn't foot the bill. If they didn't have a high enough status or weren't buddies with the armorer, there would be a chance of their weapons and armor being of questionable quality and forged by an apprentice instead. This meant that lower ranked Knights may have went into battle with the dark age equivalent of a school science project, regardless of how professional it might look on the surface.
*Becoming a Knight meant that you had to be hit in the face with a gauntlet. Made out of metal. So you could end up talking like a European Little Nicky if the guy knighting you was a big enough jerk. For obvious reasons, this was eventually replaced with the more traditional tapping of your shoulders with a sword.
*As a Squire you had a high chance of being [[rape|raped]] by the man training you, more so if you weren't a noble of high rank. If he's one of those types who took Christianity seriously, there's a 50/50 chance you may get beaten constantly instead for failing to live up to his overly high standards.
*Because of how the nobility works, there's a decent chance you're inbred and your to-be wife chosen by arranged marriage will be closely related to you by blood (genetic diversity tends to suffer under eugenics). What's that? You don't want to marry and fuck your sister(?)? Too bad, we need an heir, do it or be disgraced.
*Crossbows and Firearms ruined your day. Some guys who took a vacation in the Far East came back with pretty cool stuff that kills you in an instant regardless of all that fancy gear you got. Luckily for you their weapon takes forever to reload, making a well timed charge or a sneak attack on him seem like a really good idea. Unfortunately that other guy also has a pistol, maybe even two. Worse, he is likely a German mercenary with a Flamberge, whose sword breaks your own in half. ''Then'' he shoots you with one of his handguns.
**Granted a good enough Knight could become a decent rifleman/gunslinger in his own right, but by that time the utility of your original station was pretty much over.
*The Feudalist system was pretty much the mafia of the Middle Ages. You piss off the wrong person above your rank or if they want what you have (land, wife, daughter, livestock, even just your peasants), you and your family could be stripped of your land and titles, either by other Knights, from a siege via cannons, or condemnation as a heretic and burning at the stake, with your assets divided up and even your family given to other nobility.
*Some angry peasant spits on you, or another noble sneezes in your direction. You are now dying of the bubonic plague.
**Or you could get Tuberculosis instead. Or both. Hell, you could just die because of the abysmal hygiene and sanitation standards of the time.
***[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy5X3UwnMy8 The doctors of the era knew shit all about these things].

==Fantasy Knights in a Nutshell==
If you are a chivalrous knight in a modern fantasy setting, your usual duties will include:

* Quest Taking: from killing a dragon to driving the moles out of the fields of farmers, anything that troubles the people you must take care of. It doesn't have to be you directly, though. If the task is too unworthy for your stature, but still needs fixing, sending your apprentice or hiring other people to do it in your stead also works.
* Monster killing: a category of its own (although often a Quest as well). There are various nasty critters around and in ye olde times you would serve as a pest exterminator for hire. The bigger and badder the monster you slay, the more famous you are with the kingdom.
* Damsel rescuing: even if she is married (or you are), you could get a kiss, a handkerchief, and hopefully [[Profit|a hefty reward]] for giving her a hand.
* Helping out your king: at times you'll be called on to help your king or lord and hook up with a bunch of your knightly mates to rout some naughty foreigners giving the kingdom trouble.
* Wench pulling: you keep an entire industry of busty women in business with the profits from your questing.
* Looking impressive: your armor and weapons aren't just your tools but also your icons. It gives the peasants something nice to gawk at are and often symbols of your deeds and character. Many knights are recognized simply by their gear (i.e: Excalibur for King Arthur).
* Example setting: along with looking good, you have to practice being good to and showing everyone how to be a goody-two-shoes. From escorting ladies to putting your cloak out across a puddle, from saying hello to Ted the stable boy to upholding your kingdom's faith and smiting any heretic who dares besmirch your god, being a choir boy is a 24/7 job. This is also the reason why Knights are typically [[Paladin]] equivalents in fantasy.
** If you should fall short in your chivalry, it usually suffices to take on a particularly challenging and meaningful quest to restore your honor. If there's one thing peasants like better than tales of upstanding knights, it's tales of knights who stumble and get back up again (or die trying).
** The flip side of upholding the code of chivalry is enforcing the code against oath-breakers. Knights who completely ''forsake'' their vows are especially harmful to your profession's reputation, so be vigilant for rumors of 'black knights' and the like.
* Training a squire: Building up a knight household is a ton of work, and if you died without a legitimate heir to your name, all your hard work over the decades would have been for naught. So, you had to train a successor who will carry your knight household throughout the ages. Train them well and don't just treat them as a glorified servant, as that little buttmuncher will be the one who'll be representing your legacy once you're gone, and you don't want your house to be remembered for that dastard who became the unbearable shame throughout the land.

==Real Knights in a Nutshell==
* Bureaucrat: in most areas of Europe, barons were the main land holding class and baronies roughly analogous to large townships (the modern word county coming from the slightly higher rank of count). Knights owed allegiance to barons and generally served as their officers of government, from constable to tax collector. A knight's fee (the quantity of land to sustain a knight) was roughly a couple thousand acres, and the typical barony consisting of roughly a dozen fees. Since a family could reasonably tend 5-10 acres, this basically means a knight was responsible for a few hundred homes.
* Officer: you owe service to your lord. If they call on you to fight, you have to. In this regard knights were analogous to lieutenants or sergeants. Being men at arms, knights were expected to know how to fight, how to lead and teach others to fight. If they were particularly good fighters they might be used more like champions and vanguards, while the less martially able would still be expected to be capable of organizing and leading some men. In medieval Europe, the basic formation was the "lance", roughly equivalent to a squad, consisting of a knight and his retinue (perhaps a dozen men at most). Lances were organized into companies, captained by a noble (typically a baron or count). Lances wouldn't necessary take the field intact; for field warfare, knights would assemble as cavalry and their retainers would form the body of infantry. Wealthier nobles (particularly in the late medieval era) would sometimes take it on themselves to train and equip whole companies to fight together as a unit (company of bow, company of pike, etc).
* Politician: you're part of the elite which means you have to spend an infuriating amount of time jockeying for influence or just protecting your current position. If you don't play ball by engaging with the rest of the aristocracy and maintaining your status, you'll find yourself in disfavor. If you're not seen as pious enough, the church will start hectoring you with the same effect.

== Old-School D&D ==
Both 1st edition [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 2e featured the knightly archetype in their options. For 1e, [[Gary Gygax]] himself created the [[Cavalier]] in an issue of [[Dragon Magazine]] as a variant [[Paladin]]. It... didn't work out so well. For 2e, the knightly motif was conveyed by certain [[Kits]], predominantly for the Warrior class-group, with the most obvious version being, again, the Cavalier.

The Cavalier is not held up very highly by most [[Grognard]]s, for reasons explained on its page.

==D&D 3.5==
Third Edition's version of the Knight was introduced in ''Player's Handbook II'' and [http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060501a&page=2 released for free as part of the book's preview]. They have a high base attack bonus and roll D12s for HP. Their abilities are purely related to taking hits and forcing a single target to hit them, similar in concept to a 4E tank class, but with significantly less versatility in terms of providing damage output, boosting allies or disrupting the flow of the fight to suit his party. Probably one of the weaker classes as too much of its abilities are focused on being a punching bag of HP instead of an actual tank that is hard to hurt and lacks the ability to fuck things over, if you're familiar with how Marking a target works in 4E, its based off this guy, but at least in 4E you have penalties other than the -2 to hit to control your opponent. Like paladins this class has a code of conduct. Unlike paladins, the consequences of breaking this code of conduct last a day tops (directly anyways, who knows what larger setbacks it might result in). The code of conduct consists of what they consider a "fair play". Part of the code of conduct is not dealing lethal damage to helpless foes. By the way, some creatures are immune to non-lethal damage.

Knight is [[Tier System|tier 5]]. Their one task, tanking, is theoretically useful but they aren't that good at it and simply unable to try against most threats. Outside that they aren't very useful.

'''TL;DR''' A bunch of Hit Points that prototyped the tank class mechanics of 4E that lacks any choice beyond taking it in the gut. Avoid and just refluff a paladin as an atheist.

{{D&D3-Classes}}

==D&D 4e==
The knight was introduced in "Heroes of the Fallen Lands", the first of the two Essentials splatbooks for [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition]]. Flavorwise, knights are protection-focused warriors, champions who lead village militias, caravan guards and adventuring parties, favoring the use of heavy armor, hand weapon and shield to endure attacks as hold foes in place as the rest of their party closes in for the kill. Many knights belong to benevolent military orders, and whilst they are not [[paladin]]s proper, they are still respected for their dedication to good (or at least martial perfection).

Mechanically, the knight is a "simplified" take on the 4e [[Fighter]], this Martial Defender (with some Leader aspects) abandoned the [[AEDU System]] to something closer to an old-school fighter. Instead of the traditional front-loaded approach to class-features, the 4e knight gains different features at different levels. Instead of using the martial exploits system, it uses a combination of heroic-tier Utility powers and at-will stances, which modify the effects of its basic attacks. This formula would be reused for the [[Slayer]], introduced in the same book.

A knight's core power is Defender Aura, an at-will utility used to mark foes, which goes in tandem with its Battle Guardian at-will attack to punish marked foes that try to slip past it. Its other level 1 features are Weapon Talent (+1 to your attack rolls with weapons), Shield Finesse as a bonus feat, access to two of the knight stances, and its only Encounter attack, Power Strike. It gains Improved Power Strike (use Power Strike 2/encounter) at level 3, Combat Readiness (+2 Initiative) at level 4, and Weapon Mastery (+1 damage with weapon attacks) at level 5. At level 7 it gains both an extra knight stance and one of the two Weapon Specializations, which adds a rider to its Power Strike attack; Bladed Step for heavy blades and Staggering Hammer for hammers. At level 8, it gains the utility power Shield Block, and at level 9 its Improved Combat Readiness feature boosts its initiative bonus to +4.

At level 11, it gains Stalwart Assault (Add Con bonus to Speed and melee weapon damage rolls in the first turn in an encounter), Stalwart Action (when you spend an action point, gain Resist 10 to all damage until the end of your next turn), and another Improved Power Strike (Power Strike 3/encounter). At level 12, it gains Greater Weapon Specialization, which gives it either the Shielding Blade or Bludgeoning Counterstrike utilities, ''another'' Improved Power Strike (4/encounter) at level 13, Paragon Weapon Mastery (+2 to all weapon attack rolls) at level 15, Armor of Conviction (gain Resist 5 to all damage while bloodied) and the Bolstering Strike utility at level 16, another new knight stance at level 17, Devoted Knight (using your second wind or total defense creates an aura 1 until the end of your next turn that grants your allies +2 to all defenses) at level 19, and Tactical Focus (you can slide a target you hit with Power Strike by +1 square) at level 20.

In the epic tier, it gains the Knight's Valor utility power at level 22, the Relentless Knight feature (can spend +1 healing surge when you use second wind) at level 23, Epic Weapon Mastery (+3 to all weapon attack rolls) at level 25, and finally Spirit of War (you can make a save to end an ongoing effect at both the start and end of your turns) at level 29.

It gains a chosen Utility Power at levels 2, 6 and 10.

General opinion is that it's a pretty badly handled class. It's strong at the Heroic Tier, but quickly falls behind the [[AEDU System]] classes from epic tier onwards, as its stance-modified basic attacks just don't cut it anymore.

{{D&D4-Classes}}

==[[Pathfinder]] - The Cavalier==
Paizo has added traditional knights/men-at-arms to the Pathfinder roleplaying game, as the [[Cavalier]] class. They're a lot like Paladins without the magic. They differentiate themselves from the ''other'' melee classes in two major important ways: mounts and orders.

==D&D 5e==
Since knightly orders are a big thing in [[Forgotten Realms]], the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] features two class variants with a knightly theme.

The Banneret (or Purple Dragon Knight, in-universe) is a [[Fighter]] martial archetype revolving around the concept of an elite and noble warrior whose skill allows them to inspire others to greatness in battle. It gets a bunch of class features reminiscent of 4e's [[Warlord]], like healing allies when the fighter uses their Second Wind, triggering an ally to attack when you use Action Surge, and the ability to extend Indomitable to your allies.

The Oath of the Crown for [[Paladin]]s, meanwhile, specifically represents the blur between knight and paladin, with a focus on lawfulness, order, and the sanctity of civilization in contrast to the paladin's general focus on doing good. It has features that let it serve as a mighty champion, and spells that tap into its spiritual authority, mostly enchantments like Command and Geas.

That not enough for you? Not only did we get a [[Cavalier]] subclass for the Fighter in the Kits of Old unearthed arcana, November 2016 gave us a full-fledged Knight subclass, which is essentially an even tankier version of the Cavalier. It can mount and dismount for only 5 feet of movement cost, has advantage on saves against falling off, always lands on its feet if it does fall off (providing it's no higher up than 10 feet and isn't incapacitated), has what is essentially the Fighter's Marking ability from 4e, a bonus skill with a "knightly" theme, the ability to make an attack as a reaction to an enemy moving within 5 feet that stops them moving if it hits, the ability to trade combat advantage for a bonus attack, gains a free opportunity attack each round, and gains +1 AC when wearing Heavy Armor.

{{D&D5-Classes}}

==See also==
*[[Bretonnia]]: A nation in [[Warhammer Fantasy]] based around these fuckers.
*[[Samurai]]: The Eastern version.

[[category:history]][[category:Pathfinder]]

Chaos Dreadnought

2021-07-02T12:34:33Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907: /* Chaos Contemptor Dreadnought */

{{Topquote|'''DIE!''' Die like I should have died!|[[Dawn of War 2]] Chaos Dreadnoughts, giving us a short glimpse into the average mindset of the unwilling pilot.}}

[[Image:NLDread.jpg|right|400xpx|thumb|It's like the armor equivalent of [[Doomrider]].]]

The eviler version of the loyalist [[Dreadnought]]. Generally-speaking <s>cruder, less-advanced</s> <s>bullshit, in 40k old tech is best tech</s> functionally identical but less shiny, except for the fact that the dual-linked axles connecting the legs were "discontinued due to instability". Notably less-noble than its Space Marine counterpart, the Chaos Dreadnought is usually piloted by former Chaos Champions who were cut down in their prime. As a great many of these were not particularly mentally-stable in the first place (what with serving Chaos and all), and Dreadnought tech the Chaos Legions have is typically older, less-advanced, and shittier than that of the loyalists, most Chaos Dreadnoughts have a notorious reputation for succumbing to built-up psychosis and flying into screaming, psychotic rages in which they do a bang-up impression of an [[Angry Marine]] high on hallucinogenic [[Snowflame|drugs]], flinging themselves forward and [[Word Bearers|burning]], [[World Eaters|smashing]], [[Iron Warriors|blasting]], [[Rip and tear|ripping, tearing]], and [[Emperor's Children|raping]] anything in front of it.

Often a combination of many (if not all) of the above at once.

This is made worse by the fact that what a given Legion does with its Dreadnought occupants varies dramatically on an individual basis. The [[Emperor's Children]] for example, keeps them in a drugged-up haze, whilst the [[World Eaters]] simply leave them awake and aware but unhooked from their Dreadnoughts. When they go into battle, either due to a hangover or due to pure balls-out [[Rage|rage]], the average Dread pilot has ample amounts of frustration to vent.

Suffice to say, the Chaos Marines have a divided opinion on Dreadnoughts. Many continue the ways of their pre-heresy fellows, often viewing the internment of their fallen champions in Dreadnoughts as a sign of reverence, but in many cases Chaos Marines view this as being assigned a living death; their ambition has been cut short and they are now doomed to fight on in a cold metal shell, never again to participate in the glory of direct combat or go to meet their Chaos God of choice. The ones that fight on despite it, such as [[Tankred]]'s rival [[Donovan]], are bad-ass, if, like all Chaos Dreadnoughts, out of their motherfucking minds.

Additionally, whilst rare, it's possible for the occupant of a loyalist Dreadnought to turn to Chaos. One that does keeps its loyalist chassis but becomes a Chaos Dreadnought in all other respects. So [[Grimdark]].

==Overview==
On paper, the Chaos Dreadnought is ''amazing'' save for one major flaw (which is described in detail below) - same cost as a loyalist Dreadnought, with one more attack. Its close-combat weapon can take a variety of forms (Many players like giving them Defiler claws, Chainfists, or giant sledgehammers), but regardless of what it is, it counts as a Dreadnought Close-Combat weapon. This Dread CCW comes equipped with a twin-linked Bolter by default, and can be replaced by a Heavy Flamer for a surprisingly low points-cost. The arm can be replaced with a Missile Launcher, just like a loyalist Dreadnought, and this reduces its melee capacity significantly (but does not remove it).

The other arm (which you need to pay for) can be any of several options. You can put on another close-combat weapon with another twin-linked bolter (which can be upgraded to a Heavy Flamer just like the other one), and it can pack twin-linked Lascannons, Twin-Linked Heavy Bolters, or a Plasma Cannon, just like the loyalist flavor. The Chaos Dreadnought cannot take Assault Cannons, but it also has an option
<s>the Loyalist version doesn't</s> HA HA NOT ANY MORE which is pretty decent (twin-linked Autocannon). The Plasma Cannon (which costs surprisingly little) is widely considered its best option and is widely-regarded as one of the best ways to get a no-risk Plasma Cannon onto the table (with default config this will run you only 105 points!), but all are pretty viable.

With all these options and a low cost, the Chaos Dreadnought, in theory, is amazing. Unfortunately, it suffered from the '''Crazed''' rule.

===Crazed===
The old Crazed rules basically means that the Chaos Dreadnought, overpowered with [[grimdark|pain and rage]], has a small chance (about 1 in 3) to act other than how its owner desires. The table below covers the effect of the dice rolls on 1d6:

* '''1: Fire Frenzy''' - the Dreadnought may not move or assault this turn. Instead it must turn towards the closest unit(friend or foe) and fire all of its weapons. ''Twice''. If the Dreadnought cannot fire any ranged weapons (due to everyone being out-of-range or its ranged weapons being offlined), this is treated as a 2-5: Sane result instead.

*'''2-5: Sane''' - the Dreadnought controls normally this turn.

*'''6: Blood Rage''' - the Chaos Dreadnought may not shoot until the end of the turn, gets the '''Fleet''' special rule. It must move towards the closest enemy unit as fast as possible and assault the enemy in the assault phase, if possible. If the Chaos Dreadnought is immobilized, this counts as a 2-5: Sane result.

For reasons obvious, the Chaos Dreadnought is one of those tabletop units that is either insanely good or insanely bad, with no real middle ground, depending on where and how it's used and whether or not the blessing of the dice god decides to cooperate. If used correctly and deployed carefully with lucky dice-rolls, it will bring a heaping pile of ownage to the table for a disturbingly low points cost - 100 or so points for a Dreadnought with a Plasma Cannon is ''amazing'' for efficiency, especially given that its crazed rules can actually work ''for'' you on occasion (Fire Frenzy + Firing line of Necrons = lots and lots of Necron casualties). If you get bad rolls it will spend most of the game pointlessly chasing a unit or worse, firing on your own troops. It wasn't a unit for the faint of heart. But anyone who can maintain the blessings of Lady Luck and Admiral Awesome would have found a place in their hearts (and armies) for the Chaos Dreadnought.

===Notable Chaos Dreadnoughts===
*Sor Talgron, the Warmonger: The Warmonger, of the Word Bearer's 34th Host stands out among his peers namely for the fact he's sane-ish. This may be due to his faith or the fact that since Sor was the former Dark Apostle of the host and fought at the siege of Terra he's not treated like a weapon and chained to a wall. Rather he hangs around the host's base giving out advice to his brothers and in turn they all treat him like their cool grandpa, kinda like an evil Bjorn who likes telling stories. However he's not fully there and so still thinks he's fighting the Horus Heresy and that Horus is alive and kicking.

*Berossus, Warsmith of the Iron Warriors (Deceased): At the time of the Horus Heresy, Berossus was the arrogant and dickish Captain of the Second Grand Company of the [[Iron Warriors]]. As one of the elite officers of the Legion, Berossus was granted the dubious honor of serving as the adjutant to his Primarch, [[Perturabo]]. During the Battle of Phall, it fell to Berossus to inform his Primarch that the Iron Warriors weren't doing so great against the [[Imperial Fists]] and that, as the excrement icing on the crap cake, there was no way they could capture First Captain [[Sigismund]] during the battle because he wasn't even there. Surprise surprise, this enraged Perturabo (doesn't really take much), who proceeded to bitch-slap Berossus so hard, not only did his long-dead mother on distant, gutted Olympia feel it, but it mortally wounded him as well. Either as a gesture of regret over his team kill or further punishment (let's be honest, it's probably the latter), Perturabo entombed the broken Berossus in a Chaos Dreadnought. Despite his new situation, Berossus maintained command of his Company and even took to the whole trapped-forever-in-a-tin-can-whether-you-like-it-or-not-thing pretty well, learning to love the power of his new form. He didn't even go that crazy. Berossus remained a Warsmith even after he decided to throw in his lot with Warsmith Toramino to throw down against a particularly evil half-breed Iron Warrior named [[Honsou]], thinking that he'd finally get in on the whole team killing thing in a way that finally benefited him. Unfortunately, Honsou ended up ripping out the mortal remains of Berossus from his dreadnought chassis, crushing what was left of the Warsmith's brain and thus team killing him for the second time. Some guys just never get a break.

==Ferrum Infernus Dreadnought==
[[File:Black_Legion_Dreadnought.jpg|250px|right|thumb|I CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING! FUUUUUUU-]]
Introduced with Imperial Armour 13, this particular variant of the old Boxnought is what happens when the Chaos Marines take to the old corpsefucker axiom ''"EVEN IN DEATH I STILL SERVE"''. These are the people who embrace their evilness as giant walking boxes and continue their bloody warpath as they seek daemonhood instead of wussing out at losing the ability to feel everything and turning into fleshmetal abominations like the Helbrutes.

For about 10 points more than a Loyalist Ven Dread, you get a dread of equal stats with a vast selection of weapons for both melee and ranged combat, with the ability to go full melee (and gaining a bonus attack). He can also boost his bolters to gain rending using Malefic ammo. Since these guys still have their sanity, they can also grab Dedications to Chaos (Sorta like Marks, but with different boosts), allowing for some extra help in a certain field.

And for an extra punch, you can purchase one of three rules for more fun:
*'''Lord of the [[Long War]]''': Gives the dread back a variant of Champions of Chaos. He can issue and accept challenges like a character (But he can deny them, thanks FW!). If he ever explodes (and only when he explodes), he has to roll a d6, with a 33% chance of either mutating into a [[Chaos Spawn|gribbly thing]], re-rolling the damage result and pretty much fighting (and dying) like normal, or becoming a [[Daemon Prince]] of fuckawesome metal.
*'''Destroyer of Cities''': Meant for more urban terrain (or Cities of Death), this gives the dread a [[Flamestorm Cannon]] and an Sx2 AP2 Armourbane Drill that has a [[Heavy Flamer]] that can damage units inside of buildings and transports on a Pen. Issue with this is that you can't take any other weapons. Really, take this for cracking open mech armies.
*'''Host of Daemonic Iron''': The dread gets to ignore Shaken/Stunned results instead of the Ven's re-roll to Pen. Additionally, anyone who shaves a HP off him takes an automatic S4 AP3 hit for every HP lost, making him more threatening up close. At range, he'll last a bit longer, but it won't help him survive.

===[[Emperor's Children]] [[Sonic Weaponry|Sonic]] Dreadnought===
[[Image:Sonic_dread.jpg|270px|right|thumb|Little known fact: the Sonic Dreadnought can also be used as a stereo system.]]

A variant of the Mk.IV Castra-Ferrum Dread, these are dreads toting sonic weaponry and dedicated to [[Slaanesh]]. The job isn't taken lightly, however: Slaaneshi marines live off all sensation, and being stuck in a METAHL BAWKS pretty much denies the user of all feeling, which would drive them even more [[Rage|batshit insane.]] For this reason, [[Emperor's Children]] [[Grimdark|put their members to dreadnoughts as a punishment]], for example: if they failed their duties, opposed the Chaos Lord, or out of cruelty. It is rare (read; almost never) when a Slaaneshi Chaos Lord, Champion etc. willingly requests to be put into a dreadnought. And if they actually did this, they would be put into Helbrutes for lulz.

The fact that this has remained a mainstay in the [[Forge World]] catalog despite the terrible outdating is proof on how awesome noise guns are.

They're a good deal more expensive than a regular Ven Dread for a similar statline, but that price also comes with Dedication to Slaanesh (giving the dread free grenades) and a [[Sonic Blaster]] and [[Doom Siren]]. While he can take most of the normal weapons available to dreads, doing this would be a disservice as only Sonic Weapons can be fired in Overdrive, granting the weapons Rending and Gets Hot. Instead, grab the [[Blastmaster]] if you need a new gun. If you want to replace your [[Chain Weapon#Chaos Dreadnought Chainfist|Chaos Dreadnought chainfist]] or [[Chain Weapon#Chaos Dreadnought Pincer Claw|Chaos Dreadnought Pincer Claw]] with a [[Havoc Missile Launcher]], then that's cool too, since you're already here to shoot shit up. The last (and probably best) upgrade available is the Warp Amp, which allows you to double your firing rate if you don't move. Yeah, 6 S4 AP5 Cover-Ignoring Sonic Blasts, 4 S5 AP4 Cover-Ignoring Pinning shots, or 2 S8 AP3 Pinning Cover-Ignoring pieplates of sonic doom. TAKE.

[[Tl;dr]], think of them as the eviler and spikier counterparts to the [[Dark Angels]] [[Mortis Dreadnought]] as both are reliant on brain-shattering amounts of [[Dakka]] and loud noises to both make their enemies to shit themselves disorientated.

===[[World Eaters]] [[Berserker]] Dreadnought===
[[File:Berserker_dreadnought1.jpg|240px|right|thumb|[[RAGE|FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK EVERYONE! FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-]]]]

Wooo boy. The [[RIP AND TEAR]] version to the Sonic Dreadnought's Rock 'n' Roll. The Berserker Dreadnought is another variant of the Castra-Ferrum Dread that is aligned with [[Khorne]] and its designed in tearing several new orifices in whichever unfortunate victim who just so happens to be in its way. These infernal machines first appeared among the Contemptor Dreadnoughts of the World Eaters Legion during the [[Horus Heresy]].

To give you a better perspective on how much these guys can rip apart army formations like a bloody pinata, imagine a Berserker. Now we should all know how much of a pain train a Khornate Berserker is when in CQC. Now place these insane murder fetishist inside a giant METHUL BAWKS with even BIGGER weapons and then make it so that the raging murdermachines can't feel anything, causing them to [[RAGE|rage even harder to the point of bursting a vein.]] And voila! You just have the Chaos' answer to the [[Blood Angels]] [[Death Company Dreadnought]]. Enjoy your session of metaphorically [[rape|raping]] your friend in the ass.

These dreadnoughts are optimized for close combat assaults and as line breakers, modified from standard patterns to be larger and swifter than their more common counterparts. They were frequently used in near suicidal charges into the heart of an enemy line. Their use by the World Eaters may have even pre-dated the Heresy, further contributing to their savage reputation.

Berserker Dreadnoughts are all armed with gigantic Chain weapons for extra efficiency such as a [[Chain Weapon#Chaos Dreadnought Chainfist|Chaos Dreadnought Chainfist]], in tearing through flesh and assholes. Range weapons you say? Pfffttt...Range weapons are for pussies anyway.

===8th Edition/Squatting===
Well, that didn't last too long. Now that 7th ed is over and 8th ed is here, seems one of the casualties from Forgeworld is the Ferrum Infernus Dreadnought. Fortunately, you can still have your sonic dreadnought via rules exploit although it's now a Helbrute. The same ''could'' be said for the Berzerker Dread although the options have changed significantly that it's just a World Eaters Helbrute. Barring any official updates from Forgeworld, consider this one squatted - rest in power, little dark one...

==Chaos Contemptor Dreadnought==
[[File:Khorne Chaos Contemptor Dred.jpg|350px|thumbnail|right|"And that [[Trygon]] was this long when I was done with it."]]
You thought that only the Loyalists had access to Contemptors? NOPE. Chaos also have their own.

Chaos Contemptors are a rarity and symbol of the Chaos Marines' past. Contemptors were standard equipment back when the Traitor Legions were still loyal to the Emperor. After the [[Horus Heresy]] bombed and the Legions fled to the Eye of Terror, it became difficult, if not almost impossible, to maintain the current equipment of the Chaos Marines. The parts that were vital to the equipment's functionality were either corrupted by warp energies, or they had to be replaced with something else due to lack of materials and/or lack of appropriate skills. That treatment was what made Chaos Contemptors different from their Imperial counterparts.

New armaments included weapons such as [[Butcher Cannon]]s, [[Soul Burner Petard]]s, or replacing the typical power source with a Hellfire Reactor. [[grimdark|That last one powered the Dreadnought by consuming the souls of those the walker slew, and]] [[psykers]] [[grimdark|were even more vulnerable to its predations]]. The drawback of the Hellfire Reactor is that the Chaos Contemptor [[Derp|lost]] its Atomantic shielding.

Due to its unique construction and capabilities, the Contemptors caught the eyes of the Dark Gods, and thus blessed them with various gifts and abilities. [[Khorne|Khornate]] Contemptors are unmatched in the arts of [[RIP AND TEAR]] with their [[Chain Weapon#Khornate Assault Claw|Khornate Assault Claws]]. [[Slaanesh|Slaaneshi]] are equipped with even more powerful sonic weaponry. [[Nurgle]] Contemptors are insanely durable and resilient and may be armed with the elusive [[Power weapon#Plague Claw|Plague Claw]]. [[Tzeentch]] on the other hand turns Chaos Contemptors into [[Dakka|DAKKA]] incarnate thanks to his arcane knowledge. Thus most of the walkers serve a single patron, yet there are some that serve Chaos Undivided.

What's the most interesting thing about the Chaos Contemptors is that every single Chaos Worshipper (mostly particularly powerful [[Chaos Lord|Chaos Lords]] and [[Dark Mechanicus]] Magos members) want badly to be entombed inside one of them after a "unfortunate incident". Why? Because the occupant suffers neither the madness/pain combo that regular Chaos Dreadnoughts have, nor the madness that comes with being fused as a Helbrute. This is what truly makes these killer-engines so dangerous apart of their daemonically powered arsenal. [[AWESOME|This is probably one of the few times when being a Chaos Marine]] [[METAL BOXES|inside a METAL BAWKS]] [[Awesome|doesn't suck]].

Only significant minus is that just like the Imperial Contemptors, the Chaos ones come in very limited numbers, and the technology and techniques to produce new ones disappeared in the fires of the Horus Heresy. So you can imagine how desperate Chaos Marines are in trying to find those things.

===Mhara Gal Dreadnoughts===
[[File:Mhara Gal Tainted Dreadnought.jpg|250px|thumbnail|right|[[RIP AND TEAR|"GIVE ME A HUG!"]]]]
The unholy bastard child of Contemptor Dread and a [[Possessed Marine|Gal Vorbak]] troop, this thing was an oddity that was exclusive to the [[Word Bearers]] during the [[Horus Heresy]].

Because of its nature the Mhara Gal is half Contemptor-turning-Helbrute, half [[Daemon Engine]], but is wholly a big mass of "Fuck You" to any enemy short of a tank that gets within range of its guns. Also because of its nature, the Mhara Gal's already arcane physical technology twisted in ways that made its components powered halfway on sorcery, and the result was something even weirder than most daemon engines.

While Lorgar was generally nice to all of his kids, the Mhara Gal was the start of the tradition of using a dreadnought as a form of punishment for falling down on the battlefield, particularly for those "blessed" by having a daemon forced inside them.

As for their presence for after the Heresy: there is none. They, like the Ghal Vorbak, had been completely obliterated to the last by the time terra began, as admitted by Lorgar and Kor Phearon themselves.

Mechanically, these things are like regular Contemptors and can only be taken in singles, but the main attraction is a mess of special rules, mostly revolving around fucking with morale in a pre-ATSKNF environment.
{{clear}}

==Hellforged Leviathan Dreadnought==
[[File:Hellforged_Leviathan.JPG|280px|right|thumb|A [[Night Lords]] Hellforged Leviathan. Bristling with as much [[Tactical genius|tactical genius]] as to completely [[Rape|stealth a 7.4 meter tall lumbering death machine upon unsuspecting targets.]]]]
The Chaos version of the Leviathan Dreadnought. Not much is known about them in lore, but seeing how Leviathan Dreadnoughts are even rarer and more expensive to make than Contemptors and the general logistical nightmare of the Traitor Legions you can assume they are among the most valuable things in the Eye of Terror.

What we do know is that the Hellforged Leviathan Dreadnought bristles with weaponry....just like their loyalist counterparts. Including two arm-based stations that could be equipped with a combination of the usual [[Meltagun]] and [[Grav-Weaponry#Grav Flux Bombard|Grav Flux Bombard]] to more invigorating names (Read [[Edgy]]) such as the [[Derp|Hellflamer,]] [[Wat|Soulburner Ribaudkin,]] [[Edgy|Butcher Cannon Array,]] [[Herp|Hellforged Siege Claw,]] [[RIP AND TEAR|and Hellforged Siege Drill.]]

In addition due to its corrupted nature, the Hellforged Leviathan Dreadnought draws energy from its kills and can use this to heal any damage it has suffered in battle. However, they aren't really that corrupted, leading to much suspicion with the techmarines of the loyalists that this thing has a chaos-aligned machine spirit similar to the Dreadclaw drop pod. Despite the fact that the Emperor personally made it. Then again, he could've just done a CTRL-C, CTRL-V.

In crunch, the Hellforged variety is almost the same as the loyalist counterpart. Being a giant box of a meat grinder. With S8, T8 and 14 Wounds, this is going to be a tough bastard to put down. It doesn't help that it has a 2+ armor save and has a special rule called the '''Hellfire Reactor''' which gives this stunted metal bawks a [[Bullshit|5+ invulnerable save against shooting or overwatch attacks and a 4+ invulnerable save against melee attacks in the fighting phase.]]

Its now more expensive than a chaos knight in points as of 9th, [[Bullshit|for fucks sake.]]

==Hellforged Deredeo Dreadnought==
[[File:Iron Warriors Deredeo.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Its time to bring on the pain.]]
The spikier version of Deredeo Dreadnought. Like the Leviathan and Contemptor Dreadnoughts, it is extremely rare among the traitor legions, but still more than capable of delivering the Dakka.

The Hellforged Deredeo Dreadnought like all similiar vehicles under the Hellforged prefix, are Chaos vehicles that have been twisted by centuries of warfare and the corruption of the [[Warp]], which has left them with malevolent machine spirits. In battle the Hellforged Deredeo Dreadnoughts are fierce opponents, as any damage they take [[Rage|angers the vehicles' spirits and causes them to increase their firepower;]] though this comes at the expense of their speed and aiming abilities. As the saying goes, what doesn't kill you just isn't finished yet.

Similar to the Hellforged Leviathan and most Hellforged vehicles, the Deredeo variant also have the ability to draw energy from their kills, which the vehicles use to heal any damage they have suffered in battle. However, they aren't really that corrupted, leading to much suspicion with the techmarines of the loyalists that this thing has a chaos-aligned machine spirit similar to the Dreadclaw drop pod.

Like the Loyalist counterparts, the Hellforged Deredeo is a more [[Dakka]] orientated cousin of the walking [[RIP AND TEAR]] known as the Leviathan.

In terms of crunch, the Hellforged Deredeo is pretty much the same as the loyalist and vanilla Deredeo. Just like the Hellforged Leviathan. The reason why it doesn't get enough Chaos [[PROMOTIONS|mutations]] is because of its rarity and overall lack of exposure compared to more common varieties of Dreadnoughts. People usually take these if their [[Chaos Space Marines|Spiky Marines]] needed more firepower or if they are facing up against the [[Dark Angels]] [[Mortis Dreadnought]].

Most suspect that the biggest user of these things are the [[Iron Warriors]] given their playstyle.

==Helbrute==

[[File:HelbruteImage.jpg|right|thumb|350px|'''"EVEN IN DEATH I RRRAAAAAGHHGLBBHGHGLBBHGRGHH!!"''']]

Much like Eldar and Ork Dreadnoughts before them (now Wraithlords and Deff Dreads, respectively), Games Workshop "replaced" Chaos Dreadnoughts. The new model called a Helbrute is just the classic CSM dread with a different name.

Fluff-wise, Helbrutes are essentially Chaos Dreadnoughts with the grimdark dial turned to 21. Rather than just being entombed inside a sarcophagus and forced to never again feel the glory of combat, the pilot of a Helbrute is entombed like regular Chaos Dreads, but rather than going just insane from captivity, [[grimdark|the pilot of the walker will eventually meld into the machine's metal, ensuring he not only loses his shit from being hooked-up to an insane death-machine, but also from the fact that he's forcefully becoming one with said death machine]]. And that's not getting into how the implantation process usually involves tentacles whose origin is best left unknown burrowing into the victim's flesh and forcibly merging with his nervous system, which inevitably drives him mad within days, if not hours. The few Helbrutes which still retain some shred of sanity inevitably welcome their destruction.

In one of the solo missions included in Dark Vengeance, the Helbrute is given a name and background as Sevarion Kranon (later renamed ''Mortis Metallikus''. Yeah, GW's really gone far with their names). His brother Sevastus Kranon (later Kranon the Relentless, Chaos Lord of the [[Crimson Slaughter]]), tricked/forced him inside a Helbrute chassis after he protested against the increasing corruption within his chapter. The resulting transformation slowly crippled his body and soul, melding him into his prison. The process turned him so insane that whatever was left of the loyalist Brother's mind was completely lost, replaced by the id that is the Helbrute. Then a Dark Angels Librarian flooded his mind with empathy for several seconds, stunning the Helbrute long enough for a Tactical Marine to shove a plasma cannon up its mechanical ass and put it out of its misery.

Unlike regular Dreadnoughts, Helbrutes are mass-produced by [[Warpsmith]]s and the [[Dark Mechanicum]]. Rather than an honor to be earned like in loyalist Chapters, entombment in a Helbrute is seen as a punishment, a way to get rid of a rival or just [[Inquisition|being in the wrong place at the wrong time]] as the crazed bastards see a wounded Space Marine as just resources to be exploited. This would be a good thing for Chaos if they didn't keep going batshit insane in the process.

Alternatively, Thousand Sons Helbrutes are made by entrapment, offering CSM of other legions and warbands power and knowledge, along with tutelage in the ways of sorcery. What's actually happening is the sorcerers of Tzeentch's favoured legion are connecting the mind of the sacrificial lamb with the chassis of a Helbrute. They then flense the body of the poor sod with warpfire, keeping him conscious the whole time, and lock him in the Helbrute forevermore. Yeah, keep telling us that the Thousand Sons are a misunderstood legion.

===Crunch===
The Helbrute is largely identical to the Chaos Dreadnought it replaced with a few tweaks, namely its price and equipment options. Following the FAQ, this cheap little bastard armed with a basic [[powerfist]] and [[multi-melta]] clocks in at a paltry 100 pts. - fuckin' A! The brute can exchange its multi-melta for a [[Reaper Autocannon|reaper autocannon]], [[Plasma Cannon|plasma cannon]], twin-linked [[lascannon]] or another power fist; the premier power fist can be exchanged for a [[Power weapon#Power Scourge|power scourge]] (S8, AP2, -D3 to enemy model WS in base contact), [[Power weapon#Dreadnought/Helbrute Thunder Hammer|Dreadnought thunder hammer]] or [[Missile Launcher|missile launcher]]. Do note that there's a quirk in the rules RAW: you can exchange one power fist for any of the items following the semi-colon in that last sentence! This means you can load your brute with a missile launcher and a power scourge if you feel so inclined.

====Crazed 2.0====
In the 6th edition codex, the old dreadnought's biggest liability gets reborn into much of a positive feature for the brute. For starters, the roll is now a D3 whenever it loses a hull point and no more will you face a 33% chance of the Helbrute shooting at your own guys if you roll a one. However, the target priority harkens back to 3.5 where you have to shoot an enemy within range (preferably the unit responsible for removing an HP from the brute) twice. Otherwise, a 2 will scrub stunned and shaken results and grant rage while a 3 will do all that plus bestow fleet and force the brute to run if not within 12" of an enemy (preferably closer to whatever was responsible for making it lose a hull point).

====How-To====
There has been much debate as to how to use the Helbrute effectively. Detractors point out that the merits of the Loyalist Dreadnought do not carry over to the Helbrute - specifically the options of drop pod transport or a rifleman dreadnought setup. And yes, trying to play a Helbrute like that will disappoint you because it can't do any of that! Most of the detractors are just [[Defiler]] fetishists, but not all of them; Helbrutes require support, especially from Warp Smiths but also from other war machines.

Additionally, GW released a dataslate for the brutes with 3 new formations for basic 40K. These are the Mayhem Pack, Helcult and Helfist Murderpack; all of them tweak both the brutes' survivability and usefulness in one way or another. The Mayhem Pack makes a group of 3 brutes deepstrike and gives them all a free roll per turn on the crazed table (suffice to say, you should tool these guys up for both [[Dakka]] and [[Choppa]]) - this one is said to be the more useful of the two. The Helcult gives the brute two units of chaos cultist meatshields, providing a 3+ cover save at the expense of a dead cultist; meanwhile the cultists get to be fearless while the brute is still alive and zealots should it die, but will be hit in close combat should the brute roll a 1 to hit. Lastly, the Murderpack is a vehicle unit of 5 Helbrutes with one of them designated as a champion (conferring both an Aura of Dark Glory and Character special rules, he also confers rage onto his unit if he goes down); they also get to '''choose''' which Crazed result they have.

====8th Edition====
Finally, the era of stupid broken bullshit from 7th is done and we can move on and forget about that particular stupid garbage. Actually, so much has changed between the editions that we've walked back to portions of 2nd edition. Specifically, the brute now has a toughness and wounds values and is now a solid tanky bastard that only gets buffs from Crazed.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:AweomeDread.jpg|Even in death I'm still killing shit.
Image:Hellbrute.jpg|The Helbrute, now with fleshy bits.
Image:Chaos_Contemptor_vs_Chaos_Regular_Dread.JPG|"Imma go 31st millennium on your ass!" --Contemptor Dreadnought before showing this regular one the meaning of [[Dakka]]
</gallery>

{{Chaos Space Marines}}
{{Death Guard}}
{{Thousand Sons}}
{{Emperor's Children}}
[[Category:Vehicles]]

Tyrannocyte

2021-07-02T12:11:52Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907:

[[File:Tyrannocytes.PNG|400px|thumbnail|right|It moves, it shoots!, but wait!! For it can transport!! Everything people liked about the Mycetic Spore packed into it and with awesome additions.]]
The '''Tyrannocyte''' is a unit that fulfills the exact same purpose as a mycetic spore but coming WITH a model this time, released not long after the [[Maleceptor]] and [[Toxicrene]] kit and their accompanying [[White Dwarf]] rules. Even better than that, it's a [[drop pod]] that can MOVE (though rather slowly) and can fire FIVE [[Deathspitter]]s (or [[Barbed Strangler]]s or [[Venom Cannon]]s) at any nearby targets as long as they're within range/LOS. It's also improved by making it even more accessible, as now instead of only being a transport for certain models, it's now open to everything, limiting only to units of 20 models or one Monstrous Creature.

Course, though this sounds like every Nid Player's wet dream, the bigger score comes from the other models the kit can make: A spore mine that can hit flyers AND a living fortification that can fire five guns and a bunch of other fun rules to make area denial a thing without needing Gaunts everywhere.
==Fluff==
As for the Tyrannocyte's fluff, well it's basically a [[Mycetic Spore]] now that Mycetic Spores have been given [[Communism|the unperson treatment]]. Tyrannocytes serve as ship-to-surface transports. Though they appear to be merely spores, they are in fact creatures unto themselves, ejected from orbiting [[Hive Ship|Hive Ships]] to slam into the planet's surface. After landing and disgorging its passengers it unravels a second, hidden flap of skin and fills it with helium-producing bacteria or whatever, and that's how it's able to move around. Occasionally the Hive Ships will fill it with Spore Mines instead and drop it as [[Sporocyst|a special fortification/synapse signal booster]]. As such, they can be considered as the Bug version of the [[Dreadclaw |Dreadclaw Assault Pod]].

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Tyranid]]

[[Category: Megafauna]]

{{Tyranids-Creatures}}

Fallen Angels

2021-07-02T12:00:55Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907: /* Who knows what? */

{{Heresy}}
[[File:FallenHeader.jpg|center|600px|]]
{{Infobox Traitor Legion
|Name = The Fallen
|Heraldry = [[Image:Fallen angel.jpg|250px]]
|Battle Cry = Unknown
|Successors of = Dark Angels
|Successor Chapters = None
|Chapter Master = Originally Luther, now ''possibly'' [[Cypher]]
|Primarch = [[Lion El'Jonson]]
|Original Homeworld = [[Caliban]], [[Terra]]
|Current Homeworld = Various/none
|Champion = ''possibly'' either [[Cypher]] or Luther.
|Specialty = Evading/trolling the Unforgiven
|Strength = Potentially thousands ''(Luther had ~45,000 on Caliban during the Horus Heresy)''
|Allegiance = Various (see below)
|Colours = Pre-Heresy Dark Angel black}}
REQUESTING DATA ACCESS, security_clearance: '''INQUISITOR'''. Processing...

''Database error #0754339867'', access: DENIED

''Greetings Inquisitor Yzaguirre, the information which you are attempting to access is classified and may no longer exist. Your service record and citizen number have been logged and recorded, any further interest in this subject on your behalf may result in the unfortunate early termination of your career.''

REQUESTING DATA ACCESS, security_clearance: '''INNER_CIRCLE'''. Processing...

Adeptus Astartes DNA ''confirmed'', scanning... chapter: [[Disciples of Caliban]], rank: Company Master, access: GRANTED

''Welcome son of Lion El'Jonson, here is the latest intel on the movements of the Fallen ones. As always this information is'' FOR THE EYES OF THE UNFORGIVEN ONLY ''and takes precedence over all other duties, no matter how urgent. For the Emperor and the Lion!

Exloading datasquirt...

The '''Fallen Angels''' are renegade members of the [[Dark Angels]] Legion who turned on [[Lion El'Jonson]] during the [[Horus Heresy]]. They have a thousand contradictory stories and a thousand contradictory motivations, from full on Chaos worship to acting on Luthor's lies to political shenanigans. To those Dark Angels who know of their existence, they are simply known as "the Fallen".

==History of The Fallen==
[[Image:Casting a shadow.jpg|250px|left|]]
Okay, so after the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor]] found [[Caliban]], Lion was made commander of the Dark Angels, and they began recruiting from Caliban's population, including taking on many of the Knights that served in the Order with Lion, amongst whom was his friend and mentor [[Luther]]. After some time had passed in the [[Great Crusade]], a cadre of 500 Astartes made up of a mixture of both Calibanite and Terran Dark Angels were relegated to garrison duty on Caliban while Lion went off and fought in the Crusade with the larger bulk of his legion. This apparently caused no small amount of discontent among the garrisoned Angels, many of whom were once high ranking [[Chapter Master]]s and [[Brother-Captain|Captains]] who were now under the command of Luther, who was not even a Space Marine. In addition, Luther and many others felt abandoned by their Primarch or they felt that the old Calibanite way of life was being eradicated by the takeover of the Imperium. For their part, the Terran Dark Angels saw the Calibanites clinging to old traditions and oaths, ''noting that, amongst other things, instead of swearing "For the Emperor", they would swear "For Caliban"'', and saw them as being insubordinate. [[Chaos]] was quick to take advantage of their resentment and convinced them to betray their [[Primarch]].

Over the course of the Horus Heresy, the garrisoned Dark Angels had no idea that the galaxy was at war around them; this was partly because events on Caliban, such as noble uprisings and daemonic cults, prevented them from looking outwards, but also because Luther had taken control of planetary communications and [[Cypher]] was doing his best to keep Luther either [[Skub|distracted OR prepared]] for something ''(the jury is still out on that one)'', so Luther wasn't paying enough attention until some [[Knights-Errant]] showed up to determine his loyalties, which accidentally let the cat out of the bag.

By mid-Heresy, Luther had enlarged the garrison up to a sizable force, all trained in the traditions of the old ''Order of Caliban'', managing to reduce training cycles for new Astartes from eight years down to an optimal 24 months ''(two years)'' and seemingly could produce around 5000 marines per cycle. As of the time Luther and Zahariel become aware of the Ouroboros, Luther cancels further deployment of these marines until further notice. When Belath comes to collect them whilst the [[Horus Heresy]] was in full swing, Luther has a force of around 45,000 warriors on Caliban ''(Belath came with enough transports for 30,000 men, then Astelan points out that it would leave less than half that number on Caliban)'' plus the six or more Fortress-Fleets that were scattered around the Imperium, of which ''at least'' one was loyal to Luther prior to his declaration of independence.

At some point after the Siege of [[Earth|Terra]] and the long aftermath referred to as the ''Scouring'', Lion El'Jonson returned to Caliban, and the Dark Angels garrison opened fire on his fleet. Heading to their fortress-monastery, Lion fought Luther in single combat whilst the Dark Angels continued their orbital bombardment. Unfortunately, Caliban was never really tectonically stable, and the force of the bombardment caused the planet to break apart... somehow. The only thing to survive was the fortress-monastery. By the time Lion's loyalists got in, Luther was [[Chaos Spawn|a gibbering wreck]] and Lion was nowhere to be seen. The garrisoned Dark Angels were apparently thrown through the [[Warp]] and scattered across the stars. Ever since, the Dark Angels have hunted for the Fallen Angels to restore their honor in the eyes of the Emperor.

However, things are a bit more complicated than that...

===Further Analysis===
[[Image:Fallen-angel.jpg|250px|right|]]
It has been shown that not all of the fallen angels are followers of [[Chaos]], and many (possibly even most) of them regret their pre-Heresy actions and realize that they were wrong; these members of the Fallen have gone into exile and try to blend into the local population and live a "normal" life, although quite how a seven-foot tall post-human with enough muscle to tear a bear limb from limb and the external ports from his Black Carapace poking through his skin is supposed to just "blend in" with anyone outside of the [[Blackshield|Deathwatch]] is anyone's guess.

[[File:Fallen angels.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A rare sighting of three fallen angels working together]]

Not only that, but the Fallen were said to be fighting among themselves before the Lion even arrived in orbit; as mentioned previously, many of the Terran legionnaires (and some Calibanite Dark Angels too) were uncomfortable with the way that Luther was comporting himself and tried to get a message out to Terra or the Lion to inform them of what was happening to their planet. They managed to amass a force of several thousand Astartes and tried to storm one of the astropathic relays but were double-crossed by one of the First Legionnaires, '''Astelan''', ''a guy who was one of the first 5000 space marines EVER and remembered the [[Thunder Warriors]]'', who sought his own advancement and was unhappy with the way that the Lion commanded the legion that "used" to be mostly his before the Lion showed up. These Imperial-Loyalist forces were all rounded up and placed into dungeons underneath the Rock. Which is kinda strange since Astelan had to have known there was no chance in Hell of winning against the Lion and his fleet. So, he'd lose everything. On the bright side [[Noblebright|maybe those loyalists ironically survived the destruction of Caliban due to being imprisoned deep within/under the Fortress Monestary, getting the last laugh when their brothers freed them.]] It's also possible those "Fallen" who were actually loyalists that appear are where those mysteriously appearing Chapters of the First Legion come from.
*It is a testament to Astelan's over-bloated sense of self-worth that he believes the Dark Angels would be better off under his command, especially considering that despite being one of the first 5000 Astartes ever created he did not rise to the position of chapter master until after the Lion took control of the legion. His attitude towards the Lion and the newer Dark Angels is very similar to that of the Custodians in ''Master of Mankind'', viewing all those that came after as below him; after all, he was one of the first, and was directly commanded by the Emperor in person; why should he take orders from a lesser being? He is very much a mercenary at heart, and as long as you remain the biggest kid on the playground then he will be your best friend, but as soon as an even bigger kid shows up you can bet that Astelan will do what is best for Astelan.
*In his defense though, things only really turned sour when he actually tried to uphold the initial values of the Great Crusade as set forth by Big.E. (i.e. integrate lost human civilizations into the Imperium instead of [[exterminatus|bombing them into oblivion with extreme prejudice]]) and a Caliban-born Dark Angel, Belath, manipulated events so the planet had to be [[rape|forcefully subdued]] and (insult to injury) made him look incompetent in the process. Doesn't excuse his actions after that, but it does give him a reason as to why he believed Johnson & co were just self-serving opportunists waiting to see who'd win during the Heresy.

Therefore as the Heresy has progressed several different factions of Dark Angels emerged:
:*The [[Dark Angels]] who follow the [[Lion_El'Jonson|Lion]], either accompanying him to [[Imperium Secundus]] on the far side of the Galaxy, or who are accompanying his Paladin Corswain on the other side of the Ruinstorm.
:*The [[Dark Angels]] who were on [[Caliban]] and remained loyal to the [[Lion_El'Jonson|Lion]] and [[God-Emperor_of_Mankind|the Emperor]], but who were ambushed and imprisoned beneath [[the Rock]].
:*The ''Order'', who rejects their Primarch and Emperor, who follow [[Luther]] and yearn for a return to the glory days of a free and independent Caliban regardless of whether Horus or the Emperor win the Heresy. To ensure Caliban’s “freedom and glory” Luther and the Order decided it would be a good idea to expand upon their power base by conquering… did I say conquering? I meant '''liberating''' all the nearby inhabited systems thus bringing them under Luther’s command. But you know, conquering and subjugating entire populations in order to accelerate your own personal agenda is only a bad thing when the Imperium does it; when the Order takes control of your home by military force it’s all in the name of “freedom”… yeah, this is not going to end well. (This would also make the Dark Angels' big secret a lot worse; if in their rage and grief they had to “'''deal'''” with these renegade systems that had knowledge of what had happened on Caliban… just think about it). Luther would later encounter Typhon in the Zaramund system, which gives further support to the idea that the Fallen's influence was no longer confined to one planet, but was, in fact spreading out over multiple systems. As the Heresy raged around them Luther and his buddies were busy carving out their own anti-imperium galactic empire (no wonder the Dark Angels at the time freaked out and tried to cover the whole thing up).
:*The ''First'' who follow '''Astelan''', who reject the Lion as an unworthy liege but at least put lip service to the idea that the Emperor is their true master. At the current point in the storyline, Astelan supports Luther out of political convenience. (Not all the "First" follow Astelan; many sided with the Lion and are imprisoned with the others beneath the Rock.)
:*[[Zahariel]]'s ''Mystai'', who have secretly fallen under the influence of the [[Ouroboros]] and want to see it freed from its prison buried within Caliban. Closet Chaos worshippers even if they don't realise it yet.
:*The Watchers, and the (possibly former/deceased) Lord Cypher, who have their own agenda that no other faction really knows about, but who know the truth about Chaos and the Ouroboros and want to keep it contained.
:*The current Cypher (who may or may not be Zahariel), whose motives are a complete mystery.

Over the years, some of the captured Fallen have claimed that it was Lion El'Jonson who was the traitor and took his sweet time to get to Terra, implying that Lion El'Jonson was trying to wait and see who would win the civil war and side with the victor. This is probably the Fallen lying, as they would have no way of knowing what the Lion was actually doing at all, considering he and his Legion would have been scattered across the Galaxy and never called home to see how things were going. The Lion certainly had reason to be displeased with the Emperor ''([[Horus]] correctly suspected that he resented not being chosen as Warmaster, as he was the "First" [[Primarch]] as well as the Primarch most renowned for his [[Creed|tactical genius]])'', however the consensus viewpoint amongst fa/tg/uys seems to be that these are just the ramblings of tortured Fallen repeating lies told to them by Luther and that the Lion's ABSOLUTE LOYALTY remains intact. Whatever the truth is, only the Emperor knows, and he isn't talking. Mostly because [[Horus]] ripped out his tongue and his vocal cords have faded to dust, but that's beside the point. The book ''Fallen Angels'' did note that El'Jonson supplied [[Perturabo]] with extra siege weaponry before the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V in exchange for the Iron Lord supporting him as the new Warmaster when Horus was slain. He didn't realize that the [[Iron Warriors]] were traitors until it was too late. Similarly, one confrontation between the Lion and [[Konrad Curze]] ended with the latter correctly predicting that the Lion's attempts at pursuing him and the [[Night Lords]] would be used against him as evidence of his disloyalty. Which, in usual Grimdark fashion, makes sense only to the most retarded of trolls. Since most people reading this know that fighting against a traitor legion (while sending most of his legion to fight other traitor legions) is not going to be seen as disloyalty. What is he supposed to do? ''Not'' fight the traitors? On top of that, while everyone else was being rapidly pushed back by the traitor legions, Lion was rapidly ''retaking'' traitor-conquered territory. From an outside perspective, Horus's rush to Terra could be viewed as him [[Awesome|running away from the Lion]].

However, the rantings of the captured Fallen Angels when they accuse the Lion, the Imperium or each other of misdeeds has to be taken with copious amounts of salt:
# They cannot be represented as a picture of the whole truth, especially in that there were Loyalist-Fallen & Traitor-Fallen fighting EACH OTHER on Caliban before the Lion showed up, so they do not represent the views of a unified group.
# Many Fallen are simply liars who will say anything to protect their own skins. '''Astelan''' in particular is now ''confirmed'' to be a liar and that he is as culpable a traitor as any other (just not a capital T Traitor; he's disgusted by Chaos) despite his protests in 40k that he was actually a loyal subject of the Emperor ''(if not the Lion)''.

There are even reports that some members of the Fallen may be [[Alpha Legion|Closet Loyalists]] attempting to subvert Chaos from within by drawing the Dark Angels' attention to where it is needed most only to disappear once the Dark Angels arrive leaving them free to battle the true threat to the Imperium, [[just as planned]]. Although, [[Derp|this does come at the cost of fluffing ''against'' the Unforgiven's habit of ignoring everything or abandoning wars just to hunt down even a single Fallen]]. But leaving the Fallen to focus on the real threat ''does'' fit with the Lion's knightly everything. He was secretive, not disloyal or prone to putting his honor above his duty nor shying away from punishment. That same behavior would make sense for his sons (and does show in a way with Azrael and the Unforgiven standing down when Guilliman shows up, ready to accept extermination without even trying to defend themselves).

Amongst the known Fallen Angels the most famous is [[Cypher]] whom [[Games Workshop]] just gave a dataslate full of AWESOME AND WIN. Check this shit out, the only guy with a BS of 10! He's more of a sniper than a sniper!

It is also highly possible that the Death Watch commander Israfil (the only Black Shield commander in the history of Death Watch named in lore) was in fact the Fallen ex-Chief Librarian Israfael (the one who recognized [[Zahariel]] was a psyker); this suspicion is fed not only by their similar names, but also by the strange death of Israfil during a xenocidal campaign which also involved Dark Angels forces and the inability to recover his body.

Some other Fallen decided to make the most of their shit sandwich and pledged themselves to Chaos. Among these were an Astartes named Vortigern and his Lost Lions warband, who joined the Black Legion when it was in its infancy. Vortigern became part of its ruling council, the Ezekarion, and it's partly down to him that they're still intact. When the First Battle of Cadia saw the Black Legion caught between the Black Templars and a surprise attack by a heap of Nine Legions ships, Vortigern was the first to get a decent number of Black Legion vessels to safety.

In summary: There are the guys who followed Lion directly (loyalist), the guys who wanted to do that but were imprisoned on the Rock (loyalist), Luther's non-Chaos Calibanite Separatists (lowercase t traitor), Astelan's group (itself further divided to those who backed up Luther out of convenience and those imprisoned with the Lion followers) (members loyalist, leaders lowercase t traitor), Zahariel's unwitting Ouroboros puppets (capital T Chaos Traitor), Cypher (who knows) and survivors of Luther's group who joined Chaos to make the best of what they had (capital T Chaos Traitor). In the 42nd millenium, Zahariel and Astelan's groups are extinct and any remaining seperatists are either helping mankind, if not the Imperium (or at least the Imperial Government), undercover or have joined Chaos fully. Luther also woke up and is said to be gathering them for an unknown purpose. Everyone else are modern Dark Angels and successors in the Unforgiven, some Dark Angels sucessors who are not in the Unforgiven due to diplomatic fractures but are loyalists, Dark Angels and sucessors who have fallen after Luther's treachery and are thus ordinary heretics and finally Cypher again.

===What counts as Fallen?===
[[File:Fallen DAMarine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The Unforgiven have no mercy for the fallen, regardless of their origins.]]
While the Unforgiven put all of their focus on hunting their wayward brethren, there is an important distinction between "true" Fallen and just another traitorous space marine. In '''Pandorax''', one of the major villains is a [[Chaos Space Marine|renegade]] [[Consecrators]] Space Marine, who refers to himself as Fallen and has even had contact with [[Cypher]].

Once he was caught, he refused to be broken and repent in the dungeons of the Rock and claimed that he would escape if they did not kill him. To which [[Azrael]] & [[Asmodai]] laughed in his face. (YES, '''ASMODAI''' ACTUALLY LAUGHED!) Then they told him that the "true Fallen" were led unknowingly by Luther into rebellion and can still be saved if they repent, while ''his'' descent into heresy was his own fault and he was not led astray, finding [[Chaos]] because of his own selfish desires whatever they may have been. So Dark Angels simply consider other more recent [[Chaos Space Marine|renegades]] as traitors [[grimdark|worthy of only death]].

So they decapitate him.

The latest codex supplement (9ed) for the Dark Angels reveals that some Fallen warbands have replenished their casualties and created new space marines to join their ranks. Apparently, some of those marines involved in recruitment on Caliban made it off planet and picked up where they left off. The present Dark Angels consider these "new" Fallen to be just as legitimate as those who were present on Caliban and will treat them the same as their older brothers.

==Ophidium Gulf Crusade incident==

The precise details of this incident are somewhat sketchy, not being helped by the fact that Games Workshop have released [[derp|several seemingly conflicting versions of the event]]. What they all agree upon however is that the [[Black Templar]] [[Imperial_Navy#Cruiser|Strike Cruiser]] ''Ophidium Gulf'' disappeared in mysterious circumstances shortly after making contact with a larger Dark Angel force and taking captive a Fallen Angel in a "joint" operation. Initially reluctant to comply with the Dark Angels' demand to hand over their prisoner, they realise that the Dark Angels aren't messing about when their ships start powering up their weapons and, greatly outmatched, are left with no choice but to relent. After handing over the prisoner they make a single astropathic communication on way to the system jump point but are never heard from again, the implication being that the Dark Angels ambushed them to prevent the secret of The Fallen from becoming public. Which is stupid of the Dark Angels. Everyone would assume that Cypher was the only renegade Dark Angel and would shrug off the threat delivered to the Black Templar ship as the Dark Angels protecting their honor by wanting to be the ones to deal with the traitor(?) to their <s>Legion</s> CHAPTER, FOR THE DARK ANGELS AND THEIR SUCCESSORS ARE DEVOUT FOLLOWERS OF GUILLIMAN'S CODEX! Instead, their actions blew the whole thing out of proportion.

There are several interesting notes we can take from this:

*This is the first (known) time that any chapter outside of the Unforgiven has had contact with the Fallen; the Black Templars immediately realized that the individual was an [[Space Marine|Astartes]] however they chose to take him prisoner rather than execute him as a heretic giving some credence to reports that not all Fallen are Chaos worshipers.

*In the story as told in White Dwarf 312, the Fallen taken prisoner is none other than Cypher, who remarks upon seeing the Templars "You are not the lapdogs of the Lion... how curious"; the Templars agree to meet the Dark Angels at a pre-arranged point for a prisoner transfer but are never heard from again afterwards and Cypher mysteriously and inexplicably vanishes from his cell, thus proving he is [[awesome]]! Other versions of the story have the prisoner as wearing ancient [[Power_armor#Mark_I:_Thunder_Armour|Mark 1 Power Armour]] and seemingly being rescued by other Fallen masquerading as Dark Angels before the real Dark Angels presumably turn up to destroy the ''Ophidium Gulf'' to stop the story leaking out.

*When the Unforgiven say that they're willing to do ''anything'' to keep their secret safe, they're not kidding; murdering brother Astartes is pretty fucked up by the moral compass of most loyalist Chapters, for the Dark Angels however it's not something which they will hesitate to do or agonize about later as long as they keep their secret safe and "honour" intact. In fact, it's probably not too big a stretch to say that no other loyalist Chapter is as close to being excommunicated from the Imperium as the First Legion and it may even have already been so were they not tolerated due to their strength and importance.

*The Black Templars have not forgotten about this incident, and have strong suspicions as to the eventual fate of their battle brothers; despite their apparent mutual affinity for entering battle dressed in robes, the Dark Angels (whom were already regarded with suspicion by the Templars' for their rampant secrecy) are now openly distrusted even more than the Templars distrust any Chapter who aren't sons of [[Rogal Dorn]], which is saying a lot as the Templars distrust pretty much everyone anyway. Seeing as how the Templars are well above Chapter strength, could probably count on support from the [[Space Wolves]] who are also above Codex strength (though how above both are is a matter of debate) and whose not-so-friendly rivalry ''(depending on which codex you read)'' with the sons of Lion El'Johnson has on occasion spilled into open conflict, we could make the supposition that if the combined Unforgiven (the Dark Angels and whichever successors they call in) weren't impressively powerful then the Templars and Space Vikings might have tired of waiting for the [[Inquisition]] to dig up the Dark Angels secrets and taken matters into their own hands. The Dark Angels sure do like making powerful enemies! They also requested that the Inquisition make a formal investigation, which has been indefinitely suspended after the Inquisitor in charge of the investigation "disappeared". Though, since they were trying to levy accusations of betrayal against 1) a Legion, 2) a Legion who is the ''master'' of '''every other Legions' specialties''' and 3) has no fluff saying they don't still use the Dark Age and Strife technology the Emperor gave them including things that fuck reality and '''''enslaved Men of Iron''''' it's safe to say that the Imperium may well have gotten rid of that Inquisitor just to avoid pissing off the Dark Angels. Oh, and the fact the Emperor gave the First Legion technologies specifically capable of and intended for ''killing everyone in the galaxy so humanity could expand across a clean slate'' in case the Great Crusade failed. '''Don't Fuck With Them.'''

*A recent event (as in its form the new Iyanden supplement) reveals Dark Angels only seem to care about the Imperium finding out their little secret, as a similar event happened when Iyanden was fighting a chaos mini-empire ruled by a Fallen. Only here the Dark Angels didn't hunt down and kill the Eldar (granted it may be due to their use of the Webway). Meaning they're more willing to trust and work with Xeno Scum than Imperial forces, except that the Inquisition are a rightfully feared threat to ANY space marine chapter. Of course, it's not like the Eldar are going to tell anyone in the Imperium (or be believed if they did) or would even understand the concept, or know about the Dark Angel paranoia. Of course seeing how the Eldar only turned him over because they've read their minds... (It's implied that the Eldar let them take the Fallen, because they knew he would suffer more at the hands of the Dark Angels. Grimdark.) The Eldar mind-reading may or may not have also seen the aforementioned Dark Age and Long Night technologies the First Legion has and decided not to give them a reason to erase Iyanden.

*Strangely however, the Ophidium Gulf Incident isn't mentioned in later editions nor has it been expanded upon since. In fact, it seems to have been retcon'd out. Between the Battle of Piscina IV (997.M41), the Third War for Armageddon (998.M41), and the events of ''Master of Sanctity''/''The Unforgiven'' (999.M41), the Dark Angels chapter wouldn't have any Battle Barges or Strike Cruiser Squadrons anywhere near the Ophidium Gulf during the supposed Incident (also 998.M41). Oh, and in ''Master of Sanctity'', Cypher - who I'll remind you, was the Fallen captive at Ophidium - just walks right up to the Dark Angels anyway ''to deliver a warning'', meaning he would have little reason to run away at Ophidium. So... ''who the fuck were the Dark Angels who attacked the Ophidium Gulf?'' It seems some dickery is afoot...

Ironically in the recent Fallen comic series, the Dark Angels strike force commander, Captain Seraphus, is insistent on his refusal to fire on the Grey Knights & Inquisitorial vessels, helmed by Justicar Leofric and Inquisitor Sabbathiel, in Calaphrax Cluster in M41 when the latter demand permission to board and investigate the Dark Angels for signs of heresy (whether his refusal to shoot is either out of knowledge that doing so is heretical suicide despite the Dark Angels battlebarge' superior size and firepower or due to the distaste of shooting fellow loyalists is up to debate). In the other hand, he was more than willing to dispatch a boarding party led by Veliath while they are distracted by a battle with Iron Warriors to board the Inquisitor's vessel and discern if she knew too much and if she must be "dealt with" appropriately. So, he probably just didn't want to attack fellow Astartes but didn't give a damn about killing everyone else if necessary.

==Grey Knights==
More than any other Chapter, the Dark Angels and the Unforgiven fear what would happen if the [[Grey Knights]] should become involved with a hunt for the Fallen Angels. Making Inquisitors or even fellow Space Marines "disappear" or "dying due to battle circumstances we couldn't have prevented" is one thing. Trying to do the same to Space Marines from a Chapter designed to fight and kill [[Daemon]]s? Near suicidal, even by 40k standards. However, as revealed in the novel ''Pandorax'', it's irrelevant. When the [[Black Legion]] attempted to open an ancient warp portal the Grey Knights were sent to the planet Pythos in order to seal the breach and deal with the demonic incursion, Supreme Grand Master Draigo was unable to wait for reinforcements from among his own forces due to his Chapter being scattered around the Imperium in response to a myriad of daemonic threats, instead he opted to enact an old oath sworn to the Grey Knights by the Dark Angels. [[Azrael]] had initially refused to honour the pact, considering it to be tantamount to blackmail. His mind was soon changed when Draigo revealed an interesting nugget of information gleaned from interrogating a Traitor Astartes prisoner who revealed that he knew about Traitor Space Marines the Dark Angels had captured and now kept up on [[the Rock]]. Draigo was well aware that the Dark Angels would go to great lengths to protect their secrets and although he was unaware of the reasons why they would have such a vested interest in those imprisoned beneath the Rock he could still make an informed guess as to the nature of those secrets. It was not the possible knowledge of the Fallen that had motivated Azrael and his chapter, but rather the Grey Knight's knowledge of the methods employed by the Dark Angels to keep their secrets hidden, that ultimately ensured they honoured the ancient pact struck with the Grey Knights. And so the leader of the Dark Angels committed his entire Chapter to the Pandorax campaign, operational superiority the Grey Knight’s sole concession in exchange for cooperation. Though they were nominally allies, the relationship between the two Chapters had always been fractious, never spilling over into confrontation but coming near on more than one occasion. Being forced to operate so closely together would put that to the test once again, more so in light of the circumstances of their alliance. Several times in the book, Draigo warns Azrael that the Dark Angels will not interfere in his operations, or he will go straight to the [[High Lords of Terra]] and tell the High Lords about what the Dark Angels are doing. Azrael considers the threat so real that he commits the ''entire'' Dark Angels chapter (over nine hundred Astartes and nearly one hundred Neophyte Scouts) to the threat. However, that being said, let's be real here: for all the weight the word of the Grey Knights and Draigo's in particular may carry, the chances of the High Lords taking any meaningful action against a First Founding chapter are miniscule, and the Dark Angels are the '''FIRST''' of the First Founding, which only increases the un-likelihood. Many would likely see such actions as defying the will of the Emperor himself, and they wouldn't be unjustified for believing so. The only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn is that Draigo is high on narcotics.

So yes, the Grey Knights ''"should"'' already be aware of the touchy history of Caliban, but for all intents and purposes, they don't care or haven't actually figured out what it all means yet. Kaldor Draigo never actually claimed to know about the Fallen or about what happened on Caliban. In fact at the end of the Pandorax campaign, Draigo is seen screaming in Azrael's face demanding to know who these mysterious prisoners are and why the Dark Angels are so interested in them. Though to Azrael's credit, he ''actually'' doesn't have a clue why Draigo is so upset, since the Dark Angels didn't actually know about the particular Fallen Angel in question, who turned out to be an [[Zahariel#Not_Cypher.3F_If_then_Who.3F|original]] Grey Knight Founder and was kidnapped by [[Abaddon]] instead.

At the end of the day (or the Imperium, as fluff would have it) it's hilarious. In a [[grimdark]] laugh-or-you'll-cry sort of way. But also almost justified, as the Inquisition have ex-communicated [non-First Founding] chapters for less before.

==Who knows what?==
At the close of the 41st Millennium, the Changeling managed to worm its way on to the Rock and unleash some prisoners, nearly reaching Luther's own cell before being repelled by one of the [[Watchers in the Dark]], then was later banished by [[Azrael]], [[Ragnar Blackmane]], and [[Arvann Stern]]. Though the prisoners and their specific natures were not seen by the outsiders, parts of the dungeons were, though the Grey Knights knew about them anyway. The fact that several prisoners escaped no doubt set the Dark Angel's Hunt back several centuries at the very least, considering how rare it is to capture one of them.

With the current state of the Imperium, members of the Fallen have been publicly outed by appearing on Terra in the company of a freshly reborn [[Roboute Guilliman]] and would have been viewed ''(marching alongside the Grey Knights no less)'' by the teeming masses of humanity. Though what this means is mostly a matter for conjecture, since very few people ever get to see Space Marines in the flesh and not be destroyed by them; they might have just assumed they were [[Ravenwing|normal Dark Angels]] [[Consecrators|wearing]] [[Angels of Vengeance|black]]. In any case, without specific knowledge of the Fallen ''(or the Grey Knights for that matter)'' the space marines in the company of the first Primarch the Imperium has seen in about eight thousand years would probably have been relegated to a side-show or a curious talking point.

More significant is the fact that said Fallen Angels were arrested by the [[Adeptus Custodes]] on the orders of Guilliman at the arrival to the doors of the throne room, and were placed in a Custodian prison that no-one had ever escaped from, though [[Troll|Cypher escapes in the following sentence]]. These prisoners would undoubtedly have tales to tell, though over a hundred years later, '''nothing seems to have come of it''', and the Dark Angels were reinforced with [[Primaris Marines]] in the [[Ultima Founding]], new Chapters were raised using their Gene-Seed, and they were permitted to keep their [[Deathwing]] and [[Ravenwing]] formations after petitioning Guilliman himself.

So the question becomes, who knows what?

So far we know:
*The [[High Lords of Terra]] have long believed that the Dark Angels were guilty of Legion-Building, but are unaware of the reasons (because there is rarely a massive enemy force requiring such an organization). Hence why they were reluctant to utilise their gene-seed in new Foundings despite their relative genetic purity.
*The [[Grey Knights]] knew the Dark Angels were taking prisoners back to the Rock, but were unaware of who they were, but agreed to keep this knowledge from the High Lords as a condition of Azrael accompanying the Grey Knights on the Pandorax campaign. However, the Grey Knights were seemingly unaware of any cooperation between the Unforgiven Chapters and found their close-knit way of speaking about each other odd.
*The [[Black Templars]] captured a prisoner and transferred him over to the Dark Angels at gunpoint. Those Black Templars were never seen again, though that incident may have been retconned.
*Thanks to the Fenris campaign and the four way parlay ''(Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Grey Knights, Inquisition)'' taking place on the Rock, the [[Inquisition]] now has members embedded throughout the fleet of the Dark Angels. Even if they don't have access to the deeper levels, the cells or the libraries, it does mean that they can monitor fleet movements and activities from now on. Y'know, if the Dark Angels magically became stupid and careless and didn't spend ten thousand years mastering secrecy and counter-espionage.
**The Inquisition is also aware that a former Dark Angel: '''Vortigern''' was once a high-ranking member of the [[Black Legion]], though they might only suspect Vortigern was one of the Astartes who individually defected to Horus during the Heresy.
*The [[Adeptus Custodes]] have Guilliman's prisoners under lock-and-key. Although their track record for gauging loyalty is spotty at best ''(they did imprison the Crusader Host and not manage to sort out their loyalties all that quickly, though a Blood Angel and Iron Hand were set free)'' and tend to take a "you're all a threat" approach. Through the magic of Plot Armour Cypher and his fallen escaped the most secure prison in the Imperium, well apart from the even more secure prisons the Custodes have holding horrors of Old Night. They apparently gave up no information.
*Guilliman has had direct contact with [[Cypher]], knows that he carries the Lion's sword, and knows he desires to meet the Emperor face-to-face. Guilliman is also one of the few living beings with first hand knowledge of the Lion and the Dark Angels pre-, mid- and post-heresy, so will already have no reason to believe any Fallen claiming that "the Lion was a traitor". (Hell, one of the Horus Heresy books has Lion kneel and beg to Guilliman for help in granting the Emperor the highest chance of survival; as far as Guilliman is concerned, the Fallen are outright delusional). That being said he doesn't know they exist. He likely thinks of the Fallen he encountered as modern Black Shields or something similar and any anti-Imperium Fallen as [[Alpha Legion]] Psy-Ops to try to fuck with him and the Dark Angels.

It could be said that if they all sat down together, they could probably figure out what was going on. Though the different agencies of the Imperium don't tend to have a habit of sharing information, various individuals might have an idea of what's going on, but not the whole picture. Since the Dark Angels typically don't leave witnesses to their actions there isn't much hard evidence to be laid down at their feet other than some hearsay, rumour and a few wrecked planets where they purged some "heretics" ''wink wink''. This is probably not helped by the fact the [[Cypher]] managed to delete the Imperium's incriminating records on the chapter in mid M38, meaning the Imperium's ability to use hindsight has been massively curtailed. Even more so than usual.

Complicating things further still is the discovery that Luther himself has escaped his cell following an attack by the Fallen Angel turned Daemon Prince Marbas on the Rock. Azrael believes that he is planning to re-create his old Legion and has linked him to rumors of a massive gathering of Fallen somewhere in the Imperium Nihilus.

Painful irony is, as usual, quite common in 40k. In this case the fact a few (relative to a Legion) Astartes turned rogue would be so mundane and stupid a reason for the Dark Angels' behavior that the High Lords might not even believe it. They would not be able to comprehend why an entire ''Legion'' would devote itself to spending ''ten thousand years'' hunting drips and drops of their renegades showing up or why a Legion would even hide the fact it had renegades in the first place since all the Legions did. In other words, '''''they don't really have a reason for the secrecy.''''' As for dishonor, it doesn't matter if you cover it up, a dishonorable act is a dishonorable act. In fact, covering up ''adds to'' the dishonor.

To make things WORSE many Fallen Angels have joined the ranks of the Black Legion. Heck, one of them is a member of Abaddon's inner circle!

==New Rules==
In Gathering Storm: Rise of the Primarch there are new rules for the fallen, Cypher and new missions and tactical objectives for playing them against loyalists. This book also encourages combining mark IV Space Marines, Dark Angel upgrades and Dark Angel Veterans to convert Fallen.
[[File:Fallen Champions n1.png|thumb|right|Cypher and his Fallen Champions are ready for business.]]

Vigilus Ablaze includes a specialist detachment to allow Chaos Rhinos and Chaos Sorcerers to lose their option for a Mark of Chaos in exchange for getting FALLEN as their LEGION and IMPERIUM to boot. This is separate from using Cypher to stratagem in an Imperial Assassin into your Chaos force using recent White Dwarf rules.

In May 2021, White Dwarf released in that month's magazine the "Index Hereticus: The Fallen". Before its release, it was speculated by many that a couple of new rules and models would become available for the faction. Yet, when it finally came out, and people saw that the Index was actually a reprint of the Vigilus Ablaze's stuff with absolutely nothing new, they were [[Rage|not very pleased]] with it.
[[File:Fallen fighting Dark Angels.png|300px|thumb|right|One of the images within the Index. Fallen fight the Deathwing, with a Daemon Prince. <s>Which you're not allowed to bring.</s>]]

The Fallen Angels are special in that they have an ''upper limit''. As in, if you start a Fallen Angels army, you can actually finish it; there's a finish line, an end point above which you cannot go higher. As of the time of writing, the largest Fallen army you can build is:

Cypher, of course. Never not take Cypher in a Fallen list.
One Chaos Sorcerer with Jump Pack, Force Axe and Thunder Hammer. Granted, there's zero reason at all to take both the Axe and Hammer, but we're theorycrafting for largest possible here.
Three squads of Fallen with power fist and combi-melta on the Champion, four guys with Thunder Hammers, Boltguns and Bolt Pistols, one guy with a Lascannon and four more Boltgun guys. Thanks to Rule of Three, there's no way to take more than three Fallen squads, and no way to take less than three either because you have to fill a Vanguard Detachment because of your limited options.
Five Chaos Rhinos with Combi-Meltas and Havoc Launchers.

This nets you a total points cost of 1,341; pretty respectable, all in all. Generally, you'll want to not do a hammer or axe on the Sorcerer; Force Swords'll do you fine, and you'll probably want a good ranged weapon (like a combi-plasma for MEQ-slaying) instead. Your Sorcerer's your Mortal Wound source, not your beatstick, generally. The most expensive Fallen squads are actually a pretty decent loadout; the Lascannons give some good anti-tank punch, and the hammers and fist make it so they can punch tanks to death if they need to. You get a couple extra potshots with the combi-melta, and you get a few models of chaff per squad before you start taking real damage. That said, you can run a Fallen squad with five plasma guns and a combi-plasma. This is fun and fluffy - and let's face it, if you're running Fallen, you've already decided being competitive isn't what you're doing today. Author recommends you use a Mark IV plastic Tactical kit and one of the resin Plasma Gun official bit kits everyone forgets about for each squad. Take a fist on the Sergeant, run them up in a Rhino (which, for cohesion, I'd also recommend doing a Combi-Plasma on; there's no Rhino combi-plasma bit, so I'd recommend modelling it as just a guy out the top of the Rhino with a combi-plasma) pop them out, overcharge if you're suicidal and ruin some MEQ or vehicle's day. Use meltas or flamers to taste depending on what you're facing down. Since you can take up to five Rhinos, you can throw Cypher and (if you don't take a Jump Pack) the Sorcerer in one and have them tag along with the 30 angry Horus Heresy veterans with energy weapons.
[[File:I am Cypher.png|thumb|centre|"''Cypher ghosts through the shadows amidst his fellow Fallen.''" Riiiight.]]

==Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2==

{{Topquote| I don't understand. What.... I don't understand, not any of it|[[Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II|Admiral Spire]], caught in the crossfire between the Dark Angels and The Fallen}}
{{Topquote| Treasure your ignorance, it may yet shield you|Master Osmadiel, The Fallen to Admiral Spire}}

In the Imperium campaign, after Admiral Spire defeated Zagthean the broken one of Abaddon's chosen, a "Dark Angels" named Osmadiel broadcast a message throughout the Imperium for any loyalist good bois to help them Nova Cannon'ed some heretic scum in Caliban space. Spire being the Imperium hero he is, helped him only to be confronted by the REAL Dark Angels fleet master Koraheal, who accused Spire of follow the wrong path for aiding Osmadiel, The Fallen and tells him to destroy him in order for his folly to be forgotten. There are two options to choose from however, where you get to destroy the Fallen or running away and not giving a shit about Dark Angels and their secret police. Spire's reaction to Dark Angels' secret enemy like any non-Dark Angels would, confusion and wtf. If sided with the Dark Angels, Koraheal and his fleet will join Spire who will forget this whole conspiracy conflict. Koraheal agrees with Spire that the Imperium would stand better united but says he can't reveal more. If sided with the Fallen Spire and his fleet depart from the field without engaging anyone, Osmadiel will tell Spire to treasure his ignorance for it may shield him and will return to aid Spire in the final battle against Abbadon. Regardless of the path taken the game is not canon so it doesn't really matter.
{{Fallen-Angels}}

[[Category:Dark Angels]]

Fallen Angels

2021-07-02T11:55:44Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907: /* Who knows what? */

{{Heresy}}
[[File:FallenHeader.jpg|center|600px|]]
{{Infobox Traitor Legion
|Name = The Fallen
|Heraldry = [[Image:Fallen angel.jpg|250px]]
|Battle Cry = Unknown
|Successors of = Dark Angels
|Successor Chapters = None
|Chapter Master = Originally Luther, now ''possibly'' [[Cypher]]
|Primarch = [[Lion El'Jonson]]
|Original Homeworld = [[Caliban]], [[Terra]]
|Current Homeworld = Various/none
|Champion = ''possibly'' either [[Cypher]] or Luther.
|Specialty = Evading/trolling the Unforgiven
|Strength = Potentially thousands ''(Luther had ~45,000 on Caliban during the Horus Heresy)''
|Allegiance = Various (see below)
|Colours = Pre-Heresy Dark Angel black}}
REQUESTING DATA ACCESS, security_clearance: '''INQUISITOR'''. Processing...

''Database error #0754339867'', access: DENIED

''Greetings Inquisitor Yzaguirre, the information which you are attempting to access is classified and may no longer exist. Your service record and citizen number have been logged and recorded, any further interest in this subject on your behalf may result in the unfortunate early termination of your career.''

REQUESTING DATA ACCESS, security_clearance: '''INNER_CIRCLE'''. Processing...

Adeptus Astartes DNA ''confirmed'', scanning... chapter: [[Disciples of Caliban]], rank: Company Master, access: GRANTED

''Welcome son of Lion El'Jonson, here is the latest intel on the movements of the Fallen ones. As always this information is'' FOR THE EYES OF THE UNFORGIVEN ONLY ''and takes precedence over all other duties, no matter how urgent. For the Emperor and the Lion!

Exloading datasquirt...

The '''Fallen Angels''' are renegade members of the [[Dark Angels]] Legion who turned on [[Lion El'Jonson]] during the [[Horus Heresy]]. They have a thousand contradictory stories and a thousand contradictory motivations, from full on Chaos worship to acting on Luthor's lies to political shenanigans. To those Dark Angels who know of their existence, they are simply known as "the Fallen".

==History of The Fallen==
[[Image:Casting a shadow.jpg|250px|left|]]
Okay, so after the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor]] found [[Caliban]], Lion was made commander of the Dark Angels, and they began recruiting from Caliban's population, including taking on many of the Knights that served in the Order with Lion, amongst whom was his friend and mentor [[Luther]]. After some time had passed in the [[Great Crusade]], a cadre of 500 Astartes made up of a mixture of both Calibanite and Terran Dark Angels were relegated to garrison duty on Caliban while Lion went off and fought in the Crusade with the larger bulk of his legion. This apparently caused no small amount of discontent among the garrisoned Angels, many of whom were once high ranking [[Chapter Master]]s and [[Brother-Captain|Captains]] who were now under the command of Luther, who was not even a Space Marine. In addition, Luther and many others felt abandoned by their Primarch or they felt that the old Calibanite way of life was being eradicated by the takeover of the Imperium. For their part, the Terran Dark Angels saw the Calibanites clinging to old traditions and oaths, ''noting that, amongst other things, instead of swearing "For the Emperor", they would swear "For Caliban"'', and saw them as being insubordinate. [[Chaos]] was quick to take advantage of their resentment and convinced them to betray their [[Primarch]].

Over the course of the Horus Heresy, the garrisoned Dark Angels had no idea that the galaxy was at war around them; this was partly because events on Caliban, such as noble uprisings and daemonic cults, prevented them from looking outwards, but also because Luther had taken control of planetary communications and [[Cypher]] was doing his best to keep Luther either [[Skub|distracted OR prepared]] for something ''(the jury is still out on that one)'', so Luther wasn't paying enough attention until some [[Knights-Errant]] showed up to determine his loyalties, which accidentally let the cat out of the bag.

By mid-Heresy, Luther had enlarged the garrison up to a sizable force, all trained in the traditions of the old ''Order of Caliban'', managing to reduce training cycles for new Astartes from eight years down to an optimal 24 months ''(two years)'' and seemingly could produce around 5000 marines per cycle. As of the time Luther and Zahariel become aware of the Ouroboros, Luther cancels further deployment of these marines until further notice. When Belath comes to collect them whilst the [[Horus Heresy]] was in full swing, Luther has a force of around 45,000 warriors on Caliban ''(Belath came with enough transports for 30,000 men, then Astelan points out that it would leave less than half that number on Caliban)'' plus the six or more Fortress-Fleets that were scattered around the Imperium, of which ''at least'' one was loyal to Luther prior to his declaration of independence.

At some point after the Siege of [[Earth|Terra]] and the long aftermath referred to as the ''Scouring'', Lion El'Jonson returned to Caliban, and the Dark Angels garrison opened fire on his fleet. Heading to their fortress-monastery, Lion fought Luther in single combat whilst the Dark Angels continued their orbital bombardment. Unfortunately, Caliban was never really tectonically stable, and the force of the bombardment caused the planet to break apart... somehow. The only thing to survive was the fortress-monastery. By the time Lion's loyalists got in, Luther was [[Chaos Spawn|a gibbering wreck]] and Lion was nowhere to be seen. The garrisoned Dark Angels were apparently thrown through the [[Warp]] and scattered across the stars. Ever since, the Dark Angels have hunted for the Fallen Angels to restore their honor in the eyes of the Emperor.

However, things are a bit more complicated than that...

===Further Analysis===
[[Image:Fallen-angel.jpg|250px|right|]]
It has been shown that not all of the fallen angels are followers of [[Chaos]], and many (possibly even most) of them regret their pre-Heresy actions and realize that they were wrong; these members of the Fallen have gone into exile and try to blend into the local population and live a "normal" life, although quite how a seven-foot tall post-human with enough muscle to tear a bear limb from limb and the external ports from his Black Carapace poking through his skin is supposed to just "blend in" with anyone outside of the [[Blackshield|Deathwatch]] is anyone's guess.

[[File:Fallen angels.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A rare sighting of three fallen angels working together]]

Not only that, but the Fallen were said to be fighting among themselves before the Lion even arrived in orbit; as mentioned previously, many of the Terran legionnaires (and some Calibanite Dark Angels too) were uncomfortable with the way that Luther was comporting himself and tried to get a message out to Terra or the Lion to inform them of what was happening to their planet. They managed to amass a force of several thousand Astartes and tried to storm one of the astropathic relays but were double-crossed by one of the First Legionnaires, '''Astelan''', ''a guy who was one of the first 5000 space marines EVER and remembered the [[Thunder Warriors]]'', who sought his own advancement and was unhappy with the way that the Lion commanded the legion that "used" to be mostly his before the Lion showed up. These Imperial-Loyalist forces were all rounded up and placed into dungeons underneath the Rock. Which is kinda strange since Astelan had to have known there was no chance in Hell of winning against the Lion and his fleet. So, he'd lose everything. On the bright side [[Noblebright|maybe those loyalists ironically survived the destruction of Caliban due to being imprisoned deep within/under the Fortress Monestary, getting the last laugh when their brothers freed them.]] It's also possible those "Fallen" who were actually loyalists that appear are where those mysteriously appearing Chapters of the First Legion come from.
*It is a testament to Astelan's over-bloated sense of self-worth that he believes the Dark Angels would be better off under his command, especially considering that despite being one of the first 5000 Astartes ever created he did not rise to the position of chapter master until after the Lion took control of the legion. His attitude towards the Lion and the newer Dark Angels is very similar to that of the Custodians in ''Master of Mankind'', viewing all those that came after as below him; after all, he was one of the first, and was directly commanded by the Emperor in person; why should he take orders from a lesser being? He is very much a mercenary at heart, and as long as you remain the biggest kid on the playground then he will be your best friend, but as soon as an even bigger kid shows up you can bet that Astelan will do what is best for Astelan.
*In his defense though, things only really turned sour when he actually tried to uphold the initial values of the Great Crusade as set forth by Big.E. (i.e. integrate lost human civilizations into the Imperium instead of [[exterminatus|bombing them into oblivion with extreme prejudice]]) and a Caliban-born Dark Angel, Belath, manipulated events so the planet had to be [[rape|forcefully subdued]] and (insult to injury) made him look incompetent in the process. Doesn't excuse his actions after that, but it does give him a reason as to why he believed Johnson & co were just self-serving opportunists waiting to see who'd win during the Heresy.

Therefore as the Heresy has progressed several different factions of Dark Angels emerged:
:*The [[Dark Angels]] who follow the [[Lion_El'Jonson|Lion]], either accompanying him to [[Imperium Secundus]] on the far side of the Galaxy, or who are accompanying his Paladin Corswain on the other side of the Ruinstorm.
:*The [[Dark Angels]] who were on [[Caliban]] and remained loyal to the [[Lion_El'Jonson|Lion]] and [[God-Emperor_of_Mankind|the Emperor]], but who were ambushed and imprisoned beneath [[the Rock]].
:*The ''Order'', who rejects their Primarch and Emperor, who follow [[Luther]] and yearn for a return to the glory days of a free and independent Caliban regardless of whether Horus or the Emperor win the Heresy. To ensure Caliban’s “freedom and glory” Luther and the Order decided it would be a good idea to expand upon their power base by conquering… did I say conquering? I meant '''liberating''' all the nearby inhabited systems thus bringing them under Luther’s command. But you know, conquering and subjugating entire populations in order to accelerate your own personal agenda is only a bad thing when the Imperium does it; when the Order takes control of your home by military force it’s all in the name of “freedom”… yeah, this is not going to end well. (This would also make the Dark Angels' big secret a lot worse; if in their rage and grief they had to “'''deal'''” with these renegade systems that had knowledge of what had happened on Caliban… just think about it). Luther would later encounter Typhon in the Zaramund system, which gives further support to the idea that the Fallen's influence was no longer confined to one planet, but was, in fact spreading out over multiple systems. As the Heresy raged around them Luther and his buddies were busy carving out their own anti-imperium galactic empire (no wonder the Dark Angels at the time freaked out and tried to cover the whole thing up).
:*The ''First'' who follow '''Astelan''', who reject the Lion as an unworthy liege but at least put lip service to the idea that the Emperor is their true master. At the current point in the storyline, Astelan supports Luther out of political convenience. (Not all the "First" follow Astelan; many sided with the Lion and are imprisoned with the others beneath the Rock.)
:*[[Zahariel]]'s ''Mystai'', who have secretly fallen under the influence of the [[Ouroboros]] and want to see it freed from its prison buried within Caliban. Closet Chaos worshippers even if they don't realise it yet.
:*The Watchers, and the (possibly former/deceased) Lord Cypher, who have their own agenda that no other faction really knows about, but who know the truth about Chaos and the Ouroboros and want to keep it contained.
:*The current Cypher (who may or may not be Zahariel), whose motives are a complete mystery.

Over the years, some of the captured Fallen have claimed that it was Lion El'Jonson who was the traitor and took his sweet time to get to Terra, implying that Lion El'Jonson was trying to wait and see who would win the civil war and side with the victor. This is probably the Fallen lying, as they would have no way of knowing what the Lion was actually doing at all, considering he and his Legion would have been scattered across the Galaxy and never called home to see how things were going. The Lion certainly had reason to be displeased with the Emperor ''([[Horus]] correctly suspected that he resented not being chosen as Warmaster, as he was the "First" [[Primarch]] as well as the Primarch most renowned for his [[Creed|tactical genius]])'', however the consensus viewpoint amongst fa/tg/uys seems to be that these are just the ramblings of tortured Fallen repeating lies told to them by Luther and that the Lion's ABSOLUTE LOYALTY remains intact. Whatever the truth is, only the Emperor knows, and he isn't talking. Mostly because [[Horus]] ripped out his tongue and his vocal cords have faded to dust, but that's beside the point. The book ''Fallen Angels'' did note that El'Jonson supplied [[Perturabo]] with extra siege weaponry before the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V in exchange for the Iron Lord supporting him as the new Warmaster when Horus was slain. He didn't realize that the [[Iron Warriors]] were traitors until it was too late. Similarly, one confrontation between the Lion and [[Konrad Curze]] ended with the latter correctly predicting that the Lion's attempts at pursuing him and the [[Night Lords]] would be used against him as evidence of his disloyalty. Which, in usual Grimdark fashion, makes sense only to the most retarded of trolls. Since most people reading this know that fighting against a traitor legion (while sending most of his legion to fight other traitor legions) is not going to be seen as disloyalty. What is he supposed to do? ''Not'' fight the traitors? On top of that, while everyone else was being rapidly pushed back by the traitor legions, Lion was rapidly ''retaking'' traitor-conquered territory. From an outside perspective, Horus's rush to Terra could be viewed as him [[Awesome|running away from the Lion]].

However, the rantings of the captured Fallen Angels when they accuse the Lion, the Imperium or each other of misdeeds has to be taken with copious amounts of salt:
# They cannot be represented as a picture of the whole truth, especially in that there were Loyalist-Fallen & Traitor-Fallen fighting EACH OTHER on Caliban before the Lion showed up, so they do not represent the views of a unified group.
# Many Fallen are simply liars who will say anything to protect their own skins. '''Astelan''' in particular is now ''confirmed'' to be a liar and that he is as culpable a traitor as any other (just not a capital T Traitor; he's disgusted by Chaos) despite his protests in 40k that he was actually a loyal subject of the Emperor ''(if not the Lion)''.

There are even reports that some members of the Fallen may be [[Alpha Legion|Closet Loyalists]] attempting to subvert Chaos from within by drawing the Dark Angels' attention to where it is needed most only to disappear once the Dark Angels arrive leaving them free to battle the true threat to the Imperium, [[just as planned]]. Although, [[Derp|this does come at the cost of fluffing ''against'' the Unforgiven's habit of ignoring everything or abandoning wars just to hunt down even a single Fallen]]. But leaving the Fallen to focus on the real threat ''does'' fit with the Lion's knightly everything. He was secretive, not disloyal or prone to putting his honor above his duty nor shying away from punishment. That same behavior would make sense for his sons (and does show in a way with Azrael and the Unforgiven standing down when Guilliman shows up, ready to accept extermination without even trying to defend themselves).

Amongst the known Fallen Angels the most famous is [[Cypher]] whom [[Games Workshop]] just gave a dataslate full of AWESOME AND WIN. Check this shit out, the only guy with a BS of 10! He's more of a sniper than a sniper!

It is also highly possible that the Death Watch commander Israfil (the only Black Shield commander in the history of Death Watch named in lore) was in fact the Fallen ex-Chief Librarian Israfael (the one who recognized [[Zahariel]] was a psyker); this suspicion is fed not only by their similar names, but also by the strange death of Israfil during a xenocidal campaign which also involved Dark Angels forces and the inability to recover his body.

Some other Fallen decided to make the most of their shit sandwich and pledged themselves to Chaos. Among these were an Astartes named Vortigern and his Lost Lions warband, who joined the Black Legion when it was in its infancy. Vortigern became part of its ruling council, the Ezekarion, and it's partly down to him that they're still intact. When the First Battle of Cadia saw the Black Legion caught between the Black Templars and a surprise attack by a heap of Nine Legions ships, Vortigern was the first to get a decent number of Black Legion vessels to safety.

In summary: There are the guys who followed Lion directly (loyalist), the guys who wanted to do that but were imprisoned on the Rock (loyalist), Luther's non-Chaos Calibanite Separatists (lowercase t traitor), Astelan's group (itself further divided to those who backed up Luther out of convenience and those imprisoned with the Lion followers) (members loyalist, leaders lowercase t traitor), Zahariel's unwitting Ouroboros puppets (capital T Chaos Traitor), Cypher (who knows) and survivors of Luther's group who joined Chaos to make the best of what they had (capital T Chaos Traitor). In the 42nd millenium, Zahariel and Astelan's groups are extinct and any remaining seperatists are either helping mankind, if not the Imperium (or at least the Imperial Government), undercover or have joined Chaos fully. Luther also woke up and is said to be gathering them for an unknown purpose. Everyone else are modern Dark Angels and successors in the Unforgiven, some Dark Angels sucessors who are not in the Unforgiven due to diplomatic fractures but are loyalists, Dark Angels and sucessors who have fallen after Luther's treachery and are thus ordinary heretics and finally Cypher again.

===What counts as Fallen?===
[[File:Fallen DAMarine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The Unforgiven have no mercy for the fallen, regardless of their origins.]]
While the Unforgiven put all of their focus on hunting their wayward brethren, there is an important distinction between "true" Fallen and just another traitorous space marine. In '''Pandorax''', one of the major villains is a [[Chaos Space Marine|renegade]] [[Consecrators]] Space Marine, who refers to himself as Fallen and has even had contact with [[Cypher]].

Once he was caught, he refused to be broken and repent in the dungeons of the Rock and claimed that he would escape if they did not kill him. To which [[Azrael]] & [[Asmodai]] laughed in his face. (YES, '''ASMODAI''' ACTUALLY LAUGHED!) Then they told him that the "true Fallen" were led unknowingly by Luther into rebellion and can still be saved if they repent, while ''his'' descent into heresy was his own fault and he was not led astray, finding [[Chaos]] because of his own selfish desires whatever they may have been. So Dark Angels simply consider other more recent [[Chaos Space Marine|renegades]] as traitors [[grimdark|worthy of only death]].

So they decapitate him.

The latest codex supplement (9ed) for the Dark Angels reveals that some Fallen warbands have replenished their casualties and created new space marines to join their ranks. Apparently, some of those marines involved in recruitment on Caliban made it off planet and picked up where they left off. The present Dark Angels consider these "new" Fallen to be just as legitimate as those who were present on Caliban and will treat them the same as their older brothers.

==Ophidium Gulf Crusade incident==

The precise details of this incident are somewhat sketchy, not being helped by the fact that Games Workshop have released [[derp|several seemingly conflicting versions of the event]]. What they all agree upon however is that the [[Black Templar]] [[Imperial_Navy#Cruiser|Strike Cruiser]] ''Ophidium Gulf'' disappeared in mysterious circumstances shortly after making contact with a larger Dark Angel force and taking captive a Fallen Angel in a "joint" operation. Initially reluctant to comply with the Dark Angels' demand to hand over their prisoner, they realise that the Dark Angels aren't messing about when their ships start powering up their weapons and, greatly outmatched, are left with no choice but to relent. After handing over the prisoner they make a single astropathic communication on way to the system jump point but are never heard from again, the implication being that the Dark Angels ambushed them to prevent the secret of The Fallen from becoming public. Which is stupid of the Dark Angels. Everyone would assume that Cypher was the only renegade Dark Angel and would shrug off the threat delivered to the Black Templar ship as the Dark Angels protecting their honor by wanting to be the ones to deal with the traitor(?) to their <s>Legion</s> CHAPTER, FOR THE DARK ANGELS AND THEIR SUCCESSORS ARE DEVOUT FOLLOWERS OF GUILLIMAN'S CODEX! Instead, their actions blew the whole thing out of proportion.

There are several interesting notes we can take from this:

*This is the first (known) time that any chapter outside of the Unforgiven has had contact with the Fallen; the Black Templars immediately realized that the individual was an [[Space Marine|Astartes]] however they chose to take him prisoner rather than execute him as a heretic giving some credence to reports that not all Fallen are Chaos worshipers.

*In the story as told in White Dwarf 312, the Fallen taken prisoner is none other than Cypher, who remarks upon seeing the Templars "You are not the lapdogs of the Lion... how curious"; the Templars agree to meet the Dark Angels at a pre-arranged point for a prisoner transfer but are never heard from again afterwards and Cypher mysteriously and inexplicably vanishes from his cell, thus proving he is [[awesome]]! Other versions of the story have the prisoner as wearing ancient [[Power_armor#Mark_I:_Thunder_Armour|Mark 1 Power Armour]] and seemingly being rescued by other Fallen masquerading as Dark Angels before the real Dark Angels presumably turn up to destroy the ''Ophidium Gulf'' to stop the story leaking out.

*When the Unforgiven say that they're willing to do ''anything'' to keep their secret safe, they're not kidding; murdering brother Astartes is pretty fucked up by the moral compass of most loyalist Chapters, for the Dark Angels however it's not something which they will hesitate to do or agonize about later as long as they keep their secret safe and "honour" intact. In fact, it's probably not too big a stretch to say that no other loyalist Chapter is as close to being excommunicated from the Imperium as the First Legion and it may even have already been so were they not tolerated due to their strength and importance.

*The Black Templars have not forgotten about this incident, and have strong suspicions as to the eventual fate of their battle brothers; despite their apparent mutual affinity for entering battle dressed in robes, the Dark Angels (whom were already regarded with suspicion by the Templars' for their rampant secrecy) are now openly distrusted even more than the Templars distrust any Chapter who aren't sons of [[Rogal Dorn]], which is saying a lot as the Templars distrust pretty much everyone anyway. Seeing as how the Templars are well above Chapter strength, could probably count on support from the [[Space Wolves]] who are also above Codex strength (though how above both are is a matter of debate) and whose not-so-friendly rivalry ''(depending on which codex you read)'' with the sons of Lion El'Johnson has on occasion spilled into open conflict, we could make the supposition that if the combined Unforgiven (the Dark Angels and whichever successors they call in) weren't impressively powerful then the Templars and Space Vikings might have tired of waiting for the [[Inquisition]] to dig up the Dark Angels secrets and taken matters into their own hands. The Dark Angels sure do like making powerful enemies! They also requested that the Inquisition make a formal investigation, which has been indefinitely suspended after the Inquisitor in charge of the investigation "disappeared". Though, since they were trying to levy accusations of betrayal against 1) a Legion, 2) a Legion who is the ''master'' of '''every other Legions' specialties''' and 3) has no fluff saying they don't still use the Dark Age and Strife technology the Emperor gave them including things that fuck reality and '''''enslaved Men of Iron''''' it's safe to say that the Imperium may well have gotten rid of that Inquisitor just to avoid pissing off the Dark Angels. Oh, and the fact the Emperor gave the First Legion technologies specifically capable of and intended for ''killing everyone in the galaxy so humanity could expand across a clean slate'' in case the Great Crusade failed. '''Don't Fuck With Them.'''

*A recent event (as in its form the new Iyanden supplement) reveals Dark Angels only seem to care about the Imperium finding out their little secret, as a similar event happened when Iyanden was fighting a chaos mini-empire ruled by a Fallen. Only here the Dark Angels didn't hunt down and kill the Eldar (granted it may be due to their use of the Webway). Meaning they're more willing to trust and work with Xeno Scum than Imperial forces, except that the Inquisition are a rightfully feared threat to ANY space marine chapter. Of course, it's not like the Eldar are going to tell anyone in the Imperium (or be believed if they did) or would even understand the concept, or know about the Dark Angel paranoia. Of course seeing how the Eldar only turned him over because they've read their minds... (It's implied that the Eldar let them take the Fallen, because they knew he would suffer more at the hands of the Dark Angels. Grimdark.) The Eldar mind-reading may or may not have also seen the aforementioned Dark Age and Long Night technologies the First Legion has and decided not to give them a reason to erase Iyanden.

*Strangely however, the Ophidium Gulf Incident isn't mentioned in later editions nor has it been expanded upon since. In fact, it seems to have been retcon'd out. Between the Battle of Piscina IV (997.M41), the Third War for Armageddon (998.M41), and the events of ''Master of Sanctity''/''The Unforgiven'' (999.M41), the Dark Angels chapter wouldn't have any Battle Barges or Strike Cruiser Squadrons anywhere near the Ophidium Gulf during the supposed Incident (also 998.M41). Oh, and in ''Master of Sanctity'', Cypher - who I'll remind you, was the Fallen captive at Ophidium - just walks right up to the Dark Angels anyway ''to deliver a warning'', meaning he would have little reason to run away at Ophidium. So... ''who the fuck were the Dark Angels who attacked the Ophidium Gulf?'' It seems some dickery is afoot...

Ironically in the recent Fallen comic series, the Dark Angels strike force commander, Captain Seraphus, is insistent on his refusal to fire on the Grey Knights & Inquisitorial vessels, helmed by Justicar Leofric and Inquisitor Sabbathiel, in Calaphrax Cluster in M41 when the latter demand permission to board and investigate the Dark Angels for signs of heresy (whether his refusal to shoot is either out of knowledge that doing so is heretical suicide despite the Dark Angels battlebarge' superior size and firepower or due to the distaste of shooting fellow loyalists is up to debate). In the other hand, he was more than willing to dispatch a boarding party led by Veliath while they are distracted by a battle with Iron Warriors to board the Inquisitor's vessel and discern if she knew too much and if she must be "dealt with" appropriately. So, he probably just didn't want to attack fellow Astartes but didn't give a damn about killing everyone else if necessary.

==Grey Knights==
More than any other Chapter, the Dark Angels and the Unforgiven fear what would happen if the [[Grey Knights]] should become involved with a hunt for the Fallen Angels. Making Inquisitors or even fellow Space Marines "disappear" or "dying due to battle circumstances we couldn't have prevented" is one thing. Trying to do the same to Space Marines from a Chapter designed to fight and kill [[Daemon]]s? Near suicidal, even by 40k standards. However, as revealed in the novel ''Pandorax'', it's irrelevant. When the [[Black Legion]] attempted to open an ancient warp portal the Grey Knights were sent to the planet Pythos in order to seal the breach and deal with the demonic incursion, Supreme Grand Master Draigo was unable to wait for reinforcements from among his own forces due to his Chapter being scattered around the Imperium in response to a myriad of daemonic threats, instead he opted to enact an old oath sworn to the Grey Knights by the Dark Angels. [[Azrael]] had initially refused to honour the pact, considering it to be tantamount to blackmail. His mind was soon changed when Draigo revealed an interesting nugget of information gleaned from interrogating a Traitor Astartes prisoner who revealed that he knew about Traitor Space Marines the Dark Angels had captured and now kept up on [[the Rock]]. Draigo was well aware that the Dark Angels would go to great lengths to protect their secrets and although he was unaware of the reasons why they would have such a vested interest in those imprisoned beneath the Rock he could still make an informed guess as to the nature of those secrets. It was not the possible knowledge of the Fallen that had motivated Azrael and his chapter, but rather the Grey Knight's knowledge of the methods employed by the Dark Angels to keep their secrets hidden, that ultimately ensured they honoured the ancient pact struck with the Grey Knights. And so the leader of the Dark Angels committed his entire Chapter to the Pandorax campaign, operational superiority the Grey Knight’s sole concession in exchange for cooperation. Though they were nominally allies, the relationship between the two Chapters had always been fractious, never spilling over into confrontation but coming near on more than one occasion. Being forced to operate so closely together would put that to the test once again, more so in light of the circumstances of their alliance. Several times in the book, Draigo warns Azrael that the Dark Angels will not interfere in his operations, or he will go straight to the [[High Lords of Terra]] and tell the High Lords about what the Dark Angels are doing. Azrael considers the threat so real that he commits the ''entire'' Dark Angels chapter (over nine hundred Astartes and nearly one hundred Neophyte Scouts) to the threat. However, that being said, let's be real here: for all the weight the word of the Grey Knights and Draigo's in particular may carry, the chances of the High Lords taking any meaningful action against a First Founding chapter are miniscule, and the Dark Angels are the '''FIRST''' of the First Founding, which only increases the un-likelihood. Many would likely see such actions as defying the will of the Emperor himself, and they wouldn't be unjustified for believing so. The only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn is that Draigo is high on narcotics.

So yes, the Grey Knights ''"should"'' already be aware of the touchy history of Caliban, but for all intents and purposes, they don't care or haven't actually figured out what it all means yet. Kaldor Draigo never actually claimed to know about the Fallen or about what happened on Caliban. In fact at the end of the Pandorax campaign, Draigo is seen screaming in Azrael's face demanding to know who these mysterious prisoners are and why the Dark Angels are so interested in them. Though to Azrael's credit, he ''actually'' doesn't have a clue why Draigo is so upset, since the Dark Angels didn't actually know about the particular Fallen Angel in question, who turned out to be an [[Zahariel#Not_Cypher.3F_If_then_Who.3F|original]] Grey Knight Founder and was kidnapped by [[Abaddon]] instead.

At the end of the day (or the Imperium, as fluff would have it) it's hilarious. In a [[grimdark]] laugh-or-you'll-cry sort of way. But also almost justified, as the Inquisition have ex-communicated [non-First Founding] chapters for less before.

==Who knows what?==
At the close of the 41st Millennium, the Changeling managed to worm its way on to the Rock and unleash some prisoners, nearly reaching Luther's own cell before being repelled by one of the [[Watchers in the Dark]], then was later banished by [[Azrael]], [[Ragnar Blackmane]], and [[Arvann Stern]]. Though the prisoners and their specific natures were not seen by the outsiders, parts of the dungeons were, though the Grey Knights knew about them anyway. The fact that several prisoners escaped no doubt set the Dark Angel's Hunt back several centuries at the very least, considering how rare it is to capture one of them.

With the current state of the Imperium, members of the Fallen have been publicly outed by appearing on Terra in the company of a freshly reborn [[Roboute Guilliman]] and would have been viewed ''(marching alongside the Grey Knights no less)'' by the teeming masses of humanity. Though what this means is mostly a matter for conjecture, since very few people ever get to see Space Marines in the flesh and not be destroyed by them; they might have just assumed they were [[Ravenwing|normal Dark Angels]] [[Consecrators|wearing]] [[Angels of Vengeance|black]]. In any case, without specific knowledge of the Fallen ''(or the Grey Knights for that matter)'' the space marines in the company of the first Primarch the Imperium has seen in about eight thousand years would probably have been relegated to a side-show or a curious talking point.

More significant is the fact that said Fallen Angels were arrested by the [[Adeptus Custodes]] on the orders of Guilliman at the arrival to the doors of the throne room, and were placed in a Custodian prison that no-one had ever escaped from, though [[Troll|Cypher escapes in the following sentence]]. These prisoners would undoubtedly have tales to tell, though over a hundred years later, '''nothing seems to have come of it''', and the Dark Angels were reinforced with [[Primaris Marines]] in the [[Ultima Founding]], new Chapters were raised using their Gene-Seed, and they were permitted to keep their [[Deathwing]] and [[Ravenwing]] formations after petitioning Guilliman himself.

So the question becomes, who knows what?

So far we know:
*The [[High Lords of Terra]] have long believed that the Dark Angels were guilty of Legion-Building, but are unaware of the reasons (because there is rarely a massive enemy force requiring such an organization). Hence why they were reluctant to utilise their gene-seed in new Foundings despite their relative genetic purity.
*The [[Grey Knights]] knew the Dark Angels were taking prisoners back to the Rock, but were unaware of who they were, but agreed to keep this knowledge from the High Lords as a condition of Azrael accompanying the Grey Knights on the Pandorax campaign. However, the Grey Knights were seemingly unaware of any cooperation between the Unforgiven Chapters and found their close-knit way of speaking about each other odd.
*The [[Black Templars]] captured a prisoner and transferred him over to the Dark Angels at gunpoint. Those Black Templars were never seen again, though that incident may have been retconned.
*Thanks to the Fenris campaign and the four way parlay ''(Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Grey Knights, Inquisition)'' taking place on the Rock, the [[Inquisition]] now has members embedded throughout the fleet of the Dark Angels. Even if they don't have access to the deeper levels, the cells or the libraries, it does mean that they can monitor fleet movements and activities from now on. Y'know, if the Dark Angels magically became stupid and careless and didn't spend ten thousand years mastering secrecy and counter-espionage.
**The Inquisition is also aware that a former Dark Angel: '''Vortigern''' was once a high-ranking member of the [[Black Legion]], though they might only suspect Vortigern was one of the Astartes who individually defected to Horus during the Heresy.
*The [[Adeptus Custodes]] have Guilliman's prisoners under lock-and-key. Although their track record for gauging loyalty is spotty at best ''(they did imprison the Crusader Host and not manage to sort out their loyalties all that quickly, though a Blood Angel and Iron Hand were set free)'' and tend to take a "you're all a threat" approach. Through the magic of Plot Armour Cypher and his fallen escaped the most secure prison in the Imperium, well apart from the even more secure prisons the Custodes have holding horrors of Old Night. They apparently gave up no information.
*Guilliman has had direct contact with [[Cypher]], knows that he carries the Lion's sword, and knows he desires to meet the Emperor face-to-face. Guilliman is also one of the few living beings with first hand knowledge of the Lion and the Dark Angels pre-, mid- and post-heresy, so will already have no reason to believe any Fallen claiming that "the Lion was a traitor". (Hell, one of the Horus Heresy books has Lion kneel and beg to Guilliman for help in granting the Emperor the highest chance of survival; as far as Guilliman is concerned, the Fallen are outright delusional). That being said he doesn't know they exist. He likely thinks of the Fallen he encountered as modern Black Shields or something similar and any anti-Imperium Fallen as [[Alpha Legion]] Psy-Ops to try to fuck with him and the Dark Angels.

It could be said that if they all sat down together, they could probably figure out what was going on. Though the different agencies of the Imperium don't tend to have a habit of sharing information, various individuals might have an idea of what's going on, but not the whole picture. Since the Dark Angels typically don't leave witnesses to their actions there isn't much hard evidence to be laid down at their feet other than some hearsay, rumour and a few wrecked planets where they purged some "heretics" ''wink wink''. This is probably not helped by the fact the [[Cypher]] managed to delete the Imperium's incriminating records on the chapter in mid M38, meaning the Imperium's ability to use hindsight has been massively curtailed. Even more so than usual.

Complicating things further still is the discovery that Luther himself has escaped his cell following an attack by the Fallen Angel turned Daemon Prince Marbas on the Rock. Azrael believes that he is planning to re-create his old Legion and has linked him to rumors of a massive gathering of Fallen somewhere in the Imperium Nihilus.

Painful irony is, as usual, quite common in 40k. In this case the fact a few (relative to a Legion) Astartes turned rogue would be so mundane and stupid a reason for the Dark Angels' behavior that the High Lords might not even believe it. They would not be able to comprehend why an entire ''Legion'' would devote itself to spending ''ten thousand years'' hunting drips and drops of their renegades showing up or why a Legion would even hide the fact it had renegades in the first place since all the Legions did. In other words, '''''they don't really have a reason for the secrecy.''''' As for dishonor, it doesn't matter if you cover it up, a dishonorable act is a dishonorable act. In fact, covering up ''adds to'' the dishonor.

To make things WORSE many Fallen Angels have joined the ranks of the Black Legion. Heck, one of them is a member of Abaddon's inner circle

==New Rules==
In Gathering Storm: Rise of the Primarch there are new rules for the fallen, Cypher and new missions and tactical objectives for playing them against loyalists. This book also encourages combining mark IV Space Marines, Dark Angel upgrades and Dark Angel Veterans to convert Fallen.
[[File:Fallen Champions n1.png|thumb|right|Cypher and his Fallen Champions are ready for business.]]

Vigilus Ablaze includes a specialist detachment to allow Chaos Rhinos and Chaos Sorcerers to lose their option for a Mark of Chaos in exchange for getting FALLEN as their LEGION and IMPERIUM to boot. This is separate from using Cypher to stratagem in an Imperial Assassin into your Chaos force using recent White Dwarf rules.

In May 2021, White Dwarf released in that month's magazine the "Index Hereticus: The Fallen". Before its release, it was speculated by many that a couple of new rules and models would become available for the faction. Yet, when it finally came out, and people saw that the Index was actually a reprint of the Vigilus Ablaze's stuff with absolutely nothing new, they were [[Rage|not very pleased]] with it.
[[File:Fallen fighting Dark Angels.png|300px|thumb|right|One of the images within the Index. Fallen fight the Deathwing, with a Daemon Prince. <s>Which you're not allowed to bring.</s>]]

The Fallen Angels are special in that they have an ''upper limit''. As in, if you start a Fallen Angels army, you can actually finish it; there's a finish line, an end point above which you cannot go higher. As of the time of writing, the largest Fallen army you can build is:

Cypher, of course. Never not take Cypher in a Fallen list.
One Chaos Sorcerer with Jump Pack, Force Axe and Thunder Hammer. Granted, there's zero reason at all to take both the Axe and Hammer, but we're theorycrafting for largest possible here.
Three squads of Fallen with power fist and combi-melta on the Champion, four guys with Thunder Hammers, Boltguns and Bolt Pistols, one guy with a Lascannon and four more Boltgun guys. Thanks to Rule of Three, there's no way to take more than three Fallen squads, and no way to take less than three either because you have to fill a Vanguard Detachment because of your limited options.
Five Chaos Rhinos with Combi-Meltas and Havoc Launchers.

This nets you a total points cost of 1,341; pretty respectable, all in all. Generally, you'll want to not do a hammer or axe on the Sorcerer; Force Swords'll do you fine, and you'll probably want a good ranged weapon (like a combi-plasma for MEQ-slaying) instead. Your Sorcerer's your Mortal Wound source, not your beatstick, generally. The most expensive Fallen squads are actually a pretty decent loadout; the Lascannons give some good anti-tank punch, and the hammers and fist make it so they can punch tanks to death if they need to. You get a couple extra potshots with the combi-melta, and you get a few models of chaff per squad before you start taking real damage. That said, you can run a Fallen squad with five plasma guns and a combi-plasma. This is fun and fluffy - and let's face it, if you're running Fallen, you've already decided being competitive isn't what you're doing today. Author recommends you use a Mark IV plastic Tactical kit and one of the resin Plasma Gun official bit kits everyone forgets about for each squad. Take a fist on the Sergeant, run them up in a Rhino (which, for cohesion, I'd also recommend doing a Combi-Plasma on; there's no Rhino combi-plasma bit, so I'd recommend modelling it as just a guy out the top of the Rhino with a combi-plasma) pop them out, overcharge if you're suicidal and ruin some MEQ or vehicle's day. Use meltas or flamers to taste depending on what you're facing down. Since you can take up to five Rhinos, you can throw Cypher and (if you don't take a Jump Pack) the Sorcerer in one and have them tag along with the 30 angry Horus Heresy veterans with energy weapons.
[[File:I am Cypher.png|thumb|centre|"''Cypher ghosts through the shadows amidst his fellow Fallen.''" Riiiight.]]

==Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2==

{{Topquote| I don't understand. What.... I don't understand, not any of it|[[Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II|Admiral Spire]], caught in the crossfire between the Dark Angels and The Fallen}}
{{Topquote| Treasure your ignorance, it may yet shield you|Master Osmadiel, The Fallen to Admiral Spire}}

In the Imperium campaign, after Admiral Spire defeated Zagthean the broken one of Abaddon's chosen, a "Dark Angels" named Osmadiel broadcast a message throughout the Imperium for any loyalist good bois to help them Nova Cannon'ed some heretic scum in Caliban space. Spire being the Imperium hero he is, helped him only to be confronted by the REAL Dark Angels fleet master Koraheal, who accused Spire of follow the wrong path for aiding Osmadiel, The Fallen and tells him to destroy him in order for his folly to be forgotten. There are two options to choose from however, where you get to destroy the Fallen or running away and not giving a shit about Dark Angels and their secret police. Spire's reaction to Dark Angels' secret enemy like any non-Dark Angels would, confusion and wtf. If sided with the Dark Angels, Koraheal and his fleet will join Spire who will forget this whole conspiracy conflict. Koraheal agrees with Spire that the Imperium would stand better united but says he can't reveal more. If sided with the Fallen Spire and his fleet depart from the field without engaging anyone, Osmadiel will tell Spire to treasure his ignorance for it may shield him and will return to aid Spire in the final battle against Abbadon. Regardless of the path taken the game is not canon so it doesn't really matter.
{{Fallen-Angels}}

[[Category:Dark Angels]]

Fallen Angels

2021-07-02T11:41:47Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907: /* Further Analysis */

{{Heresy}}
[[File:FallenHeader.jpg|center|600px|]]
{{Infobox Traitor Legion
|Name = The Fallen
|Heraldry = [[Image:Fallen angel.jpg|250px]]
|Battle Cry = Unknown
|Successors of = Dark Angels
|Successor Chapters = None
|Chapter Master = Originally Luther, now ''possibly'' [[Cypher]]
|Primarch = [[Lion El'Jonson]]
|Original Homeworld = [[Caliban]], [[Terra]]
|Current Homeworld = Various/none
|Champion = ''possibly'' either [[Cypher]] or Luther.
|Specialty = Evading/trolling the Unforgiven
|Strength = Potentially thousands ''(Luther had ~45,000 on Caliban during the Horus Heresy)''
|Allegiance = Various (see below)
|Colours = Pre-Heresy Dark Angel black}}
REQUESTING DATA ACCESS, security_clearance: '''INQUISITOR'''. Processing...

''Database error #0754339867'', access: DENIED

''Greetings Inquisitor Yzaguirre, the information which you are attempting to access is classified and may no longer exist. Your service record and citizen number have been logged and recorded, any further interest in this subject on your behalf may result in the unfortunate early termination of your career.''

REQUESTING DATA ACCESS, security_clearance: '''INNER_CIRCLE'''. Processing...

Adeptus Astartes DNA ''confirmed'', scanning... chapter: [[Disciples of Caliban]], rank: Company Master, access: GRANTED

''Welcome son of Lion El'Jonson, here is the latest intel on the movements of the Fallen ones. As always this information is'' FOR THE EYES OF THE UNFORGIVEN ONLY ''and takes precedence over all other duties, no matter how urgent. For the Emperor and the Lion!

Exloading datasquirt...

The '''Fallen Angels''' are renegade members of the [[Dark Angels]] Legion who turned on [[Lion El'Jonson]] during the [[Horus Heresy]]. They have a thousand contradictory stories and a thousand contradictory motivations, from full on Chaos worship to acting on Luthor's lies to political shenanigans. To those Dark Angels who know of their existence, they are simply known as "the Fallen".

==History of The Fallen==
[[Image:Casting a shadow.jpg|250px|left|]]
Okay, so after the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor]] found [[Caliban]], Lion was made commander of the Dark Angels, and they began recruiting from Caliban's population, including taking on many of the Knights that served in the Order with Lion, amongst whom was his friend and mentor [[Luther]]. After some time had passed in the [[Great Crusade]], a cadre of 500 Astartes made up of a mixture of both Calibanite and Terran Dark Angels were relegated to garrison duty on Caliban while Lion went off and fought in the Crusade with the larger bulk of his legion. This apparently caused no small amount of discontent among the garrisoned Angels, many of whom were once high ranking [[Chapter Master]]s and [[Brother-Captain|Captains]] who were now under the command of Luther, who was not even a Space Marine. In addition, Luther and many others felt abandoned by their Primarch or they felt that the old Calibanite way of life was being eradicated by the takeover of the Imperium. For their part, the Terran Dark Angels saw the Calibanites clinging to old traditions and oaths, ''noting that, amongst other things, instead of swearing "For the Emperor", they would swear "For Caliban"'', and saw them as being insubordinate. [[Chaos]] was quick to take advantage of their resentment and convinced them to betray their [[Primarch]].

Over the course of the Horus Heresy, the garrisoned Dark Angels had no idea that the galaxy was at war around them; this was partly because events on Caliban, such as noble uprisings and daemonic cults, prevented them from looking outwards, but also because Luther had taken control of planetary communications and [[Cypher]] was doing his best to keep Luther either [[Skub|distracted OR prepared]] for something ''(the jury is still out on that one)'', so Luther wasn't paying enough attention until some [[Knights-Errant]] showed up to determine his loyalties, which accidentally let the cat out of the bag.

By mid-Heresy, Luther had enlarged the garrison up to a sizable force, all trained in the traditions of the old ''Order of Caliban'', managing to reduce training cycles for new Astartes from eight years down to an optimal 24 months ''(two years)'' and seemingly could produce around 5000 marines per cycle. As of the time Luther and Zahariel become aware of the Ouroboros, Luther cancels further deployment of these marines until further notice. When Belath comes to collect them whilst the [[Horus Heresy]] was in full swing, Luther has a force of around 45,000 warriors on Caliban ''(Belath came with enough transports for 30,000 men, then Astelan points out that it would leave less than half that number on Caliban)'' plus the six or more Fortress-Fleets that were scattered around the Imperium, of which ''at least'' one was loyal to Luther prior to his declaration of independence.

At some point after the Siege of [[Earth|Terra]] and the long aftermath referred to as the ''Scouring'', Lion El'Jonson returned to Caliban, and the Dark Angels garrison opened fire on his fleet. Heading to their fortress-monastery, Lion fought Luther in single combat whilst the Dark Angels continued their orbital bombardment. Unfortunately, Caliban was never really tectonically stable, and the force of the bombardment caused the planet to break apart... somehow. The only thing to survive was the fortress-monastery. By the time Lion's loyalists got in, Luther was [[Chaos Spawn|a gibbering wreck]] and Lion was nowhere to be seen. The garrisoned Dark Angels were apparently thrown through the [[Warp]] and scattered across the stars. Ever since, the Dark Angels have hunted for the Fallen Angels to restore their honor in the eyes of the Emperor.

However, things are a bit more complicated than that...

===Further Analysis===
[[Image:Fallen-angel.jpg|250px|right|]]
It has been shown that not all of the fallen angels are followers of [[Chaos]], and many (possibly even most) of them regret their pre-Heresy actions and realize that they were wrong; these members of the Fallen have gone into exile and try to blend into the local population and live a "normal" life, although quite how a seven-foot tall post-human with enough muscle to tear a bear limb from limb and the external ports from his Black Carapace poking through his skin is supposed to just "blend in" with anyone outside of the [[Blackshield|Deathwatch]] is anyone's guess.

[[File:Fallen angels.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A rare sighting of three fallen angels working together]]

Not only that, but the Fallen were said to be fighting among themselves before the Lion even arrived in orbit; as mentioned previously, many of the Terran legionnaires (and some Calibanite Dark Angels too) were uncomfortable with the way that Luther was comporting himself and tried to get a message out to Terra or the Lion to inform them of what was happening to their planet. They managed to amass a force of several thousand Astartes and tried to storm one of the astropathic relays but were double-crossed by one of the First Legionnaires, '''Astelan''', ''a guy who was one of the first 5000 space marines EVER and remembered the [[Thunder Warriors]]'', who sought his own advancement and was unhappy with the way that the Lion commanded the legion that "used" to be mostly his before the Lion showed up. These Imperial-Loyalist forces were all rounded up and placed into dungeons underneath the Rock. Which is kinda strange since Astelan had to have known there was no chance in Hell of winning against the Lion and his fleet. So, he'd lose everything. On the bright side [[Noblebright|maybe those loyalists ironically survived the destruction of Caliban due to being imprisoned deep within/under the Fortress Monestary, getting the last laugh when their brothers freed them.]] It's also possible those "Fallen" who were actually loyalists that appear are where those mysteriously appearing Chapters of the First Legion come from.
*It is a testament to Astelan's over-bloated sense of self-worth that he believes the Dark Angels would be better off under his command, especially considering that despite being one of the first 5000 Astartes ever created he did not rise to the position of chapter master until after the Lion took control of the legion. His attitude towards the Lion and the newer Dark Angels is very similar to that of the Custodians in ''Master of Mankind'', viewing all those that came after as below him; after all, he was one of the first, and was directly commanded by the Emperor in person; why should he take orders from a lesser being? He is very much a mercenary at heart, and as long as you remain the biggest kid on the playground then he will be your best friend, but as soon as an even bigger kid shows up you can bet that Astelan will do what is best for Astelan.
*In his defense though, things only really turned sour when he actually tried to uphold the initial values of the Great Crusade as set forth by Big.E. (i.e. integrate lost human civilizations into the Imperium instead of [[exterminatus|bombing them into oblivion with extreme prejudice]]) and a Caliban-born Dark Angel, Belath, manipulated events so the planet had to be [[rape|forcefully subdued]] and (insult to injury) made him look incompetent in the process. Doesn't excuse his actions after that, but it does give him a reason as to why he believed Johnson & co were just self-serving opportunists waiting to see who'd win during the Heresy.

Therefore as the Heresy has progressed several different factions of Dark Angels emerged:
:*The [[Dark Angels]] who follow the [[Lion_El'Jonson|Lion]], either accompanying him to [[Imperium Secundus]] on the far side of the Galaxy, or who are accompanying his Paladin Corswain on the other side of the Ruinstorm.
:*The [[Dark Angels]] who were on [[Caliban]] and remained loyal to the [[Lion_El'Jonson|Lion]] and [[God-Emperor_of_Mankind|the Emperor]], but who were ambushed and imprisoned beneath [[the Rock]].
:*The ''Order'', who rejects their Primarch and Emperor, who follow [[Luther]] and yearn for a return to the glory days of a free and independent Caliban regardless of whether Horus or the Emperor win the Heresy. To ensure Caliban’s “freedom and glory” Luther and the Order decided it would be a good idea to expand upon their power base by conquering… did I say conquering? I meant '''liberating''' all the nearby inhabited systems thus bringing them under Luther’s command. But you know, conquering and subjugating entire populations in order to accelerate your own personal agenda is only a bad thing when the Imperium does it; when the Order takes control of your home by military force it’s all in the name of “freedom”… yeah, this is not going to end well. (This would also make the Dark Angels' big secret a lot worse; if in their rage and grief they had to “'''deal'''” with these renegade systems that had knowledge of what had happened on Caliban… just think about it). Luther would later encounter Typhon in the Zaramund system, which gives further support to the idea that the Fallen's influence was no longer confined to one planet, but was, in fact spreading out over multiple systems. As the Heresy raged around them Luther and his buddies were busy carving out their own anti-imperium galactic empire (no wonder the Dark Angels at the time freaked out and tried to cover the whole thing up).
:*The ''First'' who follow '''Astelan''', who reject the Lion as an unworthy liege but at least put lip service to the idea that the Emperor is their true master. At the current point in the storyline, Astelan supports Luther out of political convenience. (Not all the "First" follow Astelan; many sided with the Lion and are imprisoned with the others beneath the Rock.)
:*[[Zahariel]]'s ''Mystai'', who have secretly fallen under the influence of the [[Ouroboros]] and want to see it freed from its prison buried within Caliban. Closet Chaos worshippers even if they don't realise it yet.
:*The Watchers, and the (possibly former/deceased) Lord Cypher, who have their own agenda that no other faction really knows about, but who know the truth about Chaos and the Ouroboros and want to keep it contained.
:*The current Cypher (who may or may not be Zahariel), whose motives are a complete mystery.

Over the years, some of the captured Fallen have claimed that it was Lion El'Jonson who was the traitor and took his sweet time to get to Terra, implying that Lion El'Jonson was trying to wait and see who would win the civil war and side with the victor. This is probably the Fallen lying, as they would have no way of knowing what the Lion was actually doing at all, considering he and his Legion would have been scattered across the Galaxy and never called home to see how things were going. The Lion certainly had reason to be displeased with the Emperor ''([[Horus]] correctly suspected that he resented not being chosen as Warmaster, as he was the "First" [[Primarch]] as well as the Primarch most renowned for his [[Creed|tactical genius]])'', however the consensus viewpoint amongst fa/tg/uys seems to be that these are just the ramblings of tortured Fallen repeating lies told to them by Luther and that the Lion's ABSOLUTE LOYALTY remains intact. Whatever the truth is, only the Emperor knows, and he isn't talking. Mostly because [[Horus]] ripped out his tongue and his vocal cords have faded to dust, but that's beside the point. The book ''Fallen Angels'' did note that El'Jonson supplied [[Perturabo]] with extra siege weaponry before the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V in exchange for the Iron Lord supporting him as the new Warmaster when Horus was slain. He didn't realize that the [[Iron Warriors]] were traitors until it was too late. Similarly, one confrontation between the Lion and [[Konrad Curze]] ended with the latter correctly predicting that the Lion's attempts at pursuing him and the [[Night Lords]] would be used against him as evidence of his disloyalty. Which, in usual Grimdark fashion, makes sense only to the most retarded of trolls. Since most people reading this know that fighting against a traitor legion (while sending most of his legion to fight other traitor legions) is not going to be seen as disloyalty. What is he supposed to do? ''Not'' fight the traitors? On top of that, while everyone else was being rapidly pushed back by the traitor legions, Lion was rapidly ''retaking'' traitor-conquered territory. From an outside perspective, Horus's rush to Terra could be viewed as him [[Awesome|running away from the Lion]].

However, the rantings of the captured Fallen Angels when they accuse the Lion, the Imperium or each other of misdeeds has to be taken with copious amounts of salt:
# They cannot be represented as a picture of the whole truth, especially in that there were Loyalist-Fallen & Traitor-Fallen fighting EACH OTHER on Caliban before the Lion showed up, so they do not represent the views of a unified group.
# Many Fallen are simply liars who will say anything to protect their own skins. '''Astelan''' in particular is now ''confirmed'' to be a liar and that he is as culpable a traitor as any other (just not a capital T Traitor; he's disgusted by Chaos) despite his protests in 40k that he was actually a loyal subject of the Emperor ''(if not the Lion)''.

There are even reports that some members of the Fallen may be [[Alpha Legion|Closet Loyalists]] attempting to subvert Chaos from within by drawing the Dark Angels' attention to where it is needed most only to disappear once the Dark Angels arrive leaving them free to battle the true threat to the Imperium, [[just as planned]]. Although, [[Derp|this does come at the cost of fluffing ''against'' the Unforgiven's habit of ignoring everything or abandoning wars just to hunt down even a single Fallen]]. But leaving the Fallen to focus on the real threat ''does'' fit with the Lion's knightly everything. He was secretive, not disloyal or prone to putting his honor above his duty nor shying away from punishment. That same behavior would make sense for his sons (and does show in a way with Azrael and the Unforgiven standing down when Guilliman shows up, ready to accept extermination without even trying to defend themselves).

Amongst the known Fallen Angels the most famous is [[Cypher]] whom [[Games Workshop]] just gave a dataslate full of AWESOME AND WIN. Check this shit out, the only guy with a BS of 10! He's more of a sniper than a sniper!

It is also highly possible that the Death Watch commander Israfil (the only Black Shield commander in the history of Death Watch named in lore) was in fact the Fallen ex-Chief Librarian Israfael (the one who recognized [[Zahariel]] was a psyker); this suspicion is fed not only by their similar names, but also by the strange death of Israfil during a xenocidal campaign which also involved Dark Angels forces and the inability to recover his body.

Some other Fallen decided to make the most of their shit sandwich and pledged themselves to Chaos. Among these were an Astartes named Vortigern and his Lost Lions warband, who joined the Black Legion when it was in its infancy. Vortigern became part of its ruling council, the Ezekarion, and it's partly down to him that they're still intact. When the First Battle of Cadia saw the Black Legion caught between the Black Templars and a surprise attack by a heap of Nine Legions ships, Vortigern was the first to get a decent number of Black Legion vessels to safety.

In summary: There are the guys who followed Lion directly (loyalist), the guys who wanted to do that but were imprisoned on the Rock (loyalist), Luther's non-Chaos Calibanite Separatists (lowercase t traitor), Astelan's group (itself further divided to those who backed up Luther out of convenience and those imprisoned with the Lion followers) (members loyalist, leaders lowercase t traitor), Zahariel's unwitting Ouroboros puppets (capital T Chaos Traitor), Cypher (who knows) and survivors of Luther's group who joined Chaos to make the best of what they had (capital T Chaos Traitor). In the 42nd millenium, Zahariel and Astelan's groups are extinct and any remaining seperatists are either helping mankind, if not the Imperium (or at least the Imperial Government), undercover or have joined Chaos fully. Luther also woke up and is said to be gathering them for an unknown purpose. Everyone else are modern Dark Angels and successors in the Unforgiven, some Dark Angels sucessors who are not in the Unforgiven due to diplomatic fractures but are loyalists, Dark Angels and sucessors who have fallen after Luther's treachery and are thus ordinary heretics and finally Cypher again.

===What counts as Fallen?===
[[File:Fallen DAMarine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The Unforgiven have no mercy for the fallen, regardless of their origins.]]
While the Unforgiven put all of their focus on hunting their wayward brethren, there is an important distinction between "true" Fallen and just another traitorous space marine. In '''Pandorax''', one of the major villains is a [[Chaos Space Marine|renegade]] [[Consecrators]] Space Marine, who refers to himself as Fallen and has even had contact with [[Cypher]].

Once he was caught, he refused to be broken and repent in the dungeons of the Rock and claimed that he would escape if they did not kill him. To which [[Azrael]] & [[Asmodai]] laughed in his face. (YES, '''ASMODAI''' ACTUALLY LAUGHED!) Then they told him that the "true Fallen" were led unknowingly by Luther into rebellion and can still be saved if they repent, while ''his'' descent into heresy was his own fault and he was not led astray, finding [[Chaos]] because of his own selfish desires whatever they may have been. So Dark Angels simply consider other more recent [[Chaos Space Marine|renegades]] as traitors [[grimdark|worthy of only death]].

So they decapitate him.

The latest codex supplement (9ed) for the Dark Angels reveals that some Fallen warbands have replenished their casualties and created new space marines to join their ranks. Apparently, some of those marines involved in recruitment on Caliban made it off planet and picked up where they left off. The present Dark Angels consider these "new" Fallen to be just as legitimate as those who were present on Caliban and will treat them the same as their older brothers.

==Ophidium Gulf Crusade incident==

The precise details of this incident are somewhat sketchy, not being helped by the fact that Games Workshop have released [[derp|several seemingly conflicting versions of the event]]. What they all agree upon however is that the [[Black Templar]] [[Imperial_Navy#Cruiser|Strike Cruiser]] ''Ophidium Gulf'' disappeared in mysterious circumstances shortly after making contact with a larger Dark Angel force and taking captive a Fallen Angel in a "joint" operation. Initially reluctant to comply with the Dark Angels' demand to hand over their prisoner, they realise that the Dark Angels aren't messing about when their ships start powering up their weapons and, greatly outmatched, are left with no choice but to relent. After handing over the prisoner they make a single astropathic communication on way to the system jump point but are never heard from again, the implication being that the Dark Angels ambushed them to prevent the secret of The Fallen from becoming public. Which is stupid of the Dark Angels. Everyone would assume that Cypher was the only renegade Dark Angel and would shrug off the threat delivered to the Black Templar ship as the Dark Angels protecting their honor by wanting to be the ones to deal with the traitor(?) to their <s>Legion</s> CHAPTER, FOR THE DARK ANGELS AND THEIR SUCCESSORS ARE DEVOUT FOLLOWERS OF GUILLIMAN'S CODEX! Instead, their actions blew the whole thing out of proportion.

There are several interesting notes we can take from this:

*This is the first (known) time that any chapter outside of the Unforgiven has had contact with the Fallen; the Black Templars immediately realized that the individual was an [[Space Marine|Astartes]] however they chose to take him prisoner rather than execute him as a heretic giving some credence to reports that not all Fallen are Chaos worshipers.

*In the story as told in White Dwarf 312, the Fallen taken prisoner is none other than Cypher, who remarks upon seeing the Templars "You are not the lapdogs of the Lion... how curious"; the Templars agree to meet the Dark Angels at a pre-arranged point for a prisoner transfer but are never heard from again afterwards and Cypher mysteriously and inexplicably vanishes from his cell, thus proving he is [[awesome]]! Other versions of the story have the prisoner as wearing ancient [[Power_armor#Mark_I:_Thunder_Armour|Mark 1 Power Armour]] and seemingly being rescued by other Fallen masquerading as Dark Angels before the real Dark Angels presumably turn up to destroy the ''Ophidium Gulf'' to stop the story leaking out.

*When the Unforgiven say that they're willing to do ''anything'' to keep their secret safe, they're not kidding; murdering brother Astartes is pretty fucked up by the moral compass of most loyalist Chapters, for the Dark Angels however it's not something which they will hesitate to do or agonize about later as long as they keep their secret safe and "honour" intact. In fact, it's probably not too big a stretch to say that no other loyalist Chapter is as close to being excommunicated from the Imperium as the First Legion and it may even have already been so were they not tolerated due to their strength and importance.

*The Black Templars have not forgotten about this incident, and have strong suspicions as to the eventual fate of their battle brothers; despite their apparent mutual affinity for entering battle dressed in robes, the Dark Angels (whom were already regarded with suspicion by the Templars' for their rampant secrecy) are now openly distrusted even more than the Templars distrust any Chapter who aren't sons of [[Rogal Dorn]], which is saying a lot as the Templars distrust pretty much everyone anyway. Seeing as how the Templars are well above Chapter strength, could probably count on support from the [[Space Wolves]] who are also above Codex strength (though how above both are is a matter of debate) and whose not-so-friendly rivalry ''(depending on which codex you read)'' with the sons of Lion El'Johnson has on occasion spilled into open conflict, we could make the supposition that if the combined Unforgiven (the Dark Angels and whichever successors they call in) weren't impressively powerful then the Templars and Space Vikings might have tired of waiting for the [[Inquisition]] to dig up the Dark Angels secrets and taken matters into their own hands. The Dark Angels sure do like making powerful enemies! They also requested that the Inquisition make a formal investigation, which has been indefinitely suspended after the Inquisitor in charge of the investigation "disappeared". Though, since they were trying to levy accusations of betrayal against 1) a Legion, 2) a Legion who is the ''master'' of '''every other Legions' specialties''' and 3) has no fluff saying they don't still use the Dark Age and Strife technology the Emperor gave them including things that fuck reality and '''''enslaved Men of Iron''''' it's safe to say that the Imperium may well have gotten rid of that Inquisitor just to avoid pissing off the Dark Angels. Oh, and the fact the Emperor gave the First Legion technologies specifically capable of and intended for ''killing everyone in the galaxy so humanity could expand across a clean slate'' in case the Great Crusade failed. '''Don't Fuck With Them.'''

*A recent event (as in its form the new Iyanden supplement) reveals Dark Angels only seem to care about the Imperium finding out their little secret, as a similar event happened when Iyanden was fighting a chaos mini-empire ruled by a Fallen. Only here the Dark Angels didn't hunt down and kill the Eldar (granted it may be due to their use of the Webway). Meaning they're more willing to trust and work with Xeno Scum than Imperial forces, except that the Inquisition are a rightfully feared threat to ANY space marine chapter. Of course, it's not like the Eldar are going to tell anyone in the Imperium (or be believed if they did) or would even understand the concept, or know about the Dark Angel paranoia. Of course seeing how the Eldar only turned him over because they've read their minds... (It's implied that the Eldar let them take the Fallen, because they knew he would suffer more at the hands of the Dark Angels. Grimdark.) The Eldar mind-reading may or may not have also seen the aforementioned Dark Age and Long Night technologies the First Legion has and decided not to give them a reason to erase Iyanden.

*Strangely however, the Ophidium Gulf Incident isn't mentioned in later editions nor has it been expanded upon since. In fact, it seems to have been retcon'd out. Between the Battle of Piscina IV (997.M41), the Third War for Armageddon (998.M41), and the events of ''Master of Sanctity''/''The Unforgiven'' (999.M41), the Dark Angels chapter wouldn't have any Battle Barges or Strike Cruiser Squadrons anywhere near the Ophidium Gulf during the supposed Incident (also 998.M41). Oh, and in ''Master of Sanctity'', Cypher - who I'll remind you, was the Fallen captive at Ophidium - just walks right up to the Dark Angels anyway ''to deliver a warning'', meaning he would have little reason to run away at Ophidium. So... ''who the fuck were the Dark Angels who attacked the Ophidium Gulf?'' It seems some dickery is afoot...

Ironically in the recent Fallen comic series, the Dark Angels strike force commander, Captain Seraphus, is insistent on his refusal to fire on the Grey Knights & Inquisitorial vessels, helmed by Justicar Leofric and Inquisitor Sabbathiel, in Calaphrax Cluster in M41 when the latter demand permission to board and investigate the Dark Angels for signs of heresy (whether his refusal to shoot is either out of knowledge that doing so is heretical suicide despite the Dark Angels battlebarge' superior size and firepower or due to the distaste of shooting fellow loyalists is up to debate). In the other hand, he was more than willing to dispatch a boarding party led by Veliath while they are distracted by a battle with Iron Warriors to board the Inquisitor's vessel and discern if she knew too much and if she must be "dealt with" appropriately. So, he probably just didn't want to attack fellow Astartes but didn't give a damn about killing everyone else if necessary.

==Grey Knights==
More than any other Chapter, the Dark Angels and the Unforgiven fear what would happen if the [[Grey Knights]] should become involved with a hunt for the Fallen Angels. Making Inquisitors or even fellow Space Marines "disappear" or "dying due to battle circumstances we couldn't have prevented" is one thing. Trying to do the same to Space Marines from a Chapter designed to fight and kill [[Daemon]]s? Near suicidal, even by 40k standards. However, as revealed in the novel ''Pandorax'', it's irrelevant. When the [[Black Legion]] attempted to open an ancient warp portal the Grey Knights were sent to the planet Pythos in order to seal the breach and deal with the demonic incursion, Supreme Grand Master Draigo was unable to wait for reinforcements from among his own forces due to his Chapter being scattered around the Imperium in response to a myriad of daemonic threats, instead he opted to enact an old oath sworn to the Grey Knights by the Dark Angels. [[Azrael]] had initially refused to honour the pact, considering it to be tantamount to blackmail. His mind was soon changed when Draigo revealed an interesting nugget of information gleaned from interrogating a Traitor Astartes prisoner who revealed that he knew about Traitor Space Marines the Dark Angels had captured and now kept up on [[the Rock]]. Draigo was well aware that the Dark Angels would go to great lengths to protect their secrets and although he was unaware of the reasons why they would have such a vested interest in those imprisoned beneath the Rock he could still make an informed guess as to the nature of those secrets. It was not the possible knowledge of the Fallen that had motivated Azrael and his chapter, but rather the Grey Knight's knowledge of the methods employed by the Dark Angels to keep their secrets hidden, that ultimately ensured they honoured the ancient pact struck with the Grey Knights. And so the leader of the Dark Angels committed his entire Chapter to the Pandorax campaign, operational superiority the Grey Knight’s sole concession in exchange for cooperation. Though they were nominally allies, the relationship between the two Chapters had always been fractious, never spilling over into confrontation but coming near on more than one occasion. Being forced to operate so closely together would put that to the test once again, more so in light of the circumstances of their alliance. Several times in the book, Draigo warns Azrael that the Dark Angels will not interfere in his operations, or he will go straight to the [[High Lords of Terra]] and tell the High Lords about what the Dark Angels are doing. Azrael considers the threat so real that he commits the ''entire'' Dark Angels chapter (over nine hundred Astartes and nearly one hundred Neophyte Scouts) to the threat. However, that being said, let's be real here: for all the weight the word of the Grey Knights and Draigo's in particular may carry, the chances of the High Lords taking any meaningful action against a First Founding chapter are miniscule, and the Dark Angels are the '''FIRST''' of the First Founding, which only increases the un-likelihood. Many would likely see such actions as defying the will of the Emperor himself, and they wouldn't be unjustified for believing so. The only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn is that Draigo is high on narcotics.

So yes, the Grey Knights ''"should"'' already be aware of the touchy history of Caliban, but for all intents and purposes, they don't care or haven't actually figured out what it all means yet. Kaldor Draigo never actually claimed to know about the Fallen or about what happened on Caliban. In fact at the end of the Pandorax campaign, Draigo is seen screaming in Azrael's face demanding to know who these mysterious prisoners are and why the Dark Angels are so interested in them. Though to Azrael's credit, he ''actually'' doesn't have a clue why Draigo is so upset, since the Dark Angels didn't actually know about the particular Fallen Angel in question, who turned out to be an [[Zahariel#Not_Cypher.3F_If_then_Who.3F|original]] Grey Knight Founder and was kidnapped by [[Abaddon]] instead.

At the end of the day (or the Imperium, as fluff would have it) it's hilarious. In a [[grimdark]] laugh-or-you'll-cry sort of way. But also almost justified, as the Inquisition have ex-communicated [non-First Founding] chapters for less before.

==Who knows what?==
At the close of the 41st Millennium, the Changeling managed to worm its way on to the Rock and unleash some prisoners, nearly reaching Luther's own cell before being repelled by one of the [[Watchers in the Dark]], then was later banished by [[Azrael]], [[Ragnar Blackmane]], and [[Arvann Stern]]. Though the prisoners and their specific natures were not seen by the outsiders, parts of the dungeons were, though the Grey Knights knew about them anyway. The fact that several prisoners escaped no doubt set the Dark Angel's Hunt back several centuries at the very least, considering how rare it is to capture one of them.

With the current state of the Imperium, members of the Fallen have been publicly outed by appearing on Terra in the company of a freshly reborn [[Roboute Guilliman]] and would have been viewed ''(marching alongside the Grey Knights no less)'' by the teeming masses of humanity. Though what this means is mostly a matter for conjecture, since very few people ever get to see Space Marines in the flesh and not be destroyed by them; they might have just assumed they were [[Ravenwing|normal Dark Angels]] [[Consecrators|wearing]] [[Angels of Vengeance|black]]. In any case, without specific knowledge of the Fallen ''(or the Grey Knights for that matter)'' the space marines in the company of the first Primarch the Imperium has seen in about eight thousand years would probably have been relegated to a side-show or a curious talking point.

More significant is the fact that said Fallen Angels were arrested by the [[Adeptus Custodes]] on the orders of Guilliman at the arrival to the doors of the throne room, and were placed in a Custodian prison that no-one had ever escaped from, though [[Troll|Cypher escapes in the following sentence]]. These prisoners would undoubtedly have tales to tell, though over a hundred years later, '''nothing seems to have come of it''', and the Dark Angels were reinforced with [[Primaris Marines]] in the [[Ultima Founding]], new Chapters were raised using their Gene-Seed, and they were permitted to keep their [[Deathwing]] and [[Ravenwing]] formations after petitioning Guilliman himself.

So the question becomes, who knows what?

So far we know:
*The [[High Lords of Terra]] have long believed that the Dark Angels were guilty of Legion-Building, but are unaware of the reasons (because there is rarely a massive enemy force requiring such an organization). Hence why they were reluctant to utilise their gene-seed in new Foundings despite their relative genetic purity.
*The [[Grey Knights]] knew the Dark Angels were taking prisoners back to the Rock, but were unaware of who they were, but agreed to keep this knowledge from the High Lords as a condition of Azrael accompanying the Grey Knights on the Pandorax campaign. However, the Grey Knights were seemingly unaware of any cooperation between the Unforgiven Chapters and found their close-knit way of speaking about each other odd.
*The [[Black Templars]] captured a prisoner and transferred him over to the Dark Angels at gunpoint. Those Black Templars were never seen again, though that incident may have been retconned.
*Thanks to the Fenris campaign and the four way parlay ''(Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Grey Knights, Inquisition)'' taking place on the Rock, the [[Inquisition]] now has members embedded throughout the fleet of the Dark Angels. Even if they don't have access to the deeper levels, the cells or the libraries, it does mean that they can monitor fleet movements and activities from now on. Y'know, if the Dark Angels magically became stupid and careless and didn't spend ten thousand years mastering secrecy and counter-espionage.
**The Inquisition is also aware that a former Dark Angel: '''Vortigern''' was once a high-ranking member of the [[Black Legion]], though they might only suspect Vortigern was one of the Astartes who individually defected to Horus during the Heresy.
*The [[Adeptus Custodes]] have Guilliman's prisoners under lock-and-key. Although their track record for gauging loyalty is spotty at best ''(they did imprison the Crusader Host and not manage to sort out their loyalties all that quickly, though a Blood Angel and Iron Hand were set free)'' and tend to take a "you're all a threat" approach. Through the magic of Plot Armour Cypher and his fallen escaped the most secure prison in the Imperium, well apart from the even more secure prisions the Custodes have holding horrors of Old Night. They apparently gave up no information.
*Guilliman has had direct contact with [[Cypher]], knows that he carries the Lion's sword, and knows he desires to meet the Emperor face-to-face. Guilliman is also one of the few living beings with first hand knowledge of the Lion and the Dark Angels pre-, mid- and post-heresy, so will already have no reason to believe any Fallen claiming that "the Lion was a traitor". (Hell, one of the Horus Heresy books has Lion kneel and beg to Guilliman for help in granting the Emperor the highest chance of survival; as far as Guilliman is concerned, the Fallen are outright delusional). That being said he doesn't know they exist. He likely thinks of the Fallen he encountered as modern Black Shields or something similar and any anti-Imperium Fallen as [[Alpha Legion]] Psy-Ops to try to fuck with him and the Dark Angels.

It could be said that if they all sat down together, they could probably figure out what was going on. Though the different agencies of the Imperium don't tend to have a habit of sharing information, various individuals might have an idea of what's going on, but not the whole picture. Since the Dark Angels typically don't leave witnesses to their actions there isn't much hard evidence to be laid down at their feet other than some hearsay, rumour and a few wrecked planets where they purged some "heretics" ''wink wink''. This is probably not helped by the fact the [[Cypher]] managed to delete the Imperium's incriminating records on the chapter in mid M38, meaning the Imperium's ability to use hindsight has been massively curtailed. Even more so than usual.

Complicating things further still is the discovery that Luther himself has escaped his cell following an attack by the Fallen Angel turned Daemon Prince Marbas on the Rock. Azrael believes that he is planning to re-create his old Legion and has linked him to rumors of a massive gathering of Fallen somewhere in the Imperium Nihilus.

Painful irony is, as usual, quite common in 40k. In this case the fact a few (relative to a Legion) Astartes turned rogue would be so mundane and stupid a reason for the Dark Angels' behavior that the High Lords might not even believe it. They would not be able to comprehend why an entire ''Legion'' would devote itself to spending ''ten thousand years'' hunting drips and drops of their renegades showing up or why a Legion would even hide the fact it had renegades in the first place since all the Legions did. In other words, '''''they don't really have a reason for the secrecy.''''' As for dishonor, it doesn't matter if you cover it up, a dishonorable act is a dishonorable act. In fact, covering up ''adds to'' the dishonor.

To make things WORSE many Fallen Angels have joined the ranks of the Black Legion. Heck, one of them is a member of Abaddon's inner circle

==New Rules==
In Gathering Storm: Rise of the Primarch there are new rules for the fallen, Cypher and new missions and tactical objectives for playing them against loyalists. This book also encourages combining mark IV Space Marines, Dark Angel upgrades and Dark Angel Veterans to convert Fallen.
[[File:Fallen Champions n1.png|thumb|right|Cypher and his Fallen Champions are ready for business.]]

Vigilus Ablaze includes a specialist detachment to allow Chaos Rhinos and Chaos Sorcerers to lose their option for a Mark of Chaos in exchange for getting FALLEN as their LEGION and IMPERIUM to boot. This is separate from using Cypher to stratagem in an Imperial Assassin into your Chaos force using recent White Dwarf rules.

In May 2021, White Dwarf released in that month's magazine the "Index Hereticus: The Fallen". Before its release, it was speculated by many that a couple of new rules and models would become available for the faction. Yet, when it finally came out, and people saw that the Index was actually a reprint of the Vigilus Ablaze's stuff with absolutely nothing new, they were [[Rage|not very pleased]] with it.
[[File:Fallen fighting Dark Angels.png|300px|thumb|right|One of the images within the Index. Fallen fight the Deathwing, with a Daemon Prince. <s>Which you're not allowed to bring.</s>]]

The Fallen Angels are special in that they have an ''upper limit''. As in, if you start a Fallen Angels army, you can actually finish it; there's a finish line, an end point above which you cannot go higher. As of the time of writing, the largest Fallen army you can build is:

Cypher, of course. Never not take Cypher in a Fallen list.
One Chaos Sorcerer with Jump Pack, Force Axe and Thunder Hammer. Granted, there's zero reason at all to take both the Axe and Hammer, but we're theorycrafting for largest possible here.
Three squads of Fallen with power fist and combi-melta on the Champion, four guys with Thunder Hammers, Boltguns and Bolt Pistols, one guy with a Lascannon and four more Boltgun guys. Thanks to Rule of Three, there's no way to take more than three Fallen squads, and no way to take less than three either because you have to fill a Vanguard Detachment because of your limited options.
Five Chaos Rhinos with Combi-Meltas and Havoc Launchers.

This nets you a total points cost of 1,341; pretty respectable, all in all. Generally, you'll want to not do a hammer or axe on the Sorcerer; Force Swords'll do you fine, and you'll probably want a good ranged weapon (like a combi-plasma for MEQ-slaying) instead. Your Sorcerer's your Mortal Wound source, not your beatstick, generally. The most expensive Fallen squads are actually a pretty decent loadout; the Lascannons give some good anti-tank punch, and the hammers and fist make it so they can punch tanks to death if they need to. You get a couple extra potshots with the combi-melta, and you get a few models of chaff per squad before you start taking real damage. That said, you can run a Fallen squad with five plasma guns and a combi-plasma. This is fun and fluffy - and let's face it, if you're running Fallen, you've already decided being competitive isn't what you're doing today. Author recommends you use a Mark IV plastic Tactical kit and one of the resin Plasma Gun official bit kits everyone forgets about for each squad. Take a fist on the Sergeant, run them up in a Rhino (which, for cohesion, I'd also recommend doing a Combi-Plasma on; there's no Rhino combi-plasma bit, so I'd recommend modelling it as just a guy out the top of the Rhino with a combi-plasma) pop them out, overcharge if you're suicidal and ruin some MEQ or vehicle's day. Use meltas or flamers to taste depending on what you're facing down. Since you can take up to five Rhinos, you can throw Cypher and (if you don't take a Jump Pack) the Sorcerer in one and have them tag along with the 30 angry Horus Heresy veterans with energy weapons.
[[File:I am Cypher.png|thumb|centre|"''Cypher ghosts through the shadows amidst his fellow Fallen.''" Riiiight.]]

==Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2==

{{Topquote| I don't understand. What.... I don't understand, not any of it|[[Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II|Admiral Spire]], caught in the crossfire between the Dark Angels and The Fallen}}
{{Topquote| Treasure your ignorance, it may yet shield you|Master Osmadiel, The Fallen to Admiral Spire}}

In the Imperium campaign, after Admiral Spire defeated Zagthean the broken one of Abaddon's chosen, a "Dark Angels" named Osmadiel broadcast a message throughout the Imperium for any loyalist good bois to help them Nova Cannon'ed some heretic scum in Caliban space. Spire being the Imperium hero he is, helped him only to be confronted by the REAL Dark Angels fleet master Koraheal, who accused Spire of follow the wrong path for aiding Osmadiel, The Fallen and tells him to destroy him in order for his folly to be forgotten. There are two options to choose from however, where you get to destroy the Fallen or running away and not giving a shit about Dark Angels and their secret police. Spire's reaction to Dark Angels' secret enemy like any non-Dark Angels would, confusion and wtf. If sided with the Dark Angels, Koraheal and his fleet will join Spire who will forget this whole conspiracy conflict. Koraheal agrees with Spire that the Imperium would stand better united but says he can't reveal more. If sided with the Fallen Spire and his fleet depart from the field without engaging anyone, Osmadiel will tell Spire to treasure his ignorance for it may shield him and will return to aid Spire in the final battle against Abbadon. Regardless of the path taken the game is not canon so it doesn't really matter.
{{Fallen-Angels}}

[[Category:Dark Angels]]

Luther

2021-07-02T11:10:31Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907: /* 41st Millenium */

[[File:LutherZahariel.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Luther, with <s>Cypher</s> Zahariel in the background]]
{{Heresy}}
{{Topquote|O beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on|Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello}}

Luther was the best bro/father figure of the [[Primarch]] [[Lion El'Jonson]] before the events of the [[Horus Heresy]].

==Back Story==
Luther was a [[Knight]] of [[The Order]] of Caliban, an organisation dedicated to protecting the people of that world from the [[Chaos Spawn|Beasts]] that roamed its forests.

One day when riding through the glen with his merry band of men, he encountered <s>Tarzan</s> a naked wildman who had no business living alone in that environment. So they captured him and brought him back to civilisation, educated him and introduced him to their order, where they called him "[[Lion El'Jonson|Lion, Son of the Forest]]".
*Before the discovery of the Lion, Luther had just recently lost both his young wife and daughter to as of yet unknown means. He wonders how things would have turned out if the Lion had been raised with both a mother and sister. (All you AU fanfic writers get on this now. I want to see the Lion and his sister braiding each other's hair).
*In “Fallen Angels” Luther gives us a first-hand version of the discovery of the Lion. In it he describes how after a long and costly journey into the darkest and most dangerous parts of Caliban he and his fellow knights stopped near the banks of a river. As the other knights filled the water containers a young boy appeared in their midst. The boy showed no fear but simply stared at them coldly. Luther being the only one in a position to do anything raised his gun and aimed at the boy. As the other knights screamed at Luther to kill the child the boy simply looked at Luther silently; Luther met the boy's eyes and he found that he simply could not pull the trigger and simply let the gun drop to the ground.
:*Given the new revelation that he had just lost his wife and daughter his inability to kill the young Lion makes a lot more sense.
:*The Lion in his version is described as a young boy, which is odd as it appears that the Lion did not have the accelerated childhood that many of his other brothers seem to have experienced but aged in the same way as a normal human child would.
:*Out of all the Monsters of Caliban Luther desired to kill a Calibanite Lion. This is interesting because it raises the possibility that it was a Calibanite Lion that was responsible for the death of his family and drove him to venture so deep into the wild depths of Caliban where he discovered Lion El'Jonson; if true then was the Calibanite Lion killed by Jonson the one responsible?

Together the two warriors rose up the ranks of the Order and became living legends, eventually coming up with a plan to rid the whole world of the [[Chaos Spawn|beasts]] and make it safe for everyone. This took some time, and eventually the Lion got promoted to the top job of ''[[Spiritual Liege|Grand Master]]'' and Luther became his assistant. This is where the cracks had started to show, as many had thought that Luther was on track to gain the position if the Lion had not been discovered, and that Luther was one of the greatest men of his time, only to have been overshadowed by an even greater man due to circumstance.
*It turns out that Luther was indeed named Grand master of the order but when the Lion was nominated for the position he stepped aside. Luther claims that he felt no resentment towards the Lion but seeing as you needed to be both nominated and then voted into the position of Grand Master by your fellow knights that’s got to sting.

Luther became essentially the Lion's public relations expert. Whilst the Lion drew up plans and strategy Luther went out to gather support by wining and dining the planets nobility.
*Given that the people of Caliban have a very knightly theme going on and that they are confirmed to have noble houses then it makes sense that there should be at least one or two Calibanite based Imperial Knight Houses hanging around somewhere on Caliban. Heck the Order itself might have had its own Imperial Knights(Come on forge world you know you want to).

At some point Luther gave his word that the Order would not trespass into the territory of the Knights of Lupus; an old and very traditional knightly order that aggressively opposed the Order and the Lion.

The Order declared war upon the knights of Lupus due to a certain incident that saw the Knights of Lupus slaughter a small band of the Orders rangers because they were apparently too close to their lands. Leaving one left alive so that he could return to the Order with the decapitated remains of his friends.

During the final battle against the Knights of Lupus the Lion would lead a diversionary frontal attack whilst Luther was given the honour of leading the actual attack by attacking their blind spot when they were distracted.

In the end Luther and the Lion end up fighting what is essentially a very big Zombified flightless dragon (the badass Chaos version of a [http://www.beyondthepoint.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Dragon-from-Hroaar-dot-com.jpg medieval-style dragon]). The Lion ends up killing the beast and is cheered by his fellow knights whilst Luther ends up drenched in the creatures foul blood and feeling a bit sorry for himself.

Shortly afterwards the Emperor arrived and brought the [[Imperium]] to Caliban and told the Lion of his heritage and his destiny to lead the [[Dark Angels|First Legion]] on the [[Great Crusade]].

===Great Crusade===
The Lion took many of his Knights with him on this quest and although Luther was too old to become a [[Space Marine]] he was still augmented as much as was practical and was brought along as the second in command. Just like [[Kor Phaeron|another geriatric chucklefuck who raised a Primarch]].

This didn't last long though. Luther inwardly admitted his envy of the Lion and his Astartes brethren, and during a mission to [[Sarosh]] contemplated allowing an enemy nuclear bomb to detonate aboard the Dark Angel's flagship so he could take his rightful place in history. However, he did not follow through with this thought and successfully rescued the flagship and exposed the Saroshi plot.

Because of [[derp|(or despite)]] the Lion's knowledge [[skub|(or lack of)]] about Luther's private doubts, he sent him and [[Fallen Angels|select others]] back to Caliban in order to fortify it and train new Dark Angels for the ongoing crusade.

This is the subject of considerable nerdrage, since it was either seen as an exile for some perceived dishonour or it was part of a [[Just as Planned|greater plan]] to protect the [[Imperium]] (or Caliban) from something that the Lion knew was brewing back on his homeworld but decided not to tell his followers about, just like [[Emperor|his own father]] did with his [[Primarch|sons]]. Or maybe it was because Luther was actively plotting to kill the Lion out of nothing but sheer jealousy, and only changed his mind once he was prodded by [[Zahariel]]. So much for ambiguity. If he just took a moment to pour his heart out to his best friend and speak with him on a personal level ''like an adult'' (looking at you Emps) maybe things would have turned out for the better.

==Exile on Caliban==
Back on Caliban, Luther became heavily dependent upon the [[Librarian]] [[Zahariel]] and the [[Cypher|Lord Cypher]].

Sometime after his exile on Caliban Luther was to respond to a call for aid from the primarch of the Luna Wolves, Horus Lupercal himself. Taking his men and ships he disobeyed the orders given to him by the Lion and fought alongside the likes of Abaddon and Typhus ''(Garviel Loken when he was being interrogated by Luther remembers when Luther and Abaddon competed against each other to see who could get to the objective first).''

He would shock Typhus by revealing that he had Laughed in Abaddon’s face when he had suggested that the Luna Wolves had a greater military background to that of the Dark Angels and the Order. Typhus would then introduce Luther to Erebus who suggested the introduction of the warrior lodges to the ranks of the Dark Angels much to Luther’s amusement.

During the victory celebration the Lion managed to do what no enemy had ever done before; catch Horus by surprise. As if summoned there by the will of some vengeful god the Lion marched into the hall. Luther rose to his feet and tried to explain himself but was silenced by the Lion; Horus spoke up in Luther’s defence but was told in no uncertain terms to shut up. The Lion told Horus that if he wanted victory so badly then it should not have been at the expense of his Dark Angels and that he should instead have used his own sons. Luther then has his fleet taken from him as punishment for disobeying orders and for taking the garrisoned forces away from Caliban.

At this point, something had begun to twist inside Luther and his behaviour became erratic.

Lion El'Jonson had allowed the [[Death World]] of Caliban to become a Terran-administrated industrial world, replacing the forest with factory arcologies. Knights and peasants were replaced with workers. Though most of the planet was still heavily forested, only the areas designated for industrial use, farming and inhabitation were cleared of forest.

With the forests gone and mine shafts digging deep into the planet, bad things were waking up. Luther suspected that the Lion knew about these forces, and that he was planning on [[Exterminatus|destroying the planet]] with the Calibanite Dark Angels on it after the world fueled the imperial war machine all that it could ''(he may be becoming a bit paranoid at this point)'' Still, Luther remained loyal to Johnson until a final discovery pushed him over the brink. The then [[Cypher|Lord Cypher]], that the Lion promoted completely out of the blue over more veteran knights, was actually the only survivor of the Knights of Lupus. The very knights that had realized that as bad as the Beasts were they were seemingly keeping the whatever was buried inside of Caliban from awakening fully as their extensive library, again, that the Lion had ordered preserved out of the blue, seemed to indicate. This was the last straw that cemented the idea that Jonson knew more than he let on ''(that at least was true)'' and wanted to get rid of Caliban in Luther's unhinged mind.

Luther needs to take some of the blame here as all the stuff that went wrong happened under his stewardship. He was in charge of the planet in the Lion’s absence and although he puts all the blame on the Lion for how the planet turned out pretty much all of the decisions regarding Caliban would have had his direct permission and authorization. It may seem a bit conspiratorial but it is possible that despite being an honourable man ''(at least at the beginning)'' who would not break an oath without just cause Luther may have actually subconsciously allowed Caliban to go to hell in order to justify his future actions.

Learning from the Knights of Lupus' collection of dusty tomes about [[Chaos|rituals and incantations]], he uncovered a "plot" where Terran colonists were ''apparently'' attempting to summon a [[Daemon|creature]] called the [[Ouroboros]] onto Caliban. With Zahariel's assistance he broke up this coven and attempted to gain power over the creature for himself. After gaining access to the books from the Knights of Lupus that the Lion had hidden away, he started to dabble in the arcane arts; covering himself in runes and learning how to casts spells in the same manner as a chaos sorcerer. How advanced his studies were exactly is unknown but he was far along enough that he was able to nullify Israfael's psychic assault and resurrect Zahariel. He would even try his hand at summoning daemons, being so happy to succeed on his first time (believing he had achieved power enough to challenge even the Lion) he forgot to finish binding it to his will, allowing the daemon to leave the circle, where to Luther's surprise it took a knee and bowed to him.

Zahariel discovered that the Terran "plot" was actually false, that the Terrans were in fact attempting to banish the Ouroboros instead of summoning it, and that Luther was looking to gain power in an attempt to free Caliban from the oppression of the [[Imperium]]. Needless to say, the Dark Ones were intrigued.

===Turning Traitor===
Later, Luther captured one of [[Malcador]]'s [[Knights-Errant]]: [[Garviel Loken]], who was on Caliban to discover where the exiled Dark Angels loyalties lay, since no contact had been made from them in some time. This would prove to be a turning point, as Luther and his allies had no idea that the [[Horus Heresy]] was taking place around them and had been kept ignorant by the [[Watchers in the Dark]] and one of their Astartes allies ''(whose identity is not explicitly stated, but presumed to be [[Cypher]])'' The Knights-Errant killed a Dark Angel during their escape, which would upset the balance of ignorance that had been maintained and set the Dark Angels on the path for the Fall.

With the help of that snake in the grass '''Astelan''', Luther was able to round up all the Dark Angels on Caliban that would have opposed him and imprison them beneath Aldurukh. During the revolt Luther was able to kill a veteran Dark Angel with little more than a letter opener - Badass for a non-Astartes.

As they prepared to openly announce their secession from the Imperium a fleet led by Belath appeared suddenly above Caliban. Belath had been ordered to come and collect the newly trained Dark Angels and bring them back to the fleet in order to continue the fight against the [[Death Guard]]. Luther persuaded Belath to wait prior to departing in order to throw a grand feast to celebrate this grand occasion ''(anyone who has watched Game of Thrones probably has a good idea where this is going)''. Luther had hoped to turn Belath and his Dark Angels to his side and during the feast he gives an impassioned speech about the evils of the Imperium and how the Emperor and the Lion have abandoned them, all the while having Zahariel and his Librarians ''(now called the Mystai)'' reach into the minds of all those listening to make it easier for them to be manipulated. The plan worked almost too well for Zahariel ''(who was now under the influence of the Ouroboros)'' so he killed Belath claiming he was about to attack Luther. What happens next makes the “Red Wedding” look subtle and downplayed, much to Luther’s dismay and anger.

With the disaster of the feast behind them, Luther and Astelan claimed ownership of the Dark Angels fleet and Astelan agreed to do Luther’s dirty work since Luther needed to be seen as beyond reproach. They planned to expand their power base by “'''Liberating'''” nearby systems from the oppression of the Imperium. As they put their plan into practice they stumbled upon Calas Typhon and what remained of his fleet as they retreated from the relentless pursuit of Corswain.

Upon their reunion Luther welcomed Typhon with open arms and offered Typhon and his fleet a place to recuperate and repair their damaged starships in the Zaramund system. Unbeknownst to Luther, it was at this point that Typhon would begin his tranformation, after being confronted by a group of Nurgle worshiping pilgrims who already referred to him as '''"Great Lord Typhus"''' and beginning a sickening ritual where they started to erupt with infection. The Calibanite captain that was sent to spy on the Death Guard flew into a rage and started hacking the cultists to death and then tried to kill Typhon in front of his Grave Wardens, though at that time Typhus what completely oblivious to any change and couldn't figure out what had driven the Dark Angel to get so mad and try and kill him. During the fight although the Calibanite was able to inflict a seeming mortal wound on Typhon, the injuries the Dark Angel inflicted were only the catalyst for ''Typhon's'' final tranformation, then ''Typhus'' was able to defeat his opponent. Afterwards, asking what his own Grave Wardens had seen, they had witnessed nothing other than a Dark Angel hacking apart civilians and then trying to assassinate their Captain. To avoid further incident '''Typhus''' would then quietly leave the Zaramund system, leaving Luther completely nonplussed.

Typhus would present Luther with a weapon, a blade of horrific power, and instruction him that to complete his destiny (that would forever bind him to the ruinous powers) he would need to wield the blade to make a sacrifice. Luther would be tempted to complete the bargain by using it on Corswain when he turned up on Caliban looking for any loyal reinforcements he could bring with him on his way to Terra, but couldn't bring himself to slay such a noble son of Caliban. In a flashback to his duel with the Lion, the blade is shown driven deep into the Lion's midsection; Luther admits that although he used the blade he did "not kill" the Lion.

At some point before the Lion's return, fighting broke out on the surface between those loyal to the Lion and those loyal to Luther. “Angels of Darkness” tells us that apparently (remember this is Astelan here) agents of the Lion retook the fleet above Caliban, which resulted in the ships crashing into the planet’s surface, burning its atmosphere and turning the earth to ash with only the great shields protecting the Order's fortress-monasteries saving them from destruction.

===The Fall of Caliban===
When the Lion returned to Caliban after the Horus Heresy had finished, he found a world that despised him and the Imperium and a war took place which cracked the very core of the planet, leaving nothing but [[The Rock|fragments]].

According to the legend, Luther had been empowered by the Dark Gods and was now an equal for the Lion. This is where the lion is again the Emprahs mini me. The Lion could not bring himself to strike down Luther and that hesitation was monopolised by Luther who psychically struck him down, though in a final moment he realised his error and broke down in tears.

When the Dark Angels descended upon the site of the battle, they could not find the body of their Primarch, the only clue was given by the now-insane Luther, who had said that the [[Watchers in the Dark]] had taken the Lion away.

==41st Millenium==
Luther is still alive 10,000 years later, kept in a cell at the heart of [[The Rock]] known only to the [[Azrael|Supreme Grand Master]] of the Dark Angels and his predecessors. The cell can only be unlocked using the Sword of Secrets and it is the duty of the holder of that blade to coerce Luther to admit to his crimes against their Primarch and the Imperium. Luther is old, especially for a man not blessed with being a full Space Marine. He is older than the fungus growing under your grandfather's toenails. Older than the pill line at a nursing home. Older than the rancid bacon I found in the back of my refrigerator last night. As such when he is not being interrogated by the Dark Angels Supreme Grand Master, he is kept in stasis to preserve what little life he has left. In the Legacy of Caliban novel series, Azrael comments as to the strict time limit he has to question the old coot for fear he'll give up the ghost before he can finish a sentence. He also remarks as to how difficult this is thanks to Ole Luther being nuttier than an unwanted fruitcake on Christmas eve. Did I mention he is old? (they probably should let the guy sleep outside of stasis for a good 8 hours. The lack of sleep is prob what's driven the guy nuts. How many hours of sleep in 10000 years do you think they let him have?)

Suffice to say that no Supreme Grand Master has succeeded in getting Luther to repent. Though during some of his interrogations, Luther has been of great help to his erstwhile kin, leading them to recover lost fragments of lore and technology hidden within the country sized bulk that is The Rock. Examples being the recovery of the STC for the Nephilim Jet Fighter. Luther's "help" can be fickle at best as most of what he utters are the lunatic ravings and riddles of a man off his ass on ether. He is convinced that the [[Advancing the Storyline|time is nigh]] when The Lion will return to forgive him of his sins and is quite adamant about this to his jailers. A point which causes no small amount of consternation to his attending Supreme Grand Master.

Luther's personal 'The First of the Fallen' novel reveals that Luther is not really in a stasis field, but is halted in time by the Watchers in the Dark. The maddening effects of his dealings with Chaos forces have left his mind in a less then ideal state (sometimes voicing "other" voices, threats, promises, bargains or other unearthly sounds, including demonic laughter), with himself admitting, in his more lucid moments, that his words should be treated as a unreliable source, as even his memory's are confused and sometimes conflict with each other. The one thing that stands out crystal clear is his observation at the gradual degradation of the Dark Angels, with each encounter with new Masters becoming harsher and more extreme (he straight up tells them that the Lion would be ashamed of them). Only Azrael has surprised Luther; Luther even suspects that it was Azrael himself who left Luther unfrozen, and with the door left wide open for him to leave; what Azrael is planning is yet to be revealed, but he has long desired to bring the hunt to an end, and get the Dark Angels back on track.

As of 8th Edition, an attack by the Fallen led by the Fallen daemon prince Marbas has allowed Luther to disappear from his cell. Azrael is naturally very concerned about what this might mean but has to keep the information to himself, considering that no-one else knew Luther was alive. Now reports are coming in that a gathering of the Fallen is massing in the Nihilus Sector, assembling in ''"numbers enough to bring the entire galaxy to heel"'' and Azrael is the only one who suspects the truth of who is leading them. It will be fun to see whether Luther is even sane enough to lead ten thousand Fallen in the first place, whether Chaos will let his marked soul walk around, and what the Lion will say to him when GeeDubs is finally ready to make his model and rules.

==Trivia==
"Luther" is probably named for the monk '''Martin Luther''' (Not Martin Luther King Jr., who was himself named after the monk), who was one of the founders of the Protestant denomination. This is very significant to the Dark Angels' themes of Forgiveness and Repentance, as Martin Luther advocated that salvation was earned through faith alone and not through penitence or confession and decried the Catholic Church as corrupt. Though well-intentioned, the Reformation resulted in the splintering of Christianity on a scale not seen since the schism between the Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and some very messy conflicts.

When applied to 40k, many of the Fallen find justification for what they do and will not repent willingly, thus making it ever more difficult to make them see the error of their ways. Likewise, the conflict between the Fallen and the Loyalists often mimics the past conflict between Catholic and Protestants (real-life being less prone to Grimdark, Catholics and Protestants don't actively kill each other these days, though there are plenty of members of either side who cheerfully despise their opposite numbers), being that both were nominally of the same faith, yet of different minds about it.

{{Marines-Characters}}
{{Template:Chaos-Marines}}

[[Category:Chaos]]
[[Category:Dark Angels]]
[[Category:Fallen Angels]]

Luther

2021-07-02T11:08:31Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907: /* 41st Millenium */

[[File:LutherZahariel.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Luther, with <s>Cypher</s> Zahariel in the background]]
{{Heresy}}
{{Topquote|O beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on|Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello}}

Luther was the best bro/father figure of the [[Primarch]] [[Lion El'Jonson]] before the events of the [[Horus Heresy]].

==Back Story==
Luther was a [[Knight]] of [[The Order]] of Caliban, an organisation dedicated to protecting the people of that world from the [[Chaos Spawn|Beasts]] that roamed its forests.

One day when riding through the glen with his merry band of men, he encountered <s>Tarzan</s> a naked wildman who had no business living alone in that environment. So they captured him and brought him back to civilisation, educated him and introduced him to their order, where they called him "[[Lion El'Jonson|Lion, Son of the Forest]]".
*Before the discovery of the Lion, Luther had just recently lost both his young wife and daughter to as of yet unknown means. He wonders how things would have turned out if the Lion had been raised with both a mother and sister. (All you AU fanfic writers get on this now. I want to see the Lion and his sister braiding each other's hair).
*In “Fallen Angels” Luther gives us a first-hand version of the discovery of the Lion. In it he describes how after a long and costly journey into the darkest and most dangerous parts of Caliban he and his fellow knights stopped near the banks of a river. As the other knights filled the water containers a young boy appeared in their midst. The boy showed no fear but simply stared at them coldly. Luther being the only one in a position to do anything raised his gun and aimed at the boy. As the other knights screamed at Luther to kill the child the boy simply looked at Luther silently; Luther met the boy's eyes and he found that he simply could not pull the trigger and simply let the gun drop to the ground.
:*Given the new revelation that he had just lost his wife and daughter his inability to kill the young Lion makes a lot more sense.
:*The Lion in his version is described as a young boy, which is odd as it appears that the Lion did not have the accelerated childhood that many of his other brothers seem to have experienced but aged in the same way as a normal human child would.
:*Out of all the Monsters of Caliban Luther desired to kill a Calibanite Lion. This is interesting because it raises the possibility that it was a Calibanite Lion that was responsible for the death of his family and drove him to venture so deep into the wild depths of Caliban where he discovered Lion El'Jonson; if true then was the Calibanite Lion killed by Jonson the one responsible?

Together the two warriors rose up the ranks of the Order and became living legends, eventually coming up with a plan to rid the whole world of the [[Chaos Spawn|beasts]] and make it safe for everyone. This took some time, and eventually the Lion got promoted to the top job of ''[[Spiritual Liege|Grand Master]]'' and Luther became his assistant. This is where the cracks had started to show, as many had thought that Luther was on track to gain the position if the Lion had not been discovered, and that Luther was one of the greatest men of his time, only to have been overshadowed by an even greater man due to circumstance.
*It turns out that Luther was indeed named Grand master of the order but when the Lion was nominated for the position he stepped aside. Luther claims that he felt no resentment towards the Lion but seeing as you needed to be both nominated and then voted into the position of Grand Master by your fellow knights that’s got to sting.

Luther became essentially the Lion's public relations expert. Whilst the Lion drew up plans and strategy Luther went out to gather support by wining and dining the planets nobility.
*Given that the people of Caliban have a very knightly theme going on and that they are confirmed to have noble houses then it makes sense that there should be at least one or two Calibanite based Imperial Knight Houses hanging around somewhere on Caliban. Heck the Order itself might have had its own Imperial Knights(Come on forge world you know you want to).

At some point Luther gave his word that the Order would not trespass into the territory of the Knights of Lupus; an old and very traditional knightly order that aggressively opposed the Order and the Lion.

The Order declared war upon the knights of Lupus due to a certain incident that saw the Knights of Lupus slaughter a small band of the Orders rangers because they were apparently too close to their lands. Leaving one left alive so that he could return to the Order with the decapitated remains of his friends.

During the final battle against the Knights of Lupus the Lion would lead a diversionary frontal attack whilst Luther was given the honour of leading the actual attack by attacking their blind spot when they were distracted.

In the end Luther and the Lion end up fighting what is essentially a very big Zombified flightless dragon (the badass Chaos version of a [http://www.beyondthepoint.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Dragon-from-Hroaar-dot-com.jpg medieval-style dragon]). The Lion ends up killing the beast and is cheered by his fellow knights whilst Luther ends up drenched in the creatures foul blood and feeling a bit sorry for himself.

Shortly afterwards the Emperor arrived and brought the [[Imperium]] to Caliban and told the Lion of his heritage and his destiny to lead the [[Dark Angels|First Legion]] on the [[Great Crusade]].

===Great Crusade===
The Lion took many of his Knights with him on this quest and although Luther was too old to become a [[Space Marine]] he was still augmented as much as was practical and was brought along as the second in command. Just like [[Kor Phaeron|another geriatric chucklefuck who raised a Primarch]].

This didn't last long though. Luther inwardly admitted his envy of the Lion and his Astartes brethren, and during a mission to [[Sarosh]] contemplated allowing an enemy nuclear bomb to detonate aboard the Dark Angel's flagship so he could take his rightful place in history. However, he did not follow through with this thought and successfully rescued the flagship and exposed the Saroshi plot.

Because of [[derp|(or despite)]] the Lion's knowledge [[skub|(or lack of)]] about Luther's private doubts, he sent him and [[Fallen Angels|select others]] back to Caliban in order to fortify it and train new Dark Angels for the ongoing crusade.

This is the subject of considerable nerdrage, since it was either seen as an exile for some perceived dishonour or it was part of a [[Just as Planned|greater plan]] to protect the [[Imperium]] (or Caliban) from something that the Lion knew was brewing back on his homeworld but decided not to tell his followers about, just like [[Emperor|his own father]] did with his [[Primarch|sons]]. Or maybe it was because Luther was actively plotting to kill the Lion out of nothing but sheer jealousy, and only changed his mind once he was prodded by [[Zahariel]]. So much for ambiguity. If he just took a moment to pour his heart out to his best friend and speak with him on a personal level ''like an adult'' (looking at you Emps) maybe things would have turned out for the better.

==Exile on Caliban==
Back on Caliban, Luther became heavily dependent upon the [[Librarian]] [[Zahariel]] and the [[Cypher|Lord Cypher]].

Sometime after his exile on Caliban Luther was to respond to a call for aid from the primarch of the Luna Wolves, Horus Lupercal himself. Taking his men and ships he disobeyed the orders given to him by the Lion and fought alongside the likes of Abaddon and Typhus ''(Garviel Loken when he was being interrogated by Luther remembers when Luther and Abaddon competed against each other to see who could get to the objective first).''

He would shock Typhus by revealing that he had Laughed in Abaddon’s face when he had suggested that the Luna Wolves had a greater military background to that of the Dark Angels and the Order. Typhus would then introduce Luther to Erebus who suggested the introduction of the warrior lodges to the ranks of the Dark Angels much to Luther’s amusement.

During the victory celebration the Lion managed to do what no enemy had ever done before; catch Horus by surprise. As if summoned there by the will of some vengeful god the Lion marched into the hall. Luther rose to his feet and tried to explain himself but was silenced by the Lion; Horus spoke up in Luther’s defence but was told in no uncertain terms to shut up. The Lion told Horus that if he wanted victory so badly then it should not have been at the expense of his Dark Angels and that he should instead have used his own sons. Luther then has his fleet taken from him as punishment for disobeying orders and for taking the garrisoned forces away from Caliban.

At this point, something had begun to twist inside Luther and his behaviour became erratic.

Lion El'Jonson had allowed the [[Death World]] of Caliban to become a Terran-administrated industrial world, replacing the forest with factory arcologies. Knights and peasants were replaced with workers. Though most of the planet was still heavily forested, only the areas designated for industrial use, farming and inhabitation were cleared of forest.

With the forests gone and mine shafts digging deep into the planet, bad things were waking up. Luther suspected that the Lion knew about these forces, and that he was planning on [[Exterminatus|destroying the planet]] with the Calibanite Dark Angels on it after the world fueled the imperial war machine all that it could ''(he may be becoming a bit paranoid at this point)'' Still, Luther remained loyal to Johnson until a final discovery pushed him over the brink. The then [[Cypher|Lord Cypher]], that the Lion promoted completely out of the blue over more veteran knights, was actually the only survivor of the Knights of Lupus. The very knights that had realized that as bad as the Beasts were they were seemingly keeping the whatever was buried inside of Caliban from awakening fully as their extensive library, again, that the Lion had ordered preserved out of the blue, seemed to indicate. This was the last straw that cemented the idea that Jonson knew more than he let on ''(that at least was true)'' and wanted to get rid of Caliban in Luther's unhinged mind.

Luther needs to take some of the blame here as all the stuff that went wrong happened under his stewardship. He was in charge of the planet in the Lion’s absence and although he puts all the blame on the Lion for how the planet turned out pretty much all of the decisions regarding Caliban would have had his direct permission and authorization. It may seem a bit conspiratorial but it is possible that despite being an honourable man ''(at least at the beginning)'' who would not break an oath without just cause Luther may have actually subconsciously allowed Caliban to go to hell in order to justify his future actions.

Learning from the Knights of Lupus' collection of dusty tomes about [[Chaos|rituals and incantations]], he uncovered a "plot" where Terran colonists were ''apparently'' attempting to summon a [[Daemon|creature]] called the [[Ouroboros]] onto Caliban. With Zahariel's assistance he broke up this coven and attempted to gain power over the creature for himself. After gaining access to the books from the Knights of Lupus that the Lion had hidden away, he started to dabble in the arcane arts; covering himself in runes and learning how to casts spells in the same manner as a chaos sorcerer. How advanced his studies were exactly is unknown but he was far along enough that he was able to nullify Israfael's psychic assault and resurrect Zahariel. He would even try his hand at summoning daemons, being so happy to succeed on his first time (believing he had achieved power enough to challenge even the Lion) he forgot to finish binding it to his will, allowing the daemon to leave the circle, where to Luther's surprise it took a knee and bowed to him.

Zahariel discovered that the Terran "plot" was actually false, that the Terrans were in fact attempting to banish the Ouroboros instead of summoning it, and that Luther was looking to gain power in an attempt to free Caliban from the oppression of the [[Imperium]]. Needless to say, the Dark Ones were intrigued.

===Turning Traitor===
Later, Luther captured one of [[Malcador]]'s [[Knights-Errant]]: [[Garviel Loken]], who was on Caliban to discover where the exiled Dark Angels loyalties lay, since no contact had been made from them in some time. This would prove to be a turning point, as Luther and his allies had no idea that the [[Horus Heresy]] was taking place around them and had been kept ignorant by the [[Watchers in the Dark]] and one of their Astartes allies ''(whose identity is not explicitly stated, but presumed to be [[Cypher]])'' The Knights-Errant killed a Dark Angel during their escape, which would upset the balance of ignorance that had been maintained and set the Dark Angels on the path for the Fall.

With the help of that snake in the grass '''Astelan''', Luther was able to round up all the Dark Angels on Caliban that would have opposed him and imprison them beneath Aldurukh. During the revolt Luther was able to kill a veteran Dark Angel with little more than a letter opener - Badass for a non-Astartes.

As they prepared to openly announce their secession from the Imperium a fleet led by Belath appeared suddenly above Caliban. Belath had been ordered to come and collect the newly trained Dark Angels and bring them back to the fleet in order to continue the fight against the [[Death Guard]]. Luther persuaded Belath to wait prior to departing in order to throw a grand feast to celebrate this grand occasion ''(anyone who has watched Game of Thrones probably has a good idea where this is going)''. Luther had hoped to turn Belath and his Dark Angels to his side and during the feast he gives an impassioned speech about the evils of the Imperium and how the Emperor and the Lion have abandoned them, all the while having Zahariel and his Librarians ''(now called the Mystai)'' reach into the minds of all those listening to make it easier for them to be manipulated. The plan worked almost too well for Zahariel ''(who was now under the influence of the Ouroboros)'' so he killed Belath claiming he was about to attack Luther. What happens next makes the “Red Wedding” look subtle and downplayed, much to Luther’s dismay and anger.

With the disaster of the feast behind them, Luther and Astelan claimed ownership of the Dark Angels fleet and Astelan agreed to do Luther’s dirty work since Luther needed to be seen as beyond reproach. They planned to expand their power base by “'''Liberating'''” nearby systems from the oppression of the Imperium. As they put their plan into practice they stumbled upon Calas Typhon and what remained of his fleet as they retreated from the relentless pursuit of Corswain.

Upon their reunion Luther welcomed Typhon with open arms and offered Typhon and his fleet a place to recuperate and repair their damaged starships in the Zaramund system. Unbeknownst to Luther, it was at this point that Typhon would begin his tranformation, after being confronted by a group of Nurgle worshiping pilgrims who already referred to him as '''"Great Lord Typhus"''' and beginning a sickening ritual where they started to erupt with infection. The Calibanite captain that was sent to spy on the Death Guard flew into a rage and started hacking the cultists to death and then tried to kill Typhon in front of his Grave Wardens, though at that time Typhus what completely oblivious to any change and couldn't figure out what had driven the Dark Angel to get so mad and try and kill him. During the fight although the Calibanite was able to inflict a seeming mortal wound on Typhon, the injuries the Dark Angel inflicted were only the catalyst for ''Typhon's'' final tranformation, then ''Typhus'' was able to defeat his opponent. Afterwards, asking what his own Grave Wardens had seen, they had witnessed nothing other than a Dark Angel hacking apart civilians and then trying to assassinate their Captain. To avoid further incident '''Typhus''' would then quietly leave the Zaramund system, leaving Luther completely nonplussed.

Typhus would present Luther with a weapon, a blade of horrific power, and instruction him that to complete his destiny (that would forever bind him to the ruinous powers) he would need to wield the blade to make a sacrifice. Luther would be tempted to complete the bargain by using it on Corswain when he turned up on Caliban looking for any loyal reinforcements he could bring with him on his way to Terra, but couldn't bring himself to slay such a noble son of Caliban. In a flashback to his duel with the Lion, the blade is shown driven deep into the Lion's midsection; Luther admits that although he used the blade he did "not kill" the Lion.

At some point before the Lion's return, fighting broke out on the surface between those loyal to the Lion and those loyal to Luther. “Angels of Darkness” tells us that apparently (remember this is Astelan here) agents of the Lion retook the fleet above Caliban, which resulted in the ships crashing into the planet’s surface, burning its atmosphere and turning the earth to ash with only the great shields protecting the Order's fortress-monasteries saving them from destruction.

===The Fall of Caliban===
When the Lion returned to Caliban after the Horus Heresy had finished, he found a world that despised him and the Imperium and a war took place which cracked the very core of the planet, leaving nothing but [[The Rock|fragments]].

According to the legend, Luther had been empowered by the Dark Gods and was now an equal for the Lion. This is where the lion is again the Emprahs mini me. The Lion could not bring himself to strike down Luther and that hesitation was monopolised by Luther who psychically struck him down, though in a final moment he realised his error and broke down in tears.

When the Dark Angels descended upon the site of the battle, they could not find the body of their Primarch, the only clue was given by the now-insane Luther, who had said that the [[Watchers in the Dark]] had taken the Lion away.

==41st Millenium==
Luther is still alive 10,000 years later, kept in a cell at the heart of [[The Rock]] known only to the [[Azrael|Supreme Grand Master]] of the Dark Angels and his predecessors. The cell can only be unlocked using the Sword of Secrets and it is the duty of the holder of that blade to coerce Luther to admit to his crimes against their Primarch and the Imperium. Luther is old, especially for a man not blessed with being a full Space Marine. He is older than the fungus growing under your grandfather's toenails. Older than the pill line at a nursing home. Older than the rancid bacon I found in the back of my refrigerator last night. As such when he is not being interrogated by the Dark Angels Supreme Grand Master, he is kept in stasis to preserve what little life he has left. In the Legacy of Caliban novel series, Azrael comments as to the strict time limit he has to question the old coot for fear he'll give up the ghost before he can finish a sentence. He also remarks as to how difficult this is thanks to Ole Luther being nuttier than an unwanted fruitcake on Christmas eve. Did I mention he is old? (they probably should let the guy sleep outside of stasis for a good 8 hours. The lack of sleep is prob what's driven the guy nuts. How many hours of sleep in 10000 years do you think they let him have?)

Suffice to say that no Supreme Grand Master has succeeded in getting Luther to repent. Though during some of his interrogations, Luther has been of great help to his erstwhile kin, leading them to recover lost fragments of lore and technology hidden within the country sized bulk that is The Rock. Examples being the recovery of the STC for the Nephilim Jet Fighter. Luther's "help" can be fickle at best as most of what he utters are the lunatic ravings and riddles of a man off his ass on ether. He is convinced that the [[Advancing the Storyline|time is nigh]] when The Lion will return to forgive him of his sins and is quite adamant about this to his jailers. A point which causes no small amount of consternation to his attending Supreme Grand Master.

Luther's personal 'The First of the Fallen' novel reveals that Luther is not really in a stasis field, but is halted in time by the Watchers in the Dark. The madding effects of his dealings with Chaos forces have left his mind in a less then ideal state (sometimes voicing "other" voices, threats, promises, bargains or other unearthly sounds, including demonic laughter), with himself admitting, in his more lucid moments, that his words should be treated as a unreliable source, as even his memory's are confused and sometimes conflict with each other. The one thing that stands out crystal clear is his observation at the gradual degradation of the Dark Angels, with each encounter with new Masters becoming harsher and more extreme (he straight up tells them that the Lion would be ashamed of them). Only Azrael has surprised Luther; Luther even suspects that it was Azrael himself who left Luther unfrozen, and with the door left wide open for him to leave; what Azrael is planning is yet to be revealed, but he has long desired to bring the hunt to and end, and get the Dark Angels back on track.

As of 8th Edition, an attack by the Fallen led by the Fallen daemon prince Marbas has allowed Luther to disappear from his cell. Azrael is naturally very concerned about what this might mean but has to keep the information to himself, considering that no-one else knew Luther was alive. Now reports are coming in that a gathering of the Fallen is massing in the Nihilus Sector, assembling in ''"numbers enough to bring the entire galaxy to heel"'' and Azrael is the only one who suspects the truth of who is leading them. It will be fun to see whether Luther is even sane enough to lead ten thousand Fallen in the first place, whether Chaos will let his marked soul walk around, and what the Lion will say to him when GeeDubs is finally ready to make his model and rules.

==Trivia==
"Luther" is probably named for the monk '''Martin Luther''' (Not Martin Luther King Jr., who was himself named after the monk), who was one of the founders of the Protestant denomination. This is very significant to the Dark Angels' themes of Forgiveness and Repentance, as Martin Luther advocated that salvation was earned through faith alone and not through penitence or confession and decried the Catholic Church as corrupt. Though well-intentioned, the Reformation resulted in the splintering of Christianity on a scale not seen since the schism between the Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and some very messy conflicts.

When applied to 40k, many of the Fallen find justification for what they do and will not repent willingly, thus making it ever more difficult to make them see the error of their ways. Likewise, the conflict between the Fallen and the Loyalists often mimics the past conflict between Catholic and Protestants (real-life being less prone to Grimdark, Catholics and Protestants don't actively kill each other these days, though there are plenty of members of either side who cheerfully despise their opposite numbers), being that both were nominally of the same faith, yet of different minds about it.

{{Marines-Characters}}
{{Template:Chaos-Marines}}

[[Category:Chaos]]
[[Category:Dark Angels]]
[[Category:Fallen Angels]]

Luther

2021-07-02T11:00:05Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907: /* Turning Traitor */

[[File:LutherZahariel.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Luther, with <s>Cypher</s> Zahariel in the background]]
{{Heresy}}
{{Topquote|O beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on|Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello}}

Luther was the best bro/father figure of the [[Primarch]] [[Lion El'Jonson]] before the events of the [[Horus Heresy]].

==Back Story==
Luther was a [[Knight]] of [[The Order]] of Caliban, an organisation dedicated to protecting the people of that world from the [[Chaos Spawn|Beasts]] that roamed its forests.

One day when riding through the glen with his merry band of men, he encountered <s>Tarzan</s> a naked wildman who had no business living alone in that environment. So they captured him and brought him back to civilisation, educated him and introduced him to their order, where they called him "[[Lion El'Jonson|Lion, Son of the Forest]]".
*Before the discovery of the Lion, Luther had just recently lost both his young wife and daughter to as of yet unknown means. He wonders how things would have turned out if the Lion had been raised with both a mother and sister. (All you AU fanfic writers get on this now. I want to see the Lion and his sister braiding each other's hair).
*In “Fallen Angels” Luther gives us a first-hand version of the discovery of the Lion. In it he describes how after a long and costly journey into the darkest and most dangerous parts of Caliban he and his fellow knights stopped near the banks of a river. As the other knights filled the water containers a young boy appeared in their midst. The boy showed no fear but simply stared at them coldly. Luther being the only one in a position to do anything raised his gun and aimed at the boy. As the other knights screamed at Luther to kill the child the boy simply looked at Luther silently; Luther met the boy's eyes and he found that he simply could not pull the trigger and simply let the gun drop to the ground.
:*Given the new revelation that he had just lost his wife and daughter his inability to kill the young Lion makes a lot more sense.
:*The Lion in his version is described as a young boy, which is odd as it appears that the Lion did not have the accelerated childhood that many of his other brothers seem to have experienced but aged in the same way as a normal human child would.
:*Out of all the Monsters of Caliban Luther desired to kill a Calibanite Lion. This is interesting because it raises the possibility that it was a Calibanite Lion that was responsible for the death of his family and drove him to venture so deep into the wild depths of Caliban where he discovered Lion El'Jonson; if true then was the Calibanite Lion killed by Jonson the one responsible?

Together the two warriors rose up the ranks of the Order and became living legends, eventually coming up with a plan to rid the whole world of the [[Chaos Spawn|beasts]] and make it safe for everyone. This took some time, and eventually the Lion got promoted to the top job of ''[[Spiritual Liege|Grand Master]]'' and Luther became his assistant. This is where the cracks had started to show, as many had thought that Luther was on track to gain the position if the Lion had not been discovered, and that Luther was one of the greatest men of his time, only to have been overshadowed by an even greater man due to circumstance.
*It turns out that Luther was indeed named Grand master of the order but when the Lion was nominated for the position he stepped aside. Luther claims that he felt no resentment towards the Lion but seeing as you needed to be both nominated and then voted into the position of Grand Master by your fellow knights that’s got to sting.

Luther became essentially the Lion's public relations expert. Whilst the Lion drew up plans and strategy Luther went out to gather support by wining and dining the planets nobility.
*Given that the people of Caliban have a very knightly theme going on and that they are confirmed to have noble houses then it makes sense that there should be at least one or two Calibanite based Imperial Knight Houses hanging around somewhere on Caliban. Heck the Order itself might have had its own Imperial Knights(Come on forge world you know you want to).

At some point Luther gave his word that the Order would not trespass into the territory of the Knights of Lupus; an old and very traditional knightly order that aggressively opposed the Order and the Lion.

The Order declared war upon the knights of Lupus due to a certain incident that saw the Knights of Lupus slaughter a small band of the Orders rangers because they were apparently too close to their lands. Leaving one left alive so that he could return to the Order with the decapitated remains of his friends.

During the final battle against the Knights of Lupus the Lion would lead a diversionary frontal attack whilst Luther was given the honour of leading the actual attack by attacking their blind spot when they were distracted.

In the end Luther and the Lion end up fighting what is essentially a very big Zombified flightless dragon (the badass Chaos version of a [http://www.beyondthepoint.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Dragon-from-Hroaar-dot-com.jpg medieval-style dragon]). The Lion ends up killing the beast and is cheered by his fellow knights whilst Luther ends up drenched in the creatures foul blood and feeling a bit sorry for himself.

Shortly afterwards the Emperor arrived and brought the [[Imperium]] to Caliban and told the Lion of his heritage and his destiny to lead the [[Dark Angels|First Legion]] on the [[Great Crusade]].

===Great Crusade===
The Lion took many of his Knights with him on this quest and although Luther was too old to become a [[Space Marine]] he was still augmented as much as was practical and was brought along as the second in command. Just like [[Kor Phaeron|another geriatric chucklefuck who raised a Primarch]].

This didn't last long though. Luther inwardly admitted his envy of the Lion and his Astartes brethren, and during a mission to [[Sarosh]] contemplated allowing an enemy nuclear bomb to detonate aboard the Dark Angel's flagship so he could take his rightful place in history. However, he did not follow through with this thought and successfully rescued the flagship and exposed the Saroshi plot.

Because of [[derp|(or despite)]] the Lion's knowledge [[skub|(or lack of)]] about Luther's private doubts, he sent him and [[Fallen Angels|select others]] back to Caliban in order to fortify it and train new Dark Angels for the ongoing crusade.

This is the subject of considerable nerdrage, since it was either seen as an exile for some perceived dishonour or it was part of a [[Just as Planned|greater plan]] to protect the [[Imperium]] (or Caliban) from something that the Lion knew was brewing back on his homeworld but decided not to tell his followers about, just like [[Emperor|his own father]] did with his [[Primarch|sons]]. Or maybe it was because Luther was actively plotting to kill the Lion out of nothing but sheer jealousy, and only changed his mind once he was prodded by [[Zahariel]]. So much for ambiguity. If he just took a moment to pour his heart out to his best friend and speak with him on a personal level ''like an adult'' (looking at you Emps) maybe things would have turned out for the better.

==Exile on Caliban==
Back on Caliban, Luther became heavily dependent upon the [[Librarian]] [[Zahariel]] and the [[Cypher|Lord Cypher]].

Sometime after his exile on Caliban Luther was to respond to a call for aid from the primarch of the Luna Wolves, Horus Lupercal himself. Taking his men and ships he disobeyed the orders given to him by the Lion and fought alongside the likes of Abaddon and Typhus ''(Garviel Loken when he was being interrogated by Luther remembers when Luther and Abaddon competed against each other to see who could get to the objective first).''

He would shock Typhus by revealing that he had Laughed in Abaddon’s face when he had suggested that the Luna Wolves had a greater military background to that of the Dark Angels and the Order. Typhus would then introduce Luther to Erebus who suggested the introduction of the warrior lodges to the ranks of the Dark Angels much to Luther’s amusement.

During the victory celebration the Lion managed to do what no enemy had ever done before; catch Horus by surprise. As if summoned there by the will of some vengeful god the Lion marched into the hall. Luther rose to his feet and tried to explain himself but was silenced by the Lion; Horus spoke up in Luther’s defence but was told in no uncertain terms to shut up. The Lion told Horus that if he wanted victory so badly then it should not have been at the expense of his Dark Angels and that he should instead have used his own sons. Luther then has his fleet taken from him as punishment for disobeying orders and for taking the garrisoned forces away from Caliban.

At this point, something had begun to twist inside Luther and his behaviour became erratic.

Lion El'Jonson had allowed the [[Death World]] of Caliban to become a Terran-administrated industrial world, replacing the forest with factory arcologies. Knights and peasants were replaced with workers. Though most of the planet was still heavily forested, only the areas designated for industrial use, farming and inhabitation were cleared of forest.

With the forests gone and mine shafts digging deep into the planet, bad things were waking up. Luther suspected that the Lion knew about these forces, and that he was planning on [[Exterminatus|destroying the planet]] with the Calibanite Dark Angels on it after the world fueled the imperial war machine all that it could ''(he may be becoming a bit paranoid at this point)'' Still, Luther remained loyal to Johnson until a final discovery pushed him over the brink. The then [[Cypher|Lord Cypher]], that the Lion promoted completely out of the blue over more veteran knights, was actually the only survivor of the Knights of Lupus. The very knights that had realized that as bad as the Beasts were they were seemingly keeping the whatever was buried inside of Caliban from awakening fully as their extensive library, again, that the Lion had ordered preserved out of the blue, seemed to indicate. This was the last straw that cemented the idea that Jonson knew more than he let on ''(that at least was true)'' and wanted to get rid of Caliban in Luther's unhinged mind.

Luther needs to take some of the blame here as all the stuff that went wrong happened under his stewardship. He was in charge of the planet in the Lion’s absence and although he puts all the blame on the Lion for how the planet turned out pretty much all of the decisions regarding Caliban would have had his direct permission and authorization. It may seem a bit conspiratorial but it is possible that despite being an honourable man ''(at least at the beginning)'' who would not break an oath without just cause Luther may have actually subconsciously allowed Caliban to go to hell in order to justify his future actions.

Learning from the Knights of Lupus' collection of dusty tomes about [[Chaos|rituals and incantations]], he uncovered a "plot" where Terran colonists were ''apparently'' attempting to summon a [[Daemon|creature]] called the [[Ouroboros]] onto Caliban. With Zahariel's assistance he broke up this coven and attempted to gain power over the creature for himself. After gaining access to the books from the Knights of Lupus that the Lion had hidden away, he started to dabble in the arcane arts; covering himself in runes and learning how to casts spells in the same manner as a chaos sorcerer. How advanced his studies were exactly is unknown but he was far along enough that he was able to nullify Israfael's psychic assault and resurrect Zahariel. He would even try his hand at summoning daemons, being so happy to succeed on his first time (believing he had achieved power enough to challenge even the Lion) he forgot to finish binding it to his will, allowing the daemon to leave the circle, where to Luther's surprise it took a knee and bowed to him.

Zahariel discovered that the Terran "plot" was actually false, that the Terrans were in fact attempting to banish the Ouroboros instead of summoning it, and that Luther was looking to gain power in an attempt to free Caliban from the oppression of the [[Imperium]]. Needless to say, the Dark Ones were intrigued.

===Turning Traitor===
Later, Luther captured one of [[Malcador]]'s [[Knights-Errant]]: [[Garviel Loken]], who was on Caliban to discover where the exiled Dark Angels loyalties lay, since no contact had been made from them in some time. This would prove to be a turning point, as Luther and his allies had no idea that the [[Horus Heresy]] was taking place around them and had been kept ignorant by the [[Watchers in the Dark]] and one of their Astartes allies ''(whose identity is not explicitly stated, but presumed to be [[Cypher]])'' The Knights-Errant killed a Dark Angel during their escape, which would upset the balance of ignorance that had been maintained and set the Dark Angels on the path for the Fall.

With the help of that snake in the grass '''Astelan''', Luther was able to round up all the Dark Angels on Caliban that would have opposed him and imprison them beneath Aldurukh. During the revolt Luther was able to kill a veteran Dark Angel with little more than a letter opener - Badass for a non-Astartes.

As they prepared to openly announce their secession from the Imperium a fleet led by Belath appeared suddenly above Caliban. Belath had been ordered to come and collect the newly trained Dark Angels and bring them back to the fleet in order to continue the fight against the [[Death Guard]]. Luther persuaded Belath to wait prior to departing in order to throw a grand feast to celebrate this grand occasion ''(anyone who has watched Game of Thrones probably has a good idea where this is going)''. Luther had hoped to turn Belath and his Dark Angels to his side and during the feast he gives an impassioned speech about the evils of the Imperium and how the Emperor and the Lion have abandoned them, all the while having Zahariel and his Librarians ''(now called the Mystai)'' reach into the minds of all those listening to make it easier for them to be manipulated. The plan worked almost too well for Zahariel ''(who was now under the influence of the Ouroboros)'' so he killed Belath claiming he was about to attack Luther. What happens next makes the “Red Wedding” look subtle and downplayed, much to Luther’s dismay and anger.

With the disaster of the feast behind them, Luther and Astelan claimed ownership of the Dark Angels fleet and Astelan agreed to do Luther’s dirty work since Luther needed to be seen as beyond reproach. They planned to expand their power base by “'''Liberating'''” nearby systems from the oppression of the Imperium. As they put their plan into practice they stumbled upon Calas Typhon and what remained of his fleet as they retreated from the relentless pursuit of Corswain.

Upon their reunion Luther welcomed Typhon with open arms and offered Typhon and his fleet a place to recuperate and repair their damaged starships in the Zaramund system. Unbeknownst to Luther, it was at this point that Typhon would begin his tranformation, after being confronted by a group of Nurgle worshiping pilgrims who already referred to him as '''"Great Lord Typhus"''' and beginning a sickening ritual where they started to erupt with infection. The Calibanite captain that was sent to spy on the Death Guard flew into a rage and started hacking the cultists to death and then tried to kill Typhon in front of his Grave Wardens, though at that time Typhus what completely oblivious to any change and couldn't figure out what had driven the Dark Angel to get so mad and try and kill him. During the fight although the Calibanite was able to inflict a seeming mortal wound on Typhon, the injuries the Dark Angel inflicted were only the catalyst for ''Typhon's'' final tranformation, then ''Typhus'' was able to defeat his opponent. Afterwards, asking what his own Grave Wardens had seen, they had witnessed nothing other than a Dark Angel hacking apart civilians and then trying to assassinate their Captain. To avoid further incident '''Typhus''' would then quietly leave the Zaramund system, leaving Luther completely nonplussed.

Typhus would present Luther with a weapon, a blade of horrific power, and instruction him that to complete his destiny (that would forever bind him to the ruinous powers) he would need to wield the blade to make a sacrifice. Luther would be tempted to complete the bargain by using it on Corswain when he turned up on Caliban looking for any loyal reinforcements he could bring with him on his way to Terra, but couldn't bring himself to slay such a noble son of Caliban. In a flashback to his duel with the Lion, the blade is shown driven deep into the Lion's midsection; Luther admits that although he used the blade he did "not kill" the Lion.

At some point before the Lion's return, fighting broke out on the surface between those loyal to the Lion and those loyal to Luther. “Angels of Darkness” tells us that apparently (remember this is Astelan here) agents of the Lion retook the fleet above Caliban, which resulted in the ships crashing into the planet’s surface, burning its atmosphere and turning the earth to ash with only the great shields protecting the Order's fortress-monasteries saving them from destruction.

===The Fall of Caliban===
When the Lion returned to Caliban after the Horus Heresy had finished, he found a world that despised him and the Imperium and a war took place which cracked the very core of the planet, leaving nothing but [[The Rock|fragments]].

According to the legend, Luther had been empowered by the Dark Gods and was now an equal for the Lion. This is where the lion is again the Emprahs mini me. The Lion could not bring himself to strike down Luther and that hesitation was monopolised by Luther who psychically struck him down, though in a final moment he realised his error and broke down in tears.

When the Dark Angels descended upon the site of the battle, they could not find the body of their Primarch, the only clue was given by the now-insane Luther, who had said that the [[Watchers in the Dark]] had taken the Lion away.

==41st Millenium==
Luther is still alive 10,000 years later, kept in a cell at the heart of [[The Rock]] known only to the [[Azrael|Supreme Grand Master]] of the Dark Angels and his predecessors. The cell can only be unlocked using the Sword of Secrets and it is the duty of the holder of that blade to coerce Luther to admit to his crimes against their Primarch and the Imperium. Luther is old, especially for a man not blessed with being a full Space Marine. He is older than the fungus growing under your grandfather's toenails. Older than the pill line at a nursing home. Older than the rancid bacon I found in the back of my refrigerator last night. As such when he is not being interrogated by the Dark Angels Supreme Grand Master, he is kept in stasis to preserve what little life he has left. In the Legacy of Caliban novel series, Azrael comments as to the strict time limit he has to question the old coot for fear he'll give up the ghost before he can finish a sentence. He also remarks as to how difficult this is thanks to Ole Luther being nuttier than an unwanted fruitcake on Christmas eve. Did I mention he is old? (they probably should let the guy sleep outside of stasis for a good 8 hours. The lack of sleep is prob what's driven the guy nuts. How many hours of sleep in 10000 years do you think they let him have?)

Suffice to say that no Supreme Grand Master has succeeded in getting Luther to repent. Though during some of his interrogations, Luther has been of great help to his erstwhile kin, leading them to recover lost fragments of lore and technology hidden with-in the country sized bulk that is The Rock. Examples being the recovery of the STC for the Nephilim Jet Fighter. Luther's "help" can be fickle at best as most of what he utters are the lunatic ravings and riddles of a man off his ass on ether. He is convinced that the [[Advancing the Storyline|time is nigh]] when The Lion will return to forgive him of his sins and is quite adamant about this to his jailers. A point which causes no small amount of consternation to his attending Supreme Grand Master.

Luther's personal 'The First of the Fallen' novel reveals that Luther is not really in a stasis field, but is halted in time by the Watchers in the Dark. The madding effects of his dealings with Chaos forces have left his mind in a less then ideal state (sometimes voicing "other" voices, threats, promises, bargains or other unearthly sounds, including demonic laughter), with himself admitting, in his more lucid moments, that his words should be treated as a unreliable source, as even his memory's are confused and sometimes conflict with each other. The one thing that stands out crystal clear is his observation at the gradual degradation of the Dark Angels, with each encounter with new Masters becoming harsher and more extreme (he straight up tells them that the Lion would be ashamed of them). Only Azrael has surprised Luther; Luther even suspects that it was Azrael himself who left Luther unfrozen, and with the door left wide open for him to leave; what Azrael is planning is yet to be revealed, but he has long desired to bring the hunt to and end, and get the Dark Angels back on track.

As of 8th Edition, an attack by the Fallen led by the Fallen daemon prince Marbas has allowed Luther to disappear from his cell. Azrael is naturally very concerned about what this might mean but has to keep the information to himself, considering that no-one else knew Luther was alive. Now reports are coming in that a gathering of the Fallen is massing in the Nihilus Sector, assembling in ''"numbers enough to bring the entire galaxy to heel"'' and Azrael is the only one who suspects the truth of who is leading them. It will be fun to see whether Luther is even sane enough to lead ten thousand Fallen in the first place, whether Chaos will let his marked soul walk around, and what the Lion will say to him when GeeDubs is finally ready to make his model and rules.

==Trivia==
"Luther" is probably named for the monk '''Martin Luther''' (Not Martin Luther King Jr., who was himself named after the monk), who was one of the founders of the Protestant denomination. This is very significant to the Dark Angels' themes of Forgiveness and Repentance, as Martin Luther advocated that salvation was earned through faith alone and not through penitence or confession and decried the Catholic Church as corrupt. Though well-intentioned, the Reformation resulted in the splintering of Christianity on a scale not seen since the schism between the Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and some very messy conflicts.

When applied to 40k, many of the Fallen find justification for what they do and will not repent willingly, thus making it ever more difficult to make them see the error of their ways. Likewise, the conflict between the Fallen and the Loyalists often mimics the past conflict between Catholic and Protestants (real-life being less prone to Grimdark, Catholics and Protestants don't actively kill each other these days, though there are plenty of members of either side who cheerfully despise their opposite numbers), being that both were nominally of the same faith, yet of different minds about it.

{{Marines-Characters}}
{{Template:Chaos-Marines}}

[[Category:Chaos]]
[[Category:Dark Angels]]
[[Category:Fallen Angels]]

Luther

2021-07-02T10:59:41Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907: /* Turning Traitor */

[[File:LutherZahariel.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Luther, with <s>Cypher</s> Zahariel in the background]]
{{Heresy}}
{{Topquote|O beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on|Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello}}

Luther was the best bro/father figure of the [[Primarch]] [[Lion El'Jonson]] before the events of the [[Horus Heresy]].

==Back Story==
Luther was a [[Knight]] of [[The Order]] of Caliban, an organisation dedicated to protecting the people of that world from the [[Chaos Spawn|Beasts]] that roamed its forests.

One day when riding through the glen with his merry band of men, he encountered <s>Tarzan</s> a naked wildman who had no business living alone in that environment. So they captured him and brought him back to civilisation, educated him and introduced him to their order, where they called him "[[Lion El'Jonson|Lion, Son of the Forest]]".
*Before the discovery of the Lion, Luther had just recently lost both his young wife and daughter to as of yet unknown means. He wonders how things would have turned out if the Lion had been raised with both a mother and sister. (All you AU fanfic writers get on this now. I want to see the Lion and his sister braiding each other's hair).
*In “Fallen Angels” Luther gives us a first-hand version of the discovery of the Lion. In it he describes how after a long and costly journey into the darkest and most dangerous parts of Caliban he and his fellow knights stopped near the banks of a river. As the other knights filled the water containers a young boy appeared in their midst. The boy showed no fear but simply stared at them coldly. Luther being the only one in a position to do anything raised his gun and aimed at the boy. As the other knights screamed at Luther to kill the child the boy simply looked at Luther silently; Luther met the boy's eyes and he found that he simply could not pull the trigger and simply let the gun drop to the ground.
:*Given the new revelation that he had just lost his wife and daughter his inability to kill the young Lion makes a lot more sense.
:*The Lion in his version is described as a young boy, which is odd as it appears that the Lion did not have the accelerated childhood that many of his other brothers seem to have experienced but aged in the same way as a normal human child would.
:*Out of all the Monsters of Caliban Luther desired to kill a Calibanite Lion. This is interesting because it raises the possibility that it was a Calibanite Lion that was responsible for the death of his family and drove him to venture so deep into the wild depths of Caliban where he discovered Lion El'Jonson; if true then was the Calibanite Lion killed by Jonson the one responsible?

Together the two warriors rose up the ranks of the Order and became living legends, eventually coming up with a plan to rid the whole world of the [[Chaos Spawn|beasts]] and make it safe for everyone. This took some time, and eventually the Lion got promoted to the top job of ''[[Spiritual Liege|Grand Master]]'' and Luther became his assistant. This is where the cracks had started to show, as many had thought that Luther was on track to gain the position if the Lion had not been discovered, and that Luther was one of the greatest men of his time, only to have been overshadowed by an even greater man due to circumstance.
*It turns out that Luther was indeed named Grand master of the order but when the Lion was nominated for the position he stepped aside. Luther claims that he felt no resentment towards the Lion but seeing as you needed to be both nominated and then voted into the position of Grand Master by your fellow knights that’s got to sting.

Luther became essentially the Lion's public relations expert. Whilst the Lion drew up plans and strategy Luther went out to gather support by wining and dining the planets nobility.
*Given that the people of Caliban have a very knightly theme going on and that they are confirmed to have noble houses then it makes sense that there should be at least one or two Calibanite based Imperial Knight Houses hanging around somewhere on Caliban. Heck the Order itself might have had its own Imperial Knights(Come on forge world you know you want to).

At some point Luther gave his word that the Order would not trespass into the territory of the Knights of Lupus; an old and very traditional knightly order that aggressively opposed the Order and the Lion.

The Order declared war upon the knights of Lupus due to a certain incident that saw the Knights of Lupus slaughter a small band of the Orders rangers because they were apparently too close to their lands. Leaving one left alive so that he could return to the Order with the decapitated remains of his friends.

During the final battle against the Knights of Lupus the Lion would lead a diversionary frontal attack whilst Luther was given the honour of leading the actual attack by attacking their blind spot when they were distracted.

In the end Luther and the Lion end up fighting what is essentially a very big Zombified flightless dragon (the badass Chaos version of a [http://www.beyondthepoint.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Dragon-from-Hroaar-dot-com.jpg medieval-style dragon]). The Lion ends up killing the beast and is cheered by his fellow knights whilst Luther ends up drenched in the creatures foul blood and feeling a bit sorry for himself.

Shortly afterwards the Emperor arrived and brought the [[Imperium]] to Caliban and told the Lion of his heritage and his destiny to lead the [[Dark Angels|First Legion]] on the [[Great Crusade]].

===Great Crusade===
The Lion took many of his Knights with him on this quest and although Luther was too old to become a [[Space Marine]] he was still augmented as much as was practical and was brought along as the second in command. Just like [[Kor Phaeron|another geriatric chucklefuck who raised a Primarch]].

This didn't last long though. Luther inwardly admitted his envy of the Lion and his Astartes brethren, and during a mission to [[Sarosh]] contemplated allowing an enemy nuclear bomb to detonate aboard the Dark Angel's flagship so he could take his rightful place in history. However, he did not follow through with this thought and successfully rescued the flagship and exposed the Saroshi plot.

Because of [[derp|(or despite)]] the Lion's knowledge [[skub|(or lack of)]] about Luther's private doubts, he sent him and [[Fallen Angels|select others]] back to Caliban in order to fortify it and train new Dark Angels for the ongoing crusade.

This is the subject of considerable nerdrage, since it was either seen as an exile for some perceived dishonour or it was part of a [[Just as Planned|greater plan]] to protect the [[Imperium]] (or Caliban) from something that the Lion knew was brewing back on his homeworld but decided not to tell his followers about, just like [[Emperor|his own father]] did with his [[Primarch|sons]]. Or maybe it was because Luther was actively plotting to kill the Lion out of nothing but sheer jealousy, and only changed his mind once he was prodded by [[Zahariel]]. So much for ambiguity. If he just took a moment to pour his heart out to his best friend and speak with him on a personal level ''like an adult'' (looking at you Emps) maybe things would have turned out for the better.

==Exile on Caliban==
Back on Caliban, Luther became heavily dependent upon the [[Librarian]] [[Zahariel]] and the [[Cypher|Lord Cypher]].

Sometime after his exile on Caliban Luther was to respond to a call for aid from the primarch of the Luna Wolves, Horus Lupercal himself. Taking his men and ships he disobeyed the orders given to him by the Lion and fought alongside the likes of Abaddon and Typhus ''(Garviel Loken when he was being interrogated by Luther remembers when Luther and Abaddon competed against each other to see who could get to the objective first).''

He would shock Typhus by revealing that he had Laughed in Abaddon’s face when he had suggested that the Luna Wolves had a greater military background to that of the Dark Angels and the Order. Typhus would then introduce Luther to Erebus who suggested the introduction of the warrior lodges to the ranks of the Dark Angels much to Luther’s amusement.

During the victory celebration the Lion managed to do what no enemy had ever done before; catch Horus by surprise. As if summoned there by the will of some vengeful god the Lion marched into the hall. Luther rose to his feet and tried to explain himself but was silenced by the Lion; Horus spoke up in Luther’s defence but was told in no uncertain terms to shut up. The Lion told Horus that if he wanted victory so badly then it should not have been at the expense of his Dark Angels and that he should instead have used his own sons. Luther then has his fleet taken from him as punishment for disobeying orders and for taking the garrisoned forces away from Caliban.

At this point, something had begun to twist inside Luther and his behaviour became erratic.

Lion El'Jonson had allowed the [[Death World]] of Caliban to become a Terran-administrated industrial world, replacing the forest with factory arcologies. Knights and peasants were replaced with workers. Though most of the planet was still heavily forested, only the areas designated for industrial use, farming and inhabitation were cleared of forest.

With the forests gone and mine shafts digging deep into the planet, bad things were waking up. Luther suspected that the Lion knew about these forces, and that he was planning on [[Exterminatus|destroying the planet]] with the Calibanite Dark Angels on it after the world fueled the imperial war machine all that it could ''(he may be becoming a bit paranoid at this point)'' Still, Luther remained loyal to Johnson until a final discovery pushed him over the brink. The then [[Cypher|Lord Cypher]], that the Lion promoted completely out of the blue over more veteran knights, was actually the only survivor of the Knights of Lupus. The very knights that had realized that as bad as the Beasts were they were seemingly keeping the whatever was buried inside of Caliban from awakening fully as their extensive library, again, that the Lion had ordered preserved out of the blue, seemed to indicate. This was the last straw that cemented the idea that Jonson knew more than he let on ''(that at least was true)'' and wanted to get rid of Caliban in Luther's unhinged mind.

Luther needs to take some of the blame here as all the stuff that went wrong happened under his stewardship. He was in charge of the planet in the Lion’s absence and although he puts all the blame on the Lion for how the planet turned out pretty much all of the decisions regarding Caliban would have had his direct permission and authorization. It may seem a bit conspiratorial but it is possible that despite being an honourable man ''(at least at the beginning)'' who would not break an oath without just cause Luther may have actually subconsciously allowed Caliban to go to hell in order to justify his future actions.

Learning from the Knights of Lupus' collection of dusty tomes about [[Chaos|rituals and incantations]], he uncovered a "plot" where Terran colonists were ''apparently'' attempting to summon a [[Daemon|creature]] called the [[Ouroboros]] onto Caliban. With Zahariel's assistance he broke up this coven and attempted to gain power over the creature for himself. After gaining access to the books from the Knights of Lupus that the Lion had hidden away, he started to dabble in the arcane arts; covering himself in runes and learning how to casts spells in the same manner as a chaos sorcerer. How advanced his studies were exactly is unknown but he was far along enough that he was able to nullify Israfael's psychic assault and resurrect Zahariel. He would even try his hand at summoning daemons, being so happy to succeed on his first time (believing he had achieved power enough to challenge even the Lion) he forgot to finish binding it to his will, allowing the daemon to leave the circle, where to Luther's surprise it took a knee and bowed to him.

Zahariel discovered that the Terran "plot" was actually false, that the Terrans were in fact attempting to banish the Ouroboros instead of summoning it, and that Luther was looking to gain power in an attempt to free Caliban from the oppression of the [[Imperium]]. Needless to say, the Dark Ones were intrigued.

===Turning Traitor===
Later, Luther captured one of [[Malcador]]'s [[Knights-Errant]]: [[Garviel Loken]], who was on Caliban to discover where the exiled Dark Angels loyalties lay, since no contact had been made from them in some time. This would prove to be a turning point, as Luther and his allies had no idea that the [[Horus Heresy]] was taking place around them and had been kept ignorant by the [[Watchers in the Dark]] and one of their Astartes allies ''(whose identity is not explicitly stated, but presumed to be [[Cypher]])'' The Knights-Errant killed a Dark Angel during their escape, which would upset the balance of ignorance that had been maintained and set the Dark Angels on the path for the Fall.

With the help of that snake in the grass '''Astelan''', Luther was able to round up all the Dark Angels on Caliban that would have opposed him and imprison them beneath Aldurukh. During the revolt Luther was able to kill a veteran Dark Angel with little more than a letter opener - Badass for a non-Astartes.

As they prepare to openly announce their secession from the Imperium a fleet led by Belath appeared suddenly above Caliban. Belath had been ordered to come and collect the newly trained Dark Angels and bring them back to the fleet in order to continue the fight against the [[Death Guard]]. Luther persuaded Belath to wait prior to departing in order to throw a grand feast to celebrate this grand occasion ''(anyone who has watched Game of Thrones probably has a good idea where this is going)''. Luther had hoped to turn Belath and his Dark Angels to his side and during the feast he gives an impassioned speech about the evils of the Imperium and how the Emperor and the Lion have abandoned them, all the while having Zahariel and his Librarians ''(now called the Mystai)'' reach into the minds of all those listening to make it easier for them to be manipulated. The plan worked almost too well for Zahariel ''(who was now under the influence of the Ouroboros)'' so he killed Belath claiming he was about to attack Luther. What happens next makes the “Red Wedding” look subtle and downplayed, much to Luther’s dismay and anger.

With the disaster of the feast behind them, Luther and Astelan claimed ownership of the Dark Angels fleet and Astelan agreed to do Luther’s dirty work since Luther needed to be seen as beyond reproach. They planned to expand their power base by “'''Liberating'''” nearby systems from the oppression of the Imperium. As they put their plan into practice they stumbled upon Calas Typhon and what remained of his fleet as they retreated from the relentless pursuit of Corswain.

Upon their reunion Luther welcomed Typhon with open arms and offered Typhon and his fleet a place to recuperate and repair their damaged starships in the Zaramund system. Unbeknownst to Luther, it was at this point that Typhon would begin his tranformation, after being confronted by a group of Nurgle worshiping pilgrims who already referred to him as '''"Great Lord Typhus"''' and beginning a sickening ritual where they started to erupt with infection. The Calibanite captain that was sent to spy on the Death Guard flew into a rage and started hacking the cultists to death and then tried to kill Typhon in front of his Grave Wardens, though at that time Typhus what completely oblivious to any change and couldn't figure out what had driven the Dark Angel to get so mad and try and kill him. During the fight although the Calibanite was able to inflict a seeming mortal wound on Typhon, the injuries the Dark Angel inflicted were only the catalyst for ''Typhon's'' final tranformation, then ''Typhus'' was able to defeat his opponent. Afterwards, asking what his own Grave Wardens had seen, they had witnessed nothing other than a Dark Angel hacking apart civilians and then trying to assassinate their Captain. To avoid further incident '''Typhus''' would then quietly leave the Zaramund system, leaving Luther completely nonplussed.

Typhus would present Luther with a weapon, a blade of horrific power, and instruction him that to complete his destiny (that would forever bind him to the ruinous powers) he would need to wield the blade to make a sacrifice. Luther would be tempted to complete the bargain by using it on Corswain when he turned up on Caliban looking for any loyal reinforcements he could bring with him on his way to Terra, but couldn't bring himself to slay such a noble son of Caliban. In a flashback to his duel with the Lion, the blade is shown driven deep into the Lion's midsection; Luther admits that although he used the blade he did "not kill" the Lion.

At some point before the Lion's return, fighting broke out on the surface between those loyal to the Lion and those loyal to Luther. “Angels of Darkness” tells us that apparently (remember this is Astelan here) agents of the Lion retook the fleet above Caliban, which resulted in the ships crashing into the planet’s surface, burning its atmosphere and turning the earth to ash with only the great shields protecting the Order's fortress-monasteries saving them from destruction.

===The Fall of Caliban===
When the Lion returned to Caliban after the Horus Heresy had finished, he found a world that despised him and the Imperium and a war took place which cracked the very core of the planet, leaving nothing but [[The Rock|fragments]].

According to the legend, Luther had been empowered by the Dark Gods and was now an equal for the Lion. This is where the lion is again the Emprahs mini me. The Lion could not bring himself to strike down Luther and that hesitation was monopolised by Luther who psychically struck him down, though in a final moment he realised his error and broke down in tears.

When the Dark Angels descended upon the site of the battle, they could not find the body of their Primarch, the only clue was given by the now-insane Luther, who had said that the [[Watchers in the Dark]] had taken the Lion away.

==41st Millenium==
Luther is still alive 10,000 years later, kept in a cell at the heart of [[The Rock]] known only to the [[Azrael|Supreme Grand Master]] of the Dark Angels and his predecessors. The cell can only be unlocked using the Sword of Secrets and it is the duty of the holder of that blade to coerce Luther to admit to his crimes against their Primarch and the Imperium. Luther is old, especially for a man not blessed with being a full Space Marine. He is older than the fungus growing under your grandfather's toenails. Older than the pill line at a nursing home. Older than the rancid bacon I found in the back of my refrigerator last night. As such when he is not being interrogated by the Dark Angels Supreme Grand Master, he is kept in stasis to preserve what little life he has left. In the Legacy of Caliban novel series, Azrael comments as to the strict time limit he has to question the old coot for fear he'll give up the ghost before he can finish a sentence. He also remarks as to how difficult this is thanks to Ole Luther being nuttier than an unwanted fruitcake on Christmas eve. Did I mention he is old? (they probably should let the guy sleep outside of stasis for a good 8 hours. The lack of sleep is prob what's driven the guy nuts. How many hours of sleep in 10000 years do you think they let him have?)

Suffice to say that no Supreme Grand Master has succeeded in getting Luther to repent. Though during some of his interrogations, Luther has been of great help to his erstwhile kin, leading them to recover lost fragments of lore and technology hidden with-in the country sized bulk that is The Rock. Examples being the recovery of the STC for the Nephilim Jet Fighter. Luther's "help" can be fickle at best as most of what he utters are the lunatic ravings and riddles of a man off his ass on ether. He is convinced that the [[Advancing the Storyline|time is nigh]] when The Lion will return to forgive him of his sins and is quite adamant about this to his jailers. A point which causes no small amount of consternation to his attending Supreme Grand Master.

Luther's personal 'The First of the Fallen' novel reveals that Luther is not really in a stasis field, but is halted in time by the Watchers in the Dark. The madding effects of his dealings with Chaos forces have left his mind in a less then ideal state (sometimes voicing "other" voices, threats, promises, bargains or other unearthly sounds, including demonic laughter), with himself admitting, in his more lucid moments, that his words should be treated as a unreliable source, as even his memory's are confused and sometimes conflict with each other. The one thing that stands out crystal clear is his observation at the gradual degradation of the Dark Angels, with each encounter with new Masters becoming harsher and more extreme (he straight up tells them that the Lion would be ashamed of them). Only Azrael has surprised Luther; Luther even suspects that it was Azrael himself who left Luther unfrozen, and with the door left wide open for him to leave; what Azrael is planning is yet to be revealed, but he has long desired to bring the hunt to and end, and get the Dark Angels back on track.

As of 8th Edition, an attack by the Fallen led by the Fallen daemon prince Marbas has allowed Luther to disappear from his cell. Azrael is naturally very concerned about what this might mean but has to keep the information to himself, considering that no-one else knew Luther was alive. Now reports are coming in that a gathering of the Fallen is massing in the Nihilus Sector, assembling in ''"numbers enough to bring the entire galaxy to heel"'' and Azrael is the only one who suspects the truth of who is leading them. It will be fun to see whether Luther is even sane enough to lead ten thousand Fallen in the first place, whether Chaos will let his marked soul walk around, and what the Lion will say to him when GeeDubs is finally ready to make his model and rules.

==Trivia==
"Luther" is probably named for the monk '''Martin Luther''' (Not Martin Luther King Jr., who was himself named after the monk), who was one of the founders of the Protestant denomination. This is very significant to the Dark Angels' themes of Forgiveness and Repentance, as Martin Luther advocated that salvation was earned through faith alone and not through penitence or confession and decried the Catholic Church as corrupt. Though well-intentioned, the Reformation resulted in the splintering of Christianity on a scale not seen since the schism between the Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and some very messy conflicts.

When applied to 40k, many of the Fallen find justification for what they do and will not repent willingly, thus making it ever more difficult to make them see the error of their ways. Likewise, the conflict between the Fallen and the Loyalists often mimics the past conflict between Catholic and Protestants (real-life being less prone to Grimdark, Catholics and Protestants don't actively kill each other these days, though there are plenty of members of either side who cheerfully despise their opposite numbers), being that both were nominally of the same faith, yet of different minds about it.

{{Marines-Characters}}
{{Template:Chaos-Marines}}

[[Category:Chaos]]
[[Category:Dark Angels]]
[[Category:Fallen Angels]]

Luther

2021-07-02T10:57:25Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907: /* Exile on Caliban */

[[File:LutherZahariel.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Luther, with <s>Cypher</s> Zahariel in the background]]
{{Heresy}}
{{Topquote|O beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on|Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello}}

Luther was the best bro/father figure of the [[Primarch]] [[Lion El'Jonson]] before the events of the [[Horus Heresy]].

==Back Story==
Luther was a [[Knight]] of [[The Order]] of Caliban, an organisation dedicated to protecting the people of that world from the [[Chaos Spawn|Beasts]] that roamed its forests.

One day when riding through the glen with his merry band of men, he encountered <s>Tarzan</s> a naked wildman who had no business living alone in that environment. So they captured him and brought him back to civilisation, educated him and introduced him to their order, where they called him "[[Lion El'Jonson|Lion, Son of the Forest]]".
*Before the discovery of the Lion, Luther had just recently lost both his young wife and daughter to as of yet unknown means. He wonders how things would have turned out if the Lion had been raised with both a mother and sister. (All you AU fanfic writers get on this now. I want to see the Lion and his sister braiding each other's hair).
*In “Fallen Angels” Luther gives us a first-hand version of the discovery of the Lion. In it he describes how after a long and costly journey into the darkest and most dangerous parts of Caliban he and his fellow knights stopped near the banks of a river. As the other knights filled the water containers a young boy appeared in their midst. The boy showed no fear but simply stared at them coldly. Luther being the only one in a position to do anything raised his gun and aimed at the boy. As the other knights screamed at Luther to kill the child the boy simply looked at Luther silently; Luther met the boy's eyes and he found that he simply could not pull the trigger and simply let the gun drop to the ground.
:*Given the new revelation that he had just lost his wife and daughter his inability to kill the young Lion makes a lot more sense.
:*The Lion in his version is described as a young boy, which is odd as it appears that the Lion did not have the accelerated childhood that many of his other brothers seem to have experienced but aged in the same way as a normal human child would.
:*Out of all the Monsters of Caliban Luther desired to kill a Calibanite Lion. This is interesting because it raises the possibility that it was a Calibanite Lion that was responsible for the death of his family and drove him to venture so deep into the wild depths of Caliban where he discovered Lion El'Jonson; if true then was the Calibanite Lion killed by Jonson the one responsible?

Together the two warriors rose up the ranks of the Order and became living legends, eventually coming up with a plan to rid the whole world of the [[Chaos Spawn|beasts]] and make it safe for everyone. This took some time, and eventually the Lion got promoted to the top job of ''[[Spiritual Liege|Grand Master]]'' and Luther became his assistant. This is where the cracks had started to show, as many had thought that Luther was on track to gain the position if the Lion had not been discovered, and that Luther was one of the greatest men of his time, only to have been overshadowed by an even greater man due to circumstance.
*It turns out that Luther was indeed named Grand master of the order but when the Lion was nominated for the position he stepped aside. Luther claims that he felt no resentment towards the Lion but seeing as you needed to be both nominated and then voted into the position of Grand Master by your fellow knights that’s got to sting.

Luther became essentially the Lion's public relations expert. Whilst the Lion drew up plans and strategy Luther went out to gather support by wining and dining the planets nobility.
*Given that the people of Caliban have a very knightly theme going on and that they are confirmed to have noble houses then it makes sense that there should be at least one or two Calibanite based Imperial Knight Houses hanging around somewhere on Caliban. Heck the Order itself might have had its own Imperial Knights(Come on forge world you know you want to).

At some point Luther gave his word that the Order would not trespass into the territory of the Knights of Lupus; an old and very traditional knightly order that aggressively opposed the Order and the Lion.

The Order declared war upon the knights of Lupus due to a certain incident that saw the Knights of Lupus slaughter a small band of the Orders rangers because they were apparently too close to their lands. Leaving one left alive so that he could return to the Order with the decapitated remains of his friends.

During the final battle against the Knights of Lupus the Lion would lead a diversionary frontal attack whilst Luther was given the honour of leading the actual attack by attacking their blind spot when they were distracted.

In the end Luther and the Lion end up fighting what is essentially a very big Zombified flightless dragon (the badass Chaos version of a [http://www.beyondthepoint.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Dragon-from-Hroaar-dot-com.jpg medieval-style dragon]). The Lion ends up killing the beast and is cheered by his fellow knights whilst Luther ends up drenched in the creatures foul blood and feeling a bit sorry for himself.

Shortly afterwards the Emperor arrived and brought the [[Imperium]] to Caliban and told the Lion of his heritage and his destiny to lead the [[Dark Angels|First Legion]] on the [[Great Crusade]].

===Great Crusade===
The Lion took many of his Knights with him on this quest and although Luther was too old to become a [[Space Marine]] he was still augmented as much as was practical and was brought along as the second in command. Just like [[Kor Phaeron|another geriatric chucklefuck who raised a Primarch]].

This didn't last long though. Luther inwardly admitted his envy of the Lion and his Astartes brethren, and during a mission to [[Sarosh]] contemplated allowing an enemy nuclear bomb to detonate aboard the Dark Angel's flagship so he could take his rightful place in history. However, he did not follow through with this thought and successfully rescued the flagship and exposed the Saroshi plot.

Because of [[derp|(or despite)]] the Lion's knowledge [[skub|(or lack of)]] about Luther's private doubts, he sent him and [[Fallen Angels|select others]] back to Caliban in order to fortify it and train new Dark Angels for the ongoing crusade.

This is the subject of considerable nerdrage, since it was either seen as an exile for some perceived dishonour or it was part of a [[Just as Planned|greater plan]] to protect the [[Imperium]] (or Caliban) from something that the Lion knew was brewing back on his homeworld but decided not to tell his followers about, just like [[Emperor|his own father]] did with his [[Primarch|sons]]. Or maybe it was because Luther was actively plotting to kill the Lion out of nothing but sheer jealousy, and only changed his mind once he was prodded by [[Zahariel]]. So much for ambiguity. If he just took a moment to pour his heart out to his best friend and speak with him on a personal level ''like an adult'' (looking at you Emps) maybe things would have turned out for the better.

==Exile on Caliban==
Back on Caliban, Luther became heavily dependent upon the [[Librarian]] [[Zahariel]] and the [[Cypher|Lord Cypher]].

Sometime after his exile on Caliban Luther was to respond to a call for aid from the primarch of the Luna Wolves, Horus Lupercal himself. Taking his men and ships he disobeyed the orders given to him by the Lion and fought alongside the likes of Abaddon and Typhus ''(Garviel Loken when he was being interrogated by Luther remembers when Luther and Abaddon competed against each other to see who could get to the objective first).''

He would shock Typhus by revealing that he had Laughed in Abaddon’s face when he had suggested that the Luna Wolves had a greater military background to that of the Dark Angels and the Order. Typhus would then introduce Luther to Erebus who suggested the introduction of the warrior lodges to the ranks of the Dark Angels much to Luther’s amusement.

During the victory celebration the Lion managed to do what no enemy had ever done before; catch Horus by surprise. As if summoned there by the will of some vengeful god the Lion marched into the hall. Luther rose to his feet and tried to explain himself but was silenced by the Lion; Horus spoke up in Luther’s defence but was told in no uncertain terms to shut up. The Lion told Horus that if he wanted victory so badly then it should not have been at the expense of his Dark Angels and that he should instead have used his own sons. Luther then has his fleet taken from him as punishment for disobeying orders and for taking the garrisoned forces away from Caliban.

At this point, something had begun to twist inside Luther and his behaviour became erratic.

Lion El'Jonson had allowed the [[Death World]] of Caliban to become a Terran-administrated industrial world, replacing the forest with factory arcologies. Knights and peasants were replaced with workers. Though most of the planet was still heavily forested, only the areas designated for industrial use, farming and inhabitation were cleared of forest.

With the forests gone and mine shafts digging deep into the planet, bad things were waking up. Luther suspected that the Lion knew about these forces, and that he was planning on [[Exterminatus|destroying the planet]] with the Calibanite Dark Angels on it after the world fueled the imperial war machine all that it could ''(he may be becoming a bit paranoid at this point)'' Still, Luther remained loyal to Johnson until a final discovery pushed him over the brink. The then [[Cypher|Lord Cypher]], that the Lion promoted completely out of the blue over more veteran knights, was actually the only survivor of the Knights of Lupus. The very knights that had realized that as bad as the Beasts were they were seemingly keeping the whatever was buried inside of Caliban from awakening fully as their extensive library, again, that the Lion had ordered preserved out of the blue, seemed to indicate. This was the last straw that cemented the idea that Jonson knew more than he let on ''(that at least was true)'' and wanted to get rid of Caliban in Luther's unhinged mind.

Luther needs to take some of the blame here as all the stuff that went wrong happened under his stewardship. He was in charge of the planet in the Lion’s absence and although he puts all the blame on the Lion for how the planet turned out pretty much all of the decisions regarding Caliban would have had his direct permission and authorization. It may seem a bit conspiratorial but it is possible that despite being an honourable man ''(at least at the beginning)'' who would not break an oath without just cause Luther may have actually subconsciously allowed Caliban to go to hell in order to justify his future actions.

Learning from the Knights of Lupus' collection of dusty tomes about [[Chaos|rituals and incantations]], he uncovered a "plot" where Terran colonists were ''apparently'' attempting to summon a [[Daemon|creature]] called the [[Ouroboros]] onto Caliban. With Zahariel's assistance he broke up this coven and attempted to gain power over the creature for himself. After gaining access to the books from the Knights of Lupus that the Lion had hidden away, he started to dabble in the arcane arts; covering himself in runes and learning how to casts spells in the same manner as a chaos sorcerer. How advanced his studies were exactly is unknown but he was far along enough that he was able to nullify Israfael's psychic assault and resurrect Zahariel. He would even try his hand at summoning daemons, being so happy to succeed on his first time (believing he had achieved power enough to challenge even the Lion) he forgot to finish binding it to his will, allowing the daemon to leave the circle, where to Luther's surprise it took a knee and bowed to him.

Zahariel discovered that the Terran "plot" was actually false, that the Terrans were in fact attempting to banish the Ouroboros instead of summoning it, and that Luther was looking to gain power in an attempt to free Caliban from the oppression of the [[Imperium]]. Needless to say, the Dark Ones were intrigued.

===Turning Traitor===
Later, Luther captured one of [[Malcador]]'s [[Knights-Errant]]: [[Garviel Loken]], who was on Caliban to discover where the exiled Dark Angels loyalties lay, since no contact had been made from them in some time. This would prove to be a turning point, as Luther and his allies had no idea that the [[Horus Heresy]] was taking place around them and had been kept ignorant by the [[Watchers in the Dark]] and one of their Astartes allies ''(whose identity is not explicitly stated, but presumed to be [[Cypher]])'' The Knights-Errant killed a Dark Angel during their escape, which would upset the balance of ignorance that had been maintained and set the Dark Angels on the path for the Fall.

With the help of that snake in the grass '''Astelan''', Luther was able to round up all the Dark Angels on Caliban that would have opposed him and imprisons them beneath Aldurukh. During the revolt Luther was able to kill a veteran Dark Angel with little more than a letter opener - Badass for a non-Astartes.

As they prepare to openly announce their secession from the Imperium a fleet led by Belath appeared suddenly above Caliban. Belath had been ordered to come and collect the newly trained Dark Angels and bring them back to the fleet in order to continue the fight against the [[Death Guard]]. Luther persuaded Belath to wait prior to departing in order to throw a grand feast to celebrate this grand occasion ''(anyone who has watched Game of Thrones probably has a good idea where this is going)''. Luther had hoped to turn Belath and his Dark Angels to his side and during the feast he gives an impassioned speech about the evils of the Imperium and how the Emperor and the Lion have abandoned them, all the while having Zahariel and his Librarians ''(now called the Mystai)'' reach into the minds of all those listening to make it easier for them to be manipulated. The plan worked almost too well for Zahariel ''(who was now under the influence of the Ouroboros)'' so he killed Belath claiming he was about to attack Luther. What happens next makes the “Red Wedding” look subtle and downplayed, much to Luther’s dismay and anger.

With the disaster of the feast behind them, Luther and Astelan claimed ownership of the Dark Angels fleet and Astelan agreed to do Luther’s dirty work since Luther needed to be seen as beyond reproach. They planned to expand their power base by “'''Liberating'''” nearby systems from the oppression of the Imperium. As they put their plan into practice they stumbled upon Calas Typhon and what remained of his fleet as they retreated from the relentless pursuit of Corswain.

Upon their reunion Luther welcomed Typhon with open arms and offered Typhon and his fleet a place to recuperate and repair their damaged starships in the Zaramund system. Unbeknownst to Luther, it was at this point that Typhon would begin his tranformation, after being confronted by a group of Nurgle worshiping pilgrims who already referred to him as '''"Great Lord Typhus"''' and beginning a sickening ritual where they started to erupt with infection. The Calibanite captain that was sent to spy on the Death Guard flew into a rage and started hacking the cultists to death and then tried to kill Typhon in front of his Grave Wardens, though at that time Typhus what completely oblivious to any change and couldn't figure out what had driven the Dark Angel to get so mad and try and kill him. During the fight although the Calibanite was able to inflict a seeming mortal wound on Typhon, the injuries the Dark Angel inflicted were only the catalyst for ''Typhon's'' final tranformation, then ''Typhus'' was able to defeat his opponent. Afterwards, asking what his own Grave Wardens had seen, they had witnessed nothing other than a Dark Angel hacking apart civilians and then trying to assassinate their Captain. To avoid further incident '''Typhus''' would then quietly leave the Zaramund system, leaving Luther completely nonplussed.

Typhus would present Luther with a weapon, a blade of horrific power, and instruction him that to complete his destiny (that would forever bind him to the ruinous powers) he would need to wield the blade to make a sacrifice. Luther would be tempted to complete the bargain by using it on Corswain when he turned up on Caliban looking for any loyal reinforcements he could bring with him on his way to Terra, but couldn't bring himself to slay such a noble son of Caliban. In a flashback to his duel with the Lion, the blade is shown driven deep into the Lion's midsection; Luther admits that although he used the blade he did "not kill" the Lion.

At some point before the Lion's return, fighting broke out on the surface between those loyal to the Lion and those loyal to Luther. “Angels of Darkness” tells us that apparently (remember this is Astelan here) agents of the Lion retook the fleet above Caliban, which resulted in the ships crashing into the planet’s surface, burning its atmosphere and turning the earth to ash with only the great shields protecting the Order's fortress-monasteries saving them from destruction.

===The Fall of Caliban===
When the Lion returned to Caliban after the Horus Heresy had finished, he found a world that despised him and the Imperium and a war took place which cracked the very core of the planet, leaving nothing but [[The Rock|fragments]].

According to the legend, Luther had been empowered by the Dark Gods and was now an equal for the Lion. This is where the lion is again the Emprahs mini me. The Lion could not bring himself to strike down Luther and that hesitation was monopolised by Luther who psychically struck him down, though in a final moment he realised his error and broke down in tears.

When the Dark Angels descended upon the site of the battle, they could not find the body of their Primarch, the only clue was given by the now-insane Luther, who had said that the [[Watchers in the Dark]] had taken the Lion away.

==41st Millenium==
Luther is still alive 10,000 years later, kept in a cell at the heart of [[The Rock]] known only to the [[Azrael|Supreme Grand Master]] of the Dark Angels and his predecessors. The cell can only be unlocked using the Sword of Secrets and it is the duty of the holder of that blade to coerce Luther to admit to his crimes against their Primarch and the Imperium. Luther is old, especially for a man not blessed with being a full Space Marine. He is older than the fungus growing under your grandfather's toenails. Older than the pill line at a nursing home. Older than the rancid bacon I found in the back of my refrigerator last night. As such when he is not being interrogated by the Dark Angels Supreme Grand Master, he is kept in stasis to preserve what little life he has left. In the Legacy of Caliban novel series, Azrael comments as to the strict time limit he has to question the old coot for fear he'll give up the ghost before he can finish a sentence. He also remarks as to how difficult this is thanks to Ole Luther being nuttier than an unwanted fruitcake on Christmas eve. Did I mention he is old? (they probably should let the guy sleep outside of stasis for a good 8 hours. The lack of sleep is prob what's driven the guy nuts. How many hours of sleep in 10000 years do you think they let him have?)

Suffice to say that no Supreme Grand Master has succeeded in getting Luther to repent. Though during some of his interrogations, Luther has been of great help to his erstwhile kin, leading them to recover lost fragments of lore and technology hidden with-in the country sized bulk that is The Rock. Examples being the recovery of the STC for the Nephilim Jet Fighter. Luther's "help" can be fickle at best as most of what he utters are the lunatic ravings and riddles of a man off his ass on ether. He is convinced that the [[Advancing the Storyline|time is nigh]] when The Lion will return to forgive him of his sins and is quite adamant about this to his jailers. A point which causes no small amount of consternation to his attending Supreme Grand Master.

Luther's personal 'The First of the Fallen' novel reveals that Luther is not really in a stasis field, but is halted in time by the Watchers in the Dark. The madding effects of his dealings with Chaos forces have left his mind in a less then ideal state (sometimes voicing "other" voices, threats, promises, bargains or other unearthly sounds, including demonic laughter), with himself admitting, in his more lucid moments, that his words should be treated as a unreliable source, as even his memory's are confused and sometimes conflict with each other. The one thing that stands out crystal clear is his observation at the gradual degradation of the Dark Angels, with each encounter with new Masters becoming harsher and more extreme (he straight up tells them that the Lion would be ashamed of them). Only Azrael has surprised Luther; Luther even suspects that it was Azrael himself who left Luther unfrozen, and with the door left wide open for him to leave; what Azrael is planning is yet to be revealed, but he has long desired to bring the hunt to and end, and get the Dark Angels back on track.

As of 8th Edition, an attack by the Fallen led by the Fallen daemon prince Marbas has allowed Luther to disappear from his cell. Azrael is naturally very concerned about what this might mean but has to keep the information to himself, considering that no-one else knew Luther was alive. Now reports are coming in that a gathering of the Fallen is massing in the Nihilus Sector, assembling in ''"numbers enough to bring the entire galaxy to heel"'' and Azrael is the only one who suspects the truth of who is leading them. It will be fun to see whether Luther is even sane enough to lead ten thousand Fallen in the first place, whether Chaos will let his marked soul walk around, and what the Lion will say to him when GeeDubs is finally ready to make his model and rules.

==Trivia==
"Luther" is probably named for the monk '''Martin Luther''' (Not Martin Luther King Jr., who was himself named after the monk), who was one of the founders of the Protestant denomination. This is very significant to the Dark Angels' themes of Forgiveness and Repentance, as Martin Luther advocated that salvation was earned through faith alone and not through penitence or confession and decried the Catholic Church as corrupt. Though well-intentioned, the Reformation resulted in the splintering of Christianity on a scale not seen since the schism between the Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and some very messy conflicts.

When applied to 40k, many of the Fallen find justification for what they do and will not repent willingly, thus making it ever more difficult to make them see the error of their ways. Likewise, the conflict between the Fallen and the Loyalists often mimics the past conflict between Catholic and Protestants (real-life being less prone to Grimdark, Catholics and Protestants don't actively kill each other these days, though there are plenty of members of either side who cheerfully despise their opposite numbers), being that both were nominally of the same faith, yet of different minds about it.

{{Marines-Characters}}
{{Template:Chaos-Marines}}

[[Category:Chaos]]
[[Category:Dark Angels]]
[[Category:Fallen Angels]]

The Rock

2021-07-02T10:42:10Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:315B:CC0F:9465:3907:

{{wh40k-stub}}
{{topquote|Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fuck the prom queen.|Sean Connery (The Rock)}}
[[File:The-rock.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right|Size
Matters. If that is indeed the Invincible Reason below it, then that means it's fucking huge.]]

''Not to be confused with [[Wikipedia:Dwayne Johnson|Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson]] or the gay bar that used to be near [[GW]]'s headquarters (no, seriously).''

'''The Rock''', also known as the ''Tower of Angels'', is the mobile headquarters of the [[Dark Angels]] [[Space Marine Chapter|Chapter]] of [[Space Marines]].

*'''Length:''' 300km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 10+ gigatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 5,000,000 crew including 1,000 [[Dark Angels]]; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 0.3 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

==Overview==
It used to be a very static headquarters called Aldurukh (Ancient Calibanite for "Rock of Eternity"), back when it was the fortress-monastery on [[Caliban (Warhammer 40,000)|Caliban]]. Unfortunately, Caliban was destroyed after the Dark Angels mercilessly bombarded their own home after Luther roused the entire planet into rebellion against the [[Lion El'Jonson|Lion]], taking the Dark Angels garrison force on Caliban with him. After the planet's destruction, the fortress-monastery's reinforced foundation coupled with the fact that its [[void shields]] were online meant that it was the largest piece of the planet remaining, so the Dark Angels [[Rok|put engines on it]] and now they fly around the galaxy, recruiting from tribal populations on the worlds they visit.

It also seems to have a ton of dark tech factories, which would explain the ton of [[plasma]] weapons and [[terminator]] armor they seem to have.

The Rock is home to several <s>[[Fallen Angels]]</s> FOUL BETRAYERS FROM THE NINE TRAITOR LEGIONS in the process of being redeemed ''(by which we mean they are tortured and made to repent for their treason before being finished off)'' and formerly [[Luther]] who recently escaped after an invasion by daemonic forces of Chaos. The [[Lion El'Jonson]] himself is also hidden away somewhere in the depths being cared for by the [[Watchers in the Dark]], although the Dark Angels are unaware of their Primarch's continued existence; except for Luther, who has long since gone insane but constantly rambled about the Lion's impending return. The Rock is now situated in the galactic north in the Imperium Nihilus, where the Inner Circle can more easily coordinate due to the lack of reliable communications.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Imperial Navy]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]
[[Category:Dark Angels]]
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