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Deathwatch

2026-07-04T16:46:38Z

37.228.202.110: /* Daily Rituals of the Deathwatch */

''This article is about the organization. If you were looking for a different Deathwatch, see [[#See Also|below]].''

{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = The Deathwatch
|Heraldry = [[Image:DW_Shoulder_Pad_final.jpg|center|140px]]
|Battle Cry = "Suffer not the Alien to live!" / Various battle cries from the Marine's parent chapter.
|Founding = Around M32, in [[The War of The Beast]]
|Chapter Master = None - Lead by Watch Commanders
|Primarch = Varies
|Homeworld = Various Watch Fortresses around the galaxy, but officially Talasa Prime
|Specialty = Killing Xenos, Kill-team strikes, being every Chapter at once.
|Strength = Exact number varies, several times normal Chapter strength (1000) galaxy wide.
|Allegiance = [[Imperium]]
|Colours = Black, with a silver left arm and right pauldron bearing the colors and iconography of the Marine's parent Chapter.
}}
{{topquote|They're not like you and me, which means they must be evil!|Governor Ratcliffe, about [[Xenos|Native Americans]]}}
{{topquote|Do not ask, ‘Why kill the alien?’ rather ask, ‘Why not?’|Watch Captain Artemis}}
{{topquote|1=Ooh ooh ooh! '''DEATH-WATCH!''' Ooh ooh ooh! '''DEATH-WATCH!'''|2=An [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B60gnOiHDfw&index=16& unorthodox battle cry], which has gained popularity among the more musically inclined in the Deathwatch}}

==Summary==
The Deathwatch is an independent Space Marine Chapter and is composed of the most badass [[Space Marines]] from every [[Space Marine Chapter|chapter]] who are deployed according to their skills and which specific kind of [[Xenos|xeno]] they are the most experienced at facing. If they have a [[Devastator Squad|devastator squad]] composed of ten [[Heavy Bolter|heavy bolter]]-equipped [[Space Marines]] who are sent to fight the [[Tyranid]]s, then you can bet that those heavy bolter-equipped marines will be the best shots with a heavy bolter the Imperium could get their hands on and know everything there is to know about fighting the space bug lizards, loaded with all the best toys for Tyranid killing. Except that Deathwatch does not have Devastator squads...(but have Hellblasters, 'coz GW).

As well as anti-xenos tactics, Deathwatch marines are also instructed in unorthodox and covert warfare techniques, as well as training for missions that are normally completely outside an Astartes' function like hostage rescue, kidnap and false flag operations. A large part of their induction is spent getting marines to unlearn hidebound chapter doctrine and learning how to adapt to new tactics from other sources.

Their [[Power Armour#Space Marine Power Armour|armor]] is painted black save for one [[Pauldrons|pauldron]] which remains painted in the chapter colors to avoid pissing off the [[Machine Spirit|machine spirit]]. The other pauldron gets replaced entirely with a superfancy silver one bearing the Inquisitorial Seal (despite them no longer having anything to do with the Inquisition). Oh yeah, and all of the Deathwatch members wear the 'rare' [[Mark VIII: Errant Armour]]. Yes. '''ALL OF THEM'''. Surprisingly this paint job actually manages to look really badass even if it ends up being totally pointless with the [[Black Consuls]], [[Black Templars]], [[Raven Guard]], and anyone else wearing black. They get their shit done and get it done quickly and now finally have their own [[codex]]. There are also a few fan-made codices for them as well as an [[RPG]] where they star as player characters though.

[[image:Deathwatchgetallthebitches.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Sister Carmella appreciates Battle Brother Bellerophon's screening for Genestealer contamination a bit too much. The outrage and jealousy offer Brother Seraphicus a perfect distraction to slip away from the team, seeking objectives unknown.]]
In short, [[awesome|Space Marine <s>Anti Xeno Special Forces</s> Summer Camp.]]

Tactics for Overkill's Deathwatch have been assembled here: [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Space Marines|Tactics/Space Marines]] and here: [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Inquisition(7E)|Tactics/Inquisition]], since it's not entirely clear which the Overkill dataslate is a supplement for. Tactics for the codex can be found [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Deathwatch(7E)|here]].

==Origins==
The origin of the Deathwatch is apparently a point of contention, since over the decades there have been several different accounts of how they came to be, with variances across the codices, novels and roleplaying games.

===1990s - 2016 fluff===
The ''original'' origin for the Deathwatch wasn't really fleshed out too much other than to say that at some point, a group of Inquisitor Lords sat down with esteemed Space Marine Chapter Masters and assess the encroaching xenos threats and decided to hash out an agreement where the many disparate chapters of space marines could work together with the Inquisition to create a more effective fighting force.

The [[Deathwatch (RPG)]] eventually put a name to this meeting and called it the '''Conclave of Orphite IV''' and in this telling the Ordo Xenos already existed, who shared the belief that without imminent action, humanity would be consumed by alien beasts and the Age of Imperium would come to an end.

The Deathwatch RPG and the original fluff differ on what form the Deathwatch would exactly take, as in the original 90s articles, "Deathwatch Kill Teams" were basically a synonym for the "Ordo Xenos Kill Teams", where squads would be raised at the behest of individual Inquisitors and commanded by them, but in certain exceptional cases these Kill Teams might be led by a Deathwatch Librarian or Captain. Beyond this, GW had been very neglectful of the Deathwatch for decades and never really provided any new fluff or crunch. Conversely, in the RPG of early 2010s, the Deathwatch would become its own entity with a heirarchy of ranks, capable of sustaining and directing itself without direct input from the Inquisition and was not beholden to the Inquisition ''(explicitly calling them equals)'', though still tied to the Inquisition who would root out the foes for the Deathwatch to eradicate.

===Recent Origins===
{{spoilers}}
[[image:Deathwatch-large.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The old but still-used front for the [[Deathwatch (RPG)]] core rules... [[Rogue Trader|Well, at least it's kinda goofy.]]]]
Come late 2016 however, practically all of the above is retconned directly. Now the Deathwatch was formed after the Ork Tyrant called "[[The Beast]]" nearly conquered [[Terra]], and it was made directly by the High Lords rather than by agreement of Inquisition and Chapter Masters. From there the Deathwatch were given the best equipment that the Imperium had, and they were even allowed [[heresy|to innovate with whatever they wanted]], though how the fuck the AdMech were convinced to agree to that is left up to the reader. The books official explanation for why that's allowed is the same one as why the Deathwatch have Custodes equipment and why the Deathwatch choose to use Xenos weapons: Fuck all. So, the Deathwatch are now what happens when the Imperium gets so pissed off it says “Fuck our dogma, our beliefs, our reservations, our paranoia, and FUCK YOU. Especially you. [[ANGRY MARINES|We’re fucking you RIGHT UP!”]]

With regards to the status of "Chamber Militant"; the Codex for the Deathwatch and their section in Imperial Agents outright ignores any Inquisitorial attachment. They wear the same sigil, which is apparently open to everyone now, and occasionally find themselves allied with an Inquisitor but that's the extent of their relationship.

Following the release of the Codex though, the Beast Arises Series offers a take on their origin that differs in some ways. We learn that during the days of the WAAAGH! Beast, the Orks were an almost unstoppable force and many marine chapters were slaughtered. The Imperial Fists Chapter Master and Lord Commander of the Imperium at the time: [[Slaughter Koorland]] determined that taking the Orks on head-to-head no longer worked since the Imperium's technological advantage was being eroded. So he colluded with Grand Master Assassin Vangorich ''(yes, the dude that killed all the High-Lords, and he was a rather cool dude back then)'' to create much smaller kill-teams with mission specific profiles which would be better suited to cripple or behead a threat rather than slug it out on a battlefield. Thus many chapter mixed units were formed and have their armor painted black, they forgoed their allegiance to the chapter and most importantly, its dogma. With this concept the Space Marines would have an extremely flexible force: from the melee prowess of the Blood Angels, to the stalwart defense of the Imperial Fists. It was a specialist force, but all the specialists were mixed in giving each unit an edge on every possible situation.

The Deathwatch was the brain child of Koorland himself, although the most of the High Lords (other than Vangorich, who had inspired them) protested its creation, primarily based on deep seated fears of an Astartes re-unification following the Horus Heresy and that it was bad enough that Koorland was an Astartes High Lord himself, fearing him turn into a dictator ''(amusingly he would later go on to shoot the Ecclesiarch for [[Heresy]])''. He only gave it up when he was called out on the fact that he was already the Chapter Master of the Imperial Fists as well as being the Lord Commander of ALL Imperial armed forces; So having a third title was a bit of a push. The Inquisition happily took over the role as overseers to the Deathwatch because they themselves owe allegiance to no single master other than the Emperor, so in theory were not likely to go AWOL with a powerful force of Space Marines. Koorland agreed, but with three caveats:
#That the Deathwatch be limited to Chapter-Strength (this apparently got dropped later as they became a permanent fixture as they garrison Watch Fortresses all over).
#That the Lord Commander have authority to disband them.
#That he would appoint a Space Marine to oversee all strategic aspects of the Deathwatch ''(the first Watch Commander Asger Warfist)''.

At the time the Deathwatch would be referred to as the chamber militant of the [[Ordo Xenos]], except for the fact that during its inception the Inquisition didn't even have Ordos. Towards the War of the Beast, the Inquisitorial Representative(s) decided that the Inquisition itself could be better served by dividing their attentions between Xenos and Daemon, rather than arguing over which was the greater threat. So the Inquisition divided into Ordo Xenos and Ordo Malleus.

The differences between the codex and surrounding sources place doubt on what ''exactly'' happened, since no source can seem to agree on the details. In the Codex there is no mention of them having fought in the War of the Beast other than participating in the clean-up afterwards, though given how it's worded and what happened in that series, it could be argued that they were formed partway through the war, rather than as a consequence of it (which the codex seems to imply). Other differences with the codex:
*Koorland's role in agreeing to Inquisitorial authority and restrictions to chapter strength (which appears to have been dropped anyway) is not mentioned in the codex ''(though by rights, the Inquisition can oversee anything they like)'' though the book does say that occasionally an Inquisitor will be in command of a Watch Fortress (almost definitely an elder veteran at that).
*The Codex doesn't mention any Inquisitorial connection which is arguably contradicted by the Inquisition's entry in Imperial Agents, and more specifically the rule Chambers Militant which allows an Inquisitor to field a Deathwatch squad but with the Inquisition faction, though that might be more a reference to how an Inquisitor can command a Watch Fortress and using an older term rather than keeping the old "Inquisitorial" Chambers Militant of the 90s.
*The 2017 tie-in novel to the codex: ''"Deathwatch: Kryptman's War" by Ian St Martin'' has the Imperial Navy believe that the Deathwatch carry Inquisitorial authority, ''(the source of which is not made clear)'' but no Inquisitors are present in the book. Additionally ''Swordwind"'' by the same author directly deals with a Deathwatch member's oaths to the Inquisition upon his returning to his parent chapter, refers to Deathwatch vessels as belonging to the Inquisition and has him ferried home in an Ordo Xeno starship.

It seems that the Chamber Militant business evolved as the Inquisition itself received its first Ordo split between Malleus and Xenos, and the assumption that the Deathwatch have Inquisitorial authority may not be completely true, but the Watch surely isn't correcting anyone who thinks they can casually order anyone around.

==Organisation and Chapter Strength==
Another point of contention is how the Deathwatch is organised and how many marines they actually have.

The original fluff barely made any reference to how the Deathwatch was organised aside from being an ad-hoc arrangement of temporary squads and fortresses under the command of the Inquisition. In the Beast Arises, Koorland set that the Deathwatch be set to "chapter strength" back in M32, and appointed a single '''Watch Commander''' to oversee strategic aspects while taking his orders from the Inquisition. Admittedly, even the Watch Commander himself had no idea what the position entailed.

By M40 in the codex and contemporary fluff, Koorland's singular position of "Watch Commander" doesn't seem to exist and command is decentralised to the Watch Commanders of their respective fortresses and surrounding domains, making them roughly analogous to Chapter Masters. These new fortress commanders are usually '''Watch Masters''' but the codex implies this may not always be the case. ''(Interestingly, the new "Watch Master" role has been amalgamated with the old RPG rank of '''Watch Keeper''' who was one of the few permanent Deathwatch staff members and carried the same '''Clavis''' that Watch Masters now do)'' Whether the Masters have any higher authority above them is not made clear, depending on how much influence you think the Inquisition actually has over them.

Despite nominally being referred to as a chapter, the issue of "chapter strength" also seems to have been ignored, though this depends on how large you assume the "average" Kill Teams to be. For example: kill team Cassius was 11 strong, while kill team Artemis was 7 ''(himself as Captain plus 6)''.

A traditional Fortress such as '''Talassa Prime''' has been shown to have five companies of four kill-teams plus a '''Watch Captain'''. So there is probably somewhere between 21 - 41 marines per company, making 105 - 205 marines per Fortress, plus a dedicated command staff including a Librarius, Chaplaincy and any attached Dreadnoughts for around 9 - 10 members, plus an armoury of indeterminate size to maintain the fortress's vehicles, though a conservative estimate would be 3 more techmarines given the size of the other departments, especially considering the huge redundancy of experience spread through the kill teams themselves, which can compose of their own techmarines, librarians, chaplains and Apothecaries. All in all this puts a watch fortress at somewhere between 119 - 219 space marines.
The Deathwatch tie-in novel shows around 200 members mustering at fortress '''Furor Shield''', though this was a joint action including watch teams from nearby jurisdictions, but probably remains a good estimation of roughly how large a bulked out fortress can be.

Across the Imperium there are four "primary" fortresses which probably have either significant strategic value or play host to unique facilities ''(Talasa Prime is said to be a major training facility)'' plus fourteen other regular fortresses, which are all said to generally follow the same core structure, so the concentrated bulk of the chapter would be anywhere between '''2142 - 3166''' Deathwatch Marines, much higher than "Chapter Strength", assuming all of the Fortresses are equivalent in strength to the primary ones.

The final number is also complicated by the 40+ smaller Watch Stations which house anything between squad or two all the way up to a full blown company! Though it is not made clear whether or not those small stations fall under the purview of the closest Fortress and being assigned squads from there, or if they have their own discrete commands, otherwise that would add about another 200 - 1640 to their roster. Nor does it account for any Deathwatch Marines on detached duties (Kill-Marines) that appear in the RPG but are not mentioned in the codex unless you count those units which can be deployed in squad sizes of 1.

In addition, the 8th Edition Deathwatch Codex mentions that Roboute Guilliman assigned "multiple chapters" worth of Primaris Marines to the Deathwatch. While its quite possible that this hasn't increased their overall numbers if they took grievous casualties due to the Great Rift/Blackness, this alone implies that the Deathwatch are far bigger than any chapter.

Given the possible final numbers anywhere between around 2100 - 4800 marines, assuming the Deathwatch maintains itself at full strength all of the time, and that all Watch Fortresses are equal in strength.

If that seems like a huge amount, remember that would imply that each chapter of the thousand or so in the Imperium are donating only about two to five marines at any given time. But given the number of repeat chapters represented in Talasa Prime ''alone'', added to the fact that apparently hundreds of chapters are risking dishonour by actually requesting their battle brothers return to their parent chapter, this unusually high number may not be an unfair estimation and may even be a lowball considering permanent members seconded from Chapters completely or [[Blackshield]]s who cut all ties with their former Chapter before joining (due to any number of reasons, being loyalists hailing from traitor Chapters, exiles or other personal reasons etc.).

== Induction and Training ==
Calling on ancient oaths and debts of honour from hundreds of Space Marine Chapters, the Deathwatch <s>forces</s> ''requests'' each Chapter to volunteer a handful of its best warriors to be conscripted into the Deathwatch. This usually occurs when the old Deathwatch-conscripted marine dies in battle or returns after he fulfils his term of service to the Deathwatch. Some Chapters view recruitment into the Deathwatch as a great honour, with the warrior both envied and revered by his battle brothers for being chosen. Others, either view the conscription as little more than an inconvenience as it robs them of their best warriors or as a chance to get rid of marines too insubordinate to mix with the battle companies but too [[Derp|well-celebrated]] to be demoted. [[Storm Wardens|Certain chapters]] close to fortresses are particularly chummy with the Deathwatch and contribute additional brothers above their obligations to bolster the Deathwatch's rank & file.

As their recruits are full-fledged space marines and not mere neophytes, they usually believe they have some idea what to expect; most assume that they will be brought to a heavily-fortified space station where they will be trained much in the same way they are [[Derp|already trained]], but with more specialized weapons (after all, Space Marine training is already [[Rip and tear|quite intense]] and [[grimdark|comprehensive]]). This notion [[not as planned|is immediately proven wrong]] as the inductees first gaze upon a Watch Fortress. What greets them is a systemless [[Death World|planet]] floating in the middle of nowhere, encircled by a [[Halo|colossal artificial ring, supposedly built millions of years ago by an ancient alien civilisation]]. It is on this ring, bristling with Imperial gun batteries and missile defences, that the Deathwatch and its private fleet of warships make their home.

[[File:Tumblr m3en0pFje01rq1yzso1 1280.jpg|thumb|400px|left|Deathwatch Marines with Bolt Pistols only? The Deathwatch know how to conserve for the [[Tyranids|really]] [[Orks|big]] [[Chaos Space Marines|things]].]]

The ring station is so large that the Imperium has built entire [[Orbital Plate|orbital cities]] into their ancient superstructure; including individual quarters for thousands of space marines and serfs, vast [[Games Workshop|customizable]] training fields, including artificially-recreated planetary environments. The recruits are sworn into the Deathwatch and are forced to undergo hypno-indoctrination to put the Watch above all their old loyalties, and then undergo months of intensive retraining in [[Reasonable Marines|unconventional tactics]]. They are divided into 6-man Kill Teams, no two members being from the same chapter. The inductees are also introduced to their new arsenal; each of them is given a [[Combi-weapon]] built to accept a range of attachments and ammunition, for every Deathwatch space marine must have a secondary and tertiary weapon for [[Just_As_Planned|any eventuality]].

As part of the training, each marine is forced to watch endless hours of vid-recordings of space marines ''losing'' battles against Xenos. The lesson there is two-fold, one is to understand Xenos strategies, tactics, and weaponry, including all their strengths and weaknesses. The other is that though the Deathwatch marines come from diverse backgrounds, apparently nothing creates better unit cohesion and hatred against the Xenos than for a Space Marine [[Rage|to watch helplessly as another space marine fights a desperate and ultimately doomed last stand]], again and again across thousands of battles. At that point the point is pressed home--it does not matter what chapter you are from, the Space Marines in the recordings were mercilessly slaughtered and you must now [[Exterminatus|avenge them with extreme prejudice]]. The experience is so realistic that all inductees must be physically restrained to their seats prior to donning the vid gear (which in all likelihood includes a Pain Glove nicked from the [[Imperial Fists]], so that the Deathwatch trainees get to feel the pain the Astartes victims of Xenos likely felt in those recordings, which must be especially unnerving if the recording a trainee is watching came from a helmet cam mounted to an unfortunate Astartes being disemboweled and then beheaded by a [[Genestealer]] or certain [[Dark Eldar]]).

At the end of their training, every Deathwatch Space Marine has not only been reforged into an unparalleled Xenocide machine, but a Deathwatch Kill-Team as a whole will royally fuck up the shit of their target. Though extremely rare as Deathwatch is more of a small unit spec-ops force meant to infiltrate and eliminate specific objectives and targets instead of fighting all-out battles, the arrival of additional Deathwatch Kill Teams typically spells the end of whatever unlucky Xeno son of a bitch is on its receiving end. And if the shit has hit the fan to the extent that one hundred or so Deathwatch members have to deploy to just one battle and organize into an actual company, it probably means that the [[Imperium of Man|Imperium]] is going to be sending [[Titan|a lot more than just the Space Marines]].

Before deployment, each marine has the Deathwatch [[pauldron]] added to their armour and has the rest of their suit painted black. This process is surprisingly dangerous and must be carefully overseen as the [[machine spirit]] of the armour must be coaxed into accepting its new designation. Each suit of Deathwatch armour is thereafter twice blessed; a unique entity in itself and a single-minded foe against xenos.

== So, where's their Codex? ==
[[image:Cautious approach by diegogisbertllorens-d5p1452.jpg|right|thumb|200px|No danger here, just a bunch of old ruins. Sure to be a lot of loot for the Deathwatch in there, don'tcha think?]]
The earliest rules for Deathwatch were in a 3rd-edition [[Chapter Approved]] entry in 2001 with rules to take one single Kill Team in any generic Imperial force, followed by a whole lot of nothing, and then a 6th-edition [[Apocalypse]] formation in the Damnos book, where two Sternguard Squads and a Captain would get Preferred Enemy (one Xenos codex) and an additional special ammunition profile called Aniphase Rounds (AP4, forces Necrons to re-roll successful Reanimation Protocols). From here their representation would slowly accelerate...

In 2016 the game [[Deathwatch: Overkill]] was released. While not a full army, it did give a small set of special units using the packaged models, each of which was based on the hero of a story written by [[Black Library]] and led by a younger, un-nommed [[Ortan Cassius]]. Each model has their own Chapter Tactics (or equivalent thereof), but don't officially have it, so they can fit in any other Marine army without complaint. A good majority of the units also have Sternguard ammo, making them far more useful than their Damnos forebears.

Then, in August 2016 a full Codex went up for pre-order alongside a new game called "Death Masque" which featured new models for the Eldar (Xenos filth!), Harlequins, and official Deathwatch sprues with Deathwatch Veterans, Deathwatch Vanguard veterans, and an upgrade sprue to make your own Deathwatch units. There are also "new" (essentially the same thing but with a few "I"s to glue on) vehicles for them such as the Deathwatch land raider and Deathwatch transport/razorback. However, they do get one genuinely unique vehicle in the form of the [[Corvus Blackstar]], an airborne transport that carries a decent amount of firepower, as befitting the Deathwatch.

One of the great things about the Deathwatch is that the kill team kits provide a lot of goodies for kit-bashing some of your other Space Marine armies. Some of the items available are listed below:

Lots of chapter specific pauldrons. You only get one per chapter for every five-man kit, but they can be useful if you want a nicer-looking pauldron for a single character (especially if GW doesn't sell transfer sheets or upgrade sprues for said chapter):
*[[Ultramarines]]
*[[Dark Angels]]
*[[Blood Angels]]
*[[Space Wolves]]
*[[Raven Guard]]
*[[Salamanders]]
*[[Imperial Fists]]
*[[White Scars]]
*[[Iron Hands]]
*[[Crimson Fists]] (Technically it's the Imperial Fists pauldron, but the shape's identical)
*[[Hawk Lords]]/[[Knights of the Raven]] (Using the Raven Guard pauldron)
*[[Flesh Tearers]]
*[[Raptors (Chapter)|Raptors]]/[[Mentors |Mentors]]/[[White Consuls]]/[[Black Consuls]]
*[[Taurans]] (you can also use it for Minotaurs)
*[[Black Templars]]
*[[Mortifactors]] (only available on Captain Artemis' model in Death Masque)
*[[Blood Ravens]] (only available from Jensus' model in Kill Team Cassius)
*[[Howling Griffons]]
*[[Novamarines]]/[[Sons of Medusa]]
*[[Silver Skulls]]
*[[Blackshield]] (represented as a pauldron with scratch marks and chains, if you have more than one guy with this, make your own otherwise they look to similar)

You can also give the Deathwatch pauldron to your regular space marine veterans to show their service, to give your characters more flavor.

Unique weapons:
*[[Astartes Assault Shotgun|Shotguns for full-size Astartes, not just scouts]]
*[[Infernus Heavy Bolter]]
*Storm Shields similar to the one used by [[Hector Rex]]
*[[Powerfist|Melta Powerfists]]
*[[Power Weapon#Heavy Thunderhammer|Heavy Thunderhammer]]
*Infantry-portable [[Frag Cannon]]s
*[[C'tan Phase Weapons#Imperium|Xenophase Blades]]
*[[Power Weapon#Guardian Spear|Guardian Spears]] (The only source for the weapon outside of the Adeptus Custodes)

Their 8th Edition Codex shows that Primaris Marines will be [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/05/02/2nd-may-codex-deathwatch-building-primaris-kill-teams/ included in the army list]. Then...they got little more than token support. When the Space Marines got their SECOND codex (Cue "Gee, Billy" memes), the Deathwatch were shunted into the role of the red-headed stepchild of the lot. While the other chapters (barring the Grey Knights, who never went Primaris) got access to all the fancy new vanguard stuff, all the Deathwatch got was one tank. When [[Psychic Awakening]] rolled around in 2019 and 2020, they didn't even get a role in any of the books, just a token nod to keep them barely up to snuff in an article of White Dwarf alongside the Harlequins.

<s>Needless to say, the hopes of keeping the Deathwatch anywhere near competitive in 9th Edition are minimal at best.</s> Due to forgeworld [[Derp|not nerfing twin volkite dreadnoughts and Deathwatch librarians giving units 5+++ FNP saves]], Deathwatch are actually, by the numbers, the best space marine army as of August 2021.

That said, they did recently get a Codex supplement [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkSDQzSyiG0 announced]. How much this will level the playing field though remains to be seen, but at the very least, this will give them access to the entire armory.

==Daily Rituals of the Deathwatch==
03:00 - Morning Prayer. The Deathwatch are roused from their chambers to pray. Prayer lasts two hours, one for the Emperor and the other for new ways to purge the alien.

05:00 - Morning Firing Rites. The Deathwatch begin honing their shooting skills upon alien civilians they've personally captured. Bonus points if it is an [[Eldar]] or [[Tau]].

07:00 - Battle Practice. The Deathwatch descends upon the prisons holding captured xenos and proceed to find the best way to maximize pain and suffering upon them before giving them the Emperor's Peace.

08:00 - kick ass against shapeshifting xenos - dividing up their battle brothers into one or two man cells, deathwatch marines deploy to every hive world known for having lacrymoles, ymgral genestealers, genestealer cults, water caste intermediarys and, that one fat guy that was promised an eldar wife if he turned over the planet, reciting the ancient war cry of Rowdy rowdy piper "i am here to kick ass and chew bubble gum and im all out of gum" and proceed to gun down EVERY SINGLE alien that is pretending to be a human.

08:15 - kick ass against the human collaborators in league with the shapeshifters, following the absolute massacre of the aliens pretending to be human, those deathwatch marines will now physically tear out the spines of the human collaborators who sold out their fellow humans to the aliens

tau sympathizers are a fine prize, genestealer infected humans, people who worked with the eldar, and of course, those people who sold humans "to" the dark eldar, they will be hunted down to the ancient terran song of "all nightmare long" as a warning to any would be collaborators, and what the deathwatch do to them will make the eversors say "dial it back a bit!" such is their fury

10:00 - Morning Meal. A light meal is prepared by the serfs in the Deathwatch. Permission to eat the xenos they've killed is denied.

10:15 - Movie Time. New Deathwatch initiates are forced to watch videos of fellow battle brothers getting shat upon and humiliated by the filthy alien. Each Deathwatch initiate is strapped and bound by ceramite braces to contain their [[Rage|rage]]. The videos are usually custom-tailored to the initiate depending on their originating chapter; [[Salamanders]] and [[Lamenters]] watch [[Grimdark|civillians being slaughtered by Orks and tortured by Dark Eldar]], [[Iron Hands]] and other tech-fetishists watch [[Necrons]] fuck toasters and [[Rak'gol]] wear their shitty cybernetics as if to mock them, [[Blood Angels]] and other melee-chads watch Tau play keep-away and [[Fish of Fury|gun down those trying to charge them]], and [[Novamarines]] and other already sufficiently die-hard alien haters get to watch diplomatic meetings between the Imperium and xenos that don't end with the filthy aliens dead. The ancient films Alien and Predator are popular choices among Veteran Kill Team members.

11:15 - Tactical Indoctrination. The Deathwatch plans the next campaign to wipe out the filthy xenos and study the weaknesses and best possible ways to inflict as much pain as possible on the alien.

12:00 - hive busting - taking inspiration from the ancient terran movies "independance day", "starship troopers" "aliens" and "xcom" battle brothers will reform into 5 man cells, and go into the hives of every single tyranid ship, vespid hive, or necron tomb complex, kill everything that moves, and personally hand deliver, a small mechanicus sanctified nuclear bomb right onto the doorstep of whatever xenos leader lives here.

13:00 - Midday Meal. A meal is prepared by the Deathwatch serfs. Eating the aliens is still prohibited.

13:30 - philosophical musings on earths mightiest alien hunters: it is at this point deathwatch chaplians are thought to remember earths mightiest heroes who stood up to alien villiany rowdy rowdy piper, johnny rico, arnold schwartzenegar in predator, and that one guy who flew his plane into the aliens in independance day, of special note is the ancient terran hero "duke nukem" chaplians encourage battle brothers to remember his maxims such as "alien maggots will pay" and "its time to kick ass and chew bubblegum" reflecting on his philosophical musings and methods of desecrating alien leaders while preserving humanity, much discussion is given over to wether its better to descrate the enemey first and then kill them, or to kill them, then desecrate their corpses.

14:00 - Evening Firing Rites. The Deathwatch practice fighting xenos in the dark. Tau and Eldar Snipers are given weapons and promised freedom if they survive. The odd few that ever do are then given freedom through a bomb attached to the weapons they were given.

16:00 - Battle Practice. The Deathwatch practice fighting [[Tyranid]] organisms in melee. Due to the raw amount of [[Rage|rage]] that the Deathwatch exhibit during the battle, some wonder how they aren't [[Angry Marines]] instead.

17:00 - mandatory cultural indoctrination. chaplains encourage battle brothers to select an ancient Terran film from a select list of ancient Terran holovideos that really typifies how bad the aliens are, and what happens if we fail or, if stupid planetary governors or mortals decide to make friends with the aliens these include,

they live, V, v 1983, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Little shop of Horrors(the bad ending) Solent Green, Certain Godzilla movies where the aliens pretend to be humanity's friends from space and the ancient Terran magical girl series Puelli Magica Madoka, yes really, it has been approved for use as propaganda by the Ordo Xenos and deemed fit for consumption by 9 foot tall killing machines however, Deathwatch chaplains are advised to NEVER play that one around serving Black Templars, EVER as the mere sight of a girl, turning into a mutant, getting Psyker powers from a Xenos who is exploiting them, and humanity, has caused several violent incidents on par with black rage however it is kept on hand for indoctrination purposes of any Newley arriving black templars in hypno indoctrionation.

18:00 bop the alien hour: resembling the ancient Terran "Pinata" every so often, a live alien will be captured and hung by a rope at which point battle brothers will take turns hitting the alien with a blindfold and power weapons, popular choices include haemonculi, older haemonculi, dark eldar beastmasters, tyranid lictors, genestealer geneticists, human collaborators and necron pariahs, sometimes cake will be served and ancient terran "sweets" will be brought out by chapter serfs

19:00 - Evening Meal. A feast is prepared by the Deathwatch serfs. Eating the dead aliens is allowed if they are deemed safe to eat.

20:00 - Evening Prayer. The Chaplain gives a stirring sermon. He also warns against ancient heretical pro-xenos propoganda, like E.T., [[Star Wars]], and especially [[Star Trek]].

22:00 - Interrogation Time. The Deathwatch interrogates and torture captured xenos for information and intelligence. Any xenos who successfully resist are designated to be tomorrow's meal, if they are safe to eat. If not, then they are thrown in with some starved [[Kroot]].

24:00 - The Deathwatch ends their interrogation, punch their small posters of hated xenos, and proceed to go back to rest in their chambers.

== See Also ==
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Deathwatch (9E)|Deathwatch Tactics]]
*[[Cyrus]] - A fellow deathwatch and a well known scout sergeant.
*[[Ortan Cassius]] - Another Deathwatch Alum and current [[Chaplain|Master of Sanctity]] of the [[Ultramarines]]
*[[Alienhunters]]
*[[Deffwotch]]
*[[Deathwatch (RPG)]], part of [[Fantasy Flight Games]]' [[Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay]] system. You get to be a Deathwatch marine and kill [[xenos]].
*[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Deathwatch/40k-rules-deathwatch-en.pdf Deathwatch: Overkill] Rules for the Deathwatch units from Deathwatch: Overkill
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nodA5bxueyo A vid-recording likely included in the Deathwatch "compulsory viewing" curriculum for trainees.] Yes, this is from an official 40k product.

{{Template:Marines-Official}}
{{Deathwatch}}

Lamenters

2026-07-04T15:35:39Z

37.228.202.110: added in a quote by chowder thought it was funny, added in a bit about them giving medicine to the poorest imperial citizens but not having eneough medicine to help everyone and crying over it, lastly, more sponge bathing the elderly parodying mr burns we have a lamenter who drowned an old person with an astartes pattern sponge and was so aggrieved he joined the deathwatch over it

{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Lamenters
|Heraldry = [[Image:Lamenters Livery.jpg|center|140px]]
|Battle Cry = For those we cherish, we die in glory! Alternatively, Disposable Heroes, Metallica
|Number = Unknown, always seen falling
|Founding = [[21st Founding]]
|Successors of = [[Blood Angels]]
|Successor Chapters = None, they die too much
|Chapter Master = Malakim Phoros
|Primarch = [[Sanguinius]]
|Homeworld = None, Fleet-based
|Specialty = Surviving and fighting for the helpless, and having the worst luck in the galaxy
|Strength = Less than 400, rebuilding with [[Primaris Marines]]
|Allegiance = The [[Imperium]] doesn't deserve these heroes
|Colours = Mustard yellow with black & white checkerboard detailing, thinned with manly tears
}}
{{Topquote|How unlucky I am that this should happen to me. But not at all. Perhaps, say how lucky I am that I am not broken by what has happened, and I am not afraid of what is about to happen. For the same blow might have stricken anyone, but not many would have absorbed it without capitulation and complaint.|Marcus Aurelius}}
{{Topquote|It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life.|[[Star Trek|Jean-Luc Picard]]}}
{{Topquote|Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.| John 15:13}}
"oh no! its all went wrong!" <blockquote>- chowder, and every battle brother in yellow armor, ever!</blockquote>{{Topquote|Emperor... Sanguinius... We try our best. We protect your people! We stand by you! We love you! So please... answer! WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE THIS FATE?!|[[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device|A Lamenter giving his final lamentation.]]}}

[[File:Red Talons colour scheme.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The unlucky bastards, in all of their [[Noblebright]] glory]]The Lamenters are one of the most [[Crimson Consuls|fucked-over]] [[Space Marines|Space Marine]] [[Space Marine Chapter|Chapters]] in [[Warhammer 40K]] history. Cursed to die horribly, turn to [[Chaos]], or [[Troll|both]] in every single bit of fluff they appear in. You think the [[White Scars]] got fucked by [[Games Workshop]]? Nothing compared to the Lamenters. Think the [[Chaos Pretty Marines]] got owned hard by [[Angron]]? Nothing compared to the Lamenters. Think the [[Afriel Strain]] soldiers are cursed? Nothing compared to the Lamenters. Think that the [[Raven Guard]], [[Salamanders]], and [[Iron Hands]] got beaten horribly on [[Drop Site Massacre|Isstvan V]]? ''Nothing'' compared to the Lamenters.

They are truly the Unlucky Marines. But you know what? If there are good guys in W40k, then they are undoubtedly it. They have been endlessly persecuted by the very people they fight for, and they even fight their own nightmarish cynicism and despair; yet they still fight on because they refuse to abandon the innocent and the helpless, and it is their burning star that keeps hope alive for one more day in that dark world. Along with that [[Imperium|Imperial]] planet that found a cure for all diseases ever but got [[Rape|mercilessly fucked]] by [[Nurgle]] and the Panacea STC that was stolen by the Dark Eldar who were curious as to what an Ark Mechanicus was doing in the middle of nowhere (because the idiot writers forgot that’s the whole purpose of an Ark Mechanicus), the Lamenters are one of the greatest examples that nothing [[Noblebright|good]] can exist [[Slaanesh|unmolested]] in the [[Grimdark|grim darkness of the far future where there is only war.]]

== How Unlucky Can They get? ==
[[File:Lamenter_Space_Marine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|They may be unlucky, but they'll fight on no matter the odds.]]
The Lamenters were formed during the "cursed" [[21st Founding]]; where the AdMech believed they could improve on [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Big.E]]'s template. The end result was... [[not as planned|weird]]. (Guess they should have waited for [[Belisarius Cawl|Grampa Cawl]] before trying to mess with gene-seed.) Most Chapters founded at that time suffered from some kind of mutation. At least one ended up terminated by the [[Inquisition]] with the remaining ones staying under '''very''' close scrutiny for deviancy.

At first the Lamenters seemed to be the ones getting the best deal out of the whole sorry lot, since they did not suffer from the Red Thirst and [[Black Rage]]; unique case among the [[Blood Angels]] and their descendants. Unfortunately, they seem to have been the specific target of [[Tzeentch]]'s eternal dicking ever since; they have been cursed with more misfortunes than any other Chapter out there. It's even gotten to the point where Imperial "[[derp|scientists]]" are wondering what the hell is going on because, sure, shit happens, some people are never lucky, some statistical impossibilities become true on a fluke... and then there's the Lamenters.

As if it couldn't get any worse, eventually the Black Rage came back. Sometimes you just can't win.

TL;DR: *weeps a single tear of manliness.*
[[File:Lamenters_2.png|right|thumb|500px|This image is often used as filler for [[Imperial Fists]] articles and other chapters with similar color schemes. Because even in wikis, the Lamenters get fucked over.]]
===List of How Hard the Lamenters Have Been Screwed Over:===
''"I am of the scions of Sanguinius. Mine is the glory of sacrifice eternal, mine is the duty that never ends."''

- Captain Anaes Rychter of the Lamenters
*Founded during the Cursed Founding, earning them distrust among fellow Space Marines. Being a fleet-based chapter, they decide wisely to depart to the fringes of the Imperium to crusade against the xenos and the enemy without, rather than be mired in conflicts within.
*Were eventually recalled to the interior of the Imperium by <s>[[Tzeentch]]</s> the [[High Lords of Terra]].
*Tasked by the High Lords of Terra to partake in the defense against [[Abaddon|Failbaddon]]'s 9th [[Black Crusade]]. They were abandoned by the [[Mortifactors]] chapter in the defense of Corillia due to their origins. Being the heroic fuckers that they are, they decided to stay and fight anyways, and try to save the innocent people. Outnumbered as they were facing numerous combined Traitor forces, only 200 Lamenters were left 'standing' after the [[Ultramarines]] and [[White Scars]] finally gave enough of a shit to come in to reinforce them.
**The 200 survivors were subsequently lost in the warp after a freakish warp storm appeared. In a rare show of ''good'' luck for them, they ''did'' return afterwards, ''after fighting the whole way out''. Which, of course, just made other Space Marines trust them even less. <s>It is speculated Tzeentch only changed his plans at the last minute (!??!!)</s> {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|Heresy!}} so he could screw them over more. [[Eldrad|''What a dick.'']]

*Joined the Corinth Crusade with 300 Marines (all they had on hand at the time) in order to repay the Ultramarines for when they saved them on Corillia. (Because a debt of honour is a debt of honour, even the Chapter dying out doesn't get in the way of being bros!) In a decisive battle against an Ork slave mining world nicknamed "Slaughterhouse III", they liberated the 3 million human prisoners on the planet, who they decided to rescue (they did this alone, mind you - Calgar could not risk jeopardizing the entire crusade by attacking a planet that would most likely tie up their entire battleforce). Just a few moments after the victory, however, an Ork reinforcement fleet came over Slaughterhouse III. While everyone on the ground tried to evacuate as many people as they could, using their own ships and any planetside slaver ships that were still operational, the Lamenters realized they didn't have the time or resources to get everyone off-planet before being overrun, but decided to fight on to the last regardless. The remaining prisoners, though, wanting to spare their saviors from death and volunteered to be left to die so that the Lamenters could escape and deny the orks the planet. Reluctantly agreeing, the Lamenters detonated the seismic charges they had planted deep in the planet's mines and performed [[Exterminatus]] on the rest of the planet, utterly making sure the orks couldn't get anything valuable off it quickly and/or use it as a staging ground. (give Orks enough time and they'll loot/strip-mine/... a dead planet just fine; but Calgar & co didn't grant them the time.)
** After the Crusade, [[Marneus Calgar]] wanted to award them with [[Awesome|denying the Orks a vital mining planet and rescuing the few slaves they could get off-planet (mostly women and children)]] by giving them an [[Iron Halo]], but due to the losses (both theirs and civilians) [[Derp|they didn't feel like winners and turned it down]]. Despite how this was a case of manly tears, <s>most</s> some Space Marines instead took it as an insult to [[Matthew Ward|their spiritual liege]], so everyone hated the Lamenters even MORE. Although, turning down an item that would help them better save more people was pretty foolish. Calgar himself told the naysayers to shut the fuck up and was a good bro.
*Asked to partake in and to defend the area around the [[Maelstrom]] along with the [[Astral Claws]] and the [[Mantis Warriors]] after they got back to strength. For once, their fellow warriors the Astral Claws and the Mantis Warriors actually cared about them and the Lamenters had finally found true, believing friends. Then [[Lugft Huron]] decided to instigate what would become the [[Badab War]] with the Imperium because the Imperium ignored his pleas for launching a crusade into the Maelstrom. Understanding a trend here yet? When he does, the Lamenters and Mantis Warriors are drawn into the conflict as well out of bro ties to the Astral Claws — there is no way they are going to abandon their first genuine friends and only people in the Imperium who didn't treat them like shit. (And on top of that, from an outsider's point of view, it really seemed like the Imperium was bullying the Astral Claws pointlessly.)
**Reluctant to attack fellow Space Marines the Lamenters managed, for a time, to win conflicts with loyalists indirectly via their numbers, cunning maneuvers and effective shows of force causing ultimately little damage on both sides. This is known as excellence according to the Art of War and is basically the ultimate form of a mastery of warfare. But this strategy abruptly fell apart when the [[High Lords of Terra]] sent the [[Minotaurs]] into the fray, who were much less inclined to pull their punches. The Minotaurs discovered and ambushed the Lamenter's [[Fortress-Monastery]] and so began a brutal 17 hour siege with heavy losses on both sides where the Lamenters ultimately came out the worse. Outnumbered and outgunned by the infamously ruthless and well equipped Minotaurs (who are known for fighting ''en masse'' at nothing less than full Chapter strength and specializing in taking on other Astartes) the Lamenters were forced to surrender having been (once again) reduced to only 300, mostly wounded, Marines. Adding insult to injury, as recompense for their losses and just generally being poor winners, the kleptomaniac Minotaurs saw fit to pillage much of the Lamenters best equipment and even stole/were GIFTED a bunch of their ships, like a [[Blood Ravens|certain other chapter]], which they would eventually crash. Cherry on top, it was then the Lamenters learned that Huron and the Astral Claws had fallen to [[Chaos]] and that they'd ultimately been fighting for the wrong side.
*In another rare show of things, they were actually granted a pardon along with the Mantis Warriors. But again continuing this theme of getting fucked over, they had to do a penitent crusade for a hundred years ''without'' being able to replace losses or recruit new Marines (i.e. their fate would be in the Emperor's Hands now, and theirs alone). Their tattered banner was given to the [[Sisters of Battle|Adepta Sororitas]] for them to repair and re-sanctify. The Sororitas wept as they wove the ''Banner Of Tears'', as they contemplated the life of the Chapter, and how these glorious bastards refused to stop believing in their fellow Man, despite everything they had went through.
**This bears special mention: Sororitas (at least the ones in James Swallow's books) normally ''hate'' Space Marines. They treat the Astartes as [[abhuman|glorified mutants]], and their relationship soured even further when the Flesh Tearers accidentally gave the Sisters a [[Rip and tear|first-hand demonstration]] of the [[Black Rage]]; being blessed by the Emperor is pretty much the only reason the Sisters and the Marines don't get into more firefights than they already do. For the Sororitas to recognize the Lamenters as ''heroes'' worthy of having tears shed in their name? Heavy stuff, and the Lamenters earned it.
**Of course, the "official" story is that the Sororitas' tears were due to them 'contemplating the terrible sins of the Lamenters against [the God-Emperor]', [[FAIL|because fuck actually giving the Lamenters the respect they well and truly deserve in canon]], [[GW|we]] gotta keep them in constant misery because of GRIMDARK! (Of course as standard protocol disregard what GW wrote in the case why the sisters cried as non-canon, especially since there aren't any sins for them to cry about so...yeah.)
*They again wisely decided to crusade on the borders of the Imperium and against [[xenos]], lest they wind up getting fucked over in another internal squabble. But continuing this getting fucked over theme, in their first crusade action, they happened to encounter the [[Tyranid]] [[Hive Fleet Kraken]]. With only less than 400 marines on hand, they hold out to try to allow as many people as possible to escape whenever the Hive Fleet gets its OM NOM NOM'ing on.
*Just to make their shitty situation of repetitive forlorn hope rearguards even shittier, the [[Black Rage]] returned, meaning that the cure was a bust. So now the Lamenters have to form a [[Death Company]] and lose valuable battle-brothers that way... while still being unable to recruit (of course).
*A mere 13 years before their crusade was to end <s>[[Advancing the Storyline|the entire universe stopped]]</s>. Nevermind that, they have apparently survived through Kraken and have gotten Primaris reinforcements from [[Roboute Guilliman|Bobby G]], so at least they have a chance to survive their crusade.
**Well actually no. For some reason, Guilliman, the massive cunt he is decided to only give them the primaris tech and no Greyshields. Why? Because the Universe needs to shit on the Lamenters. (Like with the sisters crying segment disregard what GW wrote as non-canon)
*Perhaps even worse than all of the above, their colour scheme is masochistically hard to paint correctly. The [[Imperial Fists|yellow is alright]], nothing wrong there. [[RAGE|But the thing that basically makes the army Lamenters instead of any random yellow marines is their chapter's symbol, which is comprised of a black-and-white checkered pattern with a circle and a heart in the middle. Trying to paint that on a few dozen miniatures is more-or-less painstakingly time-consuming, if not impossible, in the face of other Chapters having easier symbols to paint.]] Anyway, as a result the Lamenters are cursed to be the least represented official chapter in the game, and almost certainly even less than a lot of fan made and random bullshit chapters. To play Lamenters, you need to be an uncommonly good painter and have a taste for being fucked over in the fluff, on the tabletop AND for hundreds of hours of painting. Certainly an acquired taste!
*Meta: Literally the day after StringStorm and Corgi release their masterpiece 1d4chan goes down and when it gets back up Captcha is broken so it can't be linked here until fixed. Even software hates them.
** It is fixed! Here it is! The Lamenters never give up! [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybvtDr48sqo]]
Basically an ideal Chapter for BDSM lovers.

==Where Are They Now?==
[[File:Lamenters Dreadnought kicking ass.png|400px|thumbnail|left|[[Awesome|EVEN IN DEATH, I STILL FIGHT FOR THOSE I CHERISH!!!]]]]
The Lamenters have survived against the hive fleet Kraken and have even gotten Primaris reinforcements, bolstering the numbers of the chapter, proving while they may still constantly get fucked over, they still succeed in fighting in the Emperor's name. However, while they continue to exist, and no matter what horrible fate befalls them, [[Fist of the North Star|it can be assured these heroic fuckers will selflessly continue to fight for Mankind]], and quadrillions of ungrateful souls the galaxy over.

Never mind that they are essentially The Book of Job: The Chapter, the Lamenters are some of the baddest loyalist asses to ever don [[pauldrons|power armor]]. Every ''single'' thing that tried to screw them over, they proceeded to open up cans of [[Rage|FUCK YOU!]] in its general direction and despite losing Marines every time, [[Awesome|THEY ARE STILL STRONG, SURVIVING]] AND [[Imperial Guard|HOLDING THE FUCKING LINE.]]

There are only two Lamenters characters confirmed to remain today: First is Brother Chyron from the Deathwatch novels by [[Steve Parker]], a very sad [[Dreadnought]] that serves with the [[Deathwatch]] and who [[grimdark|considers himself to be the last of his chapter and thus is permanently attached to the Deathwatch]]. With everything lost to him, Chyron is only fuelled by one, tragic objective: revenge for his fallen Chapter, claimed in xenos' blood. This desire for revenge has often caused him to be irritable, stubborn, and downright insubordinate to his fellows and even superiors (It is not often a Deathwatch member flips off the [[Inquisitor]] giving them missions. Chyron does it. Twice. During the same mission.) Although despite this, his fellow Kill-team squad members refuse to abandon him.

The second is Malakim Phoros, the Chapter Master of the Lamenters, aka 'The Lord of Ruin,' and 'The Watcher of the Deeps', who is essentially the embodiment of Walking Weaponized Depression and who has faithfully served the Imperium for over two centuries. He is a highly aggressive close combatant, carrying the [[Black Rage]] in his heart, and likely one of the few Lamenters to have a Glaive Encarmine, let alone Artificer Armor.

Lamenters may be played as [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Blood_Angels(8E)|Blood Angels]]. Malakim Phoros has survived to 8th ed as a 'Blood Angels' HQ who excels in close combat.

Also in 6th ed was a bit of fluff about the Emperor's Tarot, a set of cards used by high-ranking psykers to try and make predictions (like Eldar seers, but less Heretical). The prediction stated that things were about to get even worse for the Lamenters. On one hand, fuck. On the other hand, this prediction came immediately after the Chapter was presumed destroyed for the fourteenth time, so do the math.

As of 7th Edition, when Dante made a call for all Blood Angels successor chapters to defend [[Baal]] against a simultaneous [[Daemon]] and Tyranid incursion, the Lamenters were the only chapter who did NOT respond. At least yet. Even the renegade [[Knights of Blood]] returned to defend their home (although it still hasn't been satisfactorily explained how the KoB found out there was a call, they just kinda showed up). It's unknown whether the Lamenters are all dead, were too busy or too far away to get the message, or if their penitent crusade out-ranks a call from the home world.

In the novel ''Dante'' by Guy Haley, it appears that the Blood Angels Chapter Master actually DID contact the Lamenters for aid, but they responded unfavorably. Dante notes that even if they had been of mind to obey the call, the Lamenters were too depleted to help their parent chapter. It probably also says something that his captains were unsurprised at the Lamenters being their only successor chapter to decline. They probably thought their presence would get everyone killed by bad luck.

As of the beginning of 8th ed, [[Primaris_Marines|NuMarines]] have been sent to reinforce several chapters that are low on marines. This means that the Lamenters are back in action, theoretically at least. But considering they didn't or weren't able to come back to protect Baal, whether they'll be reinforced and actually join the fight is anyone's guess. On the bright side, Chapter Master Malakim Phoros got updated rules for 8th Edition in the Imperial Armor Index - and he's the only Space Marine there is, aside from Guilliman, who can provide re-rolling of all failed wounds to nearby Chapter mates.

A Primaris Lamenter appears in the colour scheme section of the 8th Edition Blood Angels Codex, as part of a rebuilt 5th company, and they're specifically mentioned as surviving their run-in with [[Hive Fleet Kraken]].

We then had a minor retcon. The Torchbearer fleets under orders from Guilliman did not turn over Primaris Marines to the the Lamenters. Guilliman did this massive dick move for reasons not explained... thought suspicion points to the Mortifactors and Ultramarines being tie into it. As such they had to poach the technology from the legion along with the Celestial Lions.

In [[Psychic Awakening#Ritual_of_the_Damned|Ritual of the Damned]] the Lamenters get an apparent offhand mention in the "Echoes of Awakening" (lore preview) section. Some prison has secluded prisoners who are "going strange" into solitary confinement; these strange prisoners repel others, "even the strongest guards couldn't bear to go near them." A force of Space Marines "in yellow armour, bleeding hearts on their shoulders" came and took all of the prisoners, including the strange ones. Why the Lamenters would be collecting (if not recruiting) <s>criminal psychics (if not blanks)</s> what are stupidly obviously blanks is unknown but probably a belief in countering their "bad luck" by using blanks to protect them from Warp fuckery. Hopefully won't try to turn any into Astartes. Since Marine strength butt-naked far exceeds what is physically possible (like crushing granite into literal powder with one hand so easily he doesn't even notice any resistance) it's pretty obvious there's a lot of Warp fuckery involved.

In classic Lamenters fashion, they've been fucked over going into 9th edition; Malakim Phoros has had his rules relegated to a Legends PDF, and got hit hard enough with the nerf bat that he is almost unrecognizable. 2+ save? Now 3+, <s>with what is effectively a camo cloak</s> not even that anymore, his stealth armor is now removed as of the Dec 2020 FAQ. His wound re-rolls? Only himself, and only of 1s. He does have the Chapter Master rule though.

Lorewise, the Lamenters are back in the fight at Warzone Aberrus, being the only Chapter to respond to the [[Iron Lords]] call for aid against another tendril of [[Hive Fleet Kraken]]. Turns out, the [[Knights of the Raven]] and the [[Scythes of the Emperor]] were already in-system, and so all four Chapters began pushing back against the Tyranids. Together, the Imperials form a thin line preventing access to the Grendl Stars, where the hyper-violent [[Barghesi]] xenos reside. Officially, it's because the Imperium cannot afford to allow the 'Nids to assimilate even more dangerous genetic material, giving them yet another weapon to devour worlds with. Unofficially, these four Chapters in particular have unresolved beef with the Kraken and are all too eager for a little payback. You'd think that this would make for a great bonding experience between the Space Marines, but the Lamenters are sadly keeping their distance and communicating only when necessary. Seems like Badab hurt them in more ways than one.

== Daily Rituals ==
'''04:00 - Wakeup''': The Lamenters awake and assemble their wargear. Sometimes they fall out of their beds, hit their heads and end up arriving late to morning prayers.

'''05:00 - Morning Prayers''': The Lamenters show their gratitude for having survived the penitent crusade and having received their Primaris reinforcements. They ask the Emperor for strength to quietly bear their curse so that others don't have to.

'''05:30 -''' '''morning meal:''' chapter serfs provide the Lamenters with their first meal of the day, Corn flakes, unfortunately said cornflakes will often catch fire right before an astartes can dig in and he'll have to go without

'''06:00 - Morning Firing Rites''': The Lamenters hone in their firing skills. Occasionally the target Servitors incidently turn out to be [[Iron Hands|Loyal Marines from another Chapter]].

'''07:00 - Battle Practice''': The Lamenters engage in practice battles. By the end, the Medicae is filled to the brim with injured marines.

'''08:00 - Damage Control''': Attempts are made to repair and fix cases of mistaken identity. Often mistaken for those dicks the [[Marines Malevolent]], owing to their similar color scheme, its not uncommon for either angry Mechanicus, Salamanders or their successors to open fire on Marines Malevolent before a terrible case of mistaken identity ensues, often Lamenters are lost or injured before Malakim Phoros can get on the vox to Chapter Master Tu’shan to iron this out, after which they spend the next hour fixing power armor and bolter sized boo-boos but are total bros about it.

'''08:30 - requests for aid from the lamenters:''' at this hour, chapter master Malkaim Phoros will listen in on all available frequencies for pleas for aid from the imperium, having his Techmarines and Astropaths make sure he can hear EVERY single plea for aid. personally hearing the cries for help, but knowing he does not have enough men to intervene or has to preserve his men for an even greater threat, he must decline to help, this action breaks our chapter masters heart every day, as much as he would gladly intervene. Crying manly tears he begs for forgiveness before lighting a candle for those lost worlds and citizens he cannot save.

'''09:00 - Bro, Where's My Land Raider?''': Thanks to some bureaucratic fuck ups in the Administratum and some tech adepts who need to get their photoreceptors tested, very often, much of their Chapter's Tactical Dreadnought armor and Land Raider tanks end up going to the Marines Malevolent by mistake. Even so the Lamenters soldier on and will assault the Iron Warriors' Grand Companies/Dark Mechanicum titans/bio titans with what they have and not complain about it.

'''10:00 - Scout Maneuvres''': at this point in time, Lamenter Scout Marines will take to the field for early morning maneuvres...only to nearly get killed by friendly fire
from the Chapter's Devastator Company. Survivors and those currently on fire will be told to stop drop and roll, those not on fire will be asked to put out those who are.

'''11:00 - Physical Checkup''': All the injured Marines are tended to and prayers of thanks are given that no one was seriously hurt.

'''11:30 - sponge bath the elderly:''' those battle brothers not already volunteering to serve in soup kitchens today will have the privilege of giving sponge baths to the elderly, retirees and old imperial guardsmen on nearby retirement worlds, those battle brothers who wish too, may stay for an extra hour or two to listen to the elderly and keep them company as they talk about their stories, playing bingo with the elderly is also encouraged.

'''12:00 - Midday Prayers''': The Sanguinary Priests lead the Marines in prayers of restraint as they all struggle with the resurgent Red Thirst and Black Rage. Some Marines sadly gaze upon the stasis field containing the delusional and bloodthirsty forms of those who have fallen to the Black Rage and who were unfortunate enough to not die in a suicidal charge.

'''13:00 - Midday Meal''': Chapter Serfs prepare the meal, though sometimes it gets lost in transit and the Lamenters have to go without. The distraught Serfs offer the Lamenters their own rations instead but are graciously turned down.

'''13:15 - Tactical Indoctrination''': The Lamenters go over the latest tactics for fighting in the general galactic stalemate following the Indomitus Crusade's first phase and the Plague Wars. Meticulous preparations are made to minimize casualties on all allied forces and civilians and extreme search and rescue training is also conducted so that the enemy never gets another Slaughterhouse III.

'''14:00 - Angry Letters From an Angry Imperium''': The Lamenters are unfortunately mistaken for the Marines Malevolent again and receive 1000s more angry letters from everyone from the Imperial Guard to the local Hive Block Watch Association complaining about everything from leaving their men to die to local noise pollution. The Lamenters have to constantly explain they are NOT the Marines Malevolent nor have they ever heard of this Chapter and to any Adeptus Mechanicus tech priests we have NOT stolen your Ark Mechanicus! We never even saw it, we were knee deep in Tyranids that day! More angry letters continue to flow in and the Lamenters endeavour to answer every single one.

'''14:30 - charity and volunteer work:''' the lamenters will take from their own chapter pantries to give out bread and food to homeless and helpless civilians, the elderly and the orphans are prioritised and old orphans get twice as much!

'''15:00 - Battle Practice''': The Lamenters again engage in practice battles. Knowing that their prowess is quite possibly the only thing standing between the citizens of the Imperium and the horrors of the Galaxy; they bear the pains and go through the drills meticulously for if they make a single mistake, they know it may cost the life of a person.

'''15:15 - hospital visitation and cheering up sick children : -''' deploying to nearby hive worlds and in conjunction with the ordo hospitaller, many lamenters voluntarily visit terminally sick children to cheer them up, naturally, activities include, seeing a full astartes in full regalia, inspiring kids with tales of heroism, being told how cool they were by an angel of death, being told the emperor is personally proud of each and every sick child, playing with live bolter rounds, handling krak grenades, handing chainblades. seeing a live astartes in the flesh was a great way to raise morale for kids and parents, or it was, until brother Malfesius's terminator assault cannon misfired in a terrible accident turning an entire ward into jam before he could get the machine spirit to stop, suffice to say, the chapter high command begged for forgiveness for what happened, with chapter master Malkaim Phoros personally pleading for forgiveness from the parents of those children in that terrible accident.

'''16:00 - Inspiring Speeches and Field Promotions''': Around this time the officers and indispensable heroes of the Lamenters will look to rally the chapter, deliver an inspiring speech, lead from the front or remind their battle brothers why the deeds they do matter. Much cheering will be heard before said Chapter-veteran gets his brains blown out by a Vindicator Assassin who quickly yells "SORRY!" in yet another case of mistaken identity, this time with the Lamenters being confused for the [[Celestial Lions]] Chapter, despite the vastly different color-schemes. Field promotions will have to be given and mops and buckets issued to sobbing Serfs to clean up the mess while funerary laments are chanted by the Lamenters over their ships' mass vox-relays.

'''16:15 - "Tactical deployments and last stands:''' The Lamenters will hear from Segmentum command which situations are utterly hopeless or fubar and which civilians are about to be Tyranid food, after High command deems it a lost cause and decides to abandon civilians and guardsmen, Chapter Master Malkim Phoros will promptly give subsector command the middle finger, he will then exercise the right of astartes independence and deploy his ENTIRE CHAPTER to intervene and defend the weak, innocent and defenceless, forming a big yellow wall to defend the emperors subjects. using the time bought, they will die to a man, but they will do so gladly, trading their lives for time.

'''17:00 - Priming the Primaris''': Additional time is set aside by considerate Firstborn veterans to prepare their new Primaris brethren for all the shitty luck and ill-fortune bound to come their way, although some less cynical veterans secretly hope that fate may be kinder to them. Regardless, nothing is sugar-coated and the Primaris Marines are overwhelmed by feelings of awe that their new Chapter is still loyal to the Imperium despite everything and vow they will be just as selfless and unyielding as all the Lamenters who've gone before, no matter what cruel end may befall them.

'''17:05 - vacinations and innoculations for the poor:''' the lamenters apothocarian will now deploy to the lowest hive levels and feral worlds to deliver vaccines free of charge to the emperors poorest subjects, but knowing they can only fit so many vaccines into each thunderhawk they cannot help everyone they'd like, the lamenters beg for forgiveness from imperial citizens knowing they do all they can but it isnt eneough, this time it is the chief apothocary who pleads for forgivness from the poor and sick citizens of the imperium.

'''17:30 - second round of sponge bathing the elderly and sick and infirmed:''' Those battle brothers who didnt get to give sponge baths to the elderly today will have the chance to help the infirmed, much to the envy of the nearby salamanders, however care must be taken following the "sponge incident" in which brother Whelan accidentally drowned an elderly citizen using an Astartes pattern wash sponge, crying and begging for forgiveness he yelled out "TAKE ME, IM OLD!", beside himself with grief he volunteered to join the Deathwatch

'''18:00: - Search and Rescue Operations''': The lamenters sweep over known Tyranid and chaos occupied hive cities and settlements looking for civilians or lost children to rescue.Which they will find, only to lose more battle brothers saving orphans getting them onto one of the chapters 3 remaining Thunderhawks, typically surrounded by hordes of alien horrors dying to a man while the Thunderhawk lifts off.

'''19:00: - Teleportation Maneuvers''': The Lamenters will practice their teleporation maneuvers at this hour. Hilarity ensues as every teleporter misfortune imaginable occurs. These include: losing the co-ordinates, power outages, heretical sorcery, beaming into a Chaos Warship, scouts losing the teleport homer, being beamed in without bolters, being vaporised, having a land raider beamed in on top of the first company, beaming onto a ship of the Marines Malevolent, teleporting right into the chambers of a Tyranid Norn Queen 20 sectors away, teleporting directly onto a Dark Eldar slave barge and accidentally beaming in a Tyranid Malanthrope instead of the [[Cato Sicarius|second company captain.]]

'''20:00 - Evening Prayers''': The Lamenters give thanks to the Emperor and the Primarch for granting them the will to make it through one more day and keeping them able to help others at any cost. Any Marine who broke down in tears during prayer are hugged by the Chaplain. If the Chaplain starts crying, the highest-ranking Lamenter present will hug him in return.

'''21:00 - Evening Meal''': A feast is provided by the Chapter Serfs. This time, an escort of Serfs armed to the teeth guarantees that the food makes it to the table. The Menu varies from day to day to try to cheer the Marines up, but often a brother would stare at their filled plate as it reminds them of events that happened before or after a previous time said dish was served.

'''21:20 - Night Firing Exercise'''s: The Lamenters hone their skills further in their ship's firing ranges. Sometimes a bolt will miss and hit a random Serf walking by. Said Serf(or what left of him) is immediately given a proper void-burial (after he's mopped up from exploding) with all the battle-brothers from the offender's squad in attendance.

'''22:20 - Maintenance Rituals''': The Lamenters work on their weapons and armor, as befits the Sons of Sanguinius. Occasionally, their equipment will spontaneously combust.

'''23:00 - Free Time''': Some Marines gather around the view ports of their ships, gazing into the void of space, contemplating why their chapter has such a terrible fortune. Others visit Chapter Serfs and express their gratitude for their service. Others take the time to indulge in the arts and literature as their Primarch would have done, for they know each day protecting Mankind is an honor beyond their worth and this helps them stay grounded in reality.

'''00:00 - Rest Period''': The Lamenters go back to sleep, silently expressing gratitude as they made it through another day.

'''01:45 - Nightmares Start''': Most people are harmed or terrified in their nightmares. The Lamenters dream of helpless civilians getting tortured or slaughtered while being unable to do anything to save them. Sometimes an unlucky soul lives out a nightmare where he is a Marines Malevolent or a Minotaur Marine in mêlée action; this drives them instantly to the Black Rage.

'''02:30 - Wake Up From Nightmares''': The Lamenters say a prayer of gratitude that no one was actually harmed, and go back to sleep. Nightmares immediately continue. New victims of the Black Rage are hugged before they are put into stasis.

==What It Means To Be A Lamenter ==

''The Siege of Corillia, week V [9th Black Crusade - 537.M38]''

“What a fool you are, loyalist lapdog – what a weak, deluded, nauseating ''fool''. Do you honestly think you’ve somehow managed to ''change'' anything? Are you truly arrogant enough to believe that you’ve actually made a ''difference''?”

Khralk’s crackling power-maul smashes into Brenevier’s side, buckling already-damaged ceramite plating and cracking the fused ribs of his carapace before he is hurled through the smoke-choked air to crash heavily against the bolter-riddled base of a devotional marble statue of the (now headless) primarch Rogal Dorn. The sickening sound of his spine snapping rings in the Lamenter’s ears like the fateful toll of a clarion bell. Each breath he draws sets his lungs aflame; blood floods into his mouth and behind his fizzling alarm-swamped visor his sharp regal face contorts in a bestial expression of rage and pain. Somehow he has kept ahold of his gore-clogged chainsword, now missing most of its teeth and running perilously low on promethium. The growing mob of cultists watching the duel scream-howl in triumph and prepare to swarm the battle-ravaged plaza and hack Brenevier apart with their assorted weaponry and their sheer hatred.

“Stay back, curs – he is mine and ''mine'' alone. Do not interfere!” Khralk’s amplified command booms through his vox-speakers causing the corrupted mortals to cower back, collectively grimacing as the words hit them with near-physical force. Adjusting his grip on his spiked maul the Iron Warrior Chaos Space Marine Terminator lumbers over to where Brenevier struggles to rise, half-stunned by the devastating blow, his battered yellow power-armor smeared in blood and ichor and soiled with soot and ash. The Lamenter rips off his ruined helm and bares his teeth in grim defiance as Khralk looms over him like an unstoppable juggernaut foraged out of iron and spite. ''There is nothing you can do that will make me regret my decisions or mourn my actions, traitor. Molli is safe, now; Molli is –''

''Molli is clinging to him, refusing to let go, her filthy face streaked with tears. “No! No!” she cries as Brenevier carefully pries her from his leg and lifts her towards the outstretched hands ready to pull her into the relative safety of the repurposed PDF supply truck. “You must, Molli,” the Lamenter replies calmly. “This vehicle will take you all to safety – it’s what I promised you, remember?” The five-year old girl thrashes violently in his grip, her blue eyes wild with panicked grief. “No! Not without you! Don’t go, Bren; please don’t go! I want you to stay with me!” A sturdy thickset woman in the garb of a foundry worker takes Molli from him, tears of gratitude and awe streaming down her own cheeks as she clasps the wailing child to her breast. “Bren! No!” Eight more distraught children are clustered around his ceramite boots, the older ones tightly clutching the hands of their younger charges. All of them are crying and it is not due to the turmoil of evacuation raging around them or the cultists’ vile chanting rising in the distance. One-by-one Brenevier picks them up and hands them over to the care of willing passengers and each child cries the same plea as their protector-savior fulfills his oaths: “Don’t go! Don’t go..!”''

“You claim to ‘cherish’ them, Lamenter,” Khralk’s metallic vox-distorted voice is laden with both amusement and incredulity, as if he is offering Brenevier an opportunity to deny this is genuinely the case. “I find such sentiment quite ludicrous. Were the lives of a handful of ragged slum-children worth this needless pain, this pointless ''sacrifice?''”

“Yes!” Brenevier gasps, dark clots of blood spilling from his lips as he forces his arm to raise his dying chainsword to counter the Traitor Marine's maul. One sweep of Khralk’s weapon smashes the blade aside, tearing it free of the Lamenter’s weakened grip. Brenevier cannot keep himself from screaming aloud as the Iron Warrior next brings the maul down upon his right leg, shattering armor and splintering reinforced bone alike in one devastating strike.

“I didn’t quite hear you,” Khralk growls low and deadly as he repositions the maul over Brenevier’s left leg, the threat blatant and unmistakable. “I ''asked'' you if the mewling whelps were ''worth'' it. Well, were they?”

“Yes!” the Lamenter cries again, his melodic voice clear and filled with conviction. Immediately the maul pulverizes his knee, brutally destroying the limb beyond its ability to heal. “What?” Khralk snarls mockingly, shaking his helmed head in feigned confusion as Brenevier shudders in agony. “I still can’t hear you – ''what'' did you say?”

“Yes!”

''“Bren!” Brenevier is about to turn from the idling truck to rejoin brothers Athrulf and Ralland at their newly-established defensive perimeter when Molli’s plaintive voice halts him. The little girl strains to reach him, clasped tight as she is in the strong arms of the foundry-woman, her tiny dirty hands stretching out to him imploringly. “Don’t go,” she sobs. “Don’t leave, Bren. Please come with us.” Brenevier extends a gauntleted hand and Molli desperately grabs his armored forefinger, her knuckles whitening as she squeezes it with all her might. “Molli,” the Lamenter speaks as softly as his vox-grille permits. “Molli, I must go; there are other people – other children – who need my help. I have to go rescue them too. You must be a brave girl while I’m gone. This kind lady will look after you and the others. Do you promise to be good while I’m away?” Molli sniffs and blinks back her tears. “I promise…but will you promise to come back and find me? I’ll miss you.” Behind his visor Brenevier smiles sadly. “I cannot make that promise, Molli. But do not be afraid – the Emperor protects, as always, and I will never forget you.” Gently he extracts his finger from her grip and before she can start crying again he turns and strides away, grateful that his helm hides his own tears…''

* * *

“Yes…”

“Yes…”

''“Yes…”''

It is fortunate Molli cannot see her steadfast savior now; neither she nor any of the other children would be able to recognize him. Khralk grips the rim of Brenevier’s gorget, holding him aloft as he spits a tirade of abuse and castigation into the Space Marine’s tortured face. The Lamenter dangles like a child’s poorly-sewn rag doll in the Iron Warrior’s implacable grip, blood flowing freely beneath his rent war-plate, his limbs all crushed and twisted, his head lolling as Khralk shakes him like a disobedient menial in his fury. Broken bones grind together and blood fills his punctured lungs; Brenevier can barely draw breath, can barely form a coherent thought, yet he refuses to recant his actions or denounce those he has saved for the sake of a swift death.

“You have accomplished ''nothing'', foolish little ''hero'',” Khralk sneers as Brenevier vomits more crimson vitae onto his cracked breastplate. “Your own erstwhile ‘allies’ have deserted you; Corillia will belong to the Despoiler before the week is out. All your valor is in vain; for every terrified child you protected a ''hundred'' more are hunted down and slain like vermin amongst the ruins; for each shell-shocked civilian you led to safety a ''thousand'' more are rounded up and butchered like grox in the squares. The thirsting gods ''laugh'' at you, Lamenter – unlike your False Emperor, who can only sit and scream into the void. Every mortal you’ve saved thus far will be either slaughtered or enslaved and their cries of despair will echo throughout the immaterium to delight the Primordial Powers – as will yours!”

Fresh agony flares anew through Brenevier’s shattered body as Khralk releases him and he falls to the scorched flagstones, barely conscious and all but paralyzed from the relentless beating. This time he keeps the screams locked behind his teeth. The restless mob of cultists edge cautiously closer in the hope they might be allowed to partake in the death of one of the Emperor’s loyal sons. Brenevier gazes wearily up at the hulking ironclad nightmare towering over him like doom incarnate; then he coughs up another mouthful of blood and takes a deep burning breath, recalling the great Sacrifice his own suffering primarch made so long ago.

“What are the delights of the Ruinous Powers to ''me'', traitor?" he snarls contemptuously through reddened froth. "I exist to defy…and ''deny'' them, both in the thrill of victory and in the pangs of defeat. I am the shield which protects the weak and the forsaken…I am the sword that defends the powerless and the forgotten. I am the spear that wards the innocent and the –”

''“You are nothing!”'' the Iron Warrior roars as he grinds a heavy ceramite-shod boot down upon Brenevier’s laboring chest. “I slew Astartes a hundred times your worth on the black sands of Isstvan V and I declare truthfully that you are ''nothing!'' Your forsaken Chapter, this besieged world, your rotting Imperium, your impotent Corpse God – everything you are loyal to will be broken in the end. ''This'' is just a foretaste, a personalized lesson concerning the inevitability of futility. Now, I ask you one last time: ''were those useless snot-nosed brats worth it?”''

“Yes! Both now and always!” Brenevier gasps, smiling faintly despite the all-encompassing pain, vividly recalling Molli’s look of astonished wonder when he had entered the little run-down back-alley chapel to find the nine undernourished street-children gathered together like frightened birds before the yet-undesecrated alter, invoking the Emperor and Sanguinius for protection with simple beseeching prayers as their hive-city slowly fell apart around them. Seeing such uncontained joy on such an innocent hopeful face had made the entire search-and-rescue mission worth every grueling hour. “I have no regrets, abomination! None! For those I cherish I die in glory!”

Khralk laughs, a harsh, gratingly hideous sound. “Oh yes, you shall indeed die, Lamenter; though there will be no glory in your death – these jackals that clamor at my heels will ensure it.” Stepping away from the incapacitated Space Marine the Iron Warrior utters a series of sharp commands in a vile unintelligible language whose syllables pierce Brenevier’s mind like poisoned spikes. An ecstatic cheer arises from the watching cultists. With a parting blow to the side Khralk turns and stomps off, crunching over the corpses of dead cultists and PDF troopers alike, pausing briefly to scornfully kick in the head of the lifeless brother Ralland. Chanting a litany to the Dark Gods the corrupted humans surge forwards, surrounding Brenevier and swarming over him like agitated oversized ants. ''I am sorry, Molli...I hope my memory alone is enough to sustain you now…
''

Serrated knives and other ritualistic flesh-tearing implements are driven through the rents in his armor and into his still-bleeding wounds. Khralk has done his work well; Brenevier cannot even raise a gauntlet to fend off his assailants. A cult-leader of indeterminate gender sporting a brass facemask fashioned in the form of a tusked porcine leaps atop his befouled breastplate clutching a glowing firebrand. Another grabs a fistful of the Lamenter’s flaxen hair and begins to crudely scalp him. Fights break out as the cultists vie for the honor of mutilating his flesh. The pig-masked leader crouches down and hisses some unholy declaration into the Space Marine’s face before thrusting the heated brand into his right eye. Segments of ceramite are slowly ripped free as warp-maddened men and women who would have otherwise fallen in droves before Brenevier’s chainsword and boltgun defile his broken body in a howling animalistic frenzy.

''“For those we cherish we die in glory!”'' the Lamenter screams out a final time before his tongue is severed in a welter of blood. Darkness engulfs him as his left eye is likewise pierced. The degenerate mortals stab, kick, claw and spit on him as the last pieces of his war-plate are pried loose and cast aside. “This hive is ''ours'' now!” a phlegmy male voice gargles into his ear in garbled Low Gothic as several chainblades are activated in unison nearby. “You have failed, Astartes – curse your Corpse God and die in vain!”

''Better your target is me then the helpless people of Holdenmire...'' Brenevier steels his hearts and fortifies his mind against the torment and butchery to come. ''O father Sanguinius, faithful and true even unto death, accept the sacrifice of your loyal son in the knowledge that I have but one life to give to the Imperium...''

Abruptly the chanting morphs into shouts of pain and rage as the crack-crack of lasfire fills the plaza. Furious at being interrupted the cultists hurl themselves en masse at the approaching foe in a storm of pounding footsteps and blasphemous oaths. Some of the newcomers are singing Imperial hymns and above the lasfire and the shrieking of revved chainswords the familiar brutal bark of an Astartes-pattern boltgun rises like a sacred song of defiance above the chaotic mêlée of joined combat.

“Brother Brenevier!” Sergeant Athrulf’s majestic booming voice is at once fury-filled and grief-stricken as he cuts and shoots his way through the throng of deranged mortals blocking his path; Brenevier cannot acknowledge him in any way or come to his aid. ''Do not put your life in peril on my account…'' he silently implores his squad commander as the inexorable tread of Athrulf’s boots draw steadily nearer. ''The children are safe and I have fulfilled my duty…
''

A retreating cultist slams against the Lamenter’s shoulder and then the cold greasy edge of a knife is laid across his throat. “Come no closer!” the phlegmy-voiced man cries to Athrulf threateningly, “or your brother’s life will be ended by my –”

The heretic suddenly collapses against his intended hostage, his threat unfinished, his heartbeat silenced. Scores of people are swarming about Brenevier once more but with the cries of ''“The Emperor protects!”'' and ''“Hive Holdenmire stands!”'' on their lips; one women empties a canteen of water over his ravaged face, promising fervently to “make those heathen offworld bastards pay!” These humans do not sound or behave like Holdenmire’s professional PDF troopers. Having broken the cultists’ charge they protectively surround the fallen Lamenter, awaiting further orders from the Space Marine who had rallied them. The last cultist dies with a wail of despair and then a helmless Athrulf is kneeling by Brenevier’s side, holding one of his crushed hands, his hot tears of grief pattering down upon Brenevier’s forehead and cheeks. “Brother, brother I am here – can you hold on until Thoror comes?” With great effort Brenevier shakes his head; he can barely breathe now and there is a cold blackness creeping over him that has nothing to do with his blindness. Sanguinary Priest Thoror cannot save him; Khralk has done his work well. ''Forgive me, Brother-Sergeant; forgive me, brave fighters of Holdenmire; I cannot stay – I must go…again…''

Instead of shrinking back from the demoralizing sight of one of the Emperor’s Angels of Death brought so low, the embattled citizens the Lamenters had sworn not to abandon to the depredations of the Black Legion press forward and place their hands gently upon Brenevier’s exposed body, their touches reverent and respectful in contrast to the ministrations of the cultists. “Thank you, lord,” an elderly man says in a trembling unsteady voice. “I will remember you to the God-Emperor for as long as I live,” promises a younger women sounding as if she is on the brink of tears. “You ''stayed'',” another man whispers in awe. “Your Chapter stayed, even after the other left…” Molli’s anguished tear-streaked face flashes in Brenevier’s minds-eye for a final time: ''“Don’t go! Don’t go…!”''

''I must; I am sorry – for those we cherish we die in glory…''

* * *

Brother-Sergeant Athrulf of the Lamenters Third Company bows his head as death claims the last member of his squad, feeling as if another piece of his hearts has been torn away and trampled upon. “For those you cherished you died in glory, brother,” he whispers quietly before kissing his subordinate’s pallid brow. He cradles the Space Marine's brutalized body against his chest, weeping silently. “May Sanguinius accept your sacrifice and may your soul take its rightful place in the Emperor’s eternal Legion alongside all our fallen brethren. Rest in peace: we who still draw breath shall hold the line without capitulation or complaint until the bitter end.”

Rising, the Lamenter sweeps his piercing blue-gray eyes over the stricken faces of the mortal militia he now commands. Virtually all of the assembled men and women have tears running down their cheeks; some are crying outright. Still, they straighten and try to collect themselves as Athrulf gazes at each of them in turn, assessing them for signs of flagging resolve or stress-induced madness.

“Do not morn brother Brenevier,” he says as he dons his helm, obscuring his fair statuesque features behind his blood-splattered beaked visor. “His fate is the fate that awaits all Astartes of the Lamenters Chapter; pray rather that your own deaths are as valiant as his, regardless of the circumstances. Our Chapter Master and Company Captains all swore before making planetfall to never forsake the people of Corillia while the Archenemy yet assails you and those are oaths we will never renege, even though our allies abandon us and the traitors heap contempt and death upon us. Stand fast! This is your city and by our sacrifices we have consecrated it in the holy blood of the Martyred Primarch! For the Emperor! For Sanguinius! For those we cherish!”

''“For those we cherish!”'' the loyal hivers cry aloud in one voice as they collectively raise their scavenged weapons in defiance, their grieving faces hardening in determination. Athrulf salutes Brenevier’s body with his sizzling power-sword, his eyes lingering unwillingly on the dead Lamenter’s profane wounds, knowing in the depths of his own hearts a similar fate awaits him and those he leads. Behind his visor Athrulf smiles sadly. It does not matter: he is a scion of Sanguinius and like his revered gene-sire he exists to serve as an example of righteous purpose and as an exemplar of the nobility that still exists within the human species. ''If our primarch suffered such an end then we his faithful sons must expect no less from this hostile hope-forsaken galaxy; the distant stars burn all the more brightly in the void because they are forever surrounded by such a great darkness; thus we must strive to be as stars to the Imperium’s people, so that they may know they are not alone in that vast darkness…''

Baring his teeth in grim acceptance Athrulf maglocks his sword to his hip and slams his next-to-last clip of ammunition into his spent boltgun. A nearby explosion showers more rubble across the corpse-strewn plaza, causing the unarmored civilian-soldiers to scatter for cover. Another band of cultists clad in gaudy silk robes and wielding elegantly curved scimitars and bejeweled needle-pistols charge through the swirling smoke, singing perverse praises to an even more perverse deity. “Come to me, then!” Athrulf roars deafeningly as he swiftly redraws his sword and strides forward without hope or fear to meet the onrushing enemy frontrunners. ''“For those we cherish we die in glory!”
''

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Lamenters_Sanguinary_Guards.jpg| A rare sighting of Sanguinary Guards for the Lamenters. The fact that they might not have official ones can be chalked up to the obvious reasoning.
File:Ultramarines_vs_Lamenters.png | Many Chapters may get fucked over but they can never compare to the amount of time fate fucks over the Lamenters.
</gallery>

==External Links==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr1Ip9aaHIA The Lamenters summed up] by [[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device]]... aside from the bit about a weird Spiderman cosplay at the end. Warning: It is insanely depressing.
* SCREW THAT DEPRESSING VIDEO AND LISTEN TO THIS EPIC SONG INSTEAD! [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ybvtDr48sqo Here they are], in all their glorious awesomeness, because the Lamenters will always stand and fight for those who can't, dying in glory!
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wESGz7j14w "Do you know what it means? That word - lament."]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXMcOYyDs-w Lamenters, but they're also doges.] (it works, I swear)

* Writefaggotry Roundup! (All the good Lamenters fanfic I've been able to find - excluding all the RWBY crossovers):
** [https://archiveofourown.org/works/25862194 The Salamanders Chapter reinforce the Lamenters and give them Hugs]
** [https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13767355/1/Son-of-Sorrows-Warhammer-40k A Lamenter gang-pressed into Deathwatch service after the Badab War gets attacked by a Minotaur and his Cronies]
** [https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13704980/1/Don-t-Go-Warhammer-40K A Lamenter rescues Children and gets beaten/tortured by an Iron Warrior during the 9th Black Crusade (see the wikipage story added by the author)]
** [https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12862798/1/Lamenters-and-Redeemers The Sisters of Battle weave and sanctify the Lamenters' Battle-banner before they depart on their Penitent Crusade]
** [https://archiveofourown.org/works/28097253 A Lamenter and a World Eater fight in a ruined Imperial cathedral]
** [https://archiveofourown.org/works/23344960/chapters/55925782 A lone Primaris Lamenter hunts Drukhari on an outlying Imperial world]
* More to be added as I find them

{{Marines-Official}}

[[Category:Blood Angels]]