Editing Adeptus Custodes (section)

===Horus Heresy-Era===
[[File:Constantin valdor.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Constantin Valdor, murdering stuff for the Emprah since the Unification Wars.]]
*'''[[Constantin Valdor]]'''- The big cheese of the Custodian Guard, Constantin Valdor was the Captain-General of the Legio Custodes during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, the first of the Ten Thousand and personal bodyguard of Big E since <strike>his debuts as a bloody-handed and megalomaniac tyrant</strike> the Unification Wars and His glorious crusade to make Mankind great again. A monster of a man, he was described as being a head taller than Amon (who was already significantly larger than an Astartes) and the size of a Primarch (Alpharius to be exact). Valdor was one of the Emperors closest friends and his second most trusted advisor (Malcador the Sigillite being #1). He was described as being the mightiest warrior in the entire Imperium with the exception of the Primarchs and Big E himself (he was almost killed by a warp-boosted Phosis T'Kar on Prospero however, only surviving because Phosis [[Chaos Spawn|accidentally rolled 22 on Chaos Boon]] and realized he'd become the 'flesh-change' monster he so hated). Naturally he shared a close relationship with a number of the Primarchs, the most notable being Horus, Rogal Dorn, and Leman Russ. Also, he rolls with the [[Officio Assassinorum]], so he earns massive bonus points there. At the end of the Heresy, he was one of the high lords of Terra, but stepped down sometime after that to be able to look after the Emperor personally. He has since been replaced as Captain-General: in M32 the Custodians are commanded by a new guy called '''Beyreuth'''. According to the Codex, he disappeared without a trace some time after the Emperor was ensconced on the Golden Throne; rumour has it that he is still alive and serving the Emperor.
** It is hinted in ''Master of Mankind'' that Valdor is named after an "ancient king" of Old Earth, probably [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great|^ Constantine the Great], famous for being the first Christian Emperor of Rome. The ''Apollonian Spear'' and sun-shaped iron halo worn by Valdor foster the reference to Constantine, whose tutelar deity before his conversion was Sol Invictus. His spear is one of a pair, infused with a portion of the emperors foresight, with the other held by Leman Russ. Valdors version of the spear specifically imparts him with a flashback of the life of it's victims, and every key(sad) moment in their history that led to them being at the end of the killing edge. Really testing the loyalty of your servants, what a pal E-money was. Unsurprisingly considering the blood games Valdor was a skilled assassin, able to sneak into a palace undetected to assassinate a target, according to the target he has Albian features perhaps meaning that was his birth place.
** Participated in the Burning of Prospero instead of preventing it by simply, y'know, ''actually enforcing and obeying the Emperor's orders.'' Instead, accepted and obeyed changes to orders delivered by someone other than the Emperor supposedly passing on a message from the Emperor despite the Emperor being fully capable of sending his own astropathic messages or at least ordering an astropath to do so for him. [[FAIL|And not bothering to verify with the Emperor himself. Despite the change in orders being the ''opposite'' of what the original orders were.]] That is to say, "murder everyone and burn their world to ashes" is the opposite of "go to Prospero and arrest Magnus and bring him to me in chains."
** He might be around in the 41st Millennium as the enigmatic "King in Yellow" (who is building an army in the Webway for unknown reasons). [[Eisenhorn|Alizabeth Bequin]] recently recovered a book from a Webway pocket dimension that supposedly contained the true identity of the King in Yellow; the very first words within the book were "Constantin Valdor." However, this doesn't really line up with the other depictions of the KiY, who is heavily connected with the heretical Chaos-connected Cognitae group.

*'''Amon Tauromachian'''- One of the most notable Custodians. In combat, unarmoured, versus three " Migou" ([[H.P. Lovecraft|I see what you did there]]) or Genestock Ogres from Nei Monggol (Ogryns anybody?) Amon is impressive, he is apparently strong enough to effortlessly break an Ogryn's arm, relieving it of its punch-dagger, then ram it through the poor sod's skull. One of them grabs him from behind in a bear hug, which he literally shrugs off, then punches his hand through the Ogryn's chest and rips out its heart. Mary Sue you say? All this is from Dan Abnett himself from his short story ''Blood Games''. Also, he is probably referred to in ''The First Heretic'' as an instructor of at least 2 other Custodians, even though the "last" (well, gene-stock/family) name of said Amon is not revealed. Protected Kasper Hawser at the Edict of Nikea, was held in place by Magistus Amon of the Thousand Sons, but then subsequently kicked his ass with the help of Bjorn the Fell-Handed. Has managed to get within striking distance from TEH EMPRAH during the Blood Games.

*'''Aquillon Marithamus'''- the "Oculi Imperator" (eyes of the Emperor) and Prefect who was charged with leading four other Custodians, watching over Lorgar and the Word Bearers after the Monarchia kerfuffle. They were kept in the dark about the Heresy until Isstvan V, but left alive because Erebus wanted their blood. Aquillon embarked on a tragic bromance with [[Argel Tal]]. Tal seems to have been born for tragedy in general, and perhaps the most perfect example is how, having already become friends with the Custodians and seen one murdered on Lorgar's orders, he had to spend four decades getting closer to Aquillon and pulling the wool over his eyes. In contrast with how most Custodians viewed Space Marines, Aquillon actually came to view Argel Tal as a close friend (well, for Custodians, anyway)... until Isstvan V, accompanied by the revelation that the Word Bearers had been ritually torturing astropaths to keep Aquillon's messages from reaching Terra. It ended badly - Aquillon killed Argel Tal's mortal waifu [[Cyrene]], and the possessed Astartes [[Rip and Tear|bit his head off]].

*'''Ra Endymion:'''A veteran Custodian (871 names bitch!) among the first thirty members of the Legio, and perhaps the only person truly privy to the Emperor's whole plan to elevate humanity into the webway and cut them off from Chaos (or at least the only one given a direct crash course & debate on why the Emperor had to be a totalitarian dick; Custodes as a whole have inferred the Emperor's plan from all the info he shared with each one), which was told to him in a series of psychic dreams gifted from the Emperor. One of the three Tribunes, he was left in command of the Webway armed forces after the other two were killed while fighting the forces of Chaos that forced their way through in the wake of Magnus's Folly.
** When the Emperor briefly rose from his chair to burn out the Daemons and give time for his forces to fall back, Ra was forcibly possessed by '''Drach'Nyen''', the [[Chaos Undivided|undivided]] daemon born from humanity's first act of murder. Since the Emperor couldn't kill it, he figured it would be safely stored in a Custodian's body, and the reason Ra was told the Emperor's plan was to give him a reason to keep fighting against the Daemon in his mind. By 40k we can assume something went horribly wrong, as Drach'Nyen is now literally in the hands of [[Abaddon]] as his sword and was given to him by some "golden figure". He is also an absolute beast in battle, slaughtering Astartes legionaries like Astartes do with regular humans (fluffy as hell considering the [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Talons_of_the_Emperor_(30k)|Legio Custodes Tribune's rules for 30k]]). Smiles like the Joker from Batman.

*'''Diocletian Coros:''' The big cheese in charge of the Terran side of the War in the Webway. An unapologetic arsehole with zero time for anything not covered by his orders, to the point of almost shooting child refugees because they delayed him and mouthing off to Dorn during a briefing. He makes it abundantly clear that the Custodians fight for the Emperor and '''NOT''' the Imperium, and holds the attitude that if enough of the Astartes felt the same way then the Horus Heresy would never have happened. Basically, he is the reason why people think that Custodians are all heartless bastards. Still, have to feel a bit sorry for him, as he was told by the Emperor that the dream of humankind was dead after the Webway was sealed. He also wrote a book about the Emprah, ''the Master of Mankind'' (no fucking joke), which is apparently still a best-seller among the present day Adeptus Custodes.
** TL;DR: He's [[That Guy]] at his nicest, a [[Marines Malevolent|Marine Malevolent]] turned into a Custodes at his worst.

*'''Sagittarus Malacque:''' One of the original Custodians and the first to become a [[Custodes Contemptor Dreadnought|Dreadnought]]. Noted to be choleric and wild, he was nearly killed during the battle in the [[Webway]] but survived, having been saved by a formerly-crippled [[Blood Angel]] in a display of utter [[awesome]]. Also, that whole "Only in death does duty end" quote? That canonically originated with this guy, as the Emprah inscribed it on his shell.

*'''Vettranio Shapura:''' One of the third or fourth Custodians to be put into a dreadnought, a Galatus pattern, after sacrificing himself for the Emperor. Notorious as a Custodes commander in the Horus Heresy: Legions card game, where he is a mostly defensive character hiding behind his shield (instead of the murder-machines Galatus-pattern Dreads are in tabletop [[crunch]]). His name comes from three people: Jack Vettriano (a Scottish painter); Vetranio (with 1 t) who was one of the lesser roman Emperors, originally a decorated officer acclaimed by his rebellious soldiers, he ended up losing in a contest of charisma to determine the true Emperor against his Constantinian rival, who turned Vetranio's troops against him, forcing the would be usurper to beg for mercy, Constantius II forgave him (even calling him "father" out of diplomatic kindness) and he left to end up his life in peaceful and happy retirement (which is where it ties with the painter); and finally, the [[Chaos|Shapur kings of the Sassanid empire]], the most infamous of whom, Shapur I, treacherously captured Emperor Valerian during pourparlers, forced him into slavery and humiliation for years, until Valerian begged him to be released, promising to pay whatever ransom if he was allowed to see his family again one last time, a request to which Shapur I answered... ''by flaying him alive''. Ahriman of the Thousand Sons was a descendant, a prince, of the Achaemenid royal dynasty; and Vettranio Shapura was among the Custodians who went with Constantine Valdor and Leman Russ to censure Magnus the Red and his Legion.

*'''Diolos Akrodius:''' A member of the Ephoroi who got his ass handed to him alongside the Blood Angels during the Signus Campaign by a demon horde. Afterwards the Blood Angels conspired to keep him in the dark about Imperium Secundus while they brought him to Terra. This proves prescient, as afterwards he finds out what Guilliman was up to in Ultramar and is absolutely done with this shit -- proceeding to immediately found the '''Dankanatoi''', a chamber of the Custodes dedicated to hunting down and executing traitors that fled Terra during the Horus Heresy. Basically a Custodes Inquisition. No word on if the Dankanatoi survived to the 40th millennium; their color scheme was effectively Shadowkeepers with Purple Cloth and Shoulderpads.