Watchers in the Dark

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A Watcher carrying hugging the Perfidious Relic of the Unforgiven.

The Watchers in the Dark are diminutive xenos who follow around the Dark Angels. No one knows what they look like, for they are covered in large green robes and resist all psykers that try to scry them. Also all of them look a bit like Orko from the Masters of the Universe (AKA He-Man and one of the most homoerotic shows for kids. Heck they even have a character named Fisto, ooohhh He-Man, stay classy), heck one of them is confirmed to sound just like Orko!

The Watchers were first known to the people of ancient Caliban as mysterious boogeymen who wandered the forests. In reality, they were a xenos race implied to be members of the Cabal dedicated to fighting Chaos (but really are little more than super-dicks who watch the galaxy burn, and even helped make it happen). They had been sent to watch over Caliban, which had been contaminated by Warp energy due to its proximity to the Eye of Terror, resulting in the Great Beasts who prowled the forests. Through a series of still unconfirmed events (which will likely be revealed in future Horus Heresy books; GW is nothing if not practiced at draining your wallet slowly QUICKLY) the Watchers in the Dark serve the Dark Angels as retainers and weapon bearers. They are also said to look over the comatose body of Lion El'Jonson, asleep in the Rock. In addition, they are the biggest piece of evidence for the Dark Angels not being a secret Chaos Space Marine Legion in disguise. During Wrath of Magnus when the Changeling fled through the Rock once it was discovered, it ran headlong into a Watcher carrying a Crozius on its form. The Changeling was horrified upon meeting it, recognising it as some sort of anathema to its kind. Were they ever to turn into Chaos Marines, logically the Watchers would leave, taking the slumbering Primarch with them.

Tabletop

They appear/do not appear on the table, as literal place holders for the Dark Angels; Azrael comes with one which carries the Lion Helm, with Company Master and Deathwing Knights having the option to take them. Though in the last two cases they grant Fear and Adamantium Will. We can say they do not appear as they are purely for show and don't do anything but symbolize wargear, with the option to not use their model at all or remove them if they get in the way.

As of 8th Edition, the Watchers are still here but with the changes in rules their function changed as well. Azrael's minion still carries around the helmet like before, but now the Watchers that accompany Deathwing squads provide a one time chance to nullify an incoming enemy psychic power on a 3+, which is more reliable than using a psyker to deny powers.