Black Templars

"The galaxy is the Emperor's, and anyone or anything who challenges that claim is an enemy who must be destroyed."

- High Marshal Helbrecht at the Battle of Fire and Blood

The Black Templars are a Loyalist Second Founding Space Marines Chapter derived from the Imperial Fists' gene-seed and their Primarch, Rogal Dorn. Their origin can be traced back to the Imperial Fists’ defence of Terra during the Horus Heresy. Since that time, the Black Templars have been on the longest Crusade the Imperium of Man has ever known to prove their loyalty to the Emperor of Mankind.

The Defence of Terra
At the Battle of Terra during the Horus Heresy, many Champions of Chaos arose from the Traitor Space Marines' ranks. During this time, the Primarch of the Imperial Fists, Rogal Dorn, chose the Imperial Fists' Captain Sigismund to fulfill the role of Emperor's Champion. Captain Sigismund was given the best armour and weapons the Legion possessed, and he swore a holy duty to seek out and destroy the foul Champions of Chaos. He did so by challenging over two dozen of the enemy leaders to single combat and banishing them back into the Immaterium.

At the end of the Horus Heresy, each of the Space Marine Legions was broken down into smaller organizations known as Chapters, each composed of one thousand Astartes, as part of a plan to spread the power of the Imperial armed forces so that no one man could bring to bear the influence that the Warmaster Horus had over the Space Marines.

Rogal Dorn, as Primarch of the Legion responsible for the defence of the Emperor's homeworld, Terra, initially refused to have his Legion broken down. Dorn fought with his fellow Primarch Roboute Guilliman over the issue, calling the Ultramarines' Primarch a coward, and Guilliman in turn accused Dorn of heresy and disloyalty to the Emperor. The Primarchs Leman Russ of the Space Wolves and Vulkan of the Salamanders favoured Dorn's stance while Jaghatai Khan of the White Scars and Corax of the Raven Guard supported Guilliman's position on the issue. It was only after an attack on the Imperial Fists' Strike Cruiser Terrible Angel by the Imperial Navy and the threat of a renewed civil war between Dorn's Legion and the newly-formed Successor Chapters of the other First Founding Legions that he decided to relent and allow the Imperial Fists to be divided.

The Second Founding
The surviving Imperial Fists were split into four Chapters during the Second Founding. The younger warriors became the Crimson Fists, while Dorn's chosen warriors remained the Imperial Fists, and the orbital assault specialists formed the ranks of the infamous Soul Drinkers Chapter.

The fourth Imperial Fists Second Founding Successor Chapter was the Black Templars. Sigismund, named the Black Templars' first Chapter Master, took with him the most zealous of the Imperial Fist brethren and those that shared his fervor took on the black and white panoply of Sigismund’s armor, and then they embarked on an Imperial Crusade to prove their loyalty to the Emperor. Promoted to the rank of High Marshal (Chapter Master), Sigismund swore an oath “to prove his loyalty, never resting in the prosecution of his duties against the enemies of the Emperor.” It is an oath that every succeeding High Marshal has renewed, resulting in the longest Space Marine crusade in the history of the Imperium. It has smashed through the stars for over 10,000 years and came to the fore during the Wars for Armageddon.

Notable Crusades and Campaigns
The Black Templar Chapter is the only Space Marine Chapter that still follows the Emperor's original vision of a Great Crusade to protect and reunite all the scattered worlds of Mankind across the galaxy. Since their founding, the Black Templars have been on the single longest Crusade in the history of the Imperium. Smaller Crusades are created within this ongoing Great Crusade and some of the more notable Black Templar Crusades include:
 * Wars of Apostasy (378.M36) - The Wars of Apostasy or the Terran Crusade was a series of battles fought against the forces of the apostate High Lord Goge Vandire during the Age of Apostasy in the 36th Millennium. During this tumultuous period the Black Templars had concerned themselves little with the affairs of the Imperium, but when Crusade fleets returned to the Segmentum Solar and discovered that their Chapter keeps had been destroyed by orbital bombardments, the full extent of Vandire's treachery became apparent. Enraged, in 378.M36 the Black Templars' High Marshal Sigenandus declared a Crusade to be launched against Vandire on Terra. The Black Templars, together with their Primogenitor Chapter the Imperial Fists two other Chapters, the Soul Drinkers and the zealous Fire Hawks and elements of the Martian Tech Guard, took the fight to Terra itself and lay siege to Vandire's Ecclesiarchal Palace. The crusade ended with the death of Vandire at the hands of one of his former bodyguards - Alicia Dominica - founder and patron of the Adepta Sororitas.
 * The Second Purging of Lastrati (543.M36)] - The Second Purging of Lastrati occurred in 543.M36, as a part of the Athalor Crusade, under the command of Marshal Gervhart of the Black Templars. Lastrati had become a place of pilgrimage, and for centuries, the faithful had come to bear witness to such spectacles as the Hill of Heretics and the Plain of Purity. Marshal Gervhart and the Black Templars of the Athalor Crusade had come to Lastrati to take heart from the planet's potent displays of faith from the past, but were horrified by what they found. The population had turned to barbaric blood rituals and human sacrifices in search of genetic perfection. The Black Templars realised that the rituals of the people of Lastrati had too much in common with the heretical cult worship of the Ruinous Powers. Marshal Gervhart ordered the planet cleansed of its degenerate inhabitants before continuing the Crusade. After four standard years of fighting, the warriors of Marshal Gervhart forced the remaining forces of Lastrati back into the Plain of Purity where they made their last stand before the Black Templars at the Hill of Heretics, where their army was utterly destroyed.
 * The Angevin Crusade (322.M39) - The Black Templars participated in the Angevin Crusade, which led to the conquest of the Calixis Sector for the Imperium, fighting alongside elements from their fellow Astartes Chapters the Tigers Argent, the Sons of Medusa and the Charnel Guard.
 * The Jerulas Crusade (645.M39) - The Jerulas Crusade was an Imperial Crusade launched by the Black Templars and led by High Marshal Ludoldus. Jerulas was a long-isolated star system, only rediscovered by the Imperium in the late 39th Millennium on the outer fringes of the galaxy. Attempts were made to integrate its worlds into the Imperium, but the system had long been prosperous and independent, and scorned Imperial interference. The first missionaries from the Missionarus Galaxia were slaughtered, but when a second group came to the system they brought the Black Templars with them. Under the direct command of High Marshal Ludoldus the Templars fought the forces of the rebel worlds with great success until they came to the well defended hives of Jerulas itself. Each attempt to capture the Hives was fought back with great losses and it seemed like the Templars would be unable to force their way into the Hives. But the answer was found by the Artificer Simagus of the Templars, who discovered the means to develop the now legendary Land Raider Crusader. Armed to smash through enemy defenses and disgorge large squads of Marines right into the thick of the fighting the Crusader was the perfect tank for breaching the defenses of the Jerulas hives.
 * The Donian Crusade (985.M39) - The Donian Crusade was carried out by the Black Templars to combat the swelling Ork population sweeping through the Donian Sector and surrounding wilderness space in the southern Segmentum Pacificus.
 * The Cleansing of Hive Thetus (Unknown.M41) - The Cleansing of Hive Thetus was a miltary campaign against a Tyranid Genestealer Cult discovered by the Imperial Inquisition to exist upon the Hive World of Nevaria II and ultimately successfully purged from existence by the Black Templars
 * The Declates Crusade (Unknown.M41) - The Declates Crusade was an Imperial Crusade against the Ork WAAAGH! Gitzmott carried out by the Crimson Fists and Black Templar Space Marine Chapters in the heavily-populated Declates System. The greenskins had overwhelmed world after world overnight and while the Crimson Fists achieved early success in driving the Orks back, eventually their sheer weight of numbers began to tell, and the Orks pushed towards the vital Forge World of Declates IV and the hives of Declates V. Help was needed and the Black Templars answered their call for aid. As a symbol of solidarity against what seemed to be an innumerable foe, Astartes from both Chapters "exchanged" iconography and often fought in mixed squads. Together the two Chapters managed to find and slay Warboss Gitzmott and while the two Chapters suffered hideous losses against the overwhelming numbers of the Orks but both earned great renown and will forever be known as heroes within the Declates System.
 * The Empyrion Crusade (Unknown.M41) - The Empyrion Crusade was an Imperial Crusade declared by the Black Templars Space Marines against a force of Khornate Chaos Cults on the world of Empyrion IX. The Chaos force was composed of over 4,000 traitors of the renegade Gathalamor 24th Imperial Guard Regiment along with Guryan mutineers and some cavalry. With only a force of just 30 Black Templars and not enough ammunition to hold the Heretics at bay, the Black Templars commander, Castellan Athellenas, attempts to put into a motion an audacious plan that required his troops to follow his orders to the letter, no matter how distasteful they may find them. By performing a continuous tactical withdrawal and denying the cultists an outlet to satiate their bloodlust, the Heretics are driven into an uncontrollable blood frenzy. Unable to contain themselves any longer the Khornate cultists turn on themselves and begin butchering each other in their all-consuming desire to spill blood. With the Cultists' ground forces spent after slaughtering each other, two Black Templars Strike Cruiser arrived in the system to destroy the Heretics' vessel and make sure that this particular Chaos warband of Khorne was unable to sow destruction and bloodshed across the Imperium of Man. The Crusade ended in the total eradication of the Heretics.
 * The Geonide Crusade (Unknown.M41) - The Geonide Crusade was an action taken by the Black Templars Space Marine Chapter intended to preserve important Imperial technology, scientific research and Adeptus Mechanicus personnel from a Chaos-inspired rebellion on the Forge World Geonide. When rebellion suddenly broke out on the planet it came utterly without warning and within a year 75% of the populace had fallen to the influence of the warp. A group of scientists with latent psychic abilities had been used as pawns to open giant warp drive portals and by the time the Black Templars arrived the planet was crawling with monstrous, debased humans forming a massive Chaos horde to drown the planet in blood. Daemons from the Warp tore their way into the material realm to cavort through the masses of worshippers. In the end, the planet was deemed irrecoverable and Exterminatus was authorized by the ever-present agents of the Ordo Hereticus. But before the planet’s death knell came the Black Templars carried out daring strikes across the planet to recover valuable artefacts, research notes, and surviving personnel deemed too important to leave behind, or allow to be captured by the Ruinous Powers. The Black Templars achieved a great deal of success during the campaign and managed to save a significant amount of invaluable research before the planet was cleansed with holy fire.
 * The Purging of Centrati's Eye (Unknown.M41) - The Purging of Centrati's Eye was an unexpected Crusade undertaken by elements of the Black Templars Space Marine Chapter against a pirate fleet of the Dark Eldar. A great defence station in orbit above the newly colonised Imperial Frontier World of Centrati came under attack from a Dark Eldar lightning raid and was captured, the personnel chained and dragged off into the depths of the Webway to an unknown fate, never to be seen or heard from again. What the Dark Eldar did not know was that a Black Templars Battle Barge was in orbit over the planet, for the Chapter had been asked to aid the colonization process by removing an unwanted and troublesome xenos species from the planet. When the defense station fired on the planet the threat was realized and the Black Templars rushed back to their Thunderhawks to wreak vengeance on the devious Eldar raiders. To the Black Templars surprise they found not one, but two enemy forces on the station. For the Eldar had arrived to fight their dark kin for some unknown reason. The Black Templars cared not, and immediately began butchering both forces, and in the following months the scions of Dorn crushed both alien enemies utterly, and cleansed Centrati and the surrounding space of the xenos taint.
 * The Punishment Crusade (Unknown.M41) - The Punishment Crusade was initiated by Castellan Draco of the Black Templars which comprised of numerous raids on the human populations of worlds fallen under the influence of the expansionist Tau Empire.
 * Thetus Crusade (Unknown.M41) - On the planet of Nevaria II the Black Templars were called on to deal with a small but highly dangerous heretical cult. As dangerous as the cult was, the real influence behind it was only discovered after a costly covert strike by the Deathwatch Chapter, the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos. They revealed that a Genestealer Broodlord was behind the cult. The nefarious influence of the Genestealer hybrids had spread much farther than anticipated. The Black Templars took up the challenge and cleansed the genestealer taint from the bottom up, fighting brutal and costly battles in cramped corridors and forgotten cities in the dark depths of the Hive, eventually cleansing the hive and Nevaria II of the xenos contamination.
 * Vinculus Crusade (833.M41) - The Vinculus Crusade was a Crusade of the Black Templars declared against the Chaotic assassin-cult warriors who had plagued the Peleregon Cluster. This was one of the earliest campaigns in which the now famed High Marshal Helbrecht participated. Still a lowly Neophyte at the time, Helbrecht was merely a witness to the dramatic events of the campaign. Under the command of the legendary High Marshal Ludoldus, the Black Templars fought alongside Inquisitor Vinculus and the Adepta Sororitas Order of the Bloody Rose. The assassins were traced back to the world of Peleregon IV, a hellish lava world that was all shifting tectonic plates and rivers of magma. The initial landings met little opposition and the Sororitas and Astartes easily fought their foes back to the massive temple that was the seat of the cult’s power. The combined forces fought their way deep into the temple, Ludoldus and his Sword Brethren breaching and holding the walls of the temple for their allies to fight their way inside. As the Imperials breached the pillared inner sanctum Inquisitor Vinculus faced the cult’s leader in single combat. Vinculus succeeded in slaying the cult’s leader but suffered a terrible wound himself, the wound that proved to be the Inquisitors doom, for the slight weakening in the Inquisitors mental shield was enough for the freed Daemon that had possessed the cult leader to leap into the Inquisitor and manifest itself. A Bloodthirster of Khorne tore itself into the material realm and began slaughtering the Imperial soldiers by the dozen. High Marshal Ludoldus, The Emperor's Champion Ulricus and Canoness Jasmine took on the Daemon in brutal close combat, but though the champions of the Emperor were courageous and their sword arms fueled by holy faith, they were no match for the Greater Daemon. In desperation, Ludoldus threw a Holy Orb of Antioch into the boiling lava in the chamber’s central chasm. The explosion initiated a massive earthquake that began to tear the temple apart and the possessed Inquisitor fell to his destruction in the roiling magma. Thunderhawk Gunships braved the billowing ash and storms to pick up the survivors. While a number of gunships were lost in the attempt the majority of the survivors escaped the world and made it back to their ships in orbit. To make sure the job was finished the fleet bombarded the site of the Temple until the entire site was drowned in a sea of lava.
 * The Crusade of Wrath (888.M41) - The Black Templars inflict heavy losses upon the Word Bearers Traitor Legion and reclaim several systems in close proximity to the Maelstrom.
 * The Slaughter on Schrödinger (930.M41) - In 930.M41, the forces of the infamous Necron Lord Imotekh the Stormlord, Phaeron of the powerful Sautekh Dynasty, descended upon the frozen plains of the Imperial Ice World of Schrödinger VII. The Necrons drove the local defenders to the shelter of the labyrinthine cryonite mines, but were unable to prevent the planet's Astropthic choir from dispatching a distress hymnal. A counterattack swiftly arrived in the form of a Black Templars strike force under the command of then-Marshal Helbrecht. Imotekh appeared not to be caught by surprise so easily, and had already shifted his armies into a formidable defensive configuration. Helbrecht lead the assault, intended as a crippling alpha strike, but was instead blunted by a series of impeccably planned ambushes on the Drop Pod and Thunderhawk drop zones. As the frozen caverns echoes to the roar of explosions, scores of Black Templars and Necrons alike are hurled into rivers of molten cryonite. Eventually, Imotekh and Helbrecht meet in hand-to-hand combat atop a stalactite-heavy span of an ice bridge. In the battle that follows, Helbrecht deals Imotakeh a dozen ruinous blows, but each time the Phaeron is able to quickly recover in a matter of seconds to land a strike of his own. Helbrecht finally collapses under the assault of the Necron Lord, blood flowing from a score of serious wounds. However, instead of finishing his opponent, Imotekh brings his scythe down to sever Helbrecht's right hand to remind the Marshal of his 'much-deserved defeat.' Helbrecht roars in fury and pain as Imotekh pitches the Black Templar commander off the bridge to the cavern floor far below. The surviving Black Templars rally to their fallen Marshal's side and make a fighting retreat, leaving Schrödinger VII in the Stormlord's hands.
 * Varadon Crusade (987.M41) - The desperate last stand of the Shadow Wolves Space Marine Chapter on their homeworld of Varadon saw the entire Chapter wiped out by the Tyranids. The Black Templars attempted to aid their brother Astartes but could not fight their way through the chitinous hordes of Tyranid bio-forms to the embattled Shadow Wolves. The last Battle-Brother of the Shadow Wolves died, defiantly holding the Chapter Banner aloft even as he was torn to pieces, his blade broken and his bolter empty. Chaplain Grimaldus was present for the battle at the time though still an apprentice to Reclusiarch Mordred. The glorious last stand of the Shadow Wolves would inspire the Chaplain for many years to come.
 * The Nimbosa Crusade (ca.990.M41) - When Hive Fleet Kraken began to threaten worlds on the Eastern Fringe of the Imperium, the High Lords of Terra responded by stripping the worlds that bordered the Tau Empire of its Imperial forces. The Tau Empire was quick to recognise this redeployment and soon took advantage of the situation, beginning the period known as the Second Sphere Expansion. Nimbosa was one of the most important and vital Civilised Worlds of this sector. The Nimbosa Crusade was called, a massive Imperial Crusade undertaken by a joint Astartes task force consisting of the Black Templars, Imperial Fists, Raven Guard, and Ultramarines Space Marine Chapters against the encroaching Tau Empire. The campaign ended with the successful recapture of Nimbosa by the Imperium and the destruction of the entire Tau garrison.
 * The Ghoul Stars Crusade (990.M41-998.M41) - The Ghoul Stars Crusade was the very first Crusade launched by High Marshal Helbrecht after he attained his rank as the Black Templars' new High Marshal. This was a dangerous decision as no Imperial expedition had ever returned from the desolate region of space. The Black Templars were intent on finally vanquishing the alien race known only as the "Cythor Fiends" of the Ghoul Stars. Within eight years, the xenos population of the outlying systems had been exterminated and the Crusade pushed onwards to the aliens' homeworld, but upon reaching the core systems, they were found to be eerily empty. No trace of the aliens could be found, but before a proper investigation could be launched, a desperate call for help came from the besieged Hive World of Armageddon. The Third War for Armageddon had begun.
 * The Crusade of the Ophidium Gulf (998.M41) - A smaller Crusade was launched by Castellan Raimer, the master of the Black Templars' strike cruiser Ophidium Gulf and its Company of 90 Black Templars, into an unexplored region of space in the galactic South called the Veiled Region by Imperial stellar cartographers. The Black Templars inadvertently made contact with the Fallen Angels, the hunted traitors of the Dark Angels Space Marine Chapter. While in the Veiled Region, they came upon a small Dark Angels fleet. The Black Templars' capture of one of the Fallen Angels, and their refusal to turn him over to the custody of the Dark Angels nearly led to open conflict between the two Chapters. Outgunned, Castellan Raimer reluctantly turned the prisoner over to the Dark Angels before departed the Veiled Region. The ultimate fate of the Ophidium Gulf is unknown, as a single astropathic communication from the starship was received just before it prepared to make a Warp jump from the alien system, and no further communication has been received by the Black Templars since then.
 * The Third War for Armageddon (998.M41) - This was a massive conflict between the Imperium of Man and the largest Ork WAAAGH! ever raised, led by the Greenskin Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. Black Templars Chaplain Grimaldus was placed in command of the Helsreach Crusade with 100 Battle Brothers assigned the task of defending one of Armageddon's largest centers of industry known as Helsreach Hive. Along with regiments of the Armageddon Steel Legion and other Imperial Guard forces, 19 Titans of the Legio Invigilata, civilian militias and 97 Battle Sisters of the Order of the Argent Shroud, the Black Templars under Grimaldus's command fought the Orks tooth and nail.
 * The Barbarossa Crusade (998.M41) - An Imperial Crusade carried out by the Black Templars to cleanse one of their Chapter Keeps located on the world of Barbarossa IV that had become the residence of Orks fleeing the fighting on the Hive World of Armageddon following the Third War for Armageddon in 998.M41. But that was only the beginning, for unknown to the Black Templars the relic at the core of the Keep had become tainted by Chaos. The Black Templar Crusade forces under the command of Castellan Hermann fought to cleanse the Chapter Keep of both the Greenskins and the Chaotic taint, which had manifested in the form of a daemonic intrusion and the Chaotic corruption of the Black Templars garrison which had held the keep.
 * 13th Black Crusade (999.M41) - Under the direction of the vile Abaddon the Despoiler the largest mobilisation of both Imperial and Chaotic forces seen in the Milky Way Galaxy since the Horus Heresy occurred near the Imperial Hive World of Cadia. The Black Templars participation in the 13th Black Crusade was short and really formed more of an extended tangent from the pursuit of Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. The Templars first action was to relieve the beleaguered world of Thracian Primaris. Scattering the Chaos fleet easily enough, the Black Templars made an uncontested planetfall outside the Departmento Munitorum's logistical support complex in Hive Demeter. The brethren did not stay long however, though they were welcomed as liberators, choosing instead to continue to drive the forces of disorder back to the Eye of Terror. As the brethren moved on from Thracian Primaris they caught word of the “Green Kroosade” building in the Scarus Sector and headed off to stop the threat before it fully manifested. Severely understrength from the fighting on Thracian Primaris, the Black Templars moved on anyway, knowing that to let the Orks rebuild their numbers without opposition would doom the Scarus Sector.
 * Solemnus Crusade (999.M41) - Under the command of Marshal Brant, the Solemnus Crusade was formed to answer for the razing of the Black Templars' Chapter Keep on the world of Solemnus by the Ork Warlord Morkrull Grimskar, chieftan of the Blood Scar Ork tribe. The Solemnus Crusade belatedly joined the war effort on Armageddon and deployed in search of the elusive Warlord. However, the Crusade met with disaster when Emperor's Champion Ansgar was captured by the severely injured but not-yet, dead Warlord. Despite an apparent early success, the near-dead Warlord was transformed into a Cybork. Adding insult to injury many of the cybernetic components were salvaged from stolen Black Templars' wargear. Black Tempalars Dreadnought Jarold formed a strikeforce under the designation "Ansgar's Avengers" specifically tasked with locating the captured Emperor's Champion and recovering the revered relics of the Black Sword and Armor of Faith belonging to him. While the strikeforce did not recover Ansgar on its first attempt, Jarolds's forces did uncover the Crimson Fists Venerable Dreadnought Rhodomanus who had been lost in the Dead Lands ice glaciers during the Second War for Armageddon. The strikeforce destroyed an Ork Stompa freshly recovered from the ice that had been originally constructed during this earlier campaign and prevented it from joining the Ork war effort elsewhere. Not yet finished in their task, strikeforce "Ansgar's Avengers" and the Solemnus Crusade continued the campaign on the surface of Armageddon.

Chapter Organisation
The Black Templars have no homeworld, instead opting to live in their Crusade fleets. They are ever vigilant, and are always ready for battle. They do establish Chapter Keeps on every world they conquer or reclaim for the Imperium, both to provide a source for new recruits and to act as staging posts for Crusade fleets operating across the galaxy. They have been known to abandon these keeps, only to return and reclaim them later, usually exterminating anything foolish or unlucky enough to have taken up residence in their absence.

Each Crusade Fleet is overseen by a Marshal (equivalent to a Captain or Force Commander in a Codex-compliant Chapter), while the High Marshal (currently High Marshal Helbrecht) travels between Crusades on his personal starship, the battle barge Eternal Crusader. There are usually at least three Black Templar Crusades operating at any one time, although at one stage there were 14 known to the Imperium (during the "Treachery of Dalmark"), with each Crusade ranging in size from the deployment of a hundred Space Marines and their fleet support to several standard Codex Astartes companies.

It is said that only the High Marshal has any idea of the Black Templars' full numbers, but it is rumoured in the Inquisition that they actually number close to 6,000 Space Marines. That would make them larger than some of the original First Founding Space Marine Legions after the terrible losses of the Horus Heresy, and means that the Black Templars are one of only three Chapters of Astartes (the others being the Space Wolves and the Grey Knights) thought to have more than the one thousand Space Marine standard as proscribed by the Codex Astartes.

Such a force united together would be unstoppable. The potential size of the Black Templars has resulted in close scrutiny by some members of the Inquisition. Each Space Marine Chapter was only supposed to be about 1,000 Astartes strong, so no one man ever again held enough power to start another successful rebellion against the Emperor. The Chapter's history of zealous loyalty to the Emperor and the inability of any Inquisitor to find evidence supporting the claims of unusually high standing troop numbers has spared the Black Templars from further revelation of their true numbers. However, this has not prevented the Inquisition from trying to reveal the hidden numbers of the Black Templars. The larger Black Templar Crusades are broken down into Fighting Companies, each led by a Sword Brethren member possessing the honorific title "Castellan." For the larger Crusades, the High Marshal will personally lead it (such as High Marshal Helbrecht did during the Armageddon Crusade called during the Third War for Armageddon). Since the individual squads tend to form and disband on an ad-hoc basis, most fight together out of familiarity and comradeship more than any imposed organization. Rough squads form with 5 to 10 Initiates (fully-fledged Black Templars) with no more than an equal number of Neophytes (Black Templars-in-training). These squads have no Sergeants, because the experienced members are quickly elevated to the rank of Sword Brethren.

Due to their preference for engaging their foes in close combat, few Black Templars are willing to take engaged in the use of heavy ranged weapons and as a result the Chapter possesses no known Devastator Squads.

The Black Templars deviate from Codex-compliant Chapters, including the Imperial Fists, in one primary way. The Chapter's zealous hatred for mutants and inherent distrust of the Warp and anything related to it means that the Chapter possesses no Librarians. The Grey Knights represent the only Imperial psykers that the Black Templars will take as allies. The Black Templar's extreme revulsion to fighting alongside any individuals tainted by the Empyrean would normally prevent them from being allied with anyone with such abilities. The Grey Knights are the exception because the Black Templars consider it an honour to fight alongside Astartes whose membership was originally chosen by the Emperor, who may bear a portion of his direct genetic inheritance and have never once been corrupted by Chaos.

Neophytes
Since the Black Templars have no homeworld, all of their recruiting is done via the Chapter Keeps. Chapter Keeps are built on most worlds conquered by the Black Templars, and are used as staging ground for Crusade forces and recruitment posts for the Chapter. A Chapter Keep only recruits a few individuals a year. Only the finest available citizens are allowed to join, and if they pass the initial tests, the first stages of organ transplants that will eventually transform them into Space Marines are inserted. When roughly two dozen Neophytes are approved by the Chapter's Apothecaries and Chaplains, they are despatched to a Crusade fleet for the next stage of their induction.

Upon reaching a Crusade fleet, the Neophytes are put through many grueling tasks and trials by the Battle-Brothers of the Black Templars. These trials test the Neophytes to their limits, separating out the weaker recruits from the stronger. Should a Neophyte survive the trials, then he will be adopted by a Battle-Brother who will act as his master, passing on vital skills and training him in the way of the Chapter. The Crusade's Chaplains oversee this training and make sure the Neophyte learns the history of the Chapter, and watch for any signs of weakness in the Neophyte's faith. The Neophyte will accompany the Battle-Brother into combat, and should his master fall, another Brother will take up his training. The bond between the Initiate and his Neophyte pupil is strong, and if the Neophyte meets his end, the Battle-Brother will swear a death oath to avenge the student, or die trying.

The Black Templars' zealous hatred of mutants and the Warp prevents them from recruiting any man who bears genetic impurities, including the mutation that allows an individual to wield psychic abilities. This is why the Black Templars' order of battle contains no Librarians.

Initiates
Once accepted into the Chapter's fighting company, an Initiate fights alongside the other Black Templar Battle-Brothers, forging a name for himself within the Chapter and perfecting his fighting abilities. If the Initiate lives long enough, he will eventually take on a Neophyte of his own. In this way, the skill and experience of the Chapter is preserved and passed down, Master to Neophyte. Initiates form the majority of the Chapter split up into Crusade squads of up to twenty Initiates, and they are a deadly force with a range of skills and abilities. Initiates are armed primarily with the holy bolter, though, given the Black Templars' preference for fighting face-to-face, many choose to carry weapons more suited to close combat like chainswords. Some squad members may carry more specialized weaponry, such as plasma guns, flamers or mighty Power Fists. Black Templar squads are highly flexible and have the tactical adaptability to deal with virtually any foe, instructing their Neophytes by bloody example.

Sword Brethren
Equivalent to the members of a standard Codex Chapter’s Veteran 1st Company, the greatest warriors of a Black Templar Crusade are inducted into the Marshal’s household. Known as the Sword Brethren, they are no longer required to train Neophytes and they will receive additional training, particularly in the use of Tactical Dreadnought (Terminator) Armour. After completion of this training, Sword Brethren will use Terminator Armour whenever available, usually selecting close combat weapons, an area of combat where all Black Templars excel.

Like most Black Templars, Sword Brethren will fight with others out of familiarity rather than in organised squads, and they will always be found in the thickest of the fighting. If the Marshal of a Crusade is either killed or promoted to the position of High Marshal, one of the Sword Brethren will take his place. The one who receives this honour is decided by ritual combat. The winner earns the right to become a Marshal upon the approval of the High Marshal; there has only been one case of the High Marshal withholding his approval (the Gervahr Repeal of the 36th Millennium). Sword Brethren of the Black Templars often wear a cream-colored cloak and have red trim on their black pauldrons to signify their elite status.

The Emperor's Champion
Continuing in the tradition of High Marshal Sigismund, an Emperor's Champion is selected on the eve of a battle. Before a battle, one Initiate will experience a vision of the Emperor, and report to the Chaplains. They will anoint him, and gift him with the finest weapons and armour available. These may vary from fighting company to fighting company, but these artefacts are always known as the Black Sword and the Armour of Faith.

In battle, it is the Champion's duty to seek out enemy champions and leaders, and challenge them to single combat. It is considered a bad omen if the Emperor’s Champion falls in battle, and every effort must be made to secure his body, weapon and armor.

Because of their high status and being a great moral symbol, every single enemy of the Black Templars seek the bodies of the fallen Emperor's Champions to act as a terror weapon, in addition to gaining some powerful wargear should they fall.

On the eve of battle, the Emperor's Champion leads the Templars in renewing one of the four Vows of the Chapter, each one instilling the Black Templars with righteous fury that is expressed on the battlefield in different ways. These Vows include:


 * Suffer Not the Unclean to Live - The Black Templars swear to release their unclean foes -- Heretics, mutants, xenos and Traitors -- from the suffering of their lives, striking them down with great fury.
 * Uphold the Honour of the Emperor - The Black Templars uphold the Emperor's honor, and face their enemies' attacks head on rather then cower behind cover. Such is their indomitable faith that they can withstand attacks that would fell other Astartes.
 * Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch - The Black Templars hatred of the mutant and the Warp drives them into a rage in battle. Should their enemies' ranks include a psyker, they will rush to vanquish him with renewed effort. Their hatred enhances their will, making them highly resistant to psychic abilities.
 * Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds - The Black Templars swear to answer any challenge, and should an opportunity present itself they will always charge to meet their enemies in close combat.

Land Raider Crusader
The Land Raider Crusader variant of the standard Land Raider was developed by the Black Templars during the Jerulas Crusade, to aid them in the numerous sieges required to reclaim that Hive World. The Crusader is a line-breaking main battle tank, built and armed to plough into the enemy formation and disgorge its larger-than-normal cargo of Astartes directly into close combat. The Crusader is armed with side sponson "Hurricane Bolters" as well as a hull-mounted Assault Cannon and a Multi-melta. By replacing the side sponson Lascannon of the original Land Raider design with the Bolters, the Crusader has given up some of its anti-armour capability in exchange for a significant increase in its troop-carrying capacity. It also has frag assault launchers to help pin the enemy unit assaulted. As word of the design's successes spread, many Chapters pressured the Tech-priests of Mars into releasing construction schematics of the Crusader. Eventually the design was officially recognized, but this was seen as a mere formality; over three-quarters of the Chapters had already put Crusader-pattern Land Raiders into effective use.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
The Black Templars have continued in the style of their first High Marshal, preferring close, melee combat to ranged warfare. This is further emphasized by the fanaticism of the Black Templars' Initiates, whose righteous anger makes them impulsive and headstrong.

When making war, the Crusade will focus on two main tactics. The first is orbital assault; where the Crusade will use Drop Pods and Thunderhawk gunships to perform a mass-landing in the wake of a heavy orbital bombardment. If enemy resistance is still strong after this, the Templars will land their heavy armour and launch an armoured spearhead against the weakest link in the enemy's defensive line.

As part of their dedication to the Emperor and their Crusade, the Black Templars swear fell oaths of faith and protection. Before a battle, it is considered customary to renew one of these oaths, the particular vow serving as a focus on the particular aspect of their duties considered to be necessary to ensure success.

Due to the fact that the Black Templars have such a hate and distrust for the Warp and anything within it or derived from it, Black Templars will not allow Librarians or any beings with psychic powers to fight amongst their ranks or in an alliance with them, except for the Grey Knights. Every Black Templar has a deep prejudice against any type of psyker, which can lead to trouble between the Chapter and those Imperial organizations that often use sanctioned psykers, such as the Inquisition or even certain regiments of the Imperial Guard.

Chapter Colours
The Power Armour of a Black Templar is predominantly black (a sign that like Sigismund and the black-armoured Chaplains of other Chapters, they serve the Emperor directly and with faith).

Chapter Badge
The shoulder plates of Black Templar Power Armour depict the Chapter badge of the Black Templars, the Maltese Cross, with color dependent on their rank and armor. The Cross depicted on the shoulder pads of the Black Templars comes from the Knights Hospitallers of the ancient Christian Crusades. The actual application of the color scheme varies from Marine to Marine, and individual Marines usually decorate their armor with devotional imagery, litanies, and purity (and Crusader) seals. The Black Templars are noted to wrap chains or bindings around their arms to represent the fact that they will not give up their weapons until the battle is done. Black Templars Techmarines and tank crews have a predominantly red armour colour scheme (the colour of the Machine God); however, they still display their Chapter colours so as to not anger the Machine Spirits of their tanks and armour.

Notable Black Templars

 * High Marshal Helbrecht - Helbrecht is the current High Marshal of the Black Templars Chapter. Helbrecht wields the Sword of the High Marshals, which was forged from the remnants of the sword of Rogal Dorn. According to legend, Dorn broke the sword across his knee after the Horus Heresy for failing to defend the Emperor. In addition to being High Marshal of the Black Templars Chapter, Helbrecht is the greatest naval commander in the Adeptus Astartes, and assumed command of all Space Marine warships during the Third War for Armageddon. Together with Admiral Parol of the Imperial Navy, Helbrecht held and eventually repulsed the numerically superior Ork fleet. Helbrecht was last seen departing Armageddon with Commissar Yarrick, hunting down the space hulk thought to be commanded by the Beast of Armageddon, Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. Helbrecht is equipped with Artificer Armour, the Sword of the High Marshals (a special master-crafted Power Sword, once belonging to the Imperial Fists Primarch Rogal Dorn), a Combi-meltagun (Bolter with underslung Meltagun), and an Iron Halo. He uses these weapons to aid his command and further his Crusades against the Orks.
 * Castellan Draco - Draco first rose to prominence as part of Marshal Ludolddus' Sword Brethren during the bitter Vinculus Crusade in which he fought a renegade Inquisitor Lord Vinculus. He was badly wounded after the battle and his body was reconstructed with bionics. He was awarded the rank of Castellan and was given a relic suit of the Chapter's finest Power Armor for his valor. Draco was further recognized when he was presented with the former Inquisitor's blade as a mark of gratitude from the Ordo Hereticus. Draco is a special edition miniature available for the Black Templars.
 * Chaplain Grimaldus, the Hero of Helsreach - Chaplain Grimaldus is a noted veteran of the Third Armageddon War. During the Battle for Hive Helsreach, Grimaldus led the defense of the Temple of the Emperor Ascendant, which had stood since Armageddon's colonization. The battle became so heated that the building itself collapsed around them. It was believed that all had perished in the building until Grimaldus, bloody but unbroken, climbed out of the rubble bearing three of the temple's artifacts - a column from its Major Altar, the Banner of the Emperor Victorious, and holy water from the Stoup of Elucidation. Apothecaries who examined him later were amazed that Grimaldus had survived, much less found the strength to climb from the ruins. When the war ended, the citizens of Hive Helsreach honored him with the title of "Hero of Helsreach".

Influences
The "character" of the Black Templars is drawn from the High Medieval Christian Crusades of the 11th to 13th Centuries AD, and the history concerning the military orders of the Roman Catholic Church at that time, including the Order of the Knights Templar, the Order of the Knights Hospitaller and the Teutonic Order. One of their special weapons, the Holy Orb of Antioch, is a reference to Monty Python's Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, which itself is a reference to items discovered by the real Crusaders at Antioch (such as the "Holy Spear of Antioch").

Gallery
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