Dark Angels (Warhammer 40,000)

The Dark Angels were the first of the original twenty First Founding Legions of the Space Marines serving the Imperium of Man in the fictional future of the tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000.

Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Lion El'Jonson 1.2 The Great Crusade 1.3 Luther's Betrayal 1.4 The Aftermath of Caliban 1.5 The Fallen Dark Angels 2 Organisation 2.1 Headquarters 2.2 Recruitment 3 Combat Doctrine 3.1 Battlecry 4 Appearance 5 Notable Members 6 Successor Chapters 7 Background Information 7.1 Conspiracy Theories 8 References

[edit] History

[edit] Lion El'Jonson The Dark Angels have the honour of being the first Legion created by the Emperor. Like the others, their Primarch was lost while he was still in his infancy. He later turned up on the beautiful but Chaos-blighted planet of Caliban.

Caliban was as cruel and harsh an environment as any in the galaxy. In the bleak forest that covered the globe lived creatures that had been corrupted by Chaos, and which were of such ferocity that mere day-to-day survival was a constant struggle. The human inhabitants of Caliban were forced to live in huge fortresses and castles, located in clearings hacked from the forests of the planet. Cut off from Earth by the Warp storms that savaged the galaxy in the Age of Strife, civilization on Caliban devolved back into a semi-feudal state, with most of the population ruled over by a small warrior elite.

The nobility of Caliban were a bluff and pugnacious race. Raised from childhood to live and die by the sword, they were great warriors and extremely brave. They fought in a form of power armour much like that used by the Space Marines, and like them their main weapons were the chainsword and bolt pistol. Most other forms of advanced technology had, however, been lost, and the warrior nobility therefore rode into battle on huge warhorses known as destriers. The nobles' life was one of constant struggle as they fought against the multitude of chaotic creatures that threatened to overrun their small settlements. Sometimes a particularly fearsome creature would stay in one area and terrorize it, in which case the ruler of the community would declare a quest against the monster, and the nobles from all around would come and attempt to kill the beast. Slaying a quest-creature could bring honour and fortune for the noble lucky enough to kill it - more often than not though it brought only a bloody and horrific death at the teeth and talons of a hell-spawned abomination.

Such then was the planet where the young Primarch's capsule crash-landed. Most of the other Primarchs were fortunate enough to be found and raised by the local human inhabitants of the planet they landed on. Such was not to be Jonson's fate, for his capsule landed in a remote and isolated region of Caliban many miles from the nearest human settlement. How Jonson survived those early years on Caliban is a complete mystery. By rights he should have died within the first few minutes he was exposed on the planet. But Jonson did not die. Somehow, as a young child on one of the most deadly death worlds in the Imperium he not only survived, but grew strong and tall. What it was like for him in those grim and dark days none can say, for there was no-one there to record the events of his life, and Jonson never spoke of those times himself. All that can be said for certain is that for a decade Jonson was forced to trust to his own wit and skill in order to survive. He had no-one to aid him, he could rely on only himself. And so it was, in this state, that at the turn of the decade since his arrival on the planet, the Primarch heard a sound unlike any he had encountered in the wild, human speech.

The brave warrior knights he encountered belonged to a group known simply as the Order. The Order had a reputation across all of Caliban for the honesty, nobility and fearless skills of its brother-knights in battle. Uniquely amongst the knights of Caliban, the members, or brothers, of the Order were selected by merit rather than inheritance. Anyone could join the Order, no matter how low born they might be. Contingents of brother-knights from the Order traveled across the planet, giving their aid whenever it was needed. It was while on one of their great expeditions that a band from the Order came upon the wild man that lived in the forests. Thinking him a monster, the knights were ready to kill the Primarch when one of their number, sensing that there was something more to the creature than was at first apparent, halted his fellows. Luther, for such was the name of the Primarch's saviour, and the other knights returned to civilisation, taking with them the man born of the forest. Because of his appearance and the place of his discovery, the Order gave the wild man the name of Lion El'Jonson, which meant 'The Lion, the Son of the Forest'. Jonson easily adapted to the ways of humans, learning to speak remarkably quickly. But of his time growing up in the forest he never spoke.

Within the fortress monastery of the Order, the Primarch was assimilated into human society on Caliban. There he and Luther formed a close friendship. It appeared that the two men filled in the gaps in each other's personality. Where Jonson was temperamental and taciturn, Luther was charming and charismatic. Where Luther was rash and emotional, Jonson was a brilliant strategist and unstoppable once decided upon a course of action. They realized that they complemented each other and, as such, became an incomparable team.

Over the following years Jonson and Luther rose through the ranks of the Order. Their exploits became the stuff of legend on Caliban, and the reputation of the Order rose accordingly. The number of young warriors wishing to join the Order grew and grew, so that in time many new fortress monasteries had to be built. As the Order grew in size Jonson and Luther argued for a crusade against the monsters that infested the forests, to cleanse the planet once and for all of their foul presence. The oratory of Luther convinced the Grand Masters of the monasteries and most of the nobles of the planet to join in the crusade, but it was Jonson's supreme ability at planning and organisation which ensured that within the course of a single decade the entire planet of Caliban was cleared of the monstrous creatures that had once inhabited it. A golden age dawned for the inhabitants of the once troubled planet.

In recognition of his triumph against the creatures of Chaos Lion El'Jonson was proclaimed new Supreme Master of the Order and Caliban. Although Luther did not openly begrudge Jonson the honour he had won, he would not have been human if he did not feel some twinge of jealousy. Thus was lit the first small spark that would lead to the schism which would tear the Dark Angels legion apart. But all this was in the future - for the present the people of Caliban enjoyed a time of peace and plenty.

[edit] The Great Crusade Meanwhile, unknown to Jonson and the people of Caliban, the Emperor was waging his Great Crusade across the galaxy, reuniting humanity and purging entire star systems of their alien oppressors. As the Imperium's wave of conquest advanced across the galaxy, Imperial Scouts rediscovered the isolated world of Caliban. It was not long before the Emperor was at last reunited with the Primarch and was filled with joy as would be a father on finding his lost son. The Emperor's first action was to give Lion El'Jonson control of the Dark Angels Legion. This body of Space Marines had been created by the Emperor from its Primarch's gene-seed and had fought alongside the other Imperial forces as the Great Crusade was waged across the galaxy.

Caliban was made the home world of the Dark Angels and the whole of the Order moved to join its ranks. Those knights who were still young enough had the Legion's gene seed implanted within them, while those too old for this process underwent surgery to transform them into elite warriors of the Imperium. The first to be brought into the Legion in this way was Luther, who became Jonson's second-in-command, just as he always had been within the Order (Thorpe, 2003).

Luther is believed to be one of the first to receive the gene-seed and modifications of a Space Marine, and became the second in command of the entire Legion. However, new information garnered from the Fallen (Thorpe, 2003) seem to indicate that Luther was not allowed to become a space marine due to his age. However, when the Emperor left, he took El'Jonson and the majority of the Legion with him, leaving Luther and a garrison force behind on Caliban to guard against the return of Chaos.

The Great Crusade, of course, had to go on: there were countless human worlds that were still under the influence of Chaos or suppressed by the harsh rule of alien races. So it was that Jonson and many of the Dark Angels set out with the Emperor to continue the battle for humanity and Luther was left behind in charge of the remainder of the Legion on Caliban. Despite the importance of Luther's position, it was not one that suited his ambitious personality.

Lion El'Jonson and his Legion performed well during the Great Crusade, although during a particular battle, Lion El'Jonson and Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves Legion, came to blows over the latter's action during the siege of the Crimson Fortress. This event began a feud which still continues strong in the 41st millennium, usually taking the form of a ritualistic duel between two elected champions, although it has been known to manifest itself in a very violent manner.

As Jonson's fame spread throughout the galaxy and reports of his great deeds and prowess in battle reached the Legion's home world, Luther felt robbed of his share of the glory. He wanted the fame and recognition that he felt he deserved as Jonson's equal. His role as planetary governor of some half-forgotten backwater world seemed more and more to him like an insult. The seed of jealousy and dissension that had been planted within Luther when Jonson was made the Supreme Master of the Order now began to grow and rankle within his heart as the Primarch became more and more celebrated and famous.

[edit] Luther's Betrayal When the Horus Heresy erupted across the Imperium of Man, both the Dark Angels and Space Wolves Legions were on the far side of the galaxy. The two Primarchs agreed to set aside their feud and raced to Holy Terra. They were unable to participate in the defence of the Emperor's Palace, but their impending arrival forced Warmaster Horus to gamble everything on a duel with the Emperor, his former master.

Horus was defeated by the Emperor, although the Emperor himself was fatally wounded and had to be entombed within the life-preserving mechanism of the Golden Throne. El'Jonson was stricken with grief over the fact that he had not been able to protect the Emperor against Horus, and returned to Caliban.

The Dark Angels were greeted in a wholly unexpected way as they entered orbit above Caliban. A salvo of anti-starship fire blasted from the surface of the planet, fatally crippling many ships in the fleet. El'Jonson pulled the fleet out of range, trying to discover the reason for the attack, and discovering a tale of betrayal.

As word of El'Jonson's victories during the Great Crusade reached Caliban, his former brother-in-arms, Luther, became envious of the successes and glory he and the garrison force were being denied. He projected his bitterness and jealousy on the Dark Angels who had been left behind; all of them slowly becoming corrupted by the forces of Chaos. Luther's hubris had been all the Dark Gods needed to make him theirs.

When he discovered this, Lion El'Jonson was overcome by a terrifying fury, ordering the destruction of his corrupted brothers and the bombardment of the planet. Once the defences were shattered, the Primarch led the assault of Caliban, attacking the fortress monastery of the Order while the fleet continued to attack the planet itself.

The Primarch of the Dark Angels faced his former brother, the two engaging in a titanic duel. Luther had been elevated by Chaos to equally match El'Jonson. The ensuing struggle reduced the fortress-monastery of the Order to rubble. Eventually, El'Jonson was able to gain the upper hand, but could not bring himself to deliver the killing blow. The fallen Luther had no such qualms, mortally wounding the Primarch with a blast of sorcerous power. As Luther did this, he realised how far he had fallen, betraying friend, Legion, and Emperor, and lost his sanity.

The Dark Powers realised they had failed again, and in their titanic rage released a warpstorm that tore Caliban, already weakened by the Dark Angels bombardment, apart. The debris of the collapsing planet was sucked into the Immaterium, leaving only a collection of asteroids to remain. One such asteroid, on which stands the remains of the Fortress Monastery, became the Dark Angel's base of operations, also known as 'The Rock'. It is the largest space station in the Imperium of Man.

[edit] The Aftermath of Caliban This story of treachery and betrayal is the Dark Angels' secret shame. None know of it other than the Dark Angels, their Successor Chapters and, maybe, the Emperor on his Golden Throne. Even within the Chapter itself very few Brother-Marines know exactly what happened during those fateful days.

The organisation of the Dark Angels Chapter has been shaped primarily by events in its history. As a result it is different from that of any other order. The Chapter is monastic in nature with much time being given over to worship and prayer. There are also many different levels within the Chapter which individuals may gradually rise through. On attaining each level, they find out a little more about the truth behind the Dark Angels' origins. Most Dark Angels themselves know nothing about the beginnings of the Chapter. It is only those at the very top who have learned the whole truth.

The bulk of the Dark Angels Chapter is organised along strict Codex lines, as laid down in the Codex Astartes. However, the First Company and the Second Company both have special organisations. The Second Company is known as the Ravenwing, and is trained as a special mobile formation equipped completely with either bikes or land speeders.

The First Company is the famous Deathwing, and although it appears superficially to be the same as any other Chapter's First Company, it is actually a highly specialised formation. It is only when Dark Angels reach the Deathwing that they learn the story of Luther's betrayal. More terrible still they learn that many of the Dark Angels that followed Luther are still alive. These damned warriors are known as the Fallen Angels, or simply "the Fallen", and it is the eradication of this stain on the Chapter's honour which drives and motivates the Chapter to this day. As long as still one of the Fallen stays alive, the honour of the Chapter will never be restored. Even within the Deathwing company there are various levels of admission, and with these come gradually increasing levels of knowledge.

[edit] The Fallen Dark Angels In the eyes of the Dark Angels Space Marines, the only way that they can rid themselves totally of their shame, and restore their honour and trust in the Emperor's eyes, is if all the Fallen are found and either made to repent or are slain. However, since the Fallen were cast through the warp to all corners of space and time, this is no mean task for the Dark Angels to achieve. Unlike the Inquisitors and Grey Knights of the Imperium, whose role it is to root out the agents of Chaos at work within the galaxy, in this regard the Dark Angels are only concerned with finding the Fallen of their Chapter. Although the Dark Angels will be called upon for many different missions for the Imperium, the search for their Fallen comrades is a constant quest that they can never relinquish.

Not all of the Dark Angels' damned brethren have succumbed to the power of Chaos to the same degree. Some of the Fallen have embraced the ways of the Dark Gods totally becoming true Chaos Space Marines. These Fallen do not belong to a Chapter of their own, like Angron's World Eaters. Instead they are dispersed throughout space and time as either isolated individuals or in small bands.

However, most of the Fallen realise that their actions prior to the fall of Caliban were wrong. Disgusted by the corrupting influence of the Chaos gods and unable to reconcile themselves with their order they lead a solitary existence. Many of them become mercenaries or pirates, roaming the galaxy as masterless men. Others are willing to atone for their sins and in an attempt to do so have integrated themselves back into human societies taking on the role of any ordinary person. This only makes the Dark Angels' task of finding the Fallen much more difficult, as they are not easy to identify as such. But it is still the Dark Angels' duty to try and track them down. In order to do so, they must investigate any rumour or story relating to the Fallen, in case it should lead them to one of their corrupted brethren.

The Dark Angels can go for years without hearing any rumours that might lead them to one or more of the Fallen. When they do however, and their mission is a success, those Fallen that are captured are taken back to the Fortress-Monastary. Deep inside its dungeons Interrogator-Chaplains attempt to make the Fallen repent. Occasionally they do, and in return for their confession, their deaths are made quick and painless. More often than not though, the captured Fallen refuses. Their souls are purified by extreme suffering, before an agonising death at the hands of the interrogator chaplains.

[edit] Organisation The organisation of the Dark Angels differs from the Codex Astartes in the higher ranks, along with the layout of the First and Second Companies.

The First Company is known as the Deathwing, veterans who only take to the field of battle in bone-white Terminator Armour. This armour was originally black, but was repainted white to honour the valour of a group of 30 Terminators, who single-handedly halted a Genestealer invasion of Plains World, one of the Dark Angels main recruiting worlds.

The assault aspect of combat is focused in the Second Company, known as the Ravenwing. Every single member of the Company is trained in the use of Bikes and Land Speeders, and all are masters of high-speed warfare.

[edit] Headquarters The ruins of Caliban are located in the Cadian sector, close to the Eye of Terror. Prior to the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, the planet of Caliban was covered with lush forests, inhabited by creatures warped by Chaos. The humans of the planet were a proud, martial people, forced to live in great fortress monasteries of stone.

The Dark Angels rebuilt their fortress monastery on the asteroid that had borne the old one, drilling deep into the bedrock and rebuilding the ruins. The new fortress is known officially as The Tower of Angels, but is more commonly referred to as The Rock. There are rumours that The Rock has been equipped with warp engines, enabling faster-than-light transit through the Immaterium.

The warrens beneath The Rock are where the Dark Angels bring their fallen brethren to be redeemed by their Interrogator-Chaplains. It is believed by the Inquisition to hold many other secrets. One such secret is known only to the Inner Circle; Luther is still alive, imprisoned within the deepest cavern of The Rock, where he still insanely mutters that one day, El'Jonson will return and forgive him.

However, even this pales in comparison to the greatest secret held by the Dark Angels. This secret is known only to a handful of individuals, the strange hooded creatures known as the Watchers in the Dark. Deep within the bedrock of the asteroid which is their home, there is a solitary chamber. In this chamber lies Lion El'Jonson, attended to by the Watchers in the Dark, slowly healing and waiting for the Emperor to come back fully restored from the golden throne, ressurected from his death-like state, to lead a great crusade to purge all chaos from the galaxy.

[edit] Recruitment As the Dark Angels have no home world to speak of, they draw their recruits from a variety of planets, mainly with a pre-industrial level of technology. Representatives of the Dark Angels visit each recruiting world once within a normal human's lifetime, and take the strongest juveniles from the population. Each recruit is thoroughly screened, and from the moment he is accepted into the Chapter as a Space Marine, his past becomes irrelevant.

After the Heresy, the Dark Angels recruited from a single planet (known as Plains World) whose inhabitants resembled the Native Americans. Sometime before the 41st Millennium a group of returning Deathwing found that their planet had been overrun fifty years earlier by Genestealers, with only a few un-tainted humans remaining. The Terminators, whose duty and honor required the extermination of the genestealers, prepared themselves for battle. The odds of their success was nearly non-existant. And so, the Terminators engaged in their native death ritual. Instead of annointing their skin with white ash, they annointed their armor. The Terminators cleansed the world and rescued the enslaved populace, and in honor of those few Terminators, their armor was ever after white. Also, the Dark Angels leadership, the inner circle, recognised the folly of relying upon one planet for manpower and so diversified their recruiting grounds (these events were chronicled in the short story Deathwing).

[edit] Combat Doctrine The Dark Angels follow the standard doctrine of the Codex Astartes, but their dogged resistance against overwhelming odds is legendary. The Dark Angels will stubbornly stand their ground in combat, refusing to give ground to the enemy, even if tactically beneficial to do so.

The primary driving force of the Chapter is the hunt and capture of "The Fallen". Only by forcing every single one to repent do the Dark Angels believe they can restore their honour. If a member of "The Fallen", or someone who may know of the location of one, is present on the battlefield, the Dark Angels will ignore their objective and do all in their power to capture this individual. Everything else is second to the capture of a Fallen Angel, including any human life. It is not unknown for Dark Angels to fire upon friendly targets in order to prevent them from discovering the secret of the Fallen.

The Dark Angels are also notoriously intolerant of non-humans and mutants, even those considered benevolent by the Imperium of Man. They are also highly mistrustful of the Imperial Inquisition, and will refuse to fight alongside any force that incorporates members of the Inquisition, or non-human soldiers except in the most dire of circumstances. This is due to the fact that they do not want the Inquisition investigating the Chapter.

[edit] Battlecry "Repent! For tomorrow you die!"

[edit] Appearance Image:Dark Angels.JPG A Dark Angels Tactical SquadThe symbol of the Chapter is a winged sword. Variants of this symbol exist for the Deathwing and Ravenwing, the former depicting the winged sword as broken, the latter a sword held by a single wing and raven's claw.

Prior to the Horus Heresy, the power armour of the Dark Angels Legion was jet-black. After the Heresy, the bulk of the Chapter began to appear in dark green armour, while the First and Second Companies' armour remained black. The Deathwing later changed their armour to bone-white.

[edit] Notable Members Commander Azrael - Chapter Master during the 41st millennium. Cypher - Foremost of the Fallen, former members of the Legion corrupted by Chaos. Ezekiel, Grand Master of Librarians - Keeper of the Book of Salvation. This ancient tome is rumoured to be the book where the names of the Fallen have been written. Captain Ezekiel "Cloud Runner": A warrior recruited from Plains World in his boyhood, three generations prior to its Genestealer infestation. Upon discovering the corruption of their culture by the alien monsters, he made the fateful decision of chosing the salvation of his people over his Imperial duties of commiting Exterminatus on his homeworld. Painting the formerly-jet-black Terminator Armour of himself and his twenty-nine Brother Warriors death-white, they purged the Genestealers, restored the cultural glory of the Plain Warriors, and forged the legend of the Deathwing Company. Sapphon, Grand Master of Chaplains - Sapphon is the current Grand Master of Chaplains and while Asmodai is his superior in both age and ability as an interrogator he is not as inspirational or as great a leader of men Asmodai, Interrogator-Chaplain - The oldest and most successful interrogator-chaplain of the chapter and bearer of the Blades of Reason. Brother Bethor - Chapter Standard Bearer. Veteran Sergeant Naaman - Hero of the Piscina Campaign. Engulfed in explosion of an Ork Dreadnought

[edit] Successor Chapters After the Horus Heresy, the Dark Angels founded three chapters to track the Fallen, the Angels of Absolution, the Angels of Redemption and the Angels of Vengeance. These successor chapters share in the secret of the Fallen, and collectively the Dark Angels and their successors refer to themselves as "The Unforgiven".

[edit] Background Information The background of the Dark Angels, both in Games Workshop material and within the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe is shrouded in mystery. Aspects of the Chapter's fall to Chaos bear similarities to the legends of King Arthur, in particular Arthur's/El'Jonson's eventual defeat.

Also, the name of their Primarch, Lion El'Jonson, is inspired by the English poet Lionel Johnson, the author of "The Dark Angel". Originally the name was spelt Lyyn Elgonsen (Rogue Trader p.138); presumably to hide the reference.

[edit] Conspiracy Theories Games Workshop has in recent years restricted the information available for the Dark Angels, to further emphasize the mystery surrounding the chapter. The exact fate of Lion El'Jonson had been purposefully left out of all texts since the early 1990's, only re-emerging in the 2001 "Index Astartes" article published in White Dwarf Magazine. Information regarding the Chaos Space Marines character Cypher, rumoured to be foremost of the Fallen, is kept sketchy, to further fuel players' imaginations.

The novel Angels of Darkness (Thorpe, 2003), written by Games Workshop staff member Gav Thorpe, expands upon the events that split the Chapter. The novel suggests that El'Jonson was a very dark and brooding figure who, while in the chaotic forests of Caliban, had been touched and possibly corrupted by Chaos. This is evident via his personality; he would stay in the shadows, because being exposed would be to invite predators. The darkness was both dangerous and welcoming. This paranoia and suspicion was passed down to his Legion, and, eventually, the Successor Chapters of the Dark Angels. He was also prepared to sacrifice thousands of humans to achieve a tactical victory for his Legion. This was not out of disrespect of human life, but he was prepared to do anything to achieve his goals. He planned to lure a host of Orks from their hiding holes by using a populated city as bait. The plan worked and the Dark Angels destroyed the Orks; however, some Dark Angels were left a little bit shaken by the Primarch's actions. During the Horus Heresy, El'Jonson supposedly refused to choose a side, waiting for a victor to emerge from the galactic civil war before pledging his support to the victor. When the Lion returned to Caliban, the garrison remaining there opened fire upon his fleet, fearing that he had turned to Chaos. Seeing this as treason and heresy, the Lion ordered a full-scale bombardment. The destruction of Caliban soon followed.

The validity and canonicity of this novel is debated by fans and players. The reason for this is that the book is told from the point of view of one of the "Fallen", and may have been deliberate misinformation or subject to bias. Gav Thorpe (the author) has even stated in an interview on Dysartes that the book is not an objective look at the events on Caliban, but a character study of the "Fallen".