Night Lords

The Night Lords are one of the 9 Traitor Legions of Chaos Space Marines that betrayed the Emperor of Mankind during the Horus Heresy. They do not worship any of the four Chaos Gods individually, but acknowledge them equally in the form of Chaos Undivided as they ruthlessly spread terror and fear amongst the galaxy's inhabitants. The Night Lords are experts in the use of terror tactics to win battles and demoralise their foes before the main combat even begins.

Night Haunter
The Primarch Konrad Curze used &quot;Night Haunter" as an alias whilst stalking his perpretually dark homeworld of Nostramo as a merciless vigilante after he arrived there as an infant still in his gestation capsule through the Warp from Terra due to the machinations of the Ruinous Powers. He later re-adopted the title after he turned to Chaos during the Horus Heresy. Nostramo was a human-settled world that circled a dying sun whose light now only barely reached the world, leaving it trapped in perpetual darkness. The crust of Nostramo bore high quantities of the strategic mineral adamantium, which provided the basis of the planet's immense mining and refining industries and supported the economies of its large hive cities. The vast majority of the planet's population lived in abject poverty, toiling in the mines while the rich grew in affluence, exploiting the already downtrodden workers. Crime ran mostly unchecked, depression was inescapable because of the constant darkness, and overpopulation was kept in check more by suicide than by any other measure. Unlike many of the other Primarchs, Konrad Curze was not taken in by any family and was left to raise himself in the vast underhive of the largest hive city on the planet, Nostramo Quintus. He spent his early life surviving off his wits and determination, feeding himself by hunting the feral animals that roamed through the vast hive city. He was continually plagued by visions of the darkest possible future, horrifyingly potent waking dreams that would curse him throughout his life. Uniquely among all the Primarchs, Curze grew up completely alone, surviving only thanks to his wits, ruthlessness, and courage as a child in the underhives of Nostramo Quintus. He almost singlehandedly rid Nostramo of its culture of crime and predation, using terror as a weapon to crush the planet's ruling criminal syndicates and their corrupt overseers. He then re-established the rule of law under his own draconian leadership, and was revered by the Nostraman people as a benevolent and just dictator. His hunter instincts, stealth, high mobility, use of the element of surprise, and extensive use of psychological warfare were also traits of the VIII Space Marine Legion that had been created from his genome. Even before the Heresy, the Night Lords decorated their Power Armour with symbols of death, realizing that fear was a weapon as effective as any Bolter or Chainsword.

The Great Crusade
During the time of the Great Crusade, the Night Lords were used by the Emperor as a tool of terror to pacify planets which had been recently conquered by the other Space Marine Legions. Their fearsome reputation caused any rogue planetary governor or rebels to quickly pay any outstanding tithes or quell their uprisings, as the Night Lords were known to issue an Exterminatus order on several worlds for the most petty of crimes against the Imperium.

This ruthless behavior did not sit well with some of the other Primarchs and Legions. Finally, Curze and the Night Lords Legion were recalled to Terra to explain their behavior, where they were then reprimanded by the Emperor and the Council of Terra. The last straw for the Emperor was when the Night Lords had unleashed an orbital bombardment on their own homeworld, which was literally blown to pieces. Curze explained his actions to the Emperor by pointing out that Nostramo, in the Legion's absence, had slid back to its old ways of cruel violence and crime. He and the Night Lords were embittered by what they saw as the Emperor's and the Council of Terra's hypocrisy when they were censured for their brutality even as the Emperor had unleashed a Great Crusade that used military power to forcibly reunite the scattered worlds of humanity. The Night Lords thought the Emperor would acknowledge that their actions had been right. They also felt that these actions were the direct consequence of the mission that the Imperium had tasked them with, i.e. that of "sanctioned" terrorism against all who opposed the spread of the Imperium. To Curze, it seemed that the Emperor castigated him for carrying out the same actions that had once been deemed so vital to the Imperium's expansion.

The Horus Heresy
Angered by the Emperor's rejection of their methods, the Night Lords willingly joined the Warmaster Horus in his battle against the Emperor of Mankind and participated in the Dropsite Massacre of the Loyalist Space Marine Legions at Istvaan V, as well as the invasion of Terra and the Siege of the Imperial Palace by the forces of Chaos. Immediately after the death of Horus, the Night Lords went on a killing spree in the Eastern Fringes of the galaxy that caused havoc for long years after the Horus Heresy had ended. It was during this chaotic time that Konrad Curze was assassinated by a Callidus Assassin named M'Shen on the planet Tsagualsa, where the VIII Legion had built its fortress after the destruction of Nostramo. Curze had foreseen his assassination, as he possessed the gift (or curse) of foreknowledge, a prophetic psychic ability that other Night Lords also may possess at present. This is a unique trait, as it is said to be unrelated to Warp taints or other known psychic properties. It is believed that Curze let his assassination happen, in order to show his father, the Emperor of Mankind, that he stood by his beliefs as surely as the Emperor stood by his. While acknowledging his own crimes against humanity, Curze also stated that his martyrdom would ultimately vindicate him. Curze ordered his Legion not to pursue his assassin, a last wish that was eventually disobeyed. His death did not slow the Night Lords down, as they continued to apply themselves to his mantra and are specialists in the application of terror and the tactics of fear to this day.

Post-Heresy
After the Horus Heresy, the Night Lords did not flee into the Eye of Terror like the other Traitor Legions, instead they retained their Pre-Heresy numbers and sought to conquer their own terrible dominion from the worlds of the Imperium's Eastern Fringe. However, after the assassination of Konrad Curze, the Legion splintered into multiple feuding warbands, as is the nature of those who serve Chaos, and eventually relocated to the Eye of Terror. By the late 41st Millennium, the Legion has deteriorated in both its numbers and its capabilities. There was also continued infighting within the Legion as there was no clear leadership, with several ranking Night Lords contending for the right to lead the entire Legion. Currently, the Night Lords hire themselves out as mercenaries and elite shock troops for the other Forces of Chaos or even for pirates who raid Imperial worlds, such as Huron Blackheart. They have been known to assist Chaos Warmaster Abaddon the Despoiler in his Black Crusade campaigns when asked to do so, as the quest for their own vengeance against the Imperium continues. Their most infamous post-Heresy raid in the Imperium was on the world of Scound's Fall, just a few hundred light years from holy Terra. Nearly all of the Raptors in the service of Chaos originate from the Night Lords Legion.

Great Crusade

 * Cheraut (Unknown.M31) - This was a pacification action conducted by the Night Lords shortly before the Horus Heresy. Konrad Curze and Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists Legion had a disagreement over how to properly subjugate a newly retaken world. This resulted in an altercation where Curze struck Rogal Dorn.
 * Nostramo (Unknown.M31) - This was an exterminatus action conducted by the now-rogue Night Lords Legion. They willingly destroyed their own homeworld of Nostramo by order of their Primarch, concentrating deadly lance-strikes on the planet's core which resulted in tumultuous seismic activity that eventually shattered the dark planet apart in a wave of destruction.

Horus Heresy

 * Istvaan V (007.M31) - Site of the infamous Drop Site Massacre which resulted in the near-demise of the Loyalist Space Marine Legions of the Iron Hands, Raven Guard and Salamanders following the ingenious trap set by Warmaster Horus, leaving the Imperium severely weakened in the face of the brutal onslaught.
 * The Eastern Fringe Genocide (014.M31) - Following the death of Horus, the Night Lords conducted this massive campaign of genocide against the Imperium that made their previous atrocities pale in comparison, before or since. The Night Lords rampage was only stopped by the assassination of their Primarch Konrad Curze at the hands of the Callidus assassin M'Shen.

Post Heresy

 * The Culling of Grendel's World (Unknown.M41) - Systematic extermination of the entire planetary populace.
 * The Fall of Vilamus (099.M41) - The infamous Red Corsairs, striking a deal with The Exalted's large Night Lords warband to lead the spearhead of their attack, sacked the lightly defended fortress-monastery of the Marines Errant Chapter in order to steal its large cache of gene-seed. In the aftermath of the battle, combat broke out between the Night Lords and the Red Corsairs.

Legion Organisation
The Night Lords Chaos Marines have several special genetic traits: they all possess very pale skin and all-black eyes like their Primarch. They can see in absolute darkness, with a clarity that is above and beyond even the ability of normal Space Marine occular implants. They also have innate "preysight", the ability to use infrared vision to detect heat signatures. Finally, they can emit abnormally loud shrieks and cries that cause immediate deafness and disorientation in those who hear them.

Night Lords tend not to use daemons in their armies, and indeed with the current game rules for the Chaos Marines cannot, with the exception of Furies, which are Daemons of Chaos Undivided who share the Night Lords' fondness for brutal murder and psychological warfare. Night Lords do not worship any individual power of Chaos, instead venerating the concept of Chaos Undivided when they choose to pay any attention to Chaos at all. Indeed, the Night Lords have a contempt for all of the Ruinous Powers, as well as for what they perceive as a weakness of any sort. The Night Lords also mistrust psykers of all kinds, including Astropaths, although they may utilize them, as well as Navigators, when the situation demands it. However, as of the 41st Millennium, some Night Lords may be tainted by the touch of Chaos and have developed mutations, a fact that those so affected try to hide from their brethren, as the Night Lords are traditionally as disgusted by mutation as their Loyalist counterparts, seeing it as a form of weakness.

The Night Lords are organized into companies led by Captains, with each company composed of squads of ten called "Claws" led by Sergeants. There is also an elite Terminator unit known (at least in the 10th Company) as the "Atramentar," and at least one Dreadnought. When ready for action, the Night Lords refer to themselves as "in midnight clad", reflecting both their heritage and their penchant for operations conducted under the cover of darkness.

Specialist Ranks

 * Raptors - Amongst the ranks of the Night Lords are the dreaded Chaos Space Marine assault troops known as Raptors. This elite group of egotistical and arrogant warriors believe themselves to be the betters amongst their allies and fellow renegades. Many other Chaos Space Marines consider them to be preening, self-indulgent egotists. The origins of this particular specialty group can be traced to the bygone days of the Horus Heresy when they played the important shock attack role of jump troops. At that time jump packs were comparatively rare amongst the Space Marine Legions, but such was the effectiveness of these assault troops that their commitment to battle often proved to be the turning point. Often times they were kept in reserve and then sent into action against the weakest points of the enemy line. This concept of preying on the vulnerable has led to the Raptors becoming vicious hunters, who can strike anywhere, at any time. The Raptors have a tendency to modify their armour to give themselves a more terrifying appearance, mimicking the appearance of a vicious bird of prey or a swooping daemon. They often fit amplifiers and voxcasters that emit piercing wails and screams, falling upon the enemy like a shrieking, furious gale, tearing their foes apart with bolt pistols and vicious chainswords. In combat, the Night Lords tend to use large numbers of Raptors.

Legion Combat Doctrine
The Night Lords adopted the modus operandi of their Primarch without exception, and thrive in sowing fear and confusion among their enemy. It is common practice for Night Lords Chaos Space Marines to ensure that the communications of a target planet are shut down, broadcasting hideous messages and screams across the airwaves as they begin slaughtering the occupants at their leisure. It is very rare that the Night Lords voluntarily fight a force able to withstand them; they much prefer to attack the weak and frightened. Repeated instances have shown that the Night Lords will not give quarter, and are entirely bereft of mercy. Any poor soul offering to surrender will have his pleas answered by mutilation and painful death.

Night Haunter's Legion have no holy crusade, no belief that causes them to spread murder and misery to the worlds they visit. Similarly, they have no martial creed, all concept of honour eroded by the supplanting of vicious criminals into their ranks.

The Night Lords are masters of stealth, able to infiltrate a position quickly and silently. These arts appear to be innate to the legion, and come to the fore during the sick games they use to drive their prey into paroxysms of terror. Even before they turned to Chaos, the Night Lords adorned their armour with imagery of death; this is because they know that fear can be used as a weapon just as effectively as a chainsword or bolter. Given their predilection for picking on weaker foes, a fully-armoured Night Lords champion armed with a devastating array of weaponry is always more than a match for the foes he chooses to fight.

Legion Beliefs
Night Lords are exceptionally versatile in their use of the Forces of Chaos, employing the hell-spawned powers of each of the major Chaos deities with equal favour. It is just as likely that the Night Lords will be seen fighting alongside a group of foul Plague Marines as it is the warriors of the Thousand Sons. However, it has been ascertained that the Night Lords have nothing but scorn for faith in ail its forms, whether it be the fanatical bloodlust of the Khornate Berzerker or the devotion of the Imperial Creed. The only authority they recognise is that of temporal power and material wealth.

Observational evidence would suggest that the only reason the Night Lords fight is for the love of killing and the material rewards this can bring. They take great pleasure in gunning down defenceless prey, especially those too young or sick to stand up to them. It Is certainly not for the thrill of battle that they fight, as an army of Night Lords can be expected to try every underhand trick in the book before resorting to honest combat. This is possibly a vestige of their ancestry in the criminal classes of Nostrarno where it was commonplace to ruthlessly force the will of the strong upon the weak.

Notable Night Lords

 * Konrad Curze, also known as the Night Haunter - Primarch of the Legion
 * Zso Sahaal - "Talonmaster", First Captain of the elite 1st Company
 * Sevatar - First Captain of the elite 1st Company during the Great Crusade era.
 * Krieg Acerbus - "Axemaster", former Captain and now leader of the largest Night Lords Chaos warband in the galaxy. Later, became a Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided.
 * Halasker - Captain, fate unknown.
 * Malcharion - "The War-Sage", Captain of the 10th Company.
 * Morgaris - Chaos Terminator Champion.
 * Vandred - Captain of the 10th Company/Night Lords Warband of The Exalted.
 * Dal Karus - Former leader of the Third Claw, 10th Company

First Claw, 10th Company

 * Talos 'Soul Hunter' - "Soul Hunter", former Apothecary and now defacto Sergeant of First Claw, 10th Company. Was the first Night Lord to seek vengeance against the Imperial assassin M'Shen following the death of their Primarch.
 * Cyrion - Talos' unofficial second-in-command.
 * Mercution - Relatively new recruit of the First Claw, due to his old squad being annihilated.
 * Uzas - The fifth member of First Claw whom is quite unruly and reckless.
 * Xarl - A highly-disciplined Astartes of the First Claw.

Ninth Claw, 10th Company

 * Lucoryphus - Sergeant of the Bleeding Eyes Raptor Squad, now designated the Ninth Claw. Leads nineteen Night Lords Astartes.
 * Vorasha - (Deceased) Lucoryphus' second-in-command of the Ninth Claw. Killed in failed ambush against the Salamanders Chapter.
 * Shar Gan - (Deceased) former squad member that was killed in a failed ambush against the Salamanders Chapter.
 * Zon La - Squad member of the Ninth Claw. Fate unknown.

Legion Fleet
The Night Lords are known to have possessed the following vessels:
 * Covenant of Blood - The Exalted's Strike Cruiser. Home to the 10th Company of the Legion.
 * Echo of Damnation - Battle Barge of Talos' warband
 * Excoriator - Sister ship to the Covenant of Blood
 * Faithless Song - A former Endeavour-Class Cruiser that belonged to the Imperial Navy that was captured near Uriah III.
 * Hunter's Premonition - Captain Halasker's Battle Barge.
 * Serpent of the Black Sea - Unknown vessel of the Night Lords Legion
 * Umbrea Insidior - Zso Sahaal's Battle Barge.

Legion Appearance
The gene-seed of the Night Lords seems to be surprisingly pure despite their allegiance to Chaos Undivided. Of all the Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions, the Night Lords seem to be the least mutated. Night Lords Chaos Space Marines have jet-black eyes and pale skin. Those Night Lords who date from the time of the Horus Heresy do not have irises, with the visible part of their eyes consisting entirely of jet-black pupils. Their skin, eyes, and even their senses of smell and hearing are all adapted for living in complete darkness.

Legion Colours
The Night Lords' Power Armour is not only commonly adorned in images of their Legion, and symbols of death such as trophy racks, spikes, spiked armor, and numerous skulls of all sizes, but also a peculiar form of imagery that occurs on each and every Night Lord Chaos Space Marine's armour. The Night Lords' night blue armor is alive with a mysterious network of lightning bolts that constantly play across their armour when in combat. Whether artificial, a curse, or something else, this lightning is a signature of the imagery of the lords of night and terrorises their foes in the ink blackness of the night.

Legion Badge
The Night Lords' Legion badge is a skull with red bat-wings superimposed over a black Star of Chaos.