Exorcists

"By my will I deny thee, by my heart I spurn thee, by my hand I destroy thee; fiend of emptiness, to the void I cast thy blackened soul..."

- From the Liber Exorcisms

The Exorcists were created during the 13th Founding, the so-called "Dark Founding" which occurred sometime between the 35th and 36th Millennia, before the start of the Age of Apostasy. The Exorcists were founded as part of a highly-classified Imperial experiment to create Space Marines who were unusually resistant to daemonic possession and Chaotic corruption because as part of their initiation into the Chapter they had actually been forced to serve as daemonhosts for a short time before having the creature expelled back to the Warp by the intervention of an Inquisitor.

Chapter History
This mysterious but noble Chapter is at once the epitome of the Adeptus Astartes and an enigma. The Exorcists have saved many worlds and defeated many great foes in the service of the Emperor of Mankind. The Exorcists are the only the second known Space Marine Chapter to have been created during the mysterious 13th Founding (the so-called "Dark Founding"), alongside the equally mysterious Death Spectres. The exact nature and origin of the gene-seed used in the Exorcists' creation has remained classified by a special Bull Absolute of the Inquisitorial Representative to the High Lords of Terra issued by the Senatorum Imperialis at the time of their Founding, but many speculate that they are in fact the only Successor Chapter of the revered Grey Knights.

What is known is that the Exorcists have maintained a long-standing link to the Inquisition. Some have even whispered that they are intimately involved with certain factions of the secretive Ordo Malleus. It is most likely that the unique character of this Chapter has been greatly influenced by the sponsorship and designs of the Inquisitorial Ordos, and the Inquisition may well have ordered the Chapter's creation, either as a grand experiment or for some singular purpose.

The Chapter was created through secret Inquisition experiments in which test subjects were deliberately allowed to be possessed by daemons for a time before the daemons were banished by Ordo Malleus Inquisitors. There were casualties, but the majority of test subjects survived and emerged unusually skilled in the ways of combating daemonkind as the Inquisition had hoped. This has also caused the subjects to have no psychic signature that psykers can detect. The original test subjects, some two companies strong (200 Space Marines) were released onto a daemon-infested planet where they displayed extremely impressive results, acheiving a kill ratio of 97:1. Following this test, the Exorcists Chapter was fully chartered and allowed to begin recruiting until it had reached its full required strength of 1,000 Astartes, all of whom were subjected to the same test of daemonic possession before becoming a full Neophyte of the Chapter.

The Exorcists' Chapter homeworld is the ancient feral world known as Banish, which lies within the borders of the Narasima Straits, a quarantined sector of space on the Eastern Fringes of the Milky Way Galaxy in the Ultima Segmentum. The planet serves as the Chapter's primary training facility and Armoury, with their Fortress-Monastery, the Basilica Malefex, housing their gene-seed stores and Apothecarion as well as vast archives of occult lore on the nature of Chaos and the daemonic and the Chapter's battle honours. Banish also houses several secret Ordo Malleus research facilities under the Exorcists' protection.

Chapter Approval
The Exorcists have since been sanctioned as an official Chapter and are often involved in operations overseen by the Ordo Malleus of the Inquisition.

Notable Campaigns

 * The Gothic War (12th Black Crusade) (139.M41 - 160.M41) - The Chapter participated in combatting the invasion of the Gothic Sector by Abaddon the Despoiler and the encroaching Forces of Chaos during the Gothic War that ravaged the Gothic Sector in the early days of the 41st Millennium.
 * The Badab War (908-912.M41) - The Exorcists Chapter participated in the latter stages of the Badab War led by Silas Alberec, the famed Exorcists 3rd Company Captain and heir-designate to the command of the Chapter. The Exorcists intervened in the conflict once the Secessionists had been declared Excommunicate Traitoris in 908.M41. Alberec, huge in stature even for a Space Marine, gained great fame and recognition for himself in the Badab War, leading his Space Marines in several noteworthy engagements. The first of these was the taking of the armed merchantman Soyuz-Maru during the Second Battle of Sagan, and the last was the bloody attack on the vital and heavily defended Sentinel-Sigma station during the Fall of Badab Primaris. In this latter battle, Alberec wielded the Hellslayer Power Mace to great effect, rapidly smashing his way through armoured bulkheads while under heavy fire from the Astral Claws. Alberec slew the Astral Claws' Chaplain Arkil Lionsmane in personal combat despite still suffering from grievous wounds earned in prior battles. The Exorcists' otherwise exemplary role in the Badab War was tarnished, however, when their blockade of the Badab System failed in the confusion of the final hours of the siege, as anarchy reigned on the surface of Badab Primaris after the Carcharodons fired the reactors of the world's hive cities and started a chain reaction that would doom the planet. In the scramble to flee the surface, both Loyalists and Secessionists struggled to escape in any spacecraft they could commandeer. In the confusion that followed, the Exorcists fired on and in some cases destroyed any vessel that could not prove itself to be an ally, unfortunately slaying many fellow Loyalists in the process. Worse, a vessel containing many Astartes from Lufgt Huron's inner circle escaped the blockade in the confusion carrying the badly wounded but still living form of their master into the Maelstrom, who would return to plague the Imperium once more as Huron Blackheart, the Chaos Lord who commanded the piratical warband of Chaos Space Marines who called themselves the Red Corsairs.
 * The Third War for Armageddon (998.M41) - The Exorcists participated in the Third War for Armageddon
 * The 13th Black Crusade (999.M41) - The Exorcists also participated in the defence against the forces of Abaddon the Despoiler and the Forces of Chaos during the 13th Black Crusade.

Chapter Organisation
The Exorcists are regarded as a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter, with a great deal of their organisation, structure and tactical operations adhering to the tenets of the Astartes' holiest of tomes. Much of the Chapter's common practices, insignia, honours and basic tactical doctrine is based closely on the Ultramarines and their Successor Chapters. There are, however, several noteworthy and substantial deviations from the Codex's prescriptions. The Exorcists are composed of a total of 12 companies as opposed to the standard number of 10. The 10th, 11th and 12th Companies consist entirely of Neophyte Scout Marines. The reason for this high number of Scouts is due to the highly unorthodox and dangerous training practices used by the Chapter, which some believe may even include controlled exposure to Warp entities and daemonic possession before a Neophyte can become a full Battle-Brother, just as was done to the Chapter's original Astartes by the Inquisition. If such practices are employed, than the Chaotic corruption and fatality rates would be extremely high for Exorcist Initates, requiring a high influx of new recruits, hence the need to maintain three companies of Scout Marines. There exist within the Exorcists' ranks certain esoteric sub-cults which dedicate themselves to particular fields of expertise and knowledge, known as Orisons. On the battlefield, many of these Orisons manifest themselves amongst the various squads and divisions, whilst their inner circles are primarily made up of the Chapter's Veterans and other high ranking Battle-Brothers and officers. Acceptance within one or more of these sub-cults is a mark of high regard within the Chapter, and membership in one does not preclude one from involvement in another.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
The Chapter shows a high-degree of adaptability and unpredictability in battle, both in terms of tactics and the weapons its Astartes employ. When an enemy counters one tactic used by the Exorcists, the Chapter plans accordingly, adapts, and changes strategy, enabling them to outmaneuver their enemies and catch them completely off-guard. Exorcists Astartes are known to utilize certain occult mental arts to enter an almost trance-like state of higher consciousness which allows them to become completely devoid of fear and pain, even when confronted by the sanity-destroying horrors of the Warp. This capacity is not unknown amongst the Space Marines, but the extent to which the Exorcists are able to employ these techniques to distance themselves from physical and spiritual hardships and continue to operate has become legendary. Exorcists Battle-Brothers are also masters of arcane lore concerning Chaos and the daemonic unseen in other Chapters and unrivalled in the Imperium save by the Grey Knights and the Ordo Malleus itself. They are particularly adept at recognising the wiles of the daemon and its work and knows how to combat them. To enable themselves to spiritually ward their arms and equipment against Chaotic influences, it is said that each Battle-Brother must master the use of all six-hundred-and-sixty-six verses of the Ordo Malleus' Liber Exorcismus, sunder the seven seals of Salomoneth and become adept at the use of unicursal hexagrams.

This degree of forbidden and dark knowledge is cause for grave suspicion of the Chapter by those within the Ecclesiarchy as well as certain Space Marine Chapters with a fervent hatred of witchcraft of any kind, even when wielded by the servants of the Emperor, such as the Space Wolves and the Black Templars. In contrast, the Exorcists have an unusually strong political alliance with the Inquisition, especially compared with the normal friction between the Adeptus Astartes and the Ordos, so they face fewer difficulties or obstacles than many other Chapters when dealing with the Imperial bureaucracy or the High Lords of Terra.

Chapter Beliefs
The character of the Exorcists is known to be studious, intelligent, highly honourable and above all calm outside of battle, but in war they undergo a transformation into an uncommonly aggressive force of Astartes. Their intellect is applied to rapid analysis and exploitation of conditions on the battlefield and on the decisive application of force to destroy the enemy.

Notable Exorcists

 * Enoch Trismegistus - According to ancient Chapter legends, Enoch Trismegistus was the Exorcists' first Chapter Master.
 * Captain Silas Alberec - Also known as the "Wielder of the Hellslayer" and the "Keeper of Vigils," Silas Alberec is a mighty Space Marine whose Ogryn-like stature allows him to tower over even his fellow Astartes and who serves as the Captain of the 3rd Company of the Exorcists. Captain Alberec, who is also the heir-designate to become the next Chapter Master of the Exorcists, commanded a large force of Exorcist Astartes during the Chapter's involvement in the Badab War. This mighty Space Marine's Ogryn-like stature has him towering over even his fellow Battle-Brothers. He is a phenomenal warrior whose strength has become legendary within his Chapter. But it is not only for his physical power that Alberec has been hailed, for his brutish exterior conceals a sharp mind and an extraordinary will, both of which have been tested in the harshest circumstances imaginable. While still a Neophyte Scout Marine of the Exorcists' 10th Company, Silas Alberec was assigned to a small strike force assisting an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor named Kahzan in combating a suspected daemonic infestation aboard the Mars-class Battlecruiser Sundered Star. When the tainted starship began to phase in and out of realspace, plunging all aboard into the nightmarish realm of the Warp; the casualties were enormous, and Silas Alberec was one of the few to survive, dragging the maimed Inquisitor out to a salvation pod before the Sundered Star disappeared forever into the jaws of hell. This was but the first of scores of acts of courage and fortitude attributed to him, earning Alberec an eventual place as the Captain of the 3rd Company, the Chapter's Keeper of Vigils and the Adjutant of the Orison of the Broken Tower, one of the few non-psykers to be granted the title. Captain Alberec commanded the Exorcists contingent that served the Loyalist cause during the Badab War. The Exorcists intervened in the conflict once the Secessionists had been declared Excommunicate Traitoris in 908.M41. Alberec, huge in stature even for a Space Marine, gained great fame and recognition for himself in the Badab War, leading his Space Marines in several noteworthy engagements. The first of these was the taking of the armed merchantman Soyuz-Maru during the Second Battle of Sagan, and the last was the bloody attack on the vital and heavily defended Sentinel-Sigma station during the Fall of Badab Primaris. In this latter battle, Alberec wielded the Hellslayer Power Mace to great effect, rapidly smashing his way through armoured bulkheads while under heavy fire from the Astral Claws. Alberec slew the Astral Claws' Chaplain Arkil Lionsmane in personal combat despite still suffering from grievous wounds earned in prior battles. The Exorcists' otherwise exemplary role in the Badab War was tarnished, however, when their blockade of the Badab System failed in the confusion of the final hours of the siege, as anarchy reigned on the surface of Badab Primaris after the Carcharodons fired the reactors of the world's hive cities and started a chain reaction that would doom the planet. In the scramble to flee the surface, both Loyalists and Secessionists struggled to escape in any spacecraft they could commandeer. In the confusion that followed, the Exorcists fired on and in some cases destroyed any vessel that could not prove itself to be an ally, unfortunately slaying many fellow Loyalists in the process. Worse, a vessel containing many Astartes from Lufgt Huron's inner circle escaped the blockade in the confusion carrying the badly wounded but still living form of their master into the Maelstrom, who would return to plague the Imperium once more as Huron Blackheart, the Chaos Lord who commanded the piratical warband of Chaos Space Marines who called themselves the Red Corsairs.
 * Malachite - A Librarian of the Exorcists Chapter who fought during the Aschen War in 307.M40. Because of the noble sacrifice of one of the Chapter Dreadnoughts, Venerable Sybra, when combating the unholy daemonic monstrosity known as the Lord of Shadows, Librarian Malachite was able to press his advantage and strike at the Greater Daemon's burning heart with his Force Spear, finally vanquishing it back to the Warp.
 * Venerable Sybra - During the Vanguishing of the Horned God (the Aschen War) in 307.M40, on the Dead World of Belphago, this Venerable Dreadnought sacrificed himself to rip a chunk of a Greater Daemon's body away in order to expose its blazing heart, so that his Battle-Brother Librarian Malachite would be able to kill the nigh invulnerable daemon.

Chapter Fleet
The Exorcists have an extensive long-range Chapter fleet which includes the unusually high number of 3 Battle Barges. During the Badab War they were able to deploy a sizable fleet composed of 2 Battle Barges, 3 Strike Cruisers and 3 squadrons of Escorts and attack craft numbering 17 spacecraft in total.

Chapter Appearance
Exorcists Battle-Brothers commonly have etched sigils and engraved hexagrammic wards on their Power Armour and their personal weapons to help protect themselves and ward off the depredations and corrupting influence of Warp entities.

Chapter Colours
The Exorcists original Chapter colours was yellow Power Armour. The right autoreactive shoulder guard was also yellow with a checkered-pattern border for the trim. The left shoulder autoreactive shoulder guard was a dark purple colour and was studded. On the then-standard Mk VI helmet, it too, was coloured yellow with a black coloured triangle pattern over the mouth of the 'beak'. The eye lenses were red. The backpack was coloured black. The Exorcists updated Chapter colours is red Power Armour with black trim. Veterans of the Chapter often have white trim and wear helmets that are coloured white to mark their senior status. The elite 1st Company wears red Terminator Armour with black shoulder guards instead of the standard red. The Exorcists also etch protective hexagrammic wards and sigils on their armour and weapons to protect themselves from the fell power of Chaos and the powers possessed by their daemonic servants.

Chapter Badge
The Exorcists' original Chapter badge was a dark brown coloured, leering horned devil's head with red eyes. Their updated Chapter badge is a horned skull.

Gallery
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