Dark Angels



"Never Forget, Never Forgive! The Fallen Must Repent!"

- Deathwing Catechism

The Dark Angels are considered amongst the most powerful and secretive of the Loyalist Space Marine Chapters. They were the I Legion of the original 20 Space Marine Legions to be created during the First Founding of the 30th Millennium. Though they claim complete allegiance and service to the Emperor of Mankind, their actions and secret goals at times seem at odds with that professed loyalty, as the Dark Angels strive above all other things to atone for an ancient crime of betrayal committed over 10,000 standard years ago against the trust of the Emperor during the time of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy.

The Dark Angels stand first amongst the Space Marine Chapters, as they have done since their very inception as the I Legion. They are a proud Chapter, with traditions and rituals that date back to the earliest days of the Imperium of Man. The origins of the Dark Angels Chapter remain shrouded in mystery. Few Imperial records of its beginnings still exist, nor are there many mentions of the part it played in the Emperor’s Great Crusade during the early 31st Millennium. Most references in the histories of the Imperium to its deeds during the accursed times of the Horus Heresy have actually been expunged. Yet a legend persists that at one point the Dark Angels teetered on the very brink of heresy and that an act of the most terrible betrayal dishonoured all of the I Legion's feats of valour, leaving an enduring stain upon all of its Successor Chapters' honour. Such is their shame that from that time onwards, the Dark Angels and their Unforgiven Successors strive for absolution from the sins of millennia past.

The Dark Angels' terrible secret is this: during the Horus Heresy, some of the brethren were turned to the side of Chaos. The Renegades were defeated in a battle that destroyed the Dark Angels’ Legion homeworld, Caliban, but many of the Traitor Dark Angels survived to be cast through space and time by the direct intervention of the Chaos Gods. These survivors are known to those few Dark Angels granted knowledge of their existence as The Fallen Angels or just The Fallen. In the eyes of the Chapter’s leaders, there is only one way that the Chapter can ever atone for its shame, restoring its honour and trust in the eyes of the Emperor -- all of the Fallen must be found and either made to repent their ancient sin, or slain.

This story of treachery and betrayal is the Dark Angels’ hidden shame, and their secret mission to destroy all of the Fallen is now their only hope of salvation. No one knows of this other than the Dark Angels, their Successor Chapters and, perhaps, the Emperor himself, interred within his Golden Throne.

The Chapter has been shaped by its dark past and is secretive and monastic in nature, with much time given over to worship and prayer. There are many different levels within the Chapter which individuals may gradually rise through. On attaining each new level, they are granted a little more knowledge of the truth behind the Dark Angels’ origins, but only the highest-ranking members of the Chapter, the members of what is known as the Inner Circle, know the terrible, shameful secret of what occurred 10,000 years ago.

Lion El'Jonson
The gestation pod containing the infant Primarch Lion El'Jonson that had been mysteriously teleported through the Warp from the Emperor's gene-laboratory beneath the Himalayan Mountains on Terra by the Ruinous Powers landed on the feudal Death World of Caliban. Caliban was a planet of immense forests inhabited by terrible, monstrous beasts mutated by the touch of Chaos in the centuries after the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh due to the planet's proximity to the nearby Eye of Terror. Jonson managed to survive in the forests alone, living as a wild man far from civilisation.

Caliban was home to many knightly orders of warrior-aristocrats created to defend its people and the massive fortress-monasteries they lived within from the Great Beasts. These knights maintained a few aspects of Caliban's ancient technology from before the Age of Strife and wielded primitive Bolt Pistols and wore suits of simple Power Armour very similar to that later used by the Astartes that were handed down from knight to knight. Despite these technological trappings, however, Caliban remained very much a pre-industrial society whose warriors rode to war on horseback. One of the most prominent knightly organisations was known simply as "The Order", and was made up of commoners and nobles alike, whereas the other knightly orders were drawn by tradition only from the Calibanite nobility. A group of The Order's knights on patrol in the forests discovered the feral Primarch in the forests. When the knights seemed inclined to kill him, one man, a well-respected knight named Luther, stayed their hands and decided to take the Primarch into The Order. Luther named the feral boy Lion El'Jonson, which means "the Lion, Son of the Forest" in the Calibanite dialect of Low Gothic.

El'Jonson was taken to The Order's fortress-monastery and taught human ways. The Lion learned to speak incredibly quickly and soon mastered all of the necessary aspects of Calibanite culture faster than anyone, including Luther, his mentor, foster father and best friend, believed possible. Before long, El'Jonson had become a fierce warrior in The Order's ranks -- though of his years living alone in Caliban's forests, he said nothing, then or later. With Luther at his side, El'Jonson ultimately rose into the highest ranks of The Order. At the height of his reputation, El'Jonson made clear his extraordinary ambition: he called for a grand crusade to exterminate the Great Beasts of Caliban so that the people of his world could finally know peace and live free from fear. This was received with great enthusiasm by the other members of The Order and even the other knightly orders, but it proved to be a time-consuming process that took nearly a decade of constant warfare against the terrible dangers of the deep forests. The word of their successes brought an influx of new recruits into The Order as the campaign progressed. Any Calibanite knightly order that did not follow Jonson's lead, such as the Knights of Lupus of the northern forests which feared that the destruction of the Great Beasts would up-end Caliban's traditional social order, was destroyed to the last man. After the last of the Great Beasts fell, Jonson was named Supreme Grand Master of The Order and was recognised as the rightful ruler of all Caliban. It seemed that the world was ready to enter the new golden age of peace and prosperity that the Lion had promised.

The Coming of the Emperor

 * "And the Angels of Darkness descended on pinions of fire and light... the great and terrible dark angels."
 * — Ancient Calibanite Fable

Shortly after the success of the campaign, the Emperor of Mankind and his Astartes scouts arrived on Caliban after they detected the psychic emanations of one of the Primarchs. From the moment the Emperor landed, El'Jonson felt the deep connection between himself and the Master of Mankind, and swore his fealty. In return, the Emperor made the Lion the commander of the I Legion of Space Marines that had been created from his genome.

The Emperor had launched his Great Crusade after the end of Old Night to reunite all the lost colonies of humanity and restore Mankind's birthright as the rulers of the galaxy. The Emperor's Space Marine Legions purged entire star systems of humanity's xenos oppressors. As the Imperium's wave of conquest advanced across the galaxy, Imperial scouts brought word that they had rediscovered the isolated world of Caliban in the Segmentum Obscurus and that it was home to a man who was likely one of the missing Primarchs. The Emperor had first sent emissaries from the I Legion to serve as his advance force on Caliban, Astartes who had been created from the genome of their lost Primarch Lion El'Jonson. The Imperials brought with them all of the advanced technology that was hailed by the people of Caliban as miraculous. Soon, the Astartes of the I Legion were putting potential Astartes Aspirants from The Order and the other knightly organisations through myriad martial trials and competitions to gauge their level of martial prowess and character. Only the strongest and most dedicated were allowed to pass to the next stage. Many within The Order whispered that they were competing for a place within the ranks of the Astartes. But these trials also served the secondary purpose of determining if the human strain on Caliban was genetically pure enough to warrant its status as a world that the I Legion could recruit from in the coming years.

While the Calibanite knightly orders revelled in their differences and often resorted to combat to settle their feuds, the Astartes Legions were united in purpose and will. Such division could not be tolerated, and at the behest of the Lion and the Astartes, the individual knightly orders were disbanded and brought under the control of the I Legion. Such a drastic move did not happen overnight, and could not pass without dissenting voices, but when the Lion spoke in favour of the union of knights and the glory that would be theirs for the taking in the service of the Emperor, most such voices were stilled, most, but not all.

The Emperor himself finally came to Caliban on a day that would live on for centuries in Calibanite legend. His great vessel descended from the heavens and he welcomed his lost son back into the fold. The evnt was slightly marred by an attempt against the Emperor's life made by certain conservative knights of The Order who feared the changes that would be wrought to their world by the Imperium and its advanced science and culture, but these malcontents were swiftly and mercilessly executed as traitors by the Astartes.

More objections were raised when the soldiers of the Imperial Army descended to the surface of Caliban. The I Legion's Aspirant trials had already identified the likely candidates for recruitment into that august body, but the vast majority of the planet’s population would still be able to serve the Emperor as troops of the Imperial Army. Within an unimaginably short period of time, the surface of Caliban was transformed from a world of sprawling wilderness and castles to one of martial industry that rang to the beat of factory hammers and the tramp of booted feet as its populace girded itself for interstellar war.

The Emperor’s servants had descended to Caliban with enormous earthmoving machines that cleared dozens of kilometres of forest a day and left flat, lifeless soil in their wake, ready to be planted or built upon. Mines, refineries and manufactorums followed, ready to transform the planet’s abundant resources into vital war materiel for the Emperor’s Crusade. Cities were built to supply the sprawling industrial sites, growing upwards and outwards with each passing year as the traditional villages and towns surrounding the fortress-monasteries were emptied and their citizens relocated to better serve the Imperium.

Finally, the day arrived when those individuals whose courage had been proven beyond doubt, whose stamina, endurance and strength had seen them through the Astartes trials were ready to be added to the ranks of the I Legion. Word had come from Luther that the Astartes had made their final selection for advanced training and the genhancement required to join their ranks. Through the application of Imperial science and the marvels of the gene-seed, these Aspirants were transformed over the next several years into Battle-Brothers of the I Legion, newly renamed the "Dark Angels" by the Lion after an ancient Calibanite fable.

Luther had been chosen to join the I Legion by the Astartes, but in common with a large proportion of that initial intake from The Order and the other Calibanite knightly orders, he had been too old to benefit from the implantation of gene-seed. In its place, Luther, and others like him, had undergone an extensive series of genetic, surgical and biochemical enhancement procedures designed to increase their strength, stamina and reflexes to superhuman levels. They were taller, stronger and quicker than mortal men, but for all that they were still not true Astartes. It was difficult for Luther and the others to come to terms with that fact, knowing that they were surrounded by those who had once served under them as squires and junior knights, but were now far more powerful than they could ever hope to become. Luther still served as the Lion's second within the Legion, earning his position based on merit and fuelled with a desire to prove himself by his devotion to the Imperial ideal. But despite his successes, he could not escape his own inner conviction that he was somehow being looked down upon because he was not a full Astartes.

The Great Crusade
Twenty Legions of Space Marines were created by the Emperor during the Great Crusade to join and lead the Emperor's quest to unite all of humanity under the aegis of the Imperium of Man. The Dark Angels Legion was the very first of those original "First Founding" Legions to be created at the beginning of the Great Crusade, and so were originally under the command of the Emperor himself.

Once the Emperor discovered Lion El'Jonson on Caliban, however, the Primarch took command of the Dark Angels Legion that had been created from his genetic stock, and he was granted command of the 4th Expeditionary Fleet of the Great Crusade in orbit of the planet Sarosh, which had formerly been commanded by an officer of the White Scars Legion. The Saroshi -- ruled by a bureaucracy -- had recently expressed their interest in becoming part of the Imperium, and the Imperials were eager to allow them in, believing that these people seemed to possess the same secular beliefs as they did in the Imperial Truth. But the Saroshi (without mentioning it to the Imperial expedition) secretly worshipped Chaotic entities in the Warp they called the Melachim, and saw the anti-religious stance of the Pre-Heresy Imperium's Imperial Truth as unsuppressed evil. The Lord High Exacter, the leader of the Saroshi bureaucracy, denounced Jonson and the Emperor to his face aboard the Dark Angels' flagship, and Jonson responded by ramming his Power Sword through the fanatical Saroshi leader's body. The Saroshi had also brought a nuclear device aboard their shuttle, intending to assassinate the fleet's entire command structure, including Jonson; however, Luther and a junior Librarian named Zahariel managed to eject the shuttle into space, causing only minor damage to the flagship. After this incident, Luther, Zahariel and five hundred other Dark Angels were sent back to Caliban in disgrace for allowing an enemy to get a nuclear device aboard the Primarch's flagship to oversee the recruitment of new Space Marines into the Legion from the Calibanite population.

Another incident occurred during the pacification of the world of Dulan that started the millennia-long rivalry between the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves. The Planetary Governor, Durath, had denounced Space Wolf Primarch Leman Russ as "the Emperor's lap-dog" and swore to feed his heart to his pet Grox. Russ, enraged, swore to kill Durath himself and demanded the satisfaction of leading the assault. Jonson, however, had meticulously planned the attack and was not about to let his brother's hot-headedness foil his plans. Jonson led the assault, leaving Russ to watch helplessly as the Lion killed Durath. After the battle, Russ stormed into the fortress and struck Jonson across the room. A brawl ensued that lasted a full day and night, the two combatants being said to be equally matched: while Russ was slightly stronger, the Lion was slightly quicker. Russ eventually ceased and started laughing, realizing how foolish their fight was and how he had allowed his pride and temper to get the better of him. Jonson, however, still angry at what he considered the treachery of Russ' first punch, knocked the laughing Space Wolf out cold with one final blow. By the time Russ regained consciousness, the Dark Angels had departed for new fields of battle in the Great Crusade. It has since been customary for selected champions from both Chapters to engage in a non-lethal duel whenever they meet so that honour may be satisfied.

The Great Betrayal
The Dark Angels had been posted to the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy when word reached them of Horus' treachery against the Imperium. It is known that Horus ordered the Night Lords Traitor Legion to intercept the Dark Angels to prevent them from aiding the Emperor, but without success. As the Dark Angels were in transit to Terra alongside the Space Wolves Legion, so too was the Ultramarines Legion, who had also thwarted Horus' efforts to keep them from Terra. The three Legions arrived too late; Horus had been defeated and the Emperor grievously wounded, his shattered body placed within the life-support mechanisms of the arcane Golden Throne. Grief-stricken, Jonson returned to Caliban. Upon the Dark Angels' arrival in orbit, they were fired upon from the surface. Pulling back the fleet, El'Jonson tried to find out what had happened, and discovered that Luther - who had become embittered by what he perceived as El'Jonson always taking all the glory - had poisoned the minds of the Dark Angels garrison and the new recruits that had been left on the planet against their Primarch. Correctly believing that Luther and the planet-side Dark Angels had actually been tainted by Chaos, an infuriated Jonson ordered that Caliban be bombarded from orbit, destroying the planet's defences.

El'Jonson then led his forces to the surface and assaulted the Order's fortress-monastery, where he confronted Luther in single combat. Luther, transformed into a Chaos Champion by the power of the Chaos Gods, was now evenly matched in strength with the enraged Primarch. The battle between the two levelled the Order's fortress-monastery as the planet was coming apart around them, the orbital bombardment taking a heavy toll on the surface. El'Jonson managed to wound Luther, but could not bring himself to kill the man who had been his brother and mentor. Luther lashed out with a powerful sorcerous attack that mortally wounded the Primarch. As he saw what he had done, Luther felt a veil lift from his eyes, and the Chaos Gods - seeing that once again their chosen Champion had failed to defeat the lackeys of the Emperor - lashed out with the powers of the Warp. The Fallen Angels were scattered throughout space and time, and Caliban tore itself apart under the strain of the Ruinous Powers' assault. The only portion of the planet remaining intact was the rock on which stood the fortress-monastery in which Luther and the Lion had dueled. The Dark Angels entered the shattered monastery and captured the broken Luther; of El'Jonson himself, however, there was no sign. It was believed that Jonson was thrown into space and time along with the Fallen, but the truth was that the Lion still lived, though he had been placed into a coma.

A Fallen Angel named Merir Astelan told a different version of these events. According to Astelan, Lion El'Jonson was late in arriving to the defence of Terra not due to being too far away, but because he was waiting to see whether it was Horus or the Emperor who won the great conflict between them. Astelan, believing that those who were with Jonson would not forgive them for turning on their brothers, ordered the defensive batteries of Caliban to fire upon the returning Dark Angels' fleet. The difference between the Dark Angels' view of the fall of Caliban and that of the Fallen Angel Astelan is considered to be due to Astelan's warped, literally, perception of the events, but some aspects of this story may ring with truth after all, and Lion el'Jonson might have betrayed the Emperor in his heart, if not in his mind, when he was most needed.

After the Horus Heresy
With their Primarch missing and their Battle-Brothers on Caliban having betrayed them to Chaos, the Dark Angels swore to redeem themselves in the eyes of the Emperor and force the Fallen Angels to repent or die. To this day, the Dark Angels and their Successor Chapters call themselves the Unforgiven, and wage a war of repentance to wipe this secret stain from the honour of the Chapter. They can never truly rest until every one of the Fallen has been eliminated, and Dark Angels hold the duty of capturing or killing the Fallen as their most important duty, superseding all other necessities. There have been cases where the Dark Angels have literally left the battlefield in the middle of combat against the Emperor's foes in order to chase down a suspected sighting of a Fallen Angel.

Notable Campaigns

 * Unification Wars (Unknown Date.M30) – The Dark Angels Legion was the very first of the original 20 First Founding Space Marine Legions to be created at the beginning of the Great Crusade, and so were originally under the command of the Emperor himself. When he first began to breed a new type of superhuman warrior using the genome of the missing Primarch Lion El’Jonson, candidates were selected from those Terrans that had fought beside the Emperor during the Unification Wars when he first revealed himself and his purpose. With their aid, the Emperor reconquered Terra and humanity was on the brink off launching into a golden age – the Age of the Imperium. So it was not strange that when he perfected his techniques for the creation of the Space Marines, many of these Terrans were chosen to lead the Great Crusade.
 * The Subjugation of Sarosh (Unknown Date.M31) – Shortly after their entry into the Great Crusade the 4th Expeditionary Fleet of the Dark Angels reached the orbit of the planet Sarosh, which had formerly been commanded by an officer of the White Scars Legion. The Saroshi - ruled by a bureaucracy - had recently expressed their interest in becoming part of the Imperium, and the Imperials were eager to allow them in, believing that these people seemed to express the same secular beliefs as they did in the Imperial Truth. But the Saroshi (without mentioning it to the Imperial expedition) secretly worshipped Chaotic entities in the Warp they called the Melachim, and saw the anti-religious stance of the Pre-Heresy Imperium's Imperial Truth as unsuppressed evil. The Lord High Exacter, the leader of the Saroshi bureaucracy, denounced Jonson and the Emperor to the Primarch's face aboard the Dark Angels' flagship, and Lion El’Jonson responded by ramming his Power Sword through the fanatical Saroshi leader's body. Unknown to the Dark Angels, the Saroshi had secreted a nuclear device aboard their shuttle, intending to assassinate the fleet's entire command structure, including Jonson; however, Luther and a junior Librarian named Zahariel managed to eject the shuttle into space, causing only minor damage to the flagship. After this incident, Luther, Zahariel and five hundred other Dark Angels were sent back to Caliban in disgrace, for allowing an enemy to get a nuclear device aboard the Primarch's flagship, to oversee the recruitment of new Space Marines into the Legion from the Calibanite population.
 * Byzanthis (Unknown Date.M31) – A Dark Angels’ Expeditionary Fleet, under the command of Chapter Master Merir Astelan discovered the far flung world of Byzanthis during their exploration of system DX-619. A radio signature, faint or perhaps even nonexistent, had brought the Dark Angels here; the merest chattering murmur against the background radiation of the universe. Another Dark Angels’ fleet, under the command of Chapter Master Belath, joined Astelan’s only two weeks earlier in the Calcabrina system, on orders from the Lion, that Belath add his forces to the expedition. Astelan had never met Belath but this was not surprising. The massive influx of warriors into the Legion following the rediscovery of Caliban meant that there were many commanders who had never met each other, tossed together on task forces and in warzones all across the galaxy. That one such Chapter commander had been despatched to assist Astelan was curious for the simple fact that there had been little enough for Astelan’s Chapter to do and additional forces were unlikely to change that. When the two Chapter Masters finally met face-to-face, they differed on their approach of what action should be taken against the newly discovered world. Astelan advocating making a peaceful overture to the planet’s locals in order to foster good relations. Belath advocated a more aggressive approach and to subdue the planet through force of arms. Chapter Master Astelan cautioned Belath that they should only use force when all other forms of diplomacy had failed. The younger Chapter Master did not agree with the senior commander’s assessment, but would defer to his position for now. Upon first contact with the local populace, Astelan’s landing force was engaged by the local military. The local military sustained substantial losses while the Dark Angels received only minimal casualties. Receiving a looped message from planet’s global council (known as the Committee of Nations) Astelan hoped to make amends for the inadvertent conflict and communicate with the council, forcing the state governments to treat with them through the Committee of Nations, and hopefully forge a common fate for the whole planet. The younger Calibinite Chapter Master Belath would not consent to this course of action. Chapter Master Astelan and one of his commanders agreed to meet the Council in their chambers and explain their purpose. Astelan explained to the Council representative of the benefits of becoming a part of the newly forged Imperium of Man under the beneficence of the Emperor of Mankind. But these negotiations were interrupted by the unheralded arrival of Chapter Master Belath. Ten massively armoured Terminators teleported into the chambers and opened fired on the startled delegates, massacring a good portion of their number. Belath deferred to the senior Astelan and inquired whether he should order the rest of his fleet to attack or should they teleport back to orbit? Astelan was filled with a mixture of rage and incredulity. Forcing his hand, Astelan reluctantly ordered the assault. He warned his younger counterpart that the blood of all who died on Byzanthis would be on his hands, and that he would not let his actions go unpunished. The younger Chapter Master merely dismissed the senior commander’s threats and proceeded to inform Astelan that he had already sent word to Caliban of what had occurred on Byzanthis and that he would soon learn the consequences of disobedience.
 * Dulan (Unknown Date.M31) – As the Space Marine Legions pushed back the frontiers of the Imperium, each Primarch strove to excel in the eyes of the Emperor and none more so than Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves. Only Horus and Lion El’Jonson could claim more victories than Russ and this was a constant frustration for him. It was on the world of Dulan where the Space Wolves were fighting alongside the Dark Angels that matters came to a head. They Tyrant of Durath had personally insulted the Emperor, sacrificing thousands of Imperial priests to his patron Daemon, and both Russ and Jonson desired the honour of slaying this heretic. The Tyrant Durath insulted Russ, causing him to demand the right to lead the attack on the fortress. Johnson ignored him and led his own carefully planned attack instead, killing the Tyrant personally. After the battle Russ confronted and attacked Johnson, and the two dueled for a day and a night. Russ eventually stopped attacking, seeing the humor of the situation, at which point Johnson knocked him unconscious. Now he considered honour to be satisfied. The prostrate Russ was carried from the fortress by his men and, when he regained consciousness, the Dark Angels had already departed to fight in the Alisore campaign. Russ swore he would avenge the stain on his honour and, to this day, whenever the Space Wolves and Dark Angels meet, one of their number is called upon to refight the ancient duel of the Primarchs in order that honour may be satisfied.
 * Alisore Campaign (Unknown Date.M31) – This was an Imperial Compliance carried out by the Dark Angels during the Great Crusade against the world of Alisore.
 * Supression of the Gordian League (Unknown Date.M31) - This was an Imperial Compliance carried out by the Dark Angels during the 200th year of the Great Crusade against the Shield Worlds of the Gordian League - a confederation of human worlds who were allied with degenerate xenos. During this campaign the Dark Angels high command received word that Warmaster Horus and his Legion had renounced their oaths of allegiance, along with Primarch Angron’s World Eaters, Mortarion’s Death Guard and Fulgrim’s Emperor’s Children. They also received word of the atrocity committed against the doomed world of Istvaan III, when Horus ordered it to be virus-bombed, rendered it a lifeless planet. The Warmaster knew that the Emperor would respond with all the force he had available. Jonson believed that the Dark Angels' deployment to the Shield Worlds was part of an effort to scatter the Imperium’s most loyal servants as far as possible in order to minimize the number of Legions Horus would have to face at any given time. Even so, a strike force of seven full Legions posed a dire threat to Horus’s survival, as they made their way towards Istvaan V. Jonson's forces were too deeply enmeshed in the Shield Worlds to respond quickly to Horus’s treachery; the best estimates of the Primarch's staff indicated that it would take them nearly eight months to conclude their offensive operations, even on an emergency basis, and reposition themselves for a strike against Istvaan V. Even if they could move more quickly, Horus’s agents would be able to alert the Warmaster in time to organise a counter-strike. However, Jonson believed that a small, hand-picked force, might accomplish what an entire Legion could not. The Primarch issued orders for many of their reserve squadrons to resupply and prepare for immediate deployment to the Tanagra System. Their primary target was to secure the Forge World of Diamat. They could not afford to let the Warmaster acquire the substantial supplies and ordnance needed to fortify the world of Istvaan V against the approaching Loyalist strike force. Jonson would personally lead the expedition to Diamat, with a battle group of fifteen warships. Secrecy was vital, as the Primarch was aware that the Warmaster's agents were more than likely tracking the Dark Angels' movements.
 * Aegis Subsector, Tsagualsa (Unknown Date.M31) - Warmaster Horus sends Night Haunter and his VII Legion Night Lords on a campaign of genocide against the Imperial strongholds of Heroldar and Thramas on the Eastern Fringes, thus protecting Horus's flank and delaying the Dark Angels Legion from reinforcing the Loyalists. This bitterly contested campaign drags on for two years. In an attempt to sway his brother Lion El'Jonson to the Warmaster's cause, the Night Haunter left a deep-void beacon in the patrol path of one of the Dark Angels' outrider vessels. The beacon was set to transmit coordinates in advance, for the two Primarchs to meet in parley on the planet of Tsagualsa. Night Haunter wanted to break his former brother either mentally, physically or both to obtain his objectives. The Primarchs were accompanied by two warriors from their personal Honour Guards to the parley. The meeting began amicably enough between the two Primarchs as they conversed with relative civility towards one another. This amity lasted until the Night Haunter slandered El'Jonson, and in return the Lion struck his former brother. This further degenerated into an all-out brawl between the two sides. As the Night Haunter strangled the life out of El'Jonson, one of the Dark Angels Honour Guardsmen ran his sword through the Night Haunter's back, saving his Primarch's life. Eventually both Legions sent reinforcements in response to this incident. Each side dragged away their respective Primarchs from the scene of the combat. Both Primarchs survived this brutal confrontation and went on to continue the contest between their Legions for control of the Aegis Subsector.
 * Battle for Kurin’s Acropolis - Persembe II (551.M37) – Situated dangerously close to the Eye of Terror, the world of Persembe II suffered a ferocious assault by the High Anarchist Potchek – a vile Chaos Magister that left the defence force reeling. Within a week Potchek’s legions swept away all organised resistance and what few Imperial forces remained, were driven back to Kurin’s Acropolis, the site of an ancient structure raised to the glory of the Emperor during the Great Crusade. Fortunately, their salvation came in the form of the Dark Angels 3rd Company. They made a daring landfall and created a thin cordon between the Acropolis and the Daemonic horde. Master Baradiel, standing shoulder to shoulder with his command squad, orchestrated a defence that stopped the Chaos forces dead. Once reinforced by the Company’s war machines, the Dark Angels advanced upon the enemy. Eventually Baradiel came upon the Anarchist and blew the Potchek’s head away from his body with his storm bolter. The Archenemy’s army fractured and the Daemons fled back into the Immaterium. As the mortal soldiers turned to flee the Astartes wrath, the Dark Angels fell upon them. None escaped their righteous fury.
 * Altid Crusade (299.M38) – Dark Angels committed an assault upon the colony world of Altid 156 that had long since rejected the rule of Terra and declared independence. The Dark Angels crusade force was composed of 3 Ravenwing squads, 5 Deathwing Terminator squads and 5 Tactical squads of the 5th Company, along with various support vehicles. Assaulting the pilgrim-colonists’ headquarters, the Deathwing met the foe they had really come to fight. Not the separatist colonists, but their leader – Elucidax the Keeper, a heretic known to have inspired dozens of rebellions across the quadrant. But Elucidax was known by the Dark Angels by another name: Zeriah, one-time Captain of the Dark Angels Legion 14th Assault Company. Though Zeriah was a formidable opponent, killing a dozen Dark Angels, the Ravenwing captured him and transported him back to the Rock. Interrogator-Chaplain Asmodai extracted a confession from the Fallen Dark Angel, leading to the eventual capture of Zeriah’s entire band. Zeriah refused to admit his sin in joining Luther in rebellion against the Dark Angels Legion, and languishes alone in a cell to this day.
 * The Egammonon Revolt (Fourth Quadrant Rebellion) (ca. 775-780.M41) – The so-called Fourth Quadrant Rebellion was perhaps the largest civil-war affecting the Imperium in more than a millennium. This rebellion was in fact a series of wars, revolts and Secessionist outbreaks which set ablaze to nearly a full quarter of the Segmentum Solor and outlying systems. These brushfire conflicts proved difficult to stamp out not least because there was no single enemy or common cause behind them, but rather countless long-born grudges and the fruits of many centuries of misrule and savage oppression by a series of corrupt Imperial Commanders. These civil conflicts were quickly made all the worse by the opportunist attacks of Chaos cults, renegades and Xenos forces taking advantage of the widespread anarchy the rebellion engendered. More than a dozen Space Marine Chapters were caught up in the fighting, either aiding one faction or another or simply defending their own territories, while others were brought in by the Imperium to pacify the quadrant and finally put an end to the fighting. The Dark Angels were deployed to the world of Egammonon during the Fourth Quadrant Rebellion to put down the rebel forces present on that planet.
 * Rastabal (Fourth Quadrant Rebellion) (ca. 775-780.M41) – Master Sammael, a senior member of the Inner Circle, led his first action as the Master of the Ravenwing in the initial invasion of the world of Rastabal during the Fourth Quadrant Rebellion. He followed up this action by his assault upon the fortress of the pretender Kaligar, whom it transpired, was one of the Fallen, and Sammael personally ran the traitor to ground after fighting him in a titanic duel said to have lasted a full day and a night.
 * Fortress of Kaligar (Fourth Quadrant Rebellion) (ca. 775-780.M41) - The Dark Angels Chapter played a significant role in helping to quell the uprisings against the Emperor's rule during the tumultuous Fourth Quadrant Rebellion, and they deployed in full Chapter strength. As the Master of the Ravenwing, Master Sammael led the Dark Angels' assault upon the fortress of the pretender Kaligar, one of the Fallen, whose presence Sammael personally ferreted out. He ran the Traitor to ground after a mighty duel that is said to have lasted nearly a day and a night.
 * Siege of Vraks (821.M41) - Supreme Grand Master Azrael leads nearly half of the Dark Angels Chapter during the infamous Siege of Vraks. The Dark Angels force arrived on board the Battle-Barge Angel of Retribution and the Strike-Cruisers Sword of Caliban and Salvation and a small number of escorts to assist against the Forces of Chaos that assailed the small Imperial planet. Without communicating his intentions, Azrael simply set about his self-assigned mission - the destruction of Vraks' star part which would sever any easy access to off-planet reinforcements. Needing no assistance, he saw no reason to involve the Imperial Guard regiments engaged on Vraks. Moving in a lightning assault, the Dark Angels' vanguard was led by Azrael himself. As the Dark Angels strike force moved through the star port they unleashed unrestrained destruction upon it. The Dark Angels fought for Vraks' star port for eight days before Azrael ordered the final assault. Leading elements of the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 8th and 9th Companies the Supreme Grand Master led his Dark Angels to finish the enemy's resistance and finally overrun the star port. Dismounting his Land Raider, Azrael led the assault as he plunged into the enemy ranks of militia men, his black blade of the Sword of Secrets cutting a bloody swathe. As the Dark Angels were about to achieve victory, the duplicitous Alpha Legion sprung their trap. The Chaos Space Marines had been lying in wait, using the militia as bait to draw the Dark Angels on. Azrael was confronted by the Chaos Lord Arkos the Faithless, and soon the two were engaged in furious combat. Azrael was badly wounded in the duel, and was about to meet his doom as Arkio prepared to strike the blow that would see the reign of the Supreme Grand Master end, when Interrogator-Chaplain Belphegor charged into Arkio, his Crozius Arcanum swinging. Belphegor managed to strike the traitor to the ground with a blow that cracked his Terminator Armour. Arkos fell dazed and bleeding. Concerned for his wounded commander, the Chaplain turned to aid him. When he turned back to face Arkos, the traitor had vanished. Though the ambush had inflicted painful losses upon the Dark Angels, the traitors were unable to carry the day, and soon drifted away as they had been recalled by their thwarted commander. The Dark Angels proceeded to hunt down and destroy the remnants of surviving militiamen. After ten days the star port was securely in the hands of the Dark Angels. Almost 200 battle-brothers had been killed, including the Sacred Standard Bearer Anmael. Upon completing their mission the Dark Angels strike force departed.
 * Minoria (832.M41) - Enroute to the Ork-infested warzones of Periliac Prime, the entire 1st Company of the Dark Angels' elite Deathwing make an unscheduled detour to the small and unremarkable Mining World of Minoria on the edges of the Periliac System. The Deathwing teleport enmasse onto the planet and kill or capture every one of its inhabitants. As a direct result of their delay in reinforcing the beleaguered planet of Periliac Prime, the entire system buckles and falls under the crushing might of Waaagh! Drillakilla.
 * Faze V Uprising (897.M41) – An Imperial expedition was launched into a region of space that had for many years been riven with fierce warp storms. Led by a Rogue Trader of Clan Arcadius, the Dark Angels provided their 5th Company to aid the endeavour. Entering orbit above Faze V, the fleet was immediately fire upon by fearsome energy weapons of an unknown type to the fleet’s Techpriests. In response, the Dark Angels committed themselves to an immediate combat drop. The 5th Company engaged men altered by cybernetics, and held entirely in the thrall of some blasphemous machine intelligence. In a grueling campaign that lasted four months, the techno-recidivists of Faze V were beaten back to their mighty silicon fortresses, besieged, and eventually annihilated. The Dark Angels’ last act was the destruction of the great logic stacks of the disabled machine entity. But this was not carried out until a party of Techmarines, accompanied by then Grand Master of the Deathwing – Master Bekenel, had entered the machine complex and retrieved some scrap of, as yet undisclosed, data.
 * Hyades (Unknown Date.M41) – Captain Jeremiah Gieyus led an elite Deathwing Kill-team that had long pursued and now prepared to capture one of the Fallen Angels known as Cadmus. Stirring up old animosities that burned within both Chapters, Captain Gieyus's Kill-team and Ragnar Blackmane's Battle-Brothers of the Wolfblade soon fell into a confrontation with one another. Eventually the two Chapters set aside their differences and went after the errant Cadmus. They tracked down the Traitor before he could make good his escape and succeeded in capturing the Heretic. With a newfound mutual respect for one another, Ragnar withdrew his forces and let the Dark Angels conclude their Chapter business in privacy. Captain Gieyus then executed Cadmus.
 * Battle of the Sularian Gate (Unknown Date.M41) – During the Battle of the Sularian Gate the Dark Angels 5th Company deployed alongside the massed Imperial Guard regiments of the Vostroyan Firstborn, Mordian Ironguard and Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii Legions in an effort to halt Waagh! Groblonik. Several minor worlds had already fallen and dozens more teetered on the brink of destruction unless the green tide could be stopped. On the fourth day of the Battle of the Sularian Gate, Ezekiel, Grand Master of Librarians was gravely wounded by a stray Ork bullet, embedding itself in his left eye socket. Recovering the fallen Librarian, he was taken to a makeshift triage station where the remains of his eye were removed. He only had the patience to be fitted for a simple bionic, returning to the fray. Rallying the 5th Company, Ezekiel led a furious counter-attack that broke Waaagh! Groblonik forever. Ezekiel faced the Ork Warlord in furious hand-to-hand combat, slaying him with his powerful psychic assault. Hefting his mighty force weapon, Ezekiel hacked off Groblonik’s head and threw it into the Ork mob. The Waagh! broke at the sight of their fallen warlord and were slaughtered by the Imperial forces.
 * Crassia II (Unknown Date.M41) - Master Belial led his Deathwing warriors against an unknown enemy on the foetid marshes of Crassia II.
 * Terraq (Unknown Date.M41) - Master Belial led the Deathwing in the rout of the Renegade Space Marines Chapter known as the Violators on the world of Terraq.
 * Straton (997.M41) – The Dark Angels engaged the Tyranids menace of Hive Fleet Leviathan on the world of Straton during the Third Tyrannic War.
 * Battle of Piscina - Piscina IV (997.M41) – Piscina IV was a Dark Angels recruiting world that was invaded by the Ork WAAAGH! led by the Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. Though caught by surprise the world was defended by the Dark Angels' 3rd Company, and assisted by a scattering of squads of individuals from the Deathwing and Scout Companies. The Orks were successfully driven off, thanks to the actions of Master Belial and his small force. Piscina IV was saved, though much damage had been incurred on the planet and its civilian inhabitants.
 * 13th Black Crusade (999.M41) - The Dark Angels deploy the entirety of their Chapter in support of the beleaguered world of Cadia to halt the encroaching Forces of Chaos led by Abaddon the Despoiler during the 13th Black Crusade. Supreme Grand Master Azrael soon withdraws the support of the Dark Angels for Cadia, claiming any engagements involving the Traitor Legions were Astartes business only and of no concern to others. They take part in many notable battles during this campaign:
 * Defence of Ex Lucan VII (999.M41) - Composed of four entire Companies of Dark Angels and three of their Successor Chapters (not named), this deadly force of Astartes are collectively known as Taskforce Shadowguard. They state themselves upon the outlying Mining World of Ex Lucan VII, laying in wait within the hollow mountains of the Kyran Range for a substantial force of Eldar raiders. Appearing out of nowhere through portals this vile race makes use of, the xenos waste not time in launching their attack against the mining settlements of the Kyran Range. Shadowguard reveals themselves and take the first raider force completely by surprise. Exploiting the momentum of victory, Shadowguard than executes a manoeuvre that smashed aside a second xenos force. Unable to coordinate their assault in order to force a breakthrough in the Astartes' lines, the Eldar raiders are annihilated in a devastating massacre.
 * Pursuit of the Voice (999.M41) - During the campaign, the Dark Angels and Space Wolves great mutual rivalry causes severe disruptions to the Imperial efforts in the defence of the Sentinel Worlds area. Though both forces operate in the same region for several weeks, both refuse to coordiante their actions, harming the ability of the Imperial Guard commanders on the ground to act, for they cannot rely upon the aid of either Chapter. The situation soon changes, as the Dark Angels abruptly leave the area in search of renegade individuals they refuse to identify. The Dark Angels seek a shadowy figure calling himself the 'Voice of the Emperor', operating out of Lelithar. The Dark Angels launch a number of strikes against this figure, but on each occasion found that the pressures of constant attacks upon their hallowed ground of the Caliban System forces them to redeploy their forces. Each time the Dark Angels manage to close on the suspected location of the Voice, hie somehow is able to slip through their clutches, leaving behind taunting, heretical graffiti. Harbouring an intense hatred for this individual, the Voice transmits a number of all-channel voce-casts throughout the war, making obscure references to the I Legion's earliest history, as well as making astonishing claims against their Primarch Lion El'Jonson. The Dark Angels and their Successors vehemently rebut these blasphemous broadcasts. The Dark Angels and the Unforgiven relentless pursue this heretic and his followers and eventually capture him. But as the Voice lies languishing within the holds of one of their vessels he somehow, through some as yet unidentified means, manages to effect his escape.
 * Battle of Kasr Tyrok-Cadia (999.M41) - The Dark Angels and the Space Wolves set aside their ancient vendetta as Supreme Grand Master Azrael and Great Wolf Logan Grimnar come to a mutual, but temporary, understanding. Both Chapters take to the field together, in the defence of Kasr Tyrok upon the world of Cadia against the a substantial force of Chaos mutants. The combined force of Dark Angels and Space Wolves smashed into the rear of the mutant mob, cutting them down without mercy, each Chapter sought to outdo the other in their skill at arms. As the last few mutants were dispatched their friendly banter soon turned to insults. Victory had been achieved, but the Sons of the Lion and the Sons of Russ soon depart ways, their long-time rivalry rearing its ugly head once again.
 * Battle of Kasr Partox-Cadia (999.M41) - A massive force of the Archenemy stands arrayed against the valiant Imperial defenders of Kasr Partox in a final stand. Within the fortress are 23 Cadian regiments. Alongside the regiments of Cadia stand a host of units from worlds near and far, such as the Knovians, Gundronites, Mordant, Thracians, Jourans and a thousand more. The battle-brothers of Adeptus Astartes are also counted amongst the Imperial defenders, including Chapters from the Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Ultramarines, Doom Eagles and many more that aren't named. There are also other servants of the Emperor which includes the Sisters from the Adepta Sororitas, the mighty Grey Knights, scores of Inquisitors, siege dreadnoughts of the Ordo Reductor, as well as the mighty God Machines of the Adeptus Titanicus and their Skitarii servants. In the ensuing slaughter, the Imperials are forced to abandon Kasr Partox and retreat towards the Caducades Sea, where they will hope to make their stand at Kasr Gallan. At the height of the battle, a fleet of Necrontyr vessels appeared from nowhere and assaulted Kasr Partox as well as the orbiting Chaos fleet, forcing a Chaos-held Blackstone Fortress to disengage. With Kasr Partox fallen, command and control structure are soon non-existent. The retreat from Kasr Partox sees the most intense fighting of the war, with many thousands of lives given up so that the bulk of the Imperial forces mighty escape. The Imperials managed to make it to the Caducades Sea, leaving behind thousands of dead, their bodies defiled by the blasphemous Chaos horde. The Imperial flee aboard transport ships across the Caducades Sea, forced to abandon the bulk of their heavy equipment. Some remnants from the Ecclesiarchy as well as a number of Space Marines of the Subjugators have chosen to make their last stand, as Imperial Guard engineers plant munitions at the heart of the part in order to destroy it.

Chapter Organisation
The organisation of the Dark Angels Chapter differs from the standards of the Codex Astartes in the shape of its higher ranks, along with the order of battle of its 1st and 2nd Companies.

The Inner Circle
After the fall of Caliban, the senior members of the I Legion assembled in secret conclave. They decreed that knowledge of the fall from grace of their brothers must remain undisclosed for all time, and that no outsider must ever learn of the schism that had split the Legion or that some Space Marines of the Dark Angels Legion had turned to the Ruinous Powers like the Astartes of the Traitor Legions. Should this dreadful truth ever become known they feared that the Dark Angels would come to be reviled as Traitors like those who had followed Horus, and all hope of expunging the stain to their honour in the Emperor's eyes would be lost forever. An Inner Circle of the Legion’s most senior officers was formed to forever guard this dangerous knowledge, and each member swore oaths of unspeakable secrecy. The Inncer Circle is comprised of the Supreme Grand Master, all of the Grand Masters and the Masters of each of the Chapter's companies.

The Grand Masters of the Inner Circle swore that so long as even one of the Traitor Fallen Angels remained alive and unrepentant, the Dark Angels would bear the stigma of the Unforgiven, cursed by their own brothers to atone for all eternity for the sins of the past. Until every last Fallen Dark Angel was captured and made to repent, there could be no peace for those sons of the Lion who had remained true to their duty. This would be the true mission of the Inner Circle, and, through its machinations, of the entire Chapter.

The Inner Circle passed on this secret knowledge only sparingly. The truth of what had occurred on Caliban after the Heresy is withheld from new Dark Angels recruits, and only told to the Battle-Brothers one passage at a time. Much of the Dark Angels’ teachings to their brethren on this subject are couched in allegory, parable and myth, the same essential truths told again and again in one form after another. The first such allegory a Dark Angel is told recounts the so-called Tale of Two-Heads-Talking, in which a band of Deathwing Terminators returned to the planet of their birth to find their people enslaved by hideous xenos overlords. Daubing their armour white, as was the tradition of their native people, the Terminators began their death-quest. They defeated their enemy, but at the cost of the life of their beloved Librarian. Similar tales are told at every stage in a Dark Angel’s progression through the ranks, the details changing from one story to the next, but the essential truth remaining. Each tells of a group of heroes returning to their homeworld to find their people enthralled by a Traitor, and only at the cost of eternal humiliation and dishonour are the enemies defeated. Even then, some always escape.

Only on his ascension to the 1st Company, called the Deathwing, does a Battle-Brother of the Dark Angels or the other Unforgiven Chapters begin to learn the truth of the events that transpired at the very dawn of the Age of the Imperium. Rising through the intricate and convoluted ranks of the Inner Circle, he learns more and more, the secrets one by one revealed as his Masters’ trust in him increases. Only upon ascension to the rank of Grand Master (leader of an entire specialty of the Chapter) is the whole truth revealed, and even then, it is likely that there remain revelations known only to the holder of the title of Supreme Grand Master, the Chapter Master of the Dark Angels. Only the most trusted of Dark Angels brethren are considered for membership of the Inner Circle. These Space Marines are observed from afar, and it may be many decades before they are finally approached. Only Astartes who have fought through the ranks for many years and have proved their loyalty to the Chapter time and time again are allowed to progress. Silent and hooded brothers lead them before the Inner Circle for judgement, and soon after they are elevated to the Deathwing -- or else they disappear forever, further casualties of the Unforgiven's shame.

Specialty Ranks
The Dark Angels make use of very different terminology when referring to the Chapter's officers as compared to that commonly used by other Space Marine Chapters. This is because the Dark Angels have continued to draw upon the ancient military traditions of The Order in organising the Chapter. In general, this terminology is also replicated in most of the Unforgiven Successor Chapters of the I Legion.
 * Supreme Grand Master - The Dark Angels' Chapter Master is known instead as the Supreme Grand Master. It is his duty to chair all meetings of the Chapter's Inner Circle, which serves as the Dark Angels' replacement for the standard Chapter Council. Only the Supreme Grand Master is privy to all of the Chapter's dark secrets.
 * Grand Master of Librarians - The Grand Master of Librarians serves as the Chapter's Chief Librarian and oversees the Librarium. He is responsible for maintaining all of the Dark Angels' Chapter records and the security of its secrets. He is a member of the Inner Circle and is thus one of the only members of the Chapter privy to the whole truth surrounding the Fallen.
 * Grand Master of Apothecaries - The Grand Master of Apothecaries serves as the Chapter's Chief Apothecary and oversees the medical needs of all Dark Angels as well as all biological research conducted by the Chapter. The Grand Master of Apothecaries' most important duty is to preserve and maintain the purity of the Chapter's stock of gene-seed. He is a member of the Inner Circle and is thus one of the only members of the Chapter privy to the whole truth surrounding the Fallen.
 * Grand Master of the Forge - The Grand Master of the Forge serves as the Dark Angels' Master of the Forge and oversees all of the Chapter's Techmarines as well as its Armoury and vehicle pool. He is a member of the Inner Circle and is thus one of the only members of the Chapter privy to the whole truth surrounding the Fallen.
 * Grand Master of Chaplains - The Grand Master of Chaplains serves as the Dark Angels' Reclusiarch, or High Chaplain, and oversees the duties of all of the other Chaplains of the Chapter. His most important duty is to train the Chapter's special class of Interrogator-Chaplains and he is usually a master of their art of interrogation and psychological manipulation. He is a member of the Inner Circle and is thus one of the only members of the Chapter privy to the whole truth surrounding the Fallen.
 * Master - A Master of the Chapter is the Dark Angels' equivalent to the standard Space Marine Captain of other Chapters who commands each of the Chapter' companies. Every Master within the Chapter serves as a member of the Inner Circle, although he is not privy to the entire truth surrounding the Chapter's dark past.
 * Interrogator-Chaplain - The Dark Angels maintain a very special cadre of Chaplains known as Interrogator-Chaplains who are tasked with getting any Fallen Angel who has been captured by the Dark Angels to admit their sins and repent of their betrayal of the Emperor. Interrogator-Chaplains are as skilled in the arts of interrogation, torture and psychological manipulation as the most experienced members of the Inquisition. Interrogator-Chaplains are not members of the Inner Circle, though their duties require that they have knowledge of many more of the Chapter's secrets than is normal for Dark Angels of their rank.

Deathwing Company
The Dark Angels' 1st Company is referred to within the Chapter as the Deathwing, The Deathwing is comprised solely of Dark Angels Veterans who only take to the field of battle in bone-white Terminator Armour. This armour was originally coloured black, but was repainted white to honour the valour of a group of 30 Terminators who single-handedly halted a Genestealer invasion of Plain's World, one of the Dark Angels' main recruiting worlds after the Horus Heresy. The Deathwing is unique in that it has enough of the rare and precious Tactical Dreadnought Armour suits to equip the entire company, in excess of 100 complete sets of Terminator Armour.

Ravenwing Company
The Dark Angels' 2nd Company is called the Ravenwing. The members of the Ravenwing are chosen not only for their skill at fast assaults using bikes and Land Speeders but also for their resilience to the heretical rantings of members of the Fallen Angels. The Ravenwing wear jet-black armour in the style of the Dark Angels during the Horus Heresy and specialise in lightning-fast assaults. All but the highest members of the Chapter's Inner Circle are oblivious to the true purpose of the Ravenwing, which is to hunt down and capture every last member of the Fallen. Only with the blood or full repentence of the Fallen do the Dark Angels believe that their sins against the Emperor during the Heresy may finally be washed away.

Chapter Headquarters
The ruins of Caliban are located in the Cadian Sector, to the galactic north of the Eye of Terror. Prior to the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, the Death World of Caliban was covered with lush forests, inhabited by monstrous creatures warped by the proximity of Chaos in the Eye of Terror. The humans of the planet were a proud, martial people, forced to live in great stone fortress-monasteries. The Dark Angels eventually rebuilt their fortress-monastery on the asteroid that had borne the original fortress-monastery of the Order, known as Aldurukh, "the Rock of Eternity" in one of the old Calibanite dialects of Low Gothic. Aldurukh was originally the name of the mountain that the Order's founders had decided for the site to build their fortress-monastery, using the name of the mountain for the fortress. Though the Order had other fortress-monasteries, Aldurukh was their first, and so they gave it a name that mattered, a name that summed up exactly what they were trying to build. This sacred site was the Order's literal rock, their foundation of stone. As long as it endured, then some part of their ideals would always be alive.

The Dark Angels drilled deep into the old bedrock and rebuilt the ruins into a vast new complex with advanced Imperial technology worthy of a Chapter of Astartes. The fortress-monastery is known officially as Angelicasta (the Tower of Angels) but is more commonly referred to as "The Rock" just like its ancient predecessor Aldurukh, though this term is more properly applied t the dead asteroid that is all that remains of Caliban. The Rock has been equipped with massive Warp-Engines, enabling faster-than-light transit through the Immaterium. The warrens beneath The Rock are where the Dark Angels bring their Fallen Angels brethren to be redeemed by their Interrogator-Chaplains. It is believed by the Inquisition to hold many other secrets of critical importance to the Imperium. Only when a Dark Angel reaches the rank of Master (Company Captain) does he truly learn all the secrets of the Dark Angels, but one secret is known only to the Supreme Grand Master, the Master of the Chapter: the Fallen Angels' leader, the Chaos Champion Luther, is not only still alive, but imprisoned within the deepest, most secure cavern of The Rock. He is incurably insane, and has thwarted the attempts of every Supreme Grand Master to make him repent to date. Luther simply rants and raves that he has no need of confession or repentance, for one day Lion El'Jonson will return and forgive him for his sins against the Emperor.

There is one other secret that the Dark Angels keep, one of the most closely-held pieces of information in the Imperium that remains unknown even to the Inquisition. During his duel with Luther on Caliban, Lion El'Jonson suffered a severe psychic blow which left him mortally wounded. He was then pulled into the Warp and lost as the Dark Angels of that time believed. Yet what they did not know was that Jonson emerged from the Warp not long after on the Rock, his own abilities as a Primarch having proven to be enough of a defence to prevent the Ruinous Powers from seizing him, though he had lapsed into a coma. Once Luther was taken prisoner by the Dark Angels, the comatose form of Jonson was also taken into the deepest chamber of the Rock and placed into stasis to keep him alive. This is a secret known only to the elite members of the Dark Angels' Inner Circle and to the Emperor himself. Some say the Lion will eventually be awakened for one final Crusade intended to lead the Dark Angels to their greatest victory for Mankind and finally bring justice to the remaining Fallen Angels. Others believe that the Lion will only awaken when the End Times come and the Imperium stands at the brink of destruction. Jonson will awaken, forgive the sins of the Fallen and reunite them with the rest of the Unforgiven as they prepare to defend Mankind one final time.

Chapter Recruitment
As the Dark Angels have no homeworld to speak of (since the destruction of Caliban), they draw their recruits from a variety of different Imperial planets, mainly those feudal worlds with a pre-industrial level of technology like that of Caliban before the coming of the Emperor. 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 Aspirant is thoroughly screened, and from the moment he is accepted into the Chapter as a Neophyte Space Marine, his past becomes irrelevant. Once the recruit is accepted he will undergo the normal rites to become a Space Marine. However, should he fail, his mind will be wiped clean and his body converted into that of a Servitor, the mindless cybernetic automatons that carry out the labourious tasks of the Chapter. Unlike other Chapters, the Dark Angels do not make use of human Chapter serfs or bondsmen, only Servitors, as they fear that human serfs could be compromised to reveal all of the Chapter's secrets.

After the Horus Heresy, the Dark Angels recruited from a single planet known as Plain's World. Sometime before the 41st Millennium, a group of returning Deathwing found that their sole recruiting world had been overrun fifty years earlier by Tyranid Genestealers, with only a few un-tainted humans remaining among the populace. The Terminators, whose duty and honour required the extermination of the Genestealers, prepared themselves for battle. The odds of their success was nearly non-existent. And so, the Terminators engaged in their native death ritual. Instead of anointing their skin with white ash, they anointed their armour, changing its colour to bone-white. The Terminators cleansed the world and rescued the enslaved populace, and in honour of those few Terminators, the armour of all Dark Angels Terminators was ever after painted white. The Dark Angels' leadership, the Inner Circle, thereafter recognised the folly of relying upon one planet for manpower and so diversified their recruiting grounds to include other Imperial worlds.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
The Dark Angels follow the standard combat 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 it is tactically beneficial to do so.

The primary driving force of the Chapter is the hunt and capture of the remaining Fallen Angels. 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 other 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. Those friendly units that survive are often taken to The Rock to be turned into Servitors, to silence them forever.

The Dark Angels are also notoriously intolerant of non-humans and mutants, even those like Squats, Ogryns or Ratlings who are 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 or discovering its dark secrets.

Chapter Colours
Prior to the Horus Heresy, during the Great Crusade, the Power Armour of the Dark Angels Legion was coloured jet-black. Not long after the Legion's Primarch was reunited with the warriors of the I Legion, a wedge began to be driven between the Calibanite Dark Angels and their Terran-born brethren. On the right shoulder plates of the Calibanite Dark Angels, where normally a Space Marine’s organisational and rank markings would be painted, they were authorized to wear the personal heraldry of their respective knightly orders. On their left shoulder plates, El’Jonson had decreed that the Chapter's Calibanite Astartes were to wear the dark green of their homeworld’s forests as an act of remembrance of the battles fought to tame their homeworld under the leadership of the Lion.

After the Heresy, the bulk of the Chapter began to appear in dark green armour, while the 1st and 2nd Companies' panoply remained jet-black in honour of the original Legion colours. The Deathwing Company later re-coloured their armour to bone-white in honour of a battle fought long ago but after the Heresy. Chapter legend states that a band of Deathwing brethren returned to the world of their birth, only to find their people enslaved to a large Genestealers cult. Abiding by the traditions of their people, the brethren repainted their armour white, symbolising that they were dead men walking - ghosts - setting out on their death-quest to rid their world of the Genestealers' taint. Since that day, the Deathwing have continued to wear their Terminator Armour in bone-white colours, in solemn remembrance of the sacrifice of their predecessors.

Veteran Dark Angels are commonly found wearing hooded cloaks and tabrads; this symbolises their shame over what the Fallen Angels had done near the end of the Great Crusade. Cloaks and hoods are worn by the Veteran Dark Angels and the Chapter's Inner Circle because they have learned enough about the Dark Angels' history, and thus their shame, prior to obtaining their rank within the Chapter.

Apothecaries of the Dark Angels keep their entire armour painted black except for the backpack, groin and torso armour, which are all bone-white. They have a red vertical stripe painted down the centre of the helmet.

Chapter Badge
The badge of the Chapter is a winged sword on a green roundel, which was the ancient icon of The Order. Variants of this symbol exist for the Deathwing and Ravenwing Companies, the former depicting the winged sword as broken, the latter a sword held by a single wing and raven's claw. The 10th Company, the Chapter's company of Scout Marines, uses the Dark Angel Sword but without the wing device, to symbolise the fact that the Scout Company comprises Chapter Neophytes, who have yet to "earn their wings" as full Dark Angels.

Notable Dark Angels

 * Supreme Grand Master Azrael - The current Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels Chapter and the unofficial commander of all the Dark Angels' Successor Unforgiven Chapters during the 41st Millennium.
 * Supreme Grand Master Aradiel - Aradiel was a former Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels that led the boarding action of the infamous Space Hulk Prison of Lost Souls.
 * Supreme Grand Master Anaziel - Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels in the 37th Millennium. Requested the creation of the Disciples of Caliban Chapter of Unforgiven Space Marines.
 * Cypher - The most feared member of the Fallen Angels whose true name is unknown. Wherever this phantasm of a man goes, other Fallen are not far behind. This name comes from ancient Caliban, where it was commonly a title, Lord Cypher, rather than a name, given to the man who would renounce his own true name and become the keeper of the Order's traditions, rituals, lore and ceremonies.
 * Chapter Commander Merir Astelan - Astekan ordered the planetary defences on Caliban to fire on Lion El'Jonson's fleet after it returned to the Chapter homeworld from the Horus Heresy. He was cast into the Warp and reemerged into the galaxy during the 41st Millennium after which he was captured by the Dark Angels, taken to The Rock and interrogated about what had happened on Caliban, offering one perspective of those tragic events.
 * Master Baradiel - Master of the Dark Angels 3rd Company who led the assault against the Forces of Chaos upon the world of Persembe II in 551.M37. He confronted the the vile and twisted Chaos Magister known as Potchek as slew the foul servant of Chaos in personal combat.
 * Master Belial - Current Master of the Deathwing Company. Under his leadership the Deathwing have fought in scores of mighty battles, distinguishing themselves in the fighting around the Eye of Terror during Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade. The Deathwing was also pivotal in the victories won amongst the foetid marshes on Crassia II and the rout of the Renegade Space Marines Chapter known as the Violators on Terraq.
 * Master Sammael - Master of the Ravenwing Company, rides a rare anti-gravity Jetbike left from the time of the Horus Heresy.
 * Master Gideon - Former Master of the Ravenwing who met his end in 899.M41 when he was crushed by the Chaos Titan Traitorous Ire. As he lay dying, his body shattered beyond repair, he declared that Sammael was to succeed him.
 * Master Ezekiel - Grand Master of Librarians - Keeper of the Book of Salvation. This ancient tome contains the names of every one of the Fallen Angels that the Dark Angels have captured.
 * Master Sapphon - Present Grand Master of Chaplains (Reclusiarch) for the Chapter. He received the post neither due to age nor ability as an interrogator (Asmodai is his superior in both these things), but for his great leadership skills.
 * Master Ezekiel - Leader of the Deathwing recruiting party which discovered the Genestealer infection of their own homeworld of Plain's World. Realizing that they faced a potential suicide mission, the Dark Angels Space Marines reverted to their tribal names, and painted their armour death-white. Ezekiel became the warrior Cloudrunner once again, and fought along side Weasel-Fierce, Bloody Moon, and the Librarian Lucius, known as Two Heads Talking.
 * Master Gabriel - Ex-Master of the Deathwing. Gabriel was sent to find Captain Ezekiel and his men as they did not return from Totem. On finding Ezekiel the lone survivor, Gabriel discovered the fate of his Brothers. Gabriel returned to his Chapter and started the new Deathwing Company using his own badge, a broken sword mixed with the wings of the Chapter badge, and kept the white in respect of his Brothers. He was killed on the Space Hulk Charnel Shrine.
 * Master Zahariel - Zahariel was a formidable Librarian during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras.
 * Interrogator-Chaplain Asmodai - Oldest and most successful living Interrogator-Chaplain within the Chapter today. Bearer of the fabled Blades of Reason.
 * Interrogator-Chaplain Belphegor - Belphegor participated in the Siege of Vraks (Vraks Devastation Force) where he notably saved the life of Supreme Grand Master Azrael by besting the traitor Alpha Legion Captain known as Arkos the Faithless in single combat, sending the Chaos Space Marine reeling with a single blow from his Crozius Arcanum just as Arkos was about to put an end to Azrael's life.
 * Interrogator-Chaplain Molochia - Greatest of the Dark Angels' Interrogator-Chaplains. Molochia died after over 300 years' service to the Chapter, with 12 Black Pearls on his Rosarius, meaning he had successfully gotten 12 of the Fallen to repent. To this day, no other Interrogator-Chaplain has emulated this achievement.
 * Interrogator-Chaplain Uzziel - Uzziel was an Interrogator Chaplain and former Knight of Lupus.
 * Interrogator-Chaplain Boreas - Chaplain of the 3rd Company during the Battle of Piscina IV. Boreas is known to have successfully extracted the confession from the infamous Fallen Angel Merir Astelan.
 * Brother Bethor - Bearer of the Sacred Standard. (The Dark Angels have three Sacred Standards, namely the Standards of Fortitude, Retribution and Devastation.)
 * Brother-Sergeant Kohl - By the two hundredth years of the Great Crusade era, Brother-Sergeant Kohl was a Terran born Dark Angel and one of the oldest serving battle-brothers that had fought in the very first battles of the Great Crusade.
 * Scout Sergeant Namaan - Legendary Sergeant who died halting the Ork advance during the Piscina IV Campaign.
 * Revered Venerari - Revered Venerari is a Dreadnought that served for the 3rd Company during the Piscina IV Campaign.

Notable Friendships
Ragnar Blackmane, the young Wolf Lord of the Space Wolves Chapter, recently aided the Dark Angels' secret pursuit of the Fallen Angels upon the world of Hyades. While Ragnar knows nothing of the reasons for the Dark Angels' pursuit of these particular Renegades, his actions have begun to heal the long-standing feud between the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves.

Chapter Fleet

 * Invincible Reason (Grand Cruiser) - Flagship of Lion El'Jonson during the Great Crusade.
 * Decimator (Grand Cruiser) - Grand Cruiser that was assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporary flagship of Lion El'Jonson during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat.
 * Duchess (Grand Cruiser) - Grand Cruiser assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade.
 * Duchess Arbellatris (Grand Cruiser) - Avenger-class Grand Cruiser assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat.
 * Flamberge (Grand Cruiser) - Infernus-class Grand Cruiser assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat.
 * Iron Duke (Grand Cruiser) - Avenger-class Grand Cruiser assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat.
 * Lord Dante (Grand Cruiser) - Infernus-class Grand Cruiser assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat.
 * Bold Conveyor (Troopship) - Troopship assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade.
 * Noble Sinew (Troopship) - Troopship assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade.
 * Intrepid (Frigate) - Frigate assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade.
 * Dauntless (Frigate) - Frigate assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade.
 * Arbalest (Destroyer) - Destroyer assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade.
 * Audacious (Destroyer) - Destroyer assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat.
 * Courageous (Destroyer) - Destroyer assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat. Destroyed when they engaged rebel ships.
 * Hotspur (Destroyer) - Destroyer assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat. Destroyed when they engaged rebel ships.
 * Rapier (Destroyer) - Destroyer assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat. Destroyed when they engaged rebel ships.
 * Stiletto (Destroyer) - Destroyer assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat. Destroyed when they engaged rebel ships.
 * Amadis (Strike Cruiser) - Strike Cruiser assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat.
 * Adzikel (Strike Cruiser) - Strike Cruiser assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat.
 * Wrath of Caliban (Strike Cruiser) - Strike Cruiser assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade.
 * Formidable (Light Cruiser) - Light Cruiser assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade. Temporarily reassigned during the secret mission to the forge world of Diamat.

Successor Chapters
After the Horus Heresy, the Dark Angels founded at least three Successor Chapters to track the Fallen, the known ones being 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".

In addition, several other Chapters have since been created using the Dark Angels' gene-seed. These Successor Chapters were introduced in the 4th Edition Codex: Dark Angels released in 2007. The new Chapters introduced were the Guardians of the Covenant, the Consecrators and the Disciples of Caliban. The Disciples of Caliban are unusual in that the Dark Angels' Chapter Master Anaziel specifically requested their creation, the only known instance of a Chapter Master making such a request, much less having it granted. The Consecrators are notorious for using lovingly-preserved technology from the time of Lion el'Jonson himself, and as such they bear a striking resemblance to the Dark Angels of pre-Heresy days.

Curiously, although Dark Angel gene-seed is every bit as pure and fully functional as that of the Ultramarines Chapter, the seed of the Lion has rarely been used to Found new Space Marine Chapters since the Horus Heresy by the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Chapter Notes
Prior to the Codex: Angels of Death, the background of the Dark Angels, both in Games Workshop material and within the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe, was 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, and Gawain's/Luther's fall from grace. 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 obscure the reference. The dark secret revealed in the original poem was its author's homosexuality. The home of the Dark Angels prior to the Second Edition revision of the Chapter was the planet Delahon.

Conspiracy Theories
Games Workshop has in recent years restricted the information about the Dark Angels to emphasize the mystery surrounding the Chapter. The fate of Lion el'Jonson had been purposefully left out of all texts since the 2nd Edition Codex: Angels of Death (a Dark Angels/Blood Angels "combo" codex; the first dedicated codex for either Chapter) from the mid-1990's, and only re-emerged in the 2001 "Index Astartes" article published in White Dwarf magazine. While the Inner Circle of the Chapter know of the existence of Luther's stasis cell beneath The Rock, there is another chamber at the very heart of the Rock that is unknown to all but the Watchers in the Dark and the Emperor himself. This secret chamber contains the still-sleeping form of Lion el'Jonson. Similarly, information regarding the Chaos Space Marines character Cypher, rumoured to be foremost of the Fallen, is kept vague to further fuel players' imaginations.

The novel Angels of Darkness (Thorpe, 2003), written by Games Workshop staff member and codex writer Gav Thorpe, provides an alternative account of the events that split the Chapter, and the Primarchs' influence over their Space Marines. Despite the layers of learning and civilisation el'Jonson acquired in later life, the time he spent in the forests of Caliban marked him permanently, and he remained a brooding, paranoid, and secretive man. Jonson's experience taught him that exposure invited predators, that darkness was as welcoming as it was dangerous. Intrigue, half-truths, and suspicion became second nature to each new Dark Angel. Jonson mistrusted the Terran-born Dark Angels above all others. While these men formed a minority within the Legion, Jonson spent by far more time leading them than the Caliban-born Dark Angels. el'Jonson also systematically removed control from each company commander and held his Legion's reigns tightly. Each company posted to a warzone was shadowed by a younger company in secret to report on its men's loyalties to the Primarch.

As the Heresy erupted, the Dark Angels were operating on the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy. In the interim, Warp storms cut Caliban off from reliable astrotelepathy, so that only garbled accounts of current events reached the planet. Some were true, some were half-true, some were outright fabrications. In their desperation, the elder Dark Angels tried to leave Caliban and confront Horus. They were prevented by their younger brethren in a battle that grounded the Marines' vessels and despoiled Caliban. When the Lion returned, his fleet was fired on for fear that he had sided with Horus, and that the victors' version of the uprising had already damned them in Jonson's eyes. Jonson immediately ordered a full-scale bombardment, and the destruction of Caliban soon followed.

The canonicity of the novel is hotly debated. Although the Fallen character (Astelan) is a first-hand witness to events, it is unclear which of his claims are true, which are deliberate misinformation, and which are bias. The author, Gav Thorpe, has stated in an interview on Dysartes that the book is not an objective look at the events on Caliban, but a character study of one of the Fallen Angels.

Gallery
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