List of Chaos Space Marine Warbands

The following is a list of all known Renegade Space Marine Chapters or warbands of Chaos Space Marines operating in Imperial space. Most of these Renegade Chapters are made up of Chaos Space Marines whose Chapters or companies turned to Chaos after the end of the Horus Heresy, sometimes many millennia later. Some are not whole Chapters but simply warbands composed of a few tens or hundreds of Astartes drawn from the same original source and led by a charismatic commander or Chaos Lord. However, several of the Renegades listed here are simply Space Marine Chapters that have turned on the Imperium of Man or been unfairly declared Excommunicate Traitoris for one reason or another but still view themselves as loyal to the Emperor of Mankind if not to the corrupt edifice of the Imperium his servants have built over the last 10,000 years. These types of Renegade Chapters are certainly no friends of Chaos or the other enemies of Mankind, though their lack of allies can often lead even the best-intentioned Renegades down the ultimate path of corruption to the willing worship of the Dark Powers, if only to secure their own survival when they are beset on all sides by enemies.

Through the passing of the centuries since the Horus Heresy, the Forces of Chaos have been further swelled by those Space Marines who have turned from service to the Emperor of Mankind to pursue their own agendas. Freed from the Imperial dogma and traditions of their Chapter, these so-called Renegade Space Marines fully indulge the needs of their superhuman bodies and their militant minds. They most often become corsairs, pirates and mercenaries, using their unparalleled combat skills to garner wealth and power for themselves, rusing as tyrannical masters of pirate fleets and the masters of desolate frontier worlds. As they explore their new freedom from the discipline and strict purpose of the Adeptus Astartes, these Space Marines inevitably turn at some point to the Chaos Gods to gain more power to do as they will. From this point on, they are fated to walk the path of the Chaos Champion as much as any of the original Traitors of the Horus Heresy. These Renegades are hunted men -- loathed by all the other Space Marine Chapters, who consider it their foremost duty before the Emperor to destroy any Renegade Astartes lest their vile shame and dishonour leave a black stain upon all the Loyalist Space Marines who have never turned their face from the light of the Emperor or their duty to Mankind for their own selfish gain.

Though never equal in size or power to the original Astartes Legions, a modern Space Marine Chapter is a potent military force in its own right and when an entire Chapter turns Renegade it presents a grave threat to the Imperium. With all the resources of a Space Marine Chapter at their disposal, the Renegades of Chaos destroy Imperial armies, conquer Imperial worlds and despoil whole sectors of the Imperium. Such events warrant an extreme response from the Imperial forces, not to mention the other, Loyalist Space Marine Chapters. It is perhaps the greatest test of faith for a Space Marine to fight another Astartes and these internecine conflicts often have a terrible effect on other nearby Chapters. In these circumstances, such inter-Chapter wars tend to escalate quickly, engulfing many worlds with bloodshed. On occasion, those forces sent to deal with the Renegade Chapter may actually end up, in whole or in part, becoming corrupted and joining with those they were sent to destroy, just as happened to many among the Traitor Legions so long ago.

An example of just such an outcome infamously took place in the 34th Millennium during the Obscuran Uprisings. During the curse of 400 Terran years of anarchic separatist rebellions that shook much of the Segmentum Obscurus, at least 7 Loyalist Space Marine Chapters broke their oaths to the Emperor and took part in the looting and pillaging of hundreds of these Imperial worlds. Of these Chapters, 2 of them, the Sons of Vengeance and the Silver Guards -- had at first fought on the side of the Imperium but turned Renegade after their vicious retaliatory actions against the rebel Free Council of Hannedra II. It is believed these Chapters found great freedom in unleashing their full wrath at Hannedra II and they soon gave up any pretense of serving the Emperor in subsequent brutal actions unleashed across the Segmentum.

A

 * Adharon's Reavers
 * Angels of Ecstacy
 * Angels of Flame
 * Apocalypse Company
 * Apostles of Contagion
 * Apostles of MinthRas
 * Avenging Sons (3rd Company)

B

 * Beasts of Annihilation
 * Berserkers of Skallathrax
 * Betrayers of Pain
 * Black Brethren of Ayreas
 * Bleak Brotherhood
 * Blood Disciples
 * Blood Gorgons
 * Brotherhood of Darkness

C

 * Children of Purgatos
 * Claws of Lorek
 * Cleaved, The
 * Company of Misery
 * Company of the Shadow
 * Crimson Slaughter

D

 * Damned Company of Lord Caustos
 * Dark Tusks
 * Death Mongers
 * Death Shadows
 * Disciples of Destruction
 * Dragon Warriors

E

 * Extinction Angels
 * Empyrion's Blight

F

 * Faithless, The
 * Flame Falcons
 * Flawless Host, The
 * Fire Reavers

G
No known Renegade Chapters or warbands starting with 'G'.

H

 * Hakanor's Reavers

I
No known Renegade Chapters starting with 'I'.

J
No known Renegade Chapters starting with 'J'.

K

 * Killmongers
 * Knights of Blood
 * Knights of Blood (Warband)

L

 * Lords of Decay

M
No known Renegade Chapters or warbands starting with 'M'.

N

 * Night Stalkers
 * Nightkillers

O

 * Oracles of Change

P

 * Punishers
 * Purge, The
 * Pyre, The

Q
No known renegade chapters starting with 'Q'.

R

 * Reborn, The
 * Red Corsairs (formerly the Astral Claws)
 * Relictors

S

 * Sanctified, The
 * Scourged, The
 * Silver Guards
 * Skulltakers
 * Skyrar's Dark Wolves
 * Sons of Malice
 * Sons of Vengeance
 * Soul Drinkers
 * Steel Brethren
 * Steel Cobras
 * Swords of Khargoth

T

 * Thunder Barons
 * Tainted, The

U
No known Renegade Chapters starting with 'U'.

V

 * Violators

W

 * Warp Ghosts
 * Warriors of Aggannor
 * Warriors of Mayhem

X, Y, Z
No known Renegade Chapters starting with 'X', 'Y' or 'Z'.