A World Eaters Rampager Squad wielding their signature Caedere Weapons in battle.
A Caedere Weapon was one of four types of close combat weapon used by the Astartes of the World Eaters Legion during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy eras.
Based upon the ritual weapons of the cyber-augmetic gladiators of the savage world of Nuceria upon which their bloody-handed primarch was cast to through the Warp, it was Angron himself who revived the use of the Caedere among his Legion's ranks.
Brutal and difficult to master, the weapons of the Caedere remain largely the preserve of the Rampagers -- those World Eaters who responded best to the addition of the Butcher's Nails cranial implants which were a hallmark of the Legion and its champions.
Meteor Hammer[]
A World Eaters Rampager wielding a Meteor Hammer.
This ancient weapon consists at its most basic level of one heavy, spiked weight connected by a chain. It belongs to the broader classes of flail and chain weapons.
The primary advantage for using a meteor hammer is its sheer speed. Using a meteor hammer involves swinging it around the body to build up considerable speed before releasing the meteor to strike at any angle.
The large weighted head can be used offensively as well as defence, allowing its wielder to parry attacks or ensnaring an opponent's weapon to disarm them. When used by a skilled fighter, its speed, accuracy and unpredictability make it a difficult weapon to defend against.
While being swung, a meteor hammer may be wrapped around its user's arms, legs, torso, neck or waist, before being unwrapped by a powerful jerk of the body to deliver a devastating and swift blow. A master is fully capable of striking, ensnaring or strangling from a distance.
Excoriator Chainaxe[]
A pair of World Eaters Rampagers wielding deadly Excoriator Chainaxes.
Always a favoured weapon of the World Eaters, this variant chainaxe is an obscenely large double-handed chain weapon. Huge in size and weight, only the strongest warriors are able to brandish this weapon.
The chassis houses a mounted chain assembly of ancient Nucerian design, making it a much more powerful pattern of chainaxe than the average pattern. In addition, the weapon draws upon the additional mechanical support provided by a Legionary's power armour to drive this massive chainaxe's bulk at greater speeds.
Also, its longer haft is designed to be swung in wide swathes. Such is the power of this fearsome weapon that little can stand against it, and enemies fall apart like kindling when struck.
The Excoriator Chainaxe is fully capable of bisecting even an armoured Space Marine in a single stroke of its gargantuan axe-head. It can also slice through walls and even damaged light armoured vehicles.
Twin Falx Blades[]
A World Eaters Rampager wielding a pair of Twin Falx Blades.
This deadly weapon takes the form of a medium-sized sword, whose curved blade is extremely sharp on the inside edge. A one-handed weapon, these blades are always wielded in pairs. The blades are sharpened only on the inside, making it devastatingly effective in close-quarters melee combat.
The length of the falx allows it to be wielded with great force, the point piercing an enemy's helmet and the blade splitting shields. Wielded by a skilled warrior, it is said these formidable weapons are capable of splitting a shield in two at a single blow.
Alternatively, these weapons are able to be used as a sort of hook, pulling away shields and cutting at vulnerable limbs, or striking the edge of a strong shield.
The inward curving point is still able to pierce the armour or flesh of the target behind their shield, rendering even the most reinforced shields much less effective against a falx wielder. These blades are described as leaving large gaping wounds, incapacitating the majority of victims.
The falx are most efficient when targetting the head, shoulders, legs and especially the right (sword) arm, which is generally exposed.
The handguards of these swords work as a "knuckle duster" and is reinforced to take the force of a full-power straight punch to an unyielding target at close-quarters, without collapsing the guard on the hand of the user. It also is usually studded or "toothed" on the outside radius to enhance the effect of the blow.
Barb-Hook Lash[]
A World Eaters Rampager wielding a deadly Barb-hook Lash.
This ancient Nucerian gladiatoral weapon is very similar to the meteor hammer, falling into the broader classes of flail or chain weapons. This weapon consists of a large surmounted spear-like head with a pair of deadly barb-hooks, that curves towards the wielder, attached to a long chain.
Using a barb-hook lash involves swinging it around the body to build up considerable speed before releasing the barb-hook to strike at any angle. The large spear-like head with its pair of backwards curved barb-hooks, could easily catch an opponent's armour or weapon.
With a powerful jerk of the body, the wielder could dislodge portions of their enemy's armour or completely disarm them, leaving them weaponless and at their mercy. Utilised by a skilled warrior, this weapon could also be used to decapitate limbs or even impale an enemy, given sufficient speed and application of force.
Sources[]
- The Horus Heresy Legiones Astartes: Age of Darkness Legions (Forge World Series), pg. 53
- Forge World Webstore - World Eaters Legion Rampager Squad