Warhammer 40k Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Warhammer 40k Wiki

"From the fires of betrayal. Unto the blood of revenge. We bring the word of Lorgar, the Bearer of the Word."

—Excerpt from the 341st Book of the Epistles of Lorgar
Dark Apostle WB

A Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion wielding his Accursed Crozius in the service of Chaos Undivided.

A Dark Apostle is a Heretic Astartes Chaplain and one of the de facto leaders of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion, second in power and command only to the Legion's primarch Lorgar, though Dark Apostles have been encountered as dark missionaries in the other Traitor Legions.

The Dark Apostles of the Word Bearers collectively rule the XVIIth Legion through the instrument of the Dark Council, which is comprised of the most senior of their membership.

Like all of the Chaos Space Marines of the Word Bearers, the Dark Apostles worship all the Dark Gods in the form of Chaos Undivided rather than any single one of the Chaos Gods. Even before the Horus Heresy, the Dark Apostles had gleefully redirected the XVIIth Legion's fanatical zeal from the preaching of their flawed version of the Imperial Truth, which held the Emperor of Mankind to be the one, true god of Humanity, to howling the praises of the Ruinous Powers.

Dark Apostles are the spiritual leaders within many of the Traitor Legions, and are utterly devoted to the Dark Gods and the preservation of the beliefs of their primarchs and other leaders. Each is thoroughly learned in occult teachings, ritual sacrifice, and the devotions contained in the Book of Lorgar and other vile Chaos tomes and epistles penned by Lorgar and other devotees of the Dark Gods, having painfully etched their forbidden characters into their minds, bodies, and souls through a ghastly array of torturous and barbaric means.

This fanatical devotion to the worship of the Ruinous Powers defines a Dark Apostle, and all are entirely dedicated to spreading their message of worship and devotion to every corner of the galaxy and into every Human heart as the true faith of Mankind.

UralontheCruelWordBearers

Uralon the Cruel, Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers Legion, who sought to turn the Koronus Expanse into a preserve of the Ruinous Powers of Chaos.

Dark Apostles preach that the feeble and hollow sermons of the Imperial Ecclesiarchy proclaiming the Imperial Creed of the Emperor's divinity are but rote superstition and propaganda compared to the true divinity and terrible power of Chaos. To demonstrate these unholy claims, they frequently act as direct conduits for their Dark Gods' power in the material realm and bestow blessings of Chaos on their followers, further fuelling their fanaticism and devotion.

To a Dark Apostle, Chaos is an all-powerful pantheon. Many therefore choose to venerate all the Chaos Gods equally, and rarely ally with only one of the four major Chaos paths for very long. When it comes to the particulars of their blasphemous faith, each Dark Apostle is bound by his own deranged and arrogant interpretations of the profane writings of Lorgar and other heretical works. Dark Apostles are skilled orators capable of converting entire cities, Astra Militarum regiments, or planetary populations to their unholy cause with promises of power and recognition from the denizens of the Warp and freedom from the constraints, hardships and cruelties of daily life in the Imperium.

Through their honeyed words, they establish vast networks of Chaos Cultists and false churches, secretly planting the seeds of the Imperium's corruption on every planet they touch. These zealous but misled mortal followers are often incorporated into their master's diabolical designs, and frequently serve as willing slaves or sacrifices to the glory of their new gods.

The Dark Apostles of the Word Bearers, in particular, construct great monuments and monolithic symbols of their blasphemous faith, and dedicate them to their chosen patrons to mark their profane victories. They take perverse delight in incorporating the religious structures of those they conquer into these foul rites, and often go out of their way to desecrate the holy icons and relics of the Ecclesiarchy. The Dark Apostle's legions of followers frequently aid in these endeavours, and just as frequently find themselves sacrificed to their gods on the very altars they helped construct.

A Dark Apostle arrayed for combat is an imposing sight, with ancient Chaos Power Armour adorned with sigils of his foul allegiance and reams of parchment covered in blasphemous devotions and invocations. Many even tattoo litanies directly onto their flesh or the flayed skins of their opponents in order to enhance their potency and further prove their devotion.

During conflict, they stride across the battlefield exhorting their charges onward while smiting all who stand before them with their Accursed Crozius. However, a Dark Apostle's greatest weapons are always his voice and the strength of his belief, and the hordes of devoted followers in his wake bear testament to the terrible power and influence he wields.

To Dark Apostles, the glorious Ascension to the blessed state of Daemonhood represents the ultimate pinnacle of achievement, the fusion of the material with the immaterial, and they toil diligently in the hopes that their Dark Gods may one day grant them such a magnificent reward as apotheosis. Though Dark Apostles frequently ally with powerful warlords and Champions of the Warp, their true loyalty is only to Chaos, and nothing can be allowed to stand in the way of their heretical crusade.

Role

"Not everyone receives the attention of the Dark Gods. Only those who are demonstrably exceptional are worthy of their notice."

—Dark Apostle Aurelius of the Word Bearers
Darkapostleslavehorde13

A Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers Legion on the Daemon World of Sicarus overseeing a procession of his slaves.

Dark Apostles serve the Word Bearers in the role once filled by the Chaplains of a Loyalist Space Marine Legion. They lead their battle-brothers in sermons and litanies worshipping and praising the Chaos Gods during both peacetime and war.

A Dark Apostle of any Word Bearers Host is a seasoned summoner of Daemons who is capable of summoning several in quick succession from the Warp, though at the cost of damage to the Daemon's physical being, thus shortening the amount of time that the Daemon can spend on the physical plane.

Dark Apostles are said to be aloof, mysterious and charismatic as well as a step above the battle-brothers of their Host. The only person with equal rank within one of the Word Bearers' Hosts to the Dark Apostle would be the Coryphaus, the primary combat commander in the Host and the person who serves as the bridge between the Dark Apostle and the rank-and-file Chaos Space Marines of the Host.

Dark Apostles still carry their ritual Crozius Arcanum as they did before their fall, although the resulting "Accursed Crozius" has long since been corrupted and debased into a deadly icon dedicated to the service of the Chaos Gods. Not only does this make them lethal close assault weapons, it also marks the bearer as receiving the dark favour of the Ruinous Powers, granting him protection from his enemies and allowing him a much deeper connection with the denizens of the Warp.

Dark Apostles are said to be served by a senior warleader and an apprentice in each Host they command. The senior warleader is called a Coryphaus and leads the Word Bearers Host in battle. His orders are second only to those of the Dark Apostle. The apprentice of the Dark Apostle is named as the Host's First Acolyte and will inherit a portion of the Host when the Dark Apostle and the Legion's Dark Council see fit to allow it.

The oldest and most venerated of the Dark Apostles are those that sit on the Dark Council. These venerable Heretic Astartes were members of the XVII Legion during the initial corruption of the Word Bearers by Erebus and First Captain Kor Phaeron solar decades before the outbreak of the Horus Heresy.

They have survived and thrived through the Heresy and corrupted untold billions of mortals into worshipping the Chaos Gods. The Dark Council now rules the Word Bearers from the Daemon World of Sicarus in the name of Lorgar, and only the Dark Council can appoint a new Dark Apostle should one of their number fall.

Dark Apostles start their career as a standard Chaos Space Marine and must earn the right through their deeds to be elevated to the rank of Dark Apostle. First, they must show their unfaltering devotion towards Chaos Undivided by earning the Mark of Chaos Undivided. Only such a successful Chaos Champion will be considered for possible promotion.

Second, they must earn the favour of the current Dark Apostle of their Host, and become their First Acolyte, serving as the factotum to the current Dark Apostle. If he is not slain in battle, or killed by his master, a First Acolyte will eventually rise to the rank of Dark Apostle.

The acolyte can either bide his time and wait for the current Dark Apostle to die in combat, hoping to secure the position by the edict of the Dark Council, or he can be more proactive, and kill his mentor himself and await the Dark Council's appointment as the new Dark Apostle of his Host. In any case, the First Acolyte will need the Dark Council's blessings to become a Dark Apostle, and it is not unheard of for the Dark Council to decide to purge the whole ruling cadre of a Host when a Dark Apostle dies.

Usually the untimely death of a Dark Apostle is marked with solar weeks of rituals and ceremonies held in his commemoration, while during that time the captains of the dead Dark Apostle's Host are summarily executed for allowing such a thing to happen.

The remains of the Host are either absorbed into the ranks of the Host of a more able Dark Apostle, or a Dark Apostle is appointed from somewhere else in the Legion to become the new leader of the affected Host.

Thus, a promising First Acolyte will sometimes be promoted to command of his own Host without inheriting the position of his former master, or slain outright for failing to safeguard his master. The will of the Dark Council is the sole judge in this outcome, and their actions will be directed by the will of the Dark Gods.

Dark Apostles in the Traitor Legions

Dark Apostle 8th Edition

A Dark Apostle spreads the word of Chaos alongside two Chaos Cultists.

Dark Apostles make up the priesthood of the Dark Gods. Just as the Chaplains of the Loyalist Space Marines uphold the creeds of their Chapters, the Dark Apostles devote their lives to the propagation of the unholy word, actively spreading the worship of Chaos across the galaxy. Their efforts do not go unrewarded -- Dark Apostles are surrounded by Daemonic auras of protection that shimmer and writhe as they chant their blasphemous prayers.

The Dark Apostles preach that, compared to the blood and thunder of their own faith, the falsehoods of the Ecclesiarchy's Imperial Creed are but cobweb-thin tissues of superstition. These are more than idle words -- most Dark Apostles can act as direct conduits through which the Ruinous Powers can speak to mortal men.

It is not unknown for a Dark Apostle to suddenly straighten, his eyes glazing over as his mouth spits guttural and blood-flecked gibberish. Those who can understand this glottal tongue claim that it is the language of the gods themselves, the "Dark Tongue."

The Dark Apostles sit high in the esteem of their brethren, and their intense charisma and burning conviction inspires mortals and Heretic Astartes alike to great and terrible acts. The often harsh yoke of the Imperium fosters great resentment in those of weak character, and Dark Apostles are experts at fanning those sparks into raging blazes. When these preachers of terrible truths infiltrate an Imperial world, hidden Chaos Cults are brought together and long-fostered alliances are brought to terrible fruition. It is never long before the bodies of Adeptus Arbites, Judges and aristocrats alike, are strung from spire and cable.

Mutants and madmen boil out into the populace, infecting those around them with the touch of Chaos. Just as the hysterical citizenry are on the brink of devouring themselves, the Dark Apostle will draw them together into an army and lead a great crusade against the Imperium's forces. It is not only Heretics and Traitors that flock to the banners of the Dark Apostles. It is not unheard of for these devotees of Chaos to subvert entire regiments of the Astra Militarum, or even stranded bands of Space Marines, to their cause.

In a galaxy of unrelenting war, rebellion can spread like wildfire; there are records of single Dark Apostles inspiring entire planetary populations to chant damning hymnals until Daemons ran free in the streets. Their power is in the numberless hordes that follow them, an endless tide of the damned that crashes upon the rock of the Imperium.

A Dark Apostle arrayed for war is an imposing sight. His battle-scarred Chaos Power Armour of ancient design is emblazoned with forbidden texts and hung with parchments of Human skin covered in potent invocations.

The Apostle's own skin is tattooed with runic prayers to Chaos in the Dark Tongue, and in his clenched fist he carries a defiled Crozius Arcanum, an evil corruption of the Loyalist Chaplain's badge of office now called an Accursed Crozius. But the Dark Apostle's most powerful weapon is his voice -- a tool with which wars can be started and the gifts of the gods bestowed.

The Lost and the Damned

The forces of Chaos include a multitude of lesser hosts. Amongst them are hordes of bestial mutants, lumbering tribes of corrupted Ogryns and ad hoc warbands of Chaos Knights. The most deadly of these armies are perhaps the least outlandish, those able to bypass the defences of the Corpse Emperor's armies and conquer the Imperium from within.

The Dark Apostles take especial pleasure in corrupting the soldiery of the Astra Militarum. Throughout the Imperium there are those who wear the Aquila upon their breasts, but harbour resentment in their hearts.

Ground down by the futility of the Imperium's endless wars and the callous inhumanity of the Departmento Munitorum, these warriors embrace whatever freedom from tyranny they can find. In heeding the false promises of the agents of Chaos, they exchange the endless grind of a decrepit dystopia for a short and bloody existence in thrall to the lords of hatred, becoming the feared regiments of the Traitoris Militarum.

Dark Apostles in the Screaming Vortex

Dark Apostle

A Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers urging his converts forward against his enemies.

It is only natural that a den of potent heresy and sorcery such as the Screaming Vortex, the infamous Warp-realspace interface that stands between the Koronus Expanse and the Calixis Sector in the Segmentum Obscurus, would attract the likes of a Dark Apostle. These treacherous warriors of Chaos stop at nothing to spread their terrible faith, and the Vortex often serves as either a worthy place to gather converts or a pilgrimage on their path of worship.

Many journey to all the worlds within the realm, observing the numerous manifestations of Chaos among its foul inhabitants and recruiting those whom they deem most useful for their cause. Consequently, many powerful warlords in the Vortex seek out these influential champions, drawn from the Word Bearers or the other Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions, for both the many blessings they convey and the legions of fanatical mortal followers who hang on their every word.

A Dark Apostle might cross the galaxy in his unholy crusade to unite Humanity beneath the banners of his heretical devotion. Though their exact reasons for seeking out the Screaming Vortex vary, these fanatical champions of Chaos are seldom idle and work tirelessly to advance their blasphemous cause. However, the nature of each Dark Apostle's observances often depends on his own unique and disturbed interpretations of his foul devotional texts, and the methods used to achieve his purposes differ wildly between individuals.

The following are some examples of the many aspects of devotion to the Ruinous Powers a Dark Apostle might embody during his activities within the Screaming Vortex:

  • Prophet of Destruction - These Dark Apostles embody fanatical hatred and serve as an example of devotion on the battlefield. Always at the forefront of battle, their fiery zeal fuels their wrath as they reinforce every impassioned phrase with devastating blows from their Accursed Crozius maces. To their many mortal followers, the unstoppable rampages of these fearless warriors serve as poignant metaphors for the unrelenting power of the Warp, and they eagerly surge behind their masters in frenzied tides of religious fervour.
  • Voice of Defiance - A Dark Apostle who acts as a Voice of Defiance thrives on rebellion, and champions his beliefs to the very darkest corners of every realm that refuses his corrupt teachings, forging his followers into a weapon of fanatical resistance in the name of Chaos. Every word that issues from his mouth drips with treachery and malice, and he incessantly urges his followers to martyr themselves in order to prove their sorrow for past transgressions and the depths of their newfound devotion. Once the world is consumed in the fires of anarchy and mayhem, and his debased followers have sacrificed themselves for their heretical beliefs, the Dark Apostle moves on to the next world and begins the process of corruption and destruction anew.
  • Malefic Consul - Knowledge is power to the servants of Chaos, and a Dark Apostle who serves as a Malefic Consul knows well the power such knowledge has to manipulate the weak and empower the strong. Operating as sinister guides and veiled whisperers, these fanatical servants of Chaos use their abilities of coercion to sway the weak and influential, and delight in witnessing their victims unwittingly sowing the seeds of their own doom and corruption. These insidious demagogues foster vast networks of mortal informants and confidants to aid in this task, utilising every influence at their considerable disposal to bring about their nefarious ends and only revealing themselves when victory is at hand.

Dark Apostles in Combat

When Dark Apostles go to war they are terrifying to behold, for the Apostles are fueled by their indomitable faith, daemonic blessings and the super-human might of a Space Marine. Few can stand and fight against a Dark Apostle and live to tell the tale.

The Dark Apostles (and all of the Word Bearers for that matter) hold a certain hatred for the Adeptus Ministorum and all those who ally with it. They take great pleasure in destroying Imperial temples, burning Imperial Cult religious banners and above all killing Missionaries, Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas and if possible, Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors.

In battle Dark Apostles are skilled demagogues, able to exhort followers to greater acts of bravery and depravity. Their strategies sometimes border on prescience and enemy commanders have often found out to their cost that the only way to truly blunt an attack by such fanatics is to either remove the Apostle, or destroy each and every Word Bearer facing them to the last superhuman.

Unit Composition

  • 1 Dark Apostle

Wargear

The main armament of the Dark Apostles is a corrupted Crozius Arcanum known as an Accursed Crozius, a perverted version of the Adeptus Astartes' primary weapon for Loyalist Chaplains. However, the weapon still serves to display a Dark Apostle's faith in the Ruinous Powers of Chaos.

Although Dark Apostles have unlimited access to the Word Bearers' Armoury or the armoury of their chosen Traitor Legion, they commonly prefer heavily customised and Chaos-warped Chaos Power Armour and a very ornate Bolt Pistol or Plasma Pistol.

A First Acolyte or Dark Apostle will also commonly employ a daemon-possessed weapon, likely a chainsword or chainaxe and a standard Bolt Pistol. A few Dark Apostles or First Acolytes will sometimes make use of other weapons beside the Crozius Arcanum or a Daemon Weapon, swapping them for heavy weapons such as a Heavy Bolter, any type of Combi-weapon or a different type of melee weapon such as a Power Maul. Dark Apostles have access to the standard complement of Frag Grenades and Krak Grenades, when necessary.

Notable Dark Apostles and First Acolytes

  • Kor Phaeron - Kor Phaeron was the First Captain and Black Cardinal (High Priest) of the Word Bearers Legion. He served as a spiritual counsel and foster father during the years of Primarch Lorgar's youth on the Word Bearers' homeworld of Colchis, before Lorgar was rediscovered by the Imperium of Man in the late 30th Millennium during the Great Crusade. It was Kor Phaeron's influence and continuing devotion to the Colchisian Old Faith -- a faith dedicated to the Dark Gods -- that corrupted his primarch and the XVII Legion into repudiating their oaths to the Emperor of Mankind and becoming willing pawns of Chaos.
  • Erebus - Erebus held the prestigious position of First Chaplain of the Word Bearers Legion at the end of the Great Crusade in the early 31st Millennium. He was a fearsome and intimidating Astartes warrior and wore tattoos depicting sections of the Book of Lorgar across his shaven scalp to terrify his enemies. Erebus was the first of the Space Marines to knowingly turn to Chaos and became the chief architect of the events that led directly to the Horus Heresy. He was personally responsible for corrupting his Primarch Lorgar, the Warmaster Horus and the Death Guard's First Captain Calas Typhon to the worship and service of Chaos. He is presently a member of the ruling body known as the Dark Council of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion and has an ongoing but subtle war with Kor Phaeron for control of the XVII Legion's direction since Lorgar has spent the last 10 millennia in communion with the Ruinous Powers.
  • Ekodas - Ekodas is a Word Bearers Grand Apostle. Kor Phaeron, in his role as Black Cardinal of the Word Bearers' Chaotic faith, bestowed the title of Grand Apostle upon Ekodas, who served as the senior-most member of the ruling Dark Council of the XVII Legion after the end of the Horus Heresy. However, he was also a secret member of The Brotherhood -- a clandestine, internal sect within the Word Bearers Legion that had been formed at three different periods during the Legion's history to maintain the Word Bearers' theological purity. The craggy-faced holy leader of the Legion's 7th Host, Ekodas led a holy crusade of retribution against the Black Consuls, almost wiping that cursed Chapter, a successor of the Word Bearers' rivals the Ultramarines, from the galaxy.
  • Jarulek - Jarulek was a Dark Apostle who had served as a former First Acolyte to the Dark Apostle known as The Warmonger during the Horus Heresy during the assault on the Imperial Palace at the Siege of Terra. He later served as the Coryphaus to First Captain Kor Phaeron. Through his extreme devotion to Chaos Undivided, furious passion and fiery oratory he brought countless millions into the truth of the Eight-Fold Path. Millions more who had chosen to remain ignorant and resistant to the true faith had been slain upon his orders. Jarulek was himself slain on the world of Tanakreg by an awakened Necron Lord after successfully recovering a potent artefact from the Necrons' stasis tomb.
  • Marduk - Marduk was a Dark Apostle and the former First Acolyte of Jarulek. He was a member of The Brotherhood, an organisation secretly formed within the XVII Legion which, in the years before the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, eliminated  all those Word Bearers who failed to comply with the new direction of the Legion following the conversion of Lorgar to the service of the Chaos Gods, including all of the Terran-born Word Bearers. Marduk fought at the Battle of Calth against the Ultramarines Legion during the Heresy and was elevated to the position of Dark Apostle and leader of the 34th Host following the death of his former master at the hands of a Necron Lord on the world of Tanakreg in the late 41st Millennium.
  • Ankh-Heloth - Ankh-Heloth was the Dark Apostle who led the XVII Legion's 11th Host. Ankh-Heloth had risen to the position of Dark Apostle under dubious circumstances. While it was the Dark Council of Sicarus that had made Ankh-Heloth the First Acolyte of the 11th Host, this was only at Grand Apostle Ekodas' insistence. Less than a decade later, Ankh-Heloth ascended to the position of Dark Apostle after his predecessor was killed under circumstances engineered, many believed, by Ekodas. Ankh-Heloth did not garner much respect from his fellow Dark Apostles of the Dark Council, many of whom regarded him as "Edokas' whipping boy."
  • Sarabdal - Sarabdal was the Dark Apostle of the XVII Legion's 18th Host. Within the elite ranks of the cadre known as the Dark Council, Dark Apostle Sarabdal had led his Host the longest. Sarabdal had been groomed to become the Dark Apostle of the 18th Host by none other than Lorgar himself. Raised in the scriptorums of Colchis, Sarabdal had been little more than a child when he had taken part in the brutal Schism Wars that fractured the Covenant, the dominant religious order of that Feudal World before the arrival of the Emperor of Mankind. Impressed with the youngster’s religious fanaticism for his new faith and fiery demeanour, Lorgar had taken the boy under his wing and once reunited with his Legion after the Imperial takeover of Colchis, had personally chosen Sarabdal as one of the first Colchisian natives to join the Word Bearers. Few Dark Apostles garnered more respect than Sarabdal. Other Dark Apostles even bowed in his venerable presence.
  • Belagosa - Dark Apostle of the XVII Legion's 30th Host, Belagosa was a tall and gaunt figure. In an act of devout faith, Belagosa had clawed out his own eyes centuries ago. Nevertheless, he was still able to turn his head towards the direction of those that spoke to him, his empty eye sockets still far from blind, which bled red tears down his cheeks as a gift from the Dark Gods for his devotion.
  • Sor Talgron, The Warmonger - Though he had risen to become a Dark Apostle, Sor Talgron had once served as the Captain of the XVII Legion's 34th Company during the Great Crusade. He took part in bringing the world designated Forty-Seven Sixteen into Imperial Compliance. He was stationed on Terra during the Horus Heresy. He was known to have worn Terminator Armour with a Chaplain's Skull Helm. Captain Talgron fought at the walls of the Imperial Palace during the Battle of Terra. Eventually, Talgron rose to the rank of Dark Apostle. Talgron was mortally wounded in battle and interred within the chassis of a Chaos Dreadnought. However, he has managed to retain most of his sanity through the willpower instilled by his dark faith, though at times his hold on reality slips, and he believes he is once against fighting alongside his Primarch during the Horus Heresy. Since his interment within the Dreadnought's sarcophagus, Talgron has only been known as "The Wamonger."
  • Mothac - Mothac was a Dark Apostle who was encased within ensorcelled Daemonic armour that was a gift from the Daemon Primarch Lorgar. He was the keeper of the forbidden tome known as The Dark Creed, a thick book bound in the skin of fallen Ultramarines. This book contained the holy writings of Lorgar after the Horus Heresy and the XVII Legion's flight to the Daemon World of Sicarus within the Eye of Terror.
  • Paristur - Dark Apostle Paristur was a member of the Dark Council, the ruling body of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion. Shrewd and savage, he had killed the Blood Angels Chaplain Aristedes in single combat on the walls of the Imperial Palace during the Battle of Terra.
  • Angra Mainyu - Angra Mainyu was a formerly favoured Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers who fought at the infamous Battle of Calth against the hated Ultramarines Legion. Though Angra was gravely wounded several times leading these assaults, he was miraculously healed. Angra Mainyu had been chosen by the Ruinous Powers of Chaos as a favoured servant for his dutiful worship of their ways. They, in turn, protected him from harm, and he began to walk the path to daemonhood. Over the millennia, Angra became megalomaniacal and insane, maddened by the unholy power of his faith and his own perceived failings. Angra Mainyu's transformation into a Daemon Prince came to fruition just before Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade into the Imperium in 999.M41. It was during the 13th Black Crusade that Angra Mainyu lost favour with his patron deities. Angra's growing insanity had led to extremely foolish assaults on the forces of the Imperium that had cost the Forces of Chaos dearly, even though Angra believed that the Chaos Gods favoured him still. The Ruinous Powers are fickle and he soon fell from grace, and was transformed into a mindless Chaos Spawn as punishment. Draas assumed control of his former master's Host, which willingly swore allegiance to its new Dark Apostle.
  • Draas the Red Pilgrim - Draas formerly served as one of the three lieutenants to the Dark Apostle Angra Mainyu. He fought at the infamous Battle of Calth as one of Angra's three lieutenants. With the death of Horus, the Word Bearers Legion fled to the Daemon Worlds of Sicarus and Ghalmek within the Eye of Terror and the Maelstrom, respectively. Draas counseled caution to Angra, but by then that Dark Apostle had become thoroughly maddened by the unholy power of his faith and his own perceived failings during the attack on Calth and he lashed out at Drass, banishing him from his sight. Draas assembled his own Host and went about preaching the dark faith to the Imperial worlds near the Eye of Terror. Soon his Host swelled to become a sizable force, and Draas became known to his followers as Draas the Red Pilgrim. Meanwhile Angra had fallen more and more into insanity as his road to daemonic ascension came closer to completion. Angra Mainyu’s transfomation into a Daemon Prince came to fruition just before Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade into the Imperium in 999.M41. It was during the 13th Black Crusade that Angra Mainyu lost favour with his patron deities. Angra's growing insanity had led to extremely foolish assaults on the forces of the Imperium that had cost the Forces of Chaos dearly, even though Angra believed that the Chaos Gods favoured him still. The Ruinous Powers are fickle and he soon fell from grace, and was transformed into a mindless Chaos Spawn as punishment. Draas assumed control of his former master's Host, which willingly swore allegiance to its new Dark Apostle.
  • Leyak - Leyak, known as Leyak the Devourer, was a Dark Apostle who led a vast mutant horde numbering in the millions that assaulted the vital Hive World of Hermetica, the capital of the Chonma Sector in the Segmentum Solar in 659.M41. Due to the sheer scale of the Chaos attack, the system's outer defences were soon overwhelmed, and the hive cities of Hermetica itself swiftly became battlegrounds on which its beleaguered defenders fought desperately against the tide of damned horrors that assailed them. The Minotaurs Chapter was the first outside force to respond to Hermetica's strangled pleas for help. The Minotaurs' assault was both devastating and indiscriminate, smashing the capital city's cathedral district's plazas and temples heedless of the cost. The Minotaurs' advance was relentless as they drove the enemy before them along with thousands of trapped civilians. Finally, a Terminator assault force led by Chapter Master Asterion Moloc penetrated deep into the cathedral complex where Leyak was hiding. Moloc slaughtered Leyak's daemon-possessed bodyguard and struck a mortal blow to their hulking, toad-like master, but before the Chapter Master could deliver the final blow, the Dark Apostle fled into the Warp through the use of his black arts.
Eliphas Inheritor

Eliphas the Inheritor in the Power Armour of a Word Bearers Dark Apostle

  • Maloq Kartho - Maloq Kartho is a former Dark Apostle. During the Horus Heresy he took part in the attack on the hated Ultramarines on the world of Calth, where he was eventually slain by Captain Ventanus who used a small flint dagger known as the Shard of Erebus. Rewarding his dark devotion to the Chaos Gods for the bloody slaughter he had wreaked on Calth, Kartho was resurrected as a Daemon Prince named M'kar the Reborn. In his new incarnation, M'kar has been a great bane to the Imperium of Man for over ten millennia.
  • Alocer - Alocer is the most infamous Dark Apostle in the Screaming Vortex Warp rift of the Segmentum Obscurus, a fell Champion of Chaos whose power is in the ascendant. He is rumoured to lead a host of Word Bearers many hundreds of warriors strong, and it is whispered that he awaits only some unknown circumstance or prophetic sign from his Dark Gods. When the time is right, he will strike, spreading his unholy devotion to the neighbouring regions of the Calixis Sector and the Koronus Expanse in a tide of hatred and blasphemy.
  • Ashkanez - Ashkanez was once the First Acolyte to the Dark Apostle Marduk. Icon Bearer Burias Dark'Shal grew bitter and resentful at the elevation of First Acolyte Marduk to the position of Dark Apostle of the 34th Host. Expecting to rise in power with Marduk to the Dark Council, Ashkanez was elevated instead to the position of First Acolyte of the 34th Host. Seeing his resentment towards his former master, Ashkanez took advantage of Burias' spite and turned the Icon Bearer against Marduk. He then inducted him into the ranks of The Brotherhood, who was now composed of a large number of Word Bearers who were loyal to Kor Phaeron rather than Erebus in the internecine political conflict that was dividing the XVII Legion in Lorgar's absence. In a conspiracy to overthrow Marduk as the Dark Apostle of the 34th Host, The Brotherhood revealed their duplicity openly, following the Battle of Boros Gate, and fought Marduk and those who remained loyal to him in the 34th Host in a massive internecine battle. First Acolyte Ashkanez and his fellow co-conspirators were ultimately all annihilated when Marduk emerged triumphant.
  • Varakh'Lorr - Lord of the Scribed Blade, Varakh'Lorr was the Dark Apostle responsible for the Donatos Uprising, a civil war that engulfed the Industrial World of Donatos Primus and which almost ended in calamity for the Imperium of Man. Varakh'Lorr and his warhost had been a thorn in the side of the Imperium for many years, having already conquered and sacrificed the population of seven entire worlds in the name of the Dark Gods. From the flesh of the seven Planetary Governors, Varakh'Lorr had fashioned the Red Veil, a hideous mask of stitched flesh which he used to hide his ravaged features. Upon arriving on the world of Donatos, the Dark Apostle was on the brink of attaining the rank of Daemon Prince, erecting a huge sacrificial pyre upon which Donatos' civilians and his own Chaos Cultists were sacrificed to fuel his ultimate transition. Even as the will of the Chaos Gods remade his flesh, Varakh'Lorr was attacked simultaneously by one of his allies, a powerful mortal Sorceress in service to Tzeentch, and two Loyalist Imperial Knights. Defending himself against the witch's considerable powers, Varakh'Lorr could not prevent the sacrificial pyre from being polluted by the essence of the Mourning Angel - a hideous amalgam of proscribed technology and the flesh of Donatos' astropaths. Poisoned by the essence of the corrupted Mourning Angel, the many thousands of souls trapped in the sacrificial pyre turned upon Varakh'Lorr, destroying him before he could claim his ultimate reward.
  • Vorrjuk Kraal - Vorrjuk Kraal was a Dark Apostle attached to the Legio Vulpa during the Battle of Beta-Garmon. He was responsible for the first successful possessions of Titans with daemonic entities and the first merging of machine and daemon.
  • Uralon the Cruel - Uralon is a Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion who has taken his Host into the Koronus Expanse of the Segmentum Obscurus. He seeks nothing less that to transform the Expanse into a region whose people are dedicated to the worship and service of the Dark Gods of Chaos. Uralon was a powerful Dark Apostle who possessed the ability to summon and control Daemons and Daemon Engines from the Warp to do his bidding, as well as a large cadre of Word Bearers Heretic Astartes. He first met the newly appointed Rogue Trader of the von Valancius dynasty on the Industrial World of Kiava Gamma in the von Valancius Protectorate. He sought at multiple points to convince the von Valancius Lord Captain to turn to the service of Chaos, seeing a Rogue Trader a s a powerful potential ally in delivering the Koronus Expanse and all its riches over to the service of the forces of Chaos. The Lord Captain thus faced a choice of whether to embrace the darkness but great power offered by pursuing the path of heresy and allying with Uralon and his Word Bearers and Daemons, or remaining true to the ideals of the Imperium and eliminating the Chaos scourge from the von Valancius Protectorate and the rest of the Expanse.

Sources

  • Codex Heretic Astartes - Chaos Space Marines (8th Edition), pp. 61, 126
  • Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 13, 35
  • Horus Heresy: Collected Visions, pg. 153
  • Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War, Part Two, pg. 109
  • Black Crusade: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 48
  • Black Crusade: The Tome of Excess (RPG), pp. 27, 30-31
  • Only War - Enemies of the Imperium (RPG) (Forthcoming)
  • Dark Apostle (Novel) by Anthony Reynolds
  • Dark Disciple (Novel) by Anthony Reynolds
  • Dark Creed (Novel) by Anthony Reynolds
  • Kingsblade (Novel) by Andy Clark
  • The Lords of Silence (Novel) by Chris Wraight, Chs. 10-12, 21-22
  • Titandeath (Novel) by Guy Haley
  • Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (PC Game)
  • Dark Apostle: Chaos Showcase by Jason Errington (AU)
  • Warhammer Community - Heretic Astartes Focus: The Word Bearers (Image)
Chaos Space Marine Forces
Command Chaos LordExalted ChampionChaos ChampionAspiring ChampionSorcerer LordDaemon PrinceDaemon Prince of NurgleDaemon Prince of TzeentchDeath Guard Lord
Specialists Exalted SorcererSorcererWarpsmithDark ApostleMaster of PossessionMaster of ExecutionsLord DiscordantWarsmithDeath Guard SorcererLord of ContagionMalignant PlaguecasterPlague SurgeonTallymanScarab Occult SorcererScarab Occult Terminators
Troops Chaos Space MarinesHavocsChosenChaos TerminatorsPossessedGreater PossessedKhorne BerzerkersPlague MarinesNoise MarinesRubric MarinesObliteratorsMutilatorsChaos SpawnFallen AngelsNoxious BlightbringerFoul BlightspawnBiologus PutrifierBlightlord TerminatorsDeathshroud
Fast Attack Chaos Space Marine BikersChaos Space Marine RaptorsWarp Talons
Chaos Dreadnoughts HelbruteFerrum Infernus DreadnoughtChaos Contemptor Pattern DreadnoughtSonic DreadnoughtBerserker DreadnoughtLeviathan Dreadnought
Vehicles and Daemon Engines Chaos RhinoChaos PredatorInfernal Relic PredatorChaos VindicatorChaos Land RaiderChaos Land Raider ProteusInfernal Relic Land Raider AchillesLand Raider Hades DiabolusRelic Sicaran Battle TankMaulerfiendForgefiendDefilerBrass ScorpionBlood SlaughtererBlight DroneFoetid Bloat-droneKytanPlague HulkVenomcrawlerMyphitic Blight-hauler
Heavy Vehicles and Daemon Engines Spartan Assault TankFellbladeDecimatorTyphon Heavy Siege TankLord of SkullsDeath WheelPlaguereaperPlagueburst CrawlerSilver Tower of Tzeentch
Aircraft HeldrakeStormbirdThunderhawkChaos Storm EagleChaos Fire RaptorHell BladeHell TalonHarbingerChaos DreadclawKharybdis Assault ClawFire LordDoom Wing
Summoned Daemons BloodlettersPlaguebearersHorror of TzeentchDaemonetteNurglingsBeast of NurglePlague DroneFlamerScreamer
Lost and the Damned Chaos CultistsPoxwalkersPestigorPlague ZombiesPlague OgrynThrall WizardTzaangorTzaangor EnlightenedTzaangor ShamanDark Disciple
Champions Magnus the RedMortarionAbaddon the DespoilerKharn the BetrayerTyphusAhrimanHuron BlackheartFabius BileCypherHaarken WorldclaimerInvocatus


Gallery

Advertisement