Relictors

The Relictors are a Renegade Space Marine Chapter raised in the 36^th Millennium, though of an unknown genetic origin and Founding.

The Relictors were one of the 20 Chapters of the Astartes Praeses, created by the Imperium of Man after the Horus Heresy specifically to guard the threatened sectors of Imperial space surrounding the Eye of Terror.

It is believed but not confirmed that their gene-seed was created by the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars by culturing the gene stock of both the Ultramarines and the Dark Angels. When the Relictors were first established they were known as the "Fire Claws."

Founded to guard against the threat of the Traitor Legions attacking from the Eye of Terror, the Relictors were once counted amongst the most stalwart defenders of Mankind.

But Chaos is insidious and a sinister secret now lurks at the heart of the Chapter, a secret that almost destroyed it and threatens its very existence as well as the souls of its remaining battle-brothers.

Chapter History

RelictorsChapterColourScheme — Relictors Chapter Colour Scheme as displayed by a Firstborn Space Marine.

The Captor of Sin and the Chapter's Renaming

Originally designated the Fire Claws, it is thought that the Relictors were founded during the dark days of the Age of Apostasy, though Imperial records of events during that strife-torn period are notoriously ambiguous and difficult to uncover.

One transcription of the Mythos Angelica Mortis suggests that the Fire Claws may have been one of the so-called Astartes Praeses Chapters, a Founding intended to bolster the defences around the Eye of Terror by deploying twenty or so newly-formed Chapters at strategically vital points in the region.

The Fire Claws' fortress-monastery was based on an ancient Ramillies-class Starfort in geostationary orbit around the world of Torva Minoris, called Neutra by its inhabitants, and the Chapter served as part of the Imperium's defences against the forces of Chaos for nigh on five standard millennia.

The Fire Claws are listed in the annals of Imperial history on many occasions, and have taken part in many glorious victories. Not least amongst these conflicts were the Purging of the Cult of the Inner Eye, the First Siege of Cocalus, and the Albrecht IV Landings.

They were also part of the relief force that made possible the evacuation of the millions-strong Crusade army of Warmaster Hendrik during his ill-fated expedition into the Wheel of Fire, far from the Eye of Terror.

In the middle of the ninth century of the 41^st Millennium, approximately 150 standard years before the Third War for Armageddon in 998.M41, the Emperor's Tarot revealed the existence of a badly damaged space hulk emerging from the Warp near the Forge World of Stygies in the Segmentum Obscurus, and the Fire Claws mobilised to intercept it.

The hulk, codified by the Imperium as the Captor of Sin, contained a warband of Chaos Space Marines led by a Chaos Champion of Tzeentch known as the Excoriator.

The Fire Claws' strike cruisers crippled the vessel as it entered the Stygies System and Terminator Assault Squads led by Librarian Decario and the shadowy figure of Inquisitor De Marche stormed the vessel.

Realising they were doomed, the Renegades made their stand in the cavern-sized engine room where furious battle was joined and Decario and De Marche fought the Excoriator.

The Champion was a mighty warrior and carried a weapon forged in the heart of the Eye of Terror, a terrible Daemon Sword with the essence of a Greater Daemon bound within its unearthly steel. The Inquisitor hacked at the Champion with his Power Axe, but the unnatural armour of the Excoriator was impervious to his blows.

The Chaos Champion retaliated, his Daemon Sword easily cutting through De Marche's armour and grievously wounding him. With another strike, the Excoriator shattered Decario's Force Sword and laid open his Terminator Armour. Decario staggered, but struck back with his Power Fist, ripping the Chaos Champion's sword arm from its socket in a welter of blood.

Even mortally wounded and unarmed, the Champion fought with hideous ferocity, smashing the Librarian to the ground and slaughtering four Terminators. Decario muttered a prayer to the Emperor, reached for the nearest weapon to hand and struck out at the Champion. The Excoriator's head was chopped from his shoulders and Decario realised he had picked up the Daemon Sword, killing the Champion with his own Chaos weapon.

Xanthite Malleus Inquisitor — Xanthite Inquisitor De Marche

Decario was filled with a sense of utter purpose as he wielded the Chaos sword and instinctively felt that this was a weapon that could be turned against the forces of Chaos. The wounded De Marche cautioned the Librarian to put the weapon down, that only he was trained in the use of such artefacts.

The Librarian handed the Inquisitor the weapon and the Space Marines returned to their ship, leaving behind Adeptus Mechanicus survey teams to search the Hulk for any archaeotech. De Marche explained that he also believed that such weapons could be used to fight Chaos and should not be destroyed out of hand as was standard Imperial policy.

With the aid of Decario, De Marche was able to convince the Fire Claws' Chapter Master of this and, under De Marche's guidance, the Fire Claws embarked on an Imperial Crusade to explore the worlds around the Eye of Terror and uncover more such Chaos relics.

Over the solar decades that followed, many such artefacts were discovered and the Fire Claws Chapter became known instead as the Relictors.

Judgment and Crusade

However, it was only a matter of time before others discovered the Relictors' practice of using Chaos weapons in battle. A cell of Puritan Inquisitors backed up by the fleets of no less than four Chapters of Space Marines and an Emperor-class Battleship descended upon the Relictors' fortress-monastery orbiting their homeworld of Neutra some fifty standard years before the start of the Third War for Armageddon. They demanded that the Relictors hand over De Marche and all recovered Chaos weaponry or be destroyed.

Faced with destruction, the Chapter had no option but to obey. As penance for dealing with heretical weaponry, the Chapter was despatched on a century-long penitent crusade against all the foes of the Emperor to atone for their impurity. De Marche was taken by the Inquisition and executed by the Ordo Hereticus as a Heretic.

As part of their Penance Crusade, the entire Relictor Chapter (all 10 companies) were deployed to the Hive World of Armageddon during the Third War for Armageddon in 998.M41 in that world's Equatorial Jungles to fight the rabid tribes of Feral Orks.

However, the Chapter was publicly criticised during this campaign, as the majority of its battle-brothers concentrated their efforts in the region surrounding the foul pyramid known as Angron's Monolith, despite repeated requests for assistance elsewhere.

The area surrounding the monolith had been declared Purgatus and was now twisted and diseased, warped by the presence of such an evil creation. Feral Orks were drawn to the monolith and there were many nests of these creatures hidden there.

Throughout the conflict in the jungle, the environs surrounding Angron's Monolith were the source of much rumour and speculation. Babbling soldiers, staggering incoherent from the jungle, claimed that the pyramid had altered its orientation and pulsed with inner life.

While such stories were clearly the figments of unhinged minds, several reports of mysterious beings sheathed in metal skin had coincided with the last known locations of squads now listed as missing in action. Imperial Astropaths had even detected strange disturbances in the Warp centred around the monolith and an increased build-up of psychic energy within it. Only the Relictors displayed a willingness to fight in these sectors.

Vision and Quest

The Chapter later left Amageddon after the Chapter's Librarians had a vision of a lidless eye weeping blood. The Relictors left Armageddon in their spaceborne Ramilies-class Starfort for the Eye of Terror.

Conflict with the other forces in the area increased as the Relictors descended deeper into the Eye of Terror in their search for more tools of Chaos to turn against their owners.

This conflict eventually culminated with a Relictor raid on the remote Diamedes Archive where the Space Marines destroyed an Inquisition force guarding a Chaos artefact of great power and claimed it for their own.

Excommunication

Continued conflict with the Inquisition over the use of Chaos artefacts during the 13^th Black Crusade resulted in the Relictors ultimately being declared Excommunicate Traitoris by the Ordo Hereticus and the Chapter was all but destroyed by the Ordo Malleus' Grey Knights under the command of Inquisitor Cyarro.

Only a few hundred Relictors now remain, and it is suspected that these survivors have fled to the relative safety of the Eye of Terror.

It is currently unknown whether these survivors have thrown in their lot with the forces of Chaos and become full-fledged Chaos Space Marines or whether they continue their struggle of trying to turn the dark powers of the Chaos Gods against them and their servants for the good of humanity, much like another well-known Renegade Space Marine Chapter, the Soul Drinkers.

Notable Campaigns

Feral War (ca. 112.M33) - Whilst mining the Feral World of Aggaros, the Adeptus Mechanicus engage in what at first seems like an embarrassingly one-sided battle against the world's barbaric natives, until the primitives bring their flame-tongued shamans into the fray. The cybernetic armies of the Adeptus Mechanicus find themselves burnt from the inside or crushed flat by invisible forces. The retreating Tech-priests call in an old debt from the Relictors Chapter in order to renew the attack. Four days later, the Relictors' 3^rd Company fights its way through psychic pyrotechnics of bewildering force to reach the hidden city of the primitive Aggarosan tribes. Lining every road are dust-caked statues of the Thousand Sons, each facing a colossal effigy of the infamous Chaos Sorcerer Ahriman atop a pyramid of obsidian. Captain Excorius orders the profane statue of Ahriman tom down. As it topples, every one of the Thousand Sons "statues," who were actually Rubric Marines, comes to life, shrugging off the dust of centuries and opening fire on the Relictors with a hail of coruscating bolts. Not one of the Adeptus Mechanicus, nor their Relictors allies, survive.
Blood Star Campaign (748.M41) - A massive daemonic incursion into the Scarus Sector is heralded by the star Ares turning an ominous blood red. The Relictors, Rainbow Warriors and Fire Lords eventually halt the invasion but take grievous casualties, including the loss of all three Chapter Masters. The Imperium grieves for three of its mightiest heroes.
Achilus Crusade (777.M41) - The Relictors, then still known as the Fire Claws, sent a special detachment of Astartes to participate in the Achilus Crusade in the Jericho Reach.
Battle for the Captor of Sin Space Hulk (ca. 950.M41) - The Relictors, then still called the Fire Claws, succeeded in cleansing the space hulk designated the Captor of Sin from the Chaos Space Marine warband led by the Chaos Champion of Tzeentch named the Excoriator.

Angrons Monolith — Relictors Space Marines during the Third War for Armageddon, fighting near Angron's Monolith against the Orks.

Third War for Armageddon (998.M41) - When the Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka led the largest Ork invasion since the Ullanor Crusade against the Hive World of Armageddon, the Relictors were amongst the first of the 20 plus Space Marine Chapters to rush to its aid. Lord Commander Dante of the Blood Angels took overall command of the Chapters present, and each was utilised to the best of its abilities towards the goal of pushing back the millions-strong Ork horde. Alone of all the Chapters, the Relictors did not acknowledge the authority of Commander Dante, or of any other Imperial leader. Dante was far more forgiving in this regard than General Kurov and others of the Imperial Guard and the Armageddon planetary government, who publicly decried the Relictors as oath-breakers after the majority of the Chapter spent the greater proportion of their time on Armageddon engaged in operations of their own in the vicinity of Angron's Monolith. The equatorial jungle in this area was dark and twisted, and the only living creatures frequenting it were the Feral Ork tribes who were said to perform dark ceremonies beneath the gloomy jungle canopy. All through the war for Armageddon, the Relictors remained within the depths of the jungle, famously refusing even the personal commands of Lord Commander Dante of the Blood Angels. As the first phase of the campaign drew to a close, and the Season of Fire approached, a ceasefire of sorts was achieved, with both sides digging in to weather the coming storms. Many Space Marine Chapters withdrew, as their lightning attack style of warfare was of less relevance in this new stage of the war. First to withdraw were the Relictors, who, with no explanation whatsoever, emerged from the jungle, boarded their Thunderhawk gunships and simply left. Imperial Navy picket ships in orbit challenged them, and a violent confrontation between supposed allies was only narrowly averted when Commander Dante ordered the picket ships to stand down and allow the Relictors' ships to rendezvous with their fleet and their Star Fort. The next time the Relictors were seen was one month later, when they arrived at the orbital shipyards of Belis Corona and demanded a complete resupply of their entire fleet. After some tense altercations with officious Departmento Munitorum bureaucrats, the Chapter's demands were acceded to and their ships resupplied. With no further explanation, the Chapter left in the direction of the Cadian Gate.
13^th Black Crusade (ca. 999.M41) - The Relictors arrived at the Cadian Gate mere solar days before the first signs of Abaddon's imminent attack were seen. The Relictors contributed all 10 of their companies to the fight against the Forces of Chaos during the 13^th Black Crusade of Abaddon the Despoiler. As in their involvement in the Third War for Armageddon, the Relictors refused to submit themselves to the authority of any other, incurring the wrath of Great Wolf Logan Grimnar of the Space Wolves Chapter on many occasions before he cursed the entire Chapter and washed his hands of them. The Relictors were reported as having taken part in a number of actions, and the Chapter's presence was suspected on the periphery of a number of others. The Chapter was known to have participated in an attack against a warband of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion on the world of Subiaco Diablo, during which an Inquisitorial task force disappeared under suspicious circumstances. They were next seen in the Cadian Sector, where they clashed with a Night Lords force at Exeltra Minor, before becoming embroiled in a suppression action against Aeldari raiders at Xersia. The Chapter then appeared near Cadia itself, but refused to respond to instructions from Logan Grimnar to reinforce the Fortress World, instead making straight for the Warp conduit and departing for the Agri-World of Fremas. Exactly what occurred at Fremas is a matter of some doubt, but a pack of Wolf Scouts despatched by Logan Grimnar tracked the Relictors to the remote Diamedes Archive, where the Chapter appeared to have repulsed a Chaos attack before turning upon the Archive's defenders. None of the defenders were reported to have survived the assault, but Grimnar's men recovered partial vid-logs that suggest the Relictors' objective was the sealed stasis vault at the heart of the mountaintop fastness. The contents of this vault were known to but a handful of Adepts in the Imperium, most of whom resided on Terra. As a result of their use of Chaos artefacts to secure victory during the 13th Black Crusade, the Relictors ultimately came into conflict with the Inquisition and the High Lords of Terra declared that they were Excommunicate Traitoris. After a devastating battle with the Grey Knights at the direction of the Inquisition, the surviving Relictors Astartes were forced to flee into the Eye of Terror to seek sanctuary. Their current fate remains unknown to the Imperium.

Chapter Organisation

The Relictors conform, at first appearance, to that of a standard Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter, with 10 companies divided into a standard mix of Battle, Assault, Tactical, Devastator and Scout Companies. But it is in the higher echelons of the Chapter that many differences become apparent.

The Chapter's command ranks are gathered together in a group known as "the Conclave" and every decision concerning the Chapter's deployment and operational doctrine is made there. Only those proven in combat and of guaranteed purity are permitted to rise to become members of the Conclave, and privy to the true nature of the Chapter.

As a warrior rises through the ranks he is gradually initiated deeper into the Chapter's mysteries and when he is judged worthy to join the Conclave the truth about the powerful Chaos weapons wielded by its senior officers is finally revealed.

It is these warriors who, after many solar days praying and shriving their souls of all impure thoughts, are permitted to carry the Chapter's Daemon Weapons into combat.

The Chapter's Librarians, of which there are a great many more than a Chapter should normally possess, meticulously screen potential initiates, rejecting all but the strongest-willed candidates. In battle the Chapter fights with a balanced mixture of forces, appropriate to the given threat, and deviates little from standard Adeptus Astartes battlefield operation.

Only when members of the Conclave take to the field do the Relictors become something much more sinister. Senior members of the Chapter employ the weapons of the enemy against them, and individual squads carry unholy artefacts, utilising the power of Chaos against its foul minions just as the Radical philosophy of the Inquisition has long advocated.

Chapter Homeworld

A Ramilies-class Starfort, similar to the Relictors' former Fortress-Monastery

Torva Minoris, called by its population Neutra, was the Relictors' Chapter homeworld, and it is situated in an area of the Segmentum Obscurus notorious for the intensity of the Warp Storms afflicting it.

It is believed the world was trapped within such a storm throughout the early years of the Chapter's founding. A plague of Warp Storms affected the Imperium during the Age of Apostasy, during which invasion and insurrection were rife across the Imperium. The area surrounding the Torva System was so ravaged by the taint of the storms that frequent pogroms are, to this day, carried out to ensure instances of mutation within the population do not rise above tolerable levels.

Neutra is a satellite of the massive, blood red gas giant Torva Prime, and is classified by the Administratum as a Feral World. The population are superstitious savages who worshipped the Relictors as emissaries of the God-Emperor when the Chapter visited them, once a generation, to carry off the most promising young warriors to its "sky fortress".

The tribes were known to revere the artefacts carried by the Space Marines as divine weaponry that could only be wielded by true and worthy servants of the Emperor; an attitude that seemed to have been carried forward into the dogma of the Chapter.

The "sky fortress" was the Relictors' fortress-monastery, a massive Ramilies-class Starfort that orbited Neutra. Few emissaries were known to have returned from the fortress, but those few that survived spoke of a monastery wreathed in perpetual gloom, where acolytes toiled within locked cells to transcribe ancient, some say forbidden, texts as part of their training to become a battle-brother of the Chapter.

One such report, recounted by the notorious Heretic Archivist of the Gethsemane Reclusium, told of the existence of a chamber deep within the fortress, sealed behind stasis fields and protected by the most severe of psychic wards.

Exactly what was held within this chamber was unknown, but the account spoke of a miasma of evil that leaked through the metre-thick adamantium blast doors despite the safeguards. The Heretic Archivist's writings suggested that the original witness was driven insane by what he saw, and died a slow, painful death within the torture chambers of the Ordo Malleus.

After the Inquisiton censured the Relictors for the actions of Inquisitor De Marche some fifty standard years before the Third War for Armageddon began, the Chapter lost its feudal rights to Neutra, which meant they could no longer recruit from amongst its feral tribes. The Relictors were forced to gather potential Acolytes from amongst the populations they encountered during their penitent crusade.

The Inquisiton has ruled that no Adeptus Astartes Chapter may recruit from Neutra, and it is believed the Ordo Malleus keeps a close watch on the world to ensure its ruling is adhered to.

The superstitious natives of Neutra now believe the God-Emperor has forsaken them, and every Terran year their ceremonies of abasement grow more extreme in their attempts to atone for whatever fault has caused the emissaries of the Emperor to turn from them.

It will not be long before the population of the planet has become outright Heretics in service to the Dark Gods unless something is done.

As a result of the continued actions of the Relictors during the 13 Black Crusade and their continued conflict with the Inquisition over the use of Chaos artefacts, the Relictors were finally judged to be Extremis Diabolus and their lives became forfeit. The Inquisition's decision was swift and unanimous and they were ultimately proclaimed Excommunicate Traitoris by the Ordo Hereticus.

The Relictors were declared to have forsaken the Emperor's Light and were to be hunted down and destroyed; their gene-seed wiped from the galaxy and all record of their deeds expunged from Imperial history. During the 13^th Black Crusade, the Relictors lost a great many of their number and their mobile fortress-monastery was severely damaged in the course of the recapture of the world of Finreht.

It had taken all the skill of the Chapter's Master of the Fleet to secretly move the Relictors Chapter fleet to anchor in the Taeloth System, where they attempted to recover their strength and make use of the knowledge they had gleaned from the dark treasure within the Diamedes Archive.

The Chapter was all but destroyed in a cunning ambush by the Ordo Malleus' Chamber Militant, the Grey Knights, under the command of Inquisitor Cyarro, whom the Relictors had left for dead on the Agri-World of Fremas. The assembled Inquisitorial fleet hammered the dying remains of the Relictors' fortress-monastery with concentrated fire from their powerful gun batteries.

A Ramilies-class Starfort was a massive edifice and took time to fully destroy, but the Inquisition left only when every trace of the Relictors was reduced to dust. The survivors successfully ran the Grey Knights' picket of warships, though only a few hundred Relictors now remained, and it is suspected that these survivors have fled to the relative safety of the Eye of Terror.

Chapter Beliefs

The Relictors have adopted the Radical Inquisitorial philosophy known as Xanthism, which advocates the use of Warp-based weaponry, such as daemon-possessed weapons, Daemonhosts, and other tactics that will turn the power of Chaos against itself.

Xanthism is named after Inquisitor-Master Zaranchek Xanthus, who was executed as a Heretic by the more Puritan factions of the Inquisition in the 32^nd Millennium. Central to the Relictors' belief system is the tenet that Chaos is not inherently evil, that it is merely a power that may be turned against those who choose to wield it for evil. This manifests most commonly in the Chapter's use of captured Daemon Weapons, but also extends to their increased reliance on Librarians.

As a relatively new Chapter, the Relictors display the confidence of youth that borders on arrogance, as they believe that they have the strength of will and faith to resist the corruption of Chaos. They disdain those who have not the courage to use such artefacts, claiming that the power of Chaos is a weapon like any other and that the myriad evils that threatens to engulf the galaxy merits the use of such weapons.

The Librarians and Chaplains of the Relictors teach that a warrior who is armoured in faith in the Emperor can withstand the temptations of Chaos and it is their belief that their battle-brothers possess this faith in sufficient amounts to do so.

The Relictors believe it is their sworn duty to hunt down such artefacts and study them that they might better understand the machinations of the Archenemy.

This attitude has often brought the Relictors into confrontation with other Imperial organisations like the Inquisition's Puritan faction when their objectives are in direct opposition, but until the end of the 13^th Black Crusade open conflict was avoided.

Chapter Combat Doctrine

The Relictors are known to follow the Codex Astartes as far as overall military organisation of the Chapter is concerned, but it has been noted that they have strayed from approved doctrine in a number of other areas.

The major difference between the Chapter's combat doctrine and that of any other is in its use of captured enemy weapons.

Many Chapters indulge in trophy taking, but the Relictors have in the past gone out of their way to capture, master and utilise weapons taken from the forces of Chaos. This is a practise that ultimately led to their excommunication.

Another notable feature of the Chapter's organisation is the inclusion of more Librarians than is usual, a feature some observers have attributed to the Relictors' proximity to the Eye of Terror.

In terms of battlefield tactics, many Imperial commanders who have fought beside the Chapter have voiced concerns about its behaviour. It has been noted on many occasions that the Relictors will only embark upon a specific course of action if it meets with some criteria only they are party to and will often only fight alongside other Imperial forces if that agenda can be furthered.

This is most evident in the Chapter's actions at Armageddon, where it answered the general call to defend the world from the Ork invasion, but ignored all specific instructions and requests, despite these orders originating from Commander Dante of the Blood Angels himself.

Chapter Gene-Seed

The source of the Relictors' gene-seed is largely based on gene stock taken from the Adeptus Mechanicus laboratorium on Mars and is thought to be composed of that grown from the genetic stocks of the Ultramarines and the Dark Angels.

If this is the case, then it would appear that the High Lords of Terra's reluctance to sanction the use of the Dark Angel's gene-seed in the creation of new Chapters has relaxed somewhat.

There are no recorded instances of unacceptable mutation in the Relictors' gene-seed, though given their officers' constant exposure to the powers of the Warp, the Apothecaries and Librarians maintain close watch on the purity of their battle-brothers for any signs of aberration.

It is rumoured that those gene-seed organ zygotes that display mutation are allowed to mature before implantation into a host organism in order that the Apothecaries might better study the workings of Chaos on the flesh and how to defeat it. The source and veracity of these rumours are unclear.

Notable Relictors

Artekus Bardane - Artekus Bardane is the current Chapter Master of the Relictors. A fierce warrior from the wilds of the Feral World of Neutra, Artekus Bardane was the son of a battle chieftain and learned the way of war as soon as he could hold a sword. On Neutra a child learned to fight quickly or he died, and this resulted in a warrior people, living a precarious existence plundering neighbouring clans for sustenance. His confidence and courage saw him easily best his rivals, and he was chosen by the Librarians of the Relictors to become a Space Marine, quickly adapting to the ways of the Imperium and its advanced weapons of war. His supreme confidence, some would say overbearing arrogance, saw him rise rapidly through the ranks of the Chapter, accepting each new mystery revealed to him by the Conclave with ease. His skill in mastering the weapons and artefacts of Chaos led to his being given command of a company that penetrated deep into the Eye of Terror on a mission to hunt down and capture Chaos weaponry. On the world of Eidolon, Artekus defeated a mighty Champion of Slaanesh, taking up his accursed weapon, a screaming flail of daemonic faces, and destroying the fiend's warband with the howling Daemon Weapon. This Screaming Flail was placed in stasis at the heart of the Relictors' fortress-monastery, where it was kept until needed. Before wielding the Daemon Weapon, its bearer must spend many days in penitent fasting and prayer, purifying his soul and steeling his faith to resist the whispered imprecations of the imprisoned daemon within. Artekus Bardane continued to serve with great distinction, earning yet higher rank, learning more of the Chapter's secrets and unearthing more and more Chaos artefacts. After the destruction of the Cult of the Scarlet Vein, a bloody battle of which Artekus was the only survivor, he was finally elevated to the rank of Chapter Master at the recommendation of his predecessor, who was mortally wounded in the final battle against that Chaos Cult. When the call for aid came from the beleaguered Hive World of Armageddon, the Relictors mobilised their entire Chapter and set off to serve in the system-spanning conflict. Artekus ordered his captains to gather their warriors, and the entire Chapter journeyed to this war-torn world. Artekus led his men deep into the heart of the Equatorial Jungle, where he believed the greatest potential lay for the study of Chaos, given that the cursed Monolith of Angron, the Daemon Primarch of the World Eaters Traitor Legion, squatted in its haunted depths. All through the war for Armageddon, the Relictors remained within the depths of the jungle, famously refusing even the personal commands of Commander Dante of the Blood Angels. When the war on Armageddon drew to a close, the Librarians of the Relictors claimed to have had visions of a giant eye, dripping with blood, and Artekus immediately withdrew his Chapter from the warzone. Following the Conclave's vision, he began the journey towards the Eye of Terror, where his Chapter participated in the 13^th Black Crusade and ultimately was declared "Extremis Diabolus." Bardane has little patience for the Inquisition and believes that the Relictors are still pursuing the right course, a course that will ultimately lead the Imperium to accept the Relictors back into its good graces, despite the stiff-necked opposition of the Puritan factions of the Inquisition.
Chief Librarian Decario - The Relictors, at the time known as the Fire Claws, mobilised to intercept a badly damaged space hulk called the Captor of Sin as it left Warpspace near the Stygies System. Decario, Inquisitor de Marche and Terminator Assault Squads entered the hulk and encountered the forces of a Renegade warband led by a Tzeentchian Champion of Chaos named the Excoriator. De Marche was badly wounded by the Chaos Champion and Decario's Force Sword was broken in the combat. Instead, he managed to use his Power Fist to rip the Excoriator's sword arm from its socket. Even so, the Excoriator went on to kill another four Terminators and forced Decario to the ground. Decario muttered a prayer to the Emperor and reached out for the nearest weapon, picking up the Daemon Sword of the Excoriator and beheading him. From that moment on Decario sensed he could use these weapons against the servants of Chaos. De Marche warned Decario to put the sword down, as he was the only one in the party who could control the powers held within the daemonic blade. Decario handed over the weapon to the Inquisitor but would never be free of the power he felt he could wield with it. De Marche had similar feelings as Decario and together they convinced the Chapter Master of the Fire Claws of this Radical proposition and they embarked on a crusade to locate similar Chaos relics near the Eye of Terror which they could use against the forces of Chaos.
Captain Aryan - Aryan was a captain of the Relictors Chapter who had taken up a Daemon Sword called the Umbral Blade. What he believed to be the blade spoke to him constantly after the Relictors arrived in the Eye of Terror, convincing him that the only way to defeat Chaos was to make use of the tools of Chaos like the corrupted sword and slowly eroding his faith in the Emperor. Aryan led a group of Relictors to assault the Black Legion warship Orgy of Sin. In the course of the battle, Aryan confronted the Chaos Lord Eyron, who mortally wounded the Relictor using his own corrupted Chainaxe. But the Umbral Blade healed Aryan's wounds, and the Relictors officer was able to slay the more powerful Chaos Space Marine. Only after Eryon was dead was the truth revealed -- the voice speaking to Aryan had not been the Umbral Blade, but the Daemon Prince Be'lakor, who had used the Relictors Captain to kill another one of Abaddon the Despoiler's warlords. Be'lakor slew Aryan and the remaining Relictors battle-brothers present on the Orgy of Sin's bridge after the battle ended and then psychically dominated the weak minds of the Black Legion vessel's crew. Crushing their ineffectual resistance to his will, the Daemon Prince turned them into his puppets and set about triggering a Plasma Drive cascade that would obliterate the Orgy of Sin. With another part of his plan complete in his quest to replace the Despoiler as the greatest champion of Chaos Undivided, Be'lakor took back the Umbral Blade and disappeared into the shadows.
Captain Excorius (KIA) - Excorius was the captain of the Relictors 3rd Company, active in the 33rd Millennium. In 112.M33, Excorius led his company in the Feral War against the psykers of the planet Aggaros. Fighting through the tribes' pyrokinetic shamans, the Relictors uncovered a hidden, ancient city full of statues of the Thousand Sons, each facing an obsidian pyramid bearing a statue of Ahzek Ahriman. Excorius ordered the Chaos monument torn down, resulting in the Relictors being ambushed by the statues themselves, since they were in actuality Rubric Marines. In the ensuing battle the Space Marines, including Excorius, were killed. It should be noted that this source names the Chapter the Relictors at a time when other sources claim they were still called the "Fire Claws."
Captain Bylar - Bylar was a captain of the Relictors Chapter active during the Blood Star Campaign. His chainsword became a relic of the Chapter. It was wielded by Sergeant Juster during the Third War for Armageddon. However, when Juster was killed by Feral Orks, it was looted from his corpse by the Greenskins.
Captain Maegar - Maegar was the captain of the Relictors 4th Company during the Third War for Armageddon. He was ordered to take his company and scout the Equatorial Jungles of Armageddon in search of the Chaos artefact from the First War for Armageddon called Angron's Monolith.
Codicier Ibraxin - Ibraxin was a Codicier of the Relictors.
Harkus - Harkus served as the captain of Chapter Master Artekus Bardane's Honour Guard.
Sergeant Divolio (KIA) - Divolio was a sergeant of the Relictors' 4th Company. He served in the command squad of the 4th Company's commander, Captain Maegar. During the Third War for Armageddon, the entire Relictors Chapter deployed to Armageddon, scouting the Equatorial Jungles in search of a Chaos artefact known as Angron's Monolith. After the monolith was finally discovered, Divolio accompanied Captain Maegar, the entire 4th Company, elements of the Chapter's command staff and Inquisitor Halstron in reaching it. As Chief Librarian Decario attempted to extract a fragment of an axe from the monolith, it triggered a psychic scream that attracted a horde of Feral Orks to their position. In the ensuing battle, Divolio was slain by the Orks.
Sergeant Juster (KIA) - Juster was a sergeant of the Relictors' 4th Company. During the Third War for Armageddon, the 4th Company deployed to the Equatorial Jungles of Armageddon, ostensibly to purge them of the Feral Orks who might reinforce Ghazghkull's forces elsewhere on the planet. In truth, the Astartes were ordered to scout the jungle in search of a Chaos monument erected during the classified First War for Armageddon known as Angron's Monolith. Under the command of Captain Maegar, Juster led a squad consisting of Battle-Brothers Tarryn, Baeloch, Nabori and Kantus in search of the monolith. Unfortunately, the squad fell into a Feral Ork ambush that resulted in Nabori and Kantus dying and Juster being severely injured. Although Tarryn and Baeloch attempted to carry their sergeant to safety, Juster instead ordered them to retreat with the knowledge that the monolith was near their last reported position and covered their retreat. Juster was killed by the Greenskins, but Tarryn and Baeloch were able to link up with Chapter command.
Sergeant Illonus - Illonus was a sergeant of the Relictors who served as a member of Chapter Master Artekus Bardane's Honour Guard. Illonus wields a black-bladed gladius, which was one of the many Chaos artefacts that the Relictors had collected.
Sergeant Kharran - Kharran was a sergeant of the Relictors' 4th Company. He served during the Third War for Armageddon.
Kantus (KIA) - Kantus was a battle-brother of the Relictors' 4th Company and a member of Sergeant Juster's squad who helped to scout the Equatorial Jungles of Armageddon during the Third War for Armageddon. While searching for Angron's Monolith, Kantus triggered a Feral Ork explosive that had been concealed in the undergrowth. Kantus was slain when he threw himself upon the cache of explosives as they detonated, in order to protect the lives of his battle-brothers.
Baelock (KIA) - Baeloch was a battle-brother of the Relictors' 4th Company who was slain when trying to subdue his fellow battle-brother Nico Tarryn after the discovery of Angron's Monolith within the Equatorial Jungles of Armageddon during the Third War for Armageddon.
Nabori (KIA) - Nabori was a battle-brother of the Relictors' 4th Company and served in Sergeant Juster's squad. While scouting the Equatorial Jungles of Armageddon during the Third War for Armageddon for Angron's Monolith, Nabori was slain in an ambush carried out by Feral Orks, taken down by the Greenskins' sheer numbers.
Parvhel - Parvhel was a Veteran Relictor who served as a member of Chapter Master Artekus Bardane's Honour Guard.
Noci Tarryn - Tarryn was a member of the Relictors' 4th Company.

Chapter Relics

Artekus Scourge - The Artekus Scourge is a Daemon Weapon that appears as a flail tipped with balls of pure energy in the form of screaming daemonic faces. Originally wielded by the Chapter Master of the Relictors, Artekus Bardane, the flail snaps and gnashes at the souls of those it hits.
Blade of Phaedron - Inside the Blade of Phaedron lies the seething soul of a daemon possessed of a great enmity for all its kin. Although this Daemon Weapon is unremarkable when employed against a living being, against another daemon the blade will blaze white with the pure heat of the captive daemon's rage.
Books of Pain - The fabled Books of Pain contain every word that has ever been used to describe sensation from discomfort to screaming agony. In times of dire necessity, a few words from these blasphemous texts can cause all those within earshot to fall into paroxysms of suffering.
Candau's Doom - Candau’s Doom is a unique archeotech weapon which is operated similarly to the humble Autogun, though after seeing the weapon in action, some have compared it instead to the scythe of Death itself. The planet Candau, now a lifeless ruin, was once a productive Agri-world not far from the Jericho Reach. When the plough of a farming serf unearthed a stasis casket containing a stash of archeotech, the Planetary Governor set the population to work searching for more such relics. News of the find spread, and Heretics assaulted the world to claim its prizes, working much of the population to their deaths. When the Relictors drove out the Heretics, they claimed the last relics of Candau in memory of its people -- the weapons that had slain a world without firing a single shot. Most remain in the Chapter Armoury, but the first weapon to be drawn from the ancient casket they donated to the Deathwatch.
Grimoire Pandaemonica - This daemonic grimoire weighs heavily with the sacrifices made in its name, and has the power to greatly augment the power of dark ritual. When read backwards, passages from within its pages can cause tidal waves in the Empyrean, disrupting any control over daemonic summoning.
Shard of the Monolith - Recovered from the twisted, debased Monolith of the Daemon Primarch Angron of the World Eaters Traitor Legion at the heart of the Equatorial Jungle on the Hive World of Armageddon and set into an ornate chain of consecrated lead, this shard of obsidian imbues the wearer with great speed and strength, but at the price of a portion of their health.
Sword of St. Aquitaine - The Sword of St. Aquitaine was recovered by the Relictors immediately prior to its debasement and subsequent possession by a daemonic entity, and contains a nightmarish creature of such power it can turn day into night.
Umbral Blade - A Daemon Sword that was used by the Relictors Captain Aryan to slay the Chaos Lord Eryon of the Black Legion aboard his flagship Orgy of Sin. The weapon actually belonged to the Daemon Prince Be'lakor who used it to corrupt pawns who would aid his plan to replace Abaddon the Despoiler as the most-favoured servant of the Ruinous Powers.

Chapter Appearance

Relictors Armageddon War — A Relictors Tactical Marine who fought during the Third War for Armageddon.

Chapter Colours

The Relictors Chapter wear dark grey power armour with black shoulder plates trimmed with dark grey.

Their Aquila or Imperialis is silver.

It is unknown how their time within the Eye of Terror may have altered their appearance.

As the Fire Claws, the Chapter's colours were orange and black.

Chapter Badge

The Relictors Chapter badge is the profile of a large, stylised, white skull centred on a field of black.

Canon Conflict

According to the novella Angron's Monolith, the Relictors were called the Fire Claws before the battle aboard the Captor of Sin, which occurred in the 41st Millennium.

However, the 6th Edition Codex: Chaos Space Marines calls the Chapter the Relictors during a campaign that occurred many thousands of standard years earlier.

Sources

Codex: Armageddon (3rd Edition), pg. 32
Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 21-22
Codex: Eye of Terror (3rd Edition), pg. 16
Codex Heretic Astartes - Thousand Sons (8th Edition), pg. 28
Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 18, 67
Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 30
Dataslate: Be'lakor, the Dark Master (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 10-12
Deathwatch Core Rulebook (RPG), pg.331-349
Deathwatch - Honour the Chapter (RPG), pg. 125
How to Paint Space Marines (2004), pg. 88
The Thirteenth Black Crusade (Background Book) by Andy Hoare
White Dwarf 295 (UK), "Chapter Approved: Extremis Diabolus"
White Dwarf 286 (UK), "The Eye of the Storm: Space Marine Chapters fighting in the Eye of Terror"
White Dwarf 249 (UK), "Emperor's Shield: Space Marine Chapters of the Armageddon War"
Angron's Monolith (Novella) by Steve Lyons
Sanctus (Novella) by Darius Hinks
Third War for Armageddon Worldwide Campaign - Forces Disposition, Imperial Forces: Relictors