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The Foresworn warband colour scheme

The Foresworn are a large warband of Chaos Space Marines drawn from the World Eaters Traitor Legion. The corrupted Heretic Astartes of this warband are all Khornate Berserkers. The Foresworn are led by the infamous Chaos Lord Kossolax the Foresworn.

In the Era Indomitus the Foresworn are believed to be the largest of the remaining World Eaters warbands, and their leader Kossolax seeks to reunite the scattered warbands of the XII Legion into a coherent fighting force once more, an ambition made both harder and easier by the recent return of his Daemon Primarch Angron to activity in realspace.

Warband History[]

Notable Campaigns[]

  • 13th Black Crusade (ca. 999.M41) - The Foresworn was a part of the forces of Chaos gathered under the leadership of the Warmaster of Chaos, Abaddon the Despoiler, during the infamous 13th Black Crusade. This resulted in the largest mobilisation of both Imperial and Chaotic forces seen in the Milky Way Galaxy since the bygone era of the Horus Heresy.
    • Assault on Agripinaa (ca. 999.M41) - Due to its proximity to the Cadian Gate, the Forge World of Agripinaa suffered greatly during Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade. This world was invaded by Kossolax the Foresworn and his large warband of Khornate Berserkers, who sacrificed millions of its citizens over 40 solar hours to summon a horde of Khornate Daemons, which included a mighty Bloodthirster. Four companies of the Blood Angels Chapter answered the call to defend Cadia, arriving towards the middle of the conflict. A significant force of Blood Angels immediately fell upon the Chaos hordes assaulting Agripinaa, seeking out the leader of the attacking forces, the notorious Khornate Chaos Lord Kossolax the Foresworn. In an epic confrontation likened to the mythic conflict between the Blood Angels' Primarch Sanguinius and the mighty Bloodthirster Ka'Bandha at the closing of the Eternity Gate during the climax of the Horus Heresy at the Siege of Terra, the Blood Angels took the fight directly to the enemy. Kossolax, fully aware that his bodyguard was no match for the frenzied sons of Sanguinius, called upon the slavering Daemons of Khorne for aid. The summoning rite was an act of wanton, traitorous carnage, as the Chaos Champion ordered his World Eaters to sacrifice the lives of their Chaos Cultist allies in order to gain the favour of the Blood God. Uncounted thousands were slaughtered in mere solar hours, their blood flowing in rivers through the corridors of Agripinaa's primary hive city. The sacrifice had the desired result, and as the first of the Blood Angels' Veteran Assault Squads soared into battle, a blasphemous avatar of the Blood God ripped its way through the skein of reality to confront the sons of Sanguinius. At the height of the battle, the Blood Angels' Sanguinary High Priest, Brother Numitor, confronted the Bloodthirster, and dealt it a blow that stunned it for a brief moment. Seizing the advantage, the brothers of the Blood Angels' Death Company leapt upon its back, but the Daemon recovered, and severed Numitor's arm with a crack of its long whip. The priest was holding one of the Blood Chalices bearing the sacred vitae of the Chapter's primarch, and the blessed liquid was spilled across the tarnished paving. At that moment, a deathly still overcame the scene, the Blood Angels momentarily shocked beyond action at the sight of their primarch's sacred blood seeping into the unhallowed ground. Then, the silence was broken, as Numitor staggered to his feet and bellowed the words of the Rite of Exsanguination. The assembled brethren of the Death Company were overcome with visions of the last time their primarch's blood had been spilt by a servant of Chaos, when Sanguinius had fallen at the hands of the Arch-Traitor Horus. The Death Company went berserk. They hacked down the Bloodthirster in a savage, rage-fuelled frenzy, oblivious to the fact that it dragged half their number down with it, before turning their hatred upon the warband of Kossolax the Foresworn. The World Eaters were expelled from Agripinaa at great cost to the Blood Angels, though the annals of the Chapter's history will long celebrate the casting out of the Greater Daemon. The warlord Kossolax was not found at the hive city, and the Sanguinary High Priest Numitor has vowed to hunt him down, no matter the cost.
  • Nachmund Rift War (Unknown Date.M42) - The Nachmund Rift War is an ongoing conflict being waged by the Imperium in the Nachmund Sub-sector. Closely connected to the War of Beasts and War of Nightmares fought earlier on Vigilus, the Sentinel World is now safely under Imperial control for the most part, though the greater Nachmund Gauntlet corridor that provides one of the only stable routes through the Great Rift from the Imperium Sanctus to the Imperium Nihilus is itself besieged by the forces of Chaos as they still seek to cut off Imperial communications and reinforcements with the Dark Imperium. The forces of the World Eaters, including those of the Foresworn, participated in this campaign.
  • Kalkin's Tribune (Unknown Date.M42) - The Foresworn and their other World Eaters allies were responsible for the deaths of over one billion Imperial soldiers and 2,000 Imperial Navy warships at Kalkin's Tribune. Before the battle the World Eaters' Daemon Primarch Angron suddenly reemerged aboard the command deck of the ancient World Eaters' flagship Conqueror and slew Kossolax's four chief lieutenants. Initially furious at his gene-father's sudden return to activity in realspace, Kossolax realised he could use the return of Angron as the symbol he needed to restore the unity of the long-broken World Eaters Legion.
  • Battle of Hyades (Unknown Date.M42) - Angron lead a great army comprised of World Eaters warbands and Khornate Daemons to the surface of the world of Hyades, massacring the personnel who were station at the Imperial astropathic station present on the world. However, the World Eaters had actually been lured to Hyades by the Grey Knights, who set off a psychic beacon intended to annihilate the planet and most of the Foresworn with it. Kossolax and his inner circle were able to escape via teleportation, while Angron was only wounded by the psychic blast.

Notable Foresworn Members[]

  • Kossolax the Foresworn - Ordo Malleus records states that the individual known as Sergeant Solax of the World Eaters' 3rd Assault Company before the Horus Heresy, is thought to be the beast now known as Kossolax the Foresworn. If this is indeed the case, Sergeant Solax has risen to the command of an entire company of Khornate Berserkers known as the Foresworn. It is believed that he fought at the climax of the of the Heresy in the siege of the Imperial Palace during the Siege of Terra.
  • Hrothqar Furor – Hrothqar Furor, known as the Ravager of Worlds, is the Champion of Khorne who served as Kossolax's lieutenant. During the First War of Armageddon, when the World Eaters were driven off the planet by Imperial forces, a portion of the Foresworn were left behind. Furor killed the acting warband leader in a death-duel and assumed command of this band of Bersekers. Furor had served in the warband of Kossolax the Foresworn in eight campaigns against the Imperium of Man.
  • Isakar Savagehand – Isakar Savagehand was the celebrated Slaughterer of Kairn, who slices through his enemies with the obsidian blades of his Lightning Claws.
  • Volkarr, the Herald of the Skull Lord – Volkarr was able to blow a resounding funereal note on the brass carynx horn that was forever welded to the faceplate of his armoured helmet. The mournful sound cuts through the din of battle, grasping the lap-dogs of the "False Emperor" in the stifling grip of fear but, at the same time, filling the devoted of Khorne with renewed vigour, sending their overwrought minds into a frenzy of blood-letting and limb-lopping.
  • Baruch – A full head taller than any of the other Chaos Space Marines of the Foresworn, Baruch's Warp-charged body is barely contained by his ancient Power Armour, his bulging, muscled arms bare of armour as he tears his enemies limb-from-limb with his bare hands.
  • The Reaper – An insane mutant creature that was once a World Eaters Chaos Space Marine, The Reaper's allegiance to Khorne is marked by a skull-rune brand that is repeated all over its filthy, bristle-haired flesh. It often drags its gore-clogged talons through the bodies of its foes and rips the throats from them with slavering, shark-like teeth.
  • Zalel Eazar – This Possessed Chaos Space Marine's sutured skin ripples with the daemonic essence of the entity he had invited to share his physical form.
  • Brother Orrax – Orrax was the bearer of the damned Khornate icon known as the Eye of Kharnath.
  • Khorgha the Chosen – Khorgha the Chosen was an Aspiring Champion of Khorne who preferred to slaughter his enemies with a Dread-Axe.
  • Ortan Leidis - Ortan Leidis is a former member of the Angels of the Grail Chapter of Loyalist Space Marines who fell to Chaos and is now a Khornate Chaos Space Marine who served during the Era Indomitus in the World Eaters warband of the Chaos Lord Arkhor. Leidis was not satisfied with his lot among the servants of Khorne and aspired to fully join the World Eaters by obtaining the cybernetic cranial implants known as the Butcher's Nails and thus complete his transformation into a Khornate Berserker. To that end, Leidis and his traitorous battle-brothers journeyed to the World Eaters' infamous flagship, the Conqueror, and hoped to meet with the World Eaters' Daemon Primarch Angron, who was said to have returned to realspace. Instead, they made contact with the World Eaters Chaos Lord Kossolax and Leidis became a de facto member of his warband, the Foresworn. Leidis was amongst the few Foresworn who survived the trap laid by the Grey Knights for the warband on Hyades, but was badly wounded and lost both legs during the resulting battle. When he awoke he discovered to his joy that he had finally been implanted with the Butcher's Nails and had become a true Khornate Berserker of the World Eaters. However, like all of the devoted mortal servants of the Blood God, Leidis did not find glory and satiation for his growing bloodlust in his new status, but only a bottomless thirst for slaughter and an increasing loss of control over his own mind. In one of his first berserk rages, Leidis proceeded to slay his devoted Chapter serf who had accompanied him into damnation and then slid further into the uncontrollable blood-madness of Khorne.

Warband Fleet[]

The Foresworn are known to possess a fleet of significant size which deployed to support the Forces of Chaos' naval operations during the 13th Black Crusade. The Foresworn's fleet includes the following types of starships:

Warband Appearance[]

Warband Colours[]

The Foresworn of Kossolax, like the World Eaters Traitor Legion, wear the colours of devotees of the Blood God; blood-red Power Armour with brass trim.

Warband Badge[]

The Foresworn's badge is the same as that of their parent Traitor Legion, the World Eaters, which is a fanged maw engulfing a world. Some versions omit the world, instead only using the large, fanged maw.

Sources[]

  • Codex: Eye of Terror (3rd Edition), pp. 16, 25
  • White Dwarf 275 (UK), "Index Astartes: Beasts of Steel - Chaos Space Marines tanks - The Rhino"
  • White Dwarf 278 (US), "Codicium Imperialis: The First War for Armageddon," by Graham McNeill and Andy Hoare
  • White Dwarf 286 (UK), "Index Astartes: The Eye of the Storm - Blood Angels," pp.68-69
  • Conquest of Armageddon (Novel) by Jonathan Green
  • Angron: The Red Angel (Novel) by David Guymer, Chs. 2-4, 5-9, 16, 19, Epilogue