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"A foe without honour is a foe already beaten."

—Ancient Helveticus, Ultramarines honour guard
Ultramarine Honour Guard

A member of the Ultramarines Chapter's honour guard outfitted in Artificer Armour.

An honour guard of the Adeptus Astartes is an elite cadre of Veteran Space Marines who have given many Terran centuries of exceptionally courageous service to their Chapter. Every member of an Astartes honour guard is a living exemplar of the ideals for which the Emperor of Mankind and the primarchs intended the Space Marines to be forever known.

Role[]

UMHonourGuard2

The Ultramarines Honour Guard in combat.

These taciturn and solemn individuals are ferocious and unyielding in the heat of battle. On the battlefield they serve as their Chapter Master's personal retinue, responsible for the safety of their commander and carrying the Chapter's sacred battle standard into battle.

Having performed deeds that lesser men could only dream of, each member of a Chapter's honour guard has received the very highest honours and accolades that his brother Space Marines can bestow. Indeed, it is often said that the most ancient individuals in a Chapter's honour guard have slain more foes over the centuries than a regiment of Imperial Guardsmen will have done in its whole existence.

Perhaps more impressive though, are the deeds of a few specific honour guards, such as those listed in the Record of Heroes within the Ultramarines' fortress-monastery on Macragge, who have won more victories in their service than a whole company of other Space Marines -- names which are held in reverence by all the sons of Roboute Guilliman.

Most Space Marine Chapters have only a handful of honour guard, enough to form a distinct and capable fighting unit, but no more. A few Chapters can muster as many as two-dozen honour guards, but it is a rare and terrible day when they all fight as one. So steeped in the trade of battle and blood are the members of the honour guard that their accumulated insights and understanding of warfare commonly outstrips even the experience of the Chapter's Captains.

They rarely give unsolicited advice, for to do so is to risk undermining their commander's authority, yet such restraint serves only to lend gravitas to an honour guard's words. It is considered folly for even the Master of the Chapter -- though he be a noble and peerless warrior of several centuries' standing -- to ignore the solemn counsel of his honour guard.

An honour guard's wargear is drawn from amongst the most ancient and venerated relics of the Chapter, so the honour guard enter the fray clad in ornate suits of Artificer Armour and wielding master-crafted Astartes weapons that have seen battle in the hands of a thousand great heroes. The perfect weapon, wedded to the perfect warrior, creates a force that only the boldest or most terrifying foes can hope to stand against.

In battle, the honour guard commonly act as the Chapter Master's personal retinue, responsible for the safety of their commander and hoisting aloft the Chapter's battle standard. These are sacred tasks, and the honour guard fight for both with stern fury, without ever succumbing to doubt or allowing rage to subvert their actions.

Such courage and devotion has been the salvation of more than one Chapter Master's life and turned the tide of countless battles. Accordingly, when an honour guard is slain, his companions fight all the harder in order that his mortal shell can be recovered, his gene-seed extracted to cement his legacy and his body laid to rest in the Chapter's Vault of Heroes.

Always at the forefront of a Chapter's honour guard is the Chapter Champion. This superlative duellist is ready to challenge any enemy leader to single combat in his commander's stead, and all his training is bent to this goal.

Honour Guard Specialists[]

  • Chapter/Company Champion - The Chapter or Company Champion is charged with defending the life of his Chapter Master or company Captain, and upholding the honour of his Chapter, his company and the Emperor Himself. His is the honour and duty to challenge the warlords and champions of the foe in single combat, leaving his Chapter Master or company commander free to conduct the wider battle, rather than engage in a series of personal combats. Most Chapter or Company Champions often serve as an advisor and confidante to their commander, as fighting countless battles back-to-back against the most horrendous foes in the galaxy often creates a strong bond of brotherhood and mutual trust between the Chapter Master or company Captain and his Champion.  
  • Chapter/Company Standard Bearer - The Chapter or Company Standard Bearer is a Veteran Space Marine hand-picked by either the Chapter Master or the Reclusiarch for his stubbornness and resilience, and given the honour of brandishing his Chapter's or company's most sacred relic in battle. Boldly accompanying his Chapter Master or company commander onto the field, the Standard Bearer's duty is to hold high the colours and to defend the precious relic with his life. In almost all Chapters, stories and legends similar to that of Ancient Galatan of the Ultramarines abound, of Chapter or Company Standard Bearers who held their ground and refused to die against the most terrible of foes, holding high their standard and rallying their battle-brothers and any other present Imperial forces against all odds, delivering victory at the willing cost of their own life.

Wargear[]

Notable Space Marine Honour Guards[]

BA Honour Guard3

Members of a Blood Angels company honour guard

  • Blood Angels Honour Guard - A Blood Angels captain is often accompanied to battle by a dedicated squad of elite Astartes bodyguards known as an honour guard. The members of this honour guard are chosen only from a company's most experienced warriors. Indeed many are Veterans seconded from the Chapter's famous 1st Company. Each honour guard is therefore a canny and deadly warrior in his own right, for a Captain is ever to be found in the very heart of the fighting and, where he goes, his honour guard is duty bound to follow. Naturally, an honour guardian's years of service will have sharpened more than his combat skills. Some will have seen more battles than the Captain they accompany, and possess a wealth of tactical insights. It is not unusual therefore for an honour guard to form the core of a Captain's inner sanctum of advisors, lending their accumulated wisdom and experience to his weighty decisions. The specific armament and specialities of a Blood Angels honour guard's members can vary greatly according to the temperament and tactical preference of their officer. A commander who prefers to spearhead his strike force's attacks might well choose seasoned Assault Marines to form his bodyguard, or battle-brothers practiced with close-range special weapons, such as Flamers or Plasma Guns. Older and wiser officers instead select their honour guards to help create a visible anchor-point on the battlefield. Such officers go to war accompanied by their company's Standard Bearer and Champion, forming an easily identifiable and adaptable rallying point around which the battle inevitably focuses. A particularly respected officer can even call upon one of the Chapter's novitiate Sanguinary Priests to serve in his honour guard and bestow the benediction of his Blood Chalice upon the squad and all the other Blood Angels who fight alongside him.
Sanguinary Guard vs

Blood Angels Sanguinary Guard fighting against Chaos Space Marines.

  • Blood Angels Sanguinary Guard - The Sanguinary Guard is comprised of the most elite Astartes of the Blood Angels and all of their Successor Chapters in the Sanguinary Brotherhood. The lineage of the Sanguinary Guard can be traced back to the dark days of the Horus Heresy, when they served as the Primarch Sanguinius' elite bodyguard. Sanguinary Guard are proven in mind, body and spirit to uphold the values of their famed Primarch Sanguinius to an extent that no other can. They are essentially the Blood Angels' elite version of a Chapter honour guard. Unlike the Chapter's other Veterans, the Sanguinary Guards do not select wargear according to their expertise. Instead they fight with the weapons traditional to their honoured position -- wrist-mounted Angelus Pattern Bolters and master-crafted Power Weapons in the form of a polearm known as a Glaive Encarmine. Each guardian's golden armour is a relic of the Chapter, one of a handful of surviving suits from the time of the Great Crusade, whose secrets of manufacture have long since been lost to the Imperium. There are few more revered relics in the whole of the Chapter's Armoury, for they are a tangible reminder of the golden age of not only the Blood Angels Legion, but of the Imperium as a whole. To join the ranks of the Sanguinary Guard is no mere battlefield assignment, nor even an honour. Rather it is to enter a brotherhood of mortals-become-gods, to continue a legend ten thousand standard years old.
Wolf Guard

A Space Wolves Wolf Lord with his Wolf Guard retinue.

  • Space Wolves Wolf Guard - The Wolf Guard are the most elite Veterans of the Space Wolves Space Marine Chapter, comparable to a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter's Sternguard Veterans. They are the bravest warriors of each of the Chapter's Great Companies, hand-selected by their Great Company's Wolf Lord to serve as his chosen protectors and the vanguard of his forces. Each battle-brother that serves in this elite unit has earned their place by some exceptional feat of arms that marked them out amongst their brethren, for a Wolf Guard is chosen based on his heroic deeds, rather than his age or time served with the Chapter. Therefore, the Wolf Guard maintains a mix of hot-blooded young warriors and stalwart Veterans amongst its ranks. Each Wolf Lord favours his chosen warriors with gifts such as antique weapons, ornate Artificer Armour of ancient origin and patterns, and, most precious of all, rare and venerated suits of Terminator Armour. In battle, the members of the Wolf Guard are assigned to lead other units or form a bodyguard to protect their Wolf Lord.
Calgar Honour Guard vs

An Ultramarines honour guard defending their Chapter Master Marneus Calgar.

  • Ultramarines Honour Guard - Each honour guard of the Ultramarines is a veteran of countless campaigns. He has faced nearly every enemy the galaxy has to throw at the defenders of Mankind and he knows no fear. The warrior has been selected, and has agreed, to become a Champion of the Chapter based on his glorious career. In battle, the Ultramarines Honour Guard forms a retinue that accompanies the Chapter Master, providing him with a degree of protection that no other force could match. Each member of the Honour Guard bears weapons that are in themselves amongst the most precious relics of the Chapter, and his armour is the finest Artificer-wrought war plate dating from the Chapter's earliest days during the Great Crusade. Though their martial skills are without equal, this is not the only reason the honour guards take to the field. So experienced is each honour guard that a single word of counsel from them can turn the tide of battle, and even the Chapter Master knows to heed their words. Perhaps the most sacred of an honour guard's duties is to carry and protect the Ultramarines Chapter banner, bearing it aloft so that all may take heart from its colours. At times an individual Ultramarines honour guard will take the Apocryphon Oath and undergo a secondment to the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos, known as the Deathwatch. This is a momentous occasion, for it signifies that the honour guard is present as a champion and representative of his entire Chapter. The oath he takes rests not simply on his own honour, but on that of every Ultramarines battle-brother. Grave bonds of honour and duty link the Ultramarines with the Deathwatch, and have done so since the earliest days of the Conclave of Orphite IV. The Ultramarines and the Deathwatch have fought alongside one another in numerous battles, and in so doing forged unbreakable bonds of kinship. There are times when an Ultramarines honour guard will take the Apocryphon Oath when the Deathwatch finds itself facing a foe which its leaders known to be a figure of special hatred for the Ultramarines, such as the Tyranids, and consider themselves honour bound to inform the Chapter. On discovering that some ancient enemy of the Chapter is abroad, the Ultramarines might despatch a strike force to fight alongside the Deathwatch, but if no such force is available, a single honour guard is despatched to join the Deathwatch and represent his entire Chapter in the battle ahead. His is the duty and the honour of fighting the final confrontation and striking the last, killing blow, for the glory of the Ultramarines and all their kin.

Notable Members of Space Marine Honour Guards[]

  • Brother Aloysius (Ultramarines Honour Guard) - During the infamous Battle of Macragge when the Ultramarines' homeworld of Macragge was besieged by the Tyranid menace known as Hive Fleet Behemoth, Aloysius, commander of the honour guard, held his ground alone against the Tyranid Swarmlord and its Tyrant Guard when Chapter Master Marneus Calgar was gravely wounded. As the rest of the honour guard got Calgar to safety, Aloysius was hacked down by the Swarmlord's four crackling Bonesabres, as the Chapter Master's Thunderhawk gunship lifted off to safety. Due to the noble sacrifice of Aloysius and his fellow Ultramarines, Marneus Calgar would live to fight again.
  • Azkaellon (Blood Angels Sanguinary Guard) - Azkaellon fought alongside Primarch Sanguinius through the most terrible of battles during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy on such worlds as Dalos, Blindhope, Signus Prime and countless others. He served with the Great Angel until he perished in the assault on the Warmaster Horus' Battle Barge Vengeful Spirit during the final hours of the Battle of Terra. Azkaellon was the lone member of the Sanguinary Guard who survived that final confrontation. Sanguinius' prescient vision of his own fate led him to insist that his Herald Azkaellon remain on Terra so that should he fall, the Sanguinary Guard would not be extinguished. Once reconstituted by Azkaellon, they would go on to serve as a beacon of hope for the Blood Angels and the wider Imperium in the dark days ahead. Though he yearned to fight at his Primarch's side one final time, with a heavy heart Azkaellon acceded to Sanguinius' wishes. For he knew that he could not jeopardise the sacred duty entrusted to him. Following his Primarch's final orders, the Sanguinary Guard managed to survive when Sanguinius did not, for Azkaellon made certain that their legacy was maintained, not just in the Blood Angels, but in every Successor Chapter that arose from the dissolution of the Blood Angels Legion during the Second Founding.
  • Ragnar Blackmane (Space Wolves Wolf Guard) - Ragnar Blackmane is the youngest Space Wolf Astartes ever promoted to the rank of Wolf Lord by the Chapter. He is exceptional in every sense of the word. When Ragnar was a young, impetuous youth he was elevated directly from the ranks of the Blood Claws to the esteemed Wolf Guard of his Great Company. This near-unheard of promotion was accomplished after Ragnar slew the Ork Warlord Borzag Khan in close combat and subsequently dispatched the Warlord's retinue of Ork Nobz one after another.
  • Arjac Rockfist (Space Wolves Wolf Guard) - Also known as "The Man-Mountain," "Grimnar's Champion" and the "Anvil of Fenris," Arjac is the personal Champion of the Space Wolves' Great Wolf Logan Grimnar. Arjac was formerly a blacksmith of the Bear Claw tribe of Fenris, whose true skills lay not at the forge, but in the crucible of battle. His incredible strength, size and fortitude so impressed the Great Wolf that he was made his personal Champion even before he was inducted into the Space Wolves as an Astartes and made the leader of Grimnar's personal Wolf Guard.
  • Canis Wolfborn (Space Wolves Wolf Guard) - Canis Wolfborn is an unusual Astartes of the Space Wolves, for he is a loner, a warrior who is more at home in the company of wolves than men. Though he is a member of the Wolf Guard of the Wolf Lord Harald Deathwolf, his saga has proven very different from those of his peers, and his prowess in combat is unmatched. The Wolf Priests theorise that Canis was lost in a snowstorm as an infant, abandoned after his tribe was killed in the wastes and raised as a whelp by a brooding she-wolf. In battle, his mettle and courage are beyond question, and wolves both great and small instinctively obey his commands. Canis is well known for his terrifying battle frenzy, and to this day rides the largest of his kin into battle, a terrifying Thunderwolf of immense proportions.
  • Apollo Diomedes (Blood Ravens Honour Guard) - Previously the commander of the Blood Ravens' 1st Company, Captain Apollo Diomedes was renowned as the greatest warrior in active service with the Blood Ravens Chapter. Over his long centuries of service, he became known as the right hand of Chapter Master Azariah Kyras, leading his battle-brothers to victory after victory in the face of impossible odds. During a battle on the planet of Obscurus, he slew the Ork Warboss Manstompa Megakilla, and the Chaos Sorcerer Anuphans the Cruel in a single day. Despite his martial abilities, Diomedes was often blinded by pride and arrogance, traits which nearly led to disaster during the Third Aurelian Cruasde. With the help of the Loyalist Blood Ravens of the Chapter's 5th and 10th Companies, Diomedes eventually discovered the truth behind Azariah Kyras' treachery and corruption by Chaos. Diomedes slew the would-be Daemon Prince in a climactic battle on the Dead World of Cyrene in Sub-sector Aurelia

Pre-Heresy Honour Guards[]

It was common in the days of the Great Crusade for each primarch of the Space Marine Legions to maintain an elite cadre of Astartes from their Legion to serve as their personal honour guard. These honour guards generally represented the most elite battle-brothers of the Legion they were drawn from and were exemplars of the culture and traits that their particular Legion most embodied.

Loyalist Legions[]

Legion Legion Number Primarch Title Notes
Dark Angels I Lion El'Jonson Deathwing The Order of the Deathwing was a specialised formation of Cataphractii Terminator-armoured elite, who specialised in harrowing actions, shock assaults and strategic decapitation strikes. They were one of several specialised formations known collectively as the Hexagrammaton, and colloquially as the "Six Wings." During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, they often served an honour guard for the Primarch Lion El'Jonson of the Dark Angels Legion.
White Scars V Jaghatai Khan Keshig The Keshig was the personal honour guard of Jaghatai Khan, Primarch of the White Scars Legion and his various subordinate commanders during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras. The Keshig was an elite cadre of warriors made up of the most Veteran and skilled Legionaries to be found in the V Legion who all served as elite Terminators. The Keshig was once described as "a whole phalanx of giants in bone-white Terminator plate."
Space Wolves VI Leman Russ Varagyr The Varagyr, rendered sometimes as "Varangii" in Imperial records, or more literally "Wolf Guard," were the chosen warriors of Leman Russ, hand-picked from his own Great Company to form his personal honour guard and close companions in war and council. More so than any other of his sons, they were the wolves of his Pack, marked by the great beast pelt which adorned their armour. To adopt this honour meant more than simply to walk in the Wolf King's shadow and lay down their lives for him. It meant that at least for a time they had foregone the chance to lead their brothers in battle, to watch while others struck, to stand fast and not seek out the glory of battle save when their lord commanded. When such coldly withheld fury was unleashed, however, it fell like a thunderbolt against the foe.
Imperial Fists VII Rogal Dorn Huscarls The Huscarls were the honour guard for the Primarch Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists Legion. They were led by Captain Archamus, who bore the honour of being the 'Last of the First', those Imperial Fists created after Rogal Dorn was reunited with the Emperor and given command of the VII Legion. They were also the first to make their oaths to Rogal Dorn, and their names were the first to be etched on the walls of the Temple of Oaths aboard their mobile star-fortress Phalanx. By the time of the latter years of the Horus Heresy, Archamus was the last of this honoured brotherhood. A contingent of the Huscarls more than likely escorted their Primarch aboard the Warmaster Horus' flagship, the Vengeful Spirit, during the climax of the Horus Heresy at the Battle of Terra. It is not known in current Imperial records whether or not any of these valiant heroes survived this boarding action.
Blood Angels IX Sanguinius Sanguinary Guard The Sanguinary Guard served as the personal honour guard of Primarch Sanguinius of the Blood Angels Legion. They served with their Primarch until he perished in the Loyalist assault on the Warmaster Horus' flagship, Vengeful Spirit, during the final hours of the Battle of Terra. Only Azkaellon, the Sanguinary Guard Commander, survived that final confrontation, as he was ordered to stay behind on Terra so that the legacy of the Sanguinary Guard would not die.
Iron Hands X Ferrus Manus Morlocks The Morlocks served as the honour guard for the Primarch Ferrus Manus of the Iron Hands Legion. The Morlocks were nearly slain to a man during the disastrous Drop Site Massacre of Istvaan V during the opening days of the Horus Heresy. But some few managed to escape the killing fields of the Urgall Depression on that world to carry their traditions forward for the Iron Hands.
Ultramarines XIII Roboute Guilliman Invictarus Suzerain The Invictarus Suzerain were the precursors of the Ultramarines elite warriors that serve in the Chapter's honour guard in the 41st Millennium. Those warriors who served in this elite echelon were recognised for the legendary deeds they had accomplished in service to the Imperium, and were bestowed with Invictarii armour -- finely detailed, artificer-wrought Power Armour in recognition of their deeds. This armour was often worn by those who had served in the elite echelon of the Invictarii before being assigned command. The Invictarii was a veteran cadre who served both as a Legion elite and as a pool of warriors who, through their actions, had singled themselves out for potential future high command, not simply by bravery or skill at arms, but also for displaying a talent in governance, organisation and administration. A cadre of these elite warriors often served as an honour guard for the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman.
Salamanders XVIII Vulkan Pyre Guard The Pyre Guard served as the honour guard for the Primarch Vulkan of the Salamanders Legion. Their present status has devolved to acting as an elite component of the Salamanders' 1st Company (the Firedrakes), and in the role as the personal bodyguards of the Regent of Prometheus (Chapter Master) Tu'Shan, and the current Forgefather Vulkan He'stan.
Raven Guard XIX Corvus Corax Shadow Wardens The Shadow Wardens served as the honour guard for the Primarch Corvus Corax of the Raven Guard Legion. When he was their leader during the slave uprisings on Lycaeus, Corax's peers insisted he be watched over by a bodyguard lest the overlords or some other rogue element attempt to assassinate him. While he resented this, Corax allowed it, as much for his followers' peace of mind as for his own safety. Having joined his Legion, the bodyguard followed, being formed into an honour guard known informally as the Shadow Wardens. It was said that they were ever-present, though often unseen when their Primarch went to war, and that none could avoid their gaze. Indeed, only one individual was ever able to do so, and that was Corax himself, giving credence to the stories that Corax was able to slip his own shadow should he choose to do so.

Traitor Legions[]

Legion Legion Number Primarch Title Notes
Emperor's Children III Fulgrim Phoenix Guard The Phoenix Guard served as the honour guard for the Primarch Fulgrim of the Emperor's Children Legion. Their present status is unknown, as their last recorded battle with the Imperium occurred 100 Terran years after the Battle of the Iron Cage in the early 31st Millennium.
Iron Warriors IV Perturabo Iron Circle Formed in the wake of the attack aboard Perturabo's flagship, the Iron Blood, during the Battle of Phall, the Iron Circle was a self-sustaining unit of implacable killers, devoted servants and incorruptible praetorians all in one. The Iron Circle was composed of six Colossus-class battle robots who served as the Primarch Perturabo's Shield Breakers and personal honour guard during the Horus Heresy. Each automaton bore the heraldry of a IV Legion warrior, and their cold machine hearts were loyal in the way it was only a possible for an unthinking machine to be.
Night Lords VIII Konrad Curze Atramentar The Atramaentar were a company-strength formation equipped with Terminator Armour and armed with the finest weapons, they were the personal command of the brutal First Captain, Jago Sevatarion and enforcers of order. Renowned for their cold brutality in battle and their unswerving loyalty to their commander and their Primarch, they seem to have acted as a check on the many fractions elements within the VIII Legion, and though this cannot now be confirmed, it is widely thought that they served as Curze's executioners when the need arose.
World Eaters XII Angron Devourers The Devourers were the premier cadre within the World Eaters Legion that served as a dedicated bodyguard unit for their Primarch Angron (whether he needed one is another matter). In battle they fought encased in Terminator Armour and carried the most savage weapons the XII Legion possessed. This warrior band had only twelve members, and access to its ranks was only attained by defeating a Devourer in single combat to the death or, should one of its number fall in battle against an enemy, a successor was selected by a contest open to all Astartes in the XII Legion, only one of which would survive.
Death Guard XIV Mortarion Deathshroud The Deathshroud was an elite cadre of specially selected battle-brothers from the XIV Legion who served as Primarch Mortarion's mute bodyguards during the Great Crusade. Great secrecy surrounded this elite cadre, whose numbers were chosen from amongst the standard ranks of the Death Guard Legion from Astartes who had been singled out and personally selected by their Primarch for their bravery and valour. The Deathshroud wore Artificer-crafted Terminator Armour of the highest quality, presenting a foreboding appearance with their barrel-chested appearance and like their Primarch, wielding large scythes called Manreapers. It was the Deathshroud's sacred duty to never stray more than forty-nine paces from Mortarion, with two Deathshroud warriors customarily escorting the Primarch at any given time.
Thousand Sons XV Magnus the Red Sekhmet The Sekhmet were the veteran Space Marine battle-brothers of the Thousand Sons Legion who served as the Primarch Magnus the Red's elite honour guard. They were made up of the best and brightest of the Thousand Sons Legionaries and were equipped with resplendent crimson and ivory Tactical Dreadnought Armour, with jade scarabs gleaming on their breastplates and golden crests rearing from their atef helmets.Their visors were marred by a single vertical slash that obscured the right eye lenses of their helmets. This was in honour of their Primarch, nicknamed the Cyclops, due to the loss of his right eye from peering too deeply into the mysterious realms of the Immaterium.
Sons of Horus XVI Horus Lupercal Justaerin The Justaerin were one of two distinct sub-formations within the elite 1st Company of the Luna Wolves and later the Sons of Horus Legion. Led by the Legion's First Captain Ezekyle Abaddon, the Justaerin were the pride of the XVI Legion, sporting their signature black armour, which denoted their specialisation in harrowing actions, shock assaults and strategic decapitation strikes. Tasked with forming the "point of the spear" for the XVI Legion, they went where the fighting was thickest, their attack directed usually at destroying the heart of an opposing target or conducting the decapitation strike of an enemy force. Early proponents of the use of Tactical Dreadnought Armour, many Justaerin entered combat as Terminators, relying on the resilience this gave them to smash aside any resistance and close in for the kill.
Word Bearers XVII Lorgar Aurelian Gal Vorbak The Gal Vorbak (Colchisian dialect for "the Blessed Sons") was the name later given to the Space Marines of the Serrated Suns Chapter of the Word Bearers Legion who ventured deep into the Eye of Terror Warp rift and brought back the Primordial Truth of the existence of Chaos to their Primarch Lorgar. These crimson-armoured, Daemon-possessed Astartes served as Lorgar's elite troops during the battles of the Horus Heresy. Thousands of the Gal Vorbak were left to die, alone and unsupported, on the surface of the devastated world of Calth when First Chaplain Erebus fled the conflict that the Word Bearers fought against their hated rivals the Ultramarines on that benighted world. Argel Tal, the Crimson Lord, was the sole surviving original member of the Gal Vorbak, having been seconded to the World Eaters Legion for temporary duty before the Word Bearers' assault on Calth. Argel Tal forsook his oaths to the annihilated Serrated Suns Chapter and gained permission from his Primarch Lorgar to form a newly constituted formation, known as the Vakrah Jal, the Chapter of Consecrated Iron, who rose from the ashes of Word Bearers companies devastated on the killing fields of Istvaan V.
Alpha Legion XX Alpharius Omegon Lernaean The Lernaean Terminators were an elite formation that served as Primarch Alpharius Omegon's personal honour guard during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. Few knew of the Lernaean Terminator Squads. This was not because they sought to obscure their existence, but rather because they rarely left behind any witnesses of their deeds. The Lernaeans were, like the beast that was their namesake and the icon of their Legion, an unformed legend and the object of shrouded dread. They were the grinding jaws of the many-headed Hydra, the furious assault from the unexpected quarter. And like the beast of myth, they were all but impossible to slay. Clad in Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour chased with baroque finery and armed with Volkite Chargers, they were fearsome close combat assault and vanguard spearhead units against which few enemies could stand. In battle they advanced relentlessly upon the foe, descending with controlled fury and slaying any enemy driven to rout before them.

Post-Heresy Honour Guard[]

Space Marine Chapters[]

Chapter Commander Title Notes
Blood Angels Lord Commander Luis Dante Sanguinary Guard The Sanguinary Guard are the most elite Veteran Astartes of the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter and all of their Successor Chapters whose lineage can be traced back to the dark days of the Horus Heresy. They are essentially the Blood Angels' version of a Chapter honour guard. They fight with the weapons traditional to their honoured position, wrist-mounted Angelus Pattern Bolters and master-crafted Power Weapons in the form of a polearm known as a Glaive Encarmine.
Space Wolves Great Wolf Logan Grimnar Wolf Guard The Wolf Guard are the most elite Veterans of the Space Wolves Space Marine Chapter, comparable to a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter's Sternguard Veterans. They are the bravest warriors of each of the Chapter's Great Companies, hand-selected by their Great Company's Wolf Lord to serve as his chosen protectors and the vanguard of his forces. Each battle-brother that serves in this elite unit has earned their place by some exceptional feat of arms that marked them out amongst their brethren, for a Wolf Guard is chosen based on his heroic deeds, rather than his age or time served with the Chapter. Therefore, the Wolf Guard maintains a mix of hot-blooded young warriors and stalwart veterans amongst its ranks.
Ultramarines Chapter Master Marneus Calgar Honour Guard The Honour Guard of the Ultramarines Chapter is comprised of those warriors who guard the revered Chapter banner. To become an honour guard, one must display courage that goes above and beyond the normal call in a given combat situation. The Ultramarines Honour Guard wear highly ornate suits of Artificer Armour and are each armed with an Axe of Ultramar, a powerful weapon forged by the Techmarines in the Chapter's Forge and constructed with rare ores excavated beneath the world of Prandium. Among those in the Honour Guard are two special individuals, the Chapter's Ancient, who is the bearer of the sacred Banner of Macragge and the Chapter Champion, the mightiest member of the Ultramarines Honour Guard who is armed with the Honour Blades, a matching set of master-crafted Power Swords -- a broadsword and a poniard -- which he wields with deadly skill.
Salamanders Chapter Master Tu'Shan Firedrakes The Firedrakes are those elite Astartes of the Salamanders Space Marine Chapter's 1st Company, chosen not simply for their martial skill, but also because of their mental resilience, discipline and self-sacrifice. Created during the Great Crusade by their Primarch Vulkan, the Firedrakes were so-named for the greatest of the salamander saurids said to originate beneath the stones of Mount Deathfire. They continue to serve as the personal honour guard of their Chapter Master Tu'Shan.

Traitor Legions[]

Legion Commander Title Notes
Black Legion Abaddon the Despoiler Bringers of Despair After he assumed control of the XVI Legion, Abaddon formed from the Black Legion's ranks a personal bodyguard known as the Bringers of Despair, among other dark titles. Selected from the strongest and most vicious of his Terminator elite, these fearsome warriors are a terrifying sight, their arrival announcing the presence of the Despoiler himself.
Night Lords N/A Atramentar Following the death of the Night Haunter at the hands of the Imperial Assassin M'Shen, the Atramentar scattered with the rest of the Legion and, by the time of the late 41st Millennium, often served as bodyguards to the powerful Chaos Lords who command the various Night Lords warbands.
World Eaters Angron Cruor Praetoria Known variously as the Children of Sanguinary Unholiness and the Twelve -- the Cruor Praetoria are the twelve strongest Daemons of Khorne, known as Bloodthirsters, whose lives and deeds have most pleased their wretched Blood God. They serve as the Daemon Primarch Angron's personal bodyguard. The last time they entered the material realm, was during the First War for Armageddon, where they were defeated by the Daemon-hunting Grey Knights Chapter, who banished them back to the Immaterium.

Sources[]

  • Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition), pp. 50, 52, 80, 85
  • Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 53
  • Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 89, 163
  • Codex: Space Marines (7th Edition), pp. 16, 157, 313-314
  • Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pg. 13
  • Deathwatch: First Founding (RPG), pg. 71
  • Horus Heresy: Collected Visions
  • Index Astartes IV, "Sons of Horus - The Black Legion Space Marine Legion"
  • The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal, by Alan Bligh (Forge World Series), pp. 70, 107, 248, 248-249
  • The Horus Heresy - Book Three: Extermination, by Alan Bligh (Forge World Series), pg. 138
  • The Horus Heresy - Book Five: Tempest, by Alan Bligh (Forge World Series), pp. 81-82, 86, 90-91, 232
  • The Horus Heresy - Book Seven: Inferno by Alan Bligh (Forge World Series), pp. 79-80, 84, 86, 165, 229
  • White Dwarf 268 (US), "Abaddon the Despoiler" and "Index Astartes First Founding: Sons of Horus, The Black Legion Space Marine Chapter"
  • Insignium Astartes, pg. 26
  • Horus Rising (Novel) by Dan Abnett
  • False Gods (Novel) by Graham McNeill
  • Galaxy in Flames (Novel) by Ben Counter
  • Flight of the Eisenstein (Novel) by James Swallow, pp. 19-20, 30, 57, 59, 67, 72
  • Fulgrim (Novel) by Graham McNeill, pp. 97, 300-301, 303, 314, 338, 369-370, 373, 375, 380, 383, 385-388, 392, 400
  • Legion (Novel) by Dan Abnett
  • Promethean Sun (Novella) by Nick Kyme, pp. 3, 20, 23-25, 48, 53,-54, 60-62, 64, 68, 77, 80, 82, 85, 87, 100, 102, 104
  • A Thousand Sons (Novel) by Graham McNeill, pp. 11, 14, 26, 48, 57, 98, 101-105, 108, 215, 219, 230-231, 248, 251, 254
  • Age of Darkness (Anthology) edited by Christian Dunn, "Little Horus" by Dan Abnett and "The Face of Treachery" by Gav Thorpe
  • The First Heretic (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
  • Aurelian (Novella) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
  • Know No Fear (Novel) by Dan Abnett
  • The Primarchs (Anthology), "The Serpent Beneath" by Rob Sanders
  • Angel Exterminatus (Novel) by Graham McNeill, pp. 60, 83-84, 86-88, 101-104, 108, 113-115, 136-137, 142-143, 158-159, 162-168, 172, 174, 212, 216-217, 222, 271, 282
  • Betrayer (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
  • Vulkan Lives (Novel) by Nick Kyme
  • Scars (Collector Edition Novel) by Chris Wraight
  • Praetorian of Dorn - The Defences of Terra (Novel) by John French

Gallery[]

Space Marine Forces
Chapter Command Chapter MasterMaster of the KeepMaster of SanctityChief LibrarianMaster of the ApothecarionMaster of the ForgeMaster of the WatchMaster of the FleetMaster of the ArsenalMaster of the MarchesMaster of the RitesMaster of RelicsChief VictuallerLord ExecutionerMaster of RecruitsMaster of ReconnaissanceMaster of the SignalChapter AncientPrimaris AncientChapter ChampionHonour Guard
Company Command Command SquadReclusiam Command SquadCaptainPrimaris CaptainLieutenantPrimaris LieutenantCompany AncientCompany Champion
Specialists Librarian (EpistolaryCodicierLexicaniumPrimaris LibrarianVanguard Librarian) • Chaplain (ReclusiarchPrimaris ChaplainJudiciar) • Apothecary (Primaris ApothecaryApothecary BiologisHelix Adept) • Techmarine
Veteran Squads Veteran Marines (Sternguard VeteranVanguard VeteranVeteran IntercessorVeteran Assault IntercessorBladeguard Veteran) • Terminator SquadTerminator Assault Squad
Battleline Squads Tactical SquadIntercessor Squad (Heavy Intercessor Squad) • Infiltrator Squad
Close Support Squads Assault SquadAssault Intercessor SquadJump Pack Intercessor SquadInceptor SquadReiver SquadIncursor SquadSuppressor SquadBike SquadOutrider SquadCenturion Assault Squad
Fire Support Squads Aggressor SquadDesolation SquadDevastator SquadHellblaster SquadEradicator SquadEliminator SquadInfernus SquadCenturion Devastator Squad
Neophyte Squads Scout SquadScout Bike Squad
Light Vehicles Assault BikeAttack BikeScout BikeRaider Pattern Combat BikeInvader ATVLand Speeder (Land Speeder StormLand Speeder TempestLand Speeder TornadoLand Speeder TyphoonLand Speeder VengeanceLand Speeder ProteusDarkshroud) • Storm Speeder (Storm Speeder HailstrikeStorm Speeder HammerstrikeStorm Speeder Thunderstrike)
Combat Walkers Dreadnought (Castraferrum DreadnoughtSiege DreadnoughtHellfire DreadnoughtIronclad DreadnoughtVenerable DreadnoughtMortis DreadnoughtChaplain DreadnoughtLibrarian DreadnoughtFurioso DreadnoughtDeath Company DreadnoughtRedemptor Dreadnought (Brutalis DreadnoughtBallistus Dreadnought) • Wulfen DreadnoughtDoomglaive Dreadnought) • Nemesis DreadknightInvictor Tactical Warsuit
Armoured Personnel Carriers RhinoRazorbackDamocles Command RhinoRhino PrimarisRhino AdvancerImpulsor
Main Battle Tanks Predator Destructor (Predator AnnihilatorBaal Predator) • Land Raider (Land Raider PhobosLand Raider CrusaderLand Raider RedeemerLand Raider AchillesLand Raider PrometheusLand Raider Terminus UltraLand Raider AresLand Raider ExcelsiorLand Raider Wrath of MjalnarLand Raider Angel InfernusLand Raider Solemnus AggressorLand Raider Anvilarum) • Deimos Vindicator Laser DestroyerRepulsorRepulsor ExecutionerGladiator (Gladiator ReaperGladiator ValiantGladiator Lancer) • Astraeus
Artillery WhirlwindVindicatorStalkerHunterWhirlwind HyperiosLand Raider HeliosThunderfire CannonFirestrike Servo-turret
Aircraft/Air-Deployed StormtalonThunderhawkThunderhawk TransporterShadowhawkStormravenStorm EagleFire RaptorStormhawk InterceptorCaestus Assault RamDark TalonNephilim JetfighterStormfangStormwolfCorvus BlackstarOverlordDrop PodHammerfall Bunker
Rare, Relic or Retired Vehicles Contemptor Pattern DreadnoughtDeredeo Pattern DreadnoughtCerberus Heavy Tank DestroyerLeviathan DreadnoughtJavelin Attack SpeederJetbikeDeimos PredatorDeimos RhinoSabre Tank HunterLand Raider ProteusKratos Heavy Assault TankMark IIb Land Raider PhobosMalcador Assault Tank (Malcador Annihilator) • Sicaran Battle TankSicaran VenatorSicaran Punisher Assault TankSicaran Arcus Strike TankSicaran Omega Tank DestroyerSpartan Assault TankTyphon Heavy Siege TankFellbladeFalchionMastodonDeimos Whirlwind ScorpiusXiphon Pattern InterceptorStormbirdKharybdis Assault Claw
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