The Sons of Helios was a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. The Sons believed they had the ability to inure themselves to the corrupting power of the Warp through the practice of an unusual mental discipline. In truth, this discipline was a Chaos ritual that had been taught to them by a daemon of Tzeentch, and ultimately resulted in the damnation of the Chapter.
Chapter History[]
The Sons of Helios' homeworld of Tocharion was lost to the Warp after being swallowed by the Great Rift. The last of the Chapter's strongholds after the loss of their homeworld was Saarik Station, a void station renamed the Horns of the Abyss after the loss of Tocharion.
It had once orbited that world, but now stood on the edge of the Great Rift itself. The station had been conquered by Chaos forces who emerged from the rift. However a small garrison of the Sons of Helios had remained behind on the station, so the Sons of Helios' Chapter Master Dragomir asked Antros, a Librarian of the Blood Angels, to help him and a squad of his surviving Astartes reclaim the Horns of the Abyss and save his brothers.
When the combined force reached the station, they discovered to their horror that their brothers had become corrupted and transformed into Plague Marines, so the remaining Sons of Helios were forced to destroy them. At the same time, the Horns of the Abyss began to plunge into the Great Rift even as Antros started to fall to the Black Rage.
He was saved from this fate by Dragomir and the other Sons of Helios who humbly prayed, muttering the mantra "We dream, dreaming, dreamed." Unknown to Antros this phrase was part of the mental discipline the Sons of Helios called the "Sleepless Mile" which they believed made it possible to protect themselves from the corruption of the Warp.
In truth, it had been taught to them by a daemon of Tzeentch and was intended to hasten their damnation, not prevent it. Antros' unexpected recovery of his sanity after being exposed to the ritual amazed him. He immediately set off to find his superior Mephiston, the Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels, to tell him of this miraculous "cure" for the Black Rage.
After Antros' departure, as Dragomir and his remaining Astartes returned to their vessel, the Chapter Master was suddenly beset by a vision in which the daemon who had taught him the "Sleepless Mile" revealed itself, its treachery and the true source of the discipline's effectiveness. The Sons of Helios were not protecting themselves from the Warp, but in fact had been participating unwittingly in their own damnation.
Chapter Beliefs[]
After the loss of their homeworld, the surviving Sons of Helios practiced a mysterious discipline, the "Sleepless Mile," which they believed allowed them to remain pure in the presence of the corrupting power of the Warp. The discipline was taught by their Chapter Master, Dragomir. Each warrior in the Chapter was taught how to make a spiritual inner-journey to discover his own true self.
However, the Chapter also refused to employ psykers in any way, as the "Sleepless Mile" would not provide the added protection a psyker needed to avoid the temptations of the Ruinous Powers.
In truth, the entire ritual was a sham, a plot by a daemon of Tzeentch to get the Sons of Helios to participate in their own damnation until the entire Chapter had been consumed by Chaos.
Notable Sons of Helios[]
- Chapter Master Dragomir - Dragomir is the current Chapter Master of the Sons of Helios. It was he who learned the "Sleepless Mile" ritual and taught it to his surviving brothers. He was unaware that the discipline was actually a ploy by a daemon of Tzeentch to get the Sons of Helios to participate in their own damnation and fall to Chaos.
Chapter Appearance[]
Warriors of the Sons of Helios wear tribal tattoos on their face, and the body of their Chapter Master was almost completely covered in these black lines. The Sons of Helios often grow long, carefully plaited beards. They are extremely proud of this facial hair and often allow it to tumble across their chest when conversing.
Chapter Colours[]
The Sons of Helios' Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Chapter Badge[]
The Sons of Helios' Chapter badge is a stylised sun.
Sources[]
- Mephiston: Revenant Crusade (Novel) by Darius Hinks, Chs. 2, 7