Warhammer 40k - Codex - Adeptus Custodes - 8th

ADEPTUS CUSTODES THE GOLDEN LEGION CONTENTS Introduction ..................................................3 The Splendour of Holy Terra .......................44 The Eagle Vigilans .........................................................................53 Brotherhood of Demigods ............................6 Fury of Terra Shield Host .............................................................54 Bodyguards of the Emperor ...........................................................8 The Horus Heresy..........................................................................10 The Army of Terra .......................................56 Guardians of the Golden Throne.................................................12 Captain-General Trajann Valoris ................................................58 Shadows and Alchemy ..................................................................14 Shield-Captain ...............................................................................59 The Defences of Terra ...................................................................16 Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armour.........................60 Rise of the Primarch......................................................................18 Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike ........................................60 A Host of Heroes ...........................................................................20 Custodian Guard ...........................................................................61 Uniforms and Heraldry ................................................................22 Custodian Wardens .......................................................................62 The Shadowkeepers.......................................................................23 Vexilus Praetor in Allarus Terminator Armour ........................63 The Aquilan Shield ........................................................................24 Vexilus Praetor...............................................................................64 The Dread Host..............................................................................25 Allarus Custodians ........................................................................65 The Solar Watch .............................................................................26 Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought .........................................66 Emissaries Imperatus ....................................................................27 Vertus Praetors...............................................................................67 The Solar Fastness .........................................................................28 Venerable Land Raider .................................................................68 The Tale of the Ten Thousand......................................................30 Armoury of the Adeptus Custodes .............................................69 Captain-General Trajann Valoris ................................................36 Shield-Captains..............................................................................37 Auric Mortalis .............................................72 Custodians......................................................................................38 Stratagems ......................................................................................73 Vexilus Praetors .............................................................................40 Relics of Terra ................................................................................76 Vertus Praetors...............................................................................41 Warlord Traits ................................................................................78 Venerable Contemptor Dreadnoughts .......................................42 Points Values ..................................................................................79 Venerable Land Raiders................................................................43 Tactical Objectives.........................................................................80 PRODUCED BY GAMES WORKSHOP IN NOTTINGHAM For Alan Bligh With thanks to the Mournival for their additional playtesting services Codex: Adeptus Custodes © Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2018. Codex: Adeptus Custodes, GW, Games Workshop, Space Marine, 40K, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, the ‘Aquila’ Double-headed Eagle logo, and all associated logos, illustrations, images, names, creatures, races, vehicles, locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are either ® or TM, and/or © Games Workshop Limited, variably registered around the world. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. British Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Pictures used for illustrative purposes only. Certain Citadel products may be dangerous if used incorrectly and Games Workshop does not recommend them for use by children under the age of 16 without adult supervision. Whatever your age, be careful when using glues, bladed equipment and sprays and make sure that you read and follow the instructions on the packaging. Games Workshop Ltd, Willow Rd, Lenton, Nottingham, NG7 2WS games-workshop.com 2 INTRODUCTION This grand volume of Imperial lore concerns itself with the proud and storied organisation known as the Adeptus Custodes. The content within will help you to assemble your collection of Adeptus Custodes Citadel Miniatures into a redoubtable tabletop army, ready to take the fight to the heretic, traitor and alien alike in the glorious name of the Emperor of Mankind. The Adeptus Custodes are Humanity’s greatest warriors. They are Within this book you will find all the information you need to demigods clad in armour of gleaming auramite, who wield the collect an Adeptus Custodes army and field it upon the tabletop. Imperium’s deadliest and most finely crafted weapons. Theirs is a singular duty, perhaps the most important in all the galaxy, for BROTHERHOOD OF DEMIGODS: This section gives an insight it is to the Adeptus Custodes that the safety and sanctity of the into who the Adeptus Custodes are, how they are created, and Emperor himself is entrusted. For many thousands of years this the noble yet tragic battles that they have fought for ten thousand has seen them guard the Sol System with ironclad determination, years, along with examples of how they are assembled for battle. and fight secret wars of which the wider Imperium can never know. But now, with the immaterium spilling through the THE SPLENDOUR OF HOLY TERRA: Here you will find a bounds of reality and war consuming every Imperial world, the showcase of beautifully painted Citadel Miniatures that display Custodians must strike out into the stars to eliminate terrible the varying panoply and resplendent iconography of the Adeptus dangers before they can come anywhere near their throne-bound Custodes, as well as example armies to inspire your own collection. master. In collecting an Adeptus Custodes army you will find yourself leading the most elite military branch of the Imperium. THE ARMY OF TERRA: This section includes datasheets, wargear Every warrior you command is a figure worthy of legend. Every lists and weapon rules for every Adeptus Custodes unit, allowing blow you strike will be crushing. Marshal your forces well, for you to field them in your games of Warhammer 40,000. they are few, but know that even a handful of the Emperor’s praetorians can seize victory over an entire army of foes. AURIC MORTALIS: This section provides additional rules – including Warlord Traits, Stratagems, Relics, and matched play As well as being incredibly powerful on the tabletop, the Adeptus points – that allow you to transform your collection of Citadel Custodes are a wonderful modelling and painting project for Miniatures into a magnificent Adeptus Custodes shield host. those who really enjoy lavishing time and attention on every model. With a small number of exquisitely detailed individual warriors and ornate war machines at your disposal, you can To play games with your army, you will need a copy of the afford to spend as long as you wish making sure that every single Warhammer 40,000 rules. To find out more about Warhammer model in your collection looks exceptional, both by itself and as 40,000 or download the free core rules, visit warhammer40000.com. part of a wider tabletop force. 3 . Before their glorious charge. the worshippers of the Dark Gods were driven back like whipped curs.They charged into battle like demigods. and their battle cry was the booming voice of the Master of Mankind. magnificent warriors seemingly stepped straight from a fresco on a cathedrum wall. The light of the Emperor shone from them like the radiance of Sol herself. . strategic and tactical nous. and we stand Praetors. No finer or more fearsome warriors are Though even a small force of Custodians can there in the Imperium than the Custodians. through all the millennia since. feted throughout deserve it. They are It was at the nadir of the period known as Old to the Emperor’s Space Marines what those Night that the Emperor arose on Terra. but of guardianship. and even during the civil strife of the preserve. the Adeptus Custodes failed in their even then death is all but guaranteed. and Emperor. but those who hopeless. who wore plumed helms and equipped. When of the Unification Wars. they would find number wields weapons hand crafted for that even the earliest sources concerning the him alone. and with the range of tools at their most magnificent spectacle in human history. and on into the sweeping conquests of the Great Where the gilded shield companies of the Crusade. a nightmarish Imperial soldiery. their true purpose is not function as supreme combatants. at that time. disposal are able to achieve the impossible. those who defy the Emperor’s will. the Custodians fight as Were some brave scholar to somehow delve individuals. while heretical demagogues and in glory. the Adeptus Custodes were ever the Adeptus Custodes storm into battle. What records survive of of the Adeptus Astartes employ squad-level that terrible age are rightly locked away within tactics. where the warriors malefic and debased. rip through an enemy army in a whirlwind Biochemically fashioned from infancy to of bloodied blades. The Custodians fight like legends the Golden Legion was to have witnessed the never end. The only last. the willing sacrifice. they are death incarnate to Custodians are the Emperor’s personal guard. believe that would give us praetorians have butchered their leaders. So tall and mighty. establishment of the nascent Imperium. Yet it was at the culmination of that epochal pause are fools. and woe betide those who oppose them. The transhuman warriors are to unaugmented cradle world was. The Ten Thousand walk the stars in numbers not seen since the Great Crusade. and wears intricately designed Emperor’s deeds had him flanked by warriors armour tailored to his precise dimensions. The Emperor’s the Imperium as the Emperor’s finest warriors. a single Custodian can go toe to toe carried spears of gold. Such is sworn duty. Through all the horrors with a dozen experienced combatants. a cohesive whole. tacticians one of conquest. Led by the peerless Captain-General it gladly out of adoration roaring monstrosities alike fall beneath the Constantin Valdor. their battle-brothers functioning as the deepest vaults of the Emperor’s palace.’ reduced their machines to scrap and cut a conflict that the Custodians knew defeat at . Yet now the Emperor’s blades are unsheathed. such warriors can sweep rebellion of the Thunder Warriors and the away armies many times their number. blades of the Allarus Terminators. the Emperor’s blades. When Warmaster Horus struck down the Tybalus Maxin option left to the enemy to flee in dismay. an elevated elite whose place of abhuman armies and grotesque raw strength and willpower are wholly warlords who fought in thrall to entities both insurmountable. BROTHERHOOD OF DEMIGODS The Adeptus Custodes are the Emperor’s personal guard. bladesmanship and instinct little short of supernatural.Shield-Captain path to the very heart of their ranks. They have carried the crushing the fate of those who dare to oppose the will of shame and dishonour of doing so with them the Emperor. their from harm. We Enemy engines of war are annihilated by For years uncounted the Legio Custodes. his Ten Thousand. We will never earn Horus Heresy they remained utterly resolute absolution. Each of their fiercely independent into those ancient histories. The and bodyguards. they were an unstoppable for he who gave us life. force. enemies of the Emperor come apart like smoke Master of Mankind stride to war at the head of Ours is the vigil that must in a gale. Ours is the timeless come to life. through the doomed deployed en masse. However. and since time immemorial their role has been to protect their master Each Custodian is sublimely skilled. it is far too late. the penitence enduring. For ten millennia they have stood sentinel over the Master of Mankind and defended the gates of his palace. for we do not By the time the foe realise their cause is and unquestionably loyal. in turn. honour. as stand a watch that will never swift-striking spearheads of airborne Vertus they were known then. covered themselves be relieved. 6 . It is said that to have seen the ‘Ours is the duty absolute. and whose life we must. In the wake of the Heresy, the Legio warriors under hidden aliases to test every Thus, while a standing garrison of Custodes became the Adeptus Custodes. route of attack and attempt to breach the Custodians remain upon the throneworld No longer would they fight at their walls and gates that protect the Golden to defend their master, dozens of shield master’s side, for the Emperor was little Throne. At the same time, the Custodians companies have set out into the stars to more than a shattered cadaver, his potent have utilised fractal thought exercises, take the fight directly to those who would will kept alive by the machineries of centuries-long strategic cogitations and once again prove them derelict in their the Golden Throne. Now, instead, the elaborate hallucinarium mock conflicts duty. With them they bring the fury of Custodians were charged with protecting to perfect their tactics should such a time the Emperor himself, sharpened by ten what remained of their beloved Emperor come that they were released to fight across thousand years of preparation. at any cost. They donned shrouds of the Emperor’s realm again. Now, with the mourning black as a symbol of their awakening of the Ultramarines Primarch Of course, this is not the only war that disgrace, a sombre raiment that they Roboute Guilliman and his reinstating as the Adeptus Custodes have mobilised for would not shed for many millennia. Lord Commander of the Imperium, and since the Heresy. Were the common herd the opening of the apocalyptic Great Rift, of Humanity to learn of the clandestine For thousands of years, the Adeptus that time has finally come. campaigns that the Emperor’s guardians Custodes have stood vigil. Thanks to the have fought upon Terra and beyond, they remarkable gene-craft involved in their Chaos-worshipping Renegades and would doubtless be driven mad with creation, these warriors do not age as other howling tides of Daemons spill from terror. The Custodians have held back the men, and so barring catastrophic physical warp storms all across the galaxy. Even deadly denizens of rune-locked vaults deep trauma, they are functionally immortal. the Sol System is assailed, the greatest beneath the Himalayic Shelf, launched With many Custodians being well over one enemies of Mankind coming within missions into sub-realities seething thousand years old, they have had endless striking distance of Holy Terra itself. It has with horror, purged cults amongst the opportunity to perfect their skills, further become increasingly clear that the Adeptus endless tunnels of Manufactora Mericum, their education across every lore and Custodes can no longer afford to stand and slain the followers of ultra-radical discipline, and hone their tactics so as to silent vigil over the Emperor’s palace while Inquisitors convinced that the Emperor’s be ready for every eventuality. the wider Imperium burns around it, the final ascension can come only in death. fires of war drawing closer to them by the Such battles grind on even as the Ten Through the rituals known as Blood day. The threats to the Golden Throne are Thousand sweep out to rend the traitor Games the Adeptus Custodes have now so widespread and dire that they must and the heretic all across known space. endlessly tested Terra’s defences, be stamped out pre-emptively, before they Like the Imperium as a whole, the Adeptus despatching their own have a chance to fully manifest. Custodes face opposition on every front. Upon the killing fields of Hydraphur, the Black Legion advanced in great and fearsome number. Yet though the heretics put all other Imperial servants to flight, they could not overcome the Adeptus Custodes, and against that living bastion of auramite their charge broke. 7 BODYGUARDS OF THE EMPEROR The origins of the Adeptus Custodes lie buried in Humanity’s obscured past, their secrets bound inseparably to those of the Emperor himself. During the Dark Age of Technology, the human race was almost annihilated by its own hubris. Though Mankind’s first steps away from its home world were faltering, natural adaptability and belligerence of spirit soon saw it flourish in the void. Science and technology advanced at a breathtaking pace, enabling the conquest of increasingly far-flung planets. The vast reaches of the galaxy shrank as Mankind’s capabilities grew, and alien races were driven back into the shadows by the fierce light of human progress. Thinking machines and the development of ever more esoteric weapons and transportation technologies played their part, but the single greatest factor to drive this expansion was the ability – and the reckless will – to manipulate human genetics. Utterly certain of their own primacy, scientist-kings and techno-demagogues followed every strand of curiosity and exercised powers of creation that made them seem like gods. Ultimately, their hubris led them to catastrophe, and onwards to the very brink of extinction. Worlds were overrun by bloody uprisings within their own populations, much of which were mutated beyond sanity and recognition. Gene-wars consumed entire star systems, while a psychic apocalypse drowned the stars in fire. The vast empire of Humanity was shattered amidst horror and anarchy, and the oppressive shroud of Old Night settled over all. At the heart of this galactic disaster lay Terra, transformed from a glittering jewel to an apocalyptic hellscape by forbidden weapons and biological atrocities. Yet though its people fell into darkness and ignorance, many of the technologies that had led them to ruin survived, sealed away in hidden bunkers and biomantic crypts. Sure enough, as Humanity clawed its way back from the brink beneath the lashes of cruel warlords, so those self- appointed rulers discovered the weapons of old and tried once again to turn them upon one another. Terra faced the threat of a second apocalypse as gene-bred barbarians and ghastly flesh- stitched ghouls made war at the behest of madmen, fanatics and techno-cannibalistic murderers. Much of this lore is lost forever, destroyed or buried in the endless archives of Terra. Yet a few still know that this was the environment in which the Emperor rose to prominence, and that he – whether ‘For one hundred years I stood my watch amidst the living deity or apex superhuman – was a worthy inheritor to the sombre shadows of the Sanctum Imperialis. I was still trove of genetomantic lore left behind by Mankind’s former rulers. as a statue, but always ready, always attuned to dangers It was this ancient and dangerous bounty, coupled with his own unseen. Days, months, years passed by in a frenzied incredible and unfathomable powers, that allowed the Emperor to blur beyond those walls, yet within, little moved and fashion warriors with which to unite a world. nothing changed. For one hundred years I did naught but wait, yet had any threat appeared, I would have That task was not a simple one, and though the Emperor sought struck it down in a heartbeat. For one hundred years peace for Humanity, he could not achieve his aims without war. I stood my watch, and as it ends I can tell you this – It is known, by the most learned of Imperial Historitors, that the patience is a weapon.’ living weapons the Emperor used for his early conquests were the - Custodian Warden Tybaris Constor Thunder Warriors. Techno-barbarians transformed into powerful, but ultimately flawed and short-lived, super-soldiers, the Thunder 8 Legions were fit for a single purpose, after which the Emperor’s The years that followed saw the Great Crusade surge forth from use for them was done. By the time the Thunder Warriors learned the cradle of Humanity to reclaim the galaxy. First the Sol System of their own disposable nature, the Emperor had set his sights on was secured, and Mars brought back into the fold through the grander ambitions, and created the first of the beings that would Emperor’s diplomacy and wisdom. Gathering pace with the become his Space Marines. technological aid of the Martian Mechanicum, the crusade forces spilled out into the void, billions upon billions of Imperial Army Not even the most knowledgeable of the Imperium’s scholars soldiers, proud warships, Space Marine Legions and countless can say when the Emperor fashioned the Custodians. The truth other forces setting sail to reunite the stellar empire of Mankind. is hidden in fragments of the past, accounts of figures appearing in crude hieroglyphs and cave etchings, stasis-locked scads of In those early days the Emperor was at the forefront of the parchment and gene-sealed tomes that no man now can open. expansion, even as his Primarch sons were rediscovered one by one They speak of the towering demigods that strode at the Emperor’s and the crusade fleets became ever more scattered and autonomous side, trusted bodyguards and respected counsellors that he took in their operation. Wherever the Emperor went, there too strode into his confidence. Custodians fought alongside their master the Legio Custodes, an unstoppable golden army now ten thousand before the walls of the Vilifactor’s fortress. They held back the strong. To them went the finest weapons and armour, and all the baying flesh-packs of the transnordic reaver tribes while the accumulated wealth of archeotechnological secrets unearthed Emperor slew their bloated meat-god. Custodian blades took the by the crusading armies upon ancient human worlds. Alongside head of Gharsha the Decryer, pierced the heart of the Ur-queen such esoterica as anti-gravitic battle tanks and terrifyingly potent of Atlan, and drove back the iron fiends on the red fields of disintegration rays, the Custodians also had access to the very Primasalia. Or at least, so the dying echoes of history suggest. best tried-and-tested Imperial tools of war. Their Land Raiders possessed the most exceptional and bellicose machine spirits. In the last years of the Unification Wars, the Thunder Warriors at Their bolt weaponry, power blades and heavy weapons were all last realised that their creator had cursed them with short lifespans, individually handcrafted by the greatest artisans the Imperium had and turned upon him for what they saw as his betrayal. It was a to offer, as befitted such august and sublimely skilled warriors. cadre of several hundred Custodians, even then believed to have been led by the legendary Constantin Valdor, that stood in the From the hellish fastness of the Styxian Overmancers to the false Emperor’s defence, carrying out a merciless culling of the obsolete empire of the Pureblood Kings, the bitter battles of the Coldharvest and rebellious gene-soldiers. With those last relic forces purged in Campaign to the triumphant conquest of Ullanor, the Legio a ruthless act of barbarity worthy of culminating the Age of Strife, Custodes fought undefeated at the Emperor’s side. Led to war by Terra could at last be pronounced unified, and the Emperor could the Master of Mankind himself, they were the bane of every foe. turn his gaze to the stars for the benefit of all Mankind. Yet they would soon face their sternest and most tragic test. It is said that the golden-armoured giants of the Legio Custodes were the right hand of the Emperor, while the eerie witch-hunting nulls of the Silent Sisterhood were his left. Together they represent the Talons of the Emperor. 9 THE HORUS HERESY Humanity’s preeminent destiny seemed assured beneath the Emperor’s rule, but it was not to be. In an act of grossest betrayal, fully half of the Space Marine Primarchs turned against their father and began a civil war more ferocious than anything Mankind had ever endured. This was the Horus Heresy, and it would see tragedy wrought on a galactic scale. The Primarchs were the pinnacle of Despite his potential it was Horus, too, Still, the Ten Thousand did take part in two the Emperor’s gene-craft, alchemically who fell to the lure of the Dark Gods, pivotal conflicts during the tumultuous fashioned demigods intended to lead his who was utterly corrupted by their touch, years of the Heresy. These were the Razing wars of reconquest across the stars. By the and who led fully half of his brothers into of Prospero, arguably the first battle of that machinations of the Dark Gods of Chaos, damnation along with him. The tragic dreadful era, and the Siege of Terra. they were scattered across the cosmos events of the Horus Heresy – a full account before they had fully formed, and so were of which would take more than a lifetime The attack on Prospero came even before reunited with their father – and the Space to relate – were cataclysmic in the extreme, Horus tipped his hand in open rebellion. Marine Legions made in their image – sundering the nascent Imperium and It was intended to be an act of censure, a piecemeal as the Great Crusade came to leaving it to burn in the fires of treachery. punishment for the sorcerous Primarch the worlds upon which they had fallen. It is notable that while the Space Marine Magnus the Red and his wayward Legions battled furiously against one Thousand Sons Legion. Upon their distant Arguably the greatest of their number another – and the Imperial Army and home world of Prospero the Thousand Sons was Horus Lupercal. It was he whom the Mechanicum tore themselves to shreds had recklessly continued the use of psychic Emperor and his Custodians found first, with internecine conflict – the Legio powers and empyric meddling in direct and who fought at his father’s side at the Custodes were strangely absent for much defiance of the Edict of Nikaea. None know head of his Legion, the Luna Wolves. It of the fighting. The few records that survive for sure what finally forced the Emperor to was Horus whom the Emperor named from that dark time provide only hints as intervene, but fragmentary sources tell of Warmaster in the wake of the Triumph to why that might have been, alluding to some psychic catastrophe on Terra, and an at Ullanor, charging his gene-son with the existence of another, terrible war that inescapable link to the powers of Magnus commanding the Great Crusade in his took place beyond the sight of the wider himself. Whatever the truth, Constantin stead while he and his Custodians returned Imperium, one that only the Adeptus Valdor and his Legio Custodes were to Terra to complete new and secret works. Custodes had any chance of winning. charged with leading a force to Prospero H eracal swept his guardian faceplate before he could dive aside. Another moment and he was at spear in a tight arc. Its ‘Clear here,’ voxed Heracal, shaking the northern arch, firelight and smoke powered blade sliced through the Space Marine’s corpse disdainfully spilling through it along with the din ceramite, flesh and bone, sending from his blade. of battle. Heracal drew up shoulder the traitor’s helm bouncing down ‘West stair also clear,’ came Lytanus’ to shoulder with Artoris, whose gold the steps with the head still inside. voice in response. armour was drenched in the blood of Blood fountained, its colour rich red. ‘Engaging at the northern arch,’ the foe. Heracal raised one foot and kicked voxed Artoris, and Heracal heard the ‘Well met,’ said Artoris, as he the swaying corpse in its midriff, sound of blades clashing and bolters poured bolt shells into the traitor Space sending it tumbling after its cranium. roaring in the background. ‘They’re Marines charging through the burning The Custodian scowled as two more trying another push through the gardens of the square. traitors appeared at the bottom of Peacemaker’s Square.’ ‘World Eaters,’ spat Heracal, adding the stairwell, clad in the panoply of ‘That’s three times now,’ said his fire to the salvo. ‘Deranged savages.’ the Sons of Horus. He levelled his Heracal, setting off at a jog towards the ‘Just so,’ said Lytanus as he joined guardian spear and let fly, directing a northern arch. ‘Wiser men would have their impromptu firing line. ‘Let us hail of bolt shells into the turncoats. realised they cannot break us.’ exterminate them.’ One of them was blasted backwards, ‘Wiser men would not have turned Together, the Custodians strode his chest-plate reduced to wreckage. their backs upon the Emperor,’ out to meet the World Eaters’ charge. The other weathered Heracal’s fire and replied Lytanus. Every shot they fired was perfectly reciprocated, discharging his bolter ‘True,’ said Heracal, hearing the placed. Every step and blade swing even as he stormed up the steps. sounds of gunfire swelling ahead. was expertly timed, using the berserk Impacts rocked Heracal on his ‘Then it falls to us to punish their traitors’ momentum against them. As heels, but they couldn’t pierce his foolishness.’ blood sprayed and Legiones Astartes auramite plate. A lesser warrior Rounding a corner, he cycled his corpses crashed to the ground, might have gloated, glorying in his guardian spear’s autoloaders and ran Heracal felt a stern determination and supremacy. Instead, Heracal lunged through a mnemic assessment of the unflinching conviction within him. forwards with lightning speed and Peacemaker’s Square, its approaches, While a single Custodian yet lived, the drove his spear tip through the traitor’s fire arcs, blind spots and trap zones. Imperial Palace would never fall… 10 It is not recorded what became of Valdor after the Emperor’s withdrawal to the Golden Throne. but the victory gold-armoured brethren to the surface Despite their heroics. to the Emperor himself. they could resisted Russ’ urgings. Horus. remained. fell to Horus’ Russ took the role not of Magnus’ captor. fiercely intelligent and – when required – a truly inspirational leader. Only the Emperor was able to defeat Prospero was revealed. The Master of Mankind would warded off the Thousand Sons’ psychic of Terra. and to office that made them answerable only throneworld. city-levelling weaponry. Yet at the last. the Vengeful Spirit. Titans hammered the palace walls with Primarch of the Blood Angels. him on the threshold of life. Valdor and his talon.’ . whose null powers their ultimate duty. his hand was forced that nightmarish battle. its sustaining technologies keeping Magnus’ followers during that tragic battle. Though Valdor initially Ten Thousand fought valiantly during best efforts of the Custodians. What should have been a diplomatic coup the turncoat Space Marines. but worse was to follow. death rained from the burning skies. the Legio Custodes fought alongside Whatever the case. the Emperor’s force joined his forces to Valdor’s. his battle barge. and his loyalty to the Master of Mankind was absolute. Sanguinius. So exceptional a warrior was Valdor that it is said he could even have matched a Primarch in a contest of blades. Valdor did not shirk from his duty. Valdor’s devotion to his master was such that there was no act he would not perform. Only with the aid of Valdor’s warriors with Terra in flames and traitor forces his immense psychic power continues were the Space Wolves able to extricate rampaging through the palace’s outer to guide and protect the loyal people of themselves from the slaughter before a districts. none Mankind would surely follow soon after. there was no doubt where the strike his father down by his own hand. They did not and led them in a teleport attack against became a murderous conflict when Leman waver. Valdor was a true hero of the Imperium who never once faltered in his duty. followed was horrific. selfless dedication and strategic excellence of Constantin Valdor. Perhaps he simply wished to the Magisterium Lex Ultima. but there are those who believe he serves the Emperor still… ‘There are no bystanders in the war of life and death. no deed he would not consider. first Captain- General of the Ten Thousand. instinctive dislike for his sorcerous brother. Despite the but his executioner. It is said that Constantin Valdor epitomised all that it means to be one of the Adeptus Custodes. Yet Valdor’s value to the Emperor was so much more than as a mere combatant. and his palace. howling warp rift consumed Prospero itself. So enthroned. the final battle from afar. and so he led his his rebellious gene-son. Fighting alongside shame of the Legio Custodes. Horus lowered the shields on the Imperium – should he ever perish. During that titanic had they been charged with exercising siege. the Custodians slew many of flagship. for death will surely do the same. coordinating more. Yet never before battle lines were drawn. They showed no mercy to Primarchs. All through the Siege ruined husk. Goaded by even as daemonic abominations spilled scattered throughout the tainted ship and Horus’ cunning words and driven by an through the veil of reality and renegade forced to fight for their lives. Space Marines and Custodians. leaving him a the Sisters of Silence. watchful. Horus watched from his orbiting be consigned to the Golden Throne forever attacks. the loyalist Legions to defend the Emperor immediately gathered an elite force of Still. and to the eternal came at a terrible cost. Why he did this. From the earliest days of the Unification Wars – perhaps even before then – Constantin Valdor was the Emperor’s staunch companion. driving back one not overcome the unnatural might of when the corruption of the sorcerers of offensive after another. no place the battle cannot reach. they failed in shattered the Emperor’s body. 11 . The battle that Russ. by the time Horus’ Gods’ plans. Since their earliest was one of bewilderment and uncertainty.Attributed to Captain-General Constantin Valdor and bringing Magnus back to Terra to face The aftermath of the events on Prospero can say. and sought to derail the Dark days the Custodians had always borne In comparison. Stoic. Horus’ powers of the damned world. The Captain-General would rather have taken his own life than risk that of the Emperor. a mark of Traitor Legions brought their war to the face the Emperor before the end. CONSTANTIN VALDOR Few warriors in the entire history of the Imperium have even come close to the martial magnificence. the Emperor its authority for such a daunting task. to ensure the Emperor’s continued survival. the Primarch of the Space Wolves. so fight it without remorse or relenting. even as megatonnes of explosive Horus’ unshielded ship. Perhaps some sliver of his old self his father’s judgement. unmoving. dungeons. but all of the domains of permitted despair to take them. as the wider Imperium has stagnated Sanctum Imperialis. The longest any individual has painstaking assessments of each warrior’s performance in stood the Companion’s Watch was Astoran Kalos. It protect the Emperor. not a force in order to sustain the Emperor and that have become ritual and rote. At times their Captain- decide who will be permitted audience Age of Technology. and the Emperor’s servants have come to view them with a mixture The Custodians have many tasks upon of superstition and awe. bound to traditions Golden Throne. They play continue to exercise the full authority of the Imperial Palace. Marines at a spear’s length. There can be the silent ranks. Arrayed in ranks around the Golden Throne. keeping even the most ardently loyal Space armouries. in matters of security. The Adeptus Custodes guard the deepest to themselves. as well as their mental acuity. the Lord Militant of the Imperium purgatorial duty. of the greatest and most august personages in the Imperium. Companions have acted as guardians for them all. the Custodians’ vigil did not falter for even a moment. poised constantly upon the cusp of battle Thousand such duties are simply an extension of their vows to readiness in case the slightest threat were to present itself. space proven fallible once may do so again. merely a Golden Throne. Such Custodians have protected the lives less experienced candidates take no offence. Yet though they had met with defeat and tragedy. in this case by safeguarding those assets is mentally and spiritually exhausting. who chooses his candidates based upon such a taxing duty indefinitely. and insist upon interconnected fortresses. Yet even single enemy has gained access to the his Astronomican. the Adeptus Terra. From the The vigil of the Companions is unending. for what has judiciariums. cathedrums. it is a role that has earned the Adeptus Custodes much judges that a Companion has served long enough they will be favour in the eyes of Terra’s noble elite. it is still a Adeptus Administratum. no consideration for rank or Those who have served amongst the Companions are more veteran status is given when appointing Custodians to the likely to lend their talents to the grim bodyguards known as Companions. For ten thousand years the Adeptus the soul-binding ritual that sees thousands For millennia the Custodians have gone Custodes have stood guard over the of psykers each day drained of their life about their duties. ever watchful for their endless Blood Games. this is this is a mantra the Custodians apply also no mean feat. for theirs was a shame and a failing that they sought neither to forget nor be absolved of. They the Imperial Palace. As such. this is no mark of dishonour. Considering the barely notice the fleeting mortal men that complex is a continent-sized sprawl of scurry around their feet. Again. archives. sanctums. To the Ten unspeaking. Yet ports and countless other structures. to strengthen them still further. wherein permitted themselves a moment of laxity It is the Adeptus Custodes alone who lurk sanity-blasting secrets from the Dark or introspection. around them. marshalling those of xenos taint or heretical bent who own number taking the role of invader or the defences of Terra as they see fit and might have contrived to penetrate the assassin to test their defences and. In that time. THE COMPANIONS The Companions are a three-hundred-strong force that forms rotated out with immediate effect. and though they Master of the Navigators’ Guild to the High Logisticar of the are of course rotated out for brief periods of rest. no more important duty in all of the Imperium than to shield the Emperor himself. of the Adeptus Custodes. and those passed over in favour of younger or the Aquilan Shields. They patrol the endless presents even the slightest hint of a threat advisors.GUARDIANS OF THE GOLDEN THRONE In the wake of the Horus Heresy. and it is an honour companies to inspect the defences of the Lords of Terra. and so when the Captain-General Still. and to eliminate anything that as one of that council’s most powerful circumstances. spiritual for a full century before at last surrendering his place amongst fortitude and countless other indicative factors. They are hand-picked for their duties by the pragmatic admission that even a Custodian cannot perform Captain-General. the Legio Custodes became the Adeptus Custodes. Either way. sanctity and strength. At others he has served that is granted only in the rarest of Sol System. They despatch shield General has stood amongst the High with the Emperor. 12 . even for the demigods most important to the successful running of his Imperium. most notably the High Lords of Terra themselves. They oversee so. former these wardens stand for incredible lengths of time. replaced by a fresh inductee the direct bodyguard of the Emperor while he sits upon the to their ranks. who endured training and battle. the Adeptus Custodes lines of petitioners that wend through to the sanctity of Holy Terra. and thus they have never vaults of the Imperial Palace. They donned mourning black. one of their the Magisterium Lex Ultima. It is they who watch over not just Custodes have done what they can to the great gates that lead to the Emperor’s fend off doubt and ennui. and have never throne room. to the shadowed Master of the Officio Assassinorum. in doing answering to no one but their silent master structure’s outer defences. macro-habs. . Yorta’karin Desmodages. and beholden to the Each aspirant endures thousands of hours own. His might permeates them.Shield-Captain amongst the Terran aristocracy have willingly directions. cur?’ within the Imperium. dark and dreadful age – the Adeptus Custodes retain the enlightenment and perspective There is a reason that – despite their commonplace during the Great Crusade. and many notable clans expand their minds in far more esoteric . SHADOWS AND ALCHEMY It was the Emperor himself that invented the process by which the warriors of the Adeptus Custodes are created. remaining every bit as shrouded in secrecy and tradition as they were during the Great Crusade. chance do you think your It is a mark of incredible prestige to surrender counter-espionage. for not even the High Lords of Terra absolute. of an aspirant. it is a credit to the put. Not only does such good of Terra’s high society parade before an avalanche of information screen out those them. all faithful warriors instinctively respect and fear these demigods of war. information beaten into the metal Warriors’ revolt. but also against us. The process of ascension goes beyond the purely physical and spiritual. psyches are rebuilt from the ground up. Ten. during the interrogation of sons to earn it. It has such an intake occurs. the of such psycho-indoctrination and mnemic he cemented that conquest secrets of their recruitment have never been conditioning. Their education is mercilessly and laid low the Thunder revealed. Adeptus Custodes that such a realisation does thousands are found wanting. Those who The method by which such remarkable would join the brotherhood of the Adeptus individuals are created has always been known Custodes are mentally indoctrinated. the better a chance it has days when the Custodians were expected not of success. the same processes are still utilised. It is known that all Custodians begin their lives only the tenets of warfare in all its forms. Of remarkable lifespan – the Adeptus course. threat recognition and traitorous brothers stand one’s child to this most glorious of callings death dealing known to Mankind. They must grasp not with all of our might. of their minds at a punishing rate that to strike out into the galaxy drives many mad. A Space Marine not drive them to despair. Huge crowds line the Avenue of only to provide the Emperor with protection. their only to those of the Imperial household. theosophy. soaking in the adoration of the masses whose psyches are not sufficiently robust. Simply Imperium has sunk. even as they surrender their progeny forever but it further ensures that – almost alone in a into the Emperor’s care. Thousand. By comparison. for every worthy aspirant who succeeds. anarchist warlords of Old the Adeptus Custodes fighting only for Night and took Terra for his the Emperor himself. artistry and countless Varsidious the Whisperer other subjects must all be mastered to a Such children are taken in when they are breathtakingly high degree. modifications reshape those who receive them his blessings so powerful that they can shield into living weapons. until it becomes an impregnable the Emperor crushed the from the sight of Humanity’s masses. history. Exactly what as the infant sons of the noble houses of Terra. Now there are ten thousand of us. given up almost entire generations of newborn astrogation and interstellar geography. They fill the air with become a tradition applied by rote. With but a few hundred commands and scrutiny of no other. for the earlier the genetic metamorphosis into a warrior of the Adeptus Much of this education is a throwback to the Custodes begins. as well as the implantation of Adeptus Custodes are the progeny of the supporting organs. Diplomacy and statecraft. whatever the Custodians from hurts both physical mysterious bio-alchemy is used to trigger the and empyric. The greatness of the Master of transformation into a Custodian occurs on an Mankind runs in their veins. with such blessings comes a tragic Custodes have never numbered more than comprehension of the depths to which the approximately ten thousand warriors. 14 . but still frenzied cheering and prayer as the great and its benefits are apparent. ready have the right to demand them. within gilded laboratories locked away treachery. eyes. these Emperor himself. burns in their entirely deeper level. and learn every method of assassination. taking root in the cells. Sacrifice outside the Ascensor’s Gate when but also counsel and conversation. philosophy. then the to the body. If it can truly be said that the Space Marines is created by the introduction of gene-seed are the sons of the Primarchs. their and is carried out by the most accomplished mental architecture fortified as the Imperial ‘With but a handful of chirurgeons and bio-alchemists of Terra Palace itself was fortified in the face of Horus’ Custodians at his side. and charges the air around them so that perhaps even the soul. With fastness or else collapses under its own weight. still in infancy. More than ten thousand years later. Between them. and the shadow- Though the minds of the Custodians each individual their own armour and shrouded wars they fight in the Emperor’s are armoured against the machinations weapons. for they are handmade so utterly other that they adopt entirely awarded additional names to reflect by the Imperium’s most skilled smiths new personalities. such Custodian takes is unknown beyond the A Custodian’s roll of honour is equipment epitomises the proven excellence walls of the Imperial Palace. famed for the wonders they have wrought. the years-long holo-conflicts to the ranks of the Adeptus Custodes earns through which they battle. to understand the deeper ramifications comrades afford them immediate respect. their purpose to fashion the Ten Thousand are the finest fighting force allowed for no chink in the defences of his auramite armour and perfectly balanced in the entire Imperium. THE EYES OF THE EMPEROR Though functionally immortal. In days past. for in order to do their duty are undoubtedly powerful living weapons. and none will gainsay them. much of it dating back thousands of years. these watchers use secret channels to communicate a warning to the Captain-General. using fear and intimidation to secure compliance where loyalty and honour will not suffice. it is error enough to necessitate that their watch come to an end. of the war for the Emperor’s realm. however.No truth is withheld from the Adeptus bodyguards. a their martial masterworks. even the warriors of the Adeptus Custodes eventually tire. and their seek to conquer the galaxy. understand the full burden of responsibility Allarus-pattern Terminator armour. All can have dozens of names inscribed within the – and will – claim that it was their offspring plates of their armour or – in some cases These incredible armaments. Entire bloodlines of exceptionally name throughout the Sol System and far of witches and psykers. deriving them from would bestow these titles. danger that no member of the Adeptus augmetically enhanced artisan-barons are eroding revelations quickly eliminate Custodes need ever face. Others find their mental faculties beginning to erode. so regarded as being entirely appropriate for honour on his comrades. Raiders and Contemptor Dreadnoughts that How long the process of creating a saw battle during the Great Crusade. noble families of Terra to save face. the Emperor himself and maintained to the most painstaking from ancient texts. names such as the Clan Halbrinmir or without impediment they must possess they are also unstable ones. to Land that their power and authority brings. Some work alone. monsters and gods of old Terran the Captain-General. Those For those superlative individuals that do The Adeptus Custodes also have access to that remain can be counted upon not only survive to join the golden ranks. For a Custodian. Now it falls to standards imaginable. Along with their name. Not only is this practice Shield-Captain in the field. For the vast majority of warriors. those inductees who do not have sufficient spiritual fortitude to do their duty. They draw their names them. The Emperor on Terra. begin with a single epithet. the endless that showed the fortitude to become a – even etched microscopically into their training regimes that the Custodians Custodian. however slightly. ascension undergo. Others cultivate networks of informants and agents. All those who encompassed by his name. 15 . artificial eyes or augmetic organs lessening their physical perfection. Custodians who must be the equipment they rely upon to such transcendent beings. Though all of all Adeptus Custodes materiel. it also allows the have served for many centuries typically discharge their duties. Such sanity. or occasionally a who protect the Golden Throne must mythology. Some suffer physical hurts that impact upon their ability to perform their duties. for while battlefield psykers weapons for each new Custodian. The tools survive emerge as magnificent praetorians. Just as the warriors heroes. forewarned of danger by the Eyes of the Emperor. with lost limbs. Certain Custodes. dark and ominous figures slipping through the shadows of the Emperor’s realm. When a Custodian judges himself no longer fit for duty he surrenders all of his equipment to the Hall of Armaments and vanishes into the void of the galaxy clad in hooded black robes. bones. their an incomparable armoury of technology. acknowledging that their reaction times or mnemic awareness are not quite what they once were. they themselves skilled artisans dwell within gilded towers beyond – all these factors ensure that the never exhibit such abilities. Such noble exiles still serve the Emperor. Should they bear witness to a situation developing that they believe might threaten Terra or the Emperor. as these of war wielded by the Emperor’s guardians their sculpted physiques and altered minds warriors achieve great deeds they are never fail or falter. to bestow the be utterly without fault or weakness. Their minds the Clan Gestaxtis are renowned for all of the facts about the dark terrors that are prone to invasion by warp entities. for wherever they travel they observe. So do response forces of the Adeptus Custodes launch punitive and often pre-emptive strikes throughout the Imperium. but to There are no juniors amongst the Adeptus From the sleek Dawneagle jetbikes of recognise why such truths must never be Custodes – only worthy warriors who the Vertus Praetors and the magnificent allowed to spread beyond their own ranks. a tenth-of-a-second reduction in the speed at which blows are stuck or parried might be considered negligible. lies buried beneath strata of gothic The Adeptus Custodes have also long ornamentation and the brutal grandeur of Despite this. be no clearer metaphor for the fate of the the petitioners’ highways. a hunched architectural monstrosity that who patrol the colossal and seemingly and whose immense star fort – known as wears its martial might like a challenge to endless walls. still They inspect the endless miles of orbital unwavering in these duties for thousands the Custodes guard it well. The Adeptus Custodes are responsible for the defence of this immense fortress. Its sub-levels dig deep into Terra’s hosts have mustered in secret and set out intentions of Warmaster Horus – and holy bedrock. the famed wider Imperium. whole of Terra. Now. Its corridors. even as the galaxy darkens wary guard over the hidden vaults deep around them and new wars arise for them This is no small task. Bands of Custodians – wrought irrevocable changes. the Adeptus Custodes find the Imperial Palace was a surpassing wonder through the atmosphere and rise into the manpower and dedication to do so much of engineering. chambers. The circumference of within the palace which contain secrets so to fight. The Adeptus Custodes have remained a grotesque mockery of its former self. overseeing the palace’s defence. wake of the heresy. The palace’s former asceticism entire star systems. who patrol over the throneworld. There can sanctums and armouries. and the in thousands of miles. What once was bright have always proven equal to the duty of Marine Chapter. It is they role as joint guardians of the Sol System.THE DEFENCES OF TERRA The Emperor’s palace on Terra is the largest and most impregnable defensive structure in the Imperium. their shield that beautiful structure against the baleful beast. who stand guard over the Phalanx – has often held a protective orbit the terrors of the darkling void. 16 . polluted and that dwell within its walls could populate that watch the approaches to Terra. Eyes of the Emperor. a duty they discharge with tireless diligence. and maintain a of years. they are more determined than the palace’s outermost walls is measured dreadful that they could bring about the ever to ensure the Imperial Palace. For thousands of years. in some places reaching aboard requisitioned warships to strike the subsequent widespread devastation a depth of hundreds of miles below the down threats identified by the roaming suffered at the hands of his traitor hordes surface. guns and defensive silos. the Imperial Palace was that no single record remains to list them serving as rotating garrisons for military rebuilt as the mightiest fortress in human all. immense. The ten millennia since have seen holdings and techno-urbanic serf tribes and numerous deep-space star fortresses it become ever more bloated. stand inviolable. the of its macro-habs and space ports break And yet. but though the palace is space ports and the vast fortifications. clan facilities based around Luna. Yet the necessity to fortify void like the spines of some bioluminescent more. The towering spires fall of Humanity were they ever released. vaults. and the societal sub-nations. It sprawls across an entire mountain range. stretching for thousands of miles over the surface of the throneworld. the Adeptus Custodes liaised with the Imperial Fists Space the Cult Imperialis. Pluto history. In the fastnesses and plazas are so multitudinous have regularly patrolled the Sol System. who still maintain their and magnificent is now vast and lowering. Venus. In the days of the Great Crusade. 17 . Towering even taller than the mountain range upon which it was built. THE TOWER THE IMPERIAL PALACE AQUILANE Being a cartographic representation of the most holy demesnes of the Imperial Palace on Terra THE DARK CELLS THE SANCTUM OF A THE SANCTUM THOUSAND EYES IMPERIALIS THE LION’S GATE AVENUE OF ASCENSOR’S SACRIFICE GATE VIGILATUM FORTRESS OF THE ORBITAL BATTERY TRIBUNATE The immensity of the Imperial Palace is breathtaking in its magnificence. it is a monument to the grandiose martial might of Humanity. ’ . A fool dies with blades still sheathed.Trajann Valoris to Roboute Guilliman in the wake of the Lion’s Gate Incursion . For the sake of Emperor and Imperium both. fearing that there might yet come a time of greater need. ‘A wise man draws his swords when the time is right to wield them. we must take the fight to our enemies. When the Traitor Legions fell upon the Daemons tore through the skin of reality all evidence of the conflict. Kalim Varanor and reinstated as Lord Commander of the Imperium by an Aided by oracular doomscryers and alpha- assemblage of the High Lords of Terra. havoc and misery from the planet’s highest the eight Bloodthirsters that led the attack It was not to be squandered or refused. If the servants of the Dark Gods otherwise. The Imperium. and wrought to fail again. The battleship-sized gun emplacements of Humanity. Primarch of the Ultramarines. had it been and a frenzied battle ensued. In this Guilliman’s return came not a moment In scenes that echoed the horror of the capacity a number of shield companies too soon. guaranteed without greater proactive their father’s defence. of course. to the ongoing survival of the Imperium. the brazen weapons of Khorne’s hateful in order to watch over the primary warp Bands of Custodian Wardens stood their Daemons. before the walls of the Emperor’s palace. Perhaps. or travelled further afield driven to madness and cannibalism. The Adeptus were blown apart or cut down. Legions of the Adeptus Custodes formally recognised Horus Heresy. However. complex wards and Guilliman was determined that he they had no hope of prevailing. following his revival craters in the diabolical horde. Yet even as the skies boiled routes that remained stable paths to the ground in the shadowed undervaults far blood-red and carmine rains slicked the throneworld. the legions of Khorne faded from esoteric mantles. the attached themselves to Guilliman’s labours when the cascading fury of the golden warriors of the Adeptus Custodes Indomitus Crusade. blade to blade. This time. and efforts made to obliterate bestrode the stars… 19 . questors for artefacts crucial containment cells. within the Emperor’s throne room. the Adeptus on Terra. the masters of Imperial Palace at the culmination of the and assaulted the Lion’s Gate. waves that temporarily extinguished the driven by a furious determination never and ensuring they understood that this was light of the Astronomican. reprising the role Great Rift washed over the Sol System. Through great sacrifice and unnatural artifice. he had been of the Emperor. across the stars that brought him by strange Silence marched out to meet the Daemons and the Companions’ watch must continue and bloody roads to the throneworld itself. This mission might take them all onrushing hordes of Chaos. One by one. a bright light of hope was kindled within the galactic empire of Ultramar. as a logical extension of the Guilliman was welcomed with all honour vows of duty they had sworn. Roboute Guilliman and his howling Daemons surged towards the that Terra’s defence could no longer be Ultramarines were too far away to fight in Emperor’s palace in a crimson tidal wave. becoming hunters after out and timeless horrors burst from their reality with howls of frustration and rage. The cost Custodes found themselves putting in lives was great. and guided in Though the returned Primarch remained part by the continued efforts of the Eyes outwardly stern and regal. they prevailed. a vast horde of Khornate Inquisition. arch-heretics. Ultramarines and Sisters of palace must still be guarded. level astropathic intercepts. spires to its deepest crypts. Roboute Guilliman and Captain-General Guilliman ratified a formal amendment Seeing the darkness rising to swamp the Valoris.RISE OF THE PRIMARCH In the last days before the gathering storm broke and the Great Rift tore the void in two. even into the shadows of bureaucratic stubbornness and hidebound the Imperium Nihilus beyond the sprawl pedantry of the Adeptus Terra as he went. with noble defenders Other shield companies relocated to down riots. Others still took even more beneath the palace as runic sigils burned ground. Led by layers of psy-protections. permitted audience with Custodes committed to greatly extending the Emperor by Aquila Commander their extra-solar activities. Roboute Guilliman. He quickly began of these forces was to exterminate utterly instating changes that would permit the most deadly threats to the Emperor the Imperium to fight back against the himself. His coming would herald great changes for the Imperium. more shield hosts than shaken to the core by what had become ever before struck out from Terra. While great swathes of witnesses against Humanity’s hidden foes. of the Great Rift. The aim of his father’s empire. measures. Seeking to strike the truth. the fate of the galaxy would have had bypassed the defences of the cradle been very different. a gift from the Master of Mankind himself. doomsday cult uprisings and who had stood guard over the Emperor permanently garrison the Sol System’s rampaging packs of luckless petitioners for thousands of years brought low by outer defences. led by some of Primaris reinforcements and technology Terra bore the brunt of empyric shock the Imperium’s greatest champions and to the beleaguered Space Marine Chapters. faced the Blood God’s savage butchers of the Emperor’s emissaries in bearing Though not directly struck by warp storms. for he had not been long at his Siege of Terra ten millennia before. he launched a desperate crusade Custodes. bulldozing the across the galaxy. The Lion’s Gate Incursion proved a stark or redoubling their efforts in their wars Worse was to follow. flanking the Lion’s Gate blasted glowing Whatever the case. Valoris and would not make the same mistake twice. was restored from the brink of death. but alone Behind locked doors. Not since decapitating blow that would bring the were corralled and exterminated by the the Great Crusade had so many Custodians Imperium to ruin. but always their focus would be the sanctity of Terra. a combined host of the Adeptus to the role of the Adeptus Custodes. sizeable army complete with jetbikes. enact the Emperor’s will. it is rare indeed that they go to battle against those tyrants. Their titles vary enormously. or the unwavering Wardens. commands the Ten Thousand. Once he joins the Tribunate. Even such of his considerable intellect to supporting worthies as the High Lords of Terra and – strategically and diplomatically – A singular force of the Adeptus Custodes Lord Commander Guilliman are able only the Captain-General. Though the Custodians are typically immune to such superstition. the misericordia signifies something there are those amongst their ranks who harbour the hope greater. Another school of thought. for he is too busy bending all comrades believe them worthy of. inflicting a death by a use. a minuscule measure it wasn’t there at all. and have led his comrades rapid jetbike troops of the Vertus Praetors. Under normal post that has been passed down from one Commanders to Master Guardians. the by the blade alone. Yet as the Emperor led his wars of unification. who fulfil the roles of inspiring Shield-Captain for the task at hand internal hierarchy of the Adeptus Custodes leaders. lunatics and demagogues who stood against him. When a larger force is required. acting as Adeptus Custodes’ military engagements. When they deign to account themselves at all to other Imperial bodies their ranks appear complex and highly stratified. Yet much of this is tradition. There are varying assembled to accomplish those tasks that a blend of established wisdom and fresh strategic roles within the organisation to no other Imperial force could be trusted ideas. to be turned upon those who betrayed the Emperor and their blades imbued with micromolecular dissonator spirits and left him a broken shell. is referred to as a shield company. the Adeptus Custodes use a robust and easily adaptable system to organise their forces. he is presented with a beautifully fashioned knife sanctioned executioner. it came to represent the right of the bearer to act though Custodians have the right to carry their misericordia or as the arbiter of the Emperor’s judgement. It perhaps thirty to forty Custodians. his through the wounds inflicted with misericordia they will slowly Custodians are believed to have co-opted the term for their own bleed the great descendants of Horus. while several others of as shield hosts. the organisation of the Ten Thousand seems byzantine. numbers within such a formation can Below this ruling council are the Shield. a shield company includes gallant leader to the next ever since the borne in accordance with the specific no more than one Shield-Captain and mysterious disappearance of Constantin duties to which they have been assigned. often circumstances. However. sometimes wisdom in a supporting capacity. Led by conclaves of Shield- of Mankind. it may in to the darkest days of Terran history. Conversely. Valdor. The Adeptus Custodes operate as a military victoriously in battle on at least three the heavy assault specialists of the Allarus force. hundreds of Custodians. so it is said. and to put to death not as they see fit. No longer would the misericordia be a symbol of tyrannical thousand cuts upon the Black Legion and their masters. The Captain-General has absolute is Shield-Captains that take charge of the authority over the Custodes. The veteran Custodians who act as advisors roughly equivalent status to one another. and its warriors march to war with a least ten names before he can serve on better suited. During this time he will not see the sees them afforded whatever honour their Imperium. when cruel warlords ruled some way restore their master.A HOST OF HEROES From outside. believe that misericordia. These weapons are filigreed with gold second. whether this be the singular and implacable determination to the Tribunate. A Custodian must have earned at which some Custodians find themselves with. gathering of such might is a momentous to the Captain-General. Custodians. Instead. yet since his fall these blades bear a known as a misericordia. a group of ten The remainder of the Custodians possess and bring entire star systems to heel. More than a lethal sidearm. These weapons of oppression were known as adherents of which are known as the Miserians. 20 . They have become weapons of and theldrite. shield hosts have Beneath the Captain-General is the the martial strength to crush enemy armies Custodian Tribunate. multiple the ritual proxy for the Emperor himself one is typically afforded overall command shield companies gather into forces known and speaking with the voice of the Master of an operation. the Captains. inheriting a from Supreme Castellans and Aquila tanks and Dreadnoughts. rule. Membership of forming loose warrior bands traditionally undertaking – a shield host is only this body changes periodically to ensure known as sodalities. Its traditional meaning is said to date all the way back that if enough traitor blood is spilt with these blades. The Captain-General champions. his rank may lend him their strength and Captains and boasting tens. of revenge is exacted on behalf of the Emperor himself. in practice. The to request – not demand – their aid. can give a Custodian orders. hand-picked by their As befits such a body of elite warriors. vary considerably. THE MISERICORDIA When an aspirant ascends to the ranks of the Adeptus The misericordia still shows its wielder to be the Emperor’s Custodes. Every time a misericordia is that allow them to slice through the thickest armour as though plunged into a traitor’s heart. grimmer meaning. gifted generals and selfless and ranging from a small band to a is remarkably flat. their hilts moulded to the owner’s unique grip vengeance. or else purposeful misdirection. the Heretic Astartes without these blades at their hips. whom possesses unassailable authority a Custodian must serve for at least ten they still operate within a meritocracy that over virtually any other organisation in the years. a gathering of champions each of occasions. no Imperial agent front lines. Thus. Euramedes Dreadnoughts to seconded determined by the Shield-Captain to suit his strategic Seconded Cruiser Voidhawk warships. others might contain wildly different arrays of Phemus. These but when Paliades calls. to battle against a Necron awakening on a world perilously close Maximus Auxila Shield hosts gather all the auxiliary to Terra. THE GILDED TALONS SHIELD COMPANY Typically. It is important to note Adeptus Custodes Falchion. Land Raider Justice Delivered as Imperatus Auxila. and even non- needs. though sometimes it will include additional champions who act as his companions. As is Imperatus Auxila Supporting assets attached to typical with such organisations. of Maximus Auxila. 10 Venerable Land Raiders assets of their shield companies typically gathering to eliminate suddenly arising threats 7 Contemptor Dreadnoughts under the single umbrella heading close to or within the Sol System. They have fought together many times since. CUSTODIAN CUSTODIAN VEXILUS ALLARUS VERTUS GUARD GUARD PRAETOR TERMINATORS PRAETORS The Gilded Talons shield company fights under the leadership of Shield-Captain Archturus Paliades. supported by the wise counsel of several Vexilus Praetors. Captains is considered to be a shield host. THE SOLAR FURIES SHIELD HOST A shield host is typically commanded by multiple COMMANDERS Shield-Captains. all of his comrades who can will Contemptor. the Starfire practical point of view. however. From a that the Solar Furies is a very large shield host – any class battleship. Eye of the Emperor combatant field agents. a shield company is led by a single SHIELD-CAPTAIN Shield-Captain. Talorian range from war engines and answer. Various field agents parent shield companies. 21 . formation that brings two or more shield companies 5 co-opted Imperial warships these assets still fight with their together beneath the leadership of multiple Shield. Those Custodians that lead each force are permitted vast autonomy in selecting whatever forces they believe they will require to complete their mission. with only the broadest organisational guidelines by which to abide. SHIELD SHIELD SHIELD SHIELD SHIELD COMPANY COMPANY COMPANY COMPANY COMPANY The Solar Furies first assembled in late M36. CUSTODES DEPLOYMENTS The Adeptus Custodes differ from the vast majority of Imperial military organisations in that their armies obey only the loosest regimentation. The composition of this shield company was Contemptor. their members often Land Raider Glorious Wrath shield companies are designated fight amongst the ranks of other shield companies also. troop types and vehicles. Its natural colouration is a lustrous gold. reworked – to match the colouration of their armour. The gems set into each Custodian’s armour are individually mined from deep beneath the surface of Terra and hand cut by skilled artisans. through closely guarded alchemical processes. however. However. This is not standard amongst all shield companies. each suit of armour is an individual work of exceptional craftsmanship with its own unique flourishes and decorations. a hue entirely appropriate for the Emperor’s personal guardians.UNIFORMS AND HERALDRY Each Custodian’s armour and weapons are crafted specifically for them by hand. The right shoulder guard of 1 a Custodian’s armour depicts the Imperial Aquila. 4 The haft or hilt of a Custodian’s weapon is sometimes worked – or. It is a painstaking and costly process. but across that of his entire shield company. Thus. but considered far more suited to the Custodians’ importance than simple repainting. When a Custodian switches from one such organisation to another. auramite can be tinted. not only across the Custodian’s armour. the stones will be carefully extracted from his 3 armour and replaced with those of an appropriate colour if needs be. in many cases. along with any robes he may wear. The colour panels on the Custodian’s left shoulder guard show clearly to which shield company or shield host they belong. Their colouration is flawlessly precise. Yet all Custodians maintain certain standardised elements to their wargear that help them to quickly identify one another’s place both on and off the battlefield. This colouration will often match the Custodian’s tabard. or its colour changed altogether on a molecular level. The latter organisational 5 tier takes precedence for these purposes. an art form in its own right. a sigil of eternal vigilance and a sign of the Custodian’s mandate to enact – by force if necessary – the will of the 2 Emperor himself. 22 . All Adeptus Custodes armour is made from the incredibly rare substance known as auramite. their foul prizes to the cells where they belong. should any creature soon drive most men mad. eldritch terrors from the depths of Old Night that could annihilate the Imperium. their use intended as and garners solemn respect must never happen. It speaks volumes about the dire condition of the galaxy that Thursk left Terra but twice before the breaking of the storm. This Imperial Palace. THE LOCKWARDEN There have been many Shield- The Shadowkeepers hold the keys to the The ranks of this shield host include many Captains charged with mastery rune-locked portals hidden deep beneath the Custodian Wardens. vigilantly watching over the the Great Rift changed everything. a grim achievement that is reflected in the new names inscribed within his black armour. the Shadowkeepers at last sent The current incumbent of this It is a testament to the discipline and spiritual warriors out into the galaxy. They alone know the ways help them to focus upon the task at hand to appointment confers the by which the runic locks may be disengaged. 23 . for though neither the spaces between the stars. yet he has barely set foot there since the Great Custodian Warden Jaeharl Rift yawned wide. the a hundred Custodians patrolling the dark and have performed their duty. The leaders of these title of Lockwarden. The would not survive their release. Feldorus Ghau. A perpetual menace thickens the artefacts once contained within spirited away the duty of the Lockwarden shadows and makes them crawl. during which time he has been called upon to leave Terra thrice on heavily veiled reclamation missions. Fearing the consequences of such dread the operation. the entities and to be imprisoned therein.THE SHADOWKEEPERS WARDERS OF THE DARK CELLS There are terrible things locked away beneath the Emperor’s palace. wrong hands. Worse still are the cells or newly emerged threat need cells. it is with dread. for remnants of the Age of Strife falling into the the sense of unspeakable threat never wanes. It was Ghau’s blade that slew the Slithering Dreamer on Tarnus IV. a name the wards unbound and the sanctic circles forbidding sentries carry ancient weapons of that is borne in perpetuity breached. while the rich crimson of his left shoulder guard and robes complete the attire of his shield host. and a half. To the Shadowkeepers falls the duty of standing guard over them unto the end of time. over For ten thousand years the Shadowkeepers sternest of all guardians. He is a grim and frighteningly intense warrior whose utter fearlessness and steely vigilance make him ideal for his role. the air of those corridors is charged that stand suddenly empty. last terrors of Old Night. the exclusion of all else. whose oaths of protection of the Shadowkeepers. It is a task that would power of Chaos spilling raw and seething into Moreover. With the gaoler on the face of Terra. sometimes for all who seek to impede them. before returning Lockwarden for a century decades at a time. slaughtering Borsa Thursk. new abominations or relic escape the Dark Cells. The sable of Ghau’s armour is one with the gloom of the Dark Cells. yet the coming of most unrelenting and alert silent corridors. for the Dark Cells hold a last resort should anything ever break free from every other member such horrors at bay that Mankind’s sanity from the Dark Cells. of the Ten Thousand. who has been stand their guard unflinching. They alone know that these things mysterious provenance. who stands amongst the steely eyed ranks of the Shadowkeepers. sight nor sound can escape the forbidden have come to light. Custodian Ghau has guarded the Dark Cells for seventeen years. These jailers must position is Shield-Captain fortitude of the Shadowkeepers that they trammel that which should not be. Even the by some unholy force to curse the galaxy once to personally oversee superhumans of the Adeptus Custodes are more. forever on edge in those dark oubliettes. A full shield Lockwarden must be the host is devoted to this grim responsibility. but this is of no concern against infinite foes at once. watched over High Lord Veynd during the Red Razor Uprisings. these individuals Adeptus Custodes. others of apparently little import. shielding their charges from harm until defence does not end at nor permission asked – the warriors of the the exact moment the usefulness of the person the walls of the Imperial Aquilan Shield appear as if from nowhere. journeying across the defence of the throneworld. under their protection is deemed spent. thought or deed – are Space Marine Captains. and protected a bewildered young preacher named Lorrin from the horrors of the war on Phinalium until the priest’s selfless martyrdom earned him sainthood and turned the tide of a war across an entire sector. In his time amongst the Aquilan Shield. Sororitas Canonesses. In such a contest one must compare. at least until their usefulness is thought to be at its end. jeopardise the safety of the Golden Throne. 24 . These fated of Warmaster. Such esteemed figures are afforded the protection of the Aquilan Shield. and is never refused no matter the to the Aquilan Shield – providing it does not be constantly pre-emptive. played over countless boards Master of Mankind. The Aquilan the stars to stand watch over their charges Shield fight to ensure such a future comes to ‘The duty of the Emperor’s wherever they may be. At that Palace. they also take note of those who Inquisitors. and our every move must be perfectly executed. of the Aquilan Shield. their quarry to be under the protection of the they guarded to look to their own defence. circumstances or the individual chosen. They have even likely to avert such catastrophes before they protected two crusade leaders bearing the title threaten the Golden Throne. for in this way a small Yet they have also appeared amidst flares of band of Custodians can ensure a significant golden light to watch over firebrand front- martial or spiritual asset survives to act in the line preachers. Our gaze must rove far afield. His allegiance is indicated by the royal purple colouration of his left shoulder guard and his robes. Ossian has defended the life of Arch-Cardinal Mumbres from daemonic assassins.Captain-General Trajann Valoris Tauramacchis Ossian is a Custodian Warden who has stood amongst the ranks of the Aquilan Shield for over four centuries. Lord of disaster. staunchly ignoring the historic individuals are honoured with the protection associations with he who first held that rank. Our war is like an avatars of the Emperor’s will who announce point they depart without a word. while The Aquilan Shield are an informal attending their duties beneath the gimlet gaze brotherhood laced through the ranks of the of the Emperor’s own guards. To do any less is to court final defeat.’ . No warning is given pass. Astra Militarum generals and – through example. THE AQUILAN SHIELD THE GILDED GUARDIANS Certain servants of the Emperor bear great responsibilities deemed directly relevant to the safety of Terra. leaving those endless game of regicide. always cunning and ever ready to seize any advantage that presents itself. bewildered militia leaders and Emperor’s defence. The only unifying factor amongst them all is that. They typically operate are expected to achieve incredible things in in small warrior bands. As the doomscryers of the Imperial Palace The Aquilan Shield have acted as bodyguards sift the tides of the empyrean for warnings to High Lords. Such an honour is beyond Tragedy often follows. organised into They cast down their false idols and set them entire district of the Imperial multiple shield hosts and transported aboard aflame. and butcher their allies and is lit with electro-braziers Moiraides. Sometimes one enemies thousands of times their number Superstition runs rife that the warship is sent. and that the Emperor looks effect is the same. fall upon their victims with unstoppable invasions before they could even begin. In that time. these ominous Instead.THE DREAD HOST INSTRUMENT OF THE EMPEROR’S WRATH Fear is a familiar weapon to the Imperium. To some extent this is true. Yet there is no terror as pure and absolute as that invoked when the Emperor’s own fury is unleashed to punish his foes. Yet always the The breathtaking bloodshed and absolute lies. servitor cogitation banks and multi-spectral listening devices that feed floods of information down into the Sanctum’s data-shrines. Sanctum’s upper battlements. he ruthlessly slew well over two hundred renegade guardsmen. 25 . the Dread Host dissuaded hundreds of uprisings and the darkness in men’s hearts. It numbers and reduce their war engines to wreckage. ignoring all attempts at the five hundred enormous made manifest. They make grisly examples of those and arc-lumen of immense they are the deliverers of the Emperor’s who would dare lead such a challenge to the size. Spearheaded by dozens destruction they leave in their wake has through their avian eyes to see of Allarus Custodians. During the purge on Chormium. At the battle for the corvinium mines of Triton. THE SANCTUM OF A THOUSAND EYES The Dread Host represents a breathtaking force. his anger and his punishment Emperor’s dominion. sculptures are posed in vigilant the Dread Host identify the most visible and stances. They slaughter the enemy’s warriors The stronghold of the Dread concentration of military might. the nothing remains of their chosen victims but Each as large as a super- hidden war or the measured defensive action. Host rises to dominate an hundreds of Custodians. With every campaign they Thousand Eyes can perceive have all three of the Moiraides loosed their spread the terror of the Emperor’s wrath. only a handful and humbled them through strategy. all angled to under-light judgement. into the stellar gulf while the and unleash upon them such overwhelming obliterated rebellious star systems and crushed remainder peer down upon the annihilation that it sends shock waves rolling traitor crusades. This information is used by the Dread Host to isolate and annihilate threats to Custodian Guard Kallisarian the Golden Throne. the assembled Shield-Captains of the Emperor’s hand. each eagle contains a complex array of long-range augurs. Not for them the pinpoint rapid strike. Tristraen Desh has been a member of the Dread Host for only six months. Desh impaled a Genestealer Patriarch. They topple their cities. speed eagles of the Sanctum of a of times in the entire history of the Imperium and strength. disloyalty no matter where it passengers against a single foe. sometimes two. which is itself one of several that currently wear the colours of the Dread Host. surrender and foiling all bids at flight. the gruesome tales of their brutal demise at heavy tank. he has already taken part in two separate military campaigns within a galactic stone’s throw of Terra. many staring up dramatic threats to the Segmentum Solar The Dread Host have smashed Ork Waaaghs!. used to deter enemies and keep seething populations in line. He proudly displays the sable shoulder guard and white pteruges of his shield host. The nature of this army is simple: followers. They have fought against thronging processionals below. By the eagle statues that line the time the Dread Host are done with their war. through the warp itself. sunder their Palace. ending its perilous cult uprising in a sizzling spray of ichor. This armoured bastion a trio of pre-heresy warships known as the strongholds. and with overwhelming their resources in war zones many foes. Rather. ready to unleash and intrastellar trade ships. He is the eldest and most respected warrior within his squad. have been instrumental in bringing an end that have broken existing to Daemon-worshipping cults. and believe that it is of the Omnissiah. Billions of weapons point menacingly Though they typically travel via naval craft shield-company-strength into the dark gulfs of space. The Adeptus Custodes consider its worlds. bastions loom over every approach. Pydanoris Calligus fights as part of the Solar Watch. Yet perhaps the most formidable of not common within the Sol System. To this end. While such dangers are Imperial forces. they slam into their binding oaths to keep guard over the outer technically extends to the red planet. they threat. Calligus and his squad have boarded mass-conveyor barges that turned out to be packed with cultists. vigilant for the slightest that may develop. and sallied out under Shield-Captain Thetus to cut the head from a cabal of xenos flesh-witches on Yorlos before they could work their evils against the Golden Throne. star forts and space lanes to be extensions of their TALON SORTIES master’s palace. and are typically systems closest to Terra. leaving lesser Imperial forces to mop up what remains. the ever makes it as far as Terra. the Solar Watch forces and launching strikes spectacular devastation upon any foolish maintain a formidable concentration of against prevailing threats in the enough to threaten Mankind’s seat of power. This allows them The Solar Watch do not waste against the foul machinations of the Emperor’s to respond swiftly. Deploying Consisting of several shield companies of coups and subtle xenos incursions on every aboard their Venerable Land varying strength. After all. Mechanicus to police its own deviants. the Solar Watch swear world bar Mars. always lending his steady and uncompromising counsel to his comrades and ensuring that no detail is missed. THE SOLAR WATCH CASTELLANS OF THE BLESSED WORLDS The Sol System is amongst the most heavily fortified of Mankind’s stellar holdings. and so travel to that of command elements and their duty to ensure that no external threat world only occasionally. and ensure they are guarded accordingly. trusting the Cult heavy combat assets. sanctified if not entirely. They see Adeptus Custodes are wise enough to armoured spearheads. Inquisitorial Imperial lines. Armoured towers and gargoyle-festooned able to deploy forces that are predominately. While their authority Raiders. no advantage conceded and no foe given even a moment’s respite. Venerable Land Raiders. the Solar Watch threats or eliminate enemies Custodians of the Solar Watch. mechanised. Humanity maintains ever vigilant for danger. and the Solar Watch cannot leave their posts for long. Clad in the marble-white and red of the Solar Watch. The more aggressive of the Captain-Generals have From the vast orbital fortresses of Luna to the they constantly patrol routes between the traditionally charged the cloud-keeps of Jupiter and the deep-space star worlds and void structures of the Sol System. sporadic Talon Sorties. Solar Watch cripple their enemies’ capacity to function as an army of conquest before abruptly withdrawing. themselves as the first true line of defence for maintain cordial relations with the servants Prioritising the slaughter the Imperial Palace. they are sally out to destroy developing all Terra’s outer defensive measures are the certainly not unheard of. These hundreds of strongholds throughout the Sol involve the watch gathering System. the duty of guarding the Sol System is a vital one. Solar Watch with performing forts of the Halo Belt. the enemies in fast-moving bastions of the throneworld. decimated the garrisons of defence platforms found negligent in their duties. Entire fleets of Imperial Navy ships force. to any potentially threatening situation already heavily invested in by prowl the space lanes. 26 . He fights as part of the Custodian Warden squad known as the Veritas Proclamation. You are words across the Imperium to commanders messages of reinforcement to the embattled handed the gift of hope by who must hear them.Sanash Gallimedan. To their comrades Imperatus have been seen abroad. Their words have redirected entire warriors into their ranks. once again. and to For thousands of years the Emissaries feel his hand guiding them. you be taken for the traitors that you profess to hate. there are those amongst have passed the Emperor’s servants by. and seen threats intercepted and a gift from the Emperor’s own hand. Emissary Imperatus to the Hammers of Dorn Chapter Archimallus Tychor has been an Emissary Imperatus for over one thousand years. With the tacit approval of the Guilliman’s Crusade. Silence your what it is that the Master of Mankind wishes the will of the Emperor. ‘Through the artifice of there was some resistance from the Adeptus the Martian priesthood were Those who feel the Emperor’s guidance the Custodes. many of them taking to rejoice at the honour done Captain-General. and you bequeath it to whichever champion can wield traditional Chapters accepted the Primaris will accept it with sincere it best. By keenest become Emissaries Imperatus. They who might one day rebel against the Emperor the grace of the almighty band together in like-minded groups and. the Ten Thousand who claim to hear their master’s voice during their meditations. It is a duty they still fulfil now.EMISSARIES IMPERATUS HERALDS OF THE GOLDEN THRONE In the days of the Great Crusade. or occasionally unlock Space Marines. The presence of the Adeptus the immortal Master of some ancient device from the palace vaults and Custodes also ensured that even the most Mankind himself. that slew dozens of the massive Orks who had already claimed that world’s techno-riches for their own. Yet with the return in this. Space Marines to the loyalist Chapters. They merely see their liege’s Indomitus Crusade. the quicker to deliver to you this day.’ . Yet dozens of Emissaries Imperatus Emperor are they given through discussion and meditation. It was his blade. One does not decline and solemn gratitude lest crusades. speaking with the authority of the Master of Mankind himself. for the Custodes have never viewed the of Guilliman and the commencement of the Emperor as a god. who feared strengthening those these warriors created. the Emperor often entrusted crucial messages or artefacts to be borne by his Custodians. They accompanied questions and instead them to do. stating this was now to you. and they were among the first to speak out in favour of the Indomitus Crusade. after all. The Veritas Proclamation had only just returned to Terra when the Great Rift opened. they bear the Emperor’s the air as Vertus Praetors. too. but rarely there is no implication of divine intervention and in small numbers. reaching out from considerably. When the Primarch announced his shattered frame to direct his praetorians as his intention to bear the secrets of the Primaris he did when he could still walk amongst them. proudly wearing the red shoulder guard and grey-white robes of his shield company. Though the Emperor has long been confined archeotech riches won that might otherwise to the Golden Throne. their activity has increased indomitable will at work. It was Tychor’s Emperor-given insights that guided Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator Crusade Gamma- Hades to the archeotech treasures of Heng’s World. 27 . interpret stepped forwards to intercede. scuttled before it could fire a shot. zealots. However. it is clear that the defences of the Sol xenofanatical mesmerism. During the Horus Heresy that remarkable interminable rites of the Ministorum. the toing and froing of gene-bulked work gangs. forming part of the have had little difficulty seeding agents onto the craft. of the Ordos’ most zealous agents spend to be ever vigilant. manned by determined warriors and shielded by technology and faith. and has endured the long millennia since. 28 . If this is so. boundaries beyond which it is safe to System are all but impenetrable to invading translate from warp space to the real. what trust in the Primarchs led to. and the presence of the Imperial even these pious Imperial servants are would find themselves assailed before Fists’ mighty battle station Phalanx not immune to corruption. even the most loyal Space Marine Chapters and then by the prodigious firepower of traitor warships. first by a engine. those whose surfaces are sufficiently solid and beyond. these intruders keep careful watch over what they view as a dangerously potent Adeptus Astartes war Phalanx was almost destroyed during the fall of Cadia. This was the deemed tainted by the touch of Chaos. It is they who supervise the in place. to its full functionality. vacuum-hardened bureaucrats. Thus. every scrap of information they can bases and countless weapons platforms manufactora and city-sized fortifications. their vigilance. They gather and analyse Monitor-shrines. battle station persevered through all of these hazards. Yet still the greatest lynchpin of its defence is the Adeptus Custodes. whether they had even cleared the Mandeville hanging in geostationary orbit above by nihilistic ideologues. stiffening the deeper they pushed into Jupiter. then somehow it survived that cataclysmic conflict. space ports every day. The Sol System today boasts some of the most formidable fortifications in the galaxy. merchants. however. The data prophecies that defences. and more into macro-cogitators the size Sol System. garrisoned by dedicated regiments of these that the Adeptus Custodes must be patrols and monitoring sweeps throughout Astra Militarum and empyrically tethered especially vigilant. and help the Ten Thousand defence than ever before. feeding ship names. and perform their own forts. and stand ready to take whatever action they must. Mars. the Custodians. surprise sweeps and inspections of the Sol hunter servitors of terrifying aspect. while all through the hives of the throneworld death to any who fall beneath their sights. adepts. PHALANX Ancient records suggest that. and to purify those zones of the craft warp-capable battle station known as Phalanx. nor forget. invader to approach the Sol System. they would find resistance corridors that lead them to Venus. following no set pattern of ships translate from the warp every day. Hidden in plain sight. during the era of the Great Since then. The armies. Heavy naval patrols from and moon in the Sol System – barring a The Custodians seed listening devices. dock-fortresses. The will always be potential traitors. Yet there are subtler threats to Thus the Adeptus Custodes maintain their system’s halo-belt plays host to massive star the Golden Throne. prowling system endless streams of pilgrims. were successfully bearing many faithful Imperial warriors back to the Phalanx ever to direct its guns towards the Imperial Palace. To daemonic infestation that overran its decks during warp transit. Amidst the endless flagship of the Imperial Fists. the duty of the Inquisition Captain-General in his command decisions worlds can raise greater forces in their own to root out such threats. emissaries. their craggy silhouettes presaging habitats and docking platforms. the Inquisition and the Adeptus its structures to capacity and beyond. boasting suitably ferocious sedition and heresy can and do foment. It demagogues’ sermons. Every world the system. labourers’ shift schedules. their lumen winking An unending river of Humanity pours System. or schedule beyond their own intuition to Were the invader to overcome these entering strictly coordinated approach prevent any from predicting and avoiding hazards. and the operations to this day. Were some courageous or foolhardy When coupled with the efforts of the Solar their entire lives doing just that.THE SOLAR FASTNESS There was a time when the wholesale invasion of Terra was utterly unthinkable. and indeed some on a daily basis. of course. fighter play host to sprawling hab complexes. spy- the Battlefleet Solar thunder through the few mysterious exceptions – is ringed with servitors and dictalarcenous subroutines darkness. of battleships. Terra and her sister It is. Moreover. since Guilliman’s emerge from these vast engines aid the Throneworld Decree. It is their duty never to forgive. The rest of the outer system is vetting of the countless Imperial citizens densely laced with thousand-mile-wide From all across the Imperium come who pass through Terra’s monolithic fields of void mines. The Grey along the system’s space lanes and fills movements. world’s defences. the Emperor travelled often aboard the immense. that time has passed. It is they who enact monitors and huge. the Adeptus Custodes craft is believed to have hung above Terra. Luna and Terra itself. and it is against own presence. With the opening of the Great Rift. refugees and countless others. vox intercepts Mechanicus all have holdings within the is amongst these masses that rebellion. population like artificial constellations. Thousands System’s defences. from even the darkest reaches of the Sol dot the darkness. Knights. Sol System and resuming its time-honoured position in orbit the Custodians would enact veiled protocols that would see it above the throneworld. they Watch. the Sol System. and remains their primary base of bustle. Chaos taint or point – that region of a system’s outer Terra. repairs have been under way to restore Phalanx Crusade. SATURN [GAS GIANT] MARS [FORGE WORLD] PHALANX HOLY TERRA [IMPERIAL FISTS [THRONEWORLD] BATTLE FORTRESS] VENUS HOLY TERRA [INDUSTRIAL [THRONEWORLD] WORLD] MERCURY [MINING WORLD] JUPITER [GAS MINING LUNA WORLD] [CIVILISED/DEATH WORLD] SOL DEIMOS [FORGE WORLD] IAPETUS MIMAS [NAVAL FORTRESS] TITAN [GREY KNIGHTS FORTRESS WORLD] SATURN FERRUM RAPTORIS [ADEPTUS CUSTODES [GAS GIANT] STAR KEEP] ENCELADUS TETHYS [DEATH WORLD] MARS [FORGE WORLD] PHOBOS [ORBITAL FORTRESS} . the Custodians bear their master’s atmospheric barges for an all-out attack body back to Terra. and out of the shadows of ten thousand years of ignorant obfuscation into the cold light of the present. he and his Legio Custodes catharsis and retribution. standing their sombre watch upon worlds of Humanity and driving the xenos battlefield the Emperor once sought to the throneworld and contemplating their races into the shadows. Yet as his sons the Traitor Legions across the galaxy. War A Legend’s End GLORY AND SHAME consumes the Imperium. Though they cut down Repeated attempts are made by the him to Terra to answer for his acts. it is during this period and always at his side stride the peerless exacting the Emperor’s vengeance upon that Captain-General Constantin Valdor warriors of the Legio Custodes. This period will come to be known as his rule and strikes out into the galaxy at the Master of Mankind is nowhere to be the Scouring. hounding The Great Crusade all the Emperor has built. He meets Horus in single the Cult of the Hedonic Lord seize control charged with apprehending Magnus on combat and defeats him at last. and by tides of fanatics. word Valdor and his Custodians fighting leaving his father’s mind and soul trapped escapes the space port that the cultists are alongside the Space Wolves to overcome in a shattered husk of a body. and stamp Mankind’s glorious from amongst their ranks and continue authority upon the stars. of utmost secrecy and importance. Primarch of the Thousand Sons. the Emperor Still recovering from the events of the returns to Terra to apply himself to a task Horus Heresy. repurposing hundreds of heavy landers and the sorcery of Magnus’ sons. Primarch Leman Russ of the Space Wolves. the Custodians take little favoured Primarch’s rule and sow discord part in the sprawling conflict. The Burning of Prospero The War of the Beast After the Triumph at Ullanor. The Custodians elect Valdor’s successor them. stricken. Adeptus Custodes launches a blistering leading fully half of his brother Primarchs consigning themselves to watching over attack. a shield host of the allegiance to the Dark Gods of Chaos. the Imperium is again beset. their watch. but dark powers the way to gates of Terra itself. The Emperor unites all of Terra beneath and their Legions battle across the stars. M30-M32 THE ERA OF rebellion against the throne. this ultimate failure. his home world of Prospero and returning cost is appalling. a swift-spreading The Emperor’s surviving loyal sons lead conflagration that threatens to turn to ash a furious war of vengeance. through the fires of the Horus Heresy. though most will never know M33-M39 THE ERA OF whether this act was one of aggression or VIGILANCE UNSTINTING an attempt to deliver a desperate warning An Unthinkable Cost of Horus’ fall. the truth is At the culmination of the Siege of Terra. the Ten Imperium until the foe is beating at the make their way to the Hall of Armaments. Matters traitors and Daemons beyond count. attempting to pervert the oath and duty. The Emperor leads tame for Mankind’s use. Tragically. bringing their war all Horus of the Luna Wolves. the Adeptus Arbites to break the heretic escalate rapidly and the mission of capture Legio Custodes are unable to prevent barricades. In the end. The first down a force of Aeldari who attempt to outward sign of the coming catastrophe is cut a path to the Emperor’s throne room the Burning of Prospero. Contemptors smash through the cult’s . Identifying the The Horus Heresy forevermore within the machineries of the cult activity as now posing a direct threat Warmaster Horus openly declares his Golden Throne. Clad his wayward sons – the Ten Thousand do disappears from Imperial histories. In truth. Their long path leads from the darkness of Old Night. Magnus the Red. fighting upon a trans-dimensional in it. but the of much of the Eternity Gate space port. which never that crackle with fell energies. Meanwhile. wielding blades not take a major role in the battle for the with his weapons and armour. Though records conflict as the greatest battles of this era in person. Horus from crippling the Emperor. unleashes forbidden sorceries that wreak havoc upon Terra. uniting the scattered conflict. Vengeful Spirit. The This time it is the Ork menace that almost Great Crusade continues under Warmaster overruns Mankind. Yet the newly Great Crusade sweeps through the void are engaged in their own desperate reorganised Adeptus Custodes take no part like a tidal wave. the Fartraders’ Guild of the Yndonesic Hives. oath and don the mourning black. but every attack is hurled back becomes one of wholesale annihilation. Siege of the Eternity Gate immaterial. there to be interred upon the Imperial Palace. along in gleaming auramite. Grief. Land Raiders and Venerable and their Space Marine Legions in their fallen lord for the rest of time. during the chaos and confusion. The seen. and they never shall. Thousand cut down all that stand before very gates of the Emperor’s palace. They swear a penitent’s to the Emperor’s safety.THE TALE OF THE TEN THOUSAND From out of the mists of time stride the Adeptus Custodes. and it is a time of violent the head of his armies of unification. existential war keeps the Custodians from to how and when. In all of those hundreds of centuries the Custodians have never faltered. save to strike throughout the nascent Imperium. the Emperor unleashes a the Emperor leads a last-ditch boarding Capitalising upon contacts within the censure force under Constantin Valdor and action against Horus’ battle barge. Bound by are at work. Reports from the Blade of Ptesh as he attempts the very the Heretic Astartes. evading every ward and sentry to Lords and Iron Warriors captures the queue-wars between the pilgrim tribes finally reach the Sanctum Imperialis with Andromax System and a direct threat to within the Emperor’s palace itself. The Ominous Gift is destroyed – the wider For twenty years. spending over a decade in Black Crusade. Adeptus Mechanicus war a sub-sect of the doomscryers themselves. A time of strange omens and ominous four-two. by the Imperial Navy. The person. and indeed his life. sent him. The Shuddering Stars are force of Custodians. Initially. Sensing a deeper level still their targets. Captain-General and he wastes no time in taking steps to Aesoth Koumadra orders a strike by regain ironclad control of Terra’s defences. a band of his black-armoured comrades. had arrived and – never ones to rescind a driving their victims before them and sentence – the commissariat see Warmaster The Years of Madness trapping them in macro-hangar level one. deliberate for help sweep in from every corner of the Aquilan Shield appear at his side in a blaze patience until at last he has concrete proof: galaxy. though he refuses to the later. Nathasian is free to exercise his flair being allowed to sell the stolen psykers on an incredible disturbance on the surface for unconventional tactics.barricades. swept clear of Ork tribes. beginning with Lord are slaughtered to the last. and Group. Valoris assembles the High Lords of golden light. even utilise A controversial act of insubordination sees table and slowly starve the Master of shattered spars of the webway to reach Lieutenant Nathasian of the Cadian 86th Mankind. a combined force of Minotaurs to follow as possession is revealed amongst end to give up the identity of the one who Space Marines. It is amidst this climate Ominous Gift advancing inexorably out of spiralling paranoia and danger that of the dark void towards Terra. Neither the same ever again… . and blade in hand. nor any of his Vertus Praetors strike at the heretics from Nathasian’s triumph over the greenskins. In the wake of Thorians nor Sennaca. it is rumoured. Nathasian dead before the day is out. maniples and Custodians from the Dread though not until the false predictions of Host annihilates the traitors in their the fallen psykers send Captain-General The Ominous Gift captured strongholds. As word reaches Terra of ever slated for execution. Several. Golden Throne ground to dust. inner circle. Yet he is spared when to this perfidy. even as sleek squadrons of upon the Sol System. There the Cult of the Hedonic whispers engulfs Terra. Doomsday sects trigger hiding. Using his Captain-General Trajann Valoris is status as a High Lord to overrule objections elevated to command the Ten Thousand. Shield-Captain Tybanus purge the polar underhives. Roboute Guilliman has returned. several shield companies to gut the craft from the inside and ensure its corruption To Stand Against the Storm is wholly purged. High Lord Sennaca. Those outside the In the wake of Valoris’ rise to power. the Fabricator-General’s ego is destroyed by the Shadowkeepers after they Blade’s ambitions. the cultists with merciless efficiency. which soon to wealthy nobles for exorbitant fees. just in time insular Fabricator-General Uixot of Mars their authority in the bloodiest fights to catch the elite Drukhari killer known as refuses to pledge his aid in eliminating they have seen in centuries. stopping Waaagh! and Imperial assassins to pull the corrupt and Valoris knows that nothing will be the Dakskrag in its tracks before it can descend operation up by its roots. However. At of Luna. and launch scheme by a conclave of radical Thorians thirty-two separate extrasolar interdiction Guardians of Greatness to steal psykers destined for the Emperor’s strikes. when a the Dark Cells cite a growing sense of same route as Dat-Hastael in his efforts to diplomatic mission from the Adeptus agitation amongst the hidden inmates. Precautions are put in place Terra is identified. Bands of Custodians tear through his bodyguards depart as suddenly as they that follows. and cries a band of grim-faced Custodians from the investigations with cold. but the attack is led by the proactive century of martial and covert Lockwarden of the Shadowkeepers and action since the fall of Goge Vandire. then to Warmaster of an entire his pent-up fury. Mere months exhibit sudden. The Mind Thieves They annihilate dozens of hidden cults. violent madness. Launceddre to his death at the Battle of Halo-belt augurs reveal the space hulk the Gilded Pyre. meet stroked and his mind swayed. the Adeptus Custodes find themselves Blood Will Tell Envoys to the Omnissiah facing a shocking increase in cult activity – Leotydus Dat-Hastael runs a successful During Abaddon the Despoiler’s eighth both heretical and xenophile – throughout Blood Game. and slay the Emperor on behalf of a mysterious Custodes attends his forge-temple in numerous support servitors have to be and exceptionally persuasive patron. Adeptus Custodes do not understand the the Adeptus Custodes enjoy their most significance. until at last he unearths an insidious the Plutonian void-fortresses. Sisters of Silence roads. of demigods battling through the sees his promotion to Commander Army last the Shield-Captain is able to release airless void at the head of great armies. assembling a combined of a Primarch restored by the strangest of Imperial crusade. a combined force of Night the Sol System. Lencilius continues his increasing warp storm activity. and their the disappearance of the notoriously deviant dreams of an attack upon the M40-M41 THE ERA OF conservative Captain-General Galahoth. who is contriving gathering storm. and wordlessly cut down the Inquisitors have struck a deal with of Terra to discuss their response to this his would-be commissariat executioners. Yet it is at that moment With his remarkable bodyguards at his to hide their activities in exchange for that word reaches their closed session of side. Worse is a merciless end. survive the vengeful purge above. eliminate a Imperium need never know any more Lencilius pieces together scattered clues vermillion-classified xenos threat amidst than that. the notoriously the Custodians are forced to exercise to seal off his route of ingress. BALEFUL PREMONITIONS Battling the stagnation of Galahoth’s rule. pulling their formation apart and Though this is the Adeptus Custodes’ Knights storm into battle. Wardens who hold firm against wave after Riding their boiling crests comes a horde Teleport flares erupt through the heretic wave of attacks. gold and silver lightning leaping as companies strike at the flanks of the traitor the skin of reality to assail Terra itself. Bolters roar and dividing their strength. As part of this crusade. hymnals rising from their and send their remnants fleeing back into a single strike. Victory is bought at a ranks over the roar of flamers and the the warp. a decisive nightmare scenario. mysterious structure. and a permanent garrison of victory nonetheless. The Battle of Lion’s Gate ringing out to the screaming skies above. Custodian Wardens left to watch over it. Emperor answers the cries of his followers. permission to seek a solution. Fearing for zone. Yet after three days and Amidst the horrors of the ongoing war role of the Adeptus Custodes must change. their prayers for salvation known as the Moiraides appear in orbit. Valoris and Bearers and their daemonic allies fight The Dangers of Excellence Guilliman quickly reach an agreement: the back furiously. and sets off following northern bounds of the Segmentum Solar. a lead that points to the lost forge world Carnage on Gathalamor Prime of Morvane. securing the mountain pass that to Terra when the empyric bow waves of and abominations mobilise to attack. it is left steep price in irreplaceable lives. They – Shield-Captain Heraclast Vadrian offered. regardless of the odds. the streets around the macro-cathedrum. They sweep aside the planet’s heretic forces break through the Imperial the Imperial defenders. corpses piling in gory heaps as the Word In the battle’s aftermath. is lost to subsequent disaster despite the the Ultramarines Primarch intends to bear Custodians’ endeavours. they enact their crackling blades tear through heretic flesh. Their advance and the Sisters of the Argent Shroud dig secure the ancient xenos ruin known as the is spearheaded by the renegade armoured . they successfully deflect the Blood God’s demigods. ancient star god Zul’channec within the cruiser Scion of Argo. the Adeptus Mechanicus Chapters. flooding in to the wider Gathalamor war battle. the veil. Imperial force to drive back the rampaging Needless to say. their safety and their souls. nights of unremitting savagery. but it is scream of massed lasgun fire. With fresh Imperial reinforcements Adeptus Custodes could ever lose a ramparts alone. Perceiving such dangerous gift to the Adeptus Astartes. and no one still living knows how will be the envoys who bring Guilliman’s Giants and Gods to repair them. two of the warships cathedrum. should so much as a single Custodian determined undertaking by a combined be reported active in that war zone. Before they can lay claim to this RELENTLESS AGGRESSION ruins of Gathalamor Prime’s macro. a combined force of Custodians and Grey force. who burst through lines. The Custodians of the Dread Host deploy Barely has Roboute Guilliman returned Sure enough. apart and slaying Lord Hadrexus and Ultramarines and a sizeable complement his Chosen to the last. the Mordians and Sisters of smash the Black Legion invaders utterly attempt to behead the Imperium with Battle advance. On the eve of his decision. the leads to the Echovault with squads of the Great Rift sweep over the Sol System. He gathers embrace the Emperor’s beneficence in their thus preventing the awakening of the a band of his finest warriors aboard the hour of need. These to fail. tearing their command structure meet the invaders alongside Guilliman’s shattered into battling warbands. As for the Echovault. it is deemed heresy for for they can no longer effectively defend host is broken in the Battle for the Statue Administratum clerks to suggest the the Golden Throne from behind the palace Steps. compelled by the spirit of the Despite their best efforts. The Gathalamor System comes under The Echovault sustained attack from the Heretic Astartes Led by the ambitious Chaos Lord On the Plains of Pallus of the Word Bearers Legion. more than one system armies of Chaos. a has striven to maintain the esoteric large number of Emissaries Imperatus step technologies within the Golden Throne. Blood slicks undisturbed. Indomitus Crusade. Storming out to leading an assault that sees the traitor army lines. many adepts Bringers of Greatness leaving the Grey Knights to deal as they see record campaigns as Imperial victories Roboute Guilliman announces the fit with the unfortunates that they rescued even before the first shots are fired. force of forty Allarus Terminators teleports Catastrophe Protocols with unshakeable Trajann Valoris and Grand Master Voldus into the very heart of the Black Legion calm and self-assurance. Meanwhile. Primaris Space Marine reinforcements and the secrets behind their creation to the Vadrian’s Quest far-flung and hard-pressed Space Marine For millennia. Finally. Though dozens of of Sisters of Silence. the Custodians set course for Terra. a desperate and from the macro-cathedrum. systems continue Emperor to accompany the crusade. even as hordes of traitors in force. and set aside whatever mistrust or smash through the android xenos and consults with Trajann Valoris and receives conservatism they might have in order to obliterate the cabal of Crypteks at its heart. As their Dark Hadrexus. the Chaos against Chaos. a sizeable contingent of Black Following the disastrous collapse of Lord Apostles summon creatures from beyond Legionnaires fall upon the world of Commander Ustrin’s Victorium Crusade. a shield company of the Adeptus Emperor’s safety – and thus falling beneath the Primarch does not visit in person Custodes storms the battle lines of the the purview of the Adeptus Custodes understand the gravitas of what they are Necron tomb world of Trynnect. the fight turns viciously against Dakhorth. the Custodians Inspired by the sudden arrival of veritable Custodians fall during the fighting. forwards.M41 THE ERA OF in to stage their last stand in the grim Echovault. their presence Fighting alongside the Knights of House ignorance as a manifest threat to the will ensure that even those Chapters Krast. multiple shield of Khornate Daemons. The Mordian 84th defending regiments and advance to lines on a system-wide scale. if left unchecked – is consumed by the the Custodians pick apart their enemies. is transporting Primaris gene- in a matter of minutes. Teleporting into the tanks and war engines of the butchered of Vertus Praetors. their augurs do not detect the himself beheads the monstrous Broodlord heavily shielded Space Marine cruiser that that ruled over the cult. The survivors before they split into hunting packs and several Custodians are found to be missing then teleport back to their own ships and begin criss-cross strafing runs over and without trace at battle’s end. its hull night-black creature’s disturbing inner sanctum burned Upon the direct orders of Trajann Valoris. the Nordafrik under-archives on Terra. despite the protests from the Ordo Xenos a small. their sheer numbers Malevolent arrives in orbit and drives the before making the perilous crossing of and fanaticism allowing them to drag hive ships away with thunderous firepower. . Sol’s Arrow. Details of their mission are The Haemonculi of the Twisted Spiral mural that decorates the sanctum’s back suppressed. put up a brutal fight. from a high. weathering those blasts that do hit while the Custodians evacuate in good long enough to plant vortex implosion home and suffering only scant casualties order. The Wyrmslayers death world of Loqe II. He orders the Into Shadow follows in their wake. even amongst their comrades. the Wardens retreat into the fume- Custodians charged with apprehending Wyrms of the Ur-tendril are discovered by choked volcanic highlands and prepare him have tirelessly attempted to reacquire Ordo Xenos agents. raise a vast bone fortress to float amidst wall. Marshal Griegor’s Amidst the shadows of the Imperium Shadowsword is the last vehicle slain. bringing a band of the elite witch Adeptus Custodes shield host. In attempting between the enemy armour. instead leading the defence – repulse every attack. melta missiles streaking nightmarish Osseous Tower. The presence of the Silent down one Custodian after another and On the planet below they find a single Sisters seems to calm the madness of tear them limb from limb. Seeing that the fleet will soon Silent Crossing be overrun. Griegor meets his match. Amidst Aberrants are slaughtered. the guardians’ Shield-Captain Since the inexplicable escape of Cypher. the bombs. losing less than a third of their number as they annihilate the enemy’s numerically Duty unto Death superior army. Zagstomp’s hordes board from their salvo launchers to annihilate every fiend and abomination that assails their ramshackle ships. The surviving Drukhari flee of the greenskins’ capital ships. The traitor tanks open fire with everything membranes and sending it tumbling down Custodians of the Solar Watch materialise they have. seeking to swat the seemingly to be crushed in Neptune’s high-pressure within the engine decks and mek bays outmatched jetbikes from the air. Shield. blazing. entrenched amongst to defend their precious cargo to the last. Wave after wave of Tyranids surge up the and following a trail of fading clues. before destroying the tower’s gravitic attempt to punch their way into the warp. the Orks trigger the vortex vehicles explode by the moment. a relief force of Marines hunters aboard their frigate. Disquiet spreads. and its insignia veiled. Yet for every living Warden. however. they overcome Iron Warriors. The Cult A month later. hundreds standing guard over the untouched boon Custodians in making their dangerous upon hundreds of malformed cultists and of technology amidst a fortress of heaped journey into the Imperium Nihilus. of a nest of fanged tendrils emerging but they are accompanied by a number the gaseous atmosphere of Othana V in from the heart of Sol itself to devour of warriors drawn from the ranks of the Vordrast System. Grown Pallus. At last. them. tech under the protection of Custodian Wardens. Captain-General Valoris refuses a request perilous lava-channels. at least enough to aid the one of the Custodians that falls. Before they can the lead vehicles of the Vostokh spearhead. Pursued by Tyranid security cell in the Imperial Palace. the Terra Praetors who reduce it to molten wreckage Nostra. Several shield after a gruelling three-year siege. Yet the depths. and equipped with the looted Shield-Captain Aadilus and his company Fist leading the attack. ferocious energy storm that follows. orders an emergency teleport to the nearby the mysterious Fallen Angel. Like a shoal of razorfish. when detonators on every ship. against this threat. and their vast fleet – which Vostokh gunners panicking as they find Imperial doomscryers warned would themselves unable to track their hurtling appear on the fringes of the Sol System tormentors. whose battle platforms – which directly serve Adeptus The Orks of Waaagh! Zagstomp overrun tanks repel every Imperial force sent to Custodes star keep Prescience – it is clear the Iron Warriors Citadel of Miseries stop them. As their raiding Terra whole… the Shadowkeepers. a small Imperial fleet finds itself immense main gun proving worse than beset by a pair of wayward Tyranid hive useless against the agile and resilient Vertus ships. its Nihilus. Guns Praetors weave effortlessly between the aboard sleek warships that swiftly vanish. Valoris Tyranid corpses. Screaming companies launch strikes against the xenos. led by the skiffs strike at the planet’s gas-mining Zagstomp’s Doom traitorous Marshal Griegor. More renegade to give chase.companies of the Vostokh 7th. Unable to find him on Terra. fast-moving force of Custodians investigators – Valoris refuses to let anyone makes haste for the ruined remains The Osseous Tower Falls other than his comrades witness the foul of Cadia. jump away into the warp. The Imperial flagship. massive and powerful on a diet of constant into battle upon their ornate steeds come with the Allarus Custodians of the Gilded warfare. but the Custodians Captain Daryth and his men have pressed by the Deathwatch to send Kill Teams – cleaving to their oaths of indomitable out into the stars to continue their mission. the madness. the Custodians hold off the Orks shots. grievously wounded yet still the empyrean. their captive. the Great Rift. At last. Now they enlist the aid of the Sisters of purge in person at the head of a huge Silence. the A Genestealer Cult calling themselves the swarms. upon the rocky plains of the threat cannot be ignored. With gilded blade and thundering bolter did the Ten Thousand march out to meet Waaagh! Deffbringa. and with a single unstoppable blow they pierced its heart. Before the gates of the Petitioner’s Fortress upon sainted Argentum. no less than eight shield hosts marched as one. . Like the Emperor’s own blade they thrust deep into the Ork horde. . while three – including Constantin Valdor himself – out into the wider Imperium. the defeat the overall defence of the Sol System.CAPTAIN-GENERAL TRAJANN VALORIS CHIEF CUSTODIAN. Valoris the Black Pyre. As tradition ran not just one. He gained approaches that of the Primarchs of old. It was as if Valoris had foreseen Guilliman’s return and the Great Rift long before they came. Most have died in tendency to observe his enemies carefully. and no comrade was ever lost to reckless commands. and a magnificent cloak woven with adamantine thread so that it flows like cloth but yields to neither blade nor blast. the Imperial Palace of the Genestealer Cult of the Emperor’s Writhing Shadow. Terra. armed with the certainty of the truly righteous. The Captain-General is the master of the Adeptus Custodes. A relic of Dark Age technology released from the vaults beneath the Imperial Palace. this artefact allows Valoris to trap fragments of temporal energy and turn them to his use. and. and must display a degree of warrior prowess that more proactive strategy of defence saw him reassigned. It confers full responsibility for such as the destruction of the space hulk Mournful Siren. Several have become Eyes of the agents and informers across the Segmentum Solar. an auramite halo. The current Captain-General is Trajann Valoris. remains unbroken. Thus his strikes always fell where they should. a record that dictated. He is further charged and wait for his enemies to come to him. Little escapes the eyes of his ever expanding spy network and. He lasted only twenty-two with leading the greatest military campaigns fought by the Ten years amongst the Companions before his desire to participate in a Thousand. He cultivated networks of campaigns amidst the stars. The first is the Watcher’s Axe. and took constant steps to temper it with amongst their own comrades. Valoris was named his successor. There. With his remarkable grasp of battlefield These masterfully crafted artefacts were fashioned in the wake strategy and his naturally aggressive streak of Constantin Valdor’s disappearance and passed on to each new he earned a place for himself amongst the Captain-General ever since. there have been just the Sol System and beyond. predict their movements. Trajann Valoris has proven a dynamic and effective Captain- General. and even further Emperor. FIRST OF THE TEN THOUSAND The office of Captain-General is one of the most powerful military Allarus Custodians. which incorporates a heraldic tilting shield. Valoris recognised his own proclivity simply vanished. a huge polearm blade that crackles with golden lightning and can bisect the sarcophagus of a Chaos Helbrute with a single swing. and his and – ultimately – the Golden Throne and the Emperor himself. the Captain-General’s many qualities make him ideally suited to lead in this age of unprecedented aggression. his covert strikes have annihilated dozens of threats to the Golden Throne. the defences of the stable warp routes into the Sol System have been strengthened. either on the holy soil of Terra or whilst leading crucial then deliver a sudden and decisive blow. The axe’s haft incorporates a master-crafted bolt weapon known as the Eagle’s Scream. some whispered. which fires adamantium-tipped penetrator bolts at a ferocious rate. it was his reluctance to stand back the ranks of the High Lords of Terra. and long-hidden cults have been purged from the Terran underhives. comprehensive foreknowledge. At his belt the Captain-General also carries a strange device known as the Moment Shackle. the rank of Shield-Captain soon afterwards. Many claim that he is the greatest warrior to hold the title since the Emperor When Captain-General Andros Launceddre fell at the Battle of bestrode the stars. and spent several centuries leading sorties against emergent threats throughout In the millennia since the Great Crusade. 36 . Valoris became well known for his seventeen incumbents of this weighty mantle. Under his rule the number of Blood Games have increased tenfold. on many occasions during Imperial history. Perhaps. Whatever the case. excising split-second events from history or slowing the localised temporal flow enough to tip a desperate fight in his favour. he took up the armour and weapons of his former lord. the half- understood power of the Moment Shackle allowed him to do just that. spearheading of the preemptive strike against Waaagh! Krushfist. Within his first decade of service. The second of these great relics is an elaborate suit of powered armour known as the Castellan Plate. battle. has stood amongst If Valoris showed a weakness. their disappearances wreathed in mystery even for aggressive action. Valoris won many names from deeds appointments in the Imperium. and laid all the groundwork required for the Adeptus Custodes to adapt to the new Imperium. but two successful Blood Games. More than just exceptional fighters. ignorance or superstition of their allies. A great weight of responsibility is placed upon the shoulders of these warrior lords. Their presence fills faithful men and women with rapturous euphoria. Rather. Shield-Captains are amongst the greatest assets of the Imperium. They act accordingly. whose judgement.SHIELD-CAPTAINS The warriors of the Adeptus Custodes disregard the idea of blind in perpetuity. Shield-Captains are also master diplomats. strategic title of Shieldsmith. replacing them with the absolute certainty that the Emperor watches over his servants and will preserve their souls should they fall in battle that day. Titles such as Aquila Commander. every statement declarative. inspire. and look with disdain upon those who follow the Emperor’s Headsman are amongst the former. and correspond to orders of their superiors without question. Every Custodian has a voice. his peers lending an especially bellicose and aggressive temperament – favour him their martial prowess and strategic counsel. This is a misconception. Some are retained only as long as a duty or position is fulfilled. well versed in the intricacies of Imperial high society. Beneath that umbrella honorific are hundreds of more symbolic or traditional titles. skill and strength of mind and character have been shown time and again. The rank of Shield-Captain is a purely martial one. or impale their victims upon a crackling guardian the Golden Brothers or the Heralds Three have won remarkable spear. To the common soldiery of the Imperium these gilded figures seem to have stepped from the pages of religious scripture. Shield-Captains are highly intelligent and tactically gifted battlefield commanders. choice. suffering no impediment to their mission – be it the machinations of the foe or the pomposity. and their fellows follow them with loyalty and dedication. At other times. fully aware of the stakes involved in the wars they wage. is the appropriate of those disciplines required to become heroes of legend. however. The decision of teleporting to war clad in Allarus Terminator armour. Others – those of command of an especially important mission. it was this guardianship of sections of the Imperial Palace or duties upon the very practice within the Legiones Astartes that allowed the Horus field of battle. the Ten Thousand respect only those leaders one who has triumphed in a Blood Game will forever after bear the who have proved themselves worthy. for Shield-Captains are untroubled by such self-serving notions as egotism. They know neither fear nor self-doubt. So do Shield-Captains epitomise their organisation’s pragmatic approach to achieving victory in the Emperor’s name. threaten and manipulate as required to see their will done. As such. Shield-Captains are the masters recognise whether they. Justus Supreme or obedience. there to who leads at such times is rarely difficult. slice and stab with a these warriors fight alongside each other – groupings such as sentinel blade. a Custodian who has stood amongst the Heresy to occur. This is not to say that Shield-Captains lack for charisma. and can appear arrogant and aloof to other warriors of the Imperium. Such Custodians are called Shield-Captains. while others are kept 37 . After all. or one of their fellows. Conversely. Whether they hack their enemies multiple Shield-Captains leading them in battle. while to use it. for the Shield-Captains cut down the enemy’s leaders and send their underlings fleeing in are frank in discussing their respective merits and quick to terror. weapons. and fell rank after rank of lesser When the Custodians march to war. They are superlative warriors who are able to take on an entire squad of Heretic Astartes in close combat. for to squander the Emperor’s personal guards is an unforgivable sin. banishing fears and doubts. They are absolute realists. they exude it. able to read the ebb and flow of the wider war at a glance and direct their forces accordingly. every action decisive. privy to secrets and traditions that allow them to charm. Sometimes apart with powerful swings of a castellan axe. Shield-Captains display absolute mastery of their chosen renown through their impressive accomplishments. strike the heads from xenos beasts the size of tanks. It signifies that the Custodian in question has the responsibility of leading a force of his comrades into battle. and is expected Companions will forever be known as Honoured Watchman. Whatever their preference. it is not unusual to see enemies with pinpoint fire. Some – the swiftest in thought and action – soar into one amongst the Shield-Captains’ number will assume overall battle in the saddle of a Dawneagle jetbike. CUSTODIAN GUARD another before each new campaign. them like a shield. launching thunderous sweeps that switch direction with breathtaking suddenness to cleave through their victims’ guard and hack off heads and limbs. and foes apart while weathering even the most awareness that sees enemy corpses fall like his aegis of protection hanging around devastating of attacks. The Wardens are known amongst their comrades as level-headed and endlessly patient watchmen. and powered blades one-handed. shield generator – this potent combination his every cut. CUSTODIAN WARDENS Custodian Wardens can be recognised by the ceremonial robes that they wear over their armour. so large its hilt is flanked Custodes strike out to do battle with the fighting styles. These are a mark of their veteran status. Ferociously strong. and whether their vigil requires them to stand immovable before the gates of the Imperial Palace or storm into battle on a distant alien world. footwork and combat Emperor flowing through their veins. more specialised that their fellows will watch their backs coupled with the armoured bulwark of the Adeptus Custodes warriors. They defend the Master of Mankind with singular determination and breathtaking skill. to lift it. they do their duty without a moment’s hesitation. Conversely. Their traditional phenomenally resilient.CUSTODIANS The Adeptus Custodes are the Emperor’s vengeance made manifest. These squad of soldiers would – it is enough for fire. The Wardens can also fire concentrated volleys of bolt fire from the hafts of their weapons. and Custodian Guard prefer to enter battle advance at once. Even a single when the enemy press close. With their individualistic of daunting size. storm shield – whose protective powers one of their number is a terrifying force of are augmented with an inbuilt energy- destruction. and when several such squads do not have formal memberships. When than those of the other. Upon accepting the robes that mark their station they swear binding oaths to fight as immovable 38 . even super-heavy armour Custodians may swap from one squad to armed with a sentinel blade and storm and towering daemonic abominations cannot endure their wrath. the Custodian Guard do not with the double barrels of a bolt caster enemies of Mankind. It is a testament to the strength of warriors are rank-and-file infantry only them to know that they fight shoulder to the Custodians that they can wield these insomuch as their numbers are greater shoulder with respected comrades. thrust and stab a masterclass Custodian Guard have the might of the allows the Custodian Guard to cut their in bladesmanship. it is the Custodian fight as one in the way that a conventional that can lay down a hail of short-range Guard that form their backbone. the Custodian Guard are the halberd so heavy it would take several men Guard squads can call upon ancient Land equal of many foes’ most elite warriors. some potent one. Such squads engage threats from afar. As with all of the Adeptus Custodes. These weapons lend themselves to an elegant and brutal combat style that sees the wielder use their exceptional strength in conjunction with their axe’s momentum. utterly without armament is the guardian spear. This composite weapon is both a Raider battle tanks to carry them to war. his every shot perfectly placed. a golden As befits their elevated status. and a boltgun to and enormous war engine is a terrifyingly and unstoppable on the attack. dead leaves at his feet. for every Custodian Warden has seen at least five centuries in the Emperor’s service. The sentinel blade is a broadsword When shield companies of the Adeptus each new battle. Custodian fear or doubt. scything down those who attempt to stay out of their blades’ devastating reach. Those Wardens that do not carry the iconic guardian spears of their order wield heavy- bladed castellan axes. or even shield. powered blade capable of hewing a Chaos The combination of demigod-like warriors Custodian Guard are steadfast in defence Space Marine in two. 39 . Each speed. too. be cracked wide open. their senses rebelling against formation before fresh Adeptus Custodes and adamantium. Yet of truly frightening intensity. Parradon Helastes and Dalat Hap-Uramedes fighting shoulder to shoulder to bring low the Emperor’s foes. With such renowned members as Manastus Chaem. Enemies subjected to these barrages are and completely destabilise the foe’s and fashioned from layered auramite sent reeling. expertly crafted armour of launching concussion grenades that as lone figures. are formidable. when the situation demands. Where Their weapons. for the battles fought by battles. Unusually for Custodians. a thought. one band of Allarus Custodians has become renowned for their skill as terror troops and executioners. sharp. a traitor warship Custodians also wield balistus grenade boarded or a foul demagogue slain even as launchers upon their left forearms. a living fortress of auramite and movement and near-unencumbered to suppress and then swiftly slaughter their sinew that no foe will ever breach. this squad has achieved remarkable feats of violence in the Emperor’s name. Allarus Custodians leash their The Allarus Custodians deploy with can bisect a Chaos Lord or lop the head aggression wholly to their will. confusion through unsuspecting forces. These So aggressive and heroic are these warriors he stands amidst his dedicated bodyguards. leaving their true Warden’s oaths are personal. the Emperor. they there are the Allarus Custodians deployed. sow anarchy and Driven by magnatomic generator-shrines. the Allarus Custodians whose worth can be measured in worlds. Their killer instincts are razor- their already formidable wills to something Allarus Custodians demand nothing less. Where a strongpoint must To supplement these weapons. contemplation sat in meditation upon the Coupled with the protective blessings of Hand-picked by the Captain-General precipitous ledges of the Gallowtower. drum-fed weapons can be triggered with that. effective tactic that has seen more than one its wearer with an exceptional range of Such armaments allow Allarus Custodians heretic fortress fall from within. Fighting Terminator plate. led by the indomitable Custodian Vanius Arcturon-Tybus. It provides equipment falter and they spasm in pain. Allarus armour is a the onslaught even as their weapons and forces arrive to end the conflict. Allarus Terminator plate is from amongst the most bellicose of the To break their vows would be worse arguably the most effective man-portable Ten Thousand. chaff and overwhelming light and sound. but enemy army. Allarus Custodians relish than death to these warriors. Allarus also with surgical precision. or swing massive castellan axes that drive them. asserting that they can best serve the Emperor operating as a single. Known as the Gilded Fist. every blow with murderous strength. target’s bodyguards. their wrath honed to a fine point. the Custodian himself after a full year’s from the blast of a macro-cannon shell. and their combat armour in the entire Imperium. augmented strength and resilience. They land sudden fury to tear the throat from the from an Ork psyker with a single blow. They are also capable through the enemy’s rear lines. written by and the survivability to stride unharmed quarry exposed in the face of their wrath. It is an marvel of craftsmanship. few can doubt the veracity of this claim. explode amidst bursts of electroexorcist eliminate key targets. THE GILDED FIST In recent years. spitting salvoes of sanctified have been known to splinter their units projectiles in saturation patterns through entirely after the initial strike and scatter These warriors wear suits of Allarus the enemy ranks. these warriors have fought side by side for decades now. It was the Gilded Fist who struck the head from the Ulgwyrm Cult of the Pan-Siberic Cluster. articulated with leonus-class actuators. They many of the galaxy’s most dangerous heft guardian spears twice the height of a close-combat specialists allow their rage to ALLARUS CUSTODIANS man. tightly fraternal force. ended the insane machinations of Inquisitor D’anloxtos and led the purge of the traitor-held space hulk Leviathan of Agonies before it could reach the edge of the Sol System. the chance to plunge into the most lethal determination to uphold them bolsters Just as well.sentinels. these are no maniacal berserkers. Ministorum Priests and heraldic commonly used by the Adeptus Custodes servitors to the Auric Eyrie. such technology has many uses for shield companies typically belong to one of Not only do vexillas appear physically the Ten Thousand. where to call in sudden strikes by fresh waves of they are held upon stasis-podia until Custodians. foe’s lines. Mankind. their inbuilt cycling set of data-ident codes that inspirational effect they have upon allied technologies provide invaluable battlefield convey strategic information with Imperial forces. the mere presence of which without vexillas rising proud above them. of one hundred years by the oath-sworn artisans of the Tower Aquilane. and are carried in procession Land Raider from the especially large. The deployment symbol of the Emperor’s authority. to the it as their foremost heraldic icon. vexilla forms a golden beacon of truth and light that fills true servants of the Emperor The Vexilla Magnifica incorporates with awe. These are most thralls. their gunsights clouds their minds and saps their strength rebelling and their optic nerves burned out at the thought that the Emperor’s greatest even as their thought patterns are smashed warriors are poised to tear them apart. Most. to fractal shards. and parade through the endless leagues ancient and powerful Godstrike-pattern of the Emperor’s palace. Upon their In addition to these technological marvels. it is easy to see their shadow.VEXILUS PRAETORS The Adeptus Custodes are a fills nearby Custodians with glorious and much celebrated inviolable determination and force. the enemies themselves blinded by the searing radiance of the Imperium cower in dismay. incorporate potent technologies suited Whether blunting the enemy’s sudden specifically for deployment upon the field assault. however. presenting is some crypto-technological a magnificent spectacle which aspect to the phenomenon. the fight at the side of his favoured warriors. hardened teleport homers. Just as their weapons and It is enough that it works. the ultimate allied forces from harm. standard is a refractor-field generator of prodigious power. teleportariums aboard their warships. is echoed the majesty of the Master of unknown beyond the Tower Aquilane. Combined with the to inspire adulation or terror. 40 . The of these vexillas has spawned more Custodes alone are permitted to display than one legend and parable. More than just standards distinct. Whether this effect is marched to war alongside the purely psychological. completion. placed where Each vexilla is created on Terra. Hefted high extending direct protection to those who above the anarchy of the battlefield. dread of the Emperor’s glory. they also beam a constantly their style of warfare. they can best blunt any attempt by the foe painstakingly fashioned over a period to launch a counter-offensive of their own. these beautiful standards all vexillas incorporate empyrically are borne amidst processions of craft. and aid in own veteran combat skill. or. Most common is the Vexilla tactical coordination. Some vexillas are purely ritual summon a Contemptor Dreadnought or in purpose. whose protective Each vexilla is a towering banner topped umbrella crackles out to ward all nearby with the Imperial Aquila. so too are The Vexilla Defensor is borne into battle the proud standards known as vexillas. on rare occasions. armour have always been fashioned to reflect his martial glory. Such standards are borne at the forefront of an attack. Meanwhile. or if there Emperor himself. and works well. where the foe brings overwhelming which are borne to war by some of the firepower to bear. In the earliest days lends fresh strength to their of the Imperium they limbs. even the humblest defender of amplifactor clarions. exploiting a breakthrough in the of battle. and fits perfectly with several patterns. and its unenlightened. Built into this proud most veteran Custodians. even required. or wrong-footing their victims with a sudden shift in the flow of the Those vexillas carried by the veterans of the battle. the effects of the Vexilla inspirational effect upon those around them Defensor look as though the Emperor is is nothing short of electric. and the Vexilus Praetor’s support to the Custodians fighting in friendly Imperial forces. Those who dare Humanity feels the touch of the Emperor to assail its bearer or his comrades find upon their soul. Beneath the winged shadow of photophantasmic fluctuators and psycho- the Aquila. why few shield companies march to war Imperius. pugnaciously to the slightest touch of the and ears of their shield companies. soaring controls. Vertus and encircling the heaviest enemy vehicles assured the enemy stands little chance of Praetors are masters of hit-and-run strikes. They scream a squadron of sharp-eyed Vertus Praetors fearsome weapons boast adamantium across the battlefield. The Vertus Praetors are able to weave airborne who has already honed his superhuman result is as devastatingly effective as it is webs of flakk blasts into which hurtling skills amongst the ranks of the Custodian explosively gory. a heavily armoured foe in a single pass. They are expert marksmen. driving their lances clean through their of melta missiles. the Dawneagle can plough bloody optimised for this task. Taller end-to-end than Vertus Praetors truly come into their own to detect and track even hidden foes. a Shield-Captain can rest blades wreathed in disruptor fields. however. boasting suites of As well as being protected by auramite furrows through enemy hordes. bolters. these as lightning-fast tank hunters. rapidly outflanking circling overhead. able to jink effortlessly through over the battlefield and voxing word of the The exceptional skill of the Vertus Praetors incoming fire. incredible speed to evade obstacles and to slam through walls and enemy warriors run down their foes. for by combining their fire the Each Vertus Praetor is a master combatant them clear again as they speed past. there the Vertus Praetors strike like conflict in a heartbeat. to place perfect kill shots even while disposal. Their close. it data-augurs. With an Ogryn. and they react These airborne warriors act as the eyes developments with breathtaking rapidity. armour. a crusade-era relic wrought in auramite true value of speed: not simply to bring the quarters prowess is no less exceptional. enemy aircraft slam with terminal results. Even enemy aircraft are precisely chosen targets before ripping not safe. The Veteran warriors who have seen battle on a screaming at breakneck pace through Dawneagle jetbike is an incredible vehicle. are still grav-skimmers – can deliver a near Wherever they see their comrades hardest They can analyse even the most chaotic supersonic turn of speed. Their hulls are pressed. These bikes are almost as enemy to battle. allowing their riders golden lightning to bolster them. processing battlefield without being unseated. hundred worlds.VERTUS PRAETORS Squads of Vertus Praetors swoop into Guard. these warriors wield enormous is when equipped with salvo launchers that spectral motion-oracles that allow them interceptor lances. able The greatest assets at the Vertus Praetors’ battle astride powerful Dawneagle jetbikes. When armed with hurricane enemy’s movements. Their auto-senses are is augmented by their superlative wargear. reacting with phenomenally durable. but to direct their might a Vertus Praetor can open the throat of large as light fighter craft and – while they precisely where and when it is needed most. and perfectly weighted. are their mounts. these Custodians know the tangled ruins or dense forests. However. before annihilating them with strafing runs catching him unawares. 41 . optical auspicators and multi. and adamantium. the Contemptor all unnecessary flesh. command during the Siege of from being loosed on Terra. great battle of the Horus battle for the star keep Magnificence. The Dreadnought’s so that he can continue to fight for the Emperor.VENERABLE CONTEMPTOR DREADNOUGHTS Bellowing a vox-amplified war cry. Calaxor earned himself many more names in the centuries that followed. It was he that rallied and leading a band of Vertus Praetors Now Calaxor is a living war engine and the Gospodor Heavy Infantry with to end the traitor threat. a Custodian may choose tanks to molten ruin or screaming hails of shells from the spinning to be preserved within a Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought barrels of the Kheres-pattern assault cannon. Terran Wardens. Becoming Enlightener’s Stair single-handedly to-blade with the heretical Singer of Venerable Ancient Calaxor. S hield-Captain Hasturias Calaxor he felled the Daemon Thogralathrax When the Shield-Captain finally fell in first took up the mantle of and prevented the Suppurant Scourge battle on the dead world of Palathrix. it was Calaxor who finally drove Kol’s warriors to destruction and felled the traitor Warhound Titan Warp Jackal into the bargain. the most will not turn aside from what they perceive as their duty. those who stand ready to take the strain should the Contemptor undergo feel they have dishonoured themselves. while motive shrines and auto-sanctified backup systems battle. before mounting his jetbike a new role within the Ten Thousand. Those soon to depart as Eyes of the Emperor. Yet for all this arcane technology. Auto-repair Despite this. he assumed against the turncoat soldiers of the 9th Miseries. can never truly replicate the feel of sunlight upon their skin. it important component of the Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought is said. for life within a can tear the turret from a battle tank or splinter every bone in a Dreadnought sarcophagus – even one as advanced as the Venerable body with a single punch. Its powerful limbs become theirs to operate. Dreadnought sarcophagus. a relic that incorporates wonders of technology that the unharmed through hails of fire and crush the Master of Mankind’s Imperium can no longer replicate. the last. Its complex sensoria become their eyes and ears. On Thade. In return. or the Its weapons are perfectly calibrated. they face an eternity are expertly crafted and maintained. These heroics were enough to see Calaxor promoted amidst the fires of battle to the rank of Shield-Captain. tearing organs and brain matter sustained within an armaglass amniotic the heart from those who would stand against the Emperor and tank. During the his sheer force of will kept him alive Terra. able to stride engine. Joining forces with a Golden Throne. the crackling energies of an atomantic shield that can dispel laser blasts and artillery shells amidst bright flares of energy. 42 . Renowned for the controlled aggression of his tactics. bound to mechanical systems that fibre-bundles and servo-motors that afford it immense strength. There should other arm ends in a fist like a wrecking ball. and also. It was Calaxor. They are then permanently fused with the life-support systems sending the terrified survivors fleeing in terror. When faced with certain death. the Venerable Contemptor Though the physiology of the Custodians is remarkably durable. Dreadnought storms into the enemy with merciless fury. Wielding these weapons with a matchless Contemptor – is a twilight existence at best. there are tales of unharmed Custodians volunteering protocols allow the Dreadnought to shrug off crippling battle to pilot Contemptors whose previous occupants were slain in damage. of the Dreadnought. even warriors who simply serious combat trauma. Its auramite armour plates foes with their hydraulic might. whose blade ended the threat of of the Adeptus Custodes. sodality of his fellow Custodian Guard. all. have given their flesh willingly so that the Contemptor is the living warrior interred in the sarcophagus at its heart. rendered down to little more than a sack of blazes a trail of death and destruction through its enemies. while its hull is sheathed in satisfying crunch of their blade through an enemy’s flesh. Dreadnoughts of the Custodes continue to stride to war. The pilot is shorn of skill characteristic of the Adeptus Custodes. The Custodian becomes a god of war. Heavy fire still there are wounds so severe that even they cannot survive spits from its gun arm – either blasts of melta energy that reduce them. a gilded gauntlet that be no mistaking that this is the act of a martyr. after which he led three further highly successful counter-offensives before the siege’s end. It was Calaxor who held the Shield-Captain Calaxor went blade. led them to retake the Dome of the the rogue assassin Shae before she could Architects from Dortha Kol’s Sons of come within a hundred miles of the Horus Legionaries. long enough to be interred within a Heresy. Its limbs are articulated by cut off from the outside world. its vox emitter Each Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought is an ancient war their mouth. strategic advisor both amidst the ranks his inspiring example of bravery. They ground alien demigods in the middle of their battle lines. making of each one. many victories for the Adeptus Custodes. Land Raiders ferry their passengers into the heart of battle. repaired time and again. hyper-durable adamantium upon the Traitor Legions once their betrayal was revealed. 43 . and turned their guns mercilessly of a fearsome array of weapons. the Land Raider can function as Imperium. have even been teleported directly onto the battlefield. their hulls warded against the empyric corruption that is a common side effect The most ancient and honoured of these tanks are the Venerable of travelling through the warp. Land Raiders are in comparatively short supply. A single those possessed by the greatest Imperial champions. Land Raider can turn a desperate battle in the Imperium’s favour – a massed spearhead of them can win a war. and for the material cost of but one of these tanks it is possible to churn out a hundred These vehicles are the primary ground transport of the Adeptus lesser vehicles. then irredeemable sin to allow such a vehicle to be destroyed. Tracks churning. Though severely damaged during that apocalyptic conflict. For armour. it is a rare enemy indeed These tanks rolled forwards amidst the earth-shaking armoured that can survive the sudden appearance of a Land Raider full of spearheads deployed during the Great Crusade. guns thundering. Many can trace of an ancient Godstrike-pattern teleportarium. It is considered a near. This potent war engine saw its very first battle in the defence of the Emperor’s palace at the culmination of the Horus Heresy. Land Raiders have bellicose and complex wreaking bloody revenge for their deaths.VENERABLE LAND RAIDERS The Land Raider is arguably the most powerful and versatile battle oppressors beneath their treads as they fought to liberate Humanity tank available to Imperial forces in the 41st Millennium. Possessed from the horrors of Old Night. their passage assured through use Land Raiders used by the Adeptus Custodes. Venerable Land Raiders possess Magos-class machine spirits. a statement of how unstoppable and elite the Ten relic. Venerable deployed when victory is absolutely vital. and blooded on battlefields beyond count. Few fire the tank’s guns and coordinate its auto-repair rituals when forge worlds still possess the secrets of their creation. Every Land Raider is thus venerated as a priceless Custodes. machine spirits that take time to tame. and even circumstances require it. noble and aggressive entities that can independently aim and For all this. entrusted only to the most elite forces of the Imperium and Thousand truly are. and entire support them with unparalleled armoured might once they campaigns have been fought to recover Land Raiders lost upon the disembark. This tactic has won their history all the way back to the earliest days of the Imperium. Pictured above is the Venerable Land Raider Glory to the Throne. and the transport capacity to bear a full squad of heavily ten thousand years these noble war engines have fought for the equipped warriors into battle. Glory to the Throne has remained with the Adeptus Custodes ever since. and each has built a legend every bit as magnificent as both war engine and assault transport with equal ease. Stories exist of these dauntless war those that do must sink enormous resource and time into the engines fighting on even after their Custodian crews were slain. In extreme circumstances these amazing war engines field of battle. Captain-General Trajann Valoris . THE SPLENDOUR OF HOLY TERRA The Custodians take to the battlefield in compact. They make for a spectacular sight with their gilded armour and gloriously worked wargear. elite forces of highly trained warriors. proud vexillas rising over their lines. Yet to the Emperor’s enemies. they are the terror of death incarnate. they crash into the Death Guard lines like the Emperor’s vengeance made manifest. Led by their heroic Captain-General and a band of redoubtable Allarus Custodians.The assembled might of the Adeptus Custodes surges into battle. . Led by formidable Allarus Custodians. a glorious host of the Adeptus Custodes surge into battle against the heretical warrior golems of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion. and misericordia storm shield and misericordia . Vexilus Praetor with storm shield Shield-Captain with sentinel blade and misericordia Custodian Guard with sentinel blade. Custodian Wardens and Guard determinedly defend their Vexilus Praetor.Custodian Warden with guardian spear Shield-Captain with guardian spear Custodian Warden with guardian spear and misericordia and misericordia and misericordia A stalwart band of Adeptus Custodes stands implacably before the attack of the traitorous Death Guard. Custodian Guard with guardian spears and misericordia . Resisting the foul corruptions of their foe. Custodian Guard of the Solar Watch Shield-Captain of the Emissaries Imperatus . Custodian Guard of the Shadowkeepers Allarus Custodian of the Dread Host . a proud force of the Adeptus Custodes bear the brunt of the Black Legion charge. Amidst the frozen northern reaches of Gathalamor Prime. steadying the line while the Astra Militarum bring up heavy armour to bombard the Chaos forces. Vastly outnumbered by wave upon wave of Bad Moons Orks. defending the bunker complex of the Tyborial astropathic choir. an elite band of Custodians hold their ground. . their auspicators hunting for armoured targets to bring low. Vertus Praetor with interceptor lance on Dawneagle jetbike with hurricane bolter A squadron of Vertus Praetors skims low through the ecclesiastical ruins of Glorificum Alpha. . balistus grenade launchers and misericordia Vexilus Praetor in Allarus Terminator armour Allarus Custodian with guardian spear and balistus grenade launcher A pair of Venerable Contemptor Dreadnoughts stomp forwards at the head of the Adeptus Custodes advance. one firing its Kheres- pattern assault cannon while the other blasts the enemy with the superheated energies of its multi-melta. . Allarus Custodians with castellan axes. units and war engines in the Warhammer 40. there are countless ways in which armies of Custodians can be built. into battle. . is provided by a Venerable Contemptor is every warrior in this collection that it Dreadnought. At Steale’s this collection fulfils the requirements of the Contemptor Dreadnought box – and side stands Caltor Tasolian. Eratorius. this force can be built from the sentinel blade with deadly effect while contents of just two boxes of miniatures deflecting his enemy’s blades and blasts As well as being a great starting force. Even Captain Nathadian Steale. Meanwhile. better. – the Custodian Guard Squad box and with a mighty storm shield. the force upon every single one of your Adeptus Heavy firepower and armoured strength below may look small. With just six models in total.000 universe. the can go toe to toe with tabletop armies This collection is a good example of a force’s mainstay warriors are a squad of several times its size from any of the small shield company. Custodian Guard who refer to themselves other Warhammer 40. It is led by Shield. This section provides inspiration for your own collection by showing a few examples. forged to spend on vital Stratagems. who wields a as the Protectors of the Throne. providing you with its comparatively low model count means of dozens of war zones and the shield three command points for being Battle- that you can lavish time and attention company’s Vexilus Praetor. the Eagle Vigilans. a veteran a Patrol Detachment. Captain Nathadian Steale leads his shield company.000 factions. Yet so powerful Custodes miniatures. THE EAGLE VIGILANS The Adeptus Custodes have access to a selection of the most powerful characters. With every model a champion in its own right. The Fury of Terra shield host was assembled by Trajann Valoris in the heat of battle. These warriors. it inevitably grows into a sizeable battlefield force. are each capable of overcoming than the Captain-General himself. . and fulfils the requirements of both a Battalion Toxvyrd Basillaeus carries the shield company’s vexilla into battle. shield company. and a Vanguard Detachment. its auramite core consists of three units of Custodian Guard. is led by none other Watchmen and the Auric Blades. enemies many times their own number. each of which can be considered a completing the command elements of his force. who is expected to both act as Valoris’ Elysia. the Battalion. Thus the battalion also includes Shield- to meet the threat of a massive Heretic Astartes assault against Captain Anatolyn Ganorth. Between them they form a Valoris is wise enough to know that even he requires counsel force that can go blade-to-blade with any foe in the galaxy. the Protectors of the Throne. 12 5 15 3 7 6 10 2 FURY OF TERRA SHIELD HOST Once a collection of Warhammer 40. This provides the player with an impressive seven command points to spend on their Stratagems! Meanwhile. the The first of these Detachments. This collection is built around the starting force detailed on naysmith and fight valiantly at his right hand. led by Captain-General Trajann Valoris and boasting two sizeable shield companies amongst its ranks. This shield host. Vexilus Praetor the previous page.000 Citadel Miniatures is started. Though a renowned warrior. is an excellent example of how an Adeptus Custodes collection can become a truly impressive tabletop army. Land Raider Wrath of Ages. providing the force with a high-speed. the Vertus Praetors known as Sol’s Allarus Custodians. Custodian Guard. the Vanguard Detachment. Arrows streak ahead to scout out and annihilate threats. the Indomitors and the Emperor’s Sentinels. The Watchmen Wrath of Ages seize crucial battlefield locations and deny them to even the most Custodian Guard. and can single-handedly shatter an The Indomitors Shield-Captain Steale enemy’s battle line. Sol’s Arrows of Custodian Wardens. hard-hitting element. Dreadnought. aggressive enemy attacks. Two stalwart bands The Protectors of the Throne Vertus Praetors. 14 8 11 13 4 9 1 The remainder of the Battalion comprises Contemptor Dreadnought Captain-General Custodian Wardens. and the Allarus Custodians known as the Solar Lions. Venerable Contemptor Vexilus Praetor Tasolian Dreadnought. marches The Auric Blades alongside the Wardens. Led by Shield-Captain Steale and Venerable Contemptor his comrade Vexilus Praetor Tasolian. The Solar Lions . is somewhat Vexilus Praetor Basillaeus more esoteric in its composition. Eratorius The second shield company. Another Dreadnought. form its immovable centre and ensure that this shield host can Venerable Land Raider. Trajann Valoris The Emperor’s Sentinels This latter force rides to battle aboard the accomplished Venerable Shield-Captain Ganorth Custodian Wardens. the force is almost solely Custodian Guard. Meanwhile. Darian comprised of units with the Elites battlefield role. Darian. Eratorius. THE ARMY OF TERRA This section contains all of the datasheets that you will need to fight battles with your Adeptus Custodes miniatures. this energy manifests itself as an almost supernatural warding. Beyond their martial might and incorruptible nobility. On a 6 that mortal wound is ignored. blades fail to strike home. roll a D6 each time a model with this ability suffers a mortal wound in the Psychic phase. indomitable. In addition. and even the psychic powers of the foe can suddenly and inexplicably flicker away to nothing in the face of the Ten Thousand. surrounded upon all sides by heresy and foulness just as is Terra itself. AEGIS OF THE EMPEROR The cellular alchemy that creates the warriors of the Adeptus Custodes leaves them forever touched by a spark of the Emperor’s own greatness. Any abilities that are common to several units are described below and referenced on the datasheets themselves. ABILITIES The following ability is common to all ADEPTUS CUSTODES units. Let the enemy come. Models with this ability have a 5+ invulnerable save. Bullets and bolts are turned aside at the last moment. ‘Rare is the battle where the Emperor’s Custodians outnumber our foes. Each datasheet includes the characteristics profiles of the unit it describes. indefatigable. Yet like the throneworld we stand resolute. as well as any weapons and special abilities it may have. and the rules for the weapons they can wield in battle. We are ever beset. Still we will prevail. let them darken the horizon with their numbers.’ . as though the Custodians were protected by the hand of the Emperor.Allarus Custodian Harkhas Bastoris 56 . A shield company of the Adeptus Custodes advance through the ruins of Vostagraad. . blades at the ready and weapons primed to annihilate the heretic foe before they can endanger the throneworld. ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS CHARACTER. Only one of this model may be included in your army. Instead. We of the Adeptus Custodes were built to endure these fires. if Trajann Valoris is on the battlefield. it can make 1 additional Misericordia Melee Melee User -2 1 attack with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. or so they say. Legendary Commander: You can re-roll hit rolls At the end of the Fight phase. FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM. CAPTAIN-GENERAL TRAJANN VALORIS ‘The hotter the forge. pile in and attack with and wound rolls of 1 made for friendly ADEPTUS Trajann Valoris an additional time. Regain up to D3 Command Points spent when you use a Stratagem (but no more than were spent on the Stratagem). you can do one of the following: Auramite Halo: Trajann Valoris has a 3+ Regain D3 wounds lost by Trajann Valoris during invulnerable save.Captain-General Trajann Valoris 58 . 10 CAPTAIN-GENERAL TRAJANN VALORIS NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv Captain-General 6" 2+ 2+ 5 5 7 5 10 2+ Trajann Valoris Captain-General Trajann Valoris is a single model armed with the Watcher’s Axe and a misericordia. the finer the blade. INFANTRY. CUSTODES units within 6" of Trajann Valoris. that we may be the bane of even the foulest heretics.’ . we will be honed to the finest cutting edge. this phase (you cannot do this during an attack or if Trajann Valoris is slain). They will not be our end. Watcher’s Axe (melee) Melee Melee x2 -3 D3 - ABILITIES Aegis of the Emperor (pg 56) Moment Shackle: Once per battle. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Watcher’s Axe (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 5 -1 2 - Each time the bearer fights. The forge of war in which we now find ourselves blazes hotter than anything the Imperium has seen in ten millennia. Inspirational Fighter: You can re-roll hit rolls of 1 made for friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES units within 6" of this model. This model may take a misericordia. it can make 1 additional Misericordia Melee Melee User -2 1 attack with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. We are duty unstinting.’ . We are punishment inescapable. We are the Adeptus Custodes. Sentinel blade (melee) Melee Melee User -3 D3 - WARGEAR OPTIONS This model may replace its guardian spear with a sentinel blade or a castellan axe. and all must fear our wrath. ‘We are vigilance unending. SHIELD-CAPTAIN 59 . ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS CHARACTER. it may take a storm shield.Shield-Captain Rothrian Ganyth A Shield-Captain holds his guardian spear and his misericordia ready as he leads his comrades to war. ABILITIES Aegis of the Emperor (pg 56) Storm Shield: A model equipped with a storm shield has a 3+ invulnerable save. FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM. INFANTRY. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Castellan axe (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Guardian spear (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Sentinel blade (shooting) 12" Pistol 2 4 0 1 - Castellan axe (melee) Melee Melee +3 -2 D3 - Guardian spear (melee) Melee Melee +1 -3 D3 - Each time the bearer fights. If this model is armed with a sentinel blade. 7 SHIELD-CAPTAIN NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv Shield-Captain 6" 2+ 2+ 5 5 6 5 9 2+ A Shield-Captain is a single model armed with a guardian spear. ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS CHARACTER. 8 SHIELD-CAPTAIN IN ALLARUS TERMINATOR ARMOUR NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv Shield-Captain in Allarus 6" 2+ 2+ 5 5 7 5 9 2+ Terminator Armour A Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armour is a single model armed with a guardian spear and balistus grenade launcher. SHIELD-CAPTAIN 9 SHIELD-CAPTAIN ON DAWNEAGLE JETBIKE NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv Shield-Captain on 14" 2+ 2+ 5 6 7 5 9 2+ Dawneagle Jetbike A Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike is a single model armed with an interceptor lance. SHIELD-CAPTAIN 60 . Subtract 1 from the hit rolls made for this weapon against all other targets. ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS CHARACTER.Flakkburst missile 24" Heavy D3 7 -1 D3 that can FLY. choose one of the profiles below. ABILITIES Aegis of the Emperor (pg 56) Implacable Vanguard: When this model Advances. add 6" to its Move characteristic for that Movement phase Inspirational Fighter: You can re-roll hit rolls of 1 instead of rolling a dice. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Hurricane bolter 24" Rapid Fire 6 4 0 1 - Salvo launcher When attacking with this weapon. it can make 1 additional Misericordia Melee Melee User -2 1 attack with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. it can make 1 additional Misericordia Melee Melee User -2 1 attack with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. WARGEAR OPTIONS This model may replace its hurricane bolter with a salvo launcher. you can set up this model in a Godstrike-pattern teleportarium Inspirational Fighter: You can re-roll hit rolls of array instead of placing it on the battlefield. This model may take a misericordia. can teleport into battle – set it up anywhere on the battlefield that is more than 9" away from any enemy models. Add 1 to all hit rolls made for this weapon against targets . made for friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES units within 6" of this model. BIKER. Each time the bearer fights. INFANTRY. FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM. You can re-roll failed wound rolls for this weapon if the . FLY.Melta missile 24" Heavy 1 8 -4 D6 target is a VEHICLE. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Balistus grenade launcher 12" Assault D3 4 -3 1 - Castellan axe (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Guardian spear (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Castellan axe (melee) Melee Melee +3 -2 D3 - Guardian spear (melee) Melee Melee +1 -3 D3 - Each time the bearer fights. ABILITIES Aegis of the Emperor (pg 56) From Golden Light: During deployment. At the 1 made for friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES units end of any of your Movement phases this model within 6" of this model. You can re-roll failed wound rolls for this weapon on a Interceptor lance Melee Melee +1 -3 D3 turn in which its bearer made a successful charge. His jetbike is equipped with a hurricane bolter. FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM. WARGEAR OPTIONS This model may replace its guardian spear with a castellan axe. TERMINATOR. This model may take a misericordia. the Custodian Guard drive the Thousand Sons back. Sentinel blade (melee) Melee Melee User -3 D3 - WARGEAR OPTIONS Any model may replace its guardian spear with a sentinel blade and storm shield. Each model is armed with a guardian spear. it can make 1 additional Misericordia Melee Melee User -2 1 attack with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. CUSTODIAN GUARD Storming from the sanctum gates with their bolt weapons blazing. ABILITIES Aegis of the Emperor (pg 56) Storm Shield: A model equipped with a storm shield has a 3+ invulnerable save. 61 . 8 CUSTODIAN GUARD NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv Custodian Guard 6" 2+ 2+ 5 5 3 3 8 2+ This unit contains 3 Custodian Guard. ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS INFANTRY. FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM. Any model may take a misericordia. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Guardian spear (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Sentinel blade (shooting) 12" Pistol 2 4 0 1 - Guardian spear (melee) Melee Melee +1 -3 D3 - Each time the bearer fights. It can include up to 7 additional Custodian Guard (Power Rating +3 per model). WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Castellan axe (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Guardian spear (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Castellan axe (melee) Melee Melee +3 -2 D3 - Guardian spear (melee) Melee Melee +1 -3 D3 - Each time the bearer fights. It can include up to 7 additional Custodian Wardens (Power Rating +4 per model). on a 6 the damage is ignored and that wound is not lost. ABILITIES Aegis of the Emperor (pg 56) Binding Oaths: Roll a D6 each time a model in this unit loses a wound. 10 CUSTODIAN WARDENS NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv Custodian Warden 6" 2+ 2+ 5 5 3 4 9 2+ This unit contains 3 Custodian Wardens. it can make 1 additional Misericordia Melee Melee User -2 1 attack with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. 62 . FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM. WARGEAR OPTIONS Any model may replace its castellan axe with a guardian spear. CUSTODIAN WARDENS Custodian Wardens stand firm against the advancing Chaos Space Marine forces. ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS INFANTRY. Each model is armed with a castellan axe and misericordia. ‘Raise your vexilla high! Though the battlefield might blaze with the fury of the foe. Vexilus Praetor 7 VEXILUS PRAETOR IN ALLARUS TERMINATOR ARMOUR NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv Vexilus Praetor in Allarus 6" 2+ 2+ 5 5 6 4 9 2+ Terminator Armour A Vexilus Praetor in Allarus Terminator Armour is a single model armed with a balistus grenade launcher.’ . FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM. Vexilla Defensor: IMPERIUM INFANTRY units have a 5+ invulnerable save against ranged weapons whilst they are wholly within 9" of any friendly VEXILUS PRAETORS with this vexilla. though the fallen may lie ten deep underfoot. when you add this model to your army. ABILITIES Aegis of the Emperor (pg 56) From Golden Light: During deployment.Aetheus Urdanesh. raise your vexilla! Drive back the darkness and horror with its golden radiance. though death might whirl about you in a storm. VEXILUS PRAETOR 63 . you can set up this model in a Godstrike-pattern teleportarium array instead of placing it on the battlefield. WARGEAR OPTIONS This model may take a misericordia. ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS CHARACTER. Custodes Vexilla: You can re-roll failed Morale tests for friendly IMPERIUM INFANTRY and BIKER units within 6" of this model. In addition. it can make 1 additional Misericordia Melee Melee User -2 1 attack with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. INFANTRY. until all is redeemed by the glory of the Emperor of Mankind. At the end of any of your Movement phases this model can teleport into battle – set it up anywhere on the battlefield that is more than 9" away from any enemy models. Vexilla Magnifica: Your opponent must subtract 1 from hit rolls in the Shooting phase for attacks that target ADEPTUS CUSTODES units within 6" of any friendly VEXILUS PRAETORS with this vexilla. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Balistus grenade launcher 12" Assault D3 4 -3 1 - Each time the bearer fights. TERMINATOR. choose one of the following vexillas for this model to carry: Vexilla Imperius: ADEPTUS CUSTODES models (other than VEHICLES) add 1 to their Attacks characteristic whilst their unit is within 6" of any friendly VEXILUS PRAETORS with this vexilla. before the ruins of the Sanctic Citadel. FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM. VEXILUS PRAETOR ‘It was upon Gathalamor Prime. At battle’s end. Vexilla Magnifica: Your opponent must subtract 1 from hit rolls in the Shooting phase for attacks that target ADEPTUS CUSTODES units within 6" of any friendly VEXILUS PRAETORS with this vexilla. that Custodian Erasmian Alhoris Cassabar Lychansis slew a trio of traitor champions single-handed. INFANTRY. when you add this model to your army. Lychansis’ comrades agreed that he had earned great honour through his deeds. choose one of the following vexillas for this model to carry: Vexilla Imperius: ADEPTUS CUSTODES models (other than VEHICLES) add 1 to their Attacks characteristic whilst their unit is within 6" of any friendly VEXILUS PRAETORS with this vexilla. castellan axe or storm shield with a misericordia. when the threat was passed and his wounds bound. If this model does not replace its wargear with a misericordia. it can make 1 additional Misericordia Melee Melee User -2 1 attack with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. Lychansis battled on for six more hours and felled dozens of the heretic foe. castellan axe or storm shield. the Battle for Gathalamor 64 . Though bloodied by the fight near-unto death. Custodes Vexilla: You can re-roll failed Morale tests for friendly IMPERIUM INFANTRY and BIKER units within 6" of this model. Vexilla Defensor: IMPERIUM INFANTRY units have a 5+ invulnerable save against ranged weapons whilst they are wholly within 9" of any friendly VEXILUS PRAETORS with this vexilla. ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS CHARACTER. WARGEAR OPTIONS This model may replace its guardian spear. it may take a misericordia. In addition. 6 VEXILUS PRAETOR NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv Vexilus Praetor 6" 2+ 2+ 5 5 5 4 9 2+ A Vexilus Praetor is a single model armed with a guardian spear.’ . So did he become a Vexilus Praetor. ABILITIES Aegis of the Emperor (pg 56) Storm Shield: A model equipped with a storm shield has a 3+ invulnerable save. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Castellan axe (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Guardian spear (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Castellan axe (melee) Melee Melee +3 -2 D3 - Guardian spear (melee) Melee Melee +1 -3 D3 - Each time the bearer fights. who would bear his shield company’s honour onto the field of war.Extract. Each model is armed with a castellan axe and a balistus grenade launcher. within 1" of an enemy unit. ABILITIES Aegis of the Emperor (pg 56) From Golden Light: During deployment. At the end in and consolidate. you can set up this unit in a Godstrike-pattern teleportarium array Slayers of Tyrants: When models in this unit pile instead of placing them on the battlefield. they can move up to 3" towards of any of your Movement phases they can teleport into the nearest enemy CHARACTER even if it is not the battle – set them up anywhere on the battlefield that is nearest enemy model. ALLARUS CUSTODIANS As the teleport flare subsides. a trio of Allarus Custodians step forth to lock blades with the putrescent Death Guard. ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS INFANTRY. 65 . TERMINATOR. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Balistus grenade launcher 12" Assault D3 4 -3 1 - Castellan axe (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Guardian spear (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Castellan axe (melee) Melee Melee +3 -2 D3 - Guardian spear (melee) Melee Melee +1 -3 D3 - Each time the bearer fights. so long as they finish this move more than 9" away from any enemy models. WARGEAR OPTIONS Any model may replace its castellan axe with a guardian spear. 13 ALLARUS CUSTODIANS NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv Allarus Custodian 6" 2+ 2+ 5 5 4 4 9 2+ This unit contains 3 Allarus Custodians. It can include up to 7 additional Allarus Custodians (Power Rating +5 per model). FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM. Any model may take a misericordia. it can make 1 additional Misericordia Melee Melee User -2 1 attack with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. There I fell. DREADNOUGHT. as shown below: NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv REMAINING W M WS BS Venerable Contemptor 6-10+ 9" 2+ 2+ * * * 7 7 10 4 8 2+ Dreadnought 3-5 6" 3+ 3+ A Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought is a single model equipped with a Dreadnought combat 1-2 4" 4+ 4+ weapon. yet was reborn in this ageless body of auramite. multi-melta and combi-bolter. roll Multi-melta 24" Heavy 1 8 -4 D6 two dice when inflicting damage with it and discard the lowest result. 10 VENERABLE CONTEMPTOR DAMAGE Some of this model’s characteristics change as DREADNOUGHT it suffers damage. and each unit within 6" suffers D3 Unyielding Ancient: Roll a D6 each time this model mortal wounds. and slew all who came against me. Dreadnought combat Melee Melee x2 -3 3 - weapon WARGEAR OPTIONS This model may replace its multi-melta with a Kheres-pattern assault cannon. a D6 before removing it from the battlefield. On a 6 it explodes. and crushed the servants of the Dark Mechanicus without mercy. loses a wound.Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought Uriaxes 66 . on a 6 the damage is ignored and that wound is not lost. Still I fight. roll invulnerable save. and so shall I always. VENERABLE CONTEMPTOR DREADNOUGHT ‘I fought atop the walls of the Emperor’s palace when the Great Beast’s Waaagh! crashed against them. ABILITIES Atomantic Shielding: This model has a 5+ Explodes: If this model is reduced to 0 wounds. for my debt to the Emperor shall never be paid. I fought upon the battlefields of Ghosaris during the Moirae Schism. FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM. ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS VEHICLE. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Combi-bolter 24" Rapid Fire 2 4 0 1 - Kheres-pattern assault 24" Heavy 6 7 -1 1 - cannon If the target is within half range of this weapon.’ . I stood immovable in the face of the Blood Cults of Tsydon. VERTUS PRAETORS 67 . Any model may take a misericordia. Add 1 to all hit rolls made for this weapon against targets . Each model is armed with an interceptor lance. It can include up to 7 additional Vertus Praetors (Power Rating +5 per model). WARGEAR OPTIONS Any model may replace its hurricane bolter with a salvo launcher. choose one of the profiles below. 15 VERTUS PRAETORS NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv Vertus Praetor 14" 2+ 2+ 5 6 4 4 9 2+ This unit contains 3 Vertus Praetors. ABILITIES Aegis of the Emperor (pg 56) Implacable Vanguard: When this unit Advances. FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM.Flakkburst missile 24" Heavy D3 7 -1 D3 that can FLY. You can re-roll failed wound rolls for this weapon on a Interceptor lance Melee Melee +1 -3 D3 turn in which its bearer made a successful charge. and each of their Dawneagle jetbikes is equipped with a hurricane bolter. Subtract 1 from the hit rolls made for this weapon against all other targets. ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS BIKER. it can make 1 additional Misericordia Melee Melee User -2 1 attack with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. Streaking down from the lofty heights of the Spire of Victories. add 6" to its Move characteristic for that Movement phase instead of rolling a dice. the Vertus Praetors swoop into battle. You can re-roll failed wound rolls for this weapon if the . Each time the bearer fights. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Hurricane bolter 24" Rapid Fire 6 4 0 1 - Salvo launcher When attacking with this weapon.Melta missile 24" Heavy 1 8 -4 D6 target is a VEHICLE. FLY. your opponent must subtract 1 from all hit rolls for and each unit within 6" suffers D6 mortal wounds. On a 6 it explodes. Smoke Launchers: Once per game. until your next Shooting phase any embarked models disembark. weapons tracking in search of targets. as shown below: NAME M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv REMAINING W M BS A Venerable Land Raider 6+ 8 8 16 9 2+ 9-16+ 10" 2+ 6 * * * 5-8 5" 3+ D6 A Venerable Land Raider is a single model equipped with a twin heavy bolter and 1-4 3" 4+ 1 two twin lascannons. 68 . this model can use D6 before removing it from the battlefield and before its smoke launchers. ABILITIES Power of the Machine Spirit: This model does not Unyielding Ancient: Roll a D6 each time this model suffer the penalty to hit rolls for moving and firing loses a wound. roll a any weapons in the Shooting phase. ADEPTUS CUSTODES KEYWORDS VEHICLE. Storm bolter 24" Rapid Fire 2 4 0 1 - Twin heavy bolter 36" Heavy 6 5 -1 1 - Twin lascannon 48" Heavy 2 9 -3 D6 - WARGEAR OPTIONS This model may take a hunter-killer missile. wound is not lost. ranged weapons that target this vehicle. on a 6 the damage is ignored and that Heavy weapons. LAND RAIDER. TRANSPORT. This model may take a storm bolter. instead of shooting Explodes: If this model is reduced to 0 wounds. TRANSPORT This model can transport 5 ADEPTUS CUSTODES INFANTRY models. VENERABLE LAND RAIDER A Venerable Land Raider rumbles through the fog shrouded streets. FACTION KEYWORDS IMPERIUM. 21 VENERABLE DAMAGE Some of this model’s characteristics change as LAND RAIDER it suffers damage. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES A model can only fire each of its hunter-killer missiles Hunter-killer missile 48" Heavy 1 8 -2 D6 once per battle. dishonourable and tantamount to heresy of the highest order. RANGED WEAPONS WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Balistus grenade launcher 12" Assault D3 4 -3 1 - Castellan axe (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - Combi-bolter 24" Rapid Fire 2 4 0 1 - Guardian spear (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 4 -1 2 - A model can only fire each of its hunter-killer missiles once Hunter-killer missile 48" Heavy 1 8 -2 D6 per battle. roll two dice Multi-melta 24" Heavy 1 8 -4 D6 when inflicting damage with it and discard the lowest result. Sentinel blade (shooting) 12" Pistol 2 4 0 1 - Storm bolter 24" Rapid Fire 2 4 0 1 - Twin heavy bolter 36" Heavy 6 5 -1 1 - Twin lascannon 48" Heavy 2 9 -3 D6 - Watcher’s Axe (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 1 5 -1 2 - MELEE WEAPONS WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D ABILITIES Castellan axe (melee) Melee Melee +3 -2 D3 - Dreadnought combat Melee Melee x2 -3 3 - weapon Guardian spear (melee) Melee Melee +1 -3 D3 - You can re-roll failed wound rolls for this weapon on a turn in Interceptor lance Melee Melee +1 -3 D3 which its bearer made a successful charge. Sentinel blade (melee) Melee Melee User -3 D3 - Watcher’s Axe (melee) Melee Melee x2 -3 D3 - ‘When all other recourse is deemed insufficient. Each time the bearer fights.Nurthias Drund. Subtract 1 from the hit rolls made for this weapon against all other targets. it is our solemn duty to provide these heroes with the very finest weapons and armour that Humanity can provide. Hurricane bolter 24" Rapid Fire 6 4 0 1 - Kheres-pattern assault 24" Heavy 6 7 -1 1 - cannon If the target is within half range of this weapon. Salvo launcher When attacking with this weapon. You can re-roll failed wound rolls for this weapon if the target . when the throneworld itself stands square in the path of peril. The profiles for all of their wargear are detailed below. Master Artificer of the Forge Aquilan 69 . each a masterwork of absolute lethality in the hands of the Emperor’s guardians.’ . it can make 1 additional attack Misericordia Melee Melee User -2 1 with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. For such crucial theatres of war. choose one of the profiles below. Add 1 to all hit rolls made for this weapon against targets that .Flakkburst missile 24" Heavy D3 7 -1 D3 can FLY.Melta missile 24" Heavy 1 8 -4 D6 is a VEHICLE. where defeat could bring the ruin of Mankind itself. To do any less would be foolish.ARMOURY OF THE ADEPTUS CUSTODES The Adeptus Custodes have weapons and wargear unparalleled across the galaxy. then are the Adeptus Custodes unleashed. As the Great Rift burst open like a ragged wound. . the Blood Legions of Khorne spilled forth to attack Holy Terra itself. Trajann Valoris and Roboute Guilliman led the combined force that drove them back. Stood upon the steps before the Lion’s Gate. . Custodian Guard 72 . rightness and necessity of their every action. It is a tumbledown ghetto that burns from end to end with the flames of war. if there are more enemy models within range of that objective marker. These rules include the abilities below and a series of Stratagems.Telchor. If an enemy unit within range of the same objective marker has a similar ability. then the objective marker is controlled by the player who has the most models within range of it as normal. all INFANTRY The Ten Thousand are the ultimate executors and BIKER units in ADEPTUS CUSTODES of the Emperor’s will. and they are as unstoppable in seizing that which is theirs THE EMPEROR’S CHOSEN – and by extension the Emperor’s – as they are The foremost guardians of the Emperor in defending it. any Detachment which only includes ADEPTUS CUSTODES units. They possess a truly manifest destiny. They do not deserve us. bearing the Master of Mankind’s unearthly protection at all times. are eternally blessed. these rules reflect the character and fighting style of the Adeptus Custodes in your games of Warhammer 40. Relics and Tactical Objectives. This section also includes the Adeptus Custodes’ unique Warlord Traits. A unit with this ability that is within range of an objective marker (as specified in the This unit’s invulnerable save is improved by 1 mission) controls the objective marker even (to a maximum of 3+). They do not deserve their Emperor. Together. They fight with absolute Detachments gain the Sworn Guardians and certainty and an unshakeable conviction in the the Emperor’s Chosen abilities. ‘The Emperor’s realm is a festering ruin of overcrowded worlds drowning in their own ignorance and fear. None of that alters the fact that our duty must be done…’ . ABILITIES SWORN GUARDIANS If your army is Battle-forged. AURIC MORTALIS In this section you’ll find rules for Battle-forged armies that include ADEPTUS CUSTODES Detachments – that is.000. the Custodians When you set up a teleporting ADEPTUS CUSTODES unit meet the enemy charge with a hail of deadly firepower. 1CP TANGLEFOOT GRENADE Adeptus Custodes Stratagem 1CP AVATARS OF THE EMPEROR These rare grenades cause localised distortions in gravity. Use this Stratagem immediately after your opponent Use this Stratagem during deployment. units can teleport into battle – set them up anywhere on the battlefield that is more than 9" away from any enemy models. All of the Relics of Terra that the battlefield. they Any models that cannot be set up this way are destroyed. 73 . Your army can Use this Stratagem at the start of your Movement phase. 12" of an ADEPTUS CUSTODES INFANTRY unit from your Use this Stratagem at the beginning of the Morale phase. set up in this turn) and more than 3" from enemy models. units for 3 CPs. you can set up one ADEPTUS CUSTODES reinforcements within 12" of an ADEPTUS CUSTODES INFANTRY . the warriors of the Adeptus Custodes bear into Many are the tales of heroic bands of Allarus Custodians battle weapons not used since the siege of the Imperial Palace. Choose an enemy unit within beleaguered armies. That unit can immediately in a Godstrike-pattern teleportarium array for 1 CP. you have access to the Stratagems shown on the following pages. Custodians can deploy straight into the heart of battle. have one extra Relic of Terra for 1 CP. That unit is immediately split into separate you include must be different and be given to different units. They see all. at the end of the phase. 1CP/3CP OPEN THE VAULTS 2CP UNLEASH THE LIONS Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Adeptus Custodes Stratagem In dire need. Units with the FLY keyword are characteristic when taking Morale tests for friendly not affected. or two such shoot at the enemy unit as if it were the Shooting phase. 1CP UNFLINCHING allowing daring strikes into the heart of the enemy army. the They are the Emperor’s own vigilance. This Stratagem can only be used once per battle. 1CP/3CP FROM GOLDEN LIGHT THEY COME 2CP EVER VIGILANT Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Through use of ancient Godstrike-pattern teleportariums. ADEPTUS CUSTODES CHARACTERS . Instead of placing them sets up a unit that is arriving on the battlefield as on the battlefield. of a friendly VEXILUS PRAETOR (other than one that was Choose an ADEPTUS CUSTODES unit from your army.STRATAGEMS If your army is Battle-forged and includes any ADEPTUS CUSTODES Detachments (excluding Auxiliary Support Detachments). At the end of any of your Movement phases these but you must subtract 1 from all the resulting hit rolls. engaging entire armies in fierce battle. BIKER or DREADNOUGHT unit from your army INFANTRY unit from your army. Use this Stratagem before the battle. Your opponent must reduce that unit’s Choose an ADEPTUS CUSTODES unit from your army Movement characteristic or charge distance by the result (other than a VEHICLE). you can set it up wholly within 6" Use this Stratagem in your opponent’s Charge phase. With glacial calm and superhuman reactions. army and roll a D6. Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Use this Stratagem at the end of your Movement phase. IMPERIUM units within 6" of that unit in this phase. each containing a single model. You can only use this Stratagem once per battle. The sight of the Emperor’s vengeance embodied and Use this Stratagem at the beginning of your opponent’s unleashed on the foe is enough to steel the resolve of the most Movement or Charge phase. When models in this unit fire Overwatch in this phase. require a roll of 5+ (rather than 6) to successfully hit. space Adeptus Custodes Stratagem and time that send the enemy stumbling in disarray. You can use that unit’s Leadership until the end of the phase. meaning you can spend Command Points to activate them. 3CP VEXILLA TELEPORT HOMER Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Custodes vexillas incorporate sophisticated teleport homers. These reflect the unique strategies used by the forces of the Adeptus Custodes on the battlefield. or two extra Select a unit of Allarus Custodians from your army on Relics of Terra for 3 CPs. a worthy webs of flakk detonations. wound rolls made for that unit’s guardian spears until the end of the phase. inevitable and swift approaching. Your opponent must add 1 to Morale tests unit from your army to attack in the Fight phase. Choose a a psychic power within 12" of an ADEPTUS CUSTODES Venerable Land Raider from your army and at least one INFANTRY or ADEPTUS CUSTODES BIKER unit from your other friendly Venerable Land Raider within 6" of that army. Choose one of your ADEPTUS CUSTODES units (other than Use this Stratagem when you select an ADEPTUS CUSTODES a VEHICLE). Choose a Use this Stratagem in your Shooting phase. They choosing a unit of Vertus Praetors from your army to become your Warlord – choose or generate a Warlord make their ranged attacks. The unit you chose can shoot Shooting phase. Placing their spear blows perfectly. their attacks. the warriors of the Adeptus can project the power of the ancient standard even further. be networked to provide almost supernatural accuracy. Choose one of your ADEPTUS CUSTODES units that Custodians from your army to make their attacks in the is within 1" of an enemy unit. They can target enemy CHARACTERS with with its sentinel blades as if it were your Shooting phase. If they all fire flakkburst Trait for them immediately. when SHIELD-CAPTAIN on the battlefield from your army. comrade always stands ready to take his place.1CP SHOULDER THE MANTLE 1CP BURST MISSILE NET Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Vertus Praetors are experts at lacing the skies with inescapable Should the leader of an Adeptus Custodes army fall. a lethal technique that The Allarus Custodians are single-minded when they have their only such skilled warriors could employ. You can take a Deny the Witch test for that unit as if model. you can mission. their hit rolls until the end of the phase. Use this Stratagem when an enemy PSYKER manifests Use this Stratagem in your Shooting phase. Use this Stratagem when your Warlord is slain. For the purposes of the missiles at the same target with the FLY keyword. The VEXILUS PRAETOR that you chose cannot charge this turn. they Once they have their objective. 1CP PLANT THE VEXILLA 1CP INDOMITABLE GUARDIANS Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Adeptus Custodes Stratagem When a Vexilus Praetor plants their vexilla in the ground. even if they are not the closest enemy model. Add 1 to taken for enemy units within 3" of that unit in this phase. slain while this model is on the battlefield. Choose an ADEPTUS not move in that phase. You can increase the range of the CUSTODES unit from your army that is within 3" of an Custodes Vexilla ability for that model by 6" until your objective marker and fight with it next. Use this Stratagem at the end of your Movement phase. Use this Stratagem in your opponent’s Fight phase after an Choose a VEXILUS PRAETOR from your army that did enemy unit that charged has fought. Custodes will not be moved. your Warlord is not considered to have been re-roll failed wound rolls for these attacks. 2CP SENTINEL STORM Adeptus Custodes Stratagem 2CP INESCAPABLE VENGEANCE The Custodians fire their bolt casters point-blank into their foes Adeptus Custodes Stratagem even as they swing their sentinel blades. 1CP SPARK OF DIVINITY 1CP NETWORKED MACHINE SPIRITS Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Adeptus Custodes Stratagem The spark of divinity within every Custodian can sometimes The machine spirits of the Adeptus Custodes’ Land Raiders can unravel the sorcerous manifestations of the enemy. next Movement phase. 74 . None of the chosen models suffer any penalties to it were a PSYKER. Use this Stratagem at the end of your opponent’s Shooting Use this Stratagem when you select a unit of Allarus phase. the Custodians pierce Use this Stratagem at the beginning of the Morale phase. armour joints and vital systems to slay enemy war engines. target in their sight. 1CP INSPIRE FEAR Adeptus Custodes Stratagem 1CP PIERCING STRIKE To see the lions of the Emperor in all of their battle fury is to see Adeptus Custodes Stratagem one’s death. Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Use this Stratagem when you select one of your ADEPTUS The loss of a Custodian is commemorated by the tolling of CUSTODES units to attack in the Fight phase. 1CP CASTELLAN STRIKE Adeptus Custodes Stratagem The arcing strike of a castellan axe can be all but inescapable. phase. As long the Bell of Lost Souls on Terra. attack. Whenever the chance arises. their balistus grenade they exact vengeance with lethal efficiency. Use this Stratagem when an ADEPTUS CUSTODES Until the end of the phase. Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Guided by their predictive auguries and centuries of combat experience. You can re-roll one hit roll. If it was targeting a BLACK LEGION unit. immediately make an extra attack against the same unit using the same weapon. Custodes continue to fight on against those who would oppose Use this Stratagem at the start of any phase. beginning or one save roll for this model in each turn. ADEPTUS CUSTODES DREADNOUGHT from your army. it instead makes an extra attack on a hit roll of 4+. Select an the Master of Mankind. it can immediately either shoot as if it were the Shooting phase. the heroic warriors of the Adeptus of war. and by their comrades’ bloody as more than one model in the unit is attacking with a vengeance on the battlefield. If your opponent has any units with deployment. take it in turns to resolve them. Use this Stratagem when you generate a Tactical Objective. Until the end of the phase. and they all target the same unit. Until the end of the phase. These extra attacks cannot themselves 1CP EYES OF THE EMPEROR generate any further attacks. 75 . increase the Attacks characteristic of each model in the unit by 1 for each model from that unit that was slain this turn. it can. model from the battlefield. the Vertus Praetors excel at swooping down to intercept threats the moment they manifest themselves. 1CP AVENGE THE FALLEN and can hack open weak spots for other blades to exploit. 1CP CONCUSSION GRENADES Adeptus Custodes Stratagem With the press of a rune. Adeptus Custodes Stratagem The Adeptus Custodes strike suddenly. Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Use this Stratagem in your Shooting phase. you can re-roll hit rolls of 1 for CHARACTER from your army is slain. You can discard that Tactical Objective immediately and 3CP STOOPING DIVE generate a new Tactical Objective. end of the turn – they cannot fire Overwatch and your Each time you make a hit roll of 6+ for a model in that opponent must subtract 1 from hit rolls made for the unit. when The Adeptus Custodes have never forgiven the Traitor Legions choosing a unit of Allarus Custodians from your army to for their part in Horus’ rebellion. guided by intelligence offered by the Eyes of the Emperor. or fight as if it were the Fight phase. if it was targeting a HERETIC ASTARTES unit. Use this Stratagem at the end of your opponent’s Charge 2CP VICTOR OF THE BLOOD GAMES phase. with your opponent. launchers have an AP characteristic of 0. improve Use this Stratagem when you select an ADEPTUS the AP of that unit’s castellan axes to -3 until the end of CUSTODES unit from your army to attack in the Fight the phase. that unit fights Use this Stratagem when you set up an ADEPTUS before all other units in the subsequent Fight phase – even CUSTODES CHARACTER from your army during before charging units. one wound roll similar abilities. You can What foe can withstand a warrior who has overcome the declare a charge with that unit as if it were your Charge defences of Holy Terra itself? phase. unit during this phase.1CP WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS 2CP EVEN IN DEATH… Adeptus Custodes Stratagem Adeptus Custodes Stratagem The Dreadnoughts of the Adeptus Custodes have seen millennia Even to their last breath. Before removing the friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES units within 6" of it. the balistus grenade launcher can 1CP BRINGERS OF THE EMPEROR’S JUSTICE switch to firing archeotech rounds designed to incapacitate. castellan axe. and INFANTRY Use this Stratagem when an ADEPTUS CUSTODES unit units that are hit by these attacks are stunned until the from your army is chosen to attack in the Fight phase. If the unit’s charge is successful. Choose an ADEPTUS CUSTODES BIKER unit from Adeptus Custodes Stratagem your army that is within 12" of an enemy unit. and can guide their comrades with their wisdom. This model has a 3+ invulnerable save. In model’s guardian spear and has the following profile: addition. they can make 2 additional attacks with this weapon. Write down any Relics of Terra your characters have on your army roster. Named characters such as Captain-General Trajann Valoris cannot be given any of the following relics – they have their own unique wargear. On a 4+ that model musters one last surge Veiled Blade is bestowed upon a Custodian who has vowed to recover of strength before succumbing to its wounds. Model with a sentinel blade only. If your army is led by an Adeptus Custodes Warlord. The Veiled Blade replaces the model’s sentinel blade and has the following profile: EAGLE’S EYE This magnificent helm incorporates sensorium-gheists. Roll a D6 each time a friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES INFANTRY or THE VEILED BLADE BIKER model is destroyed within 6" of the bearer. locked away in vaults deep beneath the Imperial Palace. the the model as a casualty. Where this is the case. it can either shoot that which should remain hidden from Humanity and return it to the with one of its weapons as if it were the Shooting phase. before removing An ancient blade that burns with a bitterly cold and dark energy. the Custodians hoarded some of the most powerful and esoteric weapons technology ever encountered by the Imperium. you must. Veiled Blade (melee) Melee Melee User -3 D3 Improve this model’s invulnerable save by 1 (to a maximum of 3+). RAIMENT OF SORROWS Handwoven by the sisters of the Order of Lamentations and allowed to sit in state at the foot of the Golden Throne for a full century. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D THE PRAETORIAN PLATE Gatekeeper (shooting) 24" Rapid Fire 3 4 -1 2 This suit of Allarus Terminator armour – itself a handcrafted relic of great antiquity – has been adapted to incorporate a still more Gatekeeper (melee) Melee Melee +1 -3 D3 ancient empyric beacon and archeotech teleport-shunter that allows Abilities: Overwatch attacks made with this weapon successfully hit on rolls its wearer to leap directly through the warp to the aid of those he is of 3+ rather than 6. Note that some weapons replace one of the model’s existing weapons. you may give one of the following Relics of Terra to an ADEPTUS CUSTODES CHARACTER in your army. The bearer is not considered to have charged. this shroud-like raiment is a potent reminder of the Custodians’ one great defeat. Though much of it was expended during the Horus Heresy. 76 . Auric Aquilas is a truly magnificent gravitic the wielder to mow down the enemy before they can come within jetbike. even if they were not on the battlefield. still pay the cost of the weapon that is being replaced. When you set the bearer up. some of these ancient artefacts still exist. you can remove the bearer from the battlefield (if they are on the battlefield) and. single attack as if it were the Fight phase. Its presence fills them with a cold determination to never fail again. waiting to be borne to war when the need is greatest. Its machine Incorporating forbidden secrets of ancient archeotech from the Dark spirits are capable of near-prescient predictive targeting. allowing Age of Technology. trapped WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D within micro-reliquaries and compelled to shriek their technomantic Veiled Blade (shooting) 12" Pistol 2 4 0 1 warnings to the wearer whenever danger threatens.RELICS OF TERRA During the Great Crusade. The Gatekeeper replaces the BIKER model only. At the end of your opponent’s Charge phase. choose a friendly IMPERIUM CHARACTER . Model with a guardian spear only. you can re-roll failed charge rolls made for this model. set them up within 3" of that character and within 1" of an enemy model. GATEKEEPER AURIC AQUILAS This potent weapon thrums with barely contained power. if there is an enemy model within 1" of that character. You cannot use the Even in Death… Stratagem on a model that does so. field. sworn to defend. TERMINATOR model only. Abilities: Each time the bearer fights whilst they are within 3" of an objective marker. if you are playing a matched play game or are otherwise using points values. or make a Dark Cells. it bears its rider swiftly and safely into battle. Swift as thought and protected by a shimmering golden force blade’s reach. It that model’s vexilla: it loses the Custodes Vexilla ability. The Wrath Angelis replaces currently holds the greatest tally of victories in the Blood Games. compressed within splinterglass canisters that shatter upon impact. WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D and the Fulminaris Aggressor has the following weapon profile: Emperor’s Light Melee Melee User -2 1 WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D Abilities: Each time the bearer fights. 6". or 2 from the result if the unit being rolled for is If the bearer is on the battlefield.EMPEROR’S LIGHT FULMINARIS AGGRESSOR Said to have been crafted from a crystallised shard of the Emperor’s This vexilla was fashioned after the fall of Goge Vandire to honour glorious light. of course. Humanity would follow. and so to honour one who has bearer in the Morale phase automatically pass Morale tests. if the bearer does Castellan’s Mark is guaranteed to be a superlative strategic genius. Subtract 1 from the result if the unit being rolled for is a CHARACTER . and the bearer can attempt to deny one psychic power in each enemy OBLITERATUM Psychic phase as if they were a PSYKER.’ WEAPON RANGE TYPE S AP D . if that model’s vexilla: it loses the Custodes Vexilla ability. this vexilla incorporates a multi-spectral targeting shrine that links to warships in orbit and guides in trans-atmospheric strikes with remarkable accuracy. The Obliteratum Golden Throne would fall.Ganestus Talorn. ADEPTUS CUSTODES unit within 6" of them from the battlefield and set them up again following the mission rules. It fires concentrated antimatter. The Faith Absolute replaces minimum of 1). the bearer slays the enemy Warlord in the Fight phase. done so more times than any other is only right. replaces the model’s balistus grenade launcher and has the and without the Emperor to following profile: guide them. that even the resourceful warriors of the Adeptus friendly IMPERIUM INFANTRY and BIKER units within 6" of the Custodes succeed in these endeavours. is able to discharge a pulse of disruptive contra-empyric energies that can unmake an onrushing psychic manifestation in a heartbeat. THE CASTELLAN’S MARK This finely worked pauldron is awarded to whichever living Custodian Model with a Vexilla Magnifica only. Model with a Vexilla Defensor only. Obliteratum 12" Assault 1 10 -4 D3 Allarus Custodian 77 . they are justified. He who bears the and once per battle in your Movement phase. automatically hit. Without us. In addition. You must set AURIC SHACKLES them up on the battlefield. vanishing in terrifying eruptions of nothingness. Thus. These fetters were forged in the Dark Age of Technology. The Fulminaris Aggressor Model with a misericordia only. On a 4+ the unit being rolled for suffers D3 before the first turn you can remove them and up to one friendly mortal wounds. Its micro- battle by three separate Captain-Generals. you can roll a D6 for each unit (friend or foe) within expert in spotting and exploiting weaknesses with merciless efficiency. friendly IMPERIUM INFANTRY and BIKER units within 6" of the bearer in the Morale phase automatically pass Morale tests. at the beginning of the game but ADEPTUS CUSTODES . In addition. They are used to This ominous vexilla was created for the infamous Witching Wars. The Emperor’s Light replaces the replaces that model’s vexilla: it loses the Custodes Vexilla ability. in missions that use victory points. an not move. Instead. you score friendly IMPERIUM INFANTRY and BIKER units within 6" of the an additional D3 victory points. and is an object of dread to traitors arcs out to annihilate nearby foes. Aggressor (shooting) Fulminaris Melee Melee +2 -1 1 Aggressor (melee) WRATH ANGELIS This ancient and expertly crafted vexilla was created for the battle Abilities: Attacks made with this weapon’s shooting profile against the Orks upon the world of Ullanor. the Model with a balistus grenade launcher only. it can make 1 additional attack with this weapon unless it is also equipped with a storm shield. Victims are ‘Whatever the weapons annihilated on a molecular level by the night-black blasts caused by we wield. pinpoint fire support was key to victory. This dread vambrace weapon incorporates several forbidden technologies whose possession would be death to any beyond the Adeptus Custodes. add 1 to Fulminaris 8" Assault D6 4 -1 1 any Morale tests taken by enemy units within 12" of the bearer. It is said to flood the heart thundercoil generatorum crackles with barely restrained power that of its victim with holy radiance. and heretics alike. Your opponent must subtract 1 from the Attacks characteristic of enemy CHARACTERS whilst they are within 6" of the bearer (to a Model with a Vexilla Magnifica only. is rare. bearer in the Morale phase automatically pass Morale tests. Instead. deeds we perform. model’s misericordia and has the following profile: Instead. During that conflict. It capture the Imperium’s most dangerous foes. and adapt themselves to shut down the neural nets of any sentient beings. this masterwork misericordia has been borne into the wrath of the Emperor in punishing traitors and tyrants. FAITH ABSOLUTE rendering even the thought of escape impossible. whatever the this weapon’s fire. tactics and every aspect of combat are second to none. BIKER and Witch once in each of your opponent’s DREADNOUGHT units that are within Psychic phases as if they were a 12" of your Warlord at the start of your PSYKER. or roll a D6 and consult the table to generate their Warlord Trait. Each time you make a hit roll of 6+ hit rolls that target your Warlord. 5 RADIANT MANTLE them flow like a tide into the The holy light of the Emperor himself killing zone. NAMED CHARACTER WARLORD TRAIT Captain-General Trajann Valoris Champion of the Imperium 78 . he must be given the associated Warlord Trait shown below. forced to recoil in pain Emperor’s fury upon these master of one-to-one combat against and terror. Dread Host they can immediately make an extra 6 EMPEROR’S COMPANION attack against the same unit using As a member of the Adeptus Custodes’ the same weapon. Await my signal 2 PEERLESS WARRIOR glows around this magnificent warrior to activate the teleportariums. can crush that of lesser beings. If the Warlord of your army is an ADEPTUS CUSTODES CHARACTER .’ Your opponent must subtract 1 from . on a 5+ your Warlord does not lose that wound. D6 RESULT 1 CHAMPION OF THE IMPERIUM 4 IMPREGNABLE MIND This Warlord is amongst the finest No blandishment or invasion by the champions in the entire Imperium.Oldorian Mefistal. You can re-roll the dice for 3 SUPERIOR CREATION the damage inflicted by your The cellular alchemy that went into the Warlord’s attacks. Their mastery of strategy. further attacks. add 1 to opponent’s Charge phase can make the result of the Deny the Witch test. ‘Let them come. If he is your Warlord. direction at once. and his strength of will of heroism. Shield-Captain of the for your Warlord in the Fight phase. insidious Heroic Interventions this phase in the monsters that they are. and enemy can overcome the fortress of this their presence inspires all nearby to acts Warlord’s mind. creation of this heroic warrior rendered him breathtakingly resilient. NAMED CHARACTERS AND WARLORD TRAITS The Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes is renowned for his methodology as much as for his deeds on the battlefield. Enemies are blinded and then let us unleash the parry. These extra attacks inner circle. abominations from every even the most terrible foes. this Warlord is amongst cannot themselves generate any the deadliest of his order. you can pick their Warlord Trait from the Adeptus Custodes Warlord Traits table. Each time your Warlord loses a wound. roll a D6. this Warlord proves himself the by its glory. When they do so. Friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES Your Warlord can attempt to Deny the INFANTRY . Let same manner as CHARACTERS . With every masterful strike and artful in a sublime halo. WARLORD TRAITS Those Custodians that lead their brethren into battle are amongst the most accomplished warriors in the entire Imperium. you can use the following lists to determine the total points cost of your army. as well as the weapons and wargear they are equipped with.POINTS VALUES If you are playing a matched play game. Simply add together the points values of all your models. or a game that uses a points limit. UNITS RANGED WEAPONS MODELS POINTS PER MODEL WEAPON POINTS PER WEAPON UNIT PER UNIT (Does not include wargear) Balistus grenade launcher 0 Allarus Custodians 3-10 70 Castellan axe 14 Custodian Guard 3-10 40 Combi-bolter 2 Custodian Wardens 3-10 49 Guardian spear 12 Shield-Captain 1 110 Hunter-killer missile 6 Shield-Captain in Allarus Hurricane bolter 10 1 130 Terminator Armour Kheres-pattern assault cannon 25 Shield-Captain on Multi-melta 27 1 150 Dawneagle Jetbike Salvo launcher 25 Venerable Contemptor 1 130 Sentinel blade 9 Dreadnought Venerable Land Raider 1 283 Storm bolter 2 Vertus Praetors 3-10 80 Twin heavy bolter 17 Vexilus Praetor 1 80 Twin lascannon 50 Vexilus Praetor in Allarus 1 100 Terminator Armour MELEE WEAPONS WEAPON POINTS PER WEAPON NAMED CHARACTERS Dreadnought combat weapon 40 MODELS POINTS PER MODEL Interceptor lance 0 UNIT PER UNIT (Includes wargear) Misericordia 4 Captain-General 1 250 Trajann Valoris OTHER WARGEAR WARGEAR POINTS PER ITEM Storm shield (CHARACTERS) 15 Storm shield (other models) 10 Vexilla Defensor 20 Vexilla Imperius 50 Vexilla Magnifica 30 79 . to determine your army’s total points value. others are fallible. gird your minds and souls. players use the normal rules 12 Eliminate Threats for using Tactical Objectives with the following exception: when an 13 War Zone Secure Adeptus Custodes player generates a Capture and Control objective 14 Keep Them At Spear’s Length (numbers 11-16). 12 ELIMINATE THREATS Adeptus Custodes 15 CRUSH THEIR RESISTANCE Adeptus Custodes The Ten Thousand only deploy when a threat is so great that it could No matter the odds they face. and prove their absolute supremacy over their enemies with every perfectly placed shot.000 rulebook. If your army is led by an ADEPTUS CUSTODES Warlord. The sanctity and safety of the Golden Throne itself. They keep allies and enemies alike at a distance of two spear lengths. for all ramifications for the entire Imperium. Score D3 victory points if you control an objective marker that Score 1 victory point at the end of your turn if you hold at least was controlled by your opponent at the start of the turn. the Adeptus Custodes can seize directly bring harm to the throneworld itself. before the Battle of Lion’s Gate 80 . Now raise your spears. neutralise them. relies upon our victory here this day. your opponent Score 1 victory point at the end of your turn if at least one enemy chooses an objective marker. these D66 TACTICAL OBJECTIVE Tactical Objectives replace the Capture and Control Tactical Objectives (numbers 11-16) in the Warhammer 40. every killing blade- stroke. They seize victory in the Emperor’s name when no one else can. as shown below. 13 WAR ZONE SECURE Adeptus Custodes 16 THE EMPEROR’S VENGEANCE Adeptus Custodes Some dangers to the Golden Throne are so great that entire The Adeptus Custodes advance swiftly and crush their enemies with war zones must be mercilessly controlled in order to find and uncompromising ferocity. ‘Remember what we fight for. You cannot score this objective in your first turn.’ . Score 1 victory point at the end of your turn if you score at least 1 victory point from another Tactical Objective in your turn. the safety of the very Master of Mankind. it is cause for great celebration. Other Tactical Objectives (numbers 21-66) are generated normally. score D3+3 victory points instead. my comrades. Score 1 victory point at the end of your turn if there are no other units within 3" of ADEPTUS CUSTODES units from your army (with the exception of other friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES units). are eliminated. and let us banish these vile Daemons so that we may once more say we did our duty. If three or more enemy units the turn if you control this objective marker. 16 The Emperor’s Vengeance 11 DELIVER VICTORY Adeptus Custodes 14 KEEP THEM AT SPEAR’S LENGTH Adeptus Custodes Victory for the Adeptus Custodes inevitably has far-reaching The Adeptus Custodes trust no one beyond their own ranks. control three or more objective markers that were controlled by your opponent at the start of the turn. When such dangers victory from even the most desperate strategic situation. Score D3 victory points at the end of unit was destroyed in your turn. score D3 victory points instead. and every crushing conquest they achieve. were destroyed in your turn.TACTICAL OBJECTIVES The Adeptus Custodes engage in battles that would leave lesser armies in ruin. 11 Deliver Victory If a mission uses Tactical Objectives. When you generate this Tactical Objective. If you three objective markers.Captain-General Trajann Valoris. they instead generate the corresponding Adeptus 15 Crush Their Resistance Custodes Tactical Objective. ALONGSIDE A HOST OF MISSIONS.000. NOW TAKE IT TO THE BATTLEFIELD WITH THE FULL RULES FOR WARHAMMER 40.WE THINK YOU’D LIKE.. 81 .. ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO PLAY AND MUCH MORE. YOUR ARMY IS READY.