Note: Proudly displays the sable shoulder pauldron and white pteruges, the colours of the Dread Host. See more ideas about legio custodes, warhammer 40k miniatures, warhammer 40k. Custodians are the mightiest of mankind's warriors. There have been many Shield-Captains charged with mastery of the Shadowkeepers. They are to the Space Marines as the Emperor is to His primarchs, and it is rumoured that they were each created by the Master of Mankind personally. Their base of operations is Terra itself and their own domains interwoven with that of the Emperor. Let the enemy come, let them darken the horizon with their numbers. Billions of weapons point menacingly into the dark gulfs of space, ready to unleash spectacular devastation upon any foolish enough to threaten Mankind's seat of power. Space Marines are not easy to create. Certainly no more than a thousand have ever been seen together at any one time, and then only once at the famous Battle of Gyros-Thravian, fought during the Great Crusade against the Ork Warlord Gharkhul Blackfang and his vast greenskins horde. 5-13; Dark Imperium (Novel) by Guy Haley, Ch. I, and I alone, shall have the authority to stand in judgement over them. [19][22c], The Custodes were equipped with the best power armour of the age, and had access to the most highly advanced weaponry and vehicles of the Imperium, including designs that were not permitted to the Space Marine Legions. From the Master of the Navigators' Guild to the High Logisticar of the Adeptus Administratum, the Lord Militant of the Imperium to the shadowed Grand Master of the Officio Assassinorum, former Companions have acted as guardians for them all. However few of their technologically advanced vehicles remain and they rarely use post-heresy designs. They do not deserve us. His coming would herald great changes for the Imperium. [19], Although the Custodes were among the first modified warriors to be created by the Emperor, they were never intended to be part of a conquering army; such a role was to be filled by the latter Astartes armies. It is perhaps one of the great questions of lost history: what might have been in the wars of the Horus Heresy had the Legio Custodes not been so heavily waylaid by the disastrous consequences of Magnus' great sin on Terra and more able to take an active hand, had not so many of them been trapped for years in a terrible parallel war all but entirely hidden from the eyes of the cosmos? When a Custodian switches from one such organisation to another, the stones will be carefully extracted from his armour and replaced with those of an appropriate colour if needs be. A veritable legion of warriors ready to lay down their lives without doubt for the beloved ward of Mankind. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here. See more. Yet the reason is a noble one. During this time, the Custodes attempted to make their way towards Vandire, halted only by the Brides of the Emperor whom Vandire had convinced into becoming his personal bodyguards. Custodes are unique as they have neither a known Primarch nor do they use Astartes gene-seed to produce their genetic modifications. The source of the Gene-Seed of the Custodes is a mysterious issue. Members of the Kataphraktoi riding Jetbikes during the Great Crusade. It is only the Adeptus Custodes who decide who may enter the Sanctum Imperialis of the Emperor at the heart of the Inner Palace, and when they may do so. We are duty unstinting. All shall learn to fear their golden warships, for they herald swift and unmerciful slaughter. level 2 The Adeptus Custodes have long honed strategies and tactics in case they should be called upon to join the frontline fight for Humanity's survival. A member of The Moritoi, interred within a Contemptor-Achillus Pattern Dreadnought. Beyond their martial might and incorruptible nobility, this energy manifests itself as an almost supernatural warding, as though the Custodians were protected by the hand of the Emperor. From out of the mists of time stride the Adeptus Custodes. These give the Custodians a tactical edge that allows them to counter the enemy's actions before they have begun. This price tag buys them an extra wound and an extra attack each, better melee and shooting weapons, and a bunch of stratagems only available to them. The coming of this legendary High Lord has galvanised the Adeptus Custodes, and after long consultation, seen them reorganised and given new life. For ten thousand Terran years and more, the Custodians have stood watch over their lord and master, serving as the Emperor's personal heralds and praetorian bodyguard. [14a] Others argue that the Custodians are not like the Emperor in the way that a Space Marine is like his Primarch, and that some other source was used as a template for their physical and psychological form, a source that was lost during the anarchy of the Age of Strife. The Captain-General commands the Ten Thousand, inheriting a post that has been passed down from one gallant leader to the next ever since the mysterious disappearance of Constantin Valdor. But in those dark chronicles the Custodian Guard, in some form or shape, have their part as far back as any can record or those few souls who survive yet from those times can remember. The core of what you say is true and was not opposed. The leaders of these forbidding sentries carry ancient weapons of mysterious provenance, their use intended as a last resort should anything ever break free from the Dark Cells. It is unknown how limited the Custodes' wargear choices are due to the unknown workings of this elite and reclusive paramilitary specialist force that remains an organisation apart from the rest of the Imperium. For these purposes takes precedence the latter organisational tier. These Arch-traitors spread the moral decay to the Legiones Astartes they led, and the galaxy was lit with the fires of strife and civil war. A Custodian Emissary Imperatus who proudly displays the red shoulder pauldrons and grey-white robes of his order. [19], During the Age of Apostasy, the Adeptus Custodes reemerged briefly during the siege of the Ecclesiarchal Palace of Terra in the reign of Goge Vandire. [17b] After the end of the Horus Heresy and the enthronement of the Emperor, the Custodes were said to have changed the colour of their cloaks from red to black to symbolise the darkness that had fallen over their order. Military Forces The -1 to hit comes from … Loading... Unsubscribe from Kazrim? Government Below these ranks, the Custodians seem to be peers as in the manner of a warrior caste or aristocracy, rather than links in the more familiar chain of command found elsewhere in the Imperium's armed forces. It is said that within moments over a hundred thousand greenskins died and the WAAAGH! What is known is that they possess skill beyond even a "normal" member of the Adeptus Astartes. Such names were inscribed onto the inside of the warrior's battle armour as marks of individual pride. There are varying strategic roles within the organisation to which some Custodians find themselves better suited. The golden brotherhood now numbers not only guardians, but also crusaders. They see themselves as the first true line of defence for the Imperial Palace, and believe that it is their duty to ensure that no external threat ever makes it as far as Terra. They accompanied Guilliman's Crusade, many of them taking to the air as Vertus Praetors, the quicker to deliver messages of reinforcement to the embattled Space Marines. But with the return of the Avenging Son, the resurrected Primarch Roboute Guilliman, the Adeptus Custodes have cast off their black cloaks and now don their crimson cloaks of old. A Custodian Guard of the ancient Legio Custodes arrayed in his ornate golden battle-plate and armed with the signature Guardian Spear. was broken. There are terrible things locked away beneath the Emperor's palace, eldritch terrors from the depths of Old Night that could annihilate the Imperium. Certain servants of the Emperor bear great responsibilities deemed directly relevant to the safety of Terra. Their training involves mastery of the arts, diplomacy, geography, history, and countless other fields. [25][25d], The cellular alchemy that creates the warriors of the Adeptus Custodes leaves them forever touched by a spark of the Emperor’s own divinity. Not just the guardians of his physical form but also his ideals and what the species was meant to become. Rather, bio-alchemy is used to trigger the subjects own transformation, an effect that takes root in their cells and very soul. [25i], The Custodes operate several Cruiser-class vessels that patrol the Sol System. Headquarters They almost never leave Terra and only very rarely are seen outside the Imperial Palace as they watch over their recumbent master and patrol the precincts of the Emperor's palace, ever vigilant of threats. The breathtaking bloodshed and absolute destruction they leave in their wake has dissuaded hundreds of uprisings and invasions before they could even begin. The resurrected Primarch Guilliman, restored to his ancient role as the Lord Commander of the Imperium, has met alone with his father, the Master of Mankind, and emerged with a clear vision of Humanity united in battle. The Custodes' nerve center and command & control headquarters is the Tower of Hegemon within the Imperial Palace[3] while a small elite of three hundred Custodes, known as the Companions, form the Emperor's personal bodyguard and never leave his side. As has been mentioned, the Custodian Guard and the Space Marines are related in form, as perhaps might be expected of works of the same creator's hand, but they are very different in function and capacity. Apr 23, 2019 - Explore Martin Wall's board "adeptus custodes" on Pinterest. Worse was to follow. The Adeptus Custodes, known as the Legio Custodes during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras, is the Imperial adepta responsible for protecting the Imperial Palace and the physical body of the Emperor of Mankind, as well as serving as His most important emissaries, His companions, and the keepers of His many secrets. This supremacy is evident from the auramite alloy-reinforced Custodian Armour the Custodian Guard wears, each a planet's ransom in worth, to the plethora of repulsor-lift grav-vehicles still under their control, most of which were derived from designs brought back by the great technoarchaeologist Arkhan Land and forbidden for use by any other. Yet there is no terror as pure and absolute as that invoked when the Emperor's own fury is unleashed to punish his foes. Definition of custodes in the Definitions.net dictionary. Under his auspices are Supreme Castellans, Aquila Commanders, Shield-Captains and a dozen ranks besides. [15] After the Emperor's internment in the Golden Throne, the Adeptus Custodes took a limited role as protectors of the Imperial Palace, as ordered by Roboute Guilliman in the Edict of Restraint. A full Shield Host is devoted to this grim responsibility, over a hundred Custodians patrolling the dark and silent corridors, vigilantly watching over the last terrors of Old Night. Clad in baroque, golden Custodian Armour and armed with priceless relic weaponry, the Adeptus Custodes make for a magnificent sight. The adeptus Custodes have access to 2 different squads of terminators, the Allarus and Aquilon variety. As such, no consideration for rank or veteran status is given when appointing Custodians to the Companions, and those passed over in favour of younger or less-experienced candidates take no offence. Sources. They wore simple but effective clothing: boots, leather breeches and a black cloak, their torsos naked and corded with tattooed muscle, and they carried laser-tipped halberds said to have been built to resemble the traditional Guardian Spears. They were found wanting. They alone know that these things must never happen, for the Dark Cells hold such horrors at bay that Mankind's sanity would not survive their release. They will not be our end. Yet with the return of Guilliman and the commencement of the Indomitus Crusade, their activity has increased considerably. Aug 22, 2019 - Explore Adam Temple's board "Adeptus Custodes" on Pinterest. In Mankind's darkest hour, a legend has emerged from the annals of history -- the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman, an icon of authority. Whether serving as part of a detachment acting as the destroyers of some ill-fated foe, or tasked as a bodyguard for the Emperor or some element of His household, or even where a handful of Custodians might be deployed to act as the personal protectors of an Imperial emissary or Lord Militant, they are tireless, vigilant and remorseless. The Custodes is an elite cadre of genetically-engineered transhuman warriors who are even more potent in combat than the Adeptus Astartes. While the process through which the Adeptus Astartes are fabricated from a human being is well-enough documented in its outline, though its details are, of course, rightly held secret by those parties involved in the process on a Chapter by Chapter basis, genuine facts about the manner in which the Custodian Guard are created are very few, even within the hands of the Imperium's hierarchy. Adeptus Custodes ++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium – Adeptus Custodes) ++ + Stratagems + Open the Vaults (1 Relic) + HQ + Captain-General Trajann Valoris: Warlord . With the birth of the Great Rift in the Era Indomitus, and the resurrection of the Primarch Roboute Guilliman as the Lord Commander of the Imperium, the Adeptus Custodes have been forced to take a more active role in galactic affairs. One does not decline a gift from the Emperor's own hand, after all. As with all their kind, warriors who believe they are no longer fit for duty will bequeath their armour to the colossal Hall of Names and go abroad into the galaxy disguised under a hooded black cloak. The overall command of the Adeptus Custodes of course lies within the purview of the Emperor directly, but serving as the head of the Order is a single officer; the Captain-General, and due to the importance of the Adeptus Custodes in the governing of the Imperium, since they always stand the closest to the Emperor, the Captain-General often holds a position amongst the ruling High Lords of Terra on the Senatorum Imperialis. We are punishment inescapable. So lets dive into my (little) experience and thoughts I’ve had on the Custodes thus far! They hold few voidships of their own, but could command by edict any such vessel of the Imperialis Armada or later Imperial Navy to their task, and in fact requisition anyone or anything within the Imperium in extremis to serve their most sacred and undaunted task; the protection of the Emperor and His works from all the foes of humanity. No one knows for sure how many hidden coups, secret rebellions and misguided attempts at assassination the Adeptus Custodes have foiled. [3] The armour of the Custodes is a finely wrought form of Power Armour, greater than that of even Astartes models[6], made with auramite rather than ceramite. [19], The Adeptus Custodes doesn't have a battle-cry at all. None of that alters the fact that our duty must be done...". Silence your questions and instead rejoice at the honour done to you this day. A man taller than the rest, he could have dwarfed a space marine. There are of course similarities between the two. But this was far from the truth, for the Custodes were the Emperor's companions once, the ones in whom He confided, acting as His counsellors and His artisans. With the surge of Chaos activity across the galaxy in the wake of the Great Rift's birth and the threat of eternal damnation more real than ever, the Adeptus Custodes have taken their vow of protection to its logical extreme -- they will see the destruction of those forces who pose a threat to the sanctity of Terra. Others, such as the Iliastus Accelerator Cannon, were however at the cutting edge of new military developments, incorporating technologies gleaned and tested on the frontline of the Great Crusade. In conjunction with the alpha-level astropaths and doomscryers that dwell within the Imperial Palace, these officers launch terrifyingly effective strikes at those whom they deem a threat to the Emperor's works. Each unit of Companions is led by a Centurion. Below him are two Tribunes, though during the Heresy-era there were three. The Solar Watch do not waste their resources in war zones already heavily invested in by Imperial forces. Establishment They have even protected two Crusade leaders bearing the title of Warmaster, staunchly ignoring the historic associations with he who first held that rank. Only those who win the respect of the Adeptus Custodes can hope to command them, but should such a leader unite them, their loyalty will never fade. They see unthinking loyalty, such as that of a dynasty or a conventional military structure, as a weakness ripe to be exploited -- after all, it was such a culture that saw the Legiones Astartes turned against their creator. It is common for several Custodians to be on detached duty for these Blood Games so that the organisation remains vigilant against developing threats. Of their loyalty to me there shall be no question nor doubt. In the days of the Great Crusade, the Emperor often entrusted crucial messages or artefacts to be borne by his Custodians. Tragedy often follows, but this is of no concern to the Aquilan Shield -- providing it does not jeopardise the safety of the Golden Throne. While this explanation might seem to fit the facts, particularly to those without intimate knowledge of the Imperium's birth pains during the final acts of the Unification Wars on Ancient Terra, it could not be further from the truth. This time, led by some of the Imperium's greatest champions and driven by a furious determination never to fail again, they prevailed. After their leader, Alicia Dominica, was brought before the Emperor Himself by the Custodes through the secret passages of the Palace, she returned and executed Vandire personally for his apostasy and betrayal of the Master of Mankind. Prioritising the slaughter of command elements and heavy combat assets, the Solar Watch cripple their enemies' capacity to function as an army of conquest before abruptly withdrawing, leaving lesser Imperial forces to mop up what remains. Though the returned primarch remained outwardly stern and regal, he had been shaken to the core by what had become of his father's empire. At the head of a thousand Custodians, the Emperor struck at the very heart of the Ork horde, confronting Gharkhul atop a towering Gargant. After all, to keep vigil is the oath they swore to fulfil, and they have never abandoned it, even as thousands of worlds have burned. The Adeptus Custodes employs squadrons of gold-hulled gunships -- some of these are the very same craft used during the Horus Heresy, painstakingly maintained and blessed each day with sacred oils and unguents. Aliens and fiends hurl themselves against the Imperium's borders even as the rot of treachery and the mutating curse of Chaos gnaw at it from within. "Rare is the battle where the Emperor's Custodians outnumber our foes. Rather, they see themselves as the guardians of the Emperor. These jailers must trammel that which should not be, slaughtering all who seek to impede them, before returning their foul prizes to the cells where they belong. As a further safeguard against distraction and as a biological control, both are of course incapable of procreation. During the Great Crusade these resplendent warriors guarded the Emperor wherever He went and swore to give their lives to protect His. It is a duty they still fulfil now, speaking with the authority of the Master of Mankind Himself. Not since the Great Crusade had so many Custodians bestrode the stars. Conversely. It is Shield-Captains that take charge of the Adeptus Custodes' military engagements; one is typically afforded overall command of an operation, while several others of his rank may lend him their strength and wisdom in a supporting capacity. Long before the Emperor's retreat and seclusion on Terra after the appointment of the Warmaster Horus to command His forces, the principal role of protection and defence the Custodian Guard engaged in was a mobile one. Solarite power gauntlets were made back before the crusade era and should be considered the Real Powerfist. Such is their authority in this matter that Space Marines and Inquisitors must kneel before them. It is a name spoken in reverent whispers, for these warriors have stood in the presence of the immortal Emperor of Mankind, and are charged with His protection. The Adeptus Custodes are the Auric Mortalis ("The Golden Death"), the dread guardians and only living beings permitted to be in the presence of the Emperor unencumbered. As befitting of their role as the Emperor's guards, the Custodes were given access to the finest and most advanced technologies of the Imperium. Entire fleets of Imperial Navy ships prowl the space lanes, vigilant for the slightest threat. The mass produced ones used by the rest of the imperium are a bit cheaper and not quite as effective thus only ap-3. To do any less is to court final defeat.". Vaults of Terra: The Carrion Throne (Novel), Watchers of the Throne: The Emperor's Legion (Novel), Adeptus Custodes Preview Part 4: The Elites, Adeptus Custodes Preview Part 3: War Machines, The Horus Heresy Book Eight - Malevolence, Watchers of the Throne: The Regent's Shadow, Warhammer Community: Psychic Awakening: Consequences (Posted on 20/04/2020), https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Adeptus_Custodes&oldid=444179, Both Thunder Warriors and Custodians have been stated to be superior to each other at some point. The Adeptus Custodes, known as the Legio Custodes before the Horus Heresy, is the Imperial Adepta responsible for guarding the Imperial Palace and the physical body of the Emperor of Mankind. With the power of Chaos spilling raw and seething into the spaces between the stars, new abominations have come to light. ", Adeptus Custodes These incredible armaments, the endless training regimes that the Custodians undergo, the years-long holo-conflicts through which they battle, and the shadow-shrouded wars they fight in the Emperor's name throughout the Sol System and far beyond -- all these factors ensure that the Ten Thousand are the finest fighting force in the entire Imperium. The ranks of this shield host include many Custodian Wardens, whose oaths of protection help them to focus upon the task at hand to the exclusion of all else. The personal guard of the emperor and terra. When the Emperor came to mastery of Terra and ended the bloody cycle of the warlords' reign, His agents and judges, and only they, came to carry the Misericordia as His mastery eclipsed all others, and it is a tradition the Adeptus Custodes still uphold. This allows them to respond swiftly, and with overwhelming force, to any potentially threatening situation that may develop. Every Shield-Captain you make represents a hero without peer, armed with a unique set of skills and wargear, and you’ll be able to use Relics, Warlord Traits and differing wargear options to suit your needs. [25a], A Shield Company consists of a contingent led by a Shield-Captain, typically consisting of a few squads of Custodians, a Vexilus Praetor, a Vertus Praetor squad, and a Allarus Terminator Squad as well as accompanying vehicles. Just as the warriors who protect the Golden Throne must be utterly without fault or weakness, so must be the equipment they rely upon to discharge their duties. The full details of the organisational structure, disposition and regulation of the Adeptus Custodes are shrouded in secrecy as befits an institution dedicated to ultimate security. Let them flow like a tide into the killing zone. Tribute. The martial capabilities of the Adeptus Custodes remain largely unknown at the present time. Below this ruling council can be found the Custodian Prefectorate and the Shield-Captains. Yet much of this is tradition, or else purposeful misdirection; in practice, the Adeptus Custodes use a robust and easily adaptable system to organise their forces. After His incarceration in the Golden Throne following the Horus Heresy ten standard millennia ago, they have taken a far more limited role in the Imperium of Man. The new points, missions objectives, and recent buffs have seriously elevated the competitive edge of the Custodes, and so far they’re one of the big winners of the transition from 8th edition to 9th edition 40k. In both cases all that is left are beings of singular purpose; in the case of each Astartes, what is created is a living engine of conquest that cares for little else, and in the Custodian Guard, each is created protector of unrelenting diligence and savage capability -- a watchman whose vigilance will never tire. Adeptus Custodes; Adeptus Fidicius; Synopticon; Logos Historica Verita; Videos. [25d], This aspect of the Custodian mindset is advantageous, given that the Captain-General often shares a seat with the High Lords of Terra, which thus allows him to navigate the political maneuverings of the Imperium's various agencies, while still remaining an awe-inspiring warrior. Yet dozens of Emissaries Imperatus stepped forwards to intercede, stating this was the will of the Emperor. Each station is permanently attended to by high-ranking Tech-Priests and blessed to such a degree that even Contemptor Dreadnoughts can be teleported straight into battle. The first of these was made while the Unification Wars were being fought, in a modified Ur-Gholem Pattern Dreadnought, the first iteration of its kind intended for use within the Thunder Legions, and as the number of Dreadnought patterns and subtypes within the Imperium's arsenal increased across the Great Crusade's decades of warfare and innovation, so too did the Legio Custodes keep pace with these developments. It’s 30k rules make it a great weapon and would fit the role of relic very well. A Custodian Warden of the ancient Legio Custodes. [21b], Centuries later during the Terran Crusade Custodes arrived to reinforce the reborn Roboute Guilliman as he battled the Thousand Sons on Luna. With the tacit approval of the Captain-General, they bear the Emperor's words across the Imperium to commanders who must hear them, or occasionally unlock some ancient device from the palace vaults and bequeath it to whichever champion can wield it best. Until the end of the phase, when resolving an attack made with a ranged weapon by a model in that unit, an unmodified hit roll of 6 automatically sores a hit and successfully wounds the target (do not make a wound roll). These make up the Legio Custodes and later the Adeptus Custodes itself, the Ten Thousand. [22b], The ranks of the Custodian Guard are noted as somewhat informal, as much gestures of respect towards veterans and gifted individuals as a true command structure. Only now, as the threat of Chaos grows ever greater and takes its dreaded toll, does that gilded hand reach out and become an eagle's claw. Warhammer 40k Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. [17d] However the origins of the Custodian Guard are shrouded in myth and legend. They have been called the Emperor's right hand, for they act with His authority and fight in His name. His greatness runs in their veins, undiluted by the passage of aeons. [25d] Now members of the Custodes will bring war to the enemies of mankind, while the Companions oversee the safety of the Emperor's mortal form. Yet like the Throneworld we stand resolute, indefatigable, indomitable. Despite their long vigil, the Adeptus Custodes have continued to play an important role during some of the most tumultuous times in Imperial history. The two then served together in combat during the Fall of Prospero when the Custodes and the Space Wolves joined to punish the Thousand Sons Legion of Magnus the Red for his continued use of sorcery despite the edicts of the Council of Nikaea.