Adeptus Custodes
The Adeptus Custodes are an organization that features in Warhammer 40,000.
Contents |
History
The Adeptus Custodes were an elite unit that existed within the Imperium of Man. Their origins were traced to the Old Night during a time when the Emperor of Mankind first arose on Terra. The homeworld of humanity in this time was a nightmarish landscape that was dominated by abhumans and warlords. The Emperor came to be accompanied by these warriors who stood by his side in the Unification Wars where they weathered the doomed rebellion of the Thunder Warriors and were present at the formation of the Imperium.
After the Heresy, they were re-organised as the Adeptus Custodes and stood by their Emperor's side following his interment in the Golden Throne.
Overview
In appearance, the Adeptus Custodes were held as the greatest warriors of humanity and seen as demigods whose duty was the safety of the Emperor of Mankind. They were also known as the Ten Thousand where originally they were called the Legio Custodes but also came to be known as the Golden Legion. It was said that they stood as the Emperor of Mankind's right hand whilst the Sisters of Silence were his left hand where together the two represented the Talons of the Emperor. Each were biochemically shaped from infancy to be powerful combatants, tacticians and bodyguards.
As the Emperor's inner guard, their members were privileged as being the only person permitted to serve the Emperor, attending to his needs, receiving and recording his directions. It was said that these men could never leave Earth and only rarely left the Imperial Palace. (Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader)
The remarkable gene-craft made to the Custodians meant that they did not age and were functionally immortal barring grievous physical injuries.
The hierarchy of the Adeptus Custodes included:
- Shield-Captains :
- Custodians :
- Vexilus Praetors :
- Vertus Praetors :
Whilst functionally immortal, the warriors of the Adeptus Custodes could face degradation in their abilities through a number of ways. Physically, they could suffer from physical injury such as lost limbs and though they could be outfitted with artificial eyes or augmetic organs such an act lessen their physical perfection. Meanwhile, others suffered the erosion of their mind in a small capacity that impacted their reaction times or mnemic awareness which similarly was not as perfect as it used to be for them. For such warriors, even tenth-of-a-second reduction in their speed meant that they failed to stop an attack that could have been parried. Whether it be physical or mental, this impacted in their ability to perform their duties and necessitated for their watch to come to an end. After judging themselves unfit for duty, they surrendered all their equipment to the Hall of Armaments and vanished into the larger galaxy waring hooded black robes. Despite being in self-imposed exile, these noble warriors still served the Emperor as wherever they travelled the observed events. Some worked alone whilst others cultivated networks of informants and agents with fear and intimidation being used to secure compliance if loyalty and honor failed. If they encountered any threat to the Emperor or Terra, these watchers used secret channels to communicate their warnings to the Captain-General. This allowed response forces from the Adeptus Custodes to launch punitive or pre-emptive strikes against dangers throughout the Imperium based on intelligence provided by these agents who were known as the Eyes of the Emperor. (Codex: Adeptus Custodes 8th Ed)
Equipment used by the Custodians included:
- Guardian Spears :
- Obliteratum :
Vehicles used by the Golden Legion included:
- Contemptor Dreadnoughts :
- Land Raiders :
Their base of operations was the Imperial Palace that was an endless black hive of forbidden technology consisting of subterranean passages delving deep within the bowels of the planet. (Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader)
Members
- Constantin Valdor :
- Ra Endymion :
- Diocletian Coros :
- Amon Tauromachian :
- Uttam Luna Hesh Udar :
- Trajann Valoris :
- Maldovar Colquan :
Notes
- The Adeptus Custodes were created by Games Workshop where they featured in the setting of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Appearances
- Warhammer 40,000:
- Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader:
External Links
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