Soul Drinkers

"The Imperium is a fortress with two walls - the Emperor, our creator, stands fast on the inner wall that is the war of the paths beyond the Golden Throne. We stand on the outer wall that are the Imperium's borders, that spread far and away, near the vast reaches of the mysterious outer dark. If either wall falls, humanity falls. Our very existence is at stake, not honour or righteousness. If we fail in our sacred duty, even for an instant, all is lost."

- Attr. Archamus, "The Last of the First", Legion Master of the Soul Drinkers

The Soul Drinkers are a 2nd Founding Successor Legion created from the proud and stoic lineage of the Imperial Fists in 091.M32. Designated the III Legion of the Legiones Astartes, the Soul Drinkers were created to replace the traitorous Emperor's Children. The Soul Drinkers were created from the veteran companies of the Imperial Fists that were schooled and blooded in the brutal arts of void warfare. These veteran elements possessed a reputation for excellence in out-hull void warfare and starship assaults without peer - a tradition that was carried over into the newly created Soul Drinkers Legion. Since their inception, the Soul Drinkers have stood sentinel over the realm of the Imperium of Man. As masters of void combat, this Legion's extensive fleet of warships continuously patrols near the Halo Stars - the vast tracts of unexplored wilderness space along the Imperium's borders, protecting Imperial worlds from the predations of nascent alien empires and surviving monstrosities from Old Night, that have managed to survive for millennia.

Specialist Ranks

 * Master of Fleet - A master of a fleet holds complete authority over it for a fixed time or until a campaign is completed. Selected for their skill in void warfare in a Legion which excels in that theatre, the Fleet Masters represents many of the Soul Drinkers' finest strategists.

Notable Soul Drinkers

 * Legion Master Archamus - Never so volatile as First Captain Sigismund, Archamus was the master of Rogal Dorn's Honour Guard retinue known as the Huscarls during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras. It was said that Captain Archamus was more in-tune with his gene-sire's emotions than that of First Captain Sigismund. Archamus was also regarded as a highly suspicious and careful individual, and often acted disdainful towards members of the Word Bearers Legion even before they had revealed the full extent of their treachery and allegiance to the Ruinous Powers. Born Kye, on the ice world of Inwit in the early 800's.M30, he was one of the original members of the influx of Inwit-borne recruits inducted into the ranks of the VII Legion, that would become a part of the honoured fraternity known as "The First". The members of The First were the first to make their oaths to Rogal Dorn, and their names were the first to be etched on the walls of the Temple of Oaths aboard the Phalanx. Archamus would eventually rise to become the trusted praetorian of Lord Dorn and the captain of his Huscarls Honour Guard. As the Great Crusade proceeded for the next two centuries, and with the outbreak of hostilities during the subsequent Horus Heresy, all the original members of The First had been killed, save Archamus, which led to him earning the moniker "Last of the First". He played an instrumental role during the Solar Wars, the campaign that took place during the latter years of the Horus Heresy against the encroaching Traitor Legions of Warmaster Horus, leading a portion of the Imperial Fists' defensive fleets to delay the Traitors' advance on the Throneworld. During these initial battles, Archamus saved his Primarch's life during the Battle of Pluto, when Rogal Dorn confronted his traitorous brother Alpharius in personal combat. When Alpharius managed to gain the upper hand during their epic duel-to-the-death, and was about the impale the fallen Primarch with his deadly Pale Spear, Archamus interposed himself between the two Primarchs. Using his powersword, he managed to deflect Alpharius' deadly blow, though he lost one of his arms in the process. This provided Dorn the respite he needed, as he surged to his feet, and utilising his massive chainsword Storm's Teeth, to slice off Alpharius' hands from his wrists, before slashing his former brother across the chest, and then stabbing him with his own spear. Finally, he executed Alpharius with a deadly chop of his mighty chainsword into the top of his skull. With the death of their Primarch, the Alpha Legion fleet withdrew. Though severely wounded, Archamus managed to survived, and was evacuated alongside the Primarch and withdrew to Terra, to face the final assault of the Traitors. Following the final epic battle of the Siege of Terra, the Imperium was left in shambles. In retaliation, the remaining Legiones Astartes launched a vengeful war of reciprocity, and drove the Traitor Legions in the hellish realm of the Eye of Terror. Rogal Dorn recognised that the accelerated gene-seed cultivation techniques utilised to keep the huge Space Marine Legions up to strength had left many Legiones Astartes susceptible to the corrupting influence of the Ruinous Powers. The Imperium's most brilliant gene-wrights and fleshcrafters began an audacious project to identify and remove these genetic weaknesses, creating an entirely new strand of pure gene-seed. Known as 'Project Homo Sapiens Novus', this new-and-improved purestrain gene-seed was given only those veteran Legionaries who had shown absolute loyalty to the Emperor and had gone above-and-beyond during the tragic events of the Horus Heresy. Archamus was selected by Rogal Dorn himself to undergo the transformation in one these superior Astartes, and given command as Legions Master over the portion of the Imperial Fists' void-combatant elite. They would go on to form the corps of one the newly raised Second Founding Space Marine Legions in the first century of the 32nd Millennium. Legion Master Archamus named his newly incepted Legion the 'Soul Drinkers', and launched his never-ending crusade to take back those territories that had been lost to the myriad of enemies of Mankind during the Horus Heresy.
 * First Captain Alexis Polux - Alexis Polux was the Captain of the 405th Company of the Imperial Fists Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. He was a warrior whose unique promise both elevated him to greatness and condemned him to bear great sorrow by the events of the Heresy. A tactical genius with a talent for void warfare, he was the protégée of the Legion's greatest fleet masters, although before the dark betrayal of the Warmaster Horus, he was yet to reach his full potential. Inwit-born, he was a physical giant even among his brothers of the Legion. At the outset of the Heresy, Polux still had many years of proving ahead of him before he attained high command, but cruel chance and the death of his mentors saw such command thrust upon him, and with it the fate of much of his Legion lay in his hands. Polux went on to win Dorn's respect countless times during the dark days of the Great Betrayal. Following the events of the Heresy, Polux was selected by Legion Master Archamus to serve as his First Captain in his newly incepted Soul Drinkers Legion. Commanding from his flagship, the Crimson Fist, Polux would go on to lead his Legion's most elite void formations, taking the fight to the Traitor Legions at every given opportunity, and earning a well-earned reputation as a feared commander by his foes.

By the Soul Drinkers
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