Ebon Knights

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Ebon Knights
Ebon Knights armorial with Chapter iconography.
Ebon Knights Armiger-Brother, Kerubiel Nadias, Honourable Protector of the Monastic Cloister, assigned to the 5th Company ('Reapers'), 4th Battleline Squad.
Space Marine Chapter
Allegiance	Imperium of Man (Fedelitas Scindere)
Founding	2nd Founding
Successor of	Lion El'Jonson
Chapter Master	Knight-Commander Marius Kyron
Homeworld	Shadowmehr
Fortress-Monastery	Nachthold
Allies	Prefers to fight alone
Number of Marines	~1,000
Specialty	Targeted Decimation, Planetary Interdiction, Liberation and Defensive Operations
Battle cry	"We are the Emperor's wrath!"
Successor Chapter(s)	Blades of the Lion

The Ebon Knights are an ancient and proud Chapter whose origins are found in the chaotic centuries following the Horus Heresy. They were founded during the 2^nd Founding as a Successor Chapter of the venerable Dark Angels Chapter. Their home world of Shadowmehr is located in the Ixaniad Sector in the Segmentum Obscurus. Here, the insular Ebon Knights have stood silent vigil over their demesne, ever vigilant against encroachment by the Forces of Chaos or malevolent xenos for nearly eight millennia.

For unknown reasons, the Ebon Knights are shunned by their Progenitors and fellow Unforgiven Chapters. The exact reason for this schism remains unknown to outsiders, but Imperial scholars have been able to speculate, tracing the most likely origin of this rift to the mid-32^nd Millennium, during the so-called Crimson Blade Campaign, in the Scarus Sector. Despite their cold relations with their fellow Scions of the Lion, the Ebon Knights have garnered a reputation for being honourable to their allies and implacable to their foes. This Chapter's extensive list of valiant deeds has even seen them come close to matching Chapters of more ancient provenance and heritage.

History

The Ebon Knights are an ancient and proud Chapter whose long and glorious history stretches back over ten millennia, all the way back to the inception of the I^st Legion. As the prototype of what would become the Space Marine Legions, these newly created transhuman warriors were the earliest incarnation of the burgeoning Space Marine Legions and fought as the personal army of the Master of Mankind during the final days of the Unification Wars on Terra and the early years of the Great Crusade, both as the template for the more specialised Legions that were to come after them and a standard by which these successors would be measured. They were also among the best equipped of all the Imperium's military forces, on par with the Legiones Custodes, the Emperor's personal bodyguards, and possessed a large number of archaeotech, plasma weaponry and relic technology from the lost era of the Dark Age of Technology. During this period the Emperor simply referred to the I^st Legion as His "Angels of Death" or the "Six Hosts". These transhuman warriors dominated the final days of the Wars of Unification, easily defeating all their Terran opponents to help unify all the nation-states of Mankind's birth world under the banner of the Emperor's burgeoning Imperium of Man. From this point onwards, the I^st Legion ascended in power and the height of the Emperor's favour.

Few Imperial records of the I^st Legion's beginnings still exist, nor are there any mentions of the part it played in the Emperor's wider Great Crusade. The I^st Legion cared not for laurels and accolades, silently content to remain unsung, for they were honoured with the sacred duty of acting as the Emperor's left hand; a brutally efficient weapon of grim aspect hidden behind the bright pageantry of the Imperial Army. They were content to remain wreathed in malign rumour as they fought the battles that could never be lauded lest they break the minds of those who bore witness to the battle honours.

A I^st Legion veteran Tactical Legionary during the early years of the Great Crusade, arrayed in Mk II 'Pravane' sub-pattern power armour.

The First Legion bore this honour throughout the war to unify the Sol System and beyond, a duty that kept them separate from the other Space Marine Legions created in their image. They continued to conduct their lone vigil far from the light of Sol, holding back the terrors that lurked in the dark between stars. The I^st Legion dwelled in the lightless depths of Mankind's home star system for nearly a solar decade, burning clean the frozen moons of the outer system and freeing the few lost outposts of Humanity that still survived at the very outermost edges of the Sol System. Their isolation in the outer dark gave the I^st Legion the time and space needed to develop their own unique methods of warfare, honing their skills to a razor edge. Here, the informal network of specialists within the Legion became the first of its formations called "Orders", dedicated to a singular focus of war beyond the wider scope of the Legion's existing hosts; their craft honed in the battles at the dark edge of Sol, and the complex cyphers and rituals by which they recorded it entrenched over the long years of isolation. These Orders were a testament to their focus and dedication, allowing them to tackle any challenge with well-practised precision and a deep understanding of their enemy's weaknesses. It was by the hard-won knowledge of these warriors that the Legion would prevail again and again in the most gruelling and hazardous battles faced by the warriors of the Emperor, the weaknesses of each foe exposed by sacrifice and encoded in the traditions of the Orders and the secrets of war in any environment catalogued in their archives.

Great Crusade

When the I^st Legion finally returned to the inner worlds of Sol, they did so as a force to be reckoned with; purged of weakness and hardened in adversity. Their newly painted black power armour symbolized their hard-won experience and their grim determination, marking them as a Legion apart from their peers. There would be no fanfare on their return to the Emperor's side, no parades of victory, merely the silent approval of the Emperor of Mankind and a place at the vanguard of the host that mustered ready to make war upon a hostile galaxy to save Humanity from extinction. The I^st Legion's return to the Emperor's side marked the beginning of a new chapter in their history, as they joined the wider Imperial forces as the Emperor launched His Great Crusade - the quest to conquer the galaxy and bring order to the stars. Despite the challenges and dangers that lay ahead, the I^st Legion stood resolute, ready to face any foe and overcome any obstacle in its path. Their unique skills and experience proved invaluable in the toughest of battles, and their reputation as a Legion apart only grew with each victory won. The First's grim resolve and stoic pride inspired their fellow Space Marines and the armies of the Imperium, as they spearheaded the charge against the enemies of Humanity. Though they remained shrouded in mystery and seldom sought recognition or glory, the I^st Legion's impact on the Imperium's inevitable victory cannot be underestimated. They were a weapon of grim aspect, honed to perfection in the darkness of space and ready to strike with deadly force whenever and wherever the Emperor commanded.

Despite the hidden nature of many of their triumphs, the I^st Legion were acknowledged by all as pre-eminent among their fellow Space Marine Legions; the most powerful force at arms in the serried ranks of the Imperium's military forces. The First Legion stood true to their name as the apex of Imperial might, feared by those who stood against the Emperor and His dream of unity and respected by all those who fought at their side. Yet, despite all their monumental victories achieved in the name of the Emperor, the glory of His "Angels of Darkness" would be toppled from their place of honour, not by any terror that lurked between the stars, but rather by their own hubris. Though the I^st Legion was ever the spearhead for the Emperor's host, pushing the boundaries of the ever-expanding Imperium of Man ever outwards, their confidence in their own abilities and seeming inability to lose a conflict against any foe, instilled an overweening pride and unseemly attitude of arrogance within The First. Each triumph only added to the shield of arrogance that further strengthened them but would lead them down a dangerous path.

During a simple conquest in an otherwise insignificant system that was home to a yet uncatalogued by the Legion's sage-brothers of the Orders of Extinction and Annihilation, simple conquest and stubborn complacency became ignominy and disaster. During the ensuing battle, The First only committed a small force to the assault, supremely confident in their ability to prevail. The price for the hubris saw the death of their first Grand Master and the sustainment of heavy casualties, an indignity they had not known for decades. In the aftermath of this campaign, the I^st Legion's fragile pride caused them to become more insular and secretive than ever before. Some within the Legiones Astartes began to question the wisdom of The First's aloofness and wanting of brotherhood. Despite this, they still remained a force to be reckoned with. However, many could see the beginning of cracks slowing forming in their armour.

The Lion

Primarch Lion El'Jonson leads the I^st Legion to glory during the Great Crusade.

In 846.M30, forward scouts of the Great Crusade encountered the feudal death world of Caliban, and the knightly orders that protected it from warp-spawned beasts. Their leader, Lion El'Jonson, was found to be one of the lost Primarchs, and assumed command of the I^st Legion upon meeting the Emperor - later renaming them the 'Dark Angels' after a myth from his youth. With the return of their long-lost Primarch the First Legion finally begin to see a path forward. Under their gene-sire's leadership and reorganisation of the entirety of the Legion's structure, The First became reinvigorated and once again took up the mantle of preeminence among their fellow Space Marine Legions.

The Ebon Knights

Legionaries of the Dark Angels 33^rd Chapter ('Ebon Knights') bringing another newly discovered world into Imperial Compliance during the Great Crusade (ca. M30).

Following their reunification with their Primarch and reorganisation of the Legion, the Dark Angels formed several new Chapters created from a large influx of Calibanite initiates. One of these new formations was the 33^rd Chapter, made up of four mixed companies comprising both Terran and Calibanite legionaries. One of these new initiates was a young Legionary named Sariel Abigor. He exemplified the qualities of stalwart determination and mastery of the blade. His skills, tactical acumen and actions during the Great Crusade brought him much honour and saw his meteoric rise to Chapter Commander following the death of the previous commander. Paladin-Captain Sariel followed the righteous path of the paladin. Though he was born of Caliban he was not an ingrained scion of The Order - the medieval order of feudal knights of Caliban that formerly protected its citizens from the Great Beasts. This placed Sariel in a unique position to bridge the divisions between the I^st Legion's Terran veterans and the newly ingrained Calibanite legionaries. Serving as an exemplar and inspirational leader, he preferred to lead his warriors from the front. He led a small Expeditionary Fleet beyond the fringes of the Imperium in an independent nomad fleet as a body apart from the bulk of the Legion. With the resources at his disposal and determination to carry out his Primarch's vision for the Emperor's burgeoning Imperium, Sariel conquered his opponents almost at will. He subdued his enemies and never wavered in his determination. He was victorious at nearly every point and helped bring dozens of newly discovered worlds into Imperial Compliance.

However, what truly set the 33^rd Chapter and its commander apart from their fellows, was that they didn't simply conquer a world through blunt force and overkill, but always made the conscious effort to ensure that the infrastructure of these lost worlds of humanity was preserved relatively intact. Sariel and his warriors gained a reputation for being not only skilled warriors but also fair and just guardians. The 33^rd Chapter would establish an outpost, leaving behind a small garrison to help secure a newly conquered world, but not to administer, or draw up and enforce laws, for they were warriors of the Imperium, not its masters. As much as Sariel was a warrior of absolute loyalty, he was also an idealist. The reason why he fought was as important to him as the outcome of his efforts. The ideals of the Imperium and the purpose of the Emperor's Great Crusade fitted with Sariel's outlook and drive, and the warriors of the 33^rd Chapter were exemplars not only of everything that they had built on each newly conquered world but everything he had dreamed for its future. This spirit of chivalry and honourable tactics earned Sariel's Chapter the moniker - 'Ebon Knights'.

Sariel Abigor's leadership style emphasized the importance of preserving the culture and traditions of the worlds they conquered, while also promoting the ideals of the Imperium. This approach helped to win the hearts and minds of the local populace, who saw the Ebon Knights as more than just conquerors, but as benevolent protectors. Under Sariel's command, the Ebon Knights became one of the most respected Chapters in the Dark Angels Legion. They were known for their strict adherence to the codes of chivalry and honourable conduct in battle. Sariel himself was considered to be amongst one of the finest swordsmen in the Imperium, and he personally trained many of his Chapter's warriors in the art of the blade. His leadership and example inspired his men to be the best they could be, and they followed him without question. Sariel's leadership and dedication to the ideals of the Imperium would help to shape the future of the Imperium, and his legacy would be felt for decades to come.

Horus Heresy

During the Age of Darkness the entirety of the galaxy was engulfed in the flames of insurrection which consumed thousands of worlds and trillions of human lives. This period of civil war, which came to be known as the Horus Heresy, marked the end of the Emperor's Great Crusade and His dream for a united galaxy. Horus Lupercal, Warmaster and most beloved son of the Master of Mankind, was corrupted by the machinations of the Ruinous Powers. Spitting on his oaths of fealty, the Warmaster convinced over half of his fellow Primarchs to follow him into damnation, when Horus turned upon their father and sought to claim the Imperium for his own. Horus' perfidy knew no bounds, as he also convinced large swathes of the Imperium's military forces and a large faction of the powerful Mechanicum to turn traitor and unleash a cataclysmic attempt to conquer the galaxy in the Warmaster's name.

After the news of the Isstvan III Atrocity was brought to the Regent of Terra, Malcador the Sigillite and the Praetorian of Terra, Rogal Dorn, the Emperor entrusted the Imperial Fists Primarch with the creation of a plan to deal with the rebellion of Warmaster Horus and his allies. The dour Primarch ordered the combined forces of seven Space Marine Legions to assault the positions of the Traitors upon the world of Isstvan V. However, the Warmaster's ultimate treachery would be revealed when three Loyalist Space Marine Legions would be turned upon by their supposed allies, who in reality had already sworn their fealty to the Warmaster. Following the first assault wave, the follow-on wave revealed their true allegiance, and turned upon the Loyalists, catching them between a Traitor hammer and anvil and nearly destroying all three Loyalist Legions. These decimated Legions came to be known as the "Shattered Legions" thereafter due to the scope of their losses.

Within a year of the Dropsite Massacre, the greater part of the northern Imperium had fallen to the Traitors. The Loyalist armies were in disarray and prevailing conditions in the Warp had made long-range travel and astro-telepathic communications perilous in the extreme. World after world had fallen to the Traitors' inexorable advance on Terra and the Loyalist armies reeled before them, forced into a series of costly fighting withdrawals that at times bordered on a rout. It was from the bloodied void that the Ebon Knights descended upon the Warmaster's dark empire in a campaign of fire and blade. The Age of Darkness obscured the true accounting of a great many battles, and those fought along the leading edge of the Warmaster's advance on Terra were especially shrouded. However, apocryphal reports compiled many decades later, that Soriel Abagor and his Ebon Knights launched the first strikes of their shadow campaign within a matter of months following the disastrous news of what occurred on Isstvan V.

Rising from the depths of the outer darkness, a flotilla of black-clad warships led by the Ebony Blade fell upon the Traitors in righteous fury. The Ebon Knights struck at vulnerable targets, sabotaged supply lines, and launched surprise attacks that left the Traitors reeling. Their actions helped slow the Traitors' advance and gave the Loyalist forces time to regroup and mount a more effective defence. The Ebon Knights' personal campaign of vengeance also had a psychological impact on the Traitors, who had become accustomed to easy victories. The sudden appearance of a new formidable enemy made them more cautious and less confident.

Despite their successes, however, the Ebon Knights suffered heavy losses in their campaign, and their numbers were greatly reduced. However, their sacrifices were not in vain, as they had bought valuable time for the Imperium to mount their defences and prepare a final confrontation with the Traitors upon the Imperial Throneworld itself. In the end, it was the Emperor Himself who led the final battle against the Warmaster aboard his flagship. The Traitors were defeated and their rebellion crushed but at great cost to the Imperium. One of the Emperor's sons, the Blood Angels Primarch Sanguinius, was killed during his confrontation with the Warmaster and the Emperor was mortally wounded. As a result, the Master of Mankind was only saved after having his mortal shell permanently interred within the great prosthetic device known as the Golden Throne.

Great Scouring

As the flames of war subsided a true accounting of the monumental scale of destruction had only just begun. The overall death toll and countless worlds that had been utterly shattered left the Imperium a battered and burning ruin in the wake of the galaxy-spanning conflict. The Ebon Knights, like many other Loyalist forces, had given their all in the service of the Emperor and the Imperium. However, the Loyalists burned with incandescent rage and had yet sated their need for vengeance against the Traitor Legions. Following the death of the Warmaster, those Traitors that had not been slain outright during the siege of the Imperial Palace fled before the vengeful wrath of the Loyalist forces. Despite the Emperor's realm being left a broken husk, the Imperium retained might enough to exact bloody revenge upon their hated foes. There could be no forgiveness for the crimes of the Traitor Legions, and those who now ruled in the Emperor's name had neither the will nor the desire to prevent a war of reciprocity.

Thus began the time known in the histories of the Imperium as the "Great Scouring". This was a period of monumental violence, of confusion and darkness. Though the newly-founded Imperium fought to root out corruption and expose wrong-doers to the cold light of Imperial justice, the galaxy's scope and dark, shadowed reaches worked against them. With new betrayals and cries for vengeance emerging daily, a great many bloody-handed deeds went unseen. The ravaged Space Marine Legions were no exception to this, with many striving to cover up their own misdemeanours or exact their pound of flesh from those who wronged them.

Horus's death had not ended the fighting, but it had renewed the resolve of the Loyalists to destroy the Traitors. Though they had arrived too late to help take part in the valiant defence of Terra, the Ebon Knights followed their own agenda as the wars of the Scouring gathered pace. They continued to fight on for another seven years after the Heresy had ended, however, before the Traitor forces could be wholly destroyed or exiled, many fled into the hellish realm of the massive warp rift known as the Eye of Terror or other, lesser-known Warp rifts such as the Maelstrom. Many Imperial worlds during the Heresy had refused to commit their forces to either side or seceded entirely from the Imperium to regain their independence. Such indecision was punished by Loyalist and Traitor forces alike. These forces were often bled white attacking the rebel strongholds of worlds that only wanted to be free of the Imperium entirely, whether they swore allegiance to the Emperor or to the Arch-Traitor's cause.

Second Founding

Ebon Knights Chapter Banner

Ebon Knights Knight-Sergeant Orfiel Callus, Grim Warrior of the Monastic Ritual, arrayed in Mk VI 'Corvus' pattern power armour at the time of the Second Founding in 021.M31.

One of these earlier Foundings occurred during the 2^nd Founding in the first year of the 31^st Millennium. Though the Ebon Knights quickly went on to establish themselves as a valiant and worthy successor of the Lion, their deeds are less well-known than those of the other Unforgiven Chapters. They shun laurels and fame, believing that it is more important to perform their sacred duty as protectors of Mankind, and thus, concentrate on their duties to the exclusion of all else. A proud and honourable Chapter, the Ebon Knights quickly garnered an unusual reputation amongst their fellow Successors for being uncharacteristically concerned with civilian casualties compared to most other Space Marines.

This Chapter firmly believes that one of their most important duties is to protect the lives of the Emperor of Mankind's innocent subjects whenever and wherever possible. It was this devotion to serving the will of the Emperor and His people that led to the Ebon Knights falling out with their Progenitors and their fellow Unforgiven Chapters.

Dark Heritage

Ten millennia ago, the Imperium was almost annihilated by the calamitous galactic conflict known as the Horus Heresy. The Dark Angels and their Primarch, Lion El'Jonson, remained loyal to the Emperor throughout this terrible war, fighting heroically against their traitorous brothers. In the Heresy's aftermath, Jonson and his Legion returned to their home world of Caliban only to find that one last, terrible treachery awaited them. Consumed by his jealousy of the Lion's glories, the heroic knight Luther -- formerly Jonson's closest friend and ally -- had embraced the Dark Gods of Chaos. Worse, his impassioned oratory had led all the Dark Angels on Caliban into heresy. The resulting struggle between the two factions of Dark Angels saw the I^st Legion home world of Caliban engulfed by a furious Warp Storm.

Already grievously wounded by the ferocious Loyalist Dark Angels' orbital bombardment, Caliban disintegrated, much of it swallowed by the Warp along with the surviving traitors. In the wake of this cataclysm, the loyalist Dark Angels descended to the surface of the last remnant of their world. Preserved by its mighty shields, Luther’s ruined fortress stood atop that shattered rock. It was here that they found the arch-traitor himself, gibbering and insane. There was no sign of Jonson, though Luther swore the Primarch had been borne away by robed figures. Perhaps worse, the renegade Dark Angels were also gone, bearing with them the dire tale of their Legion's shame. Thus began the terrible, endless quest by the Lion's sons to find and silence those who would become known as the Fallen, to secure their repentance and finally wash away the stain upon their Chapter's soul.

In the wake of Caliban's fall during the closing years of the Horus Heresy, the Dark Angels' leaders concealed their terrible shame, forming a small, secretive group known as the Inner Circle. Hidden even from their own brothers, this organisation dedicated itself completely to the hunt for the Fallen, and to finally securing absolution for the Chapter. Amid the ashes of the Horus Heresy and the subsequent Scouring of the Traitor Legions and those that blindly followed the Arch-Traitor Horus into damnation, the Ultramarines, Primarch Roboute Guilliman, helped to initiate the Second Founding in 021.M31. The Space Marine Legions were fragmented into smaller existing formations, called Chapters, into the reorganised Adeptus Astartes. Each of the original Legiones Astartes Legions spawned a First Founding Chapter that retained its original name and identity, along with Successor Chapters responsible for becoming their own, entirely autonomous entities. The Dark Angels appeared to follow the tenets of Guilliman's newly-penned Codex Astartes, but in reality, the cataclysmic destruction of their home world was still fresh in their minds.

The Dark Angels followed their own hidden agenda. They sired at least three new Chapters, though more are rumoured to exist. Collectively, these Dark Angels' Successor Chapters became known as the Unforgiven, which also formed their own Inner Circles to guard the knowledge of the Dark Angels' secret shame. Though the Chapters of the Unforgiven claimed their own Chapter home worlds, heraldry and doctrines, their leaders attended clandestine meetings on the Rock with the Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels. These ritual-laden gatherings saw the Unforgiven take their orders from the master of the Dark Angels so that the ongoing hunt for the Fallen could continue in utmost secrecy. The Scions of the Lion could not risk these meetings becoming common knowledge. Yet rumours persisted of nepotism and legion building. Over time this has led to the Unforgiven being regarded with distrust and the primary reason the High Lords had passed over the Dark Angels for the creation of Successor Chapters.

Crimson Blade Campaign

A pict-capture of an Ebon Knights Knight-Veteran (Veteran Marine) during the Crimson Blade Campaign.

While the Ebon Knights share the genetic heritage of the Dark Angels, they have no special links to the wider body of their Progenitor Chapter or any of the other Dark Angels Successors. Instead, the Ebon Knights look forwards, carving their own legends in the annals of the Imperium's history. The reasons for this animosity are unknown to outsiders, but the origins of this bad blood occurred only half a millennium following their creation. Like many of the Unforgiven, the Ebon Knights have fought in many campaigns and wars, both as a part of a greater Imperial force or as a single Chapter. But unlike their fellow Unforgiven Chapters, who are wont to stand apart from their own allies, the Ebon Knights believe in honour, selfless service and loyalty, especially to those who fight for the Emperor. This can be directly attributed to the multiple feudal worlds the Ebon Knights recruit from.

The Chapter's gene-seed has obviously suffered obvious mutation from the original source given to them. The hostile conditions of their potential Neophytes' lives, coupled with their traditions and monastic code of honour, began to permeate the traditions of the Ebon Knights. The Chapter's Astartes had initially been drawn from the ranks of the Dark Angels themselves, and their Successor Chapters. But over five centuries of constant warfare, a high attrition rate and the need to recruit from outside of their Chapter home world, the majority of the Chapter's Neophytes were drawn from multiple feudal worlds within the system. This, coupled with the deaths of their original command hierarchy over five centuries of campaigning against the foes of Mankind, they were eventually all replaced by Shadowmehr-borne Astartes. This changed the culture and traditions of the Chapter, so much so that by the mid-32^nd Millennium, there were increasing tensions between the Ebon Knights and their fellow Lion-Borne Chapters.

Over their first five centuries of existence, the Ebon Knights had fought with their Progenitor Chapter as well as several other Dark Angels Successors. Most notably, was during the Crimson Blade Campaign (532-542.M32) that took place in the Scarus Sector. A joint strike force comprised of the Ebon Knights and Lions Malevolent were sent to halt the onslaught of a massive incursion by the Forces of Chaos. Over a period of five years, a series of bloody wars engulfed the Scarus Sector. Dire portents and Chaos cult uprisings were rife throughout many of the sector's worlds. But unbeknownst to the Scions of the Lion, was that several of these corrupt cults were largely instigated by Deimos the Defiler and his splinter Alpha Legion warband, The Formless. The Ebon Knights and the Lions Malevolent began a decade-long campaign beset with many battles to hunt down and slay Deimos. During this time they successfully uprooted many hidden cults and corrupt officials across four sub-sectors. But the wily Chaos Lord always manages to elude his pursuers by staying one step ahead. The battles against this network of subversion brought much suffering to the Scarus Sector, before the corruption was finally subdued, culminating in the assault of the vitally important Hive World of Gudrun.

Just as the Ebon Knights and Lions Malevolent began the coordination for the final assault upon the hive's primus capital, they were interrupted by the unexpected arrival of the Rock, the Dark Angels' massive mobile fortress-monastery. The Dark Angels summoned the leadership of both Successor Chapters aboard the Rock to take part in a war council with Dark Angels' Supreme Grand Master Purson. The Supreme Grand Master informed the two Grand Masters that they had been following many clues that had led them to Gudrun, and had recently uncovered the unmistakable signs of the presence of multiple Fallen. Seeking to ensure that none escaped, the Imperial strike force blockaded the planet and unleashed the the 1^st Companies of all three Chapters against the heretic forces. Fighting alongside Imperial Guard regiments from the Maccabian Janissaries, Gudrunite Rifles and the Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii legions, the Dark Angels and their Successor Chapters attempted to halt the cultists' onslaught and capture their erstwhile brethren. But little did they know that Deimos the Defiler had laid a cunning trap for the sons of the Lion.

Assault on Gudrunhive

An Ebon Knights Knight-Veteran.

The Lion-borne Chapters launched a swift planetary assault, Supreme Grand Master Purson divided the Unforgiven forces to better contest the world's remaining cities but focussed his efforts on retaking the capital of Gudrunhive. In these early stages of the assault, the Supreme Grand Master was far from reckless, analysing terrain, reconnaissance reports and countless missives to ascertain the enemy's weaknesses. Much to his dismay, he found none. The maze of streets and bridges of Gudrunhive favoured the numerical superiority of the followers of Chaos. With no swift victory to be gained, and the enemy commander yet to rear his ugly head or show his hand, the campaign on Gudrun almost immediately became a war of attrition. Gudrunhive would need to be purged by sword and bolter.

Biding their time, the Unforgiven instead concentrated on inflicting casualties on the enemy and retaking the strategic initiative. But their primary objective remained -- to capture the elusive Fallen, that, according to intelligence reports, had taken refuge in the western industrial sector. Impatient to end the Hunt, the Supreme Grand Master ordered the Unforgiven's elite 1^st Companies to press forwards, for his fury had been awakened. He admonished himself for allowing the Fallen too much time to prepare, therefore, he took the initiative and would cleanse the industrial district of the taint that had befallen it.

Despite the Ravenwing's warnings not to overextend the line or venture further into the city without proper reconnaissance, the elite companies of the Unforgiven did just that. The Unforgiven's first assault on the industrial district was a success as the Terminator-armoured elite cleared the cultist-manned gun nests in order to allow an armoured column of the Ebon Knights Chapter to advance. The Unforgiven's assault even prompted a reaction from The Formless, which deployed its Chaos Terminators into the fray. With battle flaring up between the two opposing Astartes forces, the Ravenwing arrived as reinforcements, clearing the road into the industrial sector of remaining cultists and forcing the Chaos Terminators to flee, the Ravenwing giving chase. But within the wreckage of the industrial refuse and fallen debris of buildings, in a little explored, and too quickly dismissed area, The Formless had hidden from the Unforgiven's wrath and patiently awaited the moment to strike.

Elsewhere in the city, an Ebon Knights armoured column, bolstered by two battalions of Gundrunite Rifles, was cut in half when a large spire had fallen, blocking the main route of access to the inner city. Having no other choice, the Ebon Knights were forced to make a great detour in order to reach the main advance of the trio of elite companies, or risk being ambushed and trapped in Gudrunhive's narrow streets. Despite being informed of this major delay, the Supreme Grand Master ordered the 1^st Company Grand Masters to press on. As they crossed the final bridge into the industrial sector, the Ebon Knights Interrogator-Chaplain Uzziel sensed something was amiss. He urged his 1^st Company's Grand Master to proceed with caution, urging him to halt the advance and to properly scout the way ahead. Confident in the superior protection of their Terminator suits, the Unforgiven elite continued on. Again, they were wrong.

The Terminators were lured into a deadly trap. The Chaos Space Marines sprung their ambush when three squads of Havocs let loose with a devastating barrage of missiles, meltagun and autocannon fire. Left in shock and reeling from the surprise blow, The Formless pressed their attack. Fuelled by anger and a desire for vengeance, the Grand Masters ordered the advance not to falter. The relentless barrage of the Havocs heavy weapons took a brutal toll on the advancing Terminator elite. Nearly a third of their number fell before they could reach the other side of the bridge. The remaining Terminators took refuge behind the shattered plasteel walls of the remains of a large manufactorum building. The headhunter squads of The Formless scoured the area, purging it of survivors and seeking ingress to the defensive position of the remaining Unforgiven.

Meanwhile, as the Ebon Knights armoured column pressed on, the Chaos cultists made their move. Having lured the Unforgiven's elite companies away and ambushed them separately, The Formless collapsed a causeway beneath the combined advance of Gundrinites and Ebon Knights, disrupting the armoured column and killing most of the human soldiery at the same time. The scattered survivors, both Astartes and human barely had time to register what had happened that the crazed hordes of cultists, led by Traitor Marines, rushed them. Far from being beaten, the Chaos forces had laid in wait patiently within the hive city's subterranean sewers and sprung their trap at the most opportune moment. The forces at the front of the Imperial advance fared the worst, effectively falling into the subterranean level, cut off from help and disoriented. Still, the Ebon Knights fought on, often sacrificing themselves to protect their Gudrunite allies.

With the enemy finally rearing its ugly head, the Ebon Knights unleashed their wrath, hacking, slashing and wrecking a terrible toll on the enemy. Yet their valour alone could not save the day. As the situation looked grim, reinforcements arrived unexpectedly in the form of the badly battered Manticores Knights-Errant, the Ebon Knights' elite 2^nd Company. These unexpected reinforcements kept the defeat from becoming a rout and thus bloodied and bruised the Ebon Knights survived. Their losses had been high, but enough remained to still continue the fight against the servants of Chaos.

Final Assault

Ebon Knights Company Champion Kiraman Oramas, Paragon Blade-Master of the Shrouded Bastion, following the final battle of the Crimson Blade Campaign.

Surviving the Chaos Space Marine ambush, the Deathwing and the Lions Malevolent's Knights of the Lions prepared to launch an assault on the industrial citadel where the Fallen were supposedly ensconced. Meanwhile, the Ebon Knights armoured column continued to push forwards trying to link up with their fellow Unforgiven. As night fell, there was no letup in the attack, and the Supreme Grand Master continued to push the Unforgiven elite forwards in the darkness. By dawn, they had cleared the western approaches to the industrial complex, as the enemy had fallen back in disarray. The industrial district was strewn with rubble and masonry scattered about in piles around the streets. Accompanied by armoured support, the Terminators jumped off its attack and was soon enmeshed in heavy fighting with the enemy defenders. The bone white and ebony and dark green armoured figures could be seen advancing through the ruins, as bright orange tongues of heavy flamer blasts burned the defenders out of their cover. The streets were littered with the dead. The renegade forces occupying the industrial complex were effectively cut-off from resupply and reinforcement. At that time, the surviving Ebon Knights armoured column finally arrived to lend their support in the final assault.

Supreme Grand Master Purson sensed they were close to achieving their objective, and arrived on the scene to personally lead his Dark Angels and the Unforgiven in the final assault. Dismounting his Land Raider, Purson led the assault as he plunged into the enemy ranks of Chaos Cultists, his black blade, the Sword of Secrets, cutting a bloody swathe. Though the assault inflicted painful losses upon the Unforgiven, the Traitors were unable to carry the day, as they were routed from their former inviolable position. The Unforgiven searched the ruins of the industrial complex but found no traces of their quarry. As they proceeded to hunt down and destroy the remnants of surviving Chaos Cultist forces, the Unforgiven received desperate hails over the command vox that the Imperial Guard High Command's position was being overrun by a massive assault of Chaos Cultist forces, estimated to be a million strong. Five brigades of Imperial Guard regiments were effectively cut off and surrounded.

The Ebon Knights were the first to respond to the Imperial Guard's request for aid and proceeded to make all haste towards their position. As the armoured column departed the industrial sector, the Supreme Grand Master received intelligence reports from the Ravenwing that the Fallen had been sighted near Gudrunhive's starport and had likely commandeered a shuttle. The Supreme Grand Master ordered the Unforgiven to withdraw all forces from the planet's surface, as their quarry could not be allowed to escape.

Breaking protocol, the Ebon Knights Grand Master protested profusely with their progenitor's command to abandon their allies to their fate. The Supreme Grand Master reminded the Ebon Knights' commander that their first duty was to the Lion and their Hunt for the Fallen - all other concerns were secondary. The Lions Malevolent readily complied with the Supreme Grand Master's orders, but the Ebon Knights' personal code of honour wouldn't allow them to abandon their allies, and so, the Ebon Knights' Grand Master disobeyed their progenitor's orders and made all haste towards the Imperial Guard High Command. Enraged at the Ebon Knights' temerity, the Supreme Grand Master warned their commander, that if they refused to take part in the Hunt, they would forever after be ostracised -- they would no longer be one of the Unforgiven -- for turning their backs on their sworn duty was tantamount to treason.

The Ebon Knights Grand Master would not back down, as he argued that their duty to the Emperor and his people should be first and foremost, as they were the sworn protectors of Mankind. They would not callously sacrifice so many lives in order to capture only a few Fallen. He then ordered all vox communications to be cut off with their progenitors. The Dark Angels and the Lions Malevolent took their leave and departed Gudrun to continue their pursuit. The Ebon Knights were left behind to their fate. In the ensuing final battle, the Ebon Knights managed to break the Chaos Cultist blockade, and proudly stood by their allies' sides as the Forces of Chaos launched their final devastating assault. The Ebon Knights fought valiantly alongside their Imperial Guard allies but suffered the grievous loss of nearly a third of their Chapter's number.

Discommendation

Following the successful conclusion of the Crimson Blade Campaign, the Ebon Knights sought a reckoning with their progenitors, but the Dark Angels refused all communication with the upstart Successor Chapter. The Dark Angels would never be called to account for this callous act, as they were a First Founding Chapter, and no one would dare accuse them of cowardice. The Ebon Knights had been summarily condemned by their former Unforgiven brethren. They were no longer recognised as Scions of the Lion. The Dark Angels' Supreme Grand Master issued an Edict of Obliteration and ordered all contributions by the Ebon Knights to be excised from the official record. They would no longer be officially recognised as one of the Unforgiven -- they would henceforth be referred to as the 'Forgotten'.

Notable Campaigns

The Ebon Knights performing a solemn ceremony dedicated to The Lion before launching their next Crusade.

• Vengeance From the Void (Unknown Date.M32) - Across a hundred scattered systems in the western marches of the Segmentum Solar, cult uprisings led by a core of Chaos Space Marine warbands drawn from the Iron Warriors, Night Lords and World Eaters Traitor Legions bring entire planetary governments to their knees in a year of blood and anarchy. With whole sections on the brink of collapse, events take a dramatic turn when a combined force of the Adeptus Astartes emerges from the black depths beyond the spiral arm and launches a sudden and overwhelming attack directly upon the uprising’s command. Though many Space Marines fall in glory, the warlords of the Traitor factions are slain and the uprising fractures into a thousand localized rebellions which are soon put down by local forces. Subsequent Inquisitorial studies claim that these Space Marines are drawn from several Chapters, including the Ebon Knights, Minotaurs, Carcharodons, Death Eagles and Angels of Absolution. This is the Ebon Knights earliest known recorded battle-honour. Other evidence, however, including their projected deployment dates, contradicts these assertions, consigning the entire event to conjecture.
• Jeriocho Reach Campaign (Unknown Date.M32) After an interregnum lasting over 1,200 standard years and often riven with bloodshed, the Imperium of Man's hold over the Jericho Reach is finally fully cemented, and it is re-designated the Jericho Sector in the great Imperium Universalis. The sector capital is the Hive World of Verronus which once served as a Great Crusade way-station and has maintained its likes to the wider human domains in the preceding centuries, while the Shrine World of Eleusis gains prominence some centuries later for its native saint and because, legend claims, it was blessed with the tread of the Emperor's own foot. The foundation of the sector is not without incident, however, as a suppression campaign is fought against shadowy xenos forces who had begun to prey upon the stars of the southern zone around the star system of Oertha. A large Imperial Crusade which comprises several Adeptus Astartes Chapters, which includes the Ebon Knights, take part in the bloody conflict that ensues, helping to drive off the alien menace.

Ebon Knights during the Crimson Blade Campaign.

• Crimson Blade Campaign (533-543.M32) - An oft-forgotten decade-long campaign that took place in the Scarus Sector to cleanse a multitude of Chaos cult uprisings across four sub-sectors. Several of these corrupt cults had been largely instigated by Deimos the Defiler and his splinter Alpha Legion warband, The Formless. The Ebon Knights and Lions Malevolent Chapters began a decade-long campaign beset with many battles to hunt down and slay Deimos. During this time they successfully uprooted many hidden cults and corrupt officials across four sub-sectors. But the wily Chaos Lord always managed to elude his pursuers by staying one step ahead. When they finally cornered Deimos upon the vitally important Hive World of Gudrun, the venerable Dark Angels made their presence known and took part in the final battle of the campaign. At the height of the final assault on Deimos' fortification, the Dark Angels ordered both Unforgiven Chapter to redeploy at the moment of the Cultist army's final assault, leaving five brigades of Imperial Guard regiments alone to face the massive Chaos horde of of one million cultists strong. They ordered them to do so, as they received intelligence that their Fallen quarry was attempting to escape the planet's surface. The Lions Malevolent readily complied, but the Ebon Knights' personal code of honour wouldn't allow them to abandon their allies in the face of certain annihilation. Refusing to abandon their position, the Ebon Knights valiantly fought alongside their Imperial Guard allies, though they suffered the loss of one-third of the Chapter. The Dark Angels were never called to account for this act, as they were a First Founding Chapter, and no one would dare accuse them of cowardice in the face of the enemy. With the successful conclusion of the campaign, what exactly occurred was not recorded in the official record, but the Lions Malevolent were recognised by their progenitors and awarded command of the venerable Chapter Barque, the Undying Vengeance, whilst the Ebon Knights were condemned by their erstwhile former brethren. The Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels issued an Edict of Obliteration and ordered all contributions of the Ebon Knights to be excised from the official record. They were no longer officially recognised as one of the Unforgiven -- they would henceforth be referred to by their former brethren as the 'Forgotten'.
• War of the Beast (544.M32) - The massive Ork WAAAGH! of The Beast rampages across the Imperium on a massive scale, growing in size until it becomes the greatest greenskin invasion that the galaxy has ever known, eclipsing even the one defeated by Horus upon the world of Ullanor during the height of the Great Crusade. The Beast's WAAAGH! continues to ravage several Imperial worlds and destroy several. The Ebon Knights, alongside several other battered Adeptus Astartes Chapters, take part in several notable campaigns, including the third and final campaign on The Beast's capital world of Ullanor, the seat of his greenskin empire, focusing upon the capital city of Gorkogrod. Eventually, the greenskin forces of The Beast are defeated as the Imperium resorts to the most extreme measures, and at great cost to the Adeptus Astartes. The ranks of the Ebon Knights are sorely depleted, as they lose over seventy-five percent of their Chapter during this final campaign. It would be almost two centuries before the Ebon Knights returned again to full strength as a Chapter.
• 3^rd Black Crusade (909.M32) - Abaddon the Despoiler launched his Third Black Crusade, sending the Daemon Prince Tallomin against the Cadian Gate in a reckless and bloody frontal assault. The daemonic horde that followed in Tallomin's wake accounts for the destruction of millions of lives and draws in Imperial Guard regiments and several Space Marine Chapters from across the Segmentum Obscurus. The Ebon Knights, now at full Chapter strength after rebuilding their numbers over two centuries, answer the Imperium's call to war and help with the defence of the Cadian Gate.
• Crusade of Indignation (112-115.M33) - The Ebon Knights crusade makes planetfall on the enslaved Imperial world of Cadizar, driving out the Word Bearers Chaos Space Marines who had covered the entire surface with blasphemous temples to their gods. The Ebon Knights launch a massive coordinated lightning assault, deploying the entirety of their Chapter's strength. They viciously destroy the Traitor Astartes and their Chaos cultists allies wherever they are found in a brutal campaign that lasts for the next three years, cleansing the planet of their foul presence. Once their objectives have been achieved, the Ebon Knights depart as swiftly as they arrived.
• The Invasion of Atteron Point (164-166.M33) - In 164.M33, the Imperial industrial world of Atteron Point was attacked by the nigh-unstoppable greenskin tide of WAAAGH! Boltteef. Led by the infamous Big Mek Boltteef, the foul ork warboss was intent on capturing the vital manufactora in order to create more weapons and vehicles for his ever-expanding WAAAGH!, so that he could eventually expand his reach until he controlled the entire sub-sector. Utilising previously unseen 'tellyporta' technology, the greenskin forces were able to penetrate the capital hive city's defences, launching deep strikes into strategically important objectives and destroying the planet's ground defences, paving the way for a massive orbital assault. Within a span of less than one week, the Orks had successfully captured the hive city and began to utilise the manufactora facilities to begin construction of several Gargant walkers and other vehicles and large artillery pieces, vital to the Big Mek's plans to conquer the region. Despite their overwhelming victory, the remaining local PDF and Astra Militarum forces continued to carry out a successful insurgent campaign to help stymie the Ork's efforts and eventually managed to capture an astropathic signal relay. Utilising this facility, they were able to send a desperate astropathic distress signal, requesting aid from any nearby Imperial military forces. It was then - in Atteron Point's darkest hour - that chance finally smiled upon the planet's defenders. Long-dead channels suddenly came to life with the scrambled transmission from an unidentified Imperial fleet heading towards the besieged world. The Sons of the Lion had come. The Ebon Knights launched a decapitation strike upon the capital hive city and managed to make short work of the greenskin forces occupying it, taking the initiative back in the Imperium's favour. The bloody and brutal conflict to free the beleaguered Imperial world of the Greenskins' presence would drag on for another two years until the Imperium finally declared success. Despite this victory, however, the butcher's bill had been tremendously high, both on the ground and in orbit. The remaining Astra Militarum and PDF forces had sustained extensive casualties. The Ebon Knights could not stay to completely purge the presence of the foul Orks from the planet, although they liberated Atteron Point's remaining cities. The war on Atteron Point was proclaimed as a great Imperial victory for the Imperium, though the death toll exceeded into the tens of thousands amongst the Imperial forces, and into the millions amongst the planet's population - a small price to pay in the Imperium's eyes - to keep one of the Emperor's worlds from falling into the clutches of the foul Orks.
• The Black Engineers (338.M33) - Stationed at a remote Adeptus Mechanicus research facility, a group of Tech-Priests had banded into a heretical techno-cult known as the Black Engineers. In their testing chambers, they began to explore long-forbidden sciences that were outside the purview of the Cult Mechanicus. Their heretical research resulted in a disastrous resonance cascade that tore a rift in reality which devastated the facility and enabled daemons to manifest in the material realm. Crusading in close proximity, the Ebon Knights answer the research facility's astropathic distress signal and make all haste. When they arrived, they fought alongside the mysterious silver-armoured Astartes of the legendary Grey Knights amongst the ruins of the research facility and attempt to eradicate the daemons and seal the rift. The surviving techno-cultists surrendered and were executed for their tech-heresy.
• The War of Moridan IV (582.M33) - At the dictate of Inquisitor Mazrael, the Ebon Knights exterminate a heretical cult on the Hive-World of Moridan IV. It is eventually discovered that a Tyranid Broodlord had infected the populace. Two squads of the First Company's Terminators are deployed into the underhive. The Chapter fights terrifying battles in cramped tunnels, access ways, vents and ducts but emerges victorious.
• The Hellion War (870.M33) - In the wake of the anarchy that followed the murderous internecine conflict of the War of the False Primarch and its aftermath, the Hellion Sector declares its secession from the troubled Imperium. Bloodily attacking its neighbours, it becomes quickly apparent that the sector's rulers had fallen then to the worship of Chaos, and its millions of men-under-arms were corrupted and given over to darkness, while its mass manufactora were turned to churning forth twisted war machines consecrated to the dark gods. A massive Imperial Crusade is organised and launched to cleanse the Chaos-corrupted sector. The ever-widening war swells to ravage more than eighty inhabited systems and uncounted billions die in the fighting. Extant records indicate that it is during this conflict that the Ebon Knights first encountered a mysterious and unfamiliar Chapter of bellicose Astartes wearing sable-coloured battle-plate and adorned with fetishes of death. Though not explicitly named, many Imperial scholars believe that this unmentioned Chapter was none other than the darkly-fated Murdering Sons. The Ebon Knights' Chapter records go on to state that their new-found allies were a bellicose and bloody-handed Chapter that meted out Imperial justice in the most brutal ways possible. The two Chapter's found themselves of like-mind and temperament and began working together in several joint operations, cleansing several recalcitrant worlds and bringing them back into the Imperial fold. The Ebon Knights continued to valiantly fight for another decade until inexplicably, and without explanation, they pulled their forces out of the conflict. By the dawning of M35, the Hellion Sector and its environs were reduced to little more than a waste zone of barren worlds and dead hive cities.
• The Downfall of the Hereditatem (278.M34) - The Ebon Knights of the Adeptus Astartes strikes expeditiously when the hive world of Korazon declares against the Imperial creed in favour of the council of elders known as the Hereditatem, whose charismatic oratory and persuasive powers allowed them to hold entire hives in their thrall. The renegades are exterminated, and the Heredity is hung until death from their own hive spires. The world of Korazon is brought back under Imperial compliance within the day.
• The Rydol II Campaign (641.M34) - The 4^th Company of the Ebon Knights Chapter advanced 2,000 kilometres in a bold, armour-borne operation, crossing the Burning Plains of Rydol II's equatorial deserts and toppling the outflanked and ill-prepared rebel theocracy in a single night of retribution and bloodshed. The Ebon Knights instigated a brutal purge of the population, after which the people of Rydol II were declared free of heresy. Before taking their leave of the war zone, the Chapter asserted recruitment rights over the population, from which it draws Aspirants to this day.
• Siege of San Nuria (ca. Unknown Date.Late M34) - Sometime in the 34^th Millennium, the Eastern Fringe of the Ultima Segmentum was beset upon by a mysterious threat that arose from the Ghoul Stars. This dire event came to be known as the Pale Wasting, and as most Imperial records have been censored or purposely destroyed, contradictory indications describe the nature of the threat as both a "star-spawned plague" that swept away scores of worlds and as "nightmare engines" that slaughtered the populations of whole sectors. Ironically, the historical records of many Space Marine Chapters that took part in this conflict are curiously empty. It is believed that the Siege of San Nuria was just one campaign that was a part of this larger conflict. The Ebon Knights' Chapter records, as well as some extant Imperial records, indicate that this threat was more than likely xenos in nature. Some Imperial savants believe that this threat was more than likely the biomorphic race known as the Thexian Elite of the Thexian Trade Empire. Hailing from the oxidised worlds known as the Bloodmoons of Thex Prime, located in the mysterious region of space known as the Ghoul Stars, they are few in number but are quite strong in influence. These vile xenos are known to be masters of manipulation and have worked themselves into integral positions in the Borlac, Loxatl and Nicassar civilisations. Though Thexians are famously persuasive when guile is not enough their battle form is quite horrifying to behold. It is believed that the Ebon Knights answered the call to arms, taking part in some of the apocalyptic battles of this bloody and brutal campaign. One of these campaigns was upon the world of San Nuria, a vitally important agricultural world that was responsible for the export of agricultural goods to several nearby worlds. Without these goods, whole populations would suffer severe famine, causing the deaths of untold millions of Imperial citizens. When the world of San Nuria was set upon by a mysterious xenos threat, this fleet-based, Sons of the Lion Chapter, answered the besieged planet's call for aid. Whatever this xenos threat exactly was, is unknown, as the Chapter's records are purposely vague as to the exact nature of the enemy they actually faced, however, the battle against these xenos must have been a truly apocalyptic struggle. Though they managed to eradicate this xenos threat, the Ebon Knights suffered a catastrophic number of casualties, with the loss of nearly three-quarters of their battle-brothers. It would take several centuries for the Chapter to rebuild its numbers, as they would not appear in official Imperial records until the latter years of the 35^th Millennium.
• The Geryon Incursion (974.M35) – The Ecclesiarchy attempts to rebind the sundered Imperium during the Nova Terra Interregnum, into a religious state that transcends political differences. Billions die in the religious wars that follow when the Ur-council of Nova Terra rejects the Ecclesiarchy's teachings, unleashing a terrible new civil war, the likes of which have not been seen since the Horus Heresy. Still operating largely in the Segmentum Pacificus during the Nova Terra Interregnum, the Ebon Knights take part in the fierce fighting in the Geryon Incursion. They search for signs of the Fallen, in addition to putting down those who rejected the authority of the High Lords of Terra and the Ecclesiarchy.
• The Kaitos Schism (200.M36) - At the height of this terrible civil war, when the world of Kaitos rose up in rebellion against the Imperium, Loyalist forces were surrounded by the foe when the entire Ebon Knights Chapter deployed in support. The Ebon Knights launched an immediate attack upon the enemy and, within five hours, the Ebon Knights had wiped out the schismatists' entire high command structure, breaking the back of the rebellion, and essentially winning the war. Their task complete, the Chapter withdrew without a word, as quickly as they had appeared.
• Trail of Sorrow (324-354.M36) - The Ebon Knights begin a three-decades-long campaign that uproots hidden cults and corrupt officials across three sectors of Imperial space. In truth, the Chapter learned of twenty Fallen that were concealing themselves within the ranks of Lord Severus' warband (the Night Lords 38^th Company) operating within these sectors. Beset with many battles to hunt down these traitors and despite several ambushes set by the Night Lords, the Ebon Knights eventually prevail as the Manticores located the Fallen on the plague-ridden world of Lithios Prime, capturing all of them at the Battle of Crimson Ridge.
• Defence of Amasis VII (389.M36) - The entire Ebon Knights joined with elements of the Blades of Dorn Chapter to combat a huge Aeldari strike force that was assaulting the world of Amasis VII. The two Chapters were seriously outnumbered by the Eldar forces. When all hope seemed lost, the Blades of Dorn reluctantly pulled out their sorely-depleted forces after sustaining heavy casualties in the open phases of the conflict. They promised to bring nearby reinforcements from their Chapter as soon as possible. For five days the Ebon Knights valiantly fought alone, holding the Aeldari at bay. The Ebon Knights' Knight-Commander Renannius Cole held a breach in the Imperial lines, slaying two Aspect Warrior Exarchs single-handedly. The Aeldari prepared to launch their final assault on the beleaguered Space Marines when reinforcements finally arrived. The sky of Amasis VII is filled with Blades of Dorn Drop Pods. Soon the two Chapters fought in tandem which altered the course of the battle and destroyed the Aeldari forces completely. After the fighting, the Blades of Dorn praised the Ebon Knights' courage and tactical prowess.
• The Clovis Rebellion (112-114.M37) - When a Black Crusade is launched in the Clovis sector, a joint-Astartes strike force is sent to quell the five worlds that have become overrun by bloody insurrection. The Clovis Rebellion quickly escalates when a large force of Night Lords Traitor Astartes arrived and the Planetary Defence Forces of Clovis Prime crumbled. The Ebon Knights, Blood Vultures, and Blades of Dorn launched a counter-attack to secure vital Imperial artefacts before Exterminatus was declared. It takes the three Chapters two more years of brutal conflict to cleanse the rest of the sector's worlds before they are declared free of corruption.
• Ambush at Minboe Idull (346.M37) - A strike force from the Ebon Knights' 6^th Company was ambushed during operations against the Night Lords Traitor Legion in the central lowlands of the world of Minboe Idull's primary continent. The only survivor was the mortally wounded Knight-Sergeant Centis, whose remains were later entombed within the armoured sarcophagus of a rare Venerable Castraferrum Pattern Mark IV Dreadnought. He vows to see the menace of the Night Lords eradicated from the galaxy.
• Corva V Crusade (581.M37-Unknown Date.M41) - The Chapter's involvement in the Corva V Crusade which focused on the worlds in the Elysian Sigma Sector of space, where the Ebon Knights have pursued, without recourse to the Crusade's high command, a series of raids against the Forces of Chaos holding the region. In all probability, the Ebon Knights are seeking to ascertain the truth of the rumour that the Night Lords Traitor Legion is active in the area, pursuing their well-known hatred of this particular enemy. The Chapter recently fought a void-duel against the notorious Chaotic Carnage-class Cruiser Black Maul, though they came off the worse in the engagement and were forced to withdraw, much to their chagrin.
• 7^th Black Crusade (811.M37) - The Forces of Chaos spewed forth from the Eye of Terror past Cadia and then disappeared. This event is what earned this conflict its informal name of the 'Ghost War'. The following years saw a game of hide-and-seek played between the Forces of Chaos and the Imperium of Man. The Ebon Knights launched a Crusade into the Segmentum Obscurus to help defend multiple beleaguered Imperial worlds.
• Valentia II Civil War (301-311.M38) - When the followers of the Cult of Urka'khar plunged Valentia II into anarchy and bloodshed, the Astra Militarum regiments of the Morana Black Guard bore the brunt of the fighting. The Morana Black Guard was repeatedly targeted by the maddened hordes, but held out against seemingly impossible odds until relief eventually arrived. By the time a relief force of the 3^rd Company of Ebon Knights arrived, The regiments of the Black Guard had begun a determined counter-attack and victory was ultimately won.
• The Pertinax Smoldering (484.M38) - A rebellion led by devotees of the heretical Cimmerian Cult engulfed the isolated Hive World of Pertinax, until elements of the Ebon Knights Chapter of Space Marines were dispatched at the request of the Administratum to reclaim Pertinax's industrial output for the Imperium. In a meticulously planned campaign of surgical strikes and scorched earth assaults, the Ebon Knights decimated the cult's ranks, suppressing the Chaos Cultist uprisings and slaying their leaders.
• Angevin Crusade (322-384.M39) - The Angevin Crusade begins when Praetor Golgenna Angevin, a powerful noble from the Terran Court, is raised to the rank of Lord Militant in the Imperial Guard and granted a writ from the High Lords of Terra to persecute an Imperial Crusade to liberate and dominate the area of space designated as the Calyx Expanse. His Crusade's forces are drawn principally from the Segmentum Solar and number over 17 million levied troops who are divided into 4 battle groups and a strategic reserve, re-enforced by elements of the Titan Legios Venator and Magna, as well as the Ebon Knights, Black Templars, Tigers Argent, Sons of Medusa and Charnel Guard Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes and a significant naval deployment drawn from the Battlefleets Solar and Obscurus. A score of Rogue Trader and Explorator fleets range ahead of the main Imperial forces, identifying targets and providing active reconnaissance in this dangerous region of space. Swelling the force's already vast ranks are tens of thousands of 'pauper warriors' of the Frateris Militia whipped up into a frenzy of holy zeal by the Ecclesiarchy and innumerable petty hangers-on, opportunists and logistical transports, with supply trains leading back whole sectors away from the front. Using the well-established Frontier World of Sinophia as its forward staging post and marker, the Crusade’s main thrust is launched like an armoured fist into the heart of the Calyx Expanse across the Periphery in a two-pronged assault directed towards two prominent star systems where Rogue Traders had long-established pro-Imperial human contact: Malfi and Solomon.
• Cleansing of the ''Death of Integrity'' (887.M39) - In 887.M39, the Space Hulk, codified Death of Integrity was seen near the world of Vol Secundus. The ancient ruin had been encountered twice before in recent centuries, each time preceding the appearance of Tyranid forces upon nearby worlds. A general call for immediate Adeptus Astartes assistance was issued, with members of the 1^st Companies of the Ebon Knights, Novamarines, and the Blood Drinkers Chapters responding to the call for assistance. Exhibiting a tremendous amount of cooperation, the three Chapters deployed nearly 200 Space Marines equipped with Terminator Armour to the massive Hulk. Over the course of two months, the combined forces thoroughly purged the Space Hulk of a rampant genestealer infestation. All three Chapters suffered terrible losses, as the xenos were well-suited for battle within the cramped and toxic environment. Though the battle was costly in terms of damage to armour and loss of life, the ultimate prize was stunning. Hidden deep within the hulk's ruins was a remarkably well-preserved Standard Template Construct (STC) database containing information on countless lost technologies. The Adeptus Mechanicus gladly accepted this priceless artefact and went so far as to repay each Chapter with a newly commissioned Strike Cruiser.
• Purgation of the ''Harvester of Souls'' (ca. Late M39) - While conducting an investigation aboard the massive derelict space hulk designated the Harvester of Souls, which had recently materialised out of the warp, it was soon discovered that it was not as lifeless as was first thought, as they encountered a large force of Heretic Astartes from the notorious Nurglite Chaos Warband known as The Cleaved. A vicious battle quickly erupted between the opposing space marine forces, and the bulk of the Ebon Knights faced annihilation at the hands of the much larger Heretic Astartes forces. While the Ebon Knights fought a forced withdrawal, a squad of Assault Marines and a trio of Dreadnoughts volunteered to sacrifice themselves in order to take out the heretics once and for all. Advancing behind a trio of dreadnoughts, they made their way to one of the larger vessel's egninarium and set cyclonic charges. As the final gunships departed the space hulk, the charges detonated, which started a catastrophic cascade effect and culminated in a massive explosion that utterly destroyed the space hulk and all those within.
• Nexxas Exculpation (561.M40) - The Night Lords Traitor Legion warband face the forces of the Imperial Guard and the 2^nd ('Manticores') Company of the Ebon Knights on the world of Nexxas. Though ultimately the Imperial Guard forces and Ebon Knights proved victorious.
• The Gothic War (139-160.M41) - The Ebon Knights were one of many Space Marine Chapters deployed to the Gothic Sector to protect it against the vile Arch-Traitor Abaddon the Despoiler and his Chaos forces during the 12th Black Crusade.

Ebon Knights Tormentor-Chaplain Vraniel Oramas, Penitent Redeemer of the Consecrated Monastery, fighting on Huoxon IV.

• Castigation of Huoxon IV (259.M41) - In the early centuries of the 41^st Millennium, something rotten was brewing within the bowels of the Hive World of Huoxon IV. For several generations, a large coven of Chaos cultists had infiltrated the hive slums of the underhive, manipulating the dominant sects and hiver gangs, and sowing the seeds of insurrection. Almost two centuries passed, and the cult's moment finally came. Sabotaging several water sources and agricultural habs, soon the entire hive population faced a planet-wide famine. The cult's leader - the heretic prophetess Elavix - stirred up dissent amongst the hive's population, fomenting rebellion and anti-Imperial sentiment. With tensions running high amongst the population of Huoxon IV, it was all too easy to ignite the fires of open insurrection. Soon, most of the planet erupted into open rebellion, with the Chaos cultists leading the charge. The heretic prophetess personally tortured and ritually sacrificed the Planetary Governor in a horrific ritual to the Dark Gods, instilling herself as a pitiless tyrant and subjecting the millions of Imperial citizens to a bloody regime of inexplicable cruelty. At length, Elavix's reign of terror was brought to an abrupt end as a strike force of Ebon Knights launched a devastating surgical strike on the governor's palace where the prophetess and her most loyal cultists resided. The Ebon Knights ruthlessly slaughtered their way through the ranks of Chaos worshippers, until they finally reached the prophetess' makeshift throne room. Elavix was unceremoniously dragged in chains to the centre square of the planet's capital and burned at the stake for her crimes against the people of the Imperium. Her charred corpse was then hung from the tallest spire within the capital, to serve as a dire warning to those who would dare turn from the Emperor's light.
• Formenos Persecution (791.M41) - Rapid strikes by the Ebon Knights brought the Formenos Secession to a swift and bloody end.
• 13^th Black Crusade (999.M41) - A vast tide of Chaos worshippers pour forth from the Eye of Terror into the Cadian Gate. A tide of heretic filth comprised of daemonic legions, Chaos Cultists, and Renegade Chapters, spearheaded by the Traitor Legions and led by Abaddon the Despoiler, begin to assail the fortress world of Cadia and its surrounding systems. Detecting many Fallen amongst the horde, the Ebon Knights deploy their Chapter in its entirety in order to launch a headlong assault against the renegade forces. Coincidentally, the Dark Angels risk all by ordering the Unforgiven to join them in their assault against the Forces of Chaos. Though the Ebon Knights' presence isn't acknowledge by their Progenitors or their fellow Unforgiven, they nevertheless perform their sacred duty and begin to hunt down the Fallen in earnest. Unlike the rest of the Unforgiven, who split their forces across the Cadian Sector, the Ebon Knights chose to fight as one, and soon take part in many battles. However, increasing warp storm activity ensures that their fellow Unforgiven cannot reunite as a cohesive force.
• The Great Rift (999.M41) - Despite the best efforts of Imperial forces, the Cadian Gate finally falls. Though the arrival of some unexpected Imperial reinforcements prevented Abaddon from personally sealing his victory by crushing Cadia's defenders, and led to the destruction of the Blackstone Fortress Will of Eternity, the Despoiler unleashed a brutal contingency plan. He had the massive fragments of the Will of Eternity hurled from orbit like an artificial asteroid onto the surface of Cadia. The strike destroyed what remained of Cadia's faltering defences and the network of Necron-built Cadian Pylons that had long prevented the Eye of Terror from naturally expanding into the Cadian Gate. Within only solar hours, most of Cadia was in the process of being consumed by the Immaterium when the tectonic instability caused by the impact of the Blackstone Fortress finally caused Cadia to tear itself apart. The thin veil between realspace and the Immaterium is finally broken, as a massive tear in reality forms from the Eye of Terror and stretches all the way across the width of the galaxy, to the Hadex Anomaly. Every realm is touched by the Cicatrix Maledictum, or the Great Rift, blighting them with intense Daemon storms - howling tempests that carry a thousand types of death upon their fell winds. Thousands of Chaos cults emerged, and soon, planetary-wide rebellions erupted, plunging hundreds of worlds into bloody insurrection. The Ebon Knights took stock of the dire situation, and though battered and bloody, they resolutely stood against the tide of Chaos that now rode the upon the winds of the Great Rift. Despite the loss of over one-third of their Chapter, the Ebon Knights began to respond to the myriad distress calls that flood in from the isolated and warp-storm battered worlds of the galactic north. Though the Chapter continues their quest to hunt for the Fallen, the Ebon Knights ensure to put the needs of the desperate Imperial citizens before their own, and successfully break sieges and rescue several beleaguered populations.
• The Primarch's Summit (999.M41) - In the wake of the recent catastrophic events, Dark Angels Supreme Grand Master Azrael decided to convene an emergency council of the Unforgiven's Supreme Grand Masters, including the Renegade Manticores and 'The Forgotten' (the Ebon Knights), though Azrael was initially hesitant to do so. The Chapter's Librarians sent out a scattered astropathic summons - though several died in the attempt to pierce the veil of the Great Rift - and soon every available loyal son of the Lion prepared to embark on a perilous journey to the Rock. Not all found their way to that last fragment of their ancestral home, as entire Successor Chapters became lost in the Warp, while others found themselves bogged down in one of the galaxy's many raging conflicts. The battered Ebon Knights managed to find their way through the roiling storm, and soon arrived safely to dock with the Dark Angels' fleet, though they remained aboard their ships. Only Knight-Commander Marius Kyron and a small contingent of the Chapter's Inner Circle embarked to meet Supreme Grand Master Azrael aboard the Rock. After the Ebon Knights arrived, naturally they were treated with contempt by their peers. Nevertheless, a small Dark Angels Honour Guard were present to meet them as they disembarked from their Thunderhawk gunship. They accorded the Chapter Master and his delegation with the proper custom and courtesy and then reluctantly escorted the Ebon Knights contingent to the Rock's command chamber to meet with their fellow Supreme Grand Masters. Not long after their arrival, Azrael was informed of a new fleet transitioning into orbit around the Rock - that of the new Lord Commander of the Imperium - the resurrected Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman and his forces of the Indomitus Crusade. The Lord Commander had brought the Chapters of the Unforgiven much-needed reinforcements. From the depths of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl's vast freighter-hulk marched Primaris Space Marines, created from the purest genetic material ever taken from Lion El'Jonson. Rank upon rank ntered the Rock clad in new variants of power armour painted in the colours of the Dark Angels and their successors - including the Ebon Knights. At a brief war council, Guilliman outlined the threats facing the Indomitus Crusade. He also spoke of the updated Codex Astartes, and how his brother Lion El'Jonson's descendants had earned the right to maintain their specialised wings, as long as they continued to serve the Emperor well. So did Azrael and the other Supreme Grand Masters kneel before Guilliman and pledged their Chapters to the new Imperium.

Ebon Knights Primaris Armiger-Brother Lucian Kazarel, Pious Crusader of the Cleansing Blade, on the hunt.

• The Indomitus Crusade (999.M41-Early Centuries of M42) - Newly reinforced, the Ebon Knights began to take the fight to the Forces of Chaos as they responded to the myriad distress calls that flooded in from the isolated and battered, war-torn worlds of the galactic north. Though there were some immediate concerns over their newly received Primaris Space Marine brethren, these initial misgivings were soon assuaged as the new warriors adapted to the Ebon Knights' ways of war and performed well alongside their battle-brothers. As campaigns progressed and decades passed, many of the Primaris Space Marines gained veteran status, and it remained only a matter of time before a decision had to be made to initiate one into the ranks of the elite Palatines. The Ebon Knights distinguished themselves time and again during the middle years of the Indomitus Crusade, earning much praise from the Lord Commander of the Imperium, and even reluctantly gained some admiration from their fellow Unforgiven Chapters, despite their pariah status. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the cold relationship between the Ebon Knights and their Progenitors eventually thaws, and The Forgotten are allowed back into the fold of the Unforgiven.
  • Battle of Idolatros (Unknown Date.M42) - Following the Daemon Vashtorr's failed assault on The Rock, the Dark Angels pried as much information as they could from captured traitors and Arkifane cultists. After several days of interrogation, as if by some unseen trigger, every surviving prisoner suddenly surrendered the precise location where the Arkifane was collecting his Key-fragments - a remote system at the fringe of the Somnium Stars. Despite knowing it to be a trap the acutely suspicious Dark Angels were determined to act nonetheless. Before long, the might of three-quarters of the Unforgiven were mustered at the Dark Angels' great mobile fortress-monastery. Supreme Grand Master Azrael dispatched several taskforces of Unforgiven ahead of the main fleet in order to search for Vashtorr's inevitable trap.
    
    At the same time, Ezekiel and other Unforgiven Chief Librarians sought to unravel the strands of fate and forsee what awaited them in the Somnium Stars. Soon enough, Ravenwing scout fleets returned with word of waiting traitor armadas within the Idolatros System. These included not only expected Cult of the Arkifane and Black Legion but also Emperor's Children, Death Guard, and Word Bearers. Largest of all was the Ark of Omen Netherworld Blade and its Balefleet, which was under control of the Dark Mechanicum.
    
    For their part, the Unforgiven Librarians under Ezekiel were able to confirm that Vashtorr indeed dwelt within the System, though they could offer little more information than that. Many other periphery Chaos fleets lay in the Unforgiven's path, and Azrael declared that several chapters strike in the Scrilem and Apostra Systems to deal with these foes.
    
    When The Rock and its massive accompanying fleet finally arrived in the Idolatros System, it detected an unexpected concealed aberration. However, Ravenwing scouts had been correct in identifying a large Chaos battlefleet which lay in their path. Soon enough both sides traded salvoes of torpedoes and attack craft were launched as a massive void battle erupted. The Unforgiven had a significant advantage in numbers, but the Chaos forces had the advantage of Vashtorr's infernal mastery of technology as well as their weapons being seemingly boosted by the power of the Somnium Stars. The Unforgiven suffered heavy casualties and several capital ships were lost to highly advanced Chaos weaponry.
    
    Hours passed by as the Unforgiven fleet pressed deeper into the Idolatros System with only scattered signs of the enemy. During this time, Techmarines identified a mysterious Warp resonance that was seemingly growing in strength. Though its purpose could not be surmised, it began to interfere with mechanical systems and even the minds of those in the Unforgiven fleet. Though they expected a trap, none were prepared for what awaited them. As the fleet translated from the warp, they were confronted by a grotesque simulacrum of a planet, its crust riddled with cogs and chimneys, its surface covered in twisted iron forests and the signs of Vashtorr’s dark industry. The cogitators asserted that the planet before them was no fake – and was in fact one the Dark Angels should know well. Hanging in the void, assembled from a thousand rocky fragments, held together by sorcery and artifice, was Caliban. The Forces of Chaos deemed the abomination Wyrmwood.
    
    Seized by a profound spiritual outrage, Grand Master Azrael ordered his ships into the attack. His heart burned with the desire to rebuke such a flagrant taunt. Yet even as the Unforgiven prepared to launch themselves toward the twisted world, a new Chaos fleet approached from the glare of the system's star. At its core, unmistakable amid a hundred other traitor ships, was the Vengeful Spirit – the flagship of Abaddon the Despoiler. Assault craft rained down through the skies of the daemon world. Supreme Grand Master Azrael led the attack personally, as his strike forces targeted elements of the planet’s defence batteries so the Rock could pull closer for a fatal Exterminatus-class bombardment. Auspex scans suggested Vashtorr himself could be found deep within a nearby maze of industrial horror, a place they designated the Warpforge Palace.
    
    The Master of the Dark Angels pressed the attack, battering his way through Heretic Astartes and tech-twisted hordes beyond count. For hours, the ground forces battled legions of Vashtorr's cultists, while in orbit the Unforgiven fleet clashed with Abaddon and the Ark of Omen Orac Myriad. Finally, Azrael and his forces broke through to the palace, finding themselves in a great complex of ancient towers dwarfed by a single colossal altar, hewn from beaten brass. Before the Dark Angels could strike a blow, the altar exploded in a wave of blood, screams, and warp energy. Where once an assemblage of praying cultists had huddled, now stood Angron, Daemon Primarch of Khorne, who bore down on Azrael's forces. Even for one as steeled to fear as a Space Marine, the sight was enough to cut a primal dread through their hearts. In that same moment, new warp signatures appeared at the edge of the system, powering towards the battle raging above the planet. Despite their skill and fury, the Unforgiven were slowly being torn apart by Abaddon's millennia of experience, and these new heretic reinforcements could not bode well – but then the choral beacons from the newcomers rang out. It was the Blood Angels, flanked by elements of the Imperial Navy.

    

    Lion El'Jonson, the returned Primarch of the Dark Angels, confronts the Daemon Primarch Angron upon the daemon world of Wyrmwood.

    
    
    How had the Blood Angels known about the Dark Angels' operation, kept secret only to their own? All doubts turned to silence when Lord Commander Dante announced that he was not alone – aboard his vessel was none other than the Lion of Caliban himself - Lion El'Jonson - returned from the mists of time. Setting his fleet on an interception course with the battle, Dante prepared to join the war on Wyrmwood and come face-to-face with the Red Angel - the Daemon Primarch Angron. Even as Angron slaughtered his way through the Unforgiven, blood-red drop pods hurtled to planetfall and golden-armoured Space Marines tackled the maddened Primarch. Atop a tower strewn with the dead and dying, Angron fought Dante and his Sanguinary Guard in a titanic brawl, one that even the cream of the Blood Angels could not endure. None could stand before the Red Angel and live. Save one.
    
    As heroic as his effort had been, Commander Dante lay battered and motionless, with Angron poised to finally finish off the ancient Space Marine. That is, until a blazing golden shield intercepted his blow – from mist-wreathed passageways to a swirling, spectral forest, Lion El' Jonson emerged to defend the man who had reunited him with his sons. As Dark Angels and Blood Angels rallied to throw back the World Eaters and defend the fallen Dante, a duel of epic proportions ensued. Angron fought like a howling, monstrous god, hurling battle tanks like stones and battering his brother with blows that would have pulverised mortal men, turned aside time and again only by the indestructible Emperor's Shield. Yet in the depths of Wyrmwood, the twisted forest of tangled machinery that had once been his home, the Lion earned the upper hand. With all the hunter's cunning of a Knight of Caliban, aided by the strange new spectral abilities that had accompanied him out of death's embrace, the Lion trapped Angron for the instant he needed. Without a shred of remorse for the creature that had once been his brother, he raised the Emperor's Shield and smashed it through the Daemon Primarch's skull, casting him back to the warp. But despite vanquishing Angron, the Imperial forces could not claim victory in the land war, and were forced to fight a retreat back to their ships. Vashtorr was nowhere to be seen.
    
    Battling their way to their landing zones, the Dark Angels evacuated the planet, not a moment too soon. Vashtorr's Dissonance Engine had awoken, and energies beyond the ken of mortal minds bloomed from the planet's surface. Slowly, reality began to twist around the daemon world until finally, it broke, tearing a rent in the fabric of space that coalesced into a raging whirl of otherworldly power.
    
    With a flash, Wyrmwood was swallowed into a maelstrom of silver light – taking with it Vashtorr and the battered traitor fleet. In its wake was left only an eerie, semi-visible wound in the fabric of space, appalling to behold. The Key had been forged. Now, its master hunted for the Lock. Another Primarch had returned, and Angron had been banished for a time – but Vashtorr and Abaddon had undoubtedly won a great victory. Their dark designs had come to fruition, and tremendous losses had been suffered by the Unforgiven Chapters, some of which may never truly recover. Even now, none can say what lies in store for the Imperium, or how the surviving Arks of Omen will react with their mission completed and their architect vanished.

Chapter Home World

At their Founding, the Ebon Knights were granted fiefdom rights over the strategically important hive world of Shadowmehr located in the Ixaniad Sector in the Segmentum Obscurus. Their gene-seed was sourced from Dark Angels stock, whilst their initial command and training structure was composed of honoured warriors drawn from several Dark Angels' Successor Chapters. Their initial influx of Initiates was drawn from a mixture of Shadowmehr's military caste who served in the Planetary Defence Force and the violent kill-gangs of the world's sub-hive networks. Since that bygone era, Initiates have been chosen through a bi-annual process of trial by combat, fear and endurance are known as the "Ordeal of the Angels." The Chapter's Master of Recruits conducts these series of bloody tournaments and they are carried out under the supervision of the Ebon Knights' Chaplains.

Since that time, the Ebon Knights have also recruited from several nearby worlds within the sector. Most notably, over time, they have appeared to have appropriated the feudal traditions of several of these recruitment worlds which live on in the Chapter's rites and character. This is especially noticeable in the rank titles bestowed upon the Chapter's leaders. Knightly terms are often combined with standard Codex Astartes-compliant titles, creating individuals with a wide range of ranks, such as Consul-Master, Captain-at-Arms, Knight-Sergeant or Brother-Ensign. In organisation and structure, the Ebon Knights have always only broadly adhered to the Codex Astartes, and have sometimes come under deep suspicion by other Chapters who obey its tenets absolutely.

Chapter Recruitment

A group of Ebon Knights Brother-Ensigns (Scout Marines) on patrol.

"Trust in your training. Trust in yourselves. Trust in the Lion. Never doubt what you have done. All your decisions have brought you to this point."

— Tormentor-Chaplain Gadriel Morretanus speaking to new Squire-Brothers before battle

Though the Ebon Knights still draw many recruits from their home world of Shadowmehr, they typically draw the majority of their recruits from a variety of different Imperial planets, mainly those feudal worlds with a pre-industrial level of technology like that of Caliban before the coming of the Emperor. Representatives of the Ebon Knights visit each recruiting world once within a normal human's lifetime. Initiates are chosen through a bi-annual process of trial by combat, fear and endurance known as the "Ordeal of the Angels." The Chapter's Master of Recruits conducts these series of bloody tournaments and they are carried out under the supervision of the Ebon Knights' Chaplains. They then take the strongest juveniles from the population.

Each Aspirant is thoroughly screened, and from the moment he is accepted into the Chapter as a Squire-Brother, his past becomes irrelevant. Once the recruit is accepted he will undergo the normal rites to become a Space Marine. However, should he fail, he will be made into an Intendant (Chapter Serf) to carry out the labourious tasks of the Chapter. Unlike other Unforgiven Chapters, the Ebon Knights make use of human Chapter Serfs or bondsmen. The Chapter's Tormentor-Chaplains maintain a strong vigil, ensuring that the Chapter's human serfs are not compromised to reveal the Chapter's secrets. If one is suspected of breaking their vows of loyalty or suspected of corruption, they are converted into a mindless servitor, and taken away to work in the Chapter's forges.

Chapter Organisation

Membes of the Ebon Knights Inner Circle.

The Ebon Knights are organised along the same lines as the Dark Angels and so are considered to partially comply with the Codex Astartes. Like their progenitors, they maintain a pair of elite formations comprised of the 1^st and 2^nd Companies, known as the Palatines and Manticores, which are comparable to the Deathwing and Ravenwing. The Ebon Knights make use of very different terminology when referring to the Chapter's officers as compared to that commonly used by other Space Marine Chapters. This is because the Ebon Knights have continued to draw upon the ancient military traditions of the feral worlds they recruit from, in organising the Chapter.

The Battle Companies of the Ebon Knights bear the weight of their Chapter's combat duties. The 3^rd through 5^th Companies are designated as Battle Companies, each comprising one hundred battle-brothers, and kept as close to full strength as possible at all times. Leading each Battle Company is a Captain-at-Arms, whose sworn duty is to lead his brothers in Humanity's defence. However, they must be keenly alert for the presence of the Fallen, ready to take up the hunt at a moment's notice. Below the Captain-at-Arms stands his right and left hands - his Seneschals - the sub-commanders who help with command-and-control of the company, able to disseminate their commander's orders or lead a demi-company element when the need arises, and a company must be spread across a wider range, across multiple battlefields.

The Battle Companies of the Ebon Knights cleave close to the proscribed model of the Codex Astartes, maintaining the required amount of Battleline, Close Support and Fire Support squads, with the exception of a company's finest warriors that are hand-picked to be elevated to fight as Company Veterans. To ensure mobility and support, each Battle Company maintains enough Rhino and Razorback armoured personnel carriers to transport all of their warriors into battle, while the Ebon Knights fleet carries sufficient Drop Pods and Thunderhawks gunships for them to execute a full atmospheric assault whenever required. Finally, each Battle Company is supported by elements of the Librarius, Apothecarion, Reclusiam and Armoury, and accompanied by their honoured Dreadnought brothers.

Those members of the Battle Companies that are slain in glorious battle are replenished with warriors from the Reserve Companies. This transition is laden with ritual and meaning, for each Company maintains its own archaic rites of initiation, its own oaths and traditions to be observed before a brother can be accepted. Like their genetic forebears and those Chapters of the Unforgiven, knowledge is densely stratified within the Chapter's ranks. Every advancement within the Ebon Knights brings new secrets, preparing the Chapter's warriors for the appalling revelations that await them should they ascend to the tight-knit brotherhood of the Inner Circle.

The 6^th through 9^th Companies are designated the Chapter's Reserve Companies. The 6^th and 7^th Companies are Tactical Companies, each consisting entirely of Battleline Squads. These act as a reserve which may be used to bolster the front line, launch diversionary attacks or stem enemy flanking moves. The 8^th Company, designated as the Chapter's Assault Company, consists of Close Support squads, which consists of Firstborn Ebon Knights who are assigned the role of Assault Marines. Equipped with jump packs, when deployed en masse, this company is used to storm an enemy - quickly closing with a foe and engaging in close-ranged or hand-to-hand combat. This company is further enhanced by the addition of their newly acquired Primaris brethren who act in a close support role as Inceptors. Equipped with Mk X Gravis armour and heavy jump packs - rocket-like thrusters worn upon the back that allow their wearers to make powered jumps across the battlefield - they are able to leap over obstacles and hurtle over great distances at speed. These fast-moving squads are capable of descending in the midst of the enemy and unleashing an absolute shell storm. The primary weapon of the Inceptor Squad is the assault bolter. A single such firearm can stitch a pattern of death to scythe down multiple targets in seconds, and each member of the squad bears a pair of these bulky weapons. This means that the Inceptor Squads are capable of putting out enough firepower to halt a charging mob of Orks, or to turn massed cultists into a bloody mist.

The 9^th Company, designated as the Chapter's Devastator Company, consists solely of Fire Support Squads. These squads are made up of Firstborn brothers assigned to the role of Devastator Marines that are armed with the most powerful and devastating weapons within the Chapter. They are further bolstered by their Primaris brethren who are assigned the roles aofHellblasters and Aggressors. Hellblasters bears some variant of the plasma incinerator – a weapon whose fire burns with the heat of the sun. Deployed at the right place and time, such a squad can crack open an enemy battle line, blunt a foe's armoured spearhead or fall the most hulking of xenos creatures. Not even the thickest armour plating can withstand such tremendous plasma blasts for long.

Aggressors are clad in heavy Gravis armour and equipped with a pair of gauntlet-mounted weapons, turning them into a walking bastion of firepower. Armed with boltstorm gauntlets, an Aggressor Squad can spray wide volleys of explosive bolts, mowing down waves of enemy infantry. Back-mounted fragstorm grenade launchers add to the carnage, blasting holes into oncoming formations with great blossoms of shrapnel-filled explosives. Should any foes live through such a hurricane of firepower, they are met by swinging power fists, each blow able to crumple a battle tank. Other Aggressor Squads are equipped with flamestorm gauntlets, allowing them to send fiery bursts outwards in searing sheets. Aggressor Squads can wade into the largest of enemy hordes, plug breaches and in defensive lines, or lead the advance across open terrain. With the addition of such deadly warriors and their advanced weaponry, the 9^th Company is the most powerfully armed company in the Chapter, and is used to bolster defence points and provide long-ranged fire support.

The 10^th Company is designated as the Chapter's Scout Company. This company consists of the Chapter's future and is comprised primarily of Scout Squads; youths who have been partially transformed into Space Marines. This Company has no formal size as the rate of recruitment operates under a wide number of variables. Those Scout squads nearest to completing their training are assigned to strike forces. It is almost unheard of for the 10^th Company to fight as a single unit. The ranks of the 10^th Company are further enhanced with the addition of their Primaris brethren who perform the role of deadly Reivers - sinister terror troops, trained and equipped so that their sudden appearance spreads fear up and down the enemy lines. Each member of this Primaris squad is outfitted in Mk X Phobos armour, constructed from a lighter-weight ceramite that allows its wearer greater mobility and stealth. The suit's servo-motors are engineered for silent running, as Reiver Squads rely upon infiltration and secrecy to launch their shock attacks. This company also possesses ranks of deadly Vanguard Space Marines - Primaris Astartes that serve as covert operators and ruthless killers. They are trained to operate behind enemy lines as saboteurs, assassins and infiltrators. Vanguard Space Marines are not a single unit, but several different types of squads that perform different tactical roles for an overall Vanguard force.

Command Ranks

• Knight-Commander (Chapter Master) - The Ebon Knights Chapter Master is known instead as the Knight-Commander. It is his duty to chair all meetings of the Chapter's Inner Circle, which serves as the Ebon Knights' replacement for the standard Chapter Council. Only the Knight-Commander is privy to all of the Chapter's dark secrets -- and even he does not know everything.

An Ebon Knights Consul-Master

• Consul-Master (Lieutenant Commander) - Senior Captain recognised for their long and esteemed service to the Chapter. This rank has been granted to the current Commander of the Palatines, Commander of the Manticores and the Lord of Squires.
• Captain-at-Arms (Captain) - A Captain-at-Arms serves as a Company Commander of the Chapter and is the Ebon Knights' equivalent to the standard Space Marine Captain of other Chapters. A Captain-at-Arms leads each of the 10 companies of the Ebon Knights and ultimately falls under the command of the Knight-Commander. Every Captain within the Chapter serves as a member of the Inner Circle, although even at this rank he is not privy to the entire truth surrounding the Chapter's dark past or all of the Chapter's many secrets.
• Seneschal (Lieutenant) - An ancient feudal rank, this honoured position is equivalent to the rank of Lieutenant, an officer rank utilised by the Space Marine Legions of ancient times. With the influx of newly created Primaris Space Marines into the Chapter, this rank has been reconstituted amongst the hierarchy of the Chapter. A Seneschal serves as a Demi-company leader, with two assigned per full company of 100 Space Marines. These junior officers are considered 'Captains-in-training', and are accorded the proper respect and treated as such. Seneschals act as the right hands of their Captains by providing flexibility and helping to direct their Battle-Brothers in engagements. Space Marine Battle Companies are frequently divided into two Battle Demi-companies of 50 Astartes each in order to spread their forces across multiple combat zones. Command of each Demi-company falls to a Seneschal, who leads his brothers unflinchingly into battle.
• High Tormentor - The High Tormentor, also known as the Master of Chaplains, serves as the Ebon Knights' Reclusiarch, or High Chaplain, and oversees the duties of all of the other Chaplains of the Chapter. His most important duty is to train the Ebon Knights' special class of Tormentor-Chaplains and he is usually a master of their art of interrogation and psychological manipulation. He is a member of the Inner Circle and is thus one of the only members of the Chapter privy to the whole truth surrounding the Fallen.
• Palatine Apothecary (Chief Apothecary equivalent) - The Palatine Apothecary serves as the Chapter's Chief Apothecary and oversees the medical needs of all Ebon Knights as well as all biological research conducted by the Chapter. The Palatine Apothecary's most important duty is to preserve and maintain the purity of the Chapter's stock of gene-seed. He is a member of the Inner Circle and is thus one of the only members of the Chapter privy to the whole truth surrounding the Fallen.
• Grand Vizier (Chief Librarian equivalent) - The Grand Vizier serves as the Chapter's Chief Librarian and oversees the Librarium. He is responsible for maintaining all of the Ebon Knights' Chapter records and the security of its secrets. He is a member of the Inner Circle and is thus one of the only members of the Chapter privy to the whole truth surrounding the Fallen.

Specialist Ranks

• Tormentor-Chaplains (Interrogator-Chaplain equivalent) - The Ebon Knights maintain a very special cadre of Chaplains known as Tormentor-Chaplains who are tasked with getting any Fallen Angel who has been captured by the Ebon Knights to admit their sins and repent of their betrayal of the Emperor. Tormentor-Chaplains are as skilled in the arts of interrogation, torture and psychological manipulation as the most experienced members of the Inquisition. Tormentor-Chaplains are not members of the Inner Circle, though their duties require that they have knowledge of many more of the Chapter's secrets than is normal for Ebon Knights of their rank.
• Apothecary
• Librarian (Epistolary, Codicier, Lexicanium)

Line Ranks

• Knight-Veteran (Veteran Marines)
• Knight-Sergeant (Veteran Sergeant)
• Preceptor-Sergeant (Sergeant)
• Armiger-Brother (Battle-Brother)
• Brother-Ensign (Scout Marine) - Probationary rank.
• Squire-Brother (Initiate)
• Aspirant

Non-Astartes Personnel

• Intendant (Chapter Serf)

Elite Formations

Iconography of the Palatines, the Ebon Knights 1^st Company elite

• Palatines - The Ebon Knights' 1^st Company of veteran marines is referred to within the Chapter as the Palatines. They are the Dark Angels' equivalent of the Deathwing. The Palatines are comprised solely of Ebon Knights veterans who only take to the field of battle in sable and gold-coloured Terminator Armour. The Palatines are tasked with the mission of continuing the Hunt for the Fallen, which takes precedence over all other missions for the Chapter, even though they may be called upon to fight a wide range of foes. The bulk of the 1^st Company is composed of Terminator Squads, indefatigable warriors who blast apart their enemies with Storm Bolters whilst advancing into melee assault range. Palatine Terminators feature a mix of weaponry, for both long-ranged and close combat-oriented roles.

Iconography of the Manticores, the Ebon Knights' elite 2^nd Company

• Manticores - The Ebon Knights' 2^nd Company is called the Manticores. They are the equivalent of the Dark Angels' Ravenwing. The members of the Manticores are chosen not only for their skill at fast assaults using bikes and Land Speeders but also for their resilience to the heretical rantings of members of the Fallen Angels. All but the highest members of the Chapter's Inner Circle are oblivious to the true purpose of the Manticores, which is to hunt down and capture every last member of the Fallen. Like the Palatines, the Manticores do not conform to the ideal of Space Marine Chapter organisation as laid out in the Codex Astartes, though the other Ebon Knights' companies are considered to be Codex-compliant. The Manticores Company is mostly composed of Bike Squads and squadrons of assault Land Speeders. These vehicles are then divided into two groups; one serves as an attack squadron and the other as a fire support squadron.

Specialist Units

• Ebon Paladins (Deathwing Knights equivalent) - A Ebon Paladin is a fell-handed warrior of the Ebon Knights, a member of the elite 1^st Company whose glorious deeds on the field of battle are matched only by his unflinching devotion to the Chapter. Ebon Paladins are a truly imposing sight, for within these warriors lives on some semblance of the Lion himself. Only the most veteran Palatines are given the title of Ebon Palatines, the uppermost level of the order before being named a Knight-Veteran. They become the ultimate upholders of ancient Chapter traditions and the most skilled fighting unit of the Ebon Knights. In the stratified Chapter organisation of the Ebon Knights, the Ebon Paladins represent the elite -- only the Captain-at-Arms and Consul-Masters of the Chapter rank higher, and they are only chosen from among the company of the Ebon Paladins, who are also members of the Chapter's Inner Circle.

Ebon Knights Knight-Errant Zadakiel Damegion, Austere Seraph of the Consecrated Crusade, of the elite 2^nd ('Manticores') Company, mounted upon his attack bike awaiting orders to attack.

• Knights-Errant (Ravenwing Black Knights equivalent) - Mounted on powerful, heavily customised Mark IV Assault Bikes, the Manticores Knight-Errants of the Chapter's 2^nd Company, are heavily armed shock cavalry. Those who survive in the Manticores long enough learn to take the doctrines of mobile warfare to the next level of mastery. If they can pass the Seven Rites of the Manticore, they will be inducted into the Knights-Errant, the Inner Circle of the 2^nd Company. There, they will learn the real reason behind their hunt for heretics and the truth about their Chapter's history. To signify their exalted status, Knights-Errant carry Corvus Hammers, which are patterned after an ancient Calibanite weapon used to hunt the Great Beasts. The Knights-Errants' riding skills are supreme, and they can drive at top speed through almost any impediments to close on their foes.

Icon of the Ebon Knights' Dreadwing Eskaton formation.

• Dreadwing Eskatons - The Dreadwing Eskaton are the elite Terminator-armoured fire support squads of the Ebon Knights. They are a holdover of the Dreadwing formation of the ancient I^st Legion of old. During the bygone era of the Great Crusade they were perhaps the most feared of all the branches of the Six Wings of the Hexagrammaton, garnering a foreboding reputation that far outweighed the wing's influence within the Legion.
  
  This formation was composed of those whose role was the utter annihilation of the enemy, the salting of the earth and the breaking of worlds. Its ranks included not only the vast majority of the Legion's Destroyer and Moritat cohorts, but also a large number of Techmarines, forge adepts and no few Apothecaries, those considered among the least orthodox of their kind and often of morbid disposition. In the sealed vaults of the Dreadwing rested the least stable of the Dreadnoughts maintained by the Legion, those whose minds remained trapped with the horrors of wars long since ended, as well as artificial warriors of a more fearsome nature.
  
  When called upon, the initiates of the Dreadwing were experts in the brutal tactics of massacre, purge, and the deployment of Exterminatus-class weaponry, though many also specialised in the use of terror as a weapon. Far from dim brutes, the Dreadwing also saw to the duty of caretaking some of the most dangerous technologies that existed anywhere within the Imperium. Amongst the ranks of this dour brotherhood stood the ranks terminator-armoured elite known as the Naufragia.
  
  This bygone formation was incorporated into the battlefield role of the Ebon Knights specialist formations. Known as the Dreadwing Eskatons, these bellicose brethren are arrayed in relic suits of Cataphractii Terminator plate and armed with deadly plasma and phosphex weapons. They are wholly dedicated to the singular purpose of the utter annihilation of the enemy.
  
  Armed with ancient and forbidden weaponry, when the Dreadwing Eskaton walks the battlefield they bring absolute devastation to their enemies, leaving nothing but ash and destruction in their wake. Thus, the Dreadwing Eskaton heavy fire support squads of the Ebon Knights are the Knight-Commander's final sanction, the ultimate curse for those foolish enough to stand against the wrathful sons of the Lion.

Order of Battle

The current Chapter order of battle as of 999.M41, is as follows:

Chapter Command

Inner Circle
Marius Kyron, Knight-Commander of the Ebon Knights Chapter Ebon Paladins Honour Guard Knight-Champion (Chapter Champion) Astaroth Vendrist Command Squad: Chapter Standard Bearer, Tormentor-Chaplain, Lexicanium & Apothecary) Knight-Commander Kyron leads a council of officers drawn from the senior-most members of the Inner Circle. This council's composition changes depending upon the wishes of each Knight-Commander.
Inner Circle		Librarius	Knights of Nachthold
Knight-Commander Marius Kyron Consul-Master Orian Sevetikan, Commander of the Palatines Consul-Master Kyrris Drixx, Commander of the Manticores Consul-Master Artemius Cordacus, Lord of Squires High Tormentor Zarael Vis, Master of the Faith Grand Vizier Asmodeus Creb, Master of Hidden Knowledge Palatine Apothecary Nemiel Lixx, Master of the Apothecarion 7 Captain-at-Arms (Captain Equivalent) of the 7 remaining companies All Palatine Astartes All Knights-Errant (Ravenwing Black Knights equivalent)		Grand Vizier Asmodeus Creb, Master of Hidden Knowledge Librarians Lexicaniums Codiciers Epistolaries Acolytum	Brother Naaman Sirax, Warden of Nachthold 6 Venerable Dreadnoughts
Other Departments
Host of Iron(Armourium)	Fleet Command	Apothecarion	Reclusiarchy	Logisticiam
Brother Helbron Seth, Master of Nachthold The Master of Nachthold serves as the Chapter's Master of the Forge; he is NOT a member of the Inner Circle because of his shared allegiance to the Adeptus Mechanicus. 20 Techmarines 85 Servitors 14 Predators 8 Vindicators 10 Whirlwinds 20 Land Raiders	Consul-Master Praxilus Thys, Master of the Fleet 6 Battle Barges 14 Strike Cruisers 20 Rapid Strike Vessels 28 Thunderhawk Gunships	Palatine Apothecary Nemiel Lixx Master of the Apthecarion 12 Apothecaries	High Tormentor Zarael Vis, Master of the Faith Tormentor-Chaplains Chaplains	Brother Naaman Sirax, Warden of Nachthold 850 Servitors Administrative Support Staff Support Personnel (Chapter Serfs)

Companies

Veteran Companies		Battle Companies
1st Company "Palatines"	2nd Company "Manticores"	3rd Company "Dragonshields"	4th Company "Wrath Lions"	5th Company "Reapers"
Consul-Master Orian Sevetikan, Commander of the Palatines Senschals (2 - Acting Demi-Company Commanders) Knight-Champion (Company Champion) Command Squad: Company Standard Bearer, Tormentor-Chaplain, Apothecary & Lexicanium Sable Paladins (Deathwing Knights equivalent) Palatines (15 Terminator Squads) Dreadwing Eskatons (5 Terminator Heavy Fire Support Squads) 6 Venerable Dreadnoughts Land Raiders	Consul Master Kyrris Drixx, Commander of the Manticores Knight-Champion (Company Champion) Command Squad: Company Standard Bearer, Tormentor-Chaplain, Apothecary & Lexicanium Undisclosed number of Knights-Errant (Ravenwing Black Knights equivalent) Manticores Astartes (6 Bike Attack Squadrons, 4 Bike Support Squadrons) Land Speeders Thunderhawk Gunships	Captain-at-Arms Morax Hexx, Master of the Arsenal Knight-Champion (Company Champion) Command Squad (Company Standard Bearer, Tormentor-Chaplain, Apothecary & Epistolary) Tactical Squads 2 Assault Squads 2 Devastator Squads 3 Dreadnoughts Rhinos	Captain-at-Arms Praxilus Thys, Lord of the Fleet Knight-Champion (Company Champion) Command Squad: Company Standard Bearer, Tormentor-Chaplain, Apothecary & Epistolary Undisclosed Number of Veteran Marines 6 Battleline Squads 2 Close Support Squads 2 Fire Support Squads 2 Dreadnoughts Rhinos	Captain-at-Arms Kadzeel Res, Lord of Rites Knight-Champion (Company Champion) Command Squad: Company Standard Bearer, Tormentor-Chaplain, Apothecary & Epistolary 6 Battleline Squads 2 Close Support Squads 2 Fire Support Squads 2 Dreadnoughts Rhinos
Reserve Companies				Scout Company
6th Company "Talonwings"	7th Company "Executioners"	8th Company "Swordtakers"	9th Company "Dreadwing"	10th Company "Crownbreakers"
Captain-at-Arms Flauros Gielis, Lord of Relics Knight-Champion (Company Champion) Command Squad: Company Standard Bearer, Tormentor-Chaplain, Apothecary & Epistolary 10 Battleline Squads 1 Dreadnought Rhinos	Captain-at-Arms Jophiel Res, Lord of the Marches Knight-Champion (Company Champion) Command Squad: Company Standard Bearer, Tormentor-Chaplain, Apothecary & Epistolary 10 Battleline Squads 2 Dreadnoughts Rhinos	Captain-at-Arms Mordekai Sol, Lord of Blades Knight-Champion (Company Champion) Command Squad: Company Standard Bearer, Tormentor-Chaplain, Apothecary & Epistolary 10 Close Support Squads 2 Dreadnoughts Rhinos	Captain-at-Arms Venerari Sein, Master of Sieges Knight-Champion (Company Champion) Command Squad: Company Standard Bearer, Tormentor-Chaplain, Apothecary & Epistolary 10 Fire Support Squads 3 Dreadnoughts Rhinos	Consul-Master Artemius Cordacus, Lord of Squires Knight-Champion (Company Champion) Command Squad: Company Standard Bearer, Tormentor-Chaplain, Apothecary & Epistolary 4 Scout Squads 3 Reiver Squads 3 Vanguard Squads 100 Unassigned Squire-Brothers (Initiates)

Combat Doctrine

Like their Progenitors, the Ebon Knights nominally follow the standard combat doctrine of the Codex Astartes. Like many Scions of the Lion, the Ebon Knights have a reputation for stubbornly standing their ground, even if it is not tactically beneficial for them to do so. They are stubborn in defence and relentless in attack, though this sometimes leads to them taking disproportionate casualties when others would have withdrawn to pursue alternative tactics. Though the Ebon Knights are driven to capture all of the remaining Fallen Angels and force them to repent for their sins, unlike their Progenitors and their fellow Successor Chapters, they will not do so at the expense of innocent lives. The Ebon Knights maintain a strong chivalric tradition of protecting the weak and defending those who are unable to defend themselves. Everything else is secondary to the protection of the innocent, as the Ebon Knights hold in esteem all human lives.

Chapter Beliefs

A fearsome Ebon Knights Tormentor-Chaplain.

The Ebon Knights teachings are somewhat similar to those of their progenitors, with one minor divergence in regard to the Chapter's guilt concerning the Fallen. The Ebon Knights believe their own sins were wiped clean by the actions of their Dark Angels forefathers in the Fall of Caliban. This Chapter fears no spiritual damnation from the inter-Legion war known as the Fall, but they do feel responsible for meting out the punishment upon the traitors as an act of repentance. Despite the rift between themselves and their fellow Unforgiven, the Ebon Knights feel bound to continue the Hunt for the Fallen, in honour of their gene-sire.

As well as their determined drive to capture the Fallen, the Ebon Knights also maintain a chivalric code of honour that is a guiding principle of their actions. They are fiercely loyal and honourable, and hold in high esteem the human values that many of their fellow Scions of the Lion have come to forget. The Ebon Knights are resolute in all that they do, willing and able to make all sacrifices for the mission and for their fellow Battle-Brothers. The difference is, they hold that the life of an innocent is more important than obtaining an objective. To the Ebon Knights, all other concerns are secondary. It has been observed on numerous occasions that the Ebon Knights, unlike almost all other Chapters, show compassion for ordinary humans. This is primarily due to the influence of their recruitment worlds, whose ancient chivalric codes have permeated throughout the Ebon Knights' ranks down the millennia, and which the Chapter eventually adopted as their own. An Ebon Knight is honourable to a fault, holding personal honour above all else.

Chapter Gene-Seed

As the Ebon Knights are descended from the Dark Angels, their gene-seed is one of the purest and least degraded of all. There are no known aberrations in the Ebon Knights' gene-seed.

Primarch's Curse: Dark Nature

Although only the upper echelons of the Chapter are aware of the awful truth of the Dark Angels' past, even those newly recruited are possessed of a secretive, even introverted nature. The idea that outsiders are not to be trusted is drilled into the recruits from an early stage, and they are tested continuously to ensure their compliance until it becomes second nature. After all, a brother who cannot be entirely trusted to keep the Chapter's secrets is unlikely to advance through its ranks. Although the Ebon Knights have fought beside all of the branches of the Imperium's vast military machine, they prefer to stand beside other Space Marines. Many, even brother Astartes, find the Ebon Knights aloof and uncommunicative. The Ebon Knights, for their part, are impatient and unforgiving of strangers who pry into their affairs. In truth, those Ebon Knights who are aware of the existence of the Fallen are ever watchful for any sign of their activity, and will abandon whatever mission they are about should they gain any clue that one is nearby.

The Ebon Knights are also notoriously intolerant of non-humans and will often refuse to fight alongside armies that include abhuman warriors or alien races. They are highly suspicious of outsiders and often appear unreasonably aloof and intransigent. Many Ebon Knights have served with distinction and honour. Their taciturn nature and stubborn refusal to accept anything other than total victory over their foes have served them well.

Deathwatch Service

A Knight-Veteran of the Ebon Knights Chapter serving the Long Vigil

The Ebon Knights have been committing Battle-Brothers to the Deathwatch for millennia. In most cases, however, the Space Marine has stood but a single vigil before returning to his parent Chapter. It is whispered by some that the Chapter only ever allows its brethren to stand the Long Watch if and when it suits them. But the truth of the matter, is that their Progenitors have several of their brethren who serve in the Deathwatch, with many of them occupying senior appointments. Due to the sour relations between the two Chapters, the Ebon Knights will only send a handful of their battle-brothers to the Long Vigil at any given time.

Notable Ebon Knights

• Knight-Commander Sariel Abigor - Sariel Abigor was the first Knight-Commander and founder of the Ebon Knights Space Marine Chapter. Calibanite born, he was a veteran of both the Great Crusade and the subsequent Horus Heresy. During the Great Crusade he served as a Knight-Captain, commanding the 33^rd Chapter, which came to be known as the 'Ebon Knights' due to their strict adherence to the codes of chivalry and honourable conduct in battle. When the Horus Heresy erupted Sariel and his men were cut off from the bulk of the Legion, trapped by the impassable Ruinstorm. When they found out about the Warmaster's perfidy, Sariel led his warriors in a non-stop guerrilla campaign against the Traitor's supply lines and destroyed their outposts, venting their wrath upon those that would dare spit upon their oaths of fealty to the Master of Mankind. The Ebon Knights continued to wage their long war against the Traitors even after the final apocalyptic battle of the Heresy on the Imperial Throneworld of Terra. The Ebon Knights continued to vent their anger upon the Traitor Legions throughout the bloody wars of reciprocity that came to be known as the Great Scouring. Following the end of this brutal age and the reogranisation of the Imperium's military forces, the Space Marine Legions were broken down into smaller formations known as Chapters. This came to be known as the Second Founding. The Ebon Knights were created as a separate, independent Chapter from their Dark Angels progenitors. For his leadership, intrepidity and many heroic deeds, Sariel Abagor was recognised by his Primarch and chosen to lead the newly formed Chapter as its first commander.

Knight-Commander Marius Kyron with two Palatines.

• Knight-Commander Marius Kyron - Current Chapter Master of the Ebon Knights Chapter, Knight-Commander Kyron embodies the nobility of the Lion and is an exemplar for his fellow battle-brothers to emulate. Born upon the Feudal World of Avalonia which is ruled by a number of knightly orders, Marius Kyron was destined to become a warrior and leader and was raised accordingly. As soon as he was able to lift a sword, Marius was taught the principals of chivalry, military strategy and the precepts of command. Recruited by the Ebon Knights, Kyron quickly rose through the ranks, proving his mettle and tactical acumen during countless campaigns, and earning numerous accolades and honours. His meteoric rise eventually saw him assume the esteemed position of First Captain of the Ebon Knights' elite Palatines Company, a position he excelled at for over a century, until the death of the Ebon Knights' previous Knight-Commander, at the hands of a large Storm Draugar assault in 798.M41. Since that time, he has continued to lead the Ebon Knights in the hunt for the Fallen and their never-ending quest for redemption in the eyes of the Emperor. Knight-Commander Kyron is the epitome to which the Ebon Knights aspire.
• Consul-Master Orian Sevetikan - Current First Captain of the elite 1^st ('Palatines') Company and Equerry to Knight-Commander Kyron.
• Consul-Master Kyrris Drixx - Current Second Captaion of the elite 2^nd ('Manticores') Company.
• Captain-at-Arms Morax Hexx - Current commander of the 3^rd ('Dragonshields') Company and Master of the Arsenal.
• Captain-at-Arms Praxilus Thys Current commander of the 4^th ('Wrath Lions') Company and Lord of the Fleet.
• Captain-at-Arms Kadzeel Res - Current commander of the 5^th ('Reapers') Company and Lord of Rites.
• Captain-at-Arms Flauros Gielis - Current commander of the 6^th ('Talonwings') Company and Lord of Relics.
• Captain-at-Arms Jophiel Res - Current commander of the 7^th ('Executioners') Company and Lord of the Marches.
• Captain-at-Arms Mordekai Sol - Current commander of the 8^th ('Swordtakers') Company and Lord of Blades.
• Captain-at-Arms Venerari Sein - Current commander of the 9^th 'Dreadwing' Company and Master of Sieges.
• Consul-Master Artemius Cordacus - Current commander of the 10^th ('Crownbreakers') Company and Lord of Squires.
• Knight-Champion Astaroth Vendrist - Known amongst his battle-brothers as the 'Dour Paragon of the Lion's Wrath', Knight-Champion Astaroth Vendrist is the Chapter Champion and personal lifeguard of Knight-Commander Khyron.
• Grand Vizier Asmodeus Creb - Grand Vizier Asmodeus Creb, is the current Chief Librarian and Master of Hidden Knowledge.
• Brother Helbron Seth - Current Master of Nachthold, Brother Helbron Seth serves as the Ebon Knights Master of the Forge.
• Brother Naaman Sirax - Current Warden of Nachthold, Brother Naaman serves as the current Master of the Watch - the chief steward and sentinel that stands watch over the Ebon Knights fortress-monastery. He is responsible for the defences of his Chapter's base of operations and homeworld in the absence of the Knight-Commander.
• Palatine Apothecary Nemiel Lixx - Current Chief Apothecary and Master of the Apothecarion.
• High Tormento Zarael Vix - Current Reclusiarch and Master of the Faith.

Chapter Fleet

• Ebony Blade (Maelstrom-class Galleass of War) - The Ebony Blade is the ancient flagship of the Ebon nights Chapter. this formidable vessel was gifted to the I^st Legion at the dawn of the Great Crusade as a part of their Legion's expeditionary fleet and has continuously served the Imperium for over ten millennia. Physically larger than its Grand Cruiser counterpart, a Galleas of War was designed for deep-range explorations into unknown regions of space. This notewrothy but relatively uncommon type of warship is considered a 'pocket battleship', possessing the traits of both a battleship and a cruiser in size and firepower. This vessel is a formidable heavy raider and use its range and speed to catch targets unawares, as well as being a powerful flagship for the Ebon Knights Chapter fleet.
• Implacable Endurance (Warspite-class Battle Barge)
• Harbinger of Death (Olympic-class Battle Barge)
• Scion Eternal (Legate-class Battle Barge)
• Warbreaker (Strike Cruiser)
• Sword of Purgatory (Strike Cruiser)
• Eclipse of Dawn (Strike Cruiser)
• Parabellum (Strike Cruiser)
• Angel of Wrath (Gladius-class Frigate)
• Sword of Truth (Gladius-class Frigate)
• Litany of Vengeance (Hunter-class Destroyer)
• Dark Knight (Nova-class Frigate)
• Insidior (Nova-class Firgate)

Chapter Relics

• Sword of Retribution - The Sword of Retribution is a relic Terranic Greatsword that takes the form of a large, two-handed powersword. This particular weapon was said to have been forged over a millennia before the rise of the Imperium of Man. It was forged by the master artificers of the Terrawat Clan, an ancient polity of Terra that existed in great forges beneath the Ural Mounts on Terra. Their knowledge of advanced weaponry and technology was second-to-none, for they possessed many secrets from the Dark Age of Technology. This particular sword was said to be one of many gifted to the Emperor of Mankind to be used by his forces during the Wars of Unification in exchange for ancient technology that He shared with them. Perfectly balanced and etched with liturgies of harm and destruction at a molecular level, this master-crafted weapon can cleave through even ceramite unassisted. But what truly made this blade truly special was its archaic disruption field generator, which is far more powerful than that found on modern power weapons, giving this blade its devastating strength. A miracle of the Dark Age of Technology, the Sword of Retribution can bisect even Terminator plate in a single blow or shatter marble without so much as marring the blade's mirror-like finish.

Chapter Appearance

An Ebon Knights Armiger-Brother wearing their Chapter's trademark ebon and gold coloured panoply of war

Ebon Knights company markings, displayed on their left poleyn (knee guard).

Chapter Colours

The Ebon Knights primarily wear black coloured power armour. The shoulder pauldron trim, wrist armour, tops of the gauntlets and greaves are light gold in colour. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chestguard is also light gold in colour. A white coloured, open-faced squad specialist symbol on the right shoulder inset indicates a Battle-Brother's squad type (Battleline, Close Support, Fire Support, Veteran or Command). A white-coloured Roman numeral stenciled in the centre of the squad speciality symbol or on the inset indicates the squad number. A black gothic numeral stencilled on the left poleyn (knee guard) designates company assignment.

Alternatively, a battle-brother may choose to display a unique heraldic device utilised by each individual company. This heraldry also identifies which company a battle-brother is assigned to. However, there is no standard as to what must be displayed, as each individual battle-brother tends to vary from one another. This company heraldry can be displayed almost anywhere upon their battle-plate or stencilled upon a livery shield affixed to one of their shoulder pauldrons.

Campaign badges are symbols adopted during especially large, drawn-out wars that typically involve a range of different forces of the Imperium. These small heraldic devices are commonlystencilledd on the outside of one of the Battle-Brother's greaves.

Veteran Ebon Knights are commonly found wearing black-coloured hooded cloaks and tabards; this symbolises their shame over what the Fallen Angels had done, destroying their progenitor's former homeworld near the end of the Great Crusade. Cloaks and hoods are worn by those Veteran Ebon Knights and the Chapter's Inner Circle because they have learned enough about their genetic forebears' hidden history, and thus the Unforgiven's shame, prior to obtaining their rank within the Chapter.

Chapter Badge

The Ebon Knights Chapter badge is a gold-coloured winged-sword pointing upwards, centered on a field of sable.

Relations

Allies

Name	Iconography	Notes
Blades of Dorn		The Blades of Dorn are a proud Chapter descended from the lineage of the stoic Imperial Fists. On several occasions, the Ebon Knights have serve alongside these noble Scions of Dorn. Through their courage, battle-prowess and indomitable spirit in the face of overwhelming odds, the Blades of Dorn have earned the Ebon Knights' undying gratitude and respect. When called upon, they willingly answer their cousin Chapter's call-to-arms when they are able.
Blood Vultures		A ferocious and bellicose Chapter, the Blood Vultures are a vicious Blood Angels Successor Chapter of dark repute. Despite their well-deserved fell reputation, these savage and unrelenting Astartes are greatly admired by the Ebon Knights for their stalwart dedication to both the Emperor and the Imperium, and well as how they carry out their righteous wrath against those who would dare harm the innocent. Despite their brutal and merciless ways, the Ebon Knights have served alongside these brutal Astartes on several occasions down the millennia, earning several monumental victories in the face of overwhelming odds.
Exalted Seraphs		The Exalted Seraphs, like the Ebon Knights, are another Dark Angels Successor Chapter that is openly scorned by their progenitors and the chapters of the Unforgiven. It was only recently discovered by agents of the Ordo Hereticus, that this Chapter was in fact, a Successor Chapter that hailed from the lineage of Lion El'Jonson - not Rogal Dorn - as originally believed. However, it was also discovered, by those Unforgiven that were present, that this Chapter's founder and first Chapter Master was none other than a traitorous Fallen Angel! When the origins of the Exalted Seraphs were eventually discovered by the Ebon Knights, they openly embraced their wayward cousins, for they knew better than anyone, what it was like to be ostracised by those who shared the same blood. On a half dozen occasions, the Ebon Knights have fought honourably alongside the Exalted Seraphs, forging unbreakable bonds of brotherhood in the fires of war. However, though the Ebon Knights value their intractable kindred Chapter for their zealotry and thoroughness in how they prosecute their campaigns, they do not necessarily agree with their draconian methods. Despite some misgivings, both Chapters still maintain relatively close relations to this day, and will answer one another's call to arms should the need ever arise.
Morana Black Guard		The Morana 'Black Guard' is the name of the formidable Astra Militarum shock troop regiments that hail from the post-nuclear Death World of Morana, located in the Uhulis Sector in the Segmentum Tempestus. Despite suffering several tragedies in their long and troubled history, the people of Morana have risen up from the ashes of ruination, becoming fiercely independent and industrious people. The elite Black Guard regiments willingly volunteer to fight in some of the most brutal and deadliest warzones imaginable. During their long and glorious history, they have fought alongside the Ebon Knights in several campaigns, earning much admiration for their stoic determination in the face of overwhelming odds and casual disregard for their own lives in combat. Humble and dedicated, they eschew such accolades, seeing service to the Emperor as its own reward.

Strained

Name	Iconography	Notes
Dark Angels & Fellow Successor Chapters	Pict-File Unavailable	Though not 'enemies' per se, the relations between the Ebon Knights and their Progenitors and fellow Successor Chapters has been noticeably sour since the Crimson Blade Campaign that took place in the mid-32nd Millennium. They are not even recognised as being fellow Scions of the Lion, and when on campaign within the same region, are treated with cold indifference.

Enemies

Name	Iconography	Notes
Fallen Angels		Like all Dark Angels Successor Chapters, the Ebon Knights loathe those renegade Space Marines who were once members of the Dark Angels Legion that spat upon their oaths to the Lion and followed the Arch-Betrayer Luther into damnation. The Ebon Knights relentlessly pursue the Fallen across the breadth and width of the galaxy, determined to capture them and force them to repent, in order to achieve forgiveness in the eyes of the Emperor.

Notable Quotes

By the Ebon Knights

Feel free to add your own

"We are the Ebon Knights, the Sons of the Lion. As we draw breath, we stand. As we stand, we fight. As we fight, we prevail. Nothing shall stay our wrath! "

— Orian Sevetikan , of the elite 1^st ('Palatines') Company, 1^st Captain

"To think they were once as brothers to us. They are sycophants to our elder brethren...blindly obeying without question and killing without remorse. They would put an entire world to death if it meant capturing even one of our wayward kin. I am ashamed we share the same bloodline."

— Knight-Sergeant Linus Galatine of the Ebon Knights, on a fellow Successor Chapter, the Lions Malevolent

About the Ebon Knights

Feel free to add your own

"Skilled Astartes of fine calibre, that can be in no doubt, but that even their own sister Chapters hold them at arms length suggests to me a dark secret of which the Imperium at large is not aware."

— Lophess Ovair, Obsidian Blades 2^nd Captain

"Do not speak of the Forgotten in my presence whelp, lest I cut your wagging tongue from your mouth! We do not speak of those who turned their backs on duty, their kin and the Lion."

— Brother-Sergeant Taraziel of the Black Knights chastising a Scout Marine

"Treasonous swine! Betrayers of Caliban! Dogs of the whore-sired Lion! Come, face me! Face my axe you motherless swine!"

— Heshgar the Heathen, Draugar Lord of the 7^th Storm, Storm Draugar Warband, cutting down several Ebon Knights Battle-Brothers during the infamous Battle for Koldur Depot

"Lions who hate lions who hate lions? How much fun those family reunions must be. All those knightly wills and ways, and yet none of them realize that they are all as bad as each other."

— Calios Kottel, Lord of the Void Sirens

" I do not know if I should respect them for their wish to walk alone, separated from their kin, or if I should hold them in contempt. Perhaps I should let my successor choose to either follow their path or repudiate it..."

— Kardan Rauth, Chapter Master of the Sons of Iron

"You give the guardsmen too much credit, cousin, they did nought but clog the enemies guns in the blood of their dead."

— Eulitus Ephrain, Chapter Master of the Wings of Salvaxes

"Contempt is as fine a weapon as any steel, but be careful, lest it cut it's own."

— Teridax, Nuixden-ka of the Star Reapers

"A group of Astartes worthy of giving a man of crimson's welcome to the Imperium. They are men we shall look toward and appreciate!"

— Stros M'karr, Valerian Sergeant of the Crimson Templars

"I do not fear you Astartes...I got my stripes by beating one of your brothers to a bloody pulp, now I kill you for a living. Come, show me you're worth my time!"

— Captain Emanuel Vrodr, Hell Dogs Astra Militarum Regiment

">sigh< It's quite the shame that all of you would rather die for nothing then to fight for The Necromancer, I would have enjoyed our time together brothers. So many others have cast you out treated worse than dirt and yet you still fight alongside them, i suppose i'll never understand you all. But now i get to enjoy beheading you all so i won't complain I enjoy watching your bodies go limp, and don't worry i'll be sure to make it excruciating. "

—The Tainted, member of The Nine rambling to his Ebon Knight prisoners as he's executing and torturing them.

[Source] [Source]

Gallery

Consul-Master (First Captain) Orian Sevetikan, current commander of the elite 1^st ('Palatines') Company, arrayed in ancient, relic Cataphractii pattern Terminator Armour.

Consul-Master Orian Sevetikan after crossing the Rubicon Primaris.

Ebon Knights Consul Master Kyrris Drixx, Anointed Exemplar of the Sacred Crusade, commander of the elite 2^nd ('Manticores') Company.

Ebon Knights Captain-at-Arms Morax Hexx, Master of the Arsenal, Dour Absolver of the Enduring Conclave, commander of the 3^rd Company ('Dragonshields'). Note: Praetor Pattern helm featuring its distinctive visor plate was often worn as a mark of distinction and honour by Veterans and Chapter officers.

Captain-at-Arms Praxilus Thys, Sombre Guardian of the Lion's Maelstrom, commander of the 4^th Company ('Wrath Lions') and current Master of the Fleet.

Captain-at-Arms Kadzeel Res, Righteous Exemplar of the Sanctified Cipher, commander of the 5^th Company ('Reapers').

Ebon Knights Captain-at-Arms Flauros Gielis, Elusive Blade-Master of the Forgotten Stars, commander of the 6^th Company ('Talonwings') and the current Master of Relics.

Ebon Knights Seneschal (Lieutenant) Dannael Harados, Avenging Seraph of the Forbidden Sacrament, assigned to the elite 1^st ('Palatines') Company. Arrayed in relic Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour.

Ebon Knights Knight-Veteran Kepharel Dagonon, Wrathful Punisher of the Purified Reliquary, assigned to the elite 1^st ('Palatines') Company

Ebon Knights Knight-Veteran Raziel Vendrah, Wrathful Exterminator of the Bleak Shrine, of the elite 1^st ('Palatines') Company. He is assigned to the role of a Dreadwing Eskaton, the Chapter's elite terminator-armoured heavy fire support formation.

Ebon Knights Knight-Veteran Neziel Cadmyr, Vengeful Seraph of the Umbral Seal, assigned to the 1^st ('Palatines') Company, 2^nd Veteran Squad. Note: Wearing an ebon-coloured hooded tabard, indicating his position within the Chapter's Inner Circle.

Ebon Knights Knight-Sergeant Kerubiel Vendrar, Enigmatic Exterminator of the Cleansing Shrine, assigned to the 4^th Company ('Wrath Lions'), 3^rd Battleline Squad, wearing Mk VI 'Corvus' pattern power armour, at the time of the Second Founding.

Ebon Knights Armiger-Brother Malloc Ezekius, Anointed Exemplar of the Sacred Crusade, assigned to the 3^rd Company ('Dragonshields'), 4^th Battleline Squad, wearing Mk VII 'Aquila' pattern Power Armour (modern era).

Ebon Knights Knight-Sergeant Eliakas Astelir, Dour Absolver of the Enduring Conclave, of the 5^th Company ('Reapers'), 3^rd Battleline Squad, arrayed in relic 'Imperial' pattern power armour and wielding a Disintegrator Combi-Rifle, an extremely rare and archaic weapon.

Ebon Knights Armiger-Brother Parasiel Lazror, Implacable Champion of the Undying Basilica, assigned to the 9^th Company ('Dreadwing'), 9^th Fire Support Squad.

Ebon Knights Apothecary Lazmiel Ganymus, Enigmatic Protector of the Holy Spire.

Ebon Knights Primaris Techmarine Turmiel Zoroastah, Rependent Adherent of the Consecrated Tower, assigned to the the Chapter's Host of Iron, temporarily assigned to the 4^th Company ('Wrath Lions').

Newly assigned Ebon Knighs Primaris Intercessor (Preceptor-Sergeant) Israfael Marbael, Formidable Protector of the Twilight Chamber, assigned to the 5^th Company ('Reapers'), 4^th Battleline Squad.

Ebon Knights Primaris Aggressor Zadkiel Sammiel, Sombre Master of the Shrouded Citadel, assigned to the 8^th Company ('Swordtakers'), unknown Fire Support Squad.

Ebon Knights Primaris Reiver Raziel Aradatis, Silent Paragon of the Obsidian Hunt, assigned to the elite 2^nd Company ('Manticores'), unknown Battleline Squad.

Knight-Veteran Turiel Abdazion, Pentitent Angel of the Mysterious Vigil, of the elite 1^st ('Palatines') Company, Reconnaissance Section, performing his role on the battlefield as a Scout Sniper. Note: Cameoline Field is disengaged, and so the surface of the armour takes on a flat-black finish in its passive state; when the field is activated, the armour's surface mirrors ambient lighting conditions, allowing its wearer to blend into his surroundings

Ebon Knights Knight-Errant (Ravenwing Black Knight equivalent) Zadakiel Damegion, Austere Seraph of the Consecrated Crusade, of the elite 2^nd ('Manticores') Company, mounted upon his attack bike awaiting orders to attack.

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Warhammer 40k Lore - The Ebon Knights, Homebrew Chapters

Warhammer 40k Lore - The Ebon Knights Return, Homebrew Chapters