Caliban
From Lexicanum
Caliban was a Death World and the homeworld to the Dark Angels Space Marine chapter. It was a cursed but beautiful planet, being close to the realm of Chaos.
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name: | Caliban | 
|
| Segmentum: | Segmentum Obscurus | ||
| Sector: | Unknown | ||
| Subsector: | Unknown | ||
| System: | Caliban System | ||
| Population: | N/A | ||
| Affiliation: | Imperium | ||
| Class: | Former Death World, Destroyed | ||
| Tithe Grade: | N/A | ||
Contents |
Information
The people were hardy, brought up by the sword and the planet was covered in jungle inhabited by the twisted bodies of beasts. The people were forced to build vast fortresses out of stone where the warrior elite of Caliban ruled from.
The child Jonson was discovered in the forest by a group of knights only known as The Order. A young man named Luther brought Jonson back to the Order's temple and gave him the name Lion El'Jonson, or The Lion, The Son Of The Forest. Jonson easily adapted to his new life, learning the ways of the people quickly. As time went by, Luther and Jonson became very close and their exploits were known throughout the planet and the numbers of recruits for the Order grew rapidly each year.
Jonson supposedly sent a crusade to destroy the forces of Chaos on his world. All of the masters of other monasteries joined him and within a decade the planet was rid of all Chaos forces. Free from Chaos, the planet flourished and Jonson was made Supreme Grand Master of the Order and Caliban.
When the Emperor arrived at Caliban, Jonson immediately joined him. Jonson took control of the Dark Angels and made Caliban the homeworld for them. The first new Space Marine was Luther, and when Jonson went off on the Great Crusade, he left Luther behind.
Luther began to feel jealousy against Jonson. When Jonson returned from the Horus Heresy, a withering salvo of fire knocked ships out of orbit. Over many decades Luther had corrupted the remaining legion on Caliban. Jonson was furious and moved his ships back into orbit, bombarding the planet. Eventually, Jonson ordered the invasion and the loyal Dark Angels landed across the planet. The corrupt Dark Angels took hold in the Order monastery, and Luther and Jonson faced off. The ancient home was reduced to rubble and the planet was flattened.
Eventually, due to the bombardment, the planets crust began to shift and crack. Around the planet, the warp shifted as the dark powers realised they had failed again and a warp storm spewed forth around the planet. A swirling vortex of warp power was created around Caliban and it eventually broke up, being pulled into the warp. Only an asteroid with the Fortress Monastery ruins remained. Luther was said to be found, but Jonson was nowhere to be seen. It is said that he was taken by the Watchers in the Dark.1
Beasts
Beasts or great beasts are the terms used to describe the deadly creatures that populated Caliban's forests and wilds until Lion El'Jonson and the Order launched their campaign of extermination. They had plagued the people of Caliban for centuries, killing many and forcing the populous to be ever wary of the forests. Each great beast was said to be completely unique, a species within itself. There also existed the possibility that they were spawned from the warp. This seems to be backed up by Zahariel's journey into the Northwilds and the unseemly intelligence and cruelty displayed by the beasts. All of them were lethal in their own way and slaying one would mark a supplicant's acceptance as a full knight into the Order.2
Trivia
Caliban is the name of a character in Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and the name of a moon of Uranus.
Caliban of The Tempest grows up alone, the only human on an island. This, combined with his ancestry (son of a witch and a demon), results in his wild and dangerous nature. Caliban is civilised by the arrival of a great sorcerer, but eventually grows resentful of his master and seeks to rebel under a new leader. In the end, however, he remains a servant of his first master. His character arc is notably similar to that of Lion El'Jonson. The alternate spelling 'Calibaun' is a Romany word for black, which is potentially notable in relation to the black colouration of original Dark Angel armour.
Sources
- 1: Codex: Dark Angels (4th Edition)
- 2: Descent of Angels (Novel)
- 3: Forces of the Imperial Inquisition Collectors' Guide (location on page 4)
