Crozius Arcanum
The Crozius Arcanum serves as both a sacred staff of office and a weapon for Space Marine Chaplains. This duality is perceived as only natural to a Space Marine, who see battle as the most glorious form of worship to the Emperor1.
The Crozius Arcanum itself is a staff of medium length, topped with either an Imperial eagle or a winged skull. A few versions use iconography from the Chapter they belong to, such as the blacksmith's hammer-version used by some Chaplains from the Salamanders Chapter. Cassius, Master of Sanctity of the Ultramarines Chapter has fashioned his Crozius Arcanum after a Tyranid head, in remembrance of the invasion of Macragge.
Incorporated within the staff is a powerful energy field capable of disrupting matter much in the same way as a Power Weapon 2.
At least one Crozius, the Stormrod used by Chaplain Carnak of the Imperial Fists, is capable of projecting its power field to strike down enemies from a distance.3
Crozius Arcanum are also still used by the corrupted Dark Apostles of the Word Bearers, the only Chaos Space Marine Legion still to employ the use of Chaplains. However, the weapons are known as Accursed Crozius, debased and twisted from their original form into an icon of worship for the Dark Gods. Not only is the Crozius still a potent weapon, it also signifies that the bearer is blessed by their patron God, enjoying physical protection as well as a closer connection to the daemons of the Warp 4.
Sources
- 1:Warhammer 40,000: Wargear
- 2:Codex: Space Marines (4th Edition)
- 3:Ultramarines - A Warhammer 40,000 Movie
- 4Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex)
