Adeptus Custodes
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This article is about the Imperial bodyguard unit, for the Tau space vessel see Or'es El'leath Class Battleship |
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The Adeptus Custodes are the guardians of the Imperial Palace and the Golden Throne, as well as being the personal bodyguard to the Emperor. A small elite of three hundred Custodes, known as the Companions, form the Emperor's personal bodyguard and never leave his side. Due to the vast size of the Imperial Palace, the Custodes always act as a defensive army[1]. As of M41 the Custodes themselves never leave Terra, and only rarely leave the Palace.[Needs Citation]
It is the Adeptus Custodes that decide who may enter the throne room of the Emperor, and when.[Needs Citation]
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Organization
The Adeptus Custodes is a department of the Adeptus Terra, the Imperial government, but its members are answerable only to the Emperor and their own leaders.[Needs Citation]
The organization's leader carries the title of Captain-General, and due to the importance of the Adeptus Custodes he often holds a position in the Senate of the High Lords of Terra[1].
Appearance and equipment
Generally, the Custodes are larger and more powerful than Space Marines, but the differences are only noticeably significant in a few specific cases.[3a]
The uniforms of the Custodians are traditional but effective: boots, leather breeches and long black cloaks. Their torsos are naked and corded with tattooed muscle. Their tall, brazen helmets, ominous and all-enclosing, give them a threatening and impersonal appearance; ancient and ornate, the helmets incorporate advanced protective equipment and communicators.[Needs Citation]
Originally the traditional colour of the Custodes was red; following the confinement of the Emperor after the defeat of Horus, it was changed to black.[Needs Citation]
The Custodes are renowned for carrying Guardian Spears, which have been carried by the Adeptus Custodes since long before the Emperor's confinement. This weapon is closely associated with the Custodes, and is depicted on their banners and badges.[2][4a][5]
History
The Adeptus Custodes were known originally as the Legio Custodes. The original Custodians were the first genetically and psychologically altered warriors created by the Emperor during the Terran Unification Wars. They served as the Emperor's personal bodyguard.[4a] The genetic enhancement that forms the Custodes is different from and predates that developed to create the Space Marines.[3a]
During the Great Crusade, the Custodes always kept a contingent with the Emperor for his protection, but also travelled individually as envoys. Since the Emperor's internment in the Golden Throne, the Adeptus Custodes have taken a more limited role as protectors of the Imperial Palace.[Needs Citation]
Originally, they were equipped with the best power armour of the age, and had access to the same type of equipment and weapons as had the Space Marine Legions. Equipment which was characteristic of the Custodes would influence the equipment of the later Grey Knights. After the confinement of the Emperor within the Golden Throne, the Custodes abandoned, among other things, the use of their armour, and their traditional colour of red was changed to black.[4a]
During the Age of Apostasy, the Adeptus Custodes reemerged briefly during the siege of the Ecclesiarchal Palace of Terra in the reign of Goge Vandire. During this time, the Custodes attempted to make their way towards Vandire, halted only by the Brides of the Emperor whom Vandire had convinced into becoming his personal bodyguards. After a long and fruitless discussion, the Custodes convinced the leader of the Brides, Alicia Dominica, to return with them to the presence of the Emperor. What happened during that moment is unknown, but the effects resulted in the Brides of the Emperor rebelling against Vandire, ending his reign once and for all.[Needs Citation]
Combat History
Outlook and training
Although the Custodes were among the first modified warriors to be created by the Emperor, they were never intended to be part of a conquering army; such a role was to be filled by the latter Astartes armies. This is revealed both in their mindset and training:
While Custodians share a genetic kinship with one another within the formation, they do not foster the same spirit of brotherhood that is instilled within the Astartes in order to function together as a unit. Indeed, each Custodian prepares and inspects his equipment individually, rather than on military parade.[3b]
The individuality of each Custodes is further promoted by the fact that the processes required to produce them is not as refined or as simple as that of the Astartes [3c] and thus are not "mass-produced" as the Astartes are; meaning that each Custodian is a unique investment for the Imperium.
One ritual that the Custodes do share is the recognition of mighty deeds, manifested in the awarding of names, which are added to the Custodian's title to represent the actions he has performed in service to the Emperor (Constantin Valdor obtained 1932 names prior to the assault on Terra).[3d] Such names were inscribed onto the inside of the warrior's battle armour as marks of individual pride.[8]
The training of the Custodes also differed immensely from the Astartes, being bodyguards rather than soldiers. It is clear from their Blood Games that Custodians are trained in the arts of assassination - both improvised and advanced - in order to counter possible assassination attempts to the Emperor. It is common for several Custodians to be on detached duty for these Blood Games so that the organisation remains vigilant against developing threats.[3e]
Furthermore it is clear that the Custodes are also well versed in the political etiquette of Terra, and have been known to act outside of Imperial Law, to infiltrate influential Noble Houses and to investigate any potential threats (a role that an Astartes would never be expected to fulfil.)[3f]
This aspect of the Custodian mindset is advantageous, given that the Captain-General often shares a seat with the High Lords of Terra, which thus allows him to navigate the political maneuverings of the Imperium's various agencies, while still remaining an awe-inspiring warrior.[Needs Citation]
Known Custodes
- Chief Custodian Constantin Valdor - Captain-General of the Legio Custodes, during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. [3]
- Amon Tauromachian [3]
- Justinian Arcadius - Custodes Sentinel[4b]
- Haedo Emankon[3]
- Brokur [3]
- Zerin [3]
- Aquillon - Occuli Imperator [6]
- Kalhin [6]
- Nirulus [6]
- Sythran [6]
- Vendatha [6]
- Saturnalia [7]
- Khorarinn[8]
Images
Mikaelor Cobernus, Shield Captain of the Legio Custodes
Sagittarus, Dreadnought of the Custodian Guard
Artulon, Custodian of the Emperor
Custode Terminator trio
Grav-Rhino Prototype developed by the Custodes durring the Great Crusade
Praetorian Jetbike Troopers durring the Emperors unification of mankind
Custodians pressing an attack in the Webway
Companions durring the Great Crusade
Related articles
Sources
- 1: Codex Imperialis, [Needs Citation]
- 2: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, [Needs Citation]
- 3: Blood Games (Short Story), by Dan Abnett - Tales of Heresy (Anthology):
- 3a: pg. 29
- 3b: [Needs Citation]
- 3c: [Needs Citation]
- 3d: [Needs Citation]
- 3e: [Needs Citation]
- 3f: [Needs Citation]
- 4: Horus Heresy: Collected Visions
- 5: Inquisition War Trilogy by Ian Watson, [Needs Citation]
- 6: The First Heretic (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, [Needs Citation]
- 7: The Outcast Dead (Novel) by Graham McNeill, [Needs Citation]
- 8: White Dwarf December 2012 (US), pg. 43
