[[Image:Mk1power armorThunderArmour.JPGjpg|thumb|right|Mk.I '350px|A Captain in a mix of [[Thunder' pattern Armour]] and Great Crusade armour by [[Power ArmourJohn Blanche]] {{Fn|4a}}]]The '''Thunder Warriors''' (also known as the '''Thunder Legion'''{{Fn|7}} or '''Legiones Cataegis'''{{Fn|10a}}) were the genetically-engineered warriors of [[Terra]] created by the [[Emperor of Mankind]] to [[Unification Wars|unite the homeworld of humanity]] beneath His rule in the [[M30|30th Millennium]]. They were gene-enhanced warriors created by the Emperor and served as the precursors to the present-day [[Space Marines]]. Wrought to be living weapons, the Thunder Warriors were known to be physically stronger, more savage , and more potent in combat than the later Astartes, though they were not as long-lived.

Thunder Warriors were the elite super-soldiers that marched with the [[Emperor]] to conquer [[Terra]] in the [[Wars of Unification]]. The engineering that the Emperor used to create the Thunder Warriors, whilst creating superior fighters, was not as efficient as what was used later to create the [[Space Marine]]s{{Fn|3}}, nor was the technology as advanced or the geneticists as entirely willing.{{Fn|5a}} These proto-Astartes were organized organised into twenty regiments of no more than a few hundred warriors, each named by the Emperor himself.{{Fn|44b}}

The Thunder Warriors battled throughout the Unification Wars and united Terra for the first time in millennia under the rule of the [[Emperor]]. According to myth, they were all killed during the final battle of the Unification Wars, the [[Battle of Mount Ararat]].{{Fn|2}} ===Organisation===Like the later [[Legiones Astartes]], the Thunder Warriors were organised into twenty Legions, each led by a [[Primarch]]. However, unlike the Astartes Primarchs, Thunder Warriors Primarchs were not physically different from the warriors they led. Instead, they were simply superlative warriors who were promoted to the position by the Emperor.{{Fn|10a}} The Legions of Thunder Warriors seem to match that of the Astartes. For instance, the 4th Legion of Thunder Warriors was known as the ''Iron Lords'' and specialised in siegecraft. This closely resembles the subsequent [[Iron Warriors]].{{Fn|10a}}

[[Image:TWMiniMk1power armor.jpgJPG|thumb|right|140px[[Space Marine Power Armour#Mark I "Thunder Armour"|Mk.I 'Thunder Warrior miniature{{Fn|6}}' pattern]] [[Power Armour]] ]]Thunder Warriors were large, greater in size than most [[Space Marine]]s. In their earliest days the Thunder Warriors wore metal armour with leather strappings and wielded [[Lasgun|Lasrifle]]s.{{Fn|10a}} Despite physical deterioration, the few Warriors that survived the end of the [[Unification Wars]] were easily more than a match for an Astartes, and had even outperformed [[Custodian]]s during combat engagements. Even severely deteriorated Thunder Warriors shown were capable of fighting multiple Astartes at once.{{Fn|5b}}{{Fn|8}} They were made highly resistant to psychic attack, perhaps because of the sorcery they would regularly face during the [[Age of Strife]], with any attempts at mental attack causing severe pain to the psyker.{{Fn|8}} They had tremendous upper body strength that was considered to be unparalleled, which when coupled with their early model of [[Space Marine Power ArmorArmour#Mark_1_.22Thunder_Armour.22Mark I "Thunder Armour"|power armorarmour]], made them virtually unbeatable in close combat.{{Fn|2}}{{Fn|5b}}{{Fn|8}} The leg strength of even a heavily physically deteriorating Thunder Warrior made them capable of kicking completely through the torso of a normal human.{{Fn|8}} Their bones were thicker than that of an Astartes, with a Thunder Warrior capable of shattering the skull of an Astartes with a headbutt.{{Fn|2}} Their reflexes were also extremely enhanced, allowing a Thunder Warrior to dodge the shot from a [[plasma gun]], while already engaged in and focusing on fighting two other Astartes.{{Fn|8}} The Thunder Warriors' genetic template was unstable and they were prone to fits of bloodlust and instability. Short-lived and rife with both mental and physical health issues, Thunder Warriors were known to suddenly drop dead or stop following orders.{{Fn|10a}} Unlike the later Legiones Astartes, they lived as warlords and relished battle. Their human emotions were not expunged from them, and they were known for their dry humour.{{Fn|10b}}

At least one Thunder Warrior survived to the time of the [[Horus Heresy]], [[Arik Taranis]], who had taken many names in the interim, including Babu Dhakal. Taranis had learned some of the techniques the Emperor had used to create him and tried to make his own army.{{Fn|2}} He suspected that the Emperor had deliberately engineered his kind with a limited lifespan, though he personally hoped it was simply a defect; Thunder Warriors that did not die in battle suffered from cellular degeneration or mental instability, and often had relatively short lifespans.{{Fn|5a}} Eventually, after another Thunder Warrior, [[Ghota]], encountered a group of traitor Astartes known as the [[Outcast Dead]] and slew one of its members, Taranis was able to cure the genetic instability of the Thunder Warriors, though not before suffering considerable degeneration himself.{{Fn|2}}

EventuallyFour Thunder Warriors had also survived on Terra to serve as gladiators in depths of The Maw, near slums known as the Swathe, after another Thunder Warriorfor despite their physical deterioration they were still mighty warriors. They had been kept alive by '''Tarrigata''', a former [[Ghotaastropath]], encountered a group who served as their master and helped keep them alive through transplanting the organs of traitor Astartes known as the deceased Thunder Warriors. One of them (Kabe) eventually died after being incapacitated in a gladiator battle against a [[Outcast DeadChrono Gladiator]] , before being ceremonially executed by a fellow Thunder Warrior. Another (Gairok) became mentally unstable and slew was slain when he attacked one of its membersthe other Thunder Warriors. The third (Vezulah Vult) died fighting a demonically [[Possessed Marine|possessed]] [[Alpha Legion]] warrior, Taranis after being blinded by the Astartes' acidic spit and eviscerated. The last (Dahren Heruk) was able to cure given an honoured death by a Custodian, after he defeated the genetic instability of possessed legionary and saved the Thunder Warriors, though not before suffering considerable degeneration himselfCustodian's life.{{Fn|28}}

Four Thunder Warriors had also survived on Terra to serve as gladiators in depths of The Maw, near slums known as It is possible that the Swathe, for despite their physical deterioration they were still mighty warriors. They had been kept alive by '''Tarrigata''', a former World Eater and later [[astropathBlackshields|Blackshield]], who served as their master and helped keep them alive through transplanting the organs of the deceased Thunder Warriors. One of them (Kabe) eventually died after being incapacitated in a gladiator battle against a [[Chrono GladiatorEndryd Haar]], before being ceremonially executed by was a fellow Thunder Warrioror another kind of proto-Astartes who was successfully transformed into a Space Marine. Another (Gairok) became He was far larger, stronger, and quicker than other Space Marines; furthermore, he was extremely brutal and somewhat mentally unstable and was slain when he attacked one of despite lacking the other Thunder Warriors. The third (Vezulah Vult) died fighting a demonically [[Possessed Marine|possessed]] [[Alpha LegionButcher's Nails]] warrior, after being blinded by the Astarte's acidic spit and eviscerated. The last (Dahren Heruk) was given an honoured death by Malcador singled him out as a Custodian, after special case. Haar himself confirmed that he defeated had fought alongside the Emperor in the possessed legionary Unification Wars and saved called the CustodianDait's lifeTar "brothers".{{Fn|814}}{{Fn|15}}{{Fn|16}}

*[[Skand (Thunder Warrior)|Skand]]{{Fn|12}}*[[Ushotan]] - Primarch{{Fn|10a}}*[[Arik Taranis]] The Throneslayer.{{Fn|2}}*[[Ghota]]{{Fn|2}}*[[Dreams of Unity (Short Story)|Dahren Heruk]]{{Fn|13}}*[[Dreams of Unity Kabe (Short StoryThunder Warrior)|Kabe]]{{Fn|13}}*[[Dreams of Unity (Short Story)|Vezulah Vult]]{{Fn|13}}*[[Dreams of Unity (Short Story)|Gairok]] ==Canon Conflict==*Both Thunder Warriors and Custodians have been stated to be superior to each other at some point. Thunder Warriors were described as being unparalleled in physical might during the time of the Custodes. Conversely [[Inferno! (Magazine)]], described Custodians as being stronger than Thunder Warriors.{{Fn|13}}

===Sources===

*{{Endn|2}}: [[The Outcast Dead (Novel)]] by [[Graham McNeill]], {{Cite This}}*{{Endn|3}}: [[The First Heretic (Novel)|The First Heretic]] by , Chapter 17*4: [[Aaron Dembski-BowdenCollected Visions]], Chapter 17:**{{Endn|4a}}: pg. 13**{{Endn|44b}}: [[Collected Visions]], pg. 17*5: [[The Horus Heresy Book One - Betrayal]] :

*{{Endn|7}}: [[Master of Mankind (Novel)]] by [[Aaron Dembski-Bowden]], Chapter 6*{{Endn|8}}: [[Dreams of Unity (Short Story)]]*{{Endn|9}}: [[Codex: Adeptus Custodes (8th Edition)]] - pg.9*{{Endn|10}}: [[ValdorCategory: Birth of the Imperium (Novel)Unification Wars]]