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[['''Arkhan Land]] ''' was one of the most famous members of the [[Adeptus MechanicusMechanicum]], a [[Magos]] and [[technoarchaeologist]], one who went best known for recovering ancient texts of technology. He was responsible for the recovery of several rare [[STC]] fragments technology from the Great [[Librarius Omnis]] under Mars, and their restoration, notably leading to the recovery of the blueprints for the [[Land Raider]] battle tank, the [[Land Speeder]] fast attack vehicle, both of which are named for him. It is said he died on [[Mars]] while on his second expedition into the Librarius Omnis looking for more technology. Two centuries after his expedition was declared lost, his vox diary was found. It spoke of how his team had been picked off one by one by an unknown entity. There is some debate as to the nature of this entity. Some say it was a sentient virus, others favour a mutant or psychic entity that may have lain dormant in the ancient areas of the Librarius until his meddling awoke it.{{Fn|1}}
→Trivia
{{AdeptusMechanicusPortal}}
[[Image:Arkhan Land.jpg|thumb|right|Magos Arkhan Land]]
==Biography==
Arkhan Land was one of the most legendary and gifted members of the Mechanicum even in the age of the [[Great Crusade]]. By the age of five, he could speak over 50 dialects and quickly became a renowned Tech-Priest who was able to successfully navigate the hazardous catacombs and tech-vaults beneath Mars' surface and recover [[STC]] fragments and artifacts. Known to the greater Mechanicum as an unparalleled genius but also arrogant and disrespectful, he was also notable for having few outward [[bionic]] enhancements.{{Fn|4a}}
===First Expedition===
Land led a three-year expedition into the [[Librarius Omnis]] in search of a functioning STC database{{fn|1}}, resulting in the recovery of the blueprints for [[Land Raider|Land's Raider-Pattern Main Battle Tank]], [[Land Crawler|Land's Crawler]] multi-purpose heavy utility vehicle, the Mars Universal Land Engine (the basis of the [[Onager Dunecrawler]]){{Fn|3}}, and the information on rare anti-gravitic plates used in [[Land Speeder|Land's Speeder]], all of which are named for him{{Fn|2a}}. In the [[M41|41st Millennium]], some sources incorrectly state he died before seeing the practical implementation of the anti-gravitic plates he discovered.{{fn|2b}}
Land's discoveries drew the attention of the [[Emperor of Mankind]], his discoveries finding wide use in the [[Adeptus Custodes|Legio Custodes]] who used a variety of [[Grav-Tank|Grav-Tanks]] powered by Land's anti-gravitic plates as well as the [[Imperial Jetbike|Paragon Pattern Jetbike]]. Shortly after the recovery of [[Angron]], Arkhan Land was personally assigned by the Emperor to aid Him in His attempt to cure the [[Primarch]] of the [[Butcher's Nails]]. Only Land could confirm the Emperor's belief that the Butcher's Nails were based on the ancient ''cruciamen'', a technology referred to in profane texts in the [[Hexarchion Vaults]].{{Fn|4a}}
===Horus Heresy===
[[Image:Arkhan Land and Sapien.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Arkhan Land and Sapien during the Horus Heresy]]
Land revered the Emperor as the [[Omnissiah]], and as such stayed loyal to him during the [[Horus Heresy]]. He was evacuated from Mars by [[Space Marine Sergeant|Sergeant]] [[Nicanor Tullus]] of the [[Imperial Fists]] on the orders of [[First Captain]] [[Sigismund]]. As Land and Tullus made their way to the lander that would take them to safety, they were attacked by a [[Vorax Class Robot]] sent by the [[Dark Mechanicum]] to kill Land rather than let his talents be removed to Terra. Tullus gave his life to buy Land the time to escape along with other loyalist Tech-Priests.{{fn|5}}
Although he and [[Fabricator General]] [[Zagreus Kane|Kane]] shared a mutual disdain for one another, Land's knowledge of forbidden weaponisation gleaned from the Hexarchion Vaults and good standing with the Custodes prompted Kane to seek his assistance in the ascension of [[Magos Dominus|Magos Domina]] [[Hieronyma]] into '''the Archimandrite'''{{Fn|4a}}. He accompanied the Archimandrite into the [[webway]], bringing his personal [[Grav-Raider]] and [[Familiar|Psyber-Monkey]] [[Sapien]] with him.{{fn|4b}} When they arrived in [[Calastar]] as it was [[War Within the Webway|falling to the enemy]], Land was visibly shaken by the sight of [[daemon|daemons]].{{fn|4c}}
Following the Webway War, Land began spending much time with fellow veteran [[Dominion Zephon]] of the [[Blood Angels]]. Zephon's [[bionic]] limbs were constantly rejected by his body, so Land agreed to repair them. To bypass the bodily rejection, Land inserted fragments of a [[Dark Age of Technology]]-era Artificial Intelligence into Zephon's limbs and brain. The operation was a success and Zephon's limbs were finally accepted by his body, and in exchange Land demanded an audience with [[Sanguinius]] likely to lobby for the reclamation of [[Mars]] from the [[Dark Mechanicus]].{{Fn|6}}
During the [[Siege of Terra]], Land managed to narrowly survive despite the ever-decreasing loyalist territory. Declaring he was too important to die, he managed to attach himself to convoys which fled into the [[Sanctum Imperialis]]. During this, he managed to nurse the wounded Dominion Zephon back to health from his injuries.{{Fn|7a}} Arkhan barely survived the journey back to the Sanctum Imperialis, but was pressed into service against his will to take part in the final defense of the [[Eternity Gate]] against hopeless odds. The night before the battle Land was comforted by both Zephon and the [[Skitarii]] [[Transacta-7Y1]], though the Blood Angel ordered him to protect his three Bloodthralls [[Eristes]], [[Shafia]], and [[Shenkai]] in the coming struggle. Should he abandon these thralls, Zephon pledged to hunt him down and kill him regardless of outcome.This combined with Sanguinius' rousing speech seemed to force some bravery into Land, who courageously took part in the defense of the Eternity Gate.{{Fn|7b}}
During the final stages of the battle, two of the three thralls he was charged with protecting were killed in action and Land, Transacta-7Y1, and the sole remaining Thrall fled back to the Eternity Gate.{{Fn|7c}} However both Transacta and Land's psyber-monkey Sapian were killed by the [[World Eater]] [[Kargos Bloodspitter]] before Land and Shenkai were saved by Zephon. As the Eternity Gate sealed shut, Land and his entourage managed to make it inside the Sanctum.{{Fn|7d}}
===Second Expedition===
Land went missing while leading a second expedition into Librarius Omnis, with his vox diary being found two centuries later. He and his team were believed to have been picked off one by one by an unknown predator, possibly a psychic entity or a sentient virus.{{fn|2a}}. Other sources state that Land was killed by a psychic entity.{{fn|1}}
==Legacy==
Land is so revered a figure in the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] that his followers amount to a sub-cult that call themselves [[Landites]] (or '''Landists'''). They seek to continue the work of Land and research the many STC variants of his work.{{Fn|2a}}
==Publications==
''Worthy Notes and Treatises of Direct Relevance to Land’s Raider-Pattern Main Battle Tank: The Rebirth of an Ancient Miracle'' - an essay in rebuttal of the trend among the [[Space Marine Legions|Legiones Astartes]] of referring to Land's Raider-Pattern Main Battle Tank simply as a '''Land Raider'''.{{Fn|2a}}
==Trivia==
*[[Belisarius Cawl]], or perhaps [[Ezekiel Sedayne]], had once known Arkhan Land. Cawl has memories of Land from before the Horus Heresy, when Land had his strange simian brain familiar that he had cooked up. More poignantly, the [[archmagos]] recalls that Land was never happy with the name given to his tanks. Land had been quite angry with the name "[[Land Raider|''Land's'' Raider]]".{{Fn|8}}
*In older media, Arkhan Land's first name is sometimes spelled "Arkan".{{Fn|9}}
==Sources==
*{{Endn|1}}: [[WD245|UK White Dwarf 245(UK)]], pg . 21*2: [[Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition]]**{{Endn|2a}}: pgs. 83-84**{{Endn|2b}}: pg. 117*{{Endn|3}}: [[Codex: Skitarii (7th Edition)]], by pg. 31*4: [[Master of Mankind (Novel)]]:**{{Endn|4a}}: Chapter Seven**{{Endn|4b}}: Chapter Fifteen**{{Endn|4c}}: Chapter Sixteen*{{Endn|5}}: [[Into Exile (Short Story)]]*{{Endn|6}}: [[Bringer of Sorrow (Short Story)]]*7: [[Echoes of Eternity (Novel)]]:**{{Endn|7a}}: Chapter 7**{{Endn|7b}}: Chapter 12**{{Endn|7c}}: Chapter 25**{{Endn|7d}}: Chapter 34*{{Endn|8}}: [[Gav ThorpeBelisarius Cawl: The Great Work (Novel)]], Chapter 6*{{Endn|9}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/articles/escfijsw/the-land-raider-at-25-celebrating-the-iconic-warhammer-tank/ Warhammer-Community: The Land Raider at 25 – Celebrating THE iconic Warhammer tank (posted 14/4/25)] {{DEFAULTSORT:Land, Arkhan}} [[Category:Characters (Adeptus Mechanicus )]][[Category:Characters|Land, Arkhan(Human)]][[Category:Pre-Imperial Times]][[Category:Cyborg and Dreadnought Characters|Land, ArkhanUnification Wars]]
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