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{{ambig
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{{ambig|subject=Chaos Space Marine Legion|disambiguation=Night Lords}}
|subject=Chaos Space Marine Legion
 
|disambiguation=Night Lords
 
}}
 
{{NightLordsPortal}}
 
 
 
The '''Night Lords''' were the '''VIII Legion''' of the original twenty [[Space Marine Legion]]s. Their [[Primarch]] was [[Konrad Curze]], also called the '''Night Haunter'''. The Legion turned traitor during the [[Horus Heresy]], after which it fought its way across [[Imperial]] space in a bloody campaign that culminated with the death of Konrad Curze at the hands of an Imperial [[Assassin]]. Since the loss of their primarch the Night Lords have based themselves in the [[Eye of Terror]] and now operate as a fragmented terror force who seem to go to war only to slaughter or acquire material possessions.{{Fn|1a}}
 
 
 
While most certainly [[Chaos Space Marines]], the Night Lords scorn all forms of faith and respect only temporal and material power{{Fn|1a}}; indeed, many of them consider themselves free of the taint of Chaos and despise those they deem to be so corrupted.{{Fn|2}}
 
 
 
 
{{Traitor Founding Legions
 
{{Traitor Founding Legions
 
|Marine=NLMarine.jpg
 
|Marine=NLMarine.jpg
|Marine Px=250
+
|Miniature=CSM Lord 4.jpg
 
|Name=Night Lords
 
|Name=Night Lords
 
|Legion Number=VIII
 
|Legion Number=VIII
|Current Banner=NLSymbolChaos.jpg
+
|Current Banner=Nightlords.png
 +
|Marine Image=NLMarine.jpg
 
|Primarch=[[Konrad Curze]] aka '''Night Haunter'''
 
|Primarch=[[Konrad Curze]] aka '''Night Haunter'''
 
|Homeworld Pre-Heresy=[[Nostramo]] (Destroyed)
 
|Homeworld Pre-Heresy=[[Nostramo]] (Destroyed)
 
|Homeworld Current=Scattered, many in the [[Eye of Terror]]{{Fn|2a}}
 
|Homeworld Current=Scattered, many in the [[Eye of Terror]]{{Fn|2a}}
|Chaos God= None {{Fn|2}}
+
|Chaos God= Most scorn all faith, but some worship [[Chaos Undivided]] or particular [[Chaos God]]s{{Fn|1a}}{{Fn|2}}{{Fn|3b}}
 
|Colours=Blue-black with imagery of death
 
|Colours=Blue-black with imagery of death
 
|Pre-Heresy Banner=NightLordsPad2.jpg
 
|Pre-Heresy Banner=NightLordsPad2.jpg
|Specialty=Infiltration, Psychological Warfare, [[Raptors]]
+
|Specialty=Infiltration, Psychological Warfare, [[Chaos Raptors|Raptors]]
 
|Battle Cry="We have come for you!" ''or'' "Ave Dominus Nox!"
 
|Battle Cry="We have come for you!" ''or'' "Ave Dominus Nox!"
 +
|Warbands=
 +
*The [[Baleful Eye]]{{Fn|48}}
 +
*The [[Blades of Savasdus]]
 +
*The [[Bleak Claw]]
 +
*The [[Bleeding Eye]]
 +
*The [[Darkstrike]]{{Fn|39}}
 +
*The [[Nightwing (Warband)|Night Wing]]
 +
*The Reavers of [[Hodir]]{{Fn|17}}
 +
*The [[Raptorous Flayhost]]{{Fn|41c}}
 +
*The [[Shadow Flayers]]{{Fn|35}}
 +
*The [[Skinblades]]{{Fn|40}}
 +
*The [[Vreanus' Killers]]
 +
*The [[Whispering Shadow]]{{Fn|29a}}
 +
*The Warband of [[First Claw|The Exalted]]
 +
*The Warband of [[Krieg Acerbus]]
 +
*The Warband of the [[Gendor Skraivok|Painted Count]]
 +
*The Warband of [[Tarraq Darkblood]]
 
}}
 
}}
 +
The '''Night Lords''' were the '''VIII Legion''' of the original twenty [[Space Marine Legion]]s. Their [[Primarch]] was [[Konrad Curze]], also called the '''Night Haunter'''. The Legion turned traitor during the [[Horus Heresy]], after which it fought its way across [[Imperial]] space in a bloody campaign that culminated with the death of Konrad Curze at the hands of an Imperial [[Assassin]]. Since the loss of their primarch the Night Lords have based themselves in the [[Eye of Terror]] and now operate as a fragmented terror force who seem to go to war only to slaughter or acquire material possessions.{{Fn|1a}}
 +
 +
While most certainly [[Chaos Space Marines]], the Night Lords scorn all forms of faith and respect only temporal and material power{{Fn|1a}}; indeed, many of them consider themselves free of the taint of Chaos and despise those they deem to be so corrupted.{{Fn|2}}
  
 
==Homeworld==
 
==Homeworld==
Line 30: Line 42:
 
==History==
 
==History==
 
===Formation===
 
===Formation===
 +
[[Image:NightLordsPad2.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Night Lords' Heresy shoulder symbol]]
 
[[Image:NLTerrorist.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Great Crusade era Night Lords Astartes]]
 
[[Image:NLTerrorist.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Great Crusade era Night Lords Astartes]]
Originally known as the '''VIIIth Legion''', the Night Lords first recruits were from the stinking ancient prisons of [[Terra]]. Here the children of prisoners were raised in the dark and among death. These pale "Night's Children" made perfect Astartes recruits. The Legion saw its first use when the [[Emperor]] deployed them against the Terran [[Saragorn Enclave]], who despite having surrendered to the [[Imperium]] during the [[Unification War]]s, still continued banned psy-breeding experiments. The Emperor's retribution on the Enclave was viciously carried out by the VIIIth Legion.{{Fn|19}}
+
Originally known as the '''VIIIth Legion''', the Night Lords first recruits were from the stinking ancient prisons of [[Terra]]. Here the children of prisoners were raised in the dark and among death. These pale "Night's Children" made perfect Astartes recruits. The Legion saw its first use when the [[Emperor]] deployed them against the Terran [[Saragorn Enclave]], who despite having surrendered to the [[Imperium]] during the [[Unification War]]s, still continued banned psy-breeding experiments. The Emperor's retribution on the Enclave was viciously carried out by the VIIIth Legion.{{Fn|19a}}
  
 
===The Lord of the Night===
 
===The Lord of the Night===
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This approach made the Night Lords well-suited for dealing with worlds brought into the Imperium during the Crusade who were subsequently lax in achieving full compliance, or who even threatened to rebel. They were heavily utilized as a force that solidifed the Imperium's grip after initial pacification was achieved; as this sort of endeavor mirrored what Curze did as the Night Haunter on Nostramo, the Night Lords excelled at reinforcing the [[Emperor]]'s will - through fear. To increase their effectiveness in this regard, Curze encouraged the Night Lords to decorate their [[power armour]] with death imagery. The legion soon gained a tremendously terrifying reputation, one that would cause many planetary rulers to immediately make good any outstanding tithes, make sure Imperial laws were being followed and sometimes would entirely stop an incipient rebellion at the mere rumour of Night Lord retaliation.{{Fn|1a}}.
 
This approach made the Night Lords well-suited for dealing with worlds brought into the Imperium during the Crusade who were subsequently lax in achieving full compliance, or who even threatened to rebel. They were heavily utilized as a force that solidifed the Imperium's grip after initial pacification was achieved; as this sort of endeavor mirrored what Curze did as the Night Haunter on Nostramo, the Night Lords excelled at reinforcing the [[Emperor]]'s will - through fear. To increase their effectiveness in this regard, Curze encouraged the Night Lords to decorate their [[power armour]] with death imagery. The legion soon gained a tremendously terrifying reputation, one that would cause many planetary rulers to immediately make good any outstanding tithes, make sure Imperial laws were being followed and sometimes would entirely stop an incipient rebellion at the mere rumour of Night Lord retaliation.{{Fn|1a}}.
  
As the Great Crusade wore on and the Night Lords began to slowly receive replacement Marines from Nostramo (which had meantime fallen back to its pre-Night Haunter ways), the criminal element of Nostraman society, including murderers and rapists, began to fill the ranks{{Fn|1a}}. Much of this was due to the instability of Nostramo's and the return of the old nobility in the absence of Curze, who emptied their worlds jails for the Legion in order to keep the best warriors for their own interests.{{Fn|27}} This, in addition to Curze's probable insanity,{{Fn|4}} initiated a downward spiral for the Legion.
+
As the Great Crusade wore on and the Night Lords began to slowly receive replacement Marines from Nostramo (which had meantime fallen back to its pre-Night Haunter ways), the criminal element of Nostraman society, including murderers and rapists, began to fill the ranks{{Fn|1a}}. Much of this was due to the instability of Nostramo's and the return of the old nobility in the absence of Curze, who emptied their worlds jails for the Legion in order to keep the best warriors for their own interests.{{Fn|27a}} This, in addition to Curze's probable insanity,{{Fn|4}} initiated a downward spiral for the Legion.
  
 
===Descent===
 
===Descent===
Line 46: Line 59:
  
 
Although the Night Lords had gone rogue, the [[Horus Heresy]] erupted before anything could be done about it.
 
Although the Night Lords had gone rogue, the [[Horus Heresy]] erupted before anything could be done about it.
[[Image:NLvsDA.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Night Lords battle [[Dark Angels]] during the Horus Heresy]]
+
 
 
===The Horus Heresy===
 
===The Horus Heresy===
 +
[[Image:HHNLArt.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Konrad Curze and the Night Lords during the Horus Heresy{{Fn|32}}]]
 
Despite having gone rogue, the Night Lords were one of the seven Legions dispatched to destroy the gathered [[Sons of Horus]], [[World Eaters]], [[Death Guard]], and [[Emperor's Children]] at the [[Isstvan]] [[system]].{{Fn|1}} While records do not clearly explain why an apparent rogue legion was tasked to join the loyalist Astartes force charged with exterminating the traitors, at least one account puts forth the view that the Imperial justice system was both so slow and so unsure of how to deal with the Night Lords that the Imperial military commanders issued the order anyway, in their hurry to assemble a powerful force with which to crush Horus.{{Fn|1a}}
 
Despite having gone rogue, the Night Lords were one of the seven Legions dispatched to destroy the gathered [[Sons of Horus]], [[World Eaters]], [[Death Guard]], and [[Emperor's Children]] at the [[Isstvan]] [[system]].{{Fn|1}} While records do not clearly explain why an apparent rogue legion was tasked to join the loyalist Astartes force charged with exterminating the traitors, at least one account puts forth the view that the Imperial justice system was both so slow and so unsure of how to deal with the Night Lords that the Imperial military commanders issued the order anyway, in their hurry to assemble a powerful force with which to crush Horus.{{Fn|1a}}
[[Image:HHNLArt.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Konrad Curze and the Night Lords during the Horus Heresy{{Fn|32}}]]
+
 
 
Upon [[Isstvan V]], the Night Lords, alongside the [[Word Bearers]], [[Iron Warriors]], and the [[Alpha Legion]], turned on the loyalist Legions who had arrived earlier and took part in the [[Dropsite Massacre]].{{Fn|1a}} Upon decimating the [[Raven Guard]], [[Iron Hands]], and the [[Salamanders]], the Night Lords returned to the galactic east and began an apparently unfocused genocidal campaign; most likely this was designed to stop any support from this area reaching [[Terra]].{{Fn|1a}} Eventually, however, the Night Lords fleet was ambushed and badly mauled by the [[Dark Angels]] at the climax of the [[Thramas Crusade]], with one fifth of the Legion confirmed destroyed. Worse still for the Night Lords, Curze himself had been badly injured and rendered comatose by [[Lion El'Jonson]] during the debacle, forcing [[Sevatar]] to take command of the Legion and organize a regrouping. Before his capture by the Dark Angels Sevatar would divide the fleet into six parts and order their commanders to scatter. Meanwhile, Curze was stranded aboard the Dark Angels flagship ''[[Invincible Reason]]'', eluding capture and eventually escaping to [[Macragge]].{{Fn|16}}
 
Upon [[Isstvan V]], the Night Lords, alongside the [[Word Bearers]], [[Iron Warriors]], and the [[Alpha Legion]], turned on the loyalist Legions who had arrived earlier and took part in the [[Dropsite Massacre]].{{Fn|1a}} Upon decimating the [[Raven Guard]], [[Iron Hands]], and the [[Salamanders]], the Night Lords returned to the galactic east and began an apparently unfocused genocidal campaign; most likely this was designed to stop any support from this area reaching [[Terra]].{{Fn|1a}} Eventually, however, the Night Lords fleet was ambushed and badly mauled by the [[Dark Angels]] at the climax of the [[Thramas Crusade]], with one fifth of the Legion confirmed destroyed. Worse still for the Night Lords, Curze himself had been badly injured and rendered comatose by [[Lion El'Jonson]] during the debacle, forcing [[Sevatar]] to take command of the Legion and organize a regrouping. Before his capture by the Dark Angels Sevatar would divide the fleet into six parts and order their commanders to scatter. Meanwhile, Curze was stranded aboard the Dark Angels flagship ''[[Invincible Reason]]'', eluding capture and eventually escaping to [[Macragge]].{{Fn|16}}
  
 
Meanwhile the splinter fleets of Night Lords forces scattered during Thramas continued to wreak havoc across [[Ultima Segmentum]]. One notable example was the [[Battle of Sotha]], where Night Lords under the command of [[Krukesh]] and [[Gendor Skraivok]] attempted to secure the xenos device known as the [[Pharos (Device)|Pharos]] from [[Imperium Secundus]].{{Fn|22}} Later a renewed power struggle to determine the future of the Legion erupted aboard the ''[[Nightfall]]'', with Curze's former [[Equerry]] [[Shang]] wanting to continue the search for the Primarch and become reaving warbands. However Shang was slain by Gendor Skraivok, who proclaimed that he intended to join with Horus and push on Terra.{{Fn|23}}
 
Meanwhile the splinter fleets of Night Lords forces scattered during Thramas continued to wreak havoc across [[Ultima Segmentum]]. One notable example was the [[Battle of Sotha]], where Night Lords under the command of [[Krukesh]] and [[Gendor Skraivok]] attempted to secure the xenos device known as the [[Pharos (Device)|Pharos]] from [[Imperium Secundus]].{{Fn|22}} Later a renewed power struggle to determine the future of the Legion erupted aboard the ''[[Nightfall]]'', with Curze's former [[Equerry]] [[Shang]] wanting to continue the search for the Primarch and become reaving warbands. However Shang was slain by Gendor Skraivok, who proclaimed that he intended to join with Horus and push on Terra.{{Fn|23}}
  
Eventually Curze was able to rejoin his legion, while elements of the Night Lords scattered by Sevatar as well as those under Skraivok joined with Horus' main fleet and took part in the [[Battle of Terra]].
+
On Macragge, Curze became the target of a planet-wide hunt by the Dark Angels, whose primarch Lion El'Jonson had been placed in charge of military and security in [[Roboute Guilliman]]'s [[Imperium Secundus]]. The Lion eventually tracked down and beat Curze into submission, after which he became a prisoner of the Lion, Guilliman and [[Sanguinius]].{{Fn|45}} When the trio departed Imperium Secundus with their Legions to make a push for [[Terra]], they took Curze with them, but Sanguinius eventually decided to dispose of him by freezing him in a stasis coffin and ejecting it into deep space.{{Fn|46}} Curze was consequently absent from the [[Battle of Terra]]. However, elements of the Night Lords scattered by Sevatar as well as those under Skraivok joined with Horus' main fleet and took part in the siege.
[[Image:NightLordsMarine.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Night Lords Post-Heresy Space Marine{{Fn|1}}]]
+
 
 +
During the siege of the Imperial Palace, Gendor Skraivok unwisely challenged [[Raldoron]], First Captain of the [[Blood Angels]], to a duel atop the palace walls. Raldoron easily defeated Skraivok and hurled him from the walls. Crippled by the fall, Skraivok allowed a daemon to possess his body and instantly became a helpless prisoner in his own flesh.{{Fn|47}} )He would re-emerge millennia later a [[daemon prince]]). In his absence, a Night Lord named [[Krostovok]] took command, though the extent of his authority is unclear, as by this point the legion had devolved into individualistic killers caught up in the carnage.{{Fn|31}}
  
 
===Horus Heresy Aftermath===
 
===Horus Heresy Aftermath===
 +
[[Image:NLHH.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Night Lords Space Marine{{Fn|28}}]]
 
Upon [[Horus]]'s defeat, the Night Lords continued their bloody pogrom upon the Galactic East. While nearly every other Legion had been decimated in the fighting and all the other traitor Legions had begun retreating to the [[Eye of Terror]], the Night Lords legion remained unified and retained the bulk of their pre-Heresy numbers. This heavily concerned the [[High Lords of Terra]], who debated what could be done to cease their predations.{{Fn|1a}} Meanwhile the old base of the Night Lords, the [[Nostramo]] [[Sector]], was [[Scouring of the Nostramo Sector|scoured by an unknown enemy]].
 
Upon [[Horus]]'s defeat, the Night Lords continued their bloody pogrom upon the Galactic East. While nearly every other Legion had been decimated in the fighting and all the other traitor Legions had begun retreating to the [[Eye of Terror]], the Night Lords legion remained unified and retained the bulk of their pre-Heresy numbers. This heavily concerned the [[High Lords of Terra]], who debated what could be done to cease their predations.{{Fn|1a}} Meanwhile the old base of the Night Lords, the [[Nostramo]] [[Sector]], was [[Scouring of the Nostramo Sector|scoured by an unknown enemy]].
 
+
[[Image:NLSymbolChaos.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Night Lords shoulder symbol]]
 
This eventually led to Konrad Curze being assassinated by a [[Callidus Temple|Callidus Assassin]]. Curze had visions of this event all his life and therefore chose to allow the assassin to kill him on the world of [[Tsagualsa]], where the Night Lords had built a fortress of living flesh. Curze felt that this assassination vindicated his philosophy of life and every action he had taken in enacting it.{{Fn|1a}} Before his death, Curze left strict orders that the assassin was to be allowed to carry out her mission and escape, as well as apparently passing leadership to the [[Talonmaster]] [[Zso Sahaal]], [[First Captain]] of the legion. These orders were not fully carried out.{{Fn|2}}
 
This eventually led to Konrad Curze being assassinated by a [[Callidus Temple|Callidus Assassin]]. Curze had visions of this event all his life and therefore chose to allow the assassin to kill him on the world of [[Tsagualsa]], where the Night Lords had built a fortress of living flesh. Curze felt that this assassination vindicated his philosophy of life and every action he had taken in enacting it.{{Fn|1a}} Before his death, Curze left strict orders that the assassin was to be allowed to carry out her mission and escape, as well as apparently passing leadership to the [[Talonmaster]] [[Zso Sahaal]], [[First Captain]] of the legion. These orders were not fully carried out.{{Fn|2}}
  
Refusing to allow the assassin to escape, the Night Lord named the [[Soul Hunter]], an [[apothecary]] of the [[Space Marine Company|10th Company]], pursued her with intent to kill; a solo pursuit that was joined by a significant portion of the legion's senior officers when it transpired that the assassin had also looted several of Curze's possessions believed bequeathed by him to legion's command cadre.{{Fn|2}} Chief amongst these officers was the heir-apparent Zso Sahaal, who succeeded in boarding the assassin's vessel and retrieving the [[Corona Nox]]; a symbol of Curze's authority he believed was now to be his. However, Sahaal's own ship was attacked by [[Eldar]] raiders almost immediately so he returned to it and vanished into the [[Warp]], not to be seen again for almost ten thousand years.{{Fn|3}} As for the Soul Hunter, he slew the assassin in the manner of the Night Lords.{{Fn|2}}
+
Refusing to allow the assassin to escape, the Night Lord named the [[Soul Hunter]], an [[apothecary]] of the [[10th Company (Night Lords)|10th Company]], pursued her with intent to kill - a solo pursuit that was joined by a significant portion of the legion's senior officers when it transpired that the assassin had also looted several of Curze's possessions believed bequeathed by him to the legion's command cadre.{{Fn|2}} Chief amongst these officers was the heir-apparent Zso Sahaal, who succeeded in boarding the assassin's vessel and retrieving the [[Corona Nox]], a symbol of Curze's authority he believed was now to be his. However, Sahaal's own ship was attacked by [[Eldar]] raiders almost immediately, so he returned to it and vanished into the [[Warp]], not to be seen again for almost ten thousand years.{{Fn|3}} As for the Soul Hunter, he slew the assassin in the manner of the Night Lords.{{Fn|2}}
  
Now without a leader, the Night Lords eventually fragmented into disparate warbands largely built around their original legion company structure and relocated to the [[Eye of Terror]].{{Fn|2}}
+
Now without a leader, the Night Lords eventually fragmented into disparate warbands largely built around their original legion company structure and relocated to the [[Eye of Terror]].{{Fn|2}} Though various individuals would try to claim leadership of the entire legion, such as Zso Sahaal and [[Decimus (Character)|Decimus]], none were ever able to reunite the broken legion.{{Fn|2c}}{{Fn|2d}}{{Fn|3b}}{{Fn|11}}
  
 
====In Midnight Clad====
 
====In Midnight Clad====
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In the aftermath of the [[Great Rift]]'s creation, the Night Lords' Warbands are in their element{{Fn|24a}} as they begin launching more raids than ever before, against an Imperium struck with fear and madness. They reap a gory harvest from the Imperium's worlds{{Fn|24b}} and soon establish small empires amgonst those [[System]]s that have been cut off from the [[Astronomican|Emperor's Light]]{{Fn|24a}}. They strike an even more devastating blow against the Imperium, when the Warbands use [[Daemonic]] pacts to establish a safe passage through the Great Rift near the '''Corinthe System'''. The passage is soon discovered by the [[Navis Nobilite|Navigator Guild]]s and several Imperium fleets are sent through it, in a desperate attempt to reach the worlds of the [[Imperium Nihilus]]. However, when the fleets enter the tunnel through the Great Rift, the Night Lords attack and capture dozens of Imperial vessels.{{Fn|24c}}
 
In the aftermath of the [[Great Rift]]'s creation, the Night Lords' Warbands are in their element{{Fn|24a}} as they begin launching more raids than ever before, against an Imperium struck with fear and madness. They reap a gory harvest from the Imperium's worlds{{Fn|24b}} and soon establish small empires amgonst those [[System]]s that have been cut off from the [[Astronomican|Emperor's Light]]{{Fn|24a}}. They strike an even more devastating blow against the Imperium, when the Warbands use [[Daemonic]] pacts to establish a safe passage through the Great Rift near the '''Corinthe System'''. The passage is soon discovered by the [[Navis Nobilite|Navigator Guild]]s and several Imperium fleets are sent through it, in a desperate attempt to reach the worlds of the [[Imperium Nihilus]]. However, when the fleets enter the tunnel through the Great Rift, the Night Lords attack and capture dozens of Imperial vessels.{{Fn|24c}}
  
Only a small force of Night Lords under [[Ramaghan Savasdus]] aided [[Abaddon]] in the [[War of Beasts]] on [[Vigilus]]. The bulk of the Night Lords were instead attacking [[Ulthwe]] near the [[Eye of Terror]].{{Fn|25}}
+
Only a small force of Night Lords under [[Ramaghan Savasdus]] aided [[Abaddon]] in the [[War of Beasts]] on [[Vigilus]]. The bulk of the Night Lords were instead attacking [[Ulthwe]] near the [[Eye of Terror]].{{Fn|25b}}
  
 
===Notable Engagements===
 
===Notable Engagements===
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*'''???.[[M31]]''' — The [[Battle of Anuari]]
 
*'''???.[[M31]]''' — The [[Battle of Anuari]]
 
*'''~011.[[M31]]''' — The [[Battle of Trisolian]]
 
*'''~011.[[M31]]''' — The [[Battle of Trisolian]]
 +
*'''012.[[M31]]''' - The formation of the [[Carrion Realms]]
 +
*'''013.[[M31]]''' - The [[Thassos Incident]]
 
*'''014.[[M31]]''' - The [[Solar War]] & [[Siege of Terra]]
 
*'''014.[[M31]]''' - The [[Solar War]] & [[Siege of Terra]]
 
*'''017.[[M31]]''' — The [[Scouring of the Nostramo Sector]]
 
*'''017.[[M31]]''' — The [[Scouring of the Nostramo Sector]]
Line 118: Line 136:
 
*'''???.[[M41]]''' — [[Scound's Fall]] — The Night Lords raid an Imperial world a mere one hundred light years from [[Terra]] itself.{{Fn|9}}
 
*'''???.[[M41]]''' — [[Scound's Fall]] — The Night Lords raid an Imperial world a mere one hundred light years from [[Terra]] itself.{{Fn|9}}
 
*'''999.[[M41]]''' — [[13th Black Crusade]] — The Night Lords fighting alongside [[Abaddon the Despoiler]] unleash great terror upon the people of the [[Cadia|Cadian Sector]].{{Fn|10b}}
 
*'''999.[[M41]]''' — [[13th Black Crusade]] — The Night Lords fighting alongside [[Abaddon the Despoiler]] unleash great terror upon the people of the [[Cadia|Cadian Sector]].{{Fn|10b}}
 +
*'''???.[[M42]]''' - The Battle for the [[Iron Veil (Region)|Iron Veil]] during the [[Indomitus Crusade]].{{Fn|39}}
 
*'''???.[[M41]]/[[M42]]''' — The [[Reclamation of Safiniyus]]
 
*'''???.[[M41]]/[[M42]]''' — The [[Reclamation of Safiniyus]]
 
*'''???.[[M42]]''' — The [[Invasion of the Stygius Sector]]
 
*'''???.[[M42]]''' — The [[Invasion of the Stygius Sector]]
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*'''???.[[M42]]''' - The [[War of Beasts]]
 
*'''???.[[M42]]''' - The [[War of Beasts]]
 
*'''???.[[M42]]''' - The [[Talledus War]]{{Fn|29b}}
 
*'''???.[[M42]]''' - The [[Talledus War]]{{Fn|29b}}
 +
*'''???.[[M42]]''' - The [[Charadon Campaign]]{{Fn|37}}
 +
*'''???.[[M42]]''' - The [[Arks of Omen Campaign]]{{Fn|42a}}
 
*'''???''' — The Battle for [[Magnor Prime]]
 
*'''???''' — The Battle for [[Magnor Prime]]
  
 
==Organization==
 
==Organization==
 
[[Image:NLArt.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Night Lords (Post-Heresy){{Fn|17}}]]
 
[[Image:NLArt.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Night Lords (Post-Heresy){{Fn|17}}]]
During the [[Great Crusade]] and [[Horus Heresy]], the Night Lords followed standard [[Legion]] organization save a command council of [[Captain]]s known as the [[Kyroptera]].{{Fn|16}}
+
===Heresy-Era===
 +
During the [[Great Crusade]] and [[Horus Heresy]], the Night Lords followed standard [[Space Marine Legion]] organization save a command council of [[Space Marine Captain|Captains]] known as the [[Kyroptera]].{{Fn|16}}
 +
 
 +
During this time the Night Lords would deploy "Pacification Battalions". These were formations of heavy armor and shock infantry, including the infamous [[Terror Squad]]s. These would deploy to isolated worlds with the sole goal of breaking whatever limited defenses they could find, then promptly ravaging the planet and its population. This served as an example for others for the price of defiance. These units would first deploy their heavy armor en-masse and once the defenders were broken and scattered, infantry as well as [[Land Speeder]]s and [[Space Marine Bike|Biker]]s would hunt down the survivors. The purpose of these operations was to cull and cause as much collateral damage as possible. They rarely made any attempt to hold their ground, most often departing after their brief but vicious onslaught.{{Fn|34b}}
  
 +
Among the few fully mechanized units of the Night Lords during this time was the 17th Chapter, known as the '''Bleak Cohort'''.{{Fn|34b}}
 +
 +
===Known units of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy===
 +
====Chapters====
 +
*[[8th Chapter (Night Lords)|8th Chapter]]{{Fn|34e}}
 +
*[[9th Chapter (Night Lords)|9th Chapter]]{{Fn|34c}}
 +
*[[17th Chapter (Night Lords)|17th Chapter]] (The "''Bleak Cohort''"){{Fn|34b}}
 +
*[[18th Chapter (Night Lords)|18th Chapter]]{{Fn|34e}}
 +
*[[14th Chapter (Night Lords)|14th Chapter]]{{Fn|34f}}
 +
*[[19th Chapter (Night Lords)|19th Chapter]]{{Fn|19}}
 +
*[[27th Chapter (Night Lords)|27th Chapter]]{{Fn|34f}}
 +
*[[43th Chapter (Night Lords)|43th Chapter]]{{Fn|34f}}
 +
 +
====Companies====
 +
*[[3rd Company (Night Lords)|3rd Company]]{{Fn|2}}
 +
*[[7th Company (Night Lords)|7th Company]]{{Fn|22d}}
 +
*[[8th Company (Night Lords)|8th Company]] (The "''Circle of Inclemency''"){{Fn|19d}}
 +
*[[9th Company (Night Lords)|9th Company]]: Nearly destroyed during the [[Unification Wars]], remnants of the company formed the [[Crimson Sons]] group.{{Fn|19d}} Presumably restored by the time of the Great Crusade with [[Malithos Kuln]] acting as captain of the company.{{Fn|27f}}
 +
*[[10th Company (Night Lords)|10th Company]]: Became [[First Claw|The Exalted]] warband after the Horus Heresy.{{Fn|2a}}
 +
*[[13th Company (Night Lords)|13th Company]]{{Fn|16}}
 +
*[[17th Company (Night Lords)|17th Company]] (The "''Lords of Tempest''"){{Fn|19c}}
 +
*[[19th Company (Night Lords)|19th Company]]{{Fn|22e}}
 +
*[[22nd Company (Night Lords)|22nd Company]] (The "''Night-Scythes''"){{Fn|19d}}
 +
*[[23rd Company (Night Lords)|23rd Company]]{{Fn|22d}}
 +
*[[27th Company (Night Lords)|27th Company]] (The "''Shattered Skull''"){{Fn|19c}}
 +
*[[39th Company (Night Lords)|39th Company]]{{Fn|16}}
 +
*[[40th Company (Night Lords)|40th Company]]{{Fn|11}}
 +
*[[43rd Company (Night Lords)|43rd Company]]{{Fn|16}}
 +
*[[45th Company (Night Lords)|45th Company]]{{Fn|22c}}
 +
*[[71st Company (Night Lords)|71st Company]] (The "''Crimson Judges''"){{Fn|19c}}
 +
*[[77th Company (Night Lords)|77th Company]] (The "''Harbingers of Nocnitsa''"){{Fn|19d}}
 +
*[[89th Company (Night Lords)|89th Company]]{{Fn|22e}}
 +
*[[96th Company (Night Lords)|96th Company]]{{Fn|27b}}
 +
*[[103rd Company (Night Lords)|103rd Company]]{{Fn|16}}
 +
*[[104th Company (Night Lords)|104th Company]] (The "''Sable Brothers''"){{Fn|19c}}
 +
*[[114th Company (Night Lords)|114th Company]]{{Fn|16}}
 +
 +
===Post-Heresy===
 
Since the death of their [[Primarch]], [[Konrad Curze]], the Night Lords have been shattered as an organized legion. Most have fled to the [[Eye of Terror]] and now operate as disparate warbands.{{Fn|2a}}
 
Since the death of their [[Primarch]], [[Konrad Curze]], the Night Lords have been shattered as an organized legion. Most have fled to the [[Eye of Terror]] and now operate as disparate warbands.{{Fn|2a}}
 
===Known Warbands===
 
*The [[Baleful Eye]]
 
*The [[Blades of Savasdus]]
 
*The [[Bleak Claw]]
 
*The [[Bleeding Eye]]
 
*The [[Nightwing (Night Lords)|Night Wing]]
 
*The Reavers of [[Hodir]]{{Fn|17}}
 
*The [[Whispering Shadow]]{{Fn|29a}}
 
*[[Vreanus' Killers]]
 
*The Warband of [[First Claw|The Exalted]]
 
*The Warband of [[Krieg Acerbus]]
 
*The Warband of the [[Gendor Skraivok|Painted Count]]
 
*The Warband of [[Tarraq Darkblood]]
 
  
 
==Geneseed==
 
==Geneseed==
 
The geneseed of the Night Lords apparently remains surprisingly pure, especially for a legion that has turned from service to the Emperor. It has been theorised that the Night Lords' avoidance of overt Chaos worship has spared their gene-seed from degradation{{Fn|1}}, but even leaving this aside, the stability of it is notable even when compared to that of the loyalist [[First Founding]] [[Chapters]].
 
The geneseed of the Night Lords apparently remains surprisingly pure, especially for a legion that has turned from service to the Emperor. It has been theorised that the Night Lords' avoidance of overt Chaos worship has spared their gene-seed from degradation{{Fn|1}}, but even leaving this aside, the stability of it is notable even when compared to that of the loyalist [[First Founding]] [[Chapters]].
  
Having said that, Curze's genetic legacy does have particular effects on those so altered. Firstly, all Night Lords sport jet black eyes and very pale skin (although quite how much of this comes from geneseed and how much from having a Nostraman background in those Night Lords from the doomed night-planet is unclear). Secondly, some of the Night Lords can sport varying degrees of Konrad Curze's precognition ability. In most, these are only momentary (or even subconscious) glimpses or intuitions about the future that can result in paranoid behaviour - for Curze and his children seem more inclined to forsee negative outcomes than any other type - but in the rare few full precogs amongst the Night Lords, these visions appear as painful, violent seizures that can last for many hours. These prophetic seizures can be quite detailed, as well as show many possible futures, allowing certain Night Lords warbands to pick and choose their next moves with advance information...although Imperial scholars hope that, like their gene-sire, the Night Lords precognitives are driven to choose to self-fulfill the negative futures they see due to the believed inherent mental instability possessed by the Curze line.{{Fn|1}} The most notable Night Lords precog is the aforementioned Soul Hunter, also known amongst his warband as ''The Prophet''.{{Fn|2}}
+
Having said that, Curze's genetic legacy does have particular effects on those so altered. Firstly, all Night Lords sport jet black eyes and very pale skin (although quite how much of this comes from geneseed and how much from having a Nostraman background in those Night Lords from the doomed night-planet is unclear). Secondly, some of the Night Lords can sport varying degrees of Konrad Curze's precognition ability. In most, these are only momentary (or even subconscious) glimpses or intuitions about the future that can result in paranoid behaviour - for Curze and his children seem more inclined to forsee negative outcomes than any other type - but in the rare few full precogs amongst the Night Lords, these visions appear as painful, violent seizures that can last for many hours. These prophetic seizures can be quite detailed, as well as show many possible futures, allowing certain Night Lords warbands to pick and choose their next moves with advance information, although Imperial scholars hope that, like their gene-sire, the Night Lords precognitives are driven to choose to self-fulfill the negative futures they see due to the believed inherent mental instability possessed by the Curze line.{{Fn|1}} The most notable Night Lords precog is the aforementioned Soul Hunter, also known amongst his warband as ''The Prophet''.{{Fn|2}}
  
 
==Culture==
 
==Culture==
Line 156: Line 204:
  
 
==Recruitment==
 
==Recruitment==
 +
[[Image:MandrakevsNL.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Night Lords battle [[Mandrakes]]{{Fn|49}}]]
 
During the [[Great Crusade]] Konrad Curze originally intended for the best and brightest of Nostramo to join the Night Lords. Curze considered the likes of [[Sevatar]] to exemplify the type of warriors he wanted in his Legion. However the embittered noble families of Nostramo deliberately sabotaged the [[Tithe]] to the Imperium, emptying their worlds jails and sending Curze instead an army of killers and thugs. The nobility kept the best warriors for themselves for use in gang warfare on Nostramo.{{Fn|27}}
 
During the [[Great Crusade]] Konrad Curze originally intended for the best and brightest of Nostramo to join the Night Lords. Curze considered the likes of [[Sevatar]] to exemplify the type of warriors he wanted in his Legion. However the embittered noble families of Nostramo deliberately sabotaged the [[Tithe]] to the Imperium, emptying their worlds jails and sending Curze instead an army of killers and thugs. The nobility kept the best warriors for themselves for use in gang warfare on Nostramo.{{Fn|27}}
  
Line 163: Line 212:
 
====Night Lords Armoury & Artefacts====
 
====Night Lords Armoury & Artefacts====
 
{{main|Night Lords Armoury}}
 
{{main|Night Lords Armoury}}
[[Image:NLHH.jpg|thumb|right|270px|Night Lords Space Marine{{Fn|28}}]]
 
 
====Vessels====
 
====Vessels====
 
{{main|Known Vessels of the Night Lords}}
 
{{main|Known Vessels of the Night Lords}}
Line 172: Line 220:
 
*''[[Nightmare of Celyx]]'' - [[Battleship]]{{Fn|29c}}
 
*''[[Nightmare of Celyx]]'' - [[Battleship]]{{Fn|29c}}
 
*''[[Tenebrous Will]]'' - [[Battleship]] (Heresy-era){{Fn|34a}}
 
*''[[Tenebrous Will]]'' - [[Battleship]] (Heresy-era){{Fn|34a}}
*''[[Barb of Nostramo]]'' - [[Grand Cruiser]]
 
*''[[Covenant of Blood]]'' — [[Strike Cruiser]] of the 10th Company/The Exalted's warband.{{Fn|2}}
 
*''[[Echo of Damnation]]'' — Strike Cruiser of Talos' warband.{{Fn|8}}
 
*''[[Excoriator (Ship)|Excoriator]]'' — Sister ship to the ''Covenant of Blood''{{Fn|5}}
 
*''[[Faithless Song]]'' — [[Endeavour Light Cruiser|Endeavour Class Cruiser]]{{Fn|5}}
 
*''[[Serpent of the Black Sea]]''{{Fn|5}}
 
*''[[Fadesun]]''{{Fn|21}}
 
*''[[Foresworn (Night Lords)|Foresworn]]''{{Fn|20}}
 
*''[[Lies of Dawn]]''{{Fn|20}}
 
*''[[Vulturine]]''
 
  
 
====Aircraft====
 
====Aircraft====
Line 189: Line 227:
 
*''[[Storm's Eye]]''{{Fn|2b}} — [[Land Raider]], 10th Company, 1st Claw
 
*''[[Storm's Eye]]''{{Fn|2b}} — [[Land Raider]], 10th Company, 1st Claw
 
*''[[Carpe Noctum]]''{{Fn|2b}} — [[Rhino]], destroyed on [[Crythe Primus]] after being crushed by the [[Warhound Scout Titan]] ''[[Hunter in the Grey]]''
 
*''[[Carpe Noctum]]''{{Fn|2b}} — [[Rhino]], destroyed on [[Crythe Primus]] after being crushed by the [[Warhound Scout Titan]] ''[[Hunter in the Grey]]''
 +
*''[[Vanguard]]'' - [[Arquitor Bombard]]{{Fn|34b}}
 +
*''[[Midnight Terminus]]'' - [[Fellblade]]{{Fn|34b}}
  
 
====Notable Members====
 
====Notable Members====
 
{{main|Known Members of the Night Lords}}
 
{{main|Known Members of the Night Lords}}
 
=====Heresy Era=====
 
=====Heresy Era=====
*[[Konrad Curze]] (Night Haunter) - Primarch of the Night Lords
+
[[Image:NLvsDA.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Night Lords battle [[Dark Angels]] during the Horus Heresy]]
*[[Jago Sevatarion|Jago "Sevatar" Sevatarion]] — [[First Captain]], Officer of the [[Kyroptera]]{{Fn|7}}
+
*[[Konrad Curze]] (Night Haunter) Primarch of the Night Lords.{{Cite this}}
*[[Zso Sahaal]] — Talonmaster, succeeded Sevatar as First Captain{{Fn|2}}
+
*[[Jago Sevatarion|Jago "Sevatar" Sevatarion]] — [[First Captain]], Officer of the [[Kyroptera]].{{Fn|7}}
*[[Nakrid Thole]] Praetor{{Fn|34}}
+
*[[Shang]] — Captain and [[Equerry]] to Konrad Curze.{{Fn|16}}
*[[Halasker]] — Captain of the 3rd Company{{Fn|2}}
+
*[[Zso Sahaal]] — Talonmaster, succeeded Sevatar as First Captain.{{Fn|2}}
*[[Malithos Kuln]] — Captain of the 9th Company, Officer of the Kyroptera, killed on Sevatar's orders
+
*[[Nakrid Thole]] Praetor.{{Fn|34c}}
*[[Malcharion]] — the War-Sage, Captain of the 10th Company, [[Dreadnought]]{{Fn|2}}{{Fn|7}}
+
*[[Halasker]] — Captain of the 3rd Company.{{Fn|2}}
*[[Naraka]] — the Bloodless, Captain of the 13th Company, Officer of the Kyroptera
+
*[[Malithos Kuln]] — Captain of the 9th Company and Officer of the Kyroptera. Killed on Sevatar's orders.{{Fn|16}}
*[[Var Jahan]] — Captain of the 27th Company, Officer of the Kyroptera
+
*[[Malcharion]] — the War-Sage, Captain of the 10th Company. Later [[Dreadnought]].{{Fn|2}}{{Fn|7}}
*[[Kheron Ophion]] — the Coward, Captain of the 39th Company, Officer of the Kyroptera
+
*[[Krukesh]] — the Pale, Captain of the 103rd Company.{{Fn|16}}
*[[Cel Herec]] — Captain of the 43rd Company, Officer of the Kyroptera, killed on Sevatar's orders
+
*[[Naraka (Chaos Lord)|Naraka]] — the Bloodless, Captain of the 13th Company and Officer of the Kyroptera.{{Fn|16}}
*[[Krukesh]] — the Pale, Captain of the 103rd Company
+
*[[Var Jahan]] — Captain of the 27th Company and Officer of the Kyroptera.{{Fn|16}}
*[[Tovac Tor]] — Lackhand, Captain of the 114th Company
+
*[[Kheron Ophion]] — the Coward, Captain of the 39th Company and Officer of the Kyroptera.{{Fn|16}}
*[[Krieg Acerbus]] — Axemaster, Captain{{Fn|2}}
+
*[[Cel Herec]] — Captain of the 43rd Company and Officer of the Kyroptera. Killed on Sevatar's orders.{{Fn|16}}
*[[Anrek Barbatos]] - Commander
+
*[[Gendor Skraivok]] — the Painted Count, Captain.{{Fn|23}}
*[[Hellath]] — Captain{{fn|8a}}
+
*[[Vyridium Silvadi]] — Captain, [[Master of the Fleet|Lord of the Fleet]].{{Fn|3a}}
*[[Ithillion]] — Captain, Officer of the Kyroptera, killed in the [[Thramas Crusade]]
+
*[[Mawdrym Llansahai]] — Flaymaster, former Primus Medicae.{{Fn|19b}}
*[[Jakr]] — Captain{{fn|8a}}
+
*[[Thandamell]] — Terrormaster.{{Fn|23}}
*[[Jexad]] — Captain, Officer of the Kyroptera, killed in the [[Thramas Crusade]]
+
*[[Fel Zharost]] - [[Chief Librarian]]
*[[Fal Kata]] — Captain{{fn|8a}}
 
*[[Quissax Kergai]] — Captain, [[Master of the Armoury]]{{fn|3a}}
 
*[[Yash Kur]] — Captain{{fn|8a}}
 
*[[Koor Maas]] — Captain, [[Chaos Dreadnought]]{{fn|3a}}
 
*[[Nadigrath]] — Captain{{fn|8a}}
 
*[[Shang]] — [[Equerry]] to Konrad Curze, Captain
 
*[[Shoma]] — Captain, Officer of the Kyroptera, killed in the [[Thramas Crusade]]
 
*[[Gendor Skraivok]] — the Painted Count, Captain
 
*[[Vyridium Silvadi]] — Captain, [[Master of the Fleet|Lord of the Fleet]]{{fn|3a}}
 
*[[Tyridal]] — Captain{{fn|8a}}
 
*[[Fel Zharost]] — [[Chief Librarian]], stayed loyal to the Emperor and became a member of the [[Knights-Errant]]
 
*[[Berenon]] — Librarian, that was possessed by a [[Daemon]]{{Fn|22a}}
 
*[[Orrin Valzen]] — [[Chief Apothecary]]{{Fn|16}}
 
*[[Talos Valcoran]] — Soul Hunter, [[Apothecary]] of [[First Claw]], 10th Company
 
*[[Mawdrym Llansahai]] — Flaymaster, former Primus Medicae
 
*[[Thandamell]] — Terrormaster
 
*[[Vandred Anrathi]] — Sergeant of First Claw, 10th Company{{Fn|2}}
 
*[[Kellendvar]] — Headsman
 
*[[Kellenkir]] — Torturer
 
*[[Alastor Rushal]] — the Raven, former member of the [[Raven Guard]], Officer of the Kyroptera
 
*[[Reeve]] — [[Contemptor Dreadnought]]
 
*[[Carrow]] — [[Contemptor Dreadnought]]
 
*[[Vakuran]] — [[Dreadnought]]
 
*[[Tal Vanek]] - Battle Brother, 1st Company
 
*[[Krostovok]] - Night Lords acting commander at the [[Siege of Terra]]{{Fn|31}}
 
*[[Endros Shek]] - [[Terror Squad]] officer{{Fn|33}}
 
*[[Malthax Thule]] - [[Contemptor Dreadnought]]
 
  
 
=====Post-Heresy=====
 
=====Post-Heresy=====
*[[Krieg Acerbus]] — Axemaster, [[Daemon Prince]] leading the largest warband{{Fn|3}}
+
*[[Krieg Acerbus]] — Axemaster, [[Daemon Prince]] leading the largest Night Lords warband.{{Fn|3}}
*[[Vandred Anrathi|The Exalted]] — [[Possessed]] warband leader{{Fn|2}}
+
*[[Vandred Anrathi|The Exalted]] — [[Possessed]] warband leader.{{Fn|2}}
*[[Talos Valcoran]] — Soul Hunter, succeeded the Exalted as warband leader{{Fn|8}}
+
*[[Talos Valcoran]] — Soul Hunter, succeeded the Exalted as warband leader.{{Fn|8}}
*[[Decimus (Character)|Decimus]] — Prophet, succeeded Talos as warband leader{{fn|11c}}
+
*[[Decimus (Character)|Decimus]] — Prophet, succeeded Talos as warband leader.{{fn|11}}
*[[Darjyr]] — warband leader{{fn|11c}}
+
*[[Tarraq Darkblood]] — Warband leader.{{Fn|10a}}
*[[Tarraq Darkblood]] — warband leader{{Fn|10a}}
+
*[[Gendor Skraivok|The Painted Count]] — [[Daemon Prince]].{{Fn|23}}
*[[Gendor Skraivok]] — [[Daemon Prince]]
+
*[[Lucoryphus]] — leader of the [[Bleeding Eye]]s Raptor cult.{{Fn|8}}
*[[Ghuul Askhol]] — [[Chaos Lord]]
 
*[[Ramaghan Savasdus]] - [[Chaos Lord]]
 
*[[Halasker]] — warband leader{{Fn|2}}
 
*[[Hemek]] — warband leader{{Fn|11}}
 
*[[Hodir]] — warband leader{{Fn|15}}
 
*[[Ahrak Deathshriek]] - Warband Leader{{Fn|26}}
 
*[[Vasellisk]] — Sorcerer Lord
 
*[[Yharas Kine]] - [[Chaos Lord]]{{Fn|29c}}
 
*[[Kalex]] — Captain, warband leader{{Fn|11}}
 
*[[Yem Kereel]] — warband leader{{Fn|11}}
 
*[[Zar Tavik]] — warband leader{{Fn|11}}
 
*[[Toriel]] — the White Handed, warband leader{{Fn|11}}
 
*[[Lucoryphus]] — leader of the [[Bleeding Eye]]s Raptor cult{{Fn|8}}
 
*[[Malcharion]] — the War-Sage, [[Chaos Dreadnought]]{{Fn|8}}
 
*[[Zso Sahaal]] — exile{{Fn|3}}
 
*[[Anvrex Rarth]]
 
*[[Ghilus Venst]]
 
*[[Varrus Hekatos]] - [[Chaos Lord]]
 
*[[Vreanus]] - Warband Leader
 
*[[Ramaghan Savasdus]] - Warband Leader
 
*[[Praxis Empyrealus]] - [[Master of Possession]]
 
  
 
=====Unique Troops=====
 
=====Unique Troops=====
Line 274: Line 266:
 
*[[Night Raptor]] (Heresy-era)
 
*[[Night Raptor]] (Heresy-era)
 
*[[Terror Squad]]s (Heresy-era)
 
*[[Terror Squad]]s (Heresy-era)
 +
*[[Reaver (Night Lords)|Reaver]] (Heresy-era)
 
*[[Contekar]] [[Terminator]]s (Heresy-era){{Fn|30}}
 
*[[Contekar]] [[Terminator]]s (Heresy-era){{Fn|30}}
  
==Related Articles==
+
==See also==
 
*[[Chaos Space Marine Legions and Warbands (List)]]
 
*[[Chaos Space Marine Legions and Warbands (List)]]
 
*[[Space Marine Forces (List)]]
 
*[[Space Marine Forces (List)]]
  
== Sources ==
+
==Sources==
 
{{Cite}}
 
{{Cite}}
 
*{{Endn|1}}: [[Index Astartes II]],{{Cite this}}
 
*{{Endn|1}}: [[Index Astartes II]],{{Cite this}}
 
**{{Endn|1a}}: pgs. 20–27
 
**{{Endn|1a}}: pgs. 20–27
 
*{{Endn|2}}: [[Soul Hunter (Novel)]],{{Cite this}}
 
*{{Endn|2}}: [[Soul Hunter (Novel)]],{{Cite this}}
**{{Endn|2a}}: Chapter I
+
**{{Endn|2a}}: Chapter 1
**{{Endn|2b}}: Chapter XII
+
**{{Endn|2b}}: Chapter 12
 +
**{{Endn|2c}}: Chapter 8
 +
**{{Endn|2d}}: Chapter 17
 
*{{Endn|3}}: [[Lord of the Night (Novel)]],{{Cite this}}
 
*{{Endn|3}}: [[Lord of the Night (Novel)]],{{Cite this}}
 
**{{Endn|3a}}: Part Two: Kingdom of Fear
 
**{{Endn|3a}}: Part Two: Kingdom of Fear
 +
**{{Endn|3b}}: Part Five - ''Dominus Nox''
 
*{{Endn|4}}: [[The Dark King (Short Story)]]
 
*{{Endn|4}}: [[The Dark King (Short Story)]]
 
*{{Endn|5}}: [[Throne of Lies (Audio Book)]]
 
*{{Endn|5}}: [[Throne of Lies (Audio Book)]]
Line 296: Line 292:
 
**{{Endn|8a}}: XIV: Loyalties
 
**{{Endn|8a}}: XIV: Loyalties
 
*{{Endn|9}}: [[Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition)]], pg. 42
 
*{{Endn|9}}: [[Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition)]], pg. 42
*10: [[Codex: Eye of Terror (3rd Edition)]]
+
*10: [[Codex: Eye of Terror (3rd Edition)]]:
 
**{{Endn|10a}}: pg. 13
 
**{{Endn|10a}}: pg. 13
 
**{{Endn|10b}}: pg. 17
 
**{{Endn|10b}}: pg. 17
Line 307: Line 303:
 
*{{Endn|17}}: [[Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition)]], pg. 12
 
*{{Endn|17}}: [[Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition)]], pg. 12
 
*{{Endn|18}}: [[Nightfall (Short Story)]]
 
*{{Endn|18}}: [[Nightfall (Short Story)]]
*{{Endn|19}}: [[The Horus Heresy Book Two - Massacre]], pg. 92
+
*19: [[The Horus Heresy Book Two - Massacre]]:
 +
**{{Endn|19a}}: pg. 92
 +
**{{Endn|19b}}: pg. 244
 +
**{{Endn|19c}}: pgs. 96-99
 +
**{{Endn|19d}}: pgs. 102-107
 
*{{Endn|20}}: [[Index Astartes: Death Company]], pgs. 9–10
 
*{{Endn|20}}: [[Index Astartes: Death Company]], pgs. 9–10
*{{Endn|21}}: [[Honours (Short Story)]], pg. 3
+
*{{Endn|21}}: [[Honours (Short Story)]]
 
*{{Endn|22}}: [[Pharos (Novel)]],{{Cite this}}
 
*{{Endn|22}}: [[Pharos (Novel)]],{{Cite this}}
 
**{{Endn|22a}}: Chapter 29
 
**{{Endn|22a}}: Chapter 29
 +
**{{Endn|22b}}: ''Dramatis personae''
 +
**{{Endn|22c}}: Chapter 4
 +
**{{Endn|22d}}: Chapter 19
 +
**{{Endn|22e}}: Chapter 22
 
*{{Endn|23}}: [[The Painted Count (Short Story)]]
 
*{{Endn|23}}: [[The Painted Count (Short Story)]]
 
*24: [[Codex: Chaos Space Marines (8th Edition)]]
 
*24: [[Codex: Chaos Space Marines (8th Edition)]]
Line 317: Line 321:
 
**{{Endn|24b}}: pg. 36 — ''Fear Eternal: The Long Night''
 
**{{Endn|24b}}: pg. 36 — ''Fear Eternal: The Long Night''
 
**{{Endn|24c}}: pg. 36 — ''Fear Eternal: An Ill-Fated Crossing''
 
**{{Endn|24c}}: pg. 36 — ''Fear Eternal: An Ill-Fated Crossing''
*{{Endn|25}}: [[Imperium Nihilus: Vigilus Ablaze]], pg. 15
+
**{{Endn|24d}}: pgs. 36-37
 +
*25: [[Imperium Nihilus: Vigilus Ablaze]]:
 +
**{{Endn|25a}}: pg. 11
 +
**{{Endn|25b}}: pg. 15
 +
**{{Endn|25c}}: pg. 83
 
*{{Endn|26}}: [[Codex Supplement: Iron Hands (8th Edition)]], pgs. 32-33
 
*{{Endn|26}}: [[Codex Supplement: Iron Hands (8th Edition)]], pgs. 32-33
 
*{{Endn|27}}: [[Konrad Curze: The Night Haunter (Novel)]], Chapter 9
 
*{{Endn|27}}: [[Konrad Curze: The Night Haunter (Novel)]], Chapter 9
 +
**{{Endn|27a}}: Chapter 9
 +
**{{Endn|27b}}: Chapter 6
 +
**{{Endn|27c}}: Chapter 11
 
*{{Endn|28}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/11/20/the-next-stages-of-the-horus-heresyfw-homepage-post-1/ Warhammer Community: The Next Stages of the Horus Heresy (Posted November 20 2019)] (last accessed 11/19/2019)
 
*{{Endn|28}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/11/20/the-next-stages-of-the-horus-heresyfw-homepage-post-1/ Warhammer Community: The Next Stages of the Horus Heresy (Posted November 20 2019)] (last accessed 11/19/2019)
*29: [[Psychic Awakening: Faith and Fury]]
+
*29: [[Psychic Awakening: Faith and Fury]]:
 
**{{Endn|29a}}: pg. 67
 
**{{Endn|29a}}: pg. 67
 
**{{Endn|29b}}: pgs. 8-9
 
**{{Endn|29b}}: pgs. 8-9
 
**{{Endn|29c}}: pgs. 11-12
 
**{{Endn|29c}}: pgs. 11-12
 
*{{Endn|30}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/02/03/the-road-to-thramas-part-3-terror-troopsgw-homepage-post-2fw-homepage-post-1/ Warhammer Community: The Road to Thramas – Part 3: Terror Troops (posted February 3 2020)] (last accessed 2/4/2020)
 
*{{Endn|30}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/02/03/the-road-to-thramas-part-3-terror-troopsgw-homepage-post-2fw-homepage-post-1/ Warhammer Community: The Road to Thramas – Part 3: Terror Troops (posted February 3 2020)] (last accessed 2/4/2020)
*{{Endn|31}}: [[Saturnine (Novel)]] Dramatis Personae
+
*31: [[Saturnine (Novel)]]:
 +
**{{Endn|31a}}: ''Dramatis Personae''
 +
**{{Endn|31x}}: {{Cite this}}
 
*{{Endn|32}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/04/06/the-road-to-thramas-part-5-the-lionfw-homepage-post-2/ Warhammer Community: The Road to Thramas – Part 5: The Lion (posted 4/5/2020)] (last accessed 4/6/2020)
 
*{{Endn|32}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/04/06/the-road-to-thramas-part-5-the-lionfw-homepage-post-2/ Warhammer Community: The Road to Thramas – Part 5: The Lion (posted 4/5/2020)] (last accessed 4/6/2020)
*{{Endn|33}}: [[The Horus Heresy Book Six]] pg.129
+
*{{Endn|33}}: [[The Horus Heresy Book Six - Retribution]], pg. 129
*{{Endn|34}}: [[The Horus Heresy Book Nine]] pg.184
+
*34: [[The Horus Heresy Book Nine - Crusade]]
**{{Endn|34a}}: pg.41
+
**{{Endn|34a}}: pg. 41
 +
**{{Endn|34b}}: pgs. 64-66
 +
**{{Endn|34c}}: pgs. 183-184
 +
**{{Endn|34d}}: pg. 53
 +
**{{Endn|34e}}: pgs. 68-69
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**{{Endn|34f}}: pg. 131
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*{{Endn|35}}: [[White Dwarf 461]], pgs. 66-67
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*{{Endn|36}}: [[White Dwarf 463]], pg. 43
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*{{Endn|37}}: [[War Zone Charadon - Act I: The Book of Rust]], pgs. 40-41
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*{{Endn|38}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/10/04/launch-a-daring-strike-into-the-heart-of-ultramar-with-the-night-lords/ Warhammer Community: Launch a Daring Strike Into the Heart of Ultramar With the Night Lords (Posted on 04/10/2021)] - [https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/92OhQMoHC7I5tbLG.pdf The Defense of Sotha: Aegida's Lament PDF], pgs. 2-4 (Last accessed on 4 October 2021)
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*{{Endn|39}}: [[The Wolftime (Novel)]], Chapter 1
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*{{Endn|40}}: [[Kill Team: Nachmund]], pg. 12
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*41: [[Codex: Chaos Space Marines (9th Edition)]]:
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**{{Endn|41a}}: pg. 39
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**{{Endn|41b}}: pg. 89
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**{{Endn|41c}}: pg. 142
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*42: [[Arks of Omen: Abaddon]]:
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**{{Endn|42a}}: pgs. 18-23
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**{{Endn|42b}}: pg. 28
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*{{Endn|43}}: [[Child of Night (Short Story)]]
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*{{Endn|44}}: [[Codex: Thousand Sons (8th Edition)]], pg. 29
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*{{Endn|45}}: [[Angels of Caliban (Novel)]] {{Cite this}}
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*{{Endn|46}}: [[Ruinstorm (Novel)]] {{Cite this}}
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*{{Endn|47}}: [[The Lost and the Damned (Novel)]] {{Cite this}}
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*{{Endn|48}}: [[Black Crusade: The Tome of Blood]], pg. 31
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*{{Endn|49}}: [https://www.instagram.com/warhammerofficial/p/C3LEWDzL72Y/?hl=en Warhammer Community Instagram] (last accessed 15/2/2024)
  
 
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Latest revision as of 13:21, 11 March 2024

Targetdrone.gif This article is about the Chaos Space Marine Legion. For other uses of Night Lords, see Night Lords (disambiguation).
Simple Badge Chaos Space Marines.png
Chaos Portal
Night Lords
Nightlords.png

NLMarine.jpg

Legion Number VIII
Primarch Konrad Curze aka Night Haunter
Homeworld Nostramo (Destroyed)
Current Base Scattered, many in the Eye of Terror[2a]
Chaos Affiliation Most scorn all faith, but some worship Chaos Undivided or particular Chaos Gods[1a][2][3b]
Colours Blue-black with imagery of death
Specialty Infiltration, Psychological Warfare, Raptors
Battle Cry "We have come for you!" or "Ave Dominus Nox!"
Known Warbands

The Night Lords were the VIII Legion of the original twenty Space Marine Legions. Their Primarch was Konrad Curze, also called the Night Haunter. The Legion turned traitor during the Horus Heresy, after which it fought its way across Imperial space in a bloody campaign that culminated with the death of Konrad Curze at the hands of an Imperial Assassin. Since the loss of their primarch the Night Lords have based themselves in the Eye of Terror and now operate as a fragmented terror force who seem to go to war only to slaughter or acquire material possessions.[1a]

While most certainly Chaos Space Marines, the Night Lords scorn all forms of faith and respect only temporal and material power[1a]; indeed, many of them consider themselves free of the taint of Chaos and despise those they deem to be so corrupted.[2]

Homeworld

The homeworld of the Night Lords was Nostramo, a world of perpetual night.[1a] Plagued by both systematic corruption and endemic violence, Nostraman society was radically altered and pacified by the actions of the Night Haunter, at least for a time. Eventually however, conditions on the planet backslid to the point that the VIII Legion's Primarch, Konrad Curze, ordered its destruction.[1a] Nostramo has not existed as a world for ten thousand years, although traces of its once presence can still be found by those who know where to look.[2a]

History

Formation

Night Lords' Heresy shoulder symbol
Great Crusade era Night Lords Astartes

Originally known as the VIIIth Legion, the Night Lords first recruits were from the stinking ancient prisons of Terra. Here the children of prisoners were raised in the dark and among death. These pale "Night's Children" made perfect Astartes recruits. The Legion saw its first use when the Emperor deployed them against the Terran Saragorn Enclave, who despite having surrendered to the Imperium during the Unification Wars, still continued banned psy-breeding experiments. The Emperor's retribution on the Enclave was viciously carried out by the VIIIth Legion.[19a]

The Lord of the Night

After his discovery by the Emperor, Konrad Curze underwent a period of training under the tutelage of Fulgrim, primarch of the Emperor's Children, who introduced him to not only wider military strategems, but also Imperial culture, specifically that of Terra itself. Following this period, Curze was placed at the head of his legion, who are known to have adapted to his philosophies quickly and with diligence, as well as intelligently transforming the primarch's beliefs into military tactics. Curze's experiences upon Nostramo in his self-appointed role as the Night Haunter had instilled in him the philosophy of terror, whereby he had inspired obedience to the law by fear of extreme punishment. This societal philosophy translated into the military tactics of swift, sudden and decisive strikes often carried out to excess, as well as making sure the enemy knew who had hit them. The Night Lords therefore developed a practice of regularly using excessive force to defeat their enemies, as well as publicising these actions so that other potential transgressors would be well aware of what could happen to them should they break faith with the Imperium.[1a]

This approach made the Night Lords well-suited for dealing with worlds brought into the Imperium during the Crusade who were subsequently lax in achieving full compliance, or who even threatened to rebel. They were heavily utilized as a force that solidifed the Imperium's grip after initial pacification was achieved; as this sort of endeavor mirrored what Curze did as the Night Haunter on Nostramo, the Night Lords excelled at reinforcing the Emperor's will - through fear. To increase their effectiveness in this regard, Curze encouraged the Night Lords to decorate their power armour with death imagery. The legion soon gained a tremendously terrifying reputation, one that would cause many planetary rulers to immediately make good any outstanding tithes, make sure Imperial laws were being followed and sometimes would entirely stop an incipient rebellion at the mere rumour of Night Lord retaliation.[1a].

As the Great Crusade wore on and the Night Lords began to slowly receive replacement Marines from Nostramo (which had meantime fallen back to its pre-Night Haunter ways), the criminal element of Nostraman society, including murderers and rapists, began to fill the ranks[1a]. Much of this was due to the instability of Nostramo's and the return of the old nobility in the absence of Curze, who emptied their worlds jails for the Legion in order to keep the best warriors for their own interests.[27a] This, in addition to Curze's probable insanity,[4] initiated a downward spiral for the Legion.

Descent

While it may be possible that the Emperor tacitly or even secretly authorized the Night Lords' excessive tactics,[3] the legion was eventually questioned over its increasingly extreme sanctioning of Imperial citizenry, especially by some of the other primarchs, a brotherhood that Curze had never felt a part of. Apart, that was, from Fulgrim. When his brothers began to turn on him, Curze turned to his tutor and supposed friend for counsel and confession. A sufferer of prophetic visions apparently all of his life, Curze told Fulgrim of his own great fear; that he had forseen the Emperor killing him and that the Legiones Astartes would endlessly battle each other in a perpetual civil war. Fulgrim, shocked and worried by Curze's behaviour and mental state, informed their brother Rogal Dorn (who was present in the same warzone as Curze and Fulgrim at the time) of these visions and claims. Dorn then confronted Curze over what he saw as this dishonourable besmirchment of the Emperor's name; the conversation came to blows, with Curze beating his brother bloody. Subsequently accepting being placed under arrest for this action, Curze entered confinement to await the judgement of the other Primarchs.[1a]

Such a verdict was never made, as before a conclave of the primarchs could be held Konrad Curze, after hearing that crime and corruption had returned to Nostramo in his absence, decided to refuse the entire process and escaped from detention, slaying members of the Imperial Fists and Emperor's Children in the process. He swiftly rejoined his legion[4] and took his fleet to Nostramo, the planet that had betrayed him, where he ordered all the ships in his fleet to fire upon the single weakness in the planet's adamantium crust, causing it to be destroyed.[1a][4]

Although the Night Lords had gone rogue, the Horus Heresy erupted before anything could be done about it.

The Horus Heresy

Konrad Curze and the Night Lords during the Horus Heresy[32]

Despite having gone rogue, the Night Lords were one of the seven Legions dispatched to destroy the gathered Sons of Horus, World Eaters, Death Guard, and Emperor's Children at the Isstvan system.[1] While records do not clearly explain why an apparent rogue legion was tasked to join the loyalist Astartes force charged with exterminating the traitors, at least one account puts forth the view that the Imperial justice system was both so slow and so unsure of how to deal with the Night Lords that the Imperial military commanders issued the order anyway, in their hurry to assemble a powerful force with which to crush Horus.[1a]

Upon Isstvan V, the Night Lords, alongside the Word Bearers, Iron Warriors, and the Alpha Legion, turned on the loyalist Legions who had arrived earlier and took part in the Dropsite Massacre.[1a] Upon decimating the Raven Guard, Iron Hands, and the Salamanders, the Night Lords returned to the galactic east and began an apparently unfocused genocidal campaign; most likely this was designed to stop any support from this area reaching Terra.[1a] Eventually, however, the Night Lords fleet was ambushed and badly mauled by the Dark Angels at the climax of the Thramas Crusade, with one fifth of the Legion confirmed destroyed. Worse still for the Night Lords, Curze himself had been badly injured and rendered comatose by Lion El'Jonson during the debacle, forcing Sevatar to take command of the Legion and organize a regrouping. Before his capture by the Dark Angels Sevatar would divide the fleet into six parts and order their commanders to scatter. Meanwhile, Curze was stranded aboard the Dark Angels flagship Invincible Reason, eluding capture and eventually escaping to Macragge.[16]

Meanwhile the splinter fleets of Night Lords forces scattered during Thramas continued to wreak havoc across Ultima Segmentum. One notable example was the Battle of Sotha, where Night Lords under the command of Krukesh and Gendor Skraivok attempted to secure the xenos device known as the Pharos from Imperium Secundus.[22] Later a renewed power struggle to determine the future of the Legion erupted aboard the Nightfall, with Curze's former Equerry Shang wanting to continue the search for the Primarch and become reaving warbands. However Shang was slain by Gendor Skraivok, who proclaimed that he intended to join with Horus and push on Terra.[23]

On Macragge, Curze became the target of a planet-wide hunt by the Dark Angels, whose primarch Lion El'Jonson had been placed in charge of military and security in Roboute Guilliman's Imperium Secundus. The Lion eventually tracked down and beat Curze into submission, after which he became a prisoner of the Lion, Guilliman and Sanguinius.[45] When the trio departed Imperium Secundus with their Legions to make a push for Terra, they took Curze with them, but Sanguinius eventually decided to dispose of him by freezing him in a stasis coffin and ejecting it into deep space.[46] Curze was consequently absent from the Battle of Terra. However, elements of the Night Lords scattered by Sevatar as well as those under Skraivok joined with Horus' main fleet and took part in the siege.

During the siege of the Imperial Palace, Gendor Skraivok unwisely challenged Raldoron, First Captain of the Blood Angels, to a duel atop the palace walls. Raldoron easily defeated Skraivok and hurled him from the walls. Crippled by the fall, Skraivok allowed a daemon to possess his body and instantly became a helpless prisoner in his own flesh.[47] )He would re-emerge millennia later a daemon prince). In his absence, a Night Lord named Krostovok took command, though the extent of his authority is unclear, as by this point the legion had devolved into individualistic killers caught up in the carnage.[31]

Horus Heresy Aftermath

Night Lords Space Marine[28]

Upon Horus's defeat, the Night Lords continued their bloody pogrom upon the Galactic East. While nearly every other Legion had been decimated in the fighting and all the other traitor Legions had begun retreating to the Eye of Terror, the Night Lords legion remained unified and retained the bulk of their pre-Heresy numbers. This heavily concerned the High Lords of Terra, who debated what could be done to cease their predations.[1a] Meanwhile the old base of the Night Lords, the Nostramo Sector, was scoured by an unknown enemy.

Night Lords shoulder symbol

This eventually led to Konrad Curze being assassinated by a Callidus Assassin. Curze had visions of this event all his life and therefore chose to allow the assassin to kill him on the world of Tsagualsa, where the Night Lords had built a fortress of living flesh. Curze felt that this assassination vindicated his philosophy of life and every action he had taken in enacting it.[1a] Before his death, Curze left strict orders that the assassin was to be allowed to carry out her mission and escape, as well as apparently passing leadership to the Talonmaster Zso Sahaal, First Captain of the legion. These orders were not fully carried out.[2]

Refusing to allow the assassin to escape, the Night Lord named the Soul Hunter, an apothecary of the 10th Company, pursued her with intent to kill - a solo pursuit that was joined by a significant portion of the legion's senior officers when it transpired that the assassin had also looted several of Curze's possessions believed bequeathed by him to the legion's command cadre.[2] Chief amongst these officers was the heir-apparent Zso Sahaal, who succeeded in boarding the assassin's vessel and retrieving the Corona Nox, a symbol of Curze's authority he believed was now to be his. However, Sahaal's own ship was attacked by Eldar raiders almost immediately, so he returned to it and vanished into the Warp, not to be seen again for almost ten thousand years.[3] As for the Soul Hunter, he slew the assassin in the manner of the Night Lords.[2]

Now without a leader, the Night Lords eventually fragmented into disparate warbands largely built around their original legion company structure and relocated to the Eye of Terror.[2] Though various individuals would try to claim leadership of the entire legion, such as Zso Sahaal and Decimus, none were ever able to reunite the broken legion.[2c][2d][3b][11]

In Midnight Clad

The Night Lords have operated as raiding forces ever since, conducting terror raids in much the same style as they did whilst under the Imperial banner, only now fueled by the hate and desperation brought on by the Long War, as well as the malign influences of Chaos. While the Warband of Krieg Acerbus is noted to be the largest and most chaotic in operation[3], many of the other warbands adhere more rigourously to the example set by their Primarch, deploying as organised Legiones Astartes and often with specific military goals[2].

A particular goal of the Night Lords ever since the death of their Primarch at the hands of the assassin M'Shen has been the recovery of her pict-log of the assassination. The investigations of the Soul Hunter, then an important member of the Exalted's Warband, led to the discovery of a copy of this recording, which allowed the Night Lords legion to witness their primarch - to all intents and purposes, their father - for the first time in ten millennia. A copy of it was ordered disseminated throughout the legion.[5]

The Great Rift

In the aftermath of the Great Rift's creation, the Night Lords' Warbands are in their element[24a] as they begin launching more raids than ever before, against an Imperium struck with fear and madness. They reap a gory harvest from the Imperium's worlds[24b] and soon establish small empires amgonst those Systems that have been cut off from the Emperor's Light[24a]. They strike an even more devastating blow against the Imperium, when the Warbands use Daemonic pacts to establish a safe passage through the Great Rift near the Corinthe System. The passage is soon discovered by the Navigator Guilds and several Imperium fleets are sent through it, in a desperate attempt to reach the worlds of the Imperium Nihilus. However, when the fleets enter the tunnel through the Great Rift, the Night Lords attack and capture dozens of Imperial vessels.[24c]

Only a small force of Night Lords under Ramaghan Savasdus aided Abaddon in the War of Beasts on Vigilus. The bulk of the Night Lords were instead attacking Ulthwe near the Eye of Terror.[25b]

Notable Engagements

A Raptor of the Night Lords

The Great Crusade

The Horus Heresy

Post Heresy

Organization

Night Lords (Post-Heresy)[17]

Heresy-Era

During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, the Night Lords followed standard Space Marine Legion organization save a command council of Captains known as the Kyroptera.[16]

During this time the Night Lords would deploy "Pacification Battalions". These were formations of heavy armor and shock infantry, including the infamous Terror Squads. These would deploy to isolated worlds with the sole goal of breaking whatever limited defenses they could find, then promptly ravaging the planet and its population. This served as an example for others for the price of defiance. These units would first deploy their heavy armor en-masse and once the defenders were broken and scattered, infantry as well as Land Speeders and Bikers would hunt down the survivors. The purpose of these operations was to cull and cause as much collateral damage as possible. They rarely made any attempt to hold their ground, most often departing after their brief but vicious onslaught.[34b]

Among the few fully mechanized units of the Night Lords during this time was the 17th Chapter, known as the Bleak Cohort.[34b]

Known units of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy

Chapters

Companies

Post-Heresy

Since the death of their Primarch, Konrad Curze, the Night Lords have been shattered as an organized legion. Most have fled to the Eye of Terror and now operate as disparate warbands.[2a]

Geneseed

The geneseed of the Night Lords apparently remains surprisingly pure, especially for a legion that has turned from service to the Emperor. It has been theorised that the Night Lords' avoidance of overt Chaos worship has spared their gene-seed from degradation[1], but even leaving this aside, the stability of it is notable even when compared to that of the loyalist First Founding Chapters.

Having said that, Curze's genetic legacy does have particular effects on those so altered. Firstly, all Night Lords sport jet black eyes and very pale skin (although quite how much of this comes from geneseed and how much from having a Nostraman background in those Night Lords from the doomed night-planet is unclear). Secondly, some of the Night Lords can sport varying degrees of Konrad Curze's precognition ability. In most, these are only momentary (or even subconscious) glimpses or intuitions about the future that can result in paranoid behaviour - for Curze and his children seem more inclined to forsee negative outcomes than any other type - but in the rare few full precogs amongst the Night Lords, these visions appear as painful, violent seizures that can last for many hours. These prophetic seizures can be quite detailed, as well as show many possible futures, allowing certain Night Lords warbands to pick and choose their next moves with advance information, although Imperial scholars hope that, like their gene-sire, the Night Lords precognitives are driven to choose to self-fulfill the negative futures they see due to the believed inherent mental instability possessed by the Curze line.[1] The most notable Night Lords precog is the aforementioned Soul Hunter, also known amongst his warband as The Prophet.[2]

Culture

Even during the Horus Heresy, the Night Lords were, and largely still are, misotheists. Possessed of no holy or unholy crusade, no unifying belief, martial creed or even bonds of honour, they exist merely to reap the spoils of their actions and terrify those they despise. Most of them, though far from all, have little to no interest in Chaos itself and shun the company of those that do. Their use of terror tactics and fondness for piracy and salvage operations are the only common themes found amongst their disparate warbands.[1]

The desire to cause fear is central to what philosophy the Night Lords have. This has become ritualised, to the extent that each Night Lord goes out of their way to affect a terrifying appearance, having their armour heavily artificed with symbols and imagery of death and nightmare such as skulls, skeletons, winged maws, lightning etc. Any edge gained over an opponent - including psychological ones - is important to the Night Lords. As a result, it is not uncommon for Night Lords to own a variety of personal weapons (some ornate, ancient and very deadly) and to prize them highly.[1,2] A key aspect of the Eighth Legion's terror tactics is that of dominance; the Night Lords believe in theoretically achieving it before beginning a combat action in the first place, and will go out of their way to gain a superior position over the enemy, using psychological warfare for some time before the attack, or stealth tactics in order to infiltrate the battlefield or set up in ambush. Night Lords, while not averse to enjoying the slaughter they cause, do not simply engage in battle for the enjoyment in brings; they only fight when they intend to win, and win easily and well. A Night Lord will attempt every underhanded trick he knows before engaging in a straightforward, stand-up fight.[1]

Recruitment

Night Lords battle Mandrakes[49]

During the Great Crusade Konrad Curze originally intended for the best and brightest of Nostramo to join the Night Lords. Curze considered the likes of Sevatar to exemplify the type of warriors he wanted in his Legion. However the embittered noble families of Nostramo deliberately sabotaged the Tithe to the Imperium, emptying their worlds jails and sending Curze instead an army of killers and thugs. The nobility kept the best warriors for themselves for use in gang warfare on Nostramo.[27]

Since the Heresy, it is known the Night Lords recruit through a variety of methods. One such method is collecting children-survivors of worlds they attack.[15] Another is to pick up other Chaos Marines from other Warbands. However, they can also lose numbers the same way.[6] Night Lords have also been known to abduct infants to help replace fallen Astartes and choose recruits from conquered worlds.[8]

Noted Elements of the Night Lords

Night Lords Armoury & Artefacts

Main article: Night Lords Armoury

Vessels

Aircraft

Vehicles

Notable Members

Heresy Era
Night Lords battle Dark Angels during the Horus Heresy
Post-Heresy
Unique Troops

See also

Sources