Gerasene Host

Gerasene Host legionary, Northern Sulphur Desert, Treab's World^[1]

The Gerasene Host was a Blackshields warband and seem to be the result of rapid, unsanctioned Geneseed hybridisation processes that first appeared in the middle period of the Horus Heresy. The source of the Host's Geneseed is unknown and its warriors appeared unaware of their true lineage. Some strategio-savants have posited that the Host was created as a living terror weapon, wrought by an unknown hand and released into the galaxy to sow death and destruction to further Horus' cause.^[1] Conversely, at least parts of the Gerasene Host fought for the Loyalists by the late Horus Heresy.^[2]

History

The Gerasene Host was first recorded during the middle stage of the Horus Heresy, at the time seemingly fighting for the Traitors. For instance, the warband intervened in the Treab's World Campaign, operating independently but in retrospect clearly co-aligned with Death Guard and Emperor's Children, and defeated a large force of Loyalists, among them a substantial contingent of Salamanders.^[1]

The Gerasene Host later reappeared during the Battle of Beta-Garmon, but it fought in support of the Loyalists during this campaign. It notably supported a White Scars offensive in the southern Beta-Garmon Star Cluster. Just like on Treab's World, however, the warband's members made no discernible attempts to contact or coordinate with anyone during the fighting around Beta-Garmon.^[2]

Heraldry and equipment

The Gerasene Host legionary pictured here wore a Mark V Power Armour of unknown provenance that had never been painted in any Legion colours, thus preserving its unadorned bare metallic grey ceramite.^[1]

The markings - typical for the Host and applied by each warrior himself - appear to represent arcane and idiosyncratic glyphs of unknown origin. Most members of the Gerasene Host also wore the "L" sigil on their right shoulder pauldron, again the significance of this marking remains unknown.^[1]

• 

  Armourial icons (left) and individual markings with unknown significance (right)^[1]

Known members

• Uurag - Destroyer Marine^[3]

Sources

• 1: The Horus Heresy Book Six - Retribution, pg. 223
• 2: Campaigns of the Age of Darkness: The Battle of Beta-Garmon, pg. 89 — Blackshields Tartaros Terminator
• 3: The Horus Heresy: Legions - Tempest Expansion: Blackshields Card Description - for details see Uurag/Sources