|
This article is about the units of the Dark Angels; for the units of the Adepta Sororitas, see Orders Militant. |
The Orders Militant of the First Legion[1a] or Orders of Battle[1e] were the Hekatonystika's informal network of specialists within the First Legion, that were dedicated to a singular focus of war beyond the wider scope of the Hosts.[1b]
Overview
They were created by the First Legion during the years the Emperor's forces fought to gain control of the Sol System. The warriors of the Orders would spend those isolated years honing their battle-craft, which they then recorded using complex ciphers and rituals. It was by the hard-won knowledge of these warriors that the First Legion would prevail again and again in the most gruelling and hazardous battles. Their foes' weaknesses were exposed and recorded by the great sacrifices of the Orders and such knowledge was later catalogued in the First Legion's archives.[1b] There were hundreds of Orders by the time of the Horus Heresy, some with as few as a dozen members, though others encompassed entire Chapters of Knights.[5b]
To hold a position even in the outer circles of one of the Orders Militant was considered a great honour, and of the entire Legion less than half could claim such an achievement. Though few outside of the ranks of a given Order knew the full import of the insignia borne by its adepts, all of the Legion's warriors granted the bearer of such a sigil due respect and few even amongst the most senior of commanders would fail to heed their advice, no matter what rank they might hold outside the Order. Though it is a rare occurrence, some particularly skilled warriors within the Legion bear the insignia of more than one of the Orders Militant upon their armour. In some cases such warriors have formally departed one Order to take up a position in a new brotherhood, sworn to keep the secrets of their old association, while in the most exceptional of cases they may hold rank in two or more Orders at the same time. There are only a handful of examples of this, the most well-known being Lion El'Jonson himself, who holds the rank of High Preceptor of every Order within the Legion, and Knight-captain Atreus Deucalion, bearer of the sword Chrysaor. Knight-captain Atreus, who was also a Marshal of the Firewing, was counted one of the finest swordsman in the Legion and held station within three separate Orders, blending the blade-techniques of each to form a unique and deadly style of his own.[1e]
Each Order was led by a Preceptor, or Paladin[5a] with a Preceptor's Conclave above them and a High Preceptor that commanded the entire Orders Militant.[1a] Lion El'Jonson is the only known High Preceptor.[1e] They were divided into an Inner and Outer Circle.[1e]
Sanctums
Most Orders maintained a sanctum chamber aboard any void ship to which a cell of their members was posted, a private space in to which entry was only granted to ordained members of the Order and where ritual training and study could be pursued in seclusion. Some of the largest Orders controlled space stations, most often based in and around warzones that supported or required their unique skills. These served as the perfect location for the training of its initiates and as a retreat for those veterans seeking to contemplate the teachings of the Order without distraction.[1e]
Recruitment
An Order’s sanctum, whether grand strongholds or spartan chambers aboard a ship of war, also served a crucial role in the recruitment of new members. Such prospective acolytes were identified by the senior members of a cell by the record of their achievements and skill, and were subject to much debate within the cell before any decision was made. Once summoned by the cell a warrior could expect to face a series of gruelling physical and mental trials, administered in the seclusion of the Order's domain where these candidates were granted limited rights of entry, though often under binding oaths to hold secret all that was witnessed. Such trials varied widely between Orders, though often presented the very real possibility of serious injury or even death for those that accepted the challenge. The exact nature of these rituals was kept secret and even those that failed were bound by the honour of the Legion not to speak of that which they had faced, such was the respect given to the Orders by the rank and file warriors of the Legion. Only once fully inducted would they receive the freedom of the Order's domains and the right to begin study of the first tier of the hidden lore of their new warrior-brotherhood and to bear the mark of acolyte upon the ceramite of their war plate.[1e]
Known Orders
- The Five Hundred Companions[1e]
- The Order of Caliban
- Order of Annihilation[1b]
- Order of Bloody Shrouds[1f]
- Order of Broken Claws[1b]
- Order of Broken Wings[1e]
- Order of the Crimson Field[1c]
- Order of the Empty Sky - Specialized in close-quarters combat amidst calling in artillery strikes.[1g]
- Order of Extinction[1b]
- Order of Santales[1e]
- Order of Shattered Crowns[1e]
- Order of the Argent Spire[1e]
- Order of the Broken Spears - Considered one of the largest Orders at 138 members.[1e]
- Order of the Shattered Mantle[1h]
- Order of the Shattered Spectre[1d]
- Order of the Three Keys[4]
See Also
Source
- 1: The Horus Heresy Book Nine - Crusade:
- 2: Warhammer Community: The Road to Thramas – Part 2: On the Knight Shift (posted January 7 2020) (last accessed 1/7/2020)
- 3: Lion El'Jonson: Lord of the First (Novel), Chapter 1, Section II
- 4: The Lion: Son of the Forest (Novel), Chapter 4
- 5: Angels of Caliban (Novel):
