Secutarii Axiarch
Secutarii Axiarchs were a type of battlefield commander used by the Mechanicum's Secutarii guard.[1]
Overview
Tactical command of larger Secutarii forces is commonly devolved to a field officer known as an Axiarch. The process of their selection is perhaps an unsurprisingly arcane one given the nature of the Mechanicum, and concerns considerably more than merely rewarding meritorious service or recognising particular skill or experience as it might be in a more commonplace military formation. As well as having displayed perfect dedication and application of the Secutarii's arts of war, they must also have served in a battlefield operation where a fallen Titan has been successfully recovered or protected in the very teeth of the enemy; the most holy act a Secutarii can perform. Additionally, the potential candidate must be examined both for doctrinal purity in the Omnissiah's faith and biological adaptability for additional augmentation by cybernetic means, and even then the Legio's Logiseers must thoroughly examine the individual by binaric prognostication to establish if the auspices are favourable.[1][3]
Only if all of these criteria are met are they remade to a Machine Cult-ordained pattern. Rebuilt so that very little of the living being remains and they become an inhumanly stalwart, all but indestructible soldier likened both in fabricated body and Machine Spirit-ridden psyche to the god-engines they are charged to protect.[1]
Equipment
They are typically equipped with Mag-Inverter Shields and Arc Lances, alongside their fellow Secutarii Hoplites.[3] They can further equipped with an Arc Maul, Corposant Stave, Power Fist or other Power Weapon, a Volkite Serpenta, Archaeotech Pistol, Photon Gauntlet, or a Radium Pistol. For protection, Axiarchs wore Refractor Fields, Kyropatris Field Generators, and nigh-impervious Titanshard Armour who’s plates are crafted from the fallen God-Engine they saved.[1] They also carried an Omnispex, Augury Scanner and Shattersphere Grenades.[1]
One of the implants Axiarchs receive upon their promotion are datacores surgically implanted in replacement for parts of their cerebellum. Building upon the Axiarch's own wealth of strategic experience, these datacores contain dedicated stores of tactical doctrines and historical information on the myriad foes their Titan Legion has faced in the past. Such programs can be accessed and stratagems enacted based upon them before battle by being downloaded directly to the forebrains of the Secutarii under their command.[1]
Known Axiarchs
See Also
Gallery
Secutarii Axiarch miniature[3]
Sources
- 1: The Horus Heresy Book Seven - Inferno, pg. 289
- 2: The Horus Heresy: Legions
- 3: Warhammer-Community: Heresy Thursday – Protect your God Engines with the unyielding Secutarii Axiarch (posted 23/1/25) (page archive saved 23 January 2025, last accessed 23 January 2025, original link: https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/articles/v0mcnf8i/heresy-thursday-protect-your-god-engines-with-the-unyielding-secutarii-axiarch/ )
