Death Guard

[Brother Warchild]

Librarium Article

Death Guard/Dusk Raiders

Prior to the Emperor's discovery of the Legion's Primarch, they were known as the Dusk Raiders Legion. Their signature strategy had been to attack their foes at nightfall. The Dusk Raiders' armour was a dull white colour but with their right arm and both shoulders coloured crimson. This was done with the intent to show their enemies that they were the Emperor's red right hand, relentless and unstoppable.

Death Guard
When Mortarion was found by the Emperor upon the troubled world of Barbarus, he was swiftly given control of his Legion. Upon first seeing them he told them, "You are my unbroken blades. You are the Death Guard." The Legion's name was then changed in accordance with this decree,1a and Mortarion's words engraved above the airlock door of the Battle Barge Reaper's Scythe in honour of the moment.

PreHeresy Organizationre-
Before the Horus Heresy, the Death Guard differed from the other 20 Legions in that they had only seven Great Companies, although these held far more men than those of other Legions such as the Ultramarines or Space Wolves. There were three privileged titles held by captains of the Death Guard. The captain of the First Company was known as the First Captain, the captain of the Second Company was known as Commander, and the captain of the Seventh Company was known as Battle-Captain.

The Death Guard tended to be organised into units of foot-slogging infantry, rather than mechanised squads. Mortarion ensured that his men were well-equipped and highly-trained. He also ensured that they could fight in almost any kind of atmosphere, and placed little emphasis on specialised units using jump packs or bikes. The Death Guard did not have dedicated Assault and Tactical Squads. Every Marine was equipped with a bolter, bolt pistol and close combat weapon and told to fight with whatever weapon circumstance dictated. The Legion was also well known for its use of Terminator Armour. Possibly as a result of this, the Death Guard were highly successful at high-risk boarding and close-quarter operations such as space hulk clearance.

At the beginning of the Horus Heresy, many loyal Death Guard were massacred on Isstvan III by their fellow Space Marines.

During the Horus Heresy, the Death Guard joined Warmaster Horus in many battles and raids on the Imperium. When Horus led his forces against Earth and the Emperor, the Death Guard's First Captain, Calas Typhon (now known as Typhus), killed the Navigator of their capital ship. Pretending that they were still loyal to the Emperor, Typhon led the Chapter's Fleet into the Warp but instead of going to Holy Terra to defend the Imperium, the ships became trapped and unable to return to Real Space. The Destroyer Hive flooded the ship while they were trapped in the Warp. The stinking pestilence flooded the gut and distended the flesh, while the Marines were blacked out the Destroyer Hive swarmed over them and laid eggs inside the sores of the Marines. Craving salvation, the Death Guard called upon Nurgle to help them. Nurgle corrupted them beyond measure, transforming them into the grotesque warriors they are now. Typhon then inherited the Destroyer Hive: having already sacrificed his soul to Nurgle. The flies entered Typhon and thus Typhus, Herald and Champion of Nurgle, was born.

A number of Death Guard Marines, led by Battle-Captain of the 7th Company Nathaniel Garro, remained loyal to the Emperor. They formed part of the crew of the Eisenstein, a ship which ran the Traitor blockade in the Isstvan system in order to bring news of Horus' descent into Chaos to the Emperor on Terra.

After Horus' defeat, Mortarion led his Death Guard in a campaign of destruction over a score of planets, until finally retreating into the Eye of Terror. Here he received Nurgle's ultimate reward and became a full-fledged Daemon Prince, ruling over one of Nurgle's greatest Plague Worlds in the Eye of Terror. Mortarion sends out fleets of Plague Ships into the Warp to carry their contagions throughout the galaxy.

Organisation
A Death Guard force is largely made up of Plague Marines, and still follow the doctrines that their Primarch Mortarion taught them. Their tactics are based on the use of foot-slogging infantry, and the hardy use of their Bolters. Any vehicles that were in possession of the Death Guard at the time of the Horus Heresy have since fallen into disrepair, or have been commandeered by cheeky Nurglings.

The Death Guard make full use of Nurgle's gifts, spreading turmoil, advancing solidly amidst a mist of choking disease, surrounded by Nurglings at their feet and summoning horrific Plaguebearers from the Warp. In larger battles where the outcome is of dire importance, a decaying Daemon Prince may take the reigns of the army, or a Great Unclean One may posess a Champion.

The Death Guard organizes squads by multiples of seven, based on the sacred number of Nurgle.

Sources
Horus Heresy Visions of Death
CSM codex Ed 3
Lexicanum
HH Novels

[DeAd_cOmMaNdO]

cool stuff. just wondering where did you get the dusk raiders info from? not the apocryphal HH novels i hope?

[Brother Warchild]

DC:I dont think so,this has been done for a while just never got to putting it in.But whats your thoughts about using info from the books.

[Spartan2154]

I first heard of "The Dusk Raiders" in the HH novels...Anyone have more on them possibly?

[Drax]

the problem is, whilst most of us old schoolers are staunch in the beleif that the HH books are not as true to the rogue trader fluff as they used to be, the fact remains that that stuff is 20 years old - the game as a whole has evolved, and as has the fluff.

not making reference to such things as the Dusk Raiders because it is in the HH books and not part of the original background seems foolish to me - when all is said and done, they are GW (or rather Black Library) works, and as such ought to be used - GW are not the only people to adapt the story as they go along - it is just that they are the ones we all probably care the most about

[Brother Warchild]

I agree Drax being a old schooler myself.Just wasnt really sure.

[DeAd_cOmMaNdO]

oh no im all for using stuff from the HH books... ill just choose to ignire them

[Drax]

lol - i wasn't suggesting either of you were wrong to/not to incorporate the fluff, but i know from past experience that some are - even prominant members on the Black Library Website!

[DeAd_cOmMaNdO]

it not so much the addition of new stuff ( i mean the HH era was paper thin during the first 3 editions of the game, so theres obviously room for additional material). its the retconning and blatant disregard for certain things that gets to me

[Brother Warchild]

No i got ya and for the most part on my Librarium articles i leave it out or refer to it as a rumor.