Welcome, fellow devotees of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, to another fascinating deep-dive into the intricate, labyrinthine lore that gives life to our beloved game. Today, we focus our gaze on the enigmatic Exorcists, a chapter shrouded in mystery and intrigue.
Picture the scene: Margus, a devout Word Bearer, beholds a fallen Space Marine, a spectral figure leaving no trace in the warp. His armor and Bolter stand out vividly in the sacred realm, lending an air of palpable mystery to the scene. As Margus clenches his fist, the air grows heavy, the veil on the captain’s bridge thins, and two corpses rise eerily from the floor. It is through the eyes of the deceased that Shano, the Inquisitor, views this scene, the heraldic symbol of a skull with twisted horns triggering recognition in the Word Bearer.
Time seems to warp, transporting Margus to a time when he still possessed his sight. The volatile landscape of Curus roars with the clamor of metaphysical thunder and lightning, the air vibrating with the echoes of ritualistic chants from within warded structures.
Our journey now takes us to a slightly jarring scene, where the harmony of eight-fold symmetry is disrupted by the appearance of a ninth figure – a newly inducted acolyte bearing a red leatherbound journal. This journal contains the records of a recently deceased archist and holds secrets about the origins of the Exorcists.
For those not in the know, the Exorcists emerged during the 13th founding, known as the Dark Founding. They embody the values of Adeptus Aartis yet remain its greatest enigma. The gene seed used in their creation is a mystery, its information deliberately hidden by a bull of absolute issued by the Inquisition post the chapter’s founding.
The Exorcists donned yellow power armor with a checkered trim and their heraldic symbol was a dark brown horned demon head. Over time, however, their colors and heraldry evolved. Their armor turned crimson and their symbol morphed into a bone-colored skull with downward-pointing horns.
These changes have led to speculations about their intention to infiltrate the Word Bearer ranks, but they are easily identified in battle by their shoulder pad trims. Each color denotes a different battle company. White for the first, yellow for the second, red for the third, green for the fourth. The elite first company, donning Terminator armor, paints their shoulder pads black.
One striking feature of the Exorcists is their ritual inscriptions on the armor, which often lead novices to mistake them for Chaos Space Marines from the 17th Legion. However, scrutiny reveals that the inscriptions are old Terran dialects, symbols warding off other-worldly entities.
Astoundingly, the Exorcists maintain 12 companies instead of the standard 10, with the 11th and 12th consisting entirely of Scouts. This anomaly is attributed to their harsh training methods for neophytes, leading to high mortality rates and necessitating a constant influx of new candidates.
In battle, the Exorcists are masters of deception, their tactics designed to lull opponents into predictable patterns before abruptly shifting their approach. They even employ occult and mental disciplines to enter a meditative state, enabling them to purge fear and pain even when facing the horrors of the warp.
Each battle brother is so well-versed in demonology that their knowledge rivals that of the Grey Knights. Stay tuned for our future posts as we continue to unravel the intricate and captivating lore of the Warhammer 40,000 universe!
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