The '''Night Lords''' are one of the nine [[Space Marine Legions]] which betrayed the [[Emperor]] during the [[Horus Heresy]], becoming [[Chaos Space Marine]]s. They do not worship any Worship of the [[ChaosGods]] godsamong the Legion varies, with some warbands embracing [[Chaos Undivided]] fully and others shunning it completely. But regardless, but acknowledge them equally as they ruthlessly spread terror amongst the galaxy's inhabitantstimes goes on more and more Astartes are becoming corrupted and falling to [[Chaos]]. 

The Night Lords originated on the planet [[Nostramo]], a world which was trapped in a perpetual night and ruled by the [[Primarch]] [[Konrad Curze]], who used '''Night Haunter''' as an alias while ruling the world as a merciless vigilante. He later re-adopted the title during the [[Horus Heresy]]. Throughout the [[Great Crusade]] the '''Night Lords''' were the emergent Imperium's most powerful threat and the Emperor's most potent weapon. Entire worlds would surrender their arms as their scanners revealed that the Astartes vessels that had translated into orbit bore the runic symbols of the VIII Legion.⁴ The '''Night Lords ''' were utilized as a force largely that reinstated the [[Imperium]]'s rule after the planets had been pacified by the other [[Space Marine Legion]]s, but had ceased sending tithes or outright rebelled. As this sort of endeavor mirrored what Curze did as the Night Haunter on Nostramo, the Night Lords excelled at reinforcing the [[Emperor]]'s will through fear. The Night Lords decorated their power armour with symbols of death, very similar to the post-Heresy behavior of many fallen [[Space Marines]].¹

As the Night Lords began to slowly receive replacement Marines from Nostramo, which had fallen back to its pre-Curze ways, thugs, murderers, and rapists began to fill the ranksof the Legion¹. This, in addition to Curze's probable insanity,³ began a downward spiral for the Legion. The Legion began to make more excessive examples of planets and populations starting from merely purging the small group of rebellious or heathen occupants to virus-bombing an entire planet due to the existence of a single cult. This gave them a tremendously terror inspiring reputation causing many planetary governors to immediately make good any outstanding tithes and sometimes entirely stop a rebellion at the mere rumour of Night Lord retaliation¹.

While it may be possible that the [[Emperor]] secretly authorized these excessive examples to be made,² the Night Lords were eventually brought to task for their predations upon Imperial citizenry. During a meeting of the [[Primarch]]s, Konrad Curze confided in [[Fulgrim]], [[Primarch]] of the [[Emperor's Children]], of the visions he had of the [[Emperor]] killing him and that the Legions would endlessly battle each other. [[Fulgrim]], in turn, informed his brother [[Rogal Dorn]] of these visions. Dorn then confronted Curze, where Curze mercilessly beat him when the conversation inevitably turned to blows. Upon this event, the other [[Primarch]]s met amongst themselves to determine Curze's fate, as well as that of his Legion.¹