Traitor Skitarii
Traitor Skitarii (or Dark Skitarii[2]) refer to Skitarii warriors which serve the Dark Mechanicum.[1]
Overview
The first Traitor Skitarii were those that served the treasonous Fabricator-General of Mars, Kelbor-Hal, during the Horus Heresy. Roughly 2/3rds of the Skitarii Conclaves sided with the Traitors, while the rest went over to the loyalist Fabricator-Locum, Zagreus Kane. Kelbor-Hal had failed to sufficiently rewrite the core coding of the Skitarii's programming, which dictated that they would serve the Fabricator-General who in turn served the Mechanicum. Loyalist Skitarii saw Kelbor-Hal as having failed the Mechanicum by means of the Death of Innocence, and thus he had forfeited his position, and the true Fabricator-General was Fabricator-Locum Kane. Hal was quick to see his error, and subsequently used scrapcode to ensure that his Skitarii were absolutely loyal only to him.[1]
The new infusion of scrapcode into the Traitor Skitarii would see them become increasingly erratic and more prone to macabre displays, both during and after battle. They became aggressive and vicious, even developing cruelty. As Kelbor-Hal and the New Mechanicum dabbled further and further into the powers of the Warp, so did these Skitarii slowly become corrupted by Chaos, often donning robes covered in the gore of their foes. Only those Traitor Skitarii that remained loyal to Hal but operated far from Mars were spared the corruption. Besides acting as Kelbor-Hal's shock troops and enforcers during the subsequent Horus Heresy, Traitor Skitarii also fought alongside Warmaster Horus' armies and the Traitor Space Marine Legions.[1]
As the war ground on, Traitor Skitarii became heavily mutated and adorned themselves with black robes and horned helms.[2]
Sources
- 1: Journal Tactica: Skitarii, pgs. 9-11
- 2: Titandeath (Novel), Chapters 5-6