Chaos Space Marine
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This article is about the Space Marine warriors of Chaos; for the Squad Type, see Chaos Space Marine Squad. |
The Chaos Space Marines (also known as Traitor Marines, Chaos Marines, Heretic Astartes or Traitor Legionnaires) are counted among the most favoured and powerful servants of the Powers of Chaos.
Contents
Origins
Ten thousand years ago, Horus, Warmaster of the Imperium and most trusted 'son' of the Emperor, fell to Chaos due to a conspiracy by the Word Bearers. Besides the Space Marine Legion under his direct command, the Sons of Horus, eight of his brother-Primarchs and their legions also joined him in the Horus Heresy against the Emperor.
Only when Horus was slain at the ultimate conflict of the Heresy, the Battle of Terra, was the rebellion broken and the defeated Traitor Legions hounded into the Eye of Terror, which remains both their prison and sanctuary to this day. The Chaos Space Marines have not forgotten their defeat in the Heresy, and for the last ten thousand years have waged the Long War against the Imperium.
The Eye of Terror
Within the confines of the hellish zone of the Galaxy known as the Eye of Terror, the banished Chaos Space Marines, along with their exiled allies and slaves, have created their own Imperium of Chaos. In the most Chaos-saturated region of the galaxy, few in the ten thousand years of their exile have escaped mutation in some form.
Within the Eye, the legions fight among themselves for gene-seed, resources, slaves, or for the greater glory of the Chaos Gods. The legions however are far more driven by their hatred of the Imperium than by internecine rivalry. From the Eye, the forces of Chaos Marines emerge to exact their vengeance upon the Imperium, continuing the Long War they begun ten thousand years ago.[1][7]
Chaos incursions range from the small scale but brutal raids which can occur anywhere in the galaxy, to the apocalyptic Black Crusades led by the Warmaster of Chaos, Abaddon the Despoiler, when the forces of Chaos in all its forms unite to batter the fortress worlds close to the Eye.
Traitor Legions
Technically the Chaos Space Marine Legions are the only Space Marine Legions still in existence, the loyalist Legions having been reformed into self-contained Chapters after the Heresy. Though the Legion remains alive to the Chaos Marines as an identifying concept, in reality nearly all of the Chaos Legions have over time been scattered into separate war bands following rival Chaos Champions. It is said that only the Black Legion, Death Guard, and Word Bearers have retained their cohesion as a Legion.[5] On occasion a highly favoured Champion of Chaos, such as Abaddon, is able to temporarily reunite these Traitor Legions against the Imperium.
| The Traitor Legions after the Horus Heresy | ||||
| Symbol | Name | Leader | Daemon World | Chaos dedication |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Black Legion | Ezekyle Abaddon | None | Chaos Undivided |
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World Eaters | Angron | None | Khorne |
 |
Thousand Sons | Magnus | Sortiarius | Tzeentch |
 |
Death Guard | Mortarion | Munificence | Nurgle |
 |
Emperor's Children | Fulgrim | None | Slaanesh |
 |
Word Bearers | Lorgar | Sicarus | Chaos Undivided |
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Iron Warriors | Perturabo | Medrengard | Chaos Undivided |
 |
Alpha Legion | Unclear | None | Chaos Undivided |
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Night Lords | None | None | Chaos Undivided |
Traitor Chapters and Warbands
Inevitably, during the ten thousand years following the Heresy, entire chapters of once loyal Space Marines have fallen to Chaos.[4]
Some of the most notable Traitor Chapters and Warbands not affiliated with the original Heretic Legions include the:[4]
- Red Corsairs[4]
- Crimson Slaughter[4]
- Fallen[15b]
- Purge[4]
- Flawless Host[4]
- Sons of Malice[4]
- Company of Misery[4]
- Skulltakers[37]
- Brazen Beasts[15c]
- Scourged[4]
- Cleaved[4]
- Oracles of Change[37]
- Warp Ghosts[37]
- Dragon Warriors[37]
- Blood Gorgons[38]
- Deathmongers[39]
- Bleak Brotherhood[40]
- Death Shadows[37]
Creation of new Chaos Marines
The Chaos Marines still maintain the process of gene-seeding — the transformation of humans into superhumans through organ implantation and associated psychological and chemical conditioning - in order to create new Chaos Marines. The children that are turned into new Chaos Marines are bred from slave stock and captives acquired from raids on Imperial worlds.[6] The process is a brutal ordeal, differing from the carefully measured program of development used by Imperial Space Marines.[2]
In every Legion, Apothecaries, or their Chaos Marine equivalents, are still charged with the important task of retrieving the gene-seed organs from their fallen brethren.[6]
Equipment
Over the millennia the energies that saturate the Eye of Terror have worked their transformative effects on both the living flesh and the inanimate weapons and armour of the Chaos Space Marines. As far as weapons and equipment, the Chaos Legions retain much of their Legiones Astartes heritage. The bolter remains the main weapon even when it has been refigured into a fusion of biological and inorganic parts, or redesigned into strange and baroque forms by the whims of Chaos or the user himself. Although power armour is often unrecognisable as once being Astartes-issue, the suits continue to function the same, and include standard auto-sensory technology, communicators and respirators. Armour has been recoloured and redecorated to show allegiance to the Legion's Chaos patron.
Notable Chaos Space Marines
- Black Legion
- Abaddon the Despoiler, Master of the Black Legion, Warmaster of Chaos.[15b]
- Haarken Worldclaimer, Herald of Abaddon.[16]
- Falkus Kibre, Captain of the Bringers of Despair.[17]
- Devram Korda, one of the four Chosen of Abaddon.[19]
- Ygethmor, one of the four Chosen of Abaddon.[19]
- Threxos Hellbreed, one of the four Chosen of Abaddon.[15a]
- Skyrak Slaughterborn, one of the four Chosen of Abaddon.[20]
- Emperor's Children
- Eidolon, Lord Commander Primus and leader of the Phoenix Conclave.[6]
- Lucius the Eternal, Champion and leader of the Cohors Nasicae.[15b]
- Fabius Bile, former Chief Apothecary and leader of The Consortium and Creations of Bile.[15b]
- Julius Kaesoron, former First Captain, now a Daemon Prince.[18]
- Doomrider, Daemon Prince of Slaanesh.[36]
- World Eaters
- Khârn the Betrayer, Champion of Khorne and leader of the Butcherhorde.[15b]
- Kossolax, Lord Regent and commander of The Foresworn.[10]
- Invocatus, Horseman of the Apocalypse and leader of the Fire Riders.[25]
- Death Guard
- Typhus the Traveler, leader of the 1st Plague Company.[15b]
- Vorx, Siegemaster and leader of the Lords of Silence.[5]
- Ignatius Grulgor, Eater of Lives and Daemon Prince.[26]
- Thousand Sons
- Ahzek Ahriman, former Chief Librarian and leader of the Prodigal Sons.[15b]
- Amon, former Equerry to Magnus the Red and leader of the The Brotherhood of Dust.[28]
- Mordant Hex, Sorcerer Lord of the Six-Cursed.[29]
- Madox, Sorcerer[30]
- Iron Warriors
- Barban Falk, Daemon Prince[20]
- Honsou, Warsmith and leader of the Bloodborn.[20]
- Shon'tu, Warsmith and leader of the Sons of the Forge.[21]
- Kravek Morne, Warsmith.[42]
- Night Lords
- Talos Valcoran, the Soul Hunter.[22]
- Krieg Acerbus, Daemon Prince.[22]
- Malcharion, the War Sage.[23]
- Decimus, Prophet.[23]
- Word Bearers
- Kor Phaeron, Dark Apostle, First Captain, and Keeper of the Faith.[27]
- Erebus, Dark Apostle, First Chaplain, and the first known Chaos Space Marine.[31]
- Marduk, Dark Apostle[32]
- Alpha Legion
- Solomon Akurra, Chaos Lord and leader of the Serpent's Teeth.[34]
- Occam the Untrue, leader of The Redacted.[33]
- Kernax Voldorius, Strikemaster and Daemon Prince.[24]
- Others
Trivia
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Development History
Chaos Space Marines, as well as the entire concept of Chaos, were not present in the original Rogue Trader Rulebook of Warhammer 40,000, and would not have rules until Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness in 1988.
The earliest reference to what would become Chaos Space Marines comes with 1988's Book of the Astronomican, which first mentioned in a single box-text Horus' allegiance with Daemons and the Horus Heresy.[12]
The first exploration of traitor legions[Note] would come in White Dwarf 99 (UK) in the article On the Boil: Realms of Chaos Slaves to Darkness, which had original text despite its pitch as a pre-print of Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness and would explore the Horus Heresy in greater detail to introduce the idea of Inter-legionary wars, the Eye of Terror, and the chaos-warped renegades.[14] Shortly after, Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness firmly established the idea of Chaos-worshipping Space Marines with expanded and revised text.[1]
The Chaos Space Marines design was originated by Jes Goodwin in 1990[8], and fleshed out by John Blanche in 1996.[9] 1996's 2nd Edition Chaos Codex cemented most modern Chaos Space Marine lore such as the 9 Traitor Legions, Abaddon the Despoiler and most of their prominent named characters, and the idea of the Long War.[13]
Emperor's Children by Jes Goodwin (1990)[8a]
Death Guard' Plague Marine by Jes Goodwin (1990)[8b]
Thousand Son' Sorcerer by Jes Goodwin (1990)[8c]
World Eater' Berzerker by Jes Goodwin (1990)[8d]
Chaos Space Marines' by John Blanche (1996)[9]
Note
- Note: The Traitor Legions of Horus banished to the Eye of Terror in White Dwarf 99 (UK) are actually referred to with a different and unique name: "Treacher Legions".[14] With the publication of Traitor Legions in Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness[1], this term would never be used again.
See also
Sources
- 1: Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness, pg. 243
- 2: White Dwarf 199 — Chaos: The Long War
- 3: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising
- 4: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pgs. 15–16
- 5: The Lords of Silence (Novel), Chapter 9
- 6: Fabius Bile: Clonelord (Novel), Chapter 9, pgs. 243-260
- 7: White Dwarf 135 (UK), pg. 80
- 8: Index Chaotica: Apocrypha
[Help]
- 9: White Dwarf 202 (UK), pgs. 34-35
- 10: Angron: The Red Angel (Novel), Chapter 2
- 11: The Art of Warhammer 40,000 (2006), pg. 142
- 12: Warhammer 40,000 Chapter Approved - The Book of the Astronomican, pg. 13
- 13: Codex: Chaos (2nd Edition), pgs. 12-19
- 14: White Dwarf 99 (UK), pg. 79 - Chaos in the Forty-first Millennium
- 15: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (8th Edition):
- 16: Crusade: Nachmund Gauntlet, pgs. 46
- 17: Arks of Omen: The Lion, pg. 26
- 18: Wrath of Iron (Novel), Chapter 22
- 19: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pgs. 10
- 20: Dead Sky, Black Sun (Novel), Prologue
- 21: Lysander: The Fist of Dorn (Short Story)
- 22: Soul Hunter (Novel), Chapter VIII
- 23: Void Stalker (Novel), Epilogue Tertius
- 24: Hunt for Voldorius (Novel), Chapter 4
- 25: Codex: World Eaters (9th Edition), pg. 16
- 26: Vengeful Spirit (Novel), Chapter 8
- 27: Index Astartes IV — "Word Bearers", pgs. 14-15
- 28: Ahriman: Exile (Novel), Chapter 16
- 29: Codex: Thousand Sons (8th Edition), pg. 7
- 30: Space Wolf (Novel), Chapter 16
- 31: Child of Chaos (Short Story)
- 32: Dark Creed (Novel), Chapter 17
- 33: Sons of the Hydra (Novel), Part I, Chapter α
- 34: Renegades: Harrowmaster (Novel), Hindsight
- 35: Black Crusade: Traitor's Hate, Chapter 1
- 36: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pg. 24
- 37: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pgs. 18-21
- 38: Blood Gorgons (Novel) - Chapter 1
- 39: Imperial Armour Volume Twelve, pgs. 20–22
- 40: Imperial Armour Volume Thirteen - War Machines of the Lost and the Damned, pg. 56
- 41: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (9th Edition) - Cover
- 42: Warhammer Community: A powerhouse Warsmith leads a new campaign for the Iron Warriors (archived from [1] 26 January 2026, last accessed 26 January 2026)
Uncited
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