Colours

Black, White and Red

"The galaxy is the Emperor's, and anyone or anything who challenges that claim is an enemy who must
be destroyed."

High Marshal Helbrecht at the Battle of Fire and Blood

The Black Templars is a Loyalist Second Founding Space Marines Chapter derived from the Imperial Fists'
gene-seed and their Primarch, Rogal Dorn. Their origin can be traced back to the Imperial Fists' defence
of Terra during the Horus Heresy. Since that time, the Black Templars have been on the longest Crusade
the Imperium of Man has ever known to prove their loyalty to the Emperor of Mankind. They are not a
Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter and maintain a very different Chapter structure and Chapter culture
than is the norm amongst most Astartes Chapters.

After the Great Heresy, Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial Fists, resisted the breaking up of the Space
Marine Legions into smaller Chapters. It was only when the Imperial Fists were branded Heretics that
Dorn relented, allowing his beloved Legion to be subdivided into Chapters. One of the new Chapters
born of this time was the Black Templars. To prove his loyalty to the Emperor, the first Chapter Master
of the Black Templars -- the High Marshal Sigismund -- assembled a massive war eet and began the
greatest Space Marine Crusade in the history of the Imperium. It has lasted for 10,000 standard years.

Eschewing the establishment of a Chapter homeworld, the Black Templars took to the stars in a mighty
war eet. Rather than constructing a single Chapter fortress-monastery as most Space Marine Chapters
do, the Black Templars determined to establish a Chapter Keep upon each world they conquered, to
keep watch for treachery, to stage future Crusades, and to recruit new Battle-Brothers. The ten-
millennia-long Imperial Crusade of the Black Templars has seen its warriors embroiled in some of the
most momentous conicts ever to engulf the Imperium. The subsequent High Marshals of the Chapter
have followed the example of their founder and taken the fight to the realms of the alien, the Heretic,
and the witch. The Black Templars are crusaders, holy warriors battling to bring the truth and light of the
Emperor to the unconquered worlds of the galaxy. With bolt shell and Chainsword, the Black Templars
convert the benighted to the light of the Master of Mankind and destroy those who refuse to welcome
His truth. Each Crusade is directed by the will of the Marshal in command, and each is despatched by the
decree of the High Marshal of the Black Templars to fulfill their prime mission to cleanse the stars.

The Black Templars are the best-known example of a Crusading Chapter in the whole Imperium; their
doctrines, traditions, and organisation reflect their particular approach to prosecuting the Imperium's
wars. The Chapter is divided into a variable number of self-contained and highly mobile forces known as
Crusades, each commanded by a Marshal, whose only superior is the High Marshal of the Chapter
himself. Under most circumstances, the Chapter is divided into no more than three separate Crusade
forces, though during especially calamitous times the number has risen to several times more.

Crusade forces are such large and powerful bodies that they are usually sub-divided into tactical bodies
known as Fighting Companies, analogous to a standard Codex Astartes company, and each of these is
led by a Castellan. With the successful conclusion of a war for which a Crusade force has been raised,
the various Fighting Companies within it are likely to be assigned a new mission, redeployed piecemeal
to bolster other Crusades already in the field, or sometimes amalgamated into the High Marshal's
household until such time as a new Crusade force is mustered.

Each Crusade force is raised from available Fighting Companies in order to prosecute a particular foe,
purge a specific region of space or attain a definite goal. Many of these wars are planned and
undertaken by the Chapter itself, according to the wisdom of its current High Marshal and other highly
ranked Chapter officers, but others are undertaken as a result of petitions from other institutions within
the Imperium. In the main, the High Marshal of the Black Templars is likely to receive only the highest-
ranked petitioners, generally those with a warrant from the Senatorum Imperialis and therefore
speaking with the direct authority of the High Lords of Terra and the Emperor Himself. On occasion,
however, the High Marshal might agree to hear the petitions of especially highly placed Inquisitors or
even well-regarded Rogue Traders, though he is under no obligation to offer such men any aid. Many
times in its glorious history, the Chapter has gone to war alongside other august bodies, and a complex
web of mutual obligation and honour has evolved.

The Chapter's propensity for launching such Crusades is not merely a point of history or tradition, but
something deeply rooted in its psyche. The Chapter was formed during the Second Founding from those
Battle-Brothers of the Imperial Fists Legion most disposed towards aggressive and bold styles of warfare
and, furthermore, in whom the events of the Horus Heresy had imprinted an unstoppable drive to
continue the Great Crusade and avenge the treacheries committed by the Traitor Legions. Perhaps these
Battle-Brothers were the most recently recruited of the old Legion, their raw zeal yet to be tempered by
the experience born of duty for which the Imperial Fists were so honoured. Regardless, the drive of
those original Black Templars became instilled in the new Chapter from the beginning. The processes by
which its gene-stock was cultivated imbued it in future generations on a genetic level. By a combination
of raw zeal, genetic enhancement, relentless psycho-conditioning and the continuous reinforcement of
the Chapter's histories and battle honours, each Battle-Brother is an exemplar of the crusading warrior-
knight, fired with righteous anger and driven to avenge every wrong ever done to the Imperium of Man
by every Traitor, fiend, and alien ever to have existed.

Contents[show]

Chapter History

Black Templars Chapter Badge

Black Templars Chapter Colour Scheme

A Black Templars Sword Brethren Terminator

Defence of Terra

At the Battle of Terra during the Horus Heresy, many Champions of Chaos arose from the Traitor Space
Marines' ranks. During this time, the Primarch of the Imperial Fists, Rogal Dorn, chose the Imperial Fists'
Captain Sigismund to fulfill the role of the Emperor's Champion. Captain Sigismund was given the best
armour and weapons the Legion possessed, and he swore a holy duty to seek out and destroy the foul
Champions of Chaos. He did so by challenging over two dozen of the enemy leaders to single combat
and banishing them back into the Immaterium. At the end of the Horus Heresy, each of the Space
Marine Legions was broken down into smaller organisations known as Chapters, each composed of one
thousand Astartes, as part of a plan to spread the power of the Imperial armed forces so that no one
man could bring to bear the influence that the Warmaster Horus had over the Space Marines.

Rogal Dorn, as Primarch of the Legion responsible for the defence of the Emperor's homeworld, Terra,
initially refused to have his Legion broken down. Dorn fought with his fellow Primarch Roboute
Guilliman over the issue, calling the Ultramarines' Primarch a coward, and Guilliman in turn accused
Dorn of heresy and disloyalty to the Emperor. The Primarchs Leman Russ of the Space Wolves and
Vulkan of the Salamanders favoured Dorn's stance while Jaghatai Khan of the White Scars and Corax of
the Raven Guard supported Guilliman's position on the issue. It was only after an attack on the Imperial
Fists' Strike Cruiser Terrible Angel by the Imperial Navy and the threat of a renewed civil war between
Dorn's Legion and the newly-formed Successor Chapters of the other First Founding Legions that he
decided to relent and allow the Imperial Fists to be divided.

Second Founding

"Zeal makes all things possible, duty makes all things simple."

Sigismund, First Captain, Legio Astartes Imperial Fists

The surviving Imperial Fists were split into four Chapters during the Second Founding. The younger
warriors became the Crimson Fists, while Dorn's chosen warriors remained the Imperial Fists, and the
orbital assault specialists formed the ranks of the infamous Soul Drinkers Chapter.

The fourth Imperial Fists Second Founding Successor Chapter were the Black Templars. Sigismund,
named the Black Templars' first Chapter Master, took with him the most zealous of the Imperial Fist
brethren and those that shared his fervour took on the black and white panoply of Sigismund's armor,
and then they embarked on an Imperial Crusade to prove their loyalty to the Emperor. Promoted to the
rank of High Marshal (Chapter Master), Sigismund swore an oath "to prove his loyalty, never resting in
the prosecution of his duties against the enemies of the Emperor." It is an oath that every succeeding
High Marshal has renewed, resulting in the longest Space Marine crusade in the history of the Imperium.
It has smashed through the stars for over 10,000 years and came to the fore during the Wars for
Armageddon.

Notable Crusades

The Black Templar Chapter is the only Space Marine Chapter in existence known to still follow the
Emperor's original vision of a Great Crusade to protect and reunite all the scattered worlds of Mankind
across the galaxy. Since their Founding, the Black Templars have been on the single longest Crusade in
the history of the Imperium. Smaller Crusades are created within this ongoing Great Crusade and some
of the more notable Black Templar Crusades include:

The Howling (401.M34) - The Black Templars Chapter ended the Catelexis Heresy by executing the
Cacodominus, an alien cyborg whose formidable psychic presence allowed it to control the populace of
thirteen hundred planetary systems. Alas, the Cacodominus' death scream echoed and amplified
through the Warp, burning out the minds of a billion Astropaths and distorting the signal of the
Astronomican. Millions upon millions of Imperial voidships were lost in the resulting upheaval and entire
sub-sectors slid into barbarism without the dictats of the Adeptus Terra to guide them. This tragic event
became known as The Howling.

Barbarus Incursion (831.M35) - The Black Templars took part in an unknown campaign known only by its
name -- the Barbarus Incursion. Following this campaign all records pertaining to it were sealed and
declared Inconcessus (forbidden).

Wars of Apostasy (Terran Crusade) (378.M36) - The Wars of Apostasy, known to the Black Templars as
the Terran Crusade, were a series of battles fought against the forces of the apostate High Lord Goge
Vandire during the Age of Apostasy in the 36th Millennium. During this tumultuous period, the Black
Templars had concerned themselves little with the affairs of the Imperium, but when Crusade fleets
returned to the Segmentum Solar and discovered that their Chapter keeps had been destroyed by
orbital bombardments carried out by the Ecclesiarchy's Frateris Templar, the full extent of Vandire's
treachery became apparent. Enraged, in 378.M36 the Black Templars' High Marshal Sigenandus
declared a Crusade to be launched against Vandire on Terra. The Black Templars, together with their
progenitor Chapter the Imperial Fists as well as the Soul Drinkers, the zealous Fire Hawks and elements
of the Martian Tech-Guard, took the fight to Terra itself and laid siege to Vandire's Ecclesiarchal Palace.
The Crusade ended with the death of Vandire at the hands of one of his former bodyguards -- Alicia
Dominica, the founder and patron saint of the Adepta Sororitas.

The Second Purging of Lastrati (543.M36) - The Second Purging of Lastrati occurred in 543.M36, as a part
of the Athalor Crusade, under the command of Marshal Gervhart of the Black Templars. Lastrati had
become a place of pilgrimage, and for centuries, the faithful had come to bear witness to such
spectacles as the Hill of Heretics and the Plain of Purity. Marshal Gervhart and the Black Templars of the
Athalor Crusade had come to Lastrati to take heart from the planet's potent displays of faith from the
past, but were horrified by what they found. The population had turned to barbaric blood rituals and
human sacrifices in search of genetic perfection. The Black Templars realised that the rituals of the
people of Lastrati had too much in common with the heretical Chaos Cult worship of the Ruinous
Powers. Marshal Gervhart ordered the planet cleansed of its degenerate inhabitants before continuing
the Crusade. After four standard years of fighting, the warriors of Marshal Gervhart forced the
remaining forces of Lastrati back onto the Plain of Purity. There they made their last stand at the Hill of
Heretics, before their army was utterly destroyed by the Black Templars.

The Angevin Crusade (322.M39) - The Black Templars participated in the Angevin Crusade, which led to
the conquest of the Calixis Sector for the Imperium, fighting alongside elements from their fellow
Astartes Chapters the Tigers Argent, the Sons of Medusa and the Charnel Guard.

The Jerulas Crusade (645.M39) - The Jerulas Crusade was an Imperial Crusade launched by the Black
Templars and led by their High Marshal Ludoldus. Jerulas was a long-isolated star system, only
rediscovered by the Imperium in the late 39th Millennium on the outer fringes of the galaxy. Attempts
were made to integrate its worlds into the Imperium, but the system had long been prosperous and
independent, and scorned Imperial interference. The first missionaries from the Missionaria Galaxia
were slaughtered, but when a second group of Imperial priests came to the system they brought the
Black Templars with them. Under the direct command of High Marshal Ludoldus, the Templars fought
the forces of the rebel worlds with great success until they came to the well defended hive cities of
Jerulas itself. Each attempt to capture the hives was fought back with great losses and it seemed like the
Templars would be unable to force their way into the sprawling arcologies. But the answer was found by
the Artificer Simagus, who discovered the means to develop the now legendary Land Raider Crusader.
Armed to smash through enemy defences and disgorge squads of Astartes right into the thick of the
fighting, the Crusader was the perfect weapon for breaching the defences of the Jerulas hives.

The Donian Crusade (985.M39) - The Donian Crusade was carried out by the Black Templars to combat
the swelling Ork population sweeping through the Donian Sector and surrounding wilderness space in
the southern sectors of the Segmentum Pacificus.

Assault on Cephian IV (Unknown Date.M41) - Following its liberation from the warriors of the Alpha
Legion in 343.M37, a Chapter keep of the Black Templars was raised on the world of Cephian IV, in the
northern chain of the Harake Mountains as a staging post for further Crusades into the Ghoul Stars and
beyond. Over four thousand Terran years have passed since the fortress was raised and it has always
been occupied by at least one Crusader squad of the Black Templars. The Chapter keep was also used as
a recruiting base, for the people of Cephian IV came from a fierce martial culture and provided many
Neophytes for the Black Templars. When the warriors of Castellan Ulliquel's Thunder Crusade entered
orbit above the Chapter keep, it was to demand fresh Neophytes to join them in crushing a spate of
Chaos Cultist uprisings in the Dominion of Storms. The Neophytes deemed ready to join the Crusade by
Chaplain Develain, the current Castellan of Cephian IV, were pushed harder than ever before to prove
themselves worthy of such an honour in a last trial by fire. But unknown to the Black Templars, their old
enemy, the Alpha Legion, had planted insidious agents on Cephian IV to foment unrest and outright
rebellion amongst the populace. In addition, diabolical pacts sealed with the Dark Eldar helped to
distract their ancient enemies from mustering to intervene in their grand designs. After successfully
completing their last trial by fire deep in the Harake Mountains, the surviving Neophytes were being
escorted back to their transports by Initiates of the Chapter keep. While en route to their Rhinos, a force
of Dark Eldar launched an attack on the Black Templars in order to capture the new recruits as slaves
and slay the master of the Chapter keep. The Black Templars fought a desperate battle to protect their
Neophytes. Chaplain Develaini and his warriors escaped the ambush, but while returning to the Chapter
keep aboard a flyer, a missile streaked up from the mountainside and exploded beneath the engine
compartment. The pilot had time for only a brief distress call before crashing in the foothills of the
Harake Mountains, only a few miles from the Chapter keep. A search and rescue mission was
immediately despatched to rescue any survivors and recover the warriors' relics and gene-seed, but
even as the Black Templars closed in on the crash site, it was clear that they were not alone, as a
shambling host of mutants, Heretics and Traitors attacked the survivors. The enemy had revealed its
hand too early with the attack on the downed flyer and the Black Templars readied themselves for a full
assault. Soon enough, a vast host of enemy troops, Heretics and mutants advanced on the Chapter keep
led by Chaos Space Marines from the Alpha Legion and a dangerous rogue psyker of terrifying power.
For days, the Forces of Chaos battled the Black Templars, dying in their thousands as the guns of the
Chapter keep scythed their enemies down. Chaplain Develain knew that he had to end the battle
quickly, and resolved to lead a strike force into the heart of the enemy to slay their leader. During the
ensuing battle the Castellan slew the vile rogue psyker while the Emperor's Champion single-handedly
took out a Chaos Defiler. The Black Templars displayed their typical fortitude and tenacity in the defence
of their Chapter keep, driving the Forces of Chaos into retreat. The Black Templars showed no mercy to
those who outlasted their final counter-attack, slaying any and all survivors.
The Cleansing of Hive Thetus (Unknown Date.M41) - The Cleansing of Hive Thetus was a military
campaign conducted by the Black Templars against a Tyranid Genestealer Cult discovered by the
Imperial Inquisition to exist upon the Hive World of Nevaria II. The cult was ultimately successfully
purged from existence by the Black Templars.

The Declates Crusade (Unknown Date.M41) - The Declates Crusade was an Imperial Crusade against the
Ork WAAAGH! Gitzmott carried out by the Crimson Fists and Black Templar Space Marine Chapters in
the heavily-populated Declates System. The Greenskins had overwhelmed world after world in the
system and while the Crimson Fists achieved early success in driving the Orks back, eventually their
sheer weight of numbers began to tell, and the Orks pushed towards the vital Forge World of Declates IV
and the hive cities of Declates V. Help was needed and the Black Templars answered the call for aid of
the people of Declates. As a symbol of solidarity against what seemed to be an innumerable foe,
Astartes from both Chapters "exchanged" iconography and often fought in mixed squads. Together the
two Chapters managed to find and slay the Warboss Gitzmott. While the two Chapters suffered hideous
losses against the overwhelming numbers of the Orks, both earned great renown and their Astartes will
forever be known as heroes within the Declates System.

The Empyrion Crusade (Unknown Date.M41) - The Empyrion Crusade was an Imperial Crusade declared
by the Black Templars Space Marines against a force of Khornate Chaos Cults on the world of Empyrion
IX. The Chaos force was composed of over 4,000 Traitors of the Renegade 24th Gathalamor Imperial
Guard Regiment along with Guryan mutineers and some armoured cavalry. With a force of only 30 Black
Templars and not enough ammunition to hold the Heretics at bay, the Black Templars commander,
Castellan Athellenas, attempted to put into motion an audacious plan that required his troops to follow
his orders to the letter, no matter how distasteful they might find them. By performing a continuous
tactical withdrawal and denying the cultists an outlet to satiate their bloodlust, the Heretics were driven
into an uncontrollable blood frenzy. Unable to contain themselves any longer, the Khornate cultists
turned on themselves and began butchering each other in their all-consuming desire to spill blood. With
the Cultists' ground forces spent after slaughtering each other, two Black Templars Strike Cruisers
arrived in the system to destroy the Heretics' vessel and make sure that this particular Chaos warband of
Khorne was unable to sow destruction and bloodshed across the Imperium of Man. The Crusade ended
in the total eradication of the Heretics.

The Geonide Crusade (Unknown Date.M41) - The Geonide Crusade was an action taken by the Black
Templars Space Marine Chapter intended to preserve important Imperial technology, scientific research
and Adeptus Mechanicus personnel from a Chaos-inspired rebellion on the Forge World Geonide. When
rebellion suddenly broke out on the planet it came utterly without warning and within a year 75% of the
populace had fallen to the influence of the Warp. A group of scientists with latent psychic abilities had
been used as pawns to open giant Warp portals and by the time the Black Templars arrived the planet
was crawling with monstrous, debased humans forming a massive Chaos horde to drown the planet in
blood. Daemons from the Empyrean tore their way into the material realm to cavort through the masses
of Chaos worshippers. In the end, the planet was deemed irrecoverable and an Exterminatus was
authorised by the ever-present agents of the Ordo Hereticus. But before the planet's death knell was
sounded, the Black Templars carried out daring strikes across the planet to recover valuable artefacts,
research notes, and surviving personnel deemed too important to leave behind, or to be captured by
the servants of the Ruinous Powers. The Black Templars achieved a great deal of success during the
campaign and managed to save a significant amount of invaluable Imperial research before the planet
was cleansed with holy fire from orbit.

The Purging of Centrati's Eye (Unknown Date.M41) - The Purging of Centrati's Eye was an unexpected
Crusade undertaken by elements of the Black Templars Space Marine Chapter against a pirate fleet of
the Dark Eldar. A great defence station in orbit above the newly colonised Imperial Frontier World of
Centrati came under attack from a Dark Eldar lightning raid and was captured, the personnel chained
and dragged off into the depths of the Webway to an unknown fate, never to be seen or heard from
again. What the Dark Eldar did not know was that a Black Templars Battle Barge was in orbit over the
planet, for the Chapter had been asked to aid the colonisation process by removing an unwanted and
troublesome xenos species from the planet. When the defence station fired on the planet the threat
was realised and the Black Templars rushed back to their Thunderhawks to wreak vengeance on the
devious Eldar raiders. To the Black Templars' surprise they found not one, but two enemy forces on the
station. For the Eldar had arrived to fight their dark kin for one of their inscrutable reasons. The Black
Templars cared not, and immediately began butchering both alien forces. In the following months the
scions of Dorn crushed both alien enemies utterly, and cleansed Centrati and the surrounding space of
the xenos taint.

The Punishment Crusade (Unknown Date.M41) - The Punishment Crusade was initiated by Castellan
Draco of the Black Templars. It was comprised of numerous raids on the Gue'vesa human populations of
former Imperial worlds fallen under the xenos influence of the expansionist Tau Empire.

Thetus Crusade (Unknown Date.M41) - On the planet of Nevaria II the Black Templars were called on to
deal with a small but highly dangerous heretical cult in the primary Nevarian hive city. As dangerous as
the cult was, the real influence behind it was only discovered after a costly covert strike by the Astartes
of the Deathwatch, the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos. They revealed that a Genestealer
Broodlord was behind the growth of the cult. The nefarious influence of the Genestealer hybrids had
spread much farther than anticipated. The Black Templars took up the challenge and cleansed the
Genestealer taint from the bottom up, fighting brutal and costly battles in the cramped corridors and
forgotten corners of the dark depths of the primary hive city, eventually cleansing the hive and Nevaria
II of the xenos contamination.

Nightfire Crusade (Unknown Date.M41) - A powerful devotion to the Emperor is evident among the
warriors of the Black Templars. Chaplain Haldredd was leading a strike force against the Tau Farsight
Enclaves during the Nightfire Wars when the spirit of the Emperor overcame him. Heeding His sacred
words, a group of Space Marine veterans formed a Reclusiam Command Squad to protect him.
Following the Chaplain's wise battle council and fervent prayers, this Command Squad, now known as
the High Hand of the Emperor, smashed through lines of Battlesuits and set the Tau to flight. In the
bloody battles that followed, the High Hand of the Emperor -- as Haldredd and his Reclusiarch Command
Squad became known -- guided the Black Templars to many great victories.

Achilus Crusade (777.M41) - Given the Chapter's fame as a crusading body, it is perhaps surprising that it
was not present at the outset of the Achilus Crusade into the Jericho Reach. The reason is to be found in
the internecine rivalry and feudalism that afflicts much of the interactions between the largest of the
Imperium's institutions, and is unknown to all but a small number of the Crusade's highest ranked staff.
When the Achilus Crusade was first conceived, planners petitioned the Black Templars to contribute
forces to the undertaking. The envoy appointed to go before the masters of the Black Templars Chapter
was a fiery Prelate-Imperialis called Nadab Saul, a man whose inability turned out to be rivalled only by
his arrogance. Instead of petitioning the Black Templars for their aid, Saul demanded it. Instead of
appealing to their sense of duty, he hectored them. Instead of promising glory, he threatened shame.
The only account of the confrontation that followed was that logged in the engram-cortex of one of the
party's servocherub attendants. The Prelate-Imperialis was dragged away by vengeful Battle-Brothers,
frothing at the mouth that the Black Templars were Traitors to the Emperor and would pay for their
craven deeds. What happened next has never been ascertained and all enquiries established in the
aftermath of the event determined that the matter should remain sealed. Needless to say, Nadab Saul
was never seen or heard from again. In the years that followed, two other Chapters related to the Black
Templars dispatched strike forces to participate in the Crusade -- the Imperial Fists and the Crimson
Fists. It was through the agency of these, alongside Black Templars Battle-Brothers serving with the
Deathwatch, that contact between the Crusade High Command and the High Marshal of the Chapter
was re-established. Upon his ascension to the rank of Lord Militant, Tetrarchus ordered a delegation to
approach the Black Templars a second time, receiving the approval and support of members of the
Imperial Fists and Crimson Fists Chapters in doing so. Mindful of the potential for insult, Tetrarchus
drafted the wording of the petition himself, appealing to the Black Templars to join their brothers in the
new offensives he planned to launch. The contact was successful and, on the eve of the main push on
the Acheros Salient, the Fighting Company of Castellan Raimer joined the Achilus Crusade. With the
Black Templars forming the spearhead of the renewed assault, they won a string of early victories, but
ultimately these proved localised and not typical of the fighting across the whole salient. Raimer's
Fighting Company made rapid progress into the regions surrounding the Blood Trinity, culminating in the
boarding of the Space Hulk codified Scion of Desecration. Raimer and his Sword Brethren squads took
control of the vast conglomerate vessel and sent it ploughing into an enemy-held orbital station. Final
calculations of the destruction estimated it to have consumed half a million servants of the Ruinous
Powers and the catastrophic tectonic destabilisation of the world below. Tragically, the Black Templars'
victories were an exception in the first few weeks of the advances on the Achilus Salient and soon
Raimer's force found itself dangerously overextended and under threat of being enveloped by the
rapidly counter-attacking enemy. Lord Tetrarchus had no choice but to order a general retrenchment in
the face of overwhelming enemy defiance, and his forces began a fighting withdrawal back towards
Karlack and the Fortress Worlds of the Iron Collar. Key to the success of this vast rearguard action were
the various contingents of Space Marines present, whose valiant deeds saved the withdrawal from
turning into a costly rout. The Black Templars were the last to abandon the advance, though eventually
they had no choice but to redeploy as night fell across the worlds of the Achilus Salient. It is said that the
very last vessel to translate from the Warp on the outer verges of the Karlack System was the Ophidian
Gulf, Raimer's Strike Cruiser, and behind it was nothing but the all-engulfing tides of Chaos. Soon after,
Raimer's Fighting Company was recalled by his Chapter in preparation for the Garon mission, which
Raimer was to command and which had the status of a full Crusade. To date, no further Black Templars
forces have been committed to the Jericho Reach, the High Marshal of the Chapter believing the Achilus
Crusade to have stalled and become a war of attrition in which his warriors have no part to play.

Abhor the Witch (812.M41) - When the floating hives of Aralan were infected by the mind plague known
as the Witch-curse, citizens that possessed of even the slightest psychic potential found their latent
abilities blossoming into uncontrollable storms of etheric energy. The Black Templars, whose crusade
had passed through the Aralan Sector less than a year beforehand, turned their battlefleet around as
soon as they heard of the anomaly. By the time they returned to the hives that float within Aralan's
gaseous borders, the Templars had marshalled all the gunships in their fleet and launched a massed
assault on the floating hives. Each Storm Wing Squadron slammed through the stained glasteel orbs that
protected each district and disgorged a dozen oathbound killers into the streets. The Templars cut down
every citizen that stood in their path as they located and exterminated the psykers wreaking havoc in
their midst. Many of the bravest hivers united against the hate-fuelled Adeptus Astartes, but after the
bloody massacre of the Crimson Plaza, the Space Marines were left to go about their persecutions
unhindered.

Vinculus Crusade (833.M41) - The Vinculus Crusade was a Crusade of the Black Templars declared
against the Chaotic Death Cult warriors who had plagued the Peleregon Cluster. This was one of the
earliest campaigns in which the now-famed High Marshal Helbrecht participated. Still a lowly Neophyte
at the time, Helbrecht was merely a witness to the dramatic events of the campaign. Under the
command of the legendary High Marshal Ludoldus, the Black Templars fought alongside Inquisitor
Vinculus and the Adepta Sororitas' Order of the Bloody Rose. The assassins were traced back to the
world of Peleregon IV, a hellish lava world that was all shifting tectonic plates and rivers of magma. The
initial landings met little opposition and the Sororitas and Astartes easily fought their foes back to the
massive temple that was the seat of the cult's power. The combined forces fought their way deep into
the temple, Ludoldus and his Sword Brethren breaching and holding the walls of the temple so their
allies could fight their way inside. As the Imperials breached the pillared inner sanctum of the temple,
Inquisitor Vinculus faced the cult's leader in single combat. Vinculus succeeded in slaying the cult's
leader but suffered a terrible wound himself, a wound that proved to be the Inquisitor's doom, for the
slight weakening in his psychic shields was enough for the freed daemon that had possessed the cult
leader to leap into the Inquisitor and manifest itself. A Bloodthirster of Khorne tore itself into the
material realm through the Inquisitor's body and began slaughtering the Imperial warriors by the dozen.
High Marshal Ludoldus, the Emperor's Champion Ulricus and Canoness Jasmine took on the daemon in
brutal close combat, but even though the champions of the Emperor were courageous and their sword
arms fuelled by holy faith, they were no match for the Greater Daemon. In desperation, Ludoldus threw
a Holy Orb of Antioch into the boiling lava in the chamber's central chasm. The explosion initiated a
massive earthquake that began to tear the temple apart and the possessed Inquisitor fell to his
destruction in the roiling magma. Thunderhawk gunships braved the billowing ash and storms to pick up
the survivors. While a number of gunships were lost in the attempt, the majority of the survivors
escaped the world and made it back to their ships in orbit. To make sure the job was finished, the
Imperial fleet bombarded the site of the temple until the entire site was drowned in a sea of bubbling
lava.

The Verdeworlds Campaign (865.M41) - A Black Templars Crusade joined forces with the Blood Angels
and Scythes of the Emperor to cleanse the Verdeworlds of their Eldar settlers.

The Crusade of Wrath (888.M41) - The Black Templars inflicted heavy losses on the Word Bearers,
reclaiming several star systems in close proximity to the Maelstrom. Fighting was fiercest on the
enslaved Shrine World of Benevolence, where the Forces of Chaos had covered the entire surface with
blasphemous temples to the Dark Gods. The Black Templars put every single Traitor to the sword.

The Fall of Agrella (902.M41) - WAAAGH! Skardrek fell upon the sparsely defended planet of Agrella.
Only a courageous rearguard action conducted by a dozen Black Templar Sword Brethren allowed
Imperial officiaries to escape the onrushing Ork horde.
The Slaughter on Schrdinger VII (930.M41) - In 930.M41, the forces of the infamous Necron Lord
Imotekh the Stormlord, Phaeron of the powerful Sautekh Dynasty, descended upon the frozen plains of
the Imperial Ice World of Schrdinger VII. The Necrons drove the local defenders to the shelter of the
labyrinthine cryonite mines, but were unable to prevent the planet's Astropathic Choir from despatching
a distress hymnal. A counterattack swiftly arrived in the form of a Black Templars strike force under the
command of then-Marshal Helbrecht. Imotekh appeared not to be caught by surprise so easily, and had
already shifted his armies into a formidable defensive configuration. Helbrecht lead the assault,
intended as a crippling alpha strike, but it was instead blunted by a series of impeccably planned Necron
ambushes on the Drop Pod and Thunderhawk drop zones. As the frozen caverns echoed to the roar of
explosions, scores of Black Templars and Necrons alike were hurled into rivers of molten cryonite.
Eventually, Imotekh and Helbrecht met in hand-to-hand combat atop the stalactite-heavy span of an ice
bridge. In the battle that followed, Helbrecht dealt Imotekh a dozen ruinous blows, but each time the
Phaeron was able to quickly recover in a matter of seconds to land a strike of his own. Helbrecht finally
collapsed under the assault of the Necron Lord, blood flowing from a score of serious wounds. However,
instead of finishing his opponent, Imotekh brought his scythe down to sever Helbrecht's right hand to
remind the Marshal of his "much-deserved defeat". Helbrecht roared in fury and pain as Imotekh
pitched the Black Templar commander off the bridge to the cavern floor far below. The surviving Black
Templars rallied to their fallen Marshal's side and made a fighting retreat, leaving Schrdinger VII in the
Stormlord's hands.

Renewed Faith (935.M41) - Following a five year Crusade of Penitence to atone for his defeat, Helbrecht
made a pilgrimage to the Imperial Fists' mobile Fortress-Monastery, Phalanx, to pray at the Hand of
Dorn. There, Helbrecht came to realise that the loss of his own hand was symbolic of his Primarch's
sacrifice and a sign from the Emperor. Helbrecht returned with the fires of faith burning inside him like
an inferno.

The Crusade of Sorrow (955.M41) - Dark Eldar of the Kabal of the Poisoned Heart destroyed the Black
Templars' Chapter Keep on the jungle-world of Delleront and captured a score of recruits. Marshal
Gerhart and Chaplain Grimaldus led a Crusade of Retribution against the Kabal to punish them for their
insolence, and though hundreds of Dark Eldar were slaughtered, not a single recruit was ever found or
recovered.

Conqueror's Fall (985.M41) - Marshal Helbrecht led the boarding action against the Inevitable
Conqueror, the Cairn-class Tombship that served as the flagship of the Necron Phaeron Imotekh the
Stormlord. Helbrecht and Imotekh once more clashed, but the Marshal's rekindled faith lend him great
strength, and the Stormlord could not prevail. Realising the battle was lost, Imotekh teleported to
safety, but not before congratulating Helbrecht on "one victory apiece". Helbrecht raged at his foe's
retreat, but consoled himself by destroying the Stormlord's beloved Tombship to remind Imotekh of his
defeat.

Varadon Crusade (987.M41) - The desperate last stand of the Shadow Wolves Space Marine Chapter on
their homeworld of Varadon saw the entire Chapter wiped out by the Tyranids. The Black Templars
attempted to aid their brother Astartes but could not fight their way through the chitinous hordes of
Tyranid bioforms to the embattled Shadow Wolves. The last Battle-Brother of the Shadow Wolves died,
defiantly holding the Chapter Banner aloft even as he was torn to pieces, his blade broken and his Bolter
empty. Chaplain Grimaldus was present for the battle at the time though he was still an apprentice to
Reclusiarch Mordred. The glorious last stand of the Shadow Wolves would inspire the Chaplain for many
years to come.

The Nimbosa Crusade (993.M41) - When Hive Fleet Kraken began to threaten worlds on the Eastern
Fringe of the Imperium, the High Lords of Terra responded by stripping the worlds that bordered the Tau
Empire of their Imperial forces. The Tau Empire was quick to recognise this redeployment and soon took
advantage of the situation, beginning the period known as the Second Sphere Expansion. Nimbosa was
one of the most important and vital Civilised Worlds of this sector. The Nimbosa Crusade was called, a
massive Imperial Crusade undertaken by a joint Astartes task force consisting of the Black Templars,
Imperial Fists, Raven Guard, and Ultramarines Space Marine Chapters against the encroaching forces of
the Tau Empire. The campaign ended with the successful recapture of Nimbosa by the Imperium and the
destruction of the entire Tau garrison.

The Ghoul Stars Crusade (990-998.M41) - The Ghoul Stars Crusade was the very first Crusade launched
by Helbrecht after he attained his rank as the Black Templars' new High Marshal. This was a dangerous
decision as no Imperial expedition had ever returned from that desolate region of space. The Black
Templars were intent on finally vanquishing the alien race known only as the "Cythor Fiends" of the
Ghoul Stars. Within eight Terran years, the xenos population of the outlying systems had been
exterminated and the Crusade pushed onwards to the aliens' homeworld, but upon reaching the core
systems, they were found to be eerily empty. No trace of the aliens could be found, but before a proper
investigation could have been launched, a desperate call for help came from the besieged Hive World of
Armageddon. The Third War for Armageddon had begun.

The Battle for Golgotha (996.M41) - Marshal Actoan led a Black Templars Crusade to eradicate the Orks'
dominance of the Golgotha System.

The Crusade of the Ophidium Gulf (998.M41) - A smaller Crusade was launched by Castellan Raimer, the
master of the Black Templars' Strike Cruiser Ophidium Gulf and its company of 90 Black Templars, into
an unexplored region of space in the galactic south called the Veiled Region by Imperial stellar
cartographers. The Black Templars inadvertently made contact with the Fallen Angels, the hunted
Traitors of the Dark Angels Space Marine Chapter. While in the Veiled Region, they came upon a small
Dark Angels fleet. The Black Templars' capture of one of the Fallen Angels, and their refusal to turn him
over to the custody of the Dark Angels, nearly led to open conflict between the two Chapters.
Outgunned, Castellan Raimer reluctantly turned the prisoner over to the Dark Angels before he
departed the Veiled Region. The ultimate fate of the Ophidium Gulf is unknown, as a single astropathic
communication from the starship was received just before it prepared to make a Warp jump from the
alien system, and no further communication has been received by the Black Templars from the starship
since then.

A Black Templars Initiate during the Third War for Armageddon

The Third War for Armageddon (998.M41) - The Third War for Armageddon was a massive conflict
between the Imperium of Man and the largest Ork WAAAGH! ever raised since the Ullanor Crusade, led
by the Greenskin Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. Black Templars Chaplain Grimaldus was placed
in command of the Helsreach Crusade with 100 Battle-Brothers assigned the task of defending one of
Armageddon's largest centres of industry which was known as Helsreach Hive. Along with regiments of
the Armageddon Steel Legion and other Imperial Guard forces, 19 Titans of the Legio Invigilata, civilian
militias and 97 Battle-Sisters of the Order of the Argent Shroud, the Black Templars under Grimaldus'
command fought the Orks tooth and nail and saved the hive from utter destruction. Ultimately, the Orks
second attempt to conquer this strategic Hive World failed, and Ghazghkull Thraka fled the world to
bedevil the Imperium elsewhere. High Marshal Helbrecht joined with Commissar Yarrick, the Orks'
greatest foe, to swear an oath that he would not rest until Thraka had been hunted down and slain.

The Barbarossa Crusade (998.M41) - An Imperial Crusade carried out by the Black Templars to cleanse
one of their Chapter keeps located on the world of Barbarossa IV that had become the residence of Orks
fleeing the fighting on the Hive World of Armageddon following the Third War for Armageddon in
998.M41. But this was only the beginning of the Crusade, for unknown to the Black Templars, the relic at
the core of the keep had become tainted by Chaos. The Black Templars Crusade forces under the
command of Castellan Hermann fought to cleanse the Chapter keep of both the Greenskins and the
Chaotic taint, which had manifested in the form of a daemonic intrusion and the Chaotic corruption of
the Black Templars garrison which had held the keep. The Black Templars ultimately proved successful in
destroying both the Heretics and the xenos and cleansing the keep of their foul taint.

13th Black Crusade (999.M41) - Under the direction of the vile Chaos Lord Abaddon the Despoiler, the
largest mobilisation of both Imperial and Chaotic forces seen in the Milky Way Galaxy since the Horus
Heresy occurred near the Imperial Hive World of Cadia at the start of the long-awaited 13th Black
Crusade. The Black Templars participation in the 13th Black Crusade was short and really was little more
than an extended tangent from their pursuit of the Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. The
Templars' first action was to relieve the beleaguered world of Thracian Primaris. Scattering the Chaos
warfleet easily enough, the Black Templars made an uncontested planetfall outside the Departmento
Munitorum's logistical support complex in Hive Demeter. The brethren did not stay long, however,
though they were welcomed as liberators, choosing instead to continue to drive the Forces of Chaos
back to the Eye of Terror. As the brethren moved on from Thracian Primaris they caught word of the
"Green Kroosade" building in the Scarus Sector and headed off to stop the Greenskin threat before it
fully manifested. Severely understrength from the fighting on Thracian Primaris, the Black Templars
moved on anyway, knowing that to let the Orks rebuild their numbers without opposition would doom
the Scarus Sector.

Solemnus Crusade (999.M41) - Under the command of Marshal Brant, the Solemnus Crusade was
formed to answer for the razing of the Black Templars' Chapter keep on the world of Solemnus by the
Ork Warlord Morkrull Grimskar, a chieftain of the Blood Scar Ork tribe. The Solemnus Crusade belatedly
joined the war effort on Armageddon and deployed in search of the elusive Warlord. However, the
Crusade met with disaster when Emperor's Champion Ansgar was captured by the severely injured but
not yet dead Warlord. Though the Black Templars had nearly succeeded at taking his life, the severely
wounded Grimskar was successfully transformed into a Cybork, giving him a new lease on life. Adding
insult to injury, many of the cybernetic components used in Grimskar's resurrection were salvaged from
stolen Black Templars' wargear. The Black Templars Dreadnought Jarold formed a strike force with the
designation "Ansgar's Avengers" specifically tasked with locating the captured Emperor's Champion and
recovering the revered Black Sword and Armour of Faith belonging to him. While the strike force did not
recover Ansgar on its first attempt, Jarolds's forces did uncover the Crimson Fists' Venerable
Dreadnought Rhodomanus who had been lost in the ice glaciers of the Dead Lands during the Second
War for Armageddon. The strike force destroyed an Ork Stompa freshly recovered from the ice that had
been originally constructed during this earlier campaign and prevented it from joining the Ork war effort
elsewhere. Not yet finished in their task, "Ansgar's Avengers" and the Solemnus Crusade continue their
campaign to hunt down Grimskar across the war-ravaged surface of Armageddon.

Chapter Organisation

"To the darkness I bring fire. To the ignorant I bring faith. Those who welcome these gifts may live, but I
will visit naught but death on those who refuse them."

Chaplain Merek Grimaldus

The Crusades

A Black Templars' Marshal leads his Crusading Company against the foul Orks

The Black Templars have no Chapter homeworld, instead opting to live within their Crusade fleets. They
are ever-vigilant, and are always ready for battle. They do establish Chapter Keeps on every world they
conquer or reclaim for the Imperium, both to provide a source for new recruits and to act as staging
posts for Crusade fleets operating across the galaxy. They have been known to abandon these keeps,
only to return and reclaim them later, usually exterminating anything foolish or unlucky enough to have
taken up residence in their absence.

Each Crusade Fleet is overseen by a Marshal (equivalent to a Captain or Force Commander in a Codex-
compliant Chapter), while the High Marshal (currently High Marshal Helbrecht) travels between
Crusades on his personal starship, the Battle Barge Eternal Crusader. There are usually at least three
Black Templar Crusades operating at any one time, although at one stage there were 14 known to the
Imperium (during the "Treachery of Dalmark"), with each Crusade ranging in size from the deployment
of a hundred Space Marines and their fleet support to Crusades containing several standard Codex
Astartes companies.

It is said that only the High Marshal has any idea of the Black Templars' full numbers, but it is rumoured
in the Inquisition that they actually number close to 6,000 Space Marines. That would make them nearly
as large as some of the original First Founding Space Marine Legions after the terrible losses of the
Horus Heresy, and means that the Black Templars are one of only three Chapters of Astartes (the others
being the Space Wolves and the Grey Knights) thought to violate the 1,000 Space Marines to a Chapter
limitation as proscribed by the Codex Astartes.

Such a force united would be nigh unstoppable. The potential size of the Black Templars has resulted in
close scrutiny by some of the more Puritan members of the Inquisition. Each Space Marine Chapter is
limited to a strength of approximately 1,000 Astartes by ancient tradition, so that no one man can ever
again command enough power to start another successful rebellion against the Emperor. The Chapter's
history of zealous loyalty to the Emperor and the inability of any Inquisitor to find evidence supporting
the claims of unusually high standing troop numbers has spared the Black Templars from further
revelation of their true numbers. However, this has not prevented the Inquisition from trying to reveal
the hidden size of the Black Templars.

One of the Black Templars Sword Brethren slays a foul Ork

The larger Black Templar Crusades contain multiple Fighting Companies, each led by a Sword Brethren of
the Chapter who has been raised to the rank of Castellan. The largest Crusades will be personally led by
the High Marshal (as High Marshal Helbrecht did during the Armageddon Crusade called during the
Third War for Armageddon). Since the individual squads of each Fighting Company tend to form and
disband on an ad-hoc basis, most fight together out of familiarity and comradeship more than any
imposed organisation. Rough squads form with 5 to 10 Initiates (fully-fledged Black Templars) with no
more than an equal number of Neophytes (Black Templars-in-training). These squads have no Sergeants,
because the experienced members are quickly elevated to the rank of Sword Brethren, who take on the
role of non-commissioned officers.

Due to their preference for engaging their foes in close combat, few Black Templars are willing to use
heavy ranged weapons. As a result, Devastator Squads are unusually rare amongst the Astartes of this
Chapter. The Black Templars deviate from Codex-compliant Chapters, including the Imperial Fists, in one
primary way. The Chapter's zealous hatred for mutants and inherent distrust of the Warp and anything
related to it means that the Chapter possesses no Librarians. The Grey Knights, known for their
incorruptibility and closeness to the Emperor, represent the only Imperial psykers that the Black
Templars will take as allies. The Black Templar's extreme revulsion to fighting alongside any individuals
tainted by the Empyrean would normally prevent them from being allied with anyone with such abilities.
The Grey Knights are the exception as the Black Templars consider it an honour to fight alongside
Astartes whose membership was originally chosen by the Emperor, who bear a portion of his direct
genetic inheritance and have never once been corrupted by Chaos. This attitude can prove to be
challenging for those Black Templars who are chosen to serve in the Deathwatch and must learn to fight
alongside the Librarians of other Chapters as part of a Kill-team.

Black Templars Crusade Organisation

The Black Templars is a fleet-based Chapter, their companies scattered across the galaxy into numerous
Crusades. Each Crusade is led by a Marshal, while a single High Marshal is responsible for the progress of
all the current Crusades. Below is the disposition of the Arkron Crusade, launched into the Ghoul Stars
during the closing years of M38. A typical Crusade, it numbered hundreds of battle-brothers, war
machines and support elements, allowing it to campaign far beyond the lmperium's borders:

Marshal's Household

Marshal Palin Harros

Emperor's Champion

Chaplains

Crusade Banner Bearer

Household Banner Bearer

Techmarines

Servitors

Apothecaries

Sword Brethren

Terminators

Dreadnoughts

Land Raiders

Rhinos

Predator Annihilators

Predator Destructors

Hunters & Stalkers

Whirlwinds

Stormravens

Stormtalons

Fighting Company Edessor "The First Sons": Castellan Edessor

Banner Bearer

Techmarines

Apothecaries

Initiates

Neophytes

Dreadnoughts

Land Raiders

Predator Destructors

Razorbacks

Rhinos

Fighting Company Antora "The Righteous Fist": Castellan Antora

Banner Bearer

Techmarines

Apothecaries
Initiates

Neophytes

Terminators

Land Raiders

Centurion Warsuits

Fighting Company Stenheir "The Scythes of Retribution": Castellan Stenheir

Banner Bearer

Techmarincs

Apothecaries

Initiates

Neophytes

Scout Bikes

Attack Bikes

Land Speeders

Jump Packs

Fighting Company Chalica "The Hammer of Heldenhorst": Castellan Chalica

Banner Bearer

Techmarines

Apoothecaries

Initiates

Neophytes

Vindicators

Land Raiders

Predator Destructors

Predator Annihilators

Rhinos

Specialist Ranks

The Black Templars' order of battle contains several specialist formations and ranks not present in other
Space Marine Chapters, including:
A Black Templars High Marshal

High Marshal - The High Marshal is the senior ranking Astartes of the Black Templars Chapter, and is
equivalent to the Chapter Master of Codex Astartes-compliant Chapters. The fighting skills of a High
Marshal are unsurpassed with Bolters, blades or bare hands, as his rank speaks of a bloody past littered
with the devastated enemies of the most terrifying and inhuman sort. However, it is not enough for the
High Marshal to be the Chapter's foremost warrior, for he must also be a superb tactician and strategist,
grounded in the teachings of those who have gone before him and honed through countless decisions
made in the heat of battle. He is also steeped in the lore of the Black Templars, privy to all of the
Chapter's secrets. A High Marshal is the supreme commander of the Chapter's ongoing Crusades,
keeping track of their overall progress and making tactical decisions in regards to the deployment of the
Chapter's forces and occasionally blessing individual Crusades with his inspirational presence. The High
Marshal is one of the most autonomous military commanders in the Imperium, decreeing by his own
designs where his warriors will fight and without recourse to the dictates of the High Lords of Terra.

A Black Templars Marshal

Marshal - Marshals are the great warriors who lead the individual Crusades of the Black Templars. These
ferocious Space Marines possess superb tactical abilities, second in experience to only the High Marshal
himself. The purity and ultimate success of a Crusade is entrusted unto the Marshal and such a duty is a
sacred and glorious responsibility. A Marshal is not only a warrior so deadly that he will rarely meet his
match on the field of battle, but one whose expertise includes concerns beyond the battlefield, for the
leading of a Crusade is a mighty task indeed. As a result, only the most inspirational and determined
warriors may rise to become a Marshal, having long proved their courage and determination within the
ranks of the Sword Brethren or as a Castellan leading a Fighting Company. The Marshals are able to
coordinate the Space Marines under their command and lead them and their Crusades to ultimate
victory, whatever the opposition.

A Black Templars Castellan

Castellan - A Castellan is a specialist officer rank that is unique to the Black Templars Chapter, and is the
equivalent of a Space Marine Captain of a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter. A Castellan is responsible
for leading an entire Fighting Company of the Chapter on the field of battle during the numerous
ongoing Crusades conducted by the Black Templars. Larger Black Templars Crusades often comprise a
number of the Chapter's Fighting Companies, each led by a Sword Brethren (Veteran) raised to the rank
of Castellan. Only those Sword Brethren who have proven themselves as devotional warriors and
inspirational leaders may rise to this esteemed rank. These hardened Veterans have earned their
ascension to command rank through their bloody and zealous dedication to the Chapter's cause. As
masters of the battlefield, Castellans are able to read its ebb and flow, and adjust their tactical
formations accordingly. Leading from the front by example, a Castellan's Astartes know what it is to be a
Black Templar and a dedicated warrior of Sigismund and the Emperor, and from his leadership they
learn the trade of battle and the craft of death.
A Black Templar Sword Brother in Terminator Armour

Sword Brethren - Equivalent to the elite members of a standard Codex-compliant Chapter's Veteran 1st
Company, the greatest warriors of a Black Templars Crusade are inducted into the Marshal's household.
Known as the Sword Brethren, they are no longer required to train Neophytes and they will receive
additional training, particularly in the use of Tactical Dreadnought (Terminator) Armour. After
completion of this training, Sword Brethren will use Terminator Armour whenever available, usually
selecting melee weapons to use with it, an area of combat where all Black Templars excel. Like most
Black Templars, Sword Brethren will fight with others out of familiarity rather than in organised squads,
and they will always be found in the thickest of the fighting. If the Marshal of a Crusade is either killed or
promoted to the position of High Marshal of the Chapter, one of the Sword Brethren will be elevated to
take his place. The Sword Brethren of a Crusade who receives this honour is decided by ritual combat.
The winner of the melee earns the right to become a Marshal upon the approval of the High Marshal;
there has only been one case in Black Templars history of the High Marshal withholding his approval or
reversing it (the Gervahr Repeal of the 36th Millennium). Sword Brethren of the Black Templars often
wear a cream-coloured cloak and have red trim on their black pauldrons to signify their elite status.

A Black Templars Emperor's Champion

Emperor's Champion - At the very height of the Siege of the Emperor's Palace during the Horus Heresy,
Captain Sigismund, First Captain of the Imperial Fists Legion, was tasked by his Primarch Rogal Dorn with
leading the ground battle whilst the Emperor, Dorn, and Sanguinius led the assault on the Traitor
Warmaster's Battle-Barge. Sigismund was named Emperor's Champion, a title sometimes applied to
Dorn, and in that act a new tradition was formed, which is honoured amongst the Black Templars, the
direct descendants of Sigismund, to this day. When the Master of Mankind and His gene-sons teleported
away to face Horus, Sigismund led the remaining warriors, not as a general, but as an example, taking
the battle to the enemy in person and emboldening the hearts of the defenders with his deeds.
Sigismund sought out the greatest warriors amongst the teeming hordes of the enemy, facing mighty
Chaos Space Marine leaders as well as towering fiends from the great beyond, and defeating every
single one of them. Sigismund was chosen as Emperor's Champion because he was filled with such
devotion to the Father of Mankind, and to the Imperium and the Great Crusade that had created it, that
he was a shining exemplar of all that the Legiones Astartes were and could be. The oath he took when
he accepted the mantle of Emperor's Champion resounded through the ages, and was so weighty that it
could never be broken. While Sigismund's beloved Emperor fell on that day, the Emperor's Champion
prevailed and, with Horus defeated, the vile hosts on the surface were routed. Later, the Imperial Fists
split into Chapters and Sigismund's fiery zeal was recognised. He became the first High Marshal of the
Black Templars, and his belief that the Great Crusade would never end became a reality embodied by
the new Chapter and its never-ending Crusades. Ever since the Battle of Terra, it has become a
cherished tradition amongst the Black Templars to field one who the chaplains have proclaimed the
Emperor's Champion. On the eve of battle, the Black Templars pray, fast, and meditate upon their duty,
and it is not uncommon for one amongst their number to be blessed with some form of vision that
speaks to him of his duty and shows him portents of things yet to come. The Battle-Brother then
presents himself to the Chaplains and confesses his vision and if he is found true, is declared to be the
Emperor's Champion. The Battle-Brother is ritually prepared for the coming battle, the attendants of the
Reclusiam cladding him in the Armour of Faith and presenting him with the Black Sword. In theory, each
Black Templars Crusade force has its own Emperor's Champion who serves as such for the duration of a
protracted battle or a campaign, but in practise each Fighting Company is likely to have one, each battle
producing its own Champion if one has not come forward already. It is common for Black Templars
Battle-Brothers serving with the Deathwatch to pray and fast on the eve of a mission, just as they would
before a battle within the ranks of their own Chapter. On some extremely rare occasions, such a Battle
Brother may feel the blessings of righteous certainty upon him, and know that he must take up the
mantle of the Emperor's Champion. Within his Chapter, the Battle-Brother would seek out the Chaplains
and be declared the Emperor's Champion by them, but this may not be possible whilst he is serving the
Long Watch. Unless a Chaplain of the Black Templars is present and able to take the brother's
confession, he must assume the mantle alone, donning the most sacred relics of his Chapter and
declaring his mission to his fellows. He will seek permission from the Master of the Armoury to bear into
battle the most potent of weapons and the most revered of armour. Few would dare refuse, for the
Battle-Brother's eyes burn with the zeal of his duty and the weight of his oaths is an almost palpable
thing. Regardless of the nature of the coming mission, the Emperor's Champion will seek out the
greatest champions and leaders amongst the ranks of the enemy and strike them down in the fury of
single combat. In so doing, he acts as a shining beacon of faith by which the enemy is cast back and the
warriors of the Emperor are driven to ever-greater acts of valour. Having taken up the trappings of the
Emperor's Champion, the Battle-Brother remains as such only until his vision is fulfilled and he returns to
the Watch Fortress. Only by the word of the Chaplains is his duty discharged, and he resumes his place
in the ranks once more.

Initiate - Unlike in other Chapters, an Initiate is not an Astartes who is new to the Chapter, but is the
rank held by the majority of Black Templars Battle-Brothers until they have served long enough to be
promoted to the Veteran status of a member of the Sword Brethren. Initiates serve in most of the
standard tactical roles seen within Space Marine Chapters and are also each responsible for adopting
and training a Neophyte until he has earned Initiate status.

Neophyte - A Neophyte of the Black Templars differs from the Neophytes of other Chapters in that they
have successfully completed the process of transformation into an Astartes. This would normally grant
them Initiate status in Codex-compliant Chapters, but in the Black Templars this only means that they
are ready to truly begin their training. Every Neophyte, after he has been deemed worthy by the
Chapter's Chaplains and Apothecaries, is assigned to an apprenticeship with a full Initiate of the Chapter,
essentially serving in some regards as his squire. When the Neophyte's Initiate feels that his student has
gained the experience and wisdom necessary to make him an asset to the Chapter, he is raised to
become an Initiate himself. The new Initiate is then required to begin the personal training of a
Neophyte, and so the process repeats itself.

Emperor's Champion Vows

On the eve of battle, the Emperor's Champion leads the Black Templars in renewing one of the four
Vows of the Chapter, each one instilling these Astartes with righteous fury that is expressed on the
battlefield in different ways. These Vows include:

Suffer Not the Unclean to Live - The Black Templars swear to release their unclean foes -- Heretics,
mutants, xenos and Traitors -- from the suffering of their lives, striking them down with great fury.
Uphold the Honour of the Emperor - The Black Templars uphold the Emperor's honour, and face their
enemies' attacks head-on rather then cower behind cover. Such is their indomitable faith that they can
withstand attacks that would fell other Astartes.

Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch - The Black Templars' hatred of the mutant and the Warp drives
them into a rage in battle. Should their enemies' ranks include a psyker, they will rush to vanquish him
with renewed effort. Their hatred enhances their will, making them highly resistant to psychic abilities.

Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds - The Black Templars swear to answer any challenge, and
should an opportunity present itself they will always charge to meet their enemies in close combat.

Crusader Squads

Black Templars Sword Brethren lead their Crusader Squad into battle against the Orks

A Crusader Squad is the standard tactical organisation employed by the Black Templars Chapter. The
Black Templars are organised in a different manner compared to many Codex Astartes-compliant
Chapters and do not follow the dictates of the Codex in many ways, notably in the recruitment, training
and deployment of their warriors. The majority of Black Templars Battle-Brothers -- known within the
Chapter as Initiates -- are organised into Crusader Squads, which form the backbone of any strike force
unleashed by the Chapter. Many Crusader Squads have the honour of being led to battle by one of the
Chapter's Sword Brethren -- Veterans whose deeds and example inspire the Initiates to ever greater acts
of courage. Crusader Squads are armed primarily with the holy Bolter, though given the Black Templars'
preference for fighting their foes face-to-face, many choose to carry Chainswords and other weapons
more suited to the cut and thrust of close combat, epitomising the Black Templars' righteous zeal and
their drive to defeat their foes in battle.

Formations

The Sons of Grimaldus herald another triumph against the Orks while fighting on Armageddon

Sons of Grimaldus - Chaplain Grimaldus entered legend during the Battle of Helsreach in the midst of the
Third War for Armageddon in 998.M41. For more than 60 solar days, he commanded the defenders of
the Temple of the Emperor Ascendant against a massive horde of Orks. Eventually, with the defenders
cut off and outnumbered hundreds to one, the temple fell. Miraculously, Grimaldus and a handful of the
Black Templars with him survived. These few swore to avenge the brave warriors, mortal and Astartes
alike, who had fought and died beside them. Other Black Templars flocked to their banner, and from
that day the special formation of the Chapter known as the Sons of Grimaldus have harried the Orks
from one end of Armageddon to the other, and now pursue them even as they flee into the depths of
space. They will not rest until Ghazghkull Thraka and every Ork under his command has been slain. The
Sons of Grimaldus are currently commanded by Grimaldus and composed of 1 Command Squad, 1 squad
of Sword Brethren Terminators, another squad of Sword Brethren outfitted as Assault Terminators, 2
squads of Sword Brethren encased in standard Power Armour, and 5 full squads of Black Templars
Astartes.
Chapter Recruitment

Neophytes

A Black Templar Neophyte

Since the Black Templars have no Chapter homeworld, all of their recruiting is done via their Chapter
Keeps. Chapter Keeps are built on most worlds conquered by the Black Templars, and are used as
staging ground for Crusade forces and recruitment posts for the Chapter. A Chapter Keep only recruits a
few individuals a year. Only the most skilled Aspirants are allowed to join, and if they pass the initial
tests, they are implanted with the gene-seed organs that will eventually transform them into full Space
Marines and Neophytes of the Chapter. When roughly two dozen Neophytes are available at a Chapter
Keep and have been approved by the Keep's Castellan and the Chapter's Apothecaries and Chaplains,
they are despatched to a Crusade fleet for the next stage of their induction. Upon reaching a Crusade
fleet, the Neophytes are put through many gruelling tasks and trials by the Initiates of the Black
Templars. These trials test the Neophytes to their limits, separating out the weaker recruits from the
stronger. Unlike other Space Marine Chapters, the Black Templars have no dedicated Scout Company in
which its Aspirants are trained. Should a survivor of the trials impress one of the assembled Battle-
Brothers, an Initiate may take it upon himself to personally mentor the Neophyte in the art of war. From
that point on, the Initiate takes sole responsibility for his pupil's training and conduct. He swears an oath
to prepare the Neophyte for his entry into the brotherhood that is the Chapter, teach him of its history,
and guide him through its holy rites of worship to the Emperor. In return, the Neophyte pledges
obedience to his master and vows never to bring dishonour to his name. Neophytes also act as servants
to their mentors, waiting on them at the great banquets and seeing to their day-to-day requirements.
The Crusade's Chaplains oversee this training and make sure the Neophyte learns the history of the
Chapter, and watch for any signs of weakness in the Neophyte's faith.

The Neophyte will also accompany his Initiate into combat, and should his master fall, another Brother
will take up his training. The bond between the Initiate and his Neophyte pupil is strong, and if the
Neophyte meets his end, the Initiate will swear a death oath to avenge his apprentice, or die trying. It is
the Initiate's prerogative to say when his apprentice's training is complete. Once he has proven his
valour and skill, a Black Templars Neophyte submits to the Chapter's Chaplains to undergo the final trials
of purity before, in a ceremony of great reverence, he is elevated into the ranks of a full Battle-Brother
of Initiate status and honoured with a suit of Power Armour. He is now truly a Black Templar, possessed
of great power, and sworn to use it in the Emperor's service unto death.

The Black Templars' zealous hatred of mutants and the Warp prevents them from recruiting any man
who bears genetic impurities, including the mutation that allows an individual to wield psychic abilities.
This is why the Black Templars' order of battle contains no Librarians.

Initiates

A Black Templars Initiate takes his oath of loyalty

Once accepted into a Chapter's Fighting Company, an Initiate fights alongside his other Black Templar
Battle-Brothers, forging a name for himself within the Chapter and perfecting his fighting abilities. If the
Initiate lives long enough, he will eventually apprentice a Neophyte of his own. In this way, the skills,
traditions and experience of the Chapter are preserved and passed down, Master to Neophyte. Initiates
form the majority of the Chapter's Fighting Companies and are split up into Crusade Squads of up to
twenty Initiates. Each squad is a deadly force with a range of skills and abilities. Initiates are armed
primarily with Bolters, though, given the Black Templars' preference for fighting face-to-face, many
choose to carry weapons more suited to close combat like Chainswords. Some squad members may
carry more specialised weaponry, such as Plasma Guns, Flamers or mighty Power Fists. Black Templars
squads are highly flexible and have the tactical adaptability to deal with virtually any foe, instructing
their Neophytes by bloody example.

On the battlefield, an Initiate often stands beside his young Neophyte, teaching him through bloody
example the way of Bolter and blade. In this way, the Neophyte learns first hand the methods of waging
war and of destroying the Emperor's enemies.

Scout Squads

Unlike other Space Marine Chapters, the Black Templars have no dedicated Scout Company in which its
Aspirants are trained. After fighting as part of a Crusader Squad on several battlefields, it is common
though for groups of Black Templars Neophytes to be tasked together into independent squads, akin to
a Codex Chapter's Scout Squads. These units are tasked with infiltrating enemy positions or fulfilling
some other critical mission. For a Neophyte to be trusted so speaks volumes of his Initiate's faith in his
abilities, and the Neophyte fights all the harder, lest they show such trust to be misplaced.

Deathwatch Service

A Black Templar departing his Chapter to serve a Vigil with the Deathwatch

While the Black Templars as a Chapter have left the Jericho Reach for the present at least, their Battle-
Brothers still serve in the ranks of the Deathwatch, the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos. Several of
the greatest heroes to have served their Vigil from Watch Fortress Erioch were drawn from the Chapter,
though their names and deeds may only be read in the annals of the Deathwatch, and these are sealed
from access by all but the most privileged. Black Templars are known to make worthy members of a Kill-
team, though their zealousness can occasionally put them at odds with other members. Black Templars
never back down from a challenge and they are reluctant to re-deploy from battle in the face of
overwhelming odds. A mission that requires stealth and observation may find itself compromised should
a Black Templars Battle-Brother take it upon himself to engage a foe he should be watching from afar.
For this reason, only the most self-disciplined and open-minded of Black Templars are seconded to the
Deathwatch; the strain on their minds to tolerate the myriad different expressions of a thousand
divergent Chapter cults embodied by the new Battle-Brothers of the Long Watch will be enormous, and
to be forced to live and fight alongside psykers, either the other Chapter's detached Librarians or the
Ordo Xenos' psychically-gifted Inquisitors, will test the seconded Black Templar's faith and tolerance to
their very limits. But a Black Templar does not have to suppress his essential nature to operate in the
Deathwatch. Instead, on the field of battle, it is his greatest weapon, for his righteousness and zeal allow
him to face and to overcome the most terrifying enemies facing the Imperium.

Chapter Combat Doctrine

The Black Templars in battle

The Black Templars have continued in the style of their first High Marshal, preferring close, melee
combat to ranged warfare. This is further emphasised by the fanaticism of the Black Templars' Initiates,
whose righteous anger makes them impulsive and headstrong.

When making war, a Black Templars Crusade will focus on two main tactics. The first is orbital assault;
the Crusade will use Drop Pods and Thunderhawk gunships to perform a mass-landing in the wake of a
heavy orbital bombardment. If enemy resistance is still strong after this initial assault, the Templars will
land their heavy armour and launch an armoured spearhead against the weakest link in the enemy's
defensive line.

As part of their dedication to the Emperor and their Crusade, the Black Templars swear fell oaths of faith
and protection. Before a battle, it is considered customary to renew one of these oaths, the individual
vow serving as a focus on the particular aspect of the Battle-Brother's duties considered to be necessary
to ensure success for the overall Crusade.

Due to the fact that the Black Templars have such a hate and distrust for the Warp and anything within
it or derived from it, Black Templars will not allow Librarians or any beings with psychic powers to fight
amongst their ranks or in an alliance with them, except for the Grey Knights. Every Black Templar has a
deep prejudice against any type of psyker, which can lead to trouble between the Chapter and those
Imperial Adepta that often use Sanctioned Psykers, such as the Inquisition or even certain regiments of
the Imperial Guard.

Land Raider Crusader

A Black Templars Land Raider Crusader that was involved in the Third War for Armageddon

The Land Raider Crusader variant of the standard Land Raider was developed by the Black Templars
during the Jerulas Crusade, to aid them in the numerous hive city sieges required to reclaim that Hive
World for the Emperor. As word of the design's successes spread, many other Chapters pressured the
Tech-priests of Mars into releasing construction schematics of the Crusader. Eventually the design was
officially recognised by the Adeptus Mechanicus in 763.M39, but this was seen as a mere formality; over
three-quarters of the Chapters had already put Crusader Pattern Land Raiders into effective use.

The Land Raider Crusader is a line-breaking main battle tank, built and armed to plough into the enemy
formation and disgorge its larger-than-normal cargo of Astartes directly into close combat. The Crusader
is armed with side sponson-mounted Hurricane Bolters as well as a hull-mounted Assault Cannon and a
Multi-melta. By replacing the side sponson Lascannon of the original Land Raider design with the
Bolters, the Land Raider Crusader has given up some of its anti-armour capability in exchange for a
significant increase in its troop-carrying capacity. It also has Frag Assault Launchers to help pin the
enemy unit being attacked.

Chapter Beliefs

"The Emperor extends His will to us when we destroy the wicked and impure to reconquer the galaxy in
His name. The Emperor leads the galaxy to righteousness, and thus we must petition for His Judgement
on the wicked... for it is judgement without mercy."

High Marshal Helbrecht, addressing his warriors, prior to the Cleansing of Gemenon Majoris

All Space Marines are renowned for their fervent dedication, but the extent of the Black Templars' faith
is often described as fanatical. They seek nothing less than to crush every last enemy of Mankind. The
Chapter's dogma reserves a special hatred for particular enemies, specifically the mutant, the Heretic,
and the witch. The reason for this is to be found in the Chapter's Founding, springing from the contempt
in which Sigismund held those Astartes who had cast off their oaths and turned against the Imperium
during the Horus Heresy. In assuming the mantle of the Emperor's Champion, Sigismund delivered the
ultimate judgement on those who had betrayed the Master of Mankind, executing them by his own
hand. It is the zeal to prosecute such crimes that drives the Black Templars in their Crusades across the
galaxy and beyond the borders of the Imperium, lending them the strength to face any foe. When a
Black Templars Battle-Brother strikes down a champion of the enemy, he is enacting the judgement of
Sigismund and through him the Emperor Himself, and continuing a tradition established at the height of
the Imperium's most terrible crisis.

For ten thousand standard years the Black Templars have crusaded to prove their loyalty, and this creed
has become so embedded in their doctrines that they are utterly ruthless towards anyone or anything
perceived as a threat to the Emperor. Unlike most other Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, the Black
Templars have come to revere the Emperor as the God of Mankind, just as the mortals of the Imperium
do, and this belief has driven them to new heights of fanaticism. The Black Templars have been known
to mercilessly wipe out entire planetary populations to expunge the sin of heresy, while the mere
presence of a witch on the battlefield drives them into a zealous fury against which few enemies have
any hope of standing. The Black Templars' professed loathing of the witch even extends to those psykers
in the employ of the Imperium. Although the Chapter must utilise Astropaths, Navigators, and others
with such Warp-spawned talents, the Black Templars are loath to do so, and eschew the use of
Librarians in their ranks.

When not engaged in battle, the brethren of the Black Templars are invariably to be found preparing for
it. They pass their time in prayer and meditation, or engaged in exacting training rituals. Those Initiates
entrusted with the training of a Neophyte spend long hours passing on their knowledge to their young
apprentice and supervising endless drills, practice sessions, and trials. The brethren frequently impose
upon themselves many hardships, foregoing all but the bare necessities in order to purify themselves in
the eyes of the Emperor and their Primarch, and to emulate the example of their founder Sigismund.

When serving alongside the Battle-Brothers of other Space Marine Chapters, many Black Templars
prepare themselves through long fasts and week-long vigils in order to tolerate the presence of Space
Marine Librarians. For those who serve a Long Vigil in the Deathwatch, fighting alongside a brother
Space Marine who wields psychic power is a particular hardship, a trial they must undergo in order to
serve the Emperor more fully and to strike down the hated alien. For this reason, great care is
undertaken when selecting a Black Templar for secondment to the Deathwatch, for only a brother able
to contain his deep-seated intolerance against psykers will be able to fight to his full capacity. Despite
this, even these individuals are likely to pass every hour not spent fighting in deep contemplation and
prayer, often cloistering themselves away from their fellow Deathwatch Brothers in a personal shrine to
the Emperor, Rogal Dorn, and Sigismund.

In temperament, the Battle-Brothers of the Black Templars Chapter are united by the fiery zeal that
burns within the heart of each, a fire first sparked by Captain Sigismund himself and stoked each day by
the oratory of the Chaplains and by the exemplary texts that each brother reads every hour he is not on
active duty. While each Black Templar is inspired by the same crusading drive to utterly crush the
enemies of the Emperor, there nonetheless exists a degree of variation within the ranks. Those brethren
only recently initiated into the Chapter as full Battle-Brothers might be driven to prove themselves in
the eyes of their more experienced peers. Only when they have done so will they be granted the right
and the responsibility to train a Neophyte themselves, for the Black Templars do not maintain a
Company of Scout Marines. Throughout his service as an Initiate, the Battle-Brother gains experience
and wisdom, until he may, if he survives long enough and is judged worthy, enter the ranks of the
Marshal's Household as a Sword Brother. These warriors have learned to temper the fires of hatred with
the wisdom of their years, and they are an example to the entire Chapter.

Abhor the Witch

"Smite now the scions of the Witch!

Grant us the strength to pierce their unclean flesh!

To cover their fields with the pale forms of their blasphemous dead!

To drown the thunder of guns with the shrieks of their dying!

To lay waste to their citadels with hurricanes of fire!

To wring the hearts of their kin with unavailing grief!

To send them into the wastes of their desolated lands in rags and hunger, broken in spirit, worn with
travail and begging for the refuge of the grave.

We ask it, in the spirit of wrath,

O Master of Mankind!"

Black Templars Vow, "Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch"

Outsiders mistakenly interpret the lack of Librarians within the ranks of the Black Templars Chapter, and
the fury with which its Battle-Brothers slay Chaos Sorcerers, as an intolerance for all psykers. This could
hardly be further from the truth, for the Black Templars hold special reverence for Astropaths, seeing
them as holy disciples who have actually communed with the God-Emperor. Navigators are similarly
honoured, for their psychic blessing allows them to see the divine light of the Astronomican and guide
the Black Templars through the Warp to deliver righteous retribution against the Emperor's enemies.
Instead, the Black Templars' abhorrence is reserved for deviant alien witches and rogue psykers who
embrace the blasphemous Dark Gods in their quest for power. These individuals threaten to drag entire
worlds from the Emperor's light and into damnation, for they are conduits through which unholy
daemons can cross into the mortal realm. So it is that the Black Templars strengthen their souls with the
purity of their faith when facing rogue psykers, as they strive to end with a single sword-stroke the
potential of a daemonic assault that could otherwise plunge the Emperor's realm into decades of
bloodshed and madness.

The Hall of Records

Aboard the Eternal Crusader, the Battle Barge that serves as High Marshal Helbrecht's flagship and the
mobile Fortress-Monastery of the Chapter, lies the Hall of Records, a vast archive where a legion of
scribes and Servitors toil to record the history and deeds of the Black Templars' far-flung forces. Such
duties of record-keeping would normally fall to a Chapter's Librarians, but the Black Templars Chapter
boasts not a single psychic Space Marine amongst their ranks. It is uncertain how, or when, the Black
Templars ceased to field Librarians, for with their disappearance, much of the Chapter's history was also
lost. Outsiders suggest that, as the Chapter came to worship the Emperor as a God unlike most of their
fellow members of the Adeptus Astartes, they took his decree at the Council of Nikaea to disband their
Librarius divisions as holy law. Others whisper that the Black Templars' gene-seed has somehow
deteriorated, or that their Librarians were slain during a great war in the Chapter's history. Some
scholars point to the Black Templars' final battle to end the Catelexis Heresy in the 34th Millennium, and
the apocalyptic psychic death-scream that tore through the Warp after the slaying of the Cacodominus,
as another possible explanation. Whatever the truth, the Black Templars have come to accept the loss of
their Librarians as part of the Emperor's divine plan. If the Emperor decides to once again bless the Black
Templars with Librarians, they will embrace it, but until that day, they will wage battle without these
powerful warriors at their side.

Chapter Traditions

Black Templars Bolter with manacle and Devotion Chain

Devotion Chain - Most Black Templars use Devotion Chains to bind their weapons to their fists on the
eve of battle, removing them only once victory is achieved. This tradition harkens back to the bygone
era of the Great Crusade. The tradition of using chains to bind weapons to one's arms was originally
started by the World Eaters when they were still the Loyalist XII Legion, a tradition which eventually
spread to the other Space Marine Legions after its popularity had extended beyond the World Eaters'
fighting pits. Sigismund, First Captain of the Imperial Fists, took to the custom with his usual zeal,
binding his knightly weapons to his wrists on dense black chains. He had made an impressive name for
himself within the bowels of Primarch Angron's flagship, Conqueror, duelling with the XII Legion's finest
warriors late in the Great Crusade.

Chain of Zeal - Unlike the Devotion Chain, the Chain of Zeal is no such fleeting token. It is secured to
weapon and armour with a permanent weld that lasts as long as the Space Marine serves. Furthermore,
because taking off a gauntlet with the chain still attached is a shameful act that entails great dishonour,
the wearer of the Chain of Zeal must keep his armoured glove donned and weapon in hand every
minute for the rest of his days.
Notable Black Templars

Sigismund, the first Emperor's Champion and first High Marshal of the Black Templars

High Marshal Sigismund - Sigismund was the First Captain of the Imperial Fists Legion during the Great
Crusade and the Horus Heresy, and was chosen by his Primarch Rogal Dorn as the first High Marshal
(Chapter Master) of the newly created Black Templars Chapter during the Second Founding in the early
31st Millennium. The Chapter took upon themselves the black and white panoply of Sigismund's
personal heraldry. Chosen as the Emperor's Champion for his fervent faith in the Emperor and his
undying devotion to Mankind, those zealous warriors of the Imperial Fists who became Black Templars
sought to emulate their former First Captain's heroic example. Seeing the strife that beset the Legiones
Astartes during the days of the Second Founding, he determined that a gesture of supreme faith was
needed. As High Marshal of the Black Templars, Sigismund swore a mighty oath that upon leaving Terra,
he would prove his loyalty, never resting in the prosecution of his duties against the enemies of the
Emperor. It is an oath that every subsequent High Marshal has renewed, and so the greatest and longest
Space Marine Crusade in Imperial history was begun, a Crusade that has continued unbroken for ten
thousand Terran years.

High Marshal Helbrecht of the Black Templars

High Marshal Helbrecht - Helbrecht is the current High Marshal of the Black Templars Chapter.
Helbrecht wields the Sword of the High Marshals, which was forged from the remnants of the sword of
Rogal Dorn. According to legend, Dorn broke the sword across his knee after the Horus Heresy for failing
to defend the Emperor. In addition to being High Marshal of the Black Templars Chapter, Helbrecht is
the greatest naval commander in the Adeptus Astartes, and assumed command of all Space Marine
warships during the Third War for Armageddon. Together with Admiral Parol of the Imperial Navy,
Helbrecht held and eventually repulsed the numerically superior Ork fleet. Helbrecht was last seen
departing Armageddon with Commissar Yarrick, hunting down the space hulk thought to be commanded
by the Beast of Armageddon, Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka.

High Marshal Kordhel - Helbrecht's predecessor, Kordhel was slain by a frenzied Chaos Champion of the
Ruinous Powers in late 990.M41.

High Marshal Ludoldus - Kordhel's predecessor, Ludoldus was a legendary High Marshal of the Black
Templars, his career second-to-none, and his accomplishments were the stuff of Chapter legends. When
Helbrecht was but a lowly Neophyte, he served under the venerable High Marshal during the Vinculus
Crusade in 833.M41, playing witness to the dramatic events of the campaign.

High Marshal Sigenandus - Sigenandus was the High Marshal of the Black Templars during the
tumultuous era known as the Wars of Apostasy in the 36th Millennium. A fiercely vengeful warrior, High
Marshal Sigenandus was amongst the most fearsome warriors ever to command the Black Templars.
Upon declaration of a Crusade, whichever foe was to be fought was doomed from that moment
onwards as there would be no mercy shown until every last remnant of the enemy was destroyed. Great
was Sigenandus' rage after discovering the destruction of his Chapter's keeps in the Segmentum Solar by
the traitorous High Lord Goge Vandire's fleets and, in retribution, in 378.M36, he gathered four Crusade
fleets and set off towards Terra, and vengeance. The Black Templars, together with the Imperial Fists
and two other Chapters, the Soul Drinkers and the zealous Fire Hawks, and elements of the Martian
Skitarii, took the fight to Terra itself and laid siege to Vandire's Ecclesiarchal Palace. The Terran Crusade
fell upon Vandire's forces like a thunderbolt, smashing into the deluded followers of the insane High
Lord with terrifying fury. The siege of Vandire's palace lasted many months and, together with Chapter
Master Lazerian of the Imperial Fists, Sigenandus fought his way towards Vandire's chambers. The two
warriors fought side by side with their Thunder Hammers, crushing all before them. At battle's end, with
Vandire dead at the hands of his own bodyguard, the Brides of the Emperor, High Marshal Sigenandus
still burned with fury at the destruction of his Chapter's keeps and the scale of the High Lord's betrayal.
Determined that none should escape his vengeance, High Marshal Sigenandus set off from Terra to hunt
down all those who had broken faith with the Emperor. Worlds burned as his quest took him throughout
the galaxy until his eventual death in 522.M36.

High Marshal Bohemond - Bohemond was the High Marshal of the Black Templars Chapter in the mid-
32nd Millennium, and took part in the desperate battles against a massive Ork WAAAGH! that
threatened the Throneworld of Terra itself during the War of the Beast that took place in 544-546.M32.
The Chapter Master of the Black Templars had a fell reputation as a headstrong and strong-willed
commander. His Black Templars stood as a force apart from the rest of the Imperial Fists Successor
Chapters. They claimed lineage from Rogal Dorn as did the rest, but they cleaved to their own code and
practices. When the last surviving Imperial Fists from the disaster on Ardamantua, Captain Koorland,
enacted the "Last Wall Protocol", Bohemond agreed to represent his Chapter. A council between the
Successor Chapters was to be held in the Phall System. As the longest-serving Chapter Master of the
Scions of Dorn Successor Chapters, he agreed to host the council meeting aboard the Battle Barge
Abhorrence. Bohemond would later lead his Chapter in the attack by his fellow Scions of Dorn Successor
Chapters against the greenskins' massive Attack Moon in orbit over Terra. In the battle's aftermath, a
tense meeting was held between the Last Wall Chapter Masters and the Lord Commander of the
Imperium, Udin Macht Udo. The outspoken High Marshal expressed his disdain for both the squabbling
and weak-willed High Lords of Terra as well as the Lord Commander. After the world of Ullanor Prime
was identified as where The Beast and his massive WAAAGH! originated from, Bohemond was one of
the central leaders who advocated an Imperial counter-strike in order to kill The Beast and wipe out the
greenskins. He led his Chapter during the invasion of The Beast's capital world, upon the capital city of
Gorkogrod, fighting alongside the returned Salamanders Primarch Vulkan. During this epic battle, the
High Marshal always led from the forefront of the Astartes' advance, but constantly proved
insubordinate to both Captain Koorland and even Vulkan himself. At his wit's end with the High
Marshal's constant challenges to Koorland's authority, Vulkan challenged the upstart Chapter Master
that whoever could lift his massive Thunder Hammer, Doomtremor, would rightfully assume the mantle
of Lord Commander of the Imperium. However, this was a ploy, as the mighty weapon was so heavy,
that even an Astartes fully arrayed in Terminator Armour was unable to lift it. Both Bohemond and the
Chapter Master of the Crimson Fists, Quesadra, proved unable to lift it. Koorland, however, along with
the Chapter Master of the Fists Exemplar, Maximus Thane, and his squad of Astartes lifted the mighty
weapon together and managed to launch the Primarch's hammer like a javelin. As Koorland had proved
his willingness to work with others, not for individual glory, Vulkan declared Koorland as the best
candidate for Lord Commander. During the final push on The Beast's temple-Gargant, Bohemond once
again objected to following Koorland's leadership when he ordered the Astartes to evacuate and let
Vulkan face The Beast alone, in accordance with the Primarch's wishes. Enraged by the High Marshal's
callous disregard, he struck Bohemond to the ground. Chastised, the High Marshal remained on the
ground, shamed before his fellow Scions of Dorn, until he eventually evacuated with all the rest.

Marshal Emrik - Marshal Emrik was the founder of the Solemnus Chapter Keep and commanded the
Crusade that cleansed that world of a Genestealer taint. Emrik himself slew the Genestealer Patriarch
and ended the xenos threat. His chapel-tomb resided within the Hall of Heroes of the Solemnus Keep.

Marshal Brant - Brant was the commander of the Solemnus Crusade that participated in the Third War
for Armageddon. Marshal Brant was just returning from the Liberation of Lugnasad in the Apollo Sub-
sector when the Orks of the Blood Scar Tribe attacked and sacked the Solemnus Chapter Keep out of
which the Crusade had been based. For 12 years, Brant led the Solemnus Crusade in a quest for
vengeance until they finally discovered the Blood Scar Tribe fighting alongside WAAAGH! Ghazghkull on
the Hive World of Armageddon. The Solemnus Crusade immediately joined the battle against the
Greenskin invaders and deployed several Fighting Companies to the wastes of Armageddon.

Marshal Ulliquel - Commander of the Thunder Crusade who fought against the Dark Eldar and Alpha
Legion during his recruitment mission to the Chapter Keep on Cephia IV.

Marshal Wernher - Wernher joined the Donian Crusade in 985.M39, to combat the swelling Ork
population sweeping through the Donian Sector and surrounding wilderness space in the southern
Segmentum Pacificus. The original Crusade Marshal, Brother Austein, was tragically killed in battle on
the planet Nickel V, and was succeeded by Marshal Wernher in 988.M39. The Donian Crusade lasted for
roughly 17 standard years before the High Marshal declared it successful in ca. 002.M40. Wernher went
on to later become the Marshal of the Thangdorn Crusade.

Marshal Gervhart - Gervhart led the Second Purging of Lastrati in 543.M36, as a part of the Athalor
Crusade. The Hive World of Lastrati, located in the Ultima Segmentum, had become a place of
pilgrimage, and for centuries, the faithful had come to bear witness to such spectacles as the Hill of
Heretics and the Plain of Purity. Marshal Gervhart and the Black Templars of the Athalor Crusade had
come to Lastrati to take heart from the planet's potent displays of faith from the past, but were horrified
by what they found. The Quintarchs of Lastrati had turned to barbaric blood rituals and human sacrifices
in search of genetic perfection. At first the Space Marines were welcomed as examples of genetic
supremacy, but the more the Black Templars saw, the more they realised that the rituals of the people
of Lastrati had too much in common with the heretical cult worship of the Ruinous Powers. Marshal
Gervhart ordered the planet cleansed of its degenerate inhabitants before continuing the Crusade. After
four standard years of fighting, the warriors of Marshal Gervhart forced the remaining forces of Lastrati
back into the Plain of Purity where they made their last stand before the Black Templars at the Hill of
Heretics. The army was destroyed, the Black Templars showing no mercy and accepting no surrender.
Those deemed free from taint were allowed to live -- an act of mercy that was to have a terrible
repercussion for Marshal Gervhart in later years. The infamous Gervhart Repeal of the 36th Millennium
was the only time a High Marshal has repealed the promotion of a Marshal to that rank.

Castellan Adlar - Castellan Adlar commanded Fighting Company Adlar of the Solemnus Crusade during
the Third War for Armageddon. Fighting Company Adlar deployed to the surface of Armageddon to stall
the Ork invaders and search for the Red Scar Ork Tribe that had destroyed the Solemnus Chapter Keep.
Castellan Adlar fell during the assault on the Blood Scar Tribe's Gargant Factory, pinned by a crashed Ork
Trukk, Brother Adlar used his Thunder Hammer to detonate the munitions stockpile of the Kannon
emplacement where he was trapped and dying, taking every Ork in the vicinity with him.

Castellan Draco - Draco first rose to prominence as part of Marshal Ludoldus' Sword Brethren during the
bitter Vinculus Crusade in which he fought the Renegade Inquisitor Lord Vinculus. He was badly
wounded after the battle and his body was reconstructed with bionics. He was awarded the rank of
Castellan and was given a relic suit of the Chapter's finest Power Armor for his valour. Draco's exploits
were further recognised when he was presented with the former Inquisitor's blade as a mark of
gratitude from the Ordo Hereticus.

Chaplain Grimaldus and an Emperor's Champion

Chaplain Grimaldus, the Hero of Helsreach - Chaplain Grimaldus is a noted veteran of the Third War for
Armageddon. During the Battle for Hive Helsreach, Grimaldus led the defence of the Temple of the
Emperor Ascendant, which had stood since Armageddon's colonisation. The battle became so heated
that the building itself collapsed around them. It was believed that all had perished in the building until
Grimaldus, bloody but unbroken, climbed out of the rubble bearing three of the temple's artifacts -- a
column from its Major Altar, the Banner of the Emperor Victorious, and holy water from the Stoup of
Elucidation. Apothecaries who examined him later were amazed that Grimaldus had survived, much less
found the strength to climb from the ruins. When the war ended, the citizens of Hive Helsreach
honoured him with the title of "Hero of Helsreach".

Chaplain Mordred - Mordred was the Reclusiarch of the Black Templars and the mentor of Grimaldus.
Mordred fell in battle shortly before the onset of the Armageddon Crusade, his dying wish was to see
Grimaldus as his successor as the Chapter's Reclusiarch. The "Hero of Helsreach" wields the relic Crozius
Arcanum of Mordred and wears his silver skull-faced battle helm to this day.

Deathwatch Chaplain Broec - Broec was a member of Imperial Fists' Captain Octavius' Deathwatch Kill-
team during the mission on Herodian IV against the vile Tyranid menace. Broec died heroically, fighting
alongside Librarian Shaidan of the Mantis Warriors while facing a Hive Tyrant, giving his comrades time
to escape.

Forge Master Jurisian - Forge Master of the High Marshal's flagship, Eternal Crusader, Jurisian served for
19 standard years before being assigned to the Helsreach Crusade during the Third War for
Armageddon. During the first days of the siege he was sent to a defensive position in the Ash Wastes
designated D-16 West that contained a sealed Adeptus Mechanicus installation. After long hours of
work Jurisian discovered the installation was the home of the great Ordinatus Armageddon Oberon, also
known as the Death of Titans, a relic of the First War for Armageddon. The Ordinatus was armed with a
mighty Nova Cannon normally used in ship-to-ship combat. It took Jurisian most of the remaining two
months of the Siege to unlock the resting place of Oberon, reactivate the machine and travel back to
Helsreach. In the end, Jurisian's contribution to the fight for Helsreach was the destruction of the Ork
Mega Gargant known as Godbreaker.

Techmarine Artificer Simagus - Simagus is credited with the discovery of the Standard Template
Construct (STC) database used to create the Land Raider Crusader during the Jerulas Crusade in
645.M39. By 763.M39, the Crusader Pattern was officially recognised by the Tech-priests of Mars.
Emperor's Champion Bayard - Bayard served in the Helsreach Crusade during the Third War for
Armageddon, fighting with honour and courage before being killed by an Ork spearthrust to the throat
in the graveyards outside the Temple of the Emperor Ascendant on the last day of the battle for Hive
Helsreach. His blade was taken up by the Emperor's Champion Priamus.

Captain of the Banner Navarre - The Wars of Apostasy, also known as the Terran Crusade, were a series
of battles fought against the forces of the Renegade High Lord of Terra Goge Vandire during the Age of
Apostasy's Reign of Blood in the fourth century of the 36th Millennium. During this tumultuous period,
the Black Templars had concerned themselves little with the affairs of the Imperium, but when Black
Templar Crusade Fleets returned to the Segmentum Solar and discovered that their Chapter keeps had
been destroyed by orbital bombardments, the full extent of Vandire's treachery became apparent.
Enraged by what they discovered of Vandire's perversion of the Emperor's will, in 378.M36 the Black
Templars Chapter's High Marshal Sigenandus declared an Imperial Crusade against Vandire on Terra.
The Black Templars, together with their progenitors the Imperial Fists, the Soul Drinkers, the zealous Fire
Hawks and elements of the Martian Tech-Guard, took the fight to Terra itself and laid siege to Vandire's
Ecclesiarchal Palace. For months the armies of the Imperial Preacher Sebastian Thor, the Space Marines
and their allies laid siege to the Ecclesiarchal Palace without managing to breach its formidable
defences. Eventually, the Emperor's Champion Navarre of the Black Templars led a daring last ditch
assault. At the height of the fighting, the Chapter Banner Bearer fell, and all eyes watched as the Black
Templars Chapter Standard began to slowly sink to the ground, but Navarre swept the banner up and
carried it through the breach in the palace's walls, inspiring his brothers to fight all the harder. After the
battle, Chapter Master Lazerian of the Imperial Fists honoured Navarre with the title of Captain of the
Banner in recognition of his exemplary bravery and courage.

Deathwatch Battle-Brother Richter - Richter is an old, battle-scarred veteran Space Marine of the Black
Templars who joined the ranks of the Deathwatch, the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos. Though he
appears taciturn and unremarkable, his expertise with both Bolter and Chainsword mark him as a past
master in the deadly arts. For those with a practised eye, he is clearly Sword Brethren material even
though he wears no honours on his armour and seeks no recognition of his prowess. Richter is obviously
vexed by some sort of spiritual turmoil, as his hard set jaw and distant gaze tell of a soul deeply troubled
by some past event.

Dreadnought Jarold - Brother Jarold was a Veteran warrior of the Solemnus Crusade, stationed at the
Solemnus Chapter Keep and assigned to search out potential Neophytes for the Chapter. Jarold was
nearing the end of his tour of duty at the keep when it was attacked by Ork invaders. Jarold was the sole
survivor, though his body was cut in two by an Ork Power Klaw after he had slain scores of the
creatures, his barely living remains located by Apothecary Colber atop a veritable mound of Greenskin
corpses. After his internment within a Dreadnought, Jarold participated in the Armageddon Crusade as
part of Fighting Company Adlar. After the loss of Emperor's Champion Ansgar he commanded the
strikeforce designated "Ansgar's Avengers", which was tasked with locating and recovering the
Champion and his armaments.

Chapter Relics

Armour of Faith - Armour of Faith is the traditional name given to the suit of Artificer Armour gifted to
an Emperor's Champion. Chosen from the finest Artificer Armour available to the Chapter and then
inscribed with sacred wards and catechisms of hatred, the armour offers greater protection than any
ordinary suit of Power Armour could, allowing the Emperor's Champion to complete his holy duty. In
addition, such is the protection of its wards that some blows and rounds are simply turned aside or flash
to nothing in a blaze of divine power.

Armour of the Remorseless Crusader - This suit of Artificer Armour is one of a trinity crafted by the
Artificers of the Black Templars. Each suit is gilded with detestations of the Warp and said to have the
blood of Saints layered into the thousand-folded Adamantite of its construction. The Armour of the
Pitiless Crusader and the Fearless Crusader remain with the Chapter, but one suit, the Armour of the
Remorseless Crusader, was tithed to the Deathwatch.

Black Sword of Sigismund - The Legendary Black Sword wielded by First Captain Sigismund, the first High
Marshal of the Black Templars, is kept in a place of honour in the most sacred chapel of the Black
Templars Chapter.

Black Sword - Paired with the Armour of Faith, the traditional weapon of the Emperor's Champion is the
Black Sword, a massive two-handed Power Sword. Blessed by the Chapter Chaplains, it becomes a
deadly weapon in the hands of the chosen of the Black Templars. Such is the skill with which this
weapon has been crafted that the Emperor's Champion can either wield it two-handed or one-handed
as a normal Astartes Power Sword.

Chain of Zeal - Most Black Templars use Devotion Chains to bind their weapons to their fists on the eve
of battle, removing them only once victory is achieved. The Chain of Zeal, however, is no such fleeting
token. It is secured to weapon and armour with a permanent weld that lasts as long as the Space Marine
lives. Furthermore, because taking off a gauntlet with the chain still attached is a shameful act that
entails great dishonour, the wearer of the Chain of Zeal must keep his armoured glove donned and
weapon in hand every minute for the rest of his days.

Sword of Dorn - The blade was carried by Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial Fists Legion, and was
shattered when Dorn broke it over his knee after returning from Horus' flagship Vengeful Spirit with the
broken body of the Emperor at the end of the Battle of Terra. Dorn vowed never to wield the blade
again as a penance for his failure to protect the Emperor. The Imperial Fists Legion's First Captain
Sigismund kept the shattered blade and had part of it forged into the weapon known as the Sword of
the High Marshals that is a relic of the Black Templars Chapter, as a reminder of the duty and sacrifice
expected of the Sons of Dorn. The broken blade resides in the halls of the Eternal Crusader, the Battle
Barge and flagship of the greatest of the Black Templar Crusade Fleets.

Sword of the High Marshals - As a sign of his office, the current High Marshal wields the potent Chapter
relic known as the Sword of the High Marshals, which was forged from the remnants of the sword of the
Primarch Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists Legion from which the Black Templars were spawned.
According to legend, Dorn broke the sword across his knee after the Horus Heresy for failing to defend
the Emperor of Mankind from Horus, never wielding it again. It was decreed by the Black Templar's
founder, Sigismund, that the weapon carried by all High Marshals would forever remind them of their
duty to atone for their Primarch's failure by incorporating the pieces of Dorn's sword in its forging.

Witchbane - Black Templars Brother-Sergeant Navrell bore the Chainsword Witchbane into battle
against Eldar pirates on the world of Scoth in the Ixaniad Sector. What started as a small skirmish
escalated when a Webway portal opened on a ridge above the fighting. Through it stepped a black-
robed Farseer, and behind him, a stream of Eldar reinforcements. Navrell led three squads to eliminate
the new threat. Crackling balefire and slicing shurikens decimated his men, but Navrell fought through
to cut down the Farseer. The portal snapped shut, and Navrell's Chainsword slew many more Eldar that
day. It was this deed that led to Navrell's secondment to the Deathwatch, bringing his weapon, now
named Witchbane, with him.

Chapter Fleet

The Black Templars have no Chapter homeworld, and instead opt to live within their large Crusade fleets
of Strike Cruisers, Battle Barges and Escorts. They are ever vigilant, and are always ready for battle which
is why they have chosen to remain a highly mobile, fleet-based Chapter. This way of life also honours
their original Founding Legion, the Imperial Fists, who were a mobile Chapter based upon the great
mobile Star Fortress known as Phalanx. The Black Templars do establish and garrison Chapter Keeps on
every world they conquer or reclaim, which provide a training base for new recruits for the Chapter and
to act as staging points for further Crusade fleets. Each Crusade fleet is usually led by a Black Templars
officer with the rank of Castellan and is charged with carrying out a specific objective. Until that
objective is achieved, the Crusade fleet will not join up with its brethren and its Astartes will not rest.

Chapter Appearance

The Black Templars are noted to wrap chains or bindings around their arms to represent the fact that
they will not give up their weapons until the battle is done.

Chapter Colours

Black Templars Insignia

The Power Armour of a Black Templar is predominantly black and white. The actual application of the
colour scheme varies from Astartes to Astartes, and individual Black Templars usually decorate their
armour with devotional imagery, litanies, and Purity (and Crusader) Seals. The black colour is a sign that
like Sigismund and the black-armoured Chaplains of other Chapters, the Black Templars serve the
Emperor directly and with deep faith. Squad specialty symbols (Tactical, Assault, Devastator or Veteran)
are not indicated. The Chapter icon is proudly worn on both shoulder guards. A Gothic numeral is
stenciled in white on the right knee plate. Black Templars Techmarines and tank crews have a
predominantly red armour colour scheme (the colour favoured by the servants of the Machine God);
however, they still display their Chapter colours so as to not anger the Machine Spirits of their tanks and
armour.

Chapter Badge

The Black Templars' Chapter badge is a black Maltese Cross on a field of white. The shoulder plates of
Black Templar Power Armour depict the Chapter badge, with colour dependent on their rank and role
within the Chapter. The Cross depicted on the shoulder plates of the Black Templars mirrors the emblem
of the Knights Hospitallers of the ancient Christian Crusades during the early 2nd Millennium.

Influences
The "character" of the Black Templars is drawn from the High Medieval Christian Crusades of the 11th to
13th Centuries AD, and the history concerning the military orders of the Roman Catholic Church at that
time, including the Order of the Knights Templar, the Order of the Knights Hospitaller and the Teutonic
Order. One of their special weapons, the Holy Orb of Antioch, is a reference to Monty Python's Holy
Hand Grenade of Antioch, which itself is a reference to items discovered by the real Crusaders at
Antioch (such as the "Holy Spear of Antioch").