World Eaters

The World Eaters are an army that feature in Warhammer 40,000.

History

The World Eaters were a legion of the Adeptus Astartes that were created by the Imperium of Man. The Twelfth Legion was formed on Terra, from no particular geographic recruiting ground. Fragmentary records do suggest however, that during the formation process of the legion, an experimental screening process may have resulted in the initial intakes being formed from the most aggressive and competitive of candidates. While this cannot be confirmed with certainty, early records of the Legion do note that it was considered a highly aggressive, hot-blooded, and savage force. The nascent, relatively small Legion was deployed in the Unification Wars, their first recorded engagement being the Sa'afrik Liberation. However, for reasons unknown, after their initial battles they were largely held in the Imperial reserve right through the rest of Terran Unification and even throughout the conquest of the Sol System. While the true reasons for this withdrawal from the front-lines are unknown, one suggested reason was that they were simply kept off the board in case a sudden mishap in the Imperial campaigns resulted in a need for swift, fresh reinforcement. Another, more whispered proposed reason, is that they were deliberately held in check in case any disloyalty among the Emperor's troops emerged, and needed to be quickly ended. Nonetheless, the Legion continued to grow and determinedly train for war. This dedication, as well as their savage and tenacious demeanour during the few times they were deployed in combat during this period, reportedly led to the Emperor himself dubbing the XII Legion as his War Hounds. In prideful recognition of this honour, the Twelfth adopted a red hound as their insignia.

Overview

In appearance, the World Eaters were a legion of Space Marines who were bred for war. Originally, they were known as the War Hounds and listed as the XII Legion of the original twenty Space Marine Legions.

Many scholars believe the World Eaters' geneseed was corrupted from the beginning, and the legion was intrinsically damned. Others believe that there was nothing inherently wrong with the genetic make-up of the legion, and point solely to Angron and his introduction of the Butcher's Nails as the reason behind the downfall of the Twelfth Legion. While no clear truth can be discerned, it is believed that the geneseed of Angron resulted in his marines developing an almost physical need to engage in combat, and a propensity to descend into bouts of bloodthirsty madness, separate from the effects of the Nails. Regardless, after millennia in the Eye of Terror, the currently existing geneseed of the legion warriors has been corrupted beyond all possible measure.

Units fielded by the World Eaters included:

• Berzerker-Surgeons :
• Eightbound :
• Khorne Berzerker :
• Jakhal :
• Bloodgor :
• Ogryn Berserker :

Vehicles fielded by the legion included:

• Blood Slaughterer :
• Brass Scorpion :
• Lord of Skulls :

Members

• Angron :
• Khârn :
• Invocatus : Horseman of the Apocalypse, The Winged Axe, Khorne's Thunderbolt is a World Eaters Chaos Lord of the Fire Riders, who rides to battle atop the Juggernaut Khal'guruth.
• Gahlan Surlak :
• Zhukel Dror :

Notes

• The World Eaters were created by Games Workshop and featured in the setting of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Appearances

• Warhammer 40,000:

External Links

• Lexicanum Entry

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