Deathwatch (Warhammer 40,000)
Deathwatch is a military group that features in Warhammer 40,000.
Contents |
History
The Deathwatch were the Chamber Militant of the Inquisition's Ordo Xenos and responded to alien threats to the Imperium of Man.
According to one account though, their origins were traced to centuries ago when a Conclave of Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Lords, known as the Apocryphon Conclave of Orphite IV - convened with the purpose of formulating a galaxy-wide strategy to combat the many xenos civilizations assailing mankind. Foreseeing an age where mankind would eventually consume the Imperium itself, the conclave sat and debated for many years. Some advocated the annihilation of all xenos, some that certain less-violent civilizations should be 'tolerated'. However a strategy was eventually formed and the Conclave requested an audience with many assembled Chapter Masters of the Adeptus Astartes. After hearing the Inquisitor's pleas, the Chapter Masters deliberated for one night before giving their verdict: they and the Inquisitors would together take a solemn oath and form a new Chapter, one drawn entirely from Battle Brothers from existing chapters. The alliance dubbed it the 'Deathwatch', for it would stand guard against the doom foretold by the conclave.
Overview
Organisation
As the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos, the Deathwatch is tasked with the study and, if necessary, the extermination of alien races encountered by the Imperium. They are also tasked with the observation of alien races, and the acquisition of their technology for further study by the Adeptus Mechanicus. When a Space Marine is granted the honour of becoming a member of the Deathwatch, he will ritually repaint his power armour black. As it is believed to be an insult to the armour's machine spirit if the armour is completely repainted, the shoulder plate bearing the original Chapter's symbol is left untouched and is moved to the right shoulder. The now vacant shoulder is covered with an ornate Deathwatch shoulder plate and a left arm with silver colourings. The Deathwatch are uniquely organized in that the Marines that make up the Deathwatch are drawn from many different Chapters. They are then specially trained to counter Xeno threats and are sworn to serve a term with the Deathwatch before returning to their Chapter of origin. The Space Marine Legions and subsequent Chapters were bound by ancient oath to provide troops to the Deathwatch. However, particularly among some of the more radical Space Marine Chapters, this can be a great test of duty, especially for those that see the Inquisition as corrupt and an enemy of the independence of the Adeptus Astartes.
Although there is no question of any Chapter or Space Marine failing to fulfill their ancient pledges, Chapters like the Iron Hands, Dark Angels, and Blood Angels have a notoriously strained relationship with the Inquisition. It is not unheard of for radical Ordo Xenos Inquisitors to find the secondment of Deathwatch troops facilitated by aiding a chapter against the machinations of a puritanical Ordo Heriticus Inquisitor. Other Chapters such as the Ultramarines, Crimson Fists and Imperial Fists have a far closer relationship with the Inquisition as a whole and the Ordo Xenos itself. Marines from these Chapters are more frequently and in greater number inducted into the Deathwatch, although a Kill-Team may be made up of any variety of Marines as the resources of the Ordo Xenos Militant Order are moved around the galaxy. Marines making up a Deathwatch kill team can vary hugely in philosophy, culture and custom but are bound together by their loyalty to the Emperor and their zealous hatred of the alien enemies of mankind. A Space Marine will remain with the Deathwatch until the Inquisitor leading the detachment deems that necessary tasks have been completed.
Ranks within the Deathwatch included:
- Watch Commander :
- Watch Master :
- Watch Captain :
- Deathwatch Black Shield :
- Deathwatch Champion :
- Deathwatch Chaplain :
- Deathwatch Dreadnought :
- Deathwatch Epistolary :
- Deathwatch Forge Master :
- Deathwatch Keeper :
- Deathwatch Kill-marine :
- Deathwatch First Company Veteran :
In the field, the Deathwatch organised their forces into small but elite companies that were taken from the Space Marine Chapters as part of a pledged tithe given by the Adeptus Astartes. Thus, only true heroes came to join the ranks of the Chamber Militant who added their strength in the battles against alien forces. Each member was as a result an expert in their field even before becoming a Deathwatch member with their armour repainted though their Chapter icon remained intact on their pauldron as a mark of respect to their origins. They were then dispatched as part of a high-specialised Kill Team that were sent to repel the most dire of threats. When faced with an array of missions to complete and varying enemies to lay low, the Deathwatch were highly adept at forming effective kill teams that mesh starkly diverse armour and equipment.
Among these included:
- Proteus Kill Teams : the sheer versatility of their weapon loadout, coupled with their durability and manoeuvrability, make it little wonder that Proteus Kill Teams had worked miraculous feats of arms on countless hostile worlds over the course of the Imperium’s history.
- Fortis Kill Teams : further refined from Watch Master Mordelai’s original concept, Fortis Kill Teams exemplify the supreme adaptability of the Tacticus variant of Mk X power armour, seamlessly merging a variety of close support roles and deadly firepower.
- Indomitor Kill Teams : comprised of warriors wearing the heavier Gravis variant of Mk X, Indomitor Kill Teams are mobile bastions capable of unleashing the firepower of a squadron of battle tanks. Before them, hordes of xenos and monstrous beasts alike were torn apart.
- Spectrus Kill Teams : these sinister and silent warriors were all but invisible until they strike with them being adept in inflicting death from both near and far. Clad in close-fitting Mk X Phobos battle plate, they specialise in battlefield control and enemy destabilisation.
Deathwatch Space Marines will usually operate in individual Tactical Squads, known as Kill Teams. Each Kill Team will be led by an Inquisitor, Brother-Captain or Librarian. Their missions ranging from those undertaken alone and without support, attempting to accomplish their goals with minimal combat engagement; to open battle re-enforcing allied forces against alien incursions. The highly perilous and vital nature of their missions means that Kill Teams have access to exceedingly rare or advanced equipment, such as Heavy Bolter Gyro Suspensors, M.40 targeters, and numerous types of specialist ammunition, such as the fragmentation Metal Storm shells or the high-powered Kraken penetrator bolts. If the situation offers no alternative, they will utilize alien weaponry and equipment to accomplish their mission. The Deathwatch often utilises unconventional means of insertion, such as teleportation, high altitude grav-chute drops and Demiurg Termite tanks. Sometimes, the situation may be more than even a dozen elite Space Marines can handle, and because of this, Deathwatch members are able to freely requisition any and all Imperial forces they deem necessary to complete their task, from individual brother Space Marines to entire regiments of Imperial Guard.
In times of need, the Deathwatch could concentrate their forces into Black Spear Strike Forces that were a concentration of elite skill tasked with eliminating dangerous threats.
Equipment
The Deathwatch utilise a range of specialised bolt shells in many of their weapons. From rounds that douse their targets in acid to hollow shells filled with superheated gas, each type is designed to eliminate specific xenos foes
In terms of specialised craft, the Chamber Militant made use of the Corvus Blackstar that was far more advanced than the Imperial versions of the vehicle. These were tasked with ferrying Kill Teams on their brutal missions with them being optimised for hunting aliens. The Corvus Blackstar was made to be agile and utilised heavy weapons that it could use on its targets with halo-launchers that blur its outline to allow its cargo of Deathwatch agents to depart from its twin hatches as they entered into the field.
The Deathwatch made use of large mobile bastions called drop-citadels that used their titanic engines to travel through the air and land wherever they were needed. They contain enhanced divinators, oracle-probes and data-screeds, that were used to discover the location of any hidden Xenos that were near them.
Members
- Gideon Borleos :
- Valesnus :
- Artemis :
- Ortan Cassius :
- Mordelai :
- Alathresis :
- Astoren Korr :
- Xerill :
Notes
- The Deathwatch was created by Games Workshop where they featured in the setting of Warhammer 40,000 universe.
In other media
Video games
- In Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution, the Deathwatch appeared as an alternate skin for the Space Marines in the setting of the stand-alone second expansion of the real-time strategy video game.
Appearances
- Codex: Deathwatch:
External Links
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