Tzeentch

The Daemons of Tzeentch caper and gibber with undiminished vigour.

Daemons of Tzeentch are highly magical, with the The so-called Flamers of Tzeentch are even more
lesser forms being entirely formed from constantly strange and disturbing entities than the Horrors. They
shifting patterns of unstable warp-energy. Greater display no man-like characteristics at all, appearing
daemons of Tzeentch are known as Lords of Change. only as thick trunk of living flame topped by waving
These are described as massive, birdlike entities that tendrils spouting tongues of pink warp-fire. An
are surrounded by a bright shifting aura of sorcery. inhuman, beaked visage can sometimes be glimpsed
Their bodies and wings shimmer with a thousand on the torso of the being but its voice is only the roar
iridescent colours and their claws are said to be and crackle of flames.
glittering diamonds. The gaze of a Lord of Change can Daemons of Tzeentch are capable of granting great
penetrate the very depths of a mortal’s soul, reading powers to their followers. They may perform
the thread of his fate and his ultimate destiny at a seemingly complex magical undertakings by instinct,
glance. making rites and summons with a level of energy that
Lords of Change are possessed of all the a mortal sorcerer could never dream of wielding. Thus,
scintillating brilliance and deep wisdom of their according to Tzeentch’s unguessable whims, a mass of
master, but each is its own creature with its own Horrors might open a warp rift through their collective
agenda. It is not uncommon for the agents of different efforts, or just as likely close one, or disperse a dozen
Lords of Change to clash in pursuit of their own seemingly unrelated incantations, causing rifts to open
schemes, no doubt by the design of Tzeentch himself. or close in the future.
It is said that no being in the Realm of Chaos Mention should also be made of the Discs of
understands the flow of the warp as naturally as they Tzeentch, shark-like predators of warp space that are
do, and that bargaining for their help brings success in sometimes used as mounts by Champions and
the most desperate of schemes. However, a pact with a Daemons of the Changer of the Ways. These beings
Lord of Change is as convoluted and inescapable as a take the shape of flattened, platelike creatures rimmed
web of steel, and the soul of the supplicant is the price with vicious teeth and spikes to slice through their
for even the smallest morsel of wisdom. prey. In the endless depths of the Realm of Chaos
The lesser daemons of Tzeentch are living flames shoals of these creatures mercilessly hunt lost souls,
of warp energy that cavort and twist in time to insane but Tzeentch’s followers know the secrets of capturing
piping. They flicker along invisible patterns of change them and binding them to service as fast and agile
and fate in the Empyrean, briefly whirling into mounts.
existence where the winds of magic blow strongly The antithesis of the Chaos Power Tzeentch is that
enough. Mortals know of two kinds of Tzeentch lesser of Nurgle, the Lord of Decay. Tzeentch’s energy is
daemons, Horrors and Flamers. derived from the excitement and will to change, the
Horrors of Tzeentch possess long, gangling limbs desire to forge one’s own destiny, refashion fortune
protruding from a thick, trunk-like torso with no head. and gain power. Nurgle’s power comes from a defiant
The Horror’s leering face normally appears in its chest brand of hopelessness and despair, a moribund
but may shift from moment to moment, slithering acceptance of the way things are born out and a
away to another part of their anatomy at random. determination to keep plodding forward regardless. In
Glowing warp energies wreath Horrors with pink and stark contrast, Tzeentch’s followers are often drawn to
blue light as they bray and cackle blasphemously, their spark change and revolution in civilised societies,
suckertipped fingers drooling with warp stuff. In endlessly challenging the established order and
combat Horrors playfully pull apart their enemies and breaking open the body politic before it rots from
burn them with aetheric fires. Striking them only splits within.
them into miniature versions of themselves which
13
 The Crumbling Age of the Imperium
“You are not free whose liberty is won by the rigour of On loyalist Imperial worlds witch hunts are
other, more righteous souls. You are merely protected. actively promoted by the authorities, in particular
Your freedom is parasitic; you take and offer nothing mutants and psykers are mercilessly singled out and
in return. You who have enjoyed freedom, who have hunted down. Mutants are killed out of hand on many
done nothing to earn it, your time has come.” planets amidst calls for ‘genetic purity’, but in places
–Inquisitor Czevak’s address to the council of Ryanti where they are too numerous and too vital to the
economy wipe out they are pushed into an underclass
Over one hundred centuries ago the all-powerful despised and feared by “normals.” Psykers have the
Emperor of Mankind was interred in a huge stasis crueller fate by far. The Imperium lays claim to any
Age of the Imperium

crypt called the Golden Throne in the bowels of the individual showing the slightest psychic ability.
Imperial palace on Ancient Terra. He has not moved or Periodically, often decades apart, the ominous Black
spoken in thousands of years, but his legacy lives on in Ships and the agents of the the dreaded Inquisition
the vast Imperium he helped to forge through an era of come to each Imperial world to demand its crop of
violence and conquest. In the intervening span the psykers for processing on distant Terra. The slightest
Imperium has slowly crumbled, battered by wars from flicker of potential is enough for the Inquisitors, and
without and dissension from within, but it remains their holds are filled with thousands, young and old.
unbelievably powerful. A million worlds united in the All but the tiniest fraction of those who enter the
name of Humanity; monotheistic, xenophobic, Black Ships are never heard from again. Legends
paranoiac, and fueled by war. With its vast fleets and abound of their eventual fate; some say that their souls
uncounted armies the Imperium remains probably the are fed to the Emperor and that a thousand are
single most powerful entity in the galaxy. sacrificed every day just to keep his guttering life-
The Adepts of Terra cling to power ferociously, park vital. Others say the psykers are blinded and
ruling on in the name of the corpse on the Golden castrated in both their bodies and powers, and that
Throne despite the Emperor’s millennia-long silence. once diminished they are joined to a great choir that
They hold the worlds of the Imperium in a constant endlessly chants mindless praises to the God-Emperor
state of terror, proselytising their zealotry and feeding into the uncaring void. Whatever the fate of the
the fears of the populace to keep them cowed and psykers may be, the coming of the Black Ships is a
malleable. An Imperial citizen is raised from birth to great terror for any world, and their appearance
believe that unseen forces are gathering to attack them frequently triggers rioting and rebellions from peoples
and that their way of life could be destroyed at any unwilling to give up their own family members to feed
moment, and that only the Emperor stands between the Imperium’s voracious appetite. Such resistance is
them and damnation. Under the guise of protection ruthlessly crushed by whatever means necessary.
whole populations are held hostage to authoritarian The Imperium is said to encompass a million
controls; searches, seizures and summary executions worlds but accurate numbers are impossible to gauge.
are routinely justified under the banner of omnipresent In the time taken for reports to cross the galaxy
threat. conquered worlds are regained and new ones are lost
The Imperium thrives on war and oppression. Its more quickly than Administratum scriveners can
weapon factories and shipyards run night and day, update their ponderous data stacks. The worlds of the
arming its forces, and faceless conscripts by the billion Imperium include every conceivable type, from
are hurled into conflicts they cannot win. Imperial isolated colonies to thriving hive worlds, from mono-
citizens are indoctrinated from birth to hate and fear culture agri-worlds and vast orbital forges; wherever
outsiders, and at any given time the Imperium is man has made a place for himself in the galaxy he
fighting dozens of genocidal conflicts. This perpetual stands beneath the shadow of the Imperial eagle.
state of war and fear has served the Imperium well As has been proven in the past, if the forces of the
over its many centuries of existence, reinforcing its Imperium could ever be unified and set to a single
self-righteous declaration of itself as defender of purpose there is nothing they could not achieve.
humanity while driving a wedge between itself and Fortunately for the other inhabitants of the galaxy
other races. The Imperium’s ponderous, gargantuan human endeavour has been thwarted by the
military grinds relentlessly forward seeking new wars unthinkable distances involved in their sprawling
to embroil itself in, driven by its own momentum and empire, internal dissension, and inter-departmental
blind arrogance. Some joke that an outbreak of peace rivalry. Even with the illusion of centralised control
would be the greatest disaster that could ever befall given by the Adeptus Terra, parts of the Imperium tens
the Imperium, but in truth the Adepts of Terra are quite of thousands of light years apart can do little to
able to find enemies in their own ranks. Planets support one another in practical terms. Instead
groaning too loudly beneath Imperial tithes are rulership often devolves down to loosely aligned sub-
quickly branded as “traitors” or “heretics” and just as sets of the most influential worlds colluding to exploit
quickly feel the iron heel of the Imperial military on their immediate neighbours under the guise of
their necks. Imperial authority. The Imperium has been far more
successful in creating a common cultural and
philosophical centre by dominating science, education,
and the arts on worlds from one side of the galaxy to
the other.
14
 Chapter 2: The Imperium of Man – A Different Perspective
Source Disclaimer: Lore in this section is taken from divisions large and small. The whole is so vast that
the Black Crusade Core Rulebook. no one can enumerate with certainty the exact
number and purpose of all the parts of it. For
A Matter of Perspective example the innumerable scribes, assayers, clerks,
The history and viewpoints of the Imperium and functionaries of the Adeptus Terra are known as
change drastically, depending on whom you ask. To the Administratum. Each sub-department of the
Administratum has their own writs, legislation,

Different Perspective
some, the Imperium of Man is a bulwark against the
tides of darkness, a brutal but necessary defence authorisations and areas of responsibility
against forces that would rip humanity asunder. To painstakingly preserved and passed down from
others, itis a harsh, crumbling monolith, lashing out generation to generation of its membership. In some
with blind fury against those who want to save cases sub-departments exist that are still supposed to
mankind and lift them to their true potential. It is an report to senior echelons that have long since been
obstacle, and one that must be overcome at all costs. abolished, others exist for the express purpose of
Which is correct? Both, and neither. All depends destroying data collected before it can be seen by
on one’s point of view. A champion of the Imperium anyone. In the Administratum, a hundred centuries
such as a Space Marine Brother Captain or Puritan of toil has erected a massive edifice to mediocrity
Inquisitor likely takes the former view, or perhaps and rote, with positions handed over from father to
holds the Imperium in even higher regard. On the son and dogma completely replacing logic. Under
other hand, a Champion of the Ruinous Powers its auspices superstition and ritual have become
(perhaps one of the Traitor Legions of Chaos Space enshrined as unbreakable law.
Marines) almost certainly takes the latter view. The monumental structure of the Adeptus Terra
Needless to say, the following text is penned drives deep into the heart of human existence for
from the viewpoint of the Disciples of the Dark those living beneath the Imperium’s shadow. Facts,
Gods, those who fight against the Imperium of Man, censuses, and tithes are taken and gathered with
and the forces of order in all their forms. Is it mechanical regularity. On Ancient Terra,
correct? That is for the reader to decide. mountainous cogitator banks absorb input and spit
out projections, robed priests dutifully record the
The Adeptus Terra results, and pass them along to others with no
The Emperor has not spoken a word or moved a understanding of their contents. Policy is made and
muscle in the ten thousand years since he was orders are issued with little thought or consideration
placed within the Golden Throne. The mechanisms of the outcome, the interlocking wheels of
of Imperial control that have built up over the bureaucracy grinding slowly forward like the
millennia to ostensibly rule in his name are vast and mechanism of an ancient and ponderous clock.
intricate, an interlocking series of Ordo and Adeptus Armies may be dispatched to wars long finished, or
organisations set up to spy on one another while tithes of food taken from famine-struck peoples, but
keeping planetary populations in line. They are also the Adeptus Terra is too vast and monolithic to even
frequently blind, autocratic and counterproductive. perceive, let alone correct, such oversights.
The powers they wield are frightening and the Legend has it that the priesthood of Earth has
forces they are able to bring to bear can, and do, expanded its bureaucracy across so much of the
destroy entire worlds for daring to defy Imperial planet’s surface that grass and water have long since
authority. become forgotten memories buried under kilometres
Most Imperial citizens fervently hope that the of rockcrete and plasteel. It’s said that miles-long
offices of the Imperium never touch upon their lives. queues of supplicants snake through the grey,
That does not prevent billions of them being swept faceless wastelands of administration blocks
up in endless wars or liquidated in the vast pogroms awaiting to see someone in authority. To undertake a
instituted by over-zealous Imperial servants. The journey to Terra is far beyond the means of most
core organisation of the Adeptus Terra is citizens, but millions do so each year only to
unthinkably huge, the ancient priesthood of Earth become caught in a labyrinth of centuries-old
billions upon billions strong just on Terra itself. bureaucracy. In some cases petitioners are born of
From here the web of its influence extends across parents waiting in line, grow old, and eventually die
the galaxy and its power rests upon every Imperial giving their place to their own offspring. “Queue
world. No man is free from its strictures, and no wars” are frequent occurrences when ragged hordes
world beyond its titanic reach. of desperate citizens reach their breaking point and
must be brought to bay with the shock mauls and
The Administratum shotcannon of the Adeptus Arbites.
The Adeptus Terra is divided and sub-divided
into countless subordinate departments and
15
 The Adeptus Mechanicus he or she must continually walk on a knife’s edge
One huge agency of particular note is the between the wants of their own society and the
Adeptus Mechanicus, sometimes called the Cult requirements of the Imperium. The exchange with
Mechanicus or the Tech-Priests of Mars. The the Imperium is not always entirely one-sided; the
Adeptus Mechanicus are the jealous guardians of trade and technology gained may improve a
Earth’s technological knowledge. The cult owns world, and Imperial forces backed up by more
and administrates the planet Mars, the seat of their rigorous laws make it a safer place. However, with
power and the source of many of the ships, so many worlds living under a continual state of
Different Perspective

weapons, and technically advanced machinery martial law, the populations they control are often
used in the Imperium. Other Mechanicus Forge opposed Imperial rule, and their higher echelons
worlds exist scattered across the galaxy, places of especially so. It falls to the Planetary Governor to
incalculable value to the Imperial war effort. Tech- enforce unpopular new laws and extract additional
riests and their lobotomised servitors can be found taxation while placating a dizzying plethora of
on virtually every Imperial controlled world Imperial authorities, departments, and offices with
tending to its machines and factories. their own demands.
The Adeptus Mechanicus is as much an arcane Some Planetary Governors try to balance the
cult as a scientific body, obsessed with finding and needs of their society against the demands of the
restoring ancient sources of technology but Imperium with varying degrees of success,
placing little value on research and development although liberal agendas are frowned upon by
of new ideas—indeed, such pursuits are viewed as those in high office. Most Planetary Governors
a dangerous form of heresy by some. Older take the easy route and dedicate themselves only
technology is valued the most, rote-learning and to appeasing their Imperial masters no matter what
repetition have replaced understanding, and much the cost to their homeworld. Indentured servitude,
of the Mechanicus’ greatest knowledge is strip mining, and mass industrialisation become
completely forbidden to outsiders as well as its common practices on such “civilised” worlds.
most of its own membership. The followers of the Rebels and dissenters can always be crushed with
Cult Mechanicus earnestly believe that all the ready and often uninvited assistance of a
technology is inhabited by “machine spirits” that number of Imperial agencies. In the cycle of
must be tended and supplicated with the correct oppression that develops the Planetary governor
rites to ensure continuing function. increasingly comes to rely on the Imperium for
their support to keep his or her position, the
The Planetary Governors Imperium in turn calls for higher tithes to justify
Only a handful of planets are administered their support and the Planetary Governor becomes
directly by the Adeptus Terra, the Ministorum or less popular still. The stronger the grip the
the Imperial Space Marines. Beyond the precincts Imperium gains on a world the less likely the
of Earth, the Adeptus Terra generally exercises its Planetary Governor is to rebel.
control of other worlds through its appointment of
their Planetary Governors. These are local rulers Enforcement and Control
lent Imperial support in exchange for their The Adeptus Terra controls the Adeptus
unquestioning loyalty. A Planetary Governor holds Arbites, the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Adeptus
the nominal rank of Imperial Commander within Astra Telelpathica, and the Adeptus Astronomica
the Adeptus Terra and is in turn held directly as well as (through the subordinate bureaucracy of
responsible for the order and productivity of their the Administratum) the Imperial Guard and Fleet.
world. If they are successful, the Administratum is While he remains a loyal member of the Adeptus
content to take no further interest in their world Terra, a Planetary Governor has some measure of
beyond collecting its tithes, leaving the governor authority over the elements of these powerful
free to rule as he sees fit. Withholding tithes and organisations stationed on their world. However,
failure to keep order or execute Imperial decrees the moment a world attempts to leave Imperial
in a timely fashion are grounds for summary rule, these vital organs of justice, technology,
execution. communication, navigation, security and
The Planetary Governor’s role is a critical one; transportation are duty-bound to violently resist.

16
 Once in a while brave or foolish Planetary The Adeptus Ministorum
Governor is motivated by ambition, frustration, Adherents of the Imperial Creed maintain that
caprice or a thousand other factors to begin to their Emperor has transcended mortal plane of
working towards secession from Imperial rule. existence and yet watches over them still, guiding
Such ambitions are apt to draw attention from the faithful through ecstatic dreams and visions. A
offices of the Adeptus Terra that are only spoken great church called the Adeptus Ministorum has
of in frightened whispers. The strangely altered been built up around this faith whose zealous
agents of the Officio Assassinorum may be practitioners seek to spread their beliefs to other
dispatched to remove the offending parties worlds.

Different Perspective
surgically, or the entire rebellious world may feel Living under the harsh conditions of Imperial
the retributive hammer of the Imperial Space rule has inspired pious spirituality in many
Marines, the dreaded Adeptus Astartes. cultures, and the moment the Emperor was
On some worlds Space Marines are hero- enthroned a plethora of Imperial cults sprang up
worshipped as liberators, but on most they are on thousands of different worlds proclaiming true
known as terrifying oppressors, the mailed fi st of insight into His wishes. The Adeptus Ministorum
Imperial rule. Space Marines are created through has attempted to embody all of these different
extensive genetic modification of feral children creeds and purge them of “undesirable elements”
specially bred for the purpose on planets as they shepherd them towards a common set of
artificially kept at a particularly nasty stage in beliefs. Many times great heresies and schisms
their development by their Imperial commanders. have torn the Ecclesiarchy asunder, leading to vast
Over an extended training period, the developing religious wars, most notably during the Age of
adolescents are weeded out, hypno-conditioned, Apostasy when a galaxywide conflict erupted
and indoctrinated to become loyal killers for the between its followers.
corpse-throne on Terra. A fully grown Space The strength of the Adeptus Ministorum can be
Marine warrior stands taller than a man with gauged by the fact that, despite such
hulking muscles, double hearts, and armoured embarrassments, it still wields enormous power.
black carapace bonded to his flesh. Some of the The head of the church, the Ecclesiarch, is one of
more exotic varieties of Space Marines exhibit the High Lords of Terra and entire worlds fall
fangs or spit acid, and many are believed to under his direct jurisdiction. Untold billions of
participate in bloodthirsty, barbaric, and even Imperial pilgrims travel to far-flung Shrine Worlds
cannibalistic rites. and Holy Terra itself at the urging of their
Armed and armoured with the best equipment preachers and confessors, creating vital economic
the Imperium can supply, a force of Space links between disparate parts of the Imperium.
Marines can shatter armies many times their own Missionaries carry word of the God-Emperor to
size. Each Space Marine is worth a hundred unbelievers in the fringes of Imperial space,
warriors in battle, their deadly prowess greatly frequently finding instead the martyrdom they so
magnified by the fear they strike in ordinary earnestly seem to seek. The word of the
humans. The Adeptus Astartes are completely Ecclesiarch can unleash crusading armies of
ruthless and highly efficient, they recognise no Frateris and Sororitas billions strong, and many
division of combatant and non-combatant. Imperial servants learned their first duties in the
Planetary laws, borders and codes of conduct are Ecclesiarchy-run orphanages of the Schola
irrelevant to them. They kill, burn, and destroy Progenium. The highly trained battle-sisters of
anything that gets in their way. When the Adepta Sororitas sniff out impurity or heresy with
Imperium chooses to wipe out a planet’s almost legendary fervour.
population in its entirety such grisly work Much like the Administratum the Adeptus
invariably falls to the Space Marines, creatures of Ministorum has become an organisation of
the Emperor with no sense of humanity or bewildering complexity and vast redundancy. A
remorse. teetering hierarchy of cardinals, bishops,
The great apparatus of the Imperium is almost confessors, clerics, novices, missionaries, monks
entirely controlled by the Adeptus Terra, forming and preachers theoretically owe their allegiance to
the greatest empire mankind has ever known. the Ecclesiarch in his palace on Earth. In practice
However, two branches of the Imperium fall there are frequent conflicts of interest between
outside the direct auspices of the priesthood of cults on far-flung worlds as the intolerance that
Ancient Earth; the Adeptus Ministorum, also underpins the Ecclesiarchy virtually tells its
known as the Ecclesiarchy, and the offices of the
Inquisition.

17
 adherents to view each other as heretics. The terror to bring the enemies of the Imperium into
social changes inflicted by the Ecclesiarchy can be the open; they think nothing of burning ten
both deep and long term as their followers tend to thousand citizens alive to catch a single traitor.
constantly agitate for more puritanical laws, Other Inquisitors conceal themselves in order to
exclusion of outsiders and increased capital move among criminals and lowlifes listening for
punishment. words of heresy or sedition. Yet others might pose
as nobles, ship captains or renegades, worming
The Inquisition their way into the confidences of conspirators.
By far the most shadowy and frightening Although they are few in number, the Inquisition
Different Perspective

organisation of the Imperium is the dreaded exerts a disproportionate hold on the imagination
Inquisition. The Inquisition operates across the of the average citizen. The consequences of
Imperium and beyond with no limitation on its attracting the Inquisition’s attention can be
power or access. The Inquisitorial Seal opens all cataclysmic; a world deemed irretrievably corrupt
doors, and silences all arguments. Anyone, be they by an Inquisitor can be subject to Exterminatus—
an Imperial Commander or the lowliest drudge, is the systematic annihilation of all life.
subject to an Inquisitor’s authority. Inquisitors are There are some who whisper that the greatest
empowered to ensure the survival of the enemies of the Inquisitors are actually each other.
Imperium, however extreme the measures It is said that radical philosophies have emerged
required, and no matter the cost. They undertake which lead to Inquisitors deliberately starting
any deed, no matter how vile or underhanded it rebellions, unleashing forbidden lore or attacking
may be, to discharge their sacred trust. other Imperial institutions. They say this secret
An Inquisitor is subject to no one; the only war between puritans and radicals is the source of
censure he might receive must come from his much of the turmoil within the Imperium, with the
fellow Inquisitors, and each is constantly Inquisitors creating their own enemies and
examining the others for signs of heresy or vanquishing them in a perpetual power play
treachery. Different Inquisitors pursue their work between a handful of deranged individuals.
in many different ways. Some are overt and use

18