#legio tempestus

[lyinar]

Malleus Tempestus walks for Legio Krytos and the Warmaster!

This took a very long time to do, was an absolute pain in the arse, and was absolutely worth it.

[leaflovingal]

First post, which is neat. Anyways, Warhammer 40k theory time. I'm writing this with all info from memory and watching something, so sorry for any inaccuracy. All my info comes from the fandom wiki and lexicanum.

So, the First Battle of Paramar V was fairly important. Paramar V itself was a storage depot/resupply point of sorts, managed and I think "owned" by the Mechanicum, and was located on the edge of the Sol System. Horus knew he had to take it, but it was heavily defended so he sent the Alpha male legion to deal with it. They did their usual sleeper agent stuff as well as gaslighting, gatekeeping, girlbossing their way inside some orbital defences above paramar 3 or 4 by saying they were the Dark Angels or Imperial fists, don't remember.

Anyways, they had to prematurely start blasting Razormind because a fleet of Iron Warriors (77th grand battalion) led by Kyr Vhalen showed up. However, it turned out they were loyalist since they had been out in buttfuck nowhere and hadn't talked to the larger force of Peter Taxpayers kids in a while. The Alpha Legion did an oopsy daisy and shot at them, causing them to side with the mechanicum forces when the Battle of Paramar V started.

Skipping past the "Cowabunga it is" that was the first battle of Paramar V, the Ironic warriors, mechanicum, and Legio Gryphonicus (War Griffons) were pushed back to some hold, and eventually the Omega legion, Dark mechanicum, and legio mortis took said hold, but not before Kyr Vhalen, the Mechanicum leader, and the surviving 77th and War Griffons dipped. The 77th and Kyr Vhalen were not heard from again though, as far as I know.

It is my theory (and headcannon, cause I write for funsies) that the Knights of Gryphonne are descendants of this group of Iron Warriors, the 77th. My reasoning, which should be taken with a grain of salt due to the amount of assumptions, is as follows:

The 77th very well could have fought hard enough to gain both the respect of the Mechanicum defenders, as well as the War Griffons. A deal could have been struck between them and the 77th for the iron warriors to go to the Gryphonne Octad to defend it should they need to, or some other arrangement in which the 77th went to the Gryphonne octad or one of the War Griffons various holdings etc.

Providing the above, you may be wondering why Gryphonne IV or the Gryphonne Octad would allow this to happen, which would be that the War Griffons, being a titan legion, and a decorated one at that, have a lot of sway, being considered to be avatars of the omnissiah if not minor gods unto themselves.

The knights of gryphonne have effectively no info on them, only that they're fleet based now because they lost their former homeworld and they're in/near the reductus sector of the segmentum tempestus (they're also on a map i found, which is peculiar, think it was on the lexicanum). This means that very well anything could be their backstory, including them intentionally being obscure to not attract attention to them.

Mechanicus peeps are sneaky and untrustworthy as hell, they very well could be intentionally harboring their geneseed and replacing it with someone elses, etc.

It's cool idk

I am fully aware that there is no concrete proof, and that they almost certainly are not descended from the 77th, but it is an interesting prospect to me nonetheless. I hope this was somewhat interesting to you as well, and I'd like to hear other theories you may have.

[voidimperatrix]

Legios Gryphonnicus, Ignatum, and Tempestus:

We are here to protect imperial citizens and spread the imperial truth.

Legios Mortis, Furiens, and Interfector:

[barrycoganart]

Titanicus Warlord - An engine at war

No.2 of this little Warhammer 40k week. So heres a little caricatured Legio Titanicus, Mars pattern Warlord titan of Legio Tempestus, strolling through the open waste's of it's besieged home-world of Estaban III. Inspired and taken from the pages of the Titanicus Novel by Dan Abnett. I would like to note that the colour scheme on the titan may not quite be Tempestus's, so I can only apologies in advance for this error. But enjoy all the same.

[flagcaptainart]

A fun little ink of @askthecustodes and @tempestor-sharaf

Like my work? Commission me! Or enter to win my weekly Ko-fi Giveaway!

[coolyo294]

War Maniple Telos Epsilon, Legio Tempestus 

Battle of Hive Illium

This sub-unit of the traitorous Legio Tempestus fought alongside the Sons of Horus during the planetfall assault on the capital Hive of the Manachean Commonwealth, a strategically vital system in the Coronid Deeps and a prize deeply sought after by the traitorous Warmaster Horus. 

After emerging from gargantuan dropships, the Titan’s advance along the city’s arterial highways was initially unchecked but quickly met by massed tanks of the city’s Solar Auxilia defenders, and within an hour the Traitors had scored over three dozen confirmed armour kills. But as they advanced through Hive Ilium’s outer precincts resistance increased and the War Maniple suffered its first losses of the battle when the Reaver-class Odrysian was disabled by a Shadowsword super-heavy tank and Warhound-class Durasi was heavily damaged by hunter-killer teams armed with melta weapons. As the battle progressed they were not spared further losses. During the combat to take Block Fortress 77-4 from its defenders, Reaver-class Raxvalian was slain by the brave Knight-Lancers of House Vyronii who sacrificed their engines in a suicidal charge to bring down their larger foe. 

[tagedeszorns]

Guido Prinzhorn, Princeps of Warlord Titan Dominatus Victrix

Guido Prinzhorn floated in his amniotic casket as if asleep. All Proximus-pattern Battle Titans required amniotic connection. He seemed young, far younger than Tarses, a boy. The electoo of Legio Tempestus Orestae stood out, on his pallid left forearm, bold and hard. Prinzhorn’s eyes flicked open.

Abnett, Dan. Titanicus (Warhammer 40,000) (S.98-99). Kindle-Version.

For me, the difficult relationship between the young Princeps and Tarses, his veteran-Moderati, was one of the highlights of "Titanicus". Sadly, there was no mention of what happened to the team after the victory. Did Prinzhorn transfer to Legio Invicta to stay with Victrix? Did Tarses get his own command as hinted?

[corsair-princess-nenime]

NOVA-NIZZA

++CLASSIFICATION: Forge World [Production Grade: II-Prima]

++TYPE: Macrojungle Death World [Caution: IMMENSUS SCALE REPTILIAN PREDATORS]

++DOMAINS: Metrocan [Tribal / Harvest World]

Nova-Nizza is the homeworld of Legio Pilar.

Sitting upon the border between Segmentun Tempestus and Segmentum Ultima, Nova-Nizza is renowned for its mass-salvage yards, though much its infrastructure is dedicated to extensive fuel refineries and rare element mining operations.

++BELIEFS

The tech-priests of Nova-Nizza are curious and self-assured.

++POINTS OF INTEREST

Nova-Nizza Occidentalis [forge-fane]

Nova-Nizza Surorientalis [forge-fane]

Portum-e-Fevereiro [favela sub-hive]

++HISTORICAL RECORDS

Contact with Nova-Nizza was first established by Martian Explorator fleets in advance of the Great Crusade. During the Cataclysm of Iron, Nova-Nizza declared for the Loyalists and regularly dispatched supply fleets to warzones within the Ultima Segmentum. As the conflict neared its end, the remnants of the Shadow Crusade attempted an incursion into the eastern Belt of Iron but were denied at Nova-Nizza, during Legio Pilar’s finest hour.

Nova-Nizza remains a vital Forge World of the Segmentum Tempestus.

[ask-jaghatai-khan]

Sect of the Revelation Mechanism

// AdMech lore! This started as a desire to make some tech-priest OCs and fluff a Mars-Taranis-Fortidus army concept. I may end up writing some actual story snippets featuring this group in the future.

A secretive, small, yet powerful organization within the Martian Adeptus Mechanicus, the Sect of the Revelation Mechanism has been headed by the Lord-Archmagos Chertovsky Upsilon-28 for nigh-on several thousand years. Though few can discern the true motives of these enigmatic tech-priests, none can dispute the might of the forces that follow their commands. More than just their hosts of rare and loyal war-walkers, from Knights of House Taranis to relics of the ancient Legio Fortidus, the Sect is at the center of a broad range of alliances with shadowy figures throughout the Imperium of Man. Archmagos Upsilon-28 has attracted the ire of many elites within the Mechanicus and the Imperium for his lack of accountability, though none have been able to lock down a specific heresy upon him or his followers. Like a javelin thrown from the void, the unstoppable forces of the Sect – known as the “Red Legion” – will appear on some warzone or another with little warning, assist Imperial forces, and promptly assume command of the situation. Though many have noted that the extreme efficiency and precision of the Sect’s methodology produces commendable results, the tech-priests always retreat back into hiding in the end – often with a new haul of rare technological artifacts pilfered from those locations they choose to visit.

Lord-Archmagos Chertovsky Upsilon-28

Appearance: Archmagos Upsilon-28 is as inhuman as is to be expected from a veteran lord of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Little of his original form remains save for a handful of specific organs, which are themselves augmented and locked away beneath layers of arcane technology. Chertovsky specialized in bionic research in his early days as a tech-priest, and so he spent countless centuries assembling the finest cybernetic enhancements for himself before branching into further fields of study.

Beneath layers of Martian-red robes, Chertovsky does not look too different in silhouette from a human, and his core chassis in many ways still resembles a humanoid form. However from his back and waist emerge a veritable tangle of mechadentrite tentacles, which provide both additional articulation support, as well as enhanced mobility beyond what the Archmagos’ standard bipedal gait could provide under so many equipment harnesses. The Magos’ face is styled to suggest a skull, with many sub-lenses to enhance his standard vision. Most notable in terms of exterior augmentations is his Abeyant, which takes the form of a metal hood extending into an insectoid carapace mounted on his back. More than just a device for additional enhanced mobility and tool-uplinks, the Abeyant is Chertovsky’s most advanced store of artificial organs, mainly to provide increased processing power and memory space to his cyborg brain. If that wasn’t enough, within the Archmagos’ torso unit are additional masterworks of bio-cybernetic engineering, making Chertovsky’s simple if strange outward appearance little more than a mask to the full extent of his prowess as an augmeticist.

Background: Born Germani Chertovsky in the sprawling hives of Mars, the current Lord-Archmagos was far from the pinnacle of guile and might that he has since become. No, he was rather a weak and skittish youth who joined the Adeptus Mechanicus for lack of any other course in life, and a desperation to alleviate some of the weaknesses of his own flesh through just a few spare augmetics. However, when he began studying more and more into the possibilities of the Mechanicum’s arcane technologies, he became obsessed. Rather than focus on more petty devices, Chertovsky went down the path of bio-cybernetic-augmentation, undertaking extensive enhancements to his internal organs and brain before anything else. In this way, he was able to manipulate his own biology to make all his future endeavors far easier, removing his sense of pain, his need for rest, and other hindrances of the flesh.

Chertovsky’s curiosity ended up pushing him away from many of the more orthodox priests on the Red Planet, however, though he still remained a patriot to his order. The Archmagos fell in with more radical sects of the tech-priests, until at one point he dropped from the galactic stage and was not seen for several centuries. When he reemerged, Chertovsky was changed. Now he is among the most enigmatic and reclusive of all Archmagi, and has placed himself at the center of a broad web of inscrutable alliances in service to some unknown end goal. None have been able to brand him as a heretic – more for how hard it is to encounter the Archmagos than the added difficulties of delving his secrets – but few trust him. This does not bother Chertovsky, as what alliances he has are ironclad, and suit his aims just fine.

Lord-Archmagos Chertovsky Upsilon-28 maintains three primary bases – one being on the small but highly industrialized ice-moon of Tyrentis, in orbit around the gas giant of Volans, located in the distant Vol system of the Segmentum Tempestus. This serves as Chertovsky’s sect’s primary base, though he still maintains a pseudo-lab and office in the southern polar region of Mars proper. It is known that Chertovsky can call upon the transport of at least two Ark Mechanicus-class vessels, with the Archmagos’ personal ship being the Immanent Ascendance.

Archmagos Dominus Go Zeta-06

Appearance: Though not so ancient as his superior Archmagos, Go Zeta-06’s outward appearance is far more typical of the eccentricities indulged by the elite of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It was Go Zeta’s dream as a youth to be a commander of one of the mighty God-Machines, or even an Imperial Knight, though he was distraught to find that his base flesh lacked the constitution for such an undertaking. Still, as a current overseer and top engineer for these venerable war-walkers, he’s remade himself to reflect his passions.

Go Zeta’s overall form is rather humanoid, with an upgraded outer dermis meant to almost evoke the armor of the God-Machines he loves. The Archmagos’ head is somewhat atypical of most tech-priests, instead taking on a form akin to a Skitarii Vanguard, though more gilded and regal, resembling the war-helm of an senior Knight-Pilot. From his back emerge several high-grade servo-arms similar to those used by Techmarines, as Go Zeta requires far greater strength than normal for the engineering he specializes in. Most unconventional are Go Zeta’s missing legs – more than just a nest of mechadendrites, the Archmagos Dominus’ lower half has been stripped bare in favor of a selection of specialized cables and appendages allowing him to jack in to one of several advanced harnesses. These “mounts” enable the Archmagos to adapt to different situations, with such variations as an equine mobility-enhancer, or a Dreadnought-esque war rig.

Background: Martian-born and first known as Temur Go, the future Archmagos was the son of a pair of menial servants of the great Knight House Taranis. From an early age Go was afforded glimpses of the mighty machines, and grew infatuated with their majesty. He joined the Adeptus Mechanicus despite his rather humble background and lack of any prominent skills beyond janitorial work, as his impassioned praise for the Imperial Knights was met with approval by his superiors. Go Zeta-06 was trained as a basic mechanic, before rising through the ranks to undertake additional work on the grandest of all Imperial walkers – the Titans. In time, Go’s eccentricity and zeal led him into the company of Archmagos Chertovsky, where he found a fellow admirer of the rare and unorthodox. Go became a sort of field commander beneath Chertovsky and was granted access to the Lord-Archmagos’ web of elusive contacts in exchange for his total loyalty.

Now, Go Zeta-06 is the master of the 2800th Martian War-Division, known colloquially as the Red Legion. This is the personal battle order of Archmagos Chertovsky, and is meant to be both the hammer and the scalpel of the Revelation Mechanism whenever violence is needed to overcome an obstacle. The Red Legion specializes in the deployment of Imperial superheavy walkers, with most of its actual infantry, maintenance, artillery, aerial, and other supplemental forces geared towards supporting these God-Machines. House Taranis has provided dedicated Knight lances towards the Red Legion’s forces, and the Titans which Go is able to deploy are his pride and joy. Through a series of intensive searches and clandestine deals, Archmagos Go acquired several Titans said to have been a part of the extinct Legio Fortidus. After recruiting select Pricipes crews and appealing to some bribed bureaucrats, Go Zeta was able to “resurrect” the Dauntless Legion and fly their heraldry over his maniples. A great victory for a collector as obsessive as Go Zeta.

Archmagos Go’s primary home and main base of operations is the Ark Mechanicus Worth of the Slain, which acts as the flagship of the Red Legion, and is outfitted with not just advanced engineering and combat capabilities, but a robust suite of intelligence-gathering and communications arrays.

Fleet

Ark Mechanicus Immanent Ascendance

The personal ship of the Lord-Archmagos, Immanent Ascendance is as much a masterwork as would be expected from a vessel of its station. Always accompanied by a fleet of servitor-craft, this Ark Mechanicus is outfitted as a mobile base of operations for Chertovsky. Prominent features include broad-based automation – a rarity closely guarded by the Adeptus Mechanicus – along with permanent astropathic communications to both the Mars and Tyrentis strongholds. Massive hangar bays service those war-walkers kept closest to the Archmagos, along with laboratories brimming with other rare artifacts. As with most ships in service to the Sect, the Immanent Ascendance also boasts a massive sensor array focused on information gathering in any local and nearby systems, reflecting Chertovsky’s compulsive need to remain aware of every last shred of data that could be of use to him.

Ark Mechanicus Worth of the Slain

There is at least one other Ark Mechanicus that the Sect can call on, and the Worth of the Slain could be said to be the more fearsome of the two, at least by conventional standards. Functioning as the personal chariot of Archmagos Dominus Go Zeta-06, the Worth of the Slain is also the flagship of the Red Legion. With similar systems and suites as the Immanent Ascendance, this Ark Mechanicus is nonetheless a warship first and foremost. Its duty is to clear all obstacles that lay in the path of the Sect’s goals and oversee the deployment of the mightiest Titans the Red Legion can boast possession of. Despite this awesome power, the Worth of the Slain is rare to deploy Exterminatus measures. Archmagos Go prides himself on providing a swift and decisive end to any conflict he deigns to enter, so that the most post-conflict value can be extracted from the relevant warzones.

Order of Battle

Though the beleaguered Imperial forces who are fortunate enough to receive assistance from the Red Legion might show gratitude, the truth is that the Revelation Mechanism does not intercede in any battles they do not believe they could win. Or, more importantly, profit from. The vast intelligence network that Chertovsky considers more powerful than any conventional weapon is the means by which he may track down lucrative opportunities to obtain artifacts, resources, or even just additional allies and informants. Once these goals have been identified, the Red Legion is the unstoppable spearhead that may claim these treasures in as swift a manner as possible.

Go Zeta is not a novice tactician, but he is still an eccentric obsessive. Though he has numerous spies, infiltrators, support troops and supplemental war engines, these are all considered just facilitators for his mainline – the Knights and Titans. Zeta-06’s preference is to weaken entrenched targets through clandestine means so that absolutely nothing might stand in the way of these superheavy walkers, inflicting maximum damage to morale and cementing the image of the Red Legion as Omnissiah-blessed liberators to their allies. The majority of the Red Legion’s actual strength in not in their own troops, but in the resources they are able to call in, such as specialized cult-assassins, mercenary insurgents, prototype archaeotech projects, and other oddities. These auxiliaries allow the mechanics and pilots of the Sect’s treasured Titans to operate with maximum focus and freedom.

The two most notable and glorified groups of war-walkers within Chertovsky’s arsenal are the Titans and the “B-class” Knights. Every Titan is valued not just for its incredible power, but for the fact that Go Zeta was able to arrange maintenance lines and Imperial filing in such a way as to “resurrect” the heraldry of the ancient Legio Fortidus. Once the pride of Mars, the Dauntless Legion suffered massive casualties in the Schism under Kelbor-Hal and was forced to be shut down. Now, a fragment of that venerable Legio remains under the control of the Sect, like vengeful ghosts of the distant past. The B-class Knights are an unofficial categorization of those off-pattern Taranis Kights that have been collected and maintained by Chertovsky’s engineers. Such legendary suits include mechs like the King-Slayer or the Martyr’s Shroud, whose core chassis reflect that fact that they were once Renegade engines which were reclaimed and purified through the most painstaking ministrations of the Mechanicus adepts. The rarity of these suits means that none but the most loyal and skilled pilots may operate them; and they provide a distinct advantage of surprise over any foes who might otherwise know the best ways to engage Knight walkers.

Secrets of the Revelation Mechanism

Ultimately, the secret of Archmagos Chertovsky and his order, as reflected in the whispered name of their Sect, is that they prescribe to the Revelationist school of radical theology. This philosophy contains a strange mixture of apocalyptic and fringe dogma, and is condemned by many within the Imperial elite. Revelationism holds that the Time of Ending is upon the galaxy, but that a great ascension is forthcoming with the return of the Emperor and the Divines. Rather than sinking into typical doomsayer dogma, however, the Revelationists believe that all endeavors of the galaxy should be geared towards preparing for this final confrontation between the Light and the Darkness, regardless of any other ethical concerns. They believe that those who sacrifice themselves in the battle against the forces of darkness will be blessed and reborn in the final battle, and in the end a new era will arise filled with divine beings like the Emperor in abundance who will be able to destroy the powers of Chaos once and for all. Therefor, while Revelationist groups are known for their suicidal zeal, they are also known for supporting any movement that will bring about greater cohesion in the name of supporting the Imperial war effort. Governors who otherwise would have been considered ideal by the High Lords have been deposed by Revelationist uprisings, only for the resulting government to be even more pious and productive than its predecessor.

As such, the Red Legion reflects their hidden religious leanings by focusing all their efforts on obtaining rare and powerful technologies, and striking key blows against the “servants of Darkness” in service to this higher plan. Numerous series of inscrutable decisions, allegiances, and wars may confuse critics of Chertovsky’s order, though within the Archmagos’ mind they are all part of one massive algorithm meant to ensure that the Imperium is preparing itself for that glorious Final Battle and subsequent ascension.

[fuukonomiko]

Do you have a 40k oc list for someone a little out of the loop? 😊

Hello anon! Well I have some of them but I don’t have all. Some folks also have multiple muses. I’m going to put the ones on here who I know and who were in my RP tag list. Please feel free to add, folks! Also please free to correct Fuuko-mun too! (This took me forever, sorry about that)

@aeonsancient (multiple OCs, Amenhotekh is main)

@aforgottenraven (Khakir, Raven Guard OC)

@an-imperial-dog (Lore’Lei)

@anotherbotchedjump (Sgt. Evan and his crew)

@arch-magister-khnemu (TS Khnemu)

@archon-khromys (Canon, actually)

@ask-archon-skourna (Archon OC)

@ask-astorath (canon)

@ask-40k-morathi (Drukhari)

@askakhenatenimhotep (Akhen, TS OC)

@ask-artemis-prima (Primarch OC)

@ask-a-tempestus-scion (Tempestor Prime Sharaf and Co)

@askbranwen (Shadow Captain Branwen of the Raven Guard)

@ask-cannoness-gwyne  (Cannoness Gwyne of the Order of the Bloody Rose)

@ask-colonel-straken (Canon)

@ask-commandar-farsight (Canon)

@ask-ephraelrhiannon (Psyker and Inquisitor Ephrael Rhiannon)

@ask-jack-hammer (Jack Hammer, he’s anabhuman)

@askjenetiakrole  (Canon)

@asklordcaptaincastronova (Rogue Trader Castranova)

@ask-lord-commander-dante  (Canon)

@askmalal  (Canon)

@askmalcador  (Canon)

@ask-night-haunter  (Canon)

@ask-rune-priest-ulfric (Space Wolf and Rune Priest Ulfric)

@ask-the-crimson-king  (Canon)

@askthepurgedprimarch (OC Primarch Ahaseurus )

@ask-the-sensual-primarch  (Canon)

@ask-trajann-valoris  (Canon)

@ask-tribune-ra  (Canon)

@askvicothefallenbloodangel (Chaos Blood Angel and Fuuko’s champion, Vico di Viari) 

@ask-vox-hailer-boy (Boy from TTS)

@betteroffdred

@bloodiedtanithghost (Keelan MkByrne, A Tanith Ghost)

@bouddicathesavage (Primarch OC Bouddica)

@brother-captain-aodhan (OC Captain Aodhan)

@cadian-remnant (OC Sgt. Veronika Reeve)

@calibansfallenangels  (Canon) and OC Sivier

@catachan-jungle-fighter (John Geist and the Mad Wolves of Catachan)

@commorritestreettrash (Drukhari OC Taphamela)

@corsair-princess-nenime (Aeldari OC Nenime)

@empress-of-xerxes (Seras Kyne OC)

@exhausted-drone

@fandomlessmultimuse (Sombra et al)

@feraseos (Drukhari Wych Feraseos)

@ii-and-the-sun (Primarch Gavmieltus Gariq)

@inquisitortyrosaldwin (Inquisitor Tyros Aldwin OC)

@just-another-guardsman (OC Guardsman Tobias Lorik and company)

@kainzalin

@kalle-and-lita (NL Kalle and Lita of Nostramo)

@lord-kallig (Kallig and his merry crew of heretics)

@lost-little-lamb (Egun Ko the astropath and crew)

@magsnagadaunkyllyble (Magsnaga the gentleman ork)

@marcusmettalus (multiple muses)

@mortars-and-martyrs (aka Mun with a million OC, LOL)

@navigator-bethany (Astropath Bethany)

@ophidian-mystic

@overlord-velathain (Necron Overlord Velathain OC)

@particularcustodian (Arden, Custodian OC)

@primarch-legio-xi (Asomodus the Stag Lord, Primarch OC)

@primaris-angel (Bellophoron of the Dark Angels OC)

@primaris-templar (Gareth Arden OC)

@psykerscum (Scum aka Quincy OC)

@rains-of-hell (many OCs)

@randomnightlord (Claw Commander Absinthe OC)

@raptor-prince-zydan (NL Zydan, Prince of Raptors OC)

@second-company-captain-therak (Captain Therak, OC)

@sightless-steersman (Astropath Draco, formerly of the Night Lords)

@slaanesh-is-my-boy

@smolcatachan (Vin Stav, Catachan OC)

@space-meow-wolf (Space Wolf Lee OC)

@stresseddemon

@tavernofthescattered (Kana Morta, Necromunda OC)

@the-commissar-and-the-beast (Commissar Novikov OC)

@the-jay-of-paradise (Jackie, abhuman)

@thelostflyboy (Imperial Guard OC)

@the-obsidian-mystic (Suleiman, TS OC)

@the-officers-club (Aaron Carter of the Imperial Guard, OC)

@the-ossium-court (multiiple OCs)

@thesilentinquisitor (Inquisitor Evren and co)

@the-wandering-lady (Psyker Anastasia M’rez OC)

@those–of–the–unlight–of–the–unlight (multiple OCs)

@tired-space-politician  (Canon)

@traveling-freebootah (Ork Captain Zagbad)

@tzeentchs-secretary (Secretary of Tzeentch, Kyete)

@valossian-sythrac  (Canon)

@warpfire-art

@warp-fuckery-trio (multiple OCs)

@waywardinquisition (Inquistor Eirasa OC)

@wearetheblacklegion (Icarus and Drogon of Fuuko’s legion of Eternal Keepers, former Blood Raven and Black Dragon)

@your-commissar (Commissar Atticus OC)

@zakthefiend (multiple muses including a TS Josirus, aeldari farseer Ysedra, SoB Teresa, Canonness Elizabeth)

[stinkinhumiegitz-blog]

Scylla Tempestus, Aeneum Victor, and Cestus Invictus are all ready to walk!  Got the Reavers done for my legio maniple, now I just need warhounds.

The carapace and weapons are fully magnetized, and I do have an extra lazer blaster not pictured.  Also, gimmie my reaver volcano canons and melta canons you cowards!

[asktheadeptus]

Imperator - class Titan

"How like a God He is, that ancient Machine, primal of all His Kind, the Imperator! His mighty Fists, massive like two Towers of Destruction, laden with Doom of Mankind's bitter Foes. He watches over us now as Battle joins, and in his Shadow we shall advance upon our Enemies and defeat them."— Anonymous Adeptus Mechanicus Enginseer

The Imperator-class Titan is the largest and most powerful variant of Emperor Titan ever deployed by the Titan Legions of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It is literally a walking fortress and is armed with much more firepower than the next Battle Titan in size, the smaller Warlord-class Titan. An Imperator-class Titan is one of the two classes of super-heavy Titans known as Emperor Titans that also includes the even more rarely deployed Warmonger-class Titan. The Imperator-class of Emperor Titan is a general-purpose assault platform, whereas the Warmonger-class Emperor Titan is a dedicated fire-support unit with more advanced fire control and targeting systems intended to aid its more specialised function. Both classes of Emperor Titan represent the most powerful mobile weapon systems in the arsenal of the Imperium of Man and are often unmatched by any force deployed by the enemy. Emperor Class Titans are extremely rare in the Imperium as the Adeptus Mechanicus has lost the capability to manufacture these monstrous war engines. Due to their immense size, Imperator Titans are not nearly as fast or agile as their smaller Scout and Battle Titan counterparts, but they more than make up for this failing with their sheer firepower and heavily armoured bulk. The Tech-priests of the Mechanicus consider the two classes of Emperor Titan to be avatars of the Machine God, walking incarnations of death intended to destroy all those who have displeased the Omnissiah.

Design

The Imperator and Warmonger Emperor Titans stand approximately 55.5 meters (182 feet) tall. But this has been known to vary, as the infamous Chaos Imperator Titan Dies Irae of the Legio Mortis that laid siege to the Imperial Palace during the closing days of the Horus Heresy was said to stand approximately 43 meters (141 ft.) tall, a smaller size due to the fact that it had no cathedral dedicated to the God-Emperor on its back since the Imperial Cult had not yet become the state religion of an officially atheistic Imperium. These formidable super-heavy combat walkers are the largest and most powerful war machines at the disposal of the Imperium (with the exception of void ships); their firepower remains unrivaled by any other land unit used by any of the other factions of the galaxy. The size of their arm-mounted primary weapons are surpassed only by the ordnance of the largest vessels of the Imperial Navy. They are loaded to the brim with pre-installed weapons, and their mounts can handle Titan weapons too big for even Battle Titans (they do not carry any of the close-combat weapons, as their sole focus is on extreme firepower). Emperor Titans are very rare, and can crush many weaker war engines. Taking advantage of this formidable firepower, the Imperator Titan bombards enemy positions with an awesome and relentless barrage, far out of range of most of the enemy artillery.

Armament

Arm-Mounted Primary Weapons

The Imperator and Warmonger Class Titans can carry up to two arm-mounted primary weapons from the following:

Doomstrike Missile Launcher

Hellstorm Cannon

Plasma Annihilator

Vengeance Cannon

Carapace-Mounted Secondary Weapons

The Imperator and Warmonger Class Titans can carry up to six carapace-mounted secondary weapons from the following Titan-grade armaments:

Apocalypse Missile Launcher

Gatling Blaster

Inferno Gun

Laser Blaster

Melta Cannon

Plasma Destructor

Quake Cannon

Volcano Cannon

Vortex Support Missile

Vulcan Mega Bolter

Operation

Imperator and Warmonger-class Emperor Titans are crewed by one Princeps who commands the Titan and a number of Moderati who control its weapon systems, with multiple Tech-priests and Servitors stationed aboard the massive walker to provide basic technical support and maintenance during combat.

Deployment

In comparison to Battle Titans of all classes, the Imperators and Warmongers are rare with most Titan Legions only able to field three or four in a campaign. These monstrous war engines are commanded by only the most battle-hardened Princeps. Their crews are composed of the finest crew members from other Titans within the Legion. The Titan Legion's Grand Masters often use Imperator Titans as their mobile headquarters from where they can issue commands or lead vital assaults personally. Imperators are most often employed as vast mobile fortresses, strengthening vulnerable sectors of the Imperial battlelines or to act as a reserve force. These Titans spearhead massive assaults when a major offensive begins, their immense firepower being brought to bear against enemy lines. Imperators are not configured to fight other Titans in close combat, relying instead on their deadly firepower to utterly annihilate their opponents before they can close in and engage with them. A complete company of Imperial Guard troops or Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii soldiers can be housed aboard the Imperator to guard it against infantry assaults or to be transported to vital objectives.

Notable Variants

The Warmonger-class Titan is a notable variant of the Imperator Titan, and is very similar in structure and appearance. It is unknown which variant was designed first as this knowledge has been lost down the long millennia of the Imperium's existence. However, it is well documented that both the Warmonger and Imperator Emperor Titans were both utilized extensively long before the outbreak of the galaxy-wide conflict of the Horus Heresy. Though they are physically similar, the functions of each class varies significantly. The weapons systems of this Imperator Titan variant provides it with a deep strike/fire-support capability, allowing the Warmonger-class to stand back and pound its foes from afar. This makes this particular Emperor Titan a magnet for enemy aerospace craft. However, the Warmonger has a healthy array of anti-aircraft systems, not to mention a sufficient number of Void Shields, to keep these threats at bay. This often leaves enemy commanders unsure how best to deal with this deadly foe.

Standard Weapon Configuration (Bakka Pattern)

8 Doomstrike Missiles

Vengeance Cannon

4 Quad Autocannons

Fire Control Center

Notable Imperator Titans

Abominatus "Despoiler of Worlds" (Imperator-class Titan) - Abominatus is one of the most terrifying of all the servants of the Blood God. Abominatus is the hellish union of an Imperator-class Titan and a Greater Daemon of Khorne. When it walks the ground shakes beneath its steel shod feet and the enemies of the Blood God quail in fear. This Chaos Titan wields fire and steel against its foes, with flames and gun smoke flickering from each casement and embrasure in its massive body, its soul burns with the unquenchable fire of a Daemon's hate. Abominatus carries a veritable arsenal of weapons built onto its body. Its main armament, the Hellstorm Cannon and Plasma Annihilator, along with its main battery function in an identical fashion to its Imperial counterpart. However the weapons on its main fighting platform are quite different. This Chaos-possessed Titan also has a Scorpion Cannon, a lethal multi-barreled weapon used for close assaults and is normally mounted on Daemon Engines of Khorne. It possesses Manglers, huge battle claws which can sweep aside battle tanks and flay enemy Titans to twisted metal. As Abominatus is part daemon and part machine, this makes it particularly resistant to psychic attack as well.

Aquila Ignis (Imperator-class Titan) - The Aquila Ignis was an Imperator-class Titan of the Legio Mortis, constructed in the Daedalia Forge Yards far to the south of Tharsis on Mars. The Aquila Ignis fought during the Schism of Mars against Loyalist elements from the Legio Tempestus in the battle for Magma City, where it was destroyed in the destruction of the Magma City.

Corinthian (Imperator-class Titan) - The Corinthian was an Imperator-class Titan of the Legio Oberon that survived Word Bearers' treachery on Calth. The Titan was later captured by the Legio Audax during the Shadow Crusade's battle for Meahor.

Death Casts Its Own Long Shadow (Imperator-class Titan) - The Death Casts Its Own Long Shadow was an Imperator-class Titan from an unknown Titan Legion, one of eight allied with Roboute Guilliman, drawn from the Forge Worlds of Tigrus and Accatran, that took part in the celebrations after the Dark Angels Legion's arrival at Ultramar in 009.M31.

Dies Irae (Imperator-class Titan) - The Dies Irae was an Imperator-class Titan of the Legio Mortis which was attached to the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet under the command of the Warmaster Horus. This infamous Titan was present during the opening days of the Horus Heresy at Istvaan III, when it followed Horus' orders and helped exterminate the remaining Loyalist Astartes of the Traitor Legions present on that cursed world after they were virus-bombed by their comrades from orbit. The Dies Irae was also present during all of the major ground assaults towards the end the rebellion. The Dies Irae finally met its fate ten millennia later during the siege of Hydra Cordatus in 999.M41 during the 13th Black Crusade when it served as part of an Iron Warriors attack force. When it was confronted by Imperial Titans from the Collegia Titanica, the Dies Irae was critically damaged when a Loyalist Warlord-class Titan detonated its plasma reactor when it was in close proximity to the Traitor Titan, which damaged the ancient Imperator-class Titan's armour. Another Warlord Titan then penetrated the Dies Irae's Void Shields and compromised external carapace with its Battle-Claw and crushed the Chaos-tainted Titan's plasma reactor. The resulting explosion wiped the Dies Irae 's ancient taint from the face of the galaxy forever.

Dominatus (Imperator-class Titan) - The Dominatus was an Imperator-class Titan from an unknown Titan Legion that fell in battle, fighting against the Forces of Chaos during the failed defense of Lorn V. Laying broken and forgotten for millennia, the lost Titan was rediscovered by the Imperium, and so, the Cadian 412th Imperial GuardRegiment, under the command of General Sturnn was dispatched to retrieve it. With the aid of the Eldar FarseerTaldeer of Craftworld Ulthwé and her warhost, who was on Lorn V for her own reasons, General Sturnn's regiment fought their way through both the Chaos Lord Crull's Blood Legion of Khorne Chaos Warband and the Warboss Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter's Orks, reaching the fallen Titan before their enemies. Powering up the slumbering god-engine, the Imperial forces were forced to fight the ancient menace, known as the Necrons, which had begun to emerge from beneath Lorn V's surface. Despite the Farseer's betrayal, Taldeer convinced General Sturnn to aid them against this new threat, and so, they made use of the Dominatus' powerful weapons into the Necrons' advancing Monoliths, thus defeating the Necron forces. But in the process, the ancient Titan's core was ruptured in the process, causing it to explode spectacularly, killing General Sturnn and the majority of the Cadian 412th. The Eldar had managed to flee back into the Webway just before it exploded. Those few survivors of the decimated regiment, quickly spread word off-world of the treachery of the Eldar Farseer, and to the present day, their regimental banner bears a black ribbon to mark their failure to recover the ancient Imperator Titan.

Exemplis (Imperator-class Titan) - The Exemplis was the last remaining Imperator Titan of the Legio Ignatum, worshiped by the Adeptus Mechanicus as an avatar of the Omnissiah. The Exemplis saw its last action on the world of Tanakreg against a large Word Bearers Traitor Legion warhost of the Dark Apostle Jarulek. Despite the horrendous casualties it inflicted upon the heretics, the Chaos Space Marines managed to board and destroy the Exemplis after attacking its more vulnerable components.

Ijax Ijastus (Imperator-class Titan) - The Ijax Ijastus was an Imperator-class Titan from an unknown Titan Legion , one of eight allied with Roboute Guilliman, drawn from the Forge Worlds of Tigrus and Accatran, that took part in the celebrations after the Dark Angels Legion's arrival at Ultramar in 009.M31.

Immortalis Domitor (Warmonger-class Titan) - The Immortalis Domitor was a Warmonger-class Titan of the Legio Praesagius that took part in the Battle of Calth in 007.M31. The Immortalis Domitor fought with endless daemon hordes until its destruction.

Imperious Corporalis (Imperator-class Titan) - The Imperious Corporailis was an Imperator-class Titan present during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.

Magnificum Incendius (Imperator-class Titan) - The Magnificum Incendius was an Imperator-class Titan of the Legio Ignatum under the command of Princeps Bazzanius that served as part of Terra's defenses during the Horus Heresy.

Magnus Casei (Imperator-Class Titan) - Originally belonging to the Legio Vindictus, the Titan Legion detached to the protection of the Raven Guard’s home-system of Kiavahr, Magnus Casei was in fact controlled by one of the seditious sub-cults within the Mechanicum known as Order of the Dragon. During the early years of the Horus Heresy, Magnus Casei’s treachery was the initial spark that marked the beginning of insurrectionist uprisings on Kiavahr, which attempted to profit from the depleted state of the Raven Guard Legion to secede from the Imperium and quite possibly join Horus’ cause. As would only far later be discovered, the entire insurrection had been but a diversion to allow one of the Alpha Legion’s twin-Primarchs, Omegon, to infiltrate the Ravendelve-complex and steal the highly valuable Primarch-gene-seed template given to Corvus Corax by the Emperor himself.

Mettalum Olympus (Imperator-class Titan) - The Mettalum Olympus was a notable Imperator Titan, commanded by Princeps Goethe, which managed to almost single-handedly hold off a Tyranid invasion on the ash-choked plains of Horst Prime. Surrounded by an entire horde of Hierophant Bio-Titans, the ancient Titan met its end when the Tyranids managed to breach its plasma reactor. The resultant explosion vaporized everything within a kilometer, leaving a crater that is still visible from orbit.

Paragon of Terra (Imperator-class Titan) - The Paragon of Terra was an Imperator-class Titan of the Legio Crucius under the command of the Princeps Magnus Etana Kalonice, the key element of the Loyalists' defense during the Battle of Molech. The Paragon of Terra was destroyed by treacherous Chaos Knights of House Devine.

Praeco Deictus (Imperator-class Titan) - An Imperator Titan of the Legio Crucius, which had survived the grim days of the Horus Heresy and had won countless victories on thousands of worlds for the Imperium. The Praeco Deictus was destroyed, along with other Titans of the Legio Crucius, defending the Hive World of Kado from the Forces of Chaos. During the fighting, a hundred Slaanesh Hell-Knights infiltrated the main Hive City and emerged to attack the Imperator Titan from the rear where it was most vulnerable, turning it into a pile of molten slag.

Steel Hammer (Imperator-class Titan) - The Steel Hammer was an Imperator-class Titan of the Legio Metalica that fought during the Second War for Armageddon and served as the God-engine of the Legion's acting commander -- Princeps Senioris Kurtiz Mannheim. Steel Hammer accounted for the destruction of three Ork Gargants before it was severely damaged. Determined not to fall without a fight, Mannheim ordered his God-engine to be taken into the center of the Ork forces before his Titan's Plasma Reactor destabilized. When the reactor detonated, a half-dozen Gargants were destroyed alongside the Titan, delivering a powerful message to the Warlord Ghazghkull that the Collegia Titanica would never rest whilst a single Ork lived to taint Armageddon's soil.

Stormherald (Imperator-class Titan) - The Stormherald was one of the few Imperator-class Titans in the Legio Invigilata and the God-engine of Princeps Majoris Zarha Mancion during the Third War for Armageddon and the Battle of Helsreach. The Stormherald 's Machine Spirit was resentful at being bound to its Princeps, and during the standard years of their enforced cooperation it had patiently weakened Mancion's mental resolve, seeking to finally drown her in its mindscape -- an effort only made easier as she aged. The Titan's efforts caused Mancion to not be in complete control of her thoughts, the flood of the Titan's mental gestalt making her undertake brazen actions. At one point during the Battle of Helsreach, the Stormherald nearly succeeded in overthrowing her will -- when the Draconian fell to an Ork trap and was destroyed by the xenos, Zarha Mancion was overcome with anger and foolishly strode ahead of her screening Titans and Skitarii fire support seeking vengeance, only to fall to a similar trap moments later. The damage inflicted by the Greenskins and the shame of defeat caused her to loosen her grip on the recalcitrant Titan's Machine Spirit -- and she was very nearly overwhelmed by it. The Titan and its Princeps would have been lost had it not been for the intervention of a Black Templars strike force under the command of the Black Templars Reclusiarch Merek Grimaldus. The Astartes cleansed the God Machine of xenos taint and their Chaplain helped Zarha Mancion emerge from the psychic maelstrom that is a Titan's mental landscape. The Stormherald would continue to participate in the Battle of Helsreach until it was destroyed by the Ork Gargant Godbreaker.

Tantorus Magnificat (Warmonger-class Titan) - The Tantorus Magnificat was a Warmonger-class Titan of the Legio Castigatra that fought with the Legio Audax Battle-Pack Karnassia on the Hive World of Absolom during the Horus Heresy and fell, in a final act of defiance, when its crew overloaded the Titan's Plasma Reactor, annihilating the Tantorus Magnificat and several Traitor Titans alongside it.

Source: http://warhammer40k.wikia.com

[hier-stehe-ich]

"Why would I need meltabombs as well?"

[anamsgith]

Because I can. Thats if we ever get a super king-size bed. Not that we'd all fit anyways x)

[asktheadeptus]

Collegia Titanica

"We are all but a weapon in the right hand of the Emperor."— Exhortations Principiis Titannorum, Divisio Militaris

The Collegia Titanica is the division of the Adeptus Mechanicus that operates and oversees the Titans, the colossal Imperial war machines that are the most powerful engines of war in the Imperium of Man. The Collegia is also more rarely known as the Adeptus Titanicus (a contraction of "Adeptus Mechanicus Collegia Titanica") and as the Legio Titanicus in ancient records dating back to the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy.

Born of the time during the Age of Strife when the first temples to the Omnissiah were being raised on Mars, the Titans are the personification of the military might available to the Emperor of Mankind. Bristling with massive cannons and missile launchers capable of wreaking terrible destruction upon an enemy, they dominate the battlefields of the galaxy and are a testimony to the consummate skills of the Tech-priests of the Cult Mechanicus.

Every Titan is part of a larger unit called a Titan Legion. Each Titan Legion is based on a Mechanicus Forge World and remains under the direct control of the Adeptus Mechanicus, who jealously guard these mighty war machines and have the power to sanction which war zones they will commit their forces to. It is this power that gives the rulers of the Adeptus Mechanicus much of their influence when it comes to determining when the armies of the Imperium will fight. It is a power which is coveted by other factions on Terra -- especially the priests of the Ecclesiarchy, who would dearly love the reliable support of Titans for their wars of faith.

The Titan Legions of the Adeptus Mechanicus are amongst the most powerful military entities within the Imperium of Man. Ancient and implacable, Titans are colossal engines of war, rightly known as God-Machines to the Tech-priests, who revere them as the physical embodiments of the Machine God. Even the smallest class of Titan is mighty enough to destroy an entire tank squadron in a span of seconds or level a city block. Each Titan Legion is its own ancient warrior order inextricably linked to the Forge World (or worlds) on which it is based. The Titan Legions are fierce and proud, each with its own historic alliances and rivalries, and its own unique character that makes it somewhat similar to its counterparts amongst the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes.

History

One of the most ancient pillars of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Collegia Titanica operates the mighty Titans, each a bipedal metal giant armed with weapons able to level entire districts, and protected by armour and void shields capable of shrugging off attacks from all but the heaviest of foes. Though few in number compared to the uncountable hosts of the Great Crusade, the Titan Legions fought at the forefront of the Imperium's expansion, carrying the light of Unification to the benighted worlds of Mankind. The so-called "god-engines" of the Titan Legions have served Mankind since long before the Age of Strife, their origins lost in the Dark Age of Technology.

Old Night

During the Age of Terra the human race advanced beyond its ancient pre-industrial past to obtain space faring capability. In this ancient time, mankind slowly and painstakingly began to settle the habitable worlds in its own solar system and in the star systems near its homeworld using massive starships capable of only sublight speeds. Mars was one of the first colony worlds to be settled by humanity, if not the first. But during the Age of Strife, interstellar travel and communications became erratic as Warp Storms became more frequent and more intense as the birth pangs of the Chaos God Slaanesh roiled the Immaterium. The use of Warp-Drives and Astropaths to tie together human-settled space became increasingly useless during this time. Billions eventually died as a result of the wars, renegade psykers, daemonic possessions and starvation that ran rampant during this dark period.

Mars eventually found itself cut off from Terra and all the other human-settled worlds during this period, and its leaders could no longer acquire sufficient food or resources to accommodate its large population. Mars was soon consumed by strife as its society drifted into anarchy and a new faith began to spread amongst its people, a religion focused on the technology needed to ensure their continued survival on a world whose carefully constructed biosphere was unraveling before their very eyes. This was the Cult Mechanicus, dedicated to the animistic worship of the Machine God. Under the direction of the Mechanicus' rigid hierarchy of Tech-priests, the cultists set about restoring order to their world. The Legios themselves came into being on Mars during the anarchy of Old Night, when the fabled "Triad Ferrum Morgulus" was established. This trio of nascent Orders consisted of the Legio Tempestus, Legio Mortis and Legio Ignatum, and while all three stood against the horrors of Old Night, from ravening xenos to thinking-machine aberrations, they were just as equally likely to fight one another; for each served the interests of its home Forge above all else, so that throughout the long age of anarchy, rivalries were established that much later would bear bitter fruit indeed. The Tech-Priests of Mars built their first temples to the Machine God and eventually restored order to the Red Planet after the Age of Strife had passed.

The Lords of Terra

When the Emperor of Mankind came to the Red Planet, having brought unity to war-shattered Ancient Terra, the first human colony he encountered was the Red Planet, Mars. Heralded by all those who met him as the Omnissiah, the Machine God Incarnate, some within the Cult Mechanicus were not entirely pleased with this turn of events. A few of these malcontents incited a short and bloody insurrection against those within the Cult who called for an alliance with the Emperor, but eventually the opposition was crushed and Mars and Terra were finally reunited after millennia of separate development by the Treaty of Mars in circa 800.M30. This agreement formally founded the Imperium of Man as an alliance between Terra and the Cult Mechanicus, and granted the latter the autonomy required to maintain their faith even as the Emperor intended to spread his secular and atheistic Imperial Truth across the galaxy. Upon Olympus Mons the Lords of the Red Planet ascended to their place alongside the Imperium of Man, but the Mechanicum would ever remain an empire within an empire, for machine domains other than Mars existed across the galaxy and would in time swear fealty to the Fabricator-General of Mars. In recognition of the fact that the Unification of all humanity could not be achieved without the technological and scientific aid of the Mechanicum, Mars became an ally to Terra rather than her subject. With the massive human resources of Terra and the colossal technical and industrial power of Mars, the Emperor could begin his mighty enterprise of reconquering the galaxy on a firm foundation. Many long-forgotten human-settled planets were liberated and many more worlds were settled anew. Thus began the Great Crusade, and for over the next 200 Terran years the Imperium of Man rapidly expanded across the galaxy.

As the Emperor's hosts pushed ever outwards into the galaxy, casting back the horrors that had gripped the scattered human worlds for so many long centuries, the Titan Legions marched with them. Fighting alongside the trans-human Space Marines of the Legiones Astartes, the elite void-soldiers of the Solar Auxilia and numerous other forces in the rapidly expanding Excertus Imperialis, the Titan Orders came upon other I planets dominated by their long-lost kin, ll Forge Worlds not unlike Mars and ruled by I similar techno-theocracies. A few refused to acknowledge the primacy of the Red Planet and had to be forced to submit, or in some cases were even destroyed. The majority however knew of the Red Planet through the few fragments of archive data and echoes of legend which had managed to survive the Age of Strife, and willingly took their place in the new order.

The Might of the Titan Legions

The greatest of the newly-discovered Forge Worlds were found to host their own Titan Orders, and while many had developed their own unique and sometimes idiosyncratic cultures, others were found to have organised themselves along a similar line to the original Martian Triad Ferrum Morgulus, suggesting some underlying machine principle or pattern at work, which the Lords of Mars looked upon and found pleasing. Of the lesser Forge Worlds not possessed of the necessary templates, resources or expertise to construct and operate their own Titans, Mars favored those who swore fealty with such patronage that they might do so.

Within scant decades of the outset of the Great Crusade, the Mechanicum had discovered or founded a score of Titan Orders, and by the turn of the first century of the Great Crusade, the orders of battle by which the Legios arranged themselves had become somewhat codified, and while individual bodies exercised considerable variation in strategy, a degree of standardization was evident. The Fabricator-General proclaimed that the many Titan Orders should be recognized as a distinct class within the greater corpus of the Mechanicum, that its doctrines, traditions and battle honours might be propagated and preserved for the good of all Mankind. This body was to be known as the Collegia Titanica, and while the Legios themselves would remain subservient to the will of the individual forge lords, it would become a politically influential entity within the emerging structures of the nascent Imperium of Mankind.

The Collegia Titanica came to rate the strength of each Titan Legion according to a complex formula that allotted each a Militaris grade. First tier designations ranged from "primus" to "denarii", with a range of further clausal numerical definitions describing the Legio's specific capabilities, specializations and other characteristics. Though it rarely told the whole truth, the most obvious measure of a Titan Legion's strength was ever the number of god-engines it could field, with the largest maintaining as many as 200-300, while the smallest might be able to muster barely a dozen. In reality however, the mixture of Titan classes was a far more reliable indicator of potency than raw numbers. Few indeed could field the colossal Imperator-class, while almost all fielded significant numbers of Warhound Scout Titans, the lightest common engine, with the ubiquitous Warlord and the standard Battle Titan, a proven and powerful design which made up the bulk of most Legios' main strength. There were many other classes besides, notably the ancient Reaver and several Warlord variants such as the Nemesis and Nightgaunt and other, rarer chassis whose designs such as the Apocalypse, Carnivore and Komodo were unique.

Many Titan Legions had a particular mix of god-engines they preferred to commit to battle, exemplifying their own specific battle doctrines. Legio Audax, also known as the "Ember Wolves", for example, fielded a large number of Warhound Scout Titans, employing them as fast-moving hunting packs that were fearsomely effective at harrying and bringing down far larger enemy engines. Most Legios however, sought to maintain a balanced and flexible force able to prosecute a wide range of operations and confront many different foes.

Though some Titan Legions used their own vernacular, the Collegia Titanica enforced a degree of standardization in unit nomenclature. Depending on their role, Titans were fully capable of operating individually, and often did so when supporting conventional ground units. In practice, they were often deployed in formations of anything from two to ten god-engines, but broken into formal units known as a "maniple" comprising five god-engines -- the numeral's' having an occult and numerological signifier of destruction in many numismatic systems of prognostication favored by the Omnissian cult. The most senior Titan commander -- or princeps -- was appointed as the maniple's leader and this force was considered sufficient to prosecute all but the most apocalyptic of battles.

The Warriors of the Collegia Titanica

Titan crews rank alongside the elite of the Imperial Navy in the skill and with which they operate their mighty engines of war, although compared to the crews of void-faring warships they are few in number indeed. The princeps is in total command of the Titan via a mind impulse unit, a complex and not entirely understood device that merges body and mind with that of the engine so completely that a princeps controls the Titan's metal form as they would their own flesh. The process is a two-way one however, for each Titan, in particular the more ancient machines, is invested of its own individual anima which is the product of its deeds and its former masters, and which bleeds into the consciousness of the princeps to create a gestalt of the two. So immersive is this connection that should the Titan suffer damage, the princeps feels it as if their own flesh were wounded. Severe damage is likely to cause crippling stigmata on the princeps' body, and should the engine be dealt a killing blow, the cyber-neural feedback is almost certain to kill them.

Assisting the princeps are a number of specialist crew, the exact number and their roles dependent on the class of Titan as well as the doctrines of the parent Legio. These are known as "moderati", and each has responsibility for a different system, such as the sensors or the helm, adding their own oversight towards the mind impulse commands of the princeps. Several of these moderati are stationed at the princeps' side within the "head" of the god-engine, while others are located elsewhere in the Titan's mighty form-the gun moderati, for example, are often stationed in the carapace as near to their weapons as the Titan's complex anatomy allows. In addition, one or more Tech-Priests watch over the god-engine's mighty plasma generator, assisted by a small cadre of servitors. While a lighter class of Titan, such as a Warhound, might have but a handful of crew, a Warlord might have a dozen and an Imperator even more.

Servants of the Collegia Titanica

Not all of a Titan Legion's subjects serve within the mighty god-engines, for many more fight in their shadow. Each Forge World is served by massive cohorts of Skitarii, Scutarii and Secularis, and these are often assigned to provide the Titan Legions with massed ground forces capable of performing the battlefield duties which the Titans themselves are too large to perform. Furthermore, there are those Forge Worlds which, having compacted with subservient Knight Houses, march to war preceded by a fast moving skirmish line of Knight-Lancers and similar classes of walker that bridge the gap between infantry and Titan, engaging enemy vehicles and allowing the Titans to concentrate on the heaviest of enemy war machines, in particular enemy Titans.

It is when an army is to confront an enemy that is itself supported by Titans that they truly come into their own, and this only came about with the outbreak of the Horus Heresy. From the very outset, the Warmaster ensured that as many Titan Legions as possible rallied to his banner and first amongst these was the Legio Mortis -- the "Death's Heads" -- and soon others followed. Traitor Titans saw service in the very earliest battles of the Horus Heresy, including the Istvaan III Atrocity and the Istvaan V Dropsite Massacre. The Collegia Titanica was split asunder by the war and as it spread across the galaxy, the battlefields of the sundered Imperium burned with the staggeringly destructive potential of these mighty god-engines. The battle was never so bitter nor all-consuming however as when Traitor and Loyalist Titans faced one another in open war, the mortal soldiers fighting at their feet as inconsequential as insects and slain by the thousands as unimaginable energies were unleashed.

Horus Heresy

The Great Crusade continued to expand outwards, until the Imperium encompassed nearly the entire galaxy by the early years of the 31st Millennium. At that time, a new and unexpected threat emerged to challenge Mankind's dominance over the galaxy. This was the rebellion against the rule of the Emperor that would be known to later ages as the Horus Heresy. This revolt was instigated and led by the Warmaster Horus, the greatest and most beloved of the Emperor's sons, the Primarchs. The rebellion began with Horus' virus-bombing of those Space Marines whose loyalties to him were suspect on the world of Istvaan III, and soon took hold amongst half of the Space Marine Legions and many of the Titan Legions serving under the command of the Warmaster, until nearly one third of the entire armed forces of the Imperium had sworn their allegiance to the Traitors.

Schism of Mars

It is not entirely clear how Horus managed to turn such a significant percentage of the armies under his command against the Emperor, but he was known to be a very skilled and persuasive leader who commanded immense personal loyalty amongst his subordinates. But even before the opening stages of his planned insurrection occurred, he knew he would have to secure the support of the Mechanicus and their superior technology and weapons if he was to defeat the Emperor and conquer the galaxy. Horus won over the loyalty of many of the Mechanicus' Tech-adepts after promising them the lost secrets of ancient Standard Template Construct (STC) technology that had been recovered from the worlds of the recently subjugated Auretian Technocracy by the Sons of Horus Legion.

The climate on Mars was full of discontent during this tumultuous time. There were tense relations between the various Techno-Magi with sporadic outbreaks of espionage and violence being committed against the various forge cities that represented the primary sociopolitical units of Mars. There were even unconfirmed suspicions that the Titan Legions had already secretly chosen sides in case of a potential conflict. Regulus, the Mechanicus' representative to Horus' 63rd Expeditionary Fleet who had already thrown in his lot with the Warmaster's cause, was sent to the Red Planet to secure the tentative support of the Fabricator-General of Mars and the overall leader of the Mechanicus, Kelbor-Hal. Regulus convinced the Fabricator-General of Horus' resolve to support increased autonomy for the Mechanicus against the autocratic rule of the Emperor. As a show of his appreciation for the Fabricator-General's support, Horus provided information to Kelbor-Hal that allowed the Mechanicus to open a repository of forbidden knowledge known as the Vaults of Moravec, which had been sealed for nearly a thousand standard years. The Emperor himself had decreed that the vaults never be opened, for they contained innumerable artifacts of technology that had been fashioned or corrupted by the malign power of Chaos in ages past. But the deal was struck, and the Fabricator-General accepted Horus' proposal and joined forces with the Warmaster, assisting the Traitors with all of the most advanced technology of Mankind at his disposal.

When this repository was reopened, there was all manner of forbidden arcane knowledge and weaponry that had obviously been tainted by the corrupting influence of Chaos stored within. Soon the corruption spread throughout the forge cities and temples across the Red Planet as scrap code -- Chaos-contaminated digital source code that was infected with an arcane computer virus -- infested the logi-stacks and Cogitator (computer) archives of the Mechanicus, causing literal Chaos to emerge in any Cogitator system that was networked to one of its infected counterparts. The Fabricator-General and his Dark Mechanicum allies used this disruption to marshal the strength of their forces, intent on bringing the rule of Mars firmly under their control. Infected by this vicious scrap code, the Titans of the Legio Agravidesand the Legio Fortidus met their end when their reactors went critical and exploded, destroying their fortresses and eliminating these once-proud Titan Legions from the roster of Loyalist forces. In later years, this night would become known in Mechanicus legends as the Death of Innocence.

Later histories would record that the first blow of the Martian civil war was struck against Magos Mattias Kefra, whose forge city in the Sinus Sabaeus region was housed within the Madler Crater. Titans of the Legio Magna marched from the southern Noachis region and within minutes had smashed down the gates of Kefra's forge. Howling engines daubed in red, orange, yellow and black, decorated with flaming horned skull devices, ran amok within the high walls of the crater, crushing everything living beneath them and destroying thousands of standard years of accumulated wisdom in a fury of fire. Vast libraries burned and weapon shops that served the Imperial Army troops of the Solar Guard were reduced to molten slag as the indiscriminate slaughter continued long into the night, the Legio Magna's trumpeting warhorns sounding like the atavistic screams of primitive savages.

Amid the Athabasca Valles, the war machines of the Legio Ignatum and the Burning Stars Titan Legion fought in bloody close quarters through the teardrop landforms caused by catastrophic flooding in an earlier, ancient age of the Red Planet. Neither force could gain the advantage, nor could either claim victory, so after a night’s undignified scrapping, both withdrew to lick their wounds.

Along the borders of the Lunae Palus and Arcadia regions, what previously had been simply a heated debate between the partisans of the Emperor and Horus erupted into outright civil warfare as Princeps Ulriche of the Death Stalkersunleashed his war engines upon the fortress of Maxen Vledig’s Legio Honorum. Caught by surprise, the Legio Honorumlost nineteen Titans in the first hour of battle, before withdrawing into the frozen wastes of the Mare Boreum and seeking refuge in the dune fields of Olympia Undae. Their calls for reinforcement went unanswered, for all of Mars was tearing itself apart as the plague of war spread across the planet in a raging firestorm, a conflict known as the Schism of Mars by later generations.

The Fabricator-General's betrayal had only begun to unfold, and would soon see the Dark Mechanicus and the Traitor Titans of Mars joining Horus in open war against the Emperor on Terra itself.

Battle of Terra

The siege of Terra by the Traitor forces of Horus began with an orbital bombardment by the Warmaster's fleet as the prelude to invasion. After days of shelling, the Astartes of the Traitor Legions landed on the surface of Terra in Drop Pods and advanced on the two spaceports nearest the location of the Imperial Palace to secure them in preparation for the main landings of the Traitor forces. Elements from five of the Traitor Legions participated in the battle, aided by Traitor forces already on the surface. Despite the brave efforts of the Loyalists, the Eternity Wall and the Lion's Gate Spaceports fell within hours to the Forces of Chaos. With them secured, Horus' remaining troops in the Traitor Legions and their Traitor Imperial Army and Dark Mechanicus support forces landed en masse, and the hulking transports carried thousands of troops each. They also brought to the battlefield the terrible Traitor Titans that served the Warmaster's cause and had been infected with the daemonic spirits of Chaos. The transports' immense size made them prime targets for Terra's defence lasers. Although many of the Traitor landing craft were destroyed in-atmosphere, notably the transport vessel carrying the Legio Damnatus, many more made it to the surface, disgorging yet more soldiers, main battle tanks and Traitor Titans to add to the besiegers' strength. They met stiff resistance from the Loyalists as the Imperial defenders knew that the survival of their homeworld, their Emperor, and the entirety of the human race rested on their shoulders.

The siege of the Imperial Palace then began in earnest. Three times the Forces of Chaos scaled the walls, and three times were hurled back by the defenders. Frustrated at this lack of progress, Horus granted the Legio Mortis the singular honour of breaching the walls of the Imperial Palace, amongst whose defenders were the Loyalist Titans of the Collegia Titanica and their hated rivals -- the Legio Ignatum. Using the many powerful weapons at their disposal, they eagerly set about the task. By virtue of their insane fury they accomplished this near-suicidal endeavor, despite suffering the losses of over thirty Titans in one evening of fierce fighting. The Chaos Warlord-class Titans broke the outer walls and let inwards a flood of Traitors.

But ultimately, the Traitors' assault failed as the final events of the Heresy played out aboard Horus' own flagship, the Vengeful Spirit. The Emperor triumphed during the confrontation between himself and the Chaos-corrupted Warmaster, but only at the cost of his own mortal wounding. The majority of the Traitor Legions scattered following this disastrous defeat, and the Imperial forces gave chase, unleashing the period known as the Great Scouring. Hunted and pursued, system by system, the Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions and the Traitor Titan Legions eventually were driven into the Eye of Terror and the worlds they had occupied were reconquered by the Imperium.

Post Heresy

Following the Horus Heresy, the Collegia Titanica continued to serve the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Imperium, bringing its might to bear where it was deemed required. Throughout the Heresy, past rivalries between certain Titan Legions were aggravated into outright hatred once they found themselves on opposing sides. For millennia they continued to battle the Traitors at every opportunity, and one of their most significant assignments is bearing vigil over the Eye of Terror and guarding Imperial space from Chaotic raids and Black Crusades. The Collegia Titanica also protects the Imperium from xenos incursions and other threats. Although as a result of their political autonomy as part of the Mechanicus they are generally not concerned with any internal quarrels that may occur between the Imperium's sometimes competing Adepta, they do at times interfere at the behest of their Mechanicus masters, whatever their motives may be.

Organisation

The Collegia Titanica is organised into separate Divisiones which each contains a number of Titan Legions (sometimes called "Orders"). A Titan Legion is a group of Titans of different classes under the command of a Grand Master, originating from a common Forge World or worlds. Each is bound by a common heritage, tradition and school of thought, and each possesses a distinctive code of conduct and their own predilection in regard to particular battlefield operation and employed tactics. Each Titan Legion also has a preference for the use of certain weapons, different uniform designs, Titan decorations, rank names, colors, heraldry, and other peculiarities. All of this variety is within certain limits, as Titan Legions may not, for example, change the existing system of ranks and the Collegia Titanica's standard chain of command, though they still possess much liberty in their mode of operation -- similar, in ways, to the Chapters of the Space Marines. Some Titan Legions were created to fulfill specific battlefield roles, such as siege works or combat in special environmental conditions, and thus are geared appropriately, both in terms of equipment and mindset.

The Collegia Titanica is the chief military arm of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and is beholden to that Adepta's ruling Tech-priests. By virtue of the autonomy of the Mechanicus within the broader structure of the Imperium, the Titan Legions answer only to the Tech-priests' hierarchy. Their deployments and assignments are exclusively decided by the Mechanicus' Magi, and each has to be authorized by the ruling lords of a Titan Legion's home Forge World. This right provides the Magi with great influence over when and where Imperial armies making use of Titan support will fight. On the battlefield, Titans may not be issued orders by other commanders, be they Imperial Guard or Space Marine officers. A Titan battlegroup's actions will only be decided by their commanding Princeps, a ranking Magos of the Mechanicus accompanying them, or in some situations by the lords of the Forge World the Titan Legion hails from. Although a high-ranking Tech-priest technically holds authority over a Titan Princeps, as he respects the Princeps' tactical knowledge and experience, the latter would be given much freedom in his actions on the field. The Magos, however, will interfere when he or she deems it necessary, for example ordering the battlegroup to withdraw from a world in order to avoid unnecessary Titan losses. There is one exception to the above -- a member of the Inquisition has the power to commandeer Titans already on the field and directly issue them orders, as well as to requisition the deployment of a Titan battlegroup from a Forge World. However, a wise and politically astute Inquisitor will be careful when interfering in Mechanicus business, and even more so because the Priesthood of Mars is understandably fiercely protective of their Titans.

The number of Titan Legions and individual Titans within the Collegia Titanica is unknown. Yet their ranks are presumed to be large. The Collegia Titanica has many deployments on its hands, protecting the Imperium not only from Traitors, but from xenos forces and other threats as well. Indeed, the Divisio Militaris deploys over a hundred Titan Legions to watch over the Eye of Terror alone, and the galaxy harbors many more threats to humanity that require the attention of the Titan Legions. In addition to these duties, the Titan Legions also take on expeditions which lead them away from the boundaries of the Imperium -- bringing new worlds into the Imperial fold, aiding Rogue Traders and Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator fleets.

The number of Titans in a single Legion varies greatly, as some possess as few as a dozen, and others maintain over a hundred. Battle losses take decades or even centuries to replace, as the construction of a new Titan is a long and extremely labourious process for the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Warlord-class is the most commonly found class of Battle Titan amongst the forces of the Imperium, while the Warhound is the smallest, utilized for scouting and flanking purposes. Between them stands the Reaver-class Battle Titan. The towering Emperor Battle Titans, the size of great Imperial cathedrals, are by far the most formidable types of Titans ever deployed by the Imperium, but an increasingly rare sight on the battlefields of the 41st Millenium. Titan Legions are deployed only in the most vital campaigns of the Imperium and on battlefields that will allow them to unleash the full power of their colossal weaponry.

Operation

Over the long millennia of constant warfare, the Legions of the Collegia Titanica have developed their own tried and tested tactics and battle formations, many of which are based around the unit known as the "maniple". This is a configuration that makes use of Reaver- and Warhound-class Titans, consisting of at least three machines. In a maniple formation, the Warhounds stride ahead of the Reavers, finding and marking targets to be destroyed by the advancing Titans. Some Titan battlegroups are in fact only maniples, and if such a force faces the need to divide its strength, it will create smaller units of near-identical configuration called demi-maniples.

The Tech-priests accompanying a Titan battlegroup carry with them the equipment necessary to accommodate Titans engaged in heavy combat, and in addition to the performance of mundane battlefield maintenance, have the means to conduct minor field repairs. The Tech-priests can facilitate the rearming of Titans in the event of the destruction of their original weapons load-out, or refit them with ordnance better suited for the task they face when battlefield conditions change.

Damaged Titans are taken after battle to the Tech-priests' facilities for repairs, but if during the course of fighting one of them sustains grave damage it will be withdrawn as soon as possible so as to avoid its untimely destruction, and given into the care of the Tech-adepts. If they prove unable to assuage the battered machine's pain, they will secure the ravaged Titan and return it to their home Forge World, where it may be given appropriate care. Despite such precautions, the God Machines occasionally do fall in combat, much to the grief of the Cult Mechanicus and in particular the crews and staff that accompanied them. When a campaign is running its course, although saddened, the Forge World will send new Titans to replace the battlefield losses and to continue the fight.

The Divisiones

The Collegia Titanica has four Divisiones, the Divisio Mandati, the Divisio Telepathica, the Divisio Investigatus, and most importantly, the Divisio Militaris, which is the main fighting force of the Collegia Titanica. The Divisiones are further divided into a number of "Legions" or "Orders": groupings of Titans bound by a common heritage such as the Legio Ignatum or the Legio Gryphonicus. Each Titan Legion is a self-contained unit headed by an officer with the rank of Grand Master.

Divisio Militaris

The Titan Legions of the Divisio Militaris (or as it is more commonly called, the Military Orders) are the main military force of the Collegia Titanica, and each includes its own support staff in addition to its Titans. Each Legion is based on its own Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World -- most Forge Worlds maintaining one, though others are known to harbor a larger number -- with Mars itself having three. Although their home Forge Worlds are technically their bases, the Titan Legions are actually stationed throughout the galaxy, guarding vulnerable locations across the Imperium. Many Legions are stationed near the Eye of Terror, ready to combat their Chaotic counterparts. Some of the Military Orders are highly specialized forces, created to deal with siege works or combat in exotic planetary environments.

Divisio Mandati

The Titan Legions of the Divisio Mandati are known as "Executive Orders." They travel in vast temple-spacecraft, responsible for bringing the Pax Imperia to isolated worlds of the Imperium. Each temple ship carries between two and five of the immense Emperor Battle Titans, as well as Tech-priests, Mechanicus regular troops, maintenance Adepts and support personnel.

Each Emperor Titan in the Divisio is its own self-contained unit, carrying members of the Adeptus Arbites, the Inquisition and the other Adepta of the Adeptus Terra. With an Emperor Titan as their platform, servants of the Imperium can be very persuasive, and if that fails, they possess more than enough firepower to get their point across. It is through this combination of persuasion and potent threat that the Pax Imperia is brought to many worlds.

Some of the Executive Orders never leave the boundaries of Imperial space, confined to the dioceses left to their care. The elite of the Divisio Mandati's Titan Legions are known as "Missionary Orders" -- they travel beyond the borders of the Imperium, often accompanying Rogue Traders in discovering new worlds and regions of space to be settled and exploited by Mankind.

Divisio Telepathica

Being highly specialised, the Divisio Telepathica is somewhat smaller than the Divisiones Mandati and Militaris. The Divisio Telepathica is responsible for the operation of the dreaded Psi-Titans, whom, judging by their known deployments, are specially designed to combat the Forces of Chaos and the Traitor Titan Legions. Its Legions are called the "Telepath Orders", each operating from a secret Forge World near the heart of the Imperium. The existence of Chaos is a closely held secret of the Imperium, as are all those organisations like the Ordo Malleus and the Grey Knights devoted to combating it. Since nearly nothing is known of the Divisio Telepathica, and because of their presumed dedication to combating the Ruinous Powers, it is not unlikely that it ranks alongside those esteemed servants of the Imperium as being entirely unknown by the greater populace of the galaxy.

Divisio Investigatus

The Divisio Investigatus is the scientific research and development division of the Collegia Titanica. Its role is to construct the many war engines used by all the Titan Legions, and to engineer and test the rare improvements made in Titan technology by the increasingly stagnant Imperium. At times, a Research Order takes part in battle so that it can test its new designs under proper combat conditions. The Divisio Investigatus' Titan Legions favour the Warlord-class Titans, as their well-known handling characteristics and capabilities make them an ideal test-bed for the Divisio's new devices.

The Warriors of the Collegia Titanica

Titan crews are ranked alongside the elite of the Imperial Navy in the skill and with which they operated their mighty engines of war, although compared to the crews of void-faring warships they were few in number indeed. The Princeps is in total command of the Titan via a mind impulse unit, a complex and not entirely understood device that merges body and mind with that of the engine so completely that a princeps controls the Titan's metal form as they would their own flesh. The process is a two-way one however, for each Titan, in particular the more ancient machines, is invested of its own individual anima which is the product of its deeds and its former masters, and which bleeds into the consciousness of the princeps to create a gestalt of the two. So immersive is this connection that should the Titan suffer damage, the princeps feels it as if their own flesh were wounded. Severe damage is likely to cause crippling stigmata on the princeps' body, and should the engine be dealt a killing blow, the cyber-neural feedback is almost certain to kill them.

Assisting the princeps are a number of specialist crew, the exact number and their roles dependent on the class of Titan as well as the doctrines of the parent Legio. These are known as "Moderati", and each has responsibility for a different system, such as the sensors or the helm, adding their own oversight towards the mind impulse commands of the princeps. Several of these moderati are stationed at the princeps' side within the "head" of the god-engine, while others are located elsewhere in the Titan's mighty form-the gun moderati, for example, are often stationed in the carapace as near to their weapons as the Titan's complex anatomy allows. In addition, one or more Tech-Priests watch over the god-engine's mighty plasma generator, assisted by a small cadre of servitors. While a lighter class of Titan, such as a Warhound, might have but a handful of crew, a Warlord might have a dozen and an Imperator even more.

As a result of the battles they come through together and because of their link to their Titan's Mind Impulse Unit, Princeps and Moderati are often more closely knit than families. Being linked to the MIU can also be dangerous and even lethal, as the potent Machine Spirit of a Titan can wreck an unprepared individual's consciousness and drive them to madness. Damage to the system's circuitry can cause the MIU to go haywire, and in such circumstances, the luckiest are killed instantly by the psychic shock, while the rest are reduced to gibbering lunatics. Most of the crews' MIU's are equipped with manual emergency cut-offs, however, sometimes the Moderati and Princeps are not able to utilize them quickly enough to avoid the damage. MIU links are attached via implanted socket connectors in the cranium and neck, or in the body armour the crew wear. The armour's role is to shield them from secondary damage caused by shrapnel and impacts, and it additionally contains power and life support units, also attached by umbilicals to external devices. These umbilicals have many redundant channels, so that if any one is severed in the heat of battle, another can easily take its place, making sure that nothing impedes the crew's ability to fight.

Tech-Priests

Tech-priests are charged with maintaining the Titan during the course of a battle, monitoring the state of the unstable and dangerous plasma reactor which is used to satiate the great machine's colossal power requirements, making sure that there is enough output to operate as many systems as possible, and that a catastrophic meltdown does not occur. In addition, the Tech-priest will tend to other devices present on the Titan, guaranteeing that they function to their best ability. Amongst those devices are the Void Shield generators, which are a Titan's first line of defense. In the process of deflecting and absorbing hits, the generators build up a large excess of power, which eventually will cause them to shut down to prevent damage. A Tech-priest will attempt to withdraw as much as possible, at the same time carefully monitoring the reactor, so that the Titan does not take a direct hit. However, when the Void Shields fail, the God Machine sustains structural damage. In such an event, the Tech-priest will immediately make sure that the reactor does not threaten meltdown, attempt to bring the Void Shield generators back on line, and then scan the Titan, searching for systems which have been disabled by damage, and try to repair them. In all these tasks, the Tech-priest is assisted by a number of Servitors hard-wired into the machine.

Reverence

To the Cult Mechanicus, Titans are incarnations of the Machine God in the material realm, and possess a sacredness invested in them by virtue of their antiquity and technical complexity. The Tech-Priests proclaim their divine nature by word and ritual. A thousand times blessed and consecrated with the holiest unguents, a Titan is a towering, walking idol to the Tech-priests of the Machine God. Many see the honor of serving aboard a Titan as an opportunity to serve the Omnissiah in person, and there is no greater service a mere mortal can perform.

Prior to being sent into battle, ceremonies are performed and the war engines are blessed. Exotic creatures are slain and their blood used to anoint each Titan's foot -- a symbol of the reality that they will soon lay blood at the Emperor's feet. During these rituals a senior Tech-priest will sprinkle the machine with sanctified oils and recite passages of the Prima Incubatoria. These rites serve to rouse the Titan's Machine Spirit and prepare it for battle. A holy engine of destruction, a Titan's death is greatly saddening to all in the Cult Mechanicus. When one of their number falls, the rest will attempt to recover its ravaged hull and send it to their home Forge World, which will mourn its passing and toll a bell for each Titan lost.

Heraldry

Each Titan bears a distinctive and unique set of symbols. The Titan Legions use a complex and largely archaic system of decorations, icons and insignia to record a machine's past, as well as dedicating its Machine Spirit to the Emperor. Amongst those are banners flown from the Titan as well as markings and heraldry etched on the Titan's hull. The following specifications lay out a minimum standard followed by much of the Collegia Titanica. However, every Titan Legion, and to lesser extent individual machines and their crews, have much freedom in designing their own decorations.

Crew Badges and Uniforms

The uniforms and insignia of a Titan crew are largely specific to a given Titan Legion, as they are entitled to create their own designs. The body armour worn by Titan crewmen, in addition to granting protection, only has to accomodate two functions -- to allow for a cybernetic link to the Mind Impulse Unit, and to contain the necessary power and life support systems. Usually, a crew member's rank badge will be displayed on his left shoulder, whereas the Titan Legion badge will be shown on the right. Some Legions also use a chest badge, and the symbol of a crew member's rank will be attached to or hanging on a short chain from it. Personal decorations are not uncommon, especially amongst Moderati who mark their kills on their left sleeves. It is also common practise for Princeps to add their Titan's honours to their uniform. Some Titan Legions, however, choose not to display any decorations and insignia on their uniforms, believing that the markings their Titans bear convey all the required information.

Ranks

Titan crewmen, save for the war machines' attendant Tech-priests, are divided into four ranks. These are, in order of seniority, the Moderatus, the Princeps, the Senior Princeps, and the Titan Legion's Grand Master. Although such an event would be rather unlikely, in theory a Moderatus can advance through the ranks and one day become a Grand Master himself. The Moderatus rank badge is in the shape of a plain circle surrounding a hollowed-out geometric figure -- if the Order the crewman belongs to utilizes chest badges, in the amulet attached to it this shape will be socketed with a phased crystal gem which is used as a key to the Titan's controls. The Princeps and Senior Princeps also bear similar insignia, however the circles around their socketed gems have lugs added -- four and twelve, respectively. A Grand Master's rank badge is unknown. However, when one takes to the field aboard his Titan and wishes to make his presence apparent, he is entitled to fly a banner bearing his Divisio's symbol. Some Legions use different names for these ranks, though none is entitled to change the system itself -- for example, some Titan Legions designate a Senior Princeps as a "High Princeps."

Hull Markings

Titan hulls are richly inscribed and decorated, as befits these physical avatars of the Omnissiah. This grows more true over time, as they are awarded honours for their performance on the battlefield, and their crews never miss an opportunity to etch a new commendation on the machine. The war engines also bear the personal heraldry of their Princeps. In the event of their death, the old commander's emblem would be removed and the new one's painted in its place. The standard place for these heraldic sigils are, for Reaver-class Titans, the kneeplates, or for Warhound-class Titans, the carapace or leg plates. Although the colour scheme is constant for all Titans in a Legion, the decorations they bear are not. Machines of similar names (e.g Canis Primus, Canis Secundus) will bear similar decorations, however, since those are very much the indication of the individual Titan, no two can be exactly alike. The war engine's head will often be inscribed with the name of the Titan, or, barring that, the name of its Legion. The hull will also display a gilded dedication to the Emperor, along with the Purity Seals the machine has earned during its service.

Titans can also be seen bearing identification marks. They are symbols etched on the Titan's legs where they can be clearly seen by ground level troops and provide them with information on what class of a Titan is towering over them. The Warhound identification mark is a rectangular shape standing on four unevenly spaced vertical legs, the Reaver mark is an axe facing leftwards, and the Warlord mark is two crossed axes. Imperator-class Titan identification marks are presently unlisted in Imperial records.

Banners

The banners flown from the Titan contain much information on its origin, history and feats, its past and present, the information essential to what the Titan is. These banners are very much prized Imperial relics in their own right, and will be taken down from the machines to which they belong prior to battle in order to preserve them. This means that for most of the time, the banners are stored on the Titan Legion's homeworld, or follow the Titans on their deployments to warzones stashed safely behind the front lines in the resupply and refit facilities set up by the Tech-priests accompanying the war machines.

Honour Banners

The Honour Banner is the most prominent banner flown from a Titan, bearing the symbol of the Legion it belongs to and displaying the rank of the Princeps in command of it. It also usually displays the individual Titan's honours and battles won. The Honour Banner has the following form: it is split into two horizontal bands on the top of the Banner, the rest being split into two vertical bands of equal size. The left vertical band is further split in a similar fashion, one horizontal band on top and two vertical bands below. The larger horizontal bands bear, top to bottom, the emblem of the Titan Legion the machine belongs to, and the name of its home Forge World. Some Titan Legions, however, choose to display the Legion's name instead, and some individual Titan banners can be seen displaying their revered machine's name altogether. Further, the right vertical band contains a listing of the battles the Titan participated in and won (likely under its current Princeps), broken down by the type of enemy they faced – these markings being entirely invented by a given Legion. On the left vertical band, the top horizontal section displays the rank of the Princeps in command of the Titan, as well as recording past Princeps, if only by number. On the leftmost vertical band, the Titan's individual honours are listed in the form of arrayed "T" symbols. The vertical section located to the right contains a High Gothic litany of deliverance from danger, and dedicates the war engine to the Emperor.

Kill Banners

The Kill Banner displays the Titan-class kills attributable to the actions of an individual Moderatus. The Kill Banner usually takes the shape of a triangle, with a top section bearing decoration used to differentiate each Moderati's banner, and the lower section listing the kills -- usually in the form of skulls. If there is only one Gun Moderatus aboard a Titan, only one banner will be flown. The Moderati religiously mark their feats on their banners, as a form of service to the Titan, and in extension, to the Machine God.

Heresy Banners

During the dark days of the Horus Heresy, fully half of the Collegia Titanica's Titan Legions declared their allegiance to the rebel Warmaster Horus in his bid for power over Mankind. Those Titans that have remained loyal to the Emperor during that grim time -- and survived -- gained the right to fly Heresy Banners, as a display of their steadfast loyalty to the Imperium. The banner, in addition to decoration specific to a given Titan Legion, bears the Divisio Militaris eagle, the Legion's campaign motto, citations and honours from battles the Titan has taken part in, and purity seals it has been awarded during this period.

Source: http://warhammer40k.wikia.com

[coolyo294]

Cerastus Knight-Lancer “Apsinthos” 

One of the more uncommon patterns of Knight-Engines fielded during the era of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, the Cerastus Knight-Lancer was a unique and highly specialized first-strike instrument. With its great speed and loping gait, Lancers excel at executing outflanking assaults and rapid strike maneuvers that other, slower Knights would be hard-pressed to carry out. Their armament also reflects this style of battle, with no thought given to long-range firepower in favor of murderous close-combat capabilities. The Cerastus Shock Lance from which the pattern draws its name is a massive magneto-hydraulic power spear wreathed in a lethal disruption field. Although primarily a melee weapon, the disruption field can also be projected in short-ranged blasts, giving the Lancer limited ranged capabilities. Lancers also carry an Ion Gauntlet Shield on one of their arms. This is a more concentrated, powerful version of the Directional Ion Shields mounted on Knight Paladins, but lacks its larger cousin’s tactical flexibility.  

Apsinthos was the favored engine of House Vyronii’s scion Elsbet Vorr. During the dark days of the Horus Heresy House Vyronii remained loyal to the Imperium, famously swearing that they would stand firm against the arch-Traitor or perish in the attempt. At Hive Ilium during the Manachean War Elsbet and her fellow Knight-Lancers demonstrated this oath when they sacrificed their engines in a suicidal charge against the Reaver-class Battle Titan Raxvalian of the treacherous Legio Tempestus. All fell in glory, sacrificing their lives to bring down the renegade God-Engine. Her mortal remains were entombed along with her engine within the rubble of the shattered hive city. 

As was typical of the time, Apsinthos is replete with the heraldry of its House and pilot. The jagged red and white band (referred to as a ‘raguly bend sinister’ by the Adepts Pursuivant of the Officio Militaris College of Arms) is part of Elsbet Vorr’s personal heraldry. It represents a harrowing hardship overcome by the bearer and was adopted by Vorr after her triumph over the psionic domination of Damaetus III/II’s autocthonic xenos population. The crowned skull and lighting bolts motif of House Vyronii is also prominently represented.