The Légion of Damnés is one of the chapters Space Marines the most mysterious in the Univers of fiction of Warhammer 40,000. It would be about a legion of Space Marines returned of the Warp under the aspect of spectra whereas she had been declared Perditia.

Origins of the Legion of Damnés

The Hawks Fire

The origins of the legion of damnés go back to the creation of a chapter named the Hawks Fire. Probably resulting from the chapter of first foundation of the Overseas, the Hawks Fire belong to the cursed foundation, project the purpose of which was to create astartes (space marine) improved but which failed, leading to the curse of all the foundation. The Hawks Fire underwent this curse perhaps more still than any of the other chapters of the foundation: after having helped to overcome Astral Claws (become Red Corsairs today) at the time of the war of Badab, the Hawks Fire were sent in the under-sector of the world of Crows (year 963 of M41) to drive out there the bands of pirates eldars who plunged planets of the sector in anarchy and to restore the imperial law there. They left the system of Piraeus, at 120 light-years of their destination with all their vessels and their space fortress, but never managed to achieve their goal. The chapter was declared Perditia several years later.

The reappearance

It is only well later that Imperium came again into contact with the Hawks Fire. In several places of the galaxy and with crucial moments, at the time of battles which seemed lost in advance, the imperial forces accepted the unexpected support of powerful allied which appeared without preventing on the battle field and destroyed the enemy forces before being withdrawn. It was about spaces marine, whose armor was covered with funeral symbols such as flames and bones. They did not seem to belong to any the known chapters and it was impossible to find the least trace of them at the end of the battle, not more than it was not possible to discover how they had arrived at the combat so discreetly…

Tigurius, of the Overseas, is one of the rare people to have been able to attend the intervention of this navy. Some inquisiteurs tried to return in liaison with the Legion of Damnés when it made an appearance, but any succeeded forever, the circumstances always leaguing against them to prevent them from approaching the marine space. Only some objects could be found behind the legion, in particular a banner of the Hawks Fire carrying the inscription " In dedicato imperatum ultra articulo mortis" (For the Emperor beyond death) and some other relics which revealed in Administratum the tragedy destiny of this legion.

The Hawks Fire, following their jump Warp, would have been taken in a storm Warp of a rare intensity and would have lost the totality of their fleet, put aside only one vessel, the Absolute, which managed to leave the Warp to arrive some share at the east of the galaxy, well far from the under-sector of the world of Crows.

The Legion of Damnés through the ages

With the whole beginning…

According to the first version of Warhammer 40,000, the legion of damnés respects the following history:

Shortly after their exit of the storm would have been declared at the few 200 frêres surviving a disease, probably resulting from the Warp which made little by little rot the bodies of the marine space, their consequently offering occasion a force higher than that of the standard navy as well as an immunity to the capacities and creatures of the Warp, others that material. All their recruits, like their servants and a good part of the general headquarter would have died in the storm Warp, their lost genetic material, and the disease was given the responsability to complete half of the survivors for all the length of time that took the return to them towards Imperium. Last the Hawks Fire then would have become the legion of damnés, abolishing any form of hierarchy in the chapter. Each space marine would have repaints its armor with its way, generally taking again the topic mortifère bones and flames, and the destroyed legion would have been thrown in the combat against the enemies of Imperium while waiting for his last hour…

After some modifications

The Legion of Damnés underwent some impressive modifications starting from version 2.

Initially, a figurine in limited edition, the Centurius sergeant, is put on sale to celebrate the opening of the hundredth store of Ranges Workshop. This figurine would to some extent call into question the fact that the legion is deprived of hierarchy.

Finally, the chapter will become an enigmatic force, with the aspect ghostly, and capable of téléporter with wish. The history stated above is not then completely any more respected, and it is impossible to date to determine what are exactly the navy of the Legion of Damnés.

Some precise details

The Tarot of the Emperor

It is thanks to this card deck worked, used by many archivists, lords and governors, that the Legion would determine where and when it must go to help the warriors of Imperium in the need. Nobody can criticize this method since it was discovered that each intervention of the Legion saved of a great danger the forces Imperium.

Details on the Hawks Fire

The Hawks Fire are a chapter of the 21st foundation (M36), also called " Maudite" foundation;. They would go down from the Ultramarines and their world of origin would be Zhoros. This planet with undergone a bombardment of thermal warheads during the age of the apostasy which in made a dead world and explains the symbol of nuclear mushroom that raised the Hawks Fire on their épaulières before disappearing in the Warp. The color of the armours of the chapter was the orange yellow and it (which they often raised in reasons for flames). After their reconversion, it is the black which was used as prime coat.