Deathwatch: A Comprehensive History

[Vash113]

Ok so this is a very small article for the series and the Deathwatch aren't a "Chapter" per se but... whatever. I decided to whip this up after compiling the research as a little side project, a break from the longer articles so to speak. I'm not sure how much the Ordo Xenos gets talked about here but figured this is the best place to unveil this. Next up is the Grey Knights though, but in the meantime let me know what you guys think of this and if you see anything missing.

 

Deathwatch: A Comprehensive History

 

Introduction

 

T

he Deathwatch are figures of myth and legend throughout the Imperium. Covert operatives armed with the best technology the Imperium can offer, trained by the best agents of the Ordo Xenos and operating under the strictest secrecy, the members of the Deathwatch are formidable foes and form the backbone of the military arm of the Inquisition?s Alien Hunters. The Ordo Xenos is the branch of the Inquisition tasked with the study, containment and often the extermination of the many alien threats to the Imperium. On uncounted battlefields the armed forces of the Imperium face the myriad hordes of the xenos and often the first, best, and only line of defense against the foul xenos threat are the Kill-Teams of the Deathwatch.

 

Every Space Marine Chapter, Imperial Guard Regiment and Imperial Navy Fleet stands ready to fight the hated xenos, but only the Deathwatch have been specially trained and tasked with solely facing the alien races of the galaxy. Some of these races have slumbered in silent hibernation for thousands, if not millions of years, races such as the C?Tan and Necrontyr. Grim and silent Deathwatch fortresses orbit dead worlds at the very edges of the galaxy, forever awaiting the slumbering threat to awaken and give battle once more. Secret bases of operation, fortresses and headquarters lay scattered across the width and breadth of the Imperium from which the Space Marine kill-teams of the Deathwatch can launch and co-ordinate their missions.

 

Whenever a xenos race rises to threaten the Imperium, the Deathwatch will be at the forefront of the Imperium?s defense, ever ready to undertake the most daring and dangerous missions the Inquisitors of the Ordo Xenos can imagine.

 

Organization

 

T

he truth around the origins of the Deathwatch is shrouded in mystery like all branches of the Inquisition but has its roots in the time of troubles following the Horus Heresy and its members have seen service against many of the Imperium?s most dire foes in the many long centuries since. Like the other branches of the Inquisition the Deathwatch operates with the utmost secrecy, with Deathwatch veterans held to silence even upon their return to their home Chapters.

 

The marines of the Deathwatch are deployed in small units called kill-teams numbering between five and twelve operatives on average. Missions are chosen by the Inquisitors of the Ordo Xenos who then request the aid of the Deathwatch. Should the request be deemed sufficiently dire a Deathwatch Captain or Librarian will accept the mission and put together a hand-picked team from available Deathwatch Marines.

Author

Vash113 is a Codicier here on the B&C and author of the Comprehensive History series

The Space Marines of the Deathwatch come from many Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes and membership within the hallowed ranks of the Deathwatch is considered a great honor. Only the best are granted membership within the Deathwatch and terms of service within the organization vary anywhere from a few years to decades. The very best are sometimes granted permanent terms of service within the Deathwatch and it is a great honor for the chosen marine and his Chapter. Occasionally a Chapter will be denied all entrants within the Deathwatch, most recently the Chapters that sided with the renegade Astral Claws during the Badab Uprising. The Mantis Warriors, one of those ill-fated Chapters, has only recently been returned the honor of membership within the Deathwatch.

 

Some Chapters send a much larger number of marines to serve in the Deathwatch than others, some to gain experience quickly and others to spread the lessons of their own experience against the vile xenos. A few such Chapters are the Crimson Fists, Ultramarines and Scythes of the Emperor. The Crimson Fists are well known for their exploits against the Orks and other alien races and were among the greatest contributors to the Deathwatch?s ranks before the Battle for Rynn?s World that nearly saw the Chapter destroyed. The Scythes of the Emperor dispatched many of the Chapter?s surviving Veterans to serve within the Deathwatch following the defeat of Hive Fleet Leviathan at Ichar IV to share their hard earned experience fighting the Tyranids with the Ordo Xenos? alien hunters, what the nearly destroyed Scythes of the Emperor gained in return is unknown. The Ultramarines sent many promising marines to serve within the Deathwatch following the Battle for Macragge to rapidly gain experience amongst the Imperium?s best xenos hunters and help replenish the Chapter?s Veteran Company quickly.

 

The Deathwatch trains and equips its warriors to the highest standards. Deathwatch operatives have access to specialized bolt rounds, suspensor assist technology, advanced helmet systems and a variety of rare types of grenades and specialist equipment. Terminator Armor is not common within the Deathwatch but it does occasionally see use with some operatives, in general the missions of the Deathwatch require stealth and speed, both areas where Terminator Armor does not excel. Dreadnaughts are also uncommon within the ranks of the Deathwatch but a few have seen service within the alien-hunters ranks.

 

Kill-Teams do not have a standard organization but in general number no more than a dozen operatives chosen on a per-mission basis by senior officer. Led by a Captain or Librarian and sometimes both, these teams will be tailored to suite the chosen mission and will include any necessary specialists such as Apothecaries and Techmarines.

 

Deathwatch members repaint their armor black but will always leave the right shoulder pad in their Chapter?s colors and display their Chapter iconography there, for no Marine would dishonor the machine-spirit of their armor by covering their Chapter colors entirely. The left arm and shoulder pad is painted silver and will display the stylized I of the Inquisition, symbol of the Marine?s loyalty and affiliation.

 

Combat-Doctrine and Missions

 

S

peed and stealth are the watchwords of the Deathwatch, for their missions are generally deep behind enemy lines, highly dangerous and the Deathwatch are always outnumbered. The operatives of a Deathwatch Kill-Team do not often have the luxury of significant support and have to accomplish their mission with the odds stacked greatly against them and usually with a very limited window of time.

 

The missions Deathwatch operatives undertake are many and range from seek and destroy, assassination and sabotage missions to capture and control and recovery missions. Deathwatch teams may be sent to assassinate a Hive Lord, Eldar Autarch or Ork Warboss, or they may be called to recover an alien artifact for study by Ordo Xenos agents. While the Inquisitor overseeing an operation or investigation has command authority in the field but in exceptional cases a Deathwatch Captain or Librarian may take command. Similarly Deathwatch Captains and Librarians have the unquestioning authority to requisition Imperial forces and material and even have access to xenos equipment obtained by the Ordo Xenos. Deathwatch Marines are usually trained at the Inquisitorial Fortress on Talasa Prime.

 

In many cases the Deathwatch will undertake missions in secrecy and alone, however it is not uncommon for Deathwatch teams to request assistance from nearby Imperial forces should they uncover an unexpected threat the team cannot deal with or the situation becomes untenable or for any number of other reasons. One such instance was when Inquisitor Reynaard uncovered a cult of alien worship on the planet of Mandall IV. Inquisitor Reynaard believed the cult was isolated to one specific district of the Capitol City but when he arrived with a kill-team to cleanse the heretic taint the entire city rose to oppose him. The Inquisitor and the Deathwatch Marines barely escaped only to return later at the head of more than five-hundred thousand Imperial soldiers and utterly destroyed the city to contain the taint.

 

Likewise Imperial forces that encounter an alien threat they are ill-equipped to face may receive assistance from a Deathwatch Kill-Team, dispatched by the Ordo Xenos to provide support and cleanse a battlefield of alien taint. As a recent example the ravages of the K?nib in the Donorian sector were only halted with the intervention of Battle-Brother Artemis led a kill-team to assist the Kaslon Imperial Guard Regiment battling the deadly xenos. Artemis himself slew the K?nib Alcayde on the world of Assumptus V, turning the war in the Imperium?s favor and breaking the back of the alien threat, though of course the official report gave the credit to the Kaslon Regiment.

 

While normally Deathwatch teams do not operate outside of Ordo Xenos operations, Inquisitor Kryptman has gained the loyalty of many Deathwatch teams and despite having been declared a rogue has continued to receive assistance from a significant number of Deathwatch teams in his efforts against the Tyranid xenos. It was Deathwatch teams working unofficially for Kryptman that diverted the Tyranids to the Ork Sector of Octavius and prevented the xenos from ravaging the worlds of the Imperium further.

 

Known Missions

 

Tartarus Artifact Obtainment

 

I

n 999.M38 the Ordo Xenos received intelligence that the Eldar would be facing a chaos incursion on the Imperial world of Tartarus. Inquisitor Jhordine led a Deathwatch Kill-Team to the planet immediately, the team arriving just as the battle between the chaos and xenos forces reached its apex. While a Greater Daemon of Chaos battled the Eldar Avatar the xenos Farseer attempted to trap the daemon in its crystalline prison once more. Inquisitor Jhordine and her kill-team made their way to the site of the final battle, fighting their way through the Eldar perimeter, including a clash with the formidable Wraithguard. Captain Trythos of the Blood Ravens slew one of the Wraithguard in close combat, destroying its soul-stone on the advice of Inquisitor Jhordine. The loss of their apparent leader drew the remaining Wraithguard back to the Eldar Farseer, leaving a gap open for the kill-team to slip through.

 

As the fight between the Avatar and the Daemon concluded, with the Avatar slain and the Daemon trapped once more in its prison, the kill-team made its move. While the Eldar psykers were still recovering from the effort of trapping the daemon Librarian Prothius, also of the Blood Ravens, rushed to the site of the fallen Avatar and recovered a fragment of the Eldar daemon?s shattered sword. With a piece of the potent Wailing Doom in hand the kill-team extracted via Thunderhawk. The fragment of the Wailing Doom was later forged into a potent Daemonhammer of the Ordo Malleus.

 

The Coven of Isha

 

T

he Coven of Isha is a little known piece of the Ordo Xenos? history, in return for the aid of Eldrad Ulthran in ancient times the Ordo Xenos gifted the Farseer of Ulthwé with a number of icons that would summon the aid of the Ordo Xenos without question. In the later years of the 41st millennium one of these favors was repaid.

 

Located on the Ramugan Inquisitorial Sub-Station, a star fort maintained and garrisoned by all three principle Ordos of the Inquisition, the Coven of Isha Inquisitor Lord?s Vargas and Seishon kept a close watch on the Eye of Terror. When Eldrad Ulthran appeared to the Inquisitors requesting aid it was only a matter of time before the events that resulted in such a request would come to the attention of the Ordo Hereticus and Ordo Malleus elements aboard the station. Acting quickly the Inquisitors requisitioned a kill-team of the Deathwatch with the mission of rendezvousing with the Craftworld Ulthwé and rendering the Eldar whatever aid they required to repay the ancient debt. Headed by Captain Octavius of the Imperial Fists the team was assembled and dispatched aboard the Deathwatch Nova-Class Frigate the Lance of Darkness. Unknown to Captain Octavius and the other members of the kill-team Librarian Ashok of the Angels Sanguine had another mission to accomplish given to him in secret by Inquisitor Lord Seishon, the recovery of Eldar spirit stones.

 

Captain Octavius led his marines in driving Dark Eldar Raiders from the depths of Craftworld Ulthwé and then accompanied several Ulthwé envoys to Hesperax, a world controlled by the Dark Eldar Witch Queen Lelith Hesperax herself. The Ulthwé representatives turned out to be offerings of appeasement to the Dark Eldar, as were the Deathwatch Marines, unfortunately for the Dark Eldar the Space Marines had no intention of playing along. Despite the loss of Captain Octavius to a Dark Eldar Talos the Deathwatch team succeeded in escaping from the Dark Eldar world and returning to the Ramugan station alive. Librarian Ashok had also secured a number of soul stones during the mission and turned them over to Inquisitor Seishon upon the team?s successful return, fulfilling his secret mission. Despite the trickery and enigmatic attitudes of the Eldar the mission was considered a success.

 

Herodian IV Recovery Mission

 

O

fficially designated Tyranocide, the mission to Herodian IV was a cover for the real mission, the recovery of Inquisitor Grendel and an amplification and disruption device he had developed based off of Eldar technology and Tyranid genetics.

 

The mission was overseen by Inquisitor Parthon aboard his personal vessel the Veiled Salvation and headed on the ground by Inquisitor Kalypsia. The Deathwatch team dispatched to Herodian IV was commanded by Captain Octavius of the Imperial Fists and an Angels Sanguine Librarian named Ashok.

 

The disgraced Mantis Warriors were fighting on Herodian IV as part of their Penitent Crusade when the Deathwatch team arrived on the scene. Aided by the Mantis Warriors, who sacrificed the lives of many great warriors in the battle against the Tyranids, the Deathwatch team infiltrated the compound of Inquisitor Grendel and recovered the necessary components for Inquisitor Parthon. Many of the team members were lost against the Tyranids but the Mantis Warriors redeemed themselves in the eyes of the Deathwatch and the Imperium, their Penitent Crusade ended and their first member was accepted into the Deathwatch since the Badab Uprising, Assault Marine Kruidan.

 

Arronax Headhunt

 

U

nder the instruction of a secretive Inquisitor known by the codename: Sigma, a Deathwatch Kill-Team designated Talon Squad infiltrated the Ork looted ship formerly known as the Pegasus. The team?s mission was the recovery of the head of Ork Wierdboy Balthazog Bludwrekk, for use as a focus in a psychic amplification device Inquisitor Sigma had acquired previously. The squad infiltrated the vessel and worked their way to Bludwrekk?s personal sanctum where Codicier Lyandro Karras of the Death Spectres defeated and beheaded the Ork Wierdboy. Despite the Ork ship having become alert to their presence the team managed to ex-filtrate from the Ork ship without casualties and return the head to Inquisitor Sigma.

 

Battle for Tarsis Ultra

 

W

hen the Tyranids invaded the world of Tarsis Ultra the Ultramarines and Mortifactors stood against them, but they were not alone for the Deathwatch Kill-Team of Imperial Fists Captain Bannon stood with them. Inquisitor Kryptman worked on creating a toxin that would destroy the Tyranid invaders while the Deathwatch marines fought alongside their brother astartes against the xenos. When a Lictor was discovered within the Capitol Bannon?s marines aided in its capture, giving Kryptman the purestrain genetic sample he needed to craft his toxin. Captain Bannon and many of the Deathwatch veterans gave their lives to defeat the xenos but the toxin was ultimately successful, planted within the Norn queen of the Hive Fleet the toxin quickly spread throughout the Tyranid Invaders, ending the serious threat and leaving little but mop-up work remaining.

 

Hunt for the Faxlignae

 

T

he Faxlignae are a mysterious and highly secretive organization with a dark reputation amongst the Ordo Xenos. A group of mercenaries and soldiers that steal and utilize alien weaponry and warmachines the Faxlignae have proven incredibly difficult to track down or stop and rumors persist that they receive aid from the Ordo Xenos. Until recently these rumors were unsubstantiated but Inquisitor Grynner of the Ordo Xeno, working with Inquisitor Carolus of the Ordo Hereticus stumbled upon the operations of a seedy group of smugglers known as the Shadow Franchise, which eventually led them to the secretive xenos tech using mercenaries and a psyker sanctuary known aptly enough as ?The Sanctuary.? Deathwatch operatives under the employ of Inquisitor Grynner captured an officer of the Faxlignae in a recent raid on a covert smuggling transit station but it is as yet unclear how these three organizations fit together and who in the Inquisition is behind them. Until the matter is resolved the Deathwatch operatives will continue to assist Inquisitor Grynner and his acolytes.

 

Berien Mission

 

T

he mission to Berien had a simple objective, halt the Necron xenos, but was achieved only through significant cost. The exact world that sheltered the Necron Tombs was unknown, so to find it the Ordo Xenos used the Cadian 23rd as bait, drawing the awakening Necrons into combat. The Deathwatch then used specially designed Odysseus bolts containing tracking devices to discover the location of the Necron repair facilities. When a Necron warrior with an imbedded Odysseus bolt phased out the bolt went with it and continued to broadcast to the waiting Ordo Xenos ship in orbit. The Odysseus bolts led the Deathwatch team to the outer-system dead world of Berien. Infiltrating the repair chamber the Deathwatch planted thermic charges before teleporting to safety. Despite the success of this operation and the invaluable data recorded by the Marines it cost the lives of six of the nine Deathwatch operatives and shows the significant threat the Necrons pose to the Imperium.

 

Known Marines and Vessels

 

Tartarus Operatives

 

Blood Ravens Captain Trythos

-Trythos wielded a Power Axe that was destroyed facing Wraithguard, later interred within a Dreadnaught and fell in battle two millennia later on Tartarus under the command of Captain Gabriel Angelos.

 

Blood Ravens Librarian Prothius

-Prothius wields a Force Staff and personally recovered the fragment of the Wailing Doom that had brought the Deathwatch to Tartarus.

 

Hesperax Operatives

 

Imperial Fists Captain Octavius

-Captain Octavius received the honor of permanent secondment to the Deathwatch after his heroics on the world of Herodian IV. Killed in action against a Dark Eldar Talos on Hesperax.

 

Revilers Chaplain Luthar

 

Blood Angels Brother: Name Unknown

 

Black Consul?s Assault Marine Sergeant Pelius

 

Mantis Warrior?s Assault Marine Kruidan

 

Red Talon?s Techmarine Iron-Father Sulphus

 

 

Blood Raven's Librarian Atreus

-Atreus wields a Force Staff and was the second Librarian of the team and decidedly different of temperament from Librarian Ashok.

 

Angels Sanguine Librarian Ashok

-Librarian Ashok wields a Force Staff and was given a secret secondary assignment during the Hesperax mission, the recovery of Eldar spirit stones, which he accomplished admirably.

 

Herodian IV Operatives

 

Imperial Fists Captain Octavius

-Captain Octavius wields an Eldar Wraithsword.

 

Crimson Fists Veteran Sergeant Grevius

 

Crimson Fists Brother Name Unknown

 

Black Templar's Chaplain Broec

 

White Consul's Terminator Neleus

 

Raven Guard Techmarine Korpheus

 

Space Wolves Brother Kulac

 

Angels Sanguine Librarian Ashok

-Ashok wields a Force Staff.

 

The Pegasus Operataives

 

Death Spectres Librarian Lyandro Karras aka Scholar, Codename: Alpha

-Codicier Rank Librarian, Karras is the team leader and wields the Force Sword Arquemann.

 

Raven Guard Brother Siefer Zeed aka Ghost

-Zeed wields Twin Lightning Claws and is undoubtedly the joker of the team.

 

Imperial Fists Brother Maximmion Voss aka Omni

-Heavy Weapons Specialist particularly fond of the Heavy Flamer.

 

Ultramarines Brother Solarion aka Prophet

-Stealth Specialist trained by Torias Tellion, Brother Solarion wields a Bolter.

 

Exorcists Brother Darrion Rauth

-Brother Rauth wields a Bolter.

 

Lamenters Dreadnaught Chyron

 

Tarsis Ultra Operatives

 

Imperial Fists Captain Bannon

-Captain Bannon wields a Power Knife.

 

White Scars Brother Jagatun

-Brother Jagutan wields a Talwar Combat Blade.

 

Space Wolves Brother Henghast

-Brother Henghast wields a Power Sword.

 

Raven Guard Apothecary Damias

-Brother Damias is the team?s Apothecary and wields a Power Fist.

 

Howling Griffons Brother Alvarax

-Brother Alvarax wields a Heavy Bolter.

 

White Consuls Brother Pelantar

-Brother Pelantar wields a Heavy Bolter.

 

Salamanders Brother Elwaine

-Brother Elwaine wields a Flamer.

 

Calixis Operatives

 

Silver Skulls Librarian Paulus

 

Uknown Chapter Apothecary Krypen

 

Space Wolves Brother Orjen

 

Iron Hands Techmarine Ullen

 

Berien Operatives

 

Deathwatch Captain- Unknown Name and Chapter

 

Unknown Chapter Brother Emeric

-Armed with an M.40 Bolter and Odysseus tracking bolts, killed in action.

 

Unknown Chapter Brother Weiss

-Armed with a Power Fist and M.40 Bolter with Odysseus tracking bolts, wounded in action.

 

Unknown Chapter Brother Quetus

-Team technical expert armed with marking laser, killed in action.

 

Uknown Chapter Brother Saul

-Brother Saul wields a Heavy Bolter.

 

Unknown Chapter Brother Andric

-Armed with a Bolter, killed in action.

 

Unknown Chapter Brother Phaedron

-Armed with a Power Sword, killed in action.

Sources

Index Astartes: Deathwatch

Warrior Brood

Warrior Coven

Dawn of War

Warriors of Ultramar

Xenos

Scourge the Heretic

Innocence Proves Nothing

Heroes of the Space Marines: Headhunted

Chapter Approved 2003

How to Paint Space Marines

Codex: Necrons

The Inquisition

WD 269

 

Unknown Chapter Brother Kranovic

-Squad demolitions expert, likely a Techmarine, killed in action.

 

Unknown Chapter Brother Dalasq

-Armed with a Bolter, killed in action.

 

Eisenhorn Operatives

 

Uknown Chapter Captain Cynewolf

 

Unknown Chapter Librarian Brytnoth

 

Other Known Deathwatch Veterans

 

Ultramarines Captain Uriel Ventris

-Deathwatch Veteran who fought alongside Captain Bannon on Tarsis Ultra and led the Deathwatch team that delivered the toxin to the Tyranid Queen to end the battle.

 

Brother Artemis

-Legendary figure of the Deathwatch who ended the K?nib threat on Assumptus V.

 

Crimson Fists Sergeant Leoxus Werner

-Sergeant Werner served in the Deathwatch for seven years before the Battle for Rynn?s World.

 

Crimson Fists Veteran Toma

-Deathwatch Veteran of the Crimson Fists Chapter.

 

Unknown Chapter Captain Marcellus

 

Unknown Chapter Brother Jarek

[number6]

Most excellent. ;)

[Piousservant]

Great article! ;)

 

IIRC Artemis is from the Mortifactors Chapter btw.

[Cornelias]

Nice work vash looks good :P

 

brother-sergeant angeloi <scythes of the emperor> went to the deathwatch in orphans of the kracken as part of the shady deal ;) think that's the only person named after having a quick flick through, i could be wrong though.

[DarKHaZZ13]

Surley Cyrus of the Blood Ravens from DoW2?

[Kaled100]

Nice work - but to make it a truly comprehensive history you should try to get hold of the Deathwatch rulebook which includes loads more information on things like the origins of the Deathwatch, their organisation, recruitment practices etc.

[Vash113]

Thanks for the comments everyone, just to let you know the article has finally been finished (for now) and published within the Librarium. To see the completed article click here.

[Growler67]

Under the "Known Marines and Vessels", the Perfect Incision was the name of the craft assigned to Inquisitor Kalypsia for the Herodian IV mission in "Warrior Brood". Not too sure of the Vessels Class, but it sounds like a shuttle of some sort. Still reading that book and haven't gotten any more information if it's available.

[thornz]

I commend you all for making this. It's a WONDERFUL resource and one I'm going to use to make my C.M.O.X. Deathwatch army from. Thanks for your tireless efforts and you thoroughness (is that a word?). Great stuff!

[Brother Tyler]

keep