Custodian Organisation...

[Oiad]

Hile all! Currently I'm in the midst of pulling work together for a project concerning those awesome bodyguards everyone loves - the Custodes. But it's currently halted by a conundrum of sorts. Here it is: Does the change of the term Legio Custodes to Adeptus Custodes have any relevance to Codex: Astartes, and if so did it have any impact on the size of their organisation?

 

We all know how the changes made to the Legio Astartes were affected by the introduction of the Codex - that it was also introduced as a method of dealing with the fallout of the Horus Heresy and to act as a deterrent to the future repeating itself. However, as well as being a separate organisation within the hierarchy of the Imperium, the Custodes also managed to remain completely loyal throughout their service. Both points could lead to it's exemption. So what gives with the name change? Did they find many of the tenants of the Codex agreeable? Or was just due to the change in their role - what with the Emperor practically imprisoned on the Golden Throne.

 

So far I have their current organisation down to the following though it is not based on any official source as far as I know. Are there any different views to it?:

• 300 Companions, at least 200 upwards of which guard the Eternity Gate at any one time. Companions diverted from the gate are used to command the rest of the Custodes, either within the grounds of the Palace or those sent on rare missions outside its domain.
  
• 10,000 Guardians guarding the entirety of the Imperial Palace.
  

From my understanding, at least 1,000 Companions met landfall on Prospero, along with the Sisters of Silence and Space Wolves. If the figures above are correct then surely changes were made...

[spu00sed]

I thought the companions guarded the golden throne.

 

They were the elite of the custodes when he was alive and never left his side, so would make sense that they would keep up the role.

 

Also where is this information on the name change?

 

Organisation wise I would assume that they were quite fluid (thius is of course all of my own opinion). Several sources stat how they act and work alone, even in groups they are individuals.

 

To me this means they don't spend much time in squad based groups, since they would start forming group tactics, even if they don't plan too.

 

This is backed up by blood games when individuals break off to partake in the games, so the squads would be understrength if others didn't join it, and I can't see the custodes leaving the emperor with under strength guards.

 

They also patrol the palace in its continent covering entirety. This means they need to break into smaller groups.

 

First Heretic shows that a single custodes is more than a match for almost anything, backed up by blood games, so patrolling individually shouldn;t be a problem.

 

The closest to organisation I could see is different “cohorts” or “maniples” (Or whatever name GW chooses) specialising in different forms of combat

 

guardian spear

Jetbike

Terminator

Gladius and shield

Flamepike

etc

[bjornsval]

Not sure what the new fluff is. From the older versions of 40k. The Custodes have final say on who can enter into the presence of Big E. Some of the heresy novels mention this also,even when it concerned the primarchs.Since they are/were Big E's personal bodyguards and answerable only to him,i highly doubt any organization has authority over the custodes.

[Don the Oiler]

I could imagine their overall size was reduced, since they (to my knowledge) weren't active as an offensive fighting force outside of the palace since the Heresy. And by "reduced" i mean they didn't make up for the losses they suffered during the BoT, so more the unvoluntary kind of restructuring.

Maybe they DID make up for their losses, they merely changed their name, and the whole inner sanctum around the throne is choke-full with custodes, but there's just so many people you can effectively protect a building with.

But this is all just speculation on my part.

[LordOfSkyfall]

The change in title from Legio to Adeptus only happened when the emperor died, basicaly just the change in government when it was left to the High Lords, Adeptus does not come out of the Codex Astartes but puts every seperate organisation under the one Government. The Custodes are also the only organisation in the Imperium which the Inquisition have no power over

[Perrin]

Would it be possible for the Custodes to recuperate losses? Ive never heard anything about them recruiting and they were made by the Emperor himself. So were the early marines but Custodes are more advanced than marines.

[Sons of Horus]

I don't think the Custodes can recruit new members since only the emperor knows how to make them. They are also an entirely independent organization I believe and answer to no one. The name change is something I don't know though but it was probably done during the aftermath of the Heresy when the Imperium was trying to fix itself.

[KnightCommander_Almaric]

I don't think the Custodes can recruit new members since only the emperor knows how to make them. They are also an entirely independent organization I believe and answer to no one. The name change is something I don't know though but it was probably done during the aftermath of the Heresy when the Imperium was trying to fix itself.

 

 

Hang on and this may sound like a dippy question but surely that means all the custodes are 10,000 years+ years old? if only the Emperor can make them and knows how to make them, how does that work, surely the technology to build a custode must be in the Imperial palace somewhere.

[Oiad]

In the ages before the Heresy, the Emperor had hundreds of engineers to assist with the construction of his projects, such as the Golden Throne. I wouldn't like to believe that the ability to make Custodians was completely his alone and was therefore lost. Likely-hood is that they never need to recruit. As the Custodes have fought in few conflicts over the past ten millennia they have likely incurred few casualties. Maybe in training if anything. *shrugs*

 

This differs from the Astartes who are constantly at war. It hardly affords them the luxury of a long-life by comparison.

 

...They were the elite of the Custodes when he was alive and never left his side, so would make sense that they would keep up the role...

Indeed, the Companions are the elite of the Custodes. Interestingly, they are often the characters of focus in much fiction that uses the Custodes. Many seem to forget this a treat the ability and authority of a Companion as being the standard of the Custodian medium overall, which isn't necessarily true. As to your other points:

• The Eternity Gate is the Inner Sanctum Don' talked about; the entrance way to the Golden Throne.
  
• Legio Custodes can be sourced in Visions of Heresy I believe, though it's not the first time I had heard of the phrase. Isn't it well established then?
  
• As for the organisation, I'm more interesting in their numbers at the moment as their mindset and practices are well-documented.
  

Since they are/were Big E's personal bodyguards and answerable only to him,i highly doubt any organization has authority over the Custodes.

True per se. Some like to view the Custodes as a stubborn set of people (ala Space Wolves or Imperial Fists) but it doesn't really have any backing as far as I've read. Let's not forget that they likely had a seat with the Council of the High Lords at some time or another. It's not a long-stretch of the imagination to believe discussions regarding similar subjects took place between The Custodian Captain-General and 'High Commander Guilliman'.

 

The change in title from Legio to Adeptus only happened when the emperor died, basically just the change in government when it was left to the High Lords, Adeptus does not come out of the Codex Astartes but puts every separate organisation under the one Government. The Custodes are also the only organisation in the Imperium which the Inquisition have no power over

Most of that is interesting, except for last part. Hope you're not trying to throw us Inquisitorial-supporters off-track because of our meddlesome ways. :)