The Adeptus Custodes are the guardians

of the Imperial Palace and the Golden

Throne, as well as being the personal
bodyguard to the Emperor. A small elite
of three hundred Custodes, known as
the Companions, form the Emperor's
personal bodyguard and never leave his
side.

Origins

The Adeptus Custodes have their origins during

the Terran Unification wars. Known at that time as
the Legio Custodes, they formed the Emperor’s
elite bodyguard and were formed from the
greatest warriors amongst the techno-barbarians
who fought in the Emperor’s armies. The
Custodians were then, and are still today, created
through a long, arduous and complex process of
genetic engineering and psychological
conditioning that created the greatest individuals
the Emperor was ever to create, second only
perhaps to the Primarchs.

Despite their superhuman strength, resilience and

reflexes, the Custodians are not Space Marines.
Unlike the Adeptus Astartes, they are not created
through geneseed, or the implantations of the
various associated organs. They are completely
engineered beings, never being truly human, but
always terrible and splendid giants among men.
The training of the Custodes also differed
immensely from the Astartes before the Heresy,
being Bodyguards rather than Soldiers. It is clear
from their Blood Games that Custodians were
trained in the arts of assassination, both
improvised and advanced, in order to counter
possible assassination attempts to the Emperor. It
was common for several Custodians to be on
detached duty for these Blood Games so that the
organisation remained vigilant against developing
threats. Following the Heresy their training
regimen has altered significantly to a constant
regime of drills, duels and strategic simulations,
with Blood Games taking a minimal, but not
absent, role.

Once the Emperor began his Great Crusade to

forge the Imperium of Man, the role of the
Custodes was expanded. Not only did they have a
contingent constantly at the Emperor’s side, but
also travelled individually as His envoys.
Following Horus’ Betrayal and the subsequent

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ascendance of the Emperor to the Golden
Throne, the Adeptus Custodes have not left
Terra, and rarely leave the Imperial Palace.
They are now His guardians, standing watch
over His mortal form.
Originally, they were equipped with the best
Power Armour of the age, and had access to the
same type of equipment and weapons as had
the Space Marine Legions. Equipment which
was characteristic of the Custodes would
influence the equipment of the later Grey
Knights. After the confinement of the Emperor
within the Golden Throne, the Custodes
abandoned, among other things, the use of their
armour, and their traditional colour of red was
changed to black.
During the Age of Apostasy, the Adeptus
Custodes reemerged briefly during the siege of
the Ecclesiarchal Palace of Terra in the reign of
Goge Vandire. During this time, the Custodes
attempted to make their way towards Vandire,
halted only by Brides of the Emperor whom
Vandire had convinced into becoming his
personal bodyguards. After a long and fruitless
discussion, the Custodes convinced the leader
of the Brides, Alicia Dominica, to return with

Imperial Aquila, used as the official insignia of the

Adeptus Custodes

Custodian Guard Colour Scheme

Guardian Spear
employed by
Custodian
Command
Squads. Bears
similarities to
Grey Knight
Nemesis Force Custodian Terminator. Note Pre-
Weapons Heresy components.

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 INDEX CUSTODES
them to the presence of the Emperor. What
happened during that moment is unknown, but
the effects resulted in the Brides of the
Emperor rebelling against Vandire, ending his
reign once and for all.
Home world
Terra is a hive world, the earth has long ago
been stripped of all forms of resources; its soil
is utterly barren and its atmosphere is a fog of
pollution. Massive, labyrinthine edifices of
state sprawl across the vast majority of the
surface. Its oceans have long ago boiled
away. Many mountain ranges have been
leveled - perhaps all but the Himalayas, which
seemingly remain all but untouched due to the
laboratories said to be underneath and the
chambers of the Astronomican that course
throughout the whole mountain range. Despite
being devastated during the Horus Heresy and
earlier than that during the long Age of Strife,
Terra is probably the most vastly-populated
and built-up hive world in the Imperium.
Beneath countless layers and millennia of
urban accretion, catacombs hold
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older cultures completely different from the
surface ones.
The Imperial Palace is a vast edifice
sprawling across a large part of a continent
on Terra, divided into the Inner and Outer
Palaces. The Palace is built to truly
monumental proportions; seen from orbit, it
consists of connected kilometres-high
monolithic and pyramidal structures,
marked with landing pads and studded
with defense weaponry.1
The Imperial Palace is as heavily
urbanized and populated as any hive city.
Adepts numbering in the billions work and
reside within the Palace. The Outer Palace
is also heavily urbanized by a population of
destitute non-adepts.
The Adeptus Custodes maintain a constant
vigil over the Imperial Palace, and are
among the few permitted to pass beyond
the Eternity Gate into the Emperor's
presence.
The Inner Palace, the Sanctum Imperialis,
is the massive throne room at the heart of
the Palace, where the arcane machinery
comprising the Golden Throne keep the
Emperor's few living cells alive, providing an
anchor point in the warp for his mighty spirit.
Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus
constantly maintain the vast Golden Throne. In
an arena before the Emperor himself, psykers
are soul-bound for Imperial service as
Astropaths. Standing before the Inner Palace is
the massive Eternity Gate, forged of the
strongest materials. Two Titans stand guard
over the Gate in its damasked beauty and
immeasurable strength.
Combat Doctrine
The Adeptus Custodes are warriors unmatched
in the galaxy, genetically engineered by the
Emperor himself. The Emperor engineered few
of these warriors as the swifter method using
gene-seed became more viable.
The martial capabilities of the Adeptus Custodes
remain largely unknown. What is known is that
they possess skill beyond even a 'normal'
member of the Adeptus Astartes. It has been
said that the Adeptus Custodes are to a Space
Marine what a Space Marine is to a member of
the Imperial Guard. They are similar to the Grey
Knights, the militant arm of the Ordo Malleus
branch of the Inquisition, in that both are elite,
secret organisations with close ties to the
Emperor. Custodes are unique as, unlike the
Grey Knights, they have neither a Primarch nor
geneseed, they are also far stronger, quicker
and more impressive than any Space Marine or
Grey Knight. They stand a full head taller than a
Space Marine and it's said that they were almost
the same size as a Primarch. In fact it was said
that Constantine Valdor, Chief Custodian to the
Emperor during the Horus Hersey, was the
same size as the traitor Primarch Alpharius of
the Alpha Legion.
Custodians are slightly larger, on average, than
Space Marines, their fighting skills are more or
less equal. While Space Marines don their armor
ritually and in the presence of their squadmates
in order to focus themselves entirely on their
martial calling, Custodians arm themselves
alone and in silence, reflecting on the varied
duties they must perform in the service of their
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CONSTANTIN VALDOR, CHIEF
CUSTODIAN TO THE EMPEROR
Constantine Valdor, was the Chief Custodian during the
Heresy. He was the most honoured of all the Emperor of
Mankind's creations. No other being had served the
Emperor for as long as he, save Malcador the Sigillite.
Valdor was a proud and respectful warrior unmatched in
his devotion and loyalty to the Emperor. Valdor was ever-
present at the Emperor's side, always protecting him from
unseen enemies and saving the Emperor's life innumerable
times. Along with Malcador, Valdor was his most trusted
friend and advisor.
Just prior to the Horus Heresy, Valdor was charged by the
Emperor to accompany Leman Russ of the Space Wolves
in bringing Magnus the Red to account for breaking
promises made during the Council of Nikaea at which the
Emperor strictly forbade the use of sorcery and psychic
powers.
Valdor, with a contingent of elite Custodian Guard, fought
alongside Russ and the Space Wolves on Prospero. He and
his forces were responsible for killing at least three of the
greatest psykers of the Thousand Sons and routing a force
much more numerous than their own, however little else is
known after this. He was also responsible for saving Bjorn
when his arm was corrupted by the sorcerous powers of a
Thousand Sons psyker. Valdor sliced Bjorn's arm off to
prevent the corruption from overrunning his body.
master. As bodyguards, the Custodes not only
protect the Emperor's person but also maintain
scrupulous surveillance on Imperial factions,
infiltrate the households of suspicious
individuals, and enter deep cover to test the
tightness of their own security net, an exercise
known as a blood game.
Each Custodian's name consists of numerous
components typically awarded for feats of arms.
Valdor's full name, for instance, is over nine
hundred components long.
Before the Emperor's enthronement they had
access to the same equipment as the Legions of
the Space Marines. However, since then they
have taken a far more limited role, and never
leave Terra and only very rarely leave the
Imperial Palace. Accordingly (although the
Imperial Palace covers a vast area) they have
no need for a wide array of weaponry and
 INDEX CUSTODES
THE COMPANIONS
Only three hundred of the Adeptus Custodes serve as the
actual personal guard of the Emperor. These are those that
are privileged enough to be in the Emperor's physical
presence. Each unit of Companions is led by a Centurion.
It was one such Centurion that led a small group of
Companions to meet Alicia Dominica, head of the Brides
of the Emperor (later Sisters of Battle) during Vandire's
Reign of Blood.
vehicles.
The Custodes abandoned wearing armour
following the enthronement of the Emperor.
Their traditional colour of red also changed to
black. Their armour also influenced the later
Grey Knights. The uniforms of the Custodians
are traditional but effective: boots, leather
breeches and long black cloaks. Their torsos
are naked and corded with tattooed muscle.
Their tall, brazen helmets, ominous and all-
enclosing, give them a threatening and
impersonal appearance; ancient and ornate,
the helmets incorporate advanced protective
equipment and communicators.
The weapons carried by the Custodes
resemble spears, but in fact they are laser
weapons built in the shape of spears. The
spears are built to resemble the original
Guardian Spears, carried by the Adeptus
Custodes before the Emperor's confinement.
The guardian spear is closely associated with
the Custodes, and is depicted on their banners
and badges. A gladius is normally seen at their
side.
Organisation
The Adeptus Custodes is a department of the
Adeptus Terra, the Imperial government, but
its members are answerable only to the
Emperor and their own leaders.
The organization's leader carries the title of
Captain-General, and due to the importance of
the Adeptus Custodes he often holds a
position in the Senate of the High Lords of
Terra.
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The lowest rank amongst the Custodes is
that of Custodian Guard. These squads
provide fire support in defensive
operations, form rapid response teams
during a siege, and man the limited supply
of Custodes vehicles. Above them are the
Custodian Terminators. These warriors are
the cliffs upon which the waves of the
enemy break helplessly. They are able to
weather the storm of blows attackers rain
down on them, and allow time for strategic
redeployment of other squads in the force.
Finally, the Custodian Command Squads
form the highest echelons of the Custodes.
These veterans wield the Guardian Spears
and have trained for 10,000 years so that
with every swing of their blades, a lethal
blow is inevitably struck.
Beliefs
Although the Custodes were among the
first modified warriors to be created by the
Emperor, they were never intended to be
part of a conquering army; such a role was
to be filled by the latter Astartes armies.
This is revealed both in their mindset and
training:
While Custodians share a genetic kinship
with one another within the formation, do
not foster the same spirit of brotherhood
that is instilled within the Astartes in order
to function together as a unit. Indeed, each
Custodian prepares and inspects his
equipment individually, rather than on
military parade.
The individuality of each Custodes is
further promoted by the fact that the
processes required to produce them is not
as refined or as simple as that of the
Astartes and thus are not "mass-
produced" as the Astartes are; meaning
that each Custodian is a unique investment
for the Imperium.
One ritual that the Custodes do share is
the recognition of mighty deeds,
manifested in the awarding of names, which are
added to the Custodian's title to represent the
actions he has performed in service to the
Emperor. (Constantin Valdor obtained 932
names prior to the assault on Terra) Such
names were inscribed onto the inside of the
warrior's battle armour as marks of individual
pride.

Furthermore it is clear that the Custodes are

also well versed in the political etiquette of Terra,
and have been known act outside of Imperial
Law to infiltrate influential Noble Houses to
investigate any potential threats. (A role that an
Astartes would never be expected to fulfil.)

This aspect of the Custodian mindset is

advantageous, given that the Captain-General
often shares a seat with the High Lords of Terra
and thus allows him to navigate the political
manoeuvrings of the Imperium's various
agencies, while still remaining an awe inspiring
warrior.
Geneseed

As the creation of a Custodes do not use the

same genetic techniques as the Astartes, they
have no formal Geneseed. However it has been
theorised that they do utilise some of the
Emperor’s own DNA. The truth of such rumours
would indeed explain their incredible power.
Battlecry
“Pro imperator quod Imperium!”

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 As the Imperium hurtles towards the
“Time of Ending,” the servants of the
Emperor have made one final, reckless
gamble in their quest to save the
Imperium, and the Galaxy.

The Salvation Force

In the final years of the forty-first millennium, the

tech-priests of Mars made a terrible discovery.
The Golden Throne, seat of power and life-support
system to the Emperor, was failing. Due to
minuscule faults in certain components of the
great machine, function of the Throne had been
steadily declining for a long period of time, and
recently the decay had greatly accelerated. It
would not be long, they surmised, until the Throne
would completely cease to keep His mortal frame
alive, and the Emperor’s soul would slip away into
the Warp forever. This could only mean the utter
collapse of the Imperium. With the Astronomican
snuffed out, warp travel would be far too perilous
to be viable. As knowledge of His passing would
spread, whole sub-sectors would secede from the
Imperium, and with the Imperial Guard and Space
Marines not able to travel to these sites to restore
order, the Imperium would eat itself alive. There
was only one thing to be done. The High Lords of
Terra convened in secret, and formed a plan.
Somewhere on one of the million worlds that
formed the Imperium there must be identical
component parts of the Throne, even if their
owners were oblivious to that fact. If they could be
returned to Terra, the tech-priests may be able to
install them and extend the Emperor’s life.

However there existed a problem. Even, if the

pieces could be found, the pieces of archaeotech
would be highly coveted and not lightly given up. A
powerful military force must be sent to find and
retrieve them. But the High Lords were at odds
over who to send. They remembered all too well
the Horus Heresy and the Age of Apostacy.
Neither the Imperial Guard, the Mechanicus, the
Ecclesiarchy nor even the mighty Space Marines
could be trusted with such a task. They had each
shown themselves to be too susceptible to
corruption and betrayal. The debate was
interrupted by Constantin Valdor, chief Custodian
to the Emperor. Clad in his gleaming golden
armour, he declared that for the first time in
10,000 years, the Custodes would leave Terra and
find these pieces of tech. And with this, the
Salvation Force was formed.

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 Constantin Valdor
Chief Custodian to the Emperor

Space Marine Captain, armed with Relic Blade and Stormbolter

WS BS S T W I A Ld Save
6 5 4(6) 4 3 5 3 10 3+/4+

When an emergency meeting of the Lords of
Terra was called to discuss an expedition to
recover the archaeotech required to repair the
Emperor’s Golden Throne, the Chief Custodian
to the Emperor was inspired. He recalled the
days of old, when he and his noble warriors
would stride the stars, bringing the Emperor’s
light to billions of men, and His fury to as many
xenos. As he heard the High Lords argue and
quarrel over who’s right or responsibility it was to
embark of this most vital of missions, he knew
what must be done. He and his Custodians
would open their vaults, don their ancient golden
armour, take up their Guardian Spears and go to
battle. They would draw on their ageless skills
and aeons of training. They would leave the holy
Palace for the first time in ten millennia, and they
would seek out the means of the Imperium’s
salvation. They would find where their quarry
was hidden and they would kill any who stood in
their path. For the Imperium, for the Emperor
and for glory they would fight!
Constantin Valdor on the field of battle is a
terrible sight to behold. Ten thousand years has
done nothing to blunt his fighting prowess, and
his skills of command are equally as striking. His
role in the Salvation Force is simple. He leads
from the front, accompanying squad Vespason,
slaughtering the Emperor’s foes with bolt and
with blade.With the Imperium’s greatest living
hero at its head, few can doubt the Salvation
Force will succeed.

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 INDEX CUSTODES

Custodian Guard Squad Herculanus

Led by Prefect Quintus

00

Space Marine Tactical Squad, armed with Flamer and Missile Launcher. Sergeant armed with Bolt Pistol and Chainsword
WS BS S T W I A Ld Save
Space Marine 4 4 4 4 1 4 1 8 3+
Sergeant 4 4 4 4 1 4 2(3) 9 3+

Squad Herculanus can trace its origins to the
Horus Heresy. This Custodian Guard squad
travelled for a time with the Ultramarines
Legion on the Great Crusade, though fortune
would have them recalled to Terra before the
outbreak of the Heresy.
Prefect Quintus fought in the Siege of Terra
defending the interior of the Palace. He
duelled with twenty-seven of the World
Eaters Legion’s champions and emergerd
the victor in each case.
Squad Herculanus act in both a fire
support role and as forward strikers
assaulting key positions where
appropriate.

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