Blackshields: Space Marine Renegades of the Horus Heresy (Warhammer 40,000 Lore) 

17:11 some Astartes being so traumatized from the war breaking out that they went back to games workshop grey and LARPed the Great Crusade is just peak warhammer.

I just saw this and went “ooo”.

Honestly, these men may well be the bravest loyalists of the entire heresy. It's one thing to stand in solidarity with your kin while doing the impossible, but quite another to spit in your dad's face and call him a bitch, let alone surviving the ordeal

“the leonid’s share” Little touches like that are what make your work so engrossing and evocative. Fine work, mate. Imperator Defendit

Just like any war, the leftovers and broken men of each side banding together and forming bandit parties and raiders and pirates.

So glad the Blackshields are getting so much love recently with this edition of the Horus Heresy. I think they really illustrate how big and complicated the years-long galactic civil war was. I feel like for most of my time with the Heresy, it's been limited to: Prospero>Isstvan>Calth>Imperium Secundus>Siege of Terra. But every planet in the Imperium had to pick a side, every chapter of Astartes had their own goals and motivations to contend with. Sure the astartes are indoctrinated to be loyal, but they were working off of imperfect information, and at the end of the day they are merely human.

I never thought about Jason Statham as a Blackshield and former Death Guard legionary, but after having seen this video I can’t unsee it

Okay, the Atavists are new to me and I LOVE IT.

Wonder how many none fallen Dark Angels are black shields The lion didn't trust the Terran born just like corax

One wonders how many of the survivors of the loyalist aligned blackshields simply vanished into the loyalist legions when the war ended. Picture the scene: _A group of Ultramarines and Salamanders have just fought a battle together in The Scouring. Both groups take off their helmets to talk to each other, and everyone can see that there's one Salamander with fair skin and perfect white hair._ *Ultramarine:* Hail cousins... I'm sorry, where on Nocturne are you from? _The Salamander's leader answers for his warrior._ *Salamander:* He is from the Clan of the Phoenix. They are a small clan. You *will not* have heard of them. Why, where in the 500 worlds is he from? _The Salamander points to one of the Ultramarines who has deathly pale skin and black eyes that are all pupil._ *Ultramarine:* Fair point. Well fought cousins. We March for Macragge.

The last loyal son Barabas Dantioch

Random Oculus upload during my morning commute? Man I was really not wanting to go to work, this is going to make things much more bearable ✌️

A new Oculus Imperia video?? Just the thing I needed to go with my morning Corpse Starch ration...

Nothing like nihilistic revenge against insurmountable odds. Glad you covered the blackshields, they're one of the most interesting aspects of the Horus Heresy.

The craft of story telling alive and well thanks to this channel. Thanks occulus

Know then, at the time of which I witnessed this video communication, I proclaimed exuberantly "ahhhhhh yes" in exemplary Oculus tone and fashion.

The Atavists are a strange, but understandable reaction. Thanks for the video.

New lore on my Birthday. BEST PRESENT EVER!!!

Non-Legion Aligned Heritic Astartes and Renegades sounds kind of cool

Man oh man Another banger from my favourite grimdark scholar

I absolutely love the concept of the Atavists. Mentally ill Great Crusade reenactors is so funny and so sad.

When 👏 does 👏 my 👏 little 👏 chronicler 👏 learn 👏 about 👏 the 👏 LION

Excellent episode. I've loved the lore since 1991 and never knew about the Black Shields. Totally awesome to learn something new all the time. Thanks for all your great work and talents. Liked and shared. Glory to Terra.

The most narrative fun Ive ever had has been with my Death Guard Blackshields. As likely to die from exposure to their own phosphex and rad weapon as any enemy, they seek the annihilation of all tyrants, Emperor and Warmaster alike

Thank you for illuminating an aspect of 40k that would have been obscured otherwise as always Oculus 🥳

Thank you so much for the continued flow of high quality content. You are one of our community's Gems.

"atavist" backsheilds reverting to thier great crusade colours and arms is a really cool way of keeping armies modeled as great crusade era forces playable in herasy, quite cool!

I would love a video about the Ashen claws and the space sharks.

Thank you oculus, I am so in the mood to listen to lore tonight. Pinnacle tier.

Such a rich source of inspiration for homebrewing, both for 30k and 40k.

Btw, I hope a certain Blackshield force of Terran Ravenguard, aka the Ashen Claws, will get their due when the Thramas Crusade video pops up? 😉

Time to watch some oculus with my coffee like im reading the morning paper.

Love this kind of synthesis lore.

How these blokes can make a game interesting in M39-41 is the important part. I guess pirates and reavers would be able to continue their traditions and have small, functional bands. Similar to chaos warbands where warriors flock around a line of charismatic leaders, but without the chaos worship. And in a similar state of supply, without the industry of the Imperium to back them. A lot more use of baseline human auxilia, much more iffy recruitment and reliance on primative means. Marines in arcaic plate armour with marine-scale slug hand cannons and swords etc.

Thankfully after the War of the Beast, there was a place that accepted most individuals and small groups of blackshields into service for the Emperor. Suffer not the alien to live.

Guys will see this and think hell yeah

Each time I hear Horus Lupercal’s ambition referenced, I grow more convinced that that exact choice of surname/cognomen was a reference to Mark Anthony’s funeral speech in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

I love listening to your videos when i'm working out or trying to sleep.

I just adore the biting social commentary during that Atavist section. Well done, Oculus.

Comment for the algorithm and the Emperor

You should cover the Knights-Errant next!

THIS i have been looking forward too :) Cheers, Oculus, for making videos of the highest quality!

A fine entry Oculus, as always

Excellent work Historator

I randomly saw this going through my subscriptions, didn't even show up in my recommendations.

Glad to have you back - thank you for this!

always a good day with a new oculus video

Sir Occi, you appear, I watch. Love this channel. Salutation’s from Belfast Northern Ireland 🇬🇧

No Gods, No Masters

Great story telling once again

Can you please do an in universe in character interview with baldemort that would be hilarious

great video man

Beautiful vid as always. Cheers Oculus.

The art of that one marine from Death of Hope!

A wonderfully written and performed vid. Thankyou so much for this.... it has brightened my mood considerably, after a testing week!

I always enjoy new uploads from my 40k channels . All you guys are awesome seems you guys have been burning the midnight oil great job, loved your recent appearance in the parenting. Cheers!

blackshields are my fav, I wrote a whole fanfic background around the closing days of the horus heresy, on how band of mixed traitor legion loyalists survived and became a chapter into M41; who now have lost all records of their origins but are very non-codex compliant, and very isolationist and in function are much like the charcaradons; nomad crusader fleet-based without a homeworld, wholly dedicated to "unifying all mankind under the Emperor" - atoning for all treacheries by astartes traitors and renegades against the Emperor, not religious but spiritual, using psyker guided meditative trance and chanted mantras to "overcome" problems with their degraded and mixed chimeric gene-seeds, manifesting odd idiosyncrasies. when you read this try and guess their original gene-seed stocks; Wall of text; The Eagles Reborn (of the Eternal Emperor). high gothic; [Aquila Reincarnate de Imperator Eterna]. ancient High Gothic are etched in gold into the black edges of their pauldrons; "Aquila Reincarnate, Imperator Eterna, Imperialis Immortalis". power armor is a gleaming polished black with baroque, ornate and artistically stylized and individualized patterns in subtle reds and light and dark blue trim. chapter badge; a baroque and ornate two headed black eagle with outstretched wings that incorporates lightning bolts and flames, a golden halo above, perched within a green Imperial Laurel wreathe that encirlces it, all alight in flames on background divided in 6 horizontal chevrons of alternating thick stripes of dark red, dark blue and dark green. The only other clue of the chapter's true origins is that they have a tendency to idolise their chapter's 'first founders' and especially their first Chapter Master, who is recorded as a Terran born hero of the Imperium that fought during the early Great Crusade alongside the Emperor, and whose true name is now lost to the passage of time, now only known as the Sapphire Eagle. The chapter has an ancient collection of strategic doctrines, philosophical and theological theories, combat records, personal logs and some poetry of the Sapphire Eagle, these are the surviving accounts from those founding brothers that survived the Horus Heresy, all their names and legion origins have been left out deliberately. The leadership of the Sapphire eagle was remembered as tactically and strategically brilliant, also charismatic as he rallied beligured loyalist forces to even great hights of valor against traitors, he would also speak of; "a quest for forgiveness and the sanctified wroth of betrayal, the need for atonements of the sins of our brothers and a struggle for redemption for the broken promises of mankinds treachery against the Emperor". 'The tales and teachings of the Sapphire Eagle' was written down as a compilation by Astartes Chaplains and Officers and codified into a tome of learning after his death and became central to their chapters culture. Their rank-and-file battlebrothers don't suspect or consider their origin, other than being certain of the fact that their Founders were the heros and all astartes traitors are weak willed cowards falling for the lies of the Arch-enemy. One of the most well known passages, which informed their renaming, "It is better to perish in the dark depths of the void than to fail our Immortal Emperor, we shall become the Dark Shield of the Imperium, we shall see it and ourselves reborn in the blood of traitors and the fire of retribution". A common war chant among their brothers is something a famous chaplain laid down as chapter doctrine many centuries ago, spoken in an archaic high gothic accent; "Imperatore est Imperialis" -[The Emperor is the Imperium]. Their Crusade mandate; "to eternally quest for the continued Unification of all Mankind under the Emperor's Imperium, knowing no home but only living under the grace of the Emperor's mercy, our mandate is the eradication of all traitors and rebels of the Imperium, to seek and gain repentance, mourn over, grieve for and lay to rest all the sins of the traitor astartes souls, to avenge all betrayals against the Emperor and to always guard the mortal servants and the worlds of the Imperium". The Eagles Reborn willingly employ whatever tactics they believe most appropriate, they prize skilled marksmanship, independent thought and superior tactics as much as close-quaters savagery, and view the Codex Astartes as a highly effective set of guidelines rather than absolute doctrine and maintain a high degree of flexibility in their deployments and structures, and in battle they often favor ambush and hit-and-run tactics as much as direct shock and terror tactics. Their existence is as eternal nomad-crusaders, mostly outside of Imperial law and space and on the edge of the light of the Emperor, the Chapter has been forced to take extreme measures in order to survive for all these millennia, they have become fierce scavengers and their techmarines are not mars trained but continue the traditions, and with some discreet Rogue Trader connection and by raiding and scavenging any forces they can cripple or destroy the Eagles Reborn have been able to salvage much, but occasionally they have acted as if they were official tithe ships on remote industrial worlds, otherwise they would ask an Imperial world they defended for "compensation", a rebellion brought under control would give 'compliance compensation', they do act in accordance with Imperial law and tradition towards loyal planetary governors but most often they would have what they had asked for; Press-ganged workers, indentured criminals, young boys with violent behaviors, or critical supplies. The nomad chapter would also conscript from underhives or penal worlds. Always on the search for the hated enemies, often going from one war into another and often at the far edges of the Imperium, has bred within them an isolationist and independent streak, shunning closer brotherhood and oaths of alliance with their fellow Astartes Chapters. The reason for such insular tendencies is unknown to outsiders. Their eternal war has continued through the ages and due to the Chapter's history of isolation from the rest of the Imperium and lack of advanced technological resources or reliable support, they had often had to fight under-strength this has led them to slowly over time to concentrate their resources and limited capacity on wargear which they can best support. Though they are able to field a considerable fleet of Thunderhawk gunships and other Attack Craft to ensure their mobility in battle, many of their brothers wear composite Pattern battle-plates of mixed marks, with parts scavenged from various sources. The psychic portents that their specialist Librarians known as Prognosticators receive from the light of the Emperor are studied carefully to guide them on their exiled path of Penitence along with the Emperors Tarot, providing additional measures of intelligence to the Chapters leadership to plan their nomadic patrols. The Master of the Forge is a personage of high honour among the chapter, as the most senior Techmarine, he is charged with the maintenance of the Chapter's fleet of armoured fighting vehicles, and his knowledge of the arcane sciences has been refined over centuries, oversees the Chapter Armoury, the training of the Chapter's new Techmarines and he is the chief engineer and weaponsmith. He is the Keeper of his Chapter's most ancient and treasured arcane secrets, or operate potent wargear whose origin predates that of his Chapter. The Master of the Forge also bears the title of 'first Salvager' -It has become a part of his duty to take control of any ancient human technologies found on the isolated worlds that their nomad crusade might pass through for exchange with critical spare parts with mechanicus forge worlds. As a new neophyte marine advanced to become a full battle-brother through squad-apprentice in a battle company (no scout company), he is allowed to smelt, forge, engrave and inscribe personalized close-combat weapons of their choice, with a mono-serrated edge: Bolter Bayonets, Axes, throwing Tomahawks or the most favored wave-bladed serrated greatswords, symbolizing the weapons they themselves shall become, forged and wielded by the hands of their chaplains and officers and sharpened for any type of battle or war through their training and meditation.

Thank you Oculus for telling us the story of the Linkin Loyalists. Kitten would be proud.

God I love blackshields, such a cool concept

i hope there are gonna be images from the new beta garmon campaign book in this

What happened to buttstuffkaiju?

Thanks, Occulus, for one of my favorite pieces of Heresy Lore.

I see a oculus video and am immediately excited. Thank you so much.

Are you a Psyker? I just finished Silent War today.

I was really happy when I realised that I must have fell asleep the last attempt to watch your Blackshields vid!! I was incorrectly thought in early heresy novels the sorta proto blackshields were iron hands, raven guard & salamanders set adrift by the istavaan atrocities but it’s seems I’m wrong!! Love the work guys!! Quality of the work is as high as ever x thanks for the knowledge & love of the lore

Way cool stuff, thanks for the vid sir.👍🏼👍🏼

Excellent details!!

Always a pleasure to see you post brother ✌️🇮🇪

This day just got a whole lot better

Been waiting ages for this video.

Nice work!

Great work -

I painted my Endryd Haar mini while listening

Superb good sir! Superb

Ere we go ere we go 💪

I bet there were a lot of Iron Warriors blackshields, what with Perturabo being the petty sh*tter that he is. Would explain the antisocial and misanthropic character of some of the loyalist chapters, too.

You know I would love an Open world RPG where you play as a black shield.

Isn't it so amazing that "Traitor & Loyalist" are synonymous. Depends on which end of the "Tube" U care to view through doesn't it?

Well done!

Well done. My favorite non faction of the heresy.

Excellent! U always show what must be seen, always say what must be heard! As expressed toU...U will! Remain in the Emperor's light. 👍👍

Thank you.

I feel like Oculus would have a great voice for doing Elden Ring narrations

Damn ive never heard of the 'atovist' black shields before. Crazy to think that space marines that are mentally broken can do that is honestly really sad

"seen as little more than immature adolescents unable to cope with the reality of a changing world, retreating to imagined pasts, blankets of nostalgia, where the truth of the world could not exert itself. from ones own perspective it is a stark reminder of the sheer psychological vulnerability present in members of the legionaries Astarte's. one that expressed itself in other ways across other legions during this conflict: but one rarely so tied to inherently human desires to build oneself an insulated world, where nothing can ever harm you, and you will never have to engage with the truth on its own level." hmmm this feels very pointed, I'm sure this is just a commentary on the Grognards and not anything in the news recently.

Blackshields are what Thunder Warriors would have become.

Boom! Primus!! 😎😎😎

Whoooo new vid!

Phenomenal

Awesome ! But who were the stormwalkers ?

The Atavists rediscovered authencity-snob war reenactment and stitch-counting autism.

played a ttrpg where we were black shields was a loyal night lord fought typhus the fight didn't go well

Very nice but... ARKS OF OMEN???

Luv u bruv

My theory: minotaurs are loyalist iron warriors and charcarodons are loyalist night lords

Yeah Beta Garmon book makes it very on the nose that this is your “choose any colour scheme you want for Heresy” if you really want to.

Will there be s QnA again at any time in the forseeable future?

Thank you for your dedication, dear Oculus. Be kind to your future self.

MOOOAR!!!!

Blackshield Atavists sounds like a whole lot like a part of the hobby that can't handle when things change.