40K Lore: The Lost and the Damned
Gather round Loremasters, guard yourselves well against pity, because today we discuss the tragic fate of those who turn from the Emperor’s light.
Let us not dwell too long on the roads you might take to join the ranks of the Lost and the Damned, Loremasters. They are many, and all can be traced to a failing of character that stems from turning your back on the Emperor and the Imperium which protects you against that vast, all-consuming darkness. Trusting the Alien is, in many ways, more forgivable than trusting the Demon, because with the alien, at least all you’ve done is corrupt your body. Falling to Chaos corrupts your soul and leaves you nothing more than a poor, unfortunate soul in pain and need of the Emperor’s cleansing flame.
So recite your litanies against corruption, as we discuss the Lost and the Damned. Just who are they? This is the moniker given to the vast majority of ordinary mortals who fight for Chaos. They are not a single coherent force, but rather a diverse and infinite collection of warbands and hosts under the leadership of Chaos Champions.
The vast bulk of the Lost and the Damned stems from the twisted and zealous denizens of the Daemon Worlds. Gross mutants, fierce beastmen, Rogue Psyker, Apostate Cardinals, and primitive tribesmen alike seek to fight on faraway worlds for the glory and benevolence of their masters.
Among the better armed and slightly saner troops are imperial outlaws: pirates, mercenaries, cultists and military deserters who have turned from their Emperor and fled from imperial justice. Occasionally entire companies or even regiments of the Imperial Guard turn to Chaos and take with them their vehicles and armory. Known as Traitor Guard, these heretics have not yet lost their skills due to madness, forming a hardened and reliable core amongst the slavering hordes of the Lost and Damned.
Ah yes, the Traitor Guard. This term, given to the vast majority of disloyal mortals, who have left the Imperial Guard to fight for Chaos. They are not a single coherent force, but rather a faction of the infinite collection of warbands and hosts under the leadership of Chaos Champions and part of The Lost and the Damned.
To fulfill their own agendas, Champions of Chaos draw lesser Chaos followers to them to form their own personal armies, which can vary tremendously in size and strength. The Traitor Guard are among the better armed and minded troops that Chaos Champions and/or Arch-Heretics have at their disposal. Like other Imperial military deserters who have turned from their Emperor and fled from Imperial justice. Occasionally entire companies or even regiments of the Imperial Guard turn to Chaos and take with them their vehicles and armory.
These traitors, unlike other mutants and other vile Beastmen, have not completely lost their military skills or sanity, forming a reasonably reliable core force amongst the slavering hordes of the Lost and Damned armies. Often these mortal guardsmen will fight alongside mutants or Daemons of the warp by summoning them by way of blasphemous rituals. Their allies are complemented further with monstrosities of all kinds, such as Chaos Spawns, hordes of mutants and Beastmen, and packs of Chaos Hounds.
When Guardsmen betray their Emperor, it is not just themselves who leave to fight for Chaos but their vehicles and equipment as well. Rough Riders, as well as Imperial Guard vehicles such as Leman Russ Battle Tanks, Hellhounds, Basilisks, and Sentinels, are known to be in the service of Traitor Guard armies too. Thus the best and brightest humanity has to offer is corrupted to fight itself.
Take care that you avoid this fate, Loremasters. And pity not these traitors, for they have made their own foul beds.
