Warhammer 40K: Sigismund – Founder of the Black Templars
Today look upon the hardened soul that founded the Black Templars and their eternal crusade – Sigismund.
Sigismund was the Marshal of the Templars, the First Captain of the Imperial Fists Legion during the Great Crusade, and right-hand man to Primarch Rogal Dorn. During the Horus Heresy, Dorn appointed Sigismund the first Emperor’s Champion, to defend the Imperial Palace during the Battle of Terra. After the Heresy, Sigismund became the founder and first High Marshal of the Black Templars Chapter.
The Great Crusade
Sigismund was born on Terra, in the drift camps on the Ionus Plateau. He served during the Great Crusade as First Captain of the Imperial Fists and as an Adjutant to his Primarch Rogal Dorn. During the Great Crusade, Sigismund demonstrated a cold, realist view of the future of the Imperium. While conversing with Captains Garviel Loken and Tarik Torgaddon of the Luna Wolves, he stated his belief that the Great Crusade would never end.
At some point prior to the Horus Heresy, the Imperial Fists and World Eaters served together for a significant period of time. During their campaigns, Assault Captain Kharn and Sigismund became close comrades, even going as far to refer to one another as “Oath Brothers”. It was during their frequent duels in the cages of the World Eaters’ flagship, the Conqueror, that Sigismund earned the name the “Black Knight” and adopted the custom of binding his weapons to his wrists with chains from Kharn (after a duel with the Primarch Angron. This custom would later be adopted by members of the Black Templars.
Horus Heresy
It was Sigismund who led the squad of marines that accompanied Rogal Dorn in a boarding action on the Eisenstein, under the command of Battle-Captain Nathaniel Garro of the Death Guard, bringing word of Horus’s rebellion. Upon hearing the news of the Isstvan V Massacre, Dorn ordered Sigismund to purge the Terra solar system of all remnants of the traitor legions.
Soon after his return to Terra, Sigismund confessed to Dorn his reasons for asking to remain on Terra rather than command the Retribution Fleet. Dorn became enraged, and rebuked Sigismund. He showed Sigismund why he had erred out of pride, and that his error was not unlike the pride that drive some of the Primarchs to rebellion. Shamed, Sigismund offered his life to Dorn, but the Primarch declined to take it. He retained Sigismund as his First Company Captain to avoid demoralizing the men, but disowned Sigismund as a son.
Later, Sigismund was placed in command of the outermost defenses of the Sol System during the Solar War. He led a fleet that battled the Alpha Legion during the Battle of Pluto before reuniting with Dorn and returning to Terra for the siege.
Siege of Terra
During the Siege of Terra Sigismund acted as a major loyalist commander but continued to be under Dorn’s close scrutiny. He met with Euphrati Keeler inside the Imperial Palace, who stated that the Emperor intended for him to slay Abaddon in order to prevent the ultimate victory of Chaos.
During the final battle for the Spaceport Sigismund battled Kharn, and while the First Captain was the superior swordsman he could not match the World Eater, who was surging with the powers of Khorne. Sigismund faced defeat, but was saved by Dorn himself. Later during the fight for Saturnine Gate, Sigismund led the defense of the walls against the whole of the Emperor’s Children. During the fight he was assailed by Fulgrim himself, proving himself skilled as a fighter but utterly outmatched by the Daemon Primarch. As Fulgrim moved to finish Sigismund, he was saved by the intervention of Rogal Dorn. Dorn and Sigismund managed to next hold off Fulgrim’s elite guard, with Sigismund himself throwing Eidolon from the walls of the Palace.
Rogal Dorn subsequently chose Sigismund as the Emperor’s Champion, and gave him the best armor and weapons available. He went forward to challenge the traitorous leaders to single combat and triumphed over all he met in battle. When Rogal Dorn accompanied the Emperor of Mankind and Sanguinius in boarding Horus’s flagship, he left most of his Imperial Fists behind to look to the defense of the Imperial Palace. Considering him his finest soldier, Dorn placed Sigismund as the leader of the ground forces until Dorn returned.
After the Traitors were defeated and retreated from Terra, an enraged Sigismund began a hunt to track down and kill Abaddon. Despite his efforts though, his path to Abaddon was always blocked by Traitors loyal to the First Captain, who then had their lives ended at Sigismund’s hands. Sigismund was undeterred by these setbacks and continued his hunt for Abaddon for the next several centuries.
Second Founding
Sigismund was a mighty warrior and after the Horus Heresy and the breakdown of the Imperial Fists into Codex Chapters, he led the more zealous of the Imperial Fists as the Black Templars chapter. He was elevated to the rank of High Marshal of the Black Templars. His personal heraldry, consisting of black and white, became the official colors of his new Chapter. Immediately following the Horus Heresy, the Imperial Fists and their Primarch Dorn came under suspicion as heretics for their refusal to back the Codex Astartes and break down into smaller Chapters. In addition, the Chapters and former Legionnaires of the Black Templars were laden with strife.
Recognizing that only an act of supreme faith could quell such suspicion and restore the integrity of the Space Marines, Sigismund declared an eternal crusade, vowing never to cease his prosecution of the Emperor’s enemies. All subsequent High Marshals of the Black Templars have renewed this oath, and so the Black Templars have waged their crusade, unbroken, for more than 10,000 years.
Ultimate Fate
Sigismund realized that the Abaddon and many of the Traitor Legion survivors had fled within the Eye of Terror and brought a significant Black Templars fleet to the Cadian Gate, where they maintained a vigil over the Eye. Not content to merely wait for the Traitors to make their return, Sigismund also sent ships into the Eye to scout for them and one such ship crashed into the Black Legion held world of Maeleum. The Lord of the Black Legion eventually led his Warband out of the Eye of Terror and attacked the Black Templars’ fleet in the First Battle of Cadia. At this time Sigismund was a thousand years old, but his hatred of Abaddon and the Traitors had kept him alive. He was too stubborn to die without ending their lives first.
He proved this when Abaddon and his Warband boarded Sigismund’s flagship, the Eternal Crusader, during the battle and scores of the Black Legion were killed in their attempt to claim the High Marshal’s head. Finally Abaddon found Sigismund and his Sword Brethren fighting within a large chamber. Their warriors stopped and gathered by their leaders’ sides as the Lord of the Black Legion approached the Black Templars’ High Marshal. Instead of drawing his weapons however, Abaddon instead spoke with kindness to a foe he had long respected and gave an impassioned plea for Sigismund to open his eyes to the Traitors’ cause. He insisted that the Imperium rightfully belonged to the Space Marine Legions that had bled and died to build it during the Great Crusade and Sigismund should join them in reclaiming it from the Emperor’s corpse. Sigismund pushed back against this though, stating that by beginning the Horus Heresy and nearly destroying the Imperium, Abaddon and his fellow Traitors were oath-breakers, who proved that they had not cared for the Empire they had built.
The Last Duel
With that, they both drew their weapons. Sigismund did not wield the Sword of the High Marshals and instead unsheathed his Black Sword. The Sword of the High Marshals was then given to one of Sigismund’s Sword Brethren, who quickly left the chamber as Sigismund and Abaddon began their duel. What followed was a fierce battle between two heavily experienced opponents, in which neither was able to gain an advantage over the other. Though Abaddon was still in his prime, due to how little time had passed within the Eye, Sigismund’s sword skills were as sharp as ever. Eventually, however, Sigismund’s age began to work against him, and he tired under Abaddon’s unrelenting assault.
Knowing that his life was at an end, Sigismund laid a trap for Abaddon by stepping away from the Lord of the Black Legion. Abaddon thought this was his opportunity to end their duel and arrogantly rushed forward to kill the High Marshal. But this allowed Sigismund to strike a blow that left the Black Sword buried within Abaddon’s chest. Doing so however, left Sigismund defenseless and Abaddon retaliated with a swing from the Talon of Horus, that severed the High Marshal into two pieces. Abaddon kindly told his old foe, that he regretted having to kill the High Marshal, but at least now Sigismund could finally rest. Sigismund replied not with an oath to the Emperor or his Chapter’s creed. Instead he used the last of his life to rebuke the Lord of the Black Legion, before expiring.
Abaddon was provided with the best care the Black Legion possessed, and barely survived the wound dealt to him by Sigismund. He would forever keep the scar it left, as a sign of respect for the High Marshal, and esteemed foe.
Appearance & Demeanor
Sigismund had dark blond hair and a patrician face. His build was thick and sturdy. He is described as having a face that “might have been handsome, but war and genecraft had carved it to a different end.” He had a scar under his right eye that ran down his cheek to his jaw. His eyes were bright, sapphire blue. Sigismund also bears the Raptor Imperialis on the knee of his armor, indicating that he fought alongside the Emperor himself.
Sigismund was known for being volatile and hot-headed, a reputation known widely enough that even Malcador the Sigilite remarked on it in conversation with Rogal Dorn. He was also known for his superior swordsmanship, being regarded as one of the best swordsmen in the Astartes Legions.
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