List of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War characters

This is a list of characters in Relic's Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series of video games.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War

Captain Gabriel Angelos

In the game, Brother-Captain Gabriel Angelos is the commander of the Blood Ravens' 3rd Company. He carries a guilty conscience for destroying his homeworld Cyrene and agonizes over this continuously, though he does not often speak of it. Only his battle-brothers of the Blood Ravens truly understand his feelings on the matter. Gabriel himself, like most Imperial Soldiers, distrusts aliens immensely; it is for this reason he shows INCredible disdain for the Eldar in his encounters with their leader, Farseer Macha (though in the novels, his disdain for them gradually lessens). He has also grown up with Librarian Isador Akios, whom he trusts immensely. Captain Gabriel Angelos was armed with a Power Sword and Bolt Pistol, but was given a Daemon-Hammer by Inquisitor Mordecai Toth. His Bolt Pistol was also upgradeable to a Plasma Pistol.

Librarian Isador Akios

Brother-Librarian Isador Akios was the present Librarian of the Blood Ravens 3rd Company, and a secondary character in Dawn of War.

Much like Captain Angelos, Isador was born and raised on Cyrene, and became a Blood Raven around the same time as Gabriel because they were brought up together. Isador met Gabriel 30 years before the events on Tartarus when Gabriel was still a battle brother. Although his homeworld was destroyed, Isador did not blame Gabriel for his actions on Cyrene, since it had to be done. While the Blood Ravens 3rd company was on the doomed planet of Tartarus, Isador slowly succumbed to the powers of Chaos, tempted by the traitorous Sorcerer of the Alpha Legion named Sindri Myr, telling him of the "Key", and tempting him to use it. When Inquisitor Mordecai Toth arrived, he detected a Chaotic taint and came up with the assumption that it originated in Gabriel. Because of this, they were blinded to Isador's corruption and thus could not stop Isador before he finally seized the Maledictum and turned to Chaos, bringing Gabriel's trust in his old friend crumbling to the ground.

Isador was killed in a duel between himself and Gabriel, and Gabriel used his death as an example of the fate of Space Marines who fell to Chaos. Isador was armed with a Force Weapon and Bolt Pistol. He was able to be upgraded with a Plasma Pistol later on in the campaign.

Inquisitor Toth

Mordecai Toth is a member of the Ordo Malleus, having been sent on assignment with some knowledge of Tartarus's dark past and a powerful daemonic artifact sleeping there. Toth's mere presence indicates something dark afoot on Tartarus, and none dare cross Toth directly.

Toth, upon landing, immediately suspects Gabriel, the Blood Raven Force Commander, of being tainted by Chaos, citing that Gabriel willingly put his own world to the torch. As an Inquisitor, Toth has authority to seize command of almost any Imperial force, including the Imperial Guard. Toth realizes later, to his horror, that it was in fact Isador, not Gabriel, who had contracted the taint of Chaos. When the truth is known, Toth apologizes, and to steel Gabriel against the battles ahead, bestows upon Gabriel his holy Daemonhammer, Godsplitter, a weapon of the Inquisition imbued to crush the sorcerer-turned-Daemon Prince Sindri Myr - and those who would associate with Chaos. Toth was equipped with Godsplitter and a Plasma Pistol. In the campaign, after giving Gabriel his Daemon-Hammer, Toth was equipped with Gabriel's Power Sword.

In the prologue for the novel Dawn of War by CS Goto, Toth was involved in an Ordo Xenos mission on Tartarus in the year 999.M38 where he and a Deathwatch Kill-Team secured a piece of the Wailing Doom sword of the Biel-Tan Avatar following its duel with the Daemon Prince (which was entombed in the Maledictum stone after its defeat). It is revealed that this fragment of the sword was forged into the Godsplitter to use against Chaos. It is also worth noting that a member of his Kill-Team was Captain Trythos of the Blood Ravens (who would later serve on as a Dreadnought of the 3rd Company by the time of "Dawn of War"). In the epilogue of the book, it appears that Toth was either in league with the Daemon and was possessed by it (or possibly this was merely the Daemon taking Toth's form). If this is correct, then the reasons that Toth wanted Gabriel to break the Maledictum Stone entombing the Daemon and why he became involved on Tartarus on both occasions become clear.

In Dark Crusade, once the player has finished the campaign as the Blood Ravens, Toth is seen in the ending video questioning Captain Thule, accompanied by a first company veteran and numerous squads of Space Marines.

Colonel Brom

Carus Brom is an Imperial Colonel tasked with overseeing the 37th Tartarus Planetary Defense Force Regiment, or PDF. Brom accepts commands from Gabriel with little hesitation, having a deep respect for the commander; however the mere presence of Toth is enough to make the veteran Colonel extremely nervous. It is believed Brom escapes off-planet with his remaining troops during the later missions in Dawn of War's single-player campaign. Brom was armed with a Power Sword and Bolt Pistol. He is also able to use the "Rally Squad" ability that Space Marine Sergeants were equipped with.

In the events of the novelized version of Dawn of War by C.S. Goto, Colonel Brom instead turned to Chaos and attacked Captain Gabriel Angelos during his attack/push to the summit where the Maledictum was located. According to the novel, Colonel Brom was not satisfied being put down on occasion by Gabriel's orders, resulting in Chaos finding its way into his heart. Colonel Brom was nevertheless killed along with the corrupted PDF and Imperial Guard who had turned traitor. Only a handful of Loyal Imperial Guards survived and joined up with the Forces of Order (Space Marines and Eldar) in the battle to the Summit.

Farseer Macha

A Farseer of the Eldar Craftworld of Biel-Tan. Macha was the one who sealed the Daemon in the Maledictum, and seeks to PReVENT its release. Later events seem to show that her destiny is rapidly becoming intertwined with that of Captain Angelos.

Macha is armed with a witchblade and Shuriken pistol.

Lord Bale

is the Chaos Lord who brought the ruinous powers of Chaos, namely the Alpha Legion, to Tartarus. He was pursuing the Maledictum for himself, and the Chaos gods. He believed he was in control; however, Sindri Myr was actually making all the important decisions. Eventually Sindri left Bale to fight Gabriel Angelos alone so that when Bale was killed in the duel, his "Sacrifice" added to the deaths needed to obtain the Maledictum. Bale was armed with a Manreaper Scythe and a Bolt Pistol.

Bale is believed to be portrayed as one of the Captains of the Alpha Legion in Dan Abnett's upcoming novel Legion, the next chapter in the Horus Heresy series, chronicaling the downfall of the Alpha Legion.

Sindri Myr

Sindri was a sorcerer of Alpha Legion who came to the Imperial planet Tartarus seeking a powerful Chaos artifact known as the Maledictum, a stone imprisoning a greater daemon of Khorne. Sindri was able to extract "The Key", which was the artifact that allowed him to use the Maledictum to be able to ascend as a Daemon Prince. With the Imperial forces on the planet distracted by the concurrent Ork invasion, Sindri and his nominal master, Chaos Lord Bale, had little trouble reaching the artifact, but they were detected and pursued by a company of Space Marines from the Blood Ravens chapter. Sacrificing the unwitting Bale to the Space Marines' onslaught, Sindri released the stone's power, ascending to daemonhood in the process. Though his daemon form was immensely powerful, he was eventually destroyed by the Third Company of the Blood Ravens, led by Brother-Captain Gabriel Angelos, wielding the daemonhammer, God-Splitter.

Warboss Orkamungus

The Ork warboss in charge of the invading Ork clans on Tartarus. He is bribed by Lord Bale and Sindri to mount the invasion that will distract the Space Marines from their search for the Maledictum. He was not completely loyal, however, and planned to destroy Bale and the remaining "humies" after the Blood Raven's fall. He was unable to do this as he was killed by Blood Ravens' forces shortly after his introduction.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Winter Assault

General Sturnn

General Sturnn is the stern and upstanding leader of the Imperial Guard contingent deployed in Winter Assault's campaign mode. He commands the 412th Cadian Infantry regiment and is assigned to locate an Imperial Superweapon, the Titan Dominatus, on the planet Lorn V. He wields a pair of lightning claws, one of which has an integral Storm Bolter. He also carries a Laspistol, but only uses this for field executions (one of his special melee combat kills involves its use). He is accompanied by an unidentified Commissar, who relays his orders to the men of the regiment. However, Sturnn is willing to ally with alien races such as the Eldar, if it will help him achieve his own goals, although he will not hesitate to break that alliance when the situation requires him to. At the end of the Imperial campaign, his forces successfully power up the titan's weapons, and use them to destroy the Necrons.

Farseer Taldeer

A Farseer of the Ulthwé Craftworld, Farseer Taldeer was part of the Eldar strike force sent to Lorn V to retrieve the Soul Stone in anticipation of an impending Necron attack. She and her group saved General Sturnn's men on two different occasions, without them knowing until much later in Winter Assault. When General Sturnn returned the favor by shielding the Eldar from a huge Ork WAAAGH!!, the two races formed a temporary (and uneasy) alliance to further their own goals. At the end of the campaign, Taldeer is able to destroy the Necrons on Lorn V with the help of their Soulstone, an extremely powerful Eldar weapon, the Cadian 412th of the Imperial, and the dormant Titan warmachine. However as Taldeer was leaving Lorn V through her webway, she left General Sturnn to die alongside his men when the Titan's weapon exploded into a nuclear holocaust. Taldeer then reappears in Dark Crusade with her army at the beginning of the Dark Crusade.

Lord Crull

The borderline psychopathic Chaos Lord who leads a warband of the World Eaters Blood Legion of Khorne against the Cadian 412th Imperial Guard Regiment and the Craftworld Ulthwé Eldar on Lorn V. He and the Ork Warboss Gorgutz strike an uneasy alliance in order to destroy the Forces of Order, but immediately break once Gorgutz announces he will destroy the Titan, which Crull wants to claim for his own personal gain. He was defeated and killed on Lorn V by Gorgutz, and his skull mounted on the latter's "pointy stik", but if Eliphas the Inheritor finishes off the Orks in during the Dark Crusade, Eliphas recovers Crull's skull and adds it to the tally for the Skull Throne of Khorne. Rather than the Manreaper wielded by Lord Bale, Crull was armed with a large Khornate mace.

He was rare amongst Khorne-worshipping warlords in that he sought the advice and skills of Sorcerers, who are aligned with Tzeentch, though he had an immense distrust of them.

Warboss Gorgutz

The self-important warboss who unites the Ork Clans on Lorn V to claim the worthiest of heads, and to destroy the Titan. Due to his habit of collecting heads (because, as he states, he would look stupid with someone's foot on his pointy stick), he was later referred as Warboss Gorgutz 'Ead'unter.

Chaplain Varnus

The Ultramarines Chaplain who leads the Space Marines who escort the Titan's crew to the Titan. He has immense respect for General Sturnn, yet he distrusts the Eldar Farseer Taldeer. At the end of the second mission, Varnus single-handedly defeats a Bloodthirster in hand to hand combat - a notable feat even for a Chaplain.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade

Brother-Captain Davian Thule

Brother-Captain Davian Thule is the leader of the three Blood Ravens companies of Space Marines sent to Kronus by his Chapter Master in the Dark Crusade. Upon arrival he sent a message to Governor-Militant Alexander, ordering him to evacuate all civilians and Imperial Guard personnel as to allow the Blood Ravens to begin their purge of the planet. Despite orders from a Space Marine Chapter overruling those of every Imperial Organisation barring the High Lords of Terra, Alexander refused to withdraw, and now the Blood Ravens must fight their fellow soldiers of the Imperium. Thule regrets having to kill his brothers-in-arms, but his orders are absolute — Kronus must be purged. At this time, little is known of him other than his being part of the Blood Ravens. Thule is armed with a two-sided chainsword and bolt pistol at the beginning of the campaign, and when fully upgraded carries a Daemonhammer and meltagun, as well as wearing heavily ornate Artificier armour, with a backpack-mounted teleporter.

If the Blood Ravens finish off the other six races in Dark Crusade, they collect their spoils of war (Tau technology, Chaos artifacts and the remains of the Eldar Avatar of Khaine, to name but a few) and preserve some of the Chapters' secrets on the planet. The Inquisition arrives to question their actions, but the commanding officers manage to finagle their way through the interrogations by claiming they were only 'following orders' from their Chapter Master. The narrator then states that the darkest time for the Chapter begins after they complete their Dark Crusade, it is also implied that the remamins of Avatar mentioned above cause trouble after they are shipped back into Blood Ravens fortress. The survivors of the shattered 1st Kronus Regiment bear a deep hatred for the Blood Ravens, even though Thule arranges safe transport for the Guardsmen who actually fought against his Marines, and Thule and the Blood Ravens Chaplain honour the dead body of Governor-Militant Alexander for following his orders so fervently. They also, however, execute every one of the soldiers of the Kronus 1st Regiment 5th Company for their rebellion against the rest of the Regiment.

When another race successfully destroys the Blood Raven stronghold in North Vandea, it shows Captain Thule lying on the ground (dying), as one marine orders an Apothecary to take Thule back into the taskforce battlebarge to retrieve his gene-seed. Chaplain Reclusiarch Mikelus of the Blood Ravens 1st Company then calls down an orbital strike on the location, sacrificing himself and remaining marines as well as destroying enemy attackers in an attempt to keep sacred relics and secrets about the Blood Ravens past hidden from other factions.

Eliphas the Inheritor

A Word Bearers Dark Apostle who seeks the favour of the Chaos gods, he is the Warlord of the forces of Chaos on Kronus in the Dark Crusade, leading a full company of Word Bearers from an active Warp Gate in the Deimos Peninsula. What is known of him is that he seeks to restore the Word Bearers' long-lost honour on Kronus after their defeat by the loyalist Ultramarines during the Horus Heresy. Eliphas was but a mere Sergeant in the Legion then, but subsequently rose through the ranks. He is initially armed with a power sword and a bolt pistol in the beginning of the campaign, but once fully upgraded, carries a meltagun and an accursed Crozius, wears the Helm of the Word Bearer's Primarch Lorgar, and is gifted with Daemonic Armour sporting, among other things, a backpack-mounted banner made of human skin. Should Eliphas successfully obtain his other wargear, he ascends into daemonhood, becoming a fearsome Daemon Prince. Strangely, his voice remains unchanged when exchanging dialogue with the leaders of the other factions. Also, if one were to play the Hyperion Peaks scenario once Eliphas has attained Daemonhood one would be able to control two Daemon Princes (one being the newly ascended Eliphas and the other is an unknown Word Bearer Daemon Prince). Due to his daemonic status he is clearly one of the strongest of all 7 characters, only rivaled by Warboss Gorgutz, but is also the hardest to obtain.

If the Word Bearers finish off the other six races in Dark Crusade, Kronus itself is transformed into a Daemon World, with most of the population being either converted to Chaos or killed off. Eliphas ascends to Daemonhood with the favour of the four Chaos Gods, Warmaster Abaddon the Despoiler, and Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers. Eliphas rules over this Daemon World, and uses it as a stepping stone to launch further attacks against the Imperium. It should be noted that Eliphas gains Khorne's favor by giving him the skull of Lord Crull, meaning Gorgutz was successful in [...] him on Lorn V.

An interesting situation arises when Eliphas attacks the Blood Ravens' stronghold. In addition to the bad blood and grudges between both sides, from Eliphas' comments during the mission it is implied that the Blood Ravens are indeed a loyalist splinter of a traitor Legion. This is because Eliphas repeatedly mentions they are close kins, which could mean: 1) He is talking about the origin of the Chaos Marines or 2) He meant the possible link between the Blood Ravens and a Chaos Legion (indeed, Ahriman himself of the Thousand Sons reveals that the Blood Ravens could be a loyalist splinter of his legion). Of greater significance is the aftermath of the mission. Should Eliphas succeed in taking the Blood Ravens' stronghold, he gains the favor of Warmaster Abaddon, which is noted as odd considering the Blood Raven's history does not extend as far as the Horus Heresy, providing no apparent reason why the Warmaster should take a special interest in Blood Raven deaths.

When the Chaos stronghold is taken, Eliphas is shown conversing with (and shooting at) an unknown Daemon Prince possibly Lorgar the Word Bearer primarch himself (or his most trusted lieutenant, Kor Phaeron) , inside the collapsing Warp Gate, who stated that Eliphas has failed beyond redemption, before he causes him to lift into the air, and making Eliphas explode into a spray of blood and viscera, possibly as a sacrifice for the god Khorne.

If playing against Eliphas and the Deimos Peninsula as another race, Eliphas makes mention to the Daemon Prince a place called the "Basilica of Torments". What can be interpreted is that it is some sort of torture temple, and that Eliphas had been there before for some past failure. Should Eliphas be defeated in the Deimos Peninsula, the Daemon Prince refuses to send Eliphas back to the Basilica of Torments, choosing to kill Eliphas instead.

When confronting Eliphas with any of the other six races, he whispers into the minds of the enemy commanders:

• Imperial Guard: Lukas recognizes the Chaos Lord's voice and fearfully orders for a psyker to be brought at once.
• Orks: Gorgutz maddeningly shouts back at Eliphas, ordering him to "get out of me head", while Eliphas makes insulting commentary of Gorgutz's barbarity and crudeness.
• Tau: Kais cannot hear Eliphas at all due to his lack of a warp presence, so all he can hear is some kind of buzzing. He attributes this to a defect in his communication system before "switching channels", but the "comm chatter" persists when Eliphas attempts to speak to Kais again, at the end of the level.
• Necrons: Eliphas attempts to whisper vainly to the Necron Lord itself, only to realize that it has no soul to respond back with. Eliphas responds with a tone of shock, fear, and hatred, as nothing is more detestable to a Word Bearer than the soulless. This is also the only time that the Necron Lord "speaks" for itself, rather than being spoken for by the Pariah.
• Eldar: Farseer Taldeer responds normally, as external voices in an Eldar's mind are far from abnormal. Eliphas claims that "destiny" brought Taldeer to Deimos.
• Space Marines: Eliphas makes attempts to offer Thule redemption, referring to him as a "brother" (much as is the case when Eliphas in turn attacks Thule's stronghold), and opening the door for him to be "forgiven". Thule obviously rejects these offers strongly.

Warboss Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter

The self-imposed warboss, who escaped from Lorn V in Winter Assault, returns in Dark Crusade.

Gorgutz, in search for a new place to rebuild his Waaagh!, chances upon Kronus as an excellent starting point due to the fighting occurring there. "Landing" his Rok upon the planet, despite the furious battle between the Tau and Imperial fleets, Gorgutz imposed his leadership upon the local feral Orks, and prepared to launch the Waaagh! upon the rest of the inhabitants of the planet from his stronghold/"landing point" in the Green Coast. As a Warboss, Gorgutz is initially armed and armoured with a standard Mega-Armour suit and weapons, though as the Waaagh! gains momentum, his suit and weapons becomes more "Kustomised" and incredibly powerful. Gorgutz is one of the most powerful commanders (next to Eliphas as a Daemon Prince and the Necron Lord of Kronus) in the campaign as his wargear upgrades will eventually increase his damage, health and other attributes so much, he can take incredible amounts of punishment, move very quickly and be a one-man army of his own. (Note that he has more health than the Tau, Space Marine, and Imperial super units.)

Should the Orks manage to defeat the other six races in Dark Crusade, the remnants of all the opposing races are eventually hunted down, and Kronus becomes a major staging point for Gorgutz's Waaagh! upon nearby systems. Gorgutz would use it for years to come, becoming a major annoyance to the bordering worlds of the Imperium and the Tau Empire. Upon defeating each race, Gorgutz takes on new titles. In addition to his original title of 'Ead 'Unter, he is called Daemonkilla, Deathkilla, Bloodspilla, Gunsmasha, Ragescreama and Ghostkilla for defeating Chaos, Necron, Space Marine, Imperial Guard, Tau and Eldar forces respectively.

When the Ork stronghold is taken, it shows Gorgutz escaping with a Nob, just as the explosives he planted in his base/"landing point" go off he comments "Always have yer tunnels dug 'n ready", effectively taking out the attackers. As they flee, Gorgutz promises that his Waaagh! will be rebuilt on another planet. If defeated by the forces of Chaos, the Chaos Marines claim the skull of Lord Crull that was formerly in Gorgutz's possession, and offer it as a sacrifice to Khorne.

Farseer Taldeer

The overall commander of the Eldar forces on Kronus, Taldeer first appeared in Winter Assault.

Leading a strike force from Craftworld Ulthwé, she returns in Dark Crusade with a seemingly deeper voice (much resembling that of Farseer Macha). As in Lorn V, Taldeer is primarily concerned about the re-emergence of the Necrons and will go to any lengths to neutralise their threat to the Craftworld, and to the rest of the galaxy in general, so much so that she is willing to attack anybody between them and the Necrons. As a Farseer, she is initially armed with a standard Eldar sword and Laser Pistol. As the strike force progress deeper into Kronus, Taldeer is eventually equipped with a dual-bladed Singing Spear, a dual-barrelled shuriken pistol, the Gauntlets of Isha, a Ghosthelm, Runes of Warding and Witnessing, a Rune Aura, and a full suit of Wraithbone armour.

If the Eldar defeat the other six races in Dark Crusade, especially once the Necrons are defeated, the Eldar abandon the planet, leaving it to its fate. The planet Kronus turns into an unstable world in constant warfare and this state remains for centuries. Although the exact reasons for this behaviour are unknown, the narrator suggests that Taldeer might have foreseen a ruler of Kronus, who would have caused the universe great harm (and indeed, victory by any other faction results in them sending large crusades/waaagh!'s/purges from the planet). This could possibly be why she left a Ranger squad and a single Warlock to keep watch on the Orks, manipulating them into infighting to keep individual clan strength down. The ultimate fate and whereabouts of the Farseer are not known, according to the narrator.

When the Eldar stronghold in Tyrea is taken, Taldeer is shown telling the remaining Eldar to evacuate and to find refuge in the wilderness. She renounces the title "Farseer", saying her visions have failed them all, before she charges off into the charging attackers, taking a few down before being overwhelmed — her ultimate fate is death with most factions. One alternative possibility is when the Imperial Guard are the victors, Taldeer is taken alive, imprisoned and sent to the Inquisition to be "questioned". Another possiblilty is when the Tau are victorious, various Eldar (who may include Taldeer) are captured and await trial while the Tau study their technology. One more ending is that if Tyrea is captured by Chaos, the beginning of the scene shows the Avatar falling at the hands of the Bloodthirster. They have a short duel, then the Bloodthirster decapitates the Avatar. If the Necrons defeat the Eldar, then the Avatar falls at the hands of the Nightbringer.

As an interesting aside, the map of Tyrea closely resembles the face of an Avatar.

Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander

General Lukas Alexander was initially sent to Kronus by Segmentum Command to track down and capture Farseer Taldeer after her actions on Lorn V (as shown in Winter Assault). His forces landed in the abandoned city of Ironworks Bay, and found traces of ancient relics scattered across the planet, including the "Hellstorm Cannon", a weaponry from a Horus Heresy-era Imperator Titan, Aquila Ignis. The city was renamed "Victory Bay", and techpriests began excavating the massive Titan cannon. The Imperium then gave Lukas Alexander the title of "Governor-Militant" of Kronus, and tasked him with (re)conquering the planet for the Imperium from the Tau.

Alexander formed the 1st Kronus Regiment, naming them "The Liberators", since his soldiers were fighting to free the humans who were living under the rule of the Tau. Unfortunately, his goals soon put him at direct odds with a Blood Ravens task force that arrived on Kronus soon after "The Liberators", trying to uncover mysteries about the chapter's past. The Blood Ravens are then ordered to purge the planet in order to ensure their findings remain secret. They warn Alexander to leave, but he is determined to follow through with his orders and push the other factions off Kronus. Alexander is initially equipped with lightning claws and a wrist-mounted bolter. As his campaign progresses, he eventually obtains a wrist-mounted plasma pistol and power fists, as well as a full suit of carapace armour along with his Symbols of Office and optical implants.

When the Governor-Militant is successful in his task, he becomes one of the most powerful men in the sector with an entire planet at his command. Most of the 1st Kronus Regiment are subsequently sent off to other nearby worlds as reinforcements, while the Governor-Militant himself remains on Kronus to oversee the administration of Kronus and the creation of the Planetary Defense Force. With the ancient Titan cannon safely secured, the Adeptus Mechanicus were able to better study it, eternally grateful to Alexander. With the loss of Tau control on Kronus, the human population, with little encouragement, proceeded to massacre any Tau (or Tau-aligned humans) who did not evacuate along with Shas'O Kais. Finally, with the defeat of the Blood Raven taskforce, incriminating documents and artifacts from their Castellum Incorruptus was found and handed over to the Inquisition, calling into question the history and the "true nature" of the Blood Ravens.

Should the city of "Victory Bay" be captured, after the death of Lukas Alexander, the last of the 1st Kronus Regiment make a futile last stand near the Hellstorm cannon. To prevent the fall of the Titan cannon to the attackers, Captain Gregor Vash orders a Techpriest to "overload the core". The Titan cannon begins to overload and explode, the blasts taking out the nearby combatants. However, if Chaos were the victors, it implies that pieces of the Titan cannon still remain, as Eliphas' sorcerers released a daemon of rot and plague (which means it belongs to the Chaos god, Nurgle) from the cannon through a ritual of sacrificing the corpses from the attack. How the daemon was trapped in the cannon was not stated, but by doing so, Eliphas gained the favour of that particular god. Also, if Eldar attacked Victory Bay and won, implications of pieces remaining of the Titan cannon are evident as the narrator states that the Farseer ordered warp bombs to be placed on what was left of the Titan cannon and detonated, disallowing the Imperial Guard the chance to salvage anything of the formidable Titan cannon. Another interesting note is after the Guards defeat from the Necrons. The narrator says that the forces of the Nightbringer simply ignored the cannon, implying how advanced their power really is.

It is uncertain why the Imperial Guard would destroy the cannon in such desperation if defeated by the Space Marines, although perhaps Alexander's desperate last shout to his men "(These marines) fight against the Emperor's holy will!" indicates that the Governor-Militant is taking no chances regarding the cannon possibly coming into the hands of traitors. It is most likely after what we see in the introduction of the Space Marines where Davian Thule orders Lukas Alexander to step down while the Space Marines purged Kronus, and Lukas bluntly refused, causing a war between the Space Marines and the Imperial Guard. In the introduction the narrator says: "Captain Thule ordered the withdrawal of the Imperial Guard forces stationed in Victory Bay, but Governor Alexander flatly refused to pull his men back. Thule judged the Governor a good man, but had little choice but to send his Space Marines to battle the Governor's troops along with all the other powers on Kronus. The Blood Ravens' willingness to fight soldiers of the Imperium did not go unnoticed."

Shas'O Kais

The leader of the Tau forces on Kronus in Dark Crusade, Kais plans to reclaim the entire planet from the other six races. As a firm believer of the Greater Good, he is convinced that he can persuade anyone to accept Tau ideology, and he often gives his foes the chance to surrender before attacking. Humourously, when he makes this offer to Warboss Gorgutz, the ork leader sarcastically replies, "You don't know much about orks do ya grey-skin". Initially sent to Kronus after receiving a distress call from the colony, under attack from the Necrons, his mission became more complicated as the colony came under attack from the other races. From the capital city of Or'es Tash'n, under the guidance of Ethereal Aun'el Shi'ores, Kais faces an uphill task in securing Kronus. Using a XV22 Battlesuit, like the Tau Commander Shadowsun, he is at first only equipped with a burst cannon in his right hand, but as the campaign progresses, at full weapon capacity, he carries a fusion blaster (replacing the burst cannon), subsequently replaced by a plasma rifle, a heavy flamer in his left hand and missile launchers mounted on each shoulder. Of significance is the fact that Kais is the only faction commander without a melee attack. He can also be equipped with Iridium armour, as well as a cloaking field, a jetpack, and an advanced sensors array that allows him to detect stealth units. A combination of Shield and Gun Drones can accompany him once they are earned in the campaign.

If his Tau strike force finishes off the other six races in Dark Crusade, the Tau colony on Kronus is slowly revitalized as more Tau and Kroot begin to move in from other worlds. The defeated human Imperials that fought (and/or betrayed) the Tau were placed in re-education camps. Rumours of a sterilization policy upon the humans abound — as (according to the narrator) the human population starts to dwindle very rapidly as the Kronus colony begins to thrive again.

When the Tau stronghold of Or'es Tash'n is taken, it shows the Ethereal Aun'el Shi'ores being killed. Kais lands with some Crisis Suits, discovers the Ethereal's body, and tells the remaining Tau to evacuate the planet, and that he will return to T'au to give the Ethereal a proper burial. He is one of the few commanders who definitely survives after their faction is defeated.

Though there is no evidence to directly support or deny this fact, it is worth noting that he shares the same name and homeworld as the Tau protagonist from the game Fire Warrior, and may indeed be the same Kais. This is because when he encounters Space Marines, he says "Space Marines! They will pay for what they did to Dolumar" (the planet in which the events of Fire Warrior take place, although the at the end of Fire Warrior it was apparent that Kais held no grudge toward the Ultarmarines when they destroyed Dolumar, and if he did it would be towards the Ultramarines, not the Blood Ravens). However, it is also worth noting that "Kais" is the Tau word for "skillful", and it is itself a common name in the Fire Caste, borne by Commander Farsight for instance.

Necron Lord of Kronus

The leader of all Necron forces on Kronus. As he appears unable to speak, all external communications are made by one of his Pariahs, a former human (or Gue'la as Archives note: Gue'la in Tau language means human) scientist named Thomas Macabee who was the sole survivor of an expedition he led to explore the catacombs of the Thur'abis Plateau. For reasons unknown, he retained traces of his former identity and was turned into a Pariah instead, serving as a "spokesman" of sorts for the Necrons. Dormant for millions of years, the Necrons of Kronus are now reawakening, like their compatriots on other worlds, and are determined to exterminate all other life on Kronus. In all likelihood, their actions could have precipitated the conflict leading to the Dark Crusade. The Necron Lord is initially equipped with basic equipment, but eventually gains more powerful equipment such as an advanced suit of armor, a better staff, a mask which makes him see infiltrated units and cloak which makes him travel faster. All the upgrades are available in turn when a battle is completed. On the whole he uses these upgrades to slaughter anything in his path.

If the Necrons finish off the other six races in Dark Crusade, they deploy their massive Monolith from beneath the surface and proceed on to kill off every single living organism on the planet, eventually drying up the oceans, and turning the resultant lifeless planet into a Tomb World. The Tomb World of Kronus then becomes a thorn in the side of the Imperium for years to come, as more Necrons reawaken and continue their Great Work on nearby worlds.

On the other hand, when the Thur'abis Plateau is taken, it shows the Necron Lord near the Pariah Tomas Macabee, who discovers the planted bomb. He tries to warn the Lord, but the bomb goes off in a massive explosion, collapsing the catacombs of the Thur'abis plateau, and entombing the Necrons under tons of rock. We also see the Nightbringer screaming from the top of the catacombs before he is consumed by the blast. Whether the Necrons of Kronus are truly defeated remains to be seen, although it seems highly unlikely that they survived.

"[The Dark Crusade] could only end with victory for one of these factions and the total defeat of all others."

Warp Spider Exarch Rakanis

Rakanis, Warp Spider Exarch, was a character shown briefly before the start of the Eldar stronghold battle. He was declared the Young King and was to be sacrificed to become the Avatar of the Bloody Handed God, Kaela Mensha Khaine. Not much else is known about Rakanis other than that he was a Warp Spider exarch.

Captain Gregor Vash

One of Governor Alexander's subordinates, a kasrkin officer who often reports to Alexander about new developments during battles and possibly fights beside him as part of his Command Squad. If the Imperial Guard is defeated at Victory Bay, he and fellow Kasrkin stand their ground outside the Hellstorm Cannon, where he orders the last techpriest to "overload the core", the resulting explosion [...] him if he hasn't been gunned down already. When the Imperial Guard succeeds in capturing Kronus, he is promoted to Colonel and is placed in command of the 1st Kronus regiment and shipped off world with the rest of the regiment to the next conflict zone.

Aun'el Shi'ores

The Tau Ethereal governor of Kronus and Shas'O Kais's advisor. Described as being the next generation of the Tau Ethereal caste, he is determined to restore Kronus back to the Tau Empire and feels discontent towards those who do not accept Tau ideology of the Greater Good, especially Orks and Necrons. If the Tau are attacked in their city of Tash'n, he becomes the prime target of the invading force, seeing as how his death would shatter the Tau morale. If the invaders are successful, he and his bodyguard are killed in a hail of gunfire, where his body is recovered by an emotionally shattered O'Kais; who orders all Tau military to evacuate and return the Ethereal's body back to T'au, leaving the civilian population of Tash'n to the invaders.

Tomas Macabee

The head of a Adeptus Mechanicus detachment sent to Kronus, Macabee and his team inadvertanly opens the entrance into the Necron catacomb in the Thur'abis Plateau, waking them from their millennia long slumber. Whilst most of the team was killed, he was instead transformed into a Necron Pariah, where he retained traces of his personality. He acts as both the spokesman for the Necrons, often telling the enemy their death was coming, and a sort of advisor for the Necron Lord. If the Necrons are defeated in the Thur'abis Plateau, the final scene shows him urging the Necron Lord to resurrect fallen Necrons. He then discovers bomb left in the centre of the plateau and before he could warn the Lord, the bomb detonates and brings down the area, [...] him as well.

Regimental Commissar Anton Gebbet

Second in command for the 1st Kronus Liberators on Kronus, Gebbet is ready to take command should Lucas Alexander fall. He can be acquired as an honour guard unit during the campaign. Also, when you attack Victory Bay, the Imperial Guard stronghold, Gebbet is placed in command of 5th Company, who is known to break easily. As the narrator states, "Without Gebbet's whip, the company would surely fold," it makes it clear that he wasa fierce leader. He executes a guardsman during the opening cutscene of the Imperial Guard stronghold just because he stepped out of line to say something. One of the mission objectives of the stronghold mission is to eliminate the Commissar and his Ogryn enforcers. This will cause 5th company to rebel.