The Justicars

"Control a people's perception of reality and you can control them.
- Uriel Salazar

The Justicars
Battle Cry	"He wills it"
Number	XIII
Founding	First Founding
Successors of	N/A
Successor Chapters	Children of Akrom, The Ninth Path, Black Corsairs
Primarch	Uriel Salazar
Homeworld	Tiberia V
Strength	Accurate Figure Unknown; believed to be over 150,000 at start of Heresy.
Specialty	Deception, Denial, Intelligence, Anti-Witch operations
Allegiance	Traitor. Tzeentch.
Colours	White and Black

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

The Justicars were a Traitor Space Marine Legion. Atypical for Astartes, the 13th joked, talked freely, and pulled pranks on each other. This stood juxtaposed against a solid reputation for relentless professionalism on the battlefield. The Emperor crafted their gene-sire Uriel Salazar as a great weapon against the dark powers of Chaos, and Uriel's gene-sons were well-equipped to carry on that mission against the Witch Kings and Sorcerers who plagued humanity at the end of the Age of Strife. Yet as the mission of the Legion evolved into a fight against the corrupting touch of Chaos within the young Imperium, they were drawn into the web of Tzeentch and turned against mankind. Among the ranks of the Traitors, they are unusually renowned for their selflessness and courage - the same qualities that had made the 13th beloved servants of the Emperor.

Legion History

The most difficult task any living being confronts is understanding their place in the galaxy.

- Uriel Salazar, Confessions

Humble Beginnings

The XIII Sacred Band as recorded in Orders of the Day, by Hektor Cincinnatus.

The first recruits for the nascent Thirteenth Legion came from the children of the Emperor's defeated enemies in the Unification Wars. From those few who survived the gene-seed, the ten best were selected to make up the Thirteenth Squad the Sacred Band and fight in the Pacification of the Merican Hives under the command of Hektor Cincinnatus. Led by Aldous Cadigan, the Thirteenth Squad undertook reconnaissance and kill-team missions. They were rightly commended for slaying the Psysavant Cabal of San Angelus before the battle for that hive commenced, but the six survivors of the Thirteenth Squad refused to accept decorations and asked that the honours only be awarded to the fallen. For this reason, only the names of the slain are commemorated: Hong-Lau Shi, Zlatko Tolyan Blazić, Malik Al-Hasheem, and Librarian Kamaraj Kohli. The gesture would later strike a chord with the rest of the legion, and the legions first official tradition began.

Despite impressing with their combat effectiveness and humility, Cadigan and his men played a limited role in the Unification Wars. New recruits were inducted into their number, now styled the Thirteenth Legion, but they held up no great battle honours. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the warriors of the Thirteenth carried out small operations against high-value targets, particularly enemy psykers, ahead of the more glorious battles fought by other Legionnaires. Certainly someone was doing this dirty work, for the chronicles of the Unification Wars often make reference to sorcerers serving Techno-Barbarian Warlords such as Nathaniel Dume or Kalagann of Ursh, but hardly ever speak of these powerful figures intervening against the Emperor's armies after the Pacification of the Merican Hives.

Had it not been for problems with many of the Legions activated prior to the Thirteenth, it is possible that the gene-sons of Uriel Salazar might have remained a specialist force dedicated purely to the slaying of witches. But with the exception of Hektor's glorious First Legion, few of the Thirteenth's elder brothers were truly ready to leap forward into the stars around Sol. In His wisdom, the Emperor commanded that additional genetic resources be devoted to expanding the Thirteenth Legion and making them ready for the Great Crusade shortly after the Battle of Mount Ararat and the end of the Unification Wars. To furnish recruits to the expanding Legion, the officers of the Thirteenth Legion sent their agents into the vast subterranean prisons beneath Terra's hives, searching for children who had been born to a ruthless struggle for survival. In explaining the new course, Aldous Cadigan wrote to the War Council that the work of his Legion, "can only be done by saints and monsters, and we already recruit every saint we find."

However, those who expected the Thirteenth's new men to commit terrible atrocities were greatly disappointed. In the first campaigns of the Fifth Expedition Fleet Cadigan's "saints" kept a careful watch over their charges and the careful, disciplined compliance actions of the Legion soon won them the tongue-in-cheek nickname, Guardian Angels. Even in the bitter and bloody Tartaros Campaign against the sorcerous cohorts of the "God-Emperor" Bassal-Narassur the Undying, the Guardian Angels went into battle, staking their own lives, rather than employ orbital bombardment and inflict civilian casualties. Bassal-Narassur was slain and the Messonian Empire brought into compliance with the Imperial Truth. But the cost of victory was high; the Thirteenth were so bloodied from the campaign that their Expedition Fleet withdrew to the Sol System to rebuild.

Notable Campaigns

• 782.M30 The Battle of San Angelus
  Though they played only a limited role, the Psysavant Cabal that ruled the San Angelus Hive were a potent group of psykers, and the XIII Sacred Band's mission to eliminate these sorcerers played a pivotal role in the pacification of the hive and certainly saved many Imperial lives.

• 813.M30: The Tartaros Campaign.
  A powerful, self-styled rival to the Imperium, the Messonian Empire were humbled by the Thirteenth in a brutal, and decisive campaign that would bring the Messonians into the Imperium, and silence all dissent in the sector for over four millennia. The Messonian Empire, largely untouched by the chaotic infighting of the Heresy, positioned itself as a major base of operations for the early Imperial pushes of the Scouring into Ultima and Obscurus.

Uriel Salazar

Get men to think less about themselves and more about their brothers. Involve them in a cause, a crusade against a hated enemy. Make them see their survival as tied to the success of the army as a whole. Do that, and they will never fail you.

- Uriel Salazar

Uriel Salazar, Primarch of the Thirteenth Legion

It has been theorised that the sacrifice of the Thirteenth at Messonia was at the command of the Emperor, for just five years later the Legion would be meet with their Primarch and gain access to the vast manpower reserves of his home world Tiberia. Fresh genetic material from Uriel Salazar invigorated the Legion physically, but his moral presence was even more significant. Uriel's selfless dedication to the Imperium and its peoples, his great humility, and his tremendous self-discipline made him the embodiment of the Thirteenth's principles. More than just a leader or a father, he was his gene-sons' ideal. The Primarch's first command was to set aside the name "Guardian Angels". Uriel explained to his men that such a moniker was boastful and unfitting for their mission. In place of that grand title, he styled the Thirteenth as "The humble fellow-soldiers of the Emperor and His justice", but they would be more commonly known as The Justicars.

Uriel never officially re-based his Legion to Tiberia and always hailed Ancient Terra as the cradle of the Justicars. However, in reality the Thirteenth moved much of their recruiting and training infrastructure to the Primarch's home world very early on. The Fifth Expedition Fleet officially rejoined the Great Crusade in 820.M30 under Uriel's command, but it would not embark on major campaigns again until 823.M30, as Uriel brought with him a sweeping reforms to the legion and its methods that required extensive training and acclimation. Other Expedition Fleets, at first commanded by Cadigan's veterans, soon followed in the footsteps of the Fifth Fleet, and in quick succession the Justicars won many firm victories for the Imperium under their own banner. Almost as important were the many independent "Compliance Groups" that went to the aid of other Imperial forces confronted by Sorcerers and Psykers. The skills of the Unification Wars had not been forgotten by the Thirteenth Legion, and small dedicated formations of the legion hunted witches and corruption all across the galaxy. Their talents were also used to great effect in the fight against psychically-potent Xenos, such as the Eldar.

The legion quickly made a name for itself, racking up brilliant victories and earning great respect for their humble and dutiful nature. This run didn't last 3 decades before problems arose. When Uriel had formed the intelligence framework for the legions networks, various formations within the legion pooled their knowledge. The Armorium was one of these formations, and Mars was not happy to hear about its Techmarines sharing their secrets. The legion had been under intense scrutiny from Mars, who had lowered the legions priority on its supply lists. Fate had not had enough with the Justicars yet though, and through a cruel twist a secret cache was discovered in a Justicar voidship by a lowly Munitorum official during one of the regularly-irregular supply stops. Inside the cache were hundreds of mismatched artefacts, all undisclosed by the Justicars. The fury of Mars was relentless and they seized the artefacts in a tense standoff and then left, petitioning the Emperor himself to redress the issue harshly. The artefacts were a strange collection with no obvious common traits save their psychically shielded housing and having been kept from Mars. The legion offered no explanation for the secreted away artefacts, though Uriel was recorded as meeting with the Emperor personally over the matter. After the meeting, judgement had been passed: The legion would find and turn over a complete STC device it had located to the Mechanicum, and the legion was to bring several recalcitrant forgeworlds into compliance with Mars. The Mechancium were unhappy with the judgement, but their greed placated them enough to accept the judgement begrudgingly. The Justicars delivered, but relations never normalised between the two, and the legion found itself all but cut off from Mechanicum support

As the Great Crusade began to reach the fringes of the Astronomican's light, the Astartes's mission slowly changed. The Space Marines were too few to hold and expand the vast frontiers of the young Imperium alone. Human warriors of the enormous Imperial Army formerly kept in support roles, were now committed to the spearheads of the Crusade in ever-increasing numbers. The Justicars adapted to these changes exceptionally well, having long made use of the Imperial Army in its campaigns. But despite their best efforts, the Justicars felt the increased pressures upon them to fulfil their mandate; Insurrections flared up across the entirety of the Imperium, often led by powerful sorcerers. To combat the threats within the Imperium, Uriel began to break up his Expeditionary Fleets into ever more Compliance Groups, spread thinly throughout the Galaxy. Although their lack of force concentration robbed the Justicars of the laurels won by other Legions at the end of the Great Crusade, they gladly gave up honour for duty.

Yet for every witch-led rebellion that the Justicars put down, more sprang up elsewhere. Uriel Salazar became obsessed with understanding the patterns underlying these revolts, believing that if he could discover a logical progression to such events he could better deploy his far-flung forces. Uriel is even recorded as having been party to private discussions with the Emperor and Malcador the Sigilite around this time, apparently seeking guidance, though the truth of what they spoke of is lost to us. However, for all the nobility of his purpose, Uriel's great focus led him into darkness. The logic that he worked to understand was the unfathomable intelligence of the Chaos God Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways. Every new insight twisted the Primarch's great mind towards the path of Chaos, the very foe which he was created to defeat. When Aubrey The Grey came to claim the Thirteenth for the Traitors, Uriel agreed to join with the Arch-Traitor and solemnly pledged his men to Hektor's cause with the words he had once used to affirm his loyalty to the Emperor:

He wills it.

The Heresy

Having his men scattered throughout the Imperium was at once help and hindrance to Uriel's new plans. The Justicars swiftly went into action sabotaging Imperial infrastructure, disabling astropathic relays, and securing strategic points such as supply depots for the Traitor Legions. However, a small minority of the Thirteenth Legion refused to follow their Primarch into damnation. These "Guardian Angels", as they called themselves, were few in number but were particularly adept at slaying the corrupted Librarians in thrall of the Chaos Powers across the Galaxy.

Aside from dealing with their Loyalist brothers, Uriel's Justicars were also called on to contain the warriors of the Eyes of the Emperor who had spurned the Council of Ten and rallied to Shakya Vardhana. If these two subtle Legions did not yet confront one another in great pitched battles, their countless skirmishes over six years of war still added up to a terrible toll in lives. The hatreds formed in the little war between the Justicars and the Eyes of the Emperor would reach a crescendo at the Siege of Terra, where the Legions would finally be matched in a field battle.

The Scouring

Hektors body had barely hit the bloodied steps of the Imperial Palace when the traitor hordes began to rout. The tide had turned and the hard-pressed defenders opportunity to avenge their fallen was upon then and their counter-offensive began in earnest. Old habits die hard however; Amidst the chaos of the Traitor retreat, the Justicars began to form a rearguard with practised fluidity. Warriors from the First, Fourth and Sixteenth either reformed with them, or showed no intention of retreating anyway. An intense struggle began as rage and hatred on both sides crashed into one another yet afain that day. The traitors lead by Uriel and Aubrey fought bitterly, but they were forced back step by bloody step at the hands of the vengeful loyalists. Through the begrudgingly valiant efforts of the traitors, the rearguard served its purpose; Hektors lifeless body had been evacuated from Terra and the majority of the remaining traitors had escaped into the void. Those in the rearguard had all but died to a man, even Uriel himself had been banished into the warp. Only Aubrey The Grey survived, forced into an escaping ship by his own men.

Those at Terra had died to a man, but the majority of the surviving Justicars were spared the Scouring, so dispersed were they across the galaxy that they escaped by sheer virtue of their own diffuse deployment and small numbers. Not all were so lucky however, many of the legions networks were violently uprooted, and many hidden caches and forward bases were discovered; the vengeful guns of the Loyalists exacted a heavy toll upon all the traitorous Thirteenth discovered.

Legion Wars

The 13th were a divisive group in the Legion wars, earning as much hatred and envy as they earned respect and friendship for their actions in the heresy.

Organisation

Where many legions had idiosyncratic and unique organisational structures born of their deep-rooted cultural and philosophical backgrounds, the Thirteenth had always kept there own simple and clear. Keeping their organisation based on the Terran standard, the Justicars only added the Compliance Group to their structure. The legion did not field many battle groups and by the late Crusade they had none at all, preferring instead to use the smaller Compliance Groups to achieve the same objectives. Early in the Crusade it was not uncommon for multiple Compliance Groups to be assigned to a single campaign, using their flexibility and deception to defeat the enemies of the Imperium with great effect.

After the Justicars fell foul of Mars, they looked to bind every ally they could trust to their banner, from Forgeworlds to Rogue Traders. Notably, the legion took to "adopting" Imperial Army regiments who proved their skill and reliability, especially from worlds the Thirteenth had brought into the Imperium personally. Declaring the regimental home planet as a legion recruiting world, the Justicars would set about drastically improving the quality and intensity of the training these regiments were given. Then the legion could funnel these regiments into Justicar Compliance Groups, who provided a backbone of men the Thirteenth trusted and knew were capable.

The only other major deviation that set the Justicars apart from their Astartes brothers, was the freedom with which they gave their commanders to realise objectives; operational commanders of the Justicars and even the Imperial Army were given clear objectives and a time frame within which to complete these in. This left the subordinate leadership to independently plan and implement how they would achieve their objectives, and do so appropriately to the forces they had at their disposal. These mission-lead tactics proved very effective, and complemented the Thirteenth legions greater doctrine.

Doctrine

The doctrine of the nascent XIII legion could be simply categorised as conventional; the legion began its history as a small, specialised force designed to track down and eliminate enemy psykers. However, in the closing days of the Unification Wars, it became clear many of the line legions would require time to recover their depleted strength, while the young XIII legion were in relatively good order. And with a healthy stockpile of stable geneseed ready to be implanted, the Emperor ordered the XIII to begin preparations to adapt to a new front line role while the other legions rebuilt.

The legions reunification with their primarch would bring about significant changes to this conventionality. Having participated in an insurgency on his homeworld, Uriel understood there was more to war than blades and bullets, and learned to see beyond the battle when planning strategies. He installed a doctrine that revolved around the principle of denial and control; the legion would seek to seize or destroy their opponents ability to wage war itself before finishing them off. To achieve this aim, 4 themes were made paramount to the Justicar doctrine:

• Deception
  

Misleading and confusing the enemy causes them to operate upon a false perception of reality and thus makes them vulnerable to the Justicars own strategies. Information warfare, psychological operation, and counter-intelligence all serve to further this theme, making the 13th an unpredictable and frustrating foe to face.

• Coordination
  

Coordination is employed by the Thirteenth to magnify the effects of their strategies upon their enemies. Strong lines of communication form the keystone to this theme and form a backbone for the legions forces. Intelligence networks and reconnaissance forces bolster and utilise these communication lines to ensure Compliance Groups coordinate their strategies with devastating effect on the enemy.

• Flexibility
  

The critical elements in war are speed and adaptability; the ability to move and make decisions faster than the enemy. The Mechanicum feud forced the legion to adapt to overcome their supply shortcomings by substituting equipment for ruthless training, and building flexibility into their organisation. Thus the Justicars segment their forces into groups who operate autonomously, merging and segmenting as required. Combined with coordination this serves to make the Justicars elusive and unstoppable by infusing their forces with the spirit of the campaign, giving them a clear objective to accomplish, and then letting them run. This has lead to the Thirteenths forces possessing an extraordinary strategic agility, often making their Compliance Groups seem like much larger forces than they actually are.

• Mobility
  

The use of mobility to undermine the enemy has long been a central theme of warfare. While not as fast or mobile as some legions or simply lacking the equipment, the Justicars solve their shortcomings by using mobility itself as a weapon. Aware they have to pick their battles carefully, the legion will withdraw from a confrontation with the enemy with no remorse. This often draws enemy forces into rash pursuits which the Justicars are only too happy to indulge. Once opportunity presents itself, the Thirteenths forces will mount their counter-offensives and flanking manoeuvres on the now over-extended enemy with striking effect.

These themes enabled the legion to prosecute their campaigns with an impressive economy of effort, expending the least effort for the most gain. The legion became increasingly reliant on these methods as the Great Crusade wore on, and they mastered them as much out of necessity as desire.
As the Great Crusade advanced however, the legion Compliance Groups found themselves transitioning from front-line forces into a specialist role hunting down witches across the Imperium. This transition cost the legion many battle honours, but they never complained, such was the cost of duty. Post-Heresy, these strategies persist, having been simply augmented by the sorcerous powers and mutations imparted on the legion and their auxiliaries by Tzeentch.

The Emissarium

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
(Ancient Tiberian Proverb)

roles:

• Handling diplomacy and inter-legion communication
• Coordinating operations with the 13th when required
• Discreetly watching over other legions for any questionable behaviour
• Establishing intelligence networks for foreseeable future operations

Akin to the Crusader Host on Terra, the Emissarium was officially a non-combat role, with a single marine, or Emissarius, embedded into each of the other legions. The role was a temporary posting, and was held for about a two decades, before being rotated to another. The rotation, and the Emissarius itself was designed to teach the brightest and best of the 13th the skills and philosophies of the other legions. The purpose of this being that they could be studied and adopted, or methods devised to counter them. While officially a non-combat role, being attached to the retinue of a Primarch or Battle-group Commander meant Emissarius often saw a great deal of combat.

At the outset of the Heresy, Uriel had manipulated the rotation of the Emissarium to ensure that he had marines he could trust in the right positions; he assigned men he trusted to the legions Uriel had determined would side with Hektor, and the few loyalists the 13th had were assigned to the legions Uriel believed would remain loyal. This helped keep the 13ths loyalty undetermined for such a long time into the Heresy. In this way the Emissarius was a vital source of information for the 13th, and helps explain how the Traitors in general were so successful prior to the Siege of Terra.

Specialist Troops

Stalker Squads

"You can't hide from your shadow"
(Stalker motto)

Roles:

• Witch kill-team operations
• Reconnaissance
• Logistics interdiction
• Communications and infrastructure sabotage

Ironically, these stealthy warriors became the face of the Thirteenth Legion due to their frequent collaborations with other Legions. The Stalkers were chosen from among the ranks of ordinary battle brothers for their strength of will, intelligence, and stealth skills, and were recognised as an elite formation the equal of any other in the Space Marine Legions. However, the Stalkers' formidable talents were best employed in small bands tasked with the elimination of witches. Due to their special training and equipment, these Legionnaires became peculiarly resistant to the works of psykers and they were particularly feared by the Eldar.

Culture and Traditions

Even before the legion was reunited with their gene-sire, the Thirteenth had displayed many of the same values that would later define them; Courage, justice, patience, duty, cooperation, generosity, humility, diligence, and determination. These nine values formed a bedrock on which the varied temperaments of the legion would build upon, and were untouched by the legions otherwise impenetrable cynicism. The vast influx of Tiberian recruits inducted in 817.M30 brought with them new cultural practices that were quickly shared with the rest of the legion, as old practices were adopted in kind.
The legions humble nature had seen to it that only their fallen brothers names were recorded in the legions annals and Imperial honour rolls. This practice was soon expanded to include members of the Imperial Army, and even civilians who had contributed to the success of the Justicars' campaigns.

A strong and bewildering tradition within the Thirteenth is that of the prank; well known for their good humour and friendly nature, the prank is the evolution of the under-hive humour and rough-housing that dominated the early legion. The prank found widespread popularity with the Tiberian recruits most of whom had shared similarly challenging childhoods. It also proved popular with Imperial Army rank-and-file, though commanders, especially high-born, were quickly insulted by such uncouth behaviours. Even after falling to Chaos, the prank seems to remain a fixture of the legions culture, only now they often take a more nefarious turn.

Despite their jovial nature, the Justicars held a rather serious outlook in their heart; most of the legion had grown up in harsh and trying circumstances, and the need to be self-reliant was strong. After the Mechanicum Incident, this need became ever more vital, and so the legion sought to overcome its supply issues with ruthless training and coordination. Spearheaded by the venerable Oskar Reinhardt, the legion began instituting brutal training schedules. From individual weapon drills and squad tactics, to complex scenarios and grand strategy wargames, the legion prepared itself relentlessly to face whatever fate might throw its way. Imperial Army regiments 'adopted' by the legion were also included in these preparations on Uriels order, such was the trust and burden the legion knew it would be setting upon them.

Notable Personnel

Oskar Reynhardt - Status: Deceased
XO of XIII Sacred Band. A gruff, mean old bastard, Oskar was the bane of aspirants and battle brothers alike with his ruthless training regimes. But he also commanded utter respect for his wisdom and incomparable toughness. Oskar eventually died in the rearguard action at the Siege of Terra.
Karolus Vayne - Status:Alive
A pillar of the legion since the Sacred Band, where even then he had a reputation for a singular and creative viciousness. Though he stuck to the ideals of the legion, his irreverent independent streak saw him test the limits many times. His skill in CQB was a match for any who dared challenge him however, and like his viciousness, it has only increased since the Heresy ended. He now leads Black Corsairs.
Arkady Balotin - Status: Deceased
Another Sacred Band member, Balotin exemplified the legions ideals, but possessed an irresistible charm that made him the perfect foil to the Uriel. He served as Equerry from 820.M30 to his mysterious murder, sometime before or during the Heresy.
Mihael Cuervo - Status:Alive
Mihael was inducted into the legion in 917.M30, much later than his brethren. However, he proved himself worthy under the unforgiving instruction of Oskar Reynhardt, and went on to earn his reputation as a masterful manager of men, and brilliant strategist as commander of the veteran Compliance Group 13. He amassed a cadre of skilful and loyal officers around him, and reiterated the legions ethos of duty to keep subordinates in line. He currently leads the Justicars in Uriels stead.
Raziel Búho - Status:Alive
Búho was always odd; possessing an unnerving, unblinking stare, and a silent grace that caught even master scouts off-guard. He joined the Librarius upon his inception, his latent Psy-powers measuring among the highest levels the legion had ever seen. His progression was slow however, as Búho had a predilection for studying everything he could get his hands on, obsessed as he was with knowledge and secrets. Though he was not present for the battle, he became Chief Librarian just prior to the Siege of Terra. He now acts as a right hand to Mihael Cuervo when not out on one of his unnanounced "excursions".
Raphael Garza -Status:Alive
A tall and wiry marine, Raphael Garza's father was a combat medic who fought beside Uriel back on Tiberia against the oppressive regime of the Keye family. Taking in his fathers footsteps, Raphael was inducted into the Apothecarion and showed great aptitude. He served for a time as Emissarius to the Life Bringers legion, before returning to the legion, shortly after becoming their Surgeon General. For a time he provided wise and humble counsel to Uriel, and later to Mihael Cuervo.
Earl Togo-Status:Believed Alive
A member of the XIII Sacred Band, Togo made a name for himself quickly as a peerless marksman, putting his skills to the test on many reconnaissance and kill-team missions. A man of few facial expressions and fewer words, Togo had none who would count him a friend; But when battle was joined, there was none who could say they didn't want to see Togo next to them. Aside from his unnatural marksmanship, Togo possessed incredible reflexes, endless patience, and uncanny luck. He vanished prior to the heresy, but unconfirmed reports of a silent Astartes marksman have surfaced in several sectors around the galaxy since.

Notable Domains

As expected of a member of the Legiones Astartes, the Justicars brought many systems into compliance with the Imperium. Their measured care when pacifying human worlds and their precise rebuilding efforts bought the Imperium boundless goodwill and loyalty. Many more worlds than usual were established as recruiting worlds for the legion though, mostly to offset the supply issues the Justicars faced after their dispute with the Mechanicum. The majority of these recruiting worlds would go on to raise significant numbers of regiments that the Thirteenth built their non-Astartes Compliance Groups around. This was true especially late in the Great Crusade when the Astartes were overextended across the vast frontiers of the Great Crusade. Some independent forge worlds were even brought under the legions wing on similar grounds; the legion needed the industrial support they provided more than what little goodwill Mars had left for the legion.

• Tiberia_V, Uriels Home-world.
  
• The Illyrian Sub-Sector
  
• Weizhen Sub-Sector
  
• Perfidiae V, the first world affected by the strange witch cults that Uriel would obsess over.
  

Fleet

The Justicars were known to possess an extensive fleet, though light on the heavy capital ships many other Legions favoured. Instead their fleet was comprised of vast quantities intermediate and small vessels such as strike cruisers. The legion favours ranged fleet combat over boarding action, placing trust in their fleet commanders who became quietly renowned for their skill on the battlespace. The Justicars were also suspected of utilising a number of captured xenos and non-imperial vessels, or incorporating xenos and non-imperial technology into their void-ship designs. Whether this occurred before or after the legions feud with the Mechanicum is unknown. Given the Legion's supply issues and frequent activities beyond the Imperium's focus, such suspicions may well be true. But it is equally likely such reports originate from the Justicars themselves.

At the beginning of the Heresy, the Justicars are believed to have had:

2 Gloriana-class Flagships
~70 Battleships
~710 Cruisers
~900 Escorts

These fleet numbers do not include the Imperial Army and Navy vessels requisitioned to the XIIIth Legions command.

Notable Vessels

Perfidus Iter- Gloriana class Battleship
Captain: Shemuel Spayd

Uriel's Flagship, often confused with the legions other Flagship of the same class, Eris. The ship is a contradiction, a vessel stripped down to its vital parts yet everything remaining is of exquisite artistry and taste, creating a strange dichotomy of purpose and aesthetic. It is known to hold vast training facilities and an extensive armoury.

Eris- Gloriana class Battleship
Captain: Marcos Bennitt

Identical to Perfidus Iter in every way, down to the smallest detail. It is heavily implied that one of these Glorianas was stolen from one of the lost legions eliminated by the Justicars.

Child of Justice - Strike Cruiser
Captain: [REDACTED]

This ship is shrouded in mystery; many have claimed that the Justicars simply name one ship in every battle fleet Child of Justice; reports have a Strike Cruiser with this name appearing in over 30 different locations around the Imperium, in a time-frame that would make it impossible for the ship to physically travel those distances. Whether intentional deception, a legion-wide prank, or some form of warp anomaly the Child of Justice has quite the history.

Qarin - Oberon class Battleship
Captain: Ahab Celine

Qarin is reportedly the ship on which Uriel Salazar finally fell to Tzeentch while hunting the cults that he grew to obsess over. The ships Captain, Ahab Celine, went rogue after the heresy, and is believed to be behind a number of conspiracies against the Imperium.

Geneseed

The geneseed of the XIII was once noted as remarkably stable by Terran records at the end of the Unification Wars. From there on however, few complete records remain; A testament to the legions skill at counter-intelligence. What little we have left suggests significant genetic mutations began to manifest during the latter stages of the Great Crusade, and the legion subsequently tried to obfuscate this fact. They largely succeeded as sadly, not enough evidence exists for a conclusive statement. However, it only takes simple observation on the current state of the Justicars to note the genetic purity noted at their inception is no longer present, no doubt thanks to their new master.