Diabolist

Meet the most stereotypically evil-looking guys in the Heresy. And you thought Skeletor was too overtly evil.

Diabolists were a type of warrior employed by the Word Bearers during the Horus Heresy and were effectively the precursor to the modern day Chaos Sorcerer and Dark Apostle.

Overview

First appearing openly at the Battle of Calth, these proto-Sorcerers specialized in Daemomancy and using the powers of the Warp in battle. One of Roboute Guilliman's edicts after Calth was the specific targeting of these officers.

Interesting enough, the term, "Diabolist", was first coined by the few survivors of the 22nd Chapter of the Ultramarines Legion during the Battle of Calth in 007.M31, NOT the Word Bearers themselves, although they later co-opt the name as the Heresy escalated.

Another 'funny' thing that occurred was when the Ultramarines, before the Word Bearers revealed their Heresy, fought alongside their 'brothers' in spring cleaning the local Ork infection, there was most likely Diabolists intermingling with their Ultramarine cousins. We mean, just look at that armour and tell us how the proverbial fuck the Blueberries missed the mother of all redflags. Seriously, that armour just screams EVUL. GeeDubs tried to handwave it by stating that they were 'hidden from Ultramarines observers', which is kind of weak as other officers of similar specialisation to those observed in various cities also appeared to have been present in most of the Word Bearers units mustered on Calth. So either the Smurfs were goddamn blind as a mole, or the Ultramarines really thought that that dude in a Death Metal setup was a model Word Bearers representative.

In terms of equipment, these guys wore what some believe to be the very first rendition of Sorcerer's Power Armour modified from Mark IV: Maximus Armour, as well as a Force Staff.

It is not known if these individuals are still utilised in the ranks of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion in the present era of the late 41st Millennium or have been completely subsumed by the Dark Apostles.