The Lost and the Damned

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This article is about the playable army in the game, Warhammer 40,000. For the 1990 book by Games Workshop, Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned, see Realm of Chaos (Warhammer).

In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, The Lost and the Damned are part of the forces of Chaos.

They consist of the scum of the Galaxy - traitors, heretics, cultists, mutants and other horrors too numerous to comprehend, such as the insane Chaos Spawn. Often it is traitor units of the Imperial Guard that make up the bulk of the Lost and the Damned, providing the firepower and led into battle by mighty Aspiring Champions - Space Marines who turned traitor millennia ago during the Horus Heresy.

Often entire companies of Guardsmen turn to Chaos, and take with them their vehicles, such as the Basilisk and the mighty Leman Russ. Mutants also make up the bulk of their armies, with many disturbing and disgusting mutations adorning their once-human bodies. Chaos Space Marines lead them into battle, and accompanied by the monstrous Defiler, the Lost and the Damned are a deadly foe to face, particularly when the Aspiring Champions may also call upon Daemons from the warp to do their bidding. Also at the forefront of many heresies and devastating treason are the Arch Heretics, who range from Rogue Psykers seeking revenge against an oppressive Imperium, or bribed and corrupted Cardinals and Planetary Governors seeking more personal wealth and glory by defying the Emperor's divine will. While not as dangerous on their own as a Chaos Space Marine, these individuals are far more numerous than the power-armoured heathens and, in concert, can wreak havoc upon the Imperium's control of whole planetary systems.

Lost and the Damned refers to all followers of Chaos that are not Chaos Space Marines, and are usually renegades and degenerate traitors that have fled Imperial rule, and lack discipline and heavy weapons. However in several instances there have been entire armies raised on Deamon worlds to serve the dark powers. Most infamous of these are the Blood Pact, formed and controlled by the Chaos Lord Urlok Gaur, and which was a key factor in Chaos overrunning the Sabbat Worlds. Blood Pact forces are disciplined and highly motivated, and are more than a match for many Imperial Guard regiments. Another force that has been mentioned is the Sons of Sek, a force similar in many respects to the Blood Pact, but sworn to the Chaos Lord Anakwar Sek, and not Gaur. It is units such as this that give Imperial Stratigists nightmares as it shows that Chaos is now employing dedicated soldiers and not just ravening mobs of ill-trained fanatics.

The most recent army list for the Lost and the Damned appears in Codex Eye of Terror.

[edit] References

Warhammer 40,000 Articles
Forces of the Imperium Imperial Guard - Space Marines - Witch Hunters - Daemonhunters
Forces of Chaos Chaos - Chaos Space Marines - The Lost and the Damned
Alien races Eldar - Dark Eldar - Orks - Necrons - Tau - Tyranids - more...
Locations Armageddon - Cadia - Catachan - Eye of Terror - Kronus - Mars - Medusa V - Tanith - T'au - Terra
Other games Battlefleet Gothic - Epic - Horus Heresy - Inquisitor - Necromunda - more...
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