List of Gaunt's Ghosts characters

This list is of characters featured in the Gaunt's Ghosts series of novels by Dan Abnett, which are set in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. Biographical details are included.

Ghosts

Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt

Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt is the commanding officer of the Tanith First-and-Only during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. Not much is known of Gaunt's past prior to his training under Commissar-General Delane Oktar, but several flashbacks in First and Only tell enough to form a picture of his early years (according to the records, his mother died shortly after he was born and his father was killed in action by Orks on the planet Kentaur). Gaunt served as a Cadet Commissar in the Hyrkan 8th under the command of Oktar. He was well liked by the men, and known as "the Boy" (a moniker which annoyed him greatly). Shortly before Oktar's untimely demise on Glyatus Decimus - after an incident involving tainted alcohol and most of the Hyrkan's celebrating senior officers - Gaunt is promoted to a full Commissar, although his spirits are dampened by the death of his mentor. Sometime after his promotion, Gaunt tracked down and killed his adoptive uncle General Aldo Dercius, who had left Gaunt's father and his unit behind to be overwhelmed by the Orks. Though Dercius had been a beloved presence in Gaunt's childhood and had sponsored his education, Gaunt performed his duty and executed Dercius for cowardice, though Gaunt nearly lost his life to Dercius in the ensuing confrontation and made a permanent enemy of Dercius's family and regiment, the Jantine Patricians. He serves with the Hyrkan 8th as its political officer during the first ten years of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, and is part of Warmaster Slaydo's ring of favoured officers. After his participation in the key battle on Balhaut, Gaunt was awarded the additional rank of colonel by the dying Warmaster and given command of three newly founded regiments from a backwater world called Tanith. Slaydo also promised him the settlement rights to the first world conquered by his regiments.

When Gaunt travelled to Tanith to oversee the Founding of the Tanith 1st, 2nd and 3rd regiments, a splinter fleet of Chaos ships slipped through the Imperial Navy's blockades and attacked six worlds, one of which was Tanith. Gaunt ordered the immediate withdrawal of the Tanith regiments before the attacks came, and escaped Tanith's destruction with roughly 3,500 men - just enough to form a single regiment: the Tanith First-and-Only. Gaunt leads his regiment of stealth specialists - nicknamed Gaunt's Ghosts - through many dangerous warzones, replacing their losses with new troops from Verghast and eventually merging the Tanith First-and-Only with the Belladon 81st Recon.

Despite his initial doubts about the Tanith as soldiers, Gaunt quickly realises the true potential and skill of the men under his command. Unlike many Imperial Guard commanders, who willingly allow their men to be butchered on the field for trivial gains, Gaunt values each man and avoids pointless casualties where possible. At first, he is hated by many of the Tanith for forcing them to abandon their homeworld in its hour of need, but eventually he gains their trust and the loyalty of all but a select few. While serving on Phantine, Gaunt becomes acquainted with Lord-General Van Voytz, who regards Gaunt as a sound officer and good friend. Gaunt displays his hidden prowess for strategic command when he tirelessly re-organizes the entire remaining defenders of Vervunhive after all its other officers are killed or go missing in Necropolis, managing to hold the enemy at bay and in some cases even pushing back their advance. Gaunt typically wields a bolt pistol and the powersword of Hieronymo Sondar, which was presented to him when he commanded the defense of Vervunhive. Prior to being awarded the powersword, Gaunt wielded a chainsword given to him by his old mentor Oktar, which was damaged beyond repair in the same campaign.

Gaunt is severely wounded many times throughout his career, most notably in Only In Death, when he is captured by the Blood Pact and blinded (his eyes were subsequently replaced with expensive augmetic optics which resemble his old eyes except with a glassy and more lifeless sheen, ordered and paid for by General Van Voytz). Following this, he and the diminished Tanith First are withdrawn from the line and active duty for the first time in the twelve years that the regiment has existed.

During the Vervunhive campaign, Gaunt takes Merity Chass, one of the nobles, as a lover, unknowingly fathering a son, Felyx Chass, by her until he arrives as part of the additional reinforcements from Verghast and Belladon for the upcoming campaign to infiltrate Salvation's Reach. Gaunt realises this compromises his effective leadership and tries to send his son away but relents after being told that he would not stop worrying and he could at least keep an eye on him with him as part of the Tanith.

Eszrah ap Niht

Eszrah ap Niht is a son of a Chief of the swamp dwelling Partisans, rebels who live in the Until swamplands of Gereon. He was given to Gaunt by Eszrah's father, after the Ghosts saved their village from attack by Chaos Marines during the events of Traitor General. He is commonly referred to as 'Ezra Night' by the Ghosts, Larkin himself coining the name. Initially, he and the other Partisans could only communicate through Mkvenner (as he is trained in the ways of the Nalsheen, who used proto-gothic as their private language). However, Gaunt now fluently speaks proto-gothic after the time spent on Gereon with the resistance. From His Last Command onwards, it is shown that several members of the Ghosts who were on Gereon had learned to speak Eszrah's language, although not as fluently as Gaunt. Gaunt and Zweil have been shown to help teach Eszrah how to speak and read Imperial Gothic, which he demonstrates his amateuristic grasp in Only in Death to a degree. He has taken the duty of protecting Gaunt very seriously and almost never leaves Gaunt's side. He once goes so far as to offer to kill Ayatani Zweil, the role of whom Eszrah initially does not understand and believes him to be a jestyr. Eszrah is armed with his reynbow, a primitive weapon akin to a crossbow which uses magnets to propel quarrels tipped with a highly dangerous venom extracted from swamp moths of the Until on Gereon. Before battle he smears himself with gray "wode", or moth paste, which has peculiar abilities to somehow blend in with his environment. On Gereon Eszrah received a gift in the form of Sergeant Varl's prized pair of sun-shades to help him cope with the unaccustomed brightness outside of his native swamps and he has never removed them since, except when he briefly lent them to Ayatani Zweil in His Last Command and traded his glasses for the Sword of Hieronymo Sondar in Only in Death, to which he swears vengeance against the Blood Pact, who he believes has killed Gaunt.

He is an expert at stealth, rivalled only by Mkoll, who has an uncanny ability to spot him. His unusual appearance often unnerves people seeing him for the first time, as his skin colour is noted as being 'gun metal gray' due to the effects of the woad. Due to the fact he has worn it for so long, when he is 'cleaned up a little' his skin seems naturally grey. He counts very few people as friends, limited to Gaunt, Ludd, possibly Rawne, Mkoll and Beltayn. That said, the partisan's definition of 'friend' extends only to 'a trusted hunting partner'. When Gaunt is seemingly killed, Eszrah takes the news very seriously. Because he was ordered by his father to protect Gaunt, Eszrah felt that he had no more purpose and decided to go on a suicide mission to kill as many Blood Pact as he could to avenge Gaunt, which he calls the 'blodtull' on the Nihtgane daeda waeg ("Corpse Road" according to Eszrah when Mkoll asks for a translation). Mkoll eventually accompanies him, and during their mission, they come across Gaunt purely by accident and rescue him, after Mkoll mistakes him for a dying POW. With Gaunt alive, Eszrah returns to the regiment. In Blood Pact, set two years after Jago, Eszrah's speech and writing skills have improved greatly, enough for him to hold conversation in Low Gothic and read properly. He attends Zweil's nightly "occasions of enlightenment" to listen to the ayatani's teachings, and is encouraged by the old priest to write down Nihtgane folktales and myths in copybooks. When writing his name, he spells it "Ezra Night".

Colonel Colm Corbec

He is a large, thick-set man in early middle age, sporting a non-regulation mane of hair and shaggy beard. Like most Tanith he is tattooed. His blue spiral tattoos cover his forearms. Immediately after the exodus from Tanith, the newly founded Ghosts chose Corbec, along with two others (Brin Milo, and Elim Rawne), to go to talk Gaunt about the escape and the morale of the men. Seeing that the men trusted Corbec enough to let him represent them, Gaunt chose to make Corbec his executive officer, and since then he has led the Ghosts with nearly as much charisma and respect as Gaunt himself. Prior to joining the Imperial Guard Corbec served in the Tanith Magna Militia with Larkin, and before that he worked as a woodsman in County Pryze. On Nacedon Corbec reveals that Chief Medic Dorden helped his mother deliver him, and that the birth would have been more complicated if the (then) young doctor had not rushed out in the middle of the night to help. He also confesses that he was born out of wedlock and took his father's surname, although he often thinks about his father and the times he helped out in the man's machine workshop in County Pryze.

Corbec was universally liked by the Ghosts and many of the soldiers under his command would not hesitate to follow any of his orders, or risk their lives to help their beloved colonel. He was badly wounded several times through the books, and was finally killed by treacherous Lijah Cuu on Herodor. Out of respect for his close friend, Gaunt had buried Corbec in a coffin made completely out of nalwood (Tanith's native timber and primary export), which is extremely rare after the planet's destruction. This is somewhat fitting as Corbec worked as a woodcutter in the forests of Tanith before he joined the Tanith Militia. Warp-illusions resembling Corbec appeared to both Larkin and Rawne on Jago at Hinzerhaus; saving the former by telling him to brace for an artillery strike on his position, and warning the latter that there would be one last attack before the end of the siege.

Colonel Lucien Wilder

Colonel Wilder was first hinted at in Traitor General, when Tona Criid mentions him to Gaunt after having seen him in a dream during the mission to Gereon; he did not formally appear in the series until the next book, His Last Command. (Gaunt's comment on learning the identity of the Ghosts' new commander was "Feth me. How truth seeps into dreams.") Described as a good-looking man with dark hair, Wilder had been the colonel of the Belladon 81st regiment when it was merged with the Tanith 1st to form the 81st/1st Recon, when it was believed that Gaunt was killed during the mission on Gereon. This merger is explained by the fact that after a particularly bloody campaign, the Belladon 81st had its senior officers, but no manpower; likewise, the Tanith 1st had the men, but their senior officers - Gaunt, Corbec, Rawne and Mkoll - were dead (though of them, only Corbec was actually deceased, the others having remained as part of the resistance on Gereon for more than a year). Despite being an outsider, Wilder earns the respect of his new troops, providing them with sound leadership after Gaunt's supposed death.

During the siege of Ancreon Sextus, Wilder is forced to deal with the difficulties that arise when he learns Gaunt and his kill-team from Gereon managed to survive their ordeal, and that Major Rawne would return to the regiment (Gaunt was kept as a simple commissar for one of the marshals in the field). Rawne was insubordinate and crass, and also kept in secret contact with Gaunt. This proved fortuitous, as Gaunt learned that the "step cities" they were fighting for, including Sparshad Mons where Wilder and his regiment were assigned, were in fact warp gates used by the Blood Pact. Lord General Van Voytz orders a general withdrawal so that the step cities can be bombarded from orbit. As he at last meets Gaunt, Wilder elects to remain with Company A in the rearguard to give the remainder of the regiment time to escape. Wilder's death once again leaves Gaunt in command of the regiment, now redesignated the Tanith 1st.

Major Elim Rawne

Tall and handsome, Rawne is charming with a dangerous edge. Rawne accompanied Corbec in their meeting with Gaunt after the death of Tanith, and as Corbec was made colonel, he himself became major. He later realises that Gaunt made this promotion based on the theory "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer". He was the only one of the Ghosts who would not fully accept his home planet's destruction, and vowed to kill Gaunt with his own hands for denying him the chance to die with his world, but when given the chance saves Gaunt from an Ork instead. Despite this, he genuinely respected Gaunt for his toughness and devotion to duty. He is regarded as one of the most deadly and ill-tempered men in the Tanith First, and Rawne does nothing to dissuade anybody of this fact. Though he is initially hostile towards Gaunt, Rawne's attitude eventually begins to soften until he finally begins to accept Gaunt as his commanding officer. Initially, Rawne is said to trust no one, but later on he disproves this by stating that he trusts Feygor, Caffran, Banda and Leyr, and eventually, Gaunt himself (in His Last Command, he almost punches Colonel Wilder and says "No one bad mouths 'Bram Gaunt"). Rawne is also something of a chauvinist. When the Tanith First begins recruiting women, Rawne is sceptical of their combat potential and regards them as distractions. Eventually, Rawne begins to soften until he ultimately accepts women as part of the regiment, to the point where he even sleeps with one, which he insists has nothing to do with respecting them. While en route to Herodor he and the Vervunhiver Jessi Banda apparently became lovers, but no one in the regiment dared to mention it. During the campaign on Herodor Rawne was almost forced to assassinate Saint Sabbat by the runt psykers of Pater Sin, who exploited his ruthless side, but he was brought back to his senses by his companions. Rawne was a member of Gaunt's insertion team to Gereon. When extraction was impossible he and the other Ghosts joined the resistance, where he and Trooper Murtan Feygor travelled the cells instructing the resistance on demolitions. Since returning from Gereon he has shown no sign of wishing to renew his relationship with Jessi Banda, much to the relief of Captain Flyn Meryn, his former subordinate and Banda's new lover.

Rawne became commander of the Tanith First on Jago after Gaunt's supposed death; ironically, early in the series he had hoped for Gaunt and Corbec's death as to leave him in command, but once Gaunt is presumed dead he feels remorse, but conceals it as usual. He does, however, enthusiastically announce Gaunt's survival to the other Ghosts after the regiment is relieved at Hinzerhaus. Hark's field journal entry at the end of the novel notes that when the commissar informed Rawne that Gaunt was alive, the major looked as though he was going to cry. Hark, however, dismisses this expression by assuming that it was caused by the dust covering Jago's surface (stating "the dust got into everything on Jago"). Two years after the Jago campaign, Rawne becomes bored with garrison duties on Balhaut and falls back into his former habits of crime and cons, along with a number of other Ghosts. However, he manages to put his old habits aside to help Gaunt protect Mabbon from Chaos assassins. He later breaks Mabbon out of his imprisonment just to show that he can, foiling an assassination attempt by accident in the process. Afterwards, he is placed in charge of guarding Mabbon and forms an elite guard known as the Suicide Kings to defend him.

In terms of ability, he seems very skilled in close combat (fighting off Feygor, Caffran and Leyr in hand to hand when under the influence of the runt psykers), as well as being an average marksman. Rawne is a ruthless leader and an expert when it comes to demolitions. He is noted to have always been in the forefront of any plans Gaunt had, due to his ruthless efficiency and tactical insight when leading his troops.

Sergeant/Trooper/Major Gol Kolea

Like Agun Soric, Kolea was a Scratch Company Hero during the battle of Vervunhive. He was a miner before the war and lost everything in the initial attack. His wife was killed and he believed his two children to be dead, though they turned out to have been adopted by fellow troopers Caffran and Criid. After the war, Kolea was given the rank of Sergeant when he joined the ghosts where he became one of the regiment's fiercest fighters. Eventually, Kolea discovered that Caffran and Criid had inadvertently adopted his children, whom he believed to be dead. However, Kolea decided not to tell anybody but Dr. Curth and a civilian named Juniper who he asks to keep an eye on them, believing that his children were traumatized enough without having to be pulled away from their new parents. Kolea was almost killed in the closing stages of the battle of Ouranberg, when a Loxatl shell took most of the back of his head and his brain away as he carried an injured Criid from the battlefield. He survived but the damage to his brain caused him to lose all of his memories and personality. He was cured by the Saint on Herodor. When Criid found out that she had adopted Kolea's children, she confronted him, but Kolea merely told Criid that the children were her responsibility now and 'closed' the matter for good. After Herodor he was made a Major before Gaunt took his team on the Mission on Gereon. Dalin Criid also confronts Kolea over the matter (Dalin feels that Kolea reminds him of someone from his childhood) and asks him questions pertaining to his parents, Kolea simply replies that "Your parents died in the war". This is because Gol feels it would be unfair to jump back into Dalin's life as his father after nearly a decade of being just another Ghost. During the events of Salvation's Reach, Kolea is put in charge of the force used to distract the enemy from the true goal of the invasion. After witnessing what he believes to be Baskevyl's death, he leads a charge which nearly got him executed afterwards.

Major Braden "Bask" Baskevyl

He was Colonel Wilder's second in command. Colonel Wilder being the Colonel of the 81st-1st, the combined Tanith and Belladon forces, before Gaunt and company return from Gereon (the one Tona dreams about on Gereon). (As of The Armour of Contempt, the combined regiment is once again the Tanith 1st). After Wilder's death on Ancreon Sextus, Baskevyl becomes the representative officer of the Belladon portion of the regiment. Baskevyl seems to be an easy going individual who is perfectly adept at letting Rawne's nasty comments roll off his back. He is even gracious enough to concede that Rawne can personally polish all the medals he and his company will receive after their next action.

In Only in Death, Bask, along with help from Merrt, discovers a way to jump start the power "kettle" in Hinzerhaus, powering weapons that are instrumental in the defense of the house.

Bask has a vivid imagination. One Lucien Wilder once told him he would be better off without. At Hinzerhaus, Bask's imagination creates visions of a giant snake in the bowels of the house. The visions lead him into the library of the house where he discovers a book in black leather with, what else, a silver snake on the spine. He opens it, with his las pistol pulled out and on the table beside the book just in case, and discovers diagrams that give him a clue as to what the power "kettle" is used for. He consults Shoggy Domor, who was injured in a surprise attack in Hinzerhaus and almost died, because Shoggy is the closest thing they have to an engineer.

Lucien Wilder, in His Last Command, states that Bask is always one for espirit de corps and tries to get the musicians from the Belladon to accompany the musicians of the Tanith one evening. Wilder says that the sounds produced reminded him of "a disenchanted cat being elaborately stabbed in a sack". He also remembers an evening when he and Bask try "Gak Me #1", the Vervunhiver's attempt at distilling sacra. After a few doses, Baskevyl begins to make fun of one of the fellow commanding officer's name. A foo foo something or other, a point which Wilder and Kolea find especially amusing. So much so that a few days later when Wilder has to speak with Commander "Foo Foo" via the vox he asks the vox officer to slap him across the face because all he can remember is Bask's nickname for the commanding officer and is in a fit of giggles while trying to speak to the man.

During the raid on Salvation's Reach, he is thought to have been killed by Sons of Sek troopers, inspiring Gol Kolea to lead the Ghosts on a charge of the attackers. After the charge, he turns up, Kolea having mistaken another trooper for him, and is shocked that Kolea led the charge because he thought he was dead.

Captain Ban Daur

Vervunhiver. Fourth officer of the Tanith First. As a Captain, he was the highest ranking Vervun Primary officer to join the Tanith First and as a result was given a place on the regimental chain of command on par with Major Rawne, as officer in charge of the Vervun contingent answering only to Corbec and Gaunt. Though he was initially despised by Rawne and given primarily the sort of administrative work he had a skill for, he soon proved himself as an able leader both in combat and in peacetime liaison work. He is also acknowledged as the best city-fighter in the regiment, having first been a commander in the Vervun Primary.

In Only in Death, Ban is put in for recommendation by Commissar Hark because of the outstanding job he did in holding the gatehouse against the Blood Pact.

In Blood Pact, the tall, handsome "yard stick" finally finds love in Elodie. A woman who works at Cyrus Urbano's gambling establishment. It is not exactly clear that Elodie is a prostitute but it would appear to be the case. She agrees to follow along with Ban in the group or train of followers that always accompanies a regiment of the size of the Tanith. They marry before the attack in the book Salvation's Reach. Daur is seriously injured in the raid, but survives.

Corporal/Sergeant/Captain Flyn Meryn

Once a lowly trooper in the Tanith First, Meryn has since been on the Guard fast-track, going from a platoon leader to a captain in a manner of two years. Corbec once considered him one of the best dog troopers in the regiment along with Derin, Caffran and Cocoer. However, after Meryn was given a brevet rank of Sergeant for the Ouranberg raid, he took a liking to rank privileges and was taken under Rawne's wing. After this, many Ghosts felt that Meryn had changed, much for the worse. There were rumors that during the Ouranberg infiltration mission (Operation Larisel), he went 'too far' to maintain the secrecy of the mission, going as far as to kill an innocent civilian. He has also steadily grown more abusive and hostile towards fellow Ghosts, and lost respect in the eyes of many Tanith officers - including Gaunt - especially after he and his squad took it upon themselves to savagely beat up the suspected psyker, Agun Soric. However, this did not stop his own leadership potential from rising, and he became an able commander after being promoted to captain.

Meryn was romantically involved with sniper Jessi Banda while Rawne was on Gereon, and has shown a bitterness to Rawne born from fear that he would lose his command and girl to him again. After his former adjutant Feygor is killed in a battle in Hinzerhaus, he appoints Dalin as his adjutant, citing non-specific reasons for the appointment. Despite his stoic, rather harsh shell, he shows an unusual soft spot for Dalin, most likely to earn him Criid's respect. In Blood Pact, it is clear that Meryn's standing within the regiment is slipping, as few Ghosts (including those in his own company) seem to respect or even like him.

In Salvation's Reach, he has formed a small group including Costin, the drunken Tanith from Aexe and Gendler, an up hive Verghastite, to form a scam ring making money from financial pensions of non-existent women. He is attacked in turn by Kolea, Criid and Daur after an incident with a Sirkle taking Kolea's/Criid's child Yoncy as a human shield aboard a ship (Meryn had a clean shot that would have allowed him to take the assassin down, but kept his head down instead). He also abandoned Costin (one of his conspirators in a fraud scam to embezzle funds from deceased Guardsmen) along with several others under his command to be killed by loxatl after he learned Costin was under investigation, and would likely expose Meryn and the others involved to save his own hide.

Trooper/Sergeant/Captain Dohon "Shoggy" Domor

He got his nickname, "Shoggy" because of the big, bug-like optical implants he has which have replaced his eyes. During the search for the Vermillion treasure on Menazoid Epsilon, he was wounded in a fight and his eyes irreparably damaged. However, he went on to minesweep later in the mission blind, something that would cause him later in life to forsake sight when sweeping even given the opportunity. He operated as a minesweeper, but has been promoted recently. His optical implants allow him to see further ahead than most other people in the regiment, and even allow him to trace for heat signals, which proved instrumental in preventing a major friendly fire incident in Sparshad Mons. On Gereon, during the attack on Cantible town, he was mentioned to be the leader of one of the main fighting companies of the regiment. He suffered severe injuries in defense of the Hinzerhaus, but survives, although he technically "died" twice, Ana Curth managed to put his heart back into rhythm. During the Mission to Salvation's Reach Domor led Gaunt's squad in clearing the traps from the main passage ways inside the space station using his augmetic eyes to detect traps to be destroyed by Hlaine Larkin.

Captain Vigo Kamori

A Belladon Officer with no sense of humour. Mentioned in Only in Death, he was killed by a nail bomb during the defense of Hinzerhaus in upper west sixteen, near the place Ibram Gaunt fell. Varl witnessed both incidents. He was mentioned by Gaunt to have a 'robust air of soldiering' about him. He commanded L Company in the reformed Tanith First Regiment.

Trooper/Sergeant/Captain Arcuda

A thin faced Verghastite, Arcuda took over Indrimmo's platoon after Phantine. He had been a Trooper in Gaunt's First Platoon, before brevet-leading Colonel Corbec's Second Platoon at Ouranberg, when Corbec was on the verge of death. He was later promoted to Sergeant, after Ouranberg. Saw his first action as a sergeant on Aexe Cardinal, but luckily did not sustain the casualties that Raglon did. Company leader in the new 1st regiment. He commanded N Company in the reformed Tanith First, and fought alongside his Company at Hinzerhaus, during the attack on the gate.

Commissar Viktor Hark

Hark is like Gaunt; neither a Tanith born, Vervunhiver or a Belladonian, he was introduced to the Ghosts by General Lugo on Hagia and was there to make sure that Gaunt completed his final mission. He is described as being rather heavy but powerful. He is in contrast to Gaunt when Abnett points out that Hark has cheeks that are full from too much rich living. He also has a beard and is dark where Gaunt is light. He truly believes in Gaunt even if he appears to be Lugo's lackey. In the end, he even tells this to Gaunt. However, when Gaunt refuses to complete the mission (according to Lugo's demands) and Hark is unable to take command, he decides to help rally the Tanith against the Infardi who are repelled. He in particular saves Rawne's hide in the action, thereby proving himself in battle and gaining the respect of both the Tanith and Major Rawne. Rawne also appreciates Hark's forthrightness and tenacity.

Afterwards Hark was asked to join the Tanith regiment permanently as a Commissar and since then has proved his worth time after time, including when he got Trooper Caffran off a murder charge when he was wrongly accused of the crime which was committed by Lijah Cuu. Though hated at first, Hark earns the grudging respect of the Tanith over time, and is eventually very well respected in the unit. During the battle on Herodor, Hark was severely injured and lost his left arm, forcing him to use an augmetic (mechanical arm implant). He stays on with the Tanith First while Gaunt leaves for his EZ Level mission on Gereon. Though a dedicated Commissar who follows the Commissariat strictly, Hark has his own style of exacting his duty. He refers in one book to a situation where Gaunt allows himself to be seen as the opposite of Hark's brimstone, intimating that Hark is more strict and tight. But Hark is very level headed and not without heart which is shown when he does not execute a group of allied soldiers fleeing when their unit was broken (His Last Command). He instead executes their commander because if the men had had thorough leadership they would not have broken in the first place.

Though he has great respect for the Tanith, Hark is still dedicated to the rules of the Imperium. He is given the responsibility of delivering the much loved Agun Soric to the Black Ships. Soric has psyker abilities and is turned in by Meryn and his group (who also mercilessly beat him). Hark buries his feelings about this action. But in Only in Death this action comes to haunt him and all of the Tanith for that matter as Soric tries to reach out to them to warn them and protect them during the defense of Hinzerhaus. Hark eventually discovers that Soric has become a sanctioned psyker and has been severely beaten and mistreated but still utilized by the Imperium. He feels remorse and guilt for his action in delivering Soric to the Black Ships and is able to redeem himself in his own eyes as well as Soric's by executing Soric.

Hark is also known for his possession of a plasma pistol and no fear of using it whenever necessary. Its firepower and the courage of the man wielding it are proven to be indispensable in countless battles, including the killing of at least one Stalker in His Last Command. However, he gave his pistol to another Commissar, Genadey Novobazky, to use in a suicidal rearguard mission (it has been replaced).

In Blood Pact, Trooper Dalin Criid hesitates to approach Hark in a situation needing his attention. When asked why Dalin needs support to come see Hark (he is accompanied by Merrt) Dalin says "Because frankly sir, you scare the feth out of me." At which Hark replies "Good answer, Criid." And tells Ludd he should have the same respect for him. But Hark is known for his sense of humanity and trustworthiness. While "on the run" from both the Commissariat and the Blood Pact infiltrators, Rawne and company need someone they can trust back at HQ and they turn to Hark who shines.

Also in Blood Pact, on his way back from meeting with the commanding officer of the regiment who share the barracks with the Tanith at the time, Hark begins to think up some nasty adjectives that could be applied to the CO. Hark realizes these are not words to be said around ladies. Luckily, there are no ladies present at the time so he uses the adjectives freely and often. But this excerpt indicates Hark is an educated and worldly man. It is also hinted at in one of the other books when he realizes with regret that he has travelled so many worlds without being able to take advantage of visiting the cultural and educational highlights of any of them.

Junior Commissar/Commissar Nahum Ludd

A young commissar from Balhaut, he spent his time before joining the Ghosts working in a detention facility on Ancreon Sextus. He assisted Commissar Kanow, the commissar in charge, of punishing deserters and criminals housed there. Ludd first makes contact with Gaunt when he volunteers to defend him from accusations of taint after Gaunt's return from his EZ level mission. He is then ordered to keep an eye on Gaunt during his action on Ancreon Sextus, experiencing the horrors and rigors of battle in the process while reporting Gaunts actions to the Commisariat, something Gaunt planned on. During this time he gains a deep respect for Gaunt. He then joined the Tanith First, and assists fellow Com. Viktor Hark with disciplinary duties. However, even with his combat experience on Ancreon Sextus, Ludd is still somewhat young and naive, which prompts Hark to teach him the fine arts of policing a Guard regiment. During the defense on the Hinzerhaus he is promoted to acting Commissar, whilst Hark was incapacitated, as Hark believed that if Ludd was not ready then he was of no use to the regiment. He was at first not taken seriously by the regiment, and attempts to execute Merrt to exercise his authority before the intervention of Ezrah. He carries a standard pattern lasgun and his own personal red laspistol. He has also shown a rather astonishing degree of skill in unarmed combat when utilizing Commisariat-styled hand to hand techniques, being able to interrupt a heated struggle between Varl and Maggs and incapacitate both despite both being very adept and combat capable soldiers. He also wears a dark blue junior commisariat sash

Chief Medic Tolin Dorden

Killed in action

Chief Medic Dorden has been with the Ghosts since they founded on Tanith. He has sworn never to take a man's life, only to save it, and this is what allows him to be such a great medic. He has only broken this oath once, and only then to save Gaunt's life; "I said I wouldn't shoot, not that I couldn't". He had a son in the regiment, but during the apocalyptic attack on Vervunhive, he was found littered amongst the dead. His ideas on only protecting the lives of others sometimes conflict with those of Gaunt's position as commissar. Such a conflict occurs in Straight Silver when Dorden finds Alliance troopers, on Aexe Cardinal, who have been smuggling medical supplies away from the Tanith, and he confronts them, after Surgeon Ana Curth gets into a confrontation with the disgruntled soldiers. Gaunt promptly arrives, and executes two of the troopers. The others fled, but Gaunt shoots another. Later in the same novel, Trooper Costin drinks on duty and in doing so reveals Raglon's infiltrating platoon to enemy sentries, and half of the unit died as a consequence. When Gaunt later moves to execute Costin, Dorden defends the wounded trooper with his own body. Gaunt could not bring himself to shoot Dorden, and to show an even hand was forced to spare Costin as well. Their once-warm friendship became strained, and awkward afterwards, although Dorden is still faithful and adept at his work. He was unable to join the insertion team to Gereon due to injuries caused by Lijah Cuu in a previous conflict; Ana Curth was sent in his place. The friendship between Dorden and Gaunt seems to have repaired itself since the latter's return from Gereon. Dorden has also recently begun to feel his age, since besides Zweil, he is the oldest man in the Ghosts. As of Blood Pact, Dorden is fifteen years over the Guard age limit that allows him to retire from service. Dorden privately requested to Gaunt on Jago that when he becomes too old to remain in service, he would like to be left behind on one of the worlds they liberate and become a simple civilian doctor.

In Blood Pact, Dorden is diagnosed with leukaemia, and only has around six months left to live. He asserts that he wants to continue serving as a medic - and fighting his illness - until the very end, keeping his condition secret from all but a few. He requests that his body be returned to Balhaut for burial after his death. He does this and even helps as a medic in the final fight in Salvation's Reach, trying to carry a grievously wounded Merrt back to their ship. When a Sons of Sek unit corners the two men as they stay behind to buy time for the others to escape, Merrt's last shot detonates a booby trap, killing the oncoming Sons, himself, and Dorden.

Chief Scout Sergeant Oan Mkoll

The leader of the Tanith's elite scout unit, Mkoll is not a person to be taken lightly. True to his job description, Mkoll can blend seamlessly into the environment and move with almost perfect stealth. He also has the unique ability of being able to intuitively know which way to lead his men, being able to find meaning in something as warped as a Chaos mobile base. He is also quite adept at silently killing any enemies that may cross his path. Mkoll's skills are impressive: he has destroyed a Chaos Dreadnought, outstealthed, outsmarted and killed a Dark Eldar Mandrake assassin unaided, and personally killed Chaos warlord Sagittar Slaith. Because of Mkoll's abilities, Gaunt gives the master scout a wide berth to operate, always letting him choose who he wants to recruit as a scout. Due to his exacting standards, he only takes the best of the stealthers in the Tanith First to be trained. Mkoll was part of the insertion team to Gereon and joined the resistance when extraction was impossible. During his time on Gereon he and the other scouts on the mission honed their skills to an even greater extent and astounded the other scouts on their return to the Tanith First (at that point, the 81st-1st Recon). In Only In Death, Mkoll leaves Hinzerhaus in pursuit of Eszrah across Jago's deadly badlands in order to retrieve Gaunt's powersword, taken by Eszrah to complete a suicide ritual to avenge Gaunt's "death". Mkoll catches up with Eszrah and demands that the Nihtgane return the blade (saying it belongs to the regiment) but ends up going with Eszrah to the Blood Pact command post and disabling a long-range vox caster as well as killing the Pact commander. He kills a number of dying POWs out of mercy, and almost kills Gaunt before Eszrah realises who the blind man is and stops him. Before the Loss of Tanith, Mkoll had two sons with his wife Eiloni who - according to Mkoll in Ghostmaker - had died of "canth-fever" sixteen years before the Monthax offensive. His sons are presumed to have died during the Fall of Tanith.

Trooper/Vox-Officer/Adjutant Dughan Beltayn

Gaunt's adjutant after Brin Milo becomes an infantry trooper, Beltayn previously served merely as the vox operator for Gaunt's platoon after Raglon's promotion. A small, boyish looking man in his early thirties, Beltayn was part of the Gereon mission team and has served on every field that Gaunt has. Eszrah Ap Niht is said to trust Beltayn, probably because Gaunt trusts him and because they got to know each other on Gereon. Beltayn is known for his catchphrase "something's awry", which he often uses as an understatement.

Trooper/Sergeant Lhurn Adare

He was one of the original Tanith. Adare along with Varl, Bragg, Corbec, Larkin, Dorden and a few others was considered to be the backbone of the Tanith Regiment. A sharp-witted, confident, strong man, he was well liked in the regiment. He was for example in Caffran's raid on Oskray Hive and defending the Shrine on Hagia. His tactical advice and likable attitude got him to be sergeant, in which - quite famously - he gets roaring drunk with several of the Tanith. He was picked as one of the squad leaders in the Larisel operation, where he was unfortunately killed in action by a Loxatl. His platoon went on to be led by Raglon.

Trooper/Vox-Officer/Sergeant/Captain Raglon

Once one of the 1st's vox operators, Raglon was promoted to platoon sergeant after Adare was killed on Phantine. In his first action as sergeant (on Aexe Cardinal) one of his Troopers, Costin, is drinking and his drunken carelessness results in one of the Shadik catching the reflection off his sacra bottle. The platoon is ambushed, and sustain almost 50% casualties; when Gaunt arrives to execute Costin, Raglon pleads for the soldier's life. However, despite this shortcoming, Raglon's platoon becomes one of the best. Company leader in the new 1st regiment. On Jago, he is heavily wounded while investigating and is restricted to the infirmary for the rest of the campaigning, dying several times but always being revived.

Sergeant/Sanctioned Psyker Agun Soric

As an old, charismatic Vervunhive smeltery output-leader, he ended up leading a guerrilla scratch company against the Zoican invaders. He lost an eye and through injury became lame during the war in Vervunhive but regarded the injury as a badge of pride. After joining Tanith First, he was still seen as a sort of totem for the Verghastite half of the regiment. He was effectively the Verghastites' version of Colm Corbec, and like the Tanith officer, Soric was universally liked and respected. His great-grandmother had been a witch, and as a seventh son of a seventh son, Soric was destined to share this talent. He never showed any psychic powers until Phantine, where he saved Corbec's life by simply 'knowing' that he had blood poisoning. Since then, he started receiving messages, apparently written by himself, which told him critical information from the battlefield as well as events that would happen in the future.

Despite being instrumental in winning on Herodor, he was taken away by the black ships after the battle. When taken by the Black Ships, Soric was a confirmed Beta-Level Psyker. His last action was slipping a note to Commissar Hark which read, "Help me." Since Soric's departure Gaunt has been plagued by dreams of a familiar, screaming voice that he knew but could not recognise. Soric returns in 'Only in Death' as a 'Sanctioned' (psyker). Soric is a physical wreck, having been altered to help improve his Psychic abilities (including having his ears cropped off and replaced with psy-augmenters and having his 1 remaining eye sewn shut). He is inadvertently responsible for the "hauntings" the Ghosts had been experiencing, as he was attempting to contact them. It is here where he informs Commissar Hark that Gaunt is a prisoner, not dead. He asks for Hark to kill him which he does (telling him to make it 'Commissar style' so Hark would not be brought up on charges).

Trooper/Sergeant Tona Criid

Criid is a tough girl. Raised amongst the streetgangs of Verunhive she is as determined as she is fierce. A hard thin girl she has been instrumental in paving the way for female troopers in the Tanith regiment. Criid took on the responsibility of platoon sergeant, after sergeant Gol Kolea was wounded at the battle of Ouranberg, a position she excelled at. Despite her rough exterior, she is incredibly protective of her adopted children and of her lover Caffran. Ever since her participation with Gaunt in his mission to Gereon, it becomes evident that Criid might be a psyker. She had an accurate premonition of Wilder taking command of the Tanith First in Gaunt's absence, and has had disturbing dreams of Gaunt's impending death. She participated in the covert mission to Gereon. When extraction was impossible, she joined the resistance, training them in working as fireteams along with Serg. Ceglan Varl.

In Armor of Contempt, Criid goes to meet her son Dalin after his first day of RIP. She is tall and lean with long legs. The other members of RIP tease Dalin about who she is and what she means to him. They do not know she's really his mother. He tells Tona that if she comes to get him again, she might as well just kill him. Dalin muses that he has only really been afraid of one thing in his life and it was her. She was always there for him. He did not want to ever let her down.

Noticeably pale and thin in "Only in Death", this is arguably due to Caffran's death. In part due to Soric's physic "visions" Criid, along with other members of the First, find that the tactical officer who has come to assist them looks remarkably like Caffran. This tactical officer is later found out to be a true manifestation of Soric's abilities, and that the real Major Berenson was KIA when his Valkyrie was shot down during transit to Hinzerhaus. Wounded during the battle for the house, Criid is tasked with several other wounded (including Hark) to take a series of ancient manuscripts back to the main Imperial base on Jago in order to help with the war effort. En route their carrier is brought down and Criid loses most of her right hand in the crash.

In Blood Pact there is no reference to the injury Criid takes on Jago during her extraction from Hinzerhaus. She, like all the Tanith, are having a hard time settling into being off active duty. She takes to running to keep in shape as she has a very healthy sweet tooth. But it also helps keep the edge off. Being out of combat Criid finds she misses the thrill of the battle, the adrenaline rush and being "on" all the time. Her hair is short and bleach blonde again as it was in the beginning. (In His Last Command upon her return to the Tanith her hair was long and brick brown, her natural color, and it hid the scar on her cheek she received on Gereon in the resistance.) Still staunchily Gaunt's girl, she rallies to his side and aids him every way she can. Even going under cover as a grieving widow to contact Veynom Blenner, Gaunt's old school friend from childhood. She is taken into custody by the Inquisition, who are also after Gaunt, by one Handro Rime who turns out to be working for the Archenemy. One thing of note, she tells Gaunt, in a conversation over preparing something for them to eat, that "Grief can take a long time." She has tears in her eyes which she claims are due to the onions Gaunt is chopping. He knows better.

In one very revealing conversation with Gaunt, she explores the possibility that Gaunt may be disappointed, let down by not being chosen Warmaster when Slaydo died. After all it was right there on Balhaut that he fought side by side with Slaydo until Slaydo's death. He was Slaydo's favorite. He should have been the one to become warmaster, not Macaroth. After all, there is little difference between Gaunt and Macaroth...why wasn't it Gaunt? This shows Criid's devotion to Gaunt and that, for a ganger girl, she has a brain and can use it.

Trooper/Sergeant Ceglan "Ceg" Varl

A popular Tanith trooper, and a joker to the core, Varl is considered to be part of the 'backbone' of the Tanith, along with a few others from the original Tanith regiment. Varl lost his shoulder and most of his upper arm on Fortis Binary, and as such, Varl received a bulky, but powerful augmetic replacement (Having to replace the whole arm not just the part he lost). Although staunchly loyal, his jokes and otherwise questionable antics often get him, or his friends, in trouble. He is known as a showman, pulling tricks to con money out of other regiments or just to pass the time. Varl is also quite accomplished with his blade, amazing his comrades in the barracks with his sleight-of-hand tricks and complex knife throwing. Varl is also best friends with Kolea, and was the one who missed him the most when Kolea's mind was temporarily wiped clean. He accompanied Gaunt to Gereon. When extraction was impossible, he joined the resistance, training them in working as fireteams along with Sergeant Tona Criid. He has proved his loyalty time and time again to Gaunt and the Ghosts. He is known as one of the more approachable and affable officers of the regiment having worked his way up from the ranks. Although not a coward, Varl admits in Only In Death that he keeps a spare laspistol magazine handy in combat for "emergency work"; if the situation is hopeless, he has something to use to quickly end his life. However, during the fierce combat in Hinzerhaus he accidentally uses this magazine, but the situation turns in the Ghost's favour and it is unnecessary.

Trooper/Sergeant Dermon Caffran

Caffran is one of the best Tanith field troopers. Small but well-built, he is swift and ruthless on the attack, well known for his storm clearance. At first he has mixed feelings for Gaunt; the man who saved them from the fires of Tanith yet allowed their world to die without letting the regiment stay and fight. However, like many of the Ghosts, his feelings of resentment fade over time and he accepts Tanith's fate. He is also initially reluctant to spend time in the company of Brin Milo, who reminded Caffran strongly of Tanith, but once Milo becomes a trooper in the regiment Caffran accepts him as a comrade. Caffran is well known to be romantically involved with the Verunhive trooper Tona Criid. The two of them met during the apocalyptic siege of Verunhive, where Caffran helps Criid (then a civilian) and her two adopted children to stay alive. Caffran and Criid have been together ever since, Caffran taking on the role as father for Criid's children, Yoncy and Dalin Kolea. During the liberation of Ouranberg Caffran was implicated in the murder and rape of a civilian (of which he was innocent), though he was exonerated by Commissar Hark. During Wilder's command of the regiment and later actions, Caffran was a squad leader in Meryn's company. Caffran is also said to be the best "tread fether" (missile launcher) operator in the regiment. Unfortunately, during the liberation of Gereon, Caffran was shot and severely wounded by a frightened civilian child. Ayatani-Father Zweil gives him his last rites, and Tona gives Dalin a cap badge, which Kolea had asked Caffran to give to Dalin because he felt he was "tempting fate" by holding on to it. It is not clear why Tona gave the cap badge to Dalin and not Kolea. Caffran's death is confirmed in Only in Death.

Trooper/Sergeant Baffels

A bearded man in his early forties with a barrel chest and a blue tattoo claw that lined his cheek. Received a field promotion to Sergeant during the siege for Vervunhive. Despite feeling he had not deserved his promotion, he made it his duty to live up to Gaunt's expectations. He died taking the depot at Bhavnager on Hagia, killed by one of the coaxial weapons on the side of a baneblade super-heavy tank as he attempted to destroy it with an anti-tank weapon.

Sergeant Blane

A dependable man, one of the first Tanith NCO's. Tasked with rearguard on Menazoid Epsilon. He and his entire platoon were killed by members of the Jantine Patricians who were ordered by General Dravere to wipe out the Tanith. In this heroic last stand Blane and his 50 men killed over 350 Jantine Patricians before being overwhelmed and annihilated.

Master Sniper 'Mad' Hlaine Larkin

Larkin holds the rank Master Sniper of the Tanith First and Only regiment. He is described as having a long kind of weaselly face with lots of piercings in his left ear. He is unarguably the best marksman in the Tanith First, which is no small feat, considering that the vast majority of the Tanith are excellent marksmen. The only two people ever considered to be his rivals are the Tanith sniper Rilke (killed in action on Phantine) and the Verghastite sharpshooter Jessi Banda. Eszrah Ap Niht is an excellent shot, almost matching or even surpassing Larkin because his Reynbow is designed for single-shot kills, although kills are mainly due to the extremely lethal poison on the quarrels as opposed to accuracy.

Until the Gereon mission, Larkin was equipped with a nalwood stocked long-las, a longer ranged sniper variant of the lasgun, of which he customised to the point another Tanith jokingly pointed out that a 'Techpriest would have him for heresy'. However, due to the lack of appropriate ammunition on Gereon, the long-las became useless after running out of ammo and Larkin was forced to leave it. He returns from Gereon in His Last Command without it, but is given a standard issue long-las. Ana Curth keeps the original weapon safe while she is left on Gereon and returns it to him during the Gereon liberation in the Armour of Contempt. During the events of First and Only Larkin acquires a bolt-action, solid-slug rifle, a trophy taken from a group of Jantine Patricians, which he uses until the end of the novel; he presumably relinquishes the weapon thereafter, as it is never mentioned again.

It is well known that Larkin and Bragg were close friends and would back each other up in combat with their differing skills. However, Bragg's death (at the hands of Lijah "Fething" Cuu) affects Larkin deeply. Larkin was also the enemy of Lijah Cuu, who wrongly assumed that Larkin was responsible for his arrest and punishment by the Commissariat on Phantine. Cuu made frequent death threats against him, while Larkin silently contemplated murdering Cuu. They physically fought several times, but Larkin ultimately killed Cuu on Herodor after the psychically imprinted Cuu tried to assassinate Saint Sabbat.

Larkin exhibited erratic and paranoid behaviour at times. He suffered from hallucinations and projected his fears onto inanimate objects. He felt that he could only see the truth through the scope of his sniper rifle, which is shown to be the truth in the end of Ghostmaker, when he sees that some of the Imperial Guardsmen they encounter in the ruin are Eldar, even though the Ghosts are under a Xenos spell. He explained to an 'angel' during one of his possibly hallucinatory fits that he suffers from epilepsy. However, since the Gereon mission, Larkin was a different man, as if the horrors he witnessed there had scared him sane. Most would argue about how such experiences should have permanently thrown his sanity over the edge, and thus it would seem he, figuratively speaking, came through the other side. While on Gereon, he trained las-lock marksmen within the resistance when the Ghosts could not be extracted.

During the liberation effort on Gereon, Larkin was caught under a wrecked truck and was about to be crushed by a possessed demon tank, prompting Gaunt to cut off one of Larkin's feet with his power sword. Although incredibly distressed at losing his foot, Larkin is distracted from his lost limb when reunited with his old long-las. Refusing an augmentic replacement, he instead opts for prosthetic wooden replacement that Gaunt orders to be made out of Nalwood, as a sort of repayment for hacking his foot off. He survives the occupation of Hinzerhaus with few injuries. Larkin plays a significantly minor role in Blood Pact, but saves Gaunt at the last minute by sniping the novel's main antagonist, Baltasar Eyl.

It was Larkin who originally coined the regiment's nickname - Gaunt's Ghosts - during the unit's first action. He has a knack for coining such memorable names such as 'Lijah Fething Cuu' and 'Eszrah Night'.

Sniper Jessi Banda

Jessi Banda is a female Vervunhiver. She decided that she would be one of the few female snipers in the regiment. Jessi and Major Rawne became romantically involved with each other during the battle on Aexe Cardinal, where they were wounded and ended up spending a lot of time near each other in the medical tent. While Rawne was away on Gereon, she took to having an affair with Captain Meryn. Upon Rawne's arrival back to the regiment, she abandoned her feelings for Rawne, and decided to try and tempt Meryn into kicking Rawne out of the chain of command.

Sniper Nessa Bourah

One of Kolea's original "scratch company" of guerrilla fighters during the siege of Vervunhive, Nessa displayed outstanding accuracy fighting the Zoicans. Although permanently deafened by shelling, Nessa's impairment has not prevented her from becoming one of the best snipers in the Tanith First. She accompanied Corbec when a small group of wounded Ghosts went AWOL and travelled to the Shrinehold. Nessa participated in Operation Larisel on Phantine. While she and Brin Milo were moving through Ouranberg together, she spoke out loud and engaged Milo in conversation, but was briefly concerned that her voice was too loud. In Sabbat Martyr, she foiled Saul's attempt to assassinate Saint Sabbat at the last second by sniping him before he could fire. Nessa is regarded as the most attractive woman in the regiment, not because of her very feminine body but because of her beautiful face. Even Kolea (after regaining his former personality) found himself admiring her rear while running along behind her on Herodor, and acknowledges her as a "sexy woman". For reasons not explained in the books, she is referred to primarily by her first name, unlike the other female soldiers in the regiment - Jessi Banda, Tona Criid, Chiara, Lyse and Sehra Muril are normally referred to by their surnames.

Sniper Sehra Muril

A Vervunhiver. Muril was, like most other female Ghosts, an excellent sniper. She was the sniper in Corbec's platoon, and when asked why by Rawne, Corbec responded by saying that Muril had a "deliciously dirty laugh" and that her red hair reminded him of a girl "he'd been a fething fool to leave on Tanith". The real reason, however, is that Corbec believed she was almost the best shot in the regiment, second only to Mad Larkin. Larkin shares the secret of Bragg's death with her when they are on a patrol on Aexe Cardinal, but she is killed by Cuu. Mkvenner was going to recommend her to Mkoll for her scouting abilities, but Cuu murders her before she becomes one of the first Vervun scouts.

Sniper Rilke

Rilke was the 2nd best sniper in the regiment. He was selected to participate on the Spike assault on Vervunhive and to aid in the commando raid on Ouranberg. Rilke was in Mkoll's team, Larisel 4; when its drop ship was subsequently destroyed, Rilke was killed along with Nour and Cocoer. Unlike most of the snipers, he used a needle las.

Sniper Raess

A Tanith, Raess has a high hit score that is still noticeably lower than Larkin's. However, his sniping skills are not to be underestimated, as the marksman's lanyard is hard to achieve. He is a member of E Company, presumably in Sergeant Caffran's squad. Killed by a booby trap in Salvation's Reach.

Scout Trooper Caober

Gaunt's personal platoon scout up until the events on Herodor, Caober was reckoned to be one of the best scouts in the regiment along with Mkoll, Mkvenner, Bonin, Leyr and Hwlan. After Gaunt and the team departed for Gereon, Caober became the scout leader during Wilder's reign. Currently in the scout squad as of The Armour of Contempt. In Only In Death, it is revealed that Caober owns a set of Tanith pipes, but Hark comments that his playing is a little off and nowhere near as skillful as Brin Milo's.

Scout Trooper "Ven" Mkvenner

Mkvenner was Corbec's scout up until after the battle of Herodor, when he accompanied Gaunt on the Gereon mission. During the regiment's actions on Aexe Cardinal he was severely wounded, wounds that did not fully heal and continued to cause him problems during the early stages of the Herodor campaign. He was healed by the Saint on Herodor, assisted by Kolea. While the Ghosts were stranded on Gereon and helped rebuild the resistance, Mkvenner helped train the Nihtgane into elite Commandos, and he opted to remain behind when the other Ghosts were extracted. When left on Gereon, Mkvenner became a figurehead of sorts for the resistance, claiming each raid on the enemy was performed by him. Even after his supposed death when he and a Nihtgane group who called themselves the "Nalsheen" were ambushed, the resistance continued to claim each attack and raid was Mkvenner's doing. When the Ghosts returned to Gereon, the resistance had pronounced him dead and erected a cairn inscribed with his name. However, while Eszrah Ap Niht is gathering toxins and "wode" to replenish his stocks, he realises he is being watched by a man clad in the rags and wode of a Nightwalker, and wearing the tattered remnants of a camo cloak. The figure also carried a fighting staff, a favored weapon used by those who practice Cwlwhl. Mkoll believes to have detected Mkvenner's presence whilst waiting for extraction from the Until following the liberation of Gereon, and "smelt" him earlier when travelling through the area. There is also the inexplicable event of how all of the captured Gereon resistance fighters and Nihtgane managed to escape Imperial custody undetected. These incidents could very well mean that Mkvenner is still alive and "haunting" the Until like a Ghost. As Mkvenner is an accomplished scout, it comes as no surprise that he managed to survive alone in the un-tillable lands of Gereon. Mkvenner is the best close combat fighter in the Tanith First, even better than the late, psychotic Lijah Cuu. While the regiment was retaking Cirenholm on Phantine, he held off an entire platoon of Blood Pact with nothing more than his bayoneted rifle, using it like a quarterstaff. He also fought off several wire-wolves (daemons) in the same manner on Gereon. This is because Mkvenner is the last surviving Tanith to have been trained in the ancient art of Cwlwhl - the martial arts perfected by the Nalsheen wood warriors, fabled heroes of Tanith legend. He reluctantly admits to Gaunt in Traitor General that he never completed his training, and instead joined the Tanith Militia and was drafted into the Guard. The Nalsheen used Proto-Gothic as their private language, a skill which Mkvenner learnt and used to communicate with the Nihtgane. His stealth skills are perhaps the best in the regiment; Mkoll claiming that "only Bonin and Caober ever came close to his stealth skill, and only one person ever bettered it. And that man was dead.", presumably referring to Mkvenner because of his status as the unofficial second in command of the Tanith scout unit, and that Mkoll could not prove Mkvenner's continued survival.

Scout Trooper Simen Urvin "Mach" Macharius "Lucky" Bonin

Domor's scout trooper, 'Mach' Bonin is reckoned to be luckiest man in the regiment; he survived a deadly fever as a child, he lived in a tent through two hard winters on Tanith while his parents were rebuilding his home. He enlisted in the Imperial Guard when Tanith was called upon to raise regiments for the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, and was carried off-world prior to Tanith's destruction. On Verghast, Bonin fell while scaling the colossal war machine of Heritor Asphodel and was believed dead. He survived, thanks to his amazing luck, but now has a steel vertebrae and pelvic joint due to his extensive injuries. He escaped unharmed from the Ouranberg mission and survived eighteen months on occupied Gereon as part of Gaunt's insertion team. On Ancreon Sextus, he successfully killed a Stalker with only his Tanith knife. In Only in Death, Bonin took a las-round to the head whilst retrieving vital water supplies dropped into an open courtyard. Although thought dead by his companions, he sat up a few moments later, only remembering that he had been shot upon touching the wound. When Dalin asked him why he wasn't dead, his reply was simply: "I dunno, boy. Lucky?", at which point he passed out. He survived the Jago campaign.

Also in Only In Death after Mkoll leaves to find Gaunt, Bonin is placed in charge of the scouts. He is held as the second deadliest and capable scout, now that Mkvenner is gone. In Armour of Contempt, he and Maggs (the Belladon scout) kill over thirty enemies in one encounter. Each showing exemplary skill and heart as well as courage. Rawne comments to Gaunt that he believes both Maggs and Bonin should be put in for recommendations. In His Last Command, Bonin is described as darkly handsome. In Operation Larisel on Phantine he strikes up a friendship with Commander Bree Jagdea who decides to take suicide pills when things turn ugly. He tells her what Gaunt has taught them. That life should never just be surrendered. That it should be fought for and held precious for as long as possible. Never GIVE anything to enemy, because they will take what they can. He is described as being usually cheerful.

Scout Trooper Leyr

Rawne's scout, Leyr is tough and hard edged as was most of Rawne's platoon. A thin, middle aged man, he served in the Tanith Militia before the fall. Leyr is also one of the few men Rawne trusts. Currently in the scout squad as of "The Armour of Contempt". Along with several other members of Rawne's Third Platoon, such as Wheln, Neskon, Melwid, and Caffran, he was switched into E Company, serving as a Scout in the Company.

Trooper/Scout Trooper Heqta Jajjo

A black Vervunhiver, Jajjo is the only Verghastite scout in the Tanith regiment. Mkvenner personally honed his skills, and Jajjo proved his worth by escaping a firefight in the Montorq forest on Aexe Cardinal to carry word of the enemy advance back to the Imperial lines. Currently in the scout squad as of "The Armour of Contempt", although Mkvenner promoted him to scout at the end of Straight Silver.

Scout Trooper Baen

Once Varl's scout, Baen is a cheerful, yet hard edged, like most of the scouts. Currently in the scout squad as of "The Armour of Contempt".

Scout Trooper Doyl

One of the 1st's most renowned scouts, Doyl was Soric's scout up until "The Guns of Tanith". He was picked for the Larisel operation, in Adare's squad. When the squad was attacked and subsequently split up, Doyl accompanied Adare and Phantine Trooper Cardinale. Shortly after their hunt begins, Adare is (messily) killed by one the vicious loxatl. Doyl fights bravely until the end, but unfortunately it is not enough, and he is killed with a prayer on his lips when a loxatl fires explosive rounds into his eye, then breaks his neck. His and Adare's corpses were later displayed by the Chaos Lord of Ouranberg, Saggitar Slaith. As a friend of Soric, he was missed by all of 4th platoon (the scouts).

Scout Trooper/Corporal Baru

A highly renowned Tanith scout, he was the woman's idol and joker of the scout unit. He has an important nickname: "Invisible creeper". Gaunt took him along to a cave to find the vermilion treasure on Menazoid Epsilon, too. Unfortunately, he was wounded and then killed by shrapnel from a barbed round. He was one of the favourite scouts in the Tanith regiment, and missed by many Ghosts.

Scout Trooper Logris

Not to be confused with another Tanith, Loglas; he was Rawne's first scout and an elite in the regiment along with Baru, Colmar and Fulke. Logris took part in Bragg's convoy to Calphernia City and later in the book he died when his neck was snapped by a falling tree in action on Monthax (However, he was wrongly mentioned in "Necropolis" as a person who is alive).

Sergeant/Scout Trooper/Flame Trooper Mkendrick

Listed as a scout, however he operated a flame-thrower at one time for example in Caffran's raid on Oskray Hive and he took part in Bragg's convoy, too. He raised in the mountains of Tanith Steeple. He was in Rawne's unit (for example on Monthax), after that he became a scout and gained a platoonleadership (in the 'Guns of Tanith' he is yet a sergeant). Later, Mkendrick is killed along with the entirety of his platoon on Herodor by Loxatls.

Scout Trooper Wes Maggs

A Belladon scout who became part of the Tanith First when the leaderless regiment was merged with the 81st Belladon to form the 81st-1st. His scout skills are renowned amongst the regiment but he is best known for his mouth! A mouth that is often found to have more words in it than can be comfortably accommodated. They just have to come out! He is animated and humorous and has a heart of gold. Attending to Tanith Scout Hwlan's injury in His Last Command he encourages the scout to talk to him about anything, just to keep Hwlan's mind off the pain. Maggs is the one who ends up going through the gateway with Mkoll and discovers the world with stones hanging from the sky. In the scrambled vox transmissions from the two scouts, you can hear Maggs' voice clearly distressed and emotional from the "other side" and is very vocal compared to the more stoic Mkoll. Though later in one of the books, Scout Master Mkoll confesses that secretly he truly likes Maggs. That in itself is one of the highest compliments a Scout could receive.

In Armour of Contempt, Maggs pairs up with Tanith Scout Bonin. Blending in and moving along in a covert action, Maggs continues to whisper to Bonin asking him questions. Frustrated by Maggs' lack of noise discipline, Bonin signs to him "Do you not know how to sign?!" To which Maggs replies, elaborately signing, "Yes, I know how to sign, you feth wit!" Bonin says to himself that Maggs is alright for a Belladon. Maggs again shows his abilities when he pairs up with Bonin in an action that takes down 30 of the enemy. An action for which he is recommended by Major Rawne. He is also injured in this action and its on his way back to medicae with Junior Commissar Nahum Ludd that a more tender side of Maggs is discovered. Ludd asks him why he had seen him in a gambling den during an investigative action into Trooper Merrt's gambling issue. He tells Ludd that it was Varl's idea originally. That they all had to look after their own and that they would be nothing if they did not. He says that he had volunteered, along with other Tanith troopers, to help look after Merrt and see that he did not get into any more trouble. It had been his day when Ludd saw him at the gambling den.

On Jago, in Only in Death, Maggs is plagued by visions of a facially deformed woman in a black lace dress; this is later discovered to be one of many psychic visions created by psyker Agun Soric, and that the former Verghastite soldier was using the image of one of his handlers to create the phantom. She distresses Maggs greatly - as he believes she is death and has come to claim them - to the point that he wildly fires his lasgun at nothing. He is locked up by Ludd, but released to help repel the Blood Pact assault on Hinzerhaus.

Maggs plays a significant role in Blood Pact, when he is detailed to chauffeur Gaunt after Hark puts him on disciplinary duties. As a result, he is forced to help Gaunt protect Mabbon Etogaur from Blood Pact assassins, and spends much of the novel in the company of the pair. Not bothering to hide his feelings about several issues, Maggs is called to order by Gaunt on a few occasions which causes Gaunt to recognize Maggs similarity to Varl in personality. During the escape from Section, the top of his right ear is torn off by a stray round. Maggs is influenced by the Blood Pact's psyker to kill Mabbon after she uses some of his blood to link with his mind. Gaunt prevents him from doing so. Now, not at all trusted by Gaunt, Maggs is trying desperately to obtain a firearm. But to Maggs' dismay Gaunt continues to refuse him one until the end when he simply kills one of the Blood Pact assassins and takes his gun looking at Gaunt and stating "Well don't give me a gun then!". During the course of Blood Pact he is haunted by visions of the Blood Pact's sorceress, Ulrike Eyl who strongly resembles the black laced woman from Only in Death. In the end, he kills Ulrike with a full auto volley from his gun.

Scout Trooper/Captain Ferdy "Ferdi" Kolosim

A Belladon, Kolosim, along with Caober and Hwlan, maintained leadership of the recon/scout elements of the regiment during Gaunt, and Mkoll's, absence. He survives Jago with little injuries. He is red headed. When it is recommended in His Last Command that Rawne be given a platoon of his own, (because Wilder promoted Meryn in Rawne's place) it's either Ferdi or Belladon Captain Raydrel who are considered to lose their command. Baskevyl comments that Ferdi Kolosim would hunt down and kill the man who took command from him.

Scout Trooper Hwlan

A Tanith, Hwlan has proved himself to be a highly capable and resourceful scout. He originally served as Criid's scout prior to the merger of the 81st Belladon and the Tanith First. He is currently in the scout squad as of Only in Death. When wounded in His Last Command, he is treated by Wes Maggs, the Belladon scout. Trying to keep Hwlan's mind off his injuries, Maggs encourages him to talk about something....anything. Hwlan admits that he lost his virginity at the age of 16 years to a girl named Sehba. After sewing him up as best as possible, Maggs injects him with a pain killer which makes him woozy. Hwlan is resting behind the others when they come under a rather serious attack. Hearing the yell of the enemy troopers, Hwlan asks from his stupor "Are we winning?" at which all the others laugh.

Scout Trooper Dec Coir

A Tanith scout, Coir was not mentioned with great detail until "Only in Death". Presumably in the scout squad, Coir is noted as being an antique weapons expert, packing an ornate Las-Lock pistol as a backup. Killed in action at the Hinzerhaus.

Scout Trooper Mklane

A Tanith scout, he is currently in the scout squad as of "Only in Death".

Scout Trooper Suth

A Tanith scout, Suth was good friend of Costin's, and served in Adare/Raglon's platoon until events on Aexe Cardinal where he is shot during an ambush.

Scout Trooper Preed

Described as an older Tanith, Preed is said to have been a game keeper on Tanith before the Founding. Apparently refrained from joining the scout corps due to a lack of confidence, until recommended by Mkoll. Killed by a booby trap in Salvation's Reach.

Trooper Brin Milo

Milo was a servant in the household of the Elector Count of Tanith Magna before the Tanith's destruction. He saved Gaunt from being killed by Chaos warriors as he escaped from Tanith in its final moments. Being too young to become a soldier during the time, he was made Gaunt's personal adjutant, and was considered as a mascot of a sort for the regiment. He showed unnerving abilities of prediction, being able to bring Gaunt battle plans or coffee before he even asked for them, and was even suspected for witchcraft because of this. Shortly after, he finally joined the regiment as a soldier, having come of age recently. He proves himself to be an excellent soldier, and shows all of the hallmarks of becoming a capable leader. Amongst other feats of arms, he assists Gaunt in the Slaying of Etrodai, life-ward of Magister Enok Innokenti, losing his warknife in the process. Shortly afterwards, he assists the honour guard of Saint Sabbat in taking her for medical treatment, in the process assisting in the fight against Lijah Cuu. Milo is also known to play the pipes, especially whenever the Tanith finally leave the field of battle. On Hagia, Milo met a young priest student named Sanian, likely falling in love with her. At the same time, he received a prophecy from an older priest remarking on how his future would not involve he being a soldier. She never truly left his thoughts, with him remarking about missing her in The Guns of Tanith. He met her again on Herodor, when she had become a vessel for the newly born Saint Sabbat, and left the Ghosts in favour of joining with her to the front lines of the Crusade, fulfilling the prophecy foretold to him. This departure deeply affects Gaunt, who has always regarded Milo as something like his son and he gives Milo his Tanith warknife before Milo leaves, to replace Milo's lost warknife.

During the series, it has been heavily implied that Milo may be a psyker, due to his tendency to possess prescience and knowledge of facts that he should not have. He has been put under Inquisitorial investigation for these abilities, but the investigators could not find any proof.

Trooper 'Try Again' Bragg

He got his nickname because of his terrible aim; he would always miss his first shot, although the firepower from his heavy weapons meant that he could afford to miss occasionally. He is also known for being one of the strongest men in the Tanith First. Bragg's herculean size and strength enables him to carry heavy weapons and equipment that usually require a team of operators with ease, as well as being a terrifying opponent in hand-to-hand combat. While most people regard Bragg as all brawn and no brain, Gaunt is aware that Bragg has a kind of silent intelligence, and that he may in fact be one of the cleverest men in the regiment. He proves his cunning and ability to think quickly whilst commanding the escort of a supply convoy on Caligula. Despite his size and gruff appearance, Bragg was a cheerful and caring soul; calling Brin Milo as "Brinny-boy" and always referring to Gaunt by his title. Bragg was murdered by Lijah Cuu at Ouranberg, as revenge for having turned him in for looting. However, as Cuu seized the opportunity in the middle of combat, everyone assumed that Bragg's death had been caused by a close-range loxatl round. Larkin figures out what Cuu did and realised that Cuu planned to do the same to him when the chance came. Bragg was Larkin's close friend, and his murder affected the master sniper deeply. On Herodor, Soric writes a note using his powers which informs Gaunt and the others that Bragg was killed by Cuu. Both Larkin and Gaunt have since been haunted by visions of Bragg. Bragg's standard wargear is a heavy bolter, frag grenades and the camo cloak which is standard for Tanith infantry, though he has been known to carry a chaingun, or twin-linked autocannon (literally two heavy machine guns welded side by side). He also had the greatest talent for making sacra - the favoured Tanith liquor - and after his death, the few remaining bottles made by him were considered almost holy relics among the Tanith First; referred to as "the sacra". One such bottle is labeled "Try Again's Finest". Larkin was haunted by visions of Bragg on Jago, and one such apparition left a flask of his legendary brew as a gift to his former friend.

Trooper Murtan "Murt" Feygor

He was Rawne's adjutant and it is said that other than himself, Feygor is the only man that Rawne would ever totally trust and call a friend. However this was disproved in Sabbat Martyr as Rawne says he trusts Jessi Banda, Caffran and his scout, Leyr. He was known as one of the group of malcontents in the Ghosts who hated Gaunt for not allowing them to fight for Tanith. During the fighting at Vervunhive, he took a lasround in the throat that destroyed his voicebox. The augmetic replacement gave him a monotone voice which fitted his sarcastic nature. He was the leader of a squad who were sent to scout the Montorq-forest on Aexe Cardinale and they found a house there. Feygor along with Brostin and Cuu drank a lot of wine and as a result lost the respect and his effective command of the more professional members of the detail. Feygor later took part in the Gereon Mission, even saving Gaunt's life. Like Rawne he was an expert in explosives, and when extraction became impossible he and the other Ghosts joined the resistance, where he and Rawne travelled the cells instructing the resistance on demolitions. He was later shot in the chest with a Lasgun on Ancreon Sextus, shortly after setting off an explosive device in attempt to close a massive warp gate in "His Last Command". Flame-Trooper Brostin insisted on carrying him to a medic, but Feygor was dead by then.

Trooper Lijah "Fething" Cuu

He was another Vervunhiver recruited into the Ghosts after the battle for Vervunhive. A natural born killer, he was amoral and disliked by most of the Ghosts, especially Larkin. He has looted shops, despite the coins being defaced, and was accused of the murder and rape of a woman. However, his innocence was seemingly proved upon the discovery of Blood Pact troopers masquerading as Tanith and he only received lashes for the looting instead of the death sentence he would have received for murder. He murdered 'Try Again' Bragg on Phantine for turning him in for looting, confessing to Bragg in the process of killing him that he did indeed commit the crime of raping and murdering the woman, and then Sehra Muril on Aexe Cardinal after she accused him of Bragg's murder. He also made several unsuccessful attempts on Larkin's life for the same reasons. Agun Soric finally revealed Cuu's guilt for these crimes with his psychic abilities. Cuu killed Corbec and wounded Dorden and Gaunt on Herodor with a lasgun while trying to assassinate Saint Sabbat, but was shot dead by Larkin as he was trying to finish off Gaunt with his knife. At the time of his attempted assassination he was under the psychic influence of Pater Sin's psykers who exploited his murderous nature to imprint him with the task of killing Saint Sabbat. Cuu was noted for his feline appearance, skill with a tattooist's needle, and the phrase "sure as sure." On Jago, Larkin is plagued by visions of him during the early morning watches along with "Try Again" Bragg who leaves him a bottle of his finest sacra, and Colm Corbec who advises him to get to cover just before an artillery shell destroys his defense post.

Trooper Piet Gutes

He was an original Tanith and an older man in the regiment. His daughter, Finra and her daughter, Foona died in the fire when Tanith was annihilated by the Chaos fleet. He dreamed of them almost every night. He was weary of constant war, and the constant fighting and killing that life in the Imperial Guard brought. From Gutes' point of view, nothing mattered if you were far enough away. Gutes is a mess-tin compositor in Obel's platoon and he has got many friends including Larkin, Bragg (who is very missed by him), Caill, an ammunition-carrier and Melyr, a heavy-weapon specialist. He always felt too tired and weak. He fought among others on Nacedon where he and a group of Ghosts helped Medic Dorden to defend a group of injured Bluebloods, and on Hagia where he was injured when the Ghosts fought at the Shrine. He was a member of Feygor's scout team to the Montorq-forest on Aexe Cardinal. He joined Feygor, Brostin and Cuu in getting drunk to forget his sorrows. After that Mkvenner and Jajjo spotted that many Blood Pact soldiers was approaching the old house where he had spent a few days residing. While Jajjo was carrying the message of this, the others fought until the end until reinforcements arrived. Unfortunately, Gutes was killed during this action. Gutes was holding a burning room and fighting off the Blood Pact storming in, but once out of ammunition he made no attempt to flee or draw his Straight Silver on the attackers; weary of combat and his life, he resigned to a chair and allowed the Pact to shoot him.

Flame-Trooper Aongus Brostin

Trooper Brostin a native of Tanith, he is described as a hairy, heavyset, heavily tattooed brute. One of the most skilled flamer operators in the Tanith regiment, he has an affinity with fire which is legendary amongst his comrades. There are mixed rumours in the regiment about Brostin's experience with fire; one rumour is that Brostin gained this experience while working in the Fire Service on Tanith, while another rumour says he has served a prison sentence for arson. Brostin himself hints in Traitor General that the former is true. Brostin likes to show off his skills with fire, and also tries to perpetuate myths that fire and he have an understanding. Brostin's skills with fire also extend to liquor distilling - he brews and sells sacra which is regarded as passable by his fellow troopers (as much for Chimera anti-freeze as a drink), but not as good as Bragg's brew. It is highly suggested that Brostin is a borderline, if not full on, pyromaniac. Part of Rawne's gang, Brostin is undisciplined and vengeful. While a member of the mission team on Gereon, he pulls a diversionary stunt, which involved a promethium-filled Tanker, a bridge, a lho stick, and fire retardant foam jelly, which results in a large doughnut-shaped fireball and many enemies dead. He also develops another stunt along with the aid of Larkin, which they call the 'Airburst Special' in which Brostin throws a pair of full promethium tanks into the air at the target, and Larkin shoots down both, dropping a pair of fireballs on the enemy's head. This is a strictly anti-infantry manoeuvre; he never bothers to attempt it on a tank in The Armour of Contempt. As a member of the Gereon Resistance, Brostin maintained a steady production of flamer weapons. In Only In Death, Brostin recommends using the Airburst Special on the advancing waves of Blood Pact, but to his dismay he learns that one of his fellow flame-troopers used up the last tank of promethium. He commonly refers to either his weapon or the fires he has caused with it as 'mister yellow'.

Trooper Loell/Trooper Surch

Loell is a .30 cal operator in Corbec's platoon along with Surch. They are heavy weapon operators in "The Armour of Contempt".

Trooper Cole

A Tanith, Cole was killed on Herodor by Pater Sin's psyker twins. He served in Corbec's platoon.

Trooper Brown

A Verghastite, Brown was killed on Herodor by Pater Sin's psyker twins. He served in Corbec's platoon.

Trooper Roskil

A Tanith, Roskil was killed on Herodor by Pater Sin's psyker twins. He served in Corbec's platoon.

Trooper Fulke

A Tanith, charged after firing his lasgun at vermin in First and Only, but is not executed as the Shirven attack shortly after. He takes part in the convoy on Caligula, he is a driver and tries to make his escape when the convoy is ambushed by rebels, Logris breaks his neck for being a coward.

Trooper Cant

Cant is first mentioned in the book Only In Death. He is one of the new Belladon soldiers from Wilder's 81st/1st Recon. He is one of Sergeant Varl's favourite people to make fun of due to his name; he baits Cant into saying the word can't before saying "Oh, you can't, can you, Cant?". At Jago, Commissar Hark plays along asking Cant "Can't, Cant, or wont?". Most of Varl's unit find this amusing, but Cant finds it annoying and eventually snaps, telling Varl to "go feth himself". He serves as one of the "Suicide Kings" guarding Etogaur Mabbon and is nearly killed during an assassination attempt. He is saved by the doctor brought from Balhaut.

Trooper Dalin Criid

Major Kolea's son but adopted on verghast by Criid and Caffran when his parents were thought to be dead, at 18 he had decided to follow in his foster parents' footsteps and join the Tanith First-and-Only. He is loved not only by his foster parents, but by a majority of the Ghosts as well, including Varl, Kolea, and even Gaunt. However, during training, he was temporarily assigned to a reserve unit and survived his first major battle while separated from the Ghosts. After the reserve unit is disbanded, Dalin is allowed to return to his original unit and officially becomes a Ghost. He was welcomed to the unit by the opening of a bottle of Try Again's Finest; one of the few remaining bottles of sacra brewed by "Try Again" Bragg. During the war on Gereon, Dalin kept hearing voices from who he believed was Caffran, warning him to immediate dangers; this may suggest that he is the next in a series of Ghosts who have or are thought to have psychic talents, the others being Agun Soric, who was taken to the Black Ships when his talent was discovered, and Tona Criid, who may or may not be a psyker but has had startlingly accurate premonitions. Whilst on Gereon, Dalin was blooded in a somewhat spectacular battle involving Imperial Titans and a Bloodthirster of Khorne, and almost dies several times. This includes almost becoming a 'black cross' (friendly or civilian casualty) at the hands of three Krassian troopers looking to field strip his body, only to be saved by Fourbox (another member of AT137, formerly RIP) and Trooper Rehn Merrt. Prior to Gereon, (during transit) Dalin is a member of RIP (Retraining, Indoctrination and Punishment) - he himself is there for Indoctrination, and during the Gereon Invasion he is Part of AT 137, which consists of the members of the RIP Detail. After the battle, this unit is disbanded and Dalin is returned to the Ghosts. His first actual combat mission with the Ghosts takes place in Hinzerhaus, where he is promoted to Meryn's adjutant. Dalin secretly resents Meryn's treatment of him, because he suspects Meryn is giving him preferential treatment to gain a better standing with Criid.

Flame-Trooper Lubba

Lubba joined the Tainth after the siege of Vervunhive. He servers as the flamer operator in Gol Kolea's old platoon, now under the command of Tona Criid. Lubba is a dependable character, always ready with his flamer in a tight spot. Lubba also put his own life in danger by running into enemy fire to drag Kolea to safety during fighting on Phantine.

Flame-Trooper Dremmond

A Tanith, Dremmond has maintained his position as a flamethrower operator since the Fall, participating in many notable actions including the fight for Cirenholm and his heroic actions defending his Colleagues on the spike assault. Described as tall, average looking man.

Flame-Trooper Neskon

Another Tanith flame operator, Neskon serves under Meryn's command in his company. A friend of Dalin's in "Only in Death", Neskon is described by Dalin as a "big fire-ogre". When Dalin is confronted by Meryn as becoming his new adjutant Dalin declines and suggests Neskon, but Meryn describes him as "too old school". Like most flame troopers, his skin is permanently aged by the heat. In "Only In Death" when Meryn's company is all but destroyed following the Destrier that was re-supplying the Tanith to explode, Neskon turns out to be a crack shot with a las-pistol after his flamer runs out of promethium.

Flame-Trooper Lyse

The only female flame-thrower trooper, Lyse is a PDF trained hand fighter from Verghast with arms as muscled as any man.

Flame-Trooper Furrian

Once Corbec's flamer-trooper, he was killed on Phantine when he was shot in the head. This same shot ignited his Promethium tanks, immolating the surrounding area. He was Brostin's childhood friend, and shared his love of flames with him.

Trooper Derin

One of the troopers injured on Hagia who accompanied Corbec and Dorden on their holy quest to the Shrine in the Hagian mountains though he did so because of his dedication to duty more than any kind of holy inspiration. Trooper Derin was in Kolea's company as of "The Armour of Contempt."

Trooper Niceg Vamberfeld

A former clerk from Vervunhive, Vamberfeld was not psychologically stable for warfare and was injured in the fighting on Hagia. Due to this, he was unable to join most of the regiment to save the physical remains of Saint Sabbat from the planet before the arrival of massive Chaos armada. He was nevertheless convinced to join Corbec and the rest of the wounded to follow. On the way, though he became increasingly more unstable and was constantly annoyed by his hand shaking. In an abandoned hut Vamberfeld found a piece of Sabbat's old herd staff, used by her when she had still been a herder before becoming a Saint. He finds the other part on display in the Shrinehold of Saint Sabbat. Vamberfeld also saw a young girl herding two chelon (beasts native to Hagia) at several points on the journey, and saw her just as he died from a direct shot to the head. It is presumed that this girl was a vision of Sabbat in her youth. Vamberfeld sacrificed himself to start up the ancient machines in Saint Sabbat's tomb that killed the cultists attacking the Shrinehold and scattered the Chaos fleet in transit through the warp, saving the lives of the remaining Ghosts and the Shrinehold's residents. It is noted that Vamberfeld suffered nine wounds before he died, a reference to the Nine Holy Wounds suffered by Saint Sabbat. His efforts were recognised by the ayatani and to honour him they laid him to rest in a "post tomb" (basically a coffin standing on a wooden post) by the shrine in which Vamberfeld triggered the Shrinehold's defenses and was dealt his final wound.

Trooper Loglas

A Tanith, Loglas was in Obel's platoon along with Larkin and Bragg. During the trench warfare of Aexe Cardinal, Cuu cornered Larkin and attempted to kill him. Loglas was passing by, and witnessed Cuu's actions. He was about to intervene when the Forces of Chaos launched a bombardment. A shell hit their dugout, and decapitated Loglas. Unfortunately for Larkin, Loglas was the only Tanith who heard Cuu's death threat. He was famous for his horror stories that made the troops of the 11th Platoon afraid.

Sniper/Trooper Rhen Merrt

He was one of the original Tanith snipers with a hit rate lower than Larkin's or Rilke's but still impressive. He sustained a terrible injury on Monthax, taking a las-blow to the jaw. He received a crudely made augmetic replacement, which ruined his accuracy (and gave him a speech impediment). He was dropped from the sniper group, and ever since he has been lacking self-esteem. He has been slumming in gambling bars and clubs on troop ships, and generally not in good spirits. Because of this, several of his soldiering friends decided to keep an eye out for him. This was a good plan of theirs, because he got into a big gambling debt with a club. He is nearly killed by the club owner's thugs, but luckily Commissar Hark and Junior Commissar Ludd save him. Hark then punished him for his actions. He is put into the RIP detail, where he meets Dalin Criid and they become good friends, saving each other on more than one occasion on Gereon and during RIP detail. He was transferred back into the Tanith First at the end of The Armour of Contempt. During the events of Armour of Contempt and Only In Death, Merrt uses a badly maintained lasrifle that he suspects is a "captured, recaptured piece of junk". The rifle came to him when he lost his own and Dalin gave him one found on the floor after an intense firefight with the Sons of Sek. The rifle is later found to have the serial number "034TH" which has been rubbed away at, leaving it looking like it reads "DEATH" instead. This leads Merrt to the conclusion that it is a "unlucky rifle for an unlucky man" due to its constant jamming and the tainted nature of the weapon. He eventually leaves the rifle in the fortress on Jago where it is said to rust away. In Salvation's Reach, Merrt regains his sniper skills with the aid of muscle relaxants and the tutelage of Sar Af, a Space Marine from the White Scars chapter. During the boarding action, Merrt displays amazing skills with his sniper rifle. However, he is fatally shot as the Ghosts pull out, and has to be carried by Doc Dorden, who himself is weak from his terminal leukaemia. In the end, having stayed behind to buy the rest of their squad time to get clear and being cornered by a Sons of Sek force, Merrt shoots a barrel from one of the booby traps he had earlier disarmed and incinerates the Sons, himself and Dorden.

Trooper Lesp

Field Medic. Acts as one of Dorden's orderlies. A tall thin man from Tanith Longshore with cold blue eyes and an adam's apple that looks like a knee in his slender neck. Back on Tanith he and his family were sea fishermen who plied the currents beyond the Archipelago. His skill with a sail cloth and net needle and an almost surgical knack with a blade had led to Dorden to put those skills to use as a medical orderly.

Trooper Ifvan

Varl's buddy and second in command, Ifvan is usually involved in Varl's gambling schemes or any other instances where Varl can con money from other regiments. He was almost killed by Imperial (Kottmarkian) troopers on Aexe Cardinal, Mkoll saved his life.

Trooper Vivvo

Soric's adjutant and fellow Verghastite, Vivvo is in Soric's largely Verghastite platoon. One of the few soldiers to know about Soric's foresight ability, Vivvo is staunchly loyal and claimed that Soric's psychic ability wasn't Chaos, since his ability was only helping the Ghosts.

Trooper Mikal Dorden

A Communications Operator in Serg. Hasker's Platoon until the war of Menazoid Epsilon (where most members of the platoon were killed). He spent about four years as a Ghost, then he was killed in action at the Veveyr Gate in Vervunhive. He was Tolin Dorden's son. Tolin and Mikal were the only two related Ghosts who escaped from Tanith; his death hit his father extremely hard. On Hagia, Dorden saw visions of his son, inspiring him to join Corbec's mission to the Shrine in the Saint Mountains. Dorden again has visions of Mikal in Only in Death, which were due to Agun Soric's psychic manifestations.

Trooper Costin

A trooper in Raglon's platoon as of Straight Silver, Costin blew his infiltrating unit's cover by drinking on duty; a sentry spotted the flash of the bottle and raised the alarm. Costin's hand was almost shot off and his friend Scout-trooper Suth was killed along with half of the unit. When Gaunt caught up with him, he was almost executed but for the intervention of Tolin Dorden. However, this is not the first incident that Costin has acted inappropriately. He is mentioned in Ghostmaker prior to landing on Monthax to have broken his shin after inhaling paint thinners, having used up his sacra rations in the first few days aboard the transport ship. Costin cleaned up his act following his mistake on Aexe Cardinal and led a desperate rearguard on Herodor in Sabbat Martyr to allow Raglon's unit to break off from an assault. He is mentioned, without appearing, in The Armour of Contempt as a brewer of sacra (though his brand is inferior to Try Again Bragg's), and in Blood Pact, read at the services where Gaunt finds Zweil. In Salvation's Reach Costin's role in a scam involving widows' pensions is exposed shortly before the regiment's assault on the space hulk; Gaunt and Rawne plan on interrogating him after the battle, but his co-conspirators Meryn and Gendler ensure that Costin is killed by a loxatl brood.

Trooper Zak Twenzet

A Belladon, Twenzet is a trooper in Varl's Company. He is a red haired man in his early twenties. Twenzet is wounded at Hinzerhaus during a gunfight with a Blood Pact raiding party, and spends much of the siege in the medical bay. Twenzet becomes friends with Ludd, who looks after him following his injury. Twenzet is later chosen as part of Hark's 'honour guard', who escort the books back to high command. Aside from Hark and Criid, Twenzet is the only survivor after their Valkyrie is knocked out. He witnesses the psyker assault on the enemy armour patrol, and Hark's execution of Agun Soric.

Medic Ana Curth

Medic Ana Curth joined the regiment after the assault on Vervunhive. Just after the assault, Chief Medic Dorden and Curth lead an investigation into the mysterious types of death that many civilians suffered during the invasion of Vervunhive leading to them nearly being killed by an influential Guilder, Amchunduste Worlin. She then joined the Ghosts and has acted as the conscience of Gol Kolea on more than one occasion, trying to persuade him to tell Criid about him being the real parent of her adopted children. She was in charge of the medical team for the Honor Guard, where she proved her ability to work to keep the Tanith First going. Curth has a liking for lho sticks. In Sabbat Martyr and Traitor General, there is an implied romantic interest between Curth and Gaunt. In the former, Curth jokingly says that she'd only do a favour for Gaunt because he is so good in bed, a statement which leaves many of the Ghosts who heard it speechless in either shock or amusement (they do not respond when she says it was a joke). In the latter, Sabbatine Cirk remarks that Gaunt only brought Curth on the mission to keep him "satisfied" and "maintained". Additionally, when Cirk sneaks into the dark room Gaunt is sleeping in, he wakes up and calls her Ana before sleeping with her. Curth was part of the Gereon mission team, and remained on Gereon with Mkvenner to provide her medical skills to the resistance when the rest of the team were extracted. She is reunited with the regiment in The Armour of Contempt, and kept Larkin's beloved long-las safe when he was forced to leave it behind. Hark comments in Only in Death that Curth has never been quite the same after her return from Gereon; she has lost weight that she has never seemed to have regained, and her mood has changed rather drastically, making her more temperamental and confrontational. She does seem to have softened and regained some of her former kindness in Blood Pact, after two years off active duty.

Commissar Veynom Blenner

Veynom Blenner is one of Gaunt's oldest friends, having first met him while in Commissar training. He has helped Gaunt by providing backup when Gaunt has been hunted, saving his life on Pyrites. After the events on Balhaut, Blenner joins the Ghosts as Commissar responsible for the Belladon, despairing at first at what he sees as a difficult job. When the marching band reinforcements led by Colonel Wilder from Belladon arrive, he is relieved, as he believes he can cope with a marching band. He uses his new position to cover for Wilder and the other Belladon who run afoul of the regulations of the Guard, inadvertently protecting an assassin.

During his childhood, Blenner had an active imagination, claiming to be the son of a Space Marine (his parents were really Administratum clerks who were killed during a tyranid invasion). He served much of his Commissar career with the Greygorian 3rd Regiment, a pious regiment well known for good discipline which made Gaunt view Blenner as soft.

Allied Personnel

Imperial Guardsmen

Lord General Barthol Van Voytz

A capable commander who led Imperial forces at Phantine, Aexe Cardinal and Ancreon Sextus. He seems somewhat eccentric at first. Gaunt enjoys a special rapport with the general, who once offered him a promotion to Lieutenant-General and saved the Gereon insertion team from execution after they returned to Ancreon Sextus. Van Voytz considers Gaunt a good man and a close friend. However, after Van Voytz's orders to hold a fortress on Jago lead to heavy losses in the regiment, their relationship appears to have become strained. Van Voytz does not appear in Blood Pact.

Tactician Antonid Biota

Most trusted tactical officer on Van Voytz's staff, and a friend of Gaunt's. Dry and unemotive, Biota has been present for the majority of important briefings held for the Ghosts, and presented Gaunt with a copy of The Use of Armies by Demarche on Aexe Cardinale.

General Grizmund

The commander of the 9th Narmenian Armoured regiment, Grizmund fought alongside the Ghosts in Vervunhive. There, he was arrested by the Vervun Primary Hive Commissariat, the local military police, for breaking orders but was rescued from wrongful execution by Ibram Gaunt. He went on to command a successful counterattack on Veyveyr Gate, his superb armour tactics and highly trained & motivated crews driving the numerically superior Zoican forces out from under the city's force Shield.

In one of Abnett's short stories, a tank commander named Grizmund is killed during a Tyranid invasion on a heavily garrisoned world. Whether or not this is the same Grizmund who served on Verghast is unclear.

Major Kleopas

He was the second-in-command of the 8th Pardus Armoured regiment under Colonel Furst and led the armoured detachment which accompanied the Ghosts to the Shrinehold on Hagia; he commanded the armoured assault at Bhavnager with consummate skill, breaking the back of the opposing armour units and allowing the Ghosts to force their way into the town. He was killed at the battle for the Shrinehold when his tank was hit by an armor-piercing shell. Kleopas was the last of the tank's crew to die, unable to save himself from the flames filling his vehicle's interior as his spine and legs had been damaged during the battle. Despite his situation he seemed pleased that the final round fired by his tank destroyed an Infardi tank. His officers Captain Sirus and Lieutenant Pauk were also killed in the same action, leaving only Captains LeGuin and Woll in positions of authority within the detachment. Their regiment and LeGuin is featured in Double Eagle, the spinoff book to Gaunt's Ghosts.

Lord General Bulledin

He was in overall command of the Monthax theatre, and Gaunt held him in high regard despite the fact that the Lord General ordered the Inquisition to interrogate Brin Milo, Gaunt's adjutant as a suspected psyker.

Major/Colonel Gizhaum Danver de Banzi Haight Gilbear

He was General Noches Sturm's adjutant in Ghostmaker and commanded the Tenth Brigade, the elite of the Royal Volpone 50th storm troopers which was assigned to Inquisitor Lilith in the Monthax campaign. When he met the detachment of Ghosts under Gaunt and Corbec, he got into a fight with Corbec, but they later called a truce. Gilbear led one prong of the assault on the Eldar temple on Monthax, but was nearly shot by one of the Eldar soldiers there when he insulted their leader. His leadership on Monthax earned him a promotion to Colonel, and he held this rank during the events of Necropolis, where he participated in both the assault on the treacherous Salvador Sondar, where he executed him with a grenade launcher for treachery, and in the assault on enemy warlord Heritor Asphodel's command vehicle, The Spike. After the desertion, treason and death of Noches Sturm, it is assumed that Gilbear retained command of the Royal Volpone 50th, as his colleague Colonel Corday was killed at Vervunhive. Though there is still some enmity between Gilbear and Gaunt, both men have come to respect each other after their experiences in Vervunhive. In Straight Silver they are mentioned as having been rotated to the Crusade reserve; by the time of the events in "Sabbat Worlds" however they have been returned to the front line, at least in part, having presumably replaced their earlier losses.

Colonel Zoren

Colonel Zoren is the regimental leader of the Vitrian Dragoons, who first fought with the ghosts on Fortis Binary. After Gaunt came into possession of the "Vermillion Treasure", Colonel Zoren and his troops helped the Ghosts out several times. On the voyage to Menazoid Epsilon, they shared the same ship and found out that they are linked through a mutual acquaintance, Fereyd/Bel-Torthue/Imperial Tactician Wheyland. The Dragoons eventually aided Gaunt on Menazoid Epsilon in attacking the conspiring Jantine Patricians, ultimately destroying them. In Straight Silver they are mentioned as having been rotated to the Crusade reserve, probably due to battlefield losses.

Commander Bree Jagdea

The Phantine XX commanding officer and ace pilot, first introduced to Gaunt in a briefing before the assault of Cirenholm - a major city on Phantine - in Guns of Tanith. During the battle Jagdea's Lightning is shot down, but she manages to eject and, after drifting under her parachute for some time, lands on one of Cirenholm's structure domes. She is later saved by a small team of Ghosts that were also stranded on the dome after their drop ship was gunned down. She joins the group and assists the team by guiding them into the city, but holds a very grim outlook on their situation. This demoralises the team slightly, but they continue on nonetheless. Jagdea also attempts suicide at one point when the group faces attack from several units of Blood Pact, but is foiled by Scout-Trooper Bonin. Later in the novel, Jagdea volunteers to pilot the troop carrier containing Larisel 1 as part of Lord-General Van Voytz's plan to re-take Ouranburg. When the craft comes under heavy fire and is shot down, Jagdea is saved once again by Bonin. She accompanies the kill-team on their mission to hunt down Sagittar Slaith, and finds one of her fellow pilots after the group is captured. She survives captivity and the main invasion of Ouranburg. Jagdea continued to command the Phantine XX Imperial Guard fighter squadron, and participated in the defence of Enothis in the spin-off novel Double Eagle.

Commissar Pius Kowle

The ranking Commissariat representative at Vervunhive during the war, Kowle became known as the 'People's Hero' following a series of propaganda based events and broadcasts. A former Imperial Commissar who served on Balhaut, Kowle's career decline was partly down to Gaunt's efforts, who saw his brutal methods as being highly dangerous and counter productive and had him reassigned (Kowle always assumed however Gaunt had him demoted to get him out of the way). He used his sway within the Hive's high command to antagonise Gaunt, and formed a strong partnership with Noches Sturm. Kowle was arrested and stripped of his rank after the failed VPHC attempt to court martial and execute General Grizmund and his men. He sacrifices himself by feeding a line of grenades into the Beast Servitor in the chambers of Salvadore Sondar, losing his arms in the process. He later dies of blood loss after Gaunt returns his sash & rank pins, regaining a measure of honour.

Non-Imperial Guard

Saint Sabbat

She was born and grew up on Hagia, in the Rainwoods, where she lived herding Chelon (local livestock). In later life she went on to lead the Imperial crusade that conquered the group of worlds that bear her name. She died pierced with nine wounds, which were replicated on Trooper Yael and, more importantly, Trooper Vamberfeld. She has been reincarnated twice, once as a young girl called Sabbatine and Esholi Sanian, her spirit switching to the latter as a result of the former's death. She kills the chaos magister Enok Innokenti and destroys a Blood Pact Baneblade Super-Heavy tank on Herodor, winning that battle and safeguarding Warmaster Macaroth's flank as he fought at Morlond. This was despite pressure from Lord General Lugo, who felt that the Beati should be with the Warmaster at the frontlines. In her interactions with the Ghosts, they have protected her on many occasions, both her remains on Hagia, and her living self on Herodor. Even while separated, Gaunt feels she watches over him through instruments such as Sabbatine Cirk of the Gereon Resistance. He also states his belief that he and the other Ghosts were saved from the corruption of chaos while on Gereon due to their interaction with the saint. After the battle of Herodor, the reincarnated Saint Sabbat leaves the Ghosts to join Warmaster Macaroth on the main front with the young ghost Brin Milo. She has not been heard of or seen since. She has large "aquila" style wings, gold armour (similar to that of St. Celestine) and a large golden sword.

Inquisitor Lilith Abferquarn

Lilith is an Ordo Hereticus inquisitor in Ghostmaker who was appointed by Lord Militant General Bulledin to investigate and purge psykers from Imperial forces on Monthax. She met Gaunt when she was searching his quarters aboard an orbital command station, and interrogated Brin Milo as a suspected psyker after he had unerringly won a gambling game on the troop decks. However, Milo was cleared and the inquisitor did not encounter the Ghosts again until during the Monthax liberation, where she was investigating a psychic storm that was massacring both sides of the conflict. In the middle of the storm, she found an Eldar temple, which she had been seeking since her mother was killed in an Eldar raid many years previously. When the Eldar Farseer who had conjured the storm died, Lilith used her own powers to transport herself and the remaining eldar back through their Webway and close the warp gate behind them.

Ayatani Zweil

Ayatani Zweil was a wandering priest who joined the Ghosts on Hagia in the events of Honour Guard, when the Ghosts were making their way up to secure the remains of Saint Sabbat. He was found in an abandoned town, Mukret, which had been razed by the Chaos forces. He proceeded to follow the Ghosts up to the temple, where his views on the Imperial religion conflicted with the resident priests. While the Tanith were on Herodor, Zweil suffered a stroke when the first incarnation (prior to Sanian) of Saint Sabbat was killed. He has remained with the unit ever since, and has been the moral conscience of Gaunt on more than one occasion. He preaches to the troops before each battle reminding them of how the Emperor is with each one. He even accompanied the Ghosts when they landed on Gereon, and tried to help remove the taint from its lands.

Major Gerome Landerson

Former Gereon PDF Officer and later superior officer within the resistance. Landerson was tasked as an envoy between Gaunt's mission team and the underground, and ended up accompanying them for the duration of the Sturm mission, proving invaluable with local knowledge and contacts. He commanded the Resistance alongside Mkvenner after Gaunt's team left, and greeted Gaunt personally upon his return in the liberation. He explained Mkvenner's 'death' to Gaunt, and led him to their Nihtgane camp. After the Inquisition ambush which saw Landerson and his men taken prisoner, he was released along with his compatriots and is presumed alive on the run within the Untill.

Mabbon Etogaur

Mabbon Etogaur is a triple defector. From the Imperial Guard to the Archon's Blood Pact to the Anarch's Sons of Sek and finally back to the Imperium where he is now in the custody of the Tanith First and more specifically; the Suicide Kings, led by Major Rawne. Etogaur is a rank within the Archenemy forces which is equivalent to General. Mabbon does not explain much of his backstory to any characters, though since the events of Traitor General where it was he who hunted Gaunt and his team as they assassinated the rogue General Sturm, he has become affiliated with the Imperium again. Before doing this, he had removed the Archenemy ritual scars on his hands, a sign of open defiance, to show he is no longer a part of their factions. He becomes the target of the Blood Pact assassination team while he was in the custody of the Commissariat on Balhaut. Gaunt manages to save him from the assassins and the two flee, though leaving them little choices of people to trust, as the Inquisition believe Gaunt to be a part of the Archenemy plans. He and Gaunt eventually earn respect for one another, and once the Blood Pact forces are defeated, he is moved into the protection of the Tanith First in the novel 'Salvations Reach'. It is due to Mabbon, that the plan to attack the space station of Salvations Reach was even considered, his knowledge as a previous commander being posted there while he served the Anarch is vital to the success of the mission. It is currently unknown what his true intentions are, whether he is truly attempting to join the Imperium again, or if it is all part of some sick ruse to betray the Tanith and rejoin the Archon's Blood Pact or the Anarch's Sons.

Notable foes and forces of Chaos

The Menazoid Epsilon conspirators

Name Position Information Fate
Lord High Millitant General Hechtor Dravere Commander of Imperial forces on Fortis Binary and Menazoid Epsilon, chief conspirator. Attempted to gain control of the Standard Template Constructor (STC) on Menazoid Epsilon in order to seize control of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade and possibly the Imperium. Killed when the psychic aftershock of Inquisitor Heldane's death blew his command vehicle apart.
Colonel Draker Flense Commander of the Jantine Patricians, son of Aldo Dercius. Cooperated with Dravere in order to get his revenge on the Tanith, who cheated him of glory on Fortis Binary, and on Gaunt, who killed his father. Under his command, the Jantine destroyed the Tanith seventh platoon before Flense and a crack team infiltrated Target Primaris after Gaunt and the rest of the regiment, under Major Brochuss tried to destroy the remaining Tanith on the surface. Stabbed in the head underground by Ibram Gaunt. Major Brochuss and the remaining Jantine killed in action by the Vitrian Dragoons.
Inquisitor Golesh Constantine Pheppos Heldane Psychic puppeteer. Took control of Agent Fereyd and an unnamed naval rating in order to obtain the location and nature of the "Vermilion secret" buried under Target Primaris. Attempted to take control of Major Rawne, but failed after he was shot in the throat by Mad Larkin, confining him to life support. A much younger Heldane, holding the lower rank of Interrogator, appears in the 'Eisenhorn' trilogy, also by Dan Abnett. Killed by the psychic backlash of his puppet Fereyd's death after he was already weakened by his throat wound.
Fereyd
a.k.a. "Bel Torthute" or "Imperial Tactician Wheyland"		 Imperial spy assigned to watch over General Dravere. Intercepted the Vermilion-clearance message to Dravere, but was mind-controlled by Inquisitor Heldane and attempted to kill Gaunt and seize the Standard Template Constructor. Shot by Major Rawne beneath Menazoid Epsilon when he was found to be a puppet for Inquisitor Heldane.

Magister Enok Innokenti

Enok Innokenti was a Magister of the Chaos forces of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. Being one of Archon Urlock Gaur's many lieutenants, he was given command of considerable forces and was respected among the Chaos ranks. When word of the reincarnated Saint Sabbat spread around the segmentum, he mobilized a large task-force to assault the world of Herodor, where the reincarnated Saint was believed to be present.

In the book Sabbat Martyr, Innokenti utilized a force of Blood Pact troopers to assault the planet rather than destroy it from orbit, as he was claimed that he wanted the pleasure of either killing or capturing the saint and using her body to demoralize the Imperial army in the sector.

The battle of Herodor was described by the author to be a hopeless battle, with Chaos using the weight of numbers to make the Imperial forces retreat to the main Hive of the capital city of Civitas Beati. There Enok Innokenti went to the front to face Saint Sabbat in single combat. Although seen to be a tightly contested battle, he was defeated when he was decapitated by the Saint who then used his impaled head to rally the Imperial forces and push back the broken Chaos assault.

The Blood Pact

The Blood Pact is the elite infantry of the Arch-enemy in the Sabbat Worlds, serving Archon Urlock Gaur. The Pact includes former Guardsmen who have betrayed or deserted their original units and taken oaths to serve the Ruinous Powers and the Archon. Part of this ritual involves each member of the Pact scarring the palms of his hands on the sharp edges of Gaur's ancient power armor. Although they worship Chaos in general, the Blood Pact seem to be particularly devoted to the Blood God, Khorne. Because many of its members are former Guardsmen, the Blood Pact uses tactics similar (and in some cases the same) as the Imperial Guard. They also make use of equipment stolen from Imperial Guard regiments, or manufactured on Chaos-held Forge Worlds. They favor the use of tanks such as Baneblades and Leman Russ-variants made on these worlds. The Ghosts first encounter the Blood Pact on Phantine while laying siege to Cirenholm in Guns of Tanith, and have since faced them in all but one of the theaters the regiment has fought in (the sole exception was Gereon, where the Tanith fought the Sons of Sek).

Their uniform consists of fatigues stained the color of dried blood (presumably with dried blood), bowl helmets decorated with obscene runes and iron "grotesques"; masks fashioned in the image of hook-nosed, leering faces like daemons. Their warblades are often hooked like scythes.

Sons of Sek

Though subordinate to Urlock Gaur, his lieutenant Anakwanar Sek seeks control of the Archenemy forces in the Sabbat Worlds. To this end, Sek began building an army modelled on (and intended to rival) the Blood Pact. Dubbed the Sons of Sek, these soldiers are trained and equipped along Imperial Guard doctrine. The Tanith have fought the Sons of Sek twice; first during the liberation of Gereon, and then in the assault on Salvation's Reach. Their armour and equipment is mostly imperial guard issue, and it is revealed that each member has a skinned hand covering his mouth to show their dedication to their commander, whose voice "drowns out all others". The sons are shown to be an accomplished and elite military unit, they wiped out the majority of the resistance of Gereon when the resistance attacked the Archenemy soiree at the climax of the Traitor General novel. The sons were originally trained by Mabbon Etogaur, hand picked by Sek for their intelligence, tactical acumen and physicality to help craft and lead his military force, mostly from the forces of the rival Blood Pact. Unlike other Archenemy forces, the Sons have their own version of the Commissar to help control obedience in their ranks.

Ferrezoica (Zoicans)

In the Gaunt's Ghosts novel, Necropolis, Ferrezoica is another hive city, whose inhabitants are the ochre clad troops that attack Vervunhive. They are past enemies of the hive, the forces that opposed it in the Trade War; in the events of the novel, they were corrupted into the service of the Chaos warlord Heritor Asphodel through hypnotic suggestion. Zoicans are once humans of all ages and both genders, mutated and heavily implanted, they use captured weapons and artillery, including earthshaker cannons and lasguns. They also use specialised vehicles, including the flat crab, a legged weapon platform with a single super heavy weapon on its back. After Asphodel's defeat, Ferrozoica and its entire population are destroyed via orbital bombardment.

Lord Militant General Noches Sturm

Lord General Sturm was the commanding officer of Volpone Bluebloods, a famed regiment made up of aristocratic nobles. In a sense, Sturm acted as a nemesis of sort for Gaunt and his Ghosts, his orders often resulting in heavy casualties for them and being generally regarded by Gaunt as an incompetent leader and symptomatic of the problems in the Imperial Guard command structure. On Voltemand, the artillery fire he had ordered killed nearly three hundred Ghosts on purpose, including sergeant Cluggan, who had been instrumental for victory during the battle.

On Verghast, as the enemy poured into Vervunhive and the situation seemed hopeless, he was caught attempting to desert. Gaunt accepted his request of taking his own life instead of facing military execution and provided Sturm with a bolt pistol for the action, but instead of shooting himself, Sturm tried to shoot Gaunt, who promptly cut Sturm's hand off, after which he was taken away and Gaunt took command of the defense of Vervunhive.

Sturm was then sent to trial for his actions. A mindlock was placed on him by the Commissariat, to prevent Sturm from divulging any secrets until the time of the trial. However, the ship carrying him to trial was attacked by the forces of Chaos, and he was captured. As Chaos forces tried to return his memory to gain access to critical information about the Sabbat Crusade, Gaunt followed him to Gereon, accompanied by some other Ghosts, in an attempt to assassinate the general before the mindlock could be cracked.

They were too late, however, and with his memory partially restored, Sturm allied himself with Chaos due to the humiliation he had faced thanks to Gaunt, and willingly assisted in the training of the Sons of Sek. As the Ghosts stormed his hiding place, the last critical pieces of his memory, the ones of what happened at certain moments at Vervunhive, were returned to him. Sturm once again faced Gaunt one on one and again asked for the right to commit suicide. Gaunt cautiously granted his request and finally regaining some of his honour, Sturm shot himself in the head.

Life-ward Desolane

Semi-daemonic creature bred from birth to guard senior officers and ordinals among the forces of the Anarch Anakwanar Sek. Abnormally tall, slim, sexless creature with reverse jointed legs and vestigial horns, it conceals its face at all time beneath an enclosing bronze mask. It wears a shimmering silver mail suit and a cloak that hangs about it like a pall of smoke, and appears to have no fastening.

In combat it is preternaturally fast and strong, inhumanly skilled in fighting with paired short blades known as Ketra blades. He kills two assassins attacking the pheguth, but this is described as "conveying nothing of the enormous violence involved". It defeats Gaunt and Mkvenner in personal combat, survives three lethal toxin-laden quarrels from Eszrah's reynbow and is eventually killed by a close range hotshot from Feygor using Larkin's sniper-pattern lasgun.

Desolane is a lifelong servant of the Archenemy and a sworn enemy of man, despite this it appears an intelligent and sensitive creature, displaying a genuine rapport and fondness for its sworn charge, the traitor general Sturm, and savage grief when the man takes his own life.

Saggitair Slaith

Commander-in-chief of the Blood Pact forces on Phantine. Personally in charge of the city of Ouranberg, where his charisma improved the morale of the Chaos forces, turning the entire city into a formidable fortress. Operation Larisel was launched to assassinate him before Imperial Liberation troops reclaimed the city, thereby reducing the risk of a catastrophe at the hands of Blood Pact, whose fanatical devotion for their leader would cause any victory to be hard-fought and bloody. Although several designated snipers of Operation Larisel make attempts on his life, his force shield holds until Sgt. Mkoll makes a dramatic reappearance and kills him with a bundle of short fused tube-charges that he plants in Slaith's quarters. The blast vaporizes the general alongside his Loxatl bodyguards.

Uexkull

A Chaos Space Marine stationed on Gereon to supervise the occupation of the planet and upkeep the security. He is depicted as a very cruel being, killing several occupation force officers for incompetence or hesitating to answer when he spoke to them. He was assigned to eliminate the insertion team commanded by Gaunt once the "sport" was seemed worthy of his attention. He and a small squad of Chaos Marines hunted the team down to the Untill, where the Partisans attempted to sell out the team. Uexkull promptly executed the messengers and attacked the Nihtgane camp. He displayed super-human resistance to the venom on the quarrels used by the Nihtgane, but was eventually brought down under a hail of quarrels that not only poisoned him but destroyed much of his exposed head. He was mentioned as being armed with a bolt pistol and a shoulder mounted autocannon.

It is not clear which Chapter/Legion Uekull and his traitor marines originate from, although the description of his armour suggests the Iron Warriors Legion.

Lord General Lugo

General Lugo was the commander-in-chief of the Hagian campaign, where his incompetent command decisions led to the loss of the holy Citadel of the Doctrinopolis and almost the loss of the entire shrineworld. Disgraced, he faded into the wilderness of the general staff before rising once again when he discovered the reincarnated Saint Sabbat. However, he fled during the assault on Herodor and his status since is unknown

Damogaur Baltazar Eyl

Baltazar Eyl, Damogaur of the Blood Pact, revered and loved by the men who serve him, his philia. He is the main antagonist of the Blood Pact novel, and hunts Gaunt across Balhaut in search of the defector Mabbon. Damogaur is likely the Archenemy rank equivalent of Major or Colonel, and he has a unique silver iron grotesque mask that he wears to show his rank. He is ruthless and efficient, highly trained in hand-to-hand combat as shown in the skirmish between himself and Gaunt when he led his men to attack Section, the headquarters of the Commissariat in the city. Eyl has a sister, a witch, who cannot tell a lie. She was created for the mission and is vital for her brother and her men in their hunt for Mabbon. In the climax of the novel, Eyl has his head exploded from a shot from sniper trooper Larkin while he was fighting Gaunt. He is the last member of his men to die, followed soon by his sister.

The Nine

Once it had become clear that Saint Sabbat was reborn on Herodor then the Chaos forces led by Magister Enok Innokenti quickly hurled an all out attack at the planet in the hope of killing or capturing the Saint. Along with the Chaos army came a different force, a group of assassins known as 'The Nine' by the psyker Agun Soric (see above): A marksman; three psykers; three lizards; a phantom; a death machine. The Magister saw it fitting to send a number of assassins that would reflect the nine stigmatic wounds of The Saint.

Alias True identity Information Fate
"The marksman" Saul, master sniper of the Blood Pact Intercepted Guard transmissions via vox-link. Caused panic by killing a high-ranking Herodian PDF officer, Colonel Vibreson ("Drumroll"); accomplishing in moments what it would have taken entire armour brigades hours to achieve. Saul achieved the smallest body count of the Nine. Almost completed his mission; was killed at the last second by Ghost sniper Nessa Bourah.
"Three psykers" Pater Sin and two child psykers, as well as Lijah Cuu after being imprinted Sin's mission was not to kill the Saint directly, but instead imprint and dominate someone close to her, who would murder her from an unexpected quarter. His powers caused many Guard soldiers to kill each other and were indirectly responsible for the destruction of the Imperial Navy Frigate Navarre. It is very likely that Sin and his runt psykers caused the highest body count of the Nine. Sin was killed by Colm Corbec in revenge for his capture on Hagia in Honour Guard. Children killed by Scout-trooper Mkvenner. Lijah Cuu (the trooper Sin's psykers corrupted) was killed by Hlaine Larkin.
"Three lizards" Three members of a lizard-race of Loxatl Killed many Guard soldiers, including Tanith Sergeant Mkendrick and his entire platoon. A round from one of their flechette cannons severed Commissar Hark's arm. The initial brood leader killed by Hark, one butchered by the combined efforts of Elim Rawne and Jessi Banda, and the remaining killed by Gol Kolea.
"The phantom" Skarwael, a Dark Eldar Mandrake Killed numerous Guard soldiers and several officers in extremely vicious ways. Hunted down and killed by Scout-Sergeant Mkoll.
"The death machine" Karess, a Chaos Dreadnought with a Heavy Bolter and Plasma Gun Advanced through the sewers, thus avoiding most of the conflict. Karess assaulted the Saint when he emerged in the balneary pool. He achieved a high body count - including First Officiary Leger of the Civitas Beati, Regiment Civitas Beati Commander Marshal Timon Biagi and Colonel Kaldenbach of Lord General Lugo's life company - despite missing almost the entire campaign. Breaches in his casing - caused by Gaunt's sword - enabled water from the balneary pool to flow in. Said water was boiled by the Tanith First's flamers, and Karess' organic remains were boiled to death.

References

  • Abnett, Dan (2007). The Saint. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 978-1-84416-479-0. 
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