Shadows of Midnight

Summary
The Shadows of Midnight are one of the most mysterious - and in their own way, most terrifying - Chaos Warbands in existence. They are rumoured to contain Space Marines formerly from every Chapter in existence, and their legend, true or not, is almost the equivalent of a terrifying tale for a Space Marine, and is even used as a bedtime story for some children, to warn about the danger in the dark...

Essential Information
Name: The Shadows of Midnight.

Warband Leader: the Nox.

Number: Unknown, at least 1,000 Marines.

Homeworld: Unknown.

Allegiance: Chaos Undivided/The Darkness.

Creation
No one quite knows the true story of the Shadows of Midnight, though they are commonly thought to be an amalgamation of traitor or renegade Astartes, but the popular legend told as a story is as follows.

''Many Space Marines vanish in the warp, this is common fact, and many more vanish upon the field of battle – thought destroyed by heavy weapons fire. Sometimes though, these men do not die, but are taken. To these men taken, it was at first like an ageless sleep, eternal and wracked with the darkest nightmares. Upon awakening, days, years or even centuries later, these warriors, some from the ancient past of the Second Founding, some from the 41st and some from strange futures, found themselves alone on a single, dark world, black as pitch save for the lights they brought themselves.''

''This motley group of Space Marines - men from Chapters across the Imperium, maybe even from every Chapter - banded together for mutual defence, most of them still loyal servants of the Emperor and even those who had been renegades seeing the need to join forces. They took refuge in a ruined fortress, and set up illumination however they could. - flame-lit torches, or campfires - but the darkness beyond the walls was absolute and inviolate. There were librarians amongst them, and they tried their best to send messages beyond the veil, but when they reached for the light of the Astronomican, that too was absent, burnt out or vanished, none could tell. For three weeks, they waited in this realm, without hope of rescue, and then it began.''

''None had dared venture out into the blackness beyond their ruined fortress, until one day, one of them stepped out, only for a moment. No one knows why - maybe he thought he saw a little spark of light, or heard a voice. One minute, he was there - and the next he was not.''

''After that, the warriors debated. Should they search for him? It was briefly considered, and some brave souls - a Wolf Brother from the Second Founding, a Raven Guard from the last year of M41 and a fearless Relictor, taken from the destruction of his Chapter-house - stepped out into the night to seek the lost man, each armed with a Bolter and a lamp. None returned. After that it only got worse. One by one, the Marines began vanishing into the shadows, taken by things they could not see and could not kill, though after the attacks became more frequent they began trying, firing their holy weapons. Sadly for them, it had been many years since they had been young children, and so they had forgotten one fundamental truth - in the darkness lies a terror, a terror that has no face save the one you give it, and is infinitely stronger and more terrible for that fact.''

''One by one they fell, firing defiantly at shadows. Their enhanced, psycho-indoctrinated and hypnotherapy-trained minds would not allow them terror at their foe, but slowly, as the warriors vanished into the ever encroaching depths of the night, the tension rose. The Marines became jumpier, and worse, the voices of lost brothers drifted through the night, taunting the remaining Marines. Lights flickered and died, torches were extinguished. ''

''The last man standing was a member of the Ultramarines, an honour guard from the 36th Millennium armed with a glowing power sword. He used this as the last source of light in the fortress, holding the highest ground against invisible nightmares he could not touch, but slowly the power of his weapon faded until it too, burnt out, and the darkness took him as well. Thus, 1,000 Space Marines vanished into the darkness without ever killing a single enemy.''

''It was during M37 that the Warband - 1,000 Space Marines in armour deepest pitch and speaking no words - began appearing, flown on a corrupted ship the colour of darkest night. The Shadows of Midnight, as they came to be called, raided several Imperial worlds for supplies before retreating, always leaving nothing but burning bodies behind. They did not speak, not to torture and not to demand, they simply came, killed, and left again. Whether these are the same warriors who were swallowed by that darkness, now corrupted by it's evil - or perhaps tormented by it -none can say for certain, and none dare try. That they exist is terror enough.''

This tale is apocryphal, and the truth may simply be that the Shadows are a collection of renegade Space Marines who have spread a dark rumour concerning themselves: nonetheless, it is a disturbing tale to read, and even Space Marines who know it do not speak of it, for the thought of an enemy against whom even the greatest examples of their kind are impotent is not one any Space Marine bears well.

Combat Doctrine
The Shadows of Midnight are raiders, specialising in night time attacks. They have little heavy armour or weapons, specialising in fast infantry assaults that leave the foe dazed and disorientated. When bogged down in more protracted campaigns, such as on Sanctatum, they quickly take heavy casualties.

Cult and culture
Though ostensibly the Shadows serve Chaos undivided, the truth is that they usually claim to be serving the will of "the Darkness", whatever it is. Perhaps the Darkness was a kind of Daemon in the warp that ensnared them, as the tale tells, or maybe it is the name they give Chaos. Whatever it's providence, they slaughter many in it's name.

Notable Conflicts

 * The War for Sanctatum.

Notable Members

 * The Nox. The only member of this Warband to ever speak, he has no known name, only a title that the Inquisition know him by. The Nox is a power Traitor, suspected (if one believes the apocryphal tale) of being the last Marine who fell to the Darkness. If this is so, no one knows, for the Nox only speaks commands and warnings, and never of himself.

Enemies

 * The Sanguine Paladins: during the conflict on Sancta Majoria in the Sanctatum sector, the Shadows of Midnight took part in the slaughter of innocent civilians, leaving them with the especial ire of the Paladins.
 * Jax Tiro: it was Traitor Marines of the Shadows who helped kill Hyram Locke, and Tiro has a special hatred for them as a result.

Allies

 * Halor the Warp Stalker. The Shadows of Midnight have been known to fight alongside the Daemon Prince on occasion, when it suited them. They aided him in slaying the Inquisitor Lord Hyram Locke on Sancta Sepulcrus prior to the Sanctatum campaign.