List of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War characters

This is a list of characters in Relic's Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series of video games.

Space Marines

Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos

In the first Dawn of War game, Brother-Captain Gabriel Angelos is the commander of the Blood Ravens' 3rd Company. He carries a guilty conscience for destroying his homeworld of Cyrene (one of the recruiting worlds of the Blood Ravens) and agonizes over this continuously, though he does not often speak of it. Only his battle-brothers of the Blood Ravens truly understand his feelings on the matter. Gabriel himself, like most Imperials, distrusts aliens immensely; it is for this reason he shows incredible disdain for the Eldar in his encounters with their leader, Farseer Macha (though in the novels, his disdain for them gradually lessens). He has also grown up with Librarian Isador Akios, whom he trusts immensely. His trust was shattered when Isador defects to Chaos and steals the key to unlocking the Maledictum, a Chaos artifact containing a bound Daemon of Khorne, and Angelos is forced to personally execute him. Granted the potent Daemonhammer "God-Splitter" by Inquisitor Mordecai Toth, Angelos shatters the Maledictum and kills the intended recipient of its power, the sorcerer-turned-Daemon Prince Sindri Myr.

Captain Angelos makes his return in Dawn of War II. He appears throughout the single-player campaign in briefings, particularly right after the Tyranid invasion on Calderis, aboard the battle barge Litany of Fury (the same one present in Dark Crusade). He only appears as a playable character on the last mission, when the Blood Ravens have successfully injected the poison extracted from the Tyranid Gene Sample, and are clearing the remaining Tyranid forces on Typhon Primaris. In Retribution he goes toe to toe with Azariah Kyras, the treasonous Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens during his ascendance to daemonhood and is viciously beaten down; but if the player completes the Space Marines campaign, Angelos is rebuilt with extensive bionics and is promoted to Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens.

Captain/Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos is voiced by Paul Dobson in Dawn of War, Chaos Rising, Retribution; and Brian Dobson in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II.

Librarian Isador Akios

Brother-Librarian Isador Akios was the present Librarian of the Blood Ravens 3rd Company, and a secondary character in Dawn of War.

Much like Captain Angelos, Isador was born and raised on Cyrene (the Blood Ravens' homeworld), and became a Blood Raven around the same time as Gabriel because they were brought up together. Isador met Gabriel 30 years before the events on Tartarus when Gabriel was still a battle brother. Although his homeworld was destroyed, Isador did not blame Gabriel for his actions on Cyrene, since it had to be done. While the Blood Ravens 3rd company was on the doomed planet of Tartarus, Isador slowly succumbed to the powers of Chaos, tempted by the traitorous Sorcerer of the Alpha Legion named Sindri Myr, telling him of the "Key", and tempting him to use it. When Inquisitor Mordecai Toth arrived, he detected a Chaotic taint and came up with the assumption that it originated in Gabriel. Because of this, they were blinded to Isador's corruption and thus could not stop Isador before he finally seized the Maledictum and turned to Chaos, bringing Gabriel's trust in his old friend crumbling to the ground.

Isador was killed in a duel between himself and Gabriel, and Gabriel used his death as an example of the fate of Space Marines who fell to Chaos.

Librarian Isador Akios is voiced by Mark Oliver.

Chaplain Varnus

The Ultramarines Chaplain who leads the Space Marines who escort the Titan's Princeps (captain) and crew to the Titan. He has great respect for General Sturnn, yet he distrusts the Eldar Farseer Taldeer. At the end of the second mission, Varnus single-handedly defeats a Bloodthirster in hand-to-hand combat - a notable feat even for a Chaplain. In the guard campaign, he leads his Ultramarines alongside Sturnn and helps restore the planet, leaving Taldeer to die. At the end of the Guard campaign, Ultramarine reinforcements land to escort the Titan crew to the excavation site. Varnus and two squads of his veteran Space Marines (one Tactical squad and one Assault squad) are on hand in the final defense of the Titan as the Princeps brings it back online, and provide invaluable assistance to the Guard, especially after the Necrons appear.

Chaplain Varnus is voiced by Scott McNeil.

Brother-Captain Davian Thule

Brother-Captain Davian Thule is the leader (Force Commander) of the three Blood Ravens companies of Space Marines sent to Kronus by his Chapter Master in the Dark Crusade. Upon arrival he sent a message to Governor-Militant Alexander, ordering him to evacuate all civilians and Imperial Guard personnel as to allow the Blood Ravens to begin their purge of the planet. Alexander refused to withdraw, and the Blood Ravens were forced to fight their fellow soldiers of the Imperium. Thule regrets having to kill his brothers-in-arms, but his orders were absolute — Kronus had to be purged.

When the Blood Ravens finish off the other six races in Dark Crusade, they collect their spoils of war (Tau blood samples, Chaos artifacts and the remains of the Eldar Avatar of Khaine, to name but a few) and preserve some of the Chapters' secrets on the planet. The Inquisition arrives to question their actions, but the commanding officers manage to finagle their way through the interrogations by claiming they were only 'following orders' from their Chapter Master. The narrator then states that the darkest time for the Chapter begins after they complete their Dark Crusade, it is also implied that the remains of Avatar mentioned above cause trouble after they are shipped back into Blood Ravens fortress.

When Thule's men launch their attack on Victory Bay, he tries to convince Alexander to surrender, but becomes enraged and gives up after Alexander implies he is a traitor. The survivors of the shattered 1st Kronus Regiment bear a deep hatred for the Blood Ravens, even though Thule arranges safe transport for the Guardsmen who actually fought against his Marines, and Thule and the Blood Ravens Chaplain honour the dead body of Governor-Militant Alexander for following his orders so fervently. They also, however, execute every one of the soldiers of the Kronus 1st Regiment 5th Company for their rebellion against the rest of the Regiment.

In addition to this, if the Imperial Guard attacks the Space Marine stronghold. Governor Alexander repeatedly tries to convince Captain Thule to step down and end the purge. Even nearer the end, Governor Alexander tries to talk Thule into giving up, saying "Too much Imperial blood has been shed already."

If another race successfully destroys the Blood Raven stronghold in North Vandea, it shows Captain Thule lying on the ground, as Chaplain Reclusiarch Mikelus of the Blood Ravens 1st Company orders Apothecary Gordian to take Thule's body back to the Chapter's Battle Barge, The Litany of Fury to retrieve his gene-seed. Chaplain Mikelus then calls down an orbital strike on the location, sacrificing himself and remaining Marines as well as destroying enemy attackers in an attempt to keep sacred relics and secrets about the Blood Ravens past hidden from other factions.

Thule vaulted to prominence when he slew the Chaos Witch Morgana in the Black Abbey of Vespa and he led the Blood Raven forces that were sent to planet Kronus during Dawn of War: Dark Crusade. He is a veteran of hard campaigning and still bears the scars, including loss of his right eye, in his battle with the Necron Lord of Kronus under Thur'Abis plateau. Now commander of Space Marine operations in Sub-Sector Aurelia, Davian Thule is charged with protecting the Blood Raven recruiting worlds of Calderis and Typhon Primaris.

Thule is a highly respected Blood Raven captain, and is renowned for being fiercely protective of those who serve under him. For the first few missions of the Campaign, Captain Thule will be giving your orders and informing you of any distress signals. When the Tyranids make their first attack on Calderis, Davian Thule is mortally wounded by a Tyranid warrior. He is later entombed in a Dreadnought and becomes an additional playable unit in the later missions. However, Thule is but a shadow of his former self, rarely speaking and often unable to recognize his surroundings and his brothers; and it is said that he can barely stay lucid for an entire battle. However, in Chaos Rising, Thule has acclimatized himself to existence as a Dreadnought and recovered his memories, and serves as an adviser to the Force Commander and his Battle-Brothers, warning them of the dangers of corruption. He later appears as the first boss of the Chaos campaign in Retribution (unlikely to be canonical) but does not appear in any other campaigns.

Captain Davian Thule is voiced by Scott McNeil in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade and Fred Tatasciore in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II.

Senior Librarian Epistolary Anteas

Epistolary Anteas is a Senior Librarian of the Blood Ravens Chapter tasked with aiding Brother-Captain Davian Thule's purge of the planet Kronus. He can be obtained by conquering the Morriah Coast. He is built more aggressively than a standard Librarian with higher melee damage and far less health.

Reclusiarch Mikelus

Reclusiarch Mikelus is a Chaplain of the Blood Ravens Chapter tasked with aiding Brother-Captain Davian Thule's purge of the planet Kronus. He can be obtained by conquering the Rhean Jungle. He carries the faith of the Emperor into battle, inspiring his fellow Space Marines to fight with a ferocity uncommon even among the ranks of the Adeptus Astartes. He is identical in appearance to a normal Chaplain in game terms, the only difference is when he is selected in displays the name "Reclusiarch" instead of "Chaplain". It could also be arguable that his health regeneration rate is faster than that of a normal Chaplain's.

In Dawn of War II, it is stated Mikelus fell in combat against the Necron Lord of Kronus. Thule credits his victory over the Necron Lord to Mikelus, though Thule himself is venerated by the Chapter for the deed.

Brother-Captain Indrick Boreale

Brother-Captain Indrick Boreale is the Force Commander of the Blood Ravens sent to the Kaurava system. Having studied under Gabriel Angelos, Boreale leads no less than five Blood Raven companies into battle, and favors a tactic called "Steel Rain": he keeps entire companies in reserve on his Battle Barge, ready to be deployed by drop pods in a moment's notice. This allows him to take land quickly and put pressure on his enemies. As a result, he does not make much use of static defensive structures like turrets.

During the Kaurava Conflict, he was forced to battle against fellow Imperial forces like Sisters of Battle and the 252nd Conservator Regiment of the Imperial Guard due to conflicting interest and each of them acting on their own (such as Canoness Selina Agna's purgation crusade on the Kaurava System). However, after his victory against the Sisters of Battle, Indrick Boreale ordered his Blood Ravens to provide medical aid to the surviving Sisters and arranged transports to ferry them back to the Convent Sanctorum on Ophelia VII.

The 252nd Conservator Regiment were less fortunate, as they were suspected of causing the Warp Storm in the Kaurava system, thus giving the Blood Ravens the authority to attack them. This is unlike fellow Brother-Captain Davian Thule's previous Dark Crusade on the planet Kronus, where the Blood Ravens had slightly tarnished their reputation by attacking their fellow Imperials. Still, the Blood Ravens provided medical aid to any surviving Guardsmen and treated them as brothers in arms, but unfortunately most of them were later interrogated by Inquisitors in Segmentum Command for their involvement in the Kaurava Conflict - many didn't survive the interrogation.

When all other factions are defeated in Soulstorm, the Blood Ravens will take control of the Kaurava system and train a new Planetary Defense Force Regiment to better protect the system. The region where their stronghold was situated (the Lands of Solitude) adopts a new name - "Borealum", in honor of Captain Indrick Boreale's decisive victory in the Kaurava campaign and becomes the site of another fortress-monastery for the Blood Ravens.

But should the Blood Ravens be defeated by another faction, Captain Boreale himself is depicted being killed in a hail of gunfire from the invading forces, as the Space Marines around him are cut down; thus driving the Blood Ravens from the Kaurava system, and out of the conflict.

If they are defeated by the 252nd Conservator Regiment of the Imperial Guard, any Marines unable to die honourably in battle are given prompt medical treatment and sent to the Imperial Guard Segmentum Command. All dead Marines are given honours and funeral rites due to their station.

If they are defeated by the Sisters of Battle, all survivors are given a battlefield confession and a quick and less painful death.

In Dawn of War II, Scout Sergeant Cyrus revealed that the Kaurava campaign was a disaster, resulting in the deaths of Boreale and most of his command, including Cyrus' scouts. This critical blow left the chapter largely undermanned. Boreale, however, does have brief mentions in the game in the form of certain wargear, such as the sniper rifle he used in his days as a Scout, or an Iron Halo that was intended to be presented to him upon his victory at Kaurava.

The Force Commander

The Force Commander is the character representing the player in Dawn of War II. His name is chosen by the player, but he does not speak and is only referred to as "Commander" by the others. Some fans refer to him as Vanilla Ice, as his resemblance to the hackneyed musician is uncanny.

The Commander is relatively young for his rank, promoted by Chapter Master Azariah Kyras himself, despite resistance from the rest of the Chapter and the fact that the Commander has never met Kyras in person. As a result, he must both prove himself to Angelos, Thule and his veterans - many of whom were veterans of Kronus and Kaurava - and serve as an example to the recruits.

The Force Commander is voiced by Brian Dobson.

Tactical Sergeant Tarkus / "The Ancient"

Tarkus is a Tactical Marine Sergeant in the Blood Ravens 4th Company. He is a veteran with centuries of experience in warfare, and is an expert tactician as well as a rock-solid second-in-command. Amongst his tactical marines, Tarkus is renowned for his confidence and steely demeanour in battle. Tarkus was awarded Terminator Honors for his involvement in the assault on the Necron Catacombs of Kronus, where he and his squad repelled waves after waves of Necron forces to buy Captain Davian Thule time to plant the bomb that would end the Necron threat to the planet.

In Dawn of War II, Tarkus once again serves alongside Captain Davian Thule in his defence of the Aurelia sector; when Thule is incapacitated, he serves as second-in-command to the Force Commander for the remainder of the campaign. During the battle for Angel Forge on Meridian, Tarkus discovered a hidden cache belonging to the corrupt Governor Vandis, containing a number of sacred relics of the Blood Ravens, including Terminator armor that he and his squad use in the final battle to secure the forge.

In Chaos Rising, Tarkus is forced to kill his former comrade Avitus, with whom he had fought alongside on Kronus, when the latter turns to Chaos. This action traumatizes Tarkus so deeply that he takes a vow of silence and hides his face beneath his white veteran's helmet, becoming known simply as "the Ancient".

In Retribution, he joins Captain Diomedes and his former comrades Cyrus and Martellus in their campaign.

Sergeant Tarkus is voiced by Ian Gregory.

Scout Sergeant Cyrus

Cyrus is a veteran Scout Sergeant in the Blood Ravens 10th Company who has dedicated himself to training the Chapter's initiates and scouts, as well as honing them into full-fledged Space Marines. Even amongst his own Chapter, Cyrus is a man of few words, and has a fearsome reputation. His methods, while highly unpopular amongst the Battle Brothers, have earned them countless victories, most notably during the Genestealer outbreak on Victoria Primus. It is revealed part-way through the campaign that he has fought the Tyranids before as a member of the Deathwatch, a group of Space Marines recruited by the Inquisition to act as elite alien-hunters. He also fought in the Kaurava campaign under Brother-Captain Indrick Boreale, and reveals that the campaign went horribly wrong for the Blood Ravens. He declares the said campaign as "a huge mistake," vowing not to speak of it again.

Sergeant Cyrus is voiced by Steve Blum.

Devastator Sergeant Avitus

Avitus is a Devastator Marine Sergeant in the Blood Ravens 4th Company. He fought alongside Captain Davian Thule in the Dark Crusade as he slew the chaos witch Morgana, and distinguished himself during the assault on the Imperial Guard stronghold Victory Bay. It was also to this battle that Avitus lost many of his squadmates, which forever changed Avitus and prompted his vision of Guardsmen as traitors and weaklings. He is renowned for his unmatched hatred for the enemy, which many regard as his greatest weapon.

In Dawn of War II, Avitus once again serves alongside Captain Davian Thule in his defence of the Aurelia Sector.

In Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising, he was canonically the traitor in the strike team before he was discovered and killed. This is later revealed by Tarkus in the Space Marine campaign in Retribution, as he refers to the traitor as a Marine he fought alongside in the Kronus campaign, and Avitus is the only other sergeant known to have done so.

Sergeant Avitus is voiced by James Horan.

Assault Sergeant Thaddeus

Thaddeus is an Assault Marine Sergeant in the Blood Ravens 4th Company. He was a native undercity gang leader on the hive-world of Meridian before his personal recruitment into the Blood Ravens by Captain Davian Thule. He has a reputation as a brash and idealistic brawler, and made his name battling feral Orks on Calderis and Typhon Primaris. He does not appear in Retribution and is never mentioned there.

Sergeant Thaddeus is voiced by Philip Anthony-Rodriguez.

Librarian Jonah Orion

The Space Marines psykers known as Librarians are able to manipulate the fabric of the Warp itself. They are both powerful warriors and lore keepers for their chapters. Jonah Orion has served under Gabriel Angelos since the aftermath of the Tartarus campaign. During the Tyranid invasion, he was one of the psykers tasked with battling the mightily Hive Mind as Captain Angelos made for sub-sector Aurelia. Of the dozen Librarians, Navigators, and Astropaths accompanying Angelos, only he survived.

Jonah is killed by the Daemon Prince Kyras near the end of Retribution.

Librarian Jonah Orion is voiced by Alan Shearman.

Techmarine Martellus

Techmarines are Space Marines who are also members of the Techpriests of Mars. They are uniquely skilled at maintaining the mighty war machines of the Chapter. Martellus first appeared in Dawn of War II, serving in charge of logistics on the strike cruiser Armageddon. During the climactic battle, Martellus was aboard a Thunderhawk gunship supporting the Space Marines on the ground. The Tyranid horde eventually overwhelmed the gunship, causing it to crash and leading the Blood Ravens to suspect Martellus' death.

It is revealed in Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising that Martellus survived the crash and, after being rescued, resumes his role as logistical officer and technician to his battle-brothers, now based on strike cruiser Retribution. However, if the player thoroughly avoids corruption, Martellus is revealed to have come into contact with Chaos (explaining his survival) and ultimately becoming a traitor. He is pursued and killed by the remaining loyal Blood Ravens. But Martellus appears in Dawn of War II: Retribution on the Space marines' side, so it can be assumed that Martellus was not the traitor.

Techmarine Martellus is voiced by Steve Blum.

Chapter Master Azariah Kyras

Ancient and powerful, Kyras serves as the Chapter Master and Chief Librarian of the Blood Ravens. Kyras commands from the Omnis Arcanum, a massive battle barge holding the Chapter's most secret records and most powerful relics. Kyras' own history is among those closely guarded secrets. Kyras was on Aurelia when the Warp swallowed that planet a thousand years ago. He was thought lost until he reappeared, centuries later, aboard the space hulk Judgement of Carrion. Some call Kyras's survival a miracle, or a testament to his greatness. Gabriel Angelos has long feared it was a sign of something more sinister. Late in Chaos Rising it is revealed that he in fact follows Chaos and was aiding Eliphas' attempts to free Ulkair. In all the five endings, he brands Angelos and the rest of his Blood Ravens battle-brothers of the 3rd and 4th Company as renegades and traitors. It is said that their main task and goal is to hunt down Kyras and any Blood Ravens under his command.

Kyras Serves as the primary antagonist in Retribution. He plans to sacrifice the Blood Ravens chapter to Khorne and destroy sub-sector Aurelia; he exploits the Inquition's intent to perform Exterminatus to do that, and confronts the player's party on Typhon after they inadvertently kill off an Eldar Seer Council delaying the Inquisition's arrival. He then proceeds to hide on Cyrene, which had undergone Exterminatus long ago and thus was not a target.

On Cyrene, Kyras merges with the Daemon of the Maledictum (released by Angelos destroying the artifact in Dawn of War), and becomes a Daemon Prince of Khorne. He serves as the final boss of the game. In the final mission in all campaigns, Kyras is seen fighting Gabriel Angelos, Jonah Orion, a Dreadnought that probably was Davian Thule, and an Honor Guard retinue of Scouts and Terminators. As the player's characters move in close, Kyras nearly crushes Angelos (though he survives the injuries in the Space Marine, Imperial Guard and Eldar campaigns) with one fell swoop and taunts the characters who attempt to fight him. Nevertheless, he is defeated and utterly destroyed.

Chapter Master Azariah Kyras is voiced by Peter Giles.

First Captain Apollo Diomedes

Captain Apollo Diomedes commanded the Blood Ravens' Honor Guard for almost two centuries. He led the chapter's elite with honor and skill. Diomedes' most famous victory came on the ravaged penal world of Obscurus. On the same day, he and his brothers defeated the Ork Warboss Manstompa Megakilla and the Chaos Sorcerer Anupharis the Cruel. After that victory Diomedes was elevated to the command of the Chapter Master's own honor guard, becoming Azariah Kyras's most public agent among the chapter's far-flung battle brothers. In the game, you have a choice whether to attack and kill him or to just destroy his stronghold, as well as some of his heretic bodyguards such as Apothecary Galan and his Terminator Squads (canonically, he survives and his eyes were opened to the corruption of his terminators and Galan, whom you have killed). His health and attacks possess similar traits to the Force Commander, but much stronger.

Diomedes is the main character of Dawn of War II: Retribution, still loyal to the Emperor - and Kyras - but he keeps the condemned renegade Cyrus alongside him, still doubtful. When Kyras drops the charade on Typhon, Diomedes is devastated, and has to struggle to overcome his hurt pride.

Captain Apollo Diomedes is voiced by Keith Szarabajka.

Orks

Warboss Orkamungus

The Ork warboss in charge of the invading Ork clans on Tartarus. He is bribed by Lord Bale and Sindri to mount the invasion that will distract the Space Marines from their search for the Maledictum. He was not completely loyal, however, and planned to destroy Bale and the remaining "humies" after the Blood Raven's fall. He was unable to do this as he was killed by Blood Ravens' forces shortly after his introduction.

Warboss Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter

The self-important warboss who unites the Ork Clans on Lorn V to claim the worthiest of heads, and to destroy the Titan. Due to his hobby of collecting heads (he states that he would look stupid with someone's foot on his pointy stick), he later becomes known as Warboss Gorgutz 'Ead'unter. If the player chooses to play as Chaos in Mission 4 of the disorder campaign, Gorgutz is shown fighting the forces of Chaos at the end . Gorgutz's WAAAGH! is dissatisfied by the fact they are losing and try to kill Gorgutz. The warboss declares to them, "Ya think ye can stomp me? I'ze da biggest Ork dere is. Show me what ya got!" and kills a few ork rebels, but he is hopelessly outnumbered, and forced to escape (off-screen). If the player chooses to play as the Orks, Crull and Gorgutz have a short duel at the end of the final mission before Crull is stomped and killed. In the final cutscene, Gorgutz is seen bragging about his victory to a Mega Armoured Nob. In the canon storyline, he is defeated by the Imperial Guard, but survives and kills Crull and keeps his head. The self-important warboss, returns in Dark Crusade.

Gorgutz, in search for a new place to rebuild his Waaagh!, chances upon Kronus as an excellent starting point due to the fighting occurring there. "Landing" his Rok upon the planet, despite the furious battle between the Tau and Imperial fleets, Gorgutz imposed his leadership upon the local feral Orks. However, not all the feral orks joined Gorgutz, as some of the Orks are see in Tyrea under the flag of another unknown Ork chieftain. He prepared to launch the Waaagh! upon the rest of the inhabitants of the planet from his stronghold/"landing point" in the Green Coast along with the Orks loyal to his cause. As a Warboss, Gorgutz is initially armed and armoured with a standard Mega-Armour suit and weapons, though as the Waaagh! gains momentum, his suit and weapons becomes more "Kustomised" and incredibly powerful. Gorgutz is one of the most powerful commanders (next to Eliphas as a Daemon Prince and the Necron Lord of Kronus as the Nightbringer) in the campaign as his wargear upgrades will eventually increase his damage, health and other attributes so much, he can take incredible amounts of punishment, move very quickly and be a one-man army of his own. (Note that he has more health than the Tau, Space Marine, and Imperial super units.)

Should the Orks manage to defeat the other six races in Dark Crusade, the remnants of all the opposing races are eventually hunted down, and Kronus becomes a major staging point for Gorgutz's Waaagh! upon nearby systems. Gorgutz would use it for years to come, becoming a major annoyance to the bordering worlds of the Imperium and the Tau Empire. Upon defeating each race, Gorgutz takes on new titles. In addition to his original title of 'Ead 'Unter, he is called Daemonkilla, Deathkilla, Bloodspilla, Gunsmasha, Ragescreama and Ghostkilla for defeating Chaos, Necron, Space Marine, Imperial Guard, Tau and Eldar forces respectively. In addition, the Ork Warboss takes the heads of many of his defeated enemies. He does, however, fail to take the heads of either of the Tau commanders, and the head of any of the Necrons, to his chagrin.

When the Ork stronghold is taken, it shows Gorgutz escaping with a Nob, just as the explosives he planted in his base/"landing point" go off he comments "Always have yer tunnels dug 'n ready", covering his escape and killing destroying the remainder of his Waaagh!. As they flee, Gorgutz promises that his Waaagh! will be rebuilt on another planet. If defeated by the forces of Chaos, the Chaos Marines claim the skull of Lord Crull that was formerly in Gorgutz's possession, and offer it as a sacrifice to Khorne.

Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter returns once again in Soulstorm with a new WAAAGH!. The Orks of the system are not as "Orky" as the Orks depicted in the other Dawn of War games, and have been routinely beaten by the Imperial Guard, but never entirely put down. However, when Gorgutz arrives, they hail him as a hero, and all "Unorkiness" disappears quickly. Instead of bringing his boyz to the system, he recruits the Orks already living on Kaurava, calling them the Ko-ruvvan Boyz.

When defeated, Gorgutz kills his lieutenant (who planned the whole defense), and promptly flees the scene to get to his rocketship, off to build another WAAAGH! on another planet.

If successful in their conquest, the Orks overrun the planets of Kaurava, and use them as a staging ground to prepare for a WAAAGH! of epic proportions.

Kaptin Bluddflagg

A recently appeared ork warboss, Bluddflagg's purpose is to form a new WAAAGHH!! on Aurelia along with his ork pirates. He agrees to kill Kyras in exchange for a battle with Imperial Guard under Adrastia's command, and her hat. In the Ork ending, he turns the Space Hulk Judgment of Carrion into his new ship (his old one being shot down by Adrastia), and finds Adrastia attempting to assassinate him. Deeming her "no good for a fight," he knocks her unconscious, steals her hat, and leaves the sector.

He also appears in the Eldar campaign as the boss in the end of the tutorial level, in which his is quickly killed.

Eldar

Farseer Macha

A Farseer of the Eldar Craftworld of Biel-Tan. Macha was the one who sealed the Daemon in the Maledictum, and seeks to prevent its release. Later events seem to show that her destiny is rapidly becoming intertwined with that of Captain Angelos.

Macha is armed with a witchblade and Shuriken pistol.

Farseer Taldeer

A Farseer of the Ulthwé Craftworld, Farseer Taldeer was part of the Eldar strike force sent to Lorn V to retrieve the Soul Stone in anticipation of an impending Necron attack. In Winter Assault, she and her small force saved General Sturnn's men without the humans' knowledge on two different occasions, without them realizing it until much later. When General Sturnn returned the favor by shielding the Eldar from a huge Ork WAAAGH!!, the two races formed a temporary (and uneasy) alliance to further each of their own goals. At the end of the Eldar campaign, Taldeer is able to destroy the Necrons on Lorn V with the use of their Soulstone (an extremely powerful Eldar artifact), the assistance of General Sturnn's Cadian 412th regiment, and the weapons of the dormant Titan war-machine. However, as Taldeer was leaving Lorn V through her webway, she left General Sturnn to die alongside his men when the Titan's reactor exploded in a massive thermonuclear conflagaration. Taldeer later reappears on the planet Kronus during the events of the Dark Crusade, once again leading her strike force.

Leading her strike force from Ulthwé, Taldeer returns in Dark Crusade with a seemingly deeper voice (much resembling that of Farseer Macha). As on Lorn V, Taldeer is primarily concerned about the re-emergence of the Necrons and will go to any lengths to neutralise their threat to the Craftworld, and to the rest of the galaxy in general, so much so that she is willing to attack anybody between them and the Necrons. If the Eldar defeat the other six races in Dark Crusade, especially once the Necrons are defeated, the Eldar abandon the planet, leaving it to its fate. The planet Kronus turns into an unstable world in constant warfare and this state remains for centuries. Although the exact reasons for this behaviour are unknown, the narrator suggests that Taldeer might have foreseen a ruler of Kronus, who would have caused the universe great harm (and indeed, victory by any other faction results in them sending large crusades/waaagh!'s/purges from the planet). This could possibly be why she left a Ranger squad and a single Warlock to keep watch on the Orks, manipulating them into infighting to keep individual clan strength down. The ultimate fate and whereabouts of the Farseer are not known, according to the narrator.

When the Eldar stronghold in Tyrea is taken, Taldeer is shown telling the remaining Eldar to evacuate and to find refuge in the wilderness, but refuses to go with them. She renounces the title "Farseer", saying her visions have failed them all, before she charges off into the charging attackers, taking a few down before being overwhelmed — her ultimate fate is death with most factions. One alternative possibility is when the Imperial Guard are the victors, Taldeer is taken alive, imprisoned and sent to the Inquisition to be "questioned". Another possibility is when the Tau are victorious, various Eldar (who may include Taldeer) are captured and await trial while the Tau study their technology.

A particularly morbid fate for the Eldar comes if they are defeated at the hands of Eliphas the Inheritor's Word Bearers Legion. All Eldar carry a soulstone to trap their souls upon death, allowing them to be recovered and brought back to the Craftworlds. This is needed because the Chaos God Slaanesh, born millennia in the past out of debased Eldar hedonism, wishes to devour all Eldar souls that enter the Warp, and torture them for eternity. Upon defeating the Eldar, Eliphas orders his men to crack open every soulstone from all the fallen Eldar, providing Slaanesh with a feast that grants the Chaos Lord the Dark God's favor. In the scripted defeat scene, if Tyrea is captured by Chaos, the beginning of the scene shows the Avatar falling at the hands of the Bloodthirster. They have a short duel, then the Bloodthirster decapitates the Avatar. If the Necrons defeat the Eldar, then the Avatar falls at the hands of the Nightbringer. If defeated by the Space Marines, the Avatar is defeated by a Librarian. If defeated by the Orks, the Avatar is defeated by a Squiggoth. If defeated by the Tau, the Avatar is defeated by a Greater Knarloc. Finally, if defeated by the Imperial Guard, the Avatar is brought down by massed lasgun fire to its back while it is distracted by a Sentinel.

Though on Lorn V Imperial Guard wins, it is revealed in Dawn of War novels that Taldeer survives the massacre, though badly injured. She was taken prisoner by the Imperial Guard. Taldeer later escaped and was hunted down by Lucas Alexander, eventually catching up with her during the Dark Crusade campaign.

Warp Spider Exarch Rakanis

Rakanis, Warp Spider Exarch, was a character shown briefly before the start of the Eldar stronghold battle. He was declared the Young King and was to be sacrificed to become the Avatar of the Bloody Handed God, Kaela Mensha Khaine. Not much else is known about Rakanis other than that he was a Warp Spider exarch.

Farseer Caerys

Farseer Caerys is a Farseer from Craftworld Ulthwe, and the leader of the Eldar forces in the Kaurava system. She is allegedly the successor of Farseer Taldeer since she was apparently killed during the events of Dark Crusade because the Dawn of War continuity stated that the Blood Ravens won the battle for Kronus. The Eldar here are based in a site sacred to them, on Kaurava III, where they took down a manifestation of the C'tan god, the Deceiver, while defeating local Necron forces.

When the Eldar are defeated, Caerys, rather than facing death or capture, retreats back to her Craftworld through a Webway Gate, declaring resignedly that if the Necrons ever awaken again on Kaurava III another race must stop them "For we, shall be gone."

Should the Eldar prevail in crushing all resistance in Kaurava, they begin destroying all traces of the conflict while leaving behind Eldar guardians to sabotage any Imperial efforts to recolonize the system to prevent reawakening the C'tan god.

Autarch Kayleth

Kayleth is haughty, curt, and pragmatic. She knows exactly what to do and how to do it in any military situation, and is in no way humble about this expertise, treating other races and opponents as irritations along the path to completing her mission.

She leads the Eldar Warhost of Alaitoc whose task is to prevent the realization of a prophecy which implies the imminent destruction of Typhon.

Farseer Idranel

Idranel led a warhost from Craftworld Ulthwé in sub-sector Aurelia, seeking to stir up the Orks to attack the Imperial troops there. However, the Ork uprising was a cover for Idranel's true objective: to divert the incoming Tyranid Hive Fleet to the hive world of Meridian. Her plan was to break into the planet's primary production center of Angel Forge and overload its power generator, which would cause a chain reaction across the entire planet that would destroy the Hive Fleet, but at the cost of Meridian's population. Idranel deemed this a fair trade, as it was intended to sacrifice the human world in order to keep the Hive Fleet from attacking Ulthwé itself. She is confronted at Angel Forge by the Blood Ravens Space Marines, and eventually slain by Sergeant Tarkus in Terminator Armor.

Chaos

Lord Bale

Lord Bale is the Chaos Lord who brought the ruinous powers of Chaos, namely the Alpha Legion, to Tartarus. He was pursuing the Maledictum for himself, and the Chaos gods. He believed he was in control; however, Sindri Myr was actually making all the important decisions. Eventually Sindri left Bale to fight Gabriel Angelos alone so that when Bale was killed in the duel, his "Sacrifice" added to the deaths needed to obtain the Maledictum. Bale was armed with a Manreaper Scythe and a Bolt Pistol.

Sindri Myr

The main antagonist of the original Dawn of War campaign. Sindri was a sorcerer of the Alpha Legion who came to the Imperial planet Tartarus seeking a powerful Chaos artifact known as the Maledictum, a stone imprisoning a greater daemon of Khorne. Sindri was able to extract "The Key", which was the artifact that allowed him to use the Maledictum to be able to ascend as a Daemon Prince. With the Imperial forces on the planet distracted by the concurrent Ork invasion, Sindri and his nominal master, Chaos Lord Bale, had little trouble reaching the artifact, but they were detected and pursued by a company of Space Marines from the Blood Ravens chapter. Sacrificing the unwitting Bale to the Space Marines' onslaught, Sindri released the stone's power, ascending to daemonhood in the process. Though his daemon form was immensely powerful, he was eventually destroyed by the Third Company of the Blood Ravens, led by Brother-Captain Gabriel Angelos, wielding the daemonhammer, God-Splitter.

Lord Crull

The borderline psychopathic Chaos Warlord who led a warband of the savage World Eaters Blood Legion of Khorne against General Sturns Cadian 412th Imperial Guard Regiment and the Craftworld Ulthwé Eldar led by Farseer Taldeer on Lorn V. Crull and the Ork Warboss Gorgutz strike an uneasy alliance [after a captive guardsman reveals an Imperator-class titan is on Lorn V.Crull later plans to kill Gorgutz once he obtains the titan] in order to destroy the Forces of Order, but immediately break once Gorgutz announces he will destroy the Titan, which Crull wants to claim for his own personal gain. He was defeated and killed on Lorn V by Gorgutz, and his skull mounted on the latter's "pointy stik", but if Eliphas the Inheritor finishes off the Orks in during the Dark Crusade, Eliphas recovers Crull's skull and adds it to the tally for the Skull Throne of Khorne, obtaining Khorne's favour. Rather than the Manreaper wielded by Lord Bale, Crull was armed with a large Khornate mace.

He was rare amongst Khorne-worshipping warlords in that he sought the advice and skills of Sorcerers, who are aligned with Tzeentch, though he had an immense distrust of them (at one point referring to them as "vermin").

Eliphas the Inheritor

A Word Bearers Legion Dark Apostle who seeks the favor of the Chaos gods, he is the Warlord of the forces of Chaos on Kronus in the Dark Crusade, leading a full company of Word Bearers from an active Warp Gate in the Deimos Peninsula. He is very witty and possess a dry sense of humor. What is known of him is that he seeks to restore the Word Bearers' long-lost honour on Kronus after their defeat by the loyalist Ultramarines during the Horus Heresy. Eliphas was but a mere Sergeant in the Legion then, but subsequently rose through the ranks. If the Word Bearers finish off the other six races in Dark Crusade, Kronus itself is transformed into a Daemon World, the core of a warp/realspace overlay. Most of the population of the planet is either converted to Chaos worship or slaughtered as sacrifices to the Dark Gods. Eliphas ascends to Daemonhood with the favor of all the four Chaos Gods, Warmaster Abaddon the Despoiler, and Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers. Eliphas rules over this Daemon World, and uses this new bastion of Chaos power as a stepping stone to launch further attacks against the Imperium. Eliphas gains Khorne's favor by giving him the skull of Lord Crull, meaning that in the official continuity, Gorgutz was successful in killing him on Lorn V.

An interesting situation arises if Eliphas attacks the Blood Ravens' stronghold or vice versa. In addition to the bad blood and grudges between both sides, from Eliphas' comments during the battles it is implied that the Blood Ravens are indeed a loyalist splinter of a traitor Legion. This is because Eliphas repeatedly mentions they are close kin ("brothers"), which could mean: 1) He meant the common origin of the loyal and traitor Astartes or 2) He is referring to a possible direct link between the Blood Ravens and a Chaos Legion (indeed, Ahriman himself of the Thousand Sons reveals that the Blood Ravens could be a loyalist splinter of his legion in the third novel of the Dawn of War series, tempest). Of greater significance is the aftermath of the Blood Raven's defeat; should Eliphas succeed in taking the Blood Ravens' stronghold, he gains the favor of Warmaster Abaddon, which is noted as odd considering the Blood Ravens are not a First Founding chapter meaning their history should not extend as far as the Horus Heresy, providing no apparent reason why the Warmaster should take a special interest in Blood Raven deaths. However, one of the major plot themes of the Blood Ravens Chapter is their mysterious origin, unknown even to themselves.

When the Chaos army is defeated and their stronghold taken by an opposing army, Eliphas is shown conversing with (and shooting at) an unknown Daemon Prince who appears inside the collapsing Warp portal, come to punish him for his failure. This Prince is possibly Lorgar, the corrupted Word Bearer Primarch himself, or Kor Phaeron, his trusted lieutenant.

In this scene, Eliphas makes a reference to a place called the "Basilica of Torments". What can be interpreted is that it is some sort of torture temple, and that Eliphas had been sent there before for some past failure.If the player starts the Chaos campaign, the narrator reveals that this failure was his defeat at the hands of the Ultramarines on Kronus during the Horus Heresy. Eliphas defiantly shouts his refusal to return to the Basilica while shooting at the Daemon Prince; the Prince states that Eliphas will indeed not be sent there, choosing to destroy Eliphas instead; for according to the Prince, "The Basilica is reserved for those who may redeem themselves."

The Prince then lifts Eliphas into the air and makes the Chaos Lord explode into a spray of blood and viscera, possibly as a sacrifice for the god Khorne.

When confronting Eliphas with any of the other six races, he whispers into the minds of the enemy commanders:

Eliphas the Inheritor returns in Chaos Rising as a champion of the Black Legion and second-in-command to Araghast the Pillager. It is unknown how Eliphas survived, given his supposed death following his defeat by Davian Thule and the Blood Ravens on Kronus, though it is speculated by Jonah that some daemons of the warp may have revived him. He later betrays Araghast by leaving him to be killed by the Blood Ravens and assumes control of his warband to fight against the Blood Ravens. During the final battle, he attempts to kill the Force Commander and his squad, but is defeated. For his failure, he is imprisoned and tortured by Abaddon, despite his promises that the Blood Ravens will fall.

Coming back after the events of Aurelia, Eliphas along with Neroth and Varius had come to find an "old friend" that he has been tracking. This is only the first part of Abbaddon's master plan.

Eliphas also appears in the Space Marine campaign as the boss of the tutorial level. Though he is killed by the marines under Apollo Diomedes, he still mocks him being blind to Kyras' corruption.

Amphion and Zethus

These powerful sorcerers, probably named after the mythological twins Amphion and Zethus, were the closest advisors to Eliphas the Inheritor. The opening of the great Warp Portal on the Deimos peninsula was their doing. Unlike the other sorcerers, who sacrificed themselves in order to bring forth greater daemons of Khorne, Amphion and Zethus stayed close to Eliphas at all times during the battle for the peninsula and likewise found their death in the defence of the great portal. Since they are voiced by the same voice actor, they can be assumed to be twins, given the origin of their names.

Lord Firraveus Carron

Firraveus Carron is the leader of the Alpha Legion forces. Despite hailing from a legion devoted to Chaos Undivided, Carron has an incredible blood thirst and seems to devote himself entirely to Khorne. Similar to his peer Lord Crull, who led Chaos forces on the planet Lorn V, he shows a similar psychotic behaviour and lack of mental balance (though not to the same degree), though Tahril considers him and Farseer Caerys to be the least foolish of the other commanders.

He is initially armed with a sword and bolt pistol, and acquires a helm and runed suit of armor said to be once worn by Alpharius, Primarch of the Alpha Legion, as well as a Manreaper, a Khornate Chainaxe, a plasma pistol, and a meltagun. He also receives the gift to shoot daemonic fire from his hands, and eventually ascends to become a Daemon Prince.

The Alpha Legion is operating in the heart of a warp storm, using shrines to keep a permanent link to the warp, which can only be stopped by destroying the shrines in the Alpha Legion's stronghold.

When defeated, Carron is shocked at his defeat after all the devotion he has given and attempts to escape only to face the Player's commander in single combat. As Carron attempts to escape, he is distraught and predicts that "The horrid blossom of Chaos will wither, will die". The player's commander then kills Lord Carron using a special kill-move.

Araghast the Pillager

The Black Legion warband assailing the sector follows Araghast the Pillager, a Champion of Chaos feared for his terrible savagery. Araghast's claim to have ravaged a thousand worlds is no idle boast. In the game, he is a Chaos Lord of the Black Legion forces invading planet Aurelia as well as one of the main antagonists. The player's Blood Ravens face after he mocks them for the majority of the chapter for leaving the sector. After most of his health is depleted during the boss battle with him, Araghast attempts to escape in portal he set up advance, but Eliphas refuses to open it and leaves Araghast to die at the hands of the Blood Ravens.

Abaddon the Despoiler

Abaddon, Warmaster of Chaos and lord of the Black Legion, appears briefly in the ending cinematic of Chaos Rising regardless of the status of the Commander at the end of the campaign. After the battle, Eliphas is held in some kind of prison, and Abaddon enters. Eliphas swears that "it will be as I promised...the Blood Ravens will fall", just before Abaddon reaches out with the Talon of Horus. In Retribution, Abaddon orders Eliphas to stop Kyras from sacrificing the entire Blood Ravens chapter, viewing it as an attempt to usurp his power in the eyes of the Chaos Gods.

Ulkair, the Great Unclean One

Ulkair is an ancient and powerful Greater Daemon of Nurgle, and the final boss of Chaos Rising. He possesses the ability to command warpstorms, something daemons are not usually stated to have the ability to do. Ulkair had attacked Aurelia a thousand years in the past, but was imprisoned in the planet by Kyras. Late in the game he is freed by Eliphas, but still unable to leave Aurelia until a number of deaths occur, after which he intended to destroy the rest of the sector. During his attempt he is defeated by the Blood Ravens, causing him to be re-imprisoned. However, he warns them that his prison is already weakened, and with Kyras, its creator, following Chaos, he would be free again.

Imperial Guard

General Sturnn

General Sturnn of the 412th Cadian Infantry Regiment

General Sturnn is the stern and upstanding leader of the Imperial Guard contingent deployed in Winter Assault's campaign mode. He commands the 412th Cadian Infantry regiment and is assigned to locate an Imperial superweapon, the Titan Dominatus, on the planet Lorn V. He wields a pair of lightning claws, one of which has an integral Storm Bolter mounted on it. He also carries an ornately crafted laspistol, but only uses this for field executions (one of his special close combat kills on defeated foes involves its use). He is accompanied by an unidentified Commissar, who provides counsel on pressing matters and often relays the General's orders to the men of the regiment along with rousing speeches to rally their fighting spirit. An expedient man, Sturnn is willing to forge alliances of convenience with alien races such as the Eldar if it will help his regiment achieve its goals, although he will not hesitate to break that alliance when it is expedient to do so. At the end of the Imperial campaign, with the aid of a small group of Ultramarines, his forces successfully deliver the Titan's Princeps and crew to the ancient war machine, power up its massive Titan weapons, and use them to destroy the attacking Necron force and the Imperial Guard are victorious. Though Taldeer appears in Dark Crusade, it is shown in the book Dawn of War: Tempest, that Imperial Guard was victorious and had begun to repair the Titan Dominatus. It is also confirmed by the description of the armor named Shield of Sturnn, which can be found during the Imperial Guard campaign in Dawn of War II: Retribution. In the disorder campaign (non canonical) he is killed by Gorgutz and his head is put on Gorgutz's "pointy stik".

Colonel Carus Brom

Carus Brom is an Imperial Colonel tasked with overseeing the 37th Tartarus Planetary Defense Force Regiment, or PDF. Brom accepts commands from Gabriel with little hesitation, having a deep respect for the commander; however the mere presence of Toth is enough to make the veteran Colonel extremely nervous. It is believed Brom escapes off-planet with his remaining troops during the later missions in Dawn of War's single-player campaign. Brom was armed with a Power Sword and Bolt Pistol. He is also able to use the "Rally Squad" ability that Space Marine Sergeants were equipped with.

At the end of Soulstorm, after Eldar take over the planet, Colonel Brom is seen on Kaurava III, after attempts of re-colonizing the planet fail.

In the events of the novelized version of Dawn of War by C.S. Goto, Colonel Brom instead turned to Chaos and attacked Captain Gabriel Angelos during his attack/push to the summit where the Maledictum was located. According to the novel, Colonel Brom was not satisfied being put down on occasion by Gabriel's orders, resulting in Chaos finding its way into his heart. Colonel Brom was nevertheless killed along with the corrupted PDF and Imperial Guard who had turned traitor. Only a handful of loyal Imperial Guardsmen survived and joined up with the Forces of Order (Space Marines and Eldar) in the battle to the Summit.

Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander

General Lukas Alexander was initially sent to Kronus by Segmentum Command to track down and capture Farseer Taldeer after her actions on Lorn V (as shown in Winter Assault). His forces landed in the abandoned city of Ironworks Bay, and found traces of ancient relics scattered across the planet, including the "Hellstorm Cannon", a weapon from a Horus Heresy-era Imperator Titan, Aquila Ignis, a Legio Mortis engine which had been felled during the last stages in the siege of Magma city when it's lava gates were opened and the city flooded during the mechanicus civil war. The city was renamed "Victory Bay", and techpriests began excavating the massive Titan cannon. However, this mighty gun is out of scale with the rest of the game, and has obviously been scaled down and had a blast door added to the side leading to the governor's base. The Imperium then gave Lukas Alexander the title of "Governor-Militant" of Kronus, and tasked him with (re)conquering the planet for the Imperium from the Tau. It is interesting to note that the Titan cannon is an energy weapon, whereas a Hellstorm Cannon (as it appears in other Warhammer 40,000 background) is, in fact, a projectile weapon similar to a vastly scaled-up version of a Dreadnought's assault cannon.

Alexander formed the 1st Kronus Regiment, naming them "The Liberators", since his soldiers were fighting to free the humans who were living under the rule of the Tau. Unfortunately, his goals soon put him at direct odds with a Blood Ravens task force that arrived on Kronus soon after "The Liberators", trying to uncover mysteries about the chapter's past. The Blood Ravens are then ordered to purge the planet in order to ensure their findings remain secret. They warn Alexander to leave, but he is determined to follow through with his orders and push the other factions off Kronus. Alexander is initially equipped with lightning claws and a wrist-mounted bolter. As his campaign progresses, he eventually obtains a wrist-mounted plasma pistol and power fists, as well as a full suit of carapace armour along with his Symbols of Office and optical implants. It is interesting to note that the 1st Kronus Liberators have the same uniform as the 101st Vendoland in the Army Painter, save for the badge and banner, possibly indicating that the Governor-Militant and his troops were originally part of the 101st Vendoland.

When the Governor-Militant is successful in his task, he becomes one of the most powerful men in the sector with an entire planet at his command. Most of the 1st Kronus Regiment are subsequently sent off to other nearby worlds as reinforcements, while the Governor-Militant himself remains on Kronus to oversee the administration of Kronus and the creation of the Planetary Defense Force. With the ancient Titan cannon safely secured, the Adeptus Mechanicus were able to better study it, eternally grateful to Alexander. With the loss of Tau control on Kronus, the human population, with little encouragement, proceeded to massacre any Tau (or Tau-aligned humans) who did not evacuate along with Shas'O Kais. Finally, with the defeat of the Blood Raven taskforce, incriminating documents and artifacts from their Castellum Incorruptus was found and handed over to the Inquisition, calling into question the history and the "true nature" of the Blood Ravens.

Should the city of "Victory Bay" be captured, after the death of Lukas Alexander, the last of the 1st Kronus Regiment make a futile last stand near the Hellstorm cannon. To prevent the fall of the Titan cannon to the attackers, Captain Gregor Vash orders a Techpriest to "overload the core". The Titan cannon begins to overload and explode, the blasts taking out the nearby combatants. However, if Chaos were the victors, it implies that pieces of the Titan cannon still remain, as Eliphas' sorcerers released a daemon of rot and plague (which means it belongs to the Chaos god, Nurgle) from the cannon through a ritual of sacrificing the corpses from the attack. The daemon likely has resided in the cannon for ten millennia since the traitor Titan Aquila Ignis last walked during the mechanicus civil war in the Horus Heresy as implied in the novel Mechanicum, and by doing so, Eliphas gained the favour of that particular Dark God. Also, if Eldar attacked Victory Bay and won, implications of pieces remaining of the Titan cannon are evident as the narrator states that the Farseer ordered warp bombs to be placed on what was left of the Titan cannon and detonated, disallowing the Imperial Guard the chance to salvage anything of the formidable Titan cannon. Another interesting note is after the Guards defeat from the Necrons. The narrator says that the forces of the Nightbringer simply ignored the cannon, implying how advanced their power really is. But if the Orks are victorious, Gorgutz's mekboyz salvage some of the cannons remains and use them for their own weapons. Another interesting point that may be a glitch is that when the Orks defeat the Imperials, the Kasrkin sergeant is left fighting an Ork nob while ordering the techpriest to destroy the cannon and is killed before that same nob kills the engineseer while carrying out the ritual.

It is uncertain why the Imperial Guard would destroy the cannon in such desperation if defeated by the Space Marines, although perhaps Alexander's desperate last shout to his men "(These marines) fight against the Emperor's holy will!" indicates that the Governor-Militant is taking no chances regarding the cannon possibly coming into the hands of traitors. It is most likely after what we see in the introduction of the Space Marines where Davian Thule orders Lukas Alexander to step down while the Space Marines purged Kronus, and Lukas bluntly refused, causing a war between the Space Marines and the Imperial Guard. In the introduction the narrator says: "Captain Thule ordered the withdrawal of the Imperial Guard forces stationed in Victory Bay, but Governor Alexander flatly refused to pull his men back. Thule judged the Governor a good man, but had little choice but to send his Space Marines to battle the Governor's troops along with all the other powers on Kronus. The Blood Ravens' willingness to fight soldiers of the Imperium did not go unnoticed."

Captain Gregor Vash

One of Governor Alexander's subordinates, a kasrkin officer who often reports to Alexander about new developments during battles and possibly fights beside him as part of his Command Squad. If the Imperial Guard is defeated at Victory Bay, he and fellow Kasrkin stand their ground outside the Hellstorm Cannon, where he orders the last techpriest to "overload the core", the resulting explosion killing him if he hasn't been gunned down already. When the Imperial Guard succeeds in capturing Kronus, he is promoted to Colonel and is placed in command of the 1st Kronus regiment and shipped off world with the rest of the regiment to the next conflict zone.

Regimental Commissar Anton Gebbet

Second in command for the 1st Kronus Liberators on Kronus, Gebbet is ready to take command should Lukas Alexander fall. Due to his station as a Commissar, he is even authorized to execute the Governor-Militant if his resolve falters. He can be acquired as an honour guard unit during the campaign.

Also, if Victory Bay, the Imperial Guard stronghold, is attacked, Gebbet is placed in direct command of the Liberators 5th Company, whose loyalty and resolve in combat was questionable. As the narrator states, "Without Gebbet's whip, the company would surely fold," it makes it clear that he was a fierce leader. This is emphasized when he executes a guardsman during the opening cutscene of the Imperial Guard stronghold just because he stepped out of line to say something, stating that, "If you will not serve in combat, you will serve on the firing line!"

One of the mission objectives of the stronghold mission is to eliminate the Commissar and his Ogryn enforcers. This will cause 5th company to rebel, although this is little but a distraction for the main Imperial force so that players can ally up as support units because the handful of guardsmen and few chimeras that they build are often ordered to walk straight into the range of the weakened Baneblade's earthshaker cannon.

General Vance Stubbs

General Vance Stubbs is the leader of the 252nd Conservator Imperial Guard Regiment, mostly stationed on Kaurava I. He thrusts his forces into the conflict, hoping to restore the Kaurava system to its former glory, for the men who serve him, and the people of the system. He is also galvanized by the hope of simultaneously asserting the 252nd's right to rule the system, over the other Imperial factions. His Wargear are similar to Lukas Alexander's, though he merely receives better Claws as his melee weapons rather than changing to Power Fists for his final weapon as well as gaining items apparently formerly belonging to Lord Commander Solar Macharius and Ibram Gaunt.

His Wargear are unique: second range weaponry upgrade doesn't replace the first one (however, his first range weapon upgrade still replaces his initial one), serving as a separate weapon. Also, he can unlock Ibram's Vestment - the ultimate Wargear, which can be obtained only if the other ones are unlocked.

If defeated by the Blood Ravens, any surviving guardsmen are treated as comrades-in-arms. Force Commander Boreale orders the survivors to be given safe return to Segmentum Command, where only a few are likely to survive Inquisitional debriefing. The factories and munitions are then used by the Blood Ravens, who proceed in the fight for the system.

If the Imperial Guard manages to win the war, General Stubbs and his men are declared heroes by the people of the Kaurava system. The system begins thriving again thanks to vast rebuilding, mining and terraforming projects. The numerous military academies that are built there, turn out superior guardsmen who are second in quality only to the Kasrkins of Cadia. However, it is unknown if this is the canon ending.

Tau

Shas'O Kais

The leader of the Tau forces on Kronus in Dark Crusade, a merciful Leader unlike the other Commanders, Shas'O T'au Kais plans to reclaim the entire planet from the other six races. As a firm believer of the Greater Good, he is convinced that he can persuade anyone to accept Tau ideology, and he often gives his foes the chance to surrender before attacking, with the exception of the Necrons. Humorously, when he makes this offer to Warboss Gorgutz, the ork leader sarcastically replies, "You don't know much about Orks, do ya grey-skin?". Initially sent to Kronus after receiving a distress call from the colony, under attack from the Necrons, his mission became more complicated as the colony came under attack from the other races. From the capital city of Or'es Tash'n, under the guidance of Ethereal Aun'el Shi'ores, Kais faces an uphill task in securing Kronus.

Shas'O Kais is also one of the few Commanders that actually looks out for his troops and cares for their lives, which was stated by Blood Ravens Captain Davian Thule.

Using an XV22 Battlesuit, like the Tau Commander Shadowsun, he is at first only equipped with a burst cannon in his right hand, but as the campaign progresses, at full weapon capacity, he carries a fusion blaster (replacing the burst cannon), subsequently replaced by a plasma rifle, a heavy flamer in his left hand and missile launchers mounted on each shoulder. Of significance is the fact that Kais is the only faction commander without a melee attack. Instead he uses his jetpack to launch himself in the air and fire down upon his attackers. He can also be equipped with Iridium armour, as well as a cloaking field, a jetpack, and an advanced sensors array that allows him to detect stealth units. A combination of Shield and Gun Drones can accompany him once they are earned in the campaign. As his weapons aren't any stronger than the standard game versions, he is by far the weakest of the commanders.

If his Tau strike force finishes off the other six races in Dark Crusade, the Tau colony on Kronus is slowly revitalized as more Tau and Kroot begin to move in from other worlds. The defeated human Imperials that fought (and/or betrayed) the Tau were placed in re-education camps. Rumours of a sterilization policy upon the humans abound — as (according to the narrator) the human population starts to dwindle very rapidly as the Kronus colony begins to thrive again. A lone squad of Imperial Kasrkin escape from one of these camps and launch a guerilla campaign against Tau forces.

When the Tau stronghold of Or'es Tash'n is taken, it shows the Ethereal Aun'el Shi'ores being killed. Kais lands with some Crisis Suits, discovers the Ethereal's body, and tells the remaining Tau to evacuate the planet, grabbing the body he informs his forces that he will return to T'au to give the Ethereal a proper burial. He is one of the few commanders who definitely survives after their faction is defeated.

When Kais encounters Space Marines, he also calls out "Space Marines! They will pay dearly for Damocles!" referring to the Damocles Gulf Crusade, the first major conflict between the Imperium and the Tau Empire, during which the Imperium had the populations of numerous Tau worlds eradicated without mercy.

Aun'el Shi'ores

The Tau Ethereal governor of Kronus and Shas'O Kais's advisor. Described as being the next generation of the Tau Ethereal caste, he is determined to restore Kronus back to the Tau Empire and feels discontent towards those who do not accept Tau ideology of the Greater Good, especially Orks and Necrons. If the Tau are attacked in their city of Tash'n, he becomes the prime target of the invading force, seeing as how his death would shatter the Tau morale. Killing him is Tau stronghold mission's final objective, after he dies, the player wins. When the invaders are successful, he and his bodyguards are killed in a hail of gunfire, where his body is recovered by an emotionally shattered O'Kais; who orders what remains of the Tau military to evacuate and return the Ethereal's body back to T'au, leaving the civilian Tau population of Asharis at the mercy of the invaders.

Shas'O Or'es'Ka

Shas'O Or'es'Ka is the leader of the Tau Fire Caste strike force sent to the Kaurava system. He seems much more merciful than O'Kais, who led Tau forces during the Dark Crusade - ordering his troops to allow the Eldar to flee when the Tau take their fortress, as well as welcoming the remaining Imperial Guardsmen and civilians into the Tau empire after the Imperial Guard are eliminated. He is portrayed as using a new war strategy, that deviates from the traditional Mont'ka and Kauyon techniques, known as Great Strength, Great Strike. The Tau forces in the system are based in the secret, but heavily fortified Nan-Yanoi moon base, armed with the interplanetary Ar'Ka cannon. From this lunar installation, Or'es'Ka intends to conquer the Kaurava system, and prepare it for colonization by the Tau Empire.

The Shas'O goes to battle in an XV22 Battlesuit. Similar to O'Kais, Or'es Ka's suit can take a flamer, missile pods, a jetpack, a stealth field and a shield drone as upgrades. A multi-tracker, shield generator, and a marker drone distinguish his suit from his predecessor, as well as his main weapon options of a fusion blaster which can stun vehicle crews and a cyclic ion blaster, effective against infantry.

If the Nan Yanoi Stronghold Coalition Center is destroyed, signaling the Tau defeat, a cutscene shows fire warriors and Ethereal Aun'Ro'Yr being gunned down then Or'es'ka has an emotional outburst at the sight of the Ethereal's death stating "We have lost all!"

If defeated by the Sisters of Battle, Canoness Selena Agna takes the skulls of Commander Or'es Ka and the Ethereal Aun'Ro'Yr as offerings to the God-Emperor and testaments to her faith.

If defeated by the Necrons, the Necrons gather up all of the wounded, dying and captive Tau, Kroot, and Vespid and hand them over to the Flayed Ones to practice on for the next battle.

If defeated by the Dark Eldar, hundreds of Tau Fire Warriors are taken prisoner, destined for the torture chambers of Lacunae and later Commorragh. In the battle's aftermath Asdrubael Vect himself presides over the vile banquet held to celebrate the victory and personally eats the heart of the dying Ethereal Aun'Ro'Yr.

If defeated by Chaos, Carron has cruel torture and foul ceremonies performed on the Tau who are unlucky enough to not to die in battle. Within hours of Nan Yanoi's capture, the base is covered in the blood of its defenders, and the Ethereal's carcass is hung on the Ar'Ka cannon, the only part of the lunar installation Carron did not see fit to desecrate.

If, however, the Tau succeed in defeating all other races, it is noted (by the narrator) the rest of the Tau Empire is impressed by his victory, and begins to look at ways to incorporate the "Great strength, great strike" tactics into the Empire.

Necrons

Necron Lord of Kronus

The leader of all Necron forces on Kronus. As he appears unable to speak, all external communications are made by one of his Pariahs, a former human scientist named Thomas Macabee who was the sole survivor of an expedition he led to explore the catacombs of the Thur'abis Plateau. For reasons unknown, he retained traces of his former identity and was turned into a Pariah instead, serving as a "spokesman" of sorts for the Necrons. Dormant for millions of years, the Necrons of Kronus are now reawakening, like their compatriots on other worlds, and are determined to exterminate all life on Kronus. In all likelihood, their actions could have precipitated the conflict leading to the Dark Crusade. The Necron Lord is initially equipped with basic equipment, but eventually gains more powerful equipment such as an advanced chassis called the Heart of Darkness, staff upgrades, such as flaying blades, a death mask, which allows him see infiltrated units, and cloak which allows his faster movement. He is the strongest of the commanders with his ability transform into the essence of the Nightbringer, making him invincible for 60 seconds and giving him a massive increase melee and ranged damage.

If the Necrons finish off the other six races in Dark Crusade, they deploy their massive Monolith from beneath the surface and proceed on to kill off every single living organism on the planet, eventually drying up the oceans, and turning the resultant lifeless planet into a Tomb World. The Tomb World of Kronus then becomes a thorn in the side of the Imperium and the Tau for years to come, as more Necrons reawaken and continue their Great Work on nearby worlds. The Imperium, Tau, and Eldar launch attempts to defeat the Necrons on Kronus, but all of their attempts are thwarted by the Necron tombships.

On the other hand, when the Thur'abis Plateau is taken, it shows the Necron Lord near the Pariah Thomas Macabee, urgently persuading the Necron Lord to resurrect a mass of dead warriors as 'the living are escaping', when he discovers the planted bomb. He tries to warn the Lord, but the bomb goes off in a massive explosion, collapsing the catacombs of the Thur'abis plateau, and entombing the Necrons under tons of rock. The bomb is different for each race, the Space Marine/Chaos bomb being very similar, the ork's bearing resemblance to a Burna Bomb, the Imperial Guard's like a thermo-plasma generator etc. The Nightbringer is seen screaming before the blast consumes him completely. If this was the Necron Lord possessed by the essence of the Nightbringer then it would have left him, leaving the Lord to be sealed off or crushed. But if it was the real Nightbringer, then the Necrodemis binding his essence would have been shattered and his essence would have returned to his stasis tomb. His carapace would have reformed, ready to be occupied by him again or he (the Necron Lord as Nightbringer or Kaelis Ra himself (the Nightbringer)) would simply phase through the rock and stone and emerge above without damage.

In Dawn of War II, The Necron Lord was stated to be defeated by Davian Thule, who attributes the victory to Reclusiarch Mikelus despite the fact that Mikelus was slain by the Necron Lord, after which Thule was able to defeat it. The Necron Lord was also stated to be responsible for the loss of one of Thule's eyes, necessitating the bionic replacement seen in the sequel.

Thomas Macabee

The head of a human archaeological expedition funded by the Tau authorities on Kronus, Macabee and his team inadvertanly opens the entrance into the Necron catacomb in the Thur'abis Plateau, waking them from their millennia long slumber. Whilst most of the team was killed, he was instead transformed into a Necron Pariah (Another occurrence of the 'Pariah gene' which is found in humans, but is quite rare), where he retained traces of his personality. He acts as both the spokesman for the Necrons, often telling the enemy their death was coming, and a sort of advisor for the Necron Lord. If the Necrons are defeated in the Thur'abis Plateau, the final scene shows him urging the Necron Lord to resurrect fallen Necrons. He then discovers a bomb left in the centre of the plateau and before he could warn the Lord, the bomb detonates and brings down the area, killing him as well. As he is not made entirely of necrodermis, he and all other Pariahs cannot self-repair, he is extremely unlikely to reappear.

Necron Lord of All Kaurava

This Necron Lord leads the Necrons awakening across Kaurava III, with the intention of re-claiming the entire system from the living factions. The Necrons here fought the Eldar long ago and were defeated. Like their fellow Necrons on Kronus, they are awakening once again.

Like the Necron Lord of Kronus, the Kauravan one has no name, and is commonly referred to by his title.

Most of Kauravan Necron Lord's Wargear items are aimed at horrifying his enemies. Also, like the Necron Lord on Kronus, The Kauravan Necron Lord's melee and ranged weapons are combined in one staff.

The Necron stronghold is set in a half-excavated Necron city, in the middle of the deserts of Kaurava III.

Unlike the Necron Lord on Kronus, this one can communicate with other races by itself, rather than relying on a Pariah (though, judging by his deep breath and slow speech, it is extremely difficult for him). These Necrons serve the Deceiver, rather than the Nightbringer (however, the Necron Lord can manifest as both of them).

When defeated, all Necrons (including The Necron Lord) just "shut down", having no Power left to keep them running. When defeated by the Blood Ravens, all of the Necrons are gathered up and destroyed thoroughly to prevent them from reawakening.

Other

Inquisitor Mordecai Toth

Mordecai Toth is a member of the Inquisitorial sect known as the Ordo Malleus (or Daemonhunters), having been sent on assignment with some knowledge of Tartarus's dark past and a powerful daemonic artifact sleeping there. Toth's mere presence indicates something dark afoot on Tartarus, and none dare cross Toth directly.

Toth, upon landing, immediately suspects Brother-Captain Gabriel Angelos, the Blood Raven Force Commander, of being tainted by Chaos, citing that Gabriel willingly put his own world to the torch. As an Inquisitor, Toth has authority to seize command of almost any Imperial force, including the Imperial Guard. Toth realizes later, to his horror, that it was in fact Isador, not Gabriel, who had contracted the taint of Chaos. When the truth is known, Toth apologizes, and to steel Gabriel for the final climatic battle ahead, bestows upon Gabriel his holy Daemonhammer, Godsplitter- a weapon of the Inquisition consecrated and imbued to defeat Daemons- to crush the sorcerer-turned-Daemon Prince Sindri Myr- and those who would associate with Chaos. Toth was equipped with Godsplitter and a Plasma Pistol throughout most of the battles on Tartarus. In the final battle of the campaign, Toth was equipped with Gabriel's Power Sword after giving the Space Marine his Daemon-Hammer.

In Dark Crusade, once the player has finished the campaign as the Blood Ravens, Toth is seen in the ending video questioning Captain Thule, accompanied by a first company veteran and numerous squads of Space Marines.

Canoness Selena Agna

Canoness Selena Agna of the Order of the Sacred Rose leads the Sisters of Battle forces in the Kaurava system. Her forces have set up a stronghold on Kaurava I, from which they will launch their purge of the system.

As in Dark Crusade, the Imperial factions wage war on each other. The reason in Soulstorm being the fact that the Sisters believe the 252nd Kauravan Conservator Regiment, led by General Vance Stubbs, are responsible in some way for the Warp Storm. This is untrue, and Stubbs believes he is innocent. He therefore refuses to lay down his arms, forcing the Sisters of Battle to wage war against them. For the Space Marines, Force Commander Boreale also stands his ground and refuses to back down, forcing Canoness Agna to wage war on them as well.

Selena is initially armed with a single-sided chainsword and a bolt pistol, and clad in basic power armor. She upgrades her bolt pistol to a plasma and finally an inferno pistol, while her melee weapon is upgraded into a power sword and finally into a Brazier of Holy Fire. She gets a suit of Crusader Armor, and acquires a protective Rosarius as well. Similar to the Chaos commanders, she has an "ultimate" wargear that can be unlocked only after taking the other nine - an aura of fire.

If defeated by the Space Marines, all survivors are treated with the utmost deference, and are given swift medical aid and safe passage back to the Convent Sanctorum on Ophelia VII where they will be at the mercy of the Inquisition. If defeated by the Imperial Guard forces, General Vance Stubbs remarks on his victory as a sign of the Emperor's will for their control over the system.

When the Sisters defeat all the other factions, they begin a massive purge to rid the system of anything and anyone suspected of Heresy. The planets of the system become Monastery worlds with one ecclesiarchal citadel for each of the six major military orders of the Adepta Sororitas, where millions of Sisters of Battle visit the system as a holy pilgrimage and reminder of their crusade in the Kaurava system and to gather for "Prayer and Preparation".

If she is defeated by the other factions, she and her remaining forces offer themselves as martyrs to the Emperor, and shortly thereafter are killed in a fiery explosion.

Creative note: Her first name, Selena, is derivative of Selene, the moon goddess of Roman mythology; whereas her last name refers to the Hindu fire goddess - Agni - which is fitting, given the Sisters of Battle favour the use of flame-based weaponry in combat.

Archon Tahril

Archon Tahril of the Kabal of the Black Heart is the Dark Eldar force leader. The Dark Eldar have an advantage over other races since they are using ancient webway gates and can access any other gate, meaning they can attack any race's stronghold in the few turns after the beginning of the game. The base of operations here is at the edge of the system, on a moon called Lacunae orbiting Kaurava IV. Also located at his base is his master, the Kabal overlord Asdrubael Vect. Tahril exhibits a more direct amount of arrogance even towards his own fellow Dark Eldar which both kinds of Eldar were known for, caring only to relish the hunt rather than preparing for the enemy assault. He considers all the other commanders of the other factions to be fools save for Farseer Caerys and Lord Carron, whose base is the closest to his. Tahril and all the Dark Eldar are fierce and most of their techniques are related to soul harvesting. Just like the Eldar, Tahril's forces use skimmers, instead of tanks.

As an Archon, Tahril can call on Incubi bodyguards, making him technically a command squad as opposed to a single commander, similar to the Imperial Guard hero. Tahril is unique among the other campaign commanders, as two of his wargear options are improvements for his bodyguards rather than himself.

When the Dark Eldar stronghold on Lacunae is destroyed, Vect's Dais of Destruction is destroyed (Vect screaming that he will have Tahril's head for this failure), and Tahril flees into the webway, commenting that were Vect to die, he would take his place as the Kabal overlord. If defeated by Chaos, the Dark Eldar ironically find themselves placed in their own cages and torture chambers, as the narrator puts it, "A just reward indeed, from the evil to the depraved". If defeated by the Orks, they are placed in the same cages, however the Orks, for sport, simply see how far they can throw the Dark Eldar in the low gravity.

If successful in their conquest of Kauruva, the Dark Eldar wipe out any resistance to their armies, then proceed to enslave the survivors, ship them back to Commoragh, and then silently slip away...

Governor Elena Derosa

A supporting character from Dawn of War II, back to prevent and fight back the forces of House Vandis with great support of the Blood Ravens and in returning the favour. Derosa, once Vandis' adjutant, exposed his cowardice and seized power herself, providing critical aid to the Blood Ravens. Her actions helped save the sector, but the nobles of Meridian remain leery. Their support has been lukewarm at best. This discontent allowed Eliphas to worm his influence into the militias of House Vandis, converting them into a heretical cult — and the vanguard of the Black Legion.

Governor Gregor Vandis

The former planetary governor of Meridian and head of House Vandis. He made no appearances in the campaign, only that he was mentioned. During the Tyranid invasion, Governor Vandis fled and left his sector to die. He is revealed to be aligned with Chaos and will be one of the main antagonists in the campaign (though it is unknown if his loyalty with Chaos was before or after the events of the story). In the novel Dawn of War II, his shuttle crashes to the ground, and is revealed to be filled with alien artefacts and a Chaos grimoire. He is executed by Thaddeus on the spot, and his 'collection' is burned.

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