Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

The only info I have on what happened to any loyalist members of the traitor legions is that they were either exterminated on Isstvan III or became Knights Errant. Any chance some were taken in by the Loyalist Legions?

The loyalist members of the traitor legions certainly didn’t get taken in, the Dark Angels are still hunting them down 10,000 years later

we know of at least one apparent case, warsmith Dantioch who was effectively serving with the Ultramarines. still it seems like it's generally not common, and when it happens they don't repaint their armor.

We do see vice versa too. There's a Raven Guard serving with the Night Lords, plenty of Ultramarine descendants serve in the Alpha Legion (I think it's plenty, it may just be one and I've over exaggerated in my memory.)

Didn't the Ultramarines take in a huge amount of Loyalists?

BrianDavion wrote:
we know of at least one apparent case, warsmith Dantioch who was effectively serving with the Ultramarines. still it seems like it's generally not common, and when it happens they don't repaint their armor.

It's heavily hinted they end up as the Silver Skulls; an Ultramarines successor chapter 'that the ultramarines do not acknowledge' with suspiciously familiar colour schemes.

locarno24 wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:
we know of at least one apparent case, warsmith Dantioch who was effectively serving with the Ultramarines. still it seems like it's generally not common, and when it happens they don't repaint their armor.

It's heavily hinted they end up as the Silver Skulls; an Ultramarines successor chapter 'that the ultramarines do not acknowledge' with suspiciously familiar colour schemes.

Dantioch is dead so I kinda doubt that TBH

BrianDavion wrote:

locarno24 wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:
we know of at least one apparent case, warsmith Dantioch who was effectively serving with the Ultramarines. still it seems like it's generally not common, and when it happens they don't repaint their armor.

It's heavily hinted they end up as the Silver Skulls; an Ultramarines successor chapter 'that the ultramarines do not acknowledge' with suspiciously familiar colour schemes.

Dantioch is dead so I kinda doubt that TBH

Dantioch died, but the survivors of his battalion were with him on Pharos too. They are the supposed founding of the Silver Skulls.

Banville wrote:
Didn't the Ultramarines take in a huge amount of Loyalists?

I've heard this too, although I believe it was members of the lost 2 Legions prior to the Heresy.

I always feel this is an area in which GW should have made more effort to shed light.

The Battle of Isstvan III saw 4 legions pretty much split in half, and yet little mention is made of those Loyalists who escaped the initial culling. Within the fleet, there were still elements of Loyalist forces, whose loyalties the Traitors had apparently misjudged - surely some of them must have managed to slip away in the confusion? Furthermore, if Loken managed to survive the Virus Bombing and the Battle, then there would have been others who could have hidden away in bunkers, cave systems or the like. For Legions of circa 50 to 100,000, it must have been hard for the traitors to accurately gauge which way each individual would go.

Indeed, what irks me more is that we do actually get sizeable chunks of Loyalists surviving, who are then never mentioned again. For example, Macer Varren of the World Eaters led his 12th Company and a force under Captain Rakatio of the Emperor's Children away from Isstvan III. But as soon as he joins the Knights-Errant, no mention is made of his men or Rakatio's. The Iron Warriors had substantial Loyalist elements - including the whole 77th Grand Company, the remains of Dantioch's 14th Grand Company and Narik Dreygur's 14th Grand Battalion - so it's not too far fetched to assume that there were other similar units. As far as I'm aware, there are next to no references made to substantial Loyalist numbers from the Thousand Sons, Night Lords, Word Bearers or Alpha Legion, however there are individuals. Hence, I'd expect there to be larger numbers there too.

Obviously, these individuals give players precedent to make their own Loyalist forces from Traitor Legions, but it always feels a bit forced, extrapolating a whole unit from just one individual - it would be nice if GW had devoted a bit more space to 'Traitor Loyalists' and given more plausibility to the concept. I suppose Blackshields are meant to cover that - but Blackshields have forsaken their Legions, whereas 'Traitor Loyalists' may still wish to fight for the honour of the Legion - even if they disavow their Primarch and brothers.

 greyknight12 wrote:
The loyalist members of the traitor legions certainly didn’t get taken in, the Dark Angels are still hunting them down 10,000 years later

Alternately the traitors are hunting the loyalists 10000 years later......

Anyhow there is reference in the Heresy books that loyalists from the Traitor legions are largely imprisoned or killed if the reach the Sol system, the exception being the Knights Errant . Dorn and Malcador order it.

In terms of virus bombing survivors it's important to remember Loken is exceptional, the Knights are unique, important, individuals that Malcador has identified. We know some Knights will survive the Heresy and long long after it, to me this indicates Malcador has a certain insight about them as these people will go on to form the future Imperium's most crucial agencies.

In the traitor legions the lodges served as a way of seperating friend from foe. What little resistance that was missed would not last long. I imagine most loyalist bands die in the myriad of minor flash points. A company is nothing against hundreds of companies. Horus left little to chance and some legions purged indiscriminately pre heresy in secret.