Lamenters

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Lamenters (恸哭者) 210
Alias(es)	“Cheerers” (a humorous nickname); “the Emperor’s loyal warriors” 245 261
Species/Race	Adeptus Astartes; Blood Angels successor Chapter 218 239
Gender	Male Astartes 217 227
Affiliation	Imperium; descendants of Sanguinius; commanded by Lin En 217 239
Occupation/Role	Space Marine Chapter and military force 227 324
Status	Active; rebuilding on Bolomite as the Lamenters Chapter Homeworld 270 271

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Cursed Founding gene-seed	239	The Chapter initially suppressed the Red Thirst and Black Rage, but its altered gene-seed produced catastrophic bad luck and later left the Lamenters vulnerable to those afflictions.
Captive and severely weakened state	217–218	More than 400 survivors were reduced to 311 after imprisonment, deprivation, untreated wounds, the Red Thirst, and the Black Rage.
Purified and physically restored	219	Lin En’s Group Healing, Purification Aura, and Emperor’s Gaze healed the Lamenters and suppressed their Chaos-related misfortune, whispers, despair, and emotional turmoil.
Emperor’s Gaze and Mass Healing Aura	227–228	All 311 Lamenters assembled for inspection, then knelt together beneath Lin En’s Golden Light. Their loyalty was recognized by the Grey Knights and reinforced by Lin En’s abilities.
Re-equipped Chapter	222, 239	The Lamenters recovered the Mother of Tears, their armor, weapons, vehicles, ammunition, and supplies. A later refit replaced their mixed, damaged armor with standardized Mark VII Power Armor.
Golden Light-enhanced combat force	245–246	Supported by Lin En’s Mass Healing Aura, their weapons gained golden enchantments, their wounds rapidly regenerated, and they defeated Chaos Space Marines, Hellbrutes, Daemons, and Rubric Marines without losses.
Immortal Will enhancement	254	Lin En’s trait strengthened the Lamenters’ determination and cleared distracting thoughts for thirty minutes, enabling them to overwhelm Tzeentch’s weakened daemons.
Psychic-resistant assault force	258, 279	Lin En granted amplification, psychic immunity, and resistance to psychic damage. The Lamenters later neutralized Aeldari psychic weapons under the same support.

Background and History

The Lamenters were created during the Cursed Founding as a Blood Angels successor Chapter. Their altered gene-seed initially appeared successful because it suppressed the Red Thirst and Black Rage, but it introduced an apparently genetic form of catastrophic bad luck. The Chapter’s gene-seed was also unusually vulnerable to corruption, causing other Imperial forces to distrust and avoid them 218 239.

Despite their misfortune, the Lamenters maintained an exceptional record of loyalty. They repeatedly answered Imperial calls, fought at the front of battles, and suffered severe casualties without betraying the Imperium. They had no homeworld or official logistical support; their Battle Barge, the Mother of Tears, served as their monastery and only home 210 218 222.

During the Badab War, the Lamenters were deceived into fighting alongside Huron’s rebellion. They withdrew and surrendered after discovering the deception, but were still treated as traitors. The Minotaurs seized the Mother of Tears, confiscated the Chapter’s equipment, and imprisoned the surviving Lamenters on an abandoned prison ship near Sagan II 210 216 218.

Lin En later received Terra’s order transferring command of the Chapter to him. He found the Lamenters starving, wounded, unarmored, and surrounded by the bodies of brothers they had been forced to execute after the Red Thirst or Black Rage became uncontrollable 217. His healing and purification abilities restored their bodies and eased the psychological burden of their imprisonment, prompting the Lamenters to repeatedly declare that they had not betrayed the Imperium 219.

The High Lords Council nevertheless sentenced the Lamenters and Mantis Warriors to Excommunicate Traitoris, ordering their bodies, gene-seed, identities, and records destroyed. Lin En’s intervention prevented the immediate purge. The Chapter submitted to inspection by the Grey Knights, and all 311 Lamenters assembled without resistance, demonstrating their discipline and loyalty 221 227 228.

Lin En accepted the Lamenters’ guilt in the Badab War but rejected extermination as an excessive punishment. He arranged a Penitent Crusade, during which the Chapter entered the Great Rift, reclaimed the Chaos-controlled Forge World Bolomite, and fought Tzeentch’s forces alongside the Dark Angels 223 239 245 258.

The High Lords later reduced the Lamenters’ hundred-year Penitent Crusade by ninety-nine years. The technical sentence reduction functioned as an immediate pardon, allowing the Chapter to publicly reclaim its identity as the Emperor’s loyal warriors 261.

Appearance

The Lamenters traditionally wore battered Power Armor marked by long service, poor supplies, and repeated repairs. Their Chapter badge is a simple heart painted on each shoulder plate 222.

• Damaged and mismatched armor before Lin En’s intervention, including Mark III, Mark IV, Mark VI, and Mark VII components 222 239
• Standardized Mark VII Power Armor after the Forge World refit 239
• Heart insignia on the shoulder plates 222 227
• Bolters, Chainswords, Power Swords, and other Astartes weapons 227 242 246
• Immaculate formation and posture even when their equipment was ruined 227

Personality

The Lamenters are defined by unwavering loyalty, discipline, and endurance. They accept responsibility for the Badab War despite being deceived, and they do not resent the Minotaurs for suppressing them or preserving their equipment after their surrender 222.

Their long history of rejection made them ashamed, fatalistic, and reluctant to express joy. Even their declaration that they were the Emperor’s warriors ended in tears after years of being branded traitors 261. They also carry intense guilt toward their commanders, believing that their misfortune has repeatedly burdened anyone who supports them 235.

Under Lin En’s command, the Chapter gradually becomes more confident and openly enthusiastic. During the assault on the Hell Forge, their battle cry changes into the cheerful “Blow them up” refrain, leading the Custodes to jokingly consider renaming them the “Cheerers” 245. Their loyalty to Lin En is eventually expressed through the battle cry “For my lord!” 254.

Abilities & Skills

Astartes Combat Ability

The Lamenters are highly trained Space Marines capable of coordinated bolter fire, close-quarters combat, boarding actions, planetary assaults, and rescue operations.

• Fight effectively with Bolters, Chainswords, Power Swords, Power Fists, and other weapons 242 246
• Maintain formation and respond immediately to battlefield commands 227
• Combine fire support, melee assaults, orbital bombardment, and armored support 324
• Destroy Chaos Space Marines, Hellbrutes, Daemons, Daemon Engines, and Rubric Marines when supported by Lin En 245 246
• Chapter Masters and senior officers routinely lead from the front 324

Discipline and Chapter Cohesion

The Lamenters retain strict discipline even under imprisonment, disgrace, exhaustion, and extreme deprivation.

• All 311 survivors assembled immediately when ordered 227
• Allowed the Grey Knights to verify their identities without resistance 227
• Carried their dead from the prison ship in organized ranks 221
• Preserve a unified sense of duty despite centuries of isolation and punishment 218 239
• Treat ordinary battle-brothers and former Chapter Masters equally in death 223

Chaos and Psychic Resistance

The Lamenters’ resistance is partly associated with their gene-seed, loyalty, and Lin En’s support. Before receiving his abilities, they remained vulnerable to the Red Thirst, Black Rage, corruption, and psychic attacks 217 218 252.

With Lin En’s Golden Light and related abilities, they can:

• Resist or suppress Chaos whispers, despair, and psychic influence 219 228
• Survive large-scale psychic attacks that would normally cause heavy casualties 252
• Fight Greater Daemons after their psychic abilities are neutralized 254
• Ignore or dispel Aeldari psychic weaponry 279
• Permanently destroy Rubric Marines by preventing their psychic remnants from reforming 246 247

Enhanced Regeneration

Lin En’s Mass Healing Aura allows the Lamenters to recover from wounds that would normally remove an Astartes from combat.

• Severe armor breaches and exposed flesh can heal during battle 246
• Warriors can continue fighting after injuries that would normally require Apothecary treatment 246
• The enhancement prevents ordinary battle casualties during the Hell Forge assault 246 247
• The effect depends on Lin En’s support rather than being presented as a natural improvement to every Lamenter 246 247

Military Coordination

The Chapter adapts its tactics under Lin En’s command, combining its own assault strength with fleet and armored support.

• Uses orbital bombardment before committing ground forces 324
• Coordinates with the Flesh Tearers and Blood Knights during planetary assaults 324 325
• Conducts rescue operations while protecting civilian populations 320 333
• Maintains defensive patrols and escort operations around Bolomite 342

Gene-seed Curse

The Lamenters’ greatest limitation is their defective gene-seed.

• Produces extreme bad luck that has shaped the Chapter’s reputation for thousands of years 218 239
• Leaves them vulnerable to the Red Thirst and Black Rage 217
• Makes them unusually susceptible to corruption and psychic instability 218
• Contributes to other Chapters treating them as a battlefield liability 218
• Forces the Chapter to monitor and restrain brothers who lose control 217 269

Equipment, Vessels, and Infrastructure

• Mother of Tears — The Lamenters’ monastery Battle Barge and, before Bolomite, their only home. It was confiscated during the Badab War and later returned with its equipment 210 221 222.
• Power Armor — Formerly battered, mismatched, and poorly maintained; later replaced with standardized Mark VII armor 222 239.
• Bolters and Chainswords — Standard weapons used in massed fire and close combat 227 242.
• Power Swords and other Astartes weapons — Used by officers and assault units against Chaos forces 246 254.
• Chapter banner and chapel — Symbols of restored identity and continued devotion to the Emperor and Sanguinius 223 269.
• Bolomite — A reclaimed Forge World assigned to the Chapter as its permanent homeworld, with facilities for Power Armor, bolters, flamers, tanks, ammunition, and ship weapons 270 271.
• Underground fortress — A former Chaos-built prison complex beneath Bolomite, repurposed as the Chapter’s initial base 272 273.
• Lamenters Chapter Fortress — A later surface fortress built with help from Astartes, civilians, settlers, and Imperial supplies 318.

Relationships

• Lin En — Commander and protector. He personally assumes command, heals and empowers the Chapter, defends it against extermination, and helps secure its pardon and homeworld 217 219 227 270.
• Phoros — Chapter Master. He accepts responsibility for the Badab War, leads the Chapter through the Penitent Crusade, and becomes more hopeful under Lin En’s leadership 223 237 269.
• Apothecary Calix — Senior Apothecary and Sanguinary Priest. He preserves the Chapter’s medical and funeral traditions and leads the burial of the fallen 217 223.
• Blood Angels — Parent Chapter and genetic heritage. The Lamenters remain devoted to Sanguinius and the Blood Angels despite their historical isolation 218 239.
• Mantis Warriors — Fellow Penitent Chapter. The Lamenters’ fate is repeatedly linked to the Mantis Warriors, whom Lin En also attempts to protect from unjust punishment 223 237.
• Minotaurs — Former custodians and suppressors. They confiscated the Lamenters’ ship and equipment but stopped firing after the Chapter surrendered and preserved their property 216 222.
• Dark Angels — Allies during the Abyssal Crusade. Their forces fought alongside the Lamenters during the reclamation of Bolomite 258 261.
• Imperium and High Lords Council — Former judges and later political sponsors. The Council ordered the Chapter’s extermination, then granted a pardon, a Terra base, compensation, and Bolomite 221 261 269 271.
• Tzeentch — Persistent enemy associated with the Lamenters’ gene-seed corruption, misfortune, and later Chaos opposition 218 239 242.

Story Role and Major Arcs

Badab War and Imprisonment

The Lamenters are deceived into supporting Huron’s rebellion, then surrender after recognizing the deception. Their Battle Barge, armor, and weapons are confiscated, and the surviving Chapter is confined aboard a derelict prison ship 210 217 218.

Transfer to Lin En

Lin En assumes command after Terra issues a transfer order. He finds the Chapter physically ruined and psychologically devastated, then uses healing and purification to restore the survivors and suppress their despair 217 219.

Extermination Crisis

The High Lords sentence the Lamenters to Excommunicate Traitoris. A Grey Knights operation is prepared to eliminate them, but Lin En intervenes, has the entire Chapter inspected, and demonstrates that the 311 survivors remain loyal 221 224 228.

Penitent Crusade

The Lamenters accept a Penitent Crusade rather than deny their responsibility. They travel toward the Great Rift with Lin En, receive new equipment and supplies, and enter Tzeentch’s territory 223 237 239.

Reclamation of Bolomite

The Chapter assaults a Chaos-controlled Forge World, destroys its defenders, defeats Greater Daemons, and helps return the world to Imperial space. Their performance transforms them from an almost extinct and neglected Chapter into a major military force 242 258 261.

Pardon and Restoration

The High Lords reduce the Penitent Crusade by ninety-nine years, effectively pardoning the Chapter. The Lamenters publicly reclaim their identity as the Emperor’s loyal warriors 261.

Return to Imperial Society

The Lamenters receive a base on Terra and are welcomed by Chapters that once avoided them. The exchange of banners, medals, relics, and cultural gifts marks their return to the wider brotherhood of the Adeptus Astartes 269.

Bolomite Homeworld

The Inquisition apologizes for the wrongful purge attempt and provides compensation. Bolomite is officially assigned to the Lamenters, giving them a permanent base for recruitment, recovery, manufacturing, and training 270 271.

Rebuilding and Continuing War

The Lamenters help restore Bolomite, construct fortifications and civilian settlements, defend the world, and participate in campaigns against Orks and other threats. They also respond to distress calls from Imperial successor Chapters, showing that their new homeworld has become an active regional stronghold 318 324 342.

Notable Quotes

“We did not betray.” 219

“Not afraid.” 239

“For my lord!” 254

“WE ARE THE EMPEROR’S LOYAL WARRIORS—!!!!” 261

Trivia

• The Lamenters’ Chapter badge is a simple heart, an unusually gentle symbol for an Astartes Chapter 222.
• Their former Battle Barge, the Mother of Tears, was their entire home before Bolomite was granted to them 210 222.
• The Chapter had 311 surviving, combat-capable members when Lin En ordered its inspection 227.
• Lamenters who died after succumbing to the Black Rage were cremated in the Mother of Tears’s reactor and stored in identical ash boxes, with no distinction between Chapter Masters and ordinary warriors 223.
• Their battle cry changed from solemn Imperial declarations to the cheerful “Blow them up” during the Hell Forge campaign, inspiring the nickname “Cheerers” 245.
• The Chapter’s former Black Rage was jokingly described as being replaced by “Lin Rage” under Lin En’s influence 258.
• The Lamenters had historically been barred from entering the Solar Sector, making their later arrival at Terra a major emotional event 265.
• Bolomite was assigned to the Lamenters partly because their resistance to corruption made them suitable guardians of the Great Rift’s entrance 271.