Admirals, today we look at the key vessels of the Thousand Sons – the dread fleet of Prospero, that have plied the Empyrean for 10,000 years.
Thousand Sons Battle Barges
Photep
The Photep was the Gloriana class vessel that served as the flagship of Magnus the Red during at least part of the Great Crusade. In this role the Photep was the lead vessel of the 28th Expedition during Magnus’ command of that Expedition Fleet and served as a repository for information gathered by the Fleet, as well as records recovered from the worlds encountered. The Photep transported the Thousand Sons contingent to the Triumph of Ullanor, as well as to the Council of Nikea.
Of the areas aboard the Photep, the most famous is the Sanctum of Magnus, a pyramidal contemplation area projecting from the hull and offering superb views of space itself. The Sanctum was decorated with a mosaic floor spiral made out of chips of black and white crystal from the Reflecting Caves of Prospero, shaped and laid by Magnus himself. The atmosphere in the Sanctum was kept at a steady, cool setting, to aid meditation. The spiral on the floor was not merely decorative, it served an organisational purpose reflective of Magnus’ philosophies. Each senior Captain in the Legion was assigned a place on the spiral, a place carefully calculated to represent their current status, authority, respect and power, comparative to each other…and to Magnus, who stood at the centre of the spiral upon a golden representation of a sun. Each Captain’s position was therefore at constant risk of change as their own career and personal power waxed and waned. During the Crusade, whenever Magnus camped upon the surface of a planet he had a pavillion assembled that was designed to be a copy of his Sanctum, albeit without transparent walls. The pavillion included a reproduction of the crystal flooring, but one made of marble tiles.
Another area of contemplation aboard the vessel was the library of Ahzek Ahriman, a chamber said to be surprisingly understated for the Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons. Not especially large, it contained only a single bookcase, one large desk and Ahriman’s armour-stand. It was in this room that Ahriman began the training of the remembrancer Lemuel Gaumon in the psychic arts.
The Photep was in orbit of Prospero when Magnus recieved the revelation that the Emperor had sent the Space Wolves to humble him and destroy his legion in punishment for his actions after the Council of Nikea. As part of his plan to leave Prospero open and unguarded in the face of the Space Wolves’ attack, the Photep was ordered to lead one quarter of the Thousand Sons’ fleet in a direct line away from the system, her captain given sealed orders and instructed not to open them until reaching a specified set of co-ordinates. What these orders were and what became of the Photep herself is currently unknown.
Scion of Prospero
Scion of Prospero is a Battle Barge used by the Thousand Sons. The ship survived the Burning of Prospero during the Horus Heresy, and managed to reach the Planet of the Sorcerers in the Eye of Terror. It is frequently seen at the head of Thousand Sons fleets that terrorize the Imperium in the ten thousand years that have followed. The ship has been utilized by Ahriman on multiple occasions, and has been seen during the Twelfth and Thirteenth Black Crusades.
Ankhtowe was a Battle Barge in used during the Horus Heresy and served as Ahzek Ahriman‘s flagship. Alongside other core Legion ships like the Photep, the Ankhtowe was sent away by Magnus shortly before the Burning of Prospero. However the ship later reappeared above the Planet of the Sorcerers to rejoin their Primarch. Ahriman later commanded from the vessel during the Solar War.
Kymmeru – Battle Barge (pre-Heresy)
Herumon – Battle Barge (post-Heresy)
Thousand Sons Cruisers
Sekhemra – Strike Cruiser (pre-heresy)
Waning Moon – Strike Cruiser (pre-Heresy)
Tlaloc – this Cruiser was in service with the Thousand Sons Legion during the Great Crusade. It was captained by Khayon of the Khenetai.
Other Thousand Sons Vessels
Phosis T’Kar – Planet Scourer (post-Heresy)
Over one thousand realtime years after the death of Phosis T’kar, a Thousand Sons spacecraft was named in his memory. The Phosis T’Kar was a custom-built vessel classified by the legion as a planet-scourer; essentially a mammoth plasma cannon built into the superstructure of a starship and intended solely as an orbit-to-ground bombardment ship. The Phosis T’kar was deployed during the Battle of the Fang. Its current status is unknown.
Geometric – Destroyer (pre-Heresy)
The Unyielding – Frigate of the Chaos Lord Sektoth (post-Heresy)
Silver Towers (at least nine seen at one location) – (post-Heresy)
The Silver Towers of the Thousand Sons are the largest remnants of long-dead Prospero, supposedly being the spires and towers of its pyramid-citadels. Now they act as multidimensional battle fortresses. The Silver Towers are said to contain fragments of the Crystal Labyrinth itself. During the Siege of the Fenris System in late M41 the Thousand Sons used Silver Towers to great effect. Nine of them appeared above the surface of Fenris, acting as carriers which dropped onto the surface of Fenris Rubicae, Tzaangors, and Daemons. At least one, the Tower of the Crystal Raven was destroyed during the battle.
~Fear the Red Sorcerors of Prospero, both on solid ground and in the heavens.
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