Twisted and warped from the pure Crozius Arcanum of Loyalist Space Marine Chaplains into something hideously blasphemous, an Accused Crozius mocks the Imperium with its mere existence. However, in the hands of the Dark Apostles, the weapon is known as an Accursed Crozius, now a symbol of the Dark Apostles' devotion to the Ruinous Powers of Chaos in the form of the Chaos Star (representing the Eight-Fold Path), rather than a sacred emblem of their reverence for the Emperor. The Crozius Arcanum is still used by the corrupted Dark Apostles of the Word Bearers, which is the only Heretic Astartes Traitor Legion still to employ the use of Chaplains. To show their faith in the Emperor of Mankind, the Crozius, along with the Chaplain, is most likely to be adorned by Purity Seals and other tokens of faith. The Crozius is the badge of office of Chaplains and is normally used in many Space Marine ceremonies and rituals across a vast array of Chapters. Incorporated within the shaft of a Crozius is a powerful gravitic energy field capable of disrupting matter much in the same way as a Power Weapon. Chaplain Ortan Cassius, the Master of Sanctity of the Ultramarines Chapter, has fashioned his Crozius Arcanum in the form of a Tyranid head, in remembrance of Hive Fleet Behemoth's costly invasion of their homeworld of Macragge during the First Tyrannic War. It is normally shaped in the form of either a staff or a mace, topped by the double-headed Aquila of the Imperium or a winged skull that represents the Emperor's sacrifice for humanity.Ī few versions use iconography from the Chapter they belong to, such as the blacksmith's hammer-version used by some Chaplains from the Salamanders Chapter. This duality of purpose presents no philosophical conundrum for the Chaplains, as for them battle itself represents the most valuable form of worship of the Emperor of Mankind. A standard Space Marine Chaplain's Crozius Arcanum on the left and a variant used by the Wolf Priests of the Space Wolves Chapter on the rightĪ Crozius Arcanum is a mace or staff that is used as both a melee weapon and the primary badge of office of Space Marine Chaplains.

False Gods by Graham McNeill