Warhammer 40,000 Encyclopedia The Ultimate Guide Labels Orders Of Adeptus Custodes As "Brotherhoods," Pushing Back Against Games Workshop Feminization
Warhammer 40,000 has a new history book by one of the original designers that walk back the female Adeptus Custodes introduced by Games Workshop in their new 10th Edition Codex.
Warhammer 40,000 came to national attention in April when Games Workshop introduced female Adeptus Custodes to the property in the most recent Codex: Adeptus Custodes with an excerpt stating, ““Custodian Calladayce Taorvalia Kesh stood upon the bridge of a Cobra-class destroyer. Named Vigilant Flame, the warship belonged to the mighty Battlefleet Solar. She lingered in the shadows at the back of the bridge, positioned at a spot where she could observe the actions of every crew member be they in the instrumentation pits, at the armament shrines or — in the case of Shipmaster Lethwyck — stood ramrod straight before his command throne.”
The official Warhammer account on X confirmed the authenticity of the excerpt and declared that female Custodes always existed. The account wrote, “Since the first of the Ten Thousand were created, there have always been female Custodians.”
This is patently untrue. Former World of Warcraft Team Lead Mark Kern aka Grummz shared an excerpt from the Rogue Trader rules in 1987.
It states, “The Adeptus Custodes is the Emperor’s inner guard, the members of which are privileged in being permitted to serve upon the Emperor, attending to his needs, receiving and recording his directions. These men never leave Earth and only rarely leave the Imperial Palace – an endless, black hive of forbidden technology and subterranean passages delving deep within the bowels of the planet.”
Now, a new Warhammer 40,000: The Ultimate Guide encyclopedia has been released by original designers Gav Thorpe and Guy Hayle, that contradicts the new Games Workshop push toward feminization.
The 10th Edition Codex renamed the Adeptus Custodes a “gathering” to try to remove the gendered word “brotherhood” which was in the original setting. This new Ultimate Guide walks that language back by reinserting the original intent of the lore.
In a section about the Adeptus Custodes titled The Guardians Of The Emperor, the book says “As a legion of individuals, the Adeptus Custodes are less regimented than other Imperial forces, with promotion based entirely on merit. The captain-general leads, aided by a group of ten tributes. Below the tribunate, commanders of individual forces are known as shield-captains. Armies, or shield hosts, are formed across all five orders. Dozens of other suborganisations, brotherhoods, and groupings run through sthe orders, such as the Companions, Wardens, Shadowkeepers, or Solar Watch. Some are entirely ceremonial, others have genuine military application, while many simply exist to acknowledge the talents or deeds of their members. In this way, the Custodians keep their true structure impenetrable.”
Of note is the reinsertion of the language of “brotherhood” in the passage and the lack of using “gatherings.”
Of note is famed designer Gav Thorpe, who worked on the original lore, but left Games Workshop in 2008 according to his Wikipedia.
This news delighted fans of Warhammer 40,000 as they noted that the original lore designers seem to be completely ignoring the Games Workshop change to the lore to allow the Female Custodes to exist. However, the book itself is not published by Games Worskhop but is licensed out to a publishing company called “DK” as listed in the Amazon description and on the cover, so its official canon has not been determined.
Whether Games Workshop will also walk back their new female custodians or try to go forward with their new lore in Warhammer 40,000 remains to be seen.
What do you think of the Warhammer 40,000: The Ultimate Guide implying there are no female custodians? Leave a comment and let us know.
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