| abstract
| - Librarians are also the guardians of the secrets of the Deathwatch. Within each Watch Fortress is to be found the sealed Vault which stores weapons and relics too dangerous to be allowed to fall into the hands of Mankind’s enemies. Also within the Vault is an archive of forbidden knowledge. Not even the Watch Commander has access to these archives—only the Librarians are entrusted with their access codes, and only they are judged strong enough to withstand the sanity-shattering secrets sealed within. It is only in the direst of circumstances that a Librarian will enter a Watch Fortress' Vault archive, for each time he does so he is exposed to the whispering voices of long-dead alien beings, tempting him with the power to rule the whole of Humanity in the name of ancient and blasphemous gods. Nevertheless, so terrible are many of the horrors faced by the Deathwatch that the Librarian may be required to consult the archives in order to discover some previous record of an enemy’s weakness. Such knowledge can spell the difference between a mission’s success and failure. Another role carried out by a Watch Fortress’ Librarians is that of providing the Watch Commander with counsel. Given their access to forbidden knowledge and their innate understanding of arcane matters, the word of a Librarian rarely goes unheeded in the Watch Commander’s plans. In addition to this, many Librarians are gifted with some degree of prognostication—whether by way of visions, meditation, consulting the Emperor's Tarot, or seeming intuition, Librarians can often discern something of what will come to pass. Though such a premonition is rarely clear enough to provide complete certainty, it often provides clues that enable an experienced Librarian to make a sound judgement concerning potential dangers that may be faced in an upcoming mission, and to advise the Watch Captains accordingly. Often, the premonition focuses upon the actions of the Librarian himself, telling him that his own presence will be required if a mission is to succeed. Many Deathwatch Librarians have foreseen their own death at the hands of some alien monstrosity, and gone proudly and stoically to their fate, with certain knowledge that their death will sow the seed of their Battle-Brothers’ victory. Another task at which many Librarians excel is the sending of psychic messages. Many Librarians are skilled enough to send messages from the surface of a planet to a vessel in orbit, and more powerful Librarians might even be able to contact a fellow Librarian in another sector. Generally, the further the message is projected the less clear it becomes. However, in several cases, a Kill-team that has been considered to be lost has been recovered due to the efforts of a Librarian, who managed to invoke a simple insight from the mind of a Battle- Brother light years away. Given the nature of some of the places into which the Deathwatch must go, such an ability is invaluable, and has saved the lives of many of Mankind’s mightiest warriors. While many Deathwatch Librarians are, in effect, part of the Watch Commander’s officer cadre and not permanently assigned to a single Kill-team, in reality most come to associate themselves with one group of warriors. Such is the bond between the Battle-Brothers of a Kill-team that to separate them is to degrade their considerable combat effectiveness. Deathwatch Librarians are able to make a significant contribution to a Kill-team, lending their singular abilities to the eternal war against the alien horrors of the galaxy.
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)