It is only the Adeptus Custodes who decide who may enter the Sanctum Imperialis of the Emperor at the heart of the Inner Palace, and when they may do so.With the birth of the, and the resurrection of the as the, the Adeptus Custodes have been forced to take a more active role in galactic affairs. They almost never leave and only very rarely are seen outside the Imperial Palace as they watch over their recumbent master and patrol the precincts of the Emperor's Palace, ever vigilant of threats. After His incarceration in the following the Horus Heresy ten standard millennia ago, they have taken a far more limited role in the. During the Great Crusade these resplendent warriors guarded the Emperor wherever He went and swore to give their lives to protect His. For ten thousand Terran years and more, the Custodians have stood watch over their lord and master, serving as the Emperor's personal heralds and praetorian bodyguard. Where Space Marines represent the mass-produced, genetically-engineered soldiers of the, the Adeptus Custodes are a force of individual warriors, each a bastion in his own right and a sentinel of unmatched capability and singular purpose created to counter any possible threat -, or.These warriors have stood in the presence of the immortal Emperor of Mankind since before the time of the. They are to the as the Emperor is to His, and it is rumoured that they were each created by the Master of Mankind personally. The Custodes is an elite cadre of genetically-engineered transhuman warriors who are even more potent in combat than the.
Before the (30th Millennium)The Adeptus Custodes, known as the Legio Custodes during the and eras, is the Adepta responsible for protecting the and the physical body of the, as well as serving as His most important emissaries, His companions, and the keepers of His many secrets.