Talons of the Emperor was the name given during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy to the elite and specialised Imperial military forces who drew their commands directly from the Emperor. These forces serve the Emperor as emissaries, bodyguards and destroyers and among their number they include the Legio Custodes, the superhuman companions of the Emperor who served as His "right hand" and His sworn protectors, the witchseekers of the Sisters of Silence, who represented His "left hand" and act as the harvesters of the Great Tithe.