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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe reveal was a female-pronoun reference to Custodian Calladyce Taurovalia Kesh in a short story in the 10th-edition Codex: Adeptus Custodes. Games Workshop said in April 2024 that female Custodians had always existed; its January 2026 FAQ explains how they fit into the lore—and makes clear that this does not mean there are female Space Marines.
What did the codex reveal?
A short story on page 14 of the 10th-edition Codex: Adeptus Custodes introduced Custodian Calladyce Taurovalia Kesh and used female pronouns for her. Wargamer reported this as the first definitive confirmation from Games Workshop that women were among the Custodes. The reference drew attention as reviews of the codex appeared.
On April 14, 2024, Games Workshop replied on social media: “Since the first of the Ten Thousand were created, there have always been female Custodians.” That wording is the company’s reported social-media clarification, not a quotation from the codex itself. Wargamer’s report recounts both the story and the response.
Why did the reveal surprise some fans?
The story made the inclusion explicit, while Games Workshop’s immediate clarification presented female Custodians as part of the setting all along. That gap between a newly visible confirmation and an asserted continuity became a point of contention. Wargamer reported online questioning and controversy; a September 2024 Le Monde feature quoted author Thibaut Claudel saying the dispute reached beyond the core Warhammer 40,000 community. These accounts show a visible debate, not a uniform reaction across fans or a measured count of how many were shocked or opposed.
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- Games Workshop - Warhammer 40,000 - Combat Patrol: Adeptus Custodes (2024 Edition)
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Claudel also noted that the change had not involved a new miniature at the time of the debate. That observation describes the situation then; Games Workshop later discussed a new range with a mix of male and female Custodes miniatures.
How does Games Workshop explain female Custodes in the lore?
In a FAQ published January 16, 2026, Games Workshop says Custodes are “not Space Marines.” It describes Custodians as taken as infants and individually remade through an arcane, bespoke process. That distinction matters: the reveal concerns the Adeptus Custodes, not the Adeptus Astartes.
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- Warhammer 40,000 Adeptus Custodes Captain-General Trajann Valoris
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The FAQ says some Custodes recruits came from patriarchal noble houses where inheritance passed to first-born sons, but those houses were not the only source. In the company’s words, “Noble daughters could also have been taken.” Games Workshop also frames the new visibility as consistent with earlier miniatures: unhelmeted figures had been visibly male, while heavily armoured ones did not make their gender apparent. It says the new range includes male and female Custodes. This is the FAQ’s January 2026 explanation, not wording that should be attributed to the 2024 codex.
Does this mean there are female Space Marines?
No. Games Workshop’s FAQ states: “There are no female Adeptus Astartes.” Custodes and Space Marines are separate factions with different origins and recruitment processes, so a female Custodian does not establish female Space Marines or change Space Marine rules.
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- This multi-part plastic kit contains the parts necessary to assemble a 5-model Prosecutor Squad, Silent Sisterhood warriors.
- One model can be assembled as a Sister Superior, with her own loincloth, shoulder pad, seal and choice of 2 heads.
- It includes 6 executioner greatswords, 5 Umbra-pattern boltguns and 5 flamers.
- This kit comprises 67 components, and is supplied with 5 Citadel 32mm Round bases and a Burning of Prospero transfer sheet.
- Models come unpainted and some assembly may be required. Glue, paints, and supplies are sold separately.
Is the 10th-edition Custodes codex worth buying?
Games Workshop described the 2024 faction codex as a companion containing background, painted miniatures, and rules for 50 different units. For readers interested in the Kesh story or faction lore, the book is a direct source. If buying it for tabletop play, check the current official rules and errata first: the book is specifically the 10th-edition codex, and its rules usefulness should not be assumed to match the rules current at the time of purchase. Games Workshop’s 2024 Adeptus Custodes army guide describes the book and faction.
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- A plastic miniature for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy
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- This miniature requires assembly and is supplied unpainted
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