A terrible, unusual faction consisting of those captured and/or infected with the anomalous material, corriphite. The Rewritten are a perplexing faction that are deeply, if not entirely sexually driven, despite being unable to reproduce in any usual fashion. They spread their corruption almost entirely by sex, with three possible results for the vast majority they infect; either you'll be immune, or you'll turn into a “Slave” or a “Node”, with the only other possibility existing for the meddalcorph species, the czarites, who uniquely turn into “Controllers”.

 

With all corrupted individuals integrated into their “hierclasty”, an abnormal form of hive-mind with a hierarchy, the Rewritten are theoretically capable of great, if unnerving things, as the hierclasty allows for unmatched communication and collaborative work. The nature of the corruption means it could have dire implications for the universe as whole if left unchecked.

 

Regarding their hierarchal structure, Slaves function as little more than warm bodies, only able to complete basic tasks such as sleep, eat and mate, with no critical thinking power or personality at all. Slaves can sometimes exert more strength than they were capable of prior to corruption, but are otherwise firmly victims with little benefit. Nodes retain their intellect and gain a series of advantages from their corruption; individuals are usually taller, stronger and more intelligent than they were pre-corruption, and also have the ability to directly control the bodies of Slaves through the hierclasty, and allowing them to complete more complicated tasks. Nodes also have physical changes, turning into an "intersex" version of their previous selves and are usually "more attractive" or at least more visually distinct, with larger sexual apparatus as well.

 

Controllers are the next and final step in the hierarchy. Like Nodes, they are larger, more aggressive and powerful versions of their former selves, but they can exert direct control over both Slaves and Nodes, as a result, Nodes are generally completely powerless to resist the will of a Controller, should they disagree with the Node's actions. This level of control over another's body is extreme and precise; their ability to override the standard limitations of a person's body can be devastating. Slaves have been seen punching through material that otherwise be impossible, at the cost of their own bone structure and sometimes even lives.

 

Nodes and Controllers working together are able to share knowledge on an unprecedented level of efficiency, and can work together as efficiently as AI controlled drone bodies with all the advantages of organic decision making and analysis, making them an extremely dangerous foe. Combined with the apparently disposable nature of Slaves, the Rewritten are able to use bodies in a way that few can emulate.

 

What makes them more complicated is their absolute obsession with sex and the corruption. All corrupted individuals (of any tier) hunger deeply to attempt intercourse with non-corrupted individuals, to the point where it's usually the entire goal of the faction to continue their spread. There are far more effective ways of spreading a corruption or disease than intercourse, and it begs the question why the Rewritten would be handicapped in such a manner, leading to the conclusion that the Rewritten is primarily responsive to their feelings and urges over any form of logic, at least in the short term. 

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Besides calling into question why an anomalous material (and thus questioning its origin) would change people in such a fashion, it's this weakness of the Rewritten to satisfy the ache in their loins that limits their spread. But, despite this, they represent a very real and rapidly growing threat to the factions close to them, as the advantages of a Node are only amplified by being properly equipped with high quality weapons and armour. A standard Orion shock marine is a force to be reckoned with, but a Node in that same gear? Working in tandem with a Controller and an army of Slaves to draw fire? Now imagine they've just captured a commander and have corrupted them, gaining access to his memories and spreading that knowledge instantly...

 

As a result of their near limitless potential, the Rewritten have been added to several factions watch-lists, should this corrupted snowball gain too much mass, it might become entirely impossible to stop it.