Editing Hektor Heresy (section)

==Prelude==

After the great Triumph of Ullanor, the Emperor of Mankind withdrew from the battles of the Great Crusade to pursue a secret project on ancient Terra.  He appointed Malcador the Sigilite to head the Imperium's government, the Council of Terra.  [[Hektor Cincinnatus]] was named as Warmaster and led his brother [[Primarchs (Hektor Heresy)|Primarchs]] in the Military Council.  The Primarchs would complete the conquest of the Galaxy while the Council of Terra prepared for a future in which humanity ruled the stars.

Other powers prepared for an entirely different future.  Towards the end of the second century of the Great Crusade, [[Aubrey The Grey]] had became a willing servant of the Chaos Gods.  The Primarch of the [[Eternal Zealots]] had been greatly embittered by the burning of Lazarus and his new masters gave him both comfort and a means to avenge himself.  Aubrey was prepared to work slowly, putting off immediate gratification for the sake of total vengeance.  The first traitor was aware of dark secrets among the [[Lions Rampant]], the [[Life Bringers]], the [[Sons of Fire]], and [[The Justiciars]]. However, the first ally he sought out was [[The Voidwatcher]], master of the [[Black Augurs]].  As a master of the psychic arts, the Voidwatcher was well-aware that powerful entities lurked in the Warp and joined Aubrey's conspiracy in pursuit of his own ambitions.

The Voidwatcher's aid was essential to Aubrey's plan.  The Chaos Gods had told their herald of the true nature of the Emperor's secret project.  From beneath the Imperial Palace on Terra, the master of mankind hoped to link into the ancient Webway and give the human race the same opportunities for cultural advancement that the ancient Eldar Empire enjoyed.  In order to carry out this work safely, powerful psychic wards had been erected.  These wards prevented the dimensional breach to the Webway from becoming a gateway to the perils of the Warp.  Under Aubrey's direction, the Voidwatcher breached the Emperor's wards.  This perfidious act allowed powerful daemons to pour into real space.  The Emperor, aided by his Custodes and contingents of the mysterious Sisters of Silence, would be fully occupied with this terrible threat for many years.

===Ostium and Olmer===
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<center>'''SEEDS OF CORRUPTION'''</center>
[[File:AubreyTheGrey.jpg|160px|right]]
Aubrey the Grey rarely spoke in the public meetings of the Olmer Tribunal. Although he affected a manner of solemn regret, inwardly the Primarch rejoiced at the crumbling of the Imperium and plotted to further the ends of the Primordial. Aubrey used the occasion of the Tribunal to bring Cromwald Walgrun, Inferox, and Uriel Salazar into the worship of the Ruinous Powers, along with a handful of less august warriors in the command circles of other Legions. This achievement guaranteed that Hektor's nascent rebellion would inevitably serve the cause of Chaos - and that the Warmaster himself would tread the path of damnation.
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Malcador the Sigilite was immediately aware of the Voidwatcher's treachery. He quickly declared the Black Augurs ''Traitoris Extremis'' for use of sorcery in an attack on ancient Terra. Three Primarchs, [[Brennus]], [[Rogerius Merrill]], and [[Tiran Osoros]], were ordered to assemble at the Forge World Diamat and then proceed to the Voidwatcher's homeworld Ostium to destroy the Traitor Primarch and his gene-sons. Yet the Sigilite's declarations were not met with universal obedience. Hektor Cincinnatus appealed for calm and invited the Military Council to assemble at Olmer for a Tribunal to determine the extent of the Voidwatcher's wrong-doing. Brennus ignored Hektor's request and travelled directly to Diamat with his best warriors. Rogerius Merrill, ever loyal to Hektor, barely considered Malcador's order and made way to Olmer. For Tiran Osoros, the question was more complex. The Lord of the [[Scale Bearers]] decided to make for Olmer, but he had no intention of taking part in Hektor's Tribunal. Instead, Tiran would demand that the Military Council bow to Malcador's authority and disperse.

Among the other Primarchs, these events drew a mixed response. [[Aubrey The Grey]], [[Cromwald Walgrun]], [[Inferox]], [[Johannes Vrach]], and [[Uriel Salazar]] all heeded Hektor's call and came to Olmer. [[Shakya Vardhana]] was making the long warp trip to Malluma, where he would soon be fighting for his life against a powerful servant of Chaos, but the Council of Nine attended the Olmer Tribunal in his stead. [[Gaspard Lumey]] and his Fifth Legion were in exile at the edge of the Galaxy, too far to receive news of the events in process. [[Onyx the Indestructible]] was also far from the Imperial centre, but decided to make the long journey to Diamat in case his brother Primarchs needed help with the Voidwatcher. Despite their different characters, [[Arelex Orannis]], [[Golgothos]], and [[Roman Albrecht]] all remained at their posts and carried on their crusading efforts rather than engaging in politicking. Praetorians represented these three Primarchs to both Olmer and Terra. [[Tollund Ötztal]] withdrew to his homeworld Tisenjoch, already mourning the loss of one of his brothers and sent no emissaries. Only [[Alexandri of Rosskar]] saw the dispute between Malcador and Hektor as a sign of imminent conflict. The sire of the [[Silver Cataphracts]] had been charged to defend Terra while the Emperor worked on the Webway project, and took his responsibilities seriously. Alexandri departed from the Solar System and began to put the worlds of the Solar Sector on a full war footing. His captains oversaw the construction and improvement of fortifications. Class after class of conscripts were called up and put into military training. There was a chance, perhaps, that men as proud as the Warmaster and the Emperor's deputy would come to a peaceful conclusion, but Alexandri had never known such things to happen. Besides, he was eager to see how his Silver Cataphracts matched up against the [[Heralds of Hektor]].

The Primarchs assembled at Olmer sat down to business quickly. Tiran Osoros begged the Council to let him speak first, even ahead of Hektor's opening remarks, and was given time to make his argument.  Ever-laconic, Tiran stated simply that Malcador ruled in the name of the Emperor. Disputing Malcador's orders was every bit as insubordinate as disputing those that came directly from the Emperor himself. Hektor exercised his right of reply and explained that the Military Council conducted the Great Crusade in the Emperor's name as well and had standing orders to brush aside all those who stood in the way of mankind's domination of the Galaxy. Of course the Primarchs should obey the Emperor's intentions, but without their master to explain himself what were they to do? Discussing that question was the very reason the Tribunal had convened. Hektor's rhetoric carried the room, but Tiran shook his head sadly and excused himself. The Scale Bearers departed immediately for Diamat, followed shortly afterwards by the [[Iron Rangers]].

Meanwhile at Diamat, Brennus and his [[Expedition Fleets (Hektor Heresy)|Expeditionary Fleet]] were running low on patience. While he did not relish confronting one of his brother Primarchs, Brennus longed to end the delay and commence battle. However, he was hotly opposed by the Legion equerry, Ferdiad, who argued that the Thunder Kings should not proceed alone and, if possible, should negotiate with the Black Augurs for a peaceful solution. Brennus dismissed his second's views and decided to make for Ostium directly for a surgical strike. He and his Thunder Kings would attempt to confront the Voidwatcher directly and either capture or kill him. Without their Primarch, the remaining Black Augurs could be cleaned up when the Iron Rangers and Scale Bearers arrived. The great flaw in this plan was that Brennus did not account for the strength of Ferdiad's objections. When the Thunder Kings arrived at Ostium, Ferdiad and the many warriors loyal to him refused to join the attack. Furious and determined to prove himself right, Brennus plunged forward regardless of the worsening situation. The Thunder King had no trouble finding the Voidwatcher in his lair, but he was beaten back by blade and warpflame. Brennus retreated, but left many of his sons dead on the soil of Ostium. Bitterly disappointed in himself for acting so recklessly, Brennus ordered his Legion back to Diamat to link up with the Scale Bearers and Iron Rangers. The Thunder Kings' ships were places of sullen silence on that voyage.

===Diamat===
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<center>'''FIRST TO FALL'''</center>
[[File:Tiran Osoros.jpg|right|160px]]
The death of Tiran Osoros is usually regarded as the starting point of the Heresy.  Although the Voidwatcher's criminal attack on the Imperial Palace set events in motion, it wasn't until one Primarch murdered another that their brotherhood was sundered and war became inevitable.  It is grimly appropriate that the start of the horrific war between brothers began with the death of the Primarch who had most valued the fraternity of the Military Council.
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''We don't need an inspiring speech.  We are villains, traitors, and murderers.  There's no point in pride or shame about it.''

- Rogerius Merrill, in lieu of an address to his men on the eve of the Battle of Diamat

Far from Ostium, the Primarchs of the Iron Rangers and Scale Bearers would be making errors of their own.  Tiran's fleet emerged from the Warp on the edge of Diamat's system first and plotted a course to the Forge World, intending to take on supplies there.  When the Iron Rangers broke Warp a day later, Tiran was heartened and sent a warm message inviting his brother Primarch to discuss strategy in Diamat's orbit.  Rogerius readily accepted.  As the two fleets cruised into the inner system, they exchanged non-sensitive information.  Warriors who had fought together in campaigns fought by both Legions sent fraternal greetings to one another.  Officers of the Fleets' Victualaries discussed the proper tone for a meeting of the two Legions' dignitaries and decided that it was best to be sombre rather than try to distract from the grim task ahead with false gaiety.

This air of complacency started to come apart as the Iron Rangers fleet neared Diamat.  Tiran had directed his ships into a loose formation, giving ample space for supply shuttles to service the fleet.  Rogerius Merrill had his ships tightly grouped in a cone, a tell-tale battle formation.  The Scale Bearers belatedly asked for clarification and were answered by the Iron Rangers opening fire.  Out of formation and unprepared for the attack, the Scale Bearers took a terrible beating from that first salvo.  Crews were still rushing to their battle stations as a second round of fire hammered Tiran's fleet.  Knowing that they could not continue the fight in space, Tiran Osoros ordered the bulk of his warriors to evacuate their warships and make for the unnamed jungle moon of Diamat while the fleet distracted the murderous Iron Rangers.  After finishing off the Scale Bearers' fleet, Rogerius Merrill closed in for the kill.  His warriors conducted combat drops onto the moon and hunted the Scale Bearers through its jungles.  Though the sons of Tiran Osoros resisted bravely, they were outnumbered and caught in favourable terrain.  Their resistance was broken when Rogerius Merrill slew Tiran, driving many of the surviving Scale Bearers into madness.  The blood shed finally gave a name to the moon of Diamat: ''Sorfall''.

The Iron Rangers did not have long to celebrate their victory.  Onyx the Indestructible's armada, led by the super-battleship ''Mount Everest'', broke Warp shortly after Tiran Osoros' death.  The waves of anguish emanating from Sorfall were sensed by Onyx's Astropaths and on learning their portents and seeing the Iron Rangers fleet among the wreckage of Imperial ships, the Primarch quickly concluded that Rogerius Merrill had committed a foul deed.  Although the Stone Men burned in system at a reckless speed, the Iron Rangers slipped away.  Mighty Onyx could only gather up the survivors of the Scale Bearers and send word to Terra of the madness that had taken place.